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A site to share information on Welfare cuts, illness, disability and general, current, political thought.
Wednesday 15 February 2012
What did that all mean then?
Lots of people have already asked me "But what did yesterday mean and I'm afraid it will be a while before anyone can properly answer that.
The House of Lords scrutinises a bill "line-by-line". They are there to go through every last detail of policy and amend it where they find fault. There are no big-bangs, no fireworks, just lots and lots and lots of technical details. They get harder and harder to report and harder still to explain. The "nuts and bolts" of yesterday were fascinating, but definitely for another day.
What I can tell you is what it meant politically.
Let's go back a year. The Broken of Britain were in the last days of their "One Month Before Heartbreak" campaign. The DLA/PIP consultation was just about to close and they had successfully inspired thousands to make a submission in a first blaze of social media activity.
We had nothing and no-one. Welfare reform was the one rock solid area for the Government. The media were eagerly whipping the public into the full throes of rabid scrounger hating. The "opposition" were, erm, not opposing. At all. In fact they were actively supporting both the Government and the stigma.
We couldn't get a journalist anywhere to report welfare, they practically held lavender hankies to their noses at the thought. No-one cared about the details of the bill and it marched on, seemingly unstoppably, towards becoming law.
That's what we won. That's what we changed. Step by step, tiny victory by tiny victory, we chipped away relentlessly. Like Andy Dufresne in the Shawshank Redemption. Chip chip! A story here, a journalist there, a politician persuaded, a peer convinced. Chip, chip! Exposing their mistakes and their fibs, speaking at this conference, speaking on that radio show. Chip, chip! An email or a letter or a blog post or an article.
And somehow, magically, the tiny chips became a dent and the dent became a hole and the hole became a tunnel, right through to Grayling and Miller and Freud. Right through to the Daily Mail. Right through to Newsnight and the Spartacus Report and the ESA defeats in the Lords and our DLA amendment. We had an amendment!!! In the House of Lords!! Lord Freud had to answer our report!!
What's that got to do with yesterday?
Without it, as we all know so very well, you have nothing. But by yesterday, we held some cards. By yesterday, the Government were unsure. By yesterday, they had to compromise.
I know that compromise is a boring word. We all wanted explosives, heavy artillery and preferably, for Freud, Miller, Grayling and IDS to be permanently exiled to somewhere in Afghanistan with a lot of bandits.
But compromise is what the Lords are there to ensure and finally, dragged kicking and screaming towards the naughty-step-of-honesty, Freud had to suck it up.
Yesterday, I said we would know where we stood as soon as the debate started. It was all about tone. It was all about how many peers turned up to moan a bit about financial privilege. It was about how much momentum we had built up and just how worried the Government were. Another round of humiliating defeats would have been a disaster. If we had no chance of inflicting any, then it was game over.
If, however, peers were as cross as we felt they were, if they were as concerned for us as they were for democratic process, then they could make things very sticky indeed. If they chose to. And it was a choice. The amendments themselves barely mattered yesterday - we didn't even have time to work out what they all meant. They were symbolic "If you don't compromise now, we will test you" Sort of the parliamentary equivalent of your Mum shouting down the stairs "Don't make me come down there!!!"
Ohhhhhh they did us proud. First an almighty slap-down from every corner of the House over the misuse of financial privilege. Oh, it was brutal. Freud, checking over his shoulder, looking nervously about for friendly supporters or grim faced opponents. When peers call the commons "bullies" and one peer calls another "sneaky" in oh-so-courteous Lords speak that's like your Nan calling her bridge team the c word.
The gloves were off and from the first few minutes it was clear that peers were up for a fight. Process had been pushed too far, convention stretched to its limits and that was the best possible scene we could expect to see.
The first amendment saw Freud compromise. Bns Meacher, who had taken no prisoners at all seemed content enough to withdraw it. A win.
Then, over forcing people in social housing to move to imaginary homes if they have a spare room, more passionate speeches, more forensic slapdowns and Freud was squirming. Peers pushed it to a vote and we won! Message? "If you insist, we will defeat you." That was all we needed. Just that one.
We won the Crossbenchers, we won 9 Lib Dems, and even a few Tories seemed to stay at home. Freud knew then - if he pushed any more votes, he would lose them.
And so the offers started to come in thick and fast. To avoid any further votes, he pretty much accepted all of the "Amendments in Lieu". He got flustered, forgot which amendment came next, and at one point he even admitted (to my great geeky satisfaction) that they had not fully understood the "youth condition" amendment that meant profoundly disabled children would no longer qualify for NI contributions. Freud! Admitting he was wrong!! In the Lords! *sigh* I liked that bit. I do believe he actually used the word grovel!!!! (I shall be checking Hansard for that one....)
Remember, as per previous posts, amendments can be - and as we've seen - will be, overturned in the Commons. The pledges Freud makes before any vote, however, are binding. The more he makes, the more we "won". The more he compromises, the more worried he is.
By yesterday afternoon he was so worried - about the future of the entire bill - that he took a few blows to avoid a knockout in the second round of Ping Pong.
So when I can tell you what the "Amendments in Lieu" actually gained us, I will, but don't expect fireworks
The amazing, almost miraculous part was that yesterday, we gained much, much more than the sum of a few watered-down amendments of watered-down amendments.
We pushed the Government further than they - or indeed we - ever imagined possible. We opposed. We informed, we had them on the ropes. The public started to wake up, a few journalists came blinking into the light and the entire welfare debate has changed forever. We have a voice, we have made our case and when it starts to become clear that we were right all along, the world will be waiting to notice - not blindly stumbling towards disaster.
We still have a filthy bill, crammed with awful policies. We still have a mountain to climb. But we have shaken the Government out of their arrogant complacency in a way they never imagined.
I can't say what will happen to the bill now. But I can say that from now on, it will be a much, much more equal fight. And that is something the Government never, ever expected in their worst nightmares.
84 comments:
- Anonymous15 February 2012 at 08:48
Just a shame abt DLA sue, that for me was key.
and a great job done by the crew. Good comments Sue, now if only 38 Degrees would get 40,000 odd signatures on Pat's Petition like they did on the Health Bill yesterday then we may yet get it to 100,000 and have a FULL debate not just Lords amendments.
ReplyDeleteReplies- Anonymous15 February 2012 at 19:36
I have been emailing & posting Pats petition,& asking by email 38Degrees about putting the email campaign to MP's already running a move further on first to make it Lords then yesterday to ask the membership if they would like to run with the petition. As democratic is what they keep quoting, they tell me I should try to get members interested by putting the idea up on blog/facebook. I've tried only a few respond, it needs lots of members. I read about the mess up/loss of faith a lot who posted/voted for DLA not to be abolished suggested campaign. My thought is this petition has to reach as many as possible quickly, so I will keep posting, hoping to catch signatures, if any one would like to boost support & post asking for it to be the next move then that would be great & I'm not holding my breath, but if it happened the petition may just fly. I'm bemused by how things really succeed at running on the site.
Thanks for that political perspective, Sue. In the middle of the debate I discovered my freezer had broken down, and had to drag myself away to mount a rescue operation. So I missed most of the debate, including the successful division. I did manage to notice, when I got back, that Freud was flustered enough to be fluffing around in his papers and losing his way - not for the first time.
Very well done indeed, to all involved. I think Spartacus is making history here.
How's the money holding up? Don't hesitate to ask again if you need to.Replies- Anonymous15 February 2012 at 12:22
Hi Sue and all involved, I was thinking about the money too how are you doing?
It was quite obvious in the HoL and HoC that many of them making laws had NO idea what they were talking about and yet they were there voting for something that would have such dreadful consequences for other human beings Angela
Sue can you imagine what would have happened if you hadn't done the Spartacus Report - doesn't bear thinking about - So from me and Millions of people that are affected by the WRB Thank You from the bottom of our hearts - that also extends to everyone involved as I am sure there are plenty of others that unfortunately I don't know their names :(
ReplyDeleteRepliesLook at the front page of the Responsible Reform report. Many names there.
As to the Spartacus Report happening or not, the real crunch time was 3 hours on the afternoon of December 6th when I, who eventually unexpectedly became the main author, wrestled with myself deciding whether to go ahead, knowing what the health cost would be.
