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Drinks in the Recovery Room! Open Thread

by coldwarrior ( 228 Comments › )
Filed under Humor, Open thread at February 27th, 2010 - 6:10 pm

Here is the list of funny notes taken from medical charts. Its the open and overnight, can i get anyone a martini?

This is an open thread, and Happy Purim!  The Bar is Open!

1.Patient has two teenage children, but no other abnormalities.
2. Patient has chest pain if she lies on her left side for over a year.
3. On the second day, the knee was better, and then on the third day it disappeared.
4. The patient is tearful and crying constantly. She also appears to be depressed.
5. The patient has been depressed since she began seeing me in 1993.
6. Discharge status: Alive, but without my permission.
7. Healthy-appearing decrepit 69-year old male, mentally alert but forgetful.
8. The patient refused autopsy.
9. The patient has no previous history of suicides.
10. Patient has left white blood cells at another hospital.
11. Patient’s medical history has been remarkably insignificant with only a 40-pound weight gain in the last three days.
12. Patient had waffles for breakfast and anorexia for lunch.
13. Between you and me, we ought to be able to get this lady pregnant.
14. She is numb from her toes down.
15. While in ER, she was examined, x-rated and sent home.
16. The skin was moist and dry.
17. Occasional, constant, infrequent headaches.
18. Patient was alert and unresponsive.
19. She stated that she had been constipated for most of her life until she got a divorce.
20. Rectal examination revealed a normal-size thyroid.
21. I saw your patient today, who is still under our car for physical therapy.
22. The lab test indicated abnormal lover function.
23. The patient was to have a bowel resection. However, he took a job as a stockbroker instead.
24. Skin: somewhat pale but present.
25. The pelvic exam will be done later on the floor.
26. Patient was seen in consultation by Dr. ____, who felt we should sit on the abdomen and I agree.
27. Large brown stool ambulating in the hall.
28. She has no rigors or shaking chills, but her husband states she was hot in bed last night.
29. Patient was found in bed with her power mower.
30. Examination of genitalia reveals that he is circus sized.
31. The baby was delivered, the chord was clamped and cut, and handed to the pediatrician, who breathed and cried immediately.
32. The patient was in his usual state of good health until his airplane ran out of gas and crashed.
33. The patient was prepped and raped in the usual manner.
34. Examination reveals a well-developed male laying in bed with his family in no distress.
35. Patient was alert and unresponsive.
36. When she fainted, her eyes rolled around the room.
37. The patient lives at home with his mother, father, and pet turtle, who is presently enrolled in day care three times a week.
38. Bleeding started in the rectal area and continued all the way to Los Angeles.
39. Both breasts are equal and reactive to light and accommodation.
40. Exam of genitalia was completely negative except for the right foot.
41. Coming from Detroit, this man has no children.


General Alexander Haig, Rest in Peace.

by coldwarrior ( 275 Comments › )
Filed under Open thread at February 20th, 2010 - 11:03 am

General Alexander Haig, Rest in Peace.

Submitted 20FEB2010

This is also an open thread.


This morning, America lost one of her finest members of the warrior class. Alexander Meigs Haig, Jr. passed away this morning at Johns Hopkins Hospital. He was 85.

General Haig graduated from West Point in 1947 and continued his academic studies at Columbia with an MBA in 1955 and a Masters in International Relations from Georgetown in 1961, his thesis focused on the role of the military officer in the making of national policy.

