iblog

Kayleigh: The England football team are out of Euro 2008 after they were beaten 3-2 by Croatia, leaving the nation in a state of mourning.

England’s manager Steve McClaren has also been sacked as has his Assistant coach Terry Venables.

The England manager said: “It is a sad day to have been relieved of my duties but I understand the decision of the FA. I have huge been a disappointment for the nation and fans. But I will learn from my failure.”

Chief Executive of the FA who sacked McClaren, said: “I’d like to apologise to the fans personally. I care about this passionately, it has never been just a job. I’m in it because I care about football, football fans and football teams.”

Peter Crouch, England’s striker, was very disappointed with the result. He said: “The fact we expected to qualify and we haven’t done is the most disappointing thing. Once we get it out of the system we can look at where we went wrong in the other games as well.”

The England players were saddened to hear the news that McClaren had been sacked. Micah Richards, England defender said: “I was sorry to see Steve McClaren sacked as England manager but, after we failed to qualify for Euro 2008, I wasn’t shocked. The players definitely thought he was the right man for the job but when you are England manager you get assessed on results.”

Even the Sports minister Gerry Sutcliffe had something to say about the game: “It’s hugely disappointing not to qualify for the Euro 2008 finals.”

Fans are not so forgiving however and many are blaming the performance of England on Steve McClaren, and are angry he has been given a £2 million payout. Peter Cooper, a football fan from Manchester said: “McClaren was rubbish; everyone knew it from the start.”

England haven’t failed to qualify for a major tournament since the 1994 World Cup.

The FA have now started to recruit for the next England manager. Potential candidates include Aston Villa boss Martin O’Neill, former Chelsea manager Jose Mourinho, and even Alan Shearer.

When it comes to the World Cup and the Euro, I think we all want the boys to do well. It is very unfortunate we will not be in the competition next summer. Let’s just hope the boys work hard and we get a good manager who will lead us into the World Cup in 2010.

For more Football news - please visit TalkFootball.co.uk

Rushda: Yesterday it was announced that two CDs containing the “confidential details of 25 million child benefit recipients” had been lost by HM Revenue and Customs (HMRC). These discs hold data such as the names, addresses, dates of birth, and even bank details of every family who has a child under the age of 16 in the UK. The news has understandably alarmed millions of families, with many panicking and distressed over what will happen to their personal details. The loss marks a huge let-down by the government for incompetency - failing to protect parents and children against serious dangers such as identity fraud.

In an emergency statement 10 days after the discovery of the loss, Chancellor Alistair Darling consoled the public by saying that it is not yet clear what has happened to the missing records, but there was no evidence the data had got into the wrong hands. This must, however, have offered little comfort when he explained that:

“The missing information contains details of all Child Benefit recipients: records for 25 million individuals and 7.25 million families.”

Darling explained that certain serious mistakes were made by junior officials at HMRC who sent off the discs to the National Audit Office without adhering to strict security procedures. Apparently, the data on the discs was not even sent by any form of recorded or registered delivery post, let alone properly encrypted on the CDs themselves. However, Darling insists that no one will suffer as a result of these failings as there are strong measures in place that will not allow anyone to suffer any financial loss. Banks and authorities have been alerted, although everyone should still make sure they check their bank accounts regularly “for any unusual activity.”

I really don’t understand how the government can tell us all not to panic. They insist that the data hasn’t fallen into the wrong hands and yet have no idea where it is! It’s staggering to think that so much personal data is even at risk, let alone actually lost. There are so many questions about the issue that even if the data is retrieved now (and I sincerely hope it is soon), this has still put a huge blot on the public confidence with the government. It will be tricky winning their trust again, especially with the plans to introduce further risky systems such as identity cards.

For those who are concerned, an advice line has been set up by the HMRC on 0845 302 1444.

Kayleigh: The online bookseller Amazon has created a digital bookreader - The Kindle- which can store up to 200 books.

Amazon’s aim was to create a devicethat could provide its consumers with a wider variety of entertainment, like the Ipod does with music.

The device is about about the same size as a standard paperback, weighs around 290g, and offers access to about 90,000 books and 11 daily newspapers.

