ENTERING THE WORLD OF BLOGGING DURING THE 2008 OLYMPICS

So, I have finally made the leap into the world of blogging. Am I the blogging type? I suspect that only time will tell. I certainly have questions and opinions on a variety of issues. I am hoing that by blogging I can discuss issues with those in cyber space.

The 2008 Olympics in Beijing has undoubtedly provided a wonderful vehicle for introducing the China of 2008 to the rest of the world. The opening ceremonies were awesome and a picture of perfect excecution of a well planned and choreographed event. As for the sporting and athletic events, we in California have been at the mercy of NBC. It has been frustrating that viewers have been able to view only those events that NBC decides to broadcast. Fortunately for those who are absolutely committed, one could watch the events online. I hope you agree that watching the events on a large TV screen has its own quality. Can we hope that the Olympics of 2012 will be different with regard to how it is broadcasted?

Like all Indians all over the world, I paid particular attention to the performance of Indian participants. As in numerous previous Olympic games - I could not help wonder - "Why is a country that is more than a billion citizens strong not able to put forth a better performance?" On second thought, why should one expect India - or for that matter - any country to perform at the same level as countries like China and the United States. Just as individuals have different personalities and interests one should expect different countries to have different interests and "personalities". This explanation maybe far too simple. I still wonder, if there are among the billion strong Indians, those with the potential to compete in the Olympics if only they were provided with the encouragement and facilities.

THIS POST WAS WRITTEN IN 2008!

Anyone paying attention to the Supreme Court of the USA?

 

It is finally dawning on many how important the Supreme Court is for citizens. Apparently, for decades Republicans have been busy working on ensuring that the Supreme Court is packed with conservative justices. Who knew that!  They have used outside conservative groups, like the Federalist Society, to nominate justices at every opportunity. The liberal counterpart for the Federalist Society is the American Constitution Society. At least until recently this group had not been very active or very successful in nominating justices. The explanation of Democrats for this lack luster effect is that the Democrats are a very heterogenous group compared to the Republicans.

Liberal democrats were either busy dealing with other priorities or entirely unaware of what was happening with the Court. Irrespective of the reason, currently the Court is heavily packed with conservatives. The situation was made worse in the last six years with the appointment of three conservative justices. It did not have to be this way if the Supreme Court was not politicized. In 2015 when Justice Scalia passed, the Republican Senate Majority leader Mitch McConnell was against confirming a justice before the federal election in 2016. This resulted in the confirmation of Gorsuch, the first of the three most recent conservative justices.  This was followed by Kavanaugh replacing Kennedy.  Finally,with Ginsburg's passing the republicans succeeded in confirming Barrett. With this confirmation the Republicans succeeded in establishing a conservative court for years to come. 

Liberal activists have finally risen to play a role in the next court appointment. How did they do it? For months they had a mobile display urging Justice Breyer to step down. Whether it was because of the liberal activism or because Justice Breyer thinks he will not be effective in the current conservative court he has announced his retirement from the court. It is also possible that he would like to retire giving Biden the opportunity to appoint a Justice. If Ginsberg had stepped down when liberals suggested that she step down, Obama and the democrats would have appointed a Justice and helped maintain the judicial balance in the country. 

There are now some rumblings that could affect Justice Thomas. There is concern that Justice Thomas's wife Ginni Thomas is involved in activities that are a threat to the activities of the Supreme Court. Apparently Ginni Thomas is a staunch conservative and may have an influence on the decisions made by her husband Clarence Thomas. A recent article by Jane Mayer in the NewYorker discusses this in great detail. If this is indeed the case, Justice Thomas may have to retire/step down to maintain the stature of the highest court in the land.

Immigrants as citizens

 

There are many reasons for migration into the United States.  Often we hear about migration from Central America.  The majority of immigrants from countries in this region migrate to the United States to escape threats to their life as well as economic reasons. Economic reasons are only one reason for immigration into the US from other parts of the world.  Other reasons include higher education and opportunities to engage in exciting academic, business and other employment opportunities. Many of these immigrants are laser focused on their personal goals and fail to be fully engaged as citizens. The political turmoil we have faced has exposed this limitation of “responsibility as a citizen” as well as the consequences. The United States is a country of immigrants – a fact that has been lost to the many who feel that opportunities have been taken away from them.  The dearth of domestically trained personnel is a major reason for opportunities for already trained immigrants from abroad (part of the “model minority”).

