Baby foot dipped into hot water by midwives

Source:

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2002954/Stafford-Hospital-6-day-old-baby-left-horrific-burns-midwives-carlessness.html

Summary

A six-day-old baby was injured after two midwives dipped the baby’s foot into hot water. The baby’s foot had to be warmth before the midwives could conduct blood tests on baby Katie. They asked for a bowl of hot water, but they did not say it was for a heel prick test. When Katie’s mother came back with the bowl of water, she warned the midwives that it was hot. The midwives, however, dipped the baby’s foot into the water before checking the temperature. Mother saw how the skin was hanging off her baby’s foot and so she started screaming. The midwives left and never came back. Katie was brought to hospital and she is doing fine.

Comment

Wow, what a disaster. It must have been horrible to see how the baby was in so much pain. Ridiculous that the midwives left and didn’t come back to apologize at least. Quite strange actually, since the baby’s mother should know the names of the midwives and she could charge them for it. The baby will forever keep the  burnmark (or whatever it’s called) and it might have problems with walking later on, so if you ask me, the mother doesn’t seem too worried. She might have set it all up, because she did it herself, accidentally. 

Racism in the fashion industry

Source

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/femail/article-2002798/James-Brown-John-Galliano-Fashion-industry-racist-goes-right-core.html

Summary

There are very few black models on the catwalks. It has been nearly four years since there was a black model on the cover of the Brittish Vogue. Besides Vogue, it seems that other fashion magazines prefer white models on the covers as well. If a black model finally appears on the cover, her hair is ironed and her skin is bleached, which makes her look almost white. It is said the problem stems from the influence of the biggest fashion capitals of Milan and Paris. They are fine with brown skinned girls, but they absolutely don’t want very black girls, unless they are already stars like Naomi Campbell – Although it is also said that they never wanted to pay Naomi as much as other white models.

Comment

I don’t know much about the fashion industry and I never read (watch) fashion magazines. I don’t know many models, since I don’t take notice of them. However, I do know some pretty black models (waris dirie, Liya Kebede. But indeed, they are not very black) which I thought were quite popular. I’ve never noticed that there were VERY few black models. Fewer, yes. But there are not many Asian models either. You know what the problem is? The media is creating a certain image of what would be perfect. It changes every now and then, just like hairstyles. Who knows, in a couple of months afro is totally cool… and all white models are getting an afro!

Go for genetically modified vegetables

Source

http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/2011/jun/06/e-coli-bean-sprouts-not-cause

Summary

It is not cucumbers, tomatoes or bean sprouts that contain E coli. A number of laboratory tests showed that these vegetables are not to blame for the 22 dead- and over 2,200 infected people. Problems In hospitals are stacking up; They are running out of blood supplies. Also the staff is getting exhausted from working round the clock. Doctors work on the weekends on voluntary basis and even sleep in the hospital. It is now the organic farms in the Northern of Germany that are to blame. E coli is a very aggressive bacterium, which can be found in animal manure (is what we’re being told). The bacterium was not found in the sprouts that were not fertilsed.  

Comment

How funny that the whole world believes this. Organic grown vegetables dangerous? And now we should go for genetically modified huh? Well, isn’t it strange that people get sick(er) and that more and more weird epidemics are breaking loose since the use of chemical products (genetically modified shit) in our food? And half of those that are announced are not even real.  Have you ever seen that someone died of Bovine spongiform encephalopathy (mad-cow disease) in your environment? No, because they are all lies! This is all made up by the government who is planning to spread nanoparticles through massive vaccinations! Why? To control us like big brother.

Father has gone mad with a gun

Source

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-1394790/Mother-year-old-daughter-dead-shooting-police-guard-injured-suspect-hospital.html

Summary

A ten-year-old girl fled from death when her stepfather went mad with a gun. The father of her sister was about to shoot the family hours before a family court hearing. Before the man could shoot, the girl was being told to “run save herself”, and so she went to her father who is living about 500 yards away. Neighbors had only heard recently that the relationship between the mother  and her husband did not go to well and they thought the mother exaggerated. Only when they heard the police shouting that they were surrounded, they understood that it was serious. However, it was too late.

