Will Libya turn into the new Iraq conflict?

This is the question that people are increasingly asking as British and US ground troops are put on standby for an invasion of Libya to help rebels take down Colonel Gaddafi and his loyal followers.

The USA President has insisted that America will stand up for free will and basic human rights however Americans in Libya at the moment were his primary concern in an address he made to the world on the 27^thMarch.

“First, we are doing everything we can to protect American citizens. That is my highest priority. In Libya, we've urged our people to leave the country and the State Department is assisting those in need of support”

He continued, “The United States also strongly supports the universal rights of the Libyan people. That includes the rights of peaceful assembly, free speech, and the ability of the Libyan people to determine their own destiny.  These are human rights. They are not negotiable. They must be respected in every country, and they cannot be denied through violence or suppression”

Obama, who has been in office now for 2 years, says that the rest of the world must “speak with one voice” in order to help the civilians in Libya.

“The American people extend our deepest condolences to the families and loved ones of all who’ve been killed and injured. The suffering and bloodshed is outrageous and it is unacceptable. So are threats and orders to shoot peaceful protesters and further punish the people of Libya. These actions violate international norms and every standard of common decency. This violence must stop”

“In a volatile situation like this one, it is imperative that the nations and peoples of the world speak with one voice, and that has been our focus”

Many civilians across the globe could think that this could be another Iraq, where it was alleged that the only reason ground troops was sent in was to get oil, however the President does not see it this way.

"As one Libyan said, 'We just want to be able to live like human beings.'  We just want to be able to live like human beings. It is the most basic of aspirations that is driving this change, and throughout this time of transition, the United States will continue to stand up for freedom, stand up for justice, and stand up for the dignity of all people”

Clearly the President, regarded as one of the most powerful men on the planet, feels that if it is necessary, then he will send in ground troops to help the rebels topple Colonel Gaddafi and help the Libyan people help set up a democratic system where they can live in peace and have the freedom that they desire, and David Cameron, Prime Minster of Great Britain, feels the same way and feels Colonel Gaddafi should be facing a war crimes trial, and not be given Exile, something both Italy and Germany are pushing for.

Italian foreign minister Franco Frattini said that both Italy and Germany are in talks with Turkey, the African Union and the Arab League about the possibility of granting Gaddafi exile, as they believe that this will convince him to leave power more peacefully rather than drag it out as was done with Saddam Hussein in Iraq in 2003.

Cameron, however, thinks that Gaddafi should be facing war crimes, as he is not only stopping people have their freedom of speech, but also he is committing the murder of innocent civilians in what the Libyan ambassador has called “real genocide”

It has become so terrifying that 2 Libyan airplane pilots and 2 Libyan navy ships have fled to Malta after they refused to follow orders to bomb civilians and pro democracy protestors. Protesters want Gaddafi out as he has ordered the military to kill peaceful protesters, which has led to over 1,000 innocent Libyans being murdered.

In Libya, there have already been air strikes by Britain, who have flown over 120 missions deep in the Libyan dessert, taking out Gaddafi's ammunition bunkers.

In a Commons statement on March 28^th, Cameron said he would "disagree with anyone who says that destroying a Gaddafi arms dump is not in the terms of the United Nations resolution"

"We can see very clearly what Gaddafi's regime is doing in Misratah, is doing in Zintan and other places - he's using munitions to kill people, to murder his own citizens. So therefore depriving him of weapons I think is absolutely not only in the letter of the resolution but in its spirit too," he told MP's.

There is also now a no fly zone, which is intended to stop Gaddafi killing innocent people from the skies of Libya.

The PM said: "The no-fly zone is now fully operational and effective. When it has been challenged, Gaddafi's planes have been shot down. He can no longer terrorise the Libyan people from the air."

This will come as a boost to protestors in Libya, who are witnessing countries help them dispose of a man who said just 8 days into the protests that he will not relinquish power and has vowed to die a “Martyr”.

Gaddafi, who has now been in power for 42 years, blames “Rats” who are agents from foreign intelligence services for the current unrest the country is feeling.  He then continued that anyone carrying weapons against Libya or co-operating with outside forces fomenting discord against “the country of my grandfathers” then they would be executed.

