William K. Wolfrum

When I recovered from the shock of learning that my Mom had acute myeloid Leukemia, I set to work on learning more about it, and trying to find what part I could play.

It was evident early on that my Mom would need a bone marrow transplant to survive more than one or two years. AML is a vicious disease that can only be repressed by intense chemotherapy. It comes back, and the chemo treatments quickly lose potency. So I saw the part I would play, and knew it would be a lifetime endeavor.

With the help of Pat Conlee of the National Marrow Donor Program, I began to learn about the bone marrow registry. I worked with Conlee, my Father and friends and family to put together a bone marrow drive for my mother in Victorville, Calif. But I knew that was not to be a one-time effort, and that the NMDP needed help from wherever it could find it.

As I learned about the NMDP, one fact struck me extremely hard. For Caucasians in need of a bone marrow transplant, 88 percent find a suitable donor. For African-Americans, that number tumbles to 60 percent.

While any person of any race can be a suitable person for anyone in need, the simple fact is this: ethnicity matters when it comes to bone marrow. A Caucasian person has a much better chance of getting a match from another Caucasian. An Asian person has a much better chance of being matched with another Asian. An African-American has a better chance of being matched with another of African descent.

According to the NMDP, there are just 11 million people on the bone marrow donor registry. And that’s not in the U.S. That’s in the world. In the U.S., there are five million white people on the registry. There are 500,000 blacks. There lies the difference between the 88 percent and 60 percent figures.

This is a call to the black community. The National Marrow Donor Program needs you. And those of African descent need you even more. They are literally dying for a better representation of blacks on the bone marrow registry.

To put a face to issue, let me point to my friend Emru Townsend. In December, Townsend - of Montreal - was told that he had AML, as well as a disorder called monosomy 7. He was told he needed a bone marrow transplant to survive. He was also told that due to his African-Caribbean heritage, his chances of finding a donor were much less than if he were white.

But Townsend did not waste his time with self-pity. He immediately began to champion the cause, and his efforts to get more blacks on Canada’s bone marrow registry have been covered in newspapers, radio and on television. He is a true inspiration, going so far as spending days working to get his message out while he is receiving chemotherapy. And he is still without a matching donor. His site - HealEmru.com - tells his story and has valuable information on how one can get on the bone marrow registry.

“After everything I’ve learned, I just can’t believe that everyone is not on the registry,” said Townsend. “It’s just such an easy thing and it’s so important to so many families.”

In the U.S., one of the reasons for the lack of donors of all races is likely the cost. It costs $52 to get on the registry, but that amount falls to $25 for African-Americans due to the need. But even if an African-American doesn’t have a dime to spare, if they want to get on the registry, they will not be turned away. But this is why donations are always eagerly accepted by the NMDP to help defray the costs of the tissue typing necessary.

The process for donating is simple - all it takes is a few swaps from a person’s inner cheek, filling out some paperwork, and it’s done. If you are called as a potential match, you will be given a battery of tests (free of charge) that will see if you are in good health and able to donate. The donating process consists of taking some marrow from your spine (under local anesthesia) and does not entail an overnight stay in a hospital. Generally, some minor discomfort for a day or two is the full price that has to be paid for saving a life.

For my allies in the POC blogosphere, and anyone else interested in helping, I humbly request that you write about this issue in any way you deem fit. Discuss your thoughts on why blacks are so underrepresented if you like. Discuss the issue from any angle you wish. But please discuss it. And register. And try to get more people of African descent onto the registry. Lives are literally in the balance.

Helpful Links

- The National Marrow Donor Program: Here you will find a plethora of information on the bone marrow registry, including how and where you can register. They can also be reached at 1(800) 627-7692.

- Jes Us For Jackie: Rapper Nelly’s ongoing effort to get African-Americans involved in the bone marrow donor registry. Nelly’s sister died from Leukemia, unable to find a donor.

- Emru Townsend’s site: Townsend has worked tirelessly to create a site that has information on his plight, as well as information on bone marrow drives throughout the U.S. and Canada.

