In the past, the process of computers helping with lives has been limited by the inability of computers to understand the content and context of conversations and exchanges of information.
With the advent of BrainSpace, People can for the first time use a range of automatic solutions that enable 100% recording and in-depth, effective analysis of all patterns between Life and people, while integrating with existing enterprise systems. This ability to integrate relevant data automatically enables lessons learnt in life to be extrapolated to deliver a full and accurate portrait of what's really happening inside and outside someone�s head.
BrainSpace enables people to:
Record their inner thoughts
Analyze them
automatically deliver real time information to that person
Assist the person by automatically understanding what they are saying.
BrainSpace's software automatically forms an accurate understanding of the content of information and is able to analyze the concepts within text and voice data using natural language voice recognition in combination with language independent pattern matching technology. Because BrainSpace's solutions are fully automatic, they require no expensive manual preparation of data, and are fully scalable and secure. This following section discusses BrainSpace�s capabilities in more detail.
2.1 Diary
BrainSpace's unique speech recognition capabilities enable calls to be retrieved based on the content of what was actually said. Calls can be replayed in real-time or selected from archived material.
Phone capture
Phone activity can be captured and stored. This information can be linked to other relevant recordings and documents.
This gives a verbal diary/appointments calendar
An anger management system
A life pattern analyser
A financial analyser
An ideas jotter with the ability to check for similar ideas outside
Sunday, 3 October 2010
From personal problems to global disasters within 1 year
Project Brain Saver – Tell Your Phone! | North Wales Links
Today we look at an amazing concept called Tell Your Phone which was invented by Harlech resident Mark Aldiss.
From the early days of the Internet and computing boom Mark became aware of a unique opportunity that doesn’t exist yet to use the humble phone, via modern computing technology, to assist you and find solutions to any given situation. To clarify, Mark says on his website “Our advanced technology listens – and reacts in real time to the words, sentences, phrases, emotions that you add in and it gets to work. Depending on what you have said our technology directs it’s energy to helping you in any way it can, or in any way you have asked for. A simple question could get a simple answer spoken back to you, a more complex question gets a longer verbal, text or email reply”.
The possibilities are endless, and Mark feels it would be a smart way to deal with all manner of things from general information dissemination to helping us handle our emotions.
The more you use the system, the more of a personal profile the system builds on you, and using interactive technology and the power of computing, it can help you in situations including profiling you for your own benefit, providing answers to health issues, disputes, arbitration and concilliation, legal issues, family history, work issues, pleasure, finances, match making and the ‘baggage’ that many of us carry in terms of historic personal problems.
But what about issues of security. Can such a system be provided that is secure? After all, you wouldn’t want just anyone hacking into your personal profile especially as it carries such immense personal detail about you. Mark says that the system will employ robust and proven security, and that it would be your voice that controls this. Each persons unique voice pattern has what is known as a biometric measurement which you can use as a universal key to the system, just by talking.
The system Mark has realised could be the next big issue in terms of social equity and he’s looking for interested partners to take the concept to the next level. Mark himself is a computing systems genius but realises for a project of this size and depth he would need some considerable help.
To view more about ‘Tell Your Phone’ visit the website at http://www.tellyourphone.com/ and why not join Mark’s Twitter account at http://twitter.com/harlechnnorfolk where he posts regularly under the guise of ProjectBrainSaver.
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France24 - Several killed after woman opens fire at hospital
AFP - A woman opened fire in a hospital in Germany's southwestern town of Loerrach Sunday in a shooting in which she and three other people were killed, police told AFP.
"According to our information, there were four deaths," said a spokesman for police in the Freiburg region, speaking from the scene of the shooting. The woman who had opened fire was among those dead, he said.
"The situation is now under control," said a police spokesman.
The shooting started at 6:00 pm (1600 GMT) at Saint Elizabeth hospital in the centre of Loerrach, which lies near Germany's borders with France and Switzerland.
The incident comes only days after the manslaughter trial opened in Stuttgart Thursday of the father of Tim Kretschmer, the teenager who shot dead 15 people before killing himself at his old school in March 2009.
Joerg Kretschmer, a 51-year-old businessman, is accused of having violated gun laws because his 17-year-old son was able to take his 9mm Beretta pistol from his bedside to use in the shootings in the southern town of Winnenden.
NewsDaily: Dozens killed and injured in Indonesian train crash
Posted 2010/10/02 at 8:01 am EDT
http://www.newsdaily.com/stories/tre69103t-us-indonesia-train-crash/
PETARUKAN, Indonesia, Oct. 2, 2010 (Reuters) — Dozens of people were killed or badly injured when two trains collided in Indonesia's central Java province early on Saturday, officials said.
Police and residents search for victims after two trains collided in Pemalang of the Indonesia's central Java province October 2, 2010. REUTERS/Awan Negus Takari
Local television showed several carriages had overturned or were badly mangled while authorities and residents used bamboo poles to remove bodies and trapped passengers. At least 36 people were killed and dozens injured in the crash, according to a local hospital.
"I was sleeping at the back carriage then I was awoken by a loud bang and people were shouting for help, I rushed out to see the front of the train was destroyed," Suanto, a crew at the train that hit the stationary train, told Reuters.
Suanto, who like many Indonesians uses one name, did not suffer any injuries.
Indonesia needs to spend billions of dollars on improving its aging infrastructure, including roads, power plants, railways, and airports.
Underinvestment in the years since the 1997-98 Asian financial crisis has resulted in several accidents in the transport sector, and has hampered economic development, with the result that Indonesia's GDP growth is well below potential and lags that of China and India.
The accident happened about 0245 am local time (3:45 p.m. EDT on Friday) in Petarukan train station, Pemalang, on the north coast of Central Java.
Hengky Susilo Hadi, head of a local search and rescue unit, said it was possible "additional victims" were still trapped in the wreckage.
Sugeng Priyono, spokesman for the national railway PT Kereta Api Indonesia, said the Argo Bromo Anggrek train was traveling from Jakarta to the East Java provincial capital city of Surabaya, when it plowed into the stationary Senja Utama train before dawn.
"The Petarukan station is where double tracks change to a single track. Initial report is that the Argo Bromo Anggrek train had not yet been given permission to go ahead when it hit the other train. However, this is still under investigation, so there could be other causes."
(Reporting by Awan Negus Takari in Petarukan, and Telly Nathalia and Karima Anjani in Jakarta; Writing by Sara Webb; Editing by Sugita Katyal)
http://www.newsdaily.com/stories/tre69103t-us-indonesia-train-crash/
NewsDaily: China launches second lunar exploration probe
By Ben BlanchardPosted 2010/10/02 at 10:14 am EDT
BEIJING, Oct. 2, 2010 (Reuters) — China launched its second lunar exploration probe on Friday, boosting the country's efforts to rise as a major space power eventually capable of landing a man on the moon and perhaps one day exploring far beyond.
The Long March 3C rocket carrying China's second unmanned lunar probe, Chang'e-2, lifts off from the launch pad at the Xichang Satellite Launch Center, Sichuan Province October 1, 2010. REUTERS/Stringer
The Chang'e-2 lunar orbiter blasted off from a remote corner of the southwestern province of Sichuan a few seconds before 7 p.m. (7 a.m. EDT), state media said, on the same day the country celebrates 61 years since the founding of Communist China.
"Chang'e-2 lays foundation for the soft-landing on the moon and further exploration of outer space," Xinhua news agency quoted head of the orbiter's design team Wu Weiren as saying.
"It (will) travel faster and closer to the moon, and it will capture clear pictures," Wu added.
State television delayed the start of its main evening news to carry live pictures of the launch, bumping a story about the country's top leaders attending National Day ceremonies on Beijing's central Tiananmen Square into second place.
