A feeling of great sadness has settled over our family as it transpires that the body found yesterday was that of a teenage boy known to a number of my grandchildren.
The death of anyone is a sad thing. But to think that a young boy had reached the point, where he would feel he had no other alternative than to take his own life, is even more so.
My thoughts are with his friends and family.
At aged 80 it can be said that Hubert Sumlin has had a good innings. The world of electric blues will miss him.
As a Chicago electric bluesman he has been the one of the creative inspirations for so many musicians including Eric Clapton and Keith Richard. He is best known for being a member of Holing Wolfs band for many years although he also played for Muddy Waters for a while.
Since posting this I have just discovered that Mick Jagger and Keith Richard have “insisted” on covering the costs of Sumlins funeral.
The Stones stars issued statements following Sumlin’s death:
“Warm, humourous and always encouraging, he was a gentleman of the first order,” wrote Richards. “Miss him, yes, but we have his records. All my condolences to his family. One love, Hubert.”
“Hubert was an incisive yet delicate blues player,” Jagger wrote. “He had a really distinctive and original tone and was a wonderful foil for Howlin’ Wolf’s growling vocal style … He was an inspiration to us all.”
I am glad that the police are treating this as attempted murder.
There cannot be anyone, who does not know what the potential outcome is, when a chunk of concrete or bricks, as in this case, are dropped off a bridge into the path of road vehicles travelling at speed.
So, the assumption has to be that the individuals who do this must have one intent and that is the death of one or more motorists.
Even if they don’t die, the victims will suffer horrific injuries.
The police must treat these acts as attempted murder and the courts must come down heavily on those responsible.
BBC News – Attempted murder probe after bricks thrown on to A12.
What a ludicrous situation.
Many people have made more contentious, more distasteful comments on TV and Radio in the past and have received less attention for them.
Clarkson is renowned for his outrageous comments and when viewed rationally his comments, regarding strike participants, are no worse than your average comedians remarks made during almost any show currently being broadcast into our living rooms.
Anybody who believes that he really would have them shot is a total moron.
Given the large number of complaints that have so far been received I can only believe that they are coming from Unison members and that this is an orchestrated action to further publicise the union position and to incite sympathy for the union membership.
The fact that Clarkson has even deigned to apologise I feel is a total over reaction to and insignificant comment.
BBC News – Complaints over Clarkson strike comments reach 21,000.
Well now. At long last some good news and a sensible housing solution. Making use of the wasteland that has blighted the entrance to Portsmouth for so many years.
Proper, right minded, investment in the Portsmouth area.
Lets hope the whingers keep their mouths shut during the pain that is coming once the changes to the M275 start.
£30m Tipner junction given the go-ahead – Transport – The News.
I have family and grandchildren in the area that this pervert lives.
The magistrates ruled the case was so serious it must be heard at the crown court.
And now he is out on bail ?
I trust that there are significant restrictions on him. Too many times the legal authorities take a lenient path and we the public pay the price when it all goes wrong.
Waterlooville man charged over images – East Hampshire – The News.
I hope the authorities come down hard on this foolish child.
Not only has she wasted an enormous amount of police time but one can only guess at the stress that she has caused her friends and family.
She has also caused the whole neighbourhood to be on high alert for no good reason.
Just imagine if the police had actually found someone who matched her description of the alleged attacker. What would that do to him and his life especially if it became known in the greater community that he had become a suspect.
Then there is the disservice that she has done to real victims of such attacks. She has made it more difficult for the police to treat such incidents as credible. Always at the back of their minds, no matter how they try to think otherwise, will be the question of if the attack was real.
As usual, when those that have been abused by Catholic priests speak out, the Catholic church closes ranks and does what it has been doing for decades. Denies everything especially liability.
So when you see a headline like this
it’s no surprise that there is an immediate response with a headline like this
The Catholic Church has done absolutely nothing to help those that were abused by the Catholic clergy but they have bent over backwards to hide and protect the abusers.
Now that the finger is actually being pointed at the church, now that the courts are saying that the church is in fact culpable, now is the time when the Catholic Church speaks out.
The Roman Catholic Bishop of Portsmouth, the Rt Rev Crispian Hollis, has leapt to the defence of Father Wilfred Baldwin, who it is alleged abused a young girl back in the 70’s.
However, solicitor Tracey Emmott said: ‘This effectively reinforces the public perception that the church doesn’t care and is once again trying to avoid responsibility.
‘I question his assertion that the legal case concluded last week involved the only allegation against a priest who he describes as being of unblemished character.
‘In fact before his death Father Baldwin was the subject of an extensive police investigation, based on allegations against him from at least three other alleged victims.’
Now a High Court Judge has ruled against the Catholic church in a row over whether it can be held responsible for sexual abuse by one of its own priests, now the Catholic Church is feeling exposed and is starting to squirm.
It’s about time the church acknowledged its responsibility for not having removed abusive priests and for not having actively supported the prosecution of abusive priests.
And most of all its about time that they acknowledged that they have let down the very people that they should have been protecting, the victims of abusive priests.
Hear Hear !!
I have been saying for years that the rule makers in the EU are out of touch with reality. The point of the EU was to facilitate cross border business activities. It was not intended to introduce nonsense rules and regulations which only serve to make doing business more difficult.
Cameron has it right when he says that resolution of the current crisis also offered a golden opportunity to undertake fundamental reform of the EU.
Needless to say I won’t be holding my breath while we wait for this reform to materialise.
Cameron blames ‘pointless’ EU rules for killing growth – Yahoo!.
WrAnTz 