anjeleyes77proud pagan's blog: "More random stuff"

Butterflies taste with their feet. A duck's quack doesn't echo, and no one knows why. In 10 minutes, a hurricane releases more energy than all of the world's nuclear weapons combined. On average, 100 people choke to death on ball-point pens every year. Ball point pens kill more people in a week than marijuana has in thousands of years. I had to add this....... Drew On average people fear spiders more than they do death. Ninety percent of New York City cabbies are recently arrived immigrants. Thirty-five percent of the people who use personal ads for dating are already married. Elephants are the only animals that can't jump. Only one person in two billion will live to be 116 or older. It's possible to lead a cow upstairs ... but not downstairs. Women blink nearly twice as much as men. It's physically impossible for you to lick your elbow. The Main Library at Indiana University sinks over an inch every year because when it was built, engineers failed to take into account the weight of all the books that would occupy the building. A snail can sleep for three years. No word in the English language rhymes with "MONTH." Average life span of a major league baseball: 7 pitches. Our eyes are always the same size from birth, but our nose and ears never stop growing. SCARY!!! The electric chair was invented by a dentist. All polar bears are left-handed. In ancient Egypt, priests plucked EVERY hair from their bodies, including their eyebrows and eyelashes. An ostrich's eye is bigger than its brain. TYPEWRITER is the longest word that can be made using the letters only on one row of the keyboard. "Go," is the shortest complete sentence in the English language. If Barbie were life-size, her measurements would be 39-23-33. She would stand seven feet, two inches tall. A crocodile cannot stick its tongue out. The cigarette lighter was invented before the match. Americans on average eat 18 acres of pizza every day. Almost everyone who reads this will try to lick their elbow. Don't forget to pass these weird facts on to everyone you know. They will get a kick out of it !! You tried to lick your elbow, didn't you?

I think it would be nice to be able to see who rates or pics not just gives them tens...I have come to this conclution only because someone has rates my patriotic pics a 1 . I think that is just rude!! If you dont like the pics thats fine DONT LOOK!! Iknow the rating thing is unimportant in the grand scheme of life and love but that doesnt change the fact that it just feels wrong to see those pics downrated...okay thats my rant for the morning I'm done... I hope everyone is having a great day! loves ya! Anjeleyes

From: smoke20fan (enemy combatant) Date: Jan 7 2007 5:56 PM Thanks to: Cuter than Kitten Britches Enemy Combatant barbara Do Not Give Up Hope USA Date: Jan 6 2007 1:40 PM Original page: http://www.webmd.com/content/Article/128/116897.htm Experts explain the dangers of mixing drugs, not checking labels, and other common drug mistakes. By Kathleen Doheny WebMD Feature Reviewed By Louise Chang, MD The football player Terrell Owens blamed his recent trip to the hospital on a bad mix of painkillers and a supplement. The son of Anna Nicole Smith reportedly died with a mixture of the antidepressants Lexapro and Zoloft and the drug methadone in his system. The veracity of these incidents is yet to be determined. But the danger of mixing drugs, supplements, and/or alcohol is very real. At least 1.5 million people in the U.S. are harmed annually by medication errors, according to a report issued in July 2006 by the Institute of Medicine. Reducing your risk, experts agree, is often a matter of using common sense and asking your doctor or pharmacist the right questions. WebMD asked a pharmacist, two doctors, and a nurse to weigh in on the most common mistakes that lead to medication errors and to suggest practical ways to minimize or eliminate the risks. 1. Mixing Drugs That Interact Adversely "Antidepressants and methadone together can be a real problem," says Russell Jenkins, MD, a member of the board of directors for the Institute for Safe Medication Practices in Huntingdon Valley, Pa., and a former primary care doctor for 27 years. "Each drug can increase the sedative effect of the other." "Painkillers and supplements can be a problem, because you don't know what is in the supplements, since they are not under [the same] Food and Drug Administration regulation [as drugs are]," he adds. Certain other combinations -- even if one of the drugs is over-the-counter -- should also be avoided. Many antibiotics reduce the effectiveness of oral contraceptives, says Matthew Grissinger, RPh, a pharmacist and education safety analyst at the Institute for Safe Medication Practices. "Use backup protection if you are on the pill and need an antibiotic." The blood thinner Coumadin, taken by people with blood clots or with heart valve conditions, shouldn't be mixed with ginseng, says Jenkins. Nor should it be used with aspirin, says Grissinger. "It's an additive effect," he says of the Coumadin-aspirin combination. "It increases your chance of internal bleeding or, if you get a cut on your finger, the blood won't clot as quickly." Indeed, there are many drugs and supplements that are off-limits when you are taking Coumadin. If you have elevated blood pressure, even if you're on medication to control the pressure, you should not take over-the-counter oral nasal decongestants without talking first to your pharmacist or doctor, Grissinger says. The preparations can raise your pressure. 