I am against the death penalty, always have been, but I had to post this just to remind people how the rich and powerful actually see us regular people.....
BUCKNACKT'S SORDID TAWDRY BLOG We should not be a journey to the grave with the intention of arriving safely in an attractive & well preserved body, but rather to skid in sideways, chocolate, bier or wein in hand, body thoroughly used up, totally worn out and screaming "WHOO-HOO, WHAT A RIDE!!!!!!"
28 February 2025
Who needs another measles vaccine dose? Answering your questions. & Child in West Texas is first US measles death in a decade 27FEB25
I love Dr Wen, she provides information and advise without being preachy, hysterical or condescending. Here is some good information concerning measles, from the Washington Post.....
Who needs another measles vaccine dose? Answering your questions.
Addressing reader concerns about measles outbreaks in Texas and New Mexico.
You’re reading The Checkup With Dr. Wen, a newsletter on how to navigate medical and public health challenges. Click here to get the full newsletter in your inbox, including answers to reader questions and a summary of new scientific research.
Angela from Wisconsin contracted the virus when she was 5. She recalls becoming so ill that she spent months in the hospital. She is living with permanent disabilities from it, including hearing loss and blindness. “I cannot express to you the rage I have when I hear people say that measles is a harmless disease,” she wrote.
Before widespread vaccination, measles caused 5 to 10 percent of profound hearing-loss cases in the United States. Worldwide, measles used to be a leading cause of blindness among children; as many as 60,000 a year lost sight because of the disease.
“In your column, you mentioned that measles can ‘wipe out the immune system’s memory of past illness,’” wrote Darryl from Virginia. “I heard it was the opposite. Did you mean that the vaccine wipes out your immune system?”
What Darryl had heard is, in fact, reversed. Contracting measles can impair the immune system through a phenomenon called immune amnesia. The measles, mumps and rubella (MMR) vaccine prevents infection and therefore stops individuals from losing their immune memory.
In 2019, an international group of researchers published a landmark study in the journal Science. They took blood samples from children before and after contracting measles. After measles infection, unvaccinated children lost 11 to 73 percent of the antibodies against other viral and bacterial diseases. Vaccinated children did not lose these antibodies.
The researchers later documented that children with immune amnesia can regain lost immunity, but this takes months or years. During that period, these kids are at elevated risk for contracting diseases, including ones they previously suffered or were vaccinated against. The possibility of immune amnesia is more reason to avoid measles infection through vaccination.
Bill from North Carolina, a pediatrician, says he is treating numerous children who fell behind in their immunization schedule. He asks: “Can you please remind your readers that it’s possible [for kids] to make up their shots?”
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention publishes a recommended immunization schedule that describes which vaccines children should receive and by what age. Kids should get the first dose of the MMR vaccine between 12 and 15 months of age and the second when they are 4 to 6 years old. Those who missed one or both shots can and should make them up. The second dose can be given as soon as 28 days following the first dose.
Many readers wanted to know if they, as adults, need additional MMR shots. Anne from Massachusetts inquired how long immunity lasts; she had measles as a young child, but that was more than 80 years ago. Stephanie lives in Texas and is concerned about the outbreak in her state. “Should I try to get a booster dose for myself and my family?” she asked.
Both prior infection as well as MMR vaccination are thought to convey lifelong protection against measles. Anne should still have protection because of her childhood measles bout.
The answer is less straightforward for Stephanie. Whether she and her family should receive additional doses depends on their age and number of past vaccines.
Measles was so prevalent before 1957 that everyone born before then is presumed to have had the virus. Those who received two doses of the live attenuated measles vaccine, which became the norm in 1968, do not need a third.
But those who were born after 1957 and were vaccinated before 1968 should get revaccinated to receive the more effective vaccine. And people who received only one dose of the MMR vaccine should consider a second. One shot is 93 percent effective against measles; the second increases protection to 97 percent.
John from Maryland wonders why a measles outbreak should concern those who are vaccinated. “Everyone in my family is vaccinated. My grandchildren are grown. Is it really a big deal if other people choose to not jab their kids?”
Essentially, John is asking why we should care about the return of measles. Two reasons: Though 97 percent effectiveness against infection is high, it’s not perfect. Breakthrough infections are possible. The more virus there is in a community, the more likely someone who is fully vaccinated could contract it, too. This has already happened in Texas, where five of the people who were infected are vaccinated.
