Me and the boys at Como Park. 

Patient versus Computer

One of my frustrations in how American Medicine has changed in the past decade, is that it seems that the Computer has become more important than the patient. 

The Doctor is almost required to spend a significant amount of time looking at the computer instead of the patient. 

It is too big of a topic to put into one blogpost, but I think I shall be doing some more writing on this. 

Writing Again

OK. 

I have not written much these past two years. 

I have been threatening to start writing again. 

I think it might do me some good. 

But I think I need to limit who can see the blog, since there are trolls finding it. 

Another Moment of Modern Medicine InterConnecting with the Internet

I was seeing a two year old boy yesterday, when the Mom mentioned that he was eating Paint Chips.

For me, the immediate concern was whether or not their was Lead in those paint chips. And the most immediate information I needed was... "when was the house built?"

I tried getting that information in several questions about the house and its neighborhood or architecture, but the very sweet Hispanic Mom clearly had no idea about such things.

So with the computer in front of me, I typed in her address to Google Street View, and in seconds a picture of her house was on the computer screen.

"Is that where you live?" I asked, and she helpfully pointed out which apartment they lived in. It was clearly a late 80's apartment building, and thus unlikely to have lead based paint.

Of course, I still checked a level. But fascinating to see how the internet can help in clinic.

Books I am Reading to my Girls...

Through the wonders of Amazon, I can find almost any book I can remember from my own gradeschool days, and buy them for a dollar.

Taking advantage of this, I am currently reading through the following books with Nora Grace and Miriam.

1. Snow Treasure, by Marie McSwigan. Norwegian children in World War II help their country by sneaking the gold from the local bank to safety from the Nazis. To do this, they take it bit by bit on their sleds right past the Nazi barracks. Mid Grade School range.

2. Twenty and Ten, by Claire Huchet Bishop. Twenty French children are moved to the countryside for safety during World War II. They take in ten Jewish orphans, sharing their already meager rations, and helping them find hiding places when the Nazis come. Kindergartners can handle this one.

3. The Trumpeter of Krakow, by Eric Kelly. A young Polish boy of the 15th century escapes problems in the Ukraine and arrives penniless in Krakow with his family. But his father has a secret for the king which leads to many adventures. For an upper grade school kid. Incredibly rich vocabulary.

4. Carry On, Mr. Bowditch, by Jean Lee Latham. A young man gifted with mathmetical abilities in the late 1700's Massachusetts. Too poor for Harvard, he is apprenticed out but does good and faithful work and eventually begins to find errors in the main navigational texts of the period. Becoming a sailor himself, he does the unthinkable, and teaches every man on board to navigate, meanwhile re-writing the navagational books to eliminate errors. Teaches perseverence against the odds. Upper Grace School kids.

5. I Am David, by Anne Holm, translated from the Danish by LW Kingsland. Definetely the most intense of these books... this is the story of a boy raised in an Eastern European Concentration camp, who escapes and heads toward Denmark to find his mother. Traveling with almost nothing except a vague idea of direction, he crosses Europe. Intense in that it unpacks many of his emotions... seeing beauty for the first time, seeing colors for the first time, seeing people who trust each other, seeing kindness practiced openly, how people survive emotionally in a Camp. Worth while reading to kids even if they don't understand everything.

6. Tullus comic books, from David C Cook publishing. Couldn't find an author, several books were published based on previous serials in young peoples magazines. Sortof a Christian version of Prince Valient. First Century Christian boy who travels all over the world on many adventures. I am not reading these to my kids, they do just fine on their own.

So what should I read to an Eight year old, and a Five year old and a Three year old? Would love to hear specific titles.

Not Returning to Varanasi Long Term

In praying and fasting in recent weeks, we have come to the conclusion that we are not at peace with returning to Varanasi long term.

We had ten good years there, and I am amazed when I think back to how God has taken care of us in these past ten years. Wow. But it seems clear that living there long term is not what is supposed to happen.

So now comes lots of new questions...where to be employed? How much to stay in touch with India? Where to live?

We have almost nothing...I have never purchased a house before... I have never paid more than 1000 dollars for a car...all my previous jobs I announced I was only staying for awhile and then heading abroad...

now all that is different. Kind of weird.

I do hope to stay in touch more on the blog in the coming times.

Thanks for staying in touch.

A Certain Little Girl turned five years old today.

Last year in Varanasi, Miriam had a birthday...

