The most recent 20 comments posted to Making Light by Lisa Hertel:

There has been much discussion of the timeline. Having lived (and driven) through some of it, this is what I know:
"Police activity" was reported in the area where the first device was seen, starting shortly after 8am, and local street traffic was delayed. A bit after 9am, the report changed to "possible bomb," and that's when the highway was shut down.
It is quite possible that the real chain was MBTA worker notices device, decides to call cops, a cruiser comes by, decides to play it safe & calls HQ, they decide to call the bomb squad. In Boston traffic, the bomb squad, if located downtown (a safe assumption) would take at least 30 minutes to get to that area. The chain of calls would also take about 30 minutes, so the bomb squad did reply with a decent speed.

By noon, it's hit the news, and the locals are scared. The locals don't know that the first device is harmless; they only know what the news reported as they came into work. So, on their way to lunch, a few people see things, and decide that the cops should be called. This time, the cops respond faster, because you never know.

By mid-afternoon, it's apparent most of the devices are ad boards. Then the call from Turner comes, 'fessing up. Meanwhile, cops and city workers (paid in excess of $50/hour, plus time-and-a half for overtime--and the bomb squad people probably get hazardous duty pay in excess of $100/hour) have been working OT since 8am. That's at least $600 apiece, mind you, so it doesn't take long to reach $500,000. (Local police make 100K a year easily; living around here is expensive. With OT, a cop can clear over 200K/year.)

The next day, the guerilla artists are hauled in, and, instead of apologizing, crack jokes and are basically wise-asses, endearing them to nobody.

Now, if CN had just paid for ad space--indeed, they had a large billboard ad near where the first device was found up until a couple of weeks ago--all this would have been avoided. Instead, they decide to be cheap. Didn't pay off, though they did get publicity.

It's long been known that propoxyphene is addictive; that's why it's a controlled substance (like codeine, morphine, and herion). Usually it's dispensed with acetaminophen (or paracetamol, for you Europeans), in the combo "Darvocet." It's an old-line product, and usage has fallen off dramatically in the past few years. Nowadays there are better choices out there: Ultram (tramadol), for example.

It's also long been known that it's really not any more effective than acetaminophen; Mass. state welfare wouldn't cover it for that reason.

Ritalin, as an amphetamine, already is about as restricted as you can get. There is one hope on the horizon, however. As the use of ADHD drugs increases, more drugs in this class will become available. (Note that ADHD drugs are often used for narcolepsy.) The latest is Strattera, which isn't even a controlled substance.

So long as you stick with one pharmacy, and they have your diagnosis, they can probably make an effort to keep you supplied with what you need, as long as it is available. This is one of those areas where it's worthwhile to cultivate a patient/pharmacist relationship--especially now, when she is forced to switch physicians.

Jim, where can one get training on AEDs in Massachusetts? I know they're supposed to be self-explanatory, but you don't want to be reading directions during an emergency. I've been certified in CPR twice (including infant CPR once). And they basically told us to aim for breaking the sternum. As a health professional, I feel it's important to know this stuff, though I'd readily step aside for someone more qualified.

I personally think they should teach first aid basics in a required course in high school.

Flood insurance in a disaster area pays you for your home (taxed value). The Feds hope you go elsewhere.

The news is constantly harping on the large volumes of trash (which won't be cleaned up in a few months). They wonder where to put it. Duh: build new levees (or raise existing ones).

I'm awaiting the class-action wrongful death lawsuit. Unfortunately, I suspect you can't sue the government.

My father died by drowning, and wasn't found for three days (boating accident). I can tell you as a matter of fact that it is virtually impossible to identify such a body; the people who found him initially though he was a sea turtle (he wasn't fat). Indeed, he had to be buried in a special, hermetically sealed coffin. They didn't bother bring my mother into the morgue to identify him; she did so by his jewelry and dental records. I supposed it helped that his was the only boating accident that week.

Those poor people floating around with the gators & mosquitoes & hungry pets will not be identifiable. Mass graves are a distinct possibility. People using this disaster--as they did 9/11--to hide or go underground will happen. There's no way to figure out what records we do have, and so yes, most of the dead will go unidentified.

I am uncomfortably reminded of the Holocaust--people being ill-treated, then shipped away against their will; anonymous mass graves; and the government making things worse.

Poppy Z. Brite refuses to evacuate. Is there any way to talk sense into them?

I have found that, when you have an unusual health problem, it's best to go to someone who is a top specialist in that problem (if possible). They're usually affiliated with large teaching hospitals.

As to your prescriptions, keep to the same pharmacy, and make sure they know your diagnosis. This will help alleviate some of the suspicion engendered by chronic use of controlled substances. Since such substances are physically addictive, it's not surprising you would require ever-increasing dosages.

Not only are people incredibly tactless, but the invisible peer pressure is immense. I almost never wear a hat, but I won't let my kids go to school hatless & gloveless in winter, for fear that I'll be hauled off by the DSS. (No matter that it may take 20 minutes to find a hat and unmatched pair of gloves, 'cause all the pairs were lost.) Most mother won't admit that they've spanked their kids, becuase let's face it: it works. BF Skinner knew the power of pain, and 'time-outs' are pretty laughable sometimes. Yeah, it shows kids that they can be bullied about by people bigger and stronger than them. Well, sorry, but that's what parenting is all about: I'm bigger and stronger and wiser and you respect my authority without endless discussion. And most people don't complain about my kids' behavior, so I guess it works.

Are we strict? I don't think so; certainly, many parents were think we're too lenient. Then again, there are plenty who think we're not strict enough. Psychologists would have me simultaneously give my children unconditional love and never say no to them, while disciplining them. Sorry, it just doesn't work that way. When my kids whine, "Mommy, you're not my friend," I retort, "That's right. I'm your mother. It's not my job to be your friend." Friends let you get away with shit--like swearing--that your mother never would.

Will my kids turn out okay? No worse than any other fannish kid, I think. At least they are moderately civilized, which is all I can realistically hope for. Now in my dreams, they clean their rooms...

Patrick, it wasn't all the physician's fault. A *good* pharmacist will note that the dosage had changed and mention it. At least, *I* would have said something -- especially if it were a long-term dose. Prospective reviews (checking the profile) is something of a standard in pharmacy practice nowadays. However, we pharmacists are only human -- and often rather stressed humans, at that.

Jena, as for the pills being varied in color -- that's true for the brand name drug. However, I believe Cylert has a generic available.

Teresa, good luck in finding an expert in narcolepsy. I hope you'll be feeling up to coming to Boskone.

Anti-semitism was accepted, both here and abroad, in the 30's and 40's. Nobody really minded that the Nazis were killing Jews. Even the Jews in America, who well knew what was going on, shrugged--after all, they have been persecuted for centuries, and saw themselves as powerless.

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