Musings on the UK-EU Vote 2016

The 2016 referendum has generated a lot of discussion. Here are the most interesting thoughts I've come across.

The Brexiteers have called on Remainers to 'accept the result and get on with it'. How many times would the Brexit supporters continue to press for a re-run of the referendum if they had lost the vote? If you lose a vote, there is no law or part of our unwritten constitution that says we must immediately agree with those who won it.

Online voting: We now do our tax returns, voter registration,banking and virtually all communications online, so why can we not vote from the privacy and comfort of our web browser. [Ben Grabiner]

Votes at 16: If you can die for your country then you can choose the leaders that send you to war. There are 1.6 million 16-17 year-olds in the UK, many of whom will be devastated that they had no voice in this referendum that will so fundamentally affect their future. It is time to give them a vote. [Ben Grabiner]

Ask the European Council to develop a EU Associate Citizenship for former members of the EU. We would pay for the priviledge (concessions will apply) and gain some modest advantages like a Schengen visa. An Associate Citizenship fund would allow young British nationals access to the Erasmus+ programmes covering youth, sport and educational exchanges. [Robin Cohen]

The same right-wing papers (Sun, Mail, Express, Star and Telegraph) who supported the Leave vote are now filling their pages with stories of Brexit's impact on the cost of holidays, phone calls, food and coffee. So many lies were told during the campaigns. £350m does not go to the EU every week. We cannot build a new hospital every week with the money. Turkey is not joining the EU. There won't be an EU army. We will have a hard border between Ireland and Northern Ireland.

Despite some Leave supporters claiming that racial tolerance could increase after Brext, police forces are recording a surge in hate crime since the vote. It is unclear whether the result merely exposed views or overtly legitimised them. But it is telling that many who are being told to 'go home' are often hearing it for the first time - and many of them were born here, this is home to them.

It is unclear how the property market will change. Short term it was already moderating before the vote. In prime central London, one in 20 properties are bought by overseas investors, which  helped force up prices, with a ripple on effect countrywide. If these investors see Britain as a less safe money haven, they may disappear and prices will fall. But the vote has made consumers more reluctant to spend on non-essential items. If companies clamp down on workers' pay to save costs in a difficult economic climate, this will affect people's ability to get a mortgage.

The UK digital economy is growing 32% faster than the  wider economy and creating jobs 2.8 times faster. Almost 40% of EU 'unicorns' (tech young companies valued at a billion dollars) almost 40% are based in Britain. Nearly one-third of all European venture capital funding consistently comes to the UK. We now have the second highest levels of venture capital invested per capita in the world, after the US. But a survey in the tech sector found that a half say the biggest issue will be hiring and retaining the very best talent - including non-UK staff. And 51% say they plan to raise venture capital outside the UK in the next year.

Advertising guru Richard Huntingdon: 'Vote Leave were far better at making sure they got the response they wanted. Once they had decided on the strategy of confusing the EU (which few of their voters cared about) with immigration (that millions of them did), the job was complete. All Leave needed to do was to make sure enough people believed the EU was the reason for unchecked immigration and they didn't particularly care how they got there.'

Source: pop-up newspaper The New European, issue 15-21 July 2016

Hyperactivity

The symptoms of ADHD in children and teenagers are well defined, and they are usually noticeable before the age of six. They occur in more than one situation, such as at home and at school. They are inattentiveness, and hyperactivity and impulsivenes.

ADHD is a developmental disorder; it is believed that it cannot develop in adults without it first appearing during childhood. However, it is known that symptoms of ADHD often persist from childhood into a person's teenage years, and then adulthood. Any additional problems or conditions experienced by children with ADHD, such as depression or dyslexia, may also continue into adulthood.

By the age of 25, an estimated 15% of people diagnosed with ADHD as children still have a full range of symptoms, and 65% still have some symptoms that affect their daily lives.
http://www.nhs.uk/Conditions/Attention-deficit-hyperactivity-disorder/Pages/Symptoms.aspx

Diet appears to be a factor for some: problem foods are often chocolate, oranges, tomatoes and milk. A study used an exclusion diet for 2 to 3 weeks, then added one food at a time to identify allergens. When this was tried on juvenile delinquents, their behaviour improved dramatically, police records showed a decrease in criminal behaviour and those that returned to crime had stopped using the diet.

Swedish research indicates the striatum of the brain does not seem to work well in this type of child. Giving amphetamines (a stimulant) or similar drugs can paradoxically have a calming effect by stimulating the striatum. Psychotherapy can work for some.

Source not recorded, date not known

Buying and Selling Online

Online auctions are a useful way of selling things you don't want and buying items at less than the usual price. Companies as well as individuals now sell items this way. As goods are not always in best condition and fraudsters are now using these services, here are points to watch. (While much of this 2005 information may remain true, there may have been some changes since then.)

