Newsjiffy

Springfield Care Home in Walthamstow heavily criticised by CQC

2012-01-28T09:45:00.000Z

A CARE home has been threatened with legal action after a routine inspection revealed it was failing to meet required standards.

Springfield Care Home in Grove Road, Walthamstow, which caters for 18 to 65-year-olds with learning disabilities, has been told by the Care Quality Commission (CQC) that it must act immediately to improve the care it provides or risk legal action, which could ultimately mean the care home would shut down.

After the CQC visited the home in November last year inspectors found that the home was failing to meet five essential standards which were lowering the quality of life of the people living there.

The CQC report said: “Inspectors found that privacy, dignity and independence were not being respected at the home and that the home did not meet emotional and social needs which could lead to risk of neglect and psychological harm.”

The report showed that the home failed to provide safe surroundings that “promoted wellbeing” and that a bedroom that was in use had no furniture other than a bed screwed to the floor and a TV and radio stored in a locked box high on the wall.

The inspectors also noted that they witnessed two episodes of poor care and that there were insufficient staffing levels at the home...

Autumn Care Home in Dorest closes after abuse investigation

2012-01-28T08:50:00.000Z

The Bournemouth Echo reports:

ALLEGATIONS of abuse triggered the investigation into a Dorset care home which has closed its doors amid concerns over the welfare of its elderly residents.

Dorset County Council has been carrying out an investigation into levels of care at the Autumn Care Home at West Parley in conjunction with Dorset Police and the Care Quality Commission, but has refused to divulge any details...

Dorset Police declined to add to an earlier statement, which said no-one had been arrested...

Halifax and Bank of Scotland charity credit cards withdrawn from end of February

2012-01-28T06:00:00.000Z

BBC News reports:

Lloyds Banking Group which manages the card schemes says they are no longer a cost-effective way of donating to charity.

In 2009 the cards raised around £1.1m for Cancer Research UK, the NSPCC and the Scottish SPCA.

The charities say they are disappointed with the decision, but hope to explore other opportunities with the bank.

The Cancer Research UK donation credit card was launched 23 years in 1988 and the NSPCC card was first issued 17 years ago.

The Scottish SPCA card has been available for 15 years.

The cards have raised £14.5m ($22.8m) for Cancer Research UK and £500,000 ($786,000) for Scottish SPCA.

Baroness Finlay, vice chair of the all-party parliamentary group on cancer, urged Lloyds Banking Group to think of other ways to help the charities which will lose out...

Alabama schools told to let LGBT students attend proms

2012-01-27T15:11:00.002Z

Pink News reports:

Demands have been made to the County Board of Education in Tuscaloosa, Alabama, to respect LGBT rights after alleged cases of negligence by staff members towards a gay student.

A civil rights law firm, Southern Poverty Law Center, has written to The Tuscaloosa County Board of Education to demand that the constitutional rights of gay and trans students be upheld, according to Tuscaloosa News.

The letter specifies that the schools and school board must allow gay students to attend their proms with someone of the same sex, and that they should not “censor” the support of LGBT rights.

It states that in December 2011, a student of Brookwood High School, Elizabeth Garrett, was told by Assistant Principal, Thad Fitzpatrick, that she would not be allowed to attend her prom with another student of the same sex.

Garrett was also allegedly told by Fitzpatrick on 5 January to remove a hoody emblazoned with the words “Warning, This Individual Infected With ‘The Gay,’ Proceed With Caution,” according to the letter.

The letter said that the hoody Garret was wearing was intended as a lighthearted way of making a statement that gay people should be accepted.

The County School Board made a statement saying there was no written record of the incidents described in the letter, and no disciplinary action was taken against Garrett...

Woman indecently assaulted in Greater Manchester

2012-01-27T14:06:00.000Z

About 6.50pm on Tuesday 24 January 2012 a 20-year-old woman was walking home along Milkstone Road, Rochdale near to Essex Street when she was approached by a person who indecently assaulted her.

The person ran off along Essex Street.

The offender is described as a person wearing a thick black hooded top with a white emblem on the back, dark cuffed track suit bottoms, dark trainers and was carrying a plastic carrier bag.

Police are now appealing for witnesses.

Detective Constable Andy Robinson, from Rochdale CID said, “...This assault took place in the early evening, there must have been people in the area that witnessed the assault or recognise the person in the description.

“If you have any information which may help us with our inquiries, please contact me on the number below.”

Anyone with information is asked to call the CID on 0161 856 4557, or the independent charity Crimestoppers, anonymously, on 0800 555 111.

Mark Steel on the benefits cap

2012-01-27T13:01:00.003Z

From today's Independent:

We've come to that point in the lifetime of every Tory government when we're invited to scream about people on benefits.

Some people enjoy this activity all the time, but at the moment it's like New Year's Eve for drinking, a time when if you're not doing it to excess, you get sneered at for not taking part in the fun.

So everyone has to tell a story they've heard, such as, "One lot, they haven't worked for 25 years, went down the benefit office, said they needed an aircraft carrier. They filled in a form and the next day it was delivered. Then they sent it back as they didn't like the colour."

Almost every newspaper and minister's interview is packed with stories like this, to justify capping benefits so they can "encourage" claimants back to work.

This assumes that the reason unemployment goes up is there's a surge in people deciding not to work. It's true that this seems to have happened at exactly the same time as a global recession but this is probably a coincidence.

So the Government has chosen the amount at which a family's benefits must be capped as £26,000, because no one should be allowed to claim more than the average wage.

This would be fair if the way benefit payments were calculated is that you went for an interview, in which you said how much you fancied spending this year and they gave it to you.

But the 67,000 households who receive this sum do so because it matches their circumstances. That's why a family of five can claim more than a single person who lives with their parents...

Well said Mark.

Man on mobility scooter attacked in Carlisle

2012-01-27T09:33:00.000Z

BBC News reports:

Two men who attacked a disabled man are being sought by police in Cumbria.

The 55-year-old victim was riding his mobility scooter in the Longtown area of Carlisle on Sunday evening when the pair stopped him by blocking his path.

One of them is believed to have said "go on, hit him" and he was punched in the chest and stomach.

Anyone with information about the incident, which happened at the corner of Lovers Lane and Moor Road at about 17:15 GMT, should contact police.

One of the attackers is thought to have been wearing white trainers while both spoke with local accents.

One reason why the benefit cap is unfair

2012-01-26T13:07:00.002Z

I oppose the proposed benefit cap.

While I am not in favour of people who can work and can find work not working, I believe that the benefit cuts will not solve this issue.

Instead, they will punish many people who are unable to work, are too young to work, or cannot find work due to the recession.

One of the main reasons for opposing the cap is that those who are forced to move out of their house as their Housing Benefit will no longer cover the rent will not be able to easily find a new home.

This is because most landlords/landladies and letting agencies do not rent to people on Housing Benefit/Local Housing Allowance.

We've all seen letting agencies with "No Housing Benefit" or "No DSS" in its window. I used to walk past one in Hoe Street on my way to Walthamstow Central.

On Zoompla, one lettings agency worker comments:

Hi, I work in a letting agents and have a lot of dealings with DSS tenants.

Unfotunately, there are many pitfalls to renting to DSS tenants. The main one being they are told by the local authority not to vacate a property until they are made homelss.

This means that a landlord has to go through the eviction process in order to get their property back. Another pitfall (at least in brighton) is that the rent is paid 4 weekly in arrears rather than advance. Good luck

So, if most rented accommodation is off-limits to people who are on benefits, where will they go?

There are not many council houses left now, so they will be on already lengthy council waiting lists.

In the meantime, they will probably be forced to live in bed and breakfasts.

If they were employed, they would have been able to rent the new property.

So if X and his wife Y worked until a year ago, moved into a rented house four years ago, now have to move out because of the benefit cap, and are stuck in a B and B while they try to find work, is that fair?

Those supporting the cap have not acknowledged that most people won't rent to those on benefits.

The Third Estate comments:

Yet there is a reason that renting homes for people on benefits can cost so much. If you have dealt with landlords or letting agents any time recently you will have become used to a notice emblazoned on virtually every website and shopfront: “no DSS”. In other words we won’t rent to the unemployed.

It such circumstances it is obvious that the small number of letting agents who are willing to deal with these apparent untouchables will be able to charge what they like.

It is in fact a disgrace that years after the worst forms of housing discrimination started to be tackled, this kind of crap is still allowed, and for no good reason.

Renting to somebody on benefits is in fact less risky – because the money comes straight from the DSS. And moreover the idea that everybody on benefits shares certain unesirable characteristics is – not least in the present climate – obvious rubbish. The unemployed now acccount for 2.5 million people.

Considered against the fact that there are only 500,000 vacancies in the economy, it is patently obvious that unemployement is for many people an inevitable reality.

Given the coalition aim to bring down benefit bills, and given the moronic Iain Duncan Smith’s professed concern for the most vulnerable in society, then they really ought to do something about this. I wouldn’t hold your breath.

Left Foot Forward exposes six myths about the benefit cap.

London Olympics cost over £12bn, could rise to £24bn

2012-01-26T12:46:00.005Z

Sky News reports:

The true cost of staging the 2012 Olympics is five times the figure given when London won the bid in 2005.

A Sky investigation has revealed the final cost for the Games will be more than £12bn.

However, associated costs could make the bill as high as £24bn - a staggering 10 times the original estimate...

Newham Council, the local authority staging the majority of the Games, provided some figures but requests for further details have been ignored despite contacting them six times.

A number of Freedom of Information requests to the council by members of the public have also failed to get the figures.

But Sky can reveal that they are providing £40m of public money towards the Olympic Stadium conversion and have also spent £700,000 on Olympic projects.

The council spent nearly £1m on their legal costs over the West Ham and Spurs FC row over the stadium and have spent £29,400 on tickets...

I would add that the fact that Britain bid for the Olympics in 2006 is no excuse. Wasting so much public money on a white elephant would not have been acceptable even if we never had a recession.

There was still poverty and cash-strapped services in 2006.

Official warning given to Aylesbury Vale care provider Plan Care

2012-01-26T11:54:00.001Z

Mix 96 reports:

The company, which is paid by Buckinghamshire County Council to look after vulnerable and elderly people in their own homes in Aylesbury Vale, is providing "totally unacceptable" standards of care.

A damning report has been produced by the Care Quality Commission following an unannounced inspection on Plan Care at the end of 2011.

Now, the CQC has issued Plan Care with an official warning because of what they found.

The report says the service offered by Plan Care staff is chaotic, with employees turning up to people's homes at different times every day or sometimes, failing to cancel appointments properly.

Plan Care have been ordered to turn things around urgently, because at the moment the CQC says a "high proportion of customers don't receive the care or support they need."

Here is a key excerpt from the report, published on the 25th of January...

Inspectors found that the provider, Taylor Gordon and Company trading as Plan Care, was failing to meet five of the government essential standards of quality and safety, covering respecting and involving people, care and welfare of people, safeguarding people from abuse, assessing and monitoring service provision and handling complaints...

Volunteers fundraising for Bristol radiotherapy machine

2012-01-26T11:41:00.000Z

The Bristol Evening Post reports:

A BRISTOL doctor has welcomed the support of a group of volunteers who have pledged to raise £2 million for a machine to treat thousands of people with cancer.

The Friends of Bristol Haematology and Oncology Centre has pledged to raise the money to buy the state-of-the-art radiotherapy machine which will treat dozens of patients a day...

About 30 to 40 patients have radiotherapy in each of the six linac machines at the hospital every day.

A treatment that currently takes about ten minutes with the older machines could be reduced to as little as two minutes with the new.

Dr Beasley said that the new machine will be able to better target the area of the body affected by cancer and less likely to harm other tissue or organs, while also accounting for the way that parts of the body move.

A CT scanner in the machine will be able to improve the precision and account for breathing and the movement of the bowels and other organs to ensure the radiation is delivered accurately during each treatment...

To support the Friends of Bristol Haematology and Oncology Centre in their appeal to fund the new machine call 0117 342 3432, visit www.friends bhoc.org.uk or donate at justgiving. com/fbhoc.

Teacher-training firm will close after government funding cuts

2012-01-26T10:33:00.000Z

The Manchester Evening News reports:

A company which re-trains people as teachers in Greater Manchester is to close after the government cut its funding.

Storm has helped around 900 ‘talented’ people in the region to become primary and secondary school teachers.

The firm, which employs three full-time staff in east Didsbury, has placed trainees in classrooms in Stockport, Salford, Tameside, Trafford, Oldham, Rochdale and Manchester.

Its 12-month graduate training programme allows successful candidates to learn on the job while earning a £15,000 salary.

But in a letter to trainees and participating schools, company chairman Antony Edkins said cuts are forcing the group to start winding down in August.

He wrote: “Storm’s income is wholly dependent on the funding of allocated places. The number of places has reduced year- on-year. The advice received is that places for providers such as Storm are likely to be much less in the years to come. As a result, there are insufficient funds as from next year with which to operate.”

The company will not be able to accept new recruits, he added, but existing trainees can complete their placements.

So the Government (rightly) wants to get unemployed people into work, yet cuts the funding of a firm that has helped 900 people get jobs.

Bizarre.

Social housing residents charged over £400 each for digital upgrade

2012-01-26T09:27:00.001Z

This is Local London reports:

Charges levied on residents as part of a programme of bringing digital television to social housing are “unfair”, residents have claimed.

Merton Priory Homes (MPH), the non-profit company which manages Merton’s ex-council houses, is charging each of its residents more than £400 to replace their analogue aerials as part of the digital TV switchover, which must be completed this year.

Jacqui Mason, who lives in Farnham Gardens, Raynes Park, said the £60 administration charge, which is being asked for from all residents in her estate, in addition to the £357 for the installation works, was “unjust”...

Ms Mason said she was already charged £80 a month for service charges for her flat, and claimed Vinci, the company carrying out the replacement of the roofs and installation of the aerials, should bear the new administration costs itself...

Marine involved in killings of 24 unarmed Iraqis "should serve no time"

2012-01-25T16:08:00.001Z

BBC News reports:

A US marine who admitted charges linked to the killing of 24 unarmed Iraqi civilians in 2005 should face no time in detention, a judge has recommended.

The decision by the judge at Camp Pendleton, California, must be approved by the commander of the Marine Corps Forces Central Command.

Sgt Frank Wuterich faced a maximum of three months after admitting dereliction of duty in a plea deal.

He was one of eight marines charged over the killings at Haditha.

The charges against six were dropped or dismissed, and one was acquitted.

Military judge Lt Col David Jones said his hands had been tied by the terms of the plea agreement. However, he said he would recommend that Wuterich's rank be reduced to private.

The judge said he had decided not to dock the marine's pay because Wuterich is divorced with sole custody of his three young children...

Tents banned from Olympic venues

2012-01-25T14:43:00.003Z

BBC News reports:

All tents and encampments will be banned from Olympic venues to counter the threat of protests, Home Secretary Theresa May has announced.

Mrs May said preparations were under way for "all eventualities".

She said strict security measures would try to stop equipment being brought into venues and that police would take rapid action to remove any encampments...

As well as London 2012's £600m security budget, the Games has a £2bn contingency budget, part of which can be drawn on for security purposes. These figures do not include an undisclosed counter-terrorism budget.

I include that last paragraph because it gives some idea of the public money being spent on this white elephant.

Can you identify this Walthamstow flasher?

2012-01-25T13:39:00.001Z

The Waltham Forest Guardian reports:

POLICE are appealing for help in identifying a man who flashed a woman in Walthamstow last week.

At 7.15am on [January] 18 the victim was walking down Harold Road when she saw the man indecently expose himself.

The man is reported to be Asian and aged between early to mid 20’s.

He is skinny with a hunched posture and was clean shaven.

He was wearing a grey and blue hoodie with a diamond shaped pattern down the arms with tracksuit bottoms.

Police believe that that there were other people in the area at the time who may have witnessed the incident.

Detective Constable Lee Nelson said: “We want to hear from anyone who might know who this man or who might have been a victim of his behaviour.

“We take indecent exposure very seriously and are determined to find out who this man is. We want to ensure the safety of the public as this sexually threatening behaviour will not be tolerated and is extremely distressing to any victim.

“If have been targeted by this man we ask you to come forward and help us with this investigation as you may have important information.”

If you have any information contact Detective Constable Lee Nelson on 0203 276 0966 or, to remain anonymous, call Crimestoppers on 0800 555 111. If you are approached by this man then dial 999 immediately.

Tesco refuses to serve disabled man alcohol

2012-01-24T19:11:00.000Z

Disability Now reports:

...When Jamie Beddard, who has cerebral palsy, tried to buy some beer at the Newington Green branch of Tesco at 10:30 one December morning at the end of last year, the deputy manager refused to serve him.

Mr Beddard said: “A long queue formed behind me, as I questioned why I was being refused. [The deputy manager] told me the alcohol might not be good for me. I asked if I was not being served because I was disabled. He replied that I was putting words in his mouth, and that that wasn’t what he meant.

