Comments On Courage

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Doing research

 

Comments On Courage

By D. S. Mitchell

Research And The Resistance

Part of my job at Calamity Politics is to do research. Research can be lots of fun and I look forward to it. Since the election of Donald J. Trump to the presidency, I, along with about 75,000,000 Americans have joined the Resistance.  The opportunity to replace Trump will be by election.  The 2020 election is only seven months away.  I believe that we are going to need strength and courage to see this political battle to a satisfactory Progressive conclusion.  To give some perspective, I decided to look up the word courage.

What People Have Said

Here’s what I found out. When I looked up courage, I found innumerable quotes on the idea of courage. Most were quite inspiring.  Here’s a brief collection of some pretty smart comments by some pretty smart people. Winston Churchill has two quotes noted, he was a really smart and courageous guy who led a nearly defeated nation to victory.

“Courage is what it takes to stand up and speak; courage is also what it takes to sit down and listen,” –Winston Churchill

“Success is not final, failure is not fatal: it is the courage to continue that counts.”
― Winston S. Churchill

“Courage is resistance to fear, mastery of fear – not absence of fear.”
― Mark Twain

“Courage leads starward, fear toward death,”- Seneca

“Courage conquers all things,” – Ovid

“The strongest, most generous and proudest of all virtues is courage,” Michel De Montaigne

“Courage is the most important of all the virtues because without courage, you can’t practice any other virtue consistently.”
― Maya Angelou

“Life shrinks or expands in proportion to one’s courage.”
― Anais Nin

Inspired

Well, I’m definitely inspired. How about you? If you are even a little inspired, do something to fight the Trump administration. Be brave. Be courageous. Step up our very democracy is at risk. There are many things you can do, write a letter to your congressional representative, make a phone call to your state senator, most important, vote.

Mother Earth Is Begging For Help

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Mother Earth, Protect Her

By D. S. Mitchell

No Planet B, For Me

Calamity Politics is pro-environment. I hope all our readers are pro-environment. Earth is the only planet I’m ever going to set foot on.  I see her as a nurturing, caring, loving place that needs reciprocal love and care. We need to get this right; for the grandchildren, and the great-grandchildren. I want to make climate change and environmental protection a priority. We  are in the middle of the Democratic 2020 primaries. Biden and Sanders are still battling it out. Recent primaries do appear to have Biden overwhelming the Vermont senator. Whoever wins the nomination must make Climate Change and environmental protection a top national issue.

Four More Years Could Seal Mom’s Fate

The Trump environmental wrecking crew is at the gates. As each day passes, I become more agitated. I am afraid that we will not be able to mount a sufficient defense against their heavy-handed onslaught against the environment. The agency that is most responsible for that protection, the U.S Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), has been decimated by Trump and his Fossil Fuel allies.

In the Courts

The Sierra Club’s donations are up. The World Wildlife Fund donations are also reportedly, up. I think we will need every environmental organization on the planet to stop the assault on the planet.  Hopefully their resistance will be both through lawsuits in the courts and active street protests against Trump’s dangerous agenda.  It is important to recognize that U.S. politics effect policy worldwide, not just nationwide. We are an example to the world. What we do, other countries do.

Embrace the Future

Clean energy is better for the economy and it is better for Mother Earth. Time to wrestle control of environmental policy and legislation from the fossil fuel industry and their army of lobbyists. The  remnants of the dirty Industrial Revolution must come to an end. Let’s look forward,  and embrace the future.  We are moving into the Technological Era.  Parts of the transition will be painful, acceptance is the first step.  If you are affected by a changing industry, change yourself, change your skills. Become part of the future, not a useless relic of the past.

From Australia to the Amazon

Whether it is the wild fires in California, or the Amazon; millions of animals are being killed or displaced  by wildfires. Many of the fires are set by humans as a quick means to clear land for cattle grazing or palm oil production. In Australia recent fires were also caused intentionally by man. The Australian fires have caused the death of an estimated one million animals. At the other extreme, the polar ice caps are melting at an incredible rate. This loss of ice is creating big trouble for animals who depend on the ice for hunting and nesting. These emergencies must be addressed quickly, we don’t have much time.