Two years ago today, Miriam had her birthday

In Varanasi, with her friend Shanti.

Three years ago today

Helping out with her newborn brother Sam.

Four years ago today in Varanasi, Miriam had her First birthday

Here with our delightful landlords.

Five years ago today, Thanksgiving Day 2004

A Confluence of Holiness... in the good ol US of A

I am sometimes amused and interested in India, when multiple religions Festivals all fall very close to each other.

And now is it happening right here in America.

Thursday is Thanksgiving, one of my favorite Festivals, then Friday will be Eid, and Somalis and other Muslim neighbors will be having a huge festival. Friday is also the first Hmong New Years festival (they are blessed with two New Year festivals, for reasons that escape me). So all the SouthEast Asian Buddhists will be celebrating also.

I will be eating Turkey this year instead of goat meat, or instead of Pig entrails. Suits me fine.

Nora Grace's School Picture... that time of life.

Mom and Dad on their 50th Wedding Anniversary.

Found this on the Internet...

Moose meat was one of the only options for fresh red meat

Here is Mom, cutting up a haunch of Moose meat.

Is "Haunch" the right word?

I have had Moose meat myself, when my Uncle Christian shot a moose in Maine when I was in the third grade. I took moose meat sandwiches to school, and was quite popular. A bit stringy, as I recall, though admitedly, my memory is a bit clouded from third grade.

Dad helping to put a new motor in the airplane

In the late 50's and early 60's, when my folks lived in Northern Ontario, they had two options to get in and out... by plane for an hour or two, or by canoe for a couple of weeks.

Plane was the more popular option.

Jimmy L. was a popular local bush pilot, who later died in a plane accident.

But it seems to be in plentiful supply...

Here is a photo of my Mom, a few months before she got married, up in Northern Ontario. The title of the photo is, "Saving Ice".

Though it does seem to be in plentiful supply.

(And yes, I do know what that really means.)

(And yes, I think that is a moose hide coat she took off to do the aforementioned ice saving).

The "Hot Shot Amishman"

OK...so in the run up to a little celebration we will have for my folks this coming weekend, I hope to post a few pictures.

When my Mom first met my Dad (they were both in Canada at the time) in the late 1950's, her first impression is that he was a "Hot Shot Amishman".

Hmmmm, doesn't look very Amish in this photo.

Miriam is back home again...

Miriam spent one night in the Hospital. Turns out somebody probably "over-read" an X-Ray. A repeat X-Ray was normal, but took a day to get a repeat X-Ray.

So no, she does not have active TB. Just a positive PPD.

All in all, a mildy frustrating weekend. I think somebody heard the word, "India" associated with her, and assumed the worst. Didn't bother to actually ask any questions or do an exam. When those things actually happened, turns out she is fine.

I have been doing some thinking about Physicians and Health Care in America...how do computers affect the Doctor-Patient relationship, how has Managed Care forced Physicians to worry more about numbers than their patients, how has the fear of lawsuits caused Physicians to act in untoward manners??? and so on.

If I can ever get something coherent written down, I shall try and post part of it here also. Love to hear any stories you all have had about the changing experience of seeing a Physician in America.

Remember Miriam tonight...

Miriam will be spending the night in the Hospital tonight (Minneapolis Children's Hosptital).

She had a Positive PPD (the test to see if you have been significantly exposed to Tuberculosis) last week, and so had a Chest X-Ray to see if she has Tuberculosis in her lungs).

The Chest X-Ray showed no active Tuberculosis.

But then one guy said, "Well, maybe there is a little scar there." And then someone else said, "Well, I don't know about the scarring, but maybe her lymph nodes are enlarged." But it wasn't real clear.

So she will spend the night in the Hospital, so that they can take samples from her stomach first thing tomorrow morning, to look for TB there. It is not clear to me what they will decide to do if there is not TB there.

Anyways, think about Miriam. The look on her face when she hears things, and the resignation mixed with resolution that she shows in her shoulders is unforgettable. She is my brave little trooper.

One of the reasons I like reading the obituaries is how interesting they often are...

I was recently reading the newspaper in the town where I grew up.

Being who I am, I went first to the obituaries, to see what I might find. I found one about an 89 year old woman, who had recently died at home after a long and full life.

And they mentioned that she had 112 grandchildren and 263 great grandchildren. I don't think I have ever seen quite that many before.

And you wonder why the Amish are one of the fastest growing denominations in the US?

