Friday, March 30, 2012

Dickhead

Unbelievable video from a teacher on his views about Hong Kong people. I have to wonder if his employers have watched it? Watch it, pass it round, see if you can find his school, send it to them. This prick rents a room in Central. Here the fuckwit continues his racism against Australians.

Thursday, March 29, 2012

Sun Hung Kai brothers corrupt, tell us something new!

Will they actually get prosecuted? Doubtful. Hong Kong property and business is controlled by a handful of mega rich people, obviously this has been done with the knowledge and help of successive governments. That is why Hong Kong has no real democracy.

From the BBC.

Kwok brothers arrested in Hong Kong on bribery charges

Two billionaire brothers who run one of Asia's biggest property companies have been arrested on suspicion of bribery.

Thomas and Raymond Kwok are joint chairmen and managing directors of Sun Hung Kai Properties in Hong Kong.

The Independent Commission Against Corruption said a former senior government official was also taken into custody on corruption charges.

Last week, one of the company's executive directors was arrested over suspected bribery.

Thomas Chan Kui-yuen was responsible for land acquisitions and project planning. After his arrest, Sun Hung Kai said it had set up a special committee to look into the investigation by the anti-corruption body.

The company's board has said these latest arrests will not affect the company's business operations and the brothers will remain in their current positions.

Sun Hung Kai is Hong Kong's biggest property developer by market value. The company has made the Kwok family one of the richest in the city, which a net worth of $15.4bn (£9.7bn).

Sunday, March 25, 2012

12 rules for heathens

Source;
http://bit.ly/H2F80N

At the Guardian Open Weekend,
Julian Baggini
presented his 12 rules for heathens
This manifesto is an attempt to point towards the next phase of atheism's involvement in public discourse. It is not a list of doctrines that people are asked to sign up to but a set of suggestions to provide a focus for debate and discussion. Nor is it an attempt to accurately describe what all atheists have in common. Rather it is an attempt to prescribe what the best form of atheism should be like.

1 Why we are heathens

It has long been recognised that the term "atheist" has unhelpful connotations. It has too many dark associations and also defines itself negatively, against what it opposes, not what it stands for. "Humanist" is one alternative, but humanists are a subset of atheists who have a formal organisation and set of beliefs many atheists do not share. Whatever the intentions of those who adopt the labels, "rationalist" and "bright" both suffer from sounding too self-satisfied, too confident, implying that others are irrationalists or dim.

If we want an alternative, we should look to other groups who have reclaimed mocking nicknames, such as gays, Methodists and Quakers. We need a name that shows that we do not think too highly of ourselves. This is no trivial point: atheism faces the human condition with honesty, and that requires acknowledging our absurdity, weakness and stupidity, not just our capacity for creativity, intelligence, love and compassion. "Heathen" fulfils this ambition. We are heathens because we have not been saved by God and because in the absence of divine revelation, we are in so many ways deeply unenlightened. The main difference between us and the religious is that we know this to be true of all of us, but they believe it is not true of them.

2 Heathens are naturalists

Heathens are not merely unbelievers: we believe many things too. Most importantly, we believe in naturalism: the natural world is all there is and there is no purposive, conscious agency that created or guides it. This natural world may contain many mysteries and even unseen dimensions, but we have no reason to believe that they are anything like the heavens, spirit worlds and deities that have characterised supernatural religious beliefs over history. Many religious believers deny the "supernatural" label, but unless they are willing to disavow such beliefs as in the reality of a divine person, miracles, resurrections or life after death, they are not naturalists.

3 Our first commitment is to the truth

Although we believe many things about what does and does not exist, these are the conclusions we come to, not the basis of our worldview. That basis is a commitment to see the world as truthfully as we can, using our rational faculties as best we can, based on the best evidence we have. That is where our primary commitment lies, not the conclusions we reach. Hence we are prepared to accept the possibility that we are wrong. It also means that we respect and have much in common with people who come to very different conclusions but have an equal respect for truth, reason and evidence. A heathen has more in common with a sincere, rational, religious truth-seeker than an atheist whose lack of belief is unquestioned, or has become unquestionable.