Second, many people cannot be vaccinated and would be at high risk if measles were circulating in their area. This includes newborns and individuals with severe immunocompromise. These people are most likely to become severely ill from measles. In other words, those who are capable of getting vaccinated have an obligation to do so to protect the vulnerable.
There are already many respiratory viruses that can cause significant illness in the United States. Measles used to be one of them. What a shame it would be if it returned as a threat and infected Americans — not just those who chose to be unvaccinated but also others who want to protect themselves but cannot.
By Leana S. Wen
Leana S. Wen, a Washington Post contributing columnist who writes the newsletter The Checkup with Dr. Wen, is an emergency physician, clinical associate professor at George Washington University and author of “Lifelines: A Doctor’s Journey in the Fight for Public Health.” Previously, she served as Baltimore’s health commissioner.
Child in West Texas is first US measles death in a decade
The first measles death in the growing outbreak in West Texas was a school-aged child.
The child was unvaccinated and had been hospitalized in Lubbock, Texas, said Lauren Adams, Lubbock city spokesperson. Officials did not answer questions regarding the patient’s specific age, any other health issues, or details about the patient’s schooling in a press conference jointly hosted by Covenant Health and the City of Lubbock Public Health on Wednesday.
This is the first US measles death since 2015, when a woman in Washington state died.
The number of confirmed measles cases reported in an outbreak in West Texas is now at 124, the Texas Department of Health Services said in an update Tuesday, an increase of 34 since late last week. Most of the cases are in children ages 5 to 17.
At President Donald Trump’s first cabinet meeting on Wednesday, he deferred a question about the measles outbreak in Texas to Robert F. Kennedy Jr., secretary of the US Department of Health and Human Services, who said, “We are following the measles epidemic every day.”
Kennedy said during the cabinet meeting that there had been two measles deaths but Texas officials confirmed Wednesday afternoon there has been only one death. New Mexico officials said no measles deaths have been reported in the state.
Eighteen people have been hospitalized so far in the outbreak. All have been unvaccinated.
Kennedy said that hospitalizations were “mainly for quarantine” but local health officials told CNN most patients were admitted for respiratory issues.
“We don’t hospitalize patients for quarantine purposes,” said Dr. Lara Johnson, the chief medical officer of Covenant Health Lubbock Service Area. “Quarantine is not something that would happen in a healthcare facility. We admit patients who need acute supportive treatment in our hospital.”
Patients have been needing supplemental oxygen and respiratory support to help them get over viral pneumonia linked to the measles,” Johnson told CNN Chief Medical Correspondent Dr. Sanjay Gupta last week.
It’s not clear why Kennedy said there were two deaths. In a response to questions from CNN about Kennedy’s comments, HHS Director of Communications Andrew G. Nixon said the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention “is aware of the death of one child in Texas from measles, and our thoughts are with the family. CDC continues to provide technical assistance, laboratory support, and vaccines as needed to the Texas Department of State Health Services and New Mexico Department of Health, which are leading the response to this outbreak.”
Kennedy also referenced past measles outbreaks saying, “So it’s not unusual. You have measles outbreaks every year.”
In the press conference Johnson commented, “The United States had really gotten to a point where we just didn’t see these kinds of outbreaks happening. Obviously, that has changed over the last 20 something years, and so we do see outbreaks more frequently, but that that is related to how much we’re vaccinating our population.”
“When we think of about vaccine preventable illnesses, they’re only preventable if we have adequate vaccination rates,” said Johnson.
The bulk of the cases, 80, remain in Gaines County, where the outbreak began, but there has also been spread to eight additional counties. Most of the cases are in people who were unvaccinated or whose vaccination status is unknown. Five cases were reported in people who said they have been vaccinated.
A health worker administers a measles test to a car passenger at a mobile testing site outside Seminole Hospital District on February 21 in Seminole, Texas. Julio Cortez/AP
Measles is an airborne illness that can cause rash, fever, red eyes and cough. Severe cases can result in blindness, pneumonia or encephalitis, swelling of the brain. In some cases, the illness can be fatal.
While details on the specific death in Lubbock are still unknown, experts have long warned that measles complications that can result in death in children.
Up to 3 out of 1,000 children with measles will die from respiratory or neurological complications, according to the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
Specifically, 1 in 20 children with measles will develop pneumonia, the most common cause of death from the disease, according to Dr. Catherine Troisi, an infectious disease epidemiologist with UTHealth Houston who was not directly involved with the Lubbock patient.
