News.Scotland.Org

February, 28

Music is all set to rock the buzzing Edinburgh city with the Celtic music festival. It is known that many award winning musicians from all over the Scotland will participate in this festival gracing the occasion. Many renowned and classic musicians will display their mesmerising performance at this three week long music festival to be held in Edinburgh. Artist like Karine Polwart, Kris Drever, Julie Fowlis, Lauren McColl and veteran stars like Jackie Leven and Mike Heron will also stage their appearance in the fest.

This musical festival will not only incorporate musicians from Scotland but many overseas musicians will also render their performance in the Celtic music festival. Eyes still remain on the special overseas musicians, the Appalachian multi-instrumentalist Laura Boosinger and Nashville veteran Billy Joe Shaver who are about to enthral the audience by their musical treat. This time this festival is designed in a grand manner with over 30 venues to host this mega event, which will attract huge crowd turnout.

The sixth annual music festival is considered to be a big event and even the Edinburgh city council have said, that this year’s programme would be the best so far. The festival will also benefit the Ceilidh culture and will provide them with great monetary benefit.

Every year huge number of tourist from around the globe reaches here to witness this musical fest. Beginning from 21^st March till 13^th April this festival will showcase different style of music and great performances of renowned musicians. The festival will support and encourage more and more new talents to come up in their musical field. Edinburgh too has gained reputation as a traditional art hub in the UK with this annual music festival. So preparations are going on full swing and the city is getting ready to embrace this musical treat which is about to glorify the Edinburgh city.

February, 26

A new tax scheme is all set to be levied on the obese insurance holders, who now have to bear an extra ‘fat tax’ which will make them to pay about 50% more on their premiums. Confirming this new insurance scheme, Legal & General insurance company informed that the new insurance scheme will overburden the new applicants with 13% increase in premiums. Anyone with a body mass index of 30 or higher will be liable to pay that extra premium for being obese.

This new structure of insurance has made things tougher for all those insurance holders who fall under the high-risk category. So from now over weight people, smokers and even people with serious medical problems have to pay more premium than what they were paying before. This announcement has resulted to be a bitter one for all those obese and people with serious health troubles who will fall under this new scheme.

With the second largest cases of obesity in world, UK is living dangerously with many live threatening diseases like cancer, heart diseases, diabetes and many more other disorders which is growing up at a brisk rate. Obesity is one of the serious problems which Britain is bearing since many years and this fat problem makes one vulnerable to many other serious diseases in due course.

With the new policy the insurance sector has embraced will affect a huge number of insurance holders to pay more to insure their lives. This has made these obese insurance holders to face the dual battle, first with the obesity syndrome and other with the excess premium which they have to pay every time. This ‘fat tax’ is all set to over burden the obese insurance holders in Britain.

February, 23

So if you are consuming a diet pill to trim inches off your waistline, then forget it that you could burn out that extra fat. Well it will definitely burn your hard earned money not your fat that’s for sure. These drugs though claim to have a miracle power which could make you slim even when you are at sleep, wow.

It is seen that only in UK over £20 million a year is spent on such magic pills which are nothing more than a fake slimming drug. It is also widely seen that the major part of these fat burning pills are consumed by women, who dream to be slim in a short period. With more and more obesity and excess fat cases in UK, such types of drugs are misguiding people by their fake promises.

The impacts of these new baseless drugs are such that people are lured by its big claims which many believe and get trapped. So to make aware those innocent consumers who spend a lot on these magic pills, the Office of Fair Trading (OFT) have started a campaign of sending out fake slimming leaflets to many women in
w:st=”on”>Scotland. The leaflet which has been sent to women aged between 25 and 50 will make sure that the product sent by the watchdog to highlight tricks used by diet scammers.

Even there are several other products apart from these pills which also promise to reduce extra fats in no time. Some product also comes with money back guarantees and even supported by fake testimonials from doctors. All these products tarp people with the weight loss promises they do in very short span of time as these products tap into our laziness and desire to look pretty.

There are also many other products available in the market like gels, pads and other slimming techniques which all promise to reduce the fat with their miracle powers. But many women have fallen in the traps of such products and wasted lot of money that too without any results. So next time you are looking out for any such product do make sure you are not wasting your money.

