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Sunday, May 16, 2010
My Favorite Year
I am an Emergency Physician and this is not the Golden Age of Medicine lovingly described by the older doctors whose shoes I am not worthy to fill. You had your Virchow's Triad and your Grey Cullen sign but I am not so fortunate. People used to wait to go to the doctor and when you saw them they had a distinct constellation of symptoms around which you could wrap an eponym to demonstrate your genius. Today most of my patients present with a little bit of pain here or some dull ache there or some vague constipation a week ago and "I've been feeling some chills." I dare not ask the question-of-doom because the patient will get a faraway look and say, "You know, come to think of it I did have a little chest pain."
I am an Emergency Physician and everybody lies to me. There was a time when going to the Emergency Department was a big event in life. Even going to your own doctor was usually reserved for real but less urgent problems. Today everything is "ten-out-of-ten" on the pain scale. Or twelve. But you were asleep when I walked in...or you were polishing off a hamburger and fries. Can your pain really be that intense and more importantly, does it really need powerful narcotics? Are you really here for pelvic pain or do you really just want a pregnancy test or a picture of your seven week fetus to show the babydaddy and your momma told you what to say to the stupid doctor? Is this just a lame story to get a work note? Your next fix? Thank god most drug-seekers aren't towering intellectuals because they could, after an hour of Internet research, construct an airtight story complete with sham exam findings that would be hard for any doctor to defeat.
I am an Emergency Physician and I work in an Emergency Department that sits astride the major trade routes trafficking in the elderly and whose supporting hospital was strategically placed to command this trade and its rich plunder; bountiful cargoes of stable but chronic disease, vague complaints, and loneliness that fill our coffers with splendid treasures to rival the hordes of ancient kings. Or I dump hundreds of thousands of dollars into futile care. How I plunder the federal galleon like a modern-day freebooter, raking in the Medicare doubloons to extend the futile quasi-life of the living dead for whom death would be merciful!
I am Panda Bear. You may know me as a once prolific blogger who sort of faded away after he finished residency last June. I've been busy. Inexplicably I am working more hours than I did as a resident. I'm less stressed but the reality is that medical school and residency wiped me out financially and I have no choice. The scariest moment of my medical career was the day before I got my first real paycheck when I realized that my entire net worth was the half-gallon of gas in the tank of my ten-year-old car. Sure, I got a nice check the next day and began to staunch the financial hemorrhage but it's not pleasant to be 45 with no money, no savings, no investments, no credit, and a terrifying debt burden the bill for which had now come due. I tried not to think about it but if something had happened to me my family would have starved.
Naturally I'm divorced even though nine years ago my ex-wife and I would have laughed if you had said it could happen to us. Residency was just too much for my most excellent ex-wife who got tired of me being tired and of the residency program, the patients, and the hospital stealing the best parts of me leaving nothing but exhaustion and bitterness at home.
58 comments:
Thank you for putting in the blood, sweat and tears to be qualified to tell people when they are making a mountain out of a molehill.ReplyDelete
Even when underemployed my husband consists mostly of sarcasm and excess stomach acid. The medical field would probably turn him into a bubbling pool.
- Anonymous10:20 PM, May 16, 2010
Good to see you back, Panda. Sorry to hear about the divorce... I do remember the SDN posts about what you're saying.ReplyDelete
- Anonymous11:57 PM, May 16, 2010
The usual lithany of complaints, without any constructive thought towards improvement. Even the sarcasm lacks originality and the remark about the Cheetos eating patient once was originally amusing before it became an over used cliche.ReplyDelete
What was your point? No, really, what was it?
Welcome back, Panda. Look forward to seeing more of your thoughts.ReplyDelete
Anon2 - the constructive thought toward improvement includes people growing a sac and using the ER for EMERGENCIES, not for ingrown toenails and toothaches.
Lord, shut it, anon 11:57.ReplyDelete
Glad you are here P.
- Anonymous6:26 AM, May 17, 2010
Panda, Umm you DO know there supposed to pay you during residency??? OK, I know your Ex-Wife's gettin a big chunk of your earnings, just think of it as a really expensive Hooker you don't get to have sex with. And you've got noone to blame but yourself, God helps those who hire professionals to "Take Care" of there Ex-Wifes.ReplyDelete
Seriously, I haven't heard as much whining since we had my wife's pommeranian fixed.
Anyways, if you wanta refinance that usurous student loan let me know,
- Anonymous10:01 AM, May 17, 2010
Lots of people with huge loans due these days. Many of these people are unable to find employment. You have employment. You can see patient after easy (although irritating) patient and still get paid well. This is one good thing in life you have going. Is it that you want T R A U M A ? Panda, you know where to find it.
You see, it's like you've spent so many years being all about YOU, that you've regressed. To accomplish what you have, it's nearly impossible not to. You need to know people outside of your profession to get perspective. I think that you just might find that you've spent a little too much time worrying about self, and that others might find you rather ridiculous (as you might find yourself) once you crawl out of your small world and see some sunshine. Yes, you've achieved a lot, and have sacrificed dearly. But the world will just never give you the appreciation you crave. NEVER gonna happen. Divorce? Well, it happens to a lot of people. Wasn't it clearly stated in not so fine print, that marriage can be contraindicated while in residency? At least you own up to some of the responsibility for home and work, all are active choices you made, and shit does happen. But now what? Don't ruminate yourself into a depression that you will not be able to pull yourself out of. What we do is not the easy way through life. Set some limits to the damage you are doing to yourself.
- Anonymous10:44 AM, May 17, 2010
Sorry to hear about the divorce, Panda. :(ReplyDelete
this post is very interesting to me because i feel as if most of us here on this blog have written posts quite like it ever since this blogs inception (though probably never as clearly), and, more so, because i think there are some fundamentally unsettling and dangerous ideas contained in some of the comments.ReplyDelete
first, and to anonymous1, i agree that this post is consistent with Panda's posts from his old blog and that it contains themes and statements he has made before. it, i think, is more rightly seen as a 'rant' or polemic that a whine, and, as such, i think the thing to ask is if PandaBear is portraying the state of Emergency Medicine as it really is generally, locally for him, or dishonestly. then we can answer the second criticism on anon1, that it is a rant without constructive solutions offered.
no amount of protestation will convince many folks that the ER is what Panda says it is... what we say it is... until they have to go there. now some folks who end up in the ER, folks that Panda and the rest of us would happily take care of, come away horrified by simply sitting in the waiting room for an hour. others hit the ER on a day when there is little or no wait, they get in and out, and they don't believe anything is amiss.
that's fine, it's just the way the odds shake out, but there is something extremely interesting about an anonymous commenter who, evidently, thinks PandaBear is a whiner, and yet follows him across the blogosphere to insult him anonymously in his new home. why bother anonymous? why?
as to the criticism that PandaBear criticizes, but offers no solutions, this is a feeble argument at best. a polemic or rant or criticism is not made invalid or untrue simply because it does not offer solutions. but offer solutions we have, as has PandaBear on his old blog, as we continue to do. and it is in these solutions that a sharp divide exists between most Americans.
quite simply those of us who write here would say something along these lines... American medicine is the best in the world, but is under assault and will not survive if something is not done.
no one is denied care, regardless of their ability to pay, but, EMTALA (unconstitutional on its face?) has been so liberally interpreted as to make it impossible to turn anyone away from the door for any reason whatsoever. now we have ambulances acting as taxis and ER visits for bruises. how to fix this? allow ER docs to say to those who receive care at others expense, "you do not have a medical emergency, please arrange to be seen by a primary care physician. you may either choose to pay X or you may leave. good day."
of course, those who use the ER for their primary care desires and to get stuff for free think this is unfair because... well, their arguments are not logical, they are emotional. those who get off on taking from one group and giving to another are also against this. it's really quite that simple.
the 'debate' over health care really comes down to an issue of individual rights and responsibilities. the fashion these days is that individual identity and responsibility is to be shunned and group identity and responsibility is to be embraced. has it ever worked? sure it has, jonestown, ussr, cambodia, the solar temple, north korea, and american academia. it has worked to spread misery and suffering and death (in the case of American academia i will leave out the 'death' but add 'syphilis').
jump on Panda for yelling 'fire' in a theater, but there is a fire. eventually the fire is too hot for even the most hearty folks to stand it, and that is when the real crisis in American medicine starts... when those like Panda look around and say, 'that's it, i'm done.'
unfortunately, this is already happening and, without exaggeration, many people will die because of it. historically, this may not even end up as a footnote, and such is life.
harrumph and huzzah to you sir!
see above.
somehow you continue to make me laugh. i greatly admire the skill with which you navigate your profession and the humor you use in keeping your eyes averted from the train crash.
some of what you say i believe to be wise, but it is in its wisdom that the true nature of the tragedy is evident. the part i like about what you say is the bit about ruminating into a depression. having done that myself i agree that it is a danger.
i must strongly disagree with the other idea, however, that simply being able to see 'patient after easy patient' should be enough. if i understand you you are equating a steady and handsome (by world standars) income with happiness. not true. i do not know Panda personally so can only say this, i would work for half of what i make now in the ER under two conditions...
1. i could say 'no' to patients without fear of losing my job
2. i could spend at least half of my time taking care of medical emergencies (we know what they are and we know what they aren't)
the sea-change in medicine in the last 30 years has been to take this power away from medicine's experts and to load us with more liability, less pay, longer hours, and less respect.
karma is a bitch, and Americans may just awake one day and realize what a terrible mistake they have made, but i don't think they will. they will just die younger.
- Anonymous7:24 PM, May 17, 2010
@911Doc: I'm anon1 -- not sure if you meant to specify me, but I'm certainly not complaining. I liked his past blog, I liked his SDN posts, and I "liked" (er, appreciated, but feel badly for what he's saying) this post. Not at all critical of anything.ReplyDelete
- Anonymous7:29 PM, May 17, 2010
Everybody knows this is not the way to practice medicine. How many times have I heard, "push it fast, or it won't work on me". We all get what is going on, and all experience it.ReplyDelete
I am sensitive when I know one of you is sinking. I feel it. My point is that, when caught in the throws of self-destruction it is often wise to compare what you have to others on the most basic life needs level. We tend to stick with each other because we are the only ones who know what it is to be like us. That might be the worst thing we can do in reality. Venting is good but sometimes it's healthy to step away and surround yourself with close non-medical friends who you would NEVER subject to ranting. Why? Because you know ranting can become selfish… I hope you can understand what I am getting at. Best to stop focusing on self so that you can keep your "self".
