We do not ‘let’ nature run its course..

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-18350146

07-06-2012

Three escape as high winds batter Devon and Cornwall

A woman and her two children just barely escaped a horrible death. A 30ft tree was blown over by the storm with gusts of up to 60 mph and landed on top of their car. The entire South West had a lot to endure. 16 ft waves battered the coast and a Jersey yachtsmen had to be airlifted to safety. Flood alerts have been issued on the rivers and coastal areas of the South West. The expectations are that the storm will move slowly north-east and will leave England as far north as Northumberland. People towing caravans should be extra careful.

As such a storm shows, we do not stand a chance against nature. We can work hard to battle a crisis, plan festivities around a diamond jubilee, invite people over for a barbeque, organize the Olympics, nature does not care. It dam well does as it pleases. And when it pleases a storm there is nothing we can do but duck and cover. And isn`t that a nice thought! Every storm a humbling experience but also a liberating one because you know it is completely out of your hands. The forces of nature give us time to reflect on what ‘s important , the overwhelming show of force makes you forget why you were mad at your colleague or why you felt stressed and most importantly it makes us all equally breakable.

God Save the Queen

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-18327711

05 June 2012

Diamond Jubilee: Flypast brings celebrations to an end ( original Title)

The final day of festivities surrounding her Diamond Jubilee the queen visited St. Pauls Cathedral to receive praise from the archbishop. Prince Philip remained absent due to a bladder infection. Also today a two minute thank you message was broadcast on national television. Lunch was enjoyed in Westminster hall and consisted of different courses prepared with ingredients from all over the UK. After lunch the queen was driven to Buckingham Palace in an open-topped coach. She was led by soldiers from the Household Cavalry Mounted Regiment, and the King's Troop and given a 60-gun salute along the way. Finally a flypast culminated the festivities.

This was shouted by the public as the queen entered St Pauls Cathedral. I think it lovely to see and hear the love for the Royal family. It was so very nice to see all the traditions the last couple of days, but also to see the human side of the Royal family. Charles calling the queen ‘mummy’, clips of their childhood, personal stories, all these things show that the Royal family has found a good balance between tradition and modernity. They have found a way to stay Royal but also be personal. Highborn but with the people so to say. This is something which I believe is crucial for the popularity of the Royal family.

Stealing history!

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-18277120

Warrington IRA bomb memorial theft attempt man jailed  (original title)

A 25 year old male got a 18 week jail sentence for stealing a memorial to the Warrington IRA bombing of 1993 in which 2 children died and 54 people were injured. Two bombs exploded within a minute of each other in a busy shopping area. The day after the bombing the IRA admitted planting the bombs. The plaque was part of the River of life memorial and was designed as a symbol of continuing life. The memorial was under CCTV surveillance and had already been the target of thieves earlier this month.

A good thing this guy got caught. Thieves often do see the consequences of their actions. In this case stealing a plaque, for its material worth I presume, opens up old wounds and desecrates the memory of those who died in the bombing. I think that this man deserves to be made an example of.  Stealing heritage creates in replicable damage and should be punished severely.  The thief should learn to see the consequences of his actions and I believe his punishment should be one in which he pays back to the community which he has hurt.  

Salvation through donation?

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-politics-18278253

Tax relief limit on charity to be axed in fresh U-turn  (original title)

 Budget plans are being revised. Following the pastry and caravan tax plans the charity tax has also been removed from the budget plans. The plan was to stop making charitable donations deductable from your taxable income. Charities panicked at this news out of fear for losing donations and protested the plans with success. The government will focus on bigger issues now and lets the debate on whether the charities would truly be damaged by the proposed tax  go for now calling it an unnecessary argument in these troubling times.

A planned cut on the tax deductable donations to charity has been cut itself. I think that it is a good thing for the government to investigate new ways of gathering income in these times of crisis. A government should work on having a small as deficit as possible. This new tax was a good idea as I think it would not hurt the charities as bad as they would make it seem. Perhaps a revised version would fit better, with exemptions for those charities that actually get more than 1% of their income from donations over 50.000 pound.

