Saturday, February 12, 2011

A Funny Thing Happened On The Way To The Forum





Well actually it was on my way to get a prescription but the above  sounded better. 
It was a battle at any rate and here's my story.

I shall relate this without sharing the reasons why I wound up there in the first place because it doesn't matter, really it doesn't, but suffice to say most of us don't go there when we are feeling well.
 I told my tale of woe to my lovely, young and very tiny doctor of Irish descent and accent.  None of that you really need to know except perhaps the young part which you will understand about shortly.  We discussed things and moved on to options of treatment and she settled down in front of her nice little computer, sent a fax to the big city requesting an appointment and sent a fax to my favorite pharmacy.  During this time but not really sure at what point, her computer became disconnected briefly, she plugged it back in and continued.  The visit concluded and I left happy with the visit overall. 
So out the door I went and drove over to the pharmacy which is slightly less than a block and which I usually walk but due to the treacherous ice conditions chose 4 tires rather than 2 legs to get me there.  I shopped around picked up something the she wanted me to have and I poked around the store for a while and waited for the Rx.  Finally I went and asked if the it was ready.  I was told they didn't get a fax.......so the pharmacist phoned the doc.   Are you ready for this???  Less than an hour after I saw this young-brained doctor she denied she sent a fax for an antibiotic that we talked about at some length I might add. 

Well!  I was flabbergasted to say the least.  I walked, yes walked back to the doctor's office and waited patiently while the disinterested and bored receptionist look through my file and stated matter-of-factly that the doctor didn't send a fax.  I asked for pen and paper, wrote a little note asking her if she had changed her mind about the antibiotic and even named it for her.  I wrote the time on the top and at the bottom stated I was in the waiting room. 
I had no idea how long I was going to have to wait but I believed I had as much stamina as an average Egyptian and was prepared for the long haul, hopefully not for 18 days though.

  About 10 minutes later I received the note back saying, "Sorry-went right out of my head.  It's over there now."  After another little walk and a short wait I came home with the Rx. 

Now isn't that just about the hardest possible way to get a prescription?


THIS WAS TO HAVE BEEN YESTERDAY'S STORY BUT DUE TO THE AMAZING OF EVENT OF FEBRUARY 11/11 I DECIDED THAT EGYPT'S STORY WAS MORE IMPORTANT THAN MINE.

Friday, February 11, 2011

A Turning Point In History

We have just witnessed a political miracle and the most unbelievable moment in the history of our times. In 18 days an oldtime, hard fisted and cruel government was toppled by a peaceful revolution of overwhelming proportions when it ousted the Mubarak regime of three decades.
Time will only tell if it will indeed remain peaceful.

Thursday, February 10, 2011

CSIS employees told to keep clothing under wraps - CTV News

CSIS employees told to keep clothing under wraps - CTV News

I ran across this article which included the insignia of CSIS which the members are strongly encouraged not to wear in public.  It also goes on to say that the majority of Canadians do not recognize the crest........well!!!..... this public revelation certainly has helped to keep it under wraps!~!

The Canadian Press
Date: Monday Feb. 7, 2011 6:50 AM ET
OTTAWA — Canadian spies are being warned not to wear their loyalty on their sleeve -- or their wrist or lapel.
The hush-hush reminder to employees of the Canadian Security Intelligence Service advises keeping polo shirts, watches and pins emblazoned with the distinctive CSIS crest away from curious eyes.
The items are sold in a secret shop tucked away on the lower level of CSIS headquarters in Ottawa, and made available to employees posted elsewhere through the agency's online memorabilia catalogue.
The souvenirs -- which also include hoodies, key chains, mugs, pens and plaques -- offer members of the intelligence service "a tangible sense of belonging to the organization," says an internal CSIS article obtained by The Canadian Press under the Access to Information Act.
But in keeping with CSIS policy, it seems the stylish spy must be careful to keep the merchandise undercover.
"Although the clothing does not display the Service's acronym, it does feature the emblem," says the October 2010 publication, parts of which remain classified.
"Some may argue that the majority of Canadian citizens do not recognize our crest, but given the Internet and the Service's increasing media presence, the public is gaining awareness of its symbolism," the article notes.
"The policy essentially states that employees should exercise discretion in disclosing employment outside the work environment. Furthermore, employees working in (deleted from document) must be particularly vigilant in concealing their employer or any association with CSIS."
Agency spokeswoman Isabelle Scott bought a fleece sweater with the CSIS crest, which features a blue palisade -- or defensive wall -- edged with gold, a red maple leaf and royal crown.
"It is true that for security reasons, CSIS employees are taught to be discreet about their place of employment -- so that means we need to exercise judgment about how we use the memorabilia items," she said.

Wednesday, February 9, 2011

THERE ARE SOOOO MANY SAD GOODBYES IN THE NFL THIS YEAR.....

