(1) In February1972, I spent a week or so in the Soviet Union, half in Leningrad and half in Moscow. It was an wonderful trip, and I learned so much about the Russian Federation. One of the things I learned was that the food was just awful. I saw no vegetables other than potatoes and cabbage, the meat was stringy, and – oh, yes – I think the bread was good.

I remember flying out of Moscow on PanAm, and being served what was probably a normal airlines chicken dinner. But – to me – this was the best dinner I had ever had – and still today, I count it as a most memorable meal.

Today, I had my five year colonoscopy, which was preceded by fasting all of yesterday, and spending yesterday evening and this morning taking the colonoscopy prep. When we got home, I made myself a very ordinary peanut butter and jelly sandwich on whole wheat toast. This ranked with the PanAm meal as one of the best I have ever had. I will never forget it. (By the way, crunchy peanut butter and blueberry preserves from Maine)

The thing about colonoscopies is that they are sorta fun, but the prep and the groggy recovery not so much. I had it done at a new place for me (same doctor) – the Capitol Endoscopy Center on New Hampshire Ave, just over the District line. Wasn’t sure what to expect – but I have to say: I really liked it there. The two women at the registration desk, the woman who led me in and gave me my gown, the woman who inserted my IV and took my blood pressure (and whose cell phone rang reminding her to call her father with Alzheimer and remind him to take his medicine), the woman who asked me all the questions that I had already answered twice, the two who rolled me into the procedure room, the nurse there who told me that I didn’t at all look like I was 80, and the woman who read me my discharge instructions, as well as my doctor and the anesthesiologist, all get an A rating. Oh, yes, and the woman who drove me there and home, and waited for me all that time.

(2) So it looks like CNN has redesigned its sets, and has taken on the extraordinarily original name of News Central. Wow! But it also looks like it has taken out all of the chairs and making all of the anchors and guests stand up. Why are they doing that? Half of them are leaning against a table or wall, and all of them look uncomfortable and like they are waiting for someone to offer them a seat. Wish I could.

(3) The Supreme Court has done it again – they have kept the abortion medication available for another two days. Wow, again! I haven’t looked at the District Court decision by the Amarillo One, but find it interesting that he decided he could out think the FDA on whether this safe 20-year old medication was properly tested. When I was in law school, here was such a thing called the Chevron doctrine, which basically said that the courts would give deference to agency decisions. As I understand it, this doctrine is still there, but it isn’t quoted much (or maybe at all) these days. This would be a good place to reinstate it, but I don’t see that happening. I don’t know what the Court will do.

But what is the standard for drugs? I have always heard that the FDA process is the creme de la creme, and that it beats any other nation’s drug approval process. And we are all familiar with drugs that are available, say, in Europe but not here, only because the FDA is being more thorough. So, if the Supreme Court adopts the District Court position here (I know now we are just dealing with injunctive relief, but that does give you a sign), all FDA testing will seem to be in question, not only regarding the methodology, but regarding the type of results which are acceptable.

This, of course, brings me to all these drug commercials I see on TV. By the way – I turn the sound off and ignore most of them, but I really want to take Skyrizi (I have no idea what condition it is supposed to cure – I just like the name). But you look up Skyrizi on the Internet and it says that it can cause fainting, dizziness, low blood pressure, swelling of face, eyelids, lips, mouth, tongue or throat, trouble breathing, throat tightening, chest tightening, skin rash and itching. Other drugs advertised on TV can cause lymphomas and other cancers, and strokes and congestive heart failure.

So I ask you – if Mifipristone is potentially unsafe, what about everything else? Think of all those folks allergic to sulfa (like me) or penicillin, or the terrible things that aspirin can do to your stomach? Will they all have to be pulled?