Matt Said, Jay Said: _VMCMLXIX

<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on"><br />Matt blathers, Jay blathers, You listen intently.<br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhL3nsccdq5EAlE0DBIw6oLqnQuo-dBq3ZlFv38L0On1Od8QJa-YuCM0Sy08g91hlAVE8VnapAK-AsHuIfNYcl52VXe3_6RxT5Ema9tWl7oDi3_D3uoNr1MFvGsrIcLcniX9MvL2v6xyHk/s1600/Branson-Missouri.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhL3nsccdq5EAlE0DBIw6oLqnQuo-dBq3ZlFv38L0On1Od8QJa-YuCM0Sy08g91hlAVE8VnapAK-AsHuIfNYcl52VXe3_6RxT5Ema9tWl7oDi3_D3uoNr1MFvGsrIcLcniX9MvL2v6xyHk/s320/Branson-Missouri.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><b>Matt:</b> Good evening how may I direct your call?<br /><b>Jay:</b> May I speak to the decision maker of the house?<br /><b>Matt: </b>Oh that would be me. Totally.<br /><b>Jay:</b> Great! I’m calling on behalf of Branson Weekends.<br /><b>Matt: </b>I love Branson Missouri!<br /><b>Jay: </b>Well, we would like to offer you a great deal on a weekend there!<br /><b>Matt: </b>Do we get to look at timeshare condos?<br /><b>Jay:</b> Absolutely!<br /><b>Matt: </b>Cooooooooool!<br /><b>Jay:</b> And, you’ll get to stay in a lovely suite overlooking Lake Taneycomo.<br /><b>Matt: </b>Lake Perry Como?<br /><b>Jay:</b> No, TANEY-como.<br /><b>Matt:</b> Is Perry Como performing there? Or is he dead? Or was that Andy Williams.<br /><b>Jay:</b> Well, they’re both dead, but Clink Black is headlining the Andy Williams Theater.<br /><b>Matt:</b> Eh. We were hoping for Pam Tillis, so no thanks.<br /><b>Jay: </b>Okie Dokie.<br /><br /><b>Jay:</b> Have you seen how many listens we got for the <a href="http://www.blogtalkradio.com/im-with-stupid/2012/10/14/man-crush-show" target="_blank">Man Crush</a> show?<br /><b>Matt: </b>It’s actually a little scary.<br /><b>Jay: </b>Who are these people?<br /><b>Matt: </b>Shut-ins, I suppose.<br /><b>Jay:</b> Sad, lonely people.<br /><b>Matt: </b>They just “get” us.<br /><b>Jay: </b>We speak to them.<br /><b>Matt: </b>They know we’re one of them.<br /><b>Jay: </b>People who masturbate then cry themselves to sleep at night.<br /><b>Matt:</b> Boy do we know how that is.<br /><b>Jay: </b>Totally.<br /><br /><b>Matt:</b> *typing*<br /><b>Jay:</b> Who are you communicating with?<br /><b>Matt:</b> My brother.<br /><b>Jay: </b>What’s he doing?<br /><b>Matt:</b> Riding around in a golf cart.<br /><b>Jay: </b>Why?<br /><b>Matt: </b>Because he can’t find a caddie? Hey-OOOOO<br /><b>Jay: </b>I walked right into that one.<br /><b>Matt: </b>I’m way too quick for you.<br /><b>Jay:</b> Obviously.<br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjjrIeO4KIwNR0EmX1Ap0FlqHOzQmRi3DcxHKUkgTNgWlPne_cZvBUfuDB9Rtx4V0LlArVzbUrqW9J5dYcTTEkyzQ3-eqmOOjTWwoA36vqptoF8OqyiNcikeyc6_lKTdFyf14s-7EJqUmw/s1600/sexy-graduate.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjjrIeO4KIwNR0EmX1Ap0FlqHOzQmRi3DcxHKUkgTNgWlPne_cZvBUfuDB9Rtx4V0LlArVzbUrqW9J5dYcTTEkyzQ3-eqmOOjTWwoA36vqptoF8OqyiNcikeyc6_lKTdFyf14s-7EJqUmw/s320/sexy-graduate.jpg" width="263" /></a></div><b>Jay:</b> Got any ideas for Sunday?<br /><b>Matt:</b> Many!<br /><b>Jay: </b>Do you want to share them?<br /><b>Matt: </b>You promise not to tell anyone?<br /><b>Jay:</b> Of course!<br /><b>Matt:</b> Well, Ryno turns 18 next week.<br /><b>Jay: </b>That’s exciting.<br /><b>Matt: </b>So I thought we could talk about when WE were 18?<br /><b>Jay:</b> I like it!<br /><b>Matt: </b>I’m sure we both have plenty of stories.<br /><b>Jay: </b>Absolutely. And that’s when we both had hope for our futures.<br /><b>Matt:</b> Exactly! We were graduating high school and heading to college.<br /><b>Jay: </b>Lots of great experiences.<br /><b>Matt: </b>It’ll be HUGE!<br /><b>Jay:</b> Another MONSTER show coming up!<br /><b>Matt:</b> I can’t wait!<br /><b>Jay: </b>Me either!<br /><br />Alright, there you go. A little insight into how a couple of brilliant guys put together the NUMBER ONE comedy show on BTR! Tune in Sunday at 12 Noon ET for “<a href="http://www.blogtalkradio.com/im-with-stupid/2012/10/21/when-we-were-18" target="_blank">When We Were 18</a>.” And then call in with your great memories.<br /><br /></div>

