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calendar   Wednesday - September 02, 2009

English-speaking pupils are a minority in inner-city London primary schools.

And that’s just London.

I think most immigrant families want their kids to learn the language of their host country. Of course, there are exceptions. But most I think realize they’ll have to acquire English skills to survive. At least it’s that way for now.  I think this article says a lot about the rate of immigration from some third world countries.
I wonder if maybe in a few hundred years there might be articles in this paper telling people that too many natives are still speaking English and something will have to be done about it.

54 per cent of primary pupils from inner city schools do not have English as their first language

By Laura Clark
Daily Mail

Children who speak English as their first language are now a minority in inner-city London primary schools, official figures showed yesterday.

Youngsters with a different mother tongue form a majority in primaries in 13 out of 33 London boroughs and in nearby Slough.

In inner London, 54 per cent of primary pupils and 48.5 per cent in secondary institutions do not speak English as their first language. This amounts to an astonishing 159,340 children.

Across the country, English is a foreign language to more than one in seven primary youngsters - almost half a million.

The figures from the Department for Children, Schools and Families point to the major demographic changes over the past few decades. Around a fifth of pupils are from ethnic minorities - up from 11 per cent in 1997.

There are concerns that school finances are under strain as growing numbers of youngsters require help with English.

Heads’ leaders have urged the Government to fund schools adequately and give fair treatment during inspections to those with large concentrations of non-English speakers.

The figures show there are 14 council areas in which primary children with English as their second language are in the majority - 13 London boroughs and Slough.

In Tower Hamlets almost four out of five youngsters do not have English as their mother tongue. In other areas, including Leicester, Luton and Bradford the proportion is approaching 50 per cent.

For primaries overall, 15.2 per cent are non-native English speakers - up from 14.4 per cent last year.

The figures indicate that many recent migrants have settled in London. The lowest populations of youngsters with English as a second language are in the South West and North East.

Sir Andrew Green, of the Migrationwatch think-tank, said: ‘These figures confirm the huge impact immigration is having on our society.

When Government funds are as tight as they are, this is bound to have a negative impact as children with English as an additional language will need extra tuition.’

He added: ‘In inner London it’s hard to know who immigrant children are supposed to integrate with since they heavily outnumber local children.’

The figures reflect a five-fold increase in immigration since Labour came to power. Net immigration has increased from 48,000 in 1997 to 237,000 in 2007.

A DCSF spokesman stressed that the figures ‘only indicate the language to which the child was initially exposed at home, irrespective of whether they speak English fluently later on. It is only a relatively few recent arrivals for whom communication problems are acute.’

‘We are increasing funding in the Ethnic Minority Achievement Grant to £206million by 2010, to bring students weak in English up to speed. We also equip schools to offer effective English as an Additional Language teaching for new arrivals.’

Yesterday’s figures also showed that the recession has brought the first rise in four years in the number of children qualifying for free school meals.

DAILY MAIL


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Posted by peiper   United Kingdom  on 09/02/2009 at 05:22 AM   
Filed Under: • EducationIllegal-Aliens and ImmigrationUK •  
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calendar   Tuesday - September 01, 2009

Sports Innovations are not sporting

7 plus 1

Technology Breakthroughs that changed sports forever




The aluminum baseball bat. The giant tennis racket. Hourglass shaped skis. Here’s a link to a Popular Mechanics story on 7 equipment inventions that changed sports.


But when you read the descriptions you’ll notice that almost all the sports groups reacted the same way: they either banned the new equipment, or severely regulated it’s use. So the “changed forever” part isn’t really all that great.

But one sport and one equipment invention that really did fundamentally alter the game was not even mentioned. And here it is:


image



The modern bowling ball has changed bowling forever. Prior to the mid-70s, bowling balls were solid things covered in rubber. Then somebody invented a ball covered in soft plastic. And it gripped the wooden lanes like nothing anyone had ever seen. And people began to be able to throw the ball in an arc. And scores started to climb. A few years later balls were covered in urethane, which is a kind of plastic even grippier than “poly”, which was the original plastic ball material. Then the ball designers started working on the inside of the ball, making weighted cores. And scores kept climbing. Then balls were covered in another kind of plastic called resin. Then reactive resin. Now it’s pro-active resin, and there is an entire field of surface friction technology. The latest balls aren’t just pro-active resin, or pro-active resin to which “pearl” is added (very tiny particles that work like studs on snow tires). No, they are designed so that the expanding resin foams in a specific way when it cures, so that the surface texture is of a specific kind, a specific height and width. And that texture goes all the way down, so that if you sand the ball down to get a fresh surface, it’s still the same as the original one. And the weight blocks have gone crazy. They are all designed by computer these days, and modeled extensively. Robot bowling machines test the balls every which way.

