Daily Archives: July 29, 2022

Take the train to one of the UKs main university cities and, as you near the station, theres an impressive view of a major biomedical campus with state of the art buildings and towering cranes the latter signalling continuing investment. This is a leading example of the so-called golden triangle where health, academia and the private sector co-locate, believing that this will energise and accelerate the bench to bedside translation of research into clinical practice.

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But visit the site and youll also see evidence of the golden rule at work whoever has the gold makes the rules. Here, as on many similar campuses across the UK, those shiny new buildings including the ones under construction belong, in the main, to the non-NHS occupants. In this case the major hospital at the core of the campus occupies buildings, the majority of which are 50 years old. Interestingly a shopping complex on the edge of the city, some 10 years younger, is up for sale one option is to repurpose it as a life sciences research centre.

Back on the biomedical campus the NHS trust has long-standing plans to replace itspast their sell by date facilities. But the pace and scale of these developments are governed by the NHSs Kafkaesque business case approvals process and, ultimately, the Treasurys death grip on investment the capital departmental expenditure limit (CDEL). Each government spending department has a CDEL set by the Treasury which, in the case of the Department of Health and Social Care is then allocated to NHS trusts (in future via integrated care systems).

All good if this ensures prudent management of the economy, however The most obvious problem facing the NHS relating to capital is that the annual CDEL is not currently high enough and has not been for the past decade (Rebuilding Our NHS: Why Its Time to Invest: NHS Providers). But its worse than that because even trusts with cash in the bank or with access to the proceeds of asset disposals are unable to spend beyond their CDEL limit. No wonder a councillor, hearing of how CDEL is delaying a planned NHS development in her area remarked; Its absolutely crazy, and not the right way to plan for any kind of public services.(Bedford Independent 8 June 2022).

Another trust sought to leverage the high value of its city centre sites through an innovative approach to provide new NHS facilities including space leased to life sciences and MedTech partners. This would have fostered the day-to-day, serendipitous interaction between scientists and clinicians which is seen as key to successful collaboration in facilities such as the Crick centre. But you can guess what happened when the Treasury heard about it.

Frustrations such as these are commonplace and impede the creation of golden triangles. While there is no shortage of enthusiasm, the physical realisation of collaborative models requires that the NHS can match the capital investment agility of its private sector and academic partners. Just over a year ago the government published what it described as a bold and ambitious vision for the future of clinical research delivery (The Future of UK Clinical Research Delivery) where there is a reference to breaking down barriers. Perhaps its time for someone to send the Treasury a friendly reminder.

About Lexica

Lexica is a leading specialist consultancy, supporting health and life sciences organisations in the UK and internationally with the planning, delivery, and continuous improvement of their services now and into the future.

A wholly-owned subsidiary of Guys and St Thomas Foundation Trust, formed in 2013, the company is based in London and Oxford with hubs in Bristol, Cambridge, Manchester, and Dublin. Its services include strategy and planning; property consultancy; cost management; project management; programme management; net zero transition; and infrastructure solutions.

Its current and past clients and projects include major UK and international academic health organisations and networks such as Kings Health Partners, Imperial College Healthcare Trust, and Qatar-based Hamad Medical Corporation. The team has also worked with major research institutions including The Pirbright Institute and Harwell Science and Innovation campus and on DEFRAs Science Capability in Animal Health (SCAH) programme.

Lexica is a corporate member of the Association for Project Management (APM) and is regulated by the Royal Institution of Chartered Surveyors (RICS).

For more information visit http://www.lexica.co.uk.

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The golden triangle and the golden rule | HSJ Partners - Health Service Journal

The long-awaited Elkhart County 4-H Fair is coming to an end. For many this is the highlight of their year. If you show animals, you eat, drink, work and sleep fair week. For others of us, Senior Citizens Day or Childrens Day will satisfy our fair hunger. I did revel in finally being able to attend my hometown farm show three years ago in PA after many, many years.

Since it is fair week, I decided to look up the word fair in my NKJV concordance and Bible. In so doing I found some fair lessons for us during fair week.

