School dinners are food for thought

Food for thought

It is staggering that so many schools are still serving junk food to pupils, as reported by 7DAYS on Thursday.

There cannot be a person in the academic world in the UAE who is not aware of the country's near epidemic levels of obesity and diabetes. Health chiefs are trying hard to tackle the issue, but cannot do so alone.

So, a modern school is not just about books and exams, it is about laying the foundations to ensure future generations are stronger and wiser than those that came before.

Now, I'm no engineer, but I'm pretty sure chips and fried chicken don't make good foundations.

A new threat

Bombs implanted in bodies may seem like stuff of spy novels, however this new threat is actually a stark reminder of the real and constant danger presented by terrorism.

Officials in both the United States and Europe have said they have compelling evidence that Al Qaeda bombmakers and doctors are working together to develop technology that could hide a bomb inside a living body that was not only powerful enough to rip its host apart but also bring down a plane.

The obvious advantage for the terrorist is that it would be much harder to detect than something strapped under their clothes or hidden in luggage.

It shows that these groups are adapting, just like the printer cartridge bomb plot that Dubai Police helped foil last year.

Terror groups such as Al Qaeda may not have the massive resources of the likes of the CIA but they are small and not bound by the bureaucracy and redtape of these mighty behemoths.

That means they can be nimble and adapt quickly. Let's hope we can do the same, for all our sakes.