Fiona McCann
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Striking photo
BBC ON THIS DAY 04 October 1992 I always read the BBC On This Day feature for historical items, and I just saw this article about an Israeli jumbo jet crashing in Amsterdam. It came down between two apartment buildings. I thought the photo was riveting.  |
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4.10.05 02:01 |
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Thousands feared dead in south Asia quake
RTÉ News 08 October 2005 23:08  People dug through the rubble with bare hands - BBC photo Several thousand people are feared dead after a powerful earthquake struck parts of India, Pakistan and Afghanistan.  Click to view - BBC map The earthquake, measuring at least 7.6 on the Richter scale, was centred in the disputed territory of Kashmir, and is believed to have been the most devastating tremor to hit the region in 100 years. More than 1,800 people have been confirmed dead so far. The quake struck close to the dividing line between the Indian and Pakistani controlled zones of the disputed Himalayan region, triggering deadly landslides that wiped out whole villages. The first earthquake was followed by 18 aftershocks of magnitudes of between 4.6 and 6.3 over the next 10 hours. Pakistani officials have described scenes of 'massive devastation' and warned of heavy loss of life, especially in the mountains of Kashmir where communications were cut off. Pakistan's chief military spokesman, Major General Sharkat Sultan, has warned that the number of dead is likely to rise and that all available resources are being mobilised to help with the rescue operation. Rescuers are trying to reach hundreds of residents feared trapped in collapsed buildings in the Pakistani capital, Islamabad. Up to 100 people are believed to be trapped beneath the rubble of the Margala Towers blocks, home to expatriate workers and middle-class Pakistanis. An official overseeing the rescue said 82 survivors had been found, as well as 11 bodies. Meanwhile, Indian Prime Minister Manmohan Singh, has offered to help Pakistan with rescue and relief operations. Mr Singh expressed his condolences to the families of those killed in Pakistan. The divided territory of Kashmir is claimed in full by both India and Pakistan. Thousands of troops face off on each side of the Line of Control and the two countries have fought two wars over the territory. European countries make offers of aid European countries have offered aid to the stricken regions. The European Commission said up to €3m could be approved within a day if requested by agencies working on the ground. While a spokeswoman for the United Nations said a team of experts was en route to Islamabad to help co-ordinate relief efforts. UN Secretary General, Kofi Annan, has extended his sincere condolences to all the victims and their families. The Irish Government has made an initial pledge of up to €1m to assist with immediate relief efforts in the aftermath of the earthquake. US President, George W Bush, said his thoughts and prayers were with those affected by the 'horrible tragedy' in south Asia. |
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9.10.05 01:05 |
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Hurricane Stan: THOUSANDS STILL MISSING
Sky News Thousands of people are still missing after Tropical Storm Stan hit Central America and Mexico. Entire villages have been wiped out and the number of dead has already reached thousands. Rescue efforts are being hampered by rain, blocked roads and collapsed bridges. More than 1,400 people were killed by a mudslide in the highland village of Panabaj in Guatamala, which was triggered by torrential rains.  A child victim comes to light in the mud covering the village of Panabaj - BBC photo Fire brigade spokesman Mario Cruz said: "There are no survivors here. It happened more than 48 hours ago. They are dead." Rescuers discovered 36 bodies in Solola, west of the capital, Guatemala City, President Oscar Berger said. The storm has also killed 67 in El Salvador, 11 in Nicaragua and 24 in Mexico, authorities in those countries said. Tens of thousands have been left homeless across the region. Stan slammed ashore as a hurricane in Mexico's state of Veracruz early on Tuesday before beginning to pound northern Central America with rain. Mr Berger warned Guatemalans to prepare for greater losses. He said: "We are going to have unpleasant surprises. There are many missing, many landslides, towns cut off." Rescue efforts continued at a snail's pace with four out of five roads impassable and scant equipment to conduct searches by air in the impoverished country. Six helicopters lent by the United States along with two from Mexico and one from Honduras took to the skies during daylight hours but progress was slowed by rains. One of the worst hit areas was Lake Atitlan, a mountain-ringed lake west of Guatemala City popular with European and American tourists. |
