lookin

Sorry, kids, we only do Venmo

It's been a while since someone offered me a penny for my thoughts and, now that the U. S. mints are going to stop making them, I wonder if I'll ever get another offer. 🤔 Don't get me wrong. My thoughts have never been a major source of revenue. For starters, there aren't that many of them and the ones that do come along never seem to generate a whole lot of interest. If I get a penny twice a year I'd consider it a pretty good year. Now soon even that little trickle will be gone. Worthless thoughts will slowly pile up, one on top of another, until a random breeze blows through and scatters them to the wind. 💨 And what about you folks? Will there still be a reason to be thoughtful in a country that no longer makes cents? What do you think?

The second pathology lab speculated that the first pathologist looked at the cells sliced through by the biopsy needles and decided they were very strange looking and gave them a Gleason score of 5. The more experienced pathologist at the second lab looked at them and concluded they were Gleason 3 cells that had been sliced through by a biopsy needle. I don't think anyone was trying to "force" the diagnosis. They just had different levels of skill and experience. The first doctor I saw was also a surgeon and his lab was the one that came up with the Gleason 9. Neither was trying to "push the scales". In fact, although he was a surgeon, his recommendation was for treatment with radiation. He based it on my age and his belief that I would have more side effects from surgery than from radiation. The second doctor, also a surgeon, said he looked at functional age rather than chronological age, and thought I'd be a good candidate for either surgery or radiation. I chose surgery because I'd have radiation as a backup if the surgery didn't get all the cancer. With radiation, surgery is not a backup if the radiation fails. Hormone treatment is a backup if neither surgery nor radiation get all the cancer. I apologize for going into all this detail. My intention is to let folks know that prostate cancer does not always lend itself to generalizations. There are a number of variables and they can be dealt with one by one. Second opinions are valuable at every stage. You are your own best advocate and, if that's difficult for you, try asking a friend or loved one to come along to your appointments with you. In addition to President Biden's medical issues that he's dealing with, he's also had to put up with kibbitzers bloviating from the sidelines and reaching useless conclusions. He's having a tough enough time and those who offer snide and uninformed comments are showing cruelty rather than compassion. I'll bow out of this for now. If anyone is going through any of this, please feel free to PM me if I can be of any help. And thanks to the OP for starting this thread! 👍

It turns out the second test from my surgeon's lab was the correct one. When my prostate was removed, they looked at the entire prostate - rather than just the biopsy samples - and confirmed the Gleason score of 7. My surgeon's lab concluded that the first lab had misinterpreted the "worst" of the cells they were looking at. After looking at the entire prostate, rather than the biopsy samples, my surgeon's lab further concluded that the Gleason score of 7 was a 3+4 which was better than the 4+3 they had read from the samples. As you say, that could have led to a period of 'watchful waiting'. The deciding factor for me, however, was the genetic analysis that showed an aggressive form of cancer that would have spread quickly had it escaped the prostate. I lost no time getting the surgery. I realize this is only one case of many but I decided early on that I was going to learn everything I could about the specific form of cancer that I had. I was blessed to be surrounded by very knowledgeable support group members, in the hands of an excellent surgical team, and covered by good insurance.

