Tag Archives: #HeadlineTherapy

#HeadlineTherapy Blind refugee found dead in New York after being released by immigration authorities.

Thanks to Ana Faguy and BBC News for the Headline.

A 56 year old man who had lived in Myanamar(formerly Burma) and had to leave due to ethnic violence has died on the streets of New York having been arrested, detained and then left at a coffee shop some miles from his or his families residence. The authorities had investigated his right to be in New York and had ascertained they were valid. This was despite the fact the man, Nurul Amin Shah Alam was blind and did not speak any English.

In the article the Border Authorities implied it was kinder to drop him off somewhere warm and comforting like a coffee shop , rather than just kick him out of their premises after interrogating him. This argument fails miserably when it turned out that the coffee shop was closed. Somewhat worse was that the Homeland Security Department wrote a summary of what happened saying that he “showed no sign of distress or disability requiring special assistance.” The man was blind.

The temperatures in New York after dark were heading into minus figures, having probably never risen above 1-2 degrees the whole day. The people who left Shah Alam didn’t care , they just wanted their burden removed.

What is even more infuriating is that Shah Alam had the right to stay, otherwise they would have sent him to one of their holding areas where he would have been at least safe and warm even if the conditions may have been overcrowded.

Instead despite establishing that he had been given sanctuary in America, he was abused by a system which clearly has no respect for humanity.

There will be an investigation but the fact remains, Shah Alam had family in New York who could have been contacted and would have looked after him. It was pure cruelty to leave him on the freezing streets.

It was a random woman who had seen him lying down and” moving a bit” (three hours previous) to her report to the Police that she had seen him lying down and not moving. On the arrival of the Police he was discovered to have passed away, having presumably died of the cold and neglect.

This is an absolutely tragic story of human indifference.

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#HeadlineTherapy Major bank faces £600 million hit after UK mortgage lender collapses.

Thanks to Temie Laleye and GB News for the Headline

The bank in question is Barclays who appear to have been duped into lending to an unscrupulous UK mortgage lender “Market Financial Solutions”.

It’s all in the administrators hands now. The evidence shows that multiple loans were improperly secured for a number of single properties, leaving a massive shortfall in the loan to asset ration and leaving lenders exposed to losses.

There is worse news , according to Bloomberg more than £2 billion ( I assume the figure is correct and isn’t $) in loans to the bridging loan and buy to let mortgage provider (Market Financial Solutions) were provided by Wall Street Firms.

Pretty scary stuff, money chasing money and a House of Cards Scenario. Let’s hope it’s not the World that catches the cold from the plague of financial services double dealing.

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#HeadlineTherapy The family-owned soda firm that still uses returnable glass bottles.

Thank you to Gemma Handy and BBC News Online for the Headline

Twig’s Beverage in Shawano County in Wisconsin continue to use glass refillable bottles to provide their customers with their well known soft drinks which are made with sugar and not high fructose corn syrup.

There most well known product is “Sun Drop” a citrus-flavoured soft drink developed in the 1940’s.Today the brand is owned by US drinks giant Keurig Dr Pepper, but Twig’s continues to make their drinks under license for sale in Wisconsin and remains an independent family run Company.

Some of the refillable glass bottles are as old as 60 years old and are still going strong. This is truly an amazing business model which with an estimated 127 billion plastic bottles purchased every year in the United States Twig’s is a beacon of hope to everyone that there is a better way of providing for the consumer.

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#HeadlineTherapy “Dog ambassadors” to be deployed at beauty spot.

Thanks to Sarah Turnidge and BBC Online News for the Headline.

The beauty spot is near Stroud and is a common where free roaming Cattle can be grazed by ancient right and is managed by the National Trust.

A suggestion has been made to have volunteer “dog ambassadors” to encourage people to do what they should be doing ie. dispose of dog waste safely and also to be aware of the danger to livestock of dogs that are out of control and that are a danger to themselves and others.

I do think it could be a voluntary role that would be helpful Nationally. There is such a strong ethic among dog owners that they know what is best , that I think it would be a difficult but a worthwhile task.

We all need sometimes to be reminded what is appropriate and I do like the idea that a ” Dog Ambassador” is making sure that the dog is being looked after by the owner, the dogs need to be protected from us , just as much as we need to be protected from bad behaviour from owners.

It’s the first time I’ve heard of this and it does seem a good idea.

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#HeadlineTherapy Ex-MP main beneficiary of Covid fraud , court told

Thanks to Steve Jones, Bradford Crown Court and BBC News Online for the Headline

In a Crown Court in Bradford a Court Case is in progress where an ex Government Justice Minister appointed by Gordon Brown is on trial along with several others for basically saying they were running a Covid Testing facility and in actual fact they were giving out false results or no results at all to an unsuspecting population and getting a Government handout for doing so . It’s estimated that they made £6 million in 31 days.

Thankfully we are seeing some of these cases come to fruition, the five people involved who are on trial are charged with fraudulent trading, causing a public nuisance and money laundering.

