#zaithinksoutloud

Hello hello hello! This is what I’ve been reading today!

1) FT -  British MPs targeted by hackers in co-ordinated attack

Interestingly enough, it seems that Russia is apparently trying to discredit politicians in the Western world who they don’t like. Apparently this was seen in Britain before the General Election was announced with fewer than 10 MP’s and their political staff although no one in the cabinet was actually targeted so it does appear that although there could be a threat to meddling in the upcoming election, it doesn’t seem to be affecting us just yet.

The group identified in Russia was supposedly responsible for the discrediting of Hillary Clinton as well as Emmanuel Macron. Luckily for us it doesn’t always work its magic though!

2) BBC News - Brexit: Lib Dem manifesto pledges new EU referendum

This was an interesting one to read because I haven’t really looked into what the Liberal Democrats have decided to offer this time around having lost 50 seats in the 2015 general election after they backed up on many of their promises in their coalition with the Tories. One of these was the scrapping of tuition fees which clearly didn’t happen. 

This article shows that the main things they want to pledge are:

- free school meals - housing benefits for young people to help them up the housing ladder - 66% off of local transport for 16-21 year olds - Building 300,000 more houses a year (this will cost £3 billion by 2022).

The main thing they appear to want to do this time is to brighten the futures of the children of this country and although I don’t agree with Brexit, I don’t think people will buy the Lib Dem’s version of democracy, allowing it to be overturned, particularly the EU. 

3)  BBC Health - 'Fat but fit is a big fat myth' 

This is an interesting article that attempts to weigh up the risks of being obese but otherwise metabolically healthy and whether there is enough evidence for or against the claim that this is a state which can be maintained and is possible. The main point that I took away from the article is that simply being overweight, even if you’re well now can lead to you developing heart problems and blood pressure problems simply because of that fact. The other main point I took away is that often being overweight can suggest that your health could be improved generally by eating better and taking care of yourself.

I am wary of saying that because I know that’s a hard thing to do for various reasons but I am willing to bet that by ingraining good eating and well being habits into yourself as soon as you can is more likely to lead to you living a longer and healthier life generally. 

And to finish:

4) The Economist - Labour’s dangerous safe space

A short and brilliant article about how although it doesn’t seem as though the Tories are anywhere near as loud on social media as Labour, they are loud where it counts, quietly and targeting people who may have been either swing voters or perhaps less likely to vote overall. This worked for them in 2015 and could work for them again this year but there is not much to be done if Labour sticks to the online echo chamber that has been created. It needs to break out and breach new territories.

Ironically, on my first scour of the news websites I like, I found so many articles that I thought separate posts for separate countries would probably work better this time around xD Let’s go!

1) New Yorker - Why Emmanuel Macron’s Win is good for Theresa May

This article has a wonderful tone to it and mainly discusses Macron’s win and his character, what challenges he is likely to face in terms of the voters who are so far left or right and flat out refused to vote and how he is going to lower the unemployment rate for young people, which has just dipped under 24%. 

The main reason why this is a good thing for Theresa May is because Macron is likely to be more pragmatic about Brexit than anything else. Brexit isn’t the only fish he has to fry and it appears on the face of it that it should be a good relationship to work with to go through with Brexit. Let’s see what the world will come to!

2) BBC News - General election: Labour 'would axe NHS parking charges'

Before reading this, I had saved it because the general election overall will be something interesting to follow. The Conservatives seem set on breaking down the country in many ways, cutting here there and everywhere so the establishments in place no longer function but Labour are a big mess because Jeremy Corbyn is backed more by the people than his own party. 

After reading it, everyone argues that the others’ promises aren’t achievable. I have seen with my own eyes just how much money goes into parking itself and the pay of nurses has been capped for 7 years. That’s a long time! And with around £100 for staff to pay a month for it, as well as the sick and their anxious relatives, should Jeremy Corbyn not fight for it? He argues that the cost would be covered by taxing private health premiums. Could this work? I’ve got to say his opponents argue that he would not be able to manage the economy and they could be right but surely there must be a way to do the right thing?

3) FT -  Surge in applications for British passport from EU

Many people who will be hit hard by Brexit want to reserve their right to live and work in the UK, that is understandable. In the last year, it jumped more than a third. A rise of 28% from France and 60% from Germany between 2015-2016 figures. Interestingly enough many of these applications came from the parents of children who have one or more British parents but who were living away from Britain. The increase has also been seen in EU citizens living in the UK at the moment also applying for passports from within the UK. On top of that, applications for Irish passports were also up, as Ireland is part of the EU.

