A patient of the surgery he created

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heart surgery.jpgThis NY Sunday Times story by Lawrence K. Altman, MD reports that one of Houston’s greatest surgeons continues to be on the cutting edge of surgical and related medical issues even as he approaches 100 years of age:

In late afternoon last Dec. 31, Dr. Michael E. DeBakey, then 97, was alone at home in Houston in his study preparing a lecture when a sharp pain ripped through his upper chest and between his shoulder blades, then moved into his neck.
Dr. DeBakey, one of the most influential heart surgeons in history, assumed his heart would stop in a few seconds. [. . .]
But when his heart kept beating, Dr. DeBakey suspected that he was not having a heart attack. As he sat alone, he decided that a ballooning had probably weakened the aorta, the main artery leading from the heart, and that the inner lining of the artery had torn, known as a dissecting aortic aneurysm.
No one in the world was more qualified to make that diagnosis than Dr. DeBakey because, as a younger man, he devised the operation to repair such torn aortas, a condition virtually always fatal. The operation has been performed at least 10,000 times around the world and is among the most demanding for surgeons and patients.
Over the past 60 years, Dr. DeBakey has changed the way heart surgery is performed. He was one of the first to perform coronary bypass operations. He trained generations of surgeons at the Baylor College of Medicine; operated on more than 60,000 patients; and in 1996 was summoned to Moscow by Boris Yeltsin, then the president of Russia, to aid in his quintuple heart bypass operation.
Now Dr. DeBakey is making history in a different way ó as a patient. He was released from Methodist Hospital in Houston in September and is back at work. At 98, he is the oldest survivor of his own operation, proving that a healthy man of his age could endure it. [. . .]
But beyond the medical advances, Dr. DeBakeyís story is emblematic of the difficulties that often accompany care at the end of life. It is a story of debates over how far to go in treating someone so old, late-night disputes among specialists about what the patient would want, and risky decisions that, while still being argued over, clearly saved Dr. DeBakeyís life.
It is also a story of Dr. DeBakey himself, a strong-willed pioneer who at one point was willing to die, concedes he was at times in denial about how sick he was and is now plowing into life with as much zest and verve as ever.
But Dr. DeBakeyís rescue almost never happened.

Read the entire fascinating story, which includes Dr. DeBakey’s frank admissions that death seemed like a reasonable alternative to the pain he was enduring, that he initially declined the surgery because he would rather die than risk becoming an invalid and that he went into denial as his condition deteriorated. It is a fascinating story about facing death by a man whose legacy is saving lives.

2006 Weekly local football review

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Kris Brown.jpgTexans 27 Colts 24

There really is a Santa Claus after all.
Seemingly out of nowhere, the Texans (5-10) dug down and showed some pride as they exploited the Colts (11-4) poor run defense to control the clock and pull out a thrilling Christmas Eve victory at Reliant Stadium. After knocking off the Colts for the first time in ten games, the Texans now have an opportunity to fulfill my pre-season prediction of six wins for the team if they can knock off the Browns (4-11) next weekend at Reliant.

Troy 41 Rice 17

The Owls (7-6) storybook season came to a close with a trouncing at the hands of the Troy Trojans in the New Orleans Bowl. The loss was not really a surprise as I did not give the Owls much of a chance without their injured QB, Chase Clement. But the defeat did not take any of the luster off of the Owls great season, which vindicated my early season belief that the Owls were going to cause headaches for most opposing teams this season if they could survive a brutal early-season schedule. Things are definitely looking up on the gridiron over at Rice.

There is a football game in Houston today?

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David_Carr1.jpgThat was the question that one of my sons asked me incredulously yesterday. With the Texans generating no positive buzz in their hometown, not many folks really care much about watching or talking about the Texans. Thus, casual fans such as my son are surprised that the team is still playing.
The game today against the Colts will likely be one of the final chapters of the David Carr saga in Houston. The Texans made a mistake in using the franchise’s first draft choice and the first overall draft pick in the 2002 NFL Draft on Carr at a time in which the team should have been stockpiling draft picks and players to build depth at all positions. The Texans compounded that mistake by not building a competent offensive line to protect Carr, which resulted in Carr being hit more than a punching bag by opposing defenses. As a result, Carr never developed the pocket presence or recognition skills in reading opposing defenses to succeed as an NFL quarterback. With his development in those areas stunted, he is no longer the Texans QB of the future and frankly, needs to go to a team that has a competent offensive line so that he can attempt to salvage his NFL career.
Carr’s defenders often point out that his NFL passing rating is really not all that bad, currently 13th among the 32 starting NFL QB’s. However, as with batting average in baseball, the NFL passing rating is a highly misleading standard to evaluate QB’s. As noted several times earlier, the folks over at the Wages of Wins have developed a far superior statistical model for for evaluating QB’s and, based on that standard, the bottom has really fallen out of Carr’s season. After meandering around 20th among the 32 starting NFL QB’s for most of the season, Carr has slid to 29th among the 32 starting NFL QB’s for the season, including individual week rankings of 31st and 34th (a couple of backups also played that week) over two of the past three weeks.
As noted earlier, Carr is a fine young man, so it’s too bad that it has not worked out for him in Houston. However, Saints QB Drew Brees is one of the top-ranked QB’s in the NFL this season and he is essentially a contemporary of Carr (Brees is in his sixth season, Carr is in his fifth) who was placed in a similarly difficult position with his initial team as Carr was here. The bottom line is that Brees developed while Carr has not. In the dog-eat-dog world of the NFL, that lack of development will be what buys Carr a ticket out of Houston.

