Katy’s report at 世界日報: Tzu-Chi holiday program at Golden Living Center

Katy’s dispatch to the World Journal (世界日報) reporting the Tzu-Chi holiday program at Golden Living Center was published today (Dec. 22). (may click the photo to enlarge it)

This the 20th of their annual event in which the residents of the Golden Living Center were entertained while various gifts were given. The gifts (small blankets and scarf) are the products of recycling technology that were sent here from Taiwan.

The dentist, Dr. John Kuehn, Mrs. Kim Kuehn and their five children (a triplet and two girls adopted from China) provide the entertain program singing many Christmas songs, filling the room with holiday air; several elderly residents hummed along truly enjoying themselves. Tim Kuehn performed diabolo (扯鈴), a skill earned loud and applause. (may click the photo to enlarge it)

There was also Kung Fu performance; it was led by Brian Mattes—the instructor of International Tang Soo Do Fed (唐手道)—many of his students demonstrated the powerful kicks, punches, and blockings, an eye opener for the elderly residents. The highlight was the flying, turning, kicking and the breaking of a hard wood board; it earned loud and enthusiastic applause. (may click the photo to enlarge it)

李大立(濟灝), 陳靈芬, and 陳濟禧 were in charge of the program, and many other Tzu-Chi volunteers also worked hard for the event. A University of Pittsburgh student, a Tuz-Chi Youth, 莊耿僩, also came to help around.

陳濟禧 gave a high praise for Mr. Rich Barsotti, who has been a long time volunteer at the Golden Living Center since 2006. The program director of the Center, Elaine Abbott, expressed the appreciation on behalf of the Center for the benevolent and generous spirit of the Tzu-Chi Foundation.

The following is Katy’s dispatch and you may click the following link to read the online report.

http://www.worldjournal.com/view/wjnjpanews/10744182/article-%E6%85%B6%E8%81%96%E8%AA%95-%E5%8C%B9%E5%9F%8E%E6%85%88%E6%BF%9F%E8%A8%AA%E8%80%81%E4%BA%BA-?instance=nj_story1

慶聖誕 匹城慈濟訪老人
【賓州匹茲堡訊】
December 22, 2010 06:07 AM

慈濟會員與志工，上周末到匹茲堡市郊黎巴嫩山(Mount Lebanon)的比佛利養老院(Golden Living Center，即黃金生活館)，為院內老人帶來一個歡樂聖誕節。

慈濟匹茲堡聯絡處負責人李大立(濟灝)向近40位老人問好，他先請慈青志工分給每位老人一條圍巾，才簡介台灣慈濟志工環保再生，利用七個回收保特瓶製造柔軟 的圍巾，用78個保特瓶製造出一條輕暖的毛毯。這些圍巾與毛毯由台灣慈濟總部寄抵美國，在寒冬由志工轉贈給有需要者，以廣結善緣。

牙 醫庫恩伉儷(John & Kim Kuehn) 應陳靈芬的邀請，帶著三胞胎親生孩子與兩個自中國領養的女兒，為大家高聲多首聖誕歌曲。五個姐弟隨著唱機演唱多首輕快的應節歌曲，不少老人興高彩烈地跟著哼唱，廳堂頓時充滿歡樂的氣氛，接著男孩提姆‧庫恩(Tim Kuehn)表演扯鈴，贏得熱烈的鼓掌。

慈濟志工、來自香港的鄭國智與來自台灣的妻子鄭惠如，邀請教導韓國「唐手道」的老師馬帝斯(Brian Mattes) 與其學生表演，師生示範數招基本過招、徒手擊破木板與飛腿踢破木板的表演，贏得熱烈喝彩。

陳濟禧特別敬佩巴索帝(Rich Barsotti) 老先生，起初因膝蓋不良於行住進該養老院，2006年初痊癒出院，卻突遭喪妻。因感謝當年曾獲慈濟會員照顧，加以膝下無子嗣，從2006年至今，每天回到養老院當義工。

匹茲堡大學學生的慈青莊耿僩，剛結束期末考，馬上來幫忙推輪椅讓老人出席。比佛利養老院負責安排活動的依蓮‧阿博特 (Elaine Abbott) 表示，非常感激慈濟會員每兩星期就來探望養老院的長者，有時玩賓果，有時教唱歌，這次帶來特別來賓表演與禮物，讓大家更開心。(張瓊月)