My Mom on the right

Here is my Mom with most of her sisters, two brothers, a brother in law and a husband to be... unless they are married at this point. I also don't have many pictures of my Mom from her childhood and youth (Plain Menno, the Great Depression, nine kids... take your pick). I like this one.

I think the order is: Aunt Peg, Aunt Zeb, Aunt Helen, Uncle Sam Zook, Uncle Bud?, Aunt Betts, Uncle Bob, my Dad, my Mom.

If that is correct, then Aunt Tina, and Uncle Glen are the only ones missing of the nine Krepps children.

I know they can all sing (Pap Wesley taught them well), but I don't ever recall hearing Bob sing. I bet he had a good voice. My loss.

My Dad, before he got married

I don't have many pictures of my Dad before he got married (the ol' Amish thing), so was fun to get this one. That would be him, second from the left. Not for sure, but I think that is Aunt Lydia on the left, with Uncle Amos (Fred K's) on the right, and Aunt (or soon to be Aunt) Joy. Not sure who the boy is... is that Joys' brother?

Nora Grace Had her eighth birthday today, and these days she looks like this

One Year ago, Nora Grace had her seventh birthday in Varanasi

Two Years ago in Varanasi, with her friend Reuben

Three Years ago making roTi for her Birthday

FOur Years ago today OUr Fair City

Five years ago today, stateside

Six Years ago today, just back in the US

Seven Years ago today, Varanasi

8 Years ago today, Varanasi

Newly dyed Saris drying in the sun in Varanasi

Too much lunch

Nora Grace had her first day of third grade today, going in a real school bus, with a real school building, school uniform etc etc.

She was so excited.

At supper she mentioned to Amy that she had too much lunch in her lunch box, and that Mommy should not pack so much lunch. She had so much lunch to eat that she was almost late to her next class.

As Amy had not packed very much lunch, we were a bit puzzled. But then the story unfolded a bit more.

It seems the problem was not too much lunch (which was mostly uneaten anyways). Turns out the problem was too much talking. Nora Grace spent most of her lunch time gabbing and didn't eat her lunch until the last minute.

Well, that is one of the things we were hoping she learns this year.

Come to my Mom and Dad's 50th Wedding Annivesary Celebration on October 11, 2009

I think this is Rockville Mennonite Church, is that right?

SAVE THE DATE

My Mom and Dad got married 50 years ago, and we are going to have a little celebration on Sunday, October 11, 2009.

If you have any connection to them at all, you all are more than welcome to come.

From 2 to 5 PM at The Refuge, 921 8th Street SE, Detroit Lakes, Minnesota.

And an RSVP might be helpful.

On Line

Well, we have moved into a house, and hope to stay put for awhile. And I finally got the phone on and the internet connected.

What a deal.

In Minnesota

We are back in Minnesota and getting settled. An amazing group in Minnesota insured that we had beds to sleep in when we arrived, and food to eat for days.

Now for more paperwork for my job.

THANKS TO ALL

Post Modern Relativism makes it more difficult to use a Doctrinal Statement...

Many young and new Christians in the West these days grew up in a Post Modern Relativistic society.

They often will see a Doctrinal Statement, and say, "Hey, that's cool."

But in their day-to-day lives, actions and words, often contradict that Doctrinal Statement. For instance, someone might sign a statement that says "the Bible is the infallible Word of God", but later write that the Bible is only one book among many books that are God's Word.

And not see any contradiction in this.

Such a puzzle. Where logic is a dying art.

She is Getting Better at it...

For the past couple of years, Nora Grace has been after me that she would like to climb a tree. She had read about this in several books, but had not had the opportunity.

Well, about six months ago, in Varanasi, we visited a friend who had a bit of a "green space" (pictured above) that included a tree (pictured above).

And Nora Grace, with great fear and trepidation, climbed it.

Suffice it to say, she is getting better at it this summer.

A Note to Senor Trout

Write the song.

What will my kids remember about the gifts we bought them?

I just returned from a one week trip. As I was prepping to return to my family, I picked up some gifts for the kids. I choose the natural thing for me: several books.

Found a good used book store, and spent a small amount of money on a goodly quantity of books.

I presented the books to my children on return, and they were exstatic. (Did I spell that right?)

So what are my children going to remember about this years from now? Will they still like books so much that they view this with joy? Or will they be emotional about the fact that we never got into the latest fads of toys?

