Archive for September, 2009

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Tsunami: Quick and Deadly

Wednesday, September 30th, 2009

Nineteen hours ago, on 29 September, an earthquake with the magnitude of 8.0 occurred near Samoa [map] in the Pacific Ocean. That earthquake created a tsunami that swept through the South Pacific islands of Samoa and American Samoa, flipping cars onto the roofs of homes, tearing down villages and causing widespread destruction and loss of life.

While the size of the earthquake triggered tsunami (pronounced soo-NAH-mee) sirens throughout the island, some people did not hear them, and others who were visitors or who were unable to move to safe ground placed themselves in danger. New Zealand Deputy High Commissioner in Samoa David Dolphin said there had been reports of six- to eight-meter (about 19.5 – 26.5 foot) waves on the southern coast of Samoa. Samoa is located east of the international date line and south of the equator, about halfway between Hawaii and New Zealand

Reports say the several favorite resorts and coastal villages were washed away by the tsunami along with tourists who were staying in them. The death toll may rise quickly as people who were evacuated to higher ground after the warnings return to lower levels to assess the damage.

Following an underwater earthquake, waves travel outward like ripples in a pond. As the waves approach a shoreline, the water recedes, then rushes ashore, leaving little time for individuals to escape. At greatest risk are those areas less than twenty-five feet above sea level and within a mile of the coast. And, aside from warnings made through NOAA (National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration) and local news and radio stations, people often have little notice for a tsunami.

Additionally, a tsunami is not a single wave but a series of waves, also known as a wave train. The first wave in a tsunami is not necessarily the most destructive. Tsunamis are not tidal waves.

Samoans have had experience with earthquakes and tsunamis. This particular earthquake, according to witnesses, moved houses rather than shook them. With a long history of earthquakes and tsunamis and tsunami warnings, a greater proportion of people in this area know to head quickly to higher ground after that earthquake. In cases where the tsunami already has made landfall, other areas may have more time to be on the alert for traveling deadly waves.

For instance, civil defense officials in New Zealand issued an alert for that country’s entire coastline after the Pacific Tsunami Warning Center in Hawaii said a tsunami over nine feet in height was traveling across the Pacific at about 497 mph, but lifted its warning after the sea rose only fifteen inches at East Cape.

Other than the ability to move quickly, the only way you can prepare for a tsunami is to have supplies already at hand and packed in a bag. Since this possibility is rare for most people, the dangers exist after flood waters have receded. Much of the water left behind after a tsunami is filled with debris and the potential for disease may make it unsafe for some time.

In the video above, a newscaster in New Zealand speaks with a man who escaped the tsunami in American Samoa. Listen to him as he describes the “shake” and then watches the water along the beach literally ‘disappear.’ This man did not hear the sirens, but when he saw the water recede, he knew to run to higher ground. In most tsunami cases, seeing the water recede may be the only warning you may receive and running for higher ground may be the only way to save your life.

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Classical Funeral Music: Adagio in G minor

Tuesday, September 29th, 2009

Have you ever attended a funeral where the music struck your soul? While funeral music choices often are selected by family members and chosen to suit the family members’ tastes, appropriate music can inspire and comfort guests as well as they celebrate a life passed and mourn that passing.

There’s nothing to stop you from planning your music for your own funeral. Some things to keep in mind when choosing funeral music include the venue for the funeral, whether you want a somber, religious or lighthearted mood and whether that music fits you personally. One reason to pick a venue for the funeral or memorial service first is possible restrictions on the type of music you can use. Some churces may not allow secular music within the church or within the service. In the latter case, you can use secular music before and after the service.

Classical music (which is considered secular in many venues) is one choice that many people lean toward, because instrumentals provide soothing background music. One example of a popular classical piece for funerals is included in the video above (just audio, no video for almost ten minutes). This piece is the Adagio in G minor by Albinoni, and Karajan conducts the Berlin Philharmonic for this piece.

Adagio in G minor for strings and organ continuo actually is a neo-baroque composition written by Remo Giazotto and first published in 1958. Supposedly, the piece was based upon a fragment of a second-movement continuo from a “Sonata in G Minor” by Tomaso Albinoni found among the Saxon State Library ruins in Dresden after it was firebombed by the Allies during World War II. However, according to Wikipedia, “since Giazotto’s death in 1998 it has emerged that the piece is all his composition, as no such fragment has been found or recorded to have been in possession by the Saxon State Library.”

