Palo Alto Jo

I would think it costs nearly zero dollars to start promoting anti-littering in schools. A few field trips for the kids to participate in trash pickup, might make them start telling their parents and friends to stop dropping cans, bottles, trash as soon as they are empty. But, as JohnF noted, if it is picked up and placed in bags, the bags need to be picked up before they are torn open by the many street dogs, or otherwise re-opened and re-spread along the roads. The idea of sidewalk repair is too elusive for me to even contemplate, but that would be a real boon to the tourism industry and us locals. I'd also like to see a good face-lift on downtown buildings that include minor repairs and colorful paints. Watching people take pictures at the bridge when the flowers are in bloom shows how people appreciate the beauty and color. Paint doesn't cost that much. Seems like some "Paint Paradise" group could organize to paint a few buildings each year as a volunteer project (split the cost with the building owner, perhaps?)

Trust me, Doug has never had a "minor" run-in with anything. If this bull had struck Doug, I'd once again be pulling out all our handicap equipment, which we keep in a storage room in duplicate or triplicate.

Bonnie, I've recently learned to loan books and movies I buy off of Amazon. I've got a few friends I check with before I buy, to see if they'll loan to me. The only catch is you can't read a book you own while you have it loaned out, but that's the same as the old print books. Don't know if your reading tastes are same as mine, but feel free to check with me. I read a lot of historical novels, WW2 mostly.

I too have seen my first moonbows since living here. Amazing. But, I'm starting to be a grouch when seeing the morning rainbows at my house. I often see rainbows that rise and fall across the valley for 4 hours or more. Now, they are beautiful, but..... 4 hour rainbows for us up in Palo Alto means 4 hours or more of drizzle. Enough of the rainbows!! Who knew l'd become the old lady who yells stuff like "tell the kids to keep off my grass!!! "? haha

It definitely depends on where you plan to live. Planet Telecom is about the only ISP if you are in the "sticks", and it is much slower and more expensive than Cable Onda. I can't get Cable Onda, but, in my area we have great water, security and it's quiet. Make a list of your priorities, and then talk to everyone in the neighborhood for the "real story" on any problems in a particular area with services. There are lots of rumors, but things change here all the time, so get the latest from actually residents in an area. I use Cable and Wireless phone, the $20/month plan, and it has been pretty good, rarely out (once in 6 months for a few hours?). Cable and Wireless are advertising some new package of internet and phone, you might want to see if that works for you, and if it's available in the areas you are looking.

Yes!! I want a veggie burger too. A spicy black bean one! The meat ones do look great, and nothing is better than a veggie burger that's been grilled on the same grill as real meat!!

That book looks interesting. I'm going to get it. Just today I had a friend in California text me that we can't get any shots because she is reading so many "articles" on the Internet about a government conspiracy to get rid of "undesirables" by getting them to take (or "forced to take" as she said) flu shots and vaccines. I cannot for the life of me figure out how people can get these goofy ideas. She wrote this from her sick bed where she has the flu.... Perhaps the book will help me see where this is coming from. I hate to blame the "Internet" when it seems like it's people who are not willing to put in the time to learn about the science, and find it easier to believe superstitions and pseudoscience. Thanks for the suggested reading!

You're probably right. I need to correct my American-centric mind. I continue to think that most research and development goes on in the U.S., but other countries are doing it too, and often with better trial regulations, quicker to market, and making lots of progress. Thanks for reminding me, I need to shake that impression for good! Sometimes I think the FDA is more a hindrance than a help. They will approve something and then be the first to yell later that it is dangerous and needs to be taken off the market. I used to wonder if they took bribes from drug companies AND personal injury lawyers. NO, JUST KIDDING!!

Uncle Doug, a bit of an update on the answer. Dr. Gozaine wrote me again to say I didn't exactly convey what the problem is, my error not his!! I'll try again. The children are put on ventilators, with tubes down the throat, on presenting at the hospital in critical condition with pneumonia. After their pneumonia is treated, about 10 days, they are taken off the ventilator, and airtube down the throat is removed as it causes scarring to the inner airway. At that time he is asked to place a tracheotomy, not remove it. It helps them wean off the the ventilator. He later removes the tracheotomy and any scar tissues that have been caused by both, to return the children to a normal life, and this they try to do before the child leaves the hospital.

Good question Bonnie. I forwarded your question to Dr. Gozaine who wrote me back in a timely manner. He says he treats skin cancers surgically, and actually did much more of it in Louisiana than he does here, due to the darker pigmented skin in most patients here. Rhinoplasty he does for both functional and cosmetic reasons. Again this was true in his practice in Louisiana. It's the same basic procedure, but obviously adjusted for the needs of the individual. Makes sense to me once he explained it. It's easy to forget that plastic surgeons also do rhinoplasty for function, not always cosmetics, and they are not as specialized on the functionality of the ear, nose and throat area as an ENT . I can see how the two over-lap.

Dr. Gozaine agreed to answer reader questions that arise from his profile here. I'm telling you, he is a jewel!! Excellent question Uncle Doug, and one I should have asked in my initial interview with him. Here is his answer: Again, thanks for the question and interest. Dr. Gozaine will be heading to Louisiana for a few days, but says he is quite willing to take more questions as he travels, via whatsapp. Ever try to get that kind of service in the U. S?.!! Thanks Dr. Gozaine!

Wow, Bonnie that is amazing. If the drug were available here, I wonder how many of us European descent types would take it without a thought. Thanks, for the info, I'm going to be checking better if I get prescribed anything new down here. We do need to be responsible for ourselves. Lesson learned!

