So this is Christmas

My favorite holiday movie is"A Charlie Brown's Christmas" (1965). Every year I watch it and think how prescient it is. In the opening dialogue, Charlie Brown says,

“I think there must be something wrong with me, Linus,” he begins. “Christmas is coming, but I don’t feel happy.”

Talking to people makes me feel that people either love Christmas or detest it. There is no in-between. For some, it's a month of joy. Others, it's a month of work, baking, cleaning, traveling long distances, and sad memories. People get stressed running to the mall to buy gifts on the 24th.

One of the most silent, still moments in the film comes when Charlie Brown carries his tree away from the Christmas pageant into the cold, starry night. Seeing that this year made realize how rare that silence is during the holiday season. Which, in the midst of the busyness of the holiday season, is why I love this movie. The true meaning of Christmas is made apparent through the Gospel of Luke as quoted by the blanket-bearing Linus:

⁸And there were in the same country shepherds abiding in the field, keeping watch over their flock by night. ⁹And, lo, the angel of the Lord came upon them, and the glory of the Lord shone round about them: and they were sore afraid. ¹⁰And the angel said unto them, Fear not: for, behold, I bring you good tidings of great joy, which shall be to all people. ¹¹For unto you is born this day in the city of David a Saviour, which is Christ the Lord. ¹²And this shall be a sign unto you; Ye shall find the babe wrapped in swaddling clothes, lying in a manger. ¹³And suddenly there was with the angel a multitude of the heavenly host praising God, and saying, ¹⁴Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace, good will toward men.' That's what Christmas is all about, Charlie Brown."

Merry Christmas.

Voting early and often

Absentee ballots and the MN Senate seat up for grabs have a funny history in the past 12 years. In 2002, the hard-fought election was between Norm Coleman and the then-incumbent Sen. Paul Wellstone. Being the good MN citizens that we were, K and I sent in our ballots two weeks before the election. Wellstone was then killed in a plane crash on Oct. 25, 2002 (11 days before the election). MN law required his name to be taken from the ballot, and former VP Walter Mondale's name replaced Wellstone. At the time, the Star Tribune wrote:

The potential for a meltdown in the courts looms because of the decision to throw out absentee ballots containing a vote for Wellstone. Although the Minnesota Supreme Court ordered counties to mail out new absentee ballots to any absentee voter who wanted one, if Coleman's victory margin is smaller than the number of discarded Wellstone votes, a lawsuit appears to be a virtual certainty.

My second absentee ballot arrive about two days before the election. At the time, it felt surreal to be voting twice in the election. I felt I had broken one of the sacred rules of democratic elections; I had voted early and often. Ok, just twice but still more than "one person one vote." I'm still unsure to this day whether my vote for Senate was counted since I have no idea whether the second ballot arrive on Election Day. Ultimately, Coleman won by a margin outside the number of absentee ballots cast which sets the stage for 2008.

The prolonged election cycle between incumbent Sen. Norm Coleman and challenger Al Franken has moved to the courtroom. Today. Star Tribune reports a difference of only + 5 votes (Coleman) with one day left to revew Coleman's challenges. TPM reports that Franken may even pull ahead tomorrow. If so, the question of the missing votes in Minneapolis, the rejected absentee ballots, and additional challenges threatens any semblance of a timely conclusion. The irony is that if the decision should go to the Senate (and cross your fingers that it doesn't), a special election could be called. Guess what that means-- another set of absentee ballots for yours truly. It's ironic that again, the absentee ballots play a fateful role in the election.

Traditions! Traditions!

Writing Christmas cards is a rewarding tradition - mostly for the receiver.  The writer is left to condense one year into a few sentences (if not doing the mass newsletter format) and to feel slightly guilty for not having written often (or at all) the past twelve months.  I hope this old-fashioned tradition is not replaced by online social networks and e-cards.

Too cute

I saw giant pandas at the National Zoo on Saturday. Absolutely adorable. One life goal down, probably another thousand to go.

Give them hope

Just back from seeing Milk - the new biopic of Harvey Milk starring Sean Penn. Milk was the first openly gay man elected to public office. The movie was moving, emotional, and inspiring. It is about a man who organizes the gay population to build a thriving community. They do more than rise above the local discrimination and lead the national drive for gay rights. It is a reminder about individuals who share a common goal can come together to achieve change. It happened in the 1970s, it happened in 2008, and can be replicated across the world.

