 | Leeds Protest outside family courts 2 Mr. Richard Holt (Langbaurgh) : My constituents, who live in the south of Middlesbrough, wish to be entirely associated with the remarks of the hon. Member for Middlesbrough (Mr. Bell). When investigating the conditions of consultants, I was amazed to find that they have an automatic right of appeal, and that thereafter no action is taken against any consultant until he reaches retirement age. I was given to understand that the longest period that anyone has been in that position is 17 years. Mr. Bell : I am grateful for the hon. Member's intervention. He and I have our political differences, but both of us have accepted that it was not a political problem that divided us. This has united our constituents. Throughout the crisis in Cleveland the hon. Gentleman has been a steadfast supporter. It should be placed on record that he has steadfastly looked after those constituents who came to him with their problems. My other question for the Minister concerns the Northern regional health authority, among others, being the employer of the consultants. What was clear in the Cleveland child abuse crisis was the distance between the consultants who were employed by the region and the district authority. It appears that the district authority had no control over the consultants, other than to provide hospital accommodation and facilities, and patients through the local health service. It seemed to me, and to others, that a great gulf was created because of that lack of accountability and remoteness from the health authority where they worked. It seemed appropriate to me that it might be better if they were employed in future within the local service and be responsive to the health district. It has struck all concerned in the matter that we render homage, in a sense, to consultants within the Health Service for their work, and we respect the norms within which they work, and their efforts, but there must be accountability, as there is for the rest of us. The statement to The Guardian went far beyond what consultants ought to have said. At least five of those consultants had no knowledge of events in Cleveland. One of them who signed the statement had come to the area only a year before, and had no personal knowledge of the situation. The other six had personal knowledge from their files, and were going far beyond their duty as consultants in revealing what was in those files. I shall be most grateful to the Minister for any response that he can give me. "Following the crisis in Cleveland, Doctor Higgs has been seconded to look after babies at the Princess Mary hospital, a university teaching hospital in Newcastle. We strongly support and would welcome the return of Doctor Higgs to her former post in Cleveland where she was employed with special skills for the care of sick newborn babies." Pressure on the Northern region health authority, as the employer of Dr. Higgs, has become urgent, in view of the allegation that her secondment to the Princess Mary hospital in Newcastle was about to end, and the fact that a paediatric post was about to be advertised for Cleveland by way of an advance appointment to cover the future retirement of Dr. Hilary Grant, the senior consultant paediatrician. In any event, Dr. Higgs is still on the books as a consultant paediatrician at Middlesbrough, and her work has been carried on by locums. There were also court proceedings which I do not intend to cover tonight. |
 | "Our House" Fosters Mental Health Rehabilitation "Our House" Fosters Mental Health Rehabilitation. John Diaz has a shovel in his hands and he is thrusting it into the rocky soil. Between the clanks of hitting the chunks of flint buried where new plants are supposed to go he talks about his plans. "I'm going to college right now so I can get my degree in business management," Diaz says. Thirty-four year old Diaz is landscaping. Planting little shrubs in front of the wooden two story house at 1530 North Alamo street, right across the street from the Pig Stand parking lot. Diaz suffers from schizophrenia, and he is a valuable member of the Our House family. "I like the atmosphere. People are friendly, and then they are my peers as well. Everything about the Club House, everything I like," Diaz said. Our House is a caring and nurturing community where individuals with mental illness can learn how to reconnect with society. Mark Stoeltje, the executive director of Our House, says the members reconnect by running the center themselves. "What's more important than the final decision that happens is the process of making the decision," said Stoeltje. "An example I'll use is whether to move the coffee pot from the kitchen to the workroom," he said. "In most work places someone would just unplug the coffee pot and move it, but we gave everybody a voice. And everybody had an opinion. We talked about it for 45 minutes, and the process itself is healing." Stoeltje says the fact that the members have a voice and that their opinions matters is important. The Bexar County Our House was the first in Texas. It was based on the clubhouse model which was launched more than 50 years ago in New York. Today there are over three hundred clubhouses around the world. And since Our House opened in San Antonio 6 years ago, similar centers have opened in Houston, and there are plans to open ones in Dallas and Austin. "Coming to a program like this helps folks stay out of the hospital and stay out of crisis centers," said Stoeltje. Tom Furman has been coming to Our House for the last three years. He says the center gives him the stability he needs so he can avoid going back to the state mental hospital. "It's a home away from home where you can do your chores," Furman said. "It's different from any other psychiatric facility because it's not psychiatric. You do your chores and you shoot the bull and you