Palandira Vichal Muthanna has won the Medical Design Excellence Award-2019 with her team. The team stood third in national-level competition “BMEidea-2019” where teams across the United States with new innovative medical technologies participated.
The award ceremony was held at Jacob K. Javits Convention Centre, New York, on June 11. During her research at the University of Michigan, Vichal and her team developed a new device called ‘KalEYEdoscope’ to track the progression of a condition called ‘Age-related Macular Degeneration’
Macular Degeneration is the leading cause of blindness in the world and currently there is no device in the market to help track its progression on a regular basis. The award was in recognition of their work in the development of this innovative, simple and novel medical device and in support to further develop the same.
Palandira Vichal is an M.Tech in Bio-Medical Signal Processing and Instrumentation from BMS Engineering College in Bengaluru. Earlier, she had invented a device to monitor the vitals of both mother and child during labour. The device invented by Vichal not only monitored the vital parameters of both mother and child, but also raised an alarm in case of any fluctuations so that the doctors and medical staff can rush to the patient’s rescue.
Vichal completed her early education in St. Joseph’s Girls High School, Madikeri and higher secondary education at Vidyaniketan PU College, Gonikoppal. She did her engineering from Vidyavardhaka College of Engineering in Mysuru and M. Tech from BMS College of Engineering in 2015.
Vichal is the daughter of Palandira Jaya Muthanna and Mithuna Dechamma (daughter of Mukkatira Doremani Ponnappa) of Murnad in Kodagu district and grand-daughter of Karnataka Rajyotsava Awardee late Palandira Devaiah.
In her academics, Vichal was the co-ordinator for the Indian Society for Technical Education (ISTE) for 4 years from 2009-2013. She was the Branch Association (IMPULSE) Co-ordinator for two years in Vidyavardhaka from 2011-2013. She won the Gandhian Young Technological Innovation Award -2006 from Biotechnology Industry Research Assistance Council (BIRAC) – Society for Research and Initiatives for Sustainable Technologies and Institutions (SRISTI) for her project ‘Device for Intrapartum MaternoFetal Care.’
source: http://www.starofmysore.com / Star of Mysore / Home> News / June 21st, 2019
Hoks B Coorg from India emerged champions of the UTSC Gulf hockey fiesta-2022 that concluded at the Sultan Qaboos Sports Complex recently.
The two-day fiesta witnessed close and exciting matches between 12 teams with six outfits coming from the region and India.
Besides the main tournament, the event also hosted an inter-school tournament featuring Indian schools.
There was a women’s tournament too with the national women’s team making their competitive debut. The national women’s team played against the visiting Dubai side.
Hoks B Coorg, comprising few internationals, stayed unbeaten in the tournament to be crowned deserving winners.
The inaugural ceremony had Amit Narang, Indian Ambassador to Oman as the chief guest along with Marwan Juma al Juma, the president of the Oman Hockey Association (OHA). Narang lauded the efforts of the UTSC in promoting the national game of India and also offered India’s full support to the Sultanate of Oman as they prepare to host the inaugural edition of FIH Hockey 5s World Cup in January 2024.
On the sidelines of the fiesta, there was a cooking contest and the event attracted lot of families.
source: http://www.timesofoman.com / Times of Oman / Home> Sports / by Times News Service / November 01st, 2022
The first book of poetry by acclaimed curator, writer and speaker Dr Nima Poovaya-Smith celebrates her profound curiosity about wild cats.
Dr Nima Poovaya-Smith OBE is a prominent figure in the cultural, academic and public sectors, well known for her work on transcultural and post-colonial South Asian museum collections in Bradford and multidisciplinary arts projects across the region and beyond. Less well known is her affinity with cats of all persuasions, wild or domestic.
The Wild Cats Compendium, Poovaya-Smith’s first solo collection of illustrated poetry, will be launched at Ilkley Literature Festival on 13 October 2022.
The Compendium is first and foremost a love letter to all felines large and small. Legends and fables of the cat world, as well as their often bleak, everyday lives is explored by Poovaya-Smith, in this collection of 45 poems. There is the reed or jungle cat who may have once dined with the Crown Prince of an Egyptian Pharoah and ended up interred with him; an ocelot gifted to Salvador Dali who tried unsuccessfully to run away and the smallest feline in Southern Africa – the black-footed cat – which eats almost a fifth of its body weight night after night.
Environmentalist Benjamin Lascelles, who has written the End piece comments that Compendium “captures the essence of the many species brilliantly and highlights the many threats they face. The geographic, conservation and threat references are meticulously researched and powerfully conveyed.”
