Don't be silly. According to Princeton U. professor and economics Nobel Prize winner Paul Krugman, the NHS is doing wonderfully -- a miracle of modern medicine and technocratic management.
A multi-billion pound IT project started by Labour to link all parts of the NHS is to be abandoned, it will be announced on Thursday.
Ministers will say the ill-fated £11.4 billion National Programme for IT, set up by Labour in 2002, is to be "urgently dismantled" following criticism that it is not value for taxpayers' money.
Following an official review, the "one size fits all" project will be replaced by cheaper regional schemes allowing local health trusts and GPs to develop or buy individual computer systems to suit their needs.
The Coalition's Major Projects Authority, established to review Labour's financial commitments to gauge if they provide value for money, found the scheme was not fit to provide services to the NHS, which has to make about £20bn in savings.
It comes after a damning report from a cross-party committee of MPs concluded the programme had proved "beyond the capacity of the Department of Health to deliver".
"Labour's IT programme let down the NHS and wasted taxpayers' money by imposing a top-down IT system on the local NHS, which didn't fit their needs," Andrew Lansley, the Health Secretary, will say.
And in related news:
NHS hospitals crippled by PFI scheme
Patient care is under threat at more than 60 NHS hospitals which are "on the brink of financial collapse" because of costly private finance initiative schemes, the Health Secretary will warn.
Andrew Lansley says he has been contacted by 22 health service trusts which claim their "clinical and financial stability" is being undermined by the costs of the contracts, which the Labour government used extensively to fund public sector projects.
The Daily Telegraph can disclose that the trusts in jeopardy include Barts and the London, Oxford Radcliffe, North Bristol, St Helens and Knowsley, and Portsmouth.
Between them the trusts run more than 60 hospitals which care for 12 million patients.
Under the PFI deals, a private contractor builds a hospital or school. It owns the building for up to 35 years, and during this period the public sector must pay interest and repay the cost of construction, as well as paying the contractor to maintain the building.
However, the total cost of the deals is often far more than the value of the assets. As a result, Mr Lansley says, the 22 trusts "cannot afford" to pay for their schemes, which in total are worth more than £5.4 billion, because the required payments have risen sharply in the wake of the recession.
"...In Britain, the government itself runs the hospitals and employs the doctors. Weve all heard scare stories about how that works in practice; these stories are false...."
Posted by: Lord Garth ||
09/22/2011 8:56 Comments ||
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#2
This has to be a scam, a government sponsored ripoff. No way in hell can a legitimate IT project cost that much and take so long to complete. Did they ever hear of the Internet? Even a private TCP/IP network would be cheaper. You get a bunch of servers, install Linux operating system and Oracle database and there you go. Eleven million pounds, tops. Even that would probably be too high. These people cannot possibly be that stupid.
Posted by: Abu Uluque ||
09/22/2011 11:43 Comments ||
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#3
Dear Abu boo. After 30+ years in IT, the last 15 as a consultant this is all too common.
I consulted at big businesses that KNEW they were getting ripped off (I told them so) chapter and verse BUT the internal politics of the situation were such that nothing could be stopped. Everyone is out to protect, and grow, their own little piece of turf it is really mind boggling. If something is wrong throw more resources at it. On one trip to GM we found 5 different consulting companies involved. A couple of which were "hired" by another consulting company. Each contract was overseen by it's own senior manager and in house bureaucracy. Probably 30 hrs a week was spent in meetings trying to work out differences.
Worked at a Naval site and you wouldn't believe the waste in the IT area of the DoD. Every Admiral, General and bureaucrat had (in their own minds) their own requirements for unique solutions that everyone else was supposed to cater for. God awful all day every day.
#4
California's Departments of Motor Vehicles, Child Support Enforcement, Social Services (welfare divisions), Courts and God know who else could all tell you stories. Government IT cluster fornications historically are like glaciers in Antarctica -- they're unstoppable until they drop into the sea and melt of their own accord.
#5
They way I understand it they had it broken down into regions (as I recall 8 of them) and each region could be handled by a different company and different sets of bureaucratic knots..
Probably very much like the situation you described AlanC - except you have 8 different sets of providers - 8 different [and of course incompatable] designs and sets of interfaces.
Attempts by central banks on both sides of the Atlantic to reignite faltering economic recoveries left stock markets underwhelmed on Wednesday.
The US Federal Reserve announced "Operation Twist", which will see the central bank buy $400bn of government bonds with longer maturities and sell the same amount of shorter maturities. Hours earlier, the Bank of England delivered its clearest signal yet that it is poised to restart quantitative easing.
