Ever year about 2 million tons of medical supplies are thrown away because of the strict, though in most ways necessary, rules that had put in place about sanitation of medical supplies. And most of the supplies and equipment are unused and could save other peoples lives. Thousands of people die because the hospital or clinic do not have the adequate medical tools or supplies. In order to help this situation, MedShare was created.
MedShare is a nonprofit organization that wants to give people the supplies they need. Because the laws only apply to the United States, the materials can be shipped and used in other countries. So MedShare takes donations of various medical supplies from local hospitals and anyone who is willing to donate, then ship the supplies off to third world countries. Not only does this help thousands of people who die from infections that could have been prevented or because a simple, inexpensive tool breaks and the hospital can not afford anymore, but it also helps take out a lot of the waste in the dumps which helps the environment.
MedShare is an amazing organization that always needs help, like any other nonprofit. I often volunteer at the San Leandro location. It is a bit of a drive, but it is worth it. When I started volunteering there, I did not know that I would love it so much. Though it was not that long ago, I love thinking back to my first day there.
The current volunteer coordinator was stepping down that day for the new one, Gabby Brandt. MedShare requires that the first time you volunteer to go through an orientation of the place. So first we watched this video about a nursery in a hospital in Africa (I believe in Zimbabwe, but I will have to double check on it), and it said that none of the money from donations is going to the fight against HIV and AIDS. Even though they are good contributions, a lot of people are dying from other diseases. The video showed babies that were born with a breathing defect where they had to get air from a tank in order to live. There were 8 hooked up to a makeshift machine that distributed oxygen to all of then, and they had to share. On top of that there was only one nurse taking care of about 27 babies, and she was responsible for every single one of them. When another baby was born, it had the same problem and needed oxygen immediately or it would die. The doctor that delivered it tried to give it some, but the valve to the oxygen tank broke. Then he took the baby over to the nursery to see if he could use the oxygen tank there. But another baby could not be added to the oxygen system. It's lungs failed, and the baby died not long afterward. And the sad part is that a $25 valve would have saved the baby's life.
After the video, we were taken around the warehouse. We stopped at a display of something that is like a clinic in many countries. It showed a run down place where the wood was almost rotting and a sting with plastic gloves on it. Gabby said that because of the limited number of gloves in clinics, the doctors have to wash the gloves and reuse them for another surgery. She said that they would use anything to try to help someone and use all the resources that that had; they even would reuse gauze and bandages. The small hut made me so sad that we have such large hospitals with thousands of supplies, and they have to ration supplies and reuse them just to save someone's life.
We were taken though the aisles that contained thousands of boxes and equipment. It was fascinating seeing everything. There was old and new equipment, some that had seen better days, but still look reliable. All the box sizes were amazing. I just remember being towered by everything, even more so than what I feel in Costco because at least there are a lot of people. In the area where I actually do the community service, Gabby went over all of the different barrels of supplies and went over our project. The service work that we do there is go through donations and categorize or box them. This time we were doing the first sort where dates do not matter unless you are shipping something, then the expiration date is required because if the item is expired it can not leave the country and gets stuck in customs. There is first sort, then second sort, and then third sort.
First sort is the easiest, but it can be difficult to know where things go because all the medical jargon is sometimes difficult to decipher. Second sort is when we have to go through first sort and divide the items up into different subcategories of the item. In this part dates matter, and anything that is expired is put aside. Sometimes expired items are still useable, and the expiration just tells you that the it is no longer sterile after that date. Another thing that has to be checked is that MedShare only ships items that expire a year from that date because they might sit in the warehouse for a while. So they get put in Short Dated and they would go into the warehouse's medical supplies for doctors that need supplies for other countries, like for Doctors Without Borders. It can be then taken out of the package and placed into non-sterile supplies. Then third sort is just boxing enough of the same supplies in to a box and making a label. Then the box will go into inventory and wait to be picked. For the most part, we do one of these for 3 hours.
So far, this is my favorite place to do community service. But because of the distances, it's difficult to volunteer there. We go about once a month if we can, though I would like to go maybe twice a month if I can. We became regulars a while ago and got plastic name tags instead of the temporary ones. And we just got to 30 hours not too long about, which means we have been doing this for over 10 months which I am proud of. even though that is not very many hours. Even though I have to wake up early on Saturdays and drive for 40 minutes, it is worth it to feel like I have made a difference. The community service that I have done there has actually made decide to go into biomedical engineering because I want to help people and maybe be a part in creating something that is inexpensive, reusable, and accessible for third world countries. So far, that is my goal, and if that means four more years of school, that is perfectly fine with me.
