Emedinews:Inspiration:A place to stand

If you have ever gone through a toll booth, you know that your relationship to the person in the booth is not the most intimate you’ll ever have. It is one of  life’s frequent non–encounters: You hand over some money; you might get change; you drive off. I have been through every one of the 17 toll booths on the Oakland–San Francisco Bay Bridge on thousands of occasions, and never had an exchange worth remembering with anybody.

Late one morning in 1984, headed for lunch in San Francisco, I drove toward one of the booths. I heard loud music. It sounded like a party, or a Michael Jackson concert. I looked around. No other cars with their windows open. No sound trucks. I looked at the toll booth. Inside it, the man was dancing.

"What are you doing?" I asked. "I’m having a party," he said. "What about the rest of these people?" I looked over at other booths; nothing moving there. "They’re not invited."

I had a dozen other questions for him, but somebody in a big hurry to get somewhere started punching his horn behind me and I drove off. But I made a note to myself: Find this guy again. There’s something in his eye that says there’s magic in his toll booth. Months later I did find him again, still with the loud music, still having a party.

Again I asked, "What are you doing?" He said, "I remember you from the last time. I’m still dancing. I’m having the same party." I said, "Look. What about the rest of the people." He said. "Stop. What do those look like to you?" He pointed down the row of toll booths. "They look like toll booths." "Noooo imagination!"

I said, "Okay, I give up. What do they look like to you?" He said, "Vertical coffins." "What are you talking about?"

"I can prove it. At 8:30 every morning, live people get in. Then they die for eight hours. At 4:30, like Lazarus from the dead, they reemerge and go home. For eight hours, brain is on hold, dead on the job. Going through the motions."

I was amazed. This guy had developed a philosophy, a mythology about his job. I could not help asking the next question: "Why is it different for you? You're having a good time."

He looked at me. "I knew you were going to ask that," he said. "I’m going to be a dancer someday." He pointed to the administration building. "My bosses are in there, and they're paying for my training."

Sixteen people dead on the job, and the seventeenth, in precisely the same situation, figures out a way to live. That man was having a party where you and I would probably not last three days. The boredom! He and I did have lunch later, and he said, "I don’t understand why anybody would think my job is boring. I have a corner office, glass on all sides. I can see the Golden Gate, San Francisco, the Berkeley hills; half the Western world vacations here and I just stroll in every day and practice dancing.

Abraham Lincoln said, "Most people are about as happy as they make up their minds to be." I would tend to agree.

Emedinews:Insights on Medicolegal Issues:Facilitate cadaver organ retrieval for transplantation

In India, certain amendments to the Human Organ Transplant Act 1994 are required to enhance cadaver organ retrieval and transplantation to bridge the huge demand–supply gap. The pool of donors, including increasing the supply of organs by widening the definition of ‘near relatives’ by allowing organ swaps among needy families, as well as, simplifying cadaver transplant procedures. The paired matching should be permitted i.e. if patient A’s donor does not match A, and likewise for patient B, then donor switch should be allowed, if it results in a match. Swaps or exchanges between families unable to fulfill the need of their family member in need of a transplant.

Emedinews:Inspiration:A bowl of noodles from a stranger

That night, Sue quarreled with her mother, and then stormed out of the house. En route, she remembered that she did not have any money in her pocket; she did not even have enough coins to make a phone call home. At the same time, she went through a noodle shop, picking up sweet fragrance, she suddenly felt very hungry. She wished for a bowl of noodles, but she had no money!

The seller saw her standing before the counter and asked: - Hey little girl, you want to eat a bowl? But … but I do not carry money … she shyly replied.

Okay, I’ll treat you – the seller said – come in; I will cook you a bowl. A few minutes later the owner brought her  a steaming bowl of noodles. Sue cried as she ate some pieces

What is it? – He asked. Nothing. I am just touched by your kindness! – Sue said as she wiped her tears. Even a stranger on the street gives me a bowl of noodles, and my mother, after a quarrel, chased me out of the house. She is cruel!!

The seller sighed: Girl, why did you think so? Think again. I only gave you a bowl of noodles and you felt that way. Your mother has raised you since you were little, why were you not grateful and disobeyed your mom? Sue was really surprised after hearing that.

“Why did I not think of that? A bowl of noodles from a stranger made me feel indebted, and my mother has raised me since I was little and I have never felt so, even a little.”

On the way home, Sue thought in her head what she would say to her mother when she arrives home: “Mom, I’m sorry. I know it is my fault, please forgive me …”

Once up the steps, Sue saw her mother worried and tired of looking for her everywhere. Upon seeing Sue, her mother gently said: “Sue, come inside honey. You are probably very hungry? I cooked rice and prepared the meal already, come eat while it is still hot …” Unable to control any longer, Sue cried in her mom’s hands.