Last but not least:

4) FT - Conservatives defend plans to cap UK energy bills

Oh the fun part of this policy is the fact that Labour had held it in the 2015 and even 2013 by Ed Miliband and had been labelled by the Tories to be ‘quasi-Marxist’ for it. However, the Tories claim that their policy is different because it is a cap rather than a freeze which will be reviewed every 6 months. 

The energy companies themselves are also not backing this stance because they argue it won’t be good for the consumers themselves. Excess regulation can backfire. Smaller companies aside from the “Big 6!” however, see it as an opportunity for them to gain ground and not be outcompeted. They argue that it will force the companies to be “innovative and more efficient”.

Research that has been done that has led to the idea that this needs to take place has found that 5/6 of the Big 6 have increased their bills by at least 10% just this year alone. The proposal of the Tories could knock £100 off of the energy bills of the average family; a policy aiming to make the party more popular with lower income families. 

This policy however, isn’t popular with every member of the party and in response, many of the Big 6 have withdrawn their cheaper energy options from the market. Overall, it is said that this could cause unintended consequences because competition would reduce as consumers would be much less likely to try and look elsewhere for better deals. 

As you can quite clearly see, it’s been quite the while since I wrote anything here but I think that’s because uni took over.

My last exam is next Tuesday, 16th May and after that I’m hoping to be back, writing about news stories I’ve read and other thoughts I’ve had and things I want to share and I’m very excited!

1. New Yorker -  F. Scott Fitzgerald’s Imperfect Romance with The New Yorker

A quirky little article explaining the hits and misses between Fitzgerald during his time and the birth and growth of the New Yorker. It’s definitely amusing to see them both trying to figure out what sort of reputation each has. My favourite part was definitely where the New Yorker tries to figure out if Fitzgerald’s work was a product of the era of the 1920′s or chronicling it - the answer ‘obviously’ was both. Marvellous.

2. NYT -  A Lifeline for Troubled Veterans

This is quite the sad story but a hopeful one all the same because it talks about a huge number of veterans who served in Iraq and Afghanistan being given less than honourable discharges, often because of their mental health issues resulting from their service. This was especially unprecedented because having a less than honourable discharge meant that these ex-veterans also weren’t given access to healthcare and therefore many of them turn to drugs and pain relief to try and continue living. A large number of veterans end up as drug addicts and/or homeless. According to the Veterans Agency, 20 veterans a day committed suicide last year. The hopeful part of this story is that emergency mental health care is being opened up for these veterans who can prove that their misconduct was related to their poor mental health from this summer. Their aim is simply “to save lives” and although it’s late for some, perhaps it will catch others in time.

3. BBC Health - Use pram covers ‘to protect babies from air pollution’

An interesting fact that this article shares is the fact that air pollution was found to be the highest at bus stops and traffic lights and also higher in the morning compared to the afternoon. The WHO released a report that attributed the deaths of 570,000 children to illness related to pollution. The article also urges parents to take special care with their children because of the fact they’re developing and because of the fact they have lower body masses, are therefore more susceptible to the effects that pollution can have. It is said that keeping a barrier between the children and the air is currently the best way of keeping the children as safe as possible from the iron, aluminium and silica that they could inhale. 

1. NYT - Why we believe obvious untruths This was such an interesting article because it expresses knowledge about humans at large to explain why we can believe ‘untruths’. This is all to do with how we as individuals don’t know everything but how we rely on our collective knowledge from sources we deem to be reliable in order to make our decisions. This means that whether you’re led down the right path or the wrong one can depend on the sources that the collective you belong to trusts and therefore the information you believe in, even if you can’t source it yourself. Irrationality comes from a place of rationality. It’s important for all of us to recognise this so that we can choose which issues we want to understand better ourselves rather than being led down paths towards superficial understanding.

2. NYT - Welcome Refugees, Churches say in a public challenge to Trump This was a grand article because it not only portrayed the truths of what it can mean being a Christian and agreeing or opposing the executive order but it also showed the lengths those who disagree with it will go to and why. Because Jesus preached to help those in need and they aren’t dangerous. Many churches and synagogues have opened their doors to refugees fearing deportation as part of their movement to stand up against Trump. An alarming amount of Christians who were surveyed however, agreed with the order.

3. Vox - The “Day Without a Woman” Strike Explained

For International Women’s Day, 8th March, women in 30 countries across the world aren’t just going to raise awareness of women’s rights but are going to strike. The most interesting thing about this action is that we don’t know how the impact will be measured because of the fact that it’s not as open as a rally where you can count heads and so on. People will be taking action where they are and this is much more quiet. 

Women on that day are being encouraged to take days off from paid and unpaid work, not shop if at all possible and wear red in solidarity with the movement. The red, if anything, as well as the social media surrounding the strike will probably give the best indication of the impact of the strike. 

