They have put concrete barriers all around the presidential compound, otherwise known as the Grand America Hotel.
There are armed guards standing all around it, at each street corner and alongside the barrier.
There are even dogs with them.
Of course, it could all be a decoy and the president could be in the Motel 6, down the street.
All traffic is being routed completely around the hotel, the streets are empty. There was also a Budget rental truck and a Le Bus performing who knows what function. Perhaps the Le Bus is doing what Le Busses normally do, carrying old people around the country and staying in nice hotels so they can snap pictures of tourist things. That makes me wonder, though, whether there are still actual people staying at the hotel or whether it is just a rather large White House for a day.
Which also begs the question, how much does it cost to shut down the Grand America for a night and day while the president visits? If it was not shut down, there certainly wasn’t traffic going into the hotel parking lot… One of my employees, who is a very different person from me, wanted the afternoon off to go listen to the president speak. I hope he enjoys it, I’m not sure what I would think about visiting that rally, politics always suck… Does a presidential visit always cause this much disruption? Or is it only in Utah, where they are so rare. (Why would they visit? The Republicans already know they’ll win and the Dem’s will always lose. It’s the most guaranteed state in the union.)
I don’t want to spend much time on current politics (at least when they don’t involve medicine) but I will close with one word:
Peace!
The line to add the class was huge, rather more of a crowd that narrowed to a one-person wide apex at one end, like a huge flock of people-geese. After about an hour and a half of waiting, it was down to me and ten other schmucks. When I got to the front, he asked, "how many more of you are there?" He then paused, "...well, I’m all full, so if there are really only eleven of you, I guess I can overcrowd the sections with one person each, looks like it’s lucky you were late! Which section do you want?" So, simply by being lucky enough to be first of the last, I got to choose which section I wanted. Instead of Wednesday at 6:40PM, like every poor, unlucky, junior that I heard in front of me, I get midday Monday, exactly the one I wanted.
Sweet!
Spring semester was kind to me, almost unreasonably so. I got an ‘A’ in Gen-Chem I, for crying out loud. Summer semester was not as kind. I pulled an ‘A’ in trig, through sheer luck; my professor made it too easy for a college math class. I’m relieved, and it worked out well for me, but a nine-question, two-hour final was a bit silly, I felt totally unprepared going in, but knew it all. Won’t matter in the future, an A’s an A, so time to move on.
Gen-Chem II, however, was cruel, though better than it could have been. I earned a C+, which is another C that I cannot afford, though I was happy to get even that much. Waiting for my grade in that class was agony. To that, I added a B+ in the lab, which was worse than I thought it would be, but that one was not curved, so I get what I deserve.
Already a new semester has started, and the hardest one yet. I am up early, 8:30 AM, for Anatomy, then straight to Calculus and then O-Chem with accompanying labs and finally Medical Terminology, though I feel that it is not at the best time and may change it. I need to get into the Anatomy class before I can decide.
The biggest change is that I’m trying to quit my job. I feel that it is time to go to school full time and stop working as much as I am (I have to if I am going to make any progress, some people are machines, I am not, no matter how hard I wish to be.) To that end, I have applied for an overload of studen loans, enough to get through the semester and a little farther in case Mica has trouble getting a job (yeah, right, she’s very good, though she doesn’t seem to believe it.) I’m excited, though nervous, to be going to school full time, I am SO excited to have the chance to LEARN instead of just survive. If I can actually pull some study time, I might not get behind, I can even jump ahead. I’m so excited, I’m shaking, seriously, and so scared I’m shaking, it’s hard to tell which is which. I’m so curious to find out what happens when I can put effort into something, and get some sleep as well. If I can pull all A’s in these classes, I can get my confidence back and maybe feel like I CAN do this.
I’ve been to a few classes, really like my Calculus professor and my Anatomy professor. The other’s aren’t bad either, though I haven’t seen the Chem Lab guy yet. Speaking of Chem Lab, someone really cleaned out my drawer. Check-in was today and I was missing half the things on my list. I didn’t even have test tubes! I was far and away the last one out (uh-oh… foreshadowing for the rest of the semester...) because I had to get so many things. Getting stuff from the stock-room was a pain, though the attendant was nice, for once, it was good not to have some pissed off teenager handing out supplies.