Katy’s dispatch to the World Journal (世界日報) reporting the Tzu-Chi holiday program at Golden Living Center was published today (Dec. 22). This the 20th of their annual event in which the residents of the Golden Living Center were entertained while various gifts were given. The gifts (small blankets and scarf) are the products of recycling technology that were sent here from Taiwan. The dentist, Dr. John Kuehn, Mrs. Kim Kuehn and their five children (a triplet and two girls adopted from China) provide the entertain program singing many Christmas songs, filling the room with holiday air; several elderly residents hummed along truly enjoying themselves. Tim Kuehn performed diabolo (扯鈴), a skill earned loud and applause. There was also Kung Fu performance; it was led by Brian Mattes—the instructor of International Tang Soo Do Fed (唐手道)—many of his students demonstrated the powerful kicks, punches, and blockings, an eye opener for the elderly residents. The highlight was the flying, turning, kicking and the breaking of a hard wood board; it earned loud and enthusiastic applause. 李大立(濟灝), 陳靈芬, and 陳濟禧 were in charge of the program, and many other Tzu-Chi volunteers also worked hard for the event. A University of Pittsburgh student, a Tuz-Chi Youth, 莊耿僩, also came to help around. 陳濟禧 gave a high praise for Mr. Rich Barsotti, who has been a long time volunteer at the Golden Living Center since 2006. The program director of the Center, Elaine Abbott, expressed the appreciation on behalf of the Center for the benevolent and generous spirit of the Tzu-Chi Foundation. The following is Katy’s dispatch and you may click the following link to read the online report. http://www.worldjournal.com/view/wjnjpanews/10744182/article-%E6%85%B6%E8%81%96%E8%AA%95-%E5%8C%B9%E5%9F%8E%E6%85%88%E6%BF%9F%E8%A8%AA%E8%80%81%E4%BA%BA-?instance=nj_story1 慶聖誕 匹城慈濟訪老人 【賓州匹茲堡訊】 December 22, 2010 06:07 AM 慈濟會員與志工，上周末到匹茲堡市郊黎巴嫩山(Mount Lebanon)的比佛利養老院(Golden Living Center，即黃金生活館)，為院內老人帶來一個歡樂聖誕節。 慈濟匹茲堡聯絡處負責人李大立(濟灝)向近40位老人問好，他先請慈青志工分給每位老人一條圍巾，才簡介台灣慈濟志工環保再生，利用七個回收保特瓶製造柔軟 的圍巾，用78個保特瓶製造出一條輕暖的毛毯。這些圍巾與毛毯由台灣慈濟總部寄抵美國，在寒冬由志工轉贈給有需要者，以廣結善緣。 牙 醫庫恩伉儷(John & Kim Kuehn) 應陳靈芬的邀請，帶著三胞胎親生孩子與兩個自中國領養的女兒，為大家高聲多首聖誕歌曲。五個姐弟隨著唱機演唱多首輕快的應節歌曲，不少老人興高彩烈地跟著哼唱，廳堂頓時充滿歡樂的氣氛，接著男孩提姆‧庫恩(Tim Kuehn)表演扯鈴，贏得熱烈的鼓掌。 慈濟志工、來自香港的鄭國智與來自台灣的妻子鄭惠如，邀請教導韓國「唐手道」的老師馬帝斯(Brian Mattes) 與其學生表演，師生示範數招基本過招、徒手擊破木板與飛腿踢破木板的表演，贏得熱烈喝彩。 陳濟禧特別敬佩巴索帝(Rich Barsotti) 老先生，起初因膝蓋不良於行住進該養老院，2006年初痊癒出院，卻突遭喪妻。因感謝當年曾獲慈濟會員照顧，加以膝下無子嗣，從2006年至今，每天回到養老院當義工。 匹茲堡大學學生的慈青莊耿僩，剛結束期末考，馬上來幫忙推輪椅讓老人出席。比佛利養老院負責安排活動的依蓮‧阿博特 (Elaine Abbott) 表示，非常感激慈濟會員每兩星期就來探望養老院的長者，有時玩賓果，有時教唱歌，這次帶來特別來賓表演與禮物，讓大家更開心。(張瓊月)

Precious gift from Neiman Marcus; we’re worth it!

We received a very precious gift: pralines from Neiman Marcus. We must be on the list of “good behavior” to entitle us to this treat. This is expensive as hell, but we’re worth it. Oh! How I miss the “because I am worth it!” TV commercial of L’Oréal.

 

Doctors were clueless and helpless in treating George Washington

George Washington died today (Dec. 14) in 1799 at age of 67.  Two days earlier he rode the horse inspecting his beloved house at Mount Vernon (which we have visited several times) under the freezing rain and snow.  He took sick with sore throat and rapidly progressing difficulty of breathing next day and died in less than 24 hours from the onset of his acute illness.

He was treated with blood letting—a common practice in his days.  He was trying to sit up but was held down.  

Acute epiglottitis (infection/inflammation of epiglottis—locating in the space below the base of the tongue) seems the most plausible explanation analyzed his symptoms based on modern medicine knowledge): acute onset, rapid progression, breathing easier sitting up and airway obstruction (stridor) that is worsened by lying down or extending the neck backward.

The left figure shows a normal epiglottis (the upside down ‘U’ shape structure) and the right figure shows a red and swollen epiglottis, obstructing the airway; classical acute epiglottitis.  (photo credit: UpToDate)

He was certainly mismanaged by today’s standard; his doctors hastened his death by blood letting him several times therefore further weakened him.  He would have survived nowadays if the emergency tracheotomy was performed; in fact one of the doctors (the youngest one) did suggest doing a tracheotomy (creating an opening into the trachea), but the older ones (supposed more experienced) ruled it out, fearing it could be a fatal procedure, which was a legitimate concern in those days.

What puzzles me is that acute epiglottitis usually attacks the children, although the adults can be the victim, too.

Katy’s report to 世界日報: Charity work of Tzu-Chi (慈濟)

Katy’s dispatch to the World Journal (世界日報) reporting the charity work of Tzu-Chi (慈濟) was published today (Dec. 14). Coordinating the event with Mercy Behavioral Health, Tzu-Chi distributed the stuff to the needy in the Wellspring Drop In Center locating in Pittsburgh downtown area.   (click the photo to enlarge it)

The stuff distributed include blanket, rain-proof coat, scarf, glove, stock, cap, tooth paste and brush, etc.; everything that warms the bodies and hearts. 李大立 and 陳濟禧 showed a movie that tells the story of how the environmentally orientated blankets and coats are made. This annual event fully demonstrates the benevolent and altruistic spirit of the Tzu-Chi Foundation, benefiting the less fortunate and less privileged.

The unselfish enthusiasm of many Tzu-Chi members/volunteers (杜慈恭、陳靈芬、葉英妹、劉麗珠、張寶珍、鄭惠如、顏素玲、鄭國智) command our respect and appreciation.

The following is the direct link to the online version of Katy’s report.

http://www.worldjournal.com/view/wjnjpanews/10657382/article-%E5%A4%A9%E5%86%B7%E4%BA%86%EF%BC%81%E6%85%88%E6%BF%9F%E9%80%81%E6%9A%96?instance=panews

天冷了！慈濟送暖
【賓州匹茲堡訊】
December 14, 2010 06:00 AM

匹茲堡慈濟聯絡處於日前在城中區善泉慈善機構 (Wellspring Drop In Center)，舉行一年一度的冬令愛心發放活動，對象是匹茲堡慈恩行為健康(Mercy Behavioral Health) 平時服務的遊民。

聯絡處負責人李大立與陳濟禧把製做環保毛毯過程的短片放給大家看，讓大家了解回收保特瓶可以做出衣服、暖和的圍巾與毛毯，一邊發放冬令愛心物資，一邊宣導環保；義工張寶珍還示範手語歌曲「愛語關懷」。

