7 ms·

Saying Thank You to the NHS, Using Clojure

60 points by DaveWM 6y ago

rvz 6y ago
Or you could donate directly [0] to the NHS instead: [0] https://uk.virginmoneygiving.com/ClapForOurCarers https://uk.virginmoneygiving.com/ClapForOurCarers
- Symbiote 6y ago
  There's some irony in doing so through Virgin Money. Virgin is seeking to privatize the NHS, and the group has Virgin Care, which is one of the largest private care providers contracted by the NHS. Naturally, Virgin Care pays no corporation tax -- Richard Branson has an allergy to tax, and doctors and politicians have so far not found a cure.
  - growlist 6y ago
    Well as a counterpoint, I'm personally now thoroughly bored of the left's ongoing campaign of 'weaponising the NHS', to quote former Labour leader Ed Miliband. The left would rather see patients suffer in a vast, unmanageable, outdated institution than contemplate the horror of a successfully reformed NHS incorporating a significant private component.
    - gvjddbnvdrbv 6y ago
      We don't want to add the terrible combination of cost cutting together overhead and waste of the private sector to our public services.
      - jpxw 6y ago
        Interesting that you seem to imply that the private sector is the one with overhead issues...
        nicoburns 6y ago
        Yes... the NHS has some of the lowest per capita healthcare costs of any comparable health service. And so far all attempts to bring in private finance have lead to spiralling costs. That's not to say the NHS has no efficiency issues. It's the 5th largest employer in the world. Of course it has efficiency issues. But there's little evidence that making it private would improve things.
        jpxw 6y ago
        Mixing private with public does lead to spiralling costs. To me it seems like a system such as the one in Germany offers good outcomes at a reasonable price, while not denying anyone care.
    - DanBC 6y ago
      > NHS incorporating a significant private component. We already have a significant private component, and it's piss poor. Look at all the scandals in Priory Group, or Cygnet, or similar. See also the numbers of private providers in the CQC recent inspections that were inadequate: https://www.cqc.org.uk/search/services/all?f%5B0%5D=im_field_inspection_rating%3A3928&f%5B1%5D=latest_inspections%3Amonth https://www.cqc.org.uk/search/services/all?f%5B0%5D=im_field...
      - growlist 6y ago
        Perhaps the NHS should manufacture its own ambulances as well?
- gvjddbnvdrbv 6y ago
  The idea the what should be properly funded by taxes has to be propped up by charitable donations is abhorrent. Vote Labour next election and fund the public sector properly!
  - rvz 6y ago
    > Vote Labour next election and fund the public sector properly! Sigh. That time came 5 months ago and is now gone until the next 5 years. In the mean time perhaps you can play your part in donating in someway or even somewhere else instead of complaining.
    - gvjddbnvdrbv 6y ago
      Using the word "Sigh" online is a surefire way to start an argument. It is a passive aggressive put down and exceedingly rude. Anyway pointing out the insanity of this situation is not complaining.
      - rvz 6y ago
        > Using the word "Sigh" online is a surefire way to start an argument. It is a passive aggressive put down and exceedingly rude. Now's not the time. Hold your fire and stand-down. > Anyway pointing out the insanity of this situation is not complaining. Well you don't have to donate through there then. Donating and raising money for your local NHS trust goes further than just 'clapping' in appreciation.
- OJFord 6y ago
  As suggested at the end of the submitted blog post, with the very same link.
- DaveWM 6y ago
  Definitely! Also, just being a bit more diligent around social distancing and washing your hands can help :)
- room271 6y ago
  The intention is good, but if the NHS needs more money (which it almost certainly does), for wages or otherwise, increased taxation seems like the better choice.
esotericn 6y ago
The NHS needs funding, not our "thanks". The Government's current drive to propagandise their ongoing failure to fund essential public service should not be tolerated. (For those who are unaware, in the UK we are currently being asked by the powers that be to take part in a "clapping session" on the streets weekly).
- FartyMcFarter 6y ago
  It feels like a proto-dictatorship move to ask people to worship an arm of the government, instead of seeing it for what it is: a provider of a service that needs proper funding and management. There are definitely people in health services that deserve praise, but praising the institution in this way is a bit different...
- netsharc 6y ago
