National Public Radio (NPR) may not have appreciated Juan Williams' comments about riding on airplanes with people wearing "Muslim garb" on Fox News Channel's "O'Reilly Factor," but a quick survey of the general public, conducted by Poll Position, revealed that many Americans believe that Williams should not have lost his job.
Poll Position surveyed 1,017 people across the United States via interactive voice response. Of those 1,017, 46% believed that NPR was wrong to fire Williams. One reason might be because Williams voiced a fear that, regardless of how irrational, many Americans can understand, even if they don't share it. In fact, Poll Position conducted another survey, in which they asked 1,074 people across the country if they felt safe riding on airplanes with Muslims. Overall, 43% said yes, they do feel safe while 37% said they do not.
When the results of the survey regarding Williams' firing were broken down demographically, NPR consistently came out on the losing side of the debate, except with the 18-29 crowd. They were fairly evenly split with 38% believing NPR did the right thing by firing Williams and 37% believing NPR made a mistake. A bomb threat made against the organization within a week of Williams' dismissal could be inferred to mean that some people were violently opposed to NPR's decision, literally.
Most people would agree that Williams' comments regarding people who wear "Muslim garb" would have been better left unsaid, but an impromptu survey by Poll Position found that a clear majority of Americans agree that he didn't deserve to lose his job because of them.
Tuesday, November 2, 2010
Saturday, October 30, 2010
Side Effect of Neulasta
While I never look forward to my chemotherapy treatments, I'm especially loath to go to the one that's coming up. The day after my last treatment, I had to have a shot of Neulasta to boost my white blood cell count. Fortunately, my treatment nurse told me about Claritin. Naturally, I Gogled it and looked at what other people who have used Claritin to cope with the side effect Neulasta had to say about how well it works.
My heart sank when I read about the excruciating pain people suffered because of Neulasta; however, I was encouraged when I read that some people went as long as four days without any pain at all, thanks to taking Claritin. So, I went out and bought a box of Claritin and took it one hour before my shot of Neulasta as my treatment nurse had instructed. It kept the bone pain at bay for two days.
After two days of nothing more than the needling pains associated with my chemotherapy drugs, I started to get extreme pain in my shins, knees and ankles. On a scale of 1-10, the pain ranked a 9. I tried to endure without taking anything but finally gave up and started taking Percoset left over from when I had my hysterectomy. It worked a treat but I only had a few doses left. I called the hospital and one of the doctors recommended using a high dose of ibuprofen. It didn't work at all. The pain didn't abate one iota. So, I called back and requested a new prescription for Percoset, which I received.
When I go in for my next treatment, I will go with the knowledge that I will have something to help me combat the pain caused by the Neulasta. Small victories can mean so much in epic battles.
My heart sank when I read about the excruciating pain people suffered because of Neulasta; however, I was encouraged when I read that some people went as long as four days without any pain at all, thanks to taking Claritin. So, I went out and bought a box of Claritin and took it one hour before my shot of Neulasta as my treatment nurse had instructed. It kept the bone pain at bay for two days.
After two days of nothing more than the needling pains associated with my chemotherapy drugs, I started to get extreme pain in my shins, knees and ankles. On a scale of 1-10, the pain ranked a 9. I tried to endure without taking anything but finally gave up and started taking Percoset left over from when I had my hysterectomy. It worked a treat but I only had a few doses left. I called the hospital and one of the doctors recommended using a high dose of ibuprofen. It didn't work at all. The pain didn't abate one iota. So, I called back and requested a new prescription for Percoset, which I received.
When I go in for my next treatment, I will go with the knowledge that I will have something to help me combat the pain caused by the Neulasta. Small victories can mean so much in epic battles.
Monday, October 11, 2010
Second Treatment
It's the day before my second chemotherapy treatment. To say that I dread going would not be an understatement. The one side effect that I had really hoped not to get showed up about ten days after my first treatment.