This has led the world to look on with not only sympathy but also with caution as the USA and the United Kingdom meet with the rest of the United Nations to discuss what is going to be done to help the civilians of Libya!

Japan tragedy

Young people in Britain may not know how to react to what has happened in Japan with the devastating earthquake and the Tsunami. Some may think that some of the videos look cool like it would in a typical Hollywood Blockbuster, like a prequel to the film ‘2012’, Others may be worried and devastated to how this will effect not only Japan but also the rest of the globe with aftereffects.

While city’s have been wiped out and an event which has left thousands dead, and millions homeless, without food, electricity or water, youngsters and even adults all around the globe go about their lives like nothing has happened, just catching a glimpse if they happen to see the news. 

People going about their daily lives should be more worried about how Japan is going get back to how it was before, and how the rest of the globe is going to help. With millions now homeless and over a billion dollars in damages, there will now surely be dozens of charities to help.

It won’t be just about helping Japan though, with 20 other countries including the USA and Russia been put on red alert and many experts believing an earthquake over 8 on the Richter scale could cause more then just one Tsunami.

With the earth as fragile as ours, disasters like this are going to happen, It is debatable just putting it down to global warming while it is true we as a race have not taken enough care of this earth for thousands of years, personally I simply think it is Mother Nature taking its course and tragedies like this are going to happen. Now, the question is, how do we help get over this devastating catastrophe.  

January transfer window 2011

We are now at the end of the January transfer window, and the question has got to be asked, did it go money mad?

A total of over 215 million pound was spent in the January window by premier league clubs, compared to just 29 million in the January transfer window of 2010.

There was many a debate between football forums and football shows when Aston Villa purchased a young English striker, Darren Bent, for £18 million pound, rising to £24 million. Many football fans and even experts thought that this was to much money, even though he is English and has a ratio of 1 goal every 2 games in the Top Flight.

In contrast, in the last 5 years, he has scored the same amount of goals as Drogba of Chelsea, who cost £30 million plus from French club Marseille, and Rooney of Manchester United, who cost £27 million from Merseyside club Everton.

Many thought that this was going to be the talk of the January transfer window, along with Manchester City’s purchase of Edin Dzeko, bought for £29 million, and these 2 transfers was the talk of window, at least until the final week of the window.

While Liverpool put a bid in for Uruguay striker Suarez of £23 million, who plays for Dutch giants Ajax, Spurs, reportedly put in bids for 5 strikers playing in the La Liga of Spain. Reports suggesting an £18 million bid for Athletico Madrid strikers Diego Forlan and a bid close to £40 Million for Sergio Aguero. Spurs reportedly also had big money bids rejected for Read Madrid’s Karim Benzema, Athletic Bilbao’s Fernando Llorente, Seville’s Luis Fabiano and former Manchester United man front man Giuseppe Rossi. All bids, unfortunately for spurs, failed, along with a bid for Blackpool skipper Charlie Adam. 

Then, Chelsea, the current Premier League holders put in a 35 million pound bid in for Spanish striker Fernando Torres of Liverpool, which was rejected at first. But with Torres then handing in a transfer request, Liverpool said he could leave if Chelsea met their valuation of a staggering 50 million pound, which they did.

With Torres gone, this sparked another transfer of Andy Carroll joining Liverpool from Newcastle United for 35 million pound, with many saying this was over the odds as he is an unproven striker in the premier league.

Over the past few windows, Chelsea has not spent as much as other clubs, with last year them having a loss of £70 million pound. This year however, champion’s league football is not certain for them and this forced Roman Abramovich, Russian Billionaire and Chelsea owner into action, not only purchasing Torres but also spending £21.3 million plus midfielder Nemanja Matic on central defender David Luiz from Benifica which took Chelsea’s spending to £71 Million, more than any other club.

Over the years, like anything else, the price for players in any league in the world has shot up, especially in the January transfer window, however with the economy the way it is, and some football clubs severely effected by this, few would have expected a Transfer Window with so much high profile activity.

Face/Off review.

In this epic cat and mouse thriller, super Villain Nicolas Cage (Leaving Los Vegas/Con Air) takes on Super Cop John Travolta (Grease/Pulp Fiction) in the city of Los Angeles.

