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CatEye's Strada Wireless Computer
Dedicated road cyclists can point to maybe half a dozen must-have accessories: helmets come first, followed by gloves and padded shorts. A cycle computer ("cyclocomputer") almost has to come next. That's especially true if you have an obsessive streak about your exercise; like this cyclist does: I wrote my own software for a runner's / biker's / walker's log, and I've been keeping a record of one or all of the above for more than 25 years. I freely admit it: obsessive...
My bike records only go back fifteen or sixteen years, but I've had a computer mounted on every bike I've owned since the '80s. When my previous model started acting up not long ago, it was off to the store for a new one. I've had good luck with CatEye brand (plus the store didn't have much else), so I opted for a newer model, the CatEye Strada Wireless, model CC-RD300W. Here's my thoughts.
The Good Stuff
The CatEye Strada Wireless has lots of features for something that only measures 1 x 1¾ inches and weighs just 19 g (2/3 ounce). Besides a half-inch tall current speed display, I can cycle through other on-screen displays just by pushing the base of the bezel. CatEye calls this a "ClickTec Interface." The other displays are: time of day, elapsed time, distance, distance 2, average speed, maximum speed and odometer. If I hold the case down for two seconds, it all resets except the odometer and distance 2. The Strada is auto on/off: the computer "wakes up" and starts timing when the bike starts moving, and ceases keeping time when it stops. It goes to sleep – showing only the clock - after ten minutes, and shuts down all displays after 14 days of inactivity.
Strada Wireless is A/B capable, so you can mount the sensor and receiver on two different bikes, even if they have different wheel diameters - one for a training bike, the other for a competition bike (or more likely, one for your road bike and one for your mountain bike). The second bike will require a second set of mounts, at additional cost.
The Strada Receiver
The receiver can be mounted on either the handlebar or the stem with CatEye's improved mounting FlexTight Bracket Band; meaning there are no cable ties involved. The computer itself slides into the mounting bracket with a friction catch, and easily slips out for security. The sensor has a "universal" mounting bracket with a pair of cable ties, which CatEye says can fit any front fork. Both brackets have sticky tape for added security. If you want to switch from bike A to bike B, remove the sensor and computer but leave the mounts in place.
When you're moving, the display includes a "pace arrow" pointing up if you're exceeding your average speed and down if not.
The computer is easy to install and fairly easy to program - you have to set clock and odometer (if you care), choose between metric and English units, and set tire diameters for both bicycles.
The Strada Sensor
The Indifferent (Or The So What?)
- It may well be too easy to reset: holding down the "ClickTec" interface for two seconds can happen when you're removing the bike or just leaning on your handlebars at a stoplight; I did it once while standing next to the bike and supporting it by the stem.
- There's no cadence function, which competitive riders find essential but recreational/fitness riders (like me) don't.
- The Strada can't tell the difference among sensor signals - in a tightly-packed peleton, who knows whose sensor the computer is actually reading (though since you're all going the same speed, what difference does it make?). The sensor off my old Micro Wireless talks to this computer, in fact.
- CatEye is headquartered in Japan, which is where the box says "Made in..." I wonder why it has an Italian name instead of being called the ninja, the ronin or something similar…
Amazon Price: $65.00 $49.00 Buy Now
(price as of May 24, 2015)
Not Everything is Perfect
- The Strada's receiver can't be more than 70 cm (27.5 inches) from the sensor. Unless you have a tiny bike, this means you have to mount the sensor on the front wheel; rendering the computer useless (except as a clock) on indoor trainers. There is nothing on the packaging, however, that mentions this limitation.
- The installation instructions are two double-sided sheets about the size of a newspaper, printed with at least twenty languages. The operating instructions are reduced to a crappy icon tables that look like the diagram for one a Rube Goldberg device.
- Changing the computer's battery erases the odometer and both tire sizes. You'll need to record their values (assuming you noticed them before the battery died) before re-programming by hand (my software keeps track of the odometer).
Yes, It's Tiny!
I had thought of using my new Strada to track mileage on an indoor trainer during cool seasons, but that can't happen unless I mount the computer on the top tube. I wish CatEye would make this limitation more obvious on their packaging. I also wish that the owner's manual were a little less cryptic. There are larger, better-illustrated English language installation instructions on-line; why can't they do that with the operation instructions?
Other than these quite minor quibbles, I'm very satisfied. The accuracy is - as I expect from CatEye - superb, the sensitivity is good, and the installation was easy (after I pulled out the magnifying glass). Our household history with the manufacturer suggestswe'll have above-average longevity and durability. Cyclocomputers are an essential for the obsessives among us, and this one is a basic, yet very good wireless model.


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American Cockroach
- American Cockroaches are more common in warmer climates.
- They prefer to nest outdoors, yet close buildings and are very common in sewer systems of many American cities.
- American Cockroaches can fly.
- They are reddish-brown in color
- American Cockroaches are considered large roaches and vary from 1.1 to 2 inches in length.
- They can squeeze into a space no thicker than a quarter.
- Female American Cockroaches can produce up to 150 offspring per year.
- They're very fast runners and can move up to 50 body lengths per second (comparable to a human running 210mph).
- American Cockroaches are nocturnal and mostly active at night.
- They will eat just about anything, including paper, hair, cloth and dead insects.

subset: commoncrawl


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"You need to work on your business, not just in your business." Made popular by The E-Myth Revisited author Michael Gerber, it's advice I'm sure you've heard dozens of times... read more →
What's the secret to being a successful owner? Well, we may not know what the secret is (that's why it's called a secret). But having worked with some great founders... read more →


text:
Anna Nobili, 38, spent years working as an exotic dancer and striptease artist in night clubs in Milan.
But she swapped string bikinis and high heels for a nun's habit after a visit to the shrine of St Francis in Assisi, a place of pilgrimage for millions of Catholics in Umbria, in 2002.
Sister Nobili, as she became, joined an order of nuns called the Sister Workers of the Holy House of Nazareth.
She claims to have been reborn by her faith in God and practises a form of "mystical" choreography which she calls "Holy Dance".
She is due to perform in front of senior Catholic clerics next week at the Holy Cross in Jerusalem Basilica, one of Rome's best known churches.
The performance, based on stories from the Old and New Testaments, will be called: "The Bible: Day and Night".
Among the guests expected to attend will be Archbishop Gianfranco Ravasi, who is in charge of the Vatican's Cultural Department.
Sister Nobili, who now calls herself a "ballerina for God", said: "I was wasting my life dancing for men in clubs. The nights were filled with sex and alcohol. It was an empty life but I liked it because I was the centre of attention.
"But now my life has been transformed," she told La Repubblica. "I still dance but now I dance for God and I'm happy. All my choreography is dedicated to Him. My aim is to pray using my body."


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Stephen Lawrence murder: Brother wants role in inquiry
Stephen Lawrence's brother has said he should take part in the probe ordered by the home secretary after revelations that police spied on his family following Stephen's murder.
Stuart Lawrence said his being on the panel would ensure "the job is done".
Met Commissioner Sir Bernard Hogan-Howe said he "fully supports" calls from the Lawrence family for "decisive action".
He said the Metropolitan Police would share "everything with that inquiry and other investigations".
Sir Bernard's comments followed remarks by Stephen's mother, Baroness Lawrence, who wrote to him describing revelations of the spying as a "devastating blow" and urging him to take action.
The revelations were contained in a report by Mark Ellison QC, which found an undercover officer had passed on personal details concerning the Lawrence family, such as comments on the separation of Stephen's parents.
The report also found documents from the Met's own corruption investigation had been subject to a "mass shredding".
In response, Sir Bernard said: "I want to assure Baroness Lawrence and Mr Lawrence, and the public, right now of my determination to act.
"Under my leadership, the Metropolitan Police will do all it can to redeem ourselves in their eyes. We will continue to seek to bring to justice those responsible for the murder of their son."
Sir Bernard will reply privately to Baroness Lawrence's letter, which he has not yet seen, a Met spokesman said.
Sir Bernard said: "I fully support the public inquiry announced by the home secretary on Thursday.
"I undertake to ensure that the Metropolitan Police shares everything with that inquiry and other investigations.
"The Metropolitan Police will not regain lost trust without honesty, openness and transparency."
Sir Bernard has instructed the force's professional standards team to investigate where action should be taken against individual officers.
He also plans to seek changes to employment laws to "help recruit a Metropolitan Police Service that looks and feels like London".
Commenting on the planned inquiry, Stuart Lawrence said: "I reserve judgement until I hear who he [Sir Bernard] has tried to employ to try to do this job and I wouldn't mind being part of the team myself to ensure the job is done.
"I'm a bit sceptical and reserved about apologies if that's all they are because they are just words.
"I want to see something done," he added.
Stephen Lawrence was 18 when he was stabbed to death in an unprovoked attack by a gang of white youths in Eltham, south-east London, in April 1993.
However, it was not until 2012 that Gary Dobson and David Norris were found guilty of murdering him and sentenced to minimum terms of 15 years and two months and 14 years and three months respectively.
Duty of disclosure
On Thursday, Home Secretary Theresa May told MPs the findings in the Ellison report had damaged the police and ordered a public inquiry.
The Ellison report found a Special Demonstration Squad "spy" had worked within the "Lawrence family camp" during the Macpherson Inquiry, conducted in the late 1990s to look at the way police investigated Stephen's murder.
It also found that the Met's own hard copy records of a broad investigation into possible corruption had been subject to a "mass shredding" in 2003.
It warned that the "chaotic state" of the force's records meant that a public inquiry might have "limited" potential to find out more information.
Baroness Lawrence has asked for a personal undertaking from Sir Bernard that he and the Met Police "will fully co-operate with the continuing enquiries the home secretary referred to in her oral statement to the House of Commons as well as the judge-led public inquiry she has ordered".
The letter asked Sir Bernard to release all material in his possession or control to the inquiries, and to be "transparent and honest" in his duty of disclosure.


