Murray the choice of a new generation

Original article: http://tinyurl.com/ce6qq

S u m m a r y

Is 18-year-old Scot Andrew Murray going to be the next grand slam champion? Wimbledon’s public yesterday treated him like he is.

Murray sensationally won the US Open juniors title earlier. Yesterday he faced George Bastl. Murray won convincingly: 6-4, 6-2, 6-2. Next, he was held up by a crush of fans wanting autographs on his way back to the locker rooms.

Murray reacts humbly to the buzz around him calling people’s reactions “a little bit over the top”, adding: “Everybody is making it out as if I’ve pretty much won Wimbledon”. But there is no doubt that he is the best young British player since Henman. It is too early to call him the new sensation, but Murray sure is Britain’s new hope.

R e a c t i o n

I love tennis and I love Wimbledon.

Unfortunately the number one British tennis player, Tim Henman, does not seem to have a very good year and the expectations for him making it to the finals are not that great.

I can imagine it was exciting for the British audience to see another Briton, Murray, make it to the next round. I still remember the how excited I was about Dutchman Krajicek winning match after match at Wimbledon in his best years.

I have not had the chance to see Murray play yet, I would like to watch his next match against Radek Stepanek.

Storms, floods and sunshine: welcome to global warming

Original article:
http://www.news.independent.co.uk/uk/environment/story.jsp?story=648518

S u m m a r y

Last weekend the North was hit by damaging storms, while the South had exceptionally high temperatures and was immersed in bright sunshine.

North Yorkshire received two inches of rain in such short time that flash flooding occurred.

According to Steve Randall, national forecaster, Britain might see these exceptional conditions more frequently with global warming.

The great western European heat wave of August 2003, that claimed the lives of more than 30,000, is directly linked to global warming by scientists.

The record temperature is currently set at 38.5C, a huge leap of 1.4C over the previous record. This is further proof global warming is indeed taking place.

R e a c t i o n

If global warming is indeed a problem on the long run, the government should do further research to halt global warming, in my opinion. There could also be positive effects of the warming of the earth, although that is hard to believe with the temperatures we are having now.

The article also mentions that bookmakers cut the odds on temperatures exceeding 100F (38C) because in 2003, when they went over the 100F mark, bookmakers had to pay out over £250,000.

I do not understand this part, do people actually gamble over temperatures? If the bookmakers make money over this, I think it would be a good idea if this money were used for further research into global warming.

Public back ASBO use

Original article: http://www.thesun.co.uk/article/0,,2-2005260743,00.html

S u m m a r y

ASBOs (Anti-Social Behaviour Orders) were introduced by the Home Office in 1999. They are meant to tackle yobbery, nuisance neighbours and vandalism. A vast majority of Britons, 82 percent, support ASBOs, but half of them doubt whether they have any effect in changing behaviour. In fact, only 39 percent thought they were effective, according to a new survey.

Opponents complain that violations of the orders can lead to people having to spend a night in jail for relatively minor misdemeanours, as was the case with a woman who kept coming to the door in her underwear.

R e a c t i o n

I think these ASBOs are a good idea.

Every Saturday night around 3AM I am awoken by a rowdy bunch of people who return home after a night out. They talk loudly for minutes to an hour before splitting up and going to bed. Once I asked them nicely to be less loud, but that did not help, also because there seem to be several groups who use the parking lot near our house as a favourite spot for loitering.

I do not want to call the police. Talking loudly at night is probably not a crime, it is just anti-social behaviour and irritating when it keeps me up.

Superbug may be killer strain

Original article: http://www.timesonline.co.uk/article/0,,2-1643633,00.html

S u m m a r y

A Superbug has infected more than 300 patients at Stoke Mandeville Hospital since the end of 2003. Twelve patients died from the infection. Last year a strain of bacteria killed 100 people in Quebec, Canada.

Microbiologists are now researching whether the type of bacterium found in Stoke Mandeville – clostridium difficile – is of the same strain as the one found in Quebec.

This bacterium usually does not cause many problems, but when patients are treated with antibiotics toxin levels may increase and cause symptoms such as diarrhoea, which can be life-threatening for elderly patients especially. The suspicion is that this particular illness-causing strain produces more toxin than other strains.

R e a c t i o n

In another article I have read that over-prescription of antibiotics may be the cause of this superbug. Because when patients take antibiotics for minor infections, the ones that could be fought off naturally, mutation of bacteria is stimulated and in the end a more resistant strain will have been evolved.

While I believe this is true, it does not explain why this superbug was found at Stoke Mandeville Hospital and not in other hospitals, unless they have not tested unexplained deaths at other hospitals for this superbug yet.

Bad bacteria always worry me. I’m particularly wary when visiting hospitals and wash my hands before leaving the building.

'Hinglish' makes its debut in English dictionary

Original article: http://news.independent.co.uk/uk/this_britain/story.jsp?story=645341

S u m m a r y

Hinglish is the fusion of Hindi and English words into everyday English in the UK. The latest edition of the Collins English Dictionary contains at least 26 new words of joint Hindi and English derivation.

The Indian language already has an influence on spoken English. Words like shampoo, jodpurs, pukka and mantra have been around for a while. Popular BBC TV programmes such as The Kumars at Nr 42 have widened English vocabulary with new Indian words like ‘badmash’ (Hinglish for naughty or bad).

