IRAQ: Fever Named After Blackwater
By Ali al-Fadhily and Dahr Jamail*
FALLUJAH, Mar 26 (IPS) - Iraqi doctors in al-Anbar province warn of a new disease they call "Blackwater" that threatens the lives of thousands. The disease is named after Blackwater Worldwide, the U.S. mercenary company operating in Iraq.
"This disease is a severe form of malarial infection caused by the parasite plasmodium falciparum, which is considered the worst type of malarial infection," Dr. Ali Hakki from Fallujah told IPS. "It is one of the complications of that infection, and not the ordinary picture of the disease. Because of its frequent and severe complications, such as Blackwater fever, and its resistance to treatment, P. falciparum can cause death within 24 hours."
What Iraqis now call Blackwater fever is really a well-known medical condition, and while it has nothing to do with Blackwater Worldwide, Iraqis in al-Anbar province have decided to make the connection between the disease and the lethal U.S.-based company which has been responsible for the death of countless Iraqis.
The disease is most prevalent in Africa and Asia. The patient suffers severe intravascular haemolysis -- the destruction of red blood cells leading to kidney and liver failure. It also leads to black or red urination, and hence perhaps the new name 'Blackwater'.
The deadly disease, never before seen in Iraq on at least this scale, seems to be spreading across the country. And Iraq lacks medicines, hospitals, and doctors to lead a campaign to fight the disease.
"We informed the ministry of the disease, but it seems that they are not in a mood to listen," a doctor from the al-Anbar Health Office in Ramadi told IPS, speaking on condition of anonymity. "We are making personal contacts with NGOs in an attempt to get the necessary medicines."
go here for the rest
http://www.ipsnews.net/news.asp?idnews=41743
linked from RawStory
Thursday, March 27, 2008
FDA Investigates Suicide With Merck Drug Singulair
FDA Investigates Suicide With Merck Drug
By MATTHEW PERRONE | AP Business Writer
4:29 PM EDT, March 27, 2008
WASHINGTON - The Food and Drug Administration said Thursday it is investigating a possible link between Merck's best-selling Singulair and suicide. FDA said it is reviewing a handful of reports involving mood changes, suicidal behavior and suicide in patients who have taken the popular allergy and asthma drug.
Merck has updated the drug's labeling four times in the past year to include information on a range of reported side effects: tremors, anxiousness, depression and suicidal behavior.
FDA said it asked the Whitehouse, N.J.-based company to dig deeper into its data on Singulair for evidence of possible links to suicide. The agency said it has not established a "causal relationship" between Merck's drug and suicidal behavior. An agency spokeswoman said the review was prompted by three to four suicide reports it received since last October.
It could take up to nine months before agency scientists can draw any conclusions, FDA said in a posting to its Web site.
click post title for the rest
By MATTHEW PERRONE | AP Business Writer
4:29 PM EDT, March 27, 2008
WASHINGTON - The Food and Drug Administration said Thursday it is investigating a possible link between Merck's best-selling Singulair and suicide. FDA said it is reviewing a handful of reports involving mood changes, suicidal behavior and suicide in patients who have taken the popular allergy and asthma drug.
Merck has updated the drug's labeling four times in the past year to include information on a range of reported side effects: tremors, anxiousness, depression and suicidal behavior.
FDA said it asked the Whitehouse, N.J.-based company to dig deeper into its data on Singulair for evidence of possible links to suicide. The agency said it has not established a "causal relationship" between Merck's drug and suicidal behavior. An agency spokeswoman said the review was prompted by three to four suicide reports it received since last October.
It could take up to nine months before agency scientists can draw any conclusions, FDA said in a posting to its Web site.
click post title for the rest
Military Tells Bush of Troop Strains
U.S. Army soldiers from Third Squadron, Third Armored Cavalry Regiment rest between missions at Combat Outpost Rabiy in Mosul, 360 kilometers (225 miles) northwest of Baghdad, Iraq on Wednesday, March 26, 2008. The northern city is considered by the U.S. military as the last urban stronghold for al-Qaida in Iraq. (Maya Alleruzzo/AP Photo)
Military Tells Bush of Troop Strains
At Pentagon, Bush Hears Military's Worries on War Strains From Long, Frequent Iraq Deployments
The Associated Press By ROBERT BURNS AP Military Writer
WASHINGTON Mar 27, 2008 (AP)
Behind the Pentagon's closed doors, U.S. military leaders told President Bush they are worried about the Iraq war's mounting strain on troops and their families. But they indicated they'd go along with a brief halt in pulling out troops this summer.
