Boy stabbed and killed on the street by gang

Park Campus School, West Norwood, in South London is a specialist school that educates some of London's most troubled young people. Also those with social, behavioral and emotional difficulties, aged between 11 and 16 years old. Zac Olumegbon, a pupil form Park Campus, was stabbed by a gang on friday. Det. Ch. Insp. Jong McFarlane, of the Metropolitan Police, said: “Just after 08.50am the 15-year-old victim, who was a pupil, was together with some other pupils. A car pulled up with four young black males in it and a confrontation took place. The 15-year-old ran away from school. They followed and sadly he suffered fatal injuries.”


http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/england/london/10498441.stm

It is really tragic a young boy like this gets killed by a gang on the street. The article also said another pupil, age 14, was injured. What could they have done to deserve this? Maybe they were with another gang or they insulted someone from the gang who now payed them back by murdering one and hurting the other. Or maybe it was just “for fun”. I think the police should be more out there on the streets, it is ridiculous something like this could happen. We are depending on technology with camera's everywhere but does not help. If there were more police on the streets, maybe this accidents could have been prevented.

Three cheers for the Queen!

The British Queen is preparing to deliver one of the most important speeches of her 58-year reign in New York, and will appeal for "world peace". She will also be visiting Canada early next month, accompanied by the Duke of Edingburgh. The Queen will be addressing the UN General Assembly, were she last addressed 5 years after acceding to the throne following the death of her father, George VI, she was then 31 years old. As the chief deliberative, policy-making and representative body of the United Nations, the General Assemblu was set in 1945.
The President of the General Assembly hopes "the Queen will throw her weight and support behind the MDGs (Millennium Development Goals) and other important issues on the agenda of the General Assembly."

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/newstopics/theroyalfamily/7856248/Queen-to-make-historic-UN-address-and-appeal-for-world-peace.html


It think it is a good thing the Queen of England wants to make a difference. She really wants to reach people with her speech and change the world, very admirable. A lot of 'role models' do not even take the effort to make a difference and just spend money. I know the Queen is not a standard rich and famous, she has obligations and tasks of course. However, she can choose the subjects that are important to her and she wants to get world across with. Hopefully she can reach a lot of people with her (also hopefully) historical speech!

King of Pop, in memorial

Michael Jackson's father filed a lawsuit against the doctor charged with giving the King of Pop a lethal dose of sedatives one year ago. He also pressed charges against concert promoter EG Live with the California Medical Board. Joe Jackson accuses the Nevada doctor of negligence, secrecy and poor training. Why now, you must think. Brian Oxman, Joe Jackson's attorney, said there is a one-year deadline after a death to sue doctors in the state of California. According to Jackson's lawsuit, Dr Murray repeatedly lied to paramedics and doctors about giving Michael Jackson Propofol and also changed his story to the police. Hospital records, obtained earlier this year, show that Dr Murray told an emergency room doctor that he had only provided Michael Jackson two medications: Valium and Flomax. Murray's attorneys claim detectives misinterpreted parts of Dr Murrays statements, and their official time-line differs from what he says happened.
"It is an important thing for Joseph (Joe) Jackson," his attorney Oxman said of the lawsuit. "He wants justice for his son Michael." The Jackson family is seeking damages for a variety of issues, including loss of income, support, emotional distress, and pain and suffering.

http://www.mirror.co.uk/celebs/news/2010/06/26/michael-jackson-s-father-joe-jackson-files-wrongful-death-lawsuit-against-dr-conrad-murray-115875-22362224/

It is a shame that the King of Pop, Michael Jackson, died. Or murdered. I do not know what to believe but I know that people always want someone to blame. Of course the doctor must have made an mistake, there is prove enough but we do not know if it was on purpose.In my opinion Joe Jackson is desperately trying to get as much money out of his son's death as he can, even in the after life he is using his own son for money! It is common knowledge that Joe and Michael Jackson did not have a good relationship, Michael occasionally got beaten up by his father. It seems like Joe Jackson turned crazy due to his son's success. Someone must tell him that suing everyone does not make up for his son's death and it is not the way of mourning!

Bumblebees and butterflies, were have you gone?

