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.