Don't Advertise to Burglars

Blackmail: Burglars may steal wedding albums and blackmail you to get it back. 

Identity theft: Keep personal and financial items locked up - burglars will take passports, bills ro bak statments and may copy file from your computer.

DO

• Photograph valuables – it helps with insurance claims. 
• Keep hedges low – especially at the front of the property.
• Take handbags upstairs at night.
• Keep small valuables like iPods, mobiles, laptops and car keys out of view.
• Chain up garden furniture or wheelie bins that could be used as platforms to reach the first floor.
• Rub out weird chalk signs outside your house – burglars use code to tell criminals about your security.
• If away use an automatic timer to switch lights and radios on and off.
• If away ask a neighbour to push post through your letterbox.
• Cancel deliveries a least a week before you go away.
• If you book a taxi to the airport, order it to the street rather than the house and don’t order the return taxi in advance.

DON'T

• Write appointments on a calendar – a burglar may return when he knows you are out.
• Label keys
• Rely on your dog, they’re anyone’s friend for a steak.
• Leave the key inside the door – it can be turned from the outside by a magnet.
• Leave packaging from expensive goods by the dustbin – it advertises what is inside.
• Close curtains – it’s a giveaway that you are away.
• Put your full name and address on luggage labels.

It seems that 78% of burglars use social media to find empty houses.

• Resist the temptation to post a selfie from the airport or advertise where you are on location tracking apps.
• Wait until you get home to upload your holiday snaps.

Various sources

Pschology of Conflict Resolution

Conflicts can involve different nations and religions, different races and classes. Some of them seem intractable: the tensions and hatred seem depressingly permanent. But there are a number of social psychologists who have been studying how prejudice and distrust between groups can be overcome.

David Edmonds has been exploring some of their ideas for BBC Radio 4's Analysis programme in November 2015.

Self-criticism

Eran Halperin is associate professor at the School of Psychology at the Interdisciplinary Centre, Herzliya, Israel, and has carried out many experimental studies to test how people can be encouraged to think more favourably about the "other" group, and be more willing to reach a deal.

In one experiment a group of Israelis was given a fake newspaper article. It described a Palestinian leader criticising his own society - corruption in Gaza and the West Bank or shortcomings at schools. A group of Palestinians was likewise exposed to Israelis being self-critical.

"One of the major barriers to conflict resolution is that people just won't listen to what the members of the other group are saying. We were looking for a way to make them listen that is feasible and effective. We used a real speech by Knesset member Ahmad Tibi, a Palestinian citizen of Israel, who talked about the Holocaust as one of the major disasters in the history of humankind, something that is incomparable to any other disaster of any other society. After Israelis were exposed to this speech, suddenly they were willing to be exposed to things that he or other members of the Palestinian society were saying about other issues. And if Israelis hear a Palestinian leader - or just a Palestinian citizen - saying something critical about the educational system, or corruption within the Palestinian government, then suddenly they are much more open to hear what Palestinians have to say about issues related to the conflict. We found exactly the same results when Palestinians were exposed to Israelis criticising their own group."

The effect seems to be achieved by disrupting the idea of monolithic blocs, the idea that the other group is overwhelmingly dominated by a single identity, a single value system, a single political objective.

Fairness

In July this year, Iran finally signed a deal with major powers around the world to freeze its controversial nuclear programme in exchange for the lifting of international sanctions. Sanctions had been in place for years, and were hitting the Iranian economy. The puzzle, then, was why the deal had taken so long to reach.

Nick Wright of the University of Birmingham has a background in neuroscience, which he now applies to international conflict: "Why has Iran been prepared to accept costs of some $100bn to pursue its nuclear programme? If you listen to what the Iranians actually say, it's that, as Foreign Minister Javad Zarif put it at the end of 2013, imagine you're told you cannot do something that everyone else can do. What would you do? Would you relent or would you stand your ground?"

