“Anyone who has ever looked into the glazed eyes of a soldier dying on the battlefield will think hard before starting a war.”
Image: The Burnt Papers.
Category Archives: News
All Saints’ Day – Day of the Dead
“Life is eternal, and love is immortal,
and death is only a horizon;
and a horizon is nothing save the limit of our sight.”
– Rossiter Worthington Raymond
Update: Ebola Hits Dallas
On October 5, a hazardous-materials crew cleaned outside the Dallas apartment building of a nurse who was infected with Ebola.
As some have feared and others predicted, the Ebola situation in Dallas has worsened. The man who became the first person diagnosed with Ebola in the United States was identified a couple of weeks ago as Thomas Eric Duncan, a 42-year-old Liberian native who arrived here on September 20. He died of the disease early on October 8. The facts surrounding Duncan’s case have changed almost as quickly as promises from the mouths of Texas politicians. But, then again, when the media hurries to publish a story, the truth almost always gets lost in the chaos.
Duncan had been accused of lying on a questionnaire he was given upon boarding a flight from Monrovia to Brussels on September 19; one that asks travelers if they’ve had recent contact with an Ebola patient or have recovered from the ailment. We learned almost as soon as news of Duncan’s dilemma became known that he had carried a pregnant 19-year-old woman to and from a taxi cab shortly before he departed Liberia. The woman died of Ebola not long after she’d been turned away from a local hospital because they were filled to capacity. Then, some of her other relatives got sick and died. By the time she passed away, Duncan was already in Dallas.
Now, news reports claim that neither Duncan nor any of the pregnant woman’s relatives were aware she had Ebola. Apparently, the latter didn’t realize it until after she died. Such is the case in Liberia and other developing nations of West Africa. The health care infrastructure is as pathetic as the road infrastructure. That’s why it doesn’t surprise me that the pregnant woman was turned away from a hospital.
“If he had known he had Ebola … he would not have put the love of his life in a situation like this,” family friend Saymendy Lloyd said of Duncan after he died.
But, officials at Texas Health Presbyterian Hospital of Dallas should have known better than anyone in a ramshackle hospital in Liberia. It’s bad enough that – when Duncan first arrived on September 25, complaining of fever and nausea – the hospital merely sent him home with a prescription for antibiotics. Now, we’ve learned he had a 103° temperature that night. I’m not a healthcare professional, but even I know someone with a 103° temperature needs to be hospitalized. Then, there’s the breakdown in information. The nurse who saw Duncan initially recorded his temperature in the hospital system. But somehow, that crucial bit of data got lost in the electronic shuffle. Hospital officials were quick to blame the software, which was designed and distributed by Epic, a Wisconsin-based firm that controls about 20% of the U.S. market in electronic hospital records. Another piece of lost information – Duncan revealed he’d recently traveled from Liberia.
Someone once told me that computers are only as smart as the people who operate them. No, I responded, they’re only as smart as the people who design them. Actually, it’s both. Presbyterian Dallas’ story keeps shifting, so hopefully they’ll settle on a final version before the book and TV-movie come out. Regardless, none of it leaves me with any sense of confidence in the U.S. health care system. The U.S. has spent more time and money building prisons and sports arenas than health care facilities. Our backward-thinking politicians have made sure oil companies got large tax breaks, while funding for education is always put up for a vote – and fails.
Yet, it’s gotten worse. A nurse who tended to Duncan while he was in isolation at Presbyterian has now tested positive for Ebola. The news just broke, so there aren’t too many details, except that she’s a 20-something native of Fort Worth. Supposedly, her apartment has already been cleaned out, although reports state her dog is still inside. Hopefully, the animal doesn’t suffer the same fate as the pet of a Spanish nurse last week. I mean, I’d rather sacrifice the entire Texas State Legislature instead.
And, the drama continues.
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Seattle Goes Native
Seattle, Washington has become the latest city in the United States to rename Columbus Day “Indigenous Peoples Day.” On October 6, the Seattle City Council voted unanimously to celebrate the nation’s indigenous inhabitants instead of the Italian-born adventurer who didn’t know where he’d actually landed. Columbus Day has always been a point of contention for Native Americans. Saying that Christopher Columbus “discovered” America is akin to stating that Galileo “discovered” the moon. Many Americans of European extraction believe that Columbus technically opened the door for a new society. Most Indians feel it was the start of the world’s greatest and longest-lasting holocaust; the effects of which are still being felt today throughout the Western Hemisphere.
