Hurricane Irene blew a large tree limb onto a man this morning, killing him, say authorities in North Carolina. The man was apparently walking outside his home in a rural area of Nash County around 10:20am when he was struck. Paramedics were called to the scene, but the man…
Continue reading …Paralympians warn legal aid reforms will penalise serious accident victims
August 27, 2011 No Comment
Hopes of rehabilitation are likely to be hit by cost-cutting plans, warn skier and gold medal-winning swimmer Two of Britain’s leading paralympians fear the government’s shakeup of the legal aid system will have a severe impact on the ability of seriously injured people to claim adequate compensation. Baroness Masham of Ilton, who won gold in the 25m breast stroke in the first Paralympic games in 1960, and Talan Skeels-Piggins, who represented Britain at skiing in last year’s Winter Paralympics, are urging ministers to rethink the reforms drawn up by Lord Justice Jackson. Their high-profile intervention will highlight the plight of victims of serious accidents who require significant resources to rebuild their lives. Jackson’s cost-cutting reforms include a proposal to abolish the “success fee” paid to a claimant’s solicitor by the defendant’s insurer. Instead, claimants will pay their own solicitor’s fees, which would be capped to a maximum 25% of the damages awarded. To “soften” the blow, the government will increase the ceiling for damages payouts by 10%. But legal experts argue that the reforms, designed to save taxpayers more than £350m a year, will have serious financial consequences for severely injured people and warn that the imposition of a cap on fees would see solicitors declining to take on complex accident litigation claims. “Under the proposals, accident victims who have successfully made a claim will now be liable to pay their own solicitors’ ‘success fees’, which are likely to be equivalent to a significant proportion of their damages,” said Des Hudson, chief executive of the Law Society, which has launched a campaign group, Sound Off For Justice, to fight the proposals. “This will have a particularly serious impact on those high-risk and complex claims where the victims have suffered traumatic injuries,” Hudson warned. “Many cases may become uneconomic to pursue and victims who have suffered serious injury through no fault of their own will then have to rely upon state funding for the rest of their lives.” Sound Off For Justice warned that, if the reforms were introduced, prospective paralympians would find it “very difficult, if not impossible, to rehabilitate their lives and get the vital support and financial assistance that they will need to succeed in sport”. Masham, a former paraplegic sportswoman of the year, said there was increasing disquiet within the legal and medical communities about the proposed changes and pledged to fight them when they come before Parliament in the autumn. “The trouble is that when you try to save money you hit the most vulnerable,” said Masham, president of the Spinal Injuries Association, which is seeking a judicial review of the reforms on the grounds that ministers have failed to adequately consider their impact on disabled people. “People who have broken their necks or backs need all the compensation they can get.” Skeels-Piggins, who took to the ski slopes within a year of being paralysed from the chest down in a motorbike crash in 2003, said the huge costs involved in ensuring that a severely injured person received adequate rehabilitation meant potential reductions in compensation payouts would have a big impact on how they chose to spend the rest of their life. “When limits are put on people with regard to what they can claim because somebody else has caused them to have this accident, this new life, you are stopping them from reaching their potential,” Skeels-Piggins said. “If ministers spent a year in a wheelchair, they might take a bit more time before they make any of these rash decisions.” The legal aid system has been criticised for resulting in large payouts to lawyers and encouraging a “compensation culture”. Supporters of the Jackson reforms say they are long overdue and redress an imbalance in the system that sees defendants hit with significant costs as a result of defending themselves against no-win, no-fee lawyers. Ministers also believe the new system will see an end to “trivial” small claims that could be settled out of court. But Nigel Muers-Raby, chair of the Consumer Justice Alliance, accused the government of “choosing to paint injured victims as spurious claimants, driving a mythical compensation culture”. He added: “It deliberately fails to acknowledge that what the compensation victims are awarded is used to rebuild shattered lives. Some will never earn a wage again. Many will need special care for the rest of their lives.” Experts suggest many compensation cases are lost and that the current system ensures “winning” cases pay for “losing” ones. In medical negligence cases, for example, around 40% of claims are unsuccessful. The introduction of a capped