I just read a few chapters of Imagining India at a borders near by, here's an interesting discussion by the same author.



PRAGATI: THE INDIAN NATIONAL INTEREST REVIEW 

Human capitalism 

A discussion on ideas for India’s future with Nandan Nilekani, the Indian entrepreneur and businessman. He currently serves as the Chairman of the new Unique Identification Authority of India (UIDAI), after a successful career at Infosys Technologies Ltd. He recently published his first book, Imagining India.

Nitin Pai

Even before joining the Indian government to lead the national ID project, Nandan Nilekani — then chairman of Infosys Technologies — was engaged in a number of public policy initiatives. He is the president of the National Council of Applied Economic Research, a member of the National Knowledge Commission, a member of the board of governors of the Indian Institute of Technology, Bombay and is involved in numerous other governmental and nongovernmental initiatives. The range of his interests and his passionate commitment to India’s future comes out in his book Imagining India – Ideas for a new century. As indeed, in his voice when he spoke to Pragati.

How would you define India’s national interest? When we posed this question to Jaswant Singh, he said it was the preservation of the resilient core of Indian society that is the heart of India’s national interest, because it is Indian society that keeps the wheels turning whatever is the political structure of the state. According to K Subrahmanyam, India’s national interest is to ensure high rates of growth, alleviate poverty and ensure good governance.

Anything that we can do to make the country stronger, more equitable, more secure, more fair and which can truly leverage the extraordinary opportunity—that would be the national interest. The definition of Indian society is amorphous and is prone to multiple interpretations. My view is that it is very rare that nations get an opportunity to lift a billion people out of poverty. And due to a confluence of events that I have described in my book, we have a truly extraordinary opportunity that comes once in a millennium. It is in our national interest to make the most out of that opportunity and achieve economic independence and fulfilment for all our citizens—doing that would automatically address the other challenges that we have.

Human capital 

Your book is about ideas, and you have quoted a number of people and their ideas. If you were to pick one to focus the governance agenda of the coming central government, what would it be?

The most important idea and the central theme that I start off in my opening chapter is the change in our view of the population. For a long time, in part due to international pressure, we treated our population as a burden and something that needed to be controlled. But today, we’ve finally realised that people are our biggest strength, our assets and not liabilities, that human capital is what makes you tick. The moment you think of our people as human capital then automatically the challenge becomes how do we make sure they are healthy, educated, have roads to go to work and school, have lights to study at night, have jobs and can become entrepreneurs. The fundamental shift in the way we think about population is the central theme of my book and everything I talk about is how do we leverage and exploit that human capital, and what are the obstacles that you see in doing that.

Vegas is know for gambling, partying and shopping, but I go to Vegas for the most amazing food, great shows and hotel decor!



We were in Vegas last weekend and my aim was to hit every spot in Paris. Thats where we were staying, in the Red Room, which is really pretty.



From the website.
"Timeless sensuality meets modern sophistication in our new Red Rooms. Cagley & Tanner's contemporary, fun design gives way to clean, classic bathroom layouts. Located on the highest floors of the hotel tower, the Red Rooms bring Paris to life with chic color palettes and signature sofas shaped like plump, puckered lips. We add thoughtful modern technology like 42" plasma-screen HDTVs and iHome units that combine iPod dock, alarm clock, radio and stereo sound."

First spot we hit was the La Creperie, little booth which has these amazing spinach crepes and bailey's coffee.



Next we had some of the most amazing desserts next door at the JJ's Boulangeris. On the website they have a recipe for one of their sandwiches.

After a few hours of sleep, we went to Ceasar Forum for some shopping and Dinner. Incredible decor again, never seen shops in such a beautiful mall:



Dinner at Il Mulino New York in the Ceasar Forum, incredibleIitalian restaurant on the 4th floor: "The cuisine at Il Mulino is influenced by the Abruzzi region of Italy, and is characterized by Old World style. The highest quality ingredients, which include veal and shelfish, are prepared at Il Mulino with a distinct blend of flavors."



We had to skip dessert and rush to see Jubilee, which is the last surviving show girls show in Vegas. Its too bad those acts are going away, the incredible feathers, sets, songs and dances!



"Jubilee's lavish stage spectacular has been entertaining Las Vegas audiences for two decades. Experience the most glitter this side of Las Vegas, from million dollar sets to costumes by Bob Mackie.

 

Jubilee vignettes include the sinking of the Titanic and the spectacular destruction of the Temple of Sampson and Delilah. And of course, there are the world famous Las Vegas Jubilee dancers who have been voted "Best Showgirls" by the Las Vegas Review Journal's "Best of Las Vegas" reader's poll."

It was Halloween weekend, so obviously it was a great night for people watching.. we stood by Margaritaville to see those crazy costumes at the bloc party and then by Miracle Mile shops before we called it a night.






Next day we had our morning coffee by the pool at Paris: Cafe Du Parc
"Hearty sandwiches and healthy salads are in abundance at this poolside bistro. Set in a manicured French garden beside our rooftop pool, du Parc caters to swimmers, sunbathers and anyone hungry for quick snack. This eclectic cafe offers convenience and exceptional food."




Brunch was in the Fashion Show Mall, at Cafe Ba Ba Re Ba





"The Sangria is seriously addicting and you could get by with drinks and a few small dishes and leave here very satisfied. They have Paella and it is very tasty but the Tapas is where the action is at. "

Then we walked around Encore and Wynn to find the perfect waterfall spot for a little taste of sweetness before we hit the road.



Place was called Sugar and Ice and I had the perfect Affagato - espresso and ice cream.

love this quote:

Death must be so beautiful. To lie in the soft brown earth, with the grasses waving above one's head, and listen to silence. To have no yesterday, and no tomorrow. To forget time, to forgive life, to be at peace. -Oscar Wilde, writer (1854-1900)

I thought this was cute :-)

Aapko iss Diwali mein …

Chandragupt Ki Shakti
Meerabai Ki Bhakti
Hemendra Ka Gyan
Karan Ka Daan
Einstein Ki Buddhi
Nobel Prize Ki Siddhi
Gandhi Ki Ahimsa
India Ki Parampara
Vajpayee Ki Maryada
Nizaam Ki Sampada
Michael Jordan Ki Salary
Abdul Kalam Ki Vocabulary
Bhagat Singh Ka Deshprem
Sweetheart Ka Amarprem
Google Ke Share
Rupiyo Ke Dher
Tata Ke Senses
Ambani Ke Licenses
Birla Ka Bangla
Daler Ka Bhangra
Amitabh Ki Style
Madhuri Ki Smile
Shahrukh Ki Personality
Aishwarya Ki Popularity
World Tour Ka Ticket
Tendulkar Ka Wicket
Administrator Ke Passwords
Jokes Ke Forwards
Mercedez Ki Car
Diamond Ka Haar
Aur Logon Ka Dher Saraa Pyar Prapt Ho

… Wish you a Happy Diwali and a Prosperous New Year.

interesting article in TOI today.

http://epaper.timesofindia.com/Default/Scripting/ArticleWin.asp?From=Archive&Source=Page&Skin=TOINEW&BaseHref=TCRM/2009/10/03&ViewMode=GIF&GZ=T&PageLabel=1&EntityId=Ar00100&AppName=1  

THE TIMES OF INDIA, SATURDAY WEEK OCTOBER 3-OCTOBER 9, 2009
 
CHINESE CHECKERS
Learning To Live With China 

There’s a sense that New Delhi would prefer to play down reports of heightened tension along its border with the world’s new superpower. Is it because it doesn’t want to displease Beijing? Beyond the routine cut-and-thrust of diplomacy and defence, though, there’s a crucial, long-term dilemma that India, itself a wannabe superpower, needs to address: How does it deal with the inscrutable dragon in the room? 

