by Kazeem Olalekan MRPharmS

My fundraising 10K run on the 13th of May was completed without a hitch, apart from a few sore thighs and bruised egos.  Why? I had hoped to beat my 2009 run. The results are out and the table below compares the two results:

Well, I didn’t. So I got a ‘cramp’ but it is not as bad as not trying! I thanks all that supported me. There will be time next time to beat this time. My sight is set firmly on beating that time! Uhaa haaa haaa haaah hah hah.

Want to support me? Please go to: https://www.justgiving.com/kazeem

by Kazeem Olalekan

“As far as analogies go, the ‘unique opportunity of hope’ I was looking for came on the referendum night. My wife went into labour on election night and gave birth to a bouncing baby boy on the day the referendum election result was announced.”
- Kazeem Olalekan, Governing in the national interest May 11, 2011

That son celebrated his first birthday recently and I have been watching him keenly over the last few months. There was this incident when he was on our bed and he saw something on the floor that caught his eyes. He leaped to get it. If not for the quick thinking of my wife, he would have landed on his head. My wife held on to one of his legs and gently eased him toward that thing that caught his eyes. He got what he wanted and continued playing. He was oblivious to the fact that his mother had just saved him from cracking his neck. The question I am asking here is: Was he really oblivious?

Is it likely, subconsciously at least, that he sensed that he can move freely as he likes without any harm coming to him (with his parents in the room). This is based, probably, on his very limited experience of the world around him. He takes a leap for that thing that caught his eyes, not knowing the possible consequences. This is sometimes called a leap of faith.

Today, Emmanuel is starting to walk gingerly. He started out by crawling on all 4’s. Then he gradually mastered the art of standing up and falling down safely. Then watching his older sister, he will take a few steps and fall down safely. He can even get off the bed safely now. He sometimes even try to run but he soon finds out that this is quite tricky. So he falls to the ground safely and crawl. The more he watches, the more he learns.

When he took his first ginger steps, he must have watched his sister and others around him carefully. ‘If they can do it, so could I’ he might have thought. So he did. It was another leap of faith.

It is the hope of getting that thing that caught his eyes and the hope of actually walking on two legs that made him take the leaps of faith. As I have alluded in an earlier post: “Hope is what gets you from A to B”. However, if that hope is built on something flimsy, he will be disappointed. If we, as parents, were in the room but not looking, Emmanuel would have cracked his neck!

As he grows older and looks around him, he will acquire more knowledge. As parents, we will continue to teach him how to observe the world around him and how to make the right decisions. In the end, he will make his own mistakes and learn from it.

On the issue of evolution, Emmanuel is evolving from laying flat, to crawling and now walking. Charles Darwin must have been right is some respects. But to evolve effectively, we need hope and some, myself included, find that hope in faith – unshakable faith. That faith is not based on what is to happen, it is based on what has already happened!

In honour of Charles Darwin, the following are a few of his quotes:

“It is not the strongest of the species that survives, nor the most intelligent that survives. It is the one that is the most adaptable to change.”

“The mystery of the beginning of all things is insoluble by us; and I for one must be content to remain an agnostic”

“A man who dares to waste one hour of time has not discovered the value of life.”

“Ignorance more frequently begets confidence than does knowledge: it is those who know little, and not those who know much, who so positively assert that this or that problem will never be solved by science.”

“In the long history of humankind (and animal kind, too) those who learned to collaborate and improvise most effectively have prevailed”

“If the misery of the poor be caused not by the laws of nature, but by our institutions, great is our sin.”

“A moral being is one who is capable of reflecting on his past actions and their motives – of approving of some and disapproving of others”

by Kazeem Olalekan

In 2009, I ran a 10K race at Lymington to raise money for the Sickle Cell Society. I posted about it on this blog here. Late last year, I decided to try the race again, so I booked onto it and forgotten about it. I received notification of the race this weekend and I have hardly done much training! The race is in 7 days and I want to beat my previous time of 54.02 minutes! Is that remotely possible? I am going to start intensive training today in readiness for the race on the 13th of May.

Please wish me well and support me if you can via the JustGiving website here. I will post my training progress and pictures at the race on Twitter  and on the JustGiving site.

This is a big ask I know but the question is: Kazeem are you up for it?

‘Bring it on’ I say: and that is fighting talk from me.

by Kazeem Olalekan

I tweeted recently a quote attributed to Dame Edna Everage but quoted by Canon Angela Tilby in her Thought of the day piece

Kazeem Olalekan ‏ @iforg
‘Never be afraid to laugh at yourself. After all you could be missing out on the joke of the century.’- Canon A Tilby (quoting Dame Edna)

Canon Tilby was commenting on how the Dame, over her career, held up a mirror to the ‘petty snobberies and itchy desire to stand out that is part and parcel of British social life…’ However, it is the desire not to miss out on the joke of the century that has prompted this piece.

I connected with my old ‘A’ Level friend recently after many years of loss of contact. As we were reminiscing on the good old days, she recounted an incident to me which I had totally forgotten. I was bend over double in hysteric laughter.

Picture this: Me, just arrived in the UK, with my Abeokuta ways. I worked into my ‘A’ Level class with my briefcase! – yes briefcase!! I opened my briefcase and announced a ‘very important’ information to my colleagues. On my way  to college that day, I walked into a shop and there was a ‘buy 1 get 1 free’ offer on a can of Coke! So I decided, in my smart wisdom, to help myself to about 10 cans of Coke!!! In my briefcase were 10 neatly packed cans of coke which I have been carrying half way through London! I was surprised that my friends were not impressed with this smart investment on my part. Some laughed, some pulled me aside to say the offer will still be there tomorrow. I didn’t get it.

Looking back now, I cannot help but be amazed at how funny this was. It was my seriousness that made it even more hilarious. I do laugh at myself every now and then when I think about what I did or doing. I am sure there is more where this came from.

So the moral is, don’t miss out on the joke of the century, be prepared to laugh at yourself.

by Johnny Cash

Well, you wonder why I always dress in black,
Why you never see bright colors on my back,
And why does my appearance seem to have a somber tone.
Well, there’s a reason for the things that I have on.

