Passengers on Virgin Pendolino train are told to sit on the floor for safety

The Evening Standard reports:

Shocked passengers were told to sit on the floor for their own safety as their train sped from London at up to 125mph.

The 10.48 Pendolino from Euston to Liverpool was more crowded than usual with 600 passengers on board.

Dozens were standing in the aisles when the train manager told them they would be travelling fast to make up for lost time and those standing should sit on the floor for "health and safety reasons".

Passenger Tony Bethel, 48, said: "They said that the train was diverted, then that it would go the usual route. "When they told us to sit on the floor it was the last straw."

Pendolinos, the fastest trains in the UK, have a tilting mechanism which allows them to travel around bends on the track without slowing down.

Virgin Trains services suffered delays and overcrowding [on 27 October 2011] because of the theft of signal cables in the Cheshire area.

A spokesman today denied that passengers had been put in danger. He said: "There was absolutely no safety issue involved. We are investigating reports that an instruction was given for passengers to sit on the floor."

A senior source said the manager may have been a "little over enthusiastic" with his instruction.

Parents must pay £100 a week for play scheme while South London school is closed

The Evening Standard reports:

Parents will have to pay £100 a week to send their children to school under a scheme organised by one of the country's highest-paid headteachers.

Mark Elms has announced his intention to close Tidemill Academy in Deptford early for Christmas because of problems with building work. Parents are being asked to enrol their children in a £20-a-day play scheme to cover the time when they would normally have been in class.

The primary school, which was granted academy status only recently, had been due to move to a new site during the half term break, ready to reopen there next week, but the building delays mean the move will now be postponed until December.

The timetable is being juggled to fit, meaning that the school will now close on December 7, two weeks earlier than planned. Families have complained that if the school had still been under local authority control - rather than being an academy in charge of its own budget and timetable - the local authority would have provided free child care.

Mr Elms, who earned about £200,000 last year in salary, backdated pay and by helping other schools, has to shut the Tidemill site in Frankham Street early so that the academy can be moved to Giffin Street nearby.

Leila Galloway, 47, who has a child at the academy, said: "If this had still been a council-run school this wouldn't have happened surely? The council would have had to offer a free or cut-price arrangement until mid-December to help parents in this difficult situation."

Tef Afante, 50, whose eight-year-old child is at the school, said: "For working mothers like me it's a nightmare.

"This service will cost parents with one child £100 a week and mums and dads with more children could pay much more."

In a letter to parents Mr Elms wrote: "We appreciate that the changes to the moving dates are extremely difficult and frustrating for parents - especially when we were so close to starting the move. Unfortunately there is nothing we can do and we have to now wait for the problems to be resolved. We would like to thank you all for your understanding."

Keith Geary, chairman of the governors, explained why the school had set up the play scheme, which is run by Schoolfriendetc, a national charity which runs after-school, breakfast and holiday clubs nationwide offering numeracy and literacy help and creative activities.

He said: "With the Schoolfriend club we are trying to give parents an option - there's no obligation for us to provide this service."

The school is moving to a new building in the £20million Deptford Lounge complex nearby, which will also house a library and community building.

Perhaps Mr Elms might like to donate a little of his £200,000 pay to help less well-off parents pay for the scheme.

Commonwealth leaders criticised for refusing to publish human rights report

The Guardian reports:

Commonwealth leaders have been accused of behaving disgracefullly after they declined to publish an "Eminent Persons Group" (EPG) reportcalling for the 54-nation body to improve its handling of human rights.

The atmosphere at the Commonwealth Heads of Government meeting (CHOGM) soured on Saturday when leaders were warned that this year's summit would be remembered as a failure.

Tempers rose after Commonwealth leaders bowed to pressure from South Africa and Namibia and declined to publish the EPG report, which proposes the creation of a new commissioner on the rule of law, democracy and human rights.

The southern African nations, whose concerns were shared by India, feared what one Commonwealth source described as the "imperial overtones" in the report's 106 recommendations. The commissioner would be given a mandate to speak out on human rights, unlike the secretary general of the Commonwealth who can only condemn abuses with the approval of foreign ministers.

Sir Malcolm Rifkind, the British member of the group, described the refusal of the leaders to publish the report as a "disgrace". The former foreign secretary, whose group decided to publish the report on its own, told a press conference in Perth: "The Commonwealth faces a very significant problem. It's not a problem of hostility or antagonism, it's more of a problem of indifference. Its purpose is being questioned, its relevance is being questioned and part of that is because its commitment to enforce the values for which it stands is becoming ambiguous in the eyes of many member states.

"The Commonwealth is not a private club of the governments or the secretariat. It belongs to the people of the Commonwealth..."

Some NHS staff have been posting patient details on Facebook

Computerworld reports:

NHS staff have been breaching the Data Protection Act (DPA) by posting confidential patient details and photographs on Facebook, a report has found.

This was one of the ways that patient medical records were compromised by staff at NHS trusts across the country between July 2008 and July 2011. There were at least 806 separate data breaches at 152 NHS trusts during the period.

The report from civil liberties campaigners Big Brother Watch, based on information gathered from Freedom of Information (FOI) Act requests, showed that there were 23 incidents of patient information being posted on social networking sites such as Facebook.

In one case, a medical employee at the Nottingham University Hospital NHS Trust posted a picture of a patient on Facebook, which led to their dismissal. This employee was one of 102 who were sacked after a data breach incident.

However, in many cases, staff were only disciplined internally. This was the only consequence for civilian employees at Pennine Acute Hospital NHS Trust who sent information via Facebook to a parent of a patient and posted sensitive information on the social network site, and for a medical employee at the Cheshire and Wirral Partnership NHS Foundation (Mental Health) who breached confidentiality using Facebook, for example.

Although 74 NHS trusts failed to respond to the FOI request, the data provided by the other trusts show that there were 129 incidents of NHS staff looking up the personal details of their colleagues or family members.

Twenty-four NHS Trusts reported 57 incidents of staff stealing, losing or leaving behind confidential medical information.

"This research highlights how the NHS is simply not doing enough to ensure confidential patient information is protected.

"As the Summary Care Record scheme is rolled out and an increasing number of people have access to private patient information, urgent action is needed to ensure that we can be sure our medical records are safe," said Nick Pickles, director of Big Brother Watch.

Earlier this month, Information Commissioner Christopher Graham said data breaches in the NHS continue to be "a major problem". Of the 47 undertakings the ICO has agreed with organisations that have breached the Data Protection Act since April, over 40 percent (19) were in the healthcare sector.

MP threatened by Muslim extremists at London mosque

BBC News reports:

An MP has described how he waited for police behind a locked door during a constituency surgery after he was threatened by a group of men.

Mike Freer said it happened at North Finchley mosque in north London as he met constituents on Friday afternoon.

Mr Freer said about 12 people forced their way inside, with one of them calling him a "Jewish homosexual pig".

The trouble began after messages on the Muslims Against Crusades website urged supporters to target him, he said.

Mr Freer said a message posted ahead of the incident on the group's website made reference to Labour MP Stephen Timms, who was stabbed while holding a surgery in east London last year.

It warned the attack on Mr Timms should serve as a "piercing reminder" to politicians that "their presence is no longer welcome in any Muslim area".

The Finchley and Golders Green MP, a member of the Conservative Friends of Israel, said there was a vocal demonstration outside the mosque as he began his surgery, but then a second group of people arrived and forced their way inside.
'Blood on hands'

"One of them sat at a table where I was dealing with a constituent and was abusive," he said.

The MP said he was then escorted by staff at the mosque to a locked part of the building until assistance arrived.

Mr Freer said he only realised the potential danger he had been in when he was made aware of the website's reference to the attack on East Ham MP Mr Timms.

The message also stated that "as a member of the Conservative Party", Mr Freer had "the blood of thousands of Muslims on his hands".

"Had I seen the website beforehand, I suspect it might have been a bit more worrying," the MP said.

Mr Freer, who played a prominent role in the campaign against Palestinian activist Sheikh Raed Salah's visit to the UK earlier in the year, said he would "continue to condemn all forms of religious intolerance".

He added that he wanted Home Secretary Theresa May to monitor closely the actions of Muslims Against Crusades.

A Metropolitan Police spokesman said: "Officers attended North Finchley Mosque at 4.10pm on Friday after a disturbance by protesters inside the building.

"There were no arrests."

America law firm Steven J. Baum's 2010 Halloween party allegedly included people dressed as homeless families

The New York Times reports:

On Friday, the law firm of Steven J. Baum threw a Halloween party. The firm, which is located near Buffalo, is what is commonly referred to as a “foreclosure mill” firm, meaning it represents banks and mortgage servicers as they attempt to foreclose on homeowners and evict them from their homes.

Steven J. Baum is, in fact, the largest such firm in New York; it represents virtually all the giant mortgage lenders, including Citigroup, JPMorgan Chase, Bank of America and Wells Fargo.

