Watch Services Online at the Washington National Cathedral

I found myself applauding at home at 11:38 p.m. Christmas Eve listening to Scott Dettra playing the familiar organ classic, Carillon de Westminster by Louis Vierne (1870–1937). It'll be available very soon at the Washington National Cathedral website. It was a  most satisfying end to the three pre-Christmas services I've seen online. There are also services Christmas Day, including one televised nationally.

It's possible to view videos of recent years of entire worship services online, with closeups, and watch fabulous sermons given by the very gifted Dean Samuel Lloyd, surely the most inspirational and solid theologian in the country, in my view. His sermon texts are well-worth reading and can also be read online. Services of worship are available at the National Cathedral archives in the content-rich website, nationalcathedral.org.

Scott Dettra is undoubtedly one of the finest organists in the country, and always a delight to hear. His youthful energy and mature skill combine to create beautiful performances of the best organ music. He's a great asset and attraction of the Cathedral.  Watch his performance up close of that complicated, challenging Carillon music, at the very end of the two services on Dec. 24, 2009.

Be sure to enhance your enjoyment of the holidays by taking a look at the services at the National Cathedral online or in person, and donate generously tax-free to this non-profit.

Bin Laden Escaped: Chaos & Confusion in Afghanistan Recounted

It seems the federal government blew its chance in 2002 to stop Osama Bin Laden from escaping American forces in Afghanistan and building up Al Qaeda into the considerably more formidable force it is now. American intelligence now says, "we haven’t a clue where he is" at least according to Peter Bergen, author of "The Osama bin Laden I know: An Oral History of Al Qaeda's Leader" in his excellent interview today on NPR.  In The New Republic, "The Battle for Tora Bora" is an article about Peter Bergen's book, excerpted here to highlight a few points. Here's how the battle in 2002 went down:

•  American forces are "haunted by the moment on December 10 [2002] when bin Laden may have been less than 2,000 meters away."
• “For the most important mission to date in the global war on terror,” Dalton Fury wrote, “our nation was relying on a fractious bunch of AK-47-toting lawless bandits and tribal thugs who were not bound by any recognized rules of warfare.” 
• Brig.Gen.Mattis, commander of Marines in the Afghan theater, reportedly asked to send his men into Tora Bora, but his request was turned down...There were more journalists--about 100...around Tora Bora than there were Western soldiers." 
• "Between December 4 and 7 [2002] alone, U.S. bombers dropped 700,000 pounds of ordnance on the mountains...But bin Laden was not dead. A subsequent account on an Al Qaeda website offered an explanation of how he saved himself: Bin Laden had dreamed about a scorpion descending into one of the trenches that his men had dug, so he evacuated his trench. A day or so later, it was destroyed by a bomb." 
• "Osama bin Laden, who slipped into Pakistan, largely disappeared from U.S. radar, and slowly began rebuilding his organization."

Fast-forward to December 2009, and for the project of containing Al Qaeda and capturing Osama bin Laden: "with contractors included, a total of 522,230 personnel are engaged in the overall U.S. war effort from the Middle East to Afghanistan, according to a report released this week by the Congressional Research Service (CRS), using data from September 2009." NPR.org. That number doesn't include supportive family and businesses back in America.

Magnificent Magnificat Sunday at the National Cathedral

National Cathedral, Washington, D.C.
Photo: cooschv.org

Today, the National Cathedral in Washington, D.C. held a Service of Worship for the Fourth Sunday of Advent despite inclement conditions. It was an achievement all by itself because of unfavorable weather conditions.

The music was a successful effort to give cheer, vibrancy and immediacy to the Christmas season. The service and sermon by the Very Rev. Samuel T. Lloyd III were wonderfully restorative and welcome to viewers across the country and around the world -- no pressure to him, the Rev. Canon Carol Wade and all intended. I was grateful to be able to view it online again.

Please give generously to the National Cathedral as they minister to those among us most in need of assistance.

There was a fine performance of J. S. Bach's Fugue on the Magnificat at the end of the service. The entire service can be accessed at the National Cathedral site online at nationalcathedral.org.

Here's a recording of Bach's Magnificat with choir (well-recommended for in-car listening) from Amsterdam. Ton Koopman leads the Amsterdam Baroque Orchestra and Soloists:



Try here if the audio doesn't match the video:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Bo1x-62WmrI

 Please let me know of any more magnificent recordings of the Magnificat.

Required Reading: U.S. Immigration Reform

Excellent points in Anis Shivani's article in the Huffington Post. Just wish it were a bit more toned down. Perhaps given the topic, that would be impossible.

National Cathedral: The Very Rev. Samuel T. Lloyd III

The Very Reverend Samuel T. Lloyd III gave a special inspirational presentation last Sunday morning in the Sunday Forums series before the Advent service about how Christmas has enormous potential to change our lives. My greatly simplified notes cannot do justice to this eminent gifted preacher’s power of persuasion and gifted eloquence. It can be seen in its splendid entirety here at Washington’s National Cathedral site at nationalcathedral.org.

Dean Lloyd talked about Christmas from the perspective of commerce, history, theology, politics. The final, most important aspect he explains is "Christmas Now," our own celebrations, as we each experience a holiday that has the power to sustain us all through the year.

photo: Episcopal Church
The Very Rev. Samuel T. Lloyd III

The first aspect of Christmas, the commercial side, has cultural pieces that add to the richness and is a recent dimension. Dean Lloyd said that the American Christmas took off in New York in the early part of the 1900s. Christmas celebration shopping began after the Macy’s Thanksgiving day parade in the 1920s in an even bigger way.

The historical dimension of Christmas is part of the conviction that makes us Christians. For Jesus was born in Bethleham, 4-6 A.D. He lived, grew and died near there. Powerful stories tell us about the birth. And while details of His birth are elusive, they are mentioned in Matthew and Luke. History suggests that God became flesh at one point.

The theological aspect of Christmas has to do with Mary giving birth to her Creator. The main idea is that in this life and moment, something significant took place for all time; that God took on flesh among us.

