The Bleeding Ear

Home Run by the CDC

2011-05-19T17:06:00.008-06:00

Let me join the blogosphere in congratulating the CDC on a job well done. The recently published "Social Media: Preparedness 101: Zombie Apocalypse" is an excellent example of the use of social media to convey a message and awareness of target culture to make the message meaningful.*

The CDC webpage starts with this:

We’ve all seen at least one movie about flesh-eating zombies taking over (my personal favorite is Resident Evil (External Web Site Icon. [rate:6.4] 78,991 votes), but where do zombies come from and why do they love eating brains so much?

...The Zombie Survival Guide identifies the cause of zombies as a virus called solanum.

While I agree that Resident Evil (the first one) might be my favorite movie as well, we need to thank the spread of the Zombie Survival Guide to image boards like 4chan.org. Many meme's start from its sundry (and not all safe-for-work) pages, including the infamous "you got Rick Rolled" meme.

KnowYourMeme.com explains the origins of a now ubiquitous Zombie Survival Sheet on 4chan.

According to the Lurkmore wiki the meme originated from the 4chan’s /k/ board, a board about weaponry, around the late October 2008.
The board began to be invaded by what they called “zombie threads” in which they were asked to give pieces of advice about the best weaponry choice and plan when facing a zombie outbreak. It was usually resulting in a division between those who wrote the most accurate response they could find and those who didn’t believe in zombies, leading to fiery arguments between the two.

...The 29th of October 2008, the meme went to /b/ where another zombie thread popped up. There, the picture began to be reused to fulfill the requests.
It then came back to the /k/ board, having more and more threads created.

Instantly, the meme expanded to other boards and other chans, mainly those that got a zombie board.
That kind of zombie threads, since then, are always present on a regular basis on 4chan as well as other boards.

It's now almost 24 hours since the CDC tweeted about zombie preparedness, and it's still trending worldwide. In the 30 seconds it took to snap the picture, over 100 new tweets mentioning the CDC zombie preparedness guide rolled in.

Two opinions on this PR coup by the CDC:

1. Whomever had the idea for this should get a raise and promotion. Good fresh thinking needed in the government.
2. This provides a great avenue to remind the public that the CDC isn't wholly comprised of staid, stogy professors sitting in laboratories doing esoteric research. It very much is comprised of smart and lively men and women who often live and do very interesting things. They are much more than the sparse natural disaster warnings that we read about.

For example, the CDC Epidemic Intelligence Service (EIS) is a 2-year postgraduate fellowship for applied epidemiology. Eyes glaze over? Let me tell you again. The EIS is a small group of people who leave at the drop of a hat to investigate outbreaks like SARS and Ebolla. They fly INTO the eye of the storm while everyone else wants to get away from the diseases. Pretty cool, eh?

Congratulations, CDC, on a job well done. Now, back to polishing my AA-12.

*I'll also add a shout out to President Obama, who, for reasons he's responsible for or not, has presided over a government that has made progress by leaps and bounds in the "use of social media" and "awareness of target culture" departments.

Osama Bin Laden Dead!

2011-05-02T00:48:00.000-06:00

The death of Osama Bin Laden was announced hours ago by President Obama, and of course Americans have been rejoicing since.

The story developing about a small assault team of Navy SEALs storming a mansion in the suburbs of Islamabad, Pakistan would make a great Hollywood movie. And the remembering of 9/11 and its victims is well deserved.

However, the president said some truly amazing things in his short speech tonight. First, this tip came to his desk in August 2010 - 9 months ago. Over the last year (basically) that intelligence has been checked, rechecked, and corroborated. Plans have been developed, scrapped, redrawn and practiced repeatedly. Most importantly, people didn't know about it. In a city notorious for leaks, this information didn't.

In the day of 24hr news, Twitter, and Facebook, we want real-time status updates from all our politicians, including our president, about the fate and direction of our country. When things don't happen perfectly, or we take small set backs on the road to large gains, the people (incited by CNN or not) rise up inflamed. This is what happened in the Vietnam war, before the modern US political machine had a decent idea how to deal with 24hr news. President Nixon swore we were winning the war. The North Vietnamese launch the Tet Offensive and lose almost 80% of their effective army. Our military victory is a huge political loss because all people see is massive fighting and casualties in a country halfway around the world that their president just told them was won and on the road to resolution.

This reality cost Nixon the white house, plagued President Bush during his terms in office, and forces our leaders to always caution every success story with words like "it's gonna be a long fight" or "this is one small step in a larger effort." As the election cycle heats up, and people start asking "what have you done for me lately?" we need to remember this - that sometimes (maybe most times) the president has done a lot for us lately. We just aren't allowed to know it.

Secondly, President Obama mentioned he called the president of Pakistan and apprised him of the situation. This means Pakistan had no knowledge of the assault beforehand. Reports of Pakistani presence during the assault are currently elaborated as one intelligence official. This very easily is a euphemism for "CIA contact who is Pakistani."

This confirms how inept the Pakistani government is at investigating, and how strained our relationship is with the lynch pin of South Asia. We need a Pakistan that effectively helps us find and kill terrorists, and puts pressure on China. Without that, United States presence is woefully weak in the Middle East.

The rub going forward will be to see how President Obama works and strengthens the US relationship with Pakistan, and how much leeway voters give him for military and security issues he cannot discuss.

Now, let me join in with all the cheering and revelry:

TweetDeck 2.0 for iPhone

2011-04-29T07:32:00.001-06:00

In the new age of microblogging, I spend more time tweeting than blogging. Twitter has become one of the most useful and influential companies in the world, although it has yet to turn a profit.

One of the reasons it has a hard time turning a profit is because it is often accessed by a multitude of 3rd part applications, and one of the most popular is TweetDeck.

TweetDeck smoothly integrates A user's twitter feed and facebook update feed. What it didn't have was a touch-screen friendly, iPhone-optimized interface. So, it was rebuilt from the ground up and now achieves both wonderfully.

I've been notoriously fickle about Twitter apps, preferring to sacrifice Facebook for less crashing, better access to links and pics, etc. with the native Twitter application. I've tried TweetDeck before, but crashes pushed me away.

TweetDeck 2.0 has solved most of these issues and made me an early, but not 100%, convert. However, I've already noticed some no-brainer wants for 2.1.

1. Position support - every other program changes when you turn your phone upright or on it's side. TweetDeck should too.
2. Timestamps - nothing I hate more than opening TweetDeck and not knowing if the "breaking news" tweet waiting for me was a minute or a hour ago.
3. Colors - you have themes on your desktop version. Bring them here!
4. Facebook comment fix - when commenting on Facebook, the screen doesn't scroll with you as your comment goes longer than the screen. Makes it really hard to write.
5. Hashtag bar - TweetDeck has a new wonderful follower bar for adding a twitter handle. Now duplicate it for hashtags.

Alright. Those are gimme additions. Add those and amaze me. For those looking to get onto twitter or get a new app, TweetDeck is on the recommended list.

Happy Anniversary

2011-04-20T19:32:00.002-06:00

Thirty two years ago today my parents were married. As all of us married-folk know, marriage is a journey and an experience fraught with ups and downs, elation and depression, wonder, excitement, boredom, and contentment.

It is a testament to my parents' tenacity, strength, moral character, and love that they have made 32 years. The divorce rate in the USA is about half of the marriage rate (3.5 per 1000 people to 6.8 per 1000). And the probability of divorce is staggering.

"The probability of a first marriage ending in separation or divorce within 5 years is 20 percent, ... [and] After 10 years, the probability of a first marriage ending is 33 percent." (Cohabitation, Marriage, Divorce, and Remarriage in the United States. Series Report 23, Number 22. 103pp.
(PHS) 98-1998.)

Most sources quote the average length of marriage to be 7-10 years. So my parents have tripled this, and AND beat the 33% divorce probability at 10 years.

Wikipedia gives us this wonderful graphic about marriage and divorce:

This shows us that my parents chose a great state to live in for their marriage. Texas and east of the Mississippi river have a high proportion of counties with married couples. Conversely, the West Coast is dark blue - divorce! On the other hand, Texas is not the Southeast USA, whose inhabitants clearly have breakup issues, because they are the ONLY part of the country with high separation rates (yet low divorce rates). AND Houston somehow misses the high widow rates of Texas and the Eastern USA (the reason why both my parents are still around!).

And so I say "Congratulations!!" May you enjoy another 32 great years. In honor of your example and accomplishments, I leave you this gift, from one of my wife and my favorite relationship movies:

Butler Wins. BYU Cold.

2011-03-26T17:37:00.002-06:00

What a wonderful time to live in Baton Rouge! I got tickets to the Southeast Regional only one hour away to see my alma mater BYU play.

They played Florida on Thursday and lost, but it was close - went to overtime. BYU shot 35% for the game - couldn't hit the road side of a barn. And it wasn't due to Florida's defense. One thing I've learned this weekend is that Florida plays mediocre defense at best. Shots just weren't falling. And when you have a cold night, you better have more than one go-to guy. All BYU had was Jimmer, had he couldn't Jimmer his way out of it.

The second thing I learned is that Jimmer gets unfairly slighted for playing a rough and tumble brand of basketball. I bet Dwayne Wade feels similar since he has a similar style of play in the NBA. There were many calls today in the Butler v Florida game that never got called for Jimmer on Thursday. A hack per shot was let go, and only if egregious did something get called.

Third, all three games went down to the wire. What a great regional! No blowouts like Other regionals. Unfortunately, with all these close games, and close calls, the NCAA doesn't allow replays in the arena. Boo! What a horrible decision by the communist NCAA. They censor things so we can't see when refs do things wrong. They look the other way when a father sells his quarterback son to the highest bidder. They allow athletes that sell merchandise to play in bowl games. Corruption almost as bad as FIFA - and that's saying something.

Finally, although it's only the Elite 8, our TBE Play For A Cause pool is down to the final four: Roger with SOS Charities, Julie with Ovarian Cancer Alliance, Amanda with Ronald McDonald House, and Nate with Harvesters. Good luck to everyone. The fates of these four charities hangs on the results of Kansas v VCU and UNC v Kentucky tomorrow. By the time the Final Four is set, our winning charity might be set too.

March Madness 2011 ... Go!

2011-03-17T20:02:00.001-06:00

My favorite time of year is here - March Madness. In fact, you could say Opening Day is my second favorite holiday (behind Halloween of course).

On twitter, @RossTuckerNFL, a sportswriter for ESPN, said

My parents used to let me stay home from school on first day of NCAA tourney if my grades were good. That's just stellar parenting ...

Awesomest. Parents. Ever. (sorry mom & dad. I still love you.)

Excepting the new "First Four," which stunk worse than a hog pen with diarrhea, this year has done nothing but live up to the hype. Four of the first five games ended on last second shots. The rest were close for a good ways. BYU is still in it.

And of course, we have a new pool. This year has 11 people, and would have had two more but a few stalwarts missed the deadline to submit brackets. So, I can't say we've increased our numbers every year. BUT ... we added a lot of new people this year, so the fever is growing.* With help from my brother, next year will be on its own webpage with easy to use brackets and tax deductible donations!

So, congratulations to those surviving the first day of upsets in the lead.

*I've got a fever. The only cure for it is MORE COWBELL!

Selection Sunday 2011

2011-03-13T12:58:00.002-06:00

Today is one of the biggest days in Sports, and few real games happen. Crazy, huh?

On that note, here's a crazy view of Selection Sunday.

Get ready to fill out your brackets!

FIFA Presidency

2011-02-17T09:43:00.000-07:00

Anyone who half-follows soccer, and even those who only follow it every four years during the World Cup, probably know two things:

1. FIFA international soccer is corrupt, and
2. FIFA President, Sepp Blatter, is a moron.

Corruption was nowhere more evident then in the recent bidding for the rights to host World Cups 2018 and 2022. Spain/Portugal was accused of colluding with Qatar, some FIFA ex-co members were dismissed for bribery, and Qatar won the 2018 bid due to shady, probably "technically legal" (emphasis on the quotation marks) actions, including promising to subsidize public works in home countries of voting members.

Sepp Blatter is a moron because he continues to fight against umpire transparency and instant replay like an ostrich who sticks his head in the ground at first sight of progress. His allegation that the game at the top needs to be the same as the game in the poorest part of Africa is about as intelligent as a sea slug commenting on Freakonomics. The NFL doesn't play exactly like high school football because the realities and exigencies are different. There's more money on the line. There's an ability to do more. The players move faster and hit harder. Although the framework of the game is the same, the paradigm is much different. It'd be like me treating all my pediatric patients as if they were standard 70kg adult males. Malpractice.

So, I was pleasantly surprised when I saw this video on Sports Illustrated from Grant Wahl lobbying for FIFA presidency. Although partially (mostly?) done in jest, it draws attention to the absurdity of FIFA, and media coverage is just what we need to continue to pressure FIFA for reforms.

Ultimately, I'm too cynical to think anything will change - heck, this sport encourages corruption from the ground up with players faking injuries all the time - but the video is funny and gives me a ray of hope.

Vietnam's Succession, Part 2

2011-02-09T12:47:00.000-07:00

The comment on my previous post ended with,

Everybody sighs, the price is higher and higher. I hope that in the future i won't take a bag of money to buy a loaf of bread.

Quite telling, because we've seen this happen within the last hundred years in Europe and Africa ... and, to a lesser extent, Vietnam.

The price of Vietnam's mishandled and stymied growth is inflation joined with the VND weaking against the USD concurrently, all within a culture conditioned over the last 35 years to distrust banks and investment in their own economy.

"How does this hit me?" you ask.

For example, let's say you and a friend graduate college and start teaching English on this exact date last year (February 9, 2010). At that time, you and your friend are given the option to be paid in USD or VND.

(Now, you might say I'm stupid, and everyone would get paid in USD, but that partially highlights the lack of confidence the Vietnamese have for their currency which feeds into this problem.)

Your salary would be $8 USD/hr and your friend's 147,759.884 VND/hr at the exchange rate of 18469.9855 VND per USD on Feb. 9, 2010.

Now fast forward one year later. The exchange rate today (Feb 9, 2011) is 19500.0366 VND per USD. Inflated 5.6% over a 1 year period. Or, in other words, you would still be making $8 USD/hr, but your friend would now be making $7.58 USD/hr.

That slight difference ends up costing your friend about $6 million VND per 40 hour work week which is no laughing matter. Your choice 1 year ago nets you $24 million VND MORE than your friend per month.

I hope you treat your friend to a nice lunch every month ...

The real crunch comes because,
1. Businesses understand this phenomenon so they write their contracts in VND in order to take advantage of the VND weakening against the dollar, and
2. when coupled with the general inflation the country experiences as, on a whole, it gets richer, the common worker has less liquid cash than previous, and
3. 70% of GDP is in Ho Chi Minh City, so although you might survive the numbers crunch in the city, few people unlucky enough to be born/live outside TPHCM will have the money necessary to move to the city for education or a better job.

(All data from www.mataf.net)

Super Bowl XLV Commercials

2011-02-08T10:26:00.000-07:00

Congratulations to the Green Bay Packers for an enjoyable victory over the Pittsburg Steelers. After jumping to a 21-3 lead early in the 2nd quarter, I thought it might be a sleeper, but the Steelers made a game of it. If "Big Ben" Roethlisberger hadn't sucked it up on football's grandest stage, the game might truly have been epic.

But that fits, because the commercials - for which the Super Bowl has become known for almost more than the game itself - were just as underwhelming. In fact, most commercials worthy of watching once (let alone again) were aired in the first quarter, and definitely in the first half, of the game. The last quarter was an absolute snoozer.

Below is my top 10 of Super Bowl commercials:

1. Audi Rich People Jail
There will always be debates with these top 10 lists, but I went with this commercial for two (three?) reasons: car commercials are usually extremely boring (and this wasn't), car commercials are usually very hackneyed (which this wasn't), and for #3, they had a great line about Kenny G.

2. Doritos' Resurrecting Crumbs
This is almost 1a in my book. Doritos has a string of Super Bowl hits over the last couple years, and should win an award for "lifetime achievement" at Super Bowl commercials. Plus, they should give their marketing department a huge bonus. The take on resurrecting grandpa was classic. Just classic.

3. Doritos Finger Licking
This is what makes Doritos so amazing - their second commercial is almost better than their first while taking a totally different comedic tact. The guy sucking his coworker's finger was both the most disgusting thing I've seen in a long time (and I deal with buttock abscesses people) and hilariously funny.

4. Motorola Xoom Tablet circa 1984
Many people might not have this commercial rated as highly as I do, but let me explain before you bash. Apple has an iconic touchscreen tablet that rules the market. Apple also busted onto the scene years ago with an iconic 1984-themed commercial taking down Microsoft. Motorola now is repeating the favor with a break-the-mold 1984-themed commercial as it tries to break into the iPad world. Genius.

5. Coca-cola Border Guards
Drawing the line in the sand around the Coke bottle and then rubbing the old line away with his foot brought back flashes of Col. William Travis drawing the line in the sand at the Alamo. Perhaps if the Texans had Coca-cola at the time and shared it with the Mexicans, everything could have been resolved peacefully (see honorable mention Coca-cola Dragon commercial for possible results of said action).

6. Pepsi Max Jealous Girlfriend
I'm on the fence about whether this is truly #6 or somewhere around #26. But the man trying to hide his good tasting but fattening food spoke to me. Perhaps I'm living that as well. And when his wandering eyes cause his girlfriend to throw the Pepsi ... well, that was classic.

7. Volkswagen Passat Darth Vader
To be honest, I had this one lower on my list at first also, but the sheer number of people who like Star Wars and cute commercials had me reconsider it. Some of my fondest smiles come when I make my son's eyes light up. Good commercial.

8. Teleflora Nice Rack
This was probably the best of the two or three email themed commercials. Personally, I've always been in favor of telling it like it is. Girls feign disgust to such responses, but in my experience, they typically are flattered that you find them attractive so they come around and you get the date. Plus, we all know that girls like jerks.

9. Coca-cola World of Warcraft Dragons
Amazing commercial because it brought back thoughts of WoW and Avatar (the fight between the Northern Water Tribe and the Fire Kingdom anybody?). Plus, it was cool to see how they turned it "warm and fuzzy" when it was a war-themed.

10. Groupon Tibet
I love Tibet, and this "Tibetan culture is fading" theme got bonus points even though Groupon twisted it to their nefarious coupon-hawking machinations. Score one for being civic-minded.

Vietnam's succession

2011-02-05T14:24:00.000-07:00

Recently the Wall Street Journal published a small story about the change in power taking place in Vietnam.

HANOI—Vietnam's Communist Party reappointed Prime Minister Nguyen Tan Dung to its elite Politburo at a secretive congress Wednesday ... indicat[ing] Vietnam will likely continue its pro-growth policies. In recent years, that has meant plowing billions of dollars into subsidizing lending programs and other state-driven spending plans to maintain rapid expansion despite bouts of inflation.

The inflation is truly incredible. While in Vietnam in April 2010, I saw a dollar strengthen against the Đồng to heights unimaginable when I first traveled to the country 6 years earlier. Currently the inflation is double digits, and a dollar that used to get you 15,000 VND now gets you almost 20,000 VND.

Worse, it's pinching the populace. A plate of rice for lunch at a street vendor was only 5000 VND in 2004. Now, with the government trying to kowtow to foreign investment and "clean up" its image, the combination of inflation and cracking down on street vendors has caused that rice dish to shoot up towards 15000 VND in many parts of Ho Chi Minh City.

So, for a 33% increase in inflation, a lunch is almost 300% more expensive.

I clearly remember driving down CMT8 towards chợ Bến Thành when a police truck pulled out from a corner alley and two police men slowly moved to meet it dragging a street vendor's cart. On the other side of the cart, pulling with all her might, was a middle aged woman in threadbare clothes, her black hair tied back, shouting curses and crying. Eventually the cops put that woman's lifeline on the back of their truck and sped away, leaving her in a heap on the side of the road.

That is an "open" economy, mismanaged due to lack of competition stemming from nepotism and a flawed philosophy by Mr. Nguyễn who

"encouraged state-owned enterprises to expand into large conglomerates to keep large parts of the economy in Vietnamese hands while the country opened up more to foreign investment. But state-directed lending bred inefficiency and reckless expansion at many state-owned companies ..."

Let's hope this round of government moves Vietnam one step closer to a more competitive government in addition to its more competitive marketplace.

Shoes

2010-12-22T11:11:00.001-07:00

Sunday morning my son decided to play outside. After much opposition, I gave in, and - shoes on his feet - he opened the back door and sprinted outside with a giggle.

Not more than 30 sec later I hear a blood-curdling scream. I jump up and out the door to see my son sprinting around the house crying "doggy! Scary!" The large hunting dog next door had charged the chain-link fence and barked. Down by the fence were his two shoes precisely where he was standing. He'd been scared out of his shoes like a cartoon! I tried hard not to laugh, but eventually broke down & rubbed his back while consoling him in-between laughing.

Pancakes

2010-12-21T06:01:00.000-07:00

Yesterday was the Kiwanis of Baton Rouge Pancake Breakfast. $4.50 got me unlimited pancakes and sausage, and either milk or juice. For $0.50, you could get extra drinks. Wonderful. It was held at the Maravich center on LSU campus from 6 am to noon. Great location, time, and food.

I blog about it to highlight a couple points.

First, I only heard about it at the last minute from my attending. This is common here on Baton Rouge: advertising ineptitude. I searched for it online, and only found something accurate after probably 10 minutes of googling. I am a proficient computer user. It should never take ms 10 minutes to google anything.

Secondly, I've eaten there and I still don't know what it was for. Where is the money going? Who will it benefit? So a horrible job of advertising during the show happened too.

This might be a great object lesson for future businessmen or physicians (who are businessmen too). Physicians have the opportunity to teach about healthy living before during and after visits. This is especially critical in pediatrics, where we have to teach parents and patients.

The breakfast had an art wall to showcase student artwork, a face painting area, a stage for little children talent competitions, a first aid area, and an area selling jewelry and Christmas ornaments. They knew how to sell things, but not how to make lasting impressions.

So too, physicians know how to do things. We currently think procedurally - do that I&D, place that central line, even "educate that patient." health isn't viewed on a continuum hence the disconnect between the advertising and the outcome often comes into play.

2010-12-20T17:43:00.001-07:00

Test SMS mobile post

Fwd: Test mobile post

2010-12-20T17:40:00.000-07:00

> Test
>

Pride of my Fathers

2010-09-28T04:40:00.001-06:00

Two nights ago I set about creating a birthday cake for my son. When I was young, I remember nights spent outside in the garage with my father, working on cakes for the Cub Scout cake auction. "What?" you say. "The garage?"

Yes, the garage.

My father the engineer never made a regular cake. One year it was a windmill, complete with working (rotating) fan. Another time it was an airplane with propellers, and yet another time we made a lighthouse - complete with light of course.

I used to stand amazed at how smart my father was. How could I ever be like him? When would I ever learn all this stuff? (I still wonder this, since he is an engineer and hence infinitely smarter than myself). Our cakes always took first place (unless the took second place to my brother's cakes - also made by my father) and raked in the most dough. Ah, how my chest swelled with pride!

And so, when my son's birthday got closer, and my wife asked me to make the cake, I immediately started getting flashbacks to those nights in the garage. A Thomas the Tank Engine party only deserves a train cake with working light, right?

So two nights ago I set about making my first simple circuit since college. When I flipped that switch and the light shone, my chest swelled with pride again. Perhaps I did learn a thing or two from all those nights watching my father? Next step is placing the circuit properly in the cake and cake board. Then my son can turn it on at his party.

And then my chest will swell with pride again.

Belated Congratulations

2010-09-26T22:08:00.005-06:00

... to the Forever Young Foundation and Tuan for winning this year's Play for a Cause.

This year we raised $120 for the Forever Young Foundation (FYF), an organization that uses sports to provide opportunities and learning experiences to disadvantaged youth. Pretty cool idea, if you ask me. Also, it was started by Steve Young, the hall of fame quarterback for the San Francisco 49ers, and one of my personal favorite NFL players.

Part of the reason for my tardiness was a delay in receiving all payments. Another is my busy life. I went to Vietnam during April, graduated in May, moved in June, started residency in July. By the time I got all the money together and donated it, June was ending and I was jumping into my residency. Hence no time to report back to you that, yes, it was done.

However, I want to say how proud I am of everyone. For three years now, we have all given a little to help others. The variation in winners - Heifer international, Diabetes Research and Wellness Foundation, Forever Young Foundation - belies are innately different likes and personalities, but each program achieves the same goal of helping our fellow, less fortunate, brothers and sisters.

Who will win next year? I can't wait to find out. Congrats again to Tuan and the Forever Young Foundation.

A New Chapter

2010-09-24T00:32:00.001-06:00

So this post marks a new chapter in the bleeding ear, because no longer am I a college student typing away at my laptop creating a blog from scratch back when blogs were not fully understood nor when I was a medical student with great ties to Vietnam and Asia trying to put my two cents into the world about politics. I've moved on to residency, where its long hours leave me little time to write in the traditional mode and so I am trying something new something different - I am dictating my blog post. Maybe this will work. I dictate admit history and physicals for patients as well as discharge summaries. Much work needs to be done to train my voice and the dictation software box perhaps I can get back to blogging and perhaps make a difference in peoples lives other than my family and my patients. Wish me luck!

