Counterintuitive Spring 2023

http://www.examiner.com/article/doctors-who-see-poorer-patients-get-poorer-performance-ratings?cid=rss

It seems very counter intuitive to know that  doctors who take care of poorer patients receive poor performance rating. This is true according  to the data collected from surveys which are given out by the insurance companies. But aren’t the wealthy patients hard to please since they  make their own payment instead the insured patients are the one’s that seem to be not pleased. I feel this is strange and it may have something to do with the medicare or insurance company to not pay doctors well. This can lead to some serious complications if they don’t find out exactly why these doctors are getting such a low ratings from treating poorer  patients. It can also be that wealthy patients are able to understand doctors better through communication  or they may be satisfy by far less care than poorer patients.  Many of the physician will try to move out from their working location and refuse to take care of these poorer patients. Therefore it’s important to know why these people act in this way towards health care providers.

http://www.pri.org/stories/2015-02-04/Vancouver-combats-heroin-giving-its-addicts-best-smack-world

It seems counter intuitive that Vancouver is allowing to give heroine addict one of the best heroine on planet to treat them. This harm reduction program has been open in Vancouver for only those very few who are severely addicted. Methodone  and other alternatives didn’t work for these addicts. The addicts can just insite the heroine without having fear of being arrested by cops, under supervision of a nurse.

As it turns out, the heroine addicts seems to function and live there life much comfortably by drugging themselves with heroine. There body is very toxic after use of heroine, that it is nearly impossible for their bodies to complete stop heroine. In order to keep them mentally stable and prevent them from causing harm to society, heroine is allowed to be given to them. As long as Insite program runs for these addicts, it will prevent these addicts from going out of control such as committing suicide, doing robbery, or selling themselves for money to buy heroine.

It seems counter intuitive that life can have all these chances to harm you. This 75 years old man explains to us how everyday routine can get dangerous if you are not careful. From taking shower in bathroom to camping outside under a old tree, he gives us some chances of you being the target of death. The author mentions about his travel in Guinea, and  how he’s friends refused to have their tent set up under a tree. He thought his friends were exaggerating too much, until he encountered hearing falling trees whenever he went camping. The author also mentions how his wife almost got hit by a fallen tree.

The author gives his readers very useful information of  how every action you take in life make such as driving, running, and many more can be dangerous for you if your not careful. However, he also says how certain things are not in our hand of when death may come to you. Basically you need to have positive outlook in life as well but also not underestimate your chances of surviving.

1.

http://www.motherjones.com/environment/2012/02/econundrums-do-vitamin-supplements-work

It seems counterintuitive that multivitamins, touted for decades for their health benefits that aid a vitamin deficient nation, could actually pose a danger to our health. A multitude of scientific research is opening eyes to the unnecessary and risky nature of the supplements that line our shelves and medicine cabinets.

One study found that most Americans get their required vitamins and nutrients from their diets. Taking multivitamins after having already reached the optimum intake can have dangerous outcomes. Folic acid, which is found in many multivitamins, can lead to lesions that can result in colorectal cancers if consumed in excess. Since most Americans receive their daily folic acid from foods like cereals and bread, taking a supplement on top of it is overload. Seniors, who tend to take iron supplements, can have an increased risk of heart disease from the excessive iron. Health experts recommend that people should take multivitamins only under special circumstances: anorexics, children who are picky eaters, and vegans are of the select group.

When it comes to our health choices, it may be tempting to pop a multivitamin to ebb our fear of rickets or scurvy. However, recent research has shed light upon the dangers and uselessness of these pills. We generally get the nutrients we need from our food, and consuming multivitamins as an added measure may actually be detracting from our well-being.

2.

http://www.pri.org/stories/2015-02-04/vancouver-combats-heroin-giving-its-addicts-best-smack-world

It seems counterintuitive that the Canadian government would provide heroin addicts with free heroin, since as Americans we are so used to seeing drug abusers be persecuted and thrown in jail or cast out from society like lepers.

