Boy 'not proud'of toddler death

A 15-year-old babysitter accused of murdering a little girl said he is not proud of his acting. The teenager admits that he murdered Demi on the grounds of diminished responsibility. The little girl was found with 68 injuries on her body. The manchester's court heard the evidence from the boy's psychiatrist, the boy told the healthworker: "I'm not proud of what I've done and everyone will think I'm a monster, but nobody can ever punish me as much as I'll punish myself. The boy suffers from unsocialised conduct disorder and has a 'below normal' IQ. He can't control his emotions and his poor moral development had more control over his actions than his poor intellectual abillity. He doesn't have as much understanding of other people's emotions and feelings as other people. The boy can not explain his acting, he was angry because Demi wasn't listening to him and he had told her to be quiet. The trial continues.

Poor little girl, but also poor boy. The boy is really sorry, we all can tell according to what he said. I think he truly is sorry. I don't understand why these parents took him as a babysitter while they probably knew about his poor intellectual abillity. They probably never thought about this could happen, but you babysitter has to know sómething about babysitting and babies. This would be shock the to parents and all the people around, even the boy's parents. They should have known about his poor intellectual abillities, or not? Why would they send their child to babysit without going with him to see how he's doing?

Row over speaking Welsh in Shop

Two sisters say they were asked to leave a gift shop after speaking Welsh. The two sisters were shopping for gifts and one of the sisters says: 'I was going to pick a gift for my granddaughter and we were discussing prices between us, when the saleslady asked us to leave." She didn't want anyone speaking Welsh in her shop. The two lady's asked for her name and adress to report the case, but the saleslady refused to give the information. One of the sisters went back in the shop and asked if it was ok if they were from another ethnic origin, would it be ok to speak another language. The saleswoman answered with: "Yes, but you're not are you? You're Welsh!" The two sisters reported the case to Equality and human rights Commission. Mrs Pratley who runs the shop said the two ladies are not banned from the shop, they were just asked to leave. According to her, she asked the ladies to speak English, but the ladies responded with "you should learn Welsh".

Two sides of the story these 3 ladies give her. What would the saleswoman do if there are any tourists in the shop in the first place. Not everyone can speak English! Now the reaction of one of the two ladies who were buying the presents were also not very nice. When they really have said that, the saleslady has the right to ask them to leave. The customers were rude to her, you don't want them in your shop, so you have the right to let them leave. It's a bit overdramatic what the two ladies did, when they responded with this reaction. It would become a whole different case, not based on racism, but on rudeness.

Glastonbury tribute to the King of pop

Gabiella Cilmi has become the first singer who tributed Michael in one of her songs in a concert after he passed away yesterday. There will be tributes all over the weekend by other bands. There is nothing formal planned to think about the death of Jackosn at the Glastonbury festival, but the woman who organised the biggest part of the festival said that the band will be talking about him during their sets. Last night Michael Jackson died from a heart attack, the people at the festival thought it was very strange that one of the DJ's suddenly began to play Michael Jackson's songs. Untill they heard the news. Many artists think he has been a very big influnce in pop music. Felix White, from the Maccabees told BBC6 that his death left him with mixed feelings. "Michael seemed unable to cope with the world, but it's hard to say that his death is a blessing in disguise". Michael Jackson died at the age of 50.

I heard the news this morning when I woke up. My little radio was on and the man on the news said MJ was dead. It's very sad and I think he really was the KING of pop. Suddenly everybody forgot that he was sued for sexual assault. The images on the TV showed how people left their work for what it was and went to the hospital where Michael was admitted. They heard the news that he was dead. But that people can cry so much because of their idol is dead, that's what I don't understand. They don't know him personnally, only through his music. How can you be so upset because someone died you don't even know. Rest in peace Michael Jackson!

