St Bernard's Catholic Grammar School

John Terry Scores Away from Home

After John Terry’s recent affair with team mate Wayne Bridges ex-girlfriend, Miss Perroncel, he has been removed from his position as captain of the England football team.
One particular question that has been asked is why Fabio Capello, manager of the team, made his decision to remove Terry as captain.
Capello commented that he made his decision based on what was best for the football team and the players. In response to this Terry said that he respected Capello’s decision and that he will give his all playing for England.
John Terry and Miss Perroncel have announced that they will not speak of their affair as this may make it worse for them and their families.

Helping Haiti

Following a powerful and recent earthquake in Haiti, (located in the Caribbean) on 13th January 2010, many were left dead or mourning over their families and friends that passed away. The earthquake began in Port-au-Prince (Haiti’s capital) and spread to most parts of the country.   It took just 60 seconds to destroy Port-au-Prince-this just shows how disastrous and tragic this event was.
So to help, many schools, charities and companies have raised money in order to provide food, shelter, water and treatment for the country.
Our school, St. Bernard’s Catholic Grammar School have raised money by holding events such as mufti days and cake sales in order to provide Haiti with the things needed.
In Slough High Street, the British Red Cross were also doing their part to help Haiti by walking around the high street, asking people to donate money.
St Joseph’s Catholic High School have been participating in school activities in order to help Haiti too.
Others have done sponsored sports activities such as walks, sky dives and competitions to help the country as well.
“It’s nice to see how people all over the world are trying to help Haiti in their time of need. It shows how we have been co-operating-all together”, says Nisha Masih.
“I think helping Haiti is a good act from us as it means that people from Haiti won’t have to suffer as long because we are there to help them”, says Jade Taylor.
“Haiti is in an extremely hard situation right now and it is very generous what people are doing to help them”, says Toni Braybrook.
It seems the public do not have anything against our country and the rest of the world helping Haiti as it is all for a good cause.
Haiti needs our help at the moment and we will continue giving it until Haiti is well again.

Terminal Thief, The Youngest Murderer in Scotland’s History and GCSE Grades from McDonalds…

Youngest Murderer Scotland has EVER seen by Sian…

A crazed sixteen year old girl from Scotland is in a Juvenile Detention (a Young Offenders prison) after stamping an elderly woman to death.

Nicolle Earley became Scotland’s youngest murderer on the 14th of November 2008, when she entered into Ann Gray’s house in Crosshill and ended up murdering the innocent woman.

At High Court in Edinburgh, she was found guilty and ordered to serve a minimum of 14 years in prison. The friends and family of Mrs Gray, 63 said “We cannot believe someone who took a life of another’s that wasn’t theirs to take is only serving a 14 year sentence. It is disgusting and unbelievable.”

Mrs Gray died as a result of a head injury after she was knocked to the ground and repeatedly stamped on. Last month Nicolle Earley pleaded guilty and is currently serving her time in prison.

Nicolle admitted that she attacked Mrs Gray because her neighbour owed her money and cigarettes as a payment for collecting some groceries. Nicolle is now 18 and has served two of the years she has been sentenced.
Ann’s sister Anne-Marie McLeod said, “14 years what’s that it’s nothing”

Ann’s other daughter said, “It’s a joke. My Mother’s life is worth more than that.”

Terminal Thief by Sian…

At last we can relax knowing that the menaces that attempted to rob £1.75 million are now serving their time in prison.

The violent thief Peter Blake simply handed himself into the police after he walked out in the middle of his trial. The 57 year old from Notting Hill was seen on CCTV, with four other men, wearing high-visibility jackets marked Security.

He is now considered as too violent to have a jury. This is the first case in England and Wales for 350 years where someone has not been allowed to have a jury. They had intended to rob another £10 million from the Menzies World Cargo Warehouse, but were forced to leave with a mere fraction of the intended haul. The money has still not been recovered.

At Heathrow firearms were used to threaten 16 members of staff, who were then tied up. One man was brutally shot after trying to escape.

The court of Appeal has now decided that their case should be heard by a single judge to stop the Jury interfering with the case.

Blake has been on bail since August 2007. This comes to a large total of £260,000. John Twoney, Barry Hibberd and Glen Cameron are also currently on trial for a series on charges. These include;
•Robbery
•Possession of Firearms

When questioned about the charges all of the men in question pleaded not guilty.

After the escape of Peter Blake suspicions were raised to whether to grant Blake bail. The five men do not have possession of passports as far as police have gathered and the police are questioning all members of staff at the court to found out who allowed the five thieves out as impostor security guards.  Peter Blake after hearing about the search for him decided to hand himself into Police and face the judge.

McDonalds awards GSCE level By Sian and Aoife…

It has been revealed that if you work for two weeks in McDonalds as part of your work experience you will be able to achieve the equivalent of a B grade for GCSE and will also earn a certificate for work skills. McDonalds are offering crash courses in preparing the orders and serving customers. A spokesman for the Edexcel, an examining board, has worked very closely with McDonalds to develop a qualification.

