Killing Us Slowly

Title: Why cupcakes are the new cocaine

Subject: Sugar is one of many new addictive substances that are stealthily taking over our lives – and this white powder is a slow killer. 

Lo and behold, the herald of our doom

Web Address: http://www.telegraph.co.uk/foodanddrink/healthyeating/9275056/Why-cupcakes-are-the-new-cocaine.html

Date: 18 May 2012

Summary:

We see sugar as harmless, while in fact it is a very dangerous and very addictive drug. You heard me, drug. Sugar damages the liver and kidneys and is the main cause for the ever dangerous type 2 diabetes that continues to spread worldwide. All around the world the people are addicted to sugar and we do not even realise it. We ingest a vast number of this white crystalline substance several times a day. We become agitated if we run out of supplies and produce lame excuses for another dose. We say that we need 'energy', but we are deluding ourselves. The energy rush from sugar is only temporary-- strongly reminiscent of the ups and downs of, say, cocaine.

Opinion:

According to this rather dramatic article the world is addicted and doomed-- the writer himself included. A quote from the article that reflects this: “if a casual visitor from another galaxy were to drop in on planet earth, he would assume that human beings were even heavier drug users than we already are.” Apart from this very cynical view of this matter, sugar addiction is in fact serious. Like alcohol we gladly ignore the destroying qualities. Not only is sugar dangerous to your health, but it also reinforces the feeling that life is only bearable if we reward ourselves with endless 'treats'. Yet we feel guilty when we do reward ourselves. Then again, I am not going to stop this 'evil cycle'. I am probably too addicted already.

Corgi's are Stealing the Queen's Show

Title: One’s lost one’s pedigree chum

Subject: The popularity of Welsh Corgi's has increased now that the Queen and her preferred breed are in the center of attention

Web Address: http://www.thesun.co.uk/sol/homepage/news/royals/2446472/Ones-lost-ones-pedigree-chum.html

Date: 10 May 2012

Summary:

The Queen has been on the throne for sixty years now, which means it is her Diamond Jubilee year this year, 2012. That in turn means the media and the citizens of the UK will pay extra attention to their beloved monarch. And in this case, also to her dogs. The Queen owns three dogs, three Welsh Corgi's named Monty, Willow and Holly. They travel with her as often as possible and she tries to take care of them herself as much as her schedule allows her. This breed however is an endangered one and had been out of fashion for a long time. With this jubilee and the extra attention the Queen receives, so do her dogs and their breed.

Opinion: 

I think it is really nice that people are starting to get more interested in this breed, and perhaps be able to take it away from that brink of extinction it was nearing. To be on that brink, to be considered endangered, a dog breed must have fewer than 300 puppies registered a year. For these Corgi's, numbers are now rising with 17 puppies in the first quarter of this year compared to the 10 last year. And just look at those dogs, they are adorable. I think it would have been a great loss if these dogs were to have disappeared altogether. 

No, no I do not get how you got endangered either

A Splash of Colour and a Smile now for £20,000

Title: Woman spends £20,000 of her pension on an extreme makeover... and feels great

Subject: A women gets surgery to feel prettier

Web Address: http://www.mirror.co.uk/news/uk-news/woman-spends-20000-of-her-pension-on-an-extreme-810870

Date: 29 Apr 2012

The Before/Bad Photo: £0                                                           The After/Good Photo: £20,000
All hail photoshop!

Summary:

So there is this woman, a former maths teacher called Linda Owen who is 62, that got herself a makeover that cost her more than £20,000. She claims she wanted to be a brand-new women, after her stressful job and long hours that took their toll. She became fat and although she “tried every diet under the sun for many years” she could not loose the weight, mainly because of her love for bacon sandwiches, curries and cheeseburgers. So she got herself a gastric band operation that made her stomach smaller and a whole lot of other surgeries including a face lift, surgery on her “bingo wings” and teeth whitening. Now she feels like a new women and is thrilled people do not recognize her anymore.

Opinion:

I think it is really sad that this woman thought the only way for her to feel better about herself is to undergo surgery. And those operation are not without risk. In fact, that gastric band operation has been known to be fatal more than once. Also, I think it she is rather stupid to blame her diets on not working and that anything she managed to lose soon piled back on again while admitting that she ate burgers afterwards. I mean, how does she think diets work? That once you have completed a week of dieting you can go on and eat everything for the rest of your life and magically not gain a pound? And that used to be a teacher. A maths teacher, even. You would think she could put two and two together.