It was a close call.your effort has been so appreciated. Giving articulation and a voice to many who couldn't. Thank you. My family appreciate someone standing up for us. xx
DeleteI suppose i wrote that wrong - due to my condition at the time couldn't remember the name of the report or other names involved :(
But well done to
Anon, ME; Sue Marsh BA (Hons); Kaliya Franklin LLB(Hons); Declan Gaffney; Anon; Mason Dixon, autistic;
Leigh James; Sam Barnett-Cormack BSc MSc; Rhydian Fon-James BSc MSc; Dawn Willis; Anon
- Jan O'Malley (Tanith777)15 February 2012 at 09:43
From a tiny acorn a great oak is growing - thanks Sue for watering & nurturing it! I know it has cost you loads in health. It would have been wishful thinking to believe that the whole thing was going to crumble now. I love your chip chipping, that's how great sculptures are made! It may take a long while yet but the Sparatuci will show the ConDems up for what they are in the end!
ReplyDelete - Anonymous15 February 2012 at 09:43
Freud was flustered that's what you get when you poke your nose in when you don't know what your talking about and that applies worldwide to anyone
ReplyDelete - @marilf00015 February 2012 at 09:50
Sue, thanks so much for this - you have given us such a boost, on top of all your other fabulous Spartacus Report efforts.
Two key elements for me:
(1) Freud's concessions stand, whatever happens when the Bill ping-pongs back to the Commons, and
(2) we aren't a voiceless bunch of people any more - our shouting will continue to be heard, no matter what the impact of this or other legislation on us. Sick & disabled people who will inevitably suffer because of this Government's draconian legislation won't have to suffer in silence - we will be making lots of noise on the streets, in the media and in Government, shaming the bastards who decided we're "worthless". We will not be ignored.
We are Spartacus. x - Anonymous15 February 2012 at 10:00
Adrian Wait: Shawshank speech...
"I find I'm so excited I can barely sit still or hold a thought in my head. I think it is the excitement only a free man can feel, a free man at the start of a long journey whose conclusion is uncertain. I hope I can make it across the border. I hope to see my friend, and shake his hand. I hope the Pacific is as blue as it has been in my dreams. I hope." - cathy t15 February 2012 at 10:10
Thanks a million to all of us who made a chip, and especially Sue and co who got the dent going!!
It was quite remarkable to witness the turnarounds last night, small as they may have been, but the feeling and support behind those who pushed for them was palpable & very welcoming. Lord Patel was wonderful in getting those with cancer back into the support group, and the continuing consultation with Macmillan is encouraging.
May it pave the way for future collaboration with the disability charities and all the many other stretched organisations, such as CAB and Shelter, who have to deal with the fallout of a flawed welfare system on a daily basis.
We are being heard, and we will win!
We are Spartacus - Anonymous15 February 2012 at 10:11
Sue do you know how freud come about to represent us in the lords in the first place he should by rights have been our servant and vowed to and fight our corner ?
And why wasn't this picked up by the other lords
They should have said and spoke up "you don't like the sick and disabled so why the hell are you representing them "
He should then have stepped down there is no point having a upper chamber if this type of thing in future continues
Having a witch hunt on the sick and disabled is morally and ethically wrong and needs further looking into by the upper house
The Baroness Campbell of Surbiton DBE should have been the correct choice of lady to represent us as she is the most qualified she of coarse agrees with me and rightly so
As does my tory mp on welfare reform
It's a most bizarre state of affairs when the likes of yourself who is ill have to take a lead or me in my case because my mp says i know best
The whole thing is to bizarre for words and we must get the right lord or lady to take control in future - ChrisBracken15 February 2012 at 10:16
I think you've hit the nail on the head, Sue. They thought no-one was watching, but we are. And, thanks in no small part to you and a core of other brave souls, we are organised. This isn't over, and everything they do will be scrutinised to breaking point. And, preferably, beyond that point.
ReplyDelete - Anonymous15 February 2012 at 10:36
What more can I say but thanks from the bottom of my heart! It gives us a voice at last!!!
ReplyDelete - Anonymous15 February 2012 at 10:54
Lord Freud is taking the Bill through the Lords as he is the PUSS at DWP. Only a Governemnt Minister can take a bill through either of the two houses.
ReplyDelete - Anonymous15 February 2012 at 10:59
Fantastically written. I loved the lavender hankied journalists and the naughty step of honesty. Very well done, I love it. XXX
ReplyDelete - Anonymous15 February 2012 at 11:16
My hair is standing up all over reading the above quote & then I burst into desolate tears..
The last comment sums up my fears as well as my hopes.. Even more than desperately needed money it is my freedom that I feel has been stolen.
I expect to be hunted & abused now for the rest of my life. I am 50 & don't expext to live to the new retirement age. That's fine, not a problem. With acknowledgement & support continuing I would have continued to grow with some peace & pride.
I now expect to spend the last part of my life as I spent the beginning ie. Neglected, abandoned, abused & used. I am not mine now unless I choose to give in & request nothing, accepting the consequences as the only way to keep my pride.
I am asking advice here on how I can face the constant biased assessments, conditions & sanctions & still feel I belong to myself. If I am unable to break this 24/7 fear I will have no happy time or hope.. So how do I seperate what they are doing to me with who I am?!
Best wishes to all... NitaReplies- Anonymous15 February 2012 at 12:25
[QUOTE]Anonymous has left a new comment on the post "What did that all mean then?":
My hair is standing up all over reading the above quote & then I burst into desolate tears..
The last comment sums up my fears as well as my hopes.. Even more than desperately needed money it is my freedom that I feel has been stolen.
I expect to be hunted & abused now for the rest of my life. I am 50 & don't expext to live to the new retirement age. That's fine, not a problem. With acknowledgement & support continuing I would have continued to grow with some peace & pride.
I now expect to spend the last part of my life as I spent the beginning ie. Neglected, abandoned, abused & used. I am not mine now unless I choose to give in & request nothing, accepting the consequences as the only way to keep my pride.
I am asking advice here on how I can face the constant biased assessments, conditions & sanctions & still feel I belong to myself. If I am unable to break this 24/7 fear I will have no happy time or hope.. So how do I seperate what they are doing to me with who I am?!
Best wishes to all... Nita[/QUOTE]
i have been abused off and on for 31 years by the DWP the only time i have had help is either by the police or my mp which is very slow and things are as you can imagine are still on going
my mind is week as is my frail body and have to sleep or rest for 18 hours a day just to stay alive
There is no advice i can give you i have a church very local to me and when I'm in there just me and Jesus on the cross i feel his presence and walk away up lifted until David Cameron and the DWP come after me again
I may at some point just spend my waking hours in the church only and feel this will be my only way out for whatever remains the rest of my life
At least i will die in the lords presence which will be very peaceful no doubt i have no fear of the end game but until then the good lord will guide me and look after me as only he knows how and when he feels i have had enough he will take me in to his house for everlasting peace and for someone like myself who has had very little piece over the past 31 years i would say that was a blessing Nita,
I agree with you 100%.
Just before this lot came into power I had just got my DLA renewed for 5 years at the high rate for care and mobility. The first time without having to have a tribunal. The first time for 5 whole years before review.
I wasn't due for another work test for 3 years. (The last one I had, the doctor said I must be very strong as most people simply
couldn't cope with everything I'd been through)
For the first time in many years, I had financial security. I had been accepted as definitely not able to work. So I had plans.
Plans to move somehwere more manageable. Somewhere with better treatment for my condition. The ability to pay for treatments I couldn't get on the NHS. For the first time I had hope that I could improve my conndition and begin to live a very small life. Then this lot came in to power and by June I knew everything was gone. The few years of life I had left stolen from me. I began to fight in the little ways I could and that became my life. I got sicker and iller and more desperate. I heard the vile rhetoric in the media and didn't dare go out, even tho' mostly too unwell to anyway. But sitting in the park looking "unemployed" once in a while, who would judge me, knowing nothing of the truth?
They stole my life. They stole who I could have been, given time and peace and better help. Now my identity is secret to all who know me. They don't understand my illness. I can't tell them what little energy I have I use to fight welfare reform, when I should be in bed, or doing my "treatments" or getting some fresh air. They cannot understand the stress of living every day, not knowing if you will be classed as fit to work, yet unable even to sign on. If you will lose your DLA, yet be barely able to function. Day in and day out, this causes stress and sleepless nights and the fear the public want you dead. Like you, I don't know what identity to hold on to. It has been stolen.