The Chang'e-2 is expected to fly as close as 15 km (9.3 miles) above the moon, testing skills and technology intended to pave the way for an unmanned landing planned in about 2013.
It will take high-resolution photos of the moon's Bay of Rainbows, where engineers plan to land Chang'e-3, the official China Daily said.
China is jostling with neighbors Japan and India for a bigger presence in outer space but its plans have faced international scrutiny.
Fears of a space arms race with the United States and other powers have mounted since China blew up one of its own weather satellites with a ground-based missile in January 2007. China says its aims are purely peaceful.
The Chang'e is named after a mythical Chinese goddess who flew to the moon. A successful Chang'e-2 mission would mark another advance in China's plan to establish itself as a space power in the same league as the United States and Russia.
Chief designer Huang Jiangchuan told Xinhua before the launch that Chang'e-2 may be given an extra mission -- flying into outer space to "test China's capability to probe further into space". He did not elaborate.
In 2003, China became only the third country, after the United States and Russia, to send a man into space aboard its own rocket.
In October 2005, it sent two men into orbit, and in 2008 it staged its first "space walk", when an astronaut floated outside a vehicle orbiting the Earth.
Chinese space officials said they are considering a manned landing on the moon by 2025-2030, state media reported last year.
China launched its first moon orbiter, the Chang'e-1, in October 2007, accompanied by a blaze of patriotic propaganda celebrating the country's technological prowess.
(Editing by Alex Richardson)
Scarless brain surgery is new option for patients
ScienceDaily (Sep. 29, 2010) — Surgeons at the University of California, San Diego, School of Medicine and University of Washington Medical Center have determined that transorbital neuroendoscopic surgery (TONES) is a safe and effective option for treating a variety of advanced brain diseases and traumatic injuries. This groundbreaking minimally invasive surgery is performed through the eye socket, thus eliminating the removal of the top of the skull to access the brain. These findings were published in the September issue of Neurosurgery.
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"By performing surgery through the eye socket, we eliminate the need for a full craniotomy, gain equivalent or better access to the front of the brain, and eliminate the large ear-to-ear scar associated with major brain surgery," said Chris Bergeron, MD, assistant professor of Surgery, Division of Head and Neck Surgery, at UC San Diego Health System. "This novel technique is also critical to protecting neurovascular structures such as the optic and olfactory nerves."
To achieve access, the surgeons make a small incision behind or through the eyelid. A tiny hole is then made through the paper-thin bone of the eye socket to reach the brain. This pathway permits repairs to be made without lifting the brain. The TONES approaches also protect the optic nerves, the nerves for smell, as well as the carotid and ophthalmic arteries.
"This approach has opened a new field of brain surgery," said study investigator, Kris Moe, MD, chief of the Division of Facial Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery and professor of Otolaryngology at University of Washington Medical Center. "The advantages to this transorbital approach are many, including reduced pain and decreased recovery time for the patient."
Transnasal surgery, a technique performed through the nose, offers similar access to some areas of the brain but means a more crowded operating environment for the surgeon than TONES. Moe, who pioneered the TONES in 2005, said the novel technique builds on the nasal approach but offers increased maneuverability and visibility for the surgical teams which usually require four sets of hands.
In a traditional craniotomy, a large portion of skull bone is removed. With TONES, the area of bone removed is only two to three centimeters. The operating time is much shorter since the skull does not need to be repaired and there is no need to close a large incision.
Patients underwent the TONES procedure to repair cerebral spinal fluid leaks, optic nerve decompression, repair of cranial base fractures and removal of tumors. Given further research, the surgeons believe that TONES may serve as a means to treat pituitary tumors, meningiomas, and vascular malformations. TONES is currently performed at only two institutions in the world: UC San Diego Medical Center and the University of Washington Medical Center.
Researchers included Kris Moe, MD, Chris Bergeron, MD and Richard Ellenbogen, MD.
Story Source:
The above story is reprinted (with editorial adaptations by ScienceDaily staff) from materials provided by University of California, San Diego Health Sciences.
Note: If no author is given, the source is cited instead.
Jack of Kent: Defending Sally Bercow
Last week I was instructed by Sally Bercow to defend her against a libel threat by Migration Watch and Sir Andrew Green.
The news of my firm's appointment is here and the legal correspondence has been published by Richard Wilson here. Richard has also posted an interesting account of the background to the libel threat.
Coverage of the breaking news of the threat was provided by Index on Censorship, New Statesman, The Lawyer, Liberal Conspiracy, and The Guardian. There were then a number of good follow-on blogposts, most notably from Teekblog and Heresy Corner.
This is not the place for me to discuss the substance of the libel threat against Sally Bercow. However, it may be useful to contextualise this case with others which have been featured on this blog.
To begin with, let's consider the following four statements:
"The British Chiropractic Association claims that their members can help treat children with colic, sleeping and feeding problems, frequent ear infections, asthma and prolonged crying, even though there is not a jot of evidence. This organisation is the respectable face of the chiropractic profession and yet it happily promotes bogus treatments."
"- didn't know there was a Scientology 'church' on Tottenham Court Road. Just hurried past in case the stupid rubs off."
"Crap! Robin Hood Airport is closed. You've got a week... otherwise I'm blowing the airport sky high!!"
"This right wing think tank Migration Watch has conducted a study which has revealed that youth unemployment is down to migration which is obviously grossly simplistic. The main reason for youth unemployment is the recession which was caused by the bankers and the bankers are more responsible than the migrants, and it’s fairly dangerous propaganda this kind of story. It is exactly what Mosley said in the 30s and Hitler argued in Germany."
On the face of it these four statements have nothing in common.
However, in respect of each of these statements, someone somewhere has thought the statement to be of such a nature that the coercive power of law should be used against the statement's author.
As it happens, the authors of these statements - respectively Simon Singh, John Dixon, Paul Chambers, and Sally Bercow - are all decent and courageous individuals unwilling to just accept what the law could inflict on them.
But in each of the first three cases, it was not easy.
Simon Singh had to endure an adverse first instance High Court decision before the Court of Appeal took a more sensible view. Likewise, John Dixon had to put up with a frankly bizarre finding by the Welsh Public Services Ombudsman before the wiser heads at Cardiff Council dismissed the complaint. The appeal by Paul Chambers (another of my clients) is part-heard, and one can only hope that his conviction by the Magistrates' Court is overturned.
It really should not be so difficult to defend free expression; but to do so is time-consuming and costly. Simon Singh lost two years of his writing career; Paul Chambers has so far lost two jobs.
And it is deeply disappointing how much disregard there is by public bodies and the courts for free expression. The High Court in Simon Singh's case and the Welsh Public Services Ombudsman with the complaint against John Dixon could not have made the decisions they did had they placed any proper emphasis on the basic value of free expression in a democratic society.
The most depressing aspect about the predicament of free expression in the United Kingdom is not that for so many statements there is someone out there who wants to "ban" them but that there are so many officials and servants of the state - police officers, prosecutors, libel judges, district judges, ombudsmen - who will casually supercharge such illiberalism with the coercive force of law.
None of the four quoted statements are particularly glamorous; but then they were not intended to be so.
None of the authors of the statements had any inkling of the legal consequences which would follow their utterance. But like a sinister (but equally pathetic) version of Monty Python's Spanish Inquisition, someone somewhere was able to get the law to burst in and disrupt the lives of the statement's author.
In each case the statement's author could have then taken the path of least resistance; indeed, I suspect dozens of people do so every day. Simon Singh and Sally Bercow could have "apologised"; John Dixon could have shown "remorse"; Paul Chambers could have maintained a "guilty" plea. And, in each case, no one would have really blamed them.
It is all so saddening.
Nick Cohen once said that you have to take your free speech cases as you find them and then get what victories you can. Not every free expression issue means defending Galileo, DH Lawrence, or Lolita.
