Hot Controversy Strikes America: The Health Care Reform Bill Passes

So it's 3:40 am & I am about to hit the sack. Before I leave however, let me share my thoughts on the biggest issue this week & for weeks (possibly months) to come regarding & involving the very field I'm getting into: the passing of the Health Care Reform Bill in Washington, DC. It's been one of the most heated controversies for a while now, & with it's passing this past Sunday, it just added more heat to the fire.

Now I'm a registered Democrat. However, despite the bill having been won due to a majority vote via the Democrats, I'm kinda in the middle with this. I'm not 100% FOR the bill, while also not being 100% AGAINST the bill. It's a confusing & torn time right now for many who aren't completely pro or con with health care reform.

Let me give a few generalized pros & cons regarding my opinion. I'm not extremely savvy with the political system (like some people that I know), so bear with me.

THE PROS
1) Universal health care to everyone.
2) Affordable insurance will be offered to those who don't have any.
3) Companies & businesses will have the option to either stay with their private insurance (without penalty), or switch/purchase to the new government-regulated insurance...all for the benefits of their employees.
4) Young adults can stay as dependents under their parents' insurance until the age of 26.
5) Insurance companies will not be allowed to turn down applicants with pre-existing conditions.
6) Gives more money to Medicare & Medicaid to expand their help to those less fortunate & the elderly.

THE CONS
1) The cost of this bill will further expand the national debt (about $1.2 trillion more).
2) Not many people know completely what are the details of the bill.
3) It increases taxes as we would have to now pay the government to run their health care insurance, whether or not we already are under a private insurance company.
4) Now that health insurance is essentially available completely (private & government run), people question the constitutionality of the thing as it pretty much requires those without it (families & businesses) to buy insurance or pay a penalty fee.
5) Increased government involvement & control over health care.
6) The additional regulation could potentially increase costs with our current insurance provider.

Overall, those are my general pros & cons. Obviously EVERYONE deserves universal health care, & I think that this bill will finally fulfill that. It could potentially lower medical & healthcare company costs, as the government would be aiding with their budgets & everyone can now have a better chance of affording it, thereby expanding & improving the quality of care. At the same time though, because now government has their control over health care, it could result in increasing taxes, provide penalties for those who REFUSE to buy insurance, & it'll put the government in a shittier debt than it already is.

Who knows. We'll see how the next few weeks/months turn out. I'm in the middle at this point.

'Til next time.

Deuces.

Cirrhosis on St. Patrick's Day

Top o' the mornin' friends. Happy St. Patrick's Day.

So...what is today REALLY all about? In a very general nutshell, today commemorates St. Patrick who famously "drove out the snakes" & brought Christianity to Ireland.

However, how do most people see today? Today is the day where everyone wears green to avoid getting pinched, when those who are of descent take extra pride in being Irish, & of course...when binge drinking reaches an all time high. Not that it doesn't peak on other holidays such as Halloween, Christmas, & New Year's. Just the fact that it's an Irish holiday, people keep the cliche alive & use this day as an excuse for intoxication.

What am I expecting for the rest of today? seeing shamrocks everywhere, the color green in every vicinity, & an influx of drunkards on the streets, getting into accidents, & getting rushed into the ER.

Let's just hope that DOESN'T happen. Cirrhosis is a nasty nasty liver disease. Yes I know, I'm sure many people already have Cirrhosis in some shape or form, but people will use today's holiday as a way to INCREASE/WORSEN this hepatic horror which can lead to total liver failure.

Take care of your livers people. It's more beautiful & important than you would think ;)

Anyways. Enjoy your day, beware of the cliche, wear green & sport your shamrocks.

...& DON'T step on any leprechauns.

'Til next time.

Deuces.


"Shamrock" by mattjenny

Screwed Up Circadian Rhythm...

Daylight Savings Time is not a time of the year that I genuinely favor. Sure, as the name says, we get more daylight. But it screws up my biological clock like crazy. Losing an hour of sleep is one thing I don't enjoy very much, despite the fact that eventually my body will get used to it. I'm not much of a morning person. I should be sleepy by now (since it's 3 am in the morning...even though it's REALLY 2 am), but as the title says...my circadian rhythm is all screwed up. I'm usually a pretty good night owl, but by this time I should be falling asleep. Unfortunately, I'm WIDE awake. Oh well.