該冬令救濟活動目的在讓遊民們也能過個溫馨佳節，今年發放的物資包括禦寒的防風衣、厚襪、帽子、手套，還有牙膏和牙刷，外加慈濟的環保圍巾及慈濟賑災用的毛毯，用慈濟環保袋裝得滿滿一大袋。                (click the photo to enlarge it)

去年冬令救濟發放了50份，所以今年按往例也準備了50份，但是有些人因故未出現，餘下數份交給慈恩行為健康的負責人朱迪‧歐文(Judy Irvin)，讓她日後再發放給遊民。馬克布來德 (Bill McBride) 說，他15年來負責到市區尋找流浪街頭的無家可歸者，多數為男性，帶他們到「善泉」幫忙他們，例如利用善泉郵址信箱，讓他們每月可收到政府205元的救濟金；每周五天供應免費午餐；提供洗澡洗衣；安排他們就醫與免費住宿兩個月。

期間還幫忙這些遊民找工作，有的人能因此脫離困境，但有的精神有問題，無法工作，甚至與人爭執酗酒。即使嚴冬酷寒，有的遊民寧可露宿街頭，也不願入住收容所。這些遊民中雖無華裔，歐文很感謝慈濟不分族裔，每年對遊民伸出援手，展現愛心與關懷。

慈濟匹茲堡聯絡處負責人李大立與陳濟禧，以及義工杜慈恭、陳靈芬、葉英妹、劉麗珠、張寶珍、鄭惠如、顏素玲、鄭國智參與了當天的活動。當慈濟義工恭敬地奉上愛心袋，許多受惠者握著志工的手不斷道謝，十分感人。該處義工們希望明年能撥更多經費，以便發放給更多迫切需要的人。(張瓊月)

Lincoln’s political and military shellacking: study history, First Lady

Today (Dec. 13) in 1862, not quite half way through the Civil War, the Union suffered a major defeat to the Confederates in Fredericksburg, VA.

Lincoln had a tortured life as the President.  Seven states had already seceded before he even took the oath. When he left for Washington, D.C., he told a group of journalists at Springfield (Illinois), “Well boys, your trouble was over now; mine has just begun.”  And he went to Ford Theater on that fateful night only five days after Robert Lee surrendered to Grant.

But, this was the darkest moment for Lincoln who, after the Fredericksburg collapse, said, “If there is a worse place than Hell, then I am in it.”  After the success (not a decisive victory though) at the Battle of Antietam, General McClellan’s “Slows” (按兵不動) became an agonizing problem for Lincoln.

McClellan’s reluctance and failure to pursue the retreating Lee’s Army prompted Lincoln’s visit to McClellan’s Army without even notifying him (see the two photos) and after that visit McClellan still gave all kinds of excuses including the ‘tired horses’ (We read Lincoln’s impromptu response, “Will you pardon me for asking what the horses of your army have done since the Battle of Antietam that fatigue anything?”) and the impatient Lincoln became sarcastic, “My dear McClellan, if you don’t want to use the army, I would like to borrow it for a time.” Enough was enough, Lincoln fired McClellan, replaced him with General Ambrose Burnside, (who was said to possess “ten times as much heart as he has head.”) who didn’t last long after losing 13,000 casualties, more than twice the Confederate losses, when he met Robert Lee at Fredericksburg.

A month before this disaster, Lincoln suffered an 1862 mid-term election loss; the Democratic Congressmen increased from 44 to 75 (This is Lincoln’s shellacking).  In an interview Barbara Walters asked the First Lady, Michelle Obama (a supposed counselor for the President) about the ignominious defeat of the mid-term election, she said, “My understanding is that, number one, every president in history has lost Congress at the midterms, maybe that's overstating it, but it's happened for every president in my lifetime ... It's the norm.”

The First Lady should study history, especially the man her husband has been trying to emulate, and compared Obama’s shellacking (refer to my post of “On language: Obama’s shellacking”) to that of Lincoln’s, not just that of Clinton or Bush—not just in her life time.

Confusing reports on bisphosphonates: Fosamax, Actonel, Boniva, and Reclast

One may be puzzled or even confused by the reports that taking bisphosphonates (the drug treating osteoporosis and reducing the incidence of bone fractures) can cause hip fracture, the very condition that the drug aims to prevent.

FDA issued an Safety Labeling change on 10/13/10 saying “atypical” fractures of the thigh bone (femur) have been observed in patients who have been taking a bisphosphonate for many years.  The term ‘atypical’ is used as these fractures tend to happen in an unusual site (anywhere in the femoral shaft from just below the lesser trochanter to above the supracondylar flare) and it often happens with “low-energy, or low trauma”; i.e. no or a minor accident that doesn’t amount to anything can cause fractures.

The ‘atypical’ fractures are very uncommon, accounting for less than 1% of all hip and femur fractures overall.  But, the true incidence of atypical fractures is unknown for it may be under recognized and under reported.

FDA emphasized that causality has not been established; i.e. bisphosphonates may or may not cause these atypical fractures.  The optimal duration of bisphosphonate use for osteoporosis is unknown.  Since atypical fractures appear to increase along with the longer duration of use, a periodic reevaluation (risk/benefit assessment on an individual case) of continued use is advisable, especially after 5 years of use (I went to a conference sponsored by Harvard Medical School in October 2011 and they stop using bisphosphonate after 5 years.)  One study suggested the benefit of a bisphosphonate may linger even after it is stopped after 5 years of use.

Bisphosphonates used in the States:

Fosamax (alendronate), Actonel (risedronate), Boniva (ibandronate), and Reclast (zoledronic acid)

If one takes bisphosphonates for conditions (such as Paget’s disease of bones; Reclast is used to treat hypercalcemia of malignancy) other than osteoporosis, then it is not subjected to this Safety Labeling change.

If we know the true incidence of atypical fractures while taking bisphosphonates, then thing would be much easier.  We do have more precise numbers of complications of blood transfusions.  1-4 in 100 may have febrile (fever) reaction; i.e. 1-4%; 1 in 103,000 may contract hepatitis C; 1 in 200,000 may contract hepatitis B, and 1 in 490,000 may contract HIV.

On language: a predatory chameleon

Our negative and odious references to the animal abound.  If one follows the trial of the kidnapping of Elizabeth Smart by Brian David Mitchell, one will read that the prosecutor called Mitchell a “predatory chameleon”; some also called him a “religious chameleon”.  A skunk (a mean, contemptible person) that he is—my bad, skunk (my apology to skunk).

