In Reply. —Dr Cocconi and Dr Yun Ryo ask some questions concerning whether the results of the two trials on follow-up of breast cancer can be transferred to clinical practice. The main issue raised by Cocconi relates to the need for continuous reassessment of the frequency of follow-up according to the evolution of medical therapy and assessment of its efficacy based on "tumor burden," while he also agrees that currently it is safe to use conservative follow-up for routine clinical care.However, we strongly believe that the efficacy of any new treatment modality in breast cancer relapses detected early should be assessed in controlled trials before advocating any intensive follow-up regimen.We would like to clarify to Yun Ryo that the study was designed to evaluate the different impact on overall survival of two different follow-up regimens offered to study participants for 5 years. On the other hand, follow-up was
The above is an expression used in Chinese cities by those practitioners who desire to have it known that they are learned in foreign medical methods. When a native doctor puts on his sign-board the words, "western healing," he relies upon this announcement as a means of attracting patients; he appeals to a sentiment which he knows is already widely diffused—so widely, in fact, that it now offers the best method of securing lucrative practice. Such sign-boards are not infrequent and may be found even in the country districts remote from the provincial cities. This fact is more significant when contrasted with some of the incidents in the early history of "western healing" in Canton, as recorded in the earliest reports of medical missionary work in that city. When the first important case of surgery was presented at the Canton hospital, it was necessary to amputate the man's arm with
The 13th Warrior, directed by John McTiernan, is a Hollywoodification of Michael Crichton's attempt to re- imagine Beowulf in his novel, Eaters of the Dead, with the help of a 10th century Arabic account of adventures in Central Asia. It was Kipling who pioneered this sort of thing in his brilliant story, “The Knife and the Naked Chalk,” in Rewards and Fairies, a story which purported to give a naturalistic explanation of the Norse myth of Odin. But there was a resonance to that tale about a man who unwillingly became a god which is lacking here. Kipling was careful to preserve the mystery of the myth as well as the humanity of the man, and he did not impose upon it recognizably modern assumptions. Without such care there is something suspiciously patronizing, as there is here, about saying, in effect: “We know it couldn't have been the way it is in the story, so this is what we, with our superior knowledge, suppose must really have happened.”
Not that there are not some good things in the film. Its silent conversion of the magnificent hall of Heorot in the poem into little more than a collection of primitive huts has the persuasive stamp of reality on it, and it was clever to have imagined the monstrousness of Grendel in moral rather than physical terms. Instead, that is, of a single, quasi-human creature with superhuman strength, he becomes a whole tribe (called Wendels or Vendels) of fierce cave-dwellers who paint their bodies black and dress up in bear costumes. They are said to eat those whom they kill in battle (and may in fact do so in ritual fashion) because they dismember them and carry off body parts, especially arms and heads, as sacrifices to their goddess, represented by an African-looking fertility totem.
But the goddess also lives in human form, surrounded by piles of skulls, in the deepest part of the Vendels' underwater cave, and this creature, whom the heroes must kill in order to defeat the enemy, is obviously meant to be Grendel's mother. Thus the heroism of the warriors, vaguely identified as “Northmen” and their Arab companion, played by Antonio Banderas, who is the eponymous 13th man, requires that they recognize first the inhumanity of the enemy's behavior (that's why he is “not a man”) and then the underlying humanity that makes him vulnerable. When Banderas pulls off the bear-disguise of one of the slain foes he keeps repeating: “It's a man; it's a man.” Then, when they are in the cave and in presence of the pile of human skulls and bones, the moral lesson is repeated: “No, they are not men.”
The Arab is represented as the one with the brains, the one who figures out how to find the queen while the big, dumb Norsemen's only plan is: “Ride till we find them; kill them all.” But at least two of the Norsemen are portrayed sympathetically, the happy warrior Herger the Joyous (Dennis Storhoi) who teaches the Arab the secret of his courage (“Your fate is fixed: fear profits a man nothing”), and the biggest and strongest and most admired of them, Buliwyf (Vladimir Kulich), whose job it is to kill the queen. The latter sees that the Arab's ability to write is a skill worth acquiring, and after he is wounded by the queen/goddess's poisoned bear-claw, he says to the others in what is nearly his longest speech: “A man may be thought wealthy if someone were to draw his deeds—that they might be remembered.” Thus in the final scene, we see Banderas's sheikh, returned at last to Araby, writing down the deeds of the heroes in Arabic.
