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Chapter 1
The bell above her head rang as Frances pushed open the café door. Behind her, traffic thundered up and down the dual carriageway between Brighton and London. In front of her a shroud of silence was cast over the darkness that she guessed was filled with customers, chairs and other hazards to be navigated. The café felt cramped, hot and steamy. She took a step toward the sound of frying bacon, ignoring the gurgling of her stomach as she breathed in the heady smell, pushed the door shut, then struggled to push it to complete closure.
The silence only lasted a half-second, but it could have been an hour, it felt so long. "Anybody in?" she called. Come on, you bastards, talk, so I can see you all! While there were no voices, she couldn't see.
"What'll it be, love?" the cook called, his head and upper body lighting up in black and white and the colours of his question: a dash of orange that she guessed was anxiety in case she fell over a chair and indigo of curiosity. With every word, every syllable that he--or anyone else--spoke, her world lit up as flashes of lightning illuminate a night sky. Only for a moment, but given enough voices and enough words she gained a facsimile of vision, just as the individual frames of a film give the illusion of motion if run through quickly enough.
But only when they spoke, and now they were silent.
From nowhere someone gripped her shoulder. She jumped at the hand despite all her efforts not to, then flashed the hand's owner a brief smile, forcing herself to be steady despite wanting to recoil at the smell of sweat, tobacco smoke and engine oil.
The man said, "Sorry, love, didn't mean tomake you jump. Didn't realize you was blind."
"Th--that's okay. You surprised me."
"I'm just going, love, so you can leave the door."
"Does that mean there's a seat spare?" She turned as if to survey the room, though her eyes stared at a wall.
"D'you want me to take you over?" He took her upper arm, radiating paternal concern.
"If it's nearby, just give me a steer," she said. "I don't want to inconvenience you."
"That way." He turned her slightly, so she faced the empty space.
She moved away slightly, to allow him access to the door, fixed the direction in her mind, and turned toward the sound of an industrial kettle hissing water into a teapot. The ringing bell announced the door's opening, and then it slammed shut.
Conversation resumed, at a lower level. From the doorway, she had 'seen' a couple of women in the area lit by the cook's shout. They were standing gossiping in the aisle between the two rows of dirty Formica-topped tables, smoke writhing up from their cigarettes into their colours. She pushed her way past them, even though with their sudden silence, the room suddenly darkened. Only the shadowy half-lighting cast by the murmurs of the other diners further away guided her. Feeling her way along the edges of the tables, she ignored the women's pointed silence, which she guessed spoke for scowls at her nose-rings and Mohican.
She heard a group of laughing men draw back to clear a space for her. "Blimey, girl," one of them said, pronouncing it 'ghewel.' "Did you lie down on the grass for that haircut?" He cackled and muttered to his companions as she poked out a studded tongue at him, "Wouldn't fancy snogging her--you'd get metal fatigue." Roars of laughter rose above the surrounding chatter, and in the edges of their colours, she saw the other diners look up from their plates.
She felt for the edge of the counter working back from the plastic trays of cutlery and plastic sauce bottles, tugged her hand away from the stickiness of old ketchup on a nozzle with a grunt and clumped a pair of two-pound coins on the counter. "Two teas, please, and a bacon butty."
"Oi, Rache," the man behind the counter bellowed without looking up from the sizzling, spitting bacon he was frying. "Come on--customer waiting."
Frances heard one of the smokers mutter, "Gotta go, Sue." Rache pushed past Frances to slouch, almost audibly scowling, to stand behind the counter. "Yeah?"
Frances looked at where Rache's body--at least the part that was visible above the counter--had lit up, head surrounded by a flickering psychedelic nimbus of white-hot anger and lemon disgust. Frances hadn't needed to see the colours; resentment in Rache's voice at the interruption was clear.
"Two teas," Frances repeated. She leaned against the counter, staring blankly at a corner until the large mugs were slammed down on the counter, their contents splashing her hand so that she gasped.
"Four fifty," Rache said.
"Your prices gone up? It were four pound yesterday."
Rache said nothing. Frances guessed that the older woman was glaring at her black clothes and purple hair with distaste. "Four fifty," Rache repeated, the white nimbus brighter still with her increasing anger. What's she angry at? Frances wondered. Me? Does she think blindness is contagious? More likely she's mad at having her chat interrupted. Frances threw a fifty pence piece on the counter, and searched with her fingers amongst the ketchup and mustard sachets for the plastic milk jug.
"Let me," Rache grunted, pouring a splash of milk into each, "or you'll knock everything over." From the light cast by her colours, Frances saw her fish a teabag out of each mug and toss them without looking into the waste-bin beside the counter. "Sugar?"
"Two in each," Frances said. "Normally me uncle would take care of this." Rache didn't reply. "Ta," Frances added.
"I'll take 'em over," Rache said.
"No, it's okay," Frances protested, but Rache had already pushed past her and was gone.
"Where the bloody hell are you, John?" the young woman muttered under her breath. "How long does it take to fill the tank and park the car?" She felt her way back along the other side of the aisle, from table to table, looking at an indeterminate point over the other diners' heads, although her sightless eyes flicked toward the source of any noise.
"Watch it, love," a male voice said, tone not unfriendly, coloured indigo with curiosity. "Let me move Buster a sec, before you tread on him and the bugger bites you."
"Thanks," she said, voice high and small and breathless.
"'S alright," he said. "Table after next is free. Do you want a hand?"
"Nah," she said. "Me uncle'll be in, in a minute, if he ever manages to park the car. Think he's gone to Russia for the petrol."
He laughed, and she moved on. As she passed the next table, the voice of a young man said, "Blimey. Fran? Is that Frannie Dedman?"
She didn't quite manage to hide her grimace.
"What you up to, Fran?" one of the girls asked from the other side of the table.
Frances stared at the other girl and saw the indigo of curiosity surging round her head. "Bit of tarot reading down at the pier," she replied.
"'Spose it stops you sponging' off us taxpayers," one of the other men said, malice audible in his voice, orange fear in his colours, shot through with yellow disgust. "Or does it?"
Fran took a step and almost fell over an outstretched leg. "Very funny."
"What's the matter, Fran?" the first male voice asked, trying not to laugh, but his colours were the same as his friend's.
"You've almost lost your posh accent, Roop," Frances said. "All that money your mummy and daddy paid for a private school, and you can't wait to get some street cred by dropping your vowels and rushing out here to the sticks."
"Fuck off, bitch," Roop said, the fake-mateyness gone from his tone. "And watch your step, eh?" The others joined in his laughter as she stumbled over another outstretched leg.
"Very droll, Roop," Frances said. "Sit up all night thinking that line up, did you?"
She thought she heard the bell ring again, hopefully to announce the door opening. Please God, let it be John.
"Can't you watch where you're going?" the second male voice asked, trying to suppress a fit of the giggles.
"No, you twat," Fran said, reaching her table and fumbling for her mug. She picked it up quickly and then the other, slurping from one, spilling some down her chin. She felt heat rise to her face as someone cackled.
"Oi, bitch," Roop said. She heard the scraping of his chair. He said, "Watch yer lip," as he got to his feet.
"I would, if I was a contortionist," Fran said and drew back her right arm. "But I'm blind, as you can see."
"Fran?" her uncle called. "Everything alright?"
But she was already tossing the mugs of tea with what must have seemed to the others uncanny accuracy at her tormentor's face and heard with satisfaction his outraged yell.
"I'll bank the cheque later," Frances said as John shut his car door, referring to the reason they had been out on this side of Brighton--they had just collected a fee from a particularly slippery customer who had spent weeks dodging them.
"What were you playing at?" John snarled, buckling up, white flashes of anger lightning flickering around his head. The Skoda's ancient engine laboured and finally caught.
Frances sat with jaw clenched, breathing hard, staring into space. Finally she said, "I wasn't playing at anything." She took a deep breath that was almost a gulp and said, "I will not be a victim, John."
His colours--green and indigo and orange and white--showed his shock. "No one's asking you to be."
"I would have been, if I hadn't fought back."
"Fran, love," he said, slowing the car.
"No, don't stop," she urged.
"You don't have to pick fights to not be a victim." He revved the engine.
"But that's just it! I wasn't picking a fight!" She felt a slight jerk as they pulled away. "We've had this conversation before."
"Yes, we have. And I haven't changed how I feel. Assertiveness is not the same as confrontation. I'm in a service industry, Fran; any one of those people is a potential future client who won't want anything to do with Marsh Investigation Service in future."
"Well, I'm sorry," she said, sounding anything but contrite, "if some overgrown schoolboys may bear a grudge for the next twenty, thirty or forty years. But does that mean you'd let someone run you over or beat you up in case they might be a future client?"
"Of course not!"
"Your confrontation is my self-defence," she said. The car speeded up as they emerged onto the road, and his hand brushed against her arm as he changed up through the gears. She moved her arm away and took a deep breath. "They were trying to bully me, and if I hadn't stood up for myself, they would have won by default."
