cat-scratch fever

Check out this rundown of the bipartisan hysteria over H1N1 vaccine that is now voluntarily available nationwide.

ted

For those of you still following along...

Some of us were talking about this earlier:

ted.com. it's sweet, and here are a few 18 min talks germane to us directly:

http://www.ted.com/talks/lang/eng/alan_russell_on_regenerating_our_bodies.html

http://www.ted.com/talks/lang/eng/catherine_mohr_surgery_s_past_present_and_robotic_future.html

http://www.ted.com/talks/lang/eng/nathan_wolfe_hunts_for_the_next_aids.html

http://www.ted.com/talks/lang/eng/vilayanur_ramachandran_on_your_mind.html

Get ready to have your idealism tempered!

Check out this New York Times story about first-year med students at UWash. Thrown into the real world of health care, their hopes of changing/saving the world have been shattered. Or something like that....

Locker Sharing

howdy folks,
for those I haven't said so to, welcome back and good luck as things progress. I miss having you all in the same classes with the same schedules. oh vell...

I'm renting a locker in the union, and won't need all the space in it I don't think (to reiterate, damn science textbooks, and their behemoth proportions against my enfeebled cycling structure).
If anyone wants to share the locker, let me know and I'll give you the combo so you don't have to spend the $25 for one.

see ya

Sticker shock?

Has everyone found the time to gag at the bookstore's extortionist prices. Fascists! There's reason to hope: Tara apparently found the o-chem text on half.com for 30 - yes, 30 - dollars. Looks like most of those deals are gone, but I found the biology text for $29 and the genetics book for $87 (less widely used, i guess).

goddamn science... I'm spending $30 dollars for three books in my sociology class.

Hope everyone's feeling hale and hearty.

--mike

The end is near...

Just hours away, in fact. But for those who will remain in Bozeman beyond 3:02 p.m. today, I wanted to convey an invitation to my roommate's Sweet Pea for Drinkers party tomorrow.
Come as you are. Come any time after dawn. It's all day, and we are conveniently located near the festivities at the park, which are completely alcohol-free. We even have a endorsement from Cassie, the post-bacc social chair. She's been to this party before, and she tells me that the party at my house is pretty fun. I wouldn't know...

Of course, maybe you want to get the hell out of this town as soon as possible. I can appreciate that as well. Whatever the case may be, enjoy yourself. I will.

Ummm...

Was Dr. Mac smokin' crack when he wrote the practice test answer key?

MCAT book warehouse

Hi. so my amazon order got bungled and I ended up with some extra examkracker books, including physics, inorganic chemistry, and verbal. Anyone interested in buying them off me? They were 27, 24, and 13 bucks. if you were all ready looking to get these books, get em from me and you won't have to pay shipping, and I won't have to pay shipping to send them back. I'd need to know in the next week or two.

I'll curve your titration, Anu!

Man, that was a shitty lab. It drove me to drink. Which drove me to look up that silly British science show: And now for something completely... science.

Beer Tasting Party!

who likes beer? tasting things? parties? from what i've seen this summer, probably most of you.

so come to my house this saturday, july 18th, for a beer tasting party! it's like a wine tasting party, but just a little more montana.

come around 8 p.m. and bring your favorite beer so everybody can try it. i'll supply a few of my favorites and some snacks. plus i'll make a hot dance mix so there might be a little getting down. tests are on thursday and friday, so no excuse to not party on saturday!

i live on 11th and dickerson, and can give more detailed directions whenever you like (or text them to you). see you there! and in class for five days before then.

Study for money ... tutor

OK, so I finally took the time to find the TRiO office on the bottom of the SUB. They are the people organizing tutoring for the fall, and they gave me the dirt on paying gigs. There is a fairly straightforward application to become a tutor that you can pick up at their offices back in the cave by financial aid. You list the classes you want to tutor (you must have a B or higher and get an instructor's recommendation) and then there's a small survey involved.

Unsatisfied, I went over to the college of nursing in Sherrick Hall (above the duck pond, next to 11th) to follow-up on rumors of more medicine-specific opportunities. They told me that there will be plenty of work to be had with the general pre-nursing population in the fall. More specifically, a support program for native nursing students, called Caring For Own, will be looking for help as well. Nursing students need to take two semesters of chemistry: one, an abridged general chem course, the other, an introduction to bio- and organic.