The Joint Chiefs of Staff did say senior commanders in Iraq should make more frequent assessments of security conditions, an idea that appeared aimed at increasing pressure for more rapid troop reductions.
The chiefs' concern is that U.S. forces are being worn thin, compromising the Pentagon's ability to handle crises elsewhere in the world.
In the war zone itself, two more American soldiers were killed Wednesday in separate attacks in Baghdad, raising the U.S. death toll to at least 4,003, according to an Associated Press count. Volleys of rockets also slammed into Baghdad's Green Zone for the third day this week, and the U.S. Embassy said three Americans were seriously wounded. At least eight Iraqis were killed elsewhere in the capital by rounds that apparently fell short.
go here for the rest
http://abcnews.go.com/Politics/WireStory?id=4533124&page=1
And they wonder why there are so many veterans with PTSD?
Court: Michael Moore did not defame Iraq vet Sgt. Peter Damon
DAVID W. OLIVEIRA / NEW BEDFORD STANDARD TIMES VIA ASSOCIATED PRESS Former Army National Guard Sgt. Peter Damon sued filmmaker Michael Moore for $85 million, alleging that Moore used snippets of a television interview without his permission to falsely portray him as anti-war in "Fahrenheit 9/11." A court has ruled against him.
Court: Michael Moore did not defame Iraq vet
The Associated Press
Posted : Thursday Mar 27, 2008 13:54:21 EDT
BOSTON — A federal appeals court has ruled filmmaker Michael Moore did not defame an Iraq war veteran when he used a clip from a television interview without his permission in the anti-war documentary “Fahrenheit 9/11.”
The 1st Circuit Court of Appeal affirmed a federal judge’s decision to dismiss Army Sgt. Peter Damon’s lawsuit against Moore.
Damon, who lost his arms when a tire on a Black Hawk helicopter exploded while he and another reservist were servicing the aircraft, claimed he was humiliated and emotionally distressed after Moore included a clip from a TV interview in his scathing 2004 documentary criticizing the Bush administration and the war in Iraq.
In the interview, Damon was asked about a new painkiller the military was using on wounded veterans. He claimed the way Moore used the clip makes him appear to “voice a complaint about the war effort” when he was actually complaining about “the excruciating type of pain” that comes with the injury he suffered.
Damon is shown shortly after Rep. Jim McDermott, D-Wash., is speaking about the Bush administration and says, “You know, they say they’re not leaving any veterans behind, but they’re leaving all kinds of veterans behind.”
go here for the rest
http://www.armytimes.com/news/2008/03/ap_michaelmoorelawsuit_032708/
Behind the Bloodshed, Some Backstory of Lance Cpl. Acevedo
You read the story of Marine Lance Cpl. Eric Acevedo, the other day. With much admiration for Lily of Healing Combat Trauma, I am posting the follow up she did on the story. Lily is a friend and very talented. I just wish reporters would take the same interest in the stories they write to do such a fantastic job of telling the stories behind the stories.
Lily Casura
Published writer and editor; Journalist & blogger; Harvard grad; compassionate human being; Friend of Veterans
Lily Casura
Published writer and editor; Journalist & blogger; Harvard grad; compassionate human being; Friend of Veterans
March 27, 2008
Behind the Bloodshed, Some Backstory
Another day, another lurid headline. A Marine Lance Corporal in Texas, recently returned from three back-to-back tours of duty in Iraq, and allegedly suffering from PTSD, breaks into his former girlfriend's home, stabs her to death and then waits, "covered with blood and looking dazed," in the parking lot for police to arrive and arrest him. On the surface, another brutal domestic violence story, with a very tragic ending. Behind the headlines, though, more questions than answers about troops' after-care, and whether ethnicity (the Marine in question is Hispanic) plays or ought to play a part in how PTSD is diagnosed and treated.