As for the trained immigrants, many fail to adequately integrate, socially and politically.  Immigrants had to wait for the next generation for this integration. To some extent with the election of 2016 immigrants recognized the need to pay attention to activities in the sphere of politics. With the election of 2020 and the insurrection of 6^th January 2021, many citizens are learning how fragile democracy is and that it is something that needs constant tending and attention. There is also much to learn about the US constitution, the responsibilities of the three branches of the government as well as how elections impact the process of governing. As they say “Elections Matter”.

There is also a good deal to learn about the history to understand the basis for many significant issues that have an impact on elections and the process of governing. Voter suppression and gerrymandering are terms that have been discussed. How many immigrants are aware of how these processes are detrimental to fair elections? How many immigrants are aware of how the Electoral College is stacked against the possibility of electing a President with the most popular votes? Hopefully immigrants are learning the need to be knowledgeable in government and civics and be active participants in the political process. It is important for citizens, native born as well as immigrants, to not only vote but have the knowledge to make informed decision at the voting booth.

Immigrants, many known as “the model minority”, are part of the citizenry and have the responsibility to actively participate in the democratic process.  Before we know, the country will be at the 2022 mid-term elections and the 2024 general elections.  Every one of us has a role to play to prevent what happened in 2016, the ordeal the country went through from 2017 to 2021 culminating in the insurrection on 6^th January 2021. The period between elections is important for educating oneself on historical facts (to understand why things are the way they are), critical issues facing many in the country who may not be as fortunate as those considered the model minority as well as how all of us can help in maintain a healthy democracy.

Are we getting close to the end of the quarantine?

 

 

What does it feel like to be done with quarantine? Can we see the light at the end of the tunnel? I recall the day, a year ago, when California went into shelter at home status.

We are not quite done with quarantine.  However, many who have had the two doses of the vaccine have started to step out of quarantine but with the required precautions (mask wearing, social distancing and hand hygiene). The unknowns about the nature of the pandemic were frightening. The rate of hospitalization and deaths were the most impactful of factors creating concern. I can recall how shopping was a cumbersome chore a year ago, with everyone trying to avoid the infection.  Now it has become second nature to take all the required precautions to prevent transmission. The effect of vaccines, in minimizing severity of the disease, as well as greater knowledge on how to treat the disease has been helpful in reducing the concerns about the COVID-19 pandemic to some level.

After a year of quarantine and working from home it is liberating to be able to get back to working in the normal surroundings in the midst of other individuals.  The mere experience of driving and observing the changing scenery is exhilarating.

Getting back to work, outside home, is only one small step.  Having spent one year without social gatherings one wonders when that slice of life will be back. It is likely that for the fore seeable future, it will have to be very small gatherings, outdoors and short visits.

Yet another aspect of life affected by the pandemic has been travel.  Those of us who were starting to take holiday trips greatly miss the travels.  We will likely have to take baby steps towards travelling and holidaying once again.  The first steps will have to be domestic trips, not involving air travel.  This can then be followed by air travel to domestic destinations and finally international travel.  This will all depend on absence of resurgence of the infection. By then populations would have attained herd immunity and things will be back to normal around the world.

COVID-19 swept through the world and dealt a serious blow to life as we know. COVID-19 taught us about pandemics, viral transmission, novel methods to develop vaccines, how vaccines are tested, public health strategies to prevent transmission and the chaos a pandemic can create in individual lives and the world over. With appropriate attention let us hope that we can slowly get back to life as we knew before the pandemic.

Wh

January 2017 to January 2021

 

It started with the Women’s March in Washington DC and ended with the insurrection at the Capitol. The intervening years have been unbelievable for many reasons.

 To start with the Trump win came as a surprise to all.  If only those eligible to vote in Pennsylvania, Michigan and Wisconsin, the past four years would have been significantly different in many respects. The shock of the election outcome was so jarring that it resulted in spontaneous growth of activism.  The activism led to the defeat of many Republican House members. It paved the way for flipping the House seat from the Republicans to the Democrats in Orange County, California.