Indeed, none of the four quoted statements are, by themselves, of great interest.
(Personally, I have no interest in alternative medicine (apart from when its practioners misuse libel, hence I know about homeopaths and chiropractors, but nothing about acupuncturists and Reiki therapists); I do not think the beliefs of Scientologists any more or less credible than those of Christians or Muslims, though the practices and tactics of Scientologists are extremely worrying; the joke of Paul Chambers was ill-conceived; and I have no special interest in Migration Watch, though they are against my own general preference for unrestricted migration.)
But it is the statements' lack of interest which provides their significance; these are - or should be - everyday statements, uninhibited by legal threats and certainly free from legal consequences.
And it seems only by the slow and painstaking process of catching instances where the law is being used (or threatened) in an illiberal and misconceived way, and then working to reverse those instances, that the culture of "banning" speech acts can be challenged.
It would be ideal to have, at a stroke, the United States' First Amendment guarantee of free speech introduced into the United Kingdom. That is not, however, practical politics.
But our "banning" culture in respect of free expression is not inevitable and can be reversed; there is no good reason why the first reaction of so many people to unwelcome statements is to get the law involved, and then there is no good reason for so many police officers, judges, and officials to allow them to do so.
So the libel threat against Sally Bercow is, for me, another example of something which is horribly wrong in our political and legal culture.
She is, for some, a controversial figure. (And I am certainly not a fan of her political party and their complete disregard after 2001 for civil liberties.)
Sally Bercow could have just quietly apologised, perhaps with the pre-prepared humble apology which was attached to the threatening letter.
But she chose not to do so.
She has chosen instead to make a stand for her right as a political commentator to respond to news stories in the way she did. She also wants to show how threats like this to political commentators - and also journalists - support the need for libel reform.
And I think this is rather heroic, and so Robert Dougans (also instructed) and I are delighted to be able to assist her.
UK Disabled Peoples’ Protest: Virtual Protest Page « Disabled People Protest 3rd Oct
This page is for those who through lack of transport, cost of travel, impairment or simply fear support us but cannot join us. It is for those who are angry at the inhuman way in which disabled people are being treated and used as scapegoats for the supposed economic problems created by those in the financial sector bleeding the country dry….
‘Cuts kill!’ is the message of the organisers of the anti-government disabled peoples’ protest on the 3rd October in Birmingham. The day is one in which a number of protesters will make their voices heard outside the Conservative conference at the ICC.
There will be barriers, some more barriers, a large steel fence and big police lines to protect the lives and dignity of our millionaire politicians.
‘Cuts kill!’ is the rallying cry of the protesters because that is what they will do and what the threat of the cuts has already done.
Disabled people have already taken their own lives because of the extent to which the millionaire politicians want to take away our dignity and further reduce our poverty level incomes.
There are no big police lines to protect us….
Please write your message of protest below by leaving your comments….
73 Responses to “UK Disabled Peoples’ Protest: Virtual Protest Page”
1.
wizwaz Says:
September 27, 2010 at 1:23 am
WE are taught that it is pointless as a member of the lowly poor and needy to shout up at the big, powerful, rich politicians that it is impossible to survive without their help. It seems that they attempt to convince us again and again, that whatever piecemeal they offer us is an act of their benevolence, and not a statutory right. Sometimes they even almost have us believing it is their money they are giving us: “Oh, thank you, oh kind master, thank you for the few crumbs you so generously offer in my darkest hour, when I is so poor and becrippled and have no one to help me keep warm and feed myself. Thank you oh for your most humblin’ and ‘mazin’ offer sir”.
Of course this is utter bull. The government are responsible for looking after the people in this country. The are our servants, our accountants. The government are charged with the responsibility of ensuring that the sick, needy, vulnerable are given adequate resources, either to help them recover or to offer supportive or palliative care to increase their quality of life. This is what the government is responsible for USING THE TAX PAYERS’ MONEY. It is the mark of a civilised society to act in such a manner.
Perhaps we are beyond civilised. Perhaps we have become as corrupt and unscrupulous as one of those rogue states, intent on favouring the rich and wealthy (bankers) whilst culling the population of the poor (in this instance by reducing their level of financial support potentially to zero and demolishing public services on which they are reliant for any kind of quality of life).
But again, I reiterate, IT IS THE MONEY OF THE BRITISH PEOPLE WHICH IS BEING DIVERTED AWAY FROM THE NEEDY INTO THE HANDS OF THE GREEDY. People need to take more responsibility for how their taxes are spent, and kick up a stink if they don’t like it. What people tend to forget is that at any moment, their lives can be reduced to “benefit scrounging scum” as their lives collapse either through accident or illness. Only the most wealthy will survive such cataclysm.
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Barbara Says:
October 2, 2010 at 2:42 pm
I would love to be there but due to lack of mobility cannot. I fully support the protest and am very grateful for those who can and do make it – thank you :D
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2.
Crippen Says:
September 27, 2010 at 10:26 am
I’d love to be on the actual march you guys, but like many of us Crips it’s not possible for me to be there.
This idea of a virtual march is a fantastic idea and allows us all to participate in what’s going to be the biggest stand against the Tories since the Poll Tax protests.
Disabled people united, can never be defeated!
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3.
a ford Says:
September 27, 2010 at 11:11 pm
i suver with mentill illness on 15 tabs a day how can defend my self with a medical. on sychotic tabs 1.200 mg feel so tired every day so how can they treat me like this
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4.
Matt Winter Says:
September 27, 2010 at 11:46 pm
To many things are wrong ESA, Cuts to services, hate based media campaigns, persecution of ill and disabled people and possibly DLA in the future I can not stand by and not air my feelings when this is so unjust, immoral, sickening and above all an inhuman way to treat the vulnerable in society who are not scroungers, many worked most of their lives and paid taxes before becoming ill or disabled or risked their lives on a battlefield for their country and now cannot work, cant make it to the march but our voices must be heard
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5.
Jo Meadowcroft Says:
September 28, 2010 at 11:43 am
Unfortunatley, due to the nature of my disabilities, I can`t attend the march in Birmingham. I would love to be there with you to voice my anger and contempt towards the condems, and to feel the spirit of solidarity.
The gross inequalities within our society need to be challenged. The gap between the rich and the poor continues to widen alarmingly. The condems are so far removed from the lives of ordinary people, living in their priviliged bubbles. The physical barriers, steel fence and large police presence at the conference serve to protect them from public outrage towards the cuts, and further distance them from the public who they are meant to be serving. The government are choosing to scapegoat sick and disabled people, who are the least able to fight back, for the deficit caused by greedy bankers. They are using their friends in the media to demonise benefit claimants in order to turn public opinion against vulnerable and disadvantaged people. How cowardly of the condems to attack the people least able to defend themselves! People with disabilities are already struggling to maintain their dignity and achieve a reasonable quality of life, without the added stress of being labelled scroungers and cheats. The threat of losing “benefits” has already caused deaths amongst us, and will continue to do so. We need to be remind this government that their cold, calculated bullying of the vulnerable is unacceptable and is not going to go unchallenged. We must unite and shout our side of the story out. Please know that although I cant be with you in body in Birmingham, I will very much be there in spirit! May the sun shine on you on 3rd October…….
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Disabled People Protest 3 Oct Says:
September 29, 2010 at 8:55 pm
thank you! we will try to read some of the comments here – to add your voice!
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6.
CHA- Vie Autonome France Says:
September 29, 2010 at 3:08 pm
Our organisation would like to support the Protest movement of people with disabilities of UK, in defending their rights and fight against the cuts to disabled peoples’income. In the present economic crisis,people with disabilities, who are already at the bottom of the incomes’ scale, should not be deprived in their living conditions.
