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Spectator
2 days ago
- Spectator
The ballad of broken Britain
In my corner of Bristol, alongside drug dealers, shoplifters and street drinkers, we now have our very own pyromaniac. They started small – an abandoned office chair, a clothing bank and an old telephone box – before moving on to bigger things. Half a dozen cars have been torched over the past few months, including two on my road, and, most recently, a derelict pub. The other Saturday, hearing a commotion outside, my wife jumped out of bed and flung open the curtains. The scene that greeted us was apocalyptic. In daylight, on a narrow suburban street, the arsonist had set fire to three motorbikes parked in a row, which in turn had set alight a car and a hedge. It was pandemonium. People were wandering around in their nightclothes, some barefoot, having been advised by the police to leave their homes. The bikes and car were engulfed in flames, and thick clouds of black smoke billowed over the houses. The fire brigade arrived quickly and soon had things under control, but the resulting carnage was like West Belfast circa the 1970s after a mortar attack. Setting vehicles alight is a serious criminal offence, not to mention incredibly dangerous, yet the police response was sluggish. For weeks, charred motorbike frames and the blackened shells of cars sat on melted tarmac. Wandering the area felt like disaster tourism. Eventually, after mounting complaints, a meeting was called with councillors and police in attendance. However, what was meant to be a discussion about the fires quickly turned into a free-for-all on rising crime. It was a comically British affair – lots of blustering and cries of: 'Do speak up, we can't hear you at the back!' There also seemed to be a few budding local sleuths who'd uncovered some quite extraordinary goings-on that the police were unaware of. Notwithstanding our resident Miss Marples, if we'd gone looking for reassurance, we didn't get any. Although we were told we could report incidents online and expect a response within 72 hours. Amazing. You'd hope the issue would be resolved by then. Still, there were tea and biscuits – so that was all right. In effect, the mostly middle-class crowd came away with the impression that it was down to them to manage the situation: 'You can apply for a council grant to install CCTV at your house, or buy one of those camera doorbell thingies.' The police, it seems, don't have the time or resources. One thing we were promised was increased patrols, but our local 'cop shop' is only open a few hours a week, and I don't think I've seen a policeman on foot in the 20-odd years I've been here. You do see the occasional PCSO, but they engender about as much confidence as a Boy Scout left in charge of an anti-aircraft battery. Thankfully, I recently escaped to Menorca for a week. There's very little crime, no graffiti, no litter, and the sea – a major draw – is crystal clear. The overall impression is of a laid-back, prosperous, well-run place that the inhabitants are proud of. Coming back to the UK was a kick in the Balearics due to the stark contrast. It felt like returning home to find the front door bashed in, the house ransacked and someone cooking crystal meth on the stove. Within hours, we'd seen drug deals, masked youths speeding about on electric motorbikes and drunks stumbling in the road. The usual dope smoke, graffiti tagging and filthy streets completed the picture. If we lived in a more affluent part of Bristol, or some rural idyll, perhaps the return wouldn't have hit quite so hard. But I still wouldn't have been able to escape the headlines: water company bosses pocketing millions while pumping effluent into rivers and seas; polls suggesting almost half of the public think Britain is becoming lawless; a justice system in crisis; dire public finances; a government desperate to avoid another summer of rioting. The sense – to borrow one of the Prime Minister's favourite phrases – is of a country in managed decline. Except the decline isn't being managed very well. Yes, Menorca is small and sparsely populated – easier to keep pristine. And yes, coming home from holiday is always a downer. However, the overwhelming impression was of returning to a country that had lost its way. A 16-year-old boy was recently arrested in connection with the pub fire. Dozens of cars have since had their tyres slashed, and someone took a machete to a row of saplings – so, irrespective of whether or not he's the arsonist, we're not out of the woods yet. Although, thanks to the idiot with the machete, there won't now be a wood – or even a copse. In Richard II, John of Gaunt laments: 'That England, that was wont to conquer others, Hath made a shameful conquest of itself.' Hasn't it just? And, as Abraham Lincoln observed: 'A house divided against itself cannot stand.' So, while tea and biscuits may long have been a social lubricant in Britain, there are times when cohesion is so frayed, we need more than that – and I'm afraid this is one of them. To be honest, though, you'd probably get bored with Menorca after a while. All that sand – it's a bastard to get out of your shoes.
Toronto Star
4 days ago
- Entertainment
- Toronto Star
This Toronto singer-songwriter brings musicians into prisons. Now, a jazz great is coming back for an encore
American jazz guitarist Bill Frisell is one of the gentlest, most soft-spoken musicians you're likely to ever meet, with the demeanour of a Boy Scout. He's never been convicted of a crime. But two years ago, I found myself accompanying him to prison — where he performed for inmates at Collins Bay Institution in Kingston. Frisell, 74, is an internationally renowned legend, for his solo work, his high-profile jazz collaborations and his association with the likes of Elvis Costello. He has his choice of gigs anywhere in the world. Why would he play one at a penitentiary in Ontario? Michael Barclay is the author of three books, including 'Hearts on Fire: Six Years That Changed Canadian Music 2000-05.'
