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Howard McCollister wrote:
> "fresh~horses" <fresh~horses@xxxxxxxxxxxxx> wrote in message
> news:1127334372.002619.148180@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
> > http://www2.epocrates.com/index.html
> >
> > Check the "Honors" box on the left.
> >
>
> epocrates is generally small potatoes for honoraria, as are most of the
> online offers. I, and most doctors I know, get such invitations by email and
> regular mail at least a couple of times every week - fill out a survey by
> phone or mail and get $100. Drug companies mostly, but some equipment
> manufacturers and some marketing firms. Then, there are various other
> consulting agreements, usually involving money plus travel expenses,
> honoraria for speaking engagements....stuff like that. It's nothing
> new...been going on for many years now.
>
> HMc
COMMENT:
What?? They've been offering ME only $35-- stuff in that range. I just
got one today in the mail. And for half an hour of my time, I've been
too lazy to do it. I might, for $100.
I'm trying to figure out how having somebody pay me to tell them how
much of their advertising I listen to, causes harm to the world.
I suppose I could make a long complicated reasoned argument for a
causal chain, but at the end I wouldn't really believe it. No, the
answer is, I really am that lazy.
Back when I was an intern making $17,000 a year (which dates me,
because for a LONG time before that interns made quite a lot less, and
very shortly thereafter quite a lot more), some of these doctor opinion
thingies came with a $5 check enclosed. So then the moral problem was
do you cash the check and NOT do the survey? They did make it clear it
was on the honor system, and I had no obligation to do the survey (and
of course no legal one either-- if somebody sends you a check in the
mail, it's yours).
Dilemas, dilemas. And of course doctors aren't the only people paid to
fill out marketting surveys. We just get paid a little more. ($100??
Really? That's obscene. Must be a surgical instrument deal).
SBH
PS. Hey, Howard, did you make your contribution to the Red Cross
Katrina fund, yet? Good for you. Feel any better? Me, neither.
On future 1040's, it seems I'm due to make a major contribution to "The
War on Terror." But I can't seem to find anybody in Washington who
doesn't understand that this is not the same as "The War on Iraq."
Anyway, they seem to have spent all the money earmarked for the one, on
the other, instead. Not surprisingly, it doesn't seem to have worked
very well. If anything, a lot of people find the US just as terrifying
as ever. More so. So this is all very frustrating, too.
S.
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