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Blog and Article Syndication SEO Link Building
[ANNOUNCEMENT FROM ADMIN] Anyone that requests to join Syndication Express must use their real name and put an acceptable profile picture up. This is a community for bloggers, article writers and authors. Your blog content will be shared on all the major social sites giving you massive exposure and branding. Additionally community members are encouraged to read, comment and share network members blog posts to the various social and bookmarking sites for SEO purposes. By doing this, members blog post will receive viral exposure, social signals, one way backlinks and targeted traffic from the search engines.
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Started this discussion. Last reply by Merle Gibbins May 2, 2014. 5 Replies 1 Like
Would you like to travel better for less? Would you enjoy extra income, too?You can do that with Paycation. Paycation enables you to run a successful business right from the comfort of your home…Continue
Tags: opportunity, business, travel, consultant, Paycation
Posted on June 16, 2015 at 2:10pm 4 Comments 4 Likes
John Grisham, author is the author of twenty-two novels, one work of non-fiction, a collection of short stories, and a novel for young readers.
He is on the Board of Director of the Innocence Project in New York and is the Chairman of the Board of Directors of the Mississippi Innocence Project at the University School of Law. He lives in Virginia and Mississippi.
His novel Confessions explores the mind and habits of a sex…Continue
Posted on November 25, 2014 at 7:42pm 5 Comments 3 Likes
Xooma's X2O is a Natural Organic Mineral Complex that delivers Calcium, Magnesium, Potassium and over 70+ trace minerals (electrolytes) to the body in an easily absorbed (ionic) form.
An increased intake of X2O water will pH balance the body, enhance nutrient absorption' increase weight loss' create skin hydration' detoxify and add to virtually every aspect of better health.
The human body is a water machine' designed primarily to run on…
Posted on October 31, 2014 at 7:13pm 4 Comments 2 Likes
Posted on August 4, 2014 at 9:13pm 2 Comments 2 Likes
Did you know there is a little-known secret about water that has existed for thousands of years?
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What if I could show you "The World's Most Perfect Water"?
-- a…Continue
Thank U Sandra J Falagan for selecting me as your friend. We will maintain our relationship as a same family and endeavor our future happenings happily.
Thanks so much for connecting with me Sandra...that is so very true, One can never have too many friends! It is great to be here with everyone here and sorry that I missed saying "Congrats" on being featured member on IBOToolbox on Nov. 18th...Just want to say "Great Job"...Keep up the good work and many blessings to you.
CONGRATULATIONS Sandra on being featured member today on IBOtoolbox. Here's to your successful day and week ahead.
Hi Sandra thanks so much for your invite. Stay bless
Welcome to Syndication Express Sandra. So glad you're here.
Welcome to SE Sandra, all the best.
Sandra I started the site on November 8, 2012. It is growing everyday and people in the community are all very good friends. Glad to have you here.
Just a few months ... I think I joined around May and I am so glad to see it growing .
Welcome Sandra


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Thank you for the £25 for the May all stars comp.
Thank you arrived!
Thank you so much. Prize arrived today... wow that was quick.... xx
Thank you so much x
Thank you winneroo for my five pound's
Thank you for my prize from cat shack game
Yay thankyou for my £25 claw crane win vouchers.... I think I will save them and hope I manage to win again to save more hee
Thanks for the £25 for the March all stars comp im saving them up to get a new mobile
Thankyou Winneroo for my prize. xx
Thank you Winneroo for my Prize.
Thanks very much for my recent win yummy!
Got my chocolate today :) thank you xoxo
Thank you for my fast cash friday win a couple of weeks ago. I recieved my £10 Love2Shop voucher came today!
Thanks very much for my fab prize Winneroo! Most appreciated! Oh and super speedy delivery too, because I only claimed it yesterday!
Thank you so much for my recent win - absolutely love it xxx
Thanks for my lucky dip! My nieces favourite!
Thank-you so much for my love to shop voucher that I won on fast cash Friday , I shall enjoy spending this
Thanks for my Rainbow Drops which arrived today! Most appreciated!
Thanks winneroo, forgot to post this. I'm putting it towards a new watch (in the sale) at Argos #TreatMyself
Look what arrived yesterday!! Can't wait spending it!
Thank you for my voucher from last month's Mahjong
Just got My mahjong & all star February vouchers!Thank you winneroo!
Can't believe it my first go on here and won £50 thank you so much!
Just to say thanks for the £25 of vouchers from last month's competition.
Woke up today feeling meh! Then my prize arrived and made it better. THANK YOU WINNEROO!
Hello Winneroo, many thanks for my £10 Love2shop voucher that I won in last weeks FCF, here is a pic of me with my prize.
Thank you for my TKMax voucher x
If you would like to appear in the Wall of Fame, please email your picture and quote to email@example.com, post them on our Facebook page or Tweet them to us.
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With a baby playing out doors can be tricky. As the Robot has got bigger though it is becoming easier and easier. Our favourite thing to do outdoors with him is going for a walk! We did exactly this as part of The Wildlife Trusts #30DaysWild challenge.
In the heat we've been having recently we've opted for a woodland walk, but with an OS map in hand, we veered off and up hill to see the view around Morecambe Bay and the Lake District. It's great to have mini picnics in the shade and just let the Robot explore the grass and his surroundings.
Still not quite sure of the definition of VLOG, here is a little HOME MOVIE of our walk:
This is in support of Louise from Squished Blueberries and Sarah Rooftops new Linky This Little Big Life.
#ABC123 is a challenge I have set myself to complete 26 weeks of posts, every week a different letter of the alphabet. This week is the letter O for outdoors.
Do you fancy having a go at the #ABC123 Challenge?
What Wild activities are you completing this June? I'd love to know and have some inspiration!


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Cook County Higher Education Presentation
Looking forward to discussing strategies and platforms for organizing one's online life at the Grand Marais, Cook County Office of Higher Education on Monday, August 17th at 5:30-6:30 PM.
Bring your laptop or favorite digital device and plan for some hands on problem solving and planning.
Join us!
You can listen to an interview about this session from WTIP Community Radio here!


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In Northernmost Kentucky, sharing relative space with Ohio and Indiana, lies a golf facility that offers everything a golfer could want or need - and we mean everything. A golf course, driving range, miniature golf, indoor range and chipping area, and even golf simulators for full rounds, putting practice, and putt putt. What more could a facility want or need? GolfBoards, of course!
Welcome to World of Golf in Florence, KY. Brad Steinke of WKRC in Cincinnati filed THIS REPORT saying "It's fast, it's eco-friendly and the best part - it's a lot of fun."


