Costuming VS Getting Your Life Together

Photo by Future Photography by M3

As of late I have observed numerous individuals that are so passionate and focused on costuming that they unknowingly disregard the responsibilities of their personal life. I want to point out that there is certainly nothing wrong with being devoted to cosplay. Costuming is healthy. It is creative and takes hard work. To many, it is a form of self expression. To others, it can be therapeutic. Its fun and delightful to research a costume and put it all together. Sewing, painting, molding worbla, everything involved in creating a costume is bad ass. However if the craft has taken over your life to the point where you can hardly put food on the table, your living situation is not where it should be or majority of your paycheck is going to costume building yet you are creating Kickstarters for "life expenses", something is very, very wrong. Its time dear friends, to make a choice between costuming and getting your life together.



Ill be the first to admit that it completely and utterly sucks when you want to put a costume together but you just dont have the funds to do so. You feel stuck; like you have reached a dead end. The only thing you can do is make a U-Turn and try to find another way. That is not only an important lesson in costuming but in life. You have to make choices and sometimes those choices mean sacrifice and compromise. You need to change your perspective. What is more important? Spending hundreds of dollars buying supplies for your next costume or paying off your past due cell phone bill?  It boggles my mind when I come across someone on social media who is posting daily updates on all the supplies they purchased for their new costume and yet that same person will create a Kickstarter to pay their rent. If you didnt fork over your hard earned cash for supplies, you would have that money to pay your landlord or roomates. Is it really worth risking getting evicted just to make a costume? Is it worth loosing your home? And furthermore you are attending the next big convention out of state, thousands of miles from where you live. Pay your bills, my friend. Granted it stinks when you cant attend a show you have your heart set on but it will still be there next year and you can always live vicariously through your friends posting on social media. In many situations, it would be better for you financially to stay home. You will  be saving money on travel, hotel, food, costume building and shopping. You can pay your bills on time and may even have some money left over.

Ive observed many people who are stuck in a rut. They are accomplishing great things in costuming but their personal life is a mess.  They dont realize if they skipped a con or two or perhaps made a little less costumes this year, they would have more money in their pockets. Maybe you can finally upgrade your busted phone. Perhaps you can finally get those repairs your car so desperately needs. And maybe, just maybe, you can change your living situation and be independent.

Stop taking costuming so seriously. Redirect your focus from time to time. Do this only when you are financially able to. Stop sacrificing improving your life to attend a convention. Pick and choose because sooner or later, 10 years from now you ll be looking around wondering what the hell happened. You will not have made any progress and I dont want to see that happen to anyone and it pains me to witness it currently.  You can do better. You can progress in the real world and grow. I believe in you :)

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Make Money With Adfly And Ptc Sites

Make Money With Adfly And Ptc Sites

Hello , today i am going to tell you this AMAZING way of making TONS of money with your PTC and also with adfly , you will generate ALOT of referrals and i am NOT kidding with you... Now you probably thinking okay what is this right now.....Well can i just explain first? ;) 

Okay , so first you need to register HERE that is a NEW ptc that you will be getting okay please before we start you should create a new folder on your browser and save all this websites that i am about to share with you because this is going to work like CRAZY!!!! i am NOT kidding!!

If you think i am kidding, why dont we see my referrals? ....... 

This changes every single day and i want to show you how to do this for FREE!!! now you know i am always giving free method and stuff like that so do not worry this is ALL FREE! now im pretty sure you will probably love me after this LOL :) 

So after you signed up HERE remember that is the PTC site , you then have to do some stuff... and i will show you exactly what to do...! (THIS WORKS!!!!!)

You will then have to go to your profile...and edit put your picture and now the trick comes...watch this..

Now before i tell you the magic trick i need to explain to you , you need to be professional about this and you need to put a picture of yourself or of something that describe yourself or your nickname...

Now how can you do that? You will get a picture of you and go to tinypic click HERE

IMPORTANT: please make sure you pick "Thumbnail" option where it says Resize. 

Now lets go to the MAGIC TRICK i know everybody is DYING to know what to do here...Well let me just start here

You know everybody that is on this ptc site they all looking for ways to make money and this ptc site has something that not ALOT of others ptc sites have....Now i will explain what it is..

They have an option for you to put your SIGNATURE and that is a WIN WIN for us who knows how to take advantage of stuff. Well now for you too because you are going to learn how to do this... 