While many people might think this piece is a time-honored classic, it actually is quite modern and has permeated popular culture after being used in movies such as The Trial and Gallipoli. Therefore, it has become a popular piece that underscores pain and tragedy, and – as such – has become a perfect musical background setting for many funerals.

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Remodeling Homes for Seniors (and for yourself!)

Tuesday, September 29th, 2009
This ADA-compliant grab rod does not look institutionalized.

This ADA-compliant grab rod does not look institutionalized.

Many seniors, especially during this depressed housing market, are deciding to stay put in their homes rather than sell and move into senior living situations. But, most homes are not equipped to handle senior safety needs, especially in the bathroom. Easier working stations in the kitchen and accessible storage spaces also need attention.

While some people may see these changes as “home improvement projects,” others may view changes such as ramps for wheelchairs and support rails as intrusive. The main reason behind these feelings is the lack of decor adaptation. Most changes to support elderly living look institutionalized.

The ability to help seniors live longer at home while feeling ‘at home’ is what prompted Andrea Tannenbaum to create a business to tackle these issues. Tannenbaum is president of Dynamic Living, which recently launched AdaptMy.com, the first online store to address the stumbling blocks to living at home longer.

“What they don’t like is the institutional feel that medical adaptations give their home,” says Andrea Tannenbaum, President of Dynamic Living. “They want products that fit in with their decor, just like anyone else.”

This pull-down closet rod is a great idea, no matter your age.

This pull-down closet rod is a great idea, no matter your age.

For instance, the grab bars that are added to bathrooms often are made from stainless steel and tend to make a home bathroom look like a hospital bathroom. AdaptMy.com offers grab bars that are sculptured and colored to fit a decor. They also offer designer bathroom collections with matching robe hooks, toothbrush holders and towel bars.

The kitchen improvement section contains ADA compliant sinks, faucets, accessible kitchen islands and pull-out shelving that makes it possible to reach every corner of the cabinet. Even the Web site offers larger text and bigger pictures for those who are losing their sight as they age.

Dynamic Living has been serving seniors since 1997, so they know what seniors need at home in today’s market. And, if you’re not a senior, but you want to make your home more attractive to the senior buyer, you might also take a look at some easy-to-use home decor options at this site. Why wait to become a senior for easier and safer living at home?

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Seasonal Flu, H1N1 or Cold? The Difference…

Monday, September 28th, 2009
Flu Symptoms

Flu Symptoms

Do you know how to recognize flu symptoms? How can you tell seasonal flu from H1N1 and from the common cold? According to the government’s Web site on the flu:

The symptoms of H1N1 (swine) flu in people are similar to the symptoms of regular human flu and include fever, cough, sore throat, body aches, headache, chills and fatigue. Some people have reported diarrhea and vomiting associated with H1N1 (swine) flu. In the past, severe illness (pneumonia and respiratory failure) and deaths have been reported with H1N1 (swine) flu infection in people. Like seasonal flu, H1N1 (swine) flu may cause a worsening of underlying chronic medical conditions.

The most common cause of H1N1 death is respiratory failure. Other causes of death are pneumonia (leading to sepsis), high fever (leading to neurological problems), dehydration (from excessive vomiting and diarrhea) and electrolyte imbalance. Fatalities are more likely in young children and the elderly. You can tell if you have the flu rather than a cold, as the flu can be identified by the sudden onset of a high fever and extreme fatique. Other signs of the flu include:

  • Body aches, especially joints and throat
  • Extreme coldness and fever
  • Fatigue Headache
  • Irritated watering eyes
  • Reddened eyes, skin (especially face), mouth, throat and nose
  • In children, gastrointestinal symptoms such as diarrhea and abdominal pain

The early identification of flu-like symptoms is important, and these symptoms can occur within one to two days within the infection. If fever is indicated along with a cough and sore throat or a neck that is sore thanks to swollen glands, the diagnosis for flu rather than a cold usually is accurate.

Many parts of the country have eliminated testing for flu vs. the H1N1, because symptoms are so similar, and because so many people have come down with flu-like symptoms that many clinics are overwhelmed with cases.

The mist from a simple sneeze can travel a distance...

The mist from a simple sneeze can travel a distance...