Probably doesn't matter... I will continue to buy books for my kids. Any suggestions?

Amy has an email address

My wife has entered the 21st century with elan, and has finally obtained an email address of her very own. :)
It is:
"her first name plus her last name with no spaces"@gmail.com

Be sure and give her a shout!

The Greatest Beauty comes when I can't hear you or me singing

Talking with a friend last night.

She was talking about the Church she grew up in. "When they would sing, I couldn't hear anyone singing, all I could hear was everyone singing."

That's the way to greatest beauty... not a bunch of individuals, but a group.

Hey Amy, Change oFlight Plans

Hey Amy,

I got switched around on the flights back (got an upgrade to business class out of the deal). :)

I will now arrive in Philly on SATURDAY the 15th of August, into Terminal B on US Airways flight 253 from Seattle.

Hope you get this... I am in Japan at the moment but can't connect to skype you.

Love you miss you.

Lowell

A and W Rootbeer is American?

A and W Rootbeer is a world wide thing, found in many countries of the world. So Nora Grace has seen it many times in her travels.

One of the first things she said as we were leaving the airport when we arrived in America was, "Oh Look, they have A and W Rootbeer in America too."

Yes, sweetheart, they do have them in America.

She is a third culture kid, isn't she?

Two boys in a tub

This is how our kids take baths in Our Fair City.

The bathrooms are designed (tile lined, etc) to get wet. Which is a good thing, since there is plenty of water found outside of the tub when done.

A squeegee is how we clean up.

Made it

This is a note to Amy. The rest of you all are welcome to visit :)

Hey love, I made it to the meeting just fine. No major problems. And I ate well. Found oatmeal in an airport, which made me happy. Missing you and the kids. I shall try and skype when I get a chance.

going all over

Well, I haven't written much recently.

We are currently in Pennsylvania, in the Kishoquoquillis Valley. (I don't think I spelled that right). Aptly knicknamed "Big Valley". Green is jaw-dropping, and eye-widening, and flat out difficult to explain.

I am off to a conference for a week, leaving thursday, LW. Will likely use this venue as a method of communicating to Amy. Feel free to listen into our conversations!

Wyclif wrote a long time ago...

"Cristen men and wymmen, olde and yonge, shulden studie fast in the Newe Testament, for it is of ful autorite, and opyn to undirstonding of simple men, as to the poyntis that be moost nedeful to salvacioun..."

"Therefore no simple man of wit be aferd (afraid?) unmesurabli to studie in the text of the holy writ...and no clerk be proude of the verrey undirstondyng of holi writ, for why undirstonding of hooly writ with outen charite that kepith Goddis (be) heestis, makith a man depper dampned..."

The quote is from Winston Churchill's "A History of the English Speaking Peoples", Volume I, The Birth of Britain.

Some things I noted:
1. The same word (holy) is spelled in several different ways (holy, holi, hooly).
2. It is easy to make fun of the words that have spellings so different, but also easy to skip over the words whose spellings we still use but are so illogical.
3. This, I believe, 150 years before the Reformation and 250 years before the King James Bible.
4. Should Wyclif ever have hung out with John of Gaunt?

Stomach hurts, and that is OK

We are at Conservative Menno conference, in the middle of a cornfield in Iowa.

I have been singing. I have singing so hard, and using my diaphragm (as one ought), that my stomach hurts some from the singing and my throat is a bit hourse.

Figure that is a good thing.

You Know Your Children are Being Raised Overseas When...

This has been making the rounds on the internet, and is worth repeating.

You know you're raising kids overseas when...

1. Your children don’t know their parents’ brothers or sisters, but they have at least 50 Uncles and Aunts who are no relation to them at all.

2. Your kids can translate between American, British, New Zealand, and Australian English.

3. When you say, “We’re going home,” your kids ask, “Which one?”

4. It’s 85 F outside but your kids want jackets.

5. Hundreds of total strangers have photos of your children on their mobile phones.

6. When you’re in a restaurant and the server doesn’t try to pick up your toddler and carry him around, you’re surprised (and a bit disappointed since now you have to watch him yourself).

7. Your children know exactly how to behave when the customs official examines you in the airport.

8.Your kids flew before they could walk.

9. Your kids can greet strangers appropriately in multiple languages and cultures, but they’re not sure how to relate to their cousins.

