Indy 500: Is it safe to race?

Major concerns have arisen over this year’s Indy 500 race, with a fourth accident taking place during practice.

James Hinchcliffe, 28, was driving round the Indianapolis circuit when his car flipped, the third accident of its kind this week.

The safety cell of his car (where the driver sits) was penetrated by shrapnel, which buried itself through one of his legs and into the other. Paramedics, who rushed to the scene, say that it was highly possible that Mr Hinchcliffe could have died of blood loss.

He will be replaced by Ryan Briscoe for the race, as he continues to make his recovery.

Below is a video showing the accident. Watch at your own discretion.

Hinchcliffe, along with fellow racers Helio Castroneves and Josef Newgarden, have had their crashes put down to new aerodynamic regulations put into place this year.

The IndyCar series has led to the deaths of a few drivers over the past few years. The most recent of these fatalities was Dan Wheldon, who died in a horrific crash in 2011.

IndyCar have changed the rules for qualifying by limiting the boost level of the cars to 130 kPa.

Mark Miles, CEO of Hulman & Company, parent of IndyCar and the Indianapolis Motor Speedway said that “As a precautionary measure, IndyCar will require that the cars qualify today in the same aero set up that they will run in the Indianapolis 500 next weekend. Also, for today, boost levels will return to race conditions. Given these changes, we have elected to not award points for today’s qualifications.”

However, these racers know all about the risks associated with motorsport. In an interview with Formula 1 Magazine, former F1 World Champion Damon Hill revealed that, after winning the title in 1996 (and having witnessed the death of Ayrton Senna just two years before that), he completely lost all desire to race.

Motorsport is dangerous, there can be no doubt about that. As aforementioned, Ayrton Senna was killed after a steering malfunction at Imola in 1994. In 2013, a MotoGP racer, Marco Simoncelli, was killed after his helmet came off in a crash (video below). And just last year, F1 driver Jules Bianchi was put into a coma after a crash at Suzuka. To this day, he remains unconscious.

But, in an age of advanced technology, and a nanny-state of health and safety, there must be more that can be done to prevent these tragic fatalities?

One thing that IndyCar could do in the coming years is limit the number of teams at the Indy 500. As the culmination of the IndyCar racing calendar, perhaps it could be made an invitational event, exclusively for the top teams.

Dan Wheldon was killed in an IndyCar crash in 2011.

This would restrict the number of cars on track at any given time, and therefore lower the chance of two cars colliding with one another.

That being said, it is clear that something has to be done about the aerodynamic capabilities of these cars. This week, three cars have simply lifted themselves off the track and flipped over. The cars need to have more downforce, and could also be made heavier.

Back in the 50s, 60s and 70s, deaths in motorsport were commonplace; but this is the 21^st century, so surely, with all the technology we have at our disposal, it is possible to significantly reduce the chance of these life-threatening accidents happening.

The toxic world of fashion

Cannes Film Festival is an event that not only serves as a platform for movie premieres, but also gives celebrities the opportunity to show off their latest outfits.

Fashion pundits from across the world watch the festival with great interest, keen to spot any upcoming trends.

However, it would seem that this prestigious event has gone too far in it’s attempts to create a world of fashion perfection.

Film Producer Valeria Richter, who has part of her left foot amputated, was turned away from the festival, because she wasn’t wearing high heels.

Flat shoes? Sorry, you can’t come in.

In an interview with BBC 5 Live, she said that red carpet officials pointed at her shoes and said: “No, no, this won’t work, you can’t get in like this.”

Ms Richter has had her big toe and part of her left foot amputated, so high heels are not just impractical, they’re physically impossible.

She was eventually allowed in, but this has caused a thunderstorm on social media.

Tina Poppy, a fashion historian, said that “it’s one thing to require an article of clothing on the carpet; requiring women to wear heels is discrimination against the unable.”

Meanwhile, IGN Movie Producer Chris Tilly mentioned that “When I wore high heels to a red-carpet premiere in Cannes they WOULDN’T let me in, so this new stipulation is all very confusing.”

Emily Blunt has spoken out against Cannes Film Festival’s dress code.

British film star Emily Blunt has spoken out against the ban on flat shoes, saying that it is “very disappointing.”

