Plagiocephaly, Brachycephaly are medical terms for mis-shapen heads on babies, now known to many parents as flat head syndrome. This can easily be treated by wearing what I call a special helmet for the growth to be redirected into the correct parts. The helmet is very light weight and shaved out inside where the head needs to grow to get a better symmetrical shape. NHS class it as cosmetic, but you can get all sorts of cosmetic surgery on the NHS, however no one will accept this is a problem in children, yes some children with flat head syndrome will grow out of it over time and given the exercise early and follow it, it can be corrected. There are many older children around you see with the flatness on their heads but I feel there is more needed to be done with the health service on this.
Speaking from personal experience, our little girl was born, natural birth but we noticed at six weeks her head shape was just not right, flat on one side, wide and her forehead slightly bulging and her ear alignment slightly out together with one flat ear, concerns were brought to many of our GP’S and health visitors but no one would accept there was a problem and advised it will grow out, checked out many searches but in the region of £3000 plus for treatment.
Anyway whilst shopping noticed two sets of parents each with a child in a special helmet that I had read about, very nervous I asked each of them if it what I thought it was and showed them my concerns, i was told me to get it checked out and you will get no help from GP’s etc. Found a clinic local to us, they scanned my daughter and she was classed a suffering from severe plagio and brachy, they gave me all the figures of her head measurements and told me if we wanted to achieve good results we need to put our plan into action as soon as possible, she was now at 9 months old. Treatment started two weeks later and at a cost of £1850.00 to us, she completed her treatment at the age of 2 with fantastic results. As she was slow growing, very petite little girl, there is very little flattening left but nothing anyone will notice. During treatment our local newspaper carried a story, also we were on the local news all to bring awareness for other parents not to suffer and banging their head against a brick wall, this should not have to happen, the NHS needs to bring awareness to everyone.
Parents of children with plagio and brachy are not aware that there is help out there, the NHS class this treatment as cosmetic. There are a few hospitals now that will treat your child after a referral from your doctor, but the lists are long and by the time you get seen your child may have missed their chance for treatment. My argument is mother intuition is always right you know there is a problem and wish for someone to help you. It turned out my daughter probably had tightening of the neck muscles (torticollis) at birth and may be a factor in her plagio. There are many forums available for anyone to obtain advice, from other mums including http://www.plagiocephalycare.org, http://health.groups.yahoo.com/group/AllAboutPlagiocephaly The one I was joined too is no longer running PlagioUK - MSN whenever you need advice pop onto the forums, there will always be someone there to help you. If caught early some children can be treated and a helmet may never be needed. You are given every sort of leaflet when you have your baby on all different things I feel there should be one on Plagio to bring awareness, the only advice I can give if you feel your child has flat head syndrome -please seek advice, many of the clinics will see you and give you advice and the first consultation is free so you have nothing to lose. Many parents have had to have fund raising events to raise the money for their child. I feel you shouldn’t have to do this, you pay your taxes and national insurance and I personally feel should be taken out of the NHS funds.
Showing posts with label Opinion. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Opinion. Show all posts
Thursday, 1 October 2009
Thursday, 24 September 2009
Dying With Dignity. The Right To Die.
Not long ago my dog got poorly, her back legs went, this happened overnight without warning, she was a powerful German Shepherd so i am sure you can imagine the sight of her unable to stand caused a great deal of upset. Without hesitation we went off to the vets to be told she had a disease in her nerve endings. The vet said a trolley could be made and she could drag herself along on this but the picture filled me with horror, the vet agreed that this would take away her dignity. So ten minutes later full of tears and after lots of hugs a held her as the vet put her to sleep.
Do i have regrets? Not one bit, she had been my friend, companion and protector for 8 years, yes i miss her being around, i miss her company and i miss her funny ways but the thought of keeping her alive for my own sake would have been wrong. Her quality of life had gone and she deserved far better.She was in no pain but without quality of life we have nothing. So why does the same not apply to humans?
If dogs, cats, hamsters, mice and even goldfish have the right to die with dignity, why not humans? Death is one thing we are all sure of, it comes to us all, why, why ,why if we are suffering, quality of life has gone can we just not just go with dignity. In our own homes or a place of our choice with our loved ones around us.
Yes i know everyone is different, some people want to grasp every single moment, no matter how ill they are, whether this is because they still value what has become of them, religion or fear of death, they fight to stay alive. But others just come to a point where enough is enough and are ready to go. They should be able to, without fear and with guidance.
Also it should not just apply to terminal illness, if quality of life has gone in whatever form then we should be able to decide for ourselves to end it in a safe controlled way.
Do i have regrets? Not one bit, she had been my friend, companion and protector for 8 years, yes i miss her being around, i miss her company and i miss her funny ways but the thought of keeping her alive for my own sake would have been wrong. Her quality of life had gone and she deserved far better.She was in no pain but without quality of life we have nothing. So why does the same not apply to humans?
If dogs, cats, hamsters, mice and even goldfish have the right to die with dignity, why not humans? Death is one thing we are all sure of, it comes to us all, why, why ,why if we are suffering, quality of life has gone can we just not just go with dignity. In our own homes or a place of our choice with our loved ones around us.
Yes i know everyone is different, some people want to grasp every single moment, no matter how ill they are, whether this is because they still value what has become of them, religion or fear of death, they fight to stay alive. But others just come to a point where enough is enough and are ready to go. They should be able to, without fear and with guidance.
Also it should not just apply to terminal illness, if quality of life has gone in whatever form then we should be able to decide for ourselves to end it in a safe controlled way.
Trident - Do we want it or not?
