Hello there boys n’ girls… I’m back to confound, delight and entertain you once again. Before we dive into the mental muck, I’d like to take a moment and direct your beady little eyes upwards to the dark rectangle located immediately above this entry. I’m participating in a feature that’s offered by Blogger, which enables blog publishers to post small, non-invasive promotional advertisements for various services and/or products. You are, by no means, required to click on any banner you see… but any ad you see that might interest you will gain me a small amount of revenue. As long as it doesn’t adversely detract from my page, I figure I’ll give it a try. Help a poor, disgruntled redneck out… if the notion strikes ya.

Now onto the rant at hand…

Today’s brief and misguided tour into the mire of my collective thoughts happens to center around the medical establishment. In particular, pharmaceutical companies.

“Side Effects”

George Carlin addressed this subject in one of his skits. And, while he did a very good job in conveying the overall sense of counter-promotional redundancy that’s associated with this topic, I would also like to expound on it. Why? Because I’m sure that some of you may not have been so fortunate as to have been enlightened by Mr. Carlin’s take on it.

You see… the pharmaceutical companies today are engaging in a strange practice. It typically happens when they’re not shoving new and inadequately tested medications through FDA loopholes and ending up in subsequent class-action lawsuits. While they may not have any control over this governmentally induced requirement, the whole business of producing prescription drugs is suffering from a bad case of jeering and mocking. What am I talking about? The listing of “side-effects”… that’s what.

We’ve all seen them on television. Commercials for “brand A” this or “brand b” that. They claim that their product will help treat one ailment or another, but they also rattle off a stream of side effects that may or may not afflict you, based on a test case. Test cases involve a set number of people who have similar conditions. They are divided into two groups and half are given the medication while the other half receives a placebo. No, this is not some rude and invasive medical procedure. A placebo is nothing more than a fancy-shmancy medical term for a sugar pill. None of the test case subjects know what they’re getting, so none of them can act in a predetermined way. The idea, then, is that the testers will gain an accurate knowledge of the medication’s real benefits.

However, any and all side effects reported by subjects who took the actual medication must be acknowledged and advertised. These side effects may or may not be a direct result of the medication, and in some cases have absolutely nothing to do with it. However, in an effort to collectively cover their asses and minimize testing costs… most companies will merely list any side effect reported, and be done with it. This ultimately ends up resulting in a hodge-podge list of mostly absurd, and sometimes humorous, descriptions at the end of television advertisements.

Something to the effect of: “Try GAS-MAX for upset stomach relief…. Use only as directed. Side effects may include headache, diarrhea, vomiting, nosebleed, indigestion, sneezing, hang nails, gout, acne, ear infection, cramping, insomnia and constipation. Consult your doctor if symptoms persist. Do not take if you are currently taking medications for liver disease. Women who are pregnant or may become pregnant should not take GAS-MAX as certain complications may occur. Talk with your doctor about GAS-MAX”

Now… you tell me. Would you use GAS-MAX if there were a very real possibility that you could suffer from any number of those “side effects” as direct result? And the last part is what really cracks me up. Almost every woman in America has either been pregnant…is pregnant…or could become pregnant. Citing the fact that most women are at a direct risk of becoming pregnant if they engage in an active sex life, (and with the only real guarantee against it being celibacy) listing a warning like that is rather redundant, in my opinion. Perhaps it would be more accurate to warn against its use if you're currently pregnant or intend to become pregnant.

Disclaimer: Any reference to copyrighted names, persons, places and/or trademarks in this post are purely coincidental and unintentional.

I would like to take a moment and express my apologies for removing the last post I submitted for your reading enjoyment. Upon review of its content, I felt that the sensitive subject matter might be wrongly interpreted.

For those of you who may have already viewed its contents, I sincerely hope that you have not taken a negative connotation from it. I assure you that it was intended as a positive entry and I have the greatest of respects for all races.

Some matters are extremely difficult to discuss without the potential to accidentally offend people or hurt peoples’ feelings. I hope that this has not been the case.

I will post more rants soon.

On a day of rememberance... On a day of determination.... On a day when we still stand together as a nation, grieving those whom we lost... On a day remembered 5 years later, yet seeming ever present.... I submit the following;

I found these on the internet, and was moved by both. I hope that in your time of rememberance and reflection upon a day that demonstrated the very worst and very best of humananity...that you will remember to pray for the families of the victims. Pray for our nation, as a whole. Pray that God's Will may be done in all things, and that He may exact the rightful justice and judgement upon those who would heartlessly and cruelly snuff out the lives of so many of His beloved children.

May God Bless each of you who read this... and may God Bless America.

---------------

I am a World Trade Center tower, standing tall in the
clear blue sky, feeling a violent blow in my side, and
I am a towering inferno of pain and suffering imploding upon
myself and collapsing to the ground.
May I rest in peace.

I am a terrified passenger on a hijacked airplane not knowing
where we are going or that I am riding on fuel
tanks that will be instruments of death, and
I am a worker arriving at my office not knowing that
in just a moment my future will be obliterated.
May I rest in peace.

I am a pigeon in the plaza between the two towers
eating crumbs from someone's breakfast when fire rains down on me
from the skies, and
I am a bed of flowers admired daily by thousands of
tourists now buried under five stories of rubble.
May I rest in peace.