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Disabled People Protest 3 Oct Says:
September 29, 2010 at 8:52 pm
Merci!
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7.
rich Says:
September 29, 2010 at 4:12 pm
disabled people are being hit time after time after time in one of the most callous slights of hand we have ever experienced.
We are being portrayed as responsible for the economic calamity that we are engulfed in. We are told we are lazy, work shy, work less scroungers and if we were not to claim benefits it would be to the countries benefit.
No benefits, no money, no life.
At the same time are services that support us and to enable us to live are under attack.
No services, no support, no quality of life.
Yet wouldn’t it be a good idea if restrictions were removed from local authorities so that they could charge outlandish prices for necessary services reckon the govt.
No money, no services, no quality of life, no life.
And yet they still think the solution for us is to work. yet more and more non disabledpeople are out of work, the competition is as hot as it as ever been for jobs and still we now we are discriminated against and kept out of the job market.
No jobs, no money, no life.
Its a scandal.
Cits will kill.
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Disabled People Protest 3 Oct Says:
September 29, 2010 at 8:56 pm
thank you, we hear you Rich!
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8.
Judie McConway Says:
September 29, 2010 at 6:45 pm
I cannot be there physically, but will be there in spirit – I have marched many time in the past, to ban the bomb, to hasten the end of the Vietnam war, to protest against the Iraq war, and to end poverty – now, I just don’t think I could do it, but salute everyone who does….
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Disabled People Protest 3 Oct Says:
September 29, 2010 at 8:57 pm
thank you!
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9.
Damjan Tatic Says:
September 29, 2010 at 7:49 pm
A message from Damjan in Serbia
Good luck with the march, keep the fighting spirit, as they said in Spain almost
a century ago “Non pasaran”!
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Disabled People Protest 3 Oct Says:
September 29, 2010 at 8:58 pm
thank you to our Serbian friends!
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10.
Bano Murtuja Says:
September 29, 2010 at 7:54 pm
From Bano via Facebook
Can’t attend I’m afraid, but wishing you every success. The cuts are bad enough. The manner and groups they have targetted dispicable.
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Disabled People Protest 3 Oct Says:
September 29, 2010 at 8:59 pm
thank you for your good wishes!
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11.
Susan Archibald Says:
September 29, 2010 at 9:07 pm
Hi All,
I am not totally fit either but will travel from Scotland to fight on behalf of all the people who can both not attend or speak up for themselves as this is where my heart lies.
Let us unite in their honour and do them proud.
So if you can’t be with us in person you’ll be with us in spirit x
This ones for ma PEERS all over the country xxxxxxx
Susan Archibald – Scotland
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12.
Maria Says:
September 30, 2010 at 8:30 am
Please support the march on 3rd October in Birmigham. Write about it, blog it and tweet it. Write emails to the major newspapers, it needs to be talked about.
Disabled people need the support to be equal to everyone else. It’s not special treatment, special benefits but simply our human right to be enabled by services and personal assistance to be able to live an independent life in a civil society.
The cuts are unfair on too many disabled people and this should be made clear: we are not scroungers – the support we need is a civil right.
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13.
Shaun Bradley Says:
September 30, 2010 at 6:23 pm
via facebook
Shaun Bradley give em hell … x
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14.
Anya-Nicola Darr Says:
September 30, 2010 at 7:49 pm
As if it isn’t bas enough to have your life cuts short by chronic illness wihtout them wanting to take away the little they give us. I am fed up of being made to feel like I got ill on purpose so I could scrounge of the system. No one in theri right mind would choose to live of benefits. Go get ‘em!
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15.
Jon Scott Says:
September 30, 2010 at 8:02 pm
I too cannot attend, but support this campaign.
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16.
Anya-Nicola Darr Says:
September 30, 2010 at 9:17 pm
via face book
Anya-Nicola Darr I can’t attend as too far for me but I will be watching assuming no BBC strike!LOL
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17.
Charanjeet Kaur Sroye Says:
September 30, 2010 at 9:28 pm
Charanjeet Kaur Sroye I would march… if I was physically able too.
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18.
margaret rothwell Says:
October 1, 2010 at 7:16 am
I wish I could march but am unfortunately in a ME/CFS relapse at the moment and having to spend much of my time in bed. I had to fight several tribunals before receiving my DLA lowest rate award and it looks as though there will be more fighting needed to try and keep it. The constant harassment just wears me out and continually having to justify myself against wrongful accusations of scrounging in the media just adds to the illness by causing depression. This is all so wrong!
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19.
Louise Bolotin Says:
October 1, 2010 at 11:19 am
Really sorry I can’t make it but I’ve been snowed under all week with work – Sunday is my one free day before the treadmill starts again and I really need to rest and get some spoons in the bank again. I’ll be there in spirit with all other disabled people.
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20.
john ridley Says:
October 1, 2010 at 11:56 am
ive been disabled since 1992 and have been on dla since 1994 every day i take a cocktail of drugs just to function this year i lost my 23yo daughter and blame my self as i have never been able to do normal fatherly things with her now all alone Mr Cameron and his Mickey mouse coalition government can have my pittance of a weekly allowance love to go to Birmingham but have enough to deal with at the moment my house is falling down around my ears and just dont have any funds to travel i cant even afford 1 a day let alone 5 so take what little i have it will go a long way to solve your defecit
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21.
Jo Cowell Says:
October 1, 2010 at 12:27 pm
I served in the British Army in my past and thanks to the marching and drill and many many miles of walking I did then I am now crippled with severe Osteoarthritis in both feet,knees,hips,wrists and shoulders and am wheelchair dependant. I have also fought against the NHS for over 45 years to get recognition of a congenital connective tissue disorder that I finally got a diagnosis for earlier this year. Sadly due to these physical disabilities and lack of finances due to living well below the poverty line since 1994 when I was forced to leave work I cannot attend the march in Birmingham. I would like however to add my voice to those that are fortunate enough to attend.
I am a human being with civil rights-the intentions of taking away what little I get now to live on is disgusting but merely demonstrates just how every single person that abides in this country will be punished,beaten and ignored by those that pretend to have good intentions. Meanwhile THEY will continue to get fat off the taxpayers and line their pockets and Swiss bank accounts with monies stolen from the public coffers! Those that work will be next…you’ll see!
DISBAND THIS FARCICAL GOVERNMENT-THEY ARE THERE SOLEY FOR THEIR BENEFIT AND NONE OTHER!
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plsdontbend Says:
October 1, 2010 at 3:53 pm
I would like to extend my support to you and what you are doing there! I am in the States and want to say that we here, also have the same d*mn problem. We’ve (dh, both of us with cp) have been tempted to come across the seas because of the severe living conditions that are afforded to us here…well, I guess not.
over 70% of the disabled population in the US is unemployed and the statistic has remain the same since 1960, when the Bureau of Vocational Rehabilitation began its’ survey of this problem.
Less than 6% of housing in the US is accessable for disability use, since town homes (you refer to them as up/down, I believe) are more land thrifty and cheaper to build. And disabled acessable housing is more expensive to rent because of the 60+ boomers that they expect to rent these units can afford more posh accomodations. Even elderly HUD units have been pulled away from us (Housing of Urban Development). Since 202 prac (this is the ordinance) was introduced separating the disabled from the elderly, no new housing specific to disabled needs have been built (1992). Why HUD did this, was to 1) increase housing for the elderly and 2) to allow disabled people to interact with people their own age: yeah, right. The truth: put us in housing that puts us as risk. It places us in Family HUD units that leads to vandalism of our properties, harrassment (children can be cruel), and high crime areas that have daily gun fire.