The Orange Whore

President Trump and environmental corruption are center stage in the 2020 election. Whoring with fossil fuel barons, erasing climate change regulations, abandoning the Paris Climate Agreement, increasing offshore oil leases, supporting coal mining has made it clear, Donald Trump is no friend of Mother Earth. He has revealed his true heart, and it is nothing more than a dollar sign.  Trump and the greedy fossil fuel abusers would kill Mom and dance at her funeral. It is up to us, to stop the war on our planet. Time to elect Democrats, from the state houses to the White House. Mom’s life is at stake.

Join the Resistance

 

Poachers Kill 20,000 Elephants Every Year

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Poachers Kill 20,000 Elephants Every Year

ELEPHANT CATASTROPHE

By D.S. Mitchell

Every Ivory Trinket Represents A Dead Elephant.

Poachers kill 20,000 wild elephants every year. These heartless poachers don’t just shoot the poor animals;  instead the desperate creatures are often left injured and dying. Whether by gunshot wounds, poisoning, mutilation or snare traps 50 animals are killed daily. Make no mistake there is a war on elephants. Poachers will kill any elephant with tusks-even a mother nursing her baby.

Into Deadly Ambush

Sadly, often poachers will attack and injure baby elephants because the baby’s pitiful cries will then lure their mothers into a deadly ambush. These poacher’s will stop at nothing to get their hands on the ivory. The poachers use assault rifles and even poison arrows. Unimaginably, they even pour cyanide into elephant watering holes. All this needless suffering so the ivory can be carved into useless trinkets and jewelry to be sold in Asian markets, particularly in China.

Orphans Left To Wander Helpless

Elephants are highly social and deeply emotional creatures. After the poachers kill their mothers, the young orphans are left, to wander helplessly in the bush, until they die, or are rescued by humanitarians.  In one recent case a young orphan elephant was found missing part of her trunk and her tail, likely the victim of a lion attack since she had no protection without her mother. In fact, if the slaughter is not stopped soon certain elephant populations risk extinction.

Orphans Cry For Their Mothers

After a baby elephant is orphaned they will often sit, weeping for hours, tears rolling down their cheeks. Some will wake up in the middle of the night, squealing in terror from nightmares.  Although physically healthy some will refuse to eat or drink because they have been so traumatized by the loss of their mother they die of what seems to be a broken heart.

Groups Work To Stop The Slaughter

More than 50 elephants are slaughtered every day from poaching, hunting and other clashes with humans. There are groups working to protect elephants but it is a huge undertaking. On the front lines are several international wildlife preservation groups, such as IFAW (International Fund for Wildlife),  African Wildlife Foundation and World Wild Life Fund. These groups are using a multi-phase approaches, changing laws and educating the public to end the ivory trade forever.

Building A Neighborhood Watch

Every year multiple game wardens and rangers are murdered by poachers because they tried to stop the killing. One recent project in Africa, known as tenBoma is showing some early success. tenBoma is basically “neighborhood watch.” In Kenya tenBoma is a traditional philosophy that encourages each community to work together to protect the entire region.

A Protective Shield

This same philosophy is being used by activist groups to engage local communities, the people, the police, the scouts and rangers-to share information on suspected poacher movements and other dangerous activity, especially around known elephant migration routes.  The goal of such projects is to form a protective shield around wild places where elephants live.

Miles And Miles Away

So many of us, live thousands of miles from the center of this tragedy.  The distance between the epicenter of the disaster does not need to stop people from helping end the ivory trade, protect elephants and lovingly raise traumatized orphaned baby elephants. Hopefully, hearing the need and seeing the pain created by poachers will encourage people to give generously and repeatedly to organizations devoted to saving these incredible animals. I’ve listed three highly respected organizations fighting to save the elephants. Please donate if you can.

