Early Risers.

[polybear]

1 hour ago, Dave Hunt said:

On March 12 I rang my GP practice because my sciatica has got much worse and is often debilitating until well into the afternoon as well as my lower back giving much trouble. I managed to speak to a locum on March 17 who decided that I need to see a musculoskeletal consultant and said he would refer me to the hospital I requested. By 21 May I had heard nothing so I rang the GP practice again and after nearly an hour managed to speak to a receptionist who said that I would have to ring a referral booking centre and gave me a phone number. I also asked her for a GP appointment to discuss pain control and the best she could offer was a telephone call on June 13, which I took. I rang the referral booking centre over fifty times but simply got a recorded message saying, "This system is busy, please try again later." I therefore emailed them and received a reply the same day to say that it was not a matter for their attention but I needed to speak to the musculoskeletal referral centre instead. That I was given this incorrect information by the GP practice receptionist is, I think, indicative of the incompetence/indifference they seem nowadays to display. After more fruitless attempts at a phone call I then emailed the musculoskeletal referral centre and after two days received a reply to say that they had my GP's request for a routine appointment and when one became available they would contact me. No thought of acknowledging the referral or anything resembling patient care. I will therefore get to speak to a GP again next Tuesday after over three weeks wait and will let him or her know how I regard the treatment I am (not) receiving. At this rate I can see me biting the bullet and ringing the hospital directly to try for a private consultation, which I suppose is what they actually want.  

 

Dave

 

That is truly appalling.

VSBT's

[Ozexpatriate]

1 hour ago, PhilJ W said:

Talking of the casualties of the two world wars no apparent mention has been made of the far east or indeed of Asia. In WW1 India supplied men for the labour battalions (as did the West Indies) but no mention has been made of their casualties. Since few were sent near the front lines the casualties would have been lower.

My comments didn't refer to WW2 (other than a brief mention of North Africa where Indian troops fought in Second El Alamein.)

 

In WW1, the "British" Indian army was deployed to fight in Mesopotamia (what is now Iraq), Basra being one of their first objectives. They would do this again in WW2. There were 85,200 "battle casualties" from "combined" Empire forces - most of whom I assume to be Indian.

 

In 1941 the "British" Indian Army (like the Australian Army) was deployed in North Africa and Singapore. Like the Australians, a large portion of Indians then under arms surrendered at Singapore in early 1942*. Additionally the Indian Army was deployed to Iraq in April of 1941 though the fighting there was much less intense. Most significantly the Indian Army fought the Japanese in heavy fighting in Burma - the theatre closest to their homeland (which we had discussed before).

 

* Fall of Singapore

Quote

During the 70-day campaign in Malaya and Singapore, total Commonwealth casualties amounted to 8,708 killed or wounded and 130,000 captured (38,496 United Kingdom, 18,490 Australian of whom 1,789 were killed and 1,306 wounded, 67,340 Indian and 14,382 local volunteer troops), against 9,824 Japanese casualties.

The arithmetic in this paragraph is hard to fathom, but over 50% of the troops surrendering at Singapore were Indian.

 

After being interned, against the backdrop of the independence movement at home, the Japanese would 'convince'** some ~30,000 of the Indian POWs to join the Indian National Army to fight Allied troops on behalf of the Empire of Japan.

 

** Those who did not accept this offer were tortured - there are allegations that some of them were eaten and used as live targets by the Japanese. (I can't calibrate the veracity of this report.) Many of them were shipped to camps in New Guinea and Melanesia. We all know of the privations of British and Australian POWs of the Japanese, but few hear about how horribly the Indian POWs were treated. 

 

Here is an article (from the Australian War Memorial, which I skimmed) covering their treatment.

 

Edited June 7, 2023 by Ozexpatriate
Fixed link

[PhilJ W]

Goodnight all.

[Tony_S]

15 minutes ago, Ozexpatriate said:

Additionally the Indian Army was deployed to Iraq in April of 1941 

and later in the Italian Campaign. 

[pH]

1 hour ago, PhilJ W said:

Talking of the casualties of the two world wars no apparent mention has been made of the far east or indeed of Asia. In WW1 India supplied men for the labour battalions (as did the West Indies) but no mention has been made of their casualties. Since few were sent near the front lines the casualties would have been lower.

 

12 minutes ago, Ozexpatriate said:

In WW1, the "British" Indian army was deployed to fight in Mesopotamia (what is now Iraq), Basra being one of their first objectives. 

There were combat units of the Indian Army engaged on the Western Front. Among the batteries supporting the Canadian assault on Vimy Ridge were the Lahore heavy artillery, manned by Sikhs.

[Ozexpatriate]

An often overlooked theatre in the Great War was the Italian / Austro-Hungarian front. More than 1,000,000 soldiers would die there during the war.