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9.10.05 01:46 |
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Imagine
Happy Birthday John  Click to view - photo from the John Lennon Dreamsite Sunday Bloody Sunday Well it was Sunday bloody Sunday When they shot the people there The cries of thirteen martyrs Filled the Free Derry air Is there any one amongst you Dare to blame it on the kids? Not a soldier boy was bleeding When they nailed the coffin lids! Sunday bloody Sunday Bloody Sunday's the day! You claim to be majority Well you know that it's a lie You're really a minority On this sweet emerald isle When Stormont bans our marches They've got a lot to learn Internment is no answer It's those mothers' turn to burn! Sunday bloody Sunday Bloody Sunday's the day! Sunday bloody Sunday Bloody Sunday's the day! You anglo pigs and scotties Sent to colonize the North You wave your bloody Union Jack And you know what it's worth! How dare you hold to ransom A people proud and free Keep Ireland for the Irish Put the English back to sea! Sunday bloody Sunday Bloody Sunday's the day! Well, it's always bloody Sunday In the concentration camps Keep Falls Road free forever From the bloody English hands Repatriate to Britain All of you who call it home Leave Ireland to the Irish Not for London or for Rome! Sunday bloody Sunday Bloody Sunday's the day! Sunday bloody Sunday Bloody Sunday's the day... ~John Lennon~ |
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9.10.05 03:37 |
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Bright pink home gets yellow Blobby makeover
Guardian Steven Morris Tuesday October 11, 2005  A homeowner who spent £90,000 renovating his house and decorated the outside in a coat of vivid pink failed to see the funny side when practical jokers spray-painted the building with yellow spots in the style of Mr Blobby. Michael Clarkson, who lives in London and rents out the house in Exeter to students, said: "I can see that outsiders would find it amusing but when it is your own property it is not remotely funny." The students who live in the house did not notice when they returned after a night out. It was only pointed out to them next morning when a plumber came to call. |
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12.10.05 05:41 |
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The World Wide War on Working People
www.opednews.com Wake Up and Live by John Kelley 'What is happening in the United States and around the world through the process of globalization is nothing less than class warfare. And guess what, it was the richest people in the world who declared war on the rest of us'. Read on>>> |
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16.10.05 21:14 |
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Heroes and villains: Prince William and the Countryside Alliance
Scotsman.com BEN JUDGE NB: we know that there are far more worthy heroes than those listed here - doctors, nurses, aid workers, etc. Similarly, murderers, rapists and dictators are indisputably far greater villains. This column does not deal with them. It is designed to honour those who have caused surprise by their actions. Hero: Prince William  Our Wills - gosh isn't he lovely, just like his mum, God rest her saintly soul - has decided to join Braemar mountain rescue, one of the dedicated bunch of volunteer loonies who climb the hills in atrocious conditions looking for lost, injured or just plain stupid walkers. Unfortunately, he won’t be allowed to do any actual rescuing. The chaps in charge say he'll be a danger to himself and everyone else. The theory is that impressionable young debs will travel up from the home counties in their thousands and swoon into ravines in the hope that the gorgeous hunk of an heir to the throne will abseil down and sweep them up in his manly regal arms to carry them safely off the hill. No, young Master Windsor will have to be content with washing the Land Rovers and answering the phones, but at least he's making an effort. Villains: Countryside Alliance Pro-hunting supporters have failed in their attempt to have the ban on hunting with dogs in England overturned by having the 1949 Parliament Act ruled unlawful. In a modern civilised society we really shouldn't be getting our kicks by ripping the local fauna apart with attack dogs and smearing ourselves in its blood just for a laugh. Most people would rather this sort of thing didn't go on and so the government introduced a bill to put a stop to it. So far so democratic. However, the bill to ban hunting with dogs in England and Wales was repeatedly blocked by the