Lecturer

In the midst of starting work on yet another lecture as part of the requirements for clinical fellowship, I was struck with a sudden burst of inspiration and felt compelled to type my way into the contents of this entry. I kept it short because I really do have work to do, but I want to put this up here to save it for posterity. Who knows, this might actually end up helping someone out as well. :P

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HOW TO MAKE A MEDICAL LECTURE by BrainiaxMD:

If you wish to lecture about something, you have to have this mindset that you would like your audience to actually understand and learn from what you are saying. This attitude will help you structure your lecture as you create it. Since we are talking about medical lectures here, this would follow a specific format:

1) Takeoff case

2) Define the disease and any associated terms, including a bit of epidemiologic data if available

3) Explain the mechanism causing the said disease

4) Now that you know what it is, how do you diagnose it? 

    a. Clinical features (history and PE if applicable)

    b. Diagnostics 

5) Next you have to answer the question of “How are you gonna treat it?”

    a. Treatment options, starting from the more simple interventions

6) Summarize!

7) Thank you slide :P

 

That's all folks!

Why can't we all just get along? (an amateur commentary on religious dialogue)

 I read a legitimate news article recently about Israel having ties with two Arab nations. My first thought was "Well, that's nice. Why can't everyone do that?". Then I began ruminating on that last thought.. "Yeah why CAN'T everyone do just that?", thus triggering this post.

In this day and age of global connectivity and open communication, I find it hard to fathom sometimes why people of different religions find it extremely difficult to coexist peacefully. It is definitely a hell of a lot easier to get a conversation going, but people just don;t seem to want to do that..

All this talk about "infidels" and "slaying the unbelievers" makes me throw up my hands and say: "Really? You really can't move past that?? Damn, you guys are such infants!"

I am not against good organized religion in any way. I like my faith. It keeps me grounded, and I feel that it holds me accountable for my actions. A belief in a higher power is supposed to keep human behavior in check for the most part. Following a set of rules for morality is meant to keep people from being assholes all the time towards their fellow human beings. The concept of doing good to others for a future gain for all of eternity may still seem a little selfish in itself, but is necessary given the way human nature works.

The problem arises when people rely too much on their sacred texts and are childishly unable to see the evolving context as the world modernizes and moves on from certain outdated points that are no longer relevant. I will not go into specifics in the interest of peace, since I have no desire to engage any religious keyboard zealots out there over a useless debate wherein they will just show how backward they think. I will say this though, all those statements in various religions about making war on unbelievers are there for a reason that was valid AT THE TIME. For the writers of those texts who lied centuries to millennia ago, war was an inevitable necessity for survival, since the ancient world was a far less friendlier and less evolved place. To attempt to forcibly shoehorn all these violent notions into the current situation we live today simply just won't cut it, nor does it really make good sense for that matter. Societies have evolved (for the most part), and blind violent religious fervor no longer has a place at the table.

I wish these various religions would concentrate on the good tenets of their faith, preaching about love for others, cooperation, and taking care of your neighbor, concepts that are very badly needed in the world we live in today.  They could also do away with those irrelevant passages about killing others in the name of the particular deity because dude, that kinda goes against your other teachings anyway, so what the hell?

Sadly, human nature does not allow for such evolved thinking on a massive scale. Selfishness and greed will always be part of the norm, and people will always take advantage of the gullibility of others by waving the banner of organized religion to facilitate more sinister purposes..

Why is it so hard for ALL religious leaders to come together, shake hands, and make a united show of force, telling their flocks to "Just get along with each other for the good of everyone"? Isn't it much easier to say "put down your weapons and pick up your tools, we are gonna make the would better for everyone!", than to always say "death to the unbelievers/infidels/what have you?"

Some may say it is a matter of pride for these religions. That reaching out would show weakness or some other nonsense like that. It is just so frustrating that people are still on that line of thinking. Get off your high horse and stop being such children! Do your part in making the world more united! There are much bigger problems we presently face as a race that we no longer have time for relatively petty squabbles over whose prophet was right a thousand years ago.

Yes, I may be oversimplifying things, but I do have a right to dream for a better day.

What can we do?

 I have been thinking a lot about how ordinary citizens can help each other out during this pandemic..

Being a healthcare worker, I fully advocate for continued distancing and the wearing of face coverings to help stem the tide of the disease, and though I still feel a need for lockdown measures, I am not naive to the fact that people are hungry and hurting, and that the economy really does need to be up and running if we are to avoid further catastrophe or devolution into anarchy.

Almost everyone has been tightening their belts throughout this crisis, and rightfully so, because it only makes sense to avoid unnecessary expenses during these times. The lockdown measures have forced a vast majority of establishments to close for months. As a result though, many business are shuttered for good, due to lack of income but continued costs (rent, utilities, consumables, etc). It saddens me to see many people being laid off, and beloved stores closing down..

Going back to the title of this post? What CAN we do? It is only logical that to get the economy going again, people don't just have to be selling stuff again, but people need to be buying stuff as well..

Those people who are fortunate enough to have a salary during this crisis may need to keep on spending (but not beyond your means obviously) in order to help the others stay afloat.

For example: Buy food from restos, who in turn would be able to pay their employees, as well as purchase from suppliers. These suppliers would then get income and be able to pay their employees as well. We need to pump life back into the economy so that everyone would be able to have spending power again.. I know that this is really easier said than done, but hey, you gotta start someplace, right?

People who apply for (undeserved) discounts should really stop doing that. I get those senior citizens who need the discount since they have retired and do not earn money anymore, or those ACTUAL PWDs whose impairments are impediments to getting a normal livelihood. But how about those FAKE PWDs who are perfectly healthy and functional who just paid off some guy at the city hall so that they can get their mocha frappes at a discount while hanging out at Starbucks? Or those millionaires with senior IDs (some of which are still not of age anyway) who VEHEMENTLY demand they get their discounts even though they really don't need it, and just want to get away with anything they could (typical greedy behavior wanting to take advantage of anything and everything)?

I am not telling the real seniors or PWDs to just give up their discounts, but for those who can afford it (myself included, as I have a physical impairment from childhood has resulted in some degree of permanent limitation to my locomotion), why don't we just scale back a little, until such time that everything is up and running again. A lot of people don't realize that the discount given to you is shouldered by the establishment you are purchasing from. I seriously doubt if the government fully compensates all of the 20% discounts that all these stores encounter. The cost needs to be shouldered by someone, and more often than not, it falls on the seller. 

In summary, I know that money is a little tight right now, but for those who are blessed to be still earning a living at present, help others out. I'm talking about propping up businesses by your purchases. There is a longer-lasting and more practical effect in keeping someone employed as opposed to just giving a one-time handout. Oh and if you can, avoid scrimping on essential services like haircuts. Tip a little more generously if you can afford it, especially since they have been out of work for a while. These people could use the money too. An example that comes to mind is going for the shampoo service after the haircut even though it seems a little pricey and not really necessary, as this gives the shop additional much-needed income.

I guess that's it. Be a little more generous, and don't be an asshole to others. We will all get through this together.