Read that decades ago - a fascinating book!

I spend a lot of time explaining blood pressure to my patients. It is not rocket science. I have a number of teaching tools that I use in my exam rooms. But certainly there are plenty of lazy/rushed docs out there.

My favorite HTN medication. No fatigue, no ankle swelling, no low potassium (generally no male function problems). Hopefully he explained about the huge risk of cough. About 15% of folks who take "ACE inhibitors" (angiotensin converting enzyme inihibitors if you really must know) develop a dry cough - some only once a day and some all day and night. I sometimes have the following funny scenario at a one-month follow-up:

ME: Well, how's it going with your new blood pressure medication?

Patient: Great, doc, but I have had a cold for the last month that I just can't shake!

ME: Really? Remember we discussed that this medication could make you cough?

Patient: Oh, yeah......

I like it, but........ it is intrinsically a graphic oxymoron. It implies that we photographers are traditionalists. And that I think is largely true. But "traditionalists" generally are not seen wearing a cap backwards or sideways like a hip-hop gangsta wannabe. THAT I have never seen.

My bird books are not the detailed books of serious birders - lots of photos but not tons of detail.

So - why do some anhingas have green eyes and others do not? White feathers and others do not? Male versus female? Mating plumage? This one is always at the same spot next to the road and is happy to pose any time I walk by (at the Viera Wetlands in Brevard County Florida).

Thanks!

Thanks!

Thanks, Vicki. The Wetlands is amazing in part because so many people walk on the roadways (with their cameras!) that the birds have much less fear than in many other places. The only other place that competes is a fisherman on the beach with a big bait bucket next to them - that always seems to attract a great blue that will come and stand very close, apparently waiting for the occasional bait fish thrown its way!

My Aunt in St Louis grows HUGE tomatoes. Her two-headed son Willey helps out in her garden.

This really is some scary stuff. Our WWII nuclear weapons efforts could eventually kill as many Americans as it did Japanese. About 30 or more years ago as I recall they discovered that the foundations of thousands of homes and some of the public buildings in Grand Junction, Colorado, were made from tailings from a local uranium mine. Buildings had to be refitted with new foundations, and apparently it is still a huge problem for anyone interested in buying or selling a home in the area. An interesting article is at:

http://www.postindependent.com/article/20091204/COMMUNITY_NEWS/912039976

As an engineer/geek at heart I can accept that this really happened - I can imagine the guys (sorry, yes, GUYS) sitting around contributing to this and having a great time. My wife thinks engineers have no sense of humor. She just doesn't understand the mentality! This is wonderful!

And they must have been lousy dancers as well!

Not surprising. Even though some folks may not like Obama's politics, he's not an immoral person. Now if Hillary were president this could be plausible! And this from a liberal democrat.

Well - maybe it's a male - but it got your attention. Afternoon at the Viera Wetlands finds the birds settling down - and bathing. This GBH was not about to let my voyeurism interfere with her bath.

Beautiful photo! You found that backtracking to this little bit of paradise was well worth the effort!

"Ma'am" and "Sir", whether they imply that we are older or not, are at least terms of respect.

As a physician, I have always tried very hard (often unsuccessfully) to have all of my staff address patients by "Mr." and "Ms". and not by their first names. (When I had a private practice I could do this - but as an employed physician I have no control over such things.... )

As I get older, and have my own visits to the doctor's offices occasionally, it really ticks me off to have some 19-year old that I don't know call me by my first name. I am sure that many patients don't mind this, but I know that many do mind it, and it would make sense to address everyone by "Mr" or "Mrs" or "Ms" unless they ask to call them otherwise.