unelected, unrepresentative House of "Lords" and so the government invoked the Parliament Act. The Parliament Act basically sticks two fingers up at the upper chamber and says "it doesn't matter what you think, we're doing it anyway". The bloodthirsty hunters, however, didn't like that. They thought it was a downright liberty and launched a legal challenge. Predictably, they lost. Whining about the judgment, Simon Hart, chief executive of the Countryside Alliance said: "This judgment effectively gives the House of Commons the freedom - with no checks and balances - to do what it wants, to whom it wants, when it wants… it sets a dangerous, anti-democratic precedent." No. What it does is to bolster democracy by ensuring that the will of the elected chamber prevails. Democracy is a fairly woolly concept these days, but most take it to mean something along the lines of government by the will of the people (that's why the "elected" bit matters). Not government by the will of troublesome toffs and political appointees. |
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17.10.05 03:09 |
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Animal Rights Action Network
IrishAnimals.ie: Animal Rights Action Network (ARAN) I tend to forget about my guestbook, so I was surprised to see I had some comments I hadn't read. There was a very nice one from John Carmody at Animal Rights Action Network and all the good people there. I just wanted to say thanks. I also had a look at the group's description, and I recommend it to everyone, especially if you can help out in any way. ARAN "Animal Rights Action Network (ARAN) is now Ireland's fastest growing grassroots speak out for animals organization. Founded in 2000 the group now co-ordinates campaigns with activists and fellow animal lovers all over the country. Its highlights direct animal abuse issues, co-ordinates peaceful protest and works with animal welfare and rights groups all over europe on issues affecting animals". Get in touch with ARAN >>>here Also, if you scroll down to the bottom of the page, you will see a doggy with the words 'Go Home', and if you click on it, you will be taken to a site with a fantastic logo image which I cannot resist putting here, so I hope they don't mind. If you click on this image, it will take you to the site. There are lots and lots of helpful and educational links: 
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17.10.05 04:02 |
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raccoon gene
I ran across this webpage devoted to prayer wheels again today, and I minimised it so I could spend some time researching what exactly a prayer wheel is and how I could utilise it on my computer, but the very first thing which caught my eye on the page was a description of animated .gifs, and they had this one:  I, of course, ran through the spinning prayer wheels, but they weren't anywhere near as pretty as this flashing line of spots here, so I gave up on the prayer wheels part and snagged this line. It's the raccoon gene in me. I just cannot resist shiny, sparkly objects, especially if they move. |
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17.10.05 04:25 |
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Stop making foie gras? Fat chance
Scotsman.com **This is SICK! We could always boycott French products. SUSAN BELL  Click to view - Geese from a photo by Theodore Rezvoy FRENCH politicians have approved a draft law that declares foie gras part of the national heritage, despite widespread international concern about cruelty to animals during its production. With customary Gallic insouciance, lawmakers have effectively given the kind of protection normally accorded great works of art to a dish whose manufacture by force-feeding geese and ducks is banned in 13 other EU member states. Foie gras - translated literally as "fatty liver" - is big business in France, which produces 70 per cent of the 20,000 tonnes made worldwide each year and accounts for 85 percent of global consumption. The industry employs 30,000 people and the average French person eats the delicacy at least ten times a year. It is a dish that has been enjoyed since as far back as 2500BC, when Egyptians sought the fattened livers of migratory birds as a delicacy. The practice continued through Roman times and spread across Europe. But to animal lovers across the world, the practice of force-feeding 30 million animals a year until their livers swell to up to ten times their normal size is a cruel practice which causes untold suffering. In recent years the movement to abolish force-feeding for foie gras production has gained momentum worldwide, but in France, producers have reacted by toughening their stance to protect this most emblematic of Gallic culinary delicacies. Never had this