There was an interesting story on the cover of The New York Times food section this morning about kids’ menus in restaurants. While menus aimed at children seem like a good idea — taking the pressure off Mom and Dad, giving kids a “special” menu of their own and so on — the real import is that the food offered on kids’ menus is inevitably bad for them: Fried chicken tenders or nuggets, french fries, pizzas loaded with cheese, grilled cheese sandwiches. So while Mom and Dad may be choosing their dinner judiciously, Dick and Jane are chowing down on fat and cholesterol. Surely restaurants could go to some effort to make menus for children not only appealing to the sensibilities of budding gourmets (or those who don’t want their food to touch on the plate) but simple, healthy and tasty at the same time. Kids’ menus ought to be about more than just placating children and keeping them quiet by stuffing their mouths with fare of the lowest common denominator.   

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Yes. I said it.
And yes, it felt pretty weird.

Like the United States, China is undergoing a food and drug safety crisis.

Last year 11 people died from taking the sub-standard antibiotic Xinfu.

In 2005, 13 babies died of starvation from being fed powdered milk with no nutritional value.

US inspectors believe the recent rash of pet deaths in North America stem from pet food ingredients exported from China which were contaminated with melamine.

And it looks like the Chinese are a little pissed…

Zheng Xiaoyu, the former head of China’s FDA, was sentenced to death yesterday for accepting around $800,000 dollars in bribes in exchange for approving unsafe drugs.

The verdict was announced in conjunction with China’s plan for a first ever recall system for dangerous food and drugs.

On this side of the Pacific… Henry Waxman (D-CA), Chairman on the House Committee on Oversight and Government Reform, plans to bring in FDA Commissioner Andrew von Eschenbach to testify as to why the FDA failed to warn Americans of the extreme cardiovascular danger and risk of death associated with GlaxoSmithKline’s diabetes drug Avandia.

The drug company’s own research indicates that thousands of people died taking Avandia last year, and that the FDA was fully aware of the drug’s risks and chose to ignore them.

My (rather obvious) question is thus: If FDA officials knew that execution was on the table… do you think they would be more concerned with the safety of the American people? or the extension and continuation of huge profits for pharmaceutical companies?

Maybe we should just start offing these guys.

Here I sit after 10pm making notecards concerning "basic" chemistry (yes, I'm taking Biology). It's not the most horrible stuff I've EVER seen in my whole entire life and rewriting and SEEING everything repetitively is REALLY helpful.

You've probably heard about the different "styles" of learning: Visual, Auditory, Tactile AKA Seeing, Hearing and Doing. I think my "style" is a combination of all three. Once I wrap my brain around something and it makes sense I'm off and running.

Over the past several years at work in the pharmacy (my day job as a Pharmacy Technician) I have come to realize that I might also have a photographic memory (or at least that's what co-workers say). I can recall the actual packaging of a stock bottle (or tablet, capsule, etc.) with great clarity which is almost scary.


I know that might not sound too exciting, but did you know that brand name Keflex (antibiotic) came as a dark green & light green capsule in a dark brown square-ish bottle which is very similar to the brand name Prozac (antidepressant) bottle, which I know is made by Lilly so I can tell you that Keflex was originally made by Lilly as well (maybe that was off-topic).

This could be very important if you came into the pharmacy and told us that you were on antibiotic that was dark green & light green and it caused you to break out into a rash. We have a place to start as far as helping YOU identify your drug allergy. Life and death, people.

Now I just have to use this photographic memory (really?) and memorize what isotopes, ionic bonds or covalent bonds look like when expressed in numbers and letters.

Since I've had time to blabber on about all of this, I guess you can tell I survived my first day of class. Our first lab is tomorrow and our first exam is next Tuesday. I think my schedule is going to suit me perfectly. I can finish reading and taking notes AFTER work every night and I have time to start reading (or read over labs) BEFORE class every morning.

FYI: On the way to school today, I noticed a brand new building on Sycamore View: STARBUCKS! It has opened within the last few days and I have to pass it TWICE everyday now! The sound of joy could be heard echoing within my car. Small miracles, everyday.


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WHEW! Long weekends are tough on the liver. Sorry about the lack of posts over the holiday, but watching the sunrise for 4 nights in a row takes it's toll on the writing skills. I vowed to stop going to Printer's Alley several months ago, due to the fact that whenever I'm there it means I've had to much to drink, but I was convinced into going again on Sunday night. The all day long beer/pool/sunburn fest that was Monday didn't help my health any either. But hey, it was alot of fun!

Anyway, there are a couple of interesting things going on around midtown tonight so I thought I would share it with whomever has the stamina and the money left after the weekend festivities.



