Need a good laugh?

I know I've just been posting videos lately, but this one is just too funny and it only takes a minute.

Loma Linda School of Dentistry Skits and Videos

Last weekend was the annual pine springs ranch retreat. The highlight of the weekend is always the skit competition, which we take pretty seriously. Last year, my class totally blew away the competition with this parody of the hit TV show "The Office".

This year my classmates produced the sequel, but the other classes upped their game and we ended up taking third place. Here's our entry: (I'm in the bottom right corner of the screen from 6:35-6:38)

Here's the second place entry from the D2 class. If you've never seen the Blue Oyster Cult SNL skit ("I gotta have move cowbell!"), watch it here first. Then you'll better appreciate this:

In first place was the D3 class with their version of Top Gun. Pretty freakin' hilarious:

Benji Village

Check it out here. "Benji (बेंजी) is a village near the small town Silli (Agastyamuni) of Rudraprayag District, Uttarakhand State in India."

I couldn't find the exact location on any map, but this photo is from the small town my village is supposedly near. Seems nice.

Update: I found a map here. It's not a very good one and nothing is labeled but I think it will help me when I'm old and decide to pay my people a visit. I may even see Mr. R.K. Benjwal.

Headswap!

I saw other examples of this on the internet and wanted to give it a try. I'll be honest, I laughed for two minutes straight when I was done.

Baby of ours - the beta version

My wife feels she's been hiding her pregnancy long enough, so, it's time to announce the news! Child Beta should be available for download in late May - about the same time I'm supposed to graduate from school. I'll go ahead and make it a competition to see which happens first.

Here's some pictures I used in a presentation to announce when we were expecting Jordan a couple years ago. We were really curious about what our kid would look like because Melissa and I really don't look alike at all. Perhaps you've seen an "If they Mated" segment on Late Night with Conan O'Brien. It's the same idea, but using my crude Microsoft Paint skills.

Here's me in one of my finer moments:



Here's Melissa:



Baby Gorgeous, viola:



Notice any striking resemblances?



Thankfully, he turned out like this instead:

Halloween candy buy-back

I just read this article about a dentist in Georgia who will be "buying back" Halloween candy for $1 per pound, and then giving that candy to a charitable organization who sends it in care packages to our troops overseas. To me, this is win-win-win. Kids get less cavities/tummyaches/childhood diabetes, dentist gets publicity, troops get hard-to-find American candy. The program is expanding and more and more dentists are getting involved. I'm going to look into it next Halloween.

Happy Global Hand-Washing Day!

That's right, October 15th is global hand washing day, according to this morning's 60-second-science. It talks about a hand-washing study done in Britain which determined a good rule of thumb to be that the further north you go, the dirtier the hands. Also interesting was that in 3 of the 5 cities women had dirtier hands then men, and in London a woman was 3 times as likely to be harboring germs - so don't let those manicures fool you!

In one of my classes a couple years ago they showed us a video about medicine in the 1800's. It was interesting that many of the older doctors were resistant to the theory of bacteria. Many were stubborn and refused to wash their hands simply because they didn't believe it would do any good. Needless to say, many people suffered because of their resistance.

Happy hand washing day! Now go wash your hands - your keyboard and mouse are probably filthy.

Fun with juxtaposition

First, watch this commercial. A direct quote - "it will not affect teaching in schools". Now read this story. That's right, it's a public school, and this was a school-sponsored field trip.

It seems like the ad was a rebuttal to this "yes on 8" ad. I don't think the "no on 8" campaign could have timed this ad worse.

I feel like the yes campaign has been very straightforward in their ads - every one I've seen has clear references on the screen to actual court cases. I don't see how that qualifies as lies or scare tactics. Also, thanks to Pepperdine University who has been putting their name on the tasteful ads.

Proposition 8 - why I'm voting yes

I've made several attempts at writing about this issue but they all ended in me realizing that I'm just not a gifted writer and I don't have the kind of time I need to articulate how I really feel. Luckily, I found an article that makes my point far better than I could. My point is that proposition 8 is not just about gay rights - it affects everyone. I feel that if this proposition were defeated, various church and para-church organizations would be significantly affected. This article illustrates how.

Without further ado, I refer you to the NPR website where you can read this article. The part I found interesting, and worth passing along, is copied and pasted in it's entirety here:

When Gay Rights and Religious Liberties Clash

by Barbara Bradley Hagerty

NPR.org, June 13, 2008 · In recent years, some states have passed laws giving residents the right to same-sex unions in various forms. Gay couples may marry in Massachusetts and California. There are civil unions and domestic partnerships in Vermont, New Jersey, Connecticut, New Hampshire and Oregon. Other states give more limited rights.