fee would see solicitors fight only the more simple compensation claims, according to lawyers. “Complex cases require detailed investigations by the claimant’s solicitor which are expensive and time-consuming,” said Rob Bhol of DBS Law. “It is only possible for solicitors to carry out a thorough search of the evidence in every claim because of the current funding arrangements.” A Ministry of Justice spokeswoman denied that the reforms would hinder deserving cases. “The current system can encourage excessive, costly and unnecessary litigation,” she said. “There is little financial risk for those bringing cases, but defendants can face enormous costs which discourage them from fighting cases where there is justification to do so. Plus we can see a perverse situation in which lawyers are awarded a greater proportion of payouts than the person who has been wronged.” Legal aid Disability Paralympics 2012 Daniel Boffey Jamie Doward guardian.co.uk
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New York governor Andrew Cuomo doubles the number of National Guard from 1000 to 2000 to help the state prepare for Hurricane Irene. (Aug. 27)
Continue reading …A little more than a year ago, the Telegraph reported that excited historians in England claimed to have found the site of King Arthur’s round table. Apparently, it’s been discovered again … in Scotland. The Telegraph reports archaeologists have been researching a geometrical earthwork called the King’s Knot, which is located…
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Minister for cities Greg Clark asks eight core cities to make a bid for new powers as part of devolution project English cities are to be given new freedoms, including control over transport investment, under plans designed to spark economic growth. Greg Clark, the minister for cities, intends to change the law so that he can strike deals between Whitehall and eight core cities that would allow them to set their own policies. Leaders from Birmingham, Bristol, Leeds, Liverpool, Manchester, Newcastle, Nottingham and Sheffield have been asked to make a bid for new powers and to treat London’s independence under its mayor, Boris Johnson, as a role model for the future. It is understood that a number of the cities want to take over skills training from national programmes so that they can cater to local employers’ demands. The devolution of power over transport could also see cities arranging joint public-private deals to connect each other through high-speed rail lines. The devolution project would be further enhanced, the government believes, when 12 cities hold referendums next year on whether to elect mayors. Clark told the Observer that cities could be the engines of growth necessary to revitalise the economy. “I think there are deals to be done which will allow policies to be different in one city than another,” he said. “It is part of my conversations with the cities to encourage them to make proposals about how they want things done differently in their areas.” The move to devolve powers will be the first major act by Clark in his new ministerial role, in which he works both with Vince Cable’s Department for Business and Eric Pickles’s Department for Communities and Local Government. Appointed in July as part of the government’s growth strategy, Clark has seen his role take on fresh importance since the riots in English cities earlier this month. However, in an apparent departure from David Cameron’s position that the riots were evidence of a general moral collapse in the country, Clark told the Observer it would be wrong to offer “pat solutions” or to generalise about society in every part of Britain. “I think the causes of this require mature reflection. I don’t think it is possible, I don’t think it is right, to say: ‘Well, it was A and B and the causes are obvious.’ I think it does require everyone in the government, but also all parties, to think carefully about it. I think it would be wrong to present a list of my pat causes and solutions. We need to consider why it happened in some places and not in others.” Clark, who was a member of the SDP, a forerunner of the Liberal Democrats, before he joined the Conservatives in the early 1990s, added: “I think it is still the case that we are a broadly law-abiding country. It is worth pointing out that it was by no means every place in the country that was affected. On the night of riots, in Newcastle there was open-air cinema – very well attended, people having a very nice time. Not everywhere in Britain was subjected to this.” Local government Local politics Transport policy Transport Daniel Boffey guardian.co.uk
Continue reading …Notting Hill carnival curfew plan is ‘pie in the sky’, warn police on ground
August 27, 2011 No Comment