I bet chameleons would regret their ability to change colors, giving the ever-benevolent men and women to exploit and to bad mouth them. (Katy took this photo of lizard in the petrified forest—agate—on our trip to Arizona and New Mexico in 2009.)

I never read Anton Chekhov’s A Chameleon, in which the protagonist is a police superintendent, who shamelessly changed his reports about a crime for personal advancement, ignoring the interest and justice of the victim.  Literary figures are also unkind and insensitive to the animals.

The left photo of chameleon is my cousin, 英毅, took in Socotra (part of Yemen), an otherworldly island on Earth.

On language: dough, baklava, farewell party and all

Katy is now known as the baklava lady, her making apple pie made her Americanization nearly complete. But her picking up baklava is beyond me; baklava is a Greek cuisine, not a genuine American food. Sandra said she tried but failed to find a recipe of making baklava online; I said it may be much easier to order it direct from Katy’s kitchen and she also has delivery (外送) service.

We attended a farewell party today (Dr. Cheng-Hung Lin is moving on to Johns Hopkins Hospital, taking his research to another level, before Christmas) and everyone present “with good behavior” (only 14 days to go) so far this year were all rewarded with Katy’s baklava. We also brought baklava to 慰勞 (comfort and reward) the people from Tzu-Chi (慈濟) who’re distributing stuff (blankets, scarf, gloves, stockings etc.) to the less fortunate and less privileged (冬令救濟) in downtown Pittsburgh. Waynesburg friends and neighbors also marvel at Katy's tasty and crunchy baklava.

In addition to the chopped walnuts, Katy uses fillo dough (phyllo pastry sheets) to make baklava (see photo), since this post is part of my “On language” series, I’ll digress to use Holden Caulfield’s (of The Catcher in the Rye) language again.

Holden used dough for ‘money’ (such as a pile of dough); a character (a parent of a student) “made a pot of dough in the undertaking business." After Pittsburgh Steelers beat Baltimore Ravins on Dec. 5, Jerry Hardy vented his complaints about the unfairness of the NFL officiating at FB; he “is tired of the crap officials they assign to Steelers games” and said it’s destructive to his language; to which I responded with Holden’s language.

“If this is your language, here is Holden Caulfield’s language: Damned the referees/judges; the goddam phony morons; Harrison got a big fine; it cost him a pile of dough. Steelers Miller was knocked unconscious; the bastard didn’t even call a penalty. It made me want to turn off the goddam TV and all. I cannot take it; I wanted to puke or something if you want to know the truth. Old Polamalu is good as hell; when he knocked off the goddam ball; he knocked me out”.

On language: Obama’s shellacking

You may recall in President Obama’s press conference a day after the decisive and ignominious defeat of the Democrats in the mid-term election, he said, “I'm not recommending for every future President that they take a shellacking like I did last night,” had William Safire still been around, we’ll for sure read a On Language of shellacking.

I came across an article at a site of Visual Thesaurus, which can serve as a substitute for Safire’s.

http://www.visualthesaurus.com/cm/wordroutes/2479/

shellacking comes from shellac (just like trafficking comes from traffic), which means resin for varnishing or polishing; how was it evolved to the current meaning of “a harsh or ignominious defeat”; a kind of rout and ruin defeat?  There were some explanations, but it seems too stretched to be entirely convincing.

The article gives several examples used in sports defeats.

“At the end of the third round the Tiger was giving his man a thorough shellacking against the ropes.” —Indiana (Penn.) Evening Gazette, Feb. 27, 1925

As long as I live I shall never forget the beating I received at the hands of Joe Rivers... What a shellacking I got.” —Los Angeles Times, Mar. 1, 1925 ("My Hardest Fight" by Johnny Dundee, originally in Ring Magazine)

“Luque’s streak ends when Cubs shellac Reds, 2 to 1” was a headline in Hartford Courant of June 25, 1923.

Obama was not the first one used shellacking in describing a political defeat of a rout and ruin scale, as I found an entry of “took a shellacking in the fall election” in my Webster’s Third International Dictionary that was published in 1986.

Some say shellacking comes from shell (bombard) and the second syllable of –ac, is part of words such as whack, smack, and attack.  It makes more sense to me, but it was apparently not the case.

I couldn’t find shellacking in Shakespeare’s plays; the Bard would have many other ways to describe it.

Bill Bryson’s A Short History of Nearly Everything

The title of Bill Bryson’s A Short History of Nearly Everything is a bit misleading; it is hardly about “Nearly Everything”; it is basically science writing for general readers. In fact, it is sitting in the shelf of general science at Carnegie Library; one cannot fool a librarian.

Bryson said he devoted “three years” to reading books and journals in preparing for this book that “isn’t too technical or demanding, but isn’t entirely superficial either.” For one not in a field of science by trade, he has succeeded in his goal, much better than A.J. Jacob’s The Know-It-All, to which I had harsh and sharp criticism.

I only read “Life Itself” (life science) section (and The Mighty Atom in physics section) in which there are 10 or 11 articles. Bryson failed to mention the receptors of the cells in Cells article, concept of which is of fundamental importance in understanding how many medicines work. The presence or expression of cell surface receptors is dynamic and complex; a fascinating tale to tell. I am amazed that he did talk about the role nitric oxide plays in cell function; may be it involves how Viagra works, I wonder. Nitric oxide (NO) was honored as “The molecule of the year” by Science in 1992 (the title has been changed to “The breakthrough of the year” since 1996).

America draws strength from her diversity

We went to the Holiday Open House at Nationality Rooms of the Cathedral of Learning of University of Pittsburgh on Dec. 5. The famous 27 Nationality Rooms were designed and decorated by the diverse ethnic communities in the greater Pittsburgh area. Pittsburgh is not unique; it simply reflects the diversity of America.

America draws its strength from her diversity; a diverse community is sound and healthy evolutionary speaking. The best American universities always boast their diverse student communities.

Diverse ethnic groups though we may be; we all speak one common language. The great Bismarck observed toward the close of his life that the British and American people speak the same language is "the most potent factor in human society at the end of 19th century." Hitler and Tojo Hideki failed to see this.

