Joust The Facts

I Can't Believe Someone Wrote This Sentence

Prepare for the True-Believing Progressives this holiday season (those of you with some in your family) - they have their marching orders.  It doesn't appear to be incidental, a coincidence, or random.

The scariest advice comes at the first link, from Slate.  The article is titled, I kid you not, "How To Pick A Fight With Your Relatives This Thanksgiving."  They forgot the modifiers ("moronic, racist relatives") but don't worry, they cover that in the article.

You've prepared all year in Internet comment sections and by yelling at Fox News on the television screen, and now you find yourself face-to-face, in close quarters, with actual Republicans, right across the table. They're not going anywhere, and neither are you. Despite what you’ve heard about avoiding holiday conflict, now is your time to fight...

That's not the sentence I'm referring to, however.  It's this one.

Stick to short, sarcastic, tendentious remarks to get things going. "I'm thankful for all that free stuff Obama gave me."

Oh, I'm sure that'll make you the hit of the gathering, lefty.  I certainly hope this is written tongue-in-cheek, though based on the many other outlets advising similarly, I suspect it's not.  Remember, if Barack Obama didn't walk into Abercrombie and slap two Ben Franklins on the counter for a pair of jeans and a t-shirt then he didn't really give you any "free stuff."

The 24th Anniversary of Pan Am 103

December 21^st  of 2012 is allegedly the date the world comes to an end, according to Mayan lore.  I know, the Mayans came to an end long before this date, but who's counting.  The date, however, has already been significant twice for my family and me.  In 1988 Pan Am 103 was blown from the skies by now-convicted Libyan terrorists, falling to earth in Lockerbie, Scotland and taking with it the lives of 259 people on board the plane and 11 on the ground.  One of those lives on the plane was my brother, returning from a semester overseas in London during his time at Syracuse University.  Then, in 2005 my father passed away on this date, taken suddenly from our family.

Annually on this date I have been reprinting my first post from the start of this blog, which I dedicated to my brother.  The plane disappeared from the radar screen,  7:03 PM GMT, the moment when all those lives, my brother's included, were tragically ended.  The post is timed here at 7:03 PM EST, the time when I arrived home from my residency training to discover the awful truth.  The irony - or possibly the design? - of the two dying on the same date has not escaped our notice.  This post now contains the original first post, from September 2004 and the material I wrote about my father when, after his death, I returned to this blog.

The original first post:

My Reason for Being

There are a lot of ways this weblog could begin. I think the best is with a brief history and explanation. You see, I lost a wonderful younger brother in the bombing of Pan Am Flight 103 over Lockerbie, Scotland. I miss him every day; he would be 38 now. I recall thinking back then that the attack constituted an act of war. I couldn't believe that there wasn't the moral clarity and certitude of purpose on the part of our government to prosecute a war against those who had attacked us. That lack of moral clarity persisted through the Desert Storm war, leaving Saddam in power, through the first bombing on the World Trade Center, through the embassy bombings, the USS Cole attack, etc., etc., etc. With the devastation of the attack on 9-11 finally, at long last, all Americans would see that we may not have thought ourselves at war, but an enemy was at war with us. The same America that fought World Wars I & II would surely unite to fight against an enemy that attacked us on our home soil - but I was wrong.

Even before the first strikes in Afghanistan many, particularly in the media, were questioning the action, opining that we would find ourselves in a quagmire. With the attacks in Iraq the same voices were heard. Now, as Iraq struggles to find a footing for democracy many who in the 1990's thought Saddam needed to be ousted and, if necessary, preemptive action taken have changed their mind, simply because it's not their guy doing the ousting.

President Bush is doing exactly what needs to be done - aggressively prosecuting the GWOT. The critics note that terrorists are flocking to Iraq to fight against Iraqi and US soldiers - to which I answer "Good. Get more of them together, rather than chasing them to the ends of the earth." To those who think Iraq is not part of the GWOT and that we should have left Saddam in power I ask, do you really think the world would be a better place with Saddam still in power?

This is the history that has influenced me. As Senator Zell Miller said at the beginning of his speech at the Republican National Convention [link]:

Since I last stood in this spot, a whole new generation of the Miller Family has been born: Four great grandchildren. Along with all the other members of our close-knit family -- they are my and Shirley's most precious possessions. And I know that's how you feel about your family also. Like you, I think of their future, the promises and the perils they will face. Like you, I believe that the next four years will determine what kind of world they will grow up in. And like you, I ask which leader is it today that has the vision, the willpower and, yes, the backbone to best protect my family? The clear answer to that question has placed me in this hall with you tonight. For my family is more important than my party. There is but one man to whom I am willing to entrust their future and that man's name is George Bush.

My family, and in fact all Americans, are too important to me. This blog will stray onto lesser topics regularly, my passions and interests. But it will likely always return to this vital effort.

Posted by Giacomo on 28 September 2004

Here are the Wikipedia entry on Pan Am 103 and the website for the Syracuse students.  The latter is very well done.

From my return post of December 29, 2005:

Lastly, I'd like to write briefly about my dad, who passed away eight days ago, on a professional level.  He was a remarkable physician, a cancer specialist in a way that really no cancer specialists are anymore.  He performed all manner of cancer surgery, soup to nuts, including the plastic reconstruction of any deformity created.  He guided the radiation therapy and chemotherapy for his patients.  He read their MRIs and CTs himself.  He looked at their pathology slides.  This was one-stop shopping cancer care, something that you need six or seven different doctors to provide now.  You might think that each of those six or seven physicians would be more highly informed in their particular area to optimize their portion of the care.  You would be wrong.  And you'd have to coordinate six or seven different physician offices to get anything done.

He retired four years ago, and had to be dragged kicking and screaming from his practice.  When he left, he spent the next two years staying in contact with his patients, and working with each of them to be sure they had the best follow-up care he could arrange.  That's something you don't see either.

I won't be writing here on a personal level.  That's something I did for his burial two days ago.  We miss you, Dad.  We all miss you very much.

If anyone is interested, here is the link to his obituary.

I know I haven't been around since the election, and I do have some items of importance I'd like to write about, but I've been exceedingly busy.  I'll be returning to the blog intermittently as time allows.

Giacomo

 

On The Death Of A Dictator: "It Couldn't Happen To A More Deserving Guy"

The rebel/revolutionary forces in Libya and the NATO forces still fighting there have gotten their man.  Ghadafi is - finally and thankfully - dead.  As long-time readers of this blog no doubt know, my brother was one of the 270 who lost their lives when Pan Am 103 was blown from the sky over Lockerbie, Scotland by a bomb that originated with Libyan terrorists.  Abdel Baset al-Megrahi was the Libyan agent convicted in the bombing, and unfortunately, at more than two years after he was given "three months to live" with prostate cancer and given "compassionate release" he remains alive in Libya.  But the man who gave the order, the long-time dictator in Libya, is dead.

Thousands of Libyans poured on to the streets of the capital on Thursday, ecstatic at the news that Muammar Gaddafi had been killed in his birthplace of Sirt. As depicted in several cellphone video images, it was a violent and gruesome death for a man who had ruled this country with an iron fist for 42 years.

Like I wrote, it couldn't happen to a more deserving guy.

After an hour and a half of unconfirmed reports, the news came on at about 3.30 p.m. that Gaddafi was indeed dead. Footage on Al Jazeera Television, showed a bloodied Gaddafi being dragged by his arms on the street toward a vehicle. Images also showed Gaddafi's body, apparently killed in gunfire, his eyes rolled back lifeless. In the lobby of the Radisson Blu Hotel, where many rebel officials, as well as foreign journalists, have been based for weeks, many Libyans doubled over, weeping, overcome with emotion.

