Through a Green Gaze: Tentative Indicators of a Green ‘Text’

This paper seeks to re-claim for the idea ‘green’, something of the depth and range of its philosophical and ideological ideas at the time of its emergence and early formation from the 1960s to the 1990s, ideas which appear today to be largely unknown, forgotten or deliberately sidelined. It also seeks to provide for political, economic and environmental opinion-makers and decision-takers, a list of indicators by which to assess the green-ness of a ‘text’. The paper is also useful for educators wishing to examine the philosophical foundations of their practice and the texts that they use in educational work

Global patient outcomes after elective surgery: prospective cohort study in 27 low-, middle- and high-income countries.

BACKGROUND: As global initiatives increase patient access to surgical treatments, there remains a need to understand the adverse effects of surgery and define appropriate levels of perioperative care. METHODS: We designed a prospective international 7-day cohort study of outcomes following elective adult inpatient surgery in 27 countries. The primary outcome was in-hospital complications. Secondary outcomes were death following a complication (failure to rescue) and death in hospital. Process measures were admission to critical care immediately after surgery or to treat a complication and duration of hospital stay. A single definition of critical care was used for all countries. RESULTS: A total of 474 hospitals in 19 high-, 7 middle- and 1 low-income country were included in the primary analysis. Data included 44 814 patients with a median hospital stay of 4 (range 2-7) days. A total of 7508 patients (16.8%) developed one or more postoperative complication and 207 died (0.5%). The overall mortality among patients who developed complications was 2.8%. Mortality following complications ranged from 2.4% for pulmonary embolism to 43.9% for cardiac arrest. A total of 4360 (9.7%) patients were admitted to a critical care unit as routine immediately after surgery, of whom 2198 (50.4%) developed a complication, with 105 (2.4%) deaths. A total of 1233 patients (16.4%) were admitted to a critical care unit to treat complications, with 119 (9.7%) deaths. Despite lower baseline risk, outcomes were similar in low- and middle-income compared with high-income countries. CONCLUSIONS: Poor patient outcomes are common after inpatient surgery. Global initiatives to increase access to surgical treatments should also address the need for safe perioperative care. STUDY REGISTRATION: ISRCTN5181700

Geloofsverskille: waar kom hulle vandaan en wat maak ons met hulle?

In this article about the origin of differences in faith and how we can/should deal with them, the article explores the extent to which language may guide or misguide our reflections about God as mystery, and how differences in faith become embedded in the nature and dynamics of religious discourse; both external and internal. Such discourses are then linked to four phases of faith which emerge in various permutations and combinations; are recursively linked; and together attest to faith as a journey and not as a fixed destination. These phases are: blind gullibility and stultification; conflict and doubt; outsidership; and a sense of wonder/fundamental trust. Focussing� on the latter faith �position� the author then explores how our talk about God can be guided by what the philosopher Paul van Buren calls the �edges of language� � where the word God serves as the final speech act when one wants deperately to say the most that is possible. Various examples from literature, the arts and Scripture are supplied to elucidate the edges of language and how these may retain connections with traditional/convential religious language utterances and the various phases of faith. Finally, the article explores the deeper meaning of commitment and which would allow the respectful accommodation of all such commitments

Inlfuence of soil factors on red colour development in bi-coloured pears.

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Orchard site selection and reflective mulching as ways to improve red colour of apples and pears.

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