"And if I hadn't come in?" He hit the horn as the car braked sharply. "Oi! Don't they fit indicators to Transits?" He muttered, "Prick." Then his voice softened. "Sorry, Fran. As we was saying, what would've happened if I hadn't come in?"
"I might have got a kicking," she said. "But more likely they would have been so shocked that I'd fought back, they would have backed off. All might-have-beens. We could spend all day talking about what might have happened. Bottom line is there's no point talking about what might have been, only what was."
He didn't speak for a few seconds. Then, "Is this to do with Adam?"
"No! Not everything revolves around men, you know!" She took a deep breath. "It was my decision to finish with him, not the other way around, Unc--honest. Next, you'll be saying it's me bloody hormones."
He grunted, and they drove on in silence.
After about ten minutes, she shifted and pulled the newspaper from under her bottom, where it had been since she had pulled herself away from his guiding arm and flung herself into the passenger seat. She shook it straight and folded it neatly. "What was the headline?" She referred to the small advertising hoarding by the café that précised the headline of The Argus, and that he looked at and commented on almost every day. It was his way of keeping her involved, she knew, and appreciated his kindness. But today, with the rumpus in the café, he hadn't mentioned it.
He slowed, and she heard the clicking of the indicator as they turned. Finally, recognizing her question as the offering of a truce, maybe even an apology, he said, "Police questioning families of Underground bombers." He exhaled. "Christ, when's it all going to stop? Bombs on buses, people getting blown up? I feel like I'm living in a nightmare--look out!" He pounded the horn and swore. "Dipstick running 'cross the road--if I'd a hit him, he'd be yelling for compensation."
Frances grunted, then said, "Nothing more about the missing schoolgirl?"
"Nope. It was been forced off the front pages by all this other stuff. Poor kid's parents must think she's been forgotten about." His chuckle held no humour. "Any other year a fifteen-year-old girl going missing in high summer would be all over the front pages, but this year there's been no silly season. It's the usual war, pestilence and famine, but closer to home."
"Her parents must be going out of their minds."
"Yeah." He slowed the car, then abruptly speeded up, and said, "Not that there's much we can do about it. It's not like we're involved."
Days later, as she was fighting for her life, Frances was to remember--fleetingly--those words.
Chapter 2
"See you later!" Frances said, slamming the car door closed. As John drove off, she stepped onto the wooden planking and took a deep breath of warm salt air, feeling the tension ooze out of her body as it always did beside the sea. She felt her spirits lift in the summer sunshine that had gradually built throughout the morning and allowed herself a few glorious seconds of basking, of doing nothing but letting the summer sun warm her face. Further down the pier a calliope warbled manically. She inhaled the aroma of hot-dog onions, wondering--as she often had--why they never tasted as good as they smelled.
Around her people talked, which enabled her to see most potential obstacles, but there was always the nightmare possibility of the silent runner careening into her or a static obstacle like the Romany wagon that someone had put on the pier a couple of years ago. So she moved her cane from side to side like an insect's antennae as she walked past the clutter of people in the souvenir shop near the entrance, concentrating on not stumbling over the gaps in the teak decking. The food halls were doing a roaring trade, and those selling cheap jewellery seemed moderately busy, but the graphology stall was dead.
"Oi, Faith!" The Jamaican-Brixton tones of a familiar voice rocked and rolled and echoed off the walls, her use of Frances' stage name indicating customers were around. Rose's bulk strode into Frances' path, her silhouette lit by her voice as she hummed a tune, although hummed was paying Rose's voice a compliment it barely deserved.
Rose was about the same height as Frances--five foot eight--but Frances guessed that she weighed half as much again. Not that Rose would ever consider anything as mundane as her weight. For Rose, any food was good food, even if it meant frequent visits to the gym rather than moving up a jean size.
Frances switched the cane to her left hand, and with her now free right clasped Rose's bone-crusher, thumb around thumb, heel of her hand against heel. "How you doing, petal?" Rose almost cut the last word in two, the syllables were so distinct.
"I'm good. You?" Frances felt the corners of her mouth lifting in a grin as they always did when Rose was around.
"I'm splendid." Again, the last word was almost chopped into halves. Rose jerked her thumb back at her booth. "I got a customer for you!" The customer was clearly within earshot or Rose wouldn't have been so circumspect. They were 'pun-ters' if she was in a good mood, 'mugs' or 'berks' if she wasn't. "Just finishing off a reading with her."
"Okay," Faith said. "Want me to come along in five or ten?"
"Nah," Rose said. "I'll bring her in. That alright, Mrs. S?"
Frances didn't hear the reply, but walked to her own booth and began the long laborious task of unlocking--necessary not because she had anything worth stealing, but to avoid vandalism or squatters occupying the place. Brighton's accommodation prices had skyrocketed over the last few years as the number of incomers mushroomed.
Tall as she was, Frances still had to stretch to undo the bolt at the top of the door. She guessed that Rose had to stand on a chair to unlock hers. She still felt that moment of vulnerability as she stretched, then relaxed and let herself into her twelve foot by twenty kiosk and went on through to the back, put on her kettle and ambled back to the front to open the shutters.
"Here y'are then," Rose's foghorn voice reverberated through the silence. "Faith, Mrs. Schofield. Mrs. Schofield, Faith."
"I gather you'd like a reading," Frances said as she made room for Mrs. Schofield in the cramped booth and mouthed 'chips' at the doorway where Rose was hovering. "Are you interested in tarot, Mrs.--"
"Call me Vicki, why dontcha?" The woman chewed gum noisily, and Frances thought that there was something familiar about her nasal bray. Her perfume smelled expensive, but there was so much of it that Frances felt her nose tickle in protest. "You don't seem to be open much. Wandered past here a coupla times, but you always seem to be shut." Her hair was cut in a bob that framed heavy makeup, and her clothes looked expensive. I know you, Frances thought. But where from?
Frances ignored the implied criticism. "What's your star sign, Mrs.--Vicki?"
"Libra." Vicki added without being asked, "11th October, 1983." So she was only eighteen months older than Frances. She sounded older, somehow, as if life had used up her voice, which was still naggingly familiar. She sniffed. "Blind Faith, eh? Your sign could do wiv a lick o' fresh paint, ya know."
If I had the money, I would, Frances thought. But right now, the rent's more of a priority.
Frances pulled out her Waites, then decided against it and pulled out her Marseille pack. As time was so short, she counted off twenty-five cards, and said, "It's twenty-five pounds for thirty minutes, Mrs.--Vicki." She added, "Are you local? Your voice sounds familiar."
Vicki laughed. "Down from the marina, aren't I?"
"Shuffle these, would you, for me?" Frances passed her the reduced pack of cards.
Vicki said, "There you go." She plunked them on the table and said, "How you gonna read them, then, Blind Faith?" Her jaws made a chomping sound as the gum whirled round. "You can't read like, auras, then?"
Not auras, Frances thought, but said nothing. She didn't like the word, with its cheesy connotations of fake fortune tellers and hustlers who might pose as a medium or a spiritualist.
She thought, 'auras' doesn't cover the constant darkness lit up by people speaking, that the colours and patterns appearing around their heads have meaning. That when the speaker lies, the differing emotions alter the illumination to other colours--maybe because of the stress they're under--and form different patterns. The woman would understand none of that, but would just think that Frances was a nutter.
Instead, Frances ignored the question, concentrating on what she was doing. She dealt a card and another below, one above where she guessed the first card was. She built up a second row to its right, then another to its left. Putting the remainder down, she felt with her fingertips for the base card and worked up to the middle, running her fingers over the whorls and ridges. "Queen of Swords," Frances said. "It tells me that you should weed out your social life."
"Hah." Vicki's laugh was contemptuous. "That's good. What social life?"
"The King of Swords," Frances said, feeling the top card. She felt the card to its right, the ten of staves. "You need to meet a challenge or challenges head on, but you've seen this before. You won't make the same mistakes again."
"Uh-huh." Vicki's gum-chewing slowed.
"The Lovers." Frances ran her fingers over the card a second time and turned over an additional card.
"Mrs. Schofield, what was your maiden name?"
"Durrant," Mrs. Schofield said, with a faint edge of triumph.
The room seemed to grow suddenly chill, and Frances had to stop herself from shivering. She wouldn't give the woman any more pleasure than she had to. "I knew I recognized your voice," she said instead, painfully aware of how high and tight her own sounded. Two school reunions in one day, she thought. Let's hope they don't go in threes.
"Never expected to see you here," Vicki said, still chewing.
"I could say the same." Frances cleared her throat, deliberately pitching her voice lower, so as to appear calm. "I'd never have associated tarot and palm-reading with Rose as a Vicki Durrant thing."
"That right?" The chewing speeded up, then stopped, and Vicki said as she took the gum from her mouth and leaned sideways, "What you know about me now, anyway?" The dull khaki of depression around her head flashed red with anger.
Quick as a flash, for she wanted to jump back but dared show no weakness, Frances grabbed the rubbish bin and proffered it to Vicki, who said, "Bloody hell," in an awestruck voice.