Twin Confusion for Attack Victim

Sometimes it is nice to have a twin brother. Especially in the case of Gavin and Rhys Higgins, one of the two is probably guilty of punching a 41-year-old man. The victim Mr Churchill told the court: "It was one of the twins, I do not know which one." The victim was tapped on his shoulder and one of the twin brothers said: "remember the pool match? Come outside." He refused to go outside with the man, but later when he went to the toilet one of the twin struck him from the side and he was punched and kicked and needed surgery to straighten a kink in his nose. The court asked Mr Churchill who started punching first and he answered: "I don't know, they both look the same to me." But the case becomes more complicated, Rhys, one the twins, said he was punched by Mister Churchill himself when he was leaving the club. They were on the ground and there were a few exchanges, but Rhys said he didn't see mark on Darryl Churchill. His identical twin brother said he saw Curchill and his friends attacking Rhys. He didn't help his twin brother because there were enough others in the area. The trial continues

In the past they probably had fights all the time and now they need each other to back up. Imagine if the twin brothers are guilty of attacking this man, then it's a clever game they play. If nobody keeps them apart, nobody will recognise who did it. They make up the same story and TADAA! there's your alibi. Mr Churchill was in the club with his 10-year-old son, why would he behave himself badly before the eyes of his son? I don't think a dad would do that, but there are crazy people on this earth. They were in a crowded club, someone must have seen these people fighting, and I hope someone can see some difference in these two men!

Ban sunbeds for under-18s

A government recommend today that sunbed use for teenagers under 18 should be banned. The government's committee on medical aspects of radiation in the environment is very concerned of the growing number of under eighteens who use sunbeds often. Every year there are 370 cases of Melonoma (serious skin cancer) and 100 deaths is an effect of the sundbed use. The committe called for legislation to regulate tanning salons, noting that voluntary codes in other countries have not worked. Other recommendations of the committee are: more training for the staff, more information for the customer about the healthrisks of sunbeds and compulsory protecting eyewear.
The committee is very concerned about the power of the tanning machines and they believe they are causing 100 deaths each year, plus the concequence of burning yourself which has plastic surgery as an effect.

I think this is totally the responsibility of the customers. If people want to have a tan, that is al right. It is your own risk of getting skin cancer. The government can't prevent this, it is the same when, for example, the government forbids using deodorant, because it could have a health risk. If the parents can't take for their children, just by informing them about health risks of sunbeds then there's something drastically wrong with the society. Maybe they could go for certain periods of time when children want to have a tan. For example a child of 14 can't stay longer than 7 minutes under a sunbed.

Madonna wins right to adopt second Malawian child

Madonna has permission from the Malawian government to adopt the little girl Mercy after the country's highest court overturned an earlier descision to reject her application. Madonna spotted Mercy three years ago in an orphanage, but waited untill earlier this year with the adoption application.

The Malawian's Law requires the new parents living in Malawi for 18 to 24 months. A local group 'The Eye of the Child' says these rules are neccesary to prevent child abuse and they think foreign parants should be the last adoption option. No other foreign parents have been allowed to adopt one of the 1 milion orphans without observing the law. Chief Justice Lovemore Munlo said the intial descision by the high court in April to reject Madonna's adoption application had failed to take into account of modern realities.

Mercy's mother, 18, died soon after she gave birth to mercy and her father is unknown. There have been reports that relatives of Mercy are uncomfortable with the court's descision. But it's clear that the government is in favour of the adoption. They want to give Mercy a chance to have better future and education. Judge Munlo Agreed: 'Either to stay at the orphanage without the love of family and live with the possibilty of destitution or be with Madonna where she is assured of love. Every child needs love'.

I completely agree with the Malawian government. Every child needs love, and every child should have a chance to get that love. The relatives are uncomfortable with the descision, yeah right.. why was Mercy still in the orphanage, if they love that child so much? It's a bit too late to complain about the adoption. Only the thing that strikes me, is that a famous person like Madonna can adopt a child like this, without following the rules. They make an exception for a celebrity. What about the other 999.999 children, don't they need love too? I hope this would change the law for all the other people who wants to adopt a Malawian child. If madonna is the only one who can adopt a child like this, it would be wrong!

