Forum Topics

Free Family Theatre Performances as part of the Wandsworth Arts Festival

Hi folks,I thought that you might be interested to know that there will be some free family theatre performances in parks as part of the Wandsworth Arts Festival. The dates of the performances are:Sat 11 May, 1pm & 3pm: Boules Area, Battersea Park, SW11 4NJSun 12 May, 1pm & 3pm: Event Site, Tooting Bec Common, SW16 1RTSat 18 May, 1pm & 3pm: King George’s Park (near playground), SW18 4ANThe play is called GreenandPleasantLand - it is 45 minutes long, suitable for audiences aged 7 and upwards and performed by the award winning fanSHEN Theatre Company. It toured nationally last year to venues including the National Theatre, Stockton International Riverside Festival and the Brighton Fringe. There is some more info about it below:Find the castle. Solve the riddle. Change the world? Arlie’s people need their daily dose of brand new stuff. When supplies start to run out, Arlie embarks on a journey to find a new solution… GreenandPleasantLand fuses physical theatre, live music and folk traditions in an epic adventure for audiences aged 5 upwards. Join us on a quest powered by bicycle-generators through lands of curious customs and peoples of peculiar habits, to find a happier, greener future. There is a trailer of the show here http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=i6DIMYHIjhE and for more info check out either the company's website http://www.fanshen.org.uk/current/greenandpleasantland-2013/ or the Wandsworth Arts Festival website http://wandsworthartsfestival.com/Thanks,Dan

Dan Barnard ● 4501d0 Comments ● 4501d

Earlsfield Business Network

Join Chamber Members and guests for a combined business and social event on the 24th April 2013.Meet local businesses in a relaxed and entertaining environment and help us to launch Earlsfield Business Network, a part of Wandsworth Chamber of Commerce devoted to business based in Earlsfield. A place where Earlsfield businesses can meet regularly and make the most of local opportunities to grow and flourish. Wandsworth Chamber's networking events are designed to inform, challenge and present  opportunities for local businesses to network, make new contacts and develop meaningful business relationships - Having fun along the way. Our 'Last Wednesday Club' event in April will be at:Bar 366366 Garratt LaneEarlsfieldSW18 4ES Arrive from 6PM  and stay till 8.30PM or until the beer runs out. MEETING FEES:FREE for Members, Guests and Earlsfield BusinessesBar 366 are sponsoring this event and will provide your first drink and canapes during the evening.www.bar-366.com MEETING FORMAT:Our aim is to keep things simple and allow a natural flow of relaxed and informal networking. There will be an introduction from the Chamber with an update on events and opportunities.Today we will be launching the Earlsfield Business Network, a part of Wandsworth Chamber devoted to business based in Earlsfield. EARLSFIELD BUSINESS NETWORK:Be part of the thriving business community in Wandsworth and through this network, focus on improving trade in Earlsfield, celebrating the best in Earlsfield and promoting a 'buy local' agenda.With your help and a collaborative spirit we will all achieve so much more, together Terence Witten, Owner of Ocean Home Designs in Penwith Road, has agreed to be the Chairman and driving force for Earlsfield Business Network and will represent Earlsfield on the Wandsworth Chamber Board in due course.If you have any queries on this, please contact Terence or myself :Will McKinlay from Wired & Wonderful, Your local Earlsfield electrical companyTel :020 8947 6441Email: info@wiredandwonderful.co.ukLaunch Event Invitation link: http://lastwednesdayclub24april2013.eventbrite.co.uk/#

Will McKinlay ● 4514d0 Comments ● 4514d

Donate food at Sainsbury’s Putney and support people suffering from food poverty 

Donate food at Sainsbury’s Putney and support people suffering from food poverty .Store taking part in food drive on  6th  of April.While shoppers might normally be expected to take food away from a supermarket, customers at Sainsbury’s Putney will soon be leaving food behind too. The store, situated in (2-6 werter road, London SW15 2LJ), is taking part in a unique food collection on Saturday 6th April, where customers will be asked to buy an extra item, which will then be delivered to local charities and community projects by the charity Foodbank this Easter.The aim of the initiative is to collect enough food to provide a minimum of three days non-perishable emergency food to people in crisis. Food will be given to people in crisis identified by front line care professionals – Health Visitors, Doctors, Social Workers, Church and Community Workers.For Sainsbury's, corporate responsibility means many things. It is about providing our customers with the widest choice of quality food, at fair prices. But also about paying our suppliers a fair price and providing the reassurance of knowing that they have a buyer for their products on reasonable terms. It means enriching our communities through employment and career development opportunities, while growing our business profitably for our shareholders. And it means making the most effective use of our valuable resources like water and electricity, and respecting the local environment.In 2010-11 Foodbanks fed 5,857 people and in 2011-12 the figure is 14,642.Food is also given to underpin the work of care centres for the Homeless and Women’s Refuges, and charities who feed people sleeping on the streets.The foodbank is an initiative of The Trussell Trust, a Christian based organisation, committed to launching life changing, community-based projects. The Trussell Trust partners with local churches and communities to launch foodbanks in their towns. Foodbanks signpost clients to other agencies able to help resolve the underlying cause of the crisis. A client struggling with debt would be referred to CAB or Christians against Poverty who specialise in resolving debt problems.

Shahin Ahamed ● 4523d0 Comments ● 4523d

New Brass Band forming in SW15

Dear Musicians and Budding Musicians,We're starting up a new, traditional British Brass Band in SW15, which will be led by professional musicians and will be accessible for people of all ages and musical experience (or none!)We plan to rehearse in Putney on Wednesday evenings. Coaching can be provided for learner and progressing players and we have a stock of instruments too.We are certainly looking also to recruit experienced players to form the core of the band and we're seeking people who used to play (doesn't matter how many years ago) and who could be tempted to make a musical comeback :-)We aim to build our band into a valuable community resource, capable of supporting local churches, schools and other organisations, and available to assist at Civic events etc.If we can be permitted to blow our own trumpet for a minute (excuse the pun), we've helped establish new community bands like this in other parts of the capital and it continues to be a wonderful experience for all involved. Our new Putney Band would be part of our wider brass banding network and players would be able to join in Massed Bands central events with approx 100 musicians from the rest of our London network.If a bit more background on brass banding is needed, we play cornets (trumpet), flugelhorn, tenor horns, baritone horns, trombones, euphoniums, tubas (basses) and percussion (inc drum kit). If you already play another instrument, the transition to brass can be achieved quite fast with some help and guidance.If you are interested, or if you know someone who might be, please take a look at our website at www.fourhillsmusic.co.uk or send me an email on martyn@fourhillsltd.com or call me on 020.8366.0657 to discuss further.Thanks for reading and please help us bring the inspiring sound of brass banding to the streets of SW15.MartynMartyn Stogden BA (Hons) Music & LitDirector - NLB Brass Band NetworkFour Hills Music020.8366.0657martyn@fourhillsltd.com

Martyn Stogden ● 4675d0 Comments ● 4675d

CYCLING 75 MILES...

