Cove Mountain Hike

Cold Springs Hike

Philadelphia

Philly for the day!

Harrisburg, PA

I took a trip out to Harrisburg with Jenny and Cody this afternoon. It's actually a pretty nice city. The Capitol building is very nice, although it was like a ghost down around there on the weekend!

Penn State White Coat Ceremony

Today was the white coat ceremony for the Penn State College of Medicine. We gathered at the Hershey Theatre (a very posh venue!) and received our white coats and recited the Hippocratic Oath (a pledge to serve the greater good that is taken by all incoming medical students at all schools). I have pasted the full text of the oath below the pictures.








The Oath of Modern Hippocrates

By all that I hold highest,
I promise my patients competence, integrity, candor,
personal commitment to their best interest,
compassion, and absolute discretion and confidentiality within the law.

I shall do by my patients as I would be done by;
shall obtain consultation whenever I or they desire,
shall include them to the extent they wish in all important decisions,
and shall minimize suffering whenever a cure cannot be obtained,
understanding that a dignified death is an important goal in everyone's life.

I shall try to establish a friendly relationship with my patients
and shall accept each one in a nonjudgmental manner,
appreciating the validity and worth of different value systems
and according to each person a full measure of human dignity.

I shall charge only for my professional services,
and shall not profit financially in any other way,
as a result of the advice and care I render my patients.

I shall provide advice and encouragement for my patients in their efforts to sustain their own health.
I shall work with my profession to improve the quality of medical care
and to improve the public health,
but I shall not let any lesser public or professional consideration
interfere with my primary commitment to provide the best and most appropriate care available
to each of my patients.

To the extent that I live by these precepts,
I shall be a worthy physician.

My New Apartment!

Well, I finally got moved in and all set up in my new apartment down here in Pennsylvania. Many, many thanks to my mom, who helped me get all this new furniture and get everything setup. It was an effort like I have never seen before. I really like the new place, and the location is great. It is less than a 15 minute walk from my door to the door of the hospital, so, it will make getting to class and such easy.

I am also enjoying having actual furniture, rather than stuff acquired second hand and that from the Salvation Army. My new TV - a congratulatory gift to myself (at least that's what I tell myself - is also great. It's a 40 inch Samsung LCD. God bless high definition - now I can watch the Science Channel in HD.

There are two bedroom, so, I have a place to study (and a place for visitors to sleep when you visit - you know who you are!).

Steveston

Steveston is a little fishing village in the southern part of Richmond. It has with quaint, village feel. It was a great place to spend the afternoon.

English Bay

English Bay is on the west side of downtown Vancouver. I took these pictures along the beach and sea wall that runs at the edge of downtown on English Bay. What a great evening!

Stanley Park

Stanley Park is this huge urban park in Vancouver. It is completely surrounded by the ocean, with an amazing sea wall to walk around. Several years ago there was a massive wind storm that destroyed many of the trees in the park - it was quite the sight to see (as I had not been there since the storm). However, the park still hasn't lost any of it's beauty.

Mile High Lodge

I went with my Dad on a great fishing trip to Mile High Lodge. A great area on the shore of a beautiful lake in the Southern Interior of British Columbia. The weather was great, and we even managed to catch some fish!

Victoria

I went with my mom to tour the Provincial capital of Victoria. The weather was great!

Ketchup Chips in a Box

In case anyone didn't believe me... Yes, ketchup-flavoured chips are very popular in Canada. More importantly, though, you can buy them in a box. Within this box are two plastic bags containing the chips. Don't ask me why, it's just the way it is.

White Rock, British Columbia

Toronto, Ontario

Toronto is the largest city in Canada and is the provincial capital of Ontario. It is located on the northwestern shore of Lake Ontario. With over 2.5 million residents in the city limits, and over 5.5 million in the metro area, Toronto it is the fifth-most populous city in North America.

African Lion Safari

Melinda and I met her parents and brother at "African Lion Safari", which is this amazing wildlife park/zoo/conservatory in Southwestern Ontario. You drive through the park and the animals are free to roam amongst you. Many of these animals I had never really seen so up close. Word of warning, though, beware of the monkeys! (You might be missing a sideview mirror by the end of the trip).

Canada Day

Canada Day ("Fête du Canada" in French) is Canada's national day, celebrating the anniversary of the July 1, 1867 enactment of the British North America Act of 1867. Similar in spirit to July 4th's Independence Day in the United States, Canada Day celebrates the day which united Canada as a single country of four provinces.

I got the chance to celebrate Canada Day in the nation's capital of Ottawa. It was a great time. The whole city was transformed into a essentially a big celebration. The beautiful buildings and streets of Ottawa were transformed into platforms for the hundreds of thousands of spectators and performers in the street.

