Home Sweet Home

http://www.independent.co.uk/news/uk/home-news/majority-of-britons-think-property-is-overvalued-2275352.html

Summary:

A survey, conducted by property website Rightmove, reveals that fifty percent of the British public think the property is overvalued. This percentage rises to about 66% when the it comes to first-time buyers and to around 60% when the respondent lives in London. Around 75% of the people in the UK do not believe, however, prices will drop this year; it will either remain unchanged or increase. According to these people this is due to the improving market (around 50%) or less strict policy on mortgages (around 25%). The quarter of the people who believe prices will fall predict a worse economic situation (nearly 60%) and do not expect an increase in mortgage availability (23%).

Opinion:

What surprises me in the article is the fact that an earlier survey revealed that the amount of unsold property had risen to the highest number in four years. Meanwhile, the price of a new property on the market rose again with an average of 1.7%. I understand that sellers want the best price they can get for their property but to me it feels more like one of the cardinal sins: greed. It is impossible that the prices keep rising, I believe and when will we reach the point that the whole housing market will collapse? It is just a matter of time….

Hot Easter weather causes health problems

http://www.independent.co.uk/life-style/health-and-families/health-news/smog-alert-britains-lung-weekend-2272614.html

Summary:
The sunny weather forecast for this Easter weekend means good news for the millions of vacationers who enjoy the long bank holiday. All over the UK temperatures will rise above 20C, although isolated showers are possible. But this hottest Easter weekend ever has a downside too; due to the heavy holiday traffic and the still, hot weather there is a substantial rise in air pollution. The high level of ozone and ultra-fine particles may cause respiratory problems in people who suffer from asthma or other conditions. Cases of sunburn and dehydration are another concern. Despite warnings to use sun cream  and to limit the exposure to the sun, many cases of sunburn and dehydration have been reported already.

Reaction:
In Mexico I lived four blocks from the white, sandy beach and the bluest sea possible, in a booming city with loads of tourists and great weather all year round. Our favourite game was guessing which country the wandering tourists came from and the easiest to spot were always the tomato-red Brits. They baked for hours and hours without using protection against the blazing Mexican sun and continued doing so their entire holiday! Now Britain has a couple of days of sunshine and this already creates problems. Maybe it is a good thing the UK has not too many sun hours a year so they can keep the cases of skin cancer to a minimum.

Kiss-in results in closed doors

http://www.independent.co.uk/news/uk/home-news/soho-pub-shuts-its-doors-hours-before-gay-kissing-protest-2268623.html

Summary:

The management of a pub in Soho forcibly removed two guests because of obscene behavior;  James and Jonathan were out on their first date and their kissing in public caused their removal. Word of their ejection was spread rapidly on social networking sites and quickly protest was organized. About three hundred people arrived at the pub to start a kiss-in but the management closed the doors after learning of the demonstration. Although the original plan to fill the pub and fell through, the huge response to the call and the closure of the pub are considered a success for the gay right movement.

Opinion:

The question one asks oneself is whether the management would have decided to remove the couple if they had been a guy and a girl. This reeks of discrimination and the management should have thought better before handling it the way they did. I am not a great fan of watching couples (gay or not) kiss in public but one can always choose to look the other way or ignore the scene. What amazes and frightens me in this story is the power of social networking sites. This is for a cause I can understand but what if we decide to hunt down alleged rapists, pedophiles or murderers this way?

UK stillbirths rates

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/health-13068789

Summary:
Although the number of stillbirths in the UK is declining compared to 1995, this country has more stillborn infants than other western countries. There are regional differences but it is unclear what causes these differences. A third of all stillbirths have no obvious cause though there are risk factors such as smoking or drinking. About two third of all stillborns had issues involving the placenta, the umbilical cord or infections. More research is needed but women who want to become pregnant are encouraged to embrace a healthy lifestyle and once they are pregnant they should be aware of reduction in the baby’s movement. Support for families who have to coop with this tragedy is important.

Opinion:
There are three major steps in becoming a parent: conception, nine months of carrying the baby and giving birth. Science has taken big steps when it comes to creating babies in test-tubes and this is excellent news for everybody who desperately wants to become pregnant. During the pregnancy there are several ways to ensure that the foetus grows and develops according to the standards. But when it comes to the final stage, giving birth, obstetricians let nature take its course. Is it not time to modernize these medieval practices? It might help reduce the number of stillbirths and the agony of women in labour.