The Armadillo Quilt Project

 Bedding companies should make quilts like the shell of an armadillo, i.e., with nine separate, segmental bands, which would run side-to-side (not head-to-foot).

Each side-to-side quilted band would have padded zippers running the length of each long border.

The nine quilted bands would be of different quilted weights, i.e., some heavier (more warmth protection), some lighter (less warmth protection), some intermediate, e.g.:

3 heavy weight

3 intermediate weight

3 light weight

There would be two additional, thin lengths, supplied with the quilt to cover the open zipper-ends at the head and the foot.

Users can "make their own" body-specific quilted coverage for the greatest night-time comfort.  Some will want light weight on the feet, heavy weight around the shoulders and intermediate in the middle.  Others may want the reverse.

The “HIGH-TECH” version of The Armadillo Quilt

Each of the nine horizontal bands would be electrified, like normal electric blankets are.  However, each group of three bands would have its own thermostat with Off, Low, Medium and High settings.   

The users could have their feet set on High, the center three bands Off and the top three bands (over the chest and shoulders) set on Medium … or any other combination the user desires.

The Wisdom of Simplicity

[John Houseman, Born: Jacques Haussmann, September 22, 1902 in Bucharest, Romania; Died: October 31, 1988 (age 86) in Malibu, CA, in the character of Mr. Wabash, DCI, he talks about his entry into the US intelligence field long ago]:

Mr. Wabash (talking to Higgins): "You seem perfect for it (the CIA) ..."
Higgins: "Thank you, sir."

Mr. Wabash: "Are you perfect for it, Mr. Higgins?"
Higgins: "I try to be."

Mr. Wabash: "We you recruited out of school?"
Higgins: "No, sir. The Company interview a few of us in Korea.
(compelled to flatter) You were with Mr. Donovan's OSS, weren't you, sir?"

Mr. Wabash: (smiles to remember): "I sailed the Adriatic with a movie star at the helm! It doesn't seem like much of a war now. But it was. (then says) ... I go even further back than that. Ten years after The Great War, as we used to call it. Before we knew enough to number them."
Higgins: "You miss that kind of action, sir?"

Mr. Wabash: "No ... I miss that kind of clarity."
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http://www.awesomefilm.com/script/ThreeDaysoftheCondor.pdf;
from movie script for "Three Days of the Condor," by Lorenzo Semple, Jr. and David Rayfiel. Ref: Revised draft, February 3, 1975 (Converted to PDF by ScreenTalk(tm), URL: www.screentalk.org
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Ref. also: Condorcet: "What happens at any particular moment [in this instance, to Mr. Wabash as he responds] is the result of what has happened at all previous moments, and itself has an influence on what will happen in the future."
http://www.humanistictexts.org/condorcet.htm

Paraphrased: We can see so far (into the past and the future) because we stand on the shoulders of all those who have come before us.

The Antithesis:
["There is no problem so simple that it cannot be made complex beyond understanding."]

Bullet Holes in the Bombers

The B-25 and the Lieutenant who never got promoted: During "WW2," there were a number of quick and dirty tests devised by various Officers to categorize winners and losers. The psychiatrists, and I know one who actually did this, had to screen 100's of recruits a day for mental disorders. As each candidate came in, he would come out from behind his big desk, hair looking like Martin Short's character who has just “gone mental,” big, thick, black, horn-rimmed glasses push flat against his face to make his eyes look four times larger than real life. With a wet, slobbery, slurred speech he would get right in the guy's face and ask him just one question: “Have you ever had sex with an alligator?”

Depending upon the instantaneous response, verbal or otherwise, the poor guy would be categorized for life as cynical beyond recovery, compulsive, overly compliant, homophobic, depressed, psychotic, anti-social, perverted or fit for duty without psychiatric disease. It seemed to work. At least he said it did. I always wondered if anyone had ever answered "yes" to the question.

Back to the airplanes: A Major stationed at Bumpy-Dirt-Runway-near-Avon Airdrome and Mudpuddle in jolly old England devised a simple test to decide whether he would ever think twice about promoting a subordinate. The bomber squadrons were taking bad hits on their flights over Germany. They would send a full squadron out at night, and only 50 to 60 percent would return by morning. The Major would stand with his Lieutenant, awaiting the returning planes.

