CNN.com – USS Cole embarks on first overseas voyage since 2000 suicide attack

The guided-missile destroyer was brought back to the United States and underwent $250 million in repairs at Northrop Grumman’s Ingalls shipyard in Mississippi following the October 12, 2000, attack.
…
The explosion killed 17 crew members, wounded 39 and nearly sank the destroyer.

It’s heartening to see this destroyer back on duty, this time screening the Enterprise group.

Fair winds and following seas to the crew of the Cole.

give yourselves a check, fellows. Guys, be sure to check yourselves.

Testicular cancer is relatively easy to diagnose and treat early. Meet us halfway and check yourself!

I have two issues, related to the holidays and emergency medical care.

Number one: if you have a relative who always seems to need a trip to the ER on major holidays, consider that there may be an underlying psychiactric problem, ranging from minor (narcissim) to serious (major depression). Any good ER is going to do a very thorough evaluation first, but if this is their 5th trip on a major holiday, we’re probably going to bring it up.

Number two: Loved One (LO) in the nursing home looks a lot worse this holiday as compared with the last one. We know. You should also be aware that the best indicator of how they usually are is the staff themselves. Sending LO to the ER should be done only after a chat both with LO’s doctor and regular nurses. Azygous has a nice post on this (but I cannot find it, his blog isn’t yet searchable).

Anyway, enjoy your Thanksgiving. All of us in the ER will be waiting for you!

Spammers are clever. They have figured out how to use a feature of MovableType to send spam from your server, looking like it came from you! Imagine the glee of MT users.

Fortunately, there are solutions, but they require a positive action, which can be found below: movabletype.org : Support Forum. There’s also a new version of the offending file, with better security.

My chosen answer, the easiest, is just to delete the offending file that allows this to work. Your mileage may vary, but do something to keep from being used by spammers.

CNN.com – FDA approves third pill for impotence

There are now 3 pills to help boomers get erections, but no malaria vaccine. Malaria is a lifelong problem for millions, and a killer of millions more. Unfortunately, the millions our drug companies are interested in are dollars, not people.

I understand that developing a malaria vaccine isn’t cheap, and it’s hard to do. If it was easy, it would have already been done. Some people are working on this: The Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation have given $168 million to help with malaria prevention, treatments and vaccines.

Don’t get me wrong, I’m not advocating government controls (yet), but this stuff is why I’m not nice to drug reps anymore. It’s not the reps’ fault, but as I have no ability to influence the companies directly, I’ll not be manipulated into supporting them with their ‘me too’ drugs.

OK, I’ve been fooling with the blog style for way too long. Sorry, but the old one was boring, and common. I saw it daily all over the blogosphere, with somebody elses’ name on it. (And better content, but that’s a different problem).

I mostly like what I’ve got here, now. I’m going to force myself to leave it alone for at least a week (unless I can figure out how to center the Milblogs webring thing).

So, no more daily shocks when you open the page, at least for a week.

The design is from BlogStyles, BTW.

Yahoo! News – Chopstick in Malaysian man’s head for five years

He had this for 5 years and didn’t know it. The amazing part to me is that it could be removed in an hour!

Don’t believe me? Read what’s going to happen ito New Jersey docs after their swing-and-a-miss run at tort reform, from Overlawyered.

Thanks, again, Texans!

I agree, the grey on grey was hard to read, but I need more style. This is easier to read but is painfully plain.

Aah, well. Something to tinker with.

It’s the 27th Anniversary of the Great American Smokeout, one day picked to encourage smokers to ‘kick the habit’. It’s a good idea. See the COPD post from yesterday as for why.

The originator: American Cancer Society.

I have been bored with the old style for a while. Thanks to Movable Style I have a new one. And, stylesheets rock; even I can cut and paste my way to a new look!

I like it, but again, my taste is suspect. What do you think?

2 posts ago I came out as a TCU fan. I should have known better: SI.com – NCAA Football – So. Miss costs TCU a shot at BCS bowl – Thursday November 20, 2003 11:15PM

Hope I don’t come out as a fan of one of you!

COPD ignored by doctors, patients

I don’t get to ignore it, I treat it every single day. It’s not a pleasant way to live. (Clarification: it’s not a pleasant way for the patients to live).

The thing they didn’t hit hard enough is that the number one preventable cause of COPD is smoking. Stop smoking, live longer. (I know you’ve heard that before).

SI.com – NCAA Football – Winn: Examining the TCU phenomenon – Wednesday November 19, 2003 2:58AM

I could care less about the BCS, but I’m now a TCU fan! Fort Worth’s own winning team.

A few weeks ago I took a swipe at the AMA here, and was debated. The counter arguments didn’t change my mind, but they did help me see the other side.

I tried to explain my aversion to the AMA as being related to their inexplicable desire to take a side on everything (usually the side I disagree with). Today I found a much more succinct way to describe it (excerpted from this):Instapundit.com:, about the demise of another professional organization:

Organizations that trivialize and politicize themselves tend to lose members.

I’m not trying to reignite the debate, just found the expression I was looking for earlier.

Oh, and this is my 401st post. Wow. I used to tell Rick I’d get a blog of my own, when I had something to say. Still nothing to say, but I have a blog!