Thank you - to everyone who has been working hard to make this happen. At the end of the day, all the people who are actually paid to help others - the MPs, even some charities at the beginning, the ministers etc., they abandoned the sick and disabled to their fate. But what they forgot is that the 'sick and disabled' comprises many individuals. We are not a faceless, spineless 'they.' We have a voice. And thanks to Sue and the others who made this happen (in the face of blinding apathy from those who should have helped but didn't) the powers that be now realise we have a voice. And that having pushed us so far, they are discovering the truth of the saying that the most dangerous creation is the man (or woman!) with nothing to lose.
ReplyDelete- Arseneknows15 February 2012 at 12:28
I am still checking but at one point, I think when they were discussing benefit tourism, freud seemed to say that there was no part of the welfare system that was safe.
Threaten, bully, bluster, sputter, collapse - the bahaviour of a thug confronted. - Anonymous15 February 2012 at 13:10
..........(¯`v´¯) I don't know dear it walks like a duck
...........`•.¸.•´and it talks like a duck
.......(●_•̃)..(●_•̃) Mom are politicians kind people?
......... /█\ ♥/█\
============== - Anonymous15 February 2012 at 13:28
I am devastated. Disability Living Allowance has not been saved. PIP will be introduced under 'their' terms. No notice will be taken of the up-coming 'Consultation' as none was taken of the previous one.
14 Feb 2012 : Column 693 Hansard
"We need to learn from the introduction of PIP for those aged 16 to 64, which will start in April 2013 and continue through to 2016 as people switch over. We need to build learning from that process. We are also looking at moving towards a single assessment process for children's social care, health and special education needs. By the start of 2015, we should have gathered sufficient evidence to be able to consider our future approach."
I have a 'disability' caused by my medical condition, not social, enviromental etc and can never be 'independant', PIP has the potential to cause the loss of many benefits associated with DLA including Social Care packages, as in my area that is based around your DLA entitlement. DLA is a 'gateway' to wheelchair services for permanent and semi-permanent users along with OT's and Phsiotherapy, DLA actually does a very good job of ensuring the correct support is offered by Services for those on the highest rates, the PIP criteria could lead to a loss when looked at 'holistically' which would necessitate moving into residential or Nursing Care Fascilities for many.
I cannot find the reference but Jane Campbell said this week that she fears that by 2020 PIP will be no more as well, the funding will be consumed by the S.S., looking at Hansard for yesterday and the stated aims for children from 2015 I very much fear Adults will receive the same assessment after 2016 after they have managed to re-assess all current claimants plus the new caseload in the space of 3 years.
This has now become the worst case scenario IMO, they will make sure as time goes on those descriptors are 'tweaked' as with ESA to deny disability benefits to all, but there again the word 'DISABILITY' no longer exists, even an alternative name was not approved by the HoL. The government and Miller have wonRepliesNo they haven't won. And the worse case scenario has not yet come to pass.
DLA was not saved but it was never going to be. The best we could hope for was to mitigate the damage.
We got concessions that we didn't think possible. There will be reviews, a live trial, graded transitions and consultations.
We have got consultations and although many think they won't be listened to my own belief is that the government is not going to want risking a "Spartacus 2". One thing we can try to force is a meaningful dialogue so that whatever DLA is replaced by, it will harm as few people as possible.
This is why now more than ever we need to engage with the government. We will need to respond to the consultation and make sure that PIP is fit for purpose.
One thing is for sure. The government now knows that we are watching and what we are capable of. I very much doubt that they will try to pull the same tricks they did last time.Exactly right SpoonyDoc
I know we want fireworks like I said in the post, but they were NEVER going to happen. Sadly, and utterly predictably, not over the welfare bill.
These nuts and bolts I keep going on about really are as important as I try to explain. I'm not just putting a happy spin on it.
They WILL ensure that PIP is fairer, but we have to be vigilant to hold them to it all.
Thanks to all team who have worked on 'responsible reform' one the government has at least sat up and realised what a complete mess and disarray it was putting the country in and has made them think. The basics of it are taking£25 a week from somebody or 20% of a small income is catastrophic. Lord Freud looked out of his depth and clueless really, it showed up the complications the Spartacus report has addressed and many sick or disabled see and worry about.
Yesterday was a remarkable day. Thank-you and we will be watching this space.- Anonymous15 February 2012 at 14:04
What freud has in a nut shell said is that in future the sick and disabled wont be allowed out the home and will have to eat bread and cheese in future as our income will be very small
That is my full interpretation of his words and i doubt very much if anyone will be able to say I'm wrong
The welfare benefits will be available to all says David Cameron but you will have to fight for them and fight hard and yes i would agree with that statementReplies- Anonymous15 February 2012 at 14:27
Lord Fraud, like most politicians, exists in his own little world. Ignorant of the facts and with contempt for truth.
He was interviewed on the news today after the lastest unemployment figures were announced. Employers are sheddding jobs and there are more applicants than vacancies. Part time work is the highest since records began. Everyone here understands how that affects us.
Lord Fraud's conclusion though, is that there is positive news because there is more employment as a result of more people coming off sickness benefits!
Give me strength!
- Anonymous15 February 2012 at 14:47
You have only to believe if you wish to achieve
I wish that where true, but...you've made me believe again Sue. So maybe we will achieve again, thanks to you.
Thank you, Thank you soooooo much - Anonymous15 February 2012 at 15:02
Fraud's reassurances that DLA will be phased in and "trialled" and adjustments made as we go along is no different to the Work Capability Assessment. Over 3 years in and people are still being hounded, being found fit for work when they are half dead and people are still dying. I don't trust him. How many people will end up in Care Homes, hospitalised, live in fear or worse, die in despair, before anyone takes any notice that PIP assesments don't work either? When will the media and the public notice or start to care? Who hasn't already been made worse by all of this? The battle has only just begun. In my opinion we need to collect our stories and contact the UN. The government's response to them recently was that everything was tickety boo in disabled land in the UK. It is not and they should most definitely hear about it.
ReplyDelete It was great to be heard.
And to hear people in an apparent seat of power not just speak up for you but get angry on your behalf is inspirational, empowering, and for most, I imagine, a first.
However, I feel it is shortsighted to think that dismay, from some quarters, over what is happening to disabled people, who were only, before this and the last government, at the very
beginning of the historical path to equitable treatment, amounts to acceptance in even the most minor sense, or guarantees a place in any real discussion about our future.
It is obvious that no-one in power wants to allow themselves to be recorded giving the disabled an ideological throat punch, and the recent campaign did catch quite a few of them with their
fists clenched and one or two halfway to a strike.
The cruelest rhetoric, from the government side, was sucked in, a little, and by proxy, in the Lords, but the overwhelming message is that the level and type of, just about adequate,
support disabled people, across the spectrum, have had access to, in recent years, is more than under review, as the whole post war social system we built is up for recycling into something
that better fits the declining fortunes of the west and the world at large.
I have an uneasy feeling that we think we are more useful than they do.
The masters of the universe, making the real decisions, in boardrooms, at Davos, in private clubs behind closed doors, are far removed from the publicity exercise that politics and, dare I
say it, law have become.
A small apology in the House of Lords, for expressing the watered down message that has floated down stream from where real power lies, should be a warning not a cause for celebration.
What we have just seen is damage limitation, after catching the government lying during consultion phase of the bill.
They won't make the same mistake again.
The disabled, poor, sick, weak, are under attack.
We must to protect ourselves.
Negotiating concessions, in the Welfare Reform Bill, for the economically viable is fine.
But I think the war for our very existence has only just begun.
And we all need to become as active in the resistance as we can.- Anonymous15 February 2012 at 16:54
Sneaked out last night, another hindrance to citizens http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-politics-17030616
Freedom of Information may possibly no longer be free. - Anonymous15 February 2012 at 17:20
JUST heard freud on the news saying that although unemployment is up there is also more people in work as a result of people coming off sickness benefits....WHAT f8888in planet is this man on.