The political aspect was the threat to Herod who wanted to destroy a new king who posed a threat to his empire and all they believed. This counter King Jesus being born would change the world forever, and be a King of peace, compassion, love, justice and healing.

"Christmas Now" is what Christmas means now to our souls and spirit. What happened then happens now. Dean Lloyd refers to Hymn 79, "O Little Town of Bethlehem": Christ is born of Mary. "Christmas is a phenomenon that is happening now." Christmastime is when our soul is able to receive Christ in. It can happen, will happen and can have a huge impact. Dean Lloyd says that it is tragic if we ignore our spiritual beings.

He referred to Theological Germanica, a text from 1350, has a description of the idea that we live our lives with two eyes. We tend to live engaged in the mundane present with one eye. The other eye is meant to see eternal beauty, depth and the connectedness of all things. Spiritual life is about keeping both eyes open.

Dean Lloyd referred to Beatrice Bruteau who says that “seeing the fullness of a person is like seeing a rose.” We inhabit the tips of the rose, while it is the center that holds us and all the universe together. We want to maintain the vision of the rose. Dean Lloyd says that when we focus on the mundane, we lose our way and forget what’s important. We need to maintain our sense of connectedness.

Dean Lloyd says that the rich power of the Christmas story is to deepen our life now. Christ is continually being born and being in our lives and is part of the enormous possibility of what’s happening now. The angelic visitations in the Christmas story are about how we live in a world where there are divine messengers all the time. God is getting through to us in our daily lives if we pay attention to the messengers. God is speaking to us through them, he says.

The historicity of the virginity of Mary makes the point is that Mary was ready, willing and open. She was willing to make room for this gift to come. It is thought that she was not promised for marriage to explain the idea of her virginity. The challenge is for us to be more open, to create a space where God can come in, in a surprising way.

ChristmaSpirit.com

The urgent message of Christmas, says Dean Lloyd, is that someone is willing to receive a message, a message that entails waiting. The messenger and messages come when we are ready and open to receive. That waiting, openness and availability are important aspects of the Christmas story as it relates to us personally.

We should rejoice that God has found us, says Dean Lloyd, for the great mystery behind love will come. It makes us “re-scramble our paradigms.” We tend to spend a lot of time making sure our inner psychic structure doesn’t get threatened. That self-discipline is good, but we need to let in God’s angels, so God can say something fresh through His messengers.

To allow ourselves to be open requires us to trust there is a Grace who will go with us and not desert us. The Angel says “do not be afraid” and Mary says, “yes... how can this be?” that something has "come to claim me?" Mary says yes to living with both eyes open, that she won't go alone. Christmas says we are made for union with God and with each other. We are meant to pay attention to the story. We’re intended to have silent nights all of our lives. Christmas is about a new King who seems part of making a different kind of world.

In the open question period, Dean Lloyd was asked by the audience:

1) How should we think about Easter?

Dean Lloyd says that it’s a secret that Christmas and Easter are telling the same story. It’s one story, and two different places in the same story. It’s a story about calling us into the life we were made for. It changes the way we feel about our lives. The story has a “surplus of meaning.” It’s like a story of standing next to a waterfall and the best we can do is hold a tin cup to catch a little water and pass it along.

Niagara Falls. Photo: E. Seymour

2) How can Christianity be reconciled with major world religions and Christmas expressed in an ecumenical stage so that the story becomes a universal message?

Dean Lloyd says that all religions share the vision of God who has been everywhere. Christians believe that Christ is the defining insight of who God is, in the body of Jesus of Nazareth. We follow Him and He teaches us to respect and love and honor other traditions.

3) How can we overcome the sometimes overwhelming cultural aspects of our Christmas?

We need to learn to nurture and cultivate the Christmas message of hope, Dean Lloyd answers, the ways of staying loving, hopeful, alive, generous and connected rather than frightened, anxious, closed down and pulled into ourselves. We need to listen and create the space for God in our daily lives. We need to listen, create space for God and trust that life will enter in, and it is a thing of grace. We can contribute to the Christmas story by being people of hope.

Dean Lloyd observes that the Christmas story has the rich power to deepen our lives now. Christ is continually being born and being in our lives, giving us work to do and is part of the enormous possibility of what’s happening now.

author’s note: If he hasn’t already, Dean Lloyd could make wonderful books of official collections and recollections of his presentations and sermons and conversations. They’d greatly benefit many lay and pastoral readers.

This effort has not been requested or acknowledged by the National Cathedral. Any mistakes and inaccuracies are wholly my own. The presentation is available online in its entirety and should be checked to verify.

Where To Go For Dinner In The United States Of America

Bocuse d’Or (Preliminary) Contestants Are Announced

The chefs are:

Luke Bergman, 28, of The Modern, Museum of Modern Art; NYC

James Kent, 30, of Eleven Madison Park; NYC

John Rellah, 40, of the New York Yacht Club, and

Jeremie Tomczak, 33, French Culinary Institute. The other chefs are

Danny Cerqueda, 29, of the Carolina Country Club in Raleigh, N.C.;

Michael Clauss, 35, of Daily Planet in Burlington, Vt.;

Mark Liberman, 31, of Roxy’s Black Sheep of West Palm Beach, Fla.; (can't find website)

Christopher Parsons, 38, of Catch in Winchester, Mass.;

Jennifer Petrusky, 22, of Charlie Trotter’s in Chicago;  (best website - most content)

Andrew Weiss, 28, of the Chef’s Workshop in Las Vegas; (can't find website)

Percy Whatley, 40, of the Ahwahanee in Yosemite, Calif., and the Top Chef contestant

Kevin Gillespie, 26, of the Woodfire Grill, Atlanta, Ga. (A position on the team was a reward in one of the show’s competitions.)

The chefs, each assisted by a commis, will compete on Feb. 6 at the Culinary Institute of America in Hyde Park, N.Y., to see who will go on to cook against teams from 23 other countries at the Bocuse d’Or International Culinary Competition in Lyon, France on Jan. 25 and 26, 2011, "perhaps the most demanding and prestigious cooking contest"NYTimes.com

Some of these restaurants take reservations online. Please let me know if you find the missing websites and they'll be added. (My words are italicized.)