How it works

• Sellers put details of goods on the site. The person with the highest bid by the end of the auction must buy the item and the seller must sell it to them. Sellers pay a fee (usually between 15p and £2) for listing the item as well as a percentage (up to 5.25%) of the selling price.
• Most people set up an online PayPal account; buyers pay into it with their credit or debit card, so the seller knows the money is there before sending out the goods.
• If the item is sold by a retailer, you have your usual consumer rights, so goods must be of a satisfactory quality and fit for their purpose.
• If the item is sold by a private seller, those consumer rights do not apply. The item must match the description but if the item breaks down you can't claim a refund. 
• Most sites offer protection if goods never arrive.
• You can sell or buy a more limited range of items for a fixed price at www.amazon.co.uk. Amszon emails you when someone agrees to buy, then collects your earnings and deposits them in your bank account. There is a listing fee and you pay a percentage of what you make.

Buying safely

• Read description carefully, check postage costs and how seller wants to be paid.
• You cannot back out once you have bid, so check it is a bargain. Look for same item elsewhere on site or price comparison sites.
• Check buyer feedback for this seller, so you don't buy from anyone with a poor track record.
• Email the seller of an item to check any details before you make a bid.
• Decide on your top limit and enter this on the site as well as your bid. The seller and other buyers won't be aware of this but the auction site will automatically increase your bid each time someone outbids you, up to that limit.
• Use a credit card to pay for anything that costs more than £100 - the card company is then equally liable if something goes wrong.
• For expensive items (say, over £500) consider using an escrow service (e.g. www.escrow.com) which means your money won't be passed to the seller until you have received the goods.
• Don't make payments except through the auction site, otherwise you will lose all protection. Fraudsters' tricks include emailing bidders directly, claiming to be a seller whose buyer has dropped out, then pocketing the money but never sending the requested goods.
• Always give feedback about the seller of the site.

Selling successfully

• For valuable items set a reserve price. On eBay this must be at least £50 (2005). If bids don't reach this amount you are not forced to sell for less.
• Don't send goods until you've received payment, unless you are using an escrow service (where the payment is handled by a third party such as www.escrow.com).
• Give feedback about your buyer on the website.

Source: 'How to bag a better bargain online' in Good Housekeeping, September 2005

Seasonal Affective Disorder (SAD)

Characterised by depression, extra but unsatisfying sleep and weight gain. With shorter daylight hours, the pineal gland makes more of the sleep/wake cycle hormone melatonin, which may have an effect on brain serotonin.

To compensate for irritability, discomfort, moodiness and depression, sufferers eat more carbohydrate to lift serotonon levels. But because as little as 1.5oz (50 grms) of carbohydrate can start the reaction that produces serotonin, eating more than that will make you fatter but no calmer. The effect is also delayed and it may be an hour before after dinner biscuits are digested and begin to soothe the mind and ease appetite.

Source not recorded, date not known

Effective Home Working and Homework

Whether you need a home office space, a hobby space or your child needs somewhere to do their homework, try to find a set space in which to work. People are creatures of habit, good and bad, and habits have strong connections to places, so try and find a special, permanent space. It does not have to be a whole room; it can be a corner in a bedroom or somewhere else in the house.

A noticeboard above the space can hold reminders of long and short term goals. Your or your child should find out how you/they spend time on different activities. Note how much homework is set and when it needs to be handed in, or when work has to be delivered. Then you/they can set up a homework/leisure home timetable. Do work/homework first, then 'reward' yourself with something you enjoy doing.

People also like rituals, including clothing for specific activities. This puts us into the right frame of mind for the activity, so have a work outfit - don't work in pyjamas. For homework this could be a favourite 'studying' t-shirt or a hat (the thinking hat) or a scarf.

Baroque music played regularly as backgound to work/homework can become a positive mental trigger - the brain recognises this as time to study. Listening to the music on headphones can also block out other noises and distractions. Turn off technological distractions (phones, etc.).

Make sure you have the right equipment - pens, pencils, paper etc - for the task in hand. Have a special notebook in which to jot down ideas. For children, get a good store of stickers; get them to be independent learners by setting their own goals and deciding when to reward themselves. Works for adults too as a visual acknowledgement of where you have got to in a task!

Technology. What children and adults hear, see and touch they remember better and for longer. if using the Internet for research, specify beforehand what you want to find out, then search out those facts. Limit your search time and keep on track.

Don't forget to get enough rest - the brain needs sleep.

Main source: Make Your Child Brilliant by Bernadette Tynon. Quadrille, 2008 (ISBN 978-184400-579-6)