... TO BEAT BLOOD CANCER On 1 April 2010, my son Jake was diagnosed with leukaemia. He was 20 years old. And suddenly the world went very dark indeed.    Even though he’s now in remission, 30,000 people every year in the UK get the same heart-stopping news. And go to that same dark place. That’s one person every 17 minutes. And I simply can’t just stand by and let that happen without trying to do something about it.  For the last two years, I’ve ridden the 52-mile London Bikeathon to raise as much money as possible for Leukaemia and Lymphoma Research. In that time, some amazingly generous people have helped me raise more than £4,500.  But knowing the nightmare that engulfed my boy for so long – and the dreadful pain he endured while he fought both the illness and the effects of the treatment – means that I can do nothing less than continue to ride against this truly awful disease.And this year I’m going the extra mile – well an extra 23 miles actually – by taking on the 75-mile Box Hill Endurance challenge. It takes place on 16 September and includes part of the Olympic cycling route. And Box Hill. A walk in the park it ain’t…These are difficult and uncertain times, but if any of you can donate even just a few pounds by going to http://www.justgiving.com/PaulHigham3 I’d be very grateful. OR DONATE BY TEXT It's really easy to donate by text too. And it's free! Just use the code JMGH55 and add the amount, then text to 70070 Please help us fight back. Help us beat this insidious, brutal and heart-breaking disease. Thank you so much And please forward this email to anyone you think might want to help. The more people who know about it, the better!Paul Higham(Goldsmith Avenue, Acton)

Paul Higham ● 4773d0 Comments ● 4773d

Carers week at Sainsburys

Sainsbury’s Nine Elms supports Carers Week 2012 Sainsbury’s Nine Elms is supporting this year’s Carers Week (18-24 June) by organising a stall with face painting and refreshments and information for carers. The event is taking place at Sainsbury’s Nine Elms on Saturday 23rd June from 11.00 - 15.00.Carers Week highlights the vital contribution made by carers to their families and communities in providing unpaid care for someone who is ill, frail or disabled. This year, the theme for the week is ‘In Sickness and in Health". It calls for greater support for unpaid carers to help them continue in their caring role without facing ill health, stress or financial worry.Along with many other events taking place across the UK, the stall will help to support carers by raising awareness in the community and providing local information.Maz McNally from Sainsbury’s said: “Many carers in Vauxhall suffer due to a lack of understanding about what they do – some don’t even recognise themselves as carers. This has a real and negative impact on their health, finances, working and social life, and general wellbeing. Our stall is one of many activities and services that Sainsbury’s provides to support carers who feel isolated.”This year’s Carers Week is supported by many famous celebrities with caring experience, including TV presenter and former carer, Fiona Phillips.She says: “From personal experience, I know caring can demand a lot of your time and attention, which in some cases can put pressure on other areas in your life such as financial responsibilities and relationships. These problems can prove to be exhausting and mentally gruelling and can really take its toll on your health and wellbeing.  I hope that Carers Week can again help to achieve change, and make a real difference to the lives of carers in this country.”Other celebrities supporting this campaign include Dame Judi Dench, Lynda Bellingham and Dr Rob Hicks.Carers Week is organised by a partnership of eight national charities: Age UK, Carers Trust, Carers UK, Independent Age, Macmillan Cancer Support, Marie Curie Cancer Care, MS Society and Parkinson’s UK.For more information about the events and activities taking place as part of Carers Week, visit www.carersweek.org.

Maz McNally ● 4821d0 Comments ● 4821d

Ball/street hockey (children and adult beginners programme)

West London Ball Hockey Club presents this exiting new sport to the local community of Ealing.  "something different"  "Important:  We play with trainers not roller blades"We have just moved into this new facility  "Elthorne Sports Centre. Westlea Road, off Boston Road, Hanwell W7 2AD".This sport is hugely famous in Canada, Czech and Slovak. Our Values are; Respect, Sportsmanship, Considering others, Affordable, Family friendly, Fun.  These values resonate in our both, children's and adult beginners programmes.We are affiliated with UK Dek (Ball) hockey association. & International street/ball hockey association. "One of our Aim is to Celebrates multiculturalism by introducing children (boys/girls age 5-14 year) and adults (male/female) to this fast & active sport which is good for fitness and health.Our Children programme costs £16 per-child for the whole term(9weeks)or £3 per-session.  New term starts on the 21st of April 2012 from 09:45am - 10:45am, Saturday mornings. Equipment provided.  Coaching followed by a game. End of term prizes awarded.Our adult 14years+ beginners programme is for male & female.  It costs £5 per-person and £3 for students and unemployed.  We play every second Monday 08:00pm-9:30pm.  Equipment provided. Coaching followed by a game.To learn more about our aims, prizes for the children, and how do we ensure safe and fun environment for children and adults.Please contact: Nicky Rae on 07906 638 612 (for children's programme), OREmail: westlondonballhockeyclub@hotmail.co.uk for further details (you can also request e-brochure).Website:  www.londonballhockey.co.uk

Waseem Nayyer ● 4836d0 Comments ● 4836d

Live marriage debate this Monday in Chiswick...