But with both the Fed and the Bank of England having already deployed much of their ammunition since the crisis started, investors focused on the deteriorating outlook that's forcing the fresh stimulus. The FTSE 100 closed down 75.2 points at 5,288.41, while the S&P 500 endured its worst day in a month, closing down 2.9pc at 1,166,76. The Dow Jones Industrial Average fell 2.5pc to 11,124.80.
Minutes of September's meeting of the Bank's Monetary Policy Committee (MPC) showed the MPC believes the growth outlook has weakened to such an extent that the risks to inflation have "clearly increased" to the downside and that further stimulus would be needed.
#1
The US Federal Reserve announced "Operation Twist", which will see the central bank buy $400bn of government bonds with longer maturities and sell the same amount of shorter maturities.
#3
A friend said: Gov revenues are never linked to gov success ... I'm not even sure there's any such thing as a gov "success". Gov revenues NEVER create revenues ... revenues only come through taxes, fees, bonds, or other generation. As such ALL gov spending (including anything spent on research) is never more than tangentially based on business wisdom or business success. ... Solyndra comes to mind, or perhaps Lightsquared. In the case of Lightsquared I recall my own conviction that Iridium never made any business sense, nor the 10 year ago talk of Cellestri (which I recall of as being pretty much what became Lightsquared turned out to be). When I think of what role gov played in these 2 endeavors (Solyndra & Lightsquared) it pretty much revolved around granting of gov revenues and bestowing FCC favor, neither of which were likely decided upon anything resembling business merit.
So if it can't show business sense or merit or make a case for something... how can government do anything with financial merit?
Posted by: Water Modem ||
09/22/2011 12:54 Comments ||
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The U.S. House of Representatives unexpectedly defeated a bill that would fund the federal government past September 30 on Wednesday as dozens of Republicans broke with their party to push for deeper spending cuts.
The measure failed by a vote of 195 to 230, with 48 of the chamber's most conservative Republicans joining Democrats in opposition.
It was an embarrassment for House Republican leaders who have at times struggled to rein in rank-and-file conservatives.
The surprise outcome could further rattle consumers and investors who have been unnerved by the high-stakes budget battle that has played out in Washington this year. Congress pushed the government to the brink of a shutdown in April and the edge of default in August.
Republican leaders said they would figure out a way to pass the spending bill and avoid a government shutdown that would affect everything from national parks to scientific research.
Republican leaders got little help from Democrats, who objected to a $1.5 billion cut to an electric vehicle loan program. Republicans included the cut to offset the cost of increased disaster aid. Republicans might remove that cut to pick up Democratic support, an aide said -- an action that could further alienate conservatives. That would be a big victory for Democrats, who want to double the amount of disaster aid in the bill and ensure that it is not paired with further spending cuts.
#3
Why the fuck is a earmark for electric car loans in a disaster bill? How much other worthless pork is in this piece of crap? Thank you republicans for killing this one.
#4
These bills are funding at the Feds at current levels, including planned increases (indexing). At the very, very, very least we should suspend indexing so that the amount of spending stops going up automatically.
#5
Sen. Mary Landrieu (D-La.), who appeared alongside Reid at a press conference, insisted the House GOP approach was "inadequate" and "wholly unprecedented" for requiring immediate offsets to pay for the disaster funding. "We will eventually pay for it, but we can argue about that later," she said.
Posted by: Deacon Blues ||
09/22/2011 12:47 Comments ||
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#6
"We will eventually pay for it, but we can argue about that later," she said.
Have you ever seen a statement that so indicts the DC mindset and explains the economic disaster??
Bobby McFerrin lives!!! (Don't worry be happy now)
Here's what PTSD is like, and why people kill themselves over it. Think of life like a cave. If I send you into a cave with a lantern and tell you there are no bears in the cave, you feel safe. You will walk around the cave and enjoy yourself. Now what if I give you a lantern and a gun and tell you that there is a bear in there? You can still go down, but you'll be careful to look for the bear and ready to run or shoot if you see it. Now, what if I send you down there with a gun but no lantern and simply say "bear" to you? Pretty soon, you're in there, you can't see the way out, and every rock you bump into feels like a bear. After a long enough time being down in the cave, you realize you don't have enough ammo to shoot everything that might be a bear. It has nothing to do with running out of food or water or feeling like you're fighting some unwinnable battle with the bear. You just get sick and tired of the uncertainty. Are you going to live through the night? Are you going to wake up to a bear gnawing your intestines? You get to the point where you just wish the bear would come along and end it. And when he doesn't come, you decide to do it yourself.