- The Caitlin Raymond International Registry: An International bone marrow and cord blood search and donor recruitment center.

- African-American Community Health Advisory Committee: More information on the need for African-American marrow donors and information on how the process takes place.

– Asians for Miracle Matches: Non-Japanese Asians, Native Americans, and Pacific Islanders are also underrepresented on the marrow donor registry. A3M is trying to change that.

If you have any other questions, such as how to put together a bone marrow drive in your community or anything else, feel free to contact me at wkwolfrum(at)gmail(dot)com.

–WKW

“Do not despair. The misery that is now upon is but the passing of greed, the bitterness of men who fear the way of progress.”

Today is the birthday of Charlie Chaplin, who was born April 16, 1889. His courage and humanity came shining through in The Great Dictator, and his final speech resonates today as much as it did in 1940. He was an imperfect man, but his willingness to stand up to oppression on the world’s biggest stage set a standard that is rarely matched by those with the greatest reach.

–WKW

It wasn’t that long ago that The Politico came on the scene, bolstered by roughly 75,000 links from Matt Drudge. They were a right-wing site, and everybody knew it, regardless of how often they denied it.

While debuting with prominent beltway pundits, The Politico quickly set the tone for what they were all about - by “breaking” the story that John Edwards received a $400 haircut.

Nowadays, The Politico seems to have given up pretense and has embraced the fact that it’s a right-wing noise machine. Stories on yesterday’s front page at Politico?

– Urban issues get short shrift (”Despite two Democratic presidential candidates with urban interests, mayors and experts say too little attention paid to them.”)

– Taxes: Obamas prospered as he soared

– Indictment: Iraq paid for junket

– McCain: We can’t do whatever we want (”John McCain calls for more humility but a stay-the-course approach to Iraq war.”)

– Bush-haters won’t stop McCain (”In an ideas column, Brown contends president isn’t the albatross around McCain’s neck many people think.”)

– Racial problems transcend Wright (”Voting patterns show Obama’s uneven record on getting beyond race.”)

– McCain’s approach to foreign policy is a unique blend

– The Clinton myth: The backstory (”Her campaign rests on a game of make-believe.”)

So really, they can say they’re centrist, or non-partisan, or Independent, or Klingon, or whatever they like. But it’s a right-wing Drudgian machine at its heart. And now, Yahoo News prominently features stories from The Politico, with a front-page link to the hard-hitting story “Southern Dem warns party to avert disaster,” a 1,300-word epic about Tennessee governor Phil Bresden, who’s certain that the Obama-Clinton battle will be doom for Democrats.

So, while Conservatives scream in faux horror when Google won’t adorn their home page with some type of homage to Easter, they hopefully should feel more comfortable with Yahoo. Aside from agreeing with Reuters that brutality to women ranks as “odd,” Yahoo is partner with Fox News Business, and now finds that The Politico is a trusted news source.

So while Yahoo has shown it doesn’t want to be gobbled up by Microsoft, it doesn’t appear to mind promoting right-wing propagandists one bit.

–WKW

Perhaps you’ve already seen a snazzy commercial for Divided We Fail, a “call to action” led by the AARP, Business Roundtable, SEIU, and NFIB. With the help of the Entertainment Industry Foundation (EIF) and the Motion Picture & Television Fund (MPTF), Divided We Fail put out this PSA showing celebrities being ordinary folk, while talking about their commitment to the non-partisan saving of the U.S. economy and healthcare system.

Starring Ben Affleck, Garth Brooks, Dakota Fanning, Morgan Freeman, Eva Mendes, Joaquin Phoenix, Jeremy Piven and Reese Witherspoon, the PSA is basically a silly tribute to the phrase “why can’t we all just get along.”

“The entertainment industry’s leadership felt that we could make a major contribution to Divided We Fail,” said MPTF Foundation Chairman Jeffrey Katzenberg. “Hollywood can call attention to these problems and help galvanize the public into taking action, which is a key first step in solving them.”