INDRANI BAGCHI DIPLOMATIC EDITOR

There was a surprise in store this week for those who chose to brave Arunachal Pradesh’s damp cold and the three-hour rough ride from Tawang up to Bum La Pass, on the border with Tibet. They were greeted by “happy” arches erected by Chinese soldiers on the other side, to commemorate the 60th anniversary of the Chinese Communist Party in power. The Chinese were preparing to receive Indian soldiers for a celebratory lunch — and some unfinished business on border management.

Most of this bonhomie is likely to evaporate in just over a month’s time when the Dalai Lama reaches the 400-year-old Tawang gompa (monastery) to offer prayers. Historically, this region has had a close relationship with the Tibetan people. The sixth Dalai Lama, Tsangyang Gyatso, for example, was born in Tawang. So, it’s not unnatural for the current Dalai Lama (the 14th) to want to pay obeisance at the Tawang gompa. Still, anything that’s seen to accommodate the breakaway Tibetans gets Beijing’s hackles up, especially when it’s on land claimed by the Chinese.

And so it alternates — blow hot, blow cold — in the uncertain relations between India and China: one day, it’s jaw-jaw, another day it’s claw-claw. The inscrutable Chinese and the argumentative Indian find each other equally indecipherable. It’s not surprising, therefore, that India’s China policy rides a trough-peak roller coaster.

New Delhi has been playing down media reports of Chinese “incursions” in an apparent bid not to ruffle feathers in Beijing. Almost simultaneously, the ministry of external affairs was lashing out at China for stapling not stamping visas to the passports of Kashmiri Indians, a signal that J&K was disputed.

The rise and rise of China represents one of contemporary history’s tectonic shifts. For an India that fancies itself as an emerging superpower, learning to live with an assertive China is one of its greatest foreign policy challenges, especially as its ambitions are sometimes aligned with the Chinese and sometimes at odds. A People’s Daily commentary (Sept 15) points out, “India is still a lesser power than China in terms of its economic and military might, both conventional and non-conventional.”

How can New Delhi and Beijing achieve a steady state of equilibrium that gives both sides the comfort of predictability, and a resultant confidence in each other? That’s a question nagging not just India’s foreign policy mandarins, but students and practitioners of diplomacy worldwide. As one of the architects of India’s China policy (who will be unnamed as will be many interviewed for this story) says: “For India, coping with the rise of China is not a luxury; they’re right next door.”

Indian policy makers find China’s approach to India quite mystifying. On the border, China has vastly superior military machinery. Its economic muscle is much bigger. And yet it appears keen to avoid any confrontation along the 4,056-km undemarcated border. But on many issues of bilateral import, China takes a far more belligerent stand — like seeking to nix India’s bid for a place at the UN Security Council; mounting a last-minute scramble to stop the nuclear deal in Vienna; trying to keep India out of an Asian economic community; blocking ADB from giving Arunachal money for a water project; and denying Arunachal residents Chinese visas.

BULLY ON THE BORDER?

Indian officials will tell you China’s assertiveness is there for all to see — in Australia, in Japan, with the US. Susan Shirk, former diplomat and author of China: Fragile Superpower, tempers the growing unease about Chinese aggressiveness. “I don’t see China as being very assertive,” she told TOI Crest. “Its influence has certainly grown. But China makes a great effort to avoid being seen as aggressive, especially in international organisations and in diplomacy. With neighbours, China has been trying to prevent clashes, but that seems to have changed with India recently.”

Shirk is possibly referring to the contrast between Chinese attitude with, say, Russia, with which it has speedily worked out border problems, and its tardiness with India on border issues. In a conversation with TOI Crest, Ashley Tellis, author of Interpreting China’s Grand Strategy, described China’s reaction to India as “atypical”. “China has generally been muted with the countries on its periphery. Except India.”

That’s not sinking hopes. Said a senior Indian diplomat, “The last thing China wants now is an aggravation of a dispute with the only other rising power in Asia. They have a greater stake than us in de-escalating problems.” China analyst, Claude Arpi, offers a more nuanced view: “While the official stand is still the ‘peaceful rise of China’, some PLA generals believe ‘China cannot emerge in the midst of nightingale songs and swallow dances’. The official line is to avoid a confrontation that will lead nowhere for China.”

A greater symmetry on the border, where India is still at a severe disadvantage, would probably give more traction to this official line. “While China has mobilized huge resources to develop its side of the border, our policy has been to keep the border areas underdeveloped because we believed the inhospitable terrain would deter the Chinese from trying to get to Arunachal Pradesh, where China claims 90,000 sq km of territory,” says a senior government official. It’s only as recently as five years ago that India woke up and started beefing up both military hardware and border infrastructure.

In 2007, former foreign secretary Shyam Saran in a report proposed a big ramp-up of border infrastructure: for instance, two inter-basin roads spanning four rivers in Arunachal, crossed by seven north-south aligned roads at precisely the points where there is a “perception difference” with the Chinese. In Sikkim, where the Chinese have “activated” what was believed to be a “settled” border, India has only one roadlink (NH-31A), no railhead or airport.

The pace of construction has been maddeningly slow, often impeded by objections from the environment ministry, understandably hyper-sensitive about anything that threatens to unsettle the delicate eco-system of the eastern Himalayas. The glacial pace has meant that officials have had to think of innovative solutions. In Arunachal, where road building is painfully slow, one official said that entire construction teams were airlifted to the line of actual control (LAC), so that the road could be built backwards! In any case, India believes it is in its interest now to keep things quiet along the LAC as long as it is hamstrung by sloppy infrastructure and defences.

GLOBAL SWEEPSTAKES

In the global sphere, the story is somewhat different. Despite the pretence that the world is big enough to accommodate the rise of both India and China, the competition remains intense — over markets, construction orders, minerals, land banks – you name it.

Says Mohan Malik, professor Asian security at the Asia-Pacific Centre for Security Studies, Honolulu: “The steady emergence of India as a powerful player is not looked upon favorably by China. China’s strategic culture is to distrust strong, powerful neighbors and prefer small, weak, subordinate or client buffer states. A theme dominant in all Chinese commentaries over the last few years is that India’s growing power — backed by the US — would bring about a shift in the Asian balance of power detrimental to China.”