Additionally, people who contract influenza are most infective between the second and third days of the infection, and infection capability lasts for about ten days. Influenza – both the seasonal flu and the H1N1 – can be spread by direct transmission when an infected person sneezes mucus into the eyes, nose or mouth of another person, through the mist produced by the infected person coughing, sneezing and spitting, and through hand-to-mouth transmission from contaminated surfaces or through direct personal contact (such as a handshake).

If you or a co-worker complains of a headache and begins coughing and a temperature is indicated, the best thing to do is to leave the workplace and head home for rest, plenty of fluids and the avoidance of alcohol and tobacco. Adults can take medications to help relieve the fever (call your doctor, rather than go to the doctor’s office to avoid spreading your germs). Children and teens should not take aspirin, because doing so can lead to Reye’s syndrome, a rare of potentially fatal liver disease.

Do not treat the following symptoms lightly, however, as they could lead to complications and need urgent medical attention:

In Children

  • Fast breathing or trouble breathing
  • Bluish or gray skin color
  • Not drinking enough fluids
  • Severe or persistent vomiting
  • Not waking up or not interacting
  • Being so irritable that the child does not want to be held
  • Flu-like symptoms improve but then return with fever and worse cough

In Adults

  • Difficulty breathing or shortness of breath
  • Pain or pressure in the chest or abdomen
  • Sudden dizziness
  • Confusion
  • Severe or persistent vomiting
  • Flu-like symptoms improve but then return with fever and worse cough

For more information, visit Flu.gov or the Centers for Disease Control’s pages on Seasonal Influenza and the 2009 H1N1.

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The 1918 Flu Pandemic

Monday, September 28th, 2009
Influenza ward at Walter Reed Hospital during the Spanish flu pandemic of 1918-1919.

Influenza ward at Walter Reed Hospital during the Spanish flu pandemic of 1918-1919.

Did you know that the 1918 flu pandemic, according to the Centers for Disease Control (CDC), was the origin for all flu pandemics during the past century? Although the flu existed before 1918, scientists later discovered that the 1918 flu had ties to the H1N1 flu that exists today. None of the viral descendants from 1918, however, approaches the pathogenicity of the 1918 parent virus.

Additionally, the way the flu spread in 1918 was different than in previous patterns. Before (and after) 1918, most influenza pandemics developed in Asia and spread from there to the rest of the world. The 1918 pandemic, however, spread “more or less simultaneously in three distinct waves during a twelve-month period in Europe, Asia and North America.”

In the 1918–1919 pandemic, a first or spring wave began in March 1918 and spread unevenly through the United States, Europe, and possibly Asia over the next 6 months. Illness rates were high, but death rates in most locales were not appreciably above normal. A second or fall wave spread globally from September to November 1918 and was highly fatal. In many nations, a third wave occurred in early 1919.

According to Stanford University, the influenza pandemic of 1918-1919 killed more people than the Great War, known today as World War I (WWI), at somewhere between 20 and 40 million people. It has been cited as the most devastating epidemic in recorded world history. More people died of influenza in a single year than in four-years of the Black Death Bubonic Plague from 1347 to 1351. Known as “Spanish Flu” or “La Grippe” the influenza of 1918-1919 was a global disaster. The effect of the influenza epidemic was so severe that the average life span in the US was depressed by 10-12 years.

Why was the pandemic in 1918 fatal to so many people? People who usually die of influenza usually develop a secondary infection of lethal pneumonia. The 1918 virus was atypical in that it rapidly overwhelmed the respiratory system as it caused an uncontrollable hemorrhaging that filled the lungs with 24-48 hours. This quick assault on the body did not allow time for pneumonia to develop. Additionally, out of approximately 675,000 Americans who died that year from flu, almost 200,000 deaths were recorded in October alone. So, the second wave was more virulent in the U.S. than the first wave.

Finally, the 1918 flu tended to select young healthy adults over those who had weakened immune systems. In that case, the normal age distribution for flu mortality was reversed completely, leaving the very young, the very old and the infirm left to wonder if the end of the world was near. As with today’s populace who think that flu shots are part of a government conspiracy, in 1918, many people thought that the environment of WWI brought about their pandamic. Some thought it was a form of biological warfare.

There is a strain of truth in the WWI environment, as many soldiers who never left home before were traveling on ships, trains and other vehicles with many other soldiers to unfamiliar places across the U.S. and the globe. Many of these young men died from flu in boot camp, even before they were issued their marching orders. In one case at Fort Jackson, there were more than 60,000 soldiers in training in 1918, and twenty-five percent of those soldiers got the flu. Approximately 18-20 percent of those stricken died.