Lesson #1 Husbands always be captivated by your wife. The Song of Solomon has been a great puzzle to many over the years. After reading it, you might wonder how this book slipped into Gods canon. Many try and rationalize that it is an allegory of Jesus love for his bride, the church. I never could accept that when in reality it is a song expressing King Solomons love for his first (unfortunately not his last, as he later collected 700 plus 300 other women) wife, the Shulamite girl. The book is filled with romantic and sensuous verbiage of his love and desire for her. This book is Gods blessing and endorsement of marital (only) romance and sexual love. Thank you, Lord. It is so descriptive that one young man thought he had committed the unpardonable sin by reading it during boring church services.

Some 13 times in this love song, Solomon calls the Shulamite fair or beautiful and gives very unique descriptions of her beauty. He refers to her as my fair one, fairest among women, fair as the moon, fair and pleasant and all fair. So, guys, how do you let your wife know how much you adore, cherish, love, desire and appreciate her and mean it? Yes, as we all get older our looks change but our love should grow and mature. Our attitude should always be when you have the best, why think of the rest. If only Solomon had learned that.

Lesson #2 Never think God is not fair. Many folks have a big problem with God on this issue. Since none of us are God, there are many questions that we will never have answers to this side of heaven. We all need to come to the conclusion that life is not fair but God is gracious and fair.

In Ezekiel 18:25-29, the nation of Israel was insistent that the way of the Lord is not fair. However, God replied that his ways indeed are fair while their ways definitely were not. Who would you believe? Israel was perplexed that God would actually forgive and let live outright wicked sinners after they repent and turn to him. On top of that, when formerly righteous and good people revert toward sin and rebellion against God, they would be punished and even suffer death in some cases. Unfair.. or is it?

If God only acted on the basis of fairness and justice, how many of us would be forgiven of our sins? You got it right none of us, as we have all sinned and fallen short of Gods glory (Romans 3:23). Furthermore, the wages we all deserve for a life of sin is eternal death or spiritual separation from God in hell (Romans 6:23). So praise the Lord. He is gracious (giving us what we do not deserve) and merciful (not giving us what we do deserve) when we repent, turn from our sins and trust in Jesus Christ alone (John 3:16; 14:6) for forgiveness and eternal life.

In Jesus parable, the elder brother thought his father was not fair or right in forgiving his prodigal brother. He like the Pharisees and Ezekiels Israel thought God owed them for being righteous. The truth was all were inwardly sinful and in just as much need of forgiveness as the wayward son (Luke 15:11-32). Praise God that he is fair. Anyone and everyone who comes to him for forgiveness will never, ever be cast out, rejected or sent away empty-handed (John 6:37). Do it today.

Lesson #3 Employers, be fair to all your employees. Slavery was prominent in the New Testament world. The Apostle Paul gave many instructions to believing servants and masters. Ironically, he never advocated rebellion or overthrow. In Colossians 4:1 he exhorts Christian masters to give their servants what is just and fair, knowing you also have a Master in heaven. Slaves had no rights and were at the mercy of their masters with whippings and worse for small offenses. For those who believed on Jesus, everything changed from how servants served to how their masters treated them. In short, be just and fair, God is watching you.

Today we have employers and employees, and the message is the same. Employees, give your best effort to your masters (Colossians 3:23-24) and employers, treat all your servants fairly (Colossians 4:1). Jesus put it this way: Therefore whatever you want men to do to you, do also to them, for this is the Law and the Prophets (Gods Word) (Matthew 7:12). We call it the Golden Rule, unlike the revised version of He who has the gold has the rule. Many think we have the gold so we can treat you however we want. Wrong. Yes, many employees deserve to be fired. Yes, sometimes business changes and workers have to be let go. Just remember the true Golden Rule, and that your master in heaven is looking for you to be just, fair, kind and impartial (Ephesians 6:9) like he is. Remember that he gives and he takes away blessing and business.

I trust you all have had a wonderful fair experience this week. God bless you as you take to heart these fair lessons from God.

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Bob Kulp is the pastor of Grace Brethren Church, 24775 C.R. 20 East (Mishawaka Road), Elkhart, 574-875-5271.

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PASTOR'S PEN: Fair times in the Bible | News | goshennews.com - Goshen News

Following a peaceful rally protesting the living conditions and abusive treatment at a rural, privately operated immigrant prison in southern Georgia, guards selected three Black men to punish, forcing them to spend a month in isolation.

The men were ordered to spend 32 days in solitary confinement for 23 hours a day. One man Garsumo Dorley, 34 was sentenced to an additional 22 days after asking to see his psychiatrist, leaving him in segregation for a total of 54 days.