Anti Terrorism agent Sean Archer (Travolta) is tracking one of Americas most sinister and dangerous terrorists in Caster Troy (Cage) When Archer is getting to close, Caster Troy takes matters into his own hands and attempts an assassination on Archer when he is most vulnerable, when he is with his son in a playground.

The attempt, however goes wrong, and instead of Archer been killed, the bullet goes through his shoulder and kills his son instantly, setting up an agent obsessed with getting revenge, no matter what!

After six long years, endless encounters and constant bloodshed, agent Archer finally gets his man. After an exhilarating gunfight in a Los Angeles airport, it comes down to Troy v Archer, with Archer prevailing, leaving Troy in a coma.

Archer is over joyed, having seen Troy nearly destroy his life and his family, he can go home to his wife, Eve (Joan Allen) to finally say he caught the man who killed their son and they can start to put their life back together after so long.

After been congratulated on the capture of one of the most dangerous terrorists have ever known by the CIA and FBI, evidence comes to light that there is a massive bomb in a Los Angeles building which is set to go of in just weeks. The problem is however; only two people know where it is. Caster Troy and his Genius but troubled brother, Pollux Troy (Alessandro Mivola), who was arrested just before his brother Caster had been caught.

After been shown the design of the bomb on a laptop that was found in the Jet Caster and Pollux was trying to escape in, Archer knows full well that that this is no hoax and they are going to have to do what ever it takes to find the bomb that could destroy 10 blocks of Los Angeles. One thing was certain; the only person that Pollux Troy would talk about that bomb to would be his brother.

After interrogating all of Caster Troy’s friends and family, the only information they find is the date the bomb is set blow. There is only one thing that can be done, something only Sean Archer can do, but it means going behind his wife and daughters back in a thrilling covert mission and most dangerous task Sean Archer has ever engaged in. Sean Archer must swap identities with Caster Troy, go to the Maximum-security prison Pollux Troy is been kept in and get the information of him, as his enemy, Caster Troy.

Sean Archer’s worse nightmare comes to life however, when his mortal enemy Caster Troy walks in as Sean Archer, pretending to be an Anti Terrorist Agent to tell him that he is going to be staying in prison for the rest of his life and he is going to live out his life as an agent to cause havoc in the city of Los Angeles.

There is only two things that Archer can now do, give up or fight, and fight he does.

Director John Woo (Mission Impossible 2) makes an absolute classic Cat and Mouse thriller in surely one the best Action Films of not only the 90’s but of all time staring two actors in Travolta and Cage in the prime of their career’s, and based on this film, this is evident.

Throughout this film, any first time viewers will no doubt be sitting on the edge of their seat in a faced paced action packed typical awesome John Woo film which was nominated for an Oscar and won an MTV movie award for best Action Sequence and best on screen duo in Cage and Travolta.

The action scenes are phenomenal and are only superbly enhanced with the audio and editing quality. Face/Off will truly grip all audiences and only leave them wanting more!

Lord Mayor’s big blood pressure Birmingham challenge

Get Birmingham into the Guinness book of records with high blood pressure challenge

By Daniel O’Sullivan 

You could help get Birmingham into the Guinness book of records, simply by getting your blood pressure checked!

The event, put on by Lord Mayor, Coun Len Gregory, is set to take place at Star City in Birmingham on April 2^nd 2011, between 10am and 6pm. All you have to do is go down to Star City, near Nechells in Birmingham, to get your blood pressure taken.

At the moment, the record for the amount of people to have their blood pressure taken is 2,331, held by Cardiff, capitol of Wales, which beat Florida’s record of 2,075 people. The Lord Mayor though would like to smash those records and get a massive 3000 people to participate in just 8 hours.

This event is not just about making history, it is also to raise awareness for High blood pressure, which Is more commonly known as ‘The silent killer’ because it has no symptoms yet is one of the main causes of a person suffering a stroke. A blood pressure test is quick and painless yet it is something that is very important that can be done for your heath, no matter what your age.

It is believed that 35-40% of strokes could be prevented from happening if high blood pressure is caught and treated from an earlier stage, which is a massive amount and makes this event very worthwhile.

