A Brilliant Marketing Campaign?

"A Chicago area urology practice is promoting vasectomies by informing potential patients that if they get the procedure done right before March Madness, that they’ll be able to stay at home for a few days to recover and watch some of the games uninterrupted reports the Southtown Star." (read more)

So, is this a strategic marketing campaign? After all, most men don't require an excuse to sit down and watch a series of games on TV. This just gives them an added incentive to be able to do so under doctor's orders. And on the surface, I think it sounds like an absolutely brilliant marketing campaign.

But is there a hidden agenda? Is it an attempt to sterilize our male population? I mean, can a guy just walk into the doctor, say "Hey, sign me up" and there's no further discussion about it? Are there any questions asked, protocols followed other than a few waivers and consents signed? I am sure the answer to this question varies by doctor.

And the procedure is reversible. In that sense, it isn't a permanent sterilization, should someone change his mind. But does the procedure enable more activity with less consequences? Would mass sterilization of our male population actually be of benefit, or would we find it leading to even further depths of immorality? Does marketing vasectomies in this manner trivialize the procedure into something to be done on a whim, with no consideration of the consequences?

You know, there are times when I should ask myself, "Is the kitchen clean yet?" And then I should go clean it. This may be one of those times.

For My Own Contemplation

I was interested in this article in Newsweek about antidepressants, that poses an interesting dilemma. Posting it here for contemplation.

Link It: The Pharmaceutical Umbrella

Vely Vely Intelesting.

An insightful line: Take away the profit motive, as government-run medicine often does by forcing drug companies to sell at discounted prices, and innovation will dry up.

Ten Years Ago!

Remember the photograph taken of the small hand reaching out of the womb during a surgery to correct spina bifida? That picture was taken ten years ago. Fox News has a great article about the boy and the photo here. The boy's mother sums up the controversy around the photo well:

"So if he reached out, I don't know. If Dr. Bruner reached out, I don't know. The fact of the matter is it's a child with a hand, with a life, and that's meaningful enough."

Got Bloat?

For my own delightful personal reference (and anyone else who cares), here is a link to a photo-documentary on foods that relieve bloating.

Goat Milk Drugs

I ran across this article on a new pharmaceutical that is derived from genetically engineered goats. I am particularly interested in the fact that these goats are breeded solely for the purpose using their milk for pharmaceutical use. To quote a line from the article, "if more drug is needed, the herd can be expanded." To read more, you can click here.

If you have an opinion, I'm interested in hearing it.

Activity Planning Around Pressure Systems

I just discovered that there exists a weather forecast for the arthritic. There is a day arthritis index and a night arthritis index. (Going camping? There is also a mosquito index. Working outdoors...a UV index. Have asthma...an asthma index, Fearful of the flu...flu index, getting married? There's even one for you...a frizz advisory!). This really is fascinating stuff. Check it out here. The details of the arthritis index explain that it is well documented that arthritis sufferers can predict the weather based on the severity of their symptoms. Changing pressure systems, temperature, and humidity are all things that have been known to effect the symptoms of the arthritic. The part that interested me was the following: "arthritis sufferers can have advanced notice of when they are most likely to have increased pain, allowing them to take appropriate medication and to better plan activities".