Changing jobs

Doctor: from the Latin word "docere", meaning teacher. After working in the specialty of Urgent Care medicine for a lucky number 13 years, a new opportunity dropped into my lap.

Four months ago, I just happened to notice that my former residency program, where I trained to be a Family Medicine specialist, was looking to add new faculty. So I sent the program director an email inquiry. I didn't hear back from him for 2 months, so I just assumed that they already filled the position.

Then, 2 months ago, I got a reply from the program director, Dr Gregg Mitchell, telling me that they were indeed looking for new attending physicians to teach the doctors. We met for lunch a couple of times and had a great time catching up with each other. Dr Mitchell was a resident at the University of Tennessee College of Medicine, Family Medicine department, when I did a 3 month rotation with them. He became faculty in the program during my last 6 months of training

After much thought, prayer and discussion with my wife, I decided to make a more formal inquiry. So I met with Dr Mitchell again, but this time he was accompanied by Dr David Maness, chairman of the Medical school Department of Family Medicine. After talking with Drs Mitchell and Maness, I told them I was very interested in the position.

Three weeks ago, I was offered the job. After a couple more weeks of thought and prayer, I accepted their offer. I will be an official Assistant Professor in the Department of Family Medicine for The University of Tennessee Health Science Center Department of Family Medicine, Jackson, Tennessee.

I will still have a few days of my own clinic every week, but my primary responsibility will be teaching newly graduated physicians how to become Family Docs. I'll give lectures; see, examine, and discuss treatment plans for patients with the residents. I'll also occasionally round at the hospital with the residents, teaching them how to manage everything from newborn baby exams, to managing acute myocardial infarctions (heart attacks, to administering comfort measures to patients dying in the Intensive Care Unit.

I always thought I would enjoy teaching at the college or post-graduate level. This will be exciting, intellectually stimulating and scary at the same time! A lot has changed in the 13 years since I admitted hospital patients.

I will deeply miss my current partners. They are the best group of physicians I've ever met, and are more like family than colleagues. Hopefully, before too long, my new colleagues will seem the same!

Podcasts

I've lately become addicted to talk-show format podcasts. I've listened to the Dennis Miller show for several years. Lately I've discovered Leo Laporte's network, TWIT. Thru that, I've found the No Agenda Show, which has rapidly become my favorite podcast.

It's hosted by Adam Curry and John Dvorak, AKA "Crack Pot" and "Buzz Kill". They are on twice a week, Thursdays and Sundays, and spend most of 2.5 hours breaking down the news into it's quantum level. They frequently point out the conspiracy theories behind almost everything that the main stream media or the government wants you to be brainwashed into believing.

The hosts have incredible chemistry, with rapid repartee often leading to tangential topics that eventually lead back to the stories they are covering.

I find their show quite refreshing. I would label them both as classical libertarians. By libertarians, I am most definitely NOT referring to the wacky political party that has hijacked the name "libertarian". What I mean is that they don't trust Big Government or Big Business. They just want people to be left alone. They'll trash Presidents Obama and Bush in the same show, pointing out the hypocrisy that exists in our modern times. Back in the "good old days", they would probably fall under the term "classical liberalism". However, the term "liberalism" has also been hijacked by douch bags.

They have no commercials, and their only sponsors are their listeners, who voluntarily send the show money in support of their cause. Any amount is acceptable, from $5 on up. They aren't yet taking BitCoins, but just give them time.

Anyway, give them a try. Listen to 4 episodes of the show before you make up your mind.

Gun Control

The government wants to keep people with "serious" mental illness or who are "potentially"dangerous from owning guns.

On the surface, this sounds great. But what bothers me is who gets to determine what serious is, or what potentially dangerous is?

Remember, the government is mandating that your personal Medical records be computerized, thus easily available to be screened and audited by government bureaucrats. I think everyone would agree that someone who is psychopathic, chronically violent, or Severely schizophrenic should not own a gun.

But what about the husband who goes to his doctor because he's grieving after the death of his wife of 50 years. Once his doctor diagnoses him with grief or anxiety, the mental illness flag is up. Would this keep him from owning a gun?
Or the woman with postpartum depression?

And how can you determine who is potentially dangerous, or who might commit a crime? More people are killed in automobile accidents then by firearms. Should the guy who's gotten 4 speeding tickets in the past two years be considered potentially dangerous?

Is the guy with the "who is John Galt" bumper sticker dangerous? Is the person with the pro-choice license plate dangerous?

