Random ramblings at year's end

Hope everyone had a very Merry Christmas and are looking forward to a Happy New Year.
I got a late Christmas present last night with Iowa's stunning victory over Missouri in the Insight Bowl. Hawk fans needed that to give us hope for next season.
Topic switch: Have you noticed all of the crazy TV ads for prescription drugs? I can remember a time when the only time you might see an ad for a drug company might be in a magazine in the doctor's waiting room. Now it seems that they think we all need to know about the latest pill to pop to cure whatever may be ailing us. Of course, the aim of these usually slickly produced spots is to get us to ask your doctor to prescribe the particular pill and if he says you don't need it, insist on it.
What's really interesting is that when the drug pushers got into the advertising game, their legal departments got into the act and warned them that they had to list the disclaimers of how the particular drug might affect certain people in a bad way. One sleep aid may cause some people to eat, walk or even drive without remembering it the next day. Sounds to me that the best way to take that drug would be only if you handcuffed yourself to your bed!
There's another drug that warns that it has caused thoughts or attempts of suicide in some patients. You are advised that if this occurs, you should stop taking the drug and call your doctor. Of course, if the suicide is successful, I guess you don't need to call the doctor...
Some people are seeking an enhanced love life and look for a pill to help them. One of the warnings with one of these drugs is it could cause a certain body part in men to malfunction for four hours or more. How would you like to be the one walking into the emergency room with that problem? The final scene on one of these ads shows a man and woman, side by side in matching bathtubs. I'll admit it's been a few years since I had any sex education classes, but I don't remember any suggestion about bathing separately in bathtubs as being a real turn-on.
These ads can be aggravating and are probably unnecessary. In fact, I wouldn't blame a doctor if he doubled his office call fee for anybody who asked him to prescribe a particular drug, based on what they saw in a magazine or on TV. I'm still a media person and I realize that all of these legalities, as well as the ads themselves, provide a lot of income for TV and the print media. But you have to wonder how much could be saved in prescription drug costs if patients left it up to the doctor to determine the proper treatment.
On to a more serious, personal topic: I learned this week of the death of my cousin Marvin. Although we had not been very close in the past several years as he was a bit older and lived about 200 miles away, the news of his death brought back some memories of happier times. Marvin lived in a small central Illinois town, but he had an accent like he lived in Kentucky. He was often moody, but then would surprise you with a quick smile or smirk. It always seemed like there was more going on in his mind than he would say.
Unfortunately, that may have led to his eventual downfall. Several years ago, he was involved in a love triangle. In a fit of jealousy, he allegedly walked into a diner in his hometown, spotted the guy who he thought was responsible for his failed marriage and shot him to death in front of the breakfast crowd. He was convicted of murder and sent to the state pen. He was still serving his sentence when he died this week.
I've never known a murderer. But I've also never known a personality like my cousin Marvin as he was years ago. I certainly don't condone what he did and I grieve for his victim's family. But I can still remember that ready smile he flashed many years ago. Marvin, I hope you have finally made peace with your demons.