A dandelion in Yotsuya

I have a soft spot for weeds, and this dandelion I saw found a home in a sidewalk crack in busy Yotsuya. I admire the ability of weeds to place themselves, to exist and spread despite our best attempts at organizing our environment. The dandelion is exceptional because it is at once a food, a medicine, and an important early source of nectar for honeybees. Cities need more dandelions!

[Via http://tokyogreenspace.com]

Ruminations on medicine and medical practitioners-to-be

The Sumerian patron of medicine.

I obtain my conception of the good life, the end toward which I strive, from Aristotle. In his Ethics, he describes the good life—what he calls eudaimonia—as an objective state of happiness and flourishing that obtains when a person lives a life full of rational action, guided reliably by wisdom and the practical virtues.

I am pursuing medicine as a career because, given my particular intellectual strengths and dispositions, the study and practice of medicine will most completely fulfill my conception of the good life. In other words, I am the sort of individual who flourishes when engaging in activity that (1) actualizes my moral and humanitarian sensitivities; (2) is complex and novel, presenting interesting challenges requiring the meticulous application of intellectual resources for resolution; (3) allows creativity and innovation; (4) is pragmatically substantive, permitting the most fruitful use of my acumen; (5) allows fertile engagement with talented peers; (6) is in part devoted to contributing to a long-lasting body of knowledge; (7) is valued by society, allowing a degree of material comfort; (8) is of such a global nature as to be justifiably constitutive of my identity and world-view. Of all professions, medicine practiced at its best satisfies all of these conditions, I think, and so life as a physician will for me be the most eudaimon. Medicine, I trust, is an endeavor worthy of lifelong commitment.

I’ve wondered a lot about whether this perception fits the profession as actually practiced. And as a philosophy student, I’ve thought about what it means for a pre-med to be properly motivated and suitably constituted to practice medicine. I’m primarily interested in (1) understanding the moral disposition of the physician—her quintessential motivations and character traits, (2) exploring how the physician as a moral agent is distinctive from other heroic and compassionate professions like firefighting, military service, inner-city teaching, and charity work, and (3) discovering what it is about pre-meds that motivates them to pursue, of all careers, medicine. I would like to offer my thoughts on these matters, as some indication of the extent to which these sorts of reflections on have played an integral role in my decision to become a doctor.

Like crimefighting and academia, medicine is fundamentally a normative enterprise—it is directed toward the convergence of the actual state of affairs with particular ideal ends. The profession is best practiced, then, by those (like Atul Gawande, Jerome Groop, and Pauline Chen) that understand their work in an encompassing ethical context and who are capable of articulating the social goals they endeavor to attain. In our formative years, we work most scrupulously to develop a moral worldview that concords with and facilitates our development into the sort of professionals we aspire to be.

I’ve learned from my fellow pre-med students (mostly from the discussions we hold in the Eudaimonic Society, a bioethics/medical ethics literary society) that we are predominately utilitarians at heart. By this I mean that we are particularly impressed by those moral arguments which tell us to pursue projects and activities that produce the most Good, the most human well-being. Most of us structure our opinions about social justice around a utilitarian theory of right and gamely accept the demanding obligations that such an ethical outlook entails. When prompted to justify our fervent devotion to medicine, we offer justification along these lines.

You don’t need to look far to find the appeal. Utilitarianism seems to embrace our egalitarian intuition that people are equally worthy of moral regard—that injured persons are persons in need of help, period—most directly. Plus, as a theory involving rational calculation to do the most good, it fits snugly with our commitment to meticulous and judicious action. Utilitarianism is, at first pass, a faithful theoretical articulation of basic humanitarian intuitions.

But I think that my peers who adopt this view have in some way missed the mark. I’m not alleging them disingenuous in their compassion and commitment to foster the Good (I have the highest respect and admiration for this quality). I concede, too, that the whole and complete goal of medicine as a discipline is the health of the members of society and that physicians should work fully toward that consequentialist end. I am claiming merely that the utilitarian model is an incomplete image of the individual physician, that a compassionate heart is necessary but insufficient to properly motivate the excellent practice of medicine and thus that undergraduates who pursue the pre-med track solely on compassionate grounds aren’t seeing the whole picture.

