A jubilant Donald Trump assured a crowd of supporters in Las Vegas last night that he’ll make a decision on a White House run soon—and his choice will make them “very happy.” Trump, in an expletive-packed speech focusing mainly on foreign affairs, called the nation’s leaders “stupid people” and…
Continue reading …“The world’s best boss” has walked out of Dunder Mifflin for the last time. Steve Carell’s inept Office character Michael Scott said farewell in a sentimental, hour-long episode of the sitcom, reports Reuters . Carell, who played Scott for seven seasons, is leaving the show to focus on his movie career….
Continue reading …London morphed into one massive wedding party today as throngs lined the wedding procession route and head-of-state guests from around the world streamed into Westminster for the historic wedding of Britain’s Prince William and his Kate. Some people camped out for days in the cold for a prime viewing spot…
Continue reading …We’ve seen it all before: the pomp, the circumstance, the beautiful bride marrying her prince. Then it all went horribly wrong. Why should we expect anything different this time? Royal watchers say it all comes down to Kate and her confidence. Kate’s older, more sophisticated, already more press-savvy than 19-year-old…
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This year’s bands will hope to walk in the footsteps of festival alumni Mumford & Sons and Amy Winehouse Its early days amounted to a gaggle of obscure indie kids playing to beer-soaked youngsters in pub back rooms, but Saturday will see a rather more slick, and vastly extended, Camden Crawl celebrate 10 years at the coalface of new music. More than 300 acts are to perform in 50 venues over the bank holiday weekend as part of the London music festival, including sets from urban star Tinchy Stryder and a new comedy circuit. It is a far cry from the largely chaotic scenes that accompanied the first crawl back in 1995, said founder Lisa Paulon. It was set up by a group of friends who ran small independent labels and were struggling to find venues for their acts, she explained. “We thought we’d pool together to get some gigs put on, but it was ultimate chaos,” she said. “We were just five people who didn’t know anything about putting on a gig, and less about health and safety. It was definitely a lot noisier than it is now.” Cans of lager sold like hot cakes in an unlicensed Scout hut, while the Saturday night nearly saw a riot after more than 1,000 punters turned up for a gig in a venue designed for half that number, she explained. “We had kids breaking the windows, spilling out on to the street fighting … when I see the photos now I just put my head in my hands.” That event had just 15 bands, playing in five venues, and covered a stretch of road no longer than 200 metres. This year’s Camden Crawl will stretch for more than two miles and will feature fringe theatre, with more than 100 comedians including Robin Ince and Rufus Hound. Alongside the laughs and the tunes, the East End film festival is linking up with Camden Crawl for two days of “sonic film” during which movie-savvy musicians – Bob Stanley of Saint Etienne and indie band Guillemots – will show special selections, accompanied with live sets at The Forge. “We attract a much wider scope of people now,” said Paulon. “Before it was just people who were very into the underground music scene, but now we have every type of punter under the sun from all over the country. It’s like the Camden version of the Edinburgh festival.” The festival gives music fans a taster of relatively unknown bands: you may not yet have heard of Lulu and the Lampshades, or the History of Apple Pie, but a few years ago a little-known band called Mumford & Sons played a set to around 70 people and this year played the Grammys with Bob Dylan. The queen of Camden, Amy Winehouse, has also performed at the festival, slurping tequilas while belting through an electrifying set in the Dublin Castle pub back in 2007. The band Paulon is backing to provide the spine-tingling moment of the festival go by the rather catchy name of Odd Future Wolf Gang Kill Them All, sometimes abbreviated to Odd Future, or the equally memorable OFWGKTA. The hip-hop collective from Los Angeles, California, are playing the outdoor stage on Sunday. “I think there will be about 2,000 people in the audience and I’m pretty sure I’ll look at it and think: I can’t believe we’ve done this,” said Paulon. Andy Ross, who curates the crawl lineup in the Spread Eagle venue and in a former life signed Blur to his indie label Food Records, said the ethos of the event was to give people the chance to see next year’s hot acts, via serendipitous methods. “It’s sometimes hard to get in venues for the bigger names, so you often end up stumbling into a bar to hear something. It’s a testing ground for up-and-coming bands and there is a lucky-dip element to it, and that’s really quite entertaining.” Camden Crawl Festivals Pop and rock Indie Alexandra Topping guardian.co.uk