The party is the firm’s big annual bash. Employees wear Halloween costumes to the office, where they party until around noon, and then return to work, still in costume. I can’t tell you how people dressed for this year’s party, but I can tell you about last year’s.

That’s because a former employee of Steven J. Baum recently sent me snapshots of last year’s party. In an e-mail, she said that she wanted me to see them because they showed an appalling lack of compassion toward the homeowners — invariably poor and down on their luck — that the Baum firm had brought foreclosure proceedings against.

When we spoke later, she added that the snapshots are an accurate representation of the firm’s mind-set. “There is this really cavalier attitude,” she said. “It doesn’t matter that people are going to lose their homes.”

Nor does the firm try to help people get mortgage modifications; the pressure, always, is to foreclose. I told her I wanted to post the photos on The Times’s Web site so that readers could see them. She agreed, but asked to remain anonymous because she said she fears retaliation.

Let me describe a few of the photos. In one, two Baum employees are dressed like homeless people. One is holding a bottle of liquor.

The other has a sign around her neck that reads: “3rd party squatter. I lost my home and I was never served.” My source said that “I was never served” is meant to mock “the typical excuse” of the homeowner trying to evade a foreclosure proceeding.

A second picture shows a coffin with a picture of a woman whose eyes have been cut out. A sign on the coffin reads: “Rest in Peace. Crazy Susie.”

The reference is to Susan Chana Lask, a lawyer who had filed a class-action suit against Steven J. Baum — and had posted a YouTube video denouncing the firm’s foreclosure practices. “She was a thorn in their side,” said my source.

A third photograph shows a corner of Baum’s office decorated to look like a row of foreclosed homes. Another shows a sign that reads, “Baum Estates” — needless to say, it’s also full of foreclosed houses.

Most of the other pictures show either mock homeless camps or mock foreclosure signs — or both. My source told me that not every Baum department used the party to make fun of the troubled homeowners they made their living suing. But some clearly did. The adjective she’d used when she sent them to me — “appalling” — struck me as exactly right.

These pictures are hardly the first piece of evidence that the Baum firm treats homeowners shabbily — or that it uses dubious legal practices to do so. It is under investigation by the New York attorney general, Eric Schneiderman.

It recently agreed to pay $2 million to resolve an investigation by the Department of Justice into whether the firm had “filed misleading pleadings, affidavits, and mortgage assignments in the state and federal courts in New York.” (In the press release announcing the settlement, Baum acknowledged only that “it occasionally made inadvertent errors.”)

MFY Legal Services, which defends homeowners, and Harwood Feffer, a large class-action firm, have filed a class-action suit claiming that Steven J. Baum has consistently failed to file certain papers that are necessary to allow for a state-mandated settlement conference that can lead to a modification.

Judge Arthur Schack of the State Supreme Court in Brooklyn once described Baum’s foreclosure filings as “operating in a parallel mortgage universe, unrelated to the real universe.” (My source told me that one Baum employee dressed up as Judge Schack at a previous Halloween party.)

I saw the firm operate up close when I wrote several columns about Lilla Roberts, a 73-year-old homeowner who had spent three years in foreclosure hell. Although she had a steady income and was a good candidate for a modification, the Baum firm treated her mercilessly.

When I called a press spokesman for Steven J. Baum to ask about the photographs, he sent me a statement a few hours later.

“It has been suggested that some employees dress in ... attire that mocks or attempts to belittle the plight of those who have lost their homes,” the statement read. “Nothing could be further from the truth.” It described this column as “another attempt by The New York Times to attack our firm and our work.”

I encourage you to look at the photographs with this column on the Web. Then judge for yourself the veracity of Steven J. Baum’s denial.

Attorney Susan Chana Lask was one of the people mocked by Steven J.Baum staff at their 2010 Halloween party. You can watch a video of her criticising the company below:

Police in Oakland, California, fire tear gas at #OccupyOakland protestors who refuse to disperse

Red Green and Blue also has a video of a police officer throwing a flash grenade at protestors trying to help an injured person:



Political commentator Keith Olbermann has called for the Oakland police chief to be sacked:

Freedom of speech is freedom of speech, even opposite a school

This is Local London reports that parents of children at the Christ Church Primary School in Manor Drive, Surbiton, as well as neighbours are upset by anti-abortion bumper stickers displayed by a nearby religious order.

To me, this seems rather ridiculous.

These mothers may strongly disagree with the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith views on abortion, and may even find them offensive.

However, people have the right to display their political views, no matter how offensive others may find them. even if they live opposite a school.

The children who attend this school may be of primary school age, but it will not harm them to learn about the different views people have on abortion.

I would imagine that you would hear more offensive things walking through any primary achool playground.

The parents and neighbours should respect the views of Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith and stop complaining to the media.

Concerns raised over vulnerable patients at Epsom Hospital after CQC inspection

This is Surrey reports:

A HOSPITAL has been told to improve after a health watchdog ruled its vulnerable patients could be "at risk".

The Care Quality Commission (CQC) inspected Epsom Hospital and found it met standards in four out of five key areas, but concerns were raised over "standards of caring for people safely and protecting them from harm".

The CQC's report says the hospital, which is used by many Mole Valley people, is not meeting basic requirements on safeguarding patients and confidentiality, with some patients' diagnoses written on white boards at the foot of their beds.

It said: "There are shortfalls in staff training regarding the protection of adults and therefore the potential for vulnerable adults to be at risk.

"We asked several staff about what they would do, should they suspect an older person was the subject of abuse, outlining possible scenarios.

"Most of them said that they would tell the ward manager although we were alarmed by the response of one nurse, who insisted that they would try and manage the situation themselves."

The report added: "Some visitors raised concerns about lack of contact with the consultant in charge of their relatives' care.

"They told us 'we can't get any information', 'you can't get any information', 'we go home worried sick', 'we keep asking and asking, it's infuriating'.

"We spoke with several members of the clinical staff. They told us that staffing had been a real concern; they felt that most areas had been short of staff."

CQC inspectors visited the hospital in Dorking Road in July, but the report was published on its new website last week.

Regarding confidentiality, the report added: "White boards on the walls with patient's names and bed numbers on, which help staff to know where they are on the ward, at times included their diagnosis and this was visible for anyone to read."

Director of nursing Pippa Hart said: "As a trust, we are committed to ensuring each and every patient receives the very best possible care.

"Following a review by CQC, we were asked to do more to ensure our staff know what to do if they have concerns about a vulnerable adult. This includes if they felt a patient was being harmed, or at risk of being harmed, by a relative or a friend.

"As a result, we have implemented a raft of measures to raise awareness of the policy, including running additional training for staff and issuing a leaflet to all staff about what to do if they have concerns."

Funds needed for £4m Banbury care home

The Oxford Times reports:

A Christian nursing home is poised to mount a fundraising drive to build a £4m care home after buying a development site near the centre of Banbury.

Green Pastures said its 30-place home in Hawthorn Road – built 20 years ago after a fundraising appeal by the Banbury Baptist Church congregation – was full with a waiting list.

Manager John Langridge said: “Our residents are more dependent now than they used to be and we need better and more up-to-date facilities.”

The new home in Bath Road, formerly the site of a sheltered housing development, will be almost twice the size of the existing home and could open in about two years.

The charity has not yet decided what will happen to the existing home.

Government accused of “talking up” disability benefit fraud by shadow minister

DisabledGo News Blog reports:

Labour’s new shadow minister for disabled people has accused the government of “talking up” the issue of disability benefit fraud as it attempts to push through its sweeping welfare reforms.

Anne McGuire, herself a former minister for disabled people, told Disability News Service that she was “highly critical” of the “context” the government had created around its welfare reforms.

She was particularly critical of the focus on “benefits cheats”, when the government’s own figures show that only a “tiny proportion” of disability benefits claims are fraudulent.

She said: “People who cheat on disability benefits are not disabled people, and [the amount of fraud] is a tiny proportion.”

Government figures estimate that the overpayment of incapacity benefit due to fraud is just £20 million a year, or 0.3 per cent of spending.

She also attacked the government for not doing more to address offensive and inaccurate stories about “cheats” and “scroungers” in the media.

She said: “They certainly do not appear to have done anything to mitigate the wilder accusations in the tabloid media. That is something I will be wanting to raise in the Commons.”

She was speaking days after being appointed as her party’s new shadow minister for disabled people...

Three cheers for Ann McGuire. If she is still in her post and still doing such a good job in 2015, I will strongly consider voting for Labour. If neither of these are the case,I will not.

Boss made 300 redundant while being paid over £300k

The Oxford Times reports:

THE boss of an Oxfordshire-based education firm, which last month announced up to 300 people would be made redundant, has left the business.

RM Education chief executive Terry Sweeney who was paid £305,000 a year, stepped down on Tuesday. The announcement led to share prices rising from about 45p to 55p yesterday.