“We shouldn’t be wearing high heels anyway. That’s my point of view. I just prefer wearing Converse sneakers.”

Although festival direction Thierry Fremaux has said that “rumours” about this rule on high heels are “unfounded”, additional reports of people being turned away for wearing flat shoes have now emerged.

The world of fashion is a toxic place; people are slammed for their physical appearance, hairstyles, or for their watch not matching their necklace… how media outlets such as MTV, OK! and Cosmopolitan can simply ignore this is absolutely mind-boggling.

All this in a year where Cannes Film Festival was hoping to address the issue of sexism in cinema. How ironic.

UK General Election: what happens now?

The General Election has reached its conclusion, and we now have a Conservative majority in power.

Social media has erupted with the news, with Tory supporters singing Cameron’s praises and Labour voters threatening to leave the country. But is the situation as extreme as people are making it out to be?

Economy

On the surface, it would seem that the UK economy is in safe hands. Upon the announcement of a Conservative majority, UK shares increased, with banks reporting an increase of over 4%. The FTSE 100 grew by over 2%, and we heard reports of average UK house prices increasing by 1.6%.

During the last five, years, the UK has been through a major transformation, as the economy recovers from the global financial crisis of 2007-08. Now, we are at the point where the International Monetary Fund (IMF) and World Bank are placing us in a bracket with the USA and China.

However, dig beneath the surface, and cracks begin to appear.

UK foodbanks are, sadly, becoming increasingly popular.

Over a million people used foodbanks provided by the Trussell Trust Group in the last 12 months, an increase of 900,000 from the year before, and a study by Oxford University states that this figure will double in the next year.

The fact that so many people are so poverty-stricken that they must turn towards the foodbanks for help is a glaring issue in this country, which needs to be addressed.

National Health Service

The NHS has been a hot topic of debate throughout the election campaign; social media has been rife with accusations that David Cameron and the Conservative Party are ‘killing’ the National Health Service.

However, this is not necessarily the case. Chancellor of the Exchequer George Osborne has pledged an “absolute commitment” to increase NHS spending by £8bn per year (above inflation) until 2020. That being said, the move to privatise a number of institutions (with the end goal of improving standards) appears to completely contradict this idea.

This is a response to criticism that the UK’s public health service lacked funds and resources, after the government cuts which have taken place in the last five years.

Young people

Britain’s youth had a major impact on the outcome of this year’s General Election, with 58% of young people voting this year (an increase of 14% from 2010).

Young people could face yet another increase in tuition fees.

According to the British Election Study (BES), six out of ten people aged between 18-25 went to the polls on Election Day. But what does the result of the election mean for them?

Whilst maintaining in their manifesto that they seek to uphold the world-class reputation of UK universities, ex-Tory leader William Hague has said that they haven’t ruled out yet another increase in tuition fees.

This led to a social media storm, with many young people using online platforms to attack Conservative policies.

To say that some people were unhappy with a Conservative government is an understatement.

Party Leader exodus

The General Election was a complete and utter failure for three of the mainstream UK parties.

UKIP failed to live up to expectations at the polls, gaining just one seat (despite gaining 12.6% of all votes).

All three of these leaders had a rough night; Farage even lost in his own constituency (South Thanet)

The Liberal Democrats lost 49 of the seats they had won in 2010; a sign, perhaps, of the electorate’s dissatisfaction with Nick Clegg’s performance in the coalition government.

Meanwhile, Labour were looking to significantly close the gap between themselves and the Conservatives… instead, they lost 26 seats overall.

As a result, all three party leaders (Nigel Farage, Nick Clegg & Ed Miliband respectively) all resigned the day after. This could be seen as a show of dominance from the Conservatives, but it’s clear that these three parties all want to make a drastic change, in order to challenge the Tories in five years time.

Political focus on young people

Millions of people will head to polling stations today to cast their vote in the 2015 UK General Election.

A large portion of each party’s election campaign has focused on the interest of young people, in a bid to win their favour. However, young people may not have as big an impact on the outcome of the UK General Election as some might think.

According to UK market research company Ipsos MORI, only 44% of 18-24 year-olds voted in the 2010 election. This can be put down to a number of factors; the rise in tuition fees, uncertainty over house prices and graduate employment.