"There's more than one way of seeing," Frances said, in a sepulchral voice, and had to stop herself from cackling aloud at her ham-acting. Instead she continued, "Let me study the other cards for you," burying her residual nerves in her work persona. "Let's see what they tell us." She felt another card, fingering the ridges on the surface. "The Lovers," Frances said, feeling the bottom right card. "Hello," she said and turned another card over.
"Wassup?" Vicki said.
"The Lovers is all about relationships," Frances said. "Are you married?"
"Yeah," Vicki said. "Why?"
Frances ignored her and turned another card over. The Fool. Two of Cups. The Tower. She turned another card over. She looked up at Vicki. "How much honesty can you cope with?"
"What sort of crap is this?" Vicki said. "It's all bollocks, anyway, so spit it out."
Frances didn't point out that if that were what the other girl really believed, she wouldn't be sitting there. When Vicki had spoken, her colours had burned orange with fear.
"Either your husband is having an affair or you are." Frances heard Vicki gasp and pressed on. "You are. Not just an affair, a whole string of them." She pointed at the fool.
"This is crap!" Vicki's colours burned as bright as the sun now, burned orange--the colour of fear.
"But this last one was more serious, wasn't it, Vicki? The Tower is the card denoting destruction, a sudden cessation. And this card." Frances pointed at the Two of Cups. "Was he your age?"
"Yes," Vicki whispered.
"It was a love match, I suspect. You thought of running off with him, but he just went away," Frances said, pointing at the tower.
"Schofield bought him off," Vicki said and wiped angrily at her face.
Frances turned over another card. "Then he threatened to beat you black and blue."
"He threatened to cut me," Vicki said, but it was less a correction of detail than an affirmation that the card was right in principle.
"But for all that you were terrified, you stood up to him, Vicki, and he backed off, showing that he could push you so far--but no further." Frances pointed at the King of Swords.
"The cards show you all this?" Vicki said.
"You're lonely, aren't you?" Frances pointed at the Hermit.
"Here! You're s'posed to be telling me fortune, not bloody cycle-analyzing me!" As she spoke, she moved toward Frances. "Who you calling lonely?" She made it sound as if Frances had implied she was carrying a sexually transmitted disease.
Frances shrugged. "I'm only the spokesperson for the cards. Thump me, if it'll make you feel better."
Vicki threw a note down on the table. "You don't get full fee, for that bloody twaddle. Tarot reading, you call that?" She stormed out.
Frances sighed and reached for the money, but a little smile played around her face.
Afterwards, she called on Rose to thank her. Rose said, "Adam's looking for you," and pushed a paper cone full of chips into Frances' hand. She added, "No need to look like that. He ain't a bad guy."
"Look like what?" Frances nose crinkled at the tartness of the vinegar drifting off the chips. "Mm, heaven." She crammed a chip in her mouth, and another, then remembering her manners, offered the cone to Rose, knowing full well the other woman would decline.
"Nah-ah. There's a special circle of hell reserved for people who make vegans get them chips from that meat-pit down at the end of the pier."
"There's a special circle of hell reserved for vegans, full stop," Frances shot back. "How much do I owe you?"
"Nothing. Just don't make me get you sausage and chips again like you did last time."
"You need walking back to your flat?" Rose was convinced that Frances wasn't safe in her dingy ground floor flat in the Kemp Town area of Brighton. She kept nagging Frances to let out her spare room, which was never going to happen, as it was full of weights and exercise equipment. "But you could do with a lodger, more than chucking them weights 'round. You might be muscular, girl," Rose had said several times, "but you look skinny. It's not how hard you is, it's how hard you looks."
"No, it's okay, thanks." I might be blind but I'm bloody strong, Frances almost said in answer to the question's sub-text but bit her tongue. "Do you think I'm too bolshie?" she asked instead.
"Nah," Rose said. "Why you ask such an odd question?"
Frances told her about the tea-throwing incident, and Rose roared with laughter, but then said, "You tends to keep quiet amongst strangers--not like how you used to be--but then, that may be no bad thing."
The 'not like how you used to be' was the nearest Rose had ever come to asking Frances about why she so suddenly lost her sight, but Rose didn't ask any more, and Frances had no desire to talk about it. Instead, she said, "Being quiet is okay. I've no desire to upset people unnecessarily. But I won't be a doormat. I just wonder if sometimes I go too far?"
"If you need to ask me," Rose said, patting her friend's shoulder. "I think you already know the answer to that."
With that enigmatic comment still occupying her thoughts, Frances walked to the end of the pier. "Oh, bollocks," she muttered. She'd already rung John, and she heard the chimes of the clock sounding two o'clock. He would be there any minute. And she still hadn't paid that money into the bank.
A man's voice smashed into her thoughts with the brutality of a mugger: "Can I ask you for a few minutes of your time, madam?" He slid an archness into the last word that robbed it of any respect and set her teeth on edge. For all that he'd looked normal when he spoke, average height, early twenties, a white man with an almost shaven head, there was something about him that was just plain wrong. A strange yellow tint had played around his head, of a shape and colour that she'd never seen before. Behind him, a group of young men and women, most of them somewhere between being school-leavers and their twenties, sang and clapped to a hymn whose words she didn't recognize, about Christ the Reveller, Christ the Leveller.
"Sorry, I'm waiting for someone," she said, turning away, but she suddenly felt his breath on her face and recoiled.
She raised a hand to push him away and felt that he was far, far too close; well inside the two feet or so that made her twitchy. There was something about his proximity that made her flesh crawl, and she found herself fighting for breath at the same time as she fought her instincts to punch him.
And then the wall of a kiosk was at her back, and there was nowhere else to go.
Chapter 3
He tugged at her sleeve, and she resisted the urge to snatch it away. "Surely you can spare a couple of minutes, then?" Without pausing for an answer, he ploughed on; "I'm collecting for the Church of Christ the Celebrant, in order to help with famine relief in Africa. Any donations will help the cause enormously and start saving lives--"
Of course, she thought, a chugger. Brighton, like many towns, had become infested with aggressive almost--muggers-for-charity. He carried on with his spiel, but Frances had already tuned him out and, to get rid of him, rummaged around in her purse and pulled out a few coins, a couple of pounds amongst the haul.
"Thank you very much," the chugger said. "If I can take an address or an e-mail or something..."
"No, it's okay, thanks," Frances said.
"...then we can update you on how your money is being spent," he said, carrying on as if she hadn't spoken.
"I don't have an e-mail."
"Mobile phone, then. Maybe--"
"Frances?" John's voice cut, unusually loud, across the chugger. "Everything okay?"
"Fine thanks," she said, barging past an arm toward his voice. "Just making a donation."
She happened to be facing the singing group when a tall man started talking to them, and they fell silent, as abruptly as if they'd been switched off. Frances couldn't hear what he said, but what caught her attention was the strange pattern of colours and swirls that danced around the tall man's skull. "Come on, you lot," she heard him say in a cockney accent, and for all that his voice was perfectly normal, even quite pleasant to the normal ear, there was something about it that scared and repelled her even more than the one who had approached her. She shivered and quickened her pace.
As they left the group behind, John said, "They looked like members of a cult, you know, all dressed in yellow and orange boiler suits."
"There was something a bit strange about them," Frances said. She giggled. "Apart from the boiler suits, that is."
"You should be careful," John said. "That's twice in one morning things might have got a bit iffy if I hadn't turned up." He must have seen that she was about to snap an answer at him, for he added quickly, "We ought to go. You'll never guess who'll be calling round at the office in less than an hour." He chuckled grimly. "I think we must have summoned him up, talking about her."
"Good afternoon," said the man waiting for Uncle John in the agency's box of an office, his rumble holding a hint of impatience, and implying that they were late. In the flickering light of the complex mix of his colours, Frances glimpsed a big man, over six-two, she guessed, and bulky. She caught a waft of expensive cologne and a hint of cigar smoke.
"Mr. Parrish," John said. "I'm John Marsh. This is my assistant, Frances Dedman."
"Dedman?" Parrish said. "Mike Dedman's daughter?"
"You know him?" Frances said.
"Our paths have crossed in the past," he said. "I own a car dealership, although the people who can afford Alfa Romeos aren't usually interested in the sort of fleet cars your father hawks around the county."
Before Frances could reply, John interrupted: "What can we do for you?" Never second-guess why someone's come to see you, he'd once warned Frances. And I don't mind looking stupid if it makes other people feel clever.
"My daughter, of course." His handshake when he finally took her proffered hand was firm. His voice was decidedly middle-aged, and he had moved stiffly. "You do read the papers?" he said.
"I do," John said, so brusquely he verged on rudeness, and Frances suddenly wondered why. "But I don't believe anything they say without corroboration. Papers are there for one thing, and that isn't to inform--it's to sell papers. Take a seat and tell me about it."
Parrish said, taking a seat, "I live out at Angmering with my family." His colours flickered black and white with impatience, but mostly orange and indigo, which Frances interpreted as nervousness for his daughter and curiosity about her whereabouts. "But I have a small flat here in town that doubles as my office."