Nima Poovaya-Smith says: “I have always taken a deep interest in cats. Wild or domestic, they are some of nature’s most charismatic creatures. I am enthralled by the facts and fables that surround them. I am certainly not the first, nor will I be the last, to find these animals so captivating. Across the world, we have had a special relationship with the feline species for thousands of years. They have been celebrated in literature and art as well as music and dance. I found particular delight in gleaning more information about lesser-known small cats. Each one is characterful enough to hold its own with the bigger, more iconic cats. The more I learned, the more enigmatic and fascinating they became. I hope that the emotions I experienced exploring the feline world – joy and a deep sense of loss – will resonate with all readers.”
Writer, historian, journalist and author of Victoria and Abdul, Shrabani Basu in her Foreword to The Wild Cats Compendium states: “Nima Poovaya-Smith takes us into the myth and magic of the cat world. Through her beautiful poems, we get a glimpse into their lives as pampered pets or solitary creatures. She questions, probes, and enlightens us, not just about the tiger or the lion, but also about some of the lesser-known species of the cat family. A cat, they say, has nine lives. Poovaya-Smith’s forty-five poems give them many more.”
The different species of cat in Compendium are each accompanied by images – twenty-eight of which are new works by seven different artists. There are also some earlier works by contemporary artists and six historic Illustrations from the 19th century.
source: http://www.ilkleygazette.com / ILKLEY GAZETTE / Home> Local News> UK News / by Claire Lomax / September 09th, 2022
Saxophonist Rudresh Mahanthappa’s Hero Trio will make their NYC Debut this August to celebrate Charlie Parker’s Birthday at Smoke Jazz.
Located at the junction of 106th and Broadway (aka Duke Ellington Boulevard), Smoke Jazz Club is one of New York City’s premier live music venues. Renowned for offering top-notch programming of accessible, timeless jazz featuring legendary performers, modern masters, and rising stars, Smoke stands apart with its candlelit dining room, stellar acoustics, and classic American cuisine.
Rudresh Mahanthappa’s Hero Trio also includes bassist Harish Raghavan and drummer Rudy Royston. Their performance will set on Thursday and Sunday at 7 and 9 p.m., and on Friday and Saturday at 7, 9 and 10:30 p.m.
Hero Trio earned high praise for its eclectic 2020 self-titled debut and the 2022 follow-up Animal Crossing. Animal Crossing is a digital-only EP featuring four new songs, each an unlikely addition to the canon of jazz standards which is also the titular theme from the wildly popular video game.
At Smoke, Mahanthappa will explore Parker’s compositions, classic standards, and modern covers with the Raghavan and Royston. “The idea behind Hero Trio was to turn the idea of playing a set of standards on its ear and freshen up the idea,” the saxophonist explains.
Rudresh Mahanthappa is widely known as one of the premier voices in jazz of the 21st century as well known for his exellent alto saxphone performances. He has been recognized by multiple jazz magazines including DownBeat Magazine, Jazz Journalists’ Association,and JazzTimes Magazine. He has also received the Guggenheim Fellowship and the Doris Duke Performing Artist Award, and is currently the Anthony H. P. Lee ’79 Director of Jazz at Princeton University.
For information visit https://www.smokejazz.com/calendar/.
source: http://www.nysmusic.com / NYS Music / Home> Blues-Jazz> NYC Metro> Upcoming Shows / by Savanna Tong / August 07th, 2022
Coffee is the most consumed beverage in the world. Cold, hot, or roasted there are plenty of variations. It has become an essential part of many people’s lives. There are many cultures around the world that serve coffee using different ingredients and techniques. From Dalgona coffee to quirky vacuum Syphon coffee. If you want to try this unique Syphon coffee then head to this Big Cup Café in Coorg.
Read this article to learn about the intricate art of making vacuum Syphon coffee.
What makes Vacuum Syphon Coffee Different Than The Rest
If you are a coffee lover you should definitely try this vacuum syphon coffee. The technique used behind this coffee is quite difficult as it is based on the concepts of physics. Siphon coffee has the advantage of altering the flavour of coffee to the point where flavours are more apparent than pour-over techniques. Siphon allows the coffee’s flavours to develop more fully and it brings out some notes that you wouldn’t be able to detect in other methods. The first thing you’ll taste in a freshly made cup of Syphon brewed coffee is the flavour profile.
Big Cup Café offers this unique vacuum Syphon coffee, which is as amusing as it is delicious. This café is located in Coorg, Karnataka the coffee bowl of India. The café is run by planter families based in the town. They have owned and managed coffee plantations for generations and Big Cup is the fusion of expertise in farming and hospitality. The café’s mission is to provide quality coffee, harvested right from its estates and provide a world-class coffee experience to its guests in a relaxed and calming atmosphere.
Big Cup Café is located in 3 different spots in the country. The Flagship café is in Coorg, followed by Sharjah and a recent addition in Bhubaneshwar, Odisha. They are planning to open their café in Chennai and Bangalore.
Head to this café in Coorg and devour this unique vacuum Syphon coffee.