Many of the family members of the victims of the Pan Am 103 bombing are emotional as well.

Hussein.  Ghadafi.  Castro.  Chavez.  Jong-Il.  Dictators, particularly the murderous ones, can survive a long time.  When they are gone they are not mourned by their people (unless, as in North Korea after the death of Kim Il-Sung they are forced to by the next dictator).  Rather, their deaths are celebrated.  They are only mourned by those who romanticize the ideals of their supposedly idyllic society while refusing to see the terror, fear, oppression, want and hatred that lies just beneath a false veneer of majesty.

Here's my first December 21st post, from back in 2004, on the occasion of the 16th anniversary of Pan Am 103.   An excerpt:

Sixteen years ago today Pan Am 103 was blown from the skies over Lockerbie Scotland, taking with it as it fell the lives of 259 passengers and 11 Scots on the ground.  One of the passengers was my brother.  I will be annually reposting my first post on this date, in memory of my brother.  He was 22.  I can think of nothing more vital in this world than defeating the terrorists so that other families will not have to go through what my family, and the other families of the Pan AM 103 victims, have gone through.

The 22nd Anniversary of Pan Am 103

December 21^st has acquired an increasing aura of ominous significance for my family and me.  In 1988 Pan Am 103 was blown from the skies by now-convicted Libyan terrorists, falling to earth in Lockerbie, Scotland and taking with it the lives of 259 people on board the plane and 11 on the ground.  One of those lives on the plane was my brother, returning from a semester overseas in London during his time at Syracuse University.

Annually on this date I have been reprinting my first post from the start of this blog, which I dedicated to my brother.  The plane disappeared from the radar screen at 7:03 PM GMT, the moment when all those lives, my brother's included, were tragically ended.  The post is timed here at 7:03 PM EST, the time when I arrived home from my residency training to discover the awful truth.  In 2005 the pain of this shortest day of the year in the northern hemisphere became that much greater, when my father was taken from our family suddenly.  The irony - or possibly the design - of the two dying on the same date has not escaped our notice.  This post now contains the original first post, from September 2004 and the material I wrote about my father when, after his death, I returned to this blog.

The original first post:

My Reason for Being

There are a lot of ways this weblog could begin. I think the best is with a brief history and explanation. You see, I lost a wonderful younger brother in the bombing of Pan Am Flight 103 over Lockerbie, Scotland. I miss him every day; he would be 38 now. I recall thinking back then that the attack constituted an act of war. I couldn't believe that there wasn't the moral clarity and certitude of purpose on the part of our government to prosecute a war against those who had attacked us. That lack of moral clarity persisted through the Desert Storm war, leaving Saddam in power, through the first bombing on the World Trade Center, through the embassy bombings, the USS Cole attack, etc., etc., etc. With the devastation of the attack on 9-11 finally, at long last, all Americans would see that we may not have thought ourselves at war, but an enemy was at war with us. The same America that fought World Wars I & II would surely unite to fight against an enemy that attacked us on our home soil - but I was wrong.

Even before the first strikes in Afghanistan many, particularly in the media, were questioning the action, opining that we would find ourselves in a quagmire. With the attacks in Iraq the same voices were heard. Now, as Iraq struggles to find a footing for democracy many who in the 1990's thought Saddam needed to be ousted and, if necessary, preemptive action taken have changed their mind, simply because it's not their guy doing the ousting.

President Bush is doing exactly what needs to be done - aggressively prosecuting the GWOT. The critics note that terrorists are flocking to Iraq to fight against Iraqi and US soldiers - to which I answer "Good. Get more of them together, rather than chasing them to the ends of the earth." To those who think Iraq is not part of the GWOT and that we should have left Saddam in power I ask, do you really think the world would be a better place with Saddam still in power?

This is the history that has influenced me. As Senator Zell Miller said at the beginning of his speech at the Republican National Convention [link]:

Since I last stood in this spot, a whole new generation of the Miller Family has been born: Four great grandchildren. Along with all the other members of our close-knit family -- they are my and Shirley's most precious possessions. And I know that's how you feel about your family also. Like you, I think of their future, the promises and the perils they will face. Like you, I believe that the next four years will determine what kind of world they will grow up in. And like you, I ask which leader is it today that has the vision, the willpower and, yes, the backbone to best protect my family? The clear answer to that question has placed me in this hall with you tonight. For my family is more important than my party. There is but one man to whom I am willing to entrust their future and that man's name is George Bush.

My family, and in fact all Americans, are too important to me. This blog will stray onto lesser topics regularly, my passions and interests. But it will likely always return to this vital effort.

Posted by Giacomo on 28 September 2004

Here are the Wikipedia entry on Pan Am 103, the Victims of Pan Am 103 official site, hosted by Syracuse University, and a link to archival information on the Syracuse students who perished that day.

From my return post of December 29, 2005:

Lastly, I'd like to write briefly about my dad, who passed away eight days ago, on a professional level.  He was a remarkable physician, a cancer specialist in a way that really no cancer specialists are anymore.  He performed all manner of cancer surgery, soup to nuts, including the plastic reconstruction of any deformity created.  He guided the radiation therapy and chemotherapy for his patients.  He read their MRIs and CTs himself.  He looked at their pathology slides.  This was one-stop shopping cancer care, something that you need six or seven different doctors to provide now.  You might think that each of those six or seven physicians would be more highly informed in their particular area to optimize their portion of the care.  You would be wrong.  And you'd have to coordinate six or seven different physician offices to get anything done.

He retired four years ago, and had to be dragged kicking and screaming from his practice.  When he left, he spent the next two years staying in contact with his patients, and working with each of them to be sure they had the best follow-up care he could arrange.  That's something you don't see either.

I won't be writing here on a personal level.  That's something I did for his burial two days ago.  We miss you, Dad.  We all miss you very much.

If anyone is interested, here is the link to his obituary.

The 21st Anniversary of Pan Am 103

December 21^st has acquired an increasing aura of ominous significance for my family and me.  In 1988 Pan Am 103 was blown from the skies by now-convicted Libyan terrorists, falling to earth in Lockerbie, Scotland and taking with it the lives of 259 people on board the plane and 11 on the ground.  One of those lives on the plane was my brother, returning from a semester overseas in London during his time at Syracuse University.

Annually on this date I have been reprinting my first post from the start of this blog, which I dedicated to my brother.  It posts at 7:03 PM GMT, the time when the plane disappeared from the radar screen, and all those lives, my brother's included, were tragically ended.  Two years ago the pain of this shortest day of the year in the northern hemisphere became that much greater, when my father was taken from our family suddenly.  The irony - or possibly the design - of the two dying on the same date has not escaped our notice.  This post now contains the original first post, from September 2004 and the material I wrote about my father when, after his death, I returned to this blog.

The original first post:

My Reason for Being

There are a lot of ways this weblog could begin. I think the best is with a brief history and explanation. You see, I lost a wonderful younger brother in the bombing of Pan Am Flight 103 over Lockerbie, Scotland. I miss him every day; he would be 38 now. I recall thinking back then that the attack constituted an act of war. I couldn't believe that there wasn't the moral clarity and certitude of purpose on the part of our government to prosecute a war against those who had attacked us. That lack of moral clarity persisted through the Desert Storm war, leaving Saddam in power, through the first bombing on the World Trade Center, through the embassy bombings, the USS Cole attack, etc., etc., etc. With the devastation of the attack on 9-11 finally, at long last, all Americans would see that we may not have thought ourselves at war, but an enemy was at war with us. The same America that fought World Wars I & II would surely unite to fight against an enemy that attacked us on our home soil - but I was wrong.