The amount of pay to be happy was not my point. Simply having the ability to be employed at all in these hard times -- being thankful for something, anything, is an age old drug-free way to cope when things really suck. Not even funny how solid that is, it's only good.
I do understand and I care, a lot.
- Anonymous7:53 PM, May 17, 2010
New anonymous, here.ReplyDelete
Got sent this link because I'm famous for being an attending upset with new docs like Panda. Guys who never should have got in the game and make everybody miserable just by showing up each day and bitching.
911 and oldfart can gripe all they like, emergency medicine has changed - for the worse.
Panda, did you not know what the job would be? Nobody applies to be a fireman thinking they'll only handle fires. No one becomes a cop thinking they will only handle bank robberies. Emergency medicine aint emergencies. Emergency aint for you.
45 is way late to start a new residency, but if you hate the job, hate the patients, hate the Emergency Department . . .
Get out. Get out now, for us and for you.
Three years more of residency and massive increase in your loan interest is a small price to pay for not hating life.
anon 1157 was who i was responding to mostly.ReplyDelete
It's always the intense and good writers who get criticized the most, I've noticed, so no big surprise P's being attacked.ReplyDelete
Even Frank had some crazy lady troll a while back, but maybe he slipped her some meds.
dear new-anonymous 'attending',ReplyDelete
please do send along some of whatever you are smoking. of course the oxygen is a little thin up there, so it just may be hypoxia. white is black, cold is hot, and YOU FUCKING ROCK like the guy who writes 'movin meat'. i humbly aspire to have anosmia like you.
dear SCRN,
i kindly must take exception to your comment. it is heavy on kumbaya and short on logic. here's what i mean.
i do not deny that it is always a good idea to count our blessings, but if one follows this to it's extremes one could be the second most pitiful or pained human in the world and be admonished, by well-meaning folks, to count our blessings that we are not number one on the list.
you also have a bit of a hidden assumption in your comment that is just wrong, or, if it is right, then us arguing makes no sense and your opinion is mere accident as is mine.
your assumption is that Panda (and me and you and everyone)are where we are, and in the jobs we are in, because of happenstance. we are 'winners of life's lottery' as drippy dick gephardt used to say.
in fact, and obviously, i disagree. i don't know about you, but i thank God for the situation of my birth and upbringing, but chalk a good deal of who i am now up to hard work and determination. therefore, it is ESPECIALLY in times like these (when some of our fellow countrymen are nearly hungry, and nearly poor, and are not quite sure if they will have their cell phone next month) when our hard work and hard study pays the most dividends... we have a hard won skill, therefore in bad times we still have work. when this ceases to be the case then we will settle disagreements like this with knives, or clubs, or guns.
i am not saying that there are not situations where people are born into inescapable poverty or inescapable doom, but i am saying that most every time i meet one of these people here in the US, they are obese and continuing to make the same poor choices that they made (in this country of opportunity for all that people risk their very lives to enter across a hundred miles of desert) when they were sixteen and twenty-five and forty-six.
so, either you are right, and we are simply at a cosmic roulette wheel, or choices and personal initiative are the direct cause of our future. if the latter, then Panda, and I, are right to expect EVERYONE to admit and accept responsibility for themselves and their health and their bills etc... if the latter, then who better to listen to (when talking about problems with modern medicine in America) than physicians who still go to work to take excellent care of the pitiful mass that is the ER waiting room? if the latter then Panda just may be the alarm bell that people ignore at their peril.
47% = percentage of Americans who do not pay income tax (this number does not, of course, include 'undocumented' folks)
53% = percentage of Americans who pay income tax
30 cents on the dollar = amount collected on ER bills
15-20% = percentage of ER patients admitted to the hospital
it smells like perfume to me, how about you anonymous attending?
RIGHT! (times two)
- Anonymous9:04 PM, May 17, 2010
Don't become a dermotologist and complain that everyone's got rashes.ReplyDelete
- Anonymous9:11 PM, May 17, 2010
911, you are over-thinking... and are a stubborn little rat! Will you stop fighting me? I'd kick your ass if I could reach you. You don't get it at all. You are missing the forest for the trees! Can what I said be so way over your head? Quit giving stats and politics knee-jerk. This info you keep rolling out is common knowledge to even the lay public. What I suggest is not easy for a tough guy like you to wrap your brain around. But hey, I only told you because I thought you might be able to "get it" but instead you get pissed and hide behind your stats, choosing to find the most silly and simple-minded use for what I've said. I think you know that.ReplyDelete
Don't complain when you break down and you have to pay some shrink for less. (Now, that was mean, I know).
uh... anonymous... i think the complaint is that Panda trained to take care of emergencies, but rarely sees them, so the dermatologist analogy... uh... never mind.ReplyDelete
- Anonymous9:25 PM, May 17, 2010
80% of emergency medicine has nothing to do with treating emergencies. The job is what it is, no matter what shows up on tv or in less bitter daydreams.ReplyDelete
already done that thanks. much better now. and i still have no idea what your point is so let me guess.
i think what you mean is that focusing on the obvious inequities and unfairness and misery will make us miserable. okay. i agree.
i think you also mean that we should, for our own happiness and sanity, focus on the positives and relish the good things in life. okay, agreed. how do you know this is not what we do outside of this little venue?
for that matter, how do any of you commentors here know what i (or panda or 'cat or lofty or oldfart or erdoc85) are like at the patient's bedside? do you assume we are angry like we are here? you would be wrong.
this blog is my vent. all of you are assuming things about us which are based on your imaginings of who is behind this curtain, and, you are as likely to be right in your assumptions as you are to guess the next flip of a coin, perhaps less, because we often say things that are out of favor in the conventional wisdom, so we must be beasts, right?
did it ever strike you that one of the reasons we do this as anonymously as possible is because talking like this openly could cost us our jobs? if you believe this, then you must agree that being a medblogger is risky, and, since i make enough to fill my gas tank occasionally from this blog i'm not doing it for the money. because i remain largely anonymous it ain't for the fame either. could it be that i care so deeply about medicine and taking care of patient's that watching a magical and wonderful thing being smashed forces me to speak up and to fight?
JFK got elected as a democrat saying 'ask not what your country can do for you....' obama got elected promising to take from some and give to more. i am not supposed to fight this? i am not supposed to point it out?
not pointing it out is exactly how we got here. sorry, if i go down it will be in defiance and it will not be quietly.
and dear scrn, i am now off to enjoy a glass of wine and a good movie, so please do something equally relaxing and pleasurable. we are big boys, boys fight, and then the storm passes.
Wow, welcome PB!! Don't know you but I already love you! (Manly fist bump here)ReplyDelete
Anon Attending..How did I get involved in this thread? Do you know me or something?
Y'all need to leave 911 alone now, he needs his beauty sleep. A whole lot of it!! Y'all got him stirred up.
yet another anonymous,ReplyDelete
i think i quoted this statistic already. my point (and, if i may, one of sPanda's points) is that 80% of visits to the ER are not emergencies and that THIS NEED NOT AND SHOULD NOT BE THE CASE.
i think, if you would simply read the post, that Panda asserts that it has only been this way for a short period of time.
my argument is that EMTALA, a sledgehammer used to kill a fly, has made the ER a miserable place for patients and nurses and docs because it has taken clinical judgement and the ability to say 'no' out of the hands of the very people who KNOW WHAT AN EMERGENCY IS. and all in the name of vote buying.
try again.
- Anonymous5:07 AM, May 18, 2010
9-11, I agree, being an Emergency Physician sucks. People spit at you, lie to you, and its nothing like "Scrubs".ReplyDelete
OK it doesnt suck as much as hiding from the Nazis in a hidden room for 3 years and dying of Typhus in Bergen-Belsen, but its the same Ballpark.
Thats why I'm restricting my practice to Vasectomies, Epidural Steroids, and Digital Stereo Manual Breast Palpations.
If it makes anything better, you should know that there are some patients who do see, really see, what happens and think incredibly highly of you for doing what you do every day.ReplyDelete
My son had really bad ashtma as a baby, which thankfully he seems to be outgrowing a little (but let's pretend I didn't say that out loud because it makes me sort of nervous even though rationally I do know you can't really jinx something) and we frequently were in the ER with him. As I sat there with my baby barely breathing, and looked around I saw the "emergencies" people came in for. Really? Really your kid is sick? Then why is he able to walk around while laughing and stick his snotty fingers all over me and my son who can't even sit up because he is struggling just to breathe? And really? You are pissed that we got taken before you? Really? You think we should wait until after you get looked at? Because I'm thinking if we waited, my son would be dead but if you wait you might have a good burp and feel all better and just go home. (although I guess probably not on the just go home part...probably the burp would get added to the "symptom" list)
Just so you are aware, people like me really appreciate that people like you do what you do despite the people who make it kind of awful. I always went back with cookies for the nurses and doctors that were so wonderful to my son and hopefully someone will do that for you soon.
that's why you are RAD.
really, did you have to make your point by citing bergen-belsen? then again, i hear it was more 'ritzy' than the other camps and that all folks had to worry about there were random executions, death by starvation, death by work, and diptheria (or was it typhus)?
- Anonymous4:36 PM, May 18, 2010
Sorry to hear about your result of your experience into medicine.
I appreciate everyone's digust at the "system" as it is - I'm in healthcare & feel as though I'm a fast-food worker (pharmacist). Yes, I can be fired over telling someone no and get sh*t from you physicians as well.
So, I get it from both sides.
But, you ever wonder if part of your result was your age & if you really were meant to be in EM? I say that because I have a son a year behind you - he's in his final year of EM residency & 15 years younger. He's married, but no children yet.