I wear the black for the poor and the beaten down,
Livin’ in the hopeless, hungry side of town,
I wear it for the prisoner who has long paid for his crime,
But is there because he’s a victim of the times.

I wear the black for those who never read,
Or listened to the words that Jesus said,
About the road to happiness through love and charity,
Why, you’d think He’s talking straight to you and me.

Well, we’re doin’ mighty fine, I do suppose,
In our streak of lightnin’ cars and fancy clothes,
But just so we’re reminded of the ones who are held back,
Up front there ought ‘a be a Man In Black.

I wear it for the sick and lonely old,
For the reckless ones whose bad trip left them cold,
I wear the black in mournin’ for the lives that could have been,
Each week we lose a hundred fine young men.

And, I wear it for the thousands who have died,
Believen’ that the Lord was on their side,
I wear it for another hundred thousand who have died,
Believen’ that we all were on their side.

Well, there’s things that never will be right I know,
And things need changin’ everywhere you go,
But ’til we start to make a move to make a few things right,
You’ll never see me wear a suit of white.

Ah, I’d love to wear a rainbow every day,
And tell the world that everything’s OK,
But I’ll try to carry off a little darkness on my back,
‘Till things are brighter, I’m the Man In Black.

courtesy of fanofcanucks

What a friend we have in Jesus,
all our sins and griefs to bear!
What a privilege to carry
everything to God in prayer!
O what peace we often forfeit,
O what needless pain we bear,
all because we do not carry
everything to God in prayer.

Have we trials and temptations?
Is there trouble anywhere?
We should never be discouraged;
take it to the Lord in prayer.
Can we find a friend so faithful
who will all our sorrows share?
Jesus knows our every weakness;
take it to the Lord in prayer.

Are we weak and heavy laden,
cumbered with a load of care?
Precious Savior, still our refuge;
take it to the Lord in prayer.
Do thy friends despise, forsake thee?
Take it to the Lord in prayer!
In his arms he’ll take and shield thee;
thou wilt find a solace there.

by Kazeem Olalekan CEO Iforg Limited

I have written a lot about on a number of subjects on this blog and others: I wrote about God in the piece on mathematical constant (1), I wrote about why I thought the 2010 election result was a perfect one (2). I also expressed opinion on the AV vote (3), not to mention my contributions to the Health care reform debate in America (4). My views on the crisis of political leadership in Europe (5) and on the health and social care bill making its way through the final parliamentary huddle is there for anyone to read (6, 7). And for those who don’t know, I am a pharmacist and have argued that pharmacy (my profession) is a profession of aspiration (8). There are a number of projects I have to focus my attention on and this will be my last and possibly most telling contribution yet. I will pull no punches.

In this blog I want to talk about a stool…yes a stool…you know…just like the one pictured. The dictionary describe it as ‘a single seat supported on legs’ (9). This particular stool I am talking about has four legs of equal length and strength. These legs make the seat very sturdy. So when I have been standing for a long time and tired, I can sit on this stool and rest my legs. There are other occasions when there is something on the top shelf that takes my fancy. I use the same stool to prop me up. And because of the built quality of the stool, it doesn’t buckle under my weight. There is something else about this stool: It is kept outside and exposed to the elements. So I apply many layers of a good quality oil-based paint that is tough, water resistant and dries with a gloss. That way, my stool remain in good shape for a long time.

But of course I am not really talking about a stool! I am actually codifying our society today. I am talking about the United Kingdom. That stool is the United Kingdom and the legs are (1) Politics (2) Economy (3) Healthcare and (4) Security/Defence. All those four legs have to be strong and of equal length to support us when we are tired and also to support us when we aspire for something higher. The paint that keeps the stool sharp and in good shape is the press (i.e. television, newspapers, magazines etc). You can therefore understand why we need many layers of good quality press to keep the damaging effect of the elements away. You only need a layer of poor quality paint somewhere on the stool before the rot begins.

Today our stool is very weak. The economic leg of our stool is fragile. We know how that came about and who to blame for that. I am not here today to lay blames, rather I am providing a road map on how to fix it. When one leg is weak, it inevitably means the rest of the legs take extra weight or strain. I hope the bankers, the non-indulgent ones anyway (10), are hard at work to restore the fragile leg to full strength.

As a pharmacist, I am part of the healthcare leg of the stool and if I don’t say what I am about to say, I would have failed Iforg in its role as an information organisation. My comments relate to the current health and social care reform bill (11) going through parliament. And by the way, I am giving it a clean bill of health. I was neither privy to any conversation on policy before nor am I privy to any now. I have made the following deductions purely on what I perceive to be going on. I arrive at my conclusions by observing and acting accordingly. I challenge anyone who is/was party to any of the discussions which I will touch on here to come out and put me right.

The British Medical Association (BMA)

I will like to caveat anything I say henceforth with this statement: I make a clear distinction between the hardworking, patient focused GPs plus medical clinician I work with on a day-to-day basis and certain militant elements in the the BMA leadership. To those militant elements I say this: The game is up. You have been rumbled. My subsequent messages are directed solely at these militant elements of the BMA. I want these elements to take what I am about to say as a friendly advise from a professional colleague. In the very best American tradition, I am about to give you a very public roasting (12, 13, 14, 15) and you should sit down quietly and take it.

The BMA (16) has been a formidable organisation for years and as their tagline says: they ‘are standing up for doctors’. That has to be right because we all know the important work your doctors have to do and I think most of them do a great job. Over the years, as our NHS became a political football (17), the BMA had evolved to be a militant machine which dabbles in politics. Somewhere along the way it forgot why it is so formidable. If you are unsure about what I am saying then let me replay the following timelines to you:

1997 – United Kingdom General election (18)

The labour party was elected after 18 years in opposition. One of the 5 key pledges made by Labour government was to ‘cut NHS waiting list by treating an extra 100,000 patients as a first step by releasing £100 million saved from NHS red tape’.