"Is that why Mrs. Parrish isn't here?" John said.
There was a pregnant pause, and as so often before, Frances wished that her talent extended to reading the expressions of silence as she could voices.
"My wife's at home," Parrish said. "She doesn't like Brighton very much."
John changed tack. "Tell me about yourself, Mr. Parrish."
Clearly caught off guard by the unexpected line, Parrish harrumphed for a moment or two. Then he said, "Not much to tell really. I started a small secondhand car business almost as soon as I left school, moved into property management as soon as I could, which was back in the mid-eighties when money started to become available under dear old Maggie." He paused, and Frances could almost see him puff his chest out. "When I was able to move to Angmering, I thought I ought to do my bit for the community. So I serve on the parish council."
"Parrish Council?" John said innocently, but the pure black joy of his colours gave away his glee at the awful joke. Bad puns were a particular vice for John.
Parrish snapped, "This is no time for schoolboy humour, Marsh."
"Of course. Sorry," John said. "What other involvements do you have?"
"I'm a member of the church committee and the rugby club. I used to play a bit. And several golf clubs," Parrish said. "That's how your name came up."
"Oh, are you a member of the Dyke?" John said.
"No, the West Hove, which you're in," Parrish said. "But if you find my daughter, I'll be bloody grateful. I don't see your becoming a member of the Dyke as posing any kind of problem." He added expansively, "I know most of the membership committee..."
"Thank you," John said, and switched tack. "Do you like to gamble?"
"I like an occasional flutter on the horses," Parrish said. "I own a three-year-old. Why?"
"Just building up a picture: What about Natalie?"
Parrish said, "Natalie goes to school in Hove, St Hilda's."
Frances knew it. Her school had played them at lacrosse once or twice. It had the reputation of being a girls-only school for posh thugs.
"She was a day pupil," Parrish said. "I would have quite liked her to board, but all things considered, we decided it was better that she lived at home."
In other words, Frances thought, you'd have quite liked her from out under your feet, but the fees were too high, or ... "You didn't trust her to board?" she asked.
"Of course we did!"
"My mum didn't," she said. A lie. It had never been an option. "It's no reflection on child or parent--just that there are a lot of temptations for a teenager."
Parrish harrumphed. "Maybe for you." He paused. "Natalie went to school every day, and that morning, she went to school as normal. We told the police that. We've told the papers that!"
"I know, I know," John said. "And I'm sorry to ask you again. But sometimes the act of telling it again to strangers throws unexpected things up. She caught the bus to school, or you or your wife drove her?"
"Sometimes I drove her," Parrish said. "But mostly she caught the bus. I have to stay over sometimes, and my wife--"
"Doesn't like to travel," John said. He held up a hand. "Sorry. Carry on, sir."
Parrish said, voice level, "My daughter caught the bus into school as normal, only she had project work in town that she had to do. So the other girls said."
"Was that unusual?"
Parrish paused before answering, "No. Sometimes she and the other girls would go into town together, asking people questionnaires and such like." His snort left no doubt about his derision of modern education with its questionnaires and coursework. "Sometimes she went alone."
John paused and said, "Mr. Parrish, I appreciate that you've probably been asked this a dozen, even a hundred times, but was there anything unusual about Natalie in the days before she vanished--any depression, mood swings, unusually quiet behaviour?"
Parrish waited several moments before answering with equally conspicuous patience. "That was just it. There was no unusual behaviour. She was just like she always was, a typical happy teenager."
Frances thought about how she'd been anything but happy at fifteen and mentally raised an eyebrow, but kept silent.
John said, "So you'd like me to find Natalie?"
Parrish said after a slight pause, "Yes."
"Even though most of the Sussex constabulary are looking for her?"
"That's just it! They're pulling men off the bloody case all the time, sending them off to London, as if the whole world revolves around sodding London. Not," he added quickly, "that I don't have every sympathy for the victims of the bombings." He added more gently, "London's had a week now to sort itself out."
"They need to be able to relieve the people working there," John said. "Plus they're hunting for any more bombers." As he was talking, he was fingering his chin, a sure sign that he was thinking. Frances wondered what had intrigued him.
"Our rates are three hundred a day, plus expenses, two days in advance."
"Okay," Parrish said and began fumbling for cash, which he counted out.
"We'd like to interview your wife and look around your home," John said.
"What?" Parrish said. "No, no, I can't have you underfoot, upsetting my wife."
"Isn't she upset already, with her missing?" Frances said. "Doesn't she want Natalie found?"
"Of course she does!"
There was a hint of orange around his head, Frances realized. What's he's got to be nervous about?
"Does your daughter have a mobile phone, Mr. Parrish?" Frances said.
He seemed surprised by the question. "Of course she does." He rounded on John. "Can't you do the job? I need you as local experts on Brighton. The police have covered every square inch of Angmering--there's nothing to find there. But if you're not up to it..."
John didn't respond to the implied threat. "What are you worried about, Mr. Parrish?" he asked, his voice soothing. "We'll be careful with how we question your wife, but we really need to talk to her, just in case there's something that she hasn't realized is significant. Otherwise, we'll have to decline the case."
Frances just stopped herself from gulping. The agency wasn't broke, but several days work couldn't be turned down lightly. John's colours were white with anger, but there was the green of sadness shooting through it and the violet of acceptance that gave her no doubt about his sincerity.
Parrish said slowly, rising to his feet, "I'll need to talk to my wife, let her know that you're coming."
"I'll draw up the contract, and we can sign it there," John said, making sure he showed no hint of triumph.
When he left Frances said, "You were a bit hard on him, weren't you? Especially at the beginning?"
"Just letting him know I'm no doormat," John said. "He strikes me as a bit of a bully if you let him."
"Including his daughter?"
"No," John said. "She could walk on water, as far as he's concerned, as far as I can tell."
While he was talking, Frances pressed the Braille 'play' button on the ansaphone. Her heart sank, as Kay Rogers' precise, prissy little voice intoned, "This is Kay Rogers, counsellor, calling for Frances Dedman, aka Faith DuQuayne."
"She makes me sound like a friggin' criminal," Frances muttered.
"You are," he said. "Technically speaking," he added.
"I done my time, copp-ah," she said.
Kay Rogers' voice stated the time, then the message. "Miss Dedman, you have now missed two appointments, nor responded to the earlier messages that I left. Please call me as soon as possible to arrange an appointment." She left her phone number, which was unnecessary.
Frances groaned. "I'll call her later," she said.
Hamid never saw the blow that felled him.
He was returning from a community liaison meeting with the police at the mosque. That fool Kamal with his firebrand politics wanted the force to apologize for calling on community leaders to condemn the bombing. Fortunately common sense had prevailed, and Kamal had been shouted down by his own people even as the police liaison team looked on.
Hamid had left with a warm glow that had lasted almost all the way home. He was looking forward to telling Sura, so he hadn't noticed at first that he was being followed. It was only when he heard the clink of a bottle being kicked over and shattering that he noticed the heavy footfalls dopplering his own.
He turned left into Bridlington Street, one away from his own, and crossed quickly, his pace picking up. So did the footsteps behind him. He crossed onto the left-hand pavement, where a Transit van was parked facing him, driver side on the pavement. As he reached the van, he looked behind him.
He found himself lying on the pavement, only half-conscious from where the door had clobbered him prostrate. A boot thudded into his ribs to the accompaniment of wordless grunts. Another connected with his head, he saw stars, and then there was the warmth of blood in his mouth, the feel of the ruins of his teeth, and he was pulling his arms in around his head, but too late, too late. Impact after impact thudded like a rain of pain until death's darkness was almost a relief.
He died without ever hearing his assailant's voices, except for their grunts.
When it was clear that life had ebbed from his body, one of them said, "Enough."
As one, four of the group reached down and picked up the body, while another pulled two objects from the van, keeping one and throwing a bristle-haired brush with three-foot handle to a sixth colleague, all of them watched by the one who had spoken. Although the group moved with the ragged asynchronicity of those not yet fully trained, there was a collective purpose to their actions.
The one who had gone to the van poured liquid on the pavement where Hamid had died, while his colleague scrubbed it vigorously with the brush he had been thrown. Meanwhile the others carried Hamid's corpse to the van and tossed it in, climbing in after the body. The one who had spoken passed the cleanup detail and climbed into the driver's seat, coughing at the strong smell of bleach. He gunned the engine as the cleanup detail climbed in through the doors behind him. Stopping at the end of the street, he picked up the look-out from the shadows.
In the back of the van, several of the group worked at trimming off Hamid's beard, wrestling him out of his clothes and into a filthy shirt, jeans and coat that stank of meths, laughing as they joked at the humiliation they were heaping on the man. One of them said, "Bloody Paki stinks of curry. And he's shit himself."
"Involuntary reaction, Pete," the driver grunted. "He couldn't help himself. Proper Englishman would've kept his sphincter shut, even unto death." Roars of laughter greeted the remark. Several of the others had relaxed noticeably already.
