Facebook to release ID of users who abused woman online

Nicola Brookes from Brighton is taking legal action against internet trolls after they tried to destroy her image by creating false social networking accounts in her name and then sending sexual messages to underage teenagers - portraying her as a pedophile. Since Nicola is a housewife she is restricted to her house and frequently uses social networking sites but is now getting abuse and accusations of pedophilia follow her online. Nicola has fought in the courts for a High Court Order asking Facebook to reveal the IP addresses of the people so she can take legal action. Facebook have agreed to do this. All of this abuse is a product of Nicola being supportive to X-Factor contestant Frankie Cocozza.

-

I believe that this is disgusting. I cannot believe how people can be so cruel. The thing that makes this even more pathetic is how the bullies are doing this because of one supportive message. I believe that Facebook has acted well and I am very glad they did. Because although they may be breaking the Data Protection Act, they are also saving a woman from a life of misery and hell. I really hope the IP addresses of the bullies will be revealed, so they can be taken to court.


Source: http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-sussex-18351855

Stockport girl, 11, uses curtain pole to scare off thieves

An eleven year old girl did something very brave a few days ago. When she woke up in the middle of the night due to weird and loud noises, she saw her mum and dad being held hostage by robbers. Without thinking, she ran into the room and started beating the robbers with a curtain pole. The men ran out of the house, and fled with a couple of golden bracelets. Matthew Whittaker from Stockport CID said: "Fortunately her actions have scared off the offenders, and perhaps it has stopped worse happening to the family than what did happen."

-

I think this story is hilarious, what a brave little girl to save her parents like that. I am really glad this all ended well, because the robbers might have noticed the girl was not really a threat, and they could have hurt her. Such a shame they got away with the bracelets, I would like to see them get caught soon. I wonder how those guys feel now, because I guess that being ‘beaten by a little girl’ is not good for one’s self esteem.


Source: http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-manchester-18357816

Gang jailed for shooting at police during Birmingham riots

Gang jailed in Birmingham during riots. A group of more than 40, most wearing masks or hoods firebombed the Bartons Arms pub in Aston after the riots spread from London to Birmingham. The gang attacked the pub with no intention of stealing nor for mindless vandalism for instead to draw police to the area to attack them. Several people were sentenced to prison for in between 12 and 30 years for the misconduct that they caused which involved firing at least 12 shots at officers and the police helicopter, which if brought down would be catastrophic, throwing bricks and bottles at police and just generally being dangerous and reckless.

-

This is ridiculous. The fact that people would behave in this way horrible. Why would people decide to randomly attack a pub for no reason except to have 'fun' and try and end lives, the fact that it is 40+ people doing it means that something must be going wrong. The community or education system must be failing in this area of Birmingham for so many people to go out, firebomb the streets, shoot at police and just be reckless. If they had brought down that police helicopter the damage it would cause is just unimaginable. Gang violence is just getting way too out of hand.

Source: http://www.guardian.co.uk/uk/2012/jun/07/jailed-shooting-police-birmingham-riots

Thefts from Devon and Cornwall military bases cost £42K

Militairy equipment worth over  £42,000 has been stolen from two military bases in Devon and Cornwall, including items like night vision goggles worth  £18,000 and body armour. The Ministry of Defense takes these thefts very seriously and is checking eBay, but fortunately there were no weapons stolen except for one bayonet.  Conservative Mr Colvile says something has to be done. “[I]t's very important that the government should explain how they are going to make sure that more care is taken of their equipment and it doesn't end up disappearing” and “"Appropriate disciplinary action will be taken against those identified as being responsible for theft."

-

I am really surprised about this, I wonder how the thief or thieves managed to steal all this equipment. I guess they need to improve the military bases’ security because obviously someone managed to find a way to get in and out unnoticed. Maybe they should check their own staff as well, it could be someone from the inside. I wonder what the punishment will be if the people get caught. But I guess they have stolen enough gear to become some sort of superspy to avoid getting into trouble.

Source: http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-18345028

Southern Water Thanet sewage spill hits beach business

A lot of businesses are seeking compensation, after they had to deal with a sewage spill affecting around 16 miles of east Kent’s coastline. Several businesses have been hit hard by the leak of sewage, including Dave Melmouth, who had to cancel surfing lessons worth 5000 pounds, his surfing school had been fully booked because of the holiday, and he calls it “devastating”. The authorities are not doing well telling people about the dangers, “There were people going in the water and they weren’t telling them not to”. The Foreness Point Sewage Pumping Station failed after heavy rain.

-

I think they should really help those people out. If you get such a good business opportunity and your entire surfing school is fully booked for an entire week due to holidays, but it turns out you have to cancel the whole thing and lose 5000 pounds worth of profit… They should at least give everyone their apologies and maybe do some research on how to improve the pumping station so that something like this will not happen again.



