Mothers quitting work

http://www.thesun.co.uk/sol/homepage/news/politics/4271370/Hard-up-mothers-quitting-work.html

April 23rd, 2012 

Summary

Working moms are quitting their jobs at a record rate because of the crippling cost of childcare, new figures reveal.  More than 34000 working mums have turned housewife in the past three months, the fastest leap in over a year. Costs for daycare are up to £ 15.000 a year. Britain is now the most expensive place in the world for nursery fees. Many mothers say they have been left with no choice as the cost of daycare is now  reducing their income enormously.

Opinion

Although I know this is a fact, I have difficulties with an article like this for several reasons.

Firstly, I like to believe money is not the only reason to have a job; a job gives you independence and status in our society. Secondly, I believe income is a family issue and why, for that matter, should the mother be the one to resign her job? You could even argue the fact that the tax-payer should have to pay for childcare. There should be more creative solutions to reduce the costs of daycare without parents leaving the labor market.

Listen to patients

http://www.thesun.co.uk/sol/homepage/news/4274370/Widower-tells-docs-who-missed-wifes-cancer-Listen-to-patients.html

April, 23rd 2012

Summary

The pains began three years ago. At the hospital the doctors said it was nothing to worry about. At another hospital, where Carol asked for a scan, the doctors told her that she didn't qualify for one. Carol was fighting to be heard, but the doctors wouldn't listen. She thought she might have cancer. (She was a medical receptionist). Eventually she got a scan, after keeling over in agony. She was diagnosed with cancer and was given chemotherapy. In spite of the chemo, the cancer spread and she died of liver failure.

Opinion

This article from The Sun got a lot of reactions. Without exception, people are on the side of the patient and in their reactions they give lots of other examples in which doctors didn't listen. I don't believe, as some people say, that doctors send you away with some pills and a wrong diagnose, just to cut costs on scans or more research, or even worse; because doctors are indifferent. I think the problem is more complex; every situation of every patient is different, the doctors don't know all the facts to give the right diagnose, knowledge about diseases is not everywhere available in the same amount, hospitals do not work together; are sometimes even competitors. And there is no transparency in the agreements the insurance companies have with the hospitals and the doctors. With the patient as the loser in this battle.

The Combat on Obesity

http://www.independent.co.uk/life-style/health-and-families/health-news/campaign-launched-to-combat-rising-levels-of-obesity-7646338.html

Summary:
Surgeons, psychiatrists, peadiatricians and GP's launch a campaign to battle obesity. They will research which strategies work in preventing or reducing obesity. The inquiry will contain every aspect of trying to prevent obesity, including the actions obese can take themselves, the diets, the exercices, the parenting, the impact of advertising, labelling, education, pricing and financial measures. A quart of women and a fifth of men in the UK are now classes as obese, ginving Britain the highest rate of obesity in Europe. Reccomandations will be made after the research; at the end of this year, 2012.
Opinion:
Obesity is a modern problem. People who do have enough money to buy food, eat more and more. The human body is capable to store food, but the human body was not designed to store that large amounts of food over a long period of time. The capability was ment for periods in men's life wherein there was no food available. But food in our times and in our part of the world is always available. Here starts the problem. It is to easy to say that obesity is an individual problem and obese people have there own faith in their hands. Obesity is a national health threat and should be dealt with accordingly.

The Hunger Games

http://www.guardian.co.uk/film/filmblog/2012/mar/26/the-hunger-games-teenagers-thought?INTCMP=ILCNETTXT3487

Summary
The Hunger Games are set in a fanciful future but, according to the author of the book, Suzanne Collins, has announced that it explores "disturbing issues of modern warfare" such as who fights our wars, how they are orchestrated and how they are playing out. Critics say this parallel is not persuasive; it just creates entertainment out of cruelty. The theme of the film is not convincing; the film's hero is supposed to be a futuristic Joanne of Arc, but in fact she's just living the teenage dream of becoming special. There's no reflection in the actions. Everything just happens as it is like in movies. So there is no comparison to the real concerns of our days, let alone that the movie would expand the horizon of teenagers.
Opinion
After I read the novel (haven't seen the movie yet) last year, I thought: this is material for a movie.
And here it is. In the tradition of other teenage movies, based on novels like Twilight. The Hunger Games will surely be enjoyable, with lots of violence, which doesn't appeal to me, but I'm sure it will be for teenagers, who are more used to see this in videogames, television series and movies. It will be entertainment. But not as the writer said, "give disturbing issues of modern warfare". I believe that people, including teenagers, will see it as pure amusement. And there will surely be a sequal.