Yesterday, Playboy, Inc. CEO Scott Flanders announced that nudity would no longer be present in future editions of Playboy magazine. While it has been several decades since I viewed the magazine, certain events and happenings are just earth shakers.    Replaced by all kinds of garbage, readily available on the internet, Playboy’s tame titillations are now a thing of the past.                 That’s all I’m saying.  WHAT THE HECK !

This is a story that just keeps on giving.   Again, courtesy of the National Health Service(NHS) in the United Kingdom, general practitioners all across the U.K. are openly discussing a mass walkout and closure of doctors’ offices, citing the combined pressures of an aging population, increasingly complex health needs, funding cuts, soaring costs, and lack of incentives for new trainee doctors.   The tipping point appears to be the latest directive from Health Secretary Jeremy Hunt to force GPs to offer seven day access, meaning that a GP would be forced to open evenings and Saturdays to ensure that patients would be seen within seven days of an appointment request.    I’ll bet the UK medical schools are just buzzing with excitement !        It would be the height of naivety to assume that this type of scenario isn’t right around the corner here. WHAT THE HECK !

I received some news yesterday that just knocked my socks off,  news that sounded too good to be true.  And you know how that kind of news usually turns out !   But in this case, the story is confirmed, and amidst all the bad stuff going on today in our world and in our communities, God shows His face and His love for us in most remarkable ways.

Two years ago, a highly successful Christ-based ministry serving misguided teenage girls in rural Florida was forced to close.    Despite the efforts of many to find a new ministry to occupy this unique residential farm setting, the property was put up for sale by the denominational group that the property was deeded to upon cessation of the original ministry.  This is hard to explain without names, so please bear with me.  No need to jinx the process in the 9th inning.

Another faith-based ministry, located several miles away, and serving a wide range of foster children/youth has been seeking ways to expand their services from a facilities base on a farm that they lease from an absentee owner.  This ministry was one of the parties that had been trying, unsuccessfully, to utilize the closed farm referenced above.   Financing was the issue, as the original farm property was worth approximately $1.3 million.

In pops a wealthy Christian family, well-entrenched in Florida real estate, with a heart for foster kids.  After many hours spent with the folks running the leased property ministry, they are directed to purchase, not only the 23 leased acres, but also the original farm property formerly serving misguided teenage girls.   And finally, the two properties are to be deeded in full to the ministry with no financial or ministry handcuffs.

Like I said, sounds like too good a story to be true !  Closings on the properties are scheduled in the next month.   God clearly at work.

WHAT THE HECK !

Oops, forgot to mention that the same National Health Service, responsible for administering Britain’s fine one-payor health care system,  two days ago started refusing hearing aids for people with “mild” hearing problems.  The directive suggested that those affected should take certain steps, including learning to lip read and turning off noisy televisions in order to “make the best use” of their hearing capabilities.   You just cannot make this stuff up.  It’s just around the corner here !                          WHAT THE HECK !

Just back from a wonderful five day trip to Wales and England, complete with five rounds of golf and two live football matches. While in London, I couldn’t help but notice the “big news story of the day” on the front pages of all the London fishwrap (that’s newspapers, for those of you from Birdsboro).   One headline read, “GPs TO GET BONUS IF THEY DON’T REFER YOU TO HOSPITAL”. Confirmed by the National Health Service (NHS),  the story details  a nationwide  system of cash bonuses paid to general practitioners  for not providing surgery referrals.   Believe it !      Specifically, one are of focus is on the limitation on cancer consultations or tests which are intended to be carried out within two weeks from an initial diagnosis by a GP.  Britain already has one of Western Europe’s lowest cancer survival rates.    What a great systematic  cost containment program this is, one which should not surprise anyone as being just around the Obamacare corner here in the States.                               WHAT THE HECK !