Monthly Archives: April 2014
BRITISH ACTOR BOB HOSKINS DEAD AGED 71 OF PNEUMONIA
Bob Hoskins Has Died Aged 71
Actor, best known for The Long Good Friday, Who Framed Roger Rabbit and Mona Lisa, Much loved actor Bob Hoskins has died aged 71 from pneumonia, his agent Clair Dobbs has confirmed.
He was best known roles in films such as ‘The Long Good Friday’, ‘Who Framed Roger Rabbit’, ‘Mona Lisa’, ‘Hook’, Nixon’ and ‘A Christmas Carol’. His final performance was ‘Snow White and the Huntsman’.
Hoskins was almost as famous for his appearances in the long running BT adverts, with the immortal catchphrase “It’s good to talk”.
The actor announced in 2012 that he had retired from acting on 8 August 2012, due to his ongoing battle with Parkinson’s disease.
WHY IS PUTIN IN WASHINGTON,S CROSSHAIRS
Why is Putin in Washington’s Crosshairs?
By Mike Whitney
Washington wants to weaken Moscow economically by slashing its gas revenues and, thus, eroding its ability to defend itself or its interests. The US does not want an economically-integrated Europe and Asia. The de facto EU-Russian alliance is a direct threat to US global hegemony.”
April 29, 2014 “ICH” – “CP” – US provocations in Ukraine cannot be understood apart from Washington’s “Pivot to Asia”, which is the broader strategic plan to shift attention from the Middle East to Asia. The so called “re-balancing” is actually a blueprint for controlling China’s growth in a way that is compatible with US hegemonic ambitions. There are different schools of thought about how this can be achieved, but loosely speaking they fall into two categories, “dragon slayers” and “panda huggers”. Dragon slayers favor a strategy of containment while panda huggers favor engagement. As yet, the final shape of the policy has not been decided, but it’s clear from hostilities in the South China Sea and the Senkaku Islands, that the plan will depend heavily on military force.
So what does controlling China have to do with the dust up in Ukraine?
Everything. Washington sees Russia as a growing threat to its plans for regional dominance. The problem is, Moscow has only gotten stronger as it has expanded its network of oil and gas pipelines across Central Asia into Europe. That’s why Washington has decided to use Ukraine is a staging ground for an attack on Russia, because a strong Russia that’s economically integrated with Europe is a threat to US hegemony. Washington wants a weak Russia that won’t challenge US presence in Central Asia or its plan to control vital energy resources.
Currently, Russia provides about 30 percent of Western and Central Europe’s natural gas, 60 percent of which transits Ukraine. People and businesses in Europe depend on Russian gas to heat their homes and run their machinery. The trading relationship between the EU and Russia is mutually-beneficial strengthening both buyer and seller alike. The US gains nothing from the EU-Russia partnership, which is why Washington wants to block Moscow’s access to critical markets. This form of commercial sabotage is an act of war.
At one time, the representatives of big oil, thought they could compete with Moscow by building alternate (pipeline) systems that would meet the EU’s prodigious demand for natural gas. But the plan failed, so Washington has moved on to Plan B; cutting off the flow of gas from Russia to the EU. By interposing itself between the two trading partners, the US hopes to oversee the future distribution of energy supplies and control economic growth on two continents.
The problem Obama and Co. are going to have, is trying to convince people in the EU that their interests are actually being served by paying twice as much to heat their homes in 2015 as they did in 2014, which is the way things are going to shake out if the US plan succeeds. In order to accomplish that feat, the US is making every effort to lure Putin into a confrontation so the media can denounce him as a vicious aggressor and a threat to European security. Demonizing Putin will provide the necessary justification for stopping the flow of gas from Russia to the EU, which will further weaken the Russian economy while providing new opportunities for NATO to establish forward-operating bases on Russia’s Western perimeter.
It makes no difference to Obama whether people are gouged on gas prices or simply freeze to death in the cold. What matters is the “pivot” to the world’s most promising and prosperous markets of the next century. What matters is crushing Moscow by slashing gas revenues thus eroding its ability to defend itself or its interests. What matters is global hegemony and world domination. That’s what really counts. Everyone knows this. To follow the daily incidents in Ukraine as though they could be separated from the big picture is ridiculous. They’re all part of the same sick strategy. Here’s a clip from former US national security adviser Zbigniew Brzezinski in Foreign Affairs explaining how–as far as Washington is concerned–it makes no sense to have separate policies for Europe and Asia:
“With Eurasia now serving as the decisive geopolitical chessboard, it no longer suffices to fashion one policy for Europe and another for Asia. What happens with the distribution of power on the Eurasian landmass will be of decisive importance to America’s global primacy and historical legacy.” (“The danger of war in Asia“, World Socialist Web Site)
It’s all about the pivot to Asia and the future of the empire. This is why the CIA and the US State Department engineered a coup to oust Ukrainian president Viktor Yonuchovych and replace him with a US-stooge who would do Obama’s bidding. This is why the imposter prime minister, Arseniy Yatsenyuk, has ordered two “anti-terror: crackdowns on unarmed activists in East Ukraine who oppose the Kiev junta. This is why the Obama administration has avoided engaging Putin in constructive dialog aimed at finding on a peaceful solution to the present crisis. It’s because Obama wants to draw the Kremlin into a protracted civil war that will weaken Russia, discredit Putin, and shift public opinion to the side of the US and NATO. Why would Washington veer from a policy that clearly achieves what it’s supposed to achieve? It won’t. Here’s an excerpt from an article on antiwar.com:
“Reports out of Moscow say that President Putin has “shut down” all talks with President Obama, and say they are “not interested” in speaking to the US again under the current environment of threats and hostility.