been made clearer than yesterday, when the French parliament unanimously declared that foie gras constituted "part of the protected cultural and gastronomic heritage of France". "How on earth can you say that a barbaric custom, consisting of sticking a funnel or a pneumatic pump down the throat of a caged animal, is a tradition of high culture?" asked the Citizens Initiative for the Abolition of Force Feeding on its website yesterday. Its question was answered by the left-leaning daily, Le Monde, which commented that the measure had been adopted "in order to counter campaigns by defenders of animal rights". Such groups point out that by the time the force-fed geese and ducks are slaughtered, they are suffering from acute liver disease, diarrhoea, panting, walking difficulties, lesions and inflammations. The reactionary stance of France over foie gras flies in the face of EU directives dating from as far back as 1998, which warn that: "No animal shall be provided with food or liquid in a manner ... which may cause unnecessary suffering or injury". Thirteen EU member states, including the UK, have already banned force-feeding of animals for foie gras production and the EU has issued a directive that all member nations must end feeding practices that cause "suffering or damage" by 2010. Earlier this month Israel, the world's fourth-largest producer of foie gras, banned production of the delicacy on the grounds of cruelty, declaring that force-feeding ran counter to animal protection laws. "In the light of the report by the Scientific Committee of the European Community, there is no doubt that the geese suffer," the Israeli government said, referring to the EU study which stated that: "Foie gras is the clinically ill liver of a bird suffering from hepatic steatosis" and concluded: "The 'needs of agriculture' must not systematically count more than the interest in protecting the animals". French MPs dismissed the EU report yesterday, confidently declaring that "the foie gras of a force-fed web-footed [creature] is not clinically ill". Instead, they added proudly, foie gras "perfectly illustrates the links with heritage and rural life which characterise the originality of the French alimentary model". The ruling was intended to "preserve the cultural, culinary and social heritage" represented by foie gras while simultaneously monitoring "in an objective, scientifically backed manner ... the respect of the animal's well-being". The ruling came just nine weeks before French MPs and the majority of their countrymen and women will tuck into the delicacy as a largely unquestioned ritual during traditional Gallic Christmas and New Year festivities. In France, it seems that a nation of foie gras lovers are more concerned about preserving "gastronomic tradition" than they are about diminishing the suffering of the animals used to produce it. |
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19.10.05 21:47 |
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Yahoo! News UK Thursday October 20, 07:59 AM  Click to view - Norway rat - smarter than your average scientist LONDON (Reuters) - A cunning rat released on a deserted island off New Zealand outsmarted scientists and evaded traps, baits and sniffer dogs before being captured four months later on a neighbouring island, researchers said on Wednesday. Scientists from the University of Auckland in New Zealand released the Norway rat on the 9.5-hectare (23.5-acre) island of Motuhoropapa to find out why rats are so difficult to eradicate. They got more than they bargained for. "Our findings confirm that eliminating a single invading rat is disproportionately difficult," James Russell and his colleagues said in a report in the science journal Nature. Despite all their efforts, including fitting the rat with a radio collar, they couldn't catch the crafty creature. After 10 weeks on the island the rodent decided it had had enough. It swam 400 metres, the longest distance recorded for a rat across open sea, to another rat-free island where it was eventually captured in a trap baited with penguin meat several weeks later. The Norway rat, which is also called the brown or sewer rat, is a husky rodent that weighs about 11 ounces (312 gram) and has a long tail. Invading rats on remote islands off the coast of New Zealand have been a recurring problem. Norway rats have invaded the uninhabited Noises Islands at least six times between 1981 and 2002. "Our results may help in the design of conservation strategies to keep islands free of invasive rodents," Russell and team added. **Now if they could just develop methods to keep the world free of pestilential 'sewer' humans... |
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21.10.05 02:47 |
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My shoes...
