Fall-ing
It has been a weekend to gladden the heart. The weather has remained beautiful but with an early autumnal nip in the air. But I have been struck by beauty and goodness in many ways this weekend. Our landlady and partner came to dinner Friday night, good food and great company, chat and laughter. We talked of cars (...and where to drive them - hey vague Blur lyric misquote). Two offers of help, a loan of a car today and an offer to accompany us on our car hunting expedition. (We have finally given in and recognised that we're going to need one...OK I've finally given in). Their kindness to us has been phenomenal, we are so grateful.
Saturday was lazy and familial. Charlotte invited to a party. Amelia, Evie and I went to the library, the swimming pool, the play park. The centre of Green Lake seems like Bill Bryson's "Amalgam", the understated nobility of the library doubling for the courthouse. Think about home while watching Inspector Lynley and Monty Python on PBS in the evening.
Today dawned colder. We drive to church in the morning. We chat at some length to the early year's co-ordinator, discussing all the usual things, why we are here, how old the girls are etc. Later, the preacher cracks one of the best jokes I have heard in the pulpit - analogising between Colosse and Seattle (both are/were wealthy, diverse and educated). The analogy continued. The source of Colosse's wealth came from having local minerals that gave it the monopoly on the trade in purple dye in the ancient near east. The analogy continued still further, "Well there was somewhere else that could do purple dye too, but they had problems delivering to schedule, so Colosse kind of had the monopoly" (think about it - clue:aviation). He and I spoke leaving the service. I agree to e-mail.
To Evie's party with her desk mate Ruby Rose this afternoon. I chat at length with her parents - charming people clearly proud of their daughter. When I return with Amelia later in the afternoon to pick Evie up, they have an extra party bag for Amelia. Small acts of kindness make the world a happier place. Late afternoon is spent sweeping spent brown leaves from the porch, as the air cools. With the girls in bed, I write up a week's worth of thinking, some to be blogged and some logged, over a glass of Fat Tire, brewed in Colorado at a brewery powered by a wind generator.
There are times when it's worth remembering the everyday blessings. It has been an idyllic weekend
Saturday was lazy and familial. Charlotte invited to a party. Amelia, Evie and I went to the library, the swimming pool, the play park. The centre of Green Lake seems like Bill Bryson's "Amalgam", the understated nobility of the library doubling for the courthouse. Think about home while watching Inspector Lynley and Monty Python on PBS in the evening.
Today dawned colder. We drive to church in the morning. We chat at some length to the early year's co-ordinator, discussing all the usual things, why we are here, how old the girls are etc. Later, the preacher cracks one of the best jokes I have heard in the pulpit - analogising between Colosse and Seattle (both are/were wealthy, diverse and educated). The analogy continued. The source of Colosse's wealth came from having local minerals that gave it the monopoly on the trade in purple dye in the ancient near east. The analogy continued still further, "Well there was somewhere else that could do purple dye too, but they had problems delivering to schedule, so Colosse kind of had the monopoly" (think about it - clue:aviation). He and I spoke leaving the service. I agree to e-mail.
To Evie's party with her desk mate Ruby Rose this afternoon. I chat at length with her parents - charming people clearly proud of their daughter. When I return with Amelia later in the afternoon to pick Evie up, they have an extra party bag for Amelia. Small acts of kindness make the world a happier place. Late afternoon is spent sweeping spent brown leaves from the porch, as the air cools. With the girls in bed, I write up a week's worth of thinking, some to be blogged and some logged, over a glass of Fat Tire, brewed in Colorado at a brewery powered by a wind generator.
There are times when it's worth remembering the everyday blessings. It has been an idyllic weekend
posted by Exiled in mainstream at
7:26 PM
1 Comments:
Apparently, I can't sign in on your work blog, so this is a comment to your posting there.
In the NHS at least, and I suspect in America, one of the reasons for gaming is limited capacity. Then again, however much capacity there was there would be a need to prioritise. The question then is, who should do the prioritising?
Those providing the money don't trust the providers, and in some cases with good reason. Everyone fights for his own corner and some fight for their own pocket-books.
Most systems boil down to a mixture of rules and incentives - or carrot and stick, to put it bluntly.
Understanding what sort of carrot and what sort of stick requires a very good understanding of the intricacies of health care and must involve the particular experts.
NICE falls down because it does not involve the particular experts. It is a committee of generalists listening to a presentation by health economists and statisticians that analyses a presentation by a pharmaceutical company. Token patients and professionals are there, but do not take part in the discussion.
There are broader decisions to make. The proportion of funds to be spent of mental illness, on public health measures, on elderly care (as opposed to cure), on palliative care, is not something that particular experts can decide on, but who can? And in a market based system, these are the very areas that don't have a loud voice.
In broad terms medicine has been very successful over the past 50 years. We are heading towards the day when serious diseases of young people will all have remedies. Increasingly, our wards will be filled with old people whose bodies have worn out.
Even today we are dealing in the main with the consequences of life style choices. We are heading down the pathway towards people bearing the risk for their own lifestyle choices. We already recognise that those engaging in winter sports pay extra for their travel insurance; we tax alcohol and cigarettes. Perhaps we should be taxing chocolate and potato chips.
Government has not taken prevention seriously. Since in every health care system it is the tax-payer who picks up the final tab, government should.
By
Terry Hamblin, at 3:10 AM
Post a Comment
<< Home