Call to help preserve memories of a vanishing people
While modernisation has opened many opportunities for the well-qualified, it has also distanced the young from their heritage and culture. This is even more accentuated amongst Kodavas living outside Kodagu. There is a need to establish a platform where young Kodavas could learn and keep in touch with the community’s heritage, cultural practices, folklore, music, dance, festivals and history, says Mrs. Codanda Rathi Vinay Jha, IAS (Retd.) and Chair, India Foundation for the Arts (IFA), who has initiated establishing a Virtual Museum of Kodava Heritage & Culture named ‘Sandooka,’ a treasure trove of information. —Ed
Kodavas are a micro-minority community in India, who live in Kodagu (Coorg) in Karnataka State. It is estimated that there are about 1,50,000 ethnic Kodavas within and outside Kodagu.
Kodavas, by virtue of living quite isolated in a densely wooded hilly terrain on the Western Ghats of India since time immemorial, have developed their own unique culture, physical attributes, cuisine, language, attire, religious rituals and practices.
Over the centuries, Kodavas adapted themselves to the harsh weather conditions, dangers from wild animals and the inhospitable terrain of Kodagu and transformed the land to an idyllic haven it is today. With the passage of time, they toiled literally with bare hands to cultivate paddy in the valleys.
With the forests providing bountiful supply of wild game, they became expert hunters initially with bows and arrows, and later with firearms which enabled them to emerge as a warrior race. They transformed the fertile land and were able to grow enough paddy that they could export to neighbouring areas.
The interactions with immediate neighbours in present day Kerala, Mysuru and Mangaluru, influenced the Kodava language, places of worship, construction of their dwellings and some of the religious practices as well. However, Kodavas still retain their fundamental philosophy of ancestor and nature worship. They come under the broad umbrella of Hinduism.
Kodagu was ruled by Kodava Nayakas or Palegars who were basically warlords. The Haleri dynasty established their rule in Kodagu after cleverly replacing the hopelessly divided Nayakas during the early part of the 17th century. The Haleri Rajas ruled for over two centuries until the British takeover of the administration in 1834 after deposing the last Raja. During the rule of the Haleri Rajas and later the British, Kodavas remained the prominent community very much involved in the administration.
During the British rule, education was introduced and this brought about quantum changes in the lifestyle of the Kodavas. Kodavas found several employment opportunities. Introduction and scientific cultivation of coffee and spices vastly improved the economy of the region. Kodava culture and ethos found expression in the writings by the British, European and Kodava authors.
By the time India got her independence, many Kodavas held important and high-level offices in sectors such as the Defence Forces, Administration, Revenue Department, Forest Department, Police, in the field of Education, Engineering and Medicine.
Kodavas have several distinctive elements in their social, cultural and religious practices. One of them is the deferential status given to women. There is no dowry system in the community. Centuries ago, widow remarriage was permitted. This enlightened attitude is now reflected in well-educated Kodava women shining in a variety of fields.
After India’s independence many Kodavas ventured out of Kodagu seeking better opportunities in education, employment, business and sports. Kodavas are now spread all over the globe. The last three decades has seen a large number of Kodavas migrating outside the country. There is now a sizable number of Kodava diaspora in the US, Canada, UK and Australia. In many cases, there are a couple of generation of Kodavas born and brought up outside Kodagu and outside India as well.
While modernisation has opened many opportunities for the well-qualified, it has also distanced the young from their heritage and culture. This is even more accentuated amongst Kodavas living outside Kodagu. There is a need to establish a platform where young Kodavas could learn and keep in touch with the community’s heritage, cultural practices, folklore, music, dance, festivals and history.
It is with this aim in mind that Mrs. Codanda Rathi Vinay Jha, IAS (Retd.), as Chair, India Foundation for the Arts (IFA), initiated establishing a Virtual Museum of Kodava Heritage & Culture (VMKHC). This project is evocatively named — Sandooka — a treasure trove of information. IFA has successfully supported several path-breaking projects in the field of art and culture.
Sandooka will be a living museum that will be interactive and open to receiving relevant new materials from the public. People, especially the future generations of Kodavas, will have an easily accessible platform to gather details of their heritage. Weblinks will also be given to some of the websites dealing with Kodava culture. It is hoped that this treasure trove of information will be of immense help to those who wish to carry out further research on Kodavas. VMKHC will cover the following aspects of Kodagu and Kodavas:
1. Customs and Rituals
2. Cuisine
3. Architecture
4. Clothes and Jewellery
5. Art & Craft
6. Landscape
7. Literature and Folklore
8. Community Histories
9. Festivals
The project is generously funded with a Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) grant from Recaero India Pvt. Ltd., which is a pioneer in the field of aerospace engineering and is headed by Vinay Jha, IAS (Retd). A highly professional team has been forged to deal with every aspect of the project. The team comprises:
Lina Vincent – Project Head; Upasana Nattoji Roy – Designer (Switch Studio); Saurav Roy – Designer (Switch Studio) and Mookanda Nitin Kushalappa – Researcher.
