The best part about having really smart readers is that they sometimes almost write the blog for you. So, when I get comments that I want to read over and over again, I simply steal them from the comment section and put them into a post, like this one.That means I have to work very little to create a new post, and I get the gratification of wallowing in those lovely comments.
And the fact that I delight greatly in the comments below shouldn't be any surprise, since, as any woman knows, the only thing any man really wants is for her to talk admiringly about him.
Here we go.
beeta said...
Peter,
You know I love you....don't you?
I mean, if I didn't find you adorable (in your own Swedish, sexually healthy, a bit shallow, let's have fun in life, but let's not cross the line too much on integrity kind of way) I would have been long gone as a reader!
What's more adorable about you is the fact that you will and don't see anything wrong with stating that you have a dilema or that you aren't sure about how to proceed (Most men rather die than say....OOOHHH I am not sure).
So, I am a fan of yours.....grumpy or not (you are decidely the most adorable blogger I know).
Moogirl said...
Please continue the balanced diet of serious and fluff.
If you only do serious, we'll be forced to get silly in the comments area.
We've got a loaded sense of humor, and we're not afraid to use it!
11 comments:
Well, Beeta, I think Peter has gone to bed by now. He has not been in the mood for at least a week, anyway. I have seen some of that collaboration between universities and pharma companies up close, but I do not know who profits more. Scientists do get grants that way to do their research, and the instrumentation to do the research with, which otherwise would not be available to them. Whole set-ups are provided for them. And it is interesting to do that stuff, and research. You can get published, or even get your PhD. But, you are still stuck in "the olden days". Today this kind of collaboration has, apparently, expanded into every day medicine. Sometimes when you have a surgery, or surgical investigation you are either told, or otherwise asked, that the procedure will be filmed and observed. And the patient, like it or not, will be "in movies". If the case is "interesting" who knows, who may see you, "bucknekkid" and inside out. It could be embarrassing, but you will never run into any professor, physician, or student, let alone a rep from a pharmaceutical or medical appliance dealer, who will say, "hey, I have seen you, and you sure have interesting intestines", or they did get those crazy crooked hips nicely fixed, hey? Are you not now walking much better? We, of XYZ diagnostics, pride ourselves of the 2053 different hipjoints we have, as well as our 6000 different knee replacements. In the end, maybe, it does serve to help others as well, and then the display of your "nekkid" insides, or even outsides, at least had a purpose. Nothing beats real life application!! No, you know what, what I am REALLY concerned about is that the profession of physician will go the way of the former profession of pharmacist: easily replaced storeclerk working for JCPenney, or other company. After all, we now get our flushots at the nearest Walmart. We will all be working harder and harder, getting more and more degrees and certification, and............... become....salesclerks, pegs in a large machine...and that guy who made the intial investments, and did well, a realtor maybe? that is the one who profits of all our knowledge. We will have no choice, we have to keep learning and keep paying through the nose for it, and we will ALL be in sales. That is, of course, until we get too uppity, like Peter, and then...we will be blogging till the end of our days. If company CJX can not find a physician, however, they will put in the nearest typist, to cut you up, and sew you back together, any which way.
Beeta, unfortunately you are completely right. Drug research is not only slanted because the studies may be set up to prove that one particular drug is best, is is slanted because of all the studies that are never made because one drug may look bad.
The whole thing is a game, where the end goal is maximizing revenue. Most academics are in the pockets of powerful corporations. The more prominent an opinion leader is, the more sought after he is and the higher dollars he commands.
What you see is a rigged reality. We are all little puppets yanked around by invisible strings. And those strings are always attached to . . . money.
A perfect example of academia beig controlled by corporations is "economists".
That's why all you'll hear from economists is how great the economy is doing. Paul Craig Thomas over on counterpunch.org dissects all this and the impacts that outsourcing has had on this country on a regular basis. I would trust his word today more than 95% of what I read elsewhere.