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Etiquetteer recently attended a memorial service for a Public Figure, and had this to observe:
- Perfectly Proper dress is most important at a funeral or memorial service when respect is shown both to the dead and to the living. While Etiquetteer naturally prefers black - always Perfectly Proper in the West - many tasteful and respectful ensembles in black, gray, and white were observed. Down jackets and flannel shirts, regardless of the weather - and Etiquetteer does understand that this has been a brutal winter - simply are not Perfectly Proper.
- For such events, Etiquetteer wears a black necktie that incorporates stripes of purple and silver gray, having learned that the combination of black and purple symbolizes triumph over death. Etiquetteer tends to avoid wearing a black bow tie with a plain black suit, as too many people believe it's pretending to be a tuxedo - which it certainly is not!
- To leave a funeral or memorial service before it has ended is the Height of Bad Form, no matter how much longer it continues than you expected. Etiquetteer was outraged to see between 10-20% of the assembly scurry out. At such times your convenience means NOTHING! This is not an entertainment for your benefit or curiosity. Remain seated and attentive until the service is definitely over - or at least remain seated, close your eyes, and think of England.
- For Heaven's sake, turn off your devices before the service begins! Etiquetteer counted three cellphone interruptions (two possibly from the same phone). If you can't prevent yourself the embarrassment (should you be incapable of feeling embarrassment), at least prevent the rest of us the annoyance. Sadly, it's become necessary to indicate at least by signs of printed announcements, if not by a verbal announcement, that devices must be switched of.


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Weekly Giveway: Water Bottle from Gaiam! mollybug is the winner!
A vegan cannot live on food alone, she must also have drinks! And even though I wish the majority of those drinks were margaritas, they should probably be water. Le sigh. Anyway, you'll easily get your eight glasses a day when you're walking around with an ultra hip water bottle by Gaiam (http://www.gaiam.com/). H2O is much more refreshing when it comes out of something so sleek and stylish. However, if you choose to fill the bottle with margaritas occasionally, I won't judge you. In fact, I might join in on the fun!
To win a sexy water bottle, let us know what your favorite pancake or waffle topping is.
Giveaway ends Tuesday, September 27 at midnight, winner will be selected randomly, must live in USA to win.
Good luck!
p.s. Are you getting the VegWeb Weekly? It's our free and food-filled newsletter and you can sign up by just entering your email on the home page or on this page in the left hand bar!
Apple compote, for sure!
I'm boring, I just like earth balance and syrup
Vanilla soy yogurt and bananas. And real maple syrup.
Nothing beats real maple syrup!
Pure maple syrup and cinnamon.
Earth Balance, Strawberries, and Soy Whip!!!!!
i say that its not what goes on it but wht goes in it, i havent tryed many varieties of either but i know that anything cinnaminy, all spice or punmpkin spicey will do
100% real maple syrup, although tonight I reduced down store bought applesauce, added cinnamon, nutmeg and ginger so it tasted like autumn and almost homemade. That was tasty.
My favorite pancake topping without a DOUBT is peanut butter with a little maple syrup. SO TASTY. Very filling. :D
Peanut butter and sliced banana.
EB, syrup, sliced bananas & strawberries. Omnomnom :)>>>
I ADORE pancakes and waffles! These are AMAZING: http://www.madejustright.com/post/vegan-cinnamon-coconut-pancakes.
I do agree with the others - Earth Balance and syrup rock but I also like homemade blueberry syrup and also peanut butter. You can't go wrong! :)>>>
Earth Balance and real organic maple syrup!
My favorite pancake and waffle topping is just good old-fashioned pure maple syrup! I also love fresh fruit and berries.
I'm boring I guess. I like real maple syrup and EB.
I'll do *almost* anything for a cute water bottle. And I like my pancakes with fresh lemon & lime juice & tamari. Savory veggie pancakes, babay!
Mmmm, now I want waffles....
I'll take mine with fresh blueberries and/or (preferably "and") homemade blueberry syrup. Earth Balance optional.


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The short story series I edited and wrote for, Tales of the Automazombs: A Desperate Plan, is available now on Amazon in ebook and paperback!
The stories within A Desperate Plan are set in a steampunk world gripped by plague that preserves its victims after death. To cleanse the land, inventors create a shambling horror that can devour infected flesh without spreading it further. It's the best plan they have, since they exhausted every other option. But don't worry. There's no way these cyborg zombies (the Automazombs!) would ever turn on their creators.
Sound interesting? You can pick it up on Amazon.
After reading, I welcome your honest review. Reviews, on Amazon especially, help other readers notice little indies like me.
Also! Visit automazombs.com to learn more about the book, the world, and to read extra stories / comics.


text: Selective logging practices like reduced-impact logging may lessen environmental effects, but impacts are difficult to detect and quantify with satellite imagery. The SNAPP Forest Sharing or Sparing Working Group tested airborne lidar, a tool that has an active sensor and gives three-dimensional results that help quantify the impact of selective logging practices. Their findings are published in Forest and Ecology Management. More>


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text:
Contributing Author: Quinn Roberts
Published on September 15, 2016
*Quinn's piece will also be featured in the Visionary Party 2016 Online Program Book*
A man had taped photographs of me to his bedroom ceiling. Ricky sold them to him for fifteen dollars, and now he needed them back.
Ricky wouldn't say which ones he sold or where the transaction went wrong. All he said was that the man had a weak spot for blonds, for pale skin and slender bodies.
"That's why you're going instead of me," he told me. "When you get older you can't convince people of anything."
Ricky gave me the man's address, a bus map and a ticket. As I packed myself a turkey sandwich on white I watched two boys corner Ricky in the living room, turn off the TV and ask him why he was letting me leave after curfew. Once I heard the words unfair and ass-licker I put on my headphones and left.
I walked to the bus stop down the street. The summer solstice was in two weeks, and the evenings had turned thick and dense. I felt the air roll down my neck.
As I waited I wondered if I knew this man – whenever Ricky took me on sales trips he had me introduce myself to his clients and memorize their names, their faces, what they did for a living, where they were from originally. He said it was part of running a business and that these skills would come in handy when I went to college.
The bus arrived and carried me past the church and the library, the bank and the post office. It stopped at the supermarket and I got off.
Outside I saw Josh from school walking his beagle. Before I could cut behind the supermarket he called my name and crossed the street.
"I haven't seen you at all this year," Josh said. "Why didn't you tell me you moved?"
"I'm not at school anymore," I said back.
"You were always so much smarter than us. How do you like your new school?"
I shrugged and kneeled down to pet his beagle. Ricky was allergic to animal fur, so this was the first dog I had let myself touch in months. I scratched the beagle's neck and it tilted its head up, its tongue hanging out of its mouth.
"She remembers you," Josh said. "You should come over soon. We just moved to a bigger house a block away. It has a pool."
I half-smiled. "Sure. I miss swimming with you."
As I walked past the supermarket I caught a look at Josh. He had gotten taller than me, and his hair was dark and curly now. My mother used to say that my hair would get like that when I started puberty, but Ricky had forbidden puberty for all of his boys. According to him pimples and peach fuzz were bad for business.
I wondered if Ricky would have offered Josh a place in the house. During my initiation he told me that unless my pictures kept selling I'd have to move out by end of the year. He reminded me every time he measured me, weighed me, trimmed my fingernails and waxed my upper lip.
"But won't I freeze to death?" I asked.
Ricky shrugged. "I'll lend you a jacket."
The man's house was on a dead end street, two stories, painted white and caked in dirt, with a brick pathway curling around to the entrance. A rusty sprinkler leaked on the lawn. I picked it up and let it soak my hair and stain my shirt. I imagined that I'd look sultry for the man, like I had walked here.
I followed the bricks and stepped up to his door. I knocked.
The man opened his door and craned his neck out. His eyes met mine, then fell to my sneakers. I stared back, trying to determine if I had exceeded his expectations or barely met them.
"You're early," he said. He gestured me in.
Feathers poked out of his furniture. A lamp cast a dull orange shade through his living room and onto the man's figure. He stood just below six feet and had a patch of chest hair peeking out of his bathrobe. He was barefoot.
His carpet was lined in newspaper. "I'm potty-training a kitten," the man said. "It's asleep by the vent."
"Such a responsible cat owner," I said. I smirked at him, the smirk that Ricky said drove clients wild.
He shook his head. "I'm only doing it for my next door neighbor. She's deathly afraid of excretions. I'm less afraid, I just hate the smell."
The man poured me a glass of water and handed me a roll of paper towels. "You're sweaty," he said. "When you do these trips you need to wear a clean shirt. You need to comb your hair, and you need to wipe your face. Ricky ought to teach you personal presentation."
I wiped my cheeks and forehead. "He's a busy man."
"His last prize boy had the same problem. I told Ricky several times, straighten this one out, but he got worse and worse. He'd come in and I'd ask him, when was the last time you bathed?"
I remembered this boy – the day I moved into the house he turned sixteen, and Ricky had bought him a slice of ice cream cake. His roommates screamed at Ricky about their diets, how they hadn't gotten ice cream on their birthdays. That night I fell asleep with my hands pressed against my ears.
"I hear Ricky kicked him out," the man said. "What a shame. He photographed well."
I gave the man the cup and the towels. He placed them on the couch and headed to his staircase, and I followed him in silence.
His bedroom had a musty odor and a dim glow from his bedside lamp. He had one tiny window adorned with dusty blinds. Stacks of notebooks stood on his desk next to stacks of dictionaries and encyclopedias. I looked to his bed, unmade, covered by a tattered blanket. I tipped my head up and scanned his ceiling. All I saw was a clump of tan paint.
"My photos are missing," I said.
"They are," he said back. "I threw them out."
"But Ricky needs them back."
The man shook his head a second time. "Ricky doesn't know how to run a business. He told me the photos were revealing, but I disagree." He went to his desk, opened a drawer and pulled out a camera and a band of dollar bills. "I want you naked."
I stood still and folded my arms. He raised the band to eye level.
I tried to count how much he was offering – thirty, forty, possibly fifty. More than my photos usually sold for. Maybe enough to buy my own bus pass, or a turkey sandwich from the deli down the street, one with provolone and mayonnaise on a Portuguese roll. I wondered if I could exchange some of the bills for quarters, find a payphone and call Josh, ask him if I could spend the week at his house. He'd let me borrow his brother's swimsuit.
I heard myself ask how much he'd pay me.
"We'll see."
I untied my sneakers first, then slid off my shirt. I ran my hands down my torso and rubbed the sweat, its moisture drying onto my skin. I unbuttoned my khakis and shimmied out. I stuck my thumbs between my pelvis and my boxers, waiting for the man to approve, but he was sitting on his bed and loading film into his camera. I took my boxers off.
The man positioned me directly in front of the lamp and kneeled on his bed. I turned my head towards him and stared at the lens. "What should I do?" I asked.
"Tilt your chin down," he said. "Bring your eyes to the floor, and think of something hot. Think of heat."
I heard his shutter click. My penis filled with blood and hardened. I shot a quick glance at the band of bills on the bed and mouthed the word heat.
The shutter sounded like Josh's beagle barking at a deer in the woods. I thought of the summer solstice last year – he said he'd never been this hot in his entire life. We raced each other to the lake and dove in, our arms extended above our heads. We swam for hours, wrestled in the water, hid beneath the surface whenever we saw a wasp.
As soon as we got out of the lake Josh bolted for the woods, shouting that I'd never catch him in a million years. I chased him, tore through bushes and branches, climbed over rocks and drummed my chest like a gorilla. I saw him slip out of the woods and ambushed him. He cursed and squirmed and I pressed his shoulders into the grass. His skin was wet, damp, as hot as concrete. I felt it burn beneath the sun.
I loosened my grip and slid my hands down his arms, wrapping my fingers around his.
He turned to me and smiled. "I wish you were a girl," he said. "I wish we could do this the rest of our lives."
"Stay in the moment," I said back.
When the shutter stopped I almost lost my balance and fell to the floor. I tried to figure out how much time had elapsed. The man crouched down on the carpet and lay his pictures in a grid, an inch between each. They developed and I took shape, my bare chest outlined, my skin fuzzy and gray.
"These are trash," he said. "You don't look like a prize boy."
I felt my cheeks turn red. "But you'll still pay for them?"
"You can sell them to someone else."
I folded my arms. "I can't go back to the house without something to give Ricky," I said. "I heard you had a weak spot for me."
The man shook his head a third time. "Ricky is clueless," he said. "You are unremarkable."
He collected the grid and arranged the pictures into a stack. He took his wad of dollar bills, removed the band and wrapped it around the pictures. I put my clothes back on, took the band and followed his gesture to the staircase.
When I reached his living room I saw the kitten by the door, sitting on a layer of soiled newspaper. Its eyes narrowed. I bent down and placed the photographs on the newspaper. The kitten slid forward and laid on them. It coiled into a tight ball and closed its eyes, falling asleep, purring softly.