Source: http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-kent-18344428

Swindon toddler mauled by dog in garden

Keiron Goss (2 years old) suffers serious facial injuries after being attacked by a Staffordshire bull terrier. Keiron Goss is now in a coma after he had to undergo surgery to reattach his ear. The boy was found in a garden after the attack on Sunday evening. Police said the owner of the dog handed it over and it has been put down. There were two dogs present at the attack, but the second one did not attack or show any aggressive behavior. A witness said "The grandfather carried him out and he was just limp. There was blood all over his face." The air ambulance arrived to take Keiron to hospital.  Police also confirmed they had dogs at the same address last year after an officer was bitten by a dog at the property.

-

What a sad story, I think it is good that the dog has been put down. Although I am glad they didn’t take the other dog too ‘just in case’ because it hadn’t attacked nor shown any aggressive behavior. I also wonder why Keiron’s parents let him play outside on his own. I mean if I had a two year old toddler rolling around I would not let him play outside unattended knowing there might be aggressive dogs nearby.

Source: http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-wiltshire-18320701

Manchester airport to run out of fuel

Manchester airport is facing a fuel crisis for the first time in its history. This airport has ran out of fuel because of quality concerns from Stanlow oil refinery, which has a pipeline to the airport, capable of pumping 250,000 litres of fuel an hour. The airport hopes the problem will be resolved by midnight Wednesday but the effects will continue until Thursday as it takes 8 hours to pump a day’s supply of fuel. 150 flights are expected to be affected during this time. Emergency meetings have been carried out but the alternative method of 79 tanker trucks for just enough fuel for a day’s supply deemed unrealistic. The airlines spokesman advised people to check flight times before making the journey to the airport.

-

I believe that the airport should never have ran out of fuel. The fact that they are such a large scale company means that they should have emergency mechanisms for if supply cannot meet demand. A business of this size using the Just-in-Time method is very risky, all it takes is one simple mistake and the productivity of the business drops dramatically. Although it could not be expected because since the business is so big, the suppliers must be too. They should be expected to do business with no mistakes, as they have done in the past.


Source: http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/2012/jun/06/manchester-airport-run-out-fuel

Police arrest 16-year-old over Liverpool girl's suspected drug death

A 16 year old boy has been arrested in Liverpool for the investigation of the death of a 15 year old girl. Rose Farley went to a birthday party on Friday where she fell ill. She went home but was then  taken to Alder Hey children’s hospital where she passed away several hours later. The incident occurred a few days after authorities warned teenagers of a new ecstasy-typed drug. Someone might have put the drugs in Rose Farley’s drinks, but nothing is sure and Tim Keelan of Merseyside police said: "At this stage it is too early to draw conclusions about the cause of death and it is unhelpful to speculate.

-

What a sad story. Although it is not clear yet, I think the cause of death was the new drugs, if the police is already arresting possible suspects I guess we can safely assume that something is going on. It just makes me think about how she got the drugs in her drinks. The police even warned them about it. Did she leave her drinks unattended? Giving she was at a birthday party it might have been one of her friends or friends’ friends.


Source: http://www.guardian.co.uk/uk/2012/jun/03/liverpool-drug-death-rose-farley

Rabbit killed in Kidderminster 'hate campaign'

In 18 months’ time, abusive signs have been placed around properties in Sutton Park, Kidderminster. Last week, a pet rabbit has been killed in what police say is part of the hate campaign. It was killed during the night of 30 May. It had only just been bought and was found cut up in garden of the targeted family. "Another racially offensive sign appeared in an alleyway near the same property overnight between Friday and Saturday" according to Dean Jones from West Mercia Police. The police said it is a local issue and someone knows who is guilty.

-

Really now?  As if threatening people in your neighborhood is not bad enough, you have to kill an animal like that? I think this is a despicable act and I really hope they catch the ones responsible. I never really understood how people can hurt animals that way, and to use them in such a way, to harm or threaten other people is just sick. I can only hope they arrest the one(s) who did this and judge them with whatever punishment they deem fit (as long as it is severe).

Source: http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-hereford-worcester-18348172

Gay marriage: Nick Clegg at odds with Tory plan for free vote

There's been a lot of controversy lately over the topic of 'Gay marriage' as Nick Clegg said that he and his party want to make gay marriage legal but fears that the vote will end up as a massive "free for all". He believes that gay marriage has no negative impacts and that he is not "asking any person with religious convictions to sacrifice anything". But the two governing parties will be breaking their coalition deal as the Tory MPs are having a free vote, the conservatives were offered this option by Commons Leader Sir George Young and that's what’s planned. This allows MPs to vote without instructions from their party, allowing them to rebel, or not.

