A group of lawmakers today sent a letter to Lt. Governor Matt Pinnell, in his role as Acting Governor of Oklahoma, requesting executive action to prohibit vaccine mandates for Oklahoma healthcare workers. This letter is a follow up to one sent to Governor Kevin Stitt on July 15, 2021. Rep. Sean Roberts, R-Hominy, spearheaded the letter and said that the urgency of the situation necessitates the need to act swiftly and decisively.
“I have been working to identify issues at our state’s healthcare facilities. I have discovered that not only are more facilities moving towards mandating the COVID-19 vaccine, but they are denying legitimate medical and religious exemptions,” said Roberts. “I have received reports from verified healthcare employees that individuals with signed medical exemptions for the COVID-19 vaccine are being told their exemptions will not be honored. The collective takeaway from these messages is that the time to act is now and if we don’t, we may be facing a healthcare employee shortage crisis.” (story continues below)

According to Roberts, the transfer of powers to the Lt. Governor when the Governor is outside of the state is found in Article 6, Section 16 of the Oklahoma Constitution. The constitutional provision provides that the Office of Governor is transferred to the Lt. Governor when the Governor is removed from the state. This includes all powers held within the Office of Governor. Roberts, and those signed onto the letter, believe that the current situation requires the immediate action of the state government and has led to the urgent request for Pinnell to act.
“It is unacceptable to force a vaccination on an employee, especially when they have a documented medical issues,” said Roberts. “We have received reports from Oklahoma Families for Freedom that medical facilities have been denying in-person treatment to unvaccinated individuals as well. This is medical discrimination and must stop”.
The following lawmakers signed on to the letter:
Rep. Sean Roberts, R-Hominy
Rep. Lonnie Sims, R-Jenks
Rep. Denise Crosswhite Hader, R-Piedmont
Rep. Mike Dobrinski, R-Okeene
Rep. Justin Humphrey, R-Lane
Rep. Jim Olsen, R-Roland
Rep. Mark Vancuren, R-Owasso
Rep. Kevin West, R-Moore
Rep. Rick West, R-Heavener
Rep. David Smith, R-Arpelar
Rep. Tom Gann, R-Inola
Rep. Wendi Stearman, R-Collinsville
Rep. Chris Sneed, R-Fort Gibson
Rep. Randy Randleman, R-Eufaula
Rep. Kevin McDugle, R-Broken Arrow
Rep. David Hardin, R-Stilwell
Rep. Sherri Conley, R-Newcastle
Rep. Danny Williams, R-Seminole
Rep. Max Wolfley, R-Oklahoma City
The full text of the letter can be seen below:
Oklahoma House of Representatives
July 28, 2021

Acting Governor Pinnell,
As I am sure you are aware there are many healthcare facilities across the state that have decided to mandate the COVID-19 vaccines to their thousands of employees. These employees are the heroes that stood on the front line of the pandemic caring for those that had fallen ill to COVID-19.
Many Oklahomans are about to have their paychecks used against them to make a medical decision that goes against their beliefs. Healthcare workers are left to choose between taking a vaccine authorized for emergency use or risk losing their job, this goes against “liberty and justice for all.” If we do not protect the individual’s right to choose what goes in their body, we no longer live in a free society.
The Oklahoma legislature had bills introduced last session that were related to these type of vaccine mandates, but none of these bills came to be law. Some other states in the country have taken action on these issues while others already had laws on the books to protect their healthcare workers. For example in Oregon, employees such as health care providers, health care facility employees, clinical lab employees, law enforcement, and firefighters are protected by a 1989 state law that says “A worker shall not be required as a condition of work to be immunized” unless otherwise required by federal or state law.
After talking with healthcare workers and citizens across the state many of my colleagues and I have come to the conclusion this is an issue that requires the immediate attention of our State Government. The quickest and most effective way to protect these workers is an executive order prohibiting these mandates.
Those signed onto this letter and I respectfully request you draft an executive order to deal with this issue. If you deem this to be an issue the legislature needs to take care of, we respectfully request you call the legislature into special session to end medical tyranny and help us secure and protect our most basic human rights and civil liberties.