Being a port city, Vancouver is vulnerable to heroin importation by boat from the Pacific. In the beginning of their efforts to end this problem, the city implemented the use of suboxone and methadone for treating addicts. These two heroin alternatives are safer than the drug itself, and have proved successful in weaning some off of drugs entirely. More recently, Vancouver has switched from these alternatives to heroin itself for the worst cases. Doctors and nurses give out the necessary amount to the users and monitor them. This creates a safe environment for people who have gone down a dark path in life and are having trouble finding their way back.

In the United States, heroin is harshly penalized for possession, usage, and distribution. Admittedly, heroin dealers should not be allowed to illegally sell this deadly drug throughout the country. That said, people who end up addicted to heroin should not be vilified. Many start at a young age where they do not fully realize the ramifications it will have on their life. Charging them immense fines, throwing them in jail, and leaving them with a tainted record that can prevent them from assimilation back into society is a much more illogical idea than setting up a safe haven for these drug addicts.

Heroin is potentially deadly and can lead to a life of crime, but providing addicts with a safe and regulated place for them to indulge in their drug habits avoids these issues. If we adopt similar measures as Vancouver, our drug addicts could avoid overdosing, not feel forced into crime to get their fix, and decide for themselves when and if they are going to get clean.

3.

http://www.motherjones.com/politics/2013/09/lenders-vet-borrowers-social-media-facebook

It seems counterintuitive that someone would be denied a loan based off of the content on their social networking sites, but this practice is becoming reality.

Recent advice in our modern, technologically based world has warned that employers, college admissions officers, and the rest of the world can see and judge us on our online profiles. However, the claim that lending companies would deny us a loan based off of our digitally portrayed selves sounds ludicrous. Shockingly, this is all too true. LendUp, a San Francisco based company, is one of several companies carrying out these judgements. Applicants have been denied credit for being online friends with someone who was late paying a loan. People who have active social media lives are seen as stable by these companies. Even more shocking, there are no regulations in place to oversee these discriminatory practices. If these unchecked schemes by lending companies prove successful for business, it is speculated that banks may undertake the same type of online investigations.

The fact that people tailor their online profiles and portray skewed, unrealistic versions of themselves is evidence that these companies are basing decisions off of irrelevant information. Additionally, people could be Facebook friends with various members of their old high school class, having seen none of them in years. The fact that they could be denied credit because an old school chum failed to pay back a loan on time is nonsensical. Social media provides a very brief, one dimensional look into people’s lives and is filled with their own biases. It does not reflect their financial standings, trustworthiness, and ability to repay a loan. If this practice becomes the norm for lending companies, or even more frighteningly, banks, our best course of action may be to change our social media names to a disguising moniker or delete our online profiles altogether.  

Men Defining Rape: A History

It seems counterintuitive that the majority of people defining the term ‘rape’ have been men. Todd Akin stated “Without a woman’s consent she could not conceive” meaning if a women is raped and becomes pregnant it was not actually rape. Dr. Lawson Tait thought that if a women wasn’t moving back or physically resisting it meant it was not rape. In his own words, “You cannot threat a moving needle.” And in an even earlier time the Code of Hummurabi stated that rape of a virgin was property damage to her father. These men all refer to rape assuming that it’s a women being raped. The men defining the term rape have not experienced rape themselves or even consider it possible that perhaps it is a man being raped, and not a women.

https://www.quora.com/What-life-lessons-are-counter-intuitive-or-go-against-common-sense-or-wisdom
It seems counterintuitive that money can’t buy happiness. We constantly stress about money. Money is used to pay our bills, buy our food, put gas in our cars, and pay for our luxuries. Money is absolutely necessary to live, so why wouldn’t move of it make us happier? We would get to go on more vacations, live a more comfortable life, and not have to stress about our financial situation. When we have the means to live a more comfortable life, we have more time and energy to focus on the things that we can do to make us happy. We have money to vacation a lot and participate in things that make us feel good.