The Pink Palace and Ardent studios are throwing an event tonight at the Pink Palace entitled "An Evening with Ardent". It will be an evening of speakers and lectures by local music industry professionals. Tonight's event will feature a panel of Ardent's best producers, engineers, etc. The panel will consist of: Studio Manager, Jody Stephens, Producers & engineers, John Hampton, Pete Matthews, Jeff Powell and Jason Latshaw, and John Fry, owner and founder of Ardent Studios & Ardent Music Label. The event is from 6-730 pm and it's free to anyone interested.

Ardent Studio panel will discuss:

• The basics of recording music
• How an album is produced, engineered and mixed
• The history of the music business in Memphis, including it’s roots with Stax Studios
• What makes a marketable album
• History of Ardent Studios for the last 40 years
• How to become a record producer or engineer
• Q&A session
• and much much more...

Another fun side-trip that is going on tonight is the Tapas Tuesday at Dish. I have written about this before, but I figured it was worth the time to remind everyone. From 5-10 pm it's $20 all you can eat from their awesome Tapas menu. All the great little items on here are delicious and the portions on many are so small that you can get a great selection and variety of things. Really cool place to just go chill and have a drink with some great bites to eat. I could go on and list all the wonderful items I've eaten there, but just go to the website and check out the menu for yourself. It's really to many good things to list here.

If anyone is interested in Tango lessons, there is a beginners class being held at Quetzal tonight from 6:30-8:30pm. This is another often overlooked place on the edge of Midtown, at 668 Union, in the Marshall Arts District. For more information check out www.tangophilia.com

That is pretty much it for today. Make sure you check back regularly over the next few days though because I am going to post about a cool little offer that a friend of mine at the Orpheum let me in on. One more thing, speaking of the Orpheum, the Damien Rice show is being held there this Thursday night and I know for a fact that there are some decent seats left. I just bought mine today actually. Combine Damien Rice's incredibly intimate sounds with the Orpheum's ambiance and you should have the recipe for a really memorable show.Continue Reading »

From the AGFC:

Time is ticking away for chances to win one of the permits to hunt elk in the Buffalo River country of Arkansas. The hunt dates this year are Sept. 24-28 and Dec. 3-7.

Friday, June 1 is your last chance to apply for one of the coveted free elk hunting permits for the 2007 seasons. Mailed applications will not be accepted if postmarked after June 1. Online applications must be made before midnight May 31.

The applications are available on www.agfc.com, at license dealers, AGFC offices and other outlets across the state. Applying doesn't cost anything, nor does winning one of the available permits. Two other permits are issued through fund-raising activities of the Rocky Mountain Elk Foundation, with 85 percent of the money received returned to Arkansas for elk habitat work.

The drawing for the public land permits will be Saturday, June 30, on the Newton County Courthouse Square in Jasper, near the Buffalo River and center of Arkansas's elk country. Persons applying for permits don’t have to be present, but many attend each year, joining in the festivities and activities.

There is an added attraction this year. One permit will be issued to someone who makes his or her application at the Elk Festival in Jasper, Ark. Sign up, stick around and you may win a permit. For this one, you have to be present to win it. And like the other public land elk permits to be drawn, you have to be an Arkansas resident.

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From TWRA:

During their meeting last week in Nashville, the Tennessee Wildlife Resources Commission voted to allow the use of 28 gauge shotguns for turkey hunting. Shot size of number 4 or smaller is still required.

The Commission also approved the addition of the rock dove (domestic pigeon) to the list of unprotected species.

Commission members approved the proposed change for checking big game harvests, stating that all animals harvested must be accompanied by one tagged animal and must be taken together to the nearest big game checking station by the most reasonably direct route within 36 hours of the first kill where one new temporary kill tag will be issued.

Evidence of species and sex must be available for inspection by wildlife officer or Agency designated personnel prior to issuance of permanent game tag.

All other changes for the upcoming season are posted on the TWRA Web site at www.tnwildlife.org.

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Over the weekend, I see that Los Angeles Lakers star Kobe Bryant was making some noise about how much he would like for Jerry West to return to the team after West’s contract with the Memphis Grizzlies expires at the end of June. But apparently, West doesn’t want to be put in a position where he might upstage Mitch Kupchak, a friend who’s now the Lakers’ general manager.

I’ve got a better idea.

Why don’t the Grizzlies re-up West’s contract, then find a way to sign Kobe? That way, everybody wins. Particularly those of us taxpayers who are worried about having to pay off the FedExForum’s debt if the Grizzlies’ attendance falters.

Because love him or hate him, Kobe would definitely draw big crowds…

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