Perhaps if Mr Sweeney had been on a more reasonable salary, say £65k, he wouldn't have needed to make so many people redundant.

Oxford Samaritans need more volunteers

The Oxford Times reports:

A CHARITY which provides a listening ear for thousands of people each year is launching an appeal for new volunteers as it celebrates the 100th birthday of its founder.

The Samaritans were founded in 1953 by Chad Varah in London.

Mr Varah started the service after conducting a funeral for a 14-year-old girl who killed herself thinking she was seriously ill when she got her first period. He died in 2007 after devoting his life to the service.

To mark the 100th anniversary of Mr Varah’s birth, on Saturday, November 12, organisers of the Oxford service have launched a push to recruit more volunteers to man the 24-hour phonelines.

Branch director Martin Edis – who has been volunteering for 10 years – said: “Although Samaritans is a household name for so many people, there are an awful lot more who don’t know what we do and aren’t aware of the possibilities of somewhere to go when life has got tough.”

The branch – which opened in 1963 – receives more than 40,000 calls a year, sees about 300 people face to face in the branch in Magdalen Road and answers about 2,000 e-mails.

There are 110 volunteers currently, a figure Mr Edis would like to see rise to 140.

He said: “No two calls are the same.

“It can be people who have been bereaved, those with mental health issues, or financial hardships.

“You get the feeling even in conversations which aren’t necessarily about money, it still comes into the equation.”

Volunteers also take to the streets each Friday, in Cornmarket Street from 8pm to 11.30pm., looking to offer support to anyone who may need help.

Among the volunteers at Oxford is Jo, who first started manning the phones in July 1962 in Reading and was trained by Mr Varah himself.

She said: “He was charismatic, inspirational, and also infuriating.

She added the founder was a “very exceptional man and the Samaritans meant an enormous amount to him".

Now 74, she said she would continue volunteering as long as they wanted her to.

She added: “It can be emotionally draining but we do insist all our volunteers offload before they leave the centre.

“You leave it behind when you come away.

“I’m just glad to have been there.”

She said the Samaritans, the world’s first 24-hour telephone helpline, had developed from a position where they had little credibility that they would listen confidentially, without judgement.

Jo said: “We have taught people to trust us.”

Volunteers commit to four shifts a month, one of which must be a nine-hour night shift, and must take part in six evenings of training.

Mr Edis said: “We do realise it’s quite a big commitment, but it really is a privilege to be able to do it.”

An information evening will be held at the centre at 7.15pm on November 14.

* If you are feeling distress, despair or suicidal, call the Oxford Samaritans on 01865 722122 or the national number 08457 909090.

Donate to the Samaritians here

“Significant increase” in the number of negative newspaper stories about disabled people

DisabledGo News Blog reports:

There has been a “significant increase” in the number of negative stories about disabled people in national newspapers over the last six years, according to new research.

The Bad News for Disabled People report, which compared articles from 2004-05 and 2010-11, found that the proportion of stories about disability benefit fraud had more than doubled.

When focus groups were asked to describe a typical story in the newspapers about disability, benefit fraud was the most common subject mentioned.

There were also more stories discussing the alleged “burden” that disabled people are placing on the economy, and a fall in the number of articles about disability discrimination.

All the focus groups used by the researchers thought fraud was much higher than its true level, with suggestions that as many as 70 per cent of claims were fraudulent, justifying this by referring to articles they had read in newspapers.

Government figures estimate that the overpayment of incapacity benefit due to fraud is just £20 million a year, or 0.3 per cent of spending.

The report, written by the University of Glasgow’s Strathclyde Centre for Disability Research and Glasgow Media Group and commissioned by the disabled people’s organisation Inclusion London, concludes that there has been a shift from a “largely patronising portrayal of disabled people” in 2004-05 to one where “the predominant focus has been on disabled people as scroungers”.

There has also been a sharp rise in the use of offensive language used to describe disabled people, with terms such as “scrounger”, “cheat” and “skiver” found in 18 per cent of tabloid articles about disability in 2010-11 compared to 12 per cent in the same period in 2004-5.

The Daily Mirror increased its use of “pejorative” – unpleasant or disparaging – language from 4.3 per cent to 8.8 per cent of articles, but the greatest increase was found in the Daily Mail, the Daily Express and the Sun.

There was a large fall in the number of articles in which the suggestion that disabled people were “deserving” claimants of benefits was a “dominant theme”, with such articles in the Sun falling from 7.9 per cent in 2004-05 to zero in 2010-11, in the Daily Express falling from 6.2 per cent to 1.1 per cent, and in the Daily Mail falling from 1.4 per cent to 0.8 per cent.

This coverage contrasted with the Guardian and the Daily Mirror, both of which ran stories expressing concern about the impact of cuts to disability benefits on disabled people.

Professor Nick Watson, of the Strathclyde Centre, said: “Much of the coverage in the tabloid press is at best questionable and some of it is deeply offensive.”

Researchers found a “significant increase” in the reporting of disability in the five newspapers over the last six years, with 713 disability-related articles in 2004-5 compared with 1,015 in a similar period in 2010-11.

Anne Kane, Inclusion London’s policy manager, said media coverage was becoming more offensive at the same time that disabled people were facing the “savage impact” of government spending cuts.

She said: “The researchers at Glasgow University have done a great service by analysing the disturbing way in which bad government policy finds its reflection in pejorative language and an increasing portrayal of disabled people as ‘undeserving’.”

A senior Department for Work and Pensions spokesman said: “It is difficult for us to comment on what stories the media run or choose not to run.

“Ministers have said repeatedly that what they wanted to do is get the system working the way it should do for people who need help from the welfare state. We are not interested in tarring people as fraudsters or anything like that.”

He denied that the government was failing to take any action when newspapers published inaccurate and hostile stories about disability benefits.

Although he could not say whether he and his colleagues had complained about particular stories or to particular papers, he said DWP press officers frequently phoned the media when they published or broadcast inaccurate stories.

He added: “We phone up journalists and we attempt to correct the stories. My team do it, I do it, we try and correct articles when we see inaccuracies.”

Waltham Forest Council advertises 79K job despite spending cuts

Waltham Forest Council, which is responsible for screwing up managing one of the poorest areas of London, is cutting frontline services like most other councils.

While there may not be enough money to keep Harrow Green Library open, there is enough to pay a Head of Education Improvement £79,071 - £82,356 per annum for a 36 day week.

The council say:

Waltham Forest Council has an ambitious, future-focused vision for education improvement.

We have been working with our head teachers and principals over the last two years to build our ‘next practice’. These new arrangements have the confidence of our education community.

We are now looking to recruit an outstanding, visionary and proactive leader of education improvement.

You will:

Be a system leader with knowledge and understanding of how to improve education systems and a track record of raising standards of attainment;

Build effective and positive working relationships with head teachers, principals and governing bodies, including Academies, in order to influence and secure high quality education provision;

Be able to demonstrate evidence of innovation and future-focused leadership;
and
Take a longer term view and position the service so that it can thrive in a rapidly changing world, managing the impacts of national and local requirements.

At a time when people in the public sector on less than £30k are suffering from job cuts and pay freezes, I would have thought £40k would be the absolute limit for this role.

Dear residents of Waltham Forest, does your council believe that "we are all in this together"?

#occupylsx empty tents claim debunked

This video backs up a claim by a military scientist, who told the Guardian:

The military scientist, who asked not to be named, said on Wednesday that the photographers were not using the right camera settings, and consequently the information needed to draw any conclusions from the images had been lost.

He said: "They cannot make the assumption that they have made from those images. The way they are set up, you wouldn't be able to tell if there's anyone in the tent or not, especially if someone is sleeping in an insulated sleeping bag."

A camera of this kind would very rarely be able to see "into" a tent, said the scientist, as tent materials are almost always opaque to thermal imaging.

A photographer would only be able to detect internal activity if the tent fabric was itself re-radiating heat produced by a warm object behind it – and this in turn would only be possible if very specific camera settings were used.

But the scientist said: "The first thing I noticed when I saw those images was that the camera was on an auto setting."

In order for the images to be of any relevance, the photographer would have needed to manually adjust its settings, until the tents were clearly defined, in almost binary terms, against the background; and the figures of the occupiers walking around outside were completely over-exposed and apparently "white hot", rather than a spectrum of colours.

Via @AdamRamsey and MLiberal Conspiracy.

US law enforcement tried to remove online evidence of misconduct

Russia Today reports:

Google has been asked by a US law enforcement agency to remove several videos exposing police brutality from the video sharing service YouTube, the company has revealed in its latest update to an online transparency report.

Another request filed by a different agency required Google to remove videos allegedly defaming law enforcement officials. The two requests were among 92 submissions for content removal by various authorities in the US filed between January and June 2011. Both were rejected by Google along with 27 per cent of the submissions.

The IT giant says the overall number of requests for content removal it receives from governmental agencies has risen, and so has the number of requests to disclose the private data of Google users.

