Science-based Medicine on Cancer Treatment Centers of America: [link]

I have also heard, although I can't find online support for this in a quick google, that CTCA leans towards using lower-dose chemo, which may mean that their patients feel better but might not be the best long-term choice.

In terms of "results," they not only cherry-pick patients, but also only report on a very limited subset of their patients. Many reputable treatment centers don't report results at all, because the concept of being "cured" of cancer is problematic. I was diagnosed in 2003 and lived for more than five years. My cancer recurred and spread nine years later. Am I a success or a failure?

One of the hardest parts of cancer treatment is that there is very little that the patient can do. People talk about someone having a long battle with cancer, but battle implies that the patient is doing the fighting. It's more accurate to think of the patient as the battlefield. I suspect part of the patient satisfaction with CTCA is that all these woo-woo therapies (which I suspect do not come cheaply) give the patients the feeling of *doing* something about their cancers.

I am particularly leery of a focus on nutrition, because I have seen people do very badly on chemo because they tried to stick with a lower calorie, fresh fruits and vegetables diet. This may be an excellent plan after chemo, but during chemo, patients need calories and a lot of them. If that means living on ice cream, so be it.

-t just left, and I forgot to ask her about the coffee popsicles. Boo.

Walter was very chill and awesome, even when Fella was less so. He did pretty well, all things considered, but we both have some work and training to do so that he can be chill and awesome like Walter.

I drive LOTS of rental cars. They all have steering wheels.

All of my rentals have keys too, and CD players, so I don't know if they are a useful predictor. However, despite ND having owned two keyless cars, a quick random look at car features didn't show any mandatory keyless models (you can get Focus with or without) or that many with even the option. Keys may have an expiry date, but being mortal and being dying are two different nuances.

Wow. It appears the plot for Fast and Furious 6 is: Orgasm. That's very kind of them.

All of my rentals have keys too, and CD players, so I don't know if they are a useful predictor.

Many of mine don't--they have a slot you can stick the "key" in to hold it, but you can also have it in your purse or the cupholder or whatever--to start the car you don't turn a key, you just hit the "start" button (or "Power" or whatever it's called). It may be one brand of cars that Hertz uses more or something, though.

I have rented pretty exclusively through Enterprise for the past ten years, and even though they've gotten pretty fancy with the electronics (more than one person synced their phones up to a rental unit--I'd love to go through what they left on it), I have never been offered anything keyless at a midsize sedan level.

Now, the loaners at the BMW dealership are clearly a whole new level of "I can't get this car out of here unless someone helps me".

I didn't think Prius even gave you a keyyed option but I don't think it emphatically enough to search on a tablet.

What are the options to a steering wheel is what I really want to know.

One of the hardest parts of cancer treatment is that there is very little that the patient can do. People talk about someone having a long battle with cancer, but battle implies that the patient is doing the fighting. It's more accurate to think of the patient as the battlefield. I suspect part of the patient satisfaction with CTCA is that all these woo-woo therapies (which I suspect do not come cheaply) give the patients the feeling of *doing* something about their cancers.

Oh, I assume they are crazy expensive but I also think mindset and willingness to do some things can make a difference. You can't cure your cancer on your own but a willingness to eat at all when you feel awful and a willingness to do physical therapy to regain strength and mobility if you've been bedbound for weeks? I think those matter. Cancer is awful and it's not something you can treat with just a good attitude or juicing but I think being willing to try and beat it for whatever amount of time helps. Even if it is mostly psychological, that helps.

I'm sure eventually self-driving cars will ditch the steering wheel, but I don't see that technology taking over in the near-enough future to call them "dying." Keys, yes, I agree those are on the way out, even if keyless systems aren't the norm yet.

Dad drove me to work, then headed back toLong Island to move grams to the nursing home. I walk the twenty minutes to the train station just now, only to discover that I left my purse and wallet back at work (with my bail cash in it!). I want to cry, so instead I'm resting my feet and whining before slogging back.

True. But is there a step between steering wheel and self driving cars? We're pretty accustomed to having a steering wheel in our hands the entire time we're driving. It makes us feel in control.

Timelies all!

Another fun day at Malice. Soon we will go out for dinner and Iron Man 3.