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.