I Didn't Go to Church Today
I didn't go to church today,
I trust the Lord to understand. The surf was swirling blue and white, The children swirling on the sand. He knows, He knows how brief my stay, How brief this spell of summer weather, He knows when I am said and done We'll have plenty of time together. |
Saturday, March 29, 2014
"I Didn't Go to Church Today" Funny Poem by Ogden Nash (Plenty of time together with God, in Afterlife)
Friday, March 28, 2014
Schiavo Family Honors Parents of Brain-Dead Girl, For Better of For Worse
Philadelphia Inquirer, Friday, March 28, 2014, Page A3, STAFF REPORTS / HEALTH:
The family of Jahi McMath, the 13-year-old California girl whose parents refused to accept a finding of brain death, was honored for courage and perseverance Thursday night at the Union League by the family of Terri Schiavo.
The McMath family went to court in December to oppose the removal of a ventilator and feeding tube even after three physicians determined that there was no brain function and a coroner issued a death certificate.
A month later, the body of the girl - organs still working - was taken to an undisclosed medical facility, where the heart still beats. A manicure and pedicure are given every Friday.
Her mother, Nailah Winkfield, said Thursday that her daughter "is getting love, respect, and care. She is beautiful. Her skin is flawless. Physically she is healthy and stable. We are waiting for her to wake up."
It has been a decade since the case of Schiavo, who was born in Huntingdon Valley and met her husband at Bucks County Community College, embroiled Congress, President George W. Bush, and much of the nation in a family dispute over the removal of a feeding tube 10 years after she collapsed into a coma in Florida.
Her brother, Bobby Schindler of Narberth, said that he felt the McMaths' decision to fight for their daughter was about medical rights and patient autonomy, which he sees as being eroded.
Brain death diagnosis is not a settled matter, he said. "The McMath family saw signs of hope, and they should be given the opportunity to provide their daughter hope. That's the bigger picture here. Who ultimately is going to make decisions for our loved ones? Is it going to be strangers - hospitals and ethics committees? Or is it family members?"
Two medical ethicists, a neurologist and a lawyer specializing in end-of-life issues all expressed dismay at the award, saying that it ignores reality, will confuse the public, and attempts to turn back what has been accepted by every state and the Vatican - that brain death is death.
"Patient autonomy is important and so is family decision-making, but they come to an end when death comes," said Arthur Caplan, a bioethicist at New York University.
"One bright line that I don't think we can cross without causing havoc in our society is the line between life and death," he added. "And the line is set by medicine - not by families, not by lawyers, not by theologians. It's doctors who say that person is dead. They are the experts."
Howard Hurtig, a Pennsylvania Hospital neurologist who has diagnosed brain death in many patients, called the presentation of an award under these circumstances "obviously surreal."
Hurtig said he understood the shock and pain of grieving parents, but said that doesn't alter the facts. "Every professional in this field accepts that when brain death is defined properly by the rules, it's death," he said.
Jahi McMath - "everyone's favorite," her mother said - had her tonsils removed to alleviate sleep apnea at Children's Hospital Oakland on Dec. 9.
"There were complications after surgery," she said, tears welling in her eyes. "She bled severely and went into cardiac arrest in front of me. It was traumatic, and I will never be the same."
Two doctors at the hospital and a pediatric neurologist from Stanford University concluded there was no brain activity and she was brain-dead. The Alameda County coroner's office issued a death certificate.
The parents sued to prevent removal of life support; a judge urged the parties to work out an agreement. The hospital allowed the family to remove the body with machines still working.
"I don't feel that anybody with a heartbeat and blood flowing through their veins, being treated in a medical facility, deserves a death certificate," said Winkfield, 34, who has worked for Home Depot for 12 years. "As a mother, I have unconditional love for my daughter, and I'm going to fight for her until I have no more life left in me. My hope is that she will change how people view brain death, and ultimately that she wakes up."
She declined, as she has in the past, to say where Jahi was taken or who is paying the bills. Caplan, the bioethicist, said he was certain that no insurance company would continue to pay for medical care once a person had been declared legally dead.
The award to the McMath family was presented by the Terri Schiavo Life and Hope Network, started in 2005 by Schiavo's brother, parents and others.
