An Acounting of My Days

Dog catches car

2011-07-18T18:42:00.001-07:00

No fun.

But I want nothing to do with her

2010-03-21T19:49:00.001-07:00

A strange situation has arisen. We have a chair that no longer fits anywhere so we put it on Craigslist to make a few bucks and save the planet. ( You know - reduce, reuse, recycle.) The first person to inquire is someone who we really don't want to have anything to do with. It's a teacher who we actually moved our kid out of her classroom because we disagreed with her teaching philosophy. At this point, the transaction is anonymous on our end since this person was responding to an anonymized ad, but we know it's her from the email address. Do we reply? ignore? or wait to see if someone else responds? Is there an ethical dilemma here or just the awkwardness of talking/transacting business with someone you would rather never talk to again?

Sometimes Data Security Has a Lot in Common with Airport Security

2010-01-12T20:46:00.000-08:00

Overwrought, bureaucratic, petty security theater and ultimately not worth fighting since it really is just a minor inconvenience for each individual even if the aggregate cost is many times the supposed benefit (even assuming the benefit is not wildly exaggerated); meanwhile cost effective measures are ignored or underfunded.

Update: Reports of me typing this with froth in the corner of my mouth and drops of spittle hitting the keyboard and screen are wildly exaggerated. That being said someone's comment, "It's a hell of a run-on sentence," was such a compliment that I decided to use a semicolon to streamline it even more.

No Expense Spared

2010-01-08T22:24:00.000-08:00

Three times in the last three days, military jets have been launched to escort a plane with an unruly passenger. These were all domestic flights and in none of these cases was there actually any threat. Each diversion undoubtedly cost 10s of thousands of dollars in direct costs and comparable amounts in indirect and opportunity costs - hundreds of thousands total. I hate to sound like a broken record, but it pains me that others don't see how obviously ridiculous this is. Instead, people act like this is certainly the right decision in light of a single failed attempt to blow up a plane (flight originating outside the US) which injured noone except the alleged bomber.

Choices

2010-01-07T19:34:00.000-08:00

Every day there is something that I miss because I have to make a choice. Sometimes it is between two fun things and so I don't feel so bad. Sometimes it's an obligation versus something fun and then I can easily start feeling sorry for myself. In that case, I have to consciously run down the mental checklist of everything that makes my life grand*. Anyway, I hope the P3 trivia team kicked some &&& tonight.

*health, family, material comfort, friends, Internet

Number Needed to Treat

2010-01-06T22:04:00.000-08:00

So in the medical world, we think about the efficacy of an intervention by calculating how many people need to be treated for one additional beneficial outcome to occur (as opposed to doing nothing or whatever is the current standard treatment). Anyway, an NNT of 10 to 20 is usually considered really good. NNTs of less than 200 are generally considered worthwhile interventions assuming risks are low. In the case of terrorism, the NNT seems to be about 500 million or so. May I suggest that the same people who think these ridiculous airport security procedures are anything but theater also probably think homeopathic medicine is effective.

Nothing needs to be reported until something happens

2010-01-05T22:48:00.000-08:00

Every day the San Francisco Chronicle writes an article about whether Tom Cable will be fired by Al Davis as head coach of the Oakland Raiders. No new news is in any of these articles; they are just a rehash of the same thing every day. Would anyone notice if they printed the same article each day until the actual decision is made. Perhaps a countdown clock would be more informative.

Random Thoughts about Intellectual Disconnects

2010-01-04T21:10:00.000-08:00

1. Saw the movie AVATAR last night and liked it. I would recommend it to other people, but I can't shake the thought that a technology as fabulous as the one depicted in the film would have put bio-monitoring and location instrumentation into the naavi clones. Since the introduction of Sculley to the Naavi is based on him getting lost in the forest without support, it was important that the corporation couldn't find him the first night, but it makes no sense to me why they wouldn't tag their property.

2. Our health economics professor may be really smart about economics and maybe even health economics, but she knows freaking nothing about the practice of pharmacy. That may not be a problem except she's lecturing to a room full of student pharmacists and making an incredible number stultifying statements.

Paradox of the Ethnic Restaurant

2010-01-03T09:58:00.000-08:00

We want it to be authentic, but authentic food is not always what we want to eat (think lamb stew as an anatomy exam that was way too easy to pass). We want it to be authentic, but authentic working staff (service and kitchen) may not have English as their first language. We want it to be authentic, but dish descriptions may be culture dependent. Had a good time at the East Ocean Seafood Restaurant - good food at a good price. My recommendation for the paler complexioned is to stick to the more bland choices; they are tasty and adventurous enough without being "offal".

Inconvenient truths

2010-01-02T10:03:00.001-08:00

1. People are animals and can be stupid.
2. Global warming could have devastating consequences.
3. There is very likely no God and, almost certainly, if there is a God, the Judeo-Christian conception is wrong.
4. The world is overpopulated if we expect to be able to reduce or eliminate poverty.
5. The US cannot maintain its current standard of living relative to the rest of the world.

