plasticwrap

I asked Russ and he is going to see if he can get a Practial Modeller, or some other wargaming magazine. I'll see if there are some things round here I don't want anymore.

But I suspect the reason that the cruddy ones are in waiting rooms, is that they are the only ones that don't get stolen. As EDS waiting rooms are probably mainly used by women, we reckon the wargaming magazines will stay there for ages!

Cunning, realistic *and* public-spirited! I love it :)

Quite frankly I am shocked that they are so unthinking as to have such magazines in their waiting rooms.

But then again there are still some idiots in psychology and medicine who don't believe that eating disorders are strongly linked to popular culture images of women.

Is this the EDU in Wellington? I went for a job there one time and they absolutely grilled me about my sensitivity to eating disorder issues, and no answer I could give them was good enough. It seemed that they didn't know what they wanted, which was a bit dumb. I wouldn't be surprised if they don't have a clue in the way you described.

I'm definitely up for your magazine-replacement scheme. I must remember to take some to my dentist's appointment next Thursday. Also, perhaps you could sneak the offending magazines into your bag, take them home and burn them.

I can attest to the fact that the good mags get "stolen". At least I ask first... and mostly they say "yes".

How about leaving the mags in place but inserting a counter-message?
Eg, sticker the offending page with "dieting does not make you successful" or any other message that you think is the correct response to that sort of crap.
More of a direct challenge to the laxness of the clinic staff, and also to the pathetic content of said magazines.

Good call, bro. I don't like the idea of taking the offending magazines away - I just want to give people a choice, not dictate how they read.

The stickers are the way to go. I'll sticker the magazines I add as being the property of whoever I leave it with, and prepare anti-diet and pro-healthiness stickers ahead of time.

If you want to finish an article in a magazine, by all means ask the staff if you can borrow/have it. Just make sure you either bring it back or donate it back to another impoverished national-health waiting room. 'kay?

No, thank goodness - I've had some bad experiences with the Wellington EDS. I went there (secretively) at the behest of one of my teachers when I was about 14. I had 2 sessions with a counsellor and then they *lost my file*. Of course, I didn't know that, I just assumed I was "too fat to have an eating disorder" and they wanted me to leave them alone.

So I did, until I got to university. Then I went to see a student-health counsellor who immediately referred me to EDS and that's when I found out about the misplaced file. I had an initial interview, and heard no more again.

Finally about 3 years ago, my psychotherapist insisted they help me. I had *another* initial assessment, they saw me twice more, and then I had an appoinment they cancelled without telling me. I had taken time off work to be there, too. And they never called me back to make another time.

This is at the Princess Margaret Hospital in Chch. They seem to be quite structured and well-run. It's just their magazines I have an issue with... but it's hard to be too annoyed with them since all public health services don't really have the money to spend on magazines, I suspect.

Yeah, for sure. I guess the point I was trying to make was that (had this been the Wellington EDS) it would've been extremely ironic for them to have grilled me stupid about my sensitivity to eating disorder issues (it was a receptionist job!) and then themselves overlook something so glaringly obviously insensitive.

Although I would've let them off the hook for not being able to afford appropriate reading material for their waiting room. Most newspapers, second-hand books, the Listener, the programme for the local community college, that sort of thing would surely be suitable.

Thanks