Talk-show host Glenn Beck was Thursday evening's scheduled keynote speaker but canceled hours before; an event spokesman cited a family emergency.
The award recognizes families that overcome high resistance in fighting for loved ones.
The Schiavo and McMath cases are different in essential ways. Schiavo suffered a heart attack in 1990, and was left with a severe brain injury due to a lack of blood and oxygen, similar to what happened with Jahi McMath.
In Schiavo's case, however, the brain damage was not as severe, and some activity remained. Her body could breathe on its own and respond to stimuli. As Caplan put it in lay terms, "the thermostat's still on," and with nutrition and hydration, such a body can be maintained for years. Schiavo lived in such a persistent vegetative state for 15 years.
In cases of brain death, like McMath's, the brain has no function at all - no brain waves. Even with a ventilator and feeding tube, the body will break down after brain death. Neither Caplan nor Hurtig would predict how long a brain-dead body can continue to function. They said there is no precedent for it.
Thaddeus Pope, a lawyer and expert in medical futility at Hamline University in Minnesota, said brain death has been accepted by all states and medical societies for 30 to 40 years.
There is no organized effort to remove such laws or to revisit the issue of whether brain death is death, Pope said, though he noted that a small minority of bioethicists and physicians question the rules by which brain death is determined and whether those rules should be changed.
mvitez@phillynews.com
215-313-3518 @michaelvitez
Read more at http://www.philly.com/philly/health/20140328_Schiavo_family_honors_parents_of_brain-dead_Calif__girl.html#JAdw9oqRKbh30DMt.99
Schiavo family honors parents of brain-dead girl
At the Union League, both families gather near a portrait of Terri Schiavo: (from left) Kristina Fiore; her fiance, Bobby Schindler, Schiavo's brother; Mary Schindler, Schiavo's mother; Nailah Winkfield, mother of Jahi McMath; McMath's stepfather, Marvin Winkfield; her uncle Omari Sealey. DAVID M WARREN / Staff Photographer
Story Highlights
- The family of Jahi McMath was honored Thursday by the family of Terri Schiavo.
- The McMath family opposed removing a ventilator after three physicians said Jahi had no brain function.
- Jahi is physically healthy; the family is just waiting for her to “wake up.”
The family of Jahi McMath, the 13-year-old California girl whose parents refused to accept a finding of brain death, was honored for courage and perseverance Thursday night at the Union League by the family of Terri Schiavo.
The McMath family went to court in December to oppose the removal of a ventilator and feeding tube even after three physicians determined that there was no brain function and a coroner issued a death certificate.
A month later, the body of the girl - organs still working - was taken to an undisclosed medical facility, where the heart still beats. A manicure and pedicure are given every Friday.
Her mother, Nailah Winkfield, said Thursday that her daughter "is getting love, respect, and care. She is beautiful. Her skin is flawless. Physically she is healthy and stable. We are waiting for her to wake up."
Her brother, Bobby Schindler of Narberth, said that he felt the McMaths' decision to fight for their daughter was about medical rights and patient autonomy, which he sees as being eroded.
Brain death diagnosis is not a settled matter, he said. "The McMath family saw signs of hope, and they should be given the opportunity to provide their daughter hope. That's the bigger picture here. Who ultimately is going to make decisions for our loved ones? Is it going to be strangers - hospitals and ethics committees? Or is it family members?"
Two medical ethicists, a neurologist and a lawyer specializing in end-of-life issues all expressed dismay at the award, saying that it ignores reality, will confuse the public, and attempts to turn back what has been accepted by every state and the Vatican - that brain death is death.
"Patient autonomy is important and so is family decision-making, but they come to an end when death comes," said Arthur Caplan, a bioethicist at New York University.
"One bright line that I don't think we can cross without causing havoc in our society is the line between life and death," he added. "And the line is set by medicine - not by families, not by lawyers, not by theologians. It's doctors who say that person is dead. They are the experts."
Howard Hurtig, a Pennsylvania Hospital neurologist who has diagnosed brain death in many patients, called the presentation of an award under these circumstances "obviously surreal."
Hurtig said he understood the shock and pain of grieving parents, but said that doesn't alter the facts. "Every professional in this field accepts that when brain death is defined properly by the rules, it's death," he said.