Upon further reflection, it seems that you need more than an eager and heroic heart to be a physician. For instance, there’s a clear difference between being a physician and being a fireman, but you can’t find that difference in the respective amounts of compassion or heroism required for the two jobs. We need a different model of the medical practitioner to explain why it is that pre-med students are pre-med students and not firemen.

I propose different paradigm: the doctor as a virtuous agent. The physician must be motivated by sincere compassion (concern for the vulnerable and suffering + interest in promoting their betterment) and by a yearning to exercise her intellectual talents to the fullest (a virtue the fireman fails to develop). The physician seems more than just an instrument or mechanism subserving the proliferation of the communal Good. Though centrally interested in the welfare of her patients, she is concerned also with developing within herself the wisdom and the character traits—compassion, courage, temperance, generosity, equanimity, fairness, and practical and theoretical wisdom—that make the manner and mode in which she practices medicine of concern to her own moral condition. There is something about medicine practiced excellently (and being fulfilling to the individual physician), in other words, that has nothing to do with health outcomes and patient well-being, distributive justice, or economic efficiency.

I plan to apply this summer to the University of Chicago, Pritzker School of Medicine (among other medical schools), as well as to the UChicago school of graduate studies. My goal is to pursue a M.D.-Ph.D. under the MeSH (Medicine, the Social Sciences, and Humanities) interdisciplinary program at Pritzker, which provides full funding for the M.D. degree when it is pursued in conjunction with a Ph.D. in the social sciences or the humanities. I hope to attain a Ph.D. in philosophy, with concentrations in value theory, the philosophy of biology, and bioethics (and perhaps in epistemology).

[Via http://boshanxiang.wordpress.com]