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Ken Livingstone's campaign to stand as Labour's London Mayoral candidate in 2012 is attracting an increasing number of Labour leading figures in London Government.
According to Labour List who are keeping a tally, he now has the support of six of the eight Labour members of the London Assembly: Len Duvall (Leader of the Labour Group on the Assembly), Nicky Gavron, Joanne McCartney, Murad Qureshi, Navin Shah and Val Shawcross.
He is also supported by six Labour Council Leaders (including the three women Leaders – Ann John in Brent, Claire Kober in Haringey, and Catherine West in Islington; along with Liam Smith in Barking and Dagenham, Julian Bell in Ealing, and Peter John in Southwark).
They are joined by four Labour opposition leaders (Croydon, Hammersmith and Fulham, Hillingdon, and Westminster) and another 35 Labour Councillors around the capital.
It is a pretty impressive cross-section – all of whom know how important it will be to have a strong and effective advocate for London as Mayor after the 2012 elections.
Speeches in the House of Lords are often extremely good: usually knowledgeable and well-informed; frequently incisive; and often very witty. However, they are rarely passionate.
Today – for once – there was passion in abundance, when Baroness Patricia Hollis rose to demolish the "spiteful" Government Bill that would deny Norwich (and Exeter) the status of being unitary authorities.
She was in magnificent form:
"My Lords, I declare an interest as former leader of Norwich City Council, and also a former Norfolk county councillor. Perhaps I may add that nothing I will say in any way casts aspersions on the integrity of my fellow Norfolk Peers or indeed on the Minister herself, whom I hold in high regard.
I fully accept that the judicial review has cut across this Bill, which means that we did not pursue the issue of hybridity and we did not argue the case before the Examiners. Not surprisingly, therefore, the examination was exceedingly short. We also accept that, together with the Minister, we need to clarify the electoral situation of councillors. However, the Bill is before us and that is what we are debating, so I want to say something about local government reorganisation more generally, and then analyse the reasons for what I regard as a spiteful little Bill.
In 1974, Norwich and Exeter had been unitary councils for more than 600 years. They had ratepayer democracy half a century before county councils were even invented. By the 1930s, Norwich County Borough not only exercised all of today's district and county council functions, including the police but ran the massive non-voluntary hospitals and public health chunk of the future NHS, all of today's Anglia water authority and the major utilities, as well as a large part of the social security system. Norwich's budget would have been between £1.5 billion and £2 billion, I calculate in today's prices, compared with our current non-housing budget of £50 million.
With that record, it is insulting when Eric Pickles of unitary Bradford, a mere village when Norwich was the second city of England, or the Minister, from the unitary London Borough of Kensington and Chelsea, invented only in the 1960s, tell us that unitary status is fine for them but not for us. From 1888, when Norfolk County Council was invented, until 1974, almost every initiative of note in the county was pioneered by the city. That is what cities do.
We are the largest non-unitary authority in the country. We are already considerably larger than many existing unitary authorities. Our population will be 160,000 in eight years' time. We have two cathedrals, two universities, a major FE college, an international airport, a thriving theatre and the greatest collection of medieval churches in western Europe. What are we lacking—apart, obviously, from the fact that Mr Pickles is not our MP? We have recently been shortlisted alongside Birmingham, Sheffield and Derry/Londonderry for the title of City of Culture. Disinterested observers might think that Norwich was up there with the major cities rather than down there with the rural district councils.
Into that respectful and complementary partnership between county borough and county council—at the time, I was a city councillor—came 1974. Peter Walker wanted unitary counties. I was a member of the AMA. We fought for, but failed to save, most of the county boroughs. The history of local government reorganisation since then has been that of remedying the folly of Peter Walker's policies by both parties. In the early 1980s, the Conservatives got rid of the met counties and made Mr Pickles' Bradford unitary. Whoopee! In the mid-1990s, as my noble friend said, the Conservatives, under David Curry and John Gummer, to whom I pay tribute, made a whole swathe of cities unitary: Leicester, Derby, Nottingham, York—all former county boroughs, like Norwich and Exeter—Milton Keynes, Peterborough and Basildon, which do not have such a history or track record. Norwich and Exeter were on that list. Norfolk should have come under the wire then, as the noble Lord, Lord Bowness, has agreed and admitted, but the county Tories in Norfolk fought it off.
That drive to unitary status as the most effective local government structure for cities continued under the Labour Government. My noble friend made this point very well: do your Lordships know of any counties that would now wish to turn the clock back to district councils for their cities? Does Derbyshire want to do that to Derby, Nottinghamshire to Nottingham, Leicestershire to Leicester, Buckinghamshire to Milton Keynes? No, they value and support their cities, recognising how much they bring to their county's economy and growth. Why, by contrast, is Norfolk so bellicose and so fearful? I will come back to that.
Following the 2006 White Paper, 26 cities and large towns made their bid. The Boundary Committee was requested to consider Norwich's and Exeter's proposals, and twice, with unerring instinct, produced the only solution that none of the local authorities, including the county council in Norfolk, wanted: a return to a Peter Walker unitary county. However, the Boundary Committee would not listen, so JRs followed. As Paul Rowsell, the senior civil servant responsible, said in his court witness statement of 22 March this year, had the Boundary Committee reported on time, not nine months late, implementation would have already happened and this spiteful little Bill would not have seen the light of day. Had the Boundary Committee reported on time, the Secretary of State could, as the judge suggested, have consulted on the additional criteria, the JR would not have succeeded and, again, this spiteful little Bill would not have seen the light of day. Max Caller and his Boundary Committee team have wasted a lot time and money and have served local government very badly indeed.
So what are the professed reasons for this spiteful little Bill? Page 7 of the impact assessment—I had to request extra copies, but the Minister was good enough to put them into the Printed Paper Office—is headed "Rationale for Change" and is personally signed by the Minister as a fair and reasonable view of costs, benefits and impact. It gives four reasons for the rationale for the Bill. First, she says, it is in the coalition programme. So what? That programme was negotiated after the election by two minority parties and has no electoral mandate. In any case, as the noble Lord, Lord Low, pointed out in the Queen's Speech debate, it is utterly at odds with the rest of the localism programme in the coalition programme.
Secondly, the Minister states that these two cities becoming unitary would be expensive and poor value for money, a point hammered home by the noble Lord, Lord MacGregor. For the first six years of transition, the total net non-discounted cost of Norwich and Exeter going unitary comes to around £300,000 per authority, or £50,000 per year per authority. The impact assessment allows, grudgingly, that there should be savings thereafter but, oddly, it does not estimate them. Funny, that. Your Lordships might just think it relevant that over the following six years those savings would equate to at least £20 million or upwards and would grow each year thereafter. These figures are certified by Deloitte and, for what it is worth, they have been crawled over by me. Will the Minister tell me how an expenditure of £300,000 in the first six years to generate savings of £20 million or more the next six years is expensive and poor value for money? For the impact assessment to give costs, but not savings over time, means these statistics are not worth while.
Thirdly, the Minister buttresses her case, which was much quoted by the noble Lord, Lord MacGregor, by quoting the Permanent Secretary as saying that a unitary Norwich and a unitary Exeter represent poor value for money, and that "therefore" stopping these unitaries is good value for money, but compared with what? What the Minister does not say, and did not say in her impact analysis or in her speech today, what the impact assessment should have said and what the House is entitled to know is that the Permanent Secretary, when arguing that city unitaries were poor value for money, was comparing them not with the status quo of the Bill, as you might expect, given that it is supposed to be an impact analysis, but with unitary counties, which are not introduced by the Bill, which were indeed the cheapest option, but which nobody but the Boundary Committee and the Permanent Secretary appear to want.
The Permanent Secretary's comparison is completely invalid. Indeed, it is worse than that because what the Minister does not tell us, which again the House should surely know, is that her solution—the status quo—is the most expensive of the three options. It is far more expensive than unitary Norwich and Exeter, as I have shown. On costs versus benefits, it is far more expensive than the Permanent Secretary's unitary Norfolk. Her version of value for money is to save £300,000 for each authority over six years and forego savings of £20 million over the next six years. That is not mentioned—funny, that.
As Ministers, many of us have signed impact analyses. We know what we are talking about, so I say with the utmost seriousness that this impact analysis is greatly misleading, makes false comparisons and suppresses relevant information. I am sad that the Minister, whom I respect most profoundly, could put her name to it. It really will not do.
The fourth of the Minister's arguments is in the rationale on page 7 of the impact statement. She argues that the 2006 non-statutory criteria were not followed. As we argued at that time, additional criteria were added: that is, a sensible response to the recession. The High Court judge, Mr Justice Ouseley, has nullified the orders because the DCLG failed to indicate in December 2009 that "compelling reasons" such as the recession might lead to a proposal being accepted that did not meet all the 2006 proposals. The Boundary Committee's tardiness has meant there was no time for further consultation.
We, the city of Norwich, have been urged to appeal on constitutional grounds that such action—striking down not just the actions of the Secretary of the State, which can happen, although infrequently, but the will of Parliament itself—has not been taken. I may be wrong, but I have been told that such action has not been taken by any judge hitherto below the level of the Law Lords and now the Supreme Court. At £200,000 or so, Norwich cannot afford the risks of challenge. Of course, the JR reviews the decisions of a Minister, but one High Court judge striking down the express will of Parliament over seven hours of debate is somewhat unsettling.
In consequence, we did not pursue the issue of hybridity: that Norwich and Exeter were being singled out for unfavourable treatment compared with the other authorities that had gone through. That argument has also gone by default. Why, then, are the Government so determined that Norwich and Exeter in particular should not be unitary? Clearly, the four arguments in the impact analysis are a work of constructive fiction.
Some years ago, when I fought a Norfolk seat with a large rural hinterland, a farm worker rang me from a public phone box. I said that I would drive over, but he said, "No, no. I will come on my bike". I said, "But it's eight miles". He said, "It's more than my job or my cottage is worth to be seen speaking to you". That was the Norfolk I experienced as a county councillor. People were decent and public spirited but with an unshakeable belief in a right to rule over pheasants, farm workers and Norwich. The city was gifted to them in 1974 and what they have they hold.
Over and beyond property rights, money is the second reason why Norfolk county councillors—two-thirds of whom are also rural district councillors—have fought us. Urban Norwich subsidises the rural county at a severe cost to its own services. Even the Boundary Committee acknowledges that Norwich has been poorly served. In 1974, we handed over six comprehensives, from four of which you could go to good universities, as did my two sons who went through the state system. On Norfolk's watch, one comprehensive has been closed and four of the remaining five have been taken into special measures. Why? Rather than raise the rates to keep open small rural schools, which I support, Norwich schools have been run down instead. Poorer Norwich council tenants see their services run down to ensure that the rates on affluent Broadland homes are kept low.