As a writer, having tingling in my fingers is an unpleasant experience to say the least. I have the same tingling in my feet, which could cause serious navigation problems should it get worse. If the tingling in my fingers gets worse, it could hinder my ability to write. The up side is that if the tingling gets so bad that it hinders my ability to perform normal, every day tasks, then I will be taken off the Taxol and given Taxotere -- a drug I'm already familiar with from when I had breast cancer -- instead.
No one can say that battling cancer isn't adventurous. The trouble with ovarian cancer is that it has a high incidence of recurrence. I'm hoping to get more than two years of cancer free life. If I'm truly blessed, it will never come back.
As a writer, having tingling in my fingers is an unpleasant experience to say the least. I have the same tingling in my feet, which could cause serious navigation problems should it get worse. If the tingling in my fingers gets worse, it could hinder my ability to write. The up side is that if the tingling gets so bad that it hinders my ability to perform normal, every day tasks, then I will be taken off the Taxol and given Taxotere -- a drug I'm already familiar with from when I had breast cancer -- instead.
No one can say that battling cancer isn't adventurous. The trouble with ovarian cancer is that it has a high incidence of recurrence. I'm hoping to get more than two years of cancer free life. If I'm truly blessed, it will never come back.
Sunday, September 26, 2010
Awaiting Side Effects
Waiting for other side effects to begin is a study in frustration. I don't know which ones I will have. It can take as much as two weeks for hair loss to begin. That's no big deal but the mouth sores, gastro-intestinal issues, etc. are what I'm waiting for. I should be glad that right now I only have to deal with aching all the time and feeling tired all day. I'm not.
Knowing that other issues could arise is what's making me anxious. I want them to happen so I can have some idea what I'll be dealing with for the next five months. Being unemployed doesn't help matters either. I have trouble staying busy all day and as a result, my days seem to drag on forever. No wonder time seems to be going along at a crawl.
I wish I could find another telecommuting job. That would be ideal, especially now that I'm on chemotherapy.
Knowing that other issues could arise is what's making me anxious. I want them to happen so I can have some idea what I'll be dealing with for the next five months. Being unemployed doesn't help matters either. I have trouble staying busy all day and as a result, my days seem to drag on forever. No wonder time seems to be going along at a crawl.
I wish I could find another telecommuting job. That would be ideal, especially now that I'm on chemotherapy.
Friday, September 24, 2010
Battling Ovarian Cancer
When I won my battle against breast cancer two years ago, I thought my battles with cancer had ended for good. I was wrong. Early in August, I learned that I had a tangerine sized tumor on or near one of my ovaries. A skilled surgeon removed the tumor completely but now I must go through chemotherapy once again.
I am only required to take two drugs this time. That's a blessing. Chemotherapy scares me because I have no way of knowing how my body will react until the side effects come. I can handle mouth sores and this constant aching that started yesterday. I can handle hair loss and fatigue. What frightens me more than anything is the low white blood cell count, low red blood cell count and low platelets. Getting sick while getting chemotherapy terrifies me.
After only three days, I am already wishing these treatments could be over with and behind me. I have five more to go, provided I do well with this one and the next. My nurse told me that the first two treatments determine how someone will tolerate the drugs. If I do well this month and next month, then I should be OK.
I hope and pray that my body will tolerate these chemotherapy drugs as well as it did the ones I had for my breast cancer.
Cancer sucks!
I am only required to take two drugs this time. That's a blessing. Chemotherapy scares me because I have no way of knowing how my body will react until the side effects come. I can handle mouth sores and this constant aching that started yesterday. I can handle hair loss and fatigue. What frightens me more than anything is the low white blood cell count, low red blood cell count and low platelets. Getting sick while getting chemotherapy terrifies me.
After only three days, I am already wishing these treatments could be over with and behind me. I have five more to go, provided I do well with this one and the next. My nurse told me that the first two treatments determine how someone will tolerate the drugs. If I do well this month and next month, then I should be OK.
I hope and pray that my body will tolerate these chemotherapy drugs as well as it did the ones I had for my breast cancer.
Cancer sucks!
Monday, August 2, 2010
You'll be Hooked From the Moment of "Inception"
WOW!