"Somewhere in Des Moines or San Antonio there is a young gay person who all the sudden realizes that he or she is gay; knows that if their parents find out they will be tossed out of the house, their classmates will taunt the child, and the Anita Bryant's and John Briggs' are doing their part on TV. And that child has several options: staying in the closet, and suicide. And then one day that child might open the paper that says "Homosexual elected in San Francisco" and there are two new options: the option is to go to California, or stay in San Antonio and fight. Two days after I was elected I got a phone call and the voice was quite young. It was from Altoona, Pennsylvania. And the person said "Thanks". And you've got to elect gay people, so that thousand upon thousands like that child know that there is hope for a better world; there is hope for a better tomorrow. Without hope, not only gays, but those who are blacks, the Asians, the disabled, the seniors, the us's: without hope the us's give up. I know that you can't live on hope alone, but without it, life is not worth living. And you, and you, and you, and you have got to give them hope."
--Harvey Milk, 1978--

For me, seeing the grassroots elements of Harvey Milk's multiple campaigns was inspiring. Milk was humble: he was the candidate being elected, but essentially it was the movement that was the candidate. You work for yourself, your famiy, your friends, and your neighbors. At the end of the day, that's who really matters.

may the merry bells keep ringing

I set out today to buy some of my Christmas gifts. In particular, I wanted to find a gift for K, with our agreed price under $20, including tax. I feel strange saying that I don't want to buy a book, but that's what I always buy. This year, I mean to be original.

At the mall, there seems to be a mass-marketing campaign afoot in suburban malls-- one designed to insist that gifts ought to be over $20. All else falls under the domain of "stocking stuffers" or the vaguely impersonal house warming gifts. So what is available in my price range? I could buy a single bottle of lotion reminiscent of a pine plantation but it seemed too impersonal. I could buy her a hat, but she just got a red one that is liable to blow away in a stiff wind. I walked through a litany of suburbia: the Limited, Banana Republic, Macy's, Nordstrom's, Anthropologie, Nordstrom's Rack, H and M, and smaller stores whose name escape me. The Apple store was packed. As it has been for months. The iPhone really is beautiful. And untouchable to someone still under contract with Verizon. Not to mention the price of the data plan.

Ultimately, I found something small- something that will travel well to MN and then to Boston.
Something under $20 that if she doesn't like, she can take it back with her gift receipt.

Or we'll start talking about a gift exchange.

Career outlook

The recent issue of Science has an article detailing the prospects of physician-scientists, aka mudphuds. It's nice to know that currently, there are positions open in academia for physician-scientists. :)

Three issues that weren't given much coverage in the article.

I think the article underestimates the recruitment phase, which I would consider the hardest sell. What's the incentive to enter an MD/PhD program in the first place? It's a long haul. Most people enter this program in their early to mid-twenties, meaning that they will be around age 30 before residency/fellowship/post-doctoral position and before a faculty position. I think there is a sense that you have to know that you want to do research, or in a more cynical view, feel that the time is helpful for matching in a competitive residency. Furthermore, there is the question of not doing this track and still entering research later on. Recruiting these talented people who want to be in academia will surely help.

Also, where is the support for people while in the program? I'm having a hard time on Goolge finding attrition rates nationally after 1981, but I think it's higher for non-MSTP programs (non-NIH funded programs). Can something be done about this?

The third issue is, once graduated, why stay in academia? Why are people moving into industry? Is it the lifestyle? Free from tenure? What about private practice? Understanding why academia is not appealing to approximately half of the MD/PhD graduates nationally may be the first step

City of Beauty

Paris was overwhelming. I wanted to do everything and see everything. D and I ended up spending hours in the Louvre, going to the top of the Arc de Triomphe, and gazing at Paris at dusk atop the Eiffel Tower. Jetting over to Paris for a weekend is still something I'd do again in a heartbeat.

What I love about dining in Europe is the experience. American chains such as Applebees are a world away from the independent restaurants that I now adore. European portions are smaller than American portions. It's rude to rush patrons out of the restaurant. And it's all about enjoying the food, wine, and company. Leisurely.