The Tests Begin

2009-10-13T11:59:00.000-07:00

What can I say?

What I'm reading: Various class notes
What I'm running: 2nd 20 mile run this week.
What I'm thinking: Time to get serious about my career.

On a Training Schedule at Last

2009-09-29T13:25:00.000-07:00

I'm using Hal Higdon's intermediate 1 schedule joining it at week 13. Today is a 5 mile run at a comfortable pace. I think that probably means about 8:45 miles for me.

What I'm reading: Brain Rules
What I'm running: See above
What I'm thinking: It can be painful to see those you love struggle especially if you think they blame you for some of their difficulty.

Relieved that Financial Aid Finally Showed

2009-09-27T13:30:00.001-07:00

The title says it all. I think the financial aid office must be overwhelmed because I wasn't the only one who was sweating how I was going to pay.

What I'm reading: Brain Rules
What I'm running: 2 days of rest (one recovery from13 miles Sat. night and one for Yom Kippur)
What I'm thinking: Life is good, but I should really try to accomplish more. Also, there are a lot of engaging and/or funny writers doing blogs. Unfortunately, I'm not one.

1 Day of Continuous Posting

2009-09-24T12:57:00.000-07:00

What I'm reading: Pigeons
What I'm running: 6 miles run/walk on the treadmill
What I'm thinking: I really should have done something to get my research project started this summer.

It will catch up to me

2009-06-15T11:51:00.000-07:00

Summer is here finally. Last quarter the prediction that my brother has been repeating for many years finally came true. If I don't study, it will catch up to me.

Patients vs. Customers

2009-06-14T09:12:00.000-07:00

One of the problems with US healthcare is that we see ourselves as consumers of healthcare and not patients. This works to our advantage when the object is to minimize paternalistic/maternalistic explanations of choices. Not spending time explaining option is not the solution. On the other hand, a lot of expensive, unnecessary treatment happens because the healthcare system is unwilling to pushback against a customer.

Dennis Loves Me

2009-04-13T09:57:00.000-07:00

My naval-gazing apparently has a fan who is, appropriately enough, an accountant. Anyway, an actual accounting was accomplished today as my taxed finally got filed. I've had them done for over 5 weeks, but was hoping that, before I filed, I could clear up the bureaucratic snafu that will likely have California deducting a parking fine and penalty from a ticket I already paid.

Awkward Moments

2009-04-07T07:18:00.000-07:00

We're dog sitting our neighbor's corgie who has an amazing ability to poop 5-6 times a day. Unfortunately he will only do it while on a walk. Unfortunately, he gets up at 6:00 am. Unfortunately, I forgot a bag this morning. Unfortunately, the gentleman's whose lawn said corgie was using at the time came out to throw something away (it's trash day). Unfortunately, all I could do was stand there without a bag in my hand. It felt like I was standing there with my pants down taking a crap on his lawn.

Flip a Coin

2009-03-06T10:45:00.001-08:00

I posed a theoretical bet to a friend of mine. Which did he think would happen first? Citi nationalization or GM bankruptcy. He leaned towards Citi getting Sweded while I voterd for GM in chapter 11.

Sign of the Times

2009-03-03T07:22:00.000-08:00

From a blog I read pretty regularly, Balloon Juice:

Update: Please put a space between “c” and “ialis” in your comments so as not to trigger the spam filter.

He was trying to talk about soc ialism.

Litmus Tests for Stupid - Part 1

2009-02-02T12:37:00.000-08:00

1. Denial of the need to do anything about global warming. Even if you fall on the not sure it's all man-made, the risks of doing nothing far outweigh the doubts given the level of consensus and evidence.

2. Creationism.

3. People who believe the US healthcare system is fine and dandy.

4. People who believe George Bush was anything other than a terrible president.

5. People who believe waterboarding is not torture.

6. Readers of the WSJ editorial page for any other purpose than looking for false arguments to debunk.

7. People who believe that the present financial crisis was caused by the CRA.

8. People who think the New Deal made the Great Depression last longer.

Anybody who falls into the above categories is just not worth my time.

True

2009-01-05T09:35:00.000-08:00

From Warren Buffett (who didn't credit anyone else, but suggested that he didn't originate it):

"The chains of habit are too light to be felt until they are too heavy to be broken."

Time keeps on slipping into the future

2009-01-04T18:33:00.000-08:00

School starts tomorrow for me and my kids. My birthday is coming. I have things to do that I have not done. If I wasn't basically a happy person, I might be unhappy, but it's hard for me to stay unhappy for long. I hope the drugmonkey starts enjoying the scotch instead of using it to forget.

Happy New Year - Quick Shots

2009-01-01T22:09:00.000-08:00

I hope the one time that the Democrats in the US Senate decide to stick to their guns is not the pointless effort to keep Burris being seated. I mean, really, Harry Reid is willing to tolerate torture, but not a mediocre politician?

We need to figure out renewable energy because the world cannot support it's current population, much less any growth without a reliable, cheap source of energy.

