Thursday, July 1, 2010

Drugs & Exercise

Thanks for all the responses yesterday regarding the cousin reunion and a special thanks to DR for her email. Really not much to write about today. Lately my creative side has been on vacation. Today we just have two cancer related stories.

The first story just makes want to take the executives at Walmart and ask them, what in the heck are you thinking? Read the story here:

http://news.yahoo.com/s/nm/20100701/od_nm/us_walmart_marijuana_lawsuit_odd

This isn't a case of a pot head smoking dope on company time. This is the case of a doctor prescribed pain management. Unless the person was exceeding the under the influence levels for the state he lives in there is no way he should have been fired. The person probably has a ton of bills left over from his cancer and brain tumor treatments and now he is jobless. Guess who is going to end up paying? We are. What is your take on the lawsuit? Do you want him to win the suit against Walmart? Do you want him to lose the lawsuit? Did Walmart have the right to fire him?

The next story is advise for Cancer survivors is to get up and get moving:

http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20100629/ap_on_he_me/us_med_healthbeat_cancer___exercise

It seems lately that exercise is the cure to a lot of ills. Do you exercise? If not get with it!

WHO AM I?

Yesterday's answer was Angelina Grimke

I was born in 1854 and died in 1903 who is known as a writer, lecturer, interpreter, artist, and progressive spokesperson for Native American rights. I am a member of the Nebraska Hall of Fame. I was one of seven children born to the son of a French fur trader and a Ponca wife. Dad was the last chief of a famous tribe. After I went to a Presbyterian mission school I attended a girls' school in New Jersey. As a young woman I became interested in politics. Because my paternal grandmother was a Ponca, Dad and I traveled to Oklahoma to investigate conditions after the tribe's removal from Nebraska. I worked with a journalist to publicize the conditions we found. A Chief and his followers were arrested when they returned to their traditional territory. The journalists coverage of the chief's imprisonment was instrumental in gaining him prominent volunteer defense attorneys. I acted as the chief's interpreter during his trial as the chief successfully challenged the lack of grounds of his arrest and imprisonment, arguing that Indians were persons under the law, and had all the rights of U.S. citizens. Following the trial I accompanied the chief, the journalist, and others on a speaking tour of the Eastern United States. In addition to interpreting for the chief I spoke separately as an orator. During the tour, the journalist and I testified in Washington before a Congressional committee, where I spoke for the rights of Native Americans. I married the journalist and we went on a speaking tour of England and Scotland with the chief. My husband I did witness the Wounded Knee Massacre. After my death in 1903 I was eulogized in the US Senate. Ninety years later in recognition of my role as a spokesperson and writer about my people I was inducted into the Nebraska Hall of Fame. I was some times called Bright Eyes. Who Am I?

6 comments:

Pat said...

Offhand, I'd say I hope WalMart loses bigtime. But then there's this statement from them:

"Like other companies, we have to consider the overall safety of our customers and our associates, including Mr. Casias, when making a difficult decision like this," he said. "In this case, the doctor-prescribed treatment was not the relevant issue."

So what was the relevant issue? Is there more to this story? Was he stoned and not doing his job? If so, he should go; if not, as I suspect is the case, he should win the case.

Lady DR said...

Had pearls of wisdom all typed in and got an error message that erased the entire message. Will try to reconstruct.

The Walmart case: If he's in a state where medically prescribed marijuana is legal and he was taking it as prescribed, there's no way he should have been fired, unless they can prove that his use of marijuana was directly responsible for the injured knee accident. I'm all for a drug free work environment, but his using marijuana is no different than someone taking prednisone or percosert or another painkiller. He may well have a disability discrimination case. Given that he was promoted and awarded associate of the year, it doesn't appear the treatment impaired his job performance. I hope he wins the lawsuit.

I was glad to see the article on cancer survivors and exercise and particularly happy to see the study being done that involves both spouses or patient/ care-giver. One of the things not mentioned was the tremendous emotional drain on both and the fact the one or both may suffer from depression or anxiety. Not necessarily at the clinical level, but debilitating, none the less. Regular exercise has been proven to raise the levels of serotonin and endorphins, both of which are calming and, at the same time, raise positive emotional states and energy levels.

Do I exercise? Now, I do. Didn't for most of my life, once I quit dancing. However, it became part of the "prescription" for managing the panic disorder. I do an hour workout in the pool four times a week and two hours of line dancing once a week. And if I miss several days in a row, I get cranky and draggy. Then, too, serious yard work, which I've really missed this spring, and housework and the like provide a fair amount of exercise. I think we each have to find what appeals to and works for us. I don't do treadmills and stationary bikes and weight lifting with any enthusiasm at all (which is to say, I don't do them).

William J. said...

Hi Pat

I kind of took that statement as a catch all statement. Sort of a preemptive strike. That the relevent issues wasn't whether or not the medicine was prescribed but whether or not he should be working when he is on drugs.

I hope he wins the case!

Bill

William J. said...

Hi DR

I have had that happen to be so often that I finally have adopted a policy of writing the messages offline in Word and then cut and pasting to the blog.

I kined of came to the conclusion that the injured knee was unrelated to the drug usage. Predisone has more severe side effects than pit.

I was also happy to see the article on exercise and additionally pleased that both spouses were included.

When I read all you do, I think you exercise a lot! Walking always seems to work best of me and it is cheap!

Bill

Lady DR said...

Walking is great and works for a lot of folks. It was my favorite exercise when we were in FL, both near the beach and near the bay, with a large "green space area." Unfortunately, one must have a death wish to walk along State Park Road, the main road by our little circle. Equally unfortunately, my back and hips have decided to protest lengthy excursions on hard ground or pavement. Ergo, the pool and line dance. Only problem is, they won't let Skeeter in the pool and she just can't catch the line dance routines (wry s).

William J. said...

Hi DR

I carry a flashligh and a walking cane to defend myself from coyotes and wild women. And unlike you where I walk is sidewalk all the way! I'm lucky there!

Bill