The third reason for the Tory county opposition is because cities, especially unitaries as my noble friend argued, generate jobs and growth. Half of Norfolk's jobs are in Norwich, but, as I was told on the county council by one Norfolk county councillor who was also a farmer, no local employer wanted the competition from more new jobs because that would push up wages.
The final reason is of course politics. Norwich is a left-of-centre city. It celebrated the French Revolution with a maypole in the market square. It has been the home of dissenters, Chartists, Liberals—at least until now—and now Greens. A unitary Norwich would be stronger not only economically but politically, and I am not sure which is the greater offence.
My dismay is particularly with the Lib Dems. Norman Lamb is the MP for North Norfolk. With no formal connection to Norwich, he and the national party of the Lib Dems have overruled the local Lib Dems on the city council, who initiated the move to unitary status and who have fought heroically for unitary status. They view the actions of their London party with utter fury. Norman Lamb's position is also at odds with the position of the new Lib Dem MP for Norwich South, Simon Wright, who is also committed to a unitary Norwich. On 9 March, Norman Lamb told the other place that he wants progressive city councillors to remain on the county council—that is why he does not want Norwich to be a unitary—so that, in his words, one party, a Tory party, does not,
"rule for the rest of Norfolk for ever and a day".
That, he said, would be,
"an outrage".—[Official Report, Commons,9/3/10; col. 252.]
For Norman Lamb, a Tory county would be an outrage—before he joined the Tory coalition, of course—so he supports the Tories nationally to block Norwich's unitary status in order to better fight the Tories locally. How twisted, and how cynical, is that?
This remains unfinished business. Be in absolutely no doubt that Norwich will become a unitary authority, although it may take us several years longer than we had hoped. In the mean time, the people who will pay the real bill are the people of Norwich and the county of Norfolk. They will be denied a strong, focused, unitary city that could bring them the jobs and growth they so desperately need."
The farce of the encampment on Parliament Square has been going on far too long.
It is unsightly and creates an appalling impression for the thousands of foreign visitors who visit the Square each day.
Potentially it poses a significant security risk – who really knows who is there and what they've got inside their tents?
I don't even want to think about the sanitory arrangements ….
And it RESTRICTS the right to protest, as other potential demonstrators are squeezed off the Square by the tented ones.
So the news that Mayor Boris Johnson's legal action in the High Court to have the so-called Peace Camp campaigners evicted from Parliament Square has been successful is a welcome breath of common sense.
There is an interminable debate going on in the House of Lords chamber at the moment on the motion that "that this House takes note of the case for reform of the House of Lords." Sixty-seven peers have put down to speak and at the present rate of progress the debate will finish about 1am tomorrow. Proof, if it be needed, that there is no subject that the House will wish to debate in more detail than its own future.
In an insouciant speech, the Leader of the House, Thomas Galloway Dunlop du Roy de Blicquy Galbraith, 2nd Baron Strathclyde (for it is he), set out the Government's policy. His smirk – that would have made the Cheshire Cat from Alice in Wonderland jealous – grew wider every time he hinted that the process of Lords reform might take a long time and be subject to much debate, discussion and argument.
He also exposed the Conservative element of the Coalition Government's attitude to that hallowed document, the Coalition Agreement.
First, he acknowledged that Lords' Reform would not have been a Tory priority:
"Before the election, we knew that if Labour had won we would now be faced with a Bill based on Jack Straw's committee paper, seeking to legislate on an elected senate in Labour's historic fourth term—but that was not to be. Equally, we believed that, with a Conservative victory, reform would not be such an urgent priority and we could continue to seek a consensus for a long-term reform. Under the coalition Government … the issue has now been given greater priority."
Then he introduced a note of weariness:
"We seem to have been living with propositions for reform of your Lordships' House for years, indeed decades. It is neither the most important question facing the country nor the least important; this is one House in a sovereign Parliament. It is a House that has often been proved right in recent years, but its voice needs to be better heard."
Followed by what for him was clearly a moment of regret:
"There have been years of debate since the 1999 Act changed this House for ever by ending the right to sit by virtue of hereditary peerage alone."
And the mask almost slipped with:
"We have seen umpteen schemes and watched them drift down umpteen backwaters, often with many here cheering loudly as they ran aground in the mud. We have seen umpteen propositions for change within the House. ….. Many have hoped that it would all go away, but it has not."
Was he one of the many perhaps?
Then a hint that maybe the whipping on the Conservative side of the Coalition may not be quite as rigorous as one would expect when the time comes for the House to consider a reform Bill:
"My Lords, I have consistently taken the view over a long period—I am not saying that I will retain that consistency—that whipping a Bill on reform of the House of Lords is a particularly fatuous exercise as I suspect that Peers will make up their own minds, almost whatever the Whips tell them. However, we are a long way from having legislation on which we need to take a view on whether it will need to be whipped."
And finally a direct indication that the Coalition Agreement is hardly worth the paper it is written on:
"The coalition agreement, which noble Lords will have seen, envisaged a wholly or mainly elected House with elections on the basis of proportional representation. ….. it also anticipated the transitional arrangement that a "grandfathering" system would be put in place for current Members of the House. I know that noble Lords will be anxious to know what both these things mean. They mean that we as a Government have yet to take a view—"
So there we have it:
…. the Cheshire Cat is grinning.
So which Labour Leadership campaign team thought that seeking my endorsement (for what it's worth) mid-way through the Second Half of England v Germany was a good idea?
Anyone for an own goal?
Otherworldly or what?
Still what's the worst that could have happened, if I had answered the phone?
A couple more (German) goals?
Personally I blame the Tories and the LibDems. England has only ever won a World Cup when there is a Labour Government.
The Metropolitan Police Authority is meeting today at 10.00am in City Hall. Unfortunately, I will not be there to report on the body language of the Chair and Commissioner and other matters of like importance (I have the dreadful misfortune of having to speak at a conference on the evolution of global security just outside Nice in the South of France – someone's got to do it).
And a possible major row is brewing. There is a report on the agenda in the name of the Commissioner enticingly called "Update on a proposed new model of recruitment and training for police officers". This is suggesting that the normal route by which someone can become a police officer in London would be by first being trained and serving as an – unpaid – Special Constable. This is not an uncontroversial idea – it raises all sorts of issues, such as whether it discriminates against those who are not able to give their time free and the impact on those who had been told they had been selected for training at Hendon Police College and now are being told that they will have to put themselves forward as Special Constables instead.
But the row will be about the report's recommendation which is "That Members NOTE the contents of this report". The report clearly raises strategic policy issues and can hardly be said to be just about "operational" decisions of the Commissioner. It should therefore have appeared as a report with recommendations for the Authority to consider and approve (or otherwise).
I am almost sorry to be missing the discussion and in particular the body language.
I have been re-elected as Vice-Chair of the Labour Peers' Group, alongside Lord Robin Corbett as Chair and Baroness Meta Ramsay as the representative on the Parliamentary Committee (Shadow Cabinet). We were all unopposed.
UPDATE: I also hear that I have tonight been elected as Vice-President of my local Constituency Labour Party.
Maybe I am having an "0ld f*rt" moment, but didn't there used to be something called "budget secrecy" and something about Ministers making statements to Parliament first before leaking all the content of statements to the media in advance.
If I remember rightly, a Labour Chancellor had to resign because he dropped a hint to a journalist about the contents of his Budget statement on the way into the Chamber to deliver it.
And in the last Parliament Labour Ministers were frequently reprimanded by Speaker Bercow for not making statements first to Parliament.
So why are we getting such detailed pre-briefings about the Budget due to be delivered later today?
Will Speaker Bercow act?
Will George Osborne resign?
I suspect I can guess the answers.
My oral question on the Dangerous Dogs Act was the second question in Lords Question Time today. Despite pressure from a number of colleagues, the Minister, Lord Henley, gave little away about what changes (if any) the Coalition Government might make to the arrangements for dangerous dogs or even what the timetable was likely to be.
The full exchange was as follows:
Asked By Lord Harris of Haringey
To ask Her Majesty's Government whether they plan to amend or to improve the operation of the Dangerous Dogs Act 1991.
The Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State, Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (Lord Henley): My Lords, on 1 June a wide-ranging public consultation on dangerous dogs laws closed. This consultation received 4,250 responses, which will need to be analysed before any action relating to dangerous dogs legislation is considered.
Lord Harris of Haringey: My Lords, given the explosion in the number of attack dogs in London, with the number seized by the Metropolitan Police—I declare an interest as a member of the Metropolitan Police Authority—rising 22-fold in five years and with the Met having to budget £10.5 million for kennelling costs alone, when can we expect the Government to complete this review of the legislation? What, in the shorter term, is going to be done to expedite the processes that can often mean that dogs have to be held for many months before a final decision can be taken by the courts on their disposal?
Lord Henley: My Lords, the noble Lord is right to draw attention to the growth in such attacks and in the number of people who have to seek hospital treatment as a result of attacks by dogs. The Dangerous Dogs Act 1991 is not the only piece of legislation available to local authorities and others dealing with those matters. There is the Dogs Act 1871, the Offences Against the Person Act 1861 and the Animal Welfare Act 2006. We will certainly consider carefully the consultation started by the previous Administration and make appropriate decisions afterwards.
Earl Cathcart: Is not one of the problems of the Dangerous Dogs Act the unintended consequences of listing four types of dangerous dogs? Thousands of responsible owners have had their pets destroyed not because of how they behave but because of how they look. Surely new legislation should concentrate on irresponsible dog owners rather than on only the breed.
Lord Henley: My Lords, we will certainly look at the problems of irresponsible owners, but there are certain advantages in breed-specific legislation. The police are of the view that without the restriction that that legislation gives, particularly on pit bulls, there would be many more serious dog attacks.
Lord Soulsby of Swaffham Prior: Does the Minister agree that many of the dangerous dogs are imported from overseas, especially from Europe? They are imported into Ireland initially, and from there go to Northern Ireland and then to the mainland. If the dogs were microchipped, as they are under the Pet Travel Scheme on the importation of dogs, it would be known to whom they belonged and whether people were training them to be attack dogs. The ownership and movement of those dogs could be followed by a simple procedure of microchipping. It would also help to identify, as has been mentioned, whether the dogs are dangerous.
