More compensation in Manchester child abuse case

It is confirmed by the Manchester City Council that 163 people will receive compensation because they are sexually or physically abused by a children’s home. These 163 victims were abused at three children’s homes, which were all part of the council's social services department, and in the period between 1950 and 1990. They are not the first victims in Manchester because there are another 168 people who were abused as well, but they already received their compensation. The victims must wait and need to be patient because it could take up to a year before they know the amount of compensation.

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My reaction / opinion:
My opinion is that these 163 victims should get a huge amount of compensation. Although the huge amount of compensation does not take away the painful memories, I think that the victims deserve it. I also think that it is a shame that the victims maybe have to wait a year to hear their compensation. It is possible that there are even more victims of child abuse in Manchester, I hope that they all have the courage to go to the police and tell their story. As a future teacher, I would never sexually or physically abuse one of my students.

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Link:
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/england/manchester/10272299.stm

Somerset businessman jailed over child porn offences

The 49 year old Martyn Helliwell from Over Stratton in Somerset was found guilty of making and distributing indecent pictures of children. According to prosecutor Adam Vaitilingham Martyn Helliwel had in November 2007 around 1.000 indecent pictures of children on his computer. Helliwell did not deny this, but said that ‘other opportunities’ put him in this situation. Possessing child porn was not the only charge, he was also found guilty of perverting the course of justice. Helliwell needed to appear in front of the Bristol Crown Court on Tuesday and was sentenced for four and a half years in prison.

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My reaction / opinion:
I was a bit angry when I read this article and asked myself the question; how could somebody do this?. My opinion is that Martyn Helliwell is mentally ill and I do not have any respect for this man. I think that someone with around 1.000 indecent pictures of children should be in prison for the rest of his life instead of four and a half years. Helliwell said that other opportunities’ put him in this situation, but I am wondering which kind of opportunities he means. I would never make, distribute or give indecent pictures of children to anyone.

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Link:
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/england/somerset/10271742.stm

Parents demonstrate outside school to demand harsher punishments after risque photo of headteacher causes chaos

The pupils of the Whitecross School in Lydney, Gloustershire, have a lack of discipline according to the parents. Already four parents have withdrawn their children from the comprehensive school because of several incidents. The problems started in June, when pupils got hold of some controversial pictures of headmaster Sue Brearley. These pictures were only the beginning of the disciplinary problems and the parents decided to demonstrate in front of the school. There was a meeting with governors during the demonstration, so the parents hope to be heard and discipline to return.

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My reaction / opinion:
Although I first needed to laugh when I read this article, I think there is a serious problem for this school and the parents. I have my doubts about the ability of the teachers and, therefore, one of my questions for this school would be; How could it be that you need a fire alarm to control the classes?. I think the Withecross School needs to act quickly before all the pupils have a lack of discipline. As a future teacher, I would not want to work at this school because I am a person of structure and rules.

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Link:
http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-1282170/Parents-demonstrate-outside-school-demand-harsher-punishments-unruly-pupils.html

Hung over at work? You're far from alone

Alcohol charity Drinkaware has done research concerning the influence of alcohol on the work performance of people. One of the results was very interesting; more than 520,000 employees in the UK turn up at their work with a hangover each day. Many of these employees suffer from a headache and / or nausea during the day and some of them go home sick. Chief executive of Drinkaware Chris Sorek thinks that this number will increase in the months June and July because of the World Cup, which lasts until July 11th. His explanation is that the World Cup brings the nation together in pubs, with the consequence of drunk people.

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My reaction / opinion:
I thought that it was a funny article to summarize, but it also worried me a bit. Although I drink some beers at weekends, I do not drink during weekdays. I find it important to be fit when I am at school or work. I will, probably, drink more during the World Cup because I am going to watch the matches in a pub with my friends. I think that the World Cup will certainly contribute to the alcohol consumption of British people, which will, of course, have a negative influence on their work performance.

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Link:
http://www.guardian.co.uk/uk/2010/may/26/hangover-hung-over-work-drinkaware

James Bond star Daniel Craig buys $1.9m penthouse apartment fit for 007

The 42 year old Daniel Craig, also known as the James Bond actor, has bought a penthouse in the exclusive neighbourhood of Tribeca, New York. After the purchase of a four million pound apartment in London, he decided to buy another apartment. It will cost around 1.9 million dollar, but he will get many luxurious things for it in return, such as three terraces. An advantage for Daniel Craig is that he already knows some of his future neighbours, such as Justin Timberlake and Maria Carey. The deal should be completed by next week.

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My reaction / opinion:
I saw the pictures of this penthouse and I think it is beautiful and stylish, but I would not want to live in it. Personally, this penthouse is too luxurious and a bit over the top for me. After he bought a four million pound apartment in London, he could have given this 1.9 million dollar, or at least a part of it, to a charity instead of buying another apartment. Although I think that Daniel Craig is a good British actor, I do not think that somebody should earn so much money. Actors have a difficult and hard job, but so has a garbage collector.