At the event, there also going to be stalls, free secure parking, celebrities and all round family fun, so not only will you be helping your heath, you will also be taking part in history and having a fun day out.

This record-breaking attempt to get Birmingham into the Guinness world book of records is being run with The Stroke Association

To register with this event, which is completely free, then register at https://www.lordmayorschallenge.com/ and help Birmingham make history!

Century is the landmark..

 Century is the landmark!

By Daniel O’Sullivan

New evidence has found that one in four children aged 16 and under will live to celebrate their centenarian birthday!

A study undertaken has shown that with the medical advancement of the NHS, less people smoking and improvements in diet and exercise, 3.3 million children can expect to celebrate their 100^th birthday, with 1 in 6 people alive in Britain now, expected to be 11 million, will also be alive to celebrate their centenarian birthday.

These statistics was revealed in Mid April as evidence for increasing the retirement age and reforming pensions. This article has hit newsstands the day after the statistics were revealed, but how does this contrast with Obesity, smoking intake and alcohol intake in the UK and has the evidence provided taken this into account?

One of the main talking points over the last couple of years has been Obesity in the UK. A study revealed in 2011 that more people in Britain are dying from being overweight then anywhere in Europe, with 1 in 11 people dying due to carrying excess fat, 50% more than France!

It is estimated that over half of Britons are overweight, if not Obese, with 17% been male and 21% been female. The difference between been overweight and been obese lies in a person’s body mass index (BMI), which is calculated from a person’s height and weight. An adult with a BMI of more than 25 is classed as overweight and one with a BMI of over 30 is classed as obese.

Britain is not only known for been the ‘Fat Capital’ of Europe, but also for Binge drinking, which according to experts, is getting out of control and some have blamed it on Alcohol advertisements.

Sir Ian Gilmore, professor of Hepatology said that drastic action is needed because “alcohol is pervasive”

“It has become impossible to have a celebration in this country without drinking. Alcohol has never been more available or cheaper. We need a complete ban on alcohol advertising”.

Over £800 million is spent a year on advertisements and sponsorships for beer. Football, possibly the countries post-popular sport, have one of the main cup competitions named after a beer, the Carling cup, and big clubs such as Liverpool and Everton are sponsored by beer, with Liverpool having the brand Carlsberg written across their shirt. In Rugby, there is the famous competition The Heineken Cup and in tennis the tournament at Queens club is sponsored by Stella Artois.

Gilmore continued, “It sounds out the wrong message, I am looking at the consequences of the culture that we have got”

Current rules state that an advert for Alcohol cannot imply drinking will help with their sexual attractiveness, popularity or the success of a social situation. Professor Gilmore has said that Britain should take a leaf out of France’s book and ban advertisement for Alcohol all together. Since France has done this, they have seen a drastic fall in drinking levels.

‘Alcohol Concerns charity’ has backed up Gilmore’s concern that alcohol is a major danger in today’s society and says something desperately has got to be done. Like Gilmore, Campaigns officer for Alcohol Concerns Frank Soodeen says that the Government should put taxes up on Alcohol to stop as many people buying; especially children, and also any advertisement should be done post-watershed so that children do not have to watch them!

Statistically, drinking is a major hazard in Britain, with an estimated 9000 people dying directly from alcohol consumption every year, with that figure only increasing.

Obesity and Alcohol are major health concerns in today’s society, with one of the only positive things to say is how less people now are smoking over the past 50 years.

Smoking can lead straight to major health concerns such as lung cancer or heart disease, however with the Government rules that have come into play over the last 10 years, more and more people over the age of 18 are quitting.

In the last couple of years, it is estimated that around 39% of adults smoke, which does seem like a lot. However this has been compared back to the 50’s where almost 90% of people smoked some sort of tobacco. 

The bad thing is, however, more and more children in today’s society are smoking, despite the Governments attempt to stop this.

The Government has introduced rules such as no smoking in public areas and people only over 18 can purchase cigarettes. There are also disturbing images like lung cancer on the packs of cigarettes and soon, packs will not be allowed to be on show in shops, instead they will have to be hidden under the counter.