Even before the first strikes in Afghanistan many, particularly in the media, were questioning the action, opining that we would find ourselves in a quagmire. With the attacks in Iraq the same voices were heard. Now, as Iraq struggles to find a footing for democracy many who in the 1990's thought Saddam needed to be ousted and, if necessary, preemptive action taken have changed their mind, simply because it's not their guy doing the ousting.

President Bush is doing exactly what needs to be done - aggressively prosecuting the GWOT. The critics note that terrorists are flocking to Iraq to fight against Iraqi and US soldiers - to which I answer "Good. Get more of them together, rather than chasing them to the ends of the earth." To those who think Iraq is not part of the GWOT and that we should have left Saddam in power I ask, do you really think the world would be a better place with Saddam still in power?

This is the history that has influenced me. As Senator Zell Miller said at the beginning of his speech at the Republican National Convention [link]:

Since I last stood in this spot, a whole new generation of the Miller Family has been born: Four great grandchildren. Along with all the other members of our close-knit family -- they are my and Shirley's most precious possessions. And I know that's how you feel about your family also. Like you, I think of their future, the promises and the perils they will face. Like you, I believe that the next four years will determine what kind of world they will grow up in. And like you, I ask which leader is it today that has the vision, the willpower and, yes, the backbone to best protect my family? The clear answer to that question has placed me in this hall with you tonight. For my family is more important than my party. There is but one man to whom I am willing to entrust their future and that man's name is George Bush.

My family, and in fact all Americans, are too important to me. This blog will stray onto lesser topics regularly, my passions and interests. But it will likely always return to this vital effort.

Posted by Giacomo on 28 September 2004

Here are the Wikipedia entry on Pan Am 103, the Victims of Pan Am 103 official site, hosted by Syracuse University, and a link to archival information on the Syracuse students who perished that day.

From my return post of December 29, 2005:

Lastly, I'd like to write briefly about my dad, who passed away eight days ago, on a professional level.  He was a remarkable physician, a cancer specialist in a way that really no cancer specialists are anymore.  He performed all manner of cancer surgery, soup to nuts, including the plastic reconstruction of any deformity created.  He guided the radiation therapy and chemotherapy for his patients.  He read their MRIs and CTs himself.  He looked at their pathology slides.  This was one-stop shopping cancer care, something that you need six or seven different doctors to provide now.  You might think that each of those six or seven physicians would be more highly informed in their particular area to optimize their portion of the care.  You would be wrong.  And you'd have to coordinate six or seven different physician offices to get anything done.

He retired four years ago, and had to be dragged kicking and screaming from his practice.  When he left, he spent the next two years staying in contact with his patients, and working with each of them to be sure they had the best follow-up care he could arrange.  That's something you don't see either.

I won't be writing here on a personal level.  That's something I did for his burial two days ago.  We miss you, Dad.  We all miss you very much.

If anyone is interested, here is the link to his obituary.

December 21^st has acquired an increasing aura of ominous significance for my family and me.  In 1988 Pan Am 103 was blown from the skies by now-convicted Libyan terrorists, falling to earth in Lockerbie, Scotland and taking with it the lives of 259 people on board the plane and 11 on the ground.  One of those lives on the plane was my brother, returning from a semester overseas in London during his time at Syracuse University.

Annually on this date I have been reprinting my first post from the start of this blog, which I dedicated to my brother.  It posts at 7:03 PM GMT, the time when the plane disappeared from the radar screen, and all those lives, my brother's included, were tragically ended.  Two years ago the pain of this shortest day of the year in the northern hemisphere became that much greater, when my father was taken from our family suddenly.  The irony - or possibly the design - of the two dying on the same date has not escaped our notice.  This post now contains the original first post, from September 2004 and the material I wrote about my father when, after his death, I returned to this blog.

The original first post:

My Reason for Being

There are a lot of ways this weblog could begin. I think the best is with a brief history and explanation. You see, I lost a wonderful younger brother in the bombing of Pan Am Flight 103 over Lockerbie, Scotland. I miss him every day; he would be 38 now. I recall thinking back then that the attack constituted an act of war. I couldn't believe that there wasn't the moral clarity and certitude of purpose on the part of our government to prosecute a war against those who had attacked us. That lack of moral clarity persisted through the Desert Storm war, leaving Saddam in power, through the first bombing on the World Trade Center, through the embassy bombings, the USS Cole attack, etc., etc., etc. With the devastation of the attack on 9-11 finally, at long last, all Americans would see that we may not have thought ourselves at war, but an enemy was at war with us. The same America that fought World Wars I & II would surely unite to fight against an enemy that attacked us on our home soil - but I was wrong.

Even before the first strikes in Afghanistan many, particularly in the media, were questioning the action, opining that we would find ourselves in a quagmire. With the attacks in Iraq the same voices were heard. Now, as Iraq struggles to find a footing for democracy many who in the 1990's thought Saddam needed to be ousted and, if necessary, preemptive action taken have changed their mind, simply because it's not their guy doing the ousting.

President Bush is doing exactly what needs to be done - aggressively prosecuting the GWOT. The critics note that terrorists are flocking to Iraq to fight against Iraqi and US soldiers - to which I answer "Good. Get more of them together, rather than chasing them to the ends of the earth." To those who think Iraq is not part of the GWOT and that we should have left Saddam in power I ask, do you really think the world would be a better place with Saddam still in power?

This is the history that has influenced me. As Senator Zell Miller said at the beginning of his speech at the Republican National Convention [link]:

Since I last stood in this spot, a whole new generation of the Miller Family has been born: Four great grandchildren. Along with all the other members of our close-knit family -- they are my and Shirley's most precious possessions. And I know that's how you feel about your family also. Like you, I think of their future, the promises and the perils they will face. Like you, I believe that the next four years will determine what kind of world they will grow up in. And like you, I ask which leader is it today that has the vision, the willpower and, yes, the backbone to best protect my family? The clear answer to that question has placed me in this hall with you tonight. For my family is more important than my party. There is but one man to whom I am willing to entrust their future and that man's name is George Bush.

My family, and in fact all Americans, are too important to me. This blog will stray onto lesser topics regularly, my passions and interests. But it will likely always return to this vital effort.

Posted by Giacomo on 28 September 2004

Here are the Wikipedia entry on Pan Am 103, the Victims of Pan Am 103 official site, hosted by Syracuse University, and a link to archival information on the Syracuse students who perished that day.

From my return post of December 29, 2005:

Lastly, I'd like to write briefly about my dad, who passed away eight days ago, on a professional level.  He was a remarkable physician, a cancer specialist in a way that really no cancer specialists are anymore.  He performed all manner of cancer surgery, soup to nuts, including the plastic reconstruction of any deformity created.  He guided the radiation therapy and chemotherapy for his patients.  He read their MRIs and CTs himself.  He looked at their pathology slides.  This was one-stop shopping cancer care, something that you need six or seven different doctors to provide now.  You might think that each of those six or seven physicians would be more highly informed in their particular area to optimize their portion of the care.  You would be wrong.  And you'd have to coordinate six or seven different physician offices to get anything done.

He retired four years ago, and had to be dragged kicking and screaming from his practice.  When he left, he spent the next two years staying in contact with his patients, and working with each of them to be sure they had the best follow-up care he could arrange.  That's something you don't see either.

I won't be writing here on a personal level.  That's something I did for his burial two days ago.  We miss you, Dad.  We all miss you very much.

If anyone is interested, here is the link to his obituary.

December 21^st has acquired an increasing aura of ominous significance for my family and me.  In 1988 Pan Am 103 was blown from the skies by now-convicted Libyan terrorists, falling to earth in Lockerbie, Scotland and taking with it the lives of 259 people on board the plane and 11 on the ground.  One of those lives on the plane was my brother, returning from a semester overseas in London during his time at Syracuse University.