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Link:
http://www.dailymail.co.uk/tvshowbiz/article-1282119/James-Bond-star-Daniel-Craig-buys-1-9m-penthouse-apartment-fit-007.html

The £18,000 council job you can't apply for if you are white

The council of Bristol City has two interesting ₤18,000-a-year jobs for graduates in order to recruit more minority employees. This vacancy seems to be a beautiful chance for graduates, especially in this difficult economic situation, but there is one problem. You need to be from an ethnic minority in order to be considered for this job, which obviously lead to some criticisms from white graduates. A jobseeker, who wants to stay anonymous, saw the advertisement posts and described this council as ‘totally racist’. The council responded, through spokesman James Easey, by saying that it is allowed to advertise posts like these under the race relations legislation.

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My reaction / opinion:
Although I think it is good for a council to have several employees from various ethnic backgrounds, I do not think that they should do this. My opinion is that an organization, especially a council, cannot tell someone that he or she cannot apply to a job because he or she is white. At the moment it is difficult to find a job due to the economic crisis, so most jobseekers have a difficult time. Especially during this economic situation it is important that jobseekers should have equal chances when they apply to a job.

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Link:
http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-1283291/The-18-000-council-job-apply-white.html

Andy Murray set for early French Open test

British tennis player Andy Murray faces a difficult start at the Roland Garros tournament, he will play against the Frenchman Richard Gasquet. Former top 10 player Gasquet won his last 10 matches and won the ATP tournament of Nice, after beating the world number nine Fernando Verdasco in the final. These results will worry Murray because he has been struggling with his form and did not win any titles this year. Although Murray did not win a title this year, he is still the world number four and, therefore, favourite against Gasquet. If Murray wins this match on Monday, he will have to face another giant; Juan Ignacio Chela.

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My own opinion / reaction:
I found this a very interesting article because I play tennis myself and I am a fan of Andy Murray. He is a good example for me because he plays attractive tennis and has really good volley’s, which is something I do not have. Personally, I do not think he will win from Gasquet. Murray has not got the form, at the moment, to win big matches and Gasquet has the Parisian crowd behind him, so it is going to be very, very difficult. I hope Murray wins and I am certainly going to watch this match on television.

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Link:
http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport2/hi/tennis/8699581.stm

Woman in court over stab attack of MP Stephen Timms

The 21 year old Roshonara Choudbary has to appear in court tomorrow because she is charged with attempting to murder on the 54 year old Labour MP Stephan Timms. Roshonare Choudbary stabbed Stephan Timms twice in the abdomen while he was holding an afternoon surgery at the Beckton Globe community centre. According to Sir George Young this incident calls for a review concerning the safety of MPs, which is important to appear in public. Timms praises his assistant and a security guard for their help and plans to return back to work soon.

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My reaction / opinion:
I hope that Roshonare Choudbary will have to go to prison for a long time. Although she, probably, is against the ideas of the Labour Party, she has not got any right to stab a Labour MP. This assault reminds me to the murder of Pim Fortuyn, the Dutch politician who was killed in 2002 by Volkert van der Graaf. I think it is insane that people with a public function need security guards to secure their life when they show up in public. Luckily, Stephan Timms survived the assault and is now planning to return back to work.

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Link:
http://www.guardian.co.uk/uk/2010/may/16/woman-court-stephen-timms-attack

Teacher Peter Harvey 'thought he had killed' pupil (My speakers corner subject)

The 50 year old teacher Peter Harvey could not cope with his frustrations at the All Saints’ Roman Catholic School in Mansfield and attacked one of the pupils with a metal weight. Mr. Harvey complained to his colleague David Hopwood about his frustrations a day before the attack, he explained that he was not able to control his classes. According to education advisor Shahrukh Mugaseth Peter Harvey was saying ‘die, die’ to the 14 year old boy, but Mr. Harvey, surprisingly, denies he attempted to murder him. While the boy suffers a fractured skull, the trial will continue and Nottingham Crown Court will soon make a decision about this case.

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My opinion / reaction:
This story is horrible and I am happy that I never witnessed an attack on a pupil. My opinion is that a teacher should never attack his own pupils, even when pupils behave in an extremely annoying matter. When a teacher does attack a pupil, he should be fired immediately and never return in a function within the educational system. If I attack a pupil, I would move houses straight away and never return to the place where it happened. I think I could not live with myself anymore and would visit a psychiatrist.

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Link:
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/uk_news/england/nottinghamshire/8648999.stm

Man Utd braced for Alex exit

Manager Alex Ferguson brings his club Manchester United in a unpleasant situation by not saying what his future plans are regarding his retirement. Ferguson has a secret agreement with Manchester United, which is that he may quit whenever he wants. Chief excutieve David Gill does not know what to do with this situation and seems to look for a successor. The candidates with the most chance to replace Ferguson at the world’s richest club are David Moyes and Martin O’Neill. Ferguson has to hurry with his decision because the end of the season is nearby.