And how did the sport’s governing bodies react? In about 1979 they set a standard for surface hardness, so that smooshy soft balls were no longer legal. In 2009 they set standards for surface texture, so that balls couldn’t be excessively textured. But they still allow quite a lot of micro-texture.

And the bowling alleys have reacted too. Any good alley has nylon lanes these days. The old wooden lanes are long gone. For the professional bowlers there are now a set of 7 tricky oil patterns that the pros use, and there might soon be several more.

And scores continue to climb. And what do you know? 1 out of 6 citizens in America goes bowling at least a few times a year. Whereas skiing is dying. And tennis is at best an every-other-decade fad for the most part.

So maybe allowing the technological breakthroughs relative free reign has been a good thing. And there are no rumors of major steroid use on the pro bowling circuit.


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Posted by Drew458   United States  on 09/01/2009 at 03:35 PM   
Filed Under: • Sports •  
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worth at least 1000 words



image



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Posted by Drew458   United States  on 09/01/2009 at 03:03 PM   
Filed Under: • Obama, The One •  
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They keep pushing and pushing and pushing. When are some patriots here gonna push back?

Nah. Never mind. Don’t even try and answer that question.

For my American friends, the use of Asian doesn’t refer to what we in the states think of when using that term. Over here it refers to places like India and Pakistan.

I think we can safely assume (I’d bet) that they’re members in good standing of the ROP.  A plague be upon them.

Once, just once is all I ask, that the cops open fire with machine guns and wipe out a large group like this.  No great loss to the country and bullets a lot cheaper then dragging any off to jail. Less bother surely. Pick em up with a giant pooper scooper and toss em all in the sea.

H/T European News

200 Asian youths throw firecrackers at British police.


London, Aug 31 (IANS) Riot police made two arrests after 200 youngsters of South Asian origin threw firecrackers at police officers Sunday in an incident said to be linked to plans for a right-wing march through the town of Luton.
Communal tensions have risen in Luton - a town with a substantial population of Pakistani-origin people - ever since a small group of Muslims held an anti-war protest during a march by British soldiers returning from Iraq five months ago.

The local Bedfordshire Police said 50 officers had been called in Sunday afternoon after a small team of constables and police volunteers had been attacked by about “200 members of the younger Asian community”.

Police said the incident was linked to plans by far-right groups to take out a march through the town Sunday, but also said the Asian protest was held “for no apparent reason” because the march had already been banned.

Marching plans were scotched after the British home minister last week imposed a three-month ban on public processions in Luton by four groups - March for England, UK Casuals United, United People of Luton and English Defence League.

Bedfordshire police said in a statement: “(Sunday’s) disorder follows weeks of engagement and public consultation by Bedfordshire Police and Luton Borough Council in response to tensions within the community after the town was identified as a potential location for a march by right-wing supporters.”

Chief Superintendent Andy Frost said: “There has been extensive public consultation and work behind the scenes to ensure Luton was not the chosen venue for any kind of march or protest but it would seem that for no apparent reason disorder has broken out in Bury Park.”

Police previously said residents and businesses feared a repeat of the violence and disorder, including damage to property and assaults on individuals, which erupted during previous processions by far-right groups in Britain.

EURONEWS

HEY BTW ... MAY WE PLEASE NOTE THAT THOSE “RIGHT WING” GROUPS, NO MATTER WHAT YA THINK OF SOME OF THEM, WERE NOT THE FIRST TO TOSS STONES OR GET VIOLENT. 


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Posted by peiper   United Kingdom  on 09/01/2009 at 11:41 AM   
Filed Under: • RoPMAUK •  
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And now, the unpacking begins

I was so dog tired yesterday that I took the whole day off. I needed it. Heck, I need another 2 days, but I won’t be getting them. Now I have to start the unpacking.


image

A familiar sight to anyone that has moved. And there’s plenty more in other rooms





First night of Monday night winter league was last night. We got beat 2-5, though my wife and I both bowled really well. Which was probably a mistake, since this league only uses your book average for the first night. And I think that encourages sandbagging.

Ok, so now to start the process. Which means I won’t have much time to post for the next few days either, but I’ll do what I can.


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Posted by Drew458   United States  on 09/01/2009 at 10:21 AM   
Filed Under: • Daily Life •  
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good grief, is this an epidemic?  lady has heart attack, paramedic doesn’t help. she’s scared. wtf?

