Can We Guess If You’re An Introvert Or Extrovert?

http://www.buzzfeed.com/javiermoreno/can-we-guess-if-youre-an-introvert-or-extrovert#.doyqYwq0V

Introverted – You are smart and reflective. You think before you speak and take joy in having a small, close-knit group of friends. Sure, you need some time to recharge after being super social, but that doesn’t mean you hate socializing. In fact, you’re the best person to hang with one-on-one.

Introvert or Extrovert: Test Yourself With Our Personality Quiz

Introvert, Ambivert or an Extrovert?

You have reached 45 of 100 points, (45%)

40 – 60 points You’re an Ambivert.

For all you coffee lovers out there

“I can’t imagine a day without coffee. I can’t imagine!”  Howard Schultz

“I like coffee because it gives me the illusion that I might be awake.”  Lewis Black

“Do you know how helpless you feel if you have a full cup of coffee in your hand and you start to sneeze?”  Jean Kerr

“Do Lipton employees take coffee breaks?”  Steven Wright

“If this is coffee, please bring me some tea; but if this is tea, please bring me some coffee.” Abraham Lincoln

“I never drink coffee at lunch. I find it keeps me awake for the afternoon.”  Ronald Reagan

“If it wasn’t for the coffee, I’d have no identifiable personality whatsoever.”  David Letterman

Study: Those who abuse drugs are much more likely to abuse prescription pain relievers

https://www.consumeraffairs.com/news/study-those-who-abuse-drugs-are-much-more-likely-to-abuse-prescription-pain-relievers-071015.html

People who abuse illegal drugs and/or prescription medications are much more likely to abuse prescription pain relievers; that is what researchers from the University of Georgia have determined after conducting a nationwide study on this egregious issue. However, this abuse is not specific to one age bracket. People of varying ages have different strategies for obtaining these drugs.

The study, which originated in the UGA School of Social Work, revealed that people who use drugs such as marijuana, heroin, and cocaine within a year of taking prescription pain relievers are much more likely to abuse them. This similarity spread across all socioeconomic strata and racial lines.

“Male or female, black or white, rich or poor, the singular thing we found was that if they were an illicit drug user, they also had many, many times higher odds of misusing prescription pain relievers,” said Orion Mowbray, who is the study’s lead author…

Mowbray and his colleagues recommend that doctors make it clear to older individuals that there is a lot of risk associated with taking the drugs. Friends and families should also be attentive to any family member who may have developed an addiction or dependency.

Under comments:

Johnna Stahl · Albuquerque, New Mexico
Yet another negative “study” on prescription pain medications (which doesn’t include any new information). A “study” of surveys based on self-reports by respondents. Very scientific. Considering how small the University of Georgia School of Social Work is, one has to wonder where they get their funding. Funny, the “study” doesn’t mention that, or any conflicts of interest by the authors. Doesn’t matter — looks like a government-funded study to me. Thanks NIDA! You really know how to make our tax dollars work.

Studies like this also make you wonder if there are ever any studies done on what medications work best to treat pain. Considering the recent FDA warning on NSAIDS, what medications are left? Sugar pills?

And in case it’s news to these researchers, addiction and dependency are two different things. Is a diabetic dependent or addicted to insulin? Is a heart patient dependent or addicted to beta-blockers?

Something else the authors seem to be unaware of is that marijuana is no longer illegal in four states and has been approved for medical use in 24 states. California passed its medical cannabis law in 1996, and in New Mexico where I live, the program has existed for 8 years. And does the drug “cocaine” include Ritalin? Oh, I forgot, Ritalin is legal and cocaine isn’t.

Government strengthens warning on NSAIDs

https://www.consumeraffairs.com/news/government-strengthens-warning-on-nsaids-071015.html

Nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs) are very effective pain relievers, providing relief from headache, backache, and arthritis. People with high blood pressure or heart disease have always needed to be careful when taking these products, though, because of the increased medical risk they pose.

Now the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) says that even healthy consumers should be careful when taking them. The agency is strengthening an existing warning on prescription drug labels and over-the-counter (OTC) Drug Facts labels to warn that NSAIDs can increase the chance of a potentially fatal heart attacks or strokes.