 

Much of the fighting in what is now Slovenia (along the Isonzo River) was (like much of the Great War) nasty and mountainous conditions made it that much worse.

[woodenhead]

1 hour ago, Compound2632 said:

 

So what would you say is the root cause?

What he said:

1 hour ago, skipepsi said:

Shortage of humans willing to be GPs on the terms and conditions offered by the government of the day allied to a failure to train more doctors and an expanding population?

 

[TheSignalEngineer]

1 hour ago, PhilJ W said:

In WW1 India supplied men for the labour battalions (as did the West Indies) but no mention has been made of their casualties.

Apparently 74000 Indians were killed in WW1 https://www.indiablooms.com/life-details/F/6232/a-french-town-remembers-74-000-indian-soldiers-who-died-in-world-war-i.html. They were in fighting units as well as labour battalions

Just over 30 years ago we retraced where some of the family had been involved in WW1 and WW2. My grandfather's first battle as a 16 year old was in March 1915 alongside Indian troops at Neuve Chapelle where many were based. He had a great respect for the way that they both took part in attacks and worked to maintain and defend supply lines to the front. We visited  a memorial there to the 4,700-plus who have no known grave.

In May 1915, still 16 years old, he was wounded at Aubers Ridge. His battalion took 654 casualties that day, one of the highest for a single unit on a day in WW1. In the same action the Indian Meerut Brigade took over 2600 casualties.

[Ozexpatriate]

8 minutes ago, TheSignalEngineer said:

Apparently 74000 Indians were killed in WW1

Congruent with the Wikipedia WW1 Casualties page which lists Indian military deaths in the Great War in the range of 64,449 to 73,905.

[iL Dottore]

What’s really appalling about WWI is that it was totally unnecessary and totally avoidable (according to how I read some historians’ accounts). Had it not been for the various nations honouring the alliances that, I would argue, were only designed to be a warning to - and put pressure on - other alliances; the assassination of Archduke Ferdinand would have been just another historical footnote.

 

None of the countries that were drawn into the conflict actually needed to be involved to protect themselves (even Russia - whose guarantees to Serbia started the avalanche) and, as we have seen throughout history, alliances have been ignored, dissolved or have fallen apart when one or more of the countries involved felt it was no longer in their interest. However, the politicians who could have reigned back on the jingoism and fervent nationalism chose not to do so (presumably for internal political reasons).

 

I can’t remember where I read it, but there was a comparison made of the national mood at the start of WWI versus that at the start of WWII. It pointed out that - broadly speaking - in 1914 it was all “Hurrah, Hurrah, We’re off to give the Hun a bloody nose” whilst in 1939 it was “Oh **** not again. But someone has to stop that mad man Hitler”.
 

Would it have been a disaster for Europe if the Allies hadn’t “taken on” the Central Powers in WWI? Probably not.  Would it have been a disaster for Europe if the Allies hadn’t fought the Axis powers in WWII? Definitely (and then some).

[iL Dottore]

8 hours ago, Ozexpatriate said:

Handbags at dawn then? 😉

Nothing so wimpy.

 

Sauté pans at dawn! (If you’ve ever dropped a professional grade sauté pan on your foot [as I have done - fortunately not one in use] you’d have some inkling of the damage it could inflict when swung with force and anger).

[iL Dottore]

9 hours ago, polybear said:

…"Hello, Bear here - can I have an appointment please?"

"Hello Bear - can I ask what the problem is?"

"I've gone right off Cake - all Cake, even LDC.  Just the sight of it makes me wanna Chuck - but other food is fine though"

"Hmmm" thinks Checkpoint Charlene - "My little checklist suggests that's nothing serious and any Bear with such symptoms should know that it means that the little orange pills are working”

There, I fixed the medical inaccuracies for you….

[Barry O]

8 hours ago, Compound2632 said:

 

So what would you say is the root cause?

GPs "living the dream"???

Baz

[TheQ]

The Worstead Guild of Weavers, Spinners & Dyers host their Woolly Weekend again,, Offering you the chance to see their crafts up close, meet the animals that provide the wool, buy gifts, have a go. Refreshments and entertainment also on hand. 10-11 June 2023 10:00 to 16:00 at;

Weavers Workshop,

The Street, Dilham, Norfolk

NR28 9PT

That's just a hundred yards up from the Cross Keys pub, on the playing fields.

 

Meanwhile I will be repairing a pre 1932 loom and dog sitting at home.

 

Mooring Awl,

3.5 hours sleep, pink pill, 4 hours sleep, I needed that.

 

Indications of brightness through the curtains,  maybe the great fried egg will show itself. It didn't yesterday.

Ben the sleeping Collie has yet to awake, ten minutes and I'll be up and about first.

