zaterdag 6 juni 2009

Atomic bomb test veterans win right to sue MoD


This article concerned with the nuclear consequences in Britain in the 1950s. In the 1950s there were many nuclear tests and now 1000 servicemen blame the Ministry of Defense for their health problems. All these servicemen now want to open a case against the Ministry of Defense. Britain’s atomic test veterans gave their permission to sue for compensation. In the 1950s there were programmes in Australian Mainland, Monte Bello Islands and Christmas Islands. Since the hearing at London’s High Court in January seven people have died. Evidence shows that the men who took part in these programmes are now very ill and most of them have teminally illnesses such as cancer or skin defects, etcetera.


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I think it is very good of these veterans to open a case against the Ministry of Defense and to sue them. Why did they not gave those men extra protection during these tests. Everybody knows that everything that has got to do with nuclear energy is just too dangerous. Well, and these men are the living proof of it. Now we can hear that all of them have got serious diseases and most of them are terminally ill. They have cancer, skin defects or other bad diseases. I feel sorry for them. So it is good for the government to be sued and to take responsibility. I think they owe that to these people. This is not the way how to treat people. They are people, human beings, they are not guinea pigs.

http://www.mirror.co.uk/news/top-stories/2009/06/05/atomic-bomb-test-veterans-win-right-to-sue-mod-115875-21417260/
Iceland to repay £2bn UK savings
Saturday, 6 June 2009 13:09 UK

There is very good news from Reykjavik. Iceland is going to pay the £2.3bn back to the British and Dutch government. There were big tensions and worries between the United Kingdom and Iceland, since last year. This was because the Icelandic banking system was owned by the state and controlled by the government. This caused big problems because de depositors who saved their money on Icesave were affected. But now even Iceland says that they also will pay the plus interest. According to a Treasury spokesman this is not only good news for the taxpayers in the United kingdom but for Iceland as well.

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This certainly is good news for the United Kingdom as for The Netherlands. The bank was a topical subject in the news last year. There were a lot of people who held accounts there. Not only in Britain but also in Holland. The bank collapsed because of the financial crisis. I think this step is positive and it will be a good solution for the tensions between Reykjavik and London. After long waiting the depositors will finally get their money back, but I wonder how long the local authorities and bodies have to wait before they get their money back. A year? Maybe two? Or longer?

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/business/8086997.stm
Killer 'may have raped two more'
Saturday, 6 June 2009 11:19 UK

This article concerned with Michelle Samaraweera, a woman at the age of 35 who is raped and strangled on 30 May in a very cruel way. They have found her dead body in Queens Road Park in Walthamstow, East London. She was on her way to her boyfriend after she went to the shop first. Earlier this year two other women were also raped. The ages of the women are 59 and 46. Police thinks the suspect is the same as in the Michelle Samaraweera case. The suspect is described as a man with dark skin. Both victims described the age of the suspect between 30 and 45 years.

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What an awful article. It makes my flesh creep. I cannot understand why people hurt other people so badly. Men are always stronger than women, so attacks like this are just not fair. Reading about it is scary enough, not to mention how it would be if you go through such a thing like this. You would not wish that on your worst enemy. Horrible. If two women have described the suspect as an Asian man, the chance is too big that this indeed is the same suspect as in Michelle’s case. I think it is no coincidence.
http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/england/london/8086845.stm

vrijdag 22 mei 2009

Schools closed as teachers strike
Tuesday, 19 May 2009 10:47 UK

Two newly-designated academy schools in Essex, Chalvedon and Barstable, are closed because more than 120 teachers have gone on strike. The strike happened in co-operation with the NUT and NASUWT, two teaching unions. There are plans to change the schools into academies on 1 September, when the schools will be taken over by the Basildon Academies trust. The teachers do not want that to happen. The Unions and teachers are afraid that this step will suffer the consequences of increasing working hours of the teachers and shorter holidays. According to the Principal of the Academies Trust this is just a rumor and such a thing will not happen. Members of the teaching unions are angry because they are afraid that the employment conditions will get difficult and unpleasant.