.....not the man this time but his BEARD! 
Superbowl XLV will forever be known as the 'Hairy Superbowl' after a seemingly endless parade of facial follical follies. 
It was a good bit of harmless fun but for me I prefer the hairless type. I have enough trouble keeping my own hair where it belongs.  If I wanted more hair underfoot I'd get a dog.

Tuesday, February 8, 2011

THIS LITTLE PIGGY WENT TO MARKET

....and apparently was very overweight! 

I bought this package of bacon yesterday and when I opened it for lunch today this is what I got--less than and half package of bacon.  Needless to say I will be getting a refund.  You just never know what you are not getting when you buy bacon. Perhaps both sides of the package should be clear and with only small cardboard strips at the top and the bottom so they can't hide this kind consumer gouging anymore. 
This gives piggies everywhere a bad name!

Monday, February 7, 2011

Starting solid foods earlier linked to obesity risk

I think this is very important for new moms or moms-to-be to know about.  It may be one way to reduce obesity and risks associated with it.

Babies raised on formula who start eating solid foods before they are 4 months old may be more likely to become obese than those who start later, suggests a new study.
The findings support U.S. guidelines that say parents should wait until babies are between 4 and 6 months old to start feeding them solid foods, said Dr. Susanna Huh, one of the study's lead authors from Children's Hospital Boston.
"Adhering to those guidelines could reduce the risk of obesity in childhood," she told Reuters Health.
Previous studies have shown conflicting results on whether the age at which babies start eating solid foods is related to their chance of being obese a few years down the line. Especially among babies who are raised on formula, the transition to solid foods might mean a jump in the amount of calories they are consuming - before parents have learned how much energy their baby really needs.
In the current study, Huh and her colleagues tracked about 850 babies and their mothers over 3 years. When babies were 6 months old, researchers asked the moms whether they had breastfed - and if so, for how long - and when they started feeding their babies solid foods, such as cereal, fruit, and dairy products.
When kids were 3 years old, the researchers measured their height and weight to determine which kids were obese, defined as being in the highest 5 percent of their age and gender for body mass index (BMI), a measure of the relationship between weight and height.
For babies who were breastfed for at least four months, the age that they first received solid food - before 4 months, at 4 or 5 months, or 6 months or later - had no effect on whether they were obese at 3 years. Regardless of when they started eating solid foods, breastfed babies in the study had a one in 14 chance of being obese as preschoolers.
But the findings, published in the journal Pediatrics, were different among babies who were formula-fed from the beginning, or who stopped breastfeeding before they were 4 months old.
Those babies had a one in four chance of being obese at age 3 if they started eating solid foods before they were 4 months old. If parents waited until between 4 and 5 months, the kids' chances of being obese were one in 20.
The chance of being obese increased again if babies didn't start eating solid foods until they were at least 6 months old, but there were too few of those babies for the authors to make a firm conclusion about the risk of waiting longer to feed a baby solid foods.
Both in the U.S. and around the world, doctors have been promoting the importance of breastfeeding in the first 4 to 6 months of life. However, in the U.S. about half of babies are breastfed for less than 4 months, or not breastfed at all, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
Breastfeeding itself cuts down on a baby's risk of being obese. For those babies who are raised on formula, it seems to be especially important that parents wait until babies are at least four months old to feed them solid foods, researchers say.
While parents may have more difficulty determining the right amount to feed a baby who isn't breastfeeding, it could also be that "the way that infants feed and learn to feed influences their obesity risk," Huh said.
Dr. David McCormick, a pediatrician at The University of Texas Medical Branch at Galveston, said that the most common problem he sees is parents adding cereal to formula without thinking about the extra calories they are feeding their baby.
"I think that's what a lot of people are doing unknowingly, thinking that the baby will be healthier or grow faster," McCormick, who was not involved in the current study, told Reuters Health

Sunday, February 6, 2011

FANTUZ FLAKES NO MORE



 
Andy, Andy, Andy what are we going to do for breakfast now???

In 2010 Saskatchewan Co-op Food Stores came out with a special "Fantuz Flakes" cereal  featuring slotback Andy Fantuz's portrait on the box. The cereal flew off the shelve, selling out in just seven hours. For many, that provided proof of the Riders' amazing market dominance and incredibly fervent fanbase. For some, it provided proof that Canadian players really can be top-tier stars in this league.  Fantuz has done that on the field as well. 

The Saskatchewan Roughriders are moving forward without slotback Andy Fantuz, who signed Friday with the NFL's Chicago Bears.
The Riders have been preparing for that scenario since the end of the 2010 CFL season, which was Fantuz's best in five years in the league. Fantuz capped the year individually by being named the CFL's most outstanding Canadian. Fantuz, 27, led the CFL with 1,380 receiving yards. He had 87 receptions and six touchdowns.

 It is bad and sad news for the Saskatchewan Roughriders and the fan base, which is all of the province by the way, but I sincerely hope the 2011 NFL season will benefit from his addition to the ranks and that he has a truly satisfying career no matter where he is. 

GOODBYE ANDY