"In the long run, we can expect Hinglish to influence in many fields in the same way Latin and French have over several centuries." according to the editor-in-chief of Collins Dictionaries.

R e a c t i o n

I was surprised to learn how many words I thought of as being English are actually Indian (or Hindi).

With Bollywood movies becoming increasingly popular and more and more Indian people communicating over the internet, I am sure we will see more Hinglish words appear in English texts. How familiar are words like ‘shampoo’, ‘pyjamas’ and ‘khaki’ to us now?

One Hinglish word I found that I think is easier to use than the English word is the verb ‘to airdash’ for ‘travel by air’. I would not be surprised if it became ‘standard English’ soon.


For samples of Hinglish watch the movie Bend It Like Beckham (2002).
Watch a hilarious clip from The Kumars at Nr 42 (comedy about an Indian family who host their own talk show): http://tinyurl.com/7rhop (RealPlayer)

Shoes rule Adam out of GCSE exam

Original article: http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/england/kent/4608655.stm


Adam and his trainers

S u m m a r y

16-Year-old Adam Gerveaux missed his English literature GCSE exam after he was sent home to change footwear. He was wearing black trainers instead of the obligatory shoes so he was excluded from the exam.

Adam had been wearing his trainers to school for weeks without complaints. Just minutes before the exam he was told he was breaking the school uniform dress code. The school offered alternative shoes from lost property, but Adam went home to get his own because he has medical problems with his feet. There was not enough time left and as a result Adam missed the exam.

R e a c t i o n

If I were his mother I think I would have been very angry about the situation. Although I think rules should be respected, the school should have been more considerate.

Firstly, he was not wearing trainers to offend anyone or to deliberately break the rules because the trainers he wore were quite similar to shoes.

Secondly, Adam did not have enough time left to go home and change into shoes and the school should have known that.

I think Adam should have been allowed to do the exam because being excluded from the exam was too severe a punishment.

Ads for priests…on beer mats!

Original article: Mirror.co.uk article

S u m m a r y

The number of priests in the UK is at its lowest since 1940. Although Britain still has a high priests-to-parishioners ratio, the head of the Catholic Church of England and Wales has addressed the problem to his Westminster parishioners.

The Catholic Church wants to attract new recruits and is about to start an advertising campaign. Posters will be plastered at London Underground stations and beer mats will be distributed at festivals and church gatherings in the capital. “Get collared for the challenge of a lifetime” is the slogan.

If the campaign is successful, it could be extended to other parts of the country.

R e a c t i o n

I believe that this campaign has already been successful. The unconventional idea of advertising for priests on posters and beer mats has gained media attention all over the world. So, a large number of the population must have already been reached by the message, even though they have not yet seen the posters or have placed their glass on a beer mat. I think this is a good thing for the Catholic Church. Now, even more young man who are not yet sure what to choose for a career might consider becoming a priest.

Something I did not know: Anglicanism (Church of England) is the largest religion in the UK (47%) and Catholicism is the second largest (16%) – source: Wikipedia.

Red Devil

Original article: http://www.economist.com/people/PrinterFriendly.cfm?Story_ID=3984320

S u m m a r y

Manchester United fans are not happy with their club’s new owner. Malcolm Glazer is American, a true businessman and the owner of the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, an American Football team. The fans plan to protest during Saturday’s English FA Cup Final by leaving their usual red scarves at home in favour of black flags.

Glazer and sons are viewed as typical profit-driven American capitalists and fans fear ticket prices may go up. Likewise, the naming rights to United’s Old Trafford home could be sold to a sponsor. Worryingly, the club’s debt is piling up since Glazer used a high-risk financing technique to fund part of the purchase price.

Despite the fact that his input may proof beneficial to United in the long run, death threats have been made against him.



R e a c t i o n

On the one hand, I understand that the fans are upset. A new owner is going to change things, whether for the better or the worse. More and more often it seems more about the money than the game. Understandably, the “red devils” fear the ticket prices will rise.

The fact that an American is in control now must also be hard to swallow for the fans. The identity of the club might be at stake.

On the other hand, I think that some fans have gone overboard by wanting to do anything they can to get rid of Glazer. Other foreign owners have proven to do a good job for British clubs.

[Arsenal beat Manchester United in last weekend’s FA Cup Final]

Scientist spooked by ghost study

Original article: http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/scotland/4564383.stm

S u m m a r y

Mary King’s Close is spooky. But just how spooky is this warren of underground streets that was sealed off from the outside world when Edinburgh’s Royal Exchange (now the City Chambers) was built on top of it in 1753?

Professor Wiseman from the University of Hertfordshire wanted to find out the truth behind the reported apparitions and phantom footsteps. He sent 200 volunteers to different locations. Only two of these locations had reputations for being “haunted”.

A majority of the volunteers reported strange phenomena were indeed happening, and many more so at the “haunted” locations. Reports included clothing being pulled, a continuous low frequency rumble, and even sightings of a sinister figure in black.

Although the professor was surprised, he credits environmental and psychological factors for most of the experiences. The origins of the others are still unknown.

R e a c t i o n

What I like about Scotland are the myths, monsters and ghosts, so it was with great pleasure that I read about this investigation into Mary King’s Close spooky world underground.

I think it is remarkable that the sites that had reputations for being haunted, have had many more sightings reported by these brave volunteers. Although reports of the ultrasound low frequency sound waves could be explained by overhead traffic noise, I think it is quite interesting that numerous people reported seeing a sinister figure in black.