A Dog's Life

National Public Radio's "All Things Considered" featured a memorable program about parasites. Toxoplasmosis, a parasite in cat feces, was discussed in detail. Apparently, rats and mice ingest the toxoplasmosis, which travels into the rodents' brains. As a consequence of the parasite, the smell of cat becomes attractive to the smaller critters. Since the infected mice and rats are drawn to cats, they become easy prey. Anyone who has had a cat knows the rest of the story. The radio program I listened to surmised that perhaps toxoplasmosis has a similar effect on people who live with cats. It is often said that the cat owns the human, and not the other way around.

I wonder if there is a similar substance in dogs. Before I had a dog, I had little interest in these creatures. Now, I notice dogs constantly. This morning I heard a brief discussion about the death of Target, a former stray who, along with several other dogs, thwarted a suicide bomber in Afghanistan. Target was accidentally euthanized. Honestly, I got a little choked up as I heard the story recounted.

Target and the other dogs who were with him in Afghanistan demonstrated the quality of altruism - unselfish concern for others' welfare. How remarkable that such a lofty emotion can be demonstrated by a simple dog. How pathetic that the dogs were morally superior than most humans.

Has my little dog affected some chemical change in my brain that makes me partial to other dogs? Or have I been moved by a truly remarkable story involving purity of spirit? In any event, there is a lesson here for all of us humans, dog and cat lovers alike. Would that we all could demonstrate gratitude for the simple things that others do for us. Would that we could all be sufficiently brave to protect and defend our pack.

The Circle of Life

Today is my birthday. The first week in this new year of my life is filled with practically every life-cycle event imaginable. A friend called to let me know her son and daughter-in-law had a new baby boy this week and asked me to join them at the bris. In a short while, I will head to the local Jewish Center to help celebrate a bat mitzvah. Tomorrow, there is a funeral for a friend's mother died yesterday after a very long illness. On this day, I feel like I am in the middle of a whirlpool, surrounded and embraced by all of these events.

Yesterday, I called our family's favorite special occasion restaurant to make a reservation. The maitre d' knows my family and we caught up on the news of pending marriages of the then children, now young adults. We spoke about the perspective we have up here on this mountain of the aged. It is frightening, kind of like peering over a cliff.

Though I am definitely more vibrant and active than my parents were at my age, I wonder if my children, nieces and nephews think of me as an ancient. In some ways, I think they don't. On the other hand, it would be nice to be accorded the respect of a venerable elder.

North Shore-LIJ Healthcare Systems and its Visionary President and CEO

North Shore-LIJ Healthcare Systems is raising funds for construction of the new Katz Institute for Women's Health and Katz Women's Hospital. In support of that effort, a group of Long Island executives, called the Commerce and Industry Council, held an event at which Michael J. Dowling, president and chief executive officer of North Shore-LIJ Healthcare Systems, was the keynote speaker. Mr. Dowling is visionary.

Healthcare is a complex industry. It involves people of varying skill, real estate, construction, facility maintenance, supplies, equipment and security.* North Shore-LIJ hires approximately 80 to 90 people each week, and Mr. Dowling meets them all. Up-to-date facilities, however, are integral to provision of medical services. New York's medical facilities, in particular, are aging.

Fifty may be the new thirty for people, but not so for buildings. The expense of building hospitals is close to incomprehensible. Covering the costs for delivery of care by the medical professionals is another challenge in the face of cuts to medicare and medicaid. Mr. Dowling, however, seems one step ahead. He has anticipated and prepared for changes in the landscape of the healthcare industry. Facilities for professional and patient education, as well as facilities for treatment have been created throughout the metropolitan area, and expansion is envisioned.

Excellent medical education is a hallmark of America's medical care system, yet not one medical school has opened in the United States the past 30 years. Hofstra University and North Shore-LIJ will co-own and operate a new medical school and the first class is currently being selected. Mr. Dowling told the group that 4,000 applications are ultimately expected and that the first year class will be comprised of only 40 students. The class will expand to 100 over the course of a short, few years.