TO DONATE:

International Fund For Animal Welfare: www.ifaw.org

World Wildlife Fund: www.worldwildlifefund.org

African Wildlife Foundation: www.awf.org

 

 

26 Fascinating, But Useless Facts

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26 Fascinating, But Useless Facts

By D.S. Mitchell

 

1. Marilyn Monroe, the 1950-1960 sex goddess, had 6 toes on one of her feet. See. None of us are perfect.

2. Did you know a cockroach can live for up to nine days without a head, until it starves to death? Who knew?

3. An Ostrich’s eye is bigger than its brain.

4. Women blink twice as often as men.

5, No word in the English language rhymes with month, orange, silver, or purple.

6. Leonardo Da Vinci invented scissors. Thank God! Man and woman lived on this planet for 200,000 years before someone invented scissors. They seem so basic, so necessary. How did people live before scissors? Amazing.on so many levels.

7. Our noses and ears never stop growing, while our eyes remain the same size for life.

8. A goldfish has a memory span of three seconds.

9. Whether protesting or electioneering, petitions can serve as important democratic tools, such as when  California governor, Gray Davis was recalled in 2003.  Arnold Schwarzenegger famous body builder and movie action hero took his place in Sacramento.

10. Some species of piranhas are vegetarians, while all butterflies are carnivores.

11. The most shoplifted book in America is the Bible. I wonder what that says about us as a society?

12. Rats can tread water for three days without stopping.

13. All the clocks in the movie Pulp Fiction were stuck on 4:20.  I know what 4:20 means to me. I wonder if it means the same to Tarantino? Probably. Sit back, light up.

14. Mosquitoes are attracted to the color blue.

15. There are 13 witches in a coven.

16. Abraham Lincoln’s first choice to lead the Union Army was Robert E. Lee.

17. “E” is the most used letter in the English alphabet. “Q” is the least used letter.

18. Fingernails grow 4 times faster than toenails.

19. November 15th is National Clean Your Refrigerator Day.

20. Cleopatra was Greek (Ptolemy), not Egyptian.

21. The colder your bedroom the higher the chance of having a nightmare.

22.  Cornelius Vanderbilt was born a farmer’s son who left school at age 11 and despite his lack of                education went on to become the richest man of 19th century America.

23. Oprah Winfrey, a black woman raised by her grandmother, sent to juvenile detention at 13, an unwed mother at 14. Oprah went on to TV stardom and stratospheric wealth in the 20th century.

24. The most common spoken word around the world is “O.K., ok, okay, or, k”  It can be heard from New York City to the tiniest rain forest village.

25. “Jiffy” is an actual unit of time. So when Mom says she’ll be there in a “jiffy” she really means in 1/100th of a second.

26. It takes six months to build a Rolls Royce……and 13 hours to build a Toyota.

Okay, there you go. 26 Tidbits of Fascinating and Useless Information. Use it as you will.

A Taxing Season Til April 15th

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A Taxing Season Til April 15th

April 15th is fast approaching

April 15th is only a month away. I find myself  wondering if I should attempt to do it myself or just call a CPA.

April 15th, Looming Large

In case anyone has forgotten, income tax returns are due in just over a month. April 15th is looming large, as they say. It is not that www.calamitypolitics has that many deductible expenses, but that is only because I haven’t figured out how to deduct my daily double Caramel Mocha or my mani-pedis. Maybe I should consult Ivanka on that.

To Deduct, Or Just File Away

Sorting, ironing and filing

I have been busy, sorting, ironing and filing receipts, getting ready for tax deadline

Over the last week, I have been sorting, ironing and filing receipts. Typically I toss most of my Calamity Politics tax receipts into my car’s glove box. I find if I crumple up every receipt really small I can fit a lot of them in the glove box. Any overflow goes in to the bottom file drawer in my home office. The only problem comes at the end of the tax year when I have to get out the ironing board and iron those crumpled receipts flat.

