This is the official unveiling of the mini-blog! Think of it as the little, extra "travel" toothpaste that retailers sometimes wrap in with the big tube in order to make us feel like we got a good deal. Basically it's where I'll be posting smaller ideas that sometimes pop up but have not been developed into a longer blog post.

It's a bit of an experiment so it may or may not stick depending on how popular it is. So let me know what you think!

My life is mundane.  As a young person with adequate health and dental insurance, secure finances and housing, and a time-consuming job, sometimes I feel the urge to spice things up a bit.  I need more risk in my life. This is why I've decided that tomorrow, even though I am not Muslim, I will wear a hijab. In addition to making myself a target for ignorant fear, it will also, according to FIFA, put me at such a high risk of choking that even the mere thought of playing football may cause my oxygen saturation to drop.

My heart is pounding already.

If you haven't heard already, The Iranian women's soccer team was disqualified from a Olympics prequalifying match because they arrived sporting unapproved hijabs.  According to FIFA, this was done for the safety and respect of all players. They say hijabs pose a choking risk to the Iranian players. Furthermore, they are protecting everyone's right to an apolitical, areligious football experience.

It turns out FIFA is not only corrupt, but also bigoted and illogical.

This blog and article are awesome.

An evidence-based approach to discussing terminal illness with patients and families that believe in miracles? Incredible. Check it out: Approaching Patients and Family Members Who Hope for a Miracle.

Turns out doctors and the rest of society have grossly different viewpoints on whether or not medical miracles exist (20.2% vs. 61.3%) but also how important a doctor's opinion of prognosis is. Only "2% of surrogate [decision makers base] their view of their loved one's prognosis solely on the physcians prognostic estimate." And this whole time we just thought it was that we didn't explain it right.

A short article that I thought was interesting and continues to explore the importance of work being more than just well-intentioned.
True Confessions: How I Became a Poverty Pimp