You will put there a picture and inside that picture you will put a website that is showing people on how they can make TONS of money and i will explain EXACTLY what i mean right now.

But before you probably asking yourself but why there? Well because that is a signature and wherever you go on their forum and comment on every single post people from all over the world will see your picture and they will CLICK on it...And guess what they are going to find? An adfly link and also YOUR FREE website explaining on how they can earn MORE with adfly and some tricks that you have...

Now dont worry you can easily take some tricks here and take screenshot of your earnings and proof of money but (DO NOT) i repeat DO NOT take FAKE pictures of other peoples earning DO NOT do that that is just NOT cool. 

Now lets explain for a sec. 

1. You need to signup and create a free website HERE and you will create a splashpage that is SO SO simple that anybody could do it even my grandma HAHA on that page you will show them your proof of payments , proof of referrals and put some words for them.. Be creative ill give you an example here

Be creative start doing your website the way you want it and put ALOT of proofs and make them click THAT link remember whatever link you will put there you need to short it on adfly first so you can earn money and also the link is a website to show them how to signup and how they can make money

You can easily redirect your website to my blog here and show them the tricks or if you going to take some of my personal tricks that i give here free you can do so but remember to always give me CREDIT and put my blog around even if its TINY words but put it somewhere i wouldnt mind if people take my work but give me credit. 

2. You are going to create a BANNER with something that will attract peoples attention, you can put a banner saying "Click Here To Get $200 With Referrals For PTC" i dont know you be creative and do it yourself. 

That banner goes where it says MAGIC TRICK HERE! so on THIS WEBSITE CLICK HERE that is where the banner goes, and remember that banner needs to have the link of the page that you created HERE  and also remember short it on adfly so you can earn money when they click on it okay? I hope you guys are understanding if not just go back and read everything again. 

Now the question is WHERE can i create a banner? DO NOT WORRY it is easy and FREE :) you know that is my favorite word....

CLICK HERE to create your free banner , please make it reaaaaaal simple and also to attract people...You guys want to see my banner? Let me show ya......

Just click on it you will see what i mean... that is AN UGLY banner but i know it will get TONS of clicks trust me lol i know it is ugly you guys can do way better for free just click HERE and start making your free banner.

GodBless.

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A high school student has questions about a medical career and pathology vs surgery

A female high school student asks about pathology, surgery, and medicine in general. [Email edited for length.] See if you agree with my answers.

The field I am most interested in is pathology. I have a very logical mind and would enjoy being able to solve the complex puzzle of disease. I would also like the somewhat flexible hours compared to other more intensive specialties. However, I do have some qualms.

Im also interested in general surgery. I would love to learn how to perform all the different types of surgeries that surgeons perform. If I were to be a pathologist, would it be "knife-free"? Pathology really intrigues me, but participating in the occasional surgery sounds like it would be extremely interesting and full of learning opportunities.

There is some knife wielding in pathology. Specimens must be properly cut, and there is the occasional autopsy. However, its definitely not surgery.

What does a pathologist really do? Ive looked at various descriptions online, and none of them seem to be very specific. What would a typical day look like for a pathology resident? I was also wondering what types of skills pathologists are taught?

Pathologists spend most of their days looking at specimens, mostly microscopic slides. Here is what pathology residents at Johns Hopkins learn.

I know that medicine is constantly evolving. With new medical technology, certain fields will soon become obsolete. Do you think this will happen to pathology?

I suppose there will be some technical advances that might involve automated digital reading of pathology slides, but I believe there always will be a need for pathologists. A residency position in pathology is much easier to obtain than one in general surgery.

Since Im interested in both pathology and general surgery, I was wondering if there was a way I could do them both (in a combined program or something like that). I know this is highly unlikely.

It cant be done.

I am a very anxious person. Specifically, I have health anxiety. (Im all too aware of the irony). Do you think that the amount and intensity of the material covered during med school and residency could take a severe toll on a persons mental health?

I think every medical student at some point worries she might have a disease she just read about. Im not sure what to tell you because I am not a psychiatrist, but studying diseases for four years and having a health anxiety might be a problem.

I would also like to know whether being involved in medicine could dramatically alter a persons personality by magnifying their negative characteristics. I am very driven, hard-working, ambitious, logical, easily annoyed/frustrated, and sometimes easily distracted. Im quite anal-retentive and OCD. Some of my friends and family have described me as an emotional robot. How do you think these characteristics would be affected by a journey through medicine?