First, some facts. Marine Lance Corporal Eric R. Acevedo, 22, was arrested over the weekend for allegedly murdering his former live-in girlfriend, in Saginaw, Texas, a suburb of Fort Worth. The Fort Worth Star-Telegram has been covering the story, and it's typically gruesome, but it's also a tragedy for all concerned. The victim, who was a single mother; the alleged perpetrator, who will likely do substantial prison time; and both people's families -- the 10 year old girl who now grows up motherless, as well as Acevedo's family, who believed he was struggling with PTSD, but was sent back to Iraq.
go here for the rest
http://www.healingcombattrauma.com/2008/03/the-ugly-backst.html
After the tornado - Greensburg , Kansas
I received this in an email. It shows what humans have to learn from "dumb animals."
After the tornado - Greensburg , Kansas
THIS IS SUCH A NEAT STORY
The story begins with the rescuers finding this poor little guy they named Ralphie.
Ralphie, scared and starved, joined his rescuers...
Someone had already taken him under their wing but weren't equipped to adopt;
I wouldn't think anything could live thru this...but we were wrong.
This little lady also survived that wreckage.
Here she is just placed in the car - scared, but safe.
and then...they are no longer alone!
Instant friends, they comforted each other while in the car.
Add two more beagles found after that...the more, the merrier!
Oh boy, a new traveler to add to the mix...
(note : the cat coming over the seat needing shelter...)
now just how is this going to work??? - and remember they are all strange to one another.
Wow! The things we learn from our animal friends...
If only all of mankind could learn such valuable lessons as this.
Lessons of instant friendship. Of peace and harmony by way of respect for one another -- no matter one's color or creed.
These animals tell you... 'It's just good to be alive and with others.'
Yes, it surely is.
So... Live, Love, Laugh.
'Life's a Gift... Unwrap It!'
THIS IS SUCH A NEAT STORY
The story begins with the rescuers finding this poor little guy they named Ralphie.
Ralphie, scared and starved, joined his rescuers...
Someone had already taken him under their wing but weren't equipped to adopt;
I wouldn't think anything could live thru this...but we were wrong.
This little lady also survived that wreckage.
Here she is just placed in the car - scared, but safe.
and then...they are no longer alone!
Instant friends, they comforted each other while in the car.
Add two more beagles found after that...the more, the merrier!
Oh boy, a new traveler to add to the mix...
(note : the cat coming over the seat needing shelter...)
now just how is this going to work??? - and remember they are all strange to one another.
Wow! The things we learn from our animal friends...
If only all of mankind could learn such valuable lessons as this.
Lessons of instant friendship. Of peace and harmony by way of respect for one another -- no matter one's color or creed.
These animals tell you... 'It's just good to be alive and with others.'
Yes, it surely is.
So... Live, Love, Laugh.
'Life's a Gift... Unwrap It!'
Debbie Shank still asks how her son is. He died in Iraq
Brain-damaged woman at center of Wal-Mart suit
Story Highlights
Debbie Shank, 52, suffered severe brain damage in a traffic accident
Wal-Mart's health plan sued Shank and her family to recoup what it paid out
The Shanks got money in suit; Wal-Mart says policy means couple can't get benefits
Couple's son was killed in Iraq after they lost lawsuit to Wal-Mart
By Randi Kaye
CNN
JACKSON, Missouri (CNN) -- Debbie Shank breaks down in tears every time she's told that her 18-year-old son, Jeremy, was killed in Iraq.
Debbie Shank, 52, has severe brain damage after a traffic accident in May 2000.
The 52-year-old mother of three attended her son's funeral, but she continues to ask how he's doing. When her family reminds her that he's dead, she weeps as if hearing the news for the first time.
Shank suffered severe brain damage after a traffic accident nearly eight years ago that robbed her of much of her short-term memory and left her in a wheelchair and living in a nursing home.
It was the beginning of a series of battles -- both personal and legal -- that loomed for Shank and her family. One of their biggest was with Wal-Mart's health plan.
Eight years ago, Shank was stocking shelves for the retail giant and signed up for Wal-Mart's health and benefits plan.