Photography and Text by Terry “Travels with Terry” Zinn t4z@aol.com

Travel is still a challenge, and no more so than international cruising. I personally have a tentative booking for July of 2022, which may or may not come to fruition. It might be more practical to take a cruise closer to home, or one designated as domestic. It’s never too early to plan and dream.
As you can tell from the title I had a near 3 week tour of the North East which was an all-consuming adventure of over 1100 miles, 32 locks and many city visits via Blount’s Grande Caribe small ship cruise. Blount specializes in traveling where large ships cannot go and giving their guests exceptional access to destinations approachable by rivers in North America. Blount cruises are ideal for Senior citizens. (More details about my cruise, next month, in Part Two.) It’s always a good idea to arrive early for any cruise ship departure, as you’d hate to miss the boat because of airline or weather delays. I did that with my 3 night stay in one of my most enjoyable city explorations in Old Montreal.
Taking the suggestion of Montreal Tourism, I stayed at the upscale boutique Le Saint-Sulpice Hotel, in the middle of historic yet modern old town. The hotel offered all the amenities expected with a flare and style for which you always wished. The dining, bar, concierge, bell men, Internet access, housekeeping and staff all were the best of the best with efficient and congenial service. Le Saint-Sulpice is indeed a pleasant and quiet oasis from your Montreal touring.
Being my first time in Montreal, I enjoyed my morning car tour by expert guide, Ruby Roy, who showed me many Montreal iconic sights. They included the past Olympic and Expo venues, several overlook vistas of the Montreal skyline, an exposure to the variety of unique architectural styles of its neighborhoods (where the design of street lights change with each neighborhood), the Atwater Farmers market and of course topping off with a visit to the 1823 Notre-Dame Basilica (entry fee), which is only half a block from my Le Saint-Sulpice Hotel.
It’s said that Montreal has over 6,000 restaurants, but as only having 3 days, I was pleased to accept the challenge and sample a few, most in Old Montreal and within walking distance. Many were near the main street of Old Montreal, Saint Paul Street, East and West. The street is filled with enticing upscale art galleries, shops and other businesses housed in vintage Montreal facades. At times I felt I was strolling through a European city, exhibiting its sophisticated culture. A short distance from Le Saint-Sulpice is the Montreal Museum of Archeological and History, a must to see for its original foundations of Old Montreal, and to explore its history through a labyrinth of exhibition narratives. The experience of taking in their multiple image movie was a welcome diversion and informational. A real treat is the very popular museum café, Restaurant l’AArrivage. The concierge at the hotel retrieved the last table available for my noontime respite, where the food was economical and delicious along with a variety of local people watching. So as not to be disappointed reservations, even for a noon time meal, is a must at most all Montreal restaurants.
My other dining pleasures included: Helena, is a very popular and crowded venue offering a Portuguese style menu. Chez L’Epicier has an elegant atmosphere and food presentations which started off with a Kir Maison of sparkling apple cider, cranberry and maple, to accompany their amuse bush of a sweet macaroon and chocolate mint. This may be their “eat dessert first” philosophy. Ask for their Club Sandwich, which is a dessert of sweet delights presented as if it were a sandwich. Perhaps the best taste in all Montreal was their Roasted Butternut Squash (tasting like peaches!) with sour cream and walnut crumble.
Osteria Venti, was again a very popular restaurant. It seems everyone in Montreal eats out all the time. The service here was congenial and I must say that they followed my Martini instructions to the letter without hesitation. It seems in Canada in particular, that martinis are stirred not usually shaken, so my detailed instruction (ice on the pond) was welcomed, as they wanted to please this customer, as they also did with my meal of oven roasted half chicken, rustic peperonata, parsley, lemon juice and olive oil.
I needed to take a taxi to Chez Ma Grosse Truie Cherie – but it was worth it to dine on their onion soup, pork tenderloin encrusted (pork is their specialty), a hazel nut crème Brule, and accompany all with either an apple Martini or their special drink created by the bar tender, David, a martini of Montreal gin, herbs and a hint of maple syrup. To know that most of their interior is from recycle materials including bowling alley wood made into table tops, is an added treat.
Back at Le Saint-Sulpice Hotel your choice of breakfast dishes at the St Clair restaurant is extensive, and who doesn’t need an early morning wake up for a full day of touring? If weather permits you might eat out on the patio, or if not, inside the enclosed terrace offering floor to ceiling windows. Having this hotel as your elegant, secure and convenient home in Old Montreal is a comfortable way to enjoy the city. There is even a Christmas shop halfway between the hotel and the Notre-Dame Basilica, and a liquor store across the street. Old Montreal…my new favorite haunt.
Next is Part Two – Blount Cruising on the New York Canal System.
Until then check out: www.mtl.org/en, www.lesaintsulpice.com, www.blountsmallshipadventures.com, www.restauranthelena.com, www.chezlepicier.com, www.pacmusee.qc.ca/en/plan-your-visit/larrivage-restaurant, www.osteriaventi.com