“We’ve been working on Kindle for more than three years,” said Amazon boss Jeff Bezos. “Our top design objective was for Kindle to disappear in your hands -to get out of the way so you can enjoy your reading.”

Once you have bought a Kindle, however, (which is £195) that doesn’t mean you get to read these books for free. Costs range from 75 cents to download a national newspaper and classic books cost around $1.99 each. Best sellers are naturally pricier, and can be downloaded for $9.99, but it is still cheaper than books bought in a store.

The device also offers access to online encyclopaedia, Wikipedia, and about 300 blogs. It can also play MP3 music files and has a slot so it can store a memory card which enables it to hold hundreds of books.

“We want to make sure everything anyone wants to read is on the Kindle,” said Laura Porco, Amazon’s director of digital text. “We won’t stop until we can offer millions of books.”

Although I think this is a good invention, and is good for book lovers, I myself will not be buying one. Why buy a device that costs almost £200 when you can read the books for free online on your laptop?

Kayleigh: Celebrities such as Girls Aloud, Leona Lewis, and Penny Lancaster have all posted personal clips on YouTube aiming to help people who are being bullied.

The clips were made because of the increasing number of ‘happy slapping’ videos that are being filmed with mobile phones and then published online for all to see.

The stars are asking people to use the beat bullying channel on YouTube which is designed to help children who are being bullied. On the channel, children and teenagers can share their own experiences of bullying and can give each other help and advice.

Many people are bullied online, through social networking sites and emails. Many young people have also received death threats by text messages.

Singer Kimberley Walsh from Girls Aloud said:

“Happy-slapping may be funny to you, until it is a member of your family sat at a bus stop being slapped. How would you feel if someone made a humiliating video of you or a member of your family and put it online for everyone to see? This year more than 20 people will take their own lives in the UK alone because of bullying. It’s not funny.”

Penny Lancaster said on her clip: “My main memories of school are when I was bullied. I had one boy race his bike up against the back of my legs and I was bleeding and I couldn’t really hide that so I’d go home crying, it was very traumatic.”

Beatbullying director Sarah Dyer said: “The Beatbullying YouTube channel will revolutionise how young people access information on how to avoid being bullied and, importantly, on how to avoid being a bully. It is frighteningly easy for a young person who would never consider being a bully in real life, to do something online which they think is funny or humorous but in fact is a terrible act of bullying.”

I am really glad celebrities have done these videos. Bullying isn’t acceptable and maybe bullies will think twice when they see their favourite celeb disapproving of their behaviour. Bullying is a serious matter, and many children and teenagers take their own lives because of it. I hope this videos will help tackle bullying in Britain.

Rushda: A recent case involving a man who was caught simulating sex with a bicycle has sparked a human rights debate about the unfairness of his sentence. 51-year-old Robert Stewart has been put on 3 years probation for what has been classified as a “sexually aggravated breach of the peace,” even though he performed the act behind closed doors. The act was discovered accidentally when the room door was unlocked by the housekeeper at Aberley House Hostel in Ayr.

Despite Stewart denying the claim and pleading that it was simply because he’d had too much to drink, the cleaners were shocked when they discovered him and quickly called the police. Stewart has subsequently been added to the Sex Offenders Register for 3 years as well as being on probation.

Like many who have protested, I can’t understand the grounds upon which Stewart was sentenced. Surely had the case been in public the situation would have been different, but in Stewart’s case, despite the very unsavoury nature of his activity, he was doing it in what he thought was his own privacy with an inanimate object. It is no different, notes one internet blogger, than discovering a woman using a vibrator, and yet that would have by no means resulted in the same kind of sentence that Stewart received:

“Apart from the fact that the sex toy was manufactured for the purpose, and a bicycle wasn’t, I really don’t see that the two acts are all that different.”

Furthermore, Human rights lawyer John Scott is concerned about the conviction and has said that raises important issues about privacy. He says:

“It certainly prompts questions about what people can and can’t do behind closed doors with inanimate objects. However, the difficulty is that the man involved in this case pleaded guilty to a breach of the peace, so these issues of privacy weren’t considered by the court. The sheriff had to act on the guilty plea and make a decision about whether or not there was a sexual nature to the offence. Clearly there was, and that’s why the man has ended up on the register.”