I wish the labs were a little newer, or at least had newer equipment. So many things are old and crusty with some sort of chemical residue. I have no idea what happened to my funnel, it looks, functional, though the edges look… melted, I guess, with marguerita salt around it. At least in texture, though I think it’s at least part plastic and is not an appetizing color. Having such an empty drawer makes me wonder who takes it? Does someone really need a bunch of test tubes and Ehrlenmeyer flasks at home? Another interesting note: thermometers in O-Chem lab go up to 200 deg celsius… I wonder what we’re going to be doing that is that hot? (I don’t care as long as it isn’t titrating something with phenolphthalein again. I’m pretty sure I understand that it turns pink in basic solution.)
The first thing I learned in Anatomy? What an Acromion is. Highlight for answer: (The little pointy bit at the end of your scapula.)
My favorite argument?
"If evolution exists, how come we don’t have dinosaurs around anymore? Tell me that!" The last was not Mr. Righteous but rather the much younger, dumber, I’ll Argue Because I BELIEVE! It’s always fun when Darwinist arguments are somehow imagined to work for Creationists. It was rather funny, certainly more entertaining than Staggering Drunk at Noon, or Twitchy Junkie. It was even funnier than watching Aging Prison Tattoo man still try to look tough, or Potty Mouth Kid trying to sit in only six seats between stops. Other choice comments:
http://deseretnews.com/dn/view/0,1249,600154989,00.html
The Basics
A blastocyte is a group of about 100 cells that, after natural conception, will implant in the uterus. When a scientist is attempting to generate a culture of stem-cells to use for research, they take a fertilized egg and allow the zygote to grow into a blastocyte. The resulting ball of cells has an inner and outer layer. The outer layer is removed and the inner layer is cultured, often for years, and is what is used for research and potentially for treatment of diseases. The stem-cells that are acquired through this process can basically be grown into any type of cell in the body. They do not have characteristics that identify them as a specific body part. If they are cultured in nutrients they will continue to be neutral stem-cells unless given some stimulus to form a more specific organ.
Potential Life
A blastocyte is what is formed before an embryo implants into the uterus and has the opportunity to form a fetus. To define it as "potential human life" you must define what potential it has. Does it have the capability to grow into a fetus? Without a uterus, the answer is no. It cannot grow into a human being without being implanted. If it were to divide millions of times, it would still only generate more stem-cells, it would never grow into a human. To make this as simple as possible: for something to be potential human life, it must be able to grow into human life. A blastocyte, once implanted into a uterus is potential human life, one that is not implanted, can never be human life, therefore, it has no potential.{pagebreak}
The Real Potential
The really strange thing about the gut-reactions to this subject is that there was little if any reaction to these cells being thown out as biological waste; no-one cared. Culturing these same cells, however, is to some people, destroying human lives. We can thaw them and throw them away, but we cannot use them to cure, say, Parkinson’s Disease.
Forgive me if I have a hard time following the logic. What nefarious uses can these cells be used for? Could you create a human? Possibly, though this is very difficult. Theoretically, I imagine, you could remove the nucleus, implant it into a viable zygote and grow a person, however this still requires a uterus, which must actually be in a woman. Those few creatures that have been successfully cloned (which is an entirely different ethical issue) were still grown to term inside a mother. They may be genetically identical to the mother, but the process of birth was still the same.
Why can’t we just use adult stem cells?
Why is it so important that they be embryonic stem cells?
The short answer is age. Adult stem cells wear out and at this time there are no types of adult cells that have been found that have the same flexibility to be, literally, any type of cell in the body. Through the process of life, being sunburned etc, adult stem cells wear out and may have damaged DNA that inhibits their usefulness. There is some evidence that one of the reasons we break down more as we age is that the stem cells we have get older and lose their ability to rebuild, or die as time wears on. With the current ban on using government funds to create new stem cell lines those lines that were existing prior to the ban have now been cultured for many successive generations and, in effect, are beginning to wear out.