By Nick Thomas

Carla Malden credits her father, actor Karl Malden, for sowing the seeds of her writing career – first as a screenwriter then an author.
“He used me and my sister to cue him quite often when he was learning a part,” she recalled from her home in Los Angeles. “I think I learned a lot about writing as a result. If it was a heavily dialogued scene, he’d sometimes tell me to cross a line out of the script because he said ‘I can act that.’ It taught me the importance of seeing the actor’s character on screen as well as through the dialogue. It was fascinating to watch him break down a part and develop a character.”
Earlier this year, Carla published her forth book, “Shine Until Tomorrow,” branching out into the Young Adult (YA) book market. The story features a teenage girl who travels back to 1967 and the summer of love in San Francisco.
“It’s not a traditional sci-fi adventure or even a fantasy really, but a girl’s coming-of-age story that happens to involve time travel and features a driven teenager who learns about having to live in the present by traveling back to the past. It was designed as a YA book, but I’ve been gratified to see it’s crossed over to adults.”
A longtime screenwriter alongside her late husband (see www.carlamalden.com), Carla published her first book co-written with her dad in 1997, the well-received Karl Malden autobiography “When Do I Start?” Malden (1912-2009) is viewed by many as one of the great character actors from the 50s, 60s, and beyond, with critically acclaimed dramatic roles in films such as “A Streetcar Named Desire” for which he won a Best Supporting Actor Oscar. In the 70s, he co-starred with Michael Douglas in the popular “The Streets of San Francisco” ABC crime drama series.
“He had been approached to write his autobiography by a few people and tried to do it on his own over a few years then asked me to help,” Carla recalled. “Writing it with him was one of the great joys of my life.”
Raised in Gary, Indiana, Karl Malden came from immigrant parents, his Serb father barely speaking English. “His father was very involved in the church which was the social hub of the Gary Serbian community and he organized all the plays that were integral to the community. So my grandfather was always enlisting my dad as a kid to be in the plays and that’s how he got the acting bug.”
Away from the screen, Malden says her dad was a fabulous father and husband, married to his wife, Mona, for 70 years. “He was also an amazing grandfather and even had a few years of being a great grandfather.” She says her father was very down to earth, would often work in his garden for hours, and never craved the adulation that often follows entertainers.
“After he died, I got reams of letters from people for whom he had done major acts of kindness in all kinds of ways that I never knew about,” says Carla. “I miss him every single day of my life, ferociously.”
Nick Thomas teaches at Auburn University at Montgomery, Ala., and has written features, columns, and interviews for over 850 magazines and newspapers.