Mr Blair’s government went straight to work on the NHS. He was clearly determined to make the NHS better and he embarked on some important reforms which I guess was enthusing those around me at the time (19). It is now clear to me now that the changes he made to the NHS were the right ones. The NHS will remain Mr Blair’s abiding legacy.

2003 – New contract for GPs (20)

Remember in 2003 the Labour party introduced a new contract for GPs which was negotiated by yours truly – the BMA. The then health secretary, John Reid was quoted as saying ‘this is a very positive development’. Dr John Chisholm of the BMA was quoted as saying: ‘This is the turning point for general practice’.

I left my job as a clinical pharmacist at Southampton General Hospital in 2001 and was a locum pharmacist for about a year (21) before joining Salisbury’s Sainsbury’s supermarkets as a pharmacy manager (22). I remember thinking at the time – ‘good on you GPs and a job well done to the BMA’. I also remember hoping that my professional body will do a better job of representing my interest. I was starting to notice a stark difference in my working environment at the hospital to that in the community. I was constrained in the things I wanted to do for my patients regarding their medication.

As far back as 2004, Dr Isabel Gibson expressed some reservation about the impact of the new contract on patients. She was quoted as saying: ‘I think the drawbacks are that it will be difficult sometimes for patients to get appointments when they always need them’ (23). If you (BMA) knew this at the time, what did you do to address this? Or were you too focused on self interest?

2005 – United Kingdom General election (24)

Things came to a head in 2005 election year. Remember? Mr Blair went on Question Time only to be confronted by angry members of the public about the difficulty they were having seeing their GP (25). Mr Blair, that very seasoned politician, describe described his astonishment and vow to do something about it. What did you do when he came to you to sort this out? You probably thought you were invincible. You could walk on water! As it happens, I could have told you from the vantage position in my community pharmacy that patients were becoming dissatisfied ([inserted 12/2/2012]: We could even have worked together to support the patients). Then again you would not have wanted to listen to a mere pharmacist! You were too stuck up to realise you were loosing the very people that make you important. I was in a clinical conference once and a GP was surprised I was there. Guess what she said to me? ‘What are you doing here? Are you not just about business?’ I don’t blame that GP. It is probably the same set of misinformation you have been propagating about my profession in order to protect your self interest. What an insult to my professional integrity! That is probably the same nonsense that led to the flu vaccine accusation of last year (26). If I was not going to accept lack of responsibility for patient from the BMA then, I sure wasn’t going to accept the same lack of responsibility to patients by certain private provider of healthcare (27, 28) today. It has taken this long to say something because I was (and still) keen to make a clear distinction between clinicians and patient-focused GPs and the militant elements of the BMA.

You, the BMA, made a political calculation! You were sure that the Labour party was on its way out! You know knew you had lost the confidence of the then Labour party. You failed to show leadership when it mattered most! When the Labour party looked around at these crucial times for leadership, they found it in the pharmacy profession. All of a sudden the barriers that prevented me from helping my patients started to disappear. That was all I always ever wanted – an opportunity to prove my worth. The pace of empowerment of the pharmacist quickened and I grabbed the opportunity with both hands. I am here today because I took a stance for the patient – something you clearly failed to do. I embarked on a series of projects – a subject for another day. Your political calculation backfired. The Labour party was re-elected. And as you can see, you are not as good as you thought. A friendly advise: you better stay off politics. When Charles I dabbled in politics you know how that ends (29). You don’t [want to] listen to me?…your funeral!

You have argued that looking after doctors’ interest is the same as looking after patients’ interest but when you were faced with a choice between patient and self interest, you chose self interest. What were you doing dabbling in politics anyway? Your job as the lead in the healthcare leg of my stool is solely to look after the patients – your reward follows from that. I will guess that your ‘business-like’ approach was informed by the now discredited bankers (or their likes) that have now crippled the economy. The fact is: you should have known better. The politician now what want to leave the business of healthcare delivery to the clinicians. Your duty is to leave the business of politicking to politicians.

If your problem is leadership then look no further than the Royal Pharmaceutical Society. We are showing you what we expect from you. You think we don’t have very able militants in our midst? They yielded because they know that in spite of the poor working condition of the pharmacist, the patients come first. I congratulate them. Then my Chief Executive, Mrs Helen Gordon (30): She is not a pharmacist! She is a trained nurse and a good one at that! We appoint people on their merits not because they belong to some group. BMA: you have some great doctors and some not so good ones. If you are going to remain militant, then tell me how you are going to lead these doctors effectively? My mentor Mr Stephens (31) talks about clinical effectiveness. I will like to see how effective you are going to be from the position you have taken. When Mr Hamish Meldrum, chair of the BMA (32), went on the Today program to say that the government has gone ‘too far down the wrong road’, I cannot now be sure whether that view is formed from doctors’ interest or from patients’ interest. Until I know where you stand as an organisation, I will continue to have my doubts. You can retain the status quo but you will not be effective in the new NHS.

In the spirit of empowerment: I am now going to empower the secretary of state, like Aneurin Bevan before him, to pass this bill after he has had a dramatic showdown with you (33).

In any case, this is the least of my concern right now. My Society has stated that it will not follow those calling for the withdrawal of the bill (34). My major concern is this: I want to know about every issue relating to my patients’ current medication. That is my job and this is not a plea. Getting it right is what I am paid to do. Whatever happens henceforth (whether or not the bill get passed), I will continue to help my patients get the best out of their medicine and continue to collaborate with my local GPs and clinicians. Do you know what is remarkable? I am not even that good – Me that mix up my tenses, split my infinitives and insert unnecessary ‘o’ (35). You have to see some of the great pharmacists I have to work with (36, 37, 38, 39,40, 41, 42). You empower them and you will not regret it. You know what, I am even going to try and get an interview with one my great mentors Dr Mark Tomlin to tell us what he does in Critical Care.

What are the concerns with the Bill anyway?