Suicide isn't a surrender, it's a reassertion of power. These guys' lives have spun out of control, and the decision over whether they live or die is the last thing they have the power to determine. Think about it. You ever met a Soldier that wasn't a "take charge kind of guy?" That's my warning bell. I've seen lots of "cries for help" where a guy said "life is meaningless." I don't put much stock in those. But when he says "life is scary"? That's the guy that's going to do it. Read the whole thing. I have no words. I want to say something supportive but I'll just come off like a civilian ass, which is what I am.
#1
Armies been dealing with PTSD for a long time. The formula haven't changed since the Trojan war: get drunk, when get laid (and you can skip the drink if the prospective lay is presentable).
#2
it is because of my ignorance that i always just tried to quietly be there... thanks for posting.
Posted by: abu do you love ||
09/22/2011 6:02 Comments ||
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#3
Grom you missed out the solace found among the brothers and sisters that went through it too and the, now defunct, major ritualistic practices of the society/tribe that cleansed and gave absolution for the experience. They've outlawed your two traditions and have reduced the latter point to visits to councilors who hand out psychotropic drugs and a corner in some veterans administration cubby hole of their compartmentalized society.
#4
One proven drug that helps many cases of PTSD is marijuana. This makes sense because as is known by many serious marijuana users, it is superb for making a user "not care".
For a normal person, this is actually an effective way of persuading them to *not* use marijuana, because they will become indifferent to doing what they need to do to succeed, be it study in school, ambitiously work at work, actively court members of the opposite sex, and other things associated with "positive stress".
However, for someone with PTSD, they need to break out of the "positive stress cycle". That is, if somebody tells them to go bear hunting in the cave, they just say "no". No reason in the world for them to do that.
If they are forced to go into the cave anyway, they just find a corner and plop down with their rifle. No reason in the world to go bear hunting. Let the bear come to them. (Which is not a bad technique, if you think about it.)
Eventually they break out of the "positive stress cycle", so normalize. Often they will just spontaneously stop smoking marijuana, because after a break, they are now able to rebuild some "positive stress", but at a lower, civilian level.
#6
Marijuana is a major benefit for PTSD because you don't dream as much or as vividly. There are plenty of ex weed smokers who have stated once they quit they started dreaming again.
I agree with Besoeker on the sex part. Facts are that the intimate companionship of women calm men down significantly. Note these seldom laid (if ever) whackos: Tim McVeigh, the Unabomber, Giffords would be assassin, and the Norway mass murderer.
#7
Soldier suicide, who does it? Generally not the females.Anyone care to venture a guess as to WHY they seldom do?
We still have a significant amount. It's that they are a smaller percentage of the population, they don't tend to be as successful, and theirs are not so... dramatic.
#10
P2k, to be candid, I don't believe in PTSD---I think it's all these Vietnam War movies.
Not an opinion, g(rom), PTSD affects more than war vets--its an official diagnosis of many victims of violence. I also think this is an excellent description of PTSD and loss of control they perceive, I would suggest some are more susceptible to it not only because of the intensity of conflict but to temperament and world view. Some people are focused, with controlled strength and confidence, accepting God is in control of their lives (and circumstances) and taking a lot of uncertainty our of life. Death is a real possibility but with a promis of eternity, it looks a hell of a lot better than the life they are living. But those who don't have that focus, knowing who they are and where they are going, spin apart when in the centrifuge of uncertainty and react unpredictably. Kids raised in violent barrios and ghettos come to mind--I say kids but gang members tend to have a short lifespan, with 35 being old. Gangs offer the only consistent security they know--babies and children need routine and consistency to grow but chaotic homelife produces a out-of-control child. Or kids in Somalian and Palestinian refugee camps...I might consider being a suicide boomer and going to Paradise, too. They have no other hope of circumstances changing. Also, during Viet Nam, the draft took those without a college deferment and the 60's were chaotic times. Way too many clueless 18 year olds crawling through the jungles so I suspect there should be significantly more PTSD from vets from that era than current ones.
#11
Moshe Dayan at one stage was a correspondent for a newspaper on assignment in Vietnam. He used to accompany patrols on duty. What he found unbelievable was the tactics employed.Engagements were basically a series of ambushes. 80% of ambushes were Viet Cong initiated. Now if I were in a situation where the odds were against me 80% of the time I think my anxiety levels would be in a permanent positive mode.
#12
FWIW- LE's comment tracks my indirect experience.
I have been part of discussions with the psychs who have been treating PTSD sufferers in NYC from 9/11. My technical knowledge of the psychological side is minimal, but the 'grand theme' of all of them was that PTSD results from a 'bad foundation' ... what LE called 'temperament and world view.' Basically a lot of people in the WTC went through hell, but returned to normal- based on their psychic bedrock, if you will. A minority however, though the had done fine in life and were successful on the outside, had foundations that were brittle (out of control childhood homes, etc.) and couldn't 'equalize' the experience.