get on out and you get home," he said. In the living room area of the clubhouse the morning meeting is underway, and the members volunteer for the daily chores. Samantha Melvin is a rehabilitation specialist and an Our House staff member. She leads the meeting, but she doesn't take charge. And she says that's an important distinction. "We're all friends here. That's the kind of environment that we as the staff try to create," said Melvin. "Not that they see us as authority figures or that we are above them but we try to create friendships." Lupe Torres is the spokesperson for the Bexar County Center for Health Care Services, the local authority when it comes to mental health issues. She says Our House has proven to be a benefit to the local mental heath community. Torres said the Center for Health Care Services helped provide some of the seed money to start Our House, and that investment has paid off. But Stoeltje says there is so much more that can be done for Our House and our mental health community. He would like to see a housing program connected to Our House which is a service that other cities have. "Where members can live in their own apartments and they are managed by the members. Because of the lack of affordable housing they are paying $400 to $500 a month and you don't get much for $400 to $500 a month. A lot of times its in a not safe area and so forth," Stoeltje said. But for now the clubhouse is busy giving members a place where they are welcome for the day, and encouragement to help them make it through the day. |
 | Cosmetic, Family & Implant Dentistry - Valdosta, GA Nelson Clements, DMD 2310 North Patterson Street Valdosta, Georgia 31602 Phone: (229) 242.5511 http://DrNelsonClements.com Office Hours: Monday through Thursday 8:30 a.m. to 5 p.m. Welcome! People often take a number to get service at a car dealer, department store, or photo counter, but you shouldn't have to feel like a just another nameless face at the dentist's office. Dr. Nelson Clements and our staff want patients to know that they are the top priority. We have committed to providing personal attention and dental care you can trust by scheduling and treating one patient at a time. This way, you have no doubt about our focus. If you don't want to feel like just another number, then call our Valdosta office today to make an appointment. With fresh baked cookies on hand and rocking chairs like you would find on Scarlett O'Hara's porch, our practice exudes Southern comfort and hospitality. We hope you feel like you've stopped by to visit a trusted friend, not arrived in another sterile waiting room. From the friendly personnel to the blankets, earphones, and paraffin treatments we make available, you will receive personalized attention and care. Dr. Clements will spend as much time with each patient as it takes to ensure that everyone receives comprehensive treatment and results that meet their expectations. We create for patients positive oral health that will last throughout their lifetime. For more than 25 years, Dr. Clements has served the south-central Georgia area as a skilled dental practitioner, and we look forward to adding you to our dental family. ~About Dr. Nelson Clements, DMD~ Since graduating from the Medical College of Georgia in 1980, Dr. Nelson Clements has practiced in the Valdosta area. He passionately believes in creating dental work that will last and that meets, and often exceeds, his patients' expectations. He participates in hundreds of continuing education hours each year and has taken numerous hands-on, education-intensive courses at the renowned Las Vegas Institute for Advanced Dental Studies. In fact, Dr. Clements served as a clinical instructor for over six years at LVI. He has received national recognition as an authority and teacher in cosmetic dentistry and occlusion. ~Patient Services~ Cosmetic Dentistry *Teeth Whitening *Veneers *Smile Makeovers Restorative Dentistry *Tooth-Colored Fillings and Restorations *Extractions *Complete or Partial Dentures Preventive and General Dentistry *Regular Exams *Cleanings *Patient Education *Periodontal Therapy *Endodontics (Root canals) TMJ Therapy ~Patient Comfort and Technology~ We use technology to enhance patient comfort, longevity of dental work, and efficiency of appointments. Intraoral cameras, digital radiography, chairside monitors, as well as our before and after photography, help Dr. Clements communicate with you and create your desired results. We also have a soft tissue laser to perform gum lifts that increase the amount of teeth that show when you smile. If needed, we can use nitrous oxide or oral sedation for patient comfort. Oral sedation helps anxious patients relax and feel at ease in the dentist's office so that they can receive the dental work they need and deserve without undue stress. For more information about dentistry procedures or other frequently asked questions, please visit our website at http://DrNelsonClements.com, or call 229-242-5511 to schedule an appointment. Again, we look forward to adding you to our dental family. Nelson Clements, DMD 2310 North Patterson Street Valdosta, Georgia 31602 Phone: (229) 242.5511 http://DrNelsonClements.com Our practice is located at 2310 N. Patterson Street in Valdosta. We are part of a professional complex near the South Georgia Medical Center. If you enter Patterson Street from the front of the hospital, we are located on the right. |