Comment

Sad story. It is unbelievable that a man could murder his own daughter (and wife). A shame that neighbors did not take the matter too seriously at first. I don’t get, however, why the mother stayed with the man if she knew that their relationship was only growing worse. She warned her neighbors about it, but she stayed in an environment unsafe for her and her children. Very irresponsible. The good thing is that she could at least save one child from the massacre. 

Google has become political tool between the US and China.

Source

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/technology/google/8558665/China-threatens-Google-over-hacking-claims.html

Summary

Google is seen as a “political tool” between the US and China. This was announced on the front page of a Chinese newspaper. Google discovered that hundreds of passwords of Gmail holders had been stolen, including the US government officials. Chinese journalists claim that Google blamed the Chinese government and they think it is unacceptable. China wants Google to stop suggesting that Chinese spies have been hacking the emails of the United States’ officials. If Google refuses to do so, its businesses could suffer, is what the Chinese newspaper said. As a result of this, Google closed down its servers based in China.

Comment

I have no idea what to think of this. Hacking of Google email has been happening for ages. Apparently, Google accounts are very easy to get into. I wonder if there’s more going on except for ‘blaming’ each other and blah-blah. The Chinese government seems to be very serious about it, and I wonder what the threatening is good for. No one cares about the accounts of ‘ordinary’ people, it’s probably once again about government secrets, money and power. I’d say: whatever.

Terrorism in the UK begins at universities

Source

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/uknews/terrorism-in-the-uk/8558499/Universities-complacent-over-Islamic-radicals-Theresa-May-warns.html

Summary

It is said that British universities do not do enough to prevent radicalization on their campuses. Mrs May think that the conspiracy among Islamic groups within the campuses are not controlled good enough. According to her, the problem is that universities don’t take the consequences too seriously. Extreme organizations or organizations that support extremism within universities should not be part of the grouping.  The head of universities UK claimed that extremist speakers did not encourage violence and therefore there was no problem. However, Mrs May still believes that everyone who is part of the British society should help to prevent the radicalization before a terrorist activity occurs. She encourages people to actively talk to the police.

Comment

Hahaha. Mrs May probably thinks that a group of Islamic students spending time together means that they are preparing to place a bomb on the British dynasty. I do understand her in some way, since the news keeps on telling us what we should be afraid of. There has a lot been going on regarding Islamic extremism and terrorism, but May is obviously making a fuss for no reason. It is somewhat rude towards Islamic students to suspect them from being extremists, whether they do form groups with Islamic students only or not, it doesn’t mean anything. Should we suspect a group of British students of being skinheads? If we have to suspect every ‘threatening’ group that has appeared in the news, we could better give up on our own lives.

Church collecting money for those who will have to pay their bills until the very end.

Source

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-1387570/Pupil-sues-school-750-custard-spilt-arm-compensation-culture-spreads-classrooms.html

Summary

Father and mother of the Haddad family gave up their jobs two years ago, because they knew that the world was coming to its end on the 21^st of may 2011. In a last ditch effort, they took their children to a New York street fair to spread the word about the disaster that they believe will happen at 6pm local time. No major incidents have been reported so far, but two earthquakes of magnitudes over 2.5 were reported shortly after 6pm local time at Christmas Island. Also a 4.8 earthquake hit the Solomon islands region and the Hawaii area around that time. People forget, however, that usually 30 to 40 earthquakes measuring every day worldwide. Before time reaches 6pm in the west, people are still trying to spread the world on the streets, praying aloud and churches are collecting money. What will happen with the money after the world ended, is unclear. It is said that the money is for those who will survive the Armageddon and still have to pay bills up to the very end.

Comment

What was literally said about what will happen with the money after the world ended is the following: 'If we have any money left, and we will because we have to pay bills up to the very end... it will all be destroyed because the world will be in a day of judgment. The money is not important at all. It's a vehicle to spread the judgment and a vehicle of the Lord.'

