What the papers said in the week ending 20 November 2021
Grandparents: our Conference Call this week was led by Dr Sarah Holmes who has found how important grandparents are in nurturing the spiritual life of young people. The Guardian reports on studies using very sophisticated science which confirm the powerful emotions generated in the relationship between grandmothers and their grandchildren Grandmothers may be more connected to grandchildren than to own offspring | Grandparents and grandparenting | The Guardian
In the churches – The Roman Catholic Church is calling for people to return to regular attendance at Sunday services. This would seem to be a wise and reasonable move. Other denominations will take note Bishops urge Catholics to put church above sport and shopping | Catholicism | The Guardian
The UK health and social care system continues to struggle to cope thanks to the pressures from covid and resources which had been stripped to the bone by austerity measures: NHS patients dying in back of ambulances stuck outside A&E, report says | NHS | The Guardian
- The long awaited plan to deal with long-term social care needs is not yet seen as fair and fir for purpose Social care cap could expose poorer homeowners to ‘catastrophic’ costs | Social care | The Guardian
- Six in 10 elderly care users in England set to lose out from change to costs cap | Social care | The Guardian
The Covid-19 Pandemic remains a world phenomenon, with poorer countries still being ravaged: Covid now a pandemic of poor nations, WHO envoy tells UK MPs | Coronavirus | The Guardian
- But European countries, including the UK remain at risk. Some are needing to return to national lockdowns Germany set to tighten rules for unvaccinated as Covid cases rise | Germany | The Guardian
- Austria plans compulsory Covid vaccination for all | Austria | The Guardian
- ‘Storm clouds’ over Europe – but UK Covid rates remain high | Coronavirus | The Guardian
- Wearing a mask is recommended as a cheap and simple but effective way of reducing chanves of being infected Mask-wearing cuts Covid incidence by 53%, says global study | Coronavirus | The Guardian
Environment:
Some progress was made at Cop 26 – but frustrations remain that some very significant countries resisted a consensus that would reduce emissions to a safer level: Alok Sharma ‘deeply frustrated’ by India and China over coal | Cop26 | The Guardian
- There are changes in the world’s population of beautiful but vulnerable creatures House sparrow population in Europe drops by 247m | Birds | The Guardian
- Certain parts of the world are already reaping the harvest How bad is the British Columbia and Pacific north-west flooding and what caused it? | Flooding | The Guardian
- Small local initiatives are worthwhile and set an example which can be repeated on a wider scale: The Guardian view on urban rewilding: when nature takes over | Editorial | The Guardian
- Some organisms are thriving in the changed conditions: UK’s warmer, wetter weather sparks bumper year for mushrooms | Fungi | The Guardian
Science of health:
Moderate consumption of tea and coffee drinks is associated with reduced incidence of strokes and dementia Tea and coffee may be linked to lower risk of stroke and dementia – study | Health | The Guardian
- Consumption of coffee and tea and risk of developing stroke, dementia, and poststroke dementia: A cohort study in the UK Biobank (plos.org)
- Sadly in the battle of the beverages, tea is losing ground Tea break? British shoppers turn their noses up at the traditional cuppa | Food & drink industry | The Guardian
- And dark chocolate and coffee, again in moderation, are good for the heart, as well as providing pleasure: Good or bad? Top cardiologist gives verdict on chocolate, coffee and wine | Health | The Guardian
There is a case report that a switch to a plant-based diet cured a man’s migraines. Man’s severe migraines ‘completely eliminated’ on plant-based diet | Nutrition | The Guardian
- This may have general applicability, but the story provoked a series of letters describing cessation of migraine after other changes of life style – not all of which could be generally applied.
Other matters:
It is sad to know that racism is prevalent in county cricket – as well as in several other professional sports and other aspects of our national lives: If we only think about racism in cricket Azeem Rafiq’s tears will have been wasted | Hugh Muir | The Guardian
It is good to know that Queen Elizabeth has recovered from recent illness Queen carries out first audience at Windsor after spraining back | The Queen | The Guardian
Wonderful to read of examples where young and old work together for the good of others Age no barrier to activism: how UK’s young and old built bonds in Covid | Protest | The Guardian
Troubling to learn that disagreements between companies may restrict the use of safe credit cards Amazon to stop accepting UK-issued Visa credit cards | Amazon | The Guardian
A new year is in sight and calendars for 2022 are beginning to be available. Twenty years on from the publication of the first calendar of The Roundabouts of Redditch, the good people of Redditch are now offering a calendar of benches which can be sat upon around their town A nice sit down: benches of Redditch calendar takes Britain by storm | UK news | The Guardian
David Jolley