Many medical students and residents become less empathetic and more jaded as they go through medical school and residency. Except for being easily distracted, many of your traits are common in med students. Heres more about empathy and medical students.

Do you know how difficult it is for Canadian students to get into American med schools? Or do you know any medical schools abroad in English speaking countries (e.g. Scotland, England) that would be willing to admit international students? Also, would it be more difficult for a woman?

Its not easy. Here is a link to a website that has some data on Canadian applicants to US schools. I dont know much about UK schools. Ive written about Caribbean schools. Type "Caribbean" in the search field of my blog. Being a woman wont matter.

How would medicine affect interpersonal relationships? Im really close with my immediate family, and it would be difficult not being able to see them all the time, let alone during holidays or breaks. How can a person manage a serious relationship and medicine at the same time?

It can be done, but it takes some effort. I have written a few posts about so-called work-life balance.

Choosing a specialty is difficult
More about choosing a specialty
Anguish about choosing a specialty
Surgery and work/home conflict

I hope this helps. Good luck.

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Questions about antibiotics vs surgery for acute appendicitis

A study from Finland suggesting that antibiotics may be a viable alternative to surgery for acute appendicitis has created a stir. As you might have expected, I had some concerns about the paper which you can read in my blog post here.

On Twitter, many surgeons have commented on both the paper and my post. Several interesting questions come to mind.

Based on this and other similar studies, is the treatment of acute appendicitis with antibiotics now a mainstream alternative to surgery?

Should surgeons now mention the Finnish study results during their informed consent discussions with patients?

Is CT scanning accurate enough to differentiate a reasonable percentage of uncomplicated appendicitis from more complex cases? Previous papers have reported conflicting data on this topic. Will this lead to more CT scanning (if that is even possible)?

What do patients want? In an effort to avoid surgery, are they willing to take a 25-30% chance of a recurrence of appendicitis?

Will patients be able to understand the distinction between complicated and uncomplicated appendicitis?

We all agreed that ertapenem is not a first-choice antibiotic in the United States. In fact, the real questions may be is a three-day hospitalization for intravenous antibiotics really necessary, or as is the case with acute sigmoid diverticulitis, would a course of oral antibiotics as an outpatient be sufficient to deal with an attack of uncomplicated appendicitis?

How will it work if antibiotics and surgery are considered equivalent treatments? Although I am retired, I think I am qualified to say that I would not have enjoyed going to an emergency department at 10 o’clock at night to see a patient with acute appendicitis who after a discussion, chooses to be treated with antibiotics. Should these medically-treated patients be admitted to surgery or another service? Should the emergency physician have the discussion with the patient and only call the surgeon if the patient elects to have an operation?

Is it appropriate for an anonymous blogger to be questioning the methods and results of a paper published in a top-tier journal such as JAMA?

What do you think about all of these questions?

Many thanks to the following for their input. If I omitted someone, I apologize. @jdimick1, @NirajGusani, @TomVargheseJr, @ChrisFriese_RN, @LVSelbs, @NatalieBlencowe, @JBMatthews, @ehldallas, @zuckerbraun, @SarahB_MD, @docaggarwal, @aneelbhangu, @smootholdfart, @DRSoup34, @hswapnil, @qdtrinh, @TimLaheyMD, @jonessurgery, @RogueRad, @DrKathyHughes, @putrescine, @krchhabra, @Apathetic_Cynic, @SimonRBarron

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Recognition

The following is based on an actual case that occurred a long time ago in a galaxy far, far away.

A 65-year-old man arrived in the emergency department by ambulance after being found unresponsive. His respiratory rate was 40/minute, heart rate was 170/minute, and temperature was 102.2°. He did not respond to Narcan or an ampule of 50% dextrose. Blood sugar was 600 mg/dL. The diagnosis of diabetic ketoacidosis was made. IV fluids and an insulin drip were given. After some hydration he became more alert and complained of abdominal pain. On examination, his abdomen was tender to palpation. Four hours after arrival, a surgical consultant was called and diagnosed an incarcerated inguinal hernia. Before the patient could be taken to surgery, he suffered a cardiac arrest and could not be resuscitated. Review of the case revealed that although blood cultures were drawn and were eventually positive, antibiotics had not been ordered.