The driver took the van carefully--but not too slowly, in case he attracted the police's attention as a potential drunk driver--out through the streets onto the North Circular Ring Road, and beyond, onto the M25. Even at this late hour the traffic was heavy, and it took all his concentration. He didn't immediately notice one of the group mucking around with Hamid's linen skullcap and doing a little shuffling sand-dance in the back, but when he did, he immediately bellowed, "Oi!"
The miscreant sat down with what the driver suspected was a smirk that he decided to remove. "DNA, dipstick! If they recover any of that and it's got your traces all over it, what we going to do?"
There was a long silence, and then driver said, voice dangerously level, "I'll tell you what we're going to do, Cher, love. We're going to fucking burn you with it! Got that?"
"Yeah," Cher said, her voice wobbling slightly.
They drove on, the M25 getting progressively quieter as they passed midnight, rounding the motorway's northernmost point. Eventually the road was quiet enough that when they exited, the Transit was the only vehicle on the slip road off the motorway.
They stopped, and the group pulled Hamid's corpse from the van. The driver affixed something to his coat, and they poured whisky and rum over his face and upper torso. "You enjoying that, Paki?" one of the boys in the group asked, and they laughed before tossing Hamid's corpse over the fence, where it rolled down into the field.
The group climbed into the van and drove off.
Minutes later, the fuse that the driver had attached to Hamid's shirt began to burn and quickly caught on the alcohol accelerant. Within minutes, the body was burned beyond any recognition.
No one driving past even noticed.


text:
The former U.K. ambassador to the U.S. has publicly admitted something of a truism: The plans to invade Iraq did not give time to U.N. weapons inspectors to do their job, and coalition forces "found [themselves] scrabbling for the smoking gun." —JCL
The Guardian:
The military timetable for an invasion of Iraq in 2003 did not give time for UN weapons inspectors in the country to do their job, the former British ambassador to Washington told the Iraq inquiry in London today.
Sir Christopher Meyer said the "unforgiving nature" of the build-up after American forces had been told to prepare for war meant that "we found ourselves scrabbling for the smoking gun".
He added: "It was another way of saying 'it's not that Saddam has to prove that he's innocent, we've now bloody well got to try and prove he's guilty.' And we – the Americans, the British – have never really recovered from that because of course there was no smoking gun."
Guardian / Sarah Lee
Sir Christopher Meyer, former U.K. ambassador to the U.S., talks about a time when the United Kingdom had "a legal problem" with regime change in Iraq.

subset: commoncrawl


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Having grown up in rural Norfolk, author Victoria Connelly never thought she'd ever live in London. But after surviving 11 years in the noisy suburbs, she finally persuades her husband to move to Suffolk - to a county with no motorways, a village with no shops, and a cottage with no main drainage.
Escape to Mulberry Cottage is the first book in the Suffolk Bunch series. It follows Victoria and her artist husband, Roy, as they embrace country life with their ever-expanding family of animals.
©2013 Victoria Connelly (P)2015 Victoria Connelly
There are no reviews for this title yet.
"country tale"
This is a simple story following the author Victoria Connelly and her move to the country from city.
It is mostly relaxing, quite short, and I love Victoria,'s stories in fiction so it was interesting to find out more with this true life description of her moving.
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The PlayStation 4 is building impressive momentum for a video game console that no one has actually seen in the flesh just yet. Sony's advertisement video for the PS4 was the most watched video on YouTube for the month of February, racking up a whopping 26.3 million views. GameStop isn't even taking pre-orders for the machine just yet, but it has started up one of its "First To Know" sign up campaigns to let people pre-order their pre-order for a PS4, and 600,000 people signed up over the course of three weeks. Sony has yet to hint at a price (or prices assuming there are bundles), but it did give a rough release window of Holiday 2013. That covers a fairly wide range of dates, but most assumed it meant sometime in November before the sales frenzy of Black Friday. But according to a new third-party publisher, the PS4 might be around before that, and could be out as early as October.
Speaking with Outside Xbox, Assassin's Creed IV: Black Flag's director Jean Guesdon emphasized that his new game of pirates and hoods will ship for all systems on Oct. 29 – that's not just the Wii U, PlayStation 3, and Xbox 360 version of the game either, but all versions of the game including the PS4. The indication is that the PS4 will also be available to play the game on in October 2013.
This isn't the first time that we've heard the PlayStation 4 may be due out before the typical holiday shopping mania. A source familiar with Sony's plans said all the way back in April 2012 that Sony planned to get to market ahead of Microsoft. "Sony are completely in the belief that they have the jump on Microsoft this time," said the source, going on to say that it will not just announce its machine first, but beat Microsoft to market ahead of Christmas 2013.
Realistically Guesdon's comments aren't the strongest evidence of an October release for PlayStation 4. Games for new consoles are sometimes, though not often, available before the machine as was the case with Sony's very own Uncharted: Golden Abyss. That and other Vita games were available a week before the Vita actually released in February 2012.
The other factor to consider is that there has not been a game console released in the past twelve years that didn't come out in November. The Nintendo Gamecube and Xbox released within days of each other in November 2001, the Xbox 360 followed quickly in November 2005, the Nintendo Wii and PlayStation 3 duked it out on the very same day in November 2006, and the Nintendo Wii U hit the world with a wet thud in November 2012.
The last home console to not release in November was actually Sony's PlayStation 2, which landed in October 2000. Perhaps the company is planning to release PlayStation 4 in October 2013 for luck more than anything else.


text:
Check 21: Are We There Yet?
Opinion: As the start date nears for an act that will introduce digitized, substitute checks, are banks and their customers ready for the transition?As we approach Oct. 28, the date that the Check Clearing for the 21st Century Act goes into effect, are banks and their customers ready for the changes it holds? The reality is that the infrastructure for "checkless" banking isnt quite in place yet. Theres a great deal to be done on the technologyand many bilateral agreements must be madebefore banks can take that step. The act authorizes the creation of a new instrument, an IRD (image replacement document). An IRD is a substitute check that has been imaged from the original paper version presented to the clearing bank. It has the same legal status for proof of payment as an original check.
Read more here about the changes Check 21 will bring.
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Oxfam UK Says Inequality At Unprecedented Levels
Category: Oxfam
According to aid agency Oxfam, the wealthiest one per cent of the UK population own as much as 20 times the wealth of the poorest 20 per cent. This statistic makes the UK one of the most unequal countries in the western world and may be a major reason behind the Brexit vote Oxfam said. The data suggests that just 634,000 UK citizens were worth more than twenty times as the poorest 13 million and in response Oxfam is calling on Prime Minister Theresa May to undertake policy which will narrow the gap between those who have and those who have not.
Inequality is astonishing
Oxfam's report looked at data which came from the investment bank Credit Suisse and found the richest 10 per cent of UK citizens owned more than half of the country's wealth. More astonishing was the fact that the top 1 per cent owned a staggering 23 per cent of the country's wealth. In contrast the poorest 20 per cent own just 0.8 per cent of the UK's wealth between them. The reports claims that vast swathes of the population felt they had no access to economic opportunity.
"Whatever your views on Brexit, the referendum brought divisions within our country to a head, with many people expressing distrust and disconnection with political processes and voting for change in the hope that it would improve their economic position," Oxfam said.
Oxfam has welcomed the fact that Mrs. May has chosen to recognise the requirement to reform corporate culture and has suggested a number of measures that Oxfam believes the government should adopt. These include:
- Ensuring that workers are given more representation on company boards.
- Providing incentives to firms that encourage them to improve worker skill sets through training and education.
- Introduce a pay ratio of no more than 20 to 1. This would mean the highest paid person at a company earns no more than 20 times the income of the lowest paid person at the company.
- Dealing with corporate tax avoidance.
Oxfam's Rachel Orr said that inequality is a massive obstacle in the fight against poverty and has produced an economy in which not all people can benefit. Whilst executive pay continues to rise, one in five are still living beneath the poverty line and are struggling to put food on the table and pay their bills. One way to tackle this is to end unscrupulous practices which means the government needs to reform the economy.
"That means closing wage gaps, incentivising investment in companies' staff and making sure they pay their fair share of taxes," Ms Orr said.
A spokesperson from Downing Street says the government is responding and made changes such as introducing the National Living Wage as well as undertaking reforms of the welfare system. The spokesperson did admit however, that that much more needs to be done both to help the poorest in the country as well as those families struggling to make ends meet.
Kind Hearted Grandmother Stitches For Concern Worldwide Campaign
Category: Concern Worldwide
A grandmother with a huge heart has worked tirelessly over the last couple of months to finish a complex Middle Eastern style wall hanging in an attempt to show solidarity with refugees fleeing war torn Syria. Jane Caldwell who is 77 years old and lives in Cullybackey in Co Antrim has been spending over four hours each day to finish her decorative wall hanging which she is creating by sewing together patterned squares.
Stitch for Syria
Ms. Caldwell was a former lecturer of creative studies and says hopes her creation will remind Syrian women that they are supported in the difficulties they face. Ms. Caldwell said she accepted the challenge after learning about the "Stitch for Syria" campaign which is organised by humanitarian aid agency Concern Worldwide. Ms. Caldwell's daughter Rose is the UK executive director for the agency.