“We have seen a 34% increase in childbirths at Mercy in the last 10 years,” said Jim Gebhart, community president of Mercy Hospital Oklahoma City. “We want to be able to serve every pregnant mom and newborn that needs us, but the reality is that our existing facility is not designed to support our current volume of patients. We simply need more space.”
Mercy Hospital Oklahoma City was built in the 1970s and the existing Mercy BirthPlace was designed to handle around 3,000 births a year. Nearly 4,000 babies were delivered annually at the hospital over the last two years.
“Our physicians and nursing staff are incredible, and they’re always looking for creative ways to serve more patients with the kind of compassionate care they’ve come to expect from Mercy,” said Dr. Chad Smith, obstetrician-gynecologist and chief medical officer at Mercy Hospital Oklahoma City. “They know the need for this new facility better than anyone, and they are just so excited to see this dream finally become a reality.”
The Love Family Women’s Center will be a 175,000-square-foot, four-story building on the campus of Mercy Hospital Oklahoma City. It will feature an obstetrics emergency department staffed by obstetricians.
Three large Caesarean section suites located in the women’s center will connect to the hospital on the first floor via the existing hospital surgery suite. This strategic design allows for quick, safe access to additional services if there are any medical emergencies during delivery.
“We looked at a number of different options and locations for a new facility over the years and ultimately decided this really is the best of both worlds for patients,” said Dr. Donald Rahhal, longtime Oklahoma City obstetrician-gynecologist and former medical director of Mercy BirthPlace. “Patients will have the easy, convenient access a free-standing structure provides while also having immediate access to all the services a hospital provides in case of any kind of emergency.”
Postpartum rooms will be on the third floor of the women’s center that connects to the hospital via a skybridge. This allows moms of babies needing a higher level of care to have direct elevator access to the neonatal intensive care unit on the fifth floor.
The new state-of-the-art facility will also feature Oklahoma’s first hospital-based low intervention birthing unit. The unit will be run by accredited midwives who are also registered nurses in collaboration with obstetricians. The program will offer the option of a low intervention birth with access to a higher level of care under the same roof if issues arrive during labor and delivery.
Mercy will serve women of all ages at the Love Family Women’s Center, including a dedicated area for women recovering from surgeries. Outpatient therapy services, specifically pelvic floor therapy, will also be offered. A large conference center will host support groups and classes on everything from childbirth, infant care, CPR and more.
A large portion of this project was generously funded through Mercy Health Foundation Oklahoma City. It is the largest fundraising campaign in the history of Mercy. The Tom and Judy Love family gave a $10 million lead donation to this project. Campaign co-chairs Judy Love and Cathy Keating led the way in raising more than $30 million toward the $40 million fundraising goal.
“Judy Love and Cathy Keating dedicated themselves to helping us serve more patients and raised an incredible amount of money during a pandemic and worldwide economic uncertainty,” Gebhart said. “We simply could not have done this without them, and our Oklahoma City community is better because they are a part of it.”
Just the facts: * Construction expected to be complete in fall 2023
* 175,000-square-foot, four story building on the campus of Mercy Hospital Oklahoma City
* 73 patient rooms
* Obstetrics emergency department
* Oklahoma’s first hospital-based low intervention birthing center led by midwives
* Direct access to NICU in the hospital via a skybridge on the third floor
* Community services including educational classes, support groups and community events

The National Institutes of Health has awarded the Oklahoma Medical Research Foundation $480,000 for Alzheimer’s research.
OMRF scientist Michael Beckstead, Ph.D., received a two-year grant to continue his study of the role the naturally occurring brain chemical dopamine may play in the earliest stages of Alzheimer’s disease.
Most current Alzheimer’s research focuses on the outer and upper sections of the brain, which control symptoms of the disease like memory loss. This study will instead focus on a small bundle of neurons near the base of the brain, which regulates dopamine function.
Dopamine is a chemical responsible for voluntary movement and the perception of reward in the brain. Beckstead studies what can happen when things go wrong with dopamine cells, ranging from Parkinson’s disease when too little is present to drug addiction when there is too much.
Scientists have not yet directly implicated dopamine in Alzheimer’s, but Beckstead said there is evidence to suggest it is involved in the initial stages of the disease.
“When you look at people who develop dementia, many of them were first diagnosed with depression or have a history of apathy,” said Beckstead, who holds OMRF’s Hille Family Foundation Chair in Neurodegenerative Disease Research. “These symptoms are closely linked to dopamine. There’s a good indication that the area handling the chemical could be involved years before tell-tale symptoms of Alzheimer’s appear.”
Scientists in Beckstead’s OMRF lab will observe dopamine-controlled behaviors in research models of Alzheimer’s throughout development and the impact of environmental changes like diet on disease progression.
The study will also include a partnership with OMRF scientist Bill Freeman, Ph.D., a researcher in the foundation’s Gene and Human Diseases Research Program. First, Beckstead’s lab will identify abnormal brain cells using electrical signals. Then, Freeman’s team will analyze the cells using a technique never before applied to Alzheimer’s disease models to look for clues to explain why they are behaving differently.
“We used to compare a region of an Alzheimer’s brain to a region of a normal brain,” said Freeman. “But we know within the brain there are many types of cells, and each could play a different role in Alzheimer’s. Now we can look at what’s different between individual dopamine neurons, which provides us with answers to better questions.”
Freeman said the partnership between labs is a natural result of the diverse talents at OMRF. “To do impactful science, you have to cross over multiple disciplines,” he said. “It’s always going to be a team effort.”