The OTC drugs in this group include popular brand names like Advil, Aleve, Motrin, and Nuprin. Prescription NSAIDs include Cox-2 inhibitors like Celebrex. Aspirin is also an NSAID but is not included in the revised warning…

OTC NSAIDs are mostly used for occasional pain relief, but some people take them regularly to deal with chronic conditions. The FDA says it wants these consumers to know that new research shows heart attack and stroke risks have materialized very early during prolonged use.

“There is no period of use shown to be without risk,” said Dr. Judy Racoosin, deputy director of the FDA’s Division of Anesthesia, Analgesia, and Addiction Products…

Wow, that’s sure a catchy title for a division.  It very easily connects the treatment of pain with addiction.

If you take low-dose aspirin for protection against heart attack and stroke, you should know that some NSAIDs, including ibuprofen and naproxen, can interfere with that protective effect.

The next time some doctor tells you to take NSAIDS for chronic pain, tell him or her to stuff it. And then explain how opioids come with less risk to your health than NSAIDS.

Buds

“Gather the flowers, but spare the buds.”  Andrew Marvell

“Once we hit forty, women only have about four taste buds left: one for vodka, one for wine, one for cheese, and one for chocolate.”  Gina Barreca

(Photo taken 7/9/2015.)

Soon

“The little reed, bending to the force of the wind, soon stood upright again when the storm had passed over.”  Aesop

“As soon as you trust yourself, you will know how to live.”  Johann Wolfgang von Goethe

“What is right to be done cannot be done too soon.”  Jane Austen

(Photo taken 7/9/2015.)

Honeysuckle Leaves Crying Over Trash

Photo taken 7/9/2015.

CMS Proposes 0.5% Doc Fee Hike

http://www.medpagetoday.com/PracticeManagement/Reimbursement/52505?xid=nl_mpt_DHE_2015-07-09&eun=g875301d0r

WASHINGTON — Physicians will see a 0.5% overall increase in Medicare reimbursement in 2016 under the proposed physician fee schedule announced Wednesday by the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS)…

“Today’s release of the proposed 2016 Medicare Physician Fee Schedule marks the beginning of health security for millions of elderly and disabled Americans who depend on Medicare,” Robert Wergin, MD, president of the American Academy of Family Physicians, in Leawood, Kan., said in a statement. “It’s the first time in more than a decade that federal law did not threaten their access to care with mandated, double-digit Medicare cuts in payment for physician care.”

“Instead of facing a devastating Medicare cut in payment for the care they provide, physicians will see a modest increase. But most important, physicians can focus on caring for their patients, and their patients can rest assured their care will not be interrupted.”

Your care will not be interrupted… unless you’re a pain patient.

The proposed rule also calls for reimbursement for physician discussion of patients’ wishes regarding end-of-life care…

Something many more pain patients will probably be discussing with their doctors.

USAA email scam

Re:  Upgrade Now
From:  USAA admin@usa.com

Move this message to inbox if found in spam, to ensure safe delivery.

Dear Customer,

We haven’t heard from you regarding our security mandatory update. Your session would not be verified for your account consistency.Update your account now

How do I accept this verification?
Click Verify now below to update. please kindly update now,

VERIFY NOW
Thank you,

USAA Savings Bank.

*Other fees include: (1) Cash advance/balance transfer fee: 3% or $75 (whichever is less); (2) Foreign Transaction Fee: 1% of transaction amount.

Please do not reply to this e-mail. To send a secure message to USAA, please contact us.
Privacy Promise

USAA Savings Bank, P.O. Box 14050, Las Vegas, Nevada 89114-4050

Re:  Does USAA know about this email scam?
From:  painkills2@aol.com
To:  accessibility@usaa.com, admin@usa.com

I thought USAA might be interested in seeing this email scam that involves its name and logo.