Continue reading …Donald Trump must have “misremembered” when he told an interview this week that he avoided serving in the Vietnam War solely because he held a high draft number, according to documents obtained by The Smoking Gun . Selective Service records reveal that Trump—who graduated from New York Military Academy—received…
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Gangmasters licensing authority investigating Thanet Earth’s Kent facility, which supplies leading UK supermarket chains Working conditions at Britain’s largest greenhouse complex are being investigated by the Gangmasters Licensing Authority (GLA) after claims that agency workers at the vegetable growing site in Kent are being treated like “sweatshop labour”. Protests organised by the Unite trade union were held on Thursday outside Broadstairs branches of Tesco and Marks and Spencer, which are among the supermarket chains supplied with vegetables from the 220-acre Thanet Earth. Unite has submitted allegations to the GLA, the body responsible for regulating agency practices, including claims that workers have been systematically denied holiday pay, denied work as a result of taking holidays, and been employed for years on a casualised basis without fixed contracts. Thanet Earth grows cucumbers, peppers and tomatoes that are supplied to Tesco, Sainsbury’s, Asda and Marks and Spencer. It has been employing more than 250 workers in recent weeks to meet demand. The facility emphasises green credentials. It is a joint venture owned by the Fresca Group, the country’s largest privately owned fresh produce supplier, and three specialist grower companies. In a statement Thanet Earth insisted that the agencies supplying its labour were fully audited and licensed by the GLA. All legal safeguards were in place and an internal investigation carried out after allegations were raised by Unite in March 2010 was concluded satisfactorily. It said it had invited the GLA to carry out an investigation after Unite, which it accused of having “a fundamental opposition to the use of agency workers”, raised allegations again in March of this year. “We strive to make Thanet Earth an attractive, welcoming place to work and we care about the treatment of all workers on site – be they employed by an agency or by one of the Thanet Earth businesses directly.” Unite claims that the vast majority of the workforce have no permanent contract, no job security and work through four different agencies in a system of permanent casualisation. A Unite regional officer, Dave Weeks, said: “We’re taking our fight to the top of the food chain – those supermarkets that employ Thanet Earth. They have an obligation to make sure workers who help generate their healthy profits are treated fairly from root to basket. We know that many shoppers think if you buy local you buy ethical – that’s the message Thanet Earth might have you believe – but these workers have being treated like sweatshop labour.” An unnamed worker said: “We are treated like sweatshop labour. The agencies have done whatever they want, and Thanet Earth and the supermarkets have let them. When we have asked for our rights we have been told: ‘You can find another job.’ “We are disposable people to Tesco, Sainsbury’s, M&S and the rest, despite them agreeing to respect workers’ rights.” Neil Court of the GLA told the BBC: “We believe that Thanet Earth Marketing are a responsible company and I don’t think people should have any concerns on the basis of the allegations that have been made. “If we find evidence of non-compliance we will take action against the relevant licensed labour providers … even if that means removing the licence of that labour provider.” The GLA is expected to announce its findings in May. Food Employment law Supermarkets Retail industry Unite Trade unions Ben Quinn guardian.co.uk
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Wedding was a moment of light in the economic gloom – with no mention of a fairytale in sight Bells pealed, crowds cheered, even the sun put in a timely appearance, as Prince William emerged from Westminster Abbey with his bride on his arm. Wearing a broad smile, a Wartski wedding ring of Welsh gold and an ivory gown with lace applique, Kate Middleton – now Her Royal Highness the Duchess of Cambridge – joined The Firm amid the pomp and pageantry Britain prides itself on performing well. Before a global television audience of many millions, Kate played her part to perfection. From the dress – by Sarah Burton at Alexander McQueen, kept a secret until the last moment and sending the British fashion industry into paroxyms of ecstacy – to the 1936 Cartier diamond tiara loaned by the Queen, she looked every inch the fairytale