Jahi McMath - "everyone's favorite," her mother said - had her tonsils removed to alleviate sleep apnea at Children's Hospital Oakland on Dec. 9.
"There were complications after surgery," she said, tears welling in her eyes. "She bled severely and went into cardiac arrest in front of me. It was traumatic, and I will never be the same."
Two doctors at the hospital and a pediatric neurologist from Stanford University concluded there was no brain activity and she was brain-dead. The Alameda County coroner's office issued a death certificate.
The parents sued to prevent removal of life support; a judge urged the parties to work out an agreement. The hospital allowed the family to remove the body with machines still working.
"I don't feel that anybody with a heartbeat and blood flowing through their veins, being treated in a medical facility, deserves a death certificate," said Winkfield, 34, who has worked for Home Depot for 12 years. "As a mother, I have unconditional love for my daughter, and I'm going to fight for her until I have no more life left in me. My hope is that she will change how people view brain death, and ultimately that she wakes up."
She declined, as she has in the past, to say where Jahi was taken or who is paying the bills. Caplan, the bioethicist, said he was certain that no insurance company would continue to pay for medical care once a person had been declared legally dead.
The award to the McMath family was presented by the Terri Schiavo Life and Hope Network, started in 2005 by Schiavo's brother, parents and others.
Talk-show host Glenn Beck was Thursday evening's scheduled keynote speaker but canceled hours before; an event spokesman cited a family emergency.
The award recognizes families that overcome high resistance in fighting for loved ones.
The Schiavo and McMath cases are different in essential ways. Schiavo suffered a heart attack in 1990, and was left with a severe brain injury due to a lack of blood and oxygen, similar to what happened with Jahi McMath.
In Schiavo's case, however, the brain damage was not as severe, and some activity remained. Her body could breathe on its own and respond to stimuli. As Caplan put it in lay terms, "the thermostat's still on," and with nutrition and hydration, such a body can be maintained for years. Schiavo lived in such a persistent vegetative state for 15 years.
In cases of brain death, like McMath's, the brain has no function at all - no brain waves. Even with a ventilator and feeding tube, the body will break down after brain death. Neither Caplan nor Hurtig would predict how long a brain-dead body can continue to function. They said there is no precedent for it.
Thaddeus Pope, a lawyer and expert in medical futility at Hamline University in Minnesota, said brain death has been accepted by all states and medical societies for 30 to 40 years.
There is no organized effort to remove such laws or to revisit the issue of whether brain death is death, Pope said, though he noted that a small minority of bioethicists and physicians question the rules by which brain death is determined and whether those rules should be changed.
mvitez@phillynews.com
215-313-3518 @michaelvitez
Read more at http://www.philly.com/philly/health/20140328_Schiavo_family_honors_parents_of_brain-dead_Calif__girl.html#JAdw9oqRKbh30DMt.99
Funny New Yorker Death/Ghost Cartoons-Grim Reaper Cave Man, How About Never
Robert Mankoff:
Even though I didn’t think very much of that cartoon when I drew it, I’ve got to admit that it has always been very good to me. And while I often have that line quoted back to me, I take care never to use it myself. However, looping back on the whole mortality theme, I do have it in my back pocket for one occasion:
P.S. If you want to be either inspired or discouraged about getting your own cartoon in The New Yorker, check out the wonderful “60 Minutes” segment that ran last Sunday.
Thursday, March 27, 2014
Win Free Tix to Foobooz Walking Dead Finale Party-Walking Dead Poetry Contest
Win Free Tickets To The Foobooz Walking Dead Finale Party
In case you haven’t heard yet, we’re throwing a Walking Dead finale party at Davio’sthis Sunday. There’s gonna be food (a special, Walking Dead themed menu, designed by chef and zombie enthusiast Chris Tavares) and there’s gonna be booze (paired wines with each course). We’re gonna get to watch the finale on a big screen. But do you know what the best part is about it being our party? We get to give away tickets to the cleverest and most deserving among you.
Hence, we have determined that it is time for a contest. A poetry contest. A zombie poetry contest. And the winner gets a pair of tickets to Sunday night’s dinner and finale party.
