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Saturday musings
Author: TriSec    Date: 10/13/2007 10:48:07

Good Morning!

Well, if it's an early Saturday blog, that can only mean one thing...your loyal TriSec is off to donate platelets!

If you're already a blood donor, why not take the next step and head for the pherisis room? In many ways, it's easier than blood donation (at least for me, I used to get lightheaded and have some issues after blood..platelets I just get up and go home.), plus you get to relax on a nice recliner and watch a movie. Tell me more! I can hear you saying...
Giving Platelets or Plasma
While all blood donations are vital, pheresis is a specific kind of donation using updated medical technology to collect platelets or plasma from a donor. The remaining blood components, including the red cells, are returned to the donor.

A Single Donor Rather Than Several
A platelet transfusion for one patient requires platelets separated from six to eight regular whole blood donations. In pheresis, a single donor can give the quantity of platelets needed for a transfusion. For a patient needing many units of platelets, this means exposure to fewer donors. Additionally, pheresis donations receive a more specific blood typing called HLA typing, so donors and patients can be matched more closely, with a goal of providing better results for the recipient.

Patients' Special Transfusion Needs
Patients benefitting the most from pheresis transfusions are those with blood diseases and those being treated for cancer. In the case of cancer patients, platelets are destroyed not only by the disease, but often by the treatment. Patients being prepared for a bone marrow transplant also need many transfusions of platelets, both before and after the transplant.

Give Every Two Weeks
Pheresis donors can give platelets every two weeks, plasma every 28 days, as opposed to eight weeks for a whole blood donation. Pheresis donation is by appointment only at donor centers throughout the New England Region. The entire process takes about two hours, including registration, medical history and post-donation refreshments, but many of our pheresis donors come in on a regular basis. Perhaps it's the TLC provided by the nursing staff who come to know them so well. Perhaps it's the movies shown in the donor room or the comraderie between donors as they see each other every couple of weeks. Most likely, it's the feeling of really making a difference in someone's life. With some careful coordination, it is possible to "mix and match" whole blood, platelet and double red cell donations. Please contact your local donor center for more information.

Inquire About Joining the Pheresis Program
We invite you to become a part of the pheresis program. Type A donors are especially valuable since they are the "Universal Donor" for platelets. AB donors are universal donors for plasma. If you are a regular blood donor, call your local blood center and ask to speak with someone in the Pheresis Department. They'll welcome your questions, and will make an appointment for you to join this dynamic team of donors.


I'm looking forward to this one more than usual this morning...my donor center is getting new machines that are capable of pulling a "triple" (three units from a single donation), and since I've never given less than a 'double', I'm sure I can keep the nurses happy. As one of them said earlier this year...I'm a platelet factory, must be my calling in life.


Anyway.....

Changing gears, I've been pondering the passing of an old friend over the past few nights. It's shortwave radio.


With baseball in full swing, it's the time of year that I dust off my trusty YB300PE and listen to most of the games. (see the 'miracle of the radio' elsewhere in these pages.) I also happened across my old external antenna this past week, and set everything up so I could listen in.

Over the past few nights, I've scanned up and down and found some Chinese broadcasts, a good deal of French, and of course the usual Russian and Spanish that has always dominated the airwaves. But after nights of scanning, I've slowly realized that English has almost completely disappeared. I did listen to one of my standbys, the English language broadcast of Radio Habana Cuba, and I found the CBC feed from the array up in Nova Scotia...but that was it.

Oh, it's not that there isn't broadcasting, far from it. But what I found was almost entirely right-wing religious screeds. Station after station about fire and brimstone and eternal damnation unless we support George Bush. (seriously.) This is what America is broadcasting to the world these days.

There's nothing left...the BBC famously stopped broadcasting to the US a few years ago. (I checked, the old frequency is dead.) Checking through the internets, my old standbys at Deutsche Welle, NHK (Japan), and the Voice of Russia still list frequencies and times...but I couldn't pick up a single one. I suppose I'm my own worst enemy in that regard...It's easier and quicker to get stuff online than to actually try to listen. In fact, one of the shows I listened to on the CBC I now pick up as a podcast. With apologies to The Buggles, the internets killed the shortwave radio stars.


Lastly this morning..you may have heard that our beloved Senator Kennedy is recovering from urgent surgery on a blocked artery. It's the legacy from a 1964 plane crash that killed two persons, and the very young senator at the time barely survived.
Senator Edward M. Kennedy is "expected to make a full recovery" following surgery early yesterday to clean out a partially blocked neck artery that put him at risk of a stroke, according to his surgeon at Massachusetts General Hospital.

"The surgery was routine, uneventful, and successful," Dr. Richard Cambria, MGH's chief of vascular and endovascular surgery, said during a telephone news conference yesterday.