Healthcare is populated by an amazing amount of smart people who provide care to everyone which means that there is a lot of disdain in your typical healthcare professional for the intelligence of the average patient.

In an environment where expectations are that things must be perfect or really bad things will happen, toleration for human error is low, at best. It makes it harder for people, especially doctors, to distinguish between error and incompetence because fear creates a "there but for the grace of god go I" feeling in the majority of people who need to hold their colleagues accountable. (And it's got to be a change in the majority attitude if anything is going to change.)

Weight loss can be as hard to achieve as stopping smoking.

Latkes are evil and other deadly sins

2008-12-29T00:22:00.000-08:00

Well of the seven deadly sins, I think I can safely say that I am in for lust, gluttony, sloth, and pride. Not so much on the avarice, wrath, and envy. On the other hand, I'm not Catholic so maybe I shouldn't be so worried about my cardinal sins and more worried about my yetzer hara. As far as that goes, even without the religious thing, the obesity is bad for my blood pressure, my pancreas, and my heart.

Dedication

2008-12-27T19:52:00.001-08:00

At the bookstore tonight my wife showed me a dedication and asked if that just didn't make you feel like your family was inadequate. I replied no way that anyone should be able to say nice things about their family if the text was limited to a paragraph so I am inventing one of those blog things where you tag people. I tag woollywoman at nurseknits. The rules are simple.

1. Tell the truth although "spin" is fine.
2. Include as many members of your family as you can.

This book is dedicated to so many people who I both love and who have made me who I am. My Dad had such a fierce devotion to justice that I couldn't help but be infused with it growing up. Mom performed the thankless task of making sure we had food to eat and clean clothes to wear. (Thank you Mom.) My older brother, P., was first and by blazing the trail made things easier for me. His daughter, my neice, N. is beautiful and spunky. She is ready to grab the world or a tiger by the tail. My sister, A, worked hard to find happiness and love; it was no accident she succeeded. It would be hard for me to imagine a more accepting person than her husband and partner, L. My nephew S. is a joyous surprise always exceeding our expectations. To L., we have a supernatural connection that has proved a life saver in both the figurative and literal sense. J. and N., I can only hope to do right by you two since you will be choosing my nursing home, but I have no doubt that the intelligence and creativity that you guys show will be a force to be reckoned with.

Love.

Back to School

2008-09-18T22:46:00.001-07:00

School just seems like the same old/same old. The first day of 2^nd year started inauspiciously. Younger son was not feeling well, but had no fever and certainly wasn’t ready to stay home. He gleaned that there was a possibility of spending the day with Gramma and the coughs came – fast, furious, and loud. (We sent him to school anyway, but he convinced the schoolteacher and office personnel that he was too sick to stay).

I tried casual carpool this morning hoping to save money, but it took seven minutes to get a ride and there was traffic combined with a non-aggressive drive costing at least another 5-10 minutes. No surprise I was 15 minutes late to class. I’m not sure whether to give up or just keep track to see how much time I actually do need. It was great seeing my classmates again, but it surprises me how mundane it feels.

I'm Sorry but if you Don't Believe in Evolution then I'll Think You Are Stupid

2008-08-29T22:24:00.000-07:00

Sarah Palin may be young, charismatic, and beautiful, but she's also very stupid.

'Creation science' enters the race

GOVERNOR: Palin is only candidate to suggest it should be discussed in schools.

By TOM KIZZIA
Anchorage Daily News

Published: October 27, 2006
Last Modified: October 30, 2006 at 09:40 AM

The volatile issue of teaching creation science in public schools popped up in the Alaska governor's race this week when Republican Sarah Palin said she thinks creationism should be taught alongside evolution in the state's public classrooms.

Through the Eyes of Others

2008-08-25T12:11:00.000-07:00

In their wisdom, UCSF OASIS implemented a password expiration scheme. I think that their particular approach was less than optimal (my outraged voicemails included the word "incompetent"). As a result I was locked out from my account for the entire weekend.

As I was excoriating the support manager for this result, my wife comes down to tell me that she hoped that no human was at the other end of the phone line. If it was, she hoped I never, ever needed something from that person again. That brought my righteous indignation crashing back to earth fairly abruptly.

Feeling Ripped Off?

2008-08-20T15:07:00.000-07:00

Which, if any of these, make you feel cheated or do you just think that you win some and lose some?

1. We took our small dog to the vet to see if there was anything to do for her cancer to ease the discomfort or if we needed to put her to sleep right then. The vet charged $150 for blood work and cytology to determine that it was cancer. BUT we knew that before we got there.

2. USAir charges for water on their flights. They won't give you ice. They won't give water to a mother to mix formula and they won't give it to you to swallow a pill. They actually try to say that their goal is to give their customers choices.

3. John Edwards runs for President in the primaries and solicits contributions, then loses. It turns out if he would have won that he would have forfeited the general due to his marital affair.

4. Your server at a restaurant recommends the signature dish (a more expensive one than you would have got otherwise, but you decide to splurge). It turns out to be terrible.