Rank-and-file officers say move to turn off music much earlier than normal will cause friction and may lead to standoffs As record numbers of officers are deployed on Sunday to police the Notting Hill Carnival, there is confusion over how a proposed “curfew” is to be enforced, with rank-and-file officers saying they have not received adequate instruction on how to clear the streets following the event’s early closure. In the wake of the London riots, carnival organisers are to proceed on the condition that the parade of floats will finish by 6.30pm, and the static sound systems will be turned off by 7pm – hours earlier than usual – to minimise the potential for disorder after dark. However Metropolitan Police Federation vice-chairman John Tully said that hopes of clearing Notting Hill’s streets so early were “pie in the sky” and could create potential flashpoints. “We need direction – we being the rank-and-file officers that I represent – about when we are given an instruction from senior officers to clear the street what they actually mean by that?” he said. “We have no definition. If we go in heavy handed and a few people get cuts and bruises or injured, then my members are up in court on an assault charge. When we are told to clear the streets, we should get the backing of not just our managers but the politicians as well. “I don’t think it’s achievable because of the volume of people who are going to be there and who don’t want to go home. If they want to carry on, there is the potential for problems.” Tully also voiced wider concerns among colleagues that police officers were increasingly seen as a legitimate target by those who felt abandoned by the state: “Just look at Edmonton [north London] two nights ago when a police van was petrol bombed for no reason. That’s an indication of how tense the streets of London are. In the current climate, there is obviously a worry that there could be a potential flashpoint.” He cited a meeting in Tottenham last week, where the first of the UK riots began following the shooting of Mark Duggan, in which there was a sense of fury among locals who had turned up. “There was an atmosphere of absolute hatred towards the police and the establishment – the government – because they feel abandoned, the cuts in youth services, the cuts right across the board.” Commander Steve Rodhouse, the Met’s spokesman for the carnival, said he remained confident that the early closing time of 7pm would prove effective and diminish the potential for trouble: “Carnival ends at 7pm and that is certainly our intention. ‘We would hope that, combined with licensed premises closing at least between 7pm and 9pm, will be helpful in terms of encouraging people to leave the area and return it to normal for residents and businesses.” Organisers believe the latest festival will not only be safe but as memorable as the event the year after the 1976 riots at the carnival, which left 100 police injured and saw scores arrested. Ancil Barclay, Notting Hill Carnival director, said: “People have said to me that the best carnival they can remember was the year after the Notting Hill riots and we are hoping that this will be the same. We need to demonstrate to the world that we can deliver. People are looking forward to making this a successful carnival.” Barclay said that crime at the carnival was decreasing: “Met commanders have said that you’re likely to be safer in the carnival than in the West End on a Friday night.” He added that local residents were acting as the “eyes and ears” of the community to help identify any potential troublemakers. So far, more than 2,000 people have been arrested in connection with this month’s riots, while another 40 have been detained following pre-emptive raids under Operation Razorback designed to prevent troublemakers attending the carnival. However, last week Scotland Yard said up to 30,000 people were suspected to have been involved in the arson, looting and violence during the riots. About 16,000 officers will be on hand in the capital during the duration of the carnival. Up to a million people are expected to attend on both days, the majority on Monday, with the weather forecast predicting sunny intervals. ‘Preparing the show brings us all together’ Rosalind Thomas, 39 The costume-maker from Paddington has helped with the carnival outfits. This year the colour scheme is red. “I’ve been coming to the pre-carnival preparations since I was a baby. Sometimes there is so much to organise for a mas band that people sleep beside their costumes because of all the things that need to be completed. Preparing the show brings the whole community together; we have all generations from children to grandparents and teenagers – our junior king is 17 and junior queen is 16 – under one roof. It’s an important time for us, celebrating all the Caribbean islands, all the community, everyone.” Nolan Simmons, 68 A carnival “king”, for the last month he has travelled from south London to Notting Hill to help make his costume, a 20ft devil. He has been king of Elimu Paddington Arts Mas band for 30 years. “We build the costumes from scratch, it takes time. This year I have my leg, so I’m a little worried. We’ll have to see how I get on. I also have to dance with the costume on, but this year is a big carnival – the dry run for the 2012 Olympics. “A lot of things have changed since I’ve been doing this. We used to have police