The stresses of the field (altho I'm not sure there is an "easy" residency) in addition to your age & responsibilities you had when you traveled it had to take its toll. As a spouse, I know I'd be tired of being poor, having to be the sole provider & parent while you went & followed your dream....and became grumpier & grumpier as you went along.
So - as one poster alluded to - was this really a dream worth becoming reality - or should it have stayed a dream? The system didn't cause your divorce & current unhappiness at the state of your financial prospects - you did. Each choice you made along the way cemented the outcome.
What did you really want? What do you want now? Choices, choices, choices.....
- igloodoc5:01 PM, May 18, 2010
Welcome back Panda to the goat rodeo that is emergency medicine (to quote somebody famous)ReplyDelete
In deference to the anonymous lay-psych interpretations of PB's post, allow one more spin on the merry-go-round
I saw this post more as a biting indictment of society then the alleged panda-blues. He said, at least to me, that at great personal cost he daily goes down the "rabbit hole" where all is not what it is supposed to be.
The term "emergency" has been redefined as any symptom, real or imagined, for which the patient needs an answer NOW!! Plaintiffs...uh...I mean patients will lie to get high, embellish to get attention, deceive to force us to believe that their malady is the worst crisis in the emergency department ever. Forget about that GSW... I have been waiting an hour for my fibromyalgia flair and I want narcs now! We do not see the classic Grey Turner sign because the entitled have shown up long before their pancreatitis did. (OK, not all patients, but enough)
To suggest that panda is depressed (maybe he is or isn't, or the antidepressants wore off) or should "get out now" (I know I want to, and perhaps I should) misses the point entirely. Given what happens in a modern emergency department, we are all depressed at times. And were we to "get out now" then there would be nobody left. Our therapy is to vent. To each other, or if you have the wordcraft, to blogs, or if you don't, to a cat named Spanky. (although she is not much of a listener).
And now with the great oil slick called Health Care Reform about to tar up our shores, cut Panda a break. He is the messenger, not the news.
dear anonymous pharmacist,ReplyDelete
i think it might help you to understand that igoodoc's take is the right one if you knew that this is Panda's second career, and his first (successful) one was in the US Marine Corps.
Many of you don't get it. There is no "getting out." What am I going to do? Go back to engineering for a sixth of what I'm making now? Likewise, saying that somehow I should have known how ridiculous medicine has become is idiotic. You don't really learn this until it's too late. My problem is that I am s rational, intelligent, hard-working guy in a system whose rules are created and mutated by bureaucrats and lawyers who have a vested interest in keeping things the way they are.ReplyDelete
Suggestions to improve things? Meaningful legal reform and an end to the welfare state.
I ain't holding my breath.
This is my third career, by the way. I am also a structural engineer.ReplyDelete
To put things in perspective, I got a patient complaint because I didn't order any lab work on a well-looking patient with the sniffles. The response from my administration? Maybe I should just order lab tests (and presumably imaging) just to keep the customers happy.ReplyDelete
RadGirl, have I told you lately how much I luv U? And I need some more cookies!!OFReplyDelete
PB, strong and excellent post. I would much rather Panda Bear take care of me or my family member in the ER (remarkably we somehow manage to not use the ER like a vending machine) than the narcissistic Anon commenter whose ego was so beautifully documented in his own above commentary. Although I do think he has excellent advice. Yes, PB, get out of the ER. And I would encourage ALL ER DOCS TO GET OUT OF THE ER. Let's see how long JCAHO, HIPPA, and EMTALA will last if there are no longer any providers who will put up with pain scales. Take a page out of Atlas Shrugged and go on strike. It is inappropriate for patients to threaten ER staff and get away with it b/c the administration is afraid that the thug might give us (cringe!) a bad "customer" satisfaction score! And God forbid I don't give John Smith his oxycontin Rx for his ankle sprain! When did we become a nation of such wimps? God truly help us.ReplyDelete
Panda you are wrong, MOST of them don't get it!!ReplyDelete
I am very old and have seen a lot. But what is happening now is past sad.
PB says "how do I get out?" Don't the rest of you get it? The question should be, WHY IS HE ASKING THE QUESTION??
Don't y'all get it??
Medicine has become so unpalatable that we will NOT ALLOW our children to apply to medical school, much less go to medical school. What don't YOU understand? We didn't go in to medicine to make a million bucks a year. We did not go in to medicine to fight with insurance companies to pay us for services rendered either..And that is where we find ourselves now.
Hey guess what? If you take your car to the mechanic and he fixes it when do expect to take your car home? Before you pay the dude? Really?
Hey, here's a quick test. Why don't you pricks go find an American born, studied in a US medical school, and trained in a US residency doctor to take yourself to or your kids?(Heaven forbid try to find a male!) If you can do that, you better latch on to that person now and do not let go. In 10 years they will will not exist..And if you think there is NO DIFFERENCE then you deserve what you get..
I'm tired, I'm old, and I am OLDFART!!!!
Have you considered joining an Urgent Care Center? It's heresy I know. But as a soon to be 3rd year medical student very interested in Emergency Medicine, I consider it my retirement plan. It's great to have one of my favorite authors back.
Dr. Pheidippides runs in vain. Greece is lost. The American Spartans, it seems, are anything but.ReplyDelete
It's fairly terrible to hear some of these stories. Panda has no incentive to lie, little to exaggerate. I can only assume that he culls little sympathy because he's been busy grinding his heels on the world-view that keeps personal responsibility, common sense, and humility as far from the zeitgeist as is politically expedient/psychosocially soothing.
Dr. Bear, thank you for the narrative. Your writing has likely done much more good than will ever come to light. Keep it up. You Greeks seem to have a thing for competence in the face of overwhelming odds.
Relax, Panda, you have a diagnosis. I heard about compassion fatigue from a military officer today. Psychiatry is bunk. Neuroplasticity rules. Haters step off, we are approaching 100% morbidity in America. Is everyone equally miserable yet? I'm sorry for venting, I have compassion fatigue and am 100% service-connected.ReplyDelete
- SerenityNowHospital1:34 AM, May 19, 2010
Wow...its like you are talking from my soul. I wonder if you graduated from my residency (email me at firstname.lastname@example.com). SCRN...your a dumb bitch. Get a life. We defy natural selection every day and we are tired of saving trollsReplyDelete
ER Doc
- Anonymous5:05 AM, May 19, 2010
Its one of those "The Grass is Greener on the other side of the Fence" things...ReplyDelete
Like how my sister bitches about how hard her Air Traffic Controller job is, makin 150K/yr for basically playin video games 20 hrs/week, which is more like 10 when you account for lunch, smoke breaks etc etc..
Then I remind her how she was turnin tricks for $20/pop a few yrs ago and she won't bitch for a few days...
- Anonymous6:11 AM, May 19, 2010
ER Doc, are you for real?ReplyDelete
Don't come to my ER.
Panda, sorry to hear about your plight and your divorce. I'm running out of money here also as I finish up my psych NP program. Damn sure glad I went that route though, along with my shamanic training. I'm such a happy man!ReplyDelete
Panda--welcome! Short bio--I used to be an attorney, now I'm a kindergarten teacher, and there have been plenty of shocks along the way re: what "teaching" entails these days (do they really expect me to cut their kids' fingernails?)ReplyDelete
Best advice, in all seriousness: Remarry well and invest emotionally in a hobby/sport/activity that you love. Takes the edge off. Best wishes!
- Danzman1:09 PM, May 19, 2010
Nice to hear from you Panda. You da man.ReplyDelete
Dev! You're alive!ReplyDelete
-Over educatedReplyDelete
-Under Utilized
-Over Worked
Welcome to medicine, Panda I am also getting out of this shit hole. I have 15 years in this bitch and there is no reciprocity.
Fuck the clipboard patrols, I don't practice customer service driven medicine, the patient is not the ordering provider, House MD is a retard, yes I was on Trauma Life In The ER and did not even get any fucking residuals off of it.
Cynical Bastard
Hi Amy! Yeah, just too busy cutting fingernails to participate regularly. Today a 6 yr. old threw chairs and tried to push a bookcase over on my partner. Gotta go!ReplyDelete
Great post PB.ReplyDelete
Sadly, over my time I have seen the ER transform from a place to deal with urgencies and emergencies into the "safety net" of American Medicine, always patrolled by trial lawyers looking for anything they can turn into a payday.
In residency, they teach you science. You spend time in Journal Clubs and debating evidence based medicine. You learn indications for tests and studies, and WHEN you're expected to pull the trigger on such things. Then you enter the world and find that no one gives a whit about such things. Most patients with a stubbed toe demand an X-ray. Parents of little kids who bonk their head on the coffee table believe Junior "must" have a CT.
Beyond taking excellent care of patients, our specialty has transformed into one of "meeting customer's expectations". The emphasis on our knowledge and background has taken a back seat to our "bedside manner".
Many in ACEP push us toward a public health mission which the pinheads at the CDC just love. Sure, pap smears in the ER…(over my dead body). ACEP is rapidly becoming our version of the AMA dominated by the panty-waste-touchy-feely in our specialty who don't actually PRACTICE medicine.
Mathematicians have tried to turn much of clinical medicine into formulas and decision trees. These have been adopted by Government bureaucrats and nurses with clip boards who second-guess too many of our decisions (not based on clinical grounds, but based on checklists).
How well we adhere to these "checklists" is viewed by the Joint Commission as "quality" and soon will be used to reimburse us (or as we all know...used to decrease our reimbursement).
Coders & billers have co opted the patient's medical record and turned it into a billing document. (Last shift, I had the chart Nazi track me down for not completing the Review of Systems, Past Medical History, & Family History on a lady who just wanted a tetanus shot after she pricked her finger on some barbed wire).
In short, being a physician in the ER isn't about being a physician taking of patients with emergencies. There are many days where I don't see an "emergency".
I still enjoy taking care of patients. I just abhor the other BS that goes along with it. I still believe that the majority of patients are appreciative.
Still, all in all, I consider myself fortunate to be doing what I am doing.
