Category Archives: Society

Health, Research, Science, Society

Is commuting harming our health?

COMMUTING

Intro: Some 4 billion people are known to travel between home and work, school, or college. Is the daily commute just something people love to hate, or a major health hazard?

SOME FORM OF COMMUTING has been part of our daily lives since the Neolithic age, and although many complain about their journeys, research shows that we wouldn’t want it any other way. We’re generally happiest when we have at least some distance between where we sleep and relax, and where we spend the bulk of our day. However, there are limits. People perceive their commute as part of their job, but if it makes us unhappy, we’re more likely to quit – so much so that an extra 20 minutes’ commuting time can reduce job satisfaction by the same amount as a 20 per cent pay cut.

Length of journey is the major factor in commuting: in the morning, your body clock is winding up the brain and body – alertness and attention increases with each passing minute, and if you’re stuck in traffic or a broken-down train during this precious primetime, then the most productive part of your day could be lost in transit. A morning journey of 45 minutes or more seems to be the tipping point at which the journey length starts to take a toll on physical and mental health. Workers who travel over 90 minutes each day are less fit, weigh more, and have higher blood pressure, compared to those with a shorter travel time. Longer commutes are also linked to health issues such as sleep problems, exhaustion, aches and pains, and overeating. Moreover, unpredictable and stressful delays, the chances of which increase the longer your commute, make the biggest negative impact on our health.

The method of travel also plays a part in how healthy your commute is. Driving takes the cake as the most stressful and unhealthiest way to commute. Public transport always comes out better, but simply using your legs to get to work – be it walking, cycling, or jogging – beats both.

Scientists have shown that a “good” commute is one that is long enough to give us time to draw a psychological line between homelife and work – but not so long that it makes us anxious, bored, or tired. Even if you work from home, you can benefit from a “virtual” commute by going for a short walk, run, or cycle to mark the start and end of your working day.

Research suggests that 15 minutes is the optimum length of time for a commute.

Want To Improve Your Commute?

. WALK, JOG, OR CYCLE – moving under your own power releases mood-lifting hormones and increases blood flow to the brain, making you happier and more productive.

. SIMPLIFY JOURNEYS that involve more than one stop; for example taking children to school on the way to work. Multiple-stage trips are the most stressful.

. PLAN YOUR DAY and spend the time mentally adjusting to work mode on the way in, and winding down on the journey home.

. FIND A NEW JOB if your commute is more than 90 minutes long – your health is probably suffering!

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Government, Policing, Scotland, Society

Cybertraining for all police officers in Scotland

CYBERCRIME

EVERY police officer in Scotland is set to receive specialist cybertraining to boost Police Scotland’s ability to tackle “new and complex crime types”.

The force is stepping up its war on cybercriminals amid a shocking explosion in the number of Scots falling victim to digital offences and the revelation that almost no crime is now without some form of “cyber element”.

A crack unit of 29 digital forensic experts is being recruited to strengthen the ability of the force to gather evidence in an increasingly digital world.

Reported cybercrime has nearly doubled in a year as more people than ever shop, bank, date and socialise online. The latest Annual Police Plan has named “tackling crime in a digital age” as a priority.

A senior officer in charge of cybercrime has urged the public to be vigilant. The officer said: “Anybody can be a victim of digital crime. We increasingly live our lives in a digital space, whereas traditionally that would have been a public space or a private space. It’s now online where the majority of activity is happening. We are seeing a tripling of reports in the last few years. We know that is only the tip of the iceberg. There are now very, very few inquiries and investigations the police are involved in that do not involve some form of cyber element.”

The pandemic is believed to be partly to blame for the exponential rise in digital offences, with more people communicating online due to Covid-19.

In 2020-21, an estimated 14,130 cybercrimes were recorded by Police Scotland – an increase of 95 per cent from 7,240 in 2019-20.

Cybercrimes include offences committed over the “dark web” – “hidden” internet sites only accessible with special software – and sophisticated large–scale frauds.

However, it also covers dating site cons, where crooks pretend to seek romance in order to trick people out of cash or personal details, online shopping scams and fraudulent “bank” emails trying to lure recipients into divulging their passwords.

It can also include sextortion, where criminals disclose or threaten to disclose an intimate image of someone online, and child abuse.

The Scottish Police Authority (SPA) – which oversees Police Scotland – is planning a new programme that would involve extra basic training for 14,000 police officers and 2,000 additional staff, with “in-depth learning” for 3,000 personnel. A further 400 people will get training on subjects including the dark web and cryptocurrency.

Digital forensic experts are being recruited to extract evidence and data from electronic devices during investigations into a wide range of crimes, as well as providing expert advice, specialist recovery services and reports for court.

The Annual Police Plan states: “It is anticipated that demand on policing will continue to increase in complexity in terms of advancements and reliance on technology resulting in increased cyberthreats and cyber crime.”

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Britain, Government, Politics, Society

Sir Tony Blair

OPINION

THIS day was always going to come. Convention dictates that all British prime ministers eventually join the Order of the Garter – even the ones, like James Callaghan, that nobody actually voted for.

And let me make it clear that I have no loyalty or political affiliation to the Labour Party: in large part I’m a centrist who believe ministers should keep the ship of state afloat.

Certainly, like most people, there are aspects of Mr Blair’s behaviour that I find objectionable: his multi-billion money grubbing empire acquired from dodgy dictators after leaving office; his refusal to accept the Brexit result.

Despite that, though, there is also much to admire. He was the Labour leader who understood the concerns of Middle Britain, instead of dismissing them – as the Left so often does – with a sneer.

This open-minded, pluralistic approach allowed him to sell liberal policies to an essentially conservative nation.

The Labour of old redistributed wealth through vicious taxation, especially in the middle classes. New Labour under Tony Blair focused on growing the economy. Prosperity, this business-friendly party understood, increased revenue.

Instead of demonising aspiration, Blair openly celebrated it. He promised with political vigour to be “tough on crime, tough on the causes of crime”. Police numbers rose by twelve per cent during his premiership.

But equally he recognised that crime would never fall unless he also tackled deprivation and hopelessness.

Where Blair really stood out was in foreign policy. Few young people today understand how, before the 1998 Good Friday Agreement, the spectre of Irish republican terrorism hung over the streets of Belfast and London alike.

After 9/11, Blair saw Islamism for the threat to liberal democracy it was, cracked down on domestic extremists and asserted abroad the values of freedom, tolerance and the rule of law.

There are many that disagree with him on Iraq. I respect the principles these people hold but I continue to believe that Britain did the right thing in overthrowing Saddam Hussein. True leadership seldom wins friends.

More recently, too, he has been a voice of reason on the pandemic. He was an early advocate of mass-testing and for the vaccinated to be exempt from lockdown. Many lives – and businesses – might have been saved if ministers had listened.

Tony Blair created a fairer, more tolerant country at home and stood up for desperate people overseas. Whatever his flaws and mistakes, that is the legacy of a statesman. It is right that his achievements be so recognised.

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