The new Pope

I am truly excited about the future of Christianity with the election of the newest Pope, Francis I. Everything I read about this man is grand. A truly humble man, he refused to live in the mansion available to him in Argentina. He lived in a small apartment. Cooked his own meals. Road the bus to the slums to visit with the poor and forgotten. According to an article in our local paper, the Argentinian poor have a nickname for this holy man of God. El Chabon, ( the Dude).

Now, I realize that Pope Francis I is just a man. And after the media infatuation has ended, I'm sure I'll read all sorts of less-than-kind things about him.

However, I choose to believe that, like his namesake Saint Francis of Assisi, God has called this man to rebuild his Church.

Problem with pain pills

There has been much in the media lately about the prescription drug problem we face in America. "Something must be done," the masses cry. So, in typical bureaucratic fashion, the FDA convened a panel. These esteemed experts have decided that if they classify hydrocodone as a Schedule II narcotic, less people will become addicted or abuse the drugs.

The sad truth is that won't do a thing to stem the tide that is narcotic abuse. Most people who abuse narcotics are obtaining them illegally, either on the streets or in their mothers medicine cabinet. What it will do is make it more difficult, and more expensive, for legitimate patients to obtain the pain medication they need. Fewer doctors will be willing to prescribe them, and the patient will be required to pay for a office visit each month to get their meds.

I agree there is a problem. I don't think new laws and regulations will help. What people need can't be provided by the Looters in government.

I've stopped watching the news

Anyone who knows me knows that I wasn't too happy with the election results. I really do not think that Pres. Obama loves this country. Despite the fact that he,himself is a multi millionaire, he doesn't seem to want anyone else to succeed.

I discovered, with the direct confrontation of my wife, that I was becoming very angry and bitter every time I watch the news. So I decided to stop.

I still read the local paper. I still occasionally browse news websites and use iPad apps like "Zite" & "Flipboard."

But instead, I have been reading more, and watching more Netflix. And I can definitely say that I'm a much happier person now.

I'm sure at some point I'll start watching cable news again, but hopefully not for a while.

I still pray almost every night that Obama is guided by the Lord's grace and will. But I don't expect Obama to change. And since I can't change him, I'll have to change myself.

Star Trek & iPads.

I've been watching a lot of reruns of Star Trek the Next Generation lately.

It's supposed to be approximately 300 years in the future.

I've noticed that despite the several hundred years that have gone by, we are still using iPads, both regular size and Mini.

Steve Jobs must be quite proud!

Equality for All

Congratulations America! We elected Barack Hussain Obama for another 4 years!

In the Obamanation, equality for all will be guaranteed, by force if necessary.

In the Obamanation, if you work overtime, your money will be redistributed to those who napped on the job. Equality!

In the Obamanation, if you get A's in school, your grade will be lowered to a C, and any poor unfortunate student who would have gotten an F will be be raised to a C. Equality!!

In the Obamanation, success will be punished, sloth will be rewarded.

In the Obamanation, private charities will all be closed. The Red Cross & Salvation Army are both offensive to non-christians, muslims in particular. The Government will take care of you in a storm.

In the Obamanation, there will be no clinging to your guns or your religion. All private citizens with guns will be asked to turn them in to the proper authorities. Of course, all the crime lords, gang members general psychotic will still keep theirs, since they weren't stupid enough to buy their guns legally.

In the Obamanation, you'll be allowed to keep the health care you already have, as long as what you already have is Medicare or Medicaid. All others will be transitioned to Medicare or Medicaid.

In the Obamanation, you can go to the Church of your choice. As long as the Church of your choice has openly gay ministers, hands out birth control pills to all girls over age 12 and preaches how abortion is not only just but you can abort your "fetus" up to 1 year after it's born.

Remember the Communist motto: FORWARD

E reading

I've read several books on my iPad 3 over the past few months. I have to admit that I really like it. Both the iBooks and Kindle apps are excellent. The letters are crisp and clear, and I really love the animation when I turn pages.

I'm going to go back to my E-ink Kindle soon so I can really compare the two formats. I still think that the kindle feels better in my hands when I'm reading for a long time.

Obama vs Romney

It's almost time for the 21012 presidential election. What follows is an overall review of the candidates' position on several important issues facing our countries. These positions are taken from the candidates own public statements or positions. I hope it helps you make an informed decision on who to vote for this fall. This is from the website www.CatholicVote.org.

