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Five Great Pieces of Camping Clothing

admin — Tue, 06 Dec 2011 13:37:29 +0000

For any camping expedition, regardless of where it will be taken or at what time of year, there are certain items of clothing which will be needed. These items will provide wearers with high quality features alongside comfort and attractive appearances. So, what are some of the best pieces of camping clothing available?

1. Shoes/Boots

An integral part of any camping outfit, investing in decent footwear is a must for anyone preparing to brace the outdoors. The types of camping shoes which are available vary on the type of use they are intended for and different types will offer everything from multiple layers to crampon attachments.

The flexibility and weight of the shoe should always be considered in relation to the proposed use. This type of shoe should also feature breathable materials which are designed to keep feet fresh, reducing perspiration and enhancing comfort.

2. Fleeces

Lightweight and warm, fleeces are another integral part of any camping outfit. The design of these materials is intended to be perfect for any time of year, making them a great addition for any camper. In the summer they make a great, lightweight jacket to keep the effects of the wind at bay whilst making an integral addition layer to clothing during colder seasons.

These items are actually called “polar fleeces” and are made from soft, synthetic and insulating fabrics. The first of these was items were created in 1979 and they have been popular ever since.

3. Trousers

Whether these are waterproof or otherwise, there are plenty of options available to campers. Manufacturers such as Regatta will create a range of these products, offering warmth, comfort and superior fit to their wearers.

These trousers will typically be cinched at the bottoms and waist, allowing a closer fit to be obtained. This will ensure the best levels of protection whilst helping to provide a high level of comfort. Reinforced knee areas are also a common feature, especially for designs intended for more active uses.

4. Thermals

With everything from thermal socks to thermal gloves being available it is no wonder that these have become an integral part of camping clothing. Thermals make excellent base layers for campers and are used to help retain warmth.

Thermal clothing works by adding a number of additional layers to a campers clothing. Most thermals are constructed from two-ply fabric, with body heat being retained in between these layers. Alongside this, the material which is used and the design of the clothing’s construction helps to keep perspiration off of the body, ensuring both warmth and comfort are retained.

5. Waterproofs

The last essential item for any camper is a waterproof. These are available in both jackets and trousers and are made by a number of manufacturers, including Craghoppers. These items are designed to keep campers safe and dry whilst out in the wilderness, protecting them from the effects of the elements.

Different items will have different levels of water resistance and it is important that people check this before investing in these products.

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Pollution is now a very serious threat to public health

Alan — Thu, 17 Nov 2011 03:50:14 +0000

The Environmental Audit Committee has said that the fact that the UK is failing to meet pollution guidelines set by Europe is putting the health of UK citizens at risk. Not only this, but the health problems are causing the country and economic strain as they are estimated to the cost the country around £15 billion a year to treat.

Rather than actually dealing with the problem of excessive pollution and failing to meet the European guidelines, the UK has been continually negotiating with Europe for extensions on the amount of time they have to meet the pollution guidelines. This is simply causing health concerns for UK citizens and many people are calling on the government to take immediate action.

Some lawyers have suggested that the UK has been breaking EU regulations since 2005. Failure to meet these regulations will ultimately result in significant fines. Research suggests that pollution levels shorten the average life expectancy of someone in the UK by around eight months. For those in the most affected areas this figure is around two years.

John Walley a member of Parliament who is chair of the committee investigating the government’s failure has commented, “It is a scandal that people are dying early from air pollution especially as this is often the most poor people as they have to live near the busiest roads. Dangerous chemicals, diesel fumes and bits of tyre are just a few of the substances that cause significant harm to this group.”

Recent research has suggested that it is not just fumes from the engine that are harmful to people’s health but also small particles that are generated by the cars tyres as well as the braking system.

The regulations from Europe state that a country may exceed the allowed amount of pollution free day 35 times in a year. This year this quota was already exhausted by the end of April. 43 zones are assessed throughout the country and currently in 40 of these the European standards are not being met.

