Best Twitter right now: GhostOsama. Some highlights:
- Was just granted my 72 virgins, YES! Did I mention that I have 72 virgins? 70 virgins left. I need a cigarette and a nap.
- I retired as the world champion of hide and seek.
- LMAO @NapoleonBonaparte you are short little dude, but I like your style
- @KimJongil you are my go to guy in real life now
- My life secrets I love @SarahPalin she got huge boobs and likes guns
Showing posts with label International. Show all posts
Showing posts with label International. Show all posts
Monday, May 02, 2011
Wednesday, December 23, 2009
From Hopenhagen to Nopenhagen
Or Brokenhagen. What else can we call Copenhagen? Crapenhagen perhaps?
Yes, it didn't turn out the way we wanted it to, or the way it needed to. But we cannot give up. We must see this as a start, even though we wanted it to be an end - the end to fossil-fuel, planet destroying practices. Because even if many countries started addressing climate change ages ago, major emitters such as the US and China* were not there, as in where the EU and climate progressives such as Brazil are. Now they are. Because even though the Copenhagen Accord is in many ways a disappointment, it is the first time the US and China actually signs up to anything that in effect means they admit guilt and that they too have a responsibility. Sure, it is not legally binding but I'm confident the political and public pressure from around the world will be so big that there is no way back for them. A representative from one of the Indian NGOs (I think) said: "it takes a long time to get the elephant moving but once it is moving it is very difficult to stop it".
We just need to move on and get down to work. There is no point in looking back (beyond learning useful lessons on what went wrong in the preparatory work and how the UN international negotiations process can be improved, etc.). I may be a naïve optimist but I think it is likely that the world's countries can make this into a legally binding agreement within a two-year period.
* China has the largest share of global greenhouse gas emissions though not per capita
Yes, it didn't turn out the way we wanted it to, or the way it needed to. But we cannot give up. We must see this as a start, even though we wanted it to be an end - the end to fossil-fuel, planet destroying practices. Because even if many countries started addressing climate change ages ago, major emitters such as the US and China* were not there, as in where the EU and climate progressives such as Brazil are. Now they are. Because even though the Copenhagen Accord is in many ways a disappointment, it is the first time the US and China actually signs up to anything that in effect means they admit guilt and that they too have a responsibility. Sure, it is not legally binding but I'm confident the political and public pressure from around the world will be so big that there is no way back for them. A representative from one of the Indian NGOs (I think) said: "it takes a long time to get the elephant moving but once it is moving it is very difficult to stop it".
We just need to move on and get down to work. There is no point in looking back (beyond learning useful lessons on what went wrong in the preparatory work and how the UN international negotiations process can be improved, etc.). I may be a naïve optimist but I think it is likely that the world's countries can make this into a legally binding agreement within a two-year period.
* China has the largest share of global greenhouse gas emissions though not per capita
Monday, June 29, 2009
Swedish Breakfast
Found this on Tjuvtittat. Not sure if I should be offended or just laugh...
P.S. If I don't have time to blog on Wednesday this will double as this week's Recipe!
Wednesday, April 08, 2009
Wednesday Recipe: Kangaroo on the Barbie
"We like to warn viewers that today's show contain disturbing images..."
Vegetarians may opt to look away too.
Last weekend we grilled some kangaroo (!) for dinner. I noticed a few weeks ago that our local supermarket (Vi Sabis in Fältöversten in case anyone is wondering) had started selling exotic meats such as ostrich, springbok (both of which we saw live in South Africa), kangaroo, a variety of birds, etc. and this past weekend we decided to give one of them a try.
Here's the result:
No, it's not the kangaroo's tail (do they have tails?) or some other body part. I was also wondering a bit...
It was pretty good actually! It was very tender - due to the long soak in the delicious marinade. That said, I probably won't eat it again. Now that I have tried it I prefer spending my carbon allowance - since this meat evidently had to travel quite far to get to Sweden - on trying something new.
Vegetarians may opt to look away too.
Last weekend we grilled some kangaroo (!) for dinner. I noticed a few weeks ago that our local supermarket (Vi Sabis in Fältöversten in case anyone is wondering) had started selling exotic meats such as ostrich, springbok (both of which we saw live in South Africa), kangaroo, a variety of birds, etc. and this past weekend we decided to give one of them a try.
