Monday, July 30, 2012

ZDoggMD | Beware The Clostridiapocalypse!

Increasing bacterial drug resistance isn't the only important reason why your doctor won't prescribe you an antibiotic every time you have a case of the sniffles. ZDoggMD can explain it to you -

Sunday, July 29, 2012

Face The Nation | Penn State Panel

Guess which panelists are on the sports payroll and seem to be "toeing the corporate line"?


Related Link: Face The Nation | Penn State President Rodney Erickson

Saturday, July 28, 2012

Coming To A Pharmacy Near You

If any of you happen to be Jeopardy! fans, then you'll know that computers are capable of answering questions posed in natural language, and come up with answers faster and more accurately than any mere human could do it.

And I've noticed that the people who invest in this type of technology always seem to dispel concern that advances in technology would replace any existing workers, saying it simply would "support" existing staff in order to perform their duties more efficiently.

Yet, the people who market these technologies always seem to highlight the advantages of replacing "less efficient" and "more costly" human workers as a selling point.

So, who do you believe? Are you drinking their Kool-Aid, or are you able to think for yourself?

Given time, I can't see any reason why these two technologies couldn't be incorporated to provide the advisory services traditionally provided by a pharmacist, and replace us. And considering the costs of pharmacists' salaries and benefits, this type of technology would pay for itself very quickly.


Source: AVA the Virtual Assistant

Error Prevention In The Lab

How many times have you been thrown to the wolves at work, without adequate training, and found yourself having to learn the hard way or having to suffer the consequences?

I've had plenty of jobs where I was given the bare minimum of training or orientation, left to fend on my own, and then was criticized, punished, or held personally liable if I did something wrong, even though I wasn't properly-trained, informed, or made aware of certain policies or procedures beforehand. I often refer to it as "being set up for failure".

Unfortunately, sometimes the consequences of this apathy towards error prevention can be tragic.


Source: Landmark worker death case continues against UCLA chemistry professor

Monday, July 23, 2012

How Can Nothing Be Something?

Watch this great little yarn, and learn about perseverance in the face of overwhelming adversity.

Sunday, July 22, 2012

The Super List | A Short Film

The forces of evil are very powerful influences that continue to draw many to the dark side inherent within each of us. Regardless of the reasons, almost all who embrace the dark side do so because they've been faced with challenges and difficulties they felt the light side was incapable of fixing.

But, falling victim to the dark side can often be avoided by taking the time and effort to create a list of our own personal strengths, weaknesses, and even super powers beforehand.

Make a list. It will keep you aware of your abilities and allow you to be prepared to face adversity, and keep you from acting inappropriately when confronted by "other" forces emanating from the dark side.

Does anyone else see the inherent qualities and abilities this young man already possesses without having to resort to using his super powers? They're easy to miss if you're not looking.

One of them really stands out above the rest, making him a good candidate for a career in pharmacy.


THE SUPER LIST - a Super Villain Short Film from Will Gallego on Vimeo.

Friday, July 20, 2012

Every Body Walk Now!

Before you start looking for a pill that'll cure your ill, why not try a brisk walk first? Walking is the cheapest and easiest way to get relief from depression, and without all those possible side effects. And if you have a little more energy.. try this.


Depression: A Walking Prescription from Every Body Walk! on Vimeo.

Thursday, July 19, 2012

The Waiting Room

A new documentary chronicles what life is like for patients and doctors at Highland Hospital, a busy, safety net hospital located in Oakland, California.

Documenting the daily life of a large, under-resourced, urban public hospital, The Waiting Room offers no experts and no statistics, just a rare fly-on-the-wall look inside an overwhelmed system and its impact on patients and staff. Film director Peter Nicks set out to profile a community but ended up with a larger story about health care in the U.S.

The film has been screening at film festivals around the country and has already won several awards. It will get a national theater release in the fall, and will air on PBS' "Independent Lens" next year.


The Waiting Room Trailer from The Waiting Room on Vimeo.

Related links:

The Waiting Room - Kickstarter Page
PBS Newshour: Jeffrey Brown | Peter Nicks, Director Interview -

Sunday, July 15, 2012

A Glimpse Into The Future

A glimpse into the future of pharmacy? Work on your squats my friends.

Friday, July 13, 2012

Big Dreams | A Short Film

You've worked hard your entire career, but you never were able to envision the big picture about where you're were headed. It's only after years of experience that you're finally able to see the writing on the wall. And like many professionals who thought the good times would last forever, it's starting to cause you more than a little anxiety.

Tony is one of those professionals. He foolishly bought into the bullshit he was handed by some of the leaders in his profession, and now he has nightmares about his current circumstances.

Unfortunately, a man who doesn't plan ahead and isn't prepared to address his problems, often goes to extreme measures to stop them. For many like Tony, there's no pill that will cure this type of ill.

