BBC2 programme by Discworld author and Alzheimer’s sufferer to show a terminally ill man’s last moments in a Dignitas clinic The last moments of a terminally ill British man who travelled to a Swiss suicide clinic will be shown in a documentary presented by the author and euthanasia campaigner Sir Terry Pratchett. The writer, who was diagnosed with a form of Alzheimer’s disease in 2008, is shown at the Dignitas clinic in Switzerland with the 71-year-old motor neurone disease sufferer named only as Peter. Pratchett, best known for his international bestselling Discworld series, said he was “a firm believer in assisted death”. He said: “I believe everybody possessed of a debilitating and incurable disease should be allowed to pick the hour of their death. And I wanted to know more about Dignitas in case I ever wanted to go there myself.” In the hour-long film, which will be broadcast on BBC2 in the summer, Pratchett compares how different European countries deal with the issue and meets people who want to control how and when they die. It is not the first time assisted suicide has been shown on television. In 2008, a documentary on Sky called Right To Die? showed 59-year-old Craig Ewert , who also suffered from motor neurone disease, end his life. The disease causes muscles to waste, leading to loss of mobility and difficulties with speech, swallowing and breathing. The BBC’s commissioning editor for documentaries, Charlotte Moore, said: “Assisted death is an important topic of debate in the UK, and this is a chance for the BBC2 audience to follow Sir Terry as he wrestles with the difficult issues that many across Britain are also faced with. I hope this sparks a constructive debate that people across the spectrum of opinion can engage in.” Dignitas was founded in 1998 and takes advantage of Switzerland’s liberal laws on assisted suicide which suggest a person can be prosecuted only if they are acting out of self-interest. More than 100 UK citizens have so far gone abroad to die in Dignitas clinics, where nearly 800 people from the UK have become members – the first step for those considering assisted suicide. Assisted suicide Terry Pratchett Motor neurone disease Alzheimer’s Documentary Television David Batty guardian.co.uk
Continue reading …
Results likely to heighten investor fears that Google’s commitment to recruit 6,200 workers this year will harm profits Google has reported an 18% rise in first-quarter profit, disappointing analysts who are increasingly concerned about thecompany’s aggressive expansion strategy and lavish spending. Google’s first-quarter earnings of $2.3bn, or $7.04 a share, for the quarter ended 31 March came in below analyst projections as the internet search leader accelerated recruitment hiring and spending in other areas, driving up its expenses. The company’s shares shed $27.74, or nearly 5%, to $550.77 in extended trading. These results are likely to heighten investor fears that Google’s earnings will suffer because of the company’s commitment to hire at least 6,200 workers this year. That would be the most in its 13-year history. Google co-founder Larry Page, who replaced Eric Schmidt as CEO after the quarter ended, has indicated he plans to keep investing in long-term opportunities that may take years to pay off, even if that affects the short-term results. Page offered a determinedly optimistic view of the figures. “I’m very excited about Google and our momentum, and I’m very, very optimistic about our future,” he said. He insisted that the management transition Google announced three month ago is unfolding as planned, with Page overseeing day-to-day operations while Schmidt handles government relations and stalks possible acquisition targets in his new role as executive chairman. If not for the cost of employee stock rewards, Google said it would have earned $8.08 a share. The company hired 1,916 staff, taking its workforce over 26,300. Half of the new staff are working on products and services to supplement search advertising, which makes most of Google’s money. Google US economy Economics guardian.co.uk
Continue reading …