10. Finding your children in a crowd is easy: they’re at the center of it.

11. Your kids think change is normal and normal is boring.

12. You teach geography by saying, “And Uncle John lives there, and the Johnsons are from there…”

13. The thought of sending your children on an unescorted plane trip doesn’t scare you nearly as badly as putting them back into your home country’s public school system.

14. You realize one day that your definition of “home” isn’t even on the same continent as your children’s definition.

15. Your kids have more stamps in their passport than most backpackers.

16. Your kids think another plane ride or border crossing is routine but the sight of a park with real grass makes them ecstatic.

17. Your kids can sing the Veggietales “Water Buffalo Song” and mean it.

18. You had to get new pages in your child's passport before he turned five.

19. Your children are as comfortable with adults as they are with their peers and don't like always having to be separated to be with their own age group.

20. When visiting the US, your kids look at their grandparents' back yard and exclaim, "Oh look, a whole park just for me!"

21. When your kids think wearing shoes is optional.

22. When your child can fall asleep while riding on a motorbike.

23. When your child hates mashed potatoes, gets tired of bread, and loves rice and beans.

24. When your child can speak four languages very clearly: the national language, an otherwise unintelligable village language, English, and broken English complete with an authentic accent.

Spiritual Metamucil

Following is approximately the flow of a conversation I overheard recently...

Person A: "There is just so much going on, and so many stressors, and I don't even know what to say to begin to process all these emotions inside."

Person B: "Sounds like you need a little bit of Spiritual Metamucil."

Indiana

We are in Indiana for the month. The kids had a good time yesterday at a nearby (mostly) Amish town. Sam REALLY likes horses, and there are plenty to be had.

The nights are amazingly quiet, the surroundings amazingly green, the food amazingly good, and the fellowship amazingly blessed.

Hmmmm, Do I Miss This?

A delightful friend AT took this picture, showing a busy crossing near our home.

What a photo... bicycles, cycle rickshaws, auto rickshaws, horse tongas, cars, trains, ox carts, walkers and so on.

(This is where the road from Teliabagh to Raja Bazar crosses the Grand Trunk, for all those Banarsi afficionados out there.)

The picture, on the other hand, does not show the oppressive heat, grinding dust, choking pollution, ear shattering noise, and intense emotions that go along with sitting at such an intersection.

So do I miss it? Well, yes and no........

How is that for mixed emotions? :)

Here we are again...

Looking for Furniture

Hey all,

We just rented a place in Bloomington for a year. We have a fridge and stove, but that is about it.

Would anyone have any suggestions for either a). Reasonable and inexpensive furniture
or b). Furniture to borrow for a year.

We need dining room table and chairs, desk, living room furniture, and beds for everyone.

Hmmmm. Give us a call at 612.345.0891.

Saying Goodbye (God be with you) for a year...

Here is Nora Grace saying "Goodbye" to her good friend Zoya for a year. Not sure if Skype can happen in this neighborhood.

Roads go ever ever on...

Well, gentle-readers, we enjoying our time in Omaha, and kids are getting connected/reconnected with Great Grampa, Nani, Uncles, Aunts, Cousins, Grandparents, and so on.

Hope to head back to the Twin Cities briefly tomorrow, find a place to stay and then head east.

Keeping Varanasi in mind...

The lovely and delightful AT took this photo in our fair city... helps us remember during that time while we are here in the States.

Sometimes you need to take a nap...the continuing saga

Many of you have seen pictures of Sam falling asleep in the oddest places. Some of you have seen the real thing.

This is from a few weeks ago, and he wasn't feeling well.

But instead of crawling into three of the beds within a few feet of him, he got his pillow, and laid down on a concrete floor.

Well, to each his own, as the good Prussians said.

Travels

Well, we are off on our travels...

We leave Tuesday for Omaha, then Indiana, then Iowa, then Ohio, then Pennsylvania, and to Minnesota.

It is looking increasingly likely that I will be working in Minneapolis this year, so we are trying to find a school for Nora Grace.

Catholic is sounding like the best option at the moment. Isn't that funny for me to be saying?

Back in the ‘hood…

I stopped by my old residency clinic, in doing more paperwork for working in America again. The family was waiting for me when I jumped back in the van, but we couldn’t pull out because a pick-up truck had us parked in.

But the guy in the pick-up truck slowly started inching forward till I thought I could probably get out of the space. Suddenly the doors of the pick-up truck and several other vehicles nearby opened around us and a bunch of under-cover police came running out shouting, and chasing a couple of guys ambling across the parking lot.