“These outbreaks last between two to six months. That’s a long time. That’s a lot of kids infected … death is rare, but tragic when it happens, but there are a lot of other sequelae, encephalitis, for example, and deafness. There’s a rare neurological disease that can happen. So, as you have more people infected, these sequelae become more common.”
The best way to stay protected against measles is to get vaccinated with the measles-mumps-rubella (MMR) vaccine, according to experts.
The Lubbock department of health has opened free vaccination clinics which have given about 70 vaccinations since the start of the outbreak, according to city officials.
Coverage of the measles, mumps and rubella (MMR) vaccine is particularly low in Gaines County, where nearly 1 in 5 incoming kindergartners in the 2023-24 school year did not get the vaccine. Other affected Texas counties also fall below a goal of 95%, set by HHS, that’s necessary to help prevent outbreaks of the highly contagious disease.
“I very rarely say I’m 100% sure of something, but I am 100% sure we will see an increase in cases … Texas as a state is under vaccinated, so there are susceptible people,” Troisi said. She also worries because of the contagious nature of the disease: People don’t show symptoms before they become infectious, and the virus can stay in the air for up to two hours, even after a person with the virus leaves the area.
“Measles is the most infectious virus we know. However, it’s a harbinger of low vaccination rates, and it is quite likely we will start seeing outbreaks of other diseases that are vaccine preventable as well as these vaccine rates decrease,” Troisi said.
Even the 124 cases identified in Texas are likely an undercount, according to Dr. Peter Hotez, co-director of the Texas Children’s Hospital Center for Vaccine Development and dean of the National School of Tropical Medicine at Baylor College of Medicine. He says some children may not be seeking medical care or could still be waiting for laboratory confirmation. Texas health officials have listed several public spaces, including a university campus, a museum and convenience stores, where measles exposures may have occurred in recent weeks.
Hotez worries specifically about an upcoming rodeo in Houston that draws families from West Texas.
“It will continue as long as the virus continues to find unvaccinated kids. And unfortunately, the vaccination rates in many counties in West Texas are still unacceptably low. So that’s why I think it could go on for a while,” Hotez said.
CNN’s Jamie Gumbrecht and Amanda Sealy contributed to this report.
27 February 2025
A Palestinian Christian’s Perspective on Trump’s Plan to ‘Own Gaza’ 19FEB25
Palestinian fishermen repair their net, amid a ceasefire between Israel and Hamas, at the seaport of Gaza City on Feb. 16, 2025. Reuters/Osama Al-Arabid.
I have no idea what living and dying in Gaza and Israel must be like, not because I have never experienced the terrorism of 7 OKT 23 or the extreme warfare Israel has released in revenge. I do know hamas ( with iran's blessings ) and the idf ( with israeli right wing political blessings ) committed genocide and war crimes in Israel and Gaza during this conflict. I will, along with many others, will continue to pray this current ceasefire holds and that the combatants are able to reach a fair, just and durable peace agreement. From Sojourners.....
A Palestinian Christian’s Perspective on Trump’s Plan to ‘Own Gaza’
Amid the fragile ceasefire, the exchange of hostages, and the temporary pause in Israel’s genocidal onslaught against Gazans, nearly six hundred Christians huddle together in one of Gaza’s battered churches, their prayers rising above the rubble as a defiant testament to their faith and resilience. Among them, Gazan Christian George Antone boldly declares, “For us, as Christians, we are not leaving Gaza. We will remain in Gaza and help people in Gaza reconstruct their houses, rebuild the streets. Yes, we will stay in Gaza. We are not leaving.”
Antone’s words stand in stark contrast to the explosive press conference at the White House on Feb. 4, when President Donald Trump brazenly suggested that the United States should “effectively own” Gaza, proposing to turn it into a real estate venture while displacing Palestinians from their homeland and relocating them to neighboring countries. In the days since Trump’s comments, people from his administration have attempted to downplay such a proposal. Trump, for his part, has reiterated this plan to take Gaza since he initially floated the plan in early February.
Such remarks reflect a dangerous mindset rooted in geopolitical strategies that often reduce entire populations to obstacles rather than recognizing them as people with dignity and history.
For many in Gaza, Trump’s words echoed the chilling sentiments of Israel’s founding father, David Ben-Gurion, who wrote to his son Amos on October 5, 1937, “We must expel Arabs and take their place.” This rhetoric isn’t just inflammatory; it normalizes dehumanization and deepens the wounds of those already suffering.
At this pivotal juncture, the church must recognize the spiritual and moral urgency to speak out against mass displacement. The church’s mission has always been to stand with the oppressed, to speak truth to power, and to reflect the heart of God through the words and ministry of Jesus, who grieved over injustice and called for compassion.