THE US FACTOR

One of India’s top strategic analysts, K Subrahmanyan, says India should take a page out of China’s own history to respond to Chinese aggressiveness. “In 1969, when China clashed with the Soviet Union and Alexei Kosygin wagged his finger at China, what did China do? It went over and made friends with the US.” Since 2000, that lesson has been well learnt in India. In 2005, the US-India strategic partnership created a greater diplomatic space for India, opened up a prospect of a counterbalance to China. It was US power that pushed the Indian nuclear deal through the NSG in 2008, despite Chinese machinations in Vienna.

But 2009 is another year. After the global economic meltdown last winter, the international context changed. Despite Manmohan Singh being seated next to Barack Obama at the G-20 banquet last week, the usefulness of the US as a strategic counterpoint to China has diminished, not least because the US and China are joined at the hip in the crisis. The US under Obama has been remarkably muted in its approach to China. As China has grown more assertive, for instance on views on the dollar, the US is seen to be retreating. While slapping cosmetic duties on Chinese tyres, Obama made sure he wouldn’t be available for the Dalai Lama when the Tibetan leader visits Washington.

China’s economic performance and clout makes it absolutely central to the global economic recovery, which gives China first dibs in the new international system, particularly as a new financial order is being crafted. India is preparing for a big battle there because China will do its damnedest to keep India out. “It is logical to expect the Chinese to want to stop us,” said one official resignedly.

Despite the US and China’s growing efforts to co-habit, India’s relationship with the US is still cited as one of China’s biggest concerns. Both Shirk and Tellis say two factors, one new, the other old — expanding US-India ties and India’s continuing accommodation of the Dalai Lama’s band of Tibetans — have made India a hot-button issue for Beijing. A September 14 article in the Chinese Communist Party’s theoretical organ, Qiu Shi, titled, “The strengthening of US-India military cooperation will change the strategic situation in South Asia”, argues that while this cooperation may not amount to a military alliance, it is a long-term arrangement and US could rope in India to realize its global and regional strategic objectives.

There’s another interesting situation building up on the climate front. As the world’s largest emitter of GHGs, there is now a scramble to get China “around” to sign a deal. It suits both India and China, for the moment, to hang together against the West, figuring the two together have a better bargaining chance. But the first country to strike a “deal” with the US (and it’s unlikely to be India) will abandon the other.

BUSINESS BATTLES

India’s poorly thought-out attitude towards Chinese skilled and semi-skilled workers as well as business enterprises (like Huawei) is another complicating factor. New Delhi allowed in all Chinese workers, including 25,000 semiskilled ones, on business rather than work visas. Now it wants to turf them out. And Beijing is deeply unhappy. While China’s foreign direct investment in India is very low, over the next couple of years, it stands to earn some $45 billion in contractual projects (current earnings: $12 billion). New Delhi faces a tight-rope walk. It wants skilled workers, but it also wants Chinese companies to replace semi-skilled ones with trained Indian workers. That will take time. And the pot will keep steaming.

TENSION OVER TIBET

Because the Dalai Lama and his followers have been in India for decades now, there is little attention in India on the Tibet issue. But we should not underestimate the huge potential for trouble it has between India and China. Says Tellis, “In the Chinese mind, India has a lock on domestic secession, particularly in Tibet. China is mortally afraid India could play a problematic role.” India has kept its nose clean on the Dalai Lama, who has the run of the country but only for spiritual purposes. But that doesn’t stop the Chinese from wondering whether India will use him for geopolitical ends. Indian strategists believe this anxiety drives China’s claim on Arunachal Pradesh and Tawang. But if China’s aggressiveness becomes more strident, India’s political options on the Dalai Lama could increase. Certainly, his upcoming trip to Tawang could be a subtle hint by India. After the Dalai Lama passes on, the ensuing political uncertainty could easily turn into military misadventure by China, if it’s tempted to “teach India a lesson.”

DEFENCE AND DIPLOMACY

In the military field, India, like China, is one of the biggest defense markets in the world. But India has an advantage, which it seldom appreciates, but which China feels acutely. India today can access sophisticated US weapon systems, and buy from Europe, Russia and Israel. China has an arms embargo from EU, and doesn’t get access to the high-end stuff from the US or Israel, leaving Russia as their main supplier. This is also said to be contributing to Beijing’s anxiety.

China has been steadily building stakes in India’s neighbourhood, a result of a lack of an Indian strategic vision. If India can’t mend relations with Bangladesh, or Myanmar, there’s only one other country that can fill that space. And if Sri Lanka gave Hambantota to the Chinese, it’s because India failed to come to Colombo’s aid. India’s strong moralising streak as well as its disregard for ruling elites in neighbouring countries is costing us.

But India’s learning. Apart from deepening ties with the US, it’s moving closer to Japan, Australia, South Korea and Vietnam, albeit at the old “Hindu” rate of growth.

China fears encirclement just as we do, except we know that India has the harder climb in the region. It’s big power politics.

RISE OF CHINESE NATIONALISM

Finally, there’s public opinion in both countries, which is today far sharper than the official tone. Not everyone in Beijing speaks the soft, nuanced tongue of the foreign ministry. There’s an increasingly nationalistic streak in Chinese public opinion and officially-sanctioned media commentary. Shirk traces this to the growing importance of Chinese public opinion and pressure on authorities to take a tough stand on emotive issues like Tibet. After the riots in Lhasa in 2008, it’s been elevated to a core issue of national sovereignty. “India was not viewed as a serious threat in China… but now some of the statements are becoming more symbolic and aimed more at China’s own public.” This basically means we can expect serious fireworks when Dalai Lama visits Arunachal Pradesh.

Sunday Times of London says that Thursday’s National Day parade is expected to trigger a spike in virulent nationalism, and the “enemy” most commonly spoken about is India. “Help the Maoists take over power in India to pay them back for hosting the Dalai Lama,” says a contributor to an internet site allowed by the Chinese censors.

In India, an assertive middle-class often finds the government response to Chinese “aggressiveness” somewhat spineless. The recent media hysteria over Chinese incursions in the border areas is symptomatic of a growing restlessness with “supine acceptance”. The media here is private and it hardly helps that the government is chary of sharing worthwhile information with the public, limiting itself to inanities.

THE WAY FORWARD

So, how do we go ahead and change the pattern of the ungainly Indo-Chinese dance? The discourse on all of these will have to be tempered and gradually modified for either New Delhi or Beijing to develop mutual trust and breathe easier. Some say this may never happen. K. Subrahmanyam says there is history behind the official Indian reaction. “India’s 1962 burden stems from the fact the defeat of Sela-Bomdilla was papered over and the nation never had the chance of a catharsis. That festering wound continues.”

At the same time, there’s growing realization in both the capitals that the simmering tension just can’t be allowed to get out of hand. As both the countries rise and become more influential, they will frequently rub each other the wrong way. If left uncontrolled, matters could indeed spin out of control.