Showing solidarity with refugees
Concern had invited individuals to take up the needle and thread in order to express their solidarity with a group of Syrian women who are in Lebanon and are using cross-stitch to earn critical income. The activity helps them deal with trauma they have faced as a result of having to flee the conflict. Concern had requested the public to make a section of a wall that hangs in Lebanon's centre where the women meet. Hundreds of people have joined the effort and downloaded a six-centimetre square pattern. Based on Middle Eastern design. Once the project is complete the wall hangings will be delivered to Lebanon where they will be taken to a refugee centre.
"I'm really pleased with how it has turned out," Jane said. "It has been amazing to see how creative people have been and how varied each design is. It is a privilege to have been able to put it all together."
Unicef Says Schools Should Make Children's Rights Central To Education
Category: UNICEF
Unicef says it is important to make children's right central to school life because they not only provide a frame of reference for interpreting the world we live in, but it also improves educational outcomes. Kentish Town Primary School is taking advantage of a free Unicef refugee teaching resource dubbed "In Search of Safety." The resource was developed as part of World Refugee Day. Anna, a year six teacher says the resource is essential. Prior to the resource being made available, many people were nervous about beginning a discussion. Today, children now understand that refugee rights are being disrespected.
All children have the same rights
James, the school's head teacher says the resource has helped build a more cohesive community. He adds that students were horrified that this was happening because migrant children have the same rights as they do. The children now have a deep understanding not only of their rights but the rights of others. When the school was being assessed a group of student ambassadors showcased in an assembly examples of where classes were able to use what they had learned to tackle issues in their communities.
Students helping out in the community
Students have engaged in a number of community outreach programmes. For example, Willow Class helped out at a local wildlife reservation where they helped conserve turtles. Sycamore Class decided to tackle air pollution because they were worried about rising levels of nitrogen hydroxide. Beech Class participated in a sponsored "sleep out" and were able to raise £2740 for a couple of charities that work with the homeless.
Making the world a better place
As the students of Kentish Town Primary School learn more about children's right's, that knowledge has spread and parents have also begun to lend their input by suggesting additional rights-based campaigning activity. James concludes that the exercise is all about outcomes and empowering children to make the world a better place by helping to change it.
Greenpeace Thrilled That MP's Agree With Its Position On Plastic Microbeads
Category: Greenpeace
Greenpeace is thrilled that a very important UK government committee has backed its call for a complete ban on microbeads. It's not often that MP's from both sides of the aisle agree, however the Environment Committee MP's were unanimous in their agreement that microbeads should be banned because of the harm they cause to our oceans. This represents a massive victory for the 330,000 people who signed the Greenpeace petition calling for a ban on these pollution causing bits being added to household products.
Microbeads bad for the environment
It appears that everyone seems to agree with what is completely obvious. We should not be adding tiny bits of plastic to products that are able to pass through sewage filtration systems and out to rivers and ultimately the sea where they are eaten by wildlife. There are some interesting statistics. One shower can cause 100,000 plastic particles entering the ocean. Every year throughout Europe it is estimated that between 80,000 to 219,000 tonnes of microplastics enter the marine environment.
Voluntary commitments won't work
The committee also rubbished the idea that a voluntary phase out by companies would work and instead a full legal ban is necessary. Greenpeace recently ranked the 30 biggest cosmetics companies by their commitment to eliminating microbeads and the results suggest whilst some companies are doing better than others, none are going as far as required. Companies use different definitions of microbeads and all have different time frames for phasing them out, whilst some are only phasing out microbeads from certain products. If there is a voluntary phase out in place, it is likely that plastic will continue entering the ocean.
The devil is in the detail
So whilst there is cause for celebration, the devil is in the detail. All of us need to continue working hard to get Theresa May to support the ban and make sure that companies cannot continue to attempt to limit the ban to specific products. Most people are aware that microbeads can be found in shower gels and face scrubs, but they are also contained in a wide range of products including deodorants, shaving foam, sunscreen, washing powder and household cleaners.
We need a complete ban
Where a plastic microbead originates from is completely irrelevant to the turtle or fish which commonly mistakes tiny pieces of plastic for food. This is why a total ban on microbeads being added to products is necessary if we are going to get rid of the problem or good.
Oxfam Urges UK Government To Take In More Migrants
Category: Oxfam
According to the latest numbers, since the tragic drowning of three-year-old Alan Kurdi, refugee and migrant deaths have increased by more than 20 per cent. More than 5700 people have died on migrant routes globally in the last year. This despite the fact there was an international outcry when Alan's body was found washed up on a beach following an attempt by his Syrian family to cross to Europe from Turkey. In the previous year before he died, there were 4664 recorded deaths said Oxfam which is running a crisis appeal for refugees.
General awareness is growing
Research conducted by Virtual Social Media Lab found that following the death of Alan, there was intense interest worldwide on the issue. In fact, there were four times as many tweets on the subject in the year following Alan's death. Recent images of Omran Daqneesh who was pictured being pulled from the rubble covered in blood and dust in Aleppo also had a similar effect. Oxfam says this shows that the general public have some intense feelings about the violence which is forcing the refugees to flee.
Oxfam added: "Two major summits on the global refugee and migration crisis take place in New York later this month. The preliminary negotiations have been very disappointing, with many countries unwilling to do more to help, but the summits still offer the opportunity for governments to make firm commitments to improve the situation."
Take in more refugees
Oxfam is urging the UK government to take in more refugees. Mark Goldring Oxfam chief executive said that the images which depict Alan Kurdi's body washing up on shore were truly heart-breaking, and it was completely right for the images to induce shock and sadness amongst the general public. However, in the year since the incident took place, the situation for refugees and migrants has not improved, despite the fact they are risking everything for a better life, the routes have actually become even more deadly.
"To stop these needless deaths, we need a coordinated, global response to this crisis. The UK government has an opportunity to show it is part of the solution at the summits in New York later this month." Mr. Goldring said.
UNICEF Sounds The Warning About Child Recruitment In South Sudan
Category: UNICEF
UNICEF says that since the beginning of the year, over 650 children have been recruited into South Sudanese armed groups. The agency is extremely worried that renewed fighting is likely to put at even greater risk, tens of thousands of children. As such UNICEF is calling for an immediate cessation of recruitment and the total release of all children being held by armed actors. Since the crisis first began in December 2013, it is estimated that 16,000 children have been recruited by armed groups. UNICEF says the practice of recruiting children continues despite widespread political commitment to end it.
"The dream we all shared for the children of this young country has become a nightmare," said UNICEF Deputy Executive Director Justin Forsyth, speaking from Nairobi following a trip to Bentiu and Juba in South Sudan. "At this precarious stage in South Sudan's short history, UNICEF fears that a further spike in child recruitment could be imminent."
Grave Violations
Last year UNICEF was responsible for the release of 1,775 former child soldiers, one of the largest such releases ever. Despite that success renewed conflict and recruitment in South Sudan will undo much of the progress that has been made in recent years. UNICEF has also drawn attention to the fact that grave violations are taking place in the youngest country in the world such as gender based violence which was already pervasive but because of the current crisis has greatly intensified.
Sexual exploitation continues
Mr. Forsyth says that the country's children continue to have to endure horrific ordeals whilst there are plenty of reports which suggest the sexual violence against girls and women is widespread. Mr. Forsyth adds the systematic use of sexual exploitation, rape and abduction as a weapon of war in South Sudan must end now. UNICEF says that it is necessary for the agency to gain unconditional access for humanitarian interventions in Juba as well as other parts of the country, so that support, protection and assistance can be provided to children and women throughout the country. Forsyth adds that unless there is a fully operational humanitarian sector, the consequences will be catastrophic for children and their families.
Second Date Added To Autism Rocks With Ricky Martin In London
Category: News
As a result of incredibly high demand for tickets, the charity Autism Rocks has announced an extension to the concert featuring Ricky Martin set to take place on 23rd September. In order to give fans who could not buy tickets for the first event another chance, there will now be a second gig to be held on Thursday 22nd September.
A number of events
The two-day event is the first of two Autism Rocks Sessions to be held this year. This follows on from the success of the charity's tribute to Prince which took place in June in London. That event attracted over 6000 Prince fans and raised £101,330. This year the second Autism Rocks Session will occur on the 23rd of December and feature Nile Rodgers.
Insanely popular
Ricky Martin is best known for his insanely popular number one hit "Livin' la Vida Loca" and is often credited for bringing Latin pop music to the masses. He has sold more than 60 million albums worldwide and continues to tour the world playing sold out stadium and arena gigs. He is currently on his "One World" tour and his generous support for Autism Rocks means British fans will get their only chance to see him at the Eventim Apollo in London which will be his only UK gigs.
Tickets to the second release of the Autism Rocks Session with Ricky Martin will be available from today at www.eventimapollo.com and www.aeglive.co.uk between £35 to £55.
