James Lawton: England right to seek reality shock

www.independent.co.uk/News of Friday, June 8th, 2012

Just before their first match in the European Soccer Championships which will start today, the English national team will visit the former German concentrationcamp at Auschwitz. They will be accompanied by Avram Grant, the Israeli former manager of Chelsea. Grant predicts the visit to Auschwitz will change their lives, as it did with so many visitors who came to see this place of horror.

The 1997 English soccer team visited Auschwitz as well and reportedly there was not a sound in the bus when the bus left the grounds of the camp. There was only shock when some English “fans”were photographing each other and making Hitler signs when the bus was at the gates of the camp. This illustrates that it would be foolish to think that the host nation of the football tournament is the only country capable of racism.

Some people think the soccer players are too spoilt to be moved by what they see in Auschwitz. However, for those with children the horried room filled with small shoes would be enough to fill them with sadness about the atrocities that took place in this place.

Some critics say it is ridiculous to expose these soccer players to a place like Auschwitz just before the start of a big tournament like the European Soccer Championships,but when will be the right time?

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I think it is very good of the English team to visit Auschwitz. There is no good timing to visit a place like this. I think everybody should see one of the concentration camps once.  This is a part of history that should never be forgotten and it should never happen again. To realize that people can be capable of such atrocities is beyond belief. I have been to Theresienstadt myself and it is a very depressing place. There is still a stale smell of death and there are so many letters, drawings of children that passed through this camp on their way to death;  there is only silence there, no singing of birds, no laughter and joy. It was a visit I will never forget.

Kidnapped British aid worker saved by Nato troops in daring Afghanistan raid

guardian.co.uk, Saturday 2 June 2012 21.24 BST

British citizen and nutritionist Helen Johnston, 28, who had been taken hostage in the remote Afghan province of Badakhshan, was freed together with a Kenyan citizen and two Afghan civilians.

Seven of the captors were killed in the raid.

 Johnston, who is working for Medair, a Swiss humanitarian organization, was taken hostage on the 22^nd of May, when she was visiting a project site together with four other team member;s one member managed to escape. Prime Minister Cameron, who gave the permission for the raid, said he decided to approve of the operation because the situation was getting worse for the hostages. Cameron stressed that Britain was not prepared to pay ransoms or to set free prisoners in order to negotiate with terrorists. He stated: “The consequences for the terrorists will be harsh”.

The captors are believed to be a group of Taliban fighters and a group of criminals (drug smugglers). The hostages were held in mountain caves,  away from villages so they would not be easily detected. The captors demanded a £ 2.6 million ransom as well as the release of a local criminal.

Johnston’s parents were overjoyed to hear of their daughter’s release. They expressed their gratitute to those involved in the rescue mission and the media for respecting their privacy during the whole ordeal.

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Kidnapping for ransom and for release of terrorists is still an issue in a lot of countries around the world. Innocent people who are mostly working for humantarian organizations, are ambushed and kidnapped and huge demands are made to have them released. I think it is good to make a stand to terrorists that using humans as cannon balls can not be tolerated and should be dealt with strongly. In this case, I applaud David Cameron for taking swift action and cooperating with the Afghan army to free the hostages.

Her subjects party as the Queen goes to the Derby

The focus of all the festivities begins her big weekend at the races, while country prepares for a thoroughbred bash

www.independent.co.uk Saturday 2nd of June

The Diamond Jubilee bankholiday will start today with barbecues and parties being held  in a way only the British can organize them. Maybe you have seen them on TV once, they have these enormous street barbecues and where everyone brings something to eat and drink. It is estimated that almost six million people will be holding parties over the next four days.

Queen Elizabeth II will begin the four days of Jubilee festivities by attending the Epsom Derby, which is a very prestigious race. (that is to say,horse-racing for those of you who do not know what race I am talking about).  The queen has been “in office” for an astounding 60 years, and is more popular among the Britsh people than ever.

The biggest event will take place tomorrow, Sunday 3^rd of June, when the Queen and her husband Prince Philip will take part in a Thames flotilla which will take them from Putney to Tower Bridge. Hundreds of thousands of spectators are expected to line the banks of the Thames to get a glimpse of the Queen.

