Alba Gu Brath!

Gas as an economic engine?

What if the Federal and State gasoline taxes were "suspended," for the summer as some politicians had proposed?

Now that prices are falling would the added relief of a temporary tax suspension have acted as an economic stimulus at just the time it is need most?

We'll never know.

wwn

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TechCrunch: How Many Silicon Valley Startup Executives Are Hopped Up On Provigil?

What a world we live in! Who needs energy drinks or Starbucks?

Just a couple decades ago the recreation go-go drug was the stuff of legend and wars. Cocaine's irresistible draw had the jet set racing around like jacked up squirrels. Today's pharmaceuticals make it far easier for people to keep going without the stigma Cocaine eventually had.

wwn

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Is someone you work with taking Provigil to give them an extra competitive edge? I’ve spoken with one executive who says he uses it regularly to work twenty hour days, and the buzz lately is that it’s the “entrepreneur’s drug of choice” around Silicon Valley. Over the last week two separate entrepreneurs have mentioned it casually in conversation, and one said he tried it once and loved it.

Provigil (aka Modafinil) is marketed by Cephalon in the United States and is available by prescription only. It’s only approved use in the U.S. is to treat narcolepsy, a sleeping disorder. But since the main effect of Provigil is to keep you awake and able to concentrate, a lot of people who get their hands on it use it to be able to work longer hours, even though it has not been deemed safe for that kind of use.

Recreational Provigil user testimonials are all over the web. Not only are people able to work with little or no sleep, the drug has the advantage of spurring weight loss and some users report a general mood enhancing side effect. The U.S. military has also reportedly tested it on helicopter and F117 pilots to see if they remain effective for up to 88 hours without sleep.

There are few side effects to Provigil compared to stimulants and it is supposedly not habit forming. That, of course, doesn’t mean it’s safe to take it just to be able to stay awake for 20 hours a day.

What’s so funny is that entrepreneurs apparently aren’t interested in typical drugs - instead they find the one that gives them a mental and stamina advantage. Perhaps some enterprising venture capitalist will start requiring founders of their companies to get a prescription in order to close on an investment.

Crunch Network: CrunchGear drool over the sexiest new gadgets and hardware.

[From How Many Silicon Valley Startup Executives Are Hopped Up On Provigil?]

Shipments of Flu Drug Suspended

Link: Shipments of Flu Drug Suspended.

Shipments of Flu Drug Suspended Tamiflu Maker Moves to Foil Hoarding, Meet Winter Demand

From News Services
Friday, October 28, 2005; Page A02

The pharmaceutical company Roche Holding AG said yesterday that it has temporarily suspended shipments of Tamiflu to private buyers in the United States to ensure that enough of the antiviral drug will be available this winter for patients with seasonal influenza.

U.S. Now Recommends Flu Shots for All

Link: U.S. Now Recommends Flu Shots for All.

Oct. 24, 2005 -- U.S. health officials broadened national flu vaccination recommendations Monday while acknowledging that fears of a potential bird flu pandemic have complicated their efforts.

The government issued a planned expansion of its flu shot recommendations about a month after first restricting shots to high-risk people because of uncertainties over vaccine supplies. Now everyone is being encouraged to get shots to protect against seasonal flu, which kills an average of 36,000 people and causes about 200,000 hospitalizations in the U.S. each year, according to the CDC.

No wonder the coffee sucks

Link: No wonder the coffee sucks.

Dangerous bugs found in water on U.S. planes

Swimming pools are 100 times more likely to kill children than guns

University of Chicago economist Steve D. Levitt achieved notoriety in 2001 with his editorial in the Chicago Sun-Times hypothesizes that backyard swimming pools are 100 times more likely to kill children than are handguns.  His new book, Freakonomics, includes information related to this topic and other controversial theories.

The link below is to the Amazon web site page for the book but if you're interested in purchasing it please go to my library in the right hand frame and select the book from there.  This will give me credit as I am an Amazon associate.

Link: Freakonomics : A Rogue Economist Explores the Hidden Side of Everything.