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It is not nice to hear that the school you work for is going to be taken over and that the school will change into an academy. When there are talks like that you, as an employee, will get insecure. You will never know whether the conditions will be the same or worse than before. Fact is that when there is a question of being taken over that the conditions will change in a more negative way. If I were a teacher at one of these schools, than I would go on strike too. I will not like it when they increase my working hours or decrease the holidays because of a taking
over.

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/england/essex/8057145.stm

dinsdag 19 mei 2009

DNA test wrecks Alfie Patten's claim he was a dad at 13
Tuesday, 19 May 2009

The article concers very young school kids from Eastbourne, in East Sussex, who are having a very active sex live. Last February there was a news article published in The Sun about a twelve -year -old boy Alfie Patten who, according to his fifteen-year-old girlfriend made her pregnant. After a court judgment DNA tests showed that not Alfie Patten is the father of Chantelle Stedman’s baby but the fifteen-year-old Tayler Barker is. Tyler Banker has admitted having unprotected sex with the girl after spending the night drinking at her home, but he never thought it was going to be such a big problem, because Chantelle said she would take the morning after pill. Even her mother knew the kids were going to have sex. Chantelle told Alfie all the time that he was Maisie’s father and that she had no other lovers, but she slept with six other young boys at around the same time.

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Being Fifteen years old means that you are still a child. Having children at your fifteenth means that children are having children. I am open to correction, but this situation is in my opinion for what it is worth not normal. In fact it is extremely worrying and awful. At that age you are supposed to keep yourself busy with things that children do, so that means everything but sex. Of course it is normal to be curious at that age but not this extremely. I do not believe that this kind of behavior is good for the development of a young child. We can offer young children better sex education but I think this has got to do everything with mentality and upbringing. I even think it has got to do more with the educator, in this case the mother. A mother has got the responsibility to correct her child and not to agree with everything a child is doing or wants to do.

http://www.mirror.co.uk/news/top-stories/2009/05/19/dna-test-wrecks-alfie-patten-s-claim-he-was-a-dad-at-13-115875-21370528/

maandag 18 mei 2009

Jade is best Eurovision Brit in 7 yrs
published: 17 May 2009

21-year-old Londoner, Jade Ewen, was this year’s United Kingdom candidate for the 54th Eurovision contest 2009 in Moscow, the capital of Russia. The title of the song she sang was “It’s My Time.” Britain was the 23rd act out of 25 countries to perform. Ewen’s performance was good for the fifth place. On stage, Jade Ewen was joined by musical giant Lord Lloyd-Webber on the piano, who has written Britain’s song. About Jade he said: “Jade performed brilliantly, as I knew she would. I am delighted with her fifth place finish; the United Kingdom can finally hold its head up high, after seven years of disappointing results.” Although Britain performed very well, there was patently obvious another country winning; Norway with its song ‘Fairytale.”This song was written and performed by 23-year-old Alexander Rybak.
Ewen said she was disappointed not to have won but she was delighted with her own performance and to have Andrew Lloyd Webber on stage with her and supporting her so much throughout the campaign.”

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I think this year’s Eurovision contest was more different that the other years. This year there was made a change in the voting system. Per country people could vote just like the other years, but because of the fact there also was a jury it means that the results of the voting would be more different than just having the inhabitants of different countries voting. But I think that is good, because all those years the Eurovision contest was very political tinted and there was no fair play going on at all. Countries who cooperate well gave each other the twelve points without looking to the singing talent of the performers. I never believed that this was the meaning of the Eurovision song contest. I am very glad to have this voting system now. And I really think that Jade Ewen is the first after seven years who performed well, her song was beautiful, her voice was beautiful and she did it much better than all the other six before. At least she performed much better than last year’s performer... The United Kingdom can certainly hold its head up high.

http://www.thesun.co.uk/sol/homepage/news/article2433398.ece

maandag 11 mei 2009

Jordan and Peter Andre separating
Monday, 11 May 2009 16:40 UK

After three-and-a half years of marriage, Peter Andre and Katie Price are ending their marriage. They are divorcing. There is no reason given by the couple for the split. In September 2005 the couple married at Highclere Castle in Hampshire and they have three children, Junior and Princess Tiaamii, and Price has also another son Harvey, from an earlier relationship. The couple met each other at the reality show I’m A Celebrity… Get Me Out of Here in 2004 on ITV1. They have been an important part of their own fly-on-the-wall TV show. The ITV2 documentary currently shows Peter Andre in California for three months. He went to California to record his latest album.

