Artistic expression; how far can you go?

Rapper Eminem has again reached his goal to shock the world by his controversial music video. In the clip for his new song Space Bound, it is all about his girlfriend cheating on him. It resembles two kinds of reactions to this unfortunate event. In the first part his lyrics and his actions are all about killing the girl for cheating on him. In the second part he realizes that it was all in his head and he therefore pulls the trigger. He matched the lyrics to the different parts of the song, at first really angry and how he wants to kill her and in the second part how sorry he is for killing her and he does not want to live on anymore without her. That was not good enough he ends up back at the beginning jumping into his girlfriend’s car when she stops next to him.

Should this video even be allowed to be shown on the television? It is truly horrible and it can be inspiring to very vulnerable teens. There are so many people fan of Eminem and some of them are really messed up and are going to follow his example. As an artist you are supposed to express yourself and I am absolutely for that thought, but not if it can cause any harm to others. Unfortunately it is already too late and it is also not the first time he has done something like this, but he should get some help before making music. He is obviously disturbed by what he has gone through in his life, but there are so many more people who are in a place in which they can seriously harm themselves or somebody else! So if there could be some way to prevent this sort of videos, use it!

Read more: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/tvshowbiz/article-2008479/Gun-toting-Eminem-murders-girlfriend-shoots-shocking-new-music-video.html#ixzz1QVbAsF81

I do Mr. Snuggles, I will marry you.

High number of girls are married under the age of 18, about 10 million girls each year say I do before they are of proper age. This especially happens in developing countries in South America, North Africa and Asia. But also in Europe there are high rates, in Georgia and Turkey had the highest percentages of under aged and forced marriage. Marrying under the age of 18 is forbidden according to UN conventions. It also brings a great risk with it for both the girl and her future children it could lead to death. Young girls die five times more in childbirth than a woman of 20. Many of the babies will probably not have a long lasting life, for many of them die before their first birthday.

 Again am I lost in this world. Why would a grown man in the prime of his life marry someone who is in her early teens. Surely I know about the importance of a girl being a virgin when she is married in many countries. But normally when you get married you like the girl to understand what you are going through and the other way around. But a girl at the age of 15 absolutely does not know what a man in his forties needs or wants. How is a girl supposed to take care of a child when she herself is but a child. This is just wrong and should be prevented.

http://www.guardian.co.uk/society/2011/jun/26/10-million-child-brides-each-year-charity-warns

Good deeds do not go unpunished.

34 year old Dawn McKenzie was murdered by a 13 year old. McKenzie who used to work at a kindergarten gave up her job so she could work together with her husband as foster parents. The couple wanted to take care of vulnerable teenagers, so they both quitted their jobs. Dawn was found with severe injuries at her, she was taken to the hospital but died later that evening. Earlier that day she was just enjoying the weather, that was for most neighbours the last they have seen of her.

 What is happening to the youth? Only 20 years ago nobody would have thought a teenager to be capable of murdering someone, but now we are almost getting used to this event. But how come so many teenagers are trying to hurt or even murder someone these days? Where does all this violence come from? Personally I think too many kids play those awful games, where they get points to kill someone. Games like that are very violent and I think that truly effects the youth. When I hear stories on my old primary school, that some kids were actually having knives with them just in case they might get into a fight, I am truly devastated. I loved my primary school but everything is turning in some sort of ghetto where everyone is out to get each other. I hope this period will soon come to an end, because I do not want my future kids to be raised in this kind of environment.

http://www.express.co.uk/posts/view/255026/Boy-13-held-over-foster-carer-killing

To be pregnant or not to be pregnant? Let’s ask the boss.

Sexual discrimination is still not over; when Danniella McClain told her boss she was pregnant her career was over. Women are advised to be open, honest and unapologetic when telling your boss you are expecting a baby. Even though this phase should be very enjoyable, for many women telling their employer is the most stressful during their early pregnancy. Danniella waited till she reached 13 weeks to tell her boss this pleasurable event, but while telling the news she saw this news was unwelcome and she was fired. The employer, after receiver her good news and her due date, told her the bad news. She was made redundant and was given a month’s notice and her commission. This case is not uncommon, due to the crisis a large number of women have been fired because they got pregnant. Not all women take legal action, because they cannot afford it. Danniella did and she did win her legal battle against sexual discrimination.