After Gordon Brown’s announcement that he intends to reduce our Trident submarine fleet from four to three vessels, I would like to know what everyone else thinks.The way I see it, we either need Trident or we don’t. If we don’t need it, get rid of all four of them. If we do need it, we keep all four of them. There are no in-betweens. The Trident programme was designed so that the UK would have a credible nuclear deterrent that would be operational 24 hours a day, 365 days a year. The extensive research concluded that we would need a minimum of four submarines in order to guarantee an uninterrupted service. The Trident program went ahead and the outdated Polaris fleet was retired.Gordon Brown’s official line is that scrapping a Trident submarine will be the UK’s contribution to nuclear disarmament but we all know the main reason is to save money. But how much money will he save? Will scrapping a quarter of the fleet save a quarter of the annual Trident budget? Only a fool would think so. We’ll still need a Trident maintenance headquarters with experienced staff whether we have one submarine or four submarines. We’ll still need weapons specialists and nuclear warhead technology. Yes, we’ll save a few pounds here and a few pennies there but it won’t be a significant amount unless we retire the entire Trident force.If Gordon seriously wanted to reduce our nuclear arsenal whilst maintaining a credible defence, surely it would be more sensible to reduce the number of nuclear warheads rather than reduce the number of submarines. Each Trident submarine carries 40 nuclear warheads. Wouldn’t it have been better to reduce each submarine’s payload to 30 missiles and keep operating all four submarines? The end tally will be the same... 120 nuclear warheads in operation across four submarines instead of 120 warheads in operation across just three submarines.If a submarine develops a fault or is disabled in conflict we need the remaining three to continue our 24 hour service. As soon as our fleet is reduced to three vessels we will be preparing a new emergency response:"Please hold fire, your war is valuable to us and one of our submarines will answer your call shortly."
Monday, 14 September 2009
Afghanistan - Stick In or Pull Out?
The loony lefties and do-gooders are at it again. They want British forces out of Afghanistan and I’d like to know why.
I think most of them have forgotten the event that propelled our troops into action. No matter what you think of the USA or how they act, the events that occurred on September 11th of 2001 were shocking, cruel and deliberate. The animals that were behind this outrage openly admitted their involvement and were seen across the world celebrating the deaths of 3000 innocent civilians in video clips, in newspapers, on TV and across the internet. Mr. Bin Laden and his Taliban cronies were jumping for joy.
The USA could not possibly sit and do nothing. Anyone that had the slightest understanding of the way the modern political world functioned knew that. If the British sat on the sidelines and let our US allies go it alone we could forget about asking for US military assistance in the future should we need it. But that wasn’t the only reason the UK sent in its troops. This terrorist scandal was so outrageous that the vast majority of UK citizens were more than happy to commit our armed forces to fighting the Taliban whether they valued our special relationship with the USA or not. Unlike the 2003 Iraq debacle, this was a cause worth fighting for. Now all of a sudden, in 2009, the cause is becoming forgotten. Loony lefties hear the UK death toll figures rising and send up the white flags. I shudder to think how we could have coped in 1939 if we were so feeble minded.
The attacks in London that left 56 people dead and 700 injured were planned in Afghanistan. Some may argue that the attack was a direct result of Britain’s involvement in the military operation in Afghanistan. That may or may not be true. But what do these limp wristed voters actually want us to do? If it was good enough to send in our troops in 2001 then why is it any different now? The enemy is still the same, the planned terrorist atrocities continue and Bin Laden is still out there. Could you even contemplate what would happen if all allied forces went home from Afghanistan? The Taliban would be back in the driving seat within months (if not weeks), the west would be a laughing stock and countless trained fighters would be heading for Iraq to cause more death and destruction. Afghanistan’s terrorist training camps would have to start charging tuition fees to keep applicant numbers down.
Nobody understands the war in Afghanistan more than our own armed forces. How often do you hear our boys in the Afghan trenches saying they are fighting for an unworthy cause? Almost every one of them knows and understands the reason they are there and what they are fighting for. I’ll bet they would love a bus full of the UK loony left to accompany them on their next outing across Helmand Province. I’ll help pack their bags.
I think most of them have forgotten the event that propelled our troops into action. No matter what you think of the USA or how they act, the events that occurred on September 11th of 2001 were shocking, cruel and deliberate. The animals that were behind this outrage openly admitted their involvement and were seen across the world celebrating the deaths of 3000 innocent civilians in video clips, in newspapers, on TV and across the internet. Mr. Bin Laden and his Taliban cronies were jumping for joy.
The USA could not possibly sit and do nothing. Anyone that had the slightest understanding of the way the modern political world functioned knew that. If the British sat on the sidelines and let our US allies go it alone we could forget about asking for US military assistance in the future should we need it. But that wasn’t the only reason the UK sent in its troops. This terrorist scandal was so outrageous that the vast majority of UK citizens were more than happy to commit our armed forces to fighting the Taliban whether they valued our special relationship with the USA or not. Unlike the 2003 Iraq debacle, this was a cause worth fighting for. Now all of a sudden, in 2009, the cause is becoming forgotten. Loony lefties hear the UK death toll figures rising and send up the white flags. I shudder to think how we could have coped in 1939 if we were so feeble minded.
The attacks in London that left 56 people dead and 700 injured were planned in Afghanistan. Some may argue that the attack was a direct result of Britain’s involvement in the military operation in Afghanistan. That may or may not be true. But what do these limp wristed voters actually want us to do? If it was good enough to send in our troops in 2001 then why is it any different now? The enemy is still the same, the planned terrorist atrocities continue and Bin Laden is still out there. Could you even contemplate what would happen if all allied forces went home from Afghanistan? The Taliban would be back in the driving seat within months (if not weeks), the west would be a laughing stock and countless trained fighters would be heading for Iraq to cause more death and destruction. Afghanistan’s terrorist training camps would have to start charging tuition fees to keep applicant numbers down.
Nobody understands the war in Afghanistan more than our own armed forces. How often do you hear our boys in the Afghan trenches saying they are fighting for an unworthy cause? Almost every one of them knows and understands the reason they are there and what they are fighting for. I’ll bet they would love a bus full of the UK loony left to accompany them on their next outing across Helmand Province. I’ll help pack their bags.
Friday, 11 September 2009
Organ Donation, Should We Opt in or Out?