Matt Said, Jay Said: _VMCMLXIX

Matt blathers, Jay blathers, You listen intently.Matt: Good evening how may I direct your call?Jay: May I speak to the decision maker of the house?Matt: Oh that would be me. Totally.Jay: Great! I’m calling on behalf of Branson Weekends.Matt: I love B…

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Today's archidose #628

Today I snapped some photos of the <a href="http://www.fdrfourfreedomspark.org/">FDR Four Freedoms Park</a> on Roosevelt Island during its <a href="http://cfa.aiany.org/index.php?section=calendar&evtid=4867">Archtober Open House</a>. The park, designed by Louis I. Kahn and completed four decades after his death by <a href="http://www.mitchellgiurgola.com/">Mitchell/Giurgola Architects</a>, opens to the public on October 24.<br /><br /><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/archidose/8103998134/" title="FDR Four Freedoms Park by archidose, on Flickr"><img alt="FDR Four Freedoms Park" height="480" src="http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8056/8103998134_83f23b394a_z.jpg" width="640" /></a><br /><br /><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/archidose/8103981903/" title="FDR Four Freedoms Park by archidose, on Flickr"><img alt="FDR Four Freedoms Park" height="800" src="http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8049/8103981903_b05563e06f_c.jpg" width="600" /></a><br /><br /><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/archidose/8103982461/" title="FDR Four Freedoms Park by archidose, on Flickr"><img alt="FDR Four Freedoms Park" height="800" src="http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8336/8103982461_c4966dd2c6_c.jpg" width="600" /></a><br /><br /><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/archidose/8103995934/" title="FDR Four Freedoms Park by archidose, on Flickr"><img alt="FDR Four Freedoms Park" height="480" src="http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8324/8103995934_f0a007eaf5_z.jpg" width="640" /></a><br /><br /><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/archidose/8103981129/" title="FDR Four Freedoms Park by archidose, on Flickr"><img alt="FDR Four Freedoms Park" height="480" src="http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8323/8103981129_e94acd8770_z.jpg" width="640" /></a><br /><br /><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/archidose/8103995110/" title="FDR Four Freedoms Park by archidose, on Flickr"><img alt="FDR Four Freedoms Park" height="800" src="http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8333/8103995110_0e183aeb3d_c.jpg" width="551" /></a><br /><br /><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/archidose/8103980219/" title="FDR Four Freedoms Park by archidose, on Flickr"><img alt="FDR Four Freedoms Park" height="480" src="http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8054/8103980219_b145b08c3c_z.jpg" width="640" /></a><br /><br /><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/archidose/8103979175/" title="FDR Four Freedoms Park by archidose, on Flickr"><img alt="FDR Four Freedoms Park" height="480" src="http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8465/8103979175_dc1c9fc4c0_z.jpg" width="640" /></a><br /><br /><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/archidose/8103994260/" title="FDR Four Freedoms Park by archidose, on Flickr"><img alt="FDR Four Freedoms Park" height="480" src="http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8045/8103994260_37bb28c592_z.jpg" width="640" /></a><br /><br /><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/archidose/8103993140/" title="FDR Four Freedoms Park by archidose, on Flickr"><img alt="FDR Four Freedoms Park" height="480" src="http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8331/8103993140_13f2b15a48_z.jpg" width="640" /></a><br /><br /><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/archidose/8103977213/" title="FDR Four Freedoms Park by archidose, on Flickr"><img alt="FDR Four Freedoms Park" height="480" src="http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8193/8103977213_c429370803_z.jpg" width="640" /></a><br /><br /><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/archidose/8103992730/" title="FDR Four Freedoms Park by archidose, on Flickr"><img alt="FDR Four Freedoms Park" height="480" src="http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8195/8103992730_f7903f46bd_z.jpg" width="640" /></a><br /><br /><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/archidose/8103992276/" title="FDR Four Freedoms Park by archidose, on Flickr"><img alt="FDR Four Freedoms Park" height="800" src="http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8192/8103992276_daba818705_c.jpg" width="600" /></a><br /><br /><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/archidose/8103992028/" title="FDR Four Freedoms Park by archidose, on Flickr"><img alt="FDR Four Freedoms Park" height="480" src="http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8190/8103992028_1ffb90819a_z.jpg" width="640" /></a><br /><br /><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/archidose/8103976647/" title="FDR Four Freedoms Park by archidose, on Flickr"><img alt="FDR Four Freedoms Park" height="480" src="http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8331/8103976647_568b341e48_z.jpg" width="640" /></a><br /><br /><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/archidose/8103990860/" title="FDR Four Freedoms Park by archidose, on Flickr"><img alt="FDR Four Freedoms Park" height="800" src="http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8323/8103990860_b8a2626b93_c.jpg" width="600" /></a><br /><br />To contribute your Flickr images for consideration, just:<br /><blockquote>:: Join and add photos to the <a href="http://www.flickr.com/groups/archi-dose/">archidose pool</a>, and/or<br />:: Tag your photos <span style="font-style: italic;"><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/tags/archidose/">archidose</a></span></blockquote>

