Schools to spend thousands to acces YouTube

In the United Kingdom schools and local authorities want to use YouTube to acces videos, related to the subject their are teaching. But in most schools YouTube is blocked, just because schools don't want their pupils to see the disturbing comments or violent or sexual content. There is software, called Bloxx Media Filter, which filters out all this kind of content. But to use this software, schools have to spend between 2,500 and 10,000 pounds a year, depending on the number of computers being used. But schools are willing to pay that, just because they think that YouTube would improve teaching and it will give a big range of tools to help teach the children.

I think it is good that schools use YouTube. On YouTube you can find a lot of trash, but you can also find lots of useful movies and information. This information can help children to visualize what is being tought, and it is good for the variety in class. Normally the teacher teaches a class, but when pupils are able to find their own materials and when they are allowed to do something different then just listen to the teacher and make excersizes, they will be more motivated. I think it will be good for the variation of the lessons, and it will be good for pupils who learn faster when they are able to visualize things a teacher is teaching.


http://www.telegraph.co.uk/education/educationnews/7068246/Schools-to-spend-thousands-to-access-YouTube.html

Apple tree defies coldest winter to retain fruit crop

In Summer Lane, Exeter, a 20ft apple tree is still bursting red and green fruit, despite the snow and frosts of recent weeks. Normally apple trees produce fruit from May to October. Some horticultural advisors can't explain how it comes that this apple tree gives fruit in January. They can't even imagine that the apples survived the frost of recent weeks. However it is described as 'magical', these hortucultural advisors don't see a reason why these apples won't be edible. They are quiet hard, but they still are edible.

I think it really is magic, that a apple tree has survived the cold weeks with snow, ice and frosts and gives apples in January. Normally plants and trees do survive cold periods, but sometimes trees and plants die after such a heavy period. But I have never heard about an apple tree, or any other kind of tree or plant, that it was blooming as this tree does. It is a very unusual story, which I can't clarify. We know that with the greenhouse effect nature is changing, but blooming trees in cold periods wasn't what I expected with planet Earth that is warming up.

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/newstopics/howaboutthat/7071735/Apple-tree-defies-coldest-winter-to-retain-fruit-crop.html

Man Utd 'ban' stars on Twitters

Manchester United have banned their football stars from social network sites. Manchester United are said to have taken control of the Twitter accounts of Ryan Giggs, Darren Fletcher and Wayne Rooney. The Facebook accounts of Rio Ferdinand, Wes Brown and Ryan Giggs also have gone offline. This all is because United manager Sir Alex Ferguson is said to have ordered a clampdown to plug newsleaks. A couple of weeks before Liverpool forward Ryan Babel was forced to apologise to his manager Rafa Benitez for a 'tweet' on Twitter.

I don't agree with Manchester United. I think that everybody has the right to have their own social network profiles. I can understand that football players are not allowed to publish information about their club, or their situation at the club, but I think they have to be free to use social network sites. I think it is a bad thing that football clubs are trying to control this. If players don't publish information related to their club or their situation at their club, they have to be free to use a social network for any purpose they want.


http://www.thesun.co.uk/sol/homepage/news/2817887/Man-Utd-ban-stars-from-Twitter.html

Thames airport 'completely wrong'

London's mayor has a plan to build an airport on an artificial island in the Thames estuary. This plan has been branded "pie in the sky" by Medway Council. The plan is to build an airport in Thames estuary, some 60 miles from London. The mayor already has set up a Thames Estuary Steering Group to look into the airport. Medway Councils review has a couple of arguments why this airport would be a bad idea. The airport would be in an area where aircraft is 12 times more at risk of birdstrike. Another argument is that it would be too close to Thamesport, where ships unload liquid natural gasses. And Medway's landscape would be harmed, because a new airport would encourage air travel and need for a major road. Together with Kent County Council and Royal Society for the Protection of Birds Medway Council is campaining against the build of a new airport.

I agree with Medway Council. I also think it is a bad idea to build an airport in the Thames estuary. As the Medway Council already reviewed, it will be bad for birds, but I think that's not all. I think it will affect the nature in the Thames estuary. Also fishes, plants and other nature will be affected. And not only in the Thames estuary. When there is an airport there needs to be road, trainrails and other ways of traffic to get to the airport. This will also affect other areas where these roads have to be build. I think there are much easier and better idea's to expand an other airport, or to build a new one in a better area.

http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/uk_news/england/8445934.stm

Ice danger for Britain as -17C freezes snow

In Great Britain it is a big chaos. Snow, ice and the big cold affected all parts of Great Britain. Hundreds of schools are closed, and a lot of workers have to spend their days at home, because most roads are to icy to drive on, train companies are having big trouble to drive and most airports are closed. On wednesday, 20,000 houses had experienced power cuts. Temperatures of -17C in Britain are matching temperatures of Moscow. Even in city centres the temperature is far below 0C. It is Britains longest cold snap since 1981, and nobody knows it is going to end. Steve Ellison said there is no end in sight, and that it is going to be the same weather for at least a few more days. And that's not all, the prediction for the upcoming days is that there is more snow to come, and that the temperature will remain very low.

Big parts of Europe are suffering from the cold and snowy weather conditions. I like these weather conditions, but for countries it is a big problem. Millions of people are unable to get into work in Great Britain, which costs hundreds of million pounds every day. In some parts of Great Britain more than 50cm of snow felt down. I think that also these weather conditions are a result of the global warming. The earth is warming up, so it is strange to say that very cold weather conditions are results of global warming, but I think it is. Global warming causes more extreme weather conditions, and I think this is one of it. For children it is very nice, but for countries and companies it is a disaster.

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/topics/weather/6944875/Ice-danger-for-Britain-as--17C-freezes-snow.html