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Because clearly, with my 11 regular readers, I can bump their listenership by at least .000001%. As much as I plug them here (OK, I think I've done it three times now) I should be on the payroll.

And then there's Ira and This American Life. A show that deserves it's own station, as opposed to just an hour a week (How he can possibly live with himself for not having me on by now is beyond me, but there it is.)

This post, however, is not about Ira.

Today I'm plugging another show. And I won't threaten to take my clothes off, either, so you can rest easy.

Say you: Thank God for small favors.

Say me: I do what I can.

Last night I was listening to Fresh Air on my way to work (if you're at all familiar with the show, I KNOW you just said to yourself: "I'm Terry Gross. And this is Fresh Air"). The second part of the show, a show with a medical theme, featured a doctor who treats homeless people on the streets.

You read that right.

He began doing this about fifteen years ago on his own accord. He just went out on the streets one evening and began treating the homeless for all kinds of illnesses and injuries. He works for a hospital affiliated with the University of Pittsburgh medical school--the same employer he had back then. He said for the first nine months he didn't tell the hospital what he was doing because he wasn't sure how well it would go over. He did, however, steal supplies from said hospital so he could properly do his "job." (Way to stick it to man, doc!) He obviously came clean with his employer and now his practice is an entire program, one of the first in the nation, completely staffed with former homeless people, medical students, nurses, case managers, plus an official affiliation with his hospital.

How cool is that?

And how refreshing. (You know: Fresh. Air.) A doctor who actually believes that the homeless not only have a right to medical care, but firmly believes that his patients, reguardless of their economic status, should be treated with dignity and respect. As opposed to contempt.

You can listen to the seventeen minute story here. The website for the program is here. Information about a short documentary on the program is here. ->