Liquid nicotine: selling poison by the barrel

Regardless of health, only money. This is what the article on the effects and health problems with nicotine, in general terms, suggests. A dangerous new form of a powerful stimulant is hitting markets across the world, for sale by the vial, the litre, and even the barrel.

Apparently, several studies and various health problems have come to light due to the use of liquid nicotine, used in e-cigarettes used by people to stop smoking tobacco. Rather than eradicate the problem, it is creating many others, both in children and in adults due to its chemical components and its capacity of absorption into the skin.

Although the  e-cigarettes, e-liquids are not regulated by US federal authorities, they are mixed on factory floors and in the back rooms of shops, and sold legally in stores and online in small bottles that are kept around the house for regular refilling of e-cigarettes.

Toxicologists warn that e-liquids represent a significant risk to human health; children, who may be attracted to its bright colors and fragrant scents and approach with the intention to try it without knowing that that can cause its death. It has been an increase on calls to toxicological centers due to the increase of sales, because not all the security measures necessary were made and said to the consumer.

Despite this, is trying to control sales and the concentrations at which this substance is sold, creating rules and regulations for the sale of the same. As it is said on the article by one professor at the University of California, who specialises in nicotine research, without proper precautions, like wearing gloves while mixing e-liquids, these products "represents a serious workplace hazard, and not only that, but danger to the consumer population.

All in all, whatever we consume has to be clear about the precautions that we have to take, or in this case what amount of liquid nicotine should be given to the electronic cigarette. It should be very clear the safety standards and be carried out rigorously. Quite simple, this article wants us to warn of what we can find and give us details of what has happened with the wrong use of a serious and dangerous substance.

I have chosen this article because i think that it is a very current topic due to laws against tobacco and the concern of the people towards their health and quitting smoking. Besides that I interne medical topic, I had never read about the harmful effects that electric cigarettes could have when it is assumed that it should produce only good effects.

LIQUID NICOTINE ARTICLE - www.theage.com.au

Laura Prieto - 1 Bach B

DO WE REALISE THAT WE ARE LIVING IN THE 

21ST CENTURY?

Things that SHOULD NOT be happening right now, in the 21st century, are still going on and we need to stop this as soon as possible.

What do you think that could happen if a young lady walked passed you wearing this type of clothes? :

Do you think anyone would start shouting at her? Criticizing her? Well, a coherent answer to all of these questions is a NO. Nothing should happen, no one should bother if she is wearing one thing or another. But this is not happening all around the world, while some of us see this as a normal way of dressing, in other countries this is not well seen. 

The newspaper The Independent has published an article that shows the little freedom that individuals have in some countries of the world. A young lady was making her way through university (Cairo university) apparently dressed in an improper manner; the girl was wearing a pink top and tight black trousers. Everyone that was around her thought that this was a lack of respect so they (being really respectful) started whistling and shouting at her. But the story does not end up here, university guards are seen in the clip, which has gone viral on social media, escorting her off the premises after she hid in a toilet to escape the group, who were allegedly trying to remove her clothes.

Mariam Kirollos, a women's rights activist, said that ''this people should be interrogated and expelled" and that "investigations into the incident should start immediately". This matter has been taken further to try to end up with this differences.

Link: The Independent

Robyn Urback: When did education get so stupid?

Kamryn´s, an 11 years old girl from Grand Junction, Colo, decided to shave her head as an act of support for her best friend, who had to take chemotherapy because of cancer. This is a memorable decision which clearly shows her affect to her best friend by putting herself in the same situation. However, in spite of encouraging her friend to carry forward, the school has banned her, and unless she wears a wig or her hair grows back she can´t get back to classes.

The reason of this incredible reaction of school is the school´s dress code. Kamryn has violated it because the school has perceived her act as distracting, as it brakes the environment of uniformity and safety that it is supposed to have. Under this policy, shaved heads are not allowed, but is it only a simple shaved head?

The girl´s mothers don't perceive this act as the school does, and their reaction impressed them so much that they decided to take the issue to social media. Once taken the issue to higher levels, the school seemed to realize about their fault, and welcomed Kamryn back to class, even without hair.

The article opens debate about the importance of following rules. Obviously they are made not to be broken, it is important to set limits in order to keep things in line. But the point is if they must be followed with no exception or not.

This article shows how important are rules, but also how important is to value the subject before taking measures. There are more cases apart from this one in which punishments have been taken without considering the further aim of braking rules, the aim that shows that rules can have exceptions. Schools end up focusing so narrowly on their own rulebooks that they ignore the bigger picture. But where’s the education in that?

Link: http://fullcomment.nationalpost.com/2014/03/25/robyn-urback-when-did-education-get-so-stupid/

Working in Gibraltar, living in Spain

The article relates the experiences of an Irish citizen that has always had a special feeling for visiting Latin America (therefore he learns Spanish), although his professional experience in Venezuela does not flourish because of the worldwide crisis. He is forced to return to Europe, finding a job in Gibraltar. Among the different options that the main character has to select from, he chooses one which, in his opinion, offers the best of both worlds: working in Gibraltar and living in Spain.

As a result, he lives various conflicts between the Spanish and Gibraltar authorities, whose stressful moment came last summer when police checks were causing delays of several hours to enter and leave the Rock (as well as a fee of 50 euros was charged to anyone crossing the border). The main character says that these measures were justified by the Spanish authorities because of the increasing smuggling between Gibraltar and Spain, claiming that this is a problem that everyone knows and has always existed.

