Morts Musings

It’s strange how a holiday celebrating a man who denounced materialism has been turned into an orgy of shopping, it just feels wrong.

Refreshing to read a review on the Wall Street Journal – Scroogenomics: Why You Shouldn’t Buy Presents for the Holidays,” by a Wharton professor named Joel Waldfogel.

He says the deadweight loss to society from all of this frivolous spending — an “orgy of wealth destruction” as he calls it — is about £10 billion. Imagine if that money was given to charity instead?

“Throughout the year, we shop meticulously for ourselves, looking at scores of items before choosing those that warrant spending our own money. The process at Christmas, by contrast, has givers shooting in the dark about what you like… to make matters worse, we do much of this spending with credit, going into hock using money we don’t yet have to buy things that recipients don’t really want.”

Instead of delving into the ideas in depth, the interviewer seems to focus more on trying to portray Mr. Waldfogel as a scrooge when he has excellent reasons for suggesting that wealth destruction is the result of ill-considered holiday spending. Perhaps the trend towards charity gift cards, and eliminating their non-use fees, isn’t such a bad thing after all. Give to charity this Christmas by sourcing and sending genuine/ ethical charity Christmas cards

Christmas has been whored out as a gift giving orgy for decades and now, with the recession, hopefully we can break the habit.

A lot of economists say that not spending / buying gifts on Christmas hurts the economy etc etc, but ultimately where do most of the presents we buy for loved ones come from? Where does the majority of the money flow to? CHINA.

How about, this year, we start to think about stopping this shopping madness. Take a second look at those useless toys you’re planning on buying and use some of that money towards paying off your credit card. The economy will be stronger for it and there will be less toys in the dustbin come next year.

Money is completely wasted in undesired gifts. In gift giving, you received tremendous benefit – spiritually, mentally, emotionally, and physicially. This benefit is specifically derived when you give to someone you love or strong friendship and enjoy the experience of their enjoyment of the gift. That is the benefit.

The benefit of giving charity gifts is just as valuable and absolutely should be done. In fact, it would help to reduce the dependence upon government assistance in many ways.

Dubai – according to many writers and under informed travel blogs it’s a place that is good for beaches, sun and shopping; I don’t think people expect much else.

Dubai is soulless and lacks charm and culture, but I also agree that there is something snobby about Western writers bashing it for those reasons.  Germain Greer writing in the Guardian earlier this year triggered heated debate from the readers after she rubbished the city following a four hour visit.

Dubai is tacky for sure, the construction insane and it’s future, when all high-earning western expats have returned home, is shaky at best. But, like all teenagers (Dubai is still in that difficult period) one day it will wake and with an appropriate sense of embarrassment clean up it’s act and get on with it.

So, sneer at the tallest building, yes, but what has the UK got to offer back? What have you got that stacks up against the beauty of Dubai Mall or the world class vision of the Burj al Arab? Exactly. Squat Diddly. You look at the iconic vision and world class ambition of the leaders there – who give a hell of a lot to charity – and you see these are great men who could teach Gordon Brown and his mob a thing or two about running a country.

Abu Dhabi and Dubai are fast becoming international hubs for airline travel – their airports offering service and standards second to none. As a result flights to Dubai are frequent and affordable so if the opportunity arises it is a city that should be visited and your own opinions formed.

What are your thoughts on Dubai – please leave your comments

Healthcare Charity Campaign to Raise Blood Pressure Awareness

Over the course of the past eight years’ annual national blood pressure Testing Weeks, held in the second week of September every year, over a 1.5 million people have had their blood pressure measured for free.

The campaign has been so successful that the campaign was a winner at The Charity Awards 2008 for its work on the Awareness Week.

Health professionals, including pharmacists, nurses and occupational health officers, will run well over a thousand official venues which have signed up  to offer free blood pressure checks during the event, on behalf of the charity to help test the nation’s blood pressure and educate people about what their numbers mean.

Are You 1 in 3?

This year’s theme asks  ‘Could you be the 1 in 3?’.  One in three adults has high blood pressure and it’s the biggest cause of death and disability in the UK through the strokes and heart attacks it causes – and although reports of recent research has lead some healthcare advisors to encourage everyone to take blood pressure lowering drugs it is still vital that people have their readings taken regularly in oreder to detect any increases early.

When & where can I be tested?

The awareness week runs from 7-13 September 2009. To find out where you can have your readings taken visit this page and enter your town or postcode to find the nearest venues and opening times.

Healthcare Appeal

On the run up top the event BBC Radio 4 will broadcast actor Timothy West highlighting the tragic consequences of undetected high blood pressure and describing his own experience of the condition in a special broadcast on the  Radio 4 appeals page

What should I do if I have a raised reading?

If you have a raised reading, don’t panic. It may mean that you have high blood pressure, or it may be a one-off raised reading. The important thing is visit your GP to have it checked again to find out more. If your GP diagnoses you with high blood pressure, it can be treated and controlled, through changes to your lifestyle and, for some people, also with medication.

Diagnosis of High BP

High blood pressure cannot be diagnosed after a one-off reading.  If the first reading is raised, it is recommend that  a follow-up check with a GP is done soon afterwards.

Measure Blood Pressure at Home

The purpose of the week is not only to identify those with high blood pressure but to educate and empasise the imprtance of  regularly getting your blood pressure checked – as a result more and more people are buying home monitors and following correct procedures to measure their blood pressure at home – studies show that measuring at home more accurately reflects your true readings. No longer do you need to use the old fashioned cumbersome sphygmomanometers and  take awkward, inaccurate readings with a stethoscope – there are many affordable clinically validated automatic monitors on sale to the public.