Given the fundamentally divergent systems in both countries, Indian officials are reluctantly coming to the conclusion that good diplomacy is not just how they deal with the Chinese, but how these are explained in India.

India needs to build the kind of interdependences with China that will give both nations increased stakes in each other. Former foreign secretaries Shyam Saran and Shiv Shankar Menon have both proposed that India and China embark on collective security in some areas.

Economic strategists meanwhile suggest that India’s best deterrence is a continued 7-8% annual growth rate, which will give it greater confidence. India must also build a better neighbourhood based on mutual prosperity and connectivity. And it needs to strengthen its footprint in the Indian Ocean so has to have greater control over the sea lanes through which 80% of Chinese energy supplies travel.

Above all, India’s approach to China should be more strategic and proactive, because, China will be a long-term challenge. Therefore, engage, engage, engage.

May be the power of the chant will lead to a new learning of how to stay calm knowing there’s a 900-pound dragon in the room. It needs quiet confidence — neither bravado, nor obsequiousness.

********************

Arguing is a sign of respect... my mom would agree!

Parenting Tips: Praise Can Be Bad; Lying Is Normal

Author Po Bronson believes that kids today hear too much praise — much of it unearned. A couple of years ago, he wrote an article for New York Magazine on the subject, detailing how praise does not, in fact, lead to self-esteem and achievement as many parents seem to believe.

"Children today hear so much praise that they have decoded its real meaning," he explains to Robert Siegel. "When kids fail and all we do is praise them, there's a lot of duplicity in that, and kids begin to hear 'Nothing matters to my parents more than me doing great or me being smart,' and failure becomes almost a taboo subject."

Bronson expands on the subject of praise — and other child-rearing issues — in his new book NurtureShock, which he co-authored with Ashley Merryman.

He says he first became aware of the issue of overpraise as the coach of his son's kindergarten soccer team: "Until that point, I was telling the kids constantly, 'You're great, you're doing well' — even when they were dribbling the wrong way on the field."

But once he read the research on the praise, Bronson says, he decided to change the way he spoke to kids. Instead of offering praise indiscriminately, Bronson focused on saying things that the kids would perceive as sincere.

"Over time, I learned to let kids develop their own judgment about how well they had done," he says.

In addition to praise, Bronson and Merryman also tackle the subject of why children lie — and what parents can do about it. Lying, Bronson says, is a normal part of development.

"Almost all kids will experiment with lying at least by the age of 4," he explains. "We should expect all children to attempt lying. The question is, 'What do we do with it over time?' "

Bronson advises parents not to threaten lying children with punishment: "It turns out that increasing the threat of punishment only turns kids into better and more frequent liars," he says.

Instead, he recommends that parents pause children in the moment before they suspect a lie may be coming and say, "You make me really happy if you tell me the truth."

As for teenagers, Bronson says the best way to discourage lying is to set consistent rules, but to leave the door open to some negotiation.

"We're raised on this idea that 'no must mean no' ... but when [children] are older, we need to see that some arguing with parents is actually a good thing — not a bad thing," he says.

"[Teenagers often feel that] they have two choices: telling you the truth and leading to an argument, or just outright lying. Arguing over the actual rules is a better alternative and a very different thing than arguing over your authority as a parent to set rules," Bronson says.

More...

How fascinating, I would really like to understand how to dissect different themes and teaches a class if everyone is reading different books. Maybe I can learn from that to teach math, since in my class I have all grades in one room - 5th through 12th.

A New Assignment: Pick Books You Like

JONESBORO, Ga. — For years Lorrie McNeill loved teaching “To Kill a Mockingbird,” the Harper Lee classic that many Americans regard as a literary rite of passage.

But last fall, for the first time in 15 years, Ms. McNeill, 42, did not assign “Mockingbird” — or any novel. Instead she turned over all the decisions about which books to read to the students in her seventh- and eighth-grade English classes at Jonesboro Middle School in this south Atlanta suburb.

Among their choices: James Patterson‘s adrenaline-fueled “Maximum Ride” books, plenty of young-adult chick-lit novels and even the “Captain Underpants” series of comic-book-style novels.

But then there were students like Jennae Arnold, a soft-spoken eighth grader who picked challenging titles like “A Lesson Before Dying” by Ernest J. Gaines and “The Bluest Eye” by Toni Morrison, of which she wrote, partly in text-message speak: “I would have N3V3R thought of or about something like that on my own.”

The approach Ms. McNeill uses, in which students choose their own books, discuss them individually with their teacher and one another, and keep detailed journals about their reading, is part of a movement to revolutionize the way literature is taught in America’s schools. While there is no clear consensus among English teachers, variations on the approach, known as reading workshop, are catching on.

In New York City many public and private elementary schools and some middle schools already employ versions of reading workshop. Starting this fall, the school district in Chappaqua, N.Y., is setting aside 40 minutes every other day for all sixth, seventh and eighth graders to read books of their own choosing.

In September students in Seattle’s public middle schools will also begin choosing most of their own books. And in Chicago the public school district has had a pilot program in place since 2006 in 31 of its 483 elementary schools to give students in grades 6, 7 and 8 more control over what they read. Chicago officials will consider whether to expand the program once they review its results.

None of those places, however, are going as far as Ms. McNeill.

In the method familiar to generations of students, an entire class reads a novel — often a classic — together to draw out the themes and study literary craft. That tradition, proponents say, builds a shared literary culture among students, exposes all readers to works of quality and complexity and is the best way to prepare students for standardized tests.

But fans of the reading workshop say that assigning books leaves many children bored or unable to understand the texts. Letting students choose their own books, they say, can help to build a lifelong love of reading.

“I feel like almost every kid in my classroom is engaged in a novel that they’re actually interacting with,” Ms. McNeill said, several months into her experiment. “Whereas when I do ‘To Kill a Mockingbird,” I know that I have some kids that just don’t get into it.”

Critics of the approach say that reading as a group generally leads to more meaningful insights, and they question whether teachers can really keep up with a roomful of children reading different books. Even more important, they say, is the loss of a common body of knowledge based on the literary classics — often difficult books that children are unlikely to choose for themselves.

Moree..

I went to see Pageant of the Masters last weekend and I had the best time of my life, the art that was a monument of different periods suddenly came to life.

From Wiki:
"The Pageant of the Masters is an annual festival held by the Festival of Arts in Laguna Beach, California. The event is known for its tableaux vivant or "living pictures" in which classical and contemporary works of art are recreated by real people who are made to look nearly identical to the originals through the clever application of costumes, makeup, headdresses, lighting, props, and backdrops.

The first Festival of Arts occurred in 1932, and the first presentation of the Pageant occurred in 1933. Since then, the two events have been held each summer, apart from a four year interruption caused by World War II".

What is it?

Ninety minutes of "living pictures" - incredibly faithful art re-creations of classical and contemporary works with real people posing to look exactly like their counterparts in the original pieces. An outdoor amphitheater, professional orchestra, original score, live narration, intricate sets, sophisticated lighting, expert staff, and hundreds of dedicated volunteers have won recognition for the Pageant as the best presentation of its kind.

