What is your New Year’s resolution for 2013?   There are the obvious ones for improving our own well being and also benefit the planet’s well being, such as walking and cycling more, and eating less meat and dairy.   1010 have offered a few more actions that you can take locally that can have an impact globally.  Also what about changing your bank account to move your money to more ethical providers.

On the ‘World day of Interconnectness’ a new website was launched very much having holistic principals.  The website is ‘Be the Change Initiative’ and its purpose is to educate, inspire and empower individuals, communities and organisations to take committed action in the interconnected areas of environmental sustainability, social justice and spiritual fulfilment.

William House comments on the latest issue of the Journal of holistic healthcare as a rather good eclectic issue reflecting some of the many ways in which holism manifests itself.  Medical education for holism is possibly the biggest thread, then dialogues on spirituality in healthcare, self care and individual and community responsibility and action. There is an article by Jeremy Swayne on holistic models for understanding suffering and caring, another on the uncaring machine of modernism, and me on the hegemony of the ‘academy’ with its analysis and objectivity vs human relationship.

There is a problem conveying this to the general public as the press like a simple message! ...of course this is part of the problem: the reality is NOT simple. Do we make a media splash by drawing a simple message out of all of this – on compassion for instance? Reductionism will never depict holism. I don’t know what the answer is but maybe if we need to all sit down together some time and talk about it...or even have a debate on the internet.  We could film a conversation (unscripted but facilitated so we stick to the question) and upload it to YouTube.

The global fund since its inception in 2002, has become the main funder of initiatives to fight HIV, TB, and malaria. 23 billion US$ of funding has been given out for more than 1,000 programmes in 151 countries, as of mid 2012.

However it could be mired in uncertainty now that as the global economic crisis has slowed down or frozen some donor governments’ commitments.  Over the last 10 years they have made significant improvements in treating these major diseases but donors are increasing pressure for better management and greater returns on their investments, and new measures are needed to ensure the GF keeps working effectively for years to come.

The guide, 'Dementia: making decisions provides practical advice and information -in a pdf format- on how to weigh-up information and options for action when faced with situations in which major decisions need to be made by families and carers. This guide was informed by a study of over 100 carers with proxy decision-making powers, funded by the Nuffield Foundation and launched in Scotland by the minister of health.