The Suicide Plan | PBS Frontline

PBS FRONTLINE explores the underground world of assisted suicide.

In this groundbreaking 90-minute film FRONTLINE explores the underground world of assisted suicide and takes viewers inside one of the most polarizing social issues of our time – told not only by the people choosing to die, but also by their “assisters,” individuals and right-to-die organizations that put themselves in legal jeopardy by helping others to die.

Watch it on-air or online beginning Tuesday, November 13th.

Looking Back

I was just remembering my first year in pharmacy school, when I wanted to be a part of that society.

Looking back, I can only imagine what it must have been like for those pharmacy students who came from an entire family of pharmacists, and weren't sure that they wanted to become one too.

See You At ASHP Midyear 2012

A little encouragement goes a long way. So, make sure to stop by and say "Hi" to me at this year's ASHP Midyear 2012 convention. I'll be the lonely superhero working the crowd.

And remember - what happens in Vegas, stays in Vegas.


Source: Wong Fu Productions

I Am Bigger And Better

You can work as hard as this newer breed of Canadian pharmacy students to remain relevant in your profession. But at some point, your hard work and dedication won't be enough to succeed.

So, how will you react when bigger and better (and cheaper) robots eventually replace you?


I am Bigger And Better from VFX on Vimeo.

Profession-Al

Metal-fabricator Neil Youngberg never planned on taking over his grandfather's business and is now faced with passing on his legacy.

Although Profession-al is far removed from the topic of healthcare, I found the most interesting part of this story is that - almost every single thing this guy says, or has experienced in his life, also applies to the profession of pharmacy, especially the practice of independent pharmacy.


PROFESSIONal from VITA BREVIS FILMS on Vimeo.

A Few Bad Apples

How many times have you heard someone use the phrase "It's always the few bad apples that spoil the whole bunch", or a phrase similar to that? I know that I've heard it numerous times. Heck, I'm sure that I've even said it a few times myself.

But, it wasn't until just yesterday, after discussing the topic of "regulation" when I started to give it more thought and realized that this phrase isn't accurate. If anything, the exact opposite is true - there are only a few good apples in the bunch, trying to prevent the whole bunch from being spoiled.

Let me explain -

Take a look at a population of apples that have fallen not too far from the tree (pun intended).

If you look closely enough, you'll find a few apples that are rotten to the core, a few apples that are perfectly good, and many apples with bumps, bruises and with varying degrees of imperfections.

This large group of imperfect apples could quickly turn bad without someone intervening to prevent their deterioration. And if you look even further, you'll also find that this apple analogy also describes the human population, and how human beings behave.

Just like the population of apples, there will always be a small percentage of straight-out, wholly-selfish, psychopathic, rotten-to-the-core criminals who are unable to control their emotions and will do anything to get what they want, including behaving in inhumane ways.

Oppositely, there will also always be a small percentage of unselfish, compassionate, altruistic, and perfectly unblemished human beings who have absolute control over their emotions and will always behave in ways that best serve the entire population as a whole.

And then there's the rest of us -

We're the largest percentage of the population - imperfect, battered, and bruised people who may not always understand or care how our behaviors might affect others, have varying degrees of control over our emotions, and sometimes behave inappropriately.

Most of us vacillate between the light side and the dark side of our behaviors. It's only after the scales tip to the dark side for the majority of us, when the whole population becomes rotten.

So as you can see, a few bad apples won't spoil the bunch. They're easy to spot. It's when most of the bruised apples go bad that the entire bunch is ruined. Identifying them requires a closer look.

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If history has proven anything, it's that human beings cannot control their emotions, and will behave in ways that satisfy those uncontrolled emotions. When viewed as a whole, more than a few people will tend to act selfishly and cannot be freely entrusted to do what's best, or safe, for the whole.

And THAT'S why we need regulation. If an enterprise has the capability of harming a large percentage of the population, then someone else needs to be looking over their shoulder to ensure they don't.

Don't believe the growing percentage of criminals who "call themselves" Republicans or Libertarians when they say that Government needs to stay out of their business. They're trying to manipulate your bruised and battered mind into enabling their crimes, and to turn you into a bad apple.

America is a Republic. We're a society founded upon, and governed by, laws, rules, and regulations created precisely to protect it's members from the rotten apples intent on harming us. As such, we Americans should expect regulation and welcome it when it's needed.

But, trying to get the politically-appointed regulators to enforce the rules fairly? That's another rant.

Technology Is A Good Thing, Right?

Source: Cartoons by Schwadron