Tax Year and a Standard Year

My son keeps telling me there is no difference between a ‘standard year’ and a ‘tax year’, both are 365 days long. Well, I don’t believe it; I see it as just more government distortion. It feels as if the tax year is actually 9 months long, or 270 days. It is like a time morph for the muddled, and the disorganized.  I’m sure this phenomenon is a real knee-slapper for those at the IRS. The government’s artificially shortened year, combined with the recent tax changes has admittedly added to my tax preparation anxiety.

Call a Friend

I figured I am not the only one with tax deduction stress so I called on my friend and fellow writer Wes Hessel to come up with some help for me and other befuddled American tax payers. Check out what he learned and is now sharing with us.

D. S. Mitchell

A Taxing Season Til April 15th

By Wes Hessel

Facing The Inevitable

They say that only two things are certain: death and taxes; while some may prefer death over doing their taxes, there are gratis resources that can avoid your considering 1040 to be a four-number word.

Land Of The Free

A Google search for “free tax help” (YSRMV – Your Search Results May Vary) yields multiple options for Federal tax return tools that are credible:

https://turbotax.intuit.com/

https://www.taxact.com/

https://www.taxslayer.com/

Continue reading

Life After Traumatic Brain Injury

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Life After Traumatic Brain Injury

By Sonnet Gomes

My Journey Begins

I will never forget March 18, 2019. It’s hard to imagine it has been just one year ago. It was evening when I got a phone call from my dad. He told me my 2-year old daughter Anastasia had been rushed to the ER for convulsion and fever.

We have a family history of febrile convulsion, so at first I was not particularly concerned. But, I was wrong; it was not an innocent febrile seizure. Instead, my dearest Anastasia was seriously ill. Once at the hospital I was informed that Anastasia had viral encephalitis. The doctor explained viral encephalitis is an inflammation of the brain caused by a virus. The result of that inflammation turned my beloved daughter into someone we do not even know.

My journey with traumatic brain injury began that day. Since then I have visited almost every pediatric neurologist in the region to give me insight into the damage done by TBI. The insight I’ve gained has revealed there are many difficulties for those unfortunate humans living with TBI. I have seen both the worst effects of TBI and a few small rays of hope. Now, I feel an obligation to share what I’ve learned with others who are dealing with the results of TBI in hopes that I can help them get through it.

What Is TBI?

The term Traumatic Brain Injury (TBI) defines itself. It is associated with significant trauma or injury to the brain or damage done by infection of the brain. Injury from an accident or traumatic event are the most common cause of TBI. The second most common cause of TBI is cerebral infection. According to  ER records, almost 85% of the TBI cases result from one of these two causes.

Injuries

The first category includes injuries from falls, motor vehicle accidents, sports, or physical violence.  Depending on the severity of the incident, the damage can range from mild to severe TBI.  Do not underestimate a fall from your bed. The height may be low, but the impact can be profound. The same goes for falls from ladders, stairways, or bicycles. Please do not wait for symptoms to develop, get immediate help.

Accidents related to vehicles cause most of the TBI seen by physicians. In vehicular accidents concussion is the usual culprit and can result in a severe case of TBI. Another major source of TBI is athletic endeavors. Sports are associated with high speed and collision. Thus, there is a good chance any sports accident or injury can cause severe brain damage. Furthermore, exposure to explosive events like gunshots can cause a severe impact on the brain. The extreme pressure caused by the explosions damages the neurons and their connections.

Infections

Any infection in the brain will undoubtedly damage brain cells.Viral encephalitis causes the brain to swell, effectively squeezing the brain causing often irreversible damage. If the expansion caused by the swelling is low, then the damage may be small and considered mild. Otherwise, with dramatic swelling the damage is defined as severe TBI.

Meningitis infects the three outer layers of the brain causing a breakdown in the connection among brain cells. Encephalitis, another common infection, damages the white and grey matter often leading to death or TBI. Viral encephalitis because it involves the temporal and frontal lobes, is often characterized by psychiatric features, in addition to memory deficits, and aphasia.