Here's a thought experiment. Imagine that Fred had been given a £10 windfall and had been told he must share it with you. You can choose to accept or reject Fred's distribution. If you accept it, you get to keep what Fred offers you. But if you reject it, you both get nothing. If Fred offers you half the money, you'll almost certainly accept: £5 to you and £5 to Fred. But what if Fred offers you only £1? After all, £1 is still better than nothing.

"If you only cared about what you were going to receive, obviously you should choose to accept the nine-one split, because you're getting £1 rather than nothing. But what most people do is they say, 'Oh, God, that's terribly unfair! You're getting £9 and I'm only getting £1. That's very unfair and I'm going to reject it. People are prepared to forego money in the name of fairness."

And it turns out that offers of less than 25% in this type of experiment are routinely rejected. That's true whether you conduct the experiment in London or Lagos, India or Indonesia.

Sacred values

Almost all of us have so-called "sacred values". These aren't necessarily religious values: they're values which are core to identity, the values which drive and define us.

Anthropologist Scott Atran has written extensively about terrorism, violence and religion. "Sacred values differ from material values precisely because all the traditional assumptions of rational actors, of utility, of trade-offs fly out the window."

If you try to bargain with sacred values it can prove disastrous: "Suppose I offered you money for your child. You might think I'm crazy. If I insisted, you might get angry. It's the same for people who offer to trade money for your being a traitor to your country or your religion, or for the right of return or for whatever sacred value you may hold. In experiments, the more material incentives are offered, the greater the insult, and the more violent people get in the defence of those values. I briefed the United States Military Command for the Middle East, and people would sort of understand what I was talking about, and believe that they themselves have sacred values which they're defending. But the difficulty is getting them to believe the others are also operating on the basis of sacred values. People tend to conceive of their enemies as strict consequentialists - simply out for the short-term gain of power - or that they're crazy or nihilists. That is a great mistake, because the force of intractable and enduring conflict comes from a clash over sacred values more than it does over material interests."When things are sacred, if you try to trade them off, not only doesn't it work but it backfires."

Contact theory

In parts of Northern Ireland, the two main communities, Protestant and Catholic, have virtually no contact with each other. What contact they do have is often hostile: for example, during the summer marching season. But whether the walls are in West Belfast or the West Bank, lack of interaction can make one side blind to the humanity of the other.

Prof Miles Hewstone is the director of the Oxford Centre for the Study of Intergroup Conflict, part of Oxford University, and is a leading proponent of contact theory. "Contact theory is the idea that you can reduce prejudice by members of different groups by bringing them together under positive conditions."

Five years ago two schools in Oldham, one of Britain's most racially segregated towns, were merged to create Waterhead Academy. It was a good test: "They took two pre-existing schools, Breeze Hill and Counthill, one of which was almost entirely white British, the other was almost entirely Asian British, and said, 'We'll take this pint of milk, we'll take this pint of Guinness and we'll pour them into a new quart pot. What is interesting is that the data are going the way we would have hoped - slowly but gradually. There is an indication that the social networks of the Asian students and the white British students are becoming more mixed. Within just three months we've got more gender links and are beginning to break down some of the racial isolation." Although the effect is not dramatic, the school merger does seem to have improved relations.

Contact theory, self-criticism, understanding sacred values and perceptions of fairness: these are no panacea for settling conflict, but they do offer a greater insight into what motivates enmity, and so how it might be diminished and overcome.

They could be psychologically useful levers in the pursuit of peace.

Such theories advocate a different approach in the attempt to bring warring parties together. But they raise the question: do we have the courage to embrace this unconventional approach and the possibilities it presents?

DIY Health Tips

Here are some simple tips for minor health problems rather than using medications.

Headache: Tension headaches are caused by stress, lack of sleep, skipping meals or not drinking enough water. Pick up a pencil: holding it lightly between your teeth can help reduce a tension headache as it activates your 'smaile' muscles and relaxes your jaw. Worth a try: apply peppermint oil to your forehead and temples.