Give the rioters a job or an education

Neet figures: More young people without work - title - 24 may 2012

 http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/education-18190012

A very steep rise in the figures concerning jobs and education for young people. Neet stands for Not in Education, Employment or Training. Usually these figures go up and down throughout the year with a expected peak in the summer. For the first three months there was a rise of 29000 compared to 2011. And compared with 2008 its even 143000 youngsters higher.  An investment of 1bn Pound is made to get these alarming figures, which have been to high for to long, down.

Reaction

Perhaps it’s a bit harsh to say that all the young people without a job or education are rioters, and perhaps not all the rioters where without a job or education, but i do think that these circumstances are partly to blame for the mass riots last year. Without a job or a proper education the outlook on the future is grim. This negative outlook combined with boredom creates a powder cake which can explode with the smallest spark. My concern after reading this article is that 1bn Pound will not be enough! Or as the Americans say:  A day late and a dollar short!

On the move towards the 2012 Olympics

Olympic torch: Swimming star Sharron Davies joins relay (title - 24 May 2012)

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-18174230

Summary

An article covering the relay of the Olympic flame and its route through the UK. Sharron Davies will be one of the 119 bearers of today’s 99 mile route. Not only sports legends but also war veterans and other notables will carry the torch from Gloucester to Worcester. Part of the route will be travelled by train and different festivities such as a performance by a 1000- strong choir will take place along the route.  In total 8000 persons will carry the flame over a total of 8000 miles. The relay will take 70 days and will end with the opening of the Olympic games on 27 July.

Reaction

A nice tradition kept alive! What I think is admirable is that the flame is not only carried by former Olympians but also by other people who  contributed in one way or another to the well being of the country, making the Olympic games and its traditions something for everyone. The idea behind the games of connecting countries through sports in this way also works on a national level  unifying Britain through sports.

Rising from the ashes

 Pawnbroker targeted in riots is given hope of compensation for customers (title of article)

http://www.guardian.co.uk/uk/2012/may/09/jeweller-riots-hopes-customers-compensated

 (09-05-2012)

 Here we read the tragic story of a pawnshop owner who not only lost his store and livelihood but also all the pawned articles he had in his safe belonging to his customers. These where given to him as security on short term loans and where stolen after his shop burned down in last summer’s riots. Following police advice the shop owner did not tell his customers about the theft until well after the limit for claiming the stolen goods with their insurance had passed. Thankfully the mayor’s office stepped up after the shop owner had sought publicity and it looks like a couple more victims of the riots get a chance to move on with their lives.

Another sign that although the riots are over, the rubble is not yet gone. But thankfully this story seems to get a happy ending. It shows a willingness from the government to help the victims of the riots. This, together with the efforts made to punish rioters, shows me that Britain is also getting ready to move on past the riots.  The rubble is not yet gone but it is good to see that the cleanup is well on its way.

If you put a silk dress on a goat he is a goat still  (Irish proverb)

Queen's Speech goat tradition takes time (Title of article)

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-18001296 (09-05-2012)

The article learns us the tradition by which the Queens speech is put on parchment. And how that parchment is made. Or to be more precise how the vellum, a fine parchment, is made. By  way of this explanation it is shown to us that recent commentary on the queens speech in which it is said by the opponents of the Lords reform that the government has softened the language of the reform following last week’s electoral, is well unfounded. Simply because the speech was already written before the electoral.

This proverb summarises in part what I think of politics. You can hire a calligrapher to use his best handwriting to put words on vellum created by old-fashioned craftsmen but it still are the words of politicians, and those words do not have much value to me. What I do like about this article is that it does not address the questions about animal cruelty. I think that in some countries, like for instant Holland, this subject would have gotten in the way of what I think, are bigger issues.

The stuff of movies.

'Unexplained' DNA on bag containing dead MI6 spy Gareth Williams

Title. http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-17826633  24-04-2012

The 23^rd of August 2011 the body of a spy was found in a bag in the bathroom in his apartment. The bag was found locked and was situated in the bathtub. The bag seemed to be locked from the inside and no huge signs of a struggle were present at the scene. Mr Williams was found with a calm look on his face with the keys of the padlock that was used to close the bag inside it within reach. Unsure about the cause of death and puzzled by the circumstances investigators continued their search for clues and have know found small traces of unexplained DNA on the padlock and the bag’s zipper. This new evidence seems to support the victims’ family’s suspicions that a third party was involved in the death of their son.

