Morning Edition - 2/1/06

Woman Thou Art FIERCE!
Coretta Scott King, 78, died yesterday morning. There was much more to the wife of martyr and non-violent soldier, Martin Luther King, Jr. The valedictorian of her Lincoln High School class in Marion, Alabama, she went on to receive her B.A. from Antioch College. Coretta Scott met Martin Luther King, Jr. while studying voice at the New England Conservatory of Music. She graduated from the Boston Conservatory with a degree in voice and violin. Before Coretta, King said most of the girls he met were intellectual lightweights. He was so taken by her that he proposed to her on their first date and they were married in June 1953. In 1959 while visiting India, Coretta was considered the darling of the Indian population as she sang Negro spirituals while King gave speeches. King was quoted as saying, “Coretta would sing as much as I lectured.” Coretta and Martin had four children – two boys and two girls. After King’s death, Coretta continued speaking and fighting for social justice, even speaking for the rights of women, children and yes, even gays and lesbians. Coretta is the first woman ever to deliver the class day address at Harvard University and the first woman to preach at St. Paul’s Cathedral in London. Her continued message of equality, peace and justice took her all over the world and made her an advisor and confidant to countless heads of state. A formidable woman with a history and legacy all her own, Coretta proved that you can make your own mark while still being the very capable partner of a revered world hero.

A Full Nelson
At 6’ 3” tall Nelson R. is not your average Puerto Rican man. Last night, Nelly (yeah, I had to give him a nickname…) stopped by to simply say hi and drop off a bouquet of white tulips. Normally, showing up at my door unannounced would be met by apprehension, but remembering my new rule to give the brothas the benefit of the doubt, I answered the door and was pleasantly surprised. So we’ll chalk up extra credit points toward the “oops bank”. This means if the man has a small foul-up in the near future we’ll give him a break. What made the moment sweeter was that he was rushing, his son waiting in the double-parked car in front of my house. Before writing this little piece I spoke to Nelly and thanked him for the flowers, but made a point of giving him a special thank you for the spontaneity. There’s much to be said about planting seeds of romance.

Treating Your Diabetes With An Inhaler?
Now, type 1 and 2 diabetes sufferers will have the option of inhaling their insulin prescription rather than injecting it. On Friday, the FDA approved Exubera, a new insulin drug to be used via an inhaler. Diabetics will still need to prick themselves to check sugar levels, but now they can treat themselves via an inhaler – ala asthma sufferers. It is estimated this will be a $1 billion per year business. Smokers cannot use Exubera – yet another reason to quit smoking if you’re diabetic. The insulin inhaler will be available by mid year.

On Blast
We can rebuild him/her. Sometimes you wish you could take parts from one partner and attach them to another to make the perfect partner. What traits (physical, personality, etc.) would you take from each of your previous partners to create the perfect mate? Be specific.

Keep passin’ the open windows…