I haven't had a movie experience like the one I had when I went to see "Inception" in almost 30 years. I wanted to stay and watch it again.
Everything about this movie is great, the writing, the directing, the acting, the special effects, even the music, which I usually only vaguely notice, is great. The music is so prevalent that it's almost an additional character.
"Inception" is a movie about corporate espionage to put it as simply as possible, but the way the characters go about getting what they want is so complex and so thrilling that I was almost literally on the edge of my seat as I waited to see what happened next.
Continue reading ...
I haven't had a movie experience like the one I had when I went to see "Inception" in almost 30 years. I wanted to stay and watch it again.Everything about this movie is great, the writing, the directing, the acting, the special effects, even the music, which I usually only vaguely notice, is great. The music is so prevalent that it's almost an additional character.
"Inception" is a movie about corporate espionage to put it as simply as possible, but the way the characters go about getting what they want is so complex and so thrilling that I was almost literally on the edge of my seat as I waited to see what happened next.
Continue reading ...
Thursday, July 15, 2010
Loopholes - Part 4
“Moira is unscrupulous.”
“Moira is not your concern. You must tell your beloved friend that in less than two weeks’ time, he is to be executed and you are the one who will do it. That is your concern.”
“I … I … I-I don’t understand.”
Jean-Pierre explained that when Leda turned Sebastian and chose to mentor him, he became her responsibility. Several Council members had warned Jean-Pierre not to allow Leda to mentor Sebastian because she was too lenient with him. Jean-Pierre didn’t listen. Sebastian’s lack of discipline had gotten him into trouble with the Council before but nothing as serious as murder. Each time, Leda helped Sebastian understand where he went wrong and got him under control. He had never matured, and never truly accepted the Council’s authority.
“Sebastian’s crime cannot be excused, Leda. It will not.”
As she rose to leave, Jean-Pierre gave her one last piece of advice. “Read the Council rules on vampire executions. You’ve never performed one before. They are very enlightening,” he added with a wink.
Suppressing a smile, Leda made a beeline to the Council library to retrieve the book she needed. She took it home with her and spent most of the day reading and re-reading the section on vampire executions to make sure she fully understood it. Assured that she’d fully comprehended what she’d read, Leda scheduled Sebastian’s execution date. Afterward, she called Tariq.
Leda told Tariq about her conversation with Jean-Pierre. Tariq was sympathetic but they both knew he couldn’t do anything to help Sebastian. Once the matter went to the Council, human influence ceased.
“When is he scheduled to be executed?” Tariq asked.
“Next Friday,” Leda replied.
“That’s awfully fast.”
“I know. I have no choice. Jean-Pierre had me read the Council rules on vampire executions. Based on what I read, it’s next Friday or never.”
“Why?” Tariq pressed. “Even humans have thirty days to try to clear their names or appeal.”
“Tariq, you know as well as I do that Sebastian’s guilty.”
Tariq remained silent on the other end of the line.
“Listen, I’ll see you tomorrow after work, same as always. OK?”
“OK,” he agreed.
That night, Leda paid a visit to Sebastian in the vampire wing of the prison. She told him that he was to be executed a week from Friday and that she would be the one to perform it. Sebastian studied the ceiling of his cell as Leda explained the process to him.
“I’ll bring you a nice suit to wear,” she told him.
“Yeah,” he snorted, a vamp’s gotta look good when he burns to death.”
“Don’t be a jerk, Sebastian.”
“Why can’t I just be naked?”
“Just do as I say.”
Leda turned and walked away before Sebastian had a chance to respond. She had a human execution to perform at midnight. Besides, she didn’t have the patience to argue with Sebastian in his current state of mind.
Usually when Leda executed a man, he thought she was a last gift before he died. Too late, he would realize the truth. That night’s execution was no different. By the time the man realized that Leda was the bringer of death, she had him in her grasp. His strength couldn’t match hers even a little. Leda had the strength of ten men.
