One More Reason We Need a Public Insurance Option.

For those of you who think a public health care option would only serve the elderly and the folks too lazy to get off their asses...read this article.maybe you could just for one second put yourself in their shoes,or in mine for that matter.

Man Joins Army to Help Ailing Wife

He Loses Job and Insurance, She Battles Cancer

He's in the Army now

Wife’s cancer prompts man to enlist

By Mark Johnson of the Journal Sentinel

Two of the nation's most pressing issues -- unemployment and health care -- have come together in a personal perfect storm for one Wisconsin family.

Bill Caudle of Watertown was laid off in March from the plastics company where he'd worked for 20 years. Unable to find another job, Caudle -- on his 39th birthday -- enlisted in the U.S. Army to get the health insurance his wife needs to continue her battle against ovarian cancer. The Milwaukee Journal Sentinel told the family's story Sunday.

Michelle Caudle, 40, discovered she had cancer in 2006 and underwent surgery, followed by two rounds of chemotherapy. In May, her doctor told her there were signs the cancer was back and she would need to endure more chemo.

The $136 monthly cost of insurance for the family rose to $497 when Bill's severance package ran out last month and was due to jump to $1,370 in January. Michelle worked part-time at a restaurant to help pay the bills, but the job did not provide insurance.

With no employment prospects in sight, Bill decided his best option was to sign up for a four-year hitch in the military -- even though it meant leaving his high school sweetheart to fight cancer on her own. The Caudles have three children and Bill's decision also meant he would be away for all of his youngest daughter's high school years.

The Caudles didn't attend any of this summer's heated town hall meetings on health care reform. They know politicians and interest groups on both sides of the issue would like to use their story to score political points, the Journal Sentinel reported. They want no part of it.

"We're not activists," Michelle told the newspaper.

All of Michelle's energies will be devoted instead to beating a deadly disease and caring for her children while her husband goes through basic training with recruits half his age at Fort Knox, Ky. -- nearly 500 miles away from home.

Bill is scheduled to finish basic training and begin his new life as an Army communications equipment specialist in mid-December. Michelle would still be getting chemo by then, the paper said, but she hopes to feel well enough to travel to Kentucky for her husband's graduation.

For All Those Lucky Enough To Find Love

I dedicate this song sung by the wonderful Israel Kamakawiwo'ole to you,my friends.

ASCII art

Are you a fan of ASCII art?
The graphic technique uses text to create art.
It's pretty cool and not as easy as it looks.
It is thought to date back to 1966 to Computer Art Pioneer Kenneth Knowlton who worked for Bell Labs at the time.
His early book:"Studies in Perception I" co-authored with Leon Harmon has some great early examples.
Here is a site that has collected scads of examples from folks all over the world.Art lovers,Computer lovers or just lovers of cool stuff in general enjoy!
Link To ASCII ART COLLECTION
For more on ASCII's origins check this link:
More on ASCII Origin and Kenneth Knowlton

Join Us in Our Fight against Breast Cancer,Click to save a life!

Breast Cancer Site
Support Medical Coverage for Breast Cancer Genetic Marker Testing"
The Boobs you save may be your own.
While there sign the petition to force Insurance companies to pay for BRCA1 and BRCA2testing.
Children deserve to grow up with Mommies and Mommies deserve to be there watching.
About BRCA testing from the site:

A woman who has inherited a harmful mutation in BRCA1 or BRCA2 is about five times more likely to develop breast cancer than a woman who does not have such a mutation. A positive genetic mutation test result can bring relief from uncertainty and allow women to make informed decisions about their future, including taking steps to reduce their cancer risk.

Insurance companies should not have the right to decide who gets funded for testing. Take action today - sign the petition and tell a friend.

You can follow their work on twitter:@thebreastcancer

and on facebook:The Breast Cancer Site

My Opinion on Public Health Care

Watch this ,then tell these people and the millions like them to wait.I dare you.

Iran is Full of Brave Good People.

There are so many good people in Iran. Many I call friends. They are just like the rest of us.They want only Peace and a fair voice. Here is a clever protest video done to show those in power that they fool no one.The world is watching.

Ted Kennedy and his passion for Health Care choices.We will miss him.

Tonight, please light a candle
in your window
to memorialize Senator Kennedy.
Share Your Memories of Ted Kennedy

This is the cause of my life. It is a key reason that I defied my illness last summer to speak at the Democratic convention in Denver—to support Barack Obama, but also to make sure, as I said, "that we will break the old gridlock and guarantee that every American...will have decent, quality health care as a fundamental right and not just a privilege." For four decades I have carried this cause—from the floor of the United States Senate to every part of this country. It has never been merely a question of policy; it goes to the heart of my belief in a just society. Now the issue has more meaning for me—and more urgency—than ever before. But it's always been deeply personal, because the importance of health care has been a recurrent lesson throughout most of my 77 years.

— Ted Kennedy