MD Whistleblower

I prefer to do business with small, privately owned establishments rather than patronize the big box centers that have pushed smaller stores to the margins or off the grid.  Of course, I do spend money at the large centers for the same reasons that all of us do.  But, I miss the personal attention and interest that a single proprietor and the staff can provide.  South Orange, the small town, or actually village, where I was raised was full of these stores where we bought hardware items, sandwiches, clothing, medicine, shoes and ice cream cones.  I would periodically stop into the bank, with my passbook, to deposit my accumulated cash from my paltry weekly allowance. (As a third grader, I received 10 cents per week.)  When I would pop into to one of these places, the owners knew me and my family, not quite the experience in some retail stores today where one guard has to admit me into the store and another must scan my receipt before I can exit.  Village Hall in South Orange, NJ

So much of life depends upon timing.    Sure, we plan, but we know how much of our life’s events are unplanned and unexpected.   So often, our jobs and our mates – two of our most defining accomplishments – are the result of a chance encounter or a random act.   Life does not reliably proceed in an orderly manner. This is often true in the medical profession.    Here, physicians in our quest to seek out and squelch disease, often discover what would should have been left alone.   For example, is discovering prostate cancer in an older man a true benefit if the tumor would have remained silent throughout the man’s life?   Whenever possible, it is best to ask the question, ‘what will I do with the information?’, before recommending a diagnostic test to a patient.   There is a risk to disturbing the natural order of things. Are we really just shooting dice? Sometimes, medical events occur on their own without any prompting from a physician.   I was contacted by a physician

The nation was transfixed this past Thursday with the sequential testimonies of Christine Blasey Ford and Brett Kavanaugh.   It is rare that a judicial or quasi-judicial proceeding generates this stratospheric level of intensity and interest.   In my recollection, the O.J. Simpson murder trial and the Anita Hill hearing before the Senate Judiciary Committee both reached this level. I watched a good deal of the hearings and read about what I was unable to watch. Personally, I don’t think that minds were changed.     Nearly every U.S. senator’s mind was firmly decided at the moment that the judge was nominated months ago.   Many offered up their strident support or opposition within 24 hours of the announcement of the nomination, if not sooner.    I will let readers decide if such a response is the diligent and fair reaction that a nominee and the country deserve.   To me, it seems that this massive pre-judgement was offered up without necessary fact finding or standard due dil

For many people throughout the world, this past week provided an opportunity to reflect on one’s life and to invest in one’s soul.    While self-examination should be an ongoing task,   the Day of Atonement is a singular opportunity to meditate deeply on this process.   While this day culminates a 10 day period of intense reflection – or so it should – once again, this does not relieve us of our obligation to pursue this task on all other days. Atonement is a tough business and I admit that I am no expert.   Consider how challenging this process is. Personal reflection. Acknowledging personal flaws and transgressions. Approaching those whom we have wronged to make it right. Forgiving those who seek our pardon with grace. Committing not to repeat our offenses if placed in the same circumstance again. Sounds easy?    Hardly.   Changing our traits and actions are very difficult.   Why do you think so many of us have the same list of New Year’s resolutions every year?  

I read about artificial intelligence software that can rival high school juniors armed with #2 pencils.  The program attacked SAT math questions and performed at the level of a typical 11 th grader.  The study was too complex for me to grasp. I guess I should ask an 11th grader for assistance.  Artificial intelligence is well beyond conventional computational exercises. It can ‘think’. Man vs Machine Increasingly, we see functions executed by machines that were formerly performed by living breathing human beings.  Examples range from the mundane to the preternatural.  Order food and drink from an iPad.  No server needed. Driverless auto travel.   This may lead to a resurgence in prayer. Pilotless air travel.  Hard times ahead for the Airline Pilots Association.  Making precision tools – from 3D printers. Gourmet meals created with a voice activated command. Theater and film productions starring faux actors created on keyboards. Will artificial intelligence i

I have satellite radio in my car.  I listen to 2 or 3 stations.  I have a deluxe version of cable TV, giving me access to hundreds of channels.  I watch a handful of them.   There is no way, of course, that I could simply pay for the 7 stations I watch.   For example, if I want HBO so I can watch John Oliver’s uproarious Last Week Tonight on Sunday, I have to purchase some package of useless channels to secure my HBO spot. I listen to CNN often in the car.  This network blares out ‘Breaking News’ every 5 minutes or so.  I wrote to them demanding an explanation for these idiotic announcements, but they couldn’t break away from the avalanche of breaking news to respond to me.  In times past, ‘Breaking News’ meant that the Germans surrendered, Truman beat Dewey or that Neil Armstrong planted his feet firmly on the lunar landscape.  I also wrote twice to CNN asking how many minutes of commercials occupy Wolf Blitzer’s hour long ‘news’ show.   I got the same non-response as referen

All work is honorable.     Sometimes, when I ask a patient what his occupation is, the response begins with, ‘I’m just a…”.   I’ll have none of it.   There is no ‘just’.    Most of the people who keep this country afloat are anonymous folks who put in an honest and decent day’s work.   Some use a keyboard and others use a hammer.   Some use a shovel and others use a colonoscope.   Some arise when we are still asleep and others start work after we have retired.   Some use their hands with skill and precision and others offer professional advice.    Some design a building and others build it.    Some create and others consume. But, why should these words matter here?   After all, I am just a blogger.