Armed with those legal protections, same-sex couples are beginning to challenge policies of religious organizations that exclude them, claiming that a religious group's view that homosexual marriage is a sin cannot be used to violate their right to equal treatment. Now parochial schools, "parachurch" organizations such as Catholic Charities and businesses that refuse to serve gay couples are being sued — and so far, the religious groups are losing. Here are a few cases:

Adoption services: Catholic Charities in Massachusetts refused to place children with same-sex couples as required by Massachusetts law. After a legislative struggle — during which the Senate president said he could not support a bill "condoning discrimination" — Catholic Charities pulled out of the adoption business in 2006.

Housing: In New York City, Yeshiva University's Albert Einstein College of Medicine, a school under Orthodox Jewish auspices, banned same-sex couples from its married dormitory. New York does not recognize same-sex marriage, but in 2001, the state's highest court ruled Yeshiva violated New York City's ban on sexual orientation discrimination. Yeshiva now allows all couples in the dorm.

Parochial schools: California Lutheran High School, a Protestant school in Wildomar, holds that homosexuality is a sin. After the school suspended two girls who were allegedly in a lesbian relationship, the girls' parents sued, saying the school was violating the state's civil rights act protecting gay men and lesbians from discrimination. The case is before a state judge.

Medical services: A Christian gynecologist at North Coast Women's Care Medical Group in Vista, Calif., refused to give his patient in vitro fertilization treatment because she is in a lesbian relationship, and he claimed that doing so would violate his religious beliefs. (The doctor referred the patient to his partner, who agreed to do the treatment.) The woman sued under the state's civil rights act. The California Supreme Court heard oral arguments in May 2008, and legal experts believe that the woman's right to medical treatment will trump the doctor's religious beliefs. One justice suggested that the doctors take up a different line of business.

Psychological services: A mental health counselor at North Mississippi Health Services refused therapy for a woman who wanted help in improving her lesbian relationship. The counselor said doing so would violate her religious beliefs. The counselor was fired. In March 2001, the United States Court of Appeals for the Fifth Circuit sided with the employer, ruling that the employee's religious beliefs could not be accommodated without causing undue hardship to the company.

Civil servants: A clerk in Vermont refused to perform a civil union ceremony after the state legalized them. In 2001, in a decision that side-stepped the religious liberties issue, the Vermont Supreme Court ruled that he did not need to perform the ceremony because there were other civil servants who would. However, the court did indicate that religious beliefs do not allow employees to discriminate against same-sex couples.

Adoption services: A same-sex couple in California applied to Adoption Profiles, an Internet service in Arizona that matches adoptive parents with newborns. The couple's application was denied based on the religious beliefs of the company's owners. The couple sued in federal district court in San Francisco. The two sides settled after the adoption company said it will no longer do business in California.

Wedding services: A same sex couple in Albuquerque asked a photographer, Elaine Huguenin, to shoot their commitment ceremony. The photographer declined, saying her Christian beliefs prevented her from sanctioning same-sex unions. The couple sued, and the New Mexico Human Rights Commission found the photographer guilty of discrimination. It ordered her to pay the lesbian couple's legal fees ($6,600). The photographer is appealing.

Wedding facilities: Ocean Grove Camp Meeting Association of New Jersey, a Methodist organization, refused to rent its boardwalk pavilion to a lesbian couple for their civil union ceremony. The couple filed a complaint with the New Jersey Division on Civil Rights. The division ruled that the boardwalk property was open for public use, therefore the Methodist group could not discriminate against gay couples using it. In the interim, the state's Department of Environmental Protection revoked a portion of the association's tax benefits. The case is ongoing.

Youth groups: The city of Berkeley, Calif., requested that the Sea Scouts (affiliated with the Boy Scouts) formally agree to not discriminate against gay men in exchange for free use of berths in the city's marina. The Sea Scouts sued, claiming this violated their beliefs and First Amendment right to the freedom to associate with other like-minded people. In 2006, the California Supreme Court ruled against the youth group. In San Diego, the Boy Scouts lost access to the city-owned aquatic center for the same reason. While these cases do not directly involve same-sex unions, they presage future conflicts about whether religiously oriented or parachurch organizations may prohibit, for example, gay couples from teaching at summer camp. In June 2008, the federal Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals asked the California Supreme Court to review the Boy Scouts' leases. Meanwhile, the mayor's office in Philadelphia revoked the Boy Scouts' $1-a-year lease for a city building.