A couple of interesting Houston real estate entreprenuers

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neighborhood_map5.gifI’ve been meaning to pass along a couple of interesting recent New York Times articles on Houston real estate entreprenuers, including this one on former Houston Rocket star Hakeem Olajuwon’s development of his Houston real estate empire, which one local observor notes was built by “buying high and selling higher.”
The other article is this one on the Third Ward’s Project Row House project, artist Rick Lowe’s ambitous redevelopment effort that utilizes contributions of services from local architectural students and members of Houston’s art and charity communities.
Unfortunately, the Times piece missed several less alluring parts of the Project Row story, which are filled in aptly by the always entertaining Slampo.
Houston has traditionally been an incubator for business entreprenuers, what with its relatively low cost of living, few barriers to entry and restrained regulatory environment. Olajuwon — despite his occasional missteps — and Lowe — despite the seemier side to his project — are actually couple of reasons why we should try to keep it that way. Progress is rarely achieved without risk. The best way to inhibit progress is to attempt to control risk-taking, which generally leads to perverse incentives. A much better policy is to encourage risk-taking and then allow the market to weed out the shysters. That some parts of that market must learn about the downside of risk the hard way is not a good reason to adopt policies that constrict creation of jobs and wealth.

Thoughts for a Christmas season

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church.state.jpgDuring this holiday season, I find myself thinking often of my friend and mentor, the late Ross M. Lence, who was the happiest and most fulfilled man who I have known in my life. A couple of weeks ago, as I was preparing my tribute to Ross, I listened to a remarkable sermon at my church in The Woodlands in which a visiting speaker, Craig Hill, a New Testament scholar at Wesley Theological Seminary in Washington, D.C., talked about his lifelong “project” to find fulfillment in his life:

Beyond mere survival, to what goal are we most directed? With what do we most concern ourselves during the course of our waking hours? Certainly, a variety of things require our attention: what we’ll eat, what we’ll wear, how we’ll accomplish the tasks before us. These all concern us, but none of them dominates our lives in quite the way that something else does. That thing is so central that it has been called “The Project.”
I started working on my project when I was quite small, smaller than I can consciously remember. That time that I bought my mother a present for no special occasion with my allowance, the times I mowed the lawn or did other jobs without being askedñlittle did I know that I was hard at work on my project. The criticisms and childhood taunts that stung, the disappointment at not being chosen a part of the group, little did I understand that the hurt I felt was that of a project threatening to fail.
People have variously described the project. It is called the quest for meaning, the desire for competence. the need for self-esteem and purpose. Behind it all is the question “Who am I?”–or, more particularly, “Do I matter?” [. . .]
It’s the pervasiveness of the project that is so interesting. It lurks around every corner; it’s in the very prejudices, intentions, and dreams that guide our lives. What impression will I give by my dress, my speech, my possessions, my job? Will the others in the office think that I’m a good employee; am I a good mother or father; was I “being myself” when I behaved that way last night? How am I doing?

Dr. Hill went on to describe how each one of us shares the struggle of “the project” and how an essential element of Christian theology is based upon Christ’s teaching and example of how to conquer it. His sermon was so insightful that I came away from church that day wishing I had a copy of it.
Well, Asbury Theological Institute scholar Ben Witherington happened to be at my church that day, too, and he had the same thought as I did. Except that he counts Dr. Hill as a friend and was able to get a copy of the sermon, which he has posted here. Regardless of your religious persuasion or whether you believe in a religion at all, take a moment during this holiday season to read it. You will not be disappointed.

Might the Cowboys’ stadium deal actually work out?

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cowboys stadiummain.jpgMitch Schnurman, business columnist for the Ft. Worth Star-Telegraph, thinks that the Dallas Cowboys stadium project (prior posts here) is — against all odds and economic sense — is shaping up to be a reasonable deal for the city of Arlington.
I remain skeptical of the true economic benefit of the stadium for Arlington citizens. However, make no doubt about it, the new stadium has reinforced the Cowboys’ position as Texas’ favored professional football team and it’s clear that the Texans remain light years away from challenging the Cowboys in that regard.

