May 2008
15 posts
Copyright deal could toughen rules governing info... →
Why are we using border police as copyright protection officers?  Since when was ripping a CD illegal?  What happened to fair use?  Does this mean everyone has to walk around with fully on the fly encrypted hard drives now because they don’t want officers snooping around?  Ridiculous.
May 30th
The Value of a Human Life: $129,000 - TIME →
Ration care in the face of rising health care costs?  Some tough questions for US public health care system…
May 27th
At One University, Tobacco Money Is a Secret - New... →
Grant money is hard to come by for some, but perhaps people should learn a few things from what happened to Dr. Nancy Olivieri.
May 25th
Question on treating Catholic patients...
Can a doctor prescribe oral contraceptives as a treatment for endometriosis?  Should the patient not engage in sexual activity during this time with her husband? 
May 22nd
China diverts billions in funds to rebuild after... →
Let’s see how China deals with this disaster and compare it to how the US dealt with Katrina.  Let’s hope the mistakes are not repeated.
May 22nd
Increase medical school class attendance by 50%...
On the last day of school, the students decided to buy ourselves lunch with left over money from a class account.  We spent $150 on preppy bagels with fancy cream cheeses.  There was a 50% increase in attendance for a 08:00 lecture; from 40 to 60 people in a class of 125.  It takes a lot to bring us out.
May 22nd
Medical school 1/2 over*
* minor additional step: USMLE 1
May 21st
Opinion: Free pens, pizza for docs come at a cost... →
I totally agree. “Freebies” from drug and service companies work. After a conference where I scooped up some sticky pads last year, I went and looked up the drugs that were being advertised when I got bored of studying. By the way, a big trial came out a few weeks ago on the drug, it’s no better than its predecessors.
May 20th
Doctor ratings: Is your healthcare hot or not? -... →
There are a few problems that need to be addressed with rating sites. What and who takes care of forum trolls? How do you deal with the small number of patients that might have psyc issues? For example, a patient that feels he/she was mistreated because he/she has narcissistic personality disorder? When someone’s reputation is on the line, is it fair to be able to comment anonymously? If a...
May 19th
Want to Remember Everything You'll Ever Learn?... →
I’ve got to try this out for myself…
May 18th
May 18th
Cleveland Clinic's Medical School To Offer... →
Oh, it must be nice to go to a school that has a giant endowment.  It will be very interesting to see their match results over the next decade or so - will it be different from their previous results, and will it be different from overall national trends?
May 18th
Calm before the storm
USMLE Step 1 studying will begin in earnest soon.  I feel terribly relaxed for what is suppose to be the worst weeks of my academic career. 
May 18th
May 18th
Prison for Man With H.I.V. Who Spit on a Police... →
Spit from an individual with H.I.V. is NOT a deadly weapon, as it was described by the prosecutors of this case.  As far as I know, there are NO case reports of transmission with saliva.  This case sets a dangerous precedent.  Also, this is an example of prosecutors whose only interests are to rack up their win count.   This man needs serious psychological counselling, not 35 years behind bars.
May 18th