New Car= New Jobs= All Good

Almost 800 new jobs are being created at the Nissan car plant in Sunderland, thanks to the success of the firm's new Qashqai model.

More than 130,000 of the small 4X4 vehicles have been sold in Europe since their launch in March 2007.

By December 2008, the firm wants to make 400 staff permanent, with the remainder on temporary contracts.

About 850 Qashqai's roll off the production line every day. An extra night-shift is now being introduced.

Read rest HERE!!!!!!!

New jobs are always a good thing for any nation. It not only lowers the unemployment rate, but helps the ecomnomy. this will have much the same effect as the KIA plant in LaGrange, GA.

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Win for disability rights woman

A British woman has won the initial stages of a landmark legal case at the European Court of Justice which could give new rights to millions of carers.

Advocate-General agreed that Sharon Coleman suffered "discrimination by association".

The legal secretary claimed her former London employers Attridge Law described her as "lazy" for wanting time off to care for her disabled son.

A panel of European judges will make a final ruling later this year.

read the rest of the STORY:

The Could this be the "landmark case" that changes Great Britian dramatically? Is the the next Row vs. Wade? Probably not, but it is a big deal for right now. This is a question of morals. "Work or care for my disabled son?"

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Woman-in-Tights

The Queen has approved the House of Commons' first female Serjeant at Arms - head of a security team colloquially known as the "men in tights".

Mother-of-two Jill Pay, who has been assistant serjeant since 2004, takes up the historic role which usually goes to an ex-serviceman.

She manages security and housekeeping issues, and is the only person in the Commons allowed to carry a sword.

Here is the Story.

The Serjeant at Arms is a high position in the British Parliament system. It cannot cast a vote, however, it does ensure the protection of the representatives. The fact that a female has finally be promoted to the job is a step in the right direction for equality. Also, she carries a sword. I can't think of a time a person would need a sword in the House of Commons, but it must have a traditional place of honor.

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Kicked Out of School

The number of pupils being excluded for bad behaviour in Scottish schools has increased in the last year.

A report said overall exclusions had risen by 4% in 2006/07 to 44,794.

Schools Minister Maureen Watt said she was "extremely concerned" that exclusions, which she believed should be a last resort, had gone up.

Linkage to story.

In Scotland, students can be kicked out of school for physical violence. This is a very large problem in the country, according to the statistics. The blame should be focused not only on the student but on the family as well. What is going on in the homes of Scotland if almost 45 thousand kids can be chucked out of school for violence. Is there that much violence in Scotland?

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Housing Prices Fall in Great Britain

Average prices fell by 0.4% in December, bringing the annual inflation rate down from 8.1% in November to 6.7% last month.

The December fall was the first decline recorded by the Land Registry since August 2005, although prices grew in three individual regions.

It said the latest data was "a clear indication of a weakening market".

Here is the BBC STORY.

This article is showing that not only is the housing market is declining in the United States but around the world. Due to the lack of spending, inflation has gone down in Great Britain as well. An economic downturn in Europe is not something that the global economy needs, especially with the recent slippage in Asian and American stock markets.

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Man admits plot to behead soldier

A 37-year-old Birmingham man has pleaded guilty to plotting to kidnap and kill a British soldier.

Parviz Khan, an unemployed charity worker, intended to seize and behead the unnamed Muslim serviceman "like a pig", Leicester Crown Court was told.

Three other men, Basiru Gassama, 30, Mohammed Irfan, 31, and Hamid Elasmar, 44, have admitted other offences connected with Khan's plot.

The court heard Amjad Mahmood, 32, and Zahoor Iqbal, 30, denied involvement.

Read rest here:

Time and time again we learn that people can be and are very, very scary. Even though this man was British born he still had an idea of killing his own countryman because he was an extremist. Luckily he was caught before any wrong doings were committed.

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Assessment Complete

Terror detention plans unveiled

The government has published its plans to allow the police to hold terrorism suspects for up to 42 days before they are charged.

The Counter Terrorism Bill proposes extending the limit beyond the current 28 days.

Some senior police officers support the move but it could be beaten by Lib Dem, Tory and rebel Labour MPs.

Attempts to extend the limit to 90 days in 2005 ended in then prime minister Tony Blair's first Commons defeat.

Read rest here:

Terrorists need to get out of the public and in jail at the very minimum. The UK appears to have passed a bill that allows this to happen to some extent. I think it is a good thing, but it could be longer than 42 days.

