Zicam Pulled from Stores – Still just a Gimick and it Will Hurt You!
FDA warns against using 3 popular Zicam cold meds - CNN.com
The agency says that since 1999, it has received more than 130 reports of loss of smell associated with Zicam Cold Remedy Nasal Gel; Zicam Cold Remedy Nasal Swabs; and Zicam Cold Remedy Swabs, kids size. The products have been linked to long-lasting or permanent loss of smell called anosmia. In some cases, the loss of smell occurred after the first dose."Loss of sense of smell is a serious risk for people who use these products for relief from cold symptoms," said Dr. Janet Woodcock, director of the FDA's Center for Drug Evaluation and Research. "We are concerned that consumers may unknowingly use a product that could cause serious harm, and therefore we are advising them not to use these products for any reason."
Here is another good one from the world of medicine today, basically proving that once again you can't magically make a cold or it's symptoms disappear by spraying foreign chemicals into your body. Oddly enough, the old way still seems to be the best with a cold - get plenty of Vitamin C consistently and you are way better off than trying spraying Zinc straight into your nasal cavity.
Soon I expect to see this company market an Iron spray because that hasn't been banned yet. It will be called "ICam"
Technorati Tags: zicam, fda, nasal, spray, nasal gel, cold remedy, swabs, loss of smell
The Worst Week Ever
So what would the worst week ever be considered? Well alright let me qualify that a little bit, the worst week ever in terms of being a manager. This week we had to “right size” our organization and by that I mean I had to select an employee that would be asked to leave the company. I have been a manager for three years and out of college for four. This means I have a total of four years of professional experience and already I have been asked to lay and employee off. For a 26 year old, I have never had to make a harder decision, a decision that effects someone else’s life so profoundly that I will never forget it.
At the end of the day, I feel that I did the best I could given the information I had. I feel that I made the right decision for the business which is what I set out to do in the first place as that was what was asked of me. It was the hardest thing I have ever done, and likely one of the hardest things I will ever have to do. How many people are asked to make a decision like this when they are 26 years old? How many managers have ever had to make this decision?
I don’t even know really where I want to go with this post. I just know that I want to make it understood that making these decisions sucks. It demoralizes those of us who are left and hurts those that are asked to leave. No one wins.
Finally, Stem Cells for the Masses
Scientists have found a way to make an almost limitless supply of stem cells that could safely be used in patients while avoiding the ethical dilemma of destroying embryos.
In a breakthrough that could have huge implications, British and Canadian scientists have found a way of reprogramming skin cells taken from adults, effectively winding the clock back on the cells until they were in an embryonic form.
The work has been hailed as a major step forward by scientists and welcomed by pro-life organisations, who called on researchers to halt other experiments which use stem cells collected from embryos made at IVF clinics.
Source: The Guardian
It's finally come where we can all get behind stem cell research. While I have been for this research before now (I really don't think storing embryonic cells in a big freezer that will never be used is an issue) but this at least allows the folks who couldn't stand the thought of the massive numbers of unused embryos being used for this finally get behind the process as well.
Imagine one day being able to cure diseases like Alzheimer's, Parkinson's and Multiple Sclerosis. How many people do you know that have these diseases or know someone that is affected by them. The hope that future treatments offer these people is well worth the expenditure of time and money on this research. The fact that we can now get the cells from skin only makes this process easier. Let's hope we see more innovation in this area come forward soon.
Understanding the Credit Crisis
So you wanted an easy way to understand why your house is now worth nothing anf you don't have any money in your 401k. I found this great animated explanation of the credit crisis on youtube the other day and it actually allows you to understand what the heck is going on.
Yet Another Data Breach at a Transaction Processor
A data breach last year at Princeton, N.J., payment processor Heartland Payment Systems may have compromised tens of millions of credit and debit card transactions, the company said today.
If accurate, such figures may make the Heartland incident one of the largest data breaches ever reported.
Robert Baldwin, Heartland's president and chief financial officer, said the company, which processes payments for more than 250,000 businesses, began receiving fraudulent activity reports late last year from MasterCard and Visa on cards that had all been used at merchants which rely on Heartland to process payments.
Baldwin said 40 percent of transactions the company processes are from small to mid-sized restaurants across the country. He declined to name any well-known establishments or retail clients that may have been affected by the breach.
Source: Washington Post
How many more times will this happen before we start seeing significant improvements in the security at transaction processing companies? The fact that this is such a matter-of-fact, response that shows no sign of caring about the people affected is disturbing. As consumers we can no longer afford to simply stand by and watch our personal financial information be stolen and not do anything about it. I think it is time we demand these corporations prove they protect clients data as best they can or otherwise they should not be allowed to operate.
Working in the financial industry myself and in the IT field to boot, it stirkes me as incredibly incompetent that a company would not employ enough safeguards on their networks to deter these types of attacks. It would also make sense that they would force their clients to adhere to the same standards so that they do not have any one weak point in their wider network of operations. Take processing credit cards with Visa for example, where you must go through a rigorus certification program before they will even let you touch their network or data. If you do not do this then you simply don't get to use their service plain and simple.
Not only is the company not really taking any responsibility but they also are announcing this on a day where it will get no news coverage which I don't think is a coincidence at all. They are knowingly trying to avoid telling the public about the potential for their information to have been stolen. A plainly sleazy move that should be investigated by government regulators if you ask me as it is reckless and irresponsible of them to take this type of action. Keep your eyes on your credit card statements folks, you never know where this will go next.
