Links - 26th July 2018 (2)

The costs of Ramadan need to be counted - "There is mounting evidence to show that fasting in the month of Ramadan has a negative effect on health which, in turn, can have an adverse impact on productivity and economic output. Naturally, the longer the period of fasting, the greater the effect – this is particularly so when Ramadan falls during the summer months in north European countries, as at present. The duration of the daily fast this year in Britain is about 19 hours. Research by the Dutch academic Reyn van Ewijk points to an array of long-term health problems resulting from Ramadan fasting. For those women who chose to fast during pregnancy, it may cause considerable negative health effects on the offspring, irrespective of the stage of pregnancy in which Ramadan took place. Exposure to fasting before birth is associated with a poorer general health. It also increases a person’s chances of developing symptoms that are indicative of serious health problems, such as coronary heart disease and type 2 diabetes and, among older people who were exposed during certain stages of gestation, may lead to anaemia. Occupational health researchers have highlighted various adverse health consequences from severe dehydration, including headaches, dizziness and nausea. In the Muslim world, one word encapsulates the economic reality of Ramadan: “slowdown” – meaning that less work is done and more slowly. An article in Arab News in July 2013 suggested that productivity declines by as much as 35% to 50% as a result of shorter working hours and the change in lifestyle during the month so that decisions and vital meetings are postponed until it is over. In an extensive survey, economists Felipe Campante and David Yanagizawa-Drott show that Ramadan fasting has a significant negative effect on output growth in Muslim countries. A survey by Dinar Standard, the growth strategy firm, estimates that in the Organisation of Islamic Conference countries the working day is reduced on average by two hours during Ramadan... Medical science has long made clear that regular intakes of food and drink are a sine qua non for good health and soundness of mind"

Long-term health effects on the next generation of Ramadan fasting during pregnancy - "Each year, many pregnant Muslim women fast during Ramadan. Using Indonesian cross-sectional data and building upon work of Almond and Mazumder (2011), I show that people who were prenatally exposed to Ramadan fasting have a poorer general health than others. As predicted by medical theory, this effect is especially pronounced among older people, who also more often report symptoms indicative of coronary heart problems and type 2 diabetes. Among exposed Muslims the share of males is lower, which is most likely caused by death before birth. I show that these effects are unlikely the result of common health shocks correlated to the occurrence of Ramadan, or of fasting mainly occurring among women who would have had unhealthier children anyway."

Evaluation of the impact of the month of Ramadan on traffic accidents - "The average number of traffic accidents was slightly higher in Ramadan than in non-Ramadan months. Also traffic accidents involving death and injury were slightly high and traffic accidents involving material damage was less. Total number of dead and injured persons was also found to be slightly high. Also, as expected, penalties due to drunk driving were found less in Ramadan."

The effect of the fast of Ramadan on accident and emergency attendances. - "[There is] a significant rise in the number of Muslims attending during Ramadan compared to non-Muslims"

Road traffic crashes in Ramadan: an observational study/Accidents de la circulation pendant le Ramadan : une étude d'observation - "The aim of this study was to investigate trends in road traffic crashes (RTCs managed by an emergency service, Rescue 1122, in 2011 in Punjab, Pakistan... Rescue 1122 faced more RTCs during Ramadan compared with the preceding months"

Effects on health of fluid restriction during fasting in Ramadan - "A reduction in drug compliance was an inherent negative aspect of the fast. Common findings of the studies reviewed were increased irritability and incidences of headaches with sleep deprivation and lassitude prevalent"

Daily practices, study performance and health during the Ramadan fast - "more people got involved in stress reducing (watching TV, listening to the radio and visiting) and spiritual activities (prayers and reading Koran) during this month. They drank less caffeine-containing beverages and smoked less. Food intake appeared to improve during Ramadan with higher proportions eating foods from all food groups. The amount of foods did not differ significantly except in the case of foods from the cereal, meat and vegetable groups. Even though less, cereal consumption was still in the adequate range. Change in weight was variable. Weight loss was significantly more among the sick. A large proportion of the latter improved during the month especially those with irritable bowel syndrome and constipation. Reduced activity, study desire and concentration ability were reported by more than 50% of subjects."