Moreover, on Monday, there will be a concert which will be performed on the roof of Buckingham Palace. Sir Paul McCartney, Elton John and Shirley Bassey will be performing there and the performance will be broadcast live by the BBC.

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I really like the British for doing things like this. It is completely over the top but also very British. It also shows how popular the Royal family is, especially the Queen. The Royals have had difficult times in the past, especially after the death of  Princess Diana but I think times have changed and the Royal Family has become more popular . I think the UK is in for a huge party; of course there are people that argue that partying like this is totally not done, but I am in favour of it. In difficult times like this, a party like the Diamond Jubilee party could lift up the spirits of the people, which is exactly what they need. However,I think most people need a a few days to recover after this event; a Pound Sterling 83 per head demand on beer and wine is expected.

Debate blog:

Scotland should be independent!

Campaigning for Scottish independence actually began shortly after the unification with England took place in 1707.  At that time it was believed that the Scots were almost bankrupt and in need of urgent cash. Others claimed that the Scots who signed the unification treaty were bribed.

An important date for Scotland was the year 1934, when the Scottish National Party was founded as a “merger” between the Scottish Party and the National Party of Scotland.

The Scottish devolution in 1999 gave the SNP the opportunity to fight for independence at Westminster. Tony Blair, who was prime minister at that time, saw opportunities for a Scottish parliament and its importance for the SNP but he wanted to prevent the SNP to gain sole power in Scotland.  Voting was done by part first past the post, part PR system.

Upto 2011 the country was governed by the Labour/Liberal Democrat coalition for two terms and one term by an SNP minority.

It is very difficult to say whether most of the Scots are in favour of independence; one thing is certain, a vote for the SNP does not automatically mean a vote for independence. According to recent polls, support for independence is somewhere between 32% and 38% which is less than the votes the SNP got when it was in office as a minority government. Another poll (YouGoy, April 2011) showed support for independence was 28%  and 57% opposed.

Political support for independence comes from the SNP, the Greens and independent MSP Margo Macdonald. Liberal Democrats, Labour and Tories are opposed.

The referendum will most probably be held in the autumn of 2014. The referendum needs backing of the central government at Westminster otherwise it would not be legally binding.

If all proceeds as expected, the Scottish voters will vote for a yes or no to the independence referendum but this doesn’t mean independence is a fact.  When the general vote is a “yes”, talks will start with Westminster.

Apart from a full independence, voters could also vote for a so called “devolution max”. This means that Scotland would be independent in most but not all aspects. For example, it could meant that Westminster still has fiscal control over Scotland.

If voters vote “yes”, Scotland could be independent by 2016. However, a “no” vote would most probably mean the end of the SNP.

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I am not giving you my reasons why I am in favour of an independent Scotland because you will hear them coming Thursday, when I am going to do the debate on this subject. Just read my blog if you’re interested and try to form your own opinion on what would be the best thing for Scotland. There are loads of articles on this subject on the internet and BBC news also has interesting interviews to be watched. See you on Thursday!

83-year-old gave blood 57 times - now he's donated a kidney

Widower is hailed for his altruism after giving organ to NHS  waiting-list patient he didn’t even know

Nicholoas Crace, aged 83, has become the oldest kidney donor in the UK. Crace, who has been a volunteer driver for a hospice and a former charity director,  had also given blood 57  times.

Crace has donated the organ to an unknown stranger at Queen Alexandra Hospital in Portsmouth. Before the operation, Crace  had to undergo numerous tests to see if his kidneys were functioning well enough to donate one of them . This whole process took about 6 months  in total. Mr. Crace was found to be in good condition, although he  admits he likes to drink more alcohol than he should.

Three days after the operation, Mr. Crace was already doing his usual chores and biking around in his home town.  He would be happy to do  more  donations, like bone marrow, but his age doesn’t allow him.

After his wife died  Mr.Crace felt  the need for a new goal in life and he hopes more people in his age group will sign up to do a donation. He realizes the need for donors and says that people with two healthy kidneys could donate one to someone who is in desperate need. Moreover, kidneys from living donors are proven to work better than those from  people who have just died. Kidney patients that receive a new kidney can lead a perfectly normal life after having been on dyalisis for a long time.

Crace is hopeful people will follow his example and so are the doctors; they applaud people like Crace but realize altruistic donors like Crace are hard to find.