Should we have to opt out of being an organ donor? Almost 10 million people are now registered as donors, but what about the millions of others? why do people not register? Some will be for religious reasons, others because they mean to get round to it but never do, or maybe because of fear, fear of the unknown, or superstition that if you register than something bad will happen to you, this is the same reason many people dont make a will. Its tempting fate isnt it?
Over 4000 people a year fail to get transplants because of the shortage of organs.
It is a terrible thought to lose a loved one, awful to even think about but what would you do if asked the question by the Doctor "can we have the organs" would you feel better knowing your loved one had a card? Or what if it was yourself? Would you want to leave the decision up to your nearest and dearest.
One donor can donate heart, lungs, two kidneys, pancreas, liver and small bowel, also you could help save two peoples eye sight.
You can also turn the tables and ask how it must feel knowing your loved one needs a transplant and will die without.
So if not enough people opt in then why not have an opt out system? you carry a card to say no i dont want to be a donor. Simple.
People tragically do die young, a perfect way to die would be after a long life, a good night out, the best sex ever and fast asleep in the arms of your lover, but lifes not like that.
Decide what you would do today, dont leave it too late, it is so easy to register, you can do it online right now.
Now shall i ask? Are you a blood donor?
Over 4000 people a year fail to get transplants because of the shortage of organs.
It is a terrible thought to lose a loved one, awful to even think about but what would you do if asked the question by the Doctor "can we have the organs" would you feel better knowing your loved one had a card? Or what if it was yourself? Would you want to leave the decision up to your nearest and dearest.
One donor can donate heart, lungs, two kidneys, pancreas, liver and small bowel, also you could help save two peoples eye sight.
You can also turn the tables and ask how it must feel knowing your loved one needs a transplant and will die without.
So if not enough people opt in then why not have an opt out system? you carry a card to say no i dont want to be a donor. Simple.
People tragically do die young, a perfect way to die would be after a long life, a good night out, the best sex ever and fast asleep in the arms of your lover, but lifes not like that.
Decide what you would do today, dont leave it too late, it is so easy to register, you can do it online right now.
Now shall i ask? Are you a blood donor?
Are Golliwogs Really Racist
After several recent stories in the press i wanted to have my say about this subject and Gollies in general. The original spelling was Golliwogg, the second G was later dropped, they are in the main known as Gollies, due it is thought because of the w o g connotations,
The first we know of Golly was when a lady called Bertha Upton and Daughter Florence illustrated 12 childrens books telling stories of Golly and his adventures, this is how the Golliwog doll came about, hand made by grandmothers from rags found around the home. The most desirable mass produced dolls were made in Germany by Steiff. As well as the books by the Uptons, Golly is also featured in several books by Enid Blyton, this helped Golly become a very popular character.
In the early 1900s John Robertson on a trip to North America first saw young children playing with rag dolls, this gave him the idea to use the Golliwog as the company trademark and mascot. The Golly was first shown on jam jar labels in 1910. The mascot became so popular that the enamel Golly broach was produced in 1928, the first being the Golly Golfer.
The scheme was halted during the war because all metal was needed but it resumed again in 1946.
How did the scheme work? Well on each jar of Robertsons Marmalade or Jam there was a token, you collected the tokens and when you had enough you sent them off the the jam factory in Droylsden, Manchester and in return you got a Golly pin badge. Since the start over 20 million badges were sent out. In 2002 Golly was retired from the jam jars and replaced with Roald Dahl badges which were no where near as popular.
So why was Golly "retired" it is said that Golly was no longer politically correct, London Council had told Robertsons they would no longer use their jams in schools unless Golly was removed, this was just the start, Robertsons themselves say children no longer had the same interest and so they felt change was needed.
In the years of the badges from Robertsons lots of different sets were released, Golfers, Doctors, Policemen, Astronauts, Farmers, Sportsmen, Fruits, in fact you name it and a badge was made. Some were produced for charity, such as Cystic Fibrosis and Leukaemia. Others were made to celebrate special occasions such as the Olympics or the Moon Landings.
Lots of the badge sets were mass produced but quite a few were limited editions of 50 which makes them very rare and have been known to bring prices up to £5000 in auction. If you would like to know more about the badges please take a look at Liz Priggs Golly Corner Website.
As well as badges, toys and books we also have Silver Crane who made lots of tableware items such as Golly Toastracks, Teapots, Mugs, Plates, Dishes, Salt and Pepper Pots, Egg Cups and Butter and Cheese Dishes, these are no longer made and have also become very collectable.
Finally we have Carltonware Gollies, their first set was the Golly Bandstand which featured a collection of Gollies playing instruments, these stand approx 4 inches tall, they then produced other sets of the same size depicting similar figures to the badges, all are limited editions and very collectable. The latest from Carltonware are the 9 inch figures, the rarest of these being the Golly Guitarist.
Yes i am a Golly nut, i have over 400 badges, my favourites being my pre-war fruits because they were my nans, so bring back fond memories, i also have some Silver Crane pieces and the whole collection of Carltonware.
So get your granny to search her drawers, she could be worth a fortune.
Is the Golliwog racist or just a friendly little chap?
Thursday, 10 September 2009
The Best Decade Was The 1970s
Why do i think the 1970s was the best decade, well simple really, they were the best years of my life, yes parts of it were tough, it was the decade of the strikes after all, but when we think back we mostly remember the good times, the bad fade away. These were the days before credit, if you wanted, well usually needed something new, you worked until the money was saved to pay in cash. The world really was a better place back there in my memory.
They were innocent times, growing up was fun, we had real summers that lasted all through the school holidays, spending hours looking for tadpoles so i could grow my very own frog, searching trees for caterpillers, swimming at the outdoor baths, shooting everything with my spud gun, making our own go-carts, we were street kids and loved every moment of the adventure we lived. The rag and bone man, the coal man and searching everywhere for Corona bottles so we could claim the deposits. Scrumping and playing nick knock.
