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Thursday, January 27, 2011

DisLikes CBS 5 News

Stardate 11071.23

The news on TV lacks a lot of things. Sincerity being the foremost. Long ago, I posted that I would rather watch Jay Leno's opening monologue and Weekend Update from Saturday Night Live. CBS 5 is no exception, but at least it is the most concise of the Big 3. KTVU2 is more in-depth, but takes an hour. Too long for me with the 8-minute attention span. All 'breaking' and national news should be in the first 12 plus 4 minutes of commercials.

"What's in the tacos at Taco Bell?"
You must wait 'till eleven to find out. Until then, get your dinner from somewhere else. It turns out, this is not a IT WILL KILL YOU kind of scare the ad-blurb CBS makes it out to be. It turns out that the 'meat' is 80% fillers. An exagerration, I'm sure. But if the ones doing the class-action lawsuite know anything about cooking, they would know that 'solid' burgers have 30-40% fillers to keep them from falling apart. It is the opposite for Mexican style meat. It is supposed to be mushy in texture. It is actually more nutritious, flavor enhanceable, and easier to digest than its more american counterpart. And everyone interviewed [San Francisco at night] don't have a problem with knowing this. Families, students, even the poor. I certainly don't have a problem with this inexpensive, won't kill me meal.

Looking for abducted boy while fishing a canal
Why can it not be assumed that the boy is alive and with the KNOWN abductor?!? That town must have a lot of police people to be able to stand around one canal shift after shift instead of enforcing the law! Seven days means they could be in Mexico by now. Or by now he could have killed the boy and ran, snapped because he is not his son, but does have a baby on the way [if indeed he is the father]. This is like ending an investigation because a person is already on trial for a crime.

'Alleged' perpetrator
How is it that the Tuscon killer is an 'alleged' shooter? Did something happen to change his identity between his arrest and his incarceration? I understand the concept of 'innocent until proven guilty IN A COURT OF LAW.' I understand that a jury of peers must be unbiased [blind] to be impartial. Everyone there saw it happen! Statements had been taken on the scene! The person was apprehended as he was doing the crime! He is ON FILM! 'Alleged' 'suspect' 'person of interest' fk'n BS!

Why must police officers use a weapon of lethal force? with no other option except unreliable tasers? Non-lethal riot gear is just as effective, rather than just sending in SWAT, for large groups. Why not in enclosed places like homes? Why does multiple fatal shots to a person holding a paring knife in a kitchen, who doesn't speak english, constitute a threat to an officer?
An outside chase almost always leads to the 'suspect' being shot fatally multiple times, even if he never fired a shot back! even if he didn't have a gun. In front of neighbors who see this as extreme prejudice, every one of them.
A murder suspect in Sta Clara is followed to a ravine. It is clear that what he had in his hand was not a gun. Yet one officer felt threatned from more than fifty yards away! on high ground! fatally shot him MULTIPLE times!

Tearing up SF streets and disrupting traffic so traffic will be better in 2018.
Any 'traffic congestion relief' program/project takes years to plan and even more years to construct and make traffic worse in the long term. A lot of people don't value the idea of public transportation. It's not the luxury of driving a car, it's the feeling of personal ownership and free will to change directions at a whim. Civic mindedness aside, who is happy to be a sardine in a standing-room only AC Transit bus? Or to share the same air as a stranger with BO, alcohol and tobacco and whatever else, or >shudder< perfume d' sh't? Or a BART train that even movie ushers would never dare touch? Sorry, but unless my car is a total wrek, I will not do public.
And no, if I do not know you, you cannot sit in my car.

'Good Question' should be 'Stupid Question'
It is a waste of time. Those asking these don't know how to use Google or WikiPedia.

Consumer Watch, 'On Your Side' and other class action lawsuits...'let the buyer beware' and get off my TV, stupid!

Tonight Show with Jay Leno
The 'Meal or no Meal' segment of three contestants was entertaining. I like watching the audience. The fat guy in shorts was distracting, but not as distracting as the Asian girl with a direct camera view between her legs. The last contestant was a treat. He could play the trumpet in one hand and solve a Rubix cube in the other. When invited by Ricky Minor to lead a tune on stage, he was really great!


News Update Friday January 28, 2010

The president of Egypt fires his cabinet amid the fifth day of protests. Why doesn't he resign?
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Again, the police looking for the boy in the canal, firmly believe the abductor does not have the resources to  continue, and that the boy is dead.
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Bikes, cars, pedestrians, oh my! San Francisco will be changing the lanes, bikers in the middle. Here's a thought, why not use pedestrians as lane dividers.

Imagine main city streets that have multiple levels. Top level has your light rail trains and observation decks. Under that would be would be a level for non-passenger transports and emergency services. Next is a freeway-like street devided by pedestiam lanes. park stretcehs, and walkways to the rest of the city. Exits to the ground level have parking under the freeway.