During her long and distinguished career in nursing, Barbara Holtzclaw, Ph.D., R.N., has worked in three different but complementary worlds – providing care at the patient’s bedside; conducting research to improve that care; and educating the next generation to further the field through their own research.
It is the synergy of those three that has allowed her to advance the discipline of nursing in significant ways. Holtzclaw is retiring this summer as a research leader and professor in the Fran and Earl Ziegler College of Nursing at the University of Oklahoma Health Sciences Center, although as academicians are prone to do, it may be on paper only. She continues to conduct research and mentor nursing science students on the path she began many years ago.
“My research is a combination of my clinical experience, my curiosity of how physiological mechanisms work, and a mentor who showed me how nursing research can make a difference in clinical care,” she said. “Working with students allows me to foster their interest in nursing research the same way my mentor did many years ago.”
Holtzclaw is retiring as Associate Director of Translational Science for the Donald W. Reynolds Center of Geriatric Nursing Excellence at the OU College of Nursing. Prior to that, she served as Associate Dean for Research for the college, as well as interim director for the Ph.D. in Nursing program, which she helped to establish in 2008. Previously, she was a research director at the Vanderbilt University School of Nursing in Tennessee and Associate Dean for Research and Director of Doctoral Studies at the University of Texas Health Science Center in San Antonio. Joining the faculty at the OU College of Nursing in 2000 was like coming home – she earned her bachelor’s degree in nursing and a doctorate in higher education from OU, and she directed a Family Nurse Practitioner certificate program and taught in the undergraduate and master’s degree programs at OU from 1968 to 1987.
Holtzclaw was introduced to nursing research in the 1970s while pursuing her master’s degree at the University of California at San Francisco, where her mentor was studying shivering in people who were being therapeutically cooled. During surgery, patients’ temperatures fall and their metabolisms decrease while they’re asleep, and for some procedures, like open heart surgery, patients are intentionally made hypothermic.
“That’s all fine while they’re asleep, but when they start to wake up, they start shivering,” she said. “When they shiver, their temperature rises and their blood pressure rises – there’s a heavy metabolic cost to shivering.”
Holtzclaw’s interest in the body’s thermoregulation only grew from there. She experimented with wrapping patients’ arms and feet – where the most dominant sensors are – in three layers of terrycloth toweling to see if she could prevent shivering even though the patient was being cooled. During her post-doctoral fellowship at the University of Pennsylvania, her research delved further into post-operative temperature change and the negative effects of such energy expenditure. At an annual meeting of the American Society of Anesthesiologists, she presented the results of her study, conducted with a cardiovascular anesthesiologist, which established shivering as the cause of a significant increase in metabolic rate and cardiac effort.
“During the study, I remember pointing out to a new doctor that his patient was shivering, and he said, ‘Well, how do you expect them to get warm?’ I responded, ‘Would you have your patient go out and shovel snow?’ I went on, ‘No, but your patient is using the same amount of oxygen and is under as much metabolic stress as if they were shoveling snow.’”
Holtzclaw’s research expanded to investigate shivering in patients with cancer who were taking an antifungal drug called Amphotericin B. The body responds to the drug by running a fever and shivering, not because the patient is actually cold, but because the drug tricked their nervous system into raising its thermostat to a higher level, so it thinks they’re cold. The wrapping intervention worked to suppress shivering. She then studied the same phenomenon in patients with HIV who had opportunistic infections with high fevers, and again the wrapping intervention worked. All along the way, her research raised awareness among nurses and physicians about the risks of shivering.
“It has been satisfying to find a research area that affects almost every walk of life,” Holtzclaw said. “Shivering doesn’t happen by itself – it happens within all these other scenarios. That has allowed me to take my research in slightly different directions regarding thermoregulation.”
More recently, Holtzclaw has been working with a graduate student on the concept of immunosenescence – the gradual deterioration of the immune system with age – and its effect on vaccine response in older adults. These effects lower older adults’ protection against the virus, even with vaccination, which points to the extra precautions needed with this age group, she said.
During her career, Holtzclaw published two books, wrote numerous articles, and gave presentations around the world on the topics of fever, shivering and hypothermia. She was founding editor of the Southern Online Journal of Nursing Research and continues to serve on review panels and advisory boards for numerous other journals. She is a fellow of the American Academy of Nursing and the Gerontological Society of America, among many other honors.
While her research has been highly regarded, Holtzclaw has also played a significant, but sometimes behind-the-scenes, role as educator and mentor to many students.
“Dr. Holtzclaw has been absolutely committed to mentorship, which includes students, early-career colleagues, senior colleagues, and others outside the discipline. She always finds ways to help people be successful,” said Lazelle Benefield, Ph.D., R.N., Professor and Dean Emeritus of the OU College of Nursing and director of its Donald W. Reynolds Center of Geriatric Nursing Excellence.
OU College of Nursing Dean Julie Hoff, Ph.D., MPH, R.N., added, “Students, faculty and staff have all been touched by Dr. Holtzclaw’s passion for teaching, research and nursing.”
The OU College of Nursing is part of the OU Health Sciences Center, a leader in education, research and patient care and one of only four comprehensive academic health centers in the nation with seven professional colleges. To find out more, visit nursing.ouhsc.edu.