moirob asked me if I wore shiny, sparkly shoes all the time as he said I seemed like the sort to do so. Not quite sure how to take that, but I told him I would post some pics of my shoes so he could see for himself. Click to view. Of course, these are just for everyday wear ;-)   |
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21.10.05 03:33 |
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Judge lifts no-resuscitation order
Guardian Fresh hope for Charlotte Wyatt's parents Staff and agencies Friday October 21, 2005  Charlotte Wyatt with her mother Debbie at St Mary's hospital in Portsmouth earlier this year. Photograph: Solent News and Photos A high court judge today ruled that profoundly disabled girl Charlotte Wyatt can be resuscitated if she suffers an emergency health problem. Mr Justice Hedley previously said doctors could be allowed not to revive the girl, a decision which angered Charlotte's parents. Darren and Debbie Wyatt said they were "very happy that the order which has been hanging over Charlotte for over a year now has been lifted". Both the doctors and the parents now agree that Charlotte should not be resuscitated if she suffers major heart failure, but will be revived if she suffers something less serious. Charlotte, who is two today, has been very ill since she was born with heart and lung problems, needing a constant supply of oxygen. She has never left St Mary's hospital in Portsmouth where she has been treated. The judge formally lifted the existing declarations, but he stressed that the doctors could not be compelled to act against their conscience. David Wolfe, counsel for the couple, told the judge: "The parents are most grateful for the opportunity to restore the normal parent-doctor relationship in this case. "I am formally instructed to say on behalf of Charlotte 'thank you', remembering that it is Charlotte's second birthday today." The judge replied: "Indeed, I am aware that people are heading off to the birthday party and I was going to ask them to convey whatever they can to say other people are thinking of her." Afterwards, a statement issued on the couple's behalf, said they "are so happy that they can now get on with their lives and look forward to the future and look forward to Charlotte's homecoming and the birth of their other child". It continued: "They would like to thank all the public for all their support and prayers and would like to thank the judge for lifting the order, especially on her birthday as they believe this is the best present that Charlotte could have. "Now she can continue to get on with her life and progress and come home." Reading out a detailed ruling in the case, the judge said he had come to the view that "at least at present no further declaratory relief is required". "I hope that the trust and confidence of which both Dr K (Charlotte's consultant, who cannot be named for legal reasons) and the parents spoke can now develop with a view to securing the best for Charlotte, whether in life or death. "It is said that cases like this have no winners, but here there is a chance that Charlotte may be the winner if her parents seize this opportunity constructively to build upon their trust and confidence in Dr K and the staff who have committed themselves in such exemplary fashion to her case," the judge said. |
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21.10.05 19:40 |
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Tutu flies in to 'township challenge' in Dublin
BreakingNews.ie 21/10/2005 - 17:40:51 Nobel Prize-winner Archbishop Desmond Tutu made a flying visit to Dublin today to back an housebuilding scheme which aims to transform lives in a township in South Africa. The third Niall Mellon Township Challenge will see 700 Irish volunteers heading out to Cape Town from next week to build at least 100 brick houses for shack dwellers in Imizamo Yethu.  Click to view Archbishop Tutu said the generosity of the Irish people involved in the charity who have each raised €4,000 to take part in the two-week project left him breathless. “This is a fantastic initiative which will make a real difference to the lives of thousands of ordinary South Africans in Cape Town,” he said. “I am so proud of the Irish volunteers who are giving their time and money to help my people.” Property developer Niall Mellon, who founded the project, thanked Archbishop Tutu for his continuing support of the township challenge. “The speech which Archbishop Tutu made at our gala dinner last year to mark the end of the township challenge was extremely moving,” he said. “It played a major role in motivating many of our volunteers into signing up again for this year’s challenge. “In the last 10 years, more than one-and-a-half million homes have been built by the South African government. “I see the Township Challenge as lending a hand in admiration of the great effort and struggle that South Africa faces in housing almost 10 million shack dwellers. “I am confident they will do it,” Mr Mellon added. The first township challenge in 2003 saw 150 