The Ticking Time Bomb--The Wrath of The Tea Party Patriots

Glenn Beck-03-19-10-A

Glenn Beck-03-19-10-B

Glenn Beck-03-19-10-C

Glenn Beck-03-19-10-D

Related Posts On Pronk Palisades Tea Party Time–American People March On Congress Saturday and Sunday March 20-21, 2010!–Kill The Bill–Vote No! Obama Con–Lord of The Lies–Progressive Radical Socialist–Videos Saul Alinsky This Joker Is A Lost Cause: Keeping President Obama Honest on Health Care–Let’s But A Smile On That Face–Staying Alive Voters Beware: The Radical Rules of Saul Alinsky and Leftist Democrats Cloward Piven The Cloward-Piven Strategy Of The Progressive Radical Socialists: Wrecking The U.S. Economy By Massive Government Dependence, Spending, Deficits, Debts, Taxes And Regulations! Cloward Piven Strategy–The Crisis Strategy Of Barack Obama President Obama’s Cloward-Piven Strategy of Controlled Crisis Creation Crippling Capitalism–Coup D-Etat On America Services Employee International Union (SEIU) American Citizens Want Jobs and Criminal Alien Removal, Not Criminal Alien Census and Health Care! 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Congressman Paul Ryan–Townhall Meeting–Health Care Reform and The Patients Choice Act–Videos The Arrogance of President Obama: Hectoring Habitual Liar Broom Budget Busting Bums: Replace The Entire Congress–Tea Party Express and Patriots–United We Stand! Public Option = Government Option = Pathway to Single Payer = Single Payer = Socialized Medicine = Blue Pill = Poison Pill Obama: First We Kill The Babies, Then We Kill The Elderly, Then We Kill The Veterans–Your Life, Your Choices–Your Time Is Up! This Joker Is A Lost Cause: Keeping President Obama Honest on Health Care–Let’s But A Smile On That Face–Staying Alive Fact 1. Federal Government Health Insurance Is Compulsory–Kill The Bill–H.R. 3200 Patient Empowerment: Health Savings Accounts–High Deductible Catastrophic Health Insurance–Affordable, Portable, Fair, Individual Health Care Plan–Consumer Driven Health Care Reform! The Dangers Of A Single Payer Health Care System: Ronald Reagan On Socialized Medicine and Friedrich A. Hayek On State Monopoly The American People Believe The Government Public Option Plan Is The Path To The Single Payer Government Plan–Socialized Medicine–Obama Caught Lying To The American People! The American People Confront Obama’s Red Shirts (ACORN) and Purple Shirts (SEIU)–Bullhorns and Beatings Over Obama Care! The Obama Depression Has Arrived: 15,000,000 to 25,000,000 Unemployed Americans–Stimulus Package and Bailouts A Failure–400,000 Leave Labor Force In July! Obama’s Marching Orders For His Red Shirts (ACORN), Purple Shirts (SEIU) and Black Shirts (New Panther Party)–Progressive Radical Socialists Health Care Resources Republican Health Care Reform: The Patients’ Choice Act Medical Doctor and Senator Tom Coburn On Health Care–Videos The Senate Doctors Show–Videos Obama’s Waterloo– Government Compulsory Single Payer Socialized Medicine!–Videos President Obama’s Plan of Massive Deficit Spending Is Destroying The US Economy–The American People Say Stop Socialism BS Now! The Bum’s Rush of The American People: The Totally Irresponsible Democratic Party Health Care Bill and Obama’s Big Lie Exposed Chairman Obama’s Progressive Radical Socialist Health Care Bill Kills Individual Private Health Care Insurance–Join The Second American Revolution! The Obama Big Lie and Inconvenient Truth About Health Care–The Public Option Trojan Horse–Leads To A Single Payor Goverment Monopoly of Health Care and The Bankruptcy of USA! The Obama Public Option Poison Pill For A Government Health Care Monopoly–Single Payer System–Betting Your Life and Paying Though The Nose Government Bureaucracy: Organizational Chart of The House Democrats’ Health Plan Dr. Robert W. Christensen–Videos John Stossel–Sick In America–Videos Congressman Paul Ryan–Townhall Meeting–Health Care Reform and The Patients Choice Act–Videos The Small Business and Self-Employed Perspective on Health Care Reform

[Via http://raymondpronk.wordpress.com]

Podiatrists New Jersey

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If you are in need of or are experiencing any of the following, please visit the top podiatrist in Howell, NJ today!

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[Via http://findapodiatrist.wordpress.com]

Allah's Pharmacy

Bismillah

From my in-box:

“Verily, Allah is All-Knowing All-Wise” (al-Qur’an, 76:30)

A sliced Carrot looks like the human eye The pupil, iris and radiating lines look just like the human eye…and YES science now shows that carrots greatly enhance blood flow to and function of the eyes.

A Tomato has four chambers and is red. The heart is red and has four chambers. All of the research shows tomatoes are indeed pure heart and blood food.

Grapes hang in a cluster that has the shape of the heart. Each grape looks like a blood cell and all of the research today shows that grapes are also profound heart and blood vitalizing food .

A Walnut looks like a little brain, a left and right hemisphere, upper cerebrums and lower cerebellums. Even the wrinkles or folds are on the nut just like the neo-cortex. We now know that walnuts help develop over 3 dozen neuron-transmitters for brain function.

Kidney Beans actually heal and help maintain kidney function and yes, they look exactly like the human kidneys .

Celery, Bok Choy, Rhubarb and more look just like bones. These foods specifically target bone strength. Bones are 23% sodium and these foods are 23% sodium. If you don’t have enough sodium in your diet the body pulls it from the bones, making them weak. These foods replenish the skeletal needs of the body.

Eggplant, Avocadoes and Pears target the health and function of the womb and cervix of the female – they look just like these organs. Today’s research shows that when a woman eats 1 avocado a week, it balances hormones, sheds unwanted birth weight and prevents cervical cancers. And how profound is this? …. It takes exactly 9 months to grow an avocado from blossom to ripened fruit. There are over 14,000 photolytic chemical constituents of nutrition in each one of these foods (modern science has only studied and named about 141 of them).