2. Mixing Drugs and Alcohol "Prescription pain medicines and antianxiety medications such as Valium and Xanax can have an additive effect when mixed with alcohol," says Grissinger. "You won't be alert. Your driving response time will suffer. Don't mix these together." Another drug that shouldn't be mixed with alcohol: acetaminophen (Tylenol) and alcohol, because it can harm your liver. Cough and cold preparations with antihistamines shouldn't be mixed with alcohol because they will amplify the sedative effects, Grissinger says. This warning applies to the use of narcotic pain medications, too. "Be careful mixing alcohol with certain antibiotics," says Jenkins. "The main antibiotic-alcohol interactions are with metronidazole (Flagyl) and the sulfa drugs -- commonly used antibiotics." An example of a sulfa drug is Bactrim. Mixing metronidazole and alcohol can cause nausea, vomiting, flushing, headache and stomach pain, Jenkins says. 3. Leaving the Doctor's Office Without Enough Information "When you leave your doctor's office, you need to know the name of the medication and what it is for," says Grissinger. Ask how many times a day you should take it, he adds, and how you might react. "Ask for written instructions," says Jenkins. "At the doctor's office, people only remember about a third of what the doctors tells them," he says, citing several studies. 4. The Wrong Prescription From the Pharmacy This isn't always your fault, of course, but there's plenty you can do to reduce the risk. First, how it happens: "A pharmacist may not be able to read the doctor's handwriting," Grissinger says. To remedy this, ask your doctor to write down on the prescription pad what the drug is for. That way, if the drug is one of many with sound-alike, look-alike names, your pharmacist can double-check that he's giving you the right drug by looking at the drug's purpose. Always check your medications before leaving the pharmacy to be sure it's your name on the bottles, Grissinger says. "If you are picking up a refill, open the bottle in front of the pharmacist and make sure the pills look the same. If they don't, ask why not." It might be as simple as the health plan changed manufacturers, he says, but check to be sure. 5. Using Multiple Pharmacies "If you go to multiple pharmacies, they can't screen for drug interactions," Grissinger says, because they won't have a complete list of all the medications you are on, as a single pharmacy is likely to keep in its computer. If you use your HMO's ground pharmacy and also use its mail-order service, each may not have a list of the medications filled at the other, he says. If you insist on using multiple pharmacies due to convenience or cost savings, "show them a list of every medicine you take," Grissinger says. If you go to another health care professional -- for example, a dermatologist in addition to your primary care doctor -- they should ask you which other medications you are on before prescribing you another. But if they don't, be prepared to tell them. Either way, take a list of your medications and the doses with you, says David W. Bates, MD, chief of the division of general medicine at Brigham and Women's Hospital and professor of medicine at Harvard Medical School. Bates served on the Institute of Medicine committee on identifying and preventing medication errors. 6. Not Taking Medications as Directed "Compliance is a major problem, especially in the elderly," Jenkins says. "As many as one-third of older people don't take medicines as directed." It may be cost related, he says, or simple forgetfulness. What to do? You can use the boxes that help mind your pills by having a day of the week for each, or simply put your medicines in a place where you will remember to take them. Grissinger's mother, for instance, keeps medication she must take daily on the kitchen windowsill, in full view. When medicine is prescribed, Jenkins says, ask your doctor if there is a way to take the medicine less often during the day, such as switching to a higher dose or a different medicine that doesn't require as many doses. While some forget to take medicines, others overdo, says Bates. "Too much of a drug gets people into trouble," he says. And that includes over-the-counter preparations. "People will not get enough relief and will take more thinking it will be helpful." Often, it spells trouble, he says. 7. Not Asking Enough Questions as a Hospitalized Patient Each year, about 400,000 preventable drug-related injuries occur in U.S. hospitals, according to the Institute of Medicine report. Speak up, or ask a family member to do so for you, suggests Kathleen R. Stevens, EdD, RN, professor and director of the Academic Center for Evidence-Based Practice at the University of Texas Health Science Center in San Antonio. Stevens also served on the Institute's committee. "The most common 'error' is not getting a drug at the right time," she says. "Some drugs are very time-sensitive." In addition to keeping track of when it's time to get medicine, or asking a family member to help, there are other questions worth asking, she says. When a nurse brings in medicine, she says, ask: "What is this for? What can I expect in terms of responding? Is it not indicated for use with any of the other medications I have?" You should expect a nurse to ask your name and check your wristband ID before giving you medication, according to the Institute for Safe Medication Practices. Stevens tells patients to bring to the hospital (or have a family member, if it was an emergency admission) all the medications you are on, including the dose of each. -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Published Sept. 29, 2006. SOURCES: Matthew Grissinger, RPh, education safety analyst, Institute for Safe Medication Practices. Russell Jenkins, MD, Institute for Safe Medication Practices. Kathleen R. Stevens, EdD, RN, professor and director, Academic Center for Evidence-Based Practice, University of Texas Health Science Center, San Antonio. David W. Bates, MD, chief of the division of general medicine, Brigham and Women's Hospital; professor of medicine, Harvard Medical School, Boston. Institute of Medicine of the National Academies report: "Preventing Medication Errors," July 20, 2006. Institute for Safe Medication Practices.