On Monday 30th April 2012 at Gunnersbury Baptist Church in Chiswick, there will be an exciting and relevant, free public debate on the subject of the Governments recent proposals to redefine marriage to incorporate same-sex couples.Two top-class speakers with differing opinions will discuss this very important topic.1) Adrian Trett is Chair of the LGBT (lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender) + Liberal Democrats since the Coalition Government was formed, and the author of the original motion on Equal Marriage in the UK for Liberal Democrat Conference in 2010. His campaigning group has been working with our Liberal Democrat Ministers, in particular Lynne Featherstone MP to enable this issue to be brought on to the Government's agenda, now with the public consultation and hopefully for legislation to be passed by 2015 to enable equal marriage in the UK.2) Rev. David Robertson is the Pastor of St. Peters Free Church in Dundee. He is the Author of 'The Dawkins Letters' and regular conference speaker and debater for the Evangelical Christian Church. There will be a chance, during this debate for questions from the audience.Doors will open at 7.00 pm for a 7.30 pm start. Entrance to this debate is absolutely free although early arrival is recommended.Watch out for the formal publicity - fliers and posters!I hope you will support this important event,Many thanks,Laurence TruettDebate Coordinator

Laurence Truett ● 4871d2 Comments ● 4850d

Ball/street hockey (children and adult beginners programme)

West London Ball Hockey Club presents this exiting new sport to the local community of Ealing.  "something different"  "Important:  We play with trainers not roller blades"We have just moved into this new facility  "Elthorne Sports Centre. Westlea Road, off Boston Road, Hanwell W7 2AD".This sport is hugely famous in Canada, Czech and Slovak. Our Values are; Respect, Sportsmanship, Considering others, Affordable, Family friendly, Fun.  These values resonate in our both, children's and adult beginners programmes.We are affiliated with UK Dek (Ball) hockey association. & International street/ball hockey association. "One of our Aim is to Celebrates multiculturalism by introducing children (boys/girls age 5-14 year) and adults (male/female) to this fast & active sport which is good for fitness and health.Our Children programme costs £16 per-child for the whole term(9weeks)or £3 per-session.  New term starts on the 21st of April 2012 from 09:45am - 10:45am, Saturday mornings. Equipment provided.  Coaching followed by a game. End of term prizes awarded.Our adult 14years+ beginners programme is for male & female.  It costs £5 per-person and £3 for students and unemployed.  We play every second Monday 08:00pm-9:30pm.  Equipment provided. Coaching followed by a game.To learn more about our aims, prizes for the children, and how do we ensure safe and fun environment for children and adults.Please contact: Nicky Rae on 07906 638 612 (for children's programme), OREmail: westlondonballhockeyclub@hotmail.co.uk for further details (you can also request e-brochure).Website:  www.londonballhockey.co.uk

Waseem Nayyer ● 4850d0 Comments ● 4850d

Ball/street hockey (children and adult beginners programme)

West London Ball Hockey Club presents this exiting new sport to the local community of Ealing.  "something different"  "Important:  We play with trainers not roller blades"We have just moved into this new facility  "Elthorne Sports Centre. Westlea Road, off Boston Road, Hanwell W7 2AD".This sport is hugely famous in Canada, Czech and Slovak. Our Values are; Respect, Sportsmanship, Considering others, Affordable, Family friendly, Fun.  These values resonate in our both, children's and adult beginners programmes.We are affiliated with UK Dek (Ball) hockey association. & International street/ball hockey association. "One of our Aim is to Celebrates multiculturalism by introducing children (boys/girls age 5-14 year) and adults (male/female) to this fast & active sport which is good for fitness and health.Our Children programme costs £16 per-child for the whole term(9weeks)or £3 per-session.  New term starts on the 21st of April 2012 from 09:45am - 10:45am, Saturday mornings. Equipment provided.  Coaching followed by a game. End of term prizes awarded.Our adult beginners programme is for male & female.  It costs £5 per-person and £3 for students and unemployed.  We play every second Monday.  Next session is on Monday the 16th of April 08:30pm-10pm.  From May its going to be 8pm-9:30pm. Equipment provided. Coaching followed by a game.To learn more about our aims, prizes for the children, and how do we ensure safe and fun environment for children and adults.Please contact: Nicky Rae on 07906 638 612 (for children's programme), OREmail: westlondonballhockeyclub@hotmail.co.uk for further details (you can also request e-brochure).Website:  www.londonballhockey.co.uk