Annually on this date I have been reprinting my first post from the start of this blog, which I dedicated to my brother.  It posts at 7:03 PM GMT, the time when the plane disappeared from the radar screen, and all those lives, my brother's included, were tragically ended.  Two years ago the pain of this shortest day of the year in the northern hemisphere became that much greater, when my father was taken from our family suddenly.  The irony - or possibly the design - of the two dying on the same date has not escaped our notice.  This post now contains the original first post, from September 2004 and the material I wrote about my father when, after his death, I returned to this blog.

The original first post:

My Reason for Being

There are a lot of ways this weblog could begin. I think the best is with a brief history and explanation. You see, I lost a wonderful younger brother in the bombing of Pan Am Flight 103 over Lockerbie, Scotland. I miss him every day; he would be 38 now. I recall thinking back then that the attack constituted an act of war. I couldn't believe that there wasn't the moral clarity and certitude of purpose on the part of our government to prosecute a war against those who had attacked us. That lack of moral clarity persisted through the Desert Storm war, leaving Saddam in power, through the first bombing on the World Trade Center, through the embassy bombings, the USS Cole attack, etc., etc., etc. With the devastation of the attack on 9-11 finally, at long last, all Americans would see that we may not have thought ourselves at war, but an enemy was at war with us. The same America that fought World Wars I & II would surely unite to fight against an enemy that attacked us on our home soil - but I was wrong.

Even before the first strikes in Afghanistan many, particularly in the media, were questioning the action, opining that we would find ourselves in a quagmire. With the attacks in Iraq the same voices were heard. Now, as Iraq struggles to find a footing for democracy many who in the 1990's thought Saddam needed to be ousted and, if necessary, preemptive action taken have changed their mind, simply because it's not their guy doing the ousting.

President Bush is doing exactly what needs to be done - aggressively prosecuting the GWOT. The critics note that terrorists are flocking to Iraq to fight against Iraqi and US soldiers - to which I answer "Good. Get more of them together, rather than chasing them to the ends of the earth." To those who think Iraq is not part of the GWOT and that we should have left Saddam in power I ask, do you really think the world would be a better place with Saddam still in power?

This is the history that has influenced me. As Senator Zell Miller said at the beginning of his speech at the Republican National Convention [link]:

Since I last stood in this spot, a whole new generation of the Miller Family has been born: Four great grandchildren. Along with all the other members of our close-knit family -- they are my and Shirley's most precious possessions. And I know that's how you feel about your family also. Like you, I think of their future, the promises and the perils they will face. Like you, I believe that the next four years will determine what kind of world they will grow up in. And like you, I ask which leader is it today that has the vision, the willpower and, yes, the backbone to best protect my family? The clear answer to that question has placed me in this hall with you tonight. For my family is more important than my party. There is but one man to whom I am willing to entrust their future and that man's name is George Bush.

My family, and in fact all Americans, are too important to me. This blog will stray onto lesser topics regularly, my passions and interests. But it will likely always return to this vital effort.

Posted by Giacomo on 28 September 2004

Here are the Wikipedia entry on Pan Am 103, the Victims of Pan Am 103 official site, hosted by Syracuse University, and a link to archival information on the Syracuse students who perished that day.

From my return post of December 29, 2005:

Lastly, I'd like to write briefly about my dad, who passed away eight days ago, on a professional level.  He was a remarkable physician, a cancer specialist in a way that really no cancer specialists are anymore.  He performed all manner of cancer surgery, soup to nuts, including the plastic reconstruction of any deformity created.  He guided the radiation therapy and chemotherapy for his patients.  He read their MRIs and CTs himself.  He looked at their pathology slides.  This was one-stop shopping cancer care, something that you need six or seven different doctors to provide now.  You might think that each of those six or seven physicians would be more highly informed in their particular area to optimize their portion of the care.  You would be wrong.  And you'd have to coordinate six or seven different physician offices to get anything done.

He retired four years ago, and had to be dragged kicking and screaming from his practice.  When he left, he spent the next two years staying in contact with his patients, and working with each of them to be sure they had the best follow-up care he could arrange.  That's something you don't see either.

I won't be writing here on a personal level.  That's something I did for his burial two days ago.  We miss you, Dad.  We all miss you very much.

If anyone is interested, here is the link to his obituary.

A Day In The Life

With apologies to John Lennon and Paul McCartney, a compilation of yesterday's events.  Or, "Why didn't I blog?"

5:15 AM - Gwendolyn arises for her trip to work, a 7 AM meeting with her supervising physician, for rounds at the rehab where she's responsible for the orthopaedic patients.

5:45 AM - Giacomo arises.  Makes coffee. Helps Gwendolyn get three lunches and three backpacks ready for three kids at school.

6:10 AM - Gwendolyn leaves for work, 40 minutes south in Massachusetts.  She has taken with her two karate gi's and a gymnastics outfit for later.  Giacomo showers, dresses, then reads.  Wakes kids up to get ready for school, and writes a very brief post.  He has a full day in the office scheduled, although there's a small hole in the afternoon schedule (which is important, as we'll see later).

7:00 AM - Two older girls wake up, get ready for school.   We're having remodeling done at the house, and the contractor and finish carpenter arrive to start putting up moldings and doors.  Discussion with carpenter over plans for this week and next, and tasks to be completed by both of us.

7:15 AM - Giacomo wakes sleeping five year old, wrestles her out of bed, and gets her dressed and ready for school.

7:40 AM - Breakfast is served for three daughters and the "master" of the house.

8:00 AM - Clean up, and kids find backpacks, lunchboxes, coats and sneakers.  Head up to bus stop with dog in tow, for bus for oldest two.

8:15 AM - Bus arrives, and the oldest two children head for school.  Later today one has an orthodontist appointment, at 4:00 PM and both have karate class for 'Dragons' at 5:45 PM.  They're both brown belts.

8:25 AM - Giacomo takes dog to doggie day care.  She could stay home, but with the work going on at the house it's better that she's away.  All the workers would make her crazy.  Dog is dropped off at 8:35 AM.

8:45 AM - Youngest daughter arrives at kindergarten.  She has a gymnastics class at 5:15 PM later today.  Giacomo heads for work, which is, fortunately as we'll see later, only 2 miles away.

8:55 AM - Giacomo arrives at office, prepares for first patient at 9:00 AM.  Also fortunate today: no rounds at the hospital, and Giacomo wasn't on call last night, which can provide morning surprises.

9:00 AM to 12: 30 PM - Giacomo sees patients, scheduling four for surgery.  Gwendlyn finishes her work at the rehab center, and begins trip back north.  She's due to pick up youngest at 2:00 PM, then pick up older two at their school around 3 PM, to make a 30 - 40 minute trip back south for the orthodontist appointment.

1:00 PM - More patients for Giacomo, but it's a light afternoon as the time was scheduled for the office just two days earlier.  There's a hole in the schedule from 2:30 to 3:30 PM.  Three more surgeries scheduled.

2:05 PM - Gwendolyn calls Giacomo.  Her car is having trouble, and she hit worse-than-usual traffic.  Engine quits about 3/4 mile from the kindergarten, and she leaves it in a parking lot and begins walking to the school.  The call is for help.

2:40 PM - Giacomo finishes with the 2:15 and 2:30 PM patients, the latter a fresh post-op and thus a quicker visit, and heads out the door.  Arrives at kindergarten at 2:50 PM to pick up youngest and Gwendolyn.  They head to the other school to pick up the older two, arriving at 3:10 PM.

3:15 PM - The family arrives home.  Fortunately there's a third car available, and Gwendolyn and the older two daughters head south for the orthodontist, leaving the youngest with Giacomo, along with her gymnastics outfit.

