Families of Madeleine McCann and other missing children lobby MPs

Kate McCann, the mother of Madeleine, claims that victims of burglaries receive more emotional, legal and practical support than families whose children are missing, who may get nothing. She poses with two other woman who have lost their children in front of the houses of parliament. She thinks that it is not up to the grieving parents to search for their child, and she called for a single point of contact between the families and the police. Last Month she published a book about Madeleine’s disappearance, she hopes this will also help for the search of her new book. She also expects more support from the police, not only for her but also for the other families whose children are missing. Most families feel like they are wasting police time. There is also Missing People Charity, but a lot of people do not know that this kind of help is there, the police should let these people know. They are now being forced to tell families.

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I think it is sad for all those families who have lost their children, it would seem to me a horrible thing not knowing where your son or daughter is. I think they should get more support, it’s good that the police is now being forced to tell these families that there is help and support for them. I think it is ridiculous that the police haven’t told families before(in most cases). I honestly don’t think that the book Kate McCann wrote won’t help her search for Madeleine, because most people in the world already know her story, and I think when someone recognizes her they would go public with it. I do think it’s good that she is doing everything that is in her power. She doesn’t give up which I think says something about her as a mother.

Source: http://www.guardian.co.uk/uk/2011/jun/13/madeleine-mccann-missing-children-lobby-mps

Harry the lovesick parrot can't stop throwing up

Harry the parrot was vomiting all the time and his owner David did not know why. He especially vomited on David, David took Harry to the veterinarian, Dan Flynn because David thought his parrot was sick. He was sick but he was ‘Lovesick’ he was very much in love with David, Dan discovered. Birds regurgitate as a sign of affection Dan explained, so it’s quite a normal procedure for a bird. The father will regurgitate for its young when they are little chicks. The solution at first was to separate them but that is not what they wanted, so they suggested getting a partner for Harry, and it worked! Now the birds live happily ever after and David enjoys his clean shirts.

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Lol, I thought this was such a funny story and I never knew that parrots would vomit if they love another bird. I also thought it was weird that this was in the newspaper, that is also why I chose this article. I thought it was an interesting story but it was very short and irrelevant for in a news paper, nonetheless I always find animal stories interesting and this one was pretty funny.

Source: http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-northern-ireland-13760667

Hollyoaks extra faces jail for leaving mother unburied for six months

The body of Olive Maddock was found by the police after she had been dead for over 2 to 6 months, her body was kept in her bedroom by her daughter, Olive Hazel Maddock (61), and granddaughter, Jasmine (35). They were leaving the body of the elder woman unburied, while one them cashed her pension. Now they both face jail, they have been pleaded guilty for leaving the corpse unburied and  Olive Hazel also pleaded guilty to fraudulently one payment of her mother’s state pension of 176.92 pounds and single payment of pension credit of 34.44 pounds.

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I was shocked when I read this story, I think those woman deserve jail time. They showed their dead mother/grandmother no respect by leaving her body unburied and slumped behind her bedroom door. Sometimes I think it doesn’t get any weirder, I really don’t understand why these woman did this? For the money? If they need money so bad, they should work harder or get an extra job, or work the streets. I don’t think you can sink any lower than this. This article was one of the most viewed today in the guardian, I think more people were shocked by this subject.

Source: http://www.guardian.co.uk/uk/2011/jun/13/hollyoaks-extra-faces-jail

'Man-eating' shark rammed my boat, says Cornish fisherman

An oceanic white-tip shark was spotted in St. Ives North Cornwall, this is highly unique because these sharks usually inhabits in warmer and deeper waters. A Cornwall fisherman spotted the shark when he was fishing, he was fascinated by this creature so he stood op in his 16 ft (5 metre) boat to take a good look at it and was watching over the side of the boat, but then the shark rammed his boat. The fisherman is happy that he was in a big boat and not a kayak otherwise the shark would have taken a bite of his legs. When the man got to shore another boat on that same place also spotted the oceanic white-tip shark, they were a 100 % certain that it was a white-tip shark. Richard peirce ( chairman of The Shark Trust) says that it is always exciting to get sighting reports of what might be new species in our waters. A lot of people and the spokesman of St Ives think that these people are blowing it all out of proportion.

