School's ban on boy's cornrows is 'indirect racial discrimination'

Summary

A 13-year-old boy who was refused entry to St Gregory’s Catholic Science College in London has won a court case he started against the school. The school had barred him for wearing his hair in cornrows, which goes against the traditional hair policy the school maintains. The judge ruled that the school had indirectly racial discriminated the boy, because wearing cornrows is part of the boy’s religion and heritage. The school’s hair regulations are meant to create a school atmosphere without gang mentality or discrimination, which is why the judge also concluded that the school had most likely made a mistake in not recognizing the cornrows as a part of the boy’s culture.

Reaction

I personally think that schools should not be in the business of deciding which haircuts pupils can and can not come to school with in the first place. Very extreme hairstyles should off course be banned in schools if they truly distract or upset fellow students, but I do not think that the school should have been sent home because of wearing his hair in cornrows, which is a relatively neat hairstyle.  Since wearing his hair in cornrows is a part of his cultural identity, I think it is a good thing that the boy has won the court case. 

Source:  http://www.guardian.co.uk/uk/2011/jun/17/school-ban-cornrows-indirect-discrimination?INTCMP=SRCH

MILLION OF US ADMIT TO DRIVING ON DRUGS

Summary

A recent survey has pointed out that more than one million Britons have driven a car in the last year while under the influence of drugs. 35% of the people were high on cannabis or other forms of marihuana, while the other people were high on another form of narcotics. One out of three believed that they were able to drive well while high, while five percent of the people admitted that they had been in an accident while driving under the influence of drugs. The home office is testing a new device which will be able to point out drug use in drivers.

Reaction

I think that it is a very bad development that this many people are getting behind the wheel while under the influence of drugs. While people should decide for themselves whether they use drugs or not, they should never put other people in danger while doing it. Since 5 percent of all drugs-intoxicated car trips have ended in an accident, it is safe to say that the risks of “high” driving are to large to be taken. However, I do wonder if a drug test will be effective in lowering the number of intoxicated drivers, since — as far as I know — drug tests are very unreliable as they still give a positive reading days after drug use.

Source:  http://www.express.co.uk/posts/view/251782/Million-of-us-admit-to-driving-on-drugs

Outrage as dance school offers pole-dancing lessons for children as young as 12

Summary

Sam Remmer, a dance school teacher from Plymouth, has started offering pole dance classes for girls starting at twelve. She claims the the pole dancing is not supposed to be sex-related, but that it makes the children fitter and stronger. Opinions on the subject are divided. Conservatives warn that it will worsen the sexualization of today’s youth, while others think that is a valid form of exercise and that it will boost the young girls’ self confidence. Remmer requires that adults accompany the children during their first session. She has offered similar classes to young girls before and she has received death threats because of that.

Reaction

I think that while pole dancing has a very strong connection with strip clubs, people are somewhat overreacting by assuming that the lessons promote the sexualization of children. A pole can be considered just another fitness equipment and as long as the children are not encouraged to make the dancing “sexy”, I think it could be a different and fun way to get young children to do sports. However, I still wonder whether there really is no other way to prompt young girls to be active. Pole dancing does have a strong association with exotic dancing, which can not be good for girls to learn at that age.

Source:  www.dailymail.co.uk/.../Uproar-dance-school-offers-pole-dancing-lessons- children-young-12.html

Schools ban parents from wearing pyjamas at drop off

Summary

Parents in Middlesbrough have been asked not to drop off or pick up their children in pajamas or other bedwear. Prior to the measure, many parents showed up at school not wearing “decent” clothing. Many parents agree with the new rule, because they feel that showing up in your PJs will set a bad example for children and because it will set your child up for ridicule by the other children. Since the measure has been adopted by all the schools in the area, more and more parents are coming to school properly dressed.

Reaction

I think it is absolutely ridiculous that schools are imposing a dress code on parents. Parents dropping off their children in clothes that they feel comfortable in  doesn’t seem like that big of a deal to me. While it may be true that children might be teased if their parents show up in pajamas, it is dimply absurd that schools are telling parents what and what not to wear. The parents who fully support the measure seem to have finally found a way to meddle with other people’s way of life. While wearing pajamas when bring your kids to school might not be the most tasteful thing to do, I think the schools are far out of line by introducing this rule.

Source:  http://www.telegraph.co.uk/education/educationnews/8526732/Schools-ban-parents-from-wearing-pyjamas-at-drop-off.html

Abortion rates soar by a third among 'Sex and the City generation' of women in their 40s

Summary

Abortion rates among women aged 40 through 49 have risen by a third in the last ten years. Now, more than a quarter of all pregnancies in that age range are terminated. In the last decade, women have become more nonchalant about having sex and casual relationships, which has caused the abortion rate to sharply rise. Some people think that abortion is more and more being used as contraception rather than a last resort. The rise in abortions is also partly due to the increasing number of women terminating their pregnancy if tests point out that their baby has got a disorder like Down’s syndrome.

Reaction

First of all, I think that a woman should always be entitled to decide whether she wants to terminate a pregnancy or not. People should be able to do what they want in that regard. It is, however, quite disturbing that so many women are not being careful about getting pregnant. Since the women in this article are between 40 and 50 years old, they more or less should have enough life experience to practice safe sex. Aborting a pregnancy should be a last resort for people who really can’t or don’t want to have a baby. It shouldn’t be treated as a retroactive condom.

Source:  http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-1392023/Sex-City-generation-women-40s-sees-abortion-rate-soar-third.html

Nine-year-old boy held for drink-driving

Summary

A nine-year-old boy from Cumbria has been caught by the police while driving a car. When he was breathalyzed, it was also discovered that he had been drinking. Being only nine years old, he was not charged because he is too young to be hold accountable. In the last two years, thousands of underaged children have been arrested for juvenile car crimes. There are now people lobbying for road safety education to be taught in school, so that children will form less of a danger to themselves and others. Children now often do not understand the dangers of driving without a license. 

Reaction

I think it is quite disconcerting that there are so many underaged children getting behind the wheel. On the surface it is quite funny that a nine-year-old boy was caught both driving a car and doing it drunk, but when looking at the numbers it is clear that there is a real problem. There does not seem to be an easy solution to this, because children already know that taking a joy ride is not the right thing to do. It seems that the best thing to do right now would be to teach more road safety education in schools, so that children will at least not be an extreme danger on the road when taking their parents’ car for a spin.

Source:  http://www.independent.co.uk/news/uk/crime/nineyearold-boy-held-for-drinkdriving-2284520.html

Smokers must pay £1 to spark up outside airport

Summary

Belfast International has begun charging people £1 for using the airport’s smoking area. Smoking is not allowed anywhere else inside or outside the airport. According to the airport, the special smoking area is a specialist facility which only caters to a small number of users, which is why it’s unreasonable that they charge people to use it. Pro-smoking group Forest is in favor of the facility, because it shows that the airport is making provisions for traveling smokers. The airport has also said that it will use all of the revenue for the maintenance of the smoking facility.

Reaction

I personally think it is ridiculous that Belfast International is charging people for smoking at the airport. While it is logical that people aren’t allowed to smoke in the common areas of the airport, there is absolutely no sensible reason why people should not be allowed to light up a cigarette outside. The airport management, however, makes it sound like there was no other option but to build an expensive smoking facility. Not allowing people to smoke in the open air and forcing them to pay a £1 charge to use some enclosed smoking box seems like nothing but an pathetic attempt at some extra revenue to me.

Source:  http://www.mirror.co.uk/news/top-stories/2011/05/07/smokers-must-pay-1-to-spark-up-outside-airport-115875-23112571/