September stuff

It's a bug's life
I just link the pictures to be honest.

The other silk road

The migration of creepy crawlies in South Africa's Kruger National Park... but on a much smaller scale in comparison to the wildebeest. And I'm guessing a different pace as well ;)

Slightly strange

Lady Gaga's meat dress
Just when you thought she couldn't get any weirder...

An earthquake in London - really?

As if the floods in Pakistan, the volcano in Indonesia and the other numerous disasters of late weren’t enough, experts are theorising that London is overdue for a major earthquake. I really hope not :(

The picture below shows the currently active Indonesian volcano in background. How scary does the dark sky look and could you imagine living nearby knowing that any moment now it could erupt? Very scary!

Silent protest at it's best 

This has to be the funniest way to protest.

Question: What do you do if your bank won’t lend you any money?
Answer: Simple, just brick up the bank entrance!
The article describes how property developer Cameron Hope, built an 8ft by 4ft wall in front of the entrance to the Barclays bank in Bournemouth.

Scientists have strated talking about a sixth sense

Well, now this is weird. A  study claims that some couples have similar thoughts and are so ‘psyhcologically alinged’ and so in tune that their brains start to work in sync. This happens when they connect on a deeper level – a sixth sense - and without any physical contact. How did they prove this? By using brain scans and analysing their nervous system via their heartbeats.

Clean freak
And people say I have issues with OCD and cleaning ;)

Last picture: Where's wally?

Um, did I miss anything?

No more Windows live spaces?

I left those guys (Windows Live spaces) a long time ago when I moved to Blogger and the only thing I took with me was the blog name Saima’s Space. However the subsequent transition from Blogger to Wordpress seemed to take forever. My cousin emailed me the following link this morning – Windows Live Blogging comes to an end. Yep. Windows Live Spaces is shutting up shop and all members will be encourage to sign up with Wordpress. Hmm, do you think the universe is giving me a shove to get my backside into gear? I’m so sorry I’m such a lazy blogger!!!

Medical students given iphones

I’m pretty sure Leeds medical school hates us.

Why else would they start handing out iphones to medical students? I understand that they are trying to give us the best possible education by making key resources readily available to us and having all the tools and information we need at our fingertips. Furthermore it is a first for the University and allows them to gain publicity. But personally I feel that the money spent on iphones would be best spent elsewhere – somewhere where it is really needed. Past medical students have done just as well carrying pocket sized handbooks summarising most of the information we need. Any information that is not found those in those handy guides can be located online via the various computers that located in each nurses/ ward station, the doctor’s mess and even in GP surgeries. FY1’s can be easily be contacted via their bleeps and most of the students tend to have their own mobile phones with them anyway.

So to conclude, personally I believe that handing out iphones is a little unnecessary and also it does seem a tad extravagant in these difficult times of recession where precious funds and resources need to be well utilised. This is in addition to the negative press we would get from critics saying how the education system is wasteful, going soft and so forth. Does anyone think I am being overly critical? Please bear in mind that I am also a student in the school of medicine at the University of Leeds… and I am eligible to receive an iphone as well.

The contest for the new Labour leader

Since losing control of the government to the joint coalition of Lib Dems and Tories, it’s fair to say that Labour have been a little down in the dumps. Who would blame them? They lost the election, they had no leader and there was a lot of infighting within the party members themselves. Even the leadership contest had a sense of uneasiness as people had the choice to choose their new leader whether it be, Ed Balls (smirk*), Diana Abbott, Andy Burnham, Ed Miliband or David Miliband. Now that has to be uncomfortable. I am of course referring to David and Ed Miliband competing against each other which culminated in Ed Miliband winning and beating party favourite David in the process... who also happens to be is brother. I can only imagine that family gatherings from this day forward may be somewhat awkward perhaps?

Upon hearing the results of the contest, David played the role of big brother well and congratulated his younger brother on winning and then subsequently resigned from his post in the cabinet stating that outsiders would try and create rifts when there was really no animosity between them. A little unfortunate as I do think David Miliband would have been good in the new cabinet, but at the same time I think he did the right thing as the media do love to stir things up.

So here’s to the new leader of the opposition! The Labour party really needs to pick up the pace and introduce some new ideas and I sincerely hope Ed Miliband has better luck than the last guy :)

Bad press

Islam seems to have taken a bit of a beating in the papers recently (more so than usual) and whilst I’ll usually let most things go, I have to be honest it has been a little annoying lately.

The latest thing has been the burning of the Quran by various people. I mean what exactly do these people expect to gain by carrying out such stupid and disrespectful acts? Clearly it will give extremists further ammunition and just add more fuel to an already out of control fire, so how will that help anyone?

On another related issue - Halal meat...

The newspaper makes it seem like there is something sinister going on in the UK. The article states how famous institutions such as schools, hospitals, pubs and certain famous sporting venues are serving ritually slaughtered meat (read as: meat prepared in accordance to strict Islamic law) without any warning. Controversial? Warnings? Hello? What aspects are they worried about that they public should be ‘warned’ about?

*Cue dramatic music* Britain goes halal.... but no-one tells the public!!! Shock! Horror!

The Twitter joke trial

Question: What happens when a joke is taken too seriously?

Answer: A waste of tax payers money!

A brief guide to the trial but honestly it really was a joke and I can’t believe it ended with the guy being convicted. Unbelievable!

UPDATE:

The appeal

Medical career open day

At an open day, a 17/ 18 year old college student considering medicine as a career, decided to talk to my friend and I happened to be nearby.

The college student to my friend: ‘So are you glad you chose medicine as a career?’

There was an awkward silence followed and my friend didn’t seem that talkative, so I decide to speak up...

Me: ’Um, well yes. It’s a rewarding career and it is a privilege to be present when...’

I get cut off by my friend...

Friend: ‘Let’s put it this way... there aren’t any other jobs in which I would I allow people to cough their potentially fatal germs all over me. So there has to be something rewarding on the other side of the equation to balance out all the nasty and depressing stuff.

College student: *looks confused* So... is that a no then?

The end result – a pretty frightened college student and I’m not entirely sure that we convinced the student to join the medical side. Also I should explain that friend was just having a bad day and is not always like that, (lol!) and personally I think my method of explaining was much better.

Bilal’s first day

Today is my baby brother’s first day at his new school. I say baby but he is actually 11 years old and is starting high school. Dad dropped him off for his first day, as he didn’t have enough time to have a trial run of his bus route, since we returned from our holidays. He looked so smart in his little blazer and also a little nervous as many of his friends had gone to different schools depending on their location and if they had any older siblings in their chosen school. Easier school runs for the parents I guess. Bilal unfortunately didn’t get his first choice of school which was Dixon’s Academy and I think that knocked his confidence a little bit. His second choice was Bradford Academy, which he did get a place at and from the reports and other parent reviews it seems like a great school and much better than some of the other choices. His third choice was Grange Technology College and I’m glad we didn’t have to consider them as (knowing what I now know of the school in my short time there) I don’t think he would have coped very well. He is just not an ‘innit’ boy (thankfully), lol!

A nervous looking Bilal off to school with dad. Bless!

Picking him up after his first day at the new school. Looking a lot happier than he did this morning :)

Pictures taken a few days later, when I picked him up from school again and had a few errands to run. I know I just can't help myself. Family members will notice that Billy's layers of clothing seem to be decreasing as the photo's go on. It's a issue I know! ;)

So Bilal’s back at school, dad’s back to work, mum’s unpacking and rearranging the house and my classes don’t start still the last week of September/ beginning of October. I am currently revising as I have exams to do as soon as semester starts!!!