Allergy Tuesday
Yesterday was spent sniffling and sneezing, due to allergies. Today has begun with the same, only worse. Or maybe I caught something from one of the many sick people I sat next to yesterday in various waiting areas at the VA. I did spend a good part of the day there.
The cardiologist and I had a long talk and assuming the specialist agrees, I'm going to let them install a defibrillator. Even as I continue to lose weight and ease the strain on my heart, he made it very clear that it is a prudent precaution. It won't make me feel better. It won't improve the function of my heart. But it will give me a much better chance of surviving if I have a heart attack. I meant to ask him what was so unusual about my blood pressure going down instead of up during my recent stress test, but I forgot. Since the earliest they could get me in to see the specialist about the "device" was late August, I'm going to drop a note for my cardiologist off when I go to my weekly appointment at the VA. There was other good news that I won't bother to detail. It's enough to know that it was good rather than bad.
* * *
There is a boycott going on. It is in place in West Hollywood and is spreading to other urban areas. The product being boycotted? Stoli, the short name for Stolichnaya Vodka. Why is this brand being boycotted?
Because it is made in Russia and Russia just passed a new law that makes it a crime to give anyone under the age of 18 information about homosexuality. Hefty fines will result.
Now the manufacturer of Stoli is a privately held company. They claim to be proponents of the LGBT community. That's all well and good. Boycotting Russia by not travelling there won't really harm the government or nation. Damaging their economy just might. That's why the U.S. uses economic sanctions as a tool. It is an effective way of getting their attention.
If enough people choose to join in the boycott so that sales are damaged, that's less revenue for the company. Less revenue results in lower amounts of taxes being collected. Less money for the government to spend. It's all about the mighty dollar (or ruble in this case).
I believe in boycotts. I have boycotted businesses in the past when I felt they were engaged in actions I did not agree with. I used to boycott Carl's Junior because the founder donated to anti-abortion rights groups. I stopped when the company was sold to someone outside of his family, although I still haven't actually been to one in years.
The ability to boycott is why we should not be allowing anonymous donations to political campaigns. If we don't know whose money is involved, we can't use the power of the purse to let the donor know we don't like their position on an issue.
* * *
Random Ponderings:
Hard to believe the origin of the phrase "one red cent" is over 300 years old.
Should I be worried that sometimes I'm up on what the doctor is talking about because I saw it on an episode of ER or Grey's Anatomy?
How many more children need to die from allergic reactions to things like peanuts before people are more careful with home-baked goods in public settings? A teen at a summer camp bit into a Rice Krispies treat and tasted the peanut butter; immediately spitting out the bite. But it was too late. So sad.
Food & Wine says the best pizza place in L.A. is a place called 800 Degrees. I guess I'll have to go and check it out myself, since they promise your made-to-order pizza in 60 seconds, for only $6.
What idiot working at Delta Airlines thought 25,000 frequent flier miles and a $100 voucher would be enough compensation for a partially disabled man who was forced to crawl down the aisle of a plane, down the steps and across the tarmac to his wheelchair, without assistance? Twice!
Speaking of idiots, what are people doing calling a McDonald's $1 burger "nutritious"? It's loaded with fat and sodium.
Why is everyone so focused on the fact Bradley Manning was acquitted of the most serious charge in his case aiding the enemy? He was convicted of espionage, and he'd pleaded guilty to ten lesser charges. He will be spending a long stretch at Fort Leavenworth.
The lawyer for the Saudi Princess accused of keeping her servants in virtual slavery says in fact they were treated like royalty. They flew first class, were given their own cellphones and had access to the gym and spa. Funny thing is, when you're working 16 hours a day, seven days a week for less than $300 per week; all the perks in the world don't make it not slavery.
Who will blink first, CBS or Time-Warner Cable?
Who will blink first in the struggle over the Rush Limbaugh and Sean Hannity radio programs, Cumulus or Clear Channel?
This Date in History:
On this date in 762, Baghdad is founded.
On this date in 1502, Christopher Columbus lands on the Bay Islands off the coast of Honduras, on his 4th voyage.
On this date in 1629, a large earthquake kills 10,000 people in Naples, Italy.
On this date in 1866, New Orleans PD is ordered by the city's Democratic government to raid an integrated Republican Party meeting. 40 people are killed and 150 injured.
On this date in 1930, Uruguay wins the first FIFA World Cup.
On this date in 1945, the USS Indianapolis is sunk by a Japanese sub, killing 883 crewmen. Roughly 900 members of the crew survived the initial torpedo attack but only 317 of those actually survived. The others died from shark attacks or medical problems caused by lack of lifeboats, food and fresh water. They weren't rescued until four days after the sinking.