As the first one touched down, he handed the Lt. a clipboard and told him to draw a quick outline of each plane and indicate where he could see groups of bullet holes. After the last plane was down, the test began. All right, now, son. Take this red pencil and show me just exactly where we should beef up the armor plate on each of those planes. The Major's eyes normally glazed over with the first drawing, as the green Lt. made large, red circles around the most obvious groups of bullet holes.

For the ones he didn't like in the first place, he just walked away. For the few he thought might have a little promise in the distant future, with high-level, intensive training, he would slowly say, “No, boy, (pause), these are the planes that made it back. We're going to put more armor plate where there aren't any bullet holes.”

Reflecting on Slow Elevators

A department store owner was faced with numerous complaints about how slow the store elevators were. There were always five, and sometimes more, customers standing impatiently in the elevator hallway. It seemed like half of them were taking the elevators and the other half were always complaining. This occurred on a daily basis and reached a crescendo at the holiday season. Desperate to find a solution, he contacted one of the larger manufacturers and requested an in-store evaluation and quote on the cost of new, computerized elevators. His astonishment turned to frank depression when he saw the six-figure estimate for the least expensive solution.

Taking refuge in the 19^th hole at the local country club, he surrounded himself with friends in an attempt to, at the least, feel good about himself as he sensed the warmth of the camaraderie. As he bemoaned his plight, the town Cadillac dealer, an Ernest Hemmingway look-alike, allowed as how he could fix the problem for (quote) a whole lot less than six figures.

"In fact,” he said, “give me a set of keys to your store and I'll have my guys fix the problem by Monday morning. You don't even have to pay me if my solution doesn't work. Don't even ask, just let me have the store over the weekend. Now let's talk about something else.” Keys changed hands. The store owner was relieved and accepted the condition that he not enter his own premises until Monday opening and the conversation turned to the pesky 7^th fairway dog-leg.

On Monday, all thoughts of the elevators having slipped his mind for most of the day, the owner was startled to see that it was 3:15 in the afternoon and he had not had one elevator-related complaint. He practically dashed out to the elevator hallway and, when he rounded the corner, stopped in amazement. There were ten customers standing in front of the elevator doors, but no one seemed impatient or irritated. Then he saw why. The three elevator doors on each floor were flanked by 8-foot high, 3-foot wide mirrors … six mirrors per floor … into which the customers could gaze, admire themselves, straighten a tie, adjust a hem, smooth down their hair … in short, do everything but complain. That was three years ago and he has not considered an elevator upgrade since.

Booze, Guns, Drugs and Trucks

Precedents and Parallels among the following:

Bartenders who are liable when they sell alcohol to obviously drunk patrons; and,  

Gun manufacturers who are held liable for murders committed with their weapons; and,

Truck manufacturers, i.e., Kenworth Corporation, which is known to have sold its entire year's output of 18-wheelers to a Mexican drug dealer for the cross-Mexican <---> US-border transport of cocaine.    

[source: Don Ferrarone, ex-DEA Agent].

Truck manufacturers should be covered by a Federal law which holds them liable for international drug-smuggling.  This would occur when they are found guilty of selling their 18-wheel products to Mexican dealers (or anyone else, for that matter) for cash.  E.g., 

08:00 AM, February 29, 2000

Not that we don't want Kenworth to make a profit.  But what is the difference between the obviousness of $10,000 bank transactions wherein those bankers have to inform the authorities and the cash-for-annual-truck-output of a U.S. manufacturer?

Side-Effect vs. Effective "Side-Use" (e.g., off-lable)

 Historic basis for off-label use of certain drugs: Minoxidil(R) was originally created as an anti-hypertensive, but research showed it had a side-effect that stimulated hair growth (essentially all over the body).  Voila!  Rogaine(R) was born.

The nighttime sleep-aid, Ambien(R), has been associated with the side-effect of (various terms): sleep-eating, Ambien-eating, unconscious food forays, midnight binge-eating and other terms.  Among others, the Minnesota Regional Sleep Disorders Center in Minneapolis (MN) is researching the problem as are researchers at the Mayo Clinic in Rochester (MN), who have noted similar findings.

Numerous patients (personal communications) have noted that the urge to sleep-eat when taking Ambien(R) is a dose-related phenomenon.   They can separate the dose that will enhance their rest from the dose that will cause both the sleep-eating urge and the amnesia for any noctournal behavior, eating or otherwise.  These patients have noted that 2.5 to 5 mg Ambien(R) at bedtime will allow them to sleep and, if they do awaken during the night, they have no urge to eat.  In addition, at 2.5 to 5 mg, they remember awakening during the night and can recall whatever activity they engaged in during that time.