Body: ARIES Drinking style Impulsive Aries people like to party and sometimes don't know when to call it a night. Their competitive streak makes them prone to closing-time shot contests. They're sloppy, fun drunks, and they get mighty flirty after a couple tipples. Getting Aries people drunk is a good way to get what you want out of them, should other methods fail. Aries can become bellicose when blotto, but they will assume that whatever happened should be forgiven (if not forgotten) by sunrise. They can be counted on to do the same for you -- so long as you haven't gone and done anything really horrible to them last night,.... you sneak y Gemi ni. TAURUS Drinking style Taurus prefers to drink at a leisurely pace, aiming for a mellow glow rather than a full-on zonk. Since a truly intoxicated Taurus is a one-person stampede, the kind of bull-in-a-china-shop inebriate who spills red wine on white carpets and tells fart jokes to employers, the preference for wining and dining (or Bud and buddies) to body shots and barfing is quite fortunate for the rest of us. This is not to say that the Bull is by any means a teetotaler -- god, no. A squiffy Taurus will get, er, gregarious (full of loudmouth soup, some would say) and is extremely amusing to drag to a karaoke bar when intoxicated. GEMINI Drinking style Gemini's can drink without changing their behavior much -- they're so naturally chatty and short-attention-spanned that it's just hard to tell sometimes. They can amaze you by conversing with finesse and allusion, then doing something to belie an extremely advanced state of intoxication, like puking in your shoe. Gemini's possess the magic ability to flirt successfully (and un infuriatingly, which is very tricky) with several people at once. They like to order different cocktails every round -- repetition is boring -- and may create a theme (like yellow drinks: beer, sauvignon blanc and limoncello) for their own amusement. CANCER Drinking style Cancer is a comfort drinker -- and an extra wine with dinner or an after-work beer or six can be extra comforting, can't it, Cancer darling? Like fellow water signs Scorpio and Pisces, Crabs must guard against lushery. Cancers are brilliant at ferreting out secret parties and insinuating themselves on VIP lists -- and, in true Hollywood style, Cancers are never really drunk; instead, they get "tired and emotional" (read: weepy when lubricated). But there's nothing better than swapping stories (and spit) over a few bottles of inky red wine with your favorite Cancer. Even your second-favorite Cancer will do. The sign also rules the flavor vanilla, and you'd be adored if you served up a vanilla vodka and soda. LEO Drinking style Leo likes to drink and dance -- they're often fabulous dancers, and usually pretty good drinkers as well, losing their commanding dignity and turning kittenish. Of course, they're quite aware they're darling - Leos will be Leos, after all. They generally know their limit, probably because they loathe losing self-control. When they get over-refreshed, expect flirting to ensue -- and perhaps not with the one what brought them. But Leo's not the type to break rules even when drunk, so just try to ignore it (try harder, Cancer) and expect a sheepish (and hung over) Lion to make it up to you the next day. VIRGO Drinking style Cerebral Virgos are compelled to impos e order onto their bender. Their famously fussy quest for purity could lead to drinking less than other signs, sure -- but it could also lead to drinking booze neat, to sucking down organic wine or just to brand loyalty. They rarely get fully shellacked -- but, oh, when they do! Virgo's controlled by the intellect, but there's an unbridled beast lurking within, and they let it loose when walloped. It's dead sexy (and surprisingly unsloppy). As one Virgo friend used to declare, "I'm going to drink myself into a low level of intelligence tonight." A toast to the sub genius IQ! LIBRA Drinking style "I'm just a social drinker," slurs Libra, "it's just that I'm so damn social?" Libra loves nothing more than to party, mingle and relate to everyone. Whether dipped in favor of Good Libra (with Insta-Friend device set to "on") or heavier on the Evil Libra side (they are little instigators when bored), the Scales c an rea lly work a room. Charming as they are, Libras are notoriously lacking in self-control, however, which can get them into all sorts of trouble -- including wearing their wobbly boots waaaay too early in the evening, flirting with their best friend's beau or even blacking out the night's events entirely. Oops! SCORPIO Drinking style Don't ever tell Scorpios they've had