-

The subject of gay marriage is no big deal. Why should one person’s negative view cause so much discomfort to one type of person because of sexuality? It shouldn't. Marriage is a symbolic event that draws two loving people together, showing that you care, respect and love that person. Why shouldn't they be allowed to take this step forward in a relationship because of old laws, written in times where homosexuality was punishable by death? They shouldn't. The rules for gay marriage are outdated and in our modern day society, acceptable.


Source: http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-politics-18225289

Student who mocked Fabrice Muamba on Twitter 'massively sorry'

Liam Stacey (21, student) who had been jailed for 56 days after he posted offensive and racist comments about footballer Fabrice Muamba's collapse on Twitter, is terribly sorry. Suspended from university, he will be allowed to take his final exams as an external candidate and will not be invited to the graduation ceremony. After his initial tweet, people started to criticize him and he retaliated, and things got out of hand. Stacey pleaded guilty and admitted that he used threatening and insulting words with the intent to offend and harass people.

-

I didn’t know much about the whole ‘Fabrice Muamba’ thing before this article, but apparently a football player collapsed during a match, and I’m just stunned that people can still be so ignorant and racist. If you see someone collapse like that, you don’t tweet ‘LOL. Fuck Muamba he’s dead’, death isn’t funny. He claims to have been drinking and that he doesn’t know why he decided to tweet about it, if you are really that drunk then what is the point of watching a football match in the first place. You probably wouldn't be able to remember it anyway, right?          


Source: http://www.guardian.co.uk/uk/2012/may/22/muamba-twitter-abuse-student-sorry 

Young people 'will be put off studying medicine by £70,000 student debts'

The British Medical Association fears that less and less students will choose a medical career, because of eroded salaries, increased pension contributions and debts. After paying the new £9,000 tuition fees, students will have debts up to £70,000 after they graduate, according to Tom Dolphin. Dolphin calls out to people, to strike back and defend their pensions. “When you start working, a big chunk of your salary will be used to repay these debts. With salaries frozen for many years, your starting salary will have been eroded by inflation.” According to the BMA, the NHS staff has to pay more for their pensions than other public sector workers, and doctors at the start of their careers are hit the hardest, paying hundreds of thousands pounds extra..

-

I think this is a serious issue that should be addressed, I think we have a comparable situation here in the Netherlands with the study fines. Even though it would be my big dream to become a doctor one day, I would seriously doubt choosing a medical career, knowing that I would have to pay back a debt of around 70,000 pounds.  Doctors are (obviously) very important, and instead of demoralizing them, I think you should stimulate them.


Source: http://www.guardian.co.uk/society/2012/may/19/young-people-medicine-student-debts

Couple with 69 animals in Somerset home admit cruelty

Nicola Hood (31) and her husband James Hood (40) have admitted 9 counts of animal cruelty after  RSPCA officers raided their property and discovered a total of 69 pets. Not only the animals were in bad condition, but also the couple’s 5 children were at risk of contracting diseases, RSPCA officers even found a 9 month old baby in a bed with sheets covered with bird droppings.  The couple thought of their home as an ‘animal sanctuary’, they were taking in animals from friends and other people in order to save their lives.

-

I have mixed feelings about this article, I think the couple really meant well, they wanted to save the animals that otherwise would have been put down, but I think the situation got out of hand. In my opinion, they should have contacted local animal shelters and asked for help. I really don’t understand that even when their own kids were prone to getting disease, it didn’t occur to them they needed to take drastic countermeasures in order to improve the conditions for both their children and their animals. 

Source: http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-somerset-17567956

NHS chief to investigate overnight discharges

Sir Bruce Keogh, medical director of the NHS promised to look into a survey of 100 trusts suggesting that many patients are being discharged overnight. The Times revealed that approximately 8000 patients are being discharged during the night every week. Although there is a huge difference between trusts, the newspaper said this accounts for around 3.5% of all the hospital discharges. Keogh said that he is concerned about this: 'Patients should only be discharged when it's clinically appropriate, safe and convenient for them'. Hospitals said it is a way of freeing beds, but not in the best interest of the patients. The Patients Association warned that overnight discharges could rise as NHS budgets are cut.

-

I think that this is a very serious issue that certainly needs to be taken care of. You can't stress the importance of healthcare enough and I think that as a hospital the wellness of patients should always be your priority number one. Why hospitals would get rid of their patients in a easy, subtle way rather than ensuring everything regarding their welfare is in tiptop condition is beyond me. It just doesn't make any sense. I mean what happens if your family is unable to pick you up in the middle of the night? Do they just dump you on the street?


Source: http://www.guardian.co.uk/society/2012/apr/12/nhs-overnight-discharges-investigated

Welcome to my blog

Why hello there!

Welcome to my UKOK blog, in the upcoming weeks I'll be posting several blogs about the British culture. I know, joy.