America's Current Health Care System Is Not "Up To Code"

There is so much wrong with Senator Gregg's remarks on healthcare on NPR Saturday, I hardly know where to start.   He made very aggressive statements against the healthcare bill currently being debated. At the same time he doesn't begin to address the problems that the healthcare bill is supposed to solve. His fellow Republicans haven't succeeded in the past one hundred years.

Sen. Gregg, wikimedia.com

He says the debate is first, to get everybody covered.

Sen. Gregg says second, to get health care costs down.

The third stated goal is to keep the current system, "make sure that if you had an insurance that you like, that you were comfortable with, you didn't lose it."

Sen. Gregg claims that the current healthcare bill does not solve these concerns, although he insists on keeping the current status quo in place with "comfortable" insurance.

The logic of the bill itself defies me, but I have to give current lawmakers good marks for getting farther than any previous administration. The government expects widespread agreement to start a new system charging higher payments to all while keeping the current broken, corrupt system in place.

The government  would make those without healthcare insurance now pay for the public option, more than they already are in taxes. But Americans already pay more for healthcare  than taxpayers do in most other countries. What incentives exactly will it take to get costs down, and make healthcare more efficient, organized and better for all patients?

Is healthcare a human right or is it a "comfort"?

"Health care is a privilege," Representative Zach Wamp (Republican-Tennessee) explained in a March 2009 interview. "[I]t's not necessarily a right." An international treaty signed by America in 1948, however, makes that particular assertion untrue, and here's proof.

Question: Is Universal Health Care a Human Right?

Answer: According to the most widely accepted international human rights treaties, yes.

Article 25 of the U.N. Universal Declaration of Human Rights (1948) reads (emphasis mine):

Everyone has the right to a standard of living adequate for the health and well-being of himself and of his family, including food, clothing, housing and medical care and necessary social services, and the right to security in the event of unemployment, sickness, disability, widowhood, old age or other lack of livelihood in circumstances beyond his control.

Likewise, Article 12 of the U.N. International Covenant on Economic, Social, and Cultural Rights (1966) reads:

1. The States Parties to the present Covenant recognize the right of everyone to the enjoyment of the highest attainable standard of physical and mental health.

2. The steps to be taken by the States Parties to the present Covenant to achieve the full realization of this right shall include those necessary for:

(a) The provision for the reduction of the stillbirth-rate and of infant mortality and for the healthy development of the child;

(b) The improvement of all aspects of environmental and industrial hygiene;

(c) The prevention, treatment and control of epidemic, endemic, occupational and other diseases;

(d) The creation of conditions which would assure to all medical service and medical attention in the event of sickness.

Because the United States is a signatory to both treaties, and U.S. policymakers played a role in drafting both treaties, it would stand to reason that health care would be accepted as part of the American understanding of human rights.

America has an internationally accepted responsibility to stop the current brutal exclusionary system and make "healthcare for all" a reality for its own populace. So far America hasn't taken its responsibility seriously. It needs to get "up to code."

You can find a transcript of Senator Gregg's interview or hear it again in its entirety at http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=121119749

Washington's National Cathedral Forum Discussion: Esther Sternberg M.D.

Wastwater -- "England's Deepest Lake" -- Cumbria, U.K.

Dr. Esther Sternberg, an expert in psychoneuroimmuology, was a guest of The Very Reverend Samuel T. Lloyd III in his weekly conversation in Washington's National Cathedral about issues at the intersection of faith and public life.

photo: Episcopal Church
The Very Rev. Samuel T. Lloyd III

Dr. Sternberg is Chief of the Section on Neuroendocrine Immunology and Behavior at the National Institute of Mental Health, and has written many books, the most recent called Healing Spaces. She also has a film on PBS next week called the Science of Healing.

Dr. Esther Sternberg

Dean Lloyd began the discussion with a wonderful introduction. He observes that physical spaces impact our health when we consider architecture and space. Where are these spaces from which we can derive health, well-being, perhaps even happiness?

Bishop's Garden, The National Cathedral, Washington, D.C.

Dr. Sternberg replies that the National Cathedral itself inspires a sense of awe that lights up the endorphins in the hippocampus part of the brain. The Bishop's Garden could be the most peaceful, healing space in the city, she says. The sense of awe inspired by spaces is an emotion that has a physical impact.

Wastwater Lake, Lake District, Cumbria, U.K.              Photo: E. Seymour

Impacts to the body and brain in general can affect the immune system positively or negatively depending on what they are, and for how long they continue. Patients may heal faster by viewing scenes of natural landscapes. The preferred scenes are beautiful sweeping vistas of mountains, valleys and oceans and these tend to be preferred to factories with smoke pictures.

From Great Gable summit, The Lake District, Cumbria, UK

Dr. Sternberg says your endorphins light up when you look at a beautiful view. For this reason, evidence-based design is coming into the design of spaces for healing. Hospitals are becoming more aware of this need. Hospitals used to be designed with tile and metal surfaces for cleanliness when that was discovered to be essential for healing. An exception is at hospitals for the mentally ill, which have often been surrounded by nature. But this idea is coming back into vogue as more doctors acknowledge the importance of the place and emotions on healing.

Cathedral in Lourdes, France           wikimedia

Dr. Sternberg gave the example of the town of Lourdes in France, which attracts pilgrims seeking healing. There is a sense of love and permission to help others all around.

Healing can happen in any-sized space between two loving individuals who care and support each other.

Santiago de Compostela

Another famous place of healing is in Spain at Santiago de Compostela where the sense of smell can remind one of a place of peace. Frankincense, as used in incense, was once thought to be healing. Myrrh and balm (from the balsam tree) were healing resins, used by Roman soldiers to heal wounds.

"Prolegomena to future research"~ The Very Rev. Samuel T. Lloyd III

Healing spaces: The Science of Place and Well-being by Esther Sternberg

The discussion turned to the healing strength one can feel from walking a labyrinth such as one at the National Cathedral. The idea is to walk around "to find a place of peace" in a walking meditation. Meditating is helpful to activate "neural pathways"in the brain. The endorphins and dopamine in the brain become activated and we downshift from stress. Dr. Sternberg says that chronic stress can make you sick by preventing your immune system from healing you.