Happy Birthday Canada!

Niagara Falls, Canada

Niagara Falls are massive waterfalls on the Niagara River, straddling the international border separating the Canadian province of Ontario and the U.S. state of New York.

Niagara Falls is composed of two major sections: Horseshoe Falls, on the Canadian side of the border and American Falls on the United States side. The smaller Bridal Veil Falls also is located on the American side, separated from the main falls by Luna Island. Niagara Falls were formed when glaciers receded at the end of the Wisconsin glaciation (the last ice age), and water from the newly-formed Great Lakes carved a path through the Niagara Escarpment en route to the Atlantic Ocean.

Six Flags

Six Flags is a massive chain of roller coaster theme parks in the United States. We headed down to the "Six Flags Over Georgia" in Atlanta. I've never been to a place like this with such extreme rides before, so, it was quite the experience. Of course, the extreme heat didn't help things much in the morning, but, after a hydrating lunch break we were back at it. They've got rides were you're sitting normally, where your legs dangle below, where you're standing up, and ones where you are lying down (like you're flying). All the white these rides will go upside down with loops and all the rest.

Summer BBQ

We had our Summer BBQ today. It was a great time at Ted's house. It was also a farewell party for my going away. I really appreciated everyone who came and the gifts! Thanks so much guys!


Leida, Stephanie, and Michael relax in the sun.


Ted and the girls fill water balloons... oh no, what could be coming?


Michael takes a break from grilling. Laura sits and wonders if Michael's lazing about is going to result in an overcooked veggie burger...


Somehow I was convinced to sit on the swing and be pummeled with water balloons by the children... I insisted on the poncho (a small victory!).



A great cake made by Hope. Thanks so much!


A pedometer! Great, now I can be obsessive compulsive about how many steps I've taken per day like everyone else in the lab!


If anyone is familiar with the random human feet that have been washing ashore near Vancouver, then this gag gift will either be very funny or very offensive.


A classic!


Now I have something to put on my bedside table! Thanks Jeff!

Yellow Branch Hike

Laura, Ramon, and I decided to head out for a bit of a hike. We first headed to the Stumphouse Tunnel Park (pictured below, when my mom was visiting). Although, this time we actually went all the way to the back of the tunnel - it was very cool! Later, we found the Yellow Branch trail and took a nice hike to this waterfall. It was spectacular to see! A great day all around.


Having forgotten to bring a flashlight, Ramon and I praise the iPhone, whose light guided our way through the pitch-black tunnel.




The quaintest street sign you'll probably ever see.



Laura unnecessarily attempts to scale this fallen tree.

The Bateman Lab: Summer 2008

The whole Bateman Crew.



From left to right: Shane, Jeff, Michael, Eric B., Ramon, Leida, Eric L., Stephanie, Hope, Ted, and Laura.

The New iPhone 3G

North Carolina Mountains

Biltmore Estate

Biltmore house is a French Renaissance-inspired chateau near Asheville, North Carolina, built by George Washington Vanderbilt II between 1888 and 1895. It is the largest privately owned home in the United States at 175,000 square feet. Still owned by Vanderbilt's descendants, it stands today as one of the most prominent remaining examples of the Gilded Age.

The estate today covers approximately 8,000 acres (32 km²) and is split in half by the French Broad River. It is owned by The Biltmore Company, which is controlled by Vanderbilt's grandson, William A.V. Cecil, II. In 1964, it was designated a National Historic Landmark. In an attempt to bolster the Depression-riven economy, Vanderbilt's only child, Cornelia Vanderbilt Cecil, and husband John Amherst Cecil opened Biltmore House to the public on March 15, 1930.

Vista Blues

Here is an extended version of the "Vista Blues". I'm sure you'll enjoy it.

Obama wins Democratic nomination

Barack Obama claimed the Democratic presidential nomination Tuesday night. By doing so, he shattered a barrier more than two hundred old to become the first black candidate ever nominated by a major political party for the nation’s highest office. It was only a generation ago that many parts of the United States were segregated by race under the law. Obama's nomination to lead the Democratic in the 2008 Presidential election is a testament to the progress that has been made in this country.


A crowd of 18,000 gathered at a stadium in St. Paul, Minnesota to hear Obama's victory speech. Another 15,000, who couldn't make it into the stadium, watched and listened from outside.


Michele Obama gives Barack a victory fist bump on stage, just before he makes his speech.


You can check out the full speech in the video clip above.

There Can Only Be One

Areva

I kept seeing this commercial on TV, so, I finally decided to find out exactly what is up with this "Areva" company is. Areva is a French public multinational industrial conglomerate that deals in energy, especially nuclear power. In this video you see the entire process of getting a nuclear power plant to work. It starts with mining of uranium fuel in Canada (by a huge margin the largest source of Uranium in the World). The process continues with the production of fuel rods for use in nuclear power plants, and the transmission of power to cities. Apparently, the real finish line though is a bunch of people dancing in China.