MISSION STATEMENT:
Our mission is to promote, produce, and sponsor events and activities that encourage the appreciation, study and performance of the arts.

The 2009 Pageant of the Masters Theme is:

When a painter faces a blank canvas or a sculptor picks up a chisel and confronts a mute block of stone, where do they look for inspiration to guide their hands and turn their efforts into art? The Muse, the 2009 Pageant of the Masters, will devote its uniquely theatrical celebration of the art of tableaux vivants - "living pictures" - to an exploration of the nature of artistic inspiration. For some it is a sacred calling, for others a deeply personal quest. For Paul Gauguin, a journey to the South Seas provided his work with a vibrant new direction; for Maxfield Parrish, the discovery of an ideal model became a key to many of his dreamlike paintings; for American sculptor Anna Hyatt Huntington, an abiding love for animals anchored her heroic visions. Huntington's work will be featured as part of another highlight: a special tribute to some of the world's great women artists. In every case, the stories of artists, their models and the resulting artworks will offer fascinating insights into the creative process. Playful and provocative, the 2009 Pageant promises another "inspired" summer of artistry.

Some of the paintings/sculptures that were brought to life with real people this year were:

Sarcophagus with the contest between the Muses and the Sirens, Late Imperial, Gallienic, third quarter of 3rd century a.d.
Roman; in the Villa Nero, Rome, about 1640; later, in the Giardino Torrigiani, Florence
Pentelic marble

Overall 21 3/4 x 77 1/4 x 22 1/2 in. (55.3 x 196.2 x 57.2 cm)
Rogers Fund, 1910 (10.104)

On the front, the deities Athena, Zeus, and Hera, assembled at the far left, preside over a musical contest between the Muses and Sirens. The Muses, associated with man's highest intellectual and artistic aspirations, are defeating the Sirens, creatures that are half woman and half bird who lured men to destruction with their song. On each side is a rampant greyhound, the coat of arms of the Del Nero family, probably added in the seventeenth century.

Antonio Canova’s marble statue of Napoleon’s sister Paolina Borghese Bonaparte as “Venus Victorious”

Divine Inspiration

The Allegory of Faith
Johannes Vermeer

"The 'Allegory' is not one of Vermeer's most memorable works. The still-life in the foreground may non the less had some influence on the imaginary of his circle. We have two other pictures from the time of the 'Allegory'; in one of them the tapestry hanging, similarly painted, still lies in the same folds. These, the pair of London, are more modest and more characteristic; fortunately they convey more of the character of the painter's thought in this last phase."

The Madonna of Port Lligat is the name of three paintings by Salvador Dalí. The first was created in 1949, measuring 49 x 37.5 centimetres (19.3 x 14.8 in), and is now housed in the Haggerty Museum of Art in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. Dali submitted it to Pope Pius XII for approval, which was granted. Dalí created a second painting in 1950 with the same title and same themes, with various poses and details changed, measuring 144 x 96 centimetres (57.7 x 37.8 in); as of 2008^[update] the 1950 Madonna is exhibited by the Fukuoka City Art Gallery, Japan.

The paintings both depict a seated Madonna (posed by Dalí's wife, Gala) with the infant Christ on her lap. Both figures have rectangular holes cut into their torsos, suggestive of their transcendent status. In the 1950 version Christ has bread at the center of his figure. They are posed in a landscape, with a view of Port Lligat, Catalonia seashore in the background, with various surrealist details, including nails, fish, seashell, and an egg. The 1949 Madonna has a sea urchin; the 1950 Madonna has a rhinoceros and additional figures of angels, also posed by Gala. A poem and book based on The Virgin of Port Lligat by Fray Angelico Chavez, was selected as one of the best books of 1959 by the Catholic Library Association

The painting is referred to in the science-fiction novel Protector, by Larry Niven.

Mahana no atua

Paul Gauguin

also known as Day of the Gods

Objets d'Art

Dragonfly Brooch   Rene Lalique

Le Dejeuner sur L'Herbe

Claude Monet

The Land of Make Believe

Morning

Maxfield Parrish

Land of Make Believe

Maxfield Parrish

Garden of Allah

Maxfield Parrish

A front view of Daniel Chester French's "The Angel of Death and the Sculptor."

The Questioner of the Sphinx (Listening to the Sphinx) (1863) - Elihu Vedder

Roger Delivering Angelica

Jean Ingres

Beauty vs. Beast
	a. Creature of the Black Lagoon		Universal	Lithograph	1954	American
	b. Tarzan and His Mate		Warner Bros.	Lithograph	1934	American
	c. The Mummy		Universal	Lithograph	1932	American
	d. King Kong		RKO Warner Bros.	Lithograph	1933	American

Act Two

12.	Frida and Diego
	a. The Making of a Fresco		Diego Rivera	Mural	1931	Mexican
	b. On the Borderline		Frida Kahlo	Oil	1940	Mexican
	Tree of Hope		Frida Kahlo	Oil	1946	Mexican
	c. Dreams of a Sunday Afternoon		Diego Rivera	Mural	1948	Mexican
13.	The Book of the City of Ladies		Unknown	Illustration	1405	French
14.	a. Joan of Arc		Anna Hyatt Huntington	Gilt Bronze	c. 1914	American
	b. El Cid Campeador		Anna Hyatt Huntington	Bronze	1927-1943	American
15.	Royal Portraits
	a. Mme. Victoire		Adelaide Labille-Guiard	Oil	1788	French
	b. Mme Adelaide de France		Adelaide Labille-Guiard	Oil	1787	French
	c. Mme. Louise-Elizabeth		Adelaide Labille-Guiard	Oil	1788	French
16.	The Hunt		Harriet Frishmuth	Bronze	1921	American
17.	Bacchanale		Malvina Hoffman	Plaster	1925	American
18.	The Horse Fair		Rosa Bonheur	Oil	1853-1855	French
19.	In Praise of Camille
	a. L'Age Mur		Camille Claudel	Bronze	1894-1903	French
	b. La Valse		Camille Claudel	Plaster	1893	French
	c. La Fortune		Camille Claudel	Plaster	pre-1904	French
20.	The Last Supper		Leonardo da Vinci	Fresco	1495-1498	Italian

 

This video (from YouTube.com) recounts the history of medicine from ancient China to web 2.0 by Dr. Michael Wesch "The Machine is Us/ing Us," an interesting/entertaining view of the progression of health and medicine.

We are now in the age of healthcare & technology...

Despite economic woes, the global budget airline boom remains a hallmark of the new millennium, bringing the jet-set lifestyle to the money-mindful masses like never before. With today’s exciting crop of chic, low-cost carriers, passengers can pay peanuts for their fares but look forward to much more than peanuts onboard. The airlines in our international roundup all boast efficient aircraft, sleek interior design, attractive routes, innovative onboard services, comfortable seating, and a stylish, friendly staff – features that have long since slipped through the cracks of many of the struggling mainstream carriers.

