State of the State of

I've been scouring the blogs all day off and on trying to get a handle on last night's SOTU by Obama. This commentator comes the closest to what I am thinking.

I watched President Barack Obama’s State of the Union speech ready to fall in love again or to wage war. I came out cautiously optimistic but afraid to be burned yet again, encouraged and yet disappointed, all at the same time. Perhaps that is a fitting response to a man who has the capacity to engender so much hope in a truly flawed political system, making disappointment inevitable.

You can read more here.

I almost didn't watch the speech. Too many bad memories of Dubya spouting inanities and lies on national TV. But Steve, without his hearing aids, had the TV blasting at full volume and despite my original protestations I was drawn in. Obama is just so smart and so compelling and so rational. I guess I not ready to quit either.

Steve and I are now the proud grandparents of not just one but two dogs. First, there was Muscles, the aptly named Rhodesian ridgeback that is Moses' best friend and protector. And, now, we have another new family member courtesy of Liz and Giuliano--an adorable (can't you tell from the picture), weineramer puppy named Pella. (Hmm. . .I wonder if getting a dog is a necessary precursor to having a baby.)

This is weird for a couple that never had a dog, never wanted a dog and where one member (Steve, not me) is deathly afraid of dogs. In fact, Steve will always cross the street to avoid the path of an oncoming dog no matter how small or harmless looking that dog may be. But since becoming a grandfather of a dog, he claims to have cuddled with Muscles without fear. . .most likely because Mo was standing over his shoulder and there was no way out! Let's see how he does with his newest grandchild. He never was great at changing diapers.

Reality Sucks

Okay, I'm back to reality. What does that mean? Well, for one, my Uggs are now permanently attached to my feet. I'm off to the gym or yoga everyday and my alcohol consumption is way down. (No fresh passion fruit capirhinias served here.)

But what that phrase really means is that I can't avoid the awful reality of American politics, a game where winning the vote is everything and actual service to the voters counts for nothing. It's sort of like football. Everyone cheering wildly on the sidelines for their favorite team to win, win, win while totally disregarding the cost to players' long term health and sanity. (Well, maybe that's not a great analogy but somehow I feel there's a connection somewhere.)

The Photographic Evidence

If you're interested, click here to see my photos from South America.

Warning: There's a lot of them.

More on Haiti

Thanks to Robin for fowarding me this email regarding Partners in Health, a successful health care organization based in Haiti. I read the Tracey Ridder book, "Mountains Beyond Mountains," about Paul Farmer, the organization's founder, several years ago and was moved and impressed by his commitment and vision.

You can donate here.

Dear Friends,

The tragedy in Haiti is more dire than we could have ever expected it would be in the hours following the earthquake. But thanks to your support, we're already making a difference.

We received a report from Cate Oswald, one of our staff in Haiti, who traveled through the Central Plateau to Port-au-Prince yesterday with two truckloads of meds and supplies. She described the scene:

"We started seeing destruction from Mt. Cabrit (where big rocks lie in the middle of the road) through Croix de Bouquets where it doesn't seem as bad but lots of walls down. Then the scene gets much, much worse. Tonight, everywhere throughout the city, as we drove by the national plaza, there are thousands of people sleeping outside. While I was in Port-au-Prince, there were still aftershocks being felt. I didn't venture into other parts of the city, but as you all know, koze sa pa jwet menm [Haitian saying literally translated as "this is not a game"]."

The trucks met up with PIH staff, including Dr. Louise Ivers, at the UN's logistics base in Port-au-Prince. Louise was one of two doctors attending at the time, and they had nothing but aspirin until our trucks showed up.

Our leadership is in Port-au-Prince now determining the best location to establish a base of operations. Their assessment includes laying out all the next steps for getting supplies, equipment, and additional staff to the people most in need.

Your donation is already providing critical relief to the people of Haiti - but we have a long way to go. Please tell your friends about the critical work Partners In Health has done in Haiti for more than 20 years, and the urgent support we need right now:

Share this important update with a friend

Another of our Haitian colleagues, Patrick Almazor, reported today that he and several other doctors have set up mobile clinics in the Delmas section of Port-au-Prince.

"We have a lot of fractures," he wrote in an email. "We are running out of meds, I'm on my way to St. Marc [a PIH facility] for supplies."

Importantly, given the patients already flowing out of Port-au-Prince to St. Marc and our other facilities outside the city, we cannot leave our hospitals understaffed.

So we are recruiting surgeons, anesthetists, nurses, and other medical professionals to travel to Haiti in the next couple of days to help with staffing, particularly as many of our staff have lost family members and friends.

There's still so much that needs to be done for the people of Haiti. Your help in spreading the word can make a tremendous impact:

Share this important update with a friend

A handful of our colleagues remain unaccounted for - we continue to have every hope that it is due to lack of ability to communicate via telephone and the lack of electricity for computers, but we do not know.

Our staff has more or less been working around the clock in Boston and Haiti. I am incredibly lucky to work with such a passionate and committed group of individuals who will not stop unless their job /task /mission is done.

Thank you for your solidarity during this crisis,


Ophelia Dahl
Executive Director

PS: This is a critical time for the people of Haiti. If you can, please consider making another donation to Partners In Health's work on the ground.
Donate now to support our earthquake relief efforts

Back in the USA

I am in Utah now visiting Mo and am literally overwhelmed by the news and images coming out of Haiti in a continuous horrific stream. The scale of the disaster is unimaginable.