Any others? Add to comments.

Think It Will Work with My Wife

2008-08-18T06:53:00.000-07:00

Everyone knows that pharmacists are this country's most trusted profession. (I won't even link because you trust me, right?) So I think I ought to adopt McCain's attitude whenever anyone challenges me.

Nicolle Wallace in the NYT: "The insinuation from the Obama campaign that John McCain, a former prisoner of war, cheated is outrageous."

Let me try it out:

The insinuation that I didn't clean the toilets like I promised to, me, a student pharmacist, not fulfilling my housekeeping obligations is outrageous.

Needs work.

Who are You?

2008-08-17T20:44:00.000-07:00

With all due respect to the Who, the question arose for me while thinking about the Angry Porfessor's post about sexism. If you are a certain way then how much should you change to fit in, be successful, or make friends. Should a woman become more pushy at the risk of being called a b*tch? Should Democrats become more sleazy to win elections? What changes should I make in myself? Should I become more serious at the risk of being a killjoy? Should I be more focussed at the risk of being less open to serendipity? Should I be less abrasive at the risk of suffering fools?

I really don't know the answers for myself so I understand those who think the world can be cruel and imperfect, but I don't know whether when the right answer is to try to change the world or when the right thing to do is to change yourself.

No Cigarette Sales for You

2008-08-01T07:42:00.000-07:00

San Francisco has amended its health code to ban the sale of cigarettes in pharmacies. This action which, if voluntary, on the part of the pharmacist/pharmacy might be admirable is ridiculous as an ordinance. Cigarettes will still be for sale in numerous outlets; an exemption was made for certain retailers that had pharmacies located within them such as Safeway; and warehouse stores are also exempted. The UCSF pharmacists and student pharmacists who overwhelmingly support this measure are, in my opinion, going for form over substance. Their desire to reduce smoking is admirable, but this ordinance does little in that regard. In addition, the ethical dilemma that is cited is minimal especially when you consider that many (most?) of the tobacco sales at pharmacies do not occur in conjunction with a pharmaceutical sale.

Heads I win, Tails you lose

2008-07-30T08:49:00.000-07:00

Agenda arguments are all about winning. It amazes me that so many people lose these arguments. If a salesperson is trying to get you to buy something that's a bad deal or you can't afford then just say no.

Arguing for the sake of arguing

2008-07-27T07:13:00.000-07:00

Pure Ideology/Ideology: Ideology/Ideology arguments are just arguing for the sake of arguing; this can be enjoyable or frustrating depending on the circumstances and temperaments of the participants. Except for correcting the misconceptions and misstatements that contaminate these types of arguments (facts and agenda), a pure ideology/ideology argument will never change anything. Hopefully, the two sides will "agree to disagree". If not then escalation can easily lead to armed conflict. When someone "wins", the result is conversion.

"I just haven't convinced her yet that I'm right"

2008-07-26T08:33:00.000-07:00

This post and the next few ones are going to be about a Grand Unification Theory of Argument (negotiation, debate, discussion, fighting) that I conceived while thinking about the above. Last night the wife and I were out having dinner and were engaged in a discussion when the server came up to our table. She heard us arguing and said "uh, oh". She laughed when I reassured her with the above statement. But it was true. The reason that it was true is that my wife and I love each other and this was just an interesting fact/fact disagreement. What do I mean by that? I think there are three basis of disagreements: facts, ideology, and agenda. Now these are rarely pure in any argument. For example, in my discussion with my wife, we were pretty much having a minor disagreement about facts, but we also had an agenda of keeping the evening fun. I want to look at each type of argument and the winners and losers in each.

PURE FACT/FACT: As soon as the facts are produced, the disagreement ends. Sometimes, not enough is known to end the disagreement and hopefully that stimulates the participants curiosity to find out the correct answer. The "winner" in this argument feels good because they were shown to be right. The "loser" may feel good because they learned something; they may feel neutral because they didn't care that much anyway; or they may feel bad because they feel that they were disrespected or bludgeoned by the "winner" or because they are embarrassed or feel stupid. Generally this type of disagreement is not so tricky and there are few land mines as long as you avoid being an a**hole about being right (or wrong). A lot of people think that most academic disagreements fall in this category, but the truth is that few academic arguments are of this type because academics are trained to pay very close attention to the facts.

The Sting of a Shot

2008-06-17T21:26:00.000-07:00

Every parent knows the pain of watching a kid scream when the nurse or doctor (or pharmacist) gives a vaccine shot or draws blood. It's no better when the kid is screaming because he doesn't understand the limits that need to be set on his behavior and the only way to show him is to make sure there are consequences (i.e. punishments) every time he crosses the line.

Getting those IPPE hours in

2008-06-16T22:09:00.000-07:00

Walgreens is amazingly busy. They will do in one hour what a Target or Safeway does in a day. The computer went down and it became obvious for all the backwardness of how data communications and software is deployed in healthcare, a modern pharmacy simply cannot function without it.