 

Various bits and pieces arrived yesterday from the house of strong ladies all for the loom, Amazon excelled themselves by delivering 4 packages on two deliveries. The managed to deliver 4 identical bearings in two separate parcels.

 

Main task today is on the loom, is to open out the pivot holes for the beater bar, the holes are a bit worn after 91 years ish, a self lubricating bearing will be inserted, and new bolt, washers and self locking nut fitted.

There will be a bone fire a few yards away, I can't put it off any longer.

 

Time to wake a dog.

[Barry O]

Ey up!

 

We now can use the NHS App to keep an eye on progress of consultations, medications etc. We have to call or visit the Marie Celeste to get an appointment. As it happens one receptionist (who has been in post for a long time) is such a misery and is always blocking attempts to get an appointment) can now be avoided by not visiting on a Monday. She knows its her job to be a blocker, the other receptionists see their jobs as being a helper. If I was in charge I think the blocker would be asked to change her attitude.. big time...

 

I had my x ray taken last week. Time to see if anything has happened to it! Iam also awaiting a musco-skeletal review ... could be a long time in coming...

 

I think  that some GPs, dentist and veterinaries (as examples of a wide range of careers) have changed from "I want to help people/animals" to.. what job can I get rich at?    Demands of a "work life balance" bemuse me...if you go into a career then decide its not for you.. well get out and change what you do...

 

Apologies for the rant but how rhe heck I have survived my life as an engineer I do not know.. last minute "ghosters"  (24 hour shifts),  working away from home.. 24/7 support to people during war situations.. all for not huge amounts of money...and when you try and fix something you dont have the opportunity of saying "where does it hurt?"

 

It cost £70.70 to have a tooth fixed yesterday.. it took 5 minutes... yer what.. is that why the guy who did the job only drives a Porsche Cayenne and works 3 days a week?

 

PAH!

 

Stay safe..

 

Baz

 

 

 

Edited June 8, 2023 by Barry O

[jamie92208]

Good moaning from a sunny Charente.  A good afternoon was had watching trains then back home the fridge was made a bit emptier.  All part of the preparations for heading to the UK tomorrow.  This morning I need to do some last minute ironing, check a car and clean a pool.  Some water needs pumping arou d to make sure there is enough in the right place during our absence.  Oh nearly forgot, there are some cherries to eat. 

 

Then tonight it's fish and chips from a van. 

 

Rehards to all. 

 

Jamie

[AndyID]

This may well constitute an actual rant.

 

Today I nearly got wiped out, yet again, at an intersection about a mile from here. A side road merges with the "main" road  tangential  to a 90 degree bend on the main road. The problem is that the layout is such that traffic leaving or entering the side road can easily assume they have priority because they are going straight on. There are signs that indicate they do not have priority but the signs are really pathetic.

 

This was not a big problem 25 years ago but there has been an enormous amount of development here since then with ten times the amount of traffic. Not only that, this little area must contribute a gigantic amount to the county tax coffers because of that development. The county must do something about it before somebody gets killed.

 

I've sent letters to the county road commissioners and even had a letter printed in the local paper a year ago that pointed out the county was liable but what has happened? Sweet FA!

 

I just sent a message to the state governor asking for his help. (I also mentioned liability so I hope he gets the hint.) I'm not holding my breath but maybe he can rattle some cages.

 

 

 

[polybear]

14 minutes ago, Barry O said:

I think  that some GPs, dentist and veterinaries (as examples of a wide range of careers) have changed from "I want to help people/animals" to.. what job can I get rich at?    Demands of a "work life balance" bemuse me...if you go into a career then decide its not for you.. well get out and change what you do...

 

Cynical Bear suspects that more & more Docs and Dentists will dump the NHS work and go into private practice for oodles more money (or the same money for a lot less hours) - which means more strain and longer waits for NHS Patients, so they (if they can) feed the private sector in desperation.

The costs of going private for a Hip Replacement wouldn't even scratch the surface if someone needed private Cancer care, which is where it all starts to get very serious indeed.

Incidentally, Cancer care is in the news today - with Doctors reporting that the NHS is struggling to provided safe cancer care.

[polybear]

Especially for you, @iL Dottore (and I'll be most disappointed if you wimp out before the full 1m 30s):

 

 

Edited June 8, 2023 by polybear

[polybear]

Bear here.....

Let's see now.....oh yes, Architrave......

TTFN

BG

[Erichill16]

1 hour ago, polybear said:

Especially for you, @iL Dottore (and I'll be most disappointed if you wimp out before the full 1m 30s):

 

 

There really is no way to rate that post!

Edited June 8, 2023 by Erichill16

[zarniwhoop]

Hoping that @iL Dottore will have a good day and celebrate in the style of Mustrum Ridcully.

[Compound2632]

1 hour ago, Barry O said:

GPs "living the dream"???

 

Living the nightmare, is more the impression I have.