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My opinion / reaction:
I am a huge fan of the English football league, The Premier League, and I have got a lot of respect for Alex Ferguson. My opinion is that Alex Ferguson is the best manager in the world and in the history of football. No other manager in the world has won so many prices as Ferguson, which underlines my opinion. I believe that Manchester United is more vulnerable without him because he knows exactly how to improve a team and individual players. Ferguson also makes important decisions within the club and it always seems to be the right decision.

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Link:
http://www.thesun.co.uk/sol/homepage/sport/football/2950304/Man-Utd-braced-for-Alex-Ferguson-exit.html

John Curtice: Influence of Lib Dems in hung parliament depends on staying ahead of Labour

In the ‘hot days’ before the elections the support of Liberal Democrats has slipped to 29 per cent while the Labour Party is still on 27 per cent. If Nick Clegg can maintain this 2 per cent gap, it would mean that the chance of putting electoral reform on the political agenda is bigger than ever before. When the liberal democrats stay ahead of the Labour party, the Conservative party is forced to talk with them in order to get a majority. This second place is important for Nick Clegg and his party because they are then able to negotiate with the electoral reform.

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My reaction / opinion:
Hopefully the UK will get a hung parliament because I think that it is beneficial when two or more parties rule over a country. When one party has a majority, it will make important decisions by itself without discussing it with other parties. In parliaments where two or more parties rule, they have to discuss en make decisions together, which means, in my opinion, that these decisions are more well considered. Another benefit is that in a hung parliament there are usually more voters / people represented.

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Link:
http://www.independent.co.uk/opinion/commentators/john-curtice-influence-of-lib-dems-in-hung-parliament-depends-on-staying-ahead-of-labour-1954281.html

McCanns say UK police 'given up' on Madeleine hunt

Kate and Gerry McCann are accusing the British authorities of giving up the search to find their daughter. It is nearly three years ago that Madeleine McCann disappeared in Portugal, but Kate and Gerry McCann still believe that she is alive. The couple is disappointed because they think that the UK police does not believe that their daughter is alive and has given up the search. They have to lead the efforts to find Madeleine themselves, which is ‘incredibly frustrating’ according to Mr. McCann. Although Kate and Gerry McCann have many frustrations towards the UK police, they will not give up until Madeleine is found.

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My opinion / reaction:
Although I do not know all the details of this case, I think that the UK police should not give up the search for Madeleine McCann. I think, in general, that the police should always continue a search when it involves a kidnapped child, no matter how long it takes. I personally think that Madeleine McCann is abused, killed and buried somewhere and that she will be found one day. I hope that they find the kidnapper of Madeleine, so that he will have to go to prison for a long period of time.

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Link:
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/uk_news/8648253.stm

'Seek-and-destroy' cancer gene therapy result hailed

Scientists at Strathclyde University in Glasgow have probably discovered an effective technique to treat hard-to-reach cancer tumours. The ‘seek-and-destroy’ therapy has been tested and the results were positive; 90 per cent of the skin cancer tumours disappeared. The scientists are now going to test this technique on other forms of cancer in order to see if it works for these forms. According to Dr Christine Dufès, who led the research, we may believe in a ‘breakthrough’ when this technique works. Due to this ‘seek-and-destroy’ technique doctors will be able to not only shrink the tumours, but also to vanish them.

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My opinion / reaction:
I hope that this technique will be a breakthrough because cancer already made to many victims in my point of view. I hope that doctors can heal all forms of cancer within ten years, so that the world is free of cancer. I feel blessed that there is no one in my family who died of cancer, but I do know people who died because of it. If somebody in a society or family has cancer, it will have effect on many people. Therefore, I hope that this ‘seek-and-destroy’ technique will work on every form of cancer.

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Link:
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/uk_news/scotland/glasgow_and_west/8634767.stm

A Historical Victory for Nick Clegg

With 61 per cent of the voters liberal democrat Nick Clegg was the overall winner of the first TV debate in the history of the United Kingdom. Mr. Clegg had an effective strategy to participate during this controversial debate. He was being an outsider, letting Mr. Brown and Mr. Cameron fight amongst themselves. With the result of 22 per cent for Mr. Cameron and even 17 per cent for Prime Minister Mr. Brown, Mr. Clegg and his liberal democrats gave them a clip around the ear. This first and controversial TV debate will probably have influence on the result of the elections.

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My opinion / reaction:
Although I do not know not know much about the elections in England, I find it an interesting topic. It was interesting to see how the leaders of the two biggest political parties, the Conservative party and Labour party, had difficulties during this TV debate. Nick Clegg was smart by letting Gordon Brown and David Cameron attack each other like little children. After this debate I have more sympathy for the Liberal Democrats. I hope that this TV debate will make the Liberal Democrats bigger, they deserve a chance to win the elections after 65 years.

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Link:
http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/news/politics/article7099159.ece