A new exhibition featuring acclaimed American photographer Patrick Nagatani’s (1945-2017) portfolio that addresses nuclear testing, waste and history in the state of New Mexico opens Thursday, Aug. 5, at the Fred Jones Jr. Museum of Art, located on the University of Oklahoma Norman campus. Nuclear Enchantment, a series of 40 images created by the artist between 1988 and 1993, plays upon New Mexico’s motto as the “Land of Enchantment” to raise awareness of the effects of the nuclear industry on the state’s land and people. This is the first time the entire series has been exhibited in Oklahoma.

After moving to New Mexico in 1987, Nagatani visited sites of nuclear testing and radiation in the state. He saw parallels between narratives constructed around the nuclear industry and those found in the Hollywood film industry, where he had previously worked as a set designer. “The story Nagatani reveals through vivid colors and outlandish compositions may surprise, even disturb, viewers about the region many of us escape to during hot Oklahoma summers,” said curator Hadley Jerman. “The fabricated scenes and distorted landscapes are fascinating accounts of the stranger-than-fiction tale of nuclear testing in New Mexico but also serve as pointed commentary on photography’s role in “recording” the past.”

This exhibition is made possible by the generous recent gift of the series to the museum from the FJJMA Association and the Andrew Smith Gallery. In a time when museum galleries across the nation, and the world, were shuttered for the better part of the past 18 months, the acquisition of this portfolio helps meet the museum’s mission of bringing diverse art for public display at the Fred Jones Jr. Museum of Art. “We are excited and grateful for this opportunity to expand the museum’s collection with this striking, imaginative series,” said Alison Fields, a faculty member at OU’s School of Visual Art and co-interim director of the museum. “The issues raised in Nuclear Enchantment remain relevant today, and we look forward to sharing Nagatani’s important work with the public.”

In Nuclear Enchantment, Nagatani makes visible a New Mexico whose “enchanting” vistas are poisoned by toxic waste and whose arsenal—whether celebrated in monuments or missile displays outside schools—continues to threaten New Mexico’s inhabitants, specifically Native Americans. Before his untimely death in 2017, Nagatani wrote, “My intentions are to raise public consciousness about the effects of New Mexico’s nuclear industry that continues to grow despite the damage it has already caused and will continue to bring to the state. The series, Nuclear Enchantment, attempts to awaken the many New Mexicans who still believe nuclear power poses no threat and that defense spending promotes the economy. Culturally and geographically connected to New Mexico, it is perceived by the elite powers as a place that can be abused and even reduced to rubble.”

Patrick Nagatani: Nuclear Enchantment, will be on display through January 30, 2022. Public programming for this exhibition will be announced at a later date.