I personally think that such situations should cause one to question their taboos, especially when they result in legal action. It is a shame that such a liberal society is still allowed to punish people for harmless activities behind closed doors. The poor man was not only shamed and humiliated by the ruling but will now suffer other consequences forsomething that didn’t harm anyone. Whether he admits to a crime or not should be independent of whether he is guilty or not.

Kayleigh:

Schools are failing to give diabetic children the help they need in the classroom, and are increasingly relying on parents to help.

Research shows that a remarkable 70% of schools asked parents to come in and inject their child with insulin if the child could not do it themselves. Diabetic children are also missing out on school trips because of their condition, a research study by Diabetes UK found. The findings were released on World Diabetes Day.

Douglas Smallwood, Chief Executive of Diabetes UK, said: “This research confirms what too many parents have been telling us - that children with diabetes get a raw deal at school. Every aspect of school life is important, whether it’s access to the support needed to manage a child’s diabetes and protect their long-term health, or crucial social elements like sports and trips.”

The survey also showed that school staff and teachers are not given the training they need to help diabetic children, and wouldn’t know how to help them in an emergency situation. This is bad news because results from the National Diabetes Audit revealed that 83 % of children are not achieving recommended blood glucose levels, increasing their risk of developing serious complications of diabetes.

Diabetic children may miss out on sport, school trips and extra curricular activities as staff do not have the training to handle situations that may arise.

Most children with diabetes are around 10-14 years old, and suffer from type 1 diabetes, which means they need a daily insulin injection to balance their blood sugar levels.

A new website has just been set up by Diabetes UK for teenagers to help and give them advice about their condition, called MyLife.

Although I do not expect every teacher to be able to treat diabetic children, I do think there should be quite a few staff in each school who receive training to handle emergencies. I do not think it is fair for parents to come into school and give their child their daily injection, they should be able to go about their daily lives while their kids are at school knowing they are safe.

Rushda: Yesterday marked a sad and embarrassing day for the British judiciary system. Despite finally convicting the real killer of 11-year-old Lesley Molseed, who was murdered in 1975, this also confirmed the terrible injustice towards a poor man who was sent to prison for sixteen years for the crime despite being innocent. Stefan Kiszko was charged with the murder of Lesley 2 months after her body was found, and jailed for life. He spent all of his time in prison protesting his innocence and only in 1992 was his appeal upheld and he was allowed to leave. Sadly, he died shortly after, and this event was marked as the “worst miscarriage of justice of all time.”

The real murderer, who has recently been convicted, is Ronald Castree, who is now 54 years old. After a prolonged investigation and the emergence of compelling new evidence, Castree has been linked to the crime. Castree preyed on his vulnerable victim when she was walking down the road doing an errand for her mother. He not only sexually assaulted her but stabbed her numerous times in the heart and lung before leaving her for dead on the Moors in Yorkshire. What is most chilling is that he then carried on his life as usual as though nothing had happened.

The aunt of Stefan Kiszko, though hurt by what was obviously a harrowing ordeal, is glad that the real murderer has finally been caught and her nephew’s name can be cleared for good. In a statement she said:

“Castree has had the best years of his life already. He killed that girl when he was 21, just a couple of weeks after having a baby himself. Unbelievable. I feel sorry for his wife and children. They have lived with this monster for years without knowing what he has done. They are the innocent ones. Our family knows what it is like to be marked as being associated with a child killer.”

Though everyone will be glad that justice has finally been done, it is ever so tragic that it came so late. There can be no compensation for Kiszko who was humiliated, beaten up in prison, and made to live in a separate cell for his own safety. It is believed that Kiszko’s giant lumbering size and child-like personality led him to be a strong suspect in the case. However, it is revealed that his immaturity was the result of a medical condition and he was completely innocent.

One cannot come to terms with the horrific acts Castree committed which not only destroyed one innocent life but two. Now that he will serve the rest of his life in jail, justice has finally been done.

Kayleigh: Tory leader David Cameron has announced he is going to pledge for tougher rape laws in the UK after it was found that rapists in the UK escape being punished more than any other country in Europe.