Hot flushes: Happen during and after the menopause or during cancer treatment. Cut out the caffeine. Swap it for decaff or herbal teas and cut out caffeinated soft drinks too. Worth a try: controlled breathing for 15 minutes a day. Inhale for count of five, then exhale for count of five; repeat for the 15 minute period. or try yoga.

Toothache: Avoid hot, cold and sweet food and drinks. If painkillers don't help, try using an ice cube to massage the web of skin between the thumb and index finger of the hand on the same side as the painful tooth. It's to do with the way pain signals are tranmitted through the body. Worth a try: clove oil can kill bacteria and numbe affected area. Or crunch a few whole cloves betweent he teeth that are hurting.

Cold sores: Once you have the heroes simplex virus, you have it for good though not everyone has recurring sores. Anti-viral creams may help, as may changing toothbrushes often to guard against repeated outbreaks. Add vanilla: use a cotton bud to apply pure, organic vanilla extract as soon as you feel the tingle of a cold sore. Because it's alcohol based, the extract makes it hard for the virus to survive. Worth a try: a cold, wet earl grey teabag placed on the sore for a few minutes several times a day may help, due to the bergamot oil and tannin.

Warts: There are over-the-counter remedies available or opt for having it frozen. Duct tape: try covering the wart with a piece of duct tape for six days, replacing it if it falls off. After six days, remove tape and soak wart in warm water and file off any dead tissue with an emery board or pumice stone. Repeat the process for up to two months. In 7 out of 10 cases, the wart disappears. This can also work for verrucas. Worth a try: apply a drop of pure undiluted tea tree oil to the wart, cover and leave on overnight. Remove plaster and wash the wart. Repeat daily till it drops off.

Clicking jaw: Your GP may prescribe painkillers or even refer you for possible surgery. Put your hand in your mouth: Gently exercising your mouth muscles may help. Place your fingers inside your mouth over your bottom teeth. With your jaw still, push down with your fingers for five seconds and then release. Do this five times, several times a day. Then close your mouth and with your teeth aligned, place your palm on one side of your face. Push gently inwards for five seconds three to five times, then repeat on the other side. Worth a try: hold a cork between your teeth to keep your jaws separated and relaxed; do this for five minutes several times a day.

Joint pain: While our first instincts are to rest, the best remedy is the opposite. Get moving: exercise is vital for anyone suffering joint pain or stiffness. It will strengthen the muscles, and lubricate the joints. Start with a brisk 15 minutes walk every day. Reach for rosehips: shown to reduce joint pain and stiffness and may also reduce cartilage degeneration. Try turmeric tea (but not if you are on blood thinning drugs): it contains curcumin which lowers the levels of two enzymes that cause inflammation. Add 1/4 tsp each of ground turmeric and ginger to 1/2 pint boiled water. Simmer for 10 mins, strain and add honey to taste. Drink two 1/2 pint servings a day.

Lower back pain: Doctors used to recommend rest but now advise that long periods on inactivity are bad for your back. Paracetamol and ibruprofen can help, and hot or cold compresses. Sit on a chair: tight hamstrings place additional stress on the lower back, so gently stretch them by sitting on the edge of a chair and stretch one leg out with toes pointing at the ceiling. Sit up straight and roll your pelvis foward, feeling a light stretch up the back of your leg. Repeat with the other leg. Worth a try: place a pillow between your knees if you sleep on your side, or under their knees if you sleep on your back.

Hiccups: Unless they last for days, it's not worth bothering your GP. Press your ear: find your tragus (the small pointy piece of cartilage at the lower front of your ear, then press it to close off the ear canal while you drink a glass of water. Worth a try: drink vinegar or lemon juice - some people find this 'shocks' the diaphragm into relaxing.

Tickly cough: a cough reflex when a cold or flu virus irritates the nerves lining the throat. Scratch your ear lightly: this stimulates a nerve in the ear, which causes a reflex in the throat that can cause a muscle spasm, which in turn should stop the irritation in your throat. Worth a try: gargle with warm, salty water which could soothe the area. Or try swallowing some runny honey.