Expensive Health Care

2010-07-19T09:07:00.005-06:00

Over the last year, as we in America have been swept up in political wrangling over health care, and the inherent power struggle between democrats and republicans that is ultimately at the bottom of it all, I have had the opportunity to have a front row view. I sat on the board of trustees for the Texas Medical Association and sat through numerous conference calls and strategy sessions with doctors in Texas, the American Medical Association, and politicians in Washington DC.

For sure the problem with healthcare is multifactorial, and our solution undoubtably must be as well. However, a favorite argument thrown out by both sides is the "cost of health care." One need not look far or read many webpages to hear someone opine about needing to reign in those outrageous costs (and his or her solution). This past July, Veronica Gunn, MD, chief medical officer for the Tennessee Dept of Health spoke to us about this and other topics.

The scare tactic she used was common: put up a graph that shows $12.7B spent on healthcare in 1950 and $2400B (yes, $2.4 trillion) spent in the USA in 2008.

"Holy cow!" you say?

Yep. That's right. An almost 188-fold jump in spending. That's like going to McDonalds and wanting a $1 hamburger only to be told it now costs $188. You'd choke then & there - way before you got the hamburger! Anyone and everyone should rightly be concerned about such a jump.

"Why would the hamburger cost so much," you ask?

Well, McDonalds gives you the standard answer: yesterday we made hamburgers, but our board decided overnight to do a couple things. We now have all new state-of-the-art machines for making patties the same size every time, and a super fryer that makes our delicious fries even more so - and healthier! We've also decided that you have to buy your own buns separately - but only the ones we decide for you to buy (and write you a prescription to get) and the bun makers say they have special no-fat buns that taste good but cost a fortune to invent. Oh, and don't forget the new program to give free hamburgers and fries to everyone who comes in without the money to pay.

You see, we've decided it's immoral to refuse hamburgers to someone who doesn't have the cash on them, so we give it out free and charge you more. But don't worry. If $188 is too much, we'll allow you to pay $40 a month (whether you'd have eaten 40 burgers a monh before or not) to another company who pays us, and then you can get each dollar hamburger for $1.

Now, before we hear the cries of "Health care is a right! Eating hamburgers is not!" I want you to put aside your righteous indignation at an admittedly flawed (but I still think decently effective) parable, and follow me to the numbers.

Ms. Gunn said $12.7B spent on healthcare in 1950 and $2400B spent in 2008. If adjusting for inflation according to the consumer price index, $12.7B was really $112.4B in 2008 dollars.
Now, that's still a large gap, but the 188-fold difference that made your eyes pop out of your head has dropped to 21-fold. Crazy large? Yes. Space-time continuum splitting? No.

Now let's adjust for population. 1950 - 152,271,000 people. 2008 - 301,621,157. That increase in spending just dropped to 10-fold.

10-fold is a lot different from 188-fold.

Essentially McDonalds is saying, "Our hamburger now costs $10 a burger, from $1 in 1950. So, pay us $40 a month regardless of the amount of hamburgers you eat, and you can have your hamburgers for $1, plus, we can give free hamburgers out to people who can't pay for them."

Even if you believe ideologically that you should give free hamburgers to the poor, spending $40/month is a lot harder to stomach when the price of the hamburger is only $10 and not $188. The Democrats and certain special interest groups (including many physician organizations) understand this, so they play up the $188 burger. Health care becomes an easy way to redistribute wealth.

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Argentina

2010-05-26T11:46:00.002-06:00

From this article on Messi:

The easy conclusion, of course, is that the country is mad. Yes, anyplace can seem bizarre to a stranger, but let's agree that Argentina's lunacy is more obvious than, say, Denmark's. Argentina is, after all, the nation with the most psychoanalysts per capita; the country whose still-feverish devotion to a long-dead First Lady resulted in a town, Ciudad Evita, built in the shape of her head; the land where citizens fearlessly consume beef for breakfast or with afternoon coffee and erupt in street protests for any reason at all. On an April afternoon, for example, picketers halted rush-hour traffic on the highway into Buenos Aires, expressing outrage over the damage caused by a recent hailstorm. "Protesting the hail," said a lifelong resident with a shrug. "Of course."

Wonderful.

Yea Duke! Boo Duke!

2010-04-05T23:51:00.002-06:00

Congratulations to a small private school for shocking the basketball world and defeating another shocking, small private school.

Yes, I was rooting for Butler. But, it was a great game and that's what really matters for my non-partisan self. The real championship came in Duke vs West Virginia. That's not because I think WVU is better than Butler (they're not), but because the winner of that game determined the winner of TBE Play For A Cause 2010... and THAT is far more important.

So, the final came down to David and Teach for America or Tuan (Vince) and the Forever Young Foundation. Unfortunately, WVU decided not to show up. Duke won, and so did the Forever Young Foundation. It was a hard fought victory.

With the rules valuing later round wins, even though David came within one game of winning the whole pool, he didn't even finish in the final top 3. That would be Tuan, Dennis (Diabetes Research & Wellness Foundation), and Matt O. (Avon Walk). Fourth was Roger (LDS Charities). Dennis deserves special note because he came in second this year after winning last year, and clearly has performed the best overall during the 3 years of this event. Everyone watch out for 2011!

However, it does me great pleasure to note that for the third year we have a new winner. This shows that 1) everyone has a chance to win, no matter how much you know or don't know about basketball, and 2) we get to learn about a lot of good charities we might not have known about before, and 3) we get to help people. What a wonderful life we have.

So, without furthur ado, congratulations to the Forever Young Foundation. the $120 pot is the most raised in this pool to date, and I'm sure it will go to a worthy cause. See everyone next year!

I Wish I Were A DJ

2010-03-31T13:50:00.001-06:00

Many people don't know this about me: In another life, I'd be a DJ.

The beat -- bum bum bum bumbum bham bham bham ... -- the strobe lights, mixing board, laptop. It turns me on. Tonight I went to my first club in Ho Chi Minh City. It reminded me a lot of clubs in Las Vegas: special effects, pretty girls in dancewear, well dressed waiters serving drinks -- but I couldn't take my eyes of the DJ.

I walked upstairs and surveyed the octagonal dance floor. To the right, elevated, was a young man, large, noise-reducing headphones on his ears like helmets, bouncing to the beat. Up, down flowed his hands across the electronics in front of him. First, left lever up, bounce, then right lever down a bit. Pause. Type on his Mac. strobes change pattern. Bounce.

I wished I could be him, or at least behind him, watching his hands work; a pupil studying the master. And it occured to me that no one here got it. Sure, the guys were scoping out the girls and vice versa. But the true beauty in the room wasn't the heavy-makeup-wearing 20-something looking for a guy to "befriend," but the beat that got the bodies gyrating. With every step, drop of sweat, turn, pump, smile, and slide, the beauty in the room was what flowed through the air between it all - no - it was the movements of the master creating the music.

My secret love affair with jockeying started as a spin-off from my more well known relationship with music. As a ten year old boy, I sat in music class singing everything from Simple Gifts by Aaron Copeland to "I saw the sign" by Ace of Base (hey, it was the '80s). Something moved me, connected parts of my soul I didn't know existed. Junior high saw my romance blossom -- music and I were a true item. I lived for choir. Engrossed myself in the radio. Groused at not being able to do other things because there wasn't enough classes - but I wasn't giving up choir.

Matriculation proved almost sensual. Like any good relationship, once the formalities and casual dating is over, you dig deep into a person to try and understand them and build a new "us." Music and I were no different. Through talented minds and voices, I loved theory. I wanted to understand music at its basest levels. I came to understand much of myself, my romanticism, my goal-driven nature, my desire to compete. My refusal to settle for anything less than sucess. Of course, no relationship is complete without a few difficulties. My lungs collapsed. Made it hard to sing competitively. I flirted with computer science before realizing the grass really ISN'T greener. But through it all, music and I grew stronger. It never waivered in its belief in me, or its desire to meld my soul with my circumstance.

Then one day, ironically in a church setting, I was called to use my relationship by dj-ing some dances for my youth group. I planned ahead, listened to songs, put together a play list, beats, got my cds ready (hey, it was the 90s). For hours one night a month, I left my love of music and dabbled with her cousin. It enticed me that I could use technology. My heart beat a little faster at the idea that I could create musical synergy. I was infatuated with the realization that I influenced hundreds of people, their movements, their feelings, their futures, by what songs I played and in what order. Would he dance with her? Would she leave him for her girlfriends to share a favorite song? Or maybe he wants to sit this one out because it reminds him of a previous flame. Examples.

But time moved on, and I moved to Utah and college. The ability to jockey remained in Texas, and you know long-distance relationships - they don't work. Slowly my schoolwork encroached on my time with music and displaced what little unreserved time had been saved for jockeying. My tastes matured. The immediate became important as people changed, circumstances changed. I thought I had moved on, leaving music and its passions for the metered feelings of medical school, but tonight brought it all back. I love the lights, the sounds, the movements. But mostly, I love the responsibility and position I have to create something new, even actions and thoughts, and influence people in ways they don't comprehend.

That is beauty. That, is being a DJ.

Kentucky or Duke?

2010-03-27T11:16:00.005-06:00

... or West Virginia or Kansas St or Baylor?

The Sweet Sixteen finished yesterday with a whimper. St. Mary's showed up to their game at halftime, and couldn't dig out of the 29 point hole their fill-ins put them in. Tennessee and Michigan St. ensured that someone outside the top 3 in a region will make the Final Four, but that's not really surprising since (outside Kansas), they're probably the two best coached teams in that region, if not the tournament.

Of much more interest is that the establishment of the Elite Eight has also whittled down our pool to our "Super Six" - the six charities that have a chance of winning it all.

Yes, my charity is not super. In fact, it's second from the bottom.

So, without further ado, here are the 2010 TBE Play For A Cause "Super Six":

Star of Hope (Blake)
Jesus House (Matt)
Avon Walk (Matt O.)
Teach For America (David)
Phú Mỹ Orphanage (Julie)
Forever Young Foundation (Tuấn)

Below is a spreadsheet that lists all possible outcomes of the Elite Eight and the winner of our pool. This was much easier than expected because nobody chose Tennessee, Michigan St, or Butler to reach the Elite Eight, and only two chose Kansas State. That said, those two soothsayers happen to be among the Super Six, so the Kansas State game holds big ramifications.

Today there are two games: Kansas State vs Butler and Kentucky vs West Virginia. The Kansas State game is easy. Both Matts (Jesus House and Avon Walk) picked K-State. If you root for either of those charities, you'll want K-State to win, because it helps your cause tremendously.

Kentucky vs West Virginia holds a lot more weight. Essentially, if Kentucky wins, we're guaranteed that the pool winner will be Star of Hope, Jesus House, Phú Mỹ Orphanage, or Avon Walk.

However, if West Virginia wins, we've got the cadre of Teach For America, Forever Young Foundation and Avon Walk. Choose your sides!

Obviously, Avon Walk is in the driver's seat, especially if Kansas State wins today. This is because if West Virginia beats Kentucky and then makes the final, Teach For America wins UNLESS, Kansas State wins and Duke wins their elite eight game.

So, pick your side, Kentucky or West Virginia, and may the best charity win.

18 Strength or 18 Charisma?

2010-03-26T13:49:00.005-06:00

Poor, poor Cornell. I really liked those future rulers of humanity (or at least financial planners for the people that defeated them). Cornell played an ugly game, but it was the right game. The problem was, they went through a period of about 10 minutes in the first half where they forgot to play defense, and Kentucky ran up and down the court - scoring inside at will.

Once the second half started, Cornell brought the pace to a halt and brought the game within reach, but just couldn't get over the chasm they had allowed in the first half.

Then there's Kansas State. Cornell's brains are juxtaposed with K-State's tatoos. It all kinda reminds me of Dungeons and Dragons. When you were 12 and were creating that awesome character for your quest (and yes, you did play, even if you deny it now), you were always stuck, because you had only so many attribute points and you had to divvy them up between the basic attributes. If you wanted 18 strength, you were sure to have a low score somewhere else, but if you gave yourself all 10s, you character was pretty average - literally and personality-wise.

(Now, some people tweaked the rules, and rolled 3 dice for every attribute, allowing the possibility that your character could be the mythical all 18s super-God, but that wasn't how it was really supposed to be done.)

Cornell reminded me of that conundrum last night. They have Intelligence of 18, and obviously Charisma was pretty high too. But compared to Kentucky, Strength and Dexterity was too low to overcome. Meanwhile, schools like Kentucky have clear one-and-done athletes destined for NBA greatness. But all of that effort on basketball makes their scholastic endeavors farcical.

And so, in the arena of sport, 18 Strengths and 18 Dexterities will always beat those who put the time in to develop other attributes. A school with 18 Intelligence may never win the dance, but at least I can dream. Who knows? Perhaps someone will come along who bent the rules, and has all 18s. That would sure make things interesting.

Editor's Note: For those of you who really didn't play Dungeons & Dragons, each attribute score was randomly generated by rolling 3 six-sided dice and taking the total. 18 is the highest possible (natural) score a character could have (and obviously 3 is the lowest).

SO, at least 1 #1 seed is still alive and on to the Elite Eight. Kansas was slain by Northern Iowa, and last night Butler showed its muscle and decapitated Syracuse. Duke plays tonight it what could eviscerate the remaining brackets in our pool.

Here are the updated futures on each charity listed by possible points remaining:

Charity: Points + PPR = Possible Total
Avon Walk (J. Lamp): 430 + 840 = 1270
Forever Young Foundation: 490 + 760 = 1250
Jesus House: 430 + 760 = 1190
Diabetes Research & Wellness Foundation: 450 + 680 = 1130
Teach for America: 460 + 640 = 1100
LDS Charities: 410 + 640 = 1050
Star of Hope: 550 + 280 = 830
Pazapa Center for Handicapped Children: 420 + 400 = 820
Action For Healthy Kids: 420 + 400 = 820
Phú Mỹ Orphanage: 450 +360 = 810
Doctors Without Borders, USA: 390 + 400 = 790
Epilepsy Foundation: 320 + 0 = 320

After the Sweet 16 is over, I'll take a more in-depth look at who's mathematically in it to win it, and who's hanging out with the Epilepsy Foundation.

Will the Madness Subside?

2010-03-23T10:35:00.005-06:00

Well, March Madness really was mad. Round 2 was not as crazy as round 1, but there are some significant bracket busters into the Sweet 16. All that has made this year's 3rd Annual TBE Play for a Cause the most crazy one yet.

For example, I thought I was pretty safe with Kansas to win it all, and my gamble was BYU to the final four. If BYU could get past Kansas St., they would have the next two games in Salt Lake City, and would have a really good chance of going to the final four. Unfortunately, BYU laid an egg over the last 10 minutes of the first half against K-State and never recovered (It didn't help that the refs allowed K-state to basically mug players on the court). I suggest investing in firearms and personal bodyguards the next time someone has to play those thugs.

Because of Kansas' early loss to Northern Iowa (can you have a North & South if your state is that small?) and Villanova playing like scrubs, and my gamble failing, most of my future points hinge on Kentucky making the championship game. But they're playing Cornell, who I love, so I'm forced to root against myself.

All this craziness has Star of Hope in the lead, followed closely by Teach for America and the Forever Young Foundation. However, when we look at possible points remaining (PPR), we see some interesting things:

Charity: Points + PPR = Possible Total
Star of Hope: 430 + 400 = 830
Teach for America: 420 + 800 = 1220
Forever Young Foundation: 410 + 840 = 1250
Epilepsy Foundation: 320 + 40 = 360
Phú Mỹ Orphanage: 410 +520 = 930
Pazapa Center for Handicapped Children: 380 + 440 = 820
Diabetes Research & Wellness Foundation: 370 + 800 = 1170
LDS Charities: 370 + 960 = 1330
TBA (MGO_Undecided): 350 + 960 = 1310
Jesus House: 350 + 840 = 1190
Doctors Without Borders, USA: 350 + 480 = 830
Action For Healthy Kids: 340 + 600 = 940

The race has really narrowed to the six charities in italics above. LDS Charities has the most total points possible.

Unfortunately, the Epilepsy Foundation takes this year's Lovable Loser award (yes, I made it up right now, for the first charity mathematically eliminated). You get a pat on the back, and a suggestion to never, NEVER choose Temple to win it all.

Crazy Day 1

2010-03-19T07:04:00.005-06:00

A very crazy day 1 is in the books. ESPN said they had over 4.8 million brackets in their contest, and after yesterday, only 56 were still perfect. Insane.

On the good side, my BYU won. It took them coughing up a 13 point lead and two overtimes, but they finally shook that first-round-loss monkey off their backs. On to the final four!

I made an error this year with the competition. I told everyone the deadline was Thursday at noon, because I thought that was when the first game started. However, I forgot that ESPN locked the brackets in the morning. So, at least 4 people who told me they'd play didn't get to sign up. I have brackets from 2 of them, filled out before the first game's result was known. I will link to them once they are digital so everyone can see them. Transparency. Amazing isn't it.

Congratulations to Tuấn (Vince) for winning the first day. You get nothing. Sorry. But I do wish you continued success in the tourney. These first round games really set the tone for what comes later.

Finally, thanks again to everyone who's playing this year. We'll raise the most money ever in TBE's Play For A Cause lifetime. Hopefully, by this time next year you'll be able to go to an official website for my new non-profit organization, Play For A Cause - as I try to expand this idea to other people and other events.

Which Cause is Mine?

2010-03-15T05:35:00.004-06:00

Now that another year of March Madness is upon us, the most common question I receive from people (and myself) is "What cause should I play for?"

Who do I play for this year?

I admit that in past years it wasn't so hard. First was the wanton disregard to human rights in Tibet. So I played for Students For A Free Tibet. Then I was touched on my Pediatrics rotation by the trials couples face losing a newborn, and I found Now I Lay Me Down To Sleep, a great organization that provides photographers - free of charge - to take professional-style portraits of families with their newborns before that young child passes away.

But this year I'm indecisive. So to help me (and any of you in the same boat) here are some resources:

First, a great website I've talked about before is Charity Navigator. You can search for charities there, and the site ranks these organizations based on how efficiently and productively they run.

Perhaps you want to give to an organization to help Haiti or Chile after the horrible natural disasters recently? Follow those links to lists of quality organizations working in those countries.

Also, here is a list of all the organizations represented the previous two years:

Heifer International (winner 2008)
Ovarian Cancer National Alliance
Students For A Free Tibet
Diabetes Research & Wellness Foundation (winner 2009)
Now I Lay Me Down To Sleep
National Alliance on Mental Illness
Autism Speaks
St. Jude's Children's Research Hospital
American Cancer Society
Save Darfur

Remember, you have only until Thursday at noon to fill out your bracket. Do it now so you don't forget! Good luck!

Mirror, Mirror, On the Wall

2010-03-12T10:13:00.006-07:00

This morning, while doing P90X, my son, who awoke early, thought the scene of daddy doing sit-ups in the middle of the room was hilarious so he jumped onto my chest and effectively ended my workout session. While I tried to do crunches, he hung on like Curious George (who he happened to be watching at the same time), giggling and unknowingly taunting. "Why can't I be healthy and fit anymore like my son?" I thought.

But immediately my flight of ideas landed on this: what does my son think of me? I love my son, and don't begrudge our memory together - even if I couldn't finish today's "Ab Ripper X" - but 20 years from now, will he feel the same? As I've grown and (hopefully) matured, I see my father mirrored more and more in myself. This is a good thing. My father is a great man - honest, intelligent, kind, charismatic. And although my mother can undoubtedly delineate his faults (nobody's perfect), I'm convinced the world would be a better place if more people were like him.

I am currently reading Open, Andre Agassi's autobiography. His depiction of his father contrasts mine.

(p. 35)Violent by nature, my father is forever preparing for battle. He shadowboxes constantly. He keeps an ax handle in his car. He leaves the house with a handful of salt and pepper in each pocket, in case he's in a street fight and needs to blind someone. ...

...He boxes in his dreams, and frequently hauls off and punches my dozing mother. In the car too. ... I'm driving with my father one day, going to Cambridge, and he gets into a shouting match with another driver. My father stops his car, steps out, orders the man out of his. Because my father is wielding his ax handle, the man refuses. My father whips the ax handle into the man's headlights and taillights, sending sprays of glass everywhere.

... Such moments, and many more, come to mind whenever I think about telling my father that I don't want to play tennis.

Agassi's father lived vicariously through Andre, teaching with fear, and setting an example of aggression. Those are things I definitely don't want to emulate with my son. Sure, I'd like him to achieve great things, but I want him to decide what those are.

I guess things are off to a good start. This evening, before my son went to bed, he spontaneously came up to me on the couch and kissed me on the cheek. Then, he said, "TV, daddy!" and turned on the television for me before grabbing his pillow and heading to the bedroom. Now if he just played tennis like Andre Agassi...

TBE Play For A Cause 2010

2010-03-09T22:30:00.004-07:00

The time has come ...

Four years ago, I parked my motorbike just inside the large gates of the orphanage and walked into the central room. In it, among numerous children of various ages and infirmities, sat Huy. Huy was an 18 year old young man who sat daily in a wooden highchair, his broken body unable to allow him to walk or play since birth. His mind was sharp, his personality infectiously funny, and he always had a smile on his face, even when I had to wipe porridge from his mouth because he couldn't do it himself. Money was scarce for the Phu My Orphanage in Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam, and the few hours I volunteered each week impressed the nuns who ran the orphanage almost as much as the children impressed me. I can only imaging what $100 would have done for Huy and his friends.

This year you can play for your Huy - your cause. What is it that gets you up in the morning? Who have you met that has left an indelible impression on your soul? What wrong would you right if you could?

Two years ago I started this March Madness tournament pool as a way to funnel a good time into good deeds. Heifer International, played for by Sara, received $100 that year. Last year Dennis' Diabetes Research & Wellness Foundation received $90.

So, I ask you for $10 - the price of a lunch at Au Bon Pain or a ticket to the movies on the weekend. Pick a cause you want to play for, and enter a bracket. No need to know anything about basketball to play and/or win. If you win, your cause gets the whole pot.

For the price of a movie ticket, you can help Huy eat something better than porridge.

See below for instructions on how to join:

The official tourney is ran through ESPN's 2010 NCAA Tournament Challenge.

1. Go to http://games.espn.go.com/tcmen/en/frontpage to join.
2. If you have an account, sign in. If not, click the large red button to create one and follow the instructions.
3. After signing in (or up), create a bracket. NAME IT AFTER YOUR CHARITY/CAUSE.
4. If you aren't sure who to play for, go to this post about a site that rates different charities. It might help you decide. Or ask me!
5. After naming your bracket, click on the "My Groups" link in the middle of the page, and follow the drop down list to "Create or Join a Group."
6. Search for "TBE Play For A Cause 2010"
7. Join the group. Congrats! You are now entered into the TBE Play For A Cause 2010 pool!
8. Selection Sunday is this Sunday, March 14, 2010. The first round starts Thursday, March 18th. Please have your brackets entered before the first game on Thursday.

The $10 pool contribution can be given to me directly or through the paypal link in the top right corner of this webpage.

We will follow all the official ESPN tournament rules for scoring including tiebreakers.

Good luck! Contact me if you have any questions.

Kneel at the Altar of Your God

2010-03-08T09:21:00.007-07:00

Yesterday I was reading an article at The Reinvigorated Programmer (hat tip to my brother for the link) about the changes in computer programming and coming to grips (or not) with them. The writer laments the metamorphosis of programming away from a creationary enterprise.

Today, I mostly paste libraries together. ... Is that programming? Really? Yes, it takes taste and discernment and experience to do well; but it doesn’t require brilliance and it doesn’t excite. It’s not what we dreamed of as fourteen-year-olds and trained for as eighteen-year-olds. It doesn’t get the juices flowing. It’s not making.

How universal is this desire to create? It drives humanity, and has since the beginning. Adam & Eve got kicked out of the Garden of Eden and started creating our race. The Pharaohs of Egypt built huge pyramids to remind us of their power. America boasts of creating an environment (government and economy) that fosters creation of products and ideas.

EBM not only takes the individuality out of case management, but stifles innovation

Medicine is the same. To some extent each of us, definitely myself, got into medicine to help others. Put another way, we wanted to create health from sickness. Surgeons say "a chance to cut is a chance to cure," but it could also be said "...a chance to create a new, healthy patient." 80% of physicians are still in private practice instead of large, academic settings because - in part - we enjoy creating that medical practice. We enjoy hiring our nurses, finding our own building, being our own boss. We enjoy creating a relationship with our patients.

Quoted in the article is Don Knuth, from Peter Siebel's book Coding at Work:

There’s the change that I’m really worried about: that the way a lot of programming goes today isn’t any fun because it’s just plugging in magic incantations — combine somebody else’s software and start it up. It doesn’t have much creativity. I’m worried that it’s becoming too boring because you don’t have a chance to do anything much new. Your kick comes out of seeing fun results coming out of the machine, but not the kind of kick that I always got by creating something new.