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Well, what shall I say on this news article. I watched their own fly-on-the wall TV show a couple of times, but I do not like to watch these kinds of programmes so I never continued watching it. Besides, it is full of nonsense and it is certainly not educational. Nowadays it is a fact that a lot of people do not stay married that long. They divorce very easily for the slightest things. This is principally the case with famous people. How many times did the media shows us that famous couples marry and divorce over and over again? Well, I stopped counting. Horrible. It seems like they think that marriage is some kind of game or something.

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/entertainment/8044335.stm

woensdag 6 mei 2009

Named and shamed: the 16 barred from UK
Tuesday, 5 May 2009

The article says that sixteen people from all different countries are not allowed to enter the United Kingdom anymore. Home Secretary Jacqui Smith certified to make the names of those who were banned since October official and public. People have to know what kind of behavior Britain will not accept. If you have difficulty by living the rules of the country you are not allowed to be in the country and your name will be made public and everyone will know why you are not welcome anymore. On the list there are only names of people who do something that is not allowed or accepted and whose behavior is against the rules and values, or when there is the thought of cause violence or inter-community tension.

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When I started to read this article I thought that the steps this Home Secretary takes are a bit extreme. I thought she wanted to put all people on the list who just have got different opinions. While reading I discovered this was not the case. She only puts people on this list who are overstepping the mark when there is the thought of causing violence or inter-community tension... One of these people on the banned list is Michael Weiner, also known as Michael Savage, the radio talk show host. I agree with this measure of the home Secretary. The people who are on the list of least wanted are people who have extreme ideas and thoughts. If you let them do what they want they can cause very bad things, like hate or violence, which is not good for the society. People deserve to have peace and calmness and if that is only reachable by taking this kind of measures, well then so be it...

http://www.independent.co.uk/news/uk/politics/named-and-shamed-the-16-barred-from-uk-1679127.html

zaterdag 2 mei 2009


The Mirror's Carol Ann Duffy "honoured" to be named Poet Laureat


In 341- year history, 53-year-old Carol Ann Duffy is the first woman who is formally chosen as national poet. Duffy is also best known for her collection, "The World's Wife." Duffy, who corrects and adapts articles for publishing in the Daily Mirror’s weekly Poetry Corner column, said she felt "very honoured and humbled" by her appointment. She already wrote many columns and she looks forward to write a lot of other columns. Duffy is the next person after Andrew Motion to have his position. Andrew Motion was held the post since 1999. Duffy says she sees the appointment as a knowledge of the value or skills of the great woman poets. For that reason she decided to accept the appointment for the next ten years. Part of the Laureate's job is to write poems to commemorate major state occasions and events involving the Royal Family.

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Wonderful to hear that for the first time in 341 years of history a woman is designated to this function on national level. Carol Ann Duffy is a Scottish poet, playwright and freelance writer who is now holding the position Britain’s poet laureate. A Poet Laureate is a poet officially appointed by a government and is often expected to compose poems for State occasions and other government events. I know that this is not an easy task, maybe that is the reason why men were always appointed , which I do not understand. Women are as smart as men, even smarter. By desiganting a woman it seems like the tradition has now changed, which I experience as good. Duffy has proved us that women are able to do anything they want as long as they work hard for it. I have to say that I am very proud of this lady. She really has got talent otherwise she would not have come this far...

http://www.mirror.co.uk/news/top-stories/2009/05/02/the-mirror-s-carol-ann-duffy-honoured-to-be-named-poet-laureate-115875-21324945/
Rape by Baby P man sparks inquiry Saturday, 2 May 2009 10:57 UK


One of the two men, who caused the death of Baby P, is also found guilty of raping a girl who at the time was only two years old. Baby P was only 17 months old and he died in August 2007 after having suffered more than fifty injuries. It is about the 32-year-old boyfriend of baby P’s mother. The evidence information in this case came to light when baby P’s mother and her boyfriend were arrested for his death. The name of this child was also on the north London council’s child protection list. According to some officials child protection systems are still not working. The agencies responsible for child protection are now making plans to improve children’s services.

