TUESDAY, MARCH 28, 2006
Wednesday Edition: Friday Is the Anniversary of Terri Schiavo's Death
This Friday is the
one-year anniversary of Terri Schiavo's death.
A number of books are coming out to mark the life and death of the
woman who sparked a worldwide debate over end-of-life issues.
Among those who are coming out with books this week is
Terri's husband, Michael Schiavo. Another book hits the shelves this week, too,
written by Terri's parents and siblings, who fought Michael Schiavo in a
long legal battle. Yet
another Schiavo-related book is in bookstores now, edited, in part, by well-known medical ethicist
Art Caplan.
Is there any evidence that all of the talk about Schiavo's situation prompted people to sign living wills or power-of-attorney documents, or did the case just scare people into not talking about death and end-of-life issues?
Is there a chance that these books and the inevitable TV talk-show
interviews that will go with them will reopen the possibility that
people will talk about end-of-life wishes with loved ones and care
givers?
Elderly Inmates Costing Millions
The (Wilmington, Del.) News Journal reports that
taxpayers are about to face the cost of long prison sentences as
criminals age. The cost will show up in skyrocketing health costs for
inmates.
In that tiny state alone, there are 259 inmates with life sentences who are 55 or
older and three inmates who are older than 80. All receive state-paid
healthcare. And the number will grow -- that much is for sure, because so many inmates have long sentences
to serve, without possibility of parole.
Already, the story says,
Americans spend $7 billion on inmates' health care and, increasingly,
prisons are housing the mentally ill.
Last year, the Wall Street Journal reported:
The rise of lengthy, mandatory sentences and a nationwide
tough-on-crime attitude has resulted in a booming prison population --
2.1 million last June, compared with 501,886 in 1980 -- and an aging
one. The number of inmates dying from natural causes rose to 2,700 in
2002 from 799 in 1982, according to the U.S. Justice Department's
Bureau of Justice Statistics.
Inmates often arrive at prison in the physical condition of someone
10 years to 15 years older because of the lack of health care they
received while free, according to the American Correctional
Association, a group of corrections officials. Chronic illnesses such
as HIV, hepatitis and asthma are prevalent among prisoners, as are
histories of alcohol and drug abuse, making them more likely to die
earlier than normal.
Here are some further resources you might find helpful:
Lunchroom Debt
In South Carolina,
school lunch supervisors are about to take action on parents who do not
pay their kids' delinquent school lunch bills. School districts are
running tabs of tens of thousands of dollars in unpaid lunches.
School
lunch programs are often run independently from schools, so they have to meet
their costs. The State
newspaper says schools don't want to cut kids off from food, but have to
find a way to collect outstanding debts from families who do not
qualify for free lunch programs.
I have reported on this issue before; it is a broad problem.
New Internet Phone Services
The already competitive field of Internet phone service providers just got more crowded this week.
New providers are simplifying the process that will allow you to use
the Internet to make phone calls, even international calls, for much
less than conventional phone companies.
It might be a good time to do
some consumer testing to show your public the quality of connections
and the ease of installation for various services. You think the public
was confused by which cell phone plan to buy? Just wait until they try to
figure this one out on their own.
Need some background? Here is the FCC site that explains the technology.
VoIP allows you to
make telephone calls using a computer network, over a data network like
the Internet. VoIP converts the voice signal from your telephone into a
digital signal that travels over the internet then converts it back at
the other end so you can speak to anyone with a regular phone number.
When placing a VoIP call using a phone with an adapter, you'll hear a
dial tone and dial just as you always have. VoIP may also allow you to
make a call directly from a computer using a conventional telephone or
a microphone.
Howstuffworks.com also has some great background.
Armor Delay in Iraq and Afghanistan
The Government Accountability Office says [PDF] that the Army unnecessarily delayed the purchase and installation of armor that had been identified as needed three years ago. Stars & Stripes has details.
Easter Strike Possible for Delta
Commuters are keeping
an eye on talks between bankrupt Delta Air Lines and pilots. What should
travelers do with the talks so uncertain? The (Cincinnati) Enquirer reports.
Pilots are even planning a "practice strike"
as a demonstration. The airline has said that, if there is an all-out
strike that interrupts service, it could be the end of Delta. The Orlando Business Journal said:
Delta wants the
pilots to agree to $315 million a year in pay and benefits cuts, while
the union has offered $115 million. The pilots gave back $1 billion in
wages and benefits just two years ago.
Monitor the latest developments here.
Bird Flu: Rethinking the Strategy
This story is worth your time. The Los Angeles Times
says scientists are pretty much conceding now that bird flu will reach
the United States this year, and no amount of killing infected flocks
around the globe will stop that. The story includes this sobering
passage:
The speed of its
migration, and the vast area it has infected, has forced scientists to
concede there is little that can be done to stop its spread across the
globe.
"We expected it to move, but not any of us thought it
would move quite like this," said Dr. David Nabarro, the United
Nations' coordinator on bird flu efforts.
The hope was once that
culling millions of chickens and ducks would contain or even eradicate
the virus. Now, the strategy has shifted toward managing a disease that
will probably be everywhere. Officials are hoping to buy a little more
time to produce human vaccines and limit the potential economic damage.
"We
cannot contain this thing anymore. Nature is in control," said Robert
G. Webster, a virologist at St. Jude Children's Research Hospital in
Memphis, Tenn., who has been studying the virus since it emerged in
1997.
We are always looking for your great ideas. Send Al a few sentences and hot links.
Editor's Note: Al's Morning Meeting is a compendium
of ideas, edited story excerpts and other materials from a variety of
Web sites, as well as original concepts and analysis. When the
information comes directly from another source, it will be attributed
and a link will be provided whenever possible. The column is
fact-checked, but depends upon the accuracy and integrity of the
original sources cited. Errors and inaccuracies found will be corrected.Posted at 6:56:40 PM
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