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I think this is a very interesting topic. These stories always fascinate me, because I have a little phobia for sharks, I am really scared of them but that is also why I find them fascinating. I also have to dive with sharks one day, just because I have to! I don’t know if I should believe the fisherman because these kind of things happen a lot, people think they see something and blow it way out of proportion. I understand that the spokesman of St Ives is being careful about this subject. I do believe that they should find out if it’s true or not. It could be true, the other day I saw on Dutch television that they founded a killer whale in the ‘Waddenzee’ and those animals are really dangerous, so they should check the water if this shark really lives there.

Source: http://www.guardian.co.uk/uk/2011/jun/13/cornwall-fisherman-rammed-by-shark

Student numbers could be cut to cover spiralling cost of loans

Ministers has underestimated the amount of universities that would charge £9,000 fees, and they now face an annual bill to fund the interest-free student loans. The student loans are about ‘several hundred million pounds’ higher than anticipated. Right now 105 universities will charge fee with an average amount of £ 8.765, because of these fees student numbers have to be cut and this is why lots of students at Trafalgar Square are protesting against this. Students are able to loan up to £6,000 next year but they should be able to loan £9,000. Everything is still uncertain and this issue is still in progress.

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I think it is weird that they suddenly ask for £9,000 fee, especially since there are a lot of universities who are going to charge fees. The ministry should have seen this coming, because now they are surprised by the amount of universities who are going to charge fee but they should have prevented this.  I understand that these students are protesting against this, because they should stand up for their rights and I think it will help if a lot of students protest. I do think this is a hard subject, I am also curious how this will end.

Source: http://www.guardian.co.uk/education/2011/jun/07/student-loan-demand-may-force-cuts 

Birmingham nursery worker admits child rape

Paul Anthony Wilson from Birmingham, 20, has been under arrest under the suspension of child abuse, he pleaded guilty to more than 40 other offences. He worked at a nursery in Birmingham called; little starts nursery, he was fired after being accused of child abuse, he admitted to rape of two children and was arrested on 5 January, the nursery closed immediately. Mothers of the nursery are shocked and do not know if their children had been abused as well. At Birmingham crown court Paul Wilson admitted to 45 charges of inciting youngsters to engage in sexual activity on the internet. He will probably faces jail sentence when he gets back at court on 27 July.

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It freaks me out because this happens a lot lately, what is wrong with these people? This Paul Wilson is only 20 years old, that is not even a grown up yet. And how can the nursery not see this? I understand that those mothers are confused and shocked because they do not know for sure if their children were abused or not, it is a living hell for those mothers and fathers of course. I really hope that Paul Wilson is facing a long time in jail.

Source: http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-13683387

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-birmingham-13672963

The £400 test that tells you how long you'll live...

On sale later this year in Britain is a blood test that will tell you how fast someone is ageing and how long you have left to live. The test measures vital structures on the tips of a person’s chromosomes, they are called; telomeres. By these telomeres scientists can see if a person is older or younger than their biological age or can see how fast they are ageing. A lot of people request for a test like this and scientists believe that when they bring down the cost of the test, thousand more people would request for the test. People need to know what their lifespan is so they can adjust their lifestyles to it. The test now costs about €500 (£435).

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I think this is a very difficult subject for me to have an opinion about. On one hand I don’t like the idea of knowing when your life is over, it should come when you don’t expect it or you will be miserable for a long time, waiting for death. But I also believe that it’s useful to know when you are going to die because than you can adjust your lifestyle, like spend all your money before you are going to die or do something crazy. But if I have to choose which way I like it better I would have to say the first, I wouldn’t like to know when I’m going to die, I would be curious but I don’t want to know.

Source: http://www.independent.co.uk/news/science/the-163400-test-that-tells-you-how-long-youll-live-2284639.html

Ban mobile phones and wireless networks in schools, say european leaders.

