Dr. Fauci was at St. John's, Lafayette Square

The Rev. Robert W. Fisher, right, interviews Dr. Anthony Fauci at St. John's Church, Mar. 19, 2023/By Patricia Leslie

The Reverend Robert W. Fisher called it a “fireside chat,” and that’s what it was when Dr. Anthony Fauci visited the Adult Forum at St. John’s Church, Lafayette Square to talk about his life and answer a few questions.

Dr. Fauci grew up in a mixed Italian, Puerto Rican, Jewish, African-American, Catholic Brooklyn neighborhood where his family’s mantra was to give back to the community and perform public service, a mission which has influenced him throughout life. 

It was a sense of "service for others and not for financial gain," Dr. Fauci said.

Neighbors, friends, and family members took care of each other, amidst a great sense of community, Dr. Fauci said.

Church vestry member Wendy J. Fibison introduced him at St. John's as our "our national treasure," similar to "hero" which candidate George H.W. Bush called him during a 1988 presidential debate.  

Appearing very much at ease before a friendly crowd of about 150, Dr. Fauci displays a “great bedside manner,“ Rev. Fisher said.

Beginning with Ronald Reagan, Dr. Fauci has served seven U.S. presidents as medical advisor, all good relationships, "with the exception of one," he said to audience laughter. No names were mentioned.

Before he visited the White House in his official role the first time, a mentor cautioned Dr. Fauci that the White House was a seductive place where invitations to return were always desirable, and sharing bad news was not something you wanted to present to the leader, but it was a requirement of the job and he did it, offering "inconvenient truths" when necessary.

Dr. Fauci said the many unknowns about Covid-19 produced the evolving treatments to fight the virus. 

Denying there was any "flip-flop," and terming the pandemic as a "gaslight," Dr. Fauci said it was "a rapidly evolving situation" and "we didn’t know that Covid was spread by breathing by persons without symptoms!" 

He likened fighting over Covid treatment to "the Army fighting with the Navy in a war."

"We had a common enemy, but we fought each other," he said.

He guaranteed another pandemic will come, perhaps not in the lifetimes of many present, but "it is going to happen again. We must use the lessons we’ve learned." 

(Before Covid, the last pandemic was the 1918 flu which killed about 50 million persons worldwide.)

Dr. Fauci said there is undisputed truth that persons who are vaccinated and boostered are better protected against Covid. "It's a slam dunk."

Those who disagree about vaccines should not be made to feel "stupid and dumb," but "we are evolving into an anti-vaccine era“ and taking “a gigantic step backwards."

As for "gain of function, generally when someone talks about it, they don’t know what they’re talking about.“

Many envy Dr. Fauci's good health at age 82 which he attributed to a combination of physical, emotional and spiritual well-being, noting that being perfectly balanced in all areas is unlikely, but you can try.

He's always been active physically, “running marathons, and half marathons." Plus, it's important to have a close association with someone to help you decompress, he said, acknowledging his wife sitting nearby. 

“If I had to do it alone, that would be very difficult," he said.

When a church member asked him about his book, Dr. Fauci said he has not written one, and although he's officially "retired," he's not retired because he forgot about retirement and scheduled events for three months out from retirement.

He advises his medical students to “expect the unexpected,“ the way his life has gone.

A valuable lesson he's learned in Washington, D.C., he said to laughter, is to be "very nice to everybody in Washington, D.C."

patricialesli@gmail.com

Update: This Christmas ain't what it's supposed to be

A close-up of one of the 2012  White House Christmas trees when President Obama was in office/by Patricia Leslie

How about a little clam chowder mixed with carrot cake? 

No?

It all started with my son telling me on the day before I was supposed to leave for Thanksgiving in Nashville, that I'd better not come. 

Thanks, William! (I don't think I'm as bad as my ex-mother-in-law, but my daughter-in-law might disagree.)

 An explosion of clam chowder/by Patricia Leslie

Then I decided, because of all the covid-fears, to cancel my Christmas trip to Orlando to see my sister which really relieved me of a lot of stress and saved me tons of money because I have to stay in a hotel, rent a car, buy food, etc. (I fly "free" on Southwest!)