4 We respect science, not scientism

Heathens place science in high regard, being the most successful means humans have devised to come to a true understanding of the real nature of the world on the basis of reason and evidence. If a belief conflicts with science, then no matter how much we cherish it, science should prevail. That is why the religious beliefs we most oppose are those that defy scientific knowledge, such as young earth creationism.

Nonetheless, this does not make us scientistic. Scientism is the belief that science provides the only means of gaining true knowledge of the world, and that everything has to be understood through the lens of science or not at all. There are scientistic atheists but heathens are not among them. Science is limited in what it can contribute to our understanding of who we are and how we should live because many of the most important facts of human life only emerge at a level of description on which science remains silent. History, for example, may ultimately depend on nothing more than the movements of atoms, but you cannot understand the battle of Hastings by examining interactions of fermions and bosons. Love may depend on nothing more than the physical firing of neurons, but anyone who tries to understand it solely in those terms just does not know what love means.

Science may also make life uncomfortable for us. For example, it may undermine certain beliefs about free will that many atheists have relied on to give dignity and autonomy to our species.

Heathens are therefore properly respectful of science but also mindful of its limits. Science is not our Bible: the last word on everything.

5 We value reason as precious but fragile

Heathens have a commitment to reason that fully acknowledges the limits of reason. Reason is itself a multi-faceted thing that cannot be reduced to pure logic. We use reason whenever we try to form true beliefs on the basis of the clearest thinking, using the best evidence. But reason almost always leaves us short of certain knowledge and very often leaves us with a need to make a judgment in order to come to a conclusion. We also need to accept that human beings are very imperfect users of reason, susceptible to biases, distortions and prejudices that lead even the most intelligent astray. In short, if we understand what reason is and how it works, we have very good reason to doubt those who claim rationality solely for those who accept their worldview and who deny the rationality of those who disagree.

6 We are convinced, not dogmatic

The heathen's modesty about the power of reason and the certainty of her conclusions should not be mistaken for a shoulder-shrugging agnosticism. We have a very high degree of confidence in the truth of our naturalistic worldview. But we do not dogmatically assert it. Being open to being wrong and to changing our minds does not mean we lack conviction that we are right. Strength of belief is not the same as rigidity of dogma.

7 We have no illusions about life as a heathen

Many people do not understand that it is possible to lead a meaningful, happy life as a heathen, but we maintain that it is and can point to any number of atheist philosophers and thinkers who have explained why this is so. But such meaning and contentment does not inevitably follow from becoming a heathen. Ours is a universe without guarantees of redemption or salvation and sometimes people have terrible lives or do terrible things and thrive. On such occasions, we have no consolation. That is the dark side of accepting the truth, and we are prepared to acknowledge it. We are heathens because we value living in the truth. But that does not mean that we pretend that always makes life easy or us happy. If the evidence were to show that religious people are happier and healthier than us, we would not see that as any reason to give up our convictions.

8 We are secularists

We support a state that is neutral as regards people's fundamental worldviews. It is not neutral when it comes to the shared values necessary for people of different conviction to live and thrive together. But it should not give any special privilege to any particular sect or group, or use their creeds as a basis for policy. Politics requires a coming together of people of different fundamental convictions to formulate and justify policy in terms that all understand, on the basis of principles that as many as possible can share.

This secularism does not require that religion is banished from public life or that people may not be open as to how their faiths, or lack of one, motivate their values. As long as the core of the business of state is neutral as regards to comprehensive worldviews, we can be relaxed about expressions of these commitments in society at large. We want to maintain the state's neutrality on fundamental worldviews, not purge religion from society.

