Sunday, August 21, 2016

I Can't Sell Science!

So I'm listening to the West Wing Weekly podcast, which is awesome, so I'm slowly re-watching the West Wing.  Which I love.  Such a great series.  And it's really weird to be watching it 15 years later in the current political climate that we have today.

"I can't sell science" says the snarky pollster in response to a comment that the American Medical Association says that addiction is a medical issue.  The argument is that more money needs to be put into treatment, not enforcement.  And Toby responds, "It's science, why do we need to sell science?"

Because we do.  For some reason science has become politicized in a way that sort of just boggles my mind.  You can use facts to justify your opinion or your policies, but the facts themselves should be undeniable.  And we shouldn't have to "sell" science.  

Science is sexy.  Without science we wouldn't have the internet, iPhones, snapchat, you name it.  But for someone reason "science" fell out of favor.  When you can create your own little dystopian version of reality and have "news channels" reinforce that version of reality, then we need to "sell science."  That's just the sad state of affair we live in today.  

But part of my, the decidedly un-Christian part of me, wants to go up to the science/fact deniers and say fine.  If you don't believe in science.  Then no more healthcare for you.  Medicine is based on science.  So if you don't believe in science, then I don't think you should have healthcare (unless it's the purely religious kind where you pray away your cancer and/or use voodoo dolls.  What-evs.)  

Now the even funnier thing is that in this episode, the challenge is that if you shift resources from enforcement to treatment that you'll be called "soft on crime."  So true.  But today there is a common understanding that the  opioid addiction in our country is out of control and both political parties are looking at real, constructive, ways to deal with it.  Based on science.  

Oh the irony of it all. 

Friday, August 19, 2016

Go Buy Me A Beer Bitch!

So first of all I want to say that I blame FitBit.

I bought a new FitBit, it stopped working, so I stopped using it.  And then last weekend I spent like 2 hours trying to re-set the stupid thing so it would work again.  And finally success! So now I get those stupid reminders that I'm X steps away from my daily goal.    Bite me.

And so that's why I went for a walk tonight.  Because obviously the 30 minutes I did the on the stair mill didn't count (which I think is total BS).  So on a Friday night I went for an "urban hike."  And no, calling it an urban hike doesn't make it any sadder that I'm going for a walk on a Friday night.

Anyways, I walked up 16th to U St and as I turned onto U St there was a little bodega and some drunk guy was yelling at his girlfriend, "Go Buy Me A Beer Bitch".   Ah, modern love.   The guy was not cute and the girl was meh.  And drunk as well.  It's not even 10PM, should you really be that drunk?

And that's how the walk started.

It was kind of interesting as I walked through the various micro-neighborhoods tand just people watched.  Obviously U St had a plethora of hip young people, gay and straight, at the beginning of their evening.  There were just getting ready to get their game on.  As I made my way down Connecticut Ave towards Dupont Circle, we first start with the older couples who have just finished enjoying nice dinners on a Friday night.  Some older gentleman is smoking a cigar outside of Ruth Chris.  Of course.  By the time I make it to Dupont Circle, the average age has dropped to early 20s.  And very hipsterish.  Sigh.  Really?  Shouldn't there be atleast some gays here.  Then since I still am not close to 10,000 steps, I continue south of Dupont.  Where the big straight clubs are and the very young women in the very short skirts.  I finally decided that I need to head back home to use the facilities after the gallon of mint tea I had after the gym.

Still haven't met my daily step goal.

Bite me.