The Irish Senior Citizens Parliament has issued a special “News in Brief” outlining the impact of Budget 2010 on Older People.

Click here: News in Brief Budget 2010 to view / download the newsletter (pdf format).

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By Myles Edwards

http://mylesedwards.wordpress.com

Cast your mind back to 1967.  Labour were in power in the United Kingdom.  War in the Middle East was causing conflict in the western world.  Casino Royale was a box office hit.  Mini skirts were the craze.  Ken Barlow was strutting his stuff in one of the nation’s favourite soap operas.  Some things never change……some things.
Mel Edwards is a former British marathon international runner with a personal best time of 2hours 18minutes 24seconds (set in 1967), and is widely regarded as one of the most inspiring, modest and popular coaches in the running fraternity.
Born in December 1942, he graduated in Civil Engineering from Cambridge University in 1966 and has since enjoyed a great deal of success in the world of distance running.  In a career which has spanned over 40 years, Mel has endured a roller coaster of ‘injuries’ and success at every level from club competitions to international level.  Detailed and accurate training diaries have been kept, which show he has racked up a total of over 100,000 miles of running!

Mel Edwards at Font Romeu high altitude training camp. Following receiving his second Cambridge ‘blue’ for his exploits on the track he went on to bigger and better things in 1967.  It was quite literally a record breaking year for Mel.  He impressively broke the Scottish 6 mile record – whist finishing 2nd to Lachie Stewart, but went one step higher on the podium in the English universities 3 mile race by cracking the previous record.  1967 saw him really flourish as an athlete, most notably in the marathon distance of 26.2 miles.  In his first attempt at the event, Mel ran away from his rivals early on to win the Harlow marathon and climb to 4th in the British rankings.  To cap it all off, he narrowly missed out on the 1968 Olympic Games in Mexico City, by 2 places.
What contributed to this large amount of success in a sport, which, at the time was highly competitive in the UK?  In an answer that was oozing with Mel’s typical, determined attitude, he said: “It was down to single minded focus on getting the best out of myself, by doing the work and when injured leaving no stone unturned to find the solution.”

Renowned for his training regimes of around 100miles per week, what makes Mel stand out is his positive attitude and dogged determination to get the best possible outcome from everything he does.

In November 2006, aged almost 64, Mel underwent a MRI scan for lower back pain.  45 minutes later he was diagnosed with Myeloma, an incurable but very treatable form of bone marrow cancer.  After numerous treatments and minor disruptions to work, 8 months later he was back to full-time work as a chartered road safety engineer and running over 20 miles per week.  His reaction following the diagnosis typified his personality traits.

“Those are malignancies, cancer”, said Dr. Frank Smith.  Much to the doctor’s amazement, Mel’s immediate reaction was not to be shocked but “I’ve got a big cross country race coming up soon.”

When asked if he felt his attitude and fitness achieved from competitive sport had helped him face cancer head on, Mel’s response was definitive:

“There is no question these elements made fighting myeloma much easier. I would hate to have had to deal with it if I had never had to show determination in my life due to things coming too easily. Certainly fitness means that you have a built-in reserve which can be used to deal with additional stresses.”

It is this attitude which has served Mel so well throughout his life and during the treatment.  An inspiration to many, but what makes this inspirational character tick?

“I am inspired by the opportunities available to do constructive things, such as helping people with their athletics aims and trying to make roads safer in my working capacity. These aims, when carried through, give people a feel-good factor.”

British marathon running was booming in the late 1960s and continued to do so for the best part of the following two decades.  In 1968 there were only 2 countries to have more than 3 runners faster than Mel – Japan and UK, which, looking at today’s standards makes him look rather unlucky at missing out on competing at an Olympic Games.  But it is evident that excuses, simply, aren’t in his nature.

In 1968, 46 UK men broke the 2hours 30 minutes barrier.  In 2007, only 31 men managed to achieve this feat.  With all the advances in footwear, nutrition and training tools, as well as even faster role models, albeit from other countries – why is there such a decline in British marathon running standards?