Less than half of all young people registered to vote actually went to the polls in 2010.

However, most telling is the YouGov ‘British Future’ survey, which reveals that 96% of young people don’t think that politicians pay attention to their needs.

Harry Amos, 20, studies Politics, Philosophy and Economics at the University of Warwick, and believes he understands why this happened. He says that “policies favoured by young people typically get ignored; this means that our turnout figures at general elections are appalling when compared with older generations, particularly the over-65s.”

Mr Amos says that the low turnout from young people is also partly due to Russell Brand’s influence on their opinions; he calls the comedian’s apathetic political stance “ridiculous.”

Russell Brand is well-known for his disliking of the current political situation. In an article he wrote for the New Statesman, Brand states that “I will never vote and I don’t think you should, either.”

Political parties themselves have been attempting to appeal to younger voters with their policies. For example, Labour Party leader Ed Miliband has stated that, if made Prime Minister, he will cut tuition fees by a third, down to £6,000 a year, as well as the pledge of lowering the voting age to 16.

Similarly, the Conservative Party claims in their election manifesto that, despite keeping the £9,000 per year tuition fees, “we will maintain our universities’ reputation for world-class research and academic excellence.”

But what else could have been done to persuade young people to vote?

Another option is to make voting in general elections a legal requirement. This has been in place in Australia since 1924; failing to vote without good reason (e.g. illness or religious grounds) can lead to being given a fine of up to $170. This means that voter turnout is significantly higher than in the UK; according to the International Institute for Democracy and Electoral Assistance (IDEA), in the 2013 elections, 93.23% of the electorate had their vote counted. In turn, this means that people have a greater incentive to make themselves politically aware.

However, it would seem that one of the most effective ways of involving young people in politics is, as mentioned in the YouGov survey, to show an interest in their thoughts and ideas.

Young people will definitely have a huge impact in today’s election, with a larger voice than ever before. Whether their voices will be heard, though, remains uncertain.

The Dawn of Rainbow Politics

The seven main political parties came to blows last night, in the first televised debate in the run-up to this year’s General Election.

The two-hour long debate, broadcast on ITV, gave the party leaders the chance to answer a great number of issues raised by the general public, but also left us with more questions in our minds. The Southern Daily Echo even likened it to “a daytime TV quiz.

Economy

The evening began with Liberal Democrat leader Nick Clegg turning on Coalition partner David Cameron, slating his inability to bring fairness into the economy by putting heavier tax on the richest members of society.

Cameron responded by reminding the other participants that his ten-year-plan for the economy was on track, as evidenced by current GDP growth.

The Conservative austerity measures naturally became a topic of heated discussion. Labour Party leader Ed Miliband stated that “cuts will have to come, but we can do it in a balanced way.”

It seems clear that the Conservative plan is working for now, but as UKIP’s Nigel Farage pointed out, the UK is still at a £90bn deficit.

NHS

A focal point of this year’s General Election, the NHS came under heavy fire from all directions. Despite Prime Minister David Cameron claiming that there are 7,000 more nurses and 9,000 more doctors, Ed Miliband responded by saying that the NHS was “creaking at the seams.”

It is believed that the NHS needs an extra £8bn over the next five years; Mr Farage claimed that £3bn of this could be found by leaving the European Union.

However, the UKIP leader also stated that 60% of all people diagnosed with HIV in the UK were foreign nationals. This led to Plaid Cymru’s Leanne Wood accusing him of “scaremongering” much to the satisfaction of the live audience.

Immigration

This was Nigel Farage’s moment in the spotlight. As soon as this topic came up in discussion, he instantly became much more animated.

For the most part, Farage spent most of the debate shouting, and arguing unnecessarily

The UKIP leader demanded that David Cameron forces the issue of free movement in the European Union when renegotiating the terms of UK membership.

Ed Miliband admitted that Labour was responsible for the influx of immigrants; a bold move, but one that needed to be made so that the party can move forward with their policy.

However, it was Nick Clegg who shot Farage down in flames, reminding him that he had a German wife, and saying that the benefits of immigration should be controlled, rather than immigration itself.

Young People

In the 2010 General Election, only 44% of 18-25 year olds voted. The fact that many of them then felt cheated by the rising tuition fees is something which the politicians seemed key to address.

