Thursday, July 15, 2010


The Brits have always been good at propaganda (even Hitler admired it) but this is rich indeed

The so-called "Liverpool pathway" used on the very ill elderly in Britain is nothing short of State-sanctioned murder in many instances. Britain is the last place I would want to be if I were very ill and elderly

BRITAIN leads the world in the quality of care it provides for the dying, leaving many developed nations lagging a long way behind, according to a study released overnight.

State support for end-of-life care and an effective network of hospices put Britain top of the list of 40 countries, despite not having the best healthcare system overall, said a report by the Economist Intelligence Unit (EIU).

Researchers looked at factors including public awareness, availability of training and access to pain killers and doctor-patient transparency to compile the "quality of death" index.

Australia ranked second on the global list followed by New Zealand and Ireland, with Germany, the US and Canada also featuring in the top 10.

Many rich nations were in the bottom half of the list, including Denmark (22nd) and Finland (28th). India scored worst at number 40, with Portugal, South Korea and Russia also in the bottom 10.

In the worst cases, the study found the quality and availability of care was often poor and policy co-ordination was lacking.

It said "few nations, including rich ones with cutting-edge healthcare systems" incorporate end-of-life care strategies into their overall healthcare policy.

In many of these countries, increasing longevity and ageing populations mean demand for end-of-life care "is likely to rise sharply", said the study.

Falling birth rates, especially in developed countries, are likely to complicate the situation and, for the first time in history, the number of people over 65 will outnumber children under five years old, it said.

"For the end-of-life care community, this presents a new and complex set of problems," the report said.

It also found the availability of pain-killing drugs, rated in the report as the most important practical issue in the standard of palliative care, was "woefully inadequate across much of the world".

This is mainly due to concerns about the drugs' illicit use and trafficking, and a lack of training among medical personnel on how to administer them.

"The result of this state of affairs is an incalculable surfeit of suffering, not just for those about to die but also for their loved ones," the study said....

Researchers interviewed doctors, specialists and other experts across the 40 countries listed, including 30 nations within the Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD) and 10 others for which data was available.

SOURCE





Jerusalem’s NOT dark and Satanic says Church of England

I am delighted to hear this. Its theology is absurd but I just LOVE that hymn. Blake's words are pure magic and the Parry setting is uplifting too.



The hymn’s rousing tone has inspired millions, from rugby supporters to the Women’s Institute – but their enthusiasm has not always been shared by the Church of England clergy.

The CofE leadership has now urged ministers to stop banning Jerusalem from weddings for being un-Christian and ‘too nationalistic’.

The Rev Peter Moger, the CofE’s national worship development officer, said William Blake’s much-criticised lyrics can be used a springboard to explore deeper theological themes.

But he may have a hard time persuading many of the clergy. Their objections include that the hymn’s opening lines ‘And did those feet in ancient time/Walk upon England’s mountains green’ are inspired by the apocryphal story that a young Jesus visited Glastonbury in Somerset.

Donald Allister, now the Bishop of Peterborough, has complained: ‘What it is actually saying is, “Wouldn’t it be nice if Jesus lived in England?” Yet we all know he did not, so it is just nonsense.’ Other ministers have complained that references to bows, arrows and spears are ‘too militaristic’ and not suitable for worship.

The parish church of Parliament, St Margaret’s in Westminster, once refused to allow the hymn because the contrasting of ‘dark satanic mills’ with ‘green and pleasant land’ could alienate city-dwellers. The final verse, which describes striving to build Jerusalem in England, has also been branded ‘too nationalistic’.

Victoria Williams and Stuart Turton were prevented from having Jerusalem played at their wedding at Cheadle Church in Stockport in August 2001 because the vicar objected to it.

Mr Moger said: ‘It is possible to respond to a couple wishing to include Jerusalem in their marriage service in one of two ways: negatively, ‘banning’ the hymn, as some have done, or positively, including it, and using it as a helpful springboard from which to explore themes during the address.’ He gave a discussion of how Jesus would react to modern Britain as one possible theme.

The words to Jerusalem were written as a poem by Blake in 1804 and transformed into a hymn by Sir Hubert Parry in 1916.

SOURCE





How British taxpayers' money is STILL being wasted on pointless PC jobs

From trampoline experts to walking advisers - hundreds of public sector non-jobs are advertised by councils every day, despite warnings that budgets may have to be slashed by as much as 40 per cent to tackle our huge deficit.

The out-of-control hiring spree that continues shows the enormity of the challenge the coalition Government faces in its attempts to rein in Britain’s growing debt.