3:30 PM - Giacomo arrives back at work, trailing daughter.  She accompanies him to see the 3:30 PM patient, who needs xrays.  Giacomo finishes dictation on the remaining undictated patients, deals with patient phone calls, prescription requests, and other paperwork on desk, and completes work on the last patient.

4:00 PM - Gwendolyn arrives at orthodontist appointment with daughters, and they leave office about 4:30 PM for trip back north.  She calls AAA to arrange for car to be towed to repair shop, and meets AAA at the parking lot. 

4:55 PM - Giacomo leaves office to bring 5 year old to gymnastics practice, arriving at 5:15 PM.  The child changes quickly, and heads out to the floor.  Giacomo texts Gwendolyn on status.

5:25 PM - The tow truck drops the disabled vehicle at the repair shop.  The shop is closed, but Gwendolyn calls to leave a message that the car is there and describes the problem.  They stop at McDonald's for dinner, then head for karate.

5:45 PM - Giacomo heads for doggie day care while Gwendolyn drops older two at karate.  The dojo is only 3 miles from the gymnastics studio, so she heads north to be with the youngest.  Gymnastics ends at 6:15 PM, karate ends at 6:35 PM.

6:10 PM - Giacomo arrives home with the dog, giving her a walk, and feeding her.  He talks with the landscapers working on the patio, and surveys the work inside.  Grammy calls from Connecticut.  We'll be visiting her this weekend.  He waits for Gwendolyn for dinner.

6: 50 PM - Gwendolyn arrives with three daughters.  Middle child showers, then does homework.  Oldest has some additional food, re-warmed chicken-broccoli-ziti alfredo, then she showers.  Youngest child eats McDonald's cheeseburger picked up on the way home.  Gwendolyn informs Giacomo she head some McDonald's earlier herself.  He reheats the chicken-broccoli-ziti and eats dinner himself.

7:30 PM - Giacomo helps middle daughter with math homework, and Gwendolyn goes through winter clothes as growing girls can no longer wear many of them.  Daughters read in bed.   Five year old reads as well.

8:15 PM - Youngest is put to bed.  At 8:30 PM older two follow.

8:45 PM - Gwendolyn showers.

9:00 PM - After brief discussion of this day's events and tomorrow's plans, Giacomo works on bills and other home projects, Gwendolyn does several loads of laundry, continues sorting old clothes, and folds laundry.

9:37 PM - First pitch of the Red Sox playoff game in Anaheim.  Giacomo misses the first three innings.

10:30 PM - Giacomo heads upstairs to continue the sorting and cleaning with Gwendolyn, then at 10:45 they head to bed, wondering about the price tags of this commitment to remodel the home and the repairs on her car.

Exercise?  Leisure time?  Stress-free relaxation?

I think not.

I Am Tiger Woods?

Today I played golf.  Well, not really golf.  At least, not a full round of golf.  My five year old daughter has a zest for the game, and wants to be "like the professionals."  So we hit the links together, playing four holes at the local course, 15 through 18.

We'd both tee off, then she'd hit a second shot, then we'd pick up her ball and move it to where my tee shot landed, and we'd both play from there.  Once on the green we'd both putt out, dropping her ball at a convenient location near mine.  She had a blast.  And I?  Not only did I have a blast, but I played my best golf of the year for those four holes.  Even par, and on the one par five we played I was just off the green in two.  (Missed a four footer for birdie - rats!)  Three of the four greens in regulation, and up and down on 18 from the rough just off the green.

So, as we're driving up the fairway on the last hole, approaching my tee shot and about 150 yards from the green, we spoke.

"Are you having fun today?

"Yes, dad.  I want to be a real good golfer, like the professionals.  Like Tiger Woods.  And you."

And that, my friends, is the only time you'll find Tiger Woods and I mentioned in the same breath in a discussion of golf.  Though I'd have been happy to help him out with the knee problem last year.

Al-Megrahi And Pan Am 103

This happened today, but the hearings have been going on for a while.

EDINBURGH (Reuters) - A former Libyan agent jailed for life for the 1988 Lockerbie bombing that killed 270 people, most of them Americans, is to be freed on Thursday, the Scottish government said.

Abdel Basset al-Megrahi, who has terminal cancer, will return to Libya on compassionate grounds, despite pressure from the U.S. government to keep him in prison.

"Megrahi now faces a sentence imposed by a higher power," Scottish justice minister Kenny MacAskill told a news conference. "It is terminal, final and irrevocable. He is going to die."

A Libyan government spokesman said Megrahi was being flown home by a son of Libyan leader Muammar Gaddafi.

"Megrahi has been released and is on his way home," the spokesman said.

Megrahi, 57, is the only person to be convicted over the bombing of Pan Am Flight 103 in mid-air above the Scottish town of Lockerbie. He lost an appeal against his conviction in 2002.

(pause for effect)  My brother was aboard Pan Am 103 that fateful evening, and so this I can say with certainty.  After conviction for the calculated murder of 270 individuals by terrorist bombing the key to al-Megrahi's cell should have been melted and then thrown away.  I'm quite certain the Scottish prison is capable of providing compassion to a dying man while still keeping him incarcerated.

8/20/09 1315: The Moderate Voice has a roundup, linking to this in The Telegraph.

I’m sorry, but I don’t care a jot whether Abdelbaset Ali Mohmed al-Megrahi has terminal cancer.  So long he remains the only person to have been convicted of the worst terrorist atrocity committed on British soil he should remain in prison for the rest of his life, whether he dies this year or in 20 years’ time.

It’s all very well for Kenny MacAskill, the Scottish Justice Secretary, to talk about releasing Megrahi on compassionate grounds. But where was the compassion he showed the victims of the terrorist attack on flight Pan Am 103 in December 1988 when he planted the bomb that killed 270 people?

The 20th Anniversary of Pan Am 103

December 21^st has acquired an increasing aura of ominous significance for my family and me.  In 1988 Pan Am 103 was blown from the skies by now-convicted Libyan terrorists, falling to earth in Lockerbie, Scotland and taking with it the lives of 259 people on board the plane and 11 on the ground.  One of those lives on the plane was my brother, returning from a semester overseas in London during his time at Syracuse University.

Annually on this date I have been reprinting my first post from the start of this blog, which I dedicated to my brother.  It posts at 7:03 PM GMT, the time when the plane disappeared from the radar screen, and all those lives, my brother's included, were tragically ended.  Two years ago the pain of this shortest day of the year in the northern hemisphere became that much greater, when my father was taken from our family suddenly.  The irony - or possibly the design - of the two dying on the same date has not escaped our notice.  This post now contains the original first post, from September 2004 and the material I wrote about my father when, after his death, I returned to this blog.

The original first post:

My Reason for Being

There are a lot of ways this weblog could begin. I think the best is with a brief history and explanation. You see, I lost a wonderful younger brother in the bombing of Pan Am Flight 103 over Lockerbie, Scotland. I miss him every day; he would be 38 now. I recall thinking back then that the attack constituted an act of war. I couldn't believe that there wasn't the moral clarity and certitude of purpose on the part of our government to prosecute a war against those who had attacked us. That lack of moral clarity persisted through the Desert Storm war, leaving Saddam in power, through the first bombing on the World Trade Center, through the embassy bombings, the USS Cole attack, etc., etc., etc. With the devastation of the attack on 9-11 finally, at long last, all Americans would see that we may not have thought ourselves at war, but an enemy was at war with us. The same America that fought World Wars I & II would surely unite to fight against an enemy that attacked us on our home soil - but I was wrong.

