‘The Health Ministry’s new chief believes it is possible to cut doctor and nurse positions without compromising health services.
Kevin Woods, head of Scotland’s National Health Service, will take over as New Zealand’s Director-General of Health in early 2011, the State Services Commission announced today.
Dr Woods has headed the NHS in Scotland since 2005.
Earlier this year, he oversaw the axing of 1500 nurse positions in Scotland.
……….Dr Woods has a Doctor of Philosophy and Bachelor of Science (Honours), Geography, from the University of London, and is a Fellow of the Faculty of Public Health.’

KATE NEWTON, the “journalist” responsible for this story has done little more than recycle a Health Minstry handout. Perhaps the new boss can explain how fewer doctors and nurses will improve a situation where wards are understaffed, many nurses are close to burn-out but feel reluctant to let down their workmates and turn up for work overtired, where first-year house surgeons are left to manage emergency departments on their own….and in all this PR blather, you’ll notice one glaring omission: NO MENTION AT ALL ABOUT REDUCING THE NUMBER OF EFFING PAPER-SHUFFLING DRONES IN ORDER TO FREE UP FUNDS THAT WOULD EMPLOY MORE FRONT-LINE STAFF.
(and of course, no mention of reducing the massive paperwork burden placed on staff by those same paper-shufflers–who seem to spend their days dreaming up new paperwork hoops for overworked staff to jump through)

UPDATE: Misleading headline in Stuff news: ‘New health boss praised by Scottish nurses’  But the text reads: ‘Theresa Fyffe, Director of the Royal College of Nursing Scotland says Dr Woods “leaves the NHS in Scotland in a better place than it was when he arrived”.

That’s the Australian News.com headline.

NZ petrol prices?  Around $1.75 a litre.

is up

RIGHT NETWORK a brand new conservative news and current affairs site. And what’s more, the esteemed Francis Porretto writes for them!

‘..The threat to use government regulation to destroy or harm someone’s business because they disagree with government officials is thuggery. Like the Obama administration’s transfer of money from Chrysler bondholders to its political allies in the United Auto Workers, it is a form of gangster government.
“The rule of law, or the rule of men (women)?” economist Tyler Cowen asks on his marginalrevolution.com blog. As he notes, “Nowhere is it stated that these rate hikes are against the law (even if you think they should be), nor can this ‘misinformation’ be against the law.”
According to Politico, not a single Democratic candidate for Congress has run an ad since last April that makes any positive reference to Obamacare. The First Amendment gives candidates the right to talk — or not talk — about any issue they want.
But that is not enough for Sebelius and the Obama administration. They want to stamp out negative speech about Obamacare. “Zero tolerance” means they are ready to use the powers of government to threaten economic harm on those who dissent.’      source

Chris Muir

source (thanks Wakey)

Treating the Koran like it’s a piece of chicken really burns this girl up.

Rachel is flabbergasted that anyone would offend Islamic fundamentalist terrorists the world over by roasting their field manual, the Koran, as if it’s a piece of meat at a Saturday afternoon barbecue. I particularly feel badly for President Barack Obama who admitted in a Sept. 7, 2008 interview with George Stephanopoulo how highly Barack Hussein values his Muslim faith. Naturally, Barack stands four-square with those who want to desecrate sacred ground at New York’sground zero by plopping a Mosque a stone’s throw away, yet, at the same time,isn’t it strange that Barry takes unholy offense at anyone fire-mocking Allah’sreligious pamphlet whose touchstone is peace, tolerance, understanding and an occasional beheading here and there. Obama makes the case that Muslims have a right to build a monument to barbaric savages right on top ground zero if they choose. Why, then, doesn’t Barack defend the average American’s right to use Muhammad’s main handout as a fiery reminder that what goes around often comes around.
And sometimes very brightly.

‘…….Colonialism today is a dead issue. No one cares about it except the man in the White House. He is the last anticolonial. Emerging market economies such as China, India, Chile and Indonesia have solved the problem of backwardness; they are exploiting their labor advantage and growing much faster than the U.S. If America is going to remain on top, we have to compete in an increasingly tough environment.
But instead of readying us for the challenge, our President is trapped in his father’s time machine. Incredibly, the U.S. is being ruled according to the dreams of a Luo tribesman of the 1950s. This philandering, inebriated African socialist, who raged against the world for denying him the realization of his anticolonial ambitions, is now setting the nation’s agenda through the reincarnation of his dreams in his son. The son makes it happen, but he candidly admits he is only living out his father’s dream. The invisible father provides the inspiration, and the son dutifully gets the job done. America today is governed by a ghost.’                              Dinesh D’Souza