Bet it’s only slightly safer than licking live bears.
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I’d say licking dead bears is much more dangerous than licking live ones. When you lick live ones, there is a slight chance of surviving…
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I have a very bad feeling about this. ACIP is the governing body for vaccines as a whole. Fucking with this is very, very bad news.
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This would be us. I asked our legal dept to get with us on this topic ASAP. For now, they are telling us if they have a warrant, they are coming it. If they do not, they have no right to enter. We shall see how that goes, I guess.
On a more positive note, we are flying through the red cards we made, and the ones my wife took to her food pantry are going even faster. Have to get more lamination sheets to make more. Have had a few complaints, of course, but mostly very much appreciated. Don’t know if this counts as resistance, but it’s something.
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Yes. Yes, it does.
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This was in my in-box after lunch. There are folks moving to counter this asshat. We need more!
AAP Advocacy Initiatives on Measles Outbreak and Medicaid Cuts
February 27, 2025
Dear Colleagues,
Yesterday, I issued a media statement that I hoped I would never have to make as AAP president: decrying the death of a child from measles. As I told reporters, “one death from a preventable disease is one too many.” Our hearts go out to the families who are sick and suffering, and to our colleagues in states dealing with these outbreaks.
The current measles outbreak, coupled with recent cancellations of federal meetings at the CDC and FDA to plan for next year’s influenza season and other critical immunization matters, increases our alarm and resolve.
We know that vaccines are an American success story. As pediatricians, we have an obligation to stand up for this public health intervention with all decision-makers at every level. And every day, we talk with families to dispel misinformation and reinforce the role vaccines play in helping children stay healthy and thrive. We know that the best way to prevent measles is to be vaccinated with two doses of the MMR vaccine, and we will be sharing that message far and wide.
Also, this week, we saw Congress take a first step towards cuts in the Medicaid program. I spoke out swiftly and strongly in opposition. We will fight to protect Medicaid. While our DC staff have been meeting with key Congressional offices and coordinating with other partners, we are also speaking out publicly and urging Congress to reject Medicaid cuts. Last week, our state chapters began coordinated outreach to their governors expressing the importance of Medicaid in their states and urging governors to oppose cuts to Medicaid. We are advocating at every level.
This weekend, nearly 400 pediatricians from 43 states, DC and Puerto Rico will head to Washington, DC for the 2025 Advocacy Conference. This conference marks the launch of our campaign to protect Medicaid for children. While conference attendees will be visiting their legislators in person, I ask each of you to contact your senators and representatives to express the vital importance of the Medicaid program for children. Be watching for an email with contact information early next week.
This is only the first step. There will be much more for our chapters and each of us to do to protect this critical program for children. We will need every pediatrician, pediatric medical subspecialist and pediatric surgical specialist in every community to join our efforts! My challenge to each of you is to bring three colleagues along as well. To sign up for AAP advocacy alerts, please fill out this form.
Thank you for all you do. Every day you show up is a better day for kids. We must keep showing up. Please keep in touch.
Sincerely,
Susan J. Kressly, M.D., FAAP
AAP President
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Huh, this is new for me to consider–social media as helpful and useful:
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Well thought out comments. Had not thought this through, but it is true.
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During the pandemic, Bhattacharya co-authored an open letter called “The Great Barrington Declaration,” which challenged policies such as lockdowns and mask mandates. The declaration called for speeding herd immunity by allowing people at low risk to get infected while protecting those most vulnerable, such as the elderly.
Yeah, exactly what we need at NIH. “More sickness is good!”
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I hear Ebola parties are all the rage.
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Going through my inbox this morning, I find a note regarding my patient seen in ED, AI assisted documentation. What does it mean?
Patient is a kernel of corn, this cooked, deep in his ear redneck to his eardrum
This is a part of a medical record now. 
Retirement beckons, man. Very seriously. Right there, just teasing me…
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Sometimes I have to submit SOAP notes to file claims on an insurance product I have. Something like this would get the claim rejected out of hand. Sheesh.
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This would be a kind of laughable poetry if it weren’t so utterly, utterly fkd up.
Expect more Unlooked For Poetry™ in the coming minutes/days/years (whatever span we are having to contend with AI). I wish I could be more hopeful. Maybe this is as good as I can do for right now:
https://www.writing.upenn.edu/~afilreis/88v/burroughs-cutup.html
Ahhhhhh, Surrealism, my old friend. I was wondering when you’d clock in today. Here we are again, mon vieil ami. [… le sigh… ]
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(To the tune of Sound of Silence (Disturbed version))
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Heh, before I read your comment, I toyed with that bizarre conglomeration of words that way, choppng it in my mind in various lines, looking for yes, a poem!
What a shame that poetry has receded so far from us, into such a distant corner of society’s junk drawer. (Hey, that’s kinda poetic!)
I suppose we still have occasionally “poetic” song lyrics. And may we soon have “poetic justice” too!
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So to apply for healthcare, I need to figure out how many hours I work each week.
But I’m 1. a game designer and sometimes writer, it’s not a regular job, and 2. chronically ill, so sometimes I need to take several days off.
Some people recommend using time tracking software. I use 2 different operating systems, but might be able to use my tablet’s reading timer, somehow. Or I could figure how long my research keeps me up, subtract time for eating and washing up, and divide the rest in half.
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As a consultant, I use a stupid old spreadsheet. I start a stopwatch on my phone when I sit down to work, stop it when I’m not working, and when I hit an hour I add it to the spreadsheet.
I was shocked how I was discounting my hours before I started doing that.
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Two key food safety advisory committees have been terminated—the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s (USDA’s) National Advisory Committee on Microbiological Criteria for Foods (NACMCF) and National Advisory Committee on Meat and Poultry Inspection (NACMPI).
…
Prior to its termination, NACMCF was working on advice related to significant and deadly foodborne illness outbreaks, to prevent similar issues for reoccurring. Most recently, NACMCF was charged with reviewing USDA’s Food Safety and Inspection Services’ (FSIS’) regulatory approach for Listeria monocytogenes, prompted by the fatal listeriosis outbreak linked to Boar’s Head deli meats that occurred in the later half of 2024. Other issues NACMCF was addressing included Cronobacter in powdered infant formula for FDA, in response to an outbreak caused by Abbott Nutrition infant formula that resulted in the death of two infants in 2022 and precipitated a nationwide shortageof formula.
Recent NACMPI meetings focused on USDA-FSIS’ definitions for establishment sizes and use of inspection technology, as well as ways in which FSIS could enhance engagement with underserved communities to promote equity while strengthening the food supply chain and ensuring compliance with food safety regulations.
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I had to get prior approval (by the same MD who prescribed it) for Zofran while I was on isoniazid. And they only sent me 30 instead of 60.
These fucking companies need to be torn down.
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