Mel’s opinion on the decline is, again, filled with absolute clarity:

“It is down to distance runners not putting in the work they did 40 years ago.  You have to be totally dedicated to getting the mileage in and choosing the right races.  Between 1966 and 1984, in Aberdeen alone, there were ten guys faster than 2 hours 20 minutes for the marathon.”

For many people, it is intriguing to find out what gets an athlete through long runs without boredom setting in.  For Mel, it is simple:

“I really enjoy the challenge of distance and time.  The fact that others with an aim to be in the top echelons of marathon or cross country running in the UK, were doing similar training also gave me a desire to be the best.”

The lack of top marathon runners in the UK today is in stark contrast to the likes of Kenya, Ethiopia and America.  For Mel, in the late 60s and 70s you only had to turn up for a local race to compete with or witness elite athletes in action.  Therefore can the lack of male distance running role models in the UK be a factor in the decline of standards?  Perhaps so, but with Mel’s philosophy, it is very likely thatall smaller factors would subsequently fall into place.

“More role models would emerge as a result of increased hard work from individual athletes.  To be the best, you must learn from, and work harder than those faster than you.”

His fair, no nonsense attitude spans far wider than himself or anyone who has had the pleasure of meeting him.  For those who are not familiar with the name, Oscar Pistorious, he is a South African Paralympic runner, known as the “Blade Runner”.  He is the double amputee world record holder in the 100, 200 and 400 metres and runs with the aid of carbon-fibre limbs, attached from the knee down.  In 2007 Pistorious took part in his first international able-bodied competitions.  However, the International Association of Athletics Federations (with their typical Rubix Cube-like mindset) ruled that his lower leg, artificial limbs gave him an unfair advantage over able-bodied athletes and subsequently banned him from competing under their rules.  That decision has since been reversed and Pistorius is eligible to compete in able-bodied Olympic competition.

Mel’s opinion on Oscar Pistorious’ situation not only demonstrates his love of a challenge but also seems to apply common sense to some harsh obstacles which had previously been placed in the path of the young South African’s destiny.

“I believe he should be allowed to compete at the highest level possible.  He is not far off the top able bodied 400m runners and relishes the challenge of competing against them.  It would have been crazy to deny him the chance.  He deserves the opportunity to enjoy himself as he wishes and I see this taking precedence over views of others on his actions.”

The British male marathon running scene offers little sign of competing at the front of world class racing.  At 67, Mel Edwards shows less chance of slowing down than Formula 1 cars and even less likelihood of quitting than Ken Barlow:  “I have no reason to stop.  I feel good and it is exciting.”

Some things never change.

By Charlotte Prentice

Hygiene standards at Edinburgh Royal Infirmary are to be independently reviewed in January, the NHS trust has revealved.

But subsequent inspections will only be conducted every three years – news, which has been condemned by the UK’s main patients pressure group.

It seems although there is an abundance of investigations showing a decline in patient care, MRSA and CDiff outbreaks, the NHS is still failing to meet basic needs.

A recent report into the hygiene and standards of a hospital in Essex sparks off concern for NHS’s reputation, where investigators found awful circumstances, such as blood spattered curtains, trays and stained mattresses.

A spokesperson for NHS Lothian trust told edinburghnapiernews about the regulation of our hospitals, she said:

“The Edinburgh Royal Infirmary isn’t scheduled until  January and then after that once every three years.”

Hospitals are subject to regular spot-check visits from the NHS trust.

The Patients Association, which is an independent charity that highlights the concerns and needs of patients, is critical of the proposed inspection schedule for ERI.

A spokesman said: “It doesn’t seem likely that visits every 3 years will be enough to ensure standards are being met.

“We believe hospitals should be inspected as often as possible, ideally once a year. What we’ve heard both today and in recent months about infection control across the NHS is that there is a long way to go in many places. We hear stories from patients that are very worrying.