“I’m still none the wiser as to what he was trying to say, and what his grounds were for not wanting to serve me.”

Mr Beddard added: “As a 46-year-old, I don't need a Tesco employee telling me what I can and cannot buy.”

Mr Beddard was able to make the purchase after another customer in the queue bought the beer for him, with money supplied by Mr Beddard.

After email exchanges with several members of Tesco’s customer service staff, in which Mr Beddard said Tesco tried to stone-wall his complaint, he was eventually told that the store Area and Operations Manager had investigated the incident and found that the deputy manager had wanted to offer some assistance to carry the beer.

Meanwhile, another customer who complained to customer service about Mr Beddard’s treatment was told that the deputy manager had refused to serve the beer because he believed that Mr Beddard was intoxicated.

Responding to an email in which Mr Beddard vented his anger and frustration at the confused and contradictory reasons he’d been given, and in which he asked to see CCTV footage of the incident, Tesco said that no further action could be taken as there was not enough evidence to support either Mr Beddard’s or the deputy manager’s account of the incident.

Commenting on the Tesco investigation, Mr Beddard said: “The suggestion that I misinterpreted an offer of assistance for a refusal to serve is clearly contrived, and blatantly untrue and offensive. Of course the CCTV footage would have cleared this up, but it’s surprisingly unavailable.”

When asked about the circumstances in which a Tesco manager would refuse to serve alcohol to a customer, a spokeswoman said: “Our staff receive extensive training in the selling of alcohol and we take such incidents very seriously. We have investigated fully with the store and it appears that there was a misunderstanding at the till for which we have apologised to Mr Beddard.”

Tesco has offered Mr Beddard £50 compensation, an amount which he says is inadequate given the time, energy and anger the initial incident and subsequent enquiries have caused...

Babies need their own ticket for London 2012

2012-01-24T18:52:00.000Z

The Evening Standard reports:

Babies will be banned from the Olympics unless they have their own ticket - even if they were not conceived when their parents bought seats.

2012 organiser Locog has said every child, including babies carried in their parents' arms, must have a ticket.

A press spokesman said the Olympics helpline had received calls from pregnant women and expectant fathers whose babies will be a few weeks old when the Games start. They have been told they can try to buy an extra ticket for their chosen event otherwise the infant will be excluded...

Homophobia in our schools: young people speak

2012-01-24T17:00:00.006Z

Pink News reports:

In a video posted a month ago by LGBT Youth North West a schoolgirl from oldham tells her account of being made to change in the boys’ changing rooms at school after coming out as lesbian.

She talks about bullying in general and losing friends after coming out, before saying that she was made to change for PE with her male classmates: “When I was in PE, I couldn’t get changed in the girls’ toilets or the locker room so I had to get changed with the lads.

“My PE teacher said, ‘You’re not attracted to lads so you have to get changed there,’ which annoyed me, so every time PE was on I didn’t do it.”

She mentions that when encouraged to speak to the headmaster by a friend, she didn’t see a point in staying at school, because she was so exasperated by her treatment in English and PE classes. She transferred to a different school in year 10 to avoid the bullying.

One of the boys featured in the video said: “The first day that I knew that people knew [he was gay] was when they all crowded round me and threw things at me. I hit one of them and I got suspended.”

He said “It seems to me, sometimes that bullying on the grounds of racism or sexism, sometimes, is dealt with more seriously than homophobic bullying.

He adds: “I really hated school because every day was just constant insults and the teachers told you to just get over it.”

Another girl talks about not telling anybody about being bullied because she was scared to come out to the teaching staff...

Sir Ian Bowler on benefit cuts

2012-01-24T16:05:00.000Z

New Social Contract for coalition supporters

2012-01-24T10:03:00.002Z

I've drawn up a new contract for supporters of the government's current austerity measures.

"Name...

I,............ support the government's austerity measures.

I understand to provide loud vocal support for their "reforms" to disability benefits, their disparaging comments about the disabled and unemployed, and the cuts in general.

I will believe whatever they say and will vote for them in every election, be it general, local or European.

In return:

As I believe jobs are so easy to find, I will be the first in the queue for voluntary redundancy.

As I believe jobs are so easy to find, I will not claim Jobseekers Allowance once unemployed as I will only be unemployed for a day or two.

As I do not believe that disabled people deserve help and support, I will give myself a stern talking to if I ever find myself disabled and will not claim disability benefits.

As I do not believe in trade unionism, I will never complain about my rights at work and will put in more hours for less

At all times, I will support the rights of businesses to do whatever they want and will work smarter, not harder.

I also understand I will be sent a free gift, which may be either a Michael Gove pencil sharper or a Baroness Warsi loudhailer.

Signed........................... Witnessed by ...........................

Please return to

The Old Hypocrisy Shop
Pickles Street
Duncan-Smith Square
London
TOR IES

Police called in over highly critical report on Wirral Council's Department of Adult Social Services

2012-01-23T17:52:00.000Z

The Wirral Globe reports:

POLICE have today confirmed they are helping Wirral Council with investigating allegations contained in the Anna Klonowski report.

The independent consulant carried out a highly detailed review of allegations of wrong-doing and malpractice in residential and care homes contracted to Wirral's Department of Adult Social Services.

Her 250-page report claimed vulnerable adults were subjected to violence, sexual abuse and theft of their benefits.

The council warned last week the inquiry could become a matter for police.

This morning, Merseyside Police said confirmed that they are "providing Wirral Council with assistance in relation to an internal investigation."

...The Klonowski investigation was commissioned following revelations by former social services manager turned whistle-blower Martin Morton.

His account of the systematic overcharging of people with complex difficulties living in accommodation owned by council-contracted "service-providers" was first exposed by the Wirral Globe in 2008.

Mr Morton always maintained he reported to his senior managers the abuses and malpractices he believed were going on in the homes - establishments into which social services had entrusted some of the borough’s most vulnerable people.

It has now emerged overcharging was just the tip of the iceberg...

Special treatment for London 2012 and Jubilee street parties in Harrow

2012-01-23T15:48:00.000Z

Harrow Council reports:

Break out the bunting - celebrating the Queen’s Diamond Jubilee and London’s 2012 Olympic Games just got a whole lot easier for Harrow residents.

The Council is waiving its road closure fees to encourage residents to organise street parties, and is offering handy hints and tips too.

It is making sure that cost and convenience are no barrier for residents wanting to celebrate the historic events so will not charge for officer time and advertising the necessary traffic orders to close roads.

Clear advise is available on the Council website.

In February the Council will also be publishing a special "How To" guiding encouraging more residents to volunteer, and it will include a special section on how to organise a street party.

So Harrow residents will have to foot the bill for this "How To" booklet, as well as officer time and traffic order advertising, while people who can afford to have a massive party to celebrate the Diamond Jubilee or 2012 Olympics get free help from the council.

Why should these street parties get these special perks?

Disgusting.

Why Unilever workers are taking strike action

2012-01-23T13:42:00.000Z

CQC tells The Close care home in Littleton Panell to improve

2012-01-23T12:05:00.000Z

The Wiltshire Gazette and Herald reports:

Owners of a care home for elderly people with dementia near Devizes have been told to make urgent improvements.

Officials from the Care Quality Commission (CQC) issued a formal warning to Jonny and Aurora Roche, who run The Close at Littleton Panell, after they made an unannounced visit to the home on December 7.

The commission visited the home to check what progress the owners had made to concerns raised by the CQC following a previous visit. The report of this visit was published in September 2011.

In a statement issued on January 11 the commission said Mr and Mrs Roche were failing to meet the Government regulation which ensures that each of the up to 12 people living at the home is protected against the risks of receiving care or treatment that is inappropriate or unsafe.

The commission said people were not protected from the risks associated with inadequate cleanliness and the lack of effective infection control practices.

They also said people were at risk of harm through unsafe manual handling techniques as well as excessive hot water temperatures, broken window restrictors and inappropriate use and storage of cleaning substances.

In addition, the commission said, there was a lack of auditing which meant that poor delivery of care and training needs of staff were not being identified...

Mr Roche told the Gazette there was a programme of training under way for the 11 staff. He said: “We are training staff and all staff will be trained on risk assessments.

“All the issues raised in the September report have been addressed.”

The Roches have until February 3 to comply with the regulations.

Dad told to get off First bus when son had epileptic fit

2012-01-23T10:44:00.000Z

The Eastern Daily Press reports:

A father from Earlham has spoken of his anger at being told to get off a First bus when his young son was having an epileptic fit.

Peter Benning...said his family intended to register a complaint with First about what happened when he and his two-year-old son Reece-Lee were travelling towards Earlham on the number 21 First bus on Tuesday, at about 12.45pm

Mr Benning, who lives with his partner Hannah Williams, 31, said: “We were coming home from the Hamlet Centre when Reece-Lee started fitting on the bus. I said to the bus driver, ‘you need to stop the bus because my son is having a fit.’

“He said okay and stopped the bus. He opened the doors and said, ‘you have to get off’.”

Mr Benning said he could not believe he was told to leave the bus and that he felt the driver should have let him and Reece-Lee stay on board until the ambulance arrived.

“When he asked me to get off the bus I just panicked. I said, ‘why,’ and he said he had his route to carry on with,” he said.

“We were treated really poorly. What was I meant to do when I got off the bus?”

Mr Benning said they were left on Dereham Road, and he rushed into Petals Florists with his son, who was still fitting. They stayed there until an ambulance arrived...

A spokesman from First confirmed that an investigation into the incident had been launched, saying: “From the details we currently have we believe our driver acted responsibly and followed correct company procedures, however a full investigation is being carried out.”

Housing Inspector: Comedy Sketch

2012-01-23T08:07:00.002Z

A man knocks on the door of a new build house, Barrett Home style.

Another man opens it.

INSPECTOR: Good morning, sir! You wanted this house inspected ahead of it being put on the market. (Shakes hands) Edward York-Tudor of Maynard Filmore surveyors.

MAN: Uggh. All right, mate. Just been sleeping after a big night out. Come in, but be careful of the ashtrays, yeah?

INSPECTOR: Certainly, sir! Thank you so much….Ah yes, rather a lot of ashtrays on that table. I assume you will dispose of some before viewings take place?

MAN: I’ll get rid of all the novelty ones.

INSPECTOR: Even the one in the shape of Des Lynam’s head?

MAN: Possibly not that one. Saving it for my great-grandchildren.

INSPECTOR: Very wise, sir. Very Des-irable ashtray.

MAN leads him into the living room.

INSPECTOR: Sir! I say, sir! I don’t want to shower gloom on your move, but your living room wall has hairline cracks! Cracks that would make Kirstie Allsop pout!

MAN: Yeah, the cracks. It’s the laughter, mate.

INSPECTOR: Laughter?

MAN: The walls in this house are very thin. The new craze.

INSPECTOR: How often do you laugh, sir? How often do you explode in wall-cracking mirth?

MAN: Well, every time I watch a stand-up comedy DVD.

INSPECTOR: Have you tried Keith Bland’s new DVD? About as funny as a fart in a forest.

MAN: Laughed all the way through.

INSPECTOR: Right! The only thing that can be done is for you to paint over the cracks in the walls and not laugh until the house is sold.

MAN: No laughter?

INSPECTOR: None within sniggering distance of this house. Which I calculate is ten metres. The minute a smile cracks that lovely rosy-cheeked face of yours, open the door and run for ten metres. Twenty, to be on the safe side. Then laugh and laugh until it is out of your system.

MAN: That’s…laughable.

INSPECTOR: Out! Out! Sir, go through that door and run twenty metres.

The man runs twenty metres and then lets out a small giggle. Another one, louder. Sounds of shattering glass.

He walks back into the house.

MAN: Laughed the car windows in. Not my car, though. Green Astra.

INSPECTOR: Green Astra?

MAN: Yes. Green Astra.

INSPECTOR: Ah.

A short story by me

2012-01-22T16:43:00.001Z

Two badgers have landed in a hot-air balloon. I wipe my eyes. Again and again, dislodging a few bits of sleep.

Still two badgers. One walks up to me, and takes a long look, in a way I find rather disquieting.

“Still here, are you? Well, I suppose this is the countryside. We must have missed you. Seen many other humans?”

“No…” I say, rather shocked. “I’ve been busy painting my boat. My dog…

The dog appears behind me, wearing one of my waistcoats.

“Barnaby” The badger shakes his paw. “Good weather, isn’t it.”

“Great for this time of year” the dog replies. “He” indicating me “loves it. He’s always outside, playing with paint and wood.”

I run back to the house, looking for a stiff drink. The other badger follows.

“Best you come with me, old chap. It’s always a shock at first. Still, we’ve found you a nice nest down by the lake. Lots of branches…”

I grab the whisky and have a long drink. It reaches my stomach. I look again. The badger is still standing in front of me, wearing a bowler hat.

“Come on.” He takes the whisky bottle from me. I reach for my phone.

“Elderlands police station, please. It’s Robert Frost at Wisteria Lodge. Some people have arrived and have demanded entry to my house. Yes, please come at once. Goodbye.”

The badger looked at me in contempt as his partner and my dog entered the kitchen. “You’re wasting your time, you know. It’s not us they are after, it’s you.”

A siren grows louder and I look smugly at the trio. “End of the line for you. What are you going to do, take on the entire police force?”

The badger nearest the dog smiles. I don’t understand why, but I’m more focused on why the dog is removing my keys, wallet and Blackberry from my pockets. I’m too shocked to stop him, other than a token “Bad dog.”

I hear what sounds like a 4X4 park down the lane. Someone, or something is coming towards us. It doesn’t sound like human footsteps though. Sounds like hopping.

A large frog in a tiny police officer’s cap, which once belonged to a human, pokes his head round the door.

“Ribbet, ribbet, ribbet” he declares. Then he looks at me “You’d better come with me, sir. We’ve got a nice nest waiting.”

Cowardly Rufus Hound and his disabilist fans

2012-01-22T14:31:00.001Z

Nicky Clark reports:

Last week I asked a celebrity Rufus Hound to rethink a RT posting with the word "Retards" in it. I also addressed it to the sender of the picture. @Jayparsonsmagic

The next morning the abuse from the sender and another fan began.I engaged with them even though they called me a "spastic" and made further comments etc etc then later in the day Jay Parsons tweeted a pic with a Downs Syndrome child and the tagline I can count to potato.

So I phoned Rufus Hounds agent to warn him that the sender of the picture was tweeting another cruel image referencing disability.

Rufus Hound got in touch on twitter and he wasn’t pleased. We exchanged tweets then he blocked me.

He carried on tweeting me and about me but as I wasn’t able to reply the debate had been effectively censored by him as he related only his point of view.

His many fans swooped on me as is the predictable response.

Celebrity’s tweeted their sympathy for his situation and their fans saw that point of view too. Rufus Hound really was being victimized by this point of view.

Many of them know and like him in real life they only read his side of the situation so rightly they were defending him being attacked as they saw it. They just didn't see my tweets.I sent him replies and a couple of links that was all.

I didn't bombard his timeline at all...

Surely a calm debate on the issues around dehumanizing language would have saved everyone’s time?

Because this type of behaviour detailed above is really not what I imagine free speech was created for. It's not what people fought and died to protect and it's not at all what I campaign for.

No one is accsuing Rufus Hound of committing a hate crime by using the word retards or for RT'ing an image with the word retards in it.

In and of itself it is of course just a word but it is the normalising of words like this which reference disability promoted by big stars that is the issue. Bigots don't trouble themselves to look for intent.

These words aren't being reclaimed to promote a positive idea like other hateful words were was reclaimed to do.

They are being reclaimed as insults.

They are furthering stereotypes from language which has historically been used to mean learning disability and the joke is always using the perceived low intellectual capacity as a reference for stupid or foolish acts.

I was going to leave this alone and not blog it because I found the whole thing really sad to be honest, but again people have been tweeting Rufus Hound with yet another piece talking about free speech and "offence" equating it to what happened and he's been RT'ing to bolster his original defence, so I felt it fair to tell the tale of the "hate crime " as it also shows the sort of abuse I take on a daily basis.

I campaign through choice yes but also because I've actually seen hate crime against someone I loved very much and who died a month ago. My mum.

All hate crime begins with verbal abuse.

It's quite scary how people using disablist language will not even have a rational discussion, but simply hurl abuse at the person making a perfectly civil request.

Of course, as with Ricky Gervais, some of Rufus Hound's fans hurl abuse at the person out of unthinking loyality to him.

Perhaps he'll let them wax his arse after his next show.

I call him cowardly, by the way, as he blocked Nicky Clark but still carried on tweeting about her. That is just my opinion based on Nicky Clark's account, and is fair comment.

I am not accusing Rufus Hound of being cowardly at other times.