In 1992, celebrations for the 500th anniversary of Columbus’ voyage met with strong blowback from indigenous groups. A parade in Denver, for example, was canceled that year for fear that protests would turn violent. Some have, given the hostilities that exist; due, in no small part, to the racist ideologies of some White Americans, as well as the arrogance of some Italians. It’s odd because Columbus couldn’t get financial backing from his own people. In the 15th century, Italy was actually a collection of city-states that wouldn’t jell into a single nation until the 1860s. Even now, some people may refer to themselves as Sicilian, instead of Italian, which is like saying the sky is azure, not blue. Columbus turned to Spain and Queen Isabella I. He had wanted to find a western route to India to gain an advantage in the lucrative spice trade. It’s difficult to imagine now, but spices were as precious as gold and silver at the time.
I’ve always felt Native Americans should have their own holiday. I don’t see the point in revising Columbus Day; let the Italians have their holiday, if they want. All the renaming won’t change history. We simply can’t go back and make everything all better again. It’s happened, and we need to continue moving forward, while still acknowledging the past. We’re all part of the human race, so ethnic divisions serve no real purpose. Some day, I hope, everyone else will realize that.
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Ebola Hits Dallas
The Ebola virus.
Okay, I’m being a bit dramatic. But, officials with the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention have confirmed, along with Texas Health Presbyterian Hospital of Dallas, that an unidentified man has tested positive for the Ebola virus. This is the first time that someone in the United States has been diagnosed with the deadly hemorrhagic fever. Since March of this year, Ebola has wreaked havoc across Western Africa; killing nearly 3,100 people and sickening thousands more. Before now, outbreaks had been limited to rural areas in Central Africa. This epidemic has been the deadliest and most widespread since medical aid workers accidentally discovered and identified it in September of 1976. With roughly a 90% fatality rate, Ebola quickly supplanted smallpox as the most lethal pathogen known to humanity. The current epidemic, however, has had a fatality rate of about 60%.
And, I just knew it would be a matter of time before it would reach a major metropolitan area outside of Africa’s largest cities. I’m actually surprised it hasn’t occurred sooner. I recently told a friend it was never if, but when it would hit. I even added that, with our luck, it would pop up right here in my home city of Dallas, Texas. Sometimes, I just think too damn much.
Confidentiality laws in the U.S. prevent the man’s identity from being released, but officials at first said he traveled directly from Liberia – the hardest hit of the countries in the Ebola outbreak – to Dallas on September 19 to visit relatives who live here. Now, we know that he traveled from Liberia to Brussels on the 19th, and, the next day, from Brussels to Washington, D.C., and then on to Dallas. He began getting sick with fever a few days later and sought medical treatment at Dallas Presbyterian on the 24th. Doctors there just thought he had a bad fever and sent him away with some antibiotics. The biggest health threats, as far as local officials are concerned, have been West Nile virus, HIV and bad driving. The man’s condition worsened, and he returned to the same hospital via ambulance on September 28 where he was immediately placed into isolation. But, here’s an interesting fact: a nurse who tended to him the first time asked the man if he’d been to West Africa, and he purportedly said yes. The nurse is believed to have recorded that information, but the doctors either didn’t catch that (no pun intended) or ignored it.
Now, the CDCP is trying to backtrack and find everyone who’s been in contact with the patient. Earlier today Texas Governor Rick Perry and Dallas Mayor Mike Rawlings took part in a press conference at the hospital where they and the facility’s officials emphasized that they have the matter under control; adding that everyone must remain calm. It’s important to note that Ebola is a blood-born pathogen and – while highly infectious – isn’t contagious. You have to come in contact with an infected individual’s bodily fluids to risk exposure.
I understand that. But, who’s to say hospital workers who first treated the man weren’t lax in cleaning up after him? Among the people he came in contact with are 5 children who attend four different schools in Dallas. Knowing the poor sanitary habits of children (and plenty of adults), it’s possible they could bleed, vomit and / or be careless about cuts and scrapes without realizing the severity of their actions. Anything is possible when dealing with people.