“Lack of help with toiletting care is a common feature and that obviously is important for infection control. We would always encourage patients and relatives who have witnessed poor care to get in touch with the Patients Association.”

The Care Quality Commission (CQC) which is a public body set up to regulate healthcare, claims that the spot-checks of the NHS trust are “good” but inspectors found a number of problems in Essex shortly after the positive rating was uploaded onto their website.

Barbara Young, who chairs the CQC said on BBC radio this morning, “The old system is being steadily renewed,” She commented,  “I do hope that we are not going to be diverted into blaming the regulator rather than focussing on hospital management that needs to get a grip on its quality.”

By Arnold Bhebhe
With 6,2 million people on the precipice of starvation, Ethiopia is urgently begging the international community for food aid, reports BBC News Channel.

The request arose at a donor meeting discussing the impact of a devastating drought currently ravaging parts of East Africa.

The UN’s World Food Programme says $285million (£173million) is urgently needed in the next six months to avert a disastrous consequence as fears grow that the numbers of the hungry have a potential to surge.

By Arnold Bhebhe

Pakistan is reported to have amassed 70 to 90 nuclear weapons and India 60 to 80 as both countries alongside China race for more arsenals deploying them at different sites to escape detection.

Eminent American atomic experts Robert S. Norris and Hans M. Kristensen in an article “Nuclear Notebook: Worldwide Deployment of Nuclear Weapons, 2009″ claimed Beijing, Islamabad and New Delhi were “quantitatively and qualitatively” increasing their arsenals and secretly deploying them.

This comes at a time when the world’s superpowers, America and Russia have taken a lead in nuclear reduction, and when the International Atomic Energy (IAE) is engaging Iran on the issue of nuclear proliferation.

November 18, 2009 by By Arnold Bhebhe

600 migrants were attacked and driven out of their shacks in a scene reminiscent of 2008 xenophobic attacks by a marauding mob of locals in De Doorns 90miles from Cape Town, South Africa on Tuesday.

Police fired rubber bullets to disperse the angry crowd as the foreigners, the majority of whom were Zimbabweans sought sanctuary in the local police station and government buildings.

No arrests have been made yet and no injuries have been reported.

Station commander Superintendent Desmond Van der Westhuizen told Reuters: “Police fired rubber bullets this morning because of the fact that people tried to dismantle shacks in the De Doorrns informal settlement area.”

In 2008, a wave of fatal xenophobic attacks which began in Johannesburg and spread to Cape Town, caught 15000 migrants most of whom were Zimbabweans -forcing survivors into settlement camps.

The latest outbreak according to Superintendent Westhuizen began in “Stofland” the largest camp in the area where locals were unhappy with migrants taking jobs on nearby farms.

He has described the situation as tense but under control with police officers out in full force to protect life and property.

The current global economic downturn and recession has been the worst to hit the country, Africa’s largest economy -in 20 years rendering a quarter of nearly 50 million citizens jobless.

By Michael Behr and Meghan Brown

All today’s biggest headlines, fast and snappy.

Attributions

• LucVanBraehe@flickr
• World Economic Forum@flickr
• marcn@flickr
• kpmark@flickr
• byranv2@flickr
• A4Aaforarchitecture@flickr
• rockfota@flickr
• stuartcaie@flickr
• Tim duncan
• Philipfossie@flickr

by Arron Connolly

A local college is running a competition to find the face of a new range of size 16+ clothes for women.

Stevenson College Edinburgh in conjunction with  Argentinian plus size retailer Portofem, are running a fashion shoot competition for their photography students .

As well as giving students valuable experience, the competition hopes to promote a more positive body image for women of all sizes in line with Portofems motto: “Beauty is not a matter of size but of attitude.”

Hilary Stevens, Portofems UK representative, said: “We had the idea after the owner’s daughter attended the college and remarked on how professional the photography student’s work was. We will be running this competition in other colleges to help promote the idea that big can be beautiful.”

Katherines photo

Protofem was founded in 1992 as a specialist supplier in larger womens fashion and will be opening stores throughout Britain in the coming year.

