Past the Point of Caring?

Pope Juan Paul II once said "A society will be judged on the basis of how it treats its weakest members and among the most vulnerable are surely the unborn and the dying", but is that still the case today? 

The Health Service Ombudsman, which deals with only the most serious cases regarding the NHS, has today published it’s in-depth review into cases of the mistreatment of the elderly in care.

This review found that many patients over the age of 65 ‘suffered unnecessary pain, neglect and distress’. Of the ten case reviewed the report found that half of the elderly patients were not given adequate food or drink and even showed cases of patients being refused toilet facilities and being left in soiled clothing for long periods at a time.

One case in particular found that a confused and frightened elderly woman was forcefully discharged after surgery without being given any instructions on how to get home and was even refused access to a phone to call her relatives by a senior NHS nurse.

Nigel Edwards

Many charities based around the elderly care nationwide expressed concern with the findings, Michelle Mitchell of Age UK said “The inhumane treatment of older people described in this report is sickening and should send shockwaves through the NHS and government.”

In response to this Nigel Edwards of the NHS Trust said that although the case were unacceptable, they were also very rare and stated “It is of course important to put these 10 examples in perspective. The NHS sees over a million people every 36 hours and the overwhelming majority say they receive good care”

- Do you know anybody mistreated in hospital?
- Is it fair to expect a few bad cases amongst millions in an underfunded NHS?
- What more can be done to prevent this from re-occurring?
- For those non-British followers, is this a problem in your country?

Love of Profit

Why do we celebrate Valentines day? Every year on February 14th I tell all those close to me the real story behind Valentines day only to be told that I am a 'misery-arse' and that I need to 'cheer up'. This year is my first year with a blog so with this post I aim spread my message of hostility all over the world.

The Original Valentines Day:
Although Saint Valentine was a real person who lived during the 2nd century, Valentines day is not actually named for him. Instead 'Valentine' is a pseudonym for all unknown Christian martyrs used by Pope Gelasius in 496 in implementing a day to remember the fallen Christian soldier, so in reality when you're asking somebody to 'be your valentine' you are actually asking them to give their lives for a noble Christian cause. This is still well known in the Catholic church which is why in 1969 Pope Paul VI, appalled with the commericailisation of this historic day, ordered  the removal of Valentines day from the Christian Calender.

How it all went Wrong:
As I mentioned Valentines day was never about love, so how did it become so? Well the first recorded incident of  a Valentines day day as we know it today was during the English Renaissance, where world renown poet Geoffrey Chaucer wrote 'Parlement of Foules' which reads; "For this was Saint Valentine's Day, when every bird cometh there to choose his mate".

Google's Valentine Logo

Valentines Day as We Know It:
Although Chaucer had wrote this poem, it was still only the upper class and social elite who were even aware of his work, so at what point did it become the Valentines day you and I celebrate? Well believe it all not Valentines day wasn't publicly known worldwide until the early 19th century. Valentines day only became  so popular after the boom of the UK's greeting card industry in the late 18th century and was created to fill gaps in profit between Christmas and Easter, a trend which quickly spread across Europe and to the US.

So there you have it, although the Romans first created Valentines day, it was an Englishmen who first made it about romance, and the British who made it about profit. Every year the profit form Valentines day trade increases with last year totaling £1.3 in the UK alone, with traditional cards going out of fashion in lieu of bigger more expensive gifts (mostly perfume or jewelry).

-Profiteering or innovation at it's best?
-Who is to blame? The companies or the suckers who are willing to pay?

A New Egypt

The scene on the streets of Egypt yesterday quickly changed from hostility to that of fireworks, flag waving and cheering as Hosni Mubarak stepped down after 30-years of presidency. All presidential powers will given to the Egyptian Military's high council until the new elections in September of this year.

Many have described yesterday as the 'Day of Glory' in which thousands of citizens took to Tahrir Square, not in anger but in jubilation. This freedom is a new feeling for many at Tahrir Square as many of those celebrating are under 30-years old so have never known what it is like not to live under emergency law under one President. One of those celebrating is local Egyptian journalist, Ibrahim Ahmed, who said "This will be a liberal, civilian country, like those in Europe. We want democracy, freedom of speech, no corruption and free and fair elections".