Many of those who choose to marry loose all benefits from Medicaid (national insurance), foodstamps, as well as support from other services, due to loss of Medicaid services (transportation, etc). If you choose to be married, you are in for a rude suprise. Don’t count on anyone helping you unless you want to declare yourself “incapable” of doing any form of self care and be placed on Waiver. Waiver, by the way is the ONLY form of care attendence available under Medicaid, and you must truly almost need a nursing facility according to guidelines.
Don’t count on ADA assistanting you if you should fall. American’s with Disabllities Act, was rendered toothless back in Bush Administrations, pulling out any true assistance it could give:
1. Does not fully protect you should you loose a job, because very few attorneys actually impliment ADA.
2. Should you fall due to faulty ramping (which happens), or boxes misplaced in isles of stores, too bad! Get to the doctor, make sure you don’t have a concussion and go on. Few attorneys actually fight ADA lawsuits and lesser will support you in a trip and fall accident: stores are not liable.
I am with you all in spirit and just wanted to let you know how it goes here, because in truth, it’s awful. My husband has threatened after receiving a Master’s degree in Education to simply burn his thesis on the Capital stairs, since there is no jobs available in counseling in house for disabled folk.
Good luck!
Hugs across the Sea,
Mary
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23.
g brown Says:
October 1, 2010 at 5:48 pm
why dont you take all the motability cars from oaps age isnt a disability
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24.
Kevan Dean Says:
October 1, 2010 at 6:31 pm
via facebbok Kevan Dean Sorry I cant be there but I will be thinking of you and wishing you well x
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Sonali Legge Says:
October 1, 2010 at 6:32 pm
via facebook Sonali Legge Will try to come but definitely will be there in spirit whatever! X
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Robin King Says:
October 1, 2010 at 6:33 pm
via facebook Robin King The group I represent will be there Debbie around 200 of us – I hope
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Anna parham Says:
October 1, 2010 at 6:34 pm
via facebook Anna Parham i cant make it with you all in spirit go fior it xx kick ass xx
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Gaynor Underhill Says:
October 1, 2010 at 6:34 pm
via facebook Gaynor Underhill Sorry I can’t make it. Will be thinking of you all and hope it goes well.
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Pandore Serial-Insomiac Says:
October 1, 2010 at 6:35 pm
via facebook Pandora Serial-Insomniac Sorry, I can’t make it to England this weekend. I’m wishing all of you all the luck in the world though – give ‘em hell! x
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30.
anon Says:
October 1, 2010 at 8:24 pm
You don’t know me, but I just had to Email you guy’s to say I am so very sorry that I cant attend this demonstration in person as I so truly wish I could, due to my not being able to travel Plus not being able to stand / walk for more than a few seconds max. But I just wanted to say it makes me proud that you guys are fighting our corner! May god be with you all on the day. Plus I would like to thank each and every one of you who have arranged this event, god only knows how much we need to make this evil government understand the life some of us have to live. bless each and every one of you. My heart will be with you all on the day.
Most sincere gratitude
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anon2 Says:
October 1, 2010 at 9:19 pm
I cannot join you either but, it is critcally important to fight for a civilised society and support for those who are in need beit on a temporary or a long term basis. Will be there in spirit. regards all….
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Margaret Nuttall Says:
October 1, 2010 at 9:43 pm
Sorry I can’t be there in person, but I will be with you all in spirit. Good luck and best wishes.
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Penny Says:
October 1, 2010 at 9:57 pm
Again the most vulnerable members of society are being targeted by those with power. I fight every day of my life now just to get through each day in the best way I can, the meagre amount I get in benefits help me keep my last bit of independence, I am heartily sick of having to prove I am worthy of the benefits I am entitled to.
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Christine Says:
October 1, 2010 at 10:31 pm
I too cannot attend, due to disability and poverty, but will very much be there in spirit. The message that CUTS KILL needs to be shouted from every rooftop. The cuts are targeted at those of us who are already the worst-off – the disabled, mentally ill, carers, single parents struggling to get by, the unemployed, etc.
I know people who have their suicide plans ready for if their disability benefits are cut off. It’s an appalling situation.
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Blu Says:
October 1, 2010 at 11:28 pm
I can’t get to the demo because I’m bedbound with severe ME. I cannot walk, I struggle to talk, and 90% of the time I cannot tolerate light or sound. Most of my communication is done by type or deafblind manual signing. I am hidden from public view due to my illness. Despite my attempts to communicate, I am voiceless because being disabled and in receipt of benefit apparently means my views should be ignored. Even my illness still carries stigma, to the point where I am facing the prospect of no NHS care whatsoever.
I want more than anything to be at this protest, to at least add to the numbers even if I cannot speak. As this is impossible, as it is for many sick and disabled people, I ask you to speak for me.
I also ask you to speak on behalf of my 17-year-old son, who has Asperger’s, yet has received no support on leaving school bar a £30 a week allowance. He is expected to pretend to be ‘normal’, expected to pretend that his condition doesn’t place barriers in front of him every day that affect his life. He is told that to do otherwise is making a fuss, being ‘difficult’, deliberately making himself difficult to employ.
I ask you to speak on behalf of those elderly people who cannot be at the protest, who face losing winter fuel allowances, free travel, and other benefits. Everything we have in the UK is due to their lifetimes’ efforts. We owe them so much. To callously claim that the UK can no longer afford to support them is not only a lie but incredibly ungrateful.
I ask you to speak for children, who may not be able to attend or speak at the protest either. Our future, whom this current coalition government sees fit to remove SureStart centres from. Who will increasingly face a school system that is based on profit rather than education. Who will then face a university career that will furnish them with a mortgage-level of debt if they are lucky, and will vilify them as feckless, lazy and workshy if they are not.
I ask you to speak for those who cannot be there, or who cannot speak. Those who believe that society is not merely made up of economic units to be shunted around at will, but of people – who deserve to have their voices heard on an equal platform no matter their age, illness, gender, ability, race, religion, sexuity or financial status. Because this is something the current government do not wish to see.
Thank you.
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36.
Disabled People’s Protest at the Conservative Conference. « Mind In Flux Says:
October 2, 2010 at 12:01 am
[...] If you are unable to make the protest, there is a virtual protest page here. [...]
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37.
Anne Says:
October 2, 2010 at 12:16 am
Good luck and really sorry I can’t be there…
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Vambo Says:
October 2, 2010 at 1:37 am
I will be with you in spirit. Thank you so much for organising this, for giving people like me a voice. I have severe mental illness and do not know how I will survive if benefit cuts go ahead. God bless you!
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Blu Says:
October 2, 2010 at 3:53 am
Addendum to my comment above:
Bludgeoning the sick and disabled off benefits will not make the country any more accessible to us, nor will it change how our disabilities affect us. Taking money and support from those least able to provide it for themselves is perverse. It is wrong. It is inhuman. As a society, we cannot allow this to happen. Health is never guaranteed, and those who are lucky enough not to need the already limited support the disabled get should remember that fact. Because it could be you next.
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40.
angia dryden Says:
October 2, 2010 at 10:05 am
sorry can,t be there but do support the cause.Cuts will effect some of the most vunerable people in our communities
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41.
Sam Says:
October 2, 2010 at 10:44 am
Hi i’m nearly 14 and have attended main stream school all my life.I have a lot of support coz of my cp, but am doing well and expect to get GCSE’s,A-levels and go to college.I want to contribute all I can to society.If these cuts get made how are younger kids who have the same extra needs as me supposed to be succesful.I use a communication aid and powerchair,just keepimg all my kit up to date costs a lot and then theres support staff.Without this support many of the young kids I know couldnt go to mainstream as they should.Just cos our bodies work differently doesn’t mean our ideas should be ignored. SAM
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Disabled People Protest 3 Oct Says:
October 2, 2010 at 10:46 am
Fantastic! thank you so much for writing this Sam.
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42.