My Wife, My Mother-In-Law, My Mother, and My Father

2008-06-15T11:27:00.000-07:00

So the phone rings at 10:30 and my wife says it's Mom calling to wish you a Happy Fathers Day. I smile and go answer it because I suspect she's right. I almost guffaw out loud when Rosemary says hello. Of course, the real purpose of the call is to remind Laura that she has not sent a card. Cards are very important to Rosemary. To me, they are a waste of between 3-5 dollars. I still have to call my dad to wish him a Happy Fathers Day, but noone expects me to send a card. My mom will be happy that I called at all. It will be a strained conversation with my father (who I somewhat formally call "Father" since the day many years ago when I decided "daddy, mommy, and nanny" were too immature for me. Obviously the pendulum swung a bit too far the other direction at that point). My dad and I don't see eye to eye on much since his cognitive impairments increased (perhaps due to the diabetes). We are estranged, but he did an adequate job while I was growing up, I know where he is and he never actively tried to hurt me which is more than a lot of people get.

Why the next 5 months of political coverage are relatively meaningless

2008-06-12T13:21:00.000-07:00

McCain cannot win Ohio. Without Ohio, McCain can't get to 270 electoral votes. Just as anyone with an inkling of sense knew that the nomination battle was over after March 4 failed to close the gap appreciably for Hilary in the delegate count, it should be obvious that Obama will win the presidency.

Let's look at the reasons:

The candidates:
1. Obama has charisma; McCain can't read a speech off a teleprompter.
2. Obama is fresh and young; McCain is old and out-of-touch.
3. Obama is athletic; McCain is limited by war injuries and is more likely than not to die of cancer in the next 10 years.
4. McCain is short.
5. Obama is cool-headed (some will call it arrogance or aloofness); McCain has a temper and often is vulgar.
6. Obama is faithful to his wife; McCain is an admitted adulterer.
7. Obama won a hard-fought battle for the nomination, but is generally in tune with the Democratic agenda; McCain is mistrusted by the Republican party base.
8. Obama is right about the war; McCain is wrong.

The only potential disadvantages in terms of the actual candidates is:

9. Obama is multicultural (a PC way of saying Black); McCain is White.
10. The media loves McCain; they are unsure of Obama.

So Obama is the better candidate vs. McCain just on the superficial stuff, but let's look at the political environment relative to 2004 (when Kerry only lost Ohio by about 120k votes).

1. Obama is a better candidate than John Kerry; McCain is not as good as Bush.
2. In 2004, Bush was the incumbent and Republicans controlled Congress.
3. In 2008, the economyis in recession.
4. In 2008, gas prices are at an all time high and won't come down significantly by November.
5. In 2008, food prices are going up considerably.
6. In 2008, the war in Iraq and Afghanistan are going worse than 2004, with no major successes (such as elections) to be engineered to pretend they are going well.
7. In 2008 talking about Iran will scare people into voting democratic rather than sticking with the Republicans.
8. In 2004, Kerry and Bush were on a par in terms of spending; in 2008 Obama will ba able to outspend McCain 3:1.
9. Even though the media still sucks, they are not quite as far in the tank for Republicans as they were in 2004. People are taking less direction from the media regarding political issues compared to 2004.

Now let's focus on Ohio itself.

1. State offices are now controlled by Democrats.
2. Rules for counting provisional ballots are murky at best at a lot of discretion is left to the Secretary of State. Needless to say, Blackwell, in 2004, worked to suppress the vote while the 2008 situation will be different.
3. Precinct density will be better than in 2004 since the Democrats will try to minimize long lines.
4. 2.39 million people voted in the Democratic primary for president this year in Ohio. Bush only got about 2.86 million votes in 2004. Assuming turnout is approximately the same then there are 2 million Ohio voters who will vote in the general election that did not vote in either the Republican or Democratic primary. McCain would have to win those voters at a ratio of 3:1 to win Ohio. That's not counting voter registration drives
5. There is no gay marriage ballot issue in 2008 so turnout among Republicans will not be as extensive.

That's it. McCain can't/won't win Ohio and without Ohio, he does not have a chance.

Scary People?

2008-04-26T09:09:00.000-07:00

So David Broder, Peggy Noonan, Maureen Dowd have never in their lives been to a cocktail party with Reverend Wright so when he says that the US is not perfect because of the destruction of New Orleans or one of the highest incarceration rates in the world, that's scary. BUT when Rush Limbaugh calls for rioting and chaos in the streets of Denver in an effort to disrupt the Democratic process, he's just "playing" because they have eaten little weenies with him.

Who would have guessed?

2008-03-02T09:56:00.001-08:00

If I were a VC (or mysterious real estate mogul) who had provided money to cashtomato.com, I might be having second thoughts about the quality of my executive team.

N.Y. giveaway turns into mayhem
NEW YORK (AP) -- Even giving away something for free can turn into a hassle in New York.
A video-sharing Web site set out to observe Leap Day by handing out prizes worth up to $29 on February 29 outside Union Square Park. ...
....
Some people wrested bags of cash-stuffed envelopes and other items from the CashTomato workers, said Jason Buzi, who identified himself as the company's senior vice president.
.... he was startled by the Manhattan mayhem.
"It turned out to be a lot of aggressive people," he said.

