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Crossed legs strike

You're going to think I am completely making this up, but bear with me...

The life of a Columbian gang member is hard these days. You go out and threaten people, launder money, and sometimes, have to shoot and kill someone. Work can sometimes be long days and nights. And, when you get home, all you want to do is relax, watch your 102-inch plasma TV with satellite hook up, have some drinks, and get a little somthin-somthin from your lady. That's all he asks.

But, NO! Forget that deal, Pedro. The women of the Columbian town called Pereria have taken things into their own hands, sort of. They have declared what they call the crossed legs strike, according to this story from CBS news. Apparently, when their men give up their guns, they will give them some lovin'.

One gang member's girlfriend said withholding sex was proving a powerful incentive. "The boys listen to us. When we close ourselves off a bit they listen to us. If they don't give up their weapons, then we won't be with them," Margarita told AP Television.
"They say that if we don't drop our weapons, they won't be with us anymore," said a local gang member, who called himself Caleno. "We need our women, and you'll change for your woman."

I've heard that the United Nations is really getting behind this initiative. Instead of the oil-for-food program, they're calling this, well, you can probably figure out the name yourself.

What kind of signs would be used for this protest? What would be the chants used? Strike organizers are plannning to go from bedroom to bedroom to bring their message to the masses. Maybe the Beatles were right: All you need is love (or lack of it) *cough*

Spinach frenzy

From a media perspective, it's been interesting seeing this story evolve over the past 2 days. Here are my initial thoughts on the topic. Now, the American press is in full panic mode. Maybe it's a slow news day, but the cable news channels are focused on this story this morning.

Here is the latest according to the Chicago Tribune. It started out in 8 states, now there are cases in 20 states. About 100 cases now with one fatality. It has been traced to a manufacturer in California and a voluntary recall is taking place.

I only understood the angle of the home consumer. I really didn't realize the potential impact on places like restaurants. People are going into these eating establishments and asking to have all spinach removed from their meals - which I don't blame them for.

If there's an amusing part, here it is. One of the commentators has been saying all morning that this epidemic is only hitting healthy people, because only healthy people eat spinach. The manufacturer implicated makes healthy and organic products. "So does that mean that organic products are not as healthy as we thought they once were?" the commentator asked. Duh! As a spokesman for the unhealthy people of America, all I have to say is - Please pass the donuts! The press amuse me so much sometimes.

Blog responsibility?

I've been following this story about the shooting in Montreal, Canada. Over the past 24 hours, the headlines have been stating that the shooter had a blog and there were comments made on that blog which can explain the shooter's attitude and behavior.

The response to these stories has begun. According to this item from CNews, the "online community," (don't you love how things are phrased) states that the actions of the shooter has nothing to do with the site.

Site owner Jethro Berelson, who goes by Jet online, insisted Thursday that Gill’s actions and comments had nothing to do with the site or goth culture.
“You know, I think people on the site are generally very friendly and nice, and don’t really do any crimes,” he said in a telephone interview from Brooklyn, N.Y.

Goth is a culture? I had no idea. But, here's the thing. What bothers me is the fact that this is not the first time this site has been linked with a murder.

[the site] came under the media spotlight in April after a triple murder in Medicine Hat, Alta. A 12-year-old girl and 23-year-old man accused of the killings were alleged to have profiles on the site.

Even though this Montreal story is new, it goes back to the same old debate: Does the media (movies, music, television, videogames, internet, blogs, etc) have a direct link to influencing a person's behavior? Does the media have a responsibility to society to prevent producing products that are deemed harmful?

Now, I don't want to get into a free speech and censorship debate with people. Yes, people have a right to say what they want to say, like, "Life is like a videogame, you gotta die sometime."

Montreal's Dawson College now has one less student and twenty wounded students. Could this tragedy have been prevented? Maybe yes and maybe no.

Don't pass the spinach

The US Food and Drug Administration just announced an E. Coli outbreak in eight states. There has been one death and about 50 people who have been made sick by this infection. The outbreak has been linked to bagged spinach and the FDA is advising avoiding it.

There's a cheap spinach joke in there somewhere, but I'm not going to take it. Hardly anyone dies from the E. Coli O157:H7 bug. That's why this story is alarming to me.