I had my doubts at the start and I have expressed them. What was remarkable was that the government paused and listened to comments and suggestions even though the arithmetic in the houses of Common and Lords was in their favour. Are these the action of someone hell bent on wrecking the NHS? It has tabled a number of amendments -  80!! (43) to address specific concerns. If that does not re-assure you, I wonder what will? If some conservatives are now accusing Mr Lansley of not communicating the reform properly, then I have been explicit as to why I think that was (44). Mr Lansley has approached the job conscientiously. I cannot say whether he found what he expected initially – but I am now sure that when he fully appraised the issues we faced in the NHS, he was determined to be part of the solution. His problem, I guess, is that he relishes it too much sometimes (and it shows) probably because he now has a real handle on the issues.

What is this talk about upheaval? The GPs will be in control of the budget and they don’t have to radically re-design the system if it is working for the patient. I will continue to work for the patients and continue to listen to what they tell me. If the reform fails, it will be because we, as healthcare professionals, failed our patients. The GPs have a great task and responsibility in their hands. Do not fail our patients and do tap into the multidisciplinary resources available at your disposal.

We have a damaged stool and if we are going to get growth back into the economy, where do you see that growth coming from? UK healthcare is showing some great signs of tenacity and ingenuity in this very hard times. We need to empower the healthcare staff. If the plan is to allow hospitals to raise up to 49% of their income from private provision, then we must make sure that we make this a part of our growth strategy. We must try and include everyone. Mr Clegg’s idea of ‘a John Lewis’ society is formidable (45). We cannot allow a situation to evolve which contributes to an unequal society of previous years.

God – and He showed up!

When I decided to take a stance on the side of the patient, I was not aware of the implication at the time. It felt like the right thing to do. Then things got difficult. Walking away would have been the most sensible thing to do. I didn’t. There were dark times. I kept telling myself that if I am going to die, I will do so doing what was right. In a remarkable set of circumstances, God showed up and I am feeding on that strength today. I will explain what happened in the fullness of time. That is why I will always advise you, sincerely, to move in God’s field (46).

In this landmark year, there is a lady who has shown a great deal of courage, determination and leadership over the past 60 years. Lord Mandelson (47) has described her time as sovereign as ‘near-perfect’. You can’t argue with that. I am of course talking about the Queen who marks her Diamond Jubilee later this year. The Queen has been standing patiently for the past 60 years and as she grows weary, I want to offer my stool…our stool. We all have a duty to make sure that as she rests her legs, the stool is strong and durable enough to bear her weight.

Courtesy: citrail’s Channel

King of Kings, Majesty
God of Heaven, living in me
Gentle Saviour, closest friend
Strong Deliverer, beginning and end
All within me falls at your throne

Your majesty, I can but bow
I lay my all, before you now
In royal robes, I don’t deserve
I live to serve Your majesty

Earth and heaven, worship you
Love eternal, faithful and true
Who bought the nations, ransomed souls
brought this sinner near to Your throne
All within me cries out in praise

King Of Kings Majesty
Jarrod Cooper
Copyright © 1996 Sovereign Lifestyle Music

courtesy of THENBA

To God be the glory, great things he hath done!
So loved he the world that he gave us his Son,
who yielded his life an atonement for sin,
and opened the lifegate that all may go in.

Praise the Lord, praise the Lord,
let the earth hear his voice!
Praise the Lord, praise the Lord,
let the people rejoice!
O come to the Father thru Jesus his Son,
and give Him the glory, great things he hath done!

by Kazeem Olalekan CEO Iforg Limited

If you see a snake just kill it – don’t appoint a committee on snakes. – Ross Perot

The above has always been my mantra for as long as I could remember until I met this wise Mallam. In Nigeria, where I grew up, you see a snake; you kill it. No questions asked. So when we were in secondary school and on the farm (as was mandated by our then principal – Mr Oluyemi, God bless him); if someone shouts snake, everyone else stops whatever they were doing, get their cutlasses and run to the scene. The aim is clear: the snake must die! More often than not, the snake does.

My encounter with a snake and the response of this wise Mallam is the subject of this blog. I have pondered for a long time what this encounter meant but I feel I now know, as far as I can tell anyway. It happened when I was just about 9 or 10 years of age (give or take a few years):

I grew up in Abeokuta, the capital of Ogun State and we had just moved to my father’s newly built house in Oke Lantoro. At the time, the house was surrounded by ‘forest’ because the area was still relatively under-developed. Our new house was in a gated compound in the middle of no where, surrounded by overgrown herbage and trees. Because he owned the piece of land at the back of the house, he built a 4 bedroom boy’s quarters (- a common name we used to describe these buildings – something like this although not as posh!). This served as residents for builders during the construction of the house but when the house was completed housed the Mallam who lead the security team that looked after the house at night. Every house of this size had security of that nature – More of a deterrent from opportunistic thieves. We all know that real security is not something you can pay for. Nevertheless, this was a valuable way to employ the nomadic Mallams from the north of Nigeria.

As a young child, I spent a lot of time with the Mallam and his family in the boy’s quarters. I eat with them and he even thought me simple phrases in Hausa – even some rude ones! He fascinated me. He was kind and I even joined him in prayer.

On the day in question – it must have been late afternoon – I was dresses like a hunter with a wooden stick which was meant to represent a gun. There was this drama series running on the TV entitled Lisabi Agbongbo Akala which charts the history of the Egba people. It was a story of courage, of fighting and of victory. At that tender age, I fancied myself as a warrior.
In my ‘warrior’ costume, I sneaked out of the house gates and headed for the accommodation of my Mallam friend to show off my courageous spirit. I had to travel through this overgrown herbage beside the house but this was a journey I had made many times without problems. I wasn’t to know that this particular journey has a twist to it.

About half way into my journey, I encountered something that stopped me right in my tracks. In my direct path lay a black cobra. It was upright in its characteristic manner with the neck spread. I will later know that this was a position a cobra takes before it strikes. I froze! I stood starring at this snake for what seems like eternity. I was afraid, I just froze. When I composed myself, I navigated my way round the snake and ran to Mohammed, the Mallam, and asked him to come quick and see the snake. On reflection, it might have been smarter to turn back and run to the safe security of our house. I didn’t, I went round it.