Today's archidose #628

Today I snapped some photos of the FDR Four Freedoms Park on Roosevelt Island during its Archtober Open House. The park, designed by Louis I. Kahn and completed four decades after his death by Mitchell/Giurgola Architects, opens to the public on Octo…

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Software Engineer (C++, .Net, Object Oriented, UML, Mathematical Modeling/Analytical) (#108747)

<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on"><!-- Converted from text/rtf format --> <br /><div dir="LTR"><span lang="en-us" style="font-size: small;"><b><span style="font-family: Arial;">Position</span></b></span><span lang="en-us" style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Arial;">:  Software Engineer<br /> </span></span><span lang="en-us" style="font-size: small;"><b><span style="font-family: Arial;">Location</span></b></span><span lang="en-us" style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Arial;">: Milpitas, CA<br /> </span></span><span lang="en-us" style="font-size: small;"><b><span style="font-family: Arial;">Duration</span></b></span><span lang="en-us" style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Arial;">: Full time</span></span><span lang="en-us" style="font-size: small;"><b><span style="font-family: Arial;"><br /><br />Job Description</span></b></span><span lang="en-us" style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Arial;">:<br />The Wafer Inspection Division (WIN) of KLA-Tencor designs and manufactures systems that are used for capturing yield-impacting defects at the front-end-of-line (FEOL) and the back-end-of-line (BEOL). A successful candidate will be joining a world leader in wafer inspection products and technologies designing and manufacturing the next generation of products. The Wafer Inspection Division (WIN) is seeking a Software Engineer in our Milpitas, California campus.</span></span><span lang="en-us" style="font-size: small;"><b><span style="font-family: Arial;"><br /><br />Responsibilities</span></b></span><span lang="en-us" style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Arial;">:<br />1) You will be a key member of our global, highly integrated multi-disciplinary team of engineers responsible for maintaining and evolving a software subsystem designed to provide real-time data analysis capability to inspection tools and data analysis applications.<br />2) You will work with marketing and applications to innovate competitive software analysis solutions designed to address specific customer needs.<br />3) You will have responsibility for all aspects of software design from requirement analysis to optimization and characterization to field deployment and support.<br />4) You will also be responsible for integrating multiple software sub-systems to solve some the most advanced technical challenges facing the semiconductor chip industry.</span></span><span lang="en-us" style="font-size: small;"><b><span style="font-family: Arial;"><br /><br />Preferred Qualifications</span></b></span><span lang="en-us" style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Arial;">:<br />a) Must have programming experience in one of the following languages: C++, COM or .NET<br />b) Experience with mathematical modeling and strong knowledge of statistics desired.<br />c) Must have demonstrated experience with creative problem solving.<br />d) Semiconductor equipment industry experience and/or Image/data processing experience a plus.<br />e) Knowledge of large scale storage technologies a plus.<br />f) Experience with Object-Oriented software analysis and design using UML (Unified Modeling Language) modeling.</span></span><span lang="en-us" style="font-size: small;"><b><span style="font-family: Arial;"><br /><br />Minimum Qualifications</span></b></span><span lang="en-us" style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Arial;">:<br />Bachelor's Level Degree with at least 3 years of experience.<br />OR<br />Master's Level Degree with at least 2 years of experience.<br />OR</span></span><span lang="en-us" style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Arial;"><br />Doctorate (Academic).</span></span><span lang="en-us" style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Arial;"><br /><br />Kindly send your resumes to</span></span><span lang="en-us" style="font-size: small;"> </span><span style="font-size: small;"><a href="mailto:sivaram.bose@kla-tencor.com"><span lang="en-us"><u><span style="color: blue; font-family: Arial;">sivaram.bose@kla-tencor.com</span></u></span></a></span></div></div>

