Saturday, April 23, 2016

How To Identify A Dodgy Twat ?

Google their name.

Some results may have been removed under data protection law in Europe.
If google have been forced to remove results - they are dodgy.

Tuesday, April 19, 2016

Hollywood Undead - I Don't Wanna Die [Lyrics]

Tory Councillor Charges OAP's For Help.

During my time at Essex county fire and rescue service, barely a shift went by without receiving a call from an elderly person who had fallen in their home, or from their concerned neighbour or carer.
The calls were always the same: a frightened voice, racked with humility and embarrassment, apologising profusely for “wasting” our time. “I telephoned because I know you can get in my house. I can’t get up, you see. I’m so sorry to trouble you.”
I would mobilise a crew and inform the ambulance service, which wouldn’t be far behind. We’re the “fire and rescue” service, you see, and that’s what we do. It was all part of the service, along with rescuing donkeys from swimming pools, righting overturned horse boxes and getting dogs out of lakes. These days the service is so much more than pointing wet stuff at burning stuff.
So news that Tendring district council in Essex is planning to introduce a “falling fee” for elderly residents struck a blow to all that I knew about decency, humanity and my years in the service.
I only did four years and thought perhaps attitudes were changing, so I contacted a former colleague to ask his opinion. He responded with expletives, with anecdotes of broken hips and shattered wrists and ribs smashed on the sides of bathtubs, and how dealing with them needed the professional care that comes of regular first-aid training and having a paramedic on hand.
Paul Honeywood, a Conservative councillor for Tendring, defended the measure saying the council needs the £26 annual charge in order to continue offering a “lifting service”. “Having consulted users, we have discovered there is a demand – and the idea is now going through the budget process with a final decision to be made in February,” he said.
Ironically, Mr Honeywood is also an officer with the Citizens Advice Bureau , which offers assistance to people who feel that they are being unfairly discriminated against on the grounds of age under theEquality Act 2010. If I were an elderly resident of the area, I might feel that being charged £26 for the inconvenience of growing old would count as discrimination, and might complain to Mr Honeywood at both of his offices. Politics, local and national, feel so desperate and deluded as to be beyond satire.
The falling charge will apply from April, if approval goes through. But this has wider implications. If passed, it will almost certainly prompt other cash-strapped local councils to follow suit. Yet old people will have contributed to healthcare services all their lives, through income tax, council tax (part of which is diverted to their local fire service) and taxes on goods and services. And many of them will have served their countries in the second world war, fighting for Mr Honeywood and others to have the freedom to decide to fine them for growing old.
In Essex, older residents already pay £21 a month if they want a Careline “big red button” alarm system in their homes – the falling fee is extra. The sinister undertone in this discussion is one of fear, and the same old nasty politics. Instil fear in people who are not as young as they were, not quite as sprightly, who may be living alone, and may already be fearful not just of taking a tumble on the stairs but of what the future holds.
For public officials to capitalise on this fear of infirmity is both sinister and cruel. My grandmother, who is in her early 80s, has had the odd fall. But if Southend council thought to offer a £26-a-year service to pop her back on her feet, I’m sure she would politely tell them where to stick it.
Elderly people, save your pennies and buy a £10 mobile phone. Stick it in your pocket, and if you should find yourself needing to be picked up and nobody else can get into your home, 999 is – and will always be – free to call.
In the meantime, this Essex council wants a “consultation”. Let’s give it to them. As Martin Luther King once said: “Our lives begin to end the day we become silent about things that matter … What are you doing for others?”
http://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2015/dec/20/old-people-falling-down-cuts-councils-essex?CMP=share_btn_fb

Piers Morgan Acting Disgracefully On GMB.

Update To Questions Asked Of Councils In Wales.

I asked several Councils in Wales…
Via Twitter on the 13th April.
What is an appropriate time scale for a manager to respond to matters raised by an AM on behalf of their constituent, please?
As I have already posted – Powys and Gwynedd answered the question.
Cardiff – after a flutter of evasive tweets – did not answer the question.
There was no response from these councils.
The Isle of Anglesey Council.
Wrexham Council.
Swansea Council.
What is the point of Councils having a social media account if they don’t use it ?
Use the accounts or close them down.
Anyone else find Councils ignoring the ratepayers ?

