Big Brother Thriving in Britain

New powers are needed to combat a culture of "pervasive" surveillance that has seen the UK become the most spied upon country in the world, the Lords said today.

The UK is now watched by more about four million CCTV cameras and details of seven per cent of the population is held in the National DNA Database (NDNAD) – more than any other country, according to chairman of the House of Lords Constitution Committee Lord Goodlad.

At the same time national databases designed to hold personal information on nearly every UK citizen are being set up across Whitehall, from the NHS Care Records Service to the ID cards National Identity Register, according to a report by the committee released today.

Meanwhile businesses and banks are gathering data on the public from CCTV, web browsing behaviour, CRM systems and tracking the use of loyalty cards, the report says, adding that the government also wants access to this data, it added.

"Every time we make a telephone call, send an email, browse the internet, or even walk down our local high street, our actions may be monitored and recorded," the report said.

Goodlad said in a statement: "There can be no justification for this gradual but incessant creep towards every detail about us being recorded and pored over by the state."

Citing instances where councils have spied on citizens when investigating littering, the report says that any victims of "unlawful surveillance" by a local authority should receive compensation and that local authority snooping under the Regulation of Investigatory Powers Act should be monitored by the courts.

Any future surveillance or data processing scheme suggested by Whitehall should be closely scrutinised by a dedicated parliamentary body and the information commissioner before it goes ahead, the report said.

This should be paired with legally binding guidelines on the operation of all CCTV systems it added.

The report also said the government should act swiftly to comply with last December's ruling by the European Court of Human Rights that innocent people's DNA should be removed from the NDNAD, a decision that could see about 850,000 people's details deleted.

The information commissioner should also be able to carry out unannounced spot checks on private sector organisations to check they are complying with the data protection act, the report recommended.

A Ministry of Justice spokesman said: "The government has been clear that where surveillance or data collection will impact on privacy they should only be used where it is necessary and proportionate.

"This provides law enforcement agencies with the tools to protect the public as well as ensuring Government has the ability to provide effective public services while ensuring there are effective safeguards and a solid legal framework that protects civil liberties."

Simon Davies, director of Privacy International, said: "This report reflects a sea change in public opinion. The language is robust and unequivocal about the need to address surveillance as a matter of urgency.

"Hopefully this will pave the way to overturn the parts of the Coroners and Justice Bill that will give government ministers the ability to demand data sharing between organisations."

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Doping

Doping has little influence on the outcome of athletic contests. The outcomes of those contests come mainly from preparation, opportunity and the heart. Doping does not determine the outcome of the game; it is about taking advantage of an opportunity (Gillis).

It is argued; particularly in baseball, that even if someone is doing steroids, it will not help them actually hit the ball. I believe hitting a baseball is a unique skill. It is an act that does not require extraordinary muscle strength. Instead, an athlete has to have technique, reflexes, and hand-eye coordination, not brute strength.

Doping for sports gives a competitive edge and is a part of our culture. It always has been. Dan Le BaTard sums it up by saying." It is not natural to have a special surgery to keep pitching. Curt Schilling did that. It is not natural to shoot yourself full of cortisone to mute the body's screaming. Kirk Gibson did that. It is not natural to pop amphetamines like Tic Tacs so you can ward off the fatigue of Game 102, but hundreds of players regularly do that." (Le BaTard)

Medicine and artificial help are part of the culture of sports now. Players compete against whatever is going on in their era. We are learning that steroids have been part of baseball's culture for a long time now. McGwire wasn't hitting more homers than anyone else because he was taking more steroids than anyone else. He was hitting more homers because he was better than anyone else in the steroid age that we live today (Le BaTard).(BaTard)

Ted Williams, considered by many the greatest pure hitter of all time, cites three key elements to hitting a baseball effectively in his book, "The Science of Hitting". A good hitter must identify a pitch to hit, know enough about the pitcher and the game situation to give himself the best chance to succeed, and put hands and hips into motion to drive the pitch. Nowhere does Williams mention that muscle mass aides in any of those critical elements (Williams).

