ginzo

Fake controversy made up by bored reporters. Maybe it's time to dig up SARS or monkey pox again? MRSA is getting boring.

Woah, a Lego shooting dark ride? Man, I really need to get back down to SoCal. I think Legoland is the second best park in SoCal behind Disneyland. Everything else is pretty "meh".

Go to the bathroom much? Make sure you're getting enough salt. You can whack out your electrolyte levels by drinking too much water. Too much water can be fatal. It can cause a condition called "hyponatremia" where your brain swells up and compresses against the inside of your cranium. This is very serious because there's not much extra room inside your head. Granted you're probably drinking nowhere near the amount of water it takes for that to happen. Just be aware that drinking tons of water can be a bad thing in excess.

There are also companies that target college students specifically with shifts that work around class times, and pretty decent wages to boot. I think UPS does this. Check for postings around your campus. Which is like $800/hr USD.

I've only ridden Bull in the rain, and got awesome rides. I almost don't want to go back and ride it under regular conditions. I still like Nitro and Goliath SFoG more.

Show me a corporate park with trees that close to the track. Granted they could just shut the ride down during high wind conditions. And Bull is widely considered the weakest of the B&M hypers because of the trims. Great first drop though.

Which is why Dermatology is so popular.

No idea about PA schedules, call, etc. You should shadow a PA, and ask them. I'd expect it to be better than a doctor's hours.

Mid-level providers are pretty big these days, and will continue to be very important as the population ages and not enough doctors are produced. Mid-level providers are Physician Assistants, Nurse Practitioners, and Certified Registered Nurse Anesthetists. The pay can be better than you think, particularly for Nurse Anesthetists and PAs who work in the ER. It all depends on how broad you want your scope of practice to be. Nurse Anesthetists actually gas patients during surgeries, but they don't write the treatment plans. The anesthesiologist does that. You'll never get to render a diagnosis as a mid-level. You can figure out a case, and then have the doctor sign off on it. But ultimately the doctor you work under has the final say. Mid-levels also get stuck doing more "scut" work than physicians do. As a doctor why do a nasty pelvic exam when you can just make your PA do it? But, yeah, mid-level jobs are a good option. I'm just more interested in doing advanced diagnostic work, like pathology or radiology.

I'm not ruling that out, but it'd have to be one very special and unique ride. If this turns out to be a shelf model with a couple modifications that provides an uninspired trek through a raped landscape (remember, we're talking about CF here), then it'll be tough to get too excited about it. And it's still tough to get excited about anything proposed for '09 until something official is presented. On a side note, am I the only one out there that wishes a park with this kind of operating budget, and such a great parcel of land would finally give us a Nemesis: US edition? The proposed layout is more interesting to me than any of the 4 US B&M hypers. And, in fairness, they're going to have to blast out a lot of trees. It's not like the coaster is smart enough to e-stop if a tree were to fall onto the track. Though I'm sure some other operators would do a more elegant job of this than CF would. I've heard this rumor from more than the Interweb and the ECC magazine. It's going around the park workers as well. I'm just hoping for a few seasons of untrimmed goodness. With all the grumbling about Black Mamba's reported lack of forces, I don't think there is going to be another Nemesis anywhere. Besides, then you're really straining the creative capacity of an inherently uncreative firm (CF). Of course, I'm not saying you'd make a special Kings Island trip, Scott. I just doubt you'd drive right on past a new B&M hyper credit on your next Cedar Point excursion.

The real shame is that the park doesn't already have a world class coaster. Kings Island pulls in a very healthy amount of guests each year. I'm pretty hopeful about this project. I think it could be really good. I just hope it's more Nitro than Raging Bull.

You should start volunteering ASAP, and do it for as long as possible. Even 4 hours a week over time will show a big commitment to medicine. Try to get some shadowing experience in addition to the volunteering, because most volunteer gigs keep you at arm's length from the doctor-patient interactions. Pre-med advisers can be helpful, but be sure to do a lot of reading on your own. Your state school, UAB, has a pretty strong medical program. If I remember correctly, the in-state tuition was a great deal as well.

You're going to want clinical experience before you apply. It doesn't have to be EMT. You can volunteer in a hospital. If you don't get clinical experience, your chance of acceptance is very, very small. The schools want to know that you know what you're getting into, and aren't basing your decision on the fact that you like to watch ER. Plan to get in on your first attempt. Some schools look down upon re-applicants. And applying is a very expensive and draining process.

