Author: Gil

Posted on

Pharma Phunnies

The majority of the Top Companies issue is just about done, dear readers! Still need to finish up some layouts and write the short intros to the two major sections (Top 20 Pharma & Top 10 Biopharma), but the finish line is actually within sight!

So I thought I’d take a break from my biopharma layouts and share with you a couple of odd laughs:

Inadvertent Pharma Phunnies

Boehringer Ingelheim sponsors a website on transient ischemic attack. It’s www.stroke-forum.com, and I bet it receives a lot of disappointed visitors.

* * *

Astellas, a Japanese company, has a press release section with a link to archives titled “What’s New in the past”. Not quite Engrish, but close!

Advertent Pharma Phunnies

I needed a subhed for a section on how Enbrel has a strict warning about the possibility of TB and other infections among patients. Since Amgen has been hit with a lot of labeling and safety issues this past year, I went with “Phthisis Ridiculous!”

* * *

Huge restructuring plans with portentous names were the norm this year, leading to this paragraph from my Wyeth profile:

In 2008, Wyeth transitioned from its open-ended and somewhat ambiguous Project Springboard productivity plan into Project Impact. While the notions of “springboard” and “impact” may evoke images of Wile E. Coyote smashed flat against a cliff face, this new initiative is intended to “adjust down our infrastructure and reduce our operating costs in response to loss of Protonix sales in 2008 [and] to facilitate long-term growth, as well as to address short-term fiscal challenges,” according to the company’s 10-K statements.

Okay, maybe I’m just punchy.

Posted on

Working for the weekend

No posts today, dear readers. I still have to research and write 1000-word profiles for Pfizer, Sanofi-Aventis, Amgen and Genentech, and 350-word profiles for Merck Serono and Schering Plough. Then I get to lay out the issue over the holiday weekend so we can get it out to the printer by Monday. Joy!

But that’s the tradeoff for the money and travel opportunities. I’m not complaining so much as letting you know that you’ll be lucky to get some Unrequired Reading tomorrow.

Don’t blow (your own) fingers off this weekend!

Posted on

Spoof

My dad’s MSN e-mail account got spoofed yesterday. In addition, my dad’s aversion to travel got spoofed yesterday. As did his not-so-PC racial attitudes. All in one stroke, as you can see from this e-mail I received from his @ddress last night:

How are you doing today? I am sorry i didn’t inform you about my traveling to Africa for a program called “Empowering Youth to Fight Racism, HIV/AIDS, Poverty and Lack of Education, the program is taking place in three major countries in Africa which is Ghana , South Africa and Nigeria. It as been a very sad and bad moment for me, the present condition that i found myself is very hard for me to explain.

I am really stranded in Nigeria because I forgot my little bag in the Taxi where my money, passport, documents and other valuable things were kept on my way to the Hotel am staying, I am facing a hard time here because i have no money on me. I am now owning a hotel bill of $500.00 and they wanted me to pay the bill soon else they will have to seize my bag and hand me over to the Hotel Management. I need this help from you urgently to help me back home, I need you to help me with the hotel bill and i will also need $600.00 to feed and help myself back home so please can you help me with a sum of $1,100.00 to sort out my problems here? I need this help so much and on time because i am in a terrible and tight situation here, I don’t even have money to feed myself for a day which means i had been starving so please understand how urgent i needed your help.

I am sending you this e-mail from the hotel Library and I only have 2 hours, I will appreciate what so ever you can afford to send me for now and I promise to pay back your money as soon as i return home so please let me know on time so that i can forward you the details you need to transfer the money through Money Gram or Western Union.

Thank you very much for your time.  Looking forward to hearing from you soon.

Substitute “Roumanian/Israeli Archie Bunker” for “dad” and you’ll understand just how funny this e-mail is.

Posted on

The Standing Around of the Greys

I’m crazy-busy with these Top Companies profiles and re-confirming all of my conference speakers, but here’s a pic from Sunday’s trip out to Vernon, NJ for a greyhound meet & greet (so people can find out what awesome dogs greyhounds can be):

Rufus had a pretty good time. I mean, he sniffed tons of dog-butt, which is what passes for a good time in those circles. I think there were more than a dozen greys at the event; they certainly outnumbered the other pet groups that had come to this adoption fair.

I’m convinced they tangle up their leashes just to get their owners to bash into each other.

(Oh, and if you live in/near NJ and you’re interested in adopting a greyhound, contact Greyhound Friends NJ. They did a great job, setting us up with Rufus.)

Posted on

What It Is: 6/30/08

What I’m reading: The Black Swan: The Impact of the Highly Improbable, by Nassim Nicholas Taleb, along with more 10-K statements and annual reports for my Top Companies issue.

What I’m listening to: 5:55 by Charlotte Gainsbourg again. And again.

What I’m watching: Yankees-Mets, The Minor Accomplishments of Jackie Woodman, and the Roberto Benigni scene from Night on Earth.

What I’m drinking: Harp, at a semi-business get-together Saturday night.

Where I’m going: Nowhere for holiday week. Still more writing and layouts to do!

What I’m happy about: A week from today, this issue will be over. Oh, and yay! Germany loses!

What I’m sad about: Not a lot. I’m too busy to be sad. Which is sad in itself, I admit.

What I’m pondering: When Gillian Welch & David Rawlings are going to put out another album.