builders travel to Imizamo Yethu to build 25 houses. In 2004, 350 volunteers built 50 homes, and the response this year was so large the trip had to be staggered over two weeks. While most of the volunteers have a background in the building industry, around 20% of them has never laid a brick before. The first group of 200 builders leaves Dublin on Friday, October 28 followed by a second team of 450 leaving on November 4, with around 50 who will be working for the entire fortnight. They have set themselves the daunting task of constructing between 100 and 120 homes over the two weeks, but Mr Mellon said he was confident they could pull it off. “Our volunteers will be working flat out for the two weeks that they are in Cape Town,” he said. “It won’t be a holiday for them, but if they achieve their target they will have changed the lives of 1,000 residents of the township for the better forever.” |
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21.10.05 22:06 |
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Down in a hole
Sitting here listening to the radio and feeling sorry for myself. I've had a three-day headache for no reason, and it's getting me down. *whine* Now I see my old mucker is online, but I don't go on with him anymore as it's nicer to think he MIGHT have yarned with me rather than to go on and realise he is NOT going to. How sad is that? Don't answer. Unrequited love is such a biatch... Well, that's me, whine over. :'( |
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23.10.05 23:03 |
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Revolutionary operation saves girl, 3, from fatal genetic disease
Scotsman EBEN HARRELL  A GIRL suffering from a rare genetic disorder was sitting up in bed yesterday after undergoing a groundbreaking gene-therapy operation in the United States to try to halt her disease. Jasmine Harris, three, of Shooters Hill in south London, was one of 11 children picked for the controversial gene therapy from the 500 sufferers of Batten disease worldwide. Batten disease is a group of degenerative brain conditions, which leaves young victims blind, speechless and paralysed before killing them. Few victims survive past their teens. On Saturday, The Scotsman reported on revolutionary new treatments for the condition. The surgery involves drilling holes through the skull and injecting replacement genes into the brain. Yesterday, Jasmine's parents were "elated" after the six-hour operation, one of only a few to have been performed anywhere in the world, went well. Jasmine's mother, Tina, said: "Half an hour after the surgery, she was sitting up in bed. No words can describe how elated we feel." The child's father, Mark, added: "The doctors have said it has gone smoothly. It is the best so far. Jasmine has recovered so well." The three-year-old is only the eighth person in the world to have undergone the surgery, which was performed by doctors at the Weill Cornell Genetic Research Centre in New York. It is hoped that the operation will save her from the same suffering as her older brother, who was a "normal, happy, lively boy" until he was diagnosed with Batten disease in 2001. Jordan, seven, is now not expected to live past his tenth birthday. He cannot walk or talk and doctors fear that he is too ill to have the therapy himself. The Harrises discovered that Jasmine also had Batten disease last year, when they noticed that her speech was deteriorating. Batten disease is caused by a defective gene that fails to create an enzyme needed in the brain to help dispose of cellular waste. The waste piles up and kills healthy cells, until the patient dies. Jasmine's treatment involved the introduction of a functioning gene into her central nervous system, via the brain. It is hoped that the functioning gene will produce the vital enzyme required to remove the harmful build up of fats and proteins in her brain. Scientists are also working on a stem-cell replacement therapy that would implant adult stem cells in an effort to "rebuild" the brain. Such treatment is far more ethically charged, as bioethicists worry over the moral implications of swapping human brain matter. Mr Harris said the gene therapy surgery was the only choice available to Jasmine. "This is a major operation, but it is the only thing that we have got," he said. "Without this she will die, and I don't want to lose my daughter." There were fears that the operation might not have been able to go ahead because Jasmine had a cold and a high temperature, but she recovered in time for the MRI and surgery. Four other children have had the therapy. One, who was much more severely ill than Jasmine, died a few weeks afterwards but the other three are still alive and have remained stable. Batten disease occurs when a child inherits defective genes from both parents. Many victims of some types of the disease fail to reach their teenage years. Some victims, however, live until their thirties, while other types of the disease do not strike until later in life. |
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27.10.05 05:47 |
