Acne

Davinos Greeno asked:


For those living under the flight path of the busiest airport in the world a good nights sleep has become a distant dream. A friend of mine that is sleep deprived explains why Heathrow is a Human Rights issue.

The sun is out and the birds are chattering. It is blissfully quiet and I am deep in slumber. A deep droning noise jerks me awake. No, it is not my Sunday afternoon nap under the pear tree. It is 4.30 a.m. on a summer’s morning and the first long haul flight of the day is about to land at Heathrow. I have to get up in two and a half hours to travel to work on a hot, sweaty tube train. Too late, though, to get back to dreamland. That jumbo has broken my sleep for good.

Welcome to life under the flight path of the busiest airport in the world.

In Isleworth, we can just about get used to the aeroplanes coming in every two minutes during the day because landings are rotated so that aircraft don’t fly constantly over the same houses. But night flights? I don’t think so.

Sixteen night flights have been allowed at Heathrow between 11.30 pm and 6am since 1993. Most of the flights arrive after 4.30 am. The government is looking into the possibility of more night flights, provided aircraft use quieter engines as the older and bigger aircraft make a horrendous noise.

So you can imagine how dismayed both myself, and the other 600,000 people living under Heathrow’s flight paths, were to hear that the government had won its appeal against the European Court of Human Rights’ ruling that night flights should be banned because we are entitled to a good night’s sleep. In fact it was the European Court of Human Rights which overturned its previous decision in 2001 that “there was no overwhelming national interest for night flights at Heathrow, and therefore the residents’ basic human right to sleep should not be sacrificed for the convenience of airlines”.

So why a change of heart by the court? Economics. According to our local paper, the Richmond and Twickenham Times, the court found that the economic benefits to the country as a whole outweighed the interests of sleepless residents. The court said that there had been no violation of Article 8 of the Human Rights Convention (HRC), the right to respect for private and family life and home. However, it did find that under Article 13 of the HRC, the residents hadn’t been given the opportunity to make their case fully in the UK courts. So the fight will go on.

Noise is one of the worst pollutants and can ruin your quality of life. Friends of the Earth remind us that night flights have caused many residents to suffer from constant tiredness, clinical depression, irritability, headaches and ear infections caused by wearing earplugs. It maintains that the noise caused by the night flights was substantially in excess of the World Health Organisation’s guidelines for avoiding sleep disturbance at night. If you have troublesome noisy neighbours, you are protected by the Noise Act of 1996. But, guess what, it doesn’t apply to aircraft noise! According to the UK Noise Association, aviation is virtually above the law.

HACAN Clearskies (Heathrow Association for the Control of Aircraft Noise) is the largest voluntary organisation in Europe dedicated to campaigning on behalf of those who suffer because of aircraft flight paths. Whilst not opposed to Heathrow per se, the organisation has fought various battles over the years. It played an important part, for example, in persuading the Government to introduce runway alternation, so that residents in South West London were not continuously bombarded with noise.

There is also the ongoing issue of whether there will be a third runway at Heathrow. Heathrow’s proximity to London means aircraft continuously circle over the capital and come in to land over crowded urban areas. (If the 2001 Concorde crash had happened in London, and not in Paris, the plane would have come down on Ealing!)

HACAN believes that a third runway would increase the possibility of a mid air collision over London. It would also mean 500 more flights a day and a plane flying over our houses every minute, not to mention bad air pollution, congested roads and public transport, and disruption of children’s schooling.

So let’s keep battling for a decent nights sleep. We may have lost this round of the battle, but it will continue now in the UK courts. For more information, go to the HACAN website.



ROBIN

RyanThomas asked:


The Insurance Institute for Highway Safety (IIHS) said bumpers on all but three of 17 new midsize sedans it tested did not protect the cars from expensive damage in the kinds of low-speed mishaps that happen in heavy traffic and in parking lots and result in more than $6 billion a year in insurance claims.

Among the worst performers were the Nissan Maxima and Volkswagen Jetta. Both cars sustained over $9,000 each in estimated damage from four simulated bumps - two each at three mph and six mph. The Nissan Maxima, VW Passat and the Pontiac G6 each sustained the most amount of damage. Over $4,500 worth of damage were sustained in just one of the tests - the six mph full-width frontal impact. The IIHS said hoods, fenders, headlights and air-conditioning condensers needed repairs.

Adrian Lund, the IIHS president, said that in only two of the 68 bump tests of the 17 cars did the bumpers fully protect other components from significant damage: one of a Saturn Aura and another of a Hyundai Sonata. “The whole purpose of bumpers is to keep damage away from headlights, hoods and other parts that are expensive to repair,” Lund said. “In the rest, what we found is that bumpers aren’t up to the job.” Federal regulations require bumpers to protect only up to 2.5 mph.

If there are worst performers, there should also be the ideal ones. The IIHS said that the three midsize cars that did “comparatively well” in the tests does include the nation’s bestseller - the Toyota Camry. Other top performers include the Mazda 6 and the Mitsubishi Galant. The cars sustained less than $1,500 damage in each of the four bumps.