I’m not one to panic, but I am somewhat of a health freak. I’m always washing my hands. I take showers more than once a day. Even my dog is cleaner than most people. Technically, the U.S. has far more resources to combat any deadly epidemic, including media and community outreach avenues. But, I don’t have much confidence in the CDC’s ability to handle this Ebola situation. I certainly don’t have any confidence in the city of Dallas’s ability to do the same. Another troubling fact – a friend of the man contacted the CDCP to inform them about him. In other words, the CDCP didn’t learn of the individual’s possible Ebola infection from Dallas Presbyterian.
I only have to look back at the U.S. government’s response to AIDS, when it was identified in 1981. Because the first victims were gay men, drug users and prostitutes, the government didn’t take it seriously. They reacted with moral condemnations. And, any time people make medical decisions based on religious ideology, people die. If the government had taken AIDS seriously from the start, there might at least be a vaccine by now. Conversely, the U.S. government did respond quickly to swine flu and Legionnaires’ disease; both of which came to prominence in the fall of 1976. They even jumped into action during the 1982 Tylenol poisoning cases, despite that being an isolated incident.
In August, health officials in Liberia and Guinea quarantined entire neighborhoods in a futile effort to stem the Ebola outbreak. If other people in Dallas start getting sick with Ebola, I’d like to see authorities institute a lockdown in a city of roughly 4 million people, which is dissected by major highways and where most everyone has a vehicle. We’ll just have to wait and see what happens.
In the meantime, I’ll try to predict something more positive happening – like a mass die-off of politicians and rap singers.
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Devon and Leah Sari Still: A True Father – Daughter Team of Hope
With all the bad news surrounding professional athletes these days – as if there ever is any other kind of news surrounding professional athletes – I think it’s important to focus on Devon Still, a defensive tackle for the Cincinnati Bengals. This past June Still learned his daughter, Leah Sari, has Stage 4 neuroblastoma, a rare pediatric cancer, in her abdomen. The Bengals granted Still a leave of absence from team activities to tend to her. They cut him from the team earlier this month, however, but then, resigned him to the practice squad, which means he retains a paycheck and his health insurance. In order to raise awareness about pediatric cancer, Still coordinated a fund raising drive in which donations will be made on the number of sacks the Bengals make this season.
On September 8, the team announced it will donate all proceeds from the sales of Still’s jerseys to pediatric cancer research. Three days later they signed Still to their 53-man roster, since they had a spot available. As of now, they’ve raised in excess of $400,000. More importantly, Leah Sari has responded positively to an intense round of chemotherapy at Cincinnati Children’s Hospital and has a major surgical procedure looming ahead. But, it’s great news.
It’s just as good that there’s a father who places so much emphasis on the health of his child than he does on his career. But then again, that’s what the overwhelming majority of fathers do anyway, including those in professional sports. It’s sad, though, the media doesn’t place the same degree of attention on Still as it does the miscreants they claim populate professional athletics.
Thanks to fellow blogger Jueseppi Baker for highlighting this story.
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Banned Books Weeks 2014
I should have mentioned this earlier, but it’s “Banned Books Week” in the United States – a time set aside every year to acknowledge the sanctimonious morons who have decided they are the ones who can choose what the rest of us can read and see. It’s the usual assault on free speech and freedom of expression moralists have been waging for centuries; a battle we writers and bloggers understand will never really be won. This is an annual event the American Library Association hosts every year. I personally feel it should be a year-long event and not relegated to a single week. The ALA maintains a list of frequently challenged books, but this year’s list features books that include the usual transgressions: sex, homosex, nudity and other various and miscellaneous adult-oriented themes that some think should be shielded from the eyes of America’s overweight, technologically-savvy youth.
Below is just a partial list of this year’s offensive tomes. For the complete list, check out the ALA web site.
Sherman Alexie, The Absolutely True Diary of a Part-time Indian, Thorndike Press; Little, Brown.
Removed as required reading in a Queens, NY Middle School because the book included excerpts on masturbation. Challenged on the tenth-grade required reading list at Skyview High School in Billings, MT because “[t]his book is, shockingly, written by a Native American who reinforces all the negative stereotypes of his people and does it from the crude, obscene, and unfiltered viewpoint of a ninth-grader growing up on the reservation. Pulled from Jefferson County, WV schools because a parent complained about the novels graphic nature. Challenged in a Sweet Home, Oregon, Junior High English class because of concerns about its content, particularly what some parents see as the objectification of women and young girls, and the way alternative lessons were developed and presented.