I feel sorry for President Biden to have to go through all of this and I'm hopeful that the hormone treatments will effectively manage his cancer for the rest of his life. He'll have good doctors who know the latest options. I had a PSA test when I was 62 and it was in the normal range. For the next twelve years, my doctor would give me a digital rectal exam at my annual physical except for one year when she missed. I was out in the parking lot when I realized it and almost walked back in to remind her, but I decided to wait another year. The next year she found a lump on my prostate and sent me for a biopsy. It came back with a Gleason 9 score, the same score Biden got and the highest one there is. I also got a PSA test which came back within the normal range. I wanted to learn everything I could about this unusual form of prostate cancer and I was lucky to join a terrific support group and learn about some other tests I could do. I had the biopsy sample genetically tested and found I had an aggressive fast-growing cancer, but one that did not create a high PSA. I also had a CT scan that told me the cancer had not yet metastasized outside the prostate wall, but that it was about to. My support group recommended one of the best surgeons in the area and he wanted his hospital to check the biopsy results and, using the same biopsy samples, they came back with a Gleason score of 7. So how about that? An aggressive fast-growing form of prostate cancer, that a PSA test wouldn't have picked up, that generated two different Gleason scores, and that a digital rectal exam found just in time. I decided on surgery, one where they check to make sure the walls are clear of cancer cells and, if they're not, they go back in and cut a little wider. The surgeon also took out twenty-three nearby lymph nodes, just in case some cancer cells had escaped from the prostate and were in circulation. The lymph nodes all came back clear. That was seven years ago and I get an ultra-sensitive PSA test twice a year. Knock on wood, they've been coming back undetectable. I'm writing all this to let my esteemed fellow-posters know that there's more than one kind of prostate cancer and that generalities don't cover them all. I think each of us is his own best advocate and should do the level of screening and testing he feels is right for him. If you decide to do little or no testing, the odds are likely to be in your favor. If you decide to go for a higher level of surveillance, don't let anybody talk you out of it. President Biden and I are both lucky to have access to good medical care and I hope that others will have access to the knowledge and support they need to take good care of themselves.

Just keep your mitts off my Donald!

Personally, I think our Nabob-in-Chief is setting his sights too low with this ‘free’ plane from the Qataris. It may be a “flying palace” but it’s still a used aircraft and it won’t get him anywhere he can’t already go. If you ask me, the answer is right under his nose. Well, under Elon Musk’s nose, actually, but close enough. If he wants to stay on trajectory and go where no President has ever gone before, he needs to commandeer the SpaceX Dragon, order NASA to cut through all the red tape, and become the first world leader to land on Mars. If he times it right, he could touch down before year’s end and celebrate his first anniversary in office gazing up at the Martian moons, conveniently named Phobos (Fear) and Deimos (Demon). What’s more, a year on Mars is equal to almost two years on Earth, so he could stay President for two more terms and not even violate the 22nd Amendment. “But, Lookin”, you say, “SpaceX doesn’t have a rocket that could bring him back. Once he gets to Mars, he’d have to stay there.” And you would be right. 👋

I was all ready to poo-poo our President's latest idea of giving undocumented immigrants $1000 to take a free plane ride back to their native country. And then I got to thinkin'. 🤔 Although I'm not an undocumented immigrant, I wouldn't be surprised if he'd like to get rid of me too. In fact, as a radical leftist gay octogenarian, I bet he wouldn't even save me a room in Alcatraz. So I wonder what kind of offer he'd give me to go on a one-way trip somewhere warm and sunny? I'm sure Mike Lindell already told him that I never voted for him and I filled out two ballots apiece for Hillary Clinton and Joe Biden and three for Kamala Harris. And Elon's Musk-rats probably filled him in on the sorry state of my so-called assets and my monthly drain on our national Ponzi scheme and various other entitlements. Not that he could balance the national budget by getting rid of me, but he could probably splurge on a new golf cart. Personally, I think getting rid of me would be one of the best deals he ever made so I'm currently thinking a million dollars and a first class one-way ticket. And then I think of not having to turn on the TV and listen to that droning blather every hour of every day and wonder if maybe I should just settle for fifty bucks and find my own way south of the border. What about any of you folks? What would it take for you to self-deport? And would you take a check, or hold out for cash?

