‘Commentary’ Archives
Can You Say “Tuskegee Experiment?
SOMETHING I SAID By DWIGHT HOBBES You couldn”™t throw the COVID-19 or any other number vaccine on me in a bucket of water. Can you say Tuskegee Experiment? The research for which African Americans were used by the United States Public Health Service as lab rats to explore the effects of syphilis. That was far back as 1932 but medical science hasn”™t progressed so far today that we don”™t have one Dr. Jean-Paul Mira, chief of intensive care at the Cochin Hospital in Paris, France. In April of last year, he asked the French National Institute of Health and Medical Research director Camille Locht on French television channel LCI, “Shouldn”™t we be doing this study in Africa where there are no masks, no treatment, no intensive care, a little bit like we did in certain AIDS studies or with prostitutes?” Locht responded, “You are right. We are thinking of a parallel study in Africa to use approach with the BCG [...]
Compassion and Courage During the Coronavirus
LETTER TO THE EDITOR By LEE LEICHENTRITT During the month of March, when John Charles Wilson and I came down with the coronavirus, two brave people came to our aid. Marge Beard and Ben Painter brought us food and drinks in a socially distanced manner, which made our COVID-19 ordeal manageable. The fact that these two people showed compassion for us during our illness is something to be lauded. Ben Painter said that his friend Scott H. brought him groceries when he had the coronavirus last year, so in keeping with Scott”™s spirit of selflessness Ben decided to “pay it forward”, in his own words. Marge Beard puts others”™ needs front and center; her compassion and courage comes from her upbringing and faith. I am sharing our story with the readers of the Alley to show our gratitude for the people who helped us. Remember that you can perform socially distanced acts of courage and kindness for people you know who come down with the virus.
Re-Doing Lake Street
LETTER TO THE EDITOR By Shirley Heyer Metropolitan Transit continues its projects for improving bus service with a Lake Street Line B (Lake/Marshall/Selby/downtown St. Paul) fast bus. Work start is planned for this fall. Because longer wait times, increased walking distances, redesign of all traffic lanes are major changes, Midtown Phillips Neighborhood Association, Inc. (MPNAI) questions if the changes are equitable, necessary, beneficial, accessible, and include the Chicago Transit Station. Line B will make stops every 10 minutesLocal buses every 30 minutes, + 10 minutes leeway if late or earlyTraffic lane design varies from block to block; cross streets and less on-street parking can cause confusion, congestion MPNAI welcomes nearby neighborhoods, residents, workers, businesses, and organizations to 3 virtual engagements. Dates to come. Contacts: MPNAI shirleyconsults@gmail.comd_nestea@yahoo.comCody.Olson@metrotransit.org (He can send you a 15+ page PDF [...]