Putin and Obama had been speaking regularly on the phone about Ukraine in March and early April, but Putin has not directly spoken to him since April 14, and the Kremlin says that they see no need to do any more talking.” (“Putin Halts Talks With White House Amid Sanctions Threats”, antiwar.com)
There’s nothing to be gained by talking to Obama. Putin already knows what Obama wants. He wants war. That’s why the State Department and CIA toppled the government. That’s why CIA Director John Brennan appeared in Kiev just one day before coup president Yatsenyuk ordered the first crackdown on pro Russian protestors in the East. That’s why Vice President Joe Biden appeared in Kiev just hours before Yatsenyuk launched his second crackdown on pro Russian protestors in the East. That’s why Yatsenyuk has surrounded the eastern city of Slavyansk where he is preparing an attack on pro-Russian activists. It’s because Washington believes that a violent conflagration serves its greater interests. It’s pointless to talk to people like that, which is why Putin has stopped trying.
At present, the Obama administration is pushing for another round of sanctions on Russia, but members in the EU are dragging their feet. According to RT:
“At the moment there is no consensus among the EU members on which economic measures against Russia would be acceptable, or even if they are needed at all,” a European diplomatic source told Itar-Tass.
The diplomat, who spoke on the condition of anonymity, said only an open military invasion of Ukraine or irrefutable proof of Russian clandestine military presence in Ukraine would tip EU’s stance toward economic sanctions. So far every piece of evidence that Kiev and Washington made public of alleged involvement of Russian agents in Ukraine was either inconclusive or simply false.” (“US failing to push economic sanctions against Russia through EU allies”, RT)
Once again, it appears that Washington needs to draw Russian troops into the conflict to achieve its objectives.
On Sunday, RIA Novosti published satellite images showing a large buildup of troops outside the eastern Ukrainian city of Slavyansk. According to a report in Russia Today:
“160 tanks, 230 APCs and BMDs, and at least 150 artillery and rocket systems, including “Grad” and “Smerch” multiple rocket launchers, have been deployed to the area. A total of 15,000 troops are positioned near Slavyansk, he said….
Russian Defense Minister Sergey Shoigu said the large buildup of Ukraine troops, as well as war games and additional deployments of armed forces to the NATO states in the region have “forced” Russia to respond with military drills of its own…..If Kiev choses to escalate the crackdown on the protesters by using heavy arms against them Russia says it reserves the right to use its own military to stop bloodshed.” (“Tanks, APCs, 15,000 troops’: Satellite images show Kiev forces build-up near Slavyansk”, RT)
Putin has stated repeatedly that he will respond if ethnic Russians are killed in Ukraine. That’s the red line. Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov reiterated the same message in an interview last week with RT’s Sophie Shevardnadze. The usually soft-spoken Lavrov, condemned Yatsenyuk’s attack on Ukrainian civilians as “criminal” and warned that “an attack on Russian citizens is an attack on the Russian Federation.”
The statement was followed by ominous reports of Russian troop movements near Ukraine’s border indicating that Moscow may be preparing to intervene to stem the violence against civilians. According to Russian Russia’s Itar Tass “Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu said, “As of today exercises of battalion tactical groups has begun in the border areas with Ukraine.” Also aviation will conduct flights to simulate the actions near the state border.”
So there you have it: It looks like Obama’s provocations WILL draw Putin into the fray after all. But will things turn out the way that Obama thinks they will? Will Putin follow Washington’s script and leave his troops in the east where they’ll be picked off by US-funded paramilitary guerillas and neo Nazis or does he have something else up his sleeve, like a quick blitz to Kiev to remove the junta government, call for international peacekeepers to quell the violence, and slip back over the border to safety?
Whatever the strategy may be, we won’t have to wait long to see it implemented. If Yatsenyuk’s army attacks Slavyansk, then Putin’s going to send in the tanks and it’ll be a whole new ballgame.
THE OLIVE PRESS REPORTS ON MAX CLIFFORD THE TRUTH ,THE WHOLE TRUTH AND NOTHING BUT THE TRUTH
Max Clifford found guilty of eight charges of indecent assault
PUBLISHED: APRIL 28, 2014 courtesy of the olive press ,(if you have any objection to me printing your article please contact me and it will be removed asap)
Max Clifford found guilty of eight charges of indecent assault
CELEBRITY publicist Max Clifford has been found guilty of eight charges of sexual assault, including two separate incidents on the Costa del Sol.
Clifford, a regular in Southern Spain, faced 11 counts of indecent assault between 1966 and 1984 in the UK.
After eight days of jury deliberations, he was cleared of two counts and they were unable to reach a verdict in the other. He will be sentenced this Friday.
The 71-year-old was accused of manipulating seven girls and women into performing sex acts over many years.
He sexually abused a teenager he met in Torremolinos while she was on holiday with her parents in 1977.
Another woman claimed to have been molested by Clifford in a jacuzzi in Calahonda when she was a 12-year-old girl
Now 43, she described a ‘tickling game’ that Clifford played with her before the alleged assault.
Clifford is the first person to be convicted under Operation Yewtree, after being arrested in December 2012 as part of the inquiry and charged last April.
Judge Anthony Leonard told the jury of six men and four women last week that he would accept a majority verdict of nine to one if they could not reach a unanimous verdict.
Clifford did a lot of PR work in the Marbella area, including club La Costa and the Polo House restaurant.
He also offered his services to Marbella Town Hall, however it was decided the €10,000 a month he demanded was too high.
The ‘Max Clifford Celebrity Golf Challenge and Butterfly Ball’ is a key event in the Marbella social calendar, hosted annually by Clifford in aid of the Rhys Daniels Trust, of which Clifford in the patron.
