OT: 87th Obsequious Banter Thread: Don't be Brash

[ajgoal]

Wait. Is liking this comment able to make me an accomplice or complicit ?

I'll be able to sue you for encouraging me.

 

[Lord Defect]

I'll be able to sue you for encouraging me.

Enjoy receiving my debt then

 

[ajgoal]

Enjoy receiving my debt then

Jerk

 

[Starat327]

Jerk

Concept of finances is probably lost on your broke ass, but you actually don't want his debt. It's a bad thing.

 

[Hollywood Cannon]

Concept of finances is probably lost on your broke ass, but you actually don't want his debt. It's a bad thing.

It’s good debt.

 

[Surrounded By Ahos]

The little “meet the characters” videos were great. Pyro was the best.

TF2 just oozed style. I absolutely loved the retro 60's aesthetic.

Plus, lighting people on fire, blasting them in a corner, and killing them with their own rockets never got old.

 

[Lord Defect]

 

[Hollywood Cannon]

 

[GapToothedWonder]

@GapToothedWonder

Look at this last game. Are you kidding me? Computers are the scum of the earth lol

Starts at 19:20, only a couple minute long clip

That is disgusting. I'm luckily too crappy at chess to ever get in a situation like black. Either my opponent isn't good enough to find something like that. Or if they were I would have lost by like move 7 haha.

 

[Amorgus]

It is painfully true that Big Pharma collectively ran out of closet space for their skeletons quite a long time ago. Purdue’s aggressive marketing of OxyContin despite the ocean of red flags – mixed metaphor? – was likely the lowest point of the history of the pharma industry and they were rightly put out of business by the legal action taken by government and class action suits. The thalidomide crisis actually compelled the FDA to take a vastly more extensive involvement in drug oversight and establishment of regulations for approval. Parenthetically, do read about Frances Oldham Kelsey, who singlehandedly blocked FDA approval of thalidomide at the time and therefore prevented the widespread tragedy experienced in other countries (including Canada).

Vioxx was removed from market long after FDA approval due to cardiovascular complications, which only came to light when Merck got greedy and ran a trial to get another indication. And the list goes on.

However, I consider them to be more greedy and dishonest than Bond villain type. Plus, it is difficult to throw a blanket over an entire industry, particularly one that has developed countless life-saving medications. And the FDA, for all its warts, maintains some pretty robust checks and balances for the steps required to get a drug approved.

With respect to inventing diseases to treat, Forbes ran an article in 2018 that pointed out how extensive the lie would have to be for a pharma company to turn a profit with a new medication.

I will now divulge my Conflict of Interest statement here that I owe a 30-year career and all its earnings to Big Pharma. Heck, one company indirectly paid for a big chunk of my honeymoon back in the days before spending regulations. So take my perspective with the necessary grain of salt.

Another big contributor to the bedeviling of Big Pharma is hedge fund pricks like Martin Shkreli that cornered the market on certain drugs and cranked the prices up 2000%.

 

[Cody Webster]

Stay safe tomorrow everyone, it's going to be an ugly day. Not only will there be flooding rains, but there is an enhanced risk for severe weather tomorrow as well. The NWS said that tornadoes are probable tomorrow, not possible.

For the first time in 10 years, the issued a high risk for flash flooding.

 

[BernieParent]

Another big contributor to the bedeviling of Big Pharma is hedge fund pricks like Martin Shkreli that cornered the market on certain drugs and cranked the prices up 2000%.

Agreed. The greedy opportunists have pulled down the skirt of the altruistic pursuit of prolonged life and quality of life, although they are thankfully in the fringe of the pharma landscape.

Yet another huge factor in the increased cost of medications is the refinement of targeted therapies. Pharma is producing less blunt instruments and more targeted agents. If you are taking a medication that ends in -mab, it represents a monoclonal antibody that can target a host of diseases that work through the body's own immune system: rheumatoid arthritis, inflammatory bowel disease, psoriasis, etc. But these drugs can run a few thousand dollars a pop for treatment every 6-12 weeks.

There is also an increasing number of gene therapies that actually adjust genetic errors. These may cost up to a few million (!!) dollars for a treatment but can represent a cure. These agents are also a real challenge for insurance companies: why pay for a one-shot multimillion dollar treatment with the potential for the completely healthy patient going to another company?

 

[Embiid]

Agreed. The greedy opportunists have pulled down the skirt of the altruistic pursuit of prolonged life and quality of life, although they are thankfully in the fringe of the pharma landscape.