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'Child police' trap internet groomers
Scotsman.com MICHAEL HOWIE  DETECTIVES posing as young girls on internet chatrooms have caught five potential child molesters in the first nationwide "grooming" crackdown ever carried out by Scottish police, The Scotsman can reveal. The covert operation to catch paedophiles targeting children on the internet was launched four weeks ago and coincides with the introduction of a new law which made grooming youngsters for sex an offence. One man, from the Lothians, was arrested last week after detectives pretending to be a 12-year-old girl met him on a chatroom. Following a correspondence lasting several weeks, police swooped on the man in a public street after arranging a rendezvous with the individual who thought he was going to meet his victim. Another man was viewed performing a sex act in front of a web camera after police, again posing as a young girl, chatted to him for 30 minutes. The man's home was pinpointed to a location in England and the case has been passed to officers south of the Border. >>Read on
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29.10.05 15:33 |
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Paying for narcissism
 Photo of Narcissus, who fell in love with his own image, from >>here I had to ask Google how to spell that word. I learned all kinds of nifty vocabulary words when I was in school, but the trouble is they are such esoteric things (there's one now) that I am always having to get Google to spell them correctly for me. Then the other problem comes when I use them on the kids at school and they stare at me with blank looks on their faces. I don't mind that too much because it affords me an opportunity to say the same thing again in words they do understand so that a connection might be made (optimistic, I know). When the adults give me blank stares is when I realise it's time to catch myself on. But I digress. What I really wanted to mention is that this morning when I was posting on another site, I saw a Google ad for a blog called something like 'the angriest woman on earth', and I thought immediately that someone else could not possibly have a blog by that name because I am the angriest woman on earth! Then I wondered who would pay money to advertise their blog on Google. Wouldn't it cost a fortune? Then my next thought was hey, how much money would a person have to pay Google for such an ad? Needless to say, I went over to read this blog to see what she was so angry about. Turns out she was angry because she had forked over a lot of money to get a site for herself so she could rant to people about everything under the sun. Now ranting is fine. I do it myself quite frequently, but my opinion is that anyone who pays money to buy a site and a stupid net-name domain and then pays for Google ads just in order to rant, seriously needs her head examined. You can rant for free on an endless number of sites. Nobody has to pay for anything on the net unless they have more money than brains--in my opinion. Oh sure, if you want a domain name like www.rodney-philpott.org (I just made that up), you can waste tonnes of money for the privilege, but you are going to be the only one who appreciates such an egotistical effort. You can always get http://rodney-philpott.tk for absolutely free from the dot.tk domains. Just like for this blog, if you like, you can type just fiona32.tk into your browser and up I will come!! You don't even have to type the http:// part. All for free. Whoopie!! It is so damn exciting. :p The so-called angriest woman on earth was really angry about the fact that she could not get her PayPal button to stay down at the bottom of her page. Now personally, when I see a 'support this blog' link, I run the other way. Why the frigging hell would I want to give my money to some eejit so she can pay some other eejit for her blog--or so she says. I think really it is to support the drug habit or the trip to Amsterdam, but I digress again. She went on and one about the level of intelligence concerning forum posters and how her tech support was no support at all. She was mad as hell. My point is that all this anger stems from the fact that she is paying money to establish her net presence. She expects things to be the way she wants them to be--and NOW. Unlike her, I consider the net to be one of the wonders of the world. I am eternally grateful to all the sites who have allowed me to play on them--and I do mean play. I love the net! I enjoy immensely learning about HTML and software and anything to do with computers. I still cannot quite wrap my head around how there are people who offer all these beautiful gifts for free. Everyday there is something new to learn about, some present to unwrap. Who could be angry at being given the world??  |
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29.10.05 17:08 |
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Scandal of infected US blood revealed in film exposé