Although the H1N1 virus appears to be less virulent than the 1918 pandemic, it still can cause disruptions nationwide and globally as people take time off work to recuperate. Even the Army is taking extraordinary precautions to help keep the flow of ‘normal daily life’ going as well as possible. To learn more about the 1918 pandemic, follow the links below:

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Flu Pandemic Preparedness

Sunday, September 27th, 2009
Receiving an influenza vaccination.

Receiving an influenza vaccination.

How much do you know about flu and its effects, and are you prepared to stay healthy and safe from any flu pandemic? While some people have discounted flu shots as a conspiracy for the government to inject RFID (Radio-frequency identification) chips, a deadly disease or a mind-control agent into the bodies of the masses, there’s something to be said for an entire school shutting down because forty percent of its students displayed flu-like symptoms. Some parents said their children had the H1N1 virus, but the majority aren’t being tested, so this particular district only knows that it’s some form of flu.

According to that news article about the school closing:

Doctors said the best way to protect children against the virus is to make sure they get the H1N1 vaccine, expected to be available in mid-October.

But a national poll released Thursday suggests that many parents won’t be following that advice.

The poll, by C.S. Mott Children’s Hospital in Michigan, found that only 40 percent of U.S. parents plan to have their children vaccinated against H1N1 flu, while 54 percent said they would get their children vaccinated against seasonal flu. Forty-six percent indicated they weren’t worried about their children getting H1N1 flu, and 20 percent said they believe H1N1 isn’t serious.

The poll was conducted in August, surveyed 1,678 parents, and had a margin of error of plus or minus 2 to 5 percentage points.

Another reason given for not receiving the flu shot is to avoid making the pharmaceutical companies even richer than they now are. No matter the conspiracy, whether or not your family decides to receive shots for the flu or for the H1N1 flu is up to you. No one, that we know about, will be herded onto buses and sent to concentration camps if you refuse the flu shot. But, if you get the flu (and one of us did last week), then suddenly you might seem to understand how the world can grind to a halt if a pandemic occurs. No matter if you’re sick or well, businesses cannot function if more than half the work force is missing.

How to Prepare

Masks do not help. Painter’s masks were designed to keep you from inhaling large particles of dust and paint, not bacteria. Surgical masks were not designed to protect surgeons – they are used to protect the patient, not the doctor, from contamination. Influenza virus will float around and through these masks and enter the body through eyes, nose and mouth. However, the N95 respirator may help as a means of protection if you feel it is needed.

According to the Food and Drug Administration (FDA), the ‘N95′ designation means that when subjected to careful testing, the respirator blocks at least 95 percent of very small test particles. If properly fitted, the filtration capabilities of N95 respirators exceed those of face masks. However, even a properly fitted N95 respirator does not completely eliminate the risk of illness or death.

How can you prepare yourself? No matter how healthy you are, you can get the flu. But, you can help make that illness a little less overwhelming if you are healthy. Eating right, exercising, getting enough sleep  and – yes – washing your hands are important tips. Our flu-bug person got her flu after a wine tasting, where she shook hands with folks and then ate finger foods without washing her hands. But, you also can get flu just being within close quarters of other people during a flu outbreak.

A pandemic requires preparedness planning, too. No matter if you believe that a flu outbreak may or may not affect your life, if you have a proclivity for survival during tough times, then you might prepare yourself for a pandemic. This preparedness is especially important if you believe that flu shots are a government conspiracy:

  • Prepare to stay home for a length of time from three days to even a month. Supplies for this type of situation include enough food, water and other supplies to keep a family going for four weeks.
  • Stock up on cough medicines and other flu medicines that may leave the shelves in a hurry should a pandemic strike a neighborhood. Sometimes the items you need most are the first to leave the store shelves during a time of crisis.
  • Be very careful about hygiene. This should not be a problem if you stay at home, as this type of crisis is not like a tornado or hurricane, where you would lose power and water.
  • With that said, the Red Cross warns that if a flu pandemic strikes and enough people cannot attend to work situations, neighborhoods may go without power, water and trash pickup. Additionally, public places such as banks may be closed and hospitals may be overwhelmed. Even mail service could be disrupted. The Red Cross also has tips on how to prepare for a potential pandemic.