Brazil heads the first list with 224 separate demands to remove a total of 689 items from its search results, as well as from YouTube and various other services. Google says its social networking service Orkut is very popular in the Latin American country, which partially explains the number of requests.

Heading the list of countries requesting the disclosure of personal data is the United States, where a total of 5,950 submissions targeting 11,057 user accounts have been filed. Google fully or partially complied with 93 per cent of those requests. Second on the list is India, with 1,732 requests over a six-month period.

Russian officials filed fewer than 10 requests to remove content and 42 requests to disclose user information (which was the first time the number reached Google’s threshold for reporting). The company complied with 75 per cent of the Russian requests concerning content and none of those concerning user data.

Google says it hopes that its report will contribute to the ongoing public discussion on the ways the internet needs to be regulated.
Commenting on the incident, Jim Killock, executive director of the Open Rights Group, points out that YouTube is a public platform and any steps to censor it should be backed with a court order.

“Police seem to be advising Google on what material might be breaking the law, and then Google decides to censor this material without a court order,” he said, stressing that a court appearance should be part of making such judgments.

Ultimately, public media seem to becoming more of a police tool to gather evidence.

Killock recalled British Prime Minister David Cameron urging the news outlets to hand over material collected during the UK riots – both published and unpublished – to the police.

Doncaster Council sends legal notice warning that 10,000 staff could be fired

Councilwatch UK reports:

Council chiefs have been accused of bullying Doncaster’s local authority workers - by threatening to sack them all.

Doncaster Council has issued a legal notice to the unions warning them almost 10,000 staff could be fired and then rehired on different terms of employment.

The council last night stressed the move was not their “preferred outcome”.

But today Unison accused Doncaster Council of behaving like ‘a playground bully’ by sending out a notice to dismiss all workers - except teachers - as it seeks to force through £7.5 million worth of cuts to terms and conditions.

The Section 188 notice says the council intends to terminate the contracts of 9,941 staff and offer re-engagement on revised terms and conditions.

Unison regional organiser Robin Symonds said: “Negotiations between the council and the unions commenced on October 3 and are not due to conclude until mid-November.

“So far we have met four times to discuss the council’s proposals to cut our members’ pay and terms and conditions. We believed our negotiations were being conducted in good faith with the aim of reaching agreement, so to receive the Notice of Dismissals at this early stage is something of a shock.

“There is no legitimate reason why the council should issue the notice and we can only conclude that it is intended to bully us into agreement.

“This ‘agree or else’ ultimatum is a cynical move by the council and is not helpful to what is already a difficult process. Our members are worried about how they are going to make ends meet if their pay is cut by 5.4 per cent and the very last thing they need right now is to be threatened with dismissal.

“Unison members in Doncaster have already taken two days’ strike action to defend their jobs and terms and conditions.

“The council’s latest bullying tactic is likely to raise the temperature still further.

“We call upon Doncaster Council to rescind the dismissal notice in order to allow us to conclude our negotiations without a gun to our heads.”

Local Unison official Jim Board added: “We had a meeting with chief executive Rob Vincent and finance director Simon Wiles on Monday and they must have known this notice was being sent out. It’s an absolutely disgraceful step by the council while negotiations are underway.

“This demonstrates a failure to take the negotiations seriously and deliberately drive through changes without the union having a say.

“This is a bullying approach which is now hanging over us and we will respond very quickly by initiating internal dispute resolution procedures.”

Paul Smillie, the convenor for Unite’s 800 members at the authority, told The Star: “We deplore the way Doncaster Council has taken this approach to re-engage people on new contracts as we started negotiations on October 3 and they took a decision before we reached any agreement. Our members are up in arms about it.”

Doncaster Council’s director of finance and corporate services, Simon Wiles, said: “We are conducting regular and meaningful discussions with trade unions on how best to achieve significant savings through changes to terms and conditions of employment.

“The stark reality is we need to make savings of up to £7.5m from changes to terms and conditions in order to balance our planned 2012/13 budget. We have put forward a range of options for consideration by the unions and we will continue to make every effort to drive forward negotiations with them in order to reach an agreement.

“We are following the formal collective consultation process because ultimately if we are unable to achieve our preferred outcome of reaching a collective agreement, one option available to us to bring about these changes is to terminate and re-engage staff contracts of employment. However, this is not our preferred outcome."

Civil servants spend £5K on bongo drumming day

The Guardian reports:

The Cabinet Office, which is overseeing the release of data, spent £2,260 at John Lewis following an office refurbishment, while other documents showed civil servants from the Communities department spent £5,000 on a bongo-drumming day and the Department of Health spent £258 on finger puppets...

While Michael Dugher, the shadow Cabinet Office minister, said figures showed staff were out of touch during "a squeeze on families across the country", Maude said they showed the government was determined to become a world leader in transparency.

Former UK prime ministers scrounging off the taxpayer

The Guardian reports:

Lady Thatcher has claimed more than half a million pounds from a taxpayer-funded allowance for former British prime ministers, official figures reveal.

Thatcher heads a list of former prime ministers who have claimed £1.7m in the past five years from the public duties cost allowance, set up to cover office and secretarial costs incurred for public duties.

Figures revealed by the Cabinet Office minister, Francis Maude, in response to a written parliamentary question by the Conservative MP Philip Hollobone, show that Thatcher has received £535,000 from the state since 2006, and John Major, who set up the allowance in 1991, has received £490,000.

Tony Blair has claimed since 2007 and received £273,000. The figures reveal he received £169,076 in 2008-9, more than his salary in office.

The public duties cost allowance is administered by the Cabinet Office and claims must be supported by documentary evidence.

Thatcher, who has suffered ill health which limits her engagements, still attends some public events, including an address by the Pope in the UK.

According to figures released last year the maximum allowance claimable doubled from £47,568 in 1997-98 to £100,205 in 2008-9. Defending the allowance's value for money, Maude said: "The public duties cost allowance is kept under review."

One law for us, and one law for them.

Tfl Service Updates box looking a little odd

I think I preferred it when the boxes not signifying "Good Service" were blue. Not sure why the lines have been moved round either.

Warning of new energy scam

Council Watch UK reports:

A warning has gone out for people to be aware of an energy savings scam.

It follows a number of complaints to Pembrokeshire County Council's trading standards team from concerned residents, who have received unsolicited phone calls about an electricity savings device.

The callers, who may be ringing from abroad, claim that the £99 device can save 40% off electricity bills by simply plugging it into the socket.

Trading Standards Manager Nigel Watts said although these products were sold in other countries there was no evidence that they were effective or would work in the UK.

“There is a risk that the goods will not be delivered or perform as claimed, and as the seller is outside the UK, once they money has been paid, it is extremely unlikely that people will be able to get it back,” he said.

“Our advice is to be cautious about giving debit or credit card details out, especially in response to unsolicited phone calls.”

He said the callers may give a UK number, which may not be valid. The caller may also have the name of the consumer - as well as some other personal information such as the consumer is a pensioner.

They may also request further information such as date of birth etc.

If people receive a suspicious call and need advice, they are advised to report the matter to Consumer Direct Wales on 0808 1566768 or Welsh language line 08454 04 05 05.

Court blocked efforts to re-house vulnerable man before death

This is Local London reports:

Court rulings blocked efforts to move a vulnerable young man out his squalid flat in the weeks before he died, an inquest has heard.

Experts decided that despite his learning difficulties Christopher Sanders - who was found dead on his sofa as worried social workers fought a legal battle to move him into respite accomodation - had the capacity to choose where he lived, an inquest heard this week.

And in the months before his death in November 2010 Mr Sanders decided to stay with his alcoholic father.

The inquest, which opened in March but resumed at Wesminster Coroner's Court on Tuesday, heard the 21-year-old died of the chest condition mediastinitis after about three days of illness.

It also heard that the dirty state of the flat in Sadler Close - which had dog mess in its carpets and was littered with empty takeaway boxes - might have lead to the illness that killed him.

Mr Sanders, who had a hormone condition causing serious health problems as well as learning difficulties, had lived with his step-father Kevin Fisher since Mr Sanders' mother died in 1999.

The court heard evidence from Merton Council social workers that Mr Fisher, an alcoholic, was abusive and repeatedly tried to stop his son getting help from social services.

The family had been known to the council for years, but in autumn 2010 it had increasing worries about Mr Sanders welfare after he dropped out of college. Merton social worker Victoria Lewis said: “We felt we needed to get him out of the home.”

However a Court of Protection ruling earlier in the year, after assessments by a social worker and psychiatrist, had found Mr Sanders had the capacity to choose where he lived.

The authorities were still trying to persuade him to spend a fortnight in respite care out of the family home when he died.

Coroner Dr Shirley Radcliffe said the local authority had done everything it could to protect the young man.