Encephalopathy is often associated with a patient’s post injury or infection condition.  Wikipedia defines encephalopathy as “a broad term for any brain disease that alters brain function or structure”.  My daughter fits this definition. It is making her healing after traumatic brain injury tough.

Signs & Symptoms Of Mild Brain Injury

Mild Traumatic Brain Injury. (The injury and resulting damage are temporary)

  • Loss of consciousness
  • Headache
  • Nausea
  • Fatigue
  • Disturbed sleep pattern (too much, or not at all)
  • Gait disturbance, including loss of balance
  • Anger management issues
  • Blurred Vision
  • Memory issues
Signs & Symptoms Of Moderate To Severe TBI

Moderate to severe Traumatic Brain Injury is more devastating and permanent

  • Loss of consciousness for a more extended period
  • Seizures or Convulsions (long-term)
  • Long periods of sleep
  • Loss of coordination
  • Numbness in the limbs
  • Confusion
  • Slurred Speech
  • Loss of speech
  • Mood Swings
  • Behavioral changes
  • Hallucinations
  • Altered mental status
  • Cognitive decline
Is There Any Treatment For TBI?

Adapting to TBI is not easy. I want my beautiful daughter back the way she was, but that is not reality.  All the impact-syndrome and post-traumatic amnesia has overwhelmed me. Quite honestly, such emotions have in many ways made things harder when dealing with my daughter. However, there is hope for people with TBI. Medications and rehabilitation can sometimes bring them back to their pre-trauma condition. For people with severe injury such interventions can at least make life more comfortable. Medication is mostly used to control seizures. Other relaxing drugs are used soothe the brain and help it to heal.

Physical and Occupational rehabilitative therapies can improve a patient’s physical and mental activities. Studies show such rehabilitative activities help in reconnecting neurons in the brain, enhancing the signaling between them.

Difficult to admit, but it is not possible to have the same person back after a severe TBI. But, you can bring to life a new person with proper health care, nutrition, and rehabilitation.

Signs Your Loved One Is Improving From TBI

We all want our loved ones to recover from the TBI. No matter how much they have changed, the new person will be loved with the same intensity and care as before their injury.

Signs your loved one is recovering from encephalopathy or Post-Concussion Syndrome may be small but positive visible signs can’t be overlooked.

  • Improved emotional responses
  • Better coordination
  • Becoming more social
  • Improved communication verbally and with gestures
  • No more constant headaches
  • Regular sleep pattern is coming back
  • Getting involved in the activities, they used to like
Emotional Impact Of TBI

Any Traumatic Brain Injury affects the patient both emotionally and physically. Nevertheless, the emotional impacts are sometimes more long-lasting than the physical ones. You may find your loved one exhibiting symptoms of severe Depression. The happy, jolly person you used to know can turn into a sad clinically depressed person after a brain injury.

People with TBI often become more anxious. Even a small challenge will make them tense as hell. Yes, it is difficult to see them like this, but it is the reality. Anger and irritability are common as frustration and anxiety combine in destructive outbursts with many TBI survivors. You will be required  to deal with poor anger management if your loved one is a survivor.

Insomnia and Mood swings will be the everyday issues. You may also see some mental symptoms with a concussion, including blank stares and seizures.

The Financial Impact Of TBI

I had to re-organize my financial plan after my daughter’s TBI. Now I am saving money to keep up the highest quality treatment for her. It is affecting my professional and personal life; however, family comes first. I have cut down expenses in other areas and increased my contribution to health care. I have not had to take on a second job, at least for now, but honestly, TBI is expensive.

Life With TBI Is Different

Your family will change if you have a member with TBI. Your life will be different from others. Priorities and preferences will change dramatically. It becomes difficult to cope with the challenges of TBI and living a normal life. However, we keep fighting against the odds, fighting to make sure my daughter has every comfort I can give despite her distress. Hopefully the information I have shared will help others confronting TBI.

The Human Need To Reunite

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The Human Need To Reunite

By Anna Hessel

 

Getting It Together

We all have a basic need to reunite with those who are important to us; there are many types of reunions: high school, college, and family, being some of the most popular.  We see television, movie, and band reunions, all of which bring together memories which allow us to reminisce about times gone by.