We do not take a stand on whether or not you should get a vaccine for the flu, no matter the strain, because this is a free country and you do have a choice. Additionally, we’re far from the year 1918, when 20 million people died across the globe from a flu epidemic. Now, we have vaccines that may help some people avoid some flu strains. However, if you decide to avoid the flu vaccine for whatever reason, then it might be wise at any rate to prepare for a neighborhood-wide flu outbreak so you and your family can remain as safe as possible.

That’s what survivalists do.

PS – even if you don’t trust the government, their Web site, http://www.flu.gov/, provides many great tips on how to survive a pandemic as a business, a family, a school and even as a faith-based organization.

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Death and Comedy – Chelsea Lately Plans a Funeral

Friday, September 25th, 2009

One way to deal with death is through comedy. Chelsea Lately, an American late night comedy talk show host on the E! network is notable for her sarcastic approach to anything serious – including death. Chuy Bravo, her assistant, participates with Lately in this particular episode, where Lately tries on a casket on for size as well as some funeral make-up.

Outside the slapstick (and bad lipstick in the second half of the video), note that the funeral director suggests cremation rather than burial (to which Chuy responds, “I told you before – I’m afraid of fire.”), an option that many funeral homes today are pushing. In this video, however, Lately seems to push the funeral director almost into fits of laughter, if not into downright shock.

The final decision is a casket, along with a DJ and pony rides for kids. Unfortunately, the funeral director states he has no control over a slight drizzle or rain as a mood setter for the funeral, nor does he have a rain machine. But, he did make it through the comedy routine.

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Some Terms to Define Advance Directives

Friday, September 25th, 2009
Learn more about advance directives

Learn more about advance directives

The following definitions are used by the American Hospital Association to define terms used in and about advance directives. These terms, which are part of a brochure provided to help patients, families and the hospitals that serve them, presents key resources to enhance educational efforts and to raise awareness around the important issue of advance directives.

Learn more about advance directives, get your questions answered and find more links that talk about this end-of-life planning at the American Hospital Association site, Put It In Writing.

  • Advance Directive: A document in which a person either states choices for medical treatment or designates who should make treatment choices if the person should lose decision-making capacity. The term can also include oral statements by the patient.
  • Artificial Nutrition and Hydration: A method of delivering a chemically-balanced mix of nutrients and fluids when a patient is unable to eat or drink. The patient may be fed through a tube inserted directly into the stomach, a tube put through the nose and throat into the stomach, or an intravenous tube.
  • Cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR): A medical procedure, often involving external chest compression, administration of drugs, and electric shock, used to restore the heartbeat at the time of a cardiac arrest.
  • Decision-Making Capacity: The ability to make choices that reflect an understanding and appreciation of the nature and consequences of one’s actions.
  • Declaration: One type of advance directive, commonly referred to as a living will.
  • DNR: Do Not Resuscitate; a medical order to refrain from cardiopulmonary resuscitation if a patient’s heart stops beating.
  • Durable Power of Attorney for Health Care (DPOA): An advance directive in which an individual names someone else (the “agent” or “proxy”) to make health care decisions in the event the individual becomes unable to make them. The DPOA can also include instructions about specific possible choices to be made.
  • Hospice: A program that provides care for the terminally ill in the form of pain relief, counseling, and custodial care, either at home or in a facility.
  • Legal Guardian: A person charged (usually by court appointment) with the power and duty of taking care of and managing the property and rights of another person who is considered incapable of administering his or her own affairs.
  • Life-Sustaining Treatment: A medical intervention administered to a patient that prolongs life and delays death.
  • Palliative Care: Medical interventions intended to alleviate suffering, discomfort, and dysfunction but not to cure (such as pain medication or treatment of an annoying infection).
  • Persistent Vegetative State: As defined by the American Academy of Neurology, “a form of eyes-open permanent unconsciousness in which the patient has periods of wakefulness and physiologic sleep/ wake cycles but at no time is aware of himself or his environment.”
  • Proxy: A person appointed to make decisions for someone else, as in a durable power of attorney for health care (also called a surrogate or agent).
  • Terminal Condition: In most states, a status that is incurable or irreversible and in which death will occur within a short time. There is no precise, universally accepted definition of “a short time,” but in general it is considered to be less than one year.
  • Ventilator: A machine that moves air into the lungs for a patient who is unable to breathe naturally.

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The Pitfalls of Joint Tenancy

Thursday, September 24th, 2009
Do not give away your goods until you understand your state laws.

Do not give away your goods until you understand your state laws.