Group says Arrigoni – a pacifist and blogger – will be killed unless Hamas releases its leader, Hesham al-Saeed A jihadist group in the Gaza Strip aligned with al-Qaida has threatened to execute an abducted Italian, unless Hamas releases the group’s leader. A YouTube clip posted by the group said the man they were holding, Vittorio Arrigoni, would be killed on Friday at 5pm local time (2pm GMT) unless Hesham al-Saeedi, whom Hamas detained last month, was released. “If our demands are not met within 30 hours starting from 11 am of 14.4.2011 the captive will be executed when the period is over,” a text on the video clip said. Arrigoni, a pacifist and blogger, has lived in Gaza for some time. He was shown blindfolded in the three-minute clip with blood around his right eye and a hand can be seen pulling his head up by his hair to face the camera. A spokesman for the Hamas interior ministry said it was investigating the abduction. It was unclear when Arrigoni was kidnapped or where he was being held, but an Italian diplomat who serves in the region confirmed he had been abducted. The Arabic text that accompanied the footage of Arrigoni also said “the Italian hostage entered our land only to spread corruption” and it described Italy as “the infidel state”. Arrigoni told Reuters television when he landed ashore in 2008 that he was part of the Free Gaza Movement, a group that has campaigned against Israel’s blockade of the coastal territory. “We’re happy to see all these people because we are here to try to help … you have the same human rights that other people of the world … have, the same rights as the Israelis and the Italians have,” Arrigoni told Reuters at the time. A statement released by Palestinian president Mahmoud Abbas in the West Bank called for Arrigoni’s “immediate and unconditional release” and said it was counterproductive. “This action does not serve the just cause of the Palestinian people and harms it,” Abbas’s statement said. Arrigoni is the first foreign national to be abducted in the Gaza Strip since BBC journalist Alan Johnston, who was held for 114 days by an al-Qaida-inspired group called the Army of Islam. He was released in 2007. Arrigoni came to the Gaza Strip on a boat bringing humanitarian supplies in 2008 that Israel, which enforces a blockade on the tiny coastal territory, allowed into Gaza port. Hamas, which has in the past denied any al-Qaida presence in Gaza, has been trying to keep other Islamist groups in check following a Israeli military offensive in 2009. Gaza Middle East Italy Hamas Palestinian territories Europe guardian.co.uk
Continue reading …Why are they so surprised ? Let’s see: for the past 30 years, declining wages. People have tapped themselves out on expensive houses, putting their kids through college, and keeping themselves afloat through extended unemployment — not to mention medical expenses. If you didn’t cash in on the equity in your house when it was still worth something, or have a pension that has held its worth during this recession, how on earth would you have enough money to retire? Almost 40% of working Americans said they will never afford retirement, according to a report released Wednesday by the American Institute of Certified Public Accountants. Retirement ranked as the most important issue out of all financial concerns facing Americans, including uninsured medical expenses and rising education costs. In fact, it topped the list for the second year in a row, the survey said. The majority, or 56%, of those polled said they were not saving for retirement, mostly because of the toll higher gas and food prices were taking on their budgets. Fifty-five percent said they didn’t even know how much they need to save for retirement, while those that thought they did know often underestimated the amount, the AICPA said. When asked to estimate how much savings they needed to retire at age 65 and live for 20 years, most of those earning $50,000 to $75,000 a year said they needed $250,000 in savings. But assuming inflation and annual expenses of $50,000, that amount would run out in less than 10 years, the AICPA said. “These statistics suggest we are on the verge of a retirement crisis in America,” Jordan Amin, chairman of the National CPA Financial Literacy Commission, said in a statement. “Americans don’t know how to prepare for their twilight years, and many have put off figuring it out because they’re struggling to make ends meet now.” Gee, you don’t suppose a national pension plan would be a good idea? That way, businesses would cut costs because they wouldn’t have to deal with the complex pension laws and workers might actually have a pension that was still there when they got old.