Fisking Elly Nowell: Part 2

2012-01-21T16:13:00.001Z

Elly Nowellhas written an article in the Guardian:

I certainly did not expect the email to spread as far as it has. Varying between offers of TV interviews and hundreds of enthusiastic Facebook messages (including, rather bizarrely, dozens from Peru), it has certainly been far-reaching. I find this hard to explain – but perhaps it's because there is little light-hearted mockery of Oxbridge around.

There is lots of both inverted snobbery and light-hearted mockery of Oxford around. All the complaints you make in your letter (aside from the one about no glass of water)have been made before. You make it sound like criticism of Oxford is a taboo.

To me, withdrawing my application to an institution that is a symbol of unfairness in both our education and the legal system (which is so dominated by Oxbridge graduates) makes perfect sense, and I am reluctant to be part of a system so heavily dominated by such a narrow group of self-selecting elites. It seems tragic that people often seem to believe that individuals should compromise their beliefs in favour of improving their ambiguous "future prospects".

If you really cared about standing up for your beliefs, Elly Nowell, you would have either not applied in the first place or gone there and challenged the perceptions of those there who have an elitist outlook.

So, why did I apply in the first place? If you're achieving high grades at A-level (or equivalent) you can feel quite a lot of pressure to "prove yourself" by getting an Oxbridge offer.

Coupled with the fact that I grew up on benefits in council estates throughout Bristol – not a type of heritage often associated with Oxbridge interview – I decided to give it a try.

Clearly, if Elly mainly applied to Oxford as you felt you should prove yourself, she didn't have much of a reason to go there. It's hardly standing up for belief s if you decide to apply somewhere as you think it is the done thing

Her second reason seems to be that you felt you would provide some diversity - and then Elly Nowell shat all over this laudable idea when you sent you unfunny little letter.

It was only at interview that I started to question what exactly I was trying to prove. I was well aware that fantastic candidates are often turned down, and I did not believe that this was a true reflection of their academic potential. It no longer made any sense to me to subject myself to their judgment, and so I withdrew my application.

Elly doesn't say why she "did not believe that this was a true reflection of their academic potential", or why she only questioned what she was "trying to prove" at interview. This sounds like it was more about Elly herself than how she felt about Oxford.

I am proud of the so-called "chip on my shoulder" and I do not believe anyone's opinion should be invalidated simply because they did not attend Oxbridge.

It should be less valid if the subject is Oxford or Cambridge.

Ultimately, I am not harming Oxford by laughing at it, and it is an amazing feeling to realise that so many people are enjoying my email.

You're not harming Oxford at all. Just yourself. You might have a bright future in PR, but law firms are mostly steeped in tradition.

Even ones that correspond to your sense of justice might think twice about calling you for interview.

What happens if you write a spoof rejection letter to them and put it online?

I hope that at a time when youth unemployment has hit an astounding 22.3%, my inconsequential mockery of this venerable institution provides a little light-hearted humour.

Apples and oranges.

Much to my surprise, it has become a bit of an internet hit, and has provoked reactions of both horror and amusement.

No-one was horrified, just contemptous. And most of those who are amused haven't explained why.

Why didn't you do your research properly, Elly Nowell? Why didn't you contact a single Oxford student beforehand?

Disabilist jokes on Radio 4's Everyone Quite Likes Justin

2012-01-21T14:16:00.002Z

I usually listen to the comedy half-hour on Radio 4 between 6:30 and 7.

On Wednesday, I tuned in halfway through a new show called Everyone Quite Likes Justin.

After a few minutes, one of the characters said. "I've seen how you go when you're around Lisa. In that soft voice."

"What soft voice?"

"That. Don't be like that around her. People will think she's your carer."

This comment implies that disabled people who require carers talk in "a soft voice...a silly, needy voice*", and that the way they talk is something to laugh at.

The phrase "People will think she's your carer" is also commonly used as an insult, implying that disabled people are stupid.

Also the sitcom used "mental" as slang for "shocking". "Rocked it out...mental...mental"

Why is this hateful show on Radio 4?

*Used later in the show in relation to the voice.

DfID reveals identity of whistleblower

2012-01-21T13:22:00.000Z

The Bureau of Investigative Journalism reports:

British international development secretary, Andrew Mitchell has been forced to launch a departmental review and issue an ‘unreserved apology’ after a Department for International Development (DfID) official revealed the identity of a whistleblower which was handed to the firm named as potentially having links to investors who may be corrupt.

Nigerian anti-corruption campaigner, Dotun Oloko passed sensitive information to DfID about concerns over possible corruption on a massive scale involving UK taxpayers’ cash.

But the Bureau has established that officials at both DfID and its controversial developing world investment arm, CDC were both responsible for blowing Mr Oloko’s cover to the very company he had concerns about.

Mr Oloko repeatedly requested that DfID respect his anonymity.

As a result, private investigators hired by the firm in question established where his two children went to school.

The Nigerian, now based in the UK, now feels unable to return to his home fearing he may be at risk. He says his business has suffered irreparable damage.

On Tuesday evening, after an approach by the Bureau armed with Freedom of Information disclosures proving DfID passed on Mr Oloko’s details, Mitchell ‘apologised unreservedly’ to Mr Oloko and ordered an internal review into his department’s whistleblower protection procedures.

CDC has also issued an embarrassing apology...

Francesca Martinez discusses welfare reform on This Week

2012-01-21T11:32:00.001Z

Paramedic Philip Hillier struck off for slapping patient

2012-01-21T08:35:00.001Z

BBC News reports:

A paramedic who slapped a woman patient across the face and spoke to her aggressively has been struck off for 12 months at a disciplinary hearing.

Philip Hillier, 53, was found guilty of misconduct over the treatment of a woman he believed was faking injury in Cardiff.

A panel ruled he had shown no remorse and posed a potential risk to patients.

It also said he had undermined the reputation of the Welsh Ambulance Service...

Astonishgly, Mr Hillier has only be struck off for 12 months. Should he not be struck off for life?

Disabled man needs housing association to stop his home flooding

2012-01-21T07:13:00.001Z

The WF Guardian reports:

A MAN with a debilitating illness is calling for action after his home was repeatedly flooded.

Lawrence Barrett, 45, who suffers from motor neurone disease, said something must be done to stop his home turning into a “swimming pool” during heavy rainfall and criticised the housing association which owns the property for being slow to react.

Leaks through the walls of Mr Barrett’s flat in Forest Road, Walthamstow, have flooded the sitting room three times in the last month, leaving four inches of water.

Each time Ascham Homes, which manages properties on behalf of the council, sent out contractors to get rid of the water, but the problem returns...

Carlesberg and the Lithuanian legal system attack union rights

2012-01-20T18:11:00.002Z

The International Union of Food Workers IUF reports:

...On June 10 last year members of the IUF-affiliated Lithuanian Trade Union of Food Producers (LPMS) voted in favour of strike action at the Carlsberg brewery in Lithuania in support of their demand for a decent company-level collective agreement.

Management sought to stop the strike and applied to the court with a petition to declare the strike ballot procedure invalid and the strike illegal, and demanded compensation for litigation costs.

The company not only tried to stop the strike and declare it illegal but also argued that no strike action was possible until the “high season” had passed.

The Klaipeda district court on June 20 suspended the start of the planned strike for 30 days based on a dubious determination that the production of beer was recognized as ‘vitally essential’ in Lithuania.

On the July 5, 2011 the Klaipeda city district court ruled that the strike was legal. Carlsberg Lithuania management appealed this decision.

On August 5, 2011 the Klaipeda regional court annulled the decision of the lower court, ruling that the brewery strike announced in June was illegal.

The court decision to rule the strike illegal is based on the following astonishing grounds: “The collective agreement is in compliance with the Labour Code because the wages of Carlsberg employees are above the market level, jobs are maintained and wages are not reduced.”

With this absurd ruling, the court is attempting to legitimize Carlsberg’s attempt to freeze wages for 3 years by declaring a legitimate strike unlawful.

The union has appealed the regional court decision to a higher court, where it is still under appeal, and submitted a complaint to the ILO which the IUF has formally supported and which will now be examined by the Committee on Freedom of Association...

You can express support for the Carlsberg workers here.

Let's boycott Carlsberg unless they call off their attempt to ban the strike and make recompense to the workers.

Via Harry's Place.

2012 Olympics could bring "transport meltdown"

2012-01-20T14:24:00.000Z

MSN reports:

London's road and rail networks will melt down during the Olympics unless commuters stay away, the transport minister has warned.

"If everybody seeks to travel the way they always travel every day, the system won't cope. You can't suddenly bring in hundreds of thousands of new people to travel in by train and expect the system to cope so the answer is they have to look at working differently," Norman Baker said.

Speaking to MSN, Baker also criticised the demands of the Olympic authorities for dedicated traffic lanes to ensure VIPs don't suffer from the same congestion as ordinary Londoners.

"I think the VIP requirement has been rather overdone - but that's not a government requirement it's a requirement from the IOC," he added...

Iran upholds death sentence for porn site developer

2012-01-20T13:27:00.002Z

The Guardian reports:

Iran's supreme court has upheld the death sentence for a web programmer who faces imminent execution after being found guilty of developing and promoting porn websites.

Saeed Malekpour was picked up by plainclothes officers in October 2008 and taken to Evin prison in Tehran, where he spent a year in solitary confinement without access to lawyers and without charge.

A year after his arrest, the 35-year-old appeared in a state television programme confessing to a series of crimes in connection with a porn website.

On the basis of his TV confessions, he was convicted of designing and moderating adult materials online by a court in Tehran, which handed down death penalty.

Malekpour later retracted his confessions in a letter sent from prison, in which he said they had been made under duress.

According to Malekpour's family, he is a permanent resident of Canada and is a programmer who wrote photo-uploading software that was used by a porn website without his knowledge.

His sister, Maryam Malekpour, said the supreme court had confirmed the death sentence despite many discrepancies in the case. "Saeed's lawyers were told that his death sentence will be issued this week," she said in an interview with the Iranian website Roozonline...

Of course, even if Saeed Malekpour had been "guilty" of developing and promoting porn websites, he should not have been punished, let alone sentenced to death, for this.

What a vile regime Iran is.

Exhibition by Malaysian political cartoonist Zunar in London on February

2012-01-20T11:44:00.000Z

"To fight through cartoons", the new London print exhibition by acclaimed Malaysian political cartoonist Zunar, launches on Wednesday 15th February, 6.30 - 8.30pm at London's Free World Centre.

Article 19 comments:

This series of editorial cartoons is banned in his home country and now travels to London from Bilbao, Spain, where it received warm praise for its searing exploration of state corruption, the 'Anwar conspiracy' and the repression of freedom of expression.

Panel participants include Malik Imtiaz Sarwar, President of the Malaysian National Human Rights Society (HAKAM) and Clare Rewcastle Brown, an investigative journalist and founder of Sarawak Report and Radio Free Sarawak, in a frank discussion of freedom of expression, censorship and political dissent in Malaysia.

The exhibition launch will follow, to include an informal reception and a live drawing demonstration by Zunar.

The venue is the Free Word Centre, 60 Farringdon Rd, London EC1R 3GA. Nearest tube is Farringdon.

Tickets are limited and available on a first-come basis until Friday 3rd February.

To reserve your ticket, please click here.
For all other enquiries, please email sonya@article19.org.

Zumar is currently taking the government and police to court for for his wrongful arrest and detention in September 2010, which occurred hours before the launch of his latest compilation of political cartoons.

More here.

Greater Manchester school unfinished four months after opening

2012-01-20T09:01:00.000Z

The Manchester Evening News reports:

...The governing body of Vale View primary in Stockport has written to the council with a catalogue of ‘serious concerns’.

They say the 550-pupil school – which opened in September – is still unfinished and presents health and safety risks.

Last month, the Reddish school was evacuated after a ceiling collapsed.

Governors now say fixtures and fittings keep falling off and IT equipment has not been correctly installed.

They complain workmen are still on site four months after the school opening and say ‘a multitude of outstanding items are not completed’.

Council bosses say it is ‘common’ for some work to carry on for up to a year after a building is completed.

Man sexually harasses woman on Birmingham train

2012-01-20T07:27:00.001Z

British Transport Police have released a CCTV image of a man they want to speak to regarding an investigation into indecent behavior on Friday, 16 December 2011 between Birmingham New Street and Telford.

Investigating officer, PC Stuart Williamson, said: “A 54-year-old female passenger was on board the 2009hrs Birmingham International to Shrewsbury service when a male passenger boarded at Birmingham New Street station and sat directly opposite her.

“As the train travelled between Birmingham New Street and Telford stations, the male repeatedly rubbed his foot against the woman’s leg. When the woman attempted to move her leg, the man continued his behaviour, which was also witnessed by other passengers.

“Although uninjured, the woman was understandably disturbed by the behaviour of the man, who left the train at Telford."

PC Williamson added: “Enquiries are ongoing to establish the identity of the man and I am today releasing this CCTV image of a man I would like to trace as I believe he will be able to assist the investigation.

“I would ask anyone who knows the man’s identity, or his current whereabouts, to contact British Transport Police.”

Anyone with information is asked to contact British Transport Police on Freefone 0800 40 50 40, quoting incident reference B14/WWA of 18/01/2012. Alternatively, call the independent charity Crimestoppers anonymously on 0800 555 111.

Talk at Queen Mary on "Sharia Law and Human Rights" cancelled after threats

2012-01-19T12:22:00.000Z

The British Humanist Association reports:

A talk organised yesterday by the Queen Mary Atheism, Secularism and Humanism Society on ‘Sharia Law and Human Rights’ had to be cancelled after threats of violence.

The President of the Society describes what happened:
Five minutes before the talk was due to start a man burst into the room holding a camera phone and for some seconds stood filming the faces of all those in the room. He shouted ‘listen up all of you, I am recording this, I have your faces on film now, and I know where some of you live’, at that moment he aggressively pushed the phone in someone’s face and then said ‘and if I hear that anything is said against the holy Prophet Mohammed, I will hunt you down.’

He then left the room and two members of the audience applauded.

The same man then began filming the faces of Society members in the foyer and threatening to hunt them down if anything was said about Mohammed, he added that he knew where they lived and would murder them and their families.

On leaving the building, he joined a large group of men, seemingly there to support him.

We were told by security to stay in the Lecture Theatre for our own safety. On arriving back in the room I became aware that the doors that opened to the outside were still open and that people were still coming in.

Several eye witnesses reported that when I was in the foyer a group of men came through the open doors, causing a disruption and making it clear that the room could not be secured.

Unfortunately, the lack of security in the lecture theatre meant we and the audience had to leave and a Union representative informed the security that as students’ lives had been threatened there was no way that the talk could go ahead.

This event was supposed to be an opportunity for people of different religions and perspectives to debate, at a university that is supposed to be a beacon of free speech and debate.

Only two complaints had been made to the Union prior to the event, and the majority of the Muslim students at the event were incredibly supportive of it going ahead.

These threats were an aggressive assault on freedom of speech and the fact that they led to the cancellation of our talk was severely disappointing for all of the religious and non religious students in the room who wanted to engage in debate.

The police were contacted about the incident and the Society is waiting to hear how their investigation will proceed.

NHS Oxfordshire to ban gluten-free foods from prescriptions

2012-01-19T12:14:00.002Z

The Oxford Times reports:

Oxfordshire’s health authority is set to be the first in the UK to ban gluten-free food from NHS prescriptions to save £350,000 a year.

If it gets given the go-ahead, it will affect thousands of county residents who get food such as breads, pastas, pizza bases and crackers paid for by the NHS.

Children and adults with coeliac disease cannot eat gluten, a product which is found in wheat, barley and rye, and is also often in products such as mayonnaise, soup, and other processed goods.

The only treatment for the disease is a gluten-free diet for life.

There are believed to be more than 6,000 coeliac sufferers in the county and symptoms can range from mild to severe abdominal pain, to osteoporosis, and even bowel cancer.

Last night, the move was condemned by charity Coeliac UK, which said NHS Oxfordshire was the only trust to consider the “draconian” move.

Chief executive Sarah Sleet said: “The primary care trust has said it does not give food on prescription to other groups with food intolerances.

“Coeliac is not a food intolerance, it is an auto-immune disease. It’s very wrong of them.”

NHS Oxfordshire, which decides how health service money is spent locally, said in Oxfordshire it spends £350,000 each year on around 25,000 prescriptions for gluten-free foods for people with coeliac disease.

A spokesman added:...“In recent years, there have been considerable improvements in the types of foods available in shops and supermarkets.

“The NHS does not provide food on prescription for other groups of patients whose diseases are associated with, or affected by, the type of food they eat.

“For these reasons, we are considering whether or not the local NHS should continue to provide NHS prescriptions for gluten-free foods.”

...A public consultation has opened and will run until February 3.

The questionnaire can be filled in here.

Comments can also be emailed to talking.health@oxfordshirepct.nhs.uk or posted to Communications and Engagement, NHS Buckinghamshire & Oxfordshire Cluster, Jubilee House, 5510 John Smith Drive, Oxford Business Park South, Oxford, OX4 2LH...