Ed Miliband reiterated Labour’s plan to lower tuition fees to £6,000 a year, saying that “I don’t want our young people drowning in debt when they leave university.”

The Prime Minister then explained how academies and free schools has allowed over a million children to be in OFSTED accredited ‘good’ or ‘outstanding’ schools.

Women in Politics

The female party leaders stunned a lot of political pundits with their performance

All in all, it was a successful night for the female political party leaders.

Nicola Sturgeon of the SNP had a fantastic night, getting her points across in an articulated fashion and, according to a YouGov survey, was the ‘winner’ with 28% of polling votes. It was made quite clear that she will aim to form a coalition with the Labour Party, as she agreed with most of Ed Miliband’s points and supported him in arguments.

Leanne Wood of Plaid Cymru was also on top-form last night; not only did she gain a round of applause for shutting down Nigel Farage, but she seemed determined to have her party represented throughout the debate. A prime example of this was her demand for an EU in/out referendum where all four countries must agree, rather than just having a UK-wide result.

Green Party Leader Natalie Bennett didn’t seem to have too much of an input, which was reflected in the YouGov polls; perhaps this was in fear of a repeat of her interview with Nick Ferrari earlier this year. However, when she did speak, she did a stellar job as well, thus keeping the Greens relevant in an ever-intensifying election race.

Conclusion

The UK General Election battle is certainly intensifying, but it is also widening. Nobody could have possible expected so many parties to be in the running for seats in Westminster.

In response to the idea that we are facing an era of ‘rainbow politics’ where numerous political parties have authority, it would definitely seem as though the ‘two-party system’ between Labour and the Conservatives is now at an end. Whether all of the parties involved in last night’s debate actually gain influence in Westminster, remains to be seen.

#RIPTopGear? What happens now?

Jeremy Clarkson’s contract will not be renewed, according to the BBC.

In a press release, a spokesperson for the BBC stated that this has been done “after a very careful consideration of the facts and after personally meeting both Jeremy and Oisin Tymon [the producer involved in the incident].”

The BBC went on to praise Clarkson for his contribution to British television, saying that “Jeremy is a huge talent. He may be leaving the BBC but I am sure he will continue to entertain, challenge and amuse audiences for many years to come.”

This news comes after an inquiry into the incident, which found that “During the physical attack Oisin Tymon was struck, resulting in swelling and bleeding to his lip. The verbal abuse was sustained over a longer period, both at the time of the physical attack and subsequently.”

The full statement released by the BBC

So where does this leave the BBC, and particularly Top Gear?

The motoring show has become one of the BBC’s main sources of income, and is the most popular UK-produced show internationally (alongside Downton Abbey). Clarkson was a huge part of the show’s appeal, and will be sorely missed.

Co-presenter Richard Hammond states that he is “gutted at such a sad end to an era.”

In addition, it is rumoured that Richard Hammond and James May, have said they will not continue filming without him.

This leaves the show’s producers in a bit of a pickle. Do they just replace Jeremy Clarkson, and deal with having two potentially unhappy presenters, or find a brand new trio to take the show forwards?

Top Gear is a globally popular TV show
Source: BBC Worldwide

There has been talk of all three presenters going to another broadcasting company to continue making Top Gear. Sky, Channel 4 and ITV have all had their names thrown into the hat. However, this is not a perfect solution.

Many years ago, Jeremy Clarkson sold the copyright of Top Gear to the BBC; included in this was that he couldn’t go to a different broadcasting company to make another car show.

As a result, a broadcasting company would have to buy the rights to Top Gear, as well as both James May and Richard Hammond, leaving them to weigh up whether the expenses are worth the profit.

The police are also apparently “liaising with the BBC” with regards to the incident.

Britain’s favourite car show will never be the same again.

Man jailed after relationship breakdown

A man has been sentenced for numerous charges, all linked with the end of his relationship with a woman.

Ben Andrews, aged 30, breached restraining orders, assaulted his ex-partner, malicious communication  towards a social worker and assaulting a police officer.

All events took place between November 2013 and February 2014.

Mr Andrews breached the restraining order put into place by his ex-partner, when he contacted her not only face-to-face, but through messages via Facebook and texting.