IFA office-bearers are: Arundhati Ghosh (Executive Director) and Darshana Davé (Project Co-ordinator); Advisory Group: Rathi Vinay Jha, C.P. Belliappa and Hemanth Sathyanarayana.
Sandooka invites submission of Kodava artefacts, rare photographs, antiques including jewellery (photos) and anecdotes of yore. All accepted materials will be given due recognition and credits. Sharing your valuable knowledge and collections will enrich the contents of Sandooka.
For details of submission of materials, please visit: www.sandookamuseum.org
source: http://www.starofmysore.com / Star of Mysore / Home> Feature Articles / by C.P. Belliappa / August 01st, 2022
Yesterday morning as I sat at my working desk, there sat a brown cover addressed to me on the table.
It came from Palanganda T. Bopanna, a journalist author from Bengaluru. Inside was a thin book with a thick hard cover embellished with the photograph of the author in his ethnic Kodava headgear of a peta adorned with a pattern of golden strap crossing each other as if hugging the peta.
The title of the book is quite revealing and says what it contains:
Round And About With P.T. Bopanna’ with a bottom line: Bopanna looks at the lighter side of Coorg. Himself being a Kodava (Coorg), his writings here are of Kodagu related subjects or about himself with VIPs. I finished reading it in one hour and here I am writing about it. This was possible because each of the 25 pieces inside, including the Foreword by the Kodava iconic Fashion Guru of India Prasad Bidapa and the Epilogue, are no longer than two or three pages in fairly larger font and pictures. Good reading for those familiar with Kodagu (Coorg) and the people written about in the book.
There is a Preface also by the author and I was delighted to find the names of Mr. Boverianda Chinnappa and Mrs. Nanjamma Chinnappa, now residents of Mysuru, being mentioned for their “valuable suggestions” in bringing out this thin book of 68 pages. “The couple has been a source of strength to me in my book and web ventures,” he writes in gratitude.
As a Kodava myself, I know there are any number of Kodavas all over the world engaged in different activities and pursing professions who have become great achievers. Kodava people belong to a microscopic minority as a population who lived in a land of their own known as Kodagu ruled by Nayaks and then Kings and then the British, now a district in Karnataka.
The land area cannot increase but population increases. As a result when the family grew, its land-holding was not sufficient for running the family. Perforce they got themselves educated and some members had to leave Kodagu and then Kodava (Coorg) diaspora became a reality. Fortunately those who went out of Kodagu, a great majority of them, are doing well and very well. Some of them became celebrities and some are recognised by the governments. But there are other achievers who remain without public recognition but doing very well in their given profession, business or industry.
One example for anonymous achievers and distinguished persons among Kodavas is given in the book itself in the person for whom the book is dedicated (page 3). He is Pemanda Monappa Belliappa, a retired IAS Officer of Tamil Nadu.
Acknowledged as an outstanding administrator, Belliappa was decorated with MBE (Member of the British Empire) by the Queen of England. More than this, he established ‘Pemanda Monappa Scholarship’ in Cambridge University in perpetuity, in the name of his father, Pemanda Monappa, former Karnataka Inspector General of Police. Nearer home, he has also made handsome donation to the Coorg Education Fund, Madikeri. People like Belliappa are indeed the pride of Kodagu. There are many such Stars of Kodagu!
Bopanna, who claims to be a chronicler of Kodagu or Kodavas, may also venture to trace all those achievers among them, after independence of our country (1947) and publish a book with their biodata. This would be a great contribution from him to the Kodava people.
source: http://www.starofmysore.com / Star of Mysore / Home> Columns > Abracadabra / by K.B. Ganapathy / July 20th, 2022
Dechamma Poonacha(Dechamma A.P) has won the Mrs Fitness Queen Title at Mrs UAE International by ‘Being Muskaan’, a leading UAE based brand launched by Meena Asrani, focused towards women empowerment.
The contest was held on June 26th at Radisson Red, Dubai Silicon Oasis and was open to all nationalities residing in UAE.
Mrs. Dechamma is currently a home maker. She is a former student of Rotary English Medium School Moodbidri and also was the student of the first batch.
She further continued her high school an PU education at Jain highschool and PU college Moodbidri.
She pursued her graduation at Sri Bhuvanendra College Karkala where she won Miss. Bhuvanendra in 1997 and Miss. Jaycee Kulyadi queen, Karlala in 1998.
She was born in Coorg but was raised in Moodbidri.
Doctors wanted: Fletcher Clinic’s Dr Poonacha Kanjithanda and practice manager, Maddie Ingall have two empty rooms despite growing demand for medical services. Picture: MARINA NEIL
A CRITICAL shortage of GPs could soon leave some Hunter towns “up the creek” without a doctor.