Florida Cops Laundered Millions For Drug Cartels, Failed To Make A Single Arrest

Are COPS “ADDICTED” to “DRUG MONEY” ?

http://www.forbes.com/sites/instituteforjustice/2015/07/10/florida-cops-laundered-millions-for-drug-cartels-failed-to-make-a-single-arrest/

Posing as money launderers, police in Bal Harbour and Glades County, Fla. laundered a staggering $71.5 million for drug cartels in an undercover sting operation, according to an in-depth investigation by The Miami Herald. With fake identities, undercover officers made deals to pick up cash from criminal organizations in cities across the country. Agents then delivered the money to Miami-Dade storefronts and even wired cash to banks overseas in China and Panama. After laundering the cash, police would skim a three percent commission fee, ultimately generating $2.4 million for themselves…

Together, the Bal Harbour Police Department and the Glades County Sheriff’s Office formed the Tri-County Task Force, which, despite the name, consisted of only two agencies. From 2010 to 2012, the task force passed on information and tips to federal agencies that led to the government seizing almost $30 million. Yet the undercover unit laundered over $70 million for drug cartels—more than twice as much as what was actually taken off the streets.

Notably, the Tri-County Task Force never made a single arrest. The task force countered that assertion, claiming they passed on intelligence that led to over 200 arrests made by other agencies. But a representative from the DEA said, “There’s no way we can validate those numbers. We have no idea what they are basing those numbers on.” Tellingly, “the task force did not document the names of the 200 people who were arrested,” according to The Miami Herald.

Thanks to the commissions from money laundering, the task force could indulge in a lavish lifestyle. Officers enjoyed $1,000 dinners at restaurants in the Miami area, and spent $116,000 on airfare and first-class flights and nearly $60,000 for hotel accommodations, including stays at the Bellagio and the Mandalay Bay in Las Vegas and El San Juan Resort & Casino in Puerto Rico. Police also spent over $100,000 on iPads, computers, laptops and other electronics, bought a new Jeep Grand Cherokee for $42,012 and even purchased $25,000 worth of weaponry, including FN P90 submachine guns. (Bal Harbour, a seaside village of 2,500 residents known for having the nation’s top sales-generating mall, reported just one violent crime in 2012.)

Initially, to gain seed capital to conduct the sting operations, Bal Harbour tapped into equitable sharing, a federal asset forfeiture program. Under equitable sharing, cash, cars and real estate can all be forfeited to the government if there is an alleged nexus between criminal activity and the property involved, though criminal convictions or indictments are not necessary…

DEA Creates New Task Force For Chicken Farms

The Drug Enforcement Agency has been working closely with the medical industry for years in trying to combat the use and abuse of any kind of prescription drug that can make a patient feel good. This would include drugs like opioids, antidepressants, muscle relaxers, anti-anxieties, and stimulants like Ritalin.

In conjunction with that goal, the DEA and medical researchers have been testing wastewater for drugs, mostly around university campuses and economically distressed cities, because it’s a fact that the young and the poor take more drugs than any other population.

But this kind of testing doesn’t address the drugs that we consume through the food chain. In order to expand the drug testing of waste, the DEA has created a new task force to look for drugs found on farms. This new task force, called Operation Cock-a-doodle-doo (COCK), will begin with testing the waste found on chicken farms.

To locate these farms, the members of COCK will be looking for any chickens that are suspected of having drugs in their system. Because chickens aren’t known to be happy animals, COCK will be looking for roosters and hens that appear to be in a good mood.

Andrew Kolodny of Physicians For Responsible Opioid Prescribing (PFROP) will be the medical “expert” working with COCK to help identify the chickens that are using or abusing drugs.

“Drug addiction in chickens is easy to spot,” says Mr. Kolodny. “We look for signs of the munchies, along with chickens that are dancing or strutting.”

When asked about the crisis of antibiotic resistance in our food chain, and if COCK will be testing for these drugs, a DEA spokesperson explained that antibiotics are not part of the Drug War. “We’re only interested in drugs that can have the side effect of making people feel high or happy.” The DEA spokesperson indicated that along with prescription drugs, COCK will also be looking for signs of marijuana use in chickens.

The COCK task force submitted the above photo as an example of what a chicken on drugs looks like. The DEA asks that the public be on the look out for dancing chickens or farm animals that are only interested in eating, and to report these sightings immediately to COCK at 1-800-COCKADOO or HappyChickens.com.

After receiving a reported sighting of happy chickens, Mr. Kolodny’s job will be to collect samples of chicken poop and test them for certain drugs. If these drugs are found, the DEA will arrest the owners of the farm, and the land and animals will be sold at auction to the highest bidder in order to fund the work of COCK.

(Photo taken on 7/4/2015.)