Software Engineer (C++, .Net, Object Oriented, UML, Mathematical Modeling/Analytical) (#108747)

Position:  Software Engineer Location: Milpitas, CA Duration: Full timeJob Description:The Wafer Inspection Division (WIN) of KLA-Tencor designs and manufactures systems that are used for capturing yield-impacting defects at the front-end-of-li…

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Out and about in Dublin City

<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: large;">We took a few days off work this week to celebrate Ciaran's birthday (it was a big one but I won't say what age he is!)</span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: large;">Thursday was a lovely day.  We cycled to the Fumbally Cafe for breakfast - really delicious scrambled eggs on homemade bread topped with fresh tomatoes.   </span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: large;">We stopped off on the way to the cafe to look at St. Patrick's Cathedral which is nearby.</span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjD9amrsznNEV4MXak1WXNZpcNE1XfMojeKqxXjuj2XnEZRbOOylBQAr9JxXukj8DgMLlUh7YnKU60XMcqQtQQoR_gDhRru6usAhfQl1CX22Y8ENrfhXdmoZQEVs-sR0jY_r-6UQaX96syP/s1600/IMG_2218%5B1%5D.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjD9amrsznNEV4MXak1WXNZpcNE1XfMojeKqxXjuj2XnEZRbOOylBQAr9JxXukj8DgMLlUh7YnKU60XMcqQtQQoR_gDhRru6usAhfQl1CX22Y8ENrfhXdmoZQEVs-sR0jY_r-6UQaX96syP/s320/IMG_2218%5B1%5D.JPG" width="239" /></a></div><br /><span style="font-size: large;">As we were cycling along the canal I saw these ballerinas.  They were there for a photo call and there was a group of photographers on the other side of the canal waiting to take their picture.</span><br /><span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhJOfVPnXZmWe8HhmjzF9enHTvBs1pLFEQTGlw5V8RZUh-hj-DiFc6u7yNN3M3JC4AWuGaY9u4Y2lNK_nRhd8D0Vy_0nxm44hBizPhCInM-J7zur0IKdpj0v2BfWBNMAe4dkGreQLD4pTSL/s1600/IMG_2217%5B1%5D.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhJOfVPnXZmWe8HhmjzF9enHTvBs1pLFEQTGlw5V8RZUh-hj-DiFc6u7yNN3M3JC4AWuGaY9u4Y2lNK_nRhd8D0Vy_0nxm44hBizPhCInM-J7zur0IKdpj0v2BfWBNMAe4dkGreQLD4pTSL/s320/IMG_2217%5B1%5D.JPG" width="239" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: large;">After breakfast we walked along Francis Street and called in to some antique shops.  Our house is from the Victorian era but this is not a style of furniture that we would like to own. </span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: large;">Among all of the antique stores we found a shop that sold mid-century modern furniture, it was <a href="http://www.michaelmortell.ie/">XXc Antiques</a>. We both loved this <a href="http://www.designaddict.com/design_radar/index.cfm/Willy_Rizzo">Willy Rizzo</a> designed table from the 1960's.  </span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: large;">In the centre of the table is a cut out tray for setting up liquor bottles when having a party.  Very cool!! </span></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjFZqOpRHapU4HAeVBkdjYU-76YKuROSYY6FLH3eJ5DrKO4aMjEIOXIdihxuRfjtrmfsiiX9qduXg2jb73seXZ3MgJ4Vf5PfOkbHcTd2G56ErgdNH-BhiMMmKGGCyfzndkOqod-JREyjBNy/s1600/IMG_2220%5B1%5D.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjFZqOpRHapU4HAeVBkdjYU-76YKuROSYY6FLH3eJ5DrKO4aMjEIOXIdihxuRfjtrmfsiiX9qduXg2jb73seXZ3MgJ4Vf5PfOkbHcTd2G56ErgdNH-BhiMMmKGGCyfzndkOqod-JREyjBNy/s320/IMG_2220%5B1%5D.JPG" width="239" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: large;">We continued up to Thomas Street where Ciaran needed to call to an art supply shop.  We also found the "Ferocious Mingle Market" which was a bizarre type of bazaar market.  It was a long market with lots of little cafes and stalls.  In the middle was a large screen showing a film with cinema seats.  All very strange.  At night time it then turns into a live music venue.</span></div><br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgaT8eKz4eEfC4e9zZJ54TDEYy1vcRiqrEilnJ_jg4f58orekeh5fBRBzIoROliQbNaJm-GL-uNfinKF0O5ZdAGxYU1nEcQ1ylFjHVTFFtru0Fda63yfOawX30Pt2Y8sRlhS7A89tk3toFQ/s1600/IMG_2223%5B1%5D.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgaT8eKz4eEfC4e9zZJ54TDEYy1vcRiqrEilnJ_jg4f58orekeh5fBRBzIoROliQbNaJm-GL-uNfinKF0O5ZdAGxYU1nEcQ1ylFjHVTFFtru0Fda63yfOawX30Pt2Y8sRlhS7A89tk3toFQ/s320/IMG_2223%5B1%5D.JPG" width="239" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: large;">When we got Bones home after a long day he collapsed on the couch!  It was a busy day for a little pup.</span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgPwsNH_CT8foGyhPZv8ZPhbB931Nu8FnWTtTjRZXSGMDk3ofSkvEONI0tomjZbgZyVwW1zQO1OoL5gyFt6M6nd7TkjPgIFfq-kLB1d_oo3WUAQYD7-BhydBoWPYotVVl4JKAy5kzSsMhCj/s1600/IMG_2215%5B1%5D.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgPwsNH_CT8foGyhPZv8ZPhbB931Nu8FnWTtTjRZXSGMDk3ofSkvEONI0tomjZbgZyVwW1zQO1OoL5gyFt6M6nd7TkjPgIFfq-kLB1d_oo3WUAQYD7-BhydBoWPYotVVl4JKAy5kzSsMhCj/s320/IMG_2215%5B1%5D.JPG" width="239" /></a></div><br /><span style="font-size: large;">Today we had breakfast in Door 51 and then visited the <a href="http://www.esb.ie/main/about-esb/numbertwentynine/virtual_tour/hall.htm">Georgian House Museum</a> at Number 29 Fitzwilliam Street.  We had visited this house a few years ago and it was well worth viewing again.  If you are in Dublin, Ireland I recommend you visit this museum!</span>

Out and about in Dublin City

We took a few days off work this week to celebrate Ciaran's birthday (it was a big one but I won't say what age he is!)Thursday was a lovely day.  We cycled to the Fumbally Cafe for breakfast - really delicious scrambled eggs on homemade bread topped…

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Free Purex Coupons up for Grabs!

