Get off my LAWN! "Grumpy Old Farts"

[alaskaleftybass]

Congrats on collecting the whole set of shots, though I hear "they're" working on possible boosters to cover variants. I got my first one yesterday, and actually got a little teary over it. Sore arm started yesterday, feeling sort of crummy started today, headache-y, but it's comparable to getting a flu shot.

Shooooot. Ya get one thing done then you have to do another. Well, I'm glad you got your variant shot. When it comes out for sure Carey and I will get it.

Two messages my doctor's office today. Neither involves vaccine. First message was a congratulations from my doctor. Her nurse rang me a short time later to say My Fine Insurance Outfit insists I change a medication to something that doesn't cost them so much. Is this a weather report of some kind?

Hopefully that's a sign of things to come. I know there's tremendous pressure that will be applied to the pharmaceutical industry to start making essential and elective medication more affordable and hopefully generic non labeled economy alternatives.

 

[GwenOnBass]

I remain less than convinced of the integrity of the pharmaceutical industry. Or maybe about as convinced of the integrity of the pharmaceutical industry as I am the integrity the American insurance industry. My medical team is pretty crackerjack, though.

 

[beans-on-toast]

The current most popular shot is 95% effective against the original strain. That still leaves a 5% chance. They aren’t sure at this point how effective it is against variants, which are more virulent. Don’t let your guard down even after the vaccine, this thing ain’t going away.

 

[Fat Freddy]

The current most popular shot is 95% effective against the original strain. That still leaves a 5% chance. They aren’t sure at this point how effective it is against variants, which are more virulent. Don’t let your guard down even after the vaccine, this thing ain’t going away.

VERY, VERY THIS!!!.....^^^^^......Perleeeeease!.......

 

[Charlie Tango]

Shooooot. Ya get one thing done then you have to do another. Well, I'm glad you got your variant shot. When it comes out for sure Carey and I will get it.



Hopefully that's a sign of things to come. I know there's tremendous pressure that will be applied to the pharmaceutical industry to start making essential and elective medication more affordable and hopefully generic non labeled economy alternatives.

Oops, I wasn't clear. I got my first regular COVID-19 vaccination; no "booster shots" for variants of the virus have been developed yet.

 

[Jeff Scott]

Hopefully that's a sign of things to come. I know there's tremendous pressure that will be applied to the pharmaceutical industry to start making essential and elective medication more affordable and hopefully generic non labeled economy alternatives.

Probably about as fast as the auto insurance companies are working on reducing smrtphn (Morrighan trade mark) related accidents.

 

[Charlie Tango]

I remain less than convinced of the integrity of the pharmaceutical industry. Or maybe about as convinced of the integrity of the pharmaceutical industry as I am the integrity the American insurance industry. My medical team is pretty crackerjack, though.

Everything these days seems to revolve around money, and how to make obscene amounts of it for those at the top of the heap. A time-tested way in the pharma biz is to, juuust before your patent runs out on say, a very popular cardiac drug, you need a way to keep the money tap turned all the way open, and if your drug is made generically you won't be making nearly as much. What to do, what to do? Why, it's simple! You just make a slight tweak to it, maybe add something to it, maybe make it in an extended release version, and patent that. Now you send your reps out to all the doctors' office to talk up the "new" drug, take the doc to lunch, leave tons of tchotchkes with the drug's name on them, like pens, sticky note pads and the like with the office folks, and the money tap still gushes.

The insurance racket is as bad. They'll go to great lengths to get out of paying, and a favorite thing is to refuse to pay for Drug A at $$$ when Drug B is available at $$, or better still Drug C for $. I had it happen. They tried to talk the doctor into changing me to C, but she said "No, he's been on that before and it doesn't work as well." "All right," they say, "how about B, then?" "Nope, same story; and that's why I prescribed A, which is best for my patient, so you need to pay for it."

 

[Jeff Scott]

Everything these days seems to revolve around money, and how to make obscene amounts of it for those at the top of the heap.

Let's be clear about this:

Everything these days seems to revolve around money...

