James Bulger Killers Were Old Enough To Be Tried for Murder

Robert Thompson and Jon Venables - James Bulger's Killers - were old enough to know what they were doing and so it was right to try them for murder.

This is the response from the British Government to calls from Maggie Atkinson, the Children's Commissioner for England, who said yesterday that children under 12 should not be held criminally responsible.

Maggie Atkinson wants the age of criminal responsibility raised from 10 to 12 in the UK.

A Government spokesperson from the Ministry of Justice said:

"We are committed to tackling crime, and in particular intervening early with young people to prevent crime and antisocial behaviour.

"We believe that children aged 10 and over can differentiate between bad behaviour and serious wrongdoing. We do not intend to raise the age of criminal responsibility. It is not in the interests of justice, of victims, or the young people themselves, to prevent serious offending being challenged."

The Pill Cuts Cancer Risk Heart Disease And Prolongs Life

Women that use The Pill live longer.

A new study by Professor Philip Hannaford in the British Medical Journal reports that using the contraceptive pill reduces the risk of cancer and heart disease when looked at across all women.

The pill slightly increases the risk of cancer and heart disease in younger women but the protection it offers older women more than compensates for this.

Some Catholic organizations believe that by concentrating on the positive health benefits for older women that younger women will not realize that they are putting themselves at increased risk of cancer and heart disease by using the pill. The Catholic Church opposes all artificial modes of contraception.

Other pro-contraception groups such as Planned Parenthood warn those with more than one partner should also use a condom to protect from sexually transmitted diseases such as chlamydia and syphilis.

Facebook Killer Gets Life

A man who killed his girlfriend after seeing a picture of her on Facebook with another man has been sentenced to life imprisonment.

Paul Bristol, an IT technician, flew 4,000 miles from Trinidad to England where he stabbed girlfriend Camille Mathurasingh 20 times.

An Old Bailey jury took only an hour to convict Bristol of murder and the Judge ruled that he must serve at least 22 years behind bars.

After starting their affair when Mathurasingh went to work for PriceWaterhouseCoopers in Trinidad. Bristol was enraged when after returning to London the love of his life rejected him and posted pictures of herself with new lover Besim Haxhia on gthe social networking site Facebook.

Bristol flew to London, confronted Mathurasingh and killed her.

Giving Bristol life with a minimum of 22 years the Judge added to the arguments around the early release of toddler James Bulger killers, Jon Venables and Robert Thompson. Venables was returned to prison last week after breaking the conditions of his parole.

daffodils

another friend request

from a stranger

National Rail Strike Travel Chaos

Britain is steeling itself for the first National Rail Strike in 16 years as pundits predict a heavy 'Yes' vote when the RMT strike ballot result is announced on Thursday.

Any such strike will see travel chaos over the coming Easter holiday period not only for rail travelers but road users too as train passengers switch to car and coach.

The strike, claim union leaders, is not about pay but more about working practices which workers feel put the safety of passengers at risk.

Leader of the RMT Union, BOB CROW, said:

"No matter how they try to spin it, the maintenance cuts and the changes to safety practices involving signallers will leave the senior management at Network Rail with blood on their hands in the event of another Hatfield or Potters Bar"

This said the fact that the RMT want to make train drivers and crew work on Sundays without extra pay and the threat of 1,500 redundancies built into Network Rail forward plans are also factors in any strike vote.

Network Rail say that any strike will only cause minimum disruption but many will already be looking to find alternative transport or just stay at home over the bank holiday period.

traveling first class
missing the second class
conversation

Paul Conneally

Further Coverage at NowPublic national rail Strike Planned

Ray Ashburn says "I Am Gay" - US Anti-gay Senator Comes Out

US senator RAY ASHBURN has come out. In a radio interview Ashburn who has voted time and again against gay rights said "I am gay... those are words that have been so difficult for me for so long".

Speaking on KERN Radio Mr Ashburn said that he had voted so many times against gay rights bills because that was what his voters would want him to do rather than it being based on his own "internal conflict"

Last week Asburn was arrested on suspicion of driving under the influence of alcohol. At the time it was rumoured and reported on NowPublic that he had just left a gay club in the company of another man.

Ashburn has said that he will not run for any further public office when his term ends later this year.

Colorectal Cancer Drug Failure - AstraZeneca Shares Fall

Trials of AstraZeneca's new cancer drug recentin resulted in failure in a head to head with avastin made by rival Roche in colorectal patients.

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On release of the results shares in Astra fell by 41.5p to £29.54.

