On Saturday, June 14, 2003, THE MIAMI HERALD reported that Dr. Deborah Mash, a University of Miami neuroscientist led the research team that has just developed a 30-minute test for GHB, the "date rape drug" also known as "Scoop" and "Liquid X." Prior to this breakthrough, tests for the presence of GHB in urine, saliva or drinks took up to two days to deliver results. The creation of this new test was funded by the National Institute on Drug Abuse (NIDA) and the National Institutes of Health (NIH). The test can be used in the field, by paramedics called to a nightclub, for example, and at hospital emergency rooms. Miami area hospital emergency rooms are expected to begin using the test within a few months, followed by other cities. GHB can cause a debilitating array of reactions from dizziness, nausea, vomiting, weakness, seizures, and vision loss, to confusion, hallucinations, coma and death.
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Much Ado About Publishing
Hello, Operator? Get Me a Publisher!
In case you were wondering what the “let’s all publish our woes” mentality has done to people’s mentality…
A fortysomething party girl called me, referred by a writing colleague of mine. Said party mama spoke with a quiet sense of urgency and seriousness. She wanted to “not-write” a book, and was looking for a ghostwriter. She asked if I could recommend a ghost for her book, which, she said, would be a great public service, important for women of all ages.
A terrible deceit had been perpetrated upon her, she said. If she told her story, she could help millions of people worldwide.
Okay, I was curious. Intrigued, even.
I asked her what happened.
She wouldn’t tell me.
I explained how it might help me recommend the right ghost to her if she could at least give me a little info.
She got nasty.
“What’s it matter?” she barked.
This was a woman who wanted to help millions?
I don’t think so.
Gently, I began my guessing game. She’d said something about this being deeply personal, so I went, first, right to the worst personal thing.
“Were you attacked?” I asked soothingly.
“No,” she said plainly.
I nailed it on the second guess. This was a party mama, after all.
“Did someone spike your drink?”
She was silent. It was an easy guess since date-rape drugs and other chemicals surreptitiously plunked into women’s drinks have become all too common.
Finally, reluctantly, she answered, “Yeah.”
Her reluctance had nothing to do with what you might think: anxiety, trauma, fear, the usual things anyone might be feeling in such a circumstance. No, her reluctance came from her desire to keep secret as much as she could in order to protect her intellectual property, she said.
I asked if she knew who spiked her drink. She did.
Whatever he put in her drink quickly landed her in the hospital, near death.
I asked what any sane person would ask: “Did they arrest him?”
“Huh?” she responded, truly puzzled.
“Well, you knew him,” I explained. “You were at the hospital. Were the police contacted? Were you conscious then, and did you tell them who’d done this to you? Or did you tell them when you recovered? Did they find him and arrest him?”
“WHAT IN THE WORLD WOULD I WANT TO DO THAT FOR?” she bellowed, stunned by my questions.
“What?” I asked, even more stunned by her question.
“Why would I do that? What’s in it for me, if he’s arrested? Nothing!” she raved. “I don’t care if he’s arrested! I want something outa this! I WANNA WRITE A BOOK!”
I tried to reason with her, impress upon her the need to try and prevent this man from doing this to anyone else. She didn’t get it. I got nowhere.
I also did not recommend a ghost.
The future is upon us. We are indeed living in a new world. One in which the solution to your most devastating experiences is only a phone call away. But, that call for help is not the same as in days of yore.
Gone are those famous words, “Hello, Operator? Get me the police!”
Replaced forever more with, “Hello, Operator? Get me a publisher!”
* * * * *
Nina L. Diamond is a journalist, essayist, and the author of Voices of Truth: Conversations with Scientists, Thinkers & Healers. Her work has appeared in numerous publications, including Omni, The Los Angeles Times Magazine, The Chicago Tribune, and The Miami Herald.
Ms. Diamond was a writer and performer on Pandemonium, the National Public Radio (NPR) satirical humor program, for its entire run in Miami and select markets nationwide from 1984-1998. As an editor, she works frequently with other authors and journalists on both fiction and non-fiction.