Now, far be it for me to insult any effort that claims at its core that all it wants is to make America better. But simply put, Divided We Fail is a stupid, naïve and impotent project. It’s quite easy to see why celebrities were so eager to get involved. It gives them a chance to look like serious, politically minded activists who truly care. But much like a great many of the actors that dominate the American entertainment landscape, it’s all sound and fury signifying nothing. Absolutely nothing.

Thus far, 244 members of Congress has signed Divided We Fail’s “pledge” or accepted their insipid and meaningless “platform”. I would imagine before it’s over, every last member of Congress will climb on board. There’s absolutely no downside to pledging to the platform, because at it’s heart, the platform is political empty calories.

What does Divided We Fail want? They want a better healthcare system and better long-term financial security for Americans. And they don’t want partisanship. That’s what the problem is, after all. They have no answers or even concepts of how to make these things happen, but that’s what they stand for. And they’re very serious about it.

We stand as strong champions for the new American dream — to build a 21st century America where these issues are paramount so that all people can have the opportunity for a prosperous future. We also believe that individuals, businesses, health care providers, non-profit organizations, and government must work together to find solutions - personally, privately and publicly. We represent tens of millions of Americans and we believe that all of us share a responsibility for making our society work and restoring peace of mind to all Americans.

This is our platform for positive change and our commitment to current and future generations.

Divided We Fail, but together we can do anything.

Wow, that’s impressive stuff, on par with, say, every last speech given by every high-school valedictorian for the past several decades. Basically, it’s meaningless claptrap. But it’s the perfect grandiose-yet-meaningless type of platform that makes perfect sense for these celebrities.

They don’t have to say anything about the two wars going on at this very moment. That would make them seem un-American. They don’t have to pick a side between political parties, therefore they don’t alienate Republicans or Democrats. They don’t ask for Universal Healthcare, that’s socialist. In fact, they don’t actually say anything except “we want affordable healthcare and for people to have more money.” Who can argue with that?

But it’s all a complete load of nothingness. Really, look at their platform. Follow the links. Some of their big points:

– “Lack of exercise and overeating, smoking and drinking too much, pose a growing threat to our nation’s health.”

– “Imagine an America with affordable, quality health care. Let’s work to guide our nation’s policymakers to commit to and achieve changes that will restore America’s peace of mind.”

– “Financial security in retirement is a promise that must be kept. Social Security must be strengthened to meet the needs of Americans.”

– “If you work hard all your life, it’s only fair that you should be able to retire with dignity. That’s the American dream, and we need to make that dream a reality.”

– “All Americans need to learn more about how to earn, spend, save, invest, and protect their own money.”

Of course, they give not even one idea or even theory on how any of this should be done. It truly is an empty campaign that appears to take place in some weird alternate reality where politicians aren’t already owned by corporations and where partisan politics will disappear if Reese Witherspoon shops for enough shoes, Joaquin Phoenix washes enough dishes and Ben Affleck builds enough dollhouses.

I just can’t stress this enough - Divided We Fail is a moronic, self-indulgent, farcical load of crap. It’s a bunch of groups getting together and wasting money that could go to much better use. It’s an opportunity to pander to Americans and come off as politically active, while not taking a stand on anything.

Any way it’s added up, Divided We Fail is an utter failure.

–WKW

Peggy Noonan on Meet the Press on Barack Obama’s recent speech on race issues in the U.S.:

“There are people saying, ‘Will this solve race relations in this country?’”

Could the people that have been saying “Will this solve race relations in this country?” about that speech please step forward. Anyone? There’s a cookie in it for you.

Still, there are some people saying that Peggy Noonan is a very serious person.

–WKW

From Fox News:

The Headline: Iraqi Soldier, Once Loyal to Hussein, Gives Up Attacks Against U.S. Military to Help the Coalition Cause

The Money Quote: “When American soldiers turn up I feel very sad for myself, my country and the fact that I have to sit down and deal with them. I feel like wolves are eating my flesh during the meeting.”

–WKW

Hey everyone, William K. Wolfrum, AKA, “The Conspiracist” here. I’ve got some doozies for you so hold on to your hats and here THE TRUTH!