When Labour came to power in 1997, state spending accounted for 40 per cent of Britain’s economy. Thirteen years later, they left a country in which that figure had risen to 52 per cent and the bloated public sector increased by almost another one million employees.

That army of new workers has fuelled the rise of the notorious non-job: hugely generous public sector wage packets for an often incomprehensible work description.

Alarmingly for David Cameron, the hiring spree is not only a feature of Labour-run councils, but exists in Conservative-controlled local authorities as well.

Nationwide, non-jobs being advertised include an artist-in-residence in an area that is already one of Britain’s cultural hotspots; a ‘weekend explainer’, whose job description specifically stipulates that the chosen candidate must be available for birthday parties; and a dance co-ordinator responsible for expanding the local authority’s ‘dance infrastructure’.

Walking coordinator

'Organising recreational walks’ is something most people do without assistance, but Islington Council has turned it into a permanent position. The successful applicant will ‘be key in ensuring this scheme continues to thrive by developing new walks, working with partners and supporting and recruiting a team of volunteer walk leaders’.

Happily for the unenergetic, the prospective walking co-ordinator can fulfil their responsibilities from their desk. Islington is Labour-controlled and council tax most recently averaged £1,184 annually.

carbon partnership officer

A green non-job, the new worker will ‘enthuse partners to develop their own action plans which collectively will drive down our carbon footprint’. Prospective candidates ‘are likely to be educated to degree level but equally important is your ability to work collaboratively and confidently with partners, other stakeholders

Not content with creating non-jobs within Britain, the public service is doing so abroad as well.

Our man in Bangkok will soon be provided with his own climate change officer, whose chief responsibility will be ‘developing a strategy to support a low-carbon, high-growth economy in Thailand’.

community engagement apprentice

Adding yet another layer of bureaucracy, the new community engagement staffer will ensure that ‘local people come together to discuss how to improve their area’. To do this, the advertisement says the new apprentice should, among other things, ‘find out what is happening in the area and meet new people’. Lewisham Council is controlled by Labour and council tax averages £1,054 a year.

trampoline coach

Sought for their skill at trampoline instruction, this new youth officer nonetheless faces demanding requirements. The council specifies ‘global and environmental issues’ among its preferred skills.

Much more HERE




Why Can't Satanists Get Perks Like Muslims?

Since Islam is officially protected and even promoted by our rulers in the name of political correctness, why not Satanism?
Irving Davis, who was convicted of raping and killing a 15-year-old girl, asked to have his death sentence thrown out, alleging he was discriminated against because he practices Satanism. …

Defence lawyer Ruben Morales said the judges and prosecutors were criminalizing Davis' beliefs and violating his right to religious expression.

"The state's attempt to place (Davis) in a bad light with the jury was nothing less than a 'witch hunt.' This is precisely the risk that society runs when it attempts to distinguish between good and bad religions," he said in legal briefs.

The prosecution says that defense doesn't hold water if one's religion condones murder and other illegal acts.

Tell that to the Justice Department. On its staff are lawyers who have worked pro bono for terrorists inspired to commit mass murder by Islam.

Previously, Davis had "complained about being denied a gong, candles, chalice, black robes and a vial of blood while in prison." He's got a valid beef; the maniacs vacationing at Club Gitmo get free Korans and prayer rugs.

SOURCE

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Political correctness is most pervasive in universities and colleges but I rarely report the incidents concerned here as I have a separate blog for educational matters.

American "liberals" often deny being Leftists and say that they are very different from the Communist rulers of other countries. The only real difference, however, is how much power they have. In America, their power is limited by democracy. To see what they WOULD be like with more power, look at where they ARE already very powerful: in America's educational system -- particularly in the universities and colleges. They show there the same respect for free-speech and political diversity that Stalin did: None. So look to the colleges to see what the whole country would be like if "liberals" had their way. It would be a dictatorship.

For more postings from me, see TONGUE-TIED, GREENIE WATCH, EDUCATION WATCH INTERNATIONAL, FOOD & HEALTH SKEPTIC, GUN WATCH, AUSTRALIAN POLITICS, DISSECTING LEFTISM, IMMIGRATION WATCH INTERNATIONAL and EYE ON BRITAIN (Note that EYE ON BRITAIN has regular posts on the reality of socialized medicine). My Home Pages are here or here or here or Email me (John Ray) here. For readers in China or for times when blogger.com is playing up, there is a mirror of this site here.

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