In conclusion:
I truly think not and the more time we waste debating, the more suffering there is that is allowed to continue. Stem cell research, along with research into the human genome, is possibly the most exciting thing to come to medicine since insulin was used successfully in 1922. Just as the [nearly] dead came to life with that miracle drug, the lame will be able to walk and, to get as melodramatic as possible, the blind to see.
For more information, check out the National Institute of Health’s FAQ’s for Stem-Cell research:
Tempus Fugit, time flies.
My math and chemistry crap is so simple and it seems simple. I can clearly see how its done. But, there’s no homework due in either, so I do the stuff I have to do, read the stuff that’s required to read and figure that I’ll be able to catch up quickly later… Only the topics build on each other. I’ve gotten to the point that I only vaguely understand what’s said in class and then have to go home and figure it out on my own. I waited to do it and now I’m in perpetual catch up. I cram it all in, take a test and then cram all my math in. Back and forth, I can almost do it, but the process of catching up means I neglect the other class.
The good news is that I haven’t failed anything yet, most of the stuff that counts is still in the future so I can continue trying to catch up. It just makes me question what’s worth it, and whether I can not do something even if it’s not worth it.
I really liked Tim Burton’s Corpse Bride, and I’ve watched the season premieres of Grey’s Anatomy and Lost. It’s a fair amount of time, especially when I’m behind, but I need to keep my sanity somehow. Anyway. I need to sleep. I’ve got my first test in Chemistry tomorrow and I need to be able to think. I understand it, I’ve just got to get the right answers. (And who the hell puts e=mc2 into an introductory chemistry course? Sure it’s kind of cool to use it, but what purpose does it serve? 50,000 tons of coal burned results in 18 grams of matter being converted to energy? We need to know this, right now, why?}
Intelligent design cannot be proven or dis-proven.
True or not it is not science. Philosophy, yes. History, yes. Theology, of course. Science, no. There are no two, equal sides. There’s science and religion. We should be far removed from this sort of discussion by now. It’s been almost 150 years since Darwin published The Origin of Species. That’s a lot of progress to ignore. This discussion is ridiculous, I have no problem with intelligent design (I have lots of problems with creationism...) though I feel that it’s an attempt by otherwise rational people to explain evolution in biblical terms. I’ve already given this more time than it deserves.
Phhttt.
It’s odd, you’d think I’d be scared of Organic Chemistry, or bio-chem, anatomy or something I’m supposed to be terrified of. Well, I am, but not really. I’m scared of grades and things being difficult, but I’m excited about the subjects. I’m excited to learn. Freshman art history is what scares me. Me and a bunch of kids, a bunch of kids and an old guy. I’m so far behind and I see a very long road ahead of me. I can barely remember what it’s like to be in school.
I had the fewest credits in the transfer orientation, fewest of what had to be 500 students. They asked for a show of hands, who has more than 100, 60, 30… anyone with less than 30… me. Everyone laughed. I laughed, raised my hand in the air tentatively, looked around like a panicked bird. It was funny, me with my hand in the air, everyone else far ahead of me. I’m sure some were there for the same reason I was, to work on getting into medical school, though I didn’t meet anyone.
A future engineer, psychology (poor guy), undecided and a nurse were all at my little table. I guess the point is that I’m behind all of them academically. Which will be kind of funny when they try to cheat off me. Ha! The joys of being a 26 year old freshman. I picked up a couple of calculus books and a chemistry book. I also got algebra for dummies and a novel, something about elves for what it’s worth. I’ve even managed to read more calculus than fiction. I’m holding off on the chemistry, it’s all new, but I think I can manage that better than the math. I need a head start so I can avoid getting behind, I feel like being serious which is something I haven’t done for a long time.
I’ll even do homework.
Shocking.
BTW and totally unrelated, I love the movie Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind. It’s so real, in it’s whacked out quirky way. Real emotions in a bizarre, mentally unstable world. I love the reverse romance. A love story that starts out with hate and works back to where they fell in love. My all time favorite romantic movie.