Friday, December 14, 2012
Sunday, November 11, 2012
The Art of the Comic Strip
Comic strips have been a very old tradition in newspapers that everyone seems to enjoy. My mom and dad both have stories about how they always use to love reading them every Sunday morning while they ate breakfast. My dad always says that he had to wake up very early and fight for them because his sisters would always want to read them too. Even now I love comic strips a lot. Though there are so many things about them that I like, their simplistic style and unique, but most of the time quite frankly odd, characters, I love the funny situations and humor in comic strips (as I'm sure most people do). Because I have a little project that I'm hopefully going to start (my very own comic strip), I think it would be beneficial to analyze what makes a comic strip tick and try to apply it to my own little project. (Now let me note that everything following this for the most part is going to be my interpretations of looking at comic strips and reading some of their history. This is not fact, however art is never really based on fact anyway.)
Characters. Much like graphic novels, comic strips have to have distinguishable characters to start. These characters must be recognizable in both speech and appearance. Nothing's worse then all the characters looking the same and speaking the same way. I have unfortunately tried to read comics like that, granted they were done in black and white, and I ended up twisting the story around and turning the bad guy into the good guy and the good guy into the bad guy. I became so confused that the plot didn't make any sense, and I ended up giving up on the book. I later realized my mistake when I read a summary of the book and when I looked at some colored pictures of the characters. But still that really shouldn't happen in a short comic strip especially if they are only updated once a week because it takes the reader a longer amount of time to adjust and learn the characters.
Story. Like virtually anything, there has to be a somewhat appealing story, not necessarily very active, where the characters can be put in many different situations, and yet still keep a very general plot.Garfield is a good example because the story line is basically his "journey" through life and his "obstacles" whether they are that it's too hot outside or about Odie or one of the other characters. Garfield's plot line (if you can really call it that) allows Jim Davis to create so many situations with just a few characters and a simple premise that he can virtually go on forever writing the comic. However, some comic strips don't have much of a continuous story like those often found in the Sunday paper. Instead they are a panel or two, sometimes more, about a funny or weird situation. The Far Side by Gary Larson does that where there is not a distinct story (or at least from the many, many comics that I have seen), but he illustrates lots of different situations that might come to people's heads (or even just his own head) and just comes up with a funny way of drawing it without much background to the story because of it's simplicity. Basically, there needs to be a simple story that anyone who has never seen or heard of it can pick it up and understand what is happening in that particular comic strip.
Cartoon Style. All comic strip artists must have a distinct style that will separate them from the rest of the comics out there. The style is often very exaggerated and nothing close to realism. There may be realistic elements in the comic strips, but it is made kind of like the characters where if you see it you know it. The styles have a very big range in how close to and far from realism that they want, and what I see is that the story and characters often decide whether to make it more realistic or not. For example, Hobbes, the tiger from Calvin and Hobbes by Bill Watterson, is a lot more realistic than Snoopy in the Peanuts by Charles Schultz which I believe that it might be because Watterson would want to make it stuffed animal Hobbes easily distinguishable between real life Hobbes. Whereas Snoopy is a real dog and there is not question about it. Of course the style of the comic strip does depend entirely on the artist and their abilities and style in which they draw other things. But style does matter and it is the visual attraction that comic strips have.
I know that these things are not the only things that make up a comic strip, but those are what I consider the main things just because of how general they are and every comic strip has them. They are kind of like the core of every comic strip, even most (if not all) comics. Once again this is all my opinion, and I could go on and on about this, but I am not. So for all those that would like to become a comic strip artist or anything close to it. These are the things that need to be in it, and don't stop reading comics. But who am I to tell you? I haven't even done one yet. Let your creativity run rampant and hope that something good comes out (that's what I always do)!
Characters. Much like graphic novels, comic strips have to have distinguishable characters to start. These characters must be recognizable in both speech and appearance. Nothing's worse then all the characters looking the same and speaking the same way. I have unfortunately tried to read comics like that, granted they were done in black and white, and I ended up twisting the story around and turning the bad guy into the good guy and the good guy into the bad guy. I became so confused that the plot didn't make any sense, and I ended up giving up on the book. I later realized my mistake when I read a summary of the book and when I looked at some colored pictures of the characters. But still that really shouldn't happen in a short comic strip especially if they are only updated once a week because it takes the reader a longer amount of time to adjust and learn the characters.