Two years after the accident, Shank and her husband, Jim, were awarded about $1 million in a lawsuit against the trucking company involved in the crash. After legal fees were paid, $417,000 was placed in a trust to pay for Debbie Shank's long-term care.
Wal-Mart had paid out about $470,000 for Shank's medical expenses and later sued for the same amount. However, the court ruled it can only recoup what is left in the family's trust.
The Shanks didn't notice in the fine print of Wal-Mart's health plan policy that the company has the right to recoup medical expenses if an employee collects damages in a lawsuit.
go here for the rest
http://www.cnn.com/2008/US/03/25/walmart.insurance.battle/index.html?iref=newssearch
Story Highlights
Debbie Shank, 52, suffered severe brain damage in a traffic accident
Wal-Mart's health plan sued Shank and her family to recoup what it paid out
The Shanks got money in suit; Wal-Mart says policy means couple can't get benefits
Couple's son was killed in Iraq after they lost lawsuit to Wal-Mart
By Randi Kaye
CNN
JACKSON, Missouri (CNN) -- Debbie Shank breaks down in tears every time she's told that her 18-year-old son, Jeremy, was killed in Iraq.
Debbie Shank, 52, has severe brain damage after a traffic accident in May 2000.
The 52-year-old mother of three attended her son's funeral, but she continues to ask how he's doing. When her family reminds her that he's dead, she weeps as if hearing the news for the first time.
Shank suffered severe brain damage after a traffic accident nearly eight years ago that robbed her of much of her short-term memory and left her in a wheelchair and living in a nursing home.
It was the beginning of a series of battles -- both personal and legal -- that loomed for Shank and her family. One of their biggest was with Wal-Mart's health plan.
Eight years ago, Shank was stocking shelves for the retail giant and signed up for Wal-Mart's health and benefits plan.
Two years after the accident, Shank and her husband, Jim, were awarded about $1 million in a lawsuit against the trucking company involved in the crash. After legal fees were paid, $417,000 was placed in a trust to pay for Debbie Shank's long-term care.
Wal-Mart had paid out about $470,000 for Shank's medical expenses and later sued for the same amount. However, the court ruled it can only recoup what is left in the family's trust.
The Shanks didn't notice in the fine print of Wal-Mart's health plan policy that the company has the right to recoup medical expenses if an employee collects damages in a lawsuit.
go here for the rest
http://www.cnn.com/2008/US/03/25/walmart.insurance.battle/index.html?iref=newssearch
New wars added 662 homeless veterans to New England Shelter
Tallying up the human costs of war
Mélida Arredondo
It’s been five years since the United States began war in Iraq and seven years in Afghanistan. Yet according to a survey recently released by the Pew Research Center, more than one-quarter of the American public — 28 percent, to be exact — is unaware that nearly 4,000 U.S. troops have died in Iraq over the past five years.
No matter what the reason, there is a disconnect among the people of the United States and the impact of the wars our nation is waging, both here and abroad. The numbers are startling. According to the latest government statistics, 4,458 U.S. troops have died and 68,529 U.S. troops have been wounded, injured or become sick while in either Iraq or Afghanistan.
Locally, the state Department of Veterans’ Services reports that a total of 78 troops with ties to Massachusetts have died in Iraq, and 15 have died in Afghanistan.
The number of the dead is low in comparison to Vietnam, where 60,000 U.S. troops were killed or went missing. However, according to The Associated Press, about 15 troops are wounded for every fatality during the current conflicts. This is five times the injury rate of troops who fought in Vietnam.
Dr. Gerald Cross of the federal Veterans Health Administration recently testified that there are 300,000 veterans of the conflicts in Iraq and Afghanistan treated at Veterans Affairs (VA) hospitals, and that more than half are treated for serious mental health conditions. Post-traumatic stress disorder accounts for 68,000 cases.