This is absolutely outrageous. What right do these employers think they have to put us women back to the kitchen? There are so many attempts to get women to go to work, even after they had a baby. But by firing them while being pregnant I could understand if they do not want to go to work anymore. How can we feel like we are respected as female employees if we get fired for doing what only we can do? Unfortunately not every woman is capable of hiring legal aid, because this needs to stop. We are not living in the fifties anymore, women emancipation is not a movement anymore it is a fact. If those men cannot accept us being able to work and have a family, I can only say that they are jealous. We can multitask while they have to be happy doing only one thing at once.

http://www.guardian.co.uk/lifeandstyle/2011/jun/23/pregnant-wait-till-boss-hears

Low tuition fees in Holland, who would have guessed?

For a lot of British school leavers going to Holland has now become attractive as a place to study. 400 students are planning to go to the Netherlands in the autumn to go to the University in Maastricht. There is an expectation that this number of student will rise even more, since the tuition fees probably will rise to £9,000 a year for many universities in 2012. For many students it is not only the high fees, but also the cost of living near your university in Britain is too high. Since running up in debts is not very appealing many students will move abroad towards Holland. Fortunately the high fees are not the only reason for students to come to Holland. Many of them also want to have the experience to study abroad and are financially stimulated by the Dutch government to work in the Netherlands after their graduation. It is the perfect opportunity for many British students who cannot afford the British fees.

I never knew that Holland, and especially a town like Maastricht, is so attractive to foreign students. Also the fact that fees are so high in Britain is very new to me. In the article is said that the British universities find that the Dutch universities are very smart by attracting so many foreign students. Personally I find that they British are very dumb by not stimulating their students to continue their education. If I were a student in Britain and the fees would be that high and I could get in serious debts, I would probably do the same thing as these people. Plus the prospect of having a serious shot at a job after college is really appealing. Why not have a great time studying abroad and saving some money.

http://www.independent.co.uk/news/education/education-news/why-british-students-are-choosing-to-go-dutch-2301231.html

Even they are not invincible

Jackass star Ryan Dunn died last week in a car accident. Before the accident Dunn had being partying and drinking, he had two times the legal amount of alcohol in his blood when he crashed. Besides having too much to drink he was also driving too fast. He crashed into a crash barrier, but this stunt was too big for the master of stunts. He and his friend died on Monday morning. Unfortunately his crash site is now more a shopping area, because pilferers are collecting anything they can find of the Jackass star to sell on eBay. This morning a private memorial service was held for Ryan Dunn. Besides his family the cast of Jackass came to pay their respect. Besides the Jackass cast the parents of Bam Margera, Ryan’s best friend, who were really close to Ryan. The funeral will be next week, but if it is going to be a quiet one can be doubted. A controversial church from Kansas is planning to picket the funeral to spread the word that Dunn will be in hell for his sins and that no one should mock God. However the funeral should be safe since this is funeral is not public.

A Jackass star dead? How is that possible? These men are trained to be able to survive all kinds of crazy stunts. I guess they are human after all. Even though he has survived all the craziest stunts, but this was his last act. I am afraid that our idea of their heroism is gone. Most of us thought even though they did say they were in pain it was only little. That when something like that would be done to us we would be in much more pain. They were invincible, truly hardcore. I hope that this horrible event can also be seen as an example. The stuntman, who is supposed to know his limits, thought he was still capable of driving after having too much to drink. I hope more people will start to realize they should not get into a car when they had too much to drink, less accidents will happen.

Read more: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/tvshowbiz/article-2007135/Ryan-Dunn-dead-Johnny-Knoxville-leads-mourners-memorial-service.html#ixzz1Q6tvyMZ9

P p p p p poker face

If you suffer from blushing, you are saved by a new cure for this embarrassing disease. Many people, both men and women, are blushing when they experience strong emotions, also as a side effect blushing can occur. When we blush a larger amount of blood goes through the small vessels that lay near the surface of our skin. This can happen because the muscles in those vessels relax and allow us to get a red face. However this effect can be controlled with an operation, Endoscopic Thoracic Sympathectomy. This surgery used to be only for people who suffer from hyperhydrosis, or excessive sweating. But now it is also for people who find it impossible to live with their blushing. With this surgery they block the nerves that make the muscles relax. However according to statistics this surgery does not always have the wanted outcome. With 1 in 10 patients the blushing does not go away. Even 15 percent of the people who have this operation regrets it.

This surgery sounds like the perfect solution to my problem. I turn red almost always, when I laugh to hard, when I have to be in front of a big group of people, when say or do something stupid. Basically always, so I really liked this! No more redness, no more jokes on how red I get and then turning even more red. But reading about the side effects and not everyone getting the results they wanted made me worry and think. What if everyone just goes around and modify their humanness. In a couple of years you can become a completely different person because of surgery. Why use plastic surgery for modifying the things that make you, you? Plastic surgery should only be used for saving people who suffer from severe burnings. Why try to be physically perfect when your mental state is still horrible.

