Halloween has become almost as commercialised as Christmas. Children won’t play Trick or Treat unless they have appropriate costumes. Every store has hats and brooms for witches. Every home that has children has to be decorated too. There’s no need to ask, ”Is there a ghost in the house?” because at least one of the children will be dressed up in a white sheet uttering ghostly noises. In many windows hallowed out pumpkins hold candles which cast out a flickering light, thus adding to the ghostly atmosphere. It’s doubtful whether today’s children play those old-fashioned Halloween games such as snap apple any more. It’s even more doubtful whether they put chestnuts to roast on an open fire. Busy parents buy their costumes these days instead of making them. Yet despite these differences children still love dressing up, taking a bag and knocking on doors hoping to be given lots of lovely things to eat. Halloween may be commercialised but children will always be children.

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Terrorism - Are we fanning the flames? That’s the question that President Obama must ask himself before agreeing to send even more troops to Afghanastan. The army may say they need more troops on the ground but are they already driving more Afghans into the arms of the militants? What benefit will there be from sending more troops? Perhaps its time to start another war but this time one on want. The army is full of engineers, doctors and builders who could make such a difference in poor countries by providing facilities that people lack. If they were doing that perhaps the answer to the question would be an unqualified “Yes”. The more troops they send the sooner the war on want could be won.

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Another Tsunami hits the headlines with more deaths and destruction. When are we going to do something abut it? Perhaps we cannot control nature but surely we can control where people live? Isn’t it time we used all the scientific information we have available to pinpoint the most dangerous places in the world and moved people away from them? Such disasters often happen in poorer countries where their governments may not have the facilities to foresee a Tsunami or a landslide but surely the richer countries can share such information with them? Then those countries that are likely to be affected could put exclusion zones in place that forbade building within the appropriate number of miles from the coast for instance? Instead of relying on those volunteering to clear up the aftermath of a tsunami we should share the information provided by modern day technology to prevent the horrible consequences.

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There are many ways of saving a life. You could try to learn swim it may save your life. It could also, of course, be the means of saving someone else’s life. Is first aid a matter of life or death? It could easily be. So if you were at the scene of a horrible accident and you were able to administer first aid wouldn’t you be glad you had bothered to learn? You are always being urged to be a blood donor and for the very good reason that you might save a life. In fact the life you save could be your own or that of a member of your family. If you joined an anti abortion lobby group you might well be able to save the life of an unborn baby. Even after your death you can help someone else if you are one of those people who carry organ donor cards. So you see saving a life isn’t just for heroes or heroines it’s for all of us.

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President Obama is off to Copenhagen to back Chicago’s bid for the Summer Olympics. That’s proof of the importance of the Olympic Games to any country in economic as well as sporting terms. Who ever gets the games will benefit financially but we should remember that the elite athletes are exceptional.
Sport is for all whatever our age or ability. As we get older we may only be able to manage a swim in the pool but we can always retain our interest in sport by supporting a team, joining a fan club or working for a club. We may choose to follow soccer the beautiful game or trudge around the golf course after Tiger Woods. We may think that Muhammad Ali was the best fighter ever or we may simply present the prizes at a school sports day. There is no doubt though that sport is an integral part of our culture and for many people an absorbing hobby or a lucrative business.

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The World Leaders are still talking about the threat to the environment. Yet when you consider their lifestyle you could be forgiven for thinking they don’t care about it at all. They go to meetings in limousines. Yet automobiles kill people and the environment. The politicians travel around the world in jets. They travel with entourages.  There is no doubt but that their carbon footsteps can be seen wherever they gather.  In an age of communication they could try teleconferencing and never have to move from their offices at all. Their staff could email each other with the results of all their research. Historically, convenience was for aristocrats who travelled in coaches while the rest of the population walked.  The world has changed and every ordinary citizen can now avail of cars and planes. Yet once again they are asked to forgo this convenience and travel by bus or train and to restrict their flying. Isn’t it time our leaders led by example?

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Army Deployment Speeches to Troops are, obviously, motivational in tone. Very few of them though would include any reference to First Aid Yet the enhanced Tactical Combat Casualty Care (TCCC) skills developed by military trauma specialists have saved many lives in Iraq and Afghnistan. With 4000 troops killed in these wars so far any training that would prevent deaths should be an immediate and urgent priority. Obviously there are medical corps with advanced skills but every soldier should know as much first aid as possible. Such knowledge would not add to the weight of his or her kitbag and could drastically reduce the number of eulogies for an army funeral.

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For most people it would be dream come true. Yet one rarely hears of big prize-winners achieving anything spectacular with their winnings. You never hear of them starting an orphanage in India or sponsoring a new ward in a hospital for sick children. You never read of winners putting the money into a project that benefits society for generations to come. That is not to say, of course, that people do not do some good with their winnings. They may help their own families to buy homes for instance. Undoubtedly some do give to their favourite charity. Yet basically most winners speak about themselves, the cars they will buy, the holidays they will take. Yet, even if they do help some family members they are probably making others jealous. They may find their friends feel left out in the cold. I when they change their lifestyle. It could be that such winners overspend and end up losing the money and making fools of themselves. In fact you could find that winning the lottery is bad luck. That thought probably won’t put people off buying tickets because for most of it winning the lottery is still a dream.

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Life is precious, particularly if you are on Death Row and you are innocent. Troy Davis who is on Georgia’s Death row for 15 years has now had an international campaign going to save his life. The U.S. Supreme Court has now ordered a federal court to hold an evidentiary hearing because of new evidence obtained since his trial. His is only one of many cases where there are doubts about the innocence of the convicted prisoners. Although DNA can’t tell you everything there is no doubt but that it may have a bearing on some old cases if they are re-opened. Even one person executed is one too many, whatever their crime. Executions are barbaric and inhuman and must cause revulsion in any civilised person. Death Row-The case against is not just a cause for debate it is a case that must be won. Amongst those executed have been many who were mentally ill and deserved compassion and medical treatment. Certainly too the disadvantaged make up many of the prison population.
That is not to say that those who kill and maim should not be jailed because, obviously, citizens must be protected. For other infringements of the law, though, there is a definite school of thought that says that prison is not the only answer to crime. States that endorse the death penalty are using the out of date philosophy of an eye for an eye and a tooth for a tooth. It has no place in a modern democracy.

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President Obama is pressurising for health reform and rightly so. Any civilised nation looks after the weakest and most defenceless of its citizens and there is nobody more defenceless than those who are ill and uninsured. He is also pressuring for people to look after their own health and again he is quite right. Each one of us knows someone who has led a healthy lifestyle who has become ill through no fault of his or her own. Yet medical research shows that the majority of illnesses are caused by our own greed, our own lack of exercise, by smoking, alcoholism and drugs. Add to that the carnage on our roads caused by drink and speed and you will see that huge sums of money are spent on treating people who have caused their own suffering. The question is who should pay for their treatment?  If they were put to the end of the queue would we be able to treat those who need treatment and who through no fault of their own cannot afford it?
If medical insurance companies charged people by their weight a lot of them would probably go on a diet. If schools and offices had a mandatory walk or gym session every day people would get into the habit of exercise. If rubbishy and fast foods were taxed highly perhaps companies would produce more healthy options. Above all if doctors were paid to keep their patients healthy it would be better for everyone.
The President has it right when he says, “Health- it’s  in your  own hands.”

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