princess. Which, of course, she was not. The Queen’s conferring of the ancient title of Duke of Cambridge on her grandson just hours before the ceremony deprived his wife of the title Princess Catherine. But she is a duchess, which is several rungs up the social ladder than her standing before entering the 1,000-year-old abbey this morning. And there was no mention of fairytales – unlike 30 years ago when Robert Runcie, then Archbishop of Canterbury, gushingly pronounced Prince Charles’s union with Lady Diana Spencer “the stuff of fairytales”. Lessons have since been learned. Instead, the Bishop of London, the Rt Rev Richard Chartres, read a prayer penned by William and Kate, and asking for spiritual help to guide them through their new life together. And this time, the bride did not forget her groom’s name and the groom did not stumble over the wedding vows. Indeed, apart from some slight wrestling required get the tight ring on to Kate’s finger, everything appeared to go without a hitch. William, in the bright red dress uniform of a colonel of the Irish Guards, whispered: “You look incredible, beautiful,” as his bride arrived at his side in front of the High Altar. The two exchanged smiles and glances throughout the service. The couple, in the 1902 state landau, were borne to Buckingham Palace on a sea of union flags and a tide of well wishes. And the kiss on the palace balcony, duly demanded by the crowd below, was executed with poise and with a few blushes from an embarrassed William. It was a fleeting and quite chaste kiss. It was repeated as the crowd bayed for more, with William’s seeming awkwardness reflecting his father’s own self-consciousness when he had been required to perform “that caper” in front of millions. It was the father of the modern British constitution, the 19th-century essayist Walter Bagehot, who once wrote “a royal family sweetens politics by the seasonable addition of nice and pretty events”. Such was today’s occasion, a moment of light to pierce the economic gloom. Kate, unblemished, beautiful and carrying a bridal bouquet that included sweet williams in tribute to her prince, hid her nerves well. There surely were nerves as the couple made their vows in front of God, the so-called great and the good and a global TV audience of millions. About 44 foreign royals were seated close to 51 members of the Queen’s extended family. The lesser royals had been bussed to the abbey in minibuses. After the couple said their vows, in which she did not promise to obey William, the archbishop of Canterbury, Rowan Williams, declared: “I pronounce that they be man and wife together, in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost. Amen.” They spent a private moment together with their families as they signed the marriage register. The congregation included heads of state, diplomats, charity workers and the couple’s friends. David Beckham, prominently displaying his OBE on the right lapel of his Ralph Lauren morning suit, was accompanied by his pregnant wife Victoria. Elton John, the singer, and Guy Ritchie, the film director, were among the celebrity faction. David Cameron, who slept on the Mall the night before Charles and Diana’s wedding, wore morning dress while his wife, Samantha, chose to go hatless, unlike most of the female guests. The Middleton family guests were bussed in four silver mini-coaches from the Goring hotel, which the family had taken over for the pre-wedding night, thus bestowing on the hotel global publicity of inestimable value. Other guests included Hash and Chan Shingadia, who run the convenience store in the Middletons’ Berkshire village of Bucklebury, and obligingly added a love of Haribo sweets to Kate’s many attributes. Villagers not in possession of a golden wedding ticket indulged in some celebratory duck and lamb racing on the green – and a spot of morris dancing. Back at Buckingham Palace, 650 of the guests enjoyed a champagne and canape reception. Royal officials said William and Kate were involved in planning their wedding day, from the music at the ceremony to the flowers and the cake. Guests and observers agreed, it was a stylish marriage. Naturally it included a carriage. There was, though, a bicycle made for two at their disposal – a tandem given to the couple as a wedding present by the London mayor, Boris Johnson. Royal wedding Monarchy Weddings Kate Middleton Prince William Caroline Davies guardian.co.uk
Continue reading …“Slick,” Scrappy,” “Boner,” Toker,” “Fat Boy,” and scoresof other gangsters have been taken off the streets of the Los Angeles Harbor area after a series of massive raids. More than 1,300 federal and local police officers arrested 81 gangsters after “Operation Pirate Town” targeted the Rancho San Pedro gang,…
