UK Riots 2011 - Why They Started

The true cause of the riots this August is currently unknown, however there are many theories behind it all.

After the police shooting of Mark Duggan on 6^th August 2011 there were many riots across the UK, including in London, Birmingham, Manchester, Bristol and many more places.

Reasons such as the large proportion of unemployment in the UK could be a possible answer. In Tottenham, the birth of the recent riots, there is an extraordinarily high unemployment rate. It is now the 8^th highest in the UK. After London, the violence spread to other cities such as Birmingham and Manchester. This could also be due to a high unemployment rate. Birmingham has 4 of the top 5 unemployment rates in the UK. The highest is in Birmingham Ladywood, where the unemployment level is 11.9%. Therefore, unemployment is most probably a high contributory factor to the August riots.

Many believe the development of gangs in urban areas is a reason for the riots across the UK. Rioting gangs can influence young people and make them believe it is acceptable to act in these ways, causing damage to many lives without even thinking about their actions. Children as young as 11 years of age have been caught contributing to these riots, and this could be down to their peers acting in a terrible manner.

Government cuts meant that youth clubs have had to close in Tottenham. Youth clubs can keep teenagers off the streets and let them participate in social, non-violent activities. Unfortunately, the closing of youth clubs means that many teenagers have less to do and no one to aspire to. As well as this inner city areas have faced a large amount of closures of their primary schools, leading to poor education for children. Children then go onto secondary school with no motivation or aspiration and do not have a high attainment level. This can lead to people having no job, and they then feel the need to riot about this. They also come to a stage where ‘the only way to get money or possessions in this age is to steal things’ said a man involved in the looting following the riots.

There are many causes to the August 2011 riots in the UK, though I believe they are largely to do with government cuts leading to high unemployment rates and gang influence.

Can the common cold be cured?

Adults generally catch between 2 and 4 colds every year and for children it is even worse, with about 10 colds being caught every year. The common cold can be easily passed on from person to person from coughing, sneezing and simply touching infected surfaces. Therefore, there is desperate need for a cure for the common cold.

Experts have now found that the brutality of the common cold can be lessened.

Taking zinc, in the form of zinc syrup for example, within a day of having common cold symptoms will shorten the recovery time. Zinc is also said to help defend against future symptoms of the common cold. Zinc can lessen infections, stop the cold viruses getting into the body through the nose and even stop the virus from duplicating.

However, there are some problems with taking excess zinc. There are toxicity concerns from too much zinc and can lead to nausea, vomiting, abdominal pain and diarrhoea.

Consequently, there needs to be further research into the correct dosing of zinc so any side effects do not develop.

Mexico to the USA

Mexicans migrating to the USA is a big problem for the border patrol, Mexico and the USA. However there are also advantages.

Why migrate to the USA?

—  Mexican unemployment is at about 40%.

—  As well as this, jobs are poorly paid.

—  There are poor medical facilities in Mexico.

·         Many jobs are available with a good pay (minimum wage) in the USA.

·         Glorious life of Americans – “American dream”

The vast amounts of illegal migrants from Mexico every year creates high costs for the US Border Patrol. Also, conflicts can be created between cultures in USA urban areas. However, the fact that migrants are often paid minimum wage helps the US economy.

The migrants also have an impact on Mexico. As the majority of migrants are mainly young men there is an aging population and a very young population left behind in Mexico. There are therefore less people to support these age groups. Emigrants can help the Mexican economy because they send back a lot of money back to their families.

Even though the large amount of Mexican migrants can sound bad, it can benefit themselves, their families, Mexico and the USA.