One TLA, two meanings

Lately on the news we have been hearing the three-letter-acronym (TLA), NDA. These news reports have been focusing on something called a Non-Disclosure Agreement:

… a contract through which the parties agree not to disclose information covered by the agreement. An NDA creates a confidential relationship between the parties to protect any type of confidential and proprietary information or trade secrets.

That pretty much explains why we keep hearing about them on the news.

But every time I hear something about an NDA, something quite different comes to mind. In the world of pharmaceutical development, an NDA is a New Drug Application, defined on the web site of the Food and Drug Administration:

The NDA is the vehicle through which drug sponsors formally propose that the FDA approve a new pharmaceutical for sale and marketing in the U.S. The data gathered during the animal studies and human clinical trials of an Investigational New Drug (IND) become part of the NDA.

What is particularly amusing to me is that while the first NDA is essentially about hiding information, the second is a process by which every last bit of information is shared and carefully considered.

There is actually a web site where you can look up the meanings of acronyms: https://www.acronymfinder.com/

This lists 53 different uses of the three-letter acronym NDA, many for agencies and organizations outside the United States.

         New Drug Application (US FDA)

          Non-Disclosure Agreement       

          National Democratic Alliance (group of political parties in India)      

          Notre Dame Academy     

          National Defence Academy (military training school in India)

          National Disability Authority (Ireland)         

          Nuclear Decommissioning Authority (UK)      

          National Defense Academy (Japan)     

          National Dance Association       

          National Department of Agriculture (South Africa)

          Next Day Air        

          No Data Available 

          National Dental Association      

          Nissan Design America (La Jolla, CA)  

          Nevada Development Authority

          National Dart Association         

          National Defence Act (Canada) 

          National Day of Action    

          National Directory Assistance (Sprint)         

          Non-Destructive Assay   

          Nederlandse Dealer Associatie (Dutch)        

          National Deaf Academy  

          Non-Data-Aided    

          Never Die Alone    

          New Defence Age (Brussels, Belgium) 

          Non-Destructive Analysis

          National Drilling Association     

          Niagara Divers' Association      

          National Defense Area    

          Non-Disturbance Agreement    

          National Defense Act (USA)     

          Nepal Dental Association (Lalitpur, Nepal)    

          Not Diagnosed with Anything    

          Network Data Anonymization   

          No Detectable Activity   

          Northern Domestic Airspace    

          Night Duty Allowance (on overtime forms)   

          Nebraska Dietetic Association 

          Nebraska Dressage Association

          Natural Disaster Assistance     

          National Distribution Authority

          National Dealers Association    

          Normal Daily Activity      

          National Diploma of Agriculture (UK)  

          Network Design Activity 

          New Dimensional Applications (SAP)   

          Nigerian Defence Academy (est. 1964)         

          Nevada Department of Agriculture (est. 1915)       

          Natural Death Act (Washington)        

          National Dance Agency (UK)     

          Nonprescription Drug Advisory (US FDA)     

          Not Deliverable as Addressed (shipping)      

          Nuffield Department of Anaesthetics (University of Oxford; UK)

Meanwhile, back to reality, I received treatment #2 on Friday, and that went pretty well. I was a little less wiped out afterwards than I had felt after the first dose, and although I was not able to make it to synagogue for Sabbath morning services, I was up to going to a special presentation in the afternoon followed by the evening services.

Have a great day!

Love,

Rebecca

Breaking up is hard to do

We awoke this morning to the following news:

Early this morning, the president announced via Twitter that Mike Pompeo, the current director of the CIA, would replace Secretary Rex Tillerson at the State Department. Steve Goldstein, a State Department official, told CNN that Tillerson found out via tweet this morning. 

Donald J. Trump

Mike Pompeo, Director of the CIA, will become our new Secretary of State. He will do a fantastic job! Thank you to Rex Tillerson for his service! Gina Haspel will become the new Director of the CIA, and the first woman so chosen. Congratulations to all!

8:44 AM - Mar 13, 2018

This is not the first time the president has publicly fired a high-ranking member of his administration without letting the individual know ahead of time. Last summer, former FBI director James Comey was made aware of his firing during a speech he was giving at the FBI field office in Los Angeles.

This news reminded me of Episode 7 from Season 6 of Sex and the City, originally aired ten years ago, in which Carrie’s boyfriend Berger broke up with her via a message left on a post-it note stuck to her computer screen. 

