Needle Exchange

Today, the front page of the Daily Oklahoman included a medley of photographs depicting young children being stabbed by needles, their faces in vary degrees of contortion. The headline, blazoned across the paper, read "Immunization Time." I considered whether this was possibly the first time people in Oklahoma had encountered western medicine, justifying the front-page coverage. Upon closer inspection, the article confirmed that this was indeed an annual ritual. Good to know. *Originally published 19 August 2006.