Now I suppose that they are operating on the theory that any publicity is good just like the stupid.

Reminds me of the E-Trade superbowl ad where the monkey does nothing.

They have been amazingly successful.

Back to School

2008-01-03T21:11:00.000-08:00

Really just taking note of the fact that school started yesterday. The long break is over and it means that I'm out of the house most of the week. On Monday, the two sons go back to school as well. This is actually harder than starting school in the Fall since the family has to adjust to the fact that there is more than 3 years to go, but there is none of the excitement of starting the journey.

The Noise Machine

2008-01-01T13:31:00.000-08:00

Three examples of the noise machine without (much) comment:

1. The family of Nataline Sarkisyan got CIGNA to reverse their denial of coverage for a liver transplant. The reversal came too late for Nataline although, sadly, it was probably already too late given her years of leukemia, her bone marrow transplant w/complications, and her vegetative state. My opinion is that, without knowing anything more than news reports (a very incomplete picture), CIGNA probably made the right decision. The real kicker is that CIGNA was criticized heavily as a profit-maximizing corporate ogre (which it probably is), but in this particular case, they served only as an adminsitrator for a self-insured plan. This means they had NO financial stake in the decision either way.

2. A woman is kicked off the bus in Ft. Worth, TX for reading aloud the Bible. A case of persecution or just standard policy that passengers are not allowed to bother other people whether the subject is the evils of globalization OR the Bible? I pity everyone involved at the bus company who are now about to get an unholy ton of bricks dumped on them. I don't think they deserve the punishment that is will be dealt out to them by the self-righteous even if they were all a bunch of Satanists who did animal sacrifices at midnight, but there's nothing that can stop it now that it made the Drudge Report.

3. The halting of an incredibly successful checklist quality improvement program overseen by John Hopkins. Thousands of lives and millions of dollars in potential savings, but the OHRP halted the program with a decision made in a compliance letter published November 6. Here, I am taking baby steps to be part of the noisy protest. I contacted my Congressperson to find out if he could find out anything more about the decision. I will probably make a FOIA request to the agency. I'm sure there are two sides to the story; after all, John Hopkins has had some real ethical problems with their research in the past resulting in death. BUT I can't understand the logic that allows such a simple, low-cost, valuable program to be derailed by what appears to be a beauracratic dust-up. Also, who complained in the first place to initiate the process?

Happy New Year

2007-12-31T23:30:00.000-08:00

1. Lose weight.
2. Do well in school.
3. Be more patient.
4. Don't procrastinate.
5. Have fun.
6. Get a job.

Peace on Earth, Good Will Towards Men

2007-12-27T22:37:00.000-08:00

Apparently those reports of peace in Bethlehem for the first time in years were premature. I don't know what to say other than it is so wrong of me to have laughed so heartily while reading this story.

Priests Scuffle Inside Bethlehem Church
The Associated Press
Thursday, December 27, 2007; 7:27 AM

BETHLEHEM, West Bank -- Robed Greek Orthodox and Armenian priests went at each other with brooms and stones inside the Church of the Nativity on Thursday as long-standing rivalries erupted in violence during holiday cleaning.

Jealous

2007-12-26T14:51:00.000-08:00

I'm sure this isn't for everyone, but it makes me so envious. To have the money, the stamina, the organization, the energy, the familial stability, and time to do this is just amazing. I hope there's a book coming out about it.

And

Bloggers I Read, But Don't Like

2007-12-25T20:49:00.000-08:00

1. dennisthepeasant.typepad.com

Smart, funny, and cynical. What's not to love? He's a Republican when any decent person should have left the party by now. (What can you say about a party where the majority likes torture and doesn't believe in evolution except that it deserves to fail.) He's a little too wrapped up in his schtick that people don't care about the big picture and only care about local issues. One other thing that both makes me love and hate him is that he is the only blogger who has cared enough to ban me.

2. pandabearmd.com

He is spot on when he is talking about alternative medicine, the dysfunctional hospital beauracracy, or the process of becoming a doctor. He's an ass when he's talking politics, malpractice, or about his patients.

3. althouse.blogspot.com

Actually I used to read her more often, but now she is such a self-parody that I just cruise by to see the wrecks.

4. volokh.com

Again, this is another site that I've lost a lot of interest in. Only Orin Kerr is worthwhile at this point and he's still a Republican.

5. samefacts.com

The opposite of volokh. I actually like this site and the bloggers a lot, but they are a little bit too willing to believe the good in others for my taste. That would be ok as it goes (Brad Delong has the same issue) but what makes it hard to forgive is that too often they will attack people they perceive as being too extreme (Duncan Black) and defend people who should be shunned (Eugene Volokh).

