catholicherald.co.uk

We have all been overwhelmed by the harrowing pictures and tragic stories of the refugee crisis affecting Europe, individuals no less than governments. I heard on the World Service in the early hours of this morning that the EU, which has met again to discuss the problem, is proposing a quota system, more aid for the refugee camps in Turkey and Lebanon and an attempt to formally distinguish between economic migrants and Syrians fleeing civil war. Will this “plan” work? To me it sounds like more words rather than a solution.

Another aspect not addressed in UK newspapers has been raised in the parish bulletin for 20th September, of Fr George Rutler at the Church of St Michael, New York. He comments that “especially prudent is the counsel of bishops in places like Hungary and Slovakia, who know from long experience the consequences of confusing naivety with mercy. Ninety per cent of the current refugees are Muslim and the situation is complicated by the fact that ISIS boasts that there are many of their own people among them.”

Korin Miller

They may have walked five miles — uphill, in the snow — to school, but Baby Boomers had at least one thing easier than Millennials do: shedding pounds. (Gif: Getty/Priscilla De Castro for Yahoo)

Next time you hear your parents complain that you have it easy, mention this: Scientists have discovered that it’s harder for millennials to lose weight than it was for their parents at the same age.

The findings were part of a new study published in the journal Obesity Research & Clinical Practice. For the study, researchers analyzed dietary data from the National Health and Nutrition Survey, which was collected from 1971 to 2008 from more than 36,000 U.S. adults. They also analyzed physical activity data between 1988 and 2006.

What they discovered: People were about 10 percent heavier in 2008 than in 1971 and five percent heavier, despite eating the same amount of food and doing the same exercise.

Corn was the biggest offender — people who ate it regularly gained an average of two pounds over four years. (Photo: Getty Images)

You’ve heard it many times before: To maintain a healthy weight, exercise regularly and eat more fruits and vegetables. But new research has found that when it comes to weight loss, not all fruits and vegetables are created equal.

A Harvard study of more than 133,000 people published in the journal PLOS Medicine found that some starchy fruits and vegetables can actually make people gain weight over time.

For the study, researchers analyzed the changes that men and women in the U.S. made in their fruit and vegetable intake over 24 years, as reported in previously conducted dietary questionnaires and self-reported changes in weight. Scientists specifically analyzed several four-year periods for their findings.

Planes are more tightly packed than ever. Are our human rights being violated? (Illustration: iStock)

It’s the newest civil rights movement — or, more accurately, civil aviation rights movement.

As airlines look to boost passenger capacity, and profits, by reducing the legroom passengers enjoy on flights, some passenger rights groups are getting fed up. They say the increasingly cramped conditions airline passengers (especially those flying in economy class) face are no longer a consumer issue; they’re calling it a human rights issue.

“We have the right to a certain amount of space when we’re traveling,” Christopher Elliott tells Yahoo Travel. Elliott is a travel journalist and co-founder of the airline advocacy group Travelers United. He recently wrote an eyebrow-raising  Washington Post op-ed about the new push for human rights on airplanes.

“After the Washington Post story, I heard from so many people who said, ‘I was on a flight and didn’t have any room,’” Elliott tells Yahoo Travel. “People are saying it’s about time someone said this because we don’t feel we’re being treated like people.”