An Open Challenge to President-elect Obama
Mr. Obama, With unprecedented popularity and influence within the 20 - 30 year old age bracket in the United States, it is time you harness that energy and drive your vision of change into our local communities and demographics. This is not a partisan effort, nor an effort that favors liberal or conservative thinking. It is a movement and idea that reconnects Americans with their heritage and communities that is needed now more than ever. We need to rediscover what makes this country great, we need to see the principles of what it means to be an American in everyday life. To this end I challenge you to push us towards a goal of involvement as Jack Kennedy asked us all to do over forty years ago.
1. Establish state level service commissions - We need organizations that promote service within our communities, this can't just be through social media or the Internet. We need people on the ground engaging the youth to do more for the places in which they live. You would be amazed at what we can do if you ask us. We believe in your message, hold us to account and you will not be disappointed. All we ask is that you establish the framework for us to work within and recognize us for our efforts.
2. Encourage state and local governments realize the value of a mobilized citizenry - We can move mountains if you ask us, but if you don't ask and inspire us to do so you will never realize this goal. There are vast untapped resources of human capital in our communities that have never been recognized because institutions do not understand how to reach them or understand that people want to be involved. In this economy, in this recession, we must learn to rely on each other more than ever because that is the American way. Help us become involved by making sure our public servants understand that which you already do.
3. Don't settle for less than our best - You will need to push us to continue our service, challenge us to do more with less, set forth lofty goals and show us the way to achieve them. We are asking you to push us to do more, my generation is asking you to push us as people who want to live up to the memory of our fathers and our grandfathers. We aren't soft, we just haven't been challenged like they were but now is the time for the challenge. We encourage to publically motivate us, call on us in speeches to do more and show us what can be done by average Americans.
4. Realize what you have done - Your platform of change has not only gotten you elected to the highest office in our country but has inspired masses of people who need hope. Don't underestimate what hope does to people or what kind of strength it will give them . Despite what others were saying in the campaign, the concept of hope counts for more than many other tangible promises or goods. Hope can inspire people to do great things and that is what you have brought to us. Realize this reality and use it to our country's advantage but do not take advantage of us. If you learn to harness this power and focus it on the betterment of our society we will once again be the pinnacle of what it means to be a free and democratic society.
These are my thoughts Mr. Obama, from a 26 year old who has never had the chance to be inspired by anyone like I have during this election. There are millions other like me waiting for you to lead us to the next great era of service and prosperity in this country. We want what every generation of Americans have before us; a safe place to live that is prosperous and not afraid of ambitious people willing to work hard to achieve their dreams. We are waiting Mr. Obama just say the word.
When All You Want to Do is Work…
What do you do when all you want to do is work in the town you live in, serve your community, and do what is best for your family? That is the situation I am in right now, I have applied for a job in Hagerstown, interviewed and now am waiting on whether or not I will get the position. The worst part is that I don't know if I will be considered seriously because I am younger than what they likely expect and it just makes me very anxious.
I guess I just had to write this down since I have been thinking about it for the past few days and at this point I just want to know one way or another. I guess I will find out...
Bailout Detroit? I Think Not.
Let the Detroit auto makers fail, let them go into bankruptcy and fail just like any other American company does when they have mismanaged themselves into a financial nightmare.
Why is it that as soon as a big company gets in trouble now all of the Senators in Washington and the Representatives in the House all want to bail them out? There is no need for it and it goes against every free market principle that the country is built on. GM, Chrysler and Ford vehicles have been terrible for years and now we want to save them and postpone the inevitable? They did not respond to industry forces when they should have, they completely ignored America's pleas for more fuel efficient vehicles and failed to improve the quality of their existing fleet of vehicles when they could have. By failing in these areas did they not expect companies like Toyota, Nissan, Hyundai, Daewoo, Kia and others to move in and take their market share?
So if you can't back them up because of sound business practices then the argument becomes that they are too big to fail, especially in this economy. Why is that? Because so many people would lose their jobs? Let me tell you Washington, another 20,000 at this point seems to be a number of very little importance from this perspective. Why don't you tell the hundreds of thousands that already have why you didn't bail their companies out?
Not only are they not too big to fail (any company can) but if they go into bankruptcy, there is a strong chance that better managed automaker will buy their assets and keep the brand alive. The GM, Chrysler and Ford brands still carry a very iconic stature in the US and any other automaker would love to add them to their portfolio. These new investors might also actually bring in the new ideas needed to turn the brands around as well which is what the autoworkers need more than anything else right now since even with the bailout thousands more get laid off each year.
So Washington, keep your nose out of the free market in this case. The banks may have been a special case, but companies that do not control the entire financial system should not carry any special clout when asking for a bailout. It will be hard when they fail initially but I can tell you now that it needs to happen in order to make our economy stronger once again. The last thing we need to do is face this again later on, we might as well get the pain over with now.
Oil Drilling is not the Answer
"No matter what you think about President Bush on other matters, that's beside the point, but on this issue, the recent and sudden drop in the price of crude oil, it is all about Bush. You've got to give the man the credit. On the day he lifted the presidential ban on domestic drilling, the oil prices went into a downward spiral. Now if only the Democrats ... it would drop a lot more. Just wait until this winter and see what you're paying for fuel oil and kerosene. It's going to hurt, my friends." - North End
Why is it that people think oil drilling is the solution to the energy issues in the US? Do you not realize that the Oil will run out regardless of whether you drill a few more million barrels or not? The republican plan is completely useless because all it will do is create the same crisis in another several years. Not only is the whole idea of more drilling not very sound, the idea that because bush lifted this ban the prices went down. It makes no difference whether he does this or not, it is a purely symbolic move on his part. The congress must also lift their ban in order for anything to take place. Its time to focus on real non-fossil fuel alternatives folks, otherwise all you are doing is leaving a problem for your kids to deal with.
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