Even if you’ve never been to Minnesota (I haven’t) you’ve likely heard of the Mayo Clinic.? To me the name is synonymous with some of the best healthcare a person can get.
However up until today I never knew the details of how the Mayo Clinic works, how it was founded, and what truly makes it unique in the world.?? As I listened to Armand Dimele’s recent program which focused not only on how the Clinic works but also on what lessons any of us can learn from how healthcare could be delivered, I found it to be very inspiring.? Even if I live in Europe, where people often sing the praises of the health system compared to the US, I find the details of how the Mayo Clinic is run to be well worthy of emulating.
Highly recommended listening, because you don’t have to live in Minnesota to have a vision of how quality healthcare should be delivered.
The struggle of West Papua is many decades old, going all the way back to the colonial era. Recently the Indonesian Military police began another in a long running tradition of terror campaigns, as they burn down homes, round up or kill anyone suspected of being part of the independence movement or opposition groups. As the reports came over the past week I decided to get in touch with those in the know about what is happening in West Papua and equally as important WHY this is happening.
My guests include Benny Wenda, West Papuan Independence Activist in exile in the UK
Octo Mote, Journalist and Researcher exiled to the United States
Joe Collins, of the Australia West Papuan Association, Sydney.
All music in this episode is by Laurent Rochelle, who’s permission I did not ask but who’s work I respect and recommend. You can find him on archive.org
The last week I’ve seen the small articles appearing in different corners of the internet.? A few emails from friends who work on the issue.? Word was that the Indonesian military was going into West Papua and rounding up the opposition, burning down homes, and generally terrorizing the population. It isn’t the first time that they’ve done this, but the reports were enough to convince me its time to try and shed more light on what is going on.
So slowly I’ve been collecting these articles. Looking into West Papuans who have gone into exile in different corners of the world, getting in touch with them to hear what information they’ve been receiving.? I’ve also been looking into the history of the region, going back to its days as a Dutch colonyContinue reading “West Papua Research”
Painting my part of the house we call the politburo, I’m listening to the most recent edition of Radio Open Source. Chris’s guest, investor, teacher, writer and sometimes politcian Juan Enriquez, touches on a topic that has been playing back in my head all weekend: The Us vs. Them mentality.
The topic comes about 14 minutes into the interview, where Juan starts on about how the US could easily expand to 55 states. He points to situations around the world like Catalunya or the Basque region in Spain, Scotland or Wales in the UK, Flanders and Wallonia in Belgium, etc.? Examples of places where regions are calling for more Continue reading “Us vs Them Splits”
When the Obama Administration took over in January, along with a few new faces in the US congress, there were sure to be changes in how the government does business. Soon after, Defense Secretary Gates, kept on by Obama despite being a Bush appointee, presented a proposed defense budget that called for cutting back on some programs. (programs, not necessarily military spending, that remains higher than anytime in history) The proposal got some press as it called for cutting things like missile defense, C-17 cargo planes, and the F-22 program.? The main point of this move was to scale back or cut extremely expensive programs who’s goals are purposes never really materialized.?? It wasn’t the reduced military spending overall that alot of people who voted for change had hoped for, but it was a small step towards reigning in a government that spends record shattering amounts in the name of defending the homeland.
Then came the month of June and statements byContinue reading “Flying Blind”