All this is almost but not quite enough to overcome the little annoyances of the film. The discontent of Wiglaf (Anders T. Andersen) in the poem is brought up only to be abandoned, for instance, while his name is changed to Wigliff. In the same way Beowulf becomes Buliwyf, Wealtheow, Weilew. Wouldn't a contemporary bard or scop have been more likely than our modern re-imaginer at least to get the names right? Worst of all, the story often seems in danger of turning into a multicultural morality tale. “Good-bye, Arab,” cries Herger as Banderas returns to his own land in the end. “Good-bye, Northman,” calls out the dewy-eyed Arab. This kind of thing gives the film the unmistakable hallmark of the late 20th century and calls into question all the rest of it.
Rough week? Yeah. Tell me about it. Work is overwhelming. Deadlines on top of deadlines you’ve already missed. The wife is on the phone. Mad. You’re behind on basically every goal you said you’d never fall behind on “this time.” Again. You’re out of shape. Again. And all you have time for is fast food that you eat in your car. Again.
You need a break. Five minutes. You need relief for just five minutes. If you had some drugs…. oh, but you’re not into drugs. Right, right. That’s cool. Good for you. You’re clean, and that’s a good thing. Pat yourself on the back.
Relax. I’ve got exactly what you need. Listen, junkies would dive into a beer. Grab a needle. I little heroin. Smoke a little weed. Hell, you could get some from the neighbor kid in high school probably. Calm those nerves a little. Walk away from those anxieties a bit. It’s not weakness. It’s a well earned vacation and it only lasts five minutes. Ten tops. Doesn’t the world owe you that? Hurts no one.
But like you said, you’re no junkie. I wouldn’t ask you to do that. It’s below you, right? You’re out here in the burbs. You have a reputation to think about. You go to church for goodness sake. Married. Kids. The whole bit. I’m not going to send you to some street corner looking for a dealer. When would you even have the time?
It’s cool. I can help you right now. Right this minute. No needle marks to cover up. No stench of pot on your clothes. They won’t even smell beer on your breath. I’ve got the drug you need and no one needs to know.
It gets better. It’s free. It’s everywhere. It won’t cost you a thing. And I don’t mean to be cliché here but it’s true: Everyone’s doing it. You’re no freak here pal. You’re just taking a break along with every other guy out there. Hey, isn’t it your God that made women beautiful? Why not appreciate a little of that beauty, right?
Worried about getting caught? Don’t worry about that. I’ll teach you everything you need to know. Ever heard of “In Private Browsing”? There’s a million tricks. I’ll show you how to delete it all. Wash it all away. No one needs to know. Not your boss. Not your wife. No one needs to know. Wash it all away like it never happened. Your five minutes of freedom done and gone, and back to work. No harm, no foul.
And like I said, it’s everywhere. I put it in your PC. I put it in your phone. Hell, I even stuck some softer forms of it on the magazine racks at the grocery checkout. I designed it to be easy, because it should be. You deserve that. You can’t even watch TV for five minutes without seeing it. Your kids? Hell they’ve seen so much of it just on network TV by the time their 11 they’re probably already on our side. I set you up good. I got your back.
So give it a try. Just take a look. You’re not hurting anyone. Victimless crime. It’s not even a crime brother! Trust me. The women you’re looking at? They’re totally into it. Just look at them. Don’t worry about a thing.
When we look at creation and conclude that something so beautifully perfect must have been cerated by God, then we have to look at internet porn and realize that it is so perfectly evil that it could only have been created by Satan. It delivers evil more efficiently and more effectively than anything else in the world. It delivers a more potent high than heroin and triggers exactly the same centers of the brain and it’s more addictive. It physically alters and rewires the way your mind processes thoughts by creating new neuropathways that are like a super highway designed just to deliver the high that porn provides.
We were built to be heroes. We know who the villian is. So it’s about time we started acting like heroes.
Hi John, I hope you have a great Saturday/weekend. I have been diving into your blogs and you are a beautiful writer. I really can appreciate your point of view and just want to encourage you to continue to be open and brave. Pray for God to give your words to speak (write)!
I have been busy meeting with Jackie Lindert with logo design and Brian DeAngelis for the website. Very exciting time for me!! I would love to continue our chat if you have some time this week, maybe we can meet for coffee or lunch ( if you get one!)