Pushy parents can put children off reading for life, says new laureate

http://www.independent.co.uk/arts-entertainment/books/news/pushy-parents-can-put-children-off-reading-for-life-says-new-laureate-2294388.html

Julia Donaldson, the author that is most well known for her book The Gruffalo, is the new Children’s Laureate. Every two years an "eminent writer or illustrator of children's books" is rewarded with this title to celebrate his or her outstanding achievements in the field of youth literature. She thinks pushy parents are “a pain who take all enjoyment out of reading”. In her role of Laureate she hopes to go on a library tour. She strongly feels libraries are important for children en should be saved from closure. Julia Douëtil, coordinator for reading recovery at the University of London’s Institute of Education, doesn’t entirely agree with Donaldson. She thinks parents should start reading to their children at a very young age and shouldn’t stop doing this after they are able to read themselves. She does however agree parents shouldn’t become so paranoid about their children being able to read as soon as possible.

As a literary consultant I think children should be encouraged to read by making reading a fun activity. They shouldn’t be forced to read the books we would like them to read, but should be given a choice. As parents and teachers we can provide them with a wide range of reading matters. If a child likes to read comic books, provide it with different types of comic books. If a child likes history, give it a selection of history based books or magazines to choose from. This way children will experience reading as a nice pass time and they will expand their horizon on their own accord.

Campaigners call for stricter marriage visa rules

http://www.independent.co.uk/news/uk/home-news/campaigners-call-for-stricter-marriage-visa-rules-2294006.html

According to campaigners stricter regulation is needed for British who want to marry a foreign partner, this to ensure confidence in the immigration system. Migration Watch UK says marriages arranged for immigration purposes only could be ‘harmful to the cohesion to our society’. Current interview process allows every opportunity for arranged marriages and campaigners would like to see this changed. There is a call for the introduction of a minimum wage plus 10 percent for every dependant, an increased language requirement and a five year wait after marriage before permanent settlement is granted.

Stricter rules for citizens who want to marry a foreigner are a good thing in my opinion, because of all the reasons named in this article. Partners from certain countries abroad often fail to integrate successfully into society and this causes lots of problems. Therefore I think it is a good thing to increase language requirement, since that is where it all starts off with. The introduction of a minimum wage could reduce marriage for immigration purposes only, because it makes it less attractive to come to the UK for this reason only. The Government is right to take measures against sham marriages.

School in ban on hugging

Parents are outraged at ‘extreme’ no-contact rules

http://www.thesun.co.uk/sol/homepage/news/3603452/Parents-outrage-as-school-bans-hugs.html

A school in Craydon, South London, imposed a non-contact rule. Students are forbidden to give each other high fives, shake hands or hug. A fifteen year old girl got detention because she greeted a female classmate with a hug. She had to sit apart and missed out on break because of it. Parents think the rules are “extreme” and “ludicrous”. In their opinion they prevent students from developing social skills. According to the school physical contacts between students are associated with poor behavior and can lead to fights and bullying. The principal adds that "It creates a disciplined environment which is essential for learning and respect."

What a ridiculous policy! I agree that physical contact could lead to fights and bullying, but I’ve been teaching for seven years now and I have never seen a fight start with handshaking, hugging or giving high fives. In society shaking hands is considered polite and hugs are given to show affection or to comfort someone. I agree with the parents that this policy prevents children from developing certain social skills. What kind of example is given to the pupils by punishing them for showing socially accepted behavior? In school we need a disciplined environment, but there are other ways to achieve this. My students give me high fives when they enter the classroom. I don’t consider this being disrespectful, it just their way of saying ‘good morning miss’.

Woman judge has dogs taken away after her Alsatian 'attacks member of the public for the THIRD time

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-1394738/Woman-judge-arrested-Alsatian-attacks-member-public-THIRD-time.html#ixzz1OWa59eal

Judge Beatrice Bolton was arrested after her dog attacked a jogger for the third time. Her pets were taken away from her by the police. Last year the judge was convicted for not being able to keep her dog under control. Back then she told a reporter she would never set foot in a court again. She also stated her conviction for owning a dangerous dog was ‘a f****** travesty’. The police state that the inquires are still ongoing, but they confirm that a 57 year old woman has been arrested in connection with the incident. She has been bailed.

Personally I don’t like the style of this newspaper. It is sensational and strongly gives me the unpleasant feeling I shouldn’t believe everything that’s written in it, like I’m reading a tabloid instead of a newspaper. Second I think it is only fair that the dogs were taken away from this woman. If a dog attacks a person for the third time, something is wrong. A good owner tries to prevent awkward incidents like this by making sure the dog is never off the leash and by muzzling the dog. Hopefully for the dog behavioral training will change its way with people, so they might be able to find him a new home.

Hero soldier killed saving pals

http://www.thesun.co.uk/sol/homepage/3619032/Hero-soldier-killed-saving-pals.html

Corporal Michael Pike, aged 26, died in enemy crossfire while on a mission in Afghanistan. His platoon was on patrol in the area of Pupalzay when it was suddenly attacked by rebels. The corporal fired back on the enemy allowing his men to move out of immediate danger. He leaves behind a wife and two children. Mrs Pike states that her husband would want everybody to know that he died doing a job he loved and that he loved his children with heart and soul. Also tributes made by friends and fellow soldiers praise the corporal’s quick reactions during the assault and make it clear he will be greatly missed.

A man who risks his own life in order to safe that of others is a true hero in my opinion. It is true that soldiers are trained for combat and situations like described in the article and it is a corporal’s duty to keep his platoon safe, but reality is always different from what you’ve learned in drills. I have deep respect for this young man. I don’t agree with the fact that soldiers are dying fighting for a cause that isn’t theirs, but I know military people look upon this differently than civilians like myself. I feel very sorry for all the people that have to deal with a great loss, but I think it makes them proud and it might even soothe the pain a little bit, knowing their loved one died with honor doing the job he was devoted to.

Sexualised music videos to get film-style age ratings

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/culture/music/music-news/8554251/Sexualised-music-videos-to-get-film-style-age-ratings.html

According to this article there has been an inquiry into the sexualisation and commercialization of childhood, which resulted in the recommendation of stricter regulations for music videos. Most likely there will be an age-rating system for video clips similar to the one used for films. Other recommendations are to make it easier for parents to complain about overly sexualized products and to ban sexually tinted adverts from sites near schools. Retail, advertising and video companies will get 18 months to clear up their activities voluntarily before facing tougher Government regulations. Prime minister David Cameron commissioned the inquiry. He believes parents should be helped to “make sure their kids get a childhood and are not subject to unnecessary and inappropriate commercialization and sexualisation too young.”

I am greatly in favor of an age-rating system for video clips. It’s quite shocking what images young children get to see nowadays. Singers like Lady Gaga and Ryhanna are their idols and role models. Kids imitate their style of clothing and the moves they see in the video clips. In their innocence they don’t understand the sexual references in both lyrics and video clips. I do think parents play an important role in what they let their children watch and listen too, but it would be a great help for them if there would for example be restricted times for these type of videos to be shown.