What you lookin at

Otherwise a beautiful day

So I knew something was not quite right when the friendly, professional nurse at Northampton Area Pediatrics for a very brief moment telegraphed a look of concern. She picked up the phone and said, “I want the Doctor to look at this.” Hey, it’s Saturday afternoon--so not only am I glad they’re open but even more so they have a doctor available.

It was one of those routine test procedures where you just drop in and let somebody have a quick look at the skin test for the results. But the disease in question is far from routine. TB was a frightening killer for my parent and grandparent’s generation, but something I never thought about...until just now.

We sat in a waiting room, my baby daughter and I, and the medical office that was bustling two days ago when they injected Jada with the TB test serum was now all but empty. Another nurse walks by--the one who did the injection on Thursday morning--and she comes in to banter with Jada.

I ask her to look at the reaction site. She does. Another look of concern. “Best to have the Doctor give you an opinion,” she says.

Ten minutes later the doctor enters the room. He gently holds Jada’s forearm as she starts to cry. He takes an ink pen and makes lines at all four side of the rounded injection site that resembles a mosquito bite, so it now resembles a sniper scope. “It’s a bit elevated”, he says “Not enough for a positive result but enough so it is not a negative result.”

In China it’s not uncommon for the government to use a TB inoculation serum on the abandoned babies that is fairly ineffective, but will give false positive results when the individual is tested in the US.

Such is my hope.

What a difference a day makes!

Awad send-off set for Monday
By Scott Merzbach
Staff Writer
Published on August 15, 2008

In June, Awad submitted her resignation from the board effective Aug. 31. Though she has purchased a home in South Hadley and put her North East Terrace condominium up for sale, Awad said her retirement and resignation from the board was prompted by stalking and threats from an Amherst resident.

Reception planned Monday for Awad
By THE DAILY HAMPSHIRE GAZETTE
Staff Writer
Saturday, August 16, 2008

Awad submitted her retirement and resignation letter in June, citing stalking and threats from an Amherst resident that occurred after she and husband Robie Hubley purchased a home in South Hadley.

Rainbow over The People's Republic

Back in the saddle (about time!)

The Town Manager has made the leap into the blogosphere. Look out folks! Left this comment on his blog (he also uses blogger), but he enabled "moderation" so we will see how long it takes for him to allow or censor it.

UPDATE: 3:45 PM. So the comment was published. Touche! I'm always impressed when a highly paid bureaucrat is in their office on a somewhat nice summer friday afteroon, Although...since he did not respond maybe it was simply one of those low-paid town workers who have to stay at their desks until 4:30 or so. Hmmm...


(comment submitted around 3:00 pm)

Yes, indeed Mr. Shaffer—welcome to the Big Bad Blogosphere! Just remember it ‘s still to a tad like the Wild, Wild West (remember that great TV show?) So brace yourself for a few elbows under the net --to use a basketball metaphor rather than military one. You don’t need to create a hot link to the town web site in the first paragraph since folks have found you via that entry page. And the blogosphere is a 24/7 up to the nanosecond kind of place, so if you are publishing on a Friday August 15 the post probably should not be dated Tuesday August 12. PS: I’m glad your I.T. folks used Blogger. Simple and free—can’t get any better than that!

Inept government with a nice website

Well, it's about time.

So what do you know, Mr. Sanchez understands the concerns of a decorated, legit Iraq war veteran who shed blood for his country.

And what else do you know: the crusty Gazette has been sitting on this story for six weeks.

Would have been a tad more effective if Mr. Sanchez apologized to Rob McAllister in particular and in general the July 4'th Parade Committee. Although I'm glad the Gazette layout editor gave this long overdue mea culpa top billing and relegated Mr. Sanchez's fundraiser this evening on the town common to a less prominent position.

What took them so long?

Calvin's and Hobbes take

Run it up the flag pole and see who salutes

UPDATE: 9:00 PM: Well, the crusty Bully finally went cyber, so here's my Letter:
If you can't take the heat...
So it’s prognostication Thursday morning: What will the Bully reprint this week from the Daily Hampshire Gazette—especially on the Front Page?

Well, this week has been soooooo boring I can’t safely predict the 'Above The Fold' Page One lead story (maybe they will do some original reporting for a change). But I can safely predict my written response to last week’s column. Yeah I know, only Larry Kelley would demand the right to respond to a column that defended him.

Since Mr. Morse is a faithful reader of this blog (although last year he told people to boycott it because it feeds my ego) let me again repeat that I appreciate him taking the time to defend my First Amendment rights in the Awad residency scandal as well as the rights of the July 4’th Parade Committee to limit protest signs.

But he crossed a most sacred line when he brands my public pronouncement seven years ago (and continue to this day) on the infamous ‘Only in Amherst’ flag flap as being a “prior wrong.”

A prosecutor turns public defender

My buddy "Icky" gets off the first column

A story about one of the infamous flags

Jennie Traschen speaks

All these years later, and they still do not get it!