I want for Chistmas...

http://www.bbc.com/news/business-19947073

Summary:

Toy makers have done there utmost best this year to get on top of children’s Christmas list.
Furby our cuddly friend from 1998 has made his comeback. This time even more advanced. His eyes are no longer infrared but two small LCD screens and loads more motors inside to control the Furby. What should make it most appealing for children is that has his own smartphone or tablet add so you get more interactive with Furby.

The new Furby is not the only thing that happened in toy makers land. Apps have enhanced beyond believe. Wowwee made App Gear to create the best interactive levels out of real places. Now you can shoot aliens in your own living room only using your smartphone or tablet.

Even Ravensburger our well known puzzle maker tried to get into the 21 century. After a puzzle is complete it can be brought to life with your smartphone or tablet.

Of course the toy makers did think of the youngest amongst us. Toddlers now have a tablet of their own. Parents don’t have to be afraid of children spoiling over the tablet because of the rubber band that is placed especially for them. What about children's unlimited excess to the internet? It can be protected at age range or bedtime so would you want to use your toddler’s tablet you do not have to use passwords after bedtime because of the time clock you had installed at first.

Opinion:

What a money-makers!! I can imagine children wanting these gadgets! I would have wanted them when I was young. I do not hope my children want them…well they will not get them. I believe it is over the top. I believe in being together at Christmas or Sinterklaas. Spending quality time as a family is how I see Christmas and Sinterklaas should be spent. Playing games see Scrooge for the fiftieth time and sing Christmas carols after diner. I do not have problems with giving each other gifts and spending a bit more on my children but in a time of crisis I can not afford to spend more. However even when there had not been a crisis I would not have bought presents for my children worth more than 70 euro’s.
As long as my children believe Sinterklaas exists we will not celebrate Christmas with presents.
I believe it is wonderful with what the toymakers came up with and I can imagine my daughter wanting the Furby because he is so cuddly and when my son is a bit older I can imagine him wanting the App Gear so he can shoot aliens in his room. If they really want them they can have them but they need to save their money so they learn the value of it.

smoking in cars most dangerous

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/health-19946656

Summary:

Everyone knows that smoking is bad for your health. What is even worse is second-hand smoking. Researchers have tried to measure how bad smoking in cars is. The researchers tested 85 car journeys and they were shocked to find out that smoking in cars is three times more toxic than in the open air. Even with the window open toxic levels are higher than the World Health Organisation recommends.
Before smoking in bars was banned researchers measured in bars one-half to one-third of the recommended toxic levels on second-hand smoking.
Researchers believe that smoking in cars should be forbidden to protect the children of the parents who smoke in their cars. There are some people who are against it because they feel the next step is a legislation to prohibit smoking in homes. They feel parents should use their common sense.
Others are in favourite of this legislation because it could save lots of health cost on children who due to passive smoking suffer from lower respiratory tract infection, bacterial meningitis, and even in some cases sudden infant deaths.
There are even people in favour to ban smoking in cars completely.

Opinion:

I strongly believe smoking in places where children are should be forbidden. I stopped smoking before I had children and I told my partner he could only smoke outside the house. I believe it is a persons own choice to smoke or not, but a child has no say in this. Therefore the child should be protected at any cause. Researchers showed that smoking in cars is even worse for second-hand smokers than it would be in a bar. If a parent can not be responsible enough to smoke outside or after his journey in his car I do feel that a legislation could be the only way to force people to do better for there children. I do think it is sad that there has to be a legislation to force people to behave better and make sure their children do not get sick or in some cases die.

say farewell to the day of the diesels!

http://news.uk.msn.com/uk/%C2%A39bn-to-be-spent-on-railways-qanda/

Summary

In this article we will find out how much money will be spend on which track and what will happen when the track is being renovated also a part of the budget will be spend on a new schedule. The British railway tracks are from the Victorian era and it is time they became from this era. The diesel costs are very high therefore the track should be electric. Electric trains are cheaper and lighter. Because they are lighter they do not damage the tracks a much as diesels do. Only the tracks in England and Wales will be renovated the once in Scotland and Northern Ireland are the responsibility of the Scottish parliament and Northern Ireland assembly respectively.

Opinion

I think it is wonderful that the old train system will be up to date. Unfortunately is will take several years to do so. I wonder how many people will experience headaches over this renovation. I meant the people using the train to go to school or work. Commuting by train is great but what if the train does not come and you have paid for it?? Thank god for the Watchdog. They will keep an eye on it. Of course it is necessary to make the change to electricity it should have been done years ago. I hope to go to England once it is done and feel how light the train floats over the tracks…poor Thomas first the diesels and now electric trains!

to pay or not to pay tax

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/magazine-1898301

Summary

This article is about not paying tax. Lots of people do not pay their taxes because the government does not use their money wisely. One of the other reasons is that the wealthy like to keep their precious money where it is safest and kept after the best in their own hand, not literally of course. There are even advisors who promote not to pay tax. Around the world there should be some money lying around, stored away in offshore accounts. The amount that is stored away is $21tn. If this would be in government’s banks we would not be in crisis.