...The problem is that coding isn’t fun if all you can do is call things out of a library, if you can’t write the library yourself. If the job of coding is just to be finding the right combination of parameters, that does fairly obvious things, then who’d want to go into that as a career?

The current trend of Evidence-based Medicine (EBM) is the mirror of Don Knuth's antagonist. We are taught in medical school and Continuing Medical Education (CME) seminars that we must practice EBM. Medicare has adopted it as measures of quality and tied it to repayment. for example, hospitals are rated by Medicare according to how fast a heart attack patient gets to angioplasty once arriving at the ER.

This isn't a bad thing. When numerous studies show that mortality improves when a patient gets to the cath lab in under 60 minutes, who will argue with saving lives?

But the problem with implementing EBM on a systems level vs a personal level, is that the physician becomes the cog in a machine.

In an article on insurance companies using EBM to determine care, it says,

Under EBM, medical treatment decisions are made primarily using guidelines from existing literature rather than a doctor's own expert opinion. Advocates of the practice say such guidelines limit variation in physician practice thereby improving quality of care.

But critics dismiss a reliance on such standardized treatment protocols as "cookbook medicine" and argue that EBM not only takes the individuality out of case management, but stifles innovation by removing insurance companies' obligation to pay for treatments they may deem "experimental."

And so the problems are two-fold for physicians:
1. The adoption of systems-wide EBM results in elaborate flow charts and checklists that impart a feeling of "cookbook medicine" on the viewer. For a physician this negates the creator feeling. As this pervades the profession, would-be physicians who understand this will follow that creator feeling to other professions & medicine will lose a valuable part of its talent pool.
2. Without individuality, the decision-maker leaves the physician-patient relationship. A third-party insurance company who stands to gain from denying care, interprets the literature and decides whether a procedure is necessary or not. More physicians will leave when they feel their position usurped by these companies, and the talent base of medicine is further eroded.

It’s not what we dreamed of as fourteen-year-olds and trained for as eighteen-year-olds. It doesn’t get the juices flowing. It’s not making

Plus, it's bad for patients. Last month I was learning ultrasounds in a high-risk Ob/Gyn office. One morning an Indian woman arrived for a scan due to previously seen IUGR (her baby wasn't growing). However, the family were immigrants, and mother was small. Talking about this with my attending, she remarked that the growth charts we used were standardized among middle-class Caucasian New Englanders. Totally inapplicable to the patient before us. In Britain, they've determined that many IUGR babies are normal when plotted on curves specific to that ethnicity. The same would be true with this woman's child. However, we as physicians couldn't make that decision because too many third parties would look at us not following up this baby's weight as bad medicine because it didn't follow EBM. So, she was here to get a second scan, wasting her time and money.

Let's see EBM for what it is -- a wealth of accumulated human knowledge that elucidates the generally best way or an individual physician to practice medicine. Following it is the right thing to do. But let's not kneel at the altar of EBM. You go to medical school, and establish a practice, and cultivate relationships with your patients so that you can have the knowledge-base and intuition tailored to your patients so you can understand when the rule and when the exception is applicable. It's at that point we physicians step back from connecting libraries into a program and start to create again.

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100 Books to Read

2010-03-06T10:39:00.004-07:00

Obviously I'm not writing much. Why? Because I've spent the last year and half going insane. About a year ago, I went to work in the research lab and I was talking to my professor, when he made an interesting comment.

"So, it's good to see you looking happy," he said.
"Well, I am. I really am."
"A lot of people have a hard time with third year [of medical school], but you seem to be doing well."
"Umm...I think I really like third year much better than the first two. I feel like I'm really learning medicine, and I get to work with people -- no more nose in my textbooks all day long."
"That's good to hear. A lot of students that move to the wards have a hard time with it. Over my years, I've seen a lot of them crack under the pressure."
"Well, I dunno about that, but we did have one girl drop out a month or so ago."
"No, I mean they really need to see psychiatrists. They just can't handle the responsibility and the change from being a student."
"Oh... That's not me. I'm liking this much better than before."

His reference to people cracking under the pressure rang too true then and now. I've been ruminating over it for the last four days. Mainly, I find that doing medicine all day, every day, kills me. I need a release. Mostly, I need a book to read.

Throughout third year, I longed for the day when I could read what I wanted to read, because it piqued my interest, not because I had to. Even medical books -- I used to go down to the medical library in the Texas Medical Center and read medical journals for fun, because I found them interesting. Now those same journals are a chore, because I'm forced to read them daily.

Things turned for the better when my friend posted a list of 100 books on his facebook page. Supposedly the BBC thinks the average American has only read 6 of the 100. I've read 29. But therein lay my release! I'd been wondering what to read to get my mind off of medicine, and now I'd decided: I would read each book until I'd read all 100.

As my fourth year of medical school got underway, I was amazed at how much free time I truly had. Medicine started to become fun again - outside of the required courses, I could study what I wanted and typically had a little free time to read something outside of medicine.

Trying to find the list online, I ran into some other lists. Every list is a little different, but there are many similarities between them, which I think speaks to the strengths of those respective books.

http://artofmanliness.com/2008/05/14/100-must-read-books-the-essential-mans-library/
http://www.time.com/time/2005/100books/the_complete_list.html
http://www.randomhouse.com/modernlibrary/100rivallist.html
http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/2002/may/08/books.booksnews

Here's one list from the BBC that had the most interesting (to me) books. In April 2003, by popular vote (one person, one vote), it tried to find the most popular book of all time among UK readers. This is the list in order:

1. The Lord of the Rings, JRR Tolkien
2. Pride and Prejudice, Jane Austen
3. His Dark Materials, Philip Pullman
4. The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy, Douglas Adams
5. Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire, JK Rowling
6. To Kill a Mockingbird, Harper Lee
7. Winnie the Pooh, AA Milne
8. Nineteen Eighty-Four, George Orwell
9. The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe, CS Lewis
10. Jane Eyre, Charlotte Brontë
11. Catch-22, Joseph Heller
12. Wuthering Heights, Emily Brontë
13. Birdsong, Sebastian Faulks
14. Rebecca, Daphne du Maurier
15. The Catcher in the Rye, JD Salinger
16. The Wind in the Willows, Kenneth Grahame
17. Great Expectations, Charles Dickens
18. Little Women, Louisa May Alcott
19. Captain Corelli's Mandolin, Louis de Bernieres
20. War and Peace, Leo Tolstoy
21. Gone with the Wind, Margaret Mitchell
22. Harry Potter And The Philosopher's Stone, JK Rowling
23. Harry Potter And The Chamber Of Secrets, JK Rowling
24. Harry Potter And The Prisoner Of Azkaban, JK Rowling
25. The Hobbit, JRR Tolkien
26. Tess Of The D'Urbervilles, Thomas Hardy
27. Middlemarch, George Eliot
28. A Prayer For Owen Meany, John Irving
29. The Grapes Of Wrath, John Steinbeck
30. Alice's Adventures In Wonderland, Lewis Carroll
31. The Story Of Tracy Beaker, Jacqueline Wilson
32. One Hundred Years Of Solitude, Gabriel García Márquez
33. The Pillars Of The Earth, Ken Follett
34. David Copperfield, Charles Dickens
35. Charlie And The Chocolate Factory, Roald Dahl
36. Treasure Island, Robert Louis Stevenson
37. A Town Like Alice, Nevil Shute
38. Persuasion, Jane Austen
39. Dune, Frank Herbert
40. Emma, Jane Austen
41. Anne Of Green Gables, LM Montgomery
42. Watership Down, Richard Adams
43. The Great Gatsby, F Scott Fitzgerald
44. The Count Of Monte Cristo, Alexandre Dumas
45. Brideshead Revisited, Evelyn Waugh
46. Animal Farm, George Orwell
47. A Christmas Carol, Charles Dickens
48. Far From The Madding Crowd, Thomas Hardy
49. Goodnight Mister Tom, Michelle Magorian
50. The Shell Seekers, Rosamunde Pilcher
51. The Secret Garden, Frances Hodgson Burnett
52. Of Mice And Men, John Steinbeck
53. The Stand, Stephen King
54. Anna Karenina, Leo Tolstoy
55. A Suitable Boy, Vikram Seth
56. The BFG, Roald Dahl
57. Swallows And Amazons, Arthur Ransome
58. Black Beauty, Anna Sewell
59. Artemis Fowl, Eoin Colfer
60. Crime And Punishment, Fyodor Dostoyevsky
61. Noughts And Crosses, Malorie Blackman
62. Memoirs Of A Geisha, Arthur Golden
63. A Tale Of Two Cities, Charles Dickens
64. The Thorn Birds, Colleen McCollough
65. Mort, Terry Pratchett
66. The Magic Faraway Tree, Enid Blyton
67. The Magus, John Fowles
68. Good Omens, Terry Pratchett and Neil Gaiman
69. Guards! Guards!, Terry Pratchett
70. Lord Of The Flies, William Golding
71. Perfume, Patrick Süskind
72. The Ragged Trousered Philanthropists, Robert Tressell
73. Night Watch, Terry Pratchett
74. Matilda, Roald Dahl
75. Bridget Jones's Diary, Helen Fielding
76. The Secret History, Donna Tartt
77. The Woman In White, Wilkie Collins
78. Ulysses, James Joyce
79. Bleak House, Charles Dickens
80. Double Act, Jacqueline Wilson
81. The Twits, Roald Dahl
82. I Capture The Castle, Dodie Smith
83. Holes, Louis Sachar
84. Gormenghast, Mervyn Peake
85. The God Of Small Things, Arundhati Roy
86. Vicky Angel, Jacqueline Wilson
87. Brave New World, Aldous Huxley
88. Cold Comfort Farm, Stella Gibbons
89. Magician, Raymond E Feist
90. On The Road, Jack Kerouac
91. The Godfather, Mario Puzo
92. The Clan Of The Cave Bear, Jean M Auel
93. The Colour Of Magic, Terry Pratchett
94. The Alchemist, Paulo Coelho
95. Katherine, Anya Seton
96. Kane And Abel, Jeffrey Archer
97. Love In The Time Of Cholera, Gabriel García Márquez
98. Girls In Love, Jacqueline Wilson
99. The Princess Diaries, Meg Cabot
100. Midnight's Children, Salman Rushdie

So, since last June, I've tried to broaden my reading, and perhaps read the books on these lists. So far I've read:

All 7 Harry Potter novels
All 5 Dan Brown novels
Blink by Malcome Gladwell
Watchmen by Alan Moore and Dave Gibbons

and I'm currently reading Open by Andre Agassi.

Plus, my scholastic freedom culminated last month on ultrasonography. There I worked 8 to 5 but could read whatever I wanted, allowing me to study things I found interesting. Since I didn't work nights or weekends, I had the freedom to read Watchmen - a decidedly un-medical novel - to help me unwind. That was a truly great month.

So, as I continue my exploration outside of medicine, how many novels on the list above have you read? What are you currently reading?

Health Care Reform

2009-07-30T11:56:00.002-06:00

I haven't blogged about the health care reform bills going through Congress (nor anything else for that matter) because I've been doing what good medical students do, and have had my head in a book (or my hands inside someone's body) for the last three months now. This probably won't change.

But, as I take a five minute break from studying cardiology, I wanted to share with you this:

The New York Times (7/30, A19, Goodnough) reports that the Massachusetts legislature "failed to restore enough money to the budget to provide full benefits for 30,000 legal immigrants." But, lawmakers did "provide for partial coverage, relieving some supporters of the program, who had feared that the cuts would be deeper." The legislature had "eliminated health insurance for the immigrants, which cost about $130 million a year" in order to cover the state's budget deficit. Now, $40 million will be restored, "leaving unclear just how much care the affected immigrants would qualify for." At issue is coverage for "permanent residents who have had green cards for less than five years." Currently, "the affected immigrants are covered under Commonwealth Care, a subsidized insurance program for low-income residents." Under federal law, "the 30,000 immigrants affected by the loss of coverage do not qualify for Medicaid or other federal aid." But, "Massachusetts is one of the few states...that nonetheless provide at least some health coverage for such immigrants." [emphasis added]

The reason I point out this article is that this is what we must come to expect from any government intervention in health care. If Washington D.C. is going to draft a new health care system for America (and they are), then whether you like their plan or not, you better be ready for this to happen to you sometime down the road.

In any system where politicians decide funding, cuts will come based on what is expedient politically. In any system where funding comes from a government that also funds other sectors, cuts will come based on what is fiscally necessary at that moment. When they are together (as we see in Massachusetts and will undoubtedly see in any national plan), cuts come from either or both of those reasons.

This means that nobody is guaranteed coverage, or the same coverage, from year to year. While yes, some people who may not have any coverage now will be covered, WHAT will be covered is not guaranteed. And for those who have coverage now, the same goes. So, in a system where it's already hard enough to understand what your insurance covers and what it doesn't, how will you feel if those rules change yearly?

That may be palatable now, but wait until you get sick. Maybe this year you can get your medicine, but next year, who knows?

ADD

2009-04-18T13:40:00.001-06:00

Attention deficit disorder is an interesting thing. Who draws the line between the daydreamer and the kid with a problem? The regular young boy and the one whose hyperactivity is pathologic?

Med school teaches you interesting things. In Behavioral Science I learned that you must be diagnosed by age 7 to have ADD. However, from Student Affairs, I learned that many medical students are diagnosed with it when they get here.

I guess there are exceptions to every rule.

The reason medical students get diagnosed is because many students have ADD, but function highly, and therefore compensate through school. It isn't until the fast pace and time crunches of medical school that their compensation fails and the pathology shows.

Of course, there are imposters too. About 8 - 10% of students in undergrad use stimulants that are for treating ADD as study aids. This off-label use is unethical and illegal, but rampant. The stresses of medical school are greater than undergrad, and so are the pressures to use these stimulants to get ahead.

My school does not grade on a curve, yet I believe we still have at least 10% of my class using Adderall illegally.

--- Sent with System SEVEN - the new generation of mobile messaging

Tea Party Pictures

2009-04-16T06:18:00.019-06:00

Well, it's over ... or has it only just begun? Is it begun or began? Shifting thoughts is a flight of ideas ... flight of ideas is a classic sign of bipolar disorder, manic episode. Am I manic? But I digress...

yesterday was my first protest. I guess I am no longer a virgin protester anymore. Quite the experience. I got there about 4pm (the official start time of the tea party) and police/security had already stopped letting people into the plaza. Supposedly, from information on the web, Jones Plaza has official capacity of 5000 people. After that the fire marshall closes it. My only guess is that there must have been over 5000 people there because I could not get onto the plaza.

However, the sidewalks were just as packed. Everywhere I turned people stood shoulder to shoulder, some with placards and signs, listening to the speakers and cheering. Businessmen in suits and ties and women in skirts and blouses stood side by side with rednecks in overalls holding misspelled posters. This was definitely not a one-party, one-socioeconomic class group of protesters.

Eventually my wife and son came to see what all the ruckus was about. By that time people had started to leave, and it was easier to move around the plaza and listen to the speakers. Many people had children holding posters. Organizers passed out petition lists to take roll and set up tables to sell shirts and bumper stickers. Entrepreneurs sold tea bags or buttons.

All in all, a wonderful experience, and hopefully the beginning of continued discontent. Yesterday's tea parties were the rumbles before the earthquake. Three men on the light rail heading towards the protest had a conversation about the tea party and one said,

"the American Revolution started with the Boston Tea Party and escalated to violence in the name of American liberty and values. These tea parties are the equivalent of the Boston, but are Americans ready to take the next step if necessary?"

That is an interesting question.

More pictures:
pic 1 pic 2 pic 3 pic 4 pic 5 pic 6 pic 7 pic 8 pic 9 pic 10 pic 11
pic 12 pic 13 pic 14 pic 15 pic 16

Houston Tea Party

2009-04-15T16:16:00.002-06:00

For those of you who don't know, today is a big day. Yes, today is April 15th, tax day, but that has significance for the way we are protesting those taxes and pork.

A grassroots organization, the Tea Party Society, started organizing tea parties -- protests -- around the country in response to the wanton spending that our leaders in Washington d.c. Have done. Not just since Obama took over, but during the Bush regime as well.

Most people's boiling points were hit when the stimulus package was passed. It makes me mad (as you've heard me say) that Obama promised to have every bill wait five days before signing so the public could read and react yet he has kept his promise on NOT ONE BILL.

Also, although $787B of ''stimulus'' was passed, not a single person (not even Mr. Obama) read the bill in it's entirety before signing it into law. In addition, much, if not more than half, of the funds will not be paid out in 2009. That's quick stimulus!

So here we are, over 5000+ strong, in downtown Houston, one of hundreds of cities around the country holding these protests, to tell people that we're sick of this outrageous spending.

If you have time, come down to 601 Louisianna in Houston, Jones Plaza, and join the movement. Visit http://www.houstontps.org/ for more information. Facebook page here.

Pictures to come!
--- Sent with System SEVEN - the new generation of mobile messaging

Sounded the Klaxon

2009-04-13T06:23:00.002-06:00

This morning I was reading my American Medical Association news briefing, when one of the authors said this (in an article about atypical antidepressants):

But, "in November, an expert panel advising the FDA on pediatric drug safety sounded the klaxon over the rising use of atypical antipsychotics among kids, and faulted the FDA for failing to issue warnings strong enough to stem the tide." (emphasis added)

I've always considered myself pretty adept at the English language; surely not the wisest and most talented master, but it has been one of my few talents. I've read numerous books, news articles, etc., and never come across this phrase.

So, on reading it this morning, it immediately jumped out at me. It sounded like a Star Trek character ... and I almost thought it was. My first search on Google returned a webpage talking about Klaxons as some type of alarm in the Star Wars universe. However, I doubted that the author of a news briefing would allude to obscure Star Wars alarms, no matter how happy George Lucas would be, and kept digging.

The next link was a memoir of a soldier in the 1960s who mentions a klaxon and describes it as a warning siren on his ship. This sounded more reasonable, so I took off to Merriam-Webster to see if he could shed any more light on this alien subject.

Mr. Webster calls a klaxon a

used for an electrically operated horn or warning signal

That old soldier was right.

So now "sounding the klaxon" makes sense. Sounding a warning siren. However, I think I'll always have a funny picture of George Lucas in a Sith outfit ringing a bell every time I hear it.

What Religion Are You?

2009-04-12T00:05:00.002-06:00

Stumbled across this fun 20 question religious quiz. Then the program rates how well you fit into different religions.

Here's my results:

1. Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints (Mormons) (100%)
2. Mainline to Conservative Christian/Protestant (97%)
3. Jehovah's Witness (95%)
4. Orthodox Quaker (80%)
5. Mainline to Liberal Christian Protestants (79%)
6. Eastern Orthodox (75%)
7. Roman Catholic (75%)
8. Orthodox Judaism (71%)
9. Baha'i Faith (63%)
10. Seventh Day Adventist (62%)
11. Islam (59%)
12. Sikhism (58%)
13. Christian Science (Church of Christ, Scientist) (53%)
14. Hinduism (52%)
15. Liberal Quakers (51%)
16. Mahayana Buddhism (42%)
17. Theravada Buddhism (41%)
18. Jainism (41%)
19. Reform Judaism (40%)
20. Unitarian Universalism (39%)
21. Neo-Pagan (35%)
22. New Thought (30%)
23. Scientology (29%)
24. New Age (25%)
25. Secular Humanism (23%)
26. Nontheist (19%)
27. Taoism (16%)

Glad to know I am whatever I think I am!

Congratulations!!

2009-04-09T18:25:00.022-06:00

Congratulations to Dennis and the Diabetes Research & Wellness Foundation

Congratulations to Dennis and the Diabetes Research & Wellness Foundation (DRWF), winners of TBE Play For a Cause 2009!!

This year the carnage was fierce, and those who lead early saw their prospects sink as front-runners bowed out in the Sweet 16. It was then that Dennis soared to the top, thanks to near flawless picks in the Sweet 16 and Elite 8.

By the Final Four, only two remained. Fittingly, it was last year's winner, Sara, playing for Autism Speaks, against the newcomer -- the upstart -- Dennis and DRWF. Could this be likened to Sarah Palin vs Barack Obama? You make the call.

If UCONN won their final four game, the pressure would be on UNC to win. A UNC win guaranteed victory for Dennis. However, this year was meant for Change, and UCONN fell to a scrappy Michigan St. team before UNC ever took the floor. The win was Dennis and DRWF's, with the icing on the cake that UNC went on to claim the national championship and add points to the champ's total.

By the Final Four, only two remained

And, due to the idiosyncracies of March Madness (later rounds are worth more points), UCONN's loss and UNC's win not only took the win from Sara, but also vaulted four other players (including your's truly) over Sara. So sorry! Congrats also to Julie and the Ovarian Cancer National Alliance and Veronica and Now I Lay Me Down to Sleep, who came in second and third, respectively (so close!).

To the right are the final results:

Now, FOR PAYMENT OPTIONS:

I think it's easier to pay the whole $90 to the Diabetes Research & Wellness Foundation, on behalf of The Bleeding Ear Pool, then try to donate multiple small donations. However, if you would like your donation individualized for tax purposes, I will comply as best I am able.

1. You can send me cash or check ($10) per bracket
2. You can send $10 using credit card or paypal by following the link in the sidebar
3. I will send invoices via email to every contestant so that you pay via Paypal if you wish (and do not want to click on the link above). These will also serve as reminders. Also, if you pay via paypal, you will automatically get a receipt.

I will send in the donation as soon as I receive all funds. Hurry and send them ASAP!

Are All Charities Good?

2009-04-02T15:23:00.006-06:00

With the success of another TBE Play For a Cause campaign evident, and the economy in throes, the non-profit organizations we play for have taken a larger place in my little brain lately.

Not all charities are created equal. This thought gained prominence when I stumbled across a blog about Diabetes while trying to help Dennis find a Diabetes charity to represent. This blog, Diabetes Developments, had a post describing the largest diabetes charities and their efficiency.

He steered me towards a great website, Charity Navigator, that gives you the information to make a good decision on who to support.

Look at diabetes organizations. The largest are probably the American Diabetes Association (ADA), the Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation International, Diabetes Research Institute Foundation, Joslin Diabetes Center, and Diabetes Research and Wellness Foundation.

Charity Navigator lets you know how much of their budget is spent on programs (which is what you are donating to support), administration, and fundraising (yes, money to ask for more money). Granted, no charity can exist with $0 in admin and fundraising, because people who work full-time for these organizations must be compensated, and it takes money to advertise a cause to get people to support you. BUT, obviously an organization that spends 90% of its money on programs is more efficient than one that spends 70%.

Here's how Charity Navigator stacks up the aforementioned diabetes organizations:

And, just so you know, here's how Heifer International, last year's winner, stacks up:

What surprised me was the ADA. They are so large, so well known, and looking at this, you find out that giving money to them is a waste. The money's better spent on one of the other diabetes organizations.

So next time you give, maybe you'll look a little first. It doesn't hurt to make sure your money is being used how you really want it.

TBE Play For a Cause 2009 Final Four Update

2009-03-29T17:59:00.002-06:00

Well, we've gone through two weekends of March Madness, and found ourselves at the Final Four. Interestingly, just as this year's tourney has been different than the past four or five (very few upsets and few close games in the later rounds), this year's pool is very different from last year.

Last year, entering the Final Four, any number of people could win. Heifer International ended up coming from behind to take the crown by virtue of Kansas' championship over Memphis.

This year, Dennis, who hasn't even picked a charity yet, zoomed from the bottom to the top of the pack with his stellar Sweet Sixteen picking, and held on through the Elite 8. Conversely, many a soul, including yours truly, is out after picking Louisville or Memphis to win it all.

So, with the Final Four coming this Saturday, the race of 9 has now become a race of two. If UCONN wins it's Final Four game, and UNC loses to Villanova, then Sara and Autism Speaks wins the pot. If however, UNC beats Villanova, then nothing else matters and Dennis better figure out a charity to accept all our hard earned cash.

Congrats to all who've played, and made this year even better than last. Pick your side, for the battle will be fierce. UCONN and Autism Speaks vs UNC and TBA.

TBE Play for a Cause 2009 Group

2009-03-10T17:28:00.006-06:00

For everyone who wants to join this year's "TBE Play for a Cause" March Madness pool, two announcements:

1. The pool at ESPN is created.

- go to http://games.espn.go.com/tcmen/frontpage to log in.
- if you have a previous screenname and password, you can enter them on the right

- otherwise, click "sign up for a free account."

- then fill in all the information to create an account. Remember! By doing this you are also entered (for free) in ESPN's $10,000 contest!

- once you sign in or sign up, click on the gold link to create a bracket.

- then name your bracket after the charity of your choice (this step is important!)

- after naming your bracket, click on the "My Groups" link in the middle of the page, and follow the drop down list to "Create or Join a Group"

- once you are at the Groups page, you should search for "TBE Play for a Cause 2009"

- click on the group, then you will see the group page. Enter "TBE" as the password, and join the group! You have entered the "TBE Play for a Cause" 2009 March Madness Pool!

