a blast from the past & a cash infusion.

my PBL mates were in a big ball of excitement about the first krispy kreme store to open up in Queensland. yes. i know krispy kreme stores in toronto are going out of business. but this is australia where things are about a decade behind north america and where the obesity epidemic ranks only behind the great United States of America.

i remember when the first krispy kreme store opened up in toronto. well, i think the first one was actually in mississauga, and i was in grade 11. people would drive all the way out to mississauga just for donuts! DONUTS!
now i can't complain too much cause our grade 11 bio teacher was kind enough to bring us krispy kreme donuts and we devoured them like no tomorrow.

for those of you interested in brisbane i'm told the new store is on albert street (seriously) and is open from 6am (SIX IN THE MORNING!) until midnight.

***
i've been waiting on some funds from my student line of credit. there was a bit of a delay but they were finally released. thank goodness. i was worried i'd have to sell my kidneys or something.

speaking of selling organs, this aussie nephrologist by the name of Dr. Gavin Carney caused a big huff & a puff the other day when he suggested that the government pay $50,000 to those willing to donate/sell their organs.

apparently australia has one of the lowest donor rates in the world at roughly 9.4 donors in 1 million people.

dr. carney's argument is that because of the huge donor shortage, australian citizens are paying tens even hundreds of thousands of dollars to go buy organs on the black market - usually in 3rd world countries with questionable medical infrastructure.
where would the government get this $50k in the first place? dr. carney goes onto argue that patients often spend more than 7 years on dialysis waiting for a donor. THAT alone costs the government upwards of $500,000. so from a financial perspective, it could make sense.

of course there are huge ethical & moral obligations that need to be considered. i'm not going to open that can of worms. but if i may, here are my suggestions:
- as an extension of our donor cards that come with our driver's licenses... give people (financial) incentive to sign those cards. if your organs can be used after you die, and you've signed your donor card then you'll be compensated. if you don't sign it, then you don't get money. not a penny. if you sign it but your organs can't be used, you get a smaller amount.
- or similarly give everyone the opportunity to sign donor cards when they turn 18. you still have the choice to NOT donate. however, this excludes you from receiving a donor organ should you ever need it in the future. it's only fair that you should be given a second chance if you're willing to give someone else a second chance.

in the interest of full disclosure...
i don't think i've signed my donor card.
>.<
hahaha... what a hypocrite! hahaha!!!