The Centers for Disease Control has good information on O157:H7 here:

Escherichia coli O157:H7 is an emerging cause of foodborne illness. An estimated 73,000 cases of infection and 61 deaths occur in the United States each year. Infection often leads to bloody diarrhea, and occasionally to kidney failure. Most illness has been associated with eating undercooked, contaminated ground beef. Person-to-person contact in families and child care centers is also an important mode of transmission. Infection can also occur after drinking raw milk and after swimming in or drinking sewage-contaminated water...
Most persons recover without antibiotics or other specific treatment in 5-10 days. There is no evidence that antibiotics improve the course of disease, and it is thought that treatment with some antibiotics may precipitate kidney complications. Antidiarrheal agents, such as loperamide (Imodium), should also be avoided.

Personally, I've never taken care of anyone with this infection. But, in reading about it and in talking with some physicians, you definitely do not want this. Hopefully, this outbreak will be brought under control soon, and the amount of illness will be limited.

134340

If you don't know, this is the new name for the "Planet formerly known as Pluto." This will be a trivia question soon, so don't forget it. In other naming news, the rock in space that, in my opinion, got Pluto kicked out of the planet club, was also renamed. The "before" name was "2003 UB313" (by the International Astronomy Union). The "after" name is now Eris, after the Greek goddess of discord.

Here's the funny part. The nickname for "2003 UB313" was Xena, as in Xena: Warrior Princess, the TV show. I know this is not true, but to think that a television show had an impact on the universe, it makes me chuckle a little bit.

I think I have to let go of the "Pluto is a planet" thing. Time to move on.

Weight loss

Fucoxanthin: This may sound like a character in the latest videogame, but this compound is the future of weight loss. Some of you may know this already but fucoxanthin is found in seaweed, yes, seaweed. According to this article from Irish Health, wakame is a brown seaweed commonly used in Asian soups and salads. Fucoxanthin is the compound in wakame that promotes weight loss and even has anti-diabetic effects.

Dr. Kazuo Miyashita from Hokkaido University told the American Chenical Society National meeting in San Francisco that significant reductions in fat tissue were reported in rats and obese mice fed the edible seaweed carotenoid fucoxanthin.
Fucoxanthin induces expression of the fat-burning protein UCP1 that accumulates in fat tissue around the internal organs. Mice fed fucoxanthin showed clear signs of the fat-burning protein in fat tissue, whereas mice fed a control diet showed little sign of this protein.

Translation? You watch, wakame cafes will take the country by storm (How do you pronounce that kind of cafe?). Soon, one will be near you. They will be serving the "Seaweed Soup and Salad Special." (Say that three times fast) Fucoxanthin will be shortened to "F-thin," and the marketing will be huge. "The F-thin Factor" will be a best selling book, etc. Remember, you heard it here first.

Or, this research will be proved wrong, and you can go back to eating donuts and drinking diet coke again. I'm not a big seaweed fan anyway. Calamari, maybe...

Groundhog Day

Has anyone seen this movie, because I feel like that's what I'm going through today - no whining here, just this weird feeling today. For those who have not seen it, the movie is about a guy who lives the same day over and over and over again.

I was on call last weekend and I'm on call today. For us, if you're on call the weekend, then usually no call until the next week. One of the docs here is on vacation this week (Did you really need to know all these details? I'm thinking no.) So, for today, some quick thoughts on some topics, because my blogger withdrawl is driving me crazy!

On Call: It was a rough weekend for one of my patients. He had to be transferred to the intensive care unit. I had some long conversations with his family. Overall, things do not look good. He's a very nice gentleman, too, and one of my favorite patients. Really hard to see someone suffering like that, even though we are doing everything that we can. This is a part of my job that I do not enjoy.

The Path to 9/11: For those who have not heard of this, it's a TV miniseries that was broadcast on ABC television the past two nights. I did not get a chance to watch it yet, but I do have it on videotape for me to watch later this week. Apparently, there was a lot of discussion last week about this tv show. I can't wait to watch it and judge for myself. Did anyone see this miniseries?

9/11/2001: It was really interesting to read as people were retracing their steps. I did a little reflection as well, because none of us will ever forget where we were at and what we were doing that fateful day. Maybe someday I'll try to recreate that day on my blog. I was just too busy yesterday (with work) to put together a detailed account of what I was doing and feeling on that day.