Cameron’s plans include teaching pupils in school early on that when someone says no to sex it means ‘no’ and also intends to put more funding into rape crisis centres.

At current, only 5.7% of reported rapes cases result in a conviction, and it is a wonder if all women report rapes with such an off-putting percentage, not to mention the emotional trauma they have to go through.

Mr Cameron said:”Studies have shown that as many as one in two young men believe there are some circumstances when it’s okay to force a woman to have sex. To my mind, this is an example of moral collapse.”

At current, the average prison sentence for rape is seven and a half years, with a minimum of five years for offenders over 18 years.

At current, there are only 45 rape crisis support centres left in the UK, meaning victims face waiting lists of up to 7 months.

Katherine Rake, director of the Fawcett Society, welcomed the proposals. She said: “Rape crisis centres are at risk of closing all over the country due to a lack of funding, leaving women with nowhere to turn at a time when they desperately need support.

“Women have been let down for years as politicians have failed to prioritise tackling rape. We hope today’s announcements will be the start of a serious debate.”
According to Rape Crisis, over two-thirds of reported cases are dropped out at the police stage and do not make it as far as the courts.

Statistics also show that one in twenty women have been raped, but only a quarter of them report it.

Katy Meany, a 21 year old student at the University of Central Lancashire, thinks the plans are a good idea. “Rapists should be sentenced for longer, as the trauma of a rape is likely to stay with that woman for life.”

Kayleigh: Women who have had one too many after a night out are ending up in hospital with burst bladders, according to the British Medical Journal.

The problem occurs when women drink too much and don’t realise their bladder is too full, which then causes it to rupture.

Previously it had only reportedly happened to men, but now it is effecting women more and more as increasing numbers take up binge drinking.

Mr Mohantha Dooldeniya is a surgeon at Pinderfields Hospital. He has seen 3 women in the past year who have suffered from a burst bladder. He says the reason why the bladder burst is because the bladder was full with urine but the person didn’t realise they needed the toilet because of the numbing effects of the alcohol they had drunk. He said:

“In women, the feeling was because they have a short urethra they are more likely to leak than rupture. A minor trauma, such as a fall, can increase the risk the bladder will burst.”

This isn’t the only problem associated with binge drinking. According to TheSite.org, if you binge drink on a regular basis you could suffer from heart problems later in life. There’s also your liver to think about. If battered by too much drink, the liver could develop a disease called cirrhosis. Alcohol also affects your skin too, as it makes you dehydrated and, therefore, it doesn’t get the vital nutrients it needs.

Alcohol related health problems are also taking its toll on the NHS and it is costing them up to £3 billion a year.

This is all well and good, it has certainly put me off drinking too much, but i can’t seem to keep away from the toilet when i’m drinking so i don’t think i have to worry about this happening to me too much! The problem is the label of a binge drinker, if you have more than a few glasses of wine you are labelled a binge drinker, but the fact is, everyone is different and can handle different amounts. I can certainly handle a lot more when i now than when i first started drinking, but i wouldn’t call myself a binge drinker!

Kayleigh: The government has launched a social networking site for the over-50s so they can talk directly to the government about issues that concern them.

The website, called Generation Xperience, introduces topics into its forums, but also allows members of the public to start forums of their own. The topics the site has welcomed so far are “The internet” and “60 goals for the over 60s.”

The site also lists local events such as music and dance events, and encourages its audience to join in by visiting the government website Directgov. It also links to other websites that might interest the over-50s such as the Government News Network and Age Concern.

The site also intends to have its own groups on other popular social networking sites like MySpace, Facebook and Youtube.

The site makes it clear that although ministers will take note of the over-50s, they cannot answer their questions directly on the site. Instead, representatives from the Department of Work and Pensions will keep the site running and up to date.

Lynne Williams, 50, believes the site is a good idea. She said: “I don’t go to council meetings but I can now talk to the government from the comfort of my own home to voice my concerns now, which is great.”

Personally, I think the website is a good idea, but why don’t they create a site for young people. It seems to me that most young people aren’t very interested in politics but if the government tried to interact with them using modern technology that young people use, they might get more of a response.