I don't have a lot of optimism about this country anymore because the corporations have gotten ahold it the infrastructure including media outlets, lawmakers, and education, and that has led to a society that doesn't seem to be able to think for itself other than what it's being fed. Orwell nailed it.
And it shows up in the way people vote.
Think about this. During most of the 20th century, the US had the premier education system in the world. Then after 1980, things starting the slow decline.
So in effect, we've become another Roman empire.
Ack!
I meant Paul Craig Roberts.
In a recent poll, 51% of voting age citizens couldn't name the Vice President. 82% of High School "graduates" couldn't name a single Cabinet member or Supreme Court judge. Our High School students score below Bangladesh (this is not a joke) in math and science. The "Dumbing Down" of America is almost complete, and that's just the way the Repubs planned it.
And Alex, I agree with you about Roberts. I have an e-mail dialogue going with him, there's nothing like an elightened convert to crystalize that which many of us have known from the beginning. This country IS under attack, but it's not the Muslims who are the enemy. They're simply,and conveniently, a Rove-inspired scapegoat and diversion.
They didn't know how true it was when they made this proclamation.
Bush: Our Long National Nightmare Of Peace And Prosperity Is Finally Over
But then again, you look at this and say, hey, it could happen.
19 Year Old Diebold Technician Wins U.S. Presidency
Some political humor from Will Durst, my favorite comedian.
“The President said “failure is not an option,” so apparently it comes as a factory installed standard feature.”
"Warren Buffet has decided to give 85% of his money to…Bill Gates. The only guy in the entire world richer than he is. Had a 6 billion to 1 shot of giving it to somebody poorer than him and blew it."
"Bush claims his domestic spying programs are legal because he has special powers during wartime. Special powers? Was he bitten by a radioactive spider? What’s his Kryptonite: grammar?"
"Why is immigration such a big deal in America? “Can’t let those damn immigrants in, they’ll ruin everything.” Which turns out to be a direct translation from the original Iroquois. "
I'm sorry to do this to you Beeta,
but THIS is serious!:
**********************************************************************
The Center for Disease Control has issued a warning about a new virulent strain
of Sexually Transmitted Disease. The disease is contracted through dangerous
and high-risk behavior. The disease is called Gonorrhea Lectim and pronounced
"gonna re-elect him." Many victims contracted it in 2004, after having been
screwed for the past four years.
Cognitive characteristics of individuals infected include: anti-social
personality disorders, delusions of grandeur with messianic overtones, extreme
cognitive dissonance, inability to incorporate new information, pronounced
xenophobia and paranoia, inability to accept responsibility for own actions,
cowardice masked by misplaced bravado, uncontrolled facial smirking, ignorance
of geography and history, tendencies towards evangelical theocracy, categorical
all-or-nothing behavior.
Naturalists and epidemiologists are amazed at how this destructive disease
originated only a few years ago from a bush found in Texas
"...factory installed standard feature."
How brilliant is that! Thanks for the Will Durst heads-up, Anon. He’s my new comedic hero!
Ah, Moogirl, the brilliance that is Will Durst. I hadn't laughed at comics in so long, when I first heard Will, I couldn't stop laughing.
Here, he's Worried About George.
Ah Beeta, me thinks a someone needs a nap!
There’s not enough comedy in the world to make some things palatable, so I'lljust take it where I can get it. I can’t speak for all of America, but I doubt it’s as much a lack of a stomach for reality as it is that the human mind can only deal with so much "bad" before it just goes numb.
Then there are the certain few (I’m not naming any names) who ONLY see the bad. The worst things are, the more they thrive. This gives them a platform on which to rest their soapbox. These people have no sense of humor about anything, ever, and are often offended by those who do.
Some refer to these types of people as bleeding hearts, which is very sweet. I used to be one. Others fall into an uglier category. We simply call them martyrs.
Must run! This minute and a half of seriousness is about to make my head explode. And besides, there’s a new Will Durst link waiting for me (thanks Anon!).
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