International businessman Sanjay Shah, founder of Autism Rocks said: "We are so pleased that Ricky Martin and Nile Rogers are lending their support to our cause. Artists of their standing can do so much to raise awareness of the condition and help us reach a wider audience. Autism is the fastest growing developmental disorder in the world. It is our wish that people have a better understanding of the condition and that people on the autistic spectrum are fully supported and able reach their true potential."
Cancer Research UK Pleased The Number Of Smokers In England Has Fallen To Its Lowest Level Ever
Category: Cancer Research UK
The latest Public Health England (PHE) data suggests that the number of people smoking in the country has fallen to the lowest level on record. According to the data last year the number of people who smoked fell to 16.9 per cent in England down from 17.8 per cent in 2014. Alison Cox who heads up Cancer Research UK's prevention department said that smoking continues to be the main preventable cause of cancer. This means that data suggesting that smoking rates are at a record low is pleasing.
" Today's data shows large regional variations that reflect health inequalities between the richest and poorest in England. The NHS has said that its future sustainability relies on an upgrade in public health and preventing disease, but a reduction in the number of people smoking won't happen on its own. We need well-funded tools to help smokers to quit, like local stop-smoking services, but cuts to public health budgets are making it harder for smokers to get this support. The government must make good on its promise of an ambitious new tobacco strategy, and provide sustainable funding to deliver it." Ms Cox said.
Rich poor divide
The rate of smoking for people who engage in routine and manual jobs continues to be stubbornly high, however it has fallen to 26.5 per cent down from 28 per cent in 2015. The data also draws a clear connection between the number of years of life lost as a result of smoking related illness and wealth. There is a clear rich-poor divide with those living in the poorest areas twice as likely to die from smoking related disease than those living in the richest. It also appears that fewer people are setting definite dates of when they will quit with the number of people setting a quit date falling to 5,549 per 100,000 people.
Save The Children Urges UN Member States To End Detention Of Migrant And Refugee Children
Category: Save the Children
Save the Children is warning that the latest efforts by both the EU and US to water down the language used to define the detention of migrant and refugee children is extremely worrisome and goes against international standards. Patrick Watt of Save the Children said that the UN refugee and migration summit was supposed to unite member states so they could find news solutions to arguably what has been the most pressing global challenge of our time. There are millions of people on the move, most of which are escaping violence and persecution. Instead of proposing solutions to help, members of the United Nations are arguing over existing rules including those that lie at the very heart of the UN Convention on the Rights of the Child. Mr. Watt says that all members must support the principal of ending the detention of children on the basis of the parent's migration status. Anything less would be a big step backwards.
Forced to flee
Of the 65 million people that have been forced to flee as a result of persecution and violence in 2015, more than half are children who are especially vulnerable to abuse and exploitation whilst they are on the move or stranded at borders. Save the Children has been arguing for UN member states represented at the Summit to recognise their obligations under international human rights treaties so that these children have their best interests protected. Save the Children wants member states to commit to ending the detention of children once and for all.
"The de facto detention of children – the likes of which we are seeing on the Greek Islands – must not become a new normal. World leaders must live up to their existing commitments to ensure that the most vulnerable people on the move, including children, are treated with dignity and have their rights respected," said Mr. Watt.
Raising the bar
Mr. Watt adds that both the United States and the European Union should be raising the bar instead of seeking to lower it. Whilst there have been some welcome developments in other parts of the declaration, the results of the negotiation should be to provide and ambitious and meaningful solution of millions of refugee and migrant children. This means that a new global system must be developed that ensures governments share responsibility for protecting refugee and migrant children as well as their families.
Greenpeace Fighting Hard To Change The Energy Industry
Category: Greenpeace
Oil and gas are disastrous technologies that pollute the air, oceans land and are responsible for climate change. If we are to mitigate climate change, then these dirty fuels must stay in the ground instead of being extracted. However, the powerful energy lobby continue to try to tap dirtier and more expensive sources of fuel. They are now drilling in the Arctic and fracking shale oil and gas. Greenpeace is doing its best to fight back and to stand up for our environment, climate and communities.
It's time to leave oil behind
We need to live in a world without oil. This is because its production causes damage to the environment, wildlife and people. When we use oil for transportation we are fuelling climate change, choking out cities and making people sick because of air pollution. The damage oil extraction causes gets worse as energy companies expand their search to include dirtier, costlier and riskier sources of the fuel such as Canada's tar sands. The global oil companies are supported by billions of dollars in tax breaks and subsidies whilst polluting and profiting at our expense.
Drilling means spilling
It is no secret that wherever an oil company drills, oil spills and blowouts are simply a fact of life. Spill clean-up rates are terrible and when energy companies drill in the Arctic, the clean-up rate is even worse, producing unacceptable risk to a polar environment that until now has been pristine as well as the people who depend on it. It is no surprise that Greenpeace is strongly opposed to oil exploration in Arctic because of the threat posed to untouched ecosystems as well as the unique polar species supported such as polar bears.
Gas emissions and leaks fuel global warming
Just as is the case with oil, when we burn natural gas, the end result is greenhouse gas emissions which fuels climate change. The gas that escapes is also a big problem this is because natural gas is mainly made of methane which is a greenhouse gas that is just as bad as carbon dioxide. Leaks and releases take place throughout the entire natural gas supply chain. Whilst we cannot be certain how much natural gas is being released into the environment, where it is measured it would seem that leaks turn out to be much higher than government estimates.
What is Greenpeace doing?
Greenpeace is working hard globally to speed up the shift from dirty energy sources such as oil, gas and coal into renewable more climate friendly energy sources. The organisation is trying to advocate for the Arctic and is urging world leaders to put an end to offshore drilling in the Arctic once and for all. Greenpeace is blazing a trail towards a safer and more secure energy future. The agency has produced a number of reports which show how we can meet all our energy needs with 100 per cent renewable energy.


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Are you looking for Domestic Appliances in Berkshire? Hotfrog showcases more than 20 popular businesses related to Domestic Appliances in Berkshire! Find a specific region or suburb using the left navigation.
Thatcham, Berkshire
We Repair Most Makes and Types of Domestic Appliances In Thatcham Newbury Hungerford Theale Mortimer Tadley and Surrounding Areas
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Crowthorne, Berkshire
Welcome to CT Bell. The family firm for all your home appliance requirements. We sell products from Blomberg, Hotpoint, Indesit, Miele, Zanussi and many more
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Woodley, Berkshire
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Repairs to all makes and models of washing machines, tumble dryers, dishwashers, fridge freezers, cookers and all kitchen appliances. 10 years experience as an engineer within British gas. Committed to a fast and efficie…
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We are kitchen designers and suppliers or furniture, appliances, and accessories stocking leading brands from around the world. We have one of the the largest kitchen showrooms in Windsor.
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For building surveys in Stafford or a surveyor in Stoke on Trent, please do not hesitate to contact me today
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Techstars launches defence and security startup accelerator in South Australia
Techstars has kicked off its Asia Pacific expansion, choosing Adelaide to launch its first startup accelerator in the region.
Business technology startups are increasingly attracting venture capital.
Techstars has kicked off its Asia Pacific expansion, choosing Adelaide to launch its first startup accelerator in the region.
Even autonomous cars have to learn to drive, so the Computer Vision Center in Barcelona has been busy developing its simulation system for training self-driving vehicles.
The Californian startup will be making data on its 2 billion trips available to third parties in a bid to help improve urban planning.
Taboola's main product generates recommended content typically found at the bottom of articles on a bevy of websites.
Out on the EU's eastern border, tech giants and outsourcing companies are thriving in a city where software development comes at bargain prices.
Samsung has announced its intention to invest from seed to Series B stages within virtual reality, artificial intelligence, and IoT space via a new $150 million venture capital fund.
The chart of accounts is the foundation upon which a business is built. Learn how to craft your chart before you start your small business. You'll be sorry if you don't.
Aside from headline-grabbing Hyperloop plans and government crackdowns on communications tech, what are the shifts that will really change the region?
Country's government has helped get things started, but Singapore entrepreneurs need to embrace risks and look beyond local shores to expand their products and services.
With more small satellites filling our skies, Italian startup Leaf Space thinks its network of ground stations can help introduce new, more economic services.
The European Union Intellectual Property Office is the first customer to use TrademarkVision's new deep learning algorithm for image trademark search.
Intensive education is the best way of reducing autism symptoms in children, but it can be costly, which is why Turkish startup Otsimo decided that free, open-source games could really help.
The entire telecom industry in India is headed for a slowdown thanks to rock-bottom rates in an environment that already is witnessing flat data revenues.
Australian fintech startups looking to test their solutions in the market will have less trouble doing so from a regulatory standpoint, thanks to new class waiver released on Thursday by ASIC.
RocketSpace is expanding into Australia, with plans to launch three coworking spaces in Sydney, Melbourne, and Brisbane in 2017 in partnership with Dexus Property Group.
Snapchat-like FimFum brings privacy to video, and encourages instant feedback, without sending large files over the internet.