Coeliac UK comments:

...While you might assume that the Free From aisles in supermarkets mean that the condition is catered for, it is not.

Independent research from King’s College London shows that gluten-free breads and flours can cost four times more than their gluten containing equivalent and they are virtually absent from budget and convenience stores.

That means if you are poor, elderly or live in rural areas without access to a car you will find this proposal deeply damaging.

For those who rely on prescriptions to keep to their diet, the only treatment for coeliac disease, they risk suffering from osteoporosis, infertility and small bowel cancer, costing the NHS more than ever.”

CJB1985 says:

My teenage daughter has coeliac disease and for us, gluten-free prescriptions enable us to treat her condition and make sure she is not at risk of other conditions such as infertility or even cancer.

It seems baffling to me that when there is evidence showing that coeliacs need prescriptions to make sure they don’t stray from the diet, that the NHS would remove this service and put people at risk of other illnesses which they would happily pay even greater costs to treat.”

The ignorant comments rape victims have to put up with (potential trigger)

2012-01-19T10:13:00.003Z

Fisking Elly Nowell

2012-01-19T08:51:00.019Z

Following an interview at Magdalen College, Oxford, to read Law (Jurisprudence), Elly Nowell sent a spoof letter of rejection.

She made the four claims:

1. Holding interviews in "grand formal settings" allows public school applicants to flourish and intimidates state school applicants.

2. Magdalen College's traditions and rituals reflect badly on Oxford.

3. There was a huge gap between minorities and white middle-class students.

4. It was rude to not offer a glass of water, which was "torture".

She also claimed that Oxbridge was "rarely mocked"

Firstly, Elly Nowell either did not do her research probably before applying to Oxford or did not care until after the interview.

Oxford University is steeped in tradition. There are many universities which do not place much of an emphasis on ceremony. Why did she not solely apply to these?

Secondly, Oxford was founded many years ago and is hence made up of grand old buildings. It would have been a cause for criticism if interviews were held in a portacabin, but Oxford are letting potential students see what life there is like.

If Ms Nowell does not like being interviewed in grand buildings, she will struggle pursuing a career in the law.

Thirdly, Ms Nowell claims there was a huge gap between black students and white middle class students.

She is correct that black students and white working class students (the latter of whom she does not mention) are underrepresented at universities.

However, she does not offer any strategy to tackle this, such as getting Oxford University students to visit inner city schools.

She must have been aware of the disparity beforehand, as it is unlikely she could have come to a conclusion on one day's visit. Again, why did she apply there?

I would also suggest that Ms Nowell's sixth form college, Brockenhurst is hardly a bastion of working class life:

Between study sessions you can grab lunch, or just chill out with a coffee and tune into MTV at the Hard Brock Café or the Little Brock Internet Cafe.

If you are feeling energetic, why not challenge your mates to a game at the College Sports Centre, or take a walk into the local village and meet some of the locals – the New Forest ponies!

Head for a study room when it is time to focus and you can go on-line or access your files on the College-wide computer network.

Elly Nowell could take a trip to Waltham Forest or Blackbird Leys and ask sixth formers there if they have the facilities her school had.

Fourthly, Oxbridge is often mocked and there has been a great deal of criticism of people from Oxford and Cambridge universities dominating comedy and the establishment.

Fifthly, not getting a glass of water is not "torture". If Elly Nowell cannot cope with not being offered a glass of water, how will she cope with a job interview, especially in a tough career like law.

Finally, won't law firms be concerned that she will do the same to them if she does not like the company?

This self-publicity seems to have backfired. Well, either self-publicity or she did badly in her interview and thought she'd avoid getting a rejection letter.

New report claims 2012 Olympics opening ceremony could cause gridlock

2012-01-19T08:47:00.000Z

The Guardian says:

A traffic analysis company has warned that road users could face a "perfect storm" on the opening weekend of the Olympics, predicting "huge stress" on London's road networks.

The opening ceremony of the Games on 27 July coincides with the usual Friday rush hour and "holiday getaway" traffic leaving the capital via corridor routes and the M25.

The report by Inrix warns that park and ride sites around the capital, some situated near busy shopping centres close to the Dartford crossing, could cause a "domino effect" of congestion on key junctions on the M25.

Inrix – which provides traffic information to most of the UK's leading media outlets and monitors traffic throughout Europe and the US – predicted traffic congestion would increase by a third in July and August, and that core routes would slow to 12mph in late July and early August.

It also predicted rush hour could move forward by as much as 90 minutes, with morning traffic peaking at 5.30am rather than 7am and evening traffic at 3.30pm rather than 5pm. Identified pinch points include the approach to the Blackwall tunnel in both directions, the A13 and other roads around major venues...

Transport for London claim the report is based on incorrect or out of date information, according to the BBC.

Easyjet forces disabled man off plane

2012-01-19T06:55:00.000Z

BBC News reports:

A wheelchair user who was forced off an Easyjet plane at Gatwick because of safety fears has criticised the airline.

Martin Sabry, from Cambridge, who was paralysed from the chest down 17 years ago, was asked to leave the Montpelier-bound service by cabin staff.

The 39-year-old was told they were not satisfied he could reach the emergency exit in the event of a crash.

The airline has apologised to Mr Sabry and launched an investigation.

Mr Sabry said that after he was told to leave the 4 January flight, the purser asked him to read aloud a card with the airline's safety guidelines as other passengers walked by...

By the time that Mr Sabry - who has used Easyjet several times - was allowed to reboard the plane it was ready for take-off so he missed his flight...

Cable stolen from railway line in Winchfield, Hampshire

2012-01-18T17:30:00.001Z

British Transport Police are appealing for information after cable was stolen from a railway line in the Winchfield area of Hampshire.

The theft was discovered by a Network Rail engineering team and is suspected to have taken place over the past week.

18 cables, each around two feet long, had been taken, along with five other types of cable, making 23 in total.

Officers are currently making enquiries into the incident, which will include checks with local scrap dealers, and particularly want to hear from anyone who may have seen any suspicious activity in the area.

BTP Chief Inspector Alison Evans said: “As a result of this selfish act, thousands of passengers this morning had their journey disrupted, at great personal and economic cost to the area.

“At present it isn’t entirely clear exactly when this theft took place, but what we do know is that the repairs required as a result led to disruption to a large number of services.

“We’ve launched an investigation to determine the full circumstances and are appealing for anyone with information to contact us.

“Stealing or attempting to steal cable is extremely dangerous and those who do are not just risking a court appearance, they’re risking their lives.”

The independent charity Crimestoppers, in partnership with Network Rail, is offering a reward of up to £1,000 for information leading to the arrest and conviction of any cable thieves.

Archers Point Residential Home in Bromley recieves second formal warning from CQC

2012-01-18T15:24:00.002Z

This is Local London reports:

A BROMLEY care home has been warned it is failing to protect vulnerable people after inspectors found people’s health was being put at risk.

Archers Point Residential Home in Bickley Road, Bromley, has been issued with a formal warning by the Care Quality Commission [CQC] that it must make urgent improvements to standards of care provided.

Inspectors found staff were not following proper instructions when administering medicine, putting people at risk of side effects or the medicine being ineffective.

They were also concerned staff were not trained to give out medications and were not storing it properly or keeping records of doses.

It is the second time the home has received a formal warning following a CQC inspection.

A previous review in June 2011 found the home was not meeting standards of care in 16 different areas, with major concerns in three areas including medication management, staffing and treating people with respect.

Though the home had made improvements in most areas, medication management remains a concern...

The home has not commented.

Schoolgirl missing in London since January 9: Have you seen her?

2012-01-18T14:09:00.000Z

The Waltham Forest Guardian reports:

A SCHOOLGIRL has been missing since leaving home a week ago.

Tiia Malone, 14, from St Egbert's Way in Chingford, was last seen on January 9.

She is described as black, of large build, 5ft 8in, with long black hair.

She was last seen wearing a Clapton Girls School uniform of a black blazer with lilac stripes, a lilac shirt and a black skirt.

She is known to visit the Hackney, Stratford and Holloway areas.

Anyone with information is asked to call the Missing Persons unit on 0500 700 700.

You can see a picture of Tiia here.

Disabled students could be badly affected by welfare reforms

2012-01-18T11:38:00.000Z

The Guardian reports:

Alaina Sonn is style-savvy and has an eye for colour. Passionate about fashion, she hopes to study for a degree in design and textiles. "I want the chance to learn more," she says.

But Sonn, from Ross-on-Wye, has cerebral palsy and preparing for university won't be easy.

On top of the usual costs, disabled students face the worry of funding care, transport and accessible accommodation.

Charities now fear that welfare reforms, coupled with the higher tuition fees that take effect this year, risk shutting the door on the ambitions of many disabled young people.

Disabled university students are entitled to Disabled Students' Allowances (DSAs), which can fund a non-medical helper and, for students with the most complex needs, provide up to £6,885 for equipment and general costs.

At the moment, disabled students can also claim some welfare benefits, with those studying full-time receiving an average of £70 a week through Disability Living Allowance (DLA), which helps pay for the extra costs of living with a disability.

Part-time students receive the same benefits as prior to their degree; the amount varies wildly but could include Employment and Support Allowance, up to £99.85, which helps to pay for personalised support to help disabled people work.

The welfare reform bill aims to cut the cost of benefits by reducing the number of people who are eligible – the lower levels of DLA, for example, are to be abolished altogether when the benefit is replaced with Personal Independence Payments.

But the charity Disability Rights UK fears some will lose out unfairly. Neil Coyle of Disability Alliance says: "If people are misassessed, they simply won't get their DLA. It's a huge blow to students because their benefits are linked, so if they don't get DLA then they won't get housing benefit either."

...Sulaiman Kahn, who has congenital muscular dystrophy, studies advertising and brand communication at the University for the Creative Arts in Farnham, Surrey.

As a result of his disability, he spends about £5,500 more on accommodation than other students – paying for his carer's place in halls, which costs £4,000 a year, and £1,500 for a room large enough to house his wheelchair and specialist equipment.

Kahn, from Woodford Green, London, is grateful that his 24-hour care is provided by his local NHS community services authority – not all students are as fortunate.

But nobody is willing to pick up the bill for his carer's room, meaning he must find £9,000 a year for accommodation – more than his £7,000 student loan. He is currently funded by charity grants and family savings.

"It's a lot," he says. "But I don't want to sit at home watching daytime TV for the rest of my life. I want to go to work and pay taxes like everybody else. I can't explain to you what it feels like to go to university, have friends, work hard, to meet people – to live in a way that most people take for granted. And to do it by myself, independently."

...Kahn says without the support of welfare benefits and the academic support provided through DSAs university would have been out of the question. "It wouldn't have been possible. Even now, it is a huge financial commitment."

While DSAs will remain the same, Kahn does not know how the welfare reforms might affect him. "It's a lot harder for disabled people to prove to employers that they are capable, but a degree enables you to do that," he says.

"If the government wants disabled people to work, not to just be on benefits, they need to support young disabled people who want to get an education or training."

And there are fears that, as cuts to higher education set in, university access programmes will suffer. Disability Rights UK has raised concerns over the future of the widening-participation premium – the lump sum given by the Higher Education Funding Council for England to help universities support disadvantaged students.

Tony Stevens, an adviser at Disability Rights UK, says the fund allows universities to cover the cost of vital frontline staff. "It pays for the disability advisers who support disabled students at university. If the money isn't there, universities will be left to sort this out for themselves."

From September 2012, efforts to boost access will be largely funded by individual institutions – but the university think-tank million+ warns that it is crucial the premium is retained beyond 2012-13.

How the Olympics will affect a disabled person in Tower Hamlets

2012-01-18T10:47:00.008Z

BBC News reports:

Tower Hamlets-based wheelchair-user Pat Davey feels that even though the Olympic Games are on his doorstep, locals have been sidelined.

"I was born in Bow and have lived in Tower Hamlets my whole life. I've been tetraplegic since a car accident broke my neck 10 years ago...

Wapping's Highway is one of the main routes in and out of London from east to west.

The Olympic Route Network and the Games Lanes are going to turn it into one-lane traffic.

We're going to have gridlock and the people of Wapping are going to be shut off completely.

Being disabled the underground is inaccessible for me.

With hospital appointments or just getting around I'm reliant on an adapted vehicle to get about.

If we can't get anywhere because of the traffic situation we're going to be marooned.

It's pointless getting in your motor because you're not going to get anywhere. Basically it won't be worth going out.

Everybody's going to be isolated, and some of us feel trapped enough as it is having to live in the borough.

They're taking out pedestrian crossings opposite the park, or opposite McDonalds, which are hotspots for kids.

They're not going to walk half a mile to use another crossing, they're going to take the risk and cross anyway.

There's been consultation from TfL (Transport for London) but the only way we're aware of it is through social networking sites like Facebook.
It's possible they've consulted the local council, but they certainly haven't consulted us.

They should have a working party made up of local people that knew how the area was run and that could give valuable input.
Planners and surveyors have made all the rules but they don't know, they don't live here.

What they don't understand about the East End is that we're a very diverse community but we're a very strong community, there's a lot of deep-rooted values and we won't be walked over."

Colbert Super PAC Ad: Attack In B Minor For Strings

2012-01-18T06:46:00.000Z

Voluntary code for bailiffs tightened

2012-01-17T16:58:00.000Z

Publicservice.co.uk reports:

Updated national standards to define acceptable behaviour for bailiffs have been unveiled by the justice minister Jonathan Djanogly...

Councils and other authorities will adopt the standards which will be used to set rules for any bailiffs working for them...

The new standards say that bailiffs must not behave in a threatening manner or use unlawful force to gain access to a home or business; they should avoid discussing the debt with anyone except the person owing money, and bailiffs must never behave in a way that would publicly embarrass a debtor.

Also, bailiffs must withdraw when only a child is present; and they have a duty of care towards vulnerable people, such as the elderly, people with disabilities, single parents and unemployed people and must use discretion when collecting debts from these groups.

Alongside the revised national standards the information available on DirectGov has been updated to provide guidance on bailiffs for debtors and creditors. This guidance also provides information on where people can go for help if they feel they have been a victim of unacceptable behaviour by bailiffs.

Waltham Forest Council wage ratio criticised

2012-01-17T15:02:00.000Z

The Waltham Forest Guardian reports:

THE payscale for council employees has been criticised by the Green Party.

Waltham Forest Council is being urged to implement a “fairer” wage ratio between its highest and lowest earners by the Waltham Forest Greens as part of the party’s 10:1 pay ratio campaign.

The local authority’s chief executive, Martin Esom, earns £180,000 a year, which is 12 times the wage of the lowest paid workers who earn about £14,700...

Ahwazi Arabs continue to face discrimination in Iran

2012-01-17T12:54:00.000Z

Harry's Place reports:

Last year was a turbulent and violent year for Iran’s persecuted and impoverished Ahwazi Arab and Mandean communities who populate the oil-rich southwestern province of Khuzestan.

The latest Ahwaz Human Rights Report, published this week, detailedan increase in violent repression by the Iranian regime against these ethnic groups amid the wave of unrest that gripped the Middle East.

Ahead of coordinated demonstrations held in Arab districts on April 15th, dubbed the ‘Day of Rage’, the regime rounded up cultural and human rights activists from the Ahwazi Arab community.

Two of these prisoners of conscience were paraded on Press TV, the Iranian regime’s international propaganda arm, in December.

Following months of incarceration in Ahwaz’s gruesome secret detention centre, run by the Ministry of Intelligence, the men “confessed” to a string of terrorist offences, claiming they were in the pay of Hosni Mubarak and Muammer al-Qaddafi.

Hadi Rashedi, a chemistry teacher and brother of the former chair of Khalafabad city council who was also arrested, claimed to have been among a group of gunmen who killed a policeman, despite suffering from serious heart disease that exempted him from military service.

Hashem Shaabani, a post-graduate from Ahwaz University and prominent blogger, also gave a “confession” that accorded with the regime’s narrative on Ahwazi Arabs. Neither men have been charged or faced trial, let alone been allowed access to family members or lawyers.

Press TV went further, implicating a number of Ahwazi Arab refugees living in exile who they accuse of assisting with separatist terrorist attacks, without offering any proof.

That's the same Press TV that George Galloway,Yvonne Ridley and Lauren Booth are happy to work for.

How the Olympics have affected Hackney

2012-01-17T10:57:00.001Z

The Hackney Citizen reports:

Johnnie Walker shakes his head as he looks down over a drizzly Sunday morning of football on the Marshes.

“The Olympics has cost us dearly,” declares the chairman of the Hackney and Leyton Sunday football league.

From the first floor of the recently-built South Marshes Centre, the pitches across the largest expanse of playing fields in Europe stretch out as far as the eye can see...

But now the iconic leagues are under threat as the Olympics swallow up the land around them.

“We’ve lost some of our best pitches permanently in the Arena Field,” Johnnie Walker says.