German City Bans Refugees From Settling There, Other Cities May Follow - "Germany's welcome for asylum-seekers is wearing out. That became clear in Germany's recent elections. Mainstream political parties lost voters over that issue, and Chancellor Angela Merkel has struggled to form a government. One German state has imposed a refugee ban. The newcomers are not supposed to move to a particular city there. Other states and cities may try the same thing... The mayor says the temporary ban will help his government do a better job of integrating existing refugees and keep residents from resenting the newcomers. But the resentment here is already high. Resident Nina Drewes says she supports the ban because she feels refugees don't want to integrate into German society... Even Syrian refugee Hassan Jandal, a day laborer who has been here for three years, says he supports the ban... his local kindergarten is full and that all of the students are foreigners. Jandal adds, his rent is going up because the newcomers are increasing the demand for housing. Another supporter of the ban is Dincer Dinc, whose migrant help center has seen a fivefold increase in clients. He's a German of Kurdish descent who is Salzgitter's integration facilitator. Dinc says fellow residents who used to feel OK about refugees are now angry... Schiessl says money, rather than bans, will ease the burden on German cities. He lauded Lower Saxony for paying Salzgitter and other affected municipalities more than $23 million to help integrate refugees. But he says a lot more funding is needed."
In Germany, money grows on trees

High-Paying Trade Jobs Sit Empty, While High School Grads Line Up For University - "While a shortage of workers is pushing wages higher in the skilled trades, the financial return from a bachelor's degree is softening, even as the price — and the average debt into which it plunges students — keeps going up. But high school graduates have been so effectively encouraged to get a bachelor's that high-paid jobs requiring shorter and less expensive training are going unfilled. This affects those students and also poses a real threat to the economy... three out of 10 high school grads who go to four-year public universities haven't earned degrees within six years, according to the National Student Clearinghouse. At four-year private colleges, that number is more than 1 in 5... Seventy-percent of construction companies nationwide are having trouble finding qualified workers... People with career and technical educations are also more likely to be employed than their counterparts with academic credentials, the U.S. Department of Education reports, and significantly more likely to be working in their fields of study."

Acid attacks ‘making parts of London NO-GO zones’ warns MP - "Stephen Timms made the warning in a Commons debate on the crime, which has soared in recent years. And Mr Timms said moped delivery drivers were being particularly targeted and now avoided parts of the capital. The Labour MP for East Ham said: “They say that there are now parts of London where their drivers are not willing to go, because of the danger of attacks. “I think that we would all regard it as unacceptable that there are no-go areas in parts of London and the UK"... “A number of changes were made to the law in 2015 as part of the Deregulation Act, the red-tape bonfire. “The Act scrapped the obligation on sellers of dangerous substances, including acids, to be registered with their local council. “This was despite opposing advice from the medical experts as well as the government’s own advisory board on dangerous substances. I fear that these changes are partly responsible for the rise in acid attacks.”... According to the National Police Chiefs Council, the UK now has one of the highest rates of acid attacks in the world and the number is on the increase."
If you make acid illegal, then only criminals will have acid
Even with an acid ban, if a criminal wants to get acid he will still get acid, so the ban is useless
The only thing that stops a bad guy with acid is a good guy with acid

If Modern Humans Are So Smart, Why Are Our Brains Shrinking?

WHITES NEED NOT APPLY – 'Racist' Hiring Policy at ITV's 'Peston on Sunday' Political Programme - "ITV has been accused of “racism” by furious social media users after advertising an internship for its flagship Peston on Sunday political programme which excludes certain candidates on the basis of race... Creative Access, the company tasked with placing the intern, was excluding candidates based on race, with the post “only open to UK nationals from a black, Asian or non-white ethnic minority” to work on the show in London – where ‘White British’ people are already a minority, according to the latest census."

Bathroom hand-dryers suck in poo-particles and aerosolize them all over you and everything else

ST Forum: HDB flat as an investment for old age is no longer valid - "When Goh Chok Tong became Prime Minister in 1990, he introduced the “Asset Enhancement” policy, which helps to enhance the prices of HDB flats. In fact, just before 2011 General Election, then National Development Minister Mah Bow Tan even said, "We're proud of the asset enhancement policy. (It) has given almost all Singaporeans a home of their own... that grows in value over time."... about 75% of our CPF is trapped in housing."