9 Heathens can be religious

There are a small minority of forms of religion that are entirely compatible with the heathen position. These are forms of religion that reject the real existence of supernatural entities and divinely authored texts, accept that science trumps dogma, and who see the essential core of religion in its values and practices. We have very little evidence that anything more than a small fraction of actual existent religion is like this, but when it does conform to this description, heathens have no reason to dismiss it as false.

10 Religion is often our friend

We believe in not being tone-deaf to religion and to understand it in the most charitable way possible. So we support religions when they work to promote values we share, including those of social justice and compassion. We are respectful and sympathetic to the religious when they arrive at their different conclusions on the basis of the same commitment to sincere, rational, undogmatic inquiry as us, without in any way denying that we believe them to be false and misguided. We are also sympathetic to religion when its effects are more benign than malign. We appreciate that commitment to truth is but one value and that a commitment to compassion and kindness to others is also of supreme importance. We are not prepared to insist that it is indubitably better to live guided by such values allied with false beliefs than it is to live without such values but also without false belief.

11 We are critical of religion when necessary

Our willingness to accept what is good in religion is balanced by an equally honest commitment to be critical of it when necessary. We object when religion invokes mystery to avoid difficult questions or to obfuscate when clarity is needed. We do not like the way in which "people of faith" tend to huddle together in an unprincipled coalition of self-interest, even when that means liberals getting into bed with homophobes and misogynists. We think it is disingenuous for religious people to talk about the reasonableness of their beliefs and the importance of values and practice, while drawing a veil over their embrace of superstitious beliefs. In these and other areas, we assert the right and need to make civil but acute criticisms.

And although our general stance is not one of hostility towards religion, there are some occasions when this is exactly what is called for. When religions promote prejudice, division or discrimination, suppress truth or stand in the way of medical or social progress, a hostile response is an appropriate, principled one, just as it is when atheists are guilty of the same crimes.

12 This manifesto is less concerned with distinguishing heathens from others than forging links between us and others

Our commitment to independent thought and the provisionality of belief means that few heathens are likely to agree completely with this manifesto. It is therefore almost a precondition of supporting it that you do not entirely support it. At the same time, although very few people of faith can be heathens, many will find themselves in agreement with much of what heathens belief. This is what provides the common ground to make fruitful dialogue possible: we need to accept what we share in order to accept with civility and understanding what we most certainly do not. This is what the heathen manifesto is really about.

Friday, March 23, 2012

Charity begins at home?

Tonight is Sport Relief on the BBC. This is the night when heartsrings are pulled and people are guilted into giving money to worthwhile charities. Millions are raised through the genoristy of the British people. 50% of the money  is spent here in the UK, and this is where the problem lies. As a developed nation should these worthy causes for the UK's disadvantaged have to beg for money?
Let's say £30m is raised. This money that is so desperately needed should have come from the government in the first place. Or how about the corporations and banks that earn their money here? Are those companies not part of this society? We continue to give individuals millions and millions of un-earnt money. No single person-banker, chairman,footballer,singer,movie star has a right to vast amounts of wealth which are so far removed from economic reality that it is criminal.
As a nation we should feel shame that these orphans, special needs kids, and terminally ill children etc are not already taken care of through the tax that people pay. The same goes for Comic Relief, Children in Need and all the other telethons.
'Charity begins at home' is a shameful expression.
Our nation and  ALL political parties should be judged on their success in making sure that money from charities is no longer needed in this country.

The same should be said for the world, but that is beyond our control, and the level of misery endured by many of our fellow human beings around the world is breathtakingly terrible. All of our charity should go where it's needed most, where children die needlessly of starvation and disease, not here.
Conservative, labour and liberal have had hundreds of years, (especially the last 50 years) to rid our society of the glaring gaps and inequalities that charities struggle to fill. Why in the 21st century after so many years of wealth do we still need charity in 'Great' Britain?
Update.
£50m was raised on the night, so British charities will receive £25m. How much will be saved by the top rate of taxpayers who this week were given a 5% tax cut? Corporation tax was also cut. Why are the rich and powerful being given money, and normal people asked to dig in their pockets for the country's needy?

