Latest news with #David
Boston Globe
5 hours ago
- Boston Globe
The state's mistreatment of the disabled dead
For 50 years, his brother David yearned to know where John was buried and how he died, but Every year, states reject thousands of public requests for medical records and hidden burial locations of the disabled dead. They claim they are protecting patient privacy. It is a perverse abuse of an important legal protection for the living, and it has a frightening impact. With every person turned away, states prevent a long-overdue reckoning with how our continued reliance on government programs for institutionalizing disabled people has ripped apart the lives of Americans for nearly two centuries. Advertisement From Advertisement That's why they called the disabled people under their watch 'inmates' — not 'patients' — and subjected them to enslavement, sexual violence, and psychological torture. Three years ago, we took up these issues by spearheading the creation of the Massachusetts Massachusetts reformers first planted the seeds for a nationwide mass institutionalization movement in the mid-1800s. Ever since, the state Advertisement Yet much of this story is hidden. A Without consequences for state and local leaders who have knowingly allowed it to happen, this neglect enables communities to rewrite history. For example, at the Fernald School where John Scott died in 1973, powerful local interests are Nationwide, towns and cities have raced to redevelop former institutional sites without listening to survivors who say that there needs to be Massachusetts needs to pass much-delayed legislation to manage and open historical records while committing to a coordinated effort to open burial records, make an earnest search for unmarked graves, memorialize this history, teach it in schools, and stop this massive act of erasure. It must begin with a formal state apology because, as we saw with David Scott and so many others, we cannot walk out from under the shadow of institutions when it still hangs over so many today.
Evening Standard
8 hours ago
- Entertainment
- Evening Standard
John Banville: The year in London that changed my life
After more desultory talk and a few more generous splashes of gin, we took ourselves off to lunch at Au Jardin des Gourmets in Greek Street. First off we had a Pimm's, for refreshment, and David related more of his adventures in and out of the publishing trade. He was cheerfully non-intellectual, but he had a sharp eye for a winner — he liked a flutter on the horses, too — and at the time he was betting on a novel due out in October, The History Man by Malcolm Bradbury, a writer I had never heard of. When we were done and the bill arrived I managed to get a look at it, bleared though I was from the gin, the Pimm's and the subsequent bottle of Château Margaux; the total made my eyes water. 'David,' I slurred, 'next time could I just have the money?' He twinkled at me. 'Ah but then, dear boy, I wouldn't get my lunch, would I?'
Yahoo
14 hours ago
- Health
- Yahoo
The police job that is beyond the stuff of nightmares
David Murray's office has a warning on its door: "Please be aware: child sexual abuse material being viewed in this room." The detective constable spends hours examining pictures and watching videos, the worst of which are beyond the stuff of nightmares. He puts himself through it because he knows the job is important. The father of two young boys admits it takes its toll, yet he wishes he had started the job far earlier in his policing career to make a difference. He says it's worth it, because every week he and his colleagues are identifying young victims, and protecting them from further abuse. Earlier this week, Police Scotland invited BBC Scotland News to witness its work demonstrating the change in offending behaviour since the Covid pandemic, revealing that paedophiles were making direct contact with children online within 30 seconds of trying. David was the first victim identification officer to work with Police Scotland's national child abuse investigation unit. After four years, he now has three colleagues and an ever increasing workload. The unit is conducting 700 inquiries a year and executing 15 to 20 search warrants every week, seizing dozens of devices from the homes of suspects. The job of the victim identification officers is to examine images and footage found on these phones and laptops, to try to find children who've been abused. According to Interpol, online child sexual abuse is one of the rare crime areas where police officers start with the evidence and work their way back to the crime scene. Once images are found, the victim identification specialists take over, combing through the images with the objective of removing the child from harm and arresting the abuser. But their workload is increasing as fast as they can get through them. David says: "Four years ago we were identifying approximately 25 to 30 victims a year. We're doing more than ten times that now." Shockingly, the victims are close to home. "Last year we identified nearly 400 victims and 90% of those children are from Scotland. "When I started, I thought it was a problem that was far away, but it's on our doorstep. It's children in our community." The contents of the devices are uploaded to the UK-wide child abuse image database. If they've been discovered before, they don't have to be viewed again, but if they're new, they're classed as "first generation" images and checked by David and his colleagues. The grim reality of that is that much of the abuse takes place within households where the perpetrator knows the victim. That means devices can include pictures of normal family life, providing a horrifying contrast to the images of abuse and vital information for the detectives. "Essentially we start looking for clues in the pictures as to where this footage was taken, things like plug sockets or bits of clothing, maybe school uniforms and football strips, anything that would perhaps indicate where the child lives," says David. "A lot of