Wednesday 7 September 2005

By Maria Ahmed, Simeon Brody and Amy Taylor

Blunkett blames his manner on blindness

Critics have called him harsh and abrasive, but now David Blunkett
has blamed his blindness for making him seem “unresponsive
and uncaring” at times.

Source:- The Guardian Wednesday 7 September 2005 page
3

Ageism rife in all generations

The commonest form of prejudice in Britain is between the
generations.

The young are seen as clever and callous. The old are delightful
but doddery.

Age discrimination is ubiquitous, according to the first national
survey of attitudes to age by the University of Kent.

Source:- The Guardian Wednesday 7 September 2005 page
10

Move on up

According to the statistics, they’re not supposed to make it.
But that doesn’t account for their ambition, hard work and
will to succeed.

Report on five British teenagers who have become the first in their
families to go to university.

Source:- The Guardian G2 Wednesday 7 September 2005 page
2-3

Is dyslexia just a myth?

Julian Elliot says dyslexia does not exist – at least, not in
the way we think it does. His views have earned him hate mail, but
he says it’s time someone spoke out

Source:- The Guardian G2 Wednesday 7 September 2005 page
14

Families reunited

As the law stands, it’s up to adopted children to track down
their birth parents – not the other way around. But
that’s all about to change

Source:- The Guardian G2 Wednesday 7 September 2005 page
16

Fashion victims

Trendy bars and loft apartments may have changed the face of Hoxton
in east London, but at what price to the local community?

Source:- Society Guardian Wednesday 7 September 2005 page
2-3

Target malpractice

An internal memo leaked from Nottingham Council has revealed the
lengths some well-meaning staff are prepared to go to show their
department in its best light.

And the implication is that service users – in this case
vulnerable adults and carers – could have been manipulated in
the pursuit of a good rating. The council has disowned the
plan.

Source:- Society Guardian Wednesday 7 September 2005 page
4

The big payback

Margaret Prosser’s government-backed inquiry into women and
work is shortly to report its findings. It may not please everyone,
she says.

Source:- Society Guardian Wednesday 7 September 2005 page
6-7

Action replay

The demolition of rundown Scholemoor community sports ground in
Bradford left local youth bereft of a place to hand out. So they
decided to rebuild it.

Source:- Society Guardian Wednesday 7 September 2005 page
7

Behind closing doors

Flanders House, a residential home for ex-servicemen is about to
shut. With almost all its residents now being moved on,
photographer Stuart Griffiths documented the home’s final
days.

Source:- Society Guardian Wednesday 7 September 2005 page
8-9

What’s the prognosis?

Twenty-five years ago the Black Report revealed huge health
inequalities in the UK and was ‘buried’ by the then
Conservative government.

Last month, Labour quietly slipped out its own report, showing the
problem is getting worse. The public health community is getting
increasingly frustrated.

Source:- Society Guardian Wednesday 7 September 2005 page
10

Chain reaction

With low-price clothing retailers and the rise of the online
auction site eBay threatening the future of charity shops, the
sector is responding with some innovative ideas

Source:- Society Guardian Wednesday 7 September 2005 page
12

Who cares?

Self-inflicted harm is one of the heaviest blows for a caring
parents, says carer Judith Cameron

Source:- Society Guardian Wednesday 7 September 2005 page
13

Adult drugs put children at risk

More than two-thirds of children admitted to hospital have never
been properly tested on the young, scientist at Liverpool
University have found.

Source:-The Times Wednesday 7 September 2005 page 26

‘Parkies’ set for a comeback as campaigners
call for safer areas

A campaign to recruit more park keepers begins today. The
Commission for Architecture and the Built Environment is making the
appeal to make parks safer for children.

Source:- The Times Wednesday 7 September 2005 page
30

Teaching unions criticise proposals to close failing
schools

Teachers’ unions criticised Ruth Kelly’s proposals to
hand more schools to business sponsors and faith groups and to
close failing schools if they have not improved after 12 months,
saying they would put schools under pressure to adopt quick-fix
measures.

Source:- Financial Times Wednesday 7 September 2005 page
6

A suicidal mother leads children to their deaths

The husband of Navjeet Sidhu, 27, who died after throwing herself
and her children into the path of a 100mph train at Southall spoke
yesterday of his “tragic loss” and his love for
them.

Source:- The Independent Wednesday 7 September 2005 page
11

Millions can’t get to see their GP

Almost five million patients have to wait longer than the
government’s 48-hour target to see their GP, according to a
Healthcare Commission survey.

Of the 300 million visits to GPs each year 36 million involve a
wait of more than two days.

Source:- Daily Mail Wednesday 7 September 2005 page
1

School mugger’s web outrage

Fifteen-year-olds Falco Moludi and Ipaon Mosengo were sentenced to
three years and three and half years imprisonment respectively at
Inner London Crown Court yesterday for a string of muggings.

Wearing face masks and balaclavas, they brought terror to Bishop
Thomas Grant School in Streatham, London. The two featured on a
website in which teenagers posed with a shotgun and boasted of
their love of violence.

Source:- Daily Mail Wednesday 7 September 2005 page
25

Dad in car bid to gas his kids

A jilted dad tried to gas himself and his two children in a bid to
get back at their mum, a court in Swindon heard.

The 36-year-old left a note to the wife saying: “If I
can’t have the kids they you can’t.” They were
pulled from the car unharmed and his lawyers claimed he never meant
to hurt the kids, knowing the car had a catalytic converter to cut
carbon monoxide. The man will appear at Bristol Crown Court in
November.

Source:- The Sun Wednesday 7 September 2005 page 19

Welsh news

Mining towns top for incapacity claims

Two towns heavily affected by the closure of mines have the highest
proportion of people claiming incapacity benefit in the UK,
according to new report.

Just over one fifth of the working population in Merthyr Tydfil in
south Wales and Easington in the north of England are on the
benefits.

The report, published by leftwing thinktank Catalyst, alleges that
proposed government reforms to the benefit system would have little
effect on the areas if they don’t create more jobs.

Source:- The Western Mail  Wednesday 7 September
2005

Doctors can only guess what quantity of medicine to give to
a child

The lack of research on children’s medicines has got
to change, Welsh Labour Euro MP Eluned Morgan said last
night.

Morgan backs EU plans to increase the testing of medicines given to
children. She said that the current situation where doctors guess
the quantity of medicine they can give to children has to
change.

Source:- The Western Mail Wednesday 7 September 2005