Blog 12: Blair wants gun crime age reduced

Webpage: http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/uk_news/politics/6372717.stm
Date: 19-02-2007

Summary:
This article is about the Prime Minister, Tony Blair. He wants to lower the age to 17 at which young people can receive long prison sentences for possessing a gun. If you are 21 years old and you are wearing a gun, you can get a five year penalty in jail. The PM wants to lower that age. He came with this review, because of several incidents the last month. Three of them were teenagers, shot dead in south London. Two of them were shot in their own house. All of them were in youth gangs, which is becoming a problem in the UK

Opinion:
It has become a real problem in the UK. But are those actions taken by the prime minister, the review of the firearm-law not too late? And will it help? It is never too late to take action. Will help it when the punishments become harder? I think, next to that action, that we also have to take a look at the beginning. Why is it that those kids are getting involved with gangs. Maybe they don’t have had many opportunities in life? Did they drop-out of school? I think we should also look at those sides, because in an other article I saw British children are the most unhappy of the Western Countries.

Blog 11: Cannabis factory found by chance

Webpage address: http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/uk_news/england/bristol/somerset/6374653.stm
Date: 19-02-2007

Summary:
A large quantity of cannabis was seized when police who had been called to a burglary came across hundreds of plants over three floors of a Bristol house. The policemen arrived early on Sunday and saw four men leaving the property in a van. Inside the house the police found what the men were looking for: about 600 mature cannabis plants. The basement was dugout to create more space for, yes…, more plants. In the hallway of the house, the policemen found also some dollar bundles. No one has been arrested so far.

Opinion:
It is good that the policemen found this illegal plantation. I think every black-market should be fight by the government. When something is illegal, there will be a black-market. So if they legalize it, which I do not support, the government can control the quality of cannabis. What we see in the Netherlands is that there still is more than 50 percent of the cannabis market, illegal. If the government makes it legal, people thrust them in that way? Should they think it is not harmful for them? Because it is damageable for the brains and yes alcohol too!Maybe we should let people make their own choice if they want to use drugs. If they become sick of it or they are not capable of working anymore, I think it is not fair that the community should pay their social security.

Blog 10: Diversion signs put up in Polish

Webpage address: http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/england/shropshire/6364241.stm
Date: 15-02-2007

Summary:
In Cheshire, road signs have been put up in Polish. They did it to stop Polish-speaking drivers getting confused and to help make sure they follow the diversion. In the past some Polish lorry drivers have not understood diversions signs and have come ‘into conflict’ with road workers, the county council said. The signs have cost a few hundred pounds and it is not about political correctness. The council also said. "Polish people are part of the community and we need to cater for their needs." And: "We'd prefer them to stay on the motorways. Steve Kent from the Council said: "We have to accept it's not enforceable".

Opinion:
I can understand that the council does this, because the companies need the lorry drivers on the road and they want to secure safety for the road workers. I do not agree with them. Where will it end? If they get drivers from Romania and Bulgaria, will they also put signs in those languages on the road. I think that when a lorry driver wants to work in the UK, they should learn the signs in English at least. The European Union should design European wide diversions signs, and also normal road signs.

Blog 9: Watercress 'may cut cancer risk'

Webpage address: http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/health/6360601.stm
Date: 15-02-2007

Summary:
The University of Ulster’s research said: Eating watercress regularly could help cut the chances of developing cancer. It cuts DNA damage to white blood cells. Damaged white blood cells are an important trigger in the development of cancer. Watercress cuts levels of harmful compounds in the blood. The study is funded by the Watercress Alliance, but is published in the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition. If a paper has been published in this magazine, it has been checked by other scientist before publishing. They tested it with 60 healthy volunteers, including 30 smokers and the DNA damage levels were 9,4% lower than the average.

Opinion:
You always hear: Eat this, don’t eat that! Not too much of that! It is clear that we eat everything in moderation. Red whine should be good for your brains, so we won’t get demented. Other articles say that we should not drink too much. It is funny that this research funded by the Watercress Alliance. Maybe every vegetable has a effect like this, when we should eat it every day (in large quantities). I think they want a rush on watercress in order to become very rich in a short time!

Blog 8: Greenpeace wins nuclear challenge

Webpage address: http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/uk_politics/6364281.stm
Date: 15-02-2007

Summary:
The organisation ‘Greenpeace’ has won a bid at the High Court to let the government re-think its programme. According to do programme new generation of nuclear power stations are being built. The environmental pressure group won the bid because they said that the ministers had not consulted the public enough on the issue. In the Energy Review, published last year, the ministers claim – including more nuclear power plants- will cut carbon emissions by millions of tons. In January, PM Tony Blair said it was important to ensure that the UK had a diverse energy supply, including nuclear power and: “If we don’t get these decisions right and quickly, we will have to pay a very heavy price in the future .

Opinion:
I think it is good what Greenpeace did. It is a very important decision the ministers made. If they didn't involve the public that much, by consulting, the government should invole the people. It is not that smart of the ministers, they should know better. Nuclear power plants are not so damageable for the environment and as long as the nuclear rest materials are stowed away carefully with the lowest risk possible, I don’t think it is a big problem. Because if alternative energy resources are not giving enough energy, than there aren’t any other solutions. If they buy it from other countries, we don’t know exactly how they generate it, maybe by burning coal!

Blog 7: Uncle in court over toddler death

Webpage address: http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/england/west_yorkshire/6363737.stm
Date: 15-02-2007

Summary:
This article is about the uncle of the toddler Casey. This man has to appear in court for the rape and murder of the toddler who was found dead in her bedroom. The toddler was two year old. When she was found at her home in Oak Tree Crescent, Gipton, Leeds, on 11 February there was a disturbance outside the house. Her uncle, Michael Patrick Mullen is still 21 years young. He will appear on Thursday at Leeds Magistrates’Court. According to the post-mortem examination, Casey died from “compression to the neck’. Two other men have been released without charge.

Opinion:
I think this is one of the most terrible crimes, child rape. It is even worse than killing someone. The person who did this must be really sick. It is not clear if the 21 year old uncle did it. If he did I ask to myself how can a person of just 21 years old do something like this? I think people like him may never return to society. You never know if he will do something like this again. Put him behind bars for the rest of his life! Because someone like him is like a pit-bull dog, never trustable. It is something else than just stealt something, this abnormality is in his genes.

Blog 6: Legal battle over 'right to die'

Webpage address: http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/health/6353339.stm
Date: 12-02-2007

Summary:
Kelly Taylor is 30 year old and terminally ill. She is going to launch a legal battle to force doctors to allow her to die. Kelly Taylor, from Bristol, who has been given less than a year to live, wants doctors to increase her medications to induce coma-like state. Her doctors have refused to do, because they say it is euthanasia. Her solicitors will argue that doctors have a duty to provide her with adequate pain control, even if that hastens her death, this is known as the double effect. The law says that it is illegal to assist suicide, but it is legal to give morphine to relieve pain or distress which may have the effect of shortening life.

Opinion:
I think it is always a difficult situation what is humane and what isn’t. In this case I think the doctors should help her with ending her painful life. But is it painful? Or is it preventive for upcoming inhuman pain? Than they don’t have to. When she can live on some months without pain and with medication, she must. But when it is so far that even the maximum amounts of medication can’t resolve her pain, euthanasia is the solution. I think this should be the way: When someone is really depressive we may never give up someone life or that others than the ill person are going to decide to do euthanasia. Their must be strict rules for this.