A council of Europe committee has reported that our technology has a ‘potentially harmful’ affect on humans and that we should now take action to protect children. That is why they want to ban mobile-phones and laptops from school so that they are not disposed to harmful energies. This also means that teachers are not allowed to carry a mobile phone. The committee thinks that those electromagnetic radiation causes cancer and that is why children should be prevented from it and use mobile phones as little as possible. Others say that exposure to electromagnetic fields poses little or no risk to human health.

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I think the council of Europe committee is exaggerating. Ban mobile-phones and laptops from schools is useless, because they will use their mobile phones at home or any other place. There is no way to prevent children from using their mobile phone. I also think that if we aren’t allowed to use phones because of the electromagnetic energy than what can we do? People are exaggerating more and more when it comes to health. At this rate we aren’t allowed to drive cars in about five years because the car would contain a gas that is bad for human health. Or we aren’t allowed to eat bananas because they are from a weird tree that is infected with some weird unknown liquid. So I think that we should not prevent children from using their phones because it has no use and it’s ridiculous.

Source: http://www.telegraph.co.uk/science/science-news/8514380/Ban-mobile-phones-and-wireless-networks-in-schools-say-European-leaders.html

Taxi driver ordered to remove 'phallic' cross

A taxi driver was told to remove a cross from his dashboard because it looked phallic. This order came from a 15-year-old boy who was driving in his vehicle. He told his school and the school council complained about it to the taxi company. The 61-year-old taxi driver, who is originally from France, removed the cross because he didn’t want to cause any trouble for the taxi company.  He said that being known for picking up teenagers with a phallic symbol in his car reflected him badly. He is very angry about the situation because the boy took his conclusions without asking him for further information. A meeting was arranged with York council and Clair Cook, the 29-year-old director of the cab company, she said that ‘if the cross had been dangling that could have been different because it may have been obstructing his vision but there was nothing wrong with that crucifix.’

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I think this is ridiculous because the boy should have asked the man about it first or the school should have. Now this man has a bad image because of a 15-year-old boy. This is the man’s religion and it’s being mocked by a schoolboy. I do think that when somebody sees something suspicious they should report it but this is a harsh accusation, and not even checked properly first. I also find it good manners that he already removed the cross while this incident was happening so it wouldn’t damage the band between the taxi company and the school.

Source: Metro Newspaper- Date *13-05-2011

metro.co.uk

Backpacker clipped by road-rage coach driver

Matthew smith a coach driver lost his temper while he drove an eight-tonne vehicle. He deliberately drove his vehicle against a pedestrian who was clipping his backpack. Before this happened, he was already enraged about another vehicle parked and standing in the way, he got out of the coach, released the handbrake of the obstructing car and pushed it down the street.  The enraged driver got back behind the wheel and than deliberately drove against a backpacker who was clipping his backpack. Before this he was already involved with an incident in Bath’s Dorchester street station in February, he admitted dangerous driving and using threatening language while driving. Now he has been given a 15- month driving ban, ordered to pay 50 pounds to the pedestrian, a 12- month community order with 160 hours unpaid work and an eight week curfew.

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I think it’s good that he has been punished for this, especially because this happened before. I do think the punishment is enough but I wonder if he will ever get back to work as a coach driver, I think he should be fired and never work behind a vehicle again. I also agree that he must pay the pedestrian because it could have ended a lot worse if he drove faster. I think the Netherlands should follow this example, because in Holland you can get away with everything or a little punishment.

Source: Metro Newspaper- date * 13-05-2011
metro.co.uk

Prince Willian and Kate Middleton's big day!

The royal wedding from Prince William and Kate Middleton is everywhere and it is the hottest news in England. the hype has found its way onto T-shirts, CD’s and a lot more. Since their engagement internet searchers have found a new obsession. And it turns out that Kate is more popular than Prince William, she is now the most popular Kate on the web. But plenty of people have asked if Britain really cares about the big day, and although it is the hottest news; Justin Bieber is still more popular. But in almost every country people are excited about the wedding and want to know more about it, not only in Europe but also in the U.S, Canada, New Zealand, South Africa and a lot more countries. The U.S is the only country that is searching for Prince William, but Kate gets her share of attention there too. The Royal Wedding will take place on April 29^th, 2011.