  I've been wondering how much they "exploited" the recently-turned-100 Captain who was walking up and down his garden 100 times to raise money for the NHS. He or his family probably came up with the idea themselves, but I wonder if some individuals working in the government helped it "go viral". The same government that's been slowly stripping the NHS, when suddenly, a free 100 million pounds (and counting) to spend! And a nice old man that the nation can cheer on. Feel good story, distraction, etc, etc. Another cynical look about the hero worship of the NHS is that heroes often die, if I were running a government that failed to supply PPE to doctors and nurses, I'd cheer on the idea of making them heroes because then their deaths would become something honourable and somewhat acceptable...
  - simonh 6y ago
    >I wonder if some individuals working in the government helped it "go viral" He did the walk in support of NHS Charities Together, an umbrella organisation of independent charities that support the NHS, and their publicity team contacted the media.
  - erk__ 6y ago
    You do know that the yearly budget of the NHS is around £140 billion. So the captain would only have collected enough for a few hours. But that does not matter as the money he gathers does not go to the state, but goes to a large number of charities which are connected to the NHS. https://www.nhscharitiestogether.co.uk/meet-our-members/ https://www.nhscharitiestogether.co.uk/meet-our-members/ Though I do agree that the NHS should be better funded.
DerDangDerDang 6y ago
Did anyone hear of this rainbow = NHS thing before the Queen’s speech? I ask because surely most of the country knows the existing connection between the rainbow symbol and LGBT issues. Like, areas of my city painted roads in rainbow colours several years running to show welcome and support. I’m vaguely wondering whether the rainbow was deliberately hijacked, in the same way as the phrase ‘postcode lottery’ was repurposed by the right.
- deleted 6y ago
  [deleted]
- RobertKerans 6y ago
  Yes, they'd been in windows for a couple weeks before that in the UK. It's a nice thing for kids to make, with the original aim of being something to spot when being taken on walks. Kids like drawing rainbows, they get to use all the colours in the box. Loads of the rainbow pictures have extra messages written on them. NHS support messages are most common. Hence why they are partly associated to the NHS People can do nice things, you don't need to attach conspiracy theories to them.
  - DerDangDerDang 6y ago
    It is nice. Thanks, I was genuinely curious - I hadn’t seen or heard of it before the Queen mentioned it. Rainbows seem a slightly naive choice in that case but if it’s an organic grass roots thing that’s pure chance, of course.
    - RobertKerans 6y ago
      If you don't have kids, and even then if {you|partner|other person involved in caring for kids} aren't on social media (afaik FB was where it gained traction initially, on parent groups, though it was already being reported on), then it was kinda easy to miss -- I didn't know about it when my partner said she was going to help daughter make one, and I think that was a week or so after started popping up (they'd already been appearing across Italy at that point, possibly Spain as well?)
slifin 6y ago
Nice use of Clojure hiccup is such a joy
- dimitar 6y ago
  Indeed, it is a cool idea to generate an SVG using it. Hiccup is one of these cool 'complete' libraries that continue to be used and inspire (like the reagent syntax).
- DaveWM 6y ago
  Agreed! The only problem is that once you're used to hiccup, writing HTML becomes a chore!
ddavis 6y ago
This was a nice timely read, I just starting learning Clojure because I want to dive a bit deeper into Lisp. Thanks for posting, and best wishes to the UK NHS.
- DaveWM 6y ago
  Thanks very much! Best of luck with your Clojure journey
switch007 6y ago
Hilarious fact: a doctor at a Bradford hospital reckons there is an increase in A&E admissions on Thursdays due to the clapping. I mean, if that's true...I have no words.
- DanBC 6y ago
  Here's a news report about it: https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/health-52506114 https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/health-52506114
dkmn 6y ago
To the OP: Your write-up (nicely done) is particularly interesting to me in that I'm using this unplanned furlough to work on diving back into Clojure and coincidentally was wanting to set up some static personal sites. Thanks for sharing the write-up and sentiments. May I ask: - Do you use this approach more generally in your work? At first glance, it feels heavyweight for something like a blog (e.g. the intention site), but after perusal I appreciated the clarity of the Clojure code. Just curious if you've been doing this a lot and whether you find it efficient in the longer-term. - Do you have any opinions regarding the more "framework like" static generation tools for Clojure (misaki, etc)?
- DaveWM 6y ago
  Thanks very much! I've made a few small static sites this way, and it's worked really well. However, it is missing several features that you need for larger (or more frequently changing) sites: asset minification, markdown compilation, etc.. Once these things become a pain, I'd either bring in a library like Misaki or Stasis (although I haven't actually tried either of these myself), or move to Hugo/Gatsby.

