Daily Archives: October 5, 2007

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An open letter to Angelina Jolie

October 5, 2007 9:07 pm , 3 Comments ,

Dear Angelina,

I heard the moving story you told at the Clinton Global Initiative about two Syrian refugees. You spoke of a young boy who cared for a man who, for religious reasons, had been tortured and left in a trash can to die. The man’s wounds were infected and riddled with maggots and the impoverished boy nursed him back to health.

Angelina, this is a good story, and a heartbreaking one, but I know something you don’t. Maggots actually promote healing because they eat the bacteria in open wounds. Maggots are natural debriders of necrotic tissue – they precisely remove the bad and leave the good. Meanwhile they disinfect wounds and assist in the healing process. So Angie, next time you want to cry about something, don’t cry about maggots. Maggots are on your side. Maggots are humanitarians too. Maggots were in Syria helping people way before you were. Keep up the good work though.

xo

Wistar

PS Feel free to comment on my blog.

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My lunch hour with the BBC

October 5, 2007 3:16 pm , 2 Comments ,

Because there was some confusion at work this morning about who still needed a nap and who was going to be fully clothed during work hours, I was delighted to have lunch with my family. My little brother and his girlfriend are in town from Wyoming, so I brought them some bacon sandwiches. At my parents’ house, I found my grandmother stretched out in bed with the wool covers pulled up to her chin. She had a tear streaming down her cheek as she watched TV.

“What’s the matter?” I said, lying down beside her.

“The elephants,” she said. “They can’t find the water. It’s just agony.” She was watching the first episode of the Planet Earth documentary entitled Pole to Pole, wherein a herd of elephants treks hundreds of miles across the desert through dust storms and enemy territories in order to reach water. By the way, lately my grandmother describes everything as either bliss or agony. Bliss occurs when she gets to lie down in bed again, drink Coca-Cola, and watch soaps after a doctor’s appointment.

“It’s okay, Big Wis,” I said, “They’ll make it to the water eventually.” Her eyes stayed glued to the screen and she pulled the covers up to her nose so I could barely hear her.

“I can’t stand it,” she said. “I worry so about the animals.”

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