The star-studded event takes place at the La Cala Golf Resort in Mijas, near Marbella,
READER COMMENTS »
Michael
APRIL 28TH, 2014 8:18 PM
Jon Clarke (Publisher)
APRIL 28TH, 2014 9:31 PM
Hi Michael,
Not the slightest bit of moderation. Only when comments are racist, crude or potentially libellous do we do that…
So you would know all Nigel Goldman’s friends would you?
All the lovely, above board, decent people he mixed with? Why not shed some light…
Of course you must be referring to serial (now imprisoned) fraudster Richard Pope, who Goldman spent a good deal of time with on various social occasions down here, while he was on the run and lying low… or did we get that wrong? Please tell.
And, as it happens, we are certain Goldman also mixed with Max Clifford, many times and at many places on the coast. And we would welcome readers comments or information on Clifford’s many trips down to the Costa del Sol, and who exactly he mixed with.
Oh and what a shame his regular soujourns to the Costa del Sol sprinkling his own brand of twisted stardust have now come to a timely end… for at least a decade. Even two decades if he gets treated the same way as Mike Souter! Another friend of Goldman’s perhaps???????????
Morris
APRIL 29TH, 2014 12:45 AM
What has Nigel Goldman to do with this story? Surely not everyone can be guilty by association or even friendship or by just passing someone in the street! Saying that, what has happened to the Goldman story? Has the trail gone cold? I was told he deleted his Facebook profile a few weeks ago!
With regards Max Clifford, he did seem to have many associates and friends here, not least a now “retired” radio DJ who is currently writing his memoirs apparently. That individual is also said to have had ‘experience’ of the ‘younger’ women which I understand he admitted! No smoke without fire maybe and he professed to be a good friend of Clifford’s! That’s what he always said on the radio anyway. Where is he now?
tomie jones.interesting statements morris though i have no idea who you are referring to, retired dj ,writing memoirs, experience with younger women ,what exactly do you mean by experience with younger women?¿though now i think about it there is one person who lives on the costa del sol ,for the life of me i cannot bring his name to mind.
jon I HOPE I MAY CALL YOU JON , I can only say that i agree 100% with you r remarks .i think you will find that associates of Max are running scared at the moment and trying to distance themselves, (the comparison rats leaving a sinking ship comes to mind) .
list of names, were are friends or business associates,of one or more of each other.It is of my opinion that one or all are friends with each other, at this point i want to state ,that i am not making any accusations or claims against any of the people named. All that i am saying is they all have a connection to each other however tenuous it is.PEOPLE ARE JUDGED BY THE COMPANY THEY KEEP ,though what company you keep does not mean you agree , condone, OR PARTICIPATE in the actions of the said company.
MAX CLIFFORD(CONVICTED OF 8 INDECENT ASSAULT CHARGES)-RICHARD POPE(INTERNATIONAL FRAUDSTER)-NIGEL GOLDMAN(ALLEGED CON MAN AND FRAUDSTER)-MIKE SOUTER(CONVICTED PAEDOPHILE X REM RADIO PRESENTER)-BARRIE NATHAN(X ESTATE AGENT AND RADIO PRESENTER REM , TRE)-MAURICE BOLAND (X RADIO PRESENTER ,WAS OWNER OF REM AND , TRE).JEFFREY AARCHER(X CONVICT SERVED TIME HOLDS TITLE OF LORD) JIMMY STARBUCK ( CONVICTED THIEF IN THE 60S RETIRED COMIC)I AM SURE ALL WOULD SAY THAT THEY HAVE NO KNOWLEDGE OF EACH OTHERS BUSINESS AND THAT THERE RELATIONSHIPS WERE INNOCENT AND SOCIAL I AM SURE THEY ARE WERE.
NO ACCUSATIONS OR ASSUMPTIONS ARE MADE, I only say one should be careful of who you climb into bed with, metaphorically speaking
Growing up, Tarbuck was a schoolmate of John Lennon. He was convicted of stealing from Terry-Thomas, and was given a two-year probation.(1960)
So Terry Thomas came off stage after giving a midnight charity performance at the Liverpool Odeon to discover that his most expensive holder – a flashy little number decorated with 42 diamonds and a gold spiral band, reputedly worth £2,000 (2013 2000 is 20,000) – had disappeared from his dressing room, he was livid.
The Liverpool police soon tracked down two of the diamonds to a local man called Alan Williams.
The other 40, however, were found inside a roll of carpet at the home of a 20-year-old, unemployed comedian called James Joseph Tarbuck.
Jimmy Tarbuck, whose ‘Boom-Boom’ catch phrase would soon become as famous as Terry-Thomas’s ‘I say!’, pleaded guilty
His first television show was It’s Tarbuck 65! on ITV in 1964, and he was the last original host of Sunday Night at the London Palladium, from 1965. He has also hosted numerous quiz shows, including Winner Takes All, Full Swing, andTarby’s Frame Game.
In the 1980s, he hosted similar Sunday night variety shows, Live From Her Majesty’s, Live from the Piccadilly and finallyLive from the Palladium, which were produced by London Weekend Television for ITV. Nicknamed Tarby, he is aConservative Party supporter, and at the height of his celebrity was a prominent supporter of Margaret Thatcher and her policies, once baking her a cake for her 60th birthday in October 1985.
He was appearing on the fourth series of BBC One‘s Strictly Come Dancing in 2006, but he was forced to pull out on medical advice. In 2008, he returned to a variety format on television screens when he co-hosted, alongside Emma Bunton, an edition of ITV1‘s new variety show, For One Night Only. On 25 May 2012 he appeared on Piers Morgan’s Life Stories while on 3 December 2012 he was invited to celebrate 100 years of the Royal Variety Performance.