Sports have always reverted to some type of enhancement dating back to the beginning. The only difference today is that it is something now that people are looking for a can be detected(Gillis).

The connection between extraordinary muscle strength and home run hitting ability seems misleading. It is disappointing that so much of the sports world seems to take it as gospel. If bulky bodies were the key to driving pitches out of the ballpark, then I would have to think that Bo Jackson should have been a Hall of Famer given his incredible muscularity.

I don't doubt that some major league players are taking steroids, but I do doubt the supposed frequency and the opinion of its use. The primary focus by the media has been to emphasize what effect steroid use has on the statistical results of the game, and the idea that the major leagues are out of control with superhuman players who can master the game's most difficult tasks with ease. The media would be better off emphasizing the health risks taken by players who use steroids for what is a marginal performance advantage.

References

BaTard, Dan Le. "You Can't Break Rules if There Aren't Any." Miami: Miami Herld, 13 February 2005.

Gillis, Charlie. "Cheaters Will Always Be With Us." Maclean's 13 August 2007: 60+.

Schmidt, Kate. "Steroids: Take One for the Team." Los Angeles Times 14 October 2007: n.p.

Williams, Ted and John Underwood. "The Science of Hitting". New York: Simon & Schuster, 1986.

'Reluctance' to identify gifted

Mr. Keller, this article did not list an author, so I just left the BBC credic citations on the end. Hope that's okay.

 

Many state schools are unwilling to identify gifted and talented pupils for fear of being seen as "elitist", a report says.

The government-commissioned report assessed the legacy of the National Academy for Gifted and Talented Youth as "thin and limited value for money".

The Academy closed in 2007, and a new gifted and talented programme started.

The government says most schools participate in this, and put forward 800,000 gifted and talented children.

It wants every state primary and secondary school to identify those who fall into the top 5% of results, though schools are not bound to identify any particular percentage of their own pupils.

But the report says: "Unfortunately many schools were initially unwilling to provide NAGTY with details of their pupils who were within the top 5%.

"Although this resistance was gradually eroded over time, there was doubtless still a substantial core of schools unwilling to play their role in this process."

It suggests that schools may be confusing "elitism" with special needs.

The government was spending £4.75m each year on the Academy, which was set up in 1999.

But the report says for its work to have more impact on a national scale, considerably more investment than this would be needed - it estimates £200m a year.

Motivation

"Gifted" describes the most able pupils in academic subjects, and "talented" identifies those who excel at sport or creative subjects.

The report, by consultants ACL, says it is impossible to say whether the Academy had much impact on children's results at age 16.

The Academy had not put in place methodologies to track the progress of children it supported.

But it did praise it for increasing the motivation and aspirations of students who enrolled, and raising the profile of gifted and talented children.

Ministers wanted to allay concerns that state schools were not stretching the brightest pupils, so it set up NAGTY within the University of Warwick.

But the report concludes it was the victim of a conflict with central government over its remit.

As the Academy tried to broaden its responsibilities, government funding did not keep pace.

Because of this, failure was in some respects "inevitable", the report said.

Gifted and talented pupils were mainly identified through test results - which may work well for the academically gifted, but is not an accurate way of identifying those talented at music, drama or sport, it added.

"There was relatively little for the talented (as opposed to the gifted) - both in terms of how they were identified and the activities that were available to them, " the report said.

The Department for Children, Schools and Families says 95% of secondary schools and 78% of primary schools were already identifying 800,000 gifted and talented children.

And it says the programme has moved on "significantly" since the Academy closed in 2007.

"This is not elitism," a spokeswoman said.

"It is about ensuring that all learners receive the challenge and support they need to reach their potential.

"By helping more disadvantaged young people to attend competitive universities, we can make a valuable contribution to improving social mobility."