In a statement, Nissan Motors said, “We believe Nissan vehicles perform competitively in terms of cost of repair. The cost to repair bumpers is just one consideration.” The automaker claims that Nissan body kits perform efficiently and reliably. General Motors Corp., on the other hand, said it was assessing the institute’s test results. Volkswagen said it would take the tests into account in future designs.

The institute said the most costly damage occurs when the bumpers of colliding vehicles do not line up and ride under or over each other. In some cases, the relatively minor bumps required professional chassis straightening. Nonetheless, the institute added that the relatively high costs of replacement parts for some models - not just the amount of damage from the tests - accounted for some of the variation in repair costs.

The IIHS started testing bumpers in 1969 but recently modified the test to assess over- or underride. In doing the tests, cars are bumped into a steel and plastic barrier that mimics a car bumper. The lesser the damage a car gets, the better the bumper performance is.



BENITO

Juliet Cohen asked:


Acne also known about Pimples, and Zits. Acne is a common skin disease that causes pimples. Acne is worldwide problem. Acne occurs when the natural oils that the skin produces clogs the pores of the skin. Acne is not just a problem for teenagers, it can affect people from ages 10 through 40. Pimples form when hair follicles under your skin clog up. Most pimples form on the face, neck, back, chest and shoulders. Acne happens when oil (sebaceous) glands come to life around puberty stimulated by male hormones from the adrenal glands of both boys and girls. Oil is a natural substance which lubricates and protects the skin, and under certain circumstances, cells that are close to the surface block the openings of sebaceous glands and cause a buildup of oil underneath. There are many misconceptions and rumours about acne. Several factors are known to acne. Hormone changes, such as those during the teenage years and pregnancy, probably play a role. There are many myths about what causes acne. Chocolate and greasy foods are often blamed, but there is little evidence that foods have much effect on acne in most people. Heredity with the exception of very severe acne, most people do not have the problem exactly as their parents did. Almost everyone has some acne at some point in their life. Most cosmetic and skin care products are not pore-clogging (“comedogenic.”) Of the many available brands, those which are listed as “water-based” or “oil-free” are generally a better choice. Some medications may cause or worsen acne, such as those containing iodides, bromides, or oral or injected steroids (either the medically prescribed prednisone or the steroids bodybuilders or athletes take.).

Comedonal acne most often infects the forehead and the chin. Many teenagers get this type of acne. This acne might get worsen due to hormonal changes, humid weather and oily cosmetics such as sun-screens and petro-jelly based moisturizers. Cystic acne is often cause by the pinching or squeezing of small pus-filled acne. This causes the pus to burst deep into the skin tissue. This triggers a body mechanism which sends white blood cells to the infected site to fight off bacteria. This results in swelling, causes deep rooted inflammation, and this deep infection causes pain. So keep in mind to keep your hands off your acne-infected skin, otherwise you will be spreading the infection deeper and creating more trouble for yourself. One severe form of acne is acne conglobata . This acne affects the face, chest and back extensively. It is a severe form of nodular cystic acne vulgaris. It is characterized by a presence of multiple inflamed and non-inflamed nodules and scars. It is commonly found in men. Acne fulminans is a rare and very severe form of acne conglobata associated with systemic symptoms. It nearly always affects males.Infantile acne takes place in newborn babies, although not frequently. Sometimes it’s even present at the time of birth. It’s a mild form of acne and settles down in a few months. The reason is supposed to be fetal hormones, but sometimes excessive testosterone and follicle stimulating hormones are also found to be cause of infantile acne.

The skin is the largest organ of the body and it helps other organs with eliminating waste. One of the best acne treatments is a diet. Diet is a classic scapegoat for acne. the best natural acne treatments is diet which has many home remedies for acne in the foods that we eat. If you are unhealthy inside it will be reflected in your skin. bad diet is not a cause of acne. There are plenty of people in the world with very poor diets and excellent skin, however unjust that seems. There are several nutrients found in foods that promote an overall healthy body. Use Stevia, the no calorie natural sweetener rather than sugar. Regularly eating breads, cakes, chips and other staples of Western culture is likely to promote acne.Peanuts and peanut butter may provoke acne in some individuals.Eat as many vegetables as you wish, preferably organic. Eat a wide variety, not just the few that most American eat. The combination of fish and vegetables is likely to be the healthiest meal for those with acne. Increase intake of foods that may improve acne such as fish (halibut, salmon, tuna, sardines). These contain important omega 3 oils such as EPA and DHA. They will make a difference in the health of your skin. Using herbs to provide nutrients to your liver and other organs, as well as for cleansing. Vitamin B-2 is great at alleviating stress so obtaining B-2 can help keep acne at bay.Niacin or Vitamin B-3 improves circulation, promoting healthy skin. It also helps reduce cholesterol level in the blood and helps metabolize protein, sugar, and fat.



ERNESTO