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Lord… I really do not know what to say about this article. I am speechless. I cannot imagine that a person can do such a horrible thing to a child. Children are holy and you have to stay away from them. No one has got the right to damage a child like that. It makes me speechless but also very angry. There are agencies responsible for child protection, but most of these agencies are not taking their responsibilities to protect children. I cannot understand that when a child is on a council’s protection list it is not being protected against these things. Now the officials and agencies are making plans to improve children services, but how are they going to reach that goal when frontline staff is not even trained well enough to protect children because of the fact they do not have enough experience???
I really think that this could have been prevented. I think it is too easy for agencies to say that there is something wrong with the child protection services. Even after the death of Victoria Climbie, six years earlier, they nowadays still make the same mistakes in protecting children. Children issues are sensitive so there have to be well trained people in those agencies to offer them all the necessary protection and help in critical situations.

http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/uk_news/england/london/8030299.stm
Man charged with murder of Defoe's brother Tuesday, 28 April 2009

A man called, Christopher Farley, is accused of maltreatment in a street attack on Jade Defoe, the half-brother of England footballer Jermaine Defoe. The attack took place near High Road, Leytonstone. Five days later Defoe died in hospital because of his injuries. Christopher Farley will appear tomorrow in custody at Red Bridge Magistrates’ Court because he is charged with murder. The cause of death, which was given, was a head injury. Because of his lost, footballer Defoe could not play for Manchester United last Saturday. Jade Defoe was very popular as MC on the urban music scene. Hundreds of fans joined a tribute page created on Face book.

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There are always news articles or news items, which have got to do with crime. Crime seems to be appearing more and more and it becomes almost a matter-of- course and unthinkable. In spite of this I think that violence, and especially meaningless violence is not normal. I mean, come on, if there is a problem with someone you should have to talk about it and you should discuss it, but you cannot just hit someone or do things that are worse... When I read this article I was shocked. I really do understand that people sometimes get angry with each other but I also think that you should be able to have control over your feelings and emotions. I really think that there is a serious problem going on in society, because nobody has got the right to beat someone to death. Of course it is not reachable to offer each person behavior therapy, but fact is that people are getting more and more impatience and they are not able to control these kind of feelings the way it should. It seems like moral code is diminishing, which is a big shame.

http://www.independent.co.uk/news/uk/

Three new swine flu cases in UK BBC News,
Wednesday, 29 April 2009 15:12 UK

After four adults had been infected with the swine flu, a twelve year-old girl is now also infected with the swine flu; the swine flu victims' number is five in the UK. All of these people became ill with swine flu after visiting Mexico, where the swine flu started. All of them have mild symptoms and in all of those cases the victims are undergoing treatments with anti viral drugs.
According to Prime Minister Brown the swine flu patients are responding well to this treatment. Because of the fact that there is one death reported in the US, the United Kingdom is taking their responsibility to do everything to protect their people by taking necessarily precautions like airport checks. The government is also expanding the anti-viral stocks, they are ordering extra face masks and they distribute information leaflets for every family.

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The swine flu started in Mexico and now the whole world is throwing into confusion. The symptoms seem to be innocent but the consequences are disastrous. I do not believe that this disaster could have been prevented because a disease is a disease, but I am in the opinion that every government has got to take their responsibilities to keep the damage as limited as possible. I think the government in the United Kingdom is taking its responsibilities well to protect people from such things like taking doing airport checks and increasing their budget for the anti viral drugs, ordering extra face masks and give people all the information they want and need on this subject. The more the people know about the symptoms the better it will be to take measures against it.


http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/uk_news/8024690.stm