A mixture of clam chowder and carrot cake with "lunch (somethings)" thrown in/by Patricia Leslie

My sister lives in a 35-years-old +++ mobile home with a sagging roof and an inside zoo (no charge for admission!). Really, the odors which waft from said zoo are enough to keep a relative outside which is where I stay when I visit.

We celebrate Christmas in her driveway in folding chairs, opening presents and drinking mimosas. When I used to go inside, her gnarling pit bull and Doberman Pinscher constantly circled my chair and were a bit unnerving. (She had to call the police more than once to separate those two. You ever read any Flannery O'Connor?)

So far, my Christmas gifts have included a used pair of Uggs (unwrapped), a drugstore calendar, and (via UPS) a smashed container of clam chowder mixed with the carrot cake in a dented plastic container, the edibles from my sister who also sent a pretty Christmas cocktail napkin and a paper plate in another box.

I'm not a big fan of carrot cake anyway, but digging among the ruins in the box, I was able to salvage some parts which tasted pretty good and were particularly moist.

Isn't clam chowder in a plastic container supposed to be refrigerated?

When I opened the box, the chowder which was not clinging to the sides of the box and had not soaked the carrot cake, splattered my brown winter coat which I wear indoors where, for many reasons, the thermostat is set at 58 (sometimes 55) degrees Fahrenheit.

The explosion and mixture of white on brown were rather Christmasy after all, like snowflakes on a mountain.

My sister also sent a whisk (?)... to stir the chowder and the carrot cake?

She works at the Walmart and to hear her tell it, you'd think she was there 90 hours a week which are actually 12 or 16. 

Yesterday she left me a message that her food stamps had been cut off. At the library she forgot her password to log on for her food stamps so she called the governor's office and someone called her back the next day and set her straight on her food stamps. 

The family which sent me the drugstore calendar usually sends nuts or cookies, but the calendar was my gift this year. You know what a drugstore calendar is, right?

Yep, a free calendar you get at the drugstore!

I know, I know, I know! I am a horrible person, especially in this horrible of horrible years and I should be grateful for anything.  I  a-m  g-r-a-t-e-f-u-l.  Thank you, friends and relatives for these wonderful gifts!

And let's see what tomorrow brings!!

Update: Tomorrow did not bring grapefruit my daughter and her family usually send. I love that grapefruit. Where, oh where can my grapefruit be?

Instead, they sent two little boxes. Unless the contents are diamonds or some other equally comparable gem, they cannot compare with grapefruit. With the slooowwww post office deliveries this year (thanks, Trump, and your new post office honcho who I hope President-Elect Biden replaces on January 20), I am hoping the grapefruit is delayed, and it is coming, coming, coming, right?

But this Christmas ain't what it's supposed to be.

Another update:  On January 12, 2021 grapefruit arrived!  Thank you, family!  This Christmas became what I wanted it to be!  Happy New Year!

patricialesli@gmail.com

Alexandria's 'Will Rogers' is a cure for what ails us

Will Rogers by Underwood & Underwood/Library of Congress, Wikipedia


But "his" last performance on Nov. 22 is sold out. 

Otherwise, it's a pleasant break from the worries of the day to escape to yesteryear and Will Rogers (1879-1935) whose homespun brand of humor delighted audiences worldwide, and they still do at the Little Theatre of Alexandria where Rob Cork plays the essayist, actor, and man of extraordinary talents.

It's the right kind of uplift we need right now. 

Mr. Rogers was an Oklahoman known for his western-style philosophy which rang true then, which rings true now. He was born a Cherokee Indian in the Cherokee Nation and as a youngster, says Wikipedia, loved reading the New York Times, although he dropped out of school after the 10th grade.

Mr. Rogers found his way to Argentina and South Africa where he was a ranch hand and began his show business career as a trick roper on a pony. He spent hours watching his mentor, "Texas Jack," and "from him I learned the great secret of the show business—knowing when to get off. It's the fellow who knows when to quit that the audience wants more of."

After ranching in faraway place, it was on to Australia, the World's Fair in St. Louis, and then, the mother of them all, New York, Hollywood, films, a newspaper column, radio, and advocacy for the aviation industry until a plane crash in Alaska. 