Well I guess the lawyers will be all over this quite soon.  And why not?  Damn what a sad story.  I can understand a lone paramedic and especially female, being a bit concerned going into a place where there’s drinking and maybe a rough crowd. I mean to say, I can understand her fear as lets face it, generally women in these situations become victims themselves.  So then why was she sent out alone to begin with? What sort of hiring standards and training are paramedics getting? 

Mother-of-three died in pub as solo woman paramedic ‘stood outside and refused to help’

By Daily Mail Reporter
Last updated at 12:14 PM on 01st September 2009

The family and friends of a woman who died after collapsing in a pub have called for action to be taken against a paramedic who they say refused to help her.

Melissa Procter-Blain, 32, suffered a heart attack at The Crown in Spondon, Derbyshire.

The pub’s manager has told how the lone woman paramedic who first responded to the 999 call initially parked outside the wrong premises and then refused to enter the bar.

The woman then allegedly refused to try to resuscitate the mother-of-three on her own and that one of the pub’s customers had to step in until back-up arrived.

Landlady Michelle Doherty, 34, is now calling for the paramedic to be suspended while an investigation into the incident is conducted.

She said: ‘We were waiting outside for the ambulance and we saw the paramedic had parked outside a garage down the road.

‘A young lad ran from the pub down to tell her she was in the wrong place but came back and said she wouldn’t come in.

‘My partner Kevin then ran down to talk to her and she said she wasn’t authorised to go into a pub alone and would only come in if he could guarantee her safety, which he did.’

East Midlands Ambulance Service had logged the incident as a category A - potentially immediately life-threatening - and sent a fast-response vehicle, which arrived within six minutes, and an ambulance, which arrived within ten minutes.

A spokesman said the solo responder paramedic took the life-saving kit from her vehicle into the pub but had described the atmosphere as tense and intimidating.

But witnesses in the pub dispute this claim. Ms Doherty said that while her partner spoke to the paramedic, one of her customers, Leanne Dono, was on the phone to a 999 operator.

She claimed the controller told her the sole responder would begin trying to resuscitate Miss Procter-Blain.

Miss Dono said she then spoke to the paramedic, who said she was not authorised to carry out cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR) on her own.
Enlarge The Crown pub in Spondon, Derbyshire

Local: Miss Procter-Blain suffered a heart attack in The Crown pub in Spondon, Derbyshire. She had been enjoying soft drinks

Miss Dono added: ‘I was talking to the 999 lady and she said I had to count Melissa’s breaths. I counted one, then there was a long gap, then I counted another. By the time I got to the fifth breath, her face had turned grey and there was foam coming out of her mouth. I told the lady on the phone I thought she was dead.

‘That was when the paramedic came. I told her that the 999 lady was saying she should try to resuscitate Melissa but she said she couldn’t on her own, so my boyfriend Scott started doing CPR instead.

‘It was horrible. Everyone was standing around and crying, but it wasn’t threatening. Everyone was just really upset.’

Pub manager Kevin Pearson, 35, said everyone had been ‘disgusted’ by the actions of the paramedic.

He said: ‘We were begging her to come in and help but she just said she couldn’t do anything on her own. What was the point in sending someone on ahead if they can’t do anything once they get there?

DAILY MAIL


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Posted by peiper   United Kingdom  on 09/01/2009 at 08:13 AM   
Filed Under: • Daily LifeHealth-MedicineUK •  
Comments (1) Trackbacks(0)  Permalink •  

and it isn’t like this is the first time something like it has happened here.

There has to be a lot wrong with a system where something like this no longer surprises anyone.
Thankfully, it is not an every day occurrence.  Not even once a month.  But three hours?  In the rain?  Poor woman. It shouldn’t happen at all.

No doubt the service is overstretched and there are ppl calling who aren’t emergency cases etc.


Injured woman lay in road for three hours waiting for ambulance

By Daily Mail Reporter
Last updated at 10:07 AM on 01st September 2009

An injured shopper was left lying in the road for three hours in pouring rain waiting for an ambulance.

The woman, 53, was knocked unconscious after falling out of a taxi and when she came round she complained she could not move her neck.

An ambulance was called at 6pm, but the woman was forced to wait until 9pm for a police officer trained in first aid to arrive, assess her and take her to hospital in a police van.

The NHS today launched an inquiry into why an ambulance failed to turn up at the incident in the Grangetown area of Cardiff.