Monday, April 18, 2016

Dennis Hastert and Do-it-yourself Justice.



Dennis Hastert and Do-it-yourself Justice
By Melanie Blow




Dennis Hastert’s name is back in the news again, as the Los Angeles Times has gotten documentation that at least four people have credibly accused him of sexually abusing them as children. His story is so typical, and now that more victims have come forward, his story becomes even more typical. As such, it’s worth repeating.
_________________________________________
In a month where stories of family and sexual violence by celebrities won’t fade from the headlines, we’re now learning about former Speaker of the House Dennis Hastert, someone third in line from the president of the United States, spent huge sums of money to silence someone he sexually abused as a child.

When I lobby for Statute of Limitation (SOL) reform, the unspoken question hanging in the air is always “why do you want to sue your abuser?” That’s a question worth talking about.

If your TV gets stolen, you’ll realize it shortly after it happens. Child Sexual Abuse (CSA) does not operate that way. A study released in 2013 showed it takes survivors an average of 21 years before they talk about their abuse. That’s a testament to how damaging it is, and how good abusers are at manipulating their victims to silence. So very long Statutes of Limitation (SOL’s) for the crime, or no SOL’s, are essential if we want to stop child sexual abuse. But what good does conviction in civil court do?

The most obvious answer is that successful civil suits make the plaintiffs richer.The ACE study proves beyond the shadow of a doubt that experiencing sexual abuse has lifetime consequences for victims. The CDC has actually calculated the direct costs associated with surviving child abuse to be about $200,000. One standard way to calculate payouts for pain and suffering is to take the actual damages and multiply it by a number between 1-5. Using this formula, a sum of $400,000-$1,200,000 per plaintiff makes sense. Punitive damages are generally capped at 100X the actual damages. So when you look at actual damages, plus pain and suffering, plus punitive damages, the really large settlements we occasionally hear about in cases like Penn State make sense.

The newest wrinkle in the Dennis Hastert case is that his alleged victim, Steve Reinboldt, has been named. Unfortunately, Steven passed away in 1995 from AIDS, taking details of his story with him. It’s interesting to note that HIV itself, as well as two things that cause it (over 50 sexual partners and IV drug use) are linked to ACE scores. So it seems likely that Steven wanted money for medical care, and demanded it from someone who set his life on a painful path full of destruction. And he since he couldn’t do it through the courts, he did it his own way.

There are very tangible, non-financial benefits to sueing a sexual abuser. Successful plaintiffs get legal documents saying “X sexually abused me”. This can be very validating. Suits against institutions reveal exactly how badly the institution behaved- this is very relevant to parents whose children are involved with those institutions. These documents can prevent a sexually abusive adult from gaining custody of a child through the foster care system. States can collect the names of sex offenders convicted through civil suits and assemble them into a database, similar to Megan’s law. This gives employers, CPS and anyone else interested in protecting children from harm another tool to do so.

In defending the usefulness of civil suits for survivors, I used to stop right there. This year, I talked with a CSA survivor who was sexually abused in different states, one of which doesn’t have a Statute of Limitations on child sexual abuse. The DA who would need to do the leg-work to bring her case to trial reluctant to do it. If he refuses to, she will have the chance to sue her abuse. As she put it “I want him to go to the police station once a week and write me a check for fifty cents. I don’t care about his fifty cents, but I want him to have to think about what he did to me once a week, because I think about it every day.”