I'm supposed to go back on Monday to talk to the organizer for all nursing tutoring, Twila Old Coyote, and negotiate a group rate for us. Well, something like that, anyway. If you're interested, let me know. If you want to talk to Twila in person, she can be reached at 994-2710.

Study session Sunday?

Some talk over lunch of a Sunday study session for one, either or both upcoming tests (thanks to whoever restored the countdown). Bring your old practice tests, gripes and grievances. Any suggestions for time and places.

Discuss amongst yourselves.

Livingston Roundup

Are you proud to be an American?

Can you sing every word to that infamous Lee Greenwood song?

If not, do you at least like to have a couple cold ones and make fun of people who do?

Well dust of your Stetson and polish your mule-skins, because the Livingston rodeo kicks off on Thursday night!

Come talk to me, your token (wannabe) cowgirl if you're interested.

Yeehaw!

-Cassy

Big Sky Patrol '10

Dusty and Liz have been asking me about volunteer opportunities with the Big Sky Ski Patrol this year. I only did it this past year, so if you are more than a little curious, you might want to seek out some Patrol beta on the cost-benefit. Actually, one of the people in our Physics section this semester is one of the crustier pro patrollers, so you can ask her if you dare. I have my own opinion, which I will share with anyone buying beer. You will do a lot of ortho rescues, which is not real common in other EMS settings. But... oh, I don't want to ruin the surprise.

Anyway, if you're gung-ho for this, get your EMT-B and then clear the following weekends on your calendar:

Medical Refresher ##November 14, 15, and 21 or 22

On-Hill Refresher ##December 5 and 6

Rookie Training ##December 12, 13, 19, and 20

For further information, consult this website: www.bsvsp.com or send an e-mail to Jim Bowker, the recruiting coordinator at jim_bowker@fws.gov

Party Like You Mean It

Hi guys!

Party at my place Friday. I'll be getting started immediately following the physics exam and so should you. Get your friends/loved-ones together and let's have some beer, some laughs and play a mean game of horseshoes. Bring something to throw on the grill or to share, fixins will be supplied as will the ubiquitous PBR. If you wanna carpool just let me know.

More food for thought...

This is a good complimentary read for the Gawande article (and much shorter).

Sort of makes the public health focus in the master's program seem more like a good idea. They link to a Harvard syllabus on the subject for further follow-up.

See you tomorrow.

Happy Finals week!

Is everyone ready to learn two chapters of chemistry in two lectures? Sleep is for weenies, anyway.

Gawande

Thats funny that you posted that article a bit ago Mike, cause I was talking about Gawande last night after you left Famous Dave's. I agree his writing is fantastic and makes you think about the important ethical issues in medicine in new ways. I have both his books if people want to borrow them. I recommend Complications over Better, but they are both awesome. Here is another Gawande article that is nuts. Its about a woman who had an itchy head...

http://www.newyorker.com/reporting/2008/06/30/080630fa_fact_gawande

Tonight....

So the plan is to meet at Famous Dave's @6:30 tonight for Richard's B-Day, lemme know if you need a ride. Also, someone just sent me this video and it's too funny not to pass along (don't watch if violence is not your thing...)

Ripped from the public health headlines...

I know everyone is doing a lot of reading for pleasure in their copious free time, but I understand this article...

http://www.newyorker.com/reporting/2009/06/01/090601fa_fact_gawande

... is the latest touchstone for the debate in Washington over health-care reform. Everyone, including our fair senator, Max Baucus of Baucus White Paper fame, is reading it.

The article compares the medical cultures of a town in Texas, which has the "most expensive health care in the world" with that of the Mayo Clinic in Rochester, Minn. The two places have something like a $11,000-per-citizen swing in annual medical spending.

The author, Atul Gawande, is a practicing surgeon and public health scholar, who writes for the New Yorker on a regular basis. He has also written a couple of books about his training and surgery as a learned trade. "Complications" was pretty good, and I think "Better" just came out this year.

