Facebook and Twitter warning to teachers who befriend pupils

Facebook and Twitter warning to teachers who befriend pupils

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/education/educationnews/9034485/Facebook-and-Twitter-warning-to-teachers-who-befriend-pupils.html

The General Teaching Council for England revealed shows that in 43 of the 336 cases for “unacceptable unprofessional conduct” teachers had used social media to get into contact with children. Also a wide diversity in school policy regarding social networking was revealed by this council. Karl Hopwood, an internet safety consultant says that schools should always have a clear policy about what is and is not allowed regarding social networking. Social network sites can have a positive effect too says Paul Heathcote from the GTC registar. It can motivate pupils and contribute to the teacher’s way of teaching.

Teachers should not be allowed to become friends with pupils on social network websites. If teachers want to make use of social network sites to motivate pupils or contribute to their teaching, the teachers should make a second social network account. One that is not linked to the private account of the teacher. I believe that this is the only way to prevent incidents like this to happen. On the other hand using social network is a great way to involve pupils in their education.

Lawyers in right-to-die case can act without fear of prosecution

Lawyers in right-to-die case can act without fear of prosecution

http://www.guardian.co.uk/society/2012/jan/27/right-to-die-lawyers-prosecution

High court has decided that lawyers or doctors cannot be prosecuted for helping end the life of stroke victims. The article states that the lawyers successfully urged two judges in London to grant them a declaration which will protect them and third parties, including doctors, during preperations for a “landmark” judicial review action brought by a man in his 40s with a condition known as locked-in syndrome. This man is unable to move and is only able to communicate by blinking. His entire life is dependent on others and he requires constant care.

How bad the end of life might seem to be, I think it would be a great relief for this man and his surroundings. Everyone sees him suffer. Ending people’s life seems like a cruel thing to do though. It is a difficult subject and I cannot even imagine what his wife goes through. I agree that lawyers and doctors should not be punished for helping someone ending his life. But only when this person is suffering greatly and cannot experience the joy of life anymore.

New plans for all-Ireland minimum alcohol price

New plans for all-Ireland minimum alcohol price

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-northern-ireland-16758609

At the first formal North/South conference on alcohol misuse a new plan to fight alcohol misuse was formed. They want to higher the minimum price of alcohol. If this plan will be put into practice, a minimum price of 45 to 50 pence is asked per unit of alcohol. As stated in the article, this will mean that a bottle of cider with 14 units of alcohol, which currently costs 2.30 pounds, would be increased to 7 pounds. Alcohol misuse is a huge problem in Ireland. Health authorities hope for a decrease in alcohol misuse.

It might be easy to say that I find this a good idea, since I do not drink alcohol that often. But I think this is a great way to decrease alcohol misuse since people have to watch their spending on alcohol. This plan makes it less attractive for young adults to drink alcohol. We should have this in The Netherlands as well. It might be a huge change in daily life but I am sure that people will get used to it. Alcohol prices in Sweden are also a lot higher than in Ireland. You do not hear complains about it either.

New nuclear has 'lots of support' locally

New nuclear has ‘lots of support’ locally

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-politics-16725952

Positive signs are coming from the region around The Sellafield nuclear plant. The article states that an executive from EDF Energy told MPs there was a “strong desire” for the jobs and other economic benefits new reactors could bring across England. He also says that safety should be the primer priority. EDF Energy’s director of planning and external affairs for future plants believes that his company should be as “open and transparent” as possible to keep the local civilians informed and positive.

Nuclear power plants have my support as well. It is one of the most efficient ways to generate electricity and also is sustainable. I agree that they should be open towards the community in order to keep the civilians informed. As long as the safety in nuclear power plants is maintained, it should not be any problem to generate electricity from nuclear resources. Human errors were made in both Fukishima and Chernobyl. These errors can and must be prevented. Another important thing to keep in mind is that the demand for electricity keeps growing. It will be hard to cope with this demand without nuclear power plants.

UK told to prepare for mass floods in future

UK told to prepare for mass floods in future

http://www.independent.co.uk/environment/climate-change/uk-told-to-prepare-for-mass-floods-in-future-6294672.html

The Climate Change Risk Assessment (CCRA) did research on the most serious of 100 challenges caused by global warming. Flooding caused by heavy rainfall will be the most serious problem in Britain. This research expects an annual cost of 12 billion pounds caused by this rainfall, compared to an annual amount of 1,2 billion pounds it costs UK now. However flood defence expenses have been cut by a staggering 27% for the upcoming four years. The flooding comes from more intense rainfall and causes rivers to flood and surface water to rise and flood cities.

If this study by CCRA is accurate, the government should raise the money spend in flood defence instead of lowering it. The longer UK’s government waits to fight against floods, the harder it will get when years pass. I can imagine that there are other important things to spend money on but I think flood defence is a great investment. On the other hand, you could also try to fight the problem at its roots and put an investment in stopping our atmosphere from heating up.

Medics save baby born with practically no blood

Medics save baby born with practically no blood

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/health/healthnews/9043527/Medics-save-baby-born-with-no-blood.html

At the 37 ½^th week of pregnancy Katy, mother of 7 year old Jack was rushed to Maidstone General Hospital for medical care. In the hospital medics realised the baby was almost completely drained of blood. While the mother was under anaesthetics the doctors gave the baby a blood transfusion with the help of heart massage and oxygen. Katy was unaware of what was going on and said: “Doctors said it was one of the most amazing recoveries they had ever seen.” The baby is now 15 months old and smiling just like every other child.

It is amazing that lifeless human beings who have no heartbeat and do not have blood running through their veins can still be brought to life. The doctor who came with the idea to run blood through a lifeless baby should be rewarded with a medal of honour. I cannot imagine how he came with this plan. Modern day health care keeps getting better and better. Pretty soon the life expectancy of the human being will be so long, that we will have to inhabit other planets. With enough research it is possible to live on planets like Mercury and Mars. I hope I live to see this moment.