Impressions from China - Lockdown

I am certainly not going to even try to venture into downtown Beijing tonight. Roads are closing in preparation for the big parade & celebration in Tiananmen Square tomorrow commemorating China's National Day. Heard that there has been some major paranoia surrounding security leading up to tomorrow's big Do. Hotel windows being blocked off, residents in the surrounding area, being asked to temporarily move off site, etc.

I'm going to watch it on TV to see what they have been rehearsing so hard for. I'm sure it will be impressive. The Chinese tend to be very meticulous about things like this.

Unfortunately, the paranoia has also resulted in the Internet being blocked. Many sites are inaccessible & now, even proxies have been blocked!

We have resorted to subscribing to a VPN in order to access Facebook & Blogspot. So far so good....it seems to be working well.

Fingers crossed.

Remember

I can't believe I forgot that it is Sept 11 today until I saw a live telecast of a memorial service on TV.

Why did I forget? Well, like many, memories gently fade especially after 8 years. And especially when we get caught up in the day to day activities of, well, just living life.

But for those who lost a loved one that day in NYC, or those still suffering the after effects of the terror that ensued that day, they will never forget.

I wish them well and hopefully, peace in their hearts.

My son the Senior

One year from today, my first-born son will be a freshman in a college/university somewhere on the other side of the world.

When he was born almost 18 years ago, it was the start of an amazing roller coaster ride of an adventure,nurturing a new life that was entirely reliant on me for sustenence, then seeing him develop to an initially very shy toddler, to a sociable little boy, and now a strapping teenager on the cusp of adulthood.

I am proud of him, my very own teddy-bear-lovable-considerate-intelligent-guitar-playing-born-leader of a son. He is ready to fly out of our nest...more ready than I will ever be to let him go.

But it is a milestone in every mother's life to do so. And I hope when the time comes, I won't be a blithering, blubbering idiot.

It's He...ere...

The H1N1 virus has reached my boys' school. It was a MOT anyway, I reckon.

One child has been diagnosed with it, so his whole class has to stay home for the rest of the week for observation.

I hope they won't have to close the whole school down.

We'll just have to wait and see if the madness ensues...

Homicide

Definition: a killing of one human being by another (from the Merriam-Webster's Online Dictionary)

Michael Jackson's death has been ruled a homicide by the coroner. Whether or not his physician will be criminally charged remains to be seen.

This is a sobering reminder of the power that lies in the hands of physicians, in the form of know-how & accessibility to drugs, equipment, procedures and technology, that, if used wrongly or negligently, can result in death. Sometimes, even when used correctly, patients die, due to errors or unforeseen circumstance. In techno-babble, when something like this happens, it is called an Adverse Event.

When does an Adverse Event become criminal? I don't know the answer. I am positive that Dr Murray did not mean to kill Mr Jackson. But if he did administer all those drugs as reported, IMHO, that would amount to negligence.

Someone once said: "With great power, comes great responsibility."
(No prizes for guessing which movie this came from & which character said it :)... )

Why this particular doctor chose to do what he did...we can only guess that it was likely to be a combination of the lure of money + the fact that it was the King of Pop himself who had demanded the drugs to be administered.

Wealth and Celebrite can be a deadly combination.
Heath Ledger.
Anna Nicole Smith.
And now MJ.

What a waste.