A worker closes up fencing after the statue of Christopher Columbus was removed by the city at Arrigo Park on July 24, 2020. (Antonio Perez / Chicago Tribune)

And with the approach of another Columbus Day, I am again reminded of something that someone once said: “For me to win, you must lose.”

Or to put it in contemporary terms: To recognize America’s indigenous peoples, it is necessary to trash Christopher Columbus. In order to acknowledge the injustices committed against Native Americans and to honor their heritage, we must obliterate from our sight someone who, against all odds and in a courageous exploration, discovered–yes, discovered for the entire rest of the world–a place no one except its inhabitants knew?

Cannot we at least acknowledge what it took for Columbus to sail into the unknown and expand human knowledge? This is not to forget cruelties he committed against the indigenous people; no one should.

Do we have to remove the statues and ridicule the parade?  Insulting the hundreds of thousands of people who believe their Italian culture added something important to the family of man goes too far. Can’t we all just get along?

BY SANDRA GUY

Awareness of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease — COPD — and its treatments have never been more important — or life-saving.

As November heralds National COPD Awareness Month, experts say people with the underlying condition — while not at higher risk for COVID19 itself, are at high risk for complications and poorer outcomes if they get infected with the coronavirus.

COPD comprises a set of progressive lung diseases. An estimated 251 million people worldwide suffer from some form of COPD. The most common are emphysema and chronic bronchitis.

Emphysema destroys air sacs in the lungs, which interferes with outward air flow. Bronchitis causes the bronchial tubes to narrow and become inflamed, causing mucus buildup.

Symptoms can include shortness of breath, especially during physical activities, wheezing, chest tightness, lac of energy, frequent respiratory infections and a chronic cough that may produce mucus that may be clear, white, yellow or green.

Certain lifestyle changes can help alleviate symptoms, but medication, treatments, and for the worst cases, surgery, are considerations.

Experts advise:

• If you smoke, quit. The harmful chemicals in smoke can damage the lining of the lungs and airways.
• Whenever possible, avoid chemical fumes and secondhand smoke.
• Create a healthy eating plan for proper nutrition.
• Consult a doctor about the types of exercises you can do safely.

When the situation requires medication, bronchodilators can relax the airway muscles and help you breathe easier.
To lower the risk of getting other respiratory infections, ask your doctor if you should get a yearly flu shot, pneumococcal vaccine and a tetanus booster that includes protection from pertussis (whooping cough).

If your blood oxygen level is too low, you can receive supplemental oxygen.

Surgery is reserved for severe COPD or when other treatments have failed, which is more likely when you have a form of severe emphysema.

Smokers and people with COPD have an increased risk of severe complications and higher mortality with COVID-19 infection, according to a study published May 11 in the open-access journal PLOS ONE by Jaber Alqahtani of University College London, U.K., and colleagues.

Critically ill COVID-19 patients with COPD had a 63% risk of severe disease and a 60% risk of mortality, while critically ill patients without COPD had only a 33.4% risk of severe disease and 55% risk of mortality.

With Tuesday’s announcement that its lone fall game has been moved back a week, Southern Illinois head coach Nick Hill’s Salukis have more time to prepare and more time to be diligent.

The annual game with regional rival Southeast Missouri State billed as the “War of the Wheel” — an homage to a series that dates back to 1909 when the teams crossed the Mississippi River by boat to play. This year’s matchup was originally scheduled for Oct. 23, but positive COVID-19 tests on the SEMO side caused the game to be pushed back seven days.

Hill shared that SIU had one positive test in its most recent results. Southern players and staff go through weekly tests.

“We can’t get tired of doing the right thing,” Hill said.

Practicing with caution

SIU has followed social distancing guidelines as much as possible “outside the white lines,” according to Hill.

“It’s like Pop Warner (youth football), everybody bring your water bottle to practice,” he said. “You give them water breaks and they go over and find a big jug that has their name on it and those type of things.”

However, “between the white lines, there’s really only one way to play football. You’re going to have to practice, and that’s what the testing and contact tracing and those things are for, to keep everybody safe,” Hill said.