They have been replaced by a five-storey media centre which was initially struggling to attract a buyer post-Olympics [Ten bids have now been received from would-be tenants].

“We used to play our cup finals there.”

Meanwhile up the road on the East Marshes, a further 12 pitches are being engulfed in tarmac for a temporary car park.

There is a written guarantee that the land will be handed back by 2013. However, Mr Walker is wary after a string of broken promises from the London Mayor’s office and the Olympic Delivery Authority (ODA).

“I’ve learnt not to trust them anymore,” he says. “We had to play the whole of last season up there without facilities after they were knocked down early. They also took three of our pitches before they were supposed to.”

“This is all supposed to be ‘legacy’,” he adds, gesturing to the empty room that should be the player’s bar.

“It has been empty for 18 months. There are only 26 changing rooms downstairs. We’re changing two teams in one room. It’s a great big complex and such a waste of space.”

Mr Walker calls the temporary and permanent Olympic developments on the Marshes, “vandalism” – a description that chimes with local environmental activists who are angry at the level of damage to wildlife.

Russell Miller has been campaigning through the Hackney Environment Forum and the Hackney Marshes User Group since the work started.

Last month he condemned the “unnecessary loss of a large area of woodland and meadow”.

Among the most worrying of all the projects, he says, is the damming of the River Lea with the new Three Mills Lock.

The £23 million project was supposed to enable up to 1.75 million tons of construction materials to arrive by boat as part of the commitment to the ‘greenest Olympics ever‘, but he says it has seen only one barge per week serve the giant Olympic site...

Yet more drink drivers in Oxfordshire named and shamed

2012-01-17T07:55:00.000Z

The Oxford Times reports:

Lyndsay Smith, 64, of Waveney Close, Didcot, admitted drink driving in Tamar Way, Didcot, on November 23. Had 63 micrograms of alcohol in 100ml of breath, above the legal limit of 35 micrograms. Fined £300, a £15 victims’ surcharge and £85 costs. Banned from driving for 16 months.

Fernando Fernandes, 32, of High Street, Chalfont St Peter, admitted drink driving in London Road, Oxford, on October 30. Had 172 milligrams of alcohol in 100ml of urine, above the legal limit of 107 milligrams. Fined £200, a £15 victims’ surcharge and £85 costs. Banned from driving for a year.

Marvin Gerken, 51, of Stanton Road, Forest Hill, admitted driving without a licence and drink driving in Wheatley Road, Forest Hill, on November 27. Had 89 micrograms of alcohol in 100ml of breath, above the legal limit of 35 micrograms. Fined £200, a £15 victims’ surcharge and £85 costs. Banned from driving for three years...

Stephen Leavy, 57, of Hollow Way, Oxford, admitted drink driving in The Slade, Oxford, on November 28. Had 84 micrograms of alcohol in 100ml of breath, above the legal limit of 35 micrograms. Fined £100, a £15 victims’ surcharge and banned from driving for 20 months...

Technology activist Cory Doctorow to speak at University of Westminster

2012-01-17T07:41:00.004Z

Cory Doctorow, a science fiction novelist, blogger and technology activist, will speak at the University of Westminster's Regent Street campus on 22nd February 2012.

The talk will take place in The Old Cinema, University of Westminster, 309 Regent Street, from 3:00-4:30pm.

The title is to be confirmed, but the talk will be on a topical and exciting subject located within contemporary debates involving technology and copyright.

Entry is free, and all may attend, but registration is essential for all non University of Westminster staff or students.

Please e-mail Danilo Mandic: danilo.mandic@my.westminster.ac.uk to register.

Dr Cory Doctorow is the co-editor of the popular weblog Boing Boing and a contributor to The Guardian, the New York Times, Publishers Weekly, Wired, and many other newspapers, magazines and websites.

He is a Visiting Senior Lecturer at Open University (UK) and Scholar in Virtual Residence at the University of Waterloo (Canada); in 2007, he served as the Fulbright Chair at the Annenberg Center for Public Diplomacy at the University of Southern California.

He was formerly Director of European Affairs for the Electronic Frontier Foundation, a non-profit civil liberties group that defends freedom in technology law, policy, standards and treaties.

Details of previous lectures in this series, and other Centre events.

LSE students took part in Nazi-themed drinking game

2012-01-16T15:56:00.001Z

The Beaver reports:

LSE students are facing disciplinary action after participating in a Nazi-themed drinking game during the Athletics Union’s ski trip, held at a French mountain-side resort in December 2011. Later in the night, two students were engaged in an altercation, one of whom sustained a broken nose from the incident.

‘Nazi Ring of Fire’ involved arranging cards on the table in the shape of a Swastika, and required players to “Salute the Fuhrer.”A video featuring students making antisemitic comments was uploaded to Facebook, but has since been removed.

“LSE Students’ Union Jewish Society (J-Soc) and the Union of Jewish Students (UJS) are appalled by a reported antisemitic assault that occurred after a Jewish student objected to a Nazi-themed drinking game, that was being played by his fellow students on a recent LSE Ski Trip in France.

“Nazi glorification and antisemitism have no place in our universities, which should remain safe spaces for all students,” said Jay Stoll, president of the LSE Students’ Union’s Jewish Society...

English National Ballet to hold classes for people with Parkinson's disease

2012-01-16T13:53:00.005Z

The Evening Standard reports:

A leading London ballet school is holding classes for Parkinson's sufferers after a study suggested dancing relieved symptoms of the disease.

English National Ballet hopes its Dance for Parkinson's scheme will improve patients' quality of life.

It commissioned a Roehampton University study which showed that dance may temporarily ease effects of the debilitating neurological condition and improve short-term mobility.

The scheme has now been backed with £97,000 from the Paul Hamlyn Foundation which will see it expand from London to four satellite programmes across Britain...

Patients in London told the BBC during the filming of a documentary for Inside Out, which airs tonight, that ballet had made a difference to their lives.

One sufferer, Jane, who was diagnosed with the disease in 2005 and met her husband, Franco, while dancing, said she "comes alive" during ballet sessions. "I thought I wouldn't be able to move in that way again and express myself in dance but to be able to do it is just wonderful," she said...

The reality of unemployment: Life on JSA in Liverpool

2012-01-16T11:09:00.003Z

The Guardian reports:

Thomas Bebb cranes his head out of his living room window to assess how many of his neighbours are unemployed. He counts the number of flats in this three-storey, brown-and-grey pebbledash block (12) and pauses to calculate how many contain people in work.

There are two: a scaffolder and a nurse.

Looking across the courtyard at two other blocks opposite and to the left, he can't think of anyone with a job there either...

Losing his full-time grounds maintenance job two years ago was "the end of the world": for a while he found it hard to get out of bed and didn't want to talk to people. His mood lifted when he got a contract job working in the parks, but the work only lasted a few months.

He gets about £67 a week as jobseeker's allowance, but £15 is instantly deducted in child maintenance for the three of his five children who are under 16, none of whom live with him.

Another £10 a week is also currently being deducted at source to repay a historic crisis loan that he was given by the jobcentre to tide the family over when he lost his job on another occasion about a decade ago, leaving him with just over £40 pounds.

Out of that he is paying back a credit card debt of around £1,000, which he ran up when he first lost his full-time work 18 months ago, and he needed money to tide him over.

(He went to his bank to ask for an overdraft facility to help him through that difficult time, and was told he wasn't eligible for one, but was invited to apply for a credit card instead.)

Bebb is paying this off at a rate of £33 a month, which he often finds very challenging. He spends £14 a week on recharging his gas and electricity accounts, so just under £20 is left for food, clothes, bus tickets and everything else. His rent is currently paid by housing benefit.

This is manageable, but only because he has radically changed the way he lives and eats.

He goes once a fortnight to one of two local shops that offer heavily discounted food – packets of buy-one-get-one-free frozen burgers for a pound, two-for-£1 ice-cream tubs for his younger children who stay with him at the weekend, a bag of frozen chips, which, if he rations it correctly, he can get four meals out of.

When that runs out he eats rice and pasta which he gets for 25p a pack at Tesco. "Sometimes you have to eat crap."

For breakfast now, he has toast rather than Weetabix.

If this seems an unremarkable shift, he explains the subtle financial calculations behind the change: a loaf of bread contains, say, 30 slices, and costs around 40 pence, while a packet of Weetabix costs nearer £2 and only has enough for 12 breakfasts, so is less economical.

Because he's not eating cereal, he buys less milk, and has switched to getting a litre of longlife so that he can eke it out for as long as possible without it going off. "You've got to think like that when you're shopping."

...Bebb can't afford to smoke so he doesn't, and he says beer is an unaffordable luxury: the last time he got drunk was the day he was made redundant from his permanent job two years ago.

"I was shocked, I was drowning my sorrows." He hasn't been to a football match since he was a child ("too dear") or to the cinema for years, hasn't bought new clothes since he lost his job.

To relax he takes his younger children fishing on the canal, which has the advantage of being free.

The corner shops and chippy survive on the high street, but the discount store Bebb uses is further away and he hasn't bought his children a takeaway meal since he lost his permanent job two years ago (£10 is too much to blow in one go, he explains). "It's a struggle; it gets to you more mentally," he says.

Bebb looks healthy, but admits he sometimes feels wobbly when he does the 45-minute walk to the job centre (a £3.80 day bus pass is usually unaffordable), because he hasn't eaten enough. "Sometimes I've had to stop because I've had the shakes, dizzy."

He is happy to speak frankly and dissect his budget in unembarrassed detail because he thinks people have a distorted idea of how generous benefits are.

He has noticed that the new government's tone has become more hostile to claimants, and thinks ignorance may be part of the problem.

He doesn't expect empathy from a prime minister whom he describes as a multimillionaire. "If the prime minister can go out and spend £100 a night for his dinner and I don't get that a fortnight, where's the justice in that?"

Still think JSA sounds fun? Fancy trying to survive on that?

People like Toby Young, Chris Grayling and Jan Moir haven't got a clue.

Gove's royal yacht letter: ridiculousness or planned distraction?

2012-01-16T10:57:00.000Z

Michael Gove wants the public to spend £60m on a new royal yacht for the Queen, according to a letter he has sent to the Culture Secretary and Deputy Prime Minister.

This proposal is ridiculousness, but it fits in with the Coalition's ideology.

Pump loads of money into London 2012 and the Diamond Jubilee, while cutting frontline services and benefits.

Gove's idea should be opposed, but it seems so illogical I wonder if it is a distraction from the findings of Spartacus Report and the government's recent defeat in the Lords on disability benefit reform, which they are trying to overturn.

Some people on my Twitterfeed agree.

Man has eye fractured after being assaulted at Alexanda Palace rail station

2012-01-16T08:28:00.002Z

Two men are sought by British Transport Police after an unprovoked attack at Alexandra Palace rail station left a man with a fractured eye socket.

Detective Constable Stephen McBride, of BTP’s Criminal Investigation Department, said the incident took place around 11.30pm on Friday, 23 December 2011 between platforms 3 and 4, following the World Darts Championship held at Alexandra Palace.

DC McBride said: “The victim, a 20-year-old man, was at the station with a friend waiting for a train back to Welwyn Garden City when they were approached by a group of men.

"They spoke with the group for around five minutes without any issues until suddenly, and unprovoked, two of the men set upon the victim’s friend before turning on the victim, who was punched a number of times to the face, causing him to fall to the floor.

“Whilst on the floor, one of the men began kicking the victim the face. When he attempted to get up, the group ripped his shirt and punched him again, causing him to fall back down. The group then made off from the scene.”

The victim was taken to the Queen Elizabeth II Hospital, where he was treated for a fractured eye socket, two black eyes and a swollen nose.

DC McBride added: “This was a brutal attack on a man who was simply trying to make his way home from an evening at the darts. The brutality of the assault left the victim suffering with facial injuries over the Christmas and New Year period.

“I’m urgently appealing for anyone who may have witnessed the attack to contact police.”

Anyone with information about the incident is asked to contact British Transport Police on 0800 40 50 40 quoting reference B5/LNA of 12/01/2012. Information can also be passed to the independent charity, Crimestoppers on 0800 555 11

Thugs who tortured man with learning difficulties get slap on wrist

2012-01-16T06:05:00.000Z

Disgustingly, Maggie Bowden, Rebecca Willis and Anthony Connolly, who tortured a man with learning difficulties for four hours, got only suspended sentences, according to the Manchester Evening News.

Their victim, Sean Ruddeforth, 31, was covered with paint, food and nail varnish.

Worried witnesses twice alerted police, including in a 999 call, but no help came – causing the judge in the case to slam their reaction.

Manchester Crown Court heard that one caller was told it was an environmental health issue and given a number to contact.

Judge Peter Lakin said: "I have to say that reflects very badly on GMP that they failed to respond to two calls, including a 999 call."

Lisa Boocock, prosecuting, said the incident happened during the early hours of August 31 on Whiteacre Street in Ashton-under-Lyne. She told the court that, according to neighbours, up to 15 people could have been involved.

On the night, Bowden and Connolly and Mr Ruddeforth, who was described as a vulnerable man who suffered from learning and mental health difficulties, had drunk a considerable amount of alcohol.

Bowden and Willis admitted being involved in taping Mr Ruddeforth to the lamppost outside Willis’s then home.

Willis, 24, admitted helping to fasten him and poured food over him, which included spaghetti, sauce, chicken nuggets and cereal. One person was taking pictures on a mobile phone.

One of the trio was heard to say: "Look, he’s going snap, crackle and pop."

Bowden, 38, in addition to admitting helping tie him up, confessed that she had scrawled the word ‘terrorised’ on his upper leg.

Connolly, 25, claimed it had been Willis’s idea to take him outside. He said Mr Ruddeforth had been conscious at the time.

On arrival at hospital, medics found Mr Ruddeforth to be suffering from low blood pressure and body temperature.

His partly-clothed body was covered in gold paint, writing and drawings including an obscene image on his back.

The court was told the incident had completely changed his life, and he could not believe he had been treated in such a way by friends.

Mr Ruddeforth, 31, was eventually cut free by Willis – but so carelessly that the then unconscious man fell heavily to the ground, risking a serious head injury.

He was taken to hospital by ambulance and it was only then that police responded to an alert.

Greater Manchester Police and the courts are still not taking disability hate crime seriously.

Man arrested in Saudi Arabia for using Facebook to date men

2012-01-15T15:00:00.001Z

Pink News reports:

...Activists are concerned for the safety of a 30-year-old man arrested by the religious police in Saudi Arabia for using Facebook to date other men.

The man, whose exact identity is not known, was arrested on 23 December (2011) but full details of the incident are only now becoming clear after a detailed investigation by Gay Middle East. Experts warn he may face blackmail and/or corporal punishment.

He is being held in custody in the Dammam Police Department awaiting the Dammam’s General Attorney office for prosecution. The case has been reported to Amnesty International, while Facebook declined to comment.

The report by Sabaq electronic journal mentions that a Saudi citizen reported an unnamed 30-year old man to the Religious police in Saudi Arabia, known as the Committee for the Propagation of Virtue and the Prevention of Vice, which proceeded to apprehend the man who finally confessed that “the Facebook profile is his and that he had been using it for obscenity acts with other men”.

KSA law is not strictly codified and its implementation, in either a lenient or severe manner, depends mostly on religious Sunni judges and scholars, as well as royal decrees (and thus subject to extreme variability).

Generally speaking punishments for homosexuality range from imprisonment and/or flogging to the death penalty. Conviction and severity of punishments depends on the social class, religion and citizenship of the accused, whereby non-western migrant workers receive usually harsher treatment than upper class Saudi citizens...

Nurse Joshy Thomas struck off after mistreating dementia patient

2012-01-15T14:14:00.002Z

The Times Series reports:

A NURSE who told an elderly dementia patient to “shut-up” at a care home in Cricklewood has been struck off.

Joshy Thomas was found guilty of putting the woman at risk by lifting her single-handedly after she had fallen out of bed at Lansdowne Care Home, in Claremont Road, in 2008.

The patient was bleeding from the head and cried out when another nurse attempted to dress the wound. As she shouted, Mr Thomas pointed close to her face and told her to “shut-up”.

He then refused to send a member of staff to accompany her to hospital in an ambulance.

The Nursing and Midwifery Council’s conduct and competence committee also found Mr Thomas guilty of falling asleep while on duty.

A witness told the panel he was lying on a sofa in a residents’ lounge with his shoes on the floor and a blanket over the top of him.

The committee ruled Mr Thomas was not fit to continue practising as a nurse. He has been struck off and cannot apply for restoration for five years.

Cash loans company Shopacheck loses details of 1.4m people

2012-01-15T14:01:00.000Z

This is Local London reports:

A BELVEDERE resident is among 1.4 million people whose personal details have been lost by a cash loans company.

Sacha Biggs, of Grove Road, applied for a loan from Shopacheck in 2010 but never took up the offer.

Last month he was sent a letter from the company informing him that two IT back-up storage tapes had gone missing from one of its offices in West Yorkshire at the end of November.

