Friday, March 7, 2008
Thursday, March 6, 2008
A Monument to Consumption
Our "Going Green" class recently visited the Bethlehem city landfill.
Unlike sausage making, this is a process we wanted to know about.
A huge tarpaulin lays beneath the trash, and the runoff is managed as sewage
is managed. Wells are sunk all around it to monitor leakage, and methane- that gas
that makes a certain outer planet so blue, is recaptured and converted to electricity.
These hardy students braved wind and rain on the trash mountain's top
and noted the steady work of urban paristalsis, as trucks wound their
way up and dumped their loads, only to drive back down and wind their way
up again.
Imagine if this work suddenly CEASED.
Tuesday, March 4, 2008
Anti-depressant news
Please scroll down our right margin and click on Dan Carlat's blog regarding the drug industry. Here's a teaser:
Yesterday, the FDA gave official approval to Wyeth's antidepressant Prisiq. Here are the top 5 reasons for doctors to keep it off their prescription pads.
1. It’s a blatant patent extender. Effexor XR, which brought in $3.8 billion for Wyeth in 2007, is losing patent protection this year, and Wyeth is introducing desvenlafaxine, which is simply Effexor’s main metabolite, as a “novel antidepressant.” There’s nothing novel about it. Every patient who takes Effexor produces Pristiq in their own body, at no additional charge.
2. It’s not very effective. In the studies released so far, Pristiq just barely squeaks by placebo on the Hamilton Depression scale. In the U.S. study, Pristiq decreased the HamD by only 2 points (-11.5 vs. -9.5 for placebo), and in the European study, the differences was 2.5 points. And for the higher 100 mg dose, there was no difference between drug and placebo for U.S. patients.
see the his blog for reason's 3,4, and 5.
Yesterday, the FDA gave official approval to Wyeth's antidepressant Prisiq. Here are the top 5 reasons for doctors to keep it off their prescription pads.
1. It’s a blatant patent extender. Effexor XR, which brought in $3.8 billion for Wyeth in 2007, is losing patent protection this year, and Wyeth is introducing desvenlafaxine, which is simply Effexor’s main metabolite, as a “novel antidepressant.” There’s nothing novel about it. Every patient who takes Effexor produces Pristiq in their own body, at no additional charge.
2. It’s not very effective. In the studies released so far, Pristiq just barely squeaks by placebo on the Hamilton Depression scale. In the U.S. study, Pristiq decreased the HamD by only 2 points (-11.5 vs. -9.5 for placebo), and in the European study, the differences was 2.5 points. And for the higher 100 mg dose, there was no difference between drug and placebo for U.S. patients.
see the his blog for reason's 3,4, and 5.
Updates...
The Ski trip for Thursday is still on- hopefully cold nights on Blue Mountain will do the trick.
Several students have visited a landfill for their "Going Green" class.
We have had several prospective students visit over the last week...remember, we have limited
spots available for next year.
And Finally...Two weeks until the end of the term. Dear Parents, if you want to know how your
son or daughter is doing, please contact Pete, Stephanie or your child's advocate.
Several students have visited a landfill for their "Going Green" class.
We have had several prospective students visit over the last week...remember, we have limited
spots available for next year.
And Finally...Two weeks until the end of the term. Dear Parents, if you want to know how your
son or daughter is doing, please contact Pete, Stephanie or your child's advocate.
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