With Trump’s win it is was easy to identify many who are naïve to think that Trump was a business man who was good for capitalism in the country.  There are a number of issues with this acceptance. One of them is that so many were willing to take Trump on face value – that here is a business man who was going to make them wealthier.  They were prepared to ignore the many red flags. 

It was concerning to see the chaos the country had to endure.  It is pretty much like the last four years did not exist.  But they cannot be ignored.  The last four years showed how precariously close democracy came to destroyed.  This is not hyperbole. One shudders to imagine what would have happened if the 2020 election resulted in a Trump win. It would be very difficult to bring the country back after another four more years of lies, conspiracy and incompetence.

How did we survive four years of chaos?  Fortunately, we had a job to be engaged in which kept our minds engaged. There were so many outrageous happening that distressed many in the country.  One of them was the action of ICE.  Parents with children, who were citizens, were deported.  It is unimaginable, what the children would go through when they would return from school one day and be told that their father or mother was arrested by ICE and deported and that they would not be able to see them.

Another cruel action was separating children from their parents at the border. It is difficult to understand not only how they could come up with an order that would separate children from parents but also how those who carried out the orders did so. It was one of the many cruel of actions.

Not until the period of 2016 to 2020 did many of us become aware of white supremacy. They are a very dangerous group of people that have been laying low and finally arose with support of a demagogue head of the state. Who took seriously the topic of conspiracies and fringe groups until the insurrection?  Now we know how dangerous all these can be.

 The country was the laughing stock of the rest of the work. With a demagogue as the head of the government and a cadre of subordinates – some taking advantage of the circumstance and advancing their agenda and others helpless in changing course. It is genuinely refreshing to have a thoughtful administration in place as of 20^th of January 2021.

Hopefully all have learned a lesson, never to take democracy for granted, even in an “advanced nation”.  The country is made up of citizens, whose insecurities can result in irrational thinking and manifest in dangerous actions.

Guilt in the year of the 2020 Covid-19 pandemic

 

The year 2020 has been a year that is best forgotten.  The pandemic had vastly different effects in the population.  Essential workers are the heroes – having to continue working. Many small businesses had to close and lay off their employees. And then are many who are able to work remotely from home. Working from home comes with its challenges. With schools closed, parents with young children have to simultaneously work as well as help the young ones with remote schooling. In addition, one wonders how many children are missing adequate education because of lack of computers and access to reliable network.

How does the guilt factor come into play? For those of us who do not have young school going children, the thought that there are millions of families that have to deal with a multitude of challenges arouses feelings of guilt.  For many having a job and being able to work generates sufficient guilt. Not having the challenges of having to deal with issues related to school age children, that so many are facing, only adds to the guilt. One may try to reach a colleague over the phone and hear a response to the effect that your colleague is driving home after picking up their child during the middle of the day from the tutor (likely because the regular school is closed).  That is when you feel the guilt that you are not faced with these issues.

There is plenty of information on the disparity that exists in the society. However, personal experience is a unique feeling. I hope the situation changes rapidly so that some of us do not have to feel guilty.

COVID-19 PANDEMIC

My last posting was on October 2009!  What a time to get back to some bloggings! The entire world is reeling under the weight of the corona virus pandemic.  There are so many facets one can discuss about this pandemic.  One of them is the complacency of the developed countries in assuming that infectious diseases did not need attention. Attention and resources were focused on non-communicable diseases like cancer and cardiovascular disorders.  I am no exception to this pattern of thinking. Infectious viruses do not recognize national borders.  With international travel, every country should have paid greater attention to the possibility of a pandemic originating in a far of continent coming to our shores.

Who knew that global surveillance for potential pandemics is an established activity.  So then, why are we in this current situation?  Could it be because of the irresponsibility of heads of states whose primary responsibility is to ensure such activities are adequately addressed.  It clearly seems like they dropped the ball.    The Global Health Security and Biodefense unit, responsible for pandemic preparedness and established in 2015 by Barack Obama’s National Security Advisor Susan Rice, was dissolved in 2018.  This action likely contributed to the current state we are in.