our identifications are made from non-indecent images." One victim was recently traced in Glasgow after a detective recognised a water tower in the background of a selfie. Steps are taken to safeguard children who've been identified, in conjunction with outside agencies such as social work. The most extreme images and videos viewed by David and his colleagues plumb the depths of depravity. He agrees they have to switch off their own emotions. Police Scotland monitors the wellbeing of officers in this type of work and there are strict rules to limit how much time they spend looking at the material. They're not allowed to view it in the first or last hour of their shift, and one day a week is spent working from home, catching up on admin and emails. "It's just a case of prioritising and laying out your day," David says. "We start with a briefing every morning and we've got quite a substantial workload, and we just work our way through it the best we can. "There are wellbeing measures in place and talking to counsellors and other people about what you're feeling and seeing can help unlock things." Every week he and his colleagues walk past that warning on their office doors. "We are reviewing footage of something that's already happened to these children," says David. "But when we identify them and put the safeguarding measures in place, that's the most satisfying part of the job. "I used to work in other areas of policing, like serious and organised crime and drug enforcement but I can honestly say that now kind of pales into insignificance. "It doesn't compare to putting measures in place to make a child safe." A soft knock - how police arrest a suspected paedophile
Scottish Sun
18 hours ago
- Entertainment
- Scottish Sun
What REALLY happened at Brooklyn Beckham's wedding to Nicola after explosive claim Posh stole 1st dance & made bride cry
Click to share on X/Twitter (Opens in new window) Click to share on Facebook (Opens in new window) ACCORDING to tradition, a bride's wedding day is all about the bride. Not so for Nicola Peltz, who believes she was upstaged by another woman — Victoria Beckham, the mother of her husband. 7 Brooklyn Beckham with wife Nicola Peltz Credit: Getty 7 Victoria enters the reception with David after the wedding Credit: Mega 7 Brooklyn and Nicola celebrate their first anniversary in 2023 with David and Victoria 7 Nicola and Brooklyn at their wedding Credit: German Larkin / Vogue In yet another astonishing new twist to the ongoing family saga, friends of the American actress claim she burst into tears on her wedding day after being made to play second fiddle to the Spice Girl. The latest chapter in the story centres on US singer Marc Anthony, who is reported to have sung to Victoria at the reception, rather than the bride, and added insult to injury by calling Posh 'the most beautiful woman in the room'. Friends of the Beckham clan furiously deny the accusations — which come three years after the Vogue-covered event — accusing Nicola of being 'spoiled' and 'having a tantrum'. Only one thing is for certain, then: the divide between the two families has never been wider. Last night a source who has worked with both Brooklyn and the Beckhams said: 'This whole situation is quite unprecedented, and no-one could have foretold things would get this bad, or this toxic — for toxic is what it is. 'While Nicola and Brooklyn's pals claim one thing, David and Victoria's say quite another — so somewhere along the line, someone is obfuscating. 'Or perhaps another more palatable explanation is, as David's hero the late Queen might say, recollections may vary. 'Unquestionably that wedding day — and the six-month build-up — was the tipping point for all that has followed. Mean Girls vibes 'So from Nicola's perspective, it's no wonder she keeps bringing it up — what was meant to be the most special day of her life has been overtaken by events beyond her control. 'Her friends won't let that go and get very defensive of her. Beckhams fear there's no way back with Brooklyn after his latest move in bitter feud 'drove dagger through their hearts' 'For her part, Victoria, as a woman's woman, insists she would never deliberately derail her son's big day. 'It is all very sad, and right now I cannot see things ever being the way they were between Brooklyn and his parents.' The second — and perhaps irreversible — tipping point came earlier this month, in what was a week of celebrations for David's 50th birthday. His eldest son attended none of them. Nor, obviously, did his 30-year-old wife, who the Beckham camp blame for tearing apart their family. Puzzlingly, the two families' versions of events differ wildly. Brooklyn has told pals he texted his dad to meet him for a quiet coffee behind closed doors, but was rebuffed. While Nicola and Brooklyn's pals claim one thing, David and Victoria's say quite another – so somewhere along the line, someone is obfuscating And while he claims the row started over brother Romeo's girlfriend of six months — who previously dated Brooklyn — the Beckhams claim Nicola is the true catalyst. She has been said to give off 'Mean Girls' vibes — a reference to the cult 2004 film — with the implication that she is 'spoilt' and 'entitled', and has dragged Brooklyn away from his family. Nicola, for her part, says she is simply supporting her husband, but is being portrayed 'cruelly'. 'Naturally it's always the woman who gets the blame,' laments one friend Stateside. How deeply unseemly this he-said/she-said battle must be for David, who recently graced the cover of Time magazine for his charitable endeavours. Certainly it is not on brand for the Beckhams, a couple who have steadfastly cemented themselves — the royals notwithstanding — as Britain's most famous family. 