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!