All of this said, the strike is also about showing what society looks like when women aren’t present. And that’s immense. The whole point of the feminist movement is to highlight the SOCIAL as well as economic rights that women have and that they should be treated well with. There are so many women who are in unfair and lousy situations which don’t take care of them and don’t allow them to take proper care of their of their families either, which is such a huge part of the role of women in society also. 

1. Economist - Emmanuel Macron is edging closer to French Presidency

This I found immensely interesting because of the kind of politician that Macron is. He appeals to those who are educated because that’s the kind of character he is himself and at the moment, he’s calling for change but not anything defined so to speak. There are a few things he’s going to have to do if he’s going to beat Marine le Pen but from what he’s written in the past, he could be quite the revolutionary! It’ll be interesting to see if he can defeat her for sure.

2. Economist - Why governments should introduce gender budgeting

This was such an interesting read because it talks about how governments who have taken into account ways to make sure that both halves (roughly) of their populations are taken care of have found that they are much more successful in being efficient. For example, in countries where women would have otherwise spent a lot of time walking backwards and forwards collecting water, running water has been instated which has helped keep more of them in education. This article is a fascinating read because of all of the examples you can see across the globe and how much sense it makes. 

3. NYT - Colon and Rectal Cancers Rising in Young People

This is quite the worrying article about the fact that because we don’t expect to see these cancers in the younger population, they’re not tested for and therefore when they are found, they’re at quite advanced stages. Luckily it seems that in most cases the patients tend to go onto a full recovery but regardless, living with cancer without even realising it.... 

The worst part of this story is the fact that researchers can’t figure out why it’s happening. The numbers of these cases is definitely on the rise but only in the younger population; it’s actually decreasing in the older generations! Here’s hoping they find an answer or at the least begin checking worrying signs when they first present themselves. 

4. BBC - Early warning signs of heart attacks ‘being missed’

This is quite worrying too because it means that weeks or so before the event happens, signs that indicate that a heart attack is imminent are being missed. This is generally because they can be mistakenly lumped with other causes. 

The main thing I read yesterday was this article:

Atlantic - A Case For Shyness

The funniest thing about this article was how it made me realise that being shy isn’t actually advantageous for most of us. We deviate from the norm of being the social creatures that humans are renowned for being. It’s odd because it shows perhaps a propensity for showing our insecurities, or so it may seem, which isn’t necessarily the way to go up in the world. It’s the kind of thing that would normally be hidden behind closed doors, seemingly being brought wide into the open. And yet why does it happen? Do we actually know why?

I loved this article because it approached the subject from shyness from so many angles which was hilarious and also, subjectively, downright truthful. 

1. BBC Health - ‘10,000 steps a day is a meaningless fitness goal’

An interesting point about how the amount of walking you do doesn’t necessarily equate to weight loss. It’s also a bit of an arbitrary number because it’s a figure pulled out from a study which found that a Japanese person who walked around 10,000 steps a day burned around 3,000 calories which is around what a person should consume. 

That I think is quite clearly not the case in our society today because if walking 10,000 steps meant you burned all your calories for the day, it would be quite dangerous! So perhaps health and fitness apps aren’t necessarily always best at giving you targets that will make a meaningful difference. 

2. New Yorker -  In a Hospital Room, with Trump Near and Far Away

This article is heart-breaking in a sense, because it shows that both the President and the immigrants whose lives he is dismantling without much thought are both ignorant to one another in different ways. Not all immigrants, let alone US citizens, have a good enough understanding of the political system to be able to understand what difference they should ask for, that will stop their lives from tumbling from view around them.

Much of the effects that politicians have on the lives of others they simplify. I remember reading an article about what perhaps would happen to David Cameron if he understood the true implications of his policies. It takes empathy and without that, well, who knows.

3. Vox -  Why South Koreans now live longer than Americans

There have been numerous studies to show the main reasons why other wealthy and developed countries are speeding past the US in this respect, namely the access to healthcare for all which is a clear sector where the US is faltering. Changes such as the repeal of Obamacare will take away healthcare from 20 million US citizens and contributes to more deaths than gun homicides, HIV and skin cancer. Not having healthcare for everyone means that some people get left behind and the average gets pulled down. 

Not only is their healthcare faltering but right now, they also have the lowest life expectancy at birth amongst all developed countries.To top it off, ‘The US also has some of the highest obesity, homicide, and infant and maternal mortality rates in the developed world.’ Some of the reasons why South Korea is so much better and has made so much progress is because they have taken the time to target ‘reductions in infant mortality and cardiovascular diseases (particularly stroke), as well as declines in stomach cancers.’