National modelling predicts there will be a shortfall of almost 11,500 GPs by 2032, but parts of the Hunter are already struggling – with Cessnock, Murrurundi, Scone, Denman, Merriwa, Muswellbrook and Singleton identified as being particularly vulnerable.
Most of the 404 practices in the Hunter and Central Coast are actively recruiting doctors already, as they grapple with an increasing workload, a retiring workforce, and fewer medical graduates pursuing a career in general practice.
The Hunter New England and Central Coast area has lost close to 100 GPs in the past few years. Unless the trajectory changes – and soon – the region’s Primary Health Network (PHN) says it will only get harder and more expensive to see a GP.
“Over time, it will reduce access for regular people in the community to see their local doctors,” PHN chief executive Richard Nankervis said.
“There will be an impact in terms of increases in waiting times, but also cost, and that’s a general trend that we’re already starting to see across various parts of the region.”
The most recent data the PHN could provide from 2020 shows one full time equivalent GP for every 1224 residents across the region.
But in areas like Dungog, that ratio jumped to more than 2900 people for every one doctor.
Mr Nankervis said there were about 1890 GPs in the region in 2018. It is now closer to 1800, and 239 of those are registrars.
Cessnock, Murrurundi, Scone, Denman, Merriwa, Muswellbrook and Singleton are among the Hunter areas the PHN has identified as being at risk of current or imminent closures.
But areas of high population growth – like Maitland and the Central Coast – are also under increasing pressure to meet the growing demand.
“It seems to be as bad as we have seen since the PHN began in 2015,” he said.
“We are worried about a whole range of towns, but we have probably got about 10 towns that are of greatest concern after a couple of years of population growth.”
Places like Wee Waa and Barraba only have one doctor at present. If those doctors retire, leave, or become unwell, residents will have to travel to access a GP until a replacement is found.
It comes as a Deloitte report forecasts demand for GP services will increase by almost 40 per cent by 2030.
But if the number of new GPs entering the market do not keep pace with the growing demand, there will be a shortfall of 9,298 full-time GPs – the equivalent of 25 per cent of the GP workforce – within eight years.
Since 2017, there has been a 30 per cent drop in medical graduates applying to do general practice.
“We are seeing a significant reduction in the number of medical students choosing general practice, and it is largely because more are choosing specialities, which are attractive because they are remunerated well, and often offer very good lifestyles for them and their families,” Mr Nankervis said.
The region’s practices say a “melting pot” of challenges, setbacks, and cuts have also contributed to this “crisis” and that there needs to be “carrots and sticks” to encourage more GPs to the industry – particularly in regional and rural areas.
Unsustainable: Hettie du Plessis, of Waratah Medical Services, will close her Central Coast practice next months due to rising costs and an inability to recruit GPs. Picture: Max Mason-Hubers
‘You can’t replace them’
Hettie du Plessis, of Waratah Medical Services at Morisset, Kanwal and Cooranbong, says she has been left with no choice but to close the Central Coast practice next month due to rising costs and an inability to recruit replacement doctors.
“At Morisset, I have lost four doctors, and at Cooranbong I’ve recently had one retire – and you just can’t replace them, it is a real struggle,” she said.
“That’s why I made the decision to bring the Kanwal doctors over here. Which is sad, because I have left people without doctors there, but financially, it just wasn’t sustainable to have two practices at half capacity.
“Someone said the other day that if you dropped 1000 GPs in NSW, you wouldn’t even know where they disappeared to, because we need so many. Everyone is struggling.”
Ms du Plessis said there were currently 600 GP positions available from the Central Coast to Singleton as most practices, like hers, sought to recruit more than one doctor.
About 100 practices are actively advertising for doctors on the PHN and Rural Doctors Network websites. But the PHN says many practices have “given up” advertising on those sites.
Ms du Plessis said recruitment agency fees can cost practices about $25,000. But the shortage of doctors in the region was just one part of the problem.
A 2018 change that re-classified Morisset as “metro” instead of “regional” meant her doctors took a 50 per cent cut on incentives to bulk bill.
“You get $39 for bulk billing, and if you are regional you’d get another $12 for the doctor to bulk bill,” she said. “Once we were changed from regional to metropolitan, that changed from $12 to $6.”
Her practices offer mixed billing – but being an entirely bulk billing practice was no longer sustainable to meet operational costs.
Locations in Australia with a shortage of medical practitioners are given Distribution Priority Area (DPA) status from the federal government. This allows international medical graduates working in these areas to be eligible for Medicare.
DPA status was recently returned to Morisset after heavy lobbying from three local medical centres in the South Lakes area.
But Ms du Plessis said even with DPA status, it still takes about a year to recruit a doctor from overseas due to red tape, paperwork, and having to jump through various “hoops”.