Due to pesticides , diseases, environmental changes and agriculture the pollinators are declining. Pollinators are insects such as butterflies, bumblebees, hoverflies, wasps, moths and honeybees. If bees were to extinct form nature, it will be catastrophic. It could cost the UK economy up to 440 million pounds a year, scientist have warned. Claire Carvell from the Centre for Ecology and Hydrology, said that since the 1970s, there had been a 75% decline of butterfly species in the UK. Also, out of 25 species of bumblebees, three had gone extinct, she added. Several researches have started to preserve the biodiversity, the vital thing is to communicate the results of their studies to the people in the field; beekeepers and farmers. This was said at a news briefing at the Science Media Centre, by Professor Andrew Watkinson, director of the Living with Environmental Change programme.


http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/science_and_environment/10371300.stm

What is going on with the world? Will there soon be a world without beautiful butterflies, annoying wasps, cute bumblebees and lovely honeybees? I think it is a good idea to put a lot of money in researching the main problems of the declining. It is in everybody’s concern if pollinators do not extinct. Obviously it will mess with nature and make everything change. We do not want change, at least, not with nature! We should stop cutting trees, ruin forests and put a stop to a lot of construction companies and pesticide companies. If we have to, maybe we should think about environmental friendly houses, made of wood or other materials, instead of concrete and stones! And other ways to keep the insects away, instead of chemically killing them… Any ideas?

Second change ruined?

In 1993, James bulger, two years old, was abducted from a shopping centre in Bootle – Merseyside and murdered by the then 10-year-old Venables and Robert Thompson. They were jailed for life but freed on license in 2001, also getting a new identity to protect them from reprisal. In the mean time Venables and Thompson turned 18. Now, 9 years later, Venable (27) is charged of downloading 57 child porn images and video’s. The mother of James Bulger, Denise Fergus, yesterday praised the judge who agreed to make public the charges faced by her son’s killer, she said: “I simply want to see justice done."



I do not know if it is right to make these accusations public. What if this Venables did not download childporn? His reputation is ruined for life. I know he murdered a child but back then he was 10 years old and he went to jail for it. He is been given a second chance to do something with his life, that is what the new identity was for. If he turns out to be "not guilty" he will always be "that guy that killed a child and downloaded childporn". I do not know if I agree with something like that. Of course, if the accusations seem right, then you can ignore all of the above!

Killing without consent?

The GMC (General Medical Council) found Dr Howard Martin guilty of serious misconduct. Dr Howard Martin, 75 years old, said he gave fatal doses of painkillers to terminally ill patients out of “Christian compassion”. He believes he helped the patients die a peacefull death and with dignity. Dr Martin admits to have “helped two people die without consent”, he claims that “he did not do it because they wanted to die but because they had such dreadful suffering”. His admission comes after he was struck off the medical register for giving 18 vulnerable elderly people axcessivly high dosis of morphine. His son, Paul, 31, was one of those whom he administered a final injection and was dying from cancer in May 1988. In May 2004 Dr Martin was arrested at his practice in Newton Aycliffe, Co Durnham – one of his three surgeries. Relatives of an elderly cancer sufferer raised concerns with police after his death, an examination showed high levels of diamorphine in the man's system. Steve Field, the chairman of the Royal College of General Practitions said he was “horrified” by Dr Martin's admission: “there is no excuse for hastening the death of patioenst and I am absolutely horrified that the doctor seems to indicate that he actually hastened the death of two patients without their consent. I am speechless.”

http://www.guardian.co.uk/society/2010/jun/19/howard-martin-doctor-euthanasia

I do not agree with the behaviour of this Dr Martin. He seems to have killed a lot of people out of compassion but how can you know they consented with it? It is not a one-man's choice to take someones life, it is wrong of Dr Martin to kill the two man without their consent. There is nothing wrong with wanting people not to suffer anymore or wanting them to die with peace and dignity, it is wrong to take justice in to your own hands. Do not get me wrong, I am pro euthanasia! The article does not tell whether or not it was legal for Dr Martin to take those lives. Euthanasia is a peaceful way of stepping out of this life and making your own suffering stop but it is usually a choice and consulted together.

(Speakers Corner) No guns allowed!

Derrick Bird, taxi driver, shot 12 people dead in Crumbia. However, he had a licence to bear firearms. The taxi driver had it for over 20 years, Crumbia police said: “He owned a rifle and a shotgun”, similar to the weapons they recovered from the crime scene. Although the UK has some of the toughest gun control laws in the world, you need to spend hours and hours filling in papers, Bird managed to own two firearms. It is a very complicated business to get a licence, every stage of the process is designed to reduce the likelihood of a gun falling into wrong hands. You need to show you have a ‘good reason’ to own a gun, like deer stalking or shooting sports on a approved range. According to the most recent figures for England and Wales, there are 138,728 people to hold firearms and they own 435,383 weapons. There are 574,946 shotgun certificates which cover 1.4 million shotguns. In Crumbia, the place of the crime scene holds 9,868 shotgun certificates covering 22,476 shotguns.

http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/england/10220974.stm

According to the numbers above it seems it is not that difficult to own a gun. There are probably a lot of gun owners who own a gun for other reasons then sports or deer hunting. This frightens me. Why should it be possible for civilians to own a gun? Why do some people need to shoot for fun? I think it should be illegal to own a gun, permanently, no excuses. I see no good reason why people should. It only gives rise to shoot without a reason, or, like the article above, go mad and shoot innocent people.