Guns and tazers out, they quickly had the two guys on the ground, while our children watched with great interest. I managed to eek out of the parking spot and take off in the opposite direction.

Yep, we are back in the ‘hood.

House hunting

Well, I guess we are trying to find a home to rent.

I looked for work in quite a few places and had some surprises, but consistantly the offers were in Minnesota, so I guess I will work here in the fall.

Anyone know any three bedroom places near south Minneapolis?

612-345-0891

We have a cell phone. And when we are at places where there are cell phone towers (which would exclude my parents house), we can be reached.

612.345.0891.

Hope to write more soon.

Here in America

Just a brief update to let you all know that we made it safe and sound to the USA, and, mendicants that we are, have very limited internet access for the next while.

Mazars Part three

Tucked in among the myriad of Hindu temples on the Riverfront, are two Mazars, or Islamic holy sites where a dead holy guy is buried and people come to offer prayers and ask for this dead saint to intervene on their behalf.

There are many Mazars in town; the two on the river are small and hard to find.

Along with a friend and armed with a 150 year old Urdu text that was falling apart, we spent a couple of days trying to find some of the most historic Mazars. We eventually found both of the riverfront Mazars, though it required some patience and lots of tea drinking.

This photo is taken from one of the Mazars, located inside someone's private home. THe view from the Mazar is magnificant. THe ownership has no desire for the Mazar to become famous again, as it was in previous years. Understandably.

Mazars part two

Here is one of the most popular Mazars (currently) in Varanasi, and very close to our house. Only open on Thursdays, the grounds double as a playground where my children play sometimes. (But not on Thursdays).

Interestingly, this Mazar is well populated with Hindus (and the occasional Christian, though we won't go there at the moment) who also come to offer prayers and seek assistance in life. Inside, people sway to music, and women let down their hair and twirl in a frenzy, hair swinging out far around them.

Outside, there is a festival atmosphere, with vendors selling street food, and hawkers trying to get you to buy all kinds of gadgets.

All so that a dead saint will intervene on your behalf.

Mazars, part one

A Mazar is a place "where a dead holy guy is buried". Usually a Sufi saint, but sometimes just a regular guy about whom later people claim healings and assistance.

Usually, there is someone who is "in charge" of the Mazar: makes sure it is kept up, does repairs, advertises, and collects fees for the prayers etc that are offered.

The power of a Mazar might wax and wane over generations, some years be in great disrepair, other years be quite popular.

Here is one of the oldest in Varanasi, not the most popular, but probably 700 years old, and with a magnificant view of the river.

What do the Indian Elections mean?

India, the worlds largest democracy, just finished up a month of elections (it took a month because there were not enough armed men to police the whole thing in one day).

The results came out in the past few days.

The Party with the most seats in Parliament is now Congress, with 206 out of 543 seats.

But that is not a majority. But they have several close allies. With their allies, they have 262 out of the 543 seats, only ten seats short of a majority.

So will they find those ten seats? Yes.

India has thousands of political parties, with dozens of them represented in the National Parliament. Congress will have no problem finding a few more votes.

So what was interesting about this election?

1. The BJP (a Hindu Revivalist Religious party) did poorly. For those worried about Freedom of Religion in India, this is good news.

2. The Incombent won. In an economic downturn, when people all over the world are putting elected officials out of office, India re-elected the same government, and even gave them more votes. This is probably because Congress is one of the least corrupt parties, and really does have the interest of the people at heart.

3. The Incombent won. India has a long reputation for turning over governments. And now when the rest of the world is upset at their leaders, India gave theirs a resounding victory.

4. M. Singh, the current Prime Minister, will have a better chance for economic reform. He has some good ideas for India (which is in serious need for reform of the economy, though different reforms than what we need in the West), but he was unable to implement most of those reforms in his past term because he didn't have a mandate in the election. Now he does.

5. You don't have to be charismatic to lead. M. Singh, the current Prime Minister, who just got re-elected, is one of the most un-charismatic people you could ever meet. But he is incredibly honest and uncorruptable, and the people responded.

6. The people of India chose national secular unity over regional religious parties. For those who love peace in that vast land, this is good news.

There are straightforword reasons why they look like fortresses...

Many of the mosques in Our Fair City, especially the older ones, look more like a fortress than a mosque.

In a place where Muslims were often the unpopular minority rulers, one needed a place of refuge in time of trouble.