Labyrinth, National Cathedral, Washington, D.C.

 Music, too, can take you to a different emotional place. Any time your nerve pathways are positively activated is healthy.

How should home design incorporate design to promote good health? Dr. Sternberg says that the medical community is becoming more aware that thoughtful evidence-based design can be beneficial rather than stressful. Thinking can affect positive behaviors and healing. The most powerful of healing spaces is in your mind, says Dr. Sternberg. She says that conscious and unconscious thoughts and experiences can influence health and influence your negative and positive emotional responses. Since stress can make you ill, you want to incorporate peaceful elements into hospital and home design.

The Center for Health Design in Concord, California, helps hospitals make designs to support the emotions. The idea is that design can take science back into the healing process. The costs of these healthful designs, she says, can be recouped the first year. There tend to be fewer falls and bacterial infections, and more satisfaction from patients, staff and families.

Beautiful art can be healing. Exercise, even walking, and socializing are also important to health and healing, and contribute to the statistics that New York City is considered such a healthy city to live in...

Feng Shui, an ancient Chinese tradition, for example at the Huntington Garden in San Marino, California is a system of understanding place as it affects emotions. The idea is that it can bring you to a place of peace.

Huntington Garden, San Marino, California

Dr. Sternberg says that the brain and immune system talk to each other. If they are intact, you have your health; if they are broken, you have disease. Emotions play a very important role in healing and health. Awe, peace and calmness are healing.

The holiday season tends to be stressful, and anything like walking in a garden can be useful. The memory and the mind are the most powerful of healing spaces.

Dean Lloyd says that we all have an inner Cathedral space, as we have the National Cathedral space in Washington, D.C.

Feel Better and Healthier - Come to the National Cathedral!

I enjoyed seeing the Sunday Forum Discussion and two wonderful, healing services at the National Cathedral online. Please donate generously to the National Cathedral.

The entire discussion is available at the National Cathedral website linked here.

PBS Television special: "The Science of Healing with Dr. Esther Sternberg" MPT 12/11/09 10:30pm Nationwide Nov./Dec. 2009 (check local listings). Also, see EstherSternberg.com.

This post is not acknowledged or requested by the cathedral, and any mistakes and inaccuracies are wholly my own. Corrections should be directed to me.

Definition of Old School: "You Do Your Bidding And You Do It Well"

- quote by Fen Hampson of Arthur Menzies in Carleton University's Alumni Magazine

Related sayings:

Whatever your life's work is, do it well. 

Martin Luther King, Jr.


Whatever you are, be a good one.
Abraham Lincoln

Be the labor great or small

Do it well or not at all.

Anon.

Know your job. Do it well. 

U.S. Army Reserve

This life is yours. Take the power to choose what you want to do and do it well. Take the power to love what you want in life and love it honestly. Take the power to walk in the forest and be a part of nature. Take the power to control your own life. No one else can do it for you. Take the power to make your life happy.

Susan Polis Schutz

Finally,

He has achieved success who has lived well, laughed often and loved much.

Bessie Stanley
 

List of teenage Youtube stars

“I'm proud to say that we have been serving well over a billion views a day on YouTube” 

Chad Hurley, CEO and co-founder, YouTube

A list of some of the best current Youtube stars.

14cheese14                                               mememolly*
missalissa15                                             mytoecold
nayders07*                                               olgakay*
PETEHARLEY95                                    spricket24
Syncsta (unfortunately the account has been canceled, but the two have other channels, JakeWalmsleyTV and ChrisGreenLikesYou)
Tobuscus                                                   WilliamSledd
x44jackal44x                                              adigitalb
AdorianDeck                                             BrittaniLouiseTaylor
CopyAndChase                                        danbrownuniverse*
hayleyghoover                                          iamchrisc*
jeyyounit11                                                kalebnation
juliansmith87                                             KassemG
kevjumba*                                                  lacigreen
madmelonmanz also known as PinkTeeDragonBoyy and themadmelonman

My sincere apologies to anyone inadvertently left off this list, created courtesy of a sixteen-year-old American.                                                                                                      JCEHDE9GX7N2

An earlier post concerned most viewed teenage Youtube stars here

Liz Lerman In Conversation

The Very Reverend Samuel T. Lloyd III interviewed Liz Lerman in a conversation Sunday, November 22, 2009 at Washington’s National Cathedral  in the Sunday Forums, a series about issues at the intersection of faith and public life.

Liz Lerman, a MacArthur Fellow, has wide experience in dance as an art form, and how it affects our daily and spiritual lives.  The conversation had to do with reasons for dancing; for understanding oneself and others, and as a way of knowing. 

The discussion brought together the sciences of physics and genetics and their connections to social realities and religious spirituality. The wide-ranging subject concerned movement, dance, choreography and community building, and how good dancing is for the soul.

This enjoyable fifty minute discussion can be seen from this link to the Cathedral website. Here’s a summary of the talk:

Dean Lloyd begins the conversation with professional information about Liz Lerman and the topics of their discussion. He observes that artists say that art is a truth that is an "experiential reality".

Abstraction is hard won

On the subject of abstraction, Liz Lerman says that “abstraction is hard won” - that everything is abstract  including our language. The artist finds more of himself to share in the performance of an art, and that any resistance is information.

Art is too important to be left in the hands of the professionals. We all love to create art in different forms. Lerman says she notices a top-down strategy at universities to have arts programs and believes parents and students are demanding it .
 

Innovation: seeing the old in a new way

Innovation can be about bringing something old back and seeing it in a new way, Lerman says. We need to manage the loss that comes with innovation and change.

Historically dance has been used to prepare for war, and to heal children. It is also used in some churches as a way to be in unison with others because it is one of the gentle ways to find connection with others and to get back into their own bodies.

In a hierarchical world, you live by putting people down, but if you live with a horizontal view of humanity, you just make distinctions.

On the subject of genetics (of which she learned a lot to prepare a performance), Liz Lerman questions whether we should be designing people with genetics.

