JUST SOME POSTS

This Saturday February 28 th is the first international Rare Diseases Day. I am not sure what will actually happen, but the day has been declared and so named to "focus attention on rare diseases as a public health issue". This is the first day that the event has been officially recognized in this country. There are also over half the states that have issued proclamations recognizing the observance. Why should I (or you) care. Well, in my case I am living with the facts and effects of a rare disease every day. My wife has a rare disease called Multiple System Atrophy, or just MSA . MSA is one of almost 7,000 diseases that are classified as officially "rare". To attain this designation the disease must affect less than 200,000 people. At this level of affliction, rare diseases do not get the medical, drug, or research attention of higher profile illnesses. However, with 7,000 different diseases, there are between 25 and 30 million people in the U.S. alone that ar...

As I told you in previous posts - I am worried for our country and its'/our future. But, as I said then, not for the same reasons most people are. Yes, I have severe worries about our economy. It pains me greatly to see the current government abandon the policies that have made this country great to adopt the failed system of socialism. But, that is not the point of this post. I just read where an " eminent British economist" said that we were doomed. "Why?", you might ask. Because IF the global warming continues (he missed the memo about how the earth has cooled over the past decade), IF the average global temperature rises 6 - 8 degree Fahrenheit , and IF the ice caps have significant melting (he missed that memo too - the Antarctic cap is thickening, but...), THEN there COULD be a massive migration of people the likes of which we have never seen. This would cause massive and extensive world wars as countries that were not too hot turned away those people f...

"How much can I git for a dolla ?" Man, if I had a dime for every time I heard that one! I was just thinking about the summer I spent with Uncle Travis. He was a strange man, physically and socially. However, I had six weeks I'll never forget. Uncle Travis was born with one leg six inches shorter than the other. Now that was no big deal in most cases, but when he got excited or angry he tended to go in circles. He was an ice cream truck driver. Travis' Treats - Frozen confections you love to eat! That was his slogan right there on the side of his truck. Now Uncle Travis was not a fancy man, nor was he wealthy. He blew all his money on the cock fights every Saturday night - but that is another story. Travis did not stand on a lot of ceremony. His ice cream truck was basically a pickup truck with a plywood building on the back. He never put in refrigeration, so he used a lot of ice and dry ice to keep things frozen. All the kids knew Uncle Travis would start going i...

I spend more nights in hotels than most people I know. The majority of them are middle range to the better of the lower range types - my current favorites are Hampton Inns and Comfort Suites. Occasionally , I stay at nicer places - I am writing this from the Hilton Waterfront Resort on the beach in Huntington Beach, California . I have stayed at a lot of Hyatt Regency, Westin , etc type places as well. I have some observations and comparisons from these stays. First, it amazes me, but is proven out over and over again - the more the room costs - the more they nickel and dime you to death (I use that as an expression only - it is really ten and twenty dollar you!!) For example, I am writing this while sipping on a $2.69 ( pre -tax) 20oz Diet Coke. I have my computer hooked in to the Hilton wireless network at $12,95 a day. This morning I had a $20 breakfast. Now before you think I went wild and ordered the steak and egg extravaganza, let me clarify. I had the fruit plate. It was a pret...

Swiss Ban Germans From Nude Hiking in Alpine Town Monday, February 02, 2009 A Swiss village is trying to ban an army of nude German hikers who invaded their picturesque corner of the Alps. Officials in the town of Appenzell introduced a fixed fine for people found hiking in just a pair of boots and a backpack after a German nudist organization promoted “nature” walks for its members. What is this world coming to when a German can't take a nude hike in Switzerland?