The Bleeding Ear

ADD

noreply@blogger.com (Triet) — Sat, 18 Apr 2009 12:40:40 PDT

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

noreply@blogger.com (Triet) — Thu, 16 Apr 2009 19:18:03 PDT

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

noreply@blogger.com (Triet) — Thu, 16 Apr 2009 05:16:46 PDT

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

noreply@blogger.com (Triet) — Mon, 13 Apr 2009 05:36:03 PDT

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?

noreply@blogger.com (Triet) — Sat, 11 Apr 2009 23:07:33 PDT

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!!

noreply@blogger.com (Triet) — Sat, 11 Apr 2009 06:52:11 PDT

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?

noreply@blogger.com (Triet) — Thu, 02 Apr 2009 15:20:22 PDT

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

noreply@blogger.com (Triet) — Sun, 29 Mar 2009 17:10:34 PDT

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

noreply@blogger.com (Triet) — Tue, 10 Mar 2009 17:10:57 PDT

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

noreply@blogger.com (Triet) — Sat, 07 Mar 2009 09:30:23 PST

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 ...

noreply@blogger.com (Triet) — Wed, 21 Jan 2009 22:22:28 PST

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

noreply@blogger.com (Triet) — Thu, 08 Jan 2009 22:09:54 PST

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?

noreply@blogger.com (Triet) — Thu, 20 Nov 2008 20:23:17 PST

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

noreply@blogger.com (Triet) — Wed, 19 Nov 2008 10:08:26 PST

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

noreply@blogger.com (Triet) — Tue, 18 Nov 2008 14:49:42 PST

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?

noreply@blogger.com (Triet) — Tue, 11 Nov 2008 10:54:10 PST

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!

noreply@blogger.com (Triet) — Fri, 07 Nov 2008 08:34:50 PST

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

noreply@blogger.com (Triet) — Sat, 27 Sep 2008 08:53:28 PDT

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?

noreply@blogger.com (Triet) — Thu, 07 Aug 2008 19:02:54 PDT

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

noreply@blogger.com (Triet) — Sun, 27 Jul 2008 08:34:42 PDT

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

noreply@blogger.com (Triet) — Fri, 27 Jun 2008 10:05:05 PDT

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!

noreply@blogger.com (Triet) — Sat, 26 Jul 2008 18:23:58 PDT

[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?

noreply@blogger.com (Triet) — Wed, 21 May 2008 08:06:35 PDT

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

noreply@blogger.com (Triet) — Tue, 13 May 2008 12:56:23 PDT

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

noreply@blogger.com (Triet) — Mon, 28 Apr 2008 16:56:25 PDT

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.