Here's the result:
No, it's not the kangaroo's tail (do they have tails?) or some other body part. I was also wondering a bit...We marinated the meat for a couple of hours in a South African sauce we bought in the same supermarket (not on the same occasion but they should still have it on stock) (we didn't have an Aussie one, which would have been more appropriate I guess) and then grilled it for approx 10 mins (maximum) for medium. We had read that kangaroo meat can be very tough if you cook it for too long. I made a mushroom sauce by spicing up a Kelda mushroom sauce with some onions, chantarelles, garlic, soy sauce and salt and pepper (also had some terragon in it but don't do that as it kind of ruined the sauce).
It was pretty good actually! It was very tender - due to the long soak in the delicious marinade. That said, I probably won't eat it again. Now that I have tried it I prefer spending my carbon allowance - since this meat evidently had to travel quite far to get to Sweden - on trying something new.
Thursday, October 23, 2008
Mr President(ial Candidate), Sort Out the Healthcare System!
I've written on the issue of different healthcare systems before. I came across this article on the American health service in my saved items in my inbox and wanted to share it with you. It's a year old but it feels very topical.
America’s Lagging Health Care System (editorial in New York Times, November 2007)
Americans are increasingly frustrated about the subpar performance of this country’s fragmented health care system, and with good reason. A new survey of patients in seven industrialized nations underscores just how badly sick Americans fare compared with patients in other nations. One-third of the American respondents felt their system is so dysfunctional that it needs to be rebuilt completely — the highest rate in any country surveyed. The system was given poor scores both by low-income, uninsured patients and by many higher-income patients.
The survey, the latest in a series from the Commonwealth Fund, is being published today on the Web site of Health Affairs, a respected health policy journal. Researchers interviewed some 12,000 adults in Australia, Canada, Germany, the Netherlands, New Zealand, the United Kingdom and the United States.
Given the large number of people uninsured or poorly insured in this country, it was no surprise that Americans were the most likely to go without care because of costs. Fully 37 percent of the American respondents said that they chose not to visit a doctor when sick, skipped a recommended test or treatment or failed to fill a prescription in the past year because of the cost — well above the rates in other countries.
Patients here were more likely to get appointments quickly for elective surgery than those in nearly all the other countries. But access to primary care doctors, the mainstay of medical practice, was often rocky. Only half of the American adults were able to see a doctor the same day that they became sick or the day after, a worse showing than in all the other countries except Canada. Getting care on nights and weekends was problematic. Often the care here was substandard. Americans reported the highest rate of lab test errors and the second-highest rate of medical or medication errors.
The findings underscore the need to ensure that all Americans have quick access to a primary care doctor and the need for universal health coverage — so that all patients can afford the care they need. That’s what all of the presidential candidates should be talking about.
America’s Lagging Health Care System (editorial in New York Times, November 2007)
Americans are increasingly frustrated about the subpar performance of this country’s fragmented health care system, and with good reason. A new survey of patients in seven industrialized nations underscores just how badly sick Americans fare compared with patients in other nations. One-third of the American respondents felt their system is so dysfunctional that it needs to be rebuilt completely — the highest rate in any country surveyed. The system was given poor scores both by low-income, uninsured patients and by many higher-income patients.
The survey, the latest in a series from the Commonwealth Fund, is being published today on the Web site of Health Affairs, a respected health policy journal. Researchers interviewed some 12,000 adults in Australia, Canada, Germany, the Netherlands, New Zealand, the United Kingdom and the United States.
Given the large number of people uninsured or poorly insured in this country, it was no surprise that Americans were the most likely to go without care because of costs. Fully 37 percent of the American respondents said that they chose not to visit a doctor when sick, skipped a recommended test or treatment or failed to fill a prescription in the past year because of the cost — well above the rates in other countries.
Patients here were more likely to get appointments quickly for elective surgery than those in nearly all the other countries. But access to primary care doctors, the mainstay of medical practice, was often rocky. Only half of the American adults were able to see a doctor the same day that they became sick or the day after, a worse showing than in all the other countries except Canada. Getting care on nights and weekends was problematic. Often the care here was substandard. Americans reported the highest rate of lab test errors and the second-highest rate of medical or medication errors.