Hurling, a rough Irish sport!

Hurling Minor league Finals at Parnell Park on the 18th of may, a sunny sunday morning: Na Fianna (Irish for "The Warriors") almost wins the 2010 Féile na' nGael Division 1 title. The Kilmacud Crokes, however, managed to withstand a spirited second half comeback from Na Fianna and took the price right from under their noses. With a final score of 2-6 for the Kilmacud Crokes and a 0-7 for Na Fianna, Parnell Park went loose.

Na Fianna ruled the first half, with their first goal just after three minutes, thanks to Alex Considine, who had already scored four goals in the semi-finals. The second goal came just two minutes later. However, the first half was ensured with a 2-4 for the Crokes to 0-2 for Fianna.

The second half was ruled by the Crokes, La Fianna tried to fight back in to victory, but were denied by inspired defending by the winners. With only 5 minutes left Na Fianna did manage to reduce the arrears to four points as they picked off three unanswered scores. In the final minute the game was ensured by the Crokes and they won their third title in six years. The Kilmacud Crokes will represent Dublin at the All-Ireland Féile in Clare on the third weekend in June.

http://www.herald.ie/sport/the-dubs/crokes-kill-off-fianna-revival-2183940.html

Me and my classmates (Marijn, Sandra, Sanae and Lianne) went to this game in Parnell Park in Dublin. The sun was shining and young boys were beating each other up on the field below. Wonderfull. No, just joking. It was our first Hurling game ever and at first we were a bit shocked by the speed of the game. The ball was going every where and those sticks (called: Hurls) are terrifying. During the game two boys were injured, after for example being hit by a Hurl, but kept on playing (very though boys!) and a couple of sticks (sorry, I mean Hurls) were broken. It was hard to keep up with the game, since we did not know the rules or score counting. Afterwards we talked to a coach and an ex-hurling player. They explained us the rules of Hurling and suddenly it became more clear. But I still think the sport is too rough for such young boys! What do you think? Is it good or bad to let boys from the age of 14/15 play such a rough sport? Will it make them stronger or do they need to play other games were agression and violence is not an issue?

I will tell you all about Hurling during my presentation for UKOK! So, be prepared for some action ;)

The one who lived

A ten-year-old Australian girl, Rachael Shardlow, survived after being stung by the most deadly jellyfish on earth – the Box Jellyfish. Rachael’s 13-year-old brother pulled her out of Calliope River, near the town of Gladstone, with the tentacles of the jellyfish still wrapped around her leg. Rachael told him she could not see or breathe right before she passed out. The body of this jellyfish is only the size of a fingernail but has very long tentacles which are lethal. Its venom causes overpowering pain, vomiting, muscle pain and attacks the heart, nervous system and skin. Victims often go into shock and drown. It is the first time in history someone survived after being stung by the Box Jellyfish; Rachael Shardlow will go into history as “the one who lived”.

http://www.thesun.co.uk/sol/homepage/news/2950948/Girl-10-survives-killer-jellyfish.html

One of the reasons I do not go to the beach often, is jellyfish. They are scary and often everywhere. And sometimes lethal. It depends on where you are of course, Dutch jellyfish will not kill you, but do give you a nasty sting. It truly is a miracle this young girl survived, especially since it is the most deadly jellyfish on the planet! I think it is a pity that I keep away from the beach because of such small animals that are not aware of the impact they have on me – or other humans for that matter. Do you like the beach and/or keep away if there are jellyfish? Are you someone who pokes them with sticks when they drift ashore (guilty!) or throw sand over them so people will not step on them? Or are you a jellyfish-loving-person?

The Twitter insanity continues...

A new idea: Food and Twitter! They go together like steak and chips. Or so claims Daniel Young, former restaurant critic for the New York Daily News, now based in Britain, and the man behind foodie website youngandfoodish.com. The idea is to put several how-to-cook video’s online. Then discuss in a virtual room which way of preparing for example a steak, is the best. This leads to heated discussions on which steak wins. Sitting behind a screen, looking at someone else preparing a steak and asking your opinion about which way is best, isn’t that the antithesis to social dining?