Hope you are all well.

mike

Shielding and Effective Nuclear Charge

So, i didn't really understand electron shielding(screening) and effective nucler charge (Zeff) during lecture today so I hit the web to try and find a better explanation. This website gives a brief but good explanation of these topics -- penetration as well. This is especially helpful for the online hmwk. Happy Studies!

http://facultyfp.salisbury.edu/dfrieck/htdocs/212/rev/zeff/shielding.htm

Study Session

Sunday, the 14th at 2:00, meet in the library entryway. Maybe everyone plan on having done the physics practice test that's in the book and the chem practice test (does someone have those answers?), and we can go over them step by step.

Science will never fail you...

http://www.backpacker.com/beer_hydrate_water/blogs/daily_dirt/1074?utm_source=newsletter01&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=newsletter01

Friday BBQ

http://forecast.weather.gov/MapClick.php?CityName=Bozeman&state=MT&site=TFX&textField1=45.6797&textField2=-111.038&e=0

If the Weather is good, We're having a BBQ over here at the Schoene residence. Friday, say, show up around 6:00. Bring beverages to share and your own favorite meat product. We'll have condiments, buns, baked beans, GVB salad, and extra pbr. We've got a BBQ.
Also, bring your sig. figs. and be ready to learn how to play Kuub, our favorite lawn game (by the by, does anyone have any cordwood?)

Ask me for directions, you'll need to drive or carpool as we're out near the M, and I'll post here if we get rain delayed.

See ya tomarra

Cut loose!

So maybe you feel like you got beat up today. Nurse your wounds tomorrow at the Wilsall rodeo. The whole hip county will be there. I strongly recommend going for the last bit of the bullriding, the last event of the rodeo, which starts at 6:30 p.m. Then hit up the barn dance at the Bank Bar. Don't forget your best cowboy beer coozy.

Here's more information (including directions): http://visitmt.com/categories/moreinfo.asp?SiteID=1&IDRRecordID=8931

Enjoy, and cut a rug for me.

Love, Mike

Happy midterms, everyone.

Everyone line up for your treament...

Scheduling

Yo, to reply to Justin...

If we are gunna do group study tomorrow after tutorial, don't forget some food. I know my blood sugars are way low by then.
Secondly, everyone should switch to my schedule, which is the bomb and has honors o chem lab on tuesday afternoon (which makes the rest of the week a breeze), and the survey of calculus section at 9-10 mtrf (enough time to sleep in but still get you out of bed to be productive...). Oh, and bio 214 monday afternoon if you're in that. Word.


See you tomorrow!

peter

Calc, Honors O Chem and Test Review

Hey peeps,

So Three things. I think we should study either tonight or tomorrow after Ken's review session at 530(ish). Either works for me. Tomorrow would give us all another day to do the practice tests, so that seems to be a better option.

Second, I registered for honors O chem, and to do this for those who are interested and don't know, I emailed Mary Cloninger (mcloninger@chemisty.montana.edu) and asked for permission. Then I got an email that I showed to Tiffany in the Chemistry office, which is the first office up the stairs in the new chem building. Im sure either O chem section will be fine, but I thought honors might give us just a bit better prep for the MCAT. Im in the thursday 9-12 lab, if anyone cares to join me.

Third, it seems most of us are taking calc this semester and stats next semster. Since I still haven't met everybody, and I know I would like to have most of my classes with all of you, which calc section is everyone registered for?

Dusty, I love the doomsday test clock.

Justin

Testing, Testing...

Nice job guys, first set down, only... hmm, a lot to go. I'm sure we all did great. Keep up the the goodness.

Adding Authors

So in order for ya'll to be able to create new posts I had to add you as formal "authors" of the blog. You should get an "author invite" email from me which you need to accept in order to start your own posts -- although you can still comment on previous posts without being an author. I think I got most everybody's email, let me know if I missed you.

Once you are an author and you are signed in, you should have a link in the upper right hand corner that says "new post" which you can click on to begin writing. Let me know if this works or not, this is a learning experience for me as well.

Hope all is well, good study session yesterday!

exam practice!

look here for your physics exam practice:

http://www.physics.montana.edu/classes/205/unver09/Exams.htm

Welcome

So here it is, the inaugural posting. Like I said, I hope this catches on because i think it would be easier than emails. Just to reiterate, we are planning to meet at 2:00 on Sunday in the EPS atrium to go over material for this weeks exams. Hope to see you all there.

Oh ya, if you know of anyone who was not on our original email list, please forward this link to them