Daughter of prominent Islamic scholar faces backlash for posting photo without a hijab on Facebook - "Maysoon Al-Suwaidan is known for being a poet, a TV personality and the daughter of Tareq Al-Suwaidan, a prominent Muslim Brotherhood member in Kuwait who has written many books, delivered numerous public speeches and appeared in TV interviews on Islamic subjects ranging from discussing the Quran to stories of the Prophet Mohammed. Like many daughters of Islamic scholars, Al-Suwaidan always embraced the headscarf. She traveled the world with it, she obtained her masters degree from Georgetown University with it, and she conducted her poetry TV show while wearing it. But late last year she posted a photo of herself on her Facebook page without the hijab, commenting that “I left to India in search of God away from any religion or sect and discovered that the biggest hijab between God and I is the hijab of people.” The literal translation of hijab in Arabic is partition used in many references including the head covering of women."

China Puts 2008 Quake Victims' Families Under House Arrest Ahead of Anniversary - "Sichuan-based author Tan Zuoren, who has served time in prison for investigating corruption behind the widespread collapse of school buildings in the quake, said he has continued his research since his release from prison in April 2014... the authorities typically focus far more on "stability maintenance" than they do on the rights of victims."

Avengers: Infinity War – Hollywood has admitted defeat in its war with box-set TV - "Viewed in a vacuum, Infinity War is meaningless. As a standalone film, it’s a mess. Characters pop up for one scene and then vanish again completely. Nobody has any meaningful screen time. The antagonist swans about with an entirely unearned sense of motivation. And there’s no emotional weight to the ending. It’s just a lot of stuff happening to people we’ve barely met. We may as well be watching it happen to extras... There’s a reason why the Russo brothers were chosen to direct Infinity War, and that’s because they have enough television experience to satisfactorily keep all the balls in the air"

London Mayor Who Said Terrorism 'Part and Parcel of Living in a City' Will Now Raise Taxes... To Pay For Counter Terrorism Police - "Sadiq Khan, the Mayor of London, is set to hike council taxes for all residents of the city, claiming he is “left with no choice in order to help keep Londoners safe”... he insisted London was the “safest global city in the world”, despite the city being hit by four successful terror attacks in just a few month – three by radical Islamic militants and one by an anti-Muslim extremist. There has also been a record number of terror-related arrests in the UK this year and numerous foiled attacks, with MI5 boss Andrew Parker revealing in October that the Islamic extremist threat to the UK is at an unprecedented scale... “[The mayor] is starting to acknowledge that the population is increasing and this has an effect; yet, he still advocates open borders and continued mass immigration”"

BBC Radio 4 - In Our Time, Fungi - "They have chitin in their cell walls - that's a common feature and that's also found in animals, in invertebrates in their exoskeleton so actually fungi are more closely related to animals than they are to plants... like animals in that they have sort of foraging behavior. They search around for food... if you look at some of the patterns that they make they rather look like the termite trails that you see when termites go investigating for food sources...
Roman Catholics living in Northern Island, and they were extremely poor, eating between 2.5 and 6.5 kilos of potatoes a day and drinking water. If they were wealthy, they had a cow. So they had milk. So what happened then was that they divided the potatoes that they harvested and they went moldy as they stored them from year to year and they replanted their potatoes... what they did very effectively was to spread a monoculture...
About 100,000 million people are suffering from skin infections, and in fact, the mortality from skin infections when they go invasive, particularly if you are immuno-incompetent or your immune system is down means that each year about a million people die from fungal infections. And that means that fungal infections are a hidden peril posing more deaths than malaria. And in fact, more deaths than HIV and tuberculosis added together... fungi... are the most important agents of crop disease."

BBC World Service - The World This Week, The West unites against Russia - "A single Russian denial might be just about plausible. The problem is there have been serial denials, contradicting each other. And Russia in its desire to deny any involvement has in the sense spoilt its case. It's gone after the Czech Republic, Slovakia. It's accused Sweden of being actively involved. So it's made many enemies by putting forward its case. It started out saying there was never a Novichok nerve agent programme in Russia but then we've had Russian and Soviet experts who worked in the Soviety era who talked openly about their development of precisely this nerve agent within the Soviet Union...
[On Poland in the early 90s] Why do you want to join NATO... Why do you want to join the European Union?... we have two historic enemies, Germany and Russia. We fear Russia more...
'Is there a fear about the stability, long term stability of Spain?'
'I think we're already seeing fears about the stability of Spain played. You had two general elections, you've had two Catalan regional elections. Now the region of Valencia is asking for more rights. You've also got the Balaeric Islands saying, well, hang on, we're not sure that we're happy with the status quo here. Spain is in trouble'"
Only Western Imperialists lie. No one else does