With the help of Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (http://www.cdc.gov/vaccines/vac-gen/side-effects.htm#flu) I want to address ONE OF THE MOST DEBATED QUESTIONS OF OUR TIME: "Should I get a flu shot?" In my case the answer is absolutely. I am not allergic to eggs or egg-like things (I don't know if this includes chickens) or anything else noted by the CDC. Nor am I disqualified by anything else noted on the CDC page cited. I can't say for sure if you should get one or not. If you're in doubt I would again suggest this CDC web page. HOWEVER THERE IS ONE ISSUE (among others) THAT HAS DRIVEN ME CRAZY! AND HAVING NEW INFO I MUST INFORM THE WORLD!!!! SO DON'T STOP READING HERE OR YOU'LL BE AT THE MERCY OF YOUR OWN PERIL!!!
PLUS THE CDC "NEWS" HAS BEEN INUNDATED MORE THAN USUAL WITH THIS IMPORTANT QUESTION/ISSUE because the number of people in the 18-64 age group are being hospitalized in way above average numbers from the flu this season. Also on a personal note, I want to thank the CDC for referring to people 64 and below as being "middle-age." They didn't give a beginning age for Middle Age so we'll debate that some other time (http://www.cdc.gov/media/index.html). But I digress. So it may not be too late to get a flu shot for this season and it may be more important to the Middle-Aged group than most years. But the real reason the Flu Shot Debate drives me crazy now requires a new paragraph, so don't risk Peril and stop reading yet.
You see, for me this debate even has a family history. Even now my father (a guy in the high risk category despite being over 64) will not get a Flu shot because he claims his mother got one once and got the Flu from it. I bet you've heard this, huh? (In general, if not about my grandmother.)Well I do get a flu shot each Fall and this year I couldn't help but note I didn't feel up to par for about the next 24 to 48 hours. A few days later, I had an appointment with my Primary Care Physician so I mentioned this to him. I always tell him too much. I confidently prefaced my comment about my post Flu Vaccine slump saying, "I know it probably isn't really possible. But I kinda felt like I had a light case of the flu after I got a Flue Vaccine last week."
Well, my PCP paused. Then he explained in so many words a phenomenon noted in the above cited CDC information. The Flu Shot is dead flu viruses and, by definition dead flu viruses will not give us the Flu, at least the full-blown version. BUT HERE IT IS: My PCP said, and I paraphrase loosely (but close enough), that our immune system still attacks the dead Flu viruses shot into our arm (if we're lucky). In fact, and this is the basis of many vaccines, our immune system gears up the production of the anti-Flu viruses antibodies, they guessed at for that season. So, in review and clarification, the extra anti-Flu cells (antibodies) made by our bodies are the reason we do not generally get the Flu. SO, IT'S USUALLY BETTER IF YOU'RE SHOT. I KNOW IT IS IN MY CASE, because the few Flu-like symptoms we might feel relatively briefly after being vaccinated are almost never as bad as getting the full-blown, real Flu; perched precariously upon the Porcelain Thrown holding a bag or bucket of some sort. So, there you have it; my opinion and a CDC page to ponder and perhaps even quote the next time this heated subject seeks to ruin a family gathering or valued relationship. Good Luck.
Tuesday, February 25, 2014
Sunday, February 23, 2014
National Margarita Day, Please...Not
You've probably heard it said that now days every cause has its "Day." Well believe it or not according to its Facebook Fan Page this is National Margarita Day (www.facebook.com/events/581380915284665/)!!!
Unfortunately the Facebook Page doesn't give many details, but it appears this may be the first year this distinguished day is being celebrated, at least officially. According to the above noted page, the On Broadway Bar of Cincinnati, Ohio created this day (I thought congress or a president or someone had to be in on this kind of thing). I guess if you have a Facebook Fan Page you can create any Day you want.
This makes me wonder why we don't have National Nights? We sort of do if you count Halloween, the Fourth of July, Christmas and New Year's Eves. Many celebrate Valentine's Day at night. But obviously it is explicitly a "Day." However, I think it's time I took it upon myself to suggest some National Nights.
To begin with, tonight might be Stay Off the Cincinnati Roads Night! Tomorrow night my be Go To Bed Early Night for those who celebrate Margarita Day. Thanksgiving Day evening might be best known as Roll Off the Couch Night. Christmas Day evening might be best known as Plan To Re-Gift Night. I'm not certain, but I thing New Year's Day evening is already know unofficially as Sober Up To Go Back To Work Night. Check it out, I bet it's on your planning calendar.