What happened? The possibility that this patient was septic never occurred to the doctors managing the case. I am sure that if a scenario like this appeared on a test, those doctors would have immediately chosen the right antibiotics. Some doctors are "book smart" but cant deal with a real live patient.

Although the doctors didnt do a very thorough abdominal exam at first, the real problem here was recognition.

I was reminded of this case by a recent article about a 2013 paper that appeared in a journal called Human Factors. The paper, "The Effectiveness Of Airline Pilot Training for Abnormal Events," pointed out that pilots doing their periodic training know that certain crises—stalls, low-level wind shear, engine failures on takeoff—are part of every simulator session and will occur in predictable ways.

The authors presented those situations in unexpected ways, measured pilots reactions, and found that experienced pilots responded less skillfully.

From the paper: Our control conditions demonstrate that pilots’ abilities to respond to the “schoolhouse” versions of each abnormal event were in fine fettle. The problems that arose when the abnormal events were presented outside of the familiar contexts used in training demonstrate a failure of these skills to generalize to other situations.

They suggested four ways to improve training and testing.

1) Change it up. In other words, dont practice things the same way every time.

2) Train for surprise.

3) Turn off the automation. Dont let the pilots depend on automated systems to help them recognize what is going on because if those systems fail, pilots will have trouble dealing with the situation.

4) Reevaluate the idea of teaching to the test which can "present the illusion that real learning has taken place when in fact it has not."

Item #3 is particularly relevant because of some recent interest in the negative effects that automation is having on pilots and possibly society in general. The 2009 crash of an Air France plane into the South Atlantic Ocean has been analyzed in several recent publications. (Here and here)

The cockpit voice recorder transcript is chilling. In a storm, the autopilot failed, and the plane stalled. Three pilots failed to recognize what happened and did all the wrong things.

I have been saying for years that we need to teach med students and residents how to think. Recognition of rare events would be a good area to focus on.

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Interview with Wolverine VS Predator star Jonathan Carroll

On Wednesday, August 7th, Bat in the Sun productions released their highly anticipated fan film, Wolverine VS Predator. I had a chance to talk to the films star, Jonathan Carroll who plays the role of Wolverine. Jonathan talked about filming the intense fight scenes, filming on location in California, how he landed the part and more!

Victoria: How did you land in role of Wolverine in Wolverine VS Predator?

Jonathan: I was actually offered the role of Wolverine by Aaron Schoenke, director of Bat in the Sun productions, and referred by a friend of mine. Theyd both seen my 90s production of the character and with the amazing cowl sculpt by Reevz FX. They contacted me asking if Id be interested. I honestly couldnt say yes fast enough!

Victoria: You are in fact a professional fitness trainer and in insane shape. Did you change your workout or diet to prep for the role?

Jonathan: Theres an old adage about spandex and cameras... Theyre both unforgiving. haha! When I received the shoot schedule, I almost immediately changed my training and diet, adding more endurance and stretching to my routine in order to be able to preform some of the stunts youll see, without getting hurt. The diet wasnt too bad, however. Im used to a harsher diet, so when I heard, "stay big, but get as ripped as possible" I knew that I had to eat really lean, but still consume enough calories to keep my muscles from shrinking.

Victoria: Your costume is better than anything Ive seen onscreen for Logan. Can you tell me about the construction of the costume?

Jonathan: The costume design was all produced by Bat in the Sun with a Reevz FX cowl and belt buckle. The lead tech for Bat in the Sun, Sean Schoenke is a genius when it comes to making a costume, repairing things that I managed to destroy during production (sorry Sean!!!). The costume was really comfortable, until I was at hour 14 in 45 degree water... then it offered very little to no help with heat. haha!

Victoria: How long did filming take?

Jonathan: Filming took roughly 5 days, squeezing every hour of sunlight out of the day that we could, because the cast and crew wanted to deliver the best we could.

Victoria: What location was the movie filmed at?

Jonathan: We filmed at three locations, in California. The first day was a 2 mile hike, in costume, to location. The next 2 days were spent in waist deep water that seemed to get colder as the day went on, and site 3 was part of a state park... that was on fire. Luckily though, Gene, who built the predator suit, was an experienced fire fighter. He told us when he started running, we should probably follow.

Victoria: How long does it generally take to film a battle sequence/ fight scene?

Jonathan: A fight sequence can take anywhere from a few hours, if the actors are spot on, which is extremely rare, to a few days to make the hits look more intense, tighter and faster, all while keeping the actors as safe as possible.