New hope for dental anxiety

I just read this article about a device developed by a dentist in Cedar Falls. Basically, the patient puts in some headphones and listens to soothing sounds (beach, forest, etc.). The device they ever-so-cleverly dubbed the "b-Calm" is supposed to "blend the frequency of the dental drill with recordings of nature sounds." I dunno, do you think it's worth a try? Does the sound of the dental drill really bother any of you?

Another article I read a couple weeks ago claimed that the scent of lavender in the waiting room had a calming effect on patients waiting to receive dental care. Personally, I think if I spent my whole career smelling lavender and listening to soothing ocean noises I'd end up a bit fruity, but any current or future patients of mine are more than welcome to inhale their own lavender and listen to soothing sounds on their Ipods when I'm working.

Here's a picture of a guy who definitely had dental anxiety. It looks like he's in a ton of pain, right? Well I can assure you, he looked like that the second he knew he was going to get a shot, not when he felt the needle. I kept stopping and asking (in my very limited Spanish) if it hurt. He'd look at me and say no, it was fine, but then go back to gripping the seat and closing his eyes really tightly as though I was torturing him. Poor guy.

Staycation re-cap

I've been back in school for a week already, but I never followed up on our objectives. Here's the summary:

• Hike to a waterfall - check. We went to Forest Falls and had a great time. It was a nice easy hike which was great because I was carrying Jordan. Melissa put pictures here.

• Go to the beach - failed. We didn't get around to the beach. Instead we went to Jimmy Kimmel Live, but we'll go to the beach one of these days.
  

• Get a bike - check. Found this beauty on craigslist. I also managed to sell a couple items.

• Video games - check. I beat "Pandora Tomorrow" and am expecting the next installment of the Splinter Cell series in the mail.

• Try a new hairstyle - check. It only lasted a couple days but I consider it a success.

• Disneyland - double check. We went twice.
  

• Not study - check.

A bunch of movie reviews

It's been a while since I've reviewed movies, but here's what I've seen lately. Just to save you some reading, here's the summary. Do see: Baby Mama, Leatherheads, and Run Fatboy Run. Don't see: Never Back Down, Prom Night, and Jeepers Creepers. Maybe see: Hancock, The Mummy 3, Hunt for Red October, The Eye, The Abyss, and 10,000 BC. Here's the details:

Never Back Down

Meh. I didn't really like this because the whole time I was watching it I kept thinking "I hope this isn't what teenagers are really like now." I guess that means I'm old. The problem was that this movie glorifies the somewhat new practice of fighting and then posting the footage online. I'm not really sure who this movie was meant for - kids shouldn't be watching it but adults probably wouldn't enjoy it. If you want a real fighting movie see Fight Club (edited version, of course) or just watch UFC - it's real and it's more entertaining.

Recommendation: Obviously I had issues with the movie as a whole, but it was entertaining enough that I wasn't bored or anything. I'd keep this in mind as a plan B or C (or D).

Hancock

I liked this show but have to point out that there were lots of swears in it. Probably the most you can put into a PG-13 movie, so that wasn't cool. It was interesting and less predictable than your typical Super-Hero movie. I would put this in the same boat as "Friday Night Lights" and "The Kingdom" as far as the overall feel of the movie, probably because they were all directed by Peter Berg.

Recommendation: I liked it but again, there's a lot of swears so don't let the kids see it, unless of course you want your kids swearing - in which case, go for it.

The Mummy: Tomb of the Dragon Emperor

When I was a freshman in college, my astronomy teacher (who frequently strayed from the topic of astronomy) introduced me to the concept of a "popcorn movie". A popcorn movie is one you don't take seriously, but you just enjoy with popcorn. The first mummy movie was what he used as an example. I found the Mummy III to be every bit as much a popcorn movie. There were some super cheesy lines but that's what you should expect from this type of movie - it wouldn't be the same without them.

Recommendation: Used the first two Mummy movies to gauge how you'll like it, otherwise, see it with low expectations.

Hunt for Red October

Blast from the past! I remember this movie being on at my house when I was a kid but all I got from it was the desire to never ever be on a submarine. Interesting thing - I had just finished playing the video game Splinter Cell, which was also written by Tom Clancy, and I could totally see the writer's style coming through in similarities I noticed.

Recommendation: I really enjoyed it. If you haven't seen it in the past decade, maybe it's worth a re-visit.