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Council tax set to rise by 4%

Council tax bills in England are set to rise by about 4% on average this year, the BBC has learned.

A Local Government Association study of 100 draft council budgets suggests some councils may put bills up by nearly 5%.

The projected charge for an average Band D property for 2007-8 will be £1,373, the research suggests.

The association has warned that many local authorities will still have to ration or cut services despite the increases in tax.

Read rest Here:

Taxes are rising in the UK. in some places it will reach 5%. If increases were to continue at such a rate, householders would be paying out £1,500 a year on average by 2011.

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Will Ferrell = James Joyce?

US comedian Will Ferrell has appeared before students at University College Dublin to accept its James Joyce Award.

Ferrell said he shared much in common with the author, as they both lived much of their lives outside Ireland.

Previous winners of the honour given by its literary and historical society include academic Noam Chomsky and UN weapons inspector Hans Blix.

Streaking through the Quad and into the link.

Well, um, Will Ferrell has received the James Joyce Award from University College Dublin...Other than the fact that they are both famous, I do not understand why Ferrell would receive such a prestigeous award. If this is what Northern Ireland is coming to then I truly feel sorry for the entire British Isles. Past winners Noam Chomsky and Hans Blix...I wonder if they feel their award is lessened in any way? Also, would the author of Ulysses have given this award to a comedian? We all need time to ponder that one.

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Police Take Kids

Six young children have been taken into care following police raids in Berkshire targeting suspected Eastern European gangs and child trafficking.

Officers from the Metropolitan Police, the British Transport Police and Thames Valley Police swooped on 17 addresses across Slough in dawn raids.

Nineteen people were held on suspicion of immigration breaches, deception, fraud and theft in London's West End.

Here it is...the link

The police took custody of six kids due to fear of their welfare. The fact that child trafficking goes on is appalling and kudos to the police for trying to put a stop to it. Also, these kids were under ten years of age. People who participate in these offenses should be brought to justice...swiftly.

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Crime decreases in England and Wales

Recorded crime in England and Wales fell by 9% from July to September last year compared with the same period in the previous year.

The Home Office said there was a 4% rise in gun crime during the third quarter of 2007 compared with the same period in 2006.

There were 10,182 firearms offences in the year to September, compared with 9,755 in the previous year.

linky

Crime has decreased inEngland and Wales recently. This is a positive sign that the police's policy of no guns could be working. If America chose to go this route I believe crime would get much worse before it gets better. The culture is very different.

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Peter Hain resigns from Cabinet

Peter Hain has quit the Cabinet after his deputy leader campaign donations were referred to the Met Police.

Mr Hain, work and pensions secretary and Wales secretary, said he had stood down so he could "clear my name".

He quit within minutes of the Electoral Commission saying that it had decided to refer the late declaration of £103,000 of donations to the police.

Mr Hain has blamed poor administration and has said the suggestion he tried to hide anything was "absurd".

read rest here:

In recent British news Peter Hain has been ridiculed for "wrong doings" in the British media. He was the Wales secretary before his resignation. £103,000 was given to the met police from campaign money. Though he has resigned he denies any wrong doing in his administration. Grade this post.

Fish and Chips!!!

You wanted it. You needed it. Here it is...the long anticipated fish and chips post that will propel the Great Britain blog to the top of the charts. And now, it begins....

Dylan and I went to a local establishment to sample their fares. Captain D's was the choice and I must say, it wasn't a good one. Although it could have been worse, it is hard to imagine.

I mean, honestly, does that look very appetizing to you? Well, we felt the same way. I was afraid to touch it because it might still be living and Dylan felt that only sauces could make the difference. And so, sauces it was.
I must say, it did make a little bit of difference. I was actually able to eat the so called "fish." The chips were good, but it was overshadowed by the overwelming fear of possible food poisoning.
Ok, so with fear of food poisoning greatly affecting our appetites we decided to head on out of this local "restaurant." STOP

On the whole, this version of the British favorite wasn't very good. I rate the food at a 5, Dylan has it coming in at a 7. However, if food poisoning occurs the rating could go negative. Good times were had all around, though. If you would like to see the other photos from today, you can either request them through comments or go to facebook where Dylan published the album. STOP

Tune in next week for our discussion on British music. It will feature Led Zeppelin, Pink Floyd, The Who, and many others. It should be exciting and fun to read. STOP

(P.S. I apologize for the lack of paragraphs at the bottom. For some reason the blog will not allow me to put a space in between the lines. Therefore, I was reduced to telegram line breaks. Again, sorry for the inconvenience.) STOP

Assessment Complete

Video Links

If you decide to peruse our video links, you will find a diverse collection of films. They will span from governmental videos to videos featuring British culture. Take a look and enjoy...