My contribution is an old saying: "If you're hysterical, it's historical."
#13
I was a second lieutenant company commander of an infantry rifle company. The stress and responsibility of the duty turned me into a blithering quivering mess that would slink into the Battalion Commander's tent and beg for relief.
He said I was a fine officer and doing very well. He said that I needed was "a fifth of whiskey and a lewd woman...of course, if the woman is lewd enough you don't need no whiskey."
Posted by: Bill Clinton ||
09/22/2011 23:32 Comments ||
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Ingenuity, $50 million of Sikorskys money, six years, stolen parts, endless bananas, a foot, and 12 trashed egos combined to push helicopter technology past a barrier that begins around 150 to 160 knots true airspeed, a barrier that had stood for 60 years. Sikorskys X2 exceeded that speed by 100 knots, kicked past the barrier by a propeller on its tail designed like one used in the Reno air races. It all started because someone told Sikorsky engineer Steve Weiner it couldnt be done. Make a note: Never say cant to Steve.
His team built the single-seat X2 technology demonstrator, tested it in subzero temperatures of New York, and broke the record in the steamy haze that Floridians call air. Sikorsky owns Schweitzer Aircraft in Horseheads, New York, where the X2 was built, and bases its Sikorsky Innovations group in the wetlands northwest of Palm Beach Gardens, Florida. Mosquitoes and swamp fleas are constant companions, and alligators slide under workers cars for a snooze. Check before driving.
At the time of the X2s final planned flight on July 14, it had gone 253 knots true airspeed in level flight (in 2010), 263 in a one-degree descent, and might have gone 280 to 290 knots with an aerodynamic fairing between the two rotors (now a new barrier emerges300 knots).
The goal was 250 knots, and Sikorsky decided to stop the testswhich achieved success in only 17 flights, and won the 2010 Collier trophyand put the technology to practical use in an upcoming Raider helicopter for the U.S. Army. Intended cruise speed, especially with external weapons mounted, is 210 to 220 knots. The Raider happens to be the perfect size for an executive transport helicopter.
From the 'You just can't make this sh*t up if you tried (and were paid to) department....
NORFOLK, Va. (AP) - People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals (Now to be know as Pornographers for the Ethical Treatment of Animals)
is planning to launch a pornographic website to promote its animal rights and vegan diet message, a move that critics say will backfire and ostracize them from mainstream society.
PETA spokeswoman Lindsay Rajt said in a telephone interview from Los Angeles on Tuesday that the group has applied with ICM Registry to launch the website peta.xxx.
Rajt says the site will feature "tantalizing" videos and photographs, which will lead viewers into animal rights messages. She noted that Norfolk-based PETA has used porn stars and nudity to get its message across in the past, including an annual speech online in which a PETA representative undresses. That video later shares a message about slaughterhouses. So, all-in-all this isn't that big of a leap for them...
She says a pornographic site will allow PETA to reach a broader audience and that publicity about the site is just as important.
Rajt said PETA officials would track the website to determine if people are viewing the animal rights messages and not just the nudity. Past experience has shown that they will, she said.
J. Justin Wilson, senior research analyst for the food-industry backed Center for Consumer Freedom, said moves like this by PETA make them increasingly irrelevant in mainstream society. Ya think?
"They don't seem to be changing the debate anymore, I think in large part because people are writing them off as whack jobs," he said from Washington. "This is one more example of them being their own worst enemy. If they're trying to win the hearts and minds of people considering being vegetarians, this is probably the wrong way to do it."
The Virginian-Pilot in Norfolk, Va. first reported PETA's plans. PETA - People Eating Tasty __________
#1
The longer they stay around, the more PETA looks like a long-running prank. Then again, considering their treatment of animals at their Norfolk shelter, it's a pretty sick prank.
Posted by: European Conservative ||
09/22/2011 19:17 Comments ||
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#4
EC wins the thread! :-D
Posted by: Barbara ||
09/22/2011 19:48 Comments ||
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#5
Nekkid animals? That sounds kinda hot! Hey, come on! The zoos are full of them. And yeah, if anybody was to make this up, I'd be the first to tell them it's stupid.
A multi-volume chronology and reference guide set detailing three years of the Mexican Drug War between 2010 and 2012.
Rantburg.com and borderlandbeat.com correspondent and author Chris Covert presents his first non-fiction work detailing
the drug and gang related violence in Mexico.
Chris gives us Mexican press dispatches of drug and gang war violence
over three years, presented in a multi volume set intended to chronicle the death, violence and mayhem which has
dominated Mexico for six years.
Rantburg was assembled from recycled algorithms in the United States of America. No
trees were destroyed in the production of this weblog. We did hurt some, though. Sorry.
ent....