waseem nayyer ● 4879d0 Comments ● 4879d

Cautionary tale - Child Protection

Following press coverage in the Mail and local Guardian, people have asked me how it was that my family came to be the subject of a traumatic Child Protection Investigation by Wandsworth Council, in which the police were involved.I tell my story as a cautionary tale, to other local residents, particularly to mothers. My husband and I had both been patients of Chartfield Surgery, Putney SW15, for 16 years and our son since he was born in 2000. Last year, I went to the surgery with mild symptoms of depression. I had no qualms about seeking help in confidence from Chartfield Surgery, we knew the doctors well and respected them.I saw a young, keen, newly qualified locum, Katherine Mawer, who had a budding interest in Child Psychology. I mentioned I was concerned that my low mood might upset my son. This was a mistake.  The locum's subsequent actions were later described by one of her own colleagues as a mixture of 'good intentions' and 'panic.' In the consultation Katherine Mawer told me she wanted to refer my son to social services to see if he needed support. I offered to bring my son to the Surgery as I thought our family GP was the best place to start. The locum refused. She also refused my request to see another doctor.  I tried to speak to another doctor by telephone. Unknown to me, the locum telephoned a Dr Peter Green (Head of Safeguarding Children in Wandsworth). He told her that if she had concerns she should make them extremely robust to justify the breach of confidentiality. (Bizarrely, Dr Green who I had never met or spoken to described me as 'very self centred' in my medical notes). The well meaning, cautious, young locum set about following Dr Green's advice. Over a period of two days, she wrote up increasingly more extreme accounts of our 10 minute consultation. Where I had said my son would know how I would feel because we were close she wrote: "she tells her son frequently she wants to die." I had said, when asked, that I could never take my life because I could not leave my son behind, she wrote: 'if she were to kill herself she would take her son with her.' She did not check her account with me at  or tell me of her concerns - she later claimed (on the advice of Dr Green and the Medical Defence Union) that to tell me of the allegations would have put our son's life at risk. We were advised she had to make this alarming statement to protect herself from legal action for breach of confidentiality without consent.This keen and cautious young girl, had no idea how social services would react to her account. She had no concept of the chaos she was to unleash into our family's life or the distress she would unwittingly cause for over a year. None of her colleagues at the surgery, who knew us, challenged her actions.She then sent off her 'robust' account knowingly to my two places of work - Wandsworth Council (where I was a Councillor) and Wandsworth NHS (where I was a Non Executive Director). Later the Council, again unknown to us, sent the same extreme allegations to our son's school. My husband and I were not told what the allegations were, so we had no opportunity to challenge them. I was interviewed, my son was interviewed, I under went a full psychiatric assessment by an NHS consultant who said I was mildly depressed and no risk to anyone and no risk to my son. We were upset, but not particularly alarmed at this point; we knew our son was happy and well and felt we had nothing to hide and nothing to fear. It was not until we learned that the police had been informed that we realised something was very wrong. By now WBC refused to even accept even the evidence of Dr Lebus at Chartfield Surgery, who is the Senior Partner responsible for child safeguarding; she had told them our son was not at risk. Our son's school said he was happy and thriving. WBC would not be deterred; they were on a grim mission to prove emotional abuse of our son - the cause we found out later was my alleged severe mental illness (despite going about my life and work as I always had) and my husband's alleged inability to protect our son from risk of harm. No one at all met my husband, social workers didn't interview him - had they done so they would have found a loving reliable hands on dad involved in every aspect of his son's life. WBC even relied on an anonymous consultation with an 'expert' I had never met. The evidence that demonstrated our son's safety and wellbeing was relegated to irrelevant - it was almost as if social workers believed there was a conspiracy of silence by everyone who had met us or knew us.A traumatic and protracted investigation ensued; our family's privacy in every sphere of our lives was disregard; I lived in fear of seeking any medical help as a senior officer at WBC had warned of further action, if 'it happened again.' All this eventually did lead to a severe depressive disorder.  I eventually sought private treatment. I was prescribed an anti depressant which worked and was supported by a wonderful counsellor, again privately. We were lucky. We began to pick up the pieces.We did not lose our son, but others in similar circumstances do because they do not have access to solicitors, private health and cannot speak out for themselves. There is an assumption of guilt. No one wants to help or support an accused 'child abuser.'  Being wrongly accused of abusing your child publicly is an horrific accusation for any parent. Social Services seemed entirely unaware of the harmful impact of their actions on families. There is no redress. No apology was received despite an external complaints procedure recommending we should receive one.Our son has a file 5 inches thick that will be held on him, until he is 32 years old - depicting his parents in a grotesque fashion. I lost my work at the Council and Wandsworth NHS.Others suffer worse consequences, even if they do not lose their child, many families do not recover: some lose livelihoods, some become socially isolated, stigma, blame and mistrust causes family breakdown and mental health problems and in the midst of all the chaos and distress, how do you explain any of it to a child, who may well feel a deep sense of guilt at the anguish their parents have experienced.Possibly the worse feature of this flawed system, designed to protect our children, is that while taxpayer's money is poured into cases like ours, the system becomes overwhelmed by well meaning social workers, convinced of every parent's guilt.  Children who really need protecting, like Baby P and Victoria Climbe, slip through the net, precisely because the system is creaking at the seams with ordinary families, like ours doing their best.The media and politicians are now becoming more alert to the harm caused to families across the country - it is not specific to WBC. A campaign is gathering momentum, of which I am a part; I do not want others to suffer in the same way. If you have experienced anything similar please tell me, please tell your local councillor and please tell our fantastic MP Justine Greening. Don't let the stigma of false accusations make you suffer in silence. Most importantly be very, very careful of mentioning any concerns about your child, however minor, to your doctor unless you know and trust them. Never mention any such concerns to well meaning, panicky young things with no life experience and no understanding or experience of motherhood.

Lucy Allan ● 4885d9 Comments ● 4880d

Public meeting: Out of Breath? - Air quality in Wandsworth & other local campaigns

Out of Breath? - Air quality in Wandsworth, the facts and what's being done about it?Free Public meeting 21st March at Wandsworth Town HallRSVP - http://outofbreathwandsworth.eventbrite.co.uk/There is a public health crisis happening before our eyes, yet still too many people aren't aware of the situation."Boris Johnson says there were 4,267 early deaths in London in 2008 attributable to long-term exposure to ‘invisible’ air pollution. This compares to 4,075 due to short-term exposure during the ‘visible’ Great Smog of 1952 when we knew nothing of the health impact of long-term exposure to air pollution. Only smoking causes more early deaths now. "www.cleanairinlondon.org------------------------------------------20's Plenty for WandsworthCampaign continues, over 1200 people signed up so far. The petition reads as follows:"We, the undersigned, call on Wandsworth Council to consult residents about introducing 20mph as the speed limit on all our residential and local shopping streets."If you would like to read more, there are lots of fact sheets on the national website. The more that we write to our councillors, the more chance that they will do something.Local site: http://www.20splentyforwandsworth.moonfruit.com/National site: http://www.20splentyforus.org.uk------------------------------------------Love London, Go DutchLondon campaign asking people to support the following:"I want the mayoral candidates to pledge to make London more liveable for everyone by making our streets as safe and inviting for cycling as they are in Holland"To find out more visit: http://lcc.org.uk/go-dutch/The Big Ride is happening on the 28th April - a fun mass ride for all the family in a carnival type atmosphere.------------------------------------------Cities fit for CyclingA national campaign launched by The Times last month has generated huge interest with over 32,000 people signing up. One of their leader articles states:"If this newspaper's cycle safety campaign should result only in safer cycling, it must be considered a failure. Success would be a fundamental change in the popular expectation of how British cities ought to look.We live today in cities built for horses, dominated by cars. Only in very few parts of the country is driving a pleasure, yet even the reluctant motorist rarely has a viable alternative. The division, more-over, of the travelling public into distinct categories of motorists, cyclists, pedestrians and travellers by train or bus is false. All are people seeking a painless journey from A to B.Our cities must be reimagined so that the cyclist is no hindrance to the motorist, and the motorist no danger in return. The weary driver, the sweaty train commuter, the pedestrian running late: all will benefit when more Britons get on their bikes."Find out more here (not behind the paywall): http://www.thetimes.co.uk/tto/public/cyclesafety/

