Obama's first year

(Back to health matters on Monday. Today, a little something about the political scene)

A year after the election of President Barack Obama, CNN interviewed people about what they were doing when they received word of the historical event. The interviews were tied the debut of a documentary on HBO Tuesday that chronicles what is characterized as Obama’s improbable rise.

Election Day 2008, I was busy coordinating Election Day coverage for the Chi-Town Daily News. I was editing and posting stories from full-time and volunteer reporters who covered city races and the presidential race.

We posted what seemed to be dozens of vignettes and anecdotes about local races and the mood of the electorate. At the end of the night, I gathered the best and weaved them into a lead story. I was proud of the newspaper and staff and felt honored to be working in Chicago the night Barack Obama gave his victory speech in Millennium Park.

I appreciated the moment and savored it. Obama won big. He had a mandate.

But he ain’t using it. Instead of forging ahead with the people who got him into the White House and implementing the sweeping change he promised, he has sought partnerships with people who would shout him down during a presidential address. People aligned with a news network that reports false stories about him.

I want the president to be more decisive. I want him to realize that he is fighting against the status quo and the supporters of the status quo won’t give an inch. They have nothing to benefit from ending war, reforming health care, really getting the economy on track, equality.

Obama and his supporters should move fast and be deliberate because the people who lost the White House want it back and are willing to do anything to get it back.

Question is, can Obama and his supporters do what’s right for the nation and maintain a majority in Congress in the 2010 mid-term elections and then re-claim the big house in 2012?

Is blackface ever OK?

(No echocardiogram update. The results have yet to be read. My cardiologist is off until Wednesday. I refuse to fret. I keep myself busy. And today post something unrelated to sarcoidosis. It is a big world out there. Enjoy).

I wanted to slap an Australian when I saw the thoughtless blackface “ode” to The Jackson 5 from the Down Under variety show “Hey, Hey. It’s Saturday Night.”

However, I want to laugh ‘til I drop when I think about Saturday Night Live’s Fred Armisen or Darrell Hammond putting on blackface to play President Barack Obama, Jessie Jackson or Al Sharpton.

What’s the difference? Context and nuance.

Watch the clip of The Jackson Jive “tribute” to The Jackson 5 again. Do the “performers” look like Jackie, Tito, Marlon and Jermaine? I’m an artist so I can appreciate artistic license, but come on. This looks like white guys who smeared shoe polish on their faces. One of the Jive wore whiteface and an afro wig to portray Michael. No tribute there either.

Nothing about the sketch honors the Jacksons. The soot-colored prop used in the sketch is an archetype of American racism. Blackface hails from a time when people of African descent in America were at once loved and loathed by the dominant white power structure. Loved for their labor, loved for their culture, but dehumanized because…well, because one has to dehumanize their fellow man if they are going to enslave them and steal from them. Can’t do that to someone you see as your equal.

The blackface of Armisen and Hammond is very different. These are not shuffling, shucking and jiving performances. The performances are nuanced. There is a range of human complexity. Even the makeup the actors use reflect the hues of the humans they are poking fun of.

Saturday Night Live is one of my favorite shows. However, it bothers me that there have only been a handful of black performers among the scores of white performers. Eddie Murphy is probably the best-known and most famous SNL alum, "Pluto Nash" and a few other bad movies he made notwithstanding. One of the best Murphy and SNL moments ever was Murphy’s film White Like Me, about the secret world of white people. He dawns white face, a straight-hair wig and proceeds to get special treatment; free money from banks, white-only parties on public transit after black folks get off the bus.

It is keen satire and hilarious.

“They give things to each other,” Murphy muses after not having to pay for a newspaper

I live for the day when SNL producer Lorne Michaels and others in Hollywood cast more blacks in "white" roles. I'm talking about actually casting actors of color to play white icons.

Samuel E. Jackson IS George Dubya!

That will be real proof that we are overcoming.

Don’t laugh. In a world in which many white people still feel smearing ones face in a coal-black substance is a way of honoring people of African descent, anything is possible.

Writer's now cautious about next flu shot

My internist does not believe that my recent illness, which included "flu-like" symptoms that laid me low from Sept. 19 to Sept. 30 had anything to do with the seasonal flu vaccination shot.

"The virus is dead, you know that?" he said, referring to the shot.

"Yeah, I know the virus is dead. However, the Centers For Disease control even concedes that some people get sick from flu vaccinations," I responded. I don't want him to be on the defensive. I trust him, but I also want him to know I pay close attention to everything in connection with my on-going fight against sarcoidosis.