In the older parts of the city, I can still find bits of wall and ancient gates, leftover from the times when the Muslim parts of town were walled off.

One of My Favorite Shops in Banaras

The "Bharat Surgical and Stationery Stores" sells just that: Stationary supplies and surgical supplies. They all kindof get jumbled together. How about a nice felt tip pen with that retractor? Blood Pressure Cuffs and Colored Pencils! Pens and Scalpels, Scotch tape and Diabetic Supplies... all together on the same shelf.
The owners are some of the friendliest and happiest people I know in this city where being "in your face" is a virtue.

Limited Contact

Hey All,

We will be in Thailand for the next little while, debriefing and getting medical and dental care.

Emergency contact number is: 02-758-0138, which would be Tom and Candice Mast.

Fly into O'Hare on Friday, May 29th, in the morning.

The Mosque across the street from our house.

Schools out for the day, and all the girls are heading home. Makes for a traffic jam on our narrow streets. But just proves that some traffic jams are funner than others.

I found this photo on the internet: I googled "Varanasi Muslims" and found a whole bunch of photos of my neighborhood. What fun.

Sharqi Architecture

On around 600 or 700 years ago, there were several Muslim who were rich in Varanasi, and occasionally ruled it. As Muslims are wont to do, they built a mosque.

The "Sharqi" architecture of the time, has a low ceiling and numerous pillars, such as is pictured.

So the big question to a Muslim, who wants to pray shoulder to shoulder with his brother in the faith, is how many people can we get in here, while taking into account all those dang pillars in the way?

Paan Flavored Ice Cream

For those of you who are familiar with Paan (a mixture of betal nut, tobacco, various spices and sometimes lye that is chewed between the teeth and gums), and the reddish stains it leaves behind all over the Indian Subcontinent, you may find this flavor not so appealing.

Thanks to LB for snapping the pic, and to his lovely wife S for suggesting he snap the pic.

Medical Students and the Maharaja Mac

We recently welcomed "Dr. Aaron" to our fair city for a short while. I promise I did not treat him badly (as Staff Physicians are expected to treat medical students).

As proof, here is Dr. Aaron at McDonalds, where he insisted on trying the Maharaja Mac (a chicken sandwich). He requested photographic proof of what he ate. Can't say I ever tried one myself.

Thanks for the photo, Shannon...

Do I think my wife is good lookin'?

Heck, yeah.

They are serious about trying to spiff up the city...

This from our local newspaper.

I am curious about the "Indianisms" (is that an Indianism?) and "Courtesies". Can this happen?

Desire

Here is a photo of a tree at a local Mazar, where a dead Muslim holy guy is buried.

Many Muslims (and quite a few others) will come to these places and offer prayers.

If one has a desire, one can put a piece of cloth on this tree to represent this desire.

Applying

There are many steps in making a silk Sari. One of the latter ones is applying various bits of metal, and sewing fancy embroidery.

Pretty amazing.

Is God Ironic?

I was putting my son Sam to bed this evening, and he was being a real crack-up. Telling jokes, jumping out of bed, throwing things at his sisters, and in general doing all the things you are NOT supposed to do at Bedtime.

The Sons of Korah were singing the Psalms in the background.

Just when Sam was at his worst, they started singing, "Sons are a heritage from the LORD."

Did God arrange that? Is God Ironic?

Miriam or Janalee??

This is Miriam. But I think it looks a lot like my sister Janalee, when she was this age.

Agree or disagree?

They got so much history here, they use old forts for storage

India is an old place. And there is lots of history here. With so much history, it is hard to find regular old land that is NOT historical. So a lot of history just gets used up in the modern.

There used to be lots of walls in Varanasi, but as the city expanded, people used the bricks and stones in the walls to make new houses.

The photo above shows an old fort in Chunar, a few miles outside of Varanasi. It is a massive and impressive fort, covering dozens of acres. It is used as storage by the government. What else to do with it?

At least it isn't being torn down for building materials.

Women in Mosques

Of the various sects of Muslims in Our Fair City, most of them do not allow women in mosques.

Except on Thursdays.

On Thursday mornings, most mosques have quite a number of women in them, praying and reading.

Just one of the tidbits of info that make life interesting.

The Gulley into Madampura at 4 AM

Some of you have walked into Madampura with me, and know the closed in feeling and crowded streets. Here is this same street at 4 AM, the emptiest I have ever seen it.