ONE on ONE Mojo:
ONE on ONE Mojo: Detroit’s honorary Chaldean Mojo has emceed the Chaldean Chamber’s annual dinner for several years. Radio personality Mojo, who rules the morning airwaves on 95.5 FM, will celebrate 10 years of his popular show in Febraury. Thanks to his involvement at community events and repeated references to Chaldeans on the air, he’s become something of an honorary Chaldean. Co-Publisher Martin Manna, who is also executive director of the Chaldean American Chamber of Commerce, recently recently visited Mojo at his Farmington Hills studio. Chaldean News: Recently on the air, you said that 95.5 is a station for Chaldeans. Mojo: It is. I think this is the only station that has ever even acknowledged Chaldeans. Other stations try to be so straight down the line and don’t want to talk about ethnicities or religions. We found that we have a huge listenership amongst the Chaldean people in the community; I’m sure a lot of it has to do with the fact that we go out and get involved with some of the issues. For so many years, all these business owners — no one ever really talked to them. Everybody’s like, “oh you know — all cash business.” Now it’s like, “hey this is a huge part of our community — a huge part of our economic community.” There are two communities that care so much about their own — the Chaldean community and the Jewish community. Both will bend over backwards for each other. If everybody had that, we would have less backstabbing in this world. CN: What is your impression of the Chaldean community? Mojo: Hard-working, very principled. The 20-year-old Chaldean might be a little different than the 50-year-old Chaldean. I think it is a little bit less conservative now. But I appreciate the conservatism of the 50- to 60-year-old Chaldean mom and dad. That is smart; if everybody did that we wouldn’t have teenage pregnancies and people running around getting all crazy. CN: Define the stereotypical Chaldean. Mojo: Rough and tough — wears lots of chains, does drugs, puts on the thug, pushes people around — that image is out there. The funny thing is I hear people say, “Oh that guy is a Chaldean party store owner” or something like that and a lot of times the people they are talking about are not even Chaldeans. Most of the Chaldeans I know are hard working. All they want is a great education for their kids and a lot of times they want their kids to grow up to become doctors or lawyers — just like anybody would want their kids to be. CN: Chaldean issues come up a lot on the show. Why do so many Chaldeans either call in and so many issues are presented by Chaldeans? Mojo: Because they have an opinion. If they believe in something, they will call in and let you know, and that makes for great radio. I truly believe that Chaldeans have a great sense of humor; and one of the things I have learned in hosting [the Chaldean Chamber Awards Dinner] is that we’ll say some jokes and that room will roar with laughter, and the jokes are basically making fun of them. I love people who can enjoy self-deprecating humor because if you can’t laugh at yourself, then who can you laugh at? CN: You recently talked about a story in which a groom supposedly showed compromising pictures of his new bride and best man at their reception at Shenandoah. We know that some community members called in and swore that they were actually at Shenandoah when this happened, but it is actually an urban legend. Did you feel duped? Mojo: I went on the air the day afterwards and said this was a hoax that has been going on for a while. But then we also questioned why it is that so many people were there? We got countless phone calls from people — people would come up to me when I was at lunch and say, “You know, I was there.” It’s like any rumor — people want to be part of a story. The funny part is that if this was an Italian couple that did this kind of thing, they would call us up the next morning and tell us about it. The Chaldean community does not want anything that is shameful to ever be brought out about them, and they don’t want to hear the negative. They want it to be positive, fun and upbeat. I do appreciate that, I think that is good. You know for a fact that if that really did happen and it was any other community it would have been on the front page of the Free Press. CN: You talked about Chaldeans and Jews. In 2010 the Chaldean News and the Jewish News are presenting content each month about how similar the communities are, how many contributions both have made to this area, and the partnership that the two communities have. Mojo: I live in West Bloomfield and my kids go to West Bloomfield schools. There is a huge influx of Chaldeans and Jews in the schools, and it’s only made the schools better because they are willing to give money to help out people who need it. I was raised Catholic, my father was Cuban and my mother was Irish. I wish that all Catholics in general cared about the Catholic Church as much as Chaldeans care about being Chaldean and the culture. How many times do we hear people making fun of Chaldean priests or making fun of the religion? Chaldeans would not stand for that. Same thing with the Jewish faith — you would never hear a Jewish person making fun of their own faith. CN: Chaldean store owners in Detroit have a lot of influence in the city, yet chain stores like Meijer, Kroger and Kmart get abatements and tax credits. The governor now has a plan to open 15 new supermarkets and grant millions to non-Chaldeans. What’s your thought on that? Mojo: Make sure when they come to you and