And the doctor says.....

   I don't know what to think when I hear about these doctors who predict how long a person has to live, what the outcome of surgery will be, and what procedures their patients should definitely follow.  It may just be me, but I've rarely if ever known a doctor to be definite about anything.  I'm familiar with, "This may be of benefit,"  "You'll most likely be better off afterwards,"  or "We can try this,"  "There are no guarantees,"  and "It's up to you."   Emergency visits may be the exception, especially when children are the patients, at least when the issue is to stop the bleeding.  Otherwise, even in the face of mortal suffering, I've heard only "Maybe it's time to...,You might want to..., You could have only....It will probably.....".    So I can't help but be skeptical when, for example, parents say the doctors told them not to take their baby home but to institutionalize it, or when it's related that the doctors said the patient would never walk again, especially now when even amputees are able to regain mobility.  I'm not complaining; I never thought that doctors are omniscient, or ever wanted someone to dictate what my future might be.  I tend to think that the media fashions its own stories, with interviews as told to reporters much in the fashion of ghostwriters.

Sounds like......

Whenever I hear about the evil Boko Haram, I half expect to hear the refrain of "Whiter Shade of Pale " playing in the background.  Or would that be his brother Procol....

Why (do) People Have Kids (?)

   I came across a card today, addressed to Mom and Dad, probably written about 1987.  It contained an original poem, which  reads:

           Ranger Rick Poem
   "Forests are more than trees.
    There's animals the size of elks to fleas.
    There's mammals galore,
    Birds and much, much more.

   There is fast animals like rabbit and deer,
   And sparrows so filled with cheer.
   There's bushes of wild berries
   Which look so very, very merry.

  How can people be so unkind?
  Building condos on former forests
  Shouldn't even be in mind."

     I have the feeling there must have been a measure of duress under which the poem was composed because, turning the card over, I read,
     "Thanks, Mom, I'm done with my poem, so   GET OFF MY BACK!!!"

      

Rage

   I've seen the story, at least a dozen times, of the dog  hobbling along in its struggle to walk.  It's a nice looking dog, alert and gentle appearing, but it is in bad shape, and as the story unfolds is doomed.    The story is the dog was found in a ditch along a roadside, with  broken limbs and a shattered jaw.  The search is on for whoever did this to the poor animal.  The public outcry is fostered by the media, with insistence that those responsible be brought to justice.  Public comments range from more stringent prosecution to inflicting the same injuries as the dog suffered.  I agree that animal abuse is a heinous crime and those who are guilty of such deserve punishment, but I wonder about the pent-up rage that triggers such a  rush to judgment.  I don't know all the facts, but wouldn't it seem plausible that a dog found injured in a roadside ditch might likely have been struck by a car, and since the dog was apparently not run over, but possibly sideswiped, that the driver may have been unaware.  Couldn't the dog have been lost, wandered away from home, or maybe even have gotten loose at a rest stop somewhere?  He looked and acted like a well cared for animal.  That scenario is sad enough.  But it seems many people, incited by the repeated visuals, want to believe that somebody---out there somewhere---beat the dog mercilessly and then threw it in a ditch like a piece of trash.  The beat goes on  to find that somebody and make sure he or she or they pay the price.  It may be true that a vicious animal abuser needs to be brought to justice in this case, but reason dictates that, as the saying goes, when you hear hoofbeats on  a ranch, think horses, not camels.

Dementia Dilemma Drama

   Be forewarned:   Just because you have dementia does not mean you can break the laws of our society.  And if you do so  misbehave and are caught, do not use your affliction as an excuse.  A Michigan man was convicted of illegally transporting a ton of opium, and on his 90th birthday  was sentenced to jail, despite his lawyer's plea for no prison time because of his client's military heroism and his advanced age.  The judge ruled that letting him off because of dementia would be an insult to all the people who have dementia and don't get involved in illegal activity. I can't help but think that many would feel not insulted, but empowered, by the idea of someone who suffers from their affliction being paid a million dollars to drive a load of cocaine across state lines.  Of course it's breaking the law, but lines blur when you're not in your right mind.

..."The best laid plans of mice and men gang aft agley."

"Tell me again about the rabbits, George."

Five and Ten

   When did reporters. of weather, sports and such, start to use the term, "double nickel," and, please lord, when are they going to stop?
   Of course, of course,---the speed limit, AARP eligibility, Rte. 55 and accompanying drug references, as well as rating on the attractiveness scale, but I've yet to hear ANYONE use the term without sounding self-consciously hip and oh so cool.