Remember the fall of the Berlin wall 20 years ago?  That changed much of Europe and gave millions of people an opportunity for a better life.

Studies show diet soda doubles the risk of kidney damage. Regular consumption of artificially sweetened drinks can lead to a gradual decline in kidney function. Regular soda isn’t good for you either.  I wonder what the future holds for all our young folks who devour one soda after another all day long.  It can’t be good. It was a mistake to ever put soda dispensers in our schools.

Unemployment is at 10.2%, and climbing.

Turkey and ham bingo last night in Kanopolis was hugely successful and lots of fun, so I heard.  Some walked out with turkeys and hams for Thanksgiving while others won money in raffles.Others just had to settle on having a really good time. Karen called Ally and asked her to buy her three raffle tickets and ended up winning $50.  Ally bought three but didn’t win.  It all went to a good civic cause.

Youngest grandson left early this morning for Cincinnati  for two weeks of training at the  Air Force Expeditionary Medical Skills Institute’s Center for Sustainment of Trauma and Readiness Skills, or C-STARS.  The  medical training program  is embedded in a civilian academic trauma center where he’ll be exposed to  transporting  critically ill patients on various types of aircraft.   Tyler is part of  the C-STARS staff in a total-force platform led by trauma surgeons, physician assistants, flight nurses and respiratory therapists from active duty Air Force and Air National Guard.  Its purpose is to prepare Air Force medics by providing hands-on clinical sustainment training in the care of seriously injured patients. The treatments involve trauma that students are likely to encounter on the war front.  It’s likely after this training he’ll be deployed and the reality of what he’s being prepared for will set in.

A sweeping health care reform bill passed the House after months of debate.  Women everywhere are going to be raising their fists if the abortion restrictions aren’t relaxed.  We have to do something about health care and people who vote against a bill to reform the current system will regret it.

In the House, the Stupak anti-abortion amendment passed 240 to 194 with one member voting present. 64 Democrats votes yes on the Stupak amendment. The Stupak amendment would effectively ban insurance companies from selling insurance plans that cover elective abortion on the individual and small group market. It would be one of the most far reaching national restriction placed on abortion in decades. It could also potential be used by insurance companies to allow them to legally discriminate against low income Americans.If you choose to have an abortion, your doctor is willing to refer the procedure, and your insurance provider is willing to pay for the procedure, this amendment will have a government bureaucrat prevent that from happening. For all the talk about small government, these representatives are more than happy to give the government more power as long as it is used to restrict a woman’s right to choose.  For more….from firedoglake.com.

Making abortions illegal and unsafe does nothing to prevent abortions.  I don’t know why that is so difficult for some people to understand.  There are hypocrites voting on these measures whose female family members have had abortions that you can equate with the hypocrites who votes against gay rights when they themselves are closet gays.

Leaves are ankle deep again in our yard.  My fave “yard girl” is going to mulch them today for the last time this year.  First we will have our usual Sunday morning breakfast at KCs.  It’s a transference from her Sunday morning outings with her father.

I get a couple dozen letters a day from people/scammers who want me to buy a degree in something.  I’m all for education and learning something new each day, but these folks need to heed their own advice.  What good is a piece of paper that said you graduated from some non-existent school?  This is the tone of the letters:

To old to go to the school? and you want a degree, ok we will help you get it Just call us at this number 1. 215-602-2419 and we will do the rest for you, and you will get yourself a Educational Paper!  Please do not forget to leave a message on the fone, with your name and number so we can contact you back.

This reminds me of a 7th grade English quiz.  How many mistakes can you find in this message?

I’m packing today for my stint at the Salina Regional Hospital.  I’ll throw everything in the car tonight to eliminate one more thing to do in the morning.  I have to be there at 5:30 and that means getting up at 3:45 in time to shower and leave. Then I get to sit for an hour or more and wait for something to happen.  I think they schedule you to be there an hour before they expect you to arrive.  It’s a bummer, not for me as I can sleep all day, but for Ally, Todd and Karen, it’s a trip.  Ally is planning on spending the night with me after surgery, if necessary.

I’m not at all anxious about tomorrow.  Ted Macy is an excellent surgeon and I’ve been down the road before with him.  It’s just something that has to be done and I’m very much accustomed to accepting things as they are.  Friends from far and wide have advice to offer and I know I can count on them.  One was for many years the head of a university nursing department and also a breast cancer survivor, another is one of only about 120 RNs nationwide who have the highest breast cancer certification while another is a radiology oncologist.  Many of  my friends have also undergone breast surgery and treatment.  I will call on them if necessary.

Thanks for your kind thoughts.  I’ll be back soon…maybe Wednesday for a quick update.