His military career is extensive as well, during the occupation of Japan he was on General MacAruthur’s staff, during the early part of the Korean war he was responsible for MacArthur’s morning briefings and map/situation room. Haig saw combat in Korea where he earned two Silver Stars for heroism and a Bronze star with Valor Device, his battle experience included 7 campaigns including the Battle of Inchon and the Battle of Chosin Reservoir. He then received the Distinguished Service Cross, the second highest medal in the military, for his actions during the battle of Ap Gu in March 1967. The citation reads thusly:

The President of the United States of America, authorized by Act of Congress, July 9, 1918 (amended by act of July 25, 1963), takes pleasure in presenting the Distinguished Service Cross to Lieutenant Colonel (Armor) Alexander M. Haig, Jr. (ASN: 0-50790), United States Army, for extraordinary heroism in connection with military operations involving conflict with an armed hostile force in the Republic of Vietnam, while serving with while serving with Headquarters, 1st Battalion, 26th Infantry, 1st Infantry Division. Lieutenant Colonel Haig distinguished himself by exceptionally valorous actions on 31 March and 1 April 1967 while serving as battalion commander during an attack by a numerically superior Viet Cong force near Ap Gu. When two of his companies were engaged by a large hostile force, Colonel Haig landed amid a hail of fire, personally took charge of the units, called for artillery and air fire support, and succeeded in soundly defeating the insurgent force. Before dawn the nest day, when a single mortar round fell near the perimeter, Colonel Haig recognized it as the registering round prior to a massive attack and immediately alerted his entire unit. Within five minutes a barrage of 400 rounds was fired by the Viet Cong, but it was ineffective because of the warning and preparations by Colonel Haig. As the barrage subsided, a force three times larger than his began a series of human wave assaults on the camp. Heedless of the danger to himself, Colonel Haig repeatedly braved intense hostile fire to survey the battlefield. His personal courage and determination, and his skillful employment of every defense and support tactic possible, inspired his men to fight with previously unimagined power. Although his force was outnumbered three to one, Colonel Haig succeeded in inflicting 592 casualties on the Viet Cong. Lieutenant Colonel Haig’s extraordinary heroism and devotion to duty were in keeping with the highest traditions of the military service and reflect great credit upon himself, his unit, and the United States Army.

I include the entire citation because it is important to place the man with the deeds.

In 1969, he was appointed as Military Assistant to Henry Kissenger, the Presidential Assistant for National Security Affairs.By 1973 Haig was appointed chief of the Army. He was then chief of staff for Nixon in the final months of Nixon’s administration.

nato photo 1977

This is taken from wiki, it is accurate, I like the detail: Haig served as the Supreme Allied Commander Europe (SACEUR) and Commander IN Chief US Army Europe, (CinCUSEUR), the Commander of NATO forces in Europe, from 1974 to 1979. A creature of habit, Haig took the same route to SHAPE every day and this pattern of behavior did not go unnoticed by terrorist groups. On June 25, 1979, Haig was the victim of an assassination attempt in Mons, Belgium A land mine blew up under the bridge on which Haig’s car was traveling, narrowly missing Haig’s car but wounding three of his bodyguards in a following car. Authorities later attributed responsibility for the attack to the Red Army Faction (RAF). In 1993 a German Court sentenced Rolf Clemens Wagner, a former RAF member, to life imprisonment for the assassination attempt.

Haig was then named as Ronald Reagan’s Secretary of State and served there from 1981 to 1982. It was in this position, just before the handover of power after Reagan was shot that Haig proclaimed his famous and most misrepresented comment:

“Constitutionally, gentlemen, you have the President, the Vice President and the Secretary of State in that order, and should the President decide he wants to transfer the helm to the Vice President, he will do so. He has not done that. As of now, I am in control here, in the White House, pending return of the Vice President and in close touch with him. If something came up, I would check with him, of course.
Alexander Haig , Alexander Haig, autobiographical profile in TIME Magazine, April 2, 1984[19]”

I wasn’t talking about transition. I was talking about the executive branch, who is running the government. That was the question asked. It was not, “Who is in line should the President die?”

Alexander Haig, Alexander Haig interview with 60 Minutes II April 23, 2001

Of course, the biased asses on the left mis-represented what he said entirely, which is nothing new for the MSM. Haig was a man of action, a leader, and a warrior, qualities that his detractors will never attain. Rest in Peace, General.

