Like B, I've had contact with public hospitals lately and, like him, I've been impressed by the care. A recent experience with a private clinic was starkly different. During visits to undergo laser treatment for a facial scar, I encountered, for the first time in my life, a doctor with a spectacularly bad bedside manner.
He seemed competent, but so rude I was fascinated. If he'd appeared in fiction, you'd have thought him an exaggeration. After various displays of impatience, hard sell and almost frantic cupidity, he entered the room quietly after my eyes had been covered and, without any preamble or warning, shot me in the face with his laser. Like the typical Kiwi diner who's been served an appalling meal (yeah, no, great, thanks), I butched the moment out, weeping silently under my blindfold.
He finished his work, swept out, then burst back in, elaborately expressing displeasure. He needed the room, and I should have been hustled out quicker. Payment had been extracted upfront.
Denne historien er fra June 24-30 2023-utgaven av New Zealand Listener.
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Denne historien er fra June 24-30 2023-utgaven av New Zealand Listener.
Start din 7-dagers gratis prøveperiode på Magzter GOLD for å få tilgang til tusenvis av utvalgte premiumhistorier og 9000+ magasiner og aviser.
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First-world problem
Harrowing tales of migrants attempting to enter the US highlight the political failure to fully tackle the problem.
Applying intelligence to AI
I call it the 'Terminator Effect', based on the premise that thinking machines took over the world.
Nazism rears its head
Smirky Höcke, with his penchant for waving with a suspiciously straight elbow and an open palm, won't get to be boss of either state.
Staying ahead of the game
Will the brave new world of bipartisanship that seems to be on offer with an Infrastructure Commission come to fruition?
Grasping the nettle
Broccoli is horrible. It smells, when being cooked, like cat pee.
Hangry? Eat breakfast
People who don't break their fast first thing in the morning report the least life satisfaction.
Chemical reaction
Nitrates in processed meats are well known to cause harm, but consumed from plant sources, their effect is quite different.
Me and my guitar
Australian guitarist Karin Schaupp sticks to the familiar for her Dunedin concerts.
Time is on my side
Age does not weary some of our much-loved musicians but what keeps them on the road?
The kids are not alright
Nuanced account details how China's blessed generation has been replaced by one consumed by fear and hopelessness.