He lives with his wife, Pauline, in Coombe, Kingston upon Thames, London.
On 26 April 2013, North Yorkshire Police arrested Tarbuck over an alleged sexual assault on a young boy in the 1970s.
the charges were later dropped due to lack of evidence
The man from Del Monte… Nigel Goldman found in disguise in English village
PUBLISHED: APRIL 30, 2014 AT 11:44 AM • LAST EDITED: APRIL 30, 2014 AT 10:35 PM thank you once again olive pressfor this
 |
| Nigel Goldman friend of many on the Costa del sol Barrie Nathan being one |
By Tom Powell and Jamie Micklethwaite
COSTA del Sol fraudster Nigel Goldman is hiding out in a classic English country cottage under the false name ‘Howard del Monte’.
Goldman – aka ‘Del Monte’ – has also returned to the business of buying and selling coins, stamps and antiques, it can be revealed.
Renting on a six month lease in the charming Berkshire village of Kintbury, he and his partner Suzanne Couling are peddling their wares via a joint Ebay account called ‘Bensons Emporium’.
Village post office staff told the Olive Press that he regularly collects parcels addressed to ‘Del Monte’, and also ‘sends many packages’.
Goldman fled Spain last year amid accusations of fraud, leaving behind dozens of victims owed a total of €15 million.
While he refused to answer questions, he seems happy living with Couling, her two daughters and two cats in the modest three-bedroom property.
While the pair are Kintbury’s hottest topic of conversation, they are rarely seen and ‘keep themselves to themselves’. Couling’s family live nearby in Hungerford.
In fact, the secretive man from Del Monte is seemingly only ever seen leaving the house to go to the post office.
When the Olive Press confronted him in his countryside retreat, Goldman refused to come to the door, instead briefly poking his head out of his bedroom window.
“I have nothing to say to you, but I look forward to meeting you again,” he called down.
His hair was disheveled, but he did not have the moustache some have claimed he is now sporting as part of his disguise.
The previous morning, Couling was seen leaving the house at 9am to load up their silver Vauxhall Zafira with boxes and head off, possibly to a car boot sale.
One neighbour explained that the day they moved into the house, a traffic warden arrived and issued the couple with a parking ticket.
“I don’t understand why he hasn’t been arrested, if a traffic warden can find him then surely the police can,” said the neighbour, who wished to remain anonymous.
“Everyone in the village knows he’s Goldman, whatever name he goes under.”
Goldman, who deleted his Facebook account recently, is currently being investigated for failing to return millions of euros to investors in his financial companies.
Various victims told the Olive Press that they are practically destitute after losing their life savings to his schemes, that included bogus investments in Morocco.
The conman, known for his newspaper columns and radio shows, sucked punters into an elaborate ponzi scheme, promising them sizeable returns.
However the addicted gambler was unable to keep his promises and was forced to flee his luxury million euro home, in Marbella, with Couling last October.
He has since visited Morocco and Portugal, but has chosen to lay his hat down in Kintbury, a far cry from the Costa del Sol high-life he clearly loved.
HAMAS AND ITS TYRANNY
Hamas and the Tyranny of Labels
By Paul Pillar
April 28, 2014 – There is little reason for anyone to get very exercised, either with enthusiasm or with dismay, over the latest announced reconciliation between Hamas and the Fatah-dominated Palestine Liberation Organization. After all, such unity agreements between these two entities have been announced in the past and never went very far. Maybe something more will come from this one, but that prior record should put the possibilities into perspective. Palestinians have politics just like other people do, including chronic differences of view and the occasional gesture that makes it look like all of those differences have been overcome even if they haven’t.
But we should be dismayed, though not surprised, by how the Israeli government, with the United States falling in line behind it, has reacted to this announcement, just as those governments have reacted to previous announced agreements between Hamas and the PLO. That reaction essentially consists of invoking a label or slogan as if it were an acceptable substitute for policy. Hamas is said to be a “terrorist” organization and as such not an acceptable interlocutor for negotiations. (In fact, Israel has engaged in extensive and detailed negotiations with Hamas over exchanges of prisoners.) Terrorism is a tactic, one whose use comes and goes, not a fixed category of people or of groups. If previous use of that tactic were to be a negotiating disqualifier forever, a lot of useful business would not get done, including on the very conflict at hand. We went through all this with the PLO; there was a time when Israel was vehemently opposed to anyone even talking to the PLO, much less negotiating with it, and went as far as assassinating the organization’s representatives to try to keep the United States from talking to it. The birth of the state of Israel also included much terrorism, perpetrated by men who went on to become top leaders of Israel.
The Israeli prime minister says Hamas is “dedicated to the destruction of Israel.” Actually, Hamas leaders have repeatedly made clear a much different posture, one that involves indefinite peaceful coexistence with Israel even if they officially term it only a hudna or truce. It would be more accurate to say that Israel is dedicated to the destruction of Hamas, an objective that Israel has demonstrated with not just its words but its deeds, including prolonged collective punishment of the population of the Gaza Strip in an effort to strangle the group. Such efforts have included large-scale violence that—although carried out overtly by military forces and thus not termed terrorism—has been every bit as lethal to innocent civilians. In such circumstances, why should Hamas be expected to be the first to go beyond the vocabulary of hudna and mouth some alternative words about the status of its adversary?