Five's enough for now. Maybe some day I'll get a real blogroll to put the sites that I truly love. The one that would be at the top of the list though would be nurseknits.blogspot.com. This site is a little raw at times, but written by a person who you can tell is just lovely in real life.

Cholesterol Numbers Going the Right Way

2007-12-13T13:20:00.001-08:00

The CDC reports that average cholesterol levels are down to below 200 for the first time in 50 years. The power of drugs; we're talking statins here. At the same time Merck, on behalf of Glaxo (and their negotiated licensing milestone payments), is going before an FDA panel today to try to get Mevacor approved for OTC. My feeling is that this is probably not the best OTC drug in the world even with the relatively few side effects, but the prospect of a BTC (Behind The Counter) drug is great for pharmacists. It sorta would have the profession coming full circle to its roots when people would think of the pharmacist as the primary healthcare provider. In many countries, that's still true.

UPDATE: The panel nixed the idea of an OTC cholesterol pill.

Roboquad

2007-12-11T22:17:00.000-08:00

Last night of Hanukah and Son #1 got the big gift. It's not intentional that the big gift comes on the last night (like some kind of climax to the holiday). It's just that he's been behind on his homework and it seemed unfair to give such a cool toy and say you can't play. But it seemed like irresponsible parenting to let him play with a cool toy and ignore his homework. It worked out that the day he was all caught up and the last night coincided. He LOVES it.

Running

2007-12-10T22:17:00.000-08:00

5 Reasons I love running

1. It makes me feel healthy.
2. It allows me to freak out my younger and stronger classmates when I mention that I think I'll go workout by running 6-8 miles.
3. I can eat anything I want when I'm running regularly and never gain weight ( generally I'll lose weight).
4. It's time to myself to vegetate mentally.
5. I generally enjoy the sights along the way. My regular running route has a great view of SF across the Bay.

5 Reasons I hate running

1. Since I can't seem to rouse myself at 5 am, it always means I have to find time during the day.
2. I sweat. I sweat a lot. I continue to sweat for 1/2 hour after stopping (even if I've taken a shower).
3. I sometimes con myself into thinking I'm going running so that I can overeat and then I don't go running. I can gain 5 pounds in 10 days if I stop running regularly, but continue to eat as if I am.
4. Running does not build any upper body strength.
5. Minor aches and pains. Sometimes a twinge in the knees or some muscle fatigue.

Overall, the plusses outweigh the minusses.

Toot, Toot, Chugga, Chugga

2007-12-09T21:49:00.000-08:00

Was looking on youtube for something funny with Barney, but the only thing that was there was too profane, not funny, or the original Barney. So I decided to go with the Wiggles since this song can stick in your head for days.

Hey! I now know how to embed.

Trutech sucks

2007-12-08T21:11:00.000-08:00

Add me to the list of those 29 others who have that to say. In my case, it was DVD player that went bad three times in 18 months. The first two times, it was the minor inconvenience of running to Target and exchanging the player, but this time that's not an option. Luckily, a name brand player can be had for under $50 without the guarantee of failure that Trutech provides.

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Medicare Part D

2007-12-07T19:36:00.000-08:00

The Medicare Part D outreach run by UCSF raises a whole host of contradictory thoughts. The first one is confirmatory of my initial thoughts about Part D which is that it was a Republican boondoggle designed to maximize corporate welfare and political hype. On the other hand, something is better than nothing and many/most of these seniors are certainly better off than they were before the program started. On the other hand (that's three for those counting at home) the program is so complicated that very smart, very engaged pharmacy students do not fully comprehend the ins and outs at times so how can you expect seniors to. Bottom line, Part D basically gets the job done but at a cost in terms of actual dollars and administrative complexity out of proportion to the benefit. A well-designed universal access system could easily do better.

A Jewish Story

2007-12-06T18:01:00.000-08:00

As long as we seem to be stuck in a Judaica rut likely brought on by an overindulgence in latkas, I'll share one of my favorite stories. It is vague since I only remember the high points and couldn't find a link on the web so here goes:

A famous rebbe is lost in the woods while traveling. He had hoped to make it to the next town, his destination and the place he is to be the new rabbi, before nightfall since it was Friday and he feared violating the Shabbat. He is found by a rude peasant with thick beard, a stocky frame and few words. This peasant has little use for rebbes, famous or otherwise, but invites him back to his cabin. The rebbe accompanies the man back to his hovel. Despite the fact that the peasant is obviously uneducated, the rebbe thinks he might stop to light candles, or say kiddush, or something to acknolwedge the Shabbat. Instead, darkness falls, the peasant lights a lamp without a blessing, he sits down for his meal and opens a bottle of whiskey. He proceeds to finish the bottle of whiskey and fall into a drunken sleep. He has done nothing for the rebbe except offer him a roof and some meager portion of his meal of black bread and potato soup. In the morning, rather than refraining from working, the peasant gets up and returns to the forest to cut wood. The rebbe spends Shabbas in the peasant's hut in prayer and contemplation. Saturday evening is a repeat of Friday; certainly there is no havdalah service. On Sunday morning, the rebbe thanks the peasant for rescuing him and offers him some money. The peasant refuses, but is not especially gracious suggesting the rebbe was something of a fool for getting lost and then doing nothing for an entire day. The rebbe has to ask his host why, if he is a Jew, he is so insensible to all religious precepts, perhaps he does not believe in God. The peasant replies that he certainly believes in the Almighty, but he sees no reason to follow all these rules that seem arbitrary and capricious (although he uses much different language). The rebbe asks him if there is a God, then why would you ignore his commandments? The peasant tells the story of his brother who was killed by the Cossacks at prayer during a pogrom when the shtetl's shul was burned. He says the fire was fast and nothing remained. This peasant rose to his full height and thrust out his enormous gut. He said when the Cossacks come for him and ask him to curse God or spit on the Torah, he will be martyered - kiddush ha-shem. He will first take his axe and inflict as much pain on them as possible; something he practices every day. Then when he can no longer fight, he will bolt himself in the cabin and wait for them to light it on fire, but he wanted to make sure that his enormous girth would add fuel to the fire and cause it to burn long and hot. When the rebbe got to the his destination, he was given a great welcome. All the town was relieved since he had not arrived before Shabbat, but he told them that he was not worthy to be their rebbe and that there was one far more holy in the forest through which he had traveled.

Sorry for the errors in retelling and some may not like the story's concept even if it had been told with skill. I don't know what it means that I love this story, but I do. Happy third night of Hanukah.

Hanukkah Rocks

2007-12-05T11:18:00.000-08:00

Ok. So yesterday KFOG played the Leevee's Channukkah Rocks. Here's the video. I went to Amazon just to see what was on there for this album. Now the Amazon gurus have made a marketing faux pas. See if you can spot it:

Hanukkah Rocks
The Leevees (Artist)

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Mitzvah Time

2007-12-04T21:07:00.000-08:00

Ok. I ate a pound of latkes and probably destroyed any chance I had of achieving my weight loss goal for December. Judaism really has some of the most perverse religious obligations. On Chanukah, you should eat fried food and on Purim you should get drunk as a skunk. My favorite is you should have sex every day if you are a scholar. And people wonder why I went back to school.

What do you say? How to explain?

2007-12-03T11:14:00.000-08:00

So as I am dropping my son off at school today, NPR is on the radio and a quick blurb on the story of the teacher in Sudan who was sentenced to 15 days jail for blasphemy (of Islam) is broadcast. Part of the blurb is how some people were calling for her death. He asks why? I cannot come up with a coherent explanation so sputter sentences with the words "stupid", "ugly", "hateful", "prejudiced", and "intolerant" in different order. Wouldn't the world would be a whole lot better off if this kind of stupidity disappeared, but that's not ever going to happen as long as there are humans.

School/Family Balance

2007-09-25T07:00:00.000-07:00

Well, after spending most of the early morning doing homework and contemplating whether I should attend any of the many evening social events for UCSF pharm. student (clubbing and mixers are a pass, but what about more mellow social gatherings?)and considering that life has all of a sudden gotten much harder for my wife, I'm in a quandary as to what to do. One bright spot is the new dog. It may be another furry mouth to feed, but she is a real gem -truly housetrained, calm, not a ounter grazer. In short, wonderful.

Not working out today

2007-09-24T08:09:00.000-07:00

As a ommuter, every morning I need to decide what to pack in the backpack. Ideally, I would pack the night before or have some kind of checklist. In reality, this process consists of stuffing a hodgepodge of things into the bag at the last minute. Today, I had my workout stuff all ready to go, but it failed to make it into the bag as I hurried out the door to make the 7:47 bus. The bus was 6 minutes late so there, in reality, was no hurry and, I suppose, that having the extra time to study is worthwhile, but I really wanted that break in the day.

First Impressions

2007-09-21T07:37:00.000-07:00

I'm in the third week now if you count from the start of student orientation. Overall, I am having a wonderful time. Some real surprises are the amount of help offered to each other within our class and this definitely extends to the second years who have been giving of themselves non-stop, it seems, since before school even started. OSACA has also been unfailingly helpful and friendly. Many, most of the third years are doing the same, but it is obvious that by the fourth year, you are starting to break away and our focused on your own career.

Most positive experience so far: the campout was a blast and definitely worth it.

Most negative experience so far: the amount of money that this is going to cost is daunting so I hope this is worth it especially given the callousness the school treats issues of money for the students (re: student health insurance, UC Regents fee hikes, numerous nickle and dimed costs). From UCSF's point of view, I'm sure they still see it as a bargain - cheaper than private school, one of the best (if not the best) schools in the country, and relentless budget pressure. On the other hand, they seem to lack any sensitivity to the student side of the issue perhaps because they know that financial aid generally provides 100% coverage for need (conveniently considering student loans almost as if they are grants).

Why Blog?

2007-09-18T07:07:00.000-07:00

Here I am on the Transbay bus commuting to school and they have WiFi! That's a good enough reason.