UK Riots - Reasons and Opinions.

In my opinion, the UK riots were totally unnecessary and the reasons behind them typically overlooked. Whilst the carnage was taking place, there was barely any mention of the reasons behind the wreckage and why it was all happening. 

'Jumping on the bandwagon' is a phrase that is used a lot but in this particular instance I think it describes the situation perfectly. Many people, mostly youths, in main UK cities such as London, Birmingham, Liverpool and so on used the death of Mark Duggan, an alleged drug dealer and gang founder, as an excuse to cause needless violence, vandalism and looting. What was an originally peaceful protest by Duggan's relatives and members of the local community in order to warrant more information about the circumstances of his death descended into violence when  two cars were set on fire outside Tottenham Police Station.

Rioting, arson and looting spread to other parts of London, and to other cities in England.With the aid of social networking sites such as Facebook and Blackberry messenger rioters, mainly youths of which apparently 75% had previous convictions, could contact each other easier in order to arrange further attacks. It is clear that everyday members of society were also involved, seeing shops being looted and 'jumping on the bandwagon' as it were. 

It is obvious that a group mentality helped to encourage these people, seeing it as an opportunity to obtain free goods and stating that 'loads of others are doing it so why not join in'. Psychological research into group mentality and obedience has taken place, often referred to as 'crowd psychology', and has proved that when people are in a group they can get sucked into doing things that they would not dream of doing as individuals. This type of psychology is used often to probe the behaviour of football fans and hooligans that cause violence and destruction as part of a group in that respect, and can also be applied to the riots in this sense. 

People have often talked about the riots as a 'sign of the times' and shows that the country is going downhill in the sense that so much youths in the inner city are prepared to cause mindless violence but let's not forget this has happened before, with riots such as in Brixton in 1981. There will always be a social/class divide in London and other major cities, inevitably this is going to be there, but should not be used as an excuse to riot  nor should we generalise and say 'only the poor was involved' as this was obviously not the case.

Nor should we generalise in terms of race; although Mark Duggan was of African-Caribbean race, it was not just the black community that was involved and this was evident throughout.

Suggested contributory factors were that of poor relations with police, social exclusion, family breakdown - it was argued by Christina Odone that a lack of a male role model, in terms of many young people having no father at home, may have caused young people to do the things they did. Government cuts, unemployment, gang culture, criminal opportunitism - in terms of people thinking it is an opportunity to steal the latest gadget or television and get away with it - and moral decay - in terms of a larger rich/poor divide - were all also suggested contributory factors. 

Overall there are lessons to be learnt regarding a number of things associated with the riots - mainly the realisation that this can happen in extreme circumstances, people are willing to cause trouble but the police approach should be refined and looked at in order to improve the response in the situation that, god forbid, something like this happens again. 

Thanks for reading.

A Disease of Poverty: Tuberculosis

Tubercolosis, also known as MTB or TB, is an infectious disease which is often associated with poverty. It is spread through the air when people who have active MTB infection cough, sneeze, or spit.

Causes

The cause of TB is primarily a small aerobic non-motile bacillus. It divides every 16 to 20 hours, an extremely slow rate compared with other bacteria, which usually divide in less than an hour. MTB can withstand weak disinfectants and survive in a dry state for weeks. In nature, the bacterium can grow only within the cells of a host organism, but tuberculosis can be cultured in vitro.

There are various risk factors which come into play:

• Persons with silicosis have an approximately 30-fold greater risk for developing TB. Possible indoor sources of silica include concrete, cement and paint.
• Persons with diabetes mellitus have a risk for developing active TB that is two to four times greater than persons without diabetes mellitus, and this risk is likely greater in persons with insulin-dependent or poorly controlled diabetes. The correlation between diabetes mellitus and TB is concerning for public health because it shows a distinct connection between a contagious disease and a chronic disease.
• Low body weight is associated with risk of tuberculosis. A body mass index (BMI) below 18.5 increases the risk by 2—3 times. On the other hand, an increase in body weight lowers the risk.
• Another condition that increases the risk is the sharing of needles among IV drug users.

Symptoms
Symptoms include chest pain, coughing up blood, and a productive, prolonged cough for more than three weeks. Systemic symptoms include fever, chills, night sweats, appetite loss, weight loss, pallor, and fatigue.


Treatments
Treatment for TB uses antibiotics to kill the bacteria. Effective TB treatment is difficult, due to the unusual structure and chemical composition of the mycobacterial cell wall, which makes many antibiotics ineffective and hinders the entry of drugs. The two antibiotics most commonly used are isoniazid and rifampicin.TB can either be latent or active. Latent TB treatment usually uses a single antibiotic, while active TB disease is best treated with combinations of several antibiotics, to reduce the risk of the bacteria developing antibiotic resistance. People with latent infections are treated to prevent them from progressing to active TB disease later in life.