Katy admires Robert Burns' china cabinet

Katy’s report at 世界日報: Holiday Open House at Cathedral of Learning

The 42-story Cathedral of Learning of the University of Pittsburgh is the tallest educational building among the higher education institutions across the land. There are more than 2,000 rooms and windows and the first three floors are ringed by 27 famous Nationality Rooms, designed by respective members of Pittsburgh ethnic communities, the decoration of which showing the distinct cultures; they all serve as the functional classrooms for the relevant courses. (click the photo to enlarge it)

The annual Holiday Open House took place on Dec. 5. Each room is hosted by a student wearing ethnic clothing who gives talks about the Nationality Classroom to the visitors. The holiday decoration of the Chinese Nationality Room was done by 陳靈芬. The Pitt. student, Annie Zhang (張讚南) gave the talk about the Chinese Nationality Room to the continuous flow of the visitors.

The marvelous performance was provided by eight ethnic communities, including the OCA (Overseas Chinese association) Youth Dancing Group led and taught by Chiapih (謝家碧); its lion dance earned loud applause. 余月紅 was in charge of the program.  (click the photo to enlarge it)

The librarian (邱純金) at Pitt. East Asian Library also helped 楊文慶, 陳靈芬, 李大利, and 田蕊 taking care of the shop selling ethnic Chinese food, Chinese knots and handcrafts, the proceeds of which will go to the scholarship fund sponsoring the summer studies at China or Taiwan for the Pitt. or CMU students.

The following is Katy’s dispatch to World Journal (世界日報). You may click the following link to read the online version and the two photos.

http://www.worldjournal.com/view/wjnjpanews/10550950/article-%E5%8C%B9%E8%8C%B2%E5%A0%A1%E5%A4%A7%E5%AD%B8-%E8%81%96%E8%AA%95%E7%A7%80%E5%85%AB%E5%9C%8B%E9%A2%A8%E6%83%85?instance=panews

匹茲堡大學 聖誕秀八國風情
【賓州匹茲堡訊】
December 07, 2010 06:03 AM

匹茲堡大學的學習寶樓(Cathedral of Learning)5日起開放展示聖誕裝飾的國際課室(Nationality Rooms)，揭幕當天並由八國人士表演精彩節目，全部課室的展示將到明年1月中旬截止.

這個號稱世界大學校園最高的高塔建築，是1937年落成的42層塔樓建築，在一樓和三樓陸續建有27間國際課室。每年感恩節後，每間課室妝點得聖誕節慶氣氛濃厚。不過，日本與中國教室則以慶祝新年為主，門票每人三元。揭幕當天除一樓大廳30個攤位，提供各國餐飲與展售該國手工藝品，還有各國民族舞蹈節目表 演。

八國節目由日本「太鼓」的震撼鼓聲揭開序幕，英國、愛爾蘭、羅馬尼亞、南斯拉夫、菲律賓、希臘各表演兩場。中國只演一場，由杜榮華帶領慈濟人文學校學生演出中華民族舞蹈，包括舞獅迎吉、小美眉與蒙古舞等，贏得滿堂掌聲。

中國教室經由陳靈芬布置得張燈結綵，還有玫瑰插花與橘子盤飾，外加明年兔年的春字福字吊飾品，洋溢著新春的吉祥氣息。青島姑娘張讚南 (Annie Zhang) 負責向絡繹不絕的訪客講解中國教室的人文歷史。她簡介中國教室內仿山東曲阜的孔子石壁畫，上方則有仿清皇家建築的金龍藻井與掛燈，中有檜木圓桌椅，沿壁寫有歷代中國名人蘇軾、岳飛、花木蘭等的姓名。一邊特別留空，等著添寫後代名人姓名。黑板上寫著恭喜新年好。她並請大家離開時摸一下門口獅頭， 以祈好運。

另外，楊文慶負責用毛筆為洋人寫中文名字或幸運題字；陳靈芬也捐贈她做的中國結飾物供售。匹茲堡大學東亞圖書館館員邱純金與田蕊、李大利、余月紅負責販售中國炒飯、炒麵、炒米粉與春捲，所得捐給中國教室組委會作為獎學金的基金，準備明年暑假送數名學生到台灣或大陸， 研習中華語言與文化交流。(張瓊月)

Lincoln would never have jailed Jefferson Davis

Jefferson Davis, the only president of the Confederate States of America died today (Dec. 6) in 1889.  He was jailed for two years without a trial after the War.  This might not have happened had Lincoln not been assassinated not quite a month before his capture.

Jefferson Davis

Davis wrote years later, “The news [of Lincoln’s assassination] was to me very sad, for I felt that Mr. Johnson [Lincoln’s vice-President] was a malignant man, and without the power and the generosity which I believed Mr. Lincoln possessed.”

Lincoln visited General Grant at City Point, VA in early April 1865 (Lincoln did sit on Davis’ chair at the Richmond Presidential Palace shortly after Davis packed and left in haste); Mrs. Lincoln, Mary, and Senator Sumner went along.  While sailing back along the Potomac on April 9, Mrs., Lincoln said, “Do not allow him [Davis] to escape the law—he must be hanged!” Lincoln repeated twice over the words, “Judge not, that ye be not judged.” (This was reported by Senator Sumner.)

Toward the end of the war there were talks of hanging Davis in the North, to this Lincoln was reported to say, “This talk about Mr. Davis tires me.  I hope he will mount a fleet horse, reach the shore of the Gulf of Mexico, and ride so far into its waters that we shall never see him again.”  This is the only ‘harsh’ words that Lincoln said of Davis that I am aware of.

Robert Burns’ china cabinet: in the Scotish Class Room of the Cathedral of Learning

Yesterday (Dec. 5) we went to the Cathedral of Learning (or Devil Tower as one Pitt alumna claimed) for the annual holiday Open House.  Katy went to gather the news and I as a chauffeur.  There were ethnic food and performances which I may post later.  I am very impressed by the 27 Nationality Class Rooms.  I saw this china cabinet in Scotish Class Room and I learned it belonged to Robert Burns—the Bard of Scotland.  Burns never set foot at Pittsburgh, but because of Andrew Carnegie (also of Scotish descent and admired Burns very much) we’ll see many things related to him here at the Steel City.

