Big freeze plunges Britain into snow chaos




Heavy weather hit Scotland, Northern Ireland and north-east England yesterday leaving 40 centimeters of snow behind and chaos everywhere. 16,000 breakdowns where reported to the AA because there were lots of flat batteries and lots of people failing to get out of the driveway. Car accidents also caused two injured. Flights at some airports were delayed or diverted. This is the earliest widespread snowfall for 17 years, which some say is caused by high pressure over Greenland and low pressure in the Baltic region. The forecasters say this heavy snow is probably going to spread throughout Britain. "By Tuesday and Wednesday the snow and freezing weather will have spread across most of central and southern England," said Met Office forecaster Tom Morgan. ".  This heavy snow could also be hard for wildlife and dangerous for pets, therefore the RSPCA urged pet owners to keep dogs away from lakes and ponds which may have iced over and to keep cats at home for long periods. By this weak Britain would be covered with snow and temperatures could even reach - 10 in some rural areas.



The Saltersgate Farmers Hunt leaves Lockton village on the North Yorkshire Moors. Deep snow forced participants to go by foot rather than on horseback. Photograph: John Giles/PA

Today snow has fallen upon the Netherlands too. I was completely not aware of it till I had to go to the bathroom and I looked out the window. It is remarkable how the weather changes so fast that you always find yourself never to be prepared for it. Thank god the weather here in the Netherlands is not as bad as it is in Britain. But on the other hand 40 cm of snow could be a lot of fun. You could easily make a very big snowman, or have a snowball fight, make an angel in the snow, or maybe make some sort of snow fort. Kids will probably like the snow as they are mostly not aware of the trouble that their parents are going through, when they have to go to work early in the morning, when they have to scrap the ice of the windshield, clear the driveway, warm-up the car, drive in very dangerous situations.

Source:

http://www.guardian.co.uk/uk/2010/nov/28/snow-freeze-chaos-uk-weather



Irish Republic 85bn euro bail-out agreed

Europe has agreed to bail-out the Irish Republic. This bail-out consist of 35bn Euros to give the Irish banking a boost and 50bn Euros to help the government in day-to-day expenditure. Ireland is the second in European country to get a bail-out , Greece was the first to get a bail-out since the financial crisis began. Of course the loan comes with the necessary conditions and a interest. Ireland hoped for an interest rate of 5 percent, but Germany which was sceptic about the matter wanted to impose an interest rate of 7 percent. Eventually they agreed on a rate of 5.8 percent which is above the 5.2 percent paid by Greece for its bail-out. The Irish PM Brian Cowen thinks that it was the best available deal for Ireland. It provides "vital time and space to successfully and conclusively address the problems we've been dealing with since the financial crisis began", the prime minister said. This crisis is brought by the global recession and the almost total collapse of the country's debt-ridden banks.

I think that the financial crisis was created by this same system, were banks or organizations or even the government takes advantage of people in need by asking them to pay interest over a loan. Yet ironic enough, the Governments are using the same system, which got them in trouble in the first place, to get out of this crisis. let's say, their plan does not work and they just build another debt, what are they going to do next. This act could also be encouraging for other countries to try to do the same, as it could be seen as an easy way to solve their financial problems.

Source:
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-europe-11855990

Polygamy Law set for challange

The Muslim community in Britain want to challenge the law in the UK which forbids husbands from having more than one wife. The Islamic law allows a man to have up to four wives. Because the British law does not allow that, many Muslims are forced to live outside the law. However , there are no official figures on how many people practice polygamy in Britain, but merely an estimation of maybe hundreds. The Muslim parliament will challenge the British law under article eight of the act which says everyone has the right to respect for his private and family life. It also stated that if government refuses to accept the legality of polygamous marriages then the Muslim parliament will take it to the European court of human rights.

More recently, this month (Nov, 2010) a British Columbian court will start examining whether Canada's polygamy laws are constitutional. A group of Mormons in the province's southeast corner believe that the law violate the right to freedom of religion.  This case made its way to the Supreme court of Canada and the court is now prepared to hear from more than two dozen witnesses including experts.

I think in this case the people are allowed to do as they think is right. Reading more articles on this topic made me discovere that polygamy is more natural than most people think. Actually one in every four countries practice polygamy. There is new research that suggest that men from polygamous cultures live longer that men from monogamous cultures. Despite whether or not some will live longer, it is ridiculous to prohibit polygamy and I will prove this to you. Because if you analyze the situation in reality then you will discover this; people are allowed to have multiple sexual friendships, for example 2 girlfriends, no one is out to prohibit this.