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Soaring costs and safety doubts post-Fukushima mean India is unwise to plan a doubling of its nuclear plants Japan’s nuclear disaster has fuelled fear and uncertainty among all of the world’s producers of nuclear power. For India, an energy-starved country with big nuclear plans, much is at stake. The wider fear over nuclear power has two main causes. Firstly, although it ranks as a “clean” source of energy, it is accompanied by the terrible shadow of nuclear war and Japan’s last reckoning with nuclear catastrophe 65 years ago at Hiroshima and Nagasaki. Secondly, the secrecy that attends all things nuclear has left people not knowing enough to feel confident. The additional fear inspired by the Fukushima disaster will be reflected in soaring costs for nuclear power worldwide, largely owing to demands for improved safety and insurance. Indeed, nuclear plants are prone to a form of panic transference: should a reactor of one design go wrong, all reactors of that type will be shut down instantly around the world. In India, the dilemma is this: it has 20 nuclear plants in operation, with an additional 23 on order. With the country desperately short of power, and requiring energy to grow, concerned citizens are asking if nuclear is still the answer for India. Prime Minister Manmohan Singh has cautiously announced a “special safety review” of all plants. “Not enough,” say about 50 eminent Indians, who at the end of March demanded a review of the country’s entire nuclear power policy for “appropriateness, safety, costs, and public acceptance”. The group also called for an “independent, transparent safety audit” of all nuclear facilities to be undertaken with the “involvement of civil society organisations and experts outside the department of atomic energy”. Until then, they demanded a moratorium on all nuclear activity and a revocation of recent clearances. This is as explicit as opposition can get. How have other countries reacted? France, a global leader in nuclear power, initially avoided most of the global anti-nuclear concerns. But now it too is promising to upgrade its safety procedures, including a reassessment of the potential effects of natural disasters on nuclear plant operations, conceding that the occurrence of more than one natural disaster simultaneously had not been considered previously. China, which has 77 nuclear reactors at various stages of construction, planning, and discussion, has said that it will embark on a wide-ranging review, but Russia has announced that it will go ahead with its programme. The US has just two under construction on its own territory, despite being the principal exporter of reactors. Meanwhile Denmark, Greece, Ireland and Portugal are strongly anti-nuclear, and Switzerland has stopped all nuclear power projects. All of this will lead to cost evaluation and escalation. According to a study conducted by former Indian government minister Arun Shourie, the price of uranium could rise to $140 per pound, close to its record high. A change of much greater consequence concerns the price of reactors. Pre-Fukushima, a report from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT), The Future of Nuclear Power, 2003, as well as a study by researchers at the University of Chicago, established that nuclear energy was 50-100% more expensive than energy from coal or gas. The report by India’s Working Group on Power says the cost of energy production from the country’s coal-based plants is about one-third lower than nuclear power, with gas 50% cheaper. Energy security and public safety should be of equal importance in determining future policy on nuclear power. Indeed, experts like CMA Nayar have said that the Fukushima accident “could have happened even if there was no tsunami”. Nayar suggests that it has long been known that the reactor’s design contained basic flaws, though only the Japanese authorities can verify this. So, what is to be done? Clean energy at a time of global warming is obviously necessary. But so is the safety and security of humans, animals and plants. India has set itself on a path of doubling its nuclear power output. This is deeply troubling, for India’s nuclear supplies almost entirely dependent on imports from manufacturers who refuse liability for any malfunction. So how should India’s energy demands be met? At a minimum, a thorough re-examination and full public debate must precede the construction of any new nuclear plant. Preferably, the entire policy is reassessed, and dependence on nuclear reduced. With nuclear safety suddenly becoming a global imperative, the costs are simply too high to do otherwise. • Jaswant Singh, a former Indian finance minister, foreign minister, and defence minister, is the author of Jinnah: India – Partition – Independence. Copyright: Project Syndicate , 2011 Nuclear power Energy Nuclear waste Waste India Jaswant Singh guardian.co.uk
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