Its like being an animal in a cage, said Dorley, a native of Liberia. That didnt sit right with me at all. What did I do to deserve this? What can I do in a cage? I dont know; Ive been through a lot, but thats at the top of it.

Locked up alone in a bright, concrete cell with a heavy metal door, Dorley had nothing to do. Fluorescent lighting shined most of the day, which made sleeping difficult.

While in segregation at Folkston ICE Processing Center operated by the for-profit prison corporation The GEO Group Dorley said he was also assaulted by a guard. He filed a grievance, but guards simply responded with threats like, Its on.

Another man, Michael Dufay, suffered an asthma attack and was denied an inhaler, despite repeated pleas, when the men were locked out in the sun after the protest. Dufays name has been changed in this story to protect his identity.

Maura Finn, lead attorney for the Southern Poverty Law Centers Southeast Immigrant Freedom Initiative (SIFI), which provides free legal service for immigrants detained in facilities controlled by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE), said the treatment was nothing short of abuse.

These men Black men were dehumanized simply for asking to be treated and spoken to with respect, Finn said. Dorley and Dufay were punished in a way akin to torture, especially for those suffering from mental illness. ICEs refusal to help Dufay or provide medical assistance was not only egregious but dangerous. Sadly, this alarming abuse of individuals in ICE custody is the rule rather than the exception.

In fact, another ICE facility in Georgia Irwin County Detention Center, also privately operated was closed in May 2021 after human rights groups exposed medical abuse against migrant women and other abuses as well. And earlier this month, the SPLC and other human rights organizations filed an administrative complaint against Stewart Detention Center, also in Georgia, alleging a pattern of sexual assault by a male nurse and retaliation against women who reported it.

The protest at Folkston took place on April 1. Dorley and Dufay were among 15 men who sat in the yard while a peaceful rally took place outside the facilitys fences.

Afterward, the men seated on the lawn considered returning inside. Instead, they refused to leave after a guard with a reputation for demeaning immigrants began to insult them. Then they were locked out for nearly three hours in the hot sun and denied food and water.

On April 17, a five-person extraction team went to Dorleys cell, even after he told the guards he would willingly go to solitary confinement. Dorley said the team entered his room, slammed the door and tackled him.

I tried to tell them I would go with them, but they wouldnt listen, Dorley said. They twisted my arms, cuffed my wrists and ankles. Afterward, I was bruised all over, I couldnt open my jaw.

A doctor later diagnosed Dorley with temporomandibular joint (TMJ) disorder, a problem with the joint that connects the jawbone to the skull.

Dufay and Dorley suspect that anti-Black racism is at the heart of why they were singled out.

When [the guards] punish people, they punish people like me, a Black man, Dufay said. Everybody talks to the officers, but if youre Black, you get written up and taken to solitary, just like that.

For Dorley, it has been hard to cope with the constant barrage of racist insults that guards hurl at him.

I dont know if this is a Black thing or what, but the way people talk to you in here is disgusting, Dorley said. We should all treat each other with respect and care. But the guards talk to you any way they want.

The facility is also rife with threats to the safety of the people held there.

The food they give us is spoiled, Dufay said. The milk is spoiled. The rice they serve, they often cover it in gravy to hide that it is spoiled. There is mold on the walls and in the air vents. There is no sanitation going on in there. If we have white officers, they talk to us like we are animals. They have the nastiest stuff to say to us, which is why we stayed in the yard.

Indeed, a recent report from the Department of Homeland Security Office of Inspector General details how the immigrant prison didnt meet standards for facility conditions, medical care, grievances and segregation, among other problems. In addition, Folkston has compromised the health, safety and rights of detained individuals by exposing them to unsanitary conditions, such as torn mattresses; water leaks; mold growth and water damage; mold and debris in the ventilation system; and inoperable toilets.

Further, the report notes that ICE inconsistently responds to requests and grievances. And when COVID-19 hit, Folkston didnt begin administering vaccines until April 2021, months after the vaccine became available.

If someone in there got COVID-19, I could die, Dufay said. Theres no sanitizer, no bleach, nothing you can use to clean the place properly. It tells me that they dont care about us or what weve got going on.

Before he was detained, Dorley lived in Atlanta for 12 years doing event marketing. He loved his job, but hes been locked up for 10 months.

