Hospital Car Parking
The government seems to change its mind about whether there should be charges for hospital car parking.
In these times of austerity, I believe that it should not be, as obviously this would mean loss of revenue and perhaps cuts in other services.
But we should in fact be creating good systems and alternatives, that remove the need for the parking in the first place.
- I have to go to the West Suffolk Hospital occasionally for my Warfarin test. My driver drops me and then goes and does something else and I phone to be picked up. But a National Anticoagulant Service would avoid that, as I could probably be tested in a pharmacy. How many other people have to go to a hospital for something that could be done by the GP or a local clinic, or even over the phone?
- West Suffolk Hospital has also banned staff car parking.
- Hospitals should also be well served by public transport. I can’t get to either West Suffolk or Addenbrooke’s by public transport. But saying that, last time I went to Addenbrooke’s, I took the train into Cambridge, played real tennis, had lunch and took the bus for an afternoon appointment, after which I was picked up. So sometimes a little thought can remove the need for parking.
- I think too, that many hospitals have been designed so that you are supposed to go there by car.
- We also put new hospitals in the wrong places. Imagine a hospital built by the train station or close to the city centre, so that it was more convenient for everyone.
So if we can cut the number of journeys, then we can reserve the car parking spaces for those that really need them!
Perhaps too, we should make car parking free in the evening for visitors to those in hospital. When I was in Addenbrooke’s, it was the evenings, where I wanted to see someone. But I’d have preferred to be at home, so perhaps hospitals should really concentrate on getting people home or in the community.
It is also a green issue to me. We shouldn’t need to drive to hospital, spewing carbon emissions!
Line-Up the Dinosaurs
It would appear that the TUC’s response to the country’s enormous deficit is to do nothing!
The dinosaurs are saying we need a few strikes to stop the cuts. If there is anything, that will put as back in recession, it’s that, as people won’t be able to get to work and will have difficulty living their lives.
On the other hand, strikes would probably be counter productive, as the general public seem to be very realistic about the need for austerity. I also think that a lot of Union leaders and members know this, so they would actually suggest cuts that are sensible and worthwhile, as it’s better to have a job rather than no job.
Israel’s Crazy Clocks
I am a great believer in that you put the clocks forward in the summer to gain the greatest economic advantage to as many people as possible.
For instance, in the UK, I’d like to see us go to the same time as most of the EU. Not only would it make it easier for business and travel with the continent, but it would also give us longer leisure evenings for a greater period of the year, so perhaps outdoor activities would benefit. Horse racing would be able to stage many more evening meetings, which properly handled might create a lot of new jobs. But there are lots of other examples.
So what are the Israelis doing. They’re moving the date the clocks go back forward to fit in with religious groups, who have a strong hold in the Knesset. According to The Independent, it’s not very popular. Even the Jewish Chronicle reports that Israelis are angry.
In the report in the Jewish Chronicle this is said.
A campaign against the early end to summertime is being spearheaded by Dr Shimon Eckhouse, chairman of Nasdaq-traded medical device company Syneron. He also wants to adopt the EU norm and has collected over 90,000 signatories on a petition.
Starting winter time before the end of October “will shorten quality time that parents have with their children, increase the chance of road accidents and cost the Israeli economy millions of shekels”, he said.
There are estimates that the 48 days between September 12, when Israel changes its clocks, and October 31, when the UK and the rest of Europe change their clocks, will cost Israel £4.6 million in higher electricity consumption.
“The only reason to end summertime early is because it supposedly shortens the fast on Yom Kippur,” Dr Eckhouse added. “This is warped because either way the fast continues for 25 hours. I am a Jew who observes tradition and fasts on Yom Kippur.”
Let’s hope Dr. Eckhouse’s reasoned approach succeeds. If nothing because it is better for global warming.
Traffic News
Lying in my comfortable hotel bed on Friday morning watching the BBC Breakfast program for London, I suddenly realised that I no longer need traffic news, as effectively I can’t drive, so it’s somebody else’s problem!
Will I ever drive again? Perhaps I will and perhaps I won’t!
Areas Worst Placed to Survive the Recession
The BBC has made a list of how areas of the UK can survive the recession.
It would appear that Middlesbrough is at the bottom of the list. And no wonder!
I went there to see Ipswich play their first match of the season and although I enjoyed the visit, I got the impression, that the town was doing little to pull itself up by its bootstraps. I was an occassional tourist and I think that they don’t believe they have anything to offer visitors and that Government must do more to help. As an example, the Tall Ships Race was on at Hartlepool across the river and if I’d known then I’d have stayed another day. But it wasn’t mentioned on either the town or the football club’s website, so I didn’t go! There were no posters either! I suspect that certain football clubs would have got in on the act if it had been local to them, by perhaps introducing some of the foreign sailors before the match. If nothing, it would have been good publicity.
Either they learn to live without subsidy from the rest of the UK, or it will get a lot worse! But how do you wean areas like Middlesbrough off their addiction to subsidy?
If they don’t manage it, then towns like Middlesbrough will suffer the same fate as large parts of the former East Germany. There anybody with skills have moved on and it has got to such a state, that the birth-rate has declined to almost zero, as young women just can’t see any point in bringing up children in such an environment.
Middlesbrough has a lot to offer, but it is doing a very bad job in selling itself to the rest of the UK, except by handing out a begging bowl for more subsidy!
Remember, one man’s subsidy is somebody else’s tax! Certain politician’s will always argue that you can tax the rich, but then many in the higher wealth levels can easily move to other countries to live or work!
Pouring Petrol on the Fire
I know it’s a very small group of religious nutters, who claim to be Christians, but surely staging a burning of the Koran, as reported here is not a sensible thing to do, given all the problems in Afghanisthan.
I don’t hold any candle for religion at all, but going out of your way to annoy someone, who thinks differently than you is never a good idea! Just think of all the problems there used to be between pairs of football teams in the UK, which could easily be ignited by stupid act by someone who had sawdust for a brain.
I also object to the burning of books, as even if you disagree with what they say, they have generally been put together to with care and thought and sometimes they have been crafted by a proper bookbinder.
But then as my father was a proper printer, I’m biased on the last point.
The Elusive Boss of Transocean
The phrase isn’t mine, but it was said on the Radio 5, Wake up to Money program this morning. It has always puzzled me, why BP’s drilling company in the Gulf, didn’t take some of the flak over the Gulf Oil Spill. I can’t even remember seeing him on the News either.
It will be interesting to see who foots the bill in the end, after the lawyers get their teeth into the problem.
The Scandal of Gift Aid
The thinktank, ResPublica estimates that charities are losing £750million in donations because of the antiquated Gift Aid system, run by HMRC. Read about it in The Guardian.
Surely, it is better for charities to spend the money on what they do, rather than spend it on back-office administration.
Self-Repairing Solar Cells
I like this story. It just goes to show that if anything gets the world out of the mess, it will be scientists, engineers and other thinkers, who use science and technology correctly. It will be not be politicians, union leaders or those that believe God is always the solution. These people will just hold back those like the scientists in this story, who might be leading us to salvation from our lack of energy.
A Failed Darwin Award Attempt
I find the Darwin Awards very funny, as they really do celebrate the stupidity of some of the people on the Clapham Omnibus. Here’s how you get an award.
In honor of Charles Darwin, the Darwin Awards commemorate those who improve our gene pool by (accidentally) removing themselves from it. The Award is generally bestowed posthumously.
This guy will surely feature on the site. Probably as a good try.
The Anonymous Widower 