As I've mentioned, the only thing about DST that I love is that the sun is out longer. I could still do my running at 6:30 in the evening & the sun will still be out. Going out on weekends is better, so that you can enjoy the extended exposure of daylight. That's pretty much it.

After successfully taking 2 anatomy/physiology exams, watching an unfortunately anticlimactic Pacquiao vs. Clottey fight, spending time with my parents, grandparents, sister, & titas, & eating some great food with the family, the weekend was a very satisfying one. Maybe DST won't be as bad afterall. Hopefully. Eventually my body will settle. It just better settle soon!

Yesterday was also a very special person's birthday & I hope she enjoyed it & was happy. I've said it many times & I'll say it once more...I miss Ephraim & Gomer.

What did YOU do on your weekend? Hopefully it went as well as mine did.

OK! Now my pineal gland is kicking in as we speak & I can finally feel the melatonin working it's magic. That's my cue. Good night world.

Er...should I say good morning? argh.

'Til next time...

Deuces.


"Daylight Savings Time" by xAllifacex

Nervous No More

At last, after a month's worth of time spent on this, we are finally done studying the Nervous System. As much as I absolutely loved learning about the brain, the spinal cord, & everything in between, it pretty much melted my OWN cortex with it's mystery & extreme complexity.

One more lab exam today, the last time I spend dissecting & cutting my sheep brain, & the weekend is finally here.

Plans for next week: Study study study (what else is new?) as we move on to the next systems: Autonomic, Endocrine, Lymphatic, & Immune.

Time to reunite with my old buddy Garfield as I whip out the ol' scalpel to perform surgery on him once more. What's on the hunt this time? nerve plexuses & endocrine organs.

The medical geek in me is jumpin' for joy.

Hope you have a great weekend.

Mabuhay Manny Pacquiao.

Deuces.

The Game of Sparrows

Definitely a stress reliever of mine. When the weeks get crazy & the mind wanders, spending time with my cousins & playing hours of Mah Jong revitalizes my vitals while giving me the chance to bond with my family, reminisce, & laugh like there is no tomorrow. Gathering around that nostalgic, green, square table is a past time of ours that we go to in order to temporarily leave our stresses behind while listening to the clicking of the tiles & anticipating victory. It's a bonding tradition that we've kept for years & will continue to keep forever.

Thank you Mr. Sparrow.

Deuces.

Incisions, Incisions...

My scalpel has worked extra hard this week. My entire dissection kit in fact. Poor brain & soon, cat. Anatomy & Physiology 2B lab this week has been scalpel heavy, with dissecting/investigating brains & histology. Within the next few days, I will be reuniting with my old pal from A&P 2A, Mr. Garfield, & once again perform surgery on the poor feline. The geek in me is ecstatic.

Anways...there are 4 letters in my head that sum up my feelings for today...TGIF.

This week has been an extra busy & eventful one. On top of all my intense studying & working out, I went to a taping of America's Best Dance Crew, donated blood for the 11th time (& feeling amazing), & caught up with some great people.

Certain situations regarding a few relatives also made this week a very difficult one. But all I can do for now is stay in the background where I belong (until I'm needed) & take it one day at a time, while anxiously waiting for updates.

Thank goodness at least I always have a few hours to myself to workout. The past 7 months of consistent cardio (running) & resistance (weights) for an hour & a half to two hours have kept me not only healthy both inside & out (the numbers & compliments have proven it, thank goodness), but also sane. It gives me that time to be in touch with nature & myself.

So finally Friday is here & I am very glad this day has come. I always look forward to Fridays, but today has a slighter better feel to it, as this week has been both rewarding & challenging. The plans for today: whoop out the ol' scalpel once again, cut more brains, volunteer at the hospital, workout & eat no meat.

Let's see what the weekend holds.

In the meantime, enjoy this great photograph of a Friday evening. I find it very sentimental & nostalgic. Do you?

'Til next time.

Deuces.

PS: To my fellow blogger (& amazing person in my life that I miss very much) Ephraim & Gomer...you make my Thursdays extra special with your playlists. I really look forward to them & it's great discovering some songs that are very new to me (minus the classics from this week's playlist lol). I ALWAYS press play & I ALWAYS enjoy :) Thanks for giving me something to look forward to on Thursdays maam. Can't wait to hear more playlists.