Personally I don't think we need any National Days that revolve around drinking, we already have St. Patrick's Day. But there's always room for other National Days and Nights in accordance with Facebook. So here's your challenge for National Challenge Day, which FYI is next Friday, come up with at least one National Day or Night that will enliven our country's social calender. I wish you all the luck of National Luck Day, April 15!
Unfortunately the Facebook Page doesn't give many details, but it appears this may be the first year this distinguished day is being celebrated, at least officially. According to the above noted page, the On Broadway Bar of Cincinnati, Ohio created this day (I thought congress or a president or someone had to be in on this kind of thing). I guess if you have a Facebook Fan Page you can create any Day you want.
This makes me wonder why we don't have National Nights? We sort of do if you count Halloween, the Fourth of July, Christmas and New Year's Eves. Many celebrate Valentine's Day at night. But obviously it is explicitly a "Day." However, I think it's time I took it upon myself to suggest some National Nights.
To begin with, tonight might be Stay Off the Cincinnati Roads Night! Tomorrow night my be Go To Bed Early Night for those who celebrate Margarita Day. Thanksgiving Day evening might be best known as Roll Off the Couch Night. Christmas Day evening might be best known as Plan To Re-Gift Night. I'm not certain, but I thing New Year's Day evening is already know unofficially as Sober Up To Go Back To Work Night. Check it out, I bet it's on your planning calendar.
Personally I don't think we need any National Days that revolve around drinking, we already have St. Patrick's Day. But there's always room for other National Days and Nights in accordance with Facebook. So here's your challenge for National Challenge Day, which FYI is next Friday, come up with at least one National Day or Night that will enliven our country's social calender. I wish you all the luck of National Luck Day, April 15!
Monday, February 17, 2014
Pres. Day, Geo. Washington’s National Rd. & Our National Infrastructure Are All Tied Together
It’s Presidents Day, the result of the previous
Lincoln and Washington Birthday Days falling prey to downsizing! I suggest we
send the living presidents an e-card of some sort; maybe a congratulations or
sympathy card?
 |
| The Delaware Memorial Bridge (Wikipedia photo sited below) |
The National Road, U.S. Route 40 aka Victory Highway runs
through the middle of my fair city of Indianapolis and maybe yours! After all
it’s 2,285.74 miles long, running through cities from Atlantic City, New Jersey
to Park City, Utah. It once stretched to San Francisco but evidently also
fall prey to downsizing (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/U.S._Route_40).
The uniqueness of the National Rd. has always
fascinated me. But recently while traveling on it in Indianapolis near Sherman
(Not a president, but a real pyromaniac) Avenue my fascination turned to grief.
It’s been a hard winter for the Victory Highway here in Indy. It has ripped
away the pavement in places exposing the brick pavement of some era. I’ve seen
this before, but this time I could see the shiny rails of the old Indianapolis
Metro Area Inter Urban “train” system, something I hadn’t seen. I’m
guessing road crews aren’t going to be able to fix this with just Cold Patch,
though they may try.
Washington (a President) St., as we call the National Rd. in Indy,
has seen better days. But that can also be said of many roads across our
nation; part of our nation’s infrastructure, which has been declining due to
a lack of funds for maintenance according to a myriad of engineers – some of
whom will no longer drive across certain bridges...
I wonder where all the tax funds for infrastructure
maintenance may have gone(Vegas?). Perhaps those who may be guilty of fraud at
different levels are seeing it come back to bite their/our roads and bridges?
In high school I remember being taught that we had an even greater highway
system than Rome at its highest point. Now I wonder, sadly, if greed and fraud in our country might cause
our infrastructure and other things to go the way of the of the former Roman
Empire?
To a degree the doomsayers may be right about our
country paralling the downfall of Rome, but not necessarily in the areas they
tend to cite: an increase in sexual immorality and other partying-related
activity. Nope, maybe the real keys to decline are the stained hands dipping
into the common tills in offices and back allies from coast to coast; like a
National Highway paved by the theft of public funds. Personally, I hope all of
us can find ways of stomping out the corruption and graft in all our
institutions. This just might save our infrastructure and our children and our
world. Let’s start stomping where we’re standing and keep spreading out,
seriously! The tax returns we file might be one good place for some to
start?!