 | UNICEF: Medical services for Palestinian refugees in Syria JARAMANA, Syria, 21 July 2008 -- Noujoud Moh'd is a Palestinian refugee residing in the Jaramana camp in Syria. Like the other 5,000 refugees living in the official camp -- as well as the nearly 17,000 living outside in an unofficial camp -- she and her family endure overcrowded housing, poverty and limited work opportunities. Ms. Moh'd, who did not complete her schooling, relies on the assistance of United Nations Relief and Works Agency (UNRWA) to provide food aid and cash assistance to meet her family's basic needs. These services constitute a central resource for most families here, which they have no means of replacing. She also relies on UNRWA's free medical care. UNICEF partners with UNRWA and the General Authority for Palestinian Arab Refugees to provide the camps in Syria with the necessary vaccinations and cold-chain equipment to store and preserve supplies of vaccines. In addition, UNICEF has trained almost 140 health workers and provided physiotherapy equipment to four UNRWA community rehabilitation centres, among other support. Basic health care and medical knowledge provided by UNICEF helps improve the lives of mothers and children already struggling in a landscape of unemployment, poverty and overcrowding. To read the full story, visit: http://www.unicef.org/infobycountry/syria_44820.html |
 | Together for Disabled Children: Parent Participation - Toby Price (Part 1) More than 60 parents of disabled children from across London came together for a landmark parent participation event. Together for Disabled Children, a partnership between Contact a Family and Serco Education and Childrens Services, organised the event to support parent carers in their efforts to be involved in planning and developing disabled childrens services. This video features Toby Price, Head of Sutton Disability Partnership for Children and Young People, who talked about the good practice model of parents working with the local authority in Sutton to improve services. |
 | Re X: Emergency Protection Orders Part1 IN THE HIGH COURT OF JUSTICE FAMILY DIVISION Royal Courts of Justice Strand, London, WC2A 2LL Date: 16th March 2006 Before : MR JUSTICE McFARLANE - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - Re X: Emergency Protection Orders Hearing dates: - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - Approved Judgment I direct that pursuant to CPR PD 39A para 6.1 no official shorthand note shall be taken of this Judgment and that copies of this version as handed down may be treated as authentic. ............................. This judgment is being handed down in private on ............. It consists of ....... pages and has been signed and dated by the judge. The judge hereby gives leave for it to be reported. The judgment is being distributed on the strict understanding that in any report no person other than the advocates or the solicitors instructing them (and other persons identified by name in the judgment itself) may be identified by name or location and that in particular the anonymity of the children and the adult members of their family must be strictly preserved. Mr Justice McFarlane : Background In January and February 2006 I conducted a three week hearing of a case in which a local authority sought a care order with respect to a 9 year old girl (who I will refer to as X). The local authority had been aware of the girl, who was displaying some modest behavioural difficulties, for some months. The girls mother had expressly sought the help of the social services and child health services. Professional concern about X was such that two Child Protection Case Conferences had been held, and a low level of intervention by way of a referral to the local Child Guidance Unit and some further assessment work had been recommended. The childs name had been entered onto the local Child Protection Register in the category of emotional harm. On the 23rd November 2004 there was a further case conference to review the progress of the work. Those at the meeting remained concerned about the childs emotional well being. The local authority was to hold a legal planning meeting within the following five days to consider whether care proceedings should be issued. A psychiatric assessment of the mother, which was in the process of being set up, was to proceed; as was a further psychological assessment of the child. At the time that the meeting concluded there was no suggestion from the social workers, or any other professional attending the case conference, that the child should be removed from her parents care either immediately or at all. Within two hours of the case conference concluding, however, the social work team leader was giving evidence before a bench of lay justices in support of an application for an Emergency Protection Order (EPO). That application was made without any notice to the parents. The justices granted an EPO. At that time the mother and child were at a local hospital, to which the mother had taken the child for a check up because the child was complaining of abdominal pain. The social workers, accompanied by four uniformed police officers, attended the hospital and removed the child from her mothers care. She was placed in foster care, in which state she remained (with a number of changes of carers) for the following 14 months under a series of interim care orders. In the course of the hearing I investigated how such a Draconian order came to be granted in a case which, up until that time, had been one where low level intervention by way of assessment and counselling had been the agreed plan. As a result of that investigation I have found significant flaws in the manner in which the system operated by the social services and the family justice system itself impacted upon this family. There is in my view a public interest in wide publicity being given to what took place in this case in the hope that lessons may be learned to ensure that what befell this family is not repeated elsewhere. In order to maintain the focus upon the circumstances surrounding the EPO, and in order to preserve the confidentiality of the familys circumstances, the full judgment in the case, which runs to over 300 paragraphs, is not being released for publication or law reporting. I therefore propose to do no more than summarise the factual background in very short terms. |