The doctor shortage meant demand was high – and their cancellation list was long – but they deliberately kept some on-the-day appointments available for patients who needed to see a GP urgently.
She said it was infuriating to have about 20 “no shows” at her practices most days – with no courtesy calls to cancel – as those spots could be given to those on the cancellation list.
Ms du Plessis and Maddie Ingall, the practice manager at Fletcher Clinic, both said the growing demands on GP services meant educating patients to book in for prescription-renewal appointments as soon as the “last repeat” sticker appeared on their script from the pharmacy had become a necessity.
Missed it by that much
Dr Poonacha Kanjithanda has spent the past two years trying to recruit a doctor to his practice.
He bought the Fletcher Clinic in 2019, and after a year their books were full.
“We couldn’t offer same day appointments, and people were getting angry and upset,” Dr Kanjithanda said.
For 18 months, the practice advertised through the primary health network, spent thousands advertising on Seek. At one point they had 21 recruitment agencies searching for suitable candidates while offering a $20,000 sign-on bonus.
The clinic came close to recruiting a GP a couple of times – but because those doctors were overseas-trained, they needed to work in a Distribution Priority Area.
Fletcher just missed out on meeting the criteria by “one point”, as it shares a catchment area with Newcastle. This means Fletcher has the same classification as Sydney’s CBD.
They applied for an exemption; wrote to local politicians. But ultimately, they still have two vacant rooms. Clinic staff hope the new federal Labor government delivers on its promise to restore DPA status to the region’s practices.
Practice manager Maddie Ingall said she understood that Fletcher was not in the same boat as places like the Northern Territory, but nor was it like Sydney’s CBD.
“There has to be some leeway in areas like Fletcher that are building up fast,” she said.
“From 2016 to 2019 there was 7000-odd new residents in Fletcher alone. Where are they meant to go if we only have 2.5 full time equivalent doctors and no one is taking new patients?”
Dr Kanjithanda said it should never have come to this “extreme shortage” of GPs. But now he would like to see some reform with long term solutions.
The current training pathway gives medical students more exposure to hospital roles than general practice, and becoming a GP was not seen as lucrative.
“A lot of GPs will be retiring soon,” he said. “Medicare rebates are not keeping up – so the pressures are building up while income is going down. Students see someone who started at the same time as me driving a Porsche versus me driving a Toyota – and they would prefer to drive the Porsche.
“But it’s not just money… GPs have some lifestyle benefits that the students haven’t been exposed to, because they only come in as medical students in third and fifth year to sit in on consults.”
He said having enough GPs was vital, as they kept people out of the hospital system but could also recognise when someone needed emergency hospital care.
“For each person presenting to the ED who actually occupies a bed, they spend about $1000 for that patient,” he said. “The government could save so much money by just funding general practice a bit better, and making sure we have the right amount of trainee doctors.”
Carrots and sticks
The Hunter New England Central Coast Primary Health Network recently offered bush GP and registrar grants in a bid to help rural areas recruit doctors.
It covered recruitment costs to help entice GPs to practices in Quirindi, Narrabri, Taree, Wee Waa, Glen Innes and Tamworth, and registrars to Moree, Gunnedah and Inverell.
Dr Simon Holliday, a GP and addiction physician in Taree, said these grants were “good” and helpful – but they were only one piece of the puzzle.
“There’s an enormous amount of costs involved in recruiting and in relocating doctors to rural areas,” he said.
It could take years for the “small handful” of overseas-based doctors interested in working in rural areas to go through Australia’s approval process. But competition was so fierce for international medical graduates too, who also needed adequate support to get settled, that it was not always financially viable or a long-term solution.
“I think we do have to ask ourselves as a nation, as a health system – why is it that we’re relying on medical conscription of international medical graduates to supply health care in the bush?” Dr Holliday said.
“I think the process we’ve been seeing over the last decade will just continue… And unless we get some coordination and some vision to solve this, I think we’re up the creek.”
source: http://www.singletonargus.com / The Singleton Argus / Home / by Anita Beaumont / June 27th, 2022
In this rare iteration of the DownBeat Blindfold Test, all three musicians were asked to comment on selections consisting entirely of trio music. (Photo: David Crow)
Seeing a colorful press photo of Rudresh Mahanthappa and his bandmates adorned in masks, tights and capes might lead one to believe that they are the comic book-like heroes from which the trio’s name is derived. But the alto saxophonist has been clear: He is paying homage to his own musical heroes — Charlie Parker, Sonny Rollins and Lee Konitz, for starters. Rollins and Konitz virtually trademarked the chord-less trio format embraced by Mahanthappa and his rhythm section players, both of whom work regularly in other highly regarded trios: bassist François Moutin with pianist Jean-Michel Pilc, and drummer Rudy Royston with guitarist Bill Frisell.
