Virginia Redistricts on MLK day

Oh my poor state of Virginia. You have always been, in my eyes, the golden child of these United States. But today I am very disappointed in you. I still love you, I am just disappointed.

You know you are in trouble when you make the Colbert Report.

The Colbert Report
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Dog with arthritis

I found out recently that my 9 year old golden retriever has arthritis! One day, right after Christmas, she was having a hard time getting up from her bed. But the next day she was fine. But as all golden owners know, the breed will hide pain with their energy, desire to please and happy face.

So we took her to the vet state-side and x-rays revealed the ball of her hip is flat, more so on the right than the left! A square peg in a round hole as my mom puts it. On the right there is an osteophyte (knot of bone sticking out). So the vet has suggested a chondroitin supplement but I think I would also like to have her on a daily low dose predinsone to prevent further inflammation. Any thoughts?

Student Robbed, men armed with machetes

At about 8:50 pm on Thursday January 17, 2013, a RUSM student was robbed and assaulted by two masked men armed with machetes after leaving the Annex for her nearby residence. Personal belongings were taken. The student was treated at the campus health clinic and released.

All members of the RUSM community are encouraged to utilize the free transportation service provided after dark:

· Nightly transportation departs from the front of the Library (Campus) and Annex beginning at 5:30pm (starts at 6:30pm in during the Summer months) and ends at 5:00am the following day.

· Buses leave the annex and campus every half-hour from 5:30pm to 2:00am. The buses go in opposite directions (north and south) to students’ residents in the Portsmouth and Picard locality. En route, these buses make stops at St. James and Jenner Hall (Swing 1).

· The runs from the annex stop at 2:00am. From 2:00 am the runs from campus are reduced to an hourly schedule until 5:00am.

De Champ waiter robs from students

A young man of Bioche who betrayed the trust of his employer now has to find $2750.00 to pay as a consequence of that betrayal. Thirty-one year old Ike Antonio Maronie of Bioche, after working as a bar tender at the De Champ Restaurant and Bar in Portsmouth, involved himself in a mini scam with regards to customer’s payments. He pleaded guilty to two counts of theft when he appeared before Magistrate Candia Carette-George on January 15th.

Maronie, who is the father of two, was on duty at De Champ on Wednesday December 5th when medical student Lisa L Roberts went to the restaurant about 5:45 pm for dinner along with her friends. After having dined, she requested the bill of the defendant and gave him her National Bank debit card to facilitate payment. She signed the receipts for the amount of, gave him a $20.00 tip and exited the restaurant.

On January 5th, having spoken to the owners of the De Champ Restaurant, Miss Roberts filed a complaint with the Portsmouth Police Station regarding an additional charge on her account.
Several days later on January 12th, corporal O’Brien visited the defendant at his home in Bioche and informed him of the report which had been made against him. He did not offer any explanations at that time and was arrested.

However, the following day he admitted to the police that he swiped the card twice, duplicated Miss Robert’s signature, took the cash from the draw and replaced it with the receipt. “I apologize for the offence I have committed. It is not in my character to do so and I accept the consequences,” he told the police officer when he was formally charged for theft of $200.00 on January 14th.

The second complaint was from a Dominican who resides in New Jersey but visited the island during the Christmas holidays. On December 26th, Angela Sylvester visited the De Champs Restaurant with her husband and two children for dinner about 9pm. Her bill amount was EC$133.00, gave the defendant her Chase debit card to process the payment, signed the receipt and left the restaurant.
When Mrs Sylvester checked her account online on December 30th she saw four additional transactions; $250.00 on the 26th of December, $250.00 on the 27th, $250 and $300 on the 29th and made a report at the Portsmouth Police Station. The defendant was accosted by police officers who informed him of the allegations made; he admitted to the offence and indicated that he was willing to repay the money.

Attorney at law Wayne Norde who mitigated on Maronie’s behalf, pleaded with the court for leniency as his client admitted his guilt, is a first time offender and a man who has potential as he holds an accounting degree from Devry University. “Bear in mind when people trust you with their money, their card or their business, you must not betray their trust because you will find yourself in trouble or in embarrassing situations,” Magistrate Carette-George admonished the defendant.

He was ordered to compensate Miss Robert $200.00 before the 25th of January or in default spend one month in prison and Mrs. Sylvester $1050.00 before the 15th of February or in default spend three months in prison. He was also fined $500.00 for stealing from Miss Roberts which must be paid before the 15th of March or in default serve two months imprisonment and $1000.00 for stealing from Mrs. Sylvester before the 30th of April or in default serve three months imprisonment.
Magistrate Carette-George also advised him to pay the compensatory awards first and then the fines.

http://dominicavibes.dm/news/bioche-man-fined-after-betraying-employers-trust#comment-22462

4th Semester Begins

Today is the start of my last basic science semester on Dominica!! After this semester I return state-side for the next 2 years of clinical rotations, which will round out 4 years of medical school.