"Well, we may never know" what caused the illness, he said. And he is right. I take prednisone to fight the sarcoidosis in my heart and lungs. The drug suppresses the immune system, which during sarc flareups goes haywire and attacks vital organs.

The prednisone stops the attack but leaves the immune system gate wide open to be stormed by a host of germs and viruses. We'll never know where I picked up a bug.

I could have caught a nasty cold from someone in the mall, at a doctor's office, a super market, the movie theater, the library or book store - which is where I am writing this blog right now - someone needs to scrub that men's bathroom here, yo. Really.

The point is that I could have touched a door knob anywhere, picked up a germ, touched my mouth or rubbed my eyes and voila!. Instant illness.

Well, not instant....takes a few days to develop...Trouble is, it used to take a couple of days to get over the common cold. Now, on prednisone, it takes much longer and there's always a chance it could get worse.

That's why I am constantly washing my hands, using hand sanitizer, watching what's being sprayed in my direction (which sounds more disgusting than it is, I reckon). The internist recommends I stay in and away from places where crowds gather.

Stay in for the entire fall and winter? Fat chance. But I will avoid the crowds, which may mean scrapping plans to see my favorite band Living Colour later this month. That is a bummer, but I'll catch up with them eventually. Shopping, writing at B&N, I'll do all of that off-peak.

That big dude in the corner of B&N in Brick or Howell, the guy typing away while wearing a WWI gas mask... Might be me. Feel free to come over and say hello.

A few weeks ago, I wrote that I would be among the first in line rolling up my sleeve for the H1N1 (swine flu) vaccination. People with compromised immune systems should get it, the experts say. However, on the wake of my experience with the seasonal flu shot, I'm adopting a wait-and-see attitude. The cardiologist is cool with it.

"So maybe you allow a few weeks to go by and see what happens to the people who take the shot. You're a journalist so you'll be watching and researching anyway," said a cardiologist I visited this week. I was trying him out; thinking about employing him in my fight against sarc.

"So I should not take the shot, sit back and see if millions of people who get it die before I get it?" I asked.

"That's what I would do," the cardiologist responded.

He's hired. A man after my own heart.

...Good show, Chicago...

Too bad that President Barack Obama could not persuade the International Olympics Committee to award Chicago the 2016 Summer Olympics just on the off-chance that John L. Perry and the people at Newsmax.com who have supported him, and the Glenn Becks and Michael Steeles across our great land suffer a collective aneurysm from shock and die.



That was mean, I know. However, it wasn't unpatriotic, a trait demonstrated routinely by the Perrys, Becks and Steels of this nation. They continously wish ill against the country and its sitting president.

Perry even wrote how the country might benefit from coup d'etat - a military overthrow because one group one and another group lost the national election, the way it is explained in the U.S. Constitution, you know? Newsmax.com published it and then took it down when readers objected. I guess the people that run that site are only brave then not challenged.

Steele actually argued that winning the Olympic bid does nothing to immediately help the country. It would be a big confidence boost to a nation still undergoing tough times and it will mean jobs that start way before 2016, Mike. It takes a while to build for an Olympics.

Do you not undetstand that because your head is made of steel?

I'm sure they and others will take glee in the fact that the country lost the chance to showcase its splendor to the internationally community. I an almost hear Beck manically screaming, "We lost! Hip-hip hooray!"

So, Chicago didn't win. It's still a great city it can now turn its energy to worthwhile public projects, including improving infrastructure and schools and getting a handle on youth violence. Chicagoans, when they put their collective minds to it, can solve any problem.

Much luck, Chicago. Your success would be good for the country and it would also make the Perrys, Becks and Steels of the land choke, which is fine with me...

Resisting the call to join the Rude Culture

No, @#$% you, buddy! And get out of my way!

I am on the verge of speaking like this all the time (and using the real F-word, not symbols). I am on the verge of being sucked into what I consider the New Jersey Rude Culture. I am trying to resist the Culture the way a good Jedi fights the pull of the Dark Side of the Force.

Rudeness plagues the nation. Just watch the news and what passes for health care reform debate. Nearly 70 percent of people questioned in a 2005 Associated Press-Ipsos poll said people are ruder than they were 20 or 30 years ago. The poll was referenced in a recent Chicago Tribune article about rude behavior in college classrooms and beyond.

I've been back in New Jersey, the place of my birth, for about six weeks. Here, rude has been elevated to an art form. The mix of foul language, hand gestures and obliviousness of fellow human beings - often fueled by hyper-caffinated drinks - is much more intense here. People who experience it for the first time are often left speechless.