Fish and Chips You Say?

That's right. Next week, the Great Britain blog from first period (Letter G in your program, #1 in your heart) will be doing an exposé on that British favorite, fish and chips. Dylan and I will be making a pilgrimage to a local restaurant and we will sample the famous British cuisine. So be sure to read the blog next week and you might find that fish and chips is the meal that has been missing in your life for so long.

This is part 1 of an indefinite part series on British culture. Stay tuned to the top right of the blog for a preview of the upcoming installments.

English for All!

PM Gordon Brown

UK Prime Minister Gordon Brown has announced a new internet project to vastly expand the teaching of English.

A teach-yourself-English site will also allow people worldwide to make use of a form of one-to-one tuition using internet telephony systems.

Mr Brown said it would be aimed first at China and initial hopes were for it to get one million hits a week.

And now, the rest of the story...

Brown wants everyone to be able to learn English, no matter their position in life. If his plan works, the world could become a much smaller place because of more English speakers. However, it has yet to be seen how willing China will be in letting its people learn English in this setting.

Why Britain withholds Lugovoi evidence

In the diplomatic tit-for-tat over the Alexander Litvinenko affair, Britain is refusing to take one step open to it under a European convention governing extradition.


It could give the Russian authorities the evidence it has against the former KGB officer Andrei Lugovoi and ask them to take over the case themselves.

In theory, it could publish the evidence itself in any event. This would show to the world how strong its case is. Without such information, it is much easier for Russia to dismiss the
extradition request as politically motivated.


However, the British government is afraid that the Russians might simply dismiss the evidence or use it to put Mr Lugovoi on trial, perhaps in secret, and then announce that he had been acquitted. Either way, the proceedings would thereby be ended.

Read rest here

This evidence could, according to the article, could break this case wide open. However the release of this information could prove to be risky for the British. In my opinion the British need to sack up and just release the information. I am sure that everyone is ready for the end of this case.

No Police Protection?

Princess Diana

Diana, Princess of Wales, would still be alive if she had retained her police protection, a former chief policeman has told the inquest into her death.

Lord Condon, chief of the Metropolitan Police when she died, said he had begged her to reinstate her protection.

She refused to change her mind as she did not trust police, the court heard.



Read the rest of the story



According to this article, Diana would not have died if she had police protection. Obviously, Diana's death has grown to legendary proportions. It now ranks, in this blog's opinion, as Britain's Kennedy assassination. Conspiracy theories and hand wringing on security decisions abound.

UK inflation steady in December

UK inflation remained unchanged in December, official figures have shown.

Last month's Consumer Prices Index figure - the government's preferred measurement - held at 2.1% for a third month in succession.

The biggest inflationary pressure was continuing high food prices, the Office for National Statistics (ONS) said.

The Retail Price Index inflation measurement, which includes mortgage interest payments, eased to 4% from 4.3% in November.


Read the rest Here

Inflation is bad for all economies. It improved for britian as of late. Traditionally Britian has had a better inflation rate than the United States.

Blasphemy Illegal?

Evan Harris

Apparently, it is in Britain. Before Parliament now is a bill that will repeal the law that makes "blasphemy and blasphemous libel" illegal. The article states that the last conviction under this law was in 1979. Therefore, it has become an issue of bureaucratic "housekeeping." Even in recent years, an evangelical group tried to prosecute someone under this law but it was thrown out. Dr. Evan Harris was quoted as saying, "The Almighty does not really need the protection of these ridiculous laws and that's why large numbers of people of a religious perspective share the view that these offences need to be abolished." He has withdrawn his amendment, though, due to threats of opposition. This article is significant because it shows that some members of Parliament feel that some laws need to be abolished if they are obsolete and not necessary. It is much better to do go through these channels and get this out-dated bill abolished than let it sit and stagnate for hundreds of years as Britain has been known to do with some of its assets and holdings.

http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/uk_news/politics/7178439.stm

Helpful Suggestions and Constructive Criticisms

I will post stuff here to help you from time to time.