Eat meat on feast days only

 

Summary:

According to a government adviser meat should only be eaten on feast days to fight obesity and climate change. Tim Lang, professor of food policy at the City University in London said meat consumption was out of control. He suggested that everyone should go back to ancient traditions where meat was considered a treat and eaten only on feast days, such as Christmas. Producing meat is a harmful process for the environment as growing animals requires energy and water. Lang thinks eating meat is only useful once a week and then have a really good, grass-fed meat.

 

My opinion:
I think it is a good idea to eat meat on feast days only to battle against obesity and climate change, but it is a bit unrealistic. Many people like to eat meat atleast three times a week. What professor Lang is saying is that these people need to change their eating habits. Most people will not accept this, they just want to eat whatever they want. Professor Lang will have to adjust his suggestion in my opinion, maybe change his idea of eating meat only on feast days to a maximum of twice a week.

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/earth/environment/8984068/Eat-meat-on-feast-days-only-to-fight-obesity-says-adviser.html

 

Drug Drivers

Summary:
Around twelve percent aged from 17 to 24 admits driving after taking drugs, this was revealed in a report yesterday. Three per cent of these people say they use drugs at least once a month. These statistics were released as the Government announced Britain's first drug-drive law, which was made by a panel of experts. These drug experts will consider the effects of cannabis, ecstasy, cocaine and heroin on driving.
The figure for drug-taking and driving went up by two percent compared to 2010. The experts say that the risks of driving with drugs are huge and the consequences are disruptive. Many young drivers know this but they still take the risk to gamble with their own and others' lives.

My opinion:
I think it is very bad to see that around twelve percent of the drivers between 17 and 24 years old are using drugs every now and then. Although they do know what the risk is by driving whilst being under the influence of drugs, they still jump in the car and start risking their own lives and that of other people. The fact that they risk their own live does not bother me, but the fact that they put others people lives at risk is a very bad thing if you ask me. The Government of Britain needs to make these drug-drive laws as good as possible to reduce the amount of people using drugs whilst driving.

http://www.thesun.co.uk/sol/homepage/news/politics/4036733/1-in-9-under-24s-drive-on-drugs.html

Current system is broken

Summary:
Politicians from all parties in the UK have agreed that they need to work together to find a way to save the failing social care system in England. Ministers are looking to publish plans for social care reform in the spring.
Research has shown that out of 2 million people that need care 800.000 of them are not getting any health care. The system needs a radical re-think based on hospitalisation and homecare. The current system shows that people are being left lonely, isolated and at risk because of the problems with the current system. The question is what will the government do now and will they come up with a quick solution?


My opinion:
I think it is very bad to see that 800.000 out of 2 million people are not getting any health care when they really need it. This can cause many lifes being at risk. It is up to the UK government to make a quick, responsible and logical decision which must be very hard to make because different people have different meanings all across England. At the moment people are assessed on needs and means. It might be worthful to re-think this system or take a closer look at it and see if it is possible to make some adjustments.



http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/health-16365235

Textbooks replaced by smartphones and e-readers

Summary:

Old textbooks are dying out in British schools. Since children start to learn how to handle and work with smartphones and e-readers at such an early age these days, most schools see no further use in textbooks. Handheld technology does change the way that information is delivered to students and children. It allows them to access their information anywhere, anytime and at any place, which is a huge possibility. They also get the chance to search for more information about a certain subject in class then when they only have access to textbooks.

My opinion:

I think it is a good idea to let children and students ''upgrade'' from textbooks to smartphones and e-readers in class. Nowadays many people have smartphones and e-readers, since they can be used to search alot of information on, more then anything else because you have access to the Internet. Some schools already let students use laptops in class. The 21th century is a century marked by technology. It will be much more efficient to use smartphones and e-readers in class then using textbooks. You do not have to buy new textbooks because you can just use your e-reader or smartphone to use the information required for class lessons.

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/education/educationnews/8979087/Textbooks-being-replaced-by-smartphones-and-e-readers.html

IPhone's Siri accent troubles

Summary:
The new IPhone 4s is causing some troubles with it's voice-recognition program. Some British users are less than happy. The reason is that  Scottish and Welsh accents cannot be recognized by the Siri system. Many Scottish and Welsh people bought the IPhone 4s especially for it's Siri application. The app was designed to work in the UK, US and Australian accents, but right now it does not work properly. A bizzare question about the new Siri System: The question "Can you dance with me?" is interpreted as "Can you Dutch women" and so on. Apple said it's recognition of accents will continue to improve. 



My opinion:
I think this is a bad problem made by Apple. They should have been sure that it works for most British speakers with an accent or dialect, but instead it only works for fluent English  and American speakers. I hope  Apple comes with a solution quickly, because right now many Scottish and Welsh people spend alot of money on the new IPhone 4s but they do not get to use it's full futures so far, which is really annoying if you ask me and all the people that bought a new IPhone 4s.


http://www.thesun.co.uk/sol/homepage/news/4013260/iPhones-Siri-ous-accent-troubles.html

Prince Harry: Fighting Taliban

Summary:
Prince Harry has confirmed that he will take on the Taliban for the second time. His first reaction was: I cannot wait! Harry let slip his excitement at the Sun's Military Awards gala. He joined his brother Wills and sister Kate to honour our Forces heroes next year in Afghanistan. Last summer The Sun revealed that the Price is about to return to Afghanistan in 2012, which, as we can see now, is actually true. He told everyone at the ceremony in London that He cannot wait to get out there! Harry has finished his Apache helicopter pilot training in America. It was a tough job that he is really looking forward to put his skills to the limit at the battlefield.



My opinion:
I think it is not a very wise decision made by Prince Harry to go to the battlefield at Afghanistan, but it is very heroic to do so. I hope he will survive his time over there and complete being a succesfull Apache helicopter pilot in his fight against the Taliban. Since Prince Harry is a soldier I can understand why he wants to do this. It is indeed very brave and I wish him the best luck, althought it might not even be the best decision he made in his life.

http://www.thesun.co.uk/sol/homepage/news/campaigns/our_boys/4012272/Harry-Im-ready-for-Taliban-again.html

Cheap car hire deals

Summary:

Car hire customers should take extra care this Christmas before they decide to hire a car. What looks like a cheap deal could end up costing you hundreds of pounds. Last year many people got scammed by certain car hire companies who advertise in many UK Newspapers saying they have special and cheap car hire offers, when people transferred hundreds of pounds they never received their cars. The British Vehicle Rental and Leasing Association (BVRLA) says that similar scams are being planned this year. Should you think you got scammed, call the police immediately because they know what to do.

My reaction:

Car hiring is always risky if you ask me, like when you go on vacation you face the chance that you pay a lot of money but never receive your car for a couple of weeks. I think it is a usual scam that happens a lot worldwide and particular at Christmas times in the UK. If you see an advertisement saying ‘’free car delivery and collection with affordable rates guaranteed’’ You just call the company and want that deal immediately. After a while you found out you got scammed which is a really bad thing when it comes to Christmas times, where everyone should feel happy.

http://www.guardian.co.uk/money/2011/dec/16/beware-bogus-car-hire-offers