2. Selection Sunday is this Sunday, March 15th, 2009.
- you can join the pool before then, but you cannot officially fill in your bracket (because all the teams haven't been set yet).
- therefore, REMEMBER TO FILL IN YOUR BRACKET THIS SUNDAY OR MONDAY!

That is all for now. If you have questions, drop me an email.

March Madness Pool 2009

2009-03-07T10:07:00.006-07:00

I know this is a hard year, but we can still give

Everyone, it's that time of year again.

While I am busily learning medicine and working 12 hour days at the hospital, you will be watching all the action-packed basketball games that give truth to the monikor "March Madness."

As always, I'm rooting for BYU to NOT underperform, and make it out of the first round. I'm not saying they'll go all the way, but it'd be nice to see an 8 seed finally move to round 2.

Last year was the inagural "TBE Play for a Cause." Congrats again to Sara, the winner, and Heifer International, the charity for whom she played.

For those of you who did not enjoy the inaugural run, here's the background/rules. Every year for March Madness, people join pools. Every participant donates money to the pot, and the winner takes all the money. Last year, instead of just giving money to someone, I thought it would be wonderful to harness this economic power to do some social good.

Congrats again to Sara, the winner, and Heifer International

In "TBE Play for a Cause" each participant contributes $10 to the pot and chooses a charity to represent. Then he or she signs up at ESPN.com (doubling the pot, because you are defacto entered into ESPN's contest also) and joins my pool (for ease of keeping track of results daily). Each contestant receives points based on the number of games correctly picked -- using the same scoring rules that ESPN uses. At the end of the tournament, the pot will go to the charity of the winning player.

I know this is a hard year, the economy is a maelstrom around us, and Barack Obama wants to socialize healthcare, but we can still give. $10 is the price of one entre at a middle-of-the-road restaurant, or food for 2 at McDonalds. It's the price for 1 day of parking in the Texas Medical Center where I work. I know you guys can give up one day of driving into work for a worthy cause.

Here is the rallying call: Come one, come all, to the second annual TBE Play for a Cause! Choose a charity! Fill your bracket! Let us help the less fortunate! May the best contestant win!

Welcome, March Madness 2009. We are ready.

Now I Lay Me Down To Sleep ...

2009-01-12T21:10:00.005-07:00

Life has been as crazy as ever, and blog posts have been very scarce of late. That does not mean I have not written them in my head! Oh no! Usually I get great ideas for things to share, pontificate upon, etc., but because school and the hospitals keep me away from computers, the words never make it from my mind to my blog.

For two months before Christmas, I was on my Pediatrics rotation. Working with children was very rewarding, but one of the hardest parts of being in the hospital was that truly sick child -- the one that for whatever reason, was not going home.

Working with adults, when someone finally succumbs to their disease, you can chalk it up to their previous bad habits (like smoking, eating fatty food, not exercising, etc), but with children, it's either dumb luck (infection) or other people's problems (abuse).

The most depressing is probably seeing the newborns pass away. My newborn experience while on pediatrics was confined to the well baby nursery, and it was enjoyable to see happy parents with their new children. I also remember when my son was born, and the extreme joy -- no, spiritual experience -- that I had when holding him in my hands for the first time.

The dichotomy to all that joy must be the hurt when a baby dies, and historically physicians have encouraged parents who know their baby will be born with a fatal condition to terminate the pregnancy early and not grow attached to the fetus. A couple that attends church with us recently had a son with anencephaly -- a fatal condition where the child is born basically without a brain -- and chose to do the opposite of the physician's wishes. She bore him to term, they named him, held him until he passed, and buried him. It helped them gain closure to the experience -- especially given their belief that they can be together as a family in the hereafter.

Now there is a non-profit organization that helps parents that choose to gain closure like our church friends. Now I Lay Me Down to Sleep is a network of professional photographers throughout the United States that are on call 24/7 to take photos of families, parents, and the newborn during the short time the child is on this earth. Then they put the photos on an archival DVD for keepsake.

Wonderful. I wish nobody had to go through the death of a child, but if it happens, it's nice to know there are organizations and people like this to help. This year -- barring something monumental -- I will play in the second annual TBE March Madness Pool for them.

Chuck Norris Votes Utah #1

2009-01-08T21:48:00.008-07:00

What happened to the good old days, where teams that went undefeated were awarded the National Championship? Oh yeah, ESPN and the BCS...that's what happened.

Congrats to Florida, for finishing a blemished season with an ugly win over a good Oklahoma team, but seriously, what the heck???

Tebow's great, and Florida's a good team, but if Stoops hadn't gone for it twice in the red zone in the first half, that last touchdown would have barely put them up, and the end would have had a much different tenor. Plus, Texas was clearly better than OK this season.

Utah beat Alabama 31-17, and Florida beat 'Bama 31-20. Utah beat Oregon State the week after USC lost to Mr. Rodgers in his neighborhood. So Utah's better in head-to-head matchups than Florida and USC, and Florida beat Oklahoma, so only Texas is really out of the loop.

So what's the truth? Well, the truth is that the BCS probably breaks the Sherman Antitrust Law, but it also probably has the pockets of people that would adjudicate that, as well as the hearts of many prosecutors and defense attorneys who would litigate it. The truth is the BCS will never give a school from outside those 6 arbitrarily magical conferences a fair shake. The truth is we'll never know who is truly the best team because the current system is WORSE than the bowl system ante-bowl-alliance.

No, scratch that last sentence. The truth is, Utah is the the true #1, for one simple little-known fact -- Chuck Norris plays for Utah. And we all know, Chuck Norris kills all who oppose him with sharp roundhouse kicks. You can't be national champions if you're dead.

Why can't Utah get any BCS love?

2008-11-19T11:08:00.003-07:00

USC, stop sleeping with ESPN's Mark May (and the pollsters)

In 2004 an undefeated Utah got shut out of the National Championship game and went on to beat Pittsburgh in the Mountain West Conference's (MWC) first BCS bowl game. In the era before BCS, Utah may have shared the national championship by virtue of going undefeated. Instead, they got a $4.5 million pat on the back, and Urban Meyer ran to the swamps of Florida.

This year, the Utes are in an even better position, yet still seem to be the poor kid looking in to the party through the window because the doors are all locked. The MWC has taken care of business this year, going 9-5 against BCS foes, with Utah going 2-0. It's also produced 3 high caliber teams (Utah, TCU, BYU) that may all end the season with 10 or more wins and ranked in the top 20 in the nation.

Here's the stats of the MWC against BCS conferences this year:

2008 MWC record vs. BCS = 9-5 (5-1home, 0-1neutral, 4-3away)
MWC vs other conferences:
MWC vs Pac10 = Wash, UCLA, Stan, Ariz, Ariz St, Cal, Ore St = 6-1
MWC vs Big10 = Michigan, ND = 1-1
MWC vs Big East = NONE
MWC vs ACC = NONE
MWC vs Big12 = CU, A&M, OU, ISU = 1-3
MWC vs SEC = Tenn = 1-0

The BCS computers have Utah ranked #4 with 0.8500 points, lagging only behind Texas Tech (0.9800), Alabama (0.9600), and Texas (0.9300). However, the human pollsters have Utah ranked 7th and 8th, behind Florida, Oklahoma, and USC.

Yet all three of these teams have a loss, and USC's loss came to an Oregon State team that Utah beat the very next week. In a head to head matchup of results it seems clear that Utah should at least be ahead of USC. I mean, look above, the MWC went 6-1 against the Pac-10 this year, so not only did Utah do better against common opponents, but it navigated a stronger conference field than USC did.

So, I posed this question to Stewart Mandel, with Sports Illustrated:

Stewart, what, if anything, needs to happen for Utah to have a shot at the title game? If they go 12-0, they'll have ran the table in a conference that went 9-5 against BCS foes, and beaten the team (Ore. St.) that beat USC. The computers rank them #4 in the BCS standings now, but the pollsters hold them back. If OU beat Texas Tech, then loses in the Big 12 title game, and Alabama stumbles somewhere along the way, and Utah destroys BYU, can Utah get pollster love and make the top 2??

I don't know if he'll answer my question, but this is my plea: Oregon State, please win out. Utah, kill my alma mater. Tech, lose to Oklahoma. Oklahoma, lose to Missouri. Alabama, just lose, please. Florida, stop sleeping with pollsters. USC, stop sleeping with ESPN's Mark May (and the pollsters).

If these things happen, then maybe, just maybe, Utah can get a little love.

I love (miss) X96

2008-11-18T15:50:00.011-07:00

So, leaving Utah, there have been (surprisingly, for me) many things that I have missed. I've actually missed the snow, devotionals, hydroplaning in my car on ice, late nights at Walmart, freezing bleachers for BYU football games, enlightening classes, J Dawgs, mountain biking, and great people.

But perhaps the thing I miss most of Utah is X96. It's easily in the top 2 radio stations I've EVER heard. I never realized how much its morning show, "Radio From Hell," was a part of my day until I moved back to Houston from medical school and didn't have it. I spent many mornings streaming it online while studying biochemistry. Even today, as I finished up my work at the hospital, and went to study pediatrics, I had that irresistible urge to listen to Kerry, Bill, and Gina. iTunes now has a podcast of it, and calls it,

"Radio From Hell is the longest running radio program in the Salt Lake City-area market, and is consistently one of the top-rated programs in the area. ... Rolling Stone cited KXRK as one of the top-five rock and roll stations in the U.S."

Yesterday I was doubly blessed, because while feeding my hunger for X96, Corey O'Brien, the DJ from 2pm to 7pm MST, released ten codes to download the new Nickleback album, Dark Horse, for free. What do you know? I got one! Bonus! When I get home, I'll listen to the new album and let you know how it is.

Combo Breaker

2008-11-11T12:00:00.007-07:00

There is sun peaking through the clouds. There is a silver lining in the tapestry of presidential politics. As the presidential race progressed, many people rightly questioned Barack Obama's pedigree, and his history.

After all, this man will be president of our country. He is known to have dealings with ACORN, a local activist organization that has decidedly un-capitalistic dreams. Yet, to be truthful, the extent of his dealings and depth of his personal connection are misrepresented by both sides, obscuring true fact for the rest of us. It's probably somewhere in between what Democrats and Republicans assert.

He also ran on a promise to expand federal housing subsidies, but in Chicago, his federal-private partnership garnered only 11 of 100 points on a federal inspection.

Lest he be outdone by such stellar managing, he made it clear that his lack of managerial experience was not a problem before applying to be the manager of the most wealthy and diverse entity the world has ever known. He has the supreme experience of being a "community organizer," where he stood before others at local civic centers and railed on the establishment, preaching change. When he effected none, he kept going up the political ladder preaching that same message of change while leaving his previous position without any.

But let's not let our president-elect's dubious relationships or lack of genuine leadership experience stop us from supporting his socialist policies as he tries to effect change to this nation!

No! Here, more than ever, we need to put aside our reservations -- genuine though they may be -- and realize that America has done a great and heretofore unthinkable thing. America has chosen an African-American president because it genuinely feels that he is the best candidate for the job.

Imagine what they'd say, if you went back in time, and told a slave on a plantation in 1858 in Georgia that one day a black man would be president of this country. Imagine what you'd hear in respose to your declaration of Obama's win outside a voting line in the 1870s, where black voters were being harassed by klansmen and turned away by an obsurdly high poll-tax. Envision the scene if you walked into a restaurant through the front, "whites only" door in Alabama in the 1950s and addressed a crowd where the blacks all sat in the back, having come through the back door, and announced this.

Granted he is half-black, and some, including your's truly, thinks he showed poor form by divorcing himself from his white side - the side he identified with his whole life until Harvard - and transformed himself into a "black man" for political expediency.

That said, he has still broken a large racial barrier, and done it on a message of hope and change that has unified the country more than anything over the last 8 years. We all, whether we voted for him or not, should do our best to make him a successful president because it will further strengthen destruction of that horrible and artificial wall of race in politics, serve as an impetus to help minority men and women strive to attain high goals (since, yes, somebody has actually done it!), and frankly bring America back to a path of solidarity that will serve it well at home and in the international community. Too much hatred lately.

Now, if only we can do this without enacting broad-based socialist "reforms"!

Does your vote count?

2008-11-09T16:25:00.009-07:00

The most ubiquitous reason for not voting that I hear from friends, acquaintances, and CNN, is that "my vote doesn't count." It comes from Republicans and Democrats (and Libertarians) alike. Living in Texas, my fellow Democrats (yes, I am a registered Democrat) complain that Texas will always be red, so there's no point.

First, looking at it along party lines neuters the point anyways. Yes, Eugene Volokh just recently made a very cogent argument for voting straight party tickets, but I would counter that if you can educate yourself on the candidates, you should vote individually instead of straight party because people are complex entities and rarely stand with the party platform on every issue. This is incredibly prevalent today, as Republicans are a hodgepodge of Libertarians who cast their vote with a major party and conservative christians.

Instead, you should look at the elections race by race. Then your vote always matters.

Second, this feeling of voting impotence is so widespread that it feeds on itself and becomes a self-fulfilling prophecy. Just look at Florida in 2000. Clearly, had Democrat voters not thought this, and stayed home, Gore would have taken Florida and the white house.

This year, because of the euphoria of Obama -- Obamaphoria, so to speak -- numerous democrats DID go out to the polls. The result? Let's look at Harris County, my county and one of the largest counties in the country.

5 of 6 races were separated by less than 6%

Historically, Harris county has been strongly "Red." Republicans make up most of the west of the county, in suburbs outside the Houston metropolitan area. The east part of the county is downtown Houston and some blue-collar small cities in the metroplex. It's much more Blue, but never achieves very good voter turnout -- hence the overall Red nature of the county.

In this election, besides the vote for President of the USA, there were 42 contested elections in Harris county with 2-3 challengers. I'm ignoring uncontested races or races with 4+ challengers, as the odds of receiving a majority vote is infinitely small.

Harris county went to Obama 51% to 49%.
Out of the other 42 contested elections, 34 of 42 (81% or 5 of every 6) were decided by margins 53% to 47% or closer. 7 elections were statistically 50/50, separated by mere votes, in a county where each race often garners 600k to 800k total votes. 18 races were 51%/49%, 4 were 52/48, and 4 were 53/47 (and 1 was 54/46).

Plus, all these elections were for the local leaders that impact the daily lives of voters -- arguably making these races far more important. They determined who'd try their cases in civil or criminal court, who'd determine what roads are built or repaved, and how to best lead the police force keeping the populace safe. That impacts more people on an immediate, temporal level, than whether Obama pulls troops out of Iraq in April 2009 or 2010.

So, your vote really does count. Remember this, and take pride in standing in line, clicking those boxes, and submitting your ballot. Yours could be the vote that puts one candidate over the edge.

Long Live Comrade Obama!

2008-11-05T06:09:00.007-07:00

Clearly the American people have spoken. Most, nearly 80% purportedly, made up their minds over two months ago. Most in my county, nearly 60% I last heard, voted straight party tickets -- leading to a historically Republican county going 51% to 49% for Obama.

Obama obviously ran the best campaign, so it's no surprise he won. McCain was incredibly and inexplicably inept at streamlining his campaign's points, becoming assessable to the people, and changing direction when the hot topic moved from Foreign Affairs to the Economy.

Secondly, McCain was a very poor debater. Numerous times he had opportunities to pin Obama on vague remarks and wrong assertions. Whether done on purpose or not, McCain clearly never took advantage of these moments and hence never took advantage of the debates.

I can and will go into the interesting points of this election at a later date, but now I want to say,

"Long Live Comrade Obama!"

Presidential Debate 1 Aftermath 1

2008-09-27T09:12:00.010-06:00

Well, the first presidential debate is over, and frankly, it stunk. Hence, I picked my butt up off the couch and took my wife out to sushi. Caught the rest of it on the late night re-runs. Glad I didn't waste my time.

In support of something political but a lot more enlightening than either the stumbling-bumbling McCain or flowery-but-without-substance Obama gave us last night, here's a link to a Wolf Blitzer interview of Lynn Forester de Rothschild.

She is a high ranking woman in the Democratic Party who was on their platform committee until recently resigning due to her open support of John McCain for president.

"Democrat Wolf in impartial journalist's clothing" Blitzer is beside himself to hear that someone could actually, logically, support a Republican. Must-watch TV.

Who am I?

2008-08-07T18:45:00.007-06:00

I finally have a free hour away from the hospital, and I just watched the latest episode of D.Gray-man. That got me thinking about how to waste time -- and nothing's better than trying to figure out what character I am.

So, I found out what D.Gray-man character I am, and then went on to see what character I would be from other anime shows I've watched.

Caveat: Most of these online quizzes suck. Sometimes there was more than one for a show, and I took the character that I "matched" with the most.

What D.Gray-man Character Are You?
Hosted By theOtaku.com: Anime and Fandom

What Samurai Champloo Character Are You?
Hosted By theOtaku.com: Anime and Fandom

Which Death Note Character Are You?

Light Yagami

People see you as serious, stern, and intelligent. You want to win at everything. You hope to cleanse the world of all evil and eventually rule the new world as it's God! You are justice!

Follow the Leader

2008-07-26T19:38:00.007-06:00

Over the last month I have been incognito -- stuck inside a hospital learning how to cut people and stitch them up (and perhaps save a life or two). However, this has not been an unimportant month.

Last October, for the first time in history, Vietnam was elected to the United Nation's Security Council. This council has 15 members -- 5 permanent members (USA, China, Britain, France, Russia) and 10 rotating members.

The 15-member Security Council is action central at the United Nations, with the power to adopt binding resolutions, impose sanctions and send peacekeeping missions around the world.

The presidency of this council rotates monthly, and Vietnam has served as president for this month. With less than a week remaining in July, what has happened? Has Vietnam been a good president?

Over the Course of July, violence has increased in Afghanistan, including the most deadly attack in three years. Unlike Iraq, Afghanistan does have UN involvement. Where is it?

Hostages were freed in Columbia ... oh wait, the UN didn't have anything to do with that, and it looks like Columbia and the USA may have bent a few international laws along the way.

I will update this as I find information. Feel free to chime in with thoughts.

"I am a Mole." & "Do you read?" Revisited

2008-06-27T09:28:00.007-06:00

Sacrifice your life for the grade. Sacrifice your family for the future.

Light. Blinding light. My eyes squint, teary; blurred images -- silhouettes -- shift along a field of white. Months of living below ground in the dark are over, and I poke my head out of the hole. A mole above ground ... for a weekend.

In order to practice medicine in the United States you must pass three licensing exams. The first one, dubbed "Step 1," is taken after your first two years of medical school. This is because the first two years are predominantly class-based basic sciences, and the Step 1 tests student aptitude on these core subjects.

Due to quirks in the US system, the Step 1 exam has become the primary arbitrator of what residency you get, which in turn decides what specialty of medicine you practice for your life.

It's pretty important.

At UT-Houston, second-year classes are year-long, in part because studying for finals helps double as studying for the Step 1. This is when the moles dive DEEP.

My wife and son left for Utah mid-March, and spent a month there with family so I could study unobstructed at home. At the beginning of April I forwent all fun activities. It was total business. From sunup to sundown, studying was the game. My family returned as block exams rolled around, and I took my studying to school. After that came finals. After finals came five weeks of studying strictly for the Step 1.

Every day I'd wake up about 6am, get ready and hit the books by 7am. A friend, Marie, picked me up at 8am, and we studied at the library until 3pm. I had a review class from 3pm until 7:30pm M-F, and after getting home, ate dinner and studied some more until midnight. On the weekends it was the same, except no class in the evening.

Day after day went by. After reading the article that engendered "Do you read?" I started keeping track of the time I spent with my family. Typically, I warmed a bottle for my son when I got up in the morning, and spent 15 minutes feeding him about 7am. Although I saw my wife when I got home about 8pm, I really didn't spend time talking with her. Any "meaningful" time came about 11pm to 1am. Typically for about 1 hour, before I hit the hay.

That is the high pressure life of a second year medical student. Sacrifice your life for the grade. Sacrifice your family for the future. If you don't get two standard deviations above the mean, you can't choose what you do for the rest of your life. Imagine that...wanting to be an engineer, but someone else telling you that you'll be an electrical engineer versus a chemical engineer. That's the state of medicine today.

But now the exam is over. I have poked my head above ground. My wife and I spent four days in Corpus Christi to recuperate. Too bad on Monday I start working 120 hours a week during my General Surgery rotation. Here we go again...

Yo, Washington DC! Uphold the Second Amendment!

2008-06-26T10:04:00.012-06:00

[Edited 26 July 2008 -- Absolute % of murders were transposed. Now corrected. The corrected error actually strengthened my argument. Sorry for the inconvenience.]

That, in effect, was what the Supreme Court said today when it ruled 5-4 that Washington D.C.'s sweeping gun ban was unconstitutional.

Two points interested me:

1. Chicago, IL was one of a few cities that have enacted gun bans similarly tough and filed amicus briefs on behalf of the defendant (Washington D.C.). Barack Obama comes from said city, and has made no qualms about his desire to limit gun ownership if he is president.

2. The writer makes the statement

City attorneys urged the high court to intervene [overturn appellate court ruling], warning, "The District of Columbia -- a densely populated urban locality where the violence caused by handguns is well-documented -- will be unable to enforce a law that its elected officials have sensibly concluded saves lives."

There were 143 gun-related murders in Washington last year, compared with 135 in 1976, when the handgun ban was enacted."

An astute commenter asked,

What I want to know is what point is being made by saying this statistic?

There were 143 gun-related murders in Washington last year, compared with 135 in 1976, when the handgun ban was enacted

Okay, so they had roughly the same number of murders 32 years ago before the ban as they did with it last year. Of course lets leave out the part about population change, culture change, increased drug usage, higher poverety (sic). This statisic (sic) doesn't say anything for or against guns, it's just a pointless statistic.

My sentiments at first also. However, after reading the comment, I wondered if his and my assumptions were true.

I won't tackle every variable, but I think the crux of the statistic quoted is population and murders.

Contrary to my belief, the population of Washington D.C. has actually decreased since the 1960s. In 1976, the population was 702,000 (according to these data). 188 total murders and of those, 135 gun-related murders (according to CNN). That's 1 gun-related murder per 5200 people. In 2006, D.C.'s population was about 581,530 and 169 total murders (143 gun-related last year). That's 1 per 4067 people.

So, by banning guns in 1976, gun-related murders increased from 0.0192% of the population to 0.0246% -- an absolute risk increase of 0.0054%. A small increase in murders for banning guns? For denying people a constitutional right?

Wait! Wait, you say. Total murders dropped. Isn't that a good thing? Possibly, except that 72% of murders in 1976 were gun-related and that rose to 85% last year.

In between 1976 and last year, murder rates actually ballooned (to a high of 481 in 1991) and then fell to current levels all while the population steadily declined.

My question is thus: If banning guns is so effective, why did gun-related murders rise during the succeeding 30 years? Why did the percentage of murders that were gun-related increase? Why did murders rise from 188 in 1976 to 481 in 1991 before falling to the current level? What happened in 1991 to reverse the trend?

I think the Supreme Court made the right decision today. Now let's find out what D.C. really did to cut down on crime.

Do you read?

2008-05-21T08:55:00.005-06:00

Today L. Gordon Crovitz, in his article, "The Digital Future of Books," for the Wall Street Journal, said,

"The not-so-positive case is that, at least so far, we're not giving up on books for the same words on screens – we're giving up on words. Pick your data point: A recent National Endowment for the Arts report, "To Read or Not to Read," found that 15- to 24-year-olds spend an average of seven minutes reading on weekdays; people between 35 and 44 spend 12 minutes; and people 65 and older spend close to an hour." (emphasis added)

They obviously didn't poll medical students. Right now I average 14 or 15 hours reading a day. I average 5 minutes of seeing my son (while he's awake) and 30 minutes of meaningful conversation with my wife (while she's awake).

How much do you read?

Congratulations Heifer International

2008-05-13T13:34:00.004-06:00

Well, it's been a long time coming, but finals got in the way. Sorry.

Money's collected. Donation's been made.

Congratulations again to Sara and Heifer International -- The inaugural winner of The Bleeding Ear's "Play For A Cause" March Madness pool.

This year proved a great success. The tournament had some amazing games, our pool had some ups (MoJo) and downs (StudentsForAFreeTibet ... i.e. me). All in all, it was a lot of fun and a worthy cause was helped.

Through some generous gift matching, the $50 raised by our pool will actually be two $50 contributions! So, our actual donation raised for Heifer International is $100. Congratulations to all who played.

Here's the final results for posterity:

Many of my readers, friends, and family have expressed a desire to play next year. I expect a much larger pool, and greater gift for charity next year. What better way to watch March Madness?

***Business: Cards commemorating the donation will arrive in about a week, and receipts for tax purposes (it's a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization) will arrive in two weeks. I called in the order instead of processing it online so that individual receipts could be mailed and those who want to deduct their donation may do so.***

As always, TBE is more than open to ideas on how to improve this pool for next year.

Once Again, congrats to Sara from Raising My Ebenezer and Heifer International!

