Outsourcing our guinea pigs

Clinical trials go global where the guinea pigs are cheaper. (from Science News)

DURHAM, N.C. – Top-tier U.S.-based pharmaceutical companies are moving their clinical trials overseas at warp speed, raising questions about ethics, quality control, and even the scientific value of their findings for people back in the U.S.

Many of the trials are taking place in developing countries in Eastern Europe and Asia where study participants are often poorer and less educated than are study participants in the U.S., according to researchers at Duke Clinical Research Institute

Thomas Friedman on USA’s international status

From his recent column titled, “Paging Uncle Sam.”

For all the talk in recent years about America’s inevitable decline, all eyes are not now on Tokyo, Beijing, Brussels or Moscow — nor on any other pretenders to the world heavyweight crown. All eyes are on Washington to pull the world out of its economic tailspin. At no time in the last 50 years have we ever felt weaker, and at no time in the last 50 years has the world ever seen us as more important.

In Greenville, Ohio, tonight

Like wine, dessert, and listening to yours truly discuss WAIW??

Come to the Montage Cafe tonight in Greenville, Ohio at 7:30. I’ll be the one talking about my underwear!

Customer service is dead; long live customer service!

Call me jaded, but customer service is dead.

How often do you walk into a store or restaurant only to be ignored? Not a single “Howdy, can I help you within earshot.” (I’ve worked in retail so I feel that I can complain about such things – kind of like making ethnic- or religious-toned jokes when you are a member of the ethnicity or religion you’re poking fun at.)

I’ve always believed that even if you’re doing a crappy job, you might as well smile. Smiling makes it seem less crappy. Lying to yourself makes the job more bearable.

It’s to the point now when, on the rare occasion, I stumble upon a smiling someone who is good at their job and glad that I chose to patronize their place of work that I’m taken aback. Such was the case the other day at the Palm Beach airport.

My breath turns rotten when I fly. I think it’s a result of Cinnabon and stale cabin air. I always try to carry gum, but forgot to this time. Not wanting to make a poor first impression on my host meeting me at the airport, I stopped by a mid-hall kiosk.

“The airport is a gum free zone,” the smiling woman told me, “but we’ve got some mints over there.”

I picked up a pack of Certs. I didn’t care what type of mints I bought; I just wanted them to be minty. That’s not too much to ask from a mint, is it?

I approached the register to pay.

“We have a special on Breathsavers today.” She reached behind her and grabbed a small dish. “The Certs are $1.25. These are only a quarter.”

She made my day. She saved me $1 and I could have given her a hug.

I seriously considered telling her how much I appreciated the great service, but she had a job to do – there were others to be helped – and she was damn good at it.

Palm Beach Recap

The Palm Beach Democrats flew me down to talk to them about WAIW? on Monday. It was an interesting time.

* I walked on the beach for 1 1/2 hours. Nose got a little burnt; I blame TSC for not allowing me to bring on a bottle of sunscreen. Of course, everyone knows that any lotion higher than SPF 15 is highly explosive.

* My host was a 93-year-old woman whose husband acted as pediatrician to RFK’s (yes, that RFK) kids. She also recalled seeing JFK (yep, that one) cruising around Palm Beach in a convertible. She bought her home after WWII for $35K. Today, it’s worth millions. It’s an art deco home and one of the few in the area that doesn’t have 20’ high hedges. She keeps it real and marvels at the wealth and the hedges that surround her. Her neighbors include a Ford widow who lives in a 50-room home alone and Bernie Madoff.

She’s the best type of wealthy person – loaded but doesn’t act like it.

* The fella who invited me down and took me to dinner before the talk was scheduled to have dinner with JFK the day he was shot. He also worked with John Connelly, the Governor of Texas, who was also injured during the assassination. Years after the incident, Connelly showed him his bullet wounds and told him that there had to be more than one shooter because shots were coming from every direction.

So take that and put it in your own conspiracy theory pipe and smoke it.

* The average age at the talk was probably about 70. Before the talk one of the ladies asked me what I’d be talking about. When I told her about my book and my worldwide clothes adventure she said, “Well, that’s not as interesting as politics, now is it?”

* My host’s nurse/driver was from Haiti. His daughter was about to graduate from college and soon he would have a few extra thousand dollars per year lying around. When I asked him about what he was going to do with all of that extra money, he told me that he was going to go back to school. In his heavy island accent, he went into a long spiel about how important education is. Then he told me about how he was at the Post Office the other day and the rich man in front of him (most in Palm Beach are loaded) couldn’t read. “That really freaked me out, man!” He told me. “This man lived in America and couldn’t read!”

GOOD Q&A

Good magazine interviewed me for their website.

I’ve been slacking with the posts the last few days, but I’ll be updating soon. I’ve got some great posts coming: I have a good source that validates the multiple shooters theory in the JFK assassination, the best mint sales lady in the world, James Patterson on book signings, and a 93-year old woman who walks circles around me. All of that’s from one day in Palm Beach. Interesting place.

No appearance in Coral Gable; in Palm Beach Tomorrow night

Apparently, I was scheduled to speak at Books & Books in Coral Gables tonight. There’s just one little problem: no one told me. Bummer. I would have loved to work in two events in south Florida.

If you know anyone that lives in or near Palm Beach tell them to come HERE:

MON, FEBRUARY 23:
PALM BEACH DEMOCRATIC CLUB MONTHLY MEETING
FEATURING KELSEY TIMMERMAN.

Special Guest Speaker/s: Kelsey Timmerman, author of “Where Am I Wearing? A Global Tour to the Countries, Factories and People that Make Our Clothes”.

Program: This is a topic closely related to environmental issues and our loss of manufacturing capability with its loss of jobs, and is vital to the economic turnaround promised by President Obama.

Time: 7:30pm.

Location: Kravis Center Cohen Pavilion at Okeechobee Blvd, WPB.

Public welcomed. No Admission Fee. No Reservations needed. Free parking in the Kravis Garage.

Contact: Elna Laun (President) by email or phone at 561-686-2060.

A question

Is it acceptable for an author to show up at a reading wearing the same shirt that they are wearing on their book jacket?

I did at my reading in Louisville, but the whole time I was wondering if anyone would notice. I hate to think that I can never wear the shirt again, but I also don’t want folks to think that it’s my only shirt.

The shirt in question was featured by American Apparel. Here it is…

At all my speaking events I try to wear clothes that I’ve bought since I’ve converted to engaged consumerism so I can refer to them as ways that I now shop. Tonight I’m doing a reading at Indiana University where I’ll be wearing a Patagonia shirt I got half off at and end of season sale. Tomorrow I’ll be speaking in Palm Beach, Florida, where I’ll be wearing a shirt Made in El Salvador and a sports jacket I bought because it was on sale at Macy’s (every engaged consumer has their limits).

Photographer of the Month

I’m honored to be named the Wandering Educator’s photographer of the month. I don’t really consider myself a photographer, but I guess I do have a book out with about 30 photos in it.

One of the great things about having a book out is all of the cool people you bump into. Jessie at the Wandering Educator’s has been great to me. Here’s her review of WAIW?

NPR interview

Listen to my interview on State of Affairs