 

This seems to me to be an exemplar of a general trend by which an attractive and rewarding (and not just or primarily financially) profession has been rendered unattractive and unrewarding by "management", whether that be governmental or corporate. I come across very few of my contemporaries who are not thoroughly disillusioned and embittered about their careers and look forward with eagerness to retirement as an escape from the madhouse, It is a very poor reflection on modern management that such people retire after thirty years not with pleasure or pride at having worked for the company but with bitterness.

[iL Dottore]

50 minutes ago, Barry O said:

…I think  that some GPs, dentist and veterinaries (as examples of a wide range of careers) have changed from "I want to help people/animals" to.. what job can I get rich at?    Demands of a "work life balance" bemuse me...if you go into a career then decide its not for you.. well get out and change what you do...

 

….It cost £70.70 to have a tooth fixed yesterday.. it took 5 minutes... yer what.. is that why the guy who did the job only drives a Porsche Cayenne and works 3 days a week?

This post exemplifies one of the reasons Britain has a health care crisis. People’s unwillingness to appreciate or understand what it truly means to be a doctor or dentist, the real costs involved in health care, what X minutes of “patient facing time” really involves (and a reluctance to properly pay for it - whether through taxes or other funding plans)

 

Why is “work life balance” such a bad thing? The demands made on doctors are far, far greater than in most other professions and if you are a hospital doctors it pretty much takes over your life 24/7. On some days, as a hospital doctor, you’ve been up straight for 30 hours or so, you have to get things right for the sake of the patient AND deal with the mostly pointless NHS bureaucratic paperwork - all with minimal support from NHS management (many of whom, incidentally, work 9-5 in nice cushy offices).

 

A good friend of mine is a former radiologist who left the NHS (after much soul searching because he is a firm believer in the NHS concept) because he was no longer able to see his family for more than a couple of hours a week, for months and months on end.  All doctors expect to dedicate a lot of their life to their career of patient treatment and care, but when the system (in this case the NHS) takes and takes and takes and never gives back - well something has to give…

As for the £70 paid for a dental repair - I doubt that the dentist pockets more than a fraction of that after paying for premises, equipment, materials, staff, overheads and taxes. Furthermore, you’re not only paying for 5 minutes of the dentist’s time but also for thousands of hours of training and experience.

26 minutes ago, polybear said:

Cynical Bear suspects that more & more Docs and Dentists will dump the NHS work and go into private practice for oodles more money (or the same money for a lot less hours) - which means more strain and longer waits for NHS Patients, so they (if they can) feed the private sector in desperation.

The costs of going private for a Hip Replacement wouldn't even scratch the surface if someone needed private Cancer care, which is where it all starts to get very serious indeed.

Incidentally, Cancer care is in the news today - with Doctors reporting that the NHS is struggling to provided safe cancer care.

Can you blame them? Providing patient care in the NHS is getting more and more difficult for many reasons - not least the endless bureaucratic form filling. Many of my colleagues in the NHS have said that not infrequently completing the demanded paperwork takes longer than the procedure itself.
 

And much of the demanded paperwork is of no real clinical relevance. Case in point: during the pandemic some retired colleagues of mine wanted to help out with the vaccination programme. In order to do so they had to complete a series of training requirements, of which - according to my friends - only two or three had anything to with patient care (or refreshing their skill sets), most “training” (according to my friends) was HR “awareness” training and other irrelevant to patient care stuff. And then, having jumped through all the hoops in order to help out, they waited and waited for the call that never came….

 

Medical care IS expensive, no matter where you are in the world. Perhaps it is time to look at the French model or the Bismarck model of care…

[iL Dottore]

1 hour ago, AndyID said:

This may well constitute an actual rant.

 

Today I nearly got wiped out, yet again, at an intersection about a mile from here. A side road merges with the "main" road  tangential  to a 90 degree bend on the main road. The problem is that the layout is such that traffic leaving or entering the side road can easily assume they have priority because they are going straight on. There are signs that indicate they do not have priority but the signs are really pathetic.

 

This was not a big problem 25 years ago but there has been an enormous amount of development here since then with ten times the amount of traffic. Not only that, this little area must contribute a gigantic amount to the county tax coffers because of that development. The county must do something about it before somebody gets killed.

 

I've sent letters to the county road commissioners and even had a letter printed in the local paper a year ago that pointed out the county was liable but what has happened? Sweet FA!

 

I just sent a message to the state governor asking for his help. (I also mentioned liability so I hope he gets the hint.) I'm not holding my breath but maybe he can rattle some cages.

 

 

 

Andy I think you may have taken the wrong approach by emphasising the safety aspect, had you emphasised the revenue generating potential of well enforced traffic “management”, you’d probably wouldn’t be able to go 50 yards without tripping over police patrols or workmen putting up speed cameras…