 | Together for Disabled Children: Parent Participation - Toby Price (Part 2) More than 60 parents of disabled children from across London came together for a landmark parent participation event. Together for Disabled Children, a partnership between Contact a Family and Serco Education and Childrens Services, organised the event to support parent carers in their efforts to be involved in planning and developing disabled childrens services. This video features Toby Price, Head of Sutton Disability Partnership for Children and Young People, who talked about the good practice model of parents working with the local authority in Sutton to improve services. |
 | The ultimate reason why you shouldn't vote for Palin. The radical religious right has succeeded in taking over one of America's great political parties. The country is not yet a theocracy but the Republican Party is, and they are driving American politics, using God as a battering ram on almost every issue: crime and punishment, foreign policy, health care, taxation, energy, regulation, social services and so on." -- Bill Moyers Sarah Palin's churches are actively involved in a resurgent movement that was declared heretical by the Assemblies of God in 1949. This is the same 'Spiritual Warfare' movement that was featured in the award winning movie, "Jesus Camp," which showed young children being trained to do battle for the Lord. At least three of four of Palin's churches are involved with major organizations and leaders of this movement, which is referred to as The Third Wave of the Holy Spirit or the New Apostolic Reformation. The movement is training a young "Joel's Army" to take dominion over the United States and the world. Along with her entire family, Sarah Palin was re-baptized at twelve at the Wasilla Assembly of God in Wasilla, Alaska and she attended the church from the time she was ten until 2002: over two and 1/2 decades. Sarah Palin's extensive pattern of association with the Wasilla Assembly of God has continued nearly up to the day she was picked by Senator John McCain as a vice-presidential running mate. Palin's dedication to the Wasilla church is indicated by a Saturday, September 7, 2008, McClatchy news service story detailing possibly improper use of state travel funds by Palin for a trip she made to Wasilla, Alaska to attend, on June 8, 2008, both a Wasilla Assembly of God "Masters Commission" graduation ceremony and also a multi-church Wasilla area event known as "One Lord Sunday." At the latter event, Palin and Alaska LT Governor Scott Parnell were publicly blessed, onstage before an estimated crowd of 6,000, through the "laying on of hands" by Wasilla Assembly of God's Head Pastor Ed Kalnins whose sermons espouse such theological concepts as the possession of geographic territories by demonic spirits and the inter-generational transmission of family "curses". Palin has also been blessed, or "anointed," by an African cleric, prominent in the Third Wave movement, who has repeatedly visited the Wasilla Assembly of God and claims to have effected positive, dramatic social change in a Kenyan town by driving out a "spirit of witchcraft." The Wasilla Assembly of God church is deeply involved with both Third Wave activities and theology. Their Master's Commission program is part of an three year post-high school international training program with studies in prophecy, intercessory prayer, Biblical exegesis, authority and leadership. The pastor, Ed Kalnins, and Masters Commission students have traveled to South Carolina to participate in a "prophetic conference" at Morningstar Ministries, one of the major ministries of the Third Wave movement. Becky Fischer was a pastor at Morningstar prior to being featured in the movie "Jesus Camp." The head of prophecy at Morningstar, Steve Thompson, is currently scheduled to do a prophecy seminar at the Wasilla Assembly of God. Other major leaders in the movement have also traveled to Wasilla to visit and speak at the church. |
 | Sarah Palin: Pentecostal The radical religious right has succeeded in taking over one of America's great political parties. The country is not yet a theocracy but the Republican Party is, and they are driving American politics, using God as a battering ram on almost every issue: crime and punishment, foreign policy, health care, taxation, energy, regulation, social services and so on." -- Bill Moyers Sarah Palin's churches are actively involved in a resurgent movement that was declared heretical by the Assemblies of God in 1949. This is the same 'Spiritual Warfare' movement that was featured in the award winning movie, "Jesus Camp," which showed young children being trained to do battle for the Lord. At least three of four of Palin's churches are involved with major organizations and leaders of this movement, which is referred to as The Third Wave of the Holy Spirit or the New Apostolic Reformation. The movement is training a young "Joel's Army" to take dominion over the United States and the world. Along with her entire family, Sarah Palin was re-baptized at twelve at the Wasilla Assembly of God in Wasilla, Alaska and she attended the church from the time she was ten until 2002: over two and 1/2 decades. Sarah Palin's extensive pattern of association with the Wasilla Assembly of God has continued nearly up to the day she was picked by Senator John McCain as a vice-presidential running mate. Palin's dedication to the Wasilla church is indicated by a Saturday, September 7, 2008, McClatchy news service story detailing possibly improper use of state travel funds by Palin for a trip she made to Wasilla, Alaska to attend, on June 8, 2008, both a Wasilla Assembly of God "Masters Commission" graduation ceremony and also a multi-church Wasilla area event known as "One Lord Sunday." At the latter event, Palin