By the time Mohammed got there, the snake was heading into the shrubs but we were still able to see about ¾ of the snake’s body. I was filled with a mixture of anticipation and excitement. All Mohammed had to do was cut the snake up from behind. But did he? No he did not! He mustered something like ‘let it go’ in Hausa. I was a child and was surprised. The disappointment on my face was palpable. My only comprehension was that you kill any snake you come across.

I forgot about this story for a long while until about 3 years ago when I was trying to understand what it means. I was retracing my past. I know this event to be significant and I have narrated it to a few of my close friends in the past. I think I now know what it means: There are times when killing a snake is the wrong thing to do.

We have a snake in our midst. That snake is Boko Haram. It is spreading poison across the northern states of Nigeria. The latest attack has left over 200 people dead in Kano. Boko Haram has killed almost 1,000 people since 2009. The latest event left the Emir of Kano in tears. The time has come for all the Northern Leaders with the support of the government under President Goodluck Jonathan to show the wisdom and leadership of my wise Mallam. The solution does not lay in the killing of the snake but in exploiting its venom to build a more durable and stronger society – similar to what we do with vaccines in medicine.

Thinking back to my primary school days, the old national anthem rings through today:

Nigeria we hail thee,
Our own dear native land,
Though tribe and tongue may differ,
In brotherhood we stand,
Nigerians all, and proud to serve
Our sovereign Motherland.

This is problem needs sorting out…urgently.

Sai an jima
Lafiya lau.

by Kazeem Olalekan MRPharmS

There is a legislative ping-pong between the house of Commons and the house of Lords about the welfare reform bill. I have listened to some of the arguments and will like to say what I think on this issue. I must say I haven’t studied the full text of the bill but because as a paediatric pharmacist, I am passionate about the welfare of children – I cannot but say something on this issue. I guess the disagreement is around the welfare cap. I will use the following equation to describe what my thoughts are on this issue:

courtesy of: http://www.homeschoolmath.net/worksheets/equation_editor.php

Where: C_w = Children’s welfare; n = is the child’s need – the summation of that need is constrained by gr = government allocated resources. E_cw = is an empowered child worker and E_p = is an empowered parent.

Where:

Empower child workers by giving them the power and support to identify welfare dependant families effectively (I_d); isolate welfare dependant families (I_s) and withdraw children from the family if judged to be putting children at risk (W_c). and

Empower parents by providing help to support them back to work (H_w); support them with teaching about the 3 P’s: parent, parenting and parenthood (link) (P₃) and Discourage benefit babies (D_bb) through education and being explicit about why having too many babies for benefits does not pay as it might trigger being placed on a list which intensify the support (illustrate with simple arithmetic).

I guess what the Bishops are saying is that there should not be a cap on the level of benefit for children – I agree. However, the fund available for child welfare in the budget must be constrained by what the government can afford. The government can use this budget to address any actual or perceived inequality between those in work and those claiming benefits.  The best way forward therefore will be for the government to set out a children welfare budget which it can afford for that year and then allow the empowered children workers to match needs with resources. This budget will clearly be a moving target but government must try very hard to avoid sharp fluctuations in this budget.

Remember: Daniel was a child like me.

courtesy of hebron-outreach.com

by Emiliano Salinas

“I think we have a problem…..We have a big problem. I think there is a consensus on this…What we don’t agree on is what the problem actually is.”

“…But we won’t be able to take care of any of those things if we don’t solve the real problem…first…The real problem we have is most of us….we believe we are victims of our circumstances….Historically, we’ve always acted as victims of something or somebody”

“We need to open our eyes and see that we are not victims. If only we stop feeling like victims, if we stop acting like victims….”

“I am going to talk about how to go from a society that acts as victims of circumstances to a responsible, involved society…that takes the future….in its own hands…”

Courtesy of TED

courtesy THENBA

Kazeem Olalekan

The announcement today (1) that scientists at CERN have found signs of the Higgs boson (2), an elemental sub-atomic particle believe to have played a vital role in the creation of the universe after Big Bang is rather encouraging. This particle, according to theorists, will explain why other particles can have mass. Although tentative, it will mean science has found its ‘god’ and therefore lead to the unifying theory of everything.

Science is spending close to $215,000 an hour to run the Large Hadron Collider at CERN. In my previous post on Mathematical constant where “I was simply contrasting the trouble I went to in trying to find solution to a problem which I could have better solved by observing.” (3), I argued for the existence of a mathematical constant. Effectively what the theorists are saying is there is the existence of this thing called a non-zero vacuum expectation value (Higgs field) which plays a fundamental role – i.e. gives mass to every elemental particle that couples to the Higgs field. The Higgs boson is the ‘heart’ of the Higgs field.

Put differently, there is this thing which is so phenomenal and elementary that if you stay within its field or as close to it as possible, it gives you mass! I could have told you that for nothing! I call him God and happen to believe He exists. My belief is so strong that I can tell you I know He exists. But if science can provide a definitive prove of the existence of such a boson then that is good for science. Knowing it is there is one thing but how are you going to catch it? The film ‘Catch me if you can’ (4) comes to mind. Let the game of cat and mouse begin…and if you can’t, you better be willing – like the FBI in the film – to turn to it for help.

I find all these rather funny and fascinating in equal measures. Watching the news today, the joke that caught my attention was this one:

The god particle entered a church and the priest said we don’t like your type in here. The god particle replied that without me you have no mass!