Victoria: Will you be wearing your Wolverine costume to any upcoming conventions or events?

Jonathan: The costume used in the shoot is still in California... for the time being.

Victoria: Will there be a squeal?

Jonathan: Itd be a lot of fun! I had a blast doing it. Im very open to the idea of reprising the role.

Victoria: What other acting and costume projects do you have in store?

Jonathan: Currently, Im trying to sink my claws into several different roles, that because of lawyers and such, I cant talk about too much. But if things pan out, theres going to be some big things in store for comic book fans.

Victoria: What are your thoughts on the recent film, The Wolverine?

Jonathan: It was a fun film, and I thought they did a great job of making it enjoyable to fans and people unfamiliar with the history of the characters.

Victoria: Where can people contact you and view a portfolio of your work?

Jonathan: You can keep track of me on my like page at
https://www.facebook.com/actorjonathancarroll

my fitness page

https://www.facebook.com/BuildingASuperhero

as well as my twitter @monkeyofsteel

Be sure to follow Bat in the Sun, too, on facebook, twitter and youtube for all the upcoming Super Power Beat Downs!

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Externships or observerships Can they help an IMG get a surgical residency slot

A woman writes [some non-essential details have been changed to preserve anonymity. Permission to post this was obtained.]:

I am a non-US citizen medical graduate from The University of The West Indies in Trinidad and am currently an intern in a Caribbean nation. Although UWI has produced great students, you may not be familiar with it.

I would like to become a surgical resident in the US. I have no US clinical experience, but my USMLE Step 1 score was >235.

What do you think about my doing a post-intern year externship (hands on clinical) as opposed to an observership (just observing) in the US? I know that an externship carries more weight as far as applications go, and the only reason I would want to do either of these would be to get recommendation letters from surgeons in the US.

However, since I have already graduated from medical school, getting into an externship will be more difficult because this will no longer be a medical school rotation. I believe that observerships will be easier to get into but are they worth it?

Do you know of any IMG-friendly programs that facilitate this? Do you think that this is a good idea? Do you feel that I will be able to get an externship?

Other than this idea for externship/observership, I am blank for ways to improve my chances of matching to a US program in surgery. Do you have any suggestions?

Thank you for writing and for reading my blog.

Your USMLE Step 1 score is excellent, but as you stated, the lack of any clinical experience in the US might be a problem.

Im afraid your plan to do externships may not work out. I do not know of any hospital in this country that supports externships for people who have already finished medical school. The issue is that once you graduate from medical school, you no longer have status as a student. There are medicolegal, educational, and funding considerations that I do not think can be overcome.

I am not sure about the availability or value of observerships. My opinion, which may not be shared by others, is that I see no value in observing. How could anyone write a meaningful letter for you if all you did was watch other people take care of patients?

I am also unable to tell you what a letter from a surgeon who works at a hospital nobody knows is worth.

I hope my readers will have some thoughts for you.

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Catwoman Gallery

The feline fatale has always been one of my favorite characters. Check out my rendition of the world famous cat burglar below! 

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Photography Credits: 

Green House Photography

Stephen Smith

Connie Leigh

SGH Photo Art

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Antibiotics vs surgery for appendicitis Its time for a randomized trial

Maybe youve heard that there is a growing debate about whether antibiotics are as good or better than surgery for treating appendicitis.

So far there have been several studies from Europe showing that antibiotics may be safely used to treat appendicitis in many cases. However, the studies have involved small numbers of patients and have exhibited some flaws in their methods. A few studies from the US have been published, but they were not randomized or prospective.

I have blogged about some of these studies on three occasions. If you would like to read these posts, click on their titles.

Antibiotics instead of surgery for appendicitis? Im still not convinced

Antibiotics instead of surgery for appendicitis? No way

Antibiotics instead of surgery for appendicitis? I don’t think so.

A group of surgeons in Washington State are putting together what will be the first randomized prospective trial of antibiotics vs. surgery for appendicitis in the United States. In order to obtain a grant from the Patient-Centered Outcomes Research Institute to help fund the project, the investigators must demonstrate that people in this country would be willing to participate in such a study.

To help determine the level of interest, they have written a brief explanation of why this study is being proposed. It parallels my thinking on the subject.

