Ella Does Squamish

This looks good …

Ingredients

* 3 tablespoons butter

* 3/4 cup chopped onion

* 1/2 cup chopped celery

* 1 teaspoon garlic powder (or a tsp. of minced garlic I suppose)

* 2 cups of diced potatoes

* 2 carrots, diced

* 2 cups of chicken broth (fat free) - (probably could use vegetable broth cube)

* 1 teaspoon of salt

* 1 teaspoon of black peper

* 1 teaspoon of dried dill weed

* 2 (16 oz.) cans of salmon (or fresh?)

* 1 (12 oz.) can evaporated milk (low fat)

* 1 (15 oz.) can creamed corn

* 1/2 pound Cheddar cheese, shredded (low fat) … (seems like a lot of cheese to me?)

Directions

1. Melt butter in a large pot over medium heat.  Saute onion, celery, and garlic until onions are tender.  Stir in potatoes, carrots, broth, salt, pepper, and dill.  Bring to a boil, and reduce heat.  Cover, and simmer 20 minutes.

2.  Stir in salmon, evaporated milk, corn, and cheese.  Cook until heated through.

8 services

Preparation Time - 15 mins.

Cook Time - 30 mins.

Ready in - 45 mins.

Dendreon Advocates Protest Prostate Cancer Drug Rejection

By Luke Timmerman

June 2 (Bloomberg) — Patient advocates upset about the delay of an experimental prostate cancer drug made by Dendreon Corp. urged U.S. regulators today to reconsider their decision.

About a dozen prostate cancer advocates held a rally with small yellow picket signs at the American Society of Clinical Oncology meeting in Chicago, drawing attention from some of the 25,000 cancer specialists in attendance.

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration asked Seattle-based Dendreon to provide more data that its drug, Provenge, is effective. Patient advocates said Provenge, the first treatment to stimulate the immune system against tumors, should win approval based on a study showing it prolonged lives with few side effects. If approved, the drug would offer a new treatment for a disease that kills 27,000 men a year.

“I’m not an activist who steps out and raises my voice, but I think this is worth making some noise about,'’ said Isabel Hoversten of Denver, a breast cancer survivor and Dendreon shareholder, in an interview at the conference.

Advocates carried signs saying “My prostate, my choice'’ and “Prostate Cancer Death Count — 54,000 by 2008.'’

Dendreon has said it expects to collect more data on Provenge’s effectiveness in mid-to-late 2008.

Another group of advocates plans to meet in Washington on June 4 with Andrew von Eschenbach, the FDA commissioner. They hope to persuade the agency to approve the drug, or allow patients access to it through a restricted program, said Chuck Bennett, an advocate for Provenge from Fond du Lac, Wisconsin.

continued …..

To contact the reporter on this story: Luke Timmerman in San Francisco ltimmerman@bloomberg.net .

ED.  One of the interesting points about the denial of Dendreon’s Provenge that is raised by the woman who is quoted in the above article is, in my opinion, that this action by the FDA has politicized a segment of the population that has in the past supported the GOP or not been politically active in terms of hitting the streets to protest.  This demographic is "mad as hell and aren’t going to take it anymore" (love that quote from writer Paddy Chayefsky in the film Network). There is another demonstration in Washington, DC on Monday that will likely attract even more people - I read that the demonstration in Chicago was restricted regarding where they could demonstrate legally due to private/public space arguments designed to limit and contain public discontent.

for a three day conference.  Stayed one night at The Sylvia … love that hotel!  Had dinner with "Louie," a friend I met in Puerto Morelos a few years ago, at a really good Japanese restaurant on Robson St (one of the Guu franchise).  Then we went for a stroll to False Creek and checked out the marina (saw Jimmy Pattison’s behemoth yacht - Jimmy seems to own a lot of BC).  Later we just sat and chatted on a park bench by English Bay until sunset. 

On Tuesday night, I met up with my friend SP and we went to a ‘crab shack’ close to English Bay.  We were able to sit outside on the patio looking out at all the action.  Post-oysters and a martini (in my case), we walked down to Second Beach where there is an outdoor heated swimming pool right on the ocean - WOW!  We had to laugh as I thought SP had invited me to swim in the ocean at 2nd Beach and I was envisioning her in a wetsuit and thought she was very brave!  On the way back we stopped to look at the Great Blue Heron rookery.

Vancouver is absolutely beautiful at this time of year with all the rhododendrons and other trees/bushes/flowers in bloom. 

The conference was very full and there were some excellent presentations. I also saw friends/acquaintances who work in Toronto and was saddened to hear of the recent sudden death of one of the people I knew through work - Brian C.  He was a lovely fellow from Newfoundland and even though I met him maybe 10 times in the last 7 years he keeps flitting through my mind.

RB came to pick me up with e-dog in tow and there was a bit of a mishap enroute just after they crossed the Lions Gate bridge.  E-dog ‘fainted’.  RB pulled on to a quiet street and picked her up to put her on the ground.  Fortunately, she came around and is now known as the resurrected dog.  Poor RB, he had visions of picking me up with a dead e-dog.  It may be that she was over-heated but who knows.  Life with an old dog … she has to be over 16 now by my calculations.  While at the conference someone told me that their border collie lived to be 19 - encouraging - but it seems to be pretty much day by day in old e-dog’s case.

at http://www.congress.org/congressorg/issues/alert/?contentdir=uacongressorg&alertid=9811926