Holy cow!!

The British Railways are usually strict and on time. But the Network Rail claims that the delays that they have been suffering the last few days are because of cows on the line. According to the NR cattle has been causing the 15 cancellations of trains in the Wes Midland Section. Other than that they also admitted that the theft of cables lead to signal failure on the East Coast line and Anglia Region. In spite of the 15 cancellations in May the NR managed to be on time for about 93% of the time.

It is very funny to read about this, it almost is the same here in the Netherlands. The NS ( Nederlandse Spoorwegen ) gives several reasons for delay but yet there is none. Actually, if we compare the NS to the NR we see that the percentage of trains being on time, the NR scores he highest. This actually shows me that the English people take delay almost personal. Once or twice a year the trains are allowed to have some delays. After all, it is mechanical and there could be something wrong with it. They such be glad that they don’t  live in Holland, it’s awful here, ah well, at least we don't have cows on the line.

Source: http://www.independent.co.uk/news/uk/home-news/delays-caused-by-cows-on-the-line-2296906.html

Can't be tamed...

Charla Nash a 57 year old woman has had a full face transplant. She was attacked by a chimpanzee two years ago. The chimpanzee was a pet from a friend. He destroyed Charla’s face, hands and she has lost her sense of smell and her eye sight. The Boston’s Brigham and Woman hospital had carried out two American surgeons to perform the 20 hour long face transplant. Charla has been given new teeth and muscles. Unfortunately, the transplant of her hands could not have been performed. It is unknown what happened to the chimpanzee.

It is amazing what they can do with technology nowadays. Charla still looks awful but imagine what she must look like before the surgery. She must have been devastated. This story is really interesting because this shows once more that people should not keep wild animals in their homes as pets. They are made for the wild and they are supposed to live in the wild. They have particular instincts that will never disappear, we cannot make them our pets. This could have been prevented, unfortunately for Charla it is too late. Luckily, for her there is plastic surgery. Let’s hope that people learn their lessons of this.

Source: http://www.mirror.co.uk/news/health-news/2011/06/13/full-face-transplant-results-of-chimpanzee-attack-victim-revealed-115875-23198593/

Before the attack and after the surgery...

Dead? Who cares!

Peter Thompson, a 41 year old dad of one, has had an overdose of drug and alcohol abuse. He was in the hospital when he died. Nobody knew he was dead until hospital staff went over to check up on him, after almost ten hours they found him dead. However, before he died the senior nurse told the hospital staff to keep an eye on him. Her shift ended at 9.15 pm and Mr. Thompson was found dead at 6.15 am. According to another nurse they did indeed checked if he was alive and everything was alright. CCTV footage showed how he was dragged alongside the corridor by hospital staff, nobody cared.

What interests me the most is the fact that the story is published today when Peter Thompson died on the 3^rd of April 2010. That means that the story is at least a year old, why are they publishing this now? I think that they have published this story now because the NHS is under fire. That makes this story interesting and it will cause a lot of trouble for them. I also feel sorry for the family, seeing your son or father dragged away from one place to another, it is not acceptable. A little respect could have been in order. I am very curious how this will end for the NHS, it is not good publicity after all.

Source: http://www.thesun.co.uk/sol/homepage/news/3625465/Staff-drag-dead-man-like-animal.html

Not a chance in hell that Britain will be the most family-friendly country in Europe...

David Cameron promised to make Britain the most friendly family country in Europe and he also promised to tackle problems that arise from break-ups. Unfortunately, he failed miserably at doing it. There has been little done to support marriages of British couples and therefore the Work and Pensions secretary have recommended to not cut the child benefits from middle-class parents. The coalition has seen the family-policy being watered down. David Cameron therefore did not held to his promise to tackle down the family breakdown, which has a high percentage in Britain.

Reading this makes me wonder, how do you tackle this problem and if you have a plan, how do you implement it? It is silly of David Cameron to promise something which he could not make true. Of course it is a tactic that many politicians use while they are in elections. But the question remains, why would you promise something which is difficult to handle. Apparently David Cameron wants to see a decrease of family break ups. But then again, when a family cannot stay together for long due fights or adultery and so forth, how can you as Parliament decide to change that? Nobody knows how it goes and every relationship is different. I think that David Cameron should think twice before promising anything, especially promises that he cannot keep.


Source: http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/politics/david-cameron/8503785/Centre-for-Social-Justice-David-Cameron-has-broken-pledge-to-support-family-values.html

Cold Case reopened?

Kate McCann, mother of Madeleine McCann who got missing in Portugal four years ago has had a depression and suicidal thoughts. In the new book that she has written she explains about the missing of Madeline and the toll it took on the family. Several thought run through her mind when she thinks of her three-year-old  daughter. She might be lying somewhere cold and hurt and it affected her in ways that no one could imagine. It almost broke Kate down, but she realizes that she has to stay strong for the rest of the family. Kate McCann has asked the Portuguese police to review the investigation in order to find new evidence which might led them to their daughter.

Losing your daughter is a thing that can tear your world apart, but losing your daughter and not knowing what happen can make you go mad. I cannot imagine what Kate McCann felt when she found out that her daughter had gone missing. There are many conspiracy theories about the disappearance of Madeleine but we as an outsider will never know about it. I think that the media is part of the hype and they are a part in obstruction an investigation by assuming this or that might have happened. We should just let the police sort it out and we should not point the finger at anyone.

Source: http://www.guardian.co.uk/uk/2011/may/08/madeleine-maccann-mother-suicidal-thoughts