The findings underscore the need to ensure that all Americans have quick access to a primary care doctor and the need for universal health coverage — so that all patients can afford the care they need. That’s what all of the presidential candidates should be talking about.
Tuesday, November 27, 2007
Spreading the Word!
I want to promote the blogs of the people I work for - you have seven bloggers to choose from!
Saturday, October 20, 2007
It's All Relative
On this site you can find out how your income compares to the rest of the world. I was No 59 million in the world but that still makes me within the 1% richest in the world. Gives you some perspective those days you're mad at your boss for not giving you that raise that you deserve, and makes you think how you can help someone out there.
Monday, October 01, 2007
Proportionality
Lately several international newspapers have covered the fact that Sweden welcomes large numbers of Iraqi refugees. A recent article in the New York Times asks: how can the US, ultimately responsible for the outflow of refugees from Iraq (or at least deeply involved, depending how you see it), let other countries bear the burden?
Extracts:
Many are restarting in Sweden. Between January and August this year, Sweden took in 12,259 Iraqis fleeing their decomposing country. It expects 20,000 for all of 2007. By contrast, in the same January-August period, the United States admitted 685 refugees, according to State Department figures. The numbers bear closer scrutiny. In January, Sweden admitted 1,500 Iraqis, compared to 15 that entered the United States. In April, the respective numbers were 1,421 and 1; in May, 1,367 and 1; and in August 1,469 and 529.
When Tobias Billstrom, the migration minister, says, “Yes, of course the United States should do more”, you can feel his indignation about to erupt like milk boiling over. He notes that given the huge population difference, Sweden’s intake of Iraqis “is the equivalent of the U.S. taking in about 500,000 refugees".
Full article here.
Extracts:
Many are restarting in Sweden. Between January and August this year, Sweden took in 12,259 Iraqis fleeing their decomposing country. It expects 20,000 for all of 2007. By contrast, in the same January-August period, the United States admitted 685 refugees, according to State Department figures. The numbers bear closer scrutiny. In January, Sweden admitted 1,500 Iraqis, compared to 15 that entered the United States. In April, the respective numbers were 1,421 and 1; in May, 1,367 and 1; and in August 1,469 and 529.
When Tobias Billstrom, the migration minister, says, “Yes, of course the United States should do more”, you can feel his indignation about to erupt like milk boiling over. He notes that given the huge population difference, Sweden’s intake of Iraqis “is the equivalent of the U.S. taking in about 500,000 refugees".
Full article here.
Monday, April 04, 2005
"Who wants a sweet with the wrapper still on?"
The above refers to a saying in Africa, which contributes to African socities' distrust of condoms. A recent article in the New York Times tells the sad story of many people, especially women, in this part of the world. Titled "When marriage kills" it deals with the fact that marriage is probably the No 1 "carrier" of HIV and Aids.
"Sex kills all the time, particularly here in Africa. But prudishness can be just as lethal. President Bush is focusing his program against AIDS in Africa on sexual abstinence and marital fidelity, relegating condoms to a distant third. It's the kind of well-meaning policy that bubbles up out of a White House prayer meeting but that will mean a lot of unnecessary deaths on the ground in Africa. The stark reality is that what kills young women here is often not promiscuity, but marriage. Indeed, just about the deadliest thing a woman in southern Africa can do is get married."
If you're located in or visiting Sweden, do pay a visit to the excellent exhibition on HIV/Aids at the Museum of World Culture in Göteborg.
"Sex kills all the time, particularly here in Africa. But prudishness can be just as lethal. President Bush is focusing his program against AIDS in Africa on sexual abstinence and marital fidelity, relegating condoms to a distant third. It's the kind of well-meaning policy that bubbles up out of a White House prayer meeting but that will mean a lot of unnecessary deaths on the ground in Africa. The stark reality is that what kills young women here is often not promiscuity, but marriage. Indeed, just about the deadliest thing a woman in southern Africa can do is get married."
If you're located in or visiting Sweden, do pay a visit to the excellent exhibition on HIV/Aids at the Museum of World Culture in Göteborg.
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