60 points by DaveWM 6y ago

rvz 6y ago

Or you could donate directly [0] to the NHS instead: [0] https://uk.virginmoneygiving.com/ClapForOurCarers https://uk.virginmoneygiving.com/ClapForOurCarers

Symbiote 6y ago
There's some irony in doing so through Virgin Money. Virgin is seeking to privatize the NHS, and the group has Virgin Care, which is one of the largest private care providers contracted by the NHS. Naturally, Virgin Care pays no corporation tax -- Richard Branson has an allergy to tax, and doctors and politicians have so far not found a cure.
- growlist 6y ago
  Well as a counterpoint, I'm personally now thoroughly bored of the left's ongoing campaign of 'weaponising the NHS', to quote former Labour leader Ed Miliband. The left would rather see patients suffer in a vast, unmanageable, outdated institution than contemplate the horror of a successfully reformed NHS incorporating a significant private component.
  - gvjddbnvdrbv 6y ago
    We don't want to add the terrible combination of cost cutting together overhead and waste of the private sector to our public services.
    - jpxw 6y ago
      Interesting that you seem to imply that the private sector is the one with overhead issues...
      - nicoburns 6y ago
        Yes... the NHS has some of the lowest per capita healthcare costs of any comparable health service. And so far all attempts to bring in private finance have lead to spiralling costs. That's not to say the NHS has no efficiency issues. It's the 5th largest employer in the world. Of course it has efficiency issues. But there's little evidence that making it private would improve things.
        jpxw 6y ago
        Mixing private with public does lead to spiralling costs. To me it seems like a system such as the one in Germany offers good outcomes at a reasonable price, while not denying anyone care.
  - DanBC 6y ago
    > NHS incorporating a significant private component. We already have a significant private component, and it's piss poor. Look at all the scandals in Priory Group, or Cygnet, or similar. See also the numbers of private providers in the CQC recent inspections that were inadequate: https://www.cqc.org.uk/search/services/all?f%5B0%5D=im_field_inspection_rating%3A3928&f%5B1%5D=latest_inspections%3Amonth https://www.cqc.org.uk/search/services/all?f%5B0%5D=im_field...
    - growlist 6y ago
      Perhaps the NHS should manufacture its own ambulances as well?
gvjddbnvdrbv 6y ago
The idea the what should be properly funded by taxes has to be propped up by charitable donations is abhorrent. Vote Labour next election and fund the public sector properly!
- rvz 6y ago
  > Vote Labour next election and fund the public sector properly! Sigh. That time came 5 months ago and is now gone until the next 5 years. In the mean time perhaps you can play your part in donating in someway or even somewhere else instead of complaining.
  - gvjddbnvdrbv 6y ago
    Using the word "Sigh" online is a surefire way to start an argument. It is a passive aggressive put down and exceedingly rude. Anyway pointing out the insanity of this situation is not complaining.
    - rvz 6y ago
      > Using the word "Sigh" online is a surefire way to start an argument. It is a passive aggressive put down and exceedingly rude. Now's not the time. Hold your fire and stand-down. > Anyway pointing out the insanity of this situation is not complaining. Well you don't have to donate through there then. Donating and raising money for your local NHS trust goes further than just 'clapping' in appreciation.
OJFord 6y ago
As suggested at the end of the submitted blog post, with the very same link.
DaveWM 6y ago
Definitely! Also, just being a bit more diligent around social distancing and washing your hands can help :)
room271 6y ago
The intention is good, but if the NHS needs more money (which it almost certainly does), for wages or otherwise, increased taxation seems like the better choice.

esotericn 6y ago

The NHS needs funding, not our "thanks". The Government's current drive to propagandise their ongoing failure to fund essential public service should not be tolerated. (For those who are unaware, in the UK we are currently being asked by the powers that be to take part in a "clapping session" on the streets weekly).