and Alaska LT Governor Scott Parnell were publicly blessed, onstage before an estimated crowd of 6,000, through the "laying on of hands" by Wasilla Assembly of God's Head Pastor Ed Kalnins whose sermons espouse such theological concepts as the possession of geographic territories by demonic spirits and the inter-generational transmission of family "curses". Palin has also been blessed, or "anointed," by an African cleric, prominent in the Third Wave movement, who has repeatedly visited the Wasilla Assembly of God and claims to have effected positive, dramatic social change in a Kenyan town by driving out a "spirit of witchcraft." The Wasilla Assembly of God church is deeply involved with both Third Wave activities and theology. Their Master's Commission program is part of an three year post-high school international training program with studies in prophecy, intercessory prayer, Biblical exegesis, authority and leadership. The pastor, Ed Kalnins, and Masters Commission students have traveled to South Carolina to participate in a "prophetic conference" at Morningstar Ministries, one of the major ministries of the Third Wave movement. Becky Fischer was a pastor at Morningstar prior to being featured in the movie "Jesus Camp." The head of prophecy at Morningstar, Steve Thompson, is currently scheduled to do a prophecy seminar at the Wasilla Assembly of God. Other major leaders in the movement have also traveled to Wasilla to visit and speak at the church. (More at Huffington Post under Bruce Wilson's page.) |
 | Human Rights 21/30 Article 21. (1) Everyone has the right to take part in the government of his country, directly or through freely chosen representatives. (2) Everyone has the right of equal access to public service in his country. (3) The will of the people shall be the basis of the authority of government; this will shall be expressed in periodic and genuine elections which shall be by universal and equal suffrage and shall be held by secret vote or by equivalent free voting procedures. Article 22. Everyone, as a member of society, has the right to social security and is entitled to realization, through national effort and international co-operation and in accordance with the organization and resources of each State, of the economic, social and cultural rights indispensable for his dignity and the free development of his personality. Article 23. (1) Everyone has the right to work, to free choice of employment, to just and favourable conditions of work and to protection against unemployment. (2) Everyone, without any discrimination, has the right to equal pay for equal work. (3) Everyone who works has the right to just and favourable remuneration ensuring for himself and his family an existence worthy of human dignity, and supplemented, if necessary, by other means of social protection. (4) Everyone has the right to form and to join trade unions for the protection of his interests. Article 24. Everyone has the right to rest and leisure, including reasonable limitation of working hours and periodic holidays with pay. Article 25. (1) Everyone has the right to a standard of living adequate for the health and well-being of himself and of his family, including food, clothing, housing and medical care and necessary social services, and the right to security in the event of unemployment, sickness, disability, widowhood, old age or other lack of livelihood in circumstances beyond his control. (2) Motherhood and childhood are entitled to special care and assistance. All children, whether born in or out of wedlock, shall enjoy the same social protection. Article 26. (1) Everyone has the right to education. Education shall be free, at least in the elementary and fundamental stages. Elementary education shall be compulsory. Technical and professional education shall be made generally available and higher education shall be equally accessible to all on the basis of merit. (2) Education shall be directed to the full development of the human personality and to the strengthening of respect for human rights and fundamental freedoms. It shall promote understanding, tolerance and friendship among all nations, racial or religious groups, and shall further the activities of the United Nations for the maintenance of peace. (3) Parents have a prior right to choose the kind of education that shall be given to their children. Article 27. (1) Everyone has the right freely to participate in the cultural life of the community, to enjoy the arts and to share in scientific advancement and its benefits. (2) Everyone has the right to the protection of the moral and material interests resulting from any scientific, literary or artistic production of which he is the author. Article 28. Everyone is entitled to a social and international order in which the rights and freedoms set forth in this Declaration can be fully realized. Article 29. (1) Everyone has duties to the community in which alone the free and full development of his personality is possible. (2) In the exercise of his rights and freedoms, everyone shall be subject only to such limitations as are determined by law solely for the purpose of securing due recognition and respect for the rights and freedoms of others and of meeting the just requirements of morality, public order and the general welfare in a democratic society. (3) These rights and freedoms may in no case be exercised contrary to the purposes and principles of the United Nations. Article 30. Nothing in this Declaration may be interpreted as implying for any State, group or person any right to engage in any activity or to perform any act aimed at the destruction of any of the rights and freedoms set forth herein. |
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![Daily flights from NYC to Mont Tremblant\](images/articles/thumbs/nytremblantthumb.jpg "Daily flights from NYC to Mont Tremblant\")