His life ended there but not his legacy which lives on in Alexandria, enlivened by Mr. Cork, who reflects Mr. Rogers's persona in a captivating manner.

Under direction by Frank D. Shutts, "Will" brings his soft humor and remembrances of stable times in unstable times with his witticisms. He moves back and forth across the stage, waving his hands, changing his attire to keep the audience engaged visually, too.

Rogers's actual words comprise the script some of which is below:

I never met a man I didn't like.

Never let yesterday use up too much of today.

Good judgment comes from experience, and a lot of that comes from bad judgment.

Even if you’re on the right track, you’ll get run over if you just sit there.

I belong to no organized party. I am a Democrat.

I don't make jokes. I just watch the government and report the facts.

All I know is just what I read in the papers, and that's an alibi for my ignorance.

Live in such a way that you would not be ashamed to sell your parrot to the town gossip.

Even if you're on the right track, you'll get run over if you just sit there.

.Everything is funny, as long as it's happening to somebody else.

Last year we said, 'Things can't go on like this', and they didn't, they got worse.


Worrying is like paying on a debt that may never come due.


The best way out of a difficulty is through it.

Will Rogers is the right kind of person to be around today... and every day. 

Applause to the theatre and its continuing quest to produce "small theatre for unusual times" for theatre lovers who welcome actors on stage, any actor, any play will do, thank you, LTA!

The theatre is strict about practicing safety measures in this time of covid and only seats 25 percent of its capacity. Tickets were free, and donations are welcome.

Other members of the Will Rogers production team are Russell Wyland, producer and rigging; Marg Soroos, state manager; Jeffrey Auerbach and Kimberly Crago, lighting; Alan Wray, sound; Ken Brown and Jim Hutzler, construction; Myke Taister, set design; Helen Bard-Sabola and Bobbie Herbst, props; Kit Sibley and Jean Schlichting, costumes.

What: Will Rogers' U.S.A.

When: The last show on Sunday, Nov. 22, 3 p.m.  is sold out.

Where: Little Theatre of Alexandria, 600 Wolfe Street, Alexandria, VA 22314

Duration: 45 minutes; no intermission

Tickets: Free! Donations, welcome!

Public transportation: Check the Metro website.

Parking: On the streets and in many garages nearby with free parking at the Capital One Bank at Wilkes and Washington streets (when the bank is closed).

For more information: Box Office: 703-683-0496; Business: 703-683-5778. Asklta@thelittletheatre.com

Next up: Charles Dickens's A Christmas Carol told by actors, virtual reality, and animation, Dec. 4 - 19, 2020. Tickets start at $20.

patricialesli@gmail.com

At the think tanks, scientists talk coronavirus

From left, Ron Klain, Nancy Messonnier, Anthony Fauci, and Helen Branswell at the Aspen Institute, Feb. 11, 2020/Photo by Patricia Leslie

Last month at the Washington offices of the Aspen Institute, scientists, journalists, and members of the medical establishment got together to talk coronavirus which that day had received an official name for the disease from the World Health Organization, COVID-19.

On the panel was Anthony Fauci, MD, man-about-town, omnipresent television personality, and director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, who said the development of a vaccine for the virus would take approximately 18 months (not "very close" or "soon" as President Trump said Feb. 25, 2020).

At the time the animal which was suspected of starting it all (supposedly at an illegal "wet market" in Wuhan, China) had not been identified other than online and at the WHO website as a possible snake (a word left unsaid publicly at the Aspen that day), or a pangolin, an endangered species the Chinese like to eat and value for its supposedly medicinal qualities.

In the Q and A after the presentation, an audience member asked if the virus came from an animal, and Dr. Fauci said "likely." The animal most often now linked to the disease is the bat.

The virus, Dr. Fauci said, may have "jumped" from a bat to a cat to a human (calling Dr. Seuss), an example of a zoonotic disease originating in an animal and transferred to a human (or, vice-versa). (Wash your hands after touching animals!)

On the panel with Dr. Fauci were Ron Klain, JD, former White House ebola response coordinator; Nancy Messonnier, MD, director, National Center for Immunization and Respiratory Diseases, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention; and Helen Branswell, infectious disease and public health reporter, STAT News, who served as moderator.
 