Katherine Tully, one of the models in the competition said:   “Myself and my sister applied for a bit of fun and I ended up being picked.

“After seeing the shots I was really pleased, it boosted my confidence and shows that curvy girls can be sexy too.Its important that bigger ladies can see that its okay to be big .”

The winner of the competition will feature in Protofems new clothes brouchure and all the competitors will take part in a fashion show at the college later this month.

To vote for the best model click here.

Edinburgh Sheriff Court

 

By Calum Liddle

A man has been told to “turn his life around” in four weeks by a sheriff, after pleading guilty to nuisance behaviour and threatening neighbours in the Saughton area of Edinburgh.

David Melbourne, 21, of Stenhouse, had a public argument with a man after the sale of his dog fell through.

Melbourne was seen in the area shouting to residents “come and have a go” and threatened to petrol-bomb a flat. Witnesses then saw Melbourne banging on a door in Saughton Mains Terrace shortly after in an “aggressive and highly intimidating manner”, Edinburgh Sheriff Court heard.

Defence agent Marie Stewart said: “The primary witness is Mr Melbournes step-sister. They do not have a good relationship.”

The incident took place some time between 23.00 GMT and 00.30 GMT on Friday 16 October 2009.

Dean Alexander Smith and his brother William Melbourne, who were both with Melbourne during the confrontations, were acquitted of similar charges.

David Melbourne has a previous conviction for assault in April 2009 after affray on a bus. He was ordered to carry out 60 days community.

Sheriff Neil MacKinnon QC ordered background reports in the hope that external agencies can help shift Melbourne from a “life of revolving crime”.

“I am concerned that at just 21-years-old you already have a string of offences.

“You must sort out your life if you wish to avoid a lifetime in-and-out of prison. To do this, you need help.”

“I do not want to punish you. I want to help you. You must accept this help and turn your life around before I see you again.”

The Sheriff told Melbourne to “put the event behind” him.

Sentence has been deferred until 18 December 2009 following background reports.

Sports journalism - the saviour (Photo courtesy of www.getreligion.org)

By Myles Edwards and Suhayl Afzal

Newspapers are relying heavily on sports journalism to survive, according to leading journalists and academics.

The latest circulation figures from ABC (an independent auditor on media performance) show that sales of each quality daily and Sunday newspaper have fallen again in the year leading up to October. 

Newspapers such as the The Guardian and The Observer have already ceased distribution of bulks (copies that readers can pick up free of charge from hotels and airlines), with the Times and the Sunday Times set to follow suit in January 2010.

The Sunday Times recorded a relatively low fall in circulation compared to that of other national newspapers, with a 3.37 percent drop in the past 12 months.  This is partly down to the popularity of its comprehensive sports section.

Jonathan Northcroft, Football Correspondent with the Sunday Times, believes that sport is integral to the future of newspapers.

He said: “There has never been a greater interest in top end sport than there is right now.  The Premier League is the most popular in the world, Test Cricket grosses more money than ever before and it’s the same for all the blue riband events such as the Olympics and Wimbledon.”

English Premier League - Global Audience

Mr Northcroft emphasised the importance of newspapers maintaining their high quality so that readership does not drop any further.

He added: ”Sports journalism is delivering in a sector where people really want to consume content and will pay for exclusive news or to read a brilliantly written opinion piece.”

It could be argued that newspapers should not be overly dependant on sport in this difficult time for the media due to advertising downturns.  The high profile demise of Setanta in the UK is evidence of this view.

However, Mark Ogden, Northern Football Correspondent with the Telegraph said: “Newspapers still have the greatest impact and set the agenda. 

“If you watch Sky Sports News or listen to Five Live in the morning, their sports bulletins are often led by the big stories in that day’s newspapers.”

Academics also recognise the importance of the sport to the success of print media.

Michael Oriard, Professor of Literature and Culture at Oregon State University said sport both benefits from and contributes to success of newspapers.

