Boy refused to wear cornrow braids by his school is ruled racial discrimination

The boy's family won the case against Harrow college. They said he couldn't wear cornrow braids since they think it was a ''gang-related'' hairstyle. The school's anti-gang ban on unconventional hairstyles led to ''unlawful, indirect racial discrimination which is not justified'' according to the high court. This is a victory for the boy's family, since his hairstyle is part of a family tradition. Mr Justice Collins, sitting in London, claimed that the hair policy was not unlawful itself, ''but if it is applied without any possibility of exception, such as this boy, then it is unlawful''.

Words: 96

Comment:

I do think it is ridiculous to think this hairstyle is a part of a gangster lifestyle. I've seen a lot of people with this hairstyle on many different races. It shouldn't matter how you look like, and these braids don't even look that horrible since it looks very neat with no hair sticking out. I think it is quite poor for the boy, since he's just 13. He was very hurt and doesn't even want to go back to this school. The school didn't come really far though, but still it is ridiculous because they gave this boy a hurtful time.

Words: 102

http://www.guardian.co.uk/uk/2011/jun/17/school-ban-cornrow-braids-discrimination

welfare shakeup could make parents of disabled children lose £1,400

Hundred thousands of disabled children will lose a lot of crucial money since their welfare benefit will get halved under controversial reforms.

Parents are now able to receive £54 a week, which is a maximum. They can get this through tax credits to help with the extra cost of  taking care of a child with disabilities. But because of the welfare reform bill, which has been discussed by the Commons last week, that the parents of disabled children will only get £27 a week instead of £54. According to the Children's Society this is way below the poverty line.

Words: 99

Comment:

I think the government should stay away from the money of disabled children. Life is already quite hard for them since they have to adjust themselves to the world of people who are able to move just fine. The government should take away money from other departments as much as they are able to do. If the money they get is already under the poverty line for normal people, then what about disabled children? It's just something I really wonder. It almost seems they do it on purpose. Who's sick idea was it to take money away from these people...

Words: 100

http://www.guardian.co.uk/society/2011/jun/18/disabled-benefits-cut-welfare-reform




http://www.guardian.co.uk/society/2011/jun/18/disabled-benefits-cut-welfare-reform

Primary schoolteacher abuses pupils while filming

A primary schoolteacher, father of two children, showers at least one girl a year with gifts. He filmed himself while he was sexually assaulting his pupils who were as young as six. The sexual assaults went on sometimes when other children where present. The man, 51 years old, afforded a pupil privileges and organised one-on-one teaching sessions with the girl. He also wrote letters to his victims, in which he told them to keep quiet. In these letters he described the pupils what he would want to do to them and ask them to reply him.

http://www.guardian.co.uk/uk/2011/jun/10/primary-schoolteacher-filmed-himself-abusing

words: 96

Comment:

I think this man should never work with children again, and he should be locked up in the highest room. I already got sick of this article when I only read the title. Just anything that contains children who are sexually abused make me kind of angry. Of course the police is doing something about this now, but still I think there is no punishment high enough for these kind of things. I think this happens quite much, and I think that schools should really pay attention too. It can be quite hard to find out whether a teacher is guilty or not of doing these things, but at least they should never hire a person who did this before.

Words: 120

3 out of 10 children in the UK ''own no books''

3 out of 10 children in the UK ''own no books''

A recent research reveals that a high number of boys and girl have no books for themselves, which seems to be worrying for their future prospects. 3 out of 10 children within the UK own no single book of their own. This research is done by the National Literacy, who also claims that boys are less likely to have books than girls. The survey also says that 4 in 10 boys do not have any books, and 3 in 10 girls do not own any books either. This survey took place last year around November and December, with children between 11 and 13 years old.

http://www.guardian.co.uk/books/2011/jun/01/three-in-10-uk-children-own-no-books

words: 105

Comment:

I hate reading with a passion, but I do think that everyone needs to read a book once in a while. Especially children need to get used to reading, because it will definitely come back throughout their whole life. There is no way of avoiding it, so best would be to start reading as soon as they can. Therefore I think that having books at home will be better for young children, since I think the beginning stage of reading is most important.

Words: 83

Research on babies may find problems earlier

New technology of babies' eye movements could precisely pinpoints problems in a early stage and help children on areas such as educational help. A lot parents try to find out whether their screaming baby is tired or hungry while watching tv. For a lot of parents this is quite annoying, but for doctors this could be a great opportunity to make diagnoses. By movements of a baby's eyes they will be able to find problems related to attention, communication and languages development. However, the academics are trying to find out whether it is possible to identify these skills in babies as young as six months.

http://www.guardian.co.uk/education/2011/may/16/research-babies-eye-movements

Words: 105

Comment:

I find this a very strange kind of research, but nowadays nothing is strange enough for a research. I wonder too if it is possible to identify problems in a baby, since babies are still developing skills and such. I guess everyone develops different, and maybe one skills takes longer to develop than the other. Therefore I'm not sure if this will be really something to take serious and rely on. If this will ever work, then I think it's a great thing, since doctors will be able to find out what's wrong with a baby at a very early stage. And with this, I really hope that this research will succeed.