[Original full video link removed by source]


Big Dreams (2012) - Teaser [ By F.C.Rabbath ] from F.C.Rabbath Creations on Vimeo.

Wednesday, July 11, 2012

In The Shadow | Dans L'Ombre

Are you still a "Wearer", or have you become "Wearerless"? Only your shadow knows for sure.


Dans l'ombre | In The Shadow - Short Film from Fabrice Mathieu on Vimeo.

Sunday, July 8, 2012

Flying On One Engine

Wheelchair bound because of partial-paralysis, without a larynx, and diagnosed with a life-threatening aortic aneurysm, Indian-born Sharadkumar Dicksheet, M.D., still spent six-months of every year from 1968 until 2011, traveling to India to perform operations in marathon-like surgery sessions where many poor children received free treatment for cleft lips and other facial deformities.

Few men have sacrificed so much, and used their own hands, to help so many people.

During his lifetime he and his colleagues performed over 200,000 free reconstructive operations for the children of India. Although Dr. Dicksheet barely survived living only off of social security income while in his Brooklyn, NY apartment the other six-months of the year, his life was drastically different while in India, where the eight-time Nobel Prize nominee was treated like a living god.

At 80-years of age, Dr. Sharadkumar Dicksheet passed away on November 14, 2011.

But his altruistic efforts haven't gone unrecognized. The documentary, Flying On One Engine, shows how this quirky, funny, empathetic, and sometimes difficult character overcomes his own ailments by curing others. Here's the trailer -


Flying On One Engine - Trailer from Joshua Z Weinstein on Vimeo.

To memorialize Dr. Dicksheet and to continue to raise awareness about prenatal birth defects and the inequities in India's health care system, Joshua has freely posted his full documentary online.

Wednesday, July 4, 2012

Happy Independence Day!

I wonder if our founding fathers would have envisioned this? Congratulations to our new Americans!

Tuesday, July 3, 2012

A Silent Epidemic

Risk is the potential that a chosen action or activity (including the choice of inaction) will lead to a loss (an undesirable outcome). The notion implies that a choice having an influence on the outcome exists (or existed). Potential losses themselves may also be called "risks". Almost every human endeavor carries some risk, but some are much more risky than others.

And that's why I'll continue to say: STAY OUT OF THE HOSPITAL!

Of course, they'll be circumstances when being admitted to a hospital is beyond your control, but in many instances, by living a healthy lifestyle and being aware of, and avoiding unnecessary risks, a visit to the hospital can often be prevented.

Being admitted to a hospital carries a significant amount of risk.

Medical advances have brought lifesaving care to patients in need, yet many of those advances come with a risk of HAI. Healthcare-associated infections (HAIs) are infections that patients acquire during the course of receiving healthcare treatment for other conditions. These infections related to medical care can be devastating and even deadly.

A Silent Epidemic is about the many lives that have been impacted by hospital-acquired infections, as well as sepsis, and what can be done to bring an end to this silent epidemic. It is also not in any way an attack on the medical field; it is rather a calling to all people that there are a number of things that can be done to prevent HAIs if we work together.


Healthcare-Associated Infections: A Silent Epidemic from Emily Croke on Vimeo.

Monday, July 2, 2012

The Forest | A Short Film

Antonia is a 12 year old girl. She often has daydreams in which she wonders off into a magical forest far away, where she escapes from the problems of the real world. One day, however, her father takes drastic measures and she has to face a tough decision.


Source: The Forest Website

Sunday, July 1, 2012

Blood Brother | A Documentary

Blood Brother is the story of a group of children infected with HIV, and Rocky Braat, a disenchanted young American that met them while drifting through India.

Rocky wanted to save all the children, but in reality he couldn’t cure even one of them. He had to stay. It’s a hard life. He faces opposition in many forms. He lives in a concrete hut. Sometimes, he is close to despair. The truth is, he needs them as much as they need him. They teach him, daily, that love is the only thing that makes life worth living.

The full documentary is coming Fall 2012. Here's the trailer -


Blood Brother Trailer from Blood Brother on Vimeo and Blood Brother Film

PBS Frontline | Endgame: AIDS in Black America

A PBS FRONTLINE special presentation, ENDGAME: AIDS in Black America, is a groundbreaking two-hour exploration of one of the country's most urgent, preventable health crises.

Airing July 10th, the film traces the history of the epidemic through the experiences of extraordinary individuals who tell their stories: people like Nel, a 63-year-old grandmother who married a deacon in her church and later found an HIV diagnosis tucked into his Bible; Tom and Keith, survivors who were children born with the virus in the early 1990s; and Jovanté, a high school football player who didn't realize what HIV meant until it was too late.

From Magic Johnson to civil rights pioneer Julian Bond, from pastors to health workers, people on the front lines tell moving stories of the battle to contain the spread of the virus, and the opportunity to finally turn the tide of the epidemic. Here's the trailer -