They are Coming

Title: Kill on sight! Fire at will! Battleplan to defeat deadly hornets heading for UK

Subject: Asian hornets are closing in on the UK

Web Address: http://www.independent.co.uk/environment/nature/kill-on-sight-fire-at-will-battleplan-to-defeat-deadly-hornets-heading-for-uk-7668384.html

Date: 22 April 2012

Summary:

There is an invading force heading directly for the UK, and there is nothing we can do about it. Asian Hornets are in the rise and after having robbed French of many of its bees the hornets move on to other countries. These hornets, often up to 3cm long, attack single bees, tear them apart and feed them to their young. Soon, the bees cannot fly out anymore and have to consume their own beehive, weakening it to the point where the hornets can easily enter and ransack it. The British government hopes to avoid this by taking drastic measures and coming up with battleplans, involving poison, smoke, and even guns and water-cannons as such devastation could cost £440m per year.

Opinion:

Though it sounds almost comical, I found it rather surprising it would cost the country so much if the bees were to disappear. Of course, once I though about it, I realized they must have many beekeepers and sell a lot of honey. That, and flowers would probably feel the hit too, as there would be no bees to carry their spores. Aside from that, these huge hornets are also very aggressive and will not shy away from attacking humans. Also, they are very, very big, and I would rather not have them in my garden. 

They are coming...

UK is not OK

Scotland wants independence

Title: The Scottish Play

Subject: Four problems for Scotland's independence

Web Address: http://www.economist.com/node/21552572

Date: 14 April 2012

Summary:

Scotland wants to become independent, and both sides have used the economy as a reason to either stay or go. A precise answer is impossible, but a look at the statistics reveals four problems. First problem is the oil. It will run out someday and that day may not be as far away as many hope. As soon as that happens a major vacuum will be created. The second question is whether renewable energy could replace that vacuum. Then there is the third problem, their banks were saved by the British government and many of their assets do not belong to Scotland. The final problem is perhaps the biggest: their currency. Joining the Euro is no longer an option and with a smaller economy they are far more vulnerable to shocks in the world's economy.

Opinion:

Honestly, I find it very hard to form a balanced opinion on this subject: I do not know all the intricacies of economy. Also, I have no idea if what they are saying is true or not. The only thing I do know is that we are in a global crisis right now and doing something risky as this appears to be does not sound like a good idea. That being said, this newspaper article did not refer to any bonuses that would be gained if Scotland was to become independent, neither did it mention any reasons that the country would want to do so. That to me makes it look like either I missed a big part, or that the one who wrote this really does not want Scotland to become independent.

Do You Want a Cookie?

Title: How will the new law on cookies affect internet browsing?

Subject: The use of cookies by sites will become restricted

Web Address: http://www.guardian.co.uk/technology/2012/apr/13/new-law-cookies-affect-internet-browsing

Date: 13 April 2012

Sadly, not this kind of cookie

Summary:

Many sites use cookies, these monitor your behaviour and until now they did not have to ask or explain why. This is about to change: a new law is being proposed where every site has to justify their use of cookies, and must ask the user first. Sites use cookies to gain information, not really on you as a person, but you as a user. Cookies monitor your actions and report them back, this way owners of the site can see what works, what does not, and what advertisements gain more attention then others. These cookies are however only the tip of the iceberg: there are many other ways sites use to gain information.

Opinion:

I think it is good that these kind of privacy invading acts are finally put to attention. I do think however they should be more thorough, there are many other ways that sites gain information without asking, or perhaps more specifically: without the user realizing. For example, making an account at a site already gives the site access to do these things. Also, advertising will become more random. Now because of the cookies sites place advertisements that, based on your actions, they think would interest you. This way they can ask higher prices and avoid targeting the wrong audience. Still, I think giving people the choice whether or not they want to share their information is a good thing.

Time for a Scarred Hero

Freddy Krueger, a scarred villain

Title: Short film challenges 'scarred baddies' stereotype

Subject: A short film has been created to challenge movie attitudes toward facial disfigurement.

Web Address: http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/entertainment-arts-17702160

Date: 13 April 2012

Summary:

"We're so used to seeing people with disfigurements portrayed as the villain in films that it may be hard for people to imagine they could ever play someone's friend, the Dad picking up his kids from school, the US President, or a lover," says James Partridge, founder of Changing Faces. To challenge this stereotypical reaction to people with facial disfigurements, the foundation Changing Face has created a movie that features a scarred hero for a change. The foundation wants to introduce a new, more creative way of using actors with disfigurements instead of typecasting them as villains. The movie is intended to encourage audiences and the wider film industry to think about how disfigurement can be portrayed in a more balanced way.

Opinion:

I think this is a brilliant idea, people with disfigurements should not be treated differently just because they look different. Other then the movie The Hunchback of Notre Dame, I really could not think of any movie where there was a badly scarred hero, but there are countless bad guys with disfigurements. This way, we only see disfigured actors as the evil villains and that image seeps through to our everyday life. I also feel that the strongest point they make is not that the film industry should stop using scarred baddies, but to be more open, more creative with using disfigured actors to create a more balanced way of showing such actors.