One of the Best Reads of a Lifetime

/

Abstract: The Emperor of all Maladies: a biography of cancer

Written by Siddhartha Mukherjee – abstracted by Lynn Gerlach

Published in 2010; given to me by a friend in 2015; abstracted in 2023

Note to my reader: The author, Siddhartha Mukherjee, calls cancer “a lethal shape-shifting entity… the defining plague of our generation.” He refers to his book as “an attempt to enter the mind of this immortal illness” which is, in its many forms, the abnormal growth of cells.

The book is a 4,000-year history of cancer and the “hypnotic, obsessive quest to launch a national ‘War on Cancer’” by two key individuals: Sydney Farber, “the father of modern chemotherapy,” and Mary Lasker, a Manhattan socialite. Mukherjee notes that the book is also “a personal journey of my coming of age as an oncologist.”

For me, the reader who hopes to cull for you an abbreviated but authentic version of this 400+ page history, it is also “a personal journey” that has allowed me to find my own cancer story within the context of the 4000-year war. This is a long book and a long abstract. My hope is that, when you’ve finished reading my abstract, you’ll go directly to Dr. Mukherjee’s book.

Read More

Oh, Quit Wringing your Hands!

/

A first-grade teacher shot in the abdomen and through the hand is now struggling for her life in a hospital – shot in her classroom by one of her own students – six years old! The shooting followed an “altercation” between teacher and student; police say it was “not accidental.” Does this school district have a problem? Or does this nation have a problem?

Read More

It's only Getting Worse!

/

It was nearly seven years ago that I entered the Speakeasy and attempted to set the record straight regarding the correct pronunciation of the smallest word in our American English language: “a.” Yes, that little one-letter word, a plain, old indefinite article that can refer to just about anything at all. It’s humble; it does not try to call attention to itself – nor should it. That article has received vastly more attention than any other in the history of the Speakeasy, but the mispronunciation is only getting worse.

Read More

A Roller Coaster and a Great, Big Stick

/

[Author’s note: This actually happened about two weeks ago, but immediately thereafter our 2023 city budget was in peril, and I paused to co-author the piece called “There’s Still Hope, Green Bay.” It got lot of attention, and the budget was saved from decimation. I’ve caught my breath, and so now I share with you this unbelievable sequel to “The Garbage Can Caper.”}

I’ve ridden roller coasters only a few times in my life for the very practical reason that they scare the hell out of me. I get no thrills from terrifying climbs and death-defying falls. However, today I’ve been riding a roller coaster – from highs to lows all day – and guess what: I think it’s a pretty interesting story. So I’m going to tell it. If you don’t want to hear about the nutty ups and downs of this day, why, you just quit reading now.

Read More

Flying Solo? Maybe Not

/

Have you ever felt like the oddest person on the planet, perhaps the individual who sees a particular scenario differently than any other person on earth? That’s got to be a lonely position; maybe I’m being a bit extreme. But, in all honesty, when it comes to this notion of “gun control,” I’ve developed a very firm position – different than anything I’ve ever heard proposed by another person. Logically, then, I’ve assumed not a single other person sees it like I do.

Read More

When your Life is an Empty Donut Hole

/

I remember my mother worrying about going into the “Medicare donut hole.” I recall it had something to do with money, and the donut hole was a bad place to be, but I’ve always found Medicare far more confusing than should be necessary. I dismissed the donut hole as something I’d never have to deal with. After all, I’d never “been on medication” in my life. At age 64, healthy as a horse, a long-time cancer survivor and a recent total hip recipient now walking without pain, I saw Medicare as an annoyance, a necessary evil I’d now have to face. I dutifully researched my health insurance options prior to my sixty-fifth birthday. Lord knows, I never thought about the donut hole.

And then, last week, I woke up in the donut hole.

Read More

Critical Race Theory Opens my Eyes! (3)

/

Note: This is the third article in a series on Critical Race Theory. You really, truly should read them in order:

  • Exactly What is Critical Race Theory (1)

  • Critical Race Theory as a Political Tool (2)

  • Critical Race Theory Opens my Eyes (3)

Recently I saw the oddest sign in the front yard of a Green Bay home: “Defund Critical Race Theory.” What on earth?! Who “funds” CRT? What is the point of this sign? I’d never seen it before. I couldn’t help but wonder whether the guy who put it out there (I verified it is a guy), among 6 or 8 scattered signs, has a clue what Critical Race Theory (CRT) is.

Read More

Critical Race Theory as a Political Tool (2)

/

[Note: The author assumes you have read “Exactly What is Critical Race Theory?” before you tackle this article. If you haven’t, please do so now and then return. This article assumes a basic, somewhat unbiased understanding of CRT.]

What a ride it’s been! On the first leg of the journey (I was such a neophyte!) I invited you to ride along with me as I sought to understand the very simplest facts about Critical Race Theory. Why? Because so many people are screaming about it, and school board meetings are spinning out of control, teachers are being “monitored,” and books are being banned. And I’ve had the impression that most people don’t have a clue what they’re fussing about. I surely didn’t. So we spent a little time discovering where this all came from and what the basic tenets of this critical theory are. We tackled some sophisticated concepts and vocabulary, and we even considered the significance of the words “critical” and “theory”; we spent a good bit of time considering the emotional baggage attached to the word “race.”

Read More

Learning When They Least Expect It

/

I’ve never been on a skateboard or a scooter, and I never want to try. But that doesn’t mean I don’t love skateboarding and all the other amazing activities that sizzle in a skate bowl. I’ve spent probably 15 hours over the past few summers, my little Yorkie (bored silly) at my feet, mesmerized by the activity in Green Bay’s Joannes Park skate bowl. I’ve watched my youngest grandson ride some special kind of bike up and down the curved walls, and I’ve held my breath as my 48-year-old son has sailed down those slopes in homage to a lifetime of skateboarding thrills. But 99% of the time I’m watching kids and young adults I’ve never met doing what they love – and I love to watch them do it.

Read More

Want the Shooting to Stop?

/

GET RID OF THE GUNS! Seriously, you still haven’t figured that out?

Have you heard this one? “If guns made us safe, we’d be the safest nation on earth.” Ain’t that the truth? We have 4% of the world’s population and 42% of the world’s guns – far more guns than people, and yet thepercentage of Americans owning guns is shrinking. Sixty-nine percent of us don’t even own a gun, but of those who do, 29% of them own five or more guns! What does that mean?

Read More