She took no pleasure in draining him dry, though he had taken great pleasure in denying his victims their right to life. His blood told Leda everything she needed to know about him, all the way back to his earliest childhood memories. She drained him quickly, eager to stop seeing that overindulgence, not abuse, led this man to make the heinous decisions that brought him before her. The moment she had drained enough blood from the man to make death inevitable, Leda released her grip. The man sank to the floor in a heap. When his heart gave its final beat, Leda informed the warden. She left immediately, wiping her mouth on a towel. She threw the towel into the trash as she entered her office to complete the necessary paperwork associated with her grim task.
Time seemed to accelerate exponentially as the date of Sebastian’s execution approached. Leda resisted the urge to visit him again. She feared she might betray her secret to him. She hadn’t even told Tariq. On the morning of Sebastian’s execution, she took him a nice suit and pair of dress shoes to wear.
“Put these on,” she commanded. Before Sebastian could give a flippant reply, Leda had disappeared.
In the execution room, she checked to make sure that the drapes hanging over the east facing windows would easily pull loose exposing all but the area directly beneath them to bright sunlight. The distant rumble of thunder alerted Leda of an approaching storm. She had to get this execution over with as quickly as possible.
Sebastian was led into the execution room, flanked by two vampire guards, a 7:25 a.m. At 7:30, Leda pulled the black drapes from the windows. Sebastian’s escorts had joined Leda in the shaded area directly beneath the windows. They would push Sebastian back into the center of the room, should he try to get away from the sun’s burning rays.
Sebastian winced when Leda pulled the first curtain down. He braced himself for the pain and stench of burning vampire flesh as each curtain fell to the floor with a loud whoosh. The burning and pain never came. As he stared down at his hands and touched his face in disbelief, a flash of lightning brightened the execution room. Sebastian flinched instinctively, before realizing that it wasn’t sunlight. He looked up at the windows in disbelief. Steel grey clouds filled the sky as huge raindrops pummeled the earth. He looked at Leda, wondering what would happen next. Her smile caught him by surprise.
“Failed executions result in the immediate release of the prisoner, with the stipulation that he vacate the area where he committed his crime for no less than 200 years,” Leda quoted, still smiling.
“You mean … I can… I can go?”
“Gotta love loopholes,” Leda smiled.
Sebastian hugged her so fiercely, Leda feared he might crack one of her ribs. “Make sure you keep in touch,” she said, breaking Sebastian’s hold.
“Promise,” he vowed.
Sebastian couldn’t get out of the jail fast enough. He gave Leda one last hug before climbing into a cab that had been called to take him home. Sebastian had until sunrise the following day to leave town. If he remained, he would be recaptured and a new execution date set.
“Moira is not your concern. You must tell your beloved friend that in less than two weeks’ time, he is to be executed and you are the one who will do it. That is your concern.”
“I … I … I-I don’t understand.”
Jean-Pierre explained that when Leda turned Sebastian and chose to mentor him, he became her responsibility. Several Council members had warned Jean-Pierre not to allow Leda to mentor Sebastian because she was too lenient with him. Jean-Pierre didn’t listen. Sebastian’s lack of discipline had gotten him into trouble with the Council before but nothing as serious as murder. Each time, Leda helped Sebastian understand where he went wrong and got him under control. He had never matured, and never truly accepted the Council’s authority.
“Sebastian’s crime cannot be excused, Leda. It will not.”
As she rose to leave, Jean-Pierre gave her one last piece of advice. “Read the Council rules on vampire executions. You’ve never performed one before. They are very enlightening,” he added with a wink.
Suppressing a smile, Leda made a beeline to the Council library to retrieve the book she needed. She took it home with her and spent most of the day reading and re-reading the section on vampire executions to make sure she fully understood it. Assured that she’d fully comprehended what she’d read, Leda scheduled Sebastian’s execution date. Afterward, she called Tariq.
Leda told Tariq about her conversation with Jean-Pierre. Tariq was sympathetic but they both knew he couldn’t do anything to help Sebastian. Once the matter went to the Council, human influence ceased.
“When is he scheduled to be executed?” Tariq asked.
“Next Friday,” Leda replied.
