Article in a local paper said that opioid prescriptions were down, from about 90% of patients in 2014 to maybe 70% in 2016. The article didn't bother to explain the percent numbers (typical of newsies who are totally innumerate). I'm guessing that it is the number of opioid prescriptions written over the total number of patients. Any one please feel free to correct me on this.
If this is progress we are doomed.
I take my self to the doctor today. I used to bring all three children to the doctor along with my wife. For 50 years, 200-300 doctor appointments at least. Never did I or any of my family receive a prescription for opioids. That's an opioid prescription rate of 0 for me and my family.
To hear that an opioid prescription rate of 70% is an improvement is ridiculous.
I can believe that there are some people with real pain problems for whom opioids are indicated. I cannot believe that 70% of people have real pain problems.
I am aware that most of the overdose deaths are caused by heroin and fentanyl , both of which are illegal. I'd like to know how many of these overdose cases got started with prescription opioids. I have never seen any numbers on this. But if 70% of patients are started on opioids, you gotta believe that a lot of 'em move over to cheaper (but more dangerous) street drugs.
Tuesday, October 24, 2017
Monday, October 23, 2017
Whither the EU?
Just as it looked like the EU was coming together, the Brits pull out. Britain is the number 2 EU country, just behind Germany and ahead of France in terms of GNP, population, diplomatic effectiveness, American connections, lotta things. To have your Number 2 member pull out has gotta be disheartening for the advocates of European unity.
And we may have further breakups in the works. Catalonia, an important Spanish province, has voted in a referendum to succeed from Spain. There has been some pushback by the government of Spain, and some stories about how turnout for the referendum was very light, say 20%. If that's true, it says that only the hard core Catalans came out to vote. And, if the Catalans succeed, the Basque region will be right behind. And the Scots and the Welsh are making noises about pulling out of the United Kingdom (Britain). That's four small provinces making succession noises. Although I don't remember hearing anyone from these proto-mini-nations talk about joining the EU, it's a good bet that some, maybe all of 'em will apply for EU membership after they make their succession good.
The EU got started right after WWII. The European survivors of that disaster wanted to prevent WWIII by welding Europe together into a single country. The Americans were all in favor for that reason and to present a united front against Russian Communism. It started small with a trade deal called the European Coal and Steel Community. I don't remember, perhaps never knew, just what kind of a deal this was, but it worked. Sometime in the 1960's the Common Market was declared. Initially the Common Market had a mere six members, and Britain was not one of them. In fact the Brits put together a trade block of their own, which lasted for some years. Eventually the Brits, and their trade block joined the EU. Then the Soviets collapsed and all the Warsaw pact satellites rushed to sign up with the EU as a defense against Soviet revanchism. Then the big step, the Europeans launched a successful European currency, the Euro and that worked.
But, the EU never was able to pull together like the American United States did. The EU members never surrendered control of their armed forces, or their diplomatic corps to the central EU government. The American founding documents, the Declaration of Independence and the Constitution talk about base principles ( all men are created equal) and distribution of political power (executive, legislative, judicial). The EU founding treaties are silent on most of the issues Americans find fundamental, and have a lot of happy talk about all the bennies EU citizens are entitled to, free healthcare, universal education, and the like, but don't divvy up the political power the way the Americans did. The American states yielded up serious and important powers (rights to have their own armed forces, right to operate their own foreign policy, and a lot of other heavy duty stuff to the new federal government. The European states didn't yield up an ounce of their sovereignty to Brussels.
Where to next? Will the rest of the EU hang together? Or will more members follow the British lead and bail out? Will the US offer Britain membership in NAFTA? What about other EU refugee countries? Stay tuned for future developments.
And we may have further breakups in the works. Catalonia, an important Spanish province, has voted in a referendum to succeed from Spain. There has been some pushback by the government of Spain, and some stories about how turnout for the referendum was very light, say 20%. If that's true, it says that only the hard core Catalans came out to vote. And, if the Catalans succeed, the Basque region will be right behind. And the Scots and the Welsh are making noises about pulling out of the United Kingdom (Britain). That's four small provinces making succession noises. Although I don't remember hearing anyone from these proto-mini-nations talk about joining the EU, it's a good bet that some, maybe all of 'em will apply for EU membership after they make their succession good.
The EU got started right after WWII. The European survivors of that disaster wanted to prevent WWIII by welding Europe together into a single country. The Americans were all in favor for that reason and to present a united front against Russian Communism. It started small with a trade deal called the European Coal and Steel Community. I don't remember, perhaps never knew, just what kind of a deal this was, but it worked. Sometime in the 1960's the Common Market was declared. Initially the Common Market had a mere six members, and Britain was not one of them. In fact the Brits put together a trade block of their own, which lasted for some years. Eventually the Brits, and their trade block joined the EU. Then the Soviets collapsed and all the Warsaw pact satellites rushed to sign up with the EU as a defense against Soviet revanchism. Then the big step, the Europeans launched a successful European currency, the Euro and that worked.
But, the EU never was able to pull together like the American United States did. The EU members never surrendered control of their armed forces, or their diplomatic corps to the central EU government. The American founding documents, the Declaration of Independence and the Constitution talk about base principles ( all men are created equal) and distribution of political power (executive, legislative, judicial). The EU founding treaties are silent on most of the issues Americans find fundamental, and have a lot of happy talk about all the bennies EU citizens are entitled to, free healthcare, universal education, and the like, but don't divvy up the political power the way the Americans did. The American states yielded up serious and important powers (rights to have their own armed forces, right to operate their own foreign policy, and a lot of other heavy duty stuff to the new federal government. The European states didn't yield up an ounce of their sovereignty to Brussels.