So here's the deal: Since the chef at Davio's is putting together a Walking Dead menu, what we want from you is some Walking Dead poetry. It doesn't have to be a haiku this time, but we're asking you to limit it to 12 lines. Free verse is just fine, but there are bonus points for anyone who goes with a rhyme scheme (and double points for rhyming "zombie" with...anything, even though the word "zombie" is never used in the show).
Beyond that? Everything is fair game. It can be fan poetry. It can be specific to the show. It can be completely unconnected to the show, provided it remains within the Walking Dead's universe. 12 lines and involving walkers, that's what we're asking for. All submissions go in the comments. The deadline is 4:30 tomorrow (Thursday). And this time we are picking the winner, so feel free to vote up poems you like, but the most popular will not necessarily be the winner.
We clear? Then get to writing. And for those of you who just don't feel like you have a poem in you, there are still some tickets available for Sunday night's party: $125 per person for three courses, plus wine pairings, passed apps and getting to watch the Walking Dead season 4 finale with a bunch of Philly super fans--and us, too. Call Davio's at 215-563-4810 to secure your reservations now.
Wednesday, March 26, 2014
Emily Dickinson,Grief After A Death/Mother of American Poetry per Poet J.D. McClatchy
"She has the true Emily Dickinson spirit except that she gets fed up occasionally." - New Yorker cartoon by James Thurber
"A little Madness in the Spring / Is wholesome even for the King." -Emily Dickinson
Wall Street Journal, Saturday/Sunday, March 22-23, 2014, REVIEW section, BOOKS, Five Best: A Personal Choice, Page C10:
Per Poet J.D. McClatchy, Emily Dickinson is the mother of American poetry. One of his Five Best American poetry books is "The Poems of Emily Dickinson" by Emily Dickinson (1998). He writes, "Not until the 1950s was Dickinson paid much attention, and not until 1998, with the publication of Ralph Franklin's authoritative, three-volume edition, were all of her 1,789 poems brought together. During her own lifetime a handful of her poems were published, and decades later she was still thought of as a spinster hermit who wrote about daffodils and bumblebees. But over the past half-century, the world has come to realize that Dickinson's - while occasionally fey - was a powerful imagination. Never a believer, she sought to take on the universe with her own doughty, diminished soul, and she did so in a most unorthodox manner. Her style - short lines, odd punctuation and rhythms, eccentric capitalizations, slant rhymes - was for years 'corrected' by short-sighted editors. It is the lurching pace of her work that gives it force.
Her poem about the GRIEF after a DEATH ends this way: 'This is the Hour of Lead - / Remembered, if outlived, / As Freezing persons, recollect the Snow - / First - Chill - then Stupor - then the letting go.' Death was never far from her mind, and Immortality hovered like a delusion. But she was, at times, so in touch with the nature of things that no reader can forget her: 'Inebriate of air - am I - / And Debauchee of Dew - / Reeling - thro' endless summer days - / From inns of molten Blue.' Walt Whitman and Dickinson are the father and mother of American poetry."
Monday, March 24, 2014
Store Surveillance Footage Shows Ghostly Activity !!
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Store Surveillance Footage Shows Ghostly Activity
Posted: Mar 22, 2014 6:26 PM EDTUpdated: Mar 22, 2014 6:08 PM EDT
New Hampshire -
A New
Hampshire store owner is starting to believe in the supernatural after she had a ghostly encounter in her store that was all caught on tape!
Hampshire store owner is starting to believe in the supernatural after she had a ghostly encounter in her store that was all caught on tape!
The surveillance video from the Ellacoya Country Store in Gilford NH shows a glass tray thrown from the table after the employees leave the store.
from the Ellacoya Country Store in Gilford NH shows a glass tray thrown from the table after the employees leave the store.
After the tray crashed, a store employee, Heidi Boyde, runs back into the room to investigate and found the glass shattered all over the floor.
Store owner, Steve Buzzota, told WMUR that a ghostly presence has been in the store before. Some people have even ‘felt their shoulder pulled.'
Buzzota says when he is alone in the store he hears noises as if someone is coming up the stairs.
The store was built in 1890 and was once somone's home.
Read more: http://www.myfoxphilly.com/story/25047112/store-surveillance-footage-shows-eerie-footage#ixzz2wuk91gRq
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