According to VA research obtained in February by The Associated Press, 144 veterans who served in Iraq and Afghanistan committed suicide from 2001 through the end of 2005. Statistics from 2006 and 2007 are not yet available. In addition, almost 300,000, or about one in four, of the nation’s homeless are veterans. Locally, 662 new veterans have joined the New England Shelter for Homeless Veterans this past year, many bearing the signs of trauma from the current wars.
go here for the rest
http://www.baystatebanner.com/issues/2008/03/27/opinion03270858.htm
Mélida Arredondo
It’s been five years since the United States began war in Iraq and seven years in Afghanistan. Yet according to a survey recently released by the Pew Research Center, more than one-quarter of the American public — 28 percent, to be exact — is unaware that nearly 4,000 U.S. troops have died in Iraq over the past five years.
No matter what the reason, there is a disconnect among the people of the United States and the impact of the wars our nation is waging, both here and abroad. The numbers are startling. According to the latest government statistics, 4,458 U.S. troops have died and 68,529 U.S. troops have been wounded, injured or become sick while in either Iraq or Afghanistan.
Locally, the state Department of Veterans’ Services reports that a total of 78 troops with ties to Massachusetts have died in Iraq, and 15 have died in Afghanistan.
The number of the dead is low in comparison to Vietnam, where 60,000 U.S. troops were killed or went missing. However, according to The Associated Press, about 15 troops are wounded for every fatality during the current conflicts. This is five times the injury rate of troops who fought in Vietnam.
Dr. Gerald Cross of the federal Veterans Health Administration recently testified that there are 300,000 veterans of the conflicts in Iraq and Afghanistan treated at Veterans Affairs (VA) hospitals, and that more than half are treated for serious mental health conditions. Post-traumatic stress disorder accounts for 68,000 cases.
According to VA research obtained in February by The Associated Press, 144 veterans who served in Iraq and Afghanistan committed suicide from 2001 through the end of 2005. Statistics from 2006 and 2007 are not yet available. In addition, almost 300,000, or about one in four, of the nation’s homeless are veterans. Locally, 662 new veterans have joined the New England Shelter for Homeless Veterans this past year, many bearing the signs of trauma from the current wars.
go here for the rest
http://www.baystatebanner.com/issues/2008/03/27/opinion03270858.htm
'Ward 57' examines psyche
'Ward 57' examines psyche
By Bill Hirschman Special Correspondent
March 26, 2008
There is invasive surgery going on inside the Walter Reed Army Medical Center in Jessica Goldberg's drama Ward 57, but it's not dissection of the body but of the psyche.
This world premiere is not really about the plight of wounded veterans, although that's certainly examined, and it's not even a tract against the tragedy in Iraq. In fact, the play assiduously respects those who serve and those who dissent.
Ward 57 examines our duty to take responsibility for what we do — and the duty to be intellectually honest about motivations and consequences. Goldberg holds up a mirror and insists we ask the same unsparing questions as her characters.
Her plot sends sincere, if postmodern, screenwriter Wendy Hoffman (Aditi Kapil) to research a film about returning veterans. Her contact at Reed is Capt. Gray Whitrock (Brandon Morris), a prickly counselor who wants to be an example of hope to patients because he lost a leg during his first tour — and then went back for a second.
Whitrock cannot allow Hoffman to visit patients, such as the emotionally tortured Anthony Small (Buddy Haardt), who makes up rap lyrics about his blindness and asks Whitrock to help him commit suicide. So Whitrock and his pregnant wife, Lydia (Bonni Allen), become primary sources for Hoffman's research.
The sparring soldier and screenwriter — opposite poles on the political litmus paper — test each other's sincerity and then the intellectual integrity of their motivations. She sees him as a self-deluded jingoist while he sees her as a parasitic sightseer: " ... we think we lost our limbs for something and you think we lost them for nothing," Whitrock says.
go here for the rest
http://www.sun-sentinel.com/features/lifestyle/sfl-thwardsbmar26,0,6264311.story
We talk a lot about the death counts, but we don't talk about the wounded in body, mind or spirit. We don't talk about the price they pay after war. Go above and watch the clip of this play.
By Bill Hirschman Special Correspondent
March 26, 2008
There is invasive surgery going on inside the Walter Reed Army Medical Center in Jessica Goldberg's drama Ward 57, but it's not dissection of the body but of the psyche.