1. Air Arabia
2. Air Berlin
3. GOL Linhas Aereas Inteligentes
4. Jetblue Airways
5. Jetstar Airways
6. Kingfisher Airlines
7. Kulula Air
8. NIKI
9. Porter Airlines
10. Virgin America

 I was reading about Former Philippines President Corazon Aquino, who swept away a dictator with a "people power" revolt - Rest in Peace.

A very powerful and influential woman with a definite story to tell.

From WIKI

Maria Corazon "Cory" Sumulong Cojuangco Aquino (January 25, 1933 – August 1, 2009) was a President of the Philippines and an advocate of democracy, peace, women's empowerment, and religious piety. She served as the 11th president of the Philippines from 1986 to 1992. She was the first female president of the Philippines and was Asia's first female president. Aquino died on August 1, 2009 after suffering from colon cancer.

A self-proclaimed "plain housewife",^[3] Aquino was married to Senator Benigno Aquino, Jr. (1932–1983), a leading figure in the political opposition against the autocratic rule of President Ferdinand Marcos. After her husband was assassinated upon his return from exile in the United States on August 21, 1983, Aquino, who had no prior political experience, became a focal point and unifying force of the opposition against Marcos. She was drafted to run against Marcos in the 1986 snap presidential elections. After Marcos was proclaimed the winner despite widespread reports of electoral fraud, Aquino was installed as President by the peaceful 1986 People Power Revolution.

• 1 Early life and education
• 2 Married life
• 3 1986 Presidential campaign
  • 3.1 Installation as President
• 4 Presidency
  • 4.1 Constitutional and law reform
  • 4.2 Agrarian reform
  • 4.3 Military insurrections
  • 4.4 Natural disasters and man-made disasters
  • 4.5 Influence in 1992 presidential campaign
• 5 Post-presidency
  • 5.1 Political activities
  • 5.2 Honors
  • 5.3 Health
• 6 Death
• 7 In popular culture
• 8 Awards and achievements
• 9 Honorary doctorates
• 10 References
• 11 External links

There was something odd about the building that we moved into last month. It looks like something that doesnt quite go with the Art Deco or Spanish Architecture that is so prominent in Beverly Hills.


Today, I find out that its because I live in a Paul Williams Building. So I ask who is Paul Williams and I get this look of surprise from anyone I ask .. since he is such a household name in Los Angeles.

Here's something to enlighten myself and my reader.

Paley Residence, bel air, 1934 Paul R. Williams

Encouraged by his family, Williams held firm, and upon graduation from high school enrolled in an L.A. workshop of New York’s Beaux Arts Institute of Design, eventually winning the Institute’s medal of excellence. His first job in an architect’s office came by consulting the Yellow Pages and visiting the offices in geographical sequence. His weekly salary was $3.

At age 20,Williams won first prize in a city planning competition in Pasadena, California, and did well in two other design competitions before enrolling as an architectural engineering student at the University of Southern California.

Upon graduation he attended three arts schools before joining the offices of residential architect Reginald D. Johnson where he given the assignment to design a $150,000 home. "Before I embarked on my architectural career, I had never been in a home that cost more than $10,000," he later wrote. "When my employer gave me the assignment for a $150,000 home, I was dumbfounded. I couldn’t imagine how you could spend so much on a home. My employer sent me to look at some homes in Santa Barbara and I soon found out." He later joined the commercially-oriented offices of John C. Austin, where he helped prepare construction drawings of the Shrine Auditorium and the First Methodist Church, among others. In 1917 he married Della Mae Givens whom he met at the First AME Church (the marriage produced two daughters).

More...





Other Articles:

Wiki
Via Magazine

Thanks Ankur, this is indeed an interesting way to communicate. I did some of it when I visit india but mostly I am amazed that this is such a universal language in all of India!

I wonder if I speak this tongue. I do use a lot of these terms but never in the way that in the table below.

Consultantese is a term coined by both consultancies and consulting clients that describes the jargon, cliches, and phrases that professional management consultants use regularly in their professional dialect. These terms are created to make consultants look impressive to their clients, colleagues, senior managers and managing partners.

• 1 Common Consultantese Phrases
• 2 Consultantese in Deliverables
  • 2.1 Chevrons
  • 2.2 Matrices
  • 2.3 Swim-lanes
• 3 Consultantese Institutions
• 4 References

From my CTOs blog:

For the last few months, I’ve been accumulating some simple examples of Consultantese from our own workplace and putting them into a file on my desktop for further study.  I’m sharing a few with you today in the hope that you will contribute others in return and help me in my collecting efforts.

Consultantese	English
Share	Say
Reach out	Call, email
Socialize	Persuade, justify, rationalize
Circle back	Confirm, respond
Project plan	PowerPoint slide
Touch base	Discuss
Challenge	Problem
Serious challenge	Disaster
Opportunity	Aftermath of serious challenge
Resource	Human being
Deep dive	Any meeting with non-trivial content
Analyze	Skim
Pushback	Disagreement
Strong pushback	Violent disagreement
Best practice	Whatever the consultant says at a particular point in time
Directionally correct	Essentially wrong, but consultant grants you some points for trying
It has been shared	You must take this as fact but the knowledge of who said so is above your pay grade
Low-hanging fruit	Work that is already done or nearly done and can easily be relabeled to create the illusion of progress
Leverage	Harvesting of low-hanging fruit (vide supra)
Straw man	Hopelessly inadequate presentation or document that is circulated only for the purpose of meeting a deadline
Optimization	The stuff we really bought the system for, but won’t get done before go-live
Value proposition	Business case based on theoretical benefit that’s impossible to measure while the consultant is still here and thus cannot be disproved

Since Catalina got cancelled this weekend, we decided to go to Lake Arrowhead which is just off 605 east of LA about a 2 hour drive and right by San Bernandino.

We drove through some very dry area and were frankly not expecting this place to be very beautiful. It was a shock when suddenly this outdoor mall appeared right by this beautiful lake that transported us back to Washington.

"The Lake Arrowhead Communities are located within the San Bernardino National Forest. For almost 100 years, Lake Arrowhead has been the premier mountain resort in Southern California. Nestled at an altitude of 5108’ in a magnificent forest of pines and cedars is Lake Arrowhead, a 782 acre alpine lake some describe as the “jewel of Southern California”. Located just 90 miles east of downtown Los Angeles, Lake Arrowhead is within a 2 hour drive of a population of 15 million people. The fresh mountain air and four-season climate is unmatched in Southern California."



We ate some very authentic mexican food and shopped around the outlet mall. Also managed to catch a wink on a bench right by the water before we headed back to LA. It was nice to see a lot of boats on the water, if it wasnt so hot - I think we would have taken a boat ride around the lake.

I've been terrible at blogging this month, its been a whole week and I havent posted my Yosemite experience.

