Struwwelpeter: Maybe it’s time to take away the bird feeder
'I have to 'press one' to hear my bank talk to me in English'
STRUWWELPETER has received some very interesting information from one of the doctors in the family. Thanks KC). This could have a large impact on bringing down the high costs of medical tests.
Dr Eric Topol, an American cardiologist, has become involved in using apps the size of a cellphone for routine tests at a fraction of the normal costs. A typical app costs $199 and is effectively a lab-in-a chip. You can do the following with it:
• Hold it against the patient’s chest and then get an immediate ECG.
• Instantly read saliva tests, urine tests and even sugar level readings – even while you are eating.
• Ultrasounds
• Wear on your wrist and get an early warning of an impending heart attack.
According to Dr Topol, these apps eliminate a great deal of unnecessary and expensive medicine. It is an inexpensive digital revolution which has the advantage of improving the doctor-patient relationship.
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Could not have said it better…
Analogy on the Facebook site of Helen Zille, the Premier of the Western Cape.
“I bought a bird feeder. I hung it on my back porch and filled it with seed.
“Within a week we had hundreds of birds taking advantage of the continuous flow of free and easily accessible food. But then the birds started building nests in the boards of the patio, above the table and next to the barbecue.
“Then came the poop. It was everywhere: on the patio tiles, the chairs, the table, everywhere!
“Then some of the birds turned mean. They would dive bomb me and try to peck me even though I had fed them out of my own pocket. And other birds were boisterous and loud. They sat on the feeder and squawked and screamed at all hours of the day and night and demanded that I fill it when it got low on food.
“After a while, I couldn’t even sit on my own back porch anymore. So I took down the bird feeder and in three days the birds were gone.
“I cleaned up their mess and took down the many nests they had built all over the patio. Soon, the back yard was like it used to be, quiet, serene and no one demanding their rights to a free meal.
“Now let’s see. Our government gives out free food, subsidised housing, free medical care and free education and allows anyone born here to be an automatic citizen.
“Then the illegals came by the tens of thousands. Suddenly our taxes went up to pay for free services; small apartments are housing five families; you have to wait six hours to be seen by an emergency room doctor; your child’s second grade class is behind other schools because over half the class doesn’t speak English.
“Corn Flakes now come in a bilingual box; I have to ‘press one’ to hear my bank talk to me in English and people waving flags other than our flag are squawking and screaming in the streets, demanding more rights and free liberties.
“Just my opinion, but maybe it’s time for the government to take down the bird feeder. Thanks BL.
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Last week’s Sunday Times had an interesting comment. It seems that a senior Eskom official bent the rules a little bit so that the Gupta tribe would not have to put up with the inconvenience of power cuts. There is also the fact that the government spends millions in advertising in the Gupta paper, The New Age.
Struwwelpeter wonders what makes these people so special.
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DEFINITIONS:
Q: What is the definition of an accountant?
A : Someone who solves a problem you didn’t know you had in a way that you will never understand.
Q: What is the definition of a good tax accountant?
A: Someone who has a loophole named after him.
Q: What is the definition of an auditor?
A: Someone who arrives after the battle and bayonets all the wounded.