Simple things would mean so much.
Fashion
Flared trousers, kipper ties, hot pants ( mine were pink ) and made out of crimplene, american tan tights, bellbottom trousers, cheesecloth shirts, halter neck tops, patches, these were pieces of material we would sew all over our clothes and thought we looked wonderful, punk clothing also came in around this time and was lots of leather, tartan, shains and safety pins. tank tops, and thanks to the Bay City Rollers we all had to wear some tartan, trousers, jackets, socks and scaves. Wide collared shirts, like Harry Hill still wears. How did i almost forget the footwear, has to be the ankle breaking platform shoes.
Cars
Without doubt only one comes to mind. The Ford Capri, sexy and sleek. You had really made it if your family had one.
Music
Top of the Pops was huge in those days, it was the nearest most of us got to our idols, the music has never been so good, The Osmonds, David Essex, Queen, Blondie, Wizzard, T Rex, i cried when he died. Bay City Rollers, David Cassidy, The Jackson Five, Slade especially at Christmas, the list is endless. Rushing home on Sunday nights to tape the Top Twenty off the radio. Once a week going to the local disco dressed in our tartan and doing The Bump.
Food Drink Sweets
70s sweets were fantastic, not as much choice as today but better, Milk Tray Bar, Toffee Buttons, Spangles, Salt and Shake Crisps, Burtons Puffs, Nuttals Mintoes, Mighty Imps, Tiger Tots, Teddy Tots, Pacers, Strawberry Aero, Super Mousse, Toffee Cup.
Party drinks for the ladies would be Babycham or Blue Nun and Party Seven for the men, party food had to be prawn cocktail, pineapple on sticks, sausages on sticks, sherry trifle, tinned fruit cocktail with carnation milk, sausage rolls.
TV Programs
Not so many channels and no video or many other gadgets, but TV was great, Magpie or Blue Peter ( never both) The Waltons, The Beverley Hillbillies, Little House on the Prairie, Starsky and Hutch, Kojak, he started a lollipop craze, Columbo, On the Buses, Alf Garnett, Love Thy Neighbour. Play School, Magic Roundabout, Swapshop, Tizwas, Its a Knockout, im sure you can think of many more.
Toys and Games
Clackers, these were banned because they were breaking childrens wrists, but still great fun. Tiny Tears Dolls, Action Man, Shaker Maker, Painting by Numbers, Chopper Bikes ( mine was blue ) Airfix Kits, Meccano, Etch a Sketch, Evil Knievel, Gollywogs, Compendium of Games, Enid Blyton Books.
So we had The Queens Jubilee, Marc Bolan died, a sugar ration, power cuts, school dinners cost 10p, i had my first........ kiss and i made some of the best friends in my whole life.
Tuesday, 8 September 2009
Obesity in the UK
It is staggering to know that 1 in 4 adults in the UK are obese, if this carries on by 2050 9 out of 10 adults will be obese, at the moment this costs the NHS 4.2 billion per year. This not only means early deaths but ongoing healthcare for health issues associated with weight problems, health issues such as diabetes, coronary artery disease, strokes and an increased risk of some cancers.
People are overweight because they eat too much and fail to then burn it off, 500 extra calories per day = 1 pound weight gain per week, thats almost 4 stone in one year.
But even more worrying is what is happening to our children, babies are not born obese, but it very quickly happens, they are being fed this food by parents, parents who have no time, parents who think convenience food is cheaper or easier, but is it really, we are killing our own children because we are too selfish and or lazy to do anything about it.
Years ago when times were different, we had at least one good meal a day, money in most homes was tight so treats were few and far between, if you didnt eat your meal you went hungry, this didnt happen often because meals were tasty and nutricious, convenience food was rare. Going for a chippy was a treat, but the biggest difference apart from the kind of food we eat is our lifestyles.
In the past we all got more exercise, adults and children, a lot more people worked manual jobs, even around the home, washing and cleaning was far more physical without all the mod cons we now have, children felt safe to walk to school and back, they also played out for hours on end, using up so much energy, now they are overweight console playing cabbages. They hate healthy food because they are a shock to their tastebuds.
Parents pamper them in this because it gives them an easy life.
We are feeding our children to death.
People are overweight because they eat too much and fail to then burn it off, 500 extra calories per day = 1 pound weight gain per week, thats almost 4 stone in one year.
But even more worrying is what is happening to our children, babies are not born obese, but it very quickly happens, they are being fed this food by parents, parents who have no time, parents who think convenience food is cheaper or easier, but is it really, we are killing our own children because we are too selfish and or lazy to do anything about it.
Years ago when times were different, we had at least one good meal a day, money in most homes was tight so treats were few and far between, if you didnt eat your meal you went hungry, this didnt happen often because meals were tasty and nutricious, convenience food was rare. Going for a chippy was a treat, but the biggest difference apart from the kind of food we eat is our lifestyles.
In the past we all got more exercise, adults and children, a lot more people worked manual jobs, even around the home, washing and cleaning was far more physical without all the mod cons we now have, children felt safe to walk to school and back, they also played out for hours on end, using up so much energy, now they are overweight console playing cabbages. They hate healthy food because they are a shock to their tastebuds.
Parents pamper them in this because it gives them an easy life.
We are feeding our children to death.
England Has Too Many People
When will we ever close the doors? The population of the UK is now 61.4 million people (as of mid-2008) and is currently increasing at the rate of 500,000 per year. Perhaps you knew this already but did you know that out of those 61.4 million bodies, 51.5 million of them live in England? The remaining 9.9 million humans reside in Scotland (5.2m), Wales (3m) and Northern Ireland (1.7m). Couple this data with the fact that most people are concentrated in the lower half of England and you can see what I’m getting at…England is going to explode!
Population increase can be caused by a number of things: increased longevity, higher birth rates and immigration. But that’s not my point. It doesn’t matter what the cause is, we’ve got to stop it sooner or later. This small plot of land can only handle so many people. Our roads are choked solid every day and trying to walk the streets in a busy city is harder than an SAS assault course.