In this rare iteration of the DownBeat Blindfold Test, all three musicians were asked to comment on selections consisting entirely of trio music. It was Mahanthappa’s second Blindfold Test, and the first for Royston and Moutin. The following article originally ran in two installments in DownBeat’s May 2022 and June 2022 issues.
ORNETTE COLEMAN
“Dawn” (At The Golden Circle Stockholm, Blue Note, 1966) Coleman, alto saxophone; David Izenzon, bass; Charles Moffett, drums.
Rudresh Mahanthappa: That’s Ornette Coleman, At The Golden Circle, with David Izenzon and Charles Moffett. This is on Blue Note, not Atlantic, I believe. When I was at Berklee in the ’90s, I wanted to do a recital of all Ornette Coleman music. It had a horrible name — it was called “Ornette, or Not.” We ended up doing a ballad called “Dawn” — this is it? There it is, I hear the melody now. 5 stars.
François Moutin: I don’t know of anything else that David Izenzon did, but he’s a monster bass player.
JERRY BERGONZI TRIO
“Have You Met Miss Jones” (Lost In The Shuffle, Double-Time, 1998) Bergonzi, tenor saxophone; Dan Wall, organ; Adam Nussbaum, drums.
Mahanthappa: It sounds like Steve Grossman when he was in his Sonny Rollins phase. It has a Jerry Bergonzi vibe to it, too. It’s not Dan Wall, is it? Adam Nussbaum? Jerry is great. For better or for worse, Grossman, Brecker, Jerry Bergonzi, even George Garzone, to some extent Dave Liebman — these guys were like the kings of this post-Coltrane [sound]. I think Grossman was the forefather of all those guys, including Michael Brecker. Steve was playing like that when he was only 19 years old with Elvin Jones.
Moutin: There’s one lick in there that could have been you on tenor, Rudresh.
Mahanthappa: It’s the same source material, just up a fifth. I tried playing tenor in high school; I sounded terrible on tenor.
Rudy Royston: Adam Nussbaum is on! I like all the energy, rhythm, big fat sound … not like that “clean” stuff that was going on at that time.
Moutin:I’ve played with him half a dozen times, and every time, it was an incredible experience.
Royston: He’s a cat who believes in the drums leading the band, the drums leading the vibe. He came to UNC when I was there. He said, “You should be able to tell what the tune is from what I’m playing.” You could hear it in his rhythms and how he was defining stuff around the melody. He’s still a bad cat.
Mahanthappa: 5, shall we go 5 stars on that?
Moutin: Yeah.
Royston: Everyone was killing on that.
MELISSA ALDANA & CRASH TRIO
“Turning” (Melissa Aldana & Crash Trio, Concord, 2014) Aldana, tenor saxophone, Pablo Menares, bass; Francisco Mela, drums.
Royston: Is that Melissa Aldana? The thing I love about Melissa is how she uses space. She’s never in a rush. She always waits, and then she does that thing where she starts low, I don’t know what it is [sings the line]. And the way she uses … falsetto?
Mahanthappa: Altissimo. I like Melissa a lot, I don’t know her playing real well. One of the things that’s hard for me to realize is that there’s a whole generation of folks that were influenced by people our age. Melissa told me a story about how into Mark Turner she was, and how he gave her a seven-hour lesson once.
Royston: That’s a great trio. I saw them at Dizzy’s. They were a good trio.
Moutin: Good composition, too.
Mahanthappa: 5 stars.
CHRIS SPEED TRIO
“Arrival High” (Platinum On Tap, Intakt, 2017) Speed, saxophone; Dave King, drums; Chris Tordini, bass.
Moutin: Triplicate?
Mahanthappa: No, it doesn’t sound anything like that. It kind of reminds me of Bill McHenry. Is it George Garzone? It definitely sounds like it could be someone of our generation. It could be Rasmus Lee, or it could be …
Moutin: Donny McCaslin?
Mahanthappa: No, it can’t be, that’s not Donny’s sound. Or guys that I went to Berklee with, like Matt Renzi … all these cats that played all that modern shit, but with harder reeds and a darker sound, as opposed to Donny. It was almost like a reaction to Michael Brecker, “We’re going to go dark!”
Royston: I know this drummer, man.
Mahanthappa: It could be Chris Speed, too. Is this the trio with Dave King? There you go. Chris was a little older than me, but he was still in Boston when I was in school, but he was hanging out, playing his ass off. 5 stars. Chris is a bad motherfucker and more people should know who he is.
Royston: I knew that it was [Dave King on drums], but I just couldn’t put my finger on that sound. Big tom sounds, and you can hear all that facility with the rim shots and the bells. You can hear all that stuff in the Bad Plus.
… To be continued in the June 2022 issue of DownBeat. Same Hero Trio time. Same Blindfold Test space!