“That’s awfully fast.”
“I know. I have no choice. Jean-Pierre had me read the Council rules on vampire executions. Based on what I read, it’s next Friday or never.”
“Why?” Tariq pressed. “Even humans have thirty days to try to clear their names or appeal.”
“Tariq, you know as well as I do that Sebastian’s guilty.”
Tariq remained silent on the other end of the line.
“Listen, I’ll see you tomorrow after work, same as always. OK?”
“OK,” he agreed.
That night, Leda paid a visit to Sebastian in the vampire wing of the prison. She told him that he was to be executed a week from Friday and that she would be the one to perform it. Sebastian studied the ceiling of his cell as Leda explained the process to him.
“I’ll bring you a nice suit to wear,” she told him.
“Yeah,” he snorted, a vamp’s gotta look good when he burns to death.”
“Don’t be a jerk, Sebastian.”
“Why can’t I just be naked?”
“Just do as I say.”
Leda turned and walked away before Sebastian had a chance to respond. She had a human execution to perform at midnight. Besides, she didn’t have the patience to argue with Sebastian in his current state of mind.
Usually when Leda executed a man, he thought she was a last gift before he died. Too late, he would realize the truth. That night’s execution was no different. By the time the man realized that Leda was the bringer of death, she had him in her grasp. His strength couldn’t match hers even a little. Leda had the strength of ten men.
She took no pleasure in draining him dry, though he had taken great pleasure in denying his victims their right to life. His blood told Leda everything she needed to know about him, all the way back to his earliest childhood memories. She drained him quickly, eager to stop seeing that overindulgence, not abuse, led this man to make the heinous decisions that brought him before her. The moment she had drained enough blood from the man to make death inevitable, Leda released her grip. The man sank to the floor in a heap. When his heart gave its final beat, Leda informed the warden. She left immediately, wiping her mouth on a towel. She threw the towel into the trash as she entered her office to complete the necessary paperwork associated with her grim task.
Time seemed to accelerate exponentially as the date of Sebastian’s execution approached. Leda resisted the urge to visit him again. She feared she might betray her secret to him. She hadn’t even told Tariq. On the morning of Sebastian’s execution, she took him a nice suit and pair of dress shoes to wear.
“Put these on,” she commanded. Before Sebastian could give a flippant reply, Leda had disappeared.
In the execution room, she checked to make sure that the drapes hanging over the east facing windows would easily pull loose exposing all but the area directly beneath them to bright sunlight. The distant rumble of thunder alerted Leda of an approaching storm. She had to get this execution over with as quickly as possible.
Sebastian was led into the execution room, flanked by two vampire guards, a 7:25 a.m. At 7:30, Leda pulled the black drapes from the windows. Sebastian’s escorts had joined Leda in the shaded area directly beneath the windows. They would push Sebastian back into the center of the room, should he try to get away from the sun’s burning rays.
Sebastian winced when Leda pulled the first curtain down. He braced himself for the pain and stench of burning vampire flesh as each curtain fell to the floor with a loud whoosh. The burning and pain never came. As he stared down at his hands and touched his face in disbelief, a flash of lightning brightened the execution room. Sebastian flinched instinctively, before realizing that it wasn’t sunlight. He looked up at the windows in disbelief. Steel grey clouds filled the sky as huge raindrops pummeled the earth. He looked at Leda, wondering what would happen next. Her smile caught him by surprise.
“Failed executions result in the immediate release of the prisoner, with the stipulation that he vacate the area where he committed his crime for no less than 200 years,” Leda quoted, still smiling.
“You mean … I can… I can go?”
“Gotta love loopholes,” Leda smiled.
Sebastian hugged her so fiercely, Leda feared he might crack one of her ribs. “Make sure you keep in touch,” she said, breaking Sebastian’s hold.
“Promise,” he vowed.
Sebastian couldn’t get out of the jail fast enough. He gave Leda one last hug before climbing into a cab that had been called to take him home. Sebastian had until sunrise the following day to leave town. If he remained, he would be recaptured and a new execution date set.
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