Jon Irwin ● 4917d1 Comments ● 4890d

Green Deal - Notes from the Open Meeting 3rd November 2011

Please see below notes taken from the Wandsworth Environment Forum public meeting last week. Please contact me if you would like to be kept up to date with our activities, and informed about future events.John Alker, Policy Director of the Green Building Council (GBC) introduced the Green Deal, as Justine Greening MP was delayed in arriving.Background to the GBC:It is a charity funded by it's members (building organisations, local authorities number amongst them). They are apolitical and can be viewed as part trade association part NGO. They form part of an international network of other green building council's with a presence in 80 countries.25% of UK energy use is by UK housing stock. On average there are between 25-30k deaths each winter that are attributable to the cold.Green Deal:GBC has been involved in 2009 proposing a "pay as you save" scheme. The ideas from this have been taken up in the Green Deal. The charge for work done under the green deal is attached the the property over a 25 year period. Key element to the Green Deal is the Golden rule. Only measures that result in cost savings through energy efficiency over the lifetime of the deal can be included in it.Energy efficiency should be part of market valuation of properties, to provide greater incentives for home owners to invest, and for buyers to take into account the energy efficiency of their potential future home.There is the possibility for the green deal to include much more than insulation / double glazing. Boilers / lighting could also be included in time, providing that they satisfy the golden rule.Key challenges:1 Uptake2 Assessment - needs to be robust3 Industry capacity and skills to do the work4 Interest rates & Golden rule5 Access for SME'sNeeds to be strong uptake for it to work. Assessment of homes needs to be good so that the improvements work. There need to be skilled people who can do the work. Interest rates are key, because of the financing nature of the deal. If interest rates soar, then that could limit what could be done. Access for SME's, a lot of people in the building trade are working in SME's, they need to have access to it as they do the majority of refurbishment work in people's homes.By 2018 rental properties need to meet level E of energy efficiency. By 2016, tenants will be able to ask their landlords to make improvements to meet that energy rating, and the landlords will need to make the necessary improvements.Possible incentives:In x number of years time all properties need to meet a certain energy efficiency level.Stamp duty rebate - if people improve their properties within a certain time frame after buying the property a rebate could be offered on the stamp duty.Change VAT on services to make buildings more energy efficient match levels on goods which result in increased energy efficiency.Green Investment Bank could help provide the finance behind the deal.Justine Greening MPCommented that the Green Deal won't be good for everyone, as it will depend on each individual's circumstances and needs. Local provision of services is key, as is affordability. An accredited surveyor would put together a package for that building. Accredited people do the work, they invoice the energy supplier. The "debt" is attached to the property, and would be paid off through the energy bills. The principal is that, from the month after a person has Green Deal work done in their homes, their energy bills will be less, and will continue to decrease. By next Autumn, the Green Deal should have started.Comments raised by audience:Hassle particularly for older people having other people coming into their homes - The assessor would work with the individual to create a personalised green deal for them and their property.Cllr Jonathan Cook mentioned that Wandsworth Council is doing a trial with 1500 houses in Furzedown / Graveney, with work to improve those properties in partnership with local suppliers.Consumer protection is key - accreditation of suppliers as well as product warranties.Clean Air Act - radical changes to homes has happened before. In 1950's over a 10 year period some 100,000 homes were converted in Wandsworth to stop burning coal.Switching energy suppliers - that would still be possible. The "debt" would be attached the the property, and the "repayments" would be taken as part of your energy bill from your new supplier.

Jon Irwin ● 5037d0 Comments ● 5037d

Pupils of 50 Wandsworth schools suffer health risk due to traffic-related pollution

'Clean Air in London' (CAL) published a report this week showing that 1148 schools in London are within 150m of heavily trafficked roads. New scientific research indicates that children exposed to higher levels of traffic-related air pollution at school and home are at increased risk of developing asthma.Scientists say living near roads travelled by 10,000 or more vehicles per day could be responsible for some 15-30 per cent of all new cases of asthma in children; and of COPD (chronic obstructive pulmonary disease) and CHD (coronary heart disease) in adults 65 years of age and older.Simon Birkett, director of CAL, said: "The government and mayor Johnson must tackle an invisible public health crisis harming as many people now as the Great Smog did in December 1952. We need one or more additional inner low emission zones that ban the oldest diesel vehicles from our most polluted roads, and a massive campaign to build public understanding of the dangers of air pollution with advice on how people can protect themselves."In Wandsworth, whilst the main trunk roads are managed by TFL, the council also has a responsibility with regards to the road network that it manages. As the council starts to play a greater role in local health budgets, the burden of health impacts from air pollution on local residents will be a extra financial drain on the council. Jon Irwin, co-chair of Wandsworth Environment Forum, said: "Our 20mph campaign if implemented would result in less hard braking and acceleration which is known to reduce emissions. It would also encourage more people to walk or cycle for short journeys, which clearly would reduce emissions. This is why we are calling on the council to support the campaign for 20mph limits on our residential and local shopping streets."Sign the e-petition here: http://bit.ly/iqVoBg Paper versions of the petition are also available - please contact the WEF co-chairsLinks / More info:Clean Air in London -http://www.cleanairinlondon.org/blog/_archives/2011/6/21/4842298.htmlLondon Schools Air Quality report - from BBC articlehttp://downloads.bbc.co.uk/london/pdf/london_schools_air_quality.pdfIf you are interested in getting involved further and exploring other ways in which you can support the 20's Plenty for Wandsworth campaign please contact:Jon Irwin - Co-chair of Wandsworth Environment Forum -jon.irwin@gmail.com - 07748 150004 Frances Hagger - Co-chair of Wandsworth Environment Forum - fhagger@gmail.comPresentation of the petition to the council is planned for the October Wandsworth council meeting. Paper signatures are also being collected, forms are available from the Vice-chairs. National campaign link - http://www.20splentyforus.org.uk

Jon Irwin ● 5176d0 Comments ● 5176d

Calling All Volunteers! The Orangery, Gunnersbury Park this Saturday 12noon-4pm

ORANGE ROCKCORPS: Gunnersbury Park Project Saturday 25th June 2011, 12 noon – 4pmGunnersbury Park, The Orangery, W5 4NECalling All Volunteers!Gunnersbury Park is a beautiful 75 hectare (186 acres) landscape of exceptional mature trees, open grass spaces and historic buildingsregistered as Grade 2* by English Heritage with 21 separately listed buildings.Orange and RockCorps have come together to help you to give something back to the community. Take part in Orange RockCorps and help transform the Orangery in Gunnersbury Park. Big old buildings don't come better than this!If you are free on Saturday 25th June 2011 between 12 noon - 4pm and would like to help the Orange RockCorps team to renovate the Orangery by painting, washing, scrubbing, varnishing and just generally having a jolly good old time, then all you need to do is register as a volunteer online at:  http://www.orangerockcorps.co.uk/ or call 0800 954 7625.  After you give your 4 hours, you'll get given 1 ticket to see some great musical artists.RockCorps is a pro-social production company. RockCorps uses music to inspire people to volunteer and get involved in their community. To date, over 45,000 volunteers have attended more than 20 amazing live music events. This is an opportunity not to be missed out on!!  This park exudes history, beauty and culture and this project will see the transformation of a currently disused building into a beautiful space. We guarantee you won't be disappointed. So come down and join the Orange RockCorps team as we take a step back in time! Note:• Registering online is essential: Only confirmed volunteers get all the details and a reserved place on the project.• You must be at least 16 years of age to participate in an Orange RockCorps project.

