Conventions

Apr. 11-14, 2012. They come to Pri-Med, we heard, for “knowledge that touches patients”.  Matters on delegates’ minds included the management of Vascular Disease, screening for the prevention of Gynecologic Breast Cancers, the Diabetes-Obesity Continuum, Diets, and much besides.  As with many medical conferences, training and knowledge sharing was the order of the day, and not only with other medics but with patients too.  Hence the admonition to “Help Educate Your Patients Before, During, & After an Office Visit”;  patient education materials, we learned, can be customized to include your practice information and then downloaded, printed, and distributed to your patients to help them better understand and respond to medical challenges.  What do you mean, it’s downloading rather slowly?  Be patient.

Nothing says “Brunch” like Bottomless Bloody Marys and that’s just what they are serving up in Mundo, a beautifully appointed restaurant which bills itself as Latin chic, tucked away in the World Market Center in Las Vegas.
We, here at B-t-B, are notorious at sniffing out where the bars are, *cue 1960′s beach party music* so the first time we went to Mundo was the day after Winter Market. The menu was limited but the wait staff, despite feeding 30,000 hungry designers & buyers, was fast and service was impeccable.
So what better place to take this mom for Mother’s Day: From the moment we sat down, my bottomless drink stayed filled as if it was some magical cup. I had the chicken satay, flavored Latin style and the Benedict Mexicano, a rich offering of jalepeno cornbread, poached egg slathered in pork carnitas simmered in a green chile hollandaise.
Of course no meal is complete without dessert with cafe con leche and a shot of tequila. We indulged in all. And just not to let down my family, I also raised a glass of Sangria to the matriarch of my son’s mestizo side of the family. Cheers to Chela.
Even if it isn’t market week and you are in town for a propane convention, it is well worth the 10$ cab ride from mid strip to the WMC just for Munco. However go to Open Table and make a reservation 1st as they are always busy even when it isn’t serving the HGTV crew.
If you have some time to spend, directly across from the WMC is the Smith Center for Performing Arts, the newest inclusion into revamping the downtown area of Las Vegas. On the corner is the Lou Ruvo Brain Institute which is housed in a Frank Gehry design building. It might be noted that it gives my brain a work out just looking at it. If you come during the day, you can browse the showrooms at WMC or if you are looking for shopping, it is right next to the North strip version of the Premium outlets. All within walking distance. Don’t forget your water.

May 1-3, 2012. It’s about innovation, intelligence and passion, we heard. In the most pharmaceutical kind of way, of course… INTERPHEX is supposed to be the leading annual pharmaceutical and biopharmaceutical trade show. Key decision makers came for the networking opportunities, products, services and information they needed to ensure quality and maximize efficiency, agility, and flexibility in their manufacturing and supply chain areas. This show is where intelligence and passion intersect with the full spectrum of industry products and services (over 650 suppliers exhibiting) to create new insights and innovation — hence the motto above.  There were over fifty conference sessions, including an event convened to fight childhood cancer, and a program to track the way firms move a product to market, strengthening the alignment between INTERPHEX’s traditionally strong exhibit platform and its educational components.  Hey, what does this blue pill do?

Apr 19-21, 2012. ACP is the American College of Physicians, and this was their annual Internal Medicine jamboree.  A big topic at the expo was the Internal Medicine Physician Specialists Release Policy Paper, “Reforming Medicare in the Age of Deficit Reduction”.  From diabetes to bioethics to obesity to disaster relief, there were plentiful discussion opportunities at Internal Medicine 2012. There was a call for Improvements to US Public Health Systems to Protect U.S. Residents.  The American College of Physicians and Consumer Reports announce their collaboration on New High Value Care Patient Education Resources.  Speaking of education, delegates could also help fulfill their continuing medical training requirements by claiming their Internal Medicine 2012 CME credits.  Y’know, when you’ve got your health, you’ve got it all…

“Space: the final frontier. These are the voyages of the starship Enterprise. Its five-year mission: to explore strange new worlds, to seek out new life and new civilizations, to boldly go where no man has gone before.” –opening monologue from Star Trek.

Coming of age in the 1960′s in Huntsville, Al home to the Marshall Space Flight Center, NASA was a big factor in our lives. While the rest of the state was embroiled in trying to save segregation, Huntsville was busy building rockets to send people to the moon and, at the time, beyond. After the Apollo missions, the next challenge was to find a vehicle that could be reusable. The Shuttle was born. Marshall Space Flight Center was once again buzzing with activity as they built the storage and delivery system for the liquid fuel.

The Enterprise was the 1st prototype and went into service in 1977 as a test model. While never actually used on a space mission, the Enterprise was from 1977-1983, was used for testing and flew frequent training missions over the Atlantic and Pacific.

Upon retirement in 1983, the Enterprise was taken to several locations before making its home at the Smithsonian’s Air Space Museum. One of those visits was a trip up the Hudson River in NYC. From our office in the 2WTC it was visible as it flew past the Statue of Liberty on the way to the Tappan Zee Bridge further up the river.

In 2005, the decision was made to retire the Shuttle program and the last Shuttle mission was in 2011. It was decided that further funding of the Shuttle and NASA was not in the best interest of the United States even though some of our everyday essential item were first conceived at NASA. Did you ever think you’d be able to carry 5000 of your favorite songs around on an iPod? Thank NASA for radio miniaturization. Here is just a short list of 10. Neil DeGrasse-Tyson, head of the Hayden Planetarium, recently testified before Congress regarding the NASA budget, saying

“Right now, NASA’s annual budget is half a penny on your tax dollar. For twice that—a penny on a dollar—we can transform the country from a sullen, dispirited nation, weary of economic struggle, to one where it has reclaimed its 20th century birthright to dream of tomorrow.”

Today the Space Shuttle Enterprise takes its last flight before becoming a permanent exhibit at the Intrepid Museum in NYC, we are reminded that we need to continue to dream and inspire our children to do the same.