Isabel Allende, The House of the Spirits, Dial Press.
Challenged in the Watauga County, NC High School curriculum because of the book’s graphic nature. After a five-month process, the book was fully retained at a third and final appeal hearing.
Margaret Atwood, The Handmaid’s Tale, McClelland and Stewart.
Challenged, but retained as required reading for a Page High School International Baccalaureate class and as optional reading for Advanced Placement reading courses at Grimsley High school in Guilford County, North Carolina, because the book was “sexually explicit, violently graphic and morally corrupt.” Some parents thought the book is “detrimental to Christian values.”
Akram Aylisli, Stone Dreams, Novella published in Druzhba Narodov.
Burned in 2013 at various locations around Azerbaijan. The novella is sympathetic to Armenians and recounts Azeri atrocities in the war between Azerbaijan and Armenia twenty years ago. Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev stripped the author of his title of “People’s Writer,” and a pro-government political party announced it would pay $12,700 to anyone who cuts off the ear of the 75-year-old novelist for portraying Azerbaijanis as savages.
Elisabeth Gaynor Ellis and Anthony Esler, World History, Prentice-Hall.
Challenged, but retained in the Volusia County, Florida, high schools, despite a thirty two-page chapter on “Muslim Civilizations” that covers the rise of Islam and the building of a Muslim empire. Protestors believe the Volusia high schools are using the world history textbook to “indoctrinate” students into the Islamic religion and recommend student volunteers tear the chapter out of the 1,000-page book.
Anne Frank, Anne Frank: The Diary of a Young Girl, Doubleday.
Challenged, but retained in the Northville, Michigan, middle schools despite anatomical descriptions in the book.
Neil Gaiman, Neverwhere, HarperCollins.
Temporarily removed from the Alamogordo, New Mexico High School library and curriculum because of what one parents calls “inappropriate content.” The British author wrote in “The Guardian”: “Well-meaning adults can easily destroy a child’s love of reading. Stop them reading what they enjoy or give them worthy-but-dull books that you like – the twenty-first-century equivalents of Victorian ‘improving’ literature – you’ll wind up with a generation convinced that reading is uncool and, worse, unpleasant.”
Toni Morrison, The Bluest Eye, Knopf, Vintage International.
Challenged in Legacy High School’s Advanced Placement English classes in Adams County, Colorado, because it was a “bad book.” Challenge on a suggested reading list for Columbus, Ohio, high school students by the school board president because it is inappropriate for the school board to “even be associated with it.” A fellow board member described the book as having “an underlying socialist-communist agenda.”
Norani Othman, ed., Muslim Women and the Challenges of Islamic Extremism, Sisters in Islam.
Banned by the Malaysian Ministry of Home Affairs in 2008 on the ground that it was “prejudicial to public order” and that it could confuse Muslims, particularly Muslim women. The Malaysian High Court overturned the ban on January 25, 2010, and on March 14, 2013, the Federal Court threw out the government’s appeal to reinstate the ban.
Marjane Satrapi, Persepolis: The Story of a Childhood, Pantheon Books.
Removed, via a district directive, from all Chicago, Illinois, public schools due to “graphic illustrations and language” and concerns about “student readiness.” After students fought back via Facebook, twitter, protests and radio and television programs, the school board issued a letter telling high school principals to disregard the earlier order to pull the book.
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In Remembrance – September 11, 2001
“Humankind has not woven the web of life.
We are but one thread within it.
Whatever we do to the web, we do to ourselves.
All things are bound together.
All things connect.”
– Chief Seattle, 1854
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Happy Labor Day 2014!
“All labor that uplifts humanity has dignity and importance and should be undertaken with painstaking excellence.”
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In Memoriam – Lauren Bacall, 1924 – 2014
“I think your life shows in your face, and you should be proud of that.”
“Designing Women” (1957)
“How to Marry a Millionaire” (1953)
“The Big Sleep” (1946)
“The Fan” (1981)
“The Maltese Falcon” (1941)
“To Have and Have Not” (1944)
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Chief Writing Wolf 