Are you in Crisis mode yet? Why not?

Today is Crisis Camp, just in time for the Great California Shakeout of 10.21.10. So what is Crisis Camp? And why should YOU be in Crisis mode too?

Crisis Camp is a global, organized, volunteer approach to creating a Crisis in a Box – tools and plans for dealing with disaster. The world over, techies […]

Flu and you: Science-based practical tips

There is now good data looking at the impact of humidity, temperature and UV rays on the survival of flu particles. Why did it take so long for these studies to be done? There’s an interesting bit of science history behind that question. It seems that there have been very few experiments looking at flu […]

Million dollar lies and the surgeons who tell them

Is it just me, or have stories about doctors behaving badly become so commonplace that it feels like we need a new, amped-up phrase. Something that would better encapsulate the orgy of vile behavior that reflects poorly on the rest of my profession, thereby costing us all a chunk of our self-respect. Maybe something lighthearted? […]

The San Bruno Blast: Let’s call it a N.E.W. Day

The San Bruno blast sure puts a lot in perspective, doesn’t it? If you, too, are tired of the frenzy over Quran-burning threats and counter threats, maybe the tragedy of this blast got you, like me, painfully re-focused on the people who lived and died on 9-11. The people who were victims and the workers […]

Bedbugs in the Dorm: 8 Tips for Families

It’s the most dreaded phone call the parent of a college student could ever get. What phone call am I talking about? Is it “Oh Mom, he’s so hot – not at all like these stuffy academics. And the way he writes! All dreamy and Goth and his prison stationary is just so, so retro […]

What percent of doctors should be sued? One-tenth? Three-fourths? All of them?

Here’s your multiple choice question to set the stage: what percentage of all physicians do you think should be sued for malpractice? Would you say one-in-ten doctors ought to be sued? Or one-third? How about every single one of them? Let’s make it one claim per doctor, nationwide. Does that sound reasonable? Keep in mind […]