Lord Henley: My Lords, compulsory microchipping was considered in the consultation. I do not think that it would necessarily solve all the problems because those who possess such dogs might not bother to get them microchipped and they would still be in breach of the law. The evidence from abroad is that where there is compulsory microchipping only 50 per cent of the dogs are microchipped.
Lord Corbett of Castle Vale: My Lords, can the Minister confirm that one of the problems facing the police in dealing with dogs which they suspect to be pit bulls is the pit-bull-type dog? It can take many months for the police to establish exactly the breed or the type of dog and at enormous cost to public funds. Some of the dogs' homes are considering refusing to take these dogs because of the time taken and the cost to the charities. Is that part of the consultation?
Lord Henley: My Lords, there have been problems with dogs being kept in kennels for rather a long time as a result of the legal processes. We will certainly want to talk to colleagues in the Ministry of Justice about whether the legal processes can be speeded up so that the dogs need not be kept in kennels for so long. We have heard from the Metropolitan Police in particular that the costs are very high and rising.
Lord Elton: My Lords, what action is available to the courts for disposal of dangerous dogs and prohibited breeds? While the owners await decisions of the court, is it the case that a number of the dogs disappear?
Lord Henley: My Lords, I am not aware that any have disappeared from kennels while waiting for the court's decision. If my noble friend has any evidence of that, we would be grateful if he would pass it on to us. The Dangerous Dogs Act deals not only with specific breeds but, under Section 3, allows action against a dog of any type or breed if it is deemed to be behaving dangerously.
Baroness Quin: My Lords, following my noble friend's point about timing, can the Minister tell us when the Government will respond to the consultation and whether they will publish the results?
Lord Henley: My Lords, as regards timing, I do not think that I can help the noble Baroness much more than by saying that we will do that as soon as is possible—we have all said that before—but we will certainly publish the results of our consultation when we make the appropriate decisions about how we should respond to it.
Lord Elton: My Lords, I asked my noble friend what disposals were available to the courts respectively for dangerous dogs and prohibited breeds. Perhaps he could remind me.
Lord Henley: My Lords, the courts can order the dog to be put down if they find that it is a prohibited breed or if it is dangerous, but that will be done in the most humane manner possible.
Lord Addington: My Lords, has the noble Lord considered that resources and the number of people trained to deal with the Act might be one of the most important factors in whether this or any other piece of legislation works?
Lord Henley: My Lords, Defra offers guidance to police forces, and all police forces have to have a designated dog legislation officer who knows what the law is and how it can be used to best effect. We certainly assist in providing training for those dog legislation officers, so that local authorities can enforce the law in the most appropriate manner."
This may be the first time I have praised the prospective actions of the Coalition Government, but I was pleased to see the story on the front page of today's Observer saying that "Late-night bars and pubs face levy to meet cost of policing binge drinkers".
Apparently, Theresa May is:
"agitating for alcohol to be considered a law-and-order issue, with responsibility for licensing moved to the Home Office from the Department for Culture, Media and Sport."
According to the article:
"Bars and pubs that stay open after 11pm will have to pay a "law and order" fee, following police concerns over the levels of drink-fuelled disorder.
Under plans to dismantle round-the-clock drinking, the government wants late-night bars to help pay for the cost of tackling antisocial behaviour and alcohol-related violence.
Town halls will be given the power to charge premises additional fees for late-night licences, with the amount likely to be graded on the establishment's popularity. The proposals will run alongside new powers reducing the number of outlets selling alcohol."
I don't like to say "I told you so", but late at night on 13th January 2003 I moved a series of amendments to the then Licensing Bill that would have done just this. I said:
"My reason for tabling these amendments stems from my experience over the past two and a half years as chair of the Metropolitan Police Authority. I declare that as an interest. During that time I have spent a great deal of time visiting every London borough to hear how policing issues are working out and what particular problems and difficulties may arise.
In an enormous variety of parts of London the issue of policing implications for licensed premises emerges as a significant problem. That is the reason for the amendment. Amendment No. 191 A is designed to give the police an opportunity to make representations to the licensing authority to the effect—this would not be a routine matter, it would be intended to be flexible and to be an alternative to objecting to the grant of a licence—that, because of the exceptional circumstances of a particular application, there would be extra policing costs, and that those extra policing costs would be likely to be significant.
If such a representation were made—and only if—the licensing authority would be required to consider it. It would then have discretion as to whether to proceed and to place as a condition on the licence that the holder of the premises licence should pay an annual sum each year to the police authority to defray the costs of additional policing. The remaining amendments are designed to ensure that the process would allow an appeals process. If people felt that the licensing authority had acted inappropriately in response to representations, there would be a mechanism for an appeals process and also a mechanism for review at a later stage.
I believe that there is widespread concern in London, and more generally around the country, about specific licensed premises—I refer not to licensed premises in general but to some individual ones—either because of what the licensee hopes will happen in those clubs or because of the number of people likely to attend. The concern could be about the way people are likely to behave inside and outside or about the way in which premises are managed or are likely to be managed.
Quite recently the Greater London Assembly, of which I am a Member, held hearings on 24-hour licensing. Members of the Association of London Government, among others, presented evidence to an all-party delegation. There was concern that there would be insufficient police resources to cope with any anticipated increase in disturbances, resulting from the proposed reforms. That was expressed in terms of the volume of policing needed at one location and the spread of that resource throughout the night. That is a concern, I suspect, shared around the country. It was thought that that would require the police authority to re-think its policing priorities and objectives to ensure that additional policing was available. That would mean police resources diverted from other functions.
Later on in the inquiry the deputy assistant commissioner responsible for the Westminster area presented evidence. He highlighted again the point that if there is a rise in the number of licensed premises, there will be a commensurate rise in disorder which will skew resources to deal with that. If there is a plan to say that this is going to be a place, as he said, that has a huge number of licensed premises, then we need to think how we will fund public services to cope with that. If someone comes in to make a legitimate profit, how do we fund the policing that might be needed?
Officers may be taken away from a housing estate where they are sorely needed in order to go to police late-night drunks. He cited a number of examples where holders of licensed premises voluntarily make a contribution to policing costs. The problem is that that is a voluntary requirement. It is not something that the irresponsible licence holders will necessarily do; nor is there necessarily any agreement about the level of contributions.
For those who may think that this issue applies only to central London, I was particularly taken by representations received from my honourable friend the Member of Parliament for Hornchurch about the problems faced in Havering. The borough does not have a high level of policing resources and, by and large, does not need them. With the number of licensed club premises in Romford Town—I use this as an example—the vision that he conjured up was of large numbers of highly excited young Essex girls and boys congregating in Romford town centre in the early hours of the morning. This clearly presents issues which require a considerable policing input into a borough which, by and large, does not have a very large policing resource.
Where exceptional policing costs are likely to be incurred through a licence application there should be some arrangement whereby, as a condition of such a licence, the police authority receives a contribution towards those costs."
Unfortunately, despite support from one LibDem peer (Lord Avebury) – the Tories were silent on the issue – the Government resisted my proposals with a number of frankly specious arguments from Baroness Tessa Blackstone. Apparently, my proposals:
"could drive a major wedge between the police and the industry at a time when we need them to work together and with others in partnership to defeat crime and anti-social behaviour. Certainly, there would need to be very widespread public consultation on this issue before we could agree to take it forward.
The financial impact on the industry would also have to be carefully analysed. The hospitality and leisure industry is a major part of the wider tourism industry. The well-being of this industry is important to our economy. Since 1997, it has provided one in four of all new jobs created in the UK and one in five that have been created in pubs and bars.
We should also recognise that this would be an additional tax on industry by another name. Under the terms of the amendments, it would be a tax for the benefit of police authorities imposed by the licensing authority and not by the Government with the consent of Parliament. The phrase "no taxation without representation" could come back to haunt us."
I responded by describing myself as "somewhat perplexed" (Lords-speak for "I think this is nonsense") by the response from the Minister:
"The point is that such a provision would provide an opportunity for the exceptional cases or the areas where there are real problems to be picked up on the basis of representations by the police and then to be determined by a licensing authority—which under Bill's proposals will be democratically elected; so the argument that there is no taxation without representation is clearly spurious.
My noble friend made the point that it would be much better to have a voluntary arrangement rather than a compulsory one. Of course it is much better if those who cause the most problems are happy to volunteer to make a contribution. But I suspect that if one asks the communities around the various types of establishments that we have been talking about, one will find that it is those who are least responsible who cause the most problems and who are the least likely to enter into voluntary agreements. For those reasons, I believe that it is necessary to include a provision which can, under certain circumstances, require such licence holders to make some kind of contribution.
Similarly, I am not convinced about the argument that the amendment could create a wedge between the police and the industry. A wedge is created at present by irresponsible licence holders who do not enter into discussions.
The fundamental problem that I have is this: yes, of course this proposal could be interpreted as a tax; but it is proposed that the circumstances should be exceptional; and that the discretion would be exercised by an elected authority. That point deals with the argument that there is no taxation without representation. In any event, taxation agreed by Parliament would necessarily apply across the country.
An issue that arises in regard to many of these establishments is that they are very localised. Havering is a low crime borough, but the problems of Romford town centre and of the clubs in Romford are extreme, and other suburbs have to deal with similar issues. The problems of Westminster are the result of a concentration of licensed premises in the centre of London."
In any event, the then Government would not listen. I don't suppose Teresa May was tuned into the Parliament Channel then either, but it is gratifying that the point is now understood and I look forward to seeing some concrete proposals being brought forward.