At the end of their post is a link to survey involving one question:

If you had appendicitis, would you be willing to join a study that would randomize you (a 50% chance, or flip of a coin) to “surgery ” or “antibiotics?”

You dont have to read the Washington researchers post to take the survey.

You may click here to answer that question. Thanks.

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The Surgeon Scorecard My analysis

Ive got nothing against ProPublica. If a valid way to rate surgeons is ever discovered, I would support it completely. However, ProPublicas Surgeon Scorecard is not the answer.

I keep hearing its defenders say, "Some data is better than no data at all." I disagree strongly with that. To me, bad data is worse than no data at all. People with much more statistical sophistication than I have pointed out the flaws in the scorecard.

Digression: Having written many posts about statistics, I can tell you that the mere mention of the word drives readers away about as fast as if you were to yell "Fire" in a crowded theater.

I want to focus on a different area. The scorecard has created a lot of chatter on Twitter, and just about everyone I know has blogged about it.

This reminds me of a couple of posts I wrote back in 2011. [Links here and here.] I pointed out that Twitter might not be as important as those of us who use it think it is.

While we were busy arguing about the merits of the scorecard on Twitter, Im not so sure what the general public was doing.

For example, ProPublica says the Surgeon Scorecard has had over 1 million visitors since its launch. That sounds like a lot until you consider that the current population of the United States is estimated at 321 million. So 1 million people would be 0.3%. We do not know how many of those 1 million were unique visitors. It could be that many of them were doctors looking for their own statistics and bloggers looking for ideas.

That the public may not care was reinforced by a rather tepid response to the ProPublica AMA (Ask Me Anything) on Reddit today.

By 1:00 PM EDT, which was two hours into the AMA, there were 80 comments, 31 of which were by ProPublica staff or the spine surgeon who had consulted on the scorecards methods.

Just to give you some perspective, an AMA last year by a guy with two penises drew 17,134 comments.

Because the demographic is skewed toward younger people, perhaps Reddit may not have been the right venue. Although Reddit boasts 169 million unique visitors per month, the most recent figures show that 33% of the Reddit users are mostly men between 18 and 49 years old. Those under 18 are not counted but represent "a substantial percentage of Reddit users."

My two favorite questions asked of ProPublica were "How can I tell if my doctor is capable of making an error?" and "Do you fix the leg which is broken completely?" [Did the question refer to a leg that was completely broken, or did it mean should the leg be completely fixed?]

What have we learned here? Its hard to say.

If you want to read a measured critique of the scorecard, go to Dr. John Mandrolas piece on Medscape.

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Adfly VS Shortest

Adfly VS Shortest

Hello again well we all know that Shorte.st And Adf.ly are the most famous 2 shortening websites. Now We have to be honest here okay... 

Adf.ly is considered as the KING the most VISITED url of the world. And also it offers higher payout rate , low cashout limit and it is a renowned and TRUSTED network

Now Shorte.st is very new and it offers a decent payout rates and also low cashout limit and alo it offer some innovative ad formats that you can use to monotize your own links. Cool huh? 

Now we all know know about adfly but let me just talk a lil about adfly and then shorte.st Okay? 

Adfly like i said it is very popular url shortening website. And in my honest review it is also better than shorte.st in alot of aspect BUT EXCEPT THE TOOLS! i have to be honest. It is not a big problem though but still have to be honest 

Adf.ly you can get tools that you can monotize your links except some innovative formats but shorte.st offers that. So tha is the only thing ! Now

The minimum cashout is $5 you want to start doing adfly please SIGNUP HERE

Shorte.st is a good url shortening website and compared to Adf.ly it is new and very popular now. . How i know about popularity of websites? I use Google PageRank , Shorte.st offers a decent payout rates for all countries. 

The minimum cashout is $5 so that is a good thing , you want to start doing shorte.st please SIGNUP HERE

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Patients vs doctors

A JAMA Viewpoint article suggests that doctors should be aware that patients may be surreptitiously recording their conversations. The author, a neurosurgeon, takes a very benign view of this issue and recommends that if a doctor suspects that patient is recording a conversation, "the physician can express assent, note constructive uses of such recordings, and educate the patient about the privacy rights of other patients so as to avoid any violations."

He also says this would show that the physician was open and strengthen the relationship between the doctor and the patient. Im not so sure.

Heres a different perspective. If a patient is secretly recording a conversation, the relationship between him and the doctor is already in serious trouble. What I would do is to tell that patient to find another doctor.