Information included his name, address, date of birth, telephone number and email address...

Since November the 40-year-old claims two people have applied for a credit card using his name as well as his account being fraudulently used abroad.

He believes this could be connected to the loss of his personal information by Shopacheck...

A spokeswoman for Cattles Group, which owns Shopacheck, confirmed an investigation began immediately when the tapes were discovered missing.

She said: "The storage tapes contain low-level personal data relating to 1.4 million customers, limited to names and addresses for 800,000 but also including date of birth and payment history for 600,000.

"The tapes also include HR data relating to staff in employment with the Cattles Group up to October 2010. A process to inform affected customers and employees is underway."

She added: "There is no evidence that the information has fallen into the wrong hands or been used maliciously.

"However, Cattles takes its obligations to protect personal data of its customers and staff extremely seriously and we deeply regret what has happened.

"We have employed a specialist data security firm with extensive experience in financial services, to review data security across the group and advise on any necessary improvements.”

Retro charity shop to open in Summertown, Oxford

2012-01-15T10:56:00.002Z

The Oxford Times reports:

A RETRO fashion frenzy is set to descend on Summertown as charity Helen & Douglas House brings a pop-up shop to Banbury Road.

Capitalising on the current vogue for all things vintage, charity bosses are gathering in classic examples of 50s fashion, 60s style and 70s chic to fill the rails at its temporary store at the unit left empty by the closure of Hackett’s coffee shop last year.

The shop opens on January 23 and already it promises to be full of Christian Dior blouses and Cath Kidston dresses as well as stacks of vinyl and antique furniture.

Sarah Offill, of Helen & Douglas House, said: “We’ve got quite a lot of stock that we’ve been saving for this and so I guess you could say we’ve picked the cream of the crop for the pop-up shop.”

“There will also be homewares and furniture. It will all be different and there will be something for everyone.”

...Also on offer will be restored furniture which volunteers have reworked into new statement pieces.

Now Helen & Douglas is calling on readers to hunt out more of their past fashions to donate, or consider volunteering to help staff the shop. Anyone interested can call the charity on 01865 515383.

South London disability charity seeks donations of unwanted bicycles

2012-01-15T09:44:00.001Z

This is Local London reports:

A charity which works with adults with learning difficulties is asking for donations of unwanted old bicycles that may have been replaced by shiny new models at Christmas.

Eco-Op takes donated bikes and makes them roadworthy to sell on to the community.

Last year the social enterprise, in Adams House, New Malden – located behind Matalan and Homebase – saved 200 bikes from the tip.

The charity’s Chris Williamson said: “We are happy to receive bicycles of any style and age including mountain bikes, roadsters, folders, children’s bikes and even the odd three-wheeler.”

The project is part-funded by NHS Kingston and helps people develop mechanical and customer service skills to increase employability.

To donate call 020 8942 5503 or visit kingstoneco-op-org.uk.

University allegdly claimed student who reported sexual harassment was a terrorist

2012-01-14T16:50:00.003Z

The Huffington Post reports:

...A Muslim woman is suing the University of Bridgeport, alleging that the school failed to investigate her claims that a fellow student sexually harassed her and instead retaliated by reporting her to the FBI based on a false claim that she was a terrorist.

Balayla Ahmad filed the federal lawsuit Tuesday saying that she was sexually harassed by a male student for months in 2009 and that university officials showed "deliberate indifference" to her repeated complaints.

She said college officials recklessly disseminated false accusations by the harasser that they had good reason to believe were unreliable and threatened her with arrest by the FBI.

Leslie Geary, a university spokeswoman, said that the university hadn't seen the lawsuit and that she couldn't comment on pending litigation...

Easyjet guilty of discriminating against three disabled passengers

2012-01-14T15:44:00.002Z

BBC News reports:

The low-cost airline, Easyjet, has been found guilty by a French court of discriminating against three disabled passengers in 2008 and 2009.

The court fined Easyjet, 70,000 euros ($90,000, £58,000) for refusing to allow the three unaccompanied wheelchair users onto a plane at Charles de Gaulle airport near Paris, blaming security concerns.

A lawyer for the three passengers described it as a "landmark ruling".

Easyjet had denied any discrimination.

During the trial prosecutor Abdelkrim Grini said Easyjet's business model was behind the discrimination.

He accused the company of having "an aggressive commercial policy that consists of reducing operating costs as much as possible"...

Cult information charity faces curb after allegation it is not neutral

2012-01-14T14:01:00.000Z

The Guardian reports:

...The Cult Information Centre (CIC) was granted education charity status in 1992 but has recently run into difficulties with the commission after complaints were received in 2007 that it is in breach of the rules governing status.

Specifically, it is alleged that the CIC isn't neutral concerning its educational work, which means it could be deemed to be a campaigning or political organisation.

A commission spokeswoman explained: "The problem is that the CIC's education work seems to be coming from a pre-conceived standpoint whereas, when we granted charitable status, we specified that any educational work needs to be objective and factual. There has been ongoing correspondence, and the charity's trustees have offered to conduct a review into the charity's work and practices."

The CIC, set up 25 years ago, offers information on cults and new religious movements to the general public, including families who have lost relatives to such groups and former cult members trying make sense of what their experiences.

Ian Haworth, who runs the charity, also gives talks to schools and other organisations on the psychological techniques cults use to recruit people and the threat that cults can pose to young lives; it is this educational element of the charity's work that has been under the spotlight.

The commission has not revealed who is behind complaints.

Perhaps, unsurprisingly, the commission has received complaints from numerous cults ever since the CIC was awarded charitable status, and Haworth is at a loss to understand why the commission is only now flexing its muscles.

He likens the restrictions the commission is trying to impose to a drugs awareness charity being told it can still operate, as long as it never says drugs are bad.

Haworth said: "We were awarded charitable status 20 years ago in spite of complaints from the Moonies, Scientology and the Hare Krishnas, which the commission was prepared then to override. Meanwhile, the commission continues to award charitable status to some very sinister and suspect groups whose contribution to the public good is arguable, and now the CIC is being told it can't operate effectively.

"The commission has got it all so wrong, while the whole business has distracted us from our core work. Our website content is now problematic, and we can't fundraise properly or talk openly to the press about groups, which is particularly worrying given that the vast proportion of stories go untold because cults are so litigious.

"An educational charity must, they say, be neutral, but how can we be neutral about the dangers of the coercive psychological techniques cults use to recruit?"...

Dell social media fail: Disability rights hashtag results includes one of their tweets

2012-01-14T10:45:00.004Z

The hashtag #spartacusreport is used by disability rights campaigners, so finding a promoted post by the Dell Enterprise Team (which did not have the #spartacusreport hashtag, but the #whitepaper hashtag) at the top of the hashtag stream did come as a surprise:

When questioned about this, @DellEnterprise offered a rather laughable defence:

That was 10 hours ago. @DellEnterprise hasn't tweeted since then.

Others in Dell are clearly aware of the Tweet - it was retweeted by @guicleon and @GuilhermeAtDell, Dell network engineers.

Why did Twitter put a promoted Tweet using the #whitepaper hashtag in the results for the #spartacusreport hashtag?

We needs answers from Twitter and Dell.

School for disabled children in Walthamstow to cut support staff

2012-01-14T10:44:00.000Z

The Waltham Forest Guardian reports:

A FAILING school for children with special needs is facing cuts in support staff, it has emerged.

William Morris School in Folly Lane, Walthamstow, caters for 136 children with severe learning difficulties and was placed in special measures following an inspection by Ofsted earlier this year.

It found the school was too reliant on external help and procedures to ensure children's safety were inadequate.

Now the school, which hopes to achieve academy status, is facing a reduction in support staff, such as teaching assistants, health workers and physiotherapists, from 50 to 41 in order to address a historic financial deficit.

In a consultation document seen by the Guardian executive headteacher, Gary Pocock, concludes that the number of support staff required to cover the “high level” of absentees is not sustainable with current funding levels.

He also proposes to increase the number of office workers.

Cleaners’ hours will also be reduced under the plan....

Man with spinal stenosis assualted in Somerset pub

2012-01-14T08:29:00.000Z

The Independent reports:

A dwarf who was picked up and dropped on the floor while celebrating his birthday during the Rugby World Cup was told he will have to use a wheelchair as a result of his injuries.

Martin Henderson, from Milborne Port, Somerset, was in the White Horse pub, in Wincanton, celebrating [his birthday] with a group of friends when he was attacked outside.

The incident happened just weeks after reports in the media claimed members of the England rugby team had been enjoying a "dwarf throwing contest" in a bar in New Zealand during their ill-fated World Cup campaign.

While Mr Henderson's friends were playing pool he said he went outside for a cigarette and was targeted on October 7 last year.

After landing hard on the ground he said his back and legs began to feel numb. It has since been revealed he has suffered tissue damage in his back.

Police have launched an investigation and are appealing for witnesses...

The 37-year-old said he believed there was only one person involved in the incident.

"I guess I was an easy target and the only reason I was picked on was because I am small," he added.

Mr Henderson said the man was of a slim build with dark hair and around 5ft 8in. He was wearing a hooded top and baseball cap.

He was taken to Musgrove Park Hospital in Taunton after his back and legs began to feel numb and a scan revealed he had tissue damage to his back.

Mr Henderson, who has spinal stenosis, now has to use a zimmer frame to walk and has been told by doctors he will need a wheelchair for longer journeys...

An Avon and Somerset police spokesman said: "The public are being asked for their help following an assault in the White Horse public house back in October.

"Officers investigating would like to speak to anyone who may have been in the pub on the night of October 7.

"It follows an incident in which a small person was picked up by an unknown person in the bar and dropped.

"This caused an injury to his back."

Anyone who may have been in the pub at the time is asked to call Yeovil police on 101 or contact Crimestoppers anonymously on 0800 555111.

Mentally ill man killed by sherrif's deputies in Lee County, Florida jail

2012-01-13T16:30:00.001Z

The Huffington Post reports:

When he left his home in Ohio to visit his brother in Fort Myers, Fla. in March 2009, Nick Christie was already breaking down, physically and mentally. His wife Joyce was concerned about his well-being. Rightly so.

By the end of the month, the grandfather of two, whose only prior run-in with the law was a DUI in the 1980s, would be strapped to a restraining chair in the Lee County, Fla. jail, coated with a thick layer of pepper spray, smothered in a "spit hood," then finally taken to a Florida hospital where, two days later, he would die.

Christie, 62, a retired boilermaker, suffered from heart disease as well as emphysema, the latter the likely result of his former smoking habit and years of exposure to asbestos.

A bout with diverticulitis had forced him to cancel a fishing trip the year before, and he slipped into a depression after he was hospitalized for chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, a condition that further constricted his breathing.

Christie had been taking medication for his depression, but the doctor who was treating him had recently moved. That left no one to manage Christie's spiraling emotional state, and no one to control the possible side effects of his medication. Christie's wife worried about his trip to Florida, to the point where she contacted police in Lee County herself to ask that they keep an eye out for her husband.

At her request, a captain from the Girard, Ohio police department also called Lee County officials and asked them to take Christie to a hospital if they found him.

Christie was first arrested on March 25, for public intoxication. Though there's evidence Christie had been drinking, he was also beginning his mental deterioration, and may have merely been disoriented. One fast-food worker he interacted with that night said she thought he was suffering from Alzheimer's...

Christie was then arrested again on March 27, this time for misdemeanor trespassing. Nicholas DiCello, whose Cleveland firm Spangenberg Shibley & Liber has filed a civil rights lawsuit on behalf of Joyce and Christie's estate, says the second arrest was for a minor offense.

"It was for trespassing at the hotel where was staying," DiCello says. "He was having another mental episode. He was bewildered, acting crazy, and so the hotel got fed up and asked him to leave. When he didn't go, they called the police."

According to DiCello, the jail staff and the staff for Prison Health Services, the private company contracted to provide medical service to the jail, ordered no advanced physical or mental health screening for Christie before he was jailed, despite the long list of medical conditions already in his file from his prior arrest.

There is also no indication that anyone was made aware of Joyce Christie's notification of Lee County officials, in which she informed them about her husband's conditions.

According to the lawsuit, after the second arrest, Lee County deputies locked Christie's medications in his truck. During his 43 hours in custody, he was never given medication.

Christie was uncooperative and nonsensical from the time he was arrested, but at some point after his incarceration, he became combative. Lee County deputies responded by either directly spraying him or fogging his cell with pepper spray at least 10 times.

(According to police, Christie was sprayed eight times. A cell mate was sprayed two other times, which may have affected Christie.)

He was never allowed to "decontaminate" -- to wash the spray off. Other inmates in the jail, who weren't targeted with the spray, told the Fort Myers News-Press the blasts were so strong that the secondary effects caused them to gag.

The deputies then put Christie into a restraining chair, a controversial device that binds inmates at both wrists, both ankles, and across the chest. In depositions, the other inmates, along with a deputy trainee named Monshay Gibbs, testified that Christie was sprayed at least two more times after he had been strapped to the chair.

He was also stripped naked, and outfitted with a "spit mask," a hood designed to prevent inmates from spitting on jail personnel. In Christie's case, the mask kept the pepper spray in close proximity to his nose and mouth, ensuring he would continue to inhale it for the full six hours he was in the restraint chair.

According to Gibbs' testimony, Christie pleaded with the deputies, telling them he had a heart condition and numerous other medical problems, and that the spit mask made it difficult for him to breathe. Other inmates have confirmed Gibbs' account, adding that Christie began to turn purple.

When Joyce Christie heard of her husband's second arrest, she flew down to Florida to find him. "She was actually relieved to hear he had been arrested," DiCello says. "She thought they had responded to her pleas for help, that they would take him to a hospital to be treated."

She eventually made her way to the Lee County jail. Joyce Christie would later learn that at one point in the night, when she was pleading with police to take her husband to the hospital, at the same time and in the same building he was being tortured to death in the restraint chair.

"She left frustrated," DiCello says. "They weren't listening to her. She didn't know what to do."

In the early afternoon of March 29, Nick Christie went into respiratory distress. He was taken to the Gulf Coast Medical Center in Fort Myers. Joyce Christie told journalist Jane Akre that according to hospital staff, her husband was so covered in pepper spray that doctors had to repeatedly change their gloves as they became contaminated.

Christie would suffer multiple heart attacks over the next two days before he was finally declared brain dead and his life support was removed on March 31. Two days after Christie had been transported out of the jail, Deputy Medical Examiner Dr. Robert Pfalzgraf noted in his autopsy report that Christie still had brown-orange liquid pepper spray all over his body.

Pfalzgraf determined that Christie's heart gave out due to stress from his exposure to pepper spray. He ruled the death a homicide...

"I look at this story, and all I can say is, what in the world were they thinking?" says David Klinger, a former police officer who now teaches at the University of Missouri-St. Louis. Klinger specializes in the use of force.

"As a general rule, you don't use pepper spray on someone who is restrained. There might be some limited circumstances where, say, you have a suspect in handcuffs who is banging his head against the window of a patrol car. You might give him a quick burst of pepper spray. But never, never someone who is secured in a restraint chair. It just makes no sense at all."

The Lee County deputies appear to have violated accepted use of force guidelines a number of different ways, including the length of time they kept Christie strapped to the chair, pepper spraying him after he had been restrained (as well as their failure to clean the pepper spray off of him), their failure to properly evaluate him for mental and physical health problems, and their failure to allow him to take his medication.

While the Florida Sheriff's Association told HuffPost that it has no guidelines on the use of restraint chairs, there seems to be a strong consensus that the use of pepper spray, stun guns, or other compliance tools after a suspect has been restrained is at minimum excessive force, and possibly a crime.

The U.S. Court of Appeals for the Eleventh Circuit has found that pepper spraying suspects suffering mental illness is a violation of their constitutional rights, and several federal appeals courts have ruled that spraying someone who is already restrained is an excessive use of force.

The state of Vermont forbids the use of restraint chairs for punishment, and requires approval from a medical professional and a mental health professional before a chair can be used.

In the event that an inmate poses an immediate risk, a mental health professional is to be contacted immediately after the inmate is strapped in. The Florida Department of Juvenile Justice forbids the use of restraint chairs and pepper spray on incarcerated minors entirely...

There have been a number of deaths over the years at least in part attributed to what critics call "the devil's chair" or the "torture chair." In a 2000 article for The Progressive Anne-Marie Cusac documented 11 deaths, including several inmates with mental illness as well as cases in which inmates were pepper sprayed after they had been restrained.

usac notes that in the 1999 case of James Arthur Livingston, who died after being strapped to a restraint chair in Tarrant County, Texas, the first deputy who attempted to give Livingston CPR wrote in his report, "I then removed myself from the area and walked into the sally port, where I threw up from inhaling pepper gas residue from inmate Livingston."

In 2004, the Dayton City Paper wrote about three restraint chair-related deaths in Dayton County, Ohio, alone.