This feeling of consequence, of justice, is what most people fighting for SOL reform want. One can only imagine this is what Steve Reinboldt wanted, too. While he got the financial portion. He may have gotten a sense of control by taking something from someone who took so much from him, and he may have used this power to protect other kids (“if I hear you’ve done this to someone else, I will tell the papers). This is still not an appropriate action. But it’s tragic that the laws, in Indiana and in so many other states, are so bad that blackmail is the closest approximation to justice for victims.
http://stopabusecampaign.com/dennis-hastert-and-do-it-yourself-justice-2/

Protect Kids, Not Their Rapists

Tell NY's Officials to Pass the Child Victims Act

Sell-Off - The Full Movie

Saturday, April 16, 2016

Stealing a Nation - How the UK/US Stole the Diego Garcia Island

Councils Deleting Criticism Of Themselves ?

Are Councils using public money to remove comments and results from search engines ?
I am noticing that negative comments about Council Services and their employees are no longer to be found on Google.

Someone needs to remind managers that their job is to deliver services to the people.
Not to use Council resources to filter and delete criticism of themselves.
More bad practices ?

Thursday, April 14, 2016

I Asked A Question To Several Welsh Councils-Gwynedd.

Via Twitter on the 13th April.
What is an appropriate time scale for a manager to respond to matters raised by an AM on behalf of their constituent, please?
1/2 Our policy is to acknowledge any enquires raised within 5 days and to normally provide a full response within 15 working days.
2/2 If the enquiry requires more than 15 working days to be fully investigated, the AM is informed that investigations are ongoing.
I am unsure about the accuracy of this response.
The last time I asked Gwynedd council a question regarding the amount of reserves they hold they were wrong by over £50 MILLION pounds !

I Asked A Question To Several Welsh Councils-Powys.

Via Twitter on the 13th April.
What is an appropriate time scale for a manager to respond to matters raised by an AM on behalf of their constituent, please?
Powys County Council came back immediately.
“we seek to do so as quickly as possible, but certainly to acknowledge within 5 working days and respond within 20 working days”
All inquires are to be dealt with this way -but well done to the Powys Council twitter team.

Blacklisted Victims Taunted By Mary Kerr.

If her tweets about sunny foreign holidays are anything to go by, Mary Kerr isn’t short of a penny.
Unlike victims of the business she ran with her late husband Ian Kerr.
They were behind The Consulting Association, which broke Data Protection laws by compiling lists of union reps and selling the information, which was often incorrect, to construction firms.
This resulted in people being branded troublemakers and refused work, sometimes for having done nothing more than raise safety concerns on a building site.
The Consulting Association was prosecuted by the Information Commission and shut down in 2009, and Ian Kerr died three years later.

Ian Vogler/Daily MirrorBlacklisted construction workers denied jobs. Private investigator Ian Kerr worked for building firms such as Robert McAlpine, and held files on members of trade unions and political groups
Ian Kerr sold illegal blacklists to construction firms

Justice for victims has been slow in coming but finally around 180 blacklisted workers settled their claims earlier this year when construction firms paid out an estimated £20million.
For others, the fight goes on and next month dozens of claims are due to be heard in the High Court in a case set to run for 11 weeks. So the timing of tweets from Mary Kerr seems particularly insensitive.
“Lying in the sun on the whitest sand, beautiful music playing through headphones, cocktail in hand... smug look on face!” was a recent one.
I asked if she was taunting the victims and she claimed that blacklisted workers had taunted her, and put the tweet down to “my sense of humour”.
One person who isn’t laughing is Joanne Fowler from Liverpool, who set up the support network Families Against Blacklisting after her electrician husband Ian was repeatedly refused work.
“Mrs Kerr wouldn’t understand the struggle to provide for four children when their father couldn’t find employment due to the blacklisting conspiracy in which she and her husband played such a central role,” Joanne said.
“Mrs Kerr should take a hard look at herself and realise the pain she inflicted on families.
“Her taunting displays a complete lack of remorse.”
http://www.mirror.co.uk/opinion/blacklisting-victims-havent-suffered-enough-7752746


Tuesday, April 12, 2016

The real Whittingdale scandal: a cover up by the UK press

The real Whittingdale scandal: a cover up by the UK press: I spent five months with another senior journalist at the Independent newspaper investigating why other papers had shut down a story about the culture minister, only to see my editor shut the investigation down too. Here is the anatomy of a press cover-up.