When is the last time you were alone? I mean REALLY alone, with nobody else in sight. No cars, no people walking dogs, no voices, no sounds of civilisation. Under your duvet at night doesn’t count. I’m talking about open spaces. Exactly, they don’t exist anymore. The last time I experienced that situation was in the western isles of Scotland in the middle of a 16 mile walk through forest. That’s a few hours out of my entire life that I have truly been alone. Of course you might not like the thought of being alone. But it’s nice to have the option.
I recently visited Iceland. The country has roughly the same land area as the UK but its population is 300,000. That’s right, 300,000 people. And most of those are living around the capital city of Reykjavik. They’ve got everything they need… beautiful scenery, clean air, empty roads, unpolluted water and virtually no crime. Last year I was in Norway. They have a population of 4 million in a large land area and it’s the same story as Iceland (clean air, empty roads, low crime etc).
All this government can see are the supposed economic benefits of a large population. Yes, we need more workers to pay taxes to contribute towards our pension shortfall but those workers will also get old one day and we’ll have to invite yet more people into this place to cater for them and so on.
You’ve got to call a halt sometime so I say do it now. Shut the doors, encourage responsible family sizes and improve quality of life.
And before you tell me to stop complaining and b*gger off to Iceland, I may do just that when my circumstances allow.
Population increase can be caused by a number of things: increased longevity, higher birth rates and immigration. But that’s not my point. It doesn’t matter what the cause is, we’ve got to stop it sooner or later. This small plot of land can only handle so many people. Our roads are choked solid every day and trying to walk the streets in a busy city is harder than an SAS assault course.
When is the last time you were alone? I mean REALLY alone, with nobody else in sight. No cars, no people walking dogs, no voices, no sounds of civilisation. Under your duvet at night doesn’t count. I’m talking about open spaces. Exactly, they don’t exist anymore. The last time I experienced that situation was in the western isles of Scotland in the middle of a 16 mile walk through forest. That’s a few hours out of my entire life that I have truly been alone. Of course you might not like the thought of being alone. But it’s nice to have the option.
I recently visited Iceland. The country has roughly the same land area as the UK but its population is 300,000. That’s right, 300,000 people. And most of those are living around the capital city of Reykjavik. They’ve got everything they need… beautiful scenery, clean air, empty roads, unpolluted water and virtually no crime. Last year I was in Norway. They have a population of 4 million in a large land area and it’s the same story as Iceland (clean air, empty roads, low crime etc).
All this government can see are the supposed economic benefits of a large population. Yes, we need more workers to pay taxes to contribute towards our pension shortfall but those workers will also get old one day and we’ll have to invite yet more people into this place to cater for them and so on.
You’ve got to call a halt sometime so I say do it now. Shut the doors, encourage responsible family sizes and improve quality of life.
And before you tell me to stop complaining and b*gger off to Iceland, I may do just that when my circumstances allow.
Monday, 7 September 2009
Why I don't like Supermarkets.
I really dislike supermarkets. I recognise they are a fact of modern economic life. They now account for 85p of every £ that we spend on food. the figure goes up every year.
Supermarkets have huge power over the food we eat at every step between the farm and the factory to our tables. Tesco is now dominating food retail in Eastern Europe and is making its way into India, China and the U.S.
I know you will say that there is a lot to like about supermarkets such as convenience - you can whizz round with your trolley, you can compare prices, you can shop at all hours including Sundays. You can buy products out of season from all over the world.
The giant leap in supermarket popularity came in the 1980s. They drained the little shops of business. Gone are most of the butcher's shops and the small bakeries. My father-in-law used to have a butcher's shop. His customers came several times a week and if they had to wait he would include them in the conversation he was having with his current customer so that everyone got to know everyone else and this help build a community in its own small way. He knew just what sort of meat they would like and how much they could afford to pay.
An uncle had a small bakery. He, too, knew his customers individually and delivered bread and cakes out to them. All that is gone now, even the milkman is struggling to make a living because of supermarket competition.
For suppliers, 2/3 have been asked to enter into an exclusive supply arrangement where they are not allowed to supply any one else. So that all their eggs are in one basket. Most suppliers feel they have little or no control over the price they are paid. Most suppliers have seen their profits go down because of competition from overseas suppliers. They are also often asked to contribute to the supermarkets marketing costs and feel they have to agree. Sometimes they have to pay to keep the product on the shelf or offer rebates for unsold stock. Sometimes they are told the price the supermarket would pay was to be reduced but were not told this until the goods were about to be delivered.
What about food waste? The Soil Association estimate that supermarkets reject 40% of fruit and vegetables just on cosmetic grounds. What a waste! Apples, for instance, are scanned by a computer and checked for natural blemishes before they can go on sale. produced is bagged and barcoded before being put on sale because it is easier to track them then. For all this, though, you will often see tired-looking vegetables and fruit in supermarkets. Incidently, don't believe the offers you see about discounts on fruit and vegetables in supermarkets. Because they are perishable, they are exempt from the 28 day legislation that other products have to abide by and it often means that the price was inflated the previous day so that it could be lowered and shown as an "offer".
Much of the fish in supermarkets is a bit tired. Supermarkets introduced fresh fish counters as (in the words of Sir Ken Morrison" a) a little bit of theatre. This led to fishmongers shops closing all over the country. Let's look at meat. Supermarkets think that the public want bright red meat. Any real butcher will tell you that hanging and ageing meat will enhance the flavour and is crucial to the taste but in supermarkets this is kept to a minimum. Many supermarkets import meat from South America!
So-called supermarket in-store bakeries are simply reheating dough. The bread is stuffed with preservatives.
The supermarkets' use of road transport is huge and you just have to look at any motorway to see how many supermarket trucks and lorries are on the roads.
I haven't even mentioned the "best before" date con or the "use by" sell by " fiasco and the devastating effect on the farming industry.