Even before the first strikes in Afghanistan many, particularly in the media, were questioning the action, opining that we would find ourselves in a quagmire. With the attacks in Iraq the same voices were heard. Now, as Iraq struggles to find a footing for democracy many who in the 1990's thought Saddam needed to be ousted and, if necessary, preemptive action taken have changed their mind, simply because it's not their guy doing the ousting.

President Bush is doing exactly what needs to be done - aggressively prosecuting the GWOT. The critics note that terrorists are flocking to Iraq to fight against Iraqi and US soldiers - to which I answer "Good. Get more of them together, rather than chasing them to the ends of the earth." To those who think Iraq is not part of the GWOT and that we should have left Saddam in power I ask, do you really think the world would be a better place with Saddam still in power?

This is the history that has influenced me. As Senator Zell Miller said at the beginning of his speech at the Republican National Convention [link]:

Since I last stood in this spot, a whole new generation of the Miller Family has been born: Four great grandchildren. Along with all the other members of our close-knit family -- they are my and Shirley's most precious possessions. And I know that's how you feel about your family also. Like you, I think of their future, the promises and the perils they will face. Like you, I believe that the next four years will determine what kind of world they will grow up in. And like you, I ask which leader is it today that has the vision, the willpower and, yes, the backbone to best protect my family? The clear answer to that question has placed me in this hall with you tonight. For my family is more important than my party. There is but one man to whom I am willing to entrust their future and that man's name is George Bush.

My family, and in fact all Americans, are too important to me. This blog will stray onto lesser topics regularly, my passions and interests. But it will likely always return to this vital effort.

Posted by Giacomo on 28 September 2004

Here are the Wikipedia entry on Pan Am 103, the Victims of Pan Am 103 official site, hosted by Syracuse University, and a link to archival information on the Syracuse students who perished that day.

From my return post of December 29, 2005:

Lastly, I'd like to write briefly about my dad, who passed away eight days ago, on a professional level.  He was a remarkable physician, a cancer specialist in a way that really no cancer specialists are anymore.  He performed all manner of cancer surgery, soup to nuts, including the plastic reconstruction of any deformity created.  He guided the radiation therapy and chemotherapy for his patients.  He read their MRIs and CTs himself.  He looked at their pathology slides.  This was one-stop shopping cancer care, something that you need six or seven different doctors to provide now.  You might think that each of those six or seven physicians would be more highly informed in their particular area to optimize their portion of the care.  You would be wrong.  And you'd have to coordinate six or seven different physician offices to get anything done.

He retired four years ago, and had to be dragged kicking and screaming from his practice.  When he left, he spent the next two years staying in contact with his patients, and working with each of them to be sure they had the best follow-up care he could arrange.  That's something you don't see either.

I won't be writing here on a personal level.  That's something I did for his burial two days ago.  We miss you, Dad.  We all miss you very much.

If anyone is interested, here is the link to his obituary.

December 21^st has acquired an increasing aura of ominous significance for my family and me.  In 1988 Pan Am 103 was blown from the skies by now-convicted Libyan terrorists, falling to earth in Lockerbie, Scotland and taking with it the lives of 259 people on board the plane and 11 on the ground.  One of those lives on the plane was my brother, returning from a semester overseas in London during his time at Syracuse University.

Annually on this date I have been reprinting my first post from the start of this blog, which I dedicated to my brother.  It posts at 7:03 PM GMT, the time when the plane disappeared from the radar screen, and all those lives, my brother's included, were tragically ended.  Two years ago the pain of this shortest day of the year in the northern hemisphere became that much greater, when my father was taken from our family suddenly.  The irony - or possibly the design - of the two dying on the same date has not escaped our notice.  This post now contains the original first post, from September 2004 and the material I wrote about my father when, after his death, I returned to this blog.

The original first post:

My Reason for Being

There are a lot of ways this weblog could begin. I think the best is with a brief history and explanation. You see, I lost a wonderful younger brother in the bombing of Pan Am Flight 103 over Lockerbie, Scotland. I miss him every day; he would be 38 now. I recall thinking back then that the attack constituted an act of war. I couldn't believe that there wasn't the moral clarity and certitude of purpose on the part of our government to prosecute a war against those who had attacked us. That lack of moral clarity persisted through the Desert Storm war, leaving Saddam in power, through the first bombing on the World Trade Center, through the embassy bombings, the USS Cole attack, etc., etc., etc. With the devastation of the attack on 9-11 finally, at long last, all Americans would see that we may not have thought ourselves at war, but an enemy was at war with us. The same America that fought World Wars I & II would surely unite to fight against an enemy that attacked us on our home soil - but I was wrong.

Even before the first strikes in Afghanistan many, particularly in the media, were questioning the action, opining that we would find ourselves in a quagmire. With the attacks in Iraq the same voices were heard. Now, as Iraq struggles to find a footing for democracy many who in the 1990's thought Saddam needed to be ousted and, if necessary, preemptive action taken have changed their mind, simply because it's not their guy doing the ousting.

President Bush is doing exactly what needs to be done - aggressively prosecuting the GWOT. The critics note that terrorists are flocking to Iraq to fight against Iraqi and US soldiers - to which I answer "Good. Get more of them together, rather than chasing them to the ends of the earth." To those who think Iraq is not part of the GWOT and that we should have left Saddam in power I ask, do you really think the world would be a better place with Saddam still in power?

This is the history that has influenced me. As Senator Zell Miller said at the beginning of his speech at the Republican National Convention [link]:

Since I last stood in this spot, a whole new generation of the Miller Family has been born: Four great grandchildren. Along with all the other members of our close-knit family -- they are my and Shirley's most precious possessions. And I know that's how you feel about your family also. Like you, I think of their future, the promises and the perils they will face. Like you, I believe that the next four years will determine what kind of world they will grow up in. And like you, I ask which leader is it today that has the vision, the willpower and, yes, the backbone to best protect my family? The clear answer to that question has placed me in this hall with you tonight. For my family is more important than my party. There is but one man to whom I am willing to entrust their future and that man's name is George Bush.

My family, and in fact all Americans, are too important to me. This blog will stray onto lesser topics regularly, my passions and interests. But it will likely always return to this vital effort.

Posted by Giacomo on 28 September 2004

Here are the Wikipedia entry on Pan Am 103, the Victims of Pan Am 103 official site, hosted by Syracuse University, and a link to archival information on the Syracuse students who perished that day.

From my return post of December 29, 2005:

Lastly, I'd like to write briefly about my dad, who passed away eight days ago, on a professional level.  He was a remarkable physician, a cancer specialist in a way that really no cancer specialists are anymore.  He performed all manner of cancer surgery, soup to nuts, including the plastic reconstruction of any deformity created.  He guided the radiation therapy and chemotherapy for his patients.  He read their MRIs and CTs himself.  He looked at their pathology slides.  This was one-stop shopping cancer care, something that you need six or seven different doctors to provide now.  You might think that each of those six or seven physicians would be more highly informed in their particular area to optimize their portion of the care.  You would be wrong.  And you'd have to coordinate six or seven different physician offices to get anything done.

He retired four years ago, and had to be dragged kicking and screaming from his practice.  When he left, he spent the next two years staying in contact with his patients, and working with each of them to be sure they had the best follow-up care he could arrange.  That's something you don't see either.

I won't be writing here on a personal level.  That's something I did for his burial two days ago.  We miss you, Dad.  We all miss you very much.

If anyone is interested, here is the link to his obituary.

Another Girl!

We've got an announcement to make!  Giacomo and Gwendolyn (and the little jesters) are very proud and happy to say that ... it's a girl!  Yes, another one.

(photos and more after the break)

The Nineteenth Anniversary Of Pan Am 103

December 21^st has acquired an increasing aura of ominous significance for my family and me.  In 1988 Pan Am 103 was blown from the skies by now-convicted Libyan terrorists, falling to earth in Lockerbie, Scotland and taking with it the lives of 259 people on board the plane and 11 on the ground.  One of those lives on the plane was my brother, returning from a semester overseas in London during his time at Syracuse University.