Continue reading …
Executives clear desk of news editor James Weatherup hours before police arrive The News of the World reacted to the unexpected arrest of one of its most senior reporters by clearing his desk. Despite the paper having promised that it would co-operate fully with police inquiries, executives descended on the desk of former news editor James Weatherup moments after learning of his arrest. Under the eyes of their legal team, they bagged up notebooks, papers and recording machines and removed them “via our lawyers”, a firm whose identity the publisher refused to confirm. A few hours later, the police arrived and took the bags to Scotland Yard. The unexpected arrest of Weatherup, one of the most senior journalists at the News of the World, at his home leaves little room for doubt that the new police team investigating the phone-hacking scandal is determined to succeed where its much-criticised predecessors failed. It was three weeks ago that the News of the World dumped a vast archive of data at Scotland Yard’s door – a trove that has turbo-charged the Met investigation. The data, which comprises millions of emails from everyone at the newspaper – and which the NoW previously claimed had been lost – could implicate the paper in more instances of malpractice than have been previously suggested. There are 8,000 emails relating to Sienna Miller alone. An examination of their contents could reveal that many more public figures were also targeted by the newspaper, in addition to the 24 who are already bringing legal actions, including football agent Sky Andrew and the former culture secretary, Tessa Jowell. It was also anticipated that the archived data would include email exchanges between the most senior executives on the NoW, including its former editor Andy Coulson, who resigned as David Cameron’s media adviser in January, and Ian Edmondson, Greg Miskiw, and Neville Thurlbeck, journalists on the paper. Edmondson and Miskiw had already been implicated in the affair by paperwork seized from Glenn Mulcaire, the private investigator who was on the NoW’s books. What was not expected, however – even by the most senior executives at the paper – was that a new name would be discovered amid the mountains of data, along with evidence so strong that an arrest could be made. Weatherup’s arrest stunned those at the highest level of the paper. News International executives have been saying privately that they were confident Edmondson and Thurlbeck were the only staffers still working at the paper who were likely to be implicated in hacking. The Met were so determined to conceal the new direction of their investigation that Weatherup, 55, was not given notice that he was being investigated by police officers. Unlike his colleague and former colleague Thurlbeck and Edmondson – who were arrested last week on suspicion of unlawfully intercepting mobile phone voicemail messages – he was not given the chance to voluntarily attend a police station before being placed under arrest. Instead, Weatherup – the third news editor under Coulson and one of a handful of senior employees who would take part in private discussions of major news stories with other senior members of the paper – was arrested in an early-morning swoop that left both his family and News International reeling. Not only was his house in Romford, Essex, searched but the contents of his desk are now being examined by police – the third time Scotland Yard has seized all official and personal material belonging to a NoW employee in little more than a week. What is also significant about yesterday’s arrest of a hitherto relative unknown is that the police have worked at such intensity and speed. Until last week, former royal editor Clive Goodman, jailed in January 2007, was the only News of the World journalist to be arrested for listening to private voicemail messages. No other reporters or executives were questioned by the initial police investigation. It was only after a series of high court cases brought by Miller, the football pundit Andy Gray and others that the Met was forced to reveal material found on Mulcaire’s computer, during a 2006 raid of his home. In contrast, the 45-member new team, Operation Weeting, have arrested three current or former NoW journalists in the past nine days alone over possible involvement in alleged phone hacking at the paper. Amelia Hill Dan Sabbagh guardian.co.uk
Continue reading …
US president reverses previously cautious approach to Libyan conflict and signs America up to more muscular intervention President Obama today signals the return of America to the forefront of the international effort in Libya, writing a joint article with David Cameron and Nicolas Sarkozy in which the three leaders commit their countries to pursue military action until Colonel Gaddafi has been removed. In the joint article, Obama reverses America’s earlier cautious approach to the conflict – which saw the US hand control to Nato and withdraw fighter planes just days after the intervention began – and signs up his country to the more muscular intervention of his European colleagues. Obama’s new interest could transform the efforts of the international community after three days of talks in the Gulf state of Qatar in effect came to nothing. Writing in Washington Post, the Times and Le Figaro, the three leaders say the world would have committed an “unconscionable betrayal” if the Libyan leader is left in place, putting rebels who have been fighting against the Gaddafi regime at the mercy of his