Bestest Blog of the Day: So, Sunday at around midnight, my pager went off and I answered the call. Before going back to bed, I checked my e-mail, as I usually do before drifting off to sleep again. I was pleasantly surprised to find an e-mail congratulating me on being the Bestest Blog of the Day for 9/11. My first thought was, hmmmm, that's interesting. I felt kind of awkward. It was a definite mix of emotions. I was happy for myself, naturally. But, those feelings were mixed with all of the emotions of 9/11 and my fatigue of being on call. Maybe I should have just blogged about it.

I've got my blogging fix for now. Back to work. Maybe more later...

National anthem

I was frantically running late trying to get to the stadium for the soccer game. (In case you don't know, I'm the team doc for our boys high school soccer team.) Trying to find a parking spot is usually crazy as game time gets closer. Fortunately, things weren't too hectic because the junior varsity game draws a smaller crowd. So, the parking lot was not that bad.

I got out of my car, put on my cap, grabbed my "doctor bag", and rushed into the stadium. Actually, it's not your stereotypical looking doctor bag (like my profile picture). It's just a gym bag with tape, ace wraps, and other items for injuries.

Fortunately, the junior varsity was still warming up. A couple of our players asked me to tape up their ankles prior to the game. I also talked with some players who were managing injuries, and they seemed fine.

You can definitely feel the electricity in the air before a game - particularly before a varsity game. We play at the (gridiron) football stadium. And, before the varsity warm up session, the stadium lights are turned on. This definitely adds to the excitement.

Before each game, the referrees bring both teams to the center of the field and review items of sportsmanship - for example, being careful of overly rough play, intolerance of profanity during the game, etc. Following this, the team captains remain with the referees to determine who will get the ball first. The rest of the team has a final pre-game conference with the coaches.

After the captains return from the center of the field, the drama and the excitement continue to build as each player is announced over the loud speakers. Now, the crowd really starts to get into it. No one can wait any longer for the game to get started. Just when things are about to reach a fever pitch, the loud speakers blare with this announcement: "And now please stand for the playing of our national anthem as we honor America...."

Time pauses at that point. I believe that this is the most beautiful moment in sport. Even if it's our arch-rival high school, who usually brings a loud crowd and a good team with them, at this moment, we are unified and we are one. The crowd goes from a roar to absolute silence as all of us look to at the farthest point of the stadium where the flag is seen in the night sky. For a moment, all of us forget about soccer, forget about sports, and focus on what's really important...

Oh, say can you see,
By the dawn's early light,
What so proudly we hailed
At the twilight's last gleaming,
Whose broad stripes and bright stars,
Thru the perilous fight,
O'er the ramparts we watched
Were so gallantly streaming?
And the rockets red glare,
The bombs bursting in air,
Gave proof through the night
That our flag was still there.
O, say, does that
Star-Spangled Banner yet wave
O'er the land of the free
And the home of the brave?

According to Blogger, this is my 100th post. I'm on call this weekend, so I'll see you next week, sometime. Remember Monday. God Bless America.

Update 1: Thanks to all of you who put tributes up on your blogs over the weekend. I've been reading a lot of them and they are so moving. None of us will ever forget.

Update 2: I was pleasantly surprised to learn that I've been named the Bestest Blog of the Day by Morgen from It's a Blog Eat Blog World. Morgen is of the newest members of Blogaholics Anonymous. Thanks Morgen for the selecting me today, and thanks to Bobby Griffin from Bestest Blog for the opportunity to be a member of your blog list.

Modesty gown

Interesting story from London today. Apparently, two English hospitals will be offering head-to-toe hospital gowns for Muslim women who request them. A picture of the gown is on the link for the article.

"I noticed a gap in the market and thought that it would be great if there was a gown that helped to preserve a patient's modesty," said Karen Jacob, linen services manager for the trust, who designed the product.

In looking at various media stories today, some call it a "Muslim gown" and others call it a "modesty gown." How things are phrased is so interesting to me.

Some people would call this action cultural sensitivity and others would call it cultural favoritism. Personally, I don't have a problem with the gown. But, it does set a cultural precedent of sorts. Does this mean now that African and Asian religious/cultural customs and values will be observed at this English hospital in addition to those from the Middle East? Something to watch for and something to think about...

Dr. Mike Sevilla | Family Physician