"Friday's Sunset" by brandstifterin

Code Blue Part 2...8.8 Strikes in Chile :: My Thoughts.

Another Monday...a new month...a new blog.

First, let me start off my saying that this weekend was truly an uplifting, motivational, & blessed one. Attending CCFC's First Wildfire opened my heart more & it allowed me not just to meet other people, but to also experience an evening filled with touching & emotional worship music, discussion, & just opening my soul to be one with God. It was an amazing experience & one I was glad to be a part of.

Now to my main point. My prayers go out to the people of Chile. Just when we all thought Haiti was enough...another monstrous earthquake strikes, this time in Chile. More of our fellow human beings have been killed because of this. I hope you get the chance to include the Chileans in your prayers & help out via donation if poossible. They really need our help people.

Just last night, me & a group of close friends shared our thoughts on this issue. When the earthquake in Haiti struck, our nation gathered together & donated money, medical supplies, antibiotics...anything & everything. Celebrities even began to open their hearts & gave what they could. And we thought that the worst was over for now. Now that Chile has been affected with an even more powerful quake, what does anyone have left to donate? Is Chile just going to be left in the dust & receive less attention & have less of a national impact like Haiti did?

This is the damn problem with some people. Believe me...I love what our nation has done to help our fellow Haitans. I truly do. But have you ever stopped & thought...how often do we as humans think of others? do we in our lives donate enough or give enough in our everyday lives? In my opinion, many people don't give a damn. Celebrities included. WHY does a natural disaster have to occur in order for people to start thinking of even helping others? WHY do hundreds & thousands have to die in order for money to be shipped out in the millions & telethons to arise? WHY do people donate millions & millions of dollars to other countries when OUR country has people in it that are in terrible shape (financially, medically, etc) yet they receive nothing?

This always gets me. Seeing celebrities give telethons, remaking songs to raise money & awareness, & donating so much money ONLY WHEN huge natural disasters occur irritate me DESPITE how much help it is. It seems to me that alot of them are just doing this as a popularity boost, or a competition of sorts to see who can donate more. Why can't we donate or help others (both here in our country & in other countries as well) everyday or as much as possible?

Now that we've spent so much of our energy to helping our friends in Haiti, can we manage to help our friends in Chile? Will celebrities once again join hands & create another telethon or donate MORE of their money to help out another country in calamity? Will our citizens focus as much attention on Chile as they did on Haiti?

My opinion is, honestly, that Chile may be unfortunately overlooked. Because so much time & energy was given to Haiti thinking this may be the end of it for a while, there is not much left for Chile. And that breaks my heart. It would look extremely bad on our part in the eyes of Chile if we spent so much time & energy on Haiti that Chile receives so much less, almost nothing in comparison to the amount of aid the Haitians received. If I were given the chance, I would LOVE to go on a medical mission to both Haiti AND Chile & other countries in need as well to offer my medical services to help as many people as possible. That would be one dream I would love to fulfill.

Please don't get me wrong on this. I am proud of what our country has done to provide aid. I just wish people could be this active all the time, instead of waiting for a huge disaster to happen & hundreds of lives to be killed in order for that catalyst to spark.

Other countries have experienced extreme natural disasters but receieved absolutely no aid. One primary example: When Typhoon Ondoy hit the Philippines last year, killing hundreds, destroying houses, separating families, & being the worst typhoon the country has experienced (the amount of rainfall in 1 hour was equivalent to 6 months worth of rainfall)...what did the U.S. do to promote for aid or even raise awareness? absolutely nothing. Did celebrities band together? Nope. Do others even know of the severity of that event & how much it effected the country? And the Philippines is one of the U.S.'s biggest allies...How can something like that NOT be a problem?

C'mon now people. Let's start seeing the big picture here. Don't wait for something to happen to take a stand. Be active, be honest, & be consistent. Let it all come from the heart. Let's see how the response to Chile will be like. I'm hoping that it will be as swift & prioritized as Haiti's response was...but then again I won't be surprised if it isn't. Let's MAKE IT HAPPEN.

Life is a sacred gift. And while we still have it, let's do our best to give what we can to others so that they as well can keep that gift. No favoritism or catastrophic event needed to spark that.

I apologize for this extremely long blog. But I hope this got your neurons a-firin'.

'Til next time.

Deuces.