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.