HE has the bloody cheek to spout this bullshit when he knows that people FORCED off do not return to work.Its beyond belief that this bloody fool really thinks this. - Anonymous15 February 2012 at 17:21
I was air punching and yelling 2-0 etc, and giggling with glee as Freud admitted his failings, and lost his paperwork etc. we had him on the run and lord Patel had him in a neck hold on the ropes at one point. I had a picture in my head of IDS and Greyling turning grey in the face and waiting for a hole in the floor to swallow them up.
We won a lot yesterday, some didnt understand it, but we created a little bit of political history and proved the people can use their power over the house.
Now we await the committes and the consultations again, and the ping pong back to the other place. - gail ward15 February 2012 at 19:01
i would like to thank all of you each and everyone for giving us that voice,i found immense pleasure watching lord freud squirm yesterday his humiliation was pleasurable rather than his usual arrogant self.
ReplyDelete - Anonymous15 February 2012 at 20:24
By "we" I assume you mean the entire disabled community? Its not very clear, to be honest it reads as if you have single-handed taken down the Government.
Perhaps admiting that you have legions of people assisting you, and that tiny organisations such as day centres, as well as huge organisations such as Macmillan have all played their part would go some way to giving a realistic portrayal of your true contribution.
Some people have put you on a pedestal, and will have expectations that, as a normal, and very ill human being, you probably can't fulfill.Replies- sarcboy15 February 2012 at 20:35
YOU read what you bloody want sunshine and dont come back with anymore nasty crap...WHAT have you done to help then eh.....
Delete - Anonymous15 February 2012 at 20:53
whats your problem then anon above...the fact is yes sue and kaliya maybe did have help but the report they put together did deliver and yes ok there may have been LARGE organisations involved in there too on thier own but so what. Are you saying that sue and the others efforts were somehow worth LESS than the efforts of any of those organisations....how very patronising of you....sounds like a government stance to me and maybe its your attitude that needs changing. OUR portrayal of sue and co's contributions is spot on mate and we dont need to be told and dont care what you may think ..
Delete - Anonymous15 February 2012 at 21:51
This is the problem Sarcboy and the second anonymous, you have put Sue and Kaliya on a pedestal.
Do you think that they can live with the pressures of your expectations? Do you think that if they fall ill the entire disability movements cease to exist?
Sue and Kaliya rely on help from others, they didn't write the Responsible Reform report alone, it was written by a group of people.
As for the second anonymous, then all contributions are equally valid, if it is the maximum that people can give. Sue and Kaliya are using their talents in writing blogs and being approachable and friendly, and people give generously of their time and information - each is equally valid. However taking individual credit for team efforts is unfair, and in a similar manner, believing that Sue and Kaliya do all this work on their own is a naive assumption.
This naivety and the subsequent adoration is neither fair nor necessary - I am sure Sue and Kaliya would be as happy to do it anonymously, but unfortunately they can't.
Lets just have some respect for those who support in the background, and recognise that others are also as effective in their campaigning. - sarcboy16 February 2012 at 17:13
NO the problem is you mate.WHAT HAVE you done to help then eh??
You are making assumptions on our behalf that you should not be making.Nobody has put anyone on a pedestal and if some people want to express thier gratitude for what sue ,kaliya and YES the team of people helping has done then why do you think you have to belittle that.You have no right to do so.NOBODY is claiming on here that such work was done by sue and kaliya alone and you should actually read what has been acheieved by these people before you cast aspertions
IF as you now state that ALL contibutions to the wrb campaign are equally valid why did you come on here alluding to the opposite.
I could very well go on but i will say this you talk about respect well you should bloody show some but i expect you wont because as with the other commentator called whizjet or whatever i dont think you know what that means but you should know this...all of us are gratefull for not only sue.kaliya and YES the teams efforts on our behalf BUT for anyone including the other organisations big or small who have also done thier part in trying to rid us all of the beast that is the wrb.One other thing is this if you had said to me face to face that i am naive then you might have very well have got a rather more robust response and i doubt very much you would be so disrespectful but hiding behind anonymouse,yes i did spell that right in this context,is saying more about you than it does anyone else so i will assume hopefully you will just foxtrot off back to where you came from and let the real people get on with the task in hand or is that a NAIVE ASSUMPTION .Respect what the f***k would you know about that eh!!
I have more respect in my little finger for people like sue and kaliya and the rest on here than i would ever have for someone like you and if you dont like that sunshine well tough...DONT assume for me or anyone else on here ever..GOT THAT... I am utterly confident that those who matter - DPAC, Black Triangle, WTB and all the others, charities included know exactly who I mean by "We".
I have always been utterly clear that as a movement we are only as strong as our parts.
Anyone who misses that point, has no idea of the work I've done with all of those groups to bring people together, to acknowledge every contribution, to GIVE AWAY the Spartacus Report the day it was launched, to NOT put my name as a lead writer on the report, to ALWAYS encourage others to pull together.
If you've read my blog even once, you will know that my "We" refers to everyone.
And yes, on a personal note, I risked my security, my finances, my health, my future, my benefits, my identity, everything and I have never, ever asked anyone to give me any acclaim for that.
I put my own DLA appeal on hold, my phones are tapped, my children and husband put their lives under scrutiny,I nearly became homeless in the middle of campaigning, I refused to get the treatment I needed, I neglected my friendships, I get emails from people so scary you probably wouldn't believe me.
And NEVER - not once, did I take advertising on my site, funding from the many "official sources" that offered. Never did I defend the party I love when they were wrong. Never did I criticise another campaign or feel envy when they achieved success. Why would I? We are all fighting for the same thing. We are all on the same side, every word I've every written confirms that.
And NEVER have I said all of this, because I don't want ANYONE using my life as a reason not to do this.
But if people want to thank me, here on my own blog for those things - friends who have been here through every painful twist and turn, allies, supporters, donors, colleagues, then I am grateful for it and it helps me to keep doing what I have.- sarcboy18 February 2012 at 00:36
Sue you and kaliya and the team have and will ALWAYS gave my deepest gratitude for what you and... lets face it here ...your familys and friends have done and had to sacrifice to help us all and unlike mr bloody anonymous i think i can safely assume that this is what we all feel.
I for one will not have if someone comes on here and tries for whatever reason to undermine and belittle any of that.
There is only one way to get respect and thats to earn it.You have to talk the talk and walk the walk.You and the other do and thats why you have respect because you and the others have bloody earned it.Take no notice of the naysayers they contribute nothing and gain even less... Enough said i think....
- Anonymous15 February 2012 at 23:15
Sue and Kaliya have worked flat out it doesn't matter who is in the background helping them. The only thing they have to remember is to be on their guard so not to get sucked in with bad advice
Lord Fraud' is a very powerful man in many ways so he is no means down and out far from it a quick word to the DWP to say give the sick and disabled hell and yes he has power to do that and with a very willing DWP this battle of wits is far from over by a long shot so it's vital someone keeps tabs on his next move
Should Sue and Kaliya fall ill and can't continue for whatever reason then yes this project will fall down. The people helping them in the background are not i feel up to the level needed for a long run of ongoing battles of 5 years or more which would be needed for any type of successful outcome
The truth be told this battle will last until the death of all those in the government involved or a court case in which a claimant won and even then you still wouldn't be sitting pretty as you have those in the labour party with the same agenda to destroy the lives of the sick and disabled
This reform bill will i believe take 10 years before it draws to a conclusion and in that time depending on the health of the government team we will see first hand much hardship to many if they stay fit
If the team has to reshuffle at ant time then yes things could then be more favourable not everyone in the government is out to destroy us don't forget although most are
One thing is certain however most of us here reading this blog wont be around that's for sure so we will need help from as many younger people for the long term future if we are to be successful in securing long term stability and hope for generations to come - Anonymous16 February 2012 at 14:31
having spent 4 weeks complaning about the way I was treated when going for a blood test I have now been told that they can't do anything because they are only liason staff or something. I have to follow up my original complaint as if from the beginning again - whilst ill
WTF service is this then? With the new Welfare Reform things will get much tighter. It will be like a Stalinist enclave - everyone is wrong except then - the organisational fascists. its too scary to think about and makes me so angry i want to ......
Who won the war again? - Anonymous16 February 2012 at 20:11
I am sadly still amazed but not surprised how many who receive benefits have no idea what has happened and what's coming. Then again with a media that has lagely ignored this story should I be...this affects many but the media lead in recent days with Whitney Houston and the problems at Rangers football club.