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/health/article-2005452/Nerve-surgery-offers-end-distress-chronic-blushing.html#ixzz1PnwpFpEm

Teachers do have a life outside school!

Six primary school teachers have posted pictures of themselves having a very good time on Facebook. Those teachers, including the deputy head, were dressed in Army gear at a hen party; the outfit were described as shocking by the parents of the students. One of the pictures included a dancing pole and a leg wrapped around it. All the other pictures showed them having drinks, showing their knickers, smoking and more inappropriate behaviour. A parent found these pictures online and spread them around the neighbourhood. The pictures have been removed of Facebook and the teachers have made their profiles private.

Even though I absolutely agree with one of the statements that was made in the article by one of the parents. “I disagree with this as teachers are supposed to be setting a good example and they are clearly not.” Teachers spend a lot of time with our children and they are a big help in the process of bringing them up in the best way possible. Teachers are a lot to have a life after school. If that means that they go crazy and party, well who can blame them? They should be a bit more careful with what they post online, but then again we all should. Everything we post online can be used in some sort of way. So therefor I think yes those parents have an absolutely legitimate point of worry, we should not forget that they do have a life and that have the full right to fill that in the way they want to.

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-1389292/Disgrace-drinking-pole-dancing-primary-school-teachers-published-pictures-Facebook.html

Social media used in search for anti-social people

The social media site Facebook will be used to track down paedophiles. With a new technology, PhotoDNA, built by Microsoft, sites like Facebook will be used to find those child abusers. The system is run by the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children, by their collection of 10,000 images of child abuse from law enforcement authorities the people who have looked at those picture can be traced down. This is done by computers which, divide the images into smaller pieces and then a sort of fingerprint is found one them and compared to other fingerprints found on sites like Facebook.

My first reaction to this article was wow how awesome. They can think of so many brilliant things nowadays. The search for paedophiles is long and hard, but every help is welcome and especially if it can be done by one of the most looked at sites of this moment. Looking further at this plan it is also kind of frightening, more and more we are looked at. Nothing can be secret anymore, there is always someone watching or listening. The more concoctions like these are found the more the big brother society is lurking. So yes I think this is a great way to find child abusers, but where is the line of privacy?

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/technology/facebook/8525963/Facebook-to-trawl-photos-for-child-abuse.html

School sickness not just for students?

Could the profession of a teacher be more stressful than we think? The increasing level of stress drives big number of teacher to want to leave their job, or even leave their life. This stress is due to the high demands of the government targets. Sue McMahon, a delegate from Calderdale, West Yorkshire, has had to help out a lot of teachers already to reduce their stress. She used the term “target tsunami” to describe the sky high demands that the governments puts on the teachers with its targets. Another reason for this stress is due to the longer hours they have to make, this is because they have to do all kinds of tasks little to do with teaching. If the burden of planning and assessment on teachers was lowered, would be a big step into reducing the stress.

While reading this article I was immediately wondering about the level of stress among teachers here in Holland. Would it be the same or has it been better taken care of. It is absurd to think that a so needed profession like being a teacher would be in danger due to government targets. I have the feeling that not a lot of people want to become a teacher anymore because it does not bring the same level of respect as it once did. But if we bully away the teacher we already have and scare of the new teachers. Who will teach?

http://www.guardian.co.uk/education/2011/apr/25/stress-drives-teachers-out-of-schools

Cause there ain’t no party like an ecstasy party!

Brian Dodgeon of 60 was arrested after a girl of 15 died from a drug overdose at his home. The party attended by Isobel Reilly-Jones was held by Brian’s 14 year old daughter, while he was out. The children found the stash of drugs hidden in a bedroom, not only ecstasy pills were found but also LSD and ketamine. Issy took two ecstasy pills and was dead before she went to the hospital. Isobel was not the only victim, three other children were rushed to the hospital, including Dodgeon’s daughter Beatrice Hadjipateras. Other guests at the party fled why they heard the police. The three are still in hospital but their situation is stable.

How is it possible that children are able to find drugs like that in your home? Not only is it odd to say the child hosting the party knew where to find the drugs, but having as parents that stuff in your home is ridiculous. As a parent you are responsible for your child and mainly you do not want them to use drugs, but want if the child finds your own drugs? What kind of example is that? How can you let your child go on to another home to have a party or a sleep over and trusts it is going to be alright when you read these kind of articles? It is absolutely outrageous that you would have these kind of drugs in your home. It may not have been laying around easy to find, but then again she knew where to search. She knew there was some form of drug in the house. It is of course your own responsibility if you want to use drugs, but when you have kids think twice about taking it home.

http://www.thesun.co.uk/sol/homepage/news/3545346/Dad-is-held-as-ecstasy-kills-teenage-girl-Issy-Reilly-Jones-15.html

As if live isn’t hard enough as it is.