I am experiencing 'Jersey rudeness for the first time in three years. I am often left speechless.

People here shout words that mean nothing into their cellphones, shattering the peace of all around them. Parkway motorists drive their cars up the ass of yours because you are driving 75-80 miles per hour in the slow lane...In the slow lane. People shout you down during conversations to make their point. Loudest and most obnixious wins. They are pains in the butt.

And, I admit with sadness, I can go there. I can definitely act like an asshole, but I try not to. Part of it has to do with getting control of my heart and lung sarcoidosis. I need to cool out and be chill. A calm, relaxed mind is essential to helping the body heal. there is no way around it.

I also think being decent, and respectful is the right thing to do. I see myself as a gentle giant because of nature and nurture. My mom and grandmom taught me to live by the Golden rule. I am a man who tends to keep to himself, minds his manners, keeps the peace and only lifts his hand in defense of the weak. The gentleness thrived to a degree in Greater Lansing, Michigan and Chicago.


I have no illusions about either place. The Midwest has its share of nuts, bullies, bigots, misogynists, all the people we should despise. But Midwesterners are quite polite. They say 'thank you' and 'please' and allow people the right of way. They hold doors for each other, offer to carry this or reach for that. They are respectful of personal space. The smaller the town, the politer they are. In Chicago, I managed a group of reporters who exhibited Type A personality traits. Those reporters could dig for stories and were as relentless as any reporters I've ever worked with, but they were also nice, decent people. They would bare teeth and unsheath talons, but knew how to put them away after hours.

These days, here in New Jersey, the teeth and talons are bared and unsheathed 24-7. (The customer service at Barnes & Noble in Howell, N.J., is a refreshing respite. I give this store props because it is a cool place to write. I love the vibe. Folks there are pretty polite, especially the baristas). And I am assuming that New York and Connecticut are as rude as ever, too. Curiously, you can still find polite people in Manhattan – so many people living there are NOT from there, you know?

I am trying to maintain my public politeness, but the Rude Culture might be winning. Every time I try to get out, it pulls me back in. Warning: I can be a real asshole. My cousin Dwayne likes to say that some folks are not assholes. They are the cheeks, the pimples on the ass, the crack…The entire ass. Yeah, I can be that, I fear.

I just want to be a good guy. I really do. New Jersey, you could really help, you know? Be decent, for crying out loud.

I'll try harder, too.

Taking advantage of the home field

By the time you read this, I will have kissed the New Jersey Parkway. I will have walked a beach and stared across the Atlantic to the horizon. I will have eaten a handful of the best cranberries in the world.

I am home. New Jersey. The Garden State. ‘Jersey.

For the record, no one I know from here says the line made famous by "comedian" Joe Piscopo: “I’m from ‘Joisey. Are you from Joisey?" There’s more to the state than The Sopranos, the oil tanks and chemical refineries along the northern corridor of the Turnpike, the crook politicians (Illinois, you've got nothing on the Garden State in that department)...

If you’re an out-of-stater, believe what you will. New Jersey has enough people anyway. Stay wherever you are. The mob or the smell might get ya!

I’ve always loved New Jersey, but I have not lived here since the mid-1980s. However, in my fight against sarcoidosis, I have made a tactical decision. I need and want the home field advantage. In sports, the homies have followed their team for years and the crowd is always loyal. Even when they are booing you for doing bad they are waiting for you to do well – and then they cheer loud and hard.

The hometown crowd’s support can spur a team to victory. It can inspire a battered boxer to get off the ropes and dig deep into his reserves to knock out his opponent.

Right now, I need my biggest cheerleaders, my mom and dad. They were eager to have me close so they can monitor my progress and help me in anyway possible. I am grateful – no, I thank God – for my parents. Not everyone has a rewarding relationship with his or her parents. Some folks have no one at all.

I began thinking about this in March after a 10-day hospital stay to deal with flaring pulmonary and cardiac sarcoidosis. I flew home so my folks could see that I was OK.

Everything about my ‘Jersey stay felt right. More than right. It was invigorating, rejuvenating. For the first time in more than 20 years, home was more appealing to me than the open road and new places to live in and see.

I'm tough and have always been able to handle life's challenges. Isolation, illness, pondering career options. Handling each problem on its own? No sweat. Bundle any two together, Bring ‘em on.

The three together? No thanks. Too much. It took me a while to realize it, but there's no shame in needing help and letting folks know it. Especially when you have people who are waiting for you to say the word so they can get involved. Word!