Yahoo
17-07-2025
- Yahoo
Handwritten notes help lead search crews to mom and son stranded in remote forest
A mother and her 9-year-old son, who got stranded in a remote forest overnight on their way to a Boy Scout camp in California, were rescued after crews searching for the missing family found handwritten notes by the woman asking for help, authorities said. Authorities credited the notes and other "breadcrumbs" left for search crews in helping find them within hours of being reported missing. The two were traveling from Sacramento to Camp Wolfeboro in Calaveras County on Friday afternoon when they got lost in a remote area after losing the GPS signal, authorities said. The 49-year-old mother became disoriented trying to retrace their steps, and their vehicle got stuck in the dirt, stranding them in the dense forestry, according to Calaveras County Sheriff's Office spokesperson Lt. Greg Stark. "It was a very remote location, with severe terrain, deep canyons, dense forestry," Stark told ABC News. "That area is known for poor radio reception and poor cell service." Their family reported them missing early Saturday afternoon after the camp reported them overdue and they were not answering their cellphones, according to the sheriff's office. A volunteer search and rescue team that was already conducting training in the area was deployed, and authorities began working on a timeline and possible route based on their destination and last known location. The search and rescue team "began assessing the terrain and the complex network of interconnecting, labyrinth-like roads to establish effective search parameters," the Calaveras County Sheriff's Office said. The search involved four-wheel drive vehicles, and California Highway Patrol air assets were requested, the office said. Amid the search, campers in the area reported seeing a vehicle matching the description of the missing persons around 4 p.m. on Friday -- helping confirm that search crews were in the right area, the sheriff's office said. MORE: Mountain biker reported missing in Oregon, search efforts underway Helping to further narrow the search area: At approximately 5:40 p.m. Saturday, the search and rescue team located a handwritten note left by the mother asking for help, authorities said. It was posted at an intersection of a remote Forest Service Road. A second note was found nearby. The sheriff's office released images of the notes, which were both dated July 11 and both said "HELP." "Me and my son are stranded with no service and can't call 911," one of the notes stated. "We are ahead, up the road to the right. Please call 911 to get help for us. Thank you!" The other note urged rescuers to "follow the strips of brown sheet," which was made out of a paper bag, Stark said. They also left a trail of rocks on the road to point in their direction in case the notes blew away, Stark said. About a mile from the second note, at approximately 6:30 p.m. Saturday, the searchers found the mother and son and their vehicle, the sheriff's office said. Stark credited the notes with being "extremely helpful" in finding them so quickly. "There's hundreds of square miles of elaborate roadworks out there," Stark said. "They were in the search area, but putting the handwritten notes posted at the intersections -- that absolutely accelerated the timeline in which they were found." MORE: Georgia woman found alive after being missing for 3 weeks in California mountains The search team was able to free the stuck vehicle and help bring the mother and son back to the command post, where their family was waiting for them, the sheriff's office said. "It was obviously a very emotional reunion," Stark said. The sheriff's office highlighted other efforts by the woman and her son to assist in the search, including keeping the vehicle's hazard lights on at night for searchers on the ground and in the air to see. The son also periodically used his whistle to deploy three short bursts, an international signal for help, the sheriff's office said. Staying with their vehicle was also a key move, Stark said. "If you don't know where you are, you don't know where you're going, the best course of action is to stay with your car -- it's the largest object out there, easily seen by aircraft or found by searchers," Stark said. "They did what they should have, and it certainly worked out well," he said. Solve the daily Crossword
NBC News
17-07-2025
- General
- NBC News
Mom and 9-year-old son rescued after leaving SOS notes in California forest
Two handwritten notes weighed down by rocks helped lead to the rescue of a mother and her 9-year-old son in California, who were stranded for more than 24 hours in the remote Sierra Nevada wilderness. The note, as explained in a Facebook post by the Calaveras County Sheriff's Office, was discovered at an intersection by a search and rescue team that had already been looking for the pair, who had failed to return home and were unreachable by phone. The mother, 49, and her son had left the Sacramento area around 1:30 p.m. on Friday, en route to Camp Wolfeboro, a Boy Scout camp off Highway 4. When they did not respond to personal phone calls, a report was filed with the Calaveras County Dispatch Center. Deputies and a search team were quickly dispatched. Coincidentally, the Calaveras County Volunteer Team was participating in its monthly training session at a nearby reservoir. Around 1:20 p.m. Saturday, the team began scouring the area, launching a road-based search. A break came when a group of campers reported via 911 text that they'd seen a vehicle matching the description of the missing pair the day before. Later that afternoon, at about 5:40 p.m., searchers found the first handwritten message at the junction of a Forest Service road. 'HELP. Me and my son are stranded with no service and can't call 911,' reads one of the letters, as seen in the Facebook post. 'We are ahead, up the road to the right. Please call 911 to get help for us. Thank you!' The team continued down the road, where they found a second note. 'HELP. Me and my son are stranded up the road to the right,' the other note reads. 'Please get help for us. Follow the strips of brown sheet. Thank you.' After following the signs, searchers found the mother and son near their disabled vehicle. Rescuers used recovery tools to free the car and soon after escorted the mother and son back to the command center. In its Facebook post, the Calaveras County Sheriff's Office highlighted how planning, communication and awareness of survival techniques aided in the rescue. In addition to leaving the notes at intersections and using the car's hazard lights to attract attention, the 9-year-old also used a whistle to periodically deliver the international signal for help: three short bursts. 'Of importance in the successful outcome was their pre-trip notification of telling someone where they were going and when to expect them back,' the Facebook post said.