The Daily 99.99998271%: Panama Papers: Bear in the Woods

The Daily 99.99998271%: Panama Papers: Bear in the Woods: "Though the president’s name does not appear in any of the records, the data reveals a pattern – his friends have earned millions from ...

Wednesday, March 30, 2016

Lyon Diocese Searched In Hunt For Paedophile Priest Ring.

Lyon (AFP) - French investigators searched the offices of the diocese of Lyon on Wednesday over the alleged cover-up of a paedophile priest, a source close to the probe said.
The diocese said in a statement that the Archbishop of Lyon, Philippe Barbarin, who is under fire over his handling of the affair, "has said repeatedly that he is prepared to cooperate openly with the investigation".
The search of the offices is linked to the prosecution of Bernard Preynat, a priest who has admitted sexually abusing scouts that he was supervising in the Lyon area of central France more than 25 years ago.
Preynat's victims have filed a formal complaint against Barbarin and other leading clergy, accusing them of failing to inform the police of the priest's acts when he became aware of them in 2008.
"As part of the preliminary investigation opened by the Lyon prosecutor, the diocese of Lyon has today handed over to investigators material which could shed light on these tragic events," the diocese said in a statement.
Barbarin, 65, a media-friendly and influential archbishop, has denied any cover-up and pointed out that the crimes date from a decade before he became archbishop of Lyon in 2002.
Last week, he apologised during a mass to victims of sexual abuse.
Quoting Pope Francis, Barbarin said he was "obliged to assume all the evil committed by some priests and personally apologise for the damage they have caused by sexually abusing children."
The scandal is the worst to hit the Catholic Church in France since 2001, when a bishop was given a three-month suspended jail sentence for failing to inform authorities of a paedophile priest.
The Catholic Church worldwide continues to be dogged by cases of paedophile priests and past cover-ups, despite Pope Francis' promise of a crackdown.

Sunday, March 06, 2016

Ex-Nottinghamshire Police Inspector Russell Dew Jailed.

From 2011.

A former Nottinghamshire Police inspector has been jailed for six years for committing sex offences against a 13-year-old schoolgirl.
Russell Dew, 44, groomed his victim by sending more than a thousand emails to the teenager using his police email account, Nottingham Crown Court heard.
He admitted five counts of sexual activity with a child, which took place last year.
The judge said Dew was a dangerous offender who abused his position.

'Obsessed with girl'

The court heard that while Dew was off duty he became obsessed with the schoolgirl and invited her to his home near Newark, where he changed into a skirt and tights before committing the offences.
In one instance, Dew was wearing his police issue handcuffs.
The victim's mother, who became increasingly worried about how close the police inspector and her teenage daughter were becoming, tried to warn Dew off, the court heard.
The offences were brought to light after the girl complained to her teacher and Dew was arrested.
Initially, Dew claimed the schoolgirl was trying to blackmail him.
However investigators found that Dew, who was based at Mansfield Police Station, sent more than a thousand emails to the teenager using his police email account.
In one of the emails, Dew admitted pushing the boundaries and asked if he should stay away from her.
He was suspended from the force after the arrest and resigned from Nottinghamshire Police on 18 August.
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-nottinghamshire-16252445?post_id=932297406790947_1072817972738889#_=_

MarrShow: Full Boris Johnson interview on possible Brexit (06Mar16)

Eddie Mair vs Boris Johnson (Full Interview)

Friday, March 04, 2016

Disabled children in Wales 'three times more likely to suffer abuse than able-bodied'.