That would be a good stand-alone post actuallyReplyDelete
welcome back pb ! it was such a nice surprise to find you here !! i guess i owe you big time - your blog did carry me through the exams ..:) and a lot of rough patches here n there !ReplyDelete
- MedStudentStudyingForBoards5:39 PM, May 21, 2010
I have read Panda's posts on and off over the past several years through random people linking his blogs. Someone just linked me to this site and now here I am again. I just wanted to say that I really appreciate your posts, as well as all the other doctors on this blog (okay so I just started reading this an hour ago, but so far, it's great!). I'm currently studying for step 1 and this has made for an interesting break. :)ReplyDelete
- Anonymous11:07 PM, May 29, 2010
You need to remember....this is a job. Yes an important job, but a job nonetheless. I am also your age and this is also my second career. At the end of the day (when not on call) I go home, spend time with those I love and what I love to do. I am sure you probably make more than I given you are a private ER doc, but I am also rather sure my quality of life is better than yours. In the end is it more important to make a bunch of dough or spend time with those you love? Maybe it is time to take a good long hard look at how you want to spend the next 20-25 years.
Just a thought....Good luck.
- Anonymous8:18 PM, July 07, 2010
There are hundreds of thousands of people who would jump for the chance to make $150+ an hour doing the job you describe. It's too easy for you? Boo hoo. Patients get angry? Boo hoo. My sister gets abused in retail for $8 an hour every single day of the week.ReplyDelete
The real question is, would you take a pay cut to see only high acuity patients? Probably not. Yet you complain that the hospital wants to make money to pay your salary, in turn delivering you easier patients that make your job much simpler than patients with actual emergencies.
yet another brilliant post by an anonymi...ReplyDelete
we all just woke up one day in our current jobs... boy were we lucky to spin the wheel and hit on ER doctor. we have no right to complain. the things we complain about are purely self serving and have nothing to do with a crumbling system that is already making high quality medical care nearly impossible for people like you sister.
I don't complain of what you accuse.ReplyDelete
I complain of these people:
a) "I stubbed my toe an hour ago" (no mark on them and they are not limping )
b)"I got shot at"
c)"I felt dizzy headed last week"
d)"I vomited yesterday and I need a work excuse"
e)the patients who walk in, hop onto the stretcher then writhe with back pain wanting drugs
f)the patients that we see over and over with STD's who REFUSE to go to the health dept and won't use condoms. The health dept charges $10.
These are actual cases. The last 3 are frequent, the last one is multiple times a day.
These people feel no responsibility to pay and don't care if the hospital goes bankrupt (which ours did, we're operating under Chapter 11 and have fired all of the people who stock our supplies. We're working with a skeleton crew of nurses, housekeepers, and care providers).
These are the same patients who DEMAND that the doctor hurry and see them. They complain when they don't get what they WANT and their ER visit is over 2 hours.
I complain about these patients because they do not pay to keep the lights on, the scanners running, the staff working, and the rooms stocked with supplies (which frequently they steal), and yes, my salary too. I complain about them because they take my time away from seeing patients that really need my time and services.
We complain because all of our education is being turned into checklists by non-practicing "academics", some with health care degrees who justify their existence by expanding policies year after year. They only add to an already burdensome load of rules, regulations and paperwork which HINDERS us.
I resent politicians who don't understand the first thing about healthcare delivery in the "real world" who make laws and lay down regulations which are not practical while ignoring practicing physicians and instead find academicians and researchers to parade in front of the cameras.
I resent politicians who want to promise the ignorant public "pie in the sky" then blame the health care system when their impractical ideas do not work; then pass more laws and regulations which make the situation worse.
I resent the burdensome load of paperwork and the fact that it takes me longer to complete the paperwork than it does to see and care for the patient.
I abhor the "logic" that people FEEL as if it is reasonable and just to FORCE me to provide my knowledge and labor for free to people whose only goal in life is to take from society as much as they can. They sanction this behavior by a ridiculous notion that I have more, thus it is my DUTY to give to people who demand and do not give back. If I complain, they try to guilt me by saying that I went into medicine just for money. I complain because I am tired of people who loot my intellectual property and my labor because they feel as if they have a right to it merely because they exist.
There is a difference between freely giving something and being forced to give something because someone demands it. One makes you feel good. The other makes you feel resentful.
I am not talking about the truly needy. I am talking about the smokers with cell phones & expensive clothes who want Rx's for Tylenol and refuse to pay a dime for medical care or see a PCP or walk-in clinic for minor issues.
I am talking about the lady I saw this week who complained that the Gub'ment would only give her $800 a month to feed her 5 kids...and they went through 5 boxes of oatmeal a week. (When I asked why she didn't buy the cheap tub of generic quick oats, then add some sugar and brown sugar like I do, she scoffed that it takes too much time).
I would like for people who don't understand our jobs, to recognize our difficulties, and realize that government will never improve anything with rules & regulations.
I apologize in advance that this is way over your impacted cranium.


text:
Here are my top ten reasons why no human should ever go camping.
1. There are hotels.
2. 52, 398 mosquito bites
3. Have you ever tried occupying 10 kids while camping in a monsoon?
4. The campfire smell that doesn't ever come out of your hair
5. There are hotels.
6. Showering with the water pressure of someone spitting on you
7. Having to cook like the pioneers
8. Having to sleep in cramped quarters with family members who snore and/or fart all night long
9. Having to walk 18 miles to the bathroom
10. There are hotels!
OK, OK, so some of you have accused me of actually (gasp!) liking camping. I don't. I swear I don't. But, in all fairness, I do like to look at the glass as half-full, so here's my list of reasons why camping doesn't totally suck.
1. Sleeping in a small space together promotes family bonding.
2. It's inexpensive (until you factor in the movie tickets because it rained all weekend, the carpet extractor rental fee from when the kids flooded the camper, the prescription cost because your daughter had a terrible allergic reaction to peanut butter thanks to the stupid Meehans for not being more careful (SORRY EMMA!), and the bazillion quarters for the laundromat because towels left out in the rain do not dry - ever.
3. All the walking to the bathrooms helps you to work off the
4. Speaking of - s'mores
5. It's fun to laugh at your Eagle Scout husband who uses lighter fluid to get a fire going.
6. When the kids flood the camper, the carpet gets cleaned for the first time in 5 years. (THANKS JOE!)
7. With no TV or video games, it's fun to see the kids make up games like "Name Methods of Torture from A-Z"
8. When you eat outside, you don't have to worry about crumbs on the floor.
9. Sitting outside, seeing the stars (and quite possibly a UFO. The verdict is still out on that one.)
10. And finally, you get to see the kids do stuff like this... (Esther Williams, eat your heart out)
Actually, besides our friends' daughter, Emma, having a bad allergic reaction after coming in contact with peanut butter, Jackson scraping the skin off 2 toes, me breaking a toe, Jenny spraining her ankle, the never-ending thunderstorms, and the toilet overflowing and flooding the camper, it was a pretty good trip. (That kinda tells you how bad our trips usually are.)

subset: commoncrawl


text:
Tim Wakefield will announce his retirement at 5 PM tonight in Fort Myers. The announcement will be broadcast live at redsox.com.
Wakefield pitched for 19 seasons, 17 of which came with the Red Sox. He finished his Boston career with 186 wins, 3rd on the team's all-time list, and was a part of two World Series championship teams. Only three men played longer for the Red Sox: Carl Yastrzemski (23 seasons), Ted Williams (19), and Dwight Evans (19).
I really wish he had been able to get to 193 Red Sox wins, but he still had one hell of a career. One of the 25.
This has been the hardest thing I ever had to do, so it's with a heavy heart that I stand here today to say that I've decided to retire from the game of baseball. Ever since I was a little boy, all I ever wanted to do was play baseball. Even at an early age, after I learned cursive, I would always practice my autograph in hopes that I would become a big leaguer. Those hopes became a reality and I've been lucky to be able to live out my dream for the past 18 years. ...Alex Speier, WEEI:
I remember in '95, the first time I stepped out of that dugout and saw the Green Monster the first time, I knew I was in the place I belonged. To be able to share the same field with the greats before me as well as the ones I played with is truly amazing. There have been many ups and downs along the way, but one thing is for sure. Every time I stepped on the field, I gave everything I had. All I ever wanted to do was win. And the bigger goal was to win a World Series for this great city. Finally, after 86 years, we were able to do that. ...
When it came down to it, I had to take a hard look at what I thought was best for me, my family, and the Red Sox. There is nothing that I want more than for this team to win, and it's hard sometimes to take yourself out of the process. But in my heart, I feel that by retiring, I'm giving them a better chance to do that. ...
I've been wrestling with this decision for a long time, this whole offseason. ... I never wanted to pitch for another team. I always said that I wanted to retire as a Red Sox and today I'm able to do that.
According to Barry Mesiter, the agent for Tim Wakefield, the knuckleballer turned down four contract offers for this coming season -- including one guaranteed major league offer -- in order to either return for or retire as a Red Sox.
His longevity also means he was #1 in losses (168), home runs allowed (401), walks (1,095), hits (2,931), earned runs (1,480), wild pitches (125), and hit batsmen (176).
His 38 home runs allowed in 1998 is a Red Sox single-season record. He threw 15 wild pitches last season, good for 4th-best on the team's all-time list.


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I was born and raised in East Texas and started working in radio when I was just 15 years old. I have spent the last 22 years on the air here in East Texas, but have also done work in Dallas, Waco, Lufkin, and Ft. Smith! I graduated from John Tyler High School in 1992 and attended TJC as part of their criminal justice program. I currently live in Lindale with my wife, four kids, and weenie dog "Snickers". It's kind of weird for me having a family that big since I grew up as an only child! What do you love the most about radio? I love the fact that now radio is more than just a tuner and a set of speakers. Radio can now be heard around the world through internet streaming and cell phone apps. I also enjoy the social-media aspect of radio where we can truly communicate with fans of the radio station on a personal level. I can look at their Facebook profile and really get to know them! A lot better than just talking to them on the request line! What is your favorite band/ artist/ album? I love all types of music, but mostly rock music. AC/DC, Van Halen, Led Zepplin, Nickelback, etc. My favorite album of all time is Back In Black by AC/DC! Biggest pet peeve? I have a bunch…most all of them have to do with driving. People who don't use their blinkers, and people who think the center turn lane is an actual driving lane! I also get aggravated when people at the check-out line wait until the cashier is finished ringing up their merchandise until they start to fill out their checks! Besides, who uses checks any more anyway?!?! Hobbies? I love to ride motorcycles. I got my license a few years ago and enjoy going for long country rides around East Texas. It really helps to clear your mind and relax you. I don't have a Harley yet…but will when I grow up!