Full Story on NowPublic : Colon Cancer Drug Failure Kills Town - AstraZeneca Shares Down

The news comes on the back of last weeks news that Astra is to close its R&D facility in Loughborough UK with a loss of 1.200 jobs. This has shocked redidents of the small Leicestershire town who feel that this will impact significantly on the Town's economy.

Loughborough's other big employer is Loughborough University which will host the Japanese Olympic Team for the London 2012 Olympics.

the doctor says
let him eat what he wants
mum's tears

paul conneally

Spanish Eyes On UK Banks As Santander Look to Buy RBS Branches

Santander are looking to take over 320 Royal Bank of Scotland branches in England.

The huge Spanish company has already taken over the Aliance and Leicester, Abbey and Bradford and Bingley now looks set to move in and aquire the ailing RBS network of what was Williams & Glyn's.

The RBS is currently propped up with emergency funding from the Bank of England and any buyer would have to repay this within 3 weeks of any deal.

Santander are not going to get RBS branches without a fight as Virgin says that it is still in the race to buy as are Santander's Spanish rivals BBVA.

One can almost hear the old Al Martino song Spanish Eyes is probably playing through the minds of British bankers as the great UK banking sell off continues.

Easter egg windows
the bank teller's perfume
in my pocket

Paul Conneally

Scotland Has Strongest Beer and Highest Insurance Premiums

A Scottish brewer has brewed the world's strongest beer at 41% ABV.

The drink is called 'Sink The Bismarck!' referencing Germany where the previous strongest beer was brewed.

The news that UK brewer BrewDog is bringing the worlds strongest beer to market comes at a time when concern over alcohol consumption and anti-social behaviour in Britain has never been higher.

The extent of alcohol related and other crime make insurance premiums in Scotland among the highest in the UK.

Scotland has one of the highest rates of emergency hospital admissions in the world.

The cost of this beer is a huge £40 per bottle and so will not contribute greatly to Scottish alcohol fueled violence.

snowfall
a young woman vomits
vodka and red bull

paul conneally

Alcohol Abuse Clinics

poetry haiku haibun health chlamydia

Wayne Rooney To Miss Manchester United AC Milan Champions League Match

Wayne Rooney may miss Manchester United's second leg Champions League Fixture against A.C. Milan due to a knee injury sustained during England's friendly match against Egypt last week.

Manchester United manager Alex Ferguson believes the injury is due to the unforgiving Wembley pitch and says that "Wayne is very doubtful".

The match will see United seek to build on their 3-2 lead from the first leg with Milan and also the return of David Beckham to Old Trafford for the first time since leaving the club.

Rooney has had a fantastic last few weeks scoring freely for United and showing the kind of skills and commitment that make him one of the worlds finest and most valuable players.

With Michael Owen also ruled out due to injury and Berbatov not firing on all cylinders, United's back room team will be trying their hardest to get Rooney fit for at least part of this important match.

new shoots
the linesman turns into
a ball boy

Paul Conneally

Nike sponsor Rooney and will want him to play if possible.

The Ants' Nest - Identity of James Bulger Killer Jon Venables Blown In Prison

There are fears for the life of child killer Jon Venables as prisoners in the jail where he is being secretly held discover his true identity.

It is reported that hardened lags in the undisclosed top security prison where Venables know of his presence and are looking for an opportunity to hurt or even kill him.

Jon Venables along with Robert Thompson was sent to prison when he was only 10-years old for the horrific torture and killing of 2-year old toddler James Bulger in Liverpool in 1993.

He was released on license in 2001 after spending less than 10 years in jail. Venables and Thompson were given new identities and strict rules, including not visiting Liverpool, that if broken would result in them being returned behind bars.

Last week Venables was arrested and returned to prison for breaking the rules. The police and Home Secretary Jack Straw have refused to say what Venables has done. It is thought that he has returned to Liverpool on a number of occasions where he has reportedly been seen drunk.

The murder of Jamie Bulger by two children shocked not only Liverpool and the UK but the world. That two so young could commit such a crime horrified people. Many thought that the two boys Venables and Thompson should be jailed for their whole lives others thought that they should be treated in prison and released which is what happened.

The fact that they were so young made for some their crimes worse but this of course cannot be so. Murder is murder at whatever age and one would not expect them to be punished more than an older killer.

Gordon Brown has indicated that he feels while understanding the public outrage at such crimes the criminal justice system needs to be allowed to conduct its business in accordance with law so that 'justice is seen to be done'.

Meanwhile thousands of pounds a week are being spent on prison officer overtime as Venables is put under constant surveillance in a perspex fronted cell. He will with certainty eventually be released again and have to be given another new identity, a new place to live.

mahonia flowers
a stirring deep down
in the ants' nest

Paul Conneally