Awww, how thoughtful. Merry Christmas. Be well, Kris

...All that glitters isn't gold... Seriously, though, there are kids involved. I hope everyone's ok.

Hi Zach, I have a son about your age, I can't imagine...Sounds like he was a great guy, and we're glad you're here! You will love the Zep info and the people here...WELCOME! Peace

Ok, now I gotta go watch the damn movie!!! Enjoy.. George Bailey ROCKS!!

Hands down...It's A Wonderful Life. I love the cemetery scene. When he realizes what a wonderful life he's had. Cry everytime.

wow good for you!

Got a job offer today!!Looks like the week after Christmas...I'll miss the posh 'burb of Boston, but it's time to move on. Keeping fingers crossed

Why, are you underage?? ahaa

Good God Almighthy!

(I just want to be your) Everything, Andy Gibb

Wonder where the cost cutting will come from?Posted Image Dzldoc, No kidding. You raise an interesting point. I'd like to steal an analysis made by a local radio show host...What is the one thing that the President has been very candid about with regards to his healthcare package? Answer: To provide healthcare to those who do not have it... I promise you, this includes illegal immigrants, how could it not??? Next question, Who pays? Answer: We take preventive medicine away from people, and discourage women from self exams, thereby keeping them from calling their doctors and racking up "unnecessary" medical bills. Voila! We have money to give healthcare to all. Well, that was easy! Is he smart or what?? Stay well, my friend.

Johnny Depp wins his 2nd 'Sexiest Man Alive' title The Associated Press Wednesday, November 18, 2009 8:46 AM EST * Print * o Share FILE - In this Nov. 17, 2009 file photo, actor Johnny Depp attends The Museum of... (AP Photo/Evan Agostini, File) More Entertainment News Janet Jackson: Michael in denial over drug problem Tales of rich and poor loom large at book awards Savannah marks 100th birthday of Johnny Mercer Big Hubble instruments now Smithsonian artifacts 'Fringe' star John Noble celebrates weird science More Entertainment News NEW YORK (AP) — Get lost, Hugh Jackman. This year's "Sexiest Man Alive" is once again Johnny Depp. Depp nudged aside Jackman to get the coveted endorsement from People magazine Wednesday. It's the 46-year-old actor's second time as "Sexiest Man Alive." He also won in 2003. Kate Coyne, senior editor at People, said on CBS' "Early Show" that Depp has achieved an almost "iconic status in terms of sexiness." Says Coyne: "Johnny Depp was someone who was sexy 10 years ago. He'll be sexy 10 years from now. He's someone who appeals to multiple generations of women." Depp joins other double winners Brad Pitt, George Clooney and Richard Gere. Matt Bomer, who stars in USA's "White Collar," was named "Sexiest Rising Star."

I am watching this!!! Hard to find others in my "group" who can pry themselves from Dancing with the Stars, etc. but I am really enjoying this...all the while thinking, "where do we find such men"? I wonder is its for sale from the History Channel...