My conclusion to that is, people are allowed to have as much illegitimate relations, poeple are allowed to plant their seed wherever they please and have all the illegitimate children that they want, but when it comes to natural marriage where the rights are preserved in a contract then they say "over my dead body". I call this narrow minded.

Sources:
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/uk_news/791263.stm
http://themuslim.ca/2010/11/21/b-c-court-to-decide-whether-polygamy-is-a-protected-religious-practice/
http://www.newscientist.com/article/dn14564-polygamy-is-the-key-to-a-long-life.html

Harris City Academy rejects an 11-year-old disabled girl.

Idayah Miller, an 11-year-old girl who suffers from cerebral palsy was rejected from a school in south London. Harris City Academy in Crystal Place had written a four page letter saying that Idayah is not admitted into their school due to her disability and wheelchair . The letter also included a list of reasons for their rejection such as narrow corridors, small classrooms, steep disabled ramps, only one disabled toilet and two lifts. The school said that it was "not prepared to make expensive changes to the school or compromise the education of the other students". This could be seen as a contradiction to what they have stated in their prospectus, which states that "it admits students with disabilities and special needs". This was unexpected because Idayah has been in mainstream school all her life.

I think it is vital for the disabled to be included in the mainstream society, in particular when it comes to education. Also the school have to live up to what it has stated in its prospectus. The school is not prepared to make changes , which would be considered restraining. These changes are bound to happen in the future if this school wants to keep up with the needs of the society.  The school could actually benefit from the changes as it will create a better image of the school. People will see it as an advancement and would consider to apply for this school.

Source:

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-london-11814690

Are British Muslims being priced out of pilgrimages?



Jahangir Akhtar says "it will be a 

tragedy if he does not get to Hajj"



Three million Muslims, whereof 100.000 from the UK, are attending the annual "Hajj" pilgrimage in Saudi Arabia Mecca. The pilgrimage is one of the five pillars of the Islam which every Muslim should attend once in their life, at least if they could afford it and are also physically able to. But a lot of Muslims in the UK are afraid that they will not have this opportunity because the price has doubled during the last few years. Some claim that they paid only 1,400 pounds four years ago, which was just about affordable. Today the prices are as high as 2,500 to 4.000 pounds, which means that a lot of Muslims from the UK can't afford it any more. Some blame this on the travel companies and others on the bureaucracy in Saudis Arabia. However, for now for many Muslims the Hajj will stay as a dream not come true.

Some 2.5 million pilgrims descend on

 the Saudi holy city for the annual Hajj

This situation is very understandable, both the staggering prices and the feelings of people that they may not be able to fulfil their dream. I personally think that the problem is created by the many people and companies who have an intermediary role. It is only normal that these people and companies also want their share, which inevitably will higher the price. Also, many hotels and services are replaced with new and more expensive ones. Eventually, all these extra expense will be passed on to the end consumers. But the Muslims in the UK must not forget that it is obligated to do the "Hajj" only for those who have the financial and physical capabilities. But I certainly understand that it is a dream and desire of Muslims to go, which could indeed hurt if you're not able to fulfil that dream or desire.

Source:

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-11749511

Phil Woolas ejected from parliament over election slurs



The leaflet that cost Phil Woolas his Oldham East seat



Two high court judges ruled that the former immigration minister Phil Woolas knowingly made false statements about his Lib Dem opponent. Some claimed that Phil Woolas was lying about Walkins's intention to live in the constituency and when he also claimed that Walkins had "woed" extremists. The specially convened election court upheld those arguments after it saw confidential emails between Woolas's team, which proved that he was lying. This resulted in his ejection from the parliament and a suspension by the Labour party. This ruling could also change the way elections are fought because all political parties will probably feel that they should be more careful about that in the future.

I think it is the right decision. Even though a lying politician is as common as it can get,  it is definitely a good start. By ruling against his lies the court has made an example out of him. All political parties will be very careful about that in the future. I think they should not stop at Phil Woolas but continue this effort in the future. The political parties in general are not to trust , that is why this is the only way to regain the trust of the people in general.

Source:
http://www.guardian.co.uk/uk/2010/nov/05/phil-woolas-ejected-parliament-election