Thought for the Day

"TWO GLASSES OF WINE
When things in your life seem almost too much to handle, when 24 hours in a day are not enough, remember the mayonnaise jar and the 2 glasses of wine...

A professor stood before his philosophy class and had some items in front of him. When the class began he wordlessly picked up a very large empty mayonnaise jar and proceeded to fill it with golf balls. He then asked the students if the jar was full. They agreed that it was. The professor then picked up a box of pebbles and poured them into the jar. He shook the jar lightly. The pebbles rolled into the open areas between the golf balls. He then asked the students again if the jar was full. They agreed it was. The professor next picked up a box of sand and poured it into the jar. Of course, the sand filled up every wee space. He asked once again if the jar was full. The students responded with a unanimous "yes."

The professor then produced two glasses of wine from under the table and poured the entire contents into the jar, effectively filling the empty space between the sand. The students laughed. "Now," said the professor, as the laughter subsided, "I want you to recognize that this jar represents your life. The golf balls are the important things; your family, your children, your health, your friends, and your favorite passions; things that if everything else was lost and only they remained, your life would still be full."

The pebbles are the other things that matter like your job, your house, and your car. The sand is everything else; the small stuff.

"If you put the sand into the jar first," he continued, "there is no room for the pebbles or the golf balls. The same goes for Life. If you spend all your time and energy on the small stuff, you will never have room for the things that are important to you."

"Pay attention to the things that are critical to your happiness. Play with your children. Take time to get medical checkups. Take your partner out to dinner. Play another 18 holes. Do one more run down the ski slope. There will always be time to clean the house and fix the waste disposal. Take care of the golf balls first; the things that really matter. Set your priorities. The rest is just sand.

" One of the students raised her hand and inquired what the wine represented. The professor smiled. "I'm glad you asked. It just goes to show you that no matter how full your life may seem, there's always room for a couple of glasses of wine with a friend."

This was sent to me via email today from my friend B. Why don't you pass this thought on to your friends too. Like most emails messages I have no idea of the original author. I'm not sure of the physics either but the thought is still valid.

The Big Opt Out Campaign

The Big Opt Out Campaign is gaining ground. Several hundreds of thousands of patients have demanded to opt out of the National NHS database. There is a copy of a letter available that you can download and send to your doctor to let him/her know that you do not wish for your personal private details and medical information to be stored on a national computer system.You can click on this link here: http://www.nhsconfidentiality.org/optoutletter

4 out of 5 doctors believe the scheme is risky.


The BMA site has more information on the proposed scheme: BMA Conference Policy on the Summary Care Record. At the Annual Representatives Meeting (ARM) 2007 it was resolved that BMA members should not cooperate with the proposed centralised storage of all medical records due to concerns about security and confidentiality. At the Local Medical Committee Conference 2007, GPs resolved that lessons must be learnt from early NHS CRS adopter sites.


As far as I can find out, it looks as if there are 4 pilot schemes running and there is to be a review before all patients records are uploaded to the national database in May 2008. Do read up as much as you can about both sides of the argument.

When you come to make a decision as to whether you agree with all your personal medical details being stored on a national database do be sure to bear in mind the Govt's record of maintaining confidentiality over other private and personal details. There have been leaks and losses of data: not once or twice but three times or more.The Chief Medical Officer is almost threatening that it will be a matter of life and death if the details are not available nationwide. But no-one has said that if you travel abroad, will this information be available world wide too?!