Texas' Best Rock


text:
Kids Classic Cotton Blanket
Overview & Details
- Textured cotton blanket for kids.
- Kids' blanket is made of soft and strong ring-spun cotton for durable and long-lasting wear.
- Blanket for kids' beds, available in twin, full/queen and nap sizes.
- Available in a variety of colors to match any decor.
- Machine wash.
- Imported.
An ultra-comfy kids' blanket with a textured touch! Our Company Kids® Classic Cotton Blanket is a great go-to blanket for children of all ages, including tots, tweens, teens and even college students. Designed to coordinate perfectly with all our bedding at Company Kids®, this classic kids' blanket is perfect as part of their everyday bedding, or for curling up for naptime, reading or watching a good family movie. Woven from strong ring-spun cotton that's soft, durable and long lasting, our easy-care Classic Cotton Blanket for kids will stay looking great year after year.


text:
Symptoms are the result of problems in the genetic structure of a baby's chromosomes. Chromosomes are the packages of genes and other DNA found in the nucleus of a cell.
There are many different types of syndromes that can result from chromosomal abnormalities. Each has its own specific symptoms, which can include unusual features, poor growth, intellectual disability, learning disabilities, behavioral problems, and problems with organ systems such as digestive disorders or heart defects.
For a couple attempting to conceive, the occurrence of at least 2 miscarriages may be another symptom of chromosomal abnormality. Talk to your doctor about conducting an investigation of your chromosomes. This investigation comes back normal in most cases. If the results are not normal, you and your partner should meet with a geneticist.
Revision Information
- Reviewer: Kari Kassir, MD
- Review Date: 06/2016 -
- Update Date: 05/20/2015 -


text:
Tell us about your painting & staining project! We'll match you with the best painting & staining contractors right away.
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Martins Home Experts provides top quality painting services, roofing, siding and carpentry. We are professional contractors with an outstanding customer satisfaction and referral rating. That means our future is on display every day on how we do every type of job on interior, exterior, residential, commercial, office and condominium. Our goal is to provide the best customer experience possible. This is accomplished by being friendly and courteous, making the client a part of the process with daily updates and excellent communication. We do things right the first time, by respecting your property and your home. We recognize that we are guests. Service Offered by Martins Home Experts -Interior and exterior painting techniques -Choosing the most pleasing paint colors -Dry wall repair -Interior and exterior surface preparation techniques -The most appropriate caulk to use and where -Scraping & Sanding, and minor maintenance -The correct primer to use -Power washing -Carpentry -Cabinet refinishing -Deck refinishing -Roofing -Installing Windows and Doors Our Mission: Always be known for professionalism, performance and integrity. We will accomplish our goals by consistently delivering a high quality finished product, on time and budget for all of our customers. Warranty: We offer five to eight years of warranty on all painting and contracting services. We also offer cleaning, and follow-up maintenance "check up". References We have a lot of recommendations all you have to do is call and ask. IT'S GUARANTEED! - Fully Insured - Free Estimates - Three to Five years of warranty Over the years, many home and property owners have realized the benefits of our company. We know that we can make great business for both of us and provide the same quality of service you are used to receive. Thank you for your appreciation and we look forward to serving all your needs for years to come. Sincerely, John MartinsRead MoreSee Full Profile
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It is our passion to provide our customers and our employees with individual attention and an atmosphere of comfort and trust before, during, and after each job. Whether it is your home, office, or place of business, we understand the importance of getting the job done right first time. By taking the extra time to listen and understand what you are looking for, Our team strives to ensure that your experience is a pleasant one by offering a superior service done properly. I believe that when we take care of our space and surroundings, we are in the words of the spiritual writer Thomas Moore taking "care of soul." Menjivars Painting think of themselves as helping in the "care of soul" when caring for your property.Read MoreSee Full Profile
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You'll be glad to know that we stand behind all our work. When you choose us, you'll receive quality workmanship at reasonable prices. Honest and proud of each job.Read MoreSee Full Profile
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text:
Also, L&S is giving away a $100 gift card here today! They have some really great new patterns to check out. Here are a few (or maybe a bunch!) of my new favorites:
To enter to win the $100 gift card, just visit the L&S site, choose your favorite(s) and leave a comment on this post. The winner will be chosen next Monday and they will be emailed. Good luck!!
PS L&S wanted me to mention they are selling original fashion drawings from an in-house artist that would make fun gifts. Check them out here. I like the skirt on this one especially.


text:
Click here to view an animated version of this procedure.
Laparoscopy is a type of surgery done through several small incisions in the abdomen. Small tools and a laparoscope with a tiny camera, are placed through the incisions to allow the surgeon to see inside and perform surgical tasks. This type of surgery is popular, because it usually shortens recovery time. It also leaves small scars in most cases.
Reasons for Procedure
Laparoscopy can be used for:
- Hernia repair
- Biopsy of abdominal organs
- Appendectomy
- Colectomy
- Gallbladder , gallstone , or kidney stone removal
- Tubal ligation
- Ectopic pregnancy surgery
- Hysterectomy
- Fibroid tumor removal
- Adrenal gland removal
- Splenectomy
- Lysis of adhesions in abdomen
It can also be done to help make a diagnosis.
Possible Complications
Problems from the procedure are rare, but all procedures have some risk. Your doctor will review potential problems, like:
- Infection
- Bleeding
- Damage to blood vessels or organs
- Problems related to anesthesia
- The need for open surgery rather than laparoscopic surgery
Factors that may increase the risk of complications include:
What to Expect
Prior to Procedure
Depending on the reason for your surgery, your doctor may do the following:
- Physical exam and review of medications
- Blood tests, such as a pregnancy test, liver function test, and electrolyte status
- Urine tests to detect urinary tract infection and diabetes
- Imaging tests to evaluate internal structures:
In the days leading up to your procedure:
- Depending on the type of surgery, you may need to take a laxative or use an enema.
- Arrange for a ride home.
- The night before, eat a light meal. Unless told otherwise by your doctor, do not eat or drink anything after midnight.
Talk to your doctor about the medications you are taking. You may be asked to stop taking some medications up to one week before the procedure.
In most cases, you will have general anesthesia. You will be asleep during the procedure.
Description of the Procedure
After you are asleep and do not feel any pain, a needle will be inserted to inject carbon dioxide into your abdomen. The gas will make your abdomen expand. This will make it easier to see the organs. The laparoscope will then be inserted through a small hole that is cut in the skin. The laparoscope lights, magnifies, and projects an image onto a video screen. The area will then be inspected.
If necessary, several other incisions will be made in the abdomen. Tiny tools will be inserted to take biopsies or do surgery. The incisions will be closed with stitches or clips.
How Long Will It Take?
This varies greatly depending on the procedure
Will It Hurt?
Anesthesia will prevent pain during surgery. Pain and discomfort after the procedure can be managed with medications.
Post-procedure Care
When you are home, follow your doctor's instructions, which may include:
- Removing the dressing the morning after surgery.
- Avoiding heavy lifting.
- Not drinking carbonated beverages for a brief period.
You should be able to go back to regular activities in about one week. If the procedure was done to help diagnose a condition, your doctor will suggest treatment options. Biopsy results may take up to a week to come back.
Call Your Doctor
It is important to monitor your recovery. Alert your doctor to any problems. If any of the following occur, call your doctor:
- Signs of infection, including fever and chills
- Redness, swelling, increasing pain, excessive bleeding, or discharge from the incision site
- Persistent nausea and/or vomiting
- Pain that you cannot control with the medications you were given
- Headache, muscle aches, feeling faint or lightheaded
- Difficulty urinating or having a bowel movement
If you think you have an emergency, call for emergency medical services right away.
Revision Information
- Reviewer: Donald Buck, MD
- Review Date: 06/2016 -
- Update Date: 05/23/2014 -


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To celebrate our eventual victory, my friend Nathan and I had a debate-watching party at his crib in Cordova. I made Joe Biden's recipe for Oatmeal Cookies:
I found it on the internets, but of course, it had to be veganized. I just subbed Energy Egg Replacer for the eggs, and I cut down the amount of oatmeal and raisins cause the original recipe called for 3 CUPS OF OATS!
These were pretty darn tasty! And I made little flags using tiny pics from Google Images and party toothpicks.
I just love Joe Biden! He's super smart and I love his crazy big smile. And well, Obama is a dream! Seriously, if he wins (and he will), this place is totally gonna change for the better.
BTW, if you're not registered, do it before Monday! That's the deadline!
Here's Joe Biden's (Vegan) Cookie Recipe
- 1 cup Earth Balance
- 1 cup firmly packed brown sugar
- 1/2 cup granulated sugar
- Energy egg replacer equal to two eggs
- 1 teaspoon vanilla
- 1-1/2 cups all-purpose flour
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- 1 teaspoon cinnamon
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 2 cups old fashioned oats
- 1/2 cup raisins
- nuts (optional)
Heat oven to 350 degrees. Sift flour, soda, cinnamon and salt together. Beat together the shortenings and sugars until creamy. Add egg replacer and vanilla; beat well. Add flour mixture, oats and raisins and mix well.
Use portion scoop and drop onto ungreased cookie sheet. Bake 10-12 minutes (should be golden brown in color).


text:
The result page displays all the keywords related to cocoa tea good life, we have found 48+ songs matching your search query but showing only top ten results only (We can't show more than 10 results due to API limits). Now we recommend you to Download cocoa tea good life MP3 which size is 5.28 MB, duration 6 minutes 20 seconds and bit rate is 250 kbps.