A multitude of jobs continues to be created by the healthcare system that Mr. Dowling has created. Mr. Dowling said, "no one is perfect, but we always try to close the gap between where we are and where we want to be." In a troubled economy, Mr. Dowling is spearheading a remarkable effort to create a network that will provide jobs and stimulate the local economy, while creating a premiere network for provision of medical care and professional training. These impressive efforts will have a positive impact on thousands of people in the New York metropolitan area for years to come.

*For an idea of how many people are involved in the daily operation of a hospital, I highly recommend the You Tube video entitled "Pink Glove Dance."

Triumph over Adversity, a Good Story

I just finished reading the "Modern Love Column" in the 'Styles' section of today's Sunday New York Times. It is my favorite column of the week. The stories range from ones where love conquers all to those where love doesn't succeed. In today's column, love permitted the writer to move on from tragic losses. It made me wonder whether sadness is the sole impetus for evocative prose? Jeanette Walls's "The Glass Castle," which recounts a most fantastic childhood with mentally ill parents is riveting. Frank McCourt's book, "Angela's Ashes" was a remarkable ouvre. These works grab your attention.

A former colleague was a student of Frank McCourt's at Stuyvesant High School in New York City. He told me that McCourt had no patience for anyone who handed in a story that didn't include a healthy dose of suffering and deprivation. As far as McCourt was concerned, exposure to alchoholism was a necessary life experience. I suppose the man had a point; sad stories are compelling.

Tragic events provide dramatic action forcing change. To succeed, the change must be inspirational. Otherwise, the story wouldn't be worth telling. Certainly, had McCourt or Walls not overcome their pasts, they would not have been capable of writing their works. Perhaps someone else would have picked up the story of someone who survived a broken childhood only to continue a pattern of destitution. That story would just show how some people lack the ability to extract themselves from pathetic lives. A desperate situation is an attention grabber. The reader must find out what happens and how the protagonist emerges victorious. How did McCourt go from being an urchin to a distinguished educator? How did Walls end up living on Park Avenue while her mother scavenged in garbage cans? Somehow, they do move beyond their circumstances, and if they can do it, so, too, can the reader. The contrast is essential to the inspirational message. I suppose that we must accept that triumph over adversity is an essential ingredient to a story worth reading.

The Camel Knows the Way

 "The Camel Knows the Way" is an autobiography recounting Lorna Kelly's  successful career as the first woman auctioneer at Sotheby's, her battle with alchoholism, humbling experiences in Calcutta and  a remarkable relationship with Mother Theresa. Though it is a story of Ms. Kelly's particularly Christian spiritual awakening, "The Camel Knows the Way" nonetheless speaks to people of all religions. The author's artful use of language to portray vivid images and emotions, as well as her honesty, is remarkable.

Ms. Kelly's spiritual shift experienced through her work in Calcutta is beyond moving.   Ms. Kelly learns  to see each and every person as worthy of compassion, even the people covered in filth and feces.  She accomplishes this by envisioning each suffering person as Jesus, himself or, in one case, as her mother.  With that shift, Ms. Kelly is emboldened to help the people of Calcutta. Even though I am Jewish, I found this metaphor particularly transformational. It is a metaphor that frequently comes to mind, especially in the midst of some of the more exasperating moments in parenthood.

I have had the honor of meeting Ms. Kelly and speaking with her in person. We first met at a school fair, where I had purchased my copy of "The Camel Knows the Way, a Journey. " When I sought out Ms. Kelly for an inscription, I found her, gleefully getting her face painted.   It was not surprising to read that Ms. Kelly jumped into the Sea of Gallilee fully clothed.  I would expect no less of someone this brave, adventurous and alive. Ms. Kelly's full embrace of life is admirable.