Evolution is a spiritual idea; we belong to something magnificent. Lerman says we need to learn how to make creationists tolerant of evolution.

 

The discussion was followed by a wonderful worship service with majestic organ music and inspirational sermon by The Very Rev. Samuel Lloyd about the day’s celebration, that Christ is King.

My appreciation and gratitude go to Dean Lloyd and producer Deryl Davis for holding a spiritual discussion that was so soothing to the mind and soul.

This summary is merely designed to be helpful, and is not promoted in any way by the National Cathedral. Any inaccuracies and mistakes contained herein are entirely my own.To check facts, the conversation can and should be viewed online.

Love Motivates Cure for Multiple Sclerosis

Multiple sclerosis (MS) is a disease that hits mostly women in the prime of life. While it can happen at any time, it usually begins in the twenties and thirties. It generally leads patients and their families to make wrenching changes in their lives.

One Doctor Believes He's Cured His Wife Of MS in Italy

Hard as it may be to believe of an illness with such longstanding and entrenched financial interests,  some doctors are cautiously optimistic that a quick surgical cure may have been found. One woman in Italy has been very fortunate to have had a doctor husband who may have cured her according to this article in Toronto's Globe and Mail linked here.

This article gives me hope for all the people and their families who've been hit with multiple sclerosis. It's in the category of "why didn't they think of this before?"

It's convincing enough to me that  if I had MS I would consider dropping everything to get it done. It should make the doctor who invented the cure a Nobel Prize winner if it works. Widespread adoption obviously requires the education and acceptance of doctors and patients. It's nothing short of miraculous and should be adopted instantly by doctors around the world. There aren't many reasons not to do the procedure, as it appears to require only a short surgery.

Let's hope that doctors and drug and insurance companies and all the entrenched financial interests adopt it, if it proves to work.  My big question to them is, how would they feel if it happened to them or their children? Wouldn't they want to know about a quick operation they could have instead of enduring years of  disability?

Interesting and disruptive, if true

Remember what lasers have done for surgery? Progress can  happen quickly in medicine. Implementation and education take years. If you or a loved one has MS,  then this is a surgery you should demand to learn more about. The conventional practice of doctors always favors caution. But it would be a pity for 2.5 million MS sufferers worldwide if this miraculous surgical discovery died with this Italian doctor, his wife and his lucky local patients. This discovery is obviously in the best interests of MS patients.

Since this story isn't being reported by major American news outlets, I apologize if this surgical cure turns out to be a flash in the pan. But I think MS patients deserve to have  knowledge and hope, however false it may turn out for them and wherever it comes from, and consider all of their sources of news.

http://www.theglobeandmail.com/news/national/researchers-labour-of-love-leads-to-ms-breakthrough/article1372414/

UPDATE 11/30/09 - Here's a link to a Science Daily article with more of this MS news. Be sure to read about an exciting new study.

This post is dedicated to my friend Jill. 
 

NIAID Director Fauci on H1N1, AIDS, Vaccines and Drugs

The Very Rev. Samuel T. Lloyd III

On Sunday, November 15, 2009 The Very Rev. Samuel T. Lloyd III interviewed Anthony S. Fauci, in Washington’s National Cathedral in the weekly Forum series of conversations on issues at the intersection of faith and public life linked here at nationalcathedral.org.

Anthony Fauci, M.D.

Since 1984, Dr. Fauci has directed the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (NIAID). He holds numerous honors and awards, 35 honorary doctorates, the National Medal of Science and the Presidential Medal of Freedom. He is a leading world expert on emerging and infectious diseases.

During the conversation Dr. Fauci recommended the Centers for Disease Control (CDC) website http://www.cdc.gov/ linked here as the most useful up-to-date resource for consumers on medical issues.

This wide-ranging discussion explored the origins and current status of the 2009 H1N1 influenza, vaccinations for this flu and vaccinations in general. Valuable information came straight from America’s leading medical expert on HIV/AIDS,  bio-terrorism and other subjects related to emerging and infectious diseases.

“The Doctor is Here Today”

H1N1 is a pandemic that started in the U.S. in April 2009 and came out first in California, Texas and the country of Mexico and has now spread to over 200 countries around the world.

A vaccine was found almost immediately, and is gradually being distributed. States distribute it through pharmacies, schools and businesses according to their laws. The gap between supply and demand is finally closing, Dr. Fauci says. It is a  relatively mild to moderate pandemic. Impacting pregnant women and young children and spreading quickly, it is thought that older people may have more immunity to this virus. The bird flu spread more slowly than H1N1 from human to human but was more deadly.

There have been American pandemics in 1918 (the worst so far), 1957 and 1968, wherever humans have encroached on the environment.

Dr. Fauci says that the CDC’s purpose is surveillance. It is the radar screen to discover whether viruses are new and dangerous. The National Institutes of Health (NIH) does research to develop drugs and vaccines.

He says that it can be difficult to get governmental support for threats before they becomes realities. The discussion later returns to this important topic when Dr. Fauci says that tuberculosis and malaria (which are diseases of foreign countries and relatively inexpensive to treat with effective drugs) require moral, physical and global commitment. The American government currently focuses on curing rarer diseases with support from huge budgets, he says.

“Science is Knowledge and Knowledge is the Way Forward” - Dr. Anthony Fauci

On the subject of AIDS, Dr. Fauci outlined the fascinating history of the disease and treatment so far, which can be seen and heard on the video, and says that 6.5% of African-Americans in Washington, D.C. are currently infected. The infected in D.C. alone is a number greater than the top 20 African countries! The problem is here in America, he says, for intertwining sociological reasons. President Obama’s Global Health Initiative is continuing with the effort, but the number of AIDS cases continues to rise.

Dr. Fauci says that significant progress has been made. Drugs are keeping people alive, but they are needed for the remainder of the lives of the infected because the virus integrates into genes. The survival rate has increased from 26 weeks to an astonishing 50 years. The drug treats rather than cures the disease, but the process is down to one drug a day from 28 pills 7 times a day. He says having side effects of the drugs are better than leaving the virus untreated.