by Greg Schwem

It never fails. All the good Father’s Day gift ideas appear after the holiday.
I don’t mean to sound ungrateful. I loved the barbecue tools and swimmer’s headphones that my wife and daughters gifted me last month. But had I paid more attention to Amazon founder Jeff Bezos’ space quest, my wish list might have looked very different.
Bezos, we all know by now, recently completed a short journey to space aboard something called the New Shepard rocket. Named for first man in space Alan Shepard and launched on the 52nd anniversary of the Apollo 11 moon landing, the craft returned safely and intact, allowing Bezos to resume duties as the world’s richest individual.
The capsule was completely automated, allowing Bezos and his three passengers to do absolutely nothing during the ride other than admire the views, the strongest evidence yet that space tourism could soon be a real thing.
As long as tourists are willing to climb into something that, no matter how you try and sugarcoat it, resembles the male phallus.
The design was confirmed by millions on social media who used it as additional fodder to unload on Bezos and his desire to spend billions on space travel while so many Americans live below the poverty line.
Seethe in anger all you want, Bezos haters. I will reserve judgement and applaud Bezos’ efforts, provided he agrees to run Blue Origin, his space exploration company, the same way he runs Amazon: Enable consumers to purchase whatever product their heart desires affordably and conveniently.
Admit it, isn’t that why we all use Amazon? We know that no matter what material good we see in a store, it can most likely be found cheaper on Amazon. We execute a few mouse clicks and then wait excitedly for whatever we ordered to arrive on our front porch. Well, we’re not always excited; the toilet brushes I recently ordered filled me with no adrenal rush whatsoever.
Bottom line? I want my own spacecraft, and I’m counting on Bezos to deliver it to me. I have ample room in my backyard to set up the launchpad. The area is also free of trees and power lines, ensuring a safe and unencumbered launch of my new spaceship.
Bezos’ three-person crew included a family member, his brother Mark. My only sibling lives eight hours away, but my wife enjoys quick getaways. Then again, she would probably prefer a little peace and quiet in the house, even if only for a quarter hour. So, I’ll leave her behind and ask a few of my male friends from the neighborhood. At least one needs to bring beer. Again, since computers will guide us through of our journey, there is no need to select a designated driver.
Once we return, we will have the ultimate excuse for laying on the couch and doing positively nothing. For as long as we desire. Demands that we get up and mow the lawn, take out the garbage or fold the laundry will be met with, “Hey, I was just in space!”
So, Jeff, please make good on my requests before late September, as my birthday falls at that time. Christmas at the latest. I have big plans for my spaceship in 2022.
Oh, and I’d also like free shipping.
(Greg Schwem is a corporate stand-up comedian and author of two books: “Text Me If You’re Breathing: Observations, Frustrations and Life Lessons From a Low-Tech Dad” and the recently released “The Road To Success Goes Through the Salad Bar: A Pile of BS From a Corporate Comedian,” available at Amazon.com. Visit Greg on the web at www.gregschwem.com.
You’ve enjoyed reading, and laughing at, Greg Schwem’s monthly humor columns in Senior Living News. But did you know Greg is also a nationally touring stand-up comedian? And he loves to make audiences laugh about the joys, and frustrations, of growing older. Watch the clip and, if you’d like Greg to perform at your senior center or senior event, contact him through his website at www.gregschwem.com)

Story by Bobby Anderson, RN

Oklahoma’s assisted living providers are set to gather later this month for the first time since Covid-19 in what Melissa Holland hopes to be a celebration and a learning event that will benefit Oklahomans.
The Oklahoma Assisted Living Association’s 2021 convention and trade show will be held Aug. 24-26 at RiverSpirit Casino Resort in Tulsa.
This year’s theme will be OKALA’s Roaring to Kick Off a New Decade with a 1920s flapper theme.
Melissa Holland, OKALA’s executive director, said this industry-only event will afford the opportunity for members to interact for the first time since Covid-19 in a comfortable, fun environment to share and learn best practices to serve the state’s assisted living population.
“We’re really excited because it will be an in-person event, back to our annual educational and trade show event,” Holland said. “We’ll have educational sessions for our administrators, nurses, activity directors, dietary, marketing and maintenance so they can come and get a lot of good education courses based on some of the needs they have expressed.”
Former University of Tulsa Head Football Coach and Oklahoma Senator Dave Rader will help kick off the event with a session on team building.
Holland said she frequently receives member requests on how to build strong, more cohesive staff units to better serve residents and Rader is one of the best in the field.
Having coached college football for four decades, Rader is best known for his 12 seasons as head coach of the University of Tulsa. At age 29 he was the youngest offensive coordinator in the Southeastern Conference. Then his alma mater made him the youngest head coach at the time in Division I NCAA football at the age of 31.
Awarded the NCAA District Coach of the Year honor in 1991 after his Freedom Bowl Champion University of Tulsa team finished 22nd in the national polls, he was appointed to the American Football Coaches Association Ethics Committee, and served as the representative of Independent Universities to the now defunct College Football Association.
Many of his student athletes went on to play in the NFL including seven quarterbacks, and many more to productive careers outside of athletics. His Tulsa teams consistently graduated at a higher rate than the university body in general.
He is honored to be a member of four Halls of Fame.
Walt Disney World/Epcot Center and Marriott Hotels alum Toni Fisk will present on her newly-released book #dinewithdignity Unlocking the Mystery of Dementia and Dining. Fisk brings her 35 years in the food and hospitality to bear in tackling an often overlooked senior issue.
The book focuses on the role of care partners and provides insight and tips on ways to maximize enjoyment in the dining environment while answering “the questions that you didn’t know to ask.”
Holland said information will be presented on the Covid-19 vaccine and separating fact from fiction in today’s fragmented media environment.
The pandemic stretched providers in a number of directions in their efforts to keep residents and staff safe.
Holland said her members continued to rise to the occasion.
“They have been phenomenal. They really have,” Holland said. “They have been amazing. When they were locked down I was able to send them ideas and (information) to help them. I”ve never had so many thank-you’s in this last year-and-a-half.”
Assisted Living was founded on a resident-centered philosophy to enable choice, preserve dignity, encourage independence, and promote quality of life.
Assisted living communities offer supportive amenities, service and care in a residential setting with the comforts of home. Assisted living communities have a staff available 24/7 to assist with care, safety and support. When you have seen one assisted living community, you have just seen one. They come in all different shapes and sizes, and offer a variety of features, amenities and prices.
The association offers a number of resources to help you make an informed decision when evaluating the state’s 170 assisted living communities. You can visit their website at okala.org or call them at 405-235-5000.