FartyMcFarter 6y ago
It feels like a proto-dictatorship move to ask people to worship an arm of the government, instead of seeing it for what it is: a provider of a service that needs proper funding and management. There are definitely people in health services that deserve praise, but praising the institution in this way is a bit different...
netsharc 6y ago
I've been wondering how much they "exploited" the recently-turned-100 Captain who was walking up and down his garden 100 times to raise money for the NHS. He or his family probably came up with the idea themselves, but I wonder if some individuals working in the government helped it "go viral". The same government that's been slowly stripping the NHS, when suddenly, a free 100 million pounds (and counting) to spend! And a nice old man that the nation can cheer on. Feel good story, distraction, etc, etc. Another cynical look about the hero worship of the NHS is that heroes often die, if I were running a government that failed to supply PPE to doctors and nurses, I'd cheer on the idea of making them heroes because then their deaths would become something honourable and somewhat acceptable...
- simonh 6y ago
  >I wonder if some individuals working in the government helped it "go viral" He did the walk in support of NHS Charities Together, an umbrella organisation of independent charities that support the NHS, and their publicity team contacted the media.
- erk__ 6y ago
  You do know that the yearly budget of the NHS is around £140 billion. So the captain would only have collected enough for a few hours. But that does not matter as the money he gathers does not go to the state, but goes to a large number of charities which are connected to the NHS. https://www.nhscharitiestogether.co.uk/meet-our-members/ https://www.nhscharitiestogether.co.uk/meet-our-members/ Though I do agree that the NHS should be better funded.

DerDangDerDang 6y ago

Did anyone hear of this rainbow = NHS thing before the Queen’s speech? I ask because surely most of the country knows the existing connection between the rainbow symbol and LGBT issues. Like, areas of my city painted roads in rainbow colours several years running to show welcome and support. I’m vaguely wondering whether the rainbow was deliberately hijacked, in the same way as the phrase ‘postcode lottery’ was repurposed by the right.

deleted 6y ago
[deleted]
RobertKerans 6y ago
Yes, they'd been in windows for a couple weeks before that in the UK. It's a nice thing for kids to make, with the original aim of being something to spot when being taken on walks. Kids like drawing rainbows, they get to use all the colours in the box. Loads of the rainbow pictures have extra messages written on them. NHS support messages are most common. Hence why they are partly associated to the NHS People can do nice things, you don't need to attach conspiracy theories to them.
- DerDangDerDang 6y ago
  It is nice. Thanks, I was genuinely curious - I hadn’t seen or heard of it before the Queen mentioned it. Rainbows seem a slightly naive choice in that case but if it’s an organic grass roots thing that’s pure chance, of course.
  - RobertKerans 6y ago
    If you don't have kids, and even then if {you|partner|other person involved in caring for kids} aren't on social media (afaik FB was where it gained traction initially, on parent groups, though it was already being reported on), then it was kinda easy to miss -- I didn't know about it when my partner said she was going to help daughter make one, and I think that was a week or so after started popping up (they'd already been appearing across Italy at that point, possibly Spain as well?)

slifin 6y ago

Nice use of Clojure hiccup is such a joy

dimitar 6y ago
Indeed, it is a cool idea to generate an SVG using it. Hiccup is one of these cool 'complete' libraries that continue to be used and inspire (like the reagent syntax).
DaveWM 6y ago
Agreed! The only problem is that once you're used to hiccup, writing HTML becomes a chore!

ddavis 6y ago

This was a nice timely read, I just starting learning Clojure because I want to dive a bit deeper into Lisp. Thanks for posting, and best wishes to the UK NHS.

DaveWM 6y ago
Thanks very much! Best of luck with your Clojure journey

switch007 6y ago

Hilarious fact: a doctor at a Bradford hospital reckons there is an increase in A&E admissions on Thursdays due to the clapping. I mean, if that's true...I have no words.

DanBC 6y ago
Here's a news report about it: https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/health-52506114 https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/health-52506114

dkmn 6y ago

To the OP: Your write-up (nicely done) is particularly interesting to me in that I'm using this unplanned furlough to work on diving back into Clojure and coincidentally was wanting to set up some static personal sites. Thanks for sharing the write-up and sentiments. May I ask: - Do you use this approach more generally in your work? At first glance, it feels heavyweight for something like a blog (e.g. the intention site), but after perusal I appreciated the clarity of the Clojure code. Just curious if you've been doing this a lot and whether you find it efficient in the longer-term. - Do you have any opinions regarding the more "framework like" static generation tools for Clojure (misaki, etc)?

DaveWM 6y ago
Thanks very much! I've made a few small static sites this way, and it's worked really well. However, it is missing several features that you need for larger (or more frequently changing) sites: asset minification, markdown compilation, etc.. Once these things become a pain, I'd either bring in a library like Misaki or Stasis (although I haven't actually tried either of these myself), or move to Hugo/Gatsby.