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I think it is extremely unselfish what mr. Crace did and I think not many people would follow his example. The whole issue of donating organs has always been a difficult subject to discuss. People are still very hesitant to talk about the subject. A lot of people in the Netherlands can not decide whether to become organ donors after their death. I understand this is a ethical question and not easy to answer. It’s your choice but if you realize you can safe lives, why not?

My father was a kidney patient; he was on dyalisis three times a week. He felt miserable and tired and still he refused a donor kidney, because he said that at his age (72) he had had a good life and  kidneys should go to younger people.  He also did not want any of his children to donate a kidney. He died at age 72.

Maths anxiety: the numbers are mounting

guardian.co.uk, Monday 30 April 2012

Flora Brian was doing fine in maths when she was six, but she would sometimes come up with strange solutions to math problems, which became worse after she moved to another school two years later. It was discovered that there was a gap between her literacy and numeracy achievements in such a way, that specialists thought she could be suffering from dyscalcula. It was only after Flora had been taken to a educational psychologist, that it was discovered that Flora had anxiety attacks when math was taught in class. In fact, it is estimated that more than 2 million schoolchildren in England are facing anxiety attacks with math in a way that can be compared with an anxiety for snakes or spiders. Research in the U.S. in the 50s, showed that the fear centers in the brain showed similar anxiety attacks when it came to spiders as to trying to solve a math problem. As a result, the problem solving areas in the brain are not functioning well, making it more difficult to find the right answers.

So, having proven this, what could be done about it? Students should be given compliments when they are solving math problems and be encouraged on the way, so they will be more self confident to solve difficult math issues. Building confidence in students takes time, and teachers should take time to establish sound basics in math. Furthermore, breathing and relaxation exercises have proven to decrease math anxiety. Flora benefited from getting support to establish a sound understanding of basic math and a reacted well to a more relaxed attitude towards solving math problems. She has felt happier ever since and has more self confidence.

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In the Netherlands the government is focusing on better math and language results in both primary but also in secondary school. Secondary schools have to test their students on their levels of language and math. Math has always been bigger problem than language. In the pilot math test that was done at our school, the results were disastrous. Hardly anyone achieved the required level in math. Students in general have a very poor understanding of basic maths, which makes them very insecure. This is why we are introducing a basic math program for next year, in which we will explain the basics of math again in order to give the students a sound understanding of math before they pursue their school career on a higher (MBO) level.

Divorce in the internet age: It’s complicated

To move on after a relationship ends, you need to be able to forget. But how can you when the internet has such a long memory?

Author Nathan Bransford, who is both writer and blogger, went through a painful divorce when writing his first book.  He found out that even if you try to forget about the “bad” things that happened in marriage, this is made very difficult . Being a blogger as well as an author, Bransford is on the net many times. This makes his life a public place and he has had a difficult time dealing with the fact that information on the internet does not die but is kept alive by those who still want to read it. As much as Bransford wanted to forget about some things in his personal life,  the internet kept him from doing so.

Bransford’s wife started a blog on their personal life, which seemed innocent at first, but spiraled out of control after the divorce. Bransford got “tips” from readers on how to get back on his wife so he even had to change his relationship status on the blog.

Moreover, after Bransford included his now ex-wife on Gmail, he was not able to remove her from Gmail so he is still confronted with her on the net. Bransford has come to the conclusion that internet has a memory that will last forever, showing you photos and stories that you wanted to delete; your personal life has gone. There is one benefit though, if you want to start a new relationship, you do not have to tell about your private life, because it is already public anyway.

Independent.co.uk/Sunday 1^st of May 2012

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I think this is an example of abuse of social media. Although I realize that the author and his wife started blogging first, I do not think many people realize what others can do with it. In this case, being a writer as well, Bransford has suffered from the fact that it is hard not having a personal life and everybody trying to interfere with your private life when you weren’t asking for it.  Maybe this is prize you have to pay for making your life personal. It is one of the reasons why I do not have face book or twitter or anything like it. I do not want people to have a look at my personal life, nor do I want to look at anyone’s personal life on the internet. If people want me to know something about them, they can tell me in person. I realize that might be old fashioned, but I have seen too many things getting out of control, words getting misinterpreted,  so I pick up the phone if I want to speak to my friends.