WikiLeaks

I'm torn by all this WikiLeaks controversy.

On one hand, the libertarian in me supports what they've done. I don't trust big government, whether it's Dubya or Barry. The thing that's kept this country great for so long is that our government leaders aren't deities, and we can reign them in by shining some light on their slime mold plans and schemes.

On the other hand, I can see how leaks of top secret government documents, especially military related plans, can endanger the lives of our young men and women in the Armed Forces. If my son were to be killed in, say Kandahar, and plans related to his units movements were plastered on the web, I'd want Julian Assange's head on a platter.

Just because one CAN do something doesn't mean one SHOULD do it...

I knew I liked sourdough for a reason

Turns out that plain, old-fashioned sourdough bread is healthier than whole wheat. According to the University of Guleph, in Ontario, Canada, people who eat sourdough bread have the lowest spikes in blood sugar, as compared to those eating white or even (shocker) whole wheat bread.

So I guess this makes Sourdough the Miller Lite of the bread world! (great taste, less filling!)

Vitamin D testing

Nary a day goes by when I don't read about how Americans are low in Vitamin D, and that "everybody" should get tested. (As a society, we get enough Vitamin D in our diets and by multivitamins to prevent Rickets, but still have sub-optimal levels).

Well, here's the truth about being tested for Vitamin D:

1. The testing is really expensive. From $50-$150, depending on the lab.

2. Most insurance plans don't pay for it, unless you have a proven low level of Vitamin D. How are you gonna know if you have low Vitamin D, if you don't know your Vitamin D level? (truth be told, odds are you are low. Just about everybody is.)

3. Vitamin D supplements are DIRT CHEAP. Everybody can afford it OTC. We're talking pennies a day.

So, instead of paying to check your level, just take 2000 units of Vitamin D3 every day, and get 15-20 minutes of sunlight daily.

Sourdough heaven

I've been experimenting with various sourdough bread recipes lately, and I've had some moderate success. Google the term "sourdough bread starter" and, surprise, surprise, you'll get a billion different sites. After spending several hours, and being told by my wife that I was obsessed, I narrowed the sites down to just a few.

Making sourdough bread is surprisingly simple, but to create your own starter takes some time. Following this method took me about 7 full days to get a starter that was nice and frothy. The only thing I did different was use King Arthur unbleached, unbromated bread flour. I didn't use any whole wheat flour.

On to the baking. There were several good recipies ( here, and here and here). But I settled on a video series I found on YouTube, by Chef Mike.

I haven't yet gotten the timing down just right, especially since my work schedule varies so much. Sometimes I'm ready to bake at noon, sometimes it's not until 10 pm! And, for some unexplained reason, my starter seemed to die after the 3rd loaf. Instead of throwing it away, I just added flour and water, waited 12 hours and threw away 1/2 of it and re-added flour and water, and 48 hours later my started was exploding again. Go figure.

Physician suicide

The New York Times published a disturbing article on Oct 7, 2010. It seems that physicians commit suicide at a much higher rate than the general population.

Most physicians are very driven people, having this deep, spiritual need to succeed. We were able to be at the top of our class in high school and college. And then we got thrown in a room full of over-acheivers, and life became a bit harder for most. Then we had to compete for residency positions, many of which only accepted you if you made all "A's" in med school.

Then there's residency, where long hours with little sleep (at least until recently!!!!) combined to wear us down. Some of us then still had to complete for that special fellowship.

Then private practice, where we suddenly had to pay bills, which we never did before. Our expenses continue to go up, but our reimbursement from Medicare and insurance companies goes down every year. We pull out our hair dealing with insurance companies' ever-changing regulations, forms, phone calls, etc. On top of that, our patients don't respect us like they did "in the good old days" (if those ever really existed). They are demanding, angry, don't want to pay their co-pays or keep follow up appointments; they want free care over the phone, internet, email, etc.

On top of that, there are those patients who we truly care about, but get worse or die anyway, despite us doing everything we can. After they pass, Duey Cheatem and Howe, Esq, send us the legal summons telling us what idiots we are for obviously missing the lawsuit-disease-of-the-month.

Most of us don't have the luxury of paid vacation or sick time. So we work to pay the bills, even when most of our patients complain about needing work notes.

To make matters worse, if physicians do admit to depression or suicidal thoughts, they are branded as "impaired physicians" for the rest of their lives. This makes it harder to get appointments to hospitals and insurance plans. Some could even lose their license to practice medicine.

This can weight down our souls, often times so much we miss the good times. The patient who thanks us for caring or helping. The little old lady who brings us cookies. The widower who thanks us for helping him get thru his grief afer his wife died. The child at the grocery store who yells "Hey, Doc!".


Stop right now, and say a prayer for your physician.

Kindle prices coming down, but not their e-book prices

Amazon's Kindle e-book reader has been an awesome experience, from my standpoint. However, after almost 3 years of use, I'm a little peeved that Amazon has been gradually raising the prices of their e-books. I don't understand why an e-book needs to cost over $10, ever. I mean, it doesn't cost Amazon or the publishers anything for me to download their product. All the money went to conversion to the e-book format. But there is no physical printing on their part, no paper costs, no binding fees, no shipping costs. I press one button, and in about 1 minute, the book is on my Kindle.

Amazon, KEEP YOUR PRICES LOW! I'll go back to real books if prices keep getting closer. At least then, I can let someone borrow the actual book.

I'm just a bill, yes I'm only a bill

I don't recall any "Slaughter" rule in that old Saturday morning cartoon about how a bill becomes a law. The House democrats are about to use unconstitutional means to pass a bill that can't pass by ordinary measures. If it passes, American health care will begin a rapid, downward spiral.

What's more, the Democrats will have opened a Pandora's Box with this trickery. Some day, they WILL be in the minority again. The Republicans, who have proven themselves just as slimy when they are the majority, will pull this same crap to pass something. The Democrats will whine and fuss about it. But, they will be reminded that the "Slaughter" rule is named after the Democrat who proposed it. Not like "reconciliation" which no one really knows which parted started using.

Democrats, reap what you sew.