http://www.pri.org/stories/2015-02-04/vancouver-combats-heroin-giving-its-addicts-best-smack-world
It seems counterintuitive that a drug addict would be supplied with needles. Vancouver is supplying drug addicts with clean needles in order to prevent the spread of disease. It seems unlikely that this is going to save lives. I think that it will further perpetuate drug use in the city. Clean, legal needles will, if anything, increase drug use among the people because it’s easier to access needles to do the drugs. They’re also allowing the drug use to happen by giving them a safe place to actually do the drugs without fear of being arrested. It seems that by allowing the drug use to happen and take place the drug problem in Vancouver will only grow to be more severe.

http://www.pri.org/stories/2015-02-04/vancouver-combats-heroin-giving-its-addicts-best-smack-world

It seems counter-intuitive that heroin addicts would be given all that essential to maintaining a steady heroin addiction (including the drug itself) in an attempt to regulate and keep the city at large safe, though that is exactly what a certain well populated western city is proposing to regulate their addiction problems.
In Vancouver, Canada (a port town with large shipments of both legal and illegal incoming goods) there’s a section of town labeled “Downtown East-side”, with a negative reputation of being a haven for drug users, prominently heroin. However, the town of Vancouver has implemented what some have labeled as a progressive (though others wouldn’t be so quick to label it as such) approach to the well being of both addicts and the average person in Vancouver.
The plan? Free heroin for addicts. And not just free heroin, but clean needles and a safe place for them to shoot up without fear of being arrested. Now on the surface this seems absolutely ludicrous, but upon further examination the theory that it would be an ultimately beneficial program seems more valid.
Heroin addicts tend to live a destitute life filled with immoral acts in an effort to maintain their addiction. Many addicts result to theft or prostitution in order to keep a steady supply of opiates running through their bloodstream. Addiction is a terrible disease, and avoiding withdrawal will make the most caring man commit an act of selfishness. On their own, many would result to such behaivor. Now here is where Vancouver’s plan (as well as many European nations including Germany and Switzerland) seems to make sense.
Supplying the worst addicts with this service would keep them off the streets, not only protecting them, but ensuring the safety and well being of anyone who may come into contact with them. When put into a larger picture, applying the plan to the entire city rather than the addicts directly involved, the idea takes on a different appearance. It no longer seems so absurd, and in fact, seems beneficial for everyone.

Prozac: What’s Race Got to Do With It?

It seems counter-intuitive that the medical field of drug prescription, a field aimed at the well being of humanity, would appear to favor a certain race of people entirely defined by economical elements.
According to one study, prescription drugs such as Prozac (a known anti-depressant), are apparently much more likely to be prescribed to someone who is white, rather than black or Hispanic. Why? The reason seems to be economical, as many of the white patients being prescribed Prozac have standard health insurance, while those not being prescribed are on Medicare or Medicaid.
Why is this a matter of money? Is not the well being of our nations citizens of the utmost importance, and not something that can be swayed by value? Though this seems to be the case, even if it doesn’t appear so on the surface. Minorities in this nation are being denied proper health care because of health insurance or there lack of access to it.
Physicians and policymakers are needed to take a stand on this issue, because without their expertise nothing can be done in the realm of change. Should not the availability of treatment be of equal access to everyone, no matter class or race? In a nation obsessed with capitalism and rugged individualism, fairness does not seem to be of much urgency. This is a sad, sad world.
Equal access to prescription drug will lead to the ultimate well being of our nation, and this blockage only serves as a clear example of race still playing a part in a “post-racial” society. Who are we kidding?

http://www.propublica.org/article/how-moms-death-changed-my-thinking-about-end-of-life-care

It seems counter-intuitive that so much attention and money would be put into “end-of-life” care, when it seems would be the last time in your life where one is expected to be healthy. Even upon further rumination it still seems absurd. Why put so much money in keeping one alive at the end of their life?
There is often no hope of recovery, yet many people still cling onto their loved ones as they are slowly dying, searching in vain for another cure that could possibly keep them alive just a little bit longer. Talk about counter-intuitive! Also talk about a waste of money and resources for these people are literally being kept alive to die shortly after.
This philosophical debate raged inside the mind of Charles Ornstein, a journalist who covered a wide array of medical news, as he wrestled with a dilemma of his mother being kept alive on life support. His own mother’s wish was to not be kept alive like this, but imagine the heartbreak that one goes through in such a situation. That is no easy call to make.
Still, after discussion with his family and a few medical tests, which yielded nothing hopeful about her recovery, he made the ultimate decision to remove life support, leading to his mother’s death. He was met with the most difficult decision of his life, and in my opinion, he made the right call.
If there is virtually no hope of recovery, why lie to yourself with false hopes? Not only is it a waste of resources, but it also takes a toll on our sense of naivety. One knows that there is no hope, yet they still keep deciding to leave a loved one alive in hope for something beyond a miracle.