Kennedy, 75, is expected to be discharged over the weekend and return to work in about a week without any limitations. Doctors said they did not anticipate complications, but after discharge would recommend the senator take aspirin to prevent blood clots that might result from the operation, in addition to medicine he was already taking to control high blood pressure and cholesterol. There is a slight chance that the blockage could recur in the next few years.

Cambria said the one-hour operation was performed to prevent a stroke, which could have been triggered if the blockage in Kennedy's left carotid artery choked off blood flow and prevented oxygen from getting to the brain, or if a piece of the blockage broke off and lodged in the brain. Kennedy had no symptoms from the blockage, as is typical in many patients. In fact, he went sailing on Thursday before checking into MGH for the surgery that evening, according to his doctors.

The blockage was discovered Tuesday in a routine MRI conducted periodically to check on the senator's spine, which was injured in a 1964 plane crash.

Patients with blockages in one neck artery may have similar buildups of fat and cholesterol in other blood vessels as well, but Kennedy's doctors said there was no need for any treatment on his right carotid artery, and that he had passed a cardiac stress test prior to the surgery. Neither Cambria nor two other MGH doctors who treated Kennedy would discuss whether tests had turned up other evidence of blockages or problems.

"His overall health is excellent," said his personal physician, Dr. Laurence Ronan, adding that Kennedy would probably not have to change his lifestyle to prevent more health problems.

"His diet is very, very good," Ronan said, and the senator swims daily for exercise.


But seeing that my senator is as reviled around the country as he is revered here, I'm sure the right wing machine is rolling out that famous "compassionate conservatisim" in this instance. Get well soon, Senator!


 

41 comments (Latest Comment: 10/15/2007 11:55:37 by TriSec)
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Comment by BobR on 10/13/2007 13:48:14
I have a gallon pin around here somewhere from giving blood. I might have to look into the platelets thing - there's a red cross center just a couple miles down the road.



I remember we had a multi-band radio when I was a kid. I thought it was the coolest thing. You could pick up the regular radio stations, the TV audio, and all kinds of stuff which (at the time) I had no idea what it was. I bet my parents still have it somewhere (considering they never get rid of anything...)



Hope everyone has a great weekend. Looks like it will be a beautiful one here, although we could really use some rain. A lot of rain.

Comment by Mondobubba on 10/13/2007 13:57:20
Hey Tri I was talking to my brother last night about stuff and I found out Prince owes him 15.00 bucks. He sold Prince and ounce of pot in 1980 and The Purple One only 25.00 bucks! How cool is that? I'm touch the hand that handed Prince weed! :metal:

Comment by Mondobubba on 10/13/2007 14:00:45
Comment by livingonli on 10/13/2007 14:42:00
I never received a short wave radio even though I was big on doing the DX thing on my radio and TV. I remember when I was a kid before we had cable being able to watch the Philly TV stations on certain nights when the weather is right. BBC World Service is available on both satellite radio providers and these days I listen to CBC Radio 1 on SIrius. The dynamic has changed indeed. I think a lot of the wingnuts have grabbed the shortwave frequencies so you get either wingnut fundamentalism or white supremacy.

Comment by livingonli on 10/13/2007 15:01:18
Today is ssg's big 4-0 birthday.

Comment by BobR on 10/13/2007 15:48:01
Quote by livingonli:

Today is ssg's big 4-0 birthday.


Happy B'day SSG!! (hope you're reading this...)

Comment by Mondobubba on 10/13/2007 16:07:17
Laundry! Bleh!

Comment by TriSec on 10/13/2007 17:06:35
Howdy folks!



Passing through....I too have laundry to fold, and we're having guests for dinner tonight.



Anybody been to the market yet this weekend? Never mind gas; store-brand 2% milk is trading at close to $5.00/gallon in these parts.



Inflation, my ass!





Comment by Mondobubba on 10/13/2007 19:11:46
Quote by TriSec:

Howdy folks!



Passing through....I too have laundry to fold, and we're having guests for dinner tonight.



Anybody been to the market yet this weekend? Never mind gas; store-brand 2% milk is trading at close to $5.00/gallon in these parts.



Inflation, my ass!









Price of milk has been high for months, Tri. If you were a cool guy like me who listened to nothing but public radio, you would have been on top of the price of ag commidities months ago. Thank goodness for the Marketplace Morning Report. I am in the know.

Comment by BobR on 10/13/2007 20:40:30
Quote by Mondobubba:

Quote by TriSec:

Howdy folks!



Passing through....I too have laundry to fold, and we're having guests for dinner tonight.



Anybody been to the market yet this weekend? Never mind gas; store-brand 2% milk is trading at close to $5.00/gallon in these parts.



Inflation, my ass!