A remarkable Aggie resource

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Aggie complaint.gifDespite Desmond Howard’s gaffe earlier this week, Texas A&M University is a fascinating and indelible part of Texas culture. Recognizing that stature, Texas A&M’s Cushing Library has undertaken a remarkable project entitled “The Historic Images Collection–Historic Images and Photographs of the Texas A&M Community.”
The collection is a treasure trove of interesting photographs, such as this one of a pre-1900s baseball squad. Another early baseball team is here, while this 1923 picture includes in the back row, second from left, King Gill, the original A&M ì12th Man,î and in the middle of the back row, Pat Olsen (the tallest one), a former major leaguer for whom the A&M baseball stadium is named. Finally, this picture of Aggie great Jacob Green from the 1970’s shows the Emory Bellard-era striped shoulder football uniforms.
This is only a fraction of the photos in this remarkable collection, so take a few minutes to peruse the archive. Aggies take quite a bit of ribbing in Texas for their dogged adherence to tradition, but that respect for tradition is a big part of what produced this wonderful collection.

Desmond Howard rides to the rescue of Longhorn fans

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It’s been a tough month for Texas Longhorn faithful.
First, there was the demoralizing loss to Kansas State, which knocked the Horns out of any chance for a rematch with Ohio State in the BCS National Championship game. Then, the Horns laid an egg against arch-rival Texas A&M, allowing the Aggies to win their first game in that hallowed series in seven years. That bitter loss has prompted some good natured ribbing of Longhorn fans, who were due to descend a notch or two after last season’s magic national championship run.
However, leave it to ESPN college football commentator Desmond Howard to make things right again in Longhorn country. Seems as if Desmond is a little confused about which team from Texas is playing in the Holiday Bowl this year. So, when in doubt, Howard falls back on the one team from Texas that everyone knows. ;^)

More ripples from Kelo

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eminent domain.jpgThe economic and legal impact of the Supreme Court’s controversial decision last year in Kelo v. New London has been a common topic on this blog, so this Institute for Justice press release on a property dispute that arose from a developer manipulating a local government’s eminent domain power for his own benefit:

A federal court has now approved an extortion scheme using eminent domain under last yearís Kelo decision. Unless the U.S. Supreme Court overturns the rulings, developers may threaten property owners, ìYour money or your land.î
Think this is an overstatement?
Consider what is happening right now in Port Chester, N.Y., to entrepreneur Bart Didden and his business partner, whose case will be considered for review by the U.S. Supreme Court on January 5, 2007.
With the blessing of officials from the Village of Port Chester, the Villageís chosen developer approached Didden and his partner with an offer they couldnít refuse. Because Didden planned to build a CVS on his propertyóland the developer coveted for a Walgreensóthe developer demanded $800,000 from Didden to make him ìgo awayî or ordered Didden to give him an unearned 50 percent stake in the CVS development. If Didden refused, the developer would have the Village of Port Chester condemn the land for his private use. Didden rejected the bold-faced extortion. The very next day the Village of Port Chester condemned Diddenís property through eminent domain so it could hand it over to the developer who made the threat.
The 2nd U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals upheld this extortion under last yearís Kelo eminent domain decision. The court ruled that because this is taking place in a ìredevelopment zoneî they couldnít stop what the Village is doing.

Read the entire piece. Is it any surprise that most property owners over on Richmond Avenue in Houston want no part of the new proposed Metro light rail line? Bad law makes for perverse incentives, particularly when the incentivized party can use the 800 pound gorilla of the state for private purposes.

The blog mob?

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WSJ online.gifWall Street Journal assistant editorial features editor Joseph Rago doesn’t think much of blogs:

The blogs are not as significant as their self-endeared curators would like to think. Journalism requires journalists, who are at least fitfully confronting the digital age. The bloggers, for their part, produce minimal reportage. Instead, they ride along with the MSM like remora fish on the bellies of sharks, picking at the scraps.[. . .]
[Most blogs] are pretty awful. Many, even some with large followings, are downright appalling.
Every conceivable belief is on the scene, but the collective prose, by and large, is homogeneous: A tone of careless informality prevails; posts oscillate between the uselessly brief and the uselessly logorrheic; complexity and complication are eschewed; the humor is cringe-making, with irony present only in its conspicuous absence; arguments are solipsistic; writers traffic more in pronouncement than persuasion.

Larry Ribstein, who is on the cutting edge of writing on the impact of blogging, responds to Rago here and bores in on what is really going on here — blogging’s dilution of old media’s impact on the distribution and shaping of information to the public. Does Rago really believe that the old media’s approach to distributing and shaping information examined here, here and here is the best way to present reasonably complex issues to the public?
Moreover, another key utility of blogs is the linking to articles in newspapers, magazines and specialized journals that the reader probably would otherwise miss. For example, corporate law bloggers such as Professor Ribstein and Stephen Bainbridge have greatly facilitated the public and legal profession’s understanding and discussion of often misunderstood business law principles that otherwise would have been relegated to rarely-read law review articles and an occasional backpage op-ed. The linking process increases the efficiency of the distribution of information and often refines that information. That such flow of information may be accompanied with a blogger’s opinion of the information is really beside the point. Those opinions will be alternately illuminating, worthless or in-between, but the reader does not lose the ability to evaluate the information or the opinion.
Curiously, while a WSJ editor decries the proliferation of blogs, Peter Lattman’s WSJ Law Blog is one of the best blogs to emerge during 2006. Go figure.