Figs are full of seeds and hang in twos when they grow. Figs increase the motility of male sperm and increase the numbers of Sperm cells to overcome male sterility.

Grapefruits, Oranges, and other Citrus fruits look just like the mammary glands of the female and actually assist the health of the breasts and the movement of lymph in and out of the breasts .

Onions look like body cells. Today’s research shows that onions help clear waste materials from all of the body cells They even produce tears which wash the epithelial layers of the eyes.

Sweet Potatoes look like the pancreas and actually balance the glycemic index of diabetics.

Olives assist the health and function of the ovaries

“Then which of the favours of your Allah will ye deny?” – [al-Qur'an, 55:13]

________________________________________

Milk:
The Holy Prophet(Sal lal Lahu alay he wa salam) said that milk wipes away heat from the heart
just as the finger wipes away sweat from the brow. It strengthens the back,
increases the brain, augments intelligence,renews vision and drives away
forgetfulness.

Honey:
Considered to be the best remedy for diarrhea when mixed in hot
water. It is the food of foods, drink of drinks and drug of drugs. It is used
for creating appetite,strengthening the stomach, eliminating phlegm,
as a meat preservative,hair conditioner, eye salve and mouthwash. It is
extremely beneficial in the morning in warm water and is also a sunnah of Rasoolallah Sal lal Lahu alay he wa salam.

Olive oil:
excellenent treatment for skin and hair, delays old age, treats inflammation
of the stomach

Mushroom:
The Prophet(Sal lal Lahu alay he wa salam) said that mushroom is a good cure for the eyes, it also serves as a form of birthcontrol and arrests paralysis.

Grapes:
The Prophet Sal lal Lahu alay he wa salam was very fond of grapes, it purifies the blood, provides vigour and health, strengthens the kidneys and clears the bowels.

Dates:
The Prophet(Sal lal Lahu alay he wa salam) said that a house without dates has no food, also to be eaten at the time of childbirth.

Figs:
It is a fruit from paradise and a cure for piles.

Barley:
Good for fever in a soup form

Melon:
Melon contains 1000 blessings and 1000 mercies, The prophet Sal lal Lahu alay he wa salam said “None of your women who are pregnant and eat of water melon will fail to produce
off spring who are good in countenance and good in character.

Pomegranate:
The Prophet (Sal lal Lahu alay he wa salam) said it cleanse you of Satan and evil aspirations for 40 days.

Water:
the Prophet(Sal lal Lahu alay he wa salam) said the best drink in this world and the next is Water, when you are thirsty drink it by sips and not gulps, gulping produces sickness of the liver.

So praise be to our beloved Nabi (Sal lal Lahu alay he wa salam) who produced us with marvelous knowledge which dazzles the wisest minds. May this information be beneficial
to all of us Insha-Allah

[Via http://saidsunni.wordpress.com]

Who Says I’m a psychopath?

Those bitches! If you didn’t go through my work notes, I’m not talking about you. I can’t find my prescriptions. That’s normal. I lose everything. BUT I think I put them in my work notebook. (I never mentioned that I moved to another cubicle after my breakdown…I did). Recently I’ve been over carrying stuff and doing extra work on weeknights because I’m busy at home. So I’ve been leaving my notebook at work which is very normal. NO ONE else takes their stuff home. (That is mostly why my boss said how dedicated I am etc.)

At my previous desk, they would not have gone through a CLOSED notebook…at least to my knowledge. However, when I would leave it open, I could tell they looked at that particular page. But where I am now……..SCREAM…nothing is off bounds. So maybe they saw my prescriptions. To me, these are regular medicines. Stuff for depression and/or social anxiety and sleep. Big deal.

Nothing anti-psychotic. Trust me I’ve been hinting for some. ANYTHING to get me through a work day.

