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Submission + - Baking Soda Shortage Has Hospitals Frantic, Delaying Treatments and Surgeries (arstechnica.com)

Submitted by Anonymous Coward
An anonymous reader writes: Amid a national shortage of a critical medicine, US hospitals are hoarding vials, delaying surgeries, and turning away patients, The New York Times reports. The medicine in short supply: solutions of sodium bicarbonate—aka, baking soda. The simple drug is used in all sorts of treatments, from chemotherapies to those for organ failure. It can help correct the pH of blood and ease the pain of stitches. It is used in open-heart surgery, can help reverse poisonings, and is kept on emergency crash carts. But, however basic and life-saving, the drug has been in short supply since around February. The country’s two suppliers, Pfizer and Amphastar, ran low following an issue with one of Pfizer’s suppliers—the issue was undisclosed due to confidentiality agreements. Amphastar’s supplies took a hit with a spike in demand from desperate Pfizer customers. Both companies told the NYT that they don’t know when exactly supplies will be restored. They speculate that it will be no earlier than June or August. With the shortage of sodium bicarbonate, hospitals are postponing surgeries and chemotherapy treatments. A hospital in Mobile, Alabama, for example, postponed seven open-heart surgeries and sent one critically ill patient to another hospital due to the shortage.
Earth

Scientists Cut Greenland Ice Loss Estimate By Half 414

Posted by samzenpus from the not-so-bad-after-all dept.
bonch writes "A new study on Greenland's and West Antarctica's rate of ice loss halves the estimate of ice loss. Published in the journal Nature Geoscience, the study takes into account a rebounding of the Earth's crust called glacial isostatic adjustment, a continuing rise of the crust after being smashed under the weight of the Ice Age. 'We have concluded that the Greenland and West Antarctica ice caps are melting at approximately half the speed originally predicted,' said researcher Bert Vermeeersen."

Comment sous vide != water bath (Score 1) 312

by 8282now (#33512902) Attached to: Cooking For Geeks

To properly assert one's "geek"ness and intellectual understanding of the subject matter, you must get the definitions right!

"sous vide - cooking food in a temperature-controlled water bath"

Sous-vide is NOT cooking in a water bath but rather cooking in a vacuum enclosed containter often immersed in a water bath.

A bain marie on the other hand, is specifically a method of cooking in a water bath. Often for the preparation of whole poached fish or other foods. :| Far too much time spent watching Alton....
Image

Russians Urged To Drink and Smoke More 1

Posted by samzenpus from the a-plan-you-can-get-behind dept.
Alexei Kudrin, Russia's finance minister, has a plan to drink and smoke his country out of its financial woes. He has urged his countrymen to drink and smoke more to help boost government revenues. "If you smoke a pack of cigarettes, that means you are giving more to help solve social problems. People should understand: Those who drink, those who smoke are doing more to help the state," he said.
Government

State Senator Admits Cable Industry Helped Write Pro-Industry Legislation 426

Posted by Soulskill from the at-least-he's-honest dept.
jamie sends in news of comments by David Hoyle, a State Senator in North Carolina, about recently defeated legislation he sponsored that would have limited the ability of government to develop municipal broadband. Hoyle readily admitted that the cable industry had a hand in writing the bill. We discussed the cable industry's extensive lobbying efforts in that region last year. From the article: "The veteran state senator says cities should leave broadband to the cable companies. 'It's not fair for any government unit to compete with private enterprise,' he says. In the last legislative session Sen. Hoyle tried to put a moratorium on any more local governments expanding into municipal broadband. When the I-Team asked him if the cable industry drew up the bill, Senator Hoyle responded, 'Yes, along with my help.' When asked about criticism that he was 'carrying water' for the cable companies, Hoyle replied, 'I've carried more water than Gunga Din for the business community — the people who pay the taxes.'"

Comment Good SQL design books: (Score 5, Informative) 291

by 8282now (#32845710) Attached to: Good Database Design Books?

IMHO: Joe Celko's SQL for Smarties (http://www.amazon.com/Joe-Celkos-SQL-Smarties-Programming/dp/0123693799/ref=sr_1_2?ie=UTF8&s=books) has shown itself to be very nice book when the need to go beyond the basics to a little deeper understanding of SQL is needed.

There are many other books on the subject all the way to source material from Date and Dodd but Celko seems to be well informed and writes fairly well, I think.
Movies

Submission + - Joss Whedon to Direct the Avengers (mtv.com)

Submitted by olyar
olyar writes: Great news for Joss fans and comic fans alike. Looks like Joss is going to direct the Avengers movie. Best commentary I saw came via @DRUNKHULK on Twitter: "JOSS WHEDON TO DIRECT AVENGERS MOVIE! OUT OF TRADITION FOX HOPE FIND WAY TO TAKE MOVIE AWAY FROM HIM!"

Comment Re:Always disturbs me to explain religion (Score 1) 692

by 8282now (#31725274) Attached to: Science Attempts To Explain Heaven

"And low and behold, if you think of it as a bad hack job, then suddenly it all makes sense. And we know religions can be entirely fabricated. Scientology anyone?"

This argument against religion was always very interesting especially if you link it to scientology. Isn't this precisely one of the reasons Hubbard created scientology? To basically serve as a straw man argument against religion?? Therefore all of you agnostic/atheists who blast scientology appear to be either falling/jumping into bed with the founder of scientology! Congrats!

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