Where to next? Will the rest of the EU hang together? Or will more members follow the British lead and bail out? Will the US offer Britain membership in NAFTA? What about other EU refugee countries? Stay tuned for future developments.
Sunday, October 22, 2017
Driving down to a Boston Train Show
It was a lovely day, dry, warm, sunny. Leaves are a bit past peak in Franconia Notch, but are at peak down south. I93 was in good shape except the widening project south of Manchester hasn't gotten anywhere since I was thru there last. More NH infrastructure money spent with out improving the road at all.
The North Shore Model Railroad Club of Wakefield MA, of which I used to be a member until I retired to NH, put on the show. They had the swap meet at the Wakefield Americal Hall, across the street from the club layout. The vendors had a lot of rolling stock and some structures, no tools or parts. A fair number of steam engines that could serve as project locomotives, except I have two such project locomotive in my shop awaiting work. The crowd was mostly older guys, a few very small children who were entranced, no kids old enough to be into electric trains on their own. The hobby is not recruiting new hobbyists to replace the older guys who are dying off. The North Shore club had three member who I had known die just this fall.
The club layout is down stairs from Brother's restaurant on Main St. The layout is 90 feet long. The newest and last section toward the back is largely done. Benchwork is in, track is laid, trains run. Scenery is coming along nicely. The old core of the club was still there, still guiding the work. This layout was large enough to make a cover story of Model Railroader back in 1985, and it's bigger now.
Anyhow a nice day.
The North Shore Model Railroad Club of Wakefield MA, of which I used to be a member until I retired to NH, put on the show. They had the swap meet at the Wakefield Americal Hall, across the street from the club layout. The vendors had a lot of rolling stock and some structures, no tools or parts. A fair number of steam engines that could serve as project locomotives, except I have two such project locomotive in my shop awaiting work. The crowd was mostly older guys, a few very small children who were entranced, no kids old enough to be into electric trains on their own. The hobby is not recruiting new hobbyists to replace the older guys who are dying off. The North Shore club had three member who I had known die just this fall.
The club layout is down stairs from Brother's restaurant on Main St. The layout is 90 feet long. The newest and last section toward the back is largely done. Benchwork is in, track is laid, trains run. Scenery is coming along nicely. The old core of the club was still there, still guiding the work. This layout was large enough to make a cover story of Model Railroader back in 1985, and it's bigger now.
Anyhow a nice day.
Friday, October 20, 2017
Something must be happening that isn't Donald Trump
All the TV newsies talk about these days is Donald Trump. Nothing else is covered. Not even the stock market. Surely there is something significant happening somewhere in the world that isn't about Donald Trump. But we will never know. Unless we do some web surfing.
Wednesday, October 18, 2017
Oh Say Can You See
Small patriotic ritual, performed before sporting events. Americans are expected to stand and place their hand over their heart as the national anthem is played. It's a symbol of respect for the flag, and the Republic for which it stands, to borrow a line from the pledge of allegiance. And it's a sign of unity. Anyone who fails to participate is saying they don't like the flag, they don't like the country, and they don't like other other Americans.
No beef with anyone or anything justifies failing to stand for the national anthem. I don't like it, and a whole big bunch of my fellow Americans don't like it. It may be legal. but we don't have to like it. And we don't accept any excuses for failing to stand.
No beef with anyone or anything justifies failing to stand for the national anthem. I don't like it, and a whole big bunch of my fellow Americans don't like it. It may be legal. but we don't have to like it. And we don't accept any excuses for failing to stand.
The Microsoft Computer scammer calls again
This guy pretends to be from Microsoft, and wants to fix your computer. The first time he called (maybe a year ago) I played along until he tried to get me to upload a piece of malware onto Trusty Desktop. I used some salty service language on him and hung up. Since then he has called back about once a month, giving me another opportunity to insult him.
Anyhow, if you get a call from someone who says he is from Microsoft, he is trying to plant a virus on your computer. The real Microsoft never calls anyone.
Anyhow, if you get a call from someone who says he is from Microsoft, he is trying to plant a virus on your computer. The real Microsoft never calls anyone.
Monday, October 16, 2017
Print is up, E-books are down
According to the Wall St Journal, sales of printed books are up 5% this year whereas sales of e-books are down 17%. The Journal gave no reasons. Wow!
The electronic wave of the future stopped cold by Gutenberg's printing press from the 1400's.
I'm in favor, I like reading a printed book better than I like fussing with a laptop to read an e-book. I only mess with e-books to read old favorites no longer in print. Old Edgar Rice Burroughs, old E.E. Smith, old Andre Norton for example. The laptop is bulky but it has a decent screen, the special e-book readers are micro screen devices which don't excite me much. Even the idea of having the Library of Congress packed into a hand held device doesn't really excite me. Apparently the market agrees.
The electronic wave of the future stopped cold by Gutenberg's printing press from the 1400's.
I'm in favor, I like reading a printed book better than I like fussing with a laptop to read an e-book. I only mess with e-books to read old favorites no longer in print. Old Edgar Rice Burroughs, old E.E. Smith, old Andre Norton for example. The laptop is bulky but it has a decent screen, the special e-book readers are micro screen devices which don't excite me much. Even the idea of having the Library of Congress packed into a hand held device doesn't really excite me. Apparently the market agrees.
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