Obama on life:

Supports Roe v. Wade and affirms, “I remain committed to protecting a woman’s right to choose.” (Source: White House Press Statement)

As part of his healthcare legislation, almost every health insurance plan will be required to cover sterilizations and contraception–including birth control pills that can cause abortions–with no co-pay. (Source: US Department Health & Human Services)

Overturned a law that prevented the government from giving aid to international family planning groups. Now our government can pay for people’s contraception (including abortifacients) overseas as well. (Source: White House Executive Order)

His campaign boasts that he “stood up to Republicans trying to roll back a woman’s right to choose and defund Planned Parenthood.” He praises Planned Parenthood and refuses to cut government funding ($487 million in 2012) for the organization. Planned Parenthood performs on average 900 abortions per day. (Source: Huffington Post)

In the Senate, he opposed a pro-life bill designed to prevent partial-birth abortions. (Source: IL General Assembly)

Ended a ban on using taxpayer money to fund embryonic stem cell research, which kills human embryos. (Source: White House Executive Order)

Eliminated conscience protections for medical workers who morally object to dispensing the morning-after pill (which is designed to destroy embryos). Recipients of federal money can now discriminate against these workers.(Source: Catholic News Agency)

Promises to veto legislation that would prevent taxpayer funding of abortion.(Source: LifeNews.com)

Obama is endorsed by pro-choice groups NARAL and Planned Parenthood. Planned Parenthood spent $1.4 million on an ad campaign for Obama. (Source: Planned Parenthood)

Romney on life:

Believes abortions should be limited to only cases of rape or incest or to save the mother’s life. (Source: CBS News)

Supports overturning Roe v. Wade and promises to appoint Supreme Court Justices who are committed to fair interpretation of the Constitution (Source: Life News) Supports the Hyde Amendment, which bars using federal tax revenue to pay for abortions (Source: Mitt Romney)

Promises to support efforts to eliminate federal funding for Planned Parenthood (Source: Huffington Post)

Promises to support the Mexico City Policy, which will bar NGOs that receive federal funding from promoting or performing abortions as a method of family planning in other countries. (Source: Mitt Romney)

Promises to advocate for and support legislation that will make it illegal to destroy unborn children who are developmentally capable of feeling pain (Source: Life News) He says, “If I have the opportunity to serve as our nation’s next president, I commit to doing everything in my power to cultivate, promote, and support a culture of life in America.” (Source: Mitt Romney)

As governor of Massachusetts, he vetoed a bill that would have allowed girls of any age to obtain emergency contraceptive pills (which are designed to destroy embryos) without parental consent (Source: Mitt Romney)

As governor of Massachusetts, he opposed legislation that would allow the creation of human embryos for the purpose of stem cell research, which would result directly in the destruction of those embryos (Source: Romney at NRLC)

Obama on marriage:

Supports homosexual “marriage” (Source: CNN Politics)

Believes the Defense of Marriage Act (DOMA) should be repealed (Source: The Atlantic – Wire)

Decided with the Justice Department that they would not defend DOMA in new cases (Source: Dept. of Justice – Press Release 2/23/11)

Extended to same-sex partners of federal employees many of the benefits that spouses of federal employees enjoy and supports legislation that would grant same-sex partners of federal employees exactly the same benefits as spouses (Source: Politico & OPM Rule) Required any hospital receiving federal funds to allow visitation rights for same-sex partners (Source: Washington Post)

Supports the Respect for Marriage Act, which requires all states to recognize same-sex “marriages” performed in other states, which would effectively make homosexual “marriage” legal–even as he emphasizes his belief that the question of same-sex “marriage” should be decided by individual states. (Source: Whitehouse.gov – Blog & “Respect Marriage Act”)

Romney on marriage:

Romney’s campaign page says, “Marriage is more than a personally rewarding social custom. It is also critical for the well-being of a civilization. That is why it is so important to preserve traditional marriage – the joining together of one man and one woman.” (Source: MittRomney.com)

Opposes civil unions that resemble marriage (Source: USA Today)

Favors some domestic partnership benefits but believes that states should decide which of these benefits are appropriate. (Source: Real Clear Politics – with Video) Promises to appoint an Attorney General who will defend DOMA (Source: MittRomney.com)

Promises to champion a new amendment to the Constitution that will define marriage as a union of one man and one woman. (Source: National Review Online & MittRomney.com)

Obama on religious liberty:

Obama’s Affordable Care Act will require most employers to purchase insurance that covers abortions, sterilizations, and contraception with no co-pay, even though many of those employers–including Catholic schools, hospitals, and dioceses as well as individual business owners and people of many different faiths–object to paying for such insurance plans on religious grounds. (Source: The Weekly Standard)

Obama’s Equal Employment Opportunity Commission claimed the power to compel a church to rehire a former employee to a teaching position. The case (Hosanna-Tabor Evangelical Lutheran Church v. EEOC) went to the Supreme Court, which ruled unanimously in favor of the church. The decision reads, “authority to select and control who will minister to the faithful is the church’s alone.” (Source: Wall Street Journal Online)