NHS failure on Down’s screening kills healthy babies

Only one in three hospitals offer pregnant women the best tests to test if their baby has Down's Syndrome. Scores of healthy foetuses die every year because most hospitals do not give pregnant women a test that is according the NHS the best test for Down's Syndrome. Other tests are more likely to give a "false positive". The death rate is higher than it should be because only one in three hospital offer the mother-to-be a so-called combined test for Down's Syndrome. It's the most accurate of the four methods the NHS uses to calculate the woman's chances of having a child with Down's. If every hospital provided the combined test, the total of what Doctor Anne Mackie calls "normal babies lost" would be around 90. Now 146 babies die as a result of efforts to detect children with Down's syndrome. The 146 foetuses have no neurological damage but die when miscarry as a result of having the amniocentesis test. Doctors told the mothers that their babies have a high risk of having the syndrome. About 60,000 people in the UK have Down's. It is the biggest cause of learning disabillities. Women who become pregnant after 35 have a higher risk on having a baby with down's syndrome, especially after the age of 40.

I do not understand why the hospitals who still use the amniocentesis test do not move on to the combined tests. If it's cheaper than the new test, then that should not matter. Lives are at stake here. Or mothers-to-be should get a choice, what kind of test they want. I think there are always risks of losing a child but according to this article that risk could be drastically decreased if more hospitals just change the test. Maybe the government could give a compensation to the hospitals if the test is more expensive than the older versions. Maybe then the NHS could reach the target of having more hospitals to provide the combined test.

Monster in Law

You marry the love of your life, prince charming. And then suddenly your mother in law seems to be a real monster in law. This happened to the three daughters-in-law of Naseebah Bibi. She forced the women to cook, clean and make clothes while treating them 'like dogs'.

Naseebah Bibi who beat her victims and treated them "like dogs", was said by a judge at Preston crown court. She has physically and psycholocally traumatised the women. Naseebah used her house in Blackburn, Lancashire as a prison and factory, forcing here oldest son Fahim's wife to make clothes for 13 years and keeping the money from their sale. Nagina Akhtar was given a little more than a month off for the births of each of her three children, and was beaten into doing cleaning and cooking chores.

Two of the victims, sisters Nisbah and Tazeem told the jury that their life had been "hell", with Bibi using brushes, shoes and even air freshner to beat them into working from 7 am every day. Nisbah escaped the house when bibi was distracted. Both of the sister's husbands rejected the marriage because they were living with a white partner. Naseebah Bibi will serve three-and-a-half years and after that strict monitoring of the situation in her house after she is released. Her prison sentence is very short because of her age, poor health and mental state.

How could no one notice what was going on this house? Was nobody visiting this family? Or were maybe scared to tell anyone because of Naseebah. Maybe she was making up excuses for her acting. All the girls were abondoned by their family after a marriage was arranged for them. So no family who cared for them. I'm glad Naseebah has a jail sentence, she deserves nothing more. Even two of her sons lived with another woman, she just kept using the woman as slaves. I wonder if she knows what she has done to these woman. I don't think she realises the consequences of her acting, the women are now traumatised, they will in fear for the rest of their lives.

Chancellor claimed expenses for accountant to do his tax returns

More MPs are busted in spending money for personal us on expenses. Eight ministers bought digital cameras or camcorders using their office expenses. Jacqui Smith bought a 240 pound iPhone for her husband on expenses, he works as her assistent. Labour officials reacted furiously last night after eight cabinet ministers came under attack for using accountants at public expense to ensure forms they declared their office costs were properly filled out. Alistair Darling chancellor of Exchequer claimed more than 1,400 pounds for accountancy advice. A senior official also angrily denied that claiming for accountants´ fees is cheating the public. "This is not for personal use or family finances. It's specifically for their office costs, which have to go on their self assessment forms. This is actually about cabinet ministers behaving responsibly and making sure they are honouring their tax liabilities as they should."

