Edited by Christian Gregory Amistad. 288 pp. $27.99 - - - The many accolades that one might assign to Dick Gregory - pioneering comedian, best-selling author, civil rights activist, even health guru - are more reductive than the man he was. Sure, his appearance on "The Jack Paar Show" in 1961 was a breakthrough for Black entertainers on American television; his work for social justice, which began when he was in high school in the 1940s, helped break down barriers; and his books, more than a dozen, sold millions of copies. Gregory was passionate, effusive, unfiltered. Even in his later years, he seemed to never turn down an opportunity to grab the mic and offer his frank appraisals. ("Anytime you vote for the lesser of two evils, you're evil yourself," he said in a 2016 comment about Donald Trump. "That's how Hitler came to power.") Gregory spent nearly 60 years in public life, touring until his death in 2017 at age 84. He was, pardon the cliche, larger than life. For … [Read more...] about Book World: Dick Gregory was many things. Filtered was not one of them.
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Biden administration poised to lift monkeypox emergency declaration
The Biden administration plans to end the public health emergency for monkeypox, officials said Friday, as new cases of the viral disease plummet. Officials at the Department of Health and Human Services issued a 60-day notice to lift the emergency declaration, which had gone into effect in August. Nearly 30,000 Americans have been infected by the monkeypox virus since the start of a global outbreak in the spring, and 17 people have died. Cases largely have been concentrated in gay men who contracted the virus during sex. The virus has not spread widely among the broader public, as authorities feared. Fewer than 10 cases a day are being reported, compared with more than 450 a day in early August. "Given the low number of cases today, HHS does not expect that it needs to renew the emergency declaration when it ends on January 31, 2023," HHS Secretary Xavier Becerra said in a statement. "But we won't take our foot off the gas - we will continue to monitor the case trends … [Read more...] about Biden administration poised to lift monkeypox emergency declaration