The mother of Keith Bennett, has been diagnosed with cancer. Keith Bennett a 12 year old, who was kidnapped and murdered while on his way to his grandmother in 1964, is still not found. His killer Ian Brady and his accomplice Myra Hindley have admitted to be the murders of Keith, but also the killer of 16 year old Pauline Reade. The police suspected that the remains of Keith lie in Saddleworth, because they found the body of Pauline there. However they still have not found Keith. Even though the police have put this case as dormant, Keith’s mom hopes she can find his remains before she dies of this horrible disease.

It must be absolutely horrible to find your child being kidnapped, not knowing where he is or even if he is alive, that doubt must be devastating. But knowing your child has been murdered, while on his way to pay his grandma a visit, and still unable to find him must be horrible. How can you deal with your grieve or close the chapter of anger and sadness if you have not had the change to burry your child. It must be absolutely horrible? Nowadays you hear a lot of these stories, children being raped on their way to school, or worse. How can you feel comfortable knowing that every second your child is not with you it can be raped, kidnapped or killed? This story was in 1964 and the mom of that child still have not had the change to say goodbye and now she does not have a lot of time to find her child. As if losing your child is not enough, there is now a time pressure to Keith. I hope they will find the remains of Keith, so his mom can leave this world knowing her son is finally save home.

 http://www.mirror.co.uk/news/top-stories/2011/04/25/moors-murder-victim-keith-bennett-s-mum-diagnosed-with-cancer-115875-23085981/#ixzz1KXIZWwTm

The mother of all dress dust-ups! Carole Middleton shocks top couturier by dismissing her weeks before the wedding and refusing to wear her outfit at Westminster Abbey.

With 2.5 billion people watching the royal wedding, Carole Middleton understandably wants to look her best when her daughter marries Prince William. Mrs Middleton at first chose Lindka Cierach to create her outfit, but at the last moment she refused to wear something of her. According to Mrs Middleton the couturier was unaccommodating. Ms Cierach did not want to send the dress to Mrs Middleton, so she could show her friends what she was going to wear, when it was not yet finished. The only way that the outfit would travel to Mrs Middleton was if the couturier could accompany it herself to make sure that the dress would stay safe and secret in every possible way. Even though Mrs Middleton does not want to wear the outfit, is has been finished and sent to the home of the Middleton’s.

Looking at this article I was astonished, it seems that now her daughter is getting married to Prince William Mrs Middleton gave herself the right to become very rude. Having one of the best couturier’s of Britain work on your outfit should feel like a privilege. Perhaps it is the pressure of being viewed by 2.5 billion people that drove her to becoming a mother-of-the-bride-zilla. Surely that kind of pressure cannot be very nice to have. As the article says further that it would not be a strange thought if Mrs Middleton would have had several people working on different outfits, so she would be able to choose the perfect outfit. At least that is what I would do, when 2.5 billion people would “attend” my daughter’s wedding.

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/femail/article-1377712/The-mother-dress-dust-ups-Carole-Middleton-shocks-couturier-dismissing-weeks-wedding-refusing-wear-outfit-Westminster-Abbey.html

BritNed power cable boosts hopes for European supergrid

New ways to share electricity? There is a way to transport electricity between The UK and The Netherlands. This is achieved by a high voltage cable with a capacity of 1000MW, instead of the other HVDC cable this new one has the ability to transfer the electricity much further than before. The old one would lose power after 80 kilometers. With this new invention it is less likely to have a shortage of energy and they hope to achieve a stabilization of energy prices. Because of the big success there are plans to link The UK to Iceland as well.

This plan actually sounds really good to me. Sharing wind energy, therefor green energy would help to stop global warming. Wind energy is always possible to make, for the wind will always be here. There will never be a lack of so to say, while if you look at the fossil fuels they are quickly running out. This would be a very good idea to support the ongoing question for electricity and to keep mother earth satisfied. If this system could be achieved all over the world a lot less people would have to go without power because they cannot afford, this system also provides with a way to cut the prices on electricity. To me it sounds good to me.

http://www.guardian.co.uk/environment/2011/apr/11/uk-netherlands-power-cable-britned/print

First Blog

This is my first blog just to check if it works...