February, 21

Britain will soon have to face the infectious attack of animal diseases like bird flu, sars which can cause severe problems for human health. This fact was revealed by scientist after a recent research conducted in this field, the study has also showed that these deadly viruses will infect people and is a worry sign for humans. To get a clear picture of this growing threat, the researchers have created a global map of emerging disease and hot spots. This will help us to be prepared to overcome these diseases.

It is known that to meet the need of the growing population, and to meet the food needs of such a huge population, has some how made the UK vulnerable to zoonoses-infections which transmits from animals to humans. This tendency has put the situation in a more serious state.

In recent years it has been noticed that the cases of disease transmitted from animals to humans has increased significantly. And in the past ten years the population of the UK also expanded dramatically which further has added more problems. If one looks at the past we can trace the mad cow disease and famous salmonella in eggs scare which rocked the UK during 1980s. All this tells how vulnerable this place is, to these diseases. Dr Peter Daszak the executive director of the Consortium for Conservation Medicine said, “These maps show that the key threat to public health is where human population and wildlife diversity clash.” While Dr Kate Jones, research fellow at ZSL said preserving the wildlife areas is also a good way to avoid this disease.

But the thing to look for is how come we can reduce the danger of these diseases in near future and develop a better plan to overcome this threat for humans permanently.

February, 20

Cancer, one of the most feared and dreadful disease which has been taking toll on patients lives, has once again made into news. As it may be known that cancer is the leading cause of death in Scotland, with over 15,000 people giving up their lives to this killer disease. But this time a ray of hope is noticed for all those patients who are suffering from this disease or fear to get hold of it in future. It is seen that the survival rates among the cancer patients are improving at a higher rate. Indicating a good sign of relief for all those who had left their hopes to fight out this dreadful disease.

In recent years it has been seen that cancer survival rates are improving at a slow pace, which is a healthy sign for both patients battling out this disease and also to the medical field. The day is not far when cancer will be seen as any other chronic disease which could easily be treated. Slowly this killer disease is losing its fatal power and the day is not far when cancer will not be seen as a fatal disease.

If we look to the past record, we can find that those areas where the rate of survival in cancer was more were prostate, breast, leukaemia and Hodgkin’s disease. Meanwhile the situation of lung cancer is not that good. With cancer being the most furious killer disease in Scotland, has now become a challenge for Scotland to fight out with. Expressing her views, Nicola Strugeon, the Health Secretary said, “I would like to see cancer services that have state-of-the-art buildings and equipment and have staff that are as good as we have today”.

But the main fact lies on the way the patients are treated to fight this disease, more effective and improved treatments should be given. Even the drugs prescribed shall meet the cost efficiency, as people should afford to bear the treatment. Even the treatment waiting time shall also be reduced and also in the most effective way. We can hope in coming years the fear of cancer will fade out from our lives for ever.

February, 14

Are you a working women and facing the problem of obesity? Then you are not the only one caught by this fat problem. Researchers have found that, these days the hectic working schedule and unending domestic chores are making women more likely to add on weight. Even working women are blaming their jobs for making them obese; this bulging waistline may also be fuelled by a growing number of women in workforce. Obesity cases are on a high with people showing less care towards their health and living on the fast track, giving no time for themselves.

It is also noticed that the percent of working women has also piled up at a great rate in comparison with previous years. With more and more women employees getting into new professions there is a very little time left for them to care for themselves. The study conducted revealed that the main reason for the higher obesity cases among working women in UK is the nature of job they are into. With more and more desk jobs for women and also working in shifts has changed their style of living. With long and awkward working hours their eating timings and sleeping hours all have been hampered, adding to the woes.

Also those women who are working as drivers informed that with their nature of work they have to rely on too much snacks and fast foods rather having a healthy meal. Even with long hours of driving they have no time to follow any fitness regime. All this different working environment and professions are making women to somehow to add to their health worries. There is a need to organise the working and give proper stress to one’s health as there is a saying “Health is Wealth”.

February, 12

The trend of buying alcohol seemed changing with buyers going for new places to get their drink. It was seen that supermarkets is slowly becoming the hot place for beer lovers, buying their bottle of drink at a best price. This change in trend in the beer culture has also surprised the beer industry. Even the graphs suggest that about 41 percent of Britian’s beer is bought from shops and supermarkets in comparison to bars and pubs.