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text:
Seriously, under "temperature" we have "jokes" like "ha ha what if i measured temperature in terms of the cursing you would employ in that temperature" and "spit making funny noise" (fun fact: at that temperature, -40C, you would actually not need to convert, as -40C is exactly equal to -40F! amazing. If only Randall knew some science)
Under "length" we get a dick joke, which is nice because we haven't had those before. We also get some Firefly references, which is nice because we haven't had those before.
Under "speed" we LOOK RANDALL WE GET IT YOU ARE SCARED OF RAPTORS IT WAS PRETTY FUNNY FOR A WHILE but look of you want it to stay funny instead of suck like it is now you need to do something new with it. Just "I'm scared of raptors ha ha is funny joke because are extinct ha ha" over and over and over and over again is stupid.
Under "volume" we have a HILARIOUS throwback to comic 434 and then we have some more of xkcd not being a political comic by having xkcd make fun of politicians.
And under "mass" we get a your mom joke. GOOD ONE. forefront of comedy, right there. Honestly, and I mean this one seriously, the your mom joke is really just pathetic, and almost makes me sad for Randall. It's just such an old, tired, stupid idea that I can't believe it was the climax of this "comic." Christ.
Anyway, it seems I must be in the minority here, I mean, forumite BRNZ had "at least five times when I put their discussion on hold due to my uproarious laughter" so i guess I am just missing the jokes!
ahhhhhh it feels good to be back


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(Author note: for those of you unaware of my waiting game this is the dealio - I sent my manuscript to a publisher. 4 weeks waiting time. Mass panic. Mixed emotions. Whole lot a want. Whole lot a waiting.)
Like I said, waiting makes you crazy.
- I have been reinventing myself - Sim's style. In Sim's world I'm already published (seriously, I'm like JK Rowling already)
- I watch movies (bad ones) - I saw The Roommate which only reminded me of my main character. Only positive, my main character isn't killer crazy, she's fun crazy (1 point Team Jen)
- I have avoided baths - They lead to WAY too much thinking (both positive and negative - negative, definitely wins)
- I've been cooking (I know) - I made tilapia in a bag and it didn't suck (actually it was flipping fantastic).
- I also have time for laundry, cleaning, and other household chores (seriously it's insane, I should stop).
- I am teaching myself something new. Sign language. I knew the basics but I wanna know more.
- I dance, sing, and eat - Jersey Shore style. T-Shirt time officially happens in our home.
So that's what I've been up too. What about you?


text:
Photos by Tracy Stocker
Once in a while, a project comes together that results in a truly memorable car. In Chrysler's case it happened in 1969, with introduction of the Dodge Super Bee Six Pack and Plymouth Road Runner Six Barrel.
The concept of budget performance is nothing new. In automotive circles the concept really gained traction with the V-8-powered Fords of the 1930s-40s. A decade later the hot rod movement was in full swing: young guns sought to claim bragging rights on the street and dragstrip, driving home-built, stripped-down cars. The auto manufacturers soon got in on the action and by the mid-1960s were assembling their own factory blessed go-faster specials–muscle cars, which were created by stuffing big car engines in intermediate bodies. Perhaps nobody understood this concept better than the folks at Highland Park, and the company's B-body intermediates soon gained a reputation as serious street weapons, thanks to cars like the Plymouth GTX, Dodge Coronet, and Charger R/T. However, given that many of those who wanted a fast car at this time couldn't really afford machines like this, Chrysler felt that, in order to gain further market share, a budget performance offering would be just the ticket.
Thanks to some comments from an outspoken automotive editor, the concept started gaining traction, particularly with Plymouth Division. Taking the entry level, no-frills Belvedere two-door pillared coupe, stuffing in a monster engine with high-performance goodies, and adding a heavy-duty suspension and a distinctive name, the Road Runner was born. Chrysler paid Warner Brothers $50,000 to license the name of their infamous cartoon character for use on the car, as well as the signature beep-beep call for the horn. Priced at just $2,896, Plymouth had projected sales volumes of just 2500 units, but after a couple of months almost 10,000 cars had been delivered!
Dodge division, seeing an opportunity to get in on the action, launched the rival Super Bee, also a pillared, no-frills coupe based on the entry-level Coronet (confusingly called DeLuxe). Both cars featured 383 big-block V-8s with the windage tray, heads, exhaust manifolds, and intake manifold from the 440, along with heavy-duty valve springs and a special performance camshaft. Optional in both was the formidable 426 Hemi, but at $714, it kind of killed the concept of a budget muscle car and in the Super Bee's case, just 125 were ordered. Transmission choices were an A833 four-speed manual, or Chrysler's near-bulletproof 727 TorqueFlite three-speed automatic. Dual exhausts were standard, as was an 8 ¾ inch rear end with 3.23:1 final drive. Strangely enough, a Sure Grip limited slip differential was optional, not standard. The cars also came with standard four-wheel drum brakes and 14-inch steel rims with hubcaps, though buyers could order power front discs and gorgeous styled road wheels.
In an effort to broaden market appeal, the basic lineup of both the Super Bee and Road Runner was soon expanded, to include a hardtop body style as well as the two-door post coupe. By the end of the model year, Dodge had sold 7,842 Super Bees, but thanks in part to a successful marketing campaign, Plymouth had shifted some 45,000 Road Runners. Clearly this budge muscle car thing was more than a passing fad.
For their second season on the market, Chrysler, in an attempt to expand the Road Runner's and Super Bee's appeal, made a few changes, adding more creature comforts and making plans to install the big 440 as an option in both cars. However, given that the muscle or "supercar" era as it was known back then, was spiraling ever higher, perhaps something a bit more snazzy was needed than just a regular four-barrel 440, wrapped up in a car that was nothing less than an all-out budget street/strip racer.
Not surprisingly, given that the SoCal area was the hotbed of automotive culture, a group of Chrysler engineers found themselves heading west for some meetings with Vic Edelbrock Sr. At the time, Edelbrock had built a substantial business, selling go-faster speed parts to hot rodders and already hawking a line of items designed for Mopars. The engineers asked him if he would be interested in supplying a new three-barrel, aluminum intake manifold, designed to fit on the company's big 440 cubic-inch V-8. He agreed and the seed was planted for a new purpose-built street/strip racer, built around this engine combination.
For fuel delivery, a trio of Holley 2300 carburetors were selected and in order to maximize streetability, the carbs were spaced equidistant from each other on the manifold. During normal driving, only the center carb operated, but punching the throttle opened the butterflies on the outer units, delivering a total airflow of approximately 1,200 cubic feet per minute.
Unlike the regular 440 Magnum/Super Commando found in other B-body cars, the new three-carb engines were hand-assembled and featured Magnafluxed internals. The heads were also worked and featured chrome plated valve stems, Hemi valve springs, and heavy-duty rocker arms. To ensure maximum durability, a special low-lobe camshaft was specified and sample engines were tested under laboratory conditions at various rpm for several hours, especially at mid and high-range. Compared to the standard 440's 375 horsepower and 490 lb-ft torque, output on this new version was advertised at 390 hp at 4700 rpm and 490 lb-ft at 3200.
The rest of this so-called A12 package centered around using the light Dodge Super Bee and Road Runner cars, in a choice of pillared coupe or hardtop configurations. Besides the engine, which was dubbed Six-Pack for use in the 'Bee and Six Barrel for the 'Runner, other goodies included heavy duty suspension–beefier front sway bars, torsion bars, heavy duty rear springs and shocks, and a choice of A833 four-speed manual or TorqueFlite 727 three-speed automatic transmissions. In true street racer idom, each car was fitted with a beefy 9 ¾-inch Dana 60 rear axle as standard, housing steep 4.10 gears and a Sure Grip limited slip differential. Four-wheel drum brakes were standard, as were dual exhausts. On the outside, both cars sported 15x6-inch pressed steel wheels on which were mounted red line performance bias-ply tires. As a further gesture towards the hardcore racer set, the wheels were painted black and didn't even come with hubcaps, just a set of chrome lug nuts. Four exterior color choices were available on the Dodge: Bright Yellow, Hemi Orange, Bright Green, and Red (though a few snuck out wearing additional colors, including one called Butterscotch). The Plymouth version was available in the entire range of Road Runner colors, including the likes of Tor Red, Vitamin C, and Go Mango, as well as sinister Black. But perhaps the most eye-catching thing of all was the hood. Unlike their regular Super Bee and Road Runner counterparts, the Six Pack/Six Barrel cars featured a fiberglass hood with four tiedown pins, painted matte black with a huge, molded center scoop. Inside, both cars were strictly business and to save weight (and partly cost), air conditioning was not available, though buyers could order a radio if desired.
The list price was $4,300 for the Six Pack Super Bee and approximately $4,200 for the Six Barrel Road Runner. On the street, the cars were absolute weapons and faster off the showroom floor than just about anything out of Detroit in 1969. In fact, Drag Racing magazine got legendary racer Ronnie Sox (of Sox & Martin fame) to test-drive a new Six Barrel Road Runner and he clocked an astounding 12.98 at more than 111 miles per hour!
Bob Karakashian–today recognized as the authority on the A12 cars–remembers when he went to pick up his brand-new Six Pack Super Bee back in the spring of 1969. "At the time, I was a teenager getting ready for college. In the Detroit suburb where I lived, Chrysler Engineer Tom Hoover was a neighbor. We got to know each other and one day Tom mentioned that a new performance car was coming out. I was intrigued, so I asked my local dealer to place an order. Originally I wanted black, but the salesman told me that this new car only came in four colors. I eventually settled on red. In those days, it took about six weeks for a car to come in, but mine was more than 10. They knew I was getting anxious and asked me if I wanted to take delivery of the car at the Lynch Road plant where it was built. I said no, but in hindsight that would have been a very neat thing.