Blocked sinuses: if the pain lasts for more than 10 days, see your GP. Use your tongue: take a long, warm shower to help relieve the congestion. Then push your tongue against the roof of your mouth and press a finger between your eyebrows. Worth a try: sniffing up a rinse of warm water and unprocessed sea salt can help wash out the nasal cavities and shrink the inflamed blood vessels.

Cystitis: drinking cranberry juice is the best known remedy. For prevention, always wipe from front to back after using the loo, and go for a wee after sex. Rub it away: best done in private, but rubbing the pubic bone can help - locate the sore spot, which is usually in the centre, and rub until the soreness is relieved. Worth a try: a course of acupuncture may help.

Feature in Good Housekeeping May 2015

Alzheimer's Link to Vitamin D Deficiency

A study from the University of California (on 382 men and women aged from 60 to 90) has shown that those with a vitamin D deficiency were more prone to dementia than those with a substantial vitamin D intake.

Those with a low vitamin D intake declined mentally three times faster than those with adequate levels.

Experts extimate that one in five adults and one in five children in England have low vitamin levels.

Vitamin D is formed by the action of sunlight on the skin, so during winter your levels can drop; walking outside as much as possible can help. Foods that contain vitamin D include oily fish, eggs and fortified foods. Aletrnatively you can take a supplement.

Lifespan Breaking News, issued Nov. 2015, from the Healthspan company.

Death and Social Media

Increasing numbers of people now use social media and may have multiple accounts on different services - Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn, Instagram, Snapchat ... and more. So what happens when someone dies and their online accounts are still sitting there, visible to the world?

Here are a few facts on the situation in October 2015.

DeadSocial is a service that provides tools and advice for people wanting to manage their digital legacies and has a very informative website.

Facebook encountered pressure from users experiencing the additional loss of the deletion of their loved ones profiles, including irretrievable photos and memories. To avoid this, you can now nominate a Legacy Contact - someone you trust to look after your profile once it has been 'memorialised' by adding pre-arranged messages, accepting friend requests and other maintainance. The Legacy Contact cannot change any previous posts, read private messages or log in to the actual profile. With a memorialised account 'Remembering' is added as a prefix to their profile name; it won't show up in public searches but friends and family can still post and share photos. Facebook pages can also be closed down.

Google offers a similar service, where you can nominate a specific person to act as your 'inactive account manager' after your death.

Twitter will remove a person's account after proof of death has been received (a death certificateand proof that the person making the request is either immediate family or authorised to act) but do not allow (as of Oct. 2015) any form of access or memorialisation of an account. [This practice is common for most other online providers.]

A digital deactivation document from Saga Legal Services gives a list of the most popular websites and how to access and close accounts on behalf of a deceased relative. Co-op Funeral Care also have a useful online guide.

While not currently a legally recognised concept in UK law, you can nominate a digital executor in your will. This should ensure that a trusted person will be able to access to your accounts and deactivate them if you wish. You'll need to ensure that a list of your accounts and password details are in a safe place that your executor can access, especially as this information cannot be given to your solicitor (due to complications with the Computer Misuse Act). And never include online usernames and passwords in your will, as it could become a public document after your death.

Not comfortable with handing over your passwords? Make an effort to back up your online content as often as possible onto an external hard drive. Document what you want to happen to your accounts - you may wish your blog to stay online.

To preserve digital photos stored on cameras, laptops and photosharing sites, get physical copies of favourites printed and copy originals onto a hard drive.

Back up any music or film-based material - it is impossible to bequest your online library to anyone else as you only purchase a licence to access the resource (which terminates on your death), and not perpetual access.

Some social media users are leaving a final Tweet or facebook status in their last wishes, to be uploaded on their death.

Sources
Georgina Cronin: Living and Dying on Social Media in CILIP Update October 2015

Feature in Good Housekeeping, October 2015