 This for me is, however terrible it is for the victim and his family, a fantastic story. I love mysteries and spy stories on TV and in the movies and this article really got my imagination going crazy. What happened here?  Was the victim a spy like on the BBC series Spooks? What more will they find out, or will this case remain unsolved? All the while not forgetting that this actually happened of course. Which brings me to the next reason why this is such an amazing article: THIS ACTUALLY HAPPENED. Unbelievable. Truth is stranger than fiction!

3 men sentenced for paralysing a five-year-old-girl

‘Gang members jailed for shooting of five-year-old girl. ’ april 19 2012

http://www.guardian.co.uk/uk/2012/apr/19/gang-members-shooting-thusha-kamaleswaran

Summary

Three member, between the ages of 19 and 21, have been sentenced to a total of 45 years jailtime. They were charged with shooting and paralysing a five-year-old-girl that was playing in a nearby shop, for shooting a man that was shopping there in the face and for shooting a member of a rival gang, whom they were following. The men shot into the shop twice, which was small and they knew there were people inside. The judge called  this an "exceptional case of the utmost gravity".

Most of the what happened was broadcast on CCTV. The young girl is permanently paralysed below the waist and is very scared of something happening again.  A charity has been organised to raise money for the young girls family.

Reaction

At first I thought that the girl and the man that was shopping accidentally got shot while they were chasing the gang member. But if they shot into the store, it does not seem very accidental to me. It is indeed a very scary thought that you could just be shot while playing or shopping. I think it is really nice that money is being raised for the young girl, although no amount of money can make up for being paralysed for the rest of your life. I am surprised to read that the shooting had been filmed ánd broadcast on CCTV. In Holland we don’t often see footage like that and I wonder if that is normal in the UK.

The aftermath of the big phone hacking scandal.

title article: ‘11 referred to prosecutors by phone-hacking squad. ‘ Wednesday 18 April 2012.

http://www.independent.co.uk/news/uk/crime/11-referred-to-prosecutors-by-phonehacking-squad-7657267.html

Summary

The article describes the next steps taken in the persecution of alleged offenders in the phone hacking scandal which started last year when it was discovered that various news corporations where hacking phones and voicemails of politicians, royalty and celebrities.  In 4 different investigations 11 people are being considered for further prosecution. The four files include:  One journalist and a police officer accused of misconduct in a public office and data protection offences; One journalist and six other individuals accused of perverting the course of justice;  One journalist relating to witness intimidation;  One journalist in relation to a breach of the Regulation of Investigatory Powers Act.

Reaction

In my opinion this article shows how invasive the phone hacking scandal has been on Britain. What seemed to start out as a simple hacking scandal to fill the front page of tabloids has become a nationwide scandal that can be seen as a threat to society and justice. The phrases knowledge is power, and powers corrupts, come to mind. With not only journalists but also police officers in the accused box and crimes such as witness tampering and perverting the course of justice in play, this scandal will change the way Britain views privacy and the way investigatory powers  work with or around it. These investigations will  set the course for new laws and regulations, which were, as the scandal has thought us, long overdue.

The Breivik trial has started

The BBC on april 17 begins the subject with the title: “Defiant Breivik 'would carry out massacre again'.”

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-europe-17737085

Summary

In court Breivik has stated that he does not recognise this court and also that he is very proud of his actions. Breivik: ‘I have carried out the most spectacular and sophisticated attack on Europe since World War II’. Breivik says he wanted to save Norway from immigration and multiculturalism and that his acts came out of goodness, not evil. Breivik also says he supports the government model of Japan and South Korea and he sees Norway as a prison. Where you live with the dangers of multiculturalism  The courtroom has been specially built for the trial and has room for 200 people. Glass partitions have been put up to separate Breivik and the victims and their families.

Reaction

Of course everybody agrees the massacre was horrible and Breivik is a scary lunatic who needs to be locked up for a long time. There is no need to discuss that! But the trial is very interesting to follow. It said that the trial will not be broadcasted and I think that is good because Breivik obviously has a very sick mind and people should not pay too much attention to what he says. I think it is very good that they have glass plates in between the victims and Breivik. If I was a victim’s family member  in there i would really want to hurt Breivik. Not that I care about Breivik’s safety, but I don’t want the victims or their families to go to jail because they could not control themselves.