Respect for someone.. begins with oneself

The Equality and Human Rights Commission has found that human rights are being overlooked with care of older people in their homes. The commission has uncovered worrying cases of neglect and lack of respect for the privacy and dignity of older people. Some have to choose between having a cooked meal or a wash when they are visited for homecare. Sometimes, visits are so brief, that people have to choose between having a cooked meal or a wash. The biggest threat is the cuts in social care budgets and it might not be possible for local authorities to meet their human rights obligations.

Older people cared for at home 'lacking basic rights'

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/ health-13813460

The most horrifying picture of getting old; not properly being taken care of when you are totally independent and do not have any other way to stay clean, healthy and fed. When you take care of older people, your only goal should be to show them respect and let the last days of their lives be comfortable ones. It is sad that some of us, when given this responsibility, seem not to be able to cope with it. Perhaps we should pay more for the care of our elderly to be sure that they receive the care they deserve.  

 

The right to get well

Vital medical research into cancer, heart disease and Alzheimer's could be set back by decades because of a boycott campaign that is going to being launched by animal rights campaigners. Charities and scientist have condemned the campaign as irresponsible and damaging. Charities are also concerned that the campaign could have an effect on donations. Dr David Scott, of Cancer Research UK, said that they do not research with animals because they have strict ethical policies and follow guidelines to ensure animals are only used when there is no alternative.  Humane Society International advises people to give money to charities which do not use animals in their research.

http://www.independent.co.uk/news/uk/home-news/animal-rights-group-declares-war-on-leading-health-charities-2300281.html Animal rights group declares war on leading health charities

In my point of view it is not very wise to obstruct medical research. Charities use the money given to them to understand and treat disease. These charities only support research on animals when it is not possible in any other way. How can anyone consider animals more valuable than humans? I think animal rights groups should in case of medical issues should hold back and choose the human rights instead of those of the animals. It could hurt the medical charities, because when they do not get their donations it might delay progress in finding cures for illnesses. This is something that should not be able to happen.

A garden for everyone

The B&Q (the largest home improvement and garden centre retailer in the UK) vertical garden is prepared for the 2011 Chelsea Flower Show. It is a glass box of five stories. Each floor can fit two or three people at a time. It is the image ‘of a sustainable high-rise ‘concept garden’ for an age of climate change and austerity’. At the Chelsea Flower Show, many exhibits compete with each other. Triton UK sells garden ornaments in the price range of £1,250 to a full-scale gothic temple at £29,900. When you love gold, you can spend £70,000 on a ceramic Golden Cypress sculpture, covered in gold. The head of Triton UK says recession is hitting everyone.

Chelsea Flower Show: 'vertical garden' hints at UK's gardening future http://www.guardian.co.uk/environment/2011/may/23/chelsea-flower-show-vertical-garden

I don’t care one bit about the rather expensive ornaments that can be found at the Chelsea Flower Show. (If you sell them and nobody is buying them because of the bad economic times; I am sorry.) I just want to express my surprise and enthusiasm for the vertical garden! How wonderful to create more gardens by using vertical space. Gardens (plants and trees) do not only produce oxygen, clean the air by letting dust cling, but also add to the mental wellbeing of people. Another positive aspect of vertical gardens is that we create new living areas for our birds and insects. (Spiders forbidden.)

Get a grip

Some water companies say that households could pay more for their water during summer. Wessex Water noticed that water consumption fell by 6% when it charged £2.25 for 1,000 litres in the summer, instead of £1.90. The message that water companies want to deliver is that there is a limit to the supply of water. A spokesman for Water UK But said seasonal tariffs would need a higher level of metering. Metering now stands at about 30-40%. Anglian Water think that it is better to inform households about the value of water as well as help them to reduce water use through metering and the installation of water-saving devices.

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-13502486 Water prices could rise in summer with seasonal tariffs

Water prices could rise in summer with seasonal tariffs I was surprised to read that there is no overall water metering in the UK. It seems a normal thing to meter the use of water, but it is probably Dutch to think that way. We (I) do not want to pay more than the absolute necessary. Every year, when I get the overview of the amount of water I used, I am happy to find out that I have managed to use less than the year before. It does help me not to waste water. When that is the message, I think the introduction of seasonal tariffs is a good solution. We should be modest especially as children in developing countries have to walk an average of 6 kilometers for clean water.

It is all in the mind

Alternative medicine is booming business. It is largely unregulated and therefor it is hard to offer reliable statistics. Edzard Ernst, professor of complementary medicine, has pioneered the study of everything from acupuncture and crystal healing to Reiki channeling and herbal remedies. He has run clinical trials and published over 160 meta-analyses of other studies. He has found that almost all of the treatments in all alternative fields are statistically indistinguishable from placebo treatment. Ernst believes that a regular doctor can learn that the therapeutic value of the placebo effect can be valuable. A pretend painkiller can reduce the amount of pain! The expectation influences the potency of the effect. It appears that practitioners of alternative medicine often are very good at harnessing the placebo effect.

http://www.economist.com/node/18710090 

Think yourself better

I believe that a person can have some effect on his or her own health. Try waking up feeling a bit ill and keep telling yourself that you are really, really ill. What will happen? You actually will become ill. This also works the other way around. The way practitioners of alternative medicine take time to listen to you and try to work out who you are as a person as a whole, not just the physical part, is very attractive to me. I would be careful though, not to stretch it. If you are sure that you have a serious illness, then go to the hospital and bring that positive thinking along.

By all means

The Metropolitan police have bought a security programme that maps every move of suspects and their allies. These moves can be found and gathered in social networking sites, satellite navigation equipment, mobile phones, financial transactions etc.  Police do not want to rule out that it will use it in investigating public order disturbances. A few academics have applauded this development because the software can be very useful in fighting terrorist groups and organized crime. The purchase has immediately called for objections from civil liberties groups. The programme can built a detailed picture of somebody and this could be used for the benefit of commercial gain. Therefor it is important to decide how this software will be used.

http://www.guardian.co.uk/uk/2011/may/11/police-software-maps-digital-movements

The use of this security programme by the Dutch police would make me feel slightly uncomfortable. Though I feel that everything should be done to protect us from terrorism or other crime, the fact that it would be possible to follow everything I do, does not feel right. I would like to have some privacy, although I do not have any secrets. The article refers to the movie Minority Report in which policemen can look into the future and can imprison criminals before they have even done anything. When I first saw it I thought it was a surreal story, but now it has almost become true. The next step will be a chip in your arm for ‘medical purposes’. Meanwhile Big Brother can also check how many times you buy your peanut butter at the Aldi.

Knowledge is power

Across the UK, many pupils are revising for GCSEs, which means learning of by heart many facts. Neil Hallows would like to know if learning by heart is still a valued skill. It perhaps does not really matter any longer as this is the information age. We do not need to know everything because it is all on a phone or a computer. Black-cab drivers in London learn over 300 routes by heart and all the landmarks and interesting places at the same time. Their knowledge contains details about an area of a six-mile radius of Charing Cross Station. A cab driver knowing the routes by heart is already on his way, when a cab driver with a navigation system is still punching in an address. It does give a person some power, knowing facts by heart.

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/magazine-13333117

The article does not satisfy me. I do not find a convincing answer to the question why we should still learn things by heart. I do believe we should learn facts, but in my opinion these facts should me be folded intopractical use of this knowledge. When I was a younger student, I did not get much practice in applying the facts I learned by heart. These facts did not integrate in my existing knowledge. I think that should be learned as well, next to learning facts by heart. The most beautiful aspect of learning by heart is that in difficult times you can get comfort from a poem, psalm or other text which you once learned by heart.