Friday, February 14, 2014
Comcast and Time Warner Cable Flirting; Bob Costas, Maybe Not!
Yikes! It's Valentine's Day and the news is infiltrated with those who are flirting and those who (probably) are not. Some are even wanting to move beyond flirting into take-overs, if you know what I mean?
Unfortunately, I can identify with poor Mr. Costas. Even those who are just barely following the Olympics on TV know by now that he is suffering from a double case of Pink Eye aka conjunctivitis that has knocked him off the air. The Olympics only come around every four years, and for most sportscasters this is likely a periodic highlight. But for Bob C., who is widely believed to be the heir apparent to the great sportscaster and long-time King of the Olympic sportscasting the late Jim McKay, having to take sick days now must make him feel, well, really sick. But if you saw his final attempt to be on TV despite his Pink Eye you know it was dangerously close to moving from the sports to horror genre. Yikes.
I can identify with Bob C. because I too was once an adult victim of Pink Eye at an important time, although it wasn't telecast. To this day I don't know where I picked up the highly contagious disorder. I do know that it was miserable and I was indignant because I thought it was only something contracted by kids. Wrong! Plus, I was about to embark on our annual family vacation a time almost on par with the Olympics for my family and me! Like Bob C., I was going to marshal on. My wife and kids were young and in the pool and it was my duty to be there and throw them up into the air; an essential vacation, but non-Olympic family sport.
I discerned that any bacteria would be snuffed out by the chlorine in the pool water. So against the better judgment of my wife I fulfilled my duties. I even kind of enjoyed it, even though I couldn't really see it very well. Then, as predicted by my wife, I had to literally layout for the next few days of our vacation. So probably like Bob C. my condition got worse and I ended up laying in a dark hotel room only wondering what was going on in the pool or on the slopes/ice in his case. So I wasn't and Bob C. probably isn't flirting with anything or anyone, except perhaps with a snow-covered mountain of anger. Get well soon Bob.
Now, Bob Costas is often on TV and Comcast flirting with taking over Time Warner Cable is also about TV. That's correct. This is the only link I have to the second half of my post, sad. But right now this is a less personal issue for me than Pink Eye because we have OTA TV aka Over the Air TV. That's correct; we have rabbit ears on top of our TV. But they're fancy, amplified rabbit ears. An amplifier is necessary because someone somewhere decided we needed digital TV and it is more difficult for us to pull-in than the old signal. And, of course we had to get a digital converter box. So we are receiving what is now known as "Free TV," although we certainly pay for it by undergoing the barrage of commercials and having to help pay for them too every time we by a TV advertised product.
But for now we think this is a good trade off because we don't watch a lot of TV, it provides a lot of what we would like to see and, finally, we don't have a monthly bill. However I fear some day OTA might not be available for "free." Already it's not available for people who live in isolated areas who don't have giant, roof-top antenna etc.(actually I don't think it ever was). But I want end here on a positive note, a public service if you will. Because some lonesome, isolated, poor people would have no TV reception at all if not for cable or dish, the government has stepped up to address this important matter with Basic Service.
Years ago I stumbled across, I think, a little known fact. At that time at least, if your neighbors had cable access and you couldn't receive a TV signal without cable in your area, the government required the cable company to offer you a special deal: Basic Service. So even now perhaps, if you're in this situation you might be able to get cable with about 10 channels or so at a cut rate. At one time it was only $9.99 a month, but then it went up to $19.99. If I had more time, I would research this and let you know the current status of this government mandated service. But given my restraints, if you know what I mean, I can only suggest that since it seems all cost have gone up, this one may have also; and one would have to do a lot of web searching or phoning to see if it is available at your house.
I was afraid my blog might be a little superficial and not all that helpful. But now I feel like I may have just helped the other poor among us, a little. GTG flirt with my OTA TV, bye.
Unfortunately, I can identify with poor Mr. Costas. Even those who are just barely following the Olympics on TV know by now that he is suffering from a double case of Pink Eye aka conjunctivitis that has knocked him off the air. The Olympics only come around every four years, and for most sportscasters this is likely a periodic highlight. But for Bob C., who is widely believed to be the heir apparent to the great sportscaster and long-time King of the Olympic sportscasting the late Jim McKay, having to take sick days now must make him feel, well, really sick. But if you saw his final attempt to be on TV despite his Pink Eye you know it was dangerously close to moving from the sports to horror genre. Yikes.