My message to anyone is that we need to move closer to God’s field. Without that we certainly have no mass. As it is the season of goodwill, I employ you to do that by being closer to Jesus Christ.

by Kazeem Olalekan CEO Iforg Limited

A conservative is a man who just sits and thinks, mostly sits.
- Woodrow Wilson

A leader in the Democratic Party is a boss, in the Republican Party he is a leader.
- Harry S. Truman

A liberal is a man who is willing to spend somebody else’s money.
- Carter Glass

A politician will do anything to keep his job – even become a patriot.
- William Randolph

A diplomat is a person who can tell you to go to hell in such a way that you actually look forward to the trip.
- Caskie Stinnett

We are living through a crisis of political leadership globally. We can now see blatantly for ourselves what happens when politicians fail to lead. The current financial conundrum is the consequence of that lack of political courage and leadership. When politicians fail to think (1) and pursue ideological positions to the nth degree (as was evident with previous American administration) or sidetracked by the lust for bunga bunga (as was the case in Italy), the writing should have been on the wall. In Greece, as in Italy, democratically elected politicians have had to be replaced by bureaucrats. Belgium, which had run a caretaker administration since the last government resigned in April 2010, has only just sworn in a new government (2). That is 541 days of political deadlock!  If all these are not an indictment of politics, I wonder what is. We are all complicit. When we elect our leaders, we expect them to act in our collective interest. That unfortunately is not always the case. When I wrote in May that “the notion that political parties would govern in the national interest baffles me” (3), I was merely musing over whose interest they govern otherwise. In the absence of political leadership, we (you and me) need to act – we cannot suspend our rational thoughts. As I have contested before: the price of having democratic freedom is that we “exercise it judiciously and not suspend your rational thoughts” (4). Winston Churchill captured this well when he said: “I never worry about action, but only inaction”. When we exercise our choices judiciously, we can make politicians become patriots.

United Kingdom political class

United Kingdom seems to have by and large buck the trend of the crisis of bad political leadership. It may well be something to do with the freedom afforded the media here. The powerful position of the BBC in spite of attempts to undermine it. The investigative journalistic traditions of the broad sheets in spite of clear attempts to muddy these traditions with illegal practices by some faction of the red tops – a blatant example of which is the now departed – (good riddance) – New of the World. A number of us were complicit in making these tittle-tattle media outlets viable. Whilst a well informed population is important in keeping the political class in check, we should be proud that we have a political class that is eager to become great patriots. This is a chicken and egg situation, I know, but nevertheless the presence of the two is important.

As an example: Whilst Mr Blair was backing the hawkish demands of the American right in waging wars all over the globe, he was also overseeing some important reforms in the healthcare service configuration at home (5).

The 2010 figures placed the UK as having the 7th worst global fiscal deficit. Only United States, (Europe), Spain, Italy, France and Brazil fared worse (6). The 2011 figures show that UK has the third biggest budget deficit (as a proportion of the GDP) in Europe better than Ireland and Greece (7). In spite of this precarious position, the market has shown remarkable confidence in the UK economy because our politician are showing real leadership. The decision taken by the current chancellor to introduce austerity measures is the right one. The bankers, who should have known better, have encouraged us to spend beyond our means. We are now suffering the consequences of that binging on credit and it will take years to unravel.

Europe

Why is it that the UK still command the confidence of the markets in spite of piling-up some of the worst fiscal deficits in any developed world?  Remember this is at a time when other countries are facing downgrading of their credit rating and unprecedentedly high rates of borrowing. I feel it is because the UK still has its destiny in its own hands – I will explain later. The debate about the ongoing crisis in the Eurozone has been conducted in such abstract terms like: war, fiscal union, globalisation, fiscal sanction, ‘Anglo-Saxon capitalism’, national interest and protecting the City of London.

I have been following the debates very keenly and I will use this piece to try and get behind the obfuscatory jargons being used and get to the real nugget of the problem. Is the UK government right to veto the change to the EU treaty? Yes it is. Does that mean a step towards exiting Europe Union? I think not!  Is this action taken to protect the City of London? Yes and No – I will explain.  Is the action taken in the overall UK national interest? Yes it is. I will now proceed to rationalise these positions as clearly as possible.

A cautionary tale to the Euro-skeptics: This is not an exit strategy from Europe.
A cautionary tale to the City of London: This is not business as usual.

In my previous commentaries, I have talked about the absolute centre (8, 9, 10). The UK economy finds itself in the middle of the traditional ‘winner takes it all’ free market economic model of the US and the social economic policies of the European countries (especially the southern states). It is a position we hold by virtue of our special relationships and histories with America and the rest of Europe. This position has resulted in schizophrenic signs of mania and depressive phases, which I observed to percolates our political system (11). However, I cannot honestly diagnose the British economy as schizophrenic. It has schizophrenic tendencies, yes but it does not have the clinical signs to confirm a diagnosis of schizophrenia.

The Anglo-Saxon economic model (12), as practised in the UK (relative to the US), where we prioritise our social spending on healthcare (notably NHS) is not why Europe is in the current mess contrary to what Mr Sarkozy might think or say (13). I will argue that British politics insulates the economy from clinical schizophrenia probably because it understands the importance of the economy to the success this nation. British politics does this skilfully through a combination of great leadership and being ruled by careful thinking rather than blind passion. This is in spite of the public posturing of the key political parties. I will now use key examples to illustrate this:

Legacy of Gordon Brown

A lot of nonsense has been said and written about our former prime minister, Gordon Brown including ill-judged personal attacks (14). In spite of the now acknowledged problems of his premiership, it is the decision not to take the UK into the single currency whilst chancellor that will remain his main legacy. You could argue that it would have been a political suicide to do so. Nevertheless, it is his five economic tests of convergence that is most telling (15).
As far back as 1997 when the technocrats in Europe conceive of the European currency, the UK set out 5 key tests:

1. Are business cycles and economic structures compatible so that we and others could live comfortably with euro interest rates on a permanent basis?
2. If problems emerge is there sufficient flexibility to deal with them?
3. Would joining EMU create better conditions for firms making long-term decisions to invest in Britain?
4. What impact would entry into EMU have on the competitive position of the UK’s financial services industry, particularly the City’s wholesale markets?
5. In summary, will joining EMU promote higher growth, stability and a lasting increase in jobs?