It's ridiculous that this is happening. Great Britain is in an economic crisis and these MPs just spent the money shamelessly, the money that is so badly needed in this country. And some senior official is even defending these MPs. Of course the claim for accountants' fees is personal use. The normal people in Britain pay these fees all by themselves, they can't claim these costs. Why should the MPs get these costs compensated?

Anger at murderer's jail term cut

in 1983 and in 1986 Colin Pitchfork raped and murdered two girls Lynda Mann and Dawn Ashwordth, both 15 years old. Pitchfork was the first person to be jailed for murder through the use of DNA evidence. Pitchfork, a former baker, admitted two charges of murder, two of rape, two of indecent assault and one offence of conspiracy to pervert the course of justice. He initially managed to avoid justice by influencing a colleague to submit a DNA sample for him when 5,000 men in three villages were asked to volunteer blood or saliva samples.
Colin Pitchfork got a 30-year sentence, but now his imprisoning is reduced with two years. The mother of one of the teenages is disgusted by this and she says:"it's the wrong decision... it's all in favour of the criminal". The court heard that the double killer had become a specialist in the transcription of printed music in Braille and achieved a high educational standard up to degree level. Ms. Eastwood said: 'I don't want him to feel he's won anything. He's not... He still committed the murder - it doesn't change that'

I completely agree with the mother of the murdered teenager. This man should deal with the consequences of his acts. He raped and murdered two innocent girls and it seems like the court forgot about these horrible deeds. It doesn't matter that he has progressed or anything, he still committed the murder in his past. He should deal with consequences. It doesn't matter if it's reduced with 10 years or 2 years or 3 weeks, he should serve his sentence.

(article found at: http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/england/leicestershire/8051513.stm)

Drunken youth 'fit to walk home'

On a cold winter's night in 2004, Lee Sellers (17) was walking home; Covered in mud he tried to flag down traffic. Two police officers were called to the A550 and they found lee near a roundabout. He was according to the two officers coherent and calm, they were happy with theur desicision to let Lee walk home by himself. Twoo weeks later Lee's body was found in a disused coal bunker.
In an Inquest the policemen told that they found lee near a roundabout, trying to get a lift. He was spotted by drivers wearing just a t-shirt on a night when temperatures dropped to about 1C.Officer A and B (who gave their names in provate) said Lee was 'dressed suitably for the time of year' and 'it wasn't a particulary cold evening'. Lee asked the policemen for a lift but the policemen refused, there has to be a 'policing purpose' to give someone a lift. Lee called eventually a friend, Andrew Taylor, who said his friend initially sounded "panicky" and " distressed" and wanted him to pick him up, but he had been drinking and was unable to drive. Mr. Taylor suggested Lee try another friend for a lift, but Lee decided against it. However Andrew Taylor said Lee calmed down, sounded coherent, they had discussed him calling a taxi.

I find this story very scary, this boy froze to death all alone in a coal bunker. The police are for in trouble, the policemen/women are people you trust, but these police officers didn't help Lee. I think in Holland this would have gone differently, Here I think it's more likely that the police would have given the boy a lift, or at least make sure he gets home savely. It's the difference in status, here the police is portrayed as your friend. For the Police in Wales: They should have waited untill someone wanted Lee to give a ride home, when they don't want to give a him a lift themselves.

http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/uk_news/wales/north_east/8022920.stm

Thousands May Miss Degree

An extra 24,367 people have applied to study at the university across the UK this year. This is about four times the extra places available. Many universities send out warnings they have to turn many students away. Pain Tatlow finds it 'unthinkable' if thousands of suitably qualified applicants could not enter higher education. Also more students means that the Higher Education funding council in Wales has to pay more grants, more than anticipated; this means cuts fore some institutions. Liberal Democrat spokesman Stephen Williams noted that the increased interest in higher education was not just from schoolleavers but from older people who were bearing the brunt of the economic crisis. 'If ministers hadn't botched up the funding last year, more people would be able to get the skills they need to secure themselves a better future," he said.

