What's Up Doc? : Mental Health in Haiti

What happened to Haiti was a disaster and is still a disaster. Many medical volunteers have been dispatched to help the Haitians recover physically, but the American Red Cross has now sent mental health specialists as well. These specialists, while primarily there to helps the Haitians cope with the trauma, are also there to help the other volunteers.

Being on an emergency relief team can be a significantly emotionally draining experience. The volunteers can experience what's called vicarious trauma. Volunteers can develop sleep disorders, anxiety, and social withdrawal. Oh, and they can also begin to suffer from that little thing plaguing more people than anyone likes to admit, substance abuse. A hallmark, though, of this vicarious trauma is something like disrupted spirituality-a term that doesn't quite sound like something you'd read about in your psychology textbook. The term is pretty self-explanatory, though, if you take away any religious connotation. It's simply a loss of meaning or hope.

The mental health specialists will be encouraging the volunteers to take breaks every so often, instead of just working non-stop off the adrenaline rush of being in such a tragic atmosphere. It's important that these folks take breaks and rest. Sure, the Haitians need their care and support, but for that support to be strong, the volunteers have to rest.

It's interesting that we're hearing about this vicarious trauma with Haiti. I'm sure it existed with Katrina and 9/11 among other events. No one said a word. But it seems definitively clear now that the best policy for relief is to give the doctor an apple a day, so he'll be able to stay.

Waiting on His Women to Change: John Mayer

Rolling Stone magazine recently interviewed musician and entertainer, John Mayer. The guitar-playing and sweet singing man has some complaints about his relationships. He feels he gets stuck with the same women time and time again. Sounds really terrible, right? Mayer wants an intellectual partner and a real-life partner, too. He is tired of hearing "but you're John Mayer! YOUR body is a wonderland!"

It's hard to say if Mayer is really done with celebrity relationships. It seems a little unlikely that the young lady depositing her teacher's salary at the local bank will catch his eye and explore the great indoors with him for the long haul. But, nothing is impossible. I won't say that there is no such thing as spontaneous attraction and subsequent affection.

And on the topic of men, Mayer says he's never had a homosexual relationship, but he can see why some guys do. Give him a few more years and he might just get together with Clay Aiken or maybe a Broadway actor would be more his speed. For now, though, Mayer continues to search for the perfect partner. Until he finds that special someone, it looks like it really is a love song for no one because I'm just guessing Taylor Swift won't meet his intellectual expectations either.

Hell No We Won't Go...Well Maybe We Will

Maybe you're too young to remember. Maybe you remember your parents' stories. Maybe it's your grandparents' stories. Or maybe you do remember. But there was a time when college campuses were flooded with political and social activism. I'm not sure what happened. We had a momentous presidential election last year; college activism was scattered here and there, and sometimes it was nowhere. Sometimes it was closer to college apathy.

We have a war going on that's pretty terrible and pretty pointless. No one seems to care much. Even when Bush was in office and the Answer coalition was staging peace marches, the march goers seemed more concern with convicting Bush of war crimes than actually protesting the war. Moreover, a lot of the march goers were in their 50s or older. America's youth was too busy facebooking about their latest Coach purchase. Now, every so often you see a few kids with clipboards trying to get signatures for something like getting horses out of New York City. I'm not trying to trivialize their objectives, but there are some other more pressing issues.

Today, we give our military free passes to Disney world. Today, kids in a panic about finding a job, join the ROTC while in college. Don't get me a wrong. A national defense is important, and I support our troops just not the war. And it's okay if you do support the war. This post isn't about my politics vs. your politics. It's about showing a little bit of political or social activism.

Just get out there. Shake off your apathy. Let the sunshine in...the writers of Hair would be proud and so would the newest wave of seniors.

Better Off Ted: Senator Kennedy's Death and the Special Election

In August 2009, the nation lost the last of its princes. America has now said good-bye to Jack, Bobby, and Ted. Whether or not you'd rather be hunting with Dick than driving with Ted, the fact remains that Senator Kennedy was a powerful politician and filling his now empty seat will have serious implications depending upon who takes over. The former Lion of the Senate was a huge champion of healthcare and a key player in stopping Republican attempts to filibuster on the topic of healthcare. With Senator Kennedy's death, the special election for Kennedy's seat has become more heated than originally expected. Our contenders? Republican state senator Scott Brown and Massachusetts Attorney General Democrat Martha Coakley. Brown is against the healthcare bill; Coakley behind it.

Here's where it gets a little more interesting, although anything involving a Kennedy is pretty interesting to begin with if I do so myself. Can we talk about some of the prettiest politicians around? Obama has nothing on the Kennedy boys. The Democrats want to make sure the Senate seat remains with a Democrat. The seat hasn't seen a republican since 1972. The same year cynical hippies across America coined the phrase, "don't switch Dick in the middle of the screw; vote for Nixon in '72!" Democrats are opening up their wallets or at least trying to open their wallets. Maybe it's the recession or maybe it's the absence of Joe Kennedy's bootlegging money, but Democrats are scrambling to provide Coakley with the funds she needs.

Healthcare is a hot topic, and this special election is serious to the bill's own health. And this time, the Lion can't step in and set things straight.

10 Things I Hate About Justin Bieber

Justin Bieber, 15 year old pop sensation, I hate that I love you! I have a Justin Bieber problem. I know it is wrong, but it feels so right.

Dear Justin,
1. I hate the way you flip your hair
2. I hate the skaterboi clothes you wear
3. I hate the way your voice is changing
4. I hate that you are still ageing
5. I hate that you are BFFs with Usher
6. I hate that you live with your mother
7. I hate that you are Canadian and have a gansta accent
8. I hate that you are under the age of consent
9. I hate how your voice makes me tingly inside
10. I hate how your songs have succeeded worldwide
But mostly I hate the way I don't hate you - not even close, not even a little bit, not even at all!

Visit Justin Bieber’s you tube account at http://www.youtube.com/user/kidrauhl?blend=1&ob=4. I do everyday. His new song comes out Monday, January 18! Watch out tweens.

Today on Wall Street: A Great Day for Up!

Tuesday January 12th, 2010 was a rough day for the market, in part due to Alcoa's dip in revenue. However, today (Wednesday January 13th) was a good day for Wall Street. The Dow was up 53.51 points. Alcoa even rose after it's fall yesterday. With U.S. Bankers doing some serious testifying and even a little, dare I say it, apologizing, consumer optimism was also up, which is always a good thing. Additionally, banking shares were up, namely Goldman Sachs, Morgan Stanley, Bank of America, and JPMorgan Chase. Citi was unfortunately down, but I'm still keepin' the faith. Billy Joel would be proud. There are rumors of a positive season ahead for the corporate sector, but let's not hold our breath. A lot can change at any point, and it's safe to say that Wall Street still hasn't quite gotten its groove back.

American Idol is Lame

American Idol premiered tonight with stale and tired results. The contestants were caricatures of the worst kind. The weirdos weren’t that weird, and the talented contestants weren’t that talented. It was entirely predictable as to which contestants were going to get through. The good-looking cancer survivor? Golden ticket to Hollywood. Hot Latina Berklee music student? Golden ticket. The strange, transgender-looking, Latoya Jackson-esque contestant? Made fun of by Simon. Yawn.

Good thing Simon announced that this season was his last. American Idol is officially over.