A student at St Bernard’s Grammar School Slough said that, “It is a bad idea because children don’t have to work very hard to earn an equivalent to a pass in their GCSE. This doesn’t allow them to exploit their potential behind a counter and is an easy option out of a GCSE. ” Another student has disagreed and claimed, “McDonald’s say that it is a great way to build the students confidence and I totally agree with them. It’s a step in the right direction as they will be able to develop their people skills.”

A leading academic has attacked the idea, stating that the scheme will “Devalue the currency” of other qualifications, but a spokesperson for McDonalds said that, “It is a great idea and will boost levels of communication skills.”

We asked 16 people what their views were on McDonalds awarding B GSCE grades and 30% of the class voted yes, it is a good idea and 70% of people said No, they did not agree with the plan.

This means that most people don’t agree with the idea. But could they change their minds?

Police blamed for the outbreak of Anti-social behaviour

Fiona Pilkington, Left. Francesca, Right

Derrick Campbell, a consultant on anti-social behaviour to the Home Office and the Association of Chief Police Officers told the BBC it was time the issue of anti-social behaviour was made a main concern.

Denis O’connor has called for vital development for dealing with situations relating to anti-social behaviour. It is said that Nottinghamshire have the highest rate of brutal attacks.The majority of Police computer systems found it difficult to recognise the victim classified as ‘vulnerable’, supported by his conversation with BBC Radio 4’s Today programme.

In a survey, 23% of cases that relate to anti-social behaviour officers did not turn up.

The Independent Police Complaints Commission is currently investigating the case of Fiona Pilkington, the mother of Francesca, who killed both herself and her daughter, who was severely disabled, due to serious anti-social behaviour in their local area. It was established that there’d been thirty-three calls in seven years because of the same issue.

Denis said the difference between crime and anti-social behaviour was “artificial” and urged police to take it more sincerely.

Jacked Jewellery

On Tuesday 9th March 2010, a gang robbed a famous jewellery store called Mappin and Webb, located in Regent Street, London.

A large group of gang members rode on motorcycles to the store and immediately started to smash the windows with big hammers. Many people complained about this shocking event.

“The streets shook like an earthquake when they smashed the windows”, said a young woman.

Many people were there. Surprisingly, for a robbery there were approximately sixty people around and it happened during the day.

A few people called the police, and they arrived 25 minutes later. At this time, they had stolen many expensive items such as Rolex watches and rode away on their motorcycles.

Police are still trying to find them.

In the past, Mappin and Webb and other expensive jewellery stores have been raided. Regent Street has been raided many times before. They are well known jewellers and are the silversmith to the royal family.

Nigeria’s Mass Murder

JOS, Nigeria – A man recalls his killings, two women and one man. Brutally beaten with sticks then stabbed to death with a short knife. The man, Dahiru Adamu, 25, was crouching on the floor in the sprawling police station telling the police how he and and dozens other herdsmen stormed a village slaughtering hundreds with machete’s, knives and cutlasses in an act of retribution.

On Monday and Tuesday, 332 bodies were buried in a mass grave in the village of Dogo Na Hawa, the Nigerian Red Cross said Wednesday. Human rights groups and the state government say that as many as 500 people may have been killed in the early hours of Sunday morning, in three different villages.
Sunday’s killings were an especially vicious expression of war between the Christians and Muslims in the divided nation. In the past around 3000 people have been killed in interethnic and interreligious violence. This pattern is familiar and was seen in early January.
The operation had been planned at least several days before by a local group called Thank Allah, said one of Mr. Adamu’s fellow detainees, Ibrahim Harouna, who was shackled on the floor next to him. The men spoke in Hausa through an interpreter.
“They killed a lot of our Fulanis in January,” Mr. Adamu said, referring to his ethnic group. “So I knew that this time, we would take revenge.” His victims were sleeping when he arrived, he said, and he set their house on fire. Sure enough, they ran out. “I killed three people,” Mr. Adamu said calmly.
He and the other detainees showed no sign that they had been maltreated; some confessed to killings, and others denied them, speaking in front of the police.
The police quickly arrested about 200 people in connection with the killings. The police have confiscated 14 machetes, 26 bows, arrows, 3 axes, 4 spears and 44 guns. Victims, many of them women and children, were cut down with knives, short and long; few survived. Police officials say they are hoping for peace after years of sectarian killings in the region. But they are not sure they will get it.
The streets in this metropolis of several million were largely deserted Wednesday. Residents spoke of fear and anger, and about 4,300 have fled.
Police officials say they are hoping for peace after years of sectarian killings in the region, but they are not sure they will achieve it. The streets in this metropolis of several million were largely deserted Wednesday. Residents spoke of fear and anger, and about 4,300 have fled.
“Some people want to be rulers everywhere,” said Yohanna Yatou, a businessman. “It’s the Muslims. They said they are born to rule.” Williams Danladi said that Muslims “believe that if they die during this war, they will go to heaven.” “We Christians, we don’t believe this,” he said.
The Nigerian police have been criticised because, according to other countries; “Arrests were made, but these were not even at the scene of the crime. They were just people arrested by police to save face and say they were doing their job.”