My Church in the News

2008-04-28T17:45:00.004-06:00

Today many people from the congregation ("ward" as Mormons call it) I grew up attending were interviewed about the polygamous sect in North Texas. Unfortunately, many people today still believe many misconceptions about Mormons, including that we have many wives. FALSE! Trust me, one is enough!

I don't always understand why these misconceptions persist, since polygamy in my church ended over 100 years ago -- I think it's similar to assuming that everyone from England still dressed like they do in "Pride and Prejudice" and shipped convicts off to Australia. With the past president of our church, Gordon B. Hinckley, appearing regularly on Larry King Live, and two prominent Mormon politicians (Mitt Romney and Harry Reid), you'd think people would have ample opportunity to be educated out of their flat-earth beliefs.

Some of it stems from overtly harmful and false remarks made by evangelical preachers to lead their flocks astray, but I firmly believe that's the exception (small exception) not the rule. Mostly, I think people hear it through the grapevine, and don't care enough to invalidate the absurdity of it all.

Nevertheless, with the circus in North Texas regarding the polygamous sect, my church has once again started clarifying the misconceptions and for that I'm glad. Any opportunity to build good will and educate people is a blessing. It's a short video from a local Houston television station, but I think the point is good for everyone.

I was going to embed the video here, but channel 39 has poor code, and it wouldn't load. I tried for too long, getting Youtube to work easily, but never this video. So, you'll have to click the link and see it for yourself in it's native webpage.

Local Mormon Congregation explains beliefs

I know many of my close friends at medical school have had lots of questions for me over the last month, so don't be shy to ask any in the comments section. I will respond, albeit possibly slow since I'm in the middle of finals.

I am a Mole

2008-04-21T14:14:00.007-06:00

There's a lot people don't know about medical school. I once tried to blog specifically about it, but two blogs and school took way to much time, and it had to go. I've determined I should post more about my experiences here.

Medical students are moles. Yes, many of us are hairy and most of us have four appendages.

Moles live below the surface of the earth. They have full lairs and networks of tunnels connecting one hole to another. They can pop their head up in one yard, only to dive down again and surface far away in another yard.

Medical school forces even the most intelligent student to study. People tell you medical school is hard, but you never really get it until you're in the fire. Here at my school, we have exams every six to eight weeks. This produces a predictable pattern.

The first week after an exam you can see medical students all over town. They go clubbing, out to movies, and date. They may even spend time with family. If married, a spouse may remember that he/she is married when the medical student walks in all of a sudden.

"Oh you. Yeah, a couple years back, we did that thingie with the tuxedo and the white dress and church...you remember don't you?"

The second week medical students get back to the grind. They start attending classes again, catch up on lectures missed by streaming them online, and go out only during the evenings or on weekends (and usually to do planned activities). This routine extends through weeks three and four, if you're on the six-week schedule, or three through five if you have the eight week version (I'm the latter).

On the eight week course, things start to get serious in week six. Exams are coming up, and the medical student spends most of the day studying. You can find him or her at school or the library late into the evening. If lucky, you might pull him/her away for a couple hours on the weekend for a big event.

The seventh week is when the mole fully enters his chambers. The exams are palpable, and stress is everywhere. Men lose hair and women go gray just standing near medical students. If you ask how they're doing, you're liable to get a stare saying "what do you think?" and a verbal "you know ... surviving..." Medical students this week don't exist. They move like wraiths through the house; you notice they're around only because books and piles of papers are moved and food is conspicuously missing from the fridge.

The eighth week is exam week at my school. One exam a day. Medical students are ineligible to give blood during this week, as they have no blood -- pure coffee courses through their veins. For those whom caffeinated beverages aren't enough, there's caffeinated gum and amphetamines. This week medical students are nowhere to be found -- they get home long after you've gone to bed and arise before you wake up. You notice the sheets are rumpled, but that's about it. If you do run into one during the day, they'll probably mumble something about Tinel's sign, metacarpophalangeal joints, or lupus (the answer's always lupus).

Friday night, after the last test, the mole pokes his head out of his hole again, and realizes there is life outside of medical school. Time to party; we've got more exams in eight weeks.

TBE Play For A Cause Final Results

2008-04-10T09:17:00.011-06:00

March Madness is over, and so is the first annual "Play For A Cause" pool here at The Bleeding Ear.

Congratulations Heifer International (SI)!

Sara, from Raising My Ebenezer, beat out yours truly and everyone else to win the inaugural prize. She rode to victory on strong first and second rounds and Memphis in the finals. MoJo took second place, after living at the bottom of the ranks all tournament long. MoJo struck out in the middle rounds, but rode Kansas to the title, proving how important it is to get the later rounds correct.

I have not received the money from many players yet. Please let me know when I can receive the money so I can make the donation. MoJo and National Ovarian Cancer Alliance -- I know where you live! Please send it my way, or I'll be knocking on your door!

The winning cause is Heifer International. It is a charity that uses donations to buy animals, trees, and honeybees to support sustainable growth projects in developing countries around the world. It acts very similar to other microenterprise organizations -- conducting projects around the globe that give people tools (in this case animals/bees) to make money via selling milk, herding cattle, plowing fields, collecting honey, etc.

Heifer International has many projects throughout the world, and it is Sara's prize to choose where she'd like the money donated. My suggestion -- after looking yesterday -- might be to donate to the East Africa Dairy Development Project because the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation will match our donation. However, any project's good, and it's Sara's call.

Thank you to everyone who played this year. We've raised $50 for a worth cause, and I have already heard from people who want to play next year. I think this experiment was a great success, and I'm totally open to suggestions for improving it.

Once again, congratulations Sara and Heifer International!

My Elite Eight Experience

2008-04-07T19:54:00.004-06:00

In honor of Memphis making the Championship game, here's a little bit from Memphis v. Texas.

The day before the Elite Eight in Houston, my neighbor, John, called me.

"Hey, what're you doing tomorrow?

I dunno. Why?

My work got me tickets to the Texas game tomorrow. Wanna go?"

After thinking about it, I called him back.

"Thanks for the ticket. What time's the game?"

Not only did I get a ticket, but I got a ticket on the seventh row. This was a great thing, because the arena was cavernous. The University of Houston and Rice University worked together to host the Elite Eight at Reliant Arena in Houston. The problem is, Reliant was built for football, and basketball is played in a much smaller area.

The result was a built court in the middle of the stadium, that allowed lots of people to see the game, but really took away any kind of home court advantage Texas may have had. The ceiling was so high, and the whole place so spacious, that even I, on the seventh row, felt my cheers were going up, not out towards the court.

At first, I thought this might be a mistake from Houston, but after paying attention to other games, I think this is standard at these large games in the tournament. I just don't understand why they didn't use the Toyota Center -- it was built for basketball and would hold a lot of people. Perhaps it was booked?

That said, it was great to see a game up so close. I could shake hands with the Memphis players as they walked out of the tunnel. Although I've been around basketball players before, it's always a wakeup call when you stand next to one and realize again that he isn't really the two inches tall you see on tv, and oh yeah -- that super short guard is actually over six feet.

John's coworkers were all great guys, some brought their families, and in general we all enjoyed ourselves even though Texas got shellacked. I do believe that one of the referees was swallowing his whistle a little too much, and giving Memphis a little too much leeway on the offensive boards, but even if that had been normalized, Texas killed themselves the first half, and Memphis shot the lights out -- they were definitely the better team.

So, here's some pics I took at the game. The atmosphere was electric, and it's definitely an experience I recommend.

Quote of the Day

2008-04-07T14:07:00.004-06:00

"The face of sin today often wears the [Halloween] mask of tolerance. Do not be deceived; behind that facade is heartache, unhappiness, and pain."
-- Pres. Thomas S. Monson, Examples of Righteousness, 5 April 2008
*words in brackets [] were in the oration but not the transcript*

Magic 8 Review 4 (Final Four)

2008-04-05T21:29:00.003-06:00

How quickly things change. Within the space of one evening, I went from having a good chance to win it all in both pools I entered, to having absolutely ZERO shot at any more points -- zilch, nada, số không.

However, unfortunately, I was entirely correct about the basketball state of affairs. Earlier, I said this:

The Final Four ... number 1's. Booooorrrrringggggg. Hopefully, it will make for good basketball. That's what everyone on TV and in the papers keep saying.

"Oh, the first time in 25 years all four #1 seeds make the final four! What great games we'll have!"

I'm sorry if I don't believe. I want to believe, but they were saying the same things with the Elite Eight, and what happened? The ONLY good game was the one with the double digit seed -- #10 Davidson botches their last possession and loses by two to Kansas.

All other supposedly close games ended up with margins of 19 (UCLA), 18 (Memphis), and 10 (UNC).

Well, I was right and they were wrong. This gives me solace since I was totally wrong on who would actually be playing FOR the national championship, but I did pick those teams far before news peoples said this. If I had to guess after the Elite Eight, i would have chosen Memphis v UNC, and I would have been 50% correct.

That, however, would be only half of Mr. Grant Wahl. Yet again, he is 100% correct that one of his Magic 8 (picked in JANUARY) will win the whole thing. Quite amazing in my book. Especially because he had the likes of Georgetown, Indiana, and Xavier on there.

Here's looking at them:

Results:

Georgetown -- WRONG. One 7' Goliath felled by Davidson (couldn't bring myself to change my quote ... I liked it).

Indiana -- WRONG. They pretended all season long.

Kansas -- CORRECT. Kansas beat UNC by 18 but only beat Davidson by 2 - and b/c of a botched last play. What does this tell us? Could Davidson have been the FOURTH best team in the tournament?

Louisville -- WRONG. If I had been a selector, I would have made Louisville a #2 in the same region of Stanford. The Cardinals against the Cardinal -- who would win?

Memphis -- CORRECT. When I read that only Luke Winn of Sports Illustrated picked Memphis to beat UCLA -- yes, 4 of 5 writers picked UCLA to not only beat Memphis, but win the whole thing -- I about fell out of my chair. Did they watch the same tourney I did? Did they see the utterly suspect UCLA team when playing a physical, athletic team like Texas A&M (and Memphis)? Did they not watch Memphis destroy a very good Texas team playing in Houston? Yet they get paid for this...

Tennessee -- WRONG. Good song by Arrested Development.

UCLA -- WRONG. I can't tell you how hard I rooted for them to lose, knowing it would screw my bracket. Goodbye Backstreet Boy.

Xavier -- WRONG. How come, if you had someone like Professor Xavier with your namesake, you didn't call on his powers to help you win it all? I would have.

Predicting the Pool

2008-04-05T16:42:00.003-06:00

As the 2008 March Madness winds down (or develops into a maelstrom, depending on your outlook), so too does the first annual TBE Play For A Cause Pool. I think it has been a qualified success.

The only part that hasn't worked great is the money (and that is key!). People didn't use the Paypal link I set up, so I need to collect the $10 check from everyone (and I know where you all live!). Hopefully, next time, with more time to prepare, Paypal will work better, BUT, I am definitely open to suggestions on how to securely collect money from people living all over the world.

That said, the competition has been as fierce as the tournament it mirrors. Almost everyone has had a lead at the end of some day in the tourney. Here's looking at the eight possible remaining results:

UNC def. Memphis -- Students For A Free Tibet (1210pts)
UNC def. UCLA -- Students For A Free Tibet (1330pts)

Kansas def. Memphis -- Heifer International (SI) (1070pts)
Kansas def. UCLA -- National Ovarian Cancer Alliance (1060pts)

Memphis def. UNC -- Heifer International (SI) (1350pts)
Memphis def. Kansas -- Heifer International (SI) (1230pts)

UCLA def. UNC -- Students For A Free Tibet (1170pts)
UCLA def. Kansas -- National Ovarian Cancer Alliance (1220pts)

So, get rooting for your brackets. The outcome is still definitely up in the air!

New Recent Comments JSON Widget

2008-04-01T20:04:00.007-06:00

Since upgrading to TBE 3.0, The Bleeding Ear has sported a Recent Comments widget in the sidebar. I hope you find it useful, or at least not annoying.

A couple days ago, my comments feed was down. Currently, my Recent Comments widget is just a feed widget, pulling the comments feed from blogger and using the native support to show date and author.

Well, because the feed went down, I started to look into what other people had done for comment widgets, and I realized that blogger puts the feeds out via JSON now. Well, I didn't know heads from tails about JSON, except that it can be used in javascript (something else I know little about), but I read that it would make the comments widget more customizable.

So, I found the url for the JSON comments feed, and pulled it so I could read through it. Then, with the help of a javascript from Tips For New Bloggers, I set about creating a new widget. That javascript wasn't good enough, so I found a script at Beautiful Beta that addressed my date problems. A quick mishmash of both scripts, plus some style changes, and voila!

So, I hope you like the new widget. Tell me what you think. If you want the code, I have it for you below (but all credit should go to the two blogs I referenced above):

<ul><script style="text/javascript">
function showrecentcomments(json) {
for (var i = 0; i < 5; i++) {
var entry = json.feed.entry[i];
var ctlink;
var commentdate = entry.published.$t;
var cdyear = commentdate.substring(0,4);
var cdmonth = commentdate.substring(5,7);
var cdday = commentdate.substring(8,10);
var monthnames = new Array();
monthnames[1] = "Jan";
monthnames[2] = "Feb";
monthnames[3] = "Mar";
monthnames[4] = "Apr";
monthnames[5] = "May";
monthnames[6] = "Jun";
monthnames[7] = "Jul";
monthnames[8] = "Aug";
monthnames[9] = "Sep";
monthnames[10] = "Oct";
monthnames[11] = "Nov";
monthnames[12] = "Dec";

if (i == json.feed.entry.length) break;
for (var k = 0; k < entry.link.length; k++) {
if (entry.link[k].rel == 'alternate') {
ctlink = entry.link[k].href;
break;
}
}
ctlink = ctlink.replace("#", "#comment-");
var ptlink = ctlink.split("#");
ptlink = ptlink[0];
var txtlink = ptlink.split("/");
txtlink = txtlink[5];
txtlink = txtlink.split(".html");
txtlink = txtlink[0];
var pttitle = txtlink.replace(/-/g," ");
pttitle = pttitle.link(ptlink);
if ("content" in entry) {
var comment = entry.content.$t;}
else
if ("summary" in entry) {
var comment = entry.summary.$t;}
else var comment = "";
var re = /<\S[^>]*>/g;
comment = comment.replace(re, "");

document.write('<li>');
if (comment.length < 50) {
document.write('<div style="font-size:90%;background-color: #E8EEFA;border: #C3D9FF 1px dashed;margin-right:5px">' + monthnames[parseInt(cdmonth,10)] + ' ' + cdday);
document.write(' - ' + entry.author[0].name.$t + ' commented on');
document.write(' ' + pttitle + ':</div>');
document.write(comment);
}
else
{
comment = comment.substring(0, 50);
var quoteEnd = comment.lastIndexOf(" ");
comment = comment.substring(0, quoteEnd);
document.write('<div style="font-size:90%;background-color: #E8EEFA;border: #C3D9FF 1px dashed;margin-right:5px">' + monthnames[parseInt(cdmonth,10)] + ' ' + cdday);
document.write(' - ' + entry.author[0].name.$t + ' commented on');
document.write(' ' + pttitle + ':</div>');
document.write(comment + '...<a href="' + ctlink + '">(more)</a>');
}
}
document.write('</li>');
}
</script>
<script src="http://thebleedingear.blogspot.com/feeds/comments/default?alt=json-in-script&callback=showrecentcomments">
</script></ul>
<noscript>You need to enable JavaScript to read this.</noscript>

[+/-] Click here for code

April Fool's Day

2008-04-01T10:39:00.003-06:00

April Fool's Day is perhaps my second favorite day of the year (anyone who knows #1 gets a prize).

Why, you ask? Well, a couple reasons.

First, it's my birthday, but nobody ever believes me. I remember one year, in high school, sitting at lunch with some friends of mine. High school lunch was awesome, because we had those incredibly long tables with the little stools attached, so we all just sat in big rows and stared at each other while we ate. Of course, this year I was hanging out with the swimmers, because I was friends with a family of three sisters who were on the swim team -- one was in choir with me, another in some AP classes, and the third in my Computer Science class.

So, of course I tell everyone it's my birthday, and everyone starts laughing except the sister in my AP classes, whom I'll call "R." She says, "well happy birthday!" Immediately everyone starts making fun of her -- the typical, "ha ha! You got fooled!" stuff. "How could you fall for that on April Fool's Day."

After she had been severely beaten down by the others at the table, I smiled wryly and pulled out my driver's license, proving the truthfulness of my assertion. It was quite the site to see "R" dish back times 10, everything she had just received.

The second reason I like April Fool's Day is that Google does a great job of playing tricks. People that don't play tricks on April Fool's Day are boring. Dumb. It's like saying "bah humbug!" on Christmas. There's a reason why people who laugh a lot live longer ... but I digress.

So, today, I log into Blogger and see Blogger Buzz's post about Google Weblogs. Of course I know it's fake. In fact, it's not as believable as Gmail's time change one, but it's still good. I start to click the links to see if there's more to their joke, and I got a Youtube video. It's awesome. Definitely the best joke yet from Google. You MUST go there. However, don't say I didn't warn you.

Magic 8 Review 3

2008-03-31T21:20:00.004-06:00

The Final Four ... number 1's. Booooorrrrringggggg. Hopefully, it will make for good basketball. That's what everyone on TV and in the papers keep saying.

"Oh, the first time in 25 years all four #1 seeds make the final four! What great games we'll have!"

I'm sorry if I don't believe. I want to believe, but they were saying the same things with the Elite Eight, and what happened? The ONLY good game was the one with the double digit seed -- #10 Davidson botches their last possession and loses by two to Kansas.

All other supposedly close games ended up with margins of 19 (UCLA), 18 (Memphis), and 10 (UNC).

Let's review Grant Wahl's Magic 8, now that the Final Four are set.

Results:

Georgetown -- WRONG. One 7' Goliath felled by Davidson.

Indiana -- WRONG. Dead and gone like their coach.

Kansas -- CORRECT. Kansas played well, and I'm still losing by 10 points in my just-for-fun pool (I hope they lose to UNC, or my bracket's shot), but let's be honest -- if the Final Four are the four best teams in the tournament, then Davidson was #5.

Louisville -- WRONG. No white suit for Pitino, and no answer for Tyler Hansbrough.

Memphis -- CORRECT. I went to the Memphis vs. Texas game (more on that another day), and nobody talks about the baseline ref with the buzz cut that swallowed his whistle the whole first half. There's a reason why Memphis had their way on the offensive end, and it wasn't Texas' D. Now, Texas did everything it could to lose the game on it's own offensive end, yes, but the difference in calls between the baseline ref and the other two referees still makes me wonder -- a properly called game and Texas loses by 7 or 10? Probably. Respectable.

Tennessee -- WRONG. Will Bruce Pearl leave for Indiana?

UCLA -- CORRECT. They spanked Xavier worse than I thought possible. I pondered my hatred today, and I think I may hate UCLA because of Kevin Love's stupid Backstreet Boys beard.

Xavier -- WRONG. The basketball gods emphatically denied my pleas, and saved my bracket. Bummer.

There was a 4% chance that a Magic 8 team would win it all. It's amazing what can happen when the field is halved. Here's the regions:

East -- UNC (0%)
Midwest -- Kansas (100%)
South -- Memphis (100%)
West -- UCLA (100%)

Given my prehistoric mathematical abilities, I'd say the odds of a Magic 8 team winning the championship is now (100% + 50%) x 50% = 75%.

Magic 8 Review 2

2008-03-28T22:50:00.002-06:00

The Sweet 16 is over, and so are the dreams of 8 more teams.

After showing you Grant Wahl's Magic 8, I thought it'd be nice to relook after the Sweet 16 was over.

Results:

Georgetown -- WRONG. After seeing Davidson defeat them, I felt assured that my seeding of Davidson #5 and Georgetown #4 was correct. After seeing Davidson smash #1 Wisconsin tonight, I fear I was very, very, wrong. How will #3 Davidson fair against #1 Kansas??

Indiana -- WRONG. Dead and gone like their coach.

Kansas -- CORRECT. In my just-for-fun pool I'm losing by 10 points to a Jayhawk. I hope Davidson slays another Goliath.

Louisville -- CORRECT. After Tennessee I would have thought they're a lock for the Final Four ... except they have to play Psycho T and the Tarheels. That'll be tough, but doable, and screw my bracket if it happens. Maybe Pitino should break out his white suit again.

Memphis -- CORRECT. They absolutely embarrassed Michigan State, but don't read into it too much. Michigan State should be Mercurial State the way their basketball skills are so labile. Texas also destroyed a Stanford team expected to keep it much closer. Memphis will get it's licks, but Texas will keep on ticking.

Tennessee -- WRONG. The Malady did them in, along with sloppy guard play, and suddenly I'm not my mother's favorite son (I convinced her to take Tennessee over UNC to represent the East in the Final Four). Sorry mom.

UCLA -- CORRECT. Poor Western Kentucky. I hate UCLA, but not their cheerleaders. Having lived in Southern California twice in my life, I can say honestly, the Beach Boys got it right when they said, "I wish they all could be California girls."

Xavier -- CORRECT. My hope continues...if Davidson can spank Wisconsin by almost 20, Xavier can defeat both UCLA and the referees in one game, right? My prayers ascend to Heaven for thee, Xavier, that thy warriors may be strong, win handily, and carry off thine enemy's handmaids into the Final Four.

So, did the odds change?

Before this round, there was a 2% chance that a Magic 8 team would win it all.
Since I don't know Vegas odds for these matchups, we see:

East -- 50%
Midwest -- 50%
South -- 50%
West -- 100%

are the chances straight up of a Magic 8 team making the Final Four. So, there's now about a 4.7% chance that one wins it all.

Magic 8 Review

2008-03-27T16:10:00.003-06:00

Now that the first week of March Madness is over, and tonight the second week starts, it is time to look back on the Magic 8 and see what's happened.

Every year Grant Wahl, sportswriter for Sports Illustrated, comes out at the beginning of January with his "Magic 8" -- the 8 teams from which the national champion will eventually come.

Now, these are not necessarily the most talented eight teams, or the teams with the best records, and he's picking them almost a full three months before the NCAA tournament. Pretty impressive that every year since 2000 except 2003, he's accurately predicted the national champion.

So, on January 16, 2008, Wahl selected these teams as his "Magic 8":

Georgetown -- WRONG. the "class of the Big East" got an overrated #2 seed. It's easy to be swooned by Roy Hibbert, but let's be honest, they won close games all year with glaring weaknesses. I saw one look at the bracket, and knew well underrated Davidson would send them packing. #2 vs. #10 was more like #4 vs. #5.

Indiana -- WRONG. Hard to blame anyone on this one. I knew Sampson would get canned when all the stories hit the presses, but I never thought they'd fall apart like they did. Indiana wasn't even close to the same team after Sampson that it was before.

Kansas -- CORRECT. They're still around, and looking more and more like the team to beat. Perhaps I should have taken them to win it all. Unfortunately for them, #5 Davidson or #1 Wisconsin will meet them in the Elite Eight. Neither will go down without a fight.

Louisville -- CORRECT. I didn't believe this pick when he wrote it -- given that BYU had beaten Louisville and taken UNC down to the wire. I just didn't think they were amazing. When the bracket came out, I thought they were done for; having to play through Tennessee and UNC to reach the Final Four. But I was wrong. Louisville's playing killer ball, and that's bad for my bracket. Very bad.

Memphis -- CORRECT. But I doubt they'll be correct much longer. This isn't hatin' Memphis. They're good. Real good. But I saw them lose to Tennessee and they never fixed that weakness -- free throw shooting at the end of games. Unfortunately for them, they get Texas in Houston, and this shootout at the OK Corral will end with dead Tigers everywhere.

Tennessee -- CORRECT. Something about them just doesn't look right these days. Some writers say it's the point guard play, and maybe it is, but I think they have The Malady. The Malady is this deadly airborne disease that starts to infect teams about March, and may become epidemic. It's characterized by symptoms of lackadaisical play, and absence of that killer instinct necessary to win a two week long tournament. You see it with BYU every year in the first round, and Texas A&M showed it for the last five minutes of their game against UCLA (before being robbed). Tennessee had it against Butler, but got lucky and survived. They won't against Louisville, and there goes the other half of my ESPN brackets.

UCLA -- CORRECT. For some reason they have a charm around them. How many games have they won because of wrong calls this season? 4? Including the last game against Texas A&M? Everyone seems to think they have the easiest road to the final four (go Western Kentucky!), and that may be true given the money they've OBVIOUSLY slipped under the tables to refs, but I almost put Xavier down on my bracket. They're like Wisconsin -- good enough to be a #1, but not flashy enough to ever get it.

Xavier -- CORRECT. Well speak of the Devil! Xavier has the mix of teamwork and experience that should get a lot more credit during March Madness than it has. Will they beat West Virginia? It will be hard, but I think so. Will they beat UCLA and the referees in the Elite Eight? That's a tall order. One or the other, I'd say yes, but both? Two against one just isn't fair in this fight. UCLA's charmed life goes on.

So, in my imperfect mathematical ways, how's he doing?