enough, for they'll smirk at you and quietly but intentionally keep tippling till they're hog-whimpering drunk, out of 100-proof spite. Scorpios like to drink, and screw you if you have a problem with that. Most of them see the sauce as something to savor in itself, and not as a personality-altering tool * though if depressed, self-loathing Scorps seek total obliteration. But generally, they're fascinating drinking pals, brilliant conversationalists and dizzying flirts. They also remember everything -- especially what you did when you were blitz ed. Only drink with a Scorpio who likes you. SAGITTARIUS Drinking style In vino veritas -- and, for Sagittarius, in booze blurtiness: When buttered, they'll spill all your secrets and many of their own. Tactlessness aside, Sagittarius is just plain fun to drink with. This is a sign of serious partying (what else would you expect from the sign of Sinatra, Keith Richards, the Bush twins and Anna Nicole Smith?). They're the people who chat up everyone in the room, then persuade the entire crowd to travel somewhere else -- like a nightclub, or a playground, or Cancun. Good-natured hi jinks are sure to ensue (including a high possibility of loopy groping; spontaneous Sag is a brilliant booty call). CAPRICORN Drinking style Capricorn is usually described as practical, steadfast, and really into getting sloshed -- no wonder they are always on everybody's cocktail-party list. This is the sign of David Bowie and Annie Lennox, not to mention Elvis. Capricorn is the true rock star: independent, powerful and seriously charismatic, not too eager to please. And if they make money being themselves, who are you to quibble? But just like most rock stars, they're either totally on or totally off, and they sometimes need a little social lubricant to loosen up and enjoy the after party, especially if they can hook up with a cute groupie. AQUARIUS Drinking style Aquarius and drinking don't go together that well (except for water, that is). They have an innate tendency toward know-it-allism, and if they get an idea while sizzled, they're more stubborn than a stain or a stone. If they're throwing a party or organizing an outing, however, they're too preoccupied with their duties to get combative * and they make perfectly charming drunks in that case. Fortunately, they're usually capital drink-nursers. They also ma ke the best designated drivers (if you can get them before they start raising their wrist) Aquarius is fascinated by drunk people and capable of holding interesting conversations with soused strangers while sober. PISCES Drinking style If you're a Pisces, you've probably already heard that you share a sign and an addictive personality -- with Liz Taylor, Liza Minelli and Kurt Cobain. Not only do Pisces like to lose themselves in the dreamy, out-there feeling that only Hooch can give, but they build up a mighty tolerance fast. Who needs an expensive date like that? On the other hand, they're fabulously enchanting partners, whether in conversation or in crime. With the right Pisces, you can start out sharing a pitcher of margaritas and wind up in bed together for days. The phrase "addictive personality" can be read two ways, you know.

WASHINGTON (AP) -- The Army said Friday it would apologize to the families of about 275 officers killed or wounded in action who were mistakenly sent letters urging them to return to active duty. The letters were sent a few days after Christmas to more than 5,100 Army officers who had recently left the service. Included were letters to about 75 officers killed in action and about 200 wounded in action. "Army personnel officials are contacting those officers' families now to personally apologize for erroneously sending the letters," the Army said in a brief news release issued Friday night. The Army did not say how or when the mistake was discovered. It said the database normally used for such correspondence with former officers had been "thoroughly reviewed" to remove the names of wounded or dead soldiers. "But an earlier list was used inadvertently for the December mailings," the Army statement said, adding that the Army is apologizing to those officers and families affected and "regrets any confusion."

Amid revelations about faulty prewar intelligence and a scandal surrounding the indictment of the vice president's chief of staff and presidential adviser, I. Lewis "Scooter" Libby, FRONTLINE goes behind the headlines to investigate the internal war that was waged between the intelligence community and Richard Bruce Cheney, the most powerful vice president in the nation's history. Read the full story, and watch the special here