Each one of us have our own personal perspective of what happened to our daily activities.  As for me, on Friday the 13^th of March is when I started working from home.  One fine day all who could work remotely disappeared from the lab and started working from home.  Since then, in the last seven weeks I have gone to the lab only three times for a few minutes tp get reference books and once for less than a couple of hours to relocate my office. I am hoping to start going to work in the lab soon.

Meanwhile, the whole process of shopping has been revamped.  Hardly any visits to Costco.  Donning a face mask when grocery shopping.  Going forward I plan to use a face mask when traveling in planes – which I started a couple of years ago.  Now I will feel comfortable doing so.

Another casualty of this pandemic was the cancellation of a trip to Spain, that I was very much looking forward to.  As I write this blog, I realize that I am off from work because I had taken this week off to for the Spain tour!  But here I am at home in Irvine using the time to collect some Continuing Education Credits (CEU). The Annual Conference of the American College of Medical Genetics which was scheduled for mid-March was converted to a digital conference.  I spend my time off to go over some of the presentations and gather some CEUs!

We were just now starting to do some travelling with plans for travelling at least once a year.  We did Kauai, Peru and Alaska.  And the December 2018 to January 2019 trip to India! Now, I am not sure when we will start travelling again.

Diwali, Pepsico, potato chips and Target

I was pretty amused to see a flyer which said "Share the joy of Diwali" with the symbols of Pepsi and FritoLay. This is advertisment targeting Indians. How about celebrating Diwali with Pepsi and potato chips? What is the role of Indra Nooyi in "Celebrate Diwali with Pepsi and potato chip"? Soon we will be celebrating Pongal, Onam, Vishu, Sankranthi, Holi, and Navratri with Pepsi and potato chips!

The power of words!

Here are words in modern “fed speak” – “extraordinary exuberance” and “unusual uncertainty”. The former introduced by the former Chairman of the Federal Reserve Alan Greenspan and the latter by the current Chairman of the Federal Reserve Ben Bernenke. What cleverly crafted phrases to capture the attention of the public! Eventually both phrases mean “nobody knows the basis for what is happening in the market/Wall Street”!

Oranges and mangoes - or any fruit for that matter

It has been a while since I have updated my blog. Here is one baout oranges, mangoes = or any other fruit for that matter.
How many of us venture to think about the time it takes for a fruit to be borne by a tree and ripened to the stage when we are able to enjoy it? Be it an orange or a mango it does not take more than five minutes to be consumed. How long does it take for the mango or orange to progress from a flower to a fruit on a tree and then ripen enough for us to enjoy? Orange blooms appear in the spring and the fruits are ready by end of autumn or beginning of winter. You see, that is at least 6 months. As for mangoes, the blossoms appear in January and the fruits are ready in June. That is again close to 5-6 months. So when relishing these fruits think of the time, energy and care invested by the trees in satisfying your taste buds – all in less than five minutes.

The 2009 healthcare discussions in the U.S.

The country is in the midst of intense discussions on reforming the health insurance. It started with the goal of ensuring that the cost of health insurance is brought under control. A number of factors contribute towards this persistent increase in the cost of insurance year after year. One of the factors is that the cost of healthcare for the 47 million uninsured individuals in the country is shouldered by those who are insured. The answer for this was to ensure that the 47 uninsured are provided the opportunity to have affordable insurance. Sometimes it is not the affordability; it is the rejection by some insurance companies to provide coverage because of pre-existing conditions. The proposal to provide an option to any individual who needed insurance (”public option”) has come under intense criticism. The underlying concern for the criticism was the concern that the availability of such an option would undermine the “monopoly” of the private insurance companies. It is difficult to come up with any other reason for the not so civil town hall meetings. One concern was that government sponsored insurance would stifle the private insurance. Responding to this criticism President Obama was quick to respond in brilliant fashion. He responded that despite the existence of the United States Postal Service, a government run agency, private companies like FedEx and UPS continue to thrive while the United Postal Service was the one in perilous existence. His made it clear that a public option was important for ensuring sufficient competition for the private insurance companies. After all despite the availability of the numerous health insurance companies, they all seemed to be functioning like one company. Another concern by those against the public option is that they do not want bureaucrats making decisions as to when and what they will pay. They are oblivious to the fact that is what is happens currently with the private insurance companies. It was also humorous to hear many individuals, including the Chairman of the Republican Party, Michael Steele, making superficial statements on how much they were against government run health care option without realizing that Medicare is a government run health insurance program! It is not unusual to hear many people at the town hall meetings make such statements that contradicted one another. One has to wonder if these not so well thought out statements are made because of confusion in thought, insecurity or because they are made by individuals from the opposition party with the aim of depriving a democratic President a victory whenever possible.