This world premiere is not really about the plight of wounded veterans, although that's certainly examined, and it's not even a tract against the tragedy in Iraq. In fact, the play assiduously respects those who serve and those who dissent.
Ward 57 examines our duty to take responsibility for what we do — and the duty to be intellectually honest about motivations and consequences. Goldberg holds up a mirror and insists we ask the same unsparing questions as her characters.
Her plot sends sincere, if postmodern, screenwriter Wendy Hoffman (Aditi Kapil) to research a film about returning veterans. Her contact at Reed is Capt. Gray Whitrock (Brandon Morris), a prickly counselor who wants to be an example of hope to patients because he lost a leg during his first tour — and then went back for a second.
Whitrock cannot allow Hoffman to visit patients, such as the emotionally tortured Anthony Small (Buddy Haardt), who makes up rap lyrics about his blindness and asks Whitrock to help him commit suicide. So Whitrock and his pregnant wife, Lydia (Bonni Allen), become primary sources for Hoffman's research.
The sparring soldier and screenwriter — opposite poles on the political litmus paper — test each other's sincerity and then the intellectual integrity of their motivations. She sees him as a self-deluded jingoist while he sees her as a parasitic sightseer: " ... we think we lost our limbs for something and you think we lost them for nothing," Whitrock says.
go here for the rest
http://www.sun-sentinel.com/features/lifestyle/sfl-thwardsbmar26,0,6264311.story
We talk a lot about the death counts, but we don't talk about the wounded in body, mind or spirit. We don't talk about the price they pay after war. Go above and watch the clip of this play.
Shalala: Veterans benefits system is broken
Shalala: Veterans benefits system is broken
26 MAR 2008 • by Juliana Hanson
Veterans of the Iraq and Afghanistan wars won't get proper health care until the U.S. government updates and simplifies the bureaucracy strangling benefits and outpatient care.
This is the conclusion of Donna Shalala, former secretary of the U.S. Department Health and Human Services during the Clinton administration. President George W. Bush commissioned Shalala, Bob Dole and several other experts to evaluate the care of wounded veterans after the Washington Post exposed dire conditions at Walter Reed Hospital: deteriorating, rat- and roach-infested housing for family members, neglectful staff, and a mind-numbing bureaucracy. Shalala spoke about their findings to an auditorium packed with students and military personnel Monday, March 10, at N.C. State University.
While deployed, U.S. soldiers have access to world-class health care. But as soon as they leave the hospital bed, Shalala said, "it falls apart ... in the coordination of outpatient care."
This new generation of veterans has different medical needs, yet the dated, convoluted veterans health care system fails many of them. More survivors are returning home with brain injuries and long-term mental health issues, conditions that tend to be more severe and complex. These patients suffer most as they and their families struggle to find continuity among lost records, shuffling caseworkers and miscommunication typical of the military health care system.
go here for the rest
http://www.indyweek.com/gyrobase/Content?oid=oid%3A217249
26 MAR 2008 • by Juliana Hanson
Veterans of the Iraq and Afghanistan wars won't get proper health care until the U.S. government updates and simplifies the bureaucracy strangling benefits and outpatient care.
This is the conclusion of Donna Shalala, former secretary of the U.S. Department Health and Human Services during the Clinton administration. President George W. Bush commissioned Shalala, Bob Dole and several other experts to evaluate the care of wounded veterans after the Washington Post exposed dire conditions at Walter Reed Hospital: deteriorating, rat- and roach-infested housing for family members, neglectful staff, and a mind-numbing bureaucracy. Shalala spoke about their findings to an auditorium packed with students and military personnel Monday, March 10, at N.C. State University.
While deployed, U.S. soldiers have access to world-class health care. But as soon as they leave the hospital bed, Shalala said, "it falls apart ... in the coordination of outpatient care."
This new generation of veterans has different medical needs, yet the dated, convoluted veterans health care system fails many of them. More survivors are returning home with brain injuries and long-term mental health issues, conditions that tend to be more severe and complex. These patients suffer most as they and their families struggle to find continuity among lost records, shuffling caseworkers and miscommunication typical of the military health care system.
go here for the rest
http://www.indyweek.com/gyrobase/Content?oid=oid%3A217249
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