Well, out of the original eight, six made the Sweet 16. Not bad. 75% remaining.

Odds by region of reaching the Final Four:
East -- 75%
South -- 25%
Midwest -- 25%
West -- 50%

But since not all teams are created equally, let's look at Vegas Watch's predictions:

Instead of the East having a flat 75% chance of one Magic 8 team reaching the final four, we can add up their percentages and see that there's actually a 90.6% chance.

So, the revised regions are:

East -- 90.6%
Midwest -- 61.9%
South -- 37%
West -- 79.5%

So, there's a 90.6 x 61.9 x 50 = 28% chance that an East/Midwest Magic 8 reaches the finals, and a 37 x 79.5 x 50 = 14.7% chance that a South/West Magic 8 reaches the final. Therefore, there's a 2% chance that a Magic 8 wins it all.

I'm hoping for a Wisconsin v. Xavier final.

NCAA Tourney Thoughts

2008-03-22T22:10:00.010-06:00

Texas A&M got jobbed. If you look at the close up replay of that last shot, it was no block. The UCLA defender clearly swiped both arms. That said, you could feel it slipping away for the last 5 min of the game, as A&M just seemed to lose that killer instinct and start playing not to lose.

This marks the second year in a row that my BYU Cougars have lost to the #9 seed (Xavier in '07) who has then gone on to almost beat the #1 seed (Xavier lost in overtime to Ohio St.). I guess that gives some vindication that we at least got a good opponent. Just once, I'd like BYU to get a #7 or #10 seed, rather than an #8. At least then you get the #2 in the second game.

Standings for the pool shifted greatly today. That surprised me. "MoJo" jumped into the middle of the pack, while "Heifer International (ESPN)" dropped way out of first place. After mulling it over, the culprit is ESPN's scoring. It gives 10pts per game the first round game for 320 total points, and 20 points per second round game, for 320 total points. Essentialy what that means is that picking poorly the first round hurts you less than picking poorly later on. Since only 8 games were played today, picking one incorrectly was worth 2 of last rounds via points, but is even more precarious because you'll only have 4 games next round.

So if you pick poorly but spread them out in your bracket, that's better than missing everything in one region, where you automatically doom yourself to losing points in the later rounds because neither of your picks made the next game.

That said, since tomorrow another 160 points are up for grabs, anything's possible.

Lightbox Fix

2008-03-21T20:36:00.004-06:00

Recently I upgraded from Lightbox 2.03.3 to 2.04. Lightbox is a little more work on my end when posting, but makes the pictures a little more snazzy on yours. I hope you like it.

However, it came to my attention that Internet Explorer (the bane of all the earth) would give an error message when people tried to view my page.

Well, that wouldn't do, since I have all of 5 readers (thank you!) and I don't want to lose them. Some lucky troubleshooting, and the culprit was found -- Lightbox!

For some reason, I could load specific post pages, but not the main page. No other webpage was affected. That meant it was specific to my webpage, and specific to my general rules. I remembered that the only two things of note I had done recently to my blog was add a Paypal button and upgrade Lightbox. So, I got rid of the Paypal button and nothing happened. I got rid of Lightbox, and "bam!" everything worked. I reinstalled Lightbox 2.03.3 and things seem to be working fine in both IE and Firefox.

So, please let me know if you're having issues viewing my webpage or images.

And here's a friendly word of advice: Go Firefox.

The World's Conscience

2008-03-21T07:53:00.004-06:00

"If freedom-loving people throughout the world do not speak out against China's oppression in China and Tibet, we have lost all moral authority to speak on behalf of human rights anywhere in the world, ... The situation in Tibet is a challenge to the conscience of the world." (Nancy Pelosi, US House Speaker, March 21, 2008)

via CNN.com

TBE Play For A Cause

2008-03-20T13:12:00.006-06:00

Ok, so the tourney has started. Not everything went as planned. My idea of having a pool that donated money instead of taking it, has come to fruition, but not everyone got into the ESPN group on time.

That's four people in the pool. Not much, but not bad for a last second idea. And the winner will get $40.

So far, the organizations that our being represented are:

Students for a Free Tibet
National Ovarian Cancer Alliance
Heifer International

I will update this with the other organizations as I find them out.

Notice: Also, because of the mixup in posting brackets (some posted on FanNation and others on ESPN and one that ESPN didn't accept because of server backlog...) I am making it clear that I am using my bracket on ESPN, because that was my original intention, even though as of right now it is doing worse than my FanNation bracket. I must be fair. Also, in case the scoring is different between the two sites, we will use the ESPN scoring also. I don't foresee that being an issue.

Good luck!

A Rockin' Bracket

2008-03-19T09:28:00.005-06:00

Now that March Madness is upon us, and all my loyal readers are going to sign up for my TBE Play for a Cause pool, so we can help people less fortunate, why not take a five minute break and fill out and head to 94WYSP Philly's Rock Station.

They have joined March Madness by creating the ultimate Rock Band playoff. Who do you like? Pearl Jam? Led Zepplin? Maybe it's a dark horse, like Staind?

FYI, the Jennifer Reed region is so stacked, U2 got a 5 seed. Yes, that's right, a 5 seed. Nirvana got a 2 seed in the Spike region.

They'll play two songs from each band at the times shown on their website, and then people text message who they vote for. Winner moves on. Prizes include a 42" HDTV.

So, in the immortal words of Jack Black, "Rock on!!"

College Gets Rick Rolled

2008-03-19T09:24:00.002-06:00

If you've never been Rick Rolled, you might not find this as funny as I did.

I laughed straight through the whole video. The guy dressed in the trenchcoat is awesome.

If you don't know what I'm talking about, click this link for an explanation.

Youtube video of College Bball game.

Emmy-worthy Reporting

2008-03-17T18:17:00.003-06:00

Today on CNN, there is a video about a man who ran naked through a supermarket and trashed it. Chris Cekot, from WHTM in Pennsylvania, reports, and the presentation is superb. Typically, I have a low bar of expectations for quality, especially when it's MSM, and ESPECIALLY in local MSM. However, this is High Quality stuff.

Watch the video and pay attention to the shots. I especially love the chicken breast and hot dog shots.

Tibet and Bjork

2008-03-16T20:01:00.002-06:00

Where much is given, much is required

One of the comments in my last post about Tibet basically asked the cogent question, what can little old I do for something like Tibet? With so many causes out there, what do I support, or do I focus on bettering myself?

Well, the answer is not cut and dry. Obviously, circumstances dictate how you get involved and in what you involve yourself. Let's be honest, Joe Schmo no-name can write letters and give money, or educate others (and should), but his direct effect on the leaders and issues is small. His value often comes in addition to thousands of other Joes who together, make a formidable force.

Well known people -- athletes, movie stars, politicians -- occupy a different position. Where much is given, much is required. They often can use their popularity to sway public opinion, or their proximity to politicians/national leaders to change public policy.

Unfortunately, most people in that situation take their money and run. They focus on themselves. They have the luxuries -- the big house, nice cars, fancy clothes -- and give little to charities, and do even less for local or international issues. Those that do should be lauded for their actions and in the hopes that more stars will follow suit.

Bjork is an international music star. Her genre isn't incredibly popular in the United States, but she is well known world-wide, and recently played a concert in Shanghai. Beijing Wide Open relates the story of how Bjork played one of her well known singles -- Declare Independence -- and then shouted "Tibet! Tibet!" and "Raise your flag!" Go read more about it (it also has a Youtube video of her music video embedded). Now that China is putting Tibet under armed lockdown, and people are reportedly being killed, we need more of this, now.

Bjork is now one of my favorite artists, and Declare Independence has become one of my favorite songs.

Here is a video of Bjork hailing Tibet at the end of her performance:

March Madness TBE Pool

2008-03-16T19:21:00.000-06:00

My two loves are international affairs/politics and sports. Last night I was thinking, maybe I can combine the two? However, this thought requires active participation from more than myself.

I've been posting recently about Tibet, and Sara asked, rightly, what could we peons do. Here's my idea:

I will create a 2008 NCAA Mens Basketball Tournament Pool for any and all readers of The Bleeding Ear. However, this pool will require money. Perhaps $10 a person? Ok? Each participant will play for the charity/NGO/world cause of their choice (stated when signing up as the name of their bracket), and the winning cause will get all the money.

Perhaps I will be the only one playing, and some cause will get $10. But if more people play, we could conceivably give $50, or $100 to a cause (I don't harbor great expectations about the readership of my blog). I think this is a great way to merge a fun time (March Madness) with doing something good for the world, and by joining together, we can give more than any of us could individually.

I know the tourney starts in 2 or 3 days, so time is of the essence. This is also a rough draft, so I haven't decided where TBE should host the pool, if $10 is a good amount per entrant, or how to properly transfer money.

Please let me know what you think about my idea, and any suggestions you have for the issues I just related.

UPDATE 1 (16:27): I've looked into a few things, and I've found that:

1. I think the easiest way to do brackets, will be to go to Seth Davis Bracket Challenge at Sports Illustrated's FanNation.

This allows everyone one bracket -- very easy to fill out.

You will be required to create a FanNation account, and make sure to make your nickname/screenname the cause of choice (because that's also the name of your bracket).

Then you join the "TBE Play for a Cause" Pool (yet to be made).

The bonus is that you could also win prizes from SI if you're really good.

2. I have a Paypal account, and I can set up a Donate button on my blog where people can donate the $10. That would make the money changing secure.

(This requires a requisite amount of trust in yours truly of course.)

I do not think this requires you to have a Paypal account, since many sites have donation buttons.

I would need to call Paypal and/or the causes of choice to make sure there's a way to get the money from Paypal to the cause. Paypal's website says if something has an email address -- even if it doesn't have a Paypal account -- it can get the money.

3. Let me know your thoughts on these updates. And talk to friends. The more people the merrier (and the more money that would go to a worthy cause).

Update 2 (19:40): I've done some more research, and the best place for the bracket is ESPN.

After you donate to Paypal,

1. Go to ESPN's Tournament Challenge and either sign in or sign up.

2. Once you have a profile, create a bracket and name it after whatever cause you want to play for.

3. Click the "My Groups" tab, and search private groups for "TBE Play For a Cause" (already made). Join the group (password: TBE)

4. Finish filling out your bracket and have fun watching the tourney!

Update 3 (19:54): Here's the Paypal donation link:

Update 4 (13:05, 20080321): Paypal donation link rescinded. Tournament started.

Tibet

2008-03-14T08:07:00.005-06:00

the United States of America is an impotent man

Many of you know me personally, and many more know me via this blog, but few -- I think -- know what I feel passionate about. Conversations I have typically revolve around American politics, Vietnam, medical school, or my new son -- those things that most interest those I associate with here in America.

However, when I'm by myself, I think and debate with my soul about other things. Over the years, I have become increasingly more libertarian, and I can explain why to any who want to listen. Most don't, so I have never elaborated. One of the core stakes on which I rest this philosophical shift, is my belief in the writings of John Locke.

It was he, the enlightenment writer, who coined the platform that holds up the scaffolding of our country. His writings were the basis for Thomas Jefferson's Declaration of Independence. In other words, John Locke justified the existence of the United States of America.

"We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness. ... (Declaration of Independence, 1776)

Since 1950, China has ruled Tibet. It has not been a nice rule. Most everyone who learned about the Trail of Tears in school (America's forced relocation of Cherokee Indians from Georgia to Oklahoma) was saddened by what I think is now universally seen as a horrible move. China's occupation of Tibet has been the same. Thousands of Tibetans left their traditional homeland to live as refugees in Nepal and India, while the Chinese government forcibly relocated thousands of native Chinese into Tibet in order to "dilute" the population still remaining.

The Trail of Tears, oil on canvas by Robert Lindneux, 1942; in the Woolaroc Museum, Bartlesville, Okla., U.S. The Granger Collection, New York

Over the last couple days, to commemorate the failed revolution of 1959, Tibetans have been holding peaceful protests inside and outside Tibet, only to be met with police brutality inside, and forced opposition in India.

Photograph obtained exclusively by FRANCE 24 shows burned cars in the Tibetan capital Lhasa on March 14.

..."— That to secure these rights, Governments are instituted among Men, deriving their just powers from the consent of the governed, — That whenever any Form of Government becomes destructive of these ends, it is the Right of the People to alter or to abolish it, and to institute new Government, laying its foundation on such principles and organizing its powers in such form, as to them shall seem most likely to effect their Safety and Happiness. ... (Declaration of Independence, 1776)

The problem with America today is not that we dabble in the affairs of foreign countries, but that we forget our very soul, written in black and white, and ratified July 4, 1776. Instead of worrying about Afghanistan, Iraq, and Israel, we should be in Sudan, Burma, and Tibet. If America supported people according to the words with which we justify our existence, instead of trying to mediate squabbles between Jews and Arabs, perhaps we would not be looked down on in the world. Perhaps we would not be seen as hypocritical. Perhaps we wouldn't have terrorist plots.

... "But when a long train of abuses and usurpations, pursuing invariably the same Object evinces a design to reduce them under absolute Despotism, it is their right, it is their duty, to throw off such Government, and to provide new Guards for their future security. (Declaration of Independence, 1776)

The problem with America today is ... that we forget our very soul

Instead the United States of America is an impotent man, and those peoples who truly need us, whose situations mirror our own just 232 years ago, struggle against odds, alone.

I encourage everyone to open your eyes. Stop being consumed with your own lives, your worries about where to eat tonight, or what shirt to buy, or why so-and-so at the office is so annoying. I know it's easy, and I get caught up in it too -- only worried about when is the next medical school test -- but awake! Become aware of the travails of your fellow brothers and sisters. Visit sites like Unseen Dharamsala, which chronicle in pictures the lives of Tibetan refugees, or Beijing Wide Open -- the blog of a Tibetan leader of Students for a Free Tibet.

Help our generation's George Washington and Thomas Jefferson realize the blessings we take for granted.

Which Primary 2

2008-03-09T13:56:00.027-06:00

every political campaign is a year long game of Rochambeau

Well, the Texas hullabaloo is over, and so are my exams. All that means is I can give you feedback for what went down.

I picked a primary -- Democrat. Gasp! My parent's give me the look "oh really?"...my grandmother claps for joy (it's FDR's party -- the only true party).

I had to vote early because of exams. Early voting was at the Fiesta Supermarket. I got there thinking I could get in and out, and head back to studying for pharmacology, but boy, was I wrong. I was greeted with these views (see pics):

more pics:[2][3][4]

Clearly, I was in for a treat. It turned out to be a 45 minute wait for a five minute vote. Texans were taking their voting seriously.

One funny aside -- situational irony -- I grabbed a shot of an American flag over the "Hispanic" and "International" food isles, with Chinese take-out to the right, as we're all waiting to vote. ONLY in America...

more pics:[2]

For me, the choice came down to three things. First, Republicans had ballot initiatives to determine their party platform. Did I want a say in that? Second, Clinton and Obama were fighting desperately for Texas while McCain had everything pretty nearly locked up. Should I vote in the contested election? Third, most laws that affect us are local. Do I vote for the 18 contested local Democratic primaries or 16 contested local republican primaries?

The answer to the three questions were: 1) yes, 2) yes, and 3) 18 is more than 16, so 18 it is. That was 2 to 1 Democrat, and I registered Democrat.

My vote went to Clinton.

No surprise there. I did it because,

1. Clinton has MORE EXECUTIVE experience than Obama, which I think is necessary if you're going to be the most powerful executive in the world.
2. Clinton was losing to Obama, and I wanted to see her close the gap and bring the contest all the way to the national convention -- which I feel is good for the Democratic party and America as a whole.
3. Lately, with the things Obama has said, and then the stories that were retracted (NAFTA, etc), I see Obama's message of hope as more and more empty -- like a snake oil salesman.

a 45 minute wait for a five minute vote

But in reality, what I've seen is that Clinton has persisted with her "fighting words," and the bobbling-heads of the MSM have jumped all over it.

"It's very difficult to argue that the level of scrutiny of Barack Obama has been the same as the level of scrutiny of other candidates" says the Washington Post.

Will this push her to the Democratic nomination? I don't know. She waited too long to start. I have this feeling that she will pull it out, with the Superdelegates, but with the Florida/Michigan fiasco up in the air, nobody in the Democrats really knows anything right now. I do feel that Clinton is the stronger general election candidate, because I think the Republicans will go mean and dirty early and often. Look at the 2000 and 2004 presidential campaigns. Perhaps it was Rove, but I think it's more general. The Republicans play to win, and they will train all guns on the Democratic nominee. Clinton, I feel, can withstand that barrage (and dish some of her own) better than Obama would. But we'll see.

Ultimately, what it comes down to is that every political campaign is a year long game of Rochambeau. He who stands up longest wins.

Which Primary?

2008-02-27T19:25:00.006-07:00

Life was easy before I turned 12. I only had one primary to go to. I moved up from Sunbeams to CTRs to Valiants to Blazers ...

... but now I have TWO primaries to choose from, and I don't know where to go.

Image from Wikipedia.

I took some time off from studying Reproductive Biology and dropped by the League of Women Voters, one of the most awesome non-partisan groups out there. I always read their flier before elections, because they get all the candidates to respond to questions, and it helps me stack them up side-by-side. Except this year Mike Huckabee "didn't qualify." Dunno what that means...

And then I went to Harris Votes to get my sample ballot, so I don't waste time deciding on a candidate running in another district. If every county doesn't have something like this, they should, because between the two links above, it is SO easy to be a good democratic citizen of the USA.

However, all of my footwork found that the Democrats have 18 contested positions this primary, and the Republicans have 16 contested positions and 3 ballot items that will be party platform issues.

So now, after all this hand-wrangling over the next president of the USA, it's not at all about that anymore. Heck, everyone knows it's the local laws and leaders that affect us the most. So, do I join the Democratic party, or the Republican party?

Which primary do I go to?

Them Fightin' Words

2008-02-25T14:30:00.000-07:00

I'm not a Clinton supporter, but let's face it, Obama is a snake oil salesman

Finally, something's happening. The gloves are off. Clinton should have done this three weeks ago, early into Obama's run of 11 straight state popular vote victories.

(CNN) -- A visibly angry Sen. Hillary Clinton lashed out Saturday at Sen. Barack Obama over campaign literature that she said he knows is "blatantly false," while Obama called her outburst "tactical."

Clinton jabbed the air with her hands as she told a crowd in Cincinnati, Ohio, that two Obama mailings spread lies about her positions on universal health care and the North American Free Trade Agreement.

"Shame on you, Barack Obama," she said.

...With Ohio Gov. Ted Strickland nodding in agreement behind her, Clinton accused Obama of emulating the tactics of Karl Rove, President Bush's former political director who is reviled by Democrats.

Obama "is continuing to send false and discredited mailings with information that is not true to the voters of Ohio," Clinton said.

Now, I'm not a Clinton supporter, but let's face it, Obama is a snake oil salesman.

He comes to town and he spouts change. He talks of hope. People love his charisma, so they forget that he has ZERO experience. He spins it by saying he's not from inside the beltway. People forget that he has ZERO experience outside the beltway too. He pulls fast ones on us -- saying he doesn't support outright bans on selling guns, but wants a law that would outlaw selling guns within five miles of any school or park (if you look, you'll quickly realize, that's tantamount to banning guns in almost every state but Montana). He makes you yearn for the good old days of 1963 (although we forget that those "good old days" included a populace overcoming its second war in as many decades, an entrance into a Vietnamese conflict bound for disaster, and the start of incredible growth of illicit drug use and std's). Yeah, I guess those were the good old days.

Clinton, until now, has been content to be his lapdog. She fawns at him during debates. He reciprocates. You'd think the two were dating. Now it's clear that people are buying what he's selling. People want hope. They're willing to forget that the strongest executive in the world could be run by someone who has NO executive experience, because they want to believe America is -- they are -- still great.

Clinton, until now, has been content to be his lapdog ... You'd think the two were dating

The only way to stop a snake oil salesman is to expose him for what he is -- a fraud. You have to catch him in lies, show his product to be nothing more than lemonade (understand my last post now?). When a candidate's whole platform is based on hope and change, he must be credible for that to work. Clinton is now finally attacking that chink in his armor. She holds the moral high ground after that stunning blow at the end of a losing debate, when she talked about her faith, and soldiers, and trials. Now, if she can show Obama isn't as clean as he says, she has her victories.

But she can't stop now. She should have done this three weeks ago. Now she must be angry, vindictive, the woman scorned. We have all seen her cry, and wax philosophical, now we must see what happens when a mother sees her baby hurt. We must see her go for the jugular. The next debate needs to be vicious, it needs to be fiery. Each word needs to be a blade to dig into the man of hope. She needs all her staff to find other examples of "untruths," and she needs to turn this love fest into a credibility war. Turn it ugly, and she has a chance. If she doesn't, it's over. They'll head into the National Convention separated by about 150 delegates and they'll be wrangling over super delegates' votes, and nobody will come out the better.

The Snake Oil Salesman

2008-02-24T10:59:00.004-07:00

Just one swig a day

Before a snake oil salesman comes to town, most townspeople polled say they'd never buy anything from him -- it's hogwash. But then he comes, "clip clop, clip clop" as the hooves hit the ground, a single donkey pulling a wooden wagon behind. The donkey's trimmings are nonchalant -- faded reins that once were bright red and blue -- and it slowly chews cud as the iron shod wheels squeak to a halt.

The wooden planks of the wagon are weathered but solid, and soon everyone is gathered at the town square. Little street urchin boys climb trees to get a better view, and mothers in bonnets admonish their daughters to act demure although the heat of noonday is strong.

And then at once, the window of the wagon swings open, revealing bright colors and beautiful bottles. From around the back steps a man impeccably dressed in a black tuxedo, addressing "sir and madam" as he smiles brightly. "Surely this man, who looks so believable, can't be that bad?" a young man thinks.

The tuxedo man shakes hands with those toward the front, his strong grip and sure look --eyes never deviating from the person he's engaged with -- invariably leave each onlooker smiling. And then he steps onto the crate; his makeshift podium, and begins to speak.

Oh the oration! "Are you ailing? Have you lived the last 4, no 8 years in agony? Perhaps it's a stomach problem -- you feel sick don't you, sir?" as he points to someone in the second row. "Yes, we all know what you have, what you've used to deal with your problems, these last 8 years. Yes, we all have heard the spiel from your 'doctors' that have helped you all this time. But you're not better yet, are you?"

Oh he's good. He knows the town he has reached. "I grew up learning about your town. I came here as soon as I could. Why? I hoped I could meet you, learn from you. I've read about the many great things you've done in the past. Look at Jimmy," he says, motioning to a well-known teenager in the middle of the group, "I've read of his exploits in school. You all know him well, and I know he's a good boy."

"This man's one of us," an older, well-to-do lady says, as she fans herself.

The orator continues. "I believe in you. I know what you can do. I hope for a better tomorrow. It was that hope that has brought me here -- to share it with you. I've found the cure for the last 8 years in this," and with a whirl he whips out a nice crystal bottle from the racks in the window. Stopped with cork, this tall thin crystal bottle contains a clear, slightly blue, liquid. He brandishes it for all to see, smiling brightly, and then continues.

"You see, I had what you had -- this indigestion, this upset stomach, this feeling of unease for the last 8 years. I hated what I was told -- it didn't make sense. I read about your exploits, and I knew there was good in this world; things to strive for. I hoped for something better, and that hope led me to this."

It was that hope that has brought me here ... I've found the cure for the last 8 years

With a flourish he popped the cork, and took a swig. The audible "gulp!" and subtle bounce of his Adam's apple resonated against the sweltering noon-day sun. "Aaahhh...so refreshing. I found this, my friends, which I've named H&C Tonic for hope and change. I share it with you because I look up to you, I feel I'm one of you," and he looks at one of the urchins in the tree. "I was raised by a single mother, school teacher, who herself was bred in Kansas -- the heartland of this great country. I spent the last 8 years, like you, with indigestion and worries about the future. But I found H&C Tonic, and a swig of this a day has changed all that. The pains, the upset stomach, it's all gone. My worries are faded, and my hope is magnified. I know there's a great future ahead, and I don't sit up at night grumbling about it, or dealing with my queasiness. Just one swig a day, as refreshing as you just saw. Sure you can take more, it won't hurt, but even just one swig a day -- and your pains and worries will float away like mine."

"But what's in it?" a skeptical old man in the back asked, as he raised his cane -- but the orator had done his homework.

"Oh, physician Brown! I'm glad you asked." With a smile he turned back to the crowd. "Oh it's got a water base, some flavorings and vitamins. Things you all know to be good. But ol' Doc Brown, he wants me to give up my proprietary formula so he can go into business for himself! Now that wouldn't do, now would it, doc?" and the salesman laughed, the crowd joining with him. "Ol' Doc's a good man," he said, "but how come he's been treating you your entire lives, and you still have these symptoms. My proprietary blend of Hope & Change Tonic will cure your ills and bring you back to the days of your youth, when you could run and not tire, fall asleep under the stars and not worry about the morrow. Just one swig a day!"