This comes after evidence that 15% of 15 year olds and under smoke regularly, despite it been illegal to sell tobacco to under 18’s. 21% of boys and 19% of girls, at the age of 15, have been found to have some levels of active smoking.

Compared with the obesity and alcohol intake in Britain, not many people diet and exercise, however more and more people are now doing it. In a questionnaire done in 2010, a quarter of people who responded regularly do exercise, however if compared to the amount of obese and overweight people in Britain, which add up to 46%, this is nothing.

Clearly the articles in newspapers on how 1 in 4 children under 16 will live to be 100 have not considered the consequences of Obesity, smoking and binge drinking in the country and how out of hand it is, and how much worse it is going to get if something isn’t done.

The government done something about smoking, and smoking went down drastically over the last decade and now something has to be done about obesity and alcohol intake too. There has been a start with school dinners offering a healthier range, but this is clearly not enough.

Advertisement is a major factor in both of these, with fast food restaurants like McDonald's and KFC been advertised everyday. These have got to be cut, if not dropped completely, the same with Alcohol adverts and maybe then the country will start to see the affects of a healthier lifestyle!

Aston villa crisis..

Villa in freefall

By Daniel O’Sullivan

For the past 3 seasons, Aston Villa had got 3 successive 6^th places finishes in the English Premier League under Northern Irishman and former Celtic manager Martin O’Neill.

This year however, Aston Villa have struggled at the wrong end of the premier league all season, now seemingly having a very low chance of even getting into the top half.

Villa’s season got off to the worst possible start with Martin O’Neill quitting the midlands club just five days before the start of the Premier League season, a move which shocked not only Villa fans, but all football fans across the country!

With Villa having a mediocre pre season, they started the first game in the league with Kevin McDonald, reserve team manager, as caretaker manager of the first team and he got of to a great start, with Villa beating West Ham 3-0, a game to be influential midfielder James Milners last for the club. Milner, voted Villa’s player of the season in the 09-10 season, was sold to Manchester City for £24 million, with Stephen Ireland coming in the opposite direction.

This was to be the only transfer activity of the summer transfer window for Villa, and with a credible 1-1 draw against Rapid Vienna in the Europa league, Villa’s season started to go downhill, and fast. Losing to Newcastle at St James’ park 6-0 in a battering by the recently promoted North East club, villa then went out of Europe, losing 2-3 to Rapid Vienna in the Europa League second leg.

With no new manager in site, Kevin McDonald carried on as caretaker manager, getting 2 wins, 2 draws and 4 losses in all of his 7 games, a run which convinced Villa owner Randy Lerner he would not be the man to lead Aston Villa’s team forward.

Then a move that left Villa fans with some optimism for rest of the campaign. Aston Villa introduced Gerard Houllier as new manager. The former Liverpool and Lyon manager has had an impressive record at club level, winning the treble of League Cup, FA cup and UEFA cup, as it was then known, in 2001 with Liverpool as well as winning the League twice with French club Lyon and enjoying the role of technical director when France won the World Cup in 1999, with Gerard Houllier been recognized for his contribution to this achievement. 

This sort of manager left Villa fans hopeful they could still break into the top four and resurrect a so far disappointing season. They, however, would be mistaken.

Despite 2 wins in his first 2 games, draws against Chelsea home and away and a draw against Manchester United, Villa went into the January transfer Window after a 4-0 hammering against Manchester City and 15^th in the table, a record which didn’t sit well with Villa fans or Gerard Houllier himself.

With the arrivals of Michael Bradley, Jean Makoun II and a 24 million pound record deal for Darren Bent, Villa fans were again left hopeful something could be salvaged from this so far disappointing season, especially with Bent scoring on his debut with the only goal as Villa edged past Manchester City.

Again, however, in the coming couple of months, the excitement was diminished which saw Villa crash out of the FA cup to Manchester City and has saw Villa only win once in seven games since the close of the January transfer window, which saw them drop into the relegation zone, albeit only for a week!

Now with recent loses to Bolton and local rivals and fellow strugglers Wolves, Villa now lie just 1 point above third from bottom Wolves with 8 games remaining in what is surely 8 of the most important games in Aston Villa’s Premier League history!!