He added: “Sport coverage attracts the reader, who in turn looks to daily newspapers to satisfy their growing desire for more and more sport.”

The Met office warned Scotland today that heavy rain is set to continue untill Tuesday.

Residents in Strathclyde, Central Scotland, Tayside and Fife have been warned that their areas could be hit hardest in the upcoming days as the extreme weather continues with highs of 40 mm of rainfall.

Sepa, the Scottish flood warning agency has currently released 31 flood warnings across Scotland, six of these being extreme flood warnings.

Dumfries and Galloway have currently faced some of the worst flooding when the banks of the River Nith burst and flooded the Dumfries town center and surrounding areas. Overnight the Dumfries Fire and Rescue service have 30 call-outs and a further 12 people have been rescued from stranded vehicles  

Today’s blue skies offer them a much-needed rest from the torrents but emergency services cannot rest yet. 

Hamish McGhee, area manager of the Dumfries and Galloway Fires and Rescue service said: “The ground is saturated and there is still water running down from the hills that will cause further flooding.

“We have been given the forecast that there won’t be any further rain untill tomorrow afternoon continuing untill Tuesday. The amount of rainfall is ment to be less than what we’ve previously seen but we can’t take anything for granted.”

Currently 30 roads and six schools are still closed in the area

Dumfries and Galloway council spokesperson, Susan Neil said that they will have to wait untill all the water has run down from the hills before they can tell the full extent of damage. 

Commuters are still being delayed as Scotrail services from Glasgow to Edinburgh are still down and services to the South West of Scotland are facing delays. Ian Wilson from First Scotrail said: “We will continue to try run trains in extreme circumstances”

The weather station at Eskdalmiur recorded over three inches of rain in the last 24 hours, making it the wettest November in over 100 years.

Britain’s newest nuclear powered submarine has set sail for the first time today.

Astute under construction

The vessel, called ‘Astute’, is the first of a new class of attack subs set to be the biggest and most powerful in the fleet.

Defence Equipment and Support Minister Quentin Davies was upbeat about the launch.

“This is a significant milestone for Astute as she sails for the first time.” he said.

“Astute will now begin a set of sea trials ahead of her full acceptance with the Royal Navy next year.”

The MOD’s plan to build a total of seven astute class submarines have drawn criticism from campaigning groups.

John Ainsley, Scottish coordinator for the CND, says the whole program was running over budget.

“The four submarines that are finished and under construction now are already £1.2bn over budget” he said.

“Although they aren’t actually nuclear armed submarines this is of concern to us as it shows just how much money replacing Trident could potentially cost.”

The submarines are built by BAE systems.

Once trials are finished they will be able to circle the entire globe underwater and will never need to be refueled thanks to advanced nuclear technology.

By Arnold Bhebhe

Little known Belgian Prime Minister Van Rompuy has dashed the hopes of Tony Blair by landing the newly created post of EU president .

Britain’s former prime minister had been touted as a strong candidate for the role, but the 62-year-old Belgian will now be called on to bolster the EU’s standing in world affairs and help it match the meteoric rise of emerging powers such as China.

Baroness Catherine Ashton, who is also relatively unknown, was named Foreign Affairs Chief of the bloc to ensure Britain was not left empty-handed as appointments were made under the Lisbon Treaty.

Baroness Ashton (53) said: “I believe my experience will speak for itself. Am I an ego on legs? No I am not. Do I want to be seen out there saying everything all the time? No, I don’t. Judge me on what I do and I think you will be pleased with the outcome.”

Rompuy, a Flemish Christian Democrat in power for less than a year has been credited with hauling his country from the brink of disintergration following tensions between its Dutch speaking and French speaking populations.

In his acceptance speech, Van Rompuy said his areas of immediate concern were climate change and high unemployment adding: “I will consider everyone’s interests and sensitivities. Even if our unity is our strength, our diversity remains our wealth.”

Previously, a logjam had emerged within the bloc with Gordon Brown the British Premier lobbying for Tony Blair his predecessor and that was only removed when he withdrew amid pressure from other EU heads of state.