 

Oliver Stone's Wall Street, Money Never Sleeps

Wall Street, Money Never Sleeps is worth seeing. Gordon Gekko, the arch villain of the original 1987 film, is released from a lengthy prison sentence to start life anew. In the intervening years, his daughter, Winnie, has grown up. Proclaiming abhorrence of all things Wall Street, Winnie has nonetheless fallen in love with a young man named Jacob Moore who is, surprise, a Wall Street trader. Jacob, played by Shia LaBoeuf, represents 'the good'. He isn't in the money game for money alone. Instead, his objective is to raise funds to support development of a technology he believes really will be a game changer in the alternative energy field. He avenges injuries inflicted on his beloved mentor, Lewis Zabel, by hedge fund manager Bretton James. Zabel, played by Frank Langella, committs suicide as a consequence of James's exposure of extensive bad debt held by Zabel's firm. On top of all that, prince Jacob makes best efforts to effect a reconciliation between Gekko and his daughter.

This movie is Shakespearean. Power plays, meetings in oak paneled rooms, accusations and miscommunications, deceptions and betrayals abound. Lewis Zabel's ghost even appears to prince Jacob after Zabel's suicide. Hamlet? As the senior member of the Federal Reserve, Eli Wallach's character functions as the fool. Wallach's ancient of Wall Street appears to be completely batty, yet it is he who anoints or condemns. In this film's world, the wheel of fortune spins rapidly, with money replacing dominion as the crux for conflict.

Shia LaBoeuf was perfect as the young prince. The actor convincingly portrayed innocence, conviction, love and passion. Gordon Gekko is Michael Douglas' character. No one else could ever assume that role. Douglas looked rugged and aged. One imagines that Douglas skipped months of botox treatments. Josh Brolin conveyed perfect evil and duplicity through the vehicle of Bretton James. Susan Sarandon portrayed the quintessential Long Islander as Jacob's mother. Loved seeing Sylvia Miles reappear as a realtor selling Jacob's apartment. They both afforded comic relief. I was not enthralled by Carey Mulligan's performance. Constant resort to tears detracted from her character's depth. Also, the audience never sees real anger, even though Winnie professes to be furious with her father. This was surprising, considering all of the other attention to detail in this film. There is one other plot flaw. Gekko's actions at the end of the film, and I will not be a spoiler, seem inconsistent with his personality. Go and judge for yourself.

Sunrise, sunset

I often wonder whether lyricist Sheldon Harnick and composer Jerry Bock knew that "Fiddler on the Roof" was going to be a hit or, for that matter, a timeless classic. Through the vehicle of the Jewish liturgical cycle, the work addresses universal themes such as the of brevity of life and the swiftness of time's passage. The dispersal of an entire village underscores the frailty of existence of individuals and entire communities. Anatevka was a fictional town in Czarist Russia. Its residents knew that, as Jews, they weren't welcome and that changes were afoot. One day, suddenly it seems, the residents are told that they are to leave. It's over. So, too, in individual lives, gradual changes are barely noticeable. Feet grow, clothes become small, the tooth fairy period comes and goes. Then, one fine morning, everything is different.

We experience childhood, waiting to become teenagers and anxious to assume responsibilities. All of the sudden, we find ourselves out in the real world. Ellen Futter, then the in-coming president of Barnard College, gave a speech at my college graduation. My recollection is that she told us that we would spend the next ten years trying to accomplish specific goals. It would seem like it was taking forever, until ten years had passed and we would wonder how all that time had passed so quickly.

Here we are at Jewish New Years again. Another year is about to begin and another about to end. Instead of a year of gradual change, this is one of great transition for my family. A daughter is about to leave for school and embark on a new adventure. Another has returned home and will be spending her year at a new school. All of the sudden, my time as a full-time stay-at-home mother is coming to a close, but another door is opening. Now, it is time to embark on new adventures. Happy New Year to all.