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I agree that their wedding is everywhere, even in Holland but I think that’s normal. Although it wouldn’t be like that if royal from Holland would get married, but England is lot bigger of course. I wasn’t surprised that Kate would be more popular than William, she is a pretty young woman and a lot of girls probably look up to her. She is just a normal woman but becoming a Princes. So I understand that people respect her. it’s the same in Holland with Maxima.

Source: http://www.google.nl/search?hl=nl&rlz=1R2GGLL_nl&q=royal+wedding+when%3F&aq=f&aqi=&aql=&oq=

Bishop: 'Cut priority school places for churchgoers'

The head of the education board in England has said that church of england schools should cut down to one in ten the number of places which reserved for practicing Anglicans. There are different opinions about this topic, Rt Rev John Pritchard thinks that the main function of schools is to serve the community so church schools should be more open and allow children who are not religious. Though reverend George Curry who is more traditional believes that church school is only for real Christian. Some believe the current system encourages families to start or increase religious activity in the hope of boosting their chances of entry to high-performing schools. Many people agree that the Christian ethos must remain on church schools and that this will have a possitive affect on the pupils. this topic is still in process.

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I agree with Rev John Pritchard that schools are her to serve the community and that church schools should be more open and allow children without any religion. But I also think that there should be church schools with only Christian children because we should respect those wishes. However these church schools will be very closed minded. I also think that if church schools allow children without any religion they are surrounded by Christian ethos and will gain more respect for those who have a religion. This will end the discrimination and the children will understand each other better.  

Source: http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/education-13158380

The collapse of family life: Half of children see parents split by 16 as births outside marriage hit highest level for two centuries

The number of marriages that is collapsing is extremely high in Britain, most children see their parents split when they hit puberty.  The birth outside marriages is at a higher level than ever.
30 years ago it was often considered shameful to have a child outside of wedlock but now it seems a normal thing. According to Think Tank, a child growing up with only one parent is more likely to encounter problems; the child is 75 per cent more likely to fail at school, 70 per cent to become a drug addict and 50 per cent to have an alcohol problem.  Gavin Poole believes that a strong family with no problems is good for society; he also thinks it’s important for children to grow up in an environment where their parents are still together. Prime minister David Cameron thinks action should be taken, he wants family’s to stay together so he is introducing a Marriage Tax Incentive.

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It’s true that more family’s are breaking apart because of separation, most of the time the children are the ones who end up being hurt. But I also believe that when a family is not working because parents fight a lot, it is better to separate so to give their children a chance to grow up in a more peaceful environment, if children are always surrounded by fights they will encounter more problems than if the parents would separate. I also wonder where this article gets its information from, the article appoints a lot of numbers but are these value? I don’t think this is a very good concrete article.

Source: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-1377940/Half-parents-split-16-births-outside-marriage-hit-highest-level-200-years.html

UKOK! Private Schools Line Up To Become Free. - REACTION

The reason that private schools want to be a free is school is so that all children have access to their school, and that means that most schools will be diverse and with a lot of different backgrounds, this is good for the social development of the children. It also means that the parents don’t have to pay fee anymore, and they will see this as a gift from the government. So I really think that this could have a positive effect on the society of Britain. Although I agree with the policy for free schools I also believe that the state schools will be devastated by this and that there has been no debate about this topic so they are not sure that this is what the people want. In my opinion it is best to research first before taking any actions.


Source: Myself

UKOK! Private Schools Line Up To Become Free

The government is presenting a free school policy, which allows teachers, parents and other community groups to set up their own new schools. Now there are six private schools in the line to become a free school. This is good news for parents, because they no longer have to pay fees for their children’s education, although critics are very concerned for the effect it will have on state schools.

Many schools would like to expand and to educate children with different background, they want to have their own curriculum.

According to the NUT(National Union of Teachers) it is impossible that when these schools become free schools they are able to finance themselves without the fees parents pay. Also there has never been a debate about whether people want a national state school system or an independent school. A lot of schools are in the line for becoming a free school, this is a demand from the government.

Source: The Guardian( a copy handed out in class)