text: Dana Sheridan (M.Ed. '00, Ph.D. '05 Ed Psych) is the Education & Outreach Coordinator at the Cotsen Children's Rare Books and Special Collections Library at Princeton University. She inspires a love of literacy in children though creative, innovative, and academic programming. Read her blog describing a recent program she hosted on Victorian Tea: https://popgoesthepage.princeton.edu/victorian-tea/


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"I am proud to be chosen as the next leader of St. Joseph's Health System and Niagara Health. We have an exciting opportunity to build on the incredible success that led to the creation of one of the largest health care systems in the country." – Dr. Tom Stewart, incoming CEO for the Niagara Health and St. Joseph's Health Systems
News from the Health Systems in Niagara and Hamilton, Ontario
Posted July 16th, 2018 on Niagara At Large
Hamilton, Ontario – Dr. Anne Anderson, csj, Chair of the Board of Directors of St. Joseph's Health System (SJHS), in consultation with the Diocese of Hamilton, today announced that Dr. Tom Stewart, is the new incoming Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of SJHS and Niagara Health.
Dr. Stewart is currently serving in an integrated system role as Joint Chief of Staff for Niagara Health, where he is also Executive Vice-President Medical, at St. Joseph's Healthcare Hamilton and at Haldimand War Memorial Hospital. He begins his new role on August 1st, 2018.
Dr. Stewart will be President and CEO of St. Joseph's Health System, a large and complex health system which spans six different member organizations with multiple sites including: St. Joseph's Healthcare Hamilton, St. Mary's General Hospital in Kitchener, St. Joseph's Health Centre in Guelph, St. Joseph's Home Care, St. Joseph's Lifecare Centre in Brantford and St. Joseph's Villa in Dundas.
He will also act as CEO of Niagara Health. Together, these organizations have a total budget of $1.3 billion and account for approximately 13,000 staff and physicians and 2,800 beds.
"The Board of Directors unanimously endorsed Dr. Stewart's appointment as our next CEO of SJHS and Niagara Health," said Dr. Anne Anderson, Chair of the Board of Directors for SJHH. "Tom is an internationally recognized healthcare executive, academic and physician leader who brings a deep commitment to our mission of compassionate care and service as well as a wealth of experience and enthusiasm to this important role."
"The Board of Directors at Niagara Health is extremely proud of the accomplishments that have taken place under Dr. Stewart's leadership since he took on the role of Niagara Health's Chief of Staff and Executive Vice President Medical Affairs in May 2014," said John Bragagnolo, Chair of Niagara Health Board of Directors.
"Two impressive highlights include his work with the Niagara Health team to increase the hospital's focus on our academic and research mission, and the recruitment of 150 leading physician specialists to our region. We look forward to working with Dr. Stewart in his new role and building on the great momentum that is taking place in Niagara."
Dr. Stewart is well known for his outstanding contributions to the healthcare system provincially and nationally. He has worked in a number of academic hospitals and distinguished himself as an award-winning leader in critical care medicine. He has led many provincial initiatives and was a key architect of the Ontario Critical Care Strategy.
An academic physician, Dr. Stewart is currently a Professor in the Department of Medicine at McMaster University. While at the University of Toronto, he led a number of innovative, multi-centre, international clinical trials leading to publications in some of the most reputable journals in the world, including the New England Journal of Medicine and Journal of the American Medical Association.
Dr. Stewart graduated with a Doctor of Medicine with Honors from University of Ottawa followed by training in internal medicine and adult critical care medicine at the University of Toronto. He undertook further research training at the University of Paris VI and the University of Toronto.
"I am proud to be chosen as the next leader of St. Joseph's Health System and Niagara Health," said Dr. Stewart. "We have an exciting opportunity to build on the incredible success that led to the creation of one of the largest health care systems in the country.
"I look forward to growing the highly regarded and innovative, integrated model of care and our academic mandate, in partnership with leading post-secondary institutions such as McMaster University, Brock University, Niagara and Mohawk Colleges."
About Niagara Health – Niagara Health is on a bold new journey to create a healthier Niagara. Established CORE values inspire all to be EXTRAORDINARY: Compassion in Action, Driven by Optimism, Achieving Ambitious Results. Niagara Health is a regional healthcare provider with multiple sites and a growing network of community-based services. With more than 4,800 employees, 600 physicians and 850 volunteers, Niagara Health provides a wide range of inpatient and outpatient services to more than 450,000 residents across Niagara, including Acute Care, Cancer Care, Cardiac Care, Complex Care, Emergency and Urgent Care, Kidney Care, Long-Term Care, Mental Health and Addictions, Stroke Care and Surgical Care.
About St. Joseph's Health System, Hamilton – St. Joseph's Health System, Hamilton is one of the largest corporations in Canada devoted to health care. Our member organizations are known for genuine compassion and caring, both locally and around the world. Each of the organizations offer services according to their strengths, from acute care, long-term care, and community care, to rehabilitation, hospice, community outreach, and mental health. SJHS is also a well-recognized leader for innovation in models of patient-centred, integrated care at each stage of the patient experience.
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For more news and commentary from Niagara At Large – an independent, alternative voice for our greater bi-national Niagara region – become a regular visitor and subscriber to NAL at www.niagaraatlarge.com .