Radio 5 did a special from its new base in Salford about being unemployed and the difficulties of finding work/living on JSA...fine...it was mostly like all these specials and in the end never really got anywhere. But why have they not produced a special about the welfare changes or looked at the elderly, disabled and sick who will be affected now and in the future?
No offence but its always easy to do the topic of Unemployment and it does get covered quite a lot.
I'm not saying that it is wrong but it would be nice for others to be featured.
Also worrying(either because they really don't have anything to fear)or don't realise its surprising how many who are getting welfare think the changes are needed and back IDS and Sunny Dave and think their benefits are safe and will not be touched.
I think that they are in for a rude awakening...You and Yours(Radio 4)did some stories about ESA and Work assesments and they highlighted the case of a man who was told he was not capable of working...then was reassessed and told that he was and three weeks later he was dead.
Even then a few e-mails came in praising the new schemes...Replies- Anonymous17 February 2012 at 09:16
" ...the case of a man who was told he was not capable of working...then was reassessed and told that he was and three weeks later he was dead..."
that's what they want - can't you see the parralels with the nazis and the gas chambers ....??
- Anonymous16 February 2012 at 21:38
The problem is this goverment has a majority in parliment and presures its peers to vote for its policys.
Did you see the story about the Tory MP, some woman who didn't vote at all in this reform? Her fellow peers wanted her sacked for not going along with the rest of the gang.
It would be great to see a vote where MPs can vote for what they ACTUALLY believe in.Replies- Anonymous17 February 2012 at 09:08
actually it's not about what they believe in - it's aboout them representing the people in their constituencies - I think it's called democracy
Delete Very poor understanding of parliamentary process, MP's are representative of no-one or are you suggesting that disabled people are not 'people' in constituencies?
- Fractio Panis16 February 2012 at 23:12
What did that all mean then?
Job No:BSD/27442
Wage JSA+EXPENSES
Hours TBC
Location EAST ANGLIA IP32
Date posted 09 February 2012
Pension details No details held
Interviews as part of SBWA, dates and times to be arranged by the store.Contact Amanda Evans at Tesco.Replies- Findlow17 February 2012 at 17:35
E petition against Workfare:
http://epetitions.direct.gov.uk/petitions/29356 - Findlow17 February 2012 at 17:45
E petition against Workfare:
- Anonymous16 February 2012 at 23:27
There's the truth...
Lets have people work for even less than the minimum wage and why would a company want to pay full wages if they can have people coming in for good or temporary for so little in the way of cash?
They obviously need the extra help or if they don't they'll take the help if its offered.
They'll say well, its to give the applicant skills and to do something for their benefit...yeah, right! - sarcboy17 February 2012 at 00:07
This govt is a bunch of lying bastards who will get away with anything they want if we let them.We didnt see this in the lords debate as far as i know so maybe its schadenefruads revenge and it was held back from any debate as they knew it would not help thier case.
Of course big companys are going to use people on workfare schemes as much as possible to reduce thier wage bill and the govt will encourage them to do so and take the donations to thier coffers from these bastards.
But just how the sick/disabled are suppossed to cope with this bollocks is beyond me but nobody in govt cares about that.Its all spin to take away attention from thier failings on the economy.
Of course the daily jail readers will snort and spit that all sick/disabled are fuckin cheating bastards and should be made to work for notthing and flogged in the street (Rod Liddle etc etc)or marched off to the new a4444e g44444 workhouses for life...Dont laugh you never know with these guffawing bullingdon nazis.
Their latest wheeze is the new apprenticeship schemes for young adults which the above sort of job is advertised as elsewhere only its dressed up as precisely that a modern apprenticeship...the only difference is the job i have seen is for a warehouse coordinator and its for 2.60 an hour (open to other age groups too besides 16 to 20 yrs) so again far below the LEGALLLY set mimimum wage and allowed because its a modern apprenticeship....yeah right...legally mandated slave labour and remember this job is NOT dependent on the applicant being on jsa to be elligible to apply its a so called proper job.SO there is the direction this govt wants to take us right there..cheap disposable labour at the most basic level.Even tonight on newsnight there was some gobshite from the Policy Unit spouting how MOST people on sickness benefits were in fact not sick and able to work so this is the sort of think tank that dictates govt policy and its put out on such programmes and bolsteres it up with he emotive phrase that it is right that people on benefits should work for them as after 1 year they...and i quote here...go rusty and have a large gap in thier cv...THIS is how they use the bbc to brief out this bloody rubbish and now we know this was always thier plan.NOBODY IS and never was genuinley sick/disabled because they say so and according to these think tankers 80 percent of people agree....THERE you have it official government policy leaked out by way of a slot on newsnight.......NOW do you all see why i said we should have our own union....or election candidates.THis fight is not a fight it is a war and we are in grave danger..ALL OF US.. - Anonymous17 February 2012 at 00:52
Here is the website on workfare...www.boycottworkfare.org.
Seems this little govt wheeze aint going as well as the bullingdon bullys think..... - Anonymous17 February 2012 at 02:26
"Disabled face unlimited unpaid work or cuts in benefit"
If you are on Twitter here is a list of companies using workfare to ask to leave the scheme.
Or write to their head office.
Or boycott Tesco, Argos, Boots, Asda, Primark ,Topshop, Burton, McDonalds. Hit them where it hurts - money talks. Three million unemployed plus however many disabled is a lot of customers money to lose. This means REAL jobs are not being created for those who can work. - Anonymous17 February 2012 at 07:03
Many good points being made and as mentioned and probably forgotten by most, if you take on people who work for their benefits, it actually alienates those who do work(don't claim)and don't claim because those being paid much less will be taken on. It also is another way around employers having to pay the minimum wage.
They are trying to back track on the vacancy featured earlier regarding Tesco's(not sure where or who set that away)but I think I heard that someone at Job Centre Plus has been blamed(is that because the story got out to the wider public?)
Its said the idea was that it is temporary, offering training with an interview for a possible job at the end of a certain period. - Anonymous17 February 2012 at 09:03
what did that all mean?
Welcome to the FASCIST STATE of the UK - Anonymous17 February 2012 at 09:23
Of course many jobs need some coaching and some people will need more hand holding than others. Even shelf stacking in a supermarket might involve some such as training how to lift heavy items or use some kind of equipment(if it was something like a fork lift truck)in a warehouse but in general the day to day stuff can be done quickly and doesn't take months. Much is commonsense. Just as talking to the public if you are in the front line should be something natural.
Some things can't be taught.
Using retail a lot of that has been madeinto something more than it needs to be with all the courses they make employees do(I know, I used to work in retail)I have been a customer too like everyone on here too.
When I went around the local supermarket earlier than normal a few days ago, I watched what goes on and it wouldn't take much instruction.
Being so early most of the assistants had time to talk to customers and wanted to talk.
What's become big business is many of the companies that make their money out of what would be seen as "silly" ideas.
Many of the work programmes that the Government have rolled out for those out of work often fall into this category as they often treat you as school children not adults. And the parody of such courses as shown in the tv series the League of Gentlemen is too close for comfort. One of the writers must of been on such a course to have been able to write what he did. Sue, I think this shows that the 99% do have power, and are beginning to realise that. Awful report yesterday on the disabled and "Workfare" or whatever they call it. I suppose at least it is getting in the News. There is so much still to be done, but you have proved how persistence pays off. the establishment cannot ignore the people's voice, however hard they try.
Perhaps they never calculated on there being a Sue Marsh. I know you can't do it all yourself, probably you have done too much already, but you have shown what can be done and inspired others. Well done, and thanks for all you do. dave must be so proud.- Anonymous17 February 2012 at 10:48
What the Guardian report highlights is what I consider to be the new definition of disability.
That is - if you are unfit for work because you have only 6 months left to live - then you are disabled. Everybody else is okay.
