Pokémon Go is good for children because it brings them outdoors

Pokémon Go is a virtual reality based game that has taken the world by storm - it encourages the players to go outdoors and walk, run and discover the old-fashioned joy of playing outside. As a mother Dr Margaret McCartney, a GP, has said - this mobile phone-based virtual reality game can help make children fitter by getting them out of the house and helps to combat depression, obesity and diabetes.
This has been reported in dailymail.co.uk dated 10 August 2016.

Dr Margaret McCartney, writing in the British Medical Journal, has expressed her opinion that Pokemon Go craze has led to the streets around her home becoming a ‘reclaimed playground in which to have some interconnected fun’. She has explained in the app, players hunt virtual creatures in train stations, parks and other real-life locations and, such hunting encourages walking.
Unfortunately, it is not marketed as a health app but as a video game, hence, it should reach out to an audience that conventional health apps may miss. She accompanies her eight-year-old son ‘for miles’ as he plays Pokemon Go and the game may help children to play outside again.
However, caution must be exercised because the game draws the players to real places, making it easy for criminals to spot congregation points. There have been reports that teenagers in London were robbed of their phones at gunpoint and American players have been involved in real shootouts.


Image courtesy wikimediacommons.org


Some more interesting links -

Theresa May to pay upto £13,000 to families who stay on sources of shale gas

Vadodara museum bans entry of Pokemon GO players in its premises

India in 2016 Rio Olympics - both Sania Mirza and Leander Paes bow out in first stage itself


Moody’s solution for dental care – eat drumsticks (satire)

Lord Shiva stumped by the sea of humanity on 21st (satire)

Didi to gift pepper spray to all girls (satire)


Syrian city of Aleppo falls into hands of rebels and jihadists

North Korea plans to conquer the Moon in 10-year's time

One ISIS suicide bomber of Brussels attack was a cleaner at the European Parliament


Rajinikanth’s Kabali sets a box office record with Rs 600-crore collection

Edinburgh Festival 2016 will have programs on current politics from Brexit to Trump

Shah Rukh Khan could make a movie on tennis star Sania Mirza

Walking is the best exercise in polluted cities

Research carried out by University of Cambridge has found that walking or cycling is good for everyone, even if one is living in polluted cities. In their opinion, the health benefit of physical activity far outweighs the harm caused to the body because of by chemicals and dust that is continuously puffed out by traffic and industry.
This has been reported in dailymail.co.uk dated 6 May 2016.

Air pollution is a major problem in British cities, and this is a major factor that results in 40,000 early deaths in Britain every year. Moreover, only a handful of cities (one percent!) are so polluted that the risks start to overcome the benefits of physical activity within half an hour of cycling. As the study leader has indicated - in London health benefits of active travel always outweigh the risk from pollution.
Even in a city like Delhi which is believed to be one of the most polluted cities in the world – with pollution levels ten times those in London – people would need to cycle over five hours per week to enjoy the health benefits.
A general conception is that those who exercise in polluted areas put themselves at increased risk since they take deeper breaths, thus inhaling more of the toxic pollution and particles that do such damage. But, a new study suggests that the act of exercising outweighs this risk - physical activity reduces the risk of diseases such as diabetes, heart disease, and several cancers.
The bottom line is - invest in infrastructure to get people out of their cars and onto their feet or their bikes – such a double pronged attack would reduce pollution levels and simultaneously, support physical activity.


Image courtesy wikimediacommons.org

Some more interesting links -

Didi wants to move around fast and wants a solution (satire)

Lord Shiva intrigued by the writing on the walls (satire)

Moody hates hotels and feels more at home in his aircraft (satire)


Taj Mumbai welcomes Prince William and Kate, the fourth generation of British monarchy

Huge 26ft python found in Penang - could become a new a Guinness Record holder

Lok Sabha ethics committee probing Narada sting feels the videos are genuine


ISIS still holding 30 workers out of 300 kidnapped from cement factory in Dumeir

Another Bangladeshi blogger killed in Dhaka because of his views on religion

Florida hunters bag a 15-foot 800-pound massive alligator


James Cameron, writer director of Avatar, promises his fans four sequels

'Deadpool' sequel planned and in the pipeline with Ryan Reynolds

Indonesian pop star dies after being bitten by a cobra on stage

British Heart Foundation (BHF) finds that only one in five can run 100m

Research carried out by the British Heart Foundation (BHF) has revealed that nearly half of UK adults get out of breath while running for a bus and that only one in five people in Britain admit that they could only manage to run 100 metres.
This has been reported in news.sky.com dated 4 April 2016.