Ms Lewis's manager, Jonathan Brown, said: “We don't feel there is anything we could have done differently. We were working in the legal framework that was set out for us.”

He added the authority had tried a “charm offensive” to win over Mr Fisher, who he said lived an isolated and co-dependent life with his step-son.

On Tuesday the family's GP said a virus could have caused the heavy vomiting that damaged Mr Sander's throat and contributed to his death on November 13 - but after seeing pictures of the filthy flat, said food posioning was also a possibility.

Dr Radcliffe recorded a narrative verdict.

Police searching for vandals who placed metal objects on the track in Cardiff

The British Transport Police (BTP) have condemned “mindless vandals” who placed troughing lids and corrugated metal sheets on the railway in Cardiff, subsequently struck by two trains.

The busy passenger services collided with the metal objects at St Fagans on Saturday 22 October.

Both trains – on board which were a number of Swansea City fans returning from their club’s Barclays Premier League match at Wolverhampton – were brought to a standstill as officers cleared the tracks and train staff checked the services for damage.

The first incident, which was reported to BTP at 6pm, involved the 1545hrs London Paddington to Swansea service.

An hour later, the 1645hrs London Paddington to Swansea service also struck metal objects deliberately placed on the tracks in the same location.

Cardiff based Inspector Gary Ash said: “This was a deliberate and malicious act which could so easily have resulted in tragedy.

“Both trains were very busy and the safety of those passengers was seriously compromised by this senseless act of vandalism.”

Inspector Ash said the incidents – which took place the Cardiff side of the St Fagans level crossing, in an area known locally as Plymouth Woods – had left him stunned.

“This was a determined effort to damage trains and the potential results of these actions really does not bear thinking about. I cannot understand why anyone would do this sort of thing.

“We will be stepping up patrols in the area during half-term and beyond. I am absolutely determined to catch those responsible for this callous act.

“Officers are currently conducting local inquiries into the incident and I would ask anyone with any information that could help our investigation to come forward as a matter of urgency.”

Anyone with information about this incident should contact British Transport Police on Freefone 0800 40 50 40 quoting reference B6/WCA of 26/10/2011 or call the independent charity Crimestoppers anonymously on 0800 555 111.

The unusual priorities of Waltham Forest Council

Both stories are from the Waltham Forest Guardian:

1..

A CENTRE providing food and warmth for the elderly, homeless and vulnerable is to close after 30 years due to lack of funds.

The Village Drop In at Trinity United Reformed Church (URC) in Orford Road, Walthamstow, will serve up its final meal this Friday (October 28).

The three-day-a-week service had over 70 local volunteers at its peak and dozens more users, although numbers have declined in the past decade.

Church secretary Derek Collins said the council axed its £10,000 annual funding in March as part of cost-cutting and the organisation had been trying to find alternative sources of cash ever since.

2.

WALTHAM Forest Council has reportedly spent more than £16,000 of taxpayers' money on 'leadership courses' in the last two years.

The figure, obtained by the Evening Standard under the Freedom of Information Act, has been criticised as an example of local authority spending on "frippery" training by the IsItFair campaign group.

The Guardian is awaiting further details of the spending and a comment from the council.

So funding a centre for homeless people in one of the poorest and roughest parts of London is less important than wasting money on leadership courses.

Association for Supported Living releases new report on care for people with learning disabilities

United Response reports:

Back in May, a Panorama documentary on the shocking treatment of people with learning disabilities at Winterbourne View caused shock and outrage, not only within the social care sector, but across the nation as a whole.

Swift, if belated, action was taken to bring an end to these appalling acts of abuse, with the immediate and permanent closure of the institution, and the rehousing of those living at Winterbourne.

Five months on however, questions still remain over how conditions in that institution were allowed to become so dreadful, and how we can ensure that such a situation never happens again.

‘There is an Alternative’ a report published by the Association for Supported Living (ASL), last week, is an attempt to provide some answers. More importantly, it identifies a constructive way forward.

Through 10 stories of people who have moved on from a hospital setting to supported living, the report demonstrates why community-based support is a better alternative to the institutional model of care.

The report highlights the effectiveness of supported living over institutional care in dramatically improving quality of life and responding to challenging behaviour, but also demonstrates the savings that it can represent to the public purse, providing better value and safer support for people with learning disabilities.

Given these findings, the report concludes by calling upon the Government to take urgent action to bring an end to institutional care.

No-one who saw the Panorama documentary could fail to be shocked and angered by the sheer of lack of compassion that they witnessed. But the time has come to turn those emotions into positive actions.

The report from ASL provides us with a way forward that could provide a better life for the 1,900 people with learning disabilities who are still living in an institutional setting.

It is the duty of all us to ensure that this happens, and that scandals like Winterbourne View become a thing of the past.

Mary Portas' charity shop cap proposal is a mistake

Retail guru Mary Portas has called for a cap on the number of charity shops claiming rate relief, claiming there are too many in our town centres.

She is worried about businesses struggling to compete due to their rate relief.

I strongly disagree. I do not think their are enough charity shops.

In Kidlington, where I live, there are three excellent charity shops and a number of vibrant businesses. The charity shops are some of the most popular retail units for people to visit and sell a range of quality goods.

Business are struggling because people do not have as much disposable income to spend, and when they do they often shop online.

Many businesses have made the mistake of not lowering their prices enough to sell stock. Pound shops are heaving but top-range clothing stores are mainly full of people fantasizing.

Charity shops provide excellent work experience and can allow people to meet others and do good.

They also allow the majority of people in Britain, who may not read the Daily Telegraph but are still important for Portas to consider, to buy books, clothes, CDs, furniture and DVDs at prices they can afford, rather than taking out 1000% APR loans.

Of the many books I have bought in the last five years, I would estimate that 60% came from charity shops.

I wonder if Mary Portas would feel the same way about charity shops if she was helped by one of the many charities who rely on them to operate.

Wendy Mitchell, Head of Policy & Public Affairs at the Charity Retail Association, says:

The problems on the high street are nothing to do with charity shops. In fact, charity shops are often occupying premises which would otherwise be empty – so any cap on the number of charity shops is likely to increase the number of empty shop fronts.

The High Street Review should focus on the lack of consumer confidence, competition from out of town developments and ways to support small businesses through the downturn – not place the blame unfairly on charity shops.

According to the Charity Retail Association's research, 84 per cent of people said that they shopped in charity shops because of the quality of the goods, and because they could find better bargains: increasingly important as household finances are squeezed and real incomes fall.

Nearly two thirds of people on lower incomes shop in charity shops, and over 20 per cent of unemployed people and people on the lowest incomes said that they would increase their shopping in charity shops in the next year.

52 per cent of the people who said they would increase their buying in charity shops also saw shopping there as an affordable way to support a good cause at a time when they couldn’t afford to give cash donations.

39 per cent of those intending to buy more thought that it was especially important to support charities in this way in the current economic climate.

NorwegianBlue on the Huddersfield Daily Examiner site makes an excellent point:

Anybody reading her proposals should bear in mind that Ms Portas is a member of the retail and manufacturing trades and as such has a vested interest.

I have no objection to cutting the business rates for other shops, by the way. I just don't think charity shops should have their rates increased.

Secret phone at centre of News International hacking found

The Independent reports:

Specialist detectives from the Metropolitan Police have discovered the existence of a secret mobile phone within News International's east London headquarters that was used in more than 1,000 incidents of illegal hacking.

The Independent has established that the phone, nicknamed "the hub", was registered to News International and located on the News of the World's news desk. Operation Weeting, the Metropolitan Police's hacking inquiry, has evidence that it was used illegally to access 1,150 numbers between 2004 and 2006.

Weeting officers regard the extensive use of the phone over two years as significant new evidence, showing that phone hacking was carried out within the paper's newsroom.

Despite detailed company logs recording every call made on the hub phone, it was left unexamined by two internal News International inquiries, which dismissed the notion that phone hacking was rife at the title.

The phone's existence has been discussed with some victims of hacking during interviews conducted by officers from the Met's specialist crime directorate, who are reinvestigating illegal activities inside Rupert Murdoch's British subsidiary.

Who sanctioned the use of this "hub" phone, who kept it hidden and who used it illegally to access voicemails has become a key focus of the Operation Weeting inquiries.

Tom Rowland, a journalist and former television producer, whose phone was hacked 60 times between 2004 and 2006, and who has been given "core participant" status in the forthcoming Leveson inquiry, was told of the "NOTW hub" during an interview at Operation Weeting's headquarters in Putney, London.

Mr Rowland said: "They [Weeting detectives] showed me a phone log taken from inside News International. They said it was the 'NOTW hub' and showed a pattern of calls made to my mobile phone." The log reveals his mobile number being accessed over 60 times, with specific dates listed.

A former journalist on the NOTW confirmed the existence of the "hub phone" saying that, inside his former newspaper's offices, it was controlled by a nucleus of individuals on the newsdesk, leaving reporters to operate "like IRA cells who were assigned stories, given precise information, but never told where this information actually came from".