Words: 112

How to learn Mandarin in two days

According to Paul Noble it is possible to speak Mandarin in two days. his course is entirely different from the system that schools use. Noble's method seems to be quite simple and is a lexixal approach, which means that a small selection of phrases, like chunks, are a lot more effective than learning long lists of words. Especially standard sets of words are more effective when you go to a restaurant, or to tell what I, he, she or it did. The main idea of this different approach in a language is to use verbs in a present or past tense. Noble thinks that is the best way to make things clear to natives, and to use these in all kinds of different sentences without a lot of trouble.

Words: 129

Comment:

I think this way of learning a language can be effective, but I don't think you are able to speak Mandarin within two days using this way. I think learning parts of important sentences are more effective than learning lists of words, even though some words can be quite important. I just think that a combination of most used sentences + words are a must, instead of learning words how to say you're cleaning the floor because someone puked over there.

http://www.guardian.co.uk/education/2011/may/18/speak-mandarin-in-two-days

Anorexic women are the target for ''skinny porn'' websites

Anorexic women are the target for ''skinny porn'' websites

Pro-anorexia websites are using pictures from vulnerable anorexic women. These women posted their pictures to show them to other people for ''thin-spiration'', but actually porn websites pay pro-ana websites to use these pictures. The porn websites are busy with signing up new clients, advertising images, movies, and even host anorexia porn on websites such as YouTube and anorexia pornography forums. These forums are there to make vulnerable women to explicit photographs of themselves. Many people against pro-ana feel that this is something for internet service providers to take care of. They think that internet providers are able to remove the most hardcore materials.

Words: 103

http://www.guardian.co.uk/society/2011/apr/06/anorexic-women-targeted-by-porn-websites


Comment:

I think internet providers could be a solution to remove a lot, but that doesn't mean that every problem has been solved. These vulnerable women really need someone that keeps an eye on them, and make sure that they won't do what  people on the internet tell them to do. I also think that pro-ana websites should be sued when they earn money with people's pictures, because it is unfair that they earn money with these pictures, while the people who took them don't even know that their pictures have been sold. I hope governments can also do something about this, because in fact this is all about exploitation of vulnerable people.

Words: 112

Pet owners can no longer afford their animals

Pet owners can no longer afford their animals

Owners of pets can no longer afford to provide their pets of food and visits to the vet, as economic times get harder. Half a million pet owners feed their animals with their own leftovers, and two-thirds try to find an average of £11.04 each week for pet care. Owners even pass the vet when something is wrong with their pet. The number of abadoned animals taken into centres have increased by 19%. Because of tough times, more than 4000 animals were given up voluntarily for financial reasons such as losing homes, losing jobs or to move house.  

Words: 98

http://www.mirror.co.uk/news/latest/2011/05/02/pet-care-suffers-as-times-get-tough-115875-23101500/

Comment:

I think it is possible that people cannot afford their animals anymore, but they should have thought about that before they took an animal into their homes. I think financial problems are lame reasons to abandon your pet. A pet is part of your family, and it is quite insane to kick out your family members when you're going through a hard time. I think feeding and to give a bit of love to your animal are things that should be easily done. I do agree that vets are extremely expensive, but if you really can't afford it, then you have at least tried to save your animal.

Words: 108

David Cameron claims that alcohol, drug addicts and overweight people have no rights on benefits

David Cameron claims that alcohol, drug addicts and overweight people have no rights on benefits

Short summary:

David Cameron made a lot of people angry by saying that drunks, drug addicts and the overweight don't deserve to get any benefits. He also said that he doesn't pay taxes to keep a place open for them in the welfare system, but professor David Nutt, specialized in drugs hit back. He said that addiction is not something that people choose themselves. He said that if they need benefit, they should not be denied it as well. This comment followed after the Department for Work and Pension showed 12,800 alcoholics, 9,200 drug addicts and 600 overweight people that have claimed  incapacity benefit over a decade.

Words: 105

Comment:

I agree and disagree with David Cameron. I think it is a bit harsh to exclude people who struggle with overweight and addictions. On the other side, I think there is definitely a choice to choose for drugs and food, and therefore I agree with David that people are causing trouble to their own health, while they actually could be healthy people. Even with this I feel quite mean, since I think that these people deserve as much as other people. It is hard for me to decide at who's side I am, because my feelings towards this matter are double-sided.

Words: 101

http://www.mirror.co.uk/news/politics/2011/04/22/david-cameron-claims-drunks-drug-addicts-and-the-overweight-don-t-deserve-benefits-115875-23078168/

Stress makes teachers leave school

Stress makes teachers leave school

Short summary:

Stress is driving teachers out of school, and some teachers even commit suicide which was made clear during a teacher school conference. A research by the Health and Safety Executive in 2000 showed that teaching is the most stressful job. Even 41,5% of all teachers claim to be ''highly stressed'' instead of just having some stress. The workload that teachers have is also extremely high, since many teachers, deputies and heads work at least 50 hours a week. When teacher do this every week, the physical and mental health of teachers will not get any better.