On going to press,the Scottish National Party and Labour had not responded to questions what their positions are regarding the appointment of Van Rompuy to the EU presidency instead of Tony Blair, and what the implications were regarding devolution in the UK and aspirations for Scottish independence.

The tenure of the £250,000 per annum presidency lasts 2 1/2 years.

Scotland is gearing up for what promises to be another record breaking Children in Need fundraising day on the 20th of November.

pudsey bear

After getting past the £2 million mark for the first time last year, efforts are being increased across the country to try to raise the money-making bar even higher.

The BBC’s charity is now in its 29th year and has raised over half a billion pounds for underprivileged children in the UK.

Every penny counts towards giving a child a better future, so whether you sit in a bath of baked beans to raise money, get your legs waxed or cycle over 10,000 miles like Mark Beaumont, every effort is appreciated by Pudsey bear and his team.

going through the pain barrier for Children in Need

“We are overwhelmed by the support of people right across the UK every year as we know that for many people these are difficult times,” said a spokesman.

“The generosity and commitment shown last year which helped us raise £36 million allowed us to make a difference in many young lives.

“We thank all of the people across the country who have organised or are participating in a fundraising event for your amazing efforts.”

Edinburgh student run charity, Children’s Holiday Venture received a £2000 grant from Children in Need in September of this year and are reaping the benefits now.

Claire Austin, the charity’s vice president was delighted to receive the funding: “It was a fantastic boost to get such a generous sum.

“It is really going a long way with helping the children as we help greater numbers in better ways.

“We all enjoy our regular swimming trips but we now have better opportunities to go on day trips which are more fun and educational.”

She added: “The work Children in Need do each year goes such a long way to helping so many charities like us around the UK and the support the receive from the public is fantastic.

“We can’t thank everyone who helps enough for their generous donations.”

The live telethon starts at 7 o’clock on BBC 1 so tune in for all sorts of fundraising fun.

If you want to get involved the check out http://www.bbc.co.uk/pudsey/news/map.shtml to find out what’s happening in your area.

By Martin Adam

A woman has tragically plummeted to her death in an apparent suicide attempt on board a cruise ship.

The individual who has yet to be named was travelling on the Celebrity Cruises owned ship Celebrity Solstice as it embarked on a return leg of its Mediterranean journey from Santorini to Naples.

Just before 9 pm Greek time on November the 6^th, the woman was sighted purposefully falling from deck level fourteen, three hours after leaving port.

The Celebrity Solstice (Courtesy of www.cruisebusiness.com)

Buoys lighting the area of sea in which the female fell into were deployed from the sides allowing the ship to gradually slow down, make a turn and return to the original point of course the jump was made from.

Dramatic rescue attempts followed as the liner’s crew searched for the missing person over a ten hour period in an operation coordinated with another ship alongside navy and coastguard rescue under spotlights. Greek authorities are understood to have relieved the liner from rescue attempts at 3:45 am.  The search proved to be in vain and a body was not retrieved from the waters. However crew have identified the passenger assisted by evidence captured on CCTV cameras, and a thorough search of cabins available on the vessel after residents were asked to return to their rooms.

Passengers and crew were alerted to the situation when a call was relayed over the Tannoy system urging staff on all decks to immediately proceed towards port side.

Patricia Adam who was situated on deck number fifteen at the time detailed that on her level “a dozen or so holidaymakers rushed over to the side, frantically trying to spot anybody struggling in the waters”.

The worrying incident disturbed a number of passengers to some degree. Adam summed up the consensus mood on a trip of a life time turned sour.

“Everybody was shocked after something so unexpected; you could say it was a sense of surprise amongst the two thousand odd passengers.”

“The two members of service staff I personally spoke to shared my sense of concern for the wellbeing of the missing passenger.”

Celebrity Cruises released the following statement in regards to the incident.