Now, I am no more than an hour or two from my loved ones in the Tri-State area. I’m looking forward to reconnecting with everyone. New York City and Philadelphia are an hour north and south of me, respectively. Greater New Haven, a 2-1/2 drive along tree-lined highways (Take the Garden State Parkway, go across the Tappan Zee Bridge and grab the Hutch north. Don't take the New Jersey Turnpike-Interstate 95 if you can avoid it. Ugly).

I lived in Chicago for the past year. My friends there, especially Megan Cottrell, Felicia Yonter, Steve Barrett, Tyler Via, Tim Yager, Fernando Diaz, Adrian Uribarri, Peter Sachs, Alex Parker, Kim Barrett, Matt Schad, Patrick Boylan (there are others but I hate Academy-award style thanks-yous, so thanks to everyone!) helped me during the most challenging time of my life. I was terrified, confused and alone in March when my sarc went berserk. My friends in Chicago checked on me daily and kept buoyant my spirit. Some drove me around when I could not drive myself. Some made me laugh.

They encouraged me to walk when I wanted to sit and sulk. Especially Megan and Felicia. They made me walk my ass off. I am definitely better off because of that.

They inspired me to recommit to my fiction and this write this blog (but my mom had the idea first, I must say).

My Chicago peeps, I am forever indebted to you and I will be back to visit as often as I can. I want you to visit me, too. The door is always open. You'll always have a place to crash.

But I am excited to be home. I liked kissing the New Jersey Parkway. I like hearing, seeing my mother and father at ease.

I love being home. I feel 10 years younger.

Celebrity deaths grim reminders of heart disease

Michael Jackson via last.fm

For Michael Jackson and Billy Mays, the Grim Reaper apparently showed up in the form of heart disease.

Sarcoidosis has affected my own heart, so the deaths of these two celebrities made me sit up and take notice.

It was initially reported that sudden cardiac arrest killed The King of Pop. However, the cause of death was “deferred” by the L.A. County coroner’s office until more test results are available. That could be weeks from now.

Autopsy results last week indicate that Mays, pitchman extraordinaire for Oxyclean and other product lines, died of a pulmonary embolism.

Same difference says the spokesman of the Sudden Cardiac Arrest Association.

During the autopsy, Mays showed signs of hypertension and arteriosclerosis disease of the heart, both known risk factors for sudden cardiac arrest, says Dr. Vince Mosesso, the SCCA medical director, in a press release.

Mosesso says SCA is responsible for more than 300,000 deaths annually in the United States.

“…In many cases the first sign of heart disease is sudden cardiac arrest,” Mosesso says. “(The deaths are) a reminder that we should all make every effort to know about, avoid or modify the possible risk factors for heart disease. Those with diagnosed heart disease should be vigilant in their medical care and lifestyle habits to reduce the risk of cardiac arrest.”

Risk factors include:

- high blood pressure

- atherosclerosis (coronary artery disease)

- previous heart attack, heart failure

- diabetes

- smoking

- obesity

Sudden cardiac arrest is a silent killer, so know the symptoms and what questions you should ask your doctor so he/her can help determine your risk. With sudden cardiac arrest, the heart suddenly and unexpectedly stops beating. Blood stops flowing to the brain and other vital organs, according to National Heart, Lung and Blood Institute Website.

Pulmonary embolism (PE) is a condition in which the pulmonary artery or one of its branches is blocked, according to the National Heart and Lung Association Website. It usually occurs when a blood clot from a vein becomes dislodged and embolizes to the arterial blood supply of one of the lungs, according to www.nhlbi.nih.gov/.

According to reports including comments from Dr. Vendand Adams, the-Tampa-based Hillsborough County Examiner, Mays “had an enlarged heart, a thickening of the wall of the ventricle which takes blood to the heart." The results of other autopsy reports are pending.

Jackson’s situation is still shrouded in secrecy. However, millions heard the 911 call from Jackson’s house and read or heard that Jackson’s cardiologist, Dr. Conrad Murray and then paramedics tried unsuccessfully to revive him.

There was also a report that the doctor prescribed or administered Demerol and Oxycontin to Jackson. Through attorneys, Murray has denied the assertion.

SCA usually causes death if it's not treated within minutes. Heart attacks are different from SCA. The heart can continue beating during an attack. SCA prevents that, shutting down the supply of oxygen-rich blood to vital organs. News accounts say that paramedics sent up to 3/4s of an hour trying to revive Jackson.