Strategies to cope with HIV/AIDS

Thailand

The first case of AIDS in Thailand occurred in 1984. For the next few years, gay men, sex workers, injecting drug users and tourists were more commonly affected than other groups. The government took some basic measures to deal with the issue, but an epidemic was not yet apparent. Most of these measures were aimed at high-risk groups, as the government believed that there was not yet sufficient reason to carry out prevention campaigns among the general public.

The above table shows the current situation in Thailand.

Thailand once led the way in world HIV prevention, with a series of successful campaigns that helped to reduce the national HIV prevalence. However, in the new millennium there were signs of complacency; prevention programmes received just 8% of the national HIV/AIDS budget in 2000, and by 2001 the level of domestic funding for HIV prevention was half of what it had been in 1997. In 2006, UNAIDS reported that Thailand’s government had reduced its HIV prevention budget by two-thirds. From 2008 to 2009, the percentage of the total AIDS budget spent on prevention decreased from 21.7% to 13.7%.

There were concerns that the declining focus on prevention was putting the public at risk. Reports suggested that condom use had decreased and the rate of STI transmission had risen. Without new prevention campaigns, there was a risk that safe sex messages would be forgotten and a new generation of young people would grow up ignorant of the risks they face.

In September 2006 following a military coup, a new Thai government was installed. In light of the concerns about a resurgence of the epidemic, the new government decided to increase HIV/AIDS prevention efforts. In 2007 a three-year strategic plan was announced, which would focus on those most at risk of HIV infection, and difficult-to-reach groups.

^{In conclusion, Thailand (and Brazil and Haiti for that matter) has shown the world,  that it is possible for a developing country to form an effective response to HIV and AIDS. For all its successes, though, there are still certain regions and groups badly affected by the epidemic.}

The government's complacency during the first half of the millennium and subsequent shortage of prevention programmes is thought to have contributed to a lack of awareness of HIV and AIDS. A rise in STI transmission and high-risk sexual behaviour means there is now a fear that the country will witness a second wave of the epidemic.

Thailand's national strategic HIV and AIDS plan for 2007-2011 shows its commitment to increasing prevention efforts. If fast, effective action is taken, thousands of deaths could be prevented; otherwise, Thailand’s past achievements will soon be forgotten.

Health

For this week's blog post we were encouraged to write about any health related issue. I decided to write about something that there is no hiding from - HIV/AIDS. This infectious disease is something most are aware of, and is thought of as being deadly and terrifying. But what is the truth behind it? I will try to sum it up in an understandable, health related manner.

HIV is the human immunodeficiency virus which causes the illness AIDS. Key facts about HIV:

• It is a slow retrovirus - meaning it can take years to show symptoms.
• Invades the white blood cells in the blood by literally writing the structure of itself backwards (retro) into them and then it reproduces itself in the cells.
• This then targets the immune system as the white blood cells cannot fight off infection, and cell changes can then cause cancers - which is what happens to someone suffering from AIDS

It can be spread in the following ways:

• Sexual intercourse - exchange of body fluids.
• Contaminated needles
• Contaminated blood transfusions
• During pregnancy (mother to child)

The FACTS about AIDS:

• In 2008, globally, about 2 million people died of AIDS, 33.4 million were living with HIV and 2.7 million people were newly infected with the virus.
  
  
• HIV infections and AIDS deaths are unevenly distributed geographically and the nature of the epidemics vary by region. Epidemics are abating in some countries and burgeoning in others. More than 90 percent of people with HIV are living in the developing world.
  
  
• There is growing recognition that the virus does not discriminate by age, race, gender, ethnicity, sexual orientation, or socioeconomic status – everyone is susceptible. However, certain groups are at particular risk of HIV, including men who have sex with men (MSM), injecting drug users (IDUs), and commercial sex workers (CSWs).
  
  
• The impact of HIV/AIDS on women and girls has been particularly devastating. Women and girls now comprise 50 percent of those aged 15 and older living with HIV.
  
  
• The impact of HIV/AIDS on children and young people is a severe and growing problem. In 2008, 430,000 children under age 15 were infected with HIV and 280,000 died of AIDS.In addition, about 15 million children have lost one or both parents due to the disease.
  
  
• There are effective prevention and treatment interventions, as well as research efforts to develop new approaches, medications and vaccines.
  
  
• The sixth Millennium Development Goal (MDG) focuses on stopping and reversing the spread of HIV/AIDS by 2015.
  
  
• Global funding is increasing, but global need is growing even faster – widening the funding gap. Services and funding are disproportionately available in developed countries.

This map below shows the geographical distribution of AIDS:

As you can see it is mainly the developing world which has the problem with HIV/AIDS - over 90% there as said earlier in facts list. This WorldMapper map below shows HIV/AIDS deaths and changes the country's size on the map in relation to how large the number of deaths is with the AIDS cause in the country:

This just emphasizes the point about the developing world, with Africa looking so big.

What can be done about it?

