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RNZ is reporting hospitals asked to make more than $80m in savings by July.
But it’s OK. Health Minister Shane Reti has said this would not take away from the front line.
Yeah right.
https://www.rnz.co.nz/news/ldr/515265/fears-gisborne-will-become-desolate-wasteland-under-proposed-alcohol-plan
The trouble with living in an amoral mendacious society that finds it useful to appear moral and correct is that the PTB tend to go OTT when making changes; (note connection of cliche initialism which is recurring frequently.) So we get puritan tendencies by people all morally shaken and also stirred, to fever heat in reaction to a previous depth of imperfect policy.
Can we thoughtful practical citizens wherever we lurk, get together and take some leadership roles inN Z/AO while we still have a chance?
Calling, signalling to each other to spread the light:
https://poets.org/poem/september-1-1939
Defenceless under the night
Our world in stupor lies;
Yet, dotted everywhere,
Ironic points of light
Flash out wherever the Just
Exchange their messages:
May I, composed like them
Of Eros and of dust,
Beleaguered by the same
Negation and despair,
Show an affirming flame.
https://www.rnz.co.nz/news/national/515274/hospitals-asked-to-make-more-than-80m-in-savings-by-july-rnz-understands
Like the best housekeeper will do at certain times, turn out the whole house and clean under the utiities to clear out the mice and cockroaches (usually referred to as ‘spring cleaning’), National are going to clean out NZ/AO.
But they have got muddled as to time of year. Everyone knows that clocks are turned forward in spring (spring forward) and are turned back before winter (fall back). But National are carrying out what they think are whole-hearted cleaning projects that will be dangerous and failures at the wrong season, just before winter’s chills which will freeze nearly everyone and some to the core. So unwise. But as this is their normal behaviour and they are great survivors, the unfortunate results will be felt by the vulnerable in the general populace.
I thought I would report on what my birth father was doing in England on 26/6/1944 – two months before he died along with his Lancaster crew in France, shot down by a night fighter it is thought. Seven of the 8 of them are buried in Choloy Cemetrry. The rear gunner got out and took up the task of writing to family about the final flight.
In a letter to my aunt he writes about having a short break within the three weeks after having come down in the Channel after flying on one engine of the four while over France, flying on the one for about half an hour but not being able to get back to land. They got out in their dinghy and all were saved. He is hoping that the ‘grim reaper’ hasn’t marked him down for collection.
He asks after family and their doings and sent some photos home. He has bought some things for them hard to get in NZ . He is writing the letter while he waits for the 3pm film with Ginger Rogers in Bachelor Mother. “I am standing by prepared to go on some operation probably tonight. And the Lancs are making daylight raids as well.
I never knew him but he seemed to have a sense of humour. He had one week’s survivors leave and went to Blackpool. All were amused that he went swimming after his recent sea experience. The airfield complex was large and he has a bike to get around. He is longing to have his own life and own sleeping quarters. He keeps himself busy and doesn’t have much time to worry about Mum and me but tries to keep from getting lonely when on leave in a strange hotel in a strange town and dancing, pubs and films aren’t what he wants.
‘I hope to see you before the year is out and I hope the war will be over so that we can spend Christmas back at home this year. I will be happy to get home in one solid piece and Auckland will look like paradise to me.’
Give my regards to all… Look after yourself. He asks that my aunt encourages my mother to keep up the piano practice. He was learning from a do-it-yourself book called something like Scheftes Rapid piano lessons……
The letters are my connection plus photos. But he alon with the other people in war put their lives at risk or their health and minds. And I copied in another of my comments the thought that our government and our universities need to fight tooth and nail to preserve the precarious civil society that has taken millennia to construct.”
Not forgetting is one thing – appreciating the fineness of the dedicated work and the society but requires some effort beyond what was made available before. And from what I see it won’t come from the smugly ignorant property-mad, materialist, middle class.
‘Smugly ignorant property-mad, materialist, middle class’ describes the folk pulling us down to the depths.
i got a bit confused between the sole survivor and your father, who died in 1944?
Hi sumsuch. There were 8 in the crew that the squadron? that my father belonged to No.101 operating out of Market Rasen area in north of England. Seven died in the crash over central France on 26 August 1944, which I think was the date that Paris was liberated. but Thomas More who was I think the rear gunner managed to jump out. He closed his eyes on doing so and when he opened them as he went down and dealt with operating his parachute, the plane had disappeared. Very sad and lonely for him. I have to do some research about him. He will be dead by now I suppose.
But we have a 100 year old airman here. who works as an odd job man wanting to be active and useful in the world still. He remembers the Market Rasen group. They had eight crew with a special German speaking extra and they tried to put out false information to confuse but apparently there was more attention drawn to them and they lost a bigger number of planes than other squadrons. As I understand it.
Anyway Thomas wrote to my mother and no doubt to each of the other crew members and he thought that Dad had been hit in the cockpit front on and it burst into flames – he heard a faint ‘Out’ and that was all.