Story. Like virtually anything, there has to be a somewhat appealing story, not necessarily very active, where the characters can be put in many different situations, and yet still keep a very general plot.Garfield is a good example because the story line is basically his "journey" through life and his "obstacles" whether they are that it's too hot outside or about Odie or one of the other characters. Garfield's plot line (if you can really call it that) allows Jim Davis to create so many situations with just a few characters and a simple premise that he can virtually go on forever writing the comic. However, some comic strips don't have much of a continuous story like those often found in the Sunday paper. Instead they are a panel or two, sometimes more, about a funny or weird situation. The Far Side by Gary Larson does that where there is not a distinct story (or at least from the many, many comics that I have seen), but he illustrates lots of different situations that might come to people's heads (or even just his own head) and just comes up with a funny way of drawing it without much background to the story because of it's simplicity. Basically, there needs to be a simple story that anyone who has never seen or heard of it can pick it up and understand what is happening in that particular comic strip.
Cartoon Style. All comic strip artists must have a distinct style that will separate them from the rest of the comics out there. The style is often very exaggerated and nothing close to realism. There may be realistic elements in the comic strips, but it is made kind of like the characters where if you see it you know it. The styles have a very big range in how close to and far from realism that they want, and what I see is that the story and characters often decide whether to make it more realistic or not. For example, Hobbes, the tiger from Calvin and Hobbes by Bill Watterson, is a lot more realistic than Snoopy in the Peanuts by Charles Schultz which I believe that it might be because Watterson would want to make it stuffed animal Hobbes easily distinguishable between real life Hobbes. Whereas Snoopy is a real dog and there is not question about it. Of course the style of the comic strip does depend entirely on the artist and their abilities and style in which they draw other things. But style does matter and it is the visual attraction that comic strips have.
I know that these things are not the only things that make up a comic strip, but those are what I consider the main things just because of how general they are and every comic strip has them. They are kind of like the core of every comic strip, even most (if not all) comics. Once again this is all my opinion, and I could go on and on about this, but I am not. So for all those that would like to become a comic strip artist or anything close to it. These are the things that need to be in it, and don't stop reading comics. But who am I to tell you? I haven't even done one yet. Let your creativity run rampant and hope that something good comes out (that's what I always do)!
Tuesday, October 9, 2012
Guess What Saved Whiskey?
A biomedical engineered jaw! Here's the actual article:
http://www.news10.net/rss/article/207196/2/Bionic-jaw-gives-cancer-plagued-dog-new-hope
But for those that don't want to read this insanely short article, it's about a dog named Whiskey (hence the title) that had cancer in his jaw. Instead of just taking the part of the jaw out and leaving poor Whiskey unable to chew on things, UC Davis' Biomedical Engineering department made a titanium plate with some scaffolding with proteins that will stimulate bone growth on it. They were able to save Whiskey's life and allow him to live the time they bought him the way ever dog should!
I thought this article was fascinating, not just because of the biomedical engineering part. My mom came across it and told me that I just had to read it. I immediately thought "This would be good for my blog!" I think I mentioned in my other post that I have touched upon becoming a zoologist, so this also applies to that. I love learning about animals, courtesy of my dad. And then on top of that I love dogs! So this article is almost perfect for me.
But from this article, I have started reconsidering applying to UC Davis because maybe I'll get to be involved in both animals and biomedical engineering.
And a little art update for anyone that may be interested! I am probably going to start a little comic strip, and if I do I will post them for all of the lovely readers out there! Life is busy, and I don't draw as much as I want, but I will try to draw something worth posting!
Next time I think I'll write about my community service or how I do my art (more as to show anyone out there that may want a career in art how I do it) which unfortunately is a long process that is rather annoying and time consuming. Until next time!
http://www.news10.net/rss/article/207196/2/Bionic-jaw-gives-cancer-plagued-dog-new-hope
But for those that don't want to read this insanely short article, it's about a dog named Whiskey (hence the title) that had cancer in his jaw. Instead of just taking the part of the jaw out and leaving poor Whiskey unable to chew on things, UC Davis' Biomedical Engineering department made a titanium plate with some scaffolding with proteins that will stimulate bone growth on it. They were able to save Whiskey's life and allow him to live the time they bought him the way ever dog should!
I thought this article was fascinating, not just because of the biomedical engineering part. My mom came across it and told me that I just had to read it. I immediately thought "This would be good for my blog!" I think I mentioned in my other post that I have touched upon becoming a zoologist, so this also applies to that. I love learning about animals, courtesy of my dad. And then on top of that I love dogs! So this article is almost perfect for me.
But from this article, I have started reconsidering applying to UC Davis because maybe I'll get to be involved in both animals and biomedical engineering.
And a little art update for anyone that may be interested! I am probably going to start a little comic strip, and if I do I will post them for all of the lovely readers out there! Life is busy, and I don't draw as much as I want, but I will try to draw something worth posting!
