Gaming, Politics, News Oddities

[tcpip]

Have written two reviews for Powers & Perils for RPG.net, both of which should be published this week. The reviews suggst that the rules system and the presentation was well below average, but the setting was of a good standard. I'll be starting a new PBeM within two weeks using the latter and the Swordbearer ruleset, of which I have started some house-ruling. recumbenteer has started playing around with ideas for a Space 1889 game, but with a particular emphasis on radical working-class history.

My recently revived involvement in party political affairs has seen me attending local ALP branch meetings (in Kew the ALP is lucky to get over 25%), as well as meetings of the Socialist Left faction (usual stories; the Right have been stacking again etc). Have been slightly surprised that three old university colleagues are now members of parliament in Western Australia.

Craig Vetner's and team create artificial life (Ted Talk presentation on Youtube). German student attacked by muggers, saved by ninjas. Peter Meakin, who recently 'outed' MP David Campbell, is considered a reckless danger - and not just in reporting. Productivity Commission (who I normally have some time for) engage in a dead stupid metric.

Comments

[kremmen.livejournal.com]

Figures on mortality in hospitals have been looked at, at least at a state level, for years. Hospitals in most states (whether private or public) have to report fairly comprehensive data to their state government every month. When I worked for a provider of patient management software, Victoria collected more data than other states, so nationally comparable figures might have been lacking.

They've looked at the data, seen that public hospitals treat sicker patients, and ignored this metric as useless, long ago. (10-15 years ago!) Small public hospitals tend to be rural and be a dumping ground for patients who have nowhere else to go, due to lack of alternative services. (But the "no private hospitals in rural areas" claim is exaggerated too.)