This last semester will consist of clinical presentation and pathology of neuro, psych, endocrine, GI, renal and reproduction. We will cover this material in 10 weeks followed by a 3 week Falcon review course. At the end of the semester we take a comprehensive exam ("Comp" for short) so gauge where we are for the Step 1. The Comp is made from retired USMLE Step 1 questions so it should be good practice.

Anyway, I am looking forward to a fast paced semester but most importantly I am soooo close to getting off the Rock.

Layover in Barbados



I had to layover in Barbados for the night before heading to Dominica for my last semester on the island. The airport at Barbados is AMAZING! It is an open-air structure that is way better than the shack of an airport in Dominica.

Then there was the nasty hotel I stayed at called Melbourne Inn. I mean, it was your standard 3rd world hotel, but I was hoping for one last nice place to stay before 3rd world living began again. The reason I booked this place is because I was looking for something under $100US. When I got in the room there were more mosquitos than I have ever seen in a room. I had to go to the grocery store to buy Deet spray. I sprayed myself, my bed and my clothes. I ended up sleeping in long pants and a long sleeve shirt. And the AC did not work, so it was hot.

I went to a cool beach bar for dinner. I tried the local fried fish called Jacks which was horrible. It tasted just like it looks, like fried dead fish carcass. But the next morning on my flight out, I was able to find a flying fish sandwich which was much better.

 

Robber on Moo Cow Trail robs local (non-student)

At about 6.30 o’clock, a female was attacked and robbed of certain personal items while walking at the Moo Cow Trail. The robber is a black male who came from the bushes with a machete. The individual that was robbed is a not a RUSM community member. The incident was reported to our Safety & Security Officers who attended and called the police, who also attended at the scene and are investigating the matter.

Married

I was recently married to a beautiful, wonderful woman. It was wonderful to have both families in DC for the event. The food was great, the wine was flowing, the music was going... what more could you want.

We ended up in Paris for a week after the wedding. Afterwards, however, I had to go back to Dominica and she stayed in the states to work. That is the life I picked, but it is temporary.

Coconut Retrievers

Ross University has wonderful stray dogs that are beloved by the campus community (with the exception of a few dog haters). The dogs are mostly coconut retrievers that are about 40 lbs, brown, short hair and very calm. Here are a few of my favorite.

Not a coconut retriever but they let him hang out anyway. Notice the collar. The students will place a collar on a stray just to let people know someone is feeding them occasionally and looking after them.

This picture was taken by a fellow student but I am not sure who. Notice the babies and the dinner mom has in her mouth.

Portsmouth Beach Hotel (PBH)

I think Dominica would be a fabulous island to vacation. But when your a med student, I think much of the beauty is taken for granted or just missed. With our heads in the books all day, it is easy to get a disdain for the place.

 

This is my place, Portsmouth Beach Hotel (PBH).
http://www.portsmouthbeachhotel.dm/


The view from my window. Down the sidewalk on the left is a beach bar. The room is small, but works for me.



We get an awesome desk, microwave, frig. My building



The PBH beach bar

I think this is the best bar in Dominica.














Looking down toward the town of Portsmouth















The PBH pier

Criminals target Ross University

Students and faculty at Ross University have been placed on high alert following two violent incidents of crime targeting the institution.

A security alert was sent to students and faculty of the school outlining the two incidents and the necessary precautions to be taken.

According to the security alert, which was obtained by Dominica News Online, the home of a faculty member was invaded by a burglar who forced him to lie on the floor. The burglar made good his escape with a lap top, iPads, a cell phone and cash.

The suspect that was involved in the faculty assault was brought before the court and sentenced to 2 years Hard Labor for wounding and three years for the theft that occurred around the same time. The sentences are to run consecutive, which means that he will be in prison for 5 years. The suspect had pleaded guilty to both offences.

The second incident occurred when a female student was sexually assaulted by a lone assailant while walking on the Lizard Trail.

The incidents occurred in the week leading up to Carnival.

http://dominicanewsonline.com/news/homepage/news/crime-court-law/criminals-target-ross-university/

Sorrel Drink, A local favorite

Today I am making sorrel drink. It is a local favorite in Dominica made from the septal of the roselle plant also called Hibiscus. The recipe is very simple. First you buy some of the sorrel flowers from a lady on the side of the road. If you can pick up some ginger also.

The following ingredients will make 2 litters of sorrel drink.

• 1lb Sorrel Sepals
• 1″ of Ginger
• 5 tbsp Sugar
• 2 liters of water

Instructions:
(1) Add grated ginger to sorrel sepals then pour 2 litters of water into the pot and bring to rapid boil. While boiling, add your optionals ingredients to the mixture to personalize your sorrel drink if desired.