Outside of Egypt many foreign authorities have been congratulating the people of Egypt. In an attempt to gain the favour of the new ruling party, US President Barack Obama quickly released a statement saying "The United States will continue to be a friend and partner to Egypt. We stand ready to provide whatever assistance is necessary and asked for to pursue a credible transition to democracy". However many Egyptian  leaders may find this to be somewhat hypocritical as the US has been a long time ally of Mubarak by donating $1.5 billion a year to his regime, and even having former President George W. Bush stay for a week's vacation in one of Mubarak's villas.

British Prime Minister David Cameron also offered his congratulations but warned that the Egyptian people must be careful in electing their next president and offered his aid in implementing a fair election come September.

- What are your opinions?


*I realise that I'm a little bit behind on the situation but I haven't had chance to update because I've been busy working on my Purge Violent Extremism Campaign*

Purge Violent Extremism: Terrorism is a Choice

Terrorism is a Choice

The presence of violent extremism is a direct threat to any community, anywhere in the world. Parents in cities the world over are losing their children to violent extremism and can do nothing but watch as they enter a world full of hatred and terrorism.

For those few of you untouched by it, violent extremism is defined as the demonstration of unacceptable behavior with the aim of justifying, glorifying or provoking a terrorist act. The most common cases of violent extremism are those in which somebody in a position of authority uses the power entrusted in them to corrupt vulnerable young people by inciting racial hatred and murder. Their have been many cases of violent extremism occurring in the United Kingdom, a country defined by it's massive cultural diversity and tolerance.

Abu Hamza

One of the most popular cases was that of Abu Hamza, a Muslim cleric who once described Britain as "....a paradise, where you could do anything you wanted". On the 7th of February 2006, Abu Hamza was found guilty of 11 charges pertaining to violent extremism including 6 charges of soliciting murder in the name of religion. Hamza is currently serving out the remainder of his prison sentence in Belmarsh, the UK's highest security prison after successfully appealing against extradition to the US.

Violent extremism is often incorrectly labeled as an issue pertaining to Islam, however this is simply not the case as the conviction of Neil Martin confirmed. Mr. Martin was sentenced to 3-years in prison on the 6th Oct 2006 after launching a vicious Internet campaign inciting hatred for black people and those of African decent. For more information on violent extremism convictions follow this link to the Crown Prosecution Service.

Violent Extremism is a very real issue in our modern society, so to must be its prevention. In the wake of the epidemic of violent extremism gripping the streets of Britain, the British government formed an in-depth plan to counteract the problem.  The 'Preventing Violent Extremism: Winning Hearts and Minds' campaign aims to take the power away from those who wish to incite hatred, and give it to those most vulnerable.

The organisation I work for Social Breakfast [embedded video of me incase you wondered what I look/sound like] is based round improving the lives of young people who feel they are being overlooked by society, so this issue directly effects us. To better understand this problem we have set up a workshop event in a 'demographically vulnerable' area, the Speak-Up Event is taking place on the 22nd February so be sure to sign up and check it out.

- Have you or somebody you know ever been affected by the issue of Violent Extremism?
- What is the best form of solution to counteract the incitement of hatred?

The Evolution of Protest



Protesters Outside Parliament



Today marks the 16th day since the infamous 'Day of Anger' which marked the beginning of the protests and the anti-Mubarak demonstrators are still holding strong, but unlike only a week ago the protest is one of peace and not of hostility.

Hundreds of protesters now gather at the entrance to the Egyptian Parliament preventing any Government officials from entering, a spokesman for the group said that they would not move an inch until Mubarak conceded to an immediate resignation.  This peaceful protest is taking form all over the country with over 6,000 industry and dock workers going on strike, thus crippling the economy, until Mubarak steps down.