What Can We Do?

Dr. Fauci suggests the general public should:

1. Educate our young well in science

2. Get correct information by checking the CDC website

3. Don’t over-react to rumors

4. Make decisions based on facts

Are vaccines harmful? Dr. Fauci emphasizes that there is no doubt that the risk of sickness is greater than the risk of the vaccine. Spreading the sickness to others is a selfish risk if the vaccination is not taken.

Are new diseases emerging? Dr. Fauci mentions SARS and West Nile as recent new ones. West Nile existed for centuries in Africa before appearing here recently.

On bio-terrorism: nature causes the worst pandemics.

Dr. Fauci says that prevention is important and that America has a moral obligation to partners in the developing world to give treatment.


The National Cathedral does not request, sanction or acknowledge this post. The recording of the conversation should be consulted for verification purposes. I apologize for any mistakes or inaccuracies entered herein as they are entirely my own. This post is merely designed to be a helpful summary of the discussion.

Beautiful Photos of Santa Maria Maggiore, Rome

Exterior of Santa Maria Maggiore in Rome

stuckincustoms.com

Interior, uncrowded


stuckincustoms.com

Love the detail and color in these photos!

Why not Give to Kiva?

Here's Trey Ratcliffe from the Photo site two posts previous talking about Kiva, where "loans save lives." If you give money to help start businesses, the money should come back -- albeit without interest so it's not traditional giving. Sounds like a good way to help.

List of Most Violent Countries for Americans

Here's a State Department website link that tracks the non-natural deaths of Americans abroad by month, year and country. Most common cause was vehicle accident deaths. The list also includes suicides and drownings.

This is a recent list of the deadliest, most violent countries for Americans abroad from January to June, 2009, for what it's worth:

1. Mexico: 126 deaths (61 in accidents, 22 drowned, 6 suicides)
2. Costa Rica: 16 (9 in accidents, 4 drowned, 2 suicides)
3. Philippines: 15 (3 in accidents, 6 suicides)
4. Germany: 15 (7 in accidents, 7 suicides)
5. Honduras: 14 (2 in accidents, 2 drowned)
6. Dominican Republic: 14 (four in accidents, five drowned, 1 suicide)
7. China: 10 (6 in accidents, two suicides, one disaster victim)
8. El Salvador: 8 (2 in accidents, 4 drowned)
9. Jamaica: 8 (5 in accidents)
10. Japan: 7 (2 suicides)
11. Thailand: 7 (3 suicides)

From the Chicago Tribune

UPDATE:  Of course, a skeptical view of these numbers would be appropriate, even from the best source. Statistics don't tell the full story or predict the future. In fact, the more I look at this site, the less reliable it gets. For example, there are no comparable statistics available for the U.S. (pop. 301 Million). For all of communist China (pop. 1.3 Billion), there are only  ten unnatural deaths in the database in the same time period (Jan-June/09) and in India (pop. 1.1 Billion) there are only four. In Indonesia, 4th largest country in the world (pop. 235 Million) there are none recorded. Canada with  a population of 33 Million has only four. Despite this valiant effort on the part of the State Department, perhaps these statistics have to be taken with very large flakes of salt. Shouldn't the U.S., the list maker itself, rank near the top of this list? Clearly, this list is a work-in-progress, or perhaps work of the future.

Beautiful Photos At Number One Photography Website

My newest terrific web find is "Stuck in Customs" 2009 winner of the PhotoBlog Award.


stuckincustoms.com

This photography method uses image-layering High-Definition (HDR) techniques. It's a content-heavy site to browse wonderful photographs for budding photographers of all ages. The author-photographer of the site, Trey Ratcliff, has an especially helpful article called "10 Principles of Beautiful Photography."

This one (enhanced) of a lone pine in California was taken on his iPhone:



He gives lots of information on which cameras to use as well. There's a photo here to please everyone. To me they resemble the most beautiful paintings.

Here's a sunset with clouds in Bangkok, Thailand:



Palace near Agra, India:



Here's an informative article at the Tierney Lab page at the New York Times.

Melody Barnes: American Domestic Policy on Faith, Politics, Laws

Melody Barnes

Melody Barnes is President Obama’s Director of the Domestic Policy Council. She participated in a conversation today at Washington’s National Cathedral with the Very Rev. Samuel T. Lloyd III. I liked his careful, thoughtful and interesting questions.  Questions were also taken from the live audience.

This entire conversation was recorded and is available to watch at the National Cathedral website, nationalcathedral.org here (with Windows Media). My summary is likely inaccurate, a warning, and should be checked and verified on the recording (with visuals) as this post is independent, not sanctioned or acknowledged by the National Cathedral.

Samuel T. Lloyd III

The conversation had to do with the Administration’s Domestic Policy immediately following the vote on health care yesterday and the Fort Hood military episode last week.

With all the current issues in front of the agenda, health care is legislatively at the top now because it concerns and worries everyone and permeates everyone’s life, according to Barnes. There is fear and hope in the eyes of Americans, Barnes says. The administration knows that many Americans are living with the suffering and the feeling of insecurity from inadequate health care.

Dean Lloyd asks her which other urgent topics they are looking at? Her immediate answer is job creation. Unemployment is rising and job creation is a lagging indicator when the economy turns around. Job training is a priority with her office, she says. Education initiatives and immigration reform are also being investigated, she says.

The conversation moved on to the role of faith in public life. The constitutional democracy of America wants to reach out to faith leaders, because of the importance of faith to the common good, Barnes says. There is expertise within the faith community in health care and immigration where the faith community can help at the ground level, she asserts.

Dean Lloyd asks if there is a place for the religious community to have a role? People are rattled and anxious.  Clergy can acknowledge it, he says, and can deepen their sense that they are part of something that is at work. Is there a way to tap into the commitment, the trust, hope and public good despite the diversities of religions?

To which Barnes replies that “we are all more alike than we are different” and that common goals, purpose and good bring us together. Through national service and community solutions, the church can work together with her Office of Social Innovation and Civic Participation to address big national challenges. She says that the faith community has an important role to play there. She says that the administration is clear that we must move forward, and the choices are difficult.