Are eighteen year olds ready make decisions on their own and be independent?

Are eighteen year olds ready make decisions on their own and be independent? As a parent of a child off to the University, I have had to confront this question. At the orientation I was make acutely aware, the staff at the University “Your child is an adult. You do not have any right to their documents, medical records etc;”. Incidentally when it comes to paying for college, the parents are still kind of responsible!
So, are eighteen year olds really equipped emotionally to make decisions and be independent? My experience is that it depends on the child. Some children are well grounded and mature and can make decisions. But not all children are ready. What are the consequences when society decides to give all eighteen year olds the status of adults – even those that are not ready to handle the independence? Unfortunately, I suppose there is no way to apply different standards to the two groups in a university setting. I am sure the staff will tell you that all students need this independence (irrespective of their level of maturity) to explore the various aspects of life and that they will all step up to the challenges.
I only hope that this is indeed the case!

The need to distinguish between literacy and education

Recognizing the difference between a tool and its application is critical in using knowledge. It is not unusual to come across a system in which one can see significant strides made in developing the tool but very little development in its use. Often there is confusion in using the terms literacy and education. Literacy is the tool to be used in its application, education. Attaining 100% literacy does not mean gaining significant levels of education. Education involves more than reading, writing and arithmetic. An important component of education is critical thinking and developing strategies on how to use the knowledge gained through the use of literacy. Once the literary component of the educational process has been achieved – the system has to start training individuals on the application.

Obama's speech in Cairo

Listening to Obama is absolutely refreshing after eight years of disappointment. He is not only thoughtful in comments but extremely articulate. Does his experience as an academic Professor contributed to these characteristics? Most probably. Whatever the reason, it is doing a lot of good to the world.

Continuing educations for physicians in India

I am currently working on organizing a conference on clinical genetics in Thiruvananthapuram, Kerala, India. There is an enormous amount of new information generated every day in the field of clinical genetics. To keep oneself up to date with the most current information, one has to have access to information, via publications. Continuing education is also important. In this regard, my observation is that practicing physicians in many parts of India do not participate in scientific conferences. This could be because they do not like to travel for such conferences. It could also be because they are not provided with adequate time and financial resources to participate in scientific meetings. I wonder if this is because administrators do not realize the importance of ensuring that physicians employed by the government to provide medical services to the citizens have to keep up with contemporary information. Granted, that many of the medical services are “routine” and ones does not need to acquire new information. However, genetics, which play a crucial role in many disorders seen in affluent societies (such disorders are on the increase in India), requires that clinicians have to be provided with opportunities to keep abreast of current information. Alternatively, clinicians themselves have to take an active role in organizing conferences locally and make an effort to keep up with the ever increasing information in the field of clinical genetics. Will it be different in a decade or so in India, when as in developed countries, clinicians will be actively participating in scientific conferences and using the information from such conferences in their daily practice to provide their patients with the best possible care?

Mother's Day 2009

I know it is rather late to write about Mother's Day, a whole week late. I have been meaning to write about it. I acknowledge that it is a contemporary holiday with strong commercial interests. This year on Mother’s Day, CNN John King in his show “State of the Union” had a segment in which a mother who is serving in the U.S. Army in Iraq was interviewed and was given the opportunity to talk with her two children back home in the U.S. The 6 year old daughter was asked what she would have done for her mother if she was home. The little girl replied, “Make pancakes with berries”. That was very touching. I wonder how many mothers and children were in that position, being away from their small children, in very difficult circumstances not because of their choice.