Monday, March 19, 2012

Kony campaign is being used by Christian nutters to raise money.



David Mitchell " Before the video I was against child soldiers, but by the end I was a bit more for, as it would annoy that irritating smug bastard...."
Brooker " Jolie is annoyed that Kony has abducted more kids than she has"
Jimmy Carr " Uganda doesn't have a youth unemployment problem then"

This campaign, is in the end a complete load of bollocks, the group who made the video are a group of very scary Christian fundaMENTALISTS, who have made many viral campaigns before. The money they are raising is huge, and very little of that money will be used in Africa. ' Kony' apparently left Uganda 6 years ago anyway. A lot of the supporters of this video here in the UK are quickly backtracking as they realize they are lending their voices to a hitler youthesque group of Christian nutters. Watch the video above, Charlie Brooker as ever puts it all in a clear context. But Jimmy Carr said it the best, a few child soldiers seems better than these Christian youth (this is of course a sarcastic remark)

Thursday, March 15, 2012

Cold

England is cold, inside and outside. Arrived back 3 weeks ago today, getting tired of being constantly cold now.

We are going to die

We are going to die, and that makes us the lucky ones. Most people are never going to die because they are never going to be born. The potential people who could have been here in my place but who will in fact never see the light of day outnumber the sand grains of Arabia. Certainly those unborn ghosts include greater poets than Keats, scientists greater than Newton. We know this because the set of possible people allowed by our DNA so massively exceeds the set of actual people. In the teeth of these stupefying odds it is you and I, in our ordinariness, that are here. 'Richard Dawkins'

Sunday, March 11, 2012

(The meaning of being a parent) My Friend,My confidant, My son

(The meaning of being a parent) My Friend,My confidant, My son·

By Mike Rutherford

6:30AM GMT 10 Mar 2012

                                                          Marcus
From The Telegraph
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/family/9133494/Mike-Rutherford-My-sons-battle-with-leukaemia.html

It was all going so well. Marcus Rutherford was – still is, always will be – my first and most precious son, best friend, calming influence and trusted confidant. He has long been (it’s OK, his mum and brother already know this) the most important person in the world to me. My reason for living.



I love this guy. How can’t I? I have no choice in the matter. At dawn on March 9 1989, when only a few seconds old, he was handed over for the first and sweetest time to the proudest parents on the planet. The midwife congratulated my wife first, myself second for jointly producing what she assured us was “the most handsome little boy with a great pair of balls”. We laughed. She laughed. I swear that Marcus had a little chuckle, too. This wasn’t the best day of my life, it was better than all my previous 10,000 days put together. I know that most parents are proud of their children. But I’m way, way beyond proud when it comes to Marcus Yung-Han Rutherford. He was best man at my wedding. The dream son for his Ma. He has consistently been the greatest and most loyal mentor his little brother Jake, now 20, could have ever wished for. Marcus has never asked for, or complained about, anything. Ever.



In his early years, blissfully unaware of the often dodgy planes, trains, automobiles, taxis, restaurants, cafés and hotels we subjected the poor boy to, Marcus accompanied his airline executive mum and journalist dad as we worked in Asia, mainland Europe, North and South America and numerous other corners of the world. Seoul, Tokyo, Paris, Barcelona, LA, Miami and Havana were, and still are, among his favourite haunts, largely because good, healthy, honest, no-nonsense food is one of the loves of Marcus’s life and that’s what most of these great cities provide if you know where to look – which he does. When you’ve got Italian and South Korean grandmothers as Marcus has, you know how to eat and eat well.



By the mid-Nineties, at a ceremony in Rochester Cathedral, his headmistress awarded him a prize of a book, not for early academic achievement (he didn’t enjoy much of that) but for what she described as his “infectious, utterly beguiling smile”. Wind forward five or so years and he showed his first signs of serious interest in, and love of, all things musical. He sang in Rochester Cathedral and liked the Kentish city so much that he ended up with a little home there – right in the middle of town, close to that cathedral.