I’ve been scouring my anonymous sources for some time now, and while the “Mainstream Media” does it’s job of showering pictures of Eliot Spitzer’s prostitute on their front pages to keep the Sheeple shleeping, I have uncovered some amazing information - the maniacal New World Oligarchy that currently runs the Western World is planning an all-out attack on Iran, very likely before the November elections.

Hold on to your hats people, this is big.

First, my cousin heard this information second-hand from a trusted source: Admiral William Fallon, the top U.S. commander in the Middle East has resigned. Fallon who recently publicly criticized the Bush Administration’s policies on Iran, and resigned in a hastily called press conference, going totally under the radar on the mainstream media - but not under the radar of “The Conspiracist.”

The subversive underground magazine known as “Esquire” wrote a long article recently on Fallon, claiming “As the White House talked up conflict with Iran, the head of U.S. Central Command, William “Fox” Fallon, talked it down. Now he has resigned.”

The “Esquire” article was written by long-time Conspiracy advocate Thomas Barnett, a shady underground figure who has never been seen publicly.

The White House has vigorously denied that Fallon was forced out. And the part of the White House’s propaganda arm, The Washington Post, had this to say about Fallon’s departure:

The man most responsible for the departure of Fallon is Gen. David Petraeus, commander of U.S. forces in Iraq, the savior of the war and the Bush administration with the surge, the counter-insurgency genius, the Washington-savvy Princeton grad, and a pretty boy called “King David” by many. His boss in the military is Fallon, commander of the Central Command, but from day one of his assignment to Iraq, Petraeus reported directly to the White House, thus circumventing the chain of command and virtually ignoring the views of his superior officer.

The author of this piece, the propagandist William M. Arkin finished his piece by writing “The good news is that with those kinds of resources being committed to Iraq, and with the lessons of the war, the likelihood of Bush and Cheney starting an Iran war is virtually zero.”

When a propagandist like Arkin writes about the New World government of Cheney and Bush learning lessons, you know more war is ahead.

But while Arkin tries to keep the public from looking too hard at the imminent attack and takeover of Iran, other mainstream sources are subtly setting out the Administration’s talking points: That Iran is a terrible, horrifying threat more devastating and dangerous that 50,000 Hitlers, 10 Stalins and a Mao.

– Iran Fires Artillery at Kurdish Villages in Northern Iraq

– U.S. punishes Bahrain bank for its Iran ties

–U.N. Alleges Nuclear Work By Iran’s Civilian Scientists

– Iran’s Nuclear Defiance Further Exposed

– Bomb-bomb-bomb, bomb-bomb Iran?

By while the U.S. has continued to slowly push the image of a nuclear-armed, insane-with-power Iran that must be vaporized to the public, the little-known Conspiracy Web magazine “U.S. News & World Report” — run by three heroic patriots from an undisclosed basement in the South Indies - writes that the world is not falling for it. According to one of these anonymous patriots, writing under the pseudonym of “Thomas Omestad,” world support for an attack on Iran is dwindling:

The new survey has charted what, for the Bush team and its allies overseas, must be an alarming drop in support for economic sanctions or military strikes on Iran, which despite the passage of a third United Nations Security Council sanctions resolution last week is still refusing to suspend its nuclear work. Compared with a June 2006 BBC poll, backing for a tougher approach to Iran fell in 13 of 21 countries where people were questioned both times.
Even in a staunch ally like Britain, support for those measures fell 9 percentage points, from 43 percent to 34 percent. In Australia, the share dropped 10 points and in Germany 9 points. Even in the United States, the figure dropped from 66 percent to 60 percent over that period.

But take this from me, The Conspiracist - there is a conspiracy out there, and signs still point to Bush and Crew creating more war, more death and destruction. So while election results do have importance, don’t take your eye off this one important factor - The U.S. is still planning to attack Iran.

–WKW

The world was shaken to its very core last week when gossip-mongers around the world pounced on pictures of Lisa Marie Presley looking overweight.

HER father fought and lost a long battle with the bulge, now Elvis Presley’s daughter Lisa Marie appears locked in a similar struggle.