Reunions in the Media

There are a multitude of films about reunions between old flames and friends – I have watched dozens of these movies on the Hallmark Channel, alone.  I am sure we can all remember “Class Reunion”, “Peggy Sue Got Married”, “Beautiful Girls”, “10 Years”, “The Big Chill”, “Romy and Michele’s High School Reunion”, and “American Reunion”, just to name a few.

Novels Too

Multiple novels about reunions fill the book shelves. “The All-Girl Filling Station’s Last Reunion” by Fannie Flagg, “After The Reunion” by Rona Jaffe, “The Odyssey of Reunion” by Abhisek Pani, “Blake’s High School Reunion” by Marcia Carrington, “Murder at the High School Reunion” by Steve Demaree, “How to Prepare for your High School Reunion, and Other Midlife Musings” by Susan Allen Toth. There is a bevy of books titled “High School Reunion”, and plethora of ones simply titled “Reunion” or “The Reunion”.  There is even “The High School Reunion Diet: Lose 20 Years in 30 Days” by David A. Colbert – this particular book reminds me of my husband’s ten year high school reunion – lots of preparation on our part to visit three hours with many people he barely knew.

How To Survive Your Class Reunion

Psychology Today has dubbed the high school reunion as “psychological time travel”.  Guideposts Magazine offers several tips for enjoying your class reunion.  A good start is recognizing that many of your old classmates may also have anxiety about attending. A great suggestion Guideposts made was to reconnect ahead of time on social media. Another suggestion was to pick up the old year book and leaf through it, reminding you of the faces, the fashions and the vibe of the time.  When at the event introduce yourself, get up and move around, ask others about their current lives, and spend time with people you didn’t know back in the day.

New Eyes

Definitely avoid heated and divisive topics such as politics, instead focus on the memories. Everyone has experienced setbacks and troubles, as well as happiness in their lives since you knew them.  Allow the passing years to disappear by looking at everyone with new eyes and a forgiving heart.  Don’t obsess about losing that last 10 pounds before you reunite; the fact is  we all age physically, even the prom queen, football star, and cheerleaders.  If it is any comfort, Chicago Magazine tells us, “your 50th high school reunion will be much better than your 20th.  Let’s face it, folks, as we age, we learn to not sweat the small stuff”.

African-American Suffering

Whether called reunions or just “family get-togethers” families have gathered for centuries for no other reason than to celebrate family heritage, faith and fun. Reunions not only give a sense of intentional preservation and family bonding for people, but satisfy a need to nurture. In the United States reunions have deep roots in African-American history, painfully recalling slavery and its toll on family units as they were torn apart and sold off to various plantations.  African-American family reunions may well date back to the Emancipation.  “Information wanted” ads were common in newspapers of the day, and may be the root of African-American reunions as people searched for lost and separated family members.

A Shifting Population

Between 1915 and 1940, a period dubbed as the “Great Migration” close to 4 million African-Americans traveled south-to-north, many heading to New York and Chicago.  The enormity of that black population shift encouraged the growth of family reunions in that demographic.  The significance of extended family formed the idea of the need for togetherness at specific times when all could be reunited.  For more information, please visit the website of the Smithsonian National Museum of African-American History and Culture: #APeoplesJourney.

Today, family reunions in all cultures symbolize heritage, fellowship, and a sense of community.

Ms. Hessel is a member of the National Society of Newspaper Columnists

Trump, Sick To Death

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Trump, Sick To Death

D. S. Mitchell

House Bound

I’m stuck home, recovering from extensive foot surgery. I have watched all the NetFlix offerings that interest me.  I am now resorting to live streaming on Hulu. I switch back and forth between CNN, FoxNews and MSNBC like an agitated Adderall addict. One thing I have noticed over the last several weeks is that Trump appears to be in poor health.

