I just spent a week in Reno for a VA conference on patient safety. I am now an expert in patient safety, and am $20 poorer. I also have some new ideas about < Inside, Professor? In line with my day job as a med school faculty member (I be a ER doc), I think Alan’s involvement with the US health care system will be a central theme of this movie.

First, some more about Reno.

Many think Reno is an adult playground, specializing in vice. This couldn’t be farther from the truth. In fact, Reno is a family vacation paradise.
Many conventions and events take place in Reno. For example, the Lady Luck Tattoo Expo is held in Reno at the Circus, Circus casino. This event features many of the continent’s greatest visual artists, and provide’s an opportunity for parents and children to grow closer as they share design ideas and the hurts-so-good experience of being tattooed. Plus, they share the thrill of competition for one of the many prizes and awards given during the expo.

Life is a stochastic process, and what better way to learn about probability than by gambling? After all, the birth of probability and statistics lies in gambling. And with your own money at stake – it makes everything real. Of course, not everyone is cut out for serious gambling. For one thing, the chain smoking may be challenging for those without prior smoking experience. Similarly, the rate of liquor consumption encouraged by the casino may be difficult to maintain for those who don’t practice regularly (although, strictly speaking, you needn’t be fully conscious to lose money).

Prostitution is legal in Nevada, and there are a slew of brothels within easy reach of your casino. What better way to introduce the facts of life? These facilities, while expensive, feature regular health inspections and, sometimes, complementary drinks. I’ve heard that some run shuttle buses to the major casinos. If leaving the casino puts you off, you can easily hire an escort (which is technically illegal, but only a misdemeanor). Unlike San Francisco, sex industry workers in Nevada are not unionized.

When you are tired from all this fun (or tapped out), why not enjoy an afternoon shopping? Reno has some of the finest pawn shops on either side of the Rio Grande, and you can find vintage costume jewelry or authentic old power tools, along side a wide gamut of other merchandise. Other than pawn shops, Reno shopping seems mainly limited to casino gift shops, which carry a wide assortment of collectible bric-a-brac. Before you leave, pick up some ashtrays, or a miniature commemorative slot machine, or some personalized dice.

So where does this fit with What’s Inside, Professor? Well, maybe not too much, except as yet another distraction to forward progress.  On the other hand, the conference let me make some new Canadian friends (from the Alberta Cancer Board). That got me thinking, in particular about the choices different societies have made regarding health and wellness, and how a person interacts with that. More concretely, much of Alan’s career has been shaped by the collision between his values and the US health-industrial complex.

Maybe it would be fruitful to compare and contrast with Canada’s single payer system. Hmm…

So you see, Reno has lots to offer. Even for the serious filmmaker. Yeah.