It’s Wednesday. I cycled to the market as usual. It was rather gloomy but the sun came out later in the day. Life here goes quietly on as normal. My daughter saw a pro-Palestine demonstration in the centre of Uppermill the other day, but it was all quiet today.
Here’s a news report from one day last week, a report that has children showing us how to behave:
“Children being treated in Gaza’s hospitals are “underplaying” pain because it “seems trivial” in the context of the wider conflict, doctors have said.
International medics met in Doha, Qatar, on Saturday to discuss plans for a new trauma pain management manual to support professionals treating children in Gaza and other conflict zones.
Dr Paul Reavley, a paediatric emergency medicine consultant and former British Army medic is leading the project. He said attenders who originated from Gaza, and are in close contact with colleagues there, had passed on descriptions of how child patients behaved.
“The children sort of underplay their pain,” he said. “There has been so much around them, that it’s almost [as if] expression of pain and complaints about pain seem trivial.””
Of course, it’s quite likely that by now there are no hospitals left in Gaza to treat those children.
And here’s something related
“Dr Emily Mayhew of Imperial College London, part of the Paediatric Blast Injury Partnership, said: “Treating children after a blast injury is complicated, as they are still growing. Children are not just little adults.
“This new pain manual will provide the technical information clinicians need all in one place, and the confidence to care for children.”
What sort of world is it where we need a Paediatric Blast Injury Partnership?
The USA still seems ambivalent about aid to Israel. Here’s a Michael
Rosen comment:
“‘The Emperor says that he's not going to give us that great big bing-bang,' said the King.
'Yes,' said the King's tutor.
'You don't seem worried,' said the King.
'Why should I be?' said the tutor.
'We need great big bing-bangs so we can eliminate the bad people,' said the King.
'But the Emperor has given us thousands of great big bing-bangs in the past and will give us thousands of great big bing-bangs in the future,' said the tutor.
'But we need great big bing-bangs NOW,' said the King.
'Relax, sir,' said the tutor, 'the Emperor is giving us lots of little bing-bangs.'
'I don't like it,' said the King, 'it feels like the Emperor doesn't love us anymore.'
'So what?'said the tutor, 'it was never about love.'
'Wasn't it?' said the King.
'Of course not,' said the tutor, 'it's about knowing that us being here, means that all the kings around about argue amongst themselves about what to do about us. That's good for the Emperor.'
'I wish I understood this stuff,' said the King.
'No need to,' said the tutor, 'it's just how it is.'”
And here’s another:
“‘We’ve got to put in a lot of work to ensure that we look good,’ said the King’s tutor.
‘Really?’ said the King, ‘can’t we just get on and do what we’ve got to do?’
‘No,’ said the tutor, ‘because some people don’t like what we’ve got to do.’
‘Yes, but they’re dunderheads and evil-minded ne’er-do-wells who hate us anyway,’ said the King.
‘But we still have to strive to ensure that we look good,’ said the tutor. ‘because there are waverers.’
‘Oh yes,’ said the King, ‘and we don’t like waverers, do we?’
‘No,’ said the tutor, ‘we like non-apologetic supporters.’
‘So how do you propose to stop the waverers wavering?’ said the King.
‘First of all, we remind the waverers that everyone we oppose is bad,’ said the tutor.
‘Of course,’ said the King. ‘What next?’
‘Then we remind the waverers that we’re good,’ said the tutor.
‘’I was forgetting that for a moment,’ said the King, ‘is that it?’
‘Yes,’ said the tutor, ‘but the point is that we have to keep on saying it.’
‘I understand,’ said the King.
‘Good,’ said the tutor.”
We’ve been watching an Italian detective series where a peaceful demonstration by environmentalist is disrupted by a paid mob in balaclavas who set about smashing windows and overturning cars. Here’s a link to a report about the police letting violent mobs attack UCLA students in their camp outside their university.
One witness recognised people he’d seen at Trump rallies and at anti-LBGTQ protests, sort of professional disrupters. “Unlike the pro-Israel students who gather during the day, these guys were not wearing yarmulkes or carrying blue-and-white flags. They were chanting “USA! USA!”
Strange how life reflects fiction.
Life goes on. Stay safe and well, everyone!
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