Sunday, September 15, 2013

DUTY AND HEROISM: The Diva Syndrome

            I'd like to talk about something I call "the Diva Syndrome".   The Diva Syndrome is basically a need to define everything in its finest terms whether it deserves it or not.  What do I mean by that?  The term "diva" actually means "a female singer of outstanding talent".  In Italian, it basically means "a goddess".
            By that definition, I would consider the following female singers "divas":  Barbara Streisand, Ella Fitzgerald, Aretha Franklin, Diana Ross, Celine Dion, Whitney Houston, Etta James, Loretta Lynn, Dolly Parton, Cher, and most likely, Madonna.  Now there are far more that belong on that list but I am trying to show the caliber of singers that occupy that lofty designation.  They represent the best of the best.  Nikki Minaj a diva?  No.  Miley Cyrus?  No...ever!  Maybe Pink...someday.  Probably Mariah Carey...soon.  And so on.
            The point to be made is that we have begun to throw around words that represent the highest standards of performance or ideals and applied them to less than exemplary people.  That is not to say that some people don't deserve to be recognized for their value but to apply terms like "diva" or "hero" to just anyone, diminishes the value of the term.  It's like last place trophies.  If everyone gets a trophy for participating, what's the value for a first place trophy.  Far less, I dare say.
            Today, in pathetic attempts to appear patriotic or socially responsive, people (and in particular news media) throw the word "hero" around  as though true heroism is commonplace and I assure you it is not.  True heroism implies a willingness to sacrifice one's own life to save others.  To be a hero is to present moral excellence in the face of corruption and deceit without regard to one's own comfort and security.  Yet, today the world is full of heroes.  Proclaimed by those who benefit in doing so or have their own cause elevated because they identify themselves with those they have proclaimed as such.
            Today we proclaim members of our military as "heroes".  Let me be clear about one thing, I respect and support the men and women of the armed forces but I cannot support the blanket use of the term "hero" without lowering the esteem I have for those who have sacrificed their lives to save others.  Members of the armed forces are paid a wage to do a job and they do it well, without a doubt.  But at the end of the day it is still a job and my concept of hero does not include those who show up for work.  The same holds true of police, firemen, and paramedics.  It certainly does not include medical personnel who are very well paid to save lives.  That's their job and we expect them to do it.  It that is the case, then a fry cook at a fast food joint is just as much a hero as a soldier because he too shows up and does his job.  There is no difference.  A soldier can be killed?  So can a fry cook, but if that lowly fry cook thwarts a robbery attempt and in the process is shot, perhaps killed.  Then, he has become a hero.
            To be a hero should not be confused with duty.  Duty is your obligation to do your job or to live up to your responsibilities.  To do your duty is expected.  You are not rewarded for it except that you may earn a wage or achieve some acclaim for being forthright.  A soldier is paid to do a job.  Doing that job is their duty.  If it means being put in harm's way, then it is their duty to do so.  To be a hero means to go beyond duty.  To do that which most others would not dare do.
            I had the privilege of meeting a Congressional Medal of Honor recipient at a social function a few years ago.  This individual, a medical helicopter pilot, was responsible for saving the lives of nearly a dozen soldiers caught in a gunfight in Vietnam.  Without regard to his own safety, he retrieved wounded soldiers from a clearing while taking hundreds of rounds of bullets in his helicopter.  When other helicopters would not risk going back into the area to get more trapped soldiers, he continued to go back.  He retrieved all of them.  His helicopter was shot up so bad it could not make another trip.  He took six .50 cal. bullets to his legs, arms and chest while flying.  He didn't have to do any of this.  In fact, he was ordered to return to base but he refused to leave those soldiers trapped.  This is a case of extreme heroism.  To call all soldiers heroes diminishes the term that is reserved for such men as that helicopter pilot.
            Duty is an obligation to fulfill a responsibility or oath.  Heroism is to go "above and beyond the call of duty".   The list of great heroes in history is long and impressive.  Great leaders, politicians, activists, and inventors of all types can claim the title.  But more than the big names in history, it is the unsung heroes of everyday life that deserve our admiration the most.  The common person who rises to the occasion not out of duty but out of love and compassion for their fellow man.
            The best example I can think of is Rachael Beckwith who wanted to raise $300 dollars by her ninth birthday to help bring clean water to people in poor countries.  Tragically she was killed in a car accident in 2011, $80.00 short of her goal just after turning 9 years old.  Her cause and her death inspired countless others to join the effort to raise money to provide clean drinking water to poor regions throughout the world.  Today, her efforts the organization charity:water has raised hundreds of thousands of dollars and brought clean drinking water to villages such as that of the Bayaka tribe in the Central African Republic.
            Upon learning that people did not have clean water to drink, the 9-year-old girl said, "I don’t want a birthday party, I don’t want gifts, I just want people to have clean water".  That is the voice of a true hero.  A little girl who touched the lives of those she did not even know.

                                                  

 

 

           

 

ZOMBIE LIFE STINKS!

