Tyson Kirksey

Just had to share this music video – it’s really creative and fun to watch!

Tyson Music

Lately I’ve been encouraging my co-workers around the office that we need to “start learning the easy way”. Basically, that’s just a way of encouraging people to be proactive and consider all possibilities. Often I feel we don’t give enough credit to folks who learn the easy way, and we give too much credit to folks who manage the mess after we learn the hard way. Now unexpected things always happen, and we need folks who come through in those clutch situations. But many times it just takes a little forsight to see a looming fire – yet we’re too busy to look ahead that far. What’s that saying – an ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure. How about a ton of cure?

Obviously these types of things doesn’t just happen at the office – I can look back on my life and see times where I learned the hard way and wish I could get a life-mulligan. Recently I had a situation with my Honda Accord where I learned the hard way in dealing with mechanics and repair shops. Several hundred bucks later, you can be sure I’ll do things differently next time.

There’s also been times in my life where I believe I have made good choices, learning the easy way. I remember a preacher talking about those who come to the end of their lives and lament their time spent piling up wealth and forsaking time with family. As he says, no one ever lays on their death bed and reflects by saying, “I wish I had spent more time at the office.” These are life lessons that I want to learn the easy way, for sure.

Here are some simple and practical lessons that I’d like to learn the easy way:

1.   He who guards his mouth protects his life; to open wide one’s lips brings downfall. — Proverbs 13:3
2. Every day is miserable for the depressed, but a lighthearted man has a continual feast. — Proverbs 15:15

What are some lessons that you’ve had to learn the hard way?  The easy way?

Tyson General, Theology

Wow…this Senate testimony with AG Gonzalez is killing me! I’m not making an opinion on the issue at hand, it’s just amazing that Gonzo seems to have forgotten ALL the relevant information, meetings and discussions that pertain to the case. “Senator, I don’t recall…Senator, I can’t recall…Senator, I do not recall…” That pretty much sums up the hearing.

I guess I’m old skool, but I still take notes at most of my meetings. Further, even without notes I can remember pretty well almost every meeting of importance at the office in the past 3 years. Why is it that this guy can’t remember mega-important meetings and discussions from last November!?

Oh yeah…that’s why.

Tyson Politics

All I want is to be able to watch video highlights of last night’s game.  This should not be a difficult task – but apparently streaming video is too advanced for the geniuses at MLB Advanced Media.  I have FiOS, so I don’t think the problem is bandwidth on my side.  Good grief, it’s like watching evey 5th page of a flip-book.

Here’s the first clue: forget all those media players and put the video in Flash.

Tyson General

I feel like no matter what program I’m using throughout the day, it typically has this logo in the top left corner.

Tyson Search

I guess I’m going to create a new category for pharmaceutical posts…it’s just so stinkin’ interesting and maddening, I gotta keep writing. I’m in the middle of a book by Dr. Marcia Angell called The Truth About Drug Companies: How They Deceive Us and What to Do About It. Just stumbled upon it while perusing the library between the political section and the industry section.

Of course I was already convinced that our current system is broken, but this book just drives home the points. Americans are getting screwed by pharmaceutical companies, and then lied to about it. This is a classic DBH – Don’t Believe the Hype! Here are some nice facts you should know:

• The Pharma companies operate basically risk free because of all the government grants, funding and insurance they receive. In return for those favors, their profit margins are WAY above average, and the pharma industry is repeatedly the most profitable industry in America.
• In general, the industry IS NOT innovative – far from it. Most drugs put out are merely bought from government or educational labs and then manufactured and marketed. It is rare for a drug to have its origins in the labs of pharma companies. These guys act more like opportunists than researchers.
• Pharma companies are 90% marketing and manipulation, and only 10% research and innovations. It’s a profit driven industry.

Now, I’m usually all for free market and capitalism and all that good stuff. I just think a line has to be drawn we it comes to public health and safety. The public needs to be able to trust doctors and pharma companies to have their best interests in mind, and frankly that’s just not the case. Pharma companies would rather you think you had a disease and buy drugs for it than tell you the truth. Beyond that, we pay enormous amounts of money, and, as Dr. Angell argues, are not getting our money’s worth from big pharma. (Ever wonder why you can go to Germany and buy the exact same drug for 1/4 the price?)

Yes, we need big changes and regulations, that’s for sure. Get this – in many cases, we actually pay double for our drugs. Not only do taxpayers fund the initial research done at universities of the NIH (National Institute for Health) to develop a new drug, but then taxpayers pay for Medicaid to pay exorbant prices for the new drug that a pharma company paid royalties for and then patented. So, yeah, the pharma company gets rich, and we get Pwned.

OK – surely somebody has an aunt or mother that works at Pfizer and can straighten me out, right? Where am I going wrong?

Tyson Politics