The Israeli and U.S. reactions do not seem to take account of the fact that the terms of the announced Hamas-PLO reconciliation are undetermined and still under negotiation. The agreement can involve Hamas moving much more toward the posture of Abbas and the PLO than the other way around. Palestinian Authority representatives already have indicated that there will not be a change in its fundamental stance of recognizing Israel and seeking to resolve the conflict with it peacefully through negotiations. Hamas representatives have pointed out that support for a governing coalition with an established set of policies does not require each party that is part of that government to express identical policies on its own behalf. In fact, that is true of coalition governments everywhere. The coalition government in Britain does things that you won’t find in the Liberal Democrats’ platform.
Members of the current Israeli government certainly should understand this principle. Members of that government who are even more extreme than Benjamin Netanyahu have called for Israel to annex immediately all or most of the West Bank, which would be flagrantly inconsistent with the whole concept of negotiating an agreement with the Palestinians. Does that mean the Palestinians should no longer negotiate with the Israeli government?
There is good circumstantial evidence to suggest that it will indeed be Hamas that will be making more of the concessions in any bridging of gaps between it and the PLO. Although the unity announcement reflects weakness of both of the Palestinian parties, Hamas is currently the weaker of the two, in the wake of the Egyptian military’s coup and campaign against the Muslim Brotherhood and Egypt’s resumption of participation in the strangulation of Gaza.
The Israeli and U.S. posture toward Hamas is fundamentally self-contradictory. It involves saying that a certain form of behavior is unacceptable and then making impossible the use of alternative behavior. It involves saying that we don’t like a group because it has used violence instead of peaceful negotiations, and then refusing to negotiate with it. The same self-contradictory posture was exhibited in 2006, when Hamas did the most that any party could do to be accepted as a legitimate, peacefully installed representative of its people—it contested and won a free and fair election—but then Israel and the United States refused to recognize the election result. That not only contradicted the rationale for not talking to Hamas but also contradicted a supposed commitment to democracy.
Greater unity and cooperation between Fatah and Hamas is fundamentally a good thing for whatever possibility remains of a negotiated two-state solution, because a single Palestinian negotiating team that can plausibly and legitimately speak for the Palestinian people as a whole is necessary for reaching such an agreement. The reality of the Gaza Strip cannot be wished away. In the meantime, however, this latest announcement has become yet another excuse for Netanyahu not to negotiate seriously or not to negotiate at all.
UKIP THE RACIST LOONIE PARTY, NO THEY NEED TO BE SQUASHED BEATEN OUT OF EXISTENCE, AT THE BALLOT BOX OF COURSE!
The ugliness of UKIP has yet again reared its ugly face and been exposed by Enfield local election candidate William Henwood and his racist comment about Lenny Henry. Henwood said “Lenny should emigrate to a black country. He does not have to live with whites.” after commenting on Lenny’s view that ethnic representation in media and broadcasting is poorly represented & needs to improve.
Henwood then told BBC Radio 5 Live: “I think if black people come to this country and don’t like mixing with white people why are they here? If he (Henry) wants a lot of blacks around, go and live in a black country.”
First and foremost William Henwood is out of touch and it’s inappropriate and backward for any politician or political candidate to ask a British person to emigrate regardless of their ethnicity, background or race. LBC late night radio presenter Cristos Foufas then picked up on Henwood’s comment and asked his listeners on twitter whether “it was offensive”?
2014-04-27-LbcEdpic.PNG
Of course it was offensive, should we be given the right to tell people regardless whether they are British to go back to their Irish, Spanish, Nigerian, Indian and other descendent places of origin. Nope, because it’s racist and ignorant. UKIP seem confused on who they are trying to appeal to. They openly say they are merely addressing the immigration issue concerning Eastern Europeans. Lenny Henry is not Eastern European? He is British, born and bred who has contributed fully through his profession as an actor and comedian. The builder featured in UKIP’s recent advertising campaign was found to be an Irish Migrant Worker. So it seems UKIP are having problems trying to find British born workers on their immigration spin.
With regards to the diversity debate Lenny Henry is right. I often question why certain broadcast outlets fail to represent our multicultural society. In many cases it’s the same old stereotype when I often visit various media and broadcast outlets and witness the typecasting with Black and Asian security guards usually found at reception and middle class White executives elsewhere. It’s worrying and sometimes depicts an elitist middle class playground with no room at the inn for ethnic or working classes. Lenny is right to address the issue and should be highly commended. I am glad Ed Vaizey, Culture Secretary and Danny Cohen, BBC Director of Television are working with Lenny and various media outlets to combat the problem and help to ensure more steps are taken to improve greater roles and opportunities. The recent launch of local TV network London Live has helped to address this with more placements of ethnic on and off screen talent to offer a broad and diverse mix. More should be done elsewhere by other outlets.
Beyond Media and Broadcasting it’s a raw deal with parliament and other institutions still lacking in terms of reflecting that social and cultural change. If changes were implemented I’m sure the likes of William Henwood and his cronies would refrain from passing such absurd, old fashioned and racist comments. As for UKIP they are a bunch of old Men with cigars who still live in 1970’s Britain with closet far right ideologies. Those days are over and done with. Does UKIP actually know what being British means and what it represents? I would love to meet up with Nigel Farage and put that question to directly him. He would probably attack me with unnecessary facts and statistics and end up saying “We’re not racists, we love Black, Asian and ethnic people”. I will not judge and allow Nigel to have his say. Let’s face it if we trace our family trees and background I bet none of us are actually British. My close circles of friends, the majority are born and bred in Britain but their family origins are varied. It’s pointless to address.
Education is vital and key to ensure ignorance does not infiltrate or play centre ground to the next generation. It can be damaging from the outset through taunts and bullying as these types of comments are picked up and breed ignorance and hatred. More initiatives need to be put in place to weed out this type of nonsense. Let’s not allow bigotry to destroy what’s great and unique about Britain.