Yahoo
16-07-2025
- Yahoo
Handwritten notes help lead search crews to mom and son stranded in remote forest
A mother and her 9-year-old son, who got stranded in a remote forest overnight on their way to a Boy Scout camp in California, were rescued after crews searching for the missing family found handwritten notes by the woman asking for help, authorities said. Authorities credited the notes and other "breadcrumbs" left for search crews in helping find them within hours of being reported missing. The two were traveling from Sacramento to Camp Wolfeboro in Calaveras County on Friday afternoon when they got lost in a remote area after losing the GPS signal, authorities said. The 49-year-old mother became disoriented trying to retrace their steps, and their vehicle got stuck in the dirt, stranding them in the dense forestry, according to Calaveras County Sheriff's Office spokesperson Lt. Greg Stark. "It was a very remote location, with severe terrain, deep canyons, dense forestry," Stark told ABC News. "That area is known for poor radio reception and poor cell service." Their family reported them missing early Saturday afternoon after the camp reported them overdue and they were not answering their cellphones, according to the sheriff's office. A volunteer search and rescue team that was already conducting training in the area was deployed, and authorities began working on a timeline and possible route based on their destination and last known location. The search and rescue team "began assessing the terrain and the complex network of interconnecting, labyrinth-like roads to establish effective search parameters," the Calaveras County Sheriff's Office said. The search involved four-wheel drive vehicles, and California Highway Patrol air assets were requested, the office said. Amid the search, campers in the area reported seeing a vehicle matching the description of the missing persons around 4 p.m. on Friday -- helping confirm that search crews were in the right area, the sheriff's office said. MORE: Mountain biker reported missing in Oregon, search efforts underway Helping to further narrow the search area: At approximately 5:40 p.m. Saturday, the search and rescue team located a handwritten note left by the mother asking for help, authorities said. It was posted at an intersection of a remote Forest Service Road. A second note was found nearby. The sheriff's office released images of the notes, which were both dated July 11 and both said "HELP." "Me and my son are stranded with no service and can't call 911," one of the notes stated. "We are ahead, up the road to the right. Please call 911 to get help for us. Thank you!" The other note urged rescuers to "follow the strips of brown sheet," which was made out of a paper bag. Stark said. They also left a trail of rocks on the road to point in their direction in case the notes blew away, Stark said. About a mile from the second note, at approximately 6:30 p.m. Saturday, the searchers found the mother and son and their vehicle, the sheriff's office said. Stark credited the notes with being "extremely helpful" in finding them so quickly. "There's hundreds of square miles of elaborate roadworks out there," Stark said. "They were in the search area, but putting the handwritten notes posted at the intersections -- that absolutely accelerated the timeline in which they were found." MORE: Georgia woman found alive after being missing for 3 weeks in California mountains The search team was able to free the stuck vehicle and help bring the mother and son back to the command post, where their family was waiting for them, the sheriff's office said. "It was obviously a very emotional reunion," Stark said. The sheriff's office highlighted other efforts by the woman and her son to assist in the search, including keeping the vehicle's hazard lights on at night for searchers on the ground and in the air to see. The son also periodically used his whistle to deploy three short bursts, an international signal for help, the sheriff's office said. Staying with their vehicle was also a key move, Stark said. "If you don't know where you are, you don't know where you're going, the best course of action is to stay with your car -- it's the largest object out there, easily seen by aircraft or found by searchers," Stark said. "They did what they should have, and it certainly worked out well," he said.