For those who think government controlled healthcare is a good thing. This should scare the ever loving sh** out of you. I can see it now...Um, we've decided not to cover these exams based on OUR research. Just wait... New Advice: Skip Mammograms In 40s, Start At 50 MARILYNN MARCHIONE, Associated Press Writers POSTED: 5:00 pm EST November 16, 2009 UPDATED: 5:06 pm EST November 16, 2009 [email: New Advice: Skip Mammograms In 40s, Start At 50] Email [PRINT: New Advice: Skip Mammograms In 40s, Start At 50] Print [COMMENTS: New Advice: Skip Mammograms In 40s, Start At 50] Comments (0) Bookmark and Share NEW YORK -- Most women don't need a mammogram in their 40s and should get one every two years starting at 50, a government task force said Monday. It's a major reversal that conflicts with the American Cancer Society's long-standing position. Also, the task force said breast self-exams do no good and women shouldn't be taught to do them. For most of the past two decades, the cancer society has been recommending annual mammograms beginning at 40. But the government panel of doctors and scientists concluded that getting screened for breast cancer so early and so often leads to too many false alarms and unneeded biopsies without substantially improving women's odds of survival. "The benefits are less and the harms are greater when screening starts in the 40s," said Dr. Diana Petitti, vice chair of the panel. The new guidelines were issued by the U.S. Preventive Services Task Force, whose stance influences coverage of screening tests by Medicare and many insurance companies. But Susan Pisano, a spokeswoman for America's Health Insurance Plans, an industry group, said insurance coverage isn't likely to change because of the new guidelines. Experts expect the task force revisions to be hotly debated, and to cause confusion for women and their doctors. "Our concern is that as a result of that confusion, women may elect not to get screened at all. And that, to me, would be a serious problem," said Dr. Len Lichtenfeld, the cancer society's deputy chief medical officer. The guidelines are for the general population, not those at high risk of breast cancer because of family history or gene mutations that would justify having mammograms sooner or more often. The new advice says: --Most women in their 40s should not routinely get mammograms. --Women 50 to 74 should get a mammogram every other year until they turn 75, after which the risks and benefits are unknown. (The task force's previous guidelines had no upper limit and called for exams every year or two.) --The value of breast exams by doctors is unknown. And breast self-exams are of no value. Medical groups such as the cancer society have been backing off promoting breast self-exams in recent years because of scant evidence of their effectiveness. Decades ago, the practice was so heavily promoted that organizations distributed cards that could be hung in the shower demonstrating the circular motion women should use to feel for lumps in their breasts. The guidelines and research supporting them were released Monday and are being published in Tuesday's issue of the Annals of Internal Medicine. The new advice was sharply challenged by the cancer society. "This is one screening test I recommend unequivocally, and would recommend to any woman 40 and over," the society's chief medical officer, Dr. Otis Brawley, said in a statement. The task force advice is based on its conclusion that screening 1,300 women in their 50s to save one life is worth it, but that screening 1,900 women in their 40s to save a life is not, Brawley wrote. That stance "is essentially telling women that mammography at age 40 to 49 saves lives, just not enough of them," he said. The cancer society feels the benefits outweigh the harms for women in both groups. International guidelines also call for screening to start at age 50; the World Health Organization recommends the test every two years, Britain says every three years. Breast cancer is the most common cancer and the second leading cause of cancer deaths in American women. More than 192,000 new cases and 40,000 deaths from the disease are expected in the U.S. this year. Mammograms can find cancer early, and two-thirds of women over 40 report having had the test in the previous two years. But how much they cut the risk of dying of the disease, and at what cost in terms of unneeded biopsies, expense and worry, have been debated. In most women, tumors are slow-growing, and that likelihood increases with age. So there is little risk by extending the time between mammograms, some researchers say. Even for the minority of women with aggressive, fast-growing tumors, annual screening will make little difference in survival odds. The new guidelines balance these risks and benefits, scientists say. The probability of dying of breast cancer after age 40 is 3 percent, they calculate. Getting a mammogram every other year from ages 50 to 69 lowers that risk by about 16 percent. "It's an average of five lives saved per thousand women screened," said Georgetown University researcher Dr. Jeanne Mandelblatt. Starting at age 40 would prevent one additional death but also lead to 470 false alarms for every 1,000 women screened. Continuing mammograms through age 79 prevents three additional deaths but raises the number of women treated for breast cancers that would not threaten their lives. "You save more lives because breast cancer is more common, but you diagnose tumors in women who were destined to die of something else. The overdiagnosis increases in older women," Mandelblatt said. She led six teams around the world who used federal data on cancer and mammography to develop mathematical models of what would happen if women were screened at different ages and time intervals. Their conclusions helped shape the new guidelines. Several medical groups say they are sticking to their guidelines that call for routine screening starting at 40. "Screening isn't perfect. But it's the best thing we have. And it works," said Dr. Carol Lee, a spokeswoman for the American College of Radiology. She suggested that cutting health care costs may have played a role in the decision, but Petitti said the task force does not consider cost or insurance in its review. The American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists also has qualms. The organization's Dr. Hal Lawrence said there is still significant benefit to women in their 40s, adding: "We think that women deserve that benefit." But Dr. Amy Abernethy of the Duke Comprehensive Cancer Center agreed with the task force's changes. "Overall, I think it really took courage for them to do this," she said. "It does ask us as doctors to change what we do and how we communicate with patients. That's no small undertaking." Abernethy, who is 41, said she got her first mammogram the day after her 40th birthday, even though she wasn't convinced it was needed. Now she doesn't plan to have another mammogram until she is 50. Barbara Brenner, executive director of the San Francisco-based Breast Cancer Action, said the group was "thrilled" with the revisions. The advocacy group doesn't support screening before menopause, and will be changing its suggested interval from yearly to every two years, she said. Mammograms, like all medical interventions, have risks and benefits, she said. "Women are entitled to know what they are and to make their best decisions," she said. "These guidelines will help that conversation." Medical Writer Marilynn Marchione reported from Milwaukee.

Schweet! In case you missed it earlier, this is a great pic of you.