As a kid Marcus attended foreign language school once a week. He started and finished about 1,000 taekwondo and karate classes over a decade or so. All this punishing physical work and training culminated in him achieving the World Taekwondo Federation black belt status he craved – plus the lean, super-fit body that goes with it.



Next he began devoting himself to an even greater passion – music. He insists that he wasn’t looking for it. Instead, the music found him. Buying his first cheap but much-loved guitar on Sunset Boulevard, Los Angeles; after-school music lessons; yet more evenings learning, playing and performing at the Mick Jagger Centre; attending his first big concert (Aerosmith live in Miami) – all this and more meant that Marcus was hopelessly hooked on acoustic or electric guitar-based music.

By summer 2007, weeks after completing his A-levels, his mother and I drove him to Brighton, where we searched for a little place for him to live while he studied, inevitably, for a music degree in the city with a sea he loved to sail and swim in.

Come October 2007, school over, uni beckoning and looking more handsome and physically fit than I’ve ever seen him, he was playing at a gig with his penniless little rock band when his life and ours changed in sudden and terrifying fashion. With no prior warning (apart from a nasty cough and a few aches and pains) Marcus started to feel terribly ill and almost collapsed onstage… with his beaten-up Fender Telecaster electric guitar still in hand. His fellow band members joked that he’d drunk too much – unlikely since he’s always been a notoriously light drinker who enjoys the occasional glass of wine or cider, but nothing heavier. Illegal drugs were out of the question too. He didn’t even smoke cigarettes.

He was rushed to a nearby hospital – Medway Maritime – and the diagnosis was acute lymphoblastic leukaemia. My wife and I, who both happened to be working away, flew home immediately to his bedside with the aid of a high-speed police car for part of our journey. We found our son in an isolation room. A major problem with his blood, or to be more precise, his blood “factory” at the base of his spine, meant that his body was no longer making enough healthy red blood cells and platelets and his white cells were unable to protect his body from infection. He was covered from head to toe in heavy bruises and somehow looking and feeling much smaller and lighter than normal. His blood count had plummeted, his platelets were dangerously low – thus the rapid deterioration in his physical appearance and general wellbeing.

When I asked how and why a fit and active 18 year-old could be so cruelly and suddenly struck down in this fashion we were told that leukaemia discriminates against no one. Yes, the early stages of the disease should have been detected by Marcus’s GP when he visited him complaining of severe aches (including headaches) and that awful cough. But only if that GP had sent him for blood tests which might have – although not necessarily – detected that the disease had already started to attack his body.

His life was saved that night by the rapid diagnosis of his illness, then by transfusions of the blood and expensive yellow platelets he so desperately needed. He was stabilised, made comfortable, monitored and worked on through the night. And thankfully, he survived it. Some do not. Especially when the disease isn’t detected early.

Within days he was transferred to University College London Hospital (UCLH) where he lived for the next few months, later opting to be a ''shared care’’ patient between the two hospitals, one in Kent, the other in the capital. The impact of this sort of unprovoked disease on a youngster who has done nothing to deserve it is unimaginably painful. If I’ve said “why him, why not me?” once I’ve said it a million times. How come our prayers went unanswered? Where is our God? How can this searing pain and anguish be inflicted on the person who I love, respect and treasure more than any other on this earth?

When a parent is subjected to this level of trauma, about 90 per cent of his or her life becomes devoted to the child who finds her or himself in a scarily dark place. The other 10 per cent is left for far less important matters such as money, work, home, car, or other family members. We effectively abandoned our home because we felt a need to be with Marcus every day and night – either sleeping in the hospital room with him on floors or sofa beds, in neighbouring apartments or hotels, in motorhomes, or cars parked outside. Some nights there is no such thing as “bedtime” for patients and parents. One goes through the night wide awake, usually because of time-consuming blood transfusions, tests and other procedures.