Music - Symphony No. 3 in C Minor Composer: Camille Saint-Saëns - Paris Lyrics: Jonathan Hodge - London Lead singers: Yvonne Keeley - Rotterdam, Scott Fitzgerald - Glasgow Backup singers - St. Thomas More Catholic School Choir - London Reggae musicians - TBD

It's not Trump's IQ - or lack thereof - that concerns me. As I've posted elsewhere, it's the social pathogens that Trump has been blasting out for the past nine years. His skill at dividing people, generating anger and destroying trust is enough to threaten the world's stability. America is in the forefront of the social disintegration but it can spread everywhere within minutes. Look how fast he's getting rid of the separation of powers. Our very intelligent founders spent a decade or more thinking through the ways to prevent a government takeover and Trump is currently undoing all their work. We've spent centuries building alliances throughout the world and he's throwing away allies who won't be able to trust us for perhaps another century. I shared my thoughts on the mental illness I believe Trump is causing in our society with a colleague. He's with a nearby fire department and he said their paramedics are seeing the increase in calls. They're not rescuing cats from a tree; they're trying to save people who have overdosed. A coupIe months ago I told my GP that I thought the Surgeon General should declare a mental health emergency and she said he had mentioned that earlier in the week. Of course that was Biden's Surgeon General and Trump's Surgeon General will be unlikely to admit her boss is driving everybody crazy. You could be right, though, and maybe he can't really fuck up America and maybe I'm just overreacting. I should probably have an early dinner and curl up with a good book.

No, and there won't be either. A municipal water system is designed to deliver a couple hundred gallons of drinking water to each of its residents on a daily basis. It's more than enough to put out isolated house fires across the area, but not nearly enough to control regional fires like LA had. For that, you need air tankers dipping into large bodies of water like reservoirs, lakes, and oceans. LA never ran short of those water sources and Trump's releases from Northern California had no effect.

Drat! I was hoping no one would ask.

I was sitting at a light behind a Tesla today and leaned forward to see the bumper sticker. Glad I did. 😄 I BOUGHT THIS BEFORE ELON WENT CRAZY

I was thinking Gaz-a-Lago. And right next door will be the Trump Tower of Babble . . . . . . Shouldn't that be Babel?

Well, he won't go empty-handed, that's for sure. After trying for a week or so, he now has access to the federal payment system. It's the federal government's 6 trillion dollar checking account used to pay salaries for federal workers, Social Security, Medicare, tax refunds and payments to grant recipients and government contractors - including Musk's competitors. Previously, only a small number of Treasury Department career officials had access to the system but now Musk and his 'DOGE' buddies have their hands on the account. That's thanks to Scott Bessent, Trump's newly appointed Treasury Secretary who turned over access to the personal data of millions of Americans who never imagined Elon Musk would have access to their financial and medical information. Don't get me wrong. It's possible he's not looking for a few trillion dollars to fund tax breaks for billionaires, and he may find that I've actually overpaid my taxes and Donald Trump has underpaid his. And if my Social Security checks go up and my Medicare payments come down, I'll be sure to post an update. In the meantime, here's hoping that none of these new super-users gets hacked. 🤞

I couldn't get Michelle to come Melania charged me a million bucks It should have been ten million I bet the check bounces . . . .

Thanks, and not to worry, I won't disengage from the political side. It's just that there's more to do than spend my time paddling around in the polluted waters of MAGA-dom. As @Pete1111 says, their own disfunction will cause them more problems than I ever could. President non-elect Musk is a lot more likely to sideline President-elect Trump than I am. I've posted before my belief that Trump has been steadily dripping pathogens into our social fabric and I think a counter-dose of support for those who are most damaged is a good way for me to spend my time. Glad to hear you're connecting with like-minded folks at the senior center. You've got a lot of knowledge, good insights and passion worth its weight in gold. They'll be lucky to have you. Also grateful that @Latbear4blk is supporting folks close to him who could use advice and help. He's got a long history of compassionate activism and it will definitely help to prevent and heal some of the damage. And how nice it is to hear @stevenkesslar is working with his family and friends! He's got a track record of making changes that others didn't think possible. Just what we need. During the past week, I've had some amazing conversations with local friends, who have been having conversations with their friends, and there's a lot of effort going into helping those who need it most. Much of it is in the planning stages but it's clear that compassion far outweighs indifference. I don't think we'll regret turning compassion into action, even if we have to miss the inauguration.