The author thinks that behind these measures there is the confrontation over the sovereignty of the Rock and the growing strength of the Gibraltar economy. Of course these, in my opinion, are the reasons behind the clashes over the rock (economic, political, etc.), to which I add that Gibraltar is one of the ‘favourite’ government topics in order to distract the public scrutiny (if the economy is bad, we speak about Gibraltar, if there is corruption, we talk about abortion…)

The article gives a different perspective of a traditional problem that stems from the British property of the Rock that every so revives causing a wave of diplomatic conflicts between the two countries. In my opinion, both countries, through honest negotiation, should solve this historical problem, but like everything that should solve the current political class, will last for several more centuries, while there is no real will to solve it.

For more information: http://www.irishtimes.com/blogs/generationemigration/2013/11/25/working-in-gibraltar-living-in-spain/

Europeans have ‘got whiter’ due to natural selection in past 5,000 years, scientists say

Experts have found a few changes in European DNA due to natural selection. These changes have made skin’s European humans to become much ‘whiter’ through the last 5,000 years. Recently, there has been a research based on the comparison of ancient and current DNA. The study has shown a genetic distinction between our ancestors and us. This difference, due to its relation with hair, eye pigmentation and skin, has caused the descendants to be ‘whiter’.

The results were not the ones scientists expected as in theory darker phenotype has always had preference over whiter phenotype. The surprising result has lead to several explanations.

Mark Thomas UCL’S professor has said that this change over the past thousand years could have been a natural adaptation to reduction in the amount of sunlight received in northern latitudes.

Sandra Wilde, the lead report author from Mainz’s Johannes Gutenberg University, gives us another possible explanation. This explanation could be related to group affiliation, as the change on the hair and eye colour might have an important role in the selection of a partner.

However, there is a last explanation that says that this result could be connected to a specific timeframe. While archeologists are trying to find the exact point when this distinction in our genome happened, researches discuss about what could have provoked this change. The final conclusion that they reached is that all this may be caused by positive selection.

I have chosen this article because the title appealed to me so much. I still continuo without understanding why natural selection had chose whiter phenotype, as being whiter makes us more vulnerable to ray of sunlight. Experts have concluded that this lighter skin is due to the reduced level of sunlight in northern areas. However, climate change is producing an increase of temperatures and also an increase in the amount of sunlight received, so I think that there would be another timeframe where the darker phenotype would take preference again.

Link: http://www.independent.co.uk/news/science/europeans-have-got-whiter-due-to-natural-selection-in-past-5000-years-scientists-say-9187632.html

The Ney York Yimes- Radar Blips Baffle Officials in Malaysian Jet Inquiry

Radar Blips Baffle Officials in Malaysian Jet Inquiry

Malaysian authorities have detected on Wednesday signals that could match with those from the aircraft who is missing since March 8, 2014. Signals are really low and they have failed in reading the data for four days even as they struggled to interpret it.

This data has been given to American investigators who would assist in helping to determine the exact origine of the radar blips, and decide if the signals are likely to be those from Boeing 777, Malaysia
Airlines Flight 370. The defense country´s minister, Hishammuddin Hussein, told reporters they aren´t sure that it is the same aircraft, and would continue to research in two areas like they have been doing during the last days. Meanwhile this , families keep waiting for information about their relatives location. Malaysian officials had said to have evidence that the plan might have attempted to return, but it was not until Wednesday when they detailed the military radar recording. A local newspaper article on Tuesday reported that the Malaysian air force were working on the data, but the air force had described the piece of news as “misreporting.”

The reason why I have chosen this article is the fact that the aircraft has not been found since the accident, 4 days ago. All that is related with the Malaysia Airlines flight 370 seems to be uncertain and mysterious, and the information coming from the investigation committee does not help to reach to a plausible hypothesis. I think that the Malaysian authorities should keep working until the end of the matter, and give at least a clear explanation to all the relatives of the passengers traveling in this unlucky flight.

Livr Social App

Livr: A social network only for drunk people

The Independent, TUESDAY 11 MARCH 2014.

A new social network app has been created, but this app has some special characteristics, it’s only for drunk people. Kyle Addison and Avery Platz, have created an app where drunk people can do everything they did before but with other drunk people.

 It works thanks to a mini-breathalyzer that plugs into your Smartphone and it only allows people to go in when they are above a determined level of alcohol in blood. Once you pass that barrier you will find many features designed for people who have had a few drinks. These features are from playing truth or dare, where people win points for completing challenges from other users, to a Drunk dial, which puts in contact random users so they can communicate with each other.

In case people do something they didn’t want to do, the app incorporated a ``Black out´´ button which erases everything you have done that day. This button allows people to enjoy the night and as the creator says, ``go nuts´´ because if you realize in the morning that you did something you didn’t want to do you can just press the button and everything will be forgotten.

What really does make Livr shine on my opinion is that you can do whatever you want that night that no one is going to know thanks to the ``Black Out´´ button. Nowadays everything you make public on a social network is public for everyone and forever and that could be harmful if you are trying to look for a job or trying to go for politics because anyone could get that posts that you made public a long time ago and use them against you.  

I chose this article since when I read the title of the article it shocked me a lot and It sounded very interesting. I think this app could be revolutionary and very popular amongst the teenagers and young adults since we all like to party, to meet new people and to have fun and I think this app combines everything. 

This article comes from:

http://www.independent.co.uk/life-style/gadgets-and-tech/livr-a-social-network-only-for-drunk-people-9176791.html

Web page of the app:

http://livr-app.com/

Video of the app:

http://vimeo.com/88209254