Unannounced Visit

On November 17, 2019 Trump made an unannounced and seemingly unplanned trip to Walter Reed Medical Center. Trump decided on a motorcade instead of his standard helicopter ride. The visit did not seem to be planned despite White House denials of any emergent situation.  A source familiar with the events  described Trump’s visit as “abnormal,” but added that Trump, 73, did not seem to be in any physical distress later that evening.

Squelched Questions

White House press secretary Stephanie Grisham, attempted to tamper down the questions, saying “he’s in good health and it was a routine checkup as part of his annual physical.” Grisham furthered her explanation saying, “Trump decided to get parts of his physical done early because he had a “free weekend” in Washington. Grisham did not respond to questions about why Trump did not get his full physical exam — which typically takes 4 hours or less — done over that open weekend. When pressed by reporters, Grisham vehemently denied Trump had any undisclosed health issues.

Not Routine

According to Grisham Trump underwent a “quick exam and labs.” Several experts familiar with White House medical procedures said that Trump could have gotten ‘routine’ lab work done at the White House’s on-site clinic, seeming to support the theory that Trump needed tests that couldn’t be done there.

Sunday Morning

On that November 2019 Sunday morning Trump took to Twitter telling the nation he planned to finish the ‘second part of his annual physical’ sometime in early 2020. Trump’s February 2019 full physical exam revealed he had increased his daily dose of Rosuvastatin, a medication used to treat high cholesterol. Additionally, Trump’s 2019 physical used a coronary calcium CT scan score of 133 to diagnose heart disease.

Fast Forward

As I said, I am watching a lot of streaming TV. One thing has become increasingly obvious, Trump looks worse by the day. He appears to be in poor health. I am speaking of all aspects of his health, his physical, mental, and cognitive health.  During recent public appearances he has looked ill. I of course, keep wondering if it has anything to do with that unscheduled November visit to Walter Reed Medical Center. I really want to know what sent Trump to the hospital that day back in November, I doubt if it was as routine as the White House would like us to think.

Declining Health

During the last couple weeks Trump has looked worse than usual. He has become more heavy-handed with the orange makeup, that is obvious. During a major speech in India and later at a press conference after the speech, Trump fell into rambling incoherence; slurring and mispronouncing common words. On that trip he was described as wobbly and sweating profusely. At a Saturday night rally in South Carolina amid the primary vote he again looked bad, causing viewers like myself to question his health.

Incompetent

Rumors have persisted for years that Trump is an Adderall addict. Trump does in fact show evidence of stimulant abuse. Photos have captured the enlarged pupils.  And anyone listening to a Trump speech is familiar with the snorting and sniffing between sentences. The nasal dysfunction is most likely related to sniffing Adderall. People surrounding the president report manic screaming fits, and sleeplessness.  In a recent interview acting Chief of Staff Mick Mulvaney confirmed, “He (Trump) never sleeps.”

Another Collapse

It’s obvious why Donald Trump is unraveling. We are on the verge of a pandemic that has killed its first victim in the United States.  Despite Trump’s bluster, his incompetent, cobbled together administration is incapable of dealing with an emergency within our borders. And he knows it. News that he can’t suppress or manipulate is terrifying to him. Last week the stock market dropped 3,500 points. There were two days of declines of more than 1,000 points. One of those days, posting a loss of 1,192 points making it the biggest one day loss in stock market history. All together the stock market is off 15% in one week. For a man who has basked in the glory of a raging bull market, and good economic numbers, such losses would be terrifying and certainly threaten his re-election chances.

Potential Blow Back

As a malignant narcissist Trump is incapable of empathy. He can act concerned when he anticipates a negative impact on Donald J. Trump.  As Bill Palmer noted in a recent on-line article, “He feels bad for his fellow aging white male criminals when they get harsh sentences, because he fears the same thing will happen to him if he loses the election”.  But there is nothing to suggest that he cares if people will die from the coronavirus. Nor does he seem care if the average Joe will face economic hardship. At a hastily called press conference, looking bleary eyed and edgy he down played the chaos and uncertainty of the economic markets and indicated the coronavirus was being hyped by the Democrats as a partisan tool to defeat him in November.