Disabled children are three times more likely to be abused than non-disabled children in Wales and are less likely to get the protection they need, a new report has revealed.
The NSPCC publication, which will be launched in Cardiff today, claims people’s reluctance to believe disabled children are suffering physical, sexual and emotional abuse is to blame.
The charity says there are “barriers” for the families of disabled children in accessing the right support services.
And it also blames a lack of professional skills, expertise and confidence in identifying child protection concerns and criticises the weakness of an effective child protection response across the UK.
The NSPCC fears cases go unreported because some disabled children have difficulties in communicating what is happening to them.
In addition, there are claims disabled children in residential care face particular risks of harm.
Mark Drakeford, Minister for Health and Social Services, will be at the Millennium Centre today to help unveil the report with the help of schoolchildren from Ysgol Pen-y-Bryn in Morriston, Swansea.
He said: “Enabling children to recognise and understand different forms of abuse is key to ensuring we respond effectively to concerns when they arise.
“The Social Services and Well-being Wales Act will strengthen the statutory framework which underpins how professionals who work with children and adults at risk ensure that they are protected from abuse.”
The report, called We Have a Right to be Safe, makes a number of recommendations to lower the levels of abuse.
It has called on the Welsh Government to introduce sex and relationships education for disabled children to raise their awareness of abuse and their ability to seek help.
The charity also wants to develop a “wider and deeper evidence base” to help the public better understand the vulnerability of disabled children to abuse and how they can be protected.
Viv Laing, NSPCC policy and public affairs manager for Wales, said: “Today’s report does demonstrate that there is knowledge and good practice out there but also that we need to share and build on that to ensure that our disabled children and young people are equally protected.
“We’re very much hoping to work alongside Welsh Government over the coming years to develop our knowledge of the issues facing disabled children and young people in Wales.
“This will help us better understand the issues they, and those who care for them, face so that they can be better protected.”
Ysgol Pen-Y Bryn is also to be the first special school in Wales to pilot an adapted version of the ChildLine Schools Service.
The ground-breaking service, which has to date visited 38,607 children across 684 schools in Wales, uses trained volunteers to help children understand abuse and recognise it if it occurs.
Aron Bradley, deputy headteacher at Ysgol Pen-y-Bryn, said: “As the report identifies, bullying is a particular area of increased risk for disabled children – because they’re more vulnerable.
“It’s very important for them to know what it is and where to get help and we’re pleased that the ChildLine Schools Service will help re-enforce that message.
“They will also provide valuable expert knowledge on sensitive issues which are not easily addressed in school.”
During today’s event, two new bilingual versions of the NSPCC’s successful Underwear Rule guide will also be launched to help parents teach children with learning disabilities and Autistic Spectrum Disorders (ASD) about sexual abuse.
The guides were produced in association with Mencap and the National Autistic Society.
http://www.walesonline.co.uk/news/health/disabled-children-wales-three-times-7960830

Thursday, March 03, 2016

Bloody Bloody.

My fourth nose bleed of the week - tut.

The last time I had a nose bleed was just before my first heart attack.

Bloody bloody hell.

Saturday, February 27, 2016

All That Is Solid ...: Local Council By-Elections February 2016

All That Is Solid ...: Local Council By-Elections February 2016: Party Number of Candidates Total Vote % +/-  Jan Average/ contest +/-  Jan +/- Seats Conservative    21  8,856  ...

Being blocked by Lucy Allan avec some ranting about her behaviour/other ...

Caring For PDA With No Support In Gwynedd.