government. If left, Libya risks becoming a failed state, they write. Obama, Sarkozy and Cameron call on Gaddafi to “go and go for good”, rejecting demands for an immediate ceasefire and a negotiated exit for the Libyan dictator. Diplomats are considering how the language of the United Nations mandate can accommodate a more active role on the ground. In the piece, the three leaders acknowledge the legal constrictions but suggest they must overcome them: “Our duty and our mandate under UN Security Council Resolution 1973 is to protect civilians, and we are doing that. It is not to remove Gaddafi by force. But it is impossible to imagine a future for Libya with Gaddafi in power. The international criminal court is rightly investigating the crimes committed against civilians and the grievous violations of international law. It is unthinkable that someone who has tried to massacre his own people can play a part in their future government.” Yesterday Gaddafi was seen driving through Tripoli on what seemed to be a victory parade. His soldiers bombarded the city of Misrata with shells. In their article the three leaders call the attack on Misrata a “medieval siege … to strangle its population into submission”. They write: “The brave citizens of those towns that have held out against forces that have been mercilessly targeting them would face a fearful vengeance if the world accepted [Gaddafi staying]. It would be an unconscionable betrayal. “So long as Gaddafi is in power, Nato and its coalition partners must maintain their operations so that civilians remain protected and the pressure on the regime builds … Britain, France and the United States will not rest until the UN security council resolutions have been implemented and the Libyan people can choose their own future.” The Times reported on its publication that the article originally began as a collaboration between Cameron and Sarkozy, coinciding with the prime minister’s trip to Paris on Wednesday to discuss the military action. A draft was sent to the White House as a courtesy, prompting a request from Obama to add his name. Diplomatic sources said that only minor changes were made to accommodate him. Libya Barack Obama David Cameron Nicolas Sarkozy Muammar Gaddafi Nato Middle East Allegra Stratton guardian.co.uk
Continue reading …Anthony Weiner Gets GOP Rep To Admit Ryan Plan Equals Vouchers, End to Medicare
April 14, 2011 No Comment
Click here to view this media On The Last Word, Anthony Weiner maneuvered Rep Jack Kingston (R-GA) into admitting that the Ryan plan ends Medicare and converts it to a voucher plan. What’s so funny about this is how hard Boehner has been working to deny it , because of course, vouchers equal privatization. So Boehner’s out there laying it down saying no, it’s not privatization, it’s transformation . We all know it’s bull but then who cares, because he’s doubling down on Ryan’s plan after the President’s speech anyway in order to appease the Tea Party and his insurance company keepers happy. Keep overreaching, GOP. Keep it up.
Continue reading …
Tensions grow over ‘tens of thousands’ figure with ‘incandescent’ Vince Cable challenging policy interpretation The first major rift between David Cameron and Nick Clegg opened up after the Liberal Democrats accused the Tories of attempting to breach the agreement on immigration. In a sign of tensions in the run up to the local elections and AV referendum on 5 May, senior ministerial sources dismissed Clegg’s view of the policy. The row erupted after the prime minister declared in his first major speech on the subject since the election that the government would cut net migration to the “tens of thousands” each year rather than hundreds of thousands. Cameron also warned that immigrants unable to speak English or unwilling to integrate have created a “kind of discomfort and disjointedness” which has disrupted communities. An “incandescent” Vince Cable, the business secretary who was not briefed about the speech, rounded on Cameron. “I do understand there is an election coming but talk of mass immigration risks inflaming the extremism to which he and I are both strongly opposed,” he told the BBC. Cable also challenged Cameron’s interpretation of government policy. “The reference to the tens of thousands of immigrants rather than hundreds of thousands is not part of the coalition agreement, it is Tory party policy only,” he added. Cameron slapped down Cable when he appeared to accuse him of being “off beam”. He said after his speech: “[It was] an important attempt to explain why we are doing what we are doing, why it’s right and why some of the critics of it, actually, are off beam.” Clegg, who “noted rather than approved” Cameron’s speech, was initially irritated with Cable for coming close to breaching cabinet collective responsibility. The deputy prime minister was relatively relaxed with Cameron on the grounds that he was mentioning “tens of thousands” as an aspiration and not a formal target. One senior Lib Dem, who reflected Clegg’s thinking, said: “The tens of thousands is Conservative policy. It is not Lib Dem policy. We do not think that it can be set as a target. It is not government policy.” But Tory government sources challenged Clegg’s interpretation when they insisted that the tens of thousands figure was formal coalition policy agreed by the cabinet. One source said: “That figure is in the background documents to the Queen’s speech and is in Home Office documents. It has been used on the floor of the Commons. It is government policy. “It