Abdul-Rahman Samir

Sources leaked form within Mubarak's office state that the president fears his opposition may attempt a coup d'etat if he could not resolve the situation, but Mubarak warned that anyone attempting to do so would be acted upon forcefully. In response to this comment Abdul-Rahman Samir, a spokesperson for Egypt's youth, said "...he [Mubarak] is threatening to impose martial law, which means everybody in the square will be smashed, but what would he do with the rest of 70 million Egyptians who will follow us afterward?"

With over 300 confirmed dead the main group of demonstrators have been willing to change their tactics. Unfortunately conflict is still present between opposing protesters outside of Tahrir Square,with a another confirmed fatality at New Valley Provice (300m south of Cairo) only this morning.

- With Mubarak determined to live out his presidency, will peaceful protest be enough?

[No News is Good News]

Haven't had chance to update on the Assange situation yet, as I've been at ante-natal classes with the soon to be mother of my son. Will update first thing in the morning when I get to work though, and because I'm running GMT all you American followers will probably be updated before you log off for the day.

Again, so that this post isn't a complete waste of time I'm going to direct you my other blog in case your not following, and to prove that this life isn't all doom an gloom here is a link to perhaps the prettiest blog going.


 "....you stay classy San Diago"

Welcome to the Show Trial

Banner outside court

Today is the first day in court for Wikileaks founder Julian Assange, the London trial will decide whether or not Assange can be extradited to Sweden for alleged rape charges. Assange is adamant that there not be a decision to extradite him as once in Sweden the US authorities will be able to relocate him on terrorism charges which could lead to 'interrogation' in Guantanamo Bay or even death by execution.

The trial is still very much in its early stages so I'm providing two articles that I wrote for work before I set up this blog so you can get a sense of what is going on. You can also check out the Brief History of Wikileaks I created last year.

December 5th 2010

For anybody who isn’t aware of the site, WikiLeaks is an anonymous user contributed database (wiki) based around the gathering and releasing of sensitive material being withheld from the public by senior officials. It has been around the news a lot recently with reports leaking out about how US officials really feel about Afghanistan. Although it is perhaps most famous for uploading a report stating Russia had already been chosen by FIFA, six days before it was announced publicly.

The founder Julian Assange states that the site has opened up the world to information they should already have access to and was meant to take power away from officials and give the power to the people, and that WIkiLeaks is journalism in its purist form. However many governments (including the US and UK) have branded him an ‘Anarchist’ saying all reports on the site were kept form the public for a reason, and that the means used to access this information (mostly hacking official accounts) is criminal therefore Julian Assange should be treated as one. [END]

December 18th 2010
After making his £240,000 bail through known acquaintances and anonymous funds Julian Assange was released on December 18, 2010 and will be due back in court on February 7th 2011. As part of his bail conditions Mr. Assange must wear an electronic tagging device at all times and remains within a set perimeter of a chosen location.

Since being released Assange has been residing as the guest of millionaire supporter Vaughan Smith in his Norfolk mansion. In an attempt to remove the bad image given to him by the US media, Assange released pictures of himself enjoying a traditional Christmas with all of his family and close friends. Assange states that the charges placed against him in Sweden were “politically based revenge tactics” and expects the charges to be dropped very shortly.



Julian Assange

However Assange does fear that he may be extradited to the US on espionage charges in which he could be sentenced for life under US law. This is made even more real in the wake of the US Republican Party releasing plans to investigate WikiLeaks as a terrorist organisation meaning Assange will be put on the US most wanted list which will allow him to be legally targeted by attacks from the US military. In response to this Julian Assange has reluctantly agreed to a lucrative $1.8m book deal. Assange has says he has been forced to do this as all of his WikiLeaks funds have gone towards legal fees and the money from his autobiography will go towards further funding for WikiLeaks. It is also hoped that in being able to provide his side of the story, Assange will be able to de-stigmatise himself in the massively biased, government controlled US media. [END]

I'll try to keep you updated on the trail whenever anything of importance comes up, but if you'd prefer to know every little detail of the trail you can follow the live twitter update here. You can also check out my other blog Critical Hit for more light hearted look at the world; life doesn't have to be all doom and gloom.