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

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