<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">The Winner's have already been selected!</span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgyFe77JA3xWptOyQi6TVPsGE0lfH8SPlH-q1EY5BdS7tl7xKx0niAciwDfZluQ9YUmcIjWctOoyun3spzc1IHAb54-4NXtZCESOQZFHnGY4L75UN7drbmJEBUzcY2D0PVTUZp1luLT9E8/s1600/purex+oxi+detergent.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgyFe77JA3xWptOyQi6TVPsGE0lfH8SPlH-q1EY5BdS7tl7xKx0niAciwDfZluQ9YUmcIjWctOoyun3spzc1IHAb54-4NXtZCESOQZFHnGY4L75UN7drbmJEBUzcY2D0PVTUZp1luLT9E8/s320/purex+oxi+detergent.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>I have to admit I've used many detergents in my life but never found one that I loved until now! I'm a Purex Insider and was selected to test this great detergent! I love using new Purex Oxi Clean Detergent. This is a great product because the laundry has never been fresher,cleaner or whiter than before! Fight tough stains with Purex Oxi today! Best thing is you can because I will be giving away a coupon for a free bottle by simply posting my name of the blog, and a short message saying Kelli Bliss sent me for a chance to win a bottle of free Purex Oxi!

Free Purex Coupons up for Grabs!

The Winner's have already been selected!I have to admit I've used many detergents in my life but never found one that I loved until now! I'm a Purex Insider and was selected to test this great detergent! I love using new Purex Oxi Clean Detergent. Th…

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BIC Mark-It Permanent Markers

<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiAgVTnOwk9O9XVOgy0iWmX9L0gYGKp7KJbRoco_9DindSPQfVK2gca5mS7EJ8uhjkef46xABZGLprdPhjT_tzEcDZpBV0Q-1kN4I9GCNugnl7onJN2R9VAVmWIlXS30VMe-oHSCgqyHJs/s1600/Bic+mission.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiAgVTnOwk9O9XVOgy0iWmX9L0gYGKp7KJbRoco_9DindSPQfVK2gca5mS7EJ8uhjkef46xABZGLprdPhjT_tzEcDZpBV0Q-1kN4I9GCNugnl7onJN2R9VAVmWIlXS30VMe-oHSCgqyHJs/s320/Bic+mission.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><br /><a href="http://smiley360.com/930447.cfm#.UIGWfQNzeWg.blogger">BIC Mark-It Permanent Markers</a>: Thx 4 the free #bicmarkit permanent markers. Enter the 36 Days of Color Sweepstakes http://bit.ly/UTtHSs NoPurNec,US,18+.Ends11/6/12. *Please remember the FTC requires you to mention that you received a free sample courtesy of Smiley360 when sharing.

BIC Mark-It Permanent Markers

BIC Mark-It Permanent Markers: Thx 4 the free #bicmarkit permanent markers. Enter the 36 Days of Color Sweepstakes http://bit.ly/UTtHSs NoPurNec,US,18+.Ends11/6/12. *Please remember the FTC requires you to mention that you received a free sample cour…

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Are Doctors Too Wary of Drug Companies? - NYTimes.com

