THE BIG C

About 18 months ago a friend of mine was diagnosed with a very rare but curable type of colon cancer. The doctor after surgery said that he was 99% sure he got most of the cancer. I said no doctor can be absolutely sure he got all the cancer. As my friend lost tons of weight and religiously received his chemo everything appeared fine. Well, until another friend told me what was going on.

I guess the chemo did not work and the cancer came back. His brother did not want to tell everyone because rumors would get started. He had been seeing a doctor in DC for awhile. Saturday he went through his second operation and on Sunday I called his brother to see how the surgery went. The first words were: "It did not go well." They could not get all the cancer because how close it was to the liver and a major artery. Now, we can only hope the chemo will work this time. I told him he and his family were in my prayers and thoughts. We must think positively, especially his brother.

However, having witness three people die from cancer two very young with so much to give to this world and the other in his twilight who shared his life stories with me as I grew up, I can only think of the worst. I pray for the best, but suspect the worst will come in a year or two. All I know is it is up to his medical care and God.

Water, Water, Water, Every Where And Not A Drop To Drink!!!!

Usually, on the weekends and one day a week I station myself at a Starbucks and read a book. Well, over the past couple of weeks with the news and Al Gore saying the world is going to end, I noticed Starbucks contribution to the worlds problem of Potable water with Ethos. If you buy Ethos a precentage of the proceeds will go to help the 3rd world sustain drinkable water.

Now, comes the hypcorisy. As I wait for for my drink, the one thing that comes to my attention is Starbucks constantly has the water running. This is not an isolated incident at just one store, I have seen this at five stores now. There is no way that the water is recycled and resuse because that would bring up health issues that I'm sure they don't want a health inspector to check out. The conculsion I have come to is Starbucks wastes gallons upon gallons of water while they sell their Ethos portraying a good corporate image they care about drinkable water.

Just like Al Gore preaching the use of the less engergy (reducing carbon emissions) to everyone else besides his palatial estates usage (more in one month that the avg American Family in a year) Starbucks says it helps the third world water problem, but wastes it in its own operations. It might be a practice taken on by the individual franchises, but you would think corporate would send a directive stating water should not be left running. So, next time in Starbucks buy an Ethos water and raise it to Starbucks and toast the Barista and say "this is in hopes that all will not waste this precious commodity called water."