Next time I think I'll write about my community service or how I do my art (more as to show anyone out there that may want a career in art how I do it) which unfortunately is a long process that is rather annoying and time consuming. Until next time!
Friday, September 14, 2012
Painting an Unclear Future
I've always had an idea about what I've wanted to do, but of course like every big decision that you're faced with, opinions can change in a second. I've gone through so many weird fazes throughout the years, but I would have never expected to want to go into biomedical engineering, hopefully my last decision. Most of the saner decisions included veterinarian, doctor, architect, and lawyer. Not that often has becoming an artist crossed my mind, or at least not as many times as I would expect. I have been drawing for such a long time, and by now I know that I can draw fairly well (or at least that's what I believe). Suddenly, when I think of something that I want to do, art immediately crosses my mind even though I haven't really considered it before. In this blog, I'm going to be talking about art and biomedical engineering (both of which I am passionate about), and how I hope to find a way to integrate both into my future without having to eclipse the other.
The reason why I wanted to go into biomedical engineering is because of the organization where I volunteer at, Medshare. They are a nonprofit based out of San Leandro (kind of far to drive just to volunteer). They send unused medical supplies to third world countries. I love volunteering there, even though all you do is go through different boxes and medical supplies for three hours in a ginormous warehouse. What probably really got me was this video that they showed when I first volunteered there. It was talking about a hospital in Africa (I believe it was Uganda) specifically the nursery ward. It talked about how funding was only going to fighting HIV and AIDS not to any other department that needed help, and then it showed seven babies sharing an oxygen tank through makeshift tubing. It was so sad, and it really affected me. So I thought that I would go into the medical field, but I do not really want to be a doctor. And while I was talking to my cousin, he mentioned biomedical engineering, and I thought I would look into it. And I researched it later on, and I though that I would really like it. So that's how I got to today.
Now onto art, I love it. There is not anything I really hate about it. I've started to experiment a little more than I use to, and even though I'm not that good that many other mediums, it's so much fun! It has been my hobby for who knows how long. I mainly draw and use Photoshop CS5, but I love water coloring and other mixed media. Bottom line is that it makes me happy. Though I had never really thought about it as a career option, I kind of felt as though going into art would waste all the years I went to school. You don't really need a degree to be an artist. It helps, but you really just need the talent (which honestly some really famous painters don't always seem to have, in my opinion). My photography teacher (the first real art class that I have taken so far and it's not even the type of art that I normally do) told me that I could make a lot of money illustrating children's books, which I thought was kind of funny. Maybe I can get a reasonable career in art, but I can't know if it's a mistake without making it.
So my dilemma remains... Both choices are things that I am passionate about, but the question that I feel like I'm more faced with is: do I want a safer, more secure job or do I want an unpredictable job that I know I would really love?
The reason why I wanted to go into biomedical engineering is because of the organization where I volunteer at, Medshare. They are a nonprofit based out of San Leandro (kind of far to drive just to volunteer). They send unused medical supplies to third world countries. I love volunteering there, even though all you do is go through different boxes and medical supplies for three hours in a ginormous warehouse. What probably really got me was this video that they showed when I first volunteered there. It was talking about a hospital in Africa (I believe it was Uganda) specifically the nursery ward. It talked about how funding was only going to fighting HIV and AIDS not to any other department that needed help, and then it showed seven babies sharing an oxygen tank through makeshift tubing. It was so sad, and it really affected me. So I thought that I would go into the medical field, but I do not really want to be a doctor. And while I was talking to my cousin, he mentioned biomedical engineering, and I thought I would look into it. And I researched it later on, and I though that I would really like it. So that's how I got to today.
Now onto art, I love it. There is not anything I really hate about it. I've started to experiment a little more than I use to, and even though I'm not that good that many other mediums, it's so much fun! It has been my hobby for who knows how long. I mainly draw and use Photoshop CS5, but I love water coloring and other mixed media. Bottom line is that it makes me happy. Though I had never really thought about it as a career option, I kind of felt as though going into art would waste all the years I went to school. You don't really need a degree to be an artist. It helps, but you really just need the talent (which honestly some really famous painters don't always seem to have, in my opinion). My photography teacher (the first real art class that I have taken so far and it's not even the type of art that I normally do) told me that I could make a lot of money illustrating children's books, which I thought was kind of funny. Maybe I can get a reasonable career in art, but I can't know if it's a mistake without making it.
So my dilemma remains... Both choices are things that I am passionate about, but the question that I feel like I'm more faced with is: do I want a safer, more secure job or do I want an unpredictable job that I know I would really love?
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)