To give you an impression how much this is: if it was denominated in $1 bills, it would fill nearly 10,000 Olympic-sized swimming pools.

Opinion

Everyone has to pay tax. I don’t like to pay tax either but when we all make put in some afford in paying taxes it will not kill us. I can not imagine how people scam the government and not pay tax. I do not know how they do that and I do not want to know. We are part of a society and everyone in there has to pay his or her share. When we do that we can build new houses, roads and see to it that everyone has the same basis for a descent healthcare. Maybe this is the time for the government to do something about this scam. This is fraud on a large scale!

folding cars solves problems

The New Urban Car Problem Solver?

http://www.bbc.com/future/story/20120613-folding-cars-offer-city-solution

Today we all want to go by car to work, to shop or to even bring our children to school. We commute alot and therfore the space to park and drive becomes less. Now there is an new car that should get commuters out of their car. The VE. This is a car espessially designed to fit the life of a commuter. This car weighs less that 500kg and in some countries you would not even need a licence to drive it.
this car is very small. It wheels can rotate 60% so side parking is like childsplay. When you get out of the car, at the front, the car will fold itself so you can put three and a half VE on one parking place.

The car is not designed for the highway. It can only drive up to 50km per hour and a distance of 75km. Recharcing would only cost 15 minutes. There is no steering wheel but a yoke. To drive you puch the yoke forwards, to break backwards and to go to the left you push left vice versa.
The goal is to use the cars just like bikke-sharing systems. Now it should be a car sharing system where you can lend a car ot go to work with.


I would love to have a car like that if I should work in the city center. I would ride my bike to the nearest charching post and drive to work. Or when I needed to go to buy myself a new outfit. Drive in my mini-mini car to the shops park where I want and no problems parking. How wonderfull would that be!!!
I am concerned about the nature too ofcourse and this would be a great oppertunity to reduse gas emissions also. Less CO2 producing cars, healtier air to breath who would not want this. The oil industry perhaps...well if we go on like this there will not be anything left in a couple of years. I would realy use this future car to commute. I believe it is a step forward to a better and healtier world for all of us.

Missed abortion

Dear students,

The title above is not a title of an article but what happend to me this vacation. I wanted to led you all know what happend and I chose this way. Last Thursday is had an appointment with my gynaecologist and during the ultrasound it showed that there was no longer any heartactivity. I was under the impression that I was 10 weeks pregnant however measuring the baby it showed it died when I was 8 weeks pregnant. The official term is missed abortion.

Yesterday (may 5th) I gave birth to this baby. We buried this baby in our garden. We bought butterflies and a beautiful plant to grow above it. Harry, my childeren and I are very sad this happend. I do not know what to write any more I hope to see you all soon.

Daniëlle :-(

The Queen's Diamond Jubilee (Speaker's corner)

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/magazine-17701477

Summary

This article is about the Diamond Jubilee of Queen Elisabeth. Her sixtieth anniversary is something the Britons take pride in. This jubilee is not the first to be held in Great-Britain. Queen Victoria reigned for 64 years.

Also in other countries there have been jubilees of the same kind. In 2006 the King of Thailand marked his sixtieth anniversary and in 1986 the Japanese Emperor Hirohito celebrated 60 years on what is termed the Chrysanthemum Throne.

Queen Victoria had the grandest pageant of them all. She believed she was the grandest lady ever and the public felt the same according to Victoria. Although during the festivities the general mood was fine not everyone shared her opinion.

Now this year Queen Elisabeth reigns over Britain for the sixth decade. During her reign she has seen her monarchy and nation downsize. Britain is no longer an empire. Queen Elisabeth is looking forward to another ten years of reigning over Britain and to have her Platinum Jubilee.

Opinion

My opinion about the Queen’s reign is that I believe she should step down. Although in the article is said that the Briton have a senses of relieve to them that Queen Elisabeth still reigns. She reigned for sixty years now and I believe one should step aside and let a younger person take over. That is why I believe that Beatrix should step down too. Why don’t they?? Does QE believe Prince Charles is not the man to take the job…Maybe not! I don’t see why he should become king. I like to see Prince William as a king and reign over Britain. He comes across more as an adult than his father Britain’s court fool. Should QE wait until William is settled enough with Kate? But when is it enough? In my heart I believe QE will never step down and just like her father die reigning over Britain. I hope Charles has grown up by than or is senile and therefore not fit to become the next king and therefore William has to be Britain’s next king. Hopefully he and Kate have had three or more children and had some time to cherish their time “alone” so they can be the new king and queen of Britain.