Although I had little comprehension of what all these meant at the time, I can now see that our government was not asleep on the job when these mammoth changes were being conceived. That cannot be said of the other European countries notably France, Italy, Greece, Spain, Portugal and Ireland (I am personally saddened by the poor leadership shown in Greece and Italy). Germany, on the other hand,  is a different machine entirely – I will explain.

The German psyche

Maybe it is war, maybe it is its history. Whatever it is, Germany has grown into an effective manufacturing centre combined with a keen eye for financial prudence. Whilst everyone was binging on debt, the Germans were amassing a surplus which stood at 188.400 billion dollars in 2010. Of course our government should have been putting money away in the good times.

The question is: why did Germany go into the monetary union knowing that the system as it stood was not sufficiently flexible to deal with unforeseen financial problems?

Can you imagine Germany in 1997 insisting (in very strong terms) that governments should give up full control over budgets and insist that any country running deficits larger than 3% should face sanctions? This would have been thought as laughable by countries like France, Italy and possibly Greece.

The Germany of 1997 was keen, I feel, to banish accusation of the psyche that led to the first world war (16). So it kept quiet and signed up to the euro. It will nevertheless maintain its competitive manufacturing and engineering base and put money aside for the rainy day. A few countries in Europe would have done well to observe the German example.

UK economy, on the other hand, because of its schizophrenic tendencies resulting from its unique position, will be ready with the full force of the financial and economic armoury (afforded by keeping its own currency) to fight any unforeseen economic weather change.

I will suggest that the UK, going forward, will be better served by a leadership position to encourage household saving. The government has to lead by example: save a proportion of income and offer greater protection for savers. Although we will not be part of the current arrangement being thrashed out in Europe, we will be smart to adopt a strict and sensible limit on the size of deficit any future government can build up – enshrined in statute – and adopted by all the political parties.

The French psyche

The social revolutionary mentality as exemplified by the French revolution of 1789-1799 (16, 17) is engraved into the French psyche. The French government know all too well that if the inferno engulfing the southern European states reach the Palace of Versailles, the consequence will be devastating. So Mr Sarkozy will give up a little bit of French sovereignty to make sure that inferno is quenched. What we now know is that this problem should have been anticipated when the Euro was designed. The politician turned a blind eye on this problem. When UK was talking about the 5 key tests, it was thought that we were being unnecessarily obstructive.

There is another thing that is engraved in the French psyche: la solidarité . It is clear that the leadership being shown by the governments of France and Germany is to engender that spirit amongst the countries in the Euro zone. They have to stand together or fall together. The writing was on the wall at the outset. If UK is exercising a veto, it is not because it does not believe in the spirit of solidarity, it is because, it has a big deficit problem it has to solve and this is not the time to constrain its hands in attempting to solve that problem. It is in the interest of the UK that the Euro survives – after all the Euro zone is large trading partner of the UK.

I guess to resolve the current crisis, all the countries within the Euro zone need to listen to Germany for a change. It has the capacity and capability to offer a solution to the current crisis which will take a few years to unravel. Citizens of Europe need to hold their politicians to account better. Think of the big picture not self interests. UK will continue to offer support to countries through the IMF structure and through bilateral arrangement as we did with Ireland. We remain committed Europeans.

The future of Europe

We can blame a number of factors for the current crisis of confidence in Europe but it is basically a crisis of political leadership. Too much bunga bunga is clearly not good for you. And we do not hold our politician to account enough. When we elect them, we tend to suspend our reason. In advanced democracies, we rely on our press to keep us well informed but what happens when the politician-in-chief owns the press? The masses are fed on the corrupting diet of tittle-tattle and fallacies. We can all learn a thing or two from one another as we move bravely into a new age.

Mr Sarkozy blames globalisation (18) but the same globalisation affect Germany equally as UK and America. If all the big governments coordinate their actions and hold to account the big corporations which are playing governments against governments and not paying their fair share of taxes, then we can start to see a new and exciting era of political leadership.
Nonetheless, no one knows what the future holds. That is why smart governments encourage their citizens to save and offer concrete protection to their citizens who save. The banks will do well to heed Mervyn King’s call to curb unnecessary bonuses and put money aside to fight the oncoming firestorm.

This is a watershed in the European project and the lesson of the current crisis is the value of financial prudence – a lesson some of us have been oblivious to all our lives. When you are in debt, you become a slave to the creditors. If your government is taking you into a position of unsustainable debt, then you should know now that that government is trying to enslave you! It is not nice being a slave….not nice. Germany has it within its gift to guide the countries within the Euro out of the current debt burden. It will be a combination of financial support, a period of severe austerity, some creditors taking ‘haircuts’ and a guarantee that these countries will manage their fiscal affairs prudently in the future. Germany will not and should not put its economic prosperity in jeopardy. It will require some guarantees. The current set of intergovernmental deals is designed, I feel, to help countries facing difficulties within the Euro. The aim is to reduce the debt burden. Without that there will be no tangible growth. It will take several painful years but be assured that it will happen and the determination in Germany and France is encouraging.

When the debt burden is lifted, the temptation to return to the old habit will be very great. Some ‘wise-after-event’ citizens will wonder why Euro is controlling their budget. They will want to wrestle back their sovereignty. That is why the deal between governments to reduce the debt burden will be done for a fixed period of time after which sovereignty can return to the citizens of the countries. Some countries may like the new arrangement so much as to want to keep it – that will require the consent of the electorate.  Nonetheless, those pushing for further integration are misguided and those pushing for the dismantling of the European Union are equally misguided. I can see Europe returning to what it looked like before the crisis – the only difference is that the citizens will be wiser to the politicians that are not up to the task. That is the vision as I see it, for what its worth. Any country wanting to be part of Euro going forward, and failed to follow the rules, will have stringent enforceable fiscal sanction. Ultimately they will be kicked out of the Euro and probably asked to walk the plank!

Why is this the only vision for Europe? If the European Union project was a response to reduce the risk of wars which characterised the recent history of Europe, then there is also the distinct possibility of war if integration is too deep. There is an optimum level of integration which preserves the national identity but also engender a spirit of community. I think we have that now but the politician must show more courage and be better leaders.