I recently finished a little essay which, amidst some very negative views on doctors in general, presented a bit about doctor compensation that seemed to indicate that the medical field is a overpaid and whining. Doctors should be well compensated. 11 or more years and the awesome responsibility accompanying life and death decisions demand it.
Who wants to be treated by a cut-rate doctor? I’ll take a discount on my car, clothes and food, but do I really want the burger-flipping version of a physician deciding between opening my chest and giving me body altering drugs? If the money isn’t there, individuals qualified to be doctors may turn to something a little easier to make their living. It’s a fact of life. If you want the best and brightest, you have to PAY for the best and brightest.
Healthcare costs are exorbitant, no argument here. It is one of the single most important and difficult issues facing us today. Don’t blame it on doctor salaries. Blame Medicare/Medicaid. Blame the drug companies and our governments inability and disinterest in controlling cost. Blame our litigious society and lawyers who get gobs of money chasing ambulances. Blame it, if you want, on overcharging to make up for losses treating the un and under-insured. We need to find solutions to these problems, not laugh when a physician complains of being underpaid. It is true that the average doctor makes far more than the average American. They should.
Do you really feel comfortable with discount brain surgery?
I didn’t think so.
I’m 25, with a 4 year old, a wife, a full time job and I can proudly put ‘Some College’ on an employment application.
I’m crazy.
I didn’t have bad grades in high-school, and I had better grades in college, so maybe I’ve got something to work with. After all, I only failed two classes, how hard can it be? Well, the two classes were Biology (only one out of four terms!) and Chemistry (dropped that one like a rock) but what does that have to do with anything? So I’m a lazy ass. So I’m easily distracted and borderline ADD. I have no reason to doubt myself. After all, I really want this.
Which is what it all comes down to. Desire. And focus. I’m going to be a doctor. Because I want it. More than anything. I’m crazy and I don’t care. I’m thrilled, and excited and terrified and all of those things all over again, all at once. I feel like screaming and crying and laughing and curling up in a ball and changing my mind, but I can’t. I don’t want to. For whatever reason, I’ve finally decided what to do with my life. I’m late and a bit more than a buck short, but I’m there and it feels right. I’m tired of what iffing myself to death and worrying about what will happen. I’m taking a hold of my life and throwing it off of a cliff and jumping headlong after it.
Geronimo!
Medical School, Medschool, School of Medicine…
I’m having a hard time not saying it. I want to talk about it, devour it and somehow get my mind around the idea that I have a goal. A tangible, no holds barred, stunning, go for the gold, goal.I wanted to be lots of things. A marine biologist (which still sounds kind of fun) a computer programmer (dear God, what was I thinking) a video editor, a writer, a business man. At some point I’m sure I had similar dreams to my son’s who’s convinced that he wants to be a skateboarder and a daddy when he grows up. I was never sure, though. If someone asked me, I would have said: "A video editor, yeah I think that sounds good. I like it, Ok, it’s not bad." And I would have convinced myself that I meant it.
In some ways, I’m glad that it took me this long to decide. At least I didn’t waste my time doing something that I really didn’t want and thought I did. I can tell myself that, until I think that I could be graduating from medical school soon, had I decided this from day one. I didn’t, and It’s OK. I’m sure now, and I never was before. This feels right, and I’ve not had that feeling before. I feel like I’m making this decision at the last possible second, as always in my life, squeaking through at the last second possible to make it, but I am making the right decision, painful as it is. I’m smart, I believe that. Certainly not a genius, but I have high expectations for myself and it kills me to not be living up to them.
I used to do nothing but learn, I read the entire worldbook encyclopedia when I was younger, because I just wanted to know everything. I’m interested in everything. I want to know. It’s why I can get distracted at times. Learning is what I live for. Which is why I’ve felt dead for so long. I tried to grow up. Do responsible things. I gave up learning for learning’s sake and hid behind the closed door of responsibility. I haven’t had time to learn, just to work. I’ve hated it. Hated going nowhere, or at least going somewhere that deep down I knew was the wrong place. It’s going to be a wild ride, and I don’t feel ready, but here it comes.