If a patient asked me if it was OK to record our conversation, I would agree, but I would also want to record it to preserve a complete copy.

This comes on the heels of another privacy and trust question—should doctors google their patients? There is no consensus on this, but having read several discussions on the topic, most writers feel that googling patients should only be done for certain narrow reasons which you can read here.

Most medical societies have not weighed in on the subject, but I would guess when guidelines are published, they will discourage the practice. But of course, patients may google physicians at will.

Taking it to another level, Dr. Jeremy Brown, Director of the Office of Emergency Care Research at the National Institutes of Health, recently proposed that emergency physicians should be equipped with body cameras to record audio and video of patient encounters.

Leaving aside such questions as who owns the videos, how to store the vast amount of data, and what impact this would have on the performance of the individual physicians, body cameras would establish an adversarial relationship that is unnecessary for the overwhelming majority of doctors and patients.

A physician interaction with a patient begins on terms quite different from those of a police officer interacting with a suspect in which the adversarial relationship is already established. The increasing number of controversial and highly publicized cases involving police and suspects has resulted in a need to protect both parties. This need seems much less pressing in medicine.

Where does this end? Should all patients be equipped with body cameras too in case the physician copy "gets lost"?

It is sad to realize how far we have sunk as a profession.

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Supergirl Pilot Leaked! A Review Some Spoilers

The highly anticipated live action Supergirl series will premiere November 2015. Today (May 22, 2015) the pilot was leaked online onto numerous Torrent Sites in HD quality. News of the leak spread like wildfire on the internet and many fans gave into their curiosity. The response? Overwhelmingly positive. The anticipation was killing me so I decided to watch it for myself. And I loved it.



Theres a lot of speculation if the leak was in fact piracy or a marketing ploy by CBS (who has not issued a statement regarding the video). Whatever the case, Im grateful for a glimpse into the series, 6 months before it debuts. First and foremost its a wonderful thing that a female superhero is headlining her own show. For decades the superhero market (movies and television) have been centered around men and the female themed ones turned into disasters (Catwoman and Elektra to name a few). Black Widow has essentially been blacklisted by Disney and was wiped from Age of Ultron merchandise. Young girls everywhere are craving for a female hero. I have a first hand look in seeing how excited little girls get at charity events when they spot me as Supergirl or Wonder Woman. I dont want to give too much away but the series starts out with Kara being sent to Earth to protect her cousin Kal-El right before the explosion of Krypton. We witness everything from her first encounter with Superman, her adoption, her job in National City, her relationship with her boss and coworkers to her rescuing a fiery airplane. Thus #Supergirl is born (complete with hashtag) and she faces her first adversary; a criminal from an alien prison.

The show has special effects worthy of the big screen. The script is solid and dives right into the mythology and action from the first frame. This is a great introduction into the series and as a life long fan of Supergirl I was very satisfied. The best thing about this show is that its family friendly without being corny. Supergirls integrity has remained intact. I was worried that in an effort to make her cool and trendy she would be given a darker, brooding makeover like so many other superheros throughout the years. Even Man of Steel was a darker incarnation of Superman and judging by the Dawn of Justice trailer, the next film will be even darker. This is not the case with Supergirl. Its exciting and brings hope, not depression. She is someone you are rooting for. I am unfamiliar with Melissa Benoist (who plays Kara Zor-El/Supergirl) previous work and was very curious on how she would do as this iconic character. I can say she was adorable and amazing. A perfect combination of the everyday girl learning to accept her inner hero. She gets two very big thumbs up from me as does the pilot.

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Comic Creators VS Cosplayers

"Todays heads up. If you’re a Cosplay personality, please don’t send me a friend request. If you’re a convention promoter and you’re building your show around cosplay events and mega multiple media guest don’t invite me. You bring nothing of value to the shows, and if you’re a promoter pushing cosplay as your main attraction you’re not helping the industry or comics market. Thank you." ~Pat Broderick, Artist (Batman: Year Three, Green Lantern, Swamp Thing).