Debbie Says:
October 2, 2010 at 11:24 am
I want to add that we have had support from disabled peoples’ organisations in Serbia, Slovenia, Germany, Latvia, Spain and Bulgaria too -all of whom wish us well and support what we are doing either virtually or otherwise-they are shocked that the UK which is often held up an example of how things should be for disabled people is undergoing this attack on disabled people, independent living and sdisabled peoples’ rights
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43.
petertan Says:
October 2, 2010 at 1:38 pm
It is disgusting how politicians who are supposed to work for the people trivialise disability issue to the extend that much needed fund are cut, leaving disabled people vulnerable and unable to live independently.
As for us here in Malaysia, we are not even where you people are now as far as financial and assistive support is concerned but what you folks are doing, standing up for your rights is an inspiration that many of us here should learn and emulate in advocating for our rights.
I regret that I can’t be there in person to be in solidarity with you all but you can be sure that I will be there in spirit.
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44.
Jo Says:
October 2, 2010 at 1:57 pm
As a carer, working an eighteen hour day looking after my three disabled children and disabled husband, I would like to know which members of the Condem parties are prepared to state, categorically, that the disabled people of this country are not entitled to a reasonable quality of life. By removing the benefits that you intend to remove, and my making them less accessible, you are removing dignity and, as stated, the right to a reasonable quality of life.
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45.
Julieanne Mason Says:
October 2, 2010 at 3:19 pm
It is unfortunate that health denies me the chance to go to Birmingham. Although my voice of protest is somewhat small; I am panicking at what the next weeks may show us. The very idea of having benefits cut really appals me; the Disability Living Allowance I receive is put towards the roof over our heads – without it we would be homeless – which would then mean we would not be independent cos we’d have to rely on payouts from the Government – correct me if I am wrong which is the better alternative – please tell me.
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46.
Rebecca Says:
October 2, 2010 at 3:54 pm
While I will do my utmost to attend the protest, I also wish to leave comments in case I cannot physically get there.
In 2004 I was an Executive Officer with the DWP. I managed the budgets for the West Midlands region offices. However by the April of that year I was unable to get out of bed due to intense pain. The DWP gave me several options, the details of which I am not allowed to disclose. Suffice to say that they admitted breaching the Disability Discrimination Act and I lost my career.
In the time since then I have been treated, by the Department I dedicated over 12 years of my life to, like a theiving, lying scrounger.
I did not choose to live in constant pain. I did not choose to live with cognitive dysfunction. I did not choose to have poor balance, a level of fatigue I didn’t previously know existed. I most certainly did not choose to lose my career and still do not want to have to live on benefits.
As politicians do you seriously think that anyone would choose to lose a career earning in excess of £20k per annum in order to live like I now have to on £5k a year taxpayers handouts? If you do, then I suggest you try living my life for one week.
I am aware that David Cameron had a son with complex needs, who tragically passed away. But, Mr. Cameron, you do not understand how the majority of disabled people are forced to live.
It is not a case of us not wanting to work. It is a case of we cannot. We physically cannot. Even if there were employers out there who would employ us, we would still be unable to work.
What you will do by further cutting disability benefits is push more disabled people even further into poverty. I know numerous disabled people who have been saving one or two tablets out of each prescription with the intention of suicide when your policies go through. They are barely surviving at the moment, any further action will have them unable to afford heating, light and food. At that point they plan to kill themselves. Many have already written letters citing your Governments actions as the reasons. The intention is to post these letters to multiple newspapers shortly before they intend to kill themselves.
I would like to ask why it is, when fraud rates are far higher in both Income Support and Job Seekers Allowance, that your Government appears to be targetting Disability Benefits, informing newspapers that these have massive fraud rates. As a former employee of the DWP I know that the truth is that IS and JSA have rates of roughly 2.9% fraud. IB is almost half this at 1.5% fraud, while DLA barely has any at all at a mere 0.5%.
The reason that DLA claims have increased is because more people are willing to claim the benefits that they are entitled to. The increase has nothing to do with fraud, have you actually tried claiming the benefit? It is extremely difficult to get, which is why the fraud rate is so low. 95.5% of claims are genuine people who need help. That money, that acknowledgement makes all the difference in the world.
I am in receipt of Higher Rate mobility DLA and middle rate care DLA. This makes all the difference in the world to me. It gives me one tiny little bit of independence. It funds my mobility adaptations and aids. It means that I am able to volunteer as a tutor for the NHS helping others with long term conditions.
Without DLA and IB I have no pride, no dignity. Without those I make no contribution and might as well lie down and die.
If you can find me a job that I can do, then I will do it. However it will have to be a job that allows me to work at home, I struggle to use my hands so anything manual is out. I cannot sit for more than a few minutes, nor stand for more than a few minutes. My concentration levels are poor and I often struggle to get words out. I require at least 11 hours 24 minutes care aid per day (at present unfunded as my husband does it – perhaps your Government would like to pay for a carer?). I have fatigue levels due to a combination of my condition and medication – 13 different types per day – that often mean I am asleep on and off through the day. I am unable to get out of bed an average of 5 days per week. Perhaps you would like to employ me?
No? Well, then perhaps you would care to allow me a reasonable quality of life? After all, there is a duty of care to the people of this country who will and do hold you accountable for your parties actions. I did not choose to have a disabling long-term condition. No-one choose disability and none of us chose a life of poverty and living on benefits. It is just the card we have been dealt.
I challenge you all to spend a week living on what we currently do, let alone what you would have us live on. Any taker?
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Rebecca Says:
October 2, 2010 at 4:10 pm
That should read 99.5% of claims to DLA are genuine. Apolgies for the error there.
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Daisy Lyle Says:
October 2, 2010 at 3:56 pm
I am sorry that I won’t be able to attend the protest in person but would like to add my voice to the chorus of indignation at the atrocities the coalition government is currently inflicting on their poorest and most vulnerable citizens. I am daily amazed at the extents to which the people elected to represent us bend over backwards to protect the interests of big business while continuing to begrudge sick and sometimes dying people enough money to subsist on with dignity.
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48.
georgina Says:
October 2, 2010 at 4:40 pm
Unfortunately, I cannot be there tomorrow. But I am fully disgusted with what is happening to us disabled people. In fact I would like to echo Rebecca’s comment. 99.5% of claims for DLA are genuine. I am one of the ones that are genuine, as are people who have commented here I am sure.
If I was to lose this, then I become housebound as the car will need to go back, my husband would have to work. At present my husband is saving YOU the GOVERNMENT around possibly £25.000 a year by staying at home looking after me, making sure I am safe and that I can eat and drink. I also claim IS, as I didn’t qualify for IB.
Rebecca has said everything else I would have said anyway, but I challenge YOU and the rest of the GOVERNMENT, to live maybe just a day in our shoes and put up with the c**p that we do.
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49.
Rich Says:
October 2, 2010 at 4:40 pm
I would love for the people responsible for these cuts to come and meet me in person,spend a day in my shoes,try and live /exist as I do. I would love to be able to dress,wash,shower myself,be able to drive,then go to my well paid job,instead if living with the indignity of having someone dress me,wash me,help to the toilet, shower me.I would love my old wage, instead of having to struggle with the pittance that is dla. If my benefits stop,what sort of job would I able to do?would there be a carer with me at all times, as I can’t bend,can’t lift, and need plenty of rest. I have been advised to have 30 minutes rest in every hour.what are my options now you narrow minded imbeciles have taken my only lifeline (benefits)away.this country Is a shambles, I fir one won’t sit back and be treated like a 3rd class citizen.I was a hard worker until my disability put an end to my life as I knew it.I now not only have a job,but have no social life, I can’t do any of the things I used to do.why is this government punishing me for something that was way beyond my control?somebody needs to answer my and everyone else’s questions.will anybody come to meet me?of course not, the government don’t give a damn about of us.