Jeepers Creepers

The kid who always says "Hi I'm a Mac" is driving home from college with his sister and they cross paths with a monster who chases them. He freaks out a lot and people don't believe him and in the end lots of people die but I think he's ok. I just saved you a couple of hours. This movie was lame and the only reason I watched it is that I was bored on a Saturday afternoon (this was before football season) and it was on TV. Eventually I found something better to do - that's why I said I think he was ok in the end. I didn't actually finish the movie.

Recommendation: Not only will you not enjoy this movie, the annoying "Jeepers Creepers" song will be stuck in your head for 2 days, and you'll be reminded of the time you wasted.

The Eye

I have a personal interest in a concept this movie explains: cellular memory. It's the idea that cells in the body (other than the brain) can store information such as memories, habits, tastes, interests, etc. There isn't any credible science to support the theory but I'm sure you've all heard the urban legend of someone receiving an anonymous organ and suddenly having a desire to smoke or something like that.

As many of you know, I had a bone graft in my left knee a few years ago from an anonymous organ donor. If there is such a thing as cellular memory, then whoever's knee I got was pretty awesome because when I woke up from surgery I couldn't stop thinking about how awesome I was. In fact I still can't. AWESOME!

Back to the movie- it was a psychological thriller from the same mold as The Ring and The Grudge. It was well done, kept me on edge, and made me jump once (but no screaming).

Recommendation: If you're into scary movies, this is a good clean one you shouldn't miss.

Prom Night

Kind of disturbing. It wasn't really scary and won't really make you jump, but people get killed. I didn't really like it.

Recommendation: I can't imagine who would enjoy this movie.

The Abyss

Another old submarine movie! This one was interesting but it seemed really really long. I've got to be honest, I'm still not done with it because I had to go to bed and haven't gotten back to it, but I feel like I'm almost done. If the ending drastically changes my opinion I'll let you know.

Recommendation: If you're going to see one old submarine movie this year, make it The Hunt for Red October. If you already saw that one and want more old submarine movies, this would be a good #2.

10,000 BC

I haven't heard anyone say anything good about this movie but thought to myself, "aw, what the heck, there's nothing else in the Redbox this week." Here's something good - it inspired my staycation hairstyle. I copied the look of the character known as One-Eye played by Marco Kahn. Otherwise, I think I went into this movie with such low expectations that I liked it. I should admit that I fell asleep watching it twice so it took three days to finish.

Recommendation: It's bad, but it's not that bad.

Baby Mama

I've never seen anything with Tina Fey or Amy Poehler that didn't really make me laugh. This movie rocked.

Recommendation: Everybody see it.

Leatherheads

This movie was awesome! John Krasinski did awesome, George Cloony was great, and Renee Zelleger didn't totally annoy me - what more could I ask for? I think the reason this was such a good movie is because of all the different elements that went into it. It integrated romance, sports, comedy, and history. It's like Oh Brother Where art Thou meets Rudy meets Cinderrella Man.

Recommendation: I think most people would really enjoy this. I did.

Run Fatboy Run

Another great show. The thing I thought was most interesting was the role of Hank Azeria - you probably know him best as the voice of various Simpsons characters (16 to be exact). I've seen interviews with him and he's a pretty funny guy, but he plays a serious role in this movie and he does it well. When I read the premise of this movie - a guy trying to run a marathon to impress his ex - I was expecting it to be really cheesy but the writing/acting was so good that they made it work. 5 stars for this one.

Recommendation: Definitely see this one too.

Jordan's sense of humor

Disclaimer: 99.9% of you won't think this joke is funny at all, but if you happen to have the mind of a toddler who is obsessed with trains and you are currently learning animal noises, this might crack you up. Here's the joke:

"What does the train say?"

That's it - there is no punchline. Told you it wasn't funny. Last night while we were riding the Disneyland train I asked Jordan this question and he paused like he was thinking for a second, then he looked at me and busted up laughing.

Why so funny? In Norman Cousins' book Head First he explains that humor happens when an established train of thought takes an unexpected turn - that turn is usually the punchline. Lately with Jordan we've been working on the animal noises. He can tell you what a monkey, dog, cow, bird, and duck all say. I think he's associated the phrase "What does a ____ say?" with animals, and has established a train of thought that goes with the activity. When I, seemingly out of nowhere, asked what a train says, I disrupted the normal thought process and allowed his mind to make an unexpected connection - thus he laughed.

This is the first time I've made him laugh on an intellectual level. I'm excited to see what jokes he comes up with as his language skills improve.