Recent projections by the government estimate that the problem will continue until 2015 and possibly even later for the capital city. Many have thought that the Olympic Games might add to the problem and this is caused ministers to promise that they will be the ‘greenest games on record’.

One of the main attempts by the government to tackle the nitrogen oxide emissions problem is to move haulage off the roads and onto rail, which is a more environmentally friendly method of transporting goods. They have also suggested that vehicles that make less pollution should have a lower price and that retailers should be encouraged to have the goods delivered outside of busy hours.

Boris Johnson, the Mayor of London, has recently put limits on how old Black Cabs can be and has made a great deal of effort into promoting cycling in the capital. A spokesperson from the Department of the Environment has also highlighted that significant funds are being put into reducing pollution by improving transport.

The committee that has been investigating the failure by the government has come up with the suggestion that the government introduced a Low Emission Zones in the areas with the most pollution. The committee has urged the government to take immediate action to rescue the health of the nation.

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Mobility Cars

admin — Thu, 24 Feb 2011 12:40:17 +0000

If you’re a wheelchair user you’ll appreciate that it’s hard to fit your wheelchair into most cars. Moving from a wheelchair into a car, then folding up and stowing the wheelchair can be a lot of hassle. For this reason a mobility car could be the answer to your problems. Mobility cars, also known as Wheelchair Accessible Vehicles (WAVs), are specifically modified cars or vans that allow wheelchairs to be wheeled or lifted into the vehicle, allowing the wheelchair user to remain in their chair and doing away with the hassle of transferring between seats and collapsing and stowing the wheelchair.

Passenger or Driver?

Mobility car modifications fall into two general categories; the first and most common is where the wheelchair user is a passenger and the second is where they are the driver. These two categories require different modifications to the vehicle, but in general they both require the addition of some form of access, such as a ramp or power-assisted lift, the lowering and/or reinforcing of the floor to provide more headroom and allow for the additional weight of the chair, and a system for securing the wheelchair in place. Modifications that allow the wheelchair user to drive will often include adaptations to the controls, such as steering and pedals, and re-designing the front seating and can be very expensive.

Who Makes Them?

There are many specific mobility car manufacturers throughout the UK that sell new or second hand high specification modified vehicles that are ready for use immediately. Some companies are also able to design and adapt vehicles to the individual needs of their customers. Mobility cars come in all shapes and sizes but people-carriers, MPVs and vans are the most popular models as they provide more room for wheelchair accessibility, comfort and other passenger seating. If you think a mobility car would make your life easier it’s worth contacting a mobility company to see what they can do for you.

Motability Car Scheme

Understandably, buying a specifically modified new car is expensive, so it’s good to know that the charity Motability can help through the Motability Car Scheme. If you receive either the higher rate mobility component of the Disability Living Allowance or the War Pensioners Mobility Supplement and have a minimum of 12 months of your allowance left you can exchange your allowance in part or in full for a mobility car.

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Drinking in pregnancy may be ok

Alan — Sat, 09 Oct 2010 00:36:54 +0000

There is a new study out on drinking and alcohol that has provoked some outrage. A study by University College London seems to conclude that some light drinking while pregnant is okay. That is strictly at odds with the advice of the Department of Health who counsels, since 2007, that no level of alcohol is safe when pregnant.

The Department of Health recommendation is in step with health official recommendations in the U. S. and Canada. Up until 2007, however, the UK thinking was that drinking should be avoided for the first trimester, but was okay in moderation after that.

The new study examined children when they were age three and age five. It reported that the children of light drinkers suffered no deficiency or abnormalities due to their mothers’ occasional imbibing and that they even scored higher in cognitive testing than the children of mothers who did not drink at all.

Of course such results have reached a proportion of scandalous outrage in certain circles. Some health officials, scientists, and experts are renouncing it saying that more research needs to be done before advising mothers that it is okay to drink, a claim University College London does not make.

