Nadia Zhukovski kisses her sleeping son Vlad before going to the local pharmacy for medical supplies. © Scott Anger & Bob Sacha for the Open Society Foundations
In the spring of 2010, documentary filmmakers Scott Anger and Bob Sacha traveled to Ukraine for the Open Society Foundations to report on access to pain relief in end-of-life care: while late-stage cancer patients in other countries might get 2,000 milligrams or more of morphine per day to manage their pain symptoms, patients in Ukraine are only allowed 50 milligrams per day.
The two filmmakers met Vlad Zhukovski, 27, and his mother Nadia in the small town of Cherkasy. Vlad was suffering from incurable brain cancer. Despite desperate pleas to doctors and nurses, Nadia was unable to obtain enough medication for her son, while Vlad’s deteriorating condition left him continuously tormented in pain.
Bob Sacha remembers first learning of Vlad’s young age. “I thought about all the things I had done since I was that age—silly, simple things—and I realized that not only would Vlad be unable to do those type of things, but he’d also needlessly suffer in pain until the day he died. No one should ever be sentenced to that future.”
What Vlad and Nadia were going through was familiar to many families in Ukraine, yet remained largely unheard of in countries where pain relief is a reality. Scott Anger describes meeting Nadia for the first time over tea in her kitchen, explaining why they had come to tell their story, but also what the process would require:
“As documentary filmmakers, our desire is always to truthfully witness and record events as they unfold, which means we’re shooting all the time. Nothing is setup or staged. Our goal is to eventually become invisible so people are comfortable enough to go about their daily lives. Once we explained to Nadia and Vlad why we were there and what we wanted to do, they agreed. From that point forward, we filmed nearly every aspect of their lives.”
Scott and Bob spent the next ten days with the family. “Vlad was a thoughtful, caring and funny person. Even when he was in a lot of pain, he asked about our comfort and needs,” Scott recalled. “For the most part, we became part of the environment. Then Vlad would be getting bandages changed by his friend Sergey or having a conversation with his mom when he’d suddenly turn and ask how we were doing. He cared about all the people around him. Sometimes, he joked about how we’d wait frozen in position for a long time in order to get just the right angle or shot.”
As their relationship with the family continued to grow, the filmmakers were drawn into their private world. Bob describes Nadia’s struggle to care for her son, not only in her day-to-day care-giving but in navigating the daunting bureaucratic obstacles.
“After getting the runaround on the phone, Nadia decided she might have better luck if she personally went to the hospital to find a doctor to come and see Vlad,” Bob says. “I can still remember the way she would walk with these determined strides, the click, click, click of her heels on the pavement. It was incredible to watch her fight for her son, to keep politely pushing and pushing until someone would pay attention. I am in awe of her. She devoted her life to Vlad, to try to get him better care, to try to get him more medication to ease his suffering.”
When it was time to leave, the unspoken truth brought with it a weight of finality. "Most of the time you know you'll see someone again someday, somewhere. But we were pretty sure that we weren't going to see Vlad again, that he was not going to get better," said Bob.
"Despite the intolerable pain and health problems, we never witnessed him losing hope," Scott added, "And we returned home to the task of telling his story in a truthful, powerful way that honored Vlad's value for life."
Fifty Milligrams Is Not Enough is one in a series of three short films documenting human rights abuses in health care settings. Watch the films and learn more about the Campaign to Stop Torture in Health Care.
Film Credits
Fifty Milligrams Is Not Enough
A Film by Scott Anger and Bob Sacha
Produced by the Open Society Foundations
Producers: Paul Silva and Pamela Chen
Editor: Scott Anger
Design: Mike Schmidt
Translator: Eugenia Larionchik
Transcription: Irina Zaytseva
Special Thanks: The Zhukovski Family, Dr. Irina Shlyaga, Sergey Psiurnyk
The economics of the Internet, past and present
Idaho State Journal January 4, 2011 Only a modern Rip Van Winkle could have missed the increasing role the Internet has in American life. What was once a toy for video gamers and a tool only for scientists is now a powerful force in the economic life of the nation.
Online Cyber Monday sales topped in-store Black Friday sales for the first time this holiday season. No one can argue that online shopping isn't convenient. After all, who isn't comfortable shopping while sitting at home in their slippers. However, the e-commerce revolution may be taking a toll on seasonal holiday employment.
Since the early 1990s the holiday season has created 700,000 to 800,000 temporary seasonal jobs across the nation. The 2010 shopping season produced only about 600,000 --almost double the number created in 2008 and about 100,000 more than last year --but still disappointing.
Sales totals indicate that spending during the Christmas season was back to prerecession levels, and many expected hiring at the same level. The reason it was down may be as close as a mouse. Steve Jones, an author who studies the effects of the Internet on business and the economy, says businesses such as Amazon.com do not require the same customer service staff as traditional brick and mortar stores. So as online sales increase nationally, the need for retail sales and customer service staff at brick and mortar stores declines.
However, the rise of the World Wide Web in American commerce has not always equaled job losses. In the 1990s, during the dot-com bubble, Internet-based startup companies created many high-paying jobs related to web-based technologies. site cyber monday sales
The dot-com bubble produced a wide array of webbased firms --Craigslist, Amazon.com, Ebay, Google, and Yahoo to name a few. In the 1990s the dot.com startup companies were bolstered by venture capital firms that saw the Internet as an almost magical land where their money could grow rapidly in a matter of months. Stock prices for web-based firms soared as investors jumped in to take advantage of what many perceived to be a surefire investment.
