Andre Rieu

I used to think that PBS put its best programming on during their fund drives; to remind people how different and great PBS is and also as an expression of thanks for people's support.

But after suffering through several seasons of fund drives (seeing both NE and IA PBS fund drives) and therefore seeing Andre Rieu (violinist) in concert over and over, my new theory is that they hold their regular great programming hostage and won't put it back on the air until people fork over a little more dough. As we keep trying to see America's Test Kitchen, Everyday Food, History Detectives, Antiques Roadshow, etc., but instead see flipping Andre Rieu, we can't take it anymore and call in our credit card number.

But then this weekend, during Sunday school when everyone is giving thanks for something that happened this last week, a lady gives thanks for being able to see Andre Rieu in concert the night before! She won the tickets in a radio contest and loved the performance.

Ouch. How can I be so different that I cringe at what she loves?

There is a solution for everything...

In less than two days watching t.v., I noticed that there is a solution for nearly everything:

- LIPITOR: Cholesterol
-ASMANEX: Control Asthma
-AVODART: Shrinks Prostate
-SPIRIVA: Breath Better
-RENEWIN JOINT THERAPY: With Condrointen for Joints
-YAZ: Control PMDD
-ADVAIR: Control COPD
-ZETIA: Cholesterol
-VERAMYST: Seasonal Allergies (part of commercial states...how it works is not entirely known)
LOESTRIN24: Shorten Periods
DETROL LA: Overactive Bladder
ORENCIA: Arthritis
GARDASIL: Vaccine for Cervical Cancer
CYMBALTA: Depression
HUMIRA: Arthritis
BYETTA: Weight Loss?

You are also encouraged to talk to your doctor regarding the following conditions: Ulcerative Colitis, Insulin and Forinsulin.com, and the Lap-Band System Surgery for a new form of stomach shrinking.

This doesn't include the 13 over-the-counter pharma/testing products also being encouraged or the 4 agri-business/pharma products advertised.

Thomas Friedman stole my line...

Many of you heard me years ago share the following:

If you are one in a million Chinese kid, there are still 1,000 more just like you.

Thomas Friedman is now using essentially the same line on his book tour. Except that he uses the figure 1,200. :-(

Mine was hyperbole and I mostly stopped using it. But it has a life of its own.

Feels like a mid-80's carson joke

We all know that Colonel Moammar Qadaffi has been leading Libya for decades. But since he's leading the country, why hasn't he promoted himself to General?

.......


Oh...I shouldn't have looked at Wikipedia. Colonel can be the highest rank in a country with smaller military forces.

Cool Link

Want to send a railroad car of corn from Omaha to Chicago? See how much it will cost using Union Pacific's price guide.

Put in the route, the type of product being shipped, the type of railcar to ship the product and out comes the price.

Usually a combination of a flat rate and a fuel surcharge. Shipping by rail is so much more efficient than by truck.

http://c02.my.uprr.com/cdm/price_query.jas

With higher fuel prices, this bodes well for rail companies. Investors, like Warren Buffett have really driven up shares of railroad stocks in the last couple of years.

New books read

I've read a few more books since my last post: All the Shah's Men, Kite Runner, Irresistible Revolution, Good to Great, Corrections, and Fahrenheit 451.