Obama’s HHS would not renew funding to the Migration and Refugee Services (MRS), which provides services to refugees, migrating children, and human trafficking victims, because MRS, a Catholic organization, refused to provide or refer for abortions or contraception. (Source: National Catholic Register)

Romney on religious liberty

Romney writes, “If I am elected President, on day one of my administration I will issue an executive order directing my Secretary of Health and Human Services to issue a waiver from its requirements to all 50 states.” This would allow states to not force employers to purchase insurance that fully covers abortions, contraception, and sterilization, limiting the effects of Obama’s healthcare legislation while he works to repeal it entirely. (Source: Washington Examiner – OpEd)

Supported the Hosanna-Tabor v. EEOC decision that affirmed the right of churches to make their own hiring decisions. (Source: ABC News)

Defended the right of Catholic Charities of Boston to decide on its own whether it would allow same-sex couples to adopt children in its care. (Source: Fox News)

Obama on fiscal responsibility:

Added more to the national debt than the previous 43 presidents combined (Source: CNS News)

Almost doubled the national debt over his term as President (Source: CBS News)

Added $1 trillion to the deficit each year as President (Source: Real Clear Politics)

Spent 25% of GDP, the highest spending-to-GDP ratio since World War II (Source: Forbes)

Romney on fiscal responsibility:

Romney’s goal is to reduce federal spending to 20% of GDP by the end of his first term (Source: Mitt Romney)

Promises to send a bill to Congress that will cut non-security discretionary spending by 5% (Source: Mitt Romney)

Promises to repeal the Affordable Care Act, privatize Amtrak, reduce subsidies to organizations that have access to other funding sources or that offer duplicate services, eliminate federal funding of groups that perform abortions, and reduce foreign aid for a total projected savings of $97.6 billion. (Source: Townhall)

Wants to cap Medicaid spending and allow it to grow at the inflation rate + 1% per year (Source: Economist)

Plans to reliquish more power to the states, resulting in federal savings (Source: Mitt Romney)

Plans to work to repeal the the Davis-Bacon Act, which requires the government to pay its employees above-market wages (Source: Mitt Romney)

As governor of Massachusetts, Romney closed a $3 billion budget gap without raising taxes and left $2 billion in a rainy-day fund (Source: Mitt Romney)

Obama on education:

Increased federal funding for scholarships and financial aid (Source: Whitehouse.gov) Spent $100 billion of the $831 billion stimulus on education-related issues, including teacher salaries (Source: Eductopia.org)

Issued waivers from the No Child Left Behind Act to 26 states after Congress would not repeal the law, freeing the states from the obligation to ensure that students are proficient in math and reading by 2014 (Source: NY Times)

Implemented Race to the Top, a program that rewards schools with money for conforming to a set of federal standards (Source: Wall Street Journal Online)

Refused to continue funding the DC Opportunity Scholarship Program, which grants public-school students in DC vouchers for private-school tuition (Source: National Review)

Romney on education:

In the third year of his term as governor, Massachusetts 4th graders and 8th graders ranked first in the nation in math and reading (Source: Taunton Daily Gazette)

As governor, he vetoed a bill that would have put a moratorium on adding charter schools in the state. (Source: MittRomney.com)

Created the “John and Abigail Adams Scholarship” to reward high-performing high school students with college scholarships to any state institution. (Source: MittRomney.com)

Supports empowering states to determine education policy, rewarding teachers based on student achievement, and school choice for students (Source: NY Times)

Obama on health care:

Raised taxes by $500 billion to pay for the Affordable Care Act (ACA), which the CBO estimates will cost $1.5 trillion over the next decade. (Source: Congressional Budget Office)

The ACA compels insurance companies to cover people with pre-existing conditions. (Source: New York Times)

The ACA, along with the HHS mandate, requires most employers to purchase insurance that covers abortions, sterilizations, and contraception with no co-pay, even though many of those employers–including Catholic schools, hospitals, and dioceses as well as individual business owners and people of many different faiths–object to paying for such insurance plans on moral grounds. (Source: USCCB)

The ACA requires every individual to purchase health insurance, whether or not they need or want it. (Source: The Huffington Post)

The ACA makes it illegal for a health insurance company to spend more than an arbitrary amount on employee salaries, administrative costs, and marketing. (Source: PennLive.com)

Romney on health care:

Promises to repeal the Affordable Care Act as soon as possible, beginning with the stopgap of offering waivers to all 50 states while he works on reversing the law entirely. (Source: Mitt Romney)

Envisions the federal government’s primary role in health care as creating a level playing field for competition with the goal of driving down premiums. (Source: Mitt Romney)

Plans to cap the amount that a person can win in court for suing a doctor. (Source: Christian Science Monitor)

Promises to prevent discrimination against people with pre-existing conditions who maintain continuous coverage. (Source: Mitt Romney)

Will end tax disincentives that make it relatively more expensive for individuals to purchase health insurance apart from their employers, increasing real consumer choice. (Source: New York Times)

Will allow individuals to purchase health insurance across state lines, increasing competition. (Source: National Public Radio)

Jim Gaffigan

Went to Jim Gaffigan's show at the Orpheum Theater in Memphis. It was hilarious. I haven't laughed that hard in a long time. If you get the chance, go see him in person. Also, if you get the chance, get tickets to go backstage and meet him. He's extremely personable, and seems like a genuinely nice guy.

E-books

Someone recommended the book "A Year in Province" by Peter Mayle. Went to amazon.com, thinking I'd get the Kindle version. Lo and behold, amazon is asking $3.50 MORE for the ebook than for the actual, physical, book!!! Crap.

E-reading

I've owned a Kindle since their first version came out, and I now have the keyboard version that came out right before they started selling the Kindle Fire. I love reading on it.

I recently bought the new iPad. I've used the Kindle app on my iPhone from time to time, when I had a few minutes to spare. Well, I recently thought I'd try reading on my iPad for an extended period of time.

After doing this for a couple of weeks, I have to say that I prefer reading on the e-ink Kindle. The screen images on the iPad are amazing, to be sure. And, even though the iPad is really lightweight, after awhile of holding it, it feels like it weighs a ton. That never happens on my Kindle. And I do seem to get more eye strain from the backlit iPad than I get from the e-ink on Kindle.

The iPad has replaced much of what I do on my MacBook Pro (unless it involves a lot of typing, like this!). But I think I'll stick with the Kindle for reading.

As for Amazon vs Apple's book store, I'm a bit miffed that the prices are always exactly the same on both sites! And with publishers pitching a fit about Amazon's initial pricing, e-books aren't nearly the bargain they used to be.

The Earth. The big blue marble

This is one One of the most awesome pictures I've ever seen. http://bit.ly/LWU9UT

Yet another adult stem cell victory

In another blow to the embryonic stem cell crowd, adult stem cells have PROVEN to be successful again. The AP is reporting today that doctors in London have "successfully transplanted a vein grown with a patient's own stem cells."

Doctors in Poland have successfully made blood vessels from skin stem cells.

Drop the abomination that is fetal stem cell research, and start plowing money into ADULT STEM CELLS!!!

New Grill

After going over a year with no outdoor cooking appliance, I broke down and got a charcoal grill. I was looking at the Big Green Egg, but my goodness they are expensive!!

I ended up getting the Akorn Kamado grill. I've used it 3 times so far and I'm pleased. Very little lump charcoal heats up to over 400 degrees in about 15 mins.

Shameful. He's on MSNBC. What a surprise.

Chris Hayes, journalist and talking head on MSNBC, recently said that he is "uncomfortable" calling our fallen men and women of the military "Heroes." I guess his liberal friends on the upper east side would snicker at him at the next cocktail party if he were to utter such words. Even CNN mentioned this guy's cowardice.

I guess the pressure finally got to him, and he issued a 3 paragraph apology; the text of the apology seemed kind of slimy to me (throwing in a dig on people who support the military but never enlisted).

I wonder if he had Keith Olbermann proofread the apology, first?

The Avengers rocked!

Joss Whedon knocked it out of the park with this Avengers movie. Just plain fun from start to finish. The acting was very good, the writing was great and the special effects were incredible! And, in my opinion, Mark Ruffalo is the best Bruce Banner of the 3 actors who've played the part.

If you haven't seen it, go. Perfect big screen movie! Plus, be sure to stay for the end of the credits!

Nice day today

Despite being mostly cloudy, it was quite a nice day. No rain. Temp in the 70's with a slight breeze. New puppy learning to poo outside, not in the kitchen. New iPad working smooth as silk. Hope yours was good, too.

Composite girlfriends

Apparently president Obama made up parts of his autobiography. The part about taking his white girlfriend to a play written by a black playwright never happened. That girl never existed. She was a " composite" of several different girls he dated, and he was just trying to comment on the racial tensions that existed at the time.

Wonder how many other parts of his "autobiography" are made of compost as well.?.?