Back Home on the Gulf Coast

We are in Destin, Florida today, staying on the second floor in one of a group of two-apartment beach houses. Stepping out on the balcony, I noticed a pair of ring-necked Turtle Doves in the rain gutter next door. One had left by the time I got my camera out, but here's the other, sitting on her eggs...

After breakfast I headed for the beach. The wind was blowing pretty good, but not too hard for the tourists. Here's a view up the beach, toward the east...

Lots of interesting critters -- I mean other than the tourists. Here's one of several of these guys who were digging for breakfast in the rising tide... Check the foreground of the pic above; those two butts are two more of these guys ;-)

Sea gulls are always interesting. Some, like these, like to hang around in groups...

Others haven't had their lunch yet and are taking a more pro-active course toward finding it...

Another shot of this guy...

OK, this is positively the last Gull shot (for today)...

Posted to Ron's Rec Room

Finasteride

    An Article today in the Washington Post suggests that men taking Finasteride (AKA Proscar, Propecia) have a 25% lower incidence of prostate cancer.  But reading further, we find that this is a reevaluation of a study completed in 2003 that concluded taking the drug might lead to more lethal forms of cancer. And down toward the end there's the following paragraph:

"About 71 men would have to take finasteride for seven years to prevent one case of prostate cancer. Kramer said a quick call to his Bethesda pharmacy showed that generic finasteride costs about $3 a day or around $1,080 a year, meaning that it could cost about half a million dollars to head off each case of prostate cancer -- while exposing dozens of men to unnecessary treatment and potential side effects, including incontinence and impotence. A small number of men taking finasteride also experience sexual side effects, such as a decrease in libido."

    Interesting, eh?  What's next?  I expect whenever Congress puts a Socialized Medicine plan into effect, there'll be a lot more of the calculations such as are in the paragraph above, being made by some faceless and unaccountable bureaucracy on our behalf.

    As for me, I leave for Florida on Thursday, for my one-year checkup after Proton Thereapy. Will let y'all know how that goes.