Britain: When alcohol takes its toll on you, where to sit or sleep doesn't matter.
Britain, no doubt, is a famous tourist country. Buckingham Palace, Big Ben, Number 10 Downing Street, etc., are places that make Britain unique in the tourism sector.
But statistically, Britain is well known and famous too for the country's high percentage of alcohol consumption and the rise of teenage pregnancy.
Teenage pregnancy and alcoholism used to be social problems affecting Third World countries. For example, in Asia, Africa, and some parts of Latin America, poverty has escalated to alcoholism and underage prostitution.
The result is disastrous. Inexperienced mothers carrying babies and young boys fathering children instead of being in the classrooms. As a result of these problems, child delinquency is on the rise.
The question is, "Is Britain also a Third World country?" What is causing these problems? Inadequate sex education? Are most of the drinkers from broken homes?
On the streets of Britain, it is very common on weekends to see young men and women stumbling through the streets with drinks. They drink without knowing their limit, and some sleep by the roadside and on pavements. Some are even raped and dumb.
The drunkards engage in brawls, violence, and public disorder, while the police toil in vain to maintain order and tend to those who need help. What a sick society Britain is turning into!
During drinking hours, streets are littered with the refuse of empty bottles and cans. Answering nature's call is done everywhere without a second thought, resulting in the alleys and street corners stinking of urine. This is hazardous to public health.
Over the past years, the price of drinks has been inflated to prevent more alcohol consumption, but this is not working. Health experts say the availability of cheap alcohol at supermarkets is a major factor in this problem.
Another point is how Britain wants youths to refrain from alcohol when most of their churches have been closed and turned to drink pubs?
According to statistics, the average Briton of 15 and older drinks the equivalent of about 11.2 liters of pure alcohol a year.
The report said treating alcohol-related conditions cost the state-run health service about £2.7 billion in the fiscal year ended March 31, 2007, almost double the cost in the year 2001.
Pubs and supermarkets do not care about these anti-social problems. They are selling for money to pay their workers.
It is the task of the government to come out with good measures that could help to reduce this problem. Average alcohol consumption has fallen in many nations, but Britain remains the same.
Instead of Prime Minister Theresa May putting pressure on African leaders to legalize same-sex marriage, she has more problems in her own country to find solutions.
Problems in relationships or marriages are very common.
What provoked a Belgian to the extent of killing his Black wife? This was the question on the lips of the African community in Antwerp. The shocking murder of Evelyn Amarim-Vanacker, a 31-year-old mother of two, led to a peaceful demonstration recently.
Evelyn, a native of the Anioma local government in the Delta State of Nigeria, was reported to have been strangled to death by her husband at their home on the 2nd of March 2009. According to sources, the murder took place while the children of the deceased, aged 4 and 1, respectively, were sleeping in one of the rooms upstairs.
After the brutal murder, the husband took the lifeless body of his wife into the boot of his car and drove 100 kilometers to dump the body in an open field by the border between France and Belgium, where the French police discovered the body the next day.
After committing the brutal crime, Mr. Vanacker reported to the Belgian police that his wife was missing. After a heavy interrogation that followed, he broke down and confessed to the killing of his wife.
The motive behind the murder is not clear, but according to sources, there was no more happiness in the marriage after five years. Constant quarrels and exchanges of words were bringing the marriage almost to its knees when this occurred.
The question is, how would the Belgian police handle this case? Especially in Antwerp, where such cases are not seriously dealt with. This has given license to many Belgians to treat foreigners, especially Africans, the way they like.
Many Africans are angry with the African ambassadors sent overseas. "They don't do anything to protect us; all they care about is corruption and greed. Europeans know that they are weak, so they take advantage of this to kill us," said one Nigerian who spoke to me about the killing of Avelyn.
Some of the survivors after the tsunami
Within a relatively short period between January 1st and December 31, 2004, thousands of people worldwide experienced many ups and downs, ranging from social problems to natural disasters.
As a matter of fact, the year 2004 was not all that amusing or a happy year for many people.
The ongoing war in Iraq, ethnic conflicts, and rebel activities in Africa have claimed thousands of lives, including children, and the lucky ones who miraculously survived the carnage suddenly become orphans because their parents have been killed.
Just as the year is coming to an end, a natural disaster, "Tsunamis" which has never been recorded in history, hit Asia, claiming over 120,000 lives, injuring scores on its deadly path, and rendering thousands of people homeless.
Life is said to be a delicate balance between planned activities and unexpected circumstances. That doesn't mean that one has to give up in times of crisis.
Since the year 2004 is gone forever, all our troubles should be buried with it, since the constant thinking of past problems could sometimes act as a stumbling block to our progress.
As the new year arrives, what are our hopes and expectations? Through God, faith, and positive thinking, our hopes and dreams could be a reality.
As individuals, we must put behind religious conflicts and live in peace to work together to make the year 2005 a prosperous and happy year for all.
