2006_07_01_archive

The Sipahh

...HA once wrote about a company (FLAVORx) that makes a ton of

flavorings for medicines (adults demand them, too). The other night on

the news came word of spray flavorings that would allow finnicky

youngsters to spray broccoli with a bubblegum taste or somesuch.

...And, now, The Sipahh! It's a straw with flavorings inside to

improve on good old moo-juice.

...Didn't they used to have these--with a chunk of chalky-tasting

faux-chocolate inside? Or did HA dream that?

...The twist is that the company is now developing energy straws for

athletes, vitamin straws for the puny, and medicinal delivery straws

for those who can't take a pill.

...How about "roofie" straws for reluctant pickups in bars or beer

straws for drinkers relegated to water?

...OK, now HA is paranoid and is never using any straw again! Don't go

by her.

...For more info, check out www.sipahh.com/ or www.unistraw.com.

....Slurrrup!

...Or as the company says, "Insert in cold milk. Sip, and say, "Ahhh!"

...OK, we get it.

posted by Star Lawrence @ 7:14 AM 0 comments

No brainer--or no brains?

...Years ago, HA wrote about how they can test for human

papillomavirus DNA to see if a woman was susceptible to cervical

cancer. There was that close an association.

...HPV is the most common sexually transmitted disease. Oooo-sex.

...So now there is a vaccine (Gardasil) against the virus, and thus

against the cancer it can cause, and everyone is hand-wringing over

whether to start giving it to young girls. Yet, the earlier it can be

given, the better.

...Girls as young as 9 could start on their way to being immune to a

deadly form of cancer.

...So what's the problem?

...It's expensive ($360 for three, spaced shots) and it's hard to

round up older kids for multiple vaccinations.

...But the main big woo is that it prevents a sexually transmitted

disease--wouldn't want 9-year-olds to think it's now OK to have sex.

...Instead, let's tell kids to be abstinent, came the cry. This was

described as a "public health method of cervical cancer prevention."

...Gardasil does not prevent all cervical cancers...But it prevents

one in your kid, say 20 years down the line, you might think this was

a darn good decision.

...She will probably have had sex by then, and that argument will have

faded.