J.D. Salinger got the title of his The Catcher in the Rye from Burns’ poem, Comin’ Through the Rye,  Holden claimed he misquoted it.   Holden imagined himself as the guardian of the children running and playing in a rye field at the edge of a cliff; he tried to catch the wandered ones, lest they would fall off the cliff.  This proves Holden pictured himself as the one loving the children and a goddam good guy.

John Steinbeck also took the title of Of Mice and Men from the lines of Burns’ To a Mouse:

The best laid schemes o’ mice and’ men, [the best laid schemes of mice and men]

Gang aft agley [Go often askew]

The inexorable march of Biologics and Biosimilars

I went to Pittsburgh for a meeting beginning at 7:30 this morning.  The topic is the frontier (cutting edge) treatment of neurodegenerative diseases and most involve biologicals.  I gave a talk of Biologicals at Taiwanese Bible Study this summer.  Why talks about biologicals (or biologics)?  Because that is where money is! Where future lies!

This was why Roche bought Genentech (for $46.8 billions in 2009), which boasts Avastin (bevacizumab), Herceptin (trastuzumab) and Rituxan (rituximab) and biologics played a role in Pfizer’s buying Wyeth because of Enbrel (etanercept) and Merck’s buying Schering-Plough because of Remicade (infliximab).  Merck’s also has formed its Biosimilars project (Merck BioVentures). 

A battle is raging on in the drug/biotech industry.  U.S. and European regulators haven’t set up the guidelines for approving biosimilars—generic versions of biologicals.  Unlike conventional drugs which are mostly chemical synthesis; biologicals come from the living organisms and are complex to make; doctors may not have confidence in generic biologicals.  Those invested in the drug sector/biotech need to keep a vigilant eye on this development.

There were nearly 30,000 physicians attended 2010 ASCO (American Society of Clinical Oncology) and most of the news were about biologicals.

Martha Stewart went to jail because of a biological called Erbitux (cetuximab) made by ImClone.  It is predicted that in 2016 at least seven of the Top Ten drugs will be biologicals.  Many of the biologicals will be household names in years to come.  The march of biologicals or biosimilars is inexorable; no one can stop it.

On language: damn vs. damned

William Safire wrote a reader wrote him a letter saying “Your column is a pack of damn lies,” and that gave him a topic to write another “damned” column. (Bill, do not turn on your grave; I am simply trying to speak Holden Caulfield’s language).

Safire wrote “Benjamin Disraeli quoted Mark Twain as saying ‘There are three kinds of lies: lies, damned lies and statistics’”; but from what I read neither Benjamin Disraeli nor Mark Twain was the one said it first.

So it should be a “damned” lie, although everyone says “damn” lie and that led Safire to wonder whether the actors of Shakespeare’s Macbeth would enunciate the “d” in “Out, damn’d spot” uttered by Lady Macbeth.  (This is one of the climaxes in the play; very theatrical; these three words reveal Shakespeare is indeed the Bard.)

At the beginning of the play we see how Lady Macbeth ridicules her husband’s hesitancy in murdering King Duncan.  In the end we see how her conscience haunts her.  On the stage one will see Lady Macbeth keeps rubbing her hands as if she cannot wash off something, then she says, “There’s still a spot here”, then we hear,

Lady Macbeth: 

Out, damn'd spot! out, I say!—  [Out, damned spot! out, I command you!]

The spot she sees is metaphorically the stain in her conscience that she can never wash it off.

Lincoln loved Shakespeare; he often memorized and recited the lines to entertain his guests and Macbeth was one of his favorites.  Churchill was also a Shakespeare lover; in 1953 while sitting in the front row watching Richard Burton play Hamlet, Churchill would growl the lines along with Burton, much to his chagrin.  I guess this great Shakespeare actor couldn’t just say, “Frailty, thy name is woman! (弱者你的名字是女人) shut up” turning to Churchill.

Ladies and gentlemen, here is my blog!

(I put a free advertisement doe this blog in Facebook)

I am more of a blogger than of a Facebooker and I can never make it in the Twitter: I cannot survive with the 140 words limit, let alone the 140 characters limit in the Twitter.  I am no Tiger Woods; I cannot enter “What’s up everyone” (dubbed as the most boring Twitter feed in a wsj article) and had 60,000 new twitter followers within a few hours.  My posts tend to be lengthy for FB; either I am too wordy or I am too busy to make it a short one.  像老太婆的包腳布, 又臭又長.

Another advantage of a blog is labeling makes it better organized.  Ladies and gentlemen, here is my blog!  You can click the “Older Posts” (in the right lower corner of each page) to read more (to either enjoy or endure).

http://doctorjytsai.blogspot.com/

War Prayer for Chicago White Sox in 2005

Chicago is preparing for war; the spirit-lifting emails have reached every single soul (including Joy) in all Chicago Land.  Since this is a curse-lifting event, divine intervention is integral to this process.  Every pastor in the church of every domination is making fervent sermons invoking the aid of the ever-merciful benignant Father of us all for this Holy War.

I plagiarized and modified from Mark Twain’s War Prayer:

It is a time of great and exalting excitement.  The White Sox Nation is up in arms, the war is on, in every breast burned the holy fire of loyalism; the drums are beating, the band playing, the bunched firecracker hissing and sputtering, the fire work exploding in the sky above the Navy Pier [where all the firework is done in Chicago], the “Go! Sox Go!” banners flying along the colorful Magnificent Mile.  The air is crispy, lofty and euphoric.

The players and the fans march the wide Michigan Avenue, gay and fine in their White Sox uniforms, cheering and choking with happy emotions.

May merciful God watch over our players, and aid, comfort, and encourage them in their noble work; bless them, shield them in the day of battle and the hour of peril and dispute, bear them in His mighty hand, make them strong and confident, invincible in the bloody onset, help them to crush the foe; if Cardinals, clip their wings; if Astros, shoot down their stars.  [at the time of this writing; Cardinals and Astros were still fighting to go the World Series.]