Staying in the Lake District we came upon Booths which is a supermarket chain based in Preston. It doesn't attempt to copy the big supermarkets and doesn't compete on price but it uses local suppliers for everything from local beers to dairy products, vegetables and bread.
If only all supermarkets were like this we wouldn't really need to worry quite as much.
Supermarkets have huge power over the food we eat at every step between the farm and the factory to our tables. Tesco is now dominating food retail in Eastern Europe and is making its way into India, China and the U.S.
I know you will say that there is a lot to like about supermarkets such as convenience - you can whizz round with your trolley, you can compare prices, you can shop at all hours including Sundays. You can buy products out of season from all over the world.
The giant leap in supermarket popularity came in the 1980s. They drained the little shops of business. Gone are most of the butcher's shops and the small bakeries. My father-in-law used to have a butcher's shop. His customers came several times a week and if they had to wait he would include them in the conversation he was having with his current customer so that everyone got to know everyone else and this help build a community in its own small way. He knew just what sort of meat they would like and how much they could afford to pay.
An uncle had a small bakery. He, too, knew his customers individually and delivered bread and cakes out to them. All that is gone now, even the milkman is struggling to make a living because of supermarket competition.
For suppliers, 2/3 have been asked to enter into an exclusive supply arrangement where they are not allowed to supply any one else. So that all their eggs are in one basket. Most suppliers feel they have little or no control over the price they are paid. Most suppliers have seen their profits go down because of competition from overseas suppliers. They are also often asked to contribute to the supermarkets marketing costs and feel they have to agree. Sometimes they have to pay to keep the product on the shelf or offer rebates for unsold stock. Sometimes they are told the price the supermarket would pay was to be reduced but were not told this until the goods were about to be delivered.
What about food waste? The Soil Association estimate that supermarkets reject 40% of fruit and vegetables just on cosmetic grounds. What a waste! Apples, for instance, are scanned by a computer and checked for natural blemishes before they can go on sale. produced is bagged and barcoded before being put on sale because it is easier to track them then. For all this, though, you will often see tired-looking vegetables and fruit in supermarkets. Incidently, don't believe the offers you see about discounts on fruit and vegetables in supermarkets. Because they are perishable, they are exempt from the 28 day legislation that other products have to abide by and it often means that the price was inflated the previous day so that it could be lowered and shown as an "offer".
Much of the fish in supermarkets is a bit tired. Supermarkets introduced fresh fish counters as (in the words of Sir Ken Morrison" a) a little bit of theatre. This led to fishmongers shops closing all over the country. Let's look at meat. Supermarkets think that the public want bright red meat. Any real butcher will tell you that hanging and ageing meat will enhance the flavour and is crucial to the taste but in supermarkets this is kept to a minimum. Many supermarkets import meat from South America!
So-called supermarket in-store bakeries are simply reheating dough. The bread is stuffed with preservatives.
The supermarkets' use of road transport is huge and you just have to look at any motorway to see how many supermarket trucks and lorries are on the roads.
I haven't even mentioned the "best before" date con or the "use by" sell by " fiasco and the devastating effect on the farming industry.
Staying in the Lake District we came upon Booths which is a supermarket chain based in Preston. It doesn't attempt to copy the big supermarkets and doesn't compete on price but it uses local suppliers for everything from local beers to dairy products, vegetables and bread.
If only all supermarkets were like this we wouldn't really need to worry quite as much.
Sunday, 6 September 2009
Steroids - Miracle or Menace
When steroids are mentioned many people with think of the bodybuilding Anabolic type, these are different to the Corticosteroids ( Prednisalone ) i am talking about here.
Prednisalone is mainly prescribed to treat severe Asthma, but it is used to treat many diseases, it was anounced on the news many years ago that a miracle cure had been found for Asthma, IT IS NO CURE, but is it a miracle? or a menace?
What is Asthma? and how do Steroids help? Asthma is a reaction by the body to irritants, infections or stress, parts of the Asthmatics airways and lungs become inflamed causing them to swell making it hard to breathe. Scientists found out that "normal people" produce something called Cortisol, this protects humans from inflamation, people with Asthma dont have enough so have no protection. Place a cushion over your face and breathe through it, this is how Asthma feels. Steroids help because they artificially replace the missing Cortisol and so help the patient recover.
So you may ask "whats the problem?" the problem are the side effects, the main one you may know about is the weight gain, in the past it has given people an excuse, "im on Steroids and that is why i have a weight problem", Steroids give the patient an increased appitite, not weight gain, it takes 3500 calories to put on 1 pound of weight, we eat these calories, so lots of patients had very serious weight problems because they were not monitored closely enough, these days doctors are far more aware and will help with dietry advice for healthy eating while on long term Steroids. Other side effects are, diabetes, increased hair growth, a feeling of euphria in some people and mood swings in others, thinning of the skin, easier to bruise, upset tummy, cataracts, fluid retention, facial mooning, thinning of the bones and many more, one which can be life threatening is that patients have an increased chance of infections.
These are 3 cases i personally know about and the effect of steroid treatment,
Case 1, A child was given a 7 day course of steriods, the child died because she caught chicken pox, but because she was on Steroids the effects didnt show ( no spots) her immune system had been dampened down by the Steriods and she was unable to fight the chicken pox.
Case 2, An elderly lady with breathing problems and chest infection was given a 7 day course of steroids, the lady is bi-polar, by the end of the week the Steroids had induced a manic bi-polar episode from which she has never recovered.
Case 3, A woman in her 20s was given a course of Steroids to help with severe asthma, this course went un-monitored for over 10 years, side effects caused, vast weight gain, bouts of diabetes, mood swings, leg ulcers, skin thinning.
So when we ask Steroids, miracle or menace, without doubt i say MIRACLE, why? because you also have to ask about the thousands of people who have taken steroids, how would they be without them? how many people would have died during an asthma attack. Also the countless other diseases, would those patients have recovered without them.