Rudresh Mahanthappa’s Hero Trio (Part 2, June 2022)
Previously on The Blindfold Test: Our three heroes, led as always by the indubitable alto saxophonist Rudresh Mahanthappa, and ably assisted by his sideman sidekicks François Moutin and Rudy Royston, added to their legerdemain with a perfect four-for-four on last month’s treacherous playlist, a feat they accomplished even while blindfolded (figuratively speaking). After easily nailing the mysterious Ornette Coleman and killers Jerry Bergonzi and Melissa Aldana, a bit of high drama occurred as their last unknown audio assailant proved elusive until Mahanthappa deduced the culprit to be Chris Speed at the 11th hour. But this month, new and more dangerous challenges lie ahead. Can our heroes pull of a perfect score, or will they succumb to the weight expectations they’ve already set? Read on to find out!
Rudresh Mahanthappa: Sounds like Arnett Cobb. It’s not rough enough to be Turrentine.
Rudy Royston: Sounds like Turrentine right there.
François Moutin: It’s not Turrentine?
Mahanthappa: It’s so of another generation. It reminds me of Houston Person records, or even Lockjaw. But I could also see Seamus Blake totally playing like this, and doing it convincingly, and sounding like an old cat. I could see Josh Redman playing like this too. But I’m stumped.
Moutin: It’s not Ron Carter, is it? There’s something in the sound … I don’t know.
[afterwards]
Mahanthappa: I would have never gotten that.
Moutin: You tricked us.
Mahanthappa: Branford definitely has his own sound, but then he can kind of inhabit all these other things, historically.
Royston: “Tain” came to my mind with that ride cymbal, but I was like, “I don’t think so.” I needed to hear a “Tain”-ism.
Moutin: 5 stars.
Royston: I didn’t know Branford could do that. Branford was getting a lot of lip back then, going to Sting’s band, and all the jazz cats were like, “Oh, man!”
Moutin: Makes me realize how much Ron Carter borrowed [from] Milt Hinton.
Mahanthappa: I’m a little embarrassed; Branford and I just hung out last week.
ANNA WEBBER
“Forgotten Best” (Idiom, Independent Release, 2021) Webber, tenor saxophone; Matt Mitchell, piano; John Hollenbeck, drums.
Mahanthappa: It’s killing, whoever it is.
Moutin: European?
Mahanthappa: Sounds like Anna Webber, kind of? With Matt Mitchell and John Hollenbeck? Anna’s ridiculous, she can do anything. 5 stars, 5½! I had Anna come and speak to my advance improv class last semester. She was amazing. She’s actually kind of codified and demystified “free improvisation.” She had this beautiful list of all these techniques to work on. Imagine Jamey Aebersold’s scale syllabus, but it was techniques and strategies for free improv. It was literally just one sheet of paper, and it was a lifetime of stuff to work on.
Moutin: Matt Mitchell is amazing.
Mahanthappa: Matt was in Bird Calls. He was practicing [his piano etudes] in sound checks for every gig we did.
Royston: He did those every day when we were in Dave Douglas’ band. You just knew it was going to come [mimics atonal piano sounds]. I used to try to play with him to figure out [the time].
JEFF BALLARD TRIO
“Western Wren (A Bird Call)” “Mivakpola” (Times Take, Okeh, 2014) Ballard, drums; Miguel Zenón, alto saxophone; Lionel Loueke, guitar.
Moutin: It’s killing. I don’t know what it is, but it’s great!
Mahanthappa: That’s insane. I can’t even …
Royston: And that wasn’t Jeff on drums? Jeff Ballard?
[afterwards]
Mahanthappa: I never would have guessed that.
Moutin: I should have guessed that.
Royston: I thought that was Jeff, because you can hear that staccato style. When Jeff plays, he plays “off” the drums. Everything is precise and staccato.
Mahanthappa: Oh, god, Matt sounds amazing. That sounds great. I don’t know Josh’s playing well enough to recognize it, to tell you the truth. But he always sounds great.
Royston: Hutch man, wow. We’re friends. He came to Denver when I was in high school. He was playing with Roy [Hargrove’s] band. We had this jam session in Diane Reeves’ basement. I was trying to play all this “Tain” stuff. Roy was there. Then, Hutch comes in, he’s got the flu. He has this big bomber coat on, he sits on my drums and my cymbals and he just [gestures a seriously minimal ride pattern]. I wanted to leave after that. That was a lesson learned right there. I went upstairs and ate some of Diane Reeves’ cooking. DB
The “Blindfold Test” is a listening test that challenges the featured artist to discuss and identify the music and musicians who performed on selected recordings. The artist is then asked to rate each tune using a 5-star system. No information is given to the artist prior to the test.
source: http://www.downbeat.com / Down Beat / Home> News / by Gary Fukushima / June 14th, 2022
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