7 Singer Marc Anthony and wife Nadia Ferreira at the wedding in April 2022, where he is said to have sung to Victoria instead of the bride Credit: Eroteme 7 A source claimed a room full of guests saw Nicola run off in tears after seeing Victoria awkwardly dancing with Brooklyn Credit: German Larkin / Vogue In fact that is something they have done so well — thanks to endless endorsement deals, Becks's Inter Miami franchise, his 'n' hers Netflix documentary deals and Victoria's beauty business (which is now turning over a healthy profit) — that they are in the latest Sunday Times Rich List with a combined fortune of £500million. And I wouldn't bet against them being billionaires by the time the former England midfielder is 55. (Although it might pain them to note, this is still less than half of Nicola's tycoon dad Nelson's estimated personal fortune). 'Brand', though, is a negative term for Nicola and Brooklyn. Her camp has briefed US periodicals suggesting that Posh 'n' Becks are more concerned with keeping up appearances — and maintaining the family brand — than making things up with their boy. They have labelled the Beckhams' attempts to reach out to Brooklyn — posting Instagram stories tagging him — as 'performative'. Showbiz website TMZ quoted 'sources familiar with the situation' as saying the young couple 'have made themselves available for months and months to discuss all of the ongoing drama', but that David and Victoria refuse to talk with Nicola around 'because she always talks back to them and stands up for Brooklyn'. The Transformers actress believes she has always supported the Beckhams by attending Victoria's fashion shows and promoting her products on social media — but doesn't get the same treatment in return. 7 Brooklyn and Nicola, seen in silhouette having their first kiss as a married couple Credit: Mega For instance, the website claims, Nicola asked Victoria to promote her dog rescue centre, Yogi's House, during the LA wildfires in January, but Victoria apparently blamed her social media co-ordinator, saying: 'She's not posting content right now.' Yet pals of the Beckhams would likely argue that only last February Victoria flew to LA to support Nicola on the red carpet of her movie, Lola — even dressing her in a bespoke VB outfit. Of course, that £1,190 co-ord outfit came back to haunt Nicola last month when Victoria appeared to goad her daughter-in-law, wearing the exact same thing — sparking a 'who wore it better' debate on social media. So what is the truth? Well, performative or not, all four protagonists still follow one another on Instagram. But hey, that's showbiz! And now the wedding has been wheeled out again, with those reports alleging Nicola cried on her wedding day. The source told People magazine: 'Marc Anthony, who is a friend of the Beckhams, offered to perform as a gift at the wedding. 'Before the song began, Marc asked Brooklyn to come to the stage, and then announced, 'The most beautiful woman in the room tonight, come on up . . . Victoria Beckham!'' It was such a jaw-dropping moment that it left the whole room in absolute shock. You could hear a pin drop Source A second source said the entire room went silent after Victoria's name was called instead of the bride's, and added: 'It was such a jaw-dropping moment that it left the whole room in absolute shock. You could hear a pin drop.' After seeing Victoria awkwardly dancing with his mother, Nicola is said to have burst into tears. Nonsense, sigh Victoria's pals. They claim the couple danced to Elvis after marrying — long before Victoria danced with Brooklyn. One says: 'At the reception there were the traditional speeches, then the happy couple had their first dance. In fact they had two dances. 'After this, Nicola had a dance with her father Nelson, again entirely traditional for the bride to dance with Dad, and at this point normally the groom would dance with his mum. "For whatever reason, that didn't happen. Much later, as a gift to the couple, Marc Anthony performed a few songs. 'Everyone got up to dance and as part of this he pulled his best friends David and Victoria up on stage, and then grabbed Brooklyn to dance with his mum, and Harper danced with David. 'Cruz also got up with Eva Longoria — it was a fun family moment and one dance. No-one realised in the moment that Nicola was upset.' Whatever the truth — and tellingly the Beckhams didn't wish Nicola and Brooklyn a happy anniversary last month, either privately or publicly — the quartet won't be playing happy families any time soon.
Time of India
21 hours ago
- Business
- Time of India
Why India Doesn't Need A War To Counter Pakistan
Why India Doesn't Need A War To Counter Pakistan Somnath Mukherjee May 30, 2025, 20:49 IST IST New Delhi has hit upon the best strategy vis-à-vis Islamabad: short, sharp military ops that buy long periods free of dramatic terror strikes & don't disrupt the world's fastest growing economy David vs Goliath is a favoured metaphor for depicting rivalries. In the Indo-Pak scenario too, the metaphor fits perfectly – one of the Indian David facing off against the Pakistani Goliath. Counterintuitive framing? Not really. The basic datum is as follows. India has a lot more to lose – pace of growth, migration of nearly 1bn Indians to upper middle-income status, more opportunities in exciting areas of AI, semiconductors, as well as old economy areas like manufacturing. In comparison, Pakistan is an economic basket case. Opportunity costs for India are far higher. Ergo, the room for manoeuvre and amount of capability brought to bear are a lot less for India than for Pakistan in a conflict scenario. In short, when it comes to a hot conflict, it's the Indian David facing off against the Pakistani Goliath. In effect, this praxis of David and Goliath informs India's Pak policy more than anything else. As the David, India's not trying big, heroic outcomes. On the contrary, the overarching aim is modest – create a security umbrella under which India's progress can continue uninterrupted. In that pursuit, the Indian state's responses, including the more overt versions in the last decade, have been game theoretic. Change the decision calculus to force Pakistan to recalibrate its own boards. Process of recalibration hopefully buys India longer periods free of dramatic, large terror attacks.