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50.
landscapeplayground Says:
October 2, 2010 at 5:54 pm
wishing all the one’s there all the best and thank you for giving us a voice. don’t know how much more i can cope with.
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51.
firkhamhall Says:
October 2, 2010 at 5:55 pm
Would be great if people on the march all had banners saying;
“Me + 1 as some of us physically can’t be here.”
I think they would make great banners.
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52.
Eleanor Leigh Says:
October 2, 2010 at 6:28 pm
Can I first thank all of you who attending tomorrow,I hope the weather stays dry for you.Why the hell do you the goverment think that I would want to live on Benefits,DLA is supposed to give me a better quality of life thats a bloody joke I can’t manage on ESA so the DLA helps with the bills yes I have motability because I need it,and thats only when I have the energy to go somewhere though as I live on my own I do have to go out and shop go to appointments my answer to the question how far can I walk without pain,Is not a bloody inch I’m in pain all day everyday,I have cronic fatigue fibromyalgia and a dose of arthritis thrown in for good measure.My old Life used to see me walking the Fells in the lake district a really enjoyable past time and one I really enjoyed,now I’m scared of putting a foot out of the door incase I’m told well you can get out so you can go to work,If they found me a job and i’m sure its a big IF I would probably get through the first two hrs then I would have to go on the sick again,now hows that for wasting goverment money.If you decide to take me off benefits then I will probably be put in prison as I will have to thieve my meals or starve to death,mind you prison would probably be the best option I would get all them luxurys,heating food company my washing done for me etc.You all drive round in your luxury cars eat at all the best restaurants have someone coming in to do all your housework,well you are so busy trying to put me into poverty.I would NEVER put the conservatives in power and I was even more stupid to vote for the Libs the first and last time I make that mistake,well the fact that you Nick Clegg got to help the Conservatives destroy this country you will never get the chance to stand for govement in your own right,hey and yes my memory is going I had to Google you as I forgot your name.Well I must close now as it is nearly my bedtime and I have no life to speak of.To you all out there tomorrow Thank you once again
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53.
Tracey Hammerton Says:
October 2, 2010 at 6:51 pm
I’ve been in constant pain for nearly 3 years and on my bad days I have to crawl around the house and we are having to make major alteration to our house to make it easier for me on a daily basis. I am still fighting for a diagnosis, they have said it is some form of disease of my nervous system, but because of the state of my spine the risks out way the benefits to do a lumbar puncture.
As they can not say what is wrong with me my DLA has been stopped and financially we are struggling. My husband is telling me that I need to find a part time job, but who is going to employ some-one who can not say whether they can not turn up for work when required? I can not walk without crutches or walking sticks even on a good day.
I would love to be able to get on with jobs around the house without having to rely on my husband & children to do them for me. To carry on with helping out charities, where I was a group secretary for a Scout Group & Vice-Chair of a school committee, as well as working 3 part-time jobs as I was when I became ill.
If you can tell me who will employ me in Wolverhampton with the problems I have, then great, I will do my best to work. I do not like having to take hand outs from the state, I am 40 and have been working since I was 13 till I was 37, even when my children were babies I worked evening & weekends to bring in a salary to save us struggling.
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54.
angiedryden Says:
October 2, 2010 at 8:37 pm
Hi there, being a computor dinasaur i wonder how a quick share link to and from facebook etc could access wider virtual support ?.Any suggestions
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Tracey Hammerton Says:
October 2, 2010 at 11:27 pm
This is were I found out about this, a number if us have shared a link.
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55.
Karen Says:
October 2, 2010 at 8:51 pm
I am a disabled person in work – hanging on to my job by the thinnest of threads. When – and it is when, not if, – I cannot work any more as my condition is deteriorating, do I become a scrounger overnight? I have already been retired from one career on ill health grounds. When this happens again, you tell me what job I will be fit for then?I have worked all my life, only having time off for childbirth and illness, yet I am facing the prospect of having to beg for any scraps of money this Condem governement allows me. At this same time they are feathering the nests of the bankers and stock market workers who caused the recession in the first place. We are one step away from becoming labelled as ‘useless eaters’ and we all know the upshot of that policy. I cannot be at the march due to my impairment stopping me walking – but my heart will be with you all. Thank you for doing this.
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56.
Patricia Phillips Says:
October 2, 2010 at 9:11 pm
I wish I could join you on the protest but unfortunately, I can only walk a few yards.
Before I received my DLA I had no quality of life whatsoever. Receiving it has made the world of difference, and has allowed me some dignity and a sense of purpose. I used to be ashamed at how I was living, and now I can afford to get people to help me with the basic necessities in life, like cooking, cleaning and shopping.
This has made a world of difference, and my life would be shattered if this was taken away, making me question whether life was worth living at all.
We need to get the government to reconsider these their plans before lives are lost through despair and neglect.
Thank you.
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57.
Jill Goble Says:
October 2, 2010 at 10:12 pm
Thanks to everyone who is going to protest for us tomorrow. I wish I could be there with you and will be thinking of you all. It would just be so hard with the COPD not being able to breathe and expensive to get there from Brighton and I am anxious my bipolar is telling me that the Tory Condemnation govt are the sons of devils like my ex-husband so couldn’t be responsible for my actions… Plus it is easier for the authorities if I stay here and let the men in white coats take me to their expensive locked psycho ward or prison. Far more expensive than keeping me on benefits in the community as I have been safely these last few years but no you’d rather drive me psychotic and a danger Mr Rich Tory Fascists calling me and my people scroungers and letting your rich friends get away with billions in tax evasion and bankers freebie bonuses and then blameing it on us.
Well I’m doing what I can online to protest this oppression and injustice for as long as I can…
Take Care Tomorrow and remember what Bob Marley said:
Who are you to judge the life I live? I’m not perfect and I don’t live to be, but before you start pointing fingers, make sure your hands are clean.
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evette Says:
October 2, 2010 at 11:11 pm
these benefit reforms are pure discrimination. it’s all very well talking about getting people off benefits, and that no one will be worse off in work. yes we do know that there are people out there who could work, but there are many people who would love to be able to work but can’t due to there disability. are we gonna be worse off? yes we are. one of the reasons being that due to our disabilities we cannot travel/fight as much as able bodied people.
we all know about the dwp being told to reject people when they know the person is entitled to more just to save money, how many more dirty tactics are we gonna see, and when will they realise how much they are affecting our lives.
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59.
Derek Robinson Says:
October 2, 2010 at 11:28 pm
Last year, at the height of the MPs’ expenses scandal, I thought, for sure, they could never again try to vilify and misrepresent social security recipients as scroungers and get away with it. How wrong could I be? The hypocrisy of Cameron & Osborne et al. is almost beyond belief.
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Fiona Art Says:
October 3, 2010 at 3:01 am
I don’t want to be scared and worried to live my life with the limited money I have because I am anxious that at any time in the next 2 years I am going to loose the money and become more and more isolated, depressed and in pain. Help me belive this is not going to create a spiral of poverty! Pleaseeeeeee!!!!
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L Hopkin Says:
October 3, 2010 at 3:04 am
If they get their way and cut my benefits my son will be expected to provide my personal care. Well it will be over my dead body because I’d rather die than have him wash my personal places.
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Tracey Parsons Says:
October 3, 2010 at 5:43 am
I would love to be there but due to health problems and lack of finance I cannot but boy I am so there in spirit and will watch with anticipation. You have taken away my DLA due to politics the ‘cuts’ but you are taking money away from the wrong people. I am an left leg amputee that urology problems they tell me that I can change my own bed at night 3 times. They say that I need no help in other parts of my life. I am so angry but I WILL appeal the decision and take it all the way to tribunial.
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63.