The scientists said studies are underway to determine the best disinfectants for surfaces to combat the disease, and on March 12, the Environmental Protection Agency (whose budget Trump proposes to slash by 26 percent), published a list of them.

Dr. Messonnier praised the military for housing the quarantine victims from cruise ships docking in California.

A panel member reported seeing on the news a group of Metro riders shunning a person of Asian descent, a practice which will lead to more discrimination in schools and other places, Mr. Klain said, speculating these incidents are likely to escalate.

John Bolton (yes that John Bolton whose book was due this month but has been delayed until May pending White House review) was Trump's ax man who, about 18 months after Trump took office, shut down the White House National Security Council's liaison for disease control, Mr. Klain said.
 
The panel seemed in a hurry to broadcast the scientific community's assessment of coronavirus and its dangers to the world.

Dr. Fauci said staff from the Centers for Disease Control, Health and Human Services, the Food and Drug Administration, and the National Security Council, scientists, and doctors talk daily and sometimes more than once a day.

Said Dr. Fauci: Multiple generations have coronavirus, and people need to be warned about the risks. "It's relatively likely it will come here."


"It's not a feasible policy to quarantine, " said Mr. Klain, urging that responses to the outbreak come from the scientific and medical communities rather than policy wonks. "It's a bit of a mixed bag to prepare the U.S." for the disease. "Public leaders need to get on top of this," he said.  Getting Congress to allocate money to prepare hospitals will be "a challenge."
 
Dr. Fauci said more information from China was urgently needed, but the Chinese then were not cooperating: "We really need to know the scope of this," Dr. Fauci said.

Dr. Messonnier said the scientific and medical communities wanted to slow the spreading illness and to prepare for the possibility of a pandemic (which according to Merriam-Webster, occurs over a wide geographic area and affects an exceptionally high proportion of the population, and one month later, here we are).

She issued the usual admonitions to avoid disease: Wash hands (to the tune of "Happy Birthday"), etc., and to scattered laughter, said: "There's only so much worrying we can do, right?"

"We live in a connected world," Mr. Klain said, with people and goods arriving daily from outside the U.S. According to Dr. Fauci, It's "an impossibility" to keep out all the Chinese who want to come here since 22,000 of them enter the U.S. every day.

Dr. Fauci said travel bans will "never" exclude all Chinese from entering the U.S., and bans make no sense if the illness is already here, which it most certainly is.

Travel bans only "buy a window of time" for delay. 
 
Dr. Messonnier said it will take a year to develop a vaccine which, Dr. Fauci added, usually takes six to eight years.
 
Coronavirus can be "really serious" for the older population and those with underlying illnesses, Dr. Messonnier said.
 
"We are taking this very, very seriously. The situation can change," Dr. Fauci said.

Mr. Klain: "If it gets worse, it will reflect on health care.'

The pharmaceutical companies take big risks that the vaccines they develop won't work, noted Dr. Fauci, but lest anyone forget, "big pharma" makes big money, reminded a member of the audience.

Except in the cases of ill persons and health care workers, panel members said face masks were almost totally unnecessary, and no one In the packed Aspen house of attorneys, physicians, journalists, and interested onlookers wore one.

It was not until the beginning of this year that the panelists were aware of the disease which, for some victims, begins with pneumonia.
 
At the time of the panel presentation, 43,000 had been struck by the disease, with 13 of them in the U.S. Today the worldwide number is 169,610 with 3,782 in the U.S. Deaths number 6,518.

In testimony before the U.S. Congress last week, Dr. Fauci said the coronavirus was ten times as lethal as the seasonal flu.

Last month Trump proposed cutting the NIH budget by seven percent and the National Science Foundation by six percent, which includes a reduced number of grants for research. Also, he wants to cut the CDC budget by 16 percent and HHS, almost 10 percent. At the same time he proposes to increase money for "wall" construction by $2 billion for 82 miles to make it the most expensive wall in the world.

Is it safe to conclude that Trump values things more than he values people?

Maybe, the bats have come home to bite Mr. Trump.

patricialesli@gmail.com