This is also an open thread.

The Booze Thread Pt 2: Happy Hour and Making Great Drinks.

by coldwarrior ( 173 Comments › )
Filed under Blogmocracy, Food and Drink, Open thread at February 5th, 2010 - 3:00 pm

Submitted Friday, 05FEB2010

This is an open thread.

Happy TGIF Blogmocrats! Another week has been put in the books, Obama is still failing in the polls, the Right is gaining, and the Saints are in the Superbowl. I know, the Colts are there as well, but the real story is the Saints. We also have a massive snowstorm for the Eastern Seaboard, FEET of snow are predicted in some areas. We are going to get 8” where we live and we have a tradition when it does this, we BBQ. On the left are the ‘snowbirds’ smoked and spiced chickens, on the right are two brisket flats (butcher was out of the big cuts). One of those brisket (briski?) will be cubed super small and use in chili. I am a Yankee Smoker(c) so I use cherry, apple, and maple wood.

So, back to the topic, making great drinks and ‘happy hour’ food in your home. Good booze is not rocket science, nor does it have to be expensive. A very small amount of prep time, a little attention to detail, some creativity, and bingo: cocktails after work for you and yours, or you and your friends.  You will need, the right equipment, yummy finger foods, and some great drinks. The internet is replete with recipes and methods so I wont bother here. Don’t let terms like muddle, strain, and garnish intimidate you. An orange can be garnished and made into ingredients in seconds. If you screw up a drink too badly, it can always be tossed out. (that was a difficult sentence to type)

The equipment is easy, a nicely equipped bar need some shot glasses, a strainer, a peeler, a sharp knife, a spoon or two, a large shaker, and some BIG ice cubes, little and commercial ice melts too fast and waters down the drink, you paid for booze, and booze you shall receive. Shaved ice is for margaritas, not martinis. BIG ice doesn’t melt as fast and cools the drink much quicker. The ice and the shaker are the trick, alcohol-forward drinks like martinis should be ‘stirred’, or the ice should be gently swirled around in the shaker. If you shake the hell out of a martini, the ice slams up and down and shatters in the shaker and dulls the drink. If the drink is citrus based or sours some gentle shaking is in order, but don’t shatter the ice and water down the drink. A little agitation with BIG ice will do the trick.

The booze will be determined by what recipes you like. I will add this bit of advice. Cheap booze is just plain bad. Top of the line booze, is usually too expensive and really not that much better than the above average stuff. I like to get average vodka like Smirnoff or Danaka and infuse it with chilies or cinnamon or pepper corns. The chili and the pepper vodka are great ingredients in a Bloody Mary. If you are going to make a James Bond style, no-flavorings vodka martini, use the best vodka you can get. If you are making Screwdrivers, average vodka will do. Same goes with whiskey, gin, rum, und zu weiter. Don’t wreck the expensive booze with heavy mixers.

The food does not have to be extravagant either. For example, most grocery stores carry some very nice cheeses that may get overlooked as ingredients in main dishes. Washed-rind cheeses with capers on stout whole wheat crackers are nice with whiskey based drinks, aged Gouda or simple Vermont Cheddar on thin slices of toasted baguette are great with fruity drinks. Now, with martinis I prefer a Pecorino or Chihuahua (the cheese, not el chupacabra’s avatar)  with a little anchovy on toasted baguette. If that’s not your style, plan ahead a little, make your own pizza dough ahead of time and make individual pizzas to order; cook wings and let your guests make their own sauces or spice powders, or better yet have them bring their favorite topping.

The possibilities are endless if you just take a little extra time to plan and make yourself experiment; If you are in the mood for wine, try a malbec or some type that you have never had instead of your house vino, try that cheese that you never heard of, randomly select a drink and make it. Get out of the rut and try to do something new.

With a little effort, anyone can make a great drink.