is true that it is not in the coalition agreement. But there are quite a lot of things that are not in the coalition agreement. This policy has been cleared at all levels of government.” The row over the highly sensitive matter of immigration showed that relations between the Tories and Lib Dems are becoming tense in the run up to the elections and AV referendum. Senior Lib Dem cabinet ministers have become irritated with George Osborne over his claims about the funding of the yes campaign. Danny Alexander, Osborne’s deputy at the Treasury, accused him of “pretty desperate scaremongering”. Lib Dems made it clear that differences are extending beyond a “permitted” area, such as AV, to immigration where the coalition partners are meant to work together. Lord Oakeshott, an ally of Cable’s who resigned as a Lib Dem treasury spokesman in a row with Osborne over the banks, hit out at Cameron. “When something is not in the coalition agreement it does not become coalition policy just because David Cameron says so, even if he has shown his speech to Nick Clegg,” he said. Oakeshott’s dig at Clegg highlighted tensions between Cable and the deputy prime minister. Cable was angry with both Cameron and Clegg for failing to brief him on the speech which relates to his ministerial portfolio. “Vince didn’t know anything about the speech and was absolutely horrified,” one source said. “Nick is clearly not being tough enough in saying no to Cameron.” Lib Dem sources had earlier hailed Cable for his success in restraining the Tories in cabinet negotiations over immigration. They believe the party’s greatest success was in rejecting Tory pressure to impose a cap on student migration. “Nick and Vince are very proud to have worked hard to get the policies where they are. The Tories wanted a student migration cap. That has not happened.” Clegg had earlier tried to downplay the differences. His spokesman said: “This is a Conservative prime minister speaking to Conservative party activists using Conservative language.” Yvette Cooper, the shadow home secretary, said: “The Tory-led government’s immigration policy is in chaos. And now the business secretary has said he doesn’t even agree with the policy in the first place. “David Cameron said ‘no ifs, no buts’ he would deliver on his target to cut net migration to the tens of thousands, yet Vince Cable said that it isn’t coalition policy. What on earth is going on?” David Cameron Immigration and asylum Liberal-Conservative coalition Nick Clegg Vince Cable Elections 2011 Alternative vote Nicholas Watt guardian.co.uk
Continue reading …Senate Blocks House Efforts to Defund Planned Parenthood, Affordable Care Act, Passes 2011 Budget Resolution
April 14, 2011 No CommentAs expected, the Senate has voted down a measure to defund Planned Parenthood, with five Republicans voting with Democrats to keep the funding in place. The vote was 42-58. Republicans voting against the stand-alone resolution to defund Planned Parenthood were: Sen. Scott Brown of Massachusetts, Sen. Mark Kirk of Illinois, Sen. Lisa Murkowski of Alaska, and Sens. Susan Collins and Olympia Snowe of Maine. The same resolution passed the House earlier today by a vote of 241 to 185. Seven House Republicans voted to keep the Planned Parenthood funding, while 10 Democrats voted to eliminate it. The budget agreement completed last Friday included a deal to eliminate a “rider” attached to the must-pass funding bill that would have cut “Title X” funding for women’s health organizations that also conduct abortions . Meanwhile, the House has begun debate on the Paul Ryan Roadmap to Ruin. Suffice it to say, it’s truly annoying. Their vote on it is to take place tomorrow, but I’m having difficulty finding the actual text of the thing.
Continue reading …My wife has indulged my fantasies about her with other men but not anymore, and now I’m struggling without the prospect of new sexual adventures I’m a 45-year-old man who has been married to a beautiful woman for 15 years. I find my wife talking about her previous sexual experiences very erotic. But she’s quite conventional and her imagination isn’t great. She’s indulged my desire to hear new stories by meeting other men, sometimes just for drinks but occasionally it’s gone far beyond that – to my pleasure. She’s now told me she will no longer indulge this and I’m struggling to accept there’s no scope for adventure. It’s a big part of what makes me tick sexually, and my frustration’s growing. We’ve discussed me having an affair, but it’s not what I want. My wife says she couldn’t cope with it, anyway. The issue is the difference between fantasy and reality. It’s fantasy that does it for you, isn’t it? You don’t need your wife to actually go with someone else. Since the idea of her being with someone else turns you on, you could negotiate with her to create fantasy scenarios that will inspire you. But first, find out what she really wants from your love-making, and provide it. If you can give her what she wants, and promise you won’t expect her to have sex with other men, she may be willing to put more effort into making up new stories or searching for erotic tales in, say, the media. Perhaps you could find scripts for her, or research stories yourself and use them privately to enhance your arousal. • Pamela Stephenson Connolly is a clinical psychologist and psychotherapist who specialises in treating sexual disorders. • Email your problem to private.lives@guardian.co.uk Sex Relationships Pamela Stephenson Connolly guardian.co.uk
Continue reading …