“We know we have to make progress to achieve these goals,” Barnes says.  She gave an anecdote that her swim coach once told her that she had to keep pace and use her own strokes to swim better at meets, and she thinks this is wise advice for us all.

Barnes is questioned by the audience: what can be done to encourage civil discourse?

Barnes replies that the lawmakers can set a good example, they can reach out in a bipartisan way. The administration is traveling to communities around the country not normally consulted and having face-to-face conversations.

She is also asked if religious communities have a specific role in responding to Fort Hood? She says information is still being gathered, and the question implies that people want to keep the temperature down and understand the issues, and that we are  a single community trying to have a civil discourse.

When asked if religion has a role to play in politics, Barnes replies that religions care "on the ground" and can touch individuals and gain expertise.

Dean Lloyd continues the conversation by discussing the seamless division between freedom and social justice that we live in everyday.

And Melody Barnes recommends the book “A Stone of Hope: Prophetic Religion and the Death of Jim Crow" by David Chappell because it documents the important role of the church in the civil rights community where churches helped. Churches and places of worship have been gathering places throughout history, where the prophetic voice in the pulpit “has spoken truth to power.”

Barnes is asked “how we engage different groups” to which she suggests “sitting down and discussing," and articulating values and what the leadership had been doing in the community within the parameters of democratic ideals. She thinks the question shows the diversity within the religious community.

She is asked if there is a moral appeal to be made for health care reform?  Barnes replies that there are economic and moral imperatives that move the administration forward.

Concerning job creation, Barnes says that within this multi-faceted subject, small business owners and businesses in the “green space” can be incentivized to hire more people. Another component is the promotion of education that is necessary to compete with necessary skills and certification. In the arena of jobs, she says the “new normal” is about women and jobs. She says that China is now moving on a fast pace as an energy economy.

She says that the administration is talking about what they’re trying to do, and they want to be honest with Americans. They talk about it with Americans to gain trust. They want Americans to be actively engaged with solutions. Greater trust grows from communication, she says.

Dean Lloyd asks Barnes what she hopes will happen during the President Obama’s first term? She hopes for greater security for the people, that citizens are feeling more engaged with their government, that they see benefits of being actively involved, and that people feel more involved.

The entire conversation contains more information on these and many other subjects not listed above. This post is designed merely to be helpful.

Again, my thanks are extended to the National Cathedral for this interesting conversation. Any mistakes in this writing are solely my own.

A List of President Obama's Accomplishments To Offer Support

1. A week before he was sworn in, Obama forced part two of the bank bailout through his own party — a $350 billion accomplishment.

2. Two days after he was sworn in, Obama banned the use of "harsh interrogation" and ordered the closing of Guantánamo.

3. A day later, Obama reversed George W. Bush's funding cutoff to overseas family planning organizations — saving millions of lives with the stroke of a pen.

4. Three days after that, Obama gave a green light to the California car-emissions standards that Bush had been blocking for six years — an important step on the road to cleaner air and a cooler planet.

5. Two weeks after that, Obama signed the stimulus bill — a $787 billion accomplishment.

6. Ten days after that, Obama formally announced America's withdrawal from Iraq.

7. A week later — we're in early March now — Obama erased Bush's decision to restrict federal funding for stem-cell research.

8. In April and June, Obama forced Chrysler and GM into bankruptcy.

9. In June, Obama reset the tone of our relations with the entire Arab world with a single speech — an accomplishment that the Bush administration failed to achieve despite a series of desperate PR moves (anyone remember Charlotte Beers?) and a "public diplomacy" budget of $1 billion a year.

10. Also in June, Obama unveiled the "Cash for Clunkers" program, a "socialist" giveaway that reanimated the corpse of our car industry — leading, for example, to the billion-dollar profit that Ford announced on Monday.

11. I haven't even mentioned Sonia Sotomayor, the Lilly Ledbetter Fair Pay Act, the order to release the torture memos, Obama's push for charter schools, his $288 billion tax cut, or the end of Bush's war on medical marijuana. Or the minor fact that he seems to have — with Bush's help, it must be said — stopped the financial collapse, revived the credit markets, and nudged the economy toward 3.5 percent growth in the last quarter.

12. Oh, and one more thing: President Obama is now a month or two from accomplishing the awesome and seemingly impossible task that eluded mighty presidents like FDR, LBJ, and WJC — health-care reform.

Obama's early returns also include a host of remarkably cautious and prudent national-security decisions that seem, these days, to have been completely forgotten:

13. Appointing a conservative Bush holdover like Robert Gates as Secretary of Defense.

14. Appointing an establishment centrist like Leon Panetta at CIA.

15. Appointing a hard-ass like Stanley McChrystal to head up our military forces in Afghanistan, despite McChrystal's dubious involvement in torture and the cover-up of Pat Tillman's death.

16. Increasing the number of drone attacks on Al Qaeda — more in the last year than all the Bush years combined.

17. Reinstating, with tweaks, Bush's military tribunal system for Guantánamo prisoners.

18. Fighting, in another unexpected defense of a controversial Bush policy, lawsuits against the "warrantless wiretapping" program — as recently as this weekend with a decision that a leading civil liberties group called "extremely disappointing."

19. Sending, way back in February, seventeen thousand more soldiers to Afghanistan. As Fareed Zakaira recently pointed out, this was just three thousand fewer soldiers than Bush sent to Iraq for his famous "surge."

Read more: http://www.esquire.com/the-side/richardson-report/obama-timeline-110309#ixzz0WKpYnoNl
 
20. He won the Nobel Peace Prize.

  These are huge accomplishments and some will count in history more than others do. Americans are now focusing on divisiveness more than on mainstream similarities. In other words, how we are different rather than how we are alike. Common ground should pull America together.

Supporting the President is the patriotic thing to do. Everyone in the world outside of America would agree with that. They question our support of the President. I wonder what can be done.

The Stresses of Raising Teenagers

The under-appreciated stresses of raising teenagers is the flip side of shows like "Teens of New York". There are stresses inherent in raising children that childless or single people don't realize. The problems aren't that teachers don't teach or take good care of teenagers, they do much more than that; teachers and parents together form the lives of teenagers that they will take with them as they mature.