Joe Says:
October 3, 2010 at 9:24 am
I can’t be there due to lack of spoons. Thanks to everyone who is marching. I’ve been feeling very low due to the extent of the cuts announced. Really been wondering if it’s worth going on.
Saturday, 2 October 2010
Almost 3,000 Millionaires Claim Jobless Benefits, IRS Data Show - BusinessWeek
Almost 3,000 Millionaires Claim Jobless Benefits, IRS Data Show
October 01, 2010, 1:10 PM EDTMore From Businessweek
By Ryan J. Donmoyer
Oct. 1 (Bloomberg) -- After the economy slipped into recession in 2008, millions of Americans received unemployment benefits to make ends meet -- including almost 3,000 millionaires.
According to U.S. Internal Revenue Service data, 2,840 households reporting at least $1 million in income on their tax returns that year also collected a total of $18.6 million in jobless aid. They included 806 taxpayers with incomes over $2 million and 17 with incomes in excess of $10 million. In all, multimillionaires reported receiving $5.2 million in jobless benefits.
Those numbers are a minuscule fraction of the 9.5 million taxpayers who reported receiving $43.7 billion from jobless benefits in 2008, up from 7.6 million recipients reporting $29.4 billion in benefits in 2007. Still, economists said they are surprised so many people with seven-figure incomes claimed benefits.
“It’s a larger number than I would have expected,” said Alan Viard, resident scholar at the American Enterprise Institute, a Washington research organization. “But, people at any income level can lose their jobs.”
The first 26 weeks of unemployment benefits are paid by states. Nationally, benefits average about $300 per week. Because unemployment benefits are insurance, funded with taxes paid by employers, the program isn’t need-based like welfare. A millionaire who loses his or her job is entitled to benefits the same as a laid-off factory or restaurant worker, Viard said.
An Insured Loss
“Getting an insurance payment doesn’t depend on need but only on suffering an insured loss,” said Roberton Williams, a senior fellow and expert on tax policy at the Urban Institute, another Washington policy research organization. “We don’t say that your homeowners’ policy shouldn’t pay off if you’re a millionaire.”
Since 2008, the federal government has helped fund jobless benefits beyond the 26 weeks that states pay. The federal aid is scheduled to expire in November. It also lapsed in June and was renewed in July following a battle in Congress, where some lawmakers said it was time to wind down aid and Republicans said it shouldn’t be financed with deficits.
Congress in 2009 voted to exempt the first $2,400 of jobless benefits from federal income taxes. The Census Bureau last month reported the country’s poverty rate rose to 14.3 percent in 2009, the highest level in 15 years.
In addition to the millionaires, 8,011 households reporting income between $500,000 and $1 million in 2008 claimed jobless benefits totaling $52.8 million, the IRS data show.
Few Millionaires
In 2007, so few millionaires collected jobless benefits that the IRS said it refused to publish the data for fear their identities could be detected in violation of confidentiality laws. In 2006, nearly 2,000 households reporting more than $2 million in income claimed jobless benefits, including 15 with incomes above $10 million.
No IRS data are available yet for 2009.
Williams said that in some cases where millionaires claim benefits, the recipient may not be in a high-salary job. For example, a chief executive’s spouse may lose a teaching job.
“The teacher may not need the money, but collecting the benefits is different from a laid-off CEO collecting,” he said.
Still, Williams said the numbers remind him of stories he heard earlier in his career about movie actors who collected unemployment benefits between pictures.
“These were people comparable to your millionaires who clearly didn’t need the money but collected it nonetheless,” he said.
--With assistance from Brian Faler in Washington. Editors: Laurie Asseo, Don Frederick
To contact the reporter on this story: Ryan J. Donmoyer in Washington at rdonmoyer@bloomberg.net.
To contact the editor responsible for this story: Mark Silva at msilva@bloomberg.net
According to U.S. Internal Revenue Service data, 2,840 households reporting at least $1 million in income on their tax returns that year also collected a total of $18.6 million in jobless aid. They included 806 taxpayers with incomes over $2 million and 17 with incomes in excess of $10 million. In all, multimillionaires reported receiving $5.2 million in jobless benefits.
Warm hands, warm heart – how physical and emotional warmth are linked | Not Exactly Rocket Science | Discover Magazine
We will readily describe a person’s demeanour as “warm” or “cold” but this link between temperature and personality is more than just a metaphorical one. A new study shows that warming a person’s fingertips can also bring out the warmth in their social relationships, pushing them to judge others more positively and promoting their charitable side.
Lawrence Williams at the University of Colorado and John Bargh from Yale University managed to influence the behaviour of a group of 41 volunteers without them knowing it by giving them something warm to hold. When the recruits arrived at the psychology building, a colleague (who wasn’t aware of the experiment’s goals) escorted them to the laboratory and asked them to hold a cup of coffee for her along the way. Once in the lab, they had to read a description of a stranger and rate them on 10 different personality traits.
The cups of coffee were the key element. Half were hot and half were iced, and the volunteers’ brief contact with the cups was enough to sway their later impressions. The recruits whose hands were heated by their cups rated the stranger as having a warmer personality than those who held the cold cups. On average, they gave him a score of 4.7 on a scale of 1 to 7, while the cool-handed people gave average scores of 4.3.
The difference was small but statistically significant, and it wasn’t just a symptom of a generally improved mood brought on by a steaming cup of java. After all, Williams and Bargh also found that the temperature of the coffee cups had no bearing on how the recruits judged the stranger along personality traits unrelated to warmth of personality. There was, however, a small chance that the accomplice was subtly influencing the volunteers’ behaviour since she too had clutched the cups of coffee.
With that in mind, Williams and Bargh gave another group of 53 people an envelope of instructions, asking them to hold a hot or cold therapeutic pad under the premise of evaluating it. Later, when the unknowing volunteers were offered a small reward for their trouble – a bottle of Snapple or a dollar voucher for the local ice-cream parlour – those who touched the hot pads were more likely to give it to a friend than to keep it for themselves. Three-quarters of them chose this charitable option, compared to just 54% of the recruits who held the cold pad.
Together, the coffee and pad experiments show that sensations of can both affect a person’s judgment of, and influence their actions towards, other people. In both cases, the recruits made their choices freely and were unaware that they had been subtly manipulated.
The small size of the effect might make it easy to dismiss the result as a kooky psychological curio; after all, in a real-life situation, surely other factors like sense of humour or personal hygiene would have a greater impact on first impressions? Perhaps so, but psychological research has shown that the warm-cold dimension is incredibly important to us when we meet other people. Our first impressions of strangers tend to be based primarily on how warm we think they are and, to a lesser extent, how competent. We make warm-cold judgments quickly and automatically, and they provide us with a quick overview of other important personality traits including friendliness, trustworthiness and helpfulness.
It seems that our minds cope with abstract psychological concepts by rooting them in metaphors based on solid physical experiences Many psychologists claim that this association stems from early infancy when the close embraces of our parents provide us with both body heat and security, forever linking physical and personal warmth in our minds. Later on in life, the heat of a cup of coffee may recall these earlier warm experiences and the feelings of trust and comfort that are associated with them. It works the other way round too – I’ve blogged before about another study which showed that making someone feel socially excluded can literally make them feel colder.
Neuroscience studies also support the idea of a close link between abstract concepts and physical sensations; some have shown that a part of the brain called the insula is involved in processing feelings of warmth in both their physical and psychological incarnations. Neurons in the right half of the insula are more active the warmer an object is to the touch, and other insula neurons are specialised to deal with feelings on trust and empathy.
Reference: L. E. Williams, J. A. Bargh (2008). Experiencing Physical Warmth Promotes Interpersonal Warmth Science, 322 (5901), 606-607 DOI: 10.1126/science.1162548
October 26th, 2008 by Ed Yong in Neuroscience and psychology | 5 comments | RSS feed | Trackback >