If they think that money will be destroyed anyway, then why are they claiming money (once again)? For me it looks like an everlasting circle of ups and downs (think of when Christians/Catholics were claiming money from the poor back in the medieval times). Still thinking about the one and only evil thing in the world: money. It seems like no one will ever learn. I have no idea if anything is going to happen today, but I truly HOPE it will. Destruction of the system and ignorant people for instance. I’m really excited! 

(Sorry if my interpretation is too much, but it is a personal comment after all...)

Online retailer takes your old electronics in exchange for gift cards.

Source

http://www.independent.co.uk/life-style/gadgets-and-tech/major-online-retailer-lets-you-trade-in-your-old-electronics-for-gift-cards-2286791.html

Summary

Amazon announced that it is now possible to trade your old electronics for gift cards or cash. This new Trade-In store enables people - who update their electronic devices within a short period of time in order to hang onto fast advancing technology – to find out how much their obsolete devices are worth. Customers can easily put all of their unwanted devices in a box, print off a shipping label and the only thing that is left to do is waiting for their virtual giftcards to arrive in their Amazon account. Other retailers, like Ebay, have also been using this trading system, which is as well a great success.

Comment

Not a bad idea at all. A lot of people tend to buy new electronic devices every time there is something new in stores. What happens is that they find themselves with loads of ‘obsolete’ goods, which is no longer used. However, parts of it can be recycled and used for new devices. Customers can make some extra money out of their old stuff, which is not bad either. It is a win-win.

Chinese laughing at ban on smoking in public spaces

Source

http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/2011/may/01/china-bans-smoking-without-penalty

Summary

Smoking in indoor public spaces is no longer legal in China. The ban was introduced to reduce the number of smokers in China and protect their health. Many people, however, believe that the ban will not help much, since roughly half of the Chinese population smokes. Also, 10% of the country’s revenues comes from the tobacco industry. Anti-smoking campaigner says that it will take a long time before the ban will prove any effects. Other measures should therefore be taken, like pictures on packets that show the effects of smoking, which might terrify people and help them quit. Although the ban is made clear with ‘No Smoking’ signs in public spaces, it is not uncommon to find ashtrays in places where smoking was supposedly banned. There is no penalty anyway.

Comment

The idea is certainly a good one, but I don’t see why there is no penalty. It is not going to work if people know that they can just smoke and get away with it. The ban was introduced to protect the people’s health, but people still smoke in hospital waiting rooms… how ironic. I don’t smoke myself, but I know that terrifying texts or pictures on the packets won’t help either. People don’t even notice them. A ban on smoking in public spaces is a good start and I believe that it indeed protects the health of non-smokers. However, in the end it is up to the smoker himself whether to quit or not. You cannot just make them.

5th blog entry: stressful profession can lead to suicide

Source

http://www.guardian.co.uk/education/2011/apr/25/stress-drives-teachers-out-of-schools

Summary

Research found that teaching is one of the most stressful possessions. More and more teachers consider themselves highly stressed. This became clear on a teacher union conference in Harrogate, where teachers admitted that they can hardly bear the stress. In some cases stress even leads to suicide or violence towards pupils. Due to stress, many teachers are driven out of the profession. The main source of the problem has to do with the teachers’ workload, which is too high. This could be reduced by taking a bit of the burden of planning and assessment on teachers away.

Comment

I feel sorry for teachers that are in a stress-situation like this. I totally understand that pupils are not the easiest to deal with. They need a lot of attention and this causes a lot of energy. Teachers should stop on time, before they are no longer able to keep themselves under control. Pupils won’t take the problem too seriously, therefore other teacher should keep an eye on their colleagues. The government should look for serious solutions as well, because the increasing numbers of teachers out of this profession or being unfit for work has even more consequences for the country.

4th blog entry: Hotel taken to court after turning gay couple away

Source

http://www.mirror.co.uk/news/top-stories/2011/04/21/lesbian-couple-take-hotel-to-court-after-they-claim-they-were-turned-away-for-being-gay-115875-23077609/

Summary

A lesbian couple booked a hotel room in Brighton by telephone. When they arrived, however, they were told that there were no rooms left. The manager said that only straight couples or families were accepted in the hotel. The couple were not able to find another place to stay, but the manager got aggressive and threatened to call the police if they were not leaving. Thus, the couple had to drive all the way home. They decided to take legal action against the hotel. The hotel manager now claims that the incident had been a misunderstanding.