Principal Encourages Cheating

1. It seems counter intuitive that schools have to score higher on state exams to receive recognition and money. Principal Cortez of  Cayuga Elementary School has encouraged teachers and students to cheat on state exams.Although state rules forbid teachers from helping during exams, teachers were still forced to help. In 2009, the fourth grade students scores rose by 36% and the math scores increased by 45% due to the teachers telling or showing the students the correct answer during the test. Parents are aware that cheating on exams by their children’s complaints of teachers telling the students to change their answers.

Euthanasia in Belgium

2. It seems counter intuitive, yet possibly correct that Belgian state voted to extend Euthanasia to children with disabilities or wish to be Euthanized. In many countries, Euthanasia is legal for patients over 18. Belgium is now the first country to life the age restriction on the practice. Although Euthanasia was illegal under 18 before, experts claim that the practice has already been done numerous times. Critics assert that lowering the Euthanasia age is a way to cover up medical errors.

How to Change the world

3. It seems counter intuitive that many non-profit acts go unnoticed by the media. A book called “How to Change the World” by David Bornstein, tells stories that have not been recognized by the media such as people helping students get to college,  and people who use their own homes to care for the sick. The individuals’ stories that the author shares are an example of people who try to change the world for the better. Critics have agreed that more people need to do acts that do not benefit them, but help other to help the world be a better place.

Thought Experiment #2 

It seems counterintuitive that changing a caption on a photograph changes it’s meaning. A photo’s significance can differ depending on angle, lighting, focus, and many other elements, but the text connected to it can flip a photo on it’s head.

The opening to the article presents three pictures in a line. These three pictures are actually the exact same, simply with a different caption underneath depending on what the author intended. Each individual photo had an in depth analysis underneath which were also identical, excluding the last sentence. Depending on the point of view the author intended whether it be a platform of photojournalism, Anti-Israel Propoganda, or Anti-Hezbollah Propoganda, the conclusion to the caption made a statement relevant to it’s cause.

This final line changed the entire meaning behind the photograph, even though the photos were exactly the same. They say a picture is worth a thousand words, but it seems those words can be manipulated to benefit whatever agenda a photographer or author wishes to fulfill.

Reducing Life Risks

It seems counterintuitive that everyday routines would be so deadly, but the truth is seemingly mundane acts like daily showering are indeed plausible killers, but shouldn’t deter us from everyday life. Though this may have some negative connotation, this elderly author gave an insightful and positive outlook on the idea that death truly is everywhere.

Throughout his travels in New Guinea, there was an instance in which the author was confused by blatant rejection of his native friends when he suggested they set up camp in the forest. It was only when they slept in the open field that the author had heard the gargantuan trees he had passed snap and fall, which would have effectively killed the group in their sleep. Small, seemingly mundane things are always out to get us, and in this context, the author coined the phrase “constructive paranoia”, which he defines as a paranoia that actually makes some sense.

For better or for worse, this man makes his audience aware that these little everyday activities like driving, showering, taking a walk, among other things, are potential, very real hazards of everyday life that take those who are not careful. The reader should take this knowledge in stride, living life to the fullest, rather than hide and apocalypse-proof his or her house for good.

Combat Heroin with Heroin

It seems counterintuitive that Vancouver’s idea of solving violent addiction is to give heroin addicts more heroin, and actually have that plan fair rather well. This program consists of a safe zone under the name “Insite”, where addicts could shoot up with clean equipment, nurses on standby, and no fear of arrest.