Teacher of 40 years stabbed to death by 15 year old male pupil.
A teenage pupil has been arrested after a female teacher was stabbed to death in front of other students at a secondary school in Leeds.
Police say the 15-year-old is being held in connection with the attack at Corpus Christi Catholic College.
The 61-year-old woman has been named locally as Anne Maguire and is believed to have taught Spanish and been a head of year at the school.
Officers were called to the school at 11.48am after a report a member of staff had been stabbed. A knife has been recovered by police at the scene.
Chief Superintendent Paul Money said the teacher suffered a number of stab wounds and was taken to hospital for treatment, but subsequently pronounced dead.
“A 15-year-old male pupil from the school was detained at the scene by other members of teaching staff immediately after the incident occurred,” he said.
“The alarm was raised by students in the school, some of whom witnessed the offence. There were a number of stab wounds to the lady in question.”
He added that pupils were “in a state of shock” following the tragedy and would receive counselling from specially trained professionals.
Pupil Georgina Kilroy, 16, said the woman had been a teacher for 40 years.
Speaking outside the school, she said: “I don’t know anyone who didn’t like her. She was spot on. You couldn’t ask for a better teacher.”
Georgina said her teacher broke down when she told the children the news. She said they were previously told a teacher had gone to hospital but that lessons had continued.
Prime Minister David Cameron described the killing as “profoundly shocking and absolutely appalling”.
“All our thoughts are with the teacher’s family, with the school, with all the pupils who study there,” he said.
Pupils and former pupils have also been paying tribute to the teacher on social media, with one describing her as an “inspirational woman” and saying she “wouldn’t have made it through high school without her”.
Meanwhile, Christine Blower, general secretary of the National Union of Teachers, said: “This is a truly awful thing to have happened to a teacher in the course of her work to educate the next generation.
“Appalling events like this are thankfully very rare indeed but the death of any teacher in her place of work, which should be a place of safety, is devastating. Our condolences go to the family and friends of this teacher, and to students and colleagues at the school.
There are nearly 1,000 pupils on the roll aged between 11 and 16, according to the school’s website, which also says it has a “strong Christian ethos”.
tomie jones IF THIS IS AN example of Christian ethos I AM GLAD I AM AN ATHEIST,
MP Cyril Smith alleged sex abuser cover up
‘Larger-than-life’ Lib Dem MP Sir Cyril Smith is the latest public figure to be accused of routinely molesting young boys, with Rochdale MP Simon Danczuk set to demand an inquiry into the claims.
Former residents at a boys hostel in Rochdale alleged in an investigation by PoliticsHome that they had been subjected to “medicals” where they had their buttocks and testicles stroked, and their bare bottoms slapped by Smith, during the 190s.
The former Liberal MP for Rochdale, who weighed 29-stone at his heaviest, had been subject to rumours about abuse at the Cambridge House hostel for many years, but Danczuk, the current Labour MP in Rochdale, is to raise the abuse claims during a child sexual exploitation debate in the commons on Tuesday, and call for the police files on Smith from the 1970s to be released.Sir Cyril Smith: The Lib Dem MP has been accused of inappropriate conduct with young boys
Sir Cyril died in 2010, and was widely praised by his peers, with Lib Dem leader Nick Clegg calling him “a larger-than-life character and one of the most recognisable and likeable politicians of his day.”
PoliticsHome interviewed Barry Fitton and Eddie Shorrock, who were 15 and 17 at the time, both who allege were given intrusive “medicals” by Smith, a local councillor at the time and one of the founders of the hostel, where most boys were from disadvantages backgrounds, abuse victims or on probation.
Complaints were made to police during the 1960s, and Lancashire Police interviewed Smith, who denied the claims. The force allegedly sent the files to the Director of Public Prosecutions, but Smith was later told the case was dropped, according to PoliticsHome.
No follow-up action was taken, apart from by the newspaper Rochdale Alternative Press, which printed anonymous claims in 1979. Private Eye has also repeated the claims for decades.
Smith issued a writ against the Rochdale paper, but never sued.
A spokesman for Lancashire police said no new complaints or allegations had been made to them since the matter resurfaced, and that no records were not held as to whether the file was passed to the DPP.
Fitton told PoliticsHome.com about one ‘medical’ he alleges to have received, saying: “He told me to take my trousers and pants down. He felt my thighs and testicles from both front and back. He held my testicles and asked me to cough.”
“There are still people in Rochdale who don’t believe that Cyril Smith was capable of doing these things. I think it should be brought out in to the open not just for my peace of mind but for other people’s peace of mind.”
Rochdale council leader Colin Lambert has also called for the matter to be looked atagain, telling the Manchester Evening News: “The rumours need either to be confirmed or squashed and people need to go to the police.
“If there are victims out there in the community they need to give that information to the police so that can be re-investigated.”
Rochdale hit the headlines earlier this year when a sex-trafficking gang was exposed as preying on underage teenage girls in the area, and the men involved were convicted in May.
SEE
tj. Cyril smith a larger than life figure with a larger than large paedophilic sex life allegedly, the allegations are already being investigated again will they get covered up this time one would hope not .
Max Clifford found guilty sentence friday
PR guru Max Clifford has been found guilty of a string of indecent assaults on teenage girls over a period of nearly 20 years.
The 71-year-old became the first person to be convicted under the high profile Operation Yewtree sex crime investigation at Southwark Crown Court today.
He was found guilty of eight indecent assaults, cleared of two and the jury was unable to reach a verdict on one other.