Anyway, the commercial looks kind of cool, and, who doesn't like Funky Town?

Jeff & Aaron's Wedding

Last night we celebrated the marriage of Jeff Willey and Aaron in Greenville. It was a great time. Congratulations to you both!


The first dance... damn you paparazzo!!


Eric Livingston gives a thumbs up... just because he's that cool.


Ted and Felecia are regaled with what is clearly a very interesting anecdote.


I inform Eric Bandstra that it is impossible to take a good picture of him. Here, he proves my point.


Oh no you did-n't!


The Bateman Crew (sans Ted Bateman).


I was smelling the flower, not coming in for a kiss!


Erica catches the bouquet. Eric catches the next bus out of town.


We all waved sparklers as Jeff and Aaron ran through what was clearly a huge fire hazard. Made for some great pictures though.


Someone had the grand idea of setting the whole vase of sparklers alight. It looked very impressive... until the vase exploded. No worries though, no one was injured... severely.

75,000 People at Massive Obama Rally

Over 75,000 gathered on the banks of the Willamette River in Portland, Oregon today to see Barack Obama. It is a record attendance not only for Obama, but for any primary candidate in history. In fact, boats crammed with people also pulled up alongside the river bank in order to hear him speak. Check out the pictures below to see just how massive this crowd was.

South Carolina Botanical Gardens

The South Carolina Botanical Garden (295 acres) is located in Clemson, South Carolina on the campus of Clemson University. This garden has many nature trails, ponds, and streams, woodlands. The gardens are the home of the historic Hanover House, which is an early 18th century house built in the South Carolina Low Country and moved to the Clemson campus. It also has a pioneer village featuring the Hunt Log Cabin, which was originally built about 1825 in the Seneca, South Carolina area.



Some bizarre Native house (I'm guessing).


My Mom: Queen of the Forest.



The wild goldfish here are huge!

Beautiful Greenville!

I love Greenville more and more every time I go there. It is a wonderful city. The downtown area in particular is very nice. It is a trendy mix of artists, shops, restaurants, and cafés. The architecture is very nice (consistent use of brick and white trim). The Reedy River flows through the city and makes for a nice park area. If I had to live in South Carolina this place, or Charleston, is where I'd want to be.


I'm not sure about the authenticity of the "GQ Fashions" in the background!




Greenville County courthouse.




It was getting pretty hot out...


I think this restaurant unfairly characterizes goats. I've known some fairly industrious goats in my day.

Charleston, South Carolina - Part 2

Charleston, South Carolina - Part 1

Charleston was founded as Charles Towne, Carolina in 1670, and moved to its present location on the west bank of the Ashley River in 1680; it adopted its present name in 1783. Charleston is known as "The Holy City" due to the prominence of churches on the low-rise cityscape, particularly the numerous steeples which dot the city's skyline, and for the fact that it was the only city in the original thirteen colonies to provide religious tolerance to certain French religious sects. The Charleston metropolitan area is estimated at 603,178, making it the second most populous city in South Carolina, closely behind the state capital Columbia.

Stumphouse Tunnel Park

A tunnel was first proposed in 1837 by residents of Charleston, South Carolina as a new and shorter route for the Blue Ridge Railroad between Charleston and the Ohio river valley area which until then was only accessible by bypassing the mountains entirely to the South and then traveling up north through Georgia and middle Tennessee.

In 1852, 13 miles of tunnel were proposed to cross the Blue Ridge Mountains through South Carolina, North Carolina, and into Tennessee. Construction on the railway was begun in the late 1850's and was successful through most of South Carolina until hitting the mountains around Wallhalla in Oconee County. There Stumphouse tunnel along with three other tunnels was to be built.

Construction on Stumphouse tunnel began in 1856 when the George Collyer Company of London brought many Irish workers into the area for this project. Many of the workers lived in housing on top of Stumphouse mountain called Tunnel Hill. By 1859, the State of South Carolina had spent over a million dollars on the tunnel and refused to spend any more on the project, therefore the tunnel work was abandoned.

Around Campus

Indiana & North Carolina: Obama vs. Clinton

Polls open in just a few more hours. The latest CNN "poll of polls" puts Clinton 4 points ahead in Indiana, and Obama 10 points ahead in North Carolina.

Let's wait and see...

UPDATE: Clinton takes Indiana by just 0.9 point, while Obama takes NC by 14 points. Clinton campaign officially on "death watch".

Macs

Click on the comic to see a larger version.

Top 10 Surprising Facts about Barack Obama