The former reporter claimed that the newsdesk executives at the tabloid "kept their cards close to their chests". He said reporters "would be told precisely where a person would be at a given time, so we could go and intercept, photograph and question them.

"That person would be surprised at how we had discovered their whereabouts. In retrospect the obvious explanation is that a voicemail was left somewhere in which the person had declared their intention to be at a specific location at a specific time."

The "hub" was described by the ex-reporter as being "at the heart of the NOTW newsroom". He said that it had been used to conduct hacking "on an industrial scale".

Dates on the phone logs from NI's internal telecommunications records point to a new front in Weeting's probe into the period between 2004 and late 2006.

The NOTW is known to have been phone hacking at least as early as 2002, at the time that 12-year-old Milly Dowler disappeared.

The practice continued through until at least 2007 when Glenn Mulcaire, a private investigator, and the former royal correspondent, Clive Goodman, were both jailed.

Mr Rowland, a journalist and former television executive at Endemol, the producer of Big Brother, said he had first been made aware of illegal intercepts earlier this year, when his provider from 2004 to 2006, T-Mobile, told him that evidence had been passed to the Met.

The Met's discovery of covert hacking from an internal company phone could not have come at a worst time for the UK subsidiary of the Murdoch empire.

James Murdoch, deputy chairman of News Corp, is facing severe criticism from the company's shareholders and is scheduled to reappear before the Commons Culture Committee investigating phone hacking on 10 November.

Last night a spokeswoman for the Metropolitan Police said the force was unable to comment. News International stated it was "continuing to cooperate fully" with the investigation...

Man convicted of assault by beating in Oxford, gets off with a fine

From the Oxford Times:

Dale Salter, 49, of no fixed address, convicted of assault by beating in Oxford on May 21. Also admitted failing to surrender to court bail on September 16 and shoplifting a bottle of Budweiser from Sainsbury’s in Oxford on August 26. Fined £350 and a £15 victims’ surcharge, deemed paid by detention in courthouse until the end of the day.

And, while we're here:

Alan Hathaway, 22, of Orchardville, Burnham, Slough, admitted intentionally causing harassment, alarm or distress by using threatening, abusive or insulting words or behaviour in Oxford on August 8 and commission of further offence while subject to a conditional discharge. Original offences of assault and criminal damage resentenced. Fined £200, a £15 victims’ surcharge and £85 costs.

Mugger jailed after robbing wheelchair-bound man with cerebral palsy

The Manchester Evening News reports:

A robber who sexually assaulted her victims has been locked up for a sickening attack on a man with cerebral palsy.

Natasha Dignum, 30, leaned over the man’s mobility scooter and squeezed his private parts before threatening to assault him with a hypodermic needle.

The robbery bid – which came moments after the young man had withdrawn £60 from a cashpoint – left him feeling ‘sexually violated’, Manchester Crown Court heard.

The court heard Dignum, of Ashton Old Road, Openshaw, repeatedly targeted vulnerable men, asking for spare change before throwing them off guard with a sudden grope or hug while she tried to pick their pocket.

Her lengthy criminal record includes four previous convictions – three of them for crimes committed earlier this year – involving the bizarre groping technique.

The latest victim was at a cashpoint in Manchester when Dignum approached him and asked him for £1 .

When he said he hadn’t got one, she cupped him between the legs and squeezed tightly with one hand, using the other to grab at the money in his jeans pocket.

She told him:‘I have a needle in my pocket – if you shout I will use it’. A woman walked up to the cashpoint and asked the victim if he was all right. He said he was – too scared to speak up.

Dignum pulled away from her victim at this point, giving him the chance to grab back the £40 of the money she had taken from him. She ran off with the remaining £20, but was arrested nearby within 45 minutes.

Speaking of his ordeal, the victim said: “I was unable to sleep in the same bed as my wife for three days afterwards. I just couldn’t let my wife touch me. Even now our love life is non-existent – when the girl who robbed me grabbed my testicles I felt it was sexual. I’m reluctant to go out and I’m upset I was unable to defend myself through having cerebral palsy. ”

Max Saffman, defending, said of Dignum, who admitted robbery: “The escalation in her offending is as a result of her dependence on crack cocaine and alcohol. She makes no bones of the fact she was stealing to fund these addictions. It doesn’t make the offence any more palatable but explains why she behaved in the way she did.”

He said Dignum was proud of having gained three stone in prison and was a ‘more rounded and reflective character’ than she was at the time of the offence.

“She knows it’s to be a lengthy sentence, she accepts that and she accepts she must be punished. She does, however, look at the future with a degree of
optimism. She making good use of her time in custody and physically she’s in much better health than before she went in.”, he added.

Sentencing, Judge Martin Rudland told her she had targeted a vulnerable victim in a ‘particularly unpleasant’ offence which had a marked affect on
him.

The judge added: “You clearly have developed a means whereby you repeatedly approach people who might be vulnerable to suddenly try and take money from
them by disorientating them, not least by a sexual approach.”

Dignum received four years, according to Click Manchester.

Disabled pair take Manchester city council to court over £39m adult care cuts

The Manchester Evening News reports:

Two severely disabled people have gone to court to fight multi-million pound cuts to council care services.

They are challenging a move by Manchester town hall to slash £39m from the adult care budget.

The council needs to make total savings of £109m over the current financial year - rising to £170m in 2012/13.

But the man and woman, who live in different parts of the city and cannot be identified for legal reasons, claim the council's decision-making and a consultation it launched were 'unlawful'.

Ian Wise QC, for the claimants, said in a document supporting the case: "As a result of the recent government spending review, the defendant seeks to cut £39m by 2012/13 from its adult social care budget, £25m being cut from the budget for 2011/12.

"Lack of resources is however no excuse for unlawful or unfair decision-making. Indeed, as the courts have recently said in a similar context, no matter how pressing the economic problems there is no overriding reason not to consult or act fairly."

The hearing at the High Court sitting at Manchester's Civil Justice Centre was told the two claimants - identified only as D and S - depend upon support from the council.

They claim it has failed to fulfil its obligations under disability legislation and that a consultation it carried out breached a duty of fairness.

Mr Wise said the care cuts would have an impact on 'thousands of people'.

But the council says the claim is 'devoid of merit' because its budget calculations were made with equality legislation in mind.

It says any award for the claimants would mean that council tax would have to be reset and would therefore 'prejudice the interests' of service users including disabled people the claimants are seeking to represent.

The council says in a document supporting the case: "If any relief is granted in respect of this claim as a matter of law, the court must quash the city council's budget calculations.

"This will invalidate the council tax set by the city council for the current year and will require it to be reset."

The case is the latest in a series of legal challenges over decisions by local councils to slash services following cuts to government funding.

Gang avoid prison despite torturing a boy for two and a half hours

The Evening Standard reports:

Two 17-year-old gang members who boasted they 'always get bail' walked free from court despite torturing a boy for two and a half hours.

They beat the 15-year-old unconscious outside Stepney Green Tube station and dragged him to a block of flats where they terrorised him with a home-made flame thrower and threatened to cut off his fingers.

Snaresbrook crown court heard how they and their gang committed further muggings and attacks. In one a 13-year-old boy was left with a fractured eye socket.

The 17-year-olds admitted robbery, violent disorder and assault causing actual bodily harm. They were sentenced to two-year rehabilitation orders. The judge described their attack on the boy as "incredibly terrifying".

Family of Libyan dissident launch legal case against British government

The Guardian reports:

The daughter of a Libyan dissident who was imprisoned by Muammar Gaddafi following a rendition operation mounted with the help of MI6 has told how her family was flown across the world and held for months while her father was being tortured nearby.

The wife and children of Sami al-Saadi have launched legal proceedings against the British government and its intelligence agencies, and say they are also planning to lodge a complaint with Scotland Yard over the role that the British authorities played in their abduction and detention.

Saadi's entire family were bundled aboard an aircraft in Hong Kong and flown to Tripoli in March 2004. His wife Karima al-Saadi and her four children, aged between six and 12, were held for months at one of Gaddafi's prisons.

The eldest child, Khadija, now 19, spoke the horror of being separated from her parents and forced on to the plane before being told that they were all being taken to Libya, where she knew her father would be tortured, and where she feared they would all be killed.

"The British government speak of human rights and justice – why were they involved with Gaddafi?" she asked. "The British knew too well that we would be mistreated and could be killed. The people who put us through this should be held accountable. I want an apology: they stole my childhood."

The Guardian also reveals the secret documents that show British intelligence officials believe the capture and rendition of Saadi and his associate, Abdul Hakim Belhaj, the leader of the Libyan Islamic Fighting Group (LIFG), boosted al-Qaida and undermined Britain's mission in Iraq.