Entrance to medical school requires more than just numbers. You're going to want clinical exposure, perhaps through volunteering at a hospital. Some people work as EMTs to get medical experience. You'll also want to get some shadowing experience. The more the better. Research, especially research that ends in publication, is another thing you should consider getting into. The more prestigious schools typically want research experience. You're going to want a better rationale than "I love science" when interviewing for medical school. If you love science, you're better off getting a science PhD. http://www.studentdoctor.net/ ^Study that web site extensively. There are some insanely competitive/qualified folks on there, but there are also some very helpful people as well. ER docs do pretty darn well financially. Know that it is considered bad form to mention money in your personal statement, or in a medical school interview. You can PM me with any questions that you want. I'm going through the painful admissions process right now.

You can do it in 2 hours, if you drive 100 MPH.

Not to mention that any funds raised would be insignificant in the face of issues like Geauga Lake no longer being economically viable as a rides park.

Yep, but "bad park with one good coaster" beats "bad park with bad coasters". I didn't renew my CF pass for 2008, but I certainly will for 2009 if they build this B&M. And, if they build this, I bet there's a KI turnstile click with your name on it on your next trip to CP.

Yeppers. Most people don't wind up working in the field that their degree is in. So unless you're very set on something very specialized like engineering, college can be used as an opportunity to study seemingly impractical fields like philosophy or theology. Basically whatever you find interesting. Medical schools, for example, are interested in diversifying their classes, and consequently welcome applicants from any undergrad discipline.

Vekoma flyers are more comfortable than B&Ms as far as climbing the lift hill and going back to the station goes. But Tatsu wipes Vekoma flyers off the map. There are rough B&Ms, but they are in the minority. You must have been on an unfortunate assortment of B&Ms. B&M's hypers are among the smoothest coasters you will ever experience. And they have incredibly comfortable seats. I'd like an Intamin hyper also. But their history of throwing riders to their doom doesn't fare well for a conservative company like Cedar Fair. B&M hypers are nothing to sneeze at. Nitro and Goliath @ SFoG are both excellent rides, and in the top 10 of Mitch's poll. And B&M hypers with 3 trains have INSANE capacity, which is something Kings Island desperately needs. They could still make those same claims with the hyper installed. And the publicity comes from the awesome new ride they're trying to install, not from pimping out a 30-year-old coaster that's over trimmed and under maintained. I like Eurofighters, but the B&M would offer greater capacity. And a floorless is just a multi-looper with a modified train.

I don't know Jeff at all, but I think it's obvious that he's not a CF fanboy. Let's start a list for reasons why he's not. 1) He's not 15. 2) Nobody who has ridden that many coasters is a CF fanboy. 3) He's not 15. 4) He's traveled quite a bit. CF fanboys never want to leave Ohio. 5) He's not 15.

So you're not editing out lift hill footage? It's nice that you're branching out, but I hope that you continue to release DVDs in your regular style, which I really like.

There are no seat belts on any of the 4 US B&M hypers. I imagine this pattern will continue as B&M has an excellent safety record.

Yeah, I think I'm going to try to make it out to this. I'm planning to go to Mammoth Cave next month. So, I can just stop by Beech Bend the night before I hit Mammoth. They're only about 30 miles apart, or so. I'm a little concerned about riding in the freezing cold, but oh well.

You say you're not impressed with B&M, and then you list a B&M in your top 5. As for a "variation of the same thing", I can't agree with that. The only thing a hyper and SOB have in common is that they're over 200 feet. That's it. And this proposed B&M is actually taller than SOB. It just has a slightly shorter drop. I think we all know why US parks are hesitant to install Intamin hypers. And look at what Six Flags had to do to the restraints on the S:ROS coasters. Nothing says uncomfortable ride like having a steel bar shoved right into your shins. Anyway, this is going to be the best ride at Kings Island. A real capacity machine because they only have to check the lapbar, no stupid seat belts to worry about. The crowds are going to love it. Well that's because you don't really have a strong point. This ride is going to be an overwhelming success, if they do it. Look at how popular Firehawk was this year. Imagine how the massive crowds that KI brings in are going to react to a world class ride.

Not sure where you're getting this. Have you even been on a B&M hyper? They're insanely smooth floater airtime machines. Are there any airtime machines in Kings Island right now? No. Are there any glass smooth steelies? No. SOB is ***NOTHING*** like a B&M hyper. Just because they're both over 200 feet means very, very little. If Kings Island builds a B&M hyper, it will be the best coaster in the park. I'd trade everything they have in the park now for it actually.