Restraint chair-related lawsuits alleging patterns of abuse have proliferated across the country, including in Iowa, Georgia (PDF), Colorado, Texas, California, New Jersey and Maricopa County, Arizona, where the chairs were finally replaced in 2006 after three deaths and several million dollars paid out in settlements...

Like Klinger, the former police officer, Yerger says the use of pepper spray in conjunction with the chair was particularly over the line. "This is a tool for restraint, and there's no reason to pepper spray someone once they're restrained. That's punishment, and it's a form of torture. At minimum, that sort of thing should cost someone his job. And it should probably lead to criminal charges."

...Yerger says the other problem in Lee County is that once Christie had been securely restrained, he needed medical treatment.

While the officers in Lee County were clearly out of line, Yerger says, the problem in many other cases is more a lack of training...

This collection of deaths, injuries and reports of abuse involving restraint chairs has moved both Amnesty International and the United Nations Committee Against torture to call for a ban on the devices...

When Joyce Christie finally got a phone call in March 2009 letting her know that her husband had been taken to the hospital, the call was anonymous, and the caller didn't say what hospital.

She used caller I.D. to determine the call had come from the Gulf Coast Medical Center.

When she arrived, the police wouldn't let her see her husband. Fortunately, someone in the waiting room overheard her conversation and gave her the card for a bail bondsman.

She left to get the bond, and only after posting bond was she allowed to see him. By then, Nick Christie was close to death. As a deputy at the hospital got up to leave, he told Christie to make sure her husband -- now with eyes taped shut and tubes protruding from his face -- showed up for his court date, or else he'd be arrested.

Scott's office conducted its own internal investigation of Nick Christie's death and, perhaps not surprisingly, found no wrongdoing on the part of any Lee County deputy.

That conclusion may come back to bite the county. Municipalities have what's known as sovereign immunity from civil lawsuits.

But one way to get around sovereign immunity in a civil rights case is to show that a government agency has displayed a pattern or practice of improperly training employees about citizens' rights.

Since using pepper spray on a restrained inmate and neglecting to get him medical attention are both clearly established civil rights violations, in concluding that none of his officers acted outside of department policy, Scott may have given DiCello an opening.

And in fact, none of the deputies involved with Christie's death were disciplined in any way. Florida State Attorney Stephen Russell declined to press criminal charges.

DiCello says that Russell's review was based almost entirely on the sheriff's department report. Samantha Syoen, communications director for Russell's office, says the investigation did use much of the sheriff department's investigation, but that the possible bias of that report was taken into consideration when deciding whether or not to pursue criminal charges. "We've prosecuted police officers before." Syoen says. "We've prosecuted judges, we've even prosecuted our own."

Syoen says the state attorney's office didn't clear the deputies involved with Christie's death, it only determined that under Florida law there wasn't enough evidence for criminal charges.

"Our office was very concerned about what happened to Mr. Christie," she said. "But the memo concluded that this would be a matter better settled at the federal level, either with possible criminal charges or with a lawsuit."

According to DiCello, the office of U.S. Attorney Robert O'Neill has yet to show any interest in the case. (O'Neill's office referred HuffPost to the FBI's Fort Myers regional office. That office did not return HuffPost's request for comment.)

Joyce Christie returned to Girard, Ohio shortly after Nick, her husband of 40 years, had died. A few days after she returned, she received something in the mail from Lee County, Florida. It was a warrant for her husband's arrest.

Man leaves hoax bomb outside charity shop

2012-01-13T15:03:00.002Z

Third Sector reports:

Police evacuated a charity shop and cordoned off the surrounding area after a man donated a package marked "Do Not Open – Bomb".

A man in his 30s walked into the Derbyshire, Leicestershire & Rutland Air Ambulance charity shop in Oadby, Leicestershire, on Tuesday with several large cardboard boxes, one of which was sealed and marked with the bomb warning, a statement from the charity said.

When the shop manager, Louise Kenyon, noticed the message, she called 999 and police advised her to evacuate the store immediately, according to the statement. The donor soon returned with more boxes but was unable to deliver them because the store was closed, so he left them on the pavement outside.

The charity said the area around the shop was cordoned off and police investigated the package with specialist units, including a sniffer dog. Police said "nothing untoward was found" and a man was arrested at the scene. He was later released without charge.

Andy Williamson, chief executive of DLRAA and sister service Warwickshire & Northamptonshire Air Ambulance, said: "Whether a hoax or a genuine threat, it is abhorrent that someone would target our life-saving charity in this manner.

"The air ambulance exists to prevent loss of life and serve the local community, and we are shocked to have been at the centre of such an incident."

A spokeswoman for Leicestershire Constabulary confirmed that police were called to a report of a suspicious package in Oadby on Tuesday afternoon.

"Following enquiries, nothing untoward was found," she said. "One person was arrested at the time but he has since been released with no further action. As a precautionary measure we did cordon off the area around the incident."

The charity shop will have lost money during the time that the shop was evacuated. Donate here to help make up the shortfall.

American school gives out worksheet that uses examples of slavery

2012-01-13T14:00:00.001Z

Think Progress reports:

Parents in Norcross, Georgia blasted school officials at Beaver Ridge Elementary School after teachers gave third graders a math[s] worksheet that used examples of slavery in word problems.

Following the uproar, district officials said the school’s principal will work with teachers to come up with more appropriate lessons, but that didn’t go far enough for parents who called for an apology and diversity training for teachers at Beaver Ridge, where a majority of the students are minorities.

Examples on the worksheet included “Each tree had 56 oranges. If 8 slaves pick them equally, then how much would each slave pick?” and “If Frederick got two beatings per day, how many beatings did he get in 1 week?”

Officials said teachers were trying to incorporate history into the math lesson as part of a cross-curricular activity based on a book the students had read about abolitionist Frederick Douglass...

Six months for not crying at Kim Jong Il's death

2012-01-13T13:10:00.000Z

The Daily NK reports:

The North Korean authorities have completed the criticism sessions which began after the mourning period for Kim Jong Il and begun to punish those who transgressed during the highly orchestrated mourning events.

Daily NK learned from a source from North Hamkyung Province on January 10th, “The authorities are handing down at least six months in a labor-training camp to anybody who didn’t participate in the organized gatherings during the mourning period, or who did participate but didn’t cry and didn't seem genuine.”

Furthermore, the source added that people who are accused of circulating rumors criticizing the country’s 3rd generation dynastic system are also being sent to re-education camps or being banished with their families to remote rural areas.

Daily NK earlier reported news that criticism sessions were being held at all levels of industry, in enterprises and by local people’s units starting on December 29th, the last day of the mourning period. A source said at the time that the central authorities had ordered the sessions to be completed by January 8th.

The North Hamkyung source commented of the sessions that they "created a vicious atmosphere of fear, causing people to accuse ‘that young upstart’ (Kim Jong Eun) of preying on the people now that he has taken power."

Along with criticism sessions, the authorities also turned up the heat on efforts to idolize Kim Jong Eun immediately after the mourning period ended, something which has yet to let up. “Every day from 7am until 7pm they have vehicles for broadcast propaganda parked on busy roads full of people going to and from work, noisily working to proclaim Kim Jong Eun’s greatness,” the source explained.

The intense propaganda is said to be taking its toll on the people as well, with the source commenting, “People in factories and schools, regional and ward Party members, members of the Youth League and the Union of Democratic Women are all being made to study the Joint New Year’s Editorial and the greatness of Kim Jong Eun in the morning and afternoon, with the sessions packed so tightly together without a break that people are just exhausted.”...

Via Mick Hartley

North Koreans living in Daehongdan County are also being forced to make barricades:

A Yangkang Province source explained to Daily NK, “The order to hinder the illegal activities of smugglers and defectors by making and delivering 1m-long planks with big nails in was issued to Daehongdan County on the 5th. The plan is to bury them along the border riverbank and in areas where the water is shallow.”

“The authorities are shifting the burden onto the people so as to more easily strengthen the crackdown along the border,” he continued.

The source explained that the order calls for the new barricades to be 1m by 20cm by 2cm with 70-100mm iron nails at regular intervals. People ordinarily use approximately 100 nails per barricade, meaning that the whole barricade can be made for roughly 2000 North Korean Won, the price of 0.5kg of rice at current prices.

Inevitably, this kind of measure can only annoy local residents. As the source pointed out, “Even without this life is quite hard, so the people are annoyed at perpetually being handed extra burdens.”

ANC youth wing pays tribute to Kim Jong Il

2012-01-13T11:03:00.002Z

Harry's Place reports:

To celebrate the 100th anniversary of the founding of the African National Congress, here are a few extracts from the ANC Youth Wing’s statement on the passing of Kim Jong Il:

The ANC Youth League wishes to send its heartfelt condolences on the passing away of the Great leader Comrade Kim Jong Il.

As we remember this revolutionary we call upon the Korean people to forge ahead with the struggle to reunify their country, to free it completely of a legacy of Colonialism left to its people by imperialists represented by the United States of America.

May the undying spirit of Comrade Kim Jong Il continue to inspire the Korean people to defend the Songhun, the idea that it is possible for the people of Korea, Asia and the world to live well alongside each other in an egalitarian society, free from poverty, joblessness, hatred of each other and the oppression of one country by another.

In commemorating this Great Leader we sent warnings to traitors of the people, led by Lee Myung Bak, who deliberately sunk his Cheonoan war ship and blamed it on the government of the Democratic People’s republic of Korea, to desist from an unsustainable offensive against the North of Korea and the Korean peninsula in general.

His continued assault on the image of the DPRK in collaboration with the United States will not continue unabated. In this regard we support the just cause of the Korean people to defend themselves, using whatever means at their disposal, to continue struggling for a just and equal world order and to defeat Capitalism in all its facets.

What is wrong with the ANC's youth wing, issuing such a nauseating statement to a murderous tyrant?

Via Mick Hartley.

Freedom of Information Act currently under review: Campaign briefing on January 18

2012-01-13T08:41:00.004Z

The Campaign for Freedom of Information reports:

The Freedom of Information Act is being reviewed by a parliamentary committee which is likely to recommend changes to the law. This could be an important opportunity to improve the Act. But there will also be significant pressure for new restrictions from public authorities concerned about the cost of dealing with FOI requests or lobbying for new exemptions.

If you would like to contribute to the exercise, it is important to act quickly. The deadline for submitting evidence to the committee is 3 February 2012. The Campaign for Freedom of Information is holding a briefing meeting on January 18 at 2 pm for those who are considering giving evidence.

This ‘post legislative scrutiny’ of the Act is being carried out by Justice select committee of the House of Commons.

It has been prompted by the Ministry of Justice which has published a memorandum highlighting specific areas of concern, including:

· Increasing request volumes
· The cost to public authorities and impact on resources
· The difficulty in refusing vexatious requests
· The level of protection given to policy advice and cabinet papers
· The impact on public authorities with commercial functions

The memorandum also:

· Acknowledges delays can occur in conducting public interest tests and carrying out internal reviews
· Discusses the possible extension of the Act to other bodies.

The memorandum says there is “limited evidence” about requesters’ views on the Act. It is therefore important that the select committee hears from requesters and we strongly encourage you to submit evidence about your experiences.

If you would like to attend the Campaign’s briefing meeting on Wednesday January 18 please rsvp by email to admin@cfoi.demon.co.uk, via Twitter @CampaignFOI or by telephoning the office on 020 7831 7477.

The meeting is at 2pm, located at Campaign for Freedom of Information, 16 Baldwins Gardens, London EC1N 7RJ.

We would be grateful if you could circulate details of the meeting to any colleagues or contacts you think may interested...

Nearest tube stations for the meeting on January 18 are Chancery Lane and Farringdon.

Parking fees at some rail stations to rise to over £1k a year

2012-01-13T06:38:00.001Z

The Evening Standard reports:

Thousands more rail commuters today face station car parking charges of more than £1,000 a year following increases.

Southeastern, the busiest commuter operator, put up parking fees just a week after a six per cent increase in ticket prices, a move described as "daylight robbery".

There are now six Southeastern car parks -Hildenborough, Tunbridge Wells, Tonbridge, Dartford and two at Sevenoaks - where it costs more than £1,000 a year to park...

Manuel Cortes, leader of the TSSA transport union, said: "It is nothing more than daylight robbery, coming on top of last week's increases.

"Southeastern is ripping off commuters who are now paying as much as £4,000 a year for their annual season tickets.

"Car parking increases of 30 per cent simply cannot be justified when inflation is five per cent and wages are rising by two per cent. They are squeezing the squeezed middle until the pips squeak."

The union is campaigning for car parking charges to be covered by the annual fares price formula which caps commuter fare increases to Retail Prices Index plus one per cent, although that is being increased to RPI plus three per cent for next year and 2014.

Southeastern said: "The vast majority of car parks remain unchanged while some have been reduced by as much as £1 a day. A small number have gone up by no more than 50p a day."

Price reductions, however, apply mainly to day ticket parking...

Private Eye's Olympic number crunching

2012-01-12T17:11:00.001Z

From Issue 1305:

75% Proportion of major facilities in Olympic Park which government is boasting now have "legacy status" guaranteed after Games.

75% Fall in value of Olympic park as a whole which government is not boasting about.

£40m Taxpayer funding of Olympic opening and closing ceremonies.

£50m Annual cuts to services in Olympic borough of Newham.

Kent couple need help to fix house for son with Duchenne muscular dystrophy

2012-01-12T14:00:00.000Z

This is Local London reports:

A COUPLE whose son suffers from a rare muscle wasting disease are appealing for help to fix their bungalow.

Lisa Edmonds and her husband Rob bought a bungalow in Dorset Close, Gravesend, a year ago because their 11-year-old son Cameron’s Duchenne muscular dystrophy had deteriorated so badly he had to crawl or be carried up the stairs of their two-bedroom terraced house in Edinburgh Road, Chatham.

But the house is in need of desperate repair to make it liveable, and they need help.

Lisa said: “For him, not to have to climb stairs to be able to go to bed will mean a lot. At least he will be able to play in his bedroom if he wanted.

“I cannot begin to say the difference it will make.”

“It will change Cam’s life.

“Just for our little boy to be able to have a shower, something most people take for granted, will be amazing. Bathing him is a painfully long process at the moment.

Lisa said that currently the house is ‘just a shell’. She added: “There are no walls, no ceiling, no anything. It has been like that for a year.”

Electrician Rob has rewired the home, a plasterer starts on Monday and the family is due to meet with Gravesham Council officers on Friday to arrange for a wet room and entrance improvements, which will take six to eight weeks.

Lisa said that the house must be complete by the time the council has finished its work.

“It is a panic because it is finding the time and resources now. The money is just not there – we are trying to pay all the bills.

“As long as we can get in there, I don’t care.”

The couple has set up a Facebook group - ‘Get Cam In’ – and is appealing for anyone who can help.

Lisa said she is grateful for the support the family has already had and is organising a working group – including Chatham and Aylesford MP Tracey Crouch - to help out on January 21. She added that they are keen for businesses or tradesmen that can offer supplies.

If you would like to help Cameron, join the Facebook group or e-mail lisajaneedmonds@hotmail.co.uk.

The struggle of the London 2012 resisters

2012-01-12T12:20:00.001Z

Red Pepper has an interesting article on East London activists who are opposed to the Olympics.

Here are some of the most interesting points:

Activism during the bid:

During the bid process, the No London 2012 campaign fought to prevent London hosting the Olympics.

The campaign started in December 2004, with a broad network of people involved, from boat owners to squatters, sporting enthusiasts to local residents, campaigners against racialised policing to environmental activists.

The network opposed the bid for a wide variety of reasons, including the destruction of local housing and sporting facilities, the loss of common land and habitats, civil liberties implications and the inadequate consultation process designed to manufacture consent.

No London 2012 organised protests during the IOC visit in February 2005 that included a cycle protest, a march and a narrow boat regatta. They set up an online petition, sent all voting IOC members a lobby submission highlighting the damaging impacts the Games would have, and did local media work to get information to people in the five Olympic boroughs.

During the bid process, the Hackney and Leyton Football League was campaigning around sports issues, the Marshgate Lane traders’ association was fighting the effects of compulsory purchase and associated job losses, the Clays Lane Housing Co-Op was attempting to negotiate its survival should the bid be won and the Hackney Marshes User Group was opposing the bid on the grounds that the Olympics would negatively affect Hackney Marshes and other green spaces...

Immediate evictions after the bid was won:

Once London had won the bid, there were immediate battles to be fought over land and home evictions and the taking over of green spaces.

For example, 425 tenants from the Clays Lane Housing Co-op, which was situated on the site of what is now the athletes’ village, had to be relocated when the LDA (London Development Agency) was granted a compulsory purchase order.

Tenants were dispersed into accommodation across London and were, on average, left £50 a week worse off as well as losing the community and social make-up of the estate.

Julian Cheyne, one of the residents of Clays Lane and a Games Monitor activist, had his home forcibly taken by the 2012 juggernaut. ‘Compulsory purchase is a brutal process and from day one the Clays Lane community was lied to while promises were made and broken without a second thought,’ he says.