Management of HIV/AIDS takes the following forms:

1. The hunt for a vaccine
2. Prolonging life through drugs - people with AIDS are expected to die young, before age 40 typically - but some drugs, albeit expensive, can prolong life further. HAART (highly active anti-retroviral therapy) is a cheap form, but is hard to get it to people in LEDC's who may not even know they are HIV-positive!
3. Plotting the course of an outbreak - this then helps people to predict the future spread of the disease, identifying areas where resources should be concentrated.
4. Screening blood 
5. Education and advertising - encouraging people to have safe sex. Condom's can be a lifesaver! Although this can be particularly hard in places such as Sub-Saharan Africa, people are trying to make a difference.
6. Caring for victims and families - charities can be a big help such as the Terrence Higgins Trust and London Lighthouse in the UK, two charities trying to help the families as well as AIDS victims.

Opinions on HIV/AIDS are changing worldwide, the hunt for a vaccine goes on, but what is currently believed is this:

• The spread of HIV/AIDS is rooted in problems of poverty, food and livelihood insecurity, sociocultural inequality, and poor support services and infrastructure.
• Responses to HIV/AIDS have grown and improved over the last decade, but they are still not good enough: the epidemic is worsening and the human population needs to catch up.

Thanks for reading!

Migration

Migration is the movement of people/animals from one country or locality to another.

Bird Migration

Bird migration is the regular seasonal journey undertaken by many species of birds. Bird movements include those made in response to changes in food availability, habitat or weather. Sometimes, journeys are not termed "true migration" because they are irregular  or in only one direction (movement of young away from natal area). Migration is normally anually. In contrast, birds that are non-migratory are said to be resident or sedentary. Approximately 1800 of world's 10,000 bird species are long-distance migrants. Birds may often fly in large packs when migration to avoid predators, have a sense of unity etc.

Some migration routes are shown below:



Other pictures:

China's One Child Policy - History and Background

There is more about China's one child policy than meets the eye. In my first blog post, I gave a rough background to the policy - here I will investigate more about how it came about. The two main figureheads of China are Confucius and Mao Zedong. They have contrasting views and were in conflict.

With Confucius, China is a patriachal society, and its people are obsessed with having sons, coming out with the following sayings:

'A good wife bears sons'
'A bad son is better than a daughter. A man with only daughters is considered a laughing stock'

Confucius also advocated filial piety.  

With Mao Zedong, who was a freedom fighter in the war against a KMT and the Japanese in the 1930s an1940s, he advocated that all were equal, he was very popular with women who were low in society as a result - and peasants. He became leader of the Communist Party in 1949, and governed over China until his death in 1976. He was a dictator in his time and his policies became harsher and harsher.

Mao had the following things happen in his time:

• He encouraged China to take contraception seriously.
• Population doubled between 1949 and 1970
• If each couple had 3 children, the population would double again by 2020.
• Most couples were having 5 or 6 children at this time.

Pre One-Child Family Policy - What policies were brought in before the one child policy?

• In the 1970's Mao introduced the two family policy, in order to ease down to the one child policy, and make the change less strenous
•  By 1980 census, the government realised that due to the high birth rate of 1950s and 1960s and low infant mortality rate, the problem was worse than first considered. A one child family policy would be needed.

One Child Family Policy - An Overview

• Example from Yunnan province - the govt. left the policy details to local level
• Strictly controlled through the 'danwei'
• Different rules for urban and rural areas
• Generous rewards such as extra 15 days added to maternity leave, receipt of health care money until 14th birthday of child, bonuses and easier to get kindergarten places, work duties and retirement funds.
• Harsh punishments such as wage and position demotions, levy of 30-40% on parent salaries for 7 years, no promotion or special treatment for 7 years, unpaid maternity leave, in the case of the third child, sterilisation of both parents.

They aimed to slow the birth rate and invert the population pyramid. There were some consequences. Infanticide, high adoption rate of girls, little emperor syndrome and a fear of national disasters topped this list.

Overall I think the one child policy has benefited China in some ways, and not so in others. The policy has now been relaxed in some ways - due to economic success it is now almost non-existant in cities but is still strictly enforced in the countryside. Couples are now less tied to the 'danwei', can think on their feet, more mobile, willing to do everything themselves and therefore evade fines. People are now more individual in China. They don't have to necessarily carry on with the policy, people have learnt their lesson and the attitude of the chinese is now different.

Ageing Population

There are various problems with an ageing population, various things that are caused by it:

• Resource crowding out
• Financial crowding out
• Increase the national debt and annual interest payments
• A large increase in tax may be inevitable

There are things that can be done though.

People could be made to work longer, for example increasing the retirement age. This will help to combat the crowding out of resources, as more things will be being produced to cope with the demands of a high population. This refers to Ester Bultrup's theory which states that it will be human nature to adapt to change in our society.

If the government increase income tax, they will increase revenue to pay for the higher pension bill. However, higher income tax may lead to lower work incentives. It may discourage people from living in a certain country. Because income tax is low in the UK, a higher rate may not reduce incentives that much; however, there is a high opportunity cost of taxing for pensions. Pension spending does not increase productivity in the economy, and could add to the debt problem in the UK.

Pension costs could be decreased, maybe by only giving out pensions to those who had low incomes or do not have that much money. This would decrease pension costs as a result.