Latest news with #EricGardner
The Herald Scotland
3 days ago
- Business
- The Herald Scotland
Ready, steady, green for go... Sheeran's proud of roots
I think I may have an Irish great-great grandparent somewhere in the family tree, but unfortunately I have no artistic or creative talent, or I would have been on the first ferry going in that direction years ago. Eric Gardner, Glasgow. More letters... Play for today While I don't always agree with him, there is no denying that Neil Mackay rarely misses and hits the wall. I completely concur with his recent contention about the wealthy ('Us vs them: why the rich like Musk and Bezos are destroying our world', The Herald, August 7). My support for this point of view was fortified having seen 'Make it Happen' the previous evening. This superb play describes the rise and fall of the Royal Bank of Scotland, and the fate of its CEO, Fred Goodwin. Having been economically active for the period covered by the play, I felt slightly disconcerted seeing those events, with the benefit of hindsight. It is hard to explain the slightly deranged atmosphere of the time. But it was like watching the proverbial frog boil until the water becomes scalding and its time to leap clear. The hubris of that time was encouraged by Gordon Brown, who declared the end of the boom-and-bust era. We could apparently look forward to ever increasing prosperity. It was going to be sunshine and lollipops all the way… until it wasn't. Inevitably, the Greeks have a word for what happened next: aporia. This is the state of intense puzzlement when our certainties fall to pieces and we suddenly are caught in an impasse, at a loss to explain what our senses are telling us. At these rare moments, aporia humbles us and prepares our mind for previously unbearable truths. September 2008 was such a moment. We have never fully recovered from the mayhem and carnage that ensued, but inevitably the rich do not suffer as much as the rest of the populace. They don't do austerity. Keith Swinley, Ayr. Mind your language I'VE read with increasing dread and dismay the comments of your columnists, notably Kevin McKenna and Carlos Alba, as well as the extensive coverage of the Sandy Peggie tribunal (''Peggie case has escalated a shameful anti-trans campaign'', The Herald, August 11). I assume the majority of your journalists to be cis, heterosexual men. (I note Carlos Alba only applies 'the public has a right to know rule' to former politicians, and not to journalists with a powerful platform to shape public discourse…) Can I suggest some training in basic concepts and contemporary language around sexuality and gender identity. The resources produced by the Time for Inclusive Education (TIE) campaign, whose tenth anniversary you recently celebrated, would be an excellent starting point. Simply reading the articles you published in your own paper explaining the history of section 2A/28 (a period we are rapidly returning to on trans issues), and the impact that media and public discourses had on those of us growing up queer in the 1980s, might give pause on recent commentary. To explain (again): non-binary gender and rejecting the idea of a straight / gay sexuality binary are entirely separate concepts, and in any case, politicians' identities, declared or otherwise, have no bearing on their ability to shape policy. Indeed it is the straight, cis allies in parliament, in the press and elsewhere, who we need now more than ever to resist the legislative and media backsliding on decades of progress on LGBT+ inclusion. Pam Currie, Millport. Road rules The Labour Party's current stance on eyesight testing focuses on ensuring drivers, particularly those who are over 70-years-old, can safely operate vehicles by meeting minimum vision standards for all drivers, namely, being able to read a car number plate at 20 metres. I agree with the thinking on this issue, as eyesight deteriorates as one gets older. What I don't agree with is the misconception that those under 70 should have no eyesight test, other than on the day of their driving test. Once you reach 70 you apply for a three year licence to drive your car, and you complete the application form with no input from your GP or Optician. Meanwhile, foreign visitors and workers can drive with their licence for a year. After that, they are required to sit a test. My point is that there are considerable issues involving both drivers and driving licences, which need to be improved long before we focus on eyesight tests for over 70s. Especially self-assessment without any intervention from a doctor or optician; allowing visitors to drive in this country for a year with their current licence; and holiday makers from around the world driving on their national licence. It's time that the government addressed these issues instead of prioritising testing the eyesight of the over 70s. Neil Stewart, Balfron. Dubious dialectic If a shopkeeper hangs a sign describing shoplifters as 'scum', the police will advise him to take it down. If he puts up pictures of suspected shoplifters, the Information Commissioner will threaten him. But if your phone is stolen with all your personal data on it, the authorities will most likely do absolutely nothing. Behind this absurd behaviour is Marxist thinking, which divides us into categories of oppressors and the oppressed. The 'scum', usually drug addicts who shoplift, are viewed as the oppressed. They are not to be held morally accountable, as it is their disadvantaged circumstances which have led to their misconduct. On the other hand, the law-abiding person is not disadvantaged, and as such their misfortune is of no concern to the authorities. This is all the more so when they belong to an oppressor category such as small-business people. There is only one word that fits this ruinously destructive thinking, and that is evil. Life will only start getting better in Britain when the authorities revert to traditional moral thinking, which rewards hard work, thrift, honesty and public spiritedness, and punishes anti-social and destructive behaviour. Otto Inglis, Fife. Moggies go wild; birds have banging time (Image: Cats Protection Scotland) Blast off It is ironic that Clark Cross should write of cats "decimating our wildlife" (Letters, August 13), when the same edition's front-page photo is of the 'Glorious' Twelfth! George Morton, Rosyth.
Yahoo
03-03-2025
- Yahoo
Niagara Falls man admits to vehicular manslaughter
BUFFALO, N.Y. (WIVB) — A Niagara Falls man pleaded guilty to first-degree vehicular manslaughter Monday after a 2022 incident that left a Gasport woman dead, according to the Niagara County District Attorney's Office. Eric Gardner, 48, drove with a BAC of over .18 of 1% with Stacy Donnelly, 46 and of Gasport, in the vehicle when the car left the roadway and struck a tree. The vehicle rolled over and Donnelly died as a result. The manslaughter occurred on Aug. 26. on Ridge Road in the town of Hartland. 'His blood alcohol was three times the legal limit and he also had cocaine in his system,' said Niagara County District Attorney Brian Seaman. 'The sad and completely avoidable result is that Stacy's family, her children and grandchildren, will live the rest of their lives without her.' Gardner will be sentenced to 7 1/2 to 15 years in prison on May 20 as a part of his plea. He previously faced a maximum of 25 years in prison, as well as additional DWI-related charges. Kayleigh Hunter-Gasperini joined the News 4 team in 2024 as a Digital Video Producer. She is a graduate of Chatham University. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