This means no benefit payouts, no adaptions, no blue badges - the government can save all the money to continually bomb and murder people in other countries too now!
proving you are human on this site is becoming pretty impossible too - Anonymous17 February 2012 at 14:09
Right, so all pretence gone, they actually are *evil* ?http://www.guardian.co.uk/society/2012/feb/16/disabled-unpaid-work-benefit-cuts
I wonder about someone like me under this system. I'm healthier than many people reading this blog, but have a lifetime history of mental health problems (OCD/Depression/Anxiety/Borderline etc). Until 6y ago I was in work but it became impossible. Since then I've been through circumstances that would make the sanest person seriously unwell. Despite universal agreement from everyone who's assessed me that I need long term intensive support, I have effectively, on the word of one psychotorturist, been banned from having any therapy on the NHS because it might make me worse), and can't get any assessments because I've been assessed already!
So not only can't I get any help other than benefits (thank you, they really have helped) but also now have no-one other than my GP who will certify me, which the government wants to stop).
Actually in the meantime I've done a masters and half a phd part time and am within two years I would say of being able to go into a job that allows randomly timetabled functionality. This is conditional on me finishing my PhD.
As such, I work but I presume there is no way in hell my situation will be counted as anything other than sitting at home scrounging and I will have to go and work at Tesco, who will be thrilled to have an employee (albeit unpaid) who may or may not turn up, who may wander into traffic on the way in or may just not get off the bus (assuming I managed to get on one), or who may have found themself in another country having *had* to get away (from what, noone knows), who may or may not be able to communicate with anyone, or stare at the shelf all shift or take 8 hours to leave the bathroom even after my shift is done. Meanwhile, all plans out of the window.
Of course, my plan for gradually getting through the PhD and into academic research work was discussed with and much approved of when I went on to incapacity benefit. I've pointed this out, but that's apparently irrelevant.
And the sad thing is I really *am* one of the lucky ones. I have family and friends who can help, I've got an eventually more or less manageable non-terminal condition (despite various bits of my body not working particularly well, enough that IF I could get a diagnosis (rather than a description of symptoms, because of course we all know without a name it isn't real!) I would qualify on physical grounds, let alone mental), and miracle of miracles I have actually managed to qualify for IB/DLA despite having a largely invisible mental condition and physical symptoms which don't operate on a timetable.
So I don't feel I'm particularly badly off. I'm certainly better off than many. Yet *I* find this terrifying to a debilitating degree.
What chance has someone got who doesn't have the lucid periods, or who can't quite convince the numpty at ATOS/whoever that just because they can walk a few feet today when they had no choice but to come to the assessment doesn't mean they won't pay for it with 3 weeks of pain and immobility?
I suppose it's OK. Working for free at Tesco (which you are of course magically able to do) will no doubt fix everything.
Oh, and my PhD - that would be on contemporary forms of slavery and how the state tries to "rescue" people from them.
Irony much? - fedupofemall17 February 2012 at 16:36
I dont knowm ifany of you saw the panorama programme called Poor America that has been on over the last few days but it gives us a stark and frightening look at just how it will become here.Do not underestimate the power and influence of US companies such as Unum and those like it as they lobby in this country to gain a bigger and bigger hold on the health insurance market and link this in with Landsleys Health reform fiasco,which by the way on question time Clarke stated that he tried the exact same thing 20 years ago so this is not anything new its just the tory party and thier warped view of society and class ..us at the bottom and them at the top,and its plainly clear this is as much an ideoligical war as it is a struggle against a debt crisis.
Who created the debt crisis is obvious and we know it is being used,as much as you wonder if it indeed it was planned,by the torys to once and forever fix the lower classes firmly in thier place.
Look at Newt Gingrich in the States who is on record as saying children of the poor should work as assistant janitors mopping floors and cleaning up thier s**t and you know just how international and endemic this attitude to people who are sick or disabled or for one reason or another out of work and OR poor.On that Poor America prog there people living in tent citys in the woods outside Detroit cos thet is no help at all....NOTHING...no healthcare or anything and they are reffered to the tent city by other agencys that cant help...FFS sake is this what we are going to become .IS THIS ALL we are worth in the eyes of the very people we put in power??? WELL we need to rid ourselves of them and thier elitist bullshit and the more we stick together and organise and fight the better.
Remember this it is easier to slide downhill than it is to climb and if those at the top are pushing people down then the only option left is to fight back...Fuck tesco and thier ilk..dont use em and let em know WHY you are not going to do so..(the list of workfare companies is on the boycott workfare site) money is power and we may not have very much power individually but together we have more than we think.WE just have to learn that we CAN use it - Anonymous18 February 2012 at 00:49
It looks like we no longer have a Prime Minister, we have now got a Fuhrer. All hail Fuhrer Cameron!
We disabled might have to dust up on our Nazi marches so the Torys don't have us rounded up and gassed like the party they aspire to be. - Anonymous18 February 2012 at 01:23
Well, it looks like the power of the net and social media is having an effect:, consumer power has unnerved corporations using slave labour/workfare and many are now withdrawing or questioning the scheme. it has also been wonderful to see so many young people up in arms about the disgusting nature of these crimes. I think we have many many more allies now than we did a year back..
I would suggest that months of protesting, lobbying, of the Govt, etc would not have the same effect, maybe not go for the hydras head but its snake arms...
. - Anonymous18 February 2012 at 02:22
Will the disabled be forced to wear black triangles on their uniforms for their workfare placements like what the Nazis did to the mentally ill amongst others in their concentration camps?
See here
Honest question Thanks for this interesting and facts revealing post.
Hardship letterRepliesApart from the studies, the kids need to be proficient in extracurricular activities so that it helps in giving them an all round development.
IB Residential School


text:
OK, if you buy into my theory – that we are in the middle of the worst week (or, I guess at this point, worst MONTH) in recent sports memory -- here's the question:
How would you rank the current headline scandals in terms of their debilitating effect on fans, on their leagues and on sports generally? In no particular order (that's your job):
(2) Vick: NFL. Top 5 star indicted/dog-fighting/torture/killing
(3) Bonds: MLB. Most revered stat in the game eclipsed/tainted.
(4) Tour de France: Cycling. General cheating implosion.
(5) Wild Card: Your call! Pick/predict another scandal.
Vick Update: Instead of being at Falcons training camp, Vick will be in court and will enter his plea on the dog-fighting conspiracy charge. I think we're safe in assuming he'll plead "not guilty." Watch out for a circus of visuals as activists protest outside (perhaps inside?) the courthouse.
Donaghy Update: Is the NBA in jeopardy because of the scandal? That was the question that True Hoop's Henry Abbott asked of a bunch of NBA experts (and others of us who are not). It's a pretty interesting mix of perspectives (and, yes, some spinning). Here's the link to the full batch of replies, and here's what I wrote to him.
"The future of the league was already in doubt, at least in its relevancy as one of the 'Big' pro sports leagues. The Donaghy scandal simply (and instantly) became the most convenient excuse for that erosion to continue: For casual NBA fans to continue their trend to be less engaged. For the emasculated media to pounce on previously indomitable David Stern. And for the league itself to assign blame for its larger issues on this ugliest of fiascos. 'Donaghy' merely gives the NBA's long-term problems a short-hand label."
Bonds Update: Gary Sheffield's name again pops up. The "clear" chemist (and what a contribution to society HE made... before you rip me, yes, I understand that when used for "good," the "clear" is probably incredibly beneficial to sick people who need it, but you never hear about those cases... only the way that the "clear" basically contributed to ruining baseball and Barry Bonds) says that Sheffield used the "clear," too.
This "Costas Now" show was just killing Bonds. Curt Schilling chimed in (OF COURSE he did), saying that Bonds not issuing a denial was tantamount to admitting he cheated. (I always thought Bonds DID deny using steroids... I guess Schilling wants Bonds to sue his accusers as proof that he is truly innocent. How litigious of him.)
Meanwhile, Bonds had a funny-ish response: "Don't worry, my day will come," and said Costas is a "midget who knows (nothing) about baseball." Now THAT is funny. Let's see if Costas issues a denial that he either (a) is a midget or (b) knows nothing about baseball.
MLB Trade Deadline: Teixeira to the Braves?
MLB Milestones: We're on the "A-Rod 500" Watch after he hit No. 499 last night. There are 21 players in the "500 Club," and consider that A-Rod turns 32 tomorrow. (Sorry ONLY 32.) By the end of the season, he could end up ahead of Willie McCovey and Ted Williams at No. 15. (There's a significant leap between that and Foxx/Mantle at 14/13. But that'll happen early next season.) By the way, George Brett said that A-Rod is the best player ever. Not a bad endorsement.
