Sex sells is news?

I am still surprised that Californians are sitting back and letting this happen. were are the mass demonstrations against the legislators and governor who are cutting all the poor people's salaries and services while they are using our tax money to pay themselves fat salaries. SHAME ON THEM. i wish there was more public mobilization against this capitalist agenda. it is time to take to the streets and shame our governor and his rich friends in Sacramento.

Unfortunately, outside of the top few women in the rankings, women's tennis is not very compelling these days. It is insulting to women that the tournament organizers and WTA push the sexiness of the players to increase interest, but they think that's all they have. A men's match like Querrey vs Cilic (47 v 13 ranked) had the crowd enthralled last week, but a match of similarly ranked women would have 20 people watching. By the way, as an ardent supporter of equal pay for equal work I have to say that the women don't deserve equal prize money these days since they just aren't selling commercials, except in the late rounds of the tournaments.

By the way, I'm passionate about tennis, but I think that Larry's whole focus should be on the State budget crisis and it's fallout.

I assume the visibility (court placement) of players equals out as they advance through the tournament. So even ugly finalists must find themselves in center court eventually....right?

The news about the All England Tennis Club choosing more attractive players to play on Centre Court is atrocious. I cannot believe that in this day and age we are still fighting this issue of objectifying women. What happened to judging someone based on their own merit? Male or female, tennis is based on someone's skill and genius on the court, not how beautiful you are. If someone is the best player in the house but isn't too attractive, why can't they play Centre Court? They are the best and earned the right to be there and deserve it. As a tennis player myself who's not too shabby on the eye, I pay to watch the BEST play on Centre Court, not the most beautiful. Tennis is a pure sport, and using sex to sell is old. Let's not taint the sport by placing more value on sex appeal than what is more important: genius on the court, passion that is infectious, athleticism that is inspiring, and the skills to match. Just great tennis!

Addiction and dependence are NOT the same. I have a chronic pain issue and am dependent on opiates. However, I have one pain doc and take what is perscribed. This allows me to live a very productive life.

As Los Angeles grapples with how to regulate local medical marijuana dispensaries, we should consider the very real benefit to pain sufferers this demonized drug affords. No one has ever ODed on marijuana. Big pharmaceutical companies promote the idea that their deadly products are the only option. Not true. Marijuana could be the safe answer to chronic long term pain.

Would you please have one of the experts discuss the difference between addiction and chemical dependence?

I think there is a lot of misunderstanding and strong opinions, especially from people who are not well informed. I have a chronic pain condition and am under the care of a pain management doctor. There is a huge stigma attached to the use of opioid medications, but for some of us, the drugs are the only way to live some semblance of a normal life.

You keep hearing that it is difficult to hold doctors who enable the addicted party because they (addicted) use fake names, lie, etc. In my view, this excuse is just that -- an excuse. Before any physician prescribes a powerful narcotic (or any other such drug) they should be required to do a blood test to identify any possible drugs in the body. Also, how easy is it to use a phony name when you are a celebrity -- aren't people required to visit the doctor before these drugs are prescribed? This sounds like doctors protecting doctors. Michael Jackson's death is an utter tragedy that might have been avoided in terms of prescription drugs.

As an RN, I am horrified that your physician is discussing a patient's medical information with the public. There is a State law known as HIPPA forbidding this. I am sure death does not free medical professionals from the law.

We are talking about pharma. What about weed? It is a prescription here in California. At least it is organic. And you do have to see a doctor to get a certificate.

I had surgery on my foot a few years ago - afterwards the doctor gave me a pain killer prescription and started to write out one for Vikadin - after V.I.K... I told him I didn't really want this as I had read about it and he said OK - try Tylanol Extra Strength and see if that works - it did.
My point is that the doctor went straight for the heavy drug - and I am no celebrity.

I cannot believe what the doctor just said. That he went to Johns Hopkins for his MD and he didn't get any training in prescription drug addiction.

Wow. The more we learn about medical care in this country the more we realize why our lifespan is shorter than so many other countries.

Oh, and as for the caller asking about his mom being overmedicated, every single time my mother went in for any kind of hospital stay they ALWAYS overmedicated her. Every single time. Once I figured it out I made a point of telling that history to her nurses so they would put a note in her chart.

But why should I have to do that? I'm not a doctor or a nurse. They are the supposed to be the experts.

How many people die each year because they don't have a family member speaking up for them like I tried to do so often for my mom?

Your section on drugs, addiction and drug interactions ties in very well with the story about Tylenol. I take phenobarbitol for a chronic condition. It is metabolizes through the liver, jut as Tylenol does; therefore I will not take Tylenol. One take aspirin; its irritation to the stomach can be alleviated by taking with food or a lot of liquid. I know hospitals use Tylenol a lot; I hope that if I ever go to a hospital, I will not be forced to take Tylenol at the same time that I am taking phenobarbitol.

Also years ago, I had a crick or pinched nerve in my neck. I told the doctor I was taking phenobarbitol, but he prescribed valium anyway. Later the next day, I took a half tablet of valium, as prescibed, around noon. I suddenly got a rush; I told my boss I had to a sit down. The rush went away. But if the doctor does not listen to the patient or understand the possible interactions between drugs, such as valiumand phenobarbitol, we re in trouble.

Anonymous

Wimbledon finally comes through with what a lot of us are really thinking. Although I enjoy watching tennis overall, I really do make more of an effort to watch players who I personally think are attractive. If I'm channel surfing and run into a broadcast of women's tennis, I'm much more likely to stay tuned if someone like Sharapova or Kournikova is on the court. Conversely, if I run into a broadcast of the Williams sisters playing, or where there isn't anyone I find attractive on the court, I'm very likely to switch to another program very quickly. In addition, I wouldn't be likely to watch the men play either for the same reason, simply because I'd rather watch attractive women play. The only time I would probably watch a tennis match for the competitive aspect are probably the final matches. I suppose that makes me the complete opposite of a tennis purist, but not all of us watch tennis for the pure competitive aspect of the sport. I do of course watch other sports just to watch athletes compete, but there are many which I watch simply because of the attractive girls. Brittany Lincicome is another good example. I love to watch her play golf, but I really wouldn't watch golf otherwise. Therefore, I applaud Wimbledon for taking good looks into account. A lot of women may be upset about this, but it's also something that could be applied to the men. So to those listeners who are so upset and angry about this, have an open mind and consider the viewers who wouldn't watch otherwise.