After several research projects involving heroin substitutes, this program is treating a small amount of addicts in the area- those considered the worst of the worst, practically untreatable. These patients were not affected by the previous substitutes and now take part in a practice doctors call “harm prevention”. The goal is not to break the addictive cycle, but to make the severely addicted individuals less of a threat to themselves and others by giving them regular doses of heroin. This method prevents the actions that go along with violent withdrawal, including breaking and entering cars, stealing money, or selling themselves for their next fix, because they now know exactly where it will be coming from. One participant states he is able to now keep at steady job because he isn’t spending all his time finding his next source (Campbell, 2015).

While the circumstances are not ideal, and there seems to be an ultimatum between violent addicts or providing free heroin, the Insite program does provide some good for the bay-side town. For now, as long as this program stays stable and regulated, there will be some level of security for these patients and those around them.

Favoritism and bias between judges in Olympic skating events gets a perfect 10.

I find it counterintuitive that favoritism and bias in olympic events is even being brought up in a technologically and socially advance society like ours. Cheating is deemed wrong immediately from birth in any social/competitive event that we partake in. If someone cheats in a football game, they are kicked off the field. If someone cheats in a chess match, the forfeit the match. So how come we are asking how to handle the scandal that is taking place in figure skating?

Like any other competition, the people caught cheating should immediately be punished. The fact that the Olympic committees made it easier for the favoritism to take place is astonishing, and now the fact that nobody is being punished just baffles me. There is no excuse for offenses like these to be excused, and a simple system should be set into place. If there is any doubt that favoritism or bias is involved, then that judge be immediately removed from his/her responsibilities until the problem has been solved.

Cold War enemies become Olympic cheating allies.

I find it counterintuitive that jokes are being made about a scandal as big as this in sports. Two power countries working together to rig the Olympic Ice Skating competitions is no laughing matter. The consensus gathered by this article states that “…to be fair, no one in figure skating would be surprised anymore if the fix were in.” Cheating and fixing events has become so regular with the sport that people are beginning to act like it is not a big deal. It is in fact a huge deal!

Men and women train their entire lives to reach the Olympic stage and battle it out on the ice in pursuit of a gold medal. But a few people in suits can meet up and make an agreement on who gets to win and who gets to lose? That is an absolute abomination if the rumors are true, because those people in suits are letting down hundreds of thousands of people who look up to the stars skating around for their home nation. No matter how long this scandal takes place for or how many more scandals pop up, we can never act as if it is something of the ordinary.

Can there be such a thing as subjectivity in judging Olympic events?

I find it counterintuitive that judging an Olympic event can be based on how stylish someone’s performance was or how cool they looked, as opposed to the technical difficulty of their tricks and moves. In gymnastics and diving, there are clear point systems and multipliers that go in to each precise movement of a gymnast or diver’s routine. Both the difficulty of their trick and the success of their run get factored together to produce a final score.

Ice skating and events similar to it should drift towards the judging of gymnastics and diving because it can be measured by officials outside of the judges table so that we can evaluate on a number’s basis if any favoritism, bias, or cheating is taking place. The fact that a gold medal can be rewarded for looking cool then the aim of the sport is no longer to win by being the best it is to win by being the coolest! Turning each and every event from a sport’s competition to a popularity and fashion contest! There is clearly a lot of work ahead for the Olympic committees and it may be a while before all of these problems can be dealt with.

I find it counterintuitive that a Pizza Hut is within sight of a historical sphinx. The Pyramid of Khafre is the second largest pyramid in Egypt. Along with the pyramid you get to see the beautiful sight of a sphinx in the middle of a desert. Then you turn to see a Pizza Hut and KFC? It doesn’t seem to fit.

Or maybe it does fit. Of course you could imagine how many tourists come to see the sights. A large amount of the tourists being from America or common western European countries that are familiar with food chains like Pizza Hut. So after a long day of sight seeing and working up an appetite I’m sure many tourists are happy to eat some familiar Pizza Hut.

http://www.bloomberg.com/bw/articles/2012-10-17/what-does-the-marshmallow-test-actually-test

I find it counterintuitive that waiting fifteen minutes for an extra marshmallow means better grades, better health, and even staying committed to a relationship longer. This is what Walter Mischel’s marshmallow test seemed to show. There was only one problem, his test focused on determination and grit, which are both good qualities, but there was one major characteristic he was forgetting.