A poll of 2000 adults found that around 47% felt they could run up to half a mile while three in 10 (29%) of those who claimed to be able to run a mile said they had not done so for more than a decade and nearly two-fifths (38%) admitted to the survey that they did not feel fit enough to join a gym. Just under three in 10 (less than 30%) thought running was for those who are already fit and healthy.
BHF has described the figures as "worrying" and is warning that heart and circulatory disease affects around seven million people in the UK and is responsible for around 155,000 deaths annually. The charity suggests that people participate in the marathon and run the distance of 26.2 miles over the course of a month, so that they can remain fit.
Heart disease can affect anyone at any age, and keeping physically active is one of the best ways to help build a strong and healthy heart.


Image courtesy wikimediacommons.org

Some more interesting links -

Didi rolls out the red carpet (satire)

Moody’s cleanliness drive - free soap for all children (satire)

Lord Shiva cannot relate to today’s Shivaratri (satire)


Teenage girl jumps off moving bus in Mehsana to avoid molestation

Transgender candidate to contest against Mamata Banerjee in West Bengal polls

Japan kills 333 whales in its latest Antarctic hunt - the figure was 252 whales in 2014


ISIS claims responsibility for Brussels attack and warns Britain of more severe attacks

Tragedy in chicken eating contest in Indonesia - a competitor chokes to death

Terror attack in Ankara kills at least 37 - one suicide bomber was a 22-year-old woman

Star Wars Episode VIII to get delayed till December 2017

Antonio Banderas gifted a pair of monkeys to Salma Hayek on her birthday

Frieda Pinto talks about 'Jungle Book - Origins'

Walk to work or go by cycle and shed those kilos to ensure a long healthy life

Walking to work or going by bicycle and even taking public transport are all good habits when one needs to shed the kilos and live a long life - scrapping the car can reap huge health benefits to those who usually drive to work. These are the findings of a new research conducted on more than 150,000 British adults in the age group 40 to 69.
It was found that the average male cyclist weighed 5kg (11lbs) less than men who took their car. As for the women, those who cycled were typically 4.4kg (9.7lbs) lighter than their motoring counterparts. Cyclists also benefited from reduced body fat - male bikers had 2.75% less fat as compared to those who traveled by car, and women 3.26% less.
This has been reported in news.sky.com dated 17 March 2016.

The study was carried out by London School of Hygiene & Tropical Medicine who also discovered that drivers were more likely to have a higher Body Mass Index than cyclists. As one of the researchers have indicated - many people live too far from their workplace for walking or cycling to be feasible. For them, physical activity involved in public transport can have an important effect.
In England and Wales, nearly two-thirds of the 23.7 million people regularly commute to work by car. And, in England, two-thirds of adults do not meet the recommended levels of physical activity. Incidentally, out of those who took part in the massive study, only 4% of men and 2% of women cycled to their office - or combined cycling and walking.
It has been recommended that those in mid-life should be encouraging to use public transport and go in for active commuting because mid-life is the period when obesity becomes an increasing problem.


Image courtesy wikimediacommons.org

Some more interesting links -

Lord Shiva does the treadmill as Sarasawti advises students (satire)

Moody & Co to invite Eskimos for the Yoga meet (satire)

Didi announces holiday for Maha Shivratri (satire)


Jaipur Railway Station goes solar - will mean annual savings of Rs 7.2 lakh on power bills

Alphonso mango, the King of Fruits, make its appearance in Mumbai

Legalise cannabis and pick up £1bn a year in taxes


Tila Tequila evicted from Celebrity Big Brother because of her praise of Hitler

West Bengal tourism to ride piggy-back on Amitabh Bachhan starrer 'Te3n'

‘Heidi’ based on the children’s novel of 1881 becoming a movie from Hollywood


Russia to train five dolphins for its underwater combat fleet

Iran gets ready to launch its Somorgh missile into outer space

Mastermind of Paris terror attacks entered Britain through Dover easily