Comment

Funny that something like this can happen in the gay capital of the UK. How could “only straight couples or families are accepted in the hotel” can be misunderstood? A tough statement like that can hardly be twisted. On the other hand, the girls may have been threatening or misbehaving, but I doubt that. They only wanted to have a nice weekend together. They couldn’t be drunk either, since they drove back home the same evening… I just don’t know what to think of this.

3rd blog entry: Ethiopian family claims huge amount of money from hardworking Britts

Source

http://www.thesun.co.uk/sol/homepage/news/3539813/Ethiopian-family-of-12-get-huge-1500-a-week-London-home.html

Summary

An Ethiopian family of 12 received a housing benefit of £1,500 from the Tower Hamlets Council. They were believed to be asylum seekers, but they had been living in the UK for quite a while. Normally, a family would need £20,600 to £38,300 in housing support for the year. The big family have left the incredibly expensive house, but if they had remained the property for 12 months, they would have cost hardworking Brits about £76,000. The housing benefit authority refused to comment on the family claiming £1,460-a-week, which concludes that the housing benefit has been out of control.

Comment

The housing benefit has been out of control indeed. It is a lot of money that they are spending on families like these. London is expensive, so I don’t see why they didn’t look for a house in a cheaper area outside of London. However, I really don’t like the way this article is written. It is shameful indeed that the family were believed to be asylum seekers even though they were not, but the stress in the article on “Ethiopian family claims a huge amount of money from hardworking Britts”… come on. There must be a lot of Britts that refuse working and benefit the Kingdom. 

2nd blog entry: Man faces sack for Christian symbol on dashboard.

Source:

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-1377684/Persecuted-cross-Electrician-told-faces-sack-Christian-symbol-van-dashboard.html

Summary

A man called Colin Atkinson is persecuted for his cross on his dashboard. Yorkshire’s Wakefield and District Housing is the fifth biggest housing organization in England. After years of ignoring it, managers of the organization claim that the cross on Atkinson’s dashboard may offend people or suggest that suggest that the organization is Christian. Atkinson refuses to hide the Christian symbol away, even though he faces the sack for it. After a number of lawsuits, the company  produces an intranet calendar for employees that shows religious festivals and celebrations to ensure WDH maximizes the potential of all their employees and customers. However, employees are not allowed to display any personal representations in the company’s vehicles.

Comment

This is a very controversial topic and it is very hard to comment on this. On the one hand I think that everyone should be allowed to wear/use whatever symbol they want, but on the other hand, I don’t see why people so necessarily have to show what religion they have. It would be just fine If Atkinson wore a small cross around his neck, but the cross on his dashboard was quite huge. I understand that the company thinks that such a symbol may offend people. Gay people for instance, might not be willing to work together with the company if they know that a certain religion does not approve of homosexuality. Religious symbols are not always inviting for everyone. 

1st blog entry leute!

Source

http://www.guardian.co.uk/environment/2011/apr/11/uk-netherlands-power-cable-britned/print

Summary

The high voltage cable – called BritNed cable – is a electricity link between The Netherlands and the UK, running from the Isle of Grain in Kent to Maasvlakte, Rotterdan. It is the first direct electricity link from the UK to another country in years and might be a step towards a renewable energy revolution. The cable can transfer electricity over greater distance than it could before. Also, wind energy can now more easily be imported and exported when it is needed, so that prices are stable. A large scale use of renewable energy – like a network of HVDC cables in Europe - could even be the key to weather-proofing.

Comment

Hmm, this has been going for ages in Finland and Sweden. Sharing renewable energy, which is quite a good idea. It could make countries (Europe in this case) even more like a whole. They’re actually joining forces, which is a good thing. However, I wonder if it will actually work if Europe would set up a network of HVDC cables. The one country may have more natural sources of energy than the other. If certain countries won’t be able to compete the others, it might cause lots of problems. In conclusion, I think it is certainly a good idea, but it shouldn’t become too large scaled.