More Milestones (and, yes, another from
NFL Moves: After a lot of speculation, it looks like the Jags (MY Jags – Deadspin Preview of the team in Season 2 of my fandom coming early next month!) aren't going to sign Daunte Culpepper. Good news for Byron Leftwich, for whom I am in the bag.
Meanwhile, Priest Holmes (who will always have a place in fans' hearts as one of the most prolific single-season fantasy football performers of all time) will try to return from injury at Chiefs camp starting this weekend.
NFL Retirements: Curtis Martin has officially retired. The fourth-leading rusher in NFL history could be the most underrated player (or under-the-radar Hall of Famer) in modern NFL history. Based on his career body of work (and where he stands near the top of so many all-time stat lists), he is certainly a first-ballot NFL Hall of Famer.
Tour de France: The epidemic -- of athlete cheating and of lost credibility with virtually every fan – truly justifies a "re-set" moment with the sport, where they allow any/all forms of performance enhancement. It can't possibly be worse than the current state. For goodness' sake: They sent home the LEADER of the FRIGGING RACE because he was cheating (lying about where he was training)!
(Parents out there: As I attempt to curb my swearing in front of the kid, is "frigging" appropriate? How about "effing?" How about "flipping?" Aren't they all just watered-down versions of using the "F-word?" And isn't it wrong to indicate that use of an F-word – either the real thing or a proxy – isn't the best way to communicate? I also have realized that, of my many vices, swearing might be the most deeply rooted and difficult to change.)
By the way: At the risk of blasphemy, given the state of the sport (particularly this month), does that make you more or less (or, um, more) likely to disbelieve that Lance Armstrong NEVER cheated.
College Football: UCLA receivers coach Eric Scott was arrested on burglary charges. Burglary? What the hell? (Normally, this wouldn't make my radar, but at one point, Eric Scott was the greatest recruit to ever join Northwestern. As a freshman, he was electrifying. Gave NU fans hope that Gary Barnett was turning the corner. Once other coaches figured out he was great, he was wooed away and transferred, to UCLA. NU, of course, went on to win the Big Ten title – twice – without him. I guess he never should have left. That karma is a brutal mistress.)
More: Is the Big Ten expanding? The TV network certainly lets that happen, and the move from 12 teams seems logical (I mean, they've already blown the whole "Ten" thing with an 11th team), given that they can then have two divisions with a lucrative conference-championship game. (Yes,
Still, my question is which team should the Big Ten target? Notre Dame is obvious, but what's their incentive to join?
NASCAR: Will race coverage on ESPN boost the sport's TV audience? You can't escape NASCAR programming on ESPN. It instantly became one of the jewels of the network's collection of sports. (Below NFL, obviously, but on par with college football and the NBA.)
The issue has always been this: Avid NASCAR fans will watch, no matter what channel the races are on. The question is whether ESPN can expand NASCAR's audience to either casual NASCAR fans (if such a thing even exists) or flip non-NASCAR fans into mildly (or very) interested NASCAR fans?
Sports Media: Michael Silver is leaving SI for Yahoo Sports. That's a great pick-up for Yahoo. I wonder if Silver is going to miss writing those long-form NFL stories he was so good at? Because that stuff just doesn't work (or need to work) online. I want quick. I want pointed. I think he'll enjoy it. It's a hell of a lot more timely and fun to write (and read) than the long-form SI articles.
Plus, Silver will apparently be competing with Peter King on Monday mornings. But please keep it all in perspective: Online sports content is NOT a zero-sum game. People will not stop reading King's MMQB because they're reading Silver's column. They'll read both. And that's a good thing. Kudos to Yahoo on the hire.
By the way, I wonder how much they paid him? Not for any other reason but that I'll bet it was a lot, and I'll bet it was a number that they could have hired, say, Big Daddy Drew from KSK for.
The question remains: Is the big sports sites' blind spot for hiring mainstream media "names" the wrong direction of that kind of investment when organically grown blog superstars not only are better suited for the medium and its consumers, but actually bring far greater "name" recognition -- not to mention credibility -- than their mainstream counterparts? (Great example: True Hoop vs. Hash Marks.)
On second thought: As much as I'd like to see my blogging colleagues get paid, I like that mainstream media continues to mostly overlook them, because it means that the sports-blog universe continues to thrive and flourish. Still, would it kill someone in the mainstream to give B.D. Drew -- or any of the KSK guys -- a regular column gig? (Embrace the racy humor!)
NHL Scandal! Dog-fighting? No. Game-fixing? No. Steroid-tainting? No. The Staal Brothers, Eric and

subset: commoncrawl


text:
True or False: We Only Use 10% of Our Brains
For centuries, psychics, clairvoyants, and other psuedo-scientific charlatans have touted their own extraordinary perceptive powers by saying that ordinary people only use 10% of their brains.
This is a great hook because it makes the rest of us think that if we just tapped into the other 90% of our brains, we too could do amazing things. But, alas, most of us are already using all of the resources our brains have to offer.
Evidence for the Health Claim
No medical evidence supports the theory that we use only a small portion of our brains.
One plausible explanation for the continuation of this unfounded assumption could be that scientists still only have an incomplete understanding of the human brain. So while we may know that most people use the majority of their brain on a daily basis; we can't claim to know how each part of the brain actually works.
Because neurologists have studied brain activity in people as they perform a wide variety of tasks, we do know that simple, menial activities only require us to engage a small portion of our brains. In these cases, therefore, there may be some truth to the 10% theory.
By way of comparison, think of your kitchen as your brain. When you cook dinner for a group of people, you probably use the majority of the space and appliances that you have. When you make toast, however, you use far fewer resources. So, in mental "toast" cases, we often have no need to use the bulk of our brains.
Proponents of the 10% theory sometimes hold it up as evidence that we don't use our brains efficiently. They point to scientific research showing that many parts of the brain can, and do, perform similar or even identical tasks. However, brain researchers argue that these redundancies are necessary to prevent lapses in function. For example, if one pathway of your brain doesn't get the message from your eyes that the traffic light has turned red, another pathway can take over and send a message to your foot to step on the brake. So, while redundancies exist, they are beneficial, even essential, for our survival.
Evidence Against the Health Claim
Abundant evidence from clinical neurology indicates that most people use the majority of their brains while both awake and asleep. Brain imaging has shown that more than 60% of our brain is active during REM, or rapid eye movement, sleep when we are dreaming.
Positron emission tomography (PET) scans of brain activity show that widespread areas of the brain "light up" during even routine activities, indicating a high percentage of our brains are active during almost any cognitive task. Also, while studies sometimes show areas of the brain where neurons are not firing, neurologists point out that these neurons may in fact be busy receiving signals from other neurons; so it is possible that areas of the brain that appear to be inactive, are in fact, working—they are just on the receiving end.
Neurologists have used electrical stimulation (with local anesthetic) on live human brains and found no dormant areas in the brain—areas which might be expected if only a small portion of the brain is being used. Also, in extensive studies of stroke and head injury victims, it is apparent that damage to even a small portion of the brain results in measurable deficits—cognitive, physical, or both—regardless of which part of the brain is damaged.
It is also difficult to explain why we would have evolved such a massive brain if we only utilize such a small percentage of its volume. Large brains require large heads to house them, which increases the risks associated with childbirth. If we derive no advantage from having such oversized brains, then why has nature left us with all that excess brain mass, which consumes a lot of wasted energy and predisposes us to unnecessary harm?
It is exciting to think that we can expand our minds by tapping into unused portions of our brains. However, researchers have yet to discover any large areas of inactivity. Although at times it may seem that some of us can't possibly be using more than a tiny fraction of our mental capacities, it takes far more than 10% for humans to be human. Consider it a compliment—you are using your whole brain.
Baltimore B. Ask the expert: biology: do we really use only 10% of our brains? Scientific American website.
Chundler E. Do we use only 10% of our brain?UniversityofWashingtonwebsite.
How did we get so smart? Study sheds light on evolution of the brain.PrincetonUniversitywebsite.
Radford B. The ten percent myth. Snopes website.