With that, the tuxedo man started passing out bottles. Coins changed hands. Old Doc Brown mumbled under his breath and walked away. A street urchin picked the pocket of the old lady with the fan, so he could take a swig himself and see what it was like, and slowly, the crowd dispersed, until only the salesman and his mare were left.

The sun, fading behind the mountains, signaled the end of another good day. The jingling of coins in his purse made the man smile. "Well old girl, one more state down -- only a few more to go, and we can stop this business. We'll have enough saved up to get us out of this small wagon and into the big white house we've always dreamed of." He closed the wagon's window.

"Oh, it looks like we're out of lemons and blue food coloring. We'll need to pick up some more in the next town over -- can't run out of this tonic before we're through!" Then he took another swig.

"Aaahhh...gotta love lemonade, huh girl?" And the donkey just kept chewing.

Response to "A Fairy Tale for Unwitting Adults, Part 1"

2008-02-19T18:24:00.003-07:00

Last Saturday, Xanghe posted "A Fairy Tale for Unwitting Adults, Part 1" which got me wasting study time and thinking about religion.

After much rumination and pondering, I responded in part on his blog, but my thoughts kept coming, and I have decided to publish the remainder here. Mind you these are remarks to parts of his post, not the whole post. Please follow the link above to read the whole thing.

"As I look back and begin to catalog all of the perceptions I've heard from both sides of the spectrum, I feel like I'm in the middle of a high-school love triangle. To make an analogy, I guess the person that both sides are fighting over would be Jesus (I hope that's not irreverent). Both sides want so badly to be looked upon by Jesus as the best and most faithful but, as high school students often do, each side feels insecure in their diligence and position and therefore belittle the other to attempt to compensate. Inaccurate as it may be, that analogy seems to reiterate itself every time I hear the born again vs LDS debate. But that's just my perception."

POINT 2:
That being said, I disagree partly with two points you made and agree with one. First, I don't think we're quite the high school analogy you said, although I get your point. It seems more to me like a football analogy.

Mainstream/"Born Again" Christianity is like running some sort of wishbone in college 30 years ago. It's proven it gets results. All the old timers still run the single wing or power I (Catholicism). They're classic. Then comes along this new iteration of football -- the forward pass. Sure it's still football, and the other offenses have forward passes in their repertoire, but now someone comes along and says you can achieve your goal by passing MOST and running LEAST.

Woah...that's heresy. Get to the end zone in another way? No more slugging it out on the ground? And so the backlash ensues.

Who's right? Of course you can score touchdowns with both offenses, just like both denominations believe in Jesus. But fundamentally the proponents balk. It changes the game they're used to, they love, they "signed up for." Whether one is actually the “right” way to play football is not something someone can say in the midst of things. Only 100 years after the fact can you truly look back and say, yes, putting a scrimmage line in football was the “right” thing. With religion it's like that but complicated, because we all believe that there is a right way, but nobody now has the infinite foresight to say unequivocally what is correct. We have only faith.

"The delineation between born again non-denominational Christians and members of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints has nothing to do with doctrine or beliefs or anything of substance - it's pure perception."

This is complicated by the second thing that I disagree with: Christianity's inherent Nihilistic dichotomy. “The delineation between born again non-denominational Christians and members of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints” has everything to do with “doctrines, or beliefs, or anything of substance.”

Christian doctrine says you go to Heaven or Hell. Sure man tries to put a fudge factor in there (purgatory?), but the basics boil down to black or white. Jew or Gentile. Saved or not? This dichotomy is deeply ingrained in Christian theology from Genesis onward. Cain or Abel?

Given this, it makes perfect sense why Born-Again Christians tell me “you don't worship MY Jesus Christ” and I can sit and nod when I hear a prophet of God tell me to be “a peculiar people,” or “be in the world, but not of the world.”

For the same reasons one of my friends told me the other day that “we're all prophets of God,” I can say with conviction “God has called a new prophet today, President Thomas S. Monson.” Because they believe the Bible is infallible, and the only Word, and I, at the crux of my faith, say almost exactly the opposite – I “believe the Bible to be the word of God as far as it is translated correctly; [I] also believe the Book of Mormon to be the word of God” (AoF 1:8, italics added) and therefore Joseph Smith was his prophet and revelator, and therefore only through faith on Jesus Christ and baptism into His church (i.e. THIS church) can we return and live with him forever.

"In the end, it's got to be both sides who decide to put doctrinal differences aside to seek for a higher level of understanding. We live in a world full of mislead perceptions blown out of proportion that result in hate and crime and war and death. Values and morals are shifting as religious institutions - Christian or otherwise - lose their foothold in society. The last thing we need is bickering and stubbornness between the individuals who call themselves Christian and who should be uniting to do good for Jesus' sake."

Yes, you're right that we have a lot in common. Yes, you're right that we should build on these commonalities for the betterment of our society and humanity. Yes, I feel it's petty to use these differences to split apart political candidates – or to vote based on someone's religious label without looking at their actual track record, stance on real issues, and experience qualifying for the office. Yes, I believe that the best people on this earth are spread about through many religions and not hoarded in mine or another. Yes, I believe it's puerile to focus on denigrating other religions instead of focusing on building your own.

That is why President Gordon B. Hinckley called on others to bring their good with them and see if we can add to it. That is why we should be careful about how we view people of other faiths. That is why I agree with you that we should band together to achieve common social goals – but not at the expense of our faith. We cannot soften our stance on doctrine. There is something fundamentally very different between our faiths. For when push comes to shove, I believe I belong to the “only true and living church” (D&C 1:30). That, as President Spencer W. Kimball said, “is an absolute truth.”

Predicting the Texas Democratic Elections

2008-02-16T17:21:00.000-07:00

I was going to write this amazing post about the upcoming Democratic primaries/caucuses in Texas, but after researching it for a hour and a half, I realized that 1) I don't have the time right now, and 2) someone's already done it.

I'm not sure if I agree 100% with the outcome, especially since it's done by an open Obama supporter, but I think it's pretty close. In fact, if anything, I think Obama might win more delegates.

The key will be the caucuses. Over the last couple weeks, I've been working with some other students and the Harris County Medical Society (HCMS) to get a spokesman from both the Clinton and Obama campaigns to speak about the candidates' stances on medical care. The Texas Medical Center, the largest medical center in the world, seems like the ideal place for such a discussion. Now seems like an ideal time, given the primaries are March 4th, and the Democrats seem like ideal candidates, since they're locked in a bitter battle for delegates.

However, all is not well. Clinton has a well-run organization in Texas. It was easy for a student to contact her campaign and get a staffer willing to do the meeting. Obama has no official campaign office. Everything around here is grassroots, and the student found no person with the permission or knowledge to come to our meeting. He even contacted Obama's national campaign headquarters and came away empty.

So, we're now seeing if the HCMS can come up with anything. With exams coming up, and the primary soon after, time is running thin.

But this story brings me back to my point that Obama will win lots of delegates in the primary because largely Black districts get more delegates than largely Hispanic ones, and various other demographic intricacies. However, Clinton's well organized campaign staff will do wonders at caucuses. It will be interesting to see how the cards fall.

The Texas Democrat's political process is incredibly intricate. Go to Election Inspection to get a decent overview of the situation. You can also go to this article by the Houston Chronicle. The writer of Election Inspection has a blog, Texans for Obama, which does the aforementioned good job at predicting the results.

The Ten Commandments of Political Pundits

2008-02-12T08:42:00.000-07:00

Easily, the one thing that this election year has taught me over and over, is that you need NO knowledge or common sense to be a television political pundit. In fact, those two traits DISQUALIFY you from the job. The only way you can make it on CNN or FOX, is to state the absurdly obvious while passing it off as your unique insight, or to make outrageous comments (that will be proven incorrect a week later but never pinned on you) in order to incite a conflagration among illiterate voters that take your words as gospel.

Rule #2 of a Political pundit is that you must nod your head like an overstuffed bobble-head at everything your compatriots say, especially if they are of your same party affiliation.

Rule #3 states that no political poll used by pundits is allowed to be statistically significant. Anything within +/- 3% is automatically thrown out. Of especially good use are the utterly nonsensical polls -- those CNN polls of +/- 7%. That way, you can choose who you want to win while ignoring the 14% swing inherent in the results.

Rule #4 of political punditry requires all budding pundits to choose only 1 of 2 sources -- FOX or CNN. If you are a Democrat, then you can work as a Republican or Democratic analyst for CNN. If you're a Republican, you can do the same for FOX. In no way are you allowed to switch shows. No Democrat will work as a Democratic analyst for Fox, nor a Republican as a Republican analyst for CNN.

Rule #5 requires that all MSM outlets decide before the primary process who will win. All reports will be couched to shed favorable light on that candidate at the expense of others, regardless of actual outcome. This will prejudice viewers who would vote for other candidates to either stay home and not vote because their "vote doesn't count," or switch and vote for the pre-anointed candidate -- who was their second choice -- because the first choice "obviously" has no chance.

Rule #6: If the candidate from Rule #5 is winning an election with less than 10% of precincts reporting, you can declare him/her the winner and spend the rest of the evening talking about his/her landslide victory, even though he or she won by less than 5% of the popular vote. If your Rule #5 candidate is not winning, it is your right to reserve judgement until all 100% of precincts have reported as long as your candidate stays within 5% of the leader.

An addendum (Rule #6A) states that this principle applies to delegate counts as well. A pundit can declare the MSM Rule #5 candidate a winner in a state if either a) he or she wins the popular vote, or b) he or she wins the most delegates. If the candidate does not do both, a pundit can conveniently forget who achieved the other goal.

Rule #7 Every pundit must stick one barbed comment at the person in power of the other party per show (i.e. D's snipe President Bush and R's snipe Speaker Pelosi).

Rule #8 is the equal opportunity rule. Every political panel must include someone NOT Caucasian. This automatically makes every nonsensical word spoken equivalent to the views of ALL Americans, not just one ethnic subset.

An addendum to this rule (Rule #8A) states that equal opportunity extends to candidates too. Any candidate who comes from a minority group (women, blacks, libertarians, etc.) must have their platform thrown out the window and be judged solely by the percentage of votes they receive separated by racial background only.

Rule #9 requires that all campaign donations by political pundits must be confidential. That way, someone pontificating about the ineptitude of Obama can do so without people knowing he or she donated the legal maximum to Clinton the night before. If this information is found out, networks have an ethical responsibility to only air the info after 11pm and to quietly, without fanfare or notice, change the pundit's opining responsibilities.

Rule #10 states clearly that the only true political information you will receive from pundits comes on Comedy Central.

Romney's Out. Now What?

2008-02-07T14:32:00.000-07:00

Should I spend my vote voicing my opposition to McCain, or trying to determine his conquerer?

Super Tuesday is over, and I've learned many things about America's electoral (electing? primary?) process. However, what I would have written will take a back seat for a few days while I come to grips with the newest word on the street -- Mitt Romney suspended his campaign.

First, what does "suspended" mean? In American politics, when you suspend your campaign, you're technically still in the race, but you aren't actively trying to get new delegates. On the Democratic side of the coin, that means you can decide how to use them -- recruit your own supporters and encourage them to vote one way, etc. On the Republican side, the states decide how to divide the spoils. So for Romney, it's really pretty similar to dropping out.

Now, what does this mean?

Well, unlike many voters this year, I placed lots of weight on experience over charisma. Especially executive experience. Why should you lead the only superpower of the modern era if you've never lead anything before? I mean, over the last year I've been the president of my school's American Medical Association (AMA) and Texas Medical Association (TMA) chapter. It's night and day different having to run the organization versus when I was just an officer the year before.

Based on that, here's how my candidate list stacked up as of yesterday:

1. Romney -- executive experience as governor, led Olympic games, church as Stake President, led Bain Capital
2. Huckabee -- governor of Arkansas
3. Paul -- Physician, years of congressional experience
4. Clinton -- never an executive, but saw her husband do it. some congressional experience
5. McCain -- lots of congressional experience
6. Obama -- some state senate experience and one term in congress.

With Romney gone, those are pretty thin resumes remaining.

Now things get fun. I could pontificate about the ramifications of Romney for hours, but I'll sum it up thus: I doubt that Huckabee can cover the ground remaining to catch up to McCain -- especially if some of Romney's delegates could end up in McCain's camp (i.e. all of Massachusetts, Maine, etc.).

Texas has an open primary. I could vote Republican, but here's my dilemma: I like Paul's premise (I am Libertarian, you know), but have issues with certain points (such as eliminating the Federal Reserve). I like Huckabee's health care plans, but haven't heard anything else of substance from the preacher. On both, a vote from me will have little effect on the end result. I chose long ago not to vote for McCain, due to his stance on Vietnam. Explaining that will have to wait for another day.

So I could throw my vote to Paul/Huckabee, or I could vote Democratic. What am I faced with??

1. a woman who seems greasier than a used car salesman, has almost zero executive experience, but is a woman (hey! I could make history with my vote), or
2. a man who says all the right things, but never anything of substance, has literally zero executive experience, but is black (hey! I could make history with my vote).

Why should you lead the only superpower of the modern era if you've never lead anything before?

On a healthcare front (I am in medical school) their plans are almost identical except Clinton wants a mandate to buy insurance and Obama says it's not needed and wrong.

Should I spend my vote voicing my opposition to McCain, or trying to determine his conquerer (yes, I feel either Democratic candidate will beat McCain in a general election)? My vote cannot be bought (legally), but it can be swayed. Should I vote Republican or Democrat? Paul or Huckabee? Clinton or Obama?

Right now I'm thinking Democrat; possibly Obama. Give me some advice. McCain schemed with Huckabee to pull West Virginia's 18 delegates from Romney. Where should my vote go?

2008 Nevada Caucuses

2008-01-20T18:48:00.000-07:00

Well, the Nevada Caucuses are in the bag, and there's much to be learned from here. I'm going to focus on the Republican caucuses, because I find them more interesting than the two-person race that is the Democratic nomination race.

Nevada was a big win for Romney, and a vindication for everything I've seen in the races so far, namely:

The press loves McCain, and his victory in South Carolina gained much more press time than Romney's victory in Nevada.

Therefore, McCain supposedly moves into Florida with "strong wind at his back" (not my words, but the pundits on CNN) while Romney?

When voters cast votes based on issues and not likeability, Romney clearly leads the field

Ron Paul is a strong candidate, who will continue to gain momentum, and whose delegates may play a role in deciding the nominee.

The best political website I've found for following the whole Huckabee -- I mean hullabaloo -- is CNN/Election/2008. It's layout is very clean, and easy to follow. It does an adequate job for giving you the raw data on a macro scale that you'd need to follow the races.

However, CNN and every other site I've found does a bad job at describing things at the state level. I had to go to the Republican Party of Nevada's website and read their bylaws to figure out that each county can determine how they split their delegates. Now I hear that Florida is winner-take-all. Iowa divided their state delegates by percentage of state popular vote. Michigan gave delegate to the winner of each county (hence Romney won 39% of the vote, but took home 80% of the delegates).

So, when we look at Nevada by county, what do we find?

Overall, we can see that Romney did not win every county. Nye county was narrowly won by Ron Paul (34% to 33%).

In fact, when we look at Ron Paul's results by county, we can see clear support in the southern counties of Nevada.

Nye county is the largest county in Nevada and one of the largest in the USA. The Federal government owns about 92% of that land. Which two Republican candidates profess most strongly to reducing the size of the federal government? Paul and Romney.

Also, the county has a population of about 42,000 according to US government estimates (the 2000 census said ~32k). I think the county seems sparsely populated by individualistic people, tailor-made for Paul.

The largest town is Pahrump, about an hour outside of Las Vegas. It's one of the fastest growing towns in America, and predominantly because of people who want to work in booming Vegas, but don't want to live there. Again, I see individualistic in nature.

If we look at Romney's results we see he won every other county. By county, he clearly had the most support in the counties along the Utah border (Elko, White Pine, Lincoln, Clark).

Clark county, where Las Vegas is located, has a large percentage of Mormons. In fact, the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, to which Romney belongs, has one of its temples in Las Vegas. Romney won Clark county with 58% of the vote. According to CNN, he won 94% of the Mormon vote statewide. So it makes sense that his strongest counties of support would be close to Utah, with probably high Mormon populations.

However, Romney did quite well in the counties on the other side of the state as well (Washoe, Lyon, and Douglas). These counties lie around Carson City and Reno. They also lie along the California border. This tells me two things. First, Romney gained a lot of support in the population centers of Nevada because of his strong economic track record. People in Las Vegas were worried about the economy, and when voters worry about the economy, they have voted for Romney in every primary/caucus so far.

Second, contrary to popular belief, Utah is not the state with the most Mormons in it -- California is. If Californian Mormons are politically active, he might have a strong, pre-formed base of support when the race turns to the West Coast. Just as Huckabee has to be seen as a favorite in the bible belt states because of his evangelical Christian background, Romney should be seen as much stronger in California than currently presumed. The results from the western counties of Nevada give us some inkling of that.

Huckabee got as close as 27% in one county, Mineral, but it is a very sparsely populated county and an aberration from his results as a whole. Huckabee might do well in the evangelical-laden Southern California, but he's iffy on California as a whole because I think he doesn't resonate with western voters, as shown by Nevada.

Giuliani is playing do or die in Florida.

McCain, surprisingly, didn't get any more than 22% in a county, but he did come in second in 9 counties (the most of any candidate). This confirms the one thing the other states have shown and pundits HAVE talked about -- he is a force in the race this year.

Thompson got as high as 18% in rural Pershing. I think he is a fourth place candidate at best, because of poor campaign management, but it should wake people up that he is not out, and might do well in Tennessee and Kentucky -- near his home.

Next up, Super Tuesday.

O Muse 2

2008-01-20T13:23:00.000-07:00

Oh Muse, the best laid plans of Men are folly!

When I wrote my post, O Muse ..., I originally had it many pages long, but after reflection, truncated it. I feel the thoughts were best elucidated separately, although they do connect. As I pondered the (de-)evolution of blogging, I realized that I had seen this phenomenon before.

Blogging has changed like medicine. Once it too was a brotherhood. Physicians went through years of schooling to understand the mysteries of the body; heal people. The community respected them. If a physician got sick, he needn't worry about paying, for other physicians would treat him pro bono.

Then something happened. Physicians in California sold their souls to Kaiser Permanente, and their fellows in Dallas, TX sold theirs to Blue Cross/Blue Shield. In the name of the patient, these physicians sold their autonomy to HMOs. They thought,

"I can help my patient if I worry about the billing and not him/her."

The HMOs said,

"We will entice patients into preventative care if they know they have already paid for it monthly, instead of paying up front."

Oh Muse, the best laid plans of Men are folly! Gone went the direct payment to physicians, and the hidden became the cost of medical care. Instead of preventative medicine, patients demanded the "million dollar workup" for every disease, because, hey, they had paid for it. Physicians spent less and less time with patients, because they needed to see more and more to cover the overhead of their billing requirements.

And in the community's eyes, the physician became a well-read technician. Sure, more respected than a plumber, but in stature much like a nurse or a physician's assistant -- someone who looks at a patient, checks a set of boxes, and sends them to a machine (xray, MRI, blood test) that diagnoses the sickness. A glorified car mechanic.

Except that true medicine is so much more than that. Hence the crisis in Health Care today -- it is an identity crisis. Many talk today about the need to “fix” Health Care. Most propose some combination of patches that extend coverage, and change billing structure. However, the true solution will only come when physicians wake up from their self-imposed slumber, and throw off the dichotomy that afflicts them.

Health Care must be put back in the hands of the physicians. Patients must be in control of their own health. Blogging has followed much the same path, and similarly, bloggers must never relinquish their camaraderie. It is these bonds of friendship and acquaintance, although spawned first over the virtual web of cyberspace, that keeps the reader questioning reality. It keeps him aware of his surroundings; looking through others' eyes at things which may have been mundane before.

Only through our ever present desires to push how people view the world, to share insights into life, and to refute complacency, can blogging truly be constructive. It is for that end we must continually strive.

O Muse ...

2008-01-18T15:41:00.000-07:00

Muse make the man thy theme, for shrewdness famed
And genius versatile, who far and wide
A Wand’rer, after Ilium overthrown, ...
[The Odyssey of Homer, trans. William Cowper (1791) Book 1, Page 1]

Today, after finishing my reading on the pituitary and adrenal medulla, I started blog surfing (blog-urfing? blurfing?) for the first time in many moons. Doug, at Virtual Doug, commented on his attack of the malaise that afflicts us all -- the lack of blogging.

He writes,

(It’s a record – a record I am not crazy about. This is easily the longest period of time of not writing s since I began blogging back in June, 2003. In 4 ½ years, I have never gone this long between posts. Even while living in Việt Nam, I usually posted twice each week.

Then, yesterday, he adds,

Too busy? No, though I am working 15-20 hours per week in addition to the 2-3 freelance photo shoots I do and in addition to seeing Mom almost every day.

Sick? Naw – I had a cold for a few days, but not a cold since December 26th.

No muse? Maybe I can blame her for not visiting me, but the truth is, I seem to have just stopped observing the world. (emphasis added)

How sad that Lady Muse has left us. I remember turning on my computer each morning and hopping over to Virtual Doug first, looking for -- wanting -- a post. There is something to blogging ... something different than what it used to be. A few short years ago to blog was to be part of a select crowd. It was a brotherhood. I felt a special bond with men I had never met, Vietpundit and Virtual Doug, and grew through reading their insights on this world.

It is a sad day if the Muse has stopped visiting Doug.

In their desire to ease the way people pontificate, platforms such as blogger have accelerated a divide among bloggers. Blogging has become mainly two sorts -- those who get paid to do it (the "blogs" on mainstream media news outlets, or those large "A list" blogs that make good money through advertising) and the diaries (those people who post their comings and goings for all to see with pictures).

Those "A List" blogs, like the Drudge Report, or Instapundit, have become mostly news aggregators. They offer little in the way of true personal insight into the things they post. The "Diaries" provide neat snapshots into the daily lives of people, but also rarely engender discussion and rumination.

It is a sad day if the Muse has stopped visiting Doug

The few blogs remaining, as descendants of those "think tanks," are truly a joy to read, and range from the well traversed (Volokh Conspiracy) to the sparsely traveled (Virtual Doug).

However, these blogs rarely make money, and often require lots of time to write posts. With the demands of life ever buffeting the bulkheads, sadly, tempus fugit and many, like Doug, stop observing life. Others fall into my category. We observe, but cannot write. Numerous blog posts are composed daily in our minds, but the demands of life limit the time we have in front of a computer. When that time comes, either it's not long enough to put the work on paper, or the post has slipped away into the ether from which it formed.

I will not retreat. Although my posts may be few, and sometimes they may be aggregatory or diary in nature, I will strive to keep this blog one that engenders conversation and debate, and education on life. That is, I hope, a noble cause.

The Bleeding Ear 3.0

2008-01-12T16:16:00.000-07:00

Today I roll out The Bleeding Ear version 3.0.

Welcome!

For the few of you who have stuck with me as life has gotten crazy (med school and birth of child) resulting in fewer posts, you will realize that, yes, ngục giới has frozen over. I have commented time and time again how I am working on my blog ... trying to fix my blog ... trying to update my blog, etc.

what you see is TBE with a totally new engine

It has been my excuse for not posting for who knows how long. Most of you probably assumed long ago that I was a pathological liar (I'm sorry Susan, so so so so sorry. Will you ever forgive me? I haven't forgotten you, and I WILL respond to your email).

Well, it's finally here. Much work over Christmas break has finally put the finishing touches on my excuse. Yes, it still looks overtly similar to version 2.0. However, I promise you that it's different. If you still think I'm a pathological liar, visit my test website, trietstest.blogspot.com, or take version 3.0 for a test drive.

My journey started many moons ago when Blogger decided to move to layouts. "Blogger Beta" as it was called, put my "Classic layout" at a decided disadvantage. Sure, I could keep going as before, writing my own code, editing my javascript, piecing together hack after hack to get functionality written into Blogger layouts, all without support from Blogger if something went wrong, OR, I could make the perilous journey of learning the new blogger and entering Nirvana.

Some of you might ask, "what's the big deal?" I thought this too at first. I tried to just convert my layout over, but I had so many add-ons to my template, that it never read them right. Blogger sometimes thought I had more than one widget with the same name, my CSS never translated correctly, and eventually I was forced to accept the reality that my piecemeal blog was too complicated for a recreational HTML coder like myself to just "recreate."

And so, I treaded water for many moons, nibbling here or there, but never doing great things until I found firebug. It was introduced to me by Ecmanaut. Firebug allows you to look at a webpage, view its source code, and see exactly what goes where. As you scroll over code, it highlights that thing on the page. You can edit the HTML, javascript, or CSS and see immediately what the webpage would look like with your changes.

This lifesaver allowed me to pull up TBE side-by-side with my test blog, and see exactly what wasn't translating correctly from Classic Blogger to New Blogger. What had taken months, was finished in the two weeks of Christmas break (outside of when i was playing Guitar Hero III ... but that's another story).

yes, ngục giới has frozen over

So what you see is TBE with a totally new engine. Everything is in layouts, giving me greater flexibility. Freshtags is still around because many of my old posts are in that format, although I imagine eventually it will be phased out. There's lots of stuff in my sidebar, so everything "[+/-]" is expandable if you click on it.