Sunday Herald By Liam McDougall, Home Affairs Editor 30 October 2005 A MAJOR new documentary that uncovers fresh evidence about how thousands of Scots contracted Aids and hepatitis through infected blood is to be given its world premiere at a prestigious US film festival. The film, Factor 8: The Arkansas Prison Blood Scandal, made by the US film-maker Kelly Duda, will reveal new details about how inmates at a US jail were paid to donate blood despite the authorities knowing they had Aids and hepatitis. It shows how the US state of Arkansas, under former president and then-governor Bill Clinton, allowed contaminated blood from Aids and hepatitis-infected prisoners to be exported around the world during the 1980s and 1990s to be used in the manufacture of clotting agents for haemophiliacs. The documentary also reveals for the first time how senior figures in the prison system doctored prisoners’ medical records to make it look like they were not carrying the deadly diseases. Even after it was known there was a problem, the film reveals, blood products were allowed to be supplied to Europe, including to the UK, where thousands of patients were infected with HIV and the potentially fatal liver virus, hepatitis. Last night, the revelations caused outrage among haemophiliacs who contracted Aids and other diseases through the blood products. They branded the findings “unbelievable” and “shocking”, and demanded that the government launch a judicial inquiry into the so-called “tainted blood scandal”. Many haemophiliacs believe that the UK government colluded with US authorities and giant pharma ceutical companies in the medical disaster. Investigations by the Sunday Herald have already revealed that the UK’s Department of Health knew in 1981 that haemophiliacs were at risk of hepatitis infection from imported blood products, but continued to use them. Andy Gunn, a Scottish haemophiliac who contracted Aids and hepatitis after being given the clotting agent Factor 8 from a US source in the 1980s, said: “This film shows again that we need a full inquiry into why this was allowed to happen.” Gunn, 30, who is involved in an international legal case against the US pharmaceutical firms, said he was most at risk of contracting the diseases because he had to use clotting agent more often since he has severe haemophilia. Duda’s film, which is to be shown at the American Film Institute Festival in Los Angeles on November 8, is the result of almost a decade of research into prison blood policy. In the film, Bill Douglas, a former prisoner and hepatitis sufferer, described the regime in Cummins Penitentiary in Arkansas, where he regularly donated plasma. He said: “They didn’t care if you had to crawl to get there so long as you were able to give blood. You were never checked. It was like a cattle chute. That’s the way it was done.” Dr Edwin Barron, a medical administrator at the facility, who was so disgusted at the facilities that he resigned after around a year, said: “They did little or no screening of anybody. It was obvious to me ... that this was a time bomb that had been planted here.” He said that despite raising concerns he witnessed needles being shared by the prisoners. In 1983, around the time that haemophiliacs were becoming infected with HIV in the UK, the prison refused to recall the products it had exported that were found to be suspect. There are also allegations that Clinton, while governor of Arkansas, may have been aware of the concerns about the blood products. Randal Morgan, who was deputy director of the department of corrections from 1981 to 1996, said: “ It would be ludicrous that Bill Clinton did not know that the plasma programme was experiencing problems.” The risk of infection was magnified because the US used pooled blood, meaning that the blood of groups of people were used to manu facture single Factor 8 products. One contaminated unit of blood would have been enough to infect thousands of patients. In the UK, around 5000 Britons contracted hepatitis A, B, C and G in the 1980s and 1990s. Thousands more contracted HIV, many of whom are now dead. The fresh revelations come as thousands of haemophiliacs worldwide are launching a class action in the US against five drug companies, Alpha Thera peutic, Armour, Aventis, Baxter and Bayer. They add weight to calls for an inquiry into the scandal, so far refused by the UK government. Gunn added: “It’s a murderous cover-up. They have effectively murdered thousands of haemophiliacs and got away with it. “What’s a few thousand haemophiliacs? That’s their view.” Duda said: “I’ve seen documents that officials in the UK were aware of the dangers. I think it’s unconscionable for there not to be a full public and criminal investigation into this. The Department of Health has denied that there is need for an inquiry because it does not accept that “wrongful practices” were used. |
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30.10.05 06:27 |
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31.10.05 12:33 |
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