At present, SIU players do not use the locker room. They instead get dressed for practice outside the stadium.

“We feel like we’ve done the best job we can outside the white lines of limiting everybody’s contact,” Hill said. “But once you get into 11-on-11, it looks pretty normal.”

Learning from others

The later date has also allowed Hill and his staff to learn from other college football programs that have played this fall.

“We get the opportunity to watch these guys go in front of us,” Hill said during last week’s media address.

The early fall games — often played without the benefit of full-contact fall camps — have been marred by sloppy play such as missed tackles, ball security issues and special teams gaffs.

There have also been unfortunate injuries.

SIU head coach Nick Hill (Photo courtesy SIUSalukis.com)

“Tackling is such a big thing. We tackle in the games, so you have to practice, but then you want to get your team to the game as healthy as well,” Hill said.

As Hill elaborated, the fifth-year SIU head coach mentioned that in a “normal” year early-season games are often marred by shoddy tackling.

“That won’t change in this game,” he said. “We’ve got to be excellent teachers in finding unique ways of teaching tackling without putting our team at risk. Those things have gotten better with time and we do those things on a daily basis.”

In addition to live tackling, Hill said his staff has stressed drills and technique.

“It’s really on the player to hone into those details so when the game is live, they have the fundamentals to get players on the ground. That’s probably the biggest thing,” Hill said.

‘It’s a week at a time, a day at a time’

Hill showed the ability to be flexible and improvise when under pressure as a record-setting SIU quarterback. Today, as the head coach at his alma mater, he must do the same.

“In this day in age, I’ve been used to those (daily practice) schedules are in pretty light pencil, so you quickly get the eraser out and come up with a new schedule,” he said. “That’s really how we’ve been since the summer. It’s a week at a time, a day at a time.”

Why this game is important

In addition to regional bragging rights and a traveling trophy, this Friday night matchup at Saluki Stadium may well have implications on the spring season. Should SIU be fighting for one of the 16 spots in the FCS playoffs, this game may well be scrutinized as criteria.

“The importance of special teams and all those little details can come up in this game. You never now when those things are going to come up in a game, so you’ve got to practice them all,” Hill said.

Close to eight million cases of coronavirus in the United States.
Two hundred fourteen thousand are dead.
Does Donald Trump actually care?

Thirty members of his staff have been infected with coronavirus at a White House Rose Garden to celebrate the nomination of a Supreme Court Justice.
Among those infected are Kellyanne Conway, Kayleigh McEnany, Hope Hicks, Jason Miller and Stephen Miller.
Does Donald Trump actually care?

His own wife, Melania, was infected with the coronavirus and has been quarantined for more than two weeks.
His supposed friend and supporter, Chris Christie was hospitalized for a week.
Herman Cain is dead after attending a Trump rally.
Does Donald Trump actually care?

Trump held an event in Minnesota where ten attendees tested positive for the coronavirus.
He held an event inside the White House for Gold Star families that put them at risk for the illness.
Does Donald Trump actually care?

Trump himself came down with the virus and was hospitalized.
He then took a car ride around Washington, while still infectious, putting his Secret Service patrol at risk.
Does Donald Trump actually care?

Trump and his physicians have not had a single announced negative coronavirus test.
He still plans on holding three campaign rallies this week, putting more attendees at risk of coronavirus.
Does Donald Trump actually care?

Trump is still making false claims about the availability of a vaccine.
He’s making false claims that the medicines he received are a cure for coronavirus
His lies put thousands of American citizen’s lives at risk.
Does Donald Trump actually care?

The answers to all the above questions are no.

The presidential election is three weeks from tomorrow. Does Donald Trump care about this?
YES…and that’s the only thing he cares about now.
What’s a few thousand lives and many more lies if it means he can hold office for four more years.

Again…eight million cases of coronavirus in the United States.
Two hundred fourteen thousand have died.
The numbers are rising daily.
Remember them on November 3.
They’re the only thing that actually matters.
They’re the only thing that voters should actually care about.

Related Post: Donald Trump takes off his mask as more than 210,000 have died

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