This statement, which was posted on Pat Brodericks Facebook account in December 2014 created a firestorm of controversy within the cosplay community. His comments followed Denise Dormans Blog entry which she posted  in September of 2014:

 "I have slowly come to realize that in this selfie-obsessed, Instagram Era, COSPLAY is the new focus of these conventions – seeing and being seen, like some giant masquerade party. Conventions are no longer shows about commerce, product launches, and celebrating the people who created this genre in the first place. I’ve seen it first-hand – the uber-famous artist who traveled all of the way from Japan, sitting at Comic-Con, drawing as no one even paid attention to him, while the cosplayers held up floor traffic and fans surround the cosplayers – rather than the famed industry household name – to pose for selfies. The hard-working artists and creators who are the very foundation of this industry…the reason there even is an industry… those creatives who have busted their asses and spent money they perhaps didn’t have to spare in order to be there exhibiting for – and accessible to – the fans… have been reduced to being the background wallpaper against which the cosplayers pose in their selfies. At what point do you start to wonder if–other than your faithful, loyal regulars who are like family and who find you every time–the general fandom population even gives a shit about the creators more than they care about their Instagram profiles?" ~Denise Dorman, wife of comic book  and sci-fi illustrator Dave Dorman.


I wanted to address these statements when they were originally released in late 2014 however discussion on social media had exploded into online fighting, name calling and other immature drama that I simply walked away from the negativity and chose not to Blog about it until now. First  I would like to address Pat Brodericks statement. I completely agree with him that Comic-Cons these days focus on booking actors and cosplayers as featured guests rather that the people who created the industry itself: the creators. Comic book writers, illustrators and creators do in fact get pushed to the side or are not invited to shows at all in favor of actors and cosplayers. This is actually why I have attended less and less shows the last few years. Gone are the days where I can grab my comic and stand in line to get my book signed and hopefully have a discussion (and take a photo with the creator whose work I enjoy). Very few shows offer that experience. In todays world, comic cons offer separate tickets at an additional price for a quick meet and greet or photo with an actor. Aisles are filled with table after table feturing a cosplay guest and yet the person who created the character they are dressed as is no where to be found. Lets celebrate this Dawn cosplayer and all things related to Dawn without inviting or involving the actual creator himself. See the problem? Do you also see where the fault lies? The fault lies in the convention organizers. They are responsible for bookings and they are the ones who are booking actors and cosplayers over creators. It is not the cosplayers fault.

I sympathize with Denise Dormans statement.This is her husbands career. His art is what financially supports his family and puts food on the table. They arent making any money. Ill say that again: they arent making any money. She is understandably frustrated. She has a point that attendees arent spending any money at shows and would rather flock to take a selfie with a cosplayer. Why? Because its not only cool but its free. Ill say that again: its free. The price is right. The price of attending a convention has skyrocketed the last decade. Hotels raise the price for an overnight stay, food at the convention center (no matter how lousy) is ridiculously high, tickets to the actual show have been raised higher and higher. You must pay a separate fee to take a photo with an actor. Some shows such as Wizard, charge to attend a panel. Transportation, whether you are flying, driving or taking public transit can also cost a pretty penny. To be blunt, its freakin expensive going to a con and many people cannot afford to shop once they get there. Having a place to sleep is a priority. Eating is a priority. Transportation is a priority. Again, this fault lies at the convention organizers. They continue to raise the price on everything. It is not however the cosplayers fault. Artists arent making money because attendees cant afford to spend.



I agree to a certain extent on what Mr. Broderick and Mrs. Dorman are saying and I support them but they are blaming the wrong people. They should take these issues up with the convention organizers. Incidents such as cosplayers blocking aisles is also something that should be taken up with staff at the show. Its not a cosplayers fault that a mob of people are demanding photos and it can happen quite quickly and quite suddenly. Thats when a staff member should step in (nicely, I might add. No need to be rude) and redirect the cosplayers where they can grant photo requests without congestion. Yes, some of these conventions are very silly and should wipe the word "comic" from their name so take this opportunity to talk to them about it. You have that power. These shows should be respecting creators 110%. Without them we would have nothing.

Take the time Dear Creators whom I have the utmost respect for, to consider that there is room for the cosplay community at these shows as well. One or two cosplay guests are not a bad thing. Cosplay is an extension of your work done in a labor of love. We also help the show with costume contests and panels thus we are working. Dont get me wrong; having a "comic" show with 10 cosplay guests is ridiculous and uncalled for (and something a local show here recently had) however a couple of talented and artistic cosplayers who also serve as staff members is beneficial to programming and attendees who sometimes come out to see and speak with their favorite cosplayer. In closing, theres room for us all ;)

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