Dorley and his parents fled Liberia in 2010, due to continuing violence following the countrys long civil war. His 8-year-old son, his girlfriend, his six siblings and his parents all live in the U.S.

What keeps Dorley sane, he said, is his family. They know the real Dorley the father, the son, the brother, the friend.

I know none of this will define the person I am, he said. But Im not a number. Im a student. I go to church. I work. Im an honest person. I pay my taxes. Im not a bad person; I just want to live my life peacefully. I love people. I dont want to hurt anyone, and I dont want anyone to hurt me. Be around me for a little bit of time, and youll know who I am.

The SPLCs Maura Finn said that despite all he has been through, Dorley has managed to keep his head up, but his punishment was undeserved.

Dorley continues to advocate for himself and others, Finn said. He deserves to live with dignity and respect outside of a cage.

Dorley lives by the Golden Rule: If you believe in God, you treat people how they should treat you, he said.

The fact that he and two other Black men were held in solitary confinement simply for protesting while non-Black asylum seekers who protested at the same time were not proves that there is something off regarding protocol at Folkston.

You cant treat people differently, he said. If you want to make things fair, make an example out of everybody. But to punish only Black men? Youre showing what you are: a racist.

Top picture: Detained immigrants play soccer behind a barbed wire fence at the Irwin County Detention Center in Ocilla, Georgia, on Feb. 20, 2018. The facility was closed in May 2021 after human rights groups exposed medical abuse against migrant women and other abuses. (Credit: Reuters)

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'Akin to Torture': For-profit immigrant prison singles out Black men after peaceful protest - Southern Poverty Law Center

Jack Ciattarelli| Special to the USA TODAY Network

Teen sex in the age of social media

Teens are being exposed to more explicit sexual imagery than ever via social media, but this generation of teens is having less sex than prior generations

NorthJersey.com

When it comes to sex education for our youngest students, what is age-appropriate and what is not?

Its a question a lot of New Jersey parents are asking these days after a couple of sample lesson plans triggered a firestorm of controversy and debate about New Jerseys public school curriculum and the role of parents in education.

First, some background. In 2019, Gov. Phil Murphy signed a law requiring that students learn about the societal contributions of the LGBTQ community. With the goal of promoting inclusivity, the new lesson plans became known as the LGBTQ curriculum. In 2021, at the height of the pandemic, when people were distracted and there was little to no public input, Murphy signed into law a requirement that the public school curriculum promote diversity. Among other things, the lesson plans would speak to gender identification and sexual orientation, starting in kindergarten.

In between those two enactments, New Jerseys unelected State Board of Education released, with no comment whatsoever from the governor, new sex education learning standards, which included students identifying oral, vaginal and anal sex by eighth grade and common human sexual development and the role of hormones (e.g., romantic and sexual feelings, masturbation, mood swings, timing of pubertal onset) by fifth grade.

As I said to the governor during the first gubernatorial debate last fall, There are certain things best taught at the kitchen table between parents and children. His response was to mock the kitchen table.

No doubt, we need a more inclusive community, where bigotry, bullying and hate are never tolerated. We can achieve that by teaching our youngest students the Golden Rule, the power and beauty of diversity, mutual respect, tolerance and the American ideal that we are all created equal. Thats a mainstream lesson plan all parents would wholly embrace and children of any age can grasp.

As for the new sex education standards, as a sixth grader, I remember attending with my father an evening presentation, provided by my public school district. My mom did the same with my sister when she was in fifth grade. The presentation spoke to the bodily and emotional changes adolescents experience. The subject matter was age-appropriate for students and empowering for parents.

When I tell that story, some people say,Times have changed, Jack. Yes, they have. But then again, some things should not. Parents have responsibilities. Its not the job of the school district to replace parents. Partner, yes. Replace, never.

Whats troubled school districts is that the state has not issued guidance the kind that would result from robust public discussion amongst all stakeholders on how to implement the inclusivity and diversity curriculum and meet the new sex education standards. Highly controversial sample lesson plans offered by extreme progressive advocacy groups have only made things worse.

More perspective from Jack CiattarelliHow can New Jersey best invest its budget surplus? Here are some ideas

Progressives are adamant, believing kindergartners should be taught gender identification and sexual orientation that its acceptable for a 5-year-old biological female to be told by her teacher that its OK to identify as a boy. On the other side are those making accusations about grooming kids, an extremely serious charge potentially criminal levied with scant proof.