Saadi, who is also known as Abu Munthir al-Saadi, learned last month of the key role that MI6 played in his family's rendition when Human Rights Watch, the New York-based NGO, discovered a batch of documents in the abandoned office of Gaddafi's former intelligence chief, Moussa Koussa.

Among the papers is a fax that the CIA sent to Koussa in March 2004, which shows that the agency was eager to join in the Saadi rendition operation after learning that MI6 and Gaddafi's government were about to embark upon it. Other papers show that an MI6 tipoff led to Belhaj being rendered to Tripoli the same month, along with his pregnant wife.

Two days before Saadi and his family were flown to Tripoli, Tony Blair arrived in the country for his first meeting with Gaddafi, embracing the dictator and announcing a new era of counter-terrorism co-operation.

Saadi embarked on his own legal action earlier this month, and like his family is suing MI6, MI5, the Foreign Office and the Home Office.

His case and that of his family join the list of 30 cases that Kenneth Clarke, the justice secretary, said last week were being brought by people alleging British complicity in their torture or rendition. Clarke has unveiled plans for legislation that will establish secret court hearings when the UK's intelligence agencies are sued, a proposal that has been welcomed by MI5 and MI6, but criticised by civil rights groups.

The courtroom secrecy would prevent claimants and the general public from learning more about the degree of ministerial approval for the UK/Libyan rendition operations.

Last month Blair and Jack Straw, who was foreign secretary at the time, sought to distance themselves from the matter. Shortly afterwards Sir Richard Dearlove, who was head of MI6, said ministers had authorised the UK's links with Gaddafi. Blair and Straw have both declined to say whether they knew which ministers were being referred to by Dearlove.

The Foreign Office said the government had not received notification of intended proceedings, and added: "The government stands firmly against torture and cruel, inhuman and degrading treatment or punishment. We do not condone it, nor do we ask others to do it on our behalf."

The Saadi family had been living in exile in China, and travelled to Hong Kong after approaching MI5 via an intermediary to ask whether they would be allowed to return to London, where they lived for a number of years in the 1990s.

They were under the impression they were to be interviewed by British diplomats in Hong Kong. Instead they were detained by border guards, held for several days, and then forced aboard an Egyptian airliner.

Khadija al-Saadi told how she and her two younger brothers, Mostapha and Anes, then aged 11 and nine, and six-year-old sister Arowa, were separated from their parents before being put on board the aircraft, which was empty but for a number of Libyan intelligence officers.

"I wasn't allowed to talk to my brothers or sister, and my brothers weren't allowed to play games, because they thought they might be using sign language," she said.

"After a while I was allowed to go into the next compartment and see my mother. She was crying. She told me they were taking us to Libya. Initially, I didn't believe it. Then I realised it was true, and I was very scared.

"I thought that my mother and father were going to be tortured and that we would all be killed. Then I was told to go and say goodbye to my father. He was handcuffed to a seat in another compartment and had a drip in his arm. One of the Libyan intelligence officers was laughing at me. I fainted."

Khadija came to shortly after the aircraft landed in Tripoli. Her mother and father were taken off, hooded and their legs bound with wire. Mostapha and Anes were blindfolded. The entire family was then driven in a convoy of vehicles to a prison at Tajoura, east of Tripoli.

"We were separated from my father, but he was later brought back to see us by Moussa Koussa before being taken away again. My mother was also taken away and interrogated for a whole day."

Khadija says she knew her father was being tortured. Every few days he was brought to see his family for a few minutes before being taken away again. "I think they were doing it to increase the pressure on my father."

At one point, when they had not seen their father for some time, the children decided to mount a hunger strike: "But they didn't care whether we ate anything or not."

Saadi's wife and children were released after two and a half months and cared for by relatives. The children were eventually allowed to enrol in school, Khadija going on to win a number of Libya-wide children's poetry contests.

Their father remained imprisoned for six years.

After the revolution that led to Gaddafi being killed, he described how he was beaten and subjected to electric shocks, interrogated about Libyans living in the UK and, on one occasion he alleges, interrogated by British intelligence officers, who he alleges took no steps to try to help him after he told them he was being tortured.

Moussa Koussa, he says, had boasted to him that MI6 and the CIA were helping him to round up Gaddafi's opponents around the world.

The family's solicitor, Richard Stein, of the London law firm Leigh Day, said on Monday: "At a time when Cameron was invoking Gaddafi's victims it is important to remember the Al-Saadi family. They were only victims of Gaddafi because of the complicity of the Blair government.

"At this time it is particularly important that the British government deals with it own role in these events and apologises immediately and unreservedly to Khadija and the rest of her family."

Cori Crider, of the legal charity Reprieve, which is also advising the family, added: "The bitter irony is that the very week Libya threw off dictatorship and the yoke of the secret police, Ken Clarke proposed to shroud British justice in secrecy. How would he explain to Khadija that her fate should be discussed behind closed doors? The UK must not mimic this toxic US practice."

Thoughts on my anxiety

I've been thinking about how my anxiety relates to me.

I see my mind as a kind of station, where thoughts arrive. There are two tracks.

Sometimes the "normal", non-anxious thoughts chug to one track in like London Underground trains.

Sometimes the anxious thoughts whizz in at 80mph, only just stopping in time.

Whereas a normal thought just opens its doors* once and then departs, the anxious train keeps on opening and closing its doors, saying "LISTEN TO ME! WORRY, WORRY, WORRY! DANGER FROM [X OR Y]."

That thought can be going round in my head while normal thoughts arrive and depart on the second track. I can't pay much attention to that thought as the anxious thought is occupying most of my attention.

This is course is very debilitating. Sometimes the anxious thought can be there for hours. It can come back, of course, as well.

Blogging and anxious thoughts:

Here are some of my fears related to this blog. These aren't major anxious thoughts, of course, as they are only about a tiny portion of my life. Unlike my more major anxious thoughts, they go after a while, and only recur once a week or so.

1. I blog too much.
2. My blogging takes place so much people will think I have no life, even though I only spend an hour or two a week blogging and I never usually blog about my life - this post is an exception.
3. My blogging makes me look like I am well, despite the fact three doctors**, 1 psychiatrist and a CMHT would disagree with anyone who said that.
4. No-one reads my blog on a regular basis.
5. My blog should be on one topic (probably true).
6. People are fed up of reading about Waltham Forest and Oxford (possibly true).
7. Some of the stories I blog on are not interesting.
8. Not enough people read my blog.
9. People on Twitter are fed up of my blog posts being in my tweets.
10. My blog makes me look bad because...
11. My donate links are not effective enough.
12. I've blogged too much today.

*this is stretching the analogy, I know
**might actually be four or five doctors, depends on your criteria.

#skynews compares #occupylsx protestors to Nazis

Via Liberal Conspiracy:



What a tosser Adam Boulton is.

Sky News needs to be more objective in its coverage.

According to the Youtube page where the clip was posted, some people have already contacted Ofcom about this Sky News report.

Christopher Chope MP accused of gross insensitivity towards Hillsborough families in Private Eye 1300

Private Eye 1300 reports:

"Putting in a strong bid for tactless MP of the year,Christopher Chope cried 'Object' to the timetabling of the extremly long-awaited Hillsborough disaster debate...

"What urgent matter of national importance did the Conservative member for Christchurch in Dorset want more time to debate instead?

"Er, MPs pensions. He was gasitly overruled"

RMT tube drivers to refuse to follow "dangerous" new instructions from Friday October 28

The Evening Standard reports:

Tube train drivers are to begin industrial action from first thing Friday threatening more delays and disruption across the network.

The action has been ordered by the RMT union in a row over safety. The union bosses say changes to train operation will reduce safety standards for both passengers and staff - a claim robustly denied by London Underground (LU).

The RMT controls 1500 drivers - about half the total work force. Other drivers belong to the rival union Aslef whose members are expected unofficially to support their colleagues.

Under the action, the RMT drivers will refuse to implement recently ordered new procedures, including overriding the Victoria Line door safety system if there is a problem.

Train drivers have recently won an inflation busting pay deal which will put them on £52,500 by 2015.

The union, however, insists the dispute is all about safety and has nothing to do with pay.

Bob Crow, the RMT leader said: "LU is attempting to impose dangerous operational changes that are cost led and will undermine established safety procedures."

He said the changes would, "put our members and the travelling public in potential danger.

"It is nothing short of reckless to expect drivers to override door failsafe systems after which a potentially fatal incident in which a passenger jumped from a moving train and another was caught in the open door."

This happened at Oxford Circus in the evening rush hour last month and was highlighted at the time by the Evening Standard.

The union boss accused LU of attempting to "bulldoze through" the new procedures.
This, he said, was designed to "cover up the impact in the reduction in station staff which LU have the gall to call 'operational effectiveness'."

Howard Collins, London underground's Chief Operating Officer said the fact that 70 percent of those balloted by the RMT had chosen to reject the call for action short of a strike or not vote at all showed the union's leadership was "out of step" with its membership.