I expect there will be a few bugs here and there. I haven't tackled comments at all, so you'll probably be wisked away to that ubiquitous, ugly blogger comment page if you wish to leave one. Otherwise, I expect it to drive well. Give it a test spin, and tell me what you think!

Who will you "Oprah"?

2008-01-02T08:28:00.000-07:00

Man, he just went Oprah on her

Before the Holiday season culminated last week, all the candidates were out stumping in Iowa (and other states). This is all known and good (or bad). Barack Obama made news when Oprah Winfrey came out publicly in support of Mr. I'm-not-Osama.

Let's face it -- Obama has been rocked of late by baseless-but ingenious (in a sinster way) attacks on his character. Since the start of the primaries he has dealt with the "I'm OBAMA not OSAMA" issue. Then came this picture:

As this photo spread around the internet via email, this caption followed:

Respect
Senator Barack Obama, Governor Bill Richardson, Senator Hillary Clinton and Ruth Harkin stand during the national anthem.
Barack Hussein Obama's photo (that's his real name)......the article said he REFUSED TO NOT ONLY PUT HIS HAND ON HIS HEART DURING THE PLEDGE OF ALLEGIANCE, BUT REFUSED TO SAY THE PLEDGE.....how in the hell can a man like this expect to be our next Commander-in-Chief????

Obviously this is incredibly wrong. All it takes is a sane person going to Snopes to see that this is just another truth bent slightly with fiction. Still, it was compromising.

Also, another smear email campaign reported by certain news organizations alleged that Obama was a "radical muslim."

So, will Oprah's ... viewers vote as women, aged 55+ Americans, or Caucasians?

So what's a guy to do but combat press with press? Obama used his personal friendship with Oprah Winfrey and garnered her star power for support. Will it work? Oprah, more than any other billionaire, has the ability to mobilize apathetic potential voters to not only vote, but attend potentially indoctrinating Obama rallies.

MSNBC reports:

Oprah's audience is predominantly female, white, and over the age of 55. Nationally 7.4 million people watch Oprah daily -- about 2.6% of American households. Four percent of American women (about 5.7 million) watch her daily, compared with 1.2% of men (1.7 million people). Overall, 2% of all 18- to 49-year-olds watch Oprah.

According to People-press.org survey results in 2004, Women identify as Democrats more than Republicans (37% to 29%) and those age 50-64 and 65+ identify as Democrats also (34% to 28% and 41% to 32%, respectively). That's an 8% swing in each of these three demographics. However, Whites identify as Republicans (34% to 29%, +5% gap).

So, will Oprah's white, aged 55+, women viewers vote as women, aged 55+ Americans, or Caucasians? That will determine whether her support impacts Obama's election hopes.

What Oprah did have the power to do, was cause emulators. After Oprah's support of Obama, Hillary Clinton announced the support of Barbara Streisand, and was seen in a (*gasp*) grocery store with always available celebrity-husband Bill and Magic Johnson.

Given all the celebrity hullabaloo, I'm coining a new term: "Oprah." It's a verb ("When will Clinton Oprah Obama?") and an adjective ("The Republicans are waging an Oprah campaign ..." and "The always Oprah Mr. Romney stumped today in Iowa...").

So, the next time a candidate tries to draw on the popularity of a multi-billionaire celebrity, just shake your head and say with me, "Man, he just went Oprah on her."

[+/-] read/hide the rest of this post

What would you do?

2007-12-11T07:43:00.001-07:00

For some strange reason, this song was stuck in my head all day yesterday. Yes, it's old. No, I haven't heard it on the radio in years.

I have no clue why it was stuck in my head. I found it on Youtube to quench my insanity, and one line really stood out.

"If God had a face, what would it look like? And would you wanna see, if seeing meant that you would have to believe in things like Heaven, and Jesus and the Saints, and all the prophets?" (1:55)

I don't wax religious on this blog much, but allow me some licence here.

How many of us have really thought about this question? To truly SEE God. It's scary. It's something I venture MOST people would opt NOT to do, even though it would solve a lot of questions. Why? You would have a perfect knowledge that He exists ... and that means following what he says, whether you want to or not. No more sinning a little here, or there, and in your heart of hearts, your darkened closets, rationalizing it away.

I'm a Mormon, and that makes the Mormon assertion that Joseph Smith actually saw God all that more awe-inspiring. If what Mormons say is true, Joseph took a step far weightier than it looks on the outside. And that means his message has far more "oomph" than someone who just "had a feeling."

On the other hand, if he's lying, he's a charlatan at best, deceiving countless people.

I believe in the former, and after pondering this question, am even more awestruck that he had the courage to see God. Truthfully, I'm not sure if I would. I hope I would. But that's a weighty proposition.

Closing a Chapter pt. 1

2007-12-10T09:44:00.000-07:00

I sympathize for the dilemma that faces American women today

Last week my wife finished her maternity leave and went back to work. My wife had reservations about returning to work. She, like many women today, grew up expecting to work, gained meaning from her experience in the workforce, and enjoyed it. The housewife role is rapidly disappearing from US life, and is preceded by disappearance in little girls' dreams.

My wife was afraid she'd miss her child upon returning to work, yet she felt guilty every day of maternity leave for yearning to be working. Now that she's returned to work, she feels guilty for not missing him, but enjoys the sense of purpose that an 8am to 4pm job brings.

I sympathize for the dilemma that faces American women today. It would be hard to give up my dreams, my years of schooling, to stay home and raise children. Promises that, "you are doing a better work, raising your children. What you could achieve as one person, you're multiplying by successfully raising many outstanding children" sound incredibly trite and hollow when actually faced with the prospect that my dreams are being ended prematurely.

The other day I was reading a post on a friend's blog (which mysteriously isn't there anymore, so I can't link to it...but it's still in my RSS reader!) and she (I'm not using her name because there might be a reason why the post is no longer available) related accompanying her husband to a law function.

Anywho, while at the dinner, ...I tried to converse with some sense of grace and poise, while I attempted to look the part of a lawyer-to-be's wife, I started questioning...Would I ever feel at home all "dolled" up? Can I really be that kind of woman?...

This introspection caused me to view my wife's predicament more fully. Would she ever feel at home all "dolled" up at physician functions? Does she want to live that life? The answer, not surprisingly, is NO.

So I should change to accommodate her. How, I don't know. But I do understand that she wants to get a Masters in Public Health, and she wants to work for non-governmental organizations--preferably overseas. Balancing these dreams with the bonuses of being home to raise your children will be hard. I believe strongly that a mother in the home is FAR better than any child care agency on earth. However, I have faith both can be done--my wife's that amazing of a woman.

Medical Word of the Day (MWD)

2007-12-09T13:57:00.000-07:00

While studying for Physical Diagnosis, I came across a word that peaked my interest, and since I'm living a pseudo-bachelor life right now, I had nobody to share it with.

Therefore, I have decided to share it with everyone, in my new (hopefully the first of many) post, Medical Word of the Day (MWD). MWD is not WMD (weapon of mass destruction), although sometimes it has the same effect on my life.

So, for all of you who want to be a doctor, answer me this (hint, I was studying the neurological exam, and focusing on cerebellar problems):

Medical Word of the Day: Dysdiadochokinesis

Dysfunction in performing rapid alternating movements. Movements are irregular in both range and rate.

[+/-] Click here to read/hide the definition.

Elections

2007-12-04T17:16:00.000-07:00

Is there anything that makes people happier than elections? College football polls, perhaps?

This week two important elections took place outside of the United States and Asia and therefore my expertise. However, I wanted to call people's attention to the obvious ramifications of it all.

President Hugo Chavez, lost two ballot measures 51% to 49% -- one to put the national bank under control of the president, and the other to get rid of term limits. If they had passed, these two referenda would have gone a long way to giving Pres. Chavez unlimited and perpetual control over Venezuela.

Chavez lost because of a concerted opposition effort from students at Caracas University. It says a lot when the young educated are against you and only the poor vote for you. Chavez still plans to push through changes that will allow him to suspend the free press in times of emergency and seize private property. This is why the United States of America must learn from it's mistakes in Vietnam in the 1970s and China during Tienanmen Square. The USA must give support to the students now, so they can solidify their support of democracy and capitalism and work to stem President Chavez's disastrous changes.

On the other hand, President Putin of Russia won his elections and therefore his referenda to help Russia become the URRP (United Russian Republics of Putin). He has steadily moved Russia away from Democracy, and Gary Kasparov, the opposition leader, didn't gain enough votes to stop him. To make things more muddy, his dictatorship also infuriates those that want to return to true socialism -- giving Russia two bad paths to tread.

America needs to vocally oppose Russia and Putin. Gone are the days were Russia wields the extreme power that America has and China nears. Gone are the days where we seem to worry about the United Nations, so why worry about it's veto vote? Demand democracy from a has-been country that wants to be. If we don't demand it, they will never achieve it.

I'm Alive!!!

2007-11-28T06:25:00.001-07:00

That is my long excuse for not posting for two months

That's what I imagined my baby boy said on October 3rd.

Yes, I do have an excuse for not posting in almost two months.

As you can see, my last post was October 2nd, 2007. That's because, that night, after telling people at school he could come any day, I went to bed confident he wouldn't come until the weekend. About 3:30-3:45ish in the morning, I hear an,

"Anh. Anh! Wake up! I think my water broke."
*still groggy* "...ugh, what?? Are you sure?"
"I don't know. I had to go to the bathroom, and it just keeps coming."
"What color is it?"
"Clear, I guess..."
"Ok, ok...let's think...go stand in the bathtub for now so it doesn't get everywhere, and I'll grab the bags. What do we need to do now? Any contractions?"
"Ok...we need to call Kelsey-Seybold and let them know before we head to the -- ah!! -- hospital..."
"Was that contractions??"
"Yes, I think so.. --ah!! -- they're coming pretty close toge --ah!! -- already."

... a couple seconds later, "Anh, the fluid is clear, kinda rose-ish --ah!--" as she braced herself against the shower wall.

Flipping open the cell phone, i dialed the doctor's office (on speed dial). After punching all the requisite buttons to navigate the electronic forest I hear a voice on the other end say,

"Hello sir. How may I help you?"
"I think my wife is in labor."
"Ok. And did her water break?"
"Yes, about 15 minutes ago."
"Alright, and is she having contractions?"
"Yes..."
"how far apart?"
"I dunno...how far apart honey?"
"--ah!-- I think 4 minutes!"
"Yeah, she says 4 minutes."
"Already? Are you sure?"
"Yes!"
"Ok, we'll have the doctor on call call you back. If he doesn't call shortly, please call again."

I got off the phone and paced the room. My wife, still propped in the corner of the shower, continued to wince in pain every couple minutes. She grabbed her abdomen and said "ow ow ow..." then her face would relax as the tension and pain passed.

Eventually, I called back the receptionist -- the doctor never called. She paged the doctor again. Eventually, he called, and said they were ready; come on over.

I swung the bags over my shoulder and helped my wife get dressed. With her leaning on me, we went out to the car, backed out, and navigated our way out of the condo complex.

The hospital was only three blocks and five minutes away. We were at the front door by 4:30am. Popping out of the car, I handed the keys to the valet, grabbed the bags from the back seat, and raced around to the other side to help my wife out. Grabbing the ticket, I walked her to the elevator and up to the labor and delivery ward.

As told, the nurse staff was expecting us. The room was ready, and they wheeled her into it immediately. I set my stuff down and turned around to do the fatherly duties of filling out papers and paying the hospital.

The nurses were incredibly nice and skilled. My wife writhed in pain every couple minutes as I held her hand and shot pictures. Eventually, I stepped outside while the anesthesiologist placed the epidural and when I returned, gone were the contorted faces and cries! In front of me was a tired but smiling wife. Those epidurals truly are amazing.

By 5:45am my wife was dilated 10cm, and we had a choice--go with the on call ob/gyn or wait for our ob/gyn who was in transit. We opted to wait, and promptly about 6:30am he walked in. After taking a quick look at my wife, he gave the orders to prep and walked out.

"Push!"
"Push!"

After a couple pushes, she was ready. Our ob/gyn reentered, and

"Push!"
"Push!"

Those epidurals truly are amazing

Out popped the baby. Our ob/gyn deftly slid his two fingers under the umbilical cord wrapped around the boy's neck, freed him up, and held his wailing body to the world.

"Waa!! Waa!!"
"Do you want to cut the cord?" he asked.

Eagerly, I grabbed the scissors and cut in between the clamps. The doctor tied the knot, and the nurses whisked the baby over to the other side of the room to get weighed and scored. I followed.

"He scored an APGAR 9" the nurse said. "Let's see how much he weighs....5lbs. 14.5oz. Do you want to take a picture?"
"Of course! We've got lots of people who want to see this kid," I replied.

And so entered Braeden into the world, at 7:10am (after only 3 hours of labor) on October 3rd, 2007 and weighing in at 5lbs 14.5 oz and 19 in long.

That is my long excuse for not posting for two months. The birth of my first baby, exams the two weeks after the birth, and getting used to being a father and a student since then, has taken up almost all of my time.

Now, however, I promise to reclaim my life -- at least until exams in two weeks or Braeden needs to be held.

Two cents on Matt Leinart

2007-10-02T21:11:00.000-06:00

No, he is not from China, or recalling toys.

The pro football season is well underway now, and one of the many surprises this year is the 2-2 Cardinals. Why is 0.500 so good? Because the Cardinals never have been. That's why. So, when they beat the 3-1 Steelers last Sunday, 21-14, people should be partying in the streets, right??

NOTE for my Vietnamese readers: In American pro football, teams play a 16 game season, so 25% of the season is already done. That mean's there's actually quite a difference in talent between a team with 3 wins and 1 loss (the Steelers) and a 2 win 2 loss team (the Cardinals).

Scoring comes basically in either 3 or 7 points depending on what you do. So, a close game is decided by 1-5 points.

Finally, each team has 11 players on offense and 11 on defense. The leader of the offense is called the "quarterback."

Matt Leinart, the quarterback for the Arizona Cardinals, was pulled from the game late in the first half in favor of Kurt Warner. Kurt plays better with little time,and he played well as expected. Leinart came back in the game at the end of the game and directed the winning score.

After the game Leinart comments that,

"I just want them to ride or die with me," Leinart told Yahoo!. "If I'm the franchise quarterback, play me and let me stumble, because I'll fight through it, and that will help me and our team in the long run. I know coaches want to win now, and I guess they have their reasons. But I don't understand it, and this switching back and forth is almost worse than getting benched."

All the pundits on TV have gotten all tangled up in their underwear because he's complaining after a WIN. Plus he's complaining to the public. Therefore he's not a team player.

Yeah, yeah, that may be true. The one thing people have forgotten is why he's saying this. He's not trying to play football. He wants to be a star. Some people say a movie star. No, he wants to be a Paris Hilton star. That's why he's slept with Paris Hilton, and Britney Spears, and parties like them, and lives that life.

Interestingly, the other big story from the NFL this season is the reincarnation of Brett Farve. He's one of the best quarterbacks of all time. However, he too was drafted by a team (Atlanta) and then traded to another team (Green Bay) because he wasn't a good quarterback. He partied all night, never studied his plays, and slept through team meetings. Once in Green Bay, he woke up and changed and became great. This season he's amazing, because he's working more than ever before.

This isn't coach Ken Whisenhunt's decision to make. He'll play whichever quarterback he has ready. Right now, it's not Leinart's decision either. He's already picked star over quarterback, and unless he starts studying and working, he'll never amount to either.

The Chinese are out to get me...

2007-09-21T15:19:00.001-06:00

How many children have to die ... before enough is enough?

New readers of my blog are going to think I hate Chinese people. This is not true -- it could not be further from the truth. However, lately, the stars have aligned against me, and they're using China to do it.

Today, CNN reported more Chinese-made goods recalled. This time it's cribs.

"Cribs! I just bought a crib!" I think as I read the article. "Could our crib be one of the recalled?"

Quickly I shoot an email off to my wife, because -- as all men know -- when there's a house/baby question, you ask the boss.

It looks like the cribs being recalled are made by Simplicity. For the last ten years -- TEN YEARS -- a support strut has been installed upside down, causing some mattresses to fall and creating a space for babies to be trapped. How in the world does it take a company ten years to fix a problem like this?

We looked at the Simplicity brand at Babies 'R Us, specifically the Ellis model. Luckily, the Ellis model is not one of the models recalled. Unfortunately, it's not that lucky. According to Simplicity's own website,

"CPSC is aware of three deaths in different models of Simplicity brand cribs. Additionally, CPSC is aware of seven infant entrapments and 55 incidents in these cribs."

My wife and I decided to go with a Jardine-made crib, because we felt the Simplicity crib (one of those turn-into-a-bed-later cribs) was too high and hard for my wife bend over. The Jardine isn't a "lifetime" bed, but it allows the side to drop more, so my wife can pick up our soon-to-be boy.

the stars have aligned against me, and they're using China to do it

Even with the Jardine, we had our own scare. By now, my wife and my decision to not buy Chinese is apparent. Jardine is a Taiwan-based company (which I don't equate as Chinese) and my crib was made in Vietnam (which gave us a good laugh, and made us wonder how much it would have cost if we had just bought it when we were in Vietnam). As I was setting up the crib, a screw from the slide (the same part that is forcing the recalls on the Simplicity cribs) kept falling out, making that side very unstable. Luckily, I was being the conscientious consumer and dad, and tested it out two or three times. With the help of my father, we figured out that each side of the support was supposed to have one small and one large screw, but they had put two large on one side, and two small on the other. Once we changed the screws, the supports held like intended.

Weathering crib-gate, I opened my email today to find a lovely message from Ebay telling me my account was frozen. Someone had hijacked my account and was sending messages to other ebay customers, trying to get them to buy things (and hence steal important info). The message said,

"Dear Sir/Madam:
Please allow us to disturb your precious time!We are the Chinese biggest foreign trade wholesaler. If you want to do business, we can offer you our most reasonable discount, making you get more profit . If you have time, please visit our website,Please relate with us, we will give you a satisfying answer."

I won't give out the website, but it was obviously Chinese. I spent one hour online trying to resolve this issue with Ebay (still not totally fixed...I'm probably going to delete my account when possible) and praying that they did not get anything really important (Ebay assured me that all financial info was not available to them).

Join with me in consciously NOT buying things made in China when possible. You'll send a message to American manufacturers and their Chinese partners that we will not settle for dangerous and substandard goods. How many children have to die in faulty cribs, or eat lead paint chips, before enough is enough?

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Chinese Toys 2

2007-09-05T08:05:00.000-06:00

As a father-to-be, I don't care much about the bottom line of a company

The earthquake that was the Chinese toy fiasco continues to give off aftershocks. More importantly, the rebuilding process has only begun, and really only affected the siding on houses, not true foundations.

Today CNN reported that Mattel is recalling MORE toys because of lead paint. This is a great and horrible thing. Horrid, because it further brings to light the greed and ineptitude of American and Chinese manufacturers. Great, because it further brings to light the greed and ineptitude of American and Chinese manufacturers.

As a father-to-be, I don't care much about the bottom line of a company (Yes, I do in life, but not with my "dad hat" on). Most other fathers and mothers feel the same way. I am much more interested in keeping my unborn child safe now and in the future, than whether a Barbie doll costs $5.99 or $8.99.

I mentioned last month that my wife and I were voluntarily shunning Chinese-made goods. That is still ongoing. Interestingly, it's a dichotomy of feelings. We went to Babies-R-Us again, on Labor Day, and bought a crib. But with all the toy recalls, my thoughts went like this:

Is this the type of crib we want?

Is this the price we can afford?

Is this the color that we want?

Is this made in China?

Although the "made-in-china" thought was not first on the list, it was the veto question. We wanted a crib that was low enough for my wife to reach over. Check. We wanted a crib that didn't cost $500. Check. We wanted a crib that fit our color scheme in the baby's room. Check. We wanted to make sure that the paint wasn't filled with lead from China so our future teething child doesn't retard his mental progression because we were lax parents...check.

The earthquake that was the Chinese toy fiasco continues to give off aftershocks

If that last question had come up wrong, we would have moved to another crib. No matter the color, style, or trendiness of a crib or toy, I, as a father, want my child to have the healthiest and best future possible.

What at first seemed hard--to check if everything was made in China and not buy it--has actually been quite easy. Most everything has an alternative. I even bought windshield wipers for my car that were made in Mexico over those made in China (out of principle...and because the mexican wipers were cheaper).

Join me. Our collective voices will do two things. One, it will force American manufacturers to diversify into other countries, which is better for the overall health of our economy. Two, it will continue to send a strong message to American manufacturers, forcing them to do like Mattel--spend over 50,000 man-hours finding out weak links in their manufacturing, and posting this webpage declaring unequivocally their responsibility to us, the consumers.

...oh, and three, it will protect our children.

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My hurting ear

2007-09-03T07:00:00.000-06:00

Insurance companies are the "whore of all the earth"

My last post was two weeks ago. It's been a crazy and painful two weeks. Ironically, this blog is called The Bleeding Ear, because of this, and although my ear did not bleed, it did hurt mightily.

You see, somehow, I got an ear infection -- Otitis externa and Otitis media. For those of you who did not grow up speaking Latin, I had both outer and middle ear infections.

I was never one to get ear infections as a child. Sure, I had one or two, but most everybody does. Typically came after swimming, i.e. "swimmer's ear," that horrible, painful condition you get by not getting all the water out after swimming. Pseudomonas aeruginosa loves that environment, and can't help making you feel miserable while it grows.

On that note, I looked up "home remedies" for ear aches and found people attributing swimmer's ear to fungus and all sorts of things. One lady even said "use vinegar because it works well against fungi, but don't use it against bacteria because it makes their infections worse." Sorry, lady, but I got news for you: you're advocating vinegar for a bacterial infection, not a fungal one--directly contradicting yourself.

Back to the main topic: My story starts about 18 months ago in the wet and hot streets of Saigon ... actually, it was there that I got my first "adult" ear infection. It was painful, annoying, but bearable. I saw a doctor -- a pediatrician -- because it was better to go to a private physician, trained by Americans, who worked out of his home, and new my in-laws for many years, than to go to a government-ran hospital. If I had done that, I probably would have left Vietnam with only one ear (and no paintings of haystacks).

In Vietnam, pharmacists are unlicensed doctors. You can go to them and buy whatever drugs you want, without a prescription. Two years ago, I went to a pharmacist in Hue complaining of flu-like symptoms. She promptly gave me a plastic bag with a bunch of nondescript, generic pills, told me to take so many at such and such times, and I slept through the bus ride to Hoi An. But I got better, so she probably knew what she was doing, and gave me real medicine.

Because the Chinese will often grab a real looking bottle, with real looking gel caps, but fill it with chalk instead of acetaminophen, and then you get sicker instead of better ... but I digress.

The pediatrician wrote me a prescription, since I saw him first, and I went right next door to his neighbor that ran a pharmacy out of his home. I picked up the drugs, which purported to be sulfamexazole-trimethoprim ("Bactrim") and took it for a week or two. I got better, but my ear has never felt perfect since.

Then, a couple Thursdays ago, my ear hurt. I mean, it hurt bad. I didn't sleep well Thursday night -- only a couple hours -- and on Friday I went into the student health center. Got prescribed amoxicillin 500mg po tid and ciprofloxacin/hydrocortisone drops to put in my ear. Cost me an arm and a leg.

Back in Vietnam, I could have gone to the pharmacist, spent $5-7 USD, and got all that medication. Or, like I did, spend $2 USD to see the doctor, have him prescribe me correct meds, and then spend $5 to $7 USD on them. Everything out of pocket. I was able to go whatever doctor and pharmacy I wanted. No forms to fill out.

I probably would have left Vietnam with only one ear (and no paintings of haystacks)

Similar sickness, different setting. I had to go to my student health center, because my insurance won't pay for any doctor outside of it (without me paying a fortune), and then had to drop over $130 USD for the drugs (the amoxicillin was $10 USD copay, at the center, but the drops were $120 USD out of pocket at Walgreens). If I want to get reimbursed for the drops (minus copay) I have to fill out forms, attach the prescription, and mail it to Dallas. Some paper-pusher who knows nothing about my medical case or history (or medicine, probably) will then decide if the doctor was correct in prescribing those drops, and if I filled out all the forms, so i can get my $100 USD back.

Insurance companies are the "whore of all the earth" ... but that's another story.

Friday night I tried to rip my ear out of my head --with all cochlea and small bones attached. I called a "nurse hotline" (because evidently, the doctors I could call when I was growing up have now given all their expertise to nurses) who told me to take a decongestant and put heat on it. Great. I did those things, and tossed and turned throughout the night.

Eventually, after finishing my 10 day course of antibiotics, my ear is bearable. Not better, but bearable. It doesn't feel "normal." A lot of times I feel like that ear needs to be "popped," like when you ride in an airplane. Other times, it feels discomforting, not quite painful, but definitely not fine. Maybe I need to see and ENT...but I don't want to fill out any more forms...

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