The once-svelte 40-year-old was seen devouring her lunch at Hollywood food market The Grove at the weekend, Britain’s Daily Mail reports.

Dressed in a baggy tracksuit top and loose trousers, she sat hunched over her meal - a curry on a polystyrene plate.

It was a stark contrast to the slim figure she cut three years ago when she bore a striking resemblance to her mother, the trim actress Priscilla.

And not only was she looking overweight, she was also EATING. While HUNCHING. As you all know, eating is the No. 1 cause of obesity on the planet, and fat people should avoid it whenever possible and focus primarily on exercise and hiding from cameras.

Luckily, however, it appears that Lisa Marie will not be forced into a life of pill-popping self-loathing, because it turns out she’s just pregnant. Not Fat.

Presley admitted so on her MySpace Blog:

After being the target all week of slanderous and degrading stories, horribly manipulated pictures and articles in the media, I have had to show my cards and announce under the gun and under vicious personal attack that I am in fact pregnant.

Once they got a glimpse of my expanding physique a few days ago, they have been like a pack of coyotes circling their prey whilst eerily howling with delight. Starting with a London publication and then New York and Chicago all writing false defamatory degrading stories about all of the dark possible reasons I could be putting on weight. The US tabloids have been calling all day wanting confirmation on all kinds of insane theories.

They couldn’t wait to find out if my weight gain was because I was just overeating, in which case It would be open season and they can do the old following in her fathers sad and unfortunate demise story again or less interesting for them and probably much to their dismay, I could just be pregnant and therefore have a legitimate reason for weight gain at which point they should probably wipe the saliva off of their fangs and put them back in their mouths or they may expose the black little souls that they are.

So there you have it, Lisa Marie Presley is not the victim of illegitimate weight gain. Lisa Marie has gained weight in one of the only two ways that is legitimate, by being pregnant. The other legitimate reason for gaining weight is for a movie role, like Rene Zellweger in the “Bridget Jones” movies. But then it is only legit if you quickly lose all the weight you gained, plus 10 percent more. Any other weight gain is out of bounds and reason for public ridicule, especially if you wear baggy clothing and have a trim mom.

So folks, relax. Lisa Marie is not fat, she’s just pregnant. And she’ll be given the required two weeks after having the baby to show up at an awards show in a tight outfit to once again prove to the world that she’s not an embarrassing fatty.

–WKW

Crossposted at Shakesville

This is a true story: Living in an apartment in Victorville, California, not long after 9/11, I went to my mailbox. Standing in front of the mailbox’s was a woman, probably a couple years younger than I. She was wearing gloves. She was shaking. She was crying. She looked at me, still not able to open her mailbox, and said in a trembling voice, “I am so afraid.”

The Anthrax Attacks happened.

So President Bush and the right wing can repeat the mantra of “There has not been another attack on our soil since 9/11″ over and over again, but it’s a lie. As Atrios wrote:

… anthrax was what made things like “mobile chemical weapons labs” sound so scary. Not everyone agrees, but I think more than 9/11 the anthrax freaked the country out. 9/11 was horrible, but the anthrax made it seem like we’d reached a new era where some horrible creepy shit was going to happen every day.

And then it was all forgotten.

The Anthrax Attacks happened. And they terrified the living hell out of people. Just ask my former neighbor.

–WKW

Boa vinda às Revisões de Filme Curtas No Português Mau de William K. Wolfrum!

Hoje, eu vou revisão o filme “Eu Sou a Lenda” com Will Smith:

Revisão: Como sempre, um vírus mata a maioria de todo mundo. Mas, faz também alguns povos em zombis que come outro pessoas. Um dia, um vírus não fará povos em zombis, por favor deus. Total a filme era aprovada.

Will Smith era muito boa. A menos que for agora uma Scientologista. Então, não era assim bom. Por que umas Scientologistas são sempre maus. Sempre.

Em uma escala de uma a milhão: 786,231.

Veja-o vez seguinte Revisões de Filme Curtas No Português Mau de William K. Wolfrum.
Boa fim de semana.

Traduza aqui ou não. Realmente não é importante.

–WKW