Economist and business writer Keith Fitz-Gerald says the dot-com bubble was "built on all things Internet, and success was easy. All you had to do was start a company and give it a nice technical sounding name, say you wanted to engage in the business of "e-anything ," ask some irrationally exuberant venture capitalist to put up four to five times as much start capital as any 'normal' business could get, and then watch your IPO stock shoot up tenfold in price." Fitz-Gerald's summation of the dotcom era may sound comical, but it is not farfetched. Some of the more outrageous dot-come companies included Flooz. com, which received $35 million to start a website where customers could buy online virtual currency which could be used with other online merchants; MVP. go to site cyber monday sales
pp a acka ck a gge e for ^ s com, which received $65 million to sell sporting goods; GovWorks.com, which was the subject of the movie documentary Startup.com and received millions of dollars of venture capital to create a system where consumers could pay fees to local governments online; and last but not least, Webvan.com, which raised $375 million to create an online grocery delivery business.
Many venture capital firms took controlling interests in dot-com startups and urged the new firms to grow rapidly. This rapid growth required the addition of many new employees, and many of them commanded high compensation. A positive ripple effect of new jobs across many sectors of America's economy helped foster the economic prosperity of the Clinton years.
However, by 2000 the dot.com party was coming to an abrupt end. The NASDAQ , home of many dot-com companies, lost more than half its value in a period of just a few months. America's economy stumbled as many dot.coms shut down, shedding many high technology jobs.
The Internet is a powerful force in our economy, but web-based ventures provide not only opportunities but also economic hazards.
Dan Cravens is the regional economist for the Idaho Department of Labor in small ma Pocatello l l. business ONLINE To comment on this column, go to thejhub.com. For more business news, visit idahostatejournal. com. Go to the news tab to find the business news link.
Leaders hold forum to discuss Wal-Mart
Pasadena Star-News October 7, 2005 SAN GABRIEL --Area religious leaders will hold a forum on Wal- Mart at 7 p.m. on Monday.
"Judging Wal-Mart from a Faith Perspective' will be held at St. Anthony's Catholic Church with speakers Dr. Goetz Wolff, a UCLA professor, and Kent Wong, director of the UCLA Labor Center.
State Sen. Gloria Romero, D- East Los Angeles, and Assemblywoman Judy Chu, D-Monterey Park, will be part of a panel discussion following the event. A preview of Ronald Greenwald's film about Wal- Mart called "The High Price of Low Cost' also will be shown.
The event is presented by Progressive Christians Uniting and Interfaith Communities United for Justice and Peace. It is endorsed by St. Anthony's Parish and the San Gabriel Mission Parish.
Wal-Mart is trying to open a 24- hour Super Center in Rosemead. The project was approved by the Rosemead City Council for the 24- acre corner of Walnut Grove Avenue and Rush Street.
Woman's Club offers pneumonia, flu shots SIERRA MADRE The Sierra Madre Woman's Club will sponsor a second flu clinic, which will offer flu, pneumonia and tetanus vaccinations from 9 a.m. until noon on Oct. 23.
Flu shots are $23; pneumonia and tetanus shots are $40 each.
The flu clinic will be held at the Essick House at 550 W. Sierra Madre Blvd. For more information or appointments, call (626) 355- 8586.
Armenia trade office to aide tourism, trade SACRAMENTO A bill by state Senator Jack Scott, D- Pasadena, that extends the sunset date for the operation of a privately funded trade office in Armenia has been signed by the governor. California is home to about a half-million Armenian Americans and the trade office is expected to increase business, trade and tourism between California and Armenia. go to web site kaiser permanente locations
"This is an important step forward in cementing ties between the people of California and Armenia,' Scott said. "It is also a responsible step in these tight economic times. This office is the first privately funded trade office for the state and it will be a win-win for California and Armenia. The trade office will open new and large growth markets for California businesses and investors. For Armenia and its neighbors, the office will generate much-needed business and investment.' The state's trade office in Armenia opened this week in the capital city of Yerevan. It was funded with $75,000 in private donations. The Glendale-based Foundation for Economic Development helped create the trade office. here kaiser permanente locations
Scott recently completed a fact- finding trip to Armenia where he met with President Robert Kotcharian and foreign minister Vartan Oskanian to announce the opening of the trade office.
Tennis, volleyball starting at YWCA PASADENA YWCA Pasadena-Foothill Valley is registering those interested in playing on the volleyball or tennis teams .
The volleyball league is for girls ages eight to 16, and the season runs Monday through Dec. 17. Participants must attend a skills evaluation at 9 a.m. today at CORAL Innovation Center.
The tennis league is for girls ages five to 17, and the season runs today through Dec. 17.
The participation cost for tennis or volleyball is $100 for YWCA members and $115 for nonmembers. The fee covers uniforms, photos, trophies (for volleyball), referee fees and other supplies.
To register or for more information, contact the YWCA at (626) 296- 8433.
Registration forms may also be obtained online at www.ywca- pasadena.org or at the YWCA office.
Clothing drive benefits victims of violence EL MONTE A Southland lawmaker urges San Gabriel Valley residents to donate clothing and other necessities for domestic- violence victims as part of a monthlong drive.
Items needed include clothing, diapers, toothpaste, deodorant and body soap, said Assemblywoman Judy Chu, D-El Monte.
Collection sites have been set up at various Kaiser Permanente locations in the San Gabriel Valley to coincide with Domestic Violence Awareness Month, Chu said.
The donated items will be sent to the Asian Pacific Women's Center, YWCA-WINGS (Women In Need Growing Strong) and Project ACHIEVE/ Pathways.
: From staff reports
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A Health Care personnel should have works with not only his/her wit but should also with their heart,,,,things that rarely or hardly found in the real world,,,,maybe it is easy just to say that "it is live pal",,,,,,