By Group 4 team.

Glasgow Asylum Seekers

Three people jumped from the 15th floor of a 31-storey-high building in Glasgow to their deaths. They were found on Sunday 7th March 2010 at 8:45am by their concierge outside their flat.
“I opened my blinds and saw them lying there around 8:30am.” said Elizabeth Nielson, aged 42.
“We are very saddened to hear about the tragic incident”, said a spokeswoman for Glasgow Housing Association.
They came into the UK just 3 years ago and neighbour said they had just moved in two months ago. However, they had received a final notice demanding that they leave the UK.
Unconfirmed reports have said that the three people who committed suicide were a Russian man, his wife and his son. On the balcony were broken pieces of furniture. This was supposedly used to help the family jump off. There is no clear reason why the family wanted to kill themselves. Police have also confirmed that there didn’t appear to be any suspicious circumstances.

Later on, a white tent was set up to cover the bodies and the family were taken away by the ambulance at around 4 o’clock in the afternoon.
The government are planning to eventually knock the block of flats down; however, there are still many other asylum seekers and refugees from countries such as Iran, Iraq, Soviet Union, Africa and Asia. The police are trying to find out more about this family as there are no definite reasons for why they did this.
“The police and the emergency services are continuing their inquiries and we are helping in every way we can.”

BBC School News Report by Aoife, Toby and Amber…

On Thursday the 11th March, form 8s from St-Bernard’s participated in BBC School News Report. After 4 weeks of going through news papers and watching the news for interesting stories it has all come down to today when the students only had one day to prepare, film, edit and broadcast their story. The class worked in groups and have been preparing stories that they could use for filming.
The class has also had a visit from Gordon Farquhar, who has been a presenter on radio five live and an Olympic correspondent since 1998. Gordon also came in on the BBC School news report day to help the students with their filming and editing. We interviewed Gordon who said “It’s really interesting how technology has changed over the years. This is the third year I have helped with BBC school news report and when I first started people were just using pieces of newspaper and now people are filming. I think you are doing really well ,but the last hour always fly’s by so we will have to see if you can make the dead line!”
We also interviewed Annalise who is a student at St-Bernard’s who said “ It was really exciting and a good opportunity to have the experience.”
Everyone from 8s enjoyed the day and they hope they can do something like this again.

Laundrette owner washes away family businees

36 year old Lucinda Belle has won a £1 million record contract. She was seen being a back-up singer and a harpist for Robbie Williams. Before this Lucinda owned her family laundrette business. Now she is putting this up for sale to live her dream. Her debut album will be released in May.
Lucinda’s life changed when she was spotted by Fearne Cotton at the BBC electric Proms last year. Before that she had toured with The Pet Shop Boys, Annie Lennox and Rufus Wainwright. Fearne Cotton invited Lucinda to her show on BBC Radio 1. This then attracted the attention of Universal which then got her to sign a contract. She said “The launderette has been in my family for 40 years and was passed down to me by my grandfather, but I don’t think I’m going to have time to be there anymore. This is what I really want to do.”
It’s hard to get into the record business because only pure talent or people who might be popular get chosen. Not many people are even noticed so for Lucinda to have actually been given the contract is amazing.

Mexi-can top the rich list!

Carlos Slim, the Mexican billionaire overtook Bill Gates at the top of the rich list. The Mexican billionaire has been named the world’s richest person knocking Bill Gates off the top of the rich list for the second time in 15 years.

With a net worth 35.7 billion pounds Telecoms tycoon Carlos Slim Helu beat the Microsoft boss who is at 35.4 billion pounds as well as investor Warren Buffett who is at 31.4 billion pounds on the Forbes’ list of 10- figures titans.

In 2009, 332 names left the list after a tough year with the recession, but the total number of billionaires on this year’s list rose from 793 to 1,011, Forbes said.

It is now the first time a non-American has taken the No.1 spot since 1994. Carlos has six children and is a widower. With 90% of Mexico’s phone landlines controlled by him it shows not only that Mexico are becoming more Westernised, it shows that the Mexican Phone industry is one with a lot of money within it.

However, one of the reasons why Bill gates has lost the position as the richest man in the world is because, he has organized a deal with charities (mainly with A.I.D.S and Malaria) that he will donate his money towards them slowly throughout the year.

Carlos became the richest man this year, and like Bill Gates, isn’t overjoyed that he is the world’s richest man.

Carlos Slim has $53.5 billion in his enormous
fortune, and according to the IMF
(International monetary Fund) he is richer than 110 countries!