Mark Twain’s War Prayer is a sarcastic mockery of war that was inspired and fueled by the blind patriotic and religious fervor.  It was apparently rejected by Twain’s publishers and was found and published after his death.

http://www.midwinter.com/lurk/making/warprayer.html

Militant abolitionist John Brown was hanged today (Dec. 2) in 1859

John Brown was the most controversial American in the Civil War era.  He advocated and practiced arm rebellion and was supported by the radical abolitionists in the North. He even earned the praise from Emerson and Thoreau, but the cautious Lincoln said he was a “misguided fanatic”.

Carl Sandburg wrote, “On the night of May 24, 1857, he took two men and his four obedient sons, Owen, Frederick, Salmon, and Oliver, each with a rifle, pistol and cutlass, and they went to three different cabins.  In the Doyle cabin, the wife and mother begged to be let alone, but out into the night they dragged her husband and two sons, found next morning on the grass 200 yards from the cabin, the father shot in the head and stabbed in the breast, one son with arms and fingers cut off and a hole in his throat, the other son with holes in side, head and jaw.  At Wilkinson’s cabin past midnight they forced him to open the door, heard his sick wife plead, but he was found next day dead.  At the third cabin they took William Sherman who was found next morning with his skull split open and left hand cut off.  The butchery was done mainly with two-edged cutlasses Brown had brought from Ohio.”

Reading above, one will agree with Lincoln.  John Brown’s Body was a popular Union marching song during the Civil War and later Julia Ward Howe converted it to the Battle Hymn of the Republic, a Lincoln’s favorite.

John Brown’s last message (to a friend) before going to the gallows, “I, John Brown, am now quite certain that the crimes of this guilty land will never be purged away but with blood”; sadly and prophetically true.  Many historians agree that John Brown played a major in hastening the outbreak of the Civil War.

Using animal names in a disparaging or condescending way

We are never kind to animals in our language; with few exceptions we belittle or vilify animals. We use the animal names in a disparaging or condescending way.  I throw these examples here as an introduction; please feel free to add more.

snail

in contrast to email, the mailed (physically delivered) ones are disparagingly called snail mail.

Shakespeare in his As You Like It let Jaques describe man’s seven stages, “Then the whinning schoolboy [the second stage] . . . creeping like snail, Unwillingly to school.” 

bear (bear market)

Like the cartoon depicts, to use bear to connote a lousy down market is highly insensitive.

bull (bull market)

bull is pleased to be associated with a strong and exuberant market, like we have today (Dec. 1, 2010), but the kindness stops here; we don’t want to be called bullheaded (stupidly stubborn)

J.D. Salinger wrote in The Catcher in the Rye, “I was sort of thinking of something else while I shot the bull”.  Shot the bull is a [NOT an] euphemistic or polite way to say bull-shitting (trivial, boastful, and inaccurate talk of little consequence)

J.D. Salinger also wrote, “That kind of stuff.  The old bull” (the lies or nonsense talk). Holden refers to a “bull session” in a school dormitory—a gathering where students talk about everything except school work.

horse around
J.D. Salinger liked to use “horse around” in his The Catcher in the Rye, but he used it as the equivalent to acting childish, no harm done.  We read, “I horse around quite a lot, just to keep from getting bored.” and “horsing around all over the places.  It was very childish.”

Norman Miller used it in a less flattering way, “I never horse around much with the women.”

I saw this cartoon at Observer-Reporter; we use ‘horse around” to depict such a lewd and despicable behavior

fish; fishy

fishy is of doubtful character; “that story sounds very very fishy to me”, “using his position to line his pocket through fishy and degrading deals”

buffalo

I posted “Steelers almost got buffaloed by the lowly Buffalo Bills” to show buffalo also means “bamboozle, baffle, overawe or be intimidated”  J.D. Salinger also use buffalo in a very negative way. “We’ve been entertaining some Buffalo friends of Mrs. Antolini’s . . . Some buffaloes, as a matter of fact”  The first tells Mrs. Antolini’s friends are from Baffalo, N.Y. and the second buffalo is used to show Mr. Antolini’s [the alleged homosexual teacher] lack of respect for his wife and her friends.

badger
Badger is a burrowing animal, related to the weasel.  When we harass or pester someone persistently in a manner likely to cause annoyance, which means we ‘badger’ people.  Sinclair Lewis wrote, “the mill foreman . . . taunted the workers . . . badgered them, and told them that they dared not quit.”

chameleon
We often see predatory and chameleon in the same sentence.

hyena, laughed liked hyenas

J.D. Salinger didn’t present hyena in a pleasant way, “They both laughed like hyenas at stuff that wasn’t even funny.  I didn’t even enjoy sitting next to them in the movies”

fox

fox is trick by being sly and crafty; deceive; thus “sly like a fox”. “We would fox him into withdrawing vitally needed strength”

jackal and bear

Churchill was not kind in using animals to describe Mussolini, Hitler, and Stalin; he wrote, “The rush for the spoils had begun.  But Mussolini was not the only hungry animal seeking prey.  To join the Jackal came the Bear.  German and Russia now worked together . . .”

A letter-to-the editor at Observer-Reporter by Nathan Romesburg (Nov. 30)

This is a letter-to-the-editor published at Observer-Reporter on Nov. 30, written by Nathan Romesburg, a grandson of our neighbor, Mrs. Greenlee.  A cliché though it may be, I still like to say we watched him grow up.  Congratulations! Nate!

It is well written making his points clear and forceful; reading it one cannot help but agree with him.
                                           

Today (Nov. 30) in 1900 prejudice and narrow mindedness killed a genius (Oscar Wilde)

Today (Nov. 30) should be a day of celebration for Samuel Langhorne Clemens (Mark Twain) was born in 1835 and Winston Churchill in 1874.  But, it is still a sad day for Oscar Wilde in 1900, not just because he died, but why and how he died.

Oscar Wilde was a martyr for the modern Gay Rights Movement.  His imprisonment and hard labor of two years for “gross indecency” in 1895 hastened his death in 1900; there is no doubt about it.  From what I read there was nothing suggests he might have AIDS (may be non-existent then); he obviously died of “broken heart” at age of 46. he wrote before he died, “I can write, but have lost the joy of writing.”