Neighbours brought duvets and pillows for the injured woman as she lay in the street, and when it began raining another police officer held an umbrella over her while bricklayer Paul Mason, who lives nearby, wrapped her in a plastic shower curtain.

Mr Mason said: ‘She was unconscious when I first saw her and the police told me an ambulance had already been called.

‘The whole thing seemed to go on and on. Someone brought out a quilt to put over her and there were cushions under her head and then it started to rain.

‘The police were holding an umbrella over her. I went back into my house and got hold of a shower curtain to put over her because she was soaking wet.

‘I am totally disgusted - you don’t expect to see someone lying there for three hours waiting for an ambulance.’

The woman was taken to the University Hospital of Wales, Cardiff, where she was still being treated today.

South Wales Police confirmed that an ambulance failed to arrive at the scene last Thursday.

A spokeswoman said: ‘At around 6.40pm officers were on patrol when they were alerted to a woman who had collapsed and was complaining of neck pains.

‘An officer who is a qualified first aider responded then attended the scene and the 53-year-old woman was transported to the University Hospital of Wales, Cardiff, at around 9.20pm.’

A spokesman for the Welsh Ambulance Service said: ‘We would like to express our concern about this incident and we take all complaints seriously.

‘We are unable to comment on individual cases but we will investigate this incident internally.’

source


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Posted by peiper   United Kingdom  on 09/01/2009 at 07:48 AM   
Filed Under: • Daily LifeUK •  
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It’s Sept. 1st, 1939 and Poland resists invasion on three frontiers as Germany invades.

September 1, 2009. The anniversary of a world shattering event.  I kind of doubt this date will mean a lot to most Americans. Except for those with an abiding interest in history, I don’t suppose there’s any reason for most Americans to note this particular date.  For us, it’s December 7, 1941.
And I’m beginning to wonder how many of us even note that date.
I have a friend who told me she’d never heard of the Battle of Britain.

Well, to many over here that war was a lot closer and so this date does stand out.  And most especially to the Poles.

The following is from the diary of the Italian Foreign Minister, Count Ciano.

The video below that comes from Poland.

September 1, 1939
Germany Invades Poland

The Duce is calm.  He has already decided not to intervene, and the struggle which has torn his spirit during these last weeks has ceased. He telephones Berlin asking for a cable releasing him from obligations to the alliance. He does not want to pass as a welsher to the German people, nor in the eyes of the Italian people, who, to tell the truth, do not show too many scruples, blinded as they are by anti-German hatred.  Hitler sends the message through
von Mackensen.

I receive Francois-Poncet and Sir Percy Loraine.  It is now clear that France and England will do nothing against us.  Nevertheless, I repeat to Francois-Poncet and Sir Percy Loraine about our attitude.  The French still insist that the Duce should take the initiative toward the conference we discussed yesterday.  The English are more skepticle.  But we Italians are more skepticle still, we who know how things stand and know about the rabid determination of the Germans to fight.

At 3:00 Council of Ministers.
The Duce speaks briefly.  Then I speak, adopting a clear-cut anti-German tone.  The agenda for non-intervention by Italy, already drawn up since morning by the Duce and myself, is approved.  Even ministers like Starace and Alfieri, who had been among the most vociferous warmongers, embrace me and say that I have rendered a great service to my country.

First bits of news on the victories achieved by the Germans.  The Poles are withdrawing everywhere.  I do not believe their resistance can last long.

Further reading and photos:

WW2 TIME LINE IN THE TELEGRAPH


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Posted by peiper   United Kingdom  on 09/01/2009 at 04:13 AM   
Filed Under: • History •  
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Not that very many people ever read this far down, but this blog was the creation of Allan Kelly and his friend Vilmar. Vilmar moved on to his own blog some time ago, and Allan ran this place alone until his sudden and unexpected death partway through 2006. We all miss him. A lot. Even though he is gone this site will always still be more than a little bit his. We who are left to carry on the BMEWS tradition owe him a great debt of gratitude, and we hope to be able to pay that back by following his last advice to us all:
  1. Keep a firm grasp of Right and Wrong
  2. Stay involved with government on every level and don't let those bastards get away with a thing
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It's been a long strange trip without you Skipper, but thanks for pointing us in the right direction and giving us a swift kick in the behind to get us going. Keep lookin' down on us, will ya? Thanks.

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Oh, and here's some kind of visitor flag counter thingy. Hey, all the cool blogs have one, so I should too. The Visitors Online thingy up at the top doesn't count anything, but it looks neat. It had better, since I paid actual money for it.
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