Rishi Joshi ● 5178d0 Comments ● 5178d

WANDSWORTH  MUSEUM  CAMPAIGN  GROUP

Over the last few weeks a community-wide non-partisan campaign group has been formed from members of the Wandsworth Historical Society as well as from the Borough’s five amenity societies – Balham, Battersea, Putney and Wandsworth.  The Group’s links embrace all parties concerned by the Council’s plans to close Wandsworth Museum, including schools, ethnic minorities, residents’ associations as well as national heritage and culture organisations. The Wandsworth Museum Campaign Group has four prime objectives:• Keeping the Museum’s collection intact and capable of growth as new artefacts become available• Finding and establishing a suitable new home for the Museum’s collection if and when it no longer has the Court House • Retaining the minimum level of qualified staff required to ensure the above can be properly managed and exhibited• Securing adequate funding to support the above.The Group has grown dramatically since its initial meeting a month ago and the following officers have been nominated and are now in place: Chairman:              Shirley PassmoreSecretary:              Pamela GreenwoodCo-ordinator:        Cedric Peachey  Schools Governing Bodies Liaison Officer:      John McHugoSchools General Liaison Officer:        Harriet StricklandTo support this team, the Campaign Group has the voluntary services of an experienced manager of museum trusts, heritage and conservation specialists, an independent financial advisor, an architect and a press officer.  While much of the Group’s work is devoted to examining alternative scenarios with the Council and with other parties, steps are now being taken to form a “Friends of Wandsworth Museum”.  This initiative is being led by Sheila Allen of the Wandsworth Society.  Details of the new Friends scheme and the different levels of participation and benefits that are planned should emerge in the next fortnight.Looking to next week, supporters of Wandsworth Museum and of the Libraries at West Hill and Alvering are reminded that the meeting of the full Council to review the closure plans for all these facilities is scheduled for Wednesday 28th March at the Town Hall.  The Campaign Group and its members will be at the Town Hall, together with other interested residents and groups from 6.00pm onwards.  Arrangements are in hand to present the Petition Against the Museum Closure that has been running for the last three months to the Mayor. Anyone interested in joining the Wandsworth Museum Campaign Group or in becoming a Friend of Wandsworth Museum should email:  WandsworthMuseumGroup@hotmail.co.uk  or write to:Wandsworth Museum Campaign Groupc/o 19 Montserrat Road, London, SW15 2LD

Cedric Peachey ● 6730d7 Comments ● 5289d

New book launch: Who was Jack the Stripper?

My second True Crime Story: Who was Jack the Stripper? will be launched at Abertillery Library sometime in March/April 2011. The book launch will coincide with a 1 hour drama/documentary to be aired throughout Britain and Europe focusing on Harold Jones, the killer of 2 school children in Abertillery, South Wales in 1921. (Google Harold Jones - The Welsh Killer, or Neil Milkins, or Jack the Stripper.)The documentary will be presented by television presenter and Kray Twins biographer Fred Dineage MBE and top British criminologist and criminal profiler Professor David Wilson. Jones was 15 when he murdered 8 year-old Freda Elsie Maud Burnell and 11 year-old Florence Irene Little in 1921. Jones was released from prison in 1941 having served 20 years for his crimes and owing to the turmoil of World War 11 he went off the police radar. During the times of the unsolved murders of 8 women in the Hammersmith district of London between 1959 and 1965, Jones lived in the Hammersmith district using various aliases. (He lived in Fulham, Putney and Hammersmith between 1947 and 1971 when he died.) Who was Jack the Stripper? examines the amazing links between Jones and the murdered women!Professor Bernard Knight who recovered and conducted the post mortems on all of Fred and Rosemary West's murder victims and "Taggart" creator Glenn Chandler have both read the manuscript for Who was Jack the Stripper? and have made positive comments on the amazing and startling coincidences linking Jones to the Hammersmith murders.Who was Jack the Stripper? is a follow up to Neil Milkins' top selling 2008 book: Every Mother's Nightmare - Abertillery in Mourning, which dealt in depth with the Harold Jones murders of Freda Burnell and Florence Little.Who was Jack the Stripper? will be distributed by:Neil Milkins, Rose Heyworth Press, 67 Arael View, Abertillery, Gwent NP13 1SU. Tel: 01495213744. n.milkin@sky.comemails and feedback welcomed. --------------------------------------------------------------------------------Forum Home

neil milkins ● 5333d6 Comments ● 5297d

Places of Interest

Following Rachael Spencer’s recent post about The London Hydraulic Power Company building at Wapping (thanks for the heads-up Rachael!) I’m starting a thread on places of interest.  Please add places that you have found and enjoyed and would like to share with others.  My emphasis will be on places which are less well known than the established museums and landmarks, that are free for admission and are reasonably accessible from this locality.So, my starters (in no particular order): Free Friday lunchtime music at Ignite at Café Consort, Royal Albert Hall http://www.royalalberthall.com/tickets/ignite-summer/series.aspx Excellent jazz/swing/blues &c.. Royal Doulton building, corner of Lambeth High St / Black Prince St Wonderful tilework on exterior. Kensal Green Cemetery Extensive, brooding, seemingly detached from urban London. Surrey Docks Farm http://surreydocksfarm.org.uk/index.php?option=com_frontpage&Itemid=1 St Pancras Station Victorian Gothic at its best, plus the hugely affectionate Betjeman statue. The area of renewal behind St Pancras & Kings Cross Stations. Any and many of the places opened for “Open House Weekend” http://www.openhouse.org.uk/public/london/event.html The Great River Race http://www.greatriverrace.co.uk/ A great spectacle, and this year to be be run from Greenwich to Ham. Bonnington Square, SW8 A delight, just yards from Vauxhall Station. The Thames Festival http://www.thamesfestival.org/weekend/highlights/ QuecumBar, Battersea http://www.quecumbar.co.uk/ Free jam session on Tuesdays.  Non-stop gypsy jazz by an ever-increasing ensemble.Over to you!

