Instead of sharing on today’s prompt about best workshop or conference, I’ll just point you to my post about the conference I attended in New Orleans in October on Domestic Violence & Health. That way I can go back and hit the prompt I missed for December 3rd!
December 3 Article. What’s an article that you read that blew you away? That you shared with all your friends. That you Delicious’d and reference throughout the year.
Back in my pre-Germany days, I read the New Yorker faithfully every week, practically cover-to-cover, during my morning and evening commutes. I loved the depth of the articles and was frequently drawn into pieces on topics I didn’t think I was interested in — and consequently felt like I was stretching my brain in good ways. I even became that obnoxious person at cocktail parties who was constantly saying, “I just read an article in the New Yorker about that!”
These days, I rarely read the New Yorker. When I first moved, I was able to transfer my U.S. subscription easily over to Germany, but once it came time to renew, I let it slide. I found it hard to carve out time for reading it since my commute changed from a 30-minute subway ride to a 5-minute bike ride. And somehow, the online version didn’t really do it for me either.
Anyway, this post is supposed to be about that best article I’ve read this year, right? Well, reading Atul Gawande’s The Cost Conundrum from June reminded me just what I was missing out on. And it seemed to be the article that everyone was talking about if they were talking about health care reform. It’s no surprise that I think we need to drastically change the way we think about health in the U.S., and Gawande totally set out to do that with his article — reminding us that expensive medical care doesn’t necessarily equal good health, that spending lots of money doesn’t always guarantee a healthy population. Something else (other than health) is driving up medical expenditures. Brilliantly written and well worth your time to read!
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This post is part of Gwen Bell’s Best of 2009 challenge.
Great pick!! I love Gawande’s work.
just got back from some time out of nyc and off line. love to come back to these lists all over the net. might have to catch up… if i get around to it!
Picking a nit: the link to Gawande’s article is missing the first ‘h’ in http. :) Love your blog. Makes me homesick, but in a good way.
CN Heidelberg: Thanks, me too!
montague: The great thing about this challenge is that you can join in any time you like, no pressure. Hope you had a great trip!
Harvey: Thanks for the tip — just fixed the link. Sorry about the Heimweh, but I know how you feel!