Manila has some of these incorporated. Oakland and some cities have stations, but not networks, with some of these. Above ground construction by the way is cheaper as opposed to underground.
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NO CHEERLEADERS in Superbowl XXXXV?!? Both teams [as well as 4 other teams] got rid of extra support years ago.
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In more Recent News

Monday, January 24, 2011

Personal Medical Log Stardate 11063

Isn't it a bit unnerving that doctors call what they do "practice"?
-----------------------------
August 19, a Friday
Seen Dr Helen Chow at HH K-6 9:10 am
re Gout "Stay away from red meat" - What am I going to do with the steaks I am barbecuing tomorrow at the reunion picnic?
Updated information: High uric acid and causes; and purines

June 2 at 10:17am
Yesterday behind my right big toe hurts at the joint! Possible sprain, broken, infection, or gout, in order of severity
Severe sleep-less pain that night. Went in to Highland Hospital Emergency the following morning. After a short wait, and a shorter still cursory examination, I was given the bad news. I have gout.
Hydrocod/APAP (Vicodin) 500-1000 mg tab every 4-6 hours as needed prescribed for pain and Indomethacin 50 mg cap anti-inflammatory.
2x200 mg ibuprofen works in lieu of the above to keep pain and internal [not swollen] inflammation maintained 6 hours during a 2-3 day flare-up.
-----------------------------

2011 05/27 1430 a Friday
Change in medication by Dr Swift after regular CHF check-up
Enalapril tabs 10mg tab take 1 tablet by mouth twice daily - doubled the dosage
Digoxin .125mg tab 1 tablet by mouth Daily
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Meds [4]                                 May after Cardiologist check-up
Spironolactone [Aldactone] 25mg tab ½ pill every day
Aspirin tabs  81mg [baby aspirin] 1 tablet by mouth Daily
Carvedilol [COREG] 25mg tab take I tablet by mouth twice daily
Enalapril tabs 5mg tab take 1 tablet by mouth twice daily- do not take both at the same time during the day (caused dizziness and rapid drop in BP)
- Furesomide [Lasix] tabs 40mg 1 tablet by mouth when needed
- Simvastatin  80mg tab 1 tablet at Bedtime no longer
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Rod's log stardate 110320.6, SFO. Upon getting out of the car and walking to the terminal- Dizzy, blurred vision, and hurts behind the eyes [sockets]. Clammy, pale, and assumed low blood pressure; shallow pulse. On standing and when looking at something. At home now, self-observing, and reclined. -Sun 3/20 1pm DST

Medical log, supplemental stardate 110324: BP 77/40 Cardiologist check-up. Severe dizziness standing after sitting in waiting room for 3 hours. Dosages changed to possibly alleviate side-effects. -Thu 3/24
See Dr if not well by Monday.

Weekend update: Wake up. Take meds. Drive in an hour for more than 20 minutes. Severe dizziness for a minute, diminishes after 3 minutes if 'walking it off.'
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Previously...
January 20, 2011 Thursday
8a Checked in to  Highland Hospital Emergency
- Shortness of breath [SOB];
- abdominal pain below left rib when going into coughing fits
3 day, 2 night stay
Felt like I was dying going in. Excellent care. I will be back there next week for my follow-up.
Following a new home care regimen of meds and moderate diet. Feeling a lot better than when winter started.

Discharge Summary
52 yo  with systolic dysfunction, CHF (EF 15-20%) since 1994, s/p AICD placement (8/2010) p/w progressively worsening SOB x 2 weeks, LLE swelling & orthopnea. Noncompliant with low salt diet, but compliant with medications. Denies CP. Denies fever/chills. In the ED, pt placed 2L NC oxygen, given ASA 325mg, Levofloxacin 500mg, & Furesomide 40mg IV. On physical exam, pt had bilateral rales at the lung bases, and +2 BL pitting up to the hips.
 (1) CHF exacerbation 2/2 fluid overload. Echocardiogram ordered to check EF. Furesomide increased to 40mg IV TID. Pt diuresed to get rid of the fluid overload.

Continued ASA 81mg PO Qday,
Carvedilol 25mg PO BID,
Spironolactone 25mg Qday,
Simvastatin 80mg PO QHS, &
Enalapril 20mg PO BID.
Monitored myo/trops q6 (trops trending down) abd Strict I/Os. Pt weights 91kg.

Urine output of 900ml on hospital day 1. BNP 2725>>>2983. Pt placed on 2g low sodium diet. (2) Transaminitis 2/2 congestion vs. viral hepatitis. Monitored LFT trend and hepatitis panel ordered. LFTs normalized on hospital day 2. On day of discharge, bilateral pitting edema improved, lungs clear to auscultation, pt able to ambulate without any distress and medicallystable.

See My Calendar for hourly events.

At Home - Activity Log
Breakfast
Lunch
Dinner
Meds [6] [5, 3, 2] [am, pm, sleep]
- Spironolactone 25mg tab [Aldactone] #90 1 tablet Daily by mouth
- Aspirin tabs 81mg #90 1 tablet by mouth Daily
- Enalapril 10mg tab #120 1 tablet Twice Daily by mouth
- Carvedilol tabs 25mg #120 1 tablet Twice Daily by mouth
- Furesomide tabs 40mg 1 tablet by mouth 3 Times Daily
- Simvastatin  80mg tab 1 tablet at Bedtime
Fluid Intake limit 1.5 L [48 fl oz]... 1 oz sip / 2oz gulp / 8oz mug / 12oz can
Expire est 3 L per 'day'

Thursday January 27, 2011 a week later...
Lung capacity at 60-70% normal; no shortness of breath otherwise. Articulation better, full sentences. Still some cough fits, but no associated pain. Any muscle pain is due to posture only. No pain upon moving position as before. Slow walk ok at any distance. Swelling is visibly down. Feet and ankles still swollen and dehydrated. Overall physical and mental health outlook: good.

New entries will be at the top of this post.

This is a continuation of last year's Medical Log.