David Biles ● 5842d2 Comments ● 5308d

The Fish Place - Pay-What-You-Think Week

THE PRICE IS RIGHT at THE FISH PLACE Wash away the January blues with a 3 course meal at The Fish Place in Battersea for whatever price you want! To give their diners a New Year’s gift, The Fish Place is offering them the amazing opportunity to pay whatever they think their meal is worth - for one week only. Diners will be presented with a menu without prices, and can order whatever starter, main and dessert they choose – and pay whatever they want...from 1p upwards! With the January blues and the VAT hike, there’s no better time to try the finest seafood gastronomy and freshest fish south of the River, which is bought in daily from the day-boat fishermen throughout Britain to be enjoyed in the light, contemporary surroundings of The Fish Place, with its panoramic views across The River Thames.From Tuesday January 25th until the Sunday 30th guests can enjoy The Fish Place’s wonderful menu – from their much lauded Fish & Chips through to their Pot au Feu of Seafood or creamy Dorset Crab Ravioli.  And as an added New Year bonus, at the end of the week the guest who has paid nearest to The Fish Place’s prices will win a free meal!To take advantage of this amazing offer please book via www.thefishplace.co.uk or call 020 7095 0410. The Fish PlaceBridges Court RoadLondon SW11 3RDTerms & Conditions ·         Wine, beer, tea, coffee and all other beverages will be charged at normal prices·         Available from January 25th to 30th, 2011·         Available for lunch and dinner: Lunch: Tuesday to Sunday 12 – 3pm; Dinner: Tuesday to Saturday 7 – 11pm·         A 12.5% service charge of the amount chosen to be paid will be added·         Reservations are required via www.thefishplace.co.uk or 020 7095 0410

Lydia Pluckrose ● 5330d1 Comments ● 5308d

The Menace of False Allegations

For the types of false reporting concerning insurance, well that is encouraged by the insurance companies insistence that stolen property has to be reported to police in the first instance. There must be a very high percentage of bogus claims for this incentivised and common crime. As it stands, it can't be helped unless the phone companies or the insurers investigate mobile phone theft and fraud in their own and customers best interests. However, crime is so often linked with violence and genuine cases have to remain within the remit of the police function.The Insurance scamsters are largely to blame for wasting police resources in the first instance. For example, if a crack suddenly appears in one of my windows at home, I would be obliged to repair it myself at quite a cost, even if I didn't cause the damage. In order for the replacement to be paid out of insurance, I am obliged to report the incident to police in order that they issue a Crime Number which magically opens up the funds for replacement. Up until a few years ago, such repairs were covered in the tenancy agreement (which seems these days to agree little of value). One can only wonder how a change in stipulations have impacted crime statistics; do they equate to the 'massive rise in crime' media shocks cynically delivered for the purposes of manipulating public opinion concerning personal safety and protection? Would this lead to higher numbers taking up higher premium cover? Good math for the insurers. Bad news for the rest of us.The investment of police resources in pursuing false trails laid by liars, is of course dangerous for many others facing crisis who are in need of immediate police assistance. If those making false claims had the wit and will to consider the consequences to others our world would have little need of policing at all.We pay for the services of the police primarily out of a fear of eachother - others unknown to us (for good reason it appears)making our first priority (protection from violence)THEIR priority as far as we are concerned. Unfortunately, there are those of a malicious nature, who make false allegations of assault as a means of gaining sympathy and attention from authorities and power over and against an innocent party. This is an assault on the falsley accused, as they are questioned and often arrested and detained on nothing more than the say so of the villian. Despite the distress caused to the injured party and the waste of police time, rarely do the police charge the culprit. The police are not able to prosecute a malicious false allegation when the allegator (!) is protected under a raft of 'mental health' acts. With an increasing number of the population now morally mind-damaged on SSRI's, these types of situation can only increase. All against a backdrop of 'equality' laws, guidelines and policies which dilute the efficiency of the police in safeguarding the welfare of individuals within the community.I realise this first post will most likely be the last as I'm not keen to inspire intelligent debate in a cabbage field (judging from the quality of posts so far).

Serena Martin ● 5386d0 Comments ● 5386d

READ THIS, if this happens Iffy will close the Wandsworth website.