My first priority once home in Philly will be to send a contribution to the relief effort. What else can all of us do to alleviate the suffering that Haiti is undergoing?

The Panama Canal

What a weird place is Panama City. There's the business district, packed with office buildings that scream money, money, money. There's the waterfront district with rows and rows of high rise residences and a mind boggling number of ongoing construction projects. There's the casco viejo or old city, a crumbling vestige of the city's colonial past dotted with an occasional outpost of gentrification.

Wherever you are, it's hot and smelly and noisy. (Panamanians drive like lunatics and love to lay on the horn.) Of the storied nightlife, we have seen nothing--we're too old and we're here at the beginning of the week when everyone is too tired from making deals.

And then there is the Panama Canal, the 8th wonder of the world as Bob tells us over and over and over again. The man is in a state of barely contained excitement throughout the day as he relentless grills our guide. Luckily, Alviero is up to the challenge. Okay, okay, it is impressive to see the boats pass through the locks and the detailed (!) history of the canal's construction is amazing but after almost three hours spent at the Miraflores Locks Visitor Center--the observation deck, the movie, the museum, etc., etc.,etc.--I know more than I will ever need or want to know about the Panama Canal. Except why is Panama City such a pit despite all the money that obviously flows through it to who knows where.

Living the High Life in Cartegena

Last night we saw another side of Cartegena at a concert, part of a city wide music festival, in a little jewel box of a theater ringed by boxes decorated with lots of gold leaf. The concert was fun but even better was the people watching.

The theater was in the old part of the city but the audience was clearly from the gleaming white towers that ring the harbor in the new part of the city--the women very chic in long gowns, jewelry from H. Stern and artfully applied make up; the men in white linen shirts and pants. Everyone seemed to know everyone else--lots of chatting and air kissing.

After dinner, we strolled a bit through the old city and then took a carriage ride back to our hotel.

Cartegena

These are the colors of Cartegena. We are on the north coast of Columbia but it seems more like we are on a tropical island in the Caribbean or maybe a Latin version of New Orleans. A riot of colors and flowers, tourists and residents out on the streets all day and all night. Definitely a happy city.

Paradise Found

For three days we have been in paradise on the Marau peninsula at a self-styled eco-luxury resort, Kiaroa. A little air taxi flew us here from Salvador in half an hour and dropped us literally just steps from the resort. We have a private bungalow with a porch--thoughtfully provided with a hammock--that overlooks our very own pool. The entire peninsula is still fairly undeveloped—no high rises or golf courses, thank goodness--and most tourists are from other parts of Brazil. I notice a bunch of Italian guests at our hotel but definitely no other Americans. In fact, very few of the staff speak English The closest town, a four mile walk on the beach, is a fishing village with a few low key pousadas and local restaurants scattered along the main sandy street.

Anyway, it’s absolutely gorgeous and I’ve gone completely native—putting on my bikini first thing in the morning (Note not a Brazilian bikini aka dental floss which leaves absolutely nothing to the imagination!), drinking capirhinas at the swim up bar, of course, and eating moqueca, a spicy sea food stew every chance I can get.

The beach goes on forever and never seems crowded. We can walk for miles and our primary view is of swaying palm trees, lapis colored water and a brilliant blue, gold and white sky. A two mile walk takes us to a cluster of outdoor restaurants on the beach overlooking crystal clear tidal pools perfect for floating, swimming or snorkeling. The water is beautifully warm and the sun is hot, hot, hot.



One day, we chartered a boat and spent the day zooming around the bay—stopping at islands and isolated beaches for a swim and lunch—-moqueca and capirhinas, of course.

Salvador!

My only regret about being in Brazil is that I didn't come here when I was young. Back in the day, I would have done like Nora Ephron said: Put on a bikini (maybe even a Brazilian bikini) and not take it off until I got back on the plane for home.

But, as I say, better late than never. We have been vibing out in Salvador for four days--wandering around the old city, chilling on the beach, listening to fabulous music, eating Bahian food...while wearing middle aged version of a bikini!



I am so relaxed!

Feliz Ano Novo

We came to Rio to party and yes we can and yes we did. Despite the rain--we never did make it to the beach during the day; I have yet to put on my new two piece bathing suit--we had the most amazing time in Rio de Janeiro, this most wonderful city. (Oh, why didn't we come here when we were young?!) Especially a New Year's Eve celebration that I will never ever forget. Dressed in traditional white clothes we first walked to a party in an apartment directly overlooking Copacabana Beach. (We were the token heterosexuals at the party but that's a whole other story.)

From the balcony (I secured my front position early!), we could see out over the beach and the ocean and the river of people streaming along the streets to the beach. Some 2 million people thronged the beach for the traditional celebration. (I can't believe they do this every year!) At least 10 cruise ships ringed the harbor, their lights like a trailing necklace of diamonds along the water. And then at midnight an incredible show of fireworks--the crowd roaring in ecstasy as the rockets went off in a synchronized display that lasted 20 minutes. All the time, music blasted from at least three huge stages along the beach. Afterwards, we headed to the beach ourselves to join a swirling mob of people, drinking, laughing, dancing, carousing. We wandered back to the Fasono at 4 am and collapsed overwhelmed but joyous with the experience.



I absolutely love Brazil. I love the food, the music, the spirit, the conviviality, the energy, the passion fruit capirhinas, the warmth of the weather and especially the people. Truly an amazing country.