I recall reading about how Harvard students mocked Oscar Wilde’s homosexuality during his visit in 1882.  Harvard was not always as open-minded as we know it.  I am still trying to find out why Walt Whitman fared much better; Wilde did visit Whitman in 1882.

I once came across a letter to Col. Higginson (there is a book called White Heat about the friendship between Emily Dickinson and Thomas Higginson), Emily Dickinson wrote, “You speak of Whitman, I never read his books, but was told that he was disgraceful”, so Whitman did have his problem.

An American (in France) who was an acquaintance of Wilde drew up a petition to Queen Victoria begging for Wilde’s release from prison, but few French writers agreed to sign it.  Even Henry James didn’t sign saying he felt sorry for Oscar, but the petition wouldn’t have the slightest effect on the authority . . . and “the document [petition] would only exist as a manifesto of personal loyalty to Oscar by his friends, of which I was never one.”

Shortly before he died he wrote to his publisher from Paris, “This poverty really breaks one’s heart; it is so sale, so utterly depressing, so hopeless.  Pray do what you can.”

I read many of his plays including A Woman of No Importance, An Ideal Husband, Lady Winderman’s Fan, The Importance of Being Earnest the past year or two and lamented that how many more plays we could enjoy had he not died at a young age of 46?  Bernard Shaw was only six years his junior and died 50 years after Wilde’s passing, and thus we have so many of Shaw's treasures to indulge.

Some question that Wilde never said “I have nothing to declare but my genius”, but if you read him you would agree that the prejudice, narrow-mindedness, intolerance and injustice killed a genius.

Let me conclude this post by quoting Bernard Shaw,

“It is a pity that Wilde still tempts men to write lives on him.  If ever there was a writer whose prayer to posterity might well have been ‘Read my works; and let my life alone,’ it was Wilde.”

Katy’s report on Taiwanese Bible Study at World Journal (世界日報) today (Nov. 30)

Indiana University Professor 林天民 started Taiwanese Bible Study for Taiwanese Americans in the greater Pittsburgh area over thirty years ago; it survived and continued to thrive to this day; Mrs. Lin (林夫人, 雪滿) provided the music. It was a religious and social gathering. Drs. Shiow Bih and Rong-Chung Lin have been in charge over the years. (click the photo to enlarge it)

Several doctors/scholars from Taiwan are doing research at University of Pittsburgh UPMC; they also attended the Bible study. Those present at the Thanksgiving session include Dr. and Mrs. Ethan Ishun Huang (an ENT doctor who is pursuing his Ph.D), Dr. and Mrs. Cheng-Hung Lin (a reconstructive and transplantation surgeon, currently a research fellow at the Division of Plastic Surgery, UPMC and who is heading for Johns Hopkins Hospital in late December); Drs. Alex Lin and Amy Tsai Lin (also doing research at UPMC) and family were also present, they somehow missed the group photo session.

We got together at the Holiday Park United Methodist Church (at Plum Borough, nearby Monroeville, PA) once a month. Every family brings in a dish or two and shares the dinner, a potluck, so to speak. Current minister is Pastor Calvin Tan (陳業添), who just completed the instruction of the Book of Romans; his bible study/lecture is combined with the sermon. We all admire his knowledge and insight into the Scripture. A gifted musician, Mrs. Tan accompanied the hymn singing with her guitar music.

After Professor Lin’s (林天民) retirement and moving to California, Dr. Victor Lan (藍松數) and Pastor 馮永全 were the interim ministers before Pastor Tan (陳業添) took charge. 汪艾奇 plays piano accompanying the hymn singing.

After the Bible study, there is a talk of special topic given by the members in our midst. Dr. R.C. Lin (a urologist with a MBA degree) gave a talk about the current activity of the exploration of the natural gas, emphasizing the Marcellus Shale Gas and its economic impact to the region. Dr. Lin’s son, Jason, also gave an introductory talk. There is no one better qualified than Jason, who has expert knowledge on the energy from his previous work before he entered the Stanford University MBA program.

Dr. Lin’s daughter, Jenny (an MIT graduate, who is working in healthcare industry) also told an interesting story of meeting President Obama. While hiking in Acadia National Park this summer; they met President Obama and his family at the summit of Cadillac Mountain (I guess this was one of Obama’s Summit Meetings) and have a cordial exchange of greetings. You can read the details on Jenny’s Facebook pages.

(The following is Katy's dispatch to the World Journal, 世界日報)

匹茲堡查經班 歡度感恩節
【賓州匹茲堡訊】
November 30, 2010 06:00 AM

匹茲堡的台灣查經班日前舉辦感恩節聚餐，餐後由陳業添牧師帶領查經，並邀林榮中醫師演講。

黃秀碧醫師指出，該查經班已有逾30年歷史，最初由印第安納大學宗教學教授林天民帶領查經，成員旨在研究宗教並非全部都是教友。林天民義務講解聖經，林夫人(雪滿)負責司琴，他們在匹茲堡當了27年義工，林天民目前已退休並搬到加州，繼續義務散播福音。接著由馮永全、藍松數帶引，兩年前改由陳業添牧師義務帶領查經，汪艾奇司琴。

陳牧師當天首次偕同家人來宣道，他藉楊恩典無手用腳做畫的故事，希望世人能藉基督與信心稱義，並彼此接納、相愛。隨後陳牧師分發明年月曆給大家，並邀全體到匹茲堡華人宣道會參加聖誕節活動。他表示，有任何困難可電郵 ichurch@live.com，或電話(412)824-1500，他會盡力幫忙。

有MBA學位的林榮中醫師與其子Jason接著做專題演講，他們探討近幾年美東由紐約到賓州蓬勃發展開採天然氣，因此正是買農地投資或買天然氣開採公司的股票的時機。不過，開採的新科技採用化學物品化解硬石，俾能鑽挖到地下5000 呎深，開採天然瓦斯及其副產品，因而有人擔心化學物品可能影響地下水質，帶來 隱憂後患。

另外由波士頓來參加聚會的 Jenny Lin 告訴大家她爬山巧遇歐巴馬總統與家人的故事，最後大家向即將搬到巴爾的摩的林承弘(手部整型外科醫師)道別，祝福他明夏回高雄長庚醫院，能把在美所學充分發揮。(張瓊月)