Price of milk has been high for months, Tri. If you were a cool guy like me who listened to nothing but public radio, you would have been on top of the price of ag commidities months ago. Thank goodness for the Marketplace Morning Report. I am in the know.




So what's the hog report looking like?

Comment by Mondobubba on 10/13/2007 20:55:38
Quote by BobR:

Quote by Mondobubba:

Quote by TriSec:

Howdy folks!



Passing through....I too have laundry to fold, and we're having guests for dinner tonight.



Anybody been to the market yet this weekend? Never mind gas; store-brand 2% milk is trading at close to $5.00/gallon in these parts.



Inflation, my ass!









Price of milk has been high for months, Tri. If you were a cool guy like me who listened to nothing but public radio, you would have been on top of the price of ag commidities months ago. Thank goodness for the Marketplace Morning Report. I am in the know.




So what's the hog report looking like?




:shrug: That would be the farm report, Bobber. :mutters: Wise-ass.



Comment by livingonli on 10/13/2007 21:06:37
I still miss Farm Film Celebrity Blow Up.



"May the Good Lord take a likin to ya and blow you up real soon!"

Comment by livingonli on 10/13/2007 21:31:01
Tonight at work it's horsies, hockey, and football.

Comment by TriSec on 10/13/2007 22:30:31
Quote by Mondobubba:

Quote by TriSec:

Howdy folks!



Passing through....I too have laundry to fold, and we're having guests for dinner tonight.



Anybody been to the market yet this weekend? Never mind gas; store-brand 2% milk is trading at close to $5.00/gallon in these parts.



Inflation, my ass!









Price of milk has been high for months, Tri. If you were a cool guy like me who listened to nothing but public radio, you would have been on top of the price of ag commidities months ago. Thank goodness for the Marketplace Morning Report. I am in the know.




Dude, all I know is I paid $2.45 for a half gallon today. Last time I noticed, it was $1.57 or so.



Time to buy rice and dried beans, I think...





Comment by Mondobubba on 10/13/2007 22:47:47
For me it it folding laundry, watching the last two episodes of season one of "The Wire" on the HBO on demand mosheen. I've been telling ya mooks to watch this show for what 3 years now? Get with it! Now. Drop what you are doing. You have until 10/24 to watch the entire first season.



Maybe season two, then season three, then the epic season four will all be on demand before the fifth and final season starts up in January.

Comment by Mondobubba on 10/13/2007 22:52:03
Quote by TriSec:

Quote by Mondobubba:

Quote by TriSec:

Howdy folks!



Passing through....I too have laundry to fold, and we're having guests for dinner tonight.



Anybody been to the market yet this weekend? Never mind gas; store-brand 2% milk is trading at close to $5.00/gallon in these parts.



Inflation, my ass!









Price of milk has been high for months, Tri. If you were a cool guy like me who listened to nothing but public radio, you would have been on top of the price of ag commidities months ago. Thank goodness for the Marketplace Morning Report. I am in the know.




Dude, all I know is I paid $2.45 for a half gallon today. Last time I noticed, it was $1.57 or so.



Time to buy rice and dried beans, I think...







:puts on Greenspan glasses of economic insight: You see Tri there are various inputs affecting your price for a 1/2 gallon of cow juice. The biggest single one is the high price of corn. Thanks to Chimpy, the price of corn is thru the roof. Corn farms are actually making a profit from the unsustainable monocropping they do for the the stuff. This combined with the high price for fuel makes milk cost more.



:removes Greenspan glasses of economic insight: Man those things give me a headache.



No love for my Prince story???

Comment by TriSec on 10/13/2007 23:07:08
I have a headache.



:thud:



Comment by livingonli on 10/14/2007 00:16:19
Tonigh I am working the Devils game who are down in the ATL. Game currently tied at 2.



Right now, there's a big fight in the Ranger game.

Comment by TriSec on 10/14/2007 01:32:28
Just because we can....



SHOCKWAVE!!!






Comment by livingonli on 10/14/2007 01:44:53
The Devils beat Atlanta 6-5 and the game almost looked like that it was going to go into overtime.

Comment by Mondobubba on 10/14/2007 02:21:36
Now importing "Surrealistic Pillow" I've been busy today, what can I say?

Comment by TriSec on 10/14/2007 02:38:51
Ya know, WebMD is sponsoring the baseball injury reports just to annoy me...

Comment by livingonli on 10/14/2007 02:40:17
Someone's got the music in him.

Comment by Mondobubba on 10/14/2007 02:45:56
Quote by TriSec:

Ya know, WebMD is sponsoring the baseball injury reports just to annoy me...






:rofl: Tri, this might be one of the funniest things you have ever said.

Comment by livingonli on 10/14/2007 03:05:58
Then theres AFLAC which sponsors the trivia segmetn of every baseball game.

