An Audiogramme received and faithfully recorded and submitted to the Dean, then to The Editor, from:

Dr. James Woodbury Rowe -
on matters of import to the global community

Greetings Dean and Greetings to Our Prince Regent and Lord President:

On the passing of John V. Lindsay and Mad Cow Disease

Of late I am taken to reading the New York Times. I may debate with the Dean whether the NY Times deserves to be the paper of record over the Wall Street Journal on another occasion. Yet I thought it appropriate to comment on the world of information garnered by the Times.

I am saddened to read in the NY Times obituaries record of the death of John V. Lindsay former Mayor of the City of New York (1965-1973), and one time US Presidential Candidate. His sad decline from the days of the power and the glory in a way is reflective of general demise of US prestige, manners and institutions. As we see the incumbent Mary Rudolph Gulliani on bended knee with hands clasped in prayer at the funeral of the fallen icon, do we not ask is Gulliani praying for deliverance from an uncertain future?

And with globalization we have come to see the many dangers on the horizon.

Today as I was calling the Dean's answering machine, from a location inside former British territory (US or Canada), I was unable to connect using the English language. It was necessary to speak to the Spanish operator in Spanish of which I know little and should know less. Fortunately, pro favor, Dei, your answering maching responded in the language of Chaucer.

But Britain has problems its own aside from the retreat of the language. This 'Mad Cow Disease' and 'Hoof and Mouth' disease has been blown entirely out or proportion mainly by the jolly Irish who make Britons take a bath upon entering their country.

Fortunately I see some resistance from the rival language group to this hysteria. Spanish townships are roiling over European rules which prohibit the eating of bulls slain in the arena by the matadors. Enforcement of these rules would close down the bull rings.

Why the furor over the cow's disease?

We don't seemed to be concerned over eating arthritic cows, cancerous cows, tuberclur cows, over vaccinated cows. Why could this hoof and mouth disease, which is not communicable to humans concern us? I say we're afraid of ghosts, disease attributable to germs as opposed to other diseases.

Would not the cattle which survives the disease be resistant and able to provide a natural immunization?

And yet we see now as this paranoia deepens that expensive sheep which produce an unusual cheese were slaughtered in New Hampshire, because they "might" have come in contact with the disease.

I sadly note that, unlike the optimism of the time of John V. Lindsay, our current leaders seem at best to have the attitude of "after us, the deluge."

Cheerio,

Dr. James Woodbury Rowe DF - Mentor-rrps@theglobe.com

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