Finally my car came in. That first drive from the dealer lot back home was amazing. With my dad and my brother in the car, that thing just flew. It also turned heads. I just couldn't believe that hood scoop. It might look tame now, but back then it was monstrous and there was nothing like it. I had spec'd my car with an automatic because I knew I wanted to race, and with only 600 miles on the clock I took it to Detroit Dragway. I can tell you that in factory-stock, showroom trim, it was seriously quick and faster than a lot of other stuff at the time. Once you started messing around with a car and put on headers, tractions bars, and rejetted the carb, it was a different story. But that Six Pack, out of the box, was something else. It ran solid 13s without even trying and on the street, it could keep with a Hemi all the way to 70-80 mph, it was strong. Although the Hemi got (and still does get) all the glory, when it comes down to it, the Six Pack is my favorite, there's just nothing like it."
Yet despite the car's incredible performance on the street and strip, not to mention its good tractability, only 1,487 Six Pack Super Bees and 1,412 Six Barrel Road Runners were sold for 1969. "They could probably have made more of them," says Bob, "but there were supply issues with those intake manifolds. In retrospect I'm glad I was able to purchase one."
The Six Pack engine would return for 1970 and received a number of changes. Chief among them was a new cast-iron manifold, engineered in-house by Chrysler, along with a stronger bottom end. "In durability testing, it was discovered that, during sustained high-rpm operation, the engines would come apart after about 7-8 hours of constant use," relates Bob. "The problem stemmed from the bottom end–specifically the connecting rods. So for 1970, engineers installed much stronger, thicker rods. This also changed the load and weighting on the crank and bearings, so the crankshaft was balanced differently and the 1970 Six Pack was the first engine to use an external damper." Chrysler was also planning other changes too, including a revised hood.
"One of the biggest issues was lifting off that fiberglass hood on the 1969s," remembers Bob. "A single person could do it, but the question was where to put it, because the hood was bulky. Also, if you were stranded, it was a pain to try and remove the hood, like if you are out in the desert somewhere, so Chrysler started looking at other options. I remember seeing a prototype with a fiberglass hood that featured lift-up hinges, and the company was all set to do it, but ultimately it came down to cost and they decided to just go with a steel hood for 1970." Additionally, Chrysler also expanded the Six Pack engine's availability, dropping it in the new E-body pony cars, the Dodge Challenger and Plymouth 'Cuda. Plus in many respects, with their steel hoods and standard trim, the B-body Road Runner and Super Bee weren't anywhere as uniquely packaged or liveried as the 1969 A12 cars.
The Six Pack engine would last one more season, it's last gasp of glory coming under the hood of the fuselage-styled 1971 Road Runner and Charger, after which it was consigned to the history books, thanks to ever-encroaching Federal emissions standards and ultra high insurance premiums for hot cars.
Thanks to the fuel crisis, throughout the 1970s and into the 1980s muscle cars like the Six Pack and Six Barrel weren't exactly flavor of the month, often languishing on used car lots as many owners traded them in for something with better gas mileage. But every cloud has a silver lining, and during that time there were some great deals to be had. By the mid-1980s a new movement, dedicated to the restoration and re-discovery of muscle performance, had begun to take hold and magazines, clubs, and shoot-outs started popping up. Naturally, Mopars, particularly the Hemis and the Six Pack/Six Barrel cars were favorites. Unlike some who had to sell their cars back in the 1970s, Bob Karakashian had managed to hold onto his original 'Bee through the years. He was still racing it in the mid-1980s. "I remember this event called the Supercar Showdown. In 1986, I decided to take my car to it. This time out, it was held at Norwalk Raceway Park if I remember. There were 240 cars that showed up and the event was covered on national television. I managed to make it all the way through to the last round and beat my final competitor. The 'Bee was running as strong as ever and it was almost 20 years old by that point. The best the car has gone is a 12.09 at 115 mph." The car is original and apart from the engine being blueprinted, it is 100 percent factory stock. There aren't many cars nowadays that can match that kind of performance from out of the box, the ones that do cost a lot of money. Two decades later and Karakashian still owns his original Six Pack and was kind enough to drag it out for us on a cold day to photograph it. Along with Mark Weymouth's 1969 Six Barrel Road Runner (also an original survivor car), it was a true honor to see these cars; both of which still look and run just as good the day they rolled out the Lynch Road factory in Detroit.
Special thanks to Bob Karakashian and Mark Weymouth for their help with this article.
Body: Steel unitary, two-door hardtop coupe
Length: 206.6 inches
Width: 76.6 inches
Wheelbase: 117.0 inches
Track (front): 63.7 inches
Track (rear): 63.6 inches
Weight: 3,990 pounds
Engine type: V-8
Construction: Cast-iron block and heads
Valvetrain: OHV, single camshaft, two valves per cylinder
Fuel system: Three Holley 2300 two-barrel carburetors
Bore & stroke: 4.32x3.75 inches
Compression ratio: 10.5:1
Displacement: 440 ci
Ignition system: Dual-point distributor
Max power: 390 hp at 4700 rpm
Max torque: 490 lb-ft at 3200 rpm
Transmission: TorqueFlite three-speed automatic
Suspension front: Independent with upper and lower control arms, heavy-duty tube shocks, heavy-duty torsion bars and sway bar
Suspension rear: Live rear axle, heavy-duty tube shocks, heavy-duty multi-leaf springs
Brakes: Front/rear drum
Wheels: 15x6-inch pressed steel
Tires: G60x15
0-60 mph/quarter mile: 6.1 seconds, 13.8 seconds at 104 mph
Price: $4,300 (approx.)
Published Dec 7th, 2015
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text:
Saturday, January 30, 2010
Straight from Singapore...
Our cabbie here definitely did not speak Marathi - he spoke the local lingo - Singaporese ( not to be confused with English!!!) . Take it or leave it. This 'uncle' ( all elderly cabbies are called uncle by the locals) was a really, really talkative chap ( most of them are), but he blew us away by discussing Goddess Durga at length. " I am half-Hindu and half- Chinese", Lim Choon declared happily, and went on to no narrate a series of extraordinary events in which Durga had played a key role! Next came Sai Baba in a cameo. Our man Lim is now convinced it has to do with his past life and is planning a visit to India soon.
Other than Lim, Singapore remains like a blancmange with cherries on top. Walking along Clarke Quay, and past the Ruppee Room ( Bollywood hits blaring), it was almost surrealistic. A great big full moon hung over our heads and the Cloudy Bay Sauvignon Blanc ( yummy on a night as sultry as this one), definitely heightened the experience. I love blancmange - errrr - Singapore. It is safe and anti-septic, quite unlike any other destination on earth. It lulls me and I can handle its pristine pleasures for between four to five days - max. In this hospital -like ambience,it has to be some genius who came up with a bar called CLINIC. It is designed for people with a morbid sense of humour - people who get their kicks seated in wheel chairs around tables that have I.V. drips as decor and wardboys ( bar tenders ) pour 'injection shots' straight into waiting mouths. 'Nurses' ( nubile waitresses) rush around taking orders, and operation theatre lights add to the display which includes a long bar featuring a neon sign that reads 'Dispensary'. There is also a 'doc' on duty for patients requiring immediate and urgent attention.Why tempt fate - life is dangerous enough!
More Singapore stuff tomorrow. I received frantic calls and text messages from various tv channels based in Mumbai\Delhi last night - something about Balasaheb threatening Mukesh Ambani and SRK. Fill me in, you guys. Even though I am strictly 'off duty' till mid-Feb, it does not mean I am THAT disconnected \indifferent to happenings back home. Keep the news rolling, okay??
Ciao for now!
39 comments:
- A.R.U.N. said...
We dont want you to stay away from this space for long :) Cheers
- January 30, 2010 at 11:43 AM
- Vinay. said...
I reconciled myself for missing you for a while. This is a dam plesant surprise.Have a nice trip and keep blogging.Don't worry. nothing untoward or sensational has happened in your absence.
- January 30, 2010 at 11:43 AM
- Sonal said...
Hi Ms.De,
Mumbai is where its all happening!The Ambanis, the Thackerays,and The Khans and the marathi manoos!Cricket has stirred up controversy again, with the Paki players being denied NO certificates to play in the IPL!The eve of a big release, My name is Khan! A lots at stake for everyone! Someone call a taxi plzz, i need to rush to Mumbai!
- January 30, 2010 at 12:41 PM
- Sonal said...
By the way Ms. De your Bar CLINIC, sounds more the workmanship of a lunatic than a genius!Sorry, but i dont think u can pass off any kind of ludricity as avant garde art.The thought of a hospital atmosphere can put any one off, so why would i want to go to one, even if it just looked like one, to chase the blues or then just chillax with friends! not happening at all!Wondering what made u go there!? Jst a question!
- January 30, 2010 at 12:57 PM
- Niks... said...
hi shobz and viewers...pls go the link and vote for the bollywood movie of the decade
- January 30, 2010 at 12:58 PM
- Balvinder Singh said...
Shobhaa, thanks for keeping in contact with us blokes sitting back home. I love you taking us along on your sojourns. Well back home, yes, u already know about developments in the Mumbai where some famous bloke keeps making a comment on the city at regular intervals, thus keeping the oxygen supply running for Thackereys by giving them a chance to pounce on the remark and hog lime light for themselves.
Here my neck is feeling sour after the frequency of my hanging it in shame has increased. I do that every time some high and mighty puts our country to shame in front of the world.
This time it the Generals of the Indian Army.
- January 30, 2010 at 1:33 PM
- Pallav said...
Come back soon:)
- January 30, 2010 at 3:17 PM
- Niks... said...
chetan 2 ststes review..
- January 30, 2010 at 4:42 PM
- toma said...
Back home , everything is fine ,ji except for a few outbursts from a senile old tiger against SRK etc.
Would Singapore have some sort of medicine to cure him and his ilk?
- January 30, 2010 at 4:55 PM
- Maddy said...
- This comment has been removed by the author.
- January 30, 2010 at 6:18 PM
- Maddy said...
You will find more of Lim who knows more of Hindu Gods in Singapore. Check out if you can, for a Grand festival called "Thaipoosam" today!
- January 30, 2010 at 6:20 PM
- ROHAN kARKHANIS said...
hello shobha,
yes.. lots happening lately in aapli mumbai... balasaheb lashing out at mukesh ambani and SRK... well as usual all the elite have started thackeray bashing and the marathi manoos is also dragged in at the same time... well i aint no intellectual , but i dont understand why all this fuss over the omission of players from a country with whom we are on less than friendly relations??? please explain...