Mr Collins urged drivers "to reconsider their plans to take industrial action."

He said the new train procedures would have "no impact whatsoever over our high safety standards but will significantly help our response to incidents, reduce unnecessary delay and overcrowding and improve customer service."

Mr Collins said: "The changes have already been in place for two weeks and have "delivered real benefits."

He said the plans had involved: "exhaustive consultation with the union representatives over the last two years and do not compromise any aspect of the underground's stringent safety procedures."

The RMT say that the new procedures they refuse to follow also include drivers being made to ‘self dispatch’ their trains.

They also point that the vote was won by a margin of four to one.

Doctor who 'lured' girls has sentence cut

BBC News reports:

A doctor who was given a life sentence after trying to lure two young girls into his car has had his minimum jail term cut by more than half.

Leslie Mitchell, 58, from Falkirk, will now become eligible to seek his release but any decision to free him will lie with the parole authorities.

Appeal judges rejected a challenge to his lifelong restriction order.

Sentencing guidelines changed after test cases brought by rapist Robert Foye and paedophile Morris Petch.

Earlier this year Foye secured a reduction in his punishment part from nine years to four and a half years after being convicted of raping a teenager while on the run from Castle Huntly prison following the ruling.

Mitchell was originally ordered to serve a minimum term of four years before he could apply for release but the appeal judges said this would now be reduced to 16 months. He has been in custody since June last year.

The former Stirling Royal Infirmary casualty doctor originally admitted committing a breach of the peace in January last year at Webster Avenue, Carronshore, in Stirlingshire, by engaging the girls, aged 10 and 11, in conversation, asking if he could tickle their legs and and attempting to entice them into a car.

The first offender described himself to a social worker who was asked to prepare a report on him as a "recovering paedophile".

He revealed that he had previously taken part in similar conduct in 1993 and 1997 and began grooming young girls in chatrooms after gaining internet access in 2000.

He accepted that he had met the two girls with the intention of grooming them to commit sex offences against them.

Sentencing Mitchell last year, Lord Hardie told Mitchell: "The terms of the charge really don't do justice to what was actually happening in this case. It became clear that your clear intention was to ingratiate yourself with these two little girls, ultimately to take them away and have sexual intercourse with them."

In imposing the lifelong restriction order on the doctor he told him: "The effect of that is you may never be released from prison."

Mitchell challenged both the imposition of the life sentence and the length of the minimum term, or punishment part, during his appeal.

His solicitor advocate Murray Macara QC argued that the indeterminate sentence was "unnecessary and inappropriate" and that the period set that he must spend in jail was "excessive".

Lord Carloway, who heard the appeal with Lord Bonomy and Lord Brodie, said they were satisfied that having regard to the risk to the public, the sentencing judge, Lord Hardie, was correct in imposing the indeterminate sentence.

The court heard that Mitchell discovered through freedom of information that earlier this year, of the 77 offenders who have received Order for Lifelong Restriction (OLRs) in Scotland, none had yet been released back into the community.

Mitchell is due to have a General Medical Council hearing to consider whether he is a fit and proper person to be registered as a doctor later this month.

What's happening to justice in this country?

Headteacher who wasted £100k of taxpayers' money appointed to Merton Council panel

This is Local London reports:

The council has been criticised for giving a seat on a schools forum to a headteacher who wasted more than £100,000 of taxpayers’ money while presiding over her school.

Stanford Primary School and headteacher Keran Currie became embroiled in a police fraud investigation in 2009 when a builder admitted faking invoices for work, which led to inflated payments made to him by Merton Council.

Gary Savage, 53, the Norbury school’s live-in caretaker of 28 years, was suspended by Mrs Currie in September 2009, but was reinstated in June 2010 after being cleared of any wrongdoing.

Councillor Jeff Hanna, chairman of the council’s schools overview panel, said he had asked for a report on how the council advises schools on financial control in order to provide “reassurance” for residents.

But Mr Savage’s union representative said it was “ridiculous” that in June Mrs Currie had herself become a member of the same overview panel.

Rosemary McLoughlin from Unison Merton said: “How can you have someone on this panel, who provides advice on how other schools should run their affairs, who has presided over such a failure in her own school?

“Mr Savage, who did nothing wrong, had allegations of fraud and theft against him but there is no evidence those with financial responsibility like Mrs Currie ever had such pressure put on them.”

Coun Hanna said: “I am happy to meet Ms McLoughlin at any time, but I stand by my previous comments. The investigations were thorough, no offences were committed and the right steps were taken.

"I am therefore unclear on Ms McLoughlin’s motives for wishing to pillory a good school for past misjudgement.”

The Wimbledon Guardian contacted Stanford Primary School and asked to speak to Mrs Currie for a comment, but no one responded after leaving a message.

Man leaves boot behind after brutal attack on London train

British Transport Police (BTP) officers are asking for help to identify an attacker who left his shoe behind following an attack on a Dartford-bound train.

In Cinderella style, the man is believed to have left one of his boots on the train after the incident, which took place between 9.30pm and 10.20pm on Friday, 8 July.

As part of their appeal for information, officers have released CCTV of a man they would like to speak to in connection with the incident.

PC Stephen Petty, the investigating officer, said: “The victim, a 24-year-old man from Eltham, waiting for his train at London Bridge when he became involved in a heated conversation with another man, who was accompanied by a woman.

“When the train arrived, both parties boarded different carriages but shortly after sitting down the victim received a sudden blow to the head before being punched in the face. He then realised his attacker was the same man from the earlier exchange.”

The victim was left with cuts and bruises to his face. The suspect is described as being of slim build, with spiky hair. He was dressed in a Goth style, with dark trousers. It’s believed he left the train at Lewisham, wearing only one black boot.

PC Petty continued: “This attack was violent and completely unprovoked – unleashed on a victim who was clearly surprised by this attack and unable to defend himself.

“The carriage was very busy and I’d like to hear from anyone who knows the man responsible, or who saw what happened, as they could be able to assist our investigation.

"We’ve made a number of enquiries to try and identify this man, including circulating his image on police intelligence systems, but to no avail so far. If you have any information, please get in touch.”

Anyone with information should contact British Transport Police on Freefone 0800 40 50 40 quoting reference B8/LSA of 17/10/11. Alternatively, call the independent charity Crimestoppers anonymously on 0800 555 111.

Staff at London supported living home say service users treated poorly when on the bus

The Romford Recorder reports:

Workers at a supported- living home for adults with disabilities say their users are treated as second class citizens by bus drivers and passengers.

The staff at The Ridgeway, Harold Wood, have hit out over the poor treatment and negative attitude by bus drivers and passengers.

Supported living manager Sheila Morgan said: “It is almost like they are being treated as if they are second class citizens.”

The users aged 20 to 26, who have physical and learning disabilities, use public transport every day.

The staff, who accompany the users say that there have been times when they have been left stranded and deserted at the bus stops because of the drivers’ refusals to let them on the bus.

They have had to put up with ramps not working and parents refusing to fold up their children’s pushchairs, despite a sign advising them to do so.

Sheila said: “The whole point of our work is to give the young people the skills to live independently and we do a lot of work in the community, but it seems that the transport is the only barrier that is stopping us.”

The group say that when they have confronted drivers about their rude attitude they have suffered from shouting and swearing.

They are now working with Hornchurch and Upminster MP Angela Watkinson to try to come to some agreement with the bus companies.

Support living worker, Charlotte Boulter said: “Its a really humiliating experience when you are shouted at by the bus drivers and if you talk back they make a spectacle of us and our users.”

Operations director Of London Buses, Mike Weston, said: “We take the issue of accessibility very seriously.

"The entire fleet are low-floor, wheelchair accessible buses. We are always concerned to hear of passengers experiencing poor service.

"If they do we would encourage them to contact TfL’s customer services on 0845 300 7000."

The Times and self promotion

The Times never lets a story get in the way of self-promotion.

Para 1, p14 from yesterday's Times:

"One former pupil...has described having his first night of uninterrupted sleep after reading in The Times that his abuser had been brought to justice."

Nice. Could just have been "after reading that his abuser had been brought to justice", but then the paper wouldn't be able to promote itself in a obscure and rather tasteless way.

#WellsFargo sends statements to wrong customers

Finextra reports:

A faulty printer has seen Wells Fargo customers sent parts of statements belonging to other people.

An unknown number of customers in South Carolina and Florida have been affected by the issue, caused by a single malfunctioning printer in Charlotte.

The printer is thought to have put multiple customers' account and transaction information on pages, or a single page, of one statement, according to The Post and Courier.

Susan Hovermale, told local TV station ABC 4 that after receiving a call from someone with her bank statement she checked all four of her Wells Fargo accounts and found four different people's details.

Spokesman Josh Dunn told the Post and Courier that Wells Fargo was treating the issue as a security breach, any resultant fraud would be covered by the bank and affected customers are being offered one year's worth of free ID theft protection.