Yet another huge factor in the increased cost of medications is the refinement of targeted therapies. Pharma is producing less blunt instruments and more targeted agents. If you are taking a medication that ends in -mab, it represents a monoclonal antibody that can target a host of diseases that work through the body's own immune system: rheumatoid arthritis, inflammatory bowel disease, psoriasis, etc. But these drugs can run a few thousand dollars a pop for treatment every 6-12 weeks.

There is also an increasing number of gene therapies that actually adjust genetic errors. These may cost up to a few million (!!) dollars for a treatment but can represent a cure. These agents are also a real challenge for insurance companies: why pay for a one-shot multimillion dollar treatment with the potential for the completely healthy patient going to another company?

My dad's life has been prolonged via a targeted therapy. Fox Chase and the Pharma co. are making it affordable for him as well as his insurance. Anecdotal but gotta give credit where it is due..

 

[Cody Webster]

 

[Jack Straw]

My dad's life has been prolonged via a targeted therapy. Fox Chase and the Pharma co. are making it affordable for him as well as his insurance. Anecdotal but gotta give credit where it is due..

My father was an oncologist at Jefferson, he did a lot of research with Dr Mastrangelo at Fox Chase. They do good work there.

 

[Embiid]

So for those who gave me Cape May suggestions....my own is to go to Fin's Bar and Grille....excellent food, drink and live music. Even met a nice pretty lady at the bar and we are going out tomorrow. I had their Blue cheese bacon shallot marmalade burger....it was the best burger I've had in a long time. Bartender was awesome. My drinks were top shelf and not watered down ass crack runoff.

I got to say...impressed with Cape May all around. Been an awesome week. The beaches and water are amazing as well as the dining and sights. My new go to for the summer...

 

[Rebels57]

So for those who gave me Cape May suggestions....my own is to go to Fin's Bar and Grille....excellent food, drink and live music. Even met a nice pretty lady at the bar and we are going out tomorrow. I had their Blue cheese bacon salad marmalade burger....it was the best burger I've had in a long time. Bartender was awesome. My drinks were top shelf and not watered down ass crack runoff.

I got to say...impressed with Cape May all around. Been an awesome week. The beaches and water are amazing as well as the dining and sights. My new go to for the summer...

Easy place to fall in love with.

 

[Rebels57]

Im definitely concerned about my drive home. I work until 5 and have a 45 min drive home.

 

[BernieParent]

Praying for you all in high-risk areas.

 

[Schwarbomb]

Basement will flood again for sure. Can't stand the northLeast.

 

[Beef Invictus]

Basement will flood again for sure. Can't stand the northLeast.

Not if you drink the water faster than it can fill the basement.

 

[Asnito]

Not if you drink the water faster than it can fill the basement.

 

[Hurricane28]

Storm chase mode: activated.

 

[Embiid]

Easy place to fall in love with.

No doubt and looks like I will be minimally impacted by the storm. So happy. More beach time to frolic.

 

[FLYERSFAN18]

It is painfully true that Big Pharma collectively ran out of closet space for their skeletons quite a long time ago. Purdue’s aggressive marketing of OxyContin despite the ocean of red flags – mixed metaphor? – was likely the lowest point of the history of the pharma industry and they were rightly put out of business by the legal action taken by government and class action suits. The thalidomide crisis actually compelled the FDA to take a vastly more extensive involvement in drug oversight and establishment of regulations for approval. Parenthetically, do read about Frances Oldham Kelsey, who singlehandedly blocked FDA approval of thalidomide at the time and therefore prevented the widespread tragedy experienced in other countries (including Canada).

Vioxx was removed from market long after FDA approval due to cardiovascular complications, which only came to light when Merck got greedy and ran a trial to get another indication. And the list goes on.

However, I consider them to be more greedy and dishonest than Bond villain type. Plus, it is difficult to throw a blanket over an entire industry, particularly one that has developed countless life-saving medications. And the FDA, for all its warts, maintains some pretty robust checks and balances for the steps required to get a drug approved.

With respect to inventing diseases to treat, Forbes ran an article in 2018 that pointed out how extensive the lie would have to be for a pharma company to turn a profit with a new medication.

I will now divulge my Conflict of Interest statement here that I owe a 30-year career and all its earnings to Big Pharma. Heck, one company indirectly paid for a big chunk of my honeymoon back in the days before spending regulations. So take my perspective with the necessary grain of salt.

My point wasn’t that big pharma is all bad or that they created Covid to get rich. It’s that fully trusting pharma companies with a vaccine that has barely had any time to be tested is naive. I got the first shot about two weeks ago and go back for the second in a couple weeks so I am not anti vax.

I do think there are good people inside the industry who only want to do good but the companies themselves are only there to make money and will sell you out for it. And there are always more than enough people out there they can find to do shady crap.