It is learnt that the cheaper prices in supermarkets is driving boozers and alcohol lovers to buy beer from these shops and supermarkets rather than spending more money in bars. Another factors seen which is adding to the jump in the sale of beer is the ban on smoking, which is also making people to sit at home and enjoy their drink. If we will look at the core, we can find that nowadays beer has become cheaper than water. Recently the supermarket giant Asda reduced its price of its beer to just 22p for a 440ml. Few more supermarket brands have slashed the cost of beer attracting more consumer to buy beer from these store rather than bars.

With such a cheap cost of alcohol in supermarkets, has opened an alternative for pub owners to buy the stock of alcohol from these supermarkets than the suppliers. Even the beer and wine been sold at the cheaper prices is also helping the supermarkets to attract more consumers and also boosting their sales.

But the main drawback and worry sign for this changing trend in consumer choice to buy alcohol from supermarkets is, the fear of many under-age drinkers who could easily get the alcohol from these shops. But boozers are cashing in with the low cost of alcohol in these supermarkets.

February, 8

Are you a pregnant woman? Do you have a tendency to forget things often, then you are suffering from a forgetfulness disorder. Researchers from Australia have confirmed that women who are expecting baby can be more forgetful. As the ‘baby brain can have an impact on the women’s ability to remember things. They also have revealed that this tendency may continue even after few months of pregnancy. The study and research on this field has found that due to sleep deprivation and hormonal changes women gets effected with this poor memory.

There are also reports suggesting that during pregnancy the brain of women may change size which can also add to the problem. During the research it was found that mostly women found themselves tough to remember information’s which were new or a bit tricky. It was also found that this forgetfulness can also result from being overwhelmed by the changes the baby brings. Also during pregnancy the normal routines gets disrupted which also could add to the weak memory for women.

This change of mind has been seen in majority of the pregnant women and new moms who use to suffer with this disorder. But this syndrome of forgetfulness is only a temporary disorder which slowly gets normal.

February, 5

In a recent research it was revealed yesterday that, a new weapon has been found to fight with the deadly superbug, which is troubling the hospital authorities since a long time. This Clostridium difficile is found to be tackled with probiotic yoghurts which contains friendly bacteria which are able to fight out with the superbug threat. After evaluating its potential of this yoghurt, the patients who are at a greater risk to contracting with the fatal superbug were given these free pots of probiotic yoghurts.

This new founding is being used in hospitals and the evidences prove that this new discovery will help to lower down the risk of superbug. The friendly bacteria in the yoghurt help to decrease the chance of having stomach upsets. It also prevents from ulcerative colitis, and also averts allergies in children and cuts down the risk of colon cancer. This new founding has given some respite to many patients who were left with no other concrete measure to escape with this deadly superbug.

It has been widely noticed, how this superbug has taken its toll on several patients and even hospital staffs in recent past. In such a condition this probiotic yoghurt will act as a great preventive tool to many patients who are living on the edge. This probiotic yoghurt can be in the form of yoghurt style drinks, powders or other supplements; it helps to boost the levels of beneficial bacteria in the gut. All these products will help to get out of the risk to be affected by superbug.

February, 4

The inflation villain is yet again making the Scottish people restless, adding more worries to their household budgets. Firstly it was the jump in the prices of cooking gas and fuel, and this time it’s the prices of grocery which has jumped 38 percent. This food-price inflation is creating a growing problem for consumers which need to be tackled sooner or later. One of the recent research found that there are few factors which plays a vital role in the jump for these groceries, it is noticed that a sudden jump in fuel price in the global market effects the rate of these items in a long run.

Among all the grocery items the major jump is seen in the prices of eggs which are reported to be 38 percent high in past two years. Then next stand breads which jumped by 33 percent, meanwhile milk prices have surged up by 21 percent, suggest the study. If we look into the core of this issue, we can find these are one of the basic necessity items, which majority of the families consumes on a daily basis. And such a high growth in the prices of such products definately makes the consumer worried to some extent. Another shocking fact is that, if we look at the average cost of a 100-item trolley of staple products we can find it has increased from £169.65 in Jan 2006 to £183.28 last week. That clearly shows the momentum of inflation which is creeping on.

If we look back, we can find that in the past years inflation has been hitting badly on many things including power, fuel, mortgage and also the grocery. Few supermarkets have tried to put a check on this rising prices, the chain of supermarket Asda informed that it is trying to make the burden of inflation a bit light on the consumer to some extent in comparison with other supermarkets.

With such an inflationary trend, the consumers have to be prepared for few more of such jolts in the household budgets in future.