Clifford repeatedly denied the claims, calling his arrest and prosecution “a nightmare” and protesting his innocence.
He was arrested by detectives from Operation Yewtree in December 2012, and charged in April the following year.
Lawyer Liz Dux, who represents more than 150 people who have made complaints under Operation Yewtree, said: “This verdict proves Yewtree was not a celebrity witch-hunt. Some predatory people used their fame, money and celebrity to groom and then abuse the vulnerable.
“I hope this verdict sends a firm message – no longer will abusers like Clifford be shrouded in silence. Victims now have a voice and Britain will never return to the dark days of the 60s, 70s and 80s.”
The investigation, Scotland Yard’s inquiry into historic allegations of sexual offences, was prompted after claims were made against the late DJ Jimmy Savile.
The verdicts were taken in a hushed but packed courtroom, given by the forewoman of the jury on its eighth day of deliberations.
Clifford sat still in the dock as the jury forewoman returned the verdicts.
He could be seen breathing deeply as he listened through a hearing loop.
He walked out of the courtroom with friends and supporters in complete silence, one of them patting him on the shoulder as he walked.
Clifford was released on bail until his sentencing on Friday, but Judge Anthony Leonard QC warned him this is no reflection on the sentence that will be passed.
He said: “You must realise that the fact I have given you bail is no indication of what the final sentence will be.”
The court heard from a string of women who testified about Clifford’s behaviour, romping naked in his New Bond Street office.
Prosecutors portrayed him as a well-practised manipulator, who promised to boost his victims’ careers and get them to meet celebrities in exchange for sexual favours.
He offered to get them casting appointments, pretending to be Hollywood bigwigs including Steven Spielberg, Albert “Cubby” Broccoli and Michael Winner on the phone, and bizarrely bragged about having a tiny penis, telling one victim: “Is it the smallest you’ve ever seen?”
The exact size of his manhood became a matter of contention during the trial, and his defence team asked a doctor to measure his penis as part of the evidence.
Victims included a dancer who received a phone call while she was at a nightclub from someone pretending to represent producer Broccoli, and was told to find out whether Clifford was circumcised.
She then “froze” and realised she was “stuck”, and feared she would be raped when Clifford took her into the toilet and assaulted her.
Another girl, a teenage model, said Clifford groped her when she went to his office for career advice in 1983 bragging that he could get her a part in a James Bond film.
He then masturbated while he was on the phone to his wife, and tried to put his penis in her mouth.
The court also heard from a woman who claimed Clifford had impressed her parents with celebrity tales and went on to abuse her from the age of 15.
She said she was driven to contemplate suicide when he falsely told her he had a photograph of her giving him oral sex, and in 2011 sent him a letter claiming he had made her life “a living hell”.
For his part, Clifford branded his accusers as “fantasists and opportunists”.
The celebrity agent was found guilty of abusing one girl on a number of occasions after he met her family on holiday in Torremolinos in Spain in 1977 when she was 15.
She claimed that the PR guru would come round to her house, impressing her parents and speaking about how he could make her a star, before taking her out in his car and abusing her.
She later wrote him an anonymous letter saying he had made her life “a living hell”.
Another alleged victim, who was an extra in the film Octopussy, claimed she was targeted at Clifford’s office in 1981 or 1982, aged 19.
The court heard that Clifford told her that actor Charles Bronson wanted pictures of her in her underwear to decide whether she could be in a film, and after she had spoken on the phone to a man claiming to be Bronson, Clifford pinned her down on a sofa, but she fought him off and left.
The next woman who made claims against Clifford was an aspiring model who went to his office in the early 1980s, when she was in her late teens, and was told to pose in her underwear.
She said that as she took off her dress, he told her “What a turn-on”, and groped her, and after a phone call with his wife tried to force her to perform oral sex, telling her he would get her a part in a Bond film but she would have to sleep with Cubby Broccoli.
The final alleged victim was an 18-year-old dancer, who said Clifford took her into a nightclub toilet in the early 1980s and forced her to touch his penis, saying “Who is going to believe you?”.
She said Clifford persuaded her to take a phone call from someone who said if she wanted a screen test she would have to tell him if Clifford was circumcised.
The jury could not reach a verdict on a count involving a woman who claimed Clifford groped her in his car after meeting her at a Wimpy bar in Morden, south London in 1966.
He was cleared of another two allegations – one woman who said she was pushed up against a wall in his central London offices when he groped her and kissed her in 1975, and another who claimed she was groped in a taxi in 1978.
Denise Marshall, chief executive of Eaves, a charity which campaigns against violence against women and girls, said: “We had in fact prepared a press release in readiness for a not guilty verdict, not because we had an opinion on the guilt or innocence of Clifford but given the pattern of such cases.
“I hope this lays to rest all the chatter about anonymity and all the attacks on the CPS for rightly pursuing such cases.
“However, we fear that the clamour by powerful, famous men and some women supporters to change the rules around anonymity may still continue despite having been investigated and rejected.”
During the trial, the court also heard from a string of women who were not on the indictment, either because their claims did not meet the criminal standard or what they alleged happened abroad, who were called as supporting prosecution witnesses.
Two of them said that Clifford was fixated on having a small penis, telling one woman who went to a film audition at Clifford’s office when she was 19: “Look at my penis. Isn’t it tiny? What can I do with this?”
Another who was the same age when she went to Clifford’s New Bond Street office to meet her friend in 1981 or 1982, said he told her he could get her a part in the American soap Dynasty, and pretended to be director Aaron Spelling on the phone.
The woman said that Clifford took his trousers down and put her hand on his penis, saying: “Is this the smallest one you’ve ever seen?,” as she masturbated him, before he ejaculated over her hand.