One of the consequences of the Olympics is that communities have been set against each other.

The Manor Gardens allotment holders, who fought a long and successful fight to preserve their community, found they were to be relocated to Marsh Lane Fields, which was common land being defended by the Lamas Lands Defence Committee.

Likewise, the Clays Lane travellers, having successfully resisted being sent to live next to a flyover at Jenkins Lane, in the east of Newham, found their alternative move involved the loss of open space and a community centre at Major Road.

These different communities did find ways of working together to try to resist the moves. However, when another small group of travellers was moved to a site on Hackney Marshes it caused deep resentment among those defending the Marshes.

There have been other arguments over the loss of open space. The situating of equestrian events in Greenwich Park has met strong opposition from the NOGOE 2012 campaign; local footballers have denounced the loss of football pitches at East Marsh; and residents at Leabank Square and elsewhere have protested at the loss of Arena Field.

The decision to create a ‘temporary’ police operations centre at Wanstead Flats has resulted in an application for judicial review, which is due to be heard shortly.

The Save Wanstead Flats campaign has seen lively community events, such as protest picnics on the site of the proposed police base, and has received wide support...

The estate agents appointed by Hackney Council sold off commercial properties worth £225 million for just £70 million, the majority of which went to offshore developer cartels. A campaign to save Broadway Market was initiated.

One of the threatened properties was Tony’s Cafe, which had been running from the same building for 30 years. Tony repeatedly tried to buy it from Hackney Council but he was passed over in favour of a wealthy developer. This happened to many tenants.

A campaign to save the cafe saw people occupying the property on three occasions to resist eviction and even re‑building it after it was partially demolished by the developer. In the end, it was evicted to make way for luxury flats, but the resistance saw many people taking direct action for the first time.

The full article is well worth a read, especially if you are one of those people who thinks we should "stop moaning and enjoy London 2012".

Thoughts on High Speed Two

2012-01-12T10:40:00.001Z

I am not sure whether I support High Speed Two or not.

Arguments on both sides sound persuasive.

While I recognise that extra capacity is needed, I would not like to have to sell my home because of the construction.

One thing I am sure on, though. The current development is far too luxurious.

It is a waste of money to have in-seat entertainment and children's play areas for a journey that only takes an hour or so.

Even when rail lines are built from Birmingham to Manchester and elesewhere, the journey will still only take several hours.

Spending money on expensive coaches will mean higher fares for passengers.

And there is no point in building a railway if only rich people use it.

Also, wouldn't it be better for HS2 to link with HS2 so trains could be run from Birmingham to France and Belgium? Wouldn't this reduce flights.

The idea that people get off HS2 at Euston, get on a crowded Victoria Line to King's Cross St Pancras (or drag luggage along crowded streets) and then wait for another train seems ludicrous.

Walthamstow sports ground to be rented out as campside for part of Olympics - severly affecting a disabled resident's quality of life

2012-01-12T10:05:00.000Z

The Waltham Forest Guardian reports:

A SPORTS playing field will be rented out as a campsite to help fund the council's 'Big 6' events to celebrate the Olympics, it has emerged.

The authority announced at the weekend that Low Hall Sports Ground in Walthamstow will be transformed for around three weeks in July and August during the Games.

However it has warned that sporting facilities such as cricket and football pitches on the land will be unavailable between late July and September...

Nairn comments:

Don't care what happens to the grounds after the event, what about those of us who are going to have to live with this noise and disruption for 2 weeks?

We got letters on Monday - first we've heard about it. I am disabled and not going to be able to use my car as people WILL drive to the events/campsite and I will become ill due to the noise it will inevitably cause.

Have written to several councillors and MP to complain about this silly idea. If you go to www.campinlondon.com and look under 'camping' it says that the site is near the High Street which is apparently 'resplendent with markets and movie cinemas'!

Oh yeah. I'd sue the council if I'd booked a place on the site and then found out it was a whole load of lies.

Well, the council are going to have to rehouse me and my three cats for the period this is happening and make sure there is parking space near my house for me to come and collect clothes etc.

£4500 of taxpayer's money to be spent flying Sunderland councillor to South African public speaking engagement

2012-01-12T08:16:00.002Z

The Sunderland Echo reports:

COUNCIL chiefs have defended plans to spend £4,500 flying a councillor to South Africa for a one-hour speaking engagement.

The conference, which lasts for two days, will discuss the long-term economic development of the region.

The council says its involvement will help further boost Sunderland’s international profile, as well as share the secret of its success at attracting investment and jobs.

The ruling cabinet is today requested to authorise the trip, which has been criticised by Sunderland Conservatives leader Robert Oliver.

He said: “I think foreign trips can be very important for the city if they are building links with cities that would benefit us.

“But in this case many businesses here are not likely to invest in that part of South Africa.

“The conference lasts for two days but the council is only speaking for one hour. It could easily be done by email or by having a video conference call.

“So to go to South Africa for one hour is not worth it at all.

“I don’t think it benefits Sunderland enough considering it will cost a lot of money to fly out there.

“Foreign trips should always be focused on economic investment in the city, like links with other countries where they are investing into Sunderland.”

The council has confirmed that the trip should not cost any more than £4,500.

Council leader Coun Paul Watson said: “The city council has been participating in a Commonwealth Local Government Forum Good Practice Scheme project.

“Sunderland is sharing its success in attracting inward investment as in the last six years alone the city has attracted approximately 7,500 new jobs and investment totalling more than £1.5billion from overseas...

“This is in line with recent comments by the Prime Minister about the UK selling itself internationally.

“South Africa is now highlighted as one of the leading emerging economies.

“Therefore it makes sense to work with them and look to opportunities in the future.”

Man indecently assaults 14 year old girl on Surrey train

2012-01-11T19:04:00.004Z

The British Transport Police are appealing for information after a man indecently exposed himself in front of a 14-year-old girl on a train between Woking and Guildford.

Investigators have released a CCTV image of a man they want to identify and speak to in connection with the incident, which took place around 9.50am on Sunday, 27 November.

This can be seen towards the bottom of the post.

The victim, a 14-year-old girl, had boarded a train at Woking, intending to travel to Guildford.

During the journey the girl became aware that a man, sat a couple of seats in front, was staring at her. When she turned to look at him she noticed that he had exposed himself and was touching himself indecently.

Distressed by the man’s actions, the victim rushed further down the train, away from the man and into the company of other passengers. Both she and the man left the train at Guildford and she subsequently reported the incident to police.

BTP Detective Constable Tony Bronger, of Guildford CID, said: “This man’s outrageous and unacceptable actions left a young girl intimidated and very distressed and we will do everything we can to catch him.

“Offences like this are rare on the rail network but we treat them very seriously. The CCTV image is very clear and I'm certain someone will recognise this man. If you do and can tell us who he is, we want to hear from you.”

Anyone with information should contact BTP on Freefone 0800 40 50 40 quoting reference B4/LSA of 11/01/12. Information can also be passed anonymously to the independent charity Crimestoppers on 0800 555 111.

£2.5m to show Transport for London staff the Olympic Park

2012-01-11T17:55:00.005Z

Heart.fm reports:

£2.5m is being spent by Olympics organisers and Transport for London to show TfL staff around the Olympic Park.

30,000 workers are getting the tour.

Critics say it is a complete waste of cash but transport officials say it'll help prepare staff for the summer.

Via Annie Mole, who comments:

One does wonder what sort of a tour they are getting that will cost two and half million quid. Will Seb Coe be personally leading the guided tour? Is Chris Hoy showing them the best way to carry Brompton bikes onto the Tube? The mind boggles.

TfL's press office have emailed me with some more information about the visits:

"London’s Transport Commissioner, Peter Hendy said: "...Every member of our 30,000 staff will play an important role in achieving the significant and unique challenges ahead. It is vital that we train all of our staff and explain what is expected of them in 2012, and beyond, to deliver the best possible service to our customers."

Additional information:

- All 30,000 TfL employees will attend

- The entire programme cost is £2.5m, of which TfL is funding £1m. The ODA (Olympic Development Authority) is contributing the remainder of the cost. This works out to £33 per head of TfL money.

- The six month programme, which will be complete by the end of March, includes a 60 minute tour of the Olympic Park to see first hand the scale of the Games and the transport challenges it raises, followed by presentations from senior management and films from our customers and Olympic athletes on what they expect from us

- More than half of the cost is towards the hire and running of the venue for six months – 3 sessions a day to enable TfL to reach all 30,000 members of staff.

ASLEFshrugged comments:

It goes under the title of “Fit for London” and is just one of many such pointless events I’ve suffered since joining LUL. Along with how we are going to cope with the Olympics our dark overlords will also address the thorny issue of how they see the future, inc. virtually zero ticket offices, changes to the management and staffing structure, driverless trains.

The highlight of the day is a coach trip around the Olympic Park to behold the wonders that lie within.

Staff are taken off their normal duty for the day regardless of whether you start at 5am or 5pm so if they’re on a late start and they are due to be there at 9am the next day they leave work at 9pm to give them the legally required break between booking on times.

They did cancel the visits for all Central Line train drivers a few months ago because we’re short of staff and even more trains were being cancelled because of it.

They’ve started up again and I suppose I’ll be going to this jamboree at some point instead of being out there doing my job.

Residents concerned Leyton Marsh could be damaged by temporary Olympics developments

2012-01-11T15:51:00.002Z

The Waltham Forest Guardian reports:

CAMPAIGNERS are pleading for a proposed temporary sports hall and car park on Leyton Marsh for the Olympic Games to be rejected.

The Olympic Delivery Authority (ODA) wants to close off the valued green space behind the Lee Valley ice rink in Lea Bridge Road between March and October and use it for a basketball training centre.

The organisation has promised to return the site to its original condition after the Games, but worried residents fear the marsh will be irreparably damaged.

They are also concerned at the loss of yet another public space during the Olympics and have questioned why existing basketball facilities in London cannot be used instead.

A public consultation has just closed but campaigners are vowing fight the proposal at a decisive planning meeting.

Debbie Karakanis, 50, of Vicarage Road in Leyton, added: “I don't see the point of the expense and disruption when there are alternative venues and when we already losing lots of green spaces like Victoria Park and Wanstead Flats for the Games.”

Danielle Harway, 58, of Lea Bridge Road, walks her dog every day on the marsh, which is maintained by the Lee Valley Regional Park Authority, and said she was horrified by the plan.

She added: “It's incredibly well-used by dog walkers, joggers, schools, people having pic-nics - it will have a big impact on a lot of people.

“This is not something for us or the local community, it won’t be open to the public and there seems to be no benefit for the public either.”

Ms Harway said workmen were already on the site and believes the authorities had tried to avoid opposition by erecting notices about the plans just before Christmas.

An ODA spokesman said alternative sites had been considered but Leyton Marsh was the only place big enough to accommodate the basketball courts, a holding area and car park.

He said: “The ODA has worked hard to ensure public access is largely unaffected on the section of Leyton Marsh.

“We have done this alongside the landowner so that there is minimal impact caused to the area and that the site will be returned to its current condition immediately after the Games.”

There was also opposition to the closure Drapers Field in Leyton during the Games.

The park will be used as a storage area.

More evidence the London 2012 Olympics is bad news for Waltham Forest residents.

Strict regulations for London 2012 olympics bunting displays

2012-01-11T13:52:00.000Z

The Evening Standard reports:

Strict rules are being imposed on how to display official London 2012 flags, banners and bunting during the torch relay to protect the main sponsors.

Under the guidelines, official paraphernalia can be displayed at a morris dancing festival but not beside banners made by a local sewing group. Offenders could be fined a maximum of £20,000 under the Olympic Games Act.

Locog, the London Organising Committee of the Olympic Games, is keen to promote companies such as British Airways, BMW and Lloyds TSB who have paid a total of £700 million to link their brands to the Olympic movement.

More than 1,000 towns, villages and London boroughs who welcome the Olympic torch in July have to ensure each event will benefit Games sponsors and not competitors.

A 30-page Olympic "Brand Protection Guidelines", issued secretly to town halls and passed to the Standard, have rules on "how to fly flags, banners or bunting" with individual sections for lamp posts, walls, flag poles, railings, parks, town squares, buildings, statues, memorials, fences, roads and roundabouts.

Locog wants to create the "London 2012 Look", which "requires all venues to be clean of commercial, political or religious advertising and messaging, leaving only the Look of the Games". Local taxpayers will also be charged for 2012 items, including £4,600 for 24 banners.

The rules ban official items being hung from "shops, offices, market stalls, factories, etc which the public identify with a particular commercial entity".

The guidelines give examples where official material should not appear, including "a county fair that has multiple sponsors (which are not London 2012 sponsors), an "Olympic Parade with London 2012 banners down the high street which have been made by a local sewing group, and the parade is sponsored by local businesses (not London 2012 sponsors)" or "an Olympics ball in the town hall, the event is sponsored by the local brewery".

However, Locog would allow its material to be displayed during "a morris dancing festival in a town square".

A 2012 spokesman said local authorities asked for detailed guidance on how any branding should be used and "we have provided this".

Locog said it would be highly unlikely a council would be fined but they may be asked to change their displays.

iandrob says:

I've had just about enough of this Olympics farce.

The Olympic Games Act - more draconian laws!

I can't believe we're putting up with all this. Please stay at home, so our visitors can travel more easily.

If you do go out, you can't use the bus lanes as they're reserved for our visitors! We know you're paying for it (over 3 times the original estimate), but don't expect an easy, or cheap way of getting any tickets.

If you have managed to get any tickets, do make sure you spend a fortune in Westfield on the way in...

232 hard drives stolen from Brighton General Hospital

2012-01-11T12:48:00.001Z

The Argus reports:

Confidential information belonging to tens of thousands of patients and staff were at risk of being exposed after computer hard drives were stolen and put up for sale on eBay.

The hard drives were taken from computers in a locked store at Brighton General Hospital where they were being decommissioned.

Brighton and Sussex University Hospitals NHS Trust now faces a £375,000 fine from the Information Commissioner’s Office (ICO) for a breach of the data protection act.

The trust says it will be contesting the fine.

A 36-year-old man from Seaford was arrested on suspicion of theft and bailed several times but the Crown Prosecution Service decided to take no further action.

The trust has been served with a notice of intent to fine by the ICO and has until January 23 to respond before a final decision is made.

The incident relates to the theft of 232 drives out of 1,000 being decommissioned...

Woman indecently assaulted on South London train

2012-01-11T10:42:00.003Z

British Transport Police (BTP) is appealing for witnesses to come forward after a man touched a woman inappropriately on a train between Kingston and Vauxhall.

Investigators have released CCTV of a man they would like to speak to in connection with the incident, which happened around 10.15am on Wednesday, 16 November.

PC Mark Payne, the investigating officer, said "A man boarded the train at Kingston and took a seat next to the victim, a 52-year-old woman from Lambeth.

"He then covered her leg with a newspaper before touching her inappropriately.

“Understandably the victim, who left the train at Waterloo station, was left distressed by the incident.”

PC Payne said that officers have continued to investigate the incident through numerous avenues, including speaking to people in the area and circulating images on police intelligence systems.

He added: “Serious assaults such as this are rare on the rail network and this was clearly a very frightening and upsetting ordeal for the victim, who has been left badly shaken and traumatised by what took place.

“We are now asking for help from the public, and ask that anyone with any information about what happened contact police.”

The CCTV can be seen below:

Anyone who witnessed the incident is asked contact British Transport Police on Freefone 0800 40 50 40, quoting background reference B10/LSA of 9/01/2012 or call Crimestoppers anonymously on 0800 555 111.

Children of employees at Warden Park Academy could get priority admission

2012-01-10T14:23:00.001Z

The Argus reports:

A school has proposed giving children of employees priority admission over other youngsters in a bid to “attract the best staff”.

Children of staff linked to the school – including feeder primary schools – would be included.

Warden Park Academy, which became an academy earlier this year, made the proposal last week.

On Thursday children at the secondary, which has about 1,500 pupils enrolled, were sent home with a letter for their parents.

The letter announced that a consultation was due to take place which would look at the school’s admissions policy.

If given the go-ahead the changes would be introduced in September 2013.

The letter said that the main changes from the current arrangements are that, in the event of Warden Park being oversubscribed, some priority would be given to certain groups including brothers and sisters of students who have attended Warden Park at “any time”.

It read: “Currently this priority only applies to brothers and sisters of students who are at Warden Park in years seven to ten at the time of the application.

“The change will be of benefit to families who have already established good relationships with the academy.”

The changes will also affect children who have attended another school that is a member of the Warden Park Academy Trust. This will assist progression between the primary and secondary phases, as well as promoting shared values across trust academies.

The changes would also cover: “…children of Warden Park Academy trust staff. This will help to attract the best staff to Warden Park and make it easier for our all members of our staff to support after-school activities.”...