However, when they take the commonly-prescribed 10 mg tablet they experience the AmBien-eating phenomenon and amnesia for most, if not all, noctournal activities.

Turning Side-Effect into an effective "side-use" ... (e.g., off-lable use)

One wonders if controlled, peer-reviewed studies of dose-related responses to Ambien(R) in patients with Anorexia Nervosa or chemotherapy-induced anorexia might reveal a level of drug that would enhance appetite without the more serious side-effects (e.g., amnesia, other behaviors ... driving a car, walking away from home, brandishing a weapon ... during sleep-state).   Testing might reveal yet another beneficial use for the zolpidem molecule in its present or a future, possibly modified biochemical form.

REFERENCE TO Google Search for "Ambien eating" articles:
https://www.google.com/search?q=AmBien+eatting&ie=utf-8&oe=utf-8&aq=t&rls=org.mozilla:en-GB:official&client=firefox-a#hl=en&client=firefox-a&hs=L8U&rls=org.mozilla:en-GB:official&sa=X&ei=saIQT_7kD5HCsQLDqPzdAw&ved=0CBsQvwUoAQ&q=AmBien+eating&spell=1&bav=on.2,or.r_gc.r_pw.r_qf.,cf.osb&fp=467b4e8ff95f01bd&biw=1022&bih=700

"Ambien(R)" is produced by Sanofi-Aventis, a French pharmaceutical company.  Also sold as Stilnox and Stilnocht in Europe.
"Minoxidil(R)" (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Minoxidil)

The New DMZ

In medicine, we normally do not institute treatment until a diagnosis is arrived at.  That is, how can one apply treatment rationally if one does not know what the problem is in all of its objective characteristics?

Similarly, using an automobile metaphor, it is impossible to plot the route one should take from one's current position (e.g., "point A") unless one knows the name of the position (e.g., "point B") to which one wants to go.  Point B, once decided upon will determine the nature of the observable, objective barriers and impediments which one will need to overcome to get from point A to point B.

Reportedly, the U.S. Administration has stated publicly they "want to get from point A (drug use epidemic) to point B (no drugs coming in to the U.S.)."  So, they should acknowledge the fact that they find themselves in the position of needing to "determine the nature of the observable, objective barriers and impediments which one will need to overcome to get from point A to point B."

The most obvious of these observable, objective barriers and impediments is the 1,500 mile open border between the U.S. and the Mexican drug dealer's safe haven, which is reported to be governmentally-protected.  Let's call this the "1,500-mile Problem."

Back to medicine for a moment: physicians who want to continue to practice, don't prescribe aspirin for a brain tumor-induced headache, they recommend brain surgery and excision of the tumor.  A radical treatment for a life-threatening disease.

Let's assume that, on a dry dirt road, a Border Patrol Agent in an SUV can cover 50 miles of US-Mexican border on a good day.  Let's call that the "50-mile Solution."

Does anyone think that offering a "50-mile Solution" in response to the "1,500-mile Problem" is any more untenable than prescribing aspirin for a brain tumor?

There is a move afoot in law enforcement to create more and better non-lethal-force-tools to subdue offenders.  In addition, in the U.S. we have some of the largest pharmaceutical industries in the world.  Finally, we have some of the largest and best aircraft production facilities in the world, which could cover the 1,500 miles from 6-hours (one-way) to less than one hour.

If we assume a situation using six 300-mile an hour aircraft, flying at 1-hour staggered intervals (one-way), spraying non-lethal substances that would cause simple, but severe nausea, vomiting and diarrhea, then, any one point on the border would get sprayed once per half-hour around the clock (the planes would turn around and fly a staggered flight back to the start).  Anyone coming across the border out in the  open spaces would get sprayed every 30-minutes.  If could create the equivalent of a “No-Fly Zone,” and called it the "No (Drug) Mule Zone."  It could be wide enough (based on average calculations easily arrived at) to insure that no one could make it across the "No D-M-Z" without getting sprayed at least once.

That's one "1,500-mile Solution" to the "1,500-mile Problem."  Get the idea?  And, by the way, my Not-So-Off-My-John-Rocker comment to ACLU-type organizations who will scream about people's "rights being violated" (a la President Truman's comment about "heat" and "kitchens") is this:

If you don't want to get sprayed, stay out of the New Drug Mule Zone!