Inside The Trump Brain

Trump is a known ‘germaphobe’. He may even be worried that he’s going to catch the coronavirus and end the campaign rallies for a few weeks.  For all the obvious reasons, and many not so obvious he is terrified. His fear is palpable. Despite a campaign war chest approaching a billion dollars and promised help from the Russians Trump’s paranoia is on full display. He knows a failed response to an epidemic and a sinking economy will threaten his 2020 prospects. Joe Biden, a man Trump fears so much, he got himself impeached trying to discredit him – dominated the primary contest in South Carolina.  Make no mistake about it, Trump is disintegrating before our eyes.

10 Ways To Protect Yourself From Coronavirus

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10 Suggestions

By D. S. Mitchell

No Longer Just China

Concern about the coronavirus outbreak is rising. Stock markets are crashing, as the world anticipates a pandemic. If you worried about the coronavirus outbreak,  the World Health Organization on Friday offered some simple easy advice to help contain the spread of the disease. Over 83,000 people across the world are infected with coronavirus. The disease it causes COVID-19 has killed 2,800 people, as of this writing. Although most cases are still in China the World Health Organization has raised its global risk assessment to its highest level. At this writing more than 56 countries have reported cases. The disease is approaching pandemic status.

WHO Press Conference

Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, Director General of WHO, said at the Friday press conference,  “We do not see evidence yet that the virus is spreading freely in communities. As long as that’s the case, we still have a chance of containing this virus, if robust action is taken to detect cases early, isolate and care for patients and trace contacts.”

New U.S. Cases

Since Ghebreyesus’ statement at least three new cases have been reported on the West Coast of the United States. Most new cases are the result of community based transmission. California, Oregon and Washington have each reported suspected cases of community based transmission increasing the level of concern among public health officials.

10 Ways To Protect Yourself From Coronavirus:

1. People should wash their hands regularly with soap and water, or clean them with an alcohol-based solution.

2. Disinfect surfaces like kitchens and work desks regularly.

3. Seek information on the situation from reliable sources, like a local or national public health agency, WHO or a local health case professional.

4. Anyone with a fever or cough should avoid traveling. If sickness starts while on a flight, tell the crew immediately.

5. Cough or sneeze into a sleeve or tissue. Throw the tissue away and wash hands.

7. If someone feels sick, they should stay home and contact a doctor or local health professional about the symptoms. Symptoms of the coronavirus typically include a fever and dry cough without a runny nose. Some even report stomach cramping and abdominal distress.

8. If a sick person does stay at home, they should eat and sleep separately from anyone else in the household. They should also use different utensils to eat.

9.) A person should seek care immediately if they develop shortness of breath.

10. WHO said it is “normal and understandable to feel anxious, especially if you live in a country or community that has been affected.” They tell people to work with community leaders to stay safe in workplace, school and church.

Hopefully these simple common sense behaviors will limit the spread of the disease. Stay safe. Stay tuned in.

Health Care Goblins We Ignore

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Health Care Goblins We Ignore

By D. S. Mitchell

Grassroots Platform

Over the last couple of days Calamity has focused on Medicare-For-All. But there is more to the story of  health care in America. Www.CalamityPolitics.com gives me a grassroots platform to discuss health care. But, it does not give me the right to manipulate facts or lie about the issues. With that said, I am sharing opinions developed through my years of ground level experience in health care, otherwise known as trench warfare.

Street Level Experience

I am a baccalaureate prepared RN, and have worked nearly four decades in major hospitals in Oregon, Washington, California and Nevada. On the battlefield I have formed many opinions about the scope of care we give our patients and how to deliver better client results.   I’m not only experienced, but I am passionate about health care and how to improve it.  Mine is a pragmatic common sense small world approach to these issues. I am not a policy maker.  I do not have a doctorate in nursing or public policy. It is important to leave policy creation to the experts. My comments and opinions come from a community view.

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