Others say that the results are more poignant an indicator of social divides. It seems that the mothers claiming to be light drinkers were mostly better off than mothers admitting to heavy drinking. The study therefore reaffirms the claim that socially advantaged children score higher in cognitive testing than their less well off counterparts rather than affirming or denying the effects of alcohol, say others.

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Over fifties at serious risk of HIV

Alan — Sat, 24 Jul 2010 07:43:07 +0000

The Health Protection Agency warned this week that those over the age of fifty are at as much risk of acquiring an STD from unsafe sex as younger people who engage in the same behaviour. It also revealed evidence that the number of people over fifty who are becoming HIV positive has been doubled over the last seven years.

The HPA reported that in 2000 there were 299 new HIV infections recorded in people over the age of fifty with a plan to present its findings in Vienna at the International Aids conference. However, just seven years later in 2007 there were 710 new cases reported.

It should be noted that some of those that were diagnosed with the infection may have been infected when they were younger in age but simply not diagnosed until older in age. After showing early symptoms of the disease many people that are healthy still feel well and do not suspect the presence of the infection for up to ten years, however, the later the diagnosis the smaller the chances of successfully surviving life with the disease.

Despite the above fact, half of those over the age of fifty that were found to be infected proved to have recently acquired the infection, suggesting that they may not be following safe sex practices.

Senior HIV scientist at the HPA Centre for Infections, Ruth Smith, stated that the new survey results emphasize the need for HIV testing at all ages and the need for continual reinforcement of the safe sex message.

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Scientists want to know why is Ozzy Osbourne still alive

Alan — Fri, 18 Jun 2010 18:18:47 +0000

Scientists plan to map out the genetic code of Ozzy Osbourne in an effort to discover how he is still alive after abusing alcohol and drugs for decades. The former front man for Black Sabbath is only one of a handful of people across the globe to have his gnome scientifically analyzed.

It is hoped that the £27,000 test, which takes over three months to complete will offer information on how drugs are absorbed into the body over time.

Ozzy, now aged 61 has lived a life that scientifically should have killed any other person. In fact, the singer himself does not understand how he is still alive, describing himself as a miracle after being on a bender for the last forty years.

Ozzy not only has abused alcohol and drugs, admitting to drinking four bottles of cognac per day at some points, but he has also survived a 2003 quad bike accident, in which he broke his neck, and is known best for biting the head off a bat.

The famous singer has a genetic disorder and has been committed to a mental institution on at least one occasion, although he is still with his wife that at one point he attempted to strangle.

Knome, the US company behind the testing, may finally be able to offer him some answers when they use a blood sample to map out his genetic code.

Director of research at the firm, Nathan Pearson, stated that analyzing individuals and sequencing those with extreme medical histories is a great way to gain scientific value.

The results are aimed at helping scientists understand why some rockers such as Keith Richards, Ozzy, and Ronnie Wood are able to take the consistent substance abuse.

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Food allergies mis-diagnosed

Alan — Thu, 20 May 2010 02:20:44 +0000

Those who suffer from food allergies receive some of the worst services at their doctors’ due to the fact that test results that are misleading often lead to poor quality research and wrong diagnoses.

A review of the available research for those that suffer from a food allergy found that around three out of every ten people that believe they have a food allergy actually do not. In many cases, people avoided certain food choices or parents refused to give children food groups although as they grew older they overcame their allergies.

The most common allergies that people claim to have are to shellfish, peanuts, cow’s milk, fish, and eggs. The results of the review found that 3.5% of people believe they are allergic to cow’s milk, while only almost one percent really is.

On the other hand, the blind testing found that those who believe they are allergic to peanuts, about .75%, actually are.

Results suggest that many people may not understand what the significant difference is between a food allergy and a food intolerance, the latter of which is caused by a substance within the food, while an allergy is a response produced by the immune system.

Consultant allergist for the Cambridge Addenbrooke’s Hospital, Dr. Pamela Ewan, stated that within the UK the chaos is massive with many doctors offering the wrong advice, because those doctors are not properly trained.