In 2008, I had a heart attack.
I had a stent inserted but during the operation I had a second heart attack and so another stent was needed.
My life until then had been spent working in the care field.
It began as a roving first aid responder at Heathrow Airport, then moved to caring for the elderly in a residential setting.
After a year working nights as a Care Assistant in a Nursing Home my nose took me into the field of mental health and dementia.
I found the work fascinating and heartbreaking due to the callous, profiteering nature of Care(!) Home providers.
I managed a sheltered housing scheme for 8 residents in East Sheen - which I hated.
Management  meant staying in an office, dealing with budgets, Doctors and social workers.
I moved on a lot back then.
Learning Difficulties, Challenging Behaviour and the most upsetting for me - Acquired Brain Injury.
Owners of Homes used me to clean sweep their businesses.
Each home was eager for my knowledge and ideas on dealing with 'challenging' clients and to train other carers.
Exploring other ideas I had meant working for Agencies where I lived in Clients homes.
24 hours a day, 7 days a week gave me even greater insights into the issues that my clients faced.
I chatted with neighbours of my clients, dispelling their fears and getting them onside.
I asked local businesses to help spend time with them and even give them some unpaid work.
All to get them out of the house and meet and engage with the community.
Exhausting and wonderful.
It transformed their lives and I hope transformed those who gave their time, cash and love to them.
The heart attacks meant an end to all that, sadly.
I discharged myself from hospital after three days.
For the first three months, I was crippled. Gasping for breath, my liver shut down and I turned an interesting shade of yellow.
My doctor was useless so I stopped going though I did continue to take 7 lots of medication for a year.
I was living in Islington at the time but it was isolating for me and expensive. Relying on savings meant I had to find alternative accommodation quickly.
An old friend kindly allowed me to stay in his flat in west London when he holidayed abroad. Another friend allowed me to sit in his workshop during the day to keep warm and even threw me some money and bought me food in return for answering the phone.
Soon I was offered other flat sitting opportunities and some people even paid me to protect their properties when they were away on business. A weekend here, a fortnight there - time passed and my health slowly improved.
One year after the heart attacks, my girlfriend was diagnosed with Breast cancer.
Never rains but pours eh ? Long weekends were spent at her place in Surrey
My girlfriend struggled through the chemotherapy and the rest of her treatment but, one year on, she was given the all clear. She had beaten cancer but our relationship had changed from lovers to carers for each other and we parted.
A year later and I began suffering other health problems. My breathing had never properly recovered and I developed many infections.My back and neck stiffened and caused me pain. My left hand began to hurt and I could no longer clench my fist. By this time, the Conservatives had been elected, London became meaner and many of my friends had left the city. I found myself struggling to find accommodation and work opportunities were drying up. Care work was no longer an option because of Insurance issues and my worsening health meant I was no longer reliable, even for the piecemeal work I sought.
Cutting my needs and relying more and more on my meagre savings I struggled on for another two years. During this time I met up with an ex partner who also was my oldest friend. She was living in Gwynedd, North Wales, with an abusive partner and her autistic PDA son. I helped her leave the relationship and set up a new home.
Social Services in the Gwynedd area are appalling. She has had no support and Bangor CAMHS refuse to acknowledge the boy has any mental health issues, at all. After one incident, in which the teenage boy used violence against her, I gritted my teeth and moved in with both of them. That was 18 months ago now.
All my years in Mental Health did not prepare me in anyway for PDA (Pathological Demand Avoidance). Within weeks my blood pressure went through the roof, chest pains, my heart rate became erratic. I ended up presenting myself at Shrewsbury A&E. (I have had experience of Ysbty Gwynedd and #BCUHB, who treated me after drinking contaminated water and, again when my partner miscarried our baby - it is my hope never to go there again). All the tests were good - well for a man with my cardiac issues and the Hospital put it down to stress.
I then signed on with the local Doctors Surgery and was given statins. Blood tests followed. The statin caused so much pain I could hardly move. A different statin and then Ramipril - more pain than before. I stopped the statin then realised it was the Ramipril. After nearly three months of pain and distress - I stopped the medication. My health improved - my stress levels did not.
The Doctor noticed something during an examination and ordered a Lung test. I failed and was diagnosed with COPD. I have not been back to see her since. My breathing has worsened this last year, blood pressure still too high but I need to be able to move quickly to deal effectively with the teenager and also my disabled partners needs are increasing as she ages.
The boy had recently been given four hours of support a week to aid with his social independence skills. Without warning or a re-assessment of his needs the hours were reduced to two - illegal in law. Take note anyone who has had their child's support pulled.
The Support worker and Officer do not engage in any communication with us re the work they do with him. They refuse to give email addresses - no paper trail - do not give honest replies and are very evasive of communicating anything.  So unprofessional compared to the integrated planning around the client which I had been used to.
I believe my health issues are made worse by living in and dealing with the un-professionals in #Gwynedd. But without my support what will happen to the boy and my partner ?
In three/four months my savings will be exhausted and what then ?