- January 30, 2010 at 6:56 PM
- Latha said...
You should be already aware that because Shah Rukh Khan said Pak players should be allowed in India, on Friday, Sena activists tore the posters of "My Name is Khan" in Thane and ordered the theatre-owner not to screen the film.
The Sena earlier announced that it would disrupt IPL matches if Pakistani players were allowed to participate.
Sena spokesman and MP Sanjay Raut said: "He (Khan) should sell off his bungalow in Bandra and go to Karachi or Islamabad to play with them. If he includes Pakistani players in his team, he should watch out for the consequences."
But Minister of State for Home Ramesh Bagwe assured Khan & all Pak players police protection.
You are 2 1/2 hrs ahead of us. Did you by any chance attend the Singapore Lyric Opera Orchestra, Puccini's La Boheme in Esplanade today ?
Singaporian cuisines have funny names....Oseng-Oseng Wortel, Atjar Tjampoer, Nasi Goreng, Keredok...
Tried any of these.
Have a nice time.
Upload 'night safari' photos for us.
Every Tamilian would love to be in Singapore today to witness the 'Thaipoosam' festival. Too many coconuts to be broken...processions...
Bon voyage !
- January 30, 2010 at 7:09 PM
- January 30, 2010 at 8:10 PM
- goodluck said...
Sena may go overboard, but the issues they raise is not to be ridiculed. What is the necessity for the stars to go overboard about Pakistani cricketers? And Bal Thackeray conveniently omitted his friend Bachchan who also expressed the same sentiments.
- January 30, 2010 at 8:15 PM
- Harman said...
enjoy your trip.. and have fun...
- January 30, 2010 at 9:15 PM
- Deepa Raman said...
i just got to know that u have a blog...the blog simply shows that ur indeed a writer...i like the writing style
- January 30, 2010 at 9:50 PM
- Tanuj said...
Hey Shobhaa
Enjoy your stay here in Singapore. Don't leave the place without visiting Pan-Asia bar at City Hall.
- January 30, 2010 at 9:52 PM
- krutika said...
Our cabbie here definitely did not speak Marathi - he spoke the local lingo - Singaporese ( not to be confused with English!!!) . Take it or leave it.
hahah..i see how it was conviniently ignored by the readers. Well in mumbai it is going to be Hindi. and you know you have no choice but to take it
- January 30, 2010 at 11:20 PM
- Blogannath said...
Hi Ms De,
I've been a fan of yours for a very long time. You are not afraid to call a spade a spade and thats what I love about you. I also love your colorful choice of words and the way you describe your day to day happenings.
I eagerly look forward to reading your juicy blog everyday !! Way to go !!
Krithika Ramanathan
- January 31, 2010 at 9:05 AM
- एम. डी. रामटेके said...
बाळासाहेबांच वय झालं, आता असल्या बालिश प्रतिक्रिया सारख्या येत राहतिल. तुम्ही तुमचि सुट्टी साजरी करा. वय झालेल्या माणसांकडे दुर्लक्ष केलेलं बरं!
- January 31, 2010 at 10:06 AM
- Manjiri Kale said...
Dear Ma De
How could we live without u?
oh..sorry sorry "How could we live without ur blog?" ha..ha.
- January 31, 2010 at 10:36 AM
- P Adhikari said...
I have read a lot of your writing for many many years but haven't yet got a chance to express my absolute delight for your writing.There is so much of soul in your writing and you rock as a lady!! So keep rocking and writing!
And of course you are a style diva, which I believe by now you would have heard for the zillionth time.:-)
P Adhikari.
- January 31, 2010 at 11:11 AM
- Pooja said...
Ma de,
SRK wants pakistani players to play for his kkr he said sports should be left alone well as of now he is paying the price for supporting pak players no idea how it will effect his release but his timing was wrong and remember you had slammed him for not speaking during 26/11 i think when he has to open his mouth he doesnt and when he does he pays or will pay a good price.
my take on the issue is we are not happy with the attitude of pakistan with regard to 26/11 like it or not we cant behave all is fine .Even though pak players have not done anything wrong but the fact they are from pak they have to bear some loss ditto Australia ( sena have warned the same with regard to Aussie players ) as of now it is best to not take risk and wait till things get back to normal as for giving security to players we all know anything can go wrong , play safe is what i will tell SRK and others for their own good.
- January 31, 2010 at 12:34 PM
Dear Shobhaaji,
Even though you are off duty till mid Feb please be in contact with us regularly as no body knows what happens tomorrow in any field in the country which require your comments.Regarding Balasaheb's threat or criticism of Ambani for his comments on Mumbai the aged politician is in need of psychiatrist's counselling and treatment too and we pity at the degeneration of his brain due to age which results ocassional irrevelant and meaningless outbursts.
Yesterday Latha Mangeshkar ji's CD on the sanskrit compositions of Anaamacharya Kirthanas ON Lord BALAJI was released by the Governor of AP and CM of AP at Tirumala Tirupathi Devasthanam,Tirumala,AP and the sale proceeds of onme lakh CDs in first phase was donated to TTD as her contribution to provide gold plating around the sanctum sanctorum.
Being a Marathi from Mumbai she contributed to TTD in Andhra pradesh.So also being citizens of the rest of the country many contributed for the development,progress and welfare of the Marathis as well as other Mumbaites.Is Balasaheb going to criticise Latha ji for contributing to non Marathi speaking area?
- January 31, 2010 at 2:23 PM
- Aniruddha sowale said...
Mam read my blog and put your comment too
- January 31, 2010 at 2:37 PM
- Arthur Menezes said...
Sounds like a fun place to dine.I bet the cocktail came in an IV bag with a straw.Apparently SRK is a target for showing some Pakistani players a bit of 'support'.
- January 31, 2010 at 8:43 PM
- Nikhil said...
U can say I am a fanatic of Mrs Shobha De for her bold and sovereign personality. Ekdum BINDASS! Although this is the first time I writing a comment.
However, I do not know why the MEDIA in our country(India) are so jealous when a Marathi person speaks a word. They do not want us to express our views. Do they mean that we are just extremist by putting on a opinion. Last time when Shri Balasaheb expressed his elderly views on Masterblaster the whole country attacked his thoughts. Even now, although SRK is acually wrong in making pro Pakistani statements the media is supporting SRK and not the Balasaheb. Is it just becoz the later is MARATHI.
- January 31, 2010 at 10:55 PM
- Kapil More said...
Hi Shobha
Saw your interview on ibnlokmat..
It changed my opinion about you
so much and removed so many
misconceptions...i am more a fan
of you ..your thoughts were so honest,bold , clear and i know the reason you gave that interview to a marathi media...i am proud of you a "110% maharashtrian" "fierce maharashtrian" "tigeress maharashtria" :) ...specifically i liked how you freely said english media is arrogant even though your career is mainly in english media...salute the guts in u ..
- February 1, 2010 at 1:13 AM
- Kapil More said...
Also i saw the interview all 3 times it was telecast to hear you again and again and also becuase to see your smile...its a dhadkan smile..missed a heartbeat everytime u smiled...u still can kill men :)
- February 1, 2010 at 1:15 AM
- Sidhusaaheb said...
- This comment has been removed by the author.
- February 1, 2010 at 3:12 AM
- Sidhusaaheb said...
Well, the CLINIC seems to be a sick idea indeed that probably came out of a sick mind.
Meanwhile, have you read a column that appeared below yours in STOI recently, according to which Singaporeans have given up some of their basic freedoms (guaranteed as fundamental rights by the Constitution of India) in order to have peace and quiet, in addition to material progress? If so, what do you make of it?
Also, what kind of a language is 'Singaporese' like? A mixture of English and Chinese or, like Indianse i.e. the speakers' local language translated directly into English?
Here, the Shiv Sena are back to being the chauvinists that they always have been.
- February 1, 2010 at 3:14 AM
- *Aham* said...
wallah! madame on wheels... AGAIN! :)
Aiyyo this clinic thing seems so so sexy.. I am thinking, if it was in india it would have been seen as a thematic ladies bar for people with a high and deviant sexual appetite.
SRK bola ki he will rope in Pak players in his team... "Kolkatta Knightless Riders" and that left mr. Thakray fuming.
Similarly the big Ambani spoke about poor taxi drivers being attacked. And said Mumbai belongs to India or something like that... And obviously, he was met with a lot of fataka mooh-tod jawaab from Shiv Sena... "Marathi people have as much right over Mumbai as Mukesh Ambani has over Reliance companies,"
Like that happened.
- February 1, 2010 at 12:27 PM
- BK Chowla, said...
Whenever I come back from Singapore9my son lives there)--it takes me days to settle down as one comes back from a well disciplined country to----.
The Thackery clan is having it out.I am not bothered as to who is saying what.What is bothering me is that who is NOT SAYING AT ALL.
What is CM Chavan waiting for?Why is he not taking any action? Why is Centre quiet?
- February 1, 2010 at 1:09 PM
- goodluck said...
I am 200 percent Indian first and last.
- February 1, 2010 at 1:21 PM
- myfuzzyworld said...
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- February 1, 2010 at 7:50 PM
- anamika said...
Send flowers and gifts to Singapore through our website and leave a lasting memory at the celebrations of your loved ones. Convey your deepest appreciation for your dear ones by delivering the right flowers and gifts for the right occasion.
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- February 3, 2010 at 4:16 PM
- syed abbas said...
hi shobhaa ,
dear fantastically article written on
my name is mumbai ? in the deccan chronicle it really a superb write up and i like the flow of your say trust me mam and happen to see your blog address so i thought i would leave few words for you about your experience intelligence style simplicity a real transperent article writer of decade.
take care
- February 13, 2010 at 8:16 AM
- abbas said...
hi mam singapore is a lovely place so small and soo tidy well organised and hygenic trouble free place to enjoy. its a dot on the globe and with a radius of 45 km.been their twice and its real a good place to have peace and fun.so hope u will enjoy and have fun mam take care
- February 13, 2010 at 10:31 AM