OR they saw me reading the Ted Bundy book. (very possible. I read during my lunch break and it has been visible in my car. I carry whatever I’m reading everywhere). Um, you’d be surprised at how many normal people read true  crime. And I know some of them watch reality true crime so what is the difference? I read & watch. They just watch. (Note: Once I started watching/reading the real stuff, I can’t touch the fake stuff. Mysteries? CSI? Law & Order? All very lame and phony once you get into reality).

Anyhow they said, “don’t you think we have a right to know if she is a psychopath?” ROFL. First of all, a known psychopath would not be working in an office building (or anywhere??). Psychopaths don’t get hired. Ted Bundy and others were able to work because they could act normal. (strike one for me). My coworkers were even talking about asking the boss. I think only a couple of people were seriously going to ask, “Is —— a psychopath?”

Whatever. According to them, we are getting laid off. I’ll know more at the end of the week. I’ll be free of that stress and have the no work stress. Blah. I have more high school stuff I could report from work but that would make me high school too cause some of it is hilarious.

I have tons of tons of stuff to do and I haven’t even printed out my bracket! I do wish I had my notebook. I’m  dying of curiosity. I’ll just wait until tomorrow morning and tweet the results. heh

[Via http://paperthoughts.wordpress.com]

"Safe" Vaccines

Since we all know that the H1N1 was a hoax as my previous note accurately demonstrated, and since the CDC brainwashed America into believing the flu season would be the worst in ages, AND since we know that a record low of 2500 people actually died from the H1N1 flu, who by the way already had some underlying health issue, and since the big pharmacy has made record profits off of vaccines, based on these premises let us boycott anything and everything coming from a pharmaceutical industry and pushed by white collared otherwise good intentioned (or not) individuals.

This must be a boycott on principle.

Today the Federal Vaccine Court has ruled “against three families who argued that vaccines which contained the mercury based preservative thimerosal contributed to their child’s autism. The denial of reasonable compensation to families was based on inadequate vaccine safety science and poorly designed and highly controversial epidemiology studies supported by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.” Read the full article at Safeminds.com.

It doesn’t matter that these three families all witnessed otherwise healthy children suddenly digress immediately following vaccination. The vaccine had nothing to do with it according to the CDC, who also said that last years flu season would be the worst on record and that fools don’t get vaccinated. Check out youtube adds for the H1N1 vaccine. What do you think all of those warnings and fine print are for on the little pamphlets that come with shots? They tell you all about the controversial ingredients and the many ways side effects may manifest themselves. Of course they don’t bother to tell you that thimerosal is mercury- one of the most toxic substances known to man- but hey it had nothing to do with autism in those children and the federal government will never owe up to the millions affected by vaccines.

If you still think thimerosal is sugar water search google for mercury poisoning. Well what do you know! Mercury really does have a negative effect on the brain. In fact, it even creates autism like symptoms. Unbelievable.. but the CDC bribed by corporate scumbags from big pharmacies says it is ok in small amounts even though infants and young children are the most susceptible to mercury poisoning. Silly Americans! Drugs are good for you as long as its the government giving them out.

You see, perversion is ok if you are in a place of authority and you are certified to do it. So, with that said boycott all drugs, shots, prescriptions that contain chemicals and preservatives and other controversial ingredients like monkey kidney cells, formaldehyde, lye, mercury, etc. until the perverts are fired and the controversial methods and ingredients disappear. What does any of this have to do with living responsibly anyway? And since the government is the king of irresponsibility why don’t we the people take back what is rightfully ours– responsibility and set things right.

Boycott the drugs today. Ask for an alternative. It is your choice. It is your right. It is your family, your body, your responsibility.

They will try to scare you, they will try to stage hoax outbreaks, anything they can do to bring you back to a state of dependence on them. Americans are independent and do not live in fear! We the people do not need big corporate America and petty industry money whores telling us how to live our lives or what we should be afraid of.

For further reading check out Brandon Turbeville’s article titled Mercury in vaccines: “No more dangerous than the mercury in a tuna sandwich” at infowars.com

[Via http://usmc2119133.wordpress.com]