Taliban Now Winning: Afghanitnam

"The Taliban have gained the upper hand in Afghanistan, the top American commander there said, forcing the U.S. to change its strategy in the eight-year-old conflict by increasing the number of troops in heavily populated areas like the volatile southern city of Kandahar, the insurgency's spiritual home.

The militants are mounting sophisticated attacks that combine roadside bombs with ambushes by small teams of heavily armed militants, causing significant numbers of U.S. fatalities, he said.

"How many people do you bring in before the Afghans say, 'You're acting like the Russians'?" said one senior military official, referring to the Soviet occupation of Afghanistan in the 1980s. "That's the big debate going on in the headquarters right now."

The U.S. is working to persuade Helmand's farmers to replace their poppy fields with wheat and fruit. Pretty crazy stuff. If poppies pay better, what farmer want to plant wheat? Then again, people do need to eat...

If you haven't yet read Khaled Hosseini's A Thousand Splendid Suns read it now! It has never been more relevant than right now.

Oh, and Amazon, next time I search for a book - link me to the PAPERBACK, NOT the KINDLE version. You know I don't have a Kindle.

Banning Stuff is the New Education

Last week a federal advisory panel recommended banning America's most popular and effective prescription pain pills, including Percocet and Vicodin.

It's no surprise that these pain relievers are considered dangerous. They contain powerful, habit-forming narcotics like oxycodone and hydrocodone. But that's not the issue. Percocet and Vicodin also contain acetaminophen — you know, Tylenol, that "harmless" over-the-counter pain reliever we pop like candy at the least sign of a headache, sore throat or general malaise.

It turns out that Tylenol isn't all that harmless. Overdoses kill more than 400 people each year and send 42,000 to the emergency room with acute liver failure. And so-called "combination pain killers" account for most of those overdoses.

"The FDA panel is not saying the drugs in Vicodin are bad," said one expert. "They are saying that tying [opioid narcotics and NSAIDs] together is wrong."

By adding acetaminophen to narcotics, combination drugs provide better pain relief with lower levels of narcotic. They are great for short-term use, such as after surgery.

Patients who take these drugs for chronic pain, however, build up a tolerance to the narcotic. As they take more and more, they also take more acetaminophen, and are at risk of liver damage.

Instead, Fishman said, doctors should prescribe the narcotics and acetaminophen separately. More trouble, but a safer option. (Mercury News)

So basically, instead of teaching people the right way to use a drug, the suggestion is just to ban it altogether.

Random Musings, Trends I'm Seeing

The decline of House. Disappointed that the writers had to turn to unblinding 13's study. Guess after 100 episodes, its kinda hard to find good new material and the thing is getting old.

Drugs are making major comeback on the streets of New York! I was offered weed, coke, E, and more at least 4 times by 3 different people in one weekend. Welcome to the new New York. A world of opportunity.

Girls hitting on me?

Ahh the Superbowl. Last year at the game I met the love of my life, or, at least a few months... Can you believe I sent an anniversary gift even though we stopped seeing each other ages ago? I wonder how he'll take it... And this year I met someone else; reminds me of that Sex and the City episode where she's dating this guy and asks about his previous relationships and he goes, "Well there was Cathy, Linda, Mark..." "Mark!"

Should Rabbis and Yeshiva Students be Encouraged to take Modafinil?

College professors are using it to help them think better. Can it help you pull a more effective leil shishi (all-nighter)? While foolish American sports buffs are led by the media on an anti-ballplayers-using-steroids trip, Cambridge scientists over in the UK are opening a discussion about spreading the use of a different kind of performance-enhancing drugs. One of the world's most respected science weeklies, Nature, published an article along with an online discussion board on cognitive-enhancing drugs. Americans don't analyze issues. They just do what they are told. Testosterone is bad. Testosterone is bad. Repeat after me. Human growth hormone bad. Human growth hormone bad. Ballplayers should not use. Should not use.

I was so annoyed to see even the Players Association jump on the critics bandwagon. Aren't they supposed to stick up for the players? Malcolm Gladwell had the right idea. Why is the US media so dead set against use of drugs? They are an important part of the new SuperSociety© wave of the future! Eat soma baybay!

P.S. Don't be shy. Agree? Tell me. Don't like what I say? Speak up (otherwise, I'll think my word is Law and you all agree with everything I say). Love you! Happy Holidays ! Wish me a happy holiday. I'd be sooo appreciative.


do yeshiva bochurim get hooked on drugs in israel, are college students more likely to take drugs before tests, are college boys more likely to wear hot abercrombie clothes, is this list a little absurd, would you buy a best of the tbw, more on that last later, i've been feeling very tired lately, could it be because i skip nights' sleep, i thought i made up for that with 20 hour sleepathons though, finals were rough - but fun, don't ask, the studying never ends, abercrombie studs make it easier, but they are not really my type you know, too rugged and less on the cute, i don't like how cold it has become, these thoughts are unfinished, my thinking is muddled, maybe i need some modafinil, pardon moi