80th Anniversary of Votes for Women

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/shared/spl/hi/pop_ups/08/in_pictures_enl_1214930776/html/1.stm

Have a look at this timeline to see when other countries allowed women to vote. Check out our previous post in March covering womens history. See the UK Parliment Archives page for original documents to celebrate the anniversary of the Equal Franchise Act 1928, which gave women the vote on the same terms as men. Listen to Emmeline Pankhurst’s daughter, Christabel, campaigning for the cause.

 

 

 

YouTube Blocked by Governments in Turkey and China

Youtube banned in Turkey since May - article from Reporters Without Frontiers

Orders issued by three Ankara courts has blocked access to Youtube and other photosharing sites since may 2008, despite the material which sparked the controvery being removed from the sites. Youtube has also been banned this year by Pakistan , Indonesia and China.  

RedCross Newsthink! Teenage cancer, prison video links, headscarves debate, divers rescued.

 

News think! brings you the real stories behind recent headlines. Use them as “thought for the day”, to trigger tutor time discussion, or to plan more developed citizenship projects.

 Issue 13th June 2008  

- Young people with cancer are likely to have to wait longer than younger children for their condition to be diagnosed. Teenagers may face significant delays before being referred to a specialist and getting the treatment they need, says Professor Tim Eden, professor of cancer at Manchester University.

- Inmates at a US detention centre at Bagram in Afghanistan are receiving visits from their families by video-telephone link-ups. Conference-call facilities have been set up at the centre at Bagram airbase, which is 35 miles from the capital Kabul.

- Disagreement over whether women should be permitted to wear headscarves in universities has become a major political and legal dispute in Turkey. Turkey’s ruling AK party introduced a law which would have made it legal to wear the headscarf in schools but judges have decided that the law infringed the principles of the secular state.

- Three British divers were rescued after drifting without a boat in tropical Indonesian seas. The three were separated from their support boat by powerful underwater currents. They were stranded for two days on a remote island.

ESDGC Newsletter 5 - June 2008

Focus on: 

ESDGC in Work Based Learning – In-house Conference, May 2008

http://liberace.files.wordpress.com/2008/06/esdgc-news-issue-5-june-20081.doc

RedCross Newsthink! The Beijing Olympics,a Parachuting Archbishop, Teenage Stabbings and Peacekeeping Abuses

News think! brings you a look at the stories behind recent headlines. Use them as “thought for the day”, to trigger tutor time discussion, or to plan more developed citizenship projects.

Issue 30th May 2008

- A guidebook for volunteers at the Beijing Olympics has been criticised for its section on helping paralympic athletes and disabled spectators.A campaigner at the UK Disabled People’s Council told the Times newspaper he was “stunned” at the perception that disabled people are a race apart.

- The Archbishop of York, Dr John Sentamu, is preparing to jump from an aeroplane to raise money for charity. The cleric hopes his first parachute jump will raise £50,000 for the Afghanistan Trust, a charity that supports the families of paratroopers who have been killed or injured while serving in Afghanistan.

- The death of actor Robert Knox brought to 14 the number of teenagers who have died violently in London this year. Metropolitan Police Commissioner Sir Ian Blair said parents should be clear with them that carrying a knife outside the home is likely to lead to really serious trouble and tragedy.

- Children abused by peacekeepers and aid workers in emergencies around the world often feel unable to report what happened according to a UK-based charity, Save the Children.  Its researchers say children and their families are not speaking out because of a mix of stigma, fear, ignorance and powerlessness.

 

Get Local Information Fast!

 

KnowUK (through your student ATHENS account) has a huge range of local information from arts, health, local organisations and tourism. Search by place name or the source reference book. A Welsh version is also available.

 

Up My Street lets you search by place name or postcode. You can review local businesses and find out about property for sale in the area. There are also neighbourhood profiles with a break down of popeulation details, lcoal interests, policing, council tax and transport links. You can also compare areas!

 

 

 

 

RedCross Newsthink! Myanmar Cyclone, Sichuan Earthquake and Gordon Ramsay

News think! brings you a look at the stories behind recent headlines. Use them as “thought for the day”, to trigger tutor time discussion, or to plan more developed citizenship projects.

Issue 15th May 2008

- High Death Toll in Two Disasters: Two devastating natural disasters have caused enormous loss of life and suffering in southern and eastern Asia.In both countries a major task for the aid effort is to reach people in remote areas. In Myanmar many people have access only to unclean water, contaminated by dead bodies, animals, human waste and industrial debris.

- Caring About Care: The expected rapid growth in the number of elderly and disabled people will put “tremendous pressure” on social services and the benefits system, according to the government. It may include services like cooking, shopping, washing, dressing and helping with going to the toilet and other personal needs. The total spend on such care for older people in England is forecast to rise from £12.7 billion to £24.1 billion in 2026.

- Lebanon Fears: Fierce fighting in the Lebanese capital Beirut has spread to other parts of the country, increasing concern for the safety of civilians.Clashes involving machine-gun fire and rocket-propelled grenades are thought to be the worst fighting in Lebanon since 1990 when the 15-year civil war ended.

- Season’s Greetings: Celebrity chef Gordon Ramsay says British restaurants should be fined if they serve imported fruit and vegetables. The celebrity chef wants to see “stringent” licensing laws and fines to make sure that fresh produce is used only in season.Critics have pointed out that many livelihoods in developing countries depend on growing and exporting fruit and vegetables.

 

Open University Blogs

     

The Open University’s Open2.net blog portal is a wealth of information and news on a huge range of subjects. Posts are topical, current and written by OU lecturing/teaching staff.

There are also links back to BBC OU programmes (some are even hosted on the BBC iPlayer if you missed them), with upcoming show lists and some free learning resources available.

Europe Day! - 9th May 2008

           

Today the second year National Diploma Travel & Tourism students will be celebrating Europe Day in the Madog Room from 10:30 - 14:00.

Find out more about Europe Day and the EU in general. Do you know how many countries are now part of Europe?

The event is to raise awarenes of the European Union and some of its member countries. Information, nibbles and goodie bags will be available, so please could you take a little time out of your busy schedule and bring along your students.

Learn more in the library at shelf number 337.142

 

RedCross - Newsthink!

News think! brings you a look at the stories behind recent headlines. Use them as “thought for the day”, to trigger tutor time discussion, or to plan more developed citizenship projects.

Issue 2nd May 2008

Austrian Cellar captives Released: A man has confessed to sexually abusing his daughter and keeping her hidden in a secret cellar for 24 years. Police say they uncovered a series of underground rooms in a house in Amstetten, north-west Austria, where a woman was held captive from the age of 18 to 42.

New Rules in Scotland for Sunbeds: Under-18s in Scotland are to be prohibited from using sunbeds and tanning booths. The ban to be introduced by the Scottish Parliament follows press reports that children as young as 10 are regularly using sunbeds. Unmanned, coin-operated tanning salons will also be outlawed.

Possible Nuclear Reactor Destroyed: An installation in the Syrian desert that was secretly destroyed by Israeli warplanes last September was a partially-built nuclear reactor, according to the United States. The UN International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA), says it will investigate.

Fuel Shortages Avoided During Strike: A two-day strike over pensions at Britain’s third-biggest oil refinery ended without causing fuel shortages. The strike by 1,200 workers closed the Grangemouth refinery which produces a tenth of Britain’s petrol and diesel. It also led to the closure of one of the major pipelines bringing oil from the North Sea.