The stresses have more to do with circumstances many teenagers experience. They are almost grown up, but they have a lot more growing up to do before they're self-sufficient. They want more freedom, but they can't afford to have it.

They want to go places. And when friends can't go, teenagers want parents to stand in and take them anyway, at times. Whether it's movies or rock shows, parents have some opportunities they're drafted for, whether they want to have any part of them or not.

Whether it's ballerina, music or soccer practices, parents are expected to encourage and cheerlead their kids. In the suburbs, they get involved intensely with sports and hobbies, only sometimes by choice. Of course, the demands can take on a life of their own, and take over the lives of the parents. Parents will do things they didn't ever think possible, just to please or entertain their kids.

Of course, the stress level is less physical than it was when children are babies, up every night and crying with colic during meals. But when they are older, they need attention and love and money from time to time. They need parental support. They need car drives, vacations, and they need financial backing.

Where does all that leave parents? Feeling a great deal of stress! How can it not be stressful to try to constantly be all things to a loved one? It's clearly impossible. Parents all have different capacities and strengths. They can offer money in differing amounts. They can offer teenagers their energy driving them to hockey or ballet classes. They can help them with homework depending on their intellectual capabilities and emotional capacities. They can offer teenagers their life-learned lessons of advice.

Where's the stress? When parents feel they don't live up in some way to the entanglements that are at the hearts of the lives of teenagers. Teenagers' relationships with their friends sometimes are influenced by how far away from each other they live, by how much parents will help out, and by how much money parents will fork over to pay for entertainment, lessons and clothes, even private schools and cars. Peripheral concerns such as summer schools and higher education, the social standing, education and employment of parents might influence teenagers as well in their choices of friends. Then there are the issues of frequency of communication, distance, quality of vacations, and comparing modes of transportation to the vacations spots. It's inevitable that kids use these as talking points, sometimes bragging either in the classroom or socially.

Teenagers usually tell their parents constantly about how well they stack up to "the Joneses". Parents can't usually do much about it. They are what and who they are. Teenagers just have to accept their circumstances, and they are impatient to be independent.

It's Hard Being Governor But Someone's Got To Do It

John Corzine wasn't re-elected in my home state of New Jersey yesterday. I think he has been the best Governor ever. It's a sad day. From this defeat, I hope the Democratic Party learns lessons taken from the Daily Kos website:

"If you forget why you were elected -- health care, financial services, energy policy and immigration reform -- you will lose votes."

It's hard to see how Governor Corzine let New Jerseyans (ites?) down, but perhaps his message wasn't strongly communicated enough despite spending big-time to win.

Let's hope the federal government, which all Americans should get behind if they have any desire for unity and any sense of patriotism, will effect change in social policies for the better.

Please, Don't Even Think Of Trying This

Ever heard of wingsuits? This video is awesome, amazing and unique.

Some dives are fatal, reminding me of my earlier post about extreme skiing.

The man in the green kayak shown here could have used some help from a wingsuiter today in La Jolla, California:

Courtesy: Ron Graham

Fortunately, a lifeguard and kayaker rescued him.

Womens Issues: Why Is Mrs. Clinton Covering Her Hair?

Hillary Clinton

It's rather like having to wear a hat. Fine, if she wants to. It doesn't look bad on her.

Americans have their own style of dress, too. They should be able to get away with dressing their way abroad, just as America accepts the dressing customs of other countries.

It bothers me because Mrs. Clinton, former First Lady of the 42nd President of the United States and present 67th Secretary of State doesn't have to wear it, not in her lofty position. It sets a precedent for all Americans in that country where women must wear headdresses.

Why doesn't Mrs. Clinton lose the headgear and get photographed driving a car to make more political points for women abroad?

Old Lyrics On Peace, War and Freedom

"How many deaths will it take till he knows

That too many people have died? "

"Blowin In The Wind" Bob Dylan, 1963


Is America helping her see where she's walking?

More sad news from Afghanistan today:

"The latest deaths bring to 55 the total number of U.S. troops killed in October in Afghanistan, according to the Associated Press tally. Fighting previously spiked around the presidential vote in August, when 51 U.S. soldiers died." The Huffington Post.

A high ranking dedicated military official, Michael Hoh has had second thoughts about American military strategy in Afghanistan.

"If the United States is to remain in Afghanistan, Hoh said, he would advise a reduction in combat forces...While the Taliban is a malign presence, and Pakistan-based al-Qaeda needs to be confronted," he said, "the United States is asking its troops to die in Afghanistan for what is essentially a far-off civil war."

"We want to have some kind of governance there, and we have some obligation for it not to be a bloodbath," Hoh said. "But you have to draw the line somewhere, and say this is their problem to solve." The Washington Post.

"When will they ever learn?"

"Where Have All The Flowers Gone" Pete Seeger, 1961.

Women's Well-being Affects Men's Living Standards

Tea Lady in Khartoum

Social attitudes are difficult and slow to change. Laws determine the status of women, but laws reflect social attitudes and can change. Attitudes to women are amongst the most difficult and intractable barriers to change that any country faces. The old laws were made by men for men. Here's a truism: when men help women get ahead, men's standards of living rise. It's as simple as that.

What women in every country need:

1. Clean water. For without water, we can't live. Women all around the world agree that clean water is our most urgent #1 priority.

2. Medical care and good food. Women need to be healthy to work.

3. Respect and consideration. We are all more alike than we are different.

4. Education.
a)--The more free education the better.
b)--It's better to give it away free than not to give it away at all.
c)--With education, women can create better jobs for others.

5. Money. Women need financing (money) to create more jobs.

With more money, women can pay for whatever they need and a whole virtuous cycle begins. Society will progress and standards of living will improve for everyone. Societies can't progress if women are held back. Men's standards of living will only improve if women have an easier and better life. That's why the status --the social positions --and well-being of women are very important.

Why don't you try to help women get ahead today? Now is a good time.

When women are happy, everyone is happier.