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/foodanddrink/recipes/7610944/Twitter-delivers-a-rare-debate.html

I will not continue my “let’s go back to -” elucidation. I like watching cooking programs on television, so why not on the internet? And why not discuss the way of preparing food? It might help improve your cooking skills by watching a professional baking and cooking. This professional cook will take you on a cooking adventure and you can follow him step by step through the most incredible cookeries, even pause and make notes! Just like watching Dora/Diego on Nickelodeon and learn English by going on adventure. Or is that not the same thing?

Woman accused of sexual activity with student

A 25 year old trainee teacher has been found not guilty for having sex with a 16-year-old pupil. The boy claimed that his teacher, Miss McIntyre, had allowed him and his friend in to her home and gave them cider while watching television. He then followed her into the bedroom and had sex with her. The boy, however, was suspended for the third time in six months for being disrespectful to female teachers. Instead of being the offender, Miss McIntyre turns out to be the victim. The boys had been taunting her for several weeks, locking her up in a cupboard, even mishandled her lizard. She felt very intimidated when they didn’t leave after asking them for several times to do so.
Miss McIntyre’s reaction on the false allegations: “Anger is not first among my thoughts right now. But he has, with no accountability, made an accusation and I would like to see him have to realise the effect he has had on me.” “I had wanted to be a descent teacher who wasn’t heavy handed but I think, to them, I became a joke teacher.”

http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/uk_news/england/merseyside/8622544.stm

You can never be too careful with these things. One of the things I came across while teaching, is the difference between (physical) contact with boys and girls. As a woman, you can easily put a hand on a girls shoulder, telling her to go back to her seat and she probably will not be offended. For men, I think, it is easier to ‘touch’ and have physical contact with male students. Have you ever thought about this? Do you think about the consequences of hanging around in a classroom with only one girl/boy left and how easily he or she could come up with a story? And how hard it will be to defend yourself? Your career will be damaged, you will always be that teacher “who’s been accused of having sex with a student”. How many schools do you think will throw away your application, once they have recognized your name? I am not trying to frighten you or warn you, I just want you to be aware of these imaginable situations…

Change for Britain?

The British elections transformed during the first live campaign debate, on the 16th of April, between party leaders Nick Clegg (democrates), David Cameron (conservatives) and Gordon Brown (prime minister).
By playing the outsider - reffering to his fellow contenders as “these two”- Mr Clegg tried to present himself as an alternative to the other two parties. He said, “the more they attack each other, the more they sound the same”, putting himself above the other two. The Prime Minister noticed Mr Clegg’s strategy and saught to strike common cause over a range of issues. This also made Mr Cameron look isolated. But to avoid a Labour bear hug Mr Clegg rejected the Prime Ministers’ attempts and said: “There is nothing to support.”

Politics in other countries has never had my attention.
I think it is a step in the right direction for Britain to show the debate live on television. And also if the Liberal Democrates win this elections, which seems to be a great possibility looking at this debate. The way Nick Clegg handled the debate really appeals to me, he did not try to defeat the other two. Just stand his ground and hold on to what he believes in, this way he will certainly win the elections. What would you choose? Someone who squabbles with his contenders or someone who stays cool and still defend his grounds?

I Twitter, you Twitter, everybody Twitter?

The Libabry of Congress - the worlds largest library - will digitally store every public tweet (when you send a message to Twitter, it is called a tweet) since the foundation of the site. This means you can find the entire archive of every public tweet ever posted on Twitter. From disasters to elections to other global events. Personal and direct messages will not be included. By searching on date, subject or even country, you can find anything ever posted on Twitter. Please note that Twitter processes more than 50 million tweets everyday, so that's a lot of tweets to archive!

http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/richard-adams-blog/2010/apr/14/twitter-library-of-congress

I really do not understand why people want to archive tweets. What's the use of putting millions and millions of announcements or message in one big digital archive? With Google, Yahoo and other big digital searching machines, is it really necessary to create another one with information you can also find somewhere else. Is a tweet about the election of Obama more interesting and/or important than a news item found with Google? I want to go back to the time where you could walk into a library and search in books (you know, those things made of paper, with text in them. You can even turn pages!) or old newspapers to find information. Who really needs Iphones or Ipads, away with them! Let’s use our hands, not to scroll down, but to turn pages!

Welcome!

Hi there,

Welcome on my blog. I will keep you updated on my preparations for my Dublin trip, and post messages about subjects in English newspapers. Hope you will enjoy reading my blog and post a comment if you want! I will return the favour ;)

xx Kimberly