Remembering back to those times and the fear that overcame us all with the situations that arose where normal social interactions ground to a halt and suddenly we were separated from loved ones at key times in their and our lives. We couldn’t see them in hospital or attend funerals for the sake of protecting everyone from infection. The charge of causing “a public nuisance” seems to me an understatement.

However it is a relief to see justice in action, it is horrific that all this money has been wasted and that no one in Government was qualified to say that these people were charlatan’s and should never have been put in the position they were. Justice Minister indeed!

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#HeadlineTherapy Chocolate kept in anti-theft boxes as shops warn it’s being stolen to order

Thanks to Simon Browning and BBC Online News for the Headline

Easter is coming and Chocolate is going to be in demand. Shelves full of the stuff, some better quality than others. Believe it or not in one London shop they are having to lock up ” Cadbury Dairy Milk” as it’s been targeted by thieves who obviously have no taste, haven’t they heard of Green and Black’s 70% Organic Cocoa?

Hidden pockets in coats to stash away Cadbury Cream Eggs. Sad to say these thefts have a knock on effect on retailers, both on their bottom line and on staff morale. It’s no big deal a few bars of chocolate is it?

Thankfully the Police are taking it a bit more seriously as they realise these are repeat offenders who get away with it once and keep on coming back with their rucksacks to fill with illicit contraband.

I don’t know what will be the most expensive Chocolate Egg in the shops this year, but if someone walks up to you in the pub and offers you one for a tenner, you can bet your life that they are not doing it out of the kindness of their hearts but leaving a trail of frustration and angst in their path. All for the sake of Chocolate.

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#HeadlineTherapy Memories as Scillonian III nears its last season.

Thanks to David Dixon, Penzance and BBC Online News for the Headline

I believe boats have hearts, ferries are the best ever mode of transport . Whether pulled by a Victorian designed chain mechanism or a fully powered modern steam engine, the journey might last 10 minutes or as in the case of the Scillonian 4 to 6 hours depending on the weather.

It was a well planned effort for me to travel to the Scilly Isles on the Scillonian III , it wasn’t so much about the destination, more about the voyage. It was calm, but there was a significant swell and it seemed to me we were going out into the middle of nowhere.

We have a dog now and I don’t think he’d cope with it. I remember watching dogs go up and down the stairs of the ferry, they really weren’t too sure. It’s alien territory.

Still, I’m sorry to see the boat reach it’s end of useful life and hope that it finds a role, perhaps less taxing somewhere else and also it’s partner boat that carries freight to the Scilly Isles which will also be taken out of service .My hope is that they keep on , keeping on for some time albeit somewhere else and I look forward to seeing their replacements on the water.

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#HeadlineTherapy Scientists create plastic that completely dissolves in seawater within hours

Thanks to Eric Ralls and earth.com for the Headline.

The crux of this is that some human generated chemical bonds are resistant to being broken down by microbes and harsh saltwater conditions. Thus Nature cannot do what it is very good at doing and recycle and reuse everything on the planet (and the universe for that matter) down to the last molecule while we continue to thrust our man made products into landfill that then seeps into all areas of the environment.

Japanese scientists have been working on plant cellulose to make plastic packaging that can be broken down and I suppose to the layperson seems more natural.

So where does this leave us, basically we have too much packaging , and no matter how much we want to play around with the chemistry of packaging, what we really need is much less of it and we need to change our approach to having products on demand and one off use. Why not have a centre or a shop for bulk products that we can weigh and measure what we need.

We don’t want to spend the time doing this , convenience is king, when indeed will we have the time?

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#HeadlineTherapy Project to dry out Charles Rennie Mackintosh’s Hill House at ‘critical stage’

Than to the Andover Advertiser and the PA News Agency for the Headline

Hill House in Helensburgh, Argyll and Bute in Scotland was commissioned in 1904 and features priceless interior design by Charles Rennie Mackintosh and his wife Margaret Macdonald. The interior and the house have been deteriorating over the years, as the rendering of Portland Cement , which was specified by Macintosh himself has proved permeable to the inclement Scottish weather and both the structure of the house and it’s interiors have been subject to water penetration.

In order to save it National Trust Scotland has been managing the project to preserve it. This has meant that in 2019 the building was surrounded by a giant metal box, to protect it from the weather and allow the rendering to dry out .

The next stage has now been reached and the rendering will be carefully removed, the remedial work done to protect the building and restore it to it’s former glory, knowing that the important collaboration by Macintosh and his wife will be protected from the elements for future generations.

The plan is to work towards reopening the house , no longer covered by it’s box in 2028 which is the 160the anniversary of Mackintosh’s birth.

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#HeadlineTherapy One of the most beautiful heritage railways in England is getting a world-first electric steam train- and it’s just 50 minutes from London.

Thanks to Vishnavi Pandev and Secret London for the Headline.

On March the 17th this year a new visionary electric steam train is being launched in Essex’s Audley’s End Enchanted Garden. The ride mimics an actual steam train , sounds and steam and all without the environmental impact of burning coal and boiling vapour.

Visitors will be able to enjoy a ride around the Spring Gardens in full bloom with bluebells and tulips while gazing from the authentic but brand new train called the “Steamless Revolution.” Sounds a nice day out.

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