History is littered with the consequences of different people with different identities and traditions forced to live together. We saw it in Biafra in Nigeria and in the second world war. We want to consign those situations to the history books.

What UK needs to do

UK is in a unique position and must continue to be a honest broker. The pressing priority of the government is to reduce the current deficit through a combination of growth strategies, austere measures and re-balancing the economy. If the City of London thinks it has got away when UK exercised its veto, then it is mistaking mistaken. The City of London has a critical job to do in re-balancing our economy towards a position where we make things again. Whilst the City remain a big income earner for UK, it must continue to be part of our growth strategy. The UK government and people are going to rely on the ingenuity of the true innovators in the city and courage of true bankers and not the prima donnas that were responsible for the mess we find ourselves in (19). The City need to do this right. Not selling rubbish assets for gold. These practices must be consigned to the past.

UK can achieve tremendous growth and needs to if it wants to remain competitive. Euro zone countries are beginning to get their house in order and I trust the US will not be too far behind. To the British government, there are people – innovators, thinkers, strategists etc – who are ready to contribute to the growth strategy of UK plc but without the lifting of the debt burden, tangible growth is impossible.

by Kazeem Olalekan

As any follower of this blog with attest, I am passionate about technology and healthcare. So machines are my thing and I personally don’t much care about Evil or Satan or Demon or any such characters. God happens to be my thing. When the new book by Terry Jones: Evil Machines landed on my door last week (pictured) I was ironically elated, after all I was instrumental, (in a small way), in getting the book published.

I wrote a piece in June this year about the new publishing phenomena: Unbound whereby people support the book they want published. I had already experienced a taster of the book as it went through the publishing process and I was impressed. This is the first of undoubtedly many books that will come out of the Unbound stable.

I am very proud of my copy of the Evil Machine and this publishing model may well revive interest in published work with due recompense to the authors. It will take a pride of place on my bookshelf. In the back of the book is a list of subscribers: The names of ‘readers who pledge their support and made this book happen’. And there I was (see below)!

courtesy nmenap

Yea, when this flesh and heart shall fail,
and mortal life shall cease,
I shall possess within the veil,
a life of joy and peace.

When we’ve been here ten thousand years…
bright shining as the sun.
We’ve no less days to sing God’s praise…
then when we’ve first begun.

Amazing Grace, how sweet the sound,
That saved a wretch like me….
I once was lost but now am found,
Was blind, but now, I see.

by Kazeem Olalekan CEO Iforg Limited

I find the process of reflecting quite fascinating. I can take an event, ruminate on it for a while and see something. I take the same event, ruminate on it even more – allowing for sufficient time to elapse – then, voila another meaning emerges !! I reflected recently on an event that happened about 12 years ago (whilst training as a pre-registration pharmacist) and the meaning that emerged is what I call the Ross effect!

Before I start describing this phenomenon, I quickly used that bastion of finger-tip information: google to check out if some wise whatshallicallthem have beaten me to it (search term: ‘the ross effect’ on 31/10/2011). Not surprisingly, they have! Here are top 4 ‘Ross effects’ on google (figure 1):

1. (graphic arts) A shrinking of the blackened areas of a photographic layer upon drying. Also known as gelatin effect.
   Read more: http://www.answers.com/topic/ross-effect#ixzz1cP4eVjzC
2. dbusiness article describes the ability of the Wall Street investor Wilbur Ross to buy and resurrect companies back to profitability.
   Read more: http://www.dbusiness.com/DBusiness/May-June-2008/The-Ross-Effect/
3. For guitar anoraks, a Ross Distortion pedal is that thingy you use when you want to raise the roof! The output is known as the Ross effect.
   See a demo on YouTube: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=s7nbYxBbMkM 
4. The phenomenon of false consensus effect centralizes on people’s tendency to project their way of thinking onto other people, thinking other people think the same way as they do – First described by Psychologist Professor Lee Ross.
   Read more: http://www.experiment-resources.com/false-consensus-effect.html#ixzz1cPAxGsKw

Whilst all of these are all very interesting, especially the psychology of logical fallacy; that is not why I am writing this.

In order to understand, I will first describe what happened:

We attended a training session delivered by Ross Mitchell, an experienced senior pharmacist at Southampton General Hospital. The training was held at Southampton University and in my bid to keep fit, I rode to the session on my push bike. After the session, I was scheduled to meet a doctor for further training at Tachbury Mount Hospital (see map). As I was very bad with direction (and this pre-dates the current proliferation of smart phones, sat navs etc), Ross reassures me that it should take me no more than 30 minutes to get to the hospital. I was reassured.

When I got to Totton (see map), I asked a passer-by how to get to Lymington! For some reason, the ride from Southampton University to Totton had an effect on my brain and Tachbury became Lymington (Don’t worry I can’t explain it either)!!! The lady I asked looked at me funny especially because I informed her that I planned to do entire journey in 30 minutes. In spite of the passer by’s concern, the image that was ringing in my head was Ross’s smile: that reassuring smile. If Ross says it will take 30 minutes so it will. So I began on my journey to Lymington.

Two hours later and exhausted, I arrived at Lymington hospital only to discover that I was in the wrong hospital! As I rode to Lymington that day, it was the reassuring smile of Ross that kept me going even though I knew something was wrong.

What I haven’t told you is that I respect Ross a lot. For as long as I had known her she displayed a type of leadership based on kindness backed with a very nice smile. The real reason why I am posting this therefore, is to highlight how effective leadership based on genuine kindness is the effectiveness of leadership based on genuine kindness. It is a basis for effectively influencing people.

I was influenced that day even though my brain let me down.

What is the Ross effect then?

It is the ability, through sharing a smile and being genuinely kind, to influence the attitude and behaviour of someone else – for the better.

Courtesy kareemmaylah

When Christ shall come,
with shout of acclamation
and take me home
what joy shall fill my heart!
Then shall I bow in
humble adoration
And there proclaim,
my God, how great Thou art

Then sings my soul….