Alexandra's Ashes

Monday the 17th of May hundreds of flights had been cancelled or delayed again due to the volcanic ash cloads in the skies.
The airports around London had been closed all morning before reopening around 1pm. However, delays still continued. Some long-haul flights which were expected to arrive that day, did not arrive until late. Some people had to wait for a whole day to fly again, while others could not fly at all due to complete cancellation.
But the most disturbing of this all is the fact that the airports might have been able to stay open. British Airways chief executive Willie Walsh said that the bans on flying were "A gross over-reaction to a very minor risk" he also said: "I am very concerned that we have decisions on opening and closing of airports based on a theoretical model" There was no evidence of ash in the skies over London that day, yet Heathrow and other airports were closed.
They are now looking at how they can allow safe flying through a somewhat higher threshold of ash.


When the first volcanic ash clouds came into the news in April, I was not very concerned about them. I did not want to fly anywhere anyway, so it was not my concern, as long as it did not harm our health.
However, my flight was scheduled May 17 at 7.10 am. So when I heard about this second ash cloud aproaching the day before, I did start to get slightly nervous. Arriving at the airport, my flight was indeed cancelled and postponed to 8 pm. (Our plane finally took off at ten to twelve that evening.)
But when I read this article and find out that closing the airports might have been a rash and not even neccesary decision, I feel slightly annoyed. We missed a whole day of London, just because of some ash cloud that possibly was not even there!
However, I must say that I am happy that they are now trying to find better ways to deal with these ash clouds. Because the ash clouds are causing more trouble than they are supposed to!


Link to article: http://www.independent.co.uk/news/uk/home-news/heathrow-and-gatwick-reopen-following-ash-cloud-delays-1975228.html

Modern Day Jack the Ripper

Police are questioning a man who is being suspected of the murder of three women. The body parts of these women have been found floating in a river.
Although one of the bodies is yet to be identified, it is believed to be the body of Suzanne Blamires. The other bodies are identified as Shelley Armitage and Susan Rushworth. All three of the women were prostitutes. All of these women had been missing for several months.
The man who is being questioned was originally questioned just for the suspicion of murdering Blamires. But officers had been granted extra time to question him about the other two women.
Blamires had been missing since Monday 26 April. Earlier this month the police launched a search for her. Blamires was engaged in drugs and alcohol, which made her a risk.
Detectives say that the murder of Rebecca Hall, also a prostitute, who was murdered in 2001 is not linked to these murders.



This story reminds me of the story of Jack the Ripper. A man who for some (unknown) reason mutilates and kills prostitutes. I however see one large difference in detail. Whereas Jack was never arrested, an actual suspect for these recent murders has already been found.
I think I will never understand why someone would kill another human being, but this case is even harder to understand. There is no explanation for what the man did, it seems like he just killed them for no reason at all.
Although he has not yet been proven guilty, I do hope they have caught the right man, so he can be locked away safely. I would not be able to walk the streets safely myself if I knew wicked people like him walk those streets as well.

Link to article: http://www.guardian.co.uk/uk/2010/may/26/police-arrest-man-bradford-murders

"If I can't have you, nobody can"

A man from London was jailed today for murder. The victim was his own wife. Businessman Mark Campbell, 53, killed his own wife, Olga Pleguezuelos, after she told him she wanted to leave him to start a new life in Las Vegas.
Campbell married Pleguezuelos after leaving his former wife and children for her. However, Pleguezuelos became tired of Campbell and she decided to accept a job offered to her in the US.
A week after Campbell found out his wife was offered the job, he read a text message from a man she met abroad. After reading this message Campbell became overly jealous and obsesive. After that, it did not take long before Pleguezelos was dead. Campbell attacked her at their bedroom, placed a pillow over her head and stabbed her with a knife.
The judge says Campbell must now serve a minimum term of 14 years.


There is no justifying this. It is simply horrible and selfish what this man did. Murder is always a horrible thing, but when it happens because a man is jealous, obsessed and will not let a woman go, it is even worse. This woman should not have died, she had the right to choose for her own life because the life she was living with her husband was not making her happy.
In my opinion 14 years is not enough for murder. When you take somebody’s life it is only fair to spend the rest of your own life in jail.
I also think it was very brave of the wife to decide she wanted to leave her husband and start a new life of her own. If her husband was not so possesive and controlling she probably would have never left him.


Link to article: http://www.independent.co.uk/news/uk/crime/jealous-husband-jailed-for-killing-wife-1981823.html