You might think that young adults revert to being little children in such difficult and frustrating circumstances. But not Marcus, who, in the nicest way, matured beyond his years and eventually felt to me more like a father (or at least a wise uncle) than a son. Everyone cried. Everyone except Marcus.

After more than three relentless years of chemotherapy, blood transfusions and countless other treatments, procedures and clinical trials, he was formally told, in spring last year, that he was finally in remission and no further treatment was necessary. He was allowed to go on holiday abroad for the first time since his diagnosis, so he and his girlfriend, Emily, headed for the sights, smells and healthy diet of north-east Asia… with Bro, Ma and Pa joining him later for at least part of his epic, exotic trip.

On his return to the UK in June we could see, and he confirmed, that he was experiencing aches and pains that felt all too familiar. I think he and we knew at this tragic point that the leukaemia had returned. Smart patients instinctively know these things. Then their heartbroken parents look them in the eyes and know too.

Apparently clueless, non-specialist weekend doctors (important chunks of the NHS largely grind to a halt on Saturdays and Sundays) suggested that Marcus had picked up a nasty foreign bug. Malaria and various tropical diseases were mentioned. At least we weren’t surprised or traumatised when the cancer team gently broke the news to us.

Marcus’s final hope was a long and expensive bone marrow/stem cell transplant procedure which he received at UCLH last October. Jake was desperate to be the donor, but he wasn’t a match for his big brother and that crushed him. However, a young, generous, anonymous male donor from Germany who had registered with the international Anthony Nolan bone marrow register (anthonynolan.org) was a near perfect match. The grateful Rutherford clan consider him one of us and affectionately refer to him a Markus with a K!

Marcus’s loving and inspirational mum – my wife – had quit her job to be with him 24/7 as his full-time carer. I cut back massively on work commitments too, as did Emily, a recent graduate who has found work. The loving and brilliant CLIC Sargent charity helped out by providing us with home-from-home facilities that at least meant we could be with our brave boy, morning, noon and night.

Ultimately, the transplant failed. On January 24 a transplant doctor – not one he or we knew well – walked into his room at UCLH for what should have been a routine, mid-morning meeting, just like the hundreds that had taken place before. In a matter of fact, hauntingly cold and horribly unsympathetic manner she told Marcus that the leukaemia had returned. It was not unlike a tough as nails American judge telling a guilty, murderous prisoner that he’s sentenced to death.

But the big difference was that Marcus was and still is entirely innocent, and could not look forward to a stay of execution.

He was shocked, but remained as calm, dignified and tear-free as ever. His mother and I were utterly devastated. We sat beside our son, hugged him, and asked for the meeting to resume later in the day in a more caring atmosphere. A week later Marcus asked if he could go home to his own bed, his little recording studio, his guitars, his kitchen and his dining table. Normality he called it.

After being resident for so many months and years in hospitals – where he sometimes needed drugs and/or injections every hour, 24 hours a day – normal was good. As was home cooking. No more hospital food – please.

His loyal and loving professor at UCLH granted him his wish but gently warned that whether in a hospital bed or at home, he could only “dampen down” the leukaemia. His favourite consultant at Medway Maritime agreed that while he would do what he could do to help Marcus defend himself against the enemy, it could only be contained, not killed.

Early last month Marcus asked each of his close friends to come to his home for a chat lasting 10-15 minutes. Many left in tears. The Dean of his University popped in and effectively staged Marcus’s graduation ceremony in his front room. Important, that.

A week later Marcus spoke to grandparents, a solicitor and other important folk he needed to talk to. Then there was the precious day and night in the glorious country hotel with Emily, followed by the Italian feast with me, Mum and brother. Just the four of us. Like the old days.

On Saturday, February 18 he gave a party at his Rochester home for old pals, current and former girlfriends, band mates, friends from university, loved ones…

On February 24, Marcus, my brave and beautiful son, passed away, aged 22, in his sleep. We – father, mother, girlfriend and brother – were with him. We will always be with him. He will always be with us.