Words: 96

Comment:

Then now I know why it always took ages before I got my grades back. I do think that teachers work hard since they also take some of their work back home, like grading assignments, tests etc. I never want to become a teacher, because to me it seems a job that really takes away a lot of hours. You take a job for life, and I think I will never be able to adapt myself into a teacher's life completely. I actually feel kind of sorry for teachers that are so stressed, because some of them still need to work for quite some time.

Words: 105

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

Desk job doubles the risk of bowel cancer

Desk job doubles the risk of bowel cancer

Scientist found out that having a desk job doubles the risk of getting a major type of bowel cancer. They even found that office workers who regularly exercise still have twice as much chance to get bowel cancer, even though they exercise after work. That means that a long time of physical inactivity significantly increase the risk. At the time when people found out they have bowel cancer, they die soon after diagnosis since it is extremely hard to catch early warning signs. The researchers also found that people who spent more than 10 years behind their desk were twice as likely (94%) to have developed a tumour in the lower parts of their body. They also have a bigger chance to develope rectum cancer (44%).

Words: 126

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/health/healthnews/8460768/Desk-job-doubles-bowel-cancer-risk.html

Comment:

This is an interesting article for sure, but somehow I wonder if this research isn't a bit exaggerating the whole case. We all know that an unhealthy lifestyle does no good for us, but I think it is different if people do not exercise at all. I'm not sure it matters at what time of the day you exercise... just the fact that you do it should be enough. I do agree that an active job is better than sitting behind a desk, but since we can get cancer from almost everything already,  I doubt if this research should be taken seriously.

Words: 102

Girl with extensive brain damage by hospital glue injection

Great Ormond Street being sued by 11-year-old after operation left her with extensive brain damage

Great Ormond Street children's hospital has been sued by Maisha Najeeb, a 11 year old girl, that left her with extensive brain damage after a operation. Legal documents support Maisha for her actions against the hospital. The documents claim that the accident happened during the operation, and that one action contained glue, which was supposed to treat her blood vessels with. Maisha’s family claims that the glue entered an artery[1], and that the glue travelled from her artery into her brain, which caused permanent damage at area’s that are of great importance of her mental and physical functions. Maisha is now in a wheelchair, and is in need of help with all her basic functions. The hospital says that they will provide the family with support, and that they will change their systems and processes.

Words: 137

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[1] slagader

http://www.guardian.co.uk/society/2011/apr/15/hospital-girl-brain-damage

Comment:

I think this action lead the hospital to self destruction. This medical failure could have been easily avoided. I’m aware of the fact that things can go really wrong during an operation, but I do think that the hospital should have at least been more careful during the operation, since a brain operation is very risky. I think providing the family of care and help is the least they could do, because this medical failure ensured the girl of a life full of dependence.  

Words: 84

People in Britain have a easier ''work life'' compared to South-European countries.

People in Britain have a easier ''work life'' compared to South-European countries.

The Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development's (OECD) says that the average British person works 7 hours and 53 minutes a day. Their analysis displays that Britain is the ninth  least hard-working country of all the 29 OECD members. Belgians have the easiest time, since they just work 7 hours and 7 minutes a day. Mexicans struggle to most, because their average score makes clear that they at least work 9 hours and 54 minutes a day. Wealthy countries like the UK work less than others, because the UK is industrialized well. Of a daily schedule, Britons shop 29 minutes. This is six minutes more than the OECD average. In France people spend the most time in shops with their 32 minutes a day. Everyone should decide for himself whether shopping can be seen as ''work''.

Words: 136

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/finance/economics/8446128/Britons-enjoy-the-easy-life-OECD-says-compared-with-the-Spanish-Portuguese-and-Italians.html

Comment:

I am not sure if this research is really fair, since there are also some factors that decide whether people work more or not. South-European countries have a nice climate throughout the year, while people in Britain are happy to see the sun once in a while. I think this has a lot to do with the whole social mood in a country. In South-Europeans they also have these ''siestas'', which basically means you can take a nap from 2 to 4. I think it is no wonder that people in South-European or these warm countries are able to work more, since they have time to take a rest or sleep.

Words: 111

 

UK and The Netherlands sharing a electricity link

UK and The Netherlands sharing a electricity link

100 word summary

The electricity cable that the UK and The Netherlands share is the very first step towards a ''renewable energy''revolution. The BritNed cable (Britain/Nederland), is the first electricity link that has been made in 25 years. The electricity cable is a cooperation between the Dutch grid operator TenneT and the UK National Grid. The cable is equal to a nuclear power station, since the cable has a capacity of 1,000MW. This electricity link runs from Kent to Maasvlakte. The cable is a good investment. Firstly, linking the UK and Euopean grids helps to remove the shadow over the UK's energy security. Secondly, the cable may be equal to a nuclear power station, but definitely is a much greater solution for the environment.

words: 121

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

Comment:
I think this is definitely a great investment, since this cable does not do any harm to the environment. I like the idea of countries working together as well. By sharing energy like this, the connection between countries can only get better in my opinion. If there occur any problems with the cable, then these countries can help each other out by sharing the costs too. Europe could also be a rolemodel for other continents, which will do good to the environment as well...if this cable makes an impression at least.

Words: 92

TEST.