<base href="data:"><div style="font-family: Helvetica; font-size: 14px; color: black; text-align: left; "><div id="well" style="color: rgb(0, 0, 0); font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 13px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; letter-spacing: normal; line-height: normal; orphans: 2; text-align: -webkit-auto; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: 2; word-spacing: 0px; -webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; -webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; "><div align="left"><div class="entry-content"><div style="color: rgb(51, 51, 51); font-size: medium; margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0.7em; margin-left: 0px; padding-top: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; line-height: 1.375em; ">Not long ago, I asked a colleague for advice on a patient. He offered up a couple of treatment options, then stopped to show me a <a href="http://www.lexi.com/" style="color: rgb(0, 0, 102); text-decoration: none; ">new medical app</a> on his electronic tablet. With a few swipes of his finger, he summoned a compilation of research articles, synopses and even entire textbooks that, printed and bound, would have filled shelves in a library.</div><div style="color: rgb(51, 51, 51); font-size: medium; margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0.7em; margin-left: 0px; padding-top: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; line-height: 1.375em; ">"But do you know what the best part is?" he asked with a twinkle in his eye. I thought of the exhaustive reference material and the seemingly endless scroll of diagnoses that were all so easy to access on the small screen balanced on his knees.</div><div style="color: rgb(51, 51, 51); font-size: medium; margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0.7em; margin-left: 0px; padding-top: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; line-height: 1.375em; ">"The best part is that none of this is sponsored by Pharma!" he said with a broad smile. "There's no bias."</div><div style="color: rgb(51, 51, 51); font-size: medium; margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0.7em; margin-left: 0px; padding-top: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; line-height: 1.375em; ">My colleague is not the only doctor who feels that way, according to a <a href="http://www.nejm.org/doi/full/10.1056/NEJMsa1202397" style="color: rgb(0, 0, 102); text-decoration: none; ">recent study published in The New England Journal of Medicine</a>.</div><div style="color: rgb(51, 51, 51); font-size: medium; margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0.7em; margin-left: 0px; padding-top: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; line-height: 1.375em; ">For years, most doctors have had a predictable, if not close, <a href="http://www.nejm.org/doi/full/10.1056/NEJMsa064508" style="color: rgb(0, 0, 102); text-decoration: none; ">relationship with the pharmaceutical industry.</a> Companies handed out office tchotchkes, paid for staff lunches and distributed drug samples for patients. More significantly, drug companies were important sources of biomedical research money, particularly <a href="http://jama.jamanetwork.com/article.aspx?articleid=185198" style="color: rgb(0, 0, 102); text-decoration: none; ">during periods when federal support wavered</a>. It was understood that the companies providing funding would <a href="http://jama.jamanetwork.com/article.aspx?articleid=182478" style="color: rgb(0, 0, 102); text-decoration: none; ">leave the researchers alone</a> to design and conduct the study, analyze the data and write up the results.</div><div style="color: rgb(51, 51, 51); font-size: medium; margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0.7em; margin-left: 0px; padding-top: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; line-height: 1.375em; ">That understanding began to fray about a decade ago when doctors, and patients, began to realize that drug companies were <a href="http://jama.jamanetwork.com/article.aspx?articleid=182478" style="color: rgb(0, 0, 102); text-decoration: none; ">becoming too involved with the research</a> they were supporting. For example, one major pharmaceutical firm manipulated data and underestimated the risk of heart attacks, strokes and deaths in a large study of a drug for arthritis. The drug was eventually withdrawn from the market, but not before <a href="http://www.nejm.org/doi/full/10.1056/NEJMp048286" style="color: rgb(0, 0, 102); text-decoration: none; ">80 million patients had used it, with annual sales topping $2.5 billion</a>.</div><div style="color: rgb(51, 51, 51); font-size: medium; margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0.7em; margin-left: 0px; padding-top: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; line-height: 1.375em; ">The case highlighted the dangers of industry sponsorship of research into new drugs, and the public became eager to expose any potential conflict of interest, particularly for doctors. Within a few years, a new standard of transparency in medicine emerged. Brightly labeled drug company pens became an embarrassment; lunches on the drug company tab and sponsored conferences turned suspect; and editors at numerous medical journals <a href="http://jama.jamanetwork.com/article.aspx?articleid=185138" style="color: rgb(0, 0, 102); text-decoration: none; ">published lengthy screeds detailing their disclosure requirements</a>.</div><div style="color: rgb(51, 51, 51); font-size: medium; margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0.7em; margin-left: 0px; padding-top: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; line-height: 1.375em; ">The new skepticism and transparency were no doubt good for patients and doctors, but this recent study reveals that in our zeal to single out the pharmaceutical industry's biases, we may have become blind to our own.