Comment by livingonli on 10/14/2007 17:10:29
Listening to Laura Flanders while the Jets game is on the TV.

Comment by Mondobubba on 10/14/2007 19:41:03
: peak : Hello?

Comment by livingonli on 10/14/2007 20:27:46
Free Mondo.

Comment by Raine on 10/14/2007 21:24:12
Ah yes, leave it to fox to confuse the Nobel PEace prize with... well WAR!!!
Ah, you have to love the predictability of Pravda FOX News Channel. When Al Gore won the Nobel Peace Prize, you KNOW they started scrambling to find ways to diminish him. And Friday, they found their mouthpiece in the conservative NY SunÕs Seth Gitell. Gitell thinks that the Nobel committee awarded the Peace Prize to the wrong American, arguing that it should have gone toÉwait for itÉGen. Petraeus.
You can't make this stuff up.

Comment by Raine on 10/14/2007 21:25:18
HEya Mondo! I am busy writing this afternoon... well, writing and drinking beer and watching football... I love Sundays...

Comment by Mondobubba on 10/14/2007 21:39:54
Quote by Raine:

Ah yes, leave it to fox to confuse the Nobel PEace prize with... well WAR!!!

Ah, you have to love the predictability of Pravda FOX News Channel. When Al Gore won the Nobel Peace Prize, you KNOW they started scrambling to find ways to diminish him. And Friday, they found their mouthpiece in the conservative NY SunÕs Seth Gitell.



Gitell thinks that the Nobel committee awarded the Peace Prize to the wrong American, arguing that it should have gone toÉwait for itÉGen. Petraeus.




You can't make this stuff up.





Lemme get this straight, Patraeus? Huh? :headscratch: How? :speechless:

Comment by livingonli on 10/14/2007 21:41:39
It is very boring in the salt mine tonight. Must fight the cuteness of big sleep. :zzz:

Comment by Mondobubba on 10/14/2007 21:45:18
I was a looking at the rest of Crooks y Liars. Steven (Its French, Bitch Colbert) sitting in for MoDo and doing an OpEd piece in the NYT. Here is jucy sample:



"And Fred Thompson. In my opinion “Law & Order” never sufficiently explained why the Manhattan D.A. had an accent like an Appalachian catfish wrestler."



:rofl:



Comment by livingonli on 10/14/2007 22:19:26
Quote by Raine:

HEya Mondo!





I am busy writing this afternoon... well, writing and drinking beer and watching football...



I love Sundays...


Now there's a plan.



Are you going to watch the Giants play the Falcons tomorrow night? It'll be on ESPN with local TV simulcast in both NYC and the ATL.

Comment by Raine on 10/14/2007 22:41:07
Quote by livingonli:
Quote by Raine: HEya Mondo! I am busy writing this afternoon... well, writing and drinking beer and watching football... I love Sundays...
Now there's a plan. Are you going to watch the Giants play the Falcons tomorrow night? It'll be on ESPN with local TV simulcast in both NYC and the ATL.
Oh you betcher paetard I am! I have the martini's ready and waiting for it!~

Comment by Raine on 10/14/2007 22:45:24
Quote by Mondobubba: I was a looking at the rest of Crooks y Liars. Steven (Its French, Bitch Colbert) sitting in for MoDo and doing an OpEd piece in the NYT. Here is jucy sample: "And Fred Thompson. In my opinion “Law & Order” never sufficiently explained why the Manhattan D.A. had an accent like an Appalachian catfish wrestler." :rofl:
I know!! C&L... I could lost for hours and hours there. LIV!!! WAKE UP!!!! How did the jets do??? Did they smack philly around as they needed to??? I am right now rooting for NE... So lets get thsi stariagt... I want all the teams in my dicision to lose... and tomorrow night the falcons will lose as well... Wicked evil grin...

Comment by Raine on 10/14/2007 22:45:56
I must stop typing and watching football at the same time...

Comment by Raine on 10/14/2007 22:49:27
So, Tonite dinner at BoRaine's place... Baked Chicken, Gravy, homeade bisquits, garlic mashed potoatoes, and green beans cooked (I think ) in olive oil and garlic. I am making the chix and potatoes... and the gravy. I can take a 3 lb chicken and make enough gravy to feed a military platoon... no, I am not joking. Chicken for two... gravy for a family of roman catholics who never understood that rhythm meant counting. ;)

Comment by livingonli on 10/14/2007 23:09:33
Sounds like a nice dinner . Alas, the Jets lost to the Eagles 16-9 making them 1-5 so far this season.

Comment by livingonli on 10/15/2007 02:45:52
Tap, tap. Is this thing on?

Comment by TriSec on 10/15/2007 11:55:37
Gagne blows goats; I have proof.