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Branding Tip: How to Own All 10 Google Results
Ok, so it's probably not possible to own all 10 listings on the SERPs for your brand name, but you can certainly try.
First off, why should you care about having more than one result for your company name? From a branding point of view, it lends great credibility. Multiple results on various web properties conveys that you're "out there" and actively engaged with your customers in many forms. From a public relations view, it's a great way to potentially push negative press (customer complaints) off the first page.
By utilizing the hugely popular sites of the day, it's not impossible to own at least 5 out of the 10 top spots on Google. Here's my list for the top web properties you should have a presence on.
- Your Website (duh!) - If you don't yet rank for your own company or brand name, don't read any further in this post. You'll want to first focus on some basic SEO tactics.
- LinkedIn – The most popular business professional networking site. Your profile page should rank highly for your brand name.
- Press Release Sites – I've seen press releases ranking on the first page for years after their initial release. These provide an ongoing source of branding and traffic about previous newsworthy events. PRWeb.com will get you the best results.
- YouTube – Post a short informational video about your company. Google loves YouTube content, so your video may instantly rank first page for your brand.
- Facebook – Facebook now displays a limited public profile, so it can be indexed by search engines.
- Myspace – Declining in light of Facebook, but still possesses great social networking capabilities. Make sure your profile page contains your brand name prominently.
- Squidoo – Create a Squidoo hub for your brand and link it up with your RSS feed, YouTube videos, and Flickr images.
- Hubpages – Similar to Squidoo and a Google favorite.
- Wikipedia – Not every brand is worthy of Wikipedia entry, but it's worth a try.
- Technorati - Claiming your Technorati space should be the first step after creating a blog.
In addition to having a presence on the sites above, try using these tactics to create a Google indented listing.
About Palmer Web Marketing
PWM is a web marketing consulting firm specializing in helping small businesses achieve their online goals with ethical SEO services, email marketing, and web usability consulting. For more information on services, please contact us.


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We're back. Most of the old database was lost when the server was "upgraded" to a new hosting location. So we are starting from scratch here. Register and get things rolling again. We may have one more change of hosting coming up in March, but that outage will be brief and it will future-proof the site for some time to come.
This section allows you to view all posts made by this member. Note that you can only see posts made in areas you currently have access to.


text: Kuninaka has been cast as Eisuke's older girlfriend Maria, who works at a bank. She is shocked to learn that Mukai has abandoned his music to devote himself to the restaurant, leading her to uncertainty about their relationship. Takimoto's character is a 20-year-old college student named Chie who comes from a farming family. Although she initially had a bad impression of Eisuke, she begins to develop feelings for him after tasting his cooking.SMAP's Inagaki will play Tokio, the owner of a competing French restaurant. In the past, he was fond of the restaurant that Eisuke's mother ran, but after she passed away, he deceived Eisuke's father and bought out the restaurant's chefs and staff. Knowing of Eisuke's ability as a chef, Tokio views him as a rival.Eisuke's friends, who were part of his band ROCKHEAD, are being played by Tsukamoto (guitarist) and Miura (vocalist). Both of them help Eisuke with his restaurant.