On this date in 1956, President Dwight D. Eisenhower signs a joint resolution of Congress, authorizing In God We Trust as the U.S. national motto.
On this date in 1965, President Lyndon B. Johnson signs the Social Security Act of 1965 into law, establishing Medicare and Medicaid.
On this date in 1971, Apollo 15 lands on the moon with the first Lunar Rover.
On this date in 1974, President Richard Nixon releases subpoenaed White House records only after the U.S. Supreme Court ordered him to do so.
On this date in 1975, Jimmy Hoffa disappears, never to be seen again.
Famous Folk Born On This Date:
Samuel Rogers
Emily Bronte
Henry Ford
Smedley Butler (only U.S. Marine to be awarded two Medals of Honor for separate incidents)
Casey Stengel
Henry W. Bloch
Joe Nuxhall
Edd Byrnes
Bud Selig
Peter Bogdanovich
Paul Anka
David Sanborn
Arnold Schwarzenegger
Jean Reno
Frank Stallone
Ken Olin
Anita Hill (leave her cans of soda alone, people)
Richard Linklater
Laurence Fishburne
Lisa Kudrow
Vivica Fox
Terry Crews
Sid Krofft
Eleanor Smeal
Patricia Schroeder
Christopher Nolan
Christine Taylor
Hilary Swank
Misty-May Treanor
Movie quotes today come from 2004's "Dodgeball: A True Underdog Story" because Christine Taylor was in it:
Patches O'Houlihan: If you can dodge a wrench, you can dodge a ball.
Justin: What?
[Patches throws a wrench and hits Justin in the face]
#2
Kate Veatch: [Judo-grabs White Goodman and slams his face into the wall, leaving a streak of makeup] You don't get to touch me, ever!
Peter La Fleur: Okay, Romeo, let me help you up.
White Goodman: Get off of me, don't you touch me! It is over between us, Kate. Nobody makes me bleed my own blood - nobody!
#3
Peter La Fleur: [after Patches hits Justin in the face with a wrench] Yeah, uh, Patches... are you sure that this is completely necessary?
Patches O'Houlihan: Necessary? Is it necessary for me to drink my own urine?
Peter La Fleur: Probably not.
Patches O'Houlihan: No, but I do it anyway because it's sterile and I like the taste.
Peter La Fleur: ...Okay.
#4
Cotton McKnight: ESPN Eight, the Ocho.
The cardiologist and I had a long talk and assuming the specialist agrees, I'm going to let them install a defibrillator. Even as I continue to lose weight and ease the strain on my heart, he made it very clear that it is a prudent precaution. It won't make me feel better. It won't improve the function of my heart. But it will give me a much better chance of surviving if I have a heart attack. I meant to ask him what was so unusual about my blood pressure going down instead of up during my recent stress test, but I forgot. Since the earliest they could get me in to see the specialist about the "device" was late August, I'm going to drop a note for my cardiologist off when I go to my weekly appointment at the VA. There was other good news that I won't bother to detail. It's enough to know that it was good rather than bad.
* * *
There is a boycott going on. It is in place in West Hollywood and is spreading to other urban areas. The product being boycotted? Stoli, the short name for Stolichnaya Vodka. Why is this brand being boycotted?
Because it is made in Russia and Russia just passed a new law that makes it a crime to give anyone under the age of 18 information about homosexuality. Hefty fines will result.
Now the manufacturer of Stoli is a privately held company. They claim to be proponents of the LGBT community. That's all well and good. Boycotting Russia by not travelling there won't really harm the government or nation. Damaging their economy just might. That's why the U.S. uses economic sanctions as a tool. It is an effective way of getting their attention.
If enough people choose to join in the boycott so that sales are damaged, that's less revenue for the company. Less revenue results in lower amounts of taxes being collected. Less money for the government to spend. It's all about the mighty dollar (or ruble in this case).
I believe in boycotts. I have boycotted businesses in the past when I felt they were engaged in actions I did not agree with. I used to boycott Carl's Junior because the founder donated to anti-abortion rights groups. I stopped when the company was sold to someone outside of his family, although I still haven't actually been to one in years.
The ability to boycott is why we should not be allowing anonymous donations to political campaigns. If we don't know whose money is involved, we can't use the power of the purse to let the donor know we don't like their position on an issue.
* * *
Random Ponderings:
Hard to believe the origin of the phrase "one red cent" is over 300 years old.
Should I be worried that sometimes I'm up on what the doctor is talking about because I saw it on an episode of ER or Grey's Anatomy?