The most serious claim came from a woman who said he had forced her to touch his penis when she was just 12 years old during a holiday in Spain.
Others described Clifford boasting about his celebrity connections – another woman, then 18, said he had told her she could meet David Bowie if she gave him oral sex.
The woman claimed that she saw Clifford naked in his office more than once, and that he would brag about his trysts with women at his London HQ.
Another witness said she met Clifford in 1986 when she was 18, and he told her that he wanted her to go for a role in a film called Labyrinth, starring David Bowie.
He made several “sexual” phone calls to her, the court heard, and said she had to “sleep her way to success”. She went to a flat with him for some promotional photos, where he showed her his penis, the court heard.
The final supporting witness said she went to Clifford’s offices in 1988, aged 16, and claimed Clifford made her masturbate him after telling her of a potential film role. She said she later went to a series of dinners with him, when he tried to get her to leave with other men.
Clifford left court without commenting. He posed for pictures flanked by supporters but told reporters: “I have been told by my lawyers not to say anything at all.”
Peter Watt, director of National Services at the NSPCC, said: “Max Clifford has rightly been unmasked as a ruthless and manipulative sex offender who preyed for decades on children and young women.
“Clifford was a rich and influential man who dined with the stars but the way he manipulated and groomed his victims is typical of many sex offenders. He exploited their vulnerabilities, using lies and coercion to get what he wanted.
“Throughout the court case Clifford has behaved dismissively and arrogantly towards his victims and the suffering he has caused them. He made them go through a long and painful court case and relive their traumatic experiences by not pleading guilty.
“Many of his victims innocently came to him hoping he could make their dreams come true, dazzled by his celebrity connections. But he saw women and young girls as sexual objects for his own gratification. Instead of helping their bids for stardom he indecently assaulted them before casting them aside.
“Intimidated by his power and wealth, many of his victims did not initially speak out. But the courage they have shown in telling police what had happened to them and giving evidence means they have finally got justice.”
As he walked towards his waiting car, Clifford was asked what it felt like to be the story, and replied it was “not the first time”.
Holly Dustin, director of the End Violence Against Women Coalition, said: “The long deliberation in this case shows that the jury took its role very seriously and considered all the evidence on each charge very carefully. We pay tribute, in particular, to the victims in this case who have faced a long and difficult process.
“This verdict also shows that the independence of the CPS is critically important, especially in sexual offence cases about which there are widely-held prejudicial attitudes and myths.
“Our prosecuting body must be allowed to make decisions about whether to send cases to trial on the basis of the evidence and the public interest alone, no matter how powerful or famous the accused. Recent political attacks on the CPS (following Nigel Evans’s acquittal) are unwarranted and must stop.”
Detective Chief Inspector Michael Orchard from Operation Yewtree said outside court: “I would like to thank the victims for their courage and strength in coming forward to speak to us. I hope they feel and know that they were listened to.
“While this was a high profile trial, officers work tirelessly to being offenders of sexual abuse to justice on a daily basis.”
Jenny Hopkins, deputy chief crown prosecutor for CPS London, said: “Today’s verdicts provide a long-denied justice to the victims of serious sexual offences. I would like to thank these victims for having had the courage to come forward and give evidence. The victims of sexual abuse, whenever it may have taken place, should know that police and prosecutors will listen.
“It is only right that we now take some time to consider our position on the hung count and we will update the court accordingly.”
tomie jones says. well justice has been done will it be seen to be done with the sentencing.that is two down from the costa del sol mike souter , max clifford. There all running for cover now the rest living on the costa del peados as it has become to be known.Mark my words those that claimed to be mates of max are shitting themselves. radio stations tv presenters, trying to put distance between them and max.
Before the trial they have quietly been saying ooh it allegedly happened in the 60s 70s different times teenagers were all giving it away then “question” so not now not in 2010?and does that make it ok?teenage starts from 13 and finishes at 19.
breaking news Cyril smith the late liberal mp .,who it appears was too liberal with lots of things said to have allegedly frequented a certain guest house in the 60s as allegedly did a bishop and pop star C.R.his and their alleged activities were covered up by special branch no less then so it is claimed . what if anything did special branch cover up?Seems we shall find out as a police inquiry may take place . Cyril smiths alleged activities will finally be investigated and reported on we hope.
tall fishing story when i caught the big pair
When I retired, I could hardly wait to spend time enjoying my favorite pastime – fishing.
I bought my own little fishing boat and tried to get my wife to join me, but she just never liked fishing.
Finally, one day down at the Bait & Tackle Shop, I got to talking to Sam the shop owner, who it turned out, loves fishing as much as I do. We quickly became fishing buddies.
As I said, the wife doesn’t care about fishing. She not only refuses to join us, but she always complains that I spend too much time out on the lake.
A few weeks ago Sam and I had the best fishing trip ever. Not only did I catch the most beautiful fish you’ve ever seen, only a few minutes later Sam must have caught its twin brother!
So I took a picture of Sam holding up the two nice fish that we caught and showed the picture to my wife, hoping that maybe she’d get interested.
Instead she says she doesn’t want me to go fishing at all anymore! And she wants me to sell the boat! I think she just doesn’t like to see me enjoying myself.
What would you do? Tell the wife to forget it and continue my hobby, or quit fishing and sell the boat as she insists?
Thanks,
tomie
P.S. Enclosed is a picture of Sam with the two fish we caught.
circusbuoy 
Im amazed you haven’t suggested he was a friend of Nigel Goldman’s given all the other ‘friends’ he has suddenly acquired! Bet you moderate this comment like you did my last one!