There are 3 ways steroids may be given for Asthma
Inhaler - carry no side effects,
Oral - side effects as stated above
Injection - if given too fast can burst blood vessels in the brain, this feels like pins and needles in your head.
Prednisalone is mainly prescribed to treat severe Asthma, but it is used to treat many diseases, it was anounced on the news many years ago that a miracle cure had been found for Asthma, IT IS NO CURE, but is it a miracle? or a menace?
What is Asthma? and how do Steroids help? Asthma is a reaction by the body to irritants, infections or stress, parts of the Asthmatics airways and lungs become inflamed causing them to swell making it hard to breathe. Scientists found out that "normal people" produce something called Cortisol, this protects humans from inflamation, people with Asthma dont have enough so have no protection. Place a cushion over your face and breathe through it, this is how Asthma feels. Steroids help because they artificially replace the missing Cortisol and so help the patient recover.
So you may ask "whats the problem?" the problem are the side effects, the main one you may know about is the weight gain, in the past it has given people an excuse, "im on Steroids and that is why i have a weight problem", Steroids give the patient an increased appitite, not weight gain, it takes 3500 calories to put on 1 pound of weight, we eat these calories, so lots of patients had very serious weight problems because they were not monitored closely enough, these days doctors are far more aware and will help with dietry advice for healthy eating while on long term Steroids. Other side effects are, diabetes, increased hair growth, a feeling of euphria in some people and mood swings in others, thinning of the skin, easier to bruise, upset tummy, cataracts, fluid retention, facial mooning, thinning of the bones and many more, one which can be life threatening is that patients have an increased chance of infections.
These are 3 cases i personally know about and the effect of steroid treatment,
Case 1, A child was given a 7 day course of steriods, the child died because she caught chicken pox, but because she was on Steroids the effects didnt show ( no spots) her immune system had been dampened down by the Steriods and she was unable to fight the chicken pox.
Case 2, An elderly lady with breathing problems and chest infection was given a 7 day course of steroids, the lady is bi-polar, by the end of the week the Steroids had induced a manic bi-polar episode from which she has never recovered.
Case 3, A woman in her 20s was given a course of Steroids to help with severe asthma, this course went un-monitored for over 10 years, side effects caused, vast weight gain, bouts of diabetes, mood swings, leg ulcers, skin thinning.
So when we ask Steroids, miracle or menace, without doubt i say MIRACLE, why? because you also have to ask about the thousands of people who have taken steroids, how would they be without them? how many people would have died during an asthma attack. Also the countless other diseases, would those patients have recovered without them.
There are 3 ways steroids may be given for Asthma
Inhaler - carry no side effects,
Oral - side effects as stated above
Injection - if given too fast can burst blood vessels in the brain, this feels like pins and needles in your head.
Friday, 4 September 2009
Battery farming and cheap chicken for all
I am getting a little bit fed up of people who say we should do away with battery farming. Take Hugh Fearnley-Whittingstall for example and his Chicken Out campaign . He is trying to persuade everyone to eat free range chicken. This is all fine and good but it is not practical. Our appetite for chicken is insatiable. Half the meat we eat in the U.K. is chicken. Chicken actually outnumber us in the western world by three chickens to every person !!!!
Okay, so battery hens have short lives (often only about 42 days) and their conditions are a bit miserable but they have a good conversion rate i.e the proportion of feed they eat to the meat they produce. This means that chicken is cheap to buy and in plentiful supply.
It means that families can eat healthily even on the lowest budget. It means that we don't need to feed our children on cholesterol filled meat, burgers and junk food because we can provide a healthy diet for them. When we are talking about the welfare of people and the welfare of chickens there is really no contest!
The idea that we should all eat free range chicken is a nonsense. It would take an area the size of the Lake District to be devoted to chicken farming and nothing else! Free-range chicken campaigners should face facts - it just wouldn't work! ( Unless everyone cares to rear chickens in their back gardens!)We need battery farming to feed the nation. No one would want to go back to the old days when the only time you could afford a chicken was at Christmas, if you were lucky.
The same applies to eggs. We need to produce eggs by battery hens if everyone is to be able to afford them and if they are to continue in plentiful supply. Nutitionally, battery-raised eggs aren't much different to free range or organically produced eggs.
So I would say to the "fluffy bunny" brigade who love to be so sentimental about animals that low cost meat is necessary. We farmers have to face facts. We can't afford to be sentimental about the animals we rear or you would all starve!! Farming is a business like any other. The days of having a few hens scratching round a farmyard are long gone.
Face facts, we are running out of fish so we need fish farming, we haven't enough room for free range hens so we need battery farming. Fish, hens and eggs are good, healthy staple food.
Some of the celebrity chefs, such as Jamie Oliver try their best to tell us that organic free range chicken actually tastes better.
Well, here is a recipe we have at home a lot. Try it with a battery chicken - one of Tesco's special offer cheapest - and try it with a really expensive free range organic chicken and you won't be able to tell the difference.
Okay, so battery hens have short lives (often only about 42 days) and their conditions are a bit miserable but they have a good conversion rate i.e the proportion of feed they eat to the meat they produce. This means that chicken is cheap to buy and in plentiful supply.
It means that families can eat healthily even on the lowest budget. It means that we don't need to feed our children on cholesterol filled meat, burgers and junk food because we can provide a healthy diet for them. When we are talking about the welfare of people and the welfare of chickens there is really no contest!
The idea that we should all eat free range chicken is a nonsense. It would take an area the size of the Lake District to be devoted to chicken farming and nothing else! Free-range chicken campaigners should face facts - it just wouldn't work! ( Unless everyone cares to rear chickens in their back gardens!)We need battery farming to feed the nation. No one would want to go back to the old days when the only time you could afford a chicken was at Christmas, if you were lucky.
The same applies to eggs. We need to produce eggs by battery hens if everyone is to be able to afford them and if they are to continue in plentiful supply. Nutitionally, battery-raised eggs aren't much different to free range or organically produced eggs.