I’m paying close attention to results from the Jackson autopsy because my heart has been compromised by sarcoidosis, according to my physicians. They say that there is evidence of myocarditis, inflammation of the myocardium or muscular part of the heart, and cardiac sarcoidosis. It was probably caused by an infection and it can lead to heart failure or sudden death if continues to deteriorate. We are closely monitoring progress.

As I wrote in an earlier blog post, I have a team of docs, electro-cardiologists, who want to place a playing-cards-deck-sized defibrillator in my chest, just in case. But I am on prednisone and methotrexate, both of which suppress the immune system. The surgery to install a defibrillator is minor, but there’s still a risk of infection, so no operation. Not yet.

My goal (after consultations with several specialists) is to see if the heart stabilizes or gets better over the next few months. I have never felt a palpation or other problems, but I must admit that this heart thing is an albatross around the neck. I don’t think I am timid because of the problem, but I am damn sure always aware on a certain level.

I walked 1-1/2 miles Tuesday and thought about it as I began to break a sweat and breathe heavily.

Myocarditis can be treated with antibiotics; anti-inflammatory medicines to reduce swelling; diuretics to remove excess water from the body; low-salt diet and reduced activity. The condition is known to improve, doctors say, but is also known to get worse. To me, that is when the defibrillator would come in handy. But not at the moment. I like my odds of overcoming this.

We’ll try hard and we’ll see where we are at the end of July.

I expect to see a change for a better the next time we look at chest pics. I am getting stronger, I feel it. I do not think I am hoping against hope.

Meanwhile, God bless, Michael, Billy.

#

Mosesso is urging patients to follow some basic healthy heart guidelines:

- Share with your physician any family history of heart disease or sudden death and symptoms you have, including chest discomfort, shortness of breath, palpitations, indigestion and abnormal sweating, especially if associated with exertion or exercise

- Carefully follow physician recommendations on prescribed drug therapies for blood pressure, heart disease, diabetes and high cholesterol

- Exercise regularly. Even a regular walking routine of 30 minutes per day can significantly improve heart health

- Don’t smoke

- Maintain a healthy diet low in saturated fat, high in fiber and heavy on fresh fruits, vegetables and low fat, high-protein seafood and meats

Mosesso also urges people to learn how to do cardio pulmonary resuscitation and automated external defibrillator.

For more information, please visit www.suddencardiacarrest.org or view SCAA’s educational video on sudden cardiac arrest at http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vXFEIoNkfQo.

Meanwhile, God bless you, Michael, Billy.

(Friday: More on sudden cardiac arrest)

Methotrexate haze

Tuesdays were like any work week day. I hate them. Not close enough to Friday. But over the past few months, I've really come to despise Tuesdays because that's the day I take mexthotrexate, a chemo drug given to me to stem the aggressive swelling of the lymph nodes in my lungs, which had grown to the point that they were blocking oxygen to my lungs and ultimately my heart. Which could have caused a fatal heart attack. Needless to say that is not good.

Sarcoidosis (2) lymph node biopsy" style="border: medium none ; display: block;" width="300" height="226">Image via Wikipedia

Sarcoidosis sucks. Anyway, I will take the drug and it's side affects - I am experiencing are acne; chills and fever; dizziness; general body discomfort; hair loss (Not a really a biggie for me. See bio pic!) itching; loss of appetite; lowered resistance to infection; nausea; sensitivity to sunlight; sore throat; stomach pain; unusual tiredness. I'm thankful that I don't experience the vomiting. I do wish I was experiencing the loss of appetite. Prednisone is still making me eat everything. I'm tired from all the meds, too, so walking of late has been a struggle. But I'm still going for it. I remain upbeat as possible by remembering I do not have the worst methotrexate side effects, including red, swollen, or blistered skin; seizures; serious infection (herpes, hepatitis, blood infection); trouble breathing; unusual bleeding or bruising; unusual pain and discoloration of the skin; vision changes; vomit that looks like coffee grounds; yellowing of skin or eyes. Tuesdays are tough because the other drugs I am taking to combat prednisone's stimulant side effects make me very sleepy. Tuesdays are almost a wash. Better to stay in bed out of the way so one doesn't have to deal with zig-zagging through speedy traffic along Lake Shore Drive (my favorite road in Chicago. Seriously). But life doesn't allow for many time outs, so I will rise early to eat breakfast, take my meds, do my two-mile walk and get through the rest of the day. Thank God I am tolerating these drugs as well as I am, but I have to admit that they are starting to get to me. And I could be on this regiment for the next six months to a year. Is there anyone out there who has good coping methods when it comes to dealing with any of these medications? I'd sure like to hear from you.