He also attacked her late in December 2013, when he hit her whilst riding past on his bicycle.

Due to the existence of a child between the two, a social worker had been brought in to help with family matters. The court heard that when tensions between the parties were at an all-time low, Ben Andrews contacted the social worker, threatening to “Sort her out.”

He then tried to call the social worker another six times.

Additionally, when arrested by police, it is reported that he spat at an officer. Ben Andrews, who has 24 previous convictions, pleaded guilty to all charges.

Judge Henry said that it was “an unpleasant series of events.”

Mr Andrews was sentenced to a total of 16 months in prison.

Juncker’s European Army: Is it a good idea?

The European Union needs to create its own army, according to the President of the European Commission, Jean-Claude Juncker.

The move is designed to be a show of power in the face of Russian aggression.

Mr Juncker says that the move “would convey to Russia that we are serious about defending the values of the European Union.”

Russian President Vladimir Putin is considered to be the reason the EU needs an army

Under Vladimir Putin, Russia have been showing their hand recently; the invasion of Ukraine and flying fighter bombers near UK airspace, to name but a couple of incidents.

This ‘hard power’ appeared to have put the European Union on the back foot; this has allowed Mr Juncker to put forward this idea once again, having campaigned for it numerous times in the past.

However, this plan has been poorly received throughout EU member states.

For example, a UK government spokesman said: “Our position is crystal clear that defence is a national – not an EU – responsibility and that there is no prospect of that position changing and no prospect of a European army.”

There are numerous additional flaws with this plan:

• Creates two military ‘blocks’, giving rise to a setup akin to the Cold War.
• Lack of financial support. Members already give financial backing to the EU. It would be unreasonable, given the fragility of the current economic climate, to request additional funding.
• NATO. A global military force already exists, under the command of a greater power than the EU (the United Nations). What’s the point of creating a smaller, less effective force?
• Shift towards ‘soft power’. Most developed states tend to prefer negotiation and persuasion over the use of brute force; therefore, the ‘Military of the European Union’ would not only antagonise external forces, but be seen as irrelevant by member states.

There simply isn’t a need to create a military power bloc. In a world as socially and politically developed than ours, we should surely be above this.

Mr Juncker, this isn’t the 1950s anymore.

South West Trains in engineering crisis

South West Trains has come under heavy scrutiny recently, particularly over their train line running from Weymouth to London Waterloo.

Many passengers have criticised the service, claiming that it is constantly under maintenance.

The most recent issue which has arisen is from Bournemouth to Wareham, where a replacement bus service is being used to transport customers due to repairs to the track.

Trains are frequently disrupted by maintenance

However, the 22:23 train service to Weymouth passed through this entire segment. So what is going on with South West Trains?

The issue that could arise here is that the engineering done on the line could be vital to the structural integrity of the track. So it’s possible that passengers being allowed to travel on potentially dangerous railway lines.

Furthermore, disruptions to this line are frequent enough to cause widespread inconvenience.

Additionally, the number of trains running dropped significantly over last weekend, with passengers having to wait over two hours for another train to arrive.

According to a press release, there will also be engineering works from Monday 2^nd March to Friday 6^th March, with replacement buses from Wareham to Weymouth, Bournemouth to Poole as well as Weybridge to Guildford.

It’s clear that the train company has to make vast improvements. Put simply, it is unacceptable for a public service to be so poorly maintained.

Man imprisoned in drugs crackdown

A man has been sent to prison today for possession of crack cocaine.

Fahad Salaad, aged 20, was charged with possession earlier this year. He pleaded guilty to a single count of possessing cocaine with the intent to supply.

Mr Salaad was arrested in August 2014 after trying to run from police. He was found to have crack cocaine on his person and, upon questioning, claimed that it was for personal use only.

The drugs on his person were worth £200 in total.

It was decided by Southampton Crown Court that Mr Salaad was not a significant individual in this drugs operation, and did not consider himself to be a dealer. However, he understood his role in the operation, hence his guilty plea.

Currently homeless, Mr Salaad was abandoned by his mother at the age of 15, and cannot read or write.

He was sentenced to 19 months in prison, but could be released halfway through on good behaviour. The judge said that Fahad Salaad was “exploited… you were vulnerable.”

The drugs found on him are to be destroyed.