ask for campaign donations that you remember this. One of the things I will tell you about the Chaldean community is that they remember things. It’s a shame because when nobody wanted to be in the city, the Chaldean community had no problem with that. A lot of times they would risk their lives and keep their stores open late at night so that everybody had the opportunity to buy milk, butter and bread. But you know it’s politics as usual: the big dog gets all the benefits and the little guy gets [dumped] on. All these guys should get together and say, “We’re moving our stuff out of the city.” I would guess that about 30 percent of the taxes in the city come from the Chaldean community. Is there someone you’d like to see us interview in the One on One section? E-mail suggestions to info@chaldeannews.com. 36 CHALDEAN NEWS NOVEMBER 2009
the DOCTOR is in Gearing up for the H1N1 Swine Flu A scar on my left arm constantly reminds me of the smallpox vaccine I received in Iraq. Socialized medicine was at its best when it came to immunizing the community. Today the Obama Administration is undertaking the biggest immunization campaign against the H1N1 Swine Flu in U.S. history. Since it first emerged in April, the global Swine Flue epidemic has sickened more than 1 million Americans and killed about 500. It also spread to at least 177 countries infecting tens of thousands and killing about 2,800 people. HIN1 influenza (also called Swine Flu) is caused by a new strain of influenza virus. Like other flu viruses, the HINI spreads from person to person through coughing, sneezing and touching objects contaminated with the virus. Symptoms of HINI flu — headache, fatigue, fever, sore throat, muscle aches, chills, coughing, sneezing, and sometimes diarrhea and vomiting — are very similar to the seasonal flu and you may not know which one you have. Most people feel better within a week, but some get pneumonia or other serious illnesses. Some have to be hospitalized and some die. The exact number of people who will contact an H1N1-related illness is unpredictable. This new strain is different from regular winter flu because it strikes the young far more than the old. Ordinary, seasonal flu hits older people the hardest. Scientists think older people may have some immunity from exposure years earlier to viruses similar to Swine Flu. The seasonal flu vaccine will not protect you against H1N1 flu and vice versa. Vaccine for the H1N1 flu will soon be available. It is expected to be as safe and effective as seasonal flu vaccines. Some people tell me they are worried that the vaccine is too new and not enough time has elapsed to see the side effects. In general any vaccine can give you side effects of allergic reaction, pain and redness at the site of injection, fever, headache, muscle ache, nausea and fainting (mainly in adolescents). If these problems occur, they usually begin soon after the shot and last one to two days. Very rarely, any vaccine may cause a condition called Neil Danial Jaddou, M.D. SPECIAL TO THE CHALDEAN NEWS Guillain-Barrie Syndrome, which is nerve damage leading into muscle weakness and sometimes paralysis. However, the benefits of getting the vaccine outweigh the risk. Not everyone will be recommended for the H1N1 vaccine. We already know that there will not be enough vaccine for everyone right away, so the priority is to vaccinate high-risk people: pregnant women, caregivers of infants less than 6 months, healthcare workers, people ages 6 months to 24 years, and people ages 25-64 years who have chronic medical conditions such as asthma, emphysema, diabetes, kidney and heart disease. Children through 9 years of age will get two doses of vaccine, about a month apart. Older children and adults need only one dose. Once the HINI spreads from person to person through coughing, sneezing and touching objects contaminated with the virus. demand for vaccine among high-risk groups is met, then vaccination will be offered to everyone. What if you get sick? The antiviral medications such as Tamiflu and Relenza can reduce the severity of symptoms when started within 48 hours of the onset of illness. If you develop breathing problems (rapid breathing for kids), pain in your chest, constant vomiting or a fever that keeps rising, go to an emergency room. The chief mantra for everyone: wash your hands, cough into your sleeve, stay home if you are sick. The H1N1 virus is unpredictable, evolving and widespread. The good news is that H1N1 is not, so far, a particularly severe disease for those who are healthy. After a few days in bed and lots of liquids, most patients get better. The bad news is that H1N1 is highly contagious and, unlike other flu, is particularly hard on children and teens. One pessimistic model from the Centers for Disease Control predicts that 40 percent of the nation could be struck — roughly 140 million people — with perhaps a six-figure death toll if a vaccination campaign is not successfully implemented. It’s going to be a unique flu season. No one knows how long this Swine Flu outbreak will last. “The only thing certain is uncertainty,” says Dr. Thomas Frieden, director of the CDC. “Even with the best efforts, influenza will cause severe illness and tragically, some death.” Neil Danial Jaddou, M.D., is a former professor of microbiology at Oakland Community College and currently clinical professor of family medicine at Wayne State Medical School. He sees patient at his office, Somerset Family Medicine, in Troy. Call (248) 816-1010 or visit www.troyclinic.com. NOVEMBER 2009 CHALDEAN NEWS 37