The FDA approves drugs that eventually make it onto the world market. They can also keep promising drugs out of the market, if the producer is an American producer. The FDAs decisions often have world-wide consequences.

That is so sad Keith, and when one sees it you feel helpless!! It's worse than watching someone feed their cat a vegetarian diet and watching their cat starve to death. Very painful! I'm so sorry.

I think that is a good idea. I only fear those who turn their nose up at the treatments with proven statistics and ONLY take the "holistic" or alternative approach. Laetril was basically ground apricot pits, and yet people poured into Mexico to get it, versus surgery/chemo/radiation/pharmaceuticals. I'm sure the apricot pits didn't hurt anyone, but ignoring cancer specialists probably did. I do wish the FDA would start testing some of these "cures" and make these people adhere to real peer review before they can claim any successes. But, as they are "natural treatments", I can see the FDA refusing to get involved with judging the benefits of "eating dehydrated grapefruit" or some such. They already know grapefruit to be safe. Funny thing is, most people don't realize that often big pharmaceuticals get the basic chemical structure of some medicine from plants and are always looking at rare plants for possible treatments of ailments, much as the old medicine men have for thousands of years. They should do a better job of getting that message out. People love to hear a product came from "natural sources" for some reason.

Keith, the sheer number of people getting treated for cancer, by the huge number of professionals, and expensive diagnostic equipment VS. even the most gung-ho, no holes barred, spending spree research would easily explain those numbers. There aren't that many smart scientists working on this, but still that's a lot of money on research. There are so many more diseases than cancer, like Alzheimer's and Aids, that even the few researchers that are working on cures are getting a lot of grant money, compared to the huge number of sick people. Again, these scientists are not getting the big bucks to research, they aren't in it to be rewarded financially, although I'm sure they still make a very good living, and they should based on their knowledge and education. A ratio of 1 dollar in research for every 20 dollars in treatments (that came from research) seems like a lot of research money on one class of disease. It also shows how complicated it is, and that there is not going to be "one cure" but hopefully each variety of cancer can be "cured" over time.

It seems like a daily occurrence that someone is being investigated for corruption here. Maybe I'm naive, but won't that help bring down the corruption? Whether they go to jail or not? Just being investigated can ruin one's life and wipe out one's money paying for lawyers.

What good arguments there Bonnie!! Yes, there is no way "governments" can keep secrets, nor pharmaceuticals. Way too many people "know", there is always a leaker. And Steve Jobs is a perfect example of how far off away we still are from a "cure". I'm sure he tried everything, with his resources and his desperate situation. There is money to be made in cures!! Doug, I too used to argue with a guy who "knew" all about the conspiracy to keep the 100 mpg carburetor off the market. Maybe Keith knows this, but haven't cars been "carburetor-less" for 25 years now?

Sure! I think we're just waiting to see if there is enough interest. I am available to look at samples, assuming microscope is functioning, anytime after Jan. 7.

Is it possible to sell a non-digital TV? I'd think they couldn't give them away! But, kudos to Panama for continuing to modernize. It was traumatic for some in the U.S. a few years ago.

I think they ACS is more into collecting money and then deciding who gets grant money if they are working on something promising. Not sure the ACS does any of its own research at all. Perhaps they also have a few facilities, but mostly they work with universities and other institutions. That would explain why it is divided geographically. They are looking for institutions all over the U. S. (even world?) that may be deserving of the money they raise. Some money goes to paying patients to participate in studies, which again could come out of regional offices instead of say, Washington, DC. I kind of like spreading it around versus too centralized in some place.

But, a cure would be even more profitable, no? Look how much money is made off of treatments. No one should think a cure would be free. It would be a godsend to so many families, for those with childhood cancers alone it would be a huge blessing. But real, professional cancer specialists are working on this, and they aren't getting rich working on solutions. They are simply working on leading edge treatments or cures. And are very successful in many types of cancer now. All treatments are costly, but people would sure be willing to pay more for a cure than a treatment. A prevention? Even more. But, it will be several "cures", as you can't possibly treat brain tumors the same way as melanoma or leukemia. Different type of cells are involved, and I'm betting they need different types of cures.

While no one in this forum has said this, I've always had to grimace at people who think there is a cure for "cancer", as if one thing will cure all kinds of different cancers. But, I know they're nuts when they think governments or pharmaceutical companies try to suppress the "cure", for sinister or financial reasons. There's frankly more money to be made in cures than in suppressing cures!

I'll private message you. I think it would be fun to give a day to accept river water samples around the area and just see what we could find. We might not see all organisms without centrifuges and specialty dyes, but it would be interesting just to see what we could discover, if anything. It would certainly be fun for me to just look through a microscope again.

My father, a physician, died from Alzheimer's, as did many of his elders. I am constantly looking for the next cure so my son never has to see me in that horrible state. There are millions of snake oil salesmen, and some promising but slow-moving medical research and trials. The lowering of cholesterol and arterial improvement in general seems to be something I can easily do, even if it's not a cure. I hate taking my Crestor, but if I don't take it, I've seen my cholesterol rise 100 mg/dl in 2 weeks. My father never took a cholesterol reducer, but I'm sure his cholesterol was too high. He was a strict vegetarian, so it much be some genetic something we have. Anyway, good to hear that there may be additional reasons to keep taking my pills. Do wish someone comes up with an Alzheimer's cure in my lifetime. One that reverses the damage would be even better. But for now, I'll keep doing a few things that seem to delay the disease, like diet and exercise, and my pills.