            There are numerous books, movies, and articles that talk about zombies.  Zombies attacking here, zombies eating them, even zombies from outer space.  There are even entire websites and blogs dedicated to zombies, the undead.
            What is the attraction?  Just like vampires and werewolves, the rise of zombie cults defies reason.  What is so special about zombies?  They aren't pretty.  They really do stink (all that rotting flesh can't smell pleasant).  Zombies don't bathe (unless you count blood).  Of all the horrifying transformations that humans can be put through zombies, hands down, are the most disgusting of the bunch.
            Vampires dress nice.  Usually are fairly attractive.  Female vampires have long flowing gowns, well combed hair, and, in general, are very attractive.  Male vampires are debonair.  They have style and a touch of aristocracy.  Sure every once in a while they forget to wipe their face after eating and can be quite horrifying in their true form but hey, no one's perfect.
            Werewolves are bit more gruesome.  Their transformations are somewhat less violent than those of zombies.  The werewolf form is scary as hell but in a odd sense powerful and beautifully dark.  With werewolves there is always a solemn back-story.  We feel for the beast who is cursed to roam the woods every full moon.  Often werewolves will beg for their nemesis to end it for them (shortly before attacking them as they hesitated).  Still, being a werewolf does not really intimidate me as much as being a zombie.
            Zombies are sick.  Seriously.  They are irreversibly infected with a germ that makes them walk around rotting, eat the uninfected, and seemingly hang out in large groups waiting for someone to attack.  Zombies have no home life, no love interests, and at the end of the day, no one feels bad when zombies die.  In fact, we are elated that the gross undead vermin has had its head crushed by a baseball bat, shot to pieces by a twelve gauge shotgun, and decapitated by a machete.  So why then do so many people chose to dress up as zombies for parties, Halloween, and any other sick little soiree people chose to dress up for?  I have a theory.
            People are attracted to the zombie genre because its mindless and doesn't involve too much thought.  Think about it (oops sorry about that....never mind).  Vampires must have a past to consider.  As portrayed in the newer genre of vampire movies such as Underworld or Twilight, vampires are somewhat chic and very trendy.  They party at underground clubs.  Dress in black leather.  Most are card carrying members of the NRA judging by the amount of guns they have.  Werewolves, often found together with vampires, are a bit more brutish.  Much like that big old lovable pitbull that cuddles with you but will tear apart any intruder without remorse, werewolves are second-class citizens in the world of cursed human creatures.
            Zombies are the slobby, booger eating jerks of that world.  I doubt if zombies are even allowed near vampires or werewolves.  I have yet to see any movie where zombies hung out with either of them.  So in the cursed world of humans, zombies are double-cursed.  Ostracized by the very ghouls, human society has expelled.  How low must you be for that to happen?
            The real tragedy of being a zombie, is that it can't get any better.  You either rot to death, eventually die of starvation if you're unfortunate enough to transform on an island with only one other zombie, or some wise guy zombie slayer smacks you in the face with a Louisville Slugger.
           You can't get dressed up.  Taking a bath may cause a premature loss of skin, hair, and body parts.  Nope, I am sure of this.  To be a zombie sucks.  You shouldn't make it a life goal nor a career choice.  If ever faced with a choice, you should strongly consider the other two options.  There is simply no future in being a member of the walking undead.    
    

Monday, September 9, 2013

A few years ago, when the AIDS epidemic had started, I was talking to a researcher at the CDC about the sudden appearance of AIDS, Leprosy, and Tuberculosis.  I had mentioned to him that it looked like the biblical diseases were making a comeback.  He laughed slightly and said, "Wait until you see what's coming around the corner."  It did not sink in to me at that time.  I thought he may have been talking about another single disease but he didn't.  Now I know what he meant.

In the past two decades, microbes have changed. The rise of MRSA (methicillin resistant Staph aureus) and VRE (vancomycin resistant enterococcus) has already made their impact on the number of nosocomial infections that debilitate or kill hospital patients.  In many areas of the world the percentages of antibiotic resistant pathogenic bacteria is approaching 100%.

According to my sources inside the research world, Alzheimer's is now being seen as a brain infection that is treatable with antibiotics.  Schizophrenia is on the rise and the primary cause of this mental disease is......toxoplasma gondii, a brain parasite.

Is there a zombie apocalypse in our future?  If the bugs have their way....yes.

Saturday, June 22, 2013

The Doomsday Bug

THE DOOMSDAY BUG

That is the name of the book I am writing right now.  It is a novel that addresses the event known as a "Zombie Apocalypse".  While I am sure that the Hollywood version of this could never happen simply because it defies natural laws, I wondered if something like it could happen that did comply with natural laws.

While there are many viruses, bacteria, parasites, and toxins that could account for one or two of the typical zombie behaviors we see in movies such as Resident Evil, Dawn of the Dead, and even the latest film, World War Z, there are none that encompass most of them.

There are certain rules that must apply to any infectious agent that could produce a zombie-like disease.  First, it cannot kill off its host too quickly.  It must promote the spread of the infecting agent in an efficient manner.  Any physical changes cannot jeopardize survival of the host.  There can be no supernatural explanations.  Everything must be grounded in real-life.

The infecting agent must come from what is available.  Organisms can mutate (esp viruses) but these mutations are subtle and generally only affect virulence or jumping species.  Also, any symptoms due to infection take place, at best, 2-3 days after innoculation.  Turning into zombies within minutes of a bite simply cannot occur as it requires the infectious organism  to reproduce in sufficient numbers to have a whole body effect.  Typical lag phase time is 5-7 days.  Ebola ( which is a very aggressive virus, takes about 3 days to show symptoms).

My research has led me to the conclusion that a zombie-type disease is not possible with a single agent.  There is nothing out there in nature of itself that can do the things required to create that disease.

Unfortunately for humanity, I believe I have found a way for a zombie-type pandemic to occur.  Call it a "perfect storm" scenario, but it could happen.  In fact, smaller versions of the scenario have happened in the past and even recently (look up mousepox fiasco).

In the book, I will reveal the scenario, the causes, and the results based on real pandemic mortality rates.  I will also reveal the the organism(s) responsible.

The truth is far more terrifying than fiction....trust me.