Celeste Kidd took a second look at this experiment. Kidd, while she was younger, helped homeless families. She claims that many of the kids she worked with would have eaten the marshmallow right away. Not because they are weak-willed but because they haven’t learned to trust adults. Those kids are going to take what’s in front of them because they are not sure if there even is another marshmallow.

So while Mischel’s test may have been somewhat accurate, it was not 100% because it did not look at all of the factors. Kidd’s input helped us understand some of the factors missed and that this marshmallow test is not completely accurate.

I find it counterintuitive that a caption can completely change a picture. The image itself doesn’t change but what’s written under it can change your perspective on it completely. So next time you see a picture in a magazine or on the internet, look at the picture first as if the caption isn’t there. Look at it in your own perspective then read what the caption. Understanding what the magazine or website is trying to convey, then compare your thoughts on it.

Surviving the Shower

It seems counterintuitive that surviving a daily shower is not an issue for most Americans, but for some elders their daily showers are full of risk. Older Americans, ages 75 and up, are at risk for injury or even death during daily activities such as showering, walking up and down the stairs, or even taking a stroll on the sidewalk. In other parts of the world, like New Guinea, the residents fear different risks. They fear trees falling on them in the forest at night. The chances of a tree falling in New Guinea and an elder falling in the shower come out to be around 1 in 1,000. These different fears around the globe are what make society unique.

Do Toms Shoes Really Help Anybody?

It seems counterintuitive that buying a pair of shoes could really help someone in need. Many companies are starting this “buy one, give one” trend, but do these companies actually have good intentions? The idea of “buy one, give one” seems like something a good humanitarian would participate in, but instead of focusing on helping those in need, companies seem to be using this strategy to create competition in the work force. The more the company donates, the better they look. In my opinion, shoes are not what need to be donated. We need to give less the fortunate education opportunities and shelters, not shoes.

Is Walmart Organic and Local?

It seems counterintuitive that Walmart would sell healthy food options. Over the past few years, Walmart has been trying to step up their sales locally grown produces. Selling locally grown produce is healthier for consumers because their food is not sitting in a truck traveling from the other side of the country. It is also financially smarter for the store because with having local produces the trucks will be using less gas from traveling which also leads to less pollution. By the end of 2015, Walmart will be selling more organic produces as well.

http://www.pri.org/stories/2015-02-04/vancouver-combats-heroin-giving-its-addicts-best-smack-world

It’s very counterintuitive that the city of Vancouver has tried to lower the drug problem in the city but yet they have a safe zone called Insite. Insite is a place where nurses monitor and allow addicts to shoot up without the fear of being arrested for drugs. It’s very counterintuitive that they provide a place for addicts to get high at without going to jail but they want to lower the amount of drugs coming into the city. Not only do they provide safe zones but they also give the addicts antiseptic wipes, clean syringes and other instruments such as some of the best heroin on the planet. It disgusts me to know that Vancouver provides addicts who have a horrible addiction with the drugs they crave.

Men Defining Rape: A History

It seems counterintuitive that men can determine what is rape and what isn’t rape, when they are the ones who are less likely to be raped. It is also very counterintuitive to say that if a woman doesn’t squirm a lot, it isn’t considered to be rape because she laid there. However, some women are held at gun-point, tied up and sometimes molested by more than one guy at the same time. Rape is sex without consent. If a woman doesn’t agree to have sex with a male, whether she squirms or not, it is still rape.

http://bioethicsbulletin.org/archive/what-are-the-ethics-of-a-three-parent-baby

It seems counterintuitive that three-parent babies are currently being experimented. This new procedure is supposed to prevent genetic mutations that can cause birth defects but allowing three people, two women and a man, create one child might do the exact opposite. After all, less than one percent of DNA is transferred from the second woman and if it isn’t done correctly and accurately it will cause a variety of birth defects. Allowing three-parent babies to be born is very expensive and extremely risky! Instead of lowering the amount of birth defects it can actually increase them if the procedure isn’t done right.