The day before we left for Yosemite, we moved to Beverly Hills from West Hollywood, suffice to say we were up till late, tired and exhausted with the movie and very excited to sleep before we hit the road. After maybe 4-5 hours of sleep our friends joined us to start this supposedly 6 hour drive to Yosemite. Luckily we were early and it was the 3rd so we didn't hit much traffic. I was sufficiently drugged up on caffeine and we had Micheal Jackson music on the whole time as a tribute. I believe it was the Essential Michael Jackson collection that was on one of our iPODs that kept us awake.
RIP!

After a few rest stops we got to Fresno and stopped at a Mexican restaurant. That filled me up so much, I decided to take the back seat and a nice long nap. Somehow after a few miles the GPS ditched us and we ended up on 15 from 99, going through apple orchards near Bakersfield. Eventually after some roadside cherries and some directions we made it back to 99.

Our lodge was only reachable through the Yosemite entrance on 41 through the exit on 120 to get to Evergreen road, so thats how we got our first glimpse of the most beautiful bridal veil falls and half dome which one day I want to go near and maybe climb it.

The Ahwahneechee tribe believed that Bridalveil Fall was home to a vengeful spirit named Pohono which guarded the entrance to the valley, and that those leaving the valley must not look directly into the waterfall lest they be cursed. They also believed that inhaling the mist of Bridalveil Fall would improve one's chances of marriage.

Half Dome is a granite dome in Yosemite National Park, located in northeastern Mariposa County, California, at the eastern end of Yosemite Valley — possibly Yosemite's most familiar sight. The granite crest rises more than 4,737 ft (1,444 m) above the valley floor.



From there we drove around El Capitan -El Capitan is a 3,000-foot (910 m) vertical rock formation in Yosemite National Park, located on the north side of Yosemite Valley, near its western end. The granite monolith is one of the world's favorite challenges for rock climbers.



From there we exited the park on the western side and took the evergreen rd to get to the place we were staying both the nights: Evergreen Lodge. After check in Brad and I played ping pong for what seemed like hours, then planned out the next two days at the activity center and decided to relax before smores.

We had a log cabin with a big outdoor patio facing nothing but forests and wilderness.


That night after smores and sunset, we had dinner at the on site restaurant and retired early. We had a long day ahead of us.

First thing we did the next day was leave early for Touloumne Meadows. It was about a 2 hour drive on a very beautiful road which is normally closed between nov to may. After all the pine trees getting to a meadow which was so unexpectedly beautiful changed the whole scenery. We stopped by the visitor center and grabbed some food at the grill before we started on our 5 mile hike up to Lembert Dome. It was a moderate hike with a steep free climbing at the end but our end destination was way worth the sweat and tears, we saw snow capped peaks as wells as the wonderful stream through the beautiful meadows.

"Lembert Dome is a granite dome in Yosemite National Park in the U.S. state of California The dome soars 800 feet (240 m) above Tuolumne Meadows and the Tuolumne River and can be hiked starting at the Tioga Road in the heart of Tuolumne Meadows, 8 miles (13 km) west of the Tioga Pass Entrance to Yosemite National Park.

Lembert Dome was named for John Baptist Lembert who took up a homesteader in a section of Tuolumne Meadows in 1865.^[2][3]

Rock climbers can scale the face from the parking lot just off the Tioga Road, but hikers can simply walk up the back side or take the challenging steeper trek up the face starting from just east of the parking lot."

After a relaxing dinner of veggie chili, hot dogs and burgers at the grill we drove back to evergreen to take a nap before our second destination: Rainbow Pools.

"Rainbow Pools are natural swimming holes along the south fork of the Tuolumne river where one can dip their feet, take a plunge or just watch courageous kids jump the rock lined ledges into the largest of the inviting pools."

While the water was cold, it was still a lot of fun once you took the cliff dive from a ledge - climbing which required significant courage!

After I took the jump from the ledge and managed the logistics about getting my flip flop back by walking through the rugged road to get to them, we finally went back to the Lodge. This time we all took showers and got to the smores to find that the chocolates were all gone but the marshmellows were still there. Then dinner back at the lodge (the same veggie pasta for me!) and then we were so tired we pretty much collapsed the moment we hit the bed.

Next morning we tried to go the the redwood trees in Wawona before heading back to Los Angeles, but managed to capture just a glimpse of them from far since the parking lot was full and we were asked to turn around and take the bus, so our dream to go through the Redwood tree remained a wish ... but we did see some trees while we drove back out of the Yosemite National park.

The drive back was a straight shot and I drove back the entire time. We had to get back to LA early enough to get Brad's ranger from the dog hotel by 5.30 and Connie to take her quiz and midterm before 8.

All in all it was an awesome trip, short but well utilized. This is probably the most picture perfect state part I have been to in United States!

I want to end with a quote from John Muir who convinced FDR to make this a National Park and preserving this amazing piece of land so that future generations to rejoice in its beauty:

"We are now in the mountains and they are in us, kindling enthusiasm, making every nerve quiver, filling every pore and cell of us. Our flesh-and-bone tabernacle seems transparent as glass to the beauty about us, as if truly an inseparable part of it, thrilling with the air and trees, streams and rocks, in the waves of the sun,—a part of all nature, neither old nor young, sick nor well, but immortal." — from My First Summer in the Sierra (1911)

Great insight into the challenges they faces and are facing, here are some questions I especially liked:

By closely integrating care delivery, Kaiser Permanente delivers high-quality, cost-effective treatment. One of its senior executives outlines its approach.

Kaiser Permanente (KP), the largest nonprofit health plan in the United States, is renowned for the tight integration of its clinical services. KP closely coordinates primary, secondary, and hospital care; places a strong emphasis on prevention; and extensively uses care pathways and electronic medical records. By doing so, it provides its 8.7 million members and patients with high-quality, cost-effective care.

That KP can achieve such tight integration and strong results is especially remarkable in that it is not one organization but several cooperating entities (see sidebar, “Kaiser Permanente at a glance”). All these entities share a common vision: to deliver coordinated, comprehensive health care that keeps patients as healthy as possible.

The Quarterly: What are the benefits of integrated care?

Hal Wolf: KP carefully coordinates the work done by primary care physicians, specialists, hospitals, pharmacies, laboratories, and others. This approach offers several advantages. It improves care quality, makes care delivery more convenient for members, and increases communication among all the people providing care. It also enables us to find efficiencies that reduce costs, improve or maintain quality, and allow for innovation.

We believe strongly in evidence-based medicine, and we are always looking for innovative ways of delivering care. When we find an innovation that is working well, we want to propagate it as best practice throughout our organization.

The Quarterly: How do you provide integrated care?

Hal Wolf: We operate in nine states and the District of Columbia, and our operations are slightly different in each area. In all cases, however, we integrate care as closely as possible. In California, for example, we provide members with an end-to-end experience; we own and operate a large number of clinics, hospitals, laboratories, and pharmacies. At all our clinics, patients can receive primary and secondary care; at most, they can also undergo laboratory and imaging tests and get prescriptions filled. At some clinics, they can even undergo same-day outpatient surgery. This way, we take care of most of our patients’ health care needs in a single facility.