So I would say to the "fluffy bunny" brigade who love to be so sentimental about animals that low cost meat is necessary. We farmers have to face facts. We can't afford to be sentimental about the animals we rear or you would all starve!! Farming is a business like any other. The days of having a few hens scratching round a farmyard are long gone.
Face facts, we are running out of fish so we need fish farming, we haven't enough room for free range hens so we need battery farming. Fish, hens and eggs are good, healthy staple food.
Some of the celebrity chefs, such as Jamie Oliver try their best to tell us that organic free range chicken actually tastes better.
Well, here is a recipe we have at home a lot. Try it with a battery chicken - one of Tesco's special offer cheapest - and try it with a really expensive free range organic chicken and you won't be able to tell the difference.
Curried Chicken and Rice
30grams( 1 oz )butter, 4 chicken breasts boned and cut into strips, pinch of salt, ground black pepper, 2 chopped onions, 2 crushed cloves of garlic , 85g (3oz) mild curry paste, 225g (8oz) long grain rice, 3/4 pint chicken stock, 400g can of chopped tomatoes, 340g (12oz) cauliflower florets, 60g (2oz) raisins, 115g (4 oz) frozen peas, 1/4 pint( 150ml )natural yogurt
First you melt the butter in a large flameproof casserole and cook the chicken in it over a moderate heat for about 5 minutes and move them to a plate and season them.
Next , fry the onions and garlic in the casserole until softened. Add the curry paste, rice, stock, tomatoes, cauliflower and raisins and slowly heat until it boils. Then reduce the heat. Cover the casserole and simmer for 15 minutes. You will need to stir it now and again.
Put the chicken back in the casserole, stir in the peas and put the lid on. Bring back to the boil, reduce the heat and simmer for 10 minutes or until the rice is cooked and the liquid has been absorbed. remove from the heat, stir in the yogurt and serve.
You can find more chicken recipes a forum called The Catering Forum . This is a forum for anyone interested in food and cooking and they share all kinds of hints and recipes.
If you are trying to save money on the housekeeping or have very little in the store cupboard try a website called "Not Beans Again" where you just key in your ingredients and they produce a recipe for you.
So, have I changed your mind? What do YOU think?
If you are trying to save money on the housekeeping or have very little in the store cupboard try a website called "Not Beans Again" where you just key in your ingredients and they produce a recipe for you.
So, have I changed your mind? What do YOU think?
Tuesday, 1 September 2009
NHS recently debated in America
After listening to all the topics on the great NHS debate in America and the public battering the great Daniel Hannan took at the hands of the mass media I have resisted the urge to join this most stupid of discussions with anyone.
Daniel Hannan said that the NHS was a failed 60 year experiment. One of my best reads was 'The Welfare State We're In by James Bartholomew' avaliable on Amazon, every tax payer should buy it and have a greater understanding of how it is claimed within that the NHS is equal to a 'Train crash every day' in the number of avoidable fatalities.I love seeing books on sale which tell nothing but truth and have some of the most appalling reviews in Amazon - people should ensure that they prove either employment status or non - civil servant status before they are allowed to comment.
On the radio earlier a middle aged woman came on to defend the NHS due to her great experience with a hip operation. Her 5 minutes of radio fame came straight after a gentleman who was still very distressed that his wife has died through the lack of care within the hospital wards. Completely without any shame she just said that she was sorry for the gentleman's bad experience but it would have been a 'one off' and he should not run down a great british institution.
How can people just write off other people's life as is they are a mere inconvience to the point of view they are trying to push 'Look mate - sorry your wife is dead - but if she went in for a hip operation she would have got tea and biscuits'
I would much rather have an awful experience with a hip operation / ingrown toenail and live to moan about it.
I dont blame America for trying to stop the introduction of national health care. If America can have a paid / opt in scheme as they do and offer the good service that they do AND make money for their private shareholders then the NHS is doing something seriously wrong.
Would I care if there was a two tier system in this country that gave the best care to the people that paid into the system and basic emergency cover to those who give nothing but take everything ? No I would not. The NHS waiting lists are long, the appointments are rushed and the same care is given to all. I would rejoice in a system whereby I knew that people ahead of me on the waiting list where not people who hadnt done a day's work in their lives.
British workers should be able to opt out of the NHS and instead pay their national insurance into private healthcare.
Daniel Hannan said that the NHS was a failed 60 year experiment. One of my best reads was 'The Welfare State We're In by James Bartholomew' avaliable on Amazon, every tax payer should buy it and have a greater understanding of how it is claimed within that the NHS is equal to a 'Train crash every day' in the number of avoidable fatalities.I love seeing books on sale which tell nothing but truth and have some of the most appalling reviews in Amazon - people should ensure that they prove either employment status or non - civil servant status before they are allowed to comment.
On the radio earlier a middle aged woman came on to defend the NHS due to her great experience with a hip operation. Her 5 minutes of radio fame came straight after a gentleman who was still very distressed that his wife has died through the lack of care within the hospital wards. Completely without any shame she just said that she was sorry for the gentleman's bad experience but it would have been a 'one off' and he should not run down a great british institution.
How can people just write off other people's life as is they are a mere inconvience to the point of view they are trying to push 'Look mate - sorry your wife is dead - but if she went in for a hip operation she would have got tea and biscuits'
I would much rather have an awful experience with a hip operation / ingrown toenail and live to moan about it.
I dont blame America for trying to stop the introduction of national health care. If America can have a paid / opt in scheme as they do and offer the good service that they do AND make money for their private shareholders then the NHS is doing something seriously wrong.
Would I care if there was a two tier system in this country that gave the best care to the people that paid into the system and basic emergency cover to those who give nothing but take everything ? No I would not. The NHS waiting lists are long, the appointments are rushed and the same care is given to all. I would rejoice in a system whereby I knew that people ahead of me on the waiting list where not people who hadnt done a day's work in their lives.
British workers should be able to opt out of the NHS and instead pay their national insurance into private healthcare.
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