One way many people use to try to avoid probate after death is joint tenancy, which is a way to own property with someone else. Joint tenancy – also known as survivorship – is a legal term that means, basically, co-ownership. If you and your spouse buy a house or automobile in both names and one of you dies, the property then automatically falls into the hands of the survivor who has the name on the property.

Although joint tenancy has its advantages, it also has some pitfalls that are wise to consider before developing this legal relationship.

First, it may be expensive to create a joint tenancy. In some jurisdictions, if one of the owners dies, jointly-held property might defeat the claims of creditors of the deceased co-tenant, or at least make that person’s life more difficult. Additionally, in some cases, the creation of a joint tenancy may create a taxable gift. For smaller estates, however, this tax situation does not apply.

But, other situations can apply to all joint tenants. For instance:

  • If you’re in a shaky marriage, it would not be wise to enter into a joint tenancy. In most states, your individual property becomes marital property once transferred into joint names and could impact your rights during a divorce. If you live in a “community property” state, however, this situation would not affect you.
  • If you do not want to lose control of your possessions, don’t share them. When you give someone co-ownership, you also give them co-control.
  • If your co-owner becomes legally incompeltent to make decisions, part of the property may go into a guardianship, making it difficult to sell a house or a portion of a portfolio.
  • If your partner in co-ownership is in debt, creditors can lay claim to a portion of that property that is co-owned. A lien on a portion of a home would make it very difficult to sell.
  • If you grant part ownership in any property to your spouse or friend and later part because of disagreements, you cannot take back their portion of a property. Regardless who paid for either half of the property, the property belongs to two people.
  • If you plan to use joint tenancy to avoid probate, this means that everything you own would need to be jointly owned. Basically, there is no way to avoid probate with joint tenancy as a sole means.
  • Some states automatically freeze jointly-owned accounts upon the death of one owner until the tax collector can examine them. So, don’t count on the ability to gain access to, or to sell, certain jointly-owned properties until you know about your limitations.
  • If you plan to develop a trust, a joint tenancy may limit your tax saving capabilities. Always talk with a resident state attorney before developing a joint tenancy.

Although joint tenancy may provide a cozy solution for many people, in many cases this co-ownership situation is not productive tax-wise nor does it offer an alternative to a will. Learn the laws of your resident state first, before you make plans to give away half of your property, even if you plan to give it to a trusted relative. Learn about all the pitfalls before you sign your name to joint tenancy, as you may be walking into a situation that could hurt more than help.

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A Morbid Bluesy Number with a “Spanish Tinge”

Wednesday, September 23rd, 2009

We ran across Soup Greens the other day, Lucas Gonze’s Web site. Lucas works on Internet music, both as a technologist and as a musician. He led the creation of XSPF, the dominant Internet playlist format for music and he also helped to craft formats for embedding Creative Commons license statements in MP3, OGG and SMIL. Further, he was a Director of Product management at Yahoo! Music, where he created the Yahoo! Media Player and led the lineup of media players, including Launchcast.

While Lucas’ achievements are lengthy, we were struck by the devotion that this Los Angeles-based guitarist and folk music historian has to Blues and to finding songs that have been stuffed away in musty archives and breathing new life into that music.

Hence, this “morbid bluesy number with a Spanish tinge” first published in 1857. Lucas writes about his performance shown above in the video:

I discovered it because Jelly Roll Morton quotes it in “Dead Man Blues.” This song is still around in the New Orleans funeral style that Jelly Roll was riffing on – you hear this tune as the Gothic minor snippet before things get happy.

But in that context you never get to hear the whole thing, just a little snatch of it, so what I did here is let it keep rolling out all the way to the end. Then at the end I quote the beginning of “Yellow Dog Rag” by W. C. Handy, as if that was going to be the uptempo number the whole thing was setting up.

In addition, he supplies the lyrics to this song from his site:

Flee as a bird to your mountain
Thou who art weary of sin
Go to the clear flowing fountain
Where you may wash and be clean
Fly, for th’avenger is near thee
Call, and the Savior will hear thee
He on His bosom will bear thee
O thou who art weary of sin
O thou who art weary of sin

He will protect thee forever
Wipe ev’ry falling tear
He will forsake thee, O never
Sheltered so tenderly there
Haste, then, the hours are flying
Spend not the moments in sighing
Cease from your sorrow and crying
The Savior will wipe ev’ry tear
The Savior will wipe ev’ry tear

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