The American Nurses Association (ANA), representing the interests of the nation’s 4.2 million registered nurses, supports health care employers mandating nurses and all health care personnel to get vaccinated against COVID-19 in alignment with current recommendations for immunization by public health officials.
Increasing circulation of new variants, lagging COVID-19 vaccination rates, and continued public skepticism calls for nurses to uphold their professional and ethical obligations to model the same prevention measures as their patients. For our nation to maintain the momentum of recovery efforts from this persistent pandemic, enough individuals and communities must get vaccinated to reduce the risk of further infections, hospitalizations, and deaths.
“The scientific rigor to swiftly develop effective COVID-19 vaccines and the monumental efforts to ensure all Americans get vaccinated is nothing short of amazing. Vaccination is both a significant public health victory and a scientifically proven strategy to slow the spread of COVID-19 and prevent the loss of more American lives,” said ANA President Ernest J. Grant, PhD, RN, FAAN. “As the largest group of health care professionals, nurses are critical to all facets of COVID-19 response efforts and must strive to remain physically and psychologically safe to function optimally to care for themselves, their patients and their communities. Nurses must get vaccinated.”
ANA’s decision to support COVID-19 vaccine mandates for nurses aligns with its longstanding position on immunizations, which emphasizes that effective protection of the public health mandates that all individuals receive immunizations against vaccine-preventable diseases. ANA also believes that the safety profile of authorized COVID-19 vaccines is stable and has included the three COVID-19 vaccines being administered under the Food and Drug Administration’s Emergency Use Authorization. ANA maintains its stance to not support philosophical or religious exemptions as reasons not to get vaccinated.
“A significant number of nurses working in a variety of health care settings across the nation have diligently fulfilled their ethical duty to protect themselves, their colleagues, patients and loved ones by getting a COVID-19 vaccine,” said Dr. Grant. “We would absolutely be remiss to not acknowledge these nurses and applaud them for leading the charge and setting an example for their patients.”
In a survey of over 22,000 nurses conducted by the American Nurses Foundation between January 19 and February 16, 70% of nurses said they had received at least one COVID-19 vaccine. Most recently, in a survey of over 4,500 nurses conducted by the COVID-19 Facts For Nurses Campaign between April 12 and May 4, 83% of nurses reported that they had received the recommended dose regimen of two COVID-19 vaccine shots.
Nurses might desire more understanding about the safety profile of COVID-19 vaccines as they decide whether to get vaccinated and there are legitimate reasons that a nurse might decide not to take the COVID-19 vaccine, such as severe allergies, compromised immune systems, and other serious health conditions. ANA will continue to provide all nurses education and resources to guide their understanding and consideration of COVID-19 vaccines.