Our primary and secondary care services are closely intertwined in California. Our primary care services include everything from basic health checkups to disease-management programs. Those programs include appropriate specialist consultations when needed, but primary care physicians remain in charge of patients’ overall care. Even if patients need to be hospitalized, care delivery is seamless because all physicians and other health professionals have access to KP HealthConnect, our electronic medical record database.

In Colorado, our services are similar, but we don’t own our own hospitals. Nevertheless, we have extremely close relationships with our partner hospitals. For example, the physicians who take care of our patients at these hospitals are part of the Colorado Permanente Medical Group and have full access to KP HealthConnect. As a result, they are able to view a complete medical history for their patients, and we are able to compile a complete record of what happens to our patients while they are hospitalized. Because KP HealthConnect updates itself in real time, the records are never out of date. If a patient leaves a clinic and drives to a hospital, the physicians at the hospital can see the clinic records as soon as the patient arrives.

The Quarterly: How do you develop your care pathways? And how do you support their use?

Hal Wolf: The care pathways are developed by multidisciplinary teams using evidence-based medicine, and they are one of the fundamental ways in which we integrate care. Roles and accountabilities are clarified in the care pathways. For example, our physicians provide only part of patient care; the remainder is delivered by nurses, pharmacists, and other team members, following the pathways’ protocols. KP HealthConnect facilitates the care pathways because it includes documentation templates, alerts, reminders, and other clinical-decision support capabilities. That is the power of KP HealthConnect—the ability to bring evidence to the point of care.

The Quarterly: How do you monitor performance?

Hal Wolf: The IT system is critical; without it, we would not be able to gauge the performance of our clinics and physicians or identify differences among them. For example, our IT system allows us to identify when a clinic has made a change to a care pathway and what results the change produced. If it enabled the clinic to lower costs while maintaining care quality or to hold costs steady while improving outcomes, we want to know about it; we may well want our other clinics to implement the change. A good IT system can also help us determine whether a change that increased costs was justified by the improved outcomes achieved.

The IT system also enables us to track physician performance on a regular basis. The physicians sit down as a group to pick the targets they want to achieve and the metrics that will be monitored. We then collect the data and share the results with them—each of them can see his or her performance. We periodically repeat the process of target and metric selection to ensure that our treatment approaches remain up to date.

Of course, physician performance cannot be assessed in isolation. For example, our best physicians tend to get the most complicated cases, but this means that they tend to see fewer patients, on average, than other physicians do. Our performance-management system has to take this into account. Also, physicians provide only one part of patient care, especially for people with chronic disease; nurses, pharmacists, and other clinicians are also involved. Usually, a wide range of information must be considered to determine why a specific outcome occurred. In Colorado, for example, we use balanced scorecards to gauge the performance of each department. These scorecards look at the care delivered by each team member, not just physicians. They also gauge member satisfaction, access, service, and more. The scorecards are developed with input from physicians, the other clinicians engaged in patient care, and the health plan—the payor side ofour organization.

The Quarterly: What challenges is KP currently facing?

Hal Wolf: Like all health systems, KP faces a variety of challenges. One of our newestis how to cope with the vast amount of data we have collected about our members. Who should have access to this data? Who should be able to use it, and in what ways? As more and more information has been gathered, we’ve realized that the cost of maintaining the databases underlying KP HealthConnect has increased. We therefore have to prioritize which types of data access are most important. For example, it’s very expensive to make all data available in real time; perhaps some types of information can be archived and retrieved on an as-needed basis.

Like all health systems today, KP must focus on cost containment and efficiency improvements; we have constant discussions about the strategic needs of the organization and the investments required to support them. KP HealthConnect has enabled us to innovate in multiple areas of disease management. But we have to keep its costs under control.

The Quarterly: What advice do you have for other health systems that are thinking about creating more integrated care delivery models?

Hal Wolf: This is something we’ve been studying and talking to the National Health Service (NHS) about, and so I’ll offer a few suggestions.

First, the health system must establish an effective method for creating and implementing care pathways. As part of this effort, it must set up the right handoffs between the various providers and make certain that incentives are in place to support providers working together. The NHS, through its world-class commissioning program, is attempting to do just this.

Second, it is crucial that the health system think about how it collects and shares information. As it does this, the system must consider the needs of its constituents, such as its local providers, payor organizations, and national regulators. It must also make sure that its leaders are aligned on how and why information should be shared. We learned this lesson the hard way; developing a good IT system for a health system is a difficult task. Before we began using KP HealthConnect, we attempted to implement another approach to electronic medical records, and that implementation did not go well. We did not have focused leadership from the health plans or medical groups. That changed when George Halvorson became CEO of KP. The experience taught us that large-scale change can be achieved only if management is aligned on the same goals.

Third, the health system must determine whether its internal channels of communication are sufficiently open—and if they are not, open them. Communication is not necessarily a question of putting everyone involved in a patient’s care in the same building (although that certainly helps). Instead, it requires that everyone talk openly to each other and maintain the same patient-centric focus.

That last point may be the most important of all: the patient must always come first. We have found that the combination of a good data environment, strong end-to-end processes, clear communications, and a patient-centric focus creates integrated care. It also encourages everyone within the system to do their best.

I knew it.. some benefits from abstaining!!!

Posted by:

Economist.com | LONDON

Categories:

Rankings

VANCOUVER, we salute you. Not only is it the world’s most liveable city, it is also apparently the best venue for business travellers. The Canadian city has topped the Economist Intelligence Unit’s business-travel ranking of 136 world cities for the third year in a row, with Toronto second, Adelaide third, Honolulu fourth and Perth fifth (the same top five as last year). New York and London were 62nd and 65th respectively, with New York the lowest ranked of the 16 American cities examined.

The ranking takes into consideration both cost-related and environmental factors in assessing a destination's desirableness for a business traveller. Cities are rated in 31 categories, which are grouped and weighted in five sectors thus:

1. Stability (25%)
2. Healthcare (10%)
3. Culture and environment (25%)
4. Infrastructure (20%)
5. Cost (20%)

Marks for the first four sectors derive from the liveability ranking that we have already examined. The "cost" mark derives from the city's per-diem rate: the price of a basket of goods and services typically required during a short business trip. So that's hotels, restaurant meals, car rental, taxi rides, etc. You can read the full methodology here, alongside the 2006 figures.

When we revealed the recent liveability rankings, plenty of commenters suggested that Vancouver was a city of the "nice but boring" type. The rankings clearly cannot cater to all tastes, but the emphasis on stability and infrastructure means that nice but boring cities do indeed do well. The same sadly cannot be said of cities in the world's more troubled regions, and Karachi, Algiers and Lagos bring up the rear.

Business Travel Ranking (December 2008, zero = ideal) 1 Vancouver 8.0% 2 Toronto 8.8% 3 Adelaide 9.6% 4 Honolulu 10.9% 5 Perth 11.5% 6 Auckland 11.5% 7 Detroit 11.9% 8 Atlanta 12.1% 9 Montreal 12.4% 10 Vienna 12.5%

(Photo credit: Shutterstock)