Dzldoc, Your willingness to share is humbling, and though you may not realize it, just may help someone else. Cancer is something many deal with everyday...either personally or through someone we care about. Your strength and obvious courage are inspiring to say the least. Keep up the good work!! Warmly, Kris

I know I'm early, but in case I don't get "here" tomorrow. I wanted to share this with you. Holliston, MA isn't far from where I live, and is part of my commute. When I drive to work through this town, I turn my radio off and take it in. Many thanks to all involved in this undertaking. Veterans Day tribute continues in Holliston Loading multimedia... * Photos Blair Signs 2 Purchase this photo Kathleen Culler/Daily News correspondent Holliston resident Bobby Blair, a Vietnam veteran, shows a memorial placard for Cpl. Nicholas Xiarhos, a 21-year-old Yarmouth resident killed in Afghanistan in July. Blair's nephew was Xiarhos' baseball coach and Blair's sister, who lives in Dennis, also knew Xiarhos. Blair posts placards honoring servicemen and women killed in Iraq and Afghanistan twice a year, for Memorial Day and Veterans Day. advertisement By Kendall Hatch/Daily News staff MetroWest Daily News Posted Nov 09, 2009 @ 12:00 AM HOLLISTON — Lining main roads in Holliston this week will be hundreds of signs remembering soldiers from the United States and its allies who have died since Memorial Day in the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan. This is the 13th time that resident and former commander of American Legion Post 47 Bobby Blair has posted the placards around town. He posts them twice each year, for Veterans Day and Memorial Day. Dubbed Roads of Honor and Streets of Sorrow, the sign project has been a tradition for the last six years, said Blair, who hung the memorials around town for Veterans Day, coming up on Wednesday. Twice a year, Blair and a small group of volunteers spends a morning affixing the double-sided placards to telephone poles. On Saturday, the group hung over 400 signs along the sides of Washington Street spanning from the Milford to Sherborn town lines and on Concord Street from the Ashland town line to Washington Street. Many placards were also placed on fenceposts at Finn's Field across from the high school. The signs, all hand-written by Blair, will remain in place until next Sunday, he said. The plain white signs display in bold, black letters the name, rank, and home state or country of every soldier killed in the two wars since Memorial Day. Blair, a U.S. Army veteran who served in Vietnam, said that even though the signs have become an expected appearance in town, it's important for residents to take a minute and remember the sacrifices made by soldiers overseas. "Everybody gets busy in their own lives - including me - and you tend to forget," he said. Blair said the project began in 2003, after he had organized a memorial for the victims of the 9/11 attacks. A member of the town VFW suggested a poster board be displayed in front of Town Hall listing the soldiers who had died in Iraq and Afghanistan. A single poster with a long list of names, however, wouldn't have enough impact, Blair decided, so he suggested the current model. Since then, Blair has hung the placards and performed daily maintenance during the week they are posted. In one of the first years of the memorial project, Blair decided to list each and every serviceman and woman who had died in the two wars to date, instead of just the most recent names. The signs stretched on for a staggering 34 miles, spanning seven towns, he said. While it was a powerful symbol, the thousands of signs proved too difficult to maintain and many were ripped down in a rainstorm, so the group downsized the memorial project. (Kendall Hatch can be reached at 508-626-4429 or at khatch@cnc.com.)

Just another sweaty guy in the crowd, huh? I'll be the judge of that. Get off my cloud. ahaa!!

Of course, they are the best rock band ever. Track one, side one, album one. No one had ever heard anything like it!! What I didn't know is Jimmy's hesitation to be part of Rock Band, which I don't own, and have no intention...makes me love them even more...

I wonder what he smells like....<SIGH>

Nice. Thanks for sharing.

^ I think you and I agree more than you think we do...We know that nothing is free, right? Someone pays, ie, you and I. All I am saying is that there are American citizens who are too old, too young, and too sick to care for themselves. Imagine if those groups I just illustrated were the only ones who relied on government? Hmmmm? I speak from 18 years of experience in healthcare when I recall the patients who use the ER for a primary care clinic, has cell phones, fake nails and Coffee coolattas for everyone, AND we ring for an interpreter, which costs an average of $100/hr. Most are here illegally, and health care providers cannot refuse to treat them, so, hospitals are required to take the loss. For how long? The only answer I can offer you is to educate yourselves in the upcoming election. I can tell you that the next Mayoral election for Boston is next week, and whoever wins will have the chance to vote on Immigration Reform. We need to pay attention to the fine print if we want to turn this thing around. I hope I've been clear. It's very hard to keep hearing stories of homeless vets, and laid off iron workers, etc having to foreclose on their homes. BTW, it has been my experience that these groups have the most difficulty asking for help. They simply are too proud. They aren't the problem. Forgive me, but the question about soldiers' families was rhetorical. I was an Army brat. I may not know the exact dollar amount, but I do know, it ain't ENOUGH. Peace

Ok, I "see" it. Are you asking me to answer the question posed in post #5? Sorry, but, I think I already did. Nothing is free, (see the old wagon analogy) and even my bright 13 yr old knows that. People who consider this healthcare reform FREE are sorely mistaken. What Obamacare means to me is simple. It is the largest redistribution of wealth in human history. And, it will end America as we now know it. Careful what you wish for.

Have a look at this.... http://www.managedmusic.com/ http://www.managedmusic.com/healthcare_reform_blues