assigned to the band. They would have a great time – maybe, it was felt, too much of a good time. We also used to be able to go wherever we wanted, but now it is much more regulated.” Angela Badal, 40 The primary school teacher from Peckham works as a volunteer in the headquarters of the carnival organisers. She dedicates the bulk of the school holidays to helping organise the carniva l. “I love carnival. I have been coming since I was two or three. My parents are from Trinidad and I used to make costumes for the fancy dress shows at school and would win every year, then I would wear them at the carnival. Because of what has been going on, I really believe it is going to be very safe because of the number of stewards and police. It is a chance for everybody in London to show that we can come together, enjoy ourselves and be
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After battering other parts of the East Coast, Hurricane Irene now has Long Island, NY in its sights. As AP’s Haven Daley reports, residents and visitors on the island are hoping for the best but preparing for the worst. (August 27)
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Hurricane Irene’s center is forecast to move along the Mid-Atlantic coast Saturday night and over New England on Sunday. The winds started picking up in Atlantic City, New Jersey by late Saturday afternoon. (Aug. 27)
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Click here to view this media enlarge Photo Credit: NOAA Ron Paul thinks “we should be like 1900″ and return to the era before there was government assistance to help rebuild cities devastated by natural disasters. This seems to be a common theme among Republicans these days — the idea that there should be no disaster assistance to cities devastated by disaster. Like Joplin, MO. Or cities directly in the path of Hurricane Irene. In 1900, a hurricane made landfall in the city of Galveston, Texas, a city inside Ron Paul’s current Congressional district. The death toll was between 6,000 to 12,000 people and is regarded to be the deadliest hurricane in U.S. history . Here’s a first-hand history from Isaac M. Cline about the aftermath of the 1900 hurricane: The grain elevators which were full of grain suffered the smallest damage. Ships have resumed loading and work is being rushed day and night. The railroad bridges across the bay were washed away, but one of these has been repaired and direct rail communication with the outside world was established within eleven days after the disaster. Repairs and extensions of wharves are now being pushed forward with great rapidity. Notwithstanding the fact that the streets are not yet clean and dead bodies are being discovered daily among the drifted debris, the people appear to have confidence in the place and are determined to rebuild and reestablish themselves here. Galveston being one of the richest cities of its size in the United States, there is no question but that business will soon regain its normal condition and the city will grow and prosper as she did before the disaster. Cotton is now coming in by rail from different parts of the State and by barge from Houston. The wheels of commerce are already moving in a manner which gives assurance for the future. Improvements will be made stronger and more judiciously; for the past twenty-five years they have been made with the hurricane of 1875 in mind, but no one ever dreamed that the water would reach the height observed in the present case. The railroad bridges are to be built ten feet higher than they were before. The engineer of the Southern Pacific Company has informed me that they will construct their wharves so that they will withstand even such a hurricane as the one we have just experienced. Well, let’s just be clear here. Ron Paul is less interested in cities getting federal aid than he is in *poor* cities getting federal aid. And it’s the poor cities that suffer most. From a Guardian article in 2009: The question is: what is it that determines the likelihood that you will lose your life, or your limbs, or your livelihood, or your home? The answer is simple enough. To be at the greatest risk, you have to be poor, and live in a country with corrupt, dishonest or ineffective government. The odds are quite high that you already do so. This is because more than half the world lives in cities. By 2010, 73% of the world’s urban dwellers will be in the developing world and many of them will be in unregulated housing. There are a billion people already living in shanty towns and slums, and this figure is rising by 25 million a year. I wonder how many of the people who died in 1900 were poor. I wonder whether an organized rescue response from the federal government might have saved them. But mostly, I wonder why anyone listens to Ron Paul. [h/t Think Progress ]
Continue reading …Hurricane Spinning: Maryland Gov Says Obama Speech Motivated People To Evacuate
August 27, 2011 No Comment
I know many people who would be prompted to flee at the prospect of an Obama speech.
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