 

[Charlie Tango]

The current most popular shot is 95% effective against the original strain. That still leaves a 5% chance. They aren’t sure at this point how effective it is against variants, which are more virulent. Don’t let your guard down even after the vaccine, this thing ain’t going away.

The New York Times recently ran an article about Covid vaccine efficacy. It looks like all of them keep you from dying of the disease. Invalid Link Removed

 

[Charlie Tango]

Let's be clear about this:

Everything these days seems to revolve around money...

Yeah, whenever I wonder why someone or something is the way they are, or it is, the answer can usually be found by rubbing one's thumb against one's fingers in the time-honored fashion to denote money, greed and/or grift.

 

[GwenOnBass]

Odin's life does not revolve around money.

Early today I browsed a brace of illustrations that accompany interviews of homeless dog owners. No shelter will take in a homeless person with a dog. Better to stay with the dog, one man said, even if it means homelessness. Others spoke of their dog protecting them from ne'er-do-wells, and, of course, good company.

 

[Charlie Tango]

Odin's life does not revolve around money.

Early today I browsed a brace of illustrations that accompany interviews of homeless dog owners. No shelter will take in a homeless person with a dog. Better to stay with the dog, one man said, even if it means homelessness.

Blessings on that man. Dogs are worth it.

 

[notJaco]

Yup.
The wife has been on Humira for years now and, if not for her medical retirement benefits from a public school system, it would cost nearly $6000/month . She's gotta have it or something that works and so far that has been working the best....and that is only one of a couple of $$$ meds she needs on a regular basis. They have been whittling away at these benefits over the years. They are not quite are good as they were 10years ago, but we'll take 'em.

 

[Charlie Tango]

One definition of obscenity is the price of chemotherapy drugs. When I was receiving them in 2012-13, one of them was $25,000 for one dose. That scared me, as if cancer hadn't scared me enough. The insurance company had a negotiated amount they paid, and I only had my co-pay to handle. Thank goodness for insurance in a case like that, even as much of a pain in the drain as they are.

 

[beans-on-toast]

The New York Times recently ran an article about Covid vaccine efficacy. It looks like all of them keep you from dying of the disease. Invalid Link Removed

That comes across as every company wants to spin their version of the truth. They want to find a way to justify why you should take their product. Efficacy claims vary due to the strain and possibly genetics in a region. Nothing is straight fprward.

You get a bachelors degree and you know a little about a field, it teaches you how to learn. Get a masters and you gain some understanding about research and more in depth problem solving. Get a PhD and you walk away dazed with an understanding of how little we know, that’s pretty scary. Advances are always being made, usually in slow increments. Advice from experts provided today may be wrong and change in a month. Unfortunately, that’s the best that we have.

 

[beans-on-toast]

Let's be clear about this:

Everything these days seems to revolve around money...

It always did.

 

[notJaco]

It always did.

I was once told by our wealthy band manager. "The secret to success ....find a need and fill it."

 

[beans-on-toast]

Odin's life does not revolve around money.

Early today I browsed a brace of illustrations that accompany interviews of homeless dog owners. No shelter will take in a homeless person with a dog. Better to stay with the dog, one man said, even if it means homelessness. Others spoke of their dog protecting them from ne'er-do-wells, and, of course, good company.

It is a problem, thankfully things are changing. I know of one nearby large shelter that is pet friendly. The cold weather forced the city to rethink their no-animal policy. Last winter Inuit were sleeping on the floor on cardboard in my parking garage. This year there’s a shelter across the street in a church basement.

Perhaps a benefit of covid is that social assistance has more resources available to quickly deal with issues.

 

[GonePlaid]

I was once told by our wealthy band manager. "The secret to success ....find a need and fill it."

I've found the secret to winding up with a small fortune in the music business: you start with a large fortune and get out b4 it's all gone.

 

[gtmalone]

Interesting character to be a disciple of!

View attachment 4169010

Or more like this? Duckman - Wikipedia

That series was a hoot and half!