London's babies and their international mums - The Guardian
London's global magnetism for capital, entrepreneurs and labour is famously large, a characteristic underlined by Office for National Statistics figures compiled by the GLA Intelligence Unit showing that incomers from overseas have lately produced most of the children born here. In 2010 over half - 56.3% - of live births in London were to mothers born outside of the UK. This compares with roughly 25% in the whole of England and Wales.
Look deeper, and we find an interesting distribution of those London births across the boroughs. The four where the percentages were highest - above 70% - are Newham, Brent, Kensington and Chelsea and Westminster. That's quite a variety. The five where they were lowest - below 40% - were, broadly speaking, more alike: the suburban boroughs of Bromley, Bexley, Richmond, Sutton and Havering which, at 20.%, has the lowest of all (though that's still one-in-five).
The birth pattern also varied in terms of the parts of the world whether the overseas-born mother had begun her own life. For example, Bexley's live births to mothers born overseas contained the highest percentage in London from Africa at 51.3%, followed by Southwark, Greenwich and Barking and Dagenham. Tower Hamlets had the highest percentage from the Middle East or Asia (66.8%), followed by Redbridge and Harrow. Waltham Forest had the highest from the "new EU" countries (26.2%), followed by Haringey, Barnet and Ealing.
By contrast, births to "new EU"-born mothers were very low in Westminster and Kensington and Chelsea - less than 5%. Those to East and Asian-born mothers were relatively low - less than 20% - in a very diverse nine boroughs that included Hackney, Richmond, Islington and Barnet. The lowest percentage of Africa-born mothers among all those from overseas was in Tower Hamlets.
All sorts of demographic patterns and contrasts to be detected there - read the whole thing, complete with maps and graphs, by way of here. While doing so, bear in mind the words of our Olympic organisers: "Diversity was a key reason why London, one of the most multicultural cities in the world, was chosen to host the Games in the bidding process."
Zipcar Offers Vauxhall Ampera in London - Car Rentals
This addition to the Zipcar fleet will allow the car sharing network’s members to reserve the Ampera online or on their smartphones – just like any of the other 1,700 Zipcar vehicles throughout the British capital. However, the Amperas will be much easier to spot on London’s busy streets, as they will become movable landmarks thanks to their eye-catching, full-body wrap liveries of country meadows and spots.
The Vauxhall Ampera, which was voted the 2012 Car of the Year, can carry four adults in comfort, while the hatchback design offers great practicality. It offers between 25 and 50 miles of battery-powered electric dive and emits zero tailpipe emissions. The sophisticated propulsion system includes an extended range of up to 360 miles, which allows customers using the car to take it on longer journeys – the range-extending engine helps to sustain battery life. Its small 1.4-litre petrol-fuelled engine/generator operates at optimum efficiency, creating enough electricity to power the motor (not wheels) and runs seamlessly as part of the powertrain.
Zipcar UK general manager Mark Walker says they are committed to positive change in their environments. They believe this pilot marks a step change in the electric vehicle evolution in London and represents a big advance for the city and its residents. Thanks to the unique technology of the Vauxhall Ampera, their members can be taking multiple short trips on any given day using just the stored electric battery power or take longer trips powered by electricity generated by the on-board range extender. Members won’t have to worry about range or recharging an electric car for the first time.
Walker added that, to make the pilot possible, they will be partnering with five London Boroughs – Westminster, Croydon, Wandsworth, Camden and Islington – specifically for the provision of committed charging points. They have worked close to these Boroughs for several years to develop the uptake of car sharing in London, and their continued dedication to advancing the concept is vital for making the capital an even better place to live and work.
Vauxhall Motors new business fleet sales manager Stewart Gibbs says the Ampera has brought the first electric vehicle that can go anywhere, anytime to the market. This car is designed to boost fuel economy and lower emissions. A partnership with an innovative business like Zipcar, who is dedicated to helping the environment, is one they are delighted to be involved in.
Zipcar is the leading car sharing network in the world with a fleet of over 9,000 vehicles on college campuses and in urban areas across the US, Canada and the UK. The company has grown to this since its founding in 2000, and now it has over 700,000 members. The company offers over 30 makes and models of self-service vehicles by the hour or day to both residents and businesses who need an alternative to the expense and hassles of car ownership.
How London 2012 will beat the drug cheats - Daily Telegraph
The team, led by Prof David Cowan, director of the Drug Control Centre at King’s College London, will use what he calls “total data analysis”. “Though we’ll be looking for 200 designated substances whose use is prohibited, our total data capture will allow us to do a 'data-mining’ approach for otherwise unknown substances,” he explains. In this way, his team will be able to re-examine samples for the next generation of designer drugs.
One of the ways they can do this is by using an approach similar to what is known as “metabolomics”, to reveal the chemical fingerprints that cellular processes leave behind in urine. The constituents of a sample are separated using gas chromatography and then studied using mass spectrometry, which “weighs” them precisely. Prof Cowan’s team will be able to study an athlete’s “metabolome” and compare it with the average, to reveal whether it has been affected by diabetes, drugs or whatever.
It is after the Games are over, however, that the most interesting stuff happens. By storing this metabological data for eight years, you can do some very clever things. The most obvious is to revisit old data to look for newly recognised drugs, and strip any cheats of their medals. But over the years, you can also monitor changes in an athlete’s metabolic profile – providing the ultimate version of what Wada calls a “biological passport”. This can, for example, unmask one traditional technique used for “drug-free” doping, in which athletes use transfusions of their own blood, bursting with oxygen and red blood cells, to provide a performance boost.
Prof Cowan is confident that his system of total data analysis will have indirect benefits, too. “Where the athletes know there is going to be good testing, they won’t take drugs,” he says. “The deterrent effect is highly effective.” With luck, and thanks to metabolomics, London 2012 should be the cleanest Olympic Games ever.
Roger Highfield is Director of External Affairs at the Science Museum Group, and judge (with Prof Cowan) of the Scientists in Sport challenge for schools to devise an anti-doping test
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