</div><div style="color: rgb(51, 51, 51); font-size: medium; margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0.7em; margin-left: 0px; padding-top: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; line-height: 1.375em; ">The researchers created several hypothetical drug studies, then asked a group of practicing physicians to rate the "studies" and the likelihood they would prescribe the new "drug." The researchers purposefully varied the quality of the studies and the disclosures - some of the made-up studies disclosed that they had received pharmaceutical company funding, others said they'd received support from the National Institutes of Health, and the rest listed no funding disclosures at all.</div><div style="color: rgb(51, 51, 51); font-size: medium; margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0.7em; margin-left: 0px; padding-top: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; line-height: 1.375em; ">Most of the doctors were able to assess the quality of the research pretty accurately. After reading the less rigorous studies, the ones that weren't designed, conducted or analyzed well, the doctors were hesitant to prescribe the new drugs under study; seeing the more rigorous studies, they were more willing to do so.</div><div style="color: rgb(51, 51, 51); font-size: medium; margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0.7em; margin-left: 0px; padding-top: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; line-height: 1.375em; ">But the researchers also found that the doctors were also unduly swayed by any mention of industry funding. Regardless of the quality, if a study was supported by a pharmaceutical company, doctors were less willing to consider prescribing the studied drug and less likely to assess the quality of the research with accuracy.</div><div style="color: rgb(51, 51, 51); font-size: medium; margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0.7em; margin-left: 0px; padding-top: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; line-height: 1.375em; ">"Some amount of skepticism is warranted," said Dr. Aaron S. Kesselheim, lead author of the study and an assistant professor of medicine in the division of pharmacoepidemiology and pharmacoeconomics at the Brigham and Women's Hospital in Boston. "But ultimately it should be the quality of the study and the impact of the results that determine your confidence about using a new drug, not who was funding it."</div><div style="color: rgb(51, 51, 51); font-size: medium; margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0.7em; margin-left: 0px; padding-top: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; line-height: 1.375em; ">Being overly skeptical has serious implications for patient care. The pharmaceutical industry, along with medical device and biotechnology firms, <a href="http://www.nejm.org/doi/full/10.1056/NEJMsa1202397" style="color: rgb(0, 0, 102); text-decoration: none; ">continues to finance a majority of current research</a>. In 2007, for example, <a href="http://jama.jamanetwork.com/article.aspx?articleid=185198" style="color: rgb(0, 0, 102); text-decoration: none; ">industry was responsible for nearly 60 percent</a> of the more than $100 billion spent on research. Much industry-supported research focuses on the side effects of new drugs. By writing off such research, doctors risk overlooking findings that may have important treatment implications for their patients, like a new cholesterol-lowering drug that is found to have less of an effect on energy and blood sugar levels than other similar medications.</div><div style="color: rgb(51, 51, 51); font-size: medium; margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0.7em; margin-left: 0px; padding-top: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; line-height: 1.375em; ">Dr. Kesselheim and his collaborators believe what is needed in biomedical research is even greater transparency. Such openness would include more independent third-party statistical reviews to ensure that data is not being manipulated or misleading and wider use of public Web sites like <a href="http://clinicaltrials.gov/" style="color: rgb(0, 0, 102); text-decoration: none; ">ClinicalTrials.gov</a>, regardless of the source of funding.</div><div style="color: rgb(51, 51, 51); font-size: medium; margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0.7em; margin-left: 0px; padding-top: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; line-height: 1.375em; "><a href="http://ClinicalTrials.gov">ClinicalTrials.gov</a> lists study details like objectives, design and data gathered, providing doctors and patients alike with a way to confirm that no data is being selectively reported or distorted. But participation on the site is voluntary, and pharmaceutical, medical device and biomedical companies are often hesitant to share what they consider proprietary data, choosing instead to list only selective details, or no information at all.</div><div style="color: rgb(51, 51, 51); font-size: medium; margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0.7em; margin-left: 0px; padding-top: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; line-height: 1.375em; ">Until full transparency is achieved and such details are available to all on the Web or for independent statistical reviews, Dr. Kesselheim and his collaborators suggest that both doctors and patients remain alert to potential biases - Big Pharma's, and also their own.</div><div style="color: rgb(51, 51, 51); font-size: medium; margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0.7em; margin-left: 0px; padding-top: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; line-height: 1.375em; ">"Excessive skepticism," Dr. Kesselheim observed, "is as much a bad thing as naïveté."</div></div></div></div></div><a href="http://well.blogs.nytimes.com/2012/10/18/are-doctors-too-wary-of-drug-companies/?pagewanted=print">http://well.blogs.nytimes.com/2012/10/18/are-doctors-too-wary-of-drug-companies/?pagewanted=print</a><div style="font-family: Helvetica; font-size: 14px; color: black; text-align: left; "><br class="webkit-block-placeholder"></div>

Are Doctors Too Wary of Drug Companies? - NYTimes.com

Not long ago, I asked a colleague for advice on a patient. He offered up a couple of treatment options, then stopped to show me a new medical app on his electronic tablet. With a few swipes of his finger, he summoned a compilation of research article…

Read more »