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1. Head trauma. Wow! I was completely unaware that patients should avoid this. I figured it might toughen them up, and openly encouraged it. Perhaps I should rethink my opposition to seatbelts and motorcycle helmets, too.
2. Menstruation. I'll let all my lady patients know to stop doing this immediately. I had no idea it was under voluntary control, so I'm glad you told me.
3. Weather changes. I'll tell my patients to immediately move somewhere that has absolutely no weather changes. Like Pluto.*
* Actually, sometimes this doesn't sound like such a bad idea.


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well, my cousins and i expected the same in UK. turns out, it's the opposite there.
the trains are wayyyyyyy faster than the buses!
so from London, my cousins and i took the bus to Manchester, and guess what. it took us 8 hours!!!
if we took the train, we could've reached there in 2+ hours.
tapi sebab the bus was a lot cheaper, so of course.. biasa lah orang ber-budget kan..
anyway, you have to know.
in UK, there are NO R&Rs.
kalau ada pun, aiseymannnnn!!!! tak stop punnnn!!
midway, i wanted to kenc but i had to tahan for a longgg timeeee!
there was a toilet in the bus, but cuba you imagine. dalam bus tu ada about 40 ppl max. men + women + kids.
and then imagine the bus, on the road.
imagine having to peeeeeeee in a moving bus, and you know there are people around.
imagine all the butts that touched the toilet seat. and all the 'misses' if you know what i mean..
oh gosh.
i don't want to write more coz i already feel nauseated by it.
good thing was that along the way to Manchester, the view was amazing!
trees everywhere, lalang that have pretty purple and pink flowers (kalau kat malaysia, lalang nampak cam lalang), sheeps and cows yang gemuk gemuk and sihat, fields and more fields!
oh syok la tengok.
i wish i took some pictures of it, but i couldn't capture any coz i sat at the isle and next to me is the hot black mamasita with lips as pouty as jennifer hudson's, so i dare not stretch my arm to her side for pictures. oh well. it's in my mind, so hopefully it'll stay there =D
i went to Manchester already before on my first ever Eurotrip with my friends and i covered all the tourist stuff. so when i went there recently, i just chilled with my cousins and my aunty. =D
Tokmak: Ena, ena jaga diri baik baik kat sana~ jangan happy sangat.
Ena: jangan happy sangat? nape lak?
Tokmak: hey! kat sini happy sikit sikit. nanti kat sana baru happy banyak banyak.
Ena: hahaha!! ooohhhh!! ok ok. ena tak happy sangat dah =B tokmak jaga diri tauu! sayang ena tak?
Tokmak: eh kau ni. mestilah aku sayang!
Ena: ena favourite tokmak kan? hahaha!!
Tokmak: tokmak takde feberet pun laaa! eh kau tu. ni aku nak nasehat. bila kat sanaaa, haaa, ko jaga mahkota kau! ko tau mahkota?
Ena: ya Allah Tokmak! ena akan jaga mahkota ena, dont worry! hehe!
Tokmak: ha bagus. ko tengok tengok kan si ami ngan baby tu. ko jaga mahkota diorang!
Ena: haa?? ena jaga mahkota diorang? geli la tokmak! hehehehe!
Tokmak: ye la! ko tengok kan diorang tu. tau?
Ena: ok tokmak. ena jaga mahkota diorang. hehe!!
Tokmak: pastu kirim salam kat sume orang. ko jangan lupa!


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At least 12 people have been killed and scores injured on Thursday in twin bombings that authorities believe may have been a terrorist attack in the southern Indian city of Hyderabad. There has been no official confirmation as to the nature of the blasts, but government officials have said they were carried out by a "well trained" group and were coordinated.
Local media are reporting that the blasts come two days after government security agencies sent an advisory to states to tighten security in light of potential threats from militant groups operating in the region related to the recent executions of convicted terrorists Ajmal Kasab and Mohammed Afzal Guru.
In tweets sent out after the attacks on Thursday evening, Indian Prime Minister Manmohan Singh appealed to the public to remain calm. "This is a dastardly attack, the guilty will not go unpunished," he tweeted. The attack was the first major bombing in India since a blast outside a court in New Delhi in 2011 that killed 11 people.
India has been on alert since Guru, who was Kashmiri, was executed earlier this month in New Delhi's Tihar Jail. Guru was convicted of involvement in the 2001 attacks on Parliament in which 14 people were killed, but many in Kashmir in particular believe he did not receive a fair trial and were upset by the handling of his execution.
Forensics teams have reportedly been deployed to the bomb sites along with officials from the National Investigative Agency and Intelligence Bureau. The bombs, which authorities say were attached to two bicycles, were detonated around 7 p.m. outside a movie theater and bus station in a busy area of the city of some 10 million people, according to police.
Singh, in addition to condemning the attacks, announced the government would give 200,000 rupees ($3,700) to relatives of the deceased and 50,000 rupees ($900) to those injured in the attacks. Further compensation has also been offered by the chief minister of the state of Andhra Pradesh, where Hyderabad in located.
(MORE: 10 Killed in Explosions in Southern Indian City)
Almsgiving after terrorist attacks, though, is an unfortunate tactic all too frequently deployed by the government. Long-standing questions about the capability of India's security and intelligence infrastructure — which reached their highest pitch following the shocking, deadly 2008 assault on one of Mumbai's ritziest neighborhood — are once more being raised. And speculation swirls: some analysts point the finger at the Indian mujahedin, an Islamist extremist group. In 2007, Hyderabad suffered twin bombings that claimed at least 42 lives; blame then fell on Harkat-ul-Jihad Islam, another extremist group then anchored in Bangladesh.
But no clear leads have emerged, and both politicians and TV commentators urged caution against "rumor mongering" in the breathless hours that followed the attack. Hyderabad, a historic city that's now one of India's leading tech centers, is also at the heart of the Telangana movement, which seeks to carve a new state out of Andhra Pradesh. Tensions surrounding the bid have flared up in recent years.


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Dyckias...These creatures of the Light are mostly Brazilian. Many of them are still to be seen by the very first time. Come on in. Let us see some. This Blog was created to show you the plants in my garden and also help you to keep happier Dyckias. This is the beginning of the book:THE ALLURING DYCKIAS. I may share some seeds with you. This way we help Dyckias to be known, understood and cherished. Email me at: email@example.com Constantino Gastaldi -Brazil ... 55-47-3425-8085


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Dum Aloo
Hi, how you guys doing? So, by now all of us about
This recipe is from one of the cooker booklet, I try to adopt the recipe as much as possible but me being me...there is always a change to two ;)...relatively it's a simple recipe or should I say not to so complicated ! If any of you want to try this then pls go ahead, it just so delicious.
Onion - 2 Large
Tomato - 1 Large
Ginger-garlic paste - 1tbs
Brown Cardamons - 1
Cloves - 2
Cumins Seeds - 1tbs
Poppy Seeds - 1 tbs (or 5-6 cashews)
Dry red chili - 2
Cinnamon - 1" stick
Bay Leave - 1
Redchilli Powder - 1tbs
Turmeric Powder - 1/2 tbs
Curd - 1 cup
Garam Masala Powder - 1 tbs
Salt - to taste
Oil - 4-5 tbs
1. Pressure cook washed baby potato for 10 mins or until potato done.
2. In a pan, dry roast brown cardamoms, cloves, cumin and poppy seeds (or cashews).
3. Grind roasted ingredients together with 1 onion, ginger-garlic paste with little water and keep aside.
4. Peel the potato, either deep fry the potatoes or shallow fry them in 1tbs of oil and keep aside.
5. Chop or grate remaining 1 onion and tomato
6. Heat the remaining oil, add whole chillies, cinnamon and bay leaves; stir for few seconds. Add chopped onoin and fry till golden brown.
7. Add ground paste fry for 2 mins, add chopped tomato, salt, chilli and turmeric powders; stir well and cook for 2-3 mins.
8. Beat curd and add 1 tbs curd, stir fry until curd is well blended (appr. for 1/2 mins); repeat the process for rest of curd.
9. Stir fry till oil shows separately, now add potatoes and stir gently to coat the potatoes with masala.
10. Add 2 cups of water and cook on low heat for 5 mins.
11. Add garam masala, stir well and cook for 2mins.
Server hot with roti/paratha/puri or rice/pulav