Giant pandas

Pandas in  Edinbrugh Zoo

http://www.guardian.co.uk/uk/2011/dec/04/giant-pandas-edinburgh-zoo-china

Sunday, Tian Tian and Yang Guang flew in with the Panda Express. These two giant pandas whose names mean sweetie and sunshine will have their new homes in Edinbrugh Zoo. The arrival of the pandas would help spread “joy and friendship and spread happiness and understanding between China and the United Kingdom. These pandas are expected to raise the amount of visitors to the zoo for up to 70%. This was really needed after a difficult time for Edinbrugh Zoo. The pandas will be kept in solitude to adjust to their new environment. Tian Tian and Yang Guang are one of the few pandas in UK’s history to settle in its country. One of the goals of bringing the pandas to the Zoo is to have them mate with each other in the hope that they successfully produce offspring. Both pandas are already parents and they also have productive ancestors. China owns 328 captive giant pandas, which are endangered and down to just 1300 left in the wild.

Apart from the benefits for the zoo, there are more reasons for the pandas to be flown in. The two pandas are also a symbol for the relationship between the UK and China as the article already claimed. Let’s hope that these two pandas will save the zoo from bankruptcy and provide the first babies in UK’s history. 

Gamblin problems

Kids should be taught gambling

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/education/educationnews/8932788/Pupils-should-learn-about-gambling-says-charity.html

Schoolchildren should be taught gambling. GamCare has called on the Department for Education to include lessons on betting responsibly and to know when the odds are against them. GamCare is a charity which receives three million pounds from the gambling sector. The organisation believed that 100,000 problem gamblers are under the age of 18. With the rise of online gambling, there is clearly a need for children and young people to be given good advice. One of GamCare’s aims is to ensure that gambling remains safe for everyone, this includes under aged people. MP Graham Stuart, who is chairman of the Commons Education Select Committee said, “I am generally nervous of trying to make schools the cure-all for society’s ills. Their primary aim is to equip children with the basic skills of a decent education. Others fear that the recommendation would come at a cost to children’s overall education.

This is a great way to make children aware of the risks of gambling. As the article stated, there are a lot of problem gamblers amongst kids. At one point kids aging between 12 and 15 years we’re percent wise twice as many than adults. This is a shocking difference and should be tackled as soon as possible. I see no other options than to teach these kids the risks of gambling in school. Although the supervision of parents over the computer habits of children must also be raised. Since the gambling addiction is mainly practices online, parents should check upon their children more often.

Age UK is accused of ending key research into ageing

http://www.guardian.co.uk/science/2011/nov/20/age-uk-scientific-research-funding

Age UK is accused of ending key research into ageing

Age UK stopped funding research in the biology of ageing, instead the country’s leading charity for older people funds studies that deliver short term effects. Faragher, a professor at the University of Brighton and an expert on premature ageing mentioned, “Without basic research, you have nothing to translate. If you focus on the short term, you never make the problem go away.” The aim of research on long term ageing related topics is to lengthen the time for people to remain fit and well.

My opinion is that it’s a bad thing to stop funding fundamental research into the biology of ageing. I think that money is better spent on long term topics than on topics which deliver short term effects. When people remain fit and healthy for a longer period of time means that they will be able to work longer as well. Age related diseases like cancer will also be delayed resulting into less costs to take care of people with diseases like cancer. Another important thing Faragher points out is that life expectancy rises while there are no major medical breakthroughs. On average, age-related diseases and disabilities hit when people reach their late sixties.

Universities to pay cash incentives to attract students

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/education/universityeducation/8901375/Universities-to-pay-cash-incentives-to-attract-students.html

Universities to pay cash incentives to attract students

Students with high grades are offered money to join a specific university. New government rules allow universities to take unlimited numbers of sixth formers gaining at least two As and a B at A-level. Universities use thousands of pounds to attract well performing students to their institutes. A downside for universities who can’t afford to offer such privileges for students is that they will miss out on a few well performing students. Other institutions might be forced to compete in prices with the other higher ranked universities.

From the student point of view this is a great system which motivates them to study harder. I wish that we had such a system here in the Netherlands. For me it felt like just passing the subjects is enough. Such money paid to well performing students would definitely motivate me to do more for school. On the other hand, I think that they money can be spent better. Universities are partly funded by the government. So it’s going to be tax payer’s money which will be given away to students. There are other ways to motivate students.

Drug smuggling ‘harder to detect’

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-15613803

There has been an increase in drug finding at British ports and airports. In the months from April to September more drugs has been found than in the preceding year. The estimated annual amount of drug findings this year will be one of the highest in nearly a decade. Officials say that it is due to intelligence, better teamwork between agencies and better screening techniques. There is also a warning for Christmas post. It is a great opportunity to smuggle drugs by parcel in the weeks before Christmas due to the increase in post.

The increase of drug findings is a great achievement. The more drug findings, the less money drug gangs will earn out of their business. To invest in drug finding at borders may be a way to solve drug problems, but I’m afraid that it’s just a “drop of water on a hot plate”. I don’t believe that this is the right solution in the war against drugs. They should focus more on finding out where these drugs are produced and shut the facility down or cut its resources. Another way is to find out who is behind the smuggling and arrest them.

Funeral Shooting

http://www.guardian.co.uk/uk/2011/nov/04/funeral-shooting-london-extra-police

Police are investigating a shooting at a funeral. The shooting took place at Thursday afternoon. One man was killed during the shooting and another injured. Several shots had been fired. The shooting happened after the funeral of Joel Morgan at Camberwell Old Cemetery. The man who died was named Azezur Khan. The shooting is possibly linked to gang rivalry, but the investigators have an open mind for the motive of the shooting. Four people were arrested after the shooting. They eventually have been released on bail. The police were aware of the funeral and took measures to manage anything that might happen at the burial.

It is quite shocking to hear that the arrested people are aged from 17 to 20 and two of them were girls, you wouldn’t expect it at all. The news article also mentions that the police will attempt to prevent any revenge actions over the coming days. It is pretty hard to prevent future conflicts like these though, as the police were aware that a fight could start at the funeral. It is quite strange that you don’t read anything about gang rivalry in the Dutch newspaper. Does this mean it rarely happens in The Netherlands or is it just left out of the papers?