“The ship’s Captain immediately turned the ship around, marked the position on the ship’s Global Positioning System (GPS), notified other ships in the area, and alerted Greek authorities, as well as the FBI.”

“The Greek Coast Guard immediately assisted with air and sea searches. Shipboard closed-circuit camera footage captured the guest going overboard and hasbeen made available to authorities.”

Testimony from passengers generally commended staff on their swift and professional response. Celebrity’s Guest Care Team is providing support to the family, and Celebrity Cruises is cooperating fully with government officials.

This was the fourth man overboard situation since the year 2000 on a Celebrity brandendorsed cruise. A trend of suicide at sea aboard cruise liners has marred the industry in recent times.

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By Arnold Bhebhe

Pakistan is reported to have amassed 70 to 90 nuclear weapons and India 60 to 80 as both countries alongside China race for more arsenals deploying them at different sites to escape detection.

Eminent American atomic experts Robert S. Norris and Hans M. Kristensen in an article “Nuclear Notebook: Worldwide Deployment of Nuclear Weapons, 2009″ claimed Beijing, Islamabad and New Delhi were “quantitatively and qualitatively” increasing their arsenals and secretly deploying them.

This comes at a time when the world’s superpowers, America and Russia have taken a lead in nuclear reduction, and when the International Atomic Energy (IAE) is engaging Iran on the issue of nuclear proliferation.

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Tras mantener el cargo pese a no clasificarse para el Mundial, la Federación no ha tolerado la derrota del sábado ante Gales (3-0)

La Federación Escocesa no aguantó. George Burley fue cesado ayer de su cargo de seleccionador tras la pobre imagen ofrecida por el equipo en la derrota del sábado ente Gales por 3-0, en la que los goles llegaron en menos de veinte minutos (17’, 32’ y 35’).

Burley has estado 22 meses al frente del combinado escocés, período en el que sólo ha sido capaz de ganar tres de los catorce partidos disputados. Escocia finalizó tercera del Grupo 9 de clasificación para el Mundial de Sudáfrica, con 10 puntos, por detrás de Holanda (24) y Noruega, segunda con  también 10 puntos gracias al gol average, aunque fuera de la repesca.

Canonical doubled donations towards Creative Commons, by matching whatever amount was donated during a week period, up to a max of 3 grand. Nice job Canonical!

If you’re a fan of creative freedom, then consider supporting CC

By James Bradley

2009 is a particularly bad year for paraskavedekatriaphobics, or those with the fear of Friday the 13^th. Today marks the third time that the alledgedly unlucky date has appeared this year.

There are many different theories why Friday the 13^th has been singled out as an unlucky day. One of the key theories stems from the crucifixion of Christ.

At the last supper there were thirteen disciples, and Jesus was crucified on a Friday, leading many Christians to believe the date is unlucky.

According to the Stress Management Center and Phobia Institute in Asheville, North Carolina, so many people are affected by fear of the day that up to $900 million could be lost by people refusing to travel or do business.

But is it really worth spending all day in bed on the off chance that something might happen?

Catherine Cooley, a mother of two who lives in Derry, Northern Ireland, seems to think so.

She revealed to the BBC that she refuses to leave the house each Friday the 13^th, and even keeps her children from going to school for fear something would happen to them.

“When I was younger I watched a lot of horror movies which I really shouldn’t have done, and I think ever since then I’ve just got it in my head that on Friday 13th I can’t go outside.

“I get this fear all the time that something’s going to happen,” she said.

According to Dr Arthur Cassidy, a psychologist at Belfast Institute, he revealed to the BBC that the fear of Friday the 13^th isn’t that uncommon:

“If you took a random sample of 10 people from any town or city, there would probably be about two or three people who would do things differently because it is Friday the 13^th.”

Despite the fact that the fear of Friday the 13^th is a serious problem, this doesn’t stop many from going out and enjoying themselves.

With many Friday the 13^th themed nights at clubs and pubs, ghost tours of Edinburgh’s scariest spots and even television séances, this is a night for fun and laughter, as well as fear.