It strikes me that Great Britain suffers way more from the recession as Holland does. At least what I notice of the recession. In Great Britain even students are going through a rough times with their studies. It's absurd that students have to fight for a place in higher education. Teenagers, students are the future of Great- Britain and when other people take away the places in higher education for these students it goes terribly wrong. Because when the older people who now get a place in higher education, will retire sooner than the students, but when there are no students who can succeed the older employee, they have a problem. The company won't find new employees very quickly and some companies may go bankrupt. The government should set up a programm with special retrain courses particulary for these older people, so that the students still have their places in higher education and still have a chance to get a study and get a job.

http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/uk_news/education/8012362.stm

Yougest Male Olympian Is a Bullies' Target

Tom Daley, the 14-year-old teenager who was Britain's second youngest male Olympian last year in Beijing, has revealed he has been a victim of bullying at school and the problem got worse after his return from the Games. In an interview Tom told about his school and said it has gone on a long time, but it reached a peak after the Olympics and has just stayed there. "They've been taking the mick for ages, calling me 'Diver Boy', but they now spend most of their time throwing stuff at me". Daley went into last year's Olympics carrying an immense weight of public expectation on his young shoulds, but came away without a medal after he and his older diving partner performed badly and had a very public falling-out. Tom Daley has now a new partner: 17-year-ol d Max Brick. The divers finished last in a five-team field in the final of the men's 10 metre synchro at the Fina World Series in Sheffield. The duo's poor performance came after Daley was quoted over the weekend talking about his hounding by fellow students at Eggbuckland Community College in Plymouth.

I just do not understand why we have to be so cruel. We all have to be 'normal': wear normal clothes, act normal and have normal hobbies. And your fellow students decide what is normal and what not. This boy only does something he loves to do, chased his dream and his classmates do not think it's normal, are maybe a bit jealous and they begin to bully him instead of support him and respect what he is doing. I want to be a teacher in a few years and I would like to solve these problems as much as possible in my class. I want to help the victim because it is neccesary that everyone feels save in class. The sad thing is that it will never be solved entirely, people will always bully each other to feel better about themselves, but we can fight to decrease the bullying.


(http://www.guardian.co.uk/sport/2009/apr/19/tomdaley-diving)

Scarlett Johansson denies being on Iron Man Diet

Scarlett Johansson posted a blog on a US website in which she denies she is on a extreme diet. According to the tabloids Scarlett has lost 14 pounds out of terror of losing roles to thinner actors or has been 'forced' into a hardcore workout schedule by Gwyneth Paltrow. In her blog Scarlett said she has been exercising for a forthcoming film "Iron Man 2" but she denied the suggestions she had lost 14 pounds. "I would be absolutely mortified to discover that some 15-year-old girl in Kansas City read one of these 'articles' an decided she wasn't going to eat for a couple of weeks so she too could 'crash diet' and look like Scarlett Johansson."

Who has not looked like someone with anorexia in Hollywood? The media writes about thin stars and the trend is to have size 'zero' like the models on the catwalk and it is not even beautiful. They look like skeletons. And now the tabloids are writing about my favourite actress Scarlett Johansson, according to the tabloids she has lost 14 pounds. I am glad Scarlett posted a blog in which she denies this because there are enough girls who want to be skinny and want to look like all these stars. The stars are an example for all the 'normal' girls in the world but I do not think they see this. The stars do not have to see this actually, all the 'normal' girls in the world have to see that they have to be themselves. Do not take the stars as your example, just be who you are and wear what you like and esspecially EAT what you like.

You were born an original. Don't die a copy. ~John Mason

(Article found on Guardian.co.uk)

I Believe This May Call for a Proper Introduction

Hi everybody!

I'm Lisa and this is my blog. Here I will post my thoughts, feelings and news for the next few weeks.

You'll hear from me soon!