Living with MCL

WordPress just released a new version of it blogging software (version 2.1), which has a lot of features I would like to have, like auto save, a tabbed editor, spell check, and a host of other features.

So I decided to upgrade to the this latest and greatest version. I followed all the instructions, including backing up my database and deactivating all my plugins, and then proceeded to install the new software.

Well, it didn’t work. When I went to the upgrade screen, all I got was a white page. There was absolutely nothing. I thought all the hard work I had done would be lost.

I then tried deleting everything, and reinstalling, but still nothing. Fortunately I still had a copy of the 2.0.5 version on my computer, so I again deleted the new installation, and reinstalled version 2.0.5, and fortunately everything was restored to it’s original condition.

I may try again later, after doing a little more investigation into what my problem may have been, but for now I rest easy that everything is back to normal.

NOTE: If anybody, out there in the blogosphere, can shed some light on what the problem is, or what I may have done incorrectly, please email me or post a comment. I really would like to upgrade!

Sorry Ira, but it’s not as if there aren’t enough books out there already, on what to do when you’re diagnosed with a “devastating diagnosis”?

Lance Armstrong has one out, It’s Not About the Bike, Neil Ruzic wrote one Racing for a Cure (which he gave it away free, when he was alive), and Barbara Lackritz (AKA Granny Barb) wrote one titled Adult Leukemia: Comprehensive Guide for Patients and Families

Now there is one more. Jessie Gruman, PhD is promoting her new book After Shock.

The author, according to an excerpt published in Parade Magazine, is well qualified to write such a book, when she states

I am all too familiar with this process. Four times, I have been diagnosed with life-threatening conditions

Four times she’d been diagnosed with life threatening conditions? And she’s still alive? I’m not sure I want any advice from this woman. Why does she keep getting diagnosed with life threatening conditions, and is then miraculously cured? Most people die after one life threatening condition, but she had 4, and is still alive.

I can’t help it I am so skeptical and cynical of peoples motives. It seems everyone is trying to make a buck off people who are sick.

If you need help on what to do or what to ask your doctor, there is plenty of good, free and easily obtainable (via the internet) information from numerous sources, e.g. The American Cancer Society, to name one, and peer to peer group message boards for virtually every cancer or disease imaginable at sites such as the Association of Cancer Online Resources (ACOR) and on Yahoo Groups.

And let’s not forget about all the different foundations, focusing on particular diseases, whose principle function is to help the patient, without requiring you buy anything.

The biggest problem most people have is being intimidated by their doctor, and a book isn’t going to help you get over that. If that’s the problem, get a family member to help you, or hire a living, breathing advocate. That will be money better spent.

And if you can’t do any of that, write to me. I’ll get the answers for you, and I won’t charge you a dime!

[NOTE: Currently ACOR] is experiencing a catastrophic failure, the kind that folks build in lots of redundancy to avoid, but darned if they don’t happen anyway. [S]eems it will require the purchase and installation of some new and very expensive hardware. [There is] no ETA for its restoration.

[C]urrently, only the list email function of ACOR is working; all web-interface administrative functions are off-line.

I guess maybe they should have been charging

Some things just transcend just about everything else, even the problems facing US health care, and todays AFC Championship Game was one of those times.

Even I had given the Colts no chance after being down 21 to 3 in the 2^nd quarter, and had gone out to play with my new golf bag at half time.

Boy was I ever surprised when I came back part way through the 3^rd quarter.

First it was 21 to 13, and then 21 to 21, and after that it got even more exciting.

Great game Colts!

After Pittsburgh and San Diego, you guys were my 3^rd favorite team!

Most blogs don’t have privacy policies. After all, why would they need one, especially when the blog or site is a public one.

I know I never thought I needed one, but what happened last week got me thinking.

Last week I received an email from a reader of my blog, requesting a comment, he made to an 8 month old post, be removed. He claimed the comment was being used maliciously against him.

He wouldn’t to tell me what harm was being done, nor how his comment, which I thought was kind, considerate and moving, contributed to that harm, but since a link to it appeared under a Google search for his name, he wanted it removed.

At first I didn’t want to remove the comment. It’s not like a get a great many comments as it is, so when I happen to write a post that elicits more than one comment, it’s like a getting a validation of my skills as a patient blogger. Removing it would just spoil that good feeling.

After some thought, I relented, sort of. I didn’t remove the comment, but I removed his name from the comment, and all other references to his name. But that was not enough for him, he wanted the entire comment removed, even though there was no way to tie that comment to him, through my blog.

This encouraged me to do some research on search engines, and how they work. Don’t worry, I’m not going to give a dissertation on this subject, howstuffworks does a good job of explaining that, but what I did learn, enabled me to come up with a solution that satisfied both our wishes.

By simply changing the web address (slug) for the post, I was able to render the Google link invalid, and in less than a week, the link disappeared.

(I also discovered that the Google searchbots peruse my site about every 5 days, which is a good thing to know.)

Still this got me thinking. Did I have an obligation to comply with that persons request? I didn’t think so, but just to be sure, I posted a Blog Policy statement on this blog and on My Daily Journal, to prevent similar problems in the future.

If you’re reading this, and have your own blog, you might want to consider posting your own Policy Statement.