Story from BBC NEWS:
http://news.bbc.co.uk/go/pr/fr/-/2/hi/uk_news/education/7860319.stm

Published: 2009/01/30 13:56:24 GMT

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Why people opt for private healthcare: The areas where NHS healthcare falls short of the mark

Sir, Dr Mark Porter is right to highlight improvements in the NHS over the past decade ("Is it time to ditch private medical insurance?", Jan 9 ) but misses several vital points about healthcare in the UK today.

First, we are living in a world where people are used to and expect access to the products or services they need when they want them. Healthcare should be no different, which is why eight out of ten Britons feel that 18 weeks is still too long to wait for NHS treatment, with the majority believing that under one month is a more appropriate target.

Second, people today want choice and peace of mind. They don't want to be left struggling with a complex system or having to travel miles to get the hospital or consultant they want. This is why almost eight out of ten people say that, even if the NHS were to meet its targets, they would not cancel their private cover, and is why the number of people choosing private medical insurance rose to more than six million in 2008.

Finally, the NHS's problems with superbugs such as MRSA and C. difficile should not be played down. To say that you should be fine, if you are a "healthy patient" in a "decent hospital", is small comfort to seven out of ten Britons who fear that they or their loved ones might contract a superbug while in an NHS hospital. People simply shouldn't have to worry about superbugs at all. This is why hospital cleanliness represents the biggest reason why people choose health insurance, with about two out of three taking it out because they want to be treated in a clean, superbug-free hospital.

Dr Natalie-Jane Macdonald

Managing Director, Bupa UK Health Insurance

-The non-bright lamp

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"I've Seen A Million Faces, and I've Rocked Them All..."
--Bon Jovi

Snow disruption could cost UK economy $5 billion

LONDON, England (CNN) -- Questions were being asked Tuesday about how snow in Britain caused so much disruption to travel and education as analysts said the cost to the economy could be as much as £3.5 billion ($5 billion).

A group of men push a giant snowball across Kensington Gardens, west London.

London came to a near standstill on Monday with all buses canceled and overground and underground train services severely disrupted.

About one in five workers took the day off and thousands of schools in the south of England closed. Many stayed closed on Tuesday.

Many children were delighted to have two days off to play but many working parents had to take a day off work to look after children.

Margaret Morrissey, of the Parents Outloud campaign group, told the Press Association: "It is terribly difficult for parents. You've got to go to work and you've got the added problem of what to do with the children."

She warned that children might get the message that "when things get difficult you should just stay at home and have fun."

Stephen Alambritis, from the Federation of Small Businesses, said the economy could lose up to £3.5 billion this week as a result of the snow. "One of the world's biggest economies should not be grinding to a halt," he said. 

David Frost, director-general of the British Chambers of Commerce, said the disruption had cost British business "a lot of money."

He said more planning for freak weather was needed, adding: "We shouldn't just buckle to it."

Britain was struggling to return to normal Tuesday, but forecasters predicted icy conditions and a continued freeze for several days to come.

All of London's airports were open and reported only a small number of cancellations Tuesday as the sun came out and started melting away the snow and ice.

British Airways reported that de-icing of planes, not snow, was causing some problems for its flights.

Express trains to Heathrow, Gatwick and Stansted airports in London were all running as normal Tuesday, airport operator BAA said.

Monday's snowfall affected a swathe of eastern Britain from north to south, but the worst-affected areas were London and parts of southeast England, Britain's Met Office weather service said.

The most snow was reported Monday in Epsom, southwest of London, with 31 centimeters (12.2 inches). London received 27 centimeters (10.6 inches), the Met office said.

Major roads in central London were largely clear of snow by Tuesday morning and side roads were gradually clearing as well.

London's buses, including the red double-deckers, returned to service Tuesday. London transport authorities pulled them from the streets Monday because of safety concerns.

