Australia plans to Ban randing on Cigarette Packets

Tobacco companies would be forced to use plain, logo free packaging on their cigarettes to make them less attractive to they buyers. From 1 July 2012 this new rule should ban these companies from including logos, promotional text or colourful images on cigarette packages. Prime Minister Kevin Rudd said the folowing: "The new branding for cigarettes will be the most hard-line regime in the world and cigarette companies will hate it". It will also raise the cigarette tax by 25% driving up the price of a pack a pack of 30 cigarettes by about A$2.16 and therefore tobacco films immediately vowed to fight to reform in court.

Tim Wilson, director of intellectual property and free trade of Australa's Institute of Public Affairs said the following: "Tobacco companies were likely to demand compensation over the forced packaging changes, which will cost tax payers around A$2bn a year.




Ban or Not!!!

I personally support this attempt of the Australian governments because cigarettes are taking many lives away every year from cancer to other diseases. If it was left to me, I would ban cigarettes completely and not just ban branding packaging. Now, not only adults but also children from the ages 8-16 are using cigarettes which lead to less happy life with aggression, addiction and diseases. What do children and adults get from it, what is the use? Nothing! of course. If there is someone who gain positive result of cigarettes is must be those "innocent, compensation wanting, uncaring" tobacco company leaders who sell them to people to earn money. To a healthy and happy life...




Source: http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/2010/apr/29/australia-ban-branding-cigarette-packets

Many Parents Failing to read to Children, survey shows

Many children are starting school having never been read a story, a survey reveals today. Children know the stories in the Disney cartoons but are starting school with no experience of being told stories at home. Experts call it a "national disaster" and warn parents that this will fail children to develop their creative talents to lead a happy life.

Pie Corbett, an educational adviser of the government said:" This is just an economic thing-it is not just people who come from poor backgrounds, it is across the whole of society". He also included that too many children are left to watch TV, especially of those busy middle-class working parents. But children who read stories in a regular basis before starting school are more likely to succeed, researches show. Being told stories boosts language and children who read are being made to make them brainy, according Corbett.

A teacher who responds to the survey said: "Where are all those parent who sing and recite nursery rhymes to their children? We are created a generation who are failing to give the phonological start they need to become a capable reader".




My Opinion!!!

I absolutely agree that it must be a "national disaster" if parents do not read to their children. This means that parents view of raising children is now based on materialistic thoughts. They are "too busy" to make time and read for them for just a half hour in a whole day. It also shows that parents are starting becoming very selfish people who only care about themselves and their work. Children are becoming less interesting individuals of parents life's. No more then 10 years ago, however, parents use to sing and recite bedtime stories and rhymes for their children. What happened to them? What is happening to the parents and how are they willing to make their children develop and go to university? Parents should make a quick change before it is too late.


Source: http://www.guardian.co.uk/education/2010/apr/30/childre-parents-reading-stories

Early Babies Survival Rate Static

Study has found that babies born before 24 weeks are spending longer periods in the intensive care because doctors are undergoing more intensive treatment to keep them alive. Only 20% of these babies survive of such babies but most of the time has a risc like hanidcaps. In the study they looked at 230 babies born in the week 22-23 which was published in Achieve of Disease in Childhood. In 15 years the average survival time of these babies in 1993 was 11 hours and in 2007 four days. But even with more active intervention for the last five years, the babies average survival time has not increased.

Dr. Nicholas Embleton who led the researches says: "We know anocdatley that more parents are asking for resusitation and more doctors are offering it. We are not making a value of judgement about this, and for many this may be the right to do- even if it only brings an extra three day of live".



Good or Bad?

What I have learned from this news is ,that even when doctors do their utmost to keep these babies alive the results is not always postitive. Doctors, and even parents sometimes ask for it, use the resusitation because they want one more living babies on earth, so a good intention. But is this a good option? Yes, if doctors make them exacly live and no, if they is not. According to the study, most of these babies can be left with a handicap which means they have to live with it until they die. Parents should also be careful with lifestyle and eating habits because this is extreemly important when they want to have a healty baby. And doctors should give useful advise so that these kind of issues, early births, will decrease.



Source: http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/health/8635955.stm

German Bishop Walter Mixa Offers ot Resign

Walter Bishop Mixa was reported to have told the Pope in a resignition letter that this diocese needs a "new start". Firstly, the bishop denied hitting children then said he may have slapped them and apologised. The Roman Catholic Church is under the spotlight since the news about abuse of children spread around Europe. The Bishop was also accused of the beatings in 1970s and 1980s but has not been accused for any sexual abuse. These problems really concern the people in Germany as well as other countries.

Furthermore, Walter Mixa wrote the following: "I ask the forgiveness fo all those to whom I may have been unfair and to those whom I may have cost heartache." He wrote this to Pope Benedict on Wednesday, according to quotes reported by Augsburger Allgemeine newspaper. He said he was "fully aware" of his "weakness". Bishop Mixa also issued an apology earlier this week, saying he was "sorry for causing many people grief" without elaborating.

It was not immediatly clear whether Pope Benedict would accept his offer of resignation. On Wednesday the Pope promised to "take action" over abuses against children by priests, in his most direct remarks to date on the recent allegations.



What Can I Say?

I think it is absolutely a right thing to accept the offer of Mixa since he has admitted his faults. The Churches should be very careful with people like Bishop Walter Mixa when appointing them as bishop. No one has the right to be treated like that, especially not children whom they learn certain things in Church. Now this problem spread to Europe and other countries in the world, it should be topic to put on table and talk about it all over to sort things out.

If I look back to Mixa, I think it can be said that these should be also a part of "sexual abuse" in his treats because he used the words "fully aware" and "weakness". This simply means that "he might be involved in sexual abuse of children". On the other hand, it is also a good thing that he apologised for his deeds after admitting. I certainly hope that no replication of this kind of issues will be seen in the future.


Source: http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/europe/8636625.stm

Welcome to Sule Gogus' Blog!!!1

Welcome to Sule Gogus' blog

Dear Members,

Welcome to my blog. I have created this blog to share some report and important topics with you for the UKOK course.

Kind Regards,

Sule