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# 271 Monday, December 25, 2006 - THE MOST WONDERFUL TIME OF THE YEAR At 6:45 AM, Fremont's Lake Elizabeth was cold and dark. The chill wind cut into my fingers as I stretched my aged frame, getting ready for Chinese/English lessons and Tai Chi. I read the little Mandarin study card in my hand-"ta gang xue, bie xiao ta"-"he's just started learning; don't laugh at him"-which seemed somehow appropriate. In the distance, a small thin figure, Li, who walks three miles to Tai Chi practice, and comes 45 minutes early so she and I can work on English and Chinese. "How are you? I am fine thank you!" she says, asking and answering the question all at once, by way of saving time. "Ni hao? Huhn her, shieh shieh!" I say back, which means precisely the same thing-at least, I hope it does. As usual, she had a sentence written out in her English notebook, to practice. Today's was "It is a time to help poor people". She said it a dozen times or so, word for word. Then we developed it, substituting "Christmas" for the word at the beginning, and adding short phrases that fit with the theme, like, "they need warm clothes and food." Then we went over the five little cards I had brought from "Chinese at a Glance", a handy learning tool bought from the internet. The excitement of learning diminished the cold. Imperceptibly the light changed, outlining leaves on wet ground. Voices reached us. "Merry Christmas, Merry Christmas!" First singly, then by twos and threes, our group coalesced, everybody talking at once. Li and I kept working at our lessons, pausing only briefly to greet everybody-- May Chen, our teacher, arrived. Although she was smiling, and never uttered a single hint of command, instantly the cards were put away, and the voices quieted. We got right to work, warming up the knees and shoulders. When our breathing was accelerated, and the blood sent tingling through our limbs, she trotted lightly to the concrete picnic table, and changed the music-and instead of the usual Tai Chi tunes-- An orchestral version of "Oh, Holy Night" lilted out across the shadowed lake. It moved me more than I can say. And when it hit the highest note of the song, "Oh, ni--ight diviiiine-" I was just in my favorite part of the whole Chen routine, when the left leg shoots out to the side, scraping along the earth, and the body crouches to the right. I gradually eased my way down, no hurry, until right hip rested on right heel, left leg full out, both hands overhead-and just for an instant I felt like the athlete I always wanted to be. We were together, united, the spirit strong among us. All around were men and women from every walk of life, whose only common denominator was Tai Chi. We were Buddhist, Protestant, Catholic, Judaic, and (although I never asked) I think one person from an island where Islam is the most common faith. And everybody got along. Sometimes I become so frustrated with the overly-conservative religious leadership which tries to block the research, that the passion rises in me, and I forget that ours should be a disagreement among friends. For it is men that make mistakes, not the faiths which guide our lives. We each of us fumble, all our lives, toward a distant light. However you celebrate this joyous time, as the world turns toward the sun again, I wish you blessings of the season. Spring is on the way. EXTRA! Here is a special advance communication from CAMR, the Coalition for the Advancement of Medical Research, that group of groups which rallies us all. (P.S. Look for your favorite groups-the one Karen and I co-founded is Californians for Cures-and if your group is not listed, contact your leadership and ask why. We all should be there!) January 1, 2007 Members The United States Senate Members The US House of Representatives Dear Members of Congress: We, the undersigned patient advocacy groups, health organizations, research universities, scientific societies, religious groups and other interested institutions and associations, representing millions of patients, scientists, health care providers and advocates, write you with our strong and unified support for the Stem Cell Research Enhancement Act. We urge expedited passage and enactment of this legislation when the bill comes before each chamber in the 110th Congress. The Stem Cell Research Enhancement Act will move stem cell research forward in our country. The bill holds promise for expanding medical breakthroughs, and hope for millions of patients and their loved ones. The Stem Cell Research Enhancement Act is pro-patient and pro-research. A vote for the Stem Cell Research Enhancement Act will be considered support of more than 100 million patients in the U.S. and substantial progress for research. Please work to enact this legislation immediately and thank you for your support. Sincerely, Affymetrix, Inc. Alliance for Aging Research Alpha-1 Foundation ALS Association American Association for Cancer Research American Association of Neurological Surgeons/Congress of Neurological Surgeons American Autoimmune Related Diseases Association American College of Neuropsychopharmacology American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists American Diabetes Association American Gastroenterological Association American Medical Association American Parkinson's Disease Association (Arizona Chapter) American Society for Cell Biology American Society for Microbiology American Society for Neural Transplantation and Repair American Society for Reproductive Medicine American Society of Hematology American Thyroid Association APBD Research Foundation Association of American Medical Colleges Association of American Universities Association of Independent Research Institutes Association of Professors of Medicine Association of Reproductive Health Professionals Axion Research Foundation Biotechnology Industry Organization B'nai B'rith International California Institute for Regenerative Medicine California Institute of Technology Californians for Cures Cancer Research and Prevention Foundation Cedars-Sinai Health System Children's Neurobiological Solutions Foundation Christopher Reeve Foundation Columbia University Medical Center Cornell University CuresNow Duke University Medical Center Elizabeth Glaser Pediatric AIDS Foundation FasterCures FD Hope Foundation Genetics Policy Institute Hadassah Harvard University Hereditary Disease Foundation International Foundation for Anticancer Drug Discovery (IFADD) International Longevity Center - USA International Society for Stem Cell Research Jeffrey Modell Foundation Johns Hopkins Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation The Leukemia & Lymphoma Society Massachusetts Biotechnology Council Mount Sinai School of Medicine National Alliance for Eye and Vision Research National Association for Biomedical Research National Association of State and Land Grant Colleges (NASULGC) National Coalition for Cancer Research National Council on Spinal Cord Injury National Health Council National Multiple Sclerosis Society National Partnership for Women and Families National Venture Capital Association New Jersey Association for Biomedical Research New York Stem Cell Foundation New York University Medical Center Parkinson's Action Network Parkinson's Disease Foundation Pittsburgh Development Center Project A.L.S. Quest for the Cure Research!America Research for Cure * Resolve: The National Infertility Association Rett Syndrome Research Foundation Robert Packard Center for ALS Research at Johns Hopkins Rutgers University Sloan-Kettering Institute for Cancer Research Society for Women's Health Research Stanford University Stem Cell Research Foundation Steven and Michele Kirsch Foundation Stem Cell Action Network Student Society for Stem Cell Research Take Charge! Cure Parkinson's, Inc. Texans for the Advancement of Medical Research Tourette Syndrome Association Travis Roy Foundation Unite 2 Fight Paralysis University of California System University of Minnesota University of Rochester Medical Center University of Southern California University of Wisconsin-Madison Vanderbilt University and Medical Center Washington University in St. Louis WiCell Research Institution Wisconsin Alumni Research Foundation Wisconsin Association for Biomedical Research and Education By Don C. Reed, Chair, Californians for Cures, www.stemcellbattles.com. Email Don at: [log in to unmask] ---------------------------------------------------------------------- To sign-off Parkinsn send a message to: mailto:[log in to unmask] In the body of the message put: signoff parkinsn