How many more children need to die from allergic reactions to things like peanuts before people are more careful with home-baked goods in public settings? A teen at a summer camp bit into a Rice Krispies treat and tasted the peanut butter; immediately spitting out the bite. But it was too late. So sad.
Food & Wine says the best pizza place in L.A. is a place called 800 Degrees. I guess I'll have to go and check it out myself, since they promise your made-to-order pizza in 60 seconds, for only $6.
What idiot working at Delta Airlines thought 25,000 frequent flier miles and a $100 voucher would be enough compensation for a partially disabled man who was forced to crawl down the aisle of a plane, down the steps and across the tarmac to his wheelchair, without assistance? Twice!
Speaking of idiots, what are people doing calling a McDonald's $1 burger "nutritious"? It's loaded with fat and sodium.
Why is everyone so focused on the fact Bradley Manning was acquitted of the most serious charge in his case aiding the enemy? He was convicted of espionage, and he'd pleaded guilty to ten lesser charges. He will be spending a long stretch at Fort Leavenworth.
The lawyer for the Saudi Princess accused of keeping her servants in virtual slavery says in fact they were treated like royalty. They flew first class, were given their own cellphones and had access to the gym and spa. Funny thing is, when you're working 16 hours a day, seven days a week for less than $300 per week; all the perks in the world don't make it not slavery.
Who will blink first, CBS or Time-Warner Cable?
Who will blink first in the struggle over the Rush Limbaugh and Sean Hannity radio programs, Cumulus or Clear Channel?
This Date in History:
On this date in 762, Baghdad is founded.
On this date in 1502, Christopher Columbus lands on the Bay Islands off the coast of Honduras, on his 4th voyage.
On this date in 1629, a large earthquake kills 10,000 people in Naples, Italy.
On this date in 1866, New Orleans PD is ordered by the city's Democratic government to raid an integrated Republican Party meeting. 40 people are killed and 150 injured.
On this date in 1930, Uruguay wins the first FIFA World Cup.
On this date in 1945, the USS Indianapolis is sunk by a Japanese sub, killing 883 crewmen. Roughly 900 members of the crew survived the initial torpedo attack but only 317 of those actually survived. The others died from shark attacks or medical problems caused by lack of lifeboats, food and fresh water. They weren't rescued until four days after the sinking.
On this date in 1956, President Dwight D. Eisenhower signs a joint resolution of Congress, authorizing In God We Trust as the U.S. national motto.
On this date in 1965, President Lyndon B. Johnson signs the Social Security Act of 1965 into law, establishing Medicare and Medicaid.
On this date in 1971, Apollo 15 lands on the moon with the first Lunar Rover.
On this date in 1974, President Richard Nixon releases subpoenaed White House records only after the U.S. Supreme Court ordered him to do so.
On this date in 1975, Jimmy Hoffa disappears, never to be seen again.
Famous Folk Born On This Date:
Samuel Rogers
Emily Bronte
Henry Ford
Smedley Butler (only U.S. Marine to be awarded two Medals of Honor for separate incidents)
Casey Stengel
Henry W. Bloch
Joe Nuxhall
Edd Byrnes
Bud Selig
Peter Bogdanovich
Paul Anka
David Sanborn
Arnold Schwarzenegger
Jean Reno
Frank Stallone
Ken Olin
Anita Hill (leave her cans of soda alone, people)
Richard Linklater
Laurence Fishburne
Lisa Kudrow
Vivica Fox
Terry Crews
Sid Krofft
Eleanor Smeal
Patricia Schroeder
Christopher Nolan
Christine Taylor
Hilary Swank
Misty-May Treanor
Movie quotes today come from 2004's "Dodgeball: A True Underdog Story" because Christine Taylor was in it:
Patches O'Houlihan: If you can dodge a wrench, you can dodge a ball.
Justin: What?
[Patches throws a wrench and hits Justin in the face]
#2
Kate Veatch: [Judo-grabs White Goodman and slams his face into the wall, leaving a streak of makeup] You don't get to touch me, ever!
Peter La Fleur: Okay, Romeo, let me help you up.
White Goodman: Get off of me, don't you touch me! It is over between us, Kate. Nobody makes me bleed my own blood - nobody!
#3
Peter La Fleur: [after Patches hits Justin in the face with a wrench] Yeah, uh, Patches... are you sure that this is completely necessary?
Patches O'Houlihan: Necessary? Is it necessary for me to drink my own urine?
Peter La Fleur: Probably not.
Patches O'Houlihan: No, but I do it anyway because it's sterile and I like the taste.
Peter La Fleur: ...Okay.
#4
Cotton McKnight: ESPN Eight, the Ocho.
posted by me at 3:53 PM
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