Marcus's legacy

Even while he was fighting for his life, Marcus was determined to change things for others in a similar position to him. Modest, direct, red tape-free help for young patients is the way he wanted it. That’s why he established the MarcusRutherfordFoundation.com and Young Adult Cancer Trust in the weeks before he passed away. As a result, a handful of NHS patients without access to televisions, DVDs, phones and internet are now enjoying such things.

He spent some of his own money on doing that for them. We talked about writing a book together. And he loved the idea of seeing his byline in a newspaper for the first time.

So here it is, son.

By Marcus Rutherford

I think it’s important that I tell people what’s going on with my illness as many people don’t know, and I’d like for them to. A few weeks ago, while still living at University College London Hospital, I had a routine, post-bone marrow/stem cell transplant test and found out that I’d relapsed. My transplant failed.

The doctors said I did everything right, and for a while things looked like they were going really well. Everything suggested that the transplant was going to work, but unexpectedly the new donor cells were unable to fight off the leukaemia.

There are now no longer any curative treatment options for doctors to give me. The transplant was the strongest option for a cure, but the leukaemia is too strong. The success of the transplant was never a sure thing, so it hasn’t come as a complete shock. But the news has still been devastating.

My medical teams at UCLH and Medway Maritime will continue to treat me with a very light chemo to try and keep the leukaemia suppressed for as long as possible, but eventually it won’t be controllable. Doctors aren’t really able to give me a time frame as to when this will be, as it’s extremely unpredictable.

My professor at UCLH and one of his senior colleagues at the neighbouring Royal Free Hospital in Hampstead are looking into German medical trials which have had some successful results in prolonging time for terminal patients with my type of leukaemia. This particular trial will be coming to the UK at some point soon, and it’s something I’m going to remain hopeful about.

After living on the transplant floor (T13) for the summer and autumn of 2011 and most of this winter, UCLH has sent me home so I can be with family, girlfriend and friends. I’m going into my local hospital every day for blood top-ups and blood products, plus other drugs to keep me as healthy as can be. Thankfully, I’ve been feeling quite well and just enjoying being home after so long in hospital.

If you’re one of my friends or part of my family and you’re reading the above and finding this out for the first time, I’d always like to talk. I wish I could have let people know in a different way, but at least I can reach as many people as possible this way. I’m really doing fine, and feel like I’m OK with everything… as long as I’ve got everyone I want close by.

Mike and Marcus’s fees for these articles will be donated to the Marcus Rutherford Foundation’s Young Adult Cancer Trust

The Marcus Rutherford Foundation and his Young Adult Cancer Trust were in the planning for months, and have been formally established in recent weeks. The trust and foundation have already helped a handful of patients leaving their late teens and entering their twenties when, sadly, some child and teenage charities effectively turn their back on them. To find out more, go to: marcusrutherfordfoundation.com

Monday, March 05, 2012

I was in this shop last week.Glad it wasn't whilst it was being robbed.

A WIRRAL man appeared in court accused of robbing six convenience stores armed with a fake gun.

Wayne Jackson, 18, of Ganneys Meadow Road, Woodchurch, stood before Wirral magistrates’ court on Saturday charged with six counts of robbery.

He was also charged with six offences of possessing an imitation firearm while committing an offence, three counts of possessing a knife and one count of possessing an offensive weapon. Jackson was remanded in custody to appear before Liverpool Crown Court on June 8 for a case management hearing.

Wayne Jackson, 39, of Newport Close, Prenton, and Sean Flaherty, 25, of Carr Bridge Road, Birkenhead, will also appear on that date accused of taking part in a robbery at McColl’s store in Holmlands Drive, Prenton, last Wednesday.

http://www.liverpoolecho.co.uk/liverpool-news/local-news/2012/03/05/teenager-in-court-over-wirral-robberies-100252-30460603/