It was an improved picture on the Underground subway system, also known as the Tube. Most of the 11 lines were running Tuesday, though two lines were partially suspended, and one, the Circle Line, was not running at all. according to Transport for London.

What started as a bleak picture for train travelers had improved greatly by midday. Network Rail, the owner and operator of Britain's rail system, said more than three-quarters of the network was open and running Tuesday after weather forced a shutdown on Monday.

"Network Rail staff worked exhaustively overnight to clear the rail infrastructure for train services," it said in a statement. "Staff concentrated their efforts and resources on the main routes, switching their efforts to branch lines today, with more of these secondary routes being reopened in the south east as the day progresses."

Train travel into London remained "difficult," Network Rail said, but commuter services were running on revised timetables.

The Eurostar high-speed train service between London and Paris reported some disruption to service Tuesday as a result of the heavy snow, but passengers were able to travel on other train services departing near the time of their original tickets, Eurostar said.

No snow was forecast for London on Tuesday. Some wintry showers with possible hail and snow were predicted for northern and western England, Scotland and Wales, the Met Office said.

Met Office forecaster Dave Britton said melting snow might freeze again Tuesday night and pose a further risk Wednesday morning.

-Goldfish 

Judge put execution views aside

LINCOLN - Sarpy County District Judge Ronald Reagan was among the three judges who, in 1984, sentenced child-killer John Joubert to die in Nebraska's electric chair.

Last week Reagan, who retired in 2005, was among the people urging state lawmakers to repeal the death penalty, which he called "state-sanctioned revenge."

The former judge's testimony came as a surprise during an afternoon-long hearing on a bill to change the state's method of execution to lethal injection and another bill to do away with capital punishment.

Reagan said Friday in an interview that he has always opposed capital punishment "on philosophical grounds."

It's a viewpoint, he said, that he believes is shared by other judges, but judges are barred from expressing or acting on their opinions while on the bench.

"I've always felt that I couldn't say anything for 32 years," said Reagan, who was appointed a judge in 1972.

"Judges aren't supposed to be political activists. We're supposed to apply the law that is given us."

Joubert's death sentence met the requirements of the law, Reagan said.

Joubert, who was stationed at Offutt Air Force Base, kidnapped, tortured and killed two Sarpy County boys, Danny Joe Eberle, 13, and Christopher Walden, 12, in 1983.

When Joubert pleaded guilty, he also admitted to the slaying of an 11-year-old boy in his home state of Maine two years earlier.

Reagan, along with District Judges Robert Finn of Tecumseh and Theodore Carlson of Omaha, unanimously agreed on the death sentence. Joubert was executed in 1996.

Reagan, 70, said that while imposing the death sentence bothered him, other judicial decisions bothered him, too. In the end, he said, a judge has to put aside his personal views.

State Sen. Mike Flood of Norfolk, a death penalty supporter and sponsor of the lethal injection bill, said he respected the judge for following the law notwithstanding his personal opinion about capital punishment.

"I know it's hard on judges," Flood said. "It's a difficult decision to make. It's difficult to hear the evidence. Heinous murders have an effect on the entire community."

Flood, who is speaker of the Legislature, said he disagreed with Reagan's description of the death penalty as "state-sanctioned revenge." Flood said "retribution" is an element in all criminal penalties.

The death penalty is "a proportional, measured response to unspeakable behavior," Flood said. "I know that's hard to understand if you oppose the death penalty."

Reagan said that no one asked him to testify at the hearing and that he thought few people knew of his personal views on capital punishment before then.

He said he sees no general deterrent value to the death penalty, other than that the condemned will never kill again.

"It's not going to lower the murder rate," Reagan said.

He said the death penalty isn't always applied fairly. Many murder cases that could result in capital punishment, he said, end in a plea bargain in which that possible sentence is dropped.

"I'm a citizen here. I'd just as soon not have a death penalty," Reagan said. "It just seems to me that people are recognizing that the death penalty is not an appropriate punishment in a civilized society."

President Obama on SNL