I can identify with Bob C. because I too was once an adult victim of Pink Eye at an important time, although it wasn't telecast. To this day I don't know where I picked up the highly contagious disorder. I do know that it was miserable and I was indignant because I thought it was only something contracted by kids. Wrong! Plus, I was about to embark on our annual family vacation a time almost on par with the Olympics for my family and me! Like Bob C., I was going to marshal on. My wife and kids were young and in the pool and it was my duty to be there and throw them up into the air; an essential vacation, but non-Olympic family sport.
I discerned that any bacteria would be snuffed out by the chlorine in the pool water. So against the better judgment of my wife I fulfilled my duties. I even kind of enjoyed it, even though I couldn't really see it very well. Then, as predicted by my wife, I had to literally layout for the next few days of our vacation. So probably like Bob C. my condition got worse and I ended up laying in a dark hotel room only wondering what was going on in the pool or on the slopes/ice in his case. So I wasn't and Bob C. probably isn't flirting with anything or anyone, except perhaps with a snow-covered mountain of anger. Get well soon Bob.
Now, Bob Costas is often on TV and Comcast flirting with taking over Time Warner Cable is also about TV. That's correct. This is the only link I have to the second half of my post, sad. But right now this is a less personal issue for me than Pink Eye because we have OTA TV aka Over the Air TV. That's correct; we have rabbit ears on top of our TV. But they're fancy, amplified rabbit ears. An amplifier is necessary because someone somewhere decided we needed digital TV and it is more difficult for us to pull-in than the old signal. And, of course we had to get a digital converter box. So we are receiving what is now known as "Free TV," although we certainly pay for it by undergoing the barrage of commercials and having to help pay for them too every time we by a TV advertised product.
But for now we think this is a good trade off because we don't watch a lot of TV, it provides a lot of what we would like to see and, finally, we don't have a monthly bill. However I fear some day OTA might not be available for "free." Already it's not available for people who live in isolated areas who don't have giant, roof-top antenna etc.(actually I don't think it ever was). But I want end here on a positive note, a public service if you will. Because some lonesome, isolated, poor people would have no TV reception at all if not for cable or dish, the government has stepped up to address this important matter with Basic Service.
Years ago I stumbled across, I think, a little known fact. At that time at least, if your neighbors had cable access and you couldn't receive a TV signal without cable in your area, the government required the cable company to offer you a special deal: Basic Service. So even now perhaps, if you're in this situation you might be able to get cable with about 10 channels or so at a cut rate. At one time it was only $9.99 a month, but then it went up to $19.99. If I had more time, I would research this and let you know the current status of this government mandated service. But given my restraints, if you know what I mean, I can only suggest that since it seems all cost have gone up, this one may have also; and one would have to do a lot of web searching or phoning to see if it is available at your house.
I was afraid my blog might be a little superficial and not all that helpful. But now I feel like I may have just helped the other poor among us, a little. GTG flirt with my OTA TV, bye.
Tuesday, February 11, 2014
CPR AT INDIANA STATE HOUSE
Hey - welcome to my first blog post! I want to start by flirting with what's going on at the Indiana State House according to our local public radio station. The legislature is in Session and debating several very hot topics, including same-sex marriage. People are rightly very worked up about this issue.
So it made me shake my head when the news report said that today they are also offering "CPR Classes" at the State House. It's certainly a good idea. The State House might very well presently have an unusual number of life saving opportunities...
As for flirting with same-sex marriage (this could be tricky) I think the legislature should vote to keep the issue just in the legislature and keep it away from a constitutional amendment referendum in the Fall. First the people of Indiana all ready have their "say" on this through their Representatives. And, secondly such a referendum would likely mean huge and ugly campaigns that would waste money that could be used in so, so many better ways; in ways that directly affect a lot more people. Come on people; let's live and let live, and let people flirt with and marry whomever they want!
So it made me shake my head when the news report said that today they are also offering "CPR Classes" at the State House. It's certainly a good idea. The State House might very well presently have an unusual number of life saving opportunities...
As for flirting with same-sex marriage (this could be tricky) I think the legislature should vote to keep the issue just in the legislature and keep it away from a constitutional amendment referendum in the Fall. First the people of Indiana all ready have their "say" on this through their Representatives. And, secondly such a referendum would likely mean huge and ugly campaigns that would waste money that could be used in so, so many better ways; in ways that directly affect a lot more people. Come on people; let's live and let live, and let people flirt with and marry whomever they want!
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)