Annually on this date I have been reprinting my first post from the start of this blog, which I dedicated to my brother.  It posts at 7:03 PM, the time when the plane disappeared from the radar screen, and all those lives, my brother's included, were tragically ended.  Two years ago the pain of this shortest day of the year in the northern hemisphere became that much greater, when my father was taken from our family suddenly.  The irony - or possibly the design - of the two dying on the same date has not escaped our notice.  This post now contains the original first post, from September 2004 and the material I wrote about my father when, after his death, I returned to this blog.

The original first post:

My Reason for Being

There are a lot of ways this weblog could begin. I think the best is with a brief history and explanation. You see, I lost a wonderful younger brother in the bombing of Pan Am Flight 103 over Lockerbie, Scotland. I miss him every day; he would be 38 now. I recall thinking back then that the attack constituted an act of war. I couldn't believe that there wasn't the moral clarity and certitude of purpose on the part of our government to prosecute a war against those who had attacked us. That lack of moral clarity persisted through the Desert Storm war, leaving Saddam in power, through the first bombing on the World Trade Center, through the embassy bombings, the USS Cole attack, etc., etc., etc. With the devastation of the attack on 9-11 finally, at long last, all Americans would see that we may not have thought ourselves at war, but an enemy was at war with us. The same America that fought World Wars I & II would surely unite to fight against an enemy that attacked us on our home soil - but I was wrong.

Even before the first strikes in Afghanistan many, particularly in the media, were questioning the action, opining that we would find ourselves in a quagmire. With the attacks in Iraq the same voices were heard. Now, as Iraq struggles to find a footing for democracy many who in the 1990's thought Saddam needed to be ousted and, if necessary, preemptive action taken have changed their mind, simply because it's not their guy doing the ousting.

President Bush is doing exactly what needs to be done - aggressively prosecuting the GWOT. The critics note that terrorists are flocking to Iraq to fight against Iraqi and US soldiers - to which I answer "Good. Get more of them together, rather than chasing them to the ends of the earth." To those who think Iraq is not part of the GWOT and that we should have left Saddam in power I ask, do you really think the world would be a better place with Saddam still in power?

This is the history that has influenced me. As Senator Zell Miller said at the beginning of his speech at the Republican National Convention [link]:

Since I last stood in this spot, a whole new generation of the Miller Family has been born: Four great grandchildren. Along with all the other members of our close-knit family -- they are my and Shirley's most precious possessions. And I know that's how you feel about your family also. Like you, I think of their future, the promises and the perils they will face. Like you, I believe that the next four years will determine what kind of world they will grow up in. And like you, I ask which leader is it today that has the vision, the willpower and, yes, the backbone to best protect my family? The clear answer to that question has placed me in this hall with you tonight. For my family is more important than my party. There is but one man to whom I am willing to entrust their future and that man's name is George Bush.

My family, and in fact all Americans, are too important to me. This blog will stray onto lesser topics regularly, my passions and interests. But it will likely always return to this vital effort.

Posted by Giacomo on 28 September 2004

I should note that, as regards the war against terrorists, I value consistency and strength.  Politicians who change their positions with every shift of the political winds should be ashamed, but they are beyond shame.  As a result, the only current Democratic presidential candidate worthy of my respect in this regard is Barack Obama.  He's wrong, but at least he's been consistently wrong.  The others chanced to be right when it was popular, and now are similarly wrong because it has become popular.

Here are the Wikipedia entry on Pan Am 103, the Victims of Pan Am 103 official site, hosted by Syracuse University, and a link to archival information on the Syracuse students who perished that day.

From my return post of December 29, 2005:

Lastly, I'd like to write briefly about my dad, who passed away eight days ago, on a professional level.  He was a remarkable physician, a cancer specialist in a way that really no cancer specialists are anymore.  He performed all manner of cancer surgery, soup to nuts, including the plastic reconstruction of any deformity created.  He guided the radiation therapy and chemotherapy for his patients.  He read their MRIs and CTs himself.  He looked at their pathology slides.  This was one-stop shopping cancer care, something that you need six or seven different doctors to provide now.  You might think that each of those six or seven physicians would be more highly informed in their particular area to optimize their portion of the care.  You would be wrong.  And you'd have to coordinate six or seven different physician offices to get anything done.

He retired four years ago, and had to be dragged kicking and screaming from his practice.  When he left, he spent the next two years staying in contact with his patients, and working with each of them to be sure they had the best follow-up care he could arrange.  That's something you don't see either.

I won't be writing here on a personal level.  That's something I did for his burial two days ago.  We miss you, Dad.  We all miss you very much.

If anyone is interested, here is the link to his obituary.

Family Ski Vacation

An extra long weekend for a ski trip with everyone - and I mean, literally, everyone.  So, as you've probably noticed, posting has been relatively sparse.  Nonetheless I found this information on one of the ski maps both puzzling and amusing.

Help [undisclosed location] fight global warming!  Upgrade your pass, badge or lift ticket and you'll help to offset the carbon dioxide pollution from the lifts, snowmaking and grooming, and even your travel to and from the slopes, for your average usage - that's climate neutral skiing, and riding!  If you do, [undisclosed location] will increase your impact by 25%, and help prevent even more carbon dioxide pollution through our partnership with NativeEnergy.

They then ask for more money from you for each level of pass or lift ticket.  It looks to me as if what they're really saying is

If you feel concerned and guilty about global warming, give us more money to assuage that guilt.  We don't do anything, but we've put together a complex sentence that makes it seem as if we do.  And we make more money!

Is there a reading or understanding that I'm somehow missing here?  I checked out NativeEnergy,  Perhaps the ski area is sending the money - plus that additional 25% - to NativeEnergy, their "partners," who, since they are "partners," kicks back some of it, but more than that 25% kicker, in their "partnership" agreement.

The Eighteenth Anniversary Of Pan Am 103

December 21^st has acquired an increasing aura of ominous significance for my family and me.  In 1988 Pan Am 103 was blown from the skies by now-convicted Libyan terrorists, falling to earth in Lockerbie, Scotland and taking with it the lives of 259 people on board the plane and 11 on the ground.  One of those lives on the plane was my brother, returning from a semester overseas in London during his time at Syracuse University.

Annually on this date I have been reprinting my first post from the start of this blog, which I dedicated to my brother.  Then last year the pain of this shortest day of the year in the northern hemisphere became that much greater, when my father was taken from our family suddenly.  The irony - or possibly the design - of the two dying on the same date has not escaped our notice.  I am appending to this post the material I wrote about my father when, after his death, I returned to this blog.

My Reason for Being

There are a lot of ways this weblog could begin. I think the best is with a brief history and explanation. You see, I lost a wonderful younger brother in the bombing of Pan Am Flight 103 over Lockerbie, Scotland. I miss him every day; he would be 38 now. I recall thinking back then that the attack constituted an act of war. I couldn't believe that there wasn't the moral clarity and certitude of purpose on the part of our government to prosecute a war against those who had attacked us. That lack of moral clarity persisted through the Desert Storm war, leaving Saddam in power, through the first bombing on the World Trade Center, through the embassy bombings, the USS Cole attack, etc., etc., etc. With the devastation of the attack on 9-11 finally, at long last, all Americans would see that we may not have thought ourselves at war, but an enemy was at war with us. The same America that fought World Wars I & II would surely unite to fight against an enemy that attacked us on our home soil - but I was wrong.