I witnessed this same spirit of prophetic boldness when I stood on stage at the MissionConnexion Conference in Portland, Ore. on Jan. 18, alongside my friend Dan Sered, the chief operating officer of Jews for Jesus, a nonprofit organization that is made up of Jews who believe that Jesus is the messiah, as well as other followers of Jesus who are committed allies of the Jewish people. We addressed hundreds of church leaders from over 100 mission organizations, urging them to rise above political divides and even theological disagreements regarding the end times. In a powerful moment, Dan prayed for Palestinians, and I prayed for Israelis — a simple yet profound act that demonstrated our shared conviction: The gospel of Jesus Christ transcends national narratives, political boundaries, and historical grievances. This was not a symbolic gesture; it was a theological declaration that the church’s allegiance is to the kingdom of God, not to the transient powers of this world.
The situation in Gaza is deeply tragic. As reported by Al Jazeera, over 17,000 children have been killed since the Oct. 7 attacks, with thousands more orphaned. The latest Lancet report estimates that 64,260 people have been killed as a result of the war. Trump described Gaza as a “demolition site.” Despite the fragile ceasefire, violence against Palestinian civilians continues in the West Bank, underscoring the region’s ongoing instability. This conflict has made it clear that there is no military solution to the Israeli-Palestinian crisis, and forcible displacement cannot be a viable path forward.
In my current role as the founder and CEO of Levant Ministries, a nonprofit organization focused on reaching the next generation with the gospel in the Middle East, I have been organizing with partners and friends to deliver relief and food to Gazans amid the devastating impacts of war. It’s clear that if given the option to remain in Gaza or go elsewhere, the vast majority of Gazans would choose to return to their original homes in Jaffa and other cities from which they were uprooted after the Nakba in 1948.
The story of Palestine is not just about borders and territorial disputes; it is about human dignity, the right to exist, and the sacredness of life. The voices of Palestinian Christians are not peripheral to this narrative — they are central. Our experiences are living testimonies of resilience, challenging the global church to move beyond passive observation and move toward active engagement: caring for orphans and widows, advocating for the oppressed, and standing in solidarity with the suffering.
The church’s response cannot stop at words. In the face of such devastation, our commitment must be evident through our actions. As our ministry teams serve on the ground in Palestine, I see the urgent need for sustained support — whether through providing food, shelter, and medical aid or by amplifying voices that call for policies rooted in justice and human dignity. This work goes hand in hand with our prayers, standing in spiritual solidarity with Palestinian Christians in Gaza and the West Bank who embody the gospel’s hope amid despair. Palestinian Christians’ enduring faith in Christ is a living testimony and it should urge the global church to respond with both compassion and conviction.
In the face of policies and rhetoric that dehumanize, displace, and destroy, the world is watching and waiting for the church to be bold in advocating for an end to the occupation. We must declare that no land is more sacred than the people who live on it, and no political agenda is more important than the lives it affects. The call of Christ compels us to be peacemakers, advocates for justice, and voices for the voiceless. To remain silent is to betray the very gospel we proclaim.
The world may see Gaza as a demolition site, but the church sees it as a fertile ground for the gospel. We believe that God will breathe life into Gaza. By anchoring our response in the gospel, we affirm that every person — Palestinian and Israeli — is created in the image of God and deserves to live with dignity, safety, and hope.
This is not merely an idealistic stance. Rather, it is a gospel imperative. We must use our voices to proclaim this gospel imperative and remember that silence in the face of injustice is complicity, and such complicity hinders the progress of the gospel. We must use our voices to remind the church that it cannot claim to follow Christ while ignoring the cries of the oppressed. We must use our voices to remind everyone that in a world fractured by conflict and hatred, the gospel remains the most powerful force for peace, reconciliation, and hope.
Dr. Fares Abraham, a Palestinian-American born in Bethlehem, is the founder and CEO of Levant Ministries. He serves as an Adjunct Faculty at Liberty University. Follow him on Instagram @faresabraham.
26 February 2025
MOTHER JONES DAILY: Amid Chaos, New Report Reveals 40 Percent of DOGE Cuts Save No Money, This Marine wanted to help fellow vets. DOGE fired him instead., The old Republican idea at the center of Vivek Ramaswamy’s run for governor of Ohio, Black viewers rally around Joy Reid, Trump wants Zelenskyy to buy US protection with “rare earths.” Is that even possible?, Meet the new state media 25FEB25
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