What cannot be overlooked is the potential conflict were creating in children. Teachers are role models and mentors. If parents do not support and reinforce whats being taught, students will experience a terrible conflict, feeling forced to choose between the most influential people in their young lives.

Traveling the state, my experience has been the vast majority of parents are troubled by the new curriculum and sex education standards. Theyre also angered by being falsely accused of being anti-LGBTQ simply because they disagree with what they view as an age-inappropriate subject matter. The same goes for a great many teachers, whose morale has never been lower, and would-be teachers who are choosing a different career path.

Parents want the public school curriculum to be relevant, but more than anything, they want all subject matter to be age-appropriate. They want a say on how sensitive subject matter should be taught. And they want transparency. What they dont want is to opt out their children from valuable school time, especially when theyre paying the highest property taxes in the nation. I agree on all counts.

The good news is school board meetings are, once again, well-attended by concerned parents, and school districts have some flexibility in meeting the new requirements, though some districts haverejected them outright.

This is important. We need to get it right.The only thing more important than what we teach our children is what parents should teach, what schools should teach and what is and isnt age-appropriate.

Jack Ciattarelli, the 2021 Republican nominee for New Jersey governor and a likely 2025 gubernatorial candidate, is a regular contributor to the opinion pages of USA TODAY Network New Jersey publications.

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When is it right to start sex education for NJ's youngest students? | Ciattarelli - NorthJersey.com

Oliver Hermanus

Photo: Franco Origlia/Getty Images

The 79th Venice International Film Festival is breaking an important rule to include South African flair.

The line-up for the annual festival, announced on Tuesday, boasts an impressive mix of red-carpet-friendly, star-studded features and compelling, politically-charged dramas and documentaries.

And among the notable international titles selected for out of competition screenings is South African director Oliver Hermanus' latest film, Living.

The film premiered at the 2022 Sundance Film Festival in January to five-star reviews.

"A director rising into the highest ranks and an actor at the peak of his powers are the keys to this mesmerising melodrama set in London in the 1950s," Kevin Maher wrote for The Times after watching the film.

Living is an adaptation of the 1952 Japanese drama Ikiru. It follows Mr Williams (Bill Nighy), a civil servant who has become a small cog in the bureaucracy of rebuilding post-WWII England, as he learns that he has a terminal illness. He goes on a quest to find some meaning in his dull life.

Breaking the film festival's golden rule

While Hermanus has been praised for his stunning work, the South African director has received another, more unconventional form of recognition for the film's success.

Living is the only film this year breaking the Venice Film Festival's usual rule that all titles eligible for selection must be world premieres.

According to the festival's regulations on the website, "Only films presented as world premieres that were completed after 11 September 2021; have not had any form of commercial distribution or exhibition on the Internet; and that have neither been previously screened to the public and/or the press nor been presented at any other International film festival or cinematographic event, including those in the country of origin" are eligible.

Hermanus, who is currently on holiday in Greece, told News24:

"I'm so excited to return to The Venice Film Festival with my latest offering: Alberto Barbera and his team's championing of my work has been the defining time for me as a filmmaker. In 2015 Venice changed the course of my career when I was invited to premiere the first ever South African film to compete for the Golden Lion with The Endless River. I've since returned with MOFFIE in the Orizzonti competition in 2019, another unforgettable moment."

The director added that Venice has been his "creative home" for most of his career and that he is honoured to return "on the shoulders of a team of creative giants," which include "Bill Nighy, Aimee Loud Wood, Alex Sharp, Tom Burke in our cast and of course our amazing screenwriter, Sir Kazuo Ishiguro".

Hermanus' next project, a new World War I film titled The History of Sound, is also already generating buzz.

Set to star in the upcoming project are two of the UK's biggest TV stars right now, Emmy-winner Josh O'Connor (known for his role as Prince Charles in The Crown) and Bafta-winner Paul Mescal (who played Connell Waldren in the hit series Normal People).

READ MORE |SA filmmaker Oliver Hermanus to direct new film starring Josh O'Connor and Paul Mescal

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Oliver Hermanus' Living to screen at Venice Film Festival - breaking a rule in the best way possible - News24