Much like the initial IPO announcement, Twitter defended its $1 billion fundraising goal with some significant Tweets. Let's flip through them.
Startups are creating innovative mobile apps destined for success. This week, 17-year-old Nick D'Alosio sold his Summly app to Yahoo for about $30 million. We look at other iPhone apps created by startups that could also be in the same position one day.
A new workspace on the 39th floor of Canary Wharf is extending London's Tech City out to Docklands, and aims to bring together smart start-ups and potential customers.
The SXSW Interactive 2013 trade show featured exciting and innovative products and exhibitors. Themes included waterproof cases, 3D mobile apps, privacy and more.
What do you get when you fill a park with like-minded entrepreneurs and give them free internet, power, and the promise of coffee? Co-working is what.
The Media Exploits 2012 event gives local startups a platform to exhibit innovations ranging from mobile advertising and online games to video streaming and analytics.
At Twitter HQ in San Francisco: a quick look at lunchtime in the microblogging giant's lunch room - which also happens to be one of Bon Appetit's flagship cafés.
Ahead of Aug. 9 national day celebrations, ZDNet Asia speaks with five local startups which showcase Singapore's culture through their recent products.
An Australian team has recently demonstrated its robotics "wizardry" by advancing to the grand finals of an international land warfare robot competition to be held in South Australia in November.
Where are the expense management startups and Dirty SaaS?
The MDA held an exhibition of several interactive digital media projects. Here are some of the hits and misses.
Silicon Valley start-up Wrightspeed aims to bring sports cars that run solely on battery power to market.
Participants in the the Middle East Partnership Initiative visit Silicon Valley for tips on turning great ideas into profit.
Technology is thriving in Israel, as the country seeks to become a center for research and development.
Services from fledging start-ups let people build Web applications themselves.
Internet of Things
MATRIX Voice brings fast and affordable development of voice-controlled IoT apps on Raspberry Pi
The decacorn list: 9 startups valued at more than $10 billion


text: After a week of frigidly cold temperatures, Denver residents should be ready to take advantage of the warmer weekend forecast. This weekend offers a wide range of activities for all kinds of tastes. Enjoy a concert featuring songs from a beloved musical, sample some tasty food, and enjoy the big game. The kids can even see their favorite cartoon mouse do a little magic.


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Geometrics are a big trend in fashion, just as they are in interiors. This open-caged pendant is the perfect example of just how chic shapes can be. Made of solid, antiqued brass, the design creates shadow play on the walls and ceiling. Shown with an edison bulb.
3' Antique Brass Chain
Pendant Dim H: 15.5" x 17"D x 17"W
Canopy H: 1.5" x 5.75"Dia
Type A- E26, Keyless. Plug: Hardwired
Voltage: 110-120 Volt. Socket Wattage: 60
Maximum Chain/Pipe Extension: 9.5'. Cord Type: SVT
See last image for the dimensions
Height: 17"
Width: 17"
Color: Yellow
Material: Brass
Style of Design: Traditional


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Tom Cruise's Mother Dead At 80Mary Lee South, the mother of Tom Cruise, died in her sleep last week TMZ is reporting.
Leah Remini Says Tom Cruise Pressured Her Into Trying To Get Scientology Segment CancelledThis is crazy!
James Corden & Tom Cruise Acted Out His Entire Film Career!This was hilarious! They were out of breath by the end!
Former Bodyguard to Brad Pitt, Angelina Jolie, Speaks About Life Behind The ScenesIn an article published in The Sun, former bodyguard Mark Billingham says he practically "fathered" Brad Pitt and Angelina Jolie's six children for the 18 months he worked for them.
Tom Cruise Hasn't Seen His Daughter Suri In Three Years!This is so sad!
Suri Cruise Is 10 Years Old And Looks Exactly Like Her Father, Tom (Photo)Suri has grown up to look exactly like her father, and is absolutely adorable.
What Happened Tom Cruise's Face? See The Pics!Check out the pics!
VIDEO: Watch Katie Holmes Squirm As Matt Lauer Asks Her About Tom CruiseWatch the awkward interview here!
Cuba Gooding Jr. Dishes on Pal Tom Cruise's (Possible) Cosmetic SurgerySpeaking with Andy Cohen last night on Watch What Happens Live, the star of The People vs. O.J. Simpson said his 53-year-old Jerry Maguire co-star has "absolutely" had work done on his face.
Tom Cruise Set To Star In 'The Mummy' RebootUniversal Pictures is set to reboot The Mummy with Tom Cruise at the wheel. They say the film will be released on June 9, 2017.
Tom Cruise Is Furious Over Leah Remini Speaking Out Against Him And Scientology
Leah Remini Reveals More On Tom CruiseLeah Remini's Scientology-tell-all memoir Troublemaker: Surviving Hollywood and Scientology has me saying to myself, "Whoaa! Are you serious!?"


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When Lakeside girls lacrosse goalie Savannah Jane Duncan stopped the eighth shot attempt by Southwest DeKalb on Monday during the Lady Panthers' 19-7 win, the game was halted briefly.
The ball was taken out of play and Duncan was recognized for making save No. 400 with the Lady Panthers – not that she had much time to celebrate.
By Scott Rouch
Staff Writer
Twitter @ScottRouch
The Greenbrier girls tennis team extended their season Wednesday afternoon while the boys saw theirs come to a close.
Both were playing host as No. 2 seeds in the opening round of the GHSA Class AAAAA state tennis tournament. The Lady Wolfpack dispatched Northside-Columbus quickly 3-0, while the boys went down 3-0 to Harris County, albeit with a fight.
Greenbrier coach Stefanie Basinger was sad to see the boys' season end when No. 2 singles Holden Ashley lost his match, 6-4, 3-6, 3-6.
This week has made me feel like I'm in the movie Scanners – with all that has been going on, I anticipate my head may explode.
First, a big congratulations to Augusta Prep's Brooke Stevens.
The senior entered her final tennis postseason as the four-time Georgia Independent School Association Region 4-AAA individual champion and four-time GISA individual state champion.
Now make that five on both counts.
The waiting was the hardest part.
With their opening-round match of the GHSA Class AAAAA state tennis tournament scheduled for 3 p.m., the Lakeside High School boys didn't take the court until 5 p.m. against Carver-Columbus, Tuesday afternoon.
From that point, it took the No. 1 seed Panthers (17-0) under an hour to dispatch the Tigers (6-7), 5-0.
The scores didn't necessarily reflect the step up in play that the Panthers faced Tuesday, with all but one match going 6-0, 6-0. Panthers' coach Dave Pitock thought the Tigers put forth a good effort against his squad.
For Greenbrier senior center-back Raven Rose, Tuesday night was three years in the making.
In her four years with the Lady Wolfpack soccer squad, the team has lost two region championship games and won two, including their 2-0 win over rival Evans at Blanchard Woods Park for the Region 2-AAAAA title on Tuesday.
At the Georgia Independent School Association Region 4-AAA Track and Field Championships, the team finishes for Augusta Prep were about what coach Tom Holodak expected.
The Lady Cavaliers finished second with 121 points behind Gatewood (243) while the boys' squad (86) was fourth.
"We knew the girls had an outside chance for second and we had that solid," said Holodak. "There were five (boys) events we didn't have people in. That's what kind of hurt us today."
Aiken-Augusta Swim League and Evans High School swimmer Nathan Rogers was able to officially blow off some steam Friday afternoon at the Augusta Aquatic Center.
With his family and teammates in attendance, Rogers signed to swim for Division I Brigham Young University (Provo, Utah).
Daniel Dickerson and Myles Duncan put the exclamation point on No. 1 seed Greenbrier's Region 2-AAAAA soccer tournament semifinal win early in the second half.
Dickerson's attempt from 15 yards out got by a sprawling Academy of Richmond County keeper and Duncan was there to tap it in for his second goal of the night with 57 seconds gone in the half, giving the Wolfpack (16-0-1) a 4-0 advantage. They went on to the 6-1 win.
"I love serving the ball in because I know at least three players are going to be there," said Dickerson.
The Evans Knights will be making a return trip to the GHSA Class AAAAA state baseball playoffs.
Facing an overmatched Warner Robins squad in the first round of the Region 2-AAAAA tournament, the No. 2 seed Knights swept into the semifinal round by beating the Demons 10-3, 14-2, Thursday night.
And after No. 4 Lakeside upset No.1 Houston County Saturday, the Knights were at home last night playing host to Jones County.
"What it was about was coming out and taking care of what we could, take care of business and move on," said Knights' coach Ricky Beale.
Columbia County has always taken a back seat to some of the surrounding areas when it came to basketball. However, Saturday's CSRA All-Star Classic proved the gap is slowly closing.
The event was held at Paine College's HEAL Athletic Complex and featured four games. The middle school girls played first, followed by the middle school boys contest. By the second half of game No. 2, the gym, which seats 2,400, was full to capacity and the fire marshall would not let anyone else in the venue.
Columbia County News-Times ©2017. All Rights Reserved.


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