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| Norman Rockwell's Freedom from Want Courtesy of Incredible Art |
I went to one of these I think while at UTEP: sister #2's in-laws in east Texas were hosting, and her mother-in-law went around with a camcorder catching me in the act of chomping down on a drumstick (really attractive) and asking me questions (fishing for compliments?) They raised some animals on their ranch (I don't think they raised the turkey we were having).
I think I got involved one Thanksgiving with my middle brother, whom got his engineering degree at UT, and 3 in-laws (including the spouse of sister #3, whom initially attended at cross-state rivals A&M but later transferred to San Marcos where my sister was earning her teaching degree). They had scored tickets to the annual Thanksgiving tradition. (The Aggies left the Big 12 after last season to join the SEC; so no game for the first time in decades. This year's rival is TCU; are you kidding me?) I grew up when the annual battles against Oklahoma, Arkansas and A&M were must-see. I don't understand why they load up their non-conference schedules with weak teams instead of former rivals. Yes, I know OU is still on the schedule, but there were rumors UT was looking to leave the Big 12 and go independent like Notre Dame or possibly the PAC-10. I was hoping for maybe a revived Southwest Conference with UT, A&M, Texas Tech, Houston, Arkansas, Oklahoma, and LSU.) Anyway the in-laws scored tickets in the A&M cheering section near one of the goals (lousy viewing angle.) My folks warned us they wouldn't wait for us and we would have to settle for leftovers. The Longhorns were fielding one of their lousy teams before the Mack Brown era. UT got whipped on their own turf and if you don't know, the Aggie cheerleaders aren't exactly eye candy: they are like big guys with crew-cuts yelling "Gig 'em" and performing weird arm motions. My folks' house was maybe an hour's drive away, and we're hungry, looking forward to leftovers from the feast, except for the brother-in-law married to sister #1. He whined all the way back wanting us to find an open hot dog stand. When we get back, he gets a nice slice of turkey breast and instead of covering it it with savory giblet gravy available, he douses it with ketchup! That's a sacrilege. (My beautiful nieces do the same...) If I wasn't libertarian, I would have charged him with a crime against Thanksgiving dinner!
The First Survivors of Any Disaster Are the Bureaucrats
As we stop to count our blessings over the past year, let's remember in our thoughts and prayers the ongoing victims of Hurricane Sandy and the ongoing economic victims of the Great Recession for which incompetent politicians of both parties are principally responsible
What Happens When a Pregnant Woman Reads My Blog
According to Reuters
Growing into a fully formed human being is a long process, and scientists have found that unborn babies not only hiccup, swallow and stretch in the womb, they yawn too.
Fallible Doctors: A Lesson From Personal Experience
I recently read a related blurb in a health email and found this post:
Blood pressure readings taken in clinical settings may lead to inaccurate diagnoses as much as 81% of the time, according to research presented at the American Academy of Family Physicians (AAFP) 2010 Scientific Assembly....Steve Burgess, MD, Texas Tech University Health Sciences Center, Amarillo, Texas, headed the study.Regular readers may recall that I ended up being dropped by my first doctor in Maryland for showing up late (being caught in stop-and-go driving on Baltimore Loop 695) for his appointment to discuss blood test results. (Like most doctors, he had a round robin system of concurrent appointments--I typically had to wait 15-20 minutes to get 5 minutes of face time.) I was supposed to have a minor procedure done on a Wednesday but had not received certain paperwork by Monday and tried calling her assistant. I later found out that the surgeon who my doctor had referred me to contacted my doctor, whom told her he was no longer my physician. She scratched me from her schedule without bothering to alert me to the problem (not the sharpest scalpel on the tray), self-righteously saying she didn't operate on a patient without a personal physician).
At the time I had been prescribed a generic diuretic to deal with a certain unrelated condition I had months earlier (a strip mall clinic had referred me to the doctor after an initial prescription). The symptoms had largely disappeared. I had run out of my existing prescription; I knew I had to find a new personal doctor but contacted him about getting a refill. And here's the point of the story: he wasn't willing to renew the old prescription but was willing to put me on a prescription for high blood pressure. I declined.
When my new doctor got a copy of my records, he measured my blood pressure with over-sized cuffs--and concluded my blood pressure was normal. The prior doctor used standard cuffs; the new doctor wasn't surprised that the former doctor got a false reading. The new doctor was concerned about my weight and diagnosed a thyroid deficiency (which slows metabolism).
It reminds me that Don Boudreaux of Cafe Hayek felt uncomfortable when a recent correspondent addressed him as "Dr.", thinking its use rather pretentious by "mere Ph.D's". I disagree; unlike Barbara Boxer, I really had to work hard to get that title. As a Catholic, I am well aware of the title "Doctor of the Church", and these were no mere physicians: "Doctor of the Church (Latin doctor, teacher, from Latin docere, to teach) is a title given by a variety of Christian churches to individuals whom they recognize as having been of particular importance, particularly regarding their contribution to theology or doctrine."
According to Wikipedia, "The doctorate (Latin: doceō, I teach) appeared in medieval Europe as a license to teach. The Ph.D. was originally a degree granted by a university to learned individuals who had achieved the approval of their peers and who had demonstrated a long and productive career in the field. The Ph.D. entered widespread use in the 19th century at the Friedrich Wilhelm University in Berlin as a degree to be granted to someone who had undertaken original research in the sciences or humanities" Whereas I do not doubt the hard work that goes into obtaining a professional doctorate in the US, I am unaware of comparable qualifications suitable for a career of distinguished teaching and original research. The same article points out the British title of MD has comparable higher level requirements.
I'm sure most people know 'Dr. Phil' McGraw is not an MD. I think it depends on context; I don't expect its use outside academia but a sign of respect is always appreciated. The issue I have with Don or Dr. Boudreaux is that I've found that there is a certain anti-intellectual element in America. After I left academia because of a very bad job market; I typically found listing my PhD considered as a liability than an asset. People have stereotypes about academics. Plus, I had a number of very disrespectful students; it was unthinkable of me to do the same as a student. The issue is one of civility, and Boudreaux's using a civil recognition as a whipping boy is pushing on a string: speak for yourself, Don.
But I do understand problem solving and logic (degrees in math and philosophy) and an IT career. I've seen doctors whom ignored what I had to say, whom jumped to conclusions and misdiagnosed things on multiple occasions. I am critical because I exercise due diligence in my own professional work. Don't get me wrong; there are a number of very smart people whom are physicians. But I'm very patient with my clients, even when I know for a fact they are wrong; after all, they're paying for my services.
Musical Interlude: Christmas Retrospective
Scrooge (the Musical), "I Hate People"