I am a firefighter sent into dark corridors of smoke and debris on
a mission of mercy only to have it collapse around me, and
I am a rescue worker risking my life to save lives
who is very aware that I may not make it out alive.
May I rest in peace.

I am a survivor who has fled down the stairs and out of the building
to safety who knows that nothing will ever be the same in my soul again, and
I am a doctor in a hospital treating patients burned from head to toe
who knows that these horrible images will remain in my mind forever.
May I know peace.

I am a tourist in Times Square looking up at the giant TV screens
thinking I'm seeing a disaster movie as I watch the Twin Towers crash to the ground, and
I am a New York woman sending e-mails to friends and family letting them know that I am safe.
May I know peace.

I am a piece of paper that was on someone's desk this morning and
now I'm debris scattered by the wind across lower Manhattan, and
I am a stone in the graveyard at Trinity Church covered with soot from
the buildings that once stood proudly above me, death meeting death.
May I rest in peace.

I am a dog sniffing in the rubble for signs of life, doing my best to be of service, and
I am a blood donor waiting in line to make a simple but very needed contribution for the victims.
May I know peace.

I am a resident in an apartment in downtown New York
who has been forced to evacuate my home, and
I am a resident in an apartment uptown who has walked
100 blocks home in a stream of other refugees.
May I know peace.

I am a family member who has just learned that someone I love has died, and
I am a pastor who must comfort someone who has suffered a heart-breaking loss.
May I know peace.

I am a loyal American who feels violated and vows to stand behind any
military action it takes to wipe terrorists off the face of the earth, and
I am a loyal American who feels violated and worries that people who
look and sound like me are all going to be blamed for this tragedy.
May I know peace.

I am a frightened city dweller who wonders whether
I'll ever feel safe in a skyscraper again, and
I am a pilot who wonders whether there will ever
be a way to make the skies truly safe.
May I know peace.

I am the owner of a small store with five employees
that has been put out of business by this tragedy, and
I am an executive in a multinational corporation who
is concerned about the cost of doing business in a terrorized world.
May I know peace.

I am a visitor to New York City who purchases postcards
of the World Trade Center Twin Towers that are no more, and
I am a television reporter trying to put into words the terrible things I have seen.
May I know peace.

I am a boy in New Jersey waiting for a father who will never come home, and
I am a boy in a faraway country rejoicing in the streets of
my village because someone has hurt the hated Americans.
May I know peace.

I am a general talking into the microphones about how we must stop
the terrorist cowards who have perpetrated this heinous crime, and
I am an intelligence officer trying to discern how
such a thing could have happened on American soil, and
I am a city official trying to find ways to alleviate the suffering of my people.
May I know peace.

I am a terrorist whose hatred for America knows
no limit and I am willing to die to prove it, and
I am a terrorist sympathizer standing with all the
enemies of American capitalism and imperialism, and
I am a master strategist for a terrorist group who planned this abomination.
My heart is not yet capable of openness, tolerance, and loving.
May I know peace.

I am a citizen of the world glued to my television set,
fighting back my rage and despair at these horrible events, and
I am a person of faith struggling to forgive the unforgivable,
praying for the consolation of those who have lost loved ones,
calling upon the merciful beneficence of God/Yahweh/Allah/Spirit/Higher Power.
May I know peace.

I am a child of God who believes that we are
all children of God and we are all part of each other.
May we all know peace.

~ By: Vietnamese Buddhist Monk, Thich Nhat Hanh ~

"A Tribute Of Lights"

Today’s entry is not a rant. Today’s entry is about the loss of a dear friend who I've never had the honor to meet. His name is known around the world, in almost every country. And his enthusiasm for life, his dedication to the cause of wildlife conservation and the excitement he shared with us through his adventures, made him a living legend.

His name is Steve Irwin, better known as the “Crocodile Hunter”. The news of his death came by phone from a good friend of mine. I was out riding ATV’s with some friends of ours, and at first I thought it was just impossible. I just didn’t want to believe that the man who seemed impervious to nature’s perils could be gone! How in the world could a stingray put a barb exactly between Steve’s ribs and straight into his heart? That would be like… a one in a million fluke of chance!! But, my disbelief and shock soon gave way to sadness. I sat, fighting back tears as I read the official report on CNN.com…and had to take a private moment to grieve.

“Steve-O”, as he often referred to himself, has always been a part of my childrens’ lives. From the time my firstborn showed interest in TV, the Crocodile Hunter series was one of his favorite shows. The whole family would watch with amazement as Steve cheated injury and death with his lightning fast reflexes, his keen wits and his attention to not only his own safety, but that of the animal and the filmcrew as well.

He was definitely a bloke-among-blokes. And even tho I never got the opportunity to shake his hand and thank him for opening my eyes and my heart to his world of wildlife conservation, I fully intend to make it to Australia one day. And when I’m there, I hope to offer my thanks to Australia Zoo and his family. At the very least, I hope to visit his grave and offer my respects.

My prayer is that the Lord will shine His grace, love, comfort and healing down upon the Irwins and their friends. And God bless you, Steve-O. Your legacy and your work will pay homage to the mission you followed. Rest well, mate….By Crikey we miss you.