Take a gander at this chart which definately provides some food for thought. It summarizes all the candidates (both Dem and Rep) on a multitude of issues.
The most ironic thing of all to me: how republicans (conservatives) can be simultaneously opposed to background checks for purchasing guns and at the same time support the patriot act.
Aren't those two things diametrically opposed?
Thursday, January 31, 2008
Overheard: The Problem with Medicine Today
I was just in the Emergency Room seeing a consult when I overheard the ED attending say the following to one of the patients:
"Your test results are back. Your chest x-ray is normal, your EKG is normal, your white blood cell count is normal, your electrolytes are normal and your D-dimer is normal."
At this point, I glanced over towards the curtain he was standing at, and in the bed I see a young girl who couldn't have been more than 22!
Clearly, she had complained of chest pain...and had gotten a million dollar (okay, probably more like a few thousand dollar) work-up. What's wrong with that, you say?
Here's what wrong with it:
1. It's 2 in the morning and this is not an emergency.
2. She is not having a heart attack...nor does she have pneumonia, or a pulmonary embolism...
3. ALL of the above should be ruled out by history and physical exam in such a young girl.
Maybe when I am practicing on my own I will feel differently, but there is no way this work-up was justified. Clearly, he was trying to cover his ass on the one-in-a-billion (and it really is one-in-a-billion) chance that there was something wrong with her. And someone (her, you, me, the hospital) is paying for it.
"Your test results are back. Your chest x-ray is normal, your EKG is normal, your white blood cell count is normal, your electrolytes are normal and your D-dimer is normal."
At this point, I glanced over towards the curtain he was standing at, and in the bed I see a young girl who couldn't have been more than 22!
Clearly, she had complained of chest pain...and had gotten a million dollar (okay, probably more like a few thousand dollar) work-up. What's wrong with that, you say?
Here's what wrong with it:
1. It's 2 in the morning and this is not an emergency.
2. She is not having a heart attack...nor does she have pneumonia, or a pulmonary embolism...
3. ALL of the above should be ruled out by history and physical exam in such a young girl.
Maybe when I am practicing on my own I will feel differently, but there is no way this work-up was justified. Clearly, he was trying to cover his ass on the one-in-a-billion (and it really is one-in-a-billion) chance that there was something wrong with her. And someone (her, you, me, the hospital) is paying for it.
Saturday, January 26, 2008
Iraqi Refugees
Ahmad, as posted previously, had a wonderful trip to Jordan. He got to spend a lot of time with his family and ate a lot of amazing meals.
He also, inadvertently, got a lesson in just how dire the situation of some Iraqi refugees is. He was fortunate enought to meet several Iraqi women refugees. Quite a few of them were Iraqi women who were raising their children (or grandchildren) without their husbands either because their husbands weren't allowed to leave Iraq or more often because their husbands had been killed in the violence in Iraq. He was awe-struck by the depth of gratitude these women felt when he was able to help them with groceries or some money. The stories he heard and the things he saw would make you cry, but the problem is so much deeper than the few women he was able to help.
Since he returned, I have done some investigating on my own. I already knew that the Iraqi refugee situation was bad in Jordan. We have seen Iraqi women trying to sell whatever they can on the side of the street just to put food in their mouths. There are hundreds of thousand of Iraqi's living in Jordan and a great deal of them are living in abject poverty. It doesn't just affect the refugees, either. Our nieces and nephews have to attend school in shifts because there isn't room for all the students at once now that there are so many Iraqi children attending school in Jordan (but thank God the Iraqi children are now allowed to attend school). And the schools were overwhelmed with the number of students and half of the kids we know did not have books two months into school because there weren't enough to go around. The cost of living in Jordan has risen dramatically since the war began but Jordanians aren't making any more money than they were prior to the war. We even felt the difference when we were there in August, and we certainly have more disposable income than most in Jordan. Finally, there are refugee camps where conditions are much less than ideal.
I recently was reading the webpage for Refugees International and I came across these facts:
I don't know what the solution to these problems is, although I am sure that the trillions of dollars that have been spent on the Iraq war could go a long way towards helping solve some of the problems. We created this refugee crisis, whether intentionally or not, and I think it behooves the US to fix it. Not only will it improve our image around the world, but it's simply the right thing to do.
He also, inadvertently, got a lesson in just how dire the situation of some Iraqi refugees is. He was fortunate enought to meet several Iraqi women refugees. Quite a few of them were Iraqi women who were raising their children (or grandchildren) without their husbands either because their husbands weren't allowed to leave Iraq or more often because their husbands had been killed in the violence in Iraq. He was awe-struck by the depth of gratitude these women felt when he was able to help them with groceries or some money. The stories he heard and the things he saw would make you cry, but the problem is so much deeper than the few women he was able to help.