After Trump got elected, I started wondering what I could do. I came up with a couple of things: I wasn't going to contribute to divisiveness - there's already more than we need I would try to help folks who had more problems than I did - MAGA is looking to hurt people The first thing I started doing right away. The second has taken some time. Working with immigrants seems necessary, but I'm not sure how. President Carter's passing yesterday made things even clearer. As I thought about his life, it was obvious that he had set politics almost completely aside and chosen to spend his time helping to make life better for those who were much less fortunate. Aside from showing up at a few political functions, he left that world behind and went to places with diseases he wanted to see cured and he built houses. I think putting some distance between me and the MAGA movement will be good for my mental health - and probably theirs too. There are people in that group who have lost compassion for others. Some of them consider it a good day if they've managed to 'own the libs'. Hanging around folks with low ambition and negative outlooks won't do me any good. Jimmy Carter realized that and just walked away from the system. Although one might say that avoiding that system is itself a political statement. So I'm learning more about the immigrants in my neighborhood and what they're feeling and what they need. Those needs will probably become clearer when Homan lands. I've been talking with friends and neighbors and hope that will lead to work that needs doing. Anyone else looking for additional things to do?

Didn't they also throw him a State Dinner?

I wrote the Declaration of Independence . . . I preserved the Union I united the Country . . . I won the Nobel Peace Prize . . . . . I pardoned myself

Personally, I've never understood the rationale for giving a President the power to pardon somebody. But right there it is in Article II, Section 2, Clause 1 of the U. S. Constitution. The President ... shall have Power to grant Reprieves and Pardons for Offenses against the United States, except in Cases of impeachment. If you want to get rid of it you'll have to amend the Constitution. In the 234 years since the Constitution was ratified, it's been amended twenty-seven times. The first ten amendments, known as the Bill of Rights, were made a year later and the last amendment was made in 1992. So it will be a pretty heavy lift to rescind the Presidential power to pardon and send Charles Kushner and Hunter Biden off to the pokey. However, that doesn't mean we can't continue to bat it around here in the Politics Forum.

Pfft! It vill be a thousand years!

According to this article, some Republican senators are weighing the choice between being primaried if they oppose Trump's nominations and losing the general election if they support his nominations. Somewhere in there might be a thought for what's best for their constituents, but so far they haven't mentioned it.

Well, as we here in the Politics Forum know all too well, talk is cheap. But here's an enterprising company that's making it easy for anyone who really does want to leave the country for the next four years. Cruise line offers ‘escape’ from Trump presidency with multi-year packages They said they came up with the plan before election results were in and it's just a happy coincidence that the cruise and the customers arrived all at the same time. For $40,000 a year, passengers can visit 425 ports of call and 140 countries without ever leaving their deck chairs. Adding in drinks and a nice tip, that would come to around two hundred grand for the four-year escape. I don't know if it's worth it or not, or who would go or how long they would float around. The company has packages for one year (Escape From Reality), two years (Mid-term Selection), three years (Anywhere But Home) and four years (Skip Forward). It's also possible that the cruise would appeal to both Trump-avoiders as well as Trump-supporters who discover that their Leader has told them some fibs too. The company has taken the precaution of playing MSNBC on one end of the ship and Fox News on the other. They'd probably have to get at least a few Trump supporters so the ship doesn't capsize. Lots of logistics to consider and then it occurred to me that the simplest solution might be to let everybody who would like to be Trump-free just stay home and put Trump on the ship for the next four years. I'm sure Melania would chip in for the ticket and perhaps even a shiver of sharks to swim alongside, just in case. Plus, the two hundred grand would be the maximum Trump or his sponsor(s) would have to pay. Once Elon Musk ramps up the Department of Government Efficiency, I'm sure he could cut a deal. In fact, I'd go so far as to suggest they share a cabin.