(2) Allow your sorrel to boil for at lease 15mins, then remove from heat and cover to lock in the flavor.

(3) Allow the sorrel mixture to cool off then use a fine strainer to separate the sorrel juice from the sorrel sepals.

(4) At this point stir the sugar into the strained sorrel juice.

Of course every thing taste better with a little Bacardi rum!

The sorrel juice is know to be high in vitamin C. Locals claim to use it as an antiseptic, prevents diarrhea and scurvy (of course!). But don't take excessive doses because some side effects include:
(1) gastroenteritis, (2) jaw tightness, (3) skin rash, (4) brain damage, (5) kidney damage, (6) heart damage, (7) liver damage

The literature is not in agreement about the toxicity because what makes it toxic is oxalic acid which give the leaves and flowers a sour taste. Oxalic acid, however, is also present in more commonly consumed foods such as spinach, broccoli, brussel sprouts, grapefruit, chives, and rhubarb, among many others.

Anyway, caution to the wind! Bottoms up.

White Coat

Today we recieved our smart coats. The idea is that we will start seeing patients this semester and the coat impresses upon us the responsiblity of professionalism and ethics.

Although it was fun, I am not sure what all the parties are all about because we have not done anything yet. It was only the first week of class. I will reserve the partying for after the first exam I think.

Friends at De Champs

I have found my bar of choice on Dominica. It is called De Champs and it has the best view of the island. Here are some pics of my friends and I hanging out for a $1 per taco special.

Notice the old school sail boat cruise ship. This part of the island is actually 2 old volcanoes. In between the old volcanoes, in the valley, is Fort Shirley which housed the British garrison in the 1800s.

My Place in Dominica

My apartment in Dominica. It may look nice and similar to a US apartment but it is not. This is not a paradise vacation apartment, trust me. The place is called Silverlining apartments on Moo Cow trail.
http://www.silverliningrental.com/

Notice that the kitchen cabinets are made of white board material so I use a dry erase marker and study while I cook. What you don't get from the picture is the moldy smell my kitchen has. But you get used to it, cough, cough...

My study area is also in the kitchen. The kitchen table is also a dry erase board.

Just a simple bed.

Dominica, I have arrived

My trip to Dominica took two days of travel. I first flew to Antigua to ring in the new year.

The flight to Antigua was really nice, but I began to wonder if the wing was going to fall off. Note the paint coming off the wing.

But once I got past the damaged wing thing, I noticed some amazing islands and reefs down below.

I stayed in The Admirals Inn (http://admiralsantigua.com) which is located in a port where million dollar yachts were ready to party. It is really a nice place that was build in the late 1700's. Because I am a cheap med student I paid the lowest rate possible so they put me in the attic. I guarantee the attic has not changed since the place was built. There was no AC and the ceilings were so low that you could only turn around in the room before you hit your head.

After a late night of taking in the yachts and New Years party, I woke up at 4am to fly to Dominica.  On approach you see that the island is mountainous and not unlike the opening to Jurassic Park. But it is so beautiful!

As we approached the airport the experience was probably not unlike a Vietnam airplane ride (without the gun fire). We flew close to the trees, weaving between mountains when suddenly the airport appeared. The plane takes a dive down the side of the mountain to safely land. I was not worried for a second.

The airport had heavy security....

(This is Fort Shirley on the island)

Ants War

Ever since I moved here to the Bahamas I have had a slight ant problem. The little guys just wander around looking for sweet foods to eat in all the rooms, even the bedroom. There are not that many of them, just the few wanderers. But tonight I have had enough. I can't leave anything out for more than a few hours before they attack it. Therefore, we are at war!!

I have laid out some Borax with sugar and it will be a blood bath over the next few weeks. If I have to eradicate the ant population on the island from my apartment I will! I guarantee my resolve is bigger than theirs. Bring it ants!

First Mini

In medical school, exams are called minis and the final is called the comp. We have our first mini in one week so everyone is studying like crazy. It is absolutely beautiful outside today and the beach is calling my name. No beach for me however! I have put 8 hours of studying in so far today and have another 6 hours still in me. I may take a 30 minute study break to swim in my pool, that would be ok right?

Evacuation From Freeport Bahamas

On Tuesday, Ross University decided to charter a jet a fly all the students and faculty off the island. It is estimated the the storm could become a Cat 4 when it hits Freeport and the island government is not sure whether the shelters can hold up against a Cat 4 hurricane. Therefore, we are all off the island and safe in the US.

We plan to return to Freeport on Sunday but that decision will be made after the storm passes the island. I still have lots to study. Even though class is cancelled we are still responsible for the material that would have been covered in lecture! Study, study...

Oh and I was correct, it turned right... who flinched first, Irene did!