In life, we sometimes easy to appreciate the small actions of some people around us, but for the relatives, especially parents, we see their sacrifices as a matter of natural …

Parental love and concern are the most precious gifts we have been given since birth. Parents do not expect us to pay back for nurturing us …… but have we ever appreciated or treasure the unconditional sacrifice of our parents?

Source: http://academictips.org/blogs/a-bowl-of-noodles-from-a-stranger/

Emedinews:Insights on Medicolegal Issues:Facilitate cadaver organ retrieval for transplantation

In India, certain amendments to the Human Organ Transplant Act 1994 are required to enhance cadaver organ retrieval and transplantation to bridge the huge demand–supply gap. The pool of donors, including increasing the supply of organs by widening the definition of ‘near relatives’ by allowing organ swaps among needy families, as well as, simplifying cadaver transplant procedures. The paired matching should be permitted i.e. if patient A’s donor does not match A, and likewise for patient B, then donor switch should be allowed, if it results in a match. Swaps or exchanges between families unable to fulfill the need of their family member in need of a transplant.

Emedinews:Inspiration:Why is there war?

 It was my first day at school. I felt nervous and scared. I went to all my classes with no friends. It felt like no one cared.

I listened anxiously to all the lessons and waited for lunch break at one. Then finally the bell rang. It was time to talk and have fun.

In the lunch line I met a new friend who wore a hijab on her head, and though I am Jewish, we got along fine, and I was so relieved when she said, “Sit with us, at our table.” She pointed to the one next to the door.

So I agreed, and took my tray and was about to walk with her across the floor, when suddenly I felt a nudge. “Hey, I saw you on the bus,” said a tall girl in a long skirt. “I see your Jewish star necklace. You should sit with us.”

At that moment I looked around, and that’s when I noticed, to my surprise, the nations of the world, isolating themselves. That’s what I saw through my own eyes.

The Spanish only sat with Spanish, the Russians always with the Russians, and never the Arabs with the Jews. I saw the reason why war gets started. Everyone sticks to their own kind. The lunchroom was a map of the world. Why was everyone so blind?

And so I turned down this girl, and went with the first, and there was no enmity. I built a bridge between two worlds when I sat with those different from me. Hope you will do the same.

Source: http://academictips.org/blogs/why-is-there-war/

Emedinews:Insights on MEdicolegal Issues:Collection of biological samples and medical evidences in a medicolegal case

The analyst/doctor has a legal responsibility to retain untested biological specimens in legal cases so that another person can test them and come to an independent conclusion as to their origin.

The observation of scenes of crime, collection of human body fluids, weapons of the offence and medical examination of victim, accused, or both is required in any investigation of crime against human body such as injury, rape, murder.

The medical examination is carried out in emergency ward of hospitals and treatment of injured and dying patient remains the major focus of the treating doctor. But, in cases of crime against the human body, the medical examination and collection of biological sample/s, its documentation, packaging, and analysis have an important role and should be done by the doctor very meticulously with the high standards of science and the law in mind. These biological materials include: Blood, seminal stains, vaginal smears/slides gastric lavage, chemical substances, poison, hair, fiber, broken glasses, knives, blunt instruments/objects, fire arms, bullet, live and empty cartridge cases, wads, clothing etc. This scientific biological evidence becomes legal evidence in prosecution/acquittal of case if collected correctly.

Emedinews:Inspiration: Stop waiting

We convince ourselves that life will be better after we get married, have a baby, then another. Then we are frustrated that the kids aren’t old enough and we’ll be more content when they are.

After that, we’re frustrated that we have teenagers to deal with. We will certainly be happy when they are out of that stage. We tell ourselves that our life will be complete when our spouse gets his or her act together, when we get a nicer car, are able to go on a nice vacation, when we retire. The truth is, there’s no better time to be happy than right now. If not now, when?

Your life will always be filled with challenges. It’s best to admit this to yourself and decide to be happy anyway.

One of my favorite quotes comes from Alfred D. Souse. He said, “For a long time it had seemed to me that life was about to begin – real life. But there was always some obstacle in the way, something to be gotten through first, some unfinished business, time still to be served, or a debt to be paid. Then life would begin. At last it dawned on me that these obstacles were my life”.

This perspective has helped me to see that there is no way to happiness.

Happiness is the way. So, treasure every moment that you have and treasure it more because you shared it with someone special, special enough to spend your time… and remember that time waits for no one.

Happiness is a journey, not a destination.

So… “Work like you don’t need money, love like you’ve never been hurt and dance like no one is watching.”