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.

Blog 5: Unemployed 'must learn English'

Webpage address: http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/uk/6352793.stm
Date: 12-02-2007

Summary:
This article is about the unemployed in Britain. Unemployed people who cannot speak English will have to show the are learning the language or face losing benefits, the government has announced. Abut 40.000 jobless people say their poor English is a barrier to finding employment and £4,5 million is spent on translators in job centres. This money would be better spent on teaching them English said Ministers. But an educational think thank which recently produced a critical report into how the government provides English classes to immigrants, attacked the proposals as risky, because there will be too less classes and teachers for the 40.000 jobless people.

Opinion:
If the English skills of the unemployed people are really the barrier to find a job, than it is a good plan. Because it is better for those people. They learn English and they won’t need the translators anymore. Those translators cost a lot of money and it will not resolve the problem. I support the idea that people who will not take the challenge to learn proper English, will lose their benefits. Unfortunately there are always people who will come in action when it will cost their money. But at first there must be enough teachers and enough classes, otherwise it is not fair, if you want to and there is no place! My conclusion is that it is a good idea, but only when the government offers enough places.

Blog 4 'Merseyside's dogs amnesty begins.doc

Webpage address: http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/england/merseyside/6334241.stm
Date: 07-02-2007

Summary:
This article is about the Merseyside’s dog amnesty. From 0700GMT (Wednesday 07/02/07) till midnight next Tuesday, owners are allowed to hand in their banned animals without being prosecuted. The four types of banned dogs under the Dangerous Dogs Act 1991 are the pit bull terriers, the Japanese Tosa, the Dogo Argentino and the Fila Brazileiro. The amnesty follows the death of five-year old Ellie Lawrenson, mauled to death by a dog on New Year’s day. Owners of illegal dogs who do not come forward could see their pets seized, and they could face a £5,000 fine and six months imprisonment.

Opinion:
I think it is a good action to give the owners of illegal dogs the final change to hand in their animals, without being prosecuted. After the girl’s death, I hope, owners of illegal dogs see that their animals are never totally reliable. Owners say it is the way of how you bring up your dog, there are also aggressive Labradors. But I think those dogs are brought up badly. And with a dog like a pit bull you never know, despite a good bring up, if it will become aggressive one day. If they still held their dogs, I hope they won’t have kids, because there are to many examples of killed young kids by aggressive dogs.

Blog 3 Orangutans 'face greater threat'.

Webpage address: http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/sci/tech/6337107.stm

Date: 07-02-2007

Summary:
This article is about illegal logging is destroying forests in South-East Asia quicker than had been feared, with dire implications for orang-utans, a UN report has said. If there is no action taken, 98% of the forests on the island of Sumatra and Borneo may gone by 2022. Expect from the orang-utans, this would have serious consequences for local people and other wildlife (tigers/rhinos/elephants). Multinational firms are illegal logging in national parks. The Indonesian government made a plea for Western Consumers to reject smuggled timber and has trained Ranger teams to chase loggers out of his parks. But experts say it is not enough.

Opinion:
I think it is a difficult situation. Many of us in the Western countries will have our furniture made out of hardwood from the rainforests. First thing we have to say is that we won’t buy furniture and timber any longer without a certificate. It means that we have to pay a lot more, because for each tree that has been chopped, the logging companies have to replant three young trees. The countries like Indonesia should fight harder against the illegal logging companies, if necessary with aggression. But for the local people it is hard to survive, they use the timber to cook, but in comparison with the huge logging companies it is nothing. These companies are the problem.

Blog 2: Wild wolves 'good for ecosystems'

Webpage address: http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/sci/tech/6310211.stm

Date: 31-01-2007

Summary:
This article is about reintroducing the wild wolves into the Scottish Highlands. In the late 1700s the wolves were hunted to extinction in Scotland. Since then the red deer has no natural predator. Now the red deer population reached almost the maximum capacity, the eco-system can support.

There has been an ongoing debate about the possibility of reintroducing the wolf. A group of researchers used a predator/prey model and found out that reintroduction would help the rebalance of ecology. But (sheep)farmers and people living in the rural areas are less positive about it. It will cost a lot of sheep and it will be less safe for people.

Opinion:
It is a difficult situation. They all know that the population of red deer is getting too big. The ecosystem won’t support it much longer, so something has to be done. Otherwise, other animal species will have gone and more and more young trees will be munched by the red deer.

I can understand that the farmers won’t have wild wolves in the highlands. It will bring costs with it, and they will have feelings with sheep killed by wolves. People living in rural areas, that’s the consequence of living there, it will be like in the old days. Another option is to hunt down several red deer, but it is a temporary solution. I say nature must do it, so reintroduce the wild wolf!

Blog 1: India's Tata wins race for Corus

Webpage address: http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/business/6315823.st

Date: 31-01-2007

Summary:
The company Tata from India has won the race for Corus, the European steelmaker. Corus is the merger of British Steel and Hoogovens. Tata beat its Brazilian rival CSN. During the auction Tata’s bid was the highest with 608p per share, valuing Corus at £5,75bn. The take-over will create the world fifth-largest steel group.

This morning shares from Corus raised 7%, whereas shares from Tata fell 6% in morning trading. But the Tata Steel director JJ Irani said: “From a small player , we will now become a big player in the world market”. Corus employs 47.300 people worldwide, including 24.000 in the UK. The Tata Group which for example also owns Deawoo cars, has operations in more than 50 countries.

Opinion:
In the past we saw Hoogovens, a Dutch company, and British Steel become one. Together they became Corus. Today there was a next step: Tata took over Corus for an enormous bid of £5,75bn. I think that’s how it goes. Big players take over the smaller players. So in the end there will be some big companies and the smaller will be gone.

This gives me a sad feeling. Even though Tata said it won’t cost jobs in the future, I think it will. For smaller companies to survive they have to become one. With the earns of selling Corus, there will be new money to create new investments, which will create new jobs. So after all, I think it’s not so bad.

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