Even before the first strikes in Afghanistan many, particularly in the media, were questioning the action, opining that we would find ourselves in a quagmire. With the attacks in Iraq the same voices were heard. Now, as Iraq struggles to find a footing for democracy many who in the 1990's thought Saddam needed to be ousted and if necessary preemptive action taken have changed their mind, simply because it's not their guy doing the ousting.

President Bush is doing exactly what needs to be done - aggressively prosecuting the GWOT. The critics note that terrorists are flocking to Iraq to fight against Iraqi and US soldiers - to which I answer "Good. Get more of them together, rather than chasing them to the ends of the earth." To those who think Iraq is not part of the GWOT and that we should have left Saddam in power I ask, do you really think the world would be a better place with Saddam still in power?

This is the history that has influenced me. As Senator Zell Miller said at the beginning of his speech at the Republican National Convention:

Since I last stood in this spot, a whole new generation of the Miller Family has been born: Four great grandchildren. Along with all the other members of our close-knit family -- they are my and Shirley's most precious possessions. And I know that's how you feel about your family also. Like you, I think of their future, the promises and the perils they will face. Like you, I believe that the next four years will determine what kind of world they will grow up in. And like you, I ask which leader is it today that has the vision, the willpower and, yes, the backbone to best protect my family? The clear answer to that question has placed me in this hall with you tonight. For my family is more important than my party. There is but one man to whom I am willing to entrust their future and that man's name is George Bush.

My family, and in fact all Americans, are too important to me. This blog will stray onto lesser topics regularly, my passions and interests. But it will likely always return to this vital effort.

Posted by Giacomo on 28 September 2004

Here are the Wikipedia entry on Pan Am 103, the Victims of Pan Am 103 official site, hosted by Syracuse University, and a link to archival information on the Syracuse students who perished that day.

And from my return post of December 29, 2005:

Lastly, I'd like to write briefly about my dad, who passed away eight days ago, on a professional level.  He was a remarkable physician, a cancer specialist in a way that really no cancer specialists are anymore.  He performed all manner of cancer surgery, soup to nuts, including the plastic reconstruction of any deformity created.  He guided the radiation therapy and chemotherapy for his patients.  He read their MRIs and CTs himself.  He looked at their pathology slides.  This was one-stop shopping cancer care, something that you need six or seven different doctors to provide now.  You might think that each of those six or seven physicians would be more highly informed in their particular area to optimize their portion of the care.  You would be wrong.  And you'd have to coordinate six or seven different physician offices to get anything done.

He retired four years ago, and had to be dragged kicking and screaming from his practice.  When he left, he spent the next two years staying in contact with his patients, and working with each of them to be sure they had the best follow-up care he could arrange.  That's something you don't see either.

I won't be writing here on a personal level.  That's something I did for his burial two days ago.  We miss you, Dad.  We all miss you very much.

If anyone is interested, here is the link to his obituary.

 

For Mike

A man knows when he is growing old because he begins to look like his father.
-- Gabriel García Márquez

And so he does.  Thanks, Dad.

For Gwendolyn, With Love

A simultaneous Happy Birthday and Happy Mothers' Day to Gwendolyn.  Thank you, Baby.  You're the best, everything the little jokers and I could hope for.   If I'm dreaming, I don't want to wake up.

She's 2 Today!

Happy Birthday, Daughter Number 3!

Thanksgiving Tradition

Every family has them.  These traditions differ from family to family, and from region to region.  For some it's turkey; others, not so much.  Particular stuffing recipes.  Certain place settings and decor.  Gathering at a particular home.  The Lions at noon.  Backyard football.

Our family's most enduring tradition throughout my lifetime have been the presence of homemade baked goods - pies, pies and more pies.  These were originally my maternal grandmother's recipes, and she handed them down to my mother.  They'd work on them together.  There were usually three or four of the best homemade apple pies you've ever tasted.  Pumpkin pies.  Cherry pies.  Blueberry pies.  Lemon meringue.

At some point my grandmother wasn't able to be the pilot on this annual project, then eventually even co-pilot was too much for her.  It was then left to my mother, and her sister, to carry on the tradition, and they each did so with relish.  These pies would show up miraculously each Thanksgiving, looking like the finest artwork from a bakery commercial, and tasting even better.  My mother added, at times, a meringue-topped Key lime pie, and occasionally a banana cream.  The treats most identified with Thanksgiving for us were mince squares in a double crust that were irresistable.

As the years passed my mother would continue baking these scrumptious delights from scratch, each year's masterpieces seemingly better than the last.  But with the passing of time the question arose - who would carry on this tradition?  There was no one stepping up to the plate to produce these picture- and palate-perfect pies.  The torch needed someone to carry it forward, holding it high.

We've been terribly busy in my house these last few weeks, so I was more than a little surprised when I found my wife, Gwendolyn, talking pies with my mother.  They were reviewing the recipes, nailing down each and every little detail, until Gwendolyn felt confident in her ability to do justice to the work.

And what work it was!  Just the planning was enough to make your head spin, including searches for just the right ingredients, and just the right cookware and appliances.  The trip to the supermarket was highlighted by a request to the produce clerk to see if there were more McIntosh apples in the back, as the floor was fully depleted.  Fortunately more were located, saving the forthcoming effort.  Each night for the last three Gwendolyn would work on the pies - producing the dough, making the filling, and baking them in advance.  She finished this labor of love early Wednesday morning, at about 2 AM.

Yesterday we embarked on our journey, in the early afternoon, and traveled to the location of this year's family gathering and meal, Syracuse, New York.  The pies and mince squares made the trip, protected carefully from any chance of damage from objects shifting during transit.  How do they look?  Great.  How do they taste?  Well, they'll be the afternoon meal's final act, so I can't say yet how they did taste.  But I do know how they will taste.

They'll taste like home.

Family Matters

Spending time with the family, doing some fun family things during this vacation week.  I hope to report by tomorrow that the eldest little jester can ride a two wheel bike.  We'll see.

As a result, less of the blogging thing. (click photos to enlarge)

We traveled yesterday, but not all the way to Australia!

Big hitter, the Llama.

But there's a lot out there worthy of commentary, so onward we forge.  One of the things I tried to do was figure out a way to volunteer as a physician in the hurricane-affected areas.  Alas, my current medical practice and family obligations are such that unscheduled absences are extraordinarily difficult to accommodate.  It'll have to be financial assistance only.

Happy Birthday, Mom

I big, loving 'Happy Birthday' to my mother, who continues her recovery.  And Mom, get well soon, too.

Thoughts About Swimming

I have a six year old daughter, my eldest, who is a delight.  She's smart, funny, and very energetic.  And she drives me absolutely bananas at times.  Like this morning, at swimming lessons.

She likes the pool, and wants to learn to swim, sure, but she has a very tough time trusting the teacher, or me, or anyone really, when it comes to actually trying something that advances her swimming skills.

So there she sat this morning, on the top pool step, trembling and fearful, because the instructor had tried to take her to the 'deep end'.  Now, by deep end I mean the part of the pool that is ever-so-slightly deeper than the shallower part of the pool.  We're talking 4 feet vs. 3 feet 6 inches here, now, so don't get excited.

And the funny thing is, she actually can swim a bit, keeping herself afloat and moving short distances safely.  It's almost inconceivable that such a smart energetic kid should have such a reaction over something so manageable.

I lapsed into reminiscence.  I thought back to the summer of '72.  I was 12, and swimming competitively for our country club team, as was my brother (11) and sister (13).  My little brother was 6, the same age as my daughter now.  And he was swimming competitively for the club already at that age, completing a 25 yard freestyle that summer in a 10-and-under race.  No, he didn't win - though by finishing the length I guess he really did.

My daughter will swim strongly and confidently.  I'm not concerned.  Hey, it's in the genes.