It seems to me that our President is following the Jack Berger method for extricating himself from unwanted personal relationships to deal with ending his no-longer-desirable professional relationships.

I guess Neil Sedaka got it right in his 1975 hit “Breaking Up is Hard to Do.”

Love,

Rebecca

Real highlights

The weather had kept us from going out on my birthday, but we managed to compensate for this over the past few days.

First, we went to see “The Death of Stalin.” This film had received rave reviews on Rotten Tomatoes and by Manola Dargis of the New York Times. But to be brutally honest, I really did not enjoy this film. The violence and meanness were, I suppose, to be expected in a story based on Joseph Stalin, who served as General Secretary of the Central Committee of the Communist Party of the Soviet Union from 1922 to 1952 and as Premier of the Soviet Union from 1941 to 1953, during which time he was responsible for the deaths of upwards of twenty million people. The movie was also supposed to be somewhat comedic, but I just had a hard time finding anything at all funny in it. While I suppose the acting was impressive, I really cannot recommend this one.

But things looked up after that. On Saturday night we had gotten tickets to see Andy Borowitz on stage in a performance entitled “Make America Not Embarrassing Again,” an evening of conversation followed by an audience question and answer period hosted by Peter D. Kramer of the Journal News. We have become avid followers of Mr. Borowitz’s satirical column, “The Borowitz Report,” published in The New Yorker magazine. He was clearly preaching to the choir here: at one point he asked the audience how many had voted for Donald Trump in 2016 and I think maybe one person raised a hand, probably just trying to be funny.

What is particularly impressive about Mr. Borowitz is that, although we primarily think of him as a writer, he is able to deliver his material with exquisite timing and inflection. If you have never read his writings, here is a link to his post today:

The Borowitz Report

On Sunday, we managed to obtain among the last available tickets to the afternoon screening of the new documentary “Itzhak,” about famed violinist Itzhak Perlman. The documentary was beautifully done, but the main highlight yesterday at the relatively new and quite lovely Landmark at 57 West theater was the presence of Mr. Perlman, his wife, Toby, and the film’s director, Alison Chernick, who participated in a question and answer session after the screening. The documentary was thoroughly enjoyable and we highly recommend seeing it. It was interesting to learn about the early challenges he faced in his career, with concerns that audiences might find his disabilities too off-putting. Fortunately for all of us, he never let this get in the way of his determination to hone his craft and become the incredible musician, teacher, and inspiration that he is. It was an honor to simply share the space of this incredible talent.

Barry managed to snap a photograph, although the lighting was less than ideal.

The weather forecasters are using that four-letter “s” word again. Stay safe and warm!

Love,

Rebecca

Our lives in passport photos

Barry has some international travel planned for the coming months and our passports were reaching their expiration dates, so we had updated pictures taken and sent in renewal applications. To be honest, I was not sure what the point of the exercise was for me, because it is difficult if not impossible to imagine getting on a plane going far enough to require a passport.

On second thought, we could still pack up all the oxygen equipment and drive up to Canada, as we did a few years ago! So I perhaps the passport renewal was not an entirely moot exercise.

Amazingly, I still have all the old passports, including the one we obtained for the girls before our very first trip to Israel when they were just 3 and 1 years old (actually, a page in my passport). So, I thought it might be fun to scan them all in and put together a little collage here.

1981

1988

1998

2008

2018

With all of our moving around, there were many things discarded over the years that I now wish I had kept. But somehow, I had these, and I am glad.

Have an enjoyable weekend.

Love,

Rebecca

A brief return to songs with numbers

Those of you who have been following this blog for a while probably remember that each of my 37 radiation therapy sessions for bladder cancer last year was accompanied by a song whose title contained a number corresponding to the treatment number.

Today’s date is related to this in two ways: first, because it can be written as 3/7, and second, because it is my birthday. I am not secretive about my age: I am 66 years old today. And for most of us baby boomers and older, it was amazingly easy to post a song today: "(Get Your Kicks on) Route 66," a popular rhythm and blues standard, composed in 1946 by American songwriter Bobby Troup.

The song’s lyrics follow the path of US 66, which traversed the western two-thirds of the U.S. from Chicago, Illinois, to Los Angeles, California. The King Cole Trio (led by Nat King Cole) first recorded the song in 1946 and it appeared on Billboard magazine's R&B and pop charts. It went on to be recorded by numerous artists over the years, including a 1976 version by the Rolling Stones.

If you ever plan to motor west,
Travel my way, take the highway, that's the best.
Get your kicks on Route 66.