(Don’t forget to vote in the Blogmocracy Awards! One vote per award, per day~ Voting ends Feb. 5)

 

~Open Thread: “Image of G-d” & “End of Days” Edition~

by WrathofG-d ( 124 Comments › )
Filed under Judaism, Open thread, Religion at January 1st, 2010 - 4:00 pm

As we are enjoying our long weekend, it is once again that wonderful time and I have found a discussion that couldn’t be more appropriate for a blog by Rabbi Kalman Packouz of Aish Ha’Torah. Enjoy!

One of the distinguishing features of human beings from other species is that we can talk, and one of the distinguishing features amongst human beings is how we use the gift of speech. Do we speak in an elevated manner or in a crass manner? They way we speak says a lot about us – who we are, how we perceive ourselves, who we identify with.

The Torah teaches that human beings were created in the image of God (Genesis 1:27). Since God has no corporeal image, the Torah is telling us that we were created in a spiritual image of the Almighty – that we can emulate the Almighty in doing kindness and that we can use speech to perfect this world.

Many times people are not aware of how they speak. Use of curse words demeans the speaker who, after all, should look upon him/herself as a holy individual created in the image of the Almighty!

Also, people need to be aware of how they use speech when talking with someone or about someone.  Loshon hora (literally, “evil speech”) is derogatory speech and is forbidden by Jewish law even when it’s true – unless there is a compelling requirement to share the information. Loshon hora is the fuel for hatred, jealousy and contention.  It can break an engagement, end a marriage, destroy a partnership, ruin a life. However, proper speech can bring harmony and build relationships. Words can hurt, words can heal.

King David’s wrote in Psalms 34:12-14, “Who is the one who desires life …? Guard your tongue from evil and your lips from speaking deceit.”

[What are some of the major reasons] people speak derogatory speech? A Jewish Sage and expert on the subject enumerated 7 basic reasons: (1) Anger – losing control. (2) Joking – seeking a laugh no matter who the joke hurts.  (3) Arrogance – to aggrandize oneself at the expense of others.  (4) Giving up hope – thinking that it is impossible not to speak loshon hora.  (5) Seeing that others aren’t careful – following the bad example of others.  (6) Judging others unfavorably – we tend to see the negativity in others that we have in ourselves.  (7) Ignorance – not knowing the laws governing proper speech.

If we understand what motivates us to speak poorly of others, we can correct our ways in order to speak properly.

10 PRACTICAL GUIDELINES FOR
POSITIVE SPEECH

  1. 1. Do not express damaging or derogatory information about someone that might cause him physical, psychological or financial harm, even if it is true and deserved.
  2. 2. Promote people’s well being. When in doubt, don’t speak out.
  3. 3..Humor is great, but make sure jokes aren’t at someone else’s expense.
  4. 4. Be kind to yourself. Speaking badly even about yourself is unethical.
  5. 5. Don’t listen to gossip. If you can’t change the direction of the conversation, it is advisable to leave.
  6. 6. If you inadvertently hear damaging information, you should believe that it is NOT true.
  7. 7. Always give others the benefit of the doubt and focus on the positive.
  8. 8. Words once spoken can’t be erased. Think before you speak, especially if you are angry, hurt or jealous.
  9. 9. Use kind and supportive words with your children and spouse whenever possible. Harsh words can cause irreparable harm as can speaking derogatorily to others about the ones you love most.
  10. 10. It is not only permitted, but required, to warn a person about potential harm – for example, that a potential business partner has a repeated record of embezzlement.



For more on this subject.

What we say, (and don’t say) has a major impact on our relationships and our words are the ambassadors of our souls.  We are often told in the real world that “we are what we eat” but in the blog world is more appropriate to realize that – you are what you say!

Everyone have a meaningful weekend, a blessed “new year” and for those Jews who take the opportunity to keep the life-multiplyer of Shabbat – Shabbat Shalom!

As an added bonus, a discussion of End of Days – The Jewish Perspective. See below the fold for this discussion.

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