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Study says mobiles do not cause brain cancer

Alan — Wed, 19 May 2010 00:36:52 +0000

Using a mobile phone will not increase the chance of developing brain cancer despite initial reports that it may, according to the largest mobile use study to be conducted so far.

The International Agency for Research on Cancer (IRAC) looked at an analysis of over 10,000 people and did not find any evidence to prove there is a link between brain cancer risk and years of mobile use.

Although there has been public concern, there is not a biological mechanism that is triggered by mobile use that may result in cancer.

The research hopes that the study will help calm anxieties among the general public.

In fact, studies have already shown that in countries such as Sweden where mobile use has been prevalent, brain cancer has not increased at all, which is consistent with the most recent study.

The Interphone study cost £17m and received a portion of the funding from the mobile industry, which looked at about five thousand men and women from 13 different countries that were diagnosed with glioma and meningioma- two different types of brain cancer between the years of 2000 and 2004.

Each of the patients was asked to track their mobile phone usage and each of the results were compared against adults with the same background, sex, and age that are cancer free.

The report also found that people who had brain tumours were more likely to overestimate the impact of mobile use as a risk factor given that the disease can cause problems with cognition, memory, and the accuracy of how much they used their phones.

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New clues to genetic breast cancer risk

Alan — Thu, 13 May 2010 14:55:04 +0000

UK researchers have singled out five genetic clues that may identify why some women have a family history of breast cancer.

The new discovery brings the number of genetic variations linked to breast cancer to 18. The research team was led by Cambridge University and could mean that more women could be screened and treated before they develop breast cancers.

Breast cancer is understood to occur one out of every twenty times due to genetic inheritance. It is also the most common cancer found in the UK, with over 45,500 new cases of breast cancer diagnosed every year. It is still not understood precisely why a woman gets breast cancer. It is thought that lifestyle and environmental factors may influence the likelihood of getting the disease.

The researchers of the project looked into the entire genetic code of 4000 patients that have a family history of the cancer and then looked at the DNA of an additional 24,000 women some of which are battling breast cancer and some of which are not.

After careful study of the gene codes, they found five ‘spots’ on the genome that seemed to be linked to a family history of the devastating cancer. Previous to the study, scientists had already known that there are two genes in particular that are high risk to someone if they are present, the BRCA1 and BRCA2.

Lead author of the University of Cambridge team, Dr. Douglas Easton, stated that they are confident the gene variations they found increase the risk of breast cancer and while they are not the entire picture or explanation of the presence of breast cancer, they will help genetic profiling of risk factors.

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Most British kids not protected against Meningitis C

Alan — Thu, 13 May 2010 02:05:02 +0000

Research from the Oxford University Oxford Vaccine Group has discovered that even though there is a vaccine available in the Childhood Immunisation Programme to guard against meningitis C, most children in Britain are still not protected against the disease.

The study found that three of every four children in Britain are not protected against the powerful virus, even though the vaccine has been a part of the UK immunization programme since 1999.

The national charity and the top voice against the results of meningitis, the Meningitis Trust, is worried about the results of the study, as it has seen close up just how devastating Meningitis can be, as this is infection of which can result in serious trauma and even death.

Back in 1999, the charity organization played a very significant role in getting the vaccine introduced in the UK, and believes that it can strongly reduce the risk from the brain bug, which was supported in 2008 by a government immunization report. However, while there were no deaths in 2007 from Meningitis C, there are new concerns due to the findings of the study.

Chief Executive of the Meningitis Trust, Sue Davie, stated that vaccination is the only way to save lives and prevent infection and they support the use of all approved vaccines.

Davie continued to say that as a result of the research they welcome the introduction of a booster programme, which would help prevent the suffering that infection with the super bug can cause.

The aim of the Trust is to keep awareness of Meningitis C alive and at the top of the list for health professionals.

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