It winds from Chicago to L.A.
More than 2000 miles all the way,
Get your kicks on Route 66.

Now you go through Saint Louie,
And Joplin, Missouri,
And Oklahoma City looks mighty pretty, you'll see...
Amarillo...
Gallup, New Mexico,
Flagstaff, Arizona,
Don't forget Winona,
Kingman, Barstow, San Bernadino.

Won't you get hip to this timely tip
When you make that California trip?
Get your kicks on Route 66.

Won't you get hip to this timely tip
When you make that California trip?
Get your kicks on Route 66...
Get your kicks on Route 66...
Get your kicks on Route 66!

Meanwhile, we are not driving anywhere today. The blizzard being forecast is, at this point, just a few flurries, but in anticipation of its arrival many planned activities have been cancelled or postponed, including Barry’s usual Wednesday morning class and my scheduled Sandostatin injection (rescheduled for next Tuesday). So for now, we are hunkered down here with plenty of food and old movies to watch.

Stay safe!

Love,

Rebecca

An unexpected thrill

We spent yesterday morning at Gann Academy in Waltham, Massachusetts, where the Maimonides Middle School Boys’ and Girls’ basketball teams were playing a tournament involving the four Jewish schools in the Boston area that have middle school basketball teams, namely, Maimonides, Rashi, Schechter, and Jewish Community Day School (JCDS). We, of course, were there to see our favorite Maimonides basketball player, #54, our grandson Joshua.

I have to admit our focus was on the boys; during the girls’ games we entertained Joshua’s little brother and sister outside of the gym. In the first game, Maimonides beat JCDS 38 to 35, while Schechter won their game against Rashi. Then came the final game, Maimonides versus Schechter. It was a stiff competition, but in the final minutes Maimonides gained a point and Rashi was unable to score again, leading to a final score of 31 to 30. The Maimonides girls’ team won as well.

I really could never have imagined what a pure and total joy it would be to see Joshua and his friends “high fiving” with huge smiles on their faces. Their friendship and sportsmanship are truly inspiring. It is a world I had never had a chance to view up close and personal, and I am filled with abundant gratitude to have had the chance to do this yesterday.

(Joshua is the handsome boy in the red sneakers on the left)

After the game we headed over to Crescent Ridge Dairy for ice cream. Then Barry and I took Eliana and Maya for haircuts and a stop at Barnes and Noble for some books; I managed to take a very nice picture of Maya before my cell phone ran out of battery life. We had dinner with their family and headed back to New York this morning.

Our neighborhood is a bit of a mess, and we are fortunate that our house was unscathed. During the storm on Friday, a large tree came down on our street, leaving two cars more or less totally destroyed. One of our neighbors witnessed the incident: apparently another car was driving and missed being hit by a fraction of a second. There are still big branches in our driveway. All things considered, this could have been much worse.

My friend Joanne has brought to my attention an effort underway to support Landforce, a non-governmental organization (NGO) that provides on-the-job training for people living in poverty while simultaneously restoring the environment and providing a pathway to long-term careers. Landforce has just received a significant award from Google and has an opportunity to double the award. Just click on this link and then click “vote” at the bottom of the screen.

https://impactchallenge.withgoogle.com/pittsburgh2017/charities/landforce-pgh

I hear they are using that “s” word again for this Wednesday. It is March now and I am more than ready to be done with winter! Stay safe and warm.

Love,

Rebecca

The world keeps spinning

We made it to another milestone!

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We had a somewhat stressful drive up to Sharon yesterday. A short way into Connecticut, our car’s dashboard display told us that a tire was flat. This car has “run flat” tires, so you would not know this by just looking at the tire or even by driving on it, but when it happens you need to replace the tire as soon as possible. So, we pulled off at the next opportunity and Barry used his iPhone to locate the nearest tire store, which was two exits away. Unfortunately, despite what appeared to be many hundreds of tires in neat piles, they did not have that particular tire in stock.

Rather than trying to spend more time in search of the tire, we decided to continue our drive, which can be done (hence the name “run flat”) as long as you travel at under 50 miles per hour. It was a long trip to Sharon; what usually takes 3.5 hours took over 5! We barely made it in time for the celebratory Purim meal at Dina and Aaron’s, where the home-made-on-the-barbeque grill pizza (for those who are wondering, they like this so much that they purchased a separate grill for dairy) was totally worth the effort!

Have a nice (if wet) weekend.

Love,

Rebecca