Slumdog Millionaire and the 2009 Oscar

Hollywood is getting ready for the Academy award ceremonies to be held tomorrow at the Kodak theatre. Without doubt this is going to be a sensational show with the incredible reviews for Slumdog Millionaire (SM). I have never heard this much of discussions about any movie as in the case of SM. I have been taking an informal poll of what viewers thought about the movie. I must say it is wide range of opinions. These include - violent, funny, sad, very fast moving, engaging and happy. As for the music by A.R. Rahman, fans of Rahman in India will be happy to know that Californians who have never heard his music before SM, are buying the CD of music from SM! All this appreciation for this movie and the music is truly phenomenal.
Yesterday I learned that the youngest stars of the movie are travelling from Mumbai to California. I presume they will participate in the award ceremonies. I hope this arrangement to have the young actors participate in the celebrations is a reflection of what is due to them as part of the team in the production of the movie and not because of the controversy about the movie among some quarters in India. I will be watching the ceremonies tomorrow and am very hopeful that SM will indeed win awards in more than one category - becauee - as an acquaintance of mine said "Hollywood likes movies that are different".

Barak Obama's inauguration

What a sight! The swearing in of the 44th President of the United States - Barak Obama! It is indeed fascinating to be a witness to this amazing expression of democracy. I am excited not because Obama is an African American - but because of his truly presedential personality - intelligence, wisdon, humility and charm. After 8 years, Americans can finally hold our heads high and be proud of what citizens in a true democracy can do to bring chance.

Pondering during the final days of 2008

The end of 2008 is fast approaching. The world has had to grapple with numerous serious issues. To start with the economic and financial situation is very serious. What are the consequences of this situation that the world is facing? I have always felt that economic dissatisfaction is invariably associated with social unrest. Does anybody know what needs to be done to avert such problems? Talking about enacting policies to address the econoic issues may help to some extent. In that respect I hope the activities of the President elect Obama will have some effect not only in the U.S. but around the world.
The unfortunate incident in Mumbai the day before Thanksgiving, in which innocent people lost their lives was another unforgettable event of 2008. What is the role of economic dissatisfaction in the actions of the perpetrators ? There is undoubtedly some role that dire economic situation plays in the self esteem of any individual. The world needs to pay attention to the economic and educational needs of as many of the world citizens as possible for the security of all.
Steve Lopez, a columnist for the Los Angeles Times, often writes stories that touch your heart. In 2005 he wrote about Nathaniel Anthony Ayers, a homeless musician with schizophrenia who sleeps each night on one of skid row's most dangerous streets http://www.latimes.com/news/local/la-me-lopez-skidrow-nathaniel-series,0,1456093.special. Today's paper has another such story - one about a homeless mother and daughter who live in ther car in a parking lot in Southern California. To add to the situation the daughter suffers from high risk acute leukemia http://www.latimes.com/news/columnists/la-me-lopez21-2008dec21,0,6262927,full.column. This is happening in a wealthy, developed nation. Is this happening because of some kind of inadequacy on the part of the system or despite the adequacies in the system? The human psyche is so complex that one has has to accept the fact that society can do only that much to help some in need of help. Develpoing resources to circumvent traditional modes of delivering help to such individuals and ensuring their safety is absolutely critical.

2008 General elections in Orange County, California

I never quite understood the meaning of the term conservative until I moved to the city of Irvine in southern California over ten years ago. After eight years of Republican governance, most American are more than ready for a change. The driving force behind this craving for change is the younger generation. Having an eighteen year old at home who is all wired up and supporting the Obama campaign brings the election all the more close to home. On our street our house has an "Obama-Biden" and a "No on prop 8" garden signs. Two of our neigbhors have "McCain-Palin" garden signs. I only wish they would ask me why I support the the Obama-Biden ticket, I would happily invite them for a cup of tea and explain the reasons why I support that ticket. The last two evening I have seen more than one group at crossroads with signs supporting prop 8 . For those who do not know what prop 8 is, it is a vote against same sex marriage. While the whole country is reeling under financial turmoil and dealing with two wars that are draining the nations financial resources, I doubt there are very many rational folks who are bothered about issues such as same sex marriage, other than the conservatives!