Using dogs in cancer research

We watched a repeat of 60 minutes tonight that included a segment on how dogs and humans share many genes and cancer research in dogs is helping humans. Cancer is actually more common in dogs, so there are more subjects for research. I was happy to see that glioblastoma (brain tumor) is also one of the cancers being studied. Our son Phil died 3 years ago of glioblastoma, and he loved dogs. After his Lab Rosa died, he began a pet sitting side gig. This cancer's treatment has been stuck (in my opinion) in slash, burn and poison for probably 60 years with little progress, so life expectancy is still about 6 months to a year when the tumor is found at stage 4.

Trial cancer treatments for dogs could lead to breakthroughs for humans (msn.com)

The crisis in mental health beds

Perhaps you watched 60 minutes Sunday night about Austin Deeds, son of Virginia state Sen. Creigh Deeds, who left a Virginia hospital emergency room, went home, stabbed his father, and then killed himself. He was mentally ill, and there were no hospital beds. The implication of the story was that America has failed, won't financially support treatment for the mentally ill. But I was around in the 1970s when there was another "civil rights" movement for the mentally ill, led by former patients of institutions, social workers, academics and church do-gooders. With new drugs, small group homes, counseling, etc., large institutions weren't needed, we were told.

In the late 70s we took a friend having a break down to Riverside hospital, he wasn't even a citizen, and he was treated for a week or so, got counseling, drugs, and his life was saved and today is a functioning, healthy person. That couldn't happen today. There are no beds. Take someone to ER today having a breakdown and you might get a few hours of help. And it was liberals, not conservatives, who did this. If the mall shooter of last week in MD had shown signs of his mental illness, his mother would have been helpless, as was the mother of the Sandy Hook shooter. We called it civil rights then; today we call it helpless to save them.

Some bi-polar and schizophrenic people do very well on medication—so well that they decide not to take them any more. But parents can’t always intervene if they are adults, and their hands are tied to get help.  Such a story was told in the December issue of (614) of Adam Helbling who felt a huge let down on medication and he was no long Jesus Christ. We did them no favors when we closed the care facilities in favor of medication.  Both are needed.

 

 http://nation.time.com/2014/01/27/lawmaker-whose-son-attacked-him-faults-mental-health-system/

Lara Logan’s dismissal and sin

Do you think there's more to Lara Logan's "extended leave" from CBS? On good faith, she and her producer presented a story on Benghazi which shocked us all be showing up on 60 minutes. One of their sources turned out to be less than honest. As if this has never happened in the "caused by a video" mess. The administration probably came down very hard on CBS and she had to be sacrificed as did all the leftist media who have chosen to be blind to this administration’s sins.

ttp://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/style-blog/wp/2013/11/11/watch-lara-logan-shares-thoughts-on-benghazi-prior-to-60-minutes-apology/

http://www.realclearpolitics.com/video/2012/10/10/cbs_lara_logan_slams_obama_admin_for_pushing_major_lie_that_taliban_is_weakened.html

http://www.eonline.com/news/485398/60-minutes-lara-logan-ordered-to-take-leave-of-absence-from-cbs-after-botched-benghazi-report

http://www.breitbart.com/InstaBlog/2013/11/13/Salon-Writer-Calls-for-Lara-Logan-s-Firing-Over-Benghazi-He-s-Wrong-Here-s-Why

Noise, Mr. President?

PRESIDENT OBAMA: "Well—look, I have conversations with Prime Minister Netanyahu all the time. And I understand and share Prime Minister Netanyahu's insistence that Iran should not obtain a nuclear weapon, because it would threaten us, it would threaten Israel, and it would threaten the world and kick off a nuclear arms race."

STEVE KROFT: "You’re saying, you don't feel any pressure from Prime Minister Netanyahu in the middle of a campaign to try and get you to change your policy and draw a line in the sand? You don’t feel any pressure?"
...

"When it comes to our national security decisions—any pressure that I feel is simply to do what's right for the American people. And I am going to block out—any noise that's out there. Now I feel an obligation, not pressure but obligation, to make sure that we're in close consultation with the Israelis—on these issues. Because it affects them deeply. They're one of our closest allies in the region. And we’ve got an Iranian regime that has said horrible things that directly threaten Israel’s existence."

60 minutes

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Thank you, 60 minutes!

Years ago I was a regular 60 Minutes viewer. Then I watched a smear job they did on the people of little Polo, Illinois. I don't recall the details of the story, but I think the town had cut off the utilities of a down-and-outer who was scamming the whole community. Then there was the Dan Blather flap. But I did watch Steve Kroft's interview of Supreme Court Judge Clarence Thomas last night, and it was extremely moving with lots of added footage, plus an actual conclusion that gave Thomas the last word. How refreshing. What we know now. . . It was all about abortion for the hate-smear Clarence Thomas foes (I could have sworn it was racism, pure and simple). It was about standing on principle for him.

Flipping through blogs today, I saw one whiner that thought Thomas smeared Anita Hill. Not at all. He said she wasn't the meek and mild, demure young lady portrayed by the press. The Anita Hill he worked with was a fighter who would have never tolerated the indignities of what he was accused of, not for 10 minutes, let alone 10 years. What's demeaning about that? If she became a pawn of the press, slurping up the bright lights, she certainly wasn't the first.

Buy My Grandfather's Son. Let's show the Just-us Brothers (Al and Jesse) what a real man sounds like. Let's get this book into the school library. Ask my public library to buy 16 copies like they did for the anti-Bush titles. It will restore your faith in the very sorry mess that is Washington.