Since he returned, I have done some investigating on my own. I already knew that the Iraqi refugee situation was bad in Jordan. We have seen Iraqi women trying to sell whatever they can on the side of the street just to put food in their mouths. There are hundreds of thousand of Iraqi's living in Jordan and a great deal of them are living in abject poverty. It doesn't just affect the refugees, either. Our nieces and nephews have to attend school in shifts because there isn't room for all the students at once now that there are so many Iraqi children attending school in Jordan (but thank God the Iraqi children are now allowed to attend school). And the schools were overwhelmed with the number of students and half of the kids we know did not have books two months into school because there weren't enough to go around. The cost of living in Jordan has risen dramatically since the war began but Jordanians aren't making any more money than they were prior to the war. We even felt the difference when we were there in August, and we certainly have more disposable income than most in Jordan. Finally, there are refugee camps where conditions are much less than ideal.
I recently was reading the webpage for Refugees International and I came across these facts:
- Over 4 million Iraqis have been displaced from their country by violence
- 1.5 million are now living in Syria
- 1 million refugees inhabit Jordan, Iran, Egypt, Lebanon, Yemen, and Turkey
I don't know what the solution to these problems is, although I am sure that the trillions of dollars that have been spent on the Iraq war could go a long way towards helping solve some of the problems. We created this refugee crisis, whether intentionally or not, and I think it behooves the US to fix it. Not only will it improve our image around the world, but it's simply the right thing to do.
Tuesday, January 22, 2008
Back from Jordan
Ahmad returned from Jordan today after an unscheduled overnight layover in Chicago. He had a wonderful trip and got to spend a lot of time with his family. Here are some pictures from the trip:
Some of our nieces and nephews. They were thrilled to see Uncle Ahmad!
Driving to Irbid from Amman
What is this guy thinking?
Everyone was sad to see Ahmad leave, especially his nephew Ahmad.
And just for you, Stephanie: mensef.
Oh, the Weather...
So here is the scene from our front porch right now. And it's supposed to keep snowing for the rest of the week. Lucky for me, Ahmad is back to shovel the snow!
Monday, January 21, 2008
Arab-American Comedy Festival
Here is a really funny video clip from the Arab-American Comedy Festival which is going on right now in NYC. This guy is from New Jersey and is is half Italian, half Palestinian. He has some good insights!
Sunday, January 20, 2008
Here We Are...
I guess we'll join the craze. I don't know how interesting it will be, but at least all of you far away (which, let's face it, is everyone) can keep up with what we are getting ourselves into.
Like Stephanie, I thought I would post a list of the books I read in 2007.
· Fahrenheit 451 by Ray Bradbury
· Crime and Punishment by Fyodor Dostoevsky
· House of God by Samuel Shem M.D.
· Water for Elephants by Sara Gruen
· Suite Francaise by Irene Nemirovsky
· Drowning Ruth by Christina Schwarz
· The World According to Garp by John Irving
· The Birth of Venus by Sarah Dunant
· Nine Parts of Desire: The Hidden World of Islamic Women by Geraldine Brooks
· A Wedding in December by Anita Shreve
· Lisey's Story by Stephen King
· I Knew a Woman by Cortney Davis
· Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows by J.K. Rowling
· Charming Billy by Alice McDermot
· 1408 Everything's Eventual by Stephen King
· House of Leaves by Mark Danieleski
· Local Girls by Alice Hoffman
· More than Enough by John Fulton
· Eat, Pray, Love by Elizabeth Gilbert
· On the Beach by Nevil Shute
· A Clockwork Orange by Anthony Burgess
· Sisterhood is Powerful: An Anthology of Writings from the Women's Liberation Movement edited by Robin Morgan
· The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-time by Mark Haddon
· Saving Fish from Drowning by Amy Tan
Like Stephanie, I thought I would post a list of the books I read in 2007.
· Fahrenheit 451 by Ray Bradbury
· Crime and Punishment by Fyodor Dostoevsky
· House of God by Samuel Shem M.D.
· Water for Elephants by Sara Gruen
· Suite Francaise by Irene Nemirovsky
· Drowning Ruth by Christina Schwarz
· The World According to Garp by John Irving
· The Birth of Venus by Sarah Dunant
· Nine Parts of Desire: The Hidden World of Islamic Women by Geraldine Brooks
· A Wedding in December by Anita Shreve
· Lisey's Story by Stephen King
· I Knew a Woman by Cortney Davis
· Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows by J.K. Rowling
· Charming Billy by Alice McDermot
· 1408 Everything's Eventual by Stephen King
· House of Leaves by Mark Danieleski
· Local Girls by Alice Hoffman
· More than Enough by John Fulton
· Eat, Pray, Love by Elizabeth Gilbert
· On the Beach by Nevil Shute
· A Clockwork Orange by Anthony Burgess
· Sisterhood is Powerful: An Anthology of Writings from the Women's Liberation Movement edited by Robin Morgan
· The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-time by Mark Haddon
· Saving Fish from Drowning by Amy Tan
Standouts were Eat, Pray, Love, The World According to Garp, and Suite Francaise. (Click on the books if you want to see more...)
My first book of 2008: Anna Karenina, which I struggled to get through and finally finished a few days ago.
What did you read last year?
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