We are in trouble in the free world !!  Many of us have memories of Europe as we remember it 20+ years ago....   Will we be a part of this same change in America ?     This is difficult to understand and comprehend....            Geert Wilders is a Dutch Member of ParliamentHIS SPEECH CLEARLY SHOWS OUR SITUATION IN THE WORLD...VERY POWERFUL - YOU MUST READ'In a  generation or two, the US will ask itself: who lost EuropeHere is the speech of Geert Wilders, Chairman, Party for Freedom, the Netherlands, at the Four Seasons, New York, introducing an Alliance of Patriots and announcing the Facing Jihad Conference in Jerusalem...Dear Friends, Thank you very much for inviting me.I come to America  with a mission.  All is not well in the old world. There is a tremendous danger looming, and it is very difficult to be optimistic.  We might be in the final stages of the Islamization of Europe. This not only is a clear and present danger to the future of Europe itself, it is a threat to America and the sheer survival of the West. The United States as the last bastion of Western civilization, facing an Islamic Europe.First - I will describe the  situation on the ground in Europe. Then -  I will  say a few things about Islam. To close  - I will tell you about a meeting in Jerusalem.The first thing you need to understand is 'The Europe', you know is changing.You have probably seen the landmarks. But in all of these cities, sometimes a few blocks away from your tourist destination, there is  another world. It is the world of a parallel society created by Muslim mass-migration !!All  throughout Europe a new reality is rising: entire Muslim neighborhoods where very few indigenous people reside or are even seen. And if they are, they might regret it. This goes for the police as well. It's  the world of head scarves, where women walk around in figureless tents, with baby strollers and a group of  children. Their husbands, or slaveholders if you  prefer, walk three steps ahead.  With mosques on  many street corners. The shops have signs you and I cannot read.  You will be hard-pressed to find any economic activity. These are Muslim ghettos controlled by religious fanatics. These are Muslim  neighborhoods, and they are mushrooming in every city  across Europe. These are the building-blocks for territorial control of increasingly larger portions of Europe, street by street, neighborhood by neighborhood, city by city.There are now thousands of mosques  throughout Europe. With larger congregations than there are in churches.  And in every European city there are plans to build super-mosques that will dwarf every church in the region.  Clearly, the signal is: we rule.Many European cities are already one-quarter Muslim: just take Amsterdam, Marseille France and  Malmo in Sweden.  In many cities the majority of the under-18 population is Muslim.  Paris is now surrounded by a ring of Muslim neighborhoods.    Mohammed is the most popular name among boys in many cities.In some elementary schools in Amsterdam the farm can no longer be mentioned, because that would also mean mentioning the pig, and that would be an insult to Muslims !!! Many state schools in  Belgium and Denmark only serve halal food to all  pupils.   In once-tolerant Amsterdam gays are beaten  up almost exclusively by Muslims.  Non-Muslim women  routinely hear 'whore, whore'.  Satellite dishes are not pointed to local TV stations, but to stations in  the country of origin.In France school teachers are advised to avoid authors deemed offensive to Muslims, including Voltaire and Diderot; the same is  increasingly true of Darwin.  The history of the Holocaust can no longer be taught because of Muslim sensitivity.In England sharia courts are now  officially part of the British legal system. Many  neighborhoods in France are no-go areas for women without head scarves.  Recently a man almost died  after being beaten up by Muslims in Brussels, because he  was drinking during the Ramadan. Jews are fleeing France in record numbers - on the run for the  worst wave of anti-Semitism since World War II. French is now commonly spoken on the streets of Tel Aviv  and Netanya, Israel. I could go on forever with  stories like this -  Stories about - Islamization !!!This discrimination level of absurdity was seen in Saudia Arabia in 1974.A total of fifty-four million  Muslims now live in Europe. San Diego University recently calculated that a staggering 25 percent of the population in Europe will be Muslim just 12 years from now. Bernhard Lewis has predicted a Muslim majority by the end of this century.Now these are just numbers. And the numbers would not be threatening if the Muslim-immigrants had a strong desire to assimilate.  But there are few signs of that. The Pew Research Center reported that half  of French Muslims see their loyalty to Islam as greater than their loyalty to France.  One-third of French  Muslims do not object to suicide attacks. The British Centre for Social Cohesion reported that one-third of British Muslim students are in favor of a worldwide caliphate ( used as a title of a caliph - a successor of Mohammad as head of Islam).  Muslims demand what they call 'respect'. This is how we give them  respect - we have Muslim official state holidays.Muslim demands are supported by unlawful behavior, ranging from petty crimes and random violence; for example against ambulance workers and bus drivers,  to small-scale riots.  Paris has seen its uprising in the low-income suburbs, the banlieus. Much of this street violence I  mentioned is directed exclusively against non-Muslims,  forcing many native people to leave their neighborhoods, their cities, their countries.  Moreover, Muslims are now a swing vote not to be ignored.The Christian-Democratic Attorney-General is willing to accept sharia in the Netherlands, if there is a Muslim majority.  We have cabinet members with passports from Morocco and Turkey.I call the perpetrators 'squatters'- because that is what they are. They do not come to integrate into our societies; they come to integrate our society into their Dar-al-Islam.   Therefore, they are squatters.The second thing you need to know is the importance of Mohammed the prophet. His behavior is an example to all Muslims and cannot be criticized. Now, if Mohammed had been a man of peace, let us say like Ghandi and Mother Theresa wrapped in one, there would be no problem. But Mohammed was a warlord, a mass murderer, a pedophile, and had several marriages - at the same time. Islamic tradition tells us how he fought in battles, how he had his enemies murdered and even had prisoners of war executed. Mohammed  himself slaughtered the Jewish tribe of Banu Qurayza.   If it is good for Islam, it is  good. If it is bad for Islam, it is  bad.Let no one fool you about Islam being a religion. Sure, it has a god, and a here-after, and 72 virgins. But in its essence Islam is a  political ideology.  It is a system that lays down detailed rules for society, and the life of every person.  Islam wants to dictate every aspect of  life. Islam means 'submission'. Islam is not  compatible with freedom and democracy, because what it  strives for is sharia. If you want to compare  Islam to anything, compare it to communism or national-socialism, these are all totalitarian  ideologies !!!!Now you know why Winston Churchill called Islam 'the most retrograde force in the world', and why he compared Mein Kampf to the Quran.  The  public has wholeheartedly accepted the Palestinian  narrative, and sees Israel as the aggressor.  I  have lived in this country and visited it dozens of times. I support Israel because: it is the Jewish homeland after two thousand years of exile up to and including Auschwitz,  it is a democracy,  and because Israel is our first line of defense !!Israel is situated on the fault line of jihad, frustrating Islam's territorial  advance. Israel is facing the front lines of jihad, like Kashmir, Kosovo, the Philippines, Southern Thailand, Darfur in Sudan, Lebanon, and Aceh in  Indonesia.   Israel is simply in the way ----the  same situation West-Berlin was during the Cold War.Now please heed the following:The war against Israel is not a war against Israel. It is a war against the West-it is jihad. Israel is simply receiving the blows that are meant for all of us.  If there would have been no Israel,  Islamic imperialism would have found other venues to release its energy and its desire for conquest.Thanks to Israeli parents who send their children to the  army and lay awake at night, parents in Europe and America can sleep well and dream, unaware of the dangers  looming.Many in Europe argue in favor of  abandoning Israel in order to address the grievances of  Muslim minorities.  But if Israel were, God forbid, to go down, it would not bring any solace to the West.It would not mean our Muslim minorities would all of a sudden change their behavior, and accept our values.   On the contrary, the end of Israel would  give enormous encouragement to the forces of  Islam. They would, and rightly so, see the demise  of Israel as proof that the West is weak, and doomed.  The end of Israel would not mean the end  of our problems with Islam, but only the beginning.  If they can get  Israel, they can get everything. It will mean the start of the final battle for world domination.  So-called  journalists volunteer to label any and all critics of  Islamization as a 'right-wing extremists' or  'racists'.  In my country, the Netherlands, 60  percent of the population now sees the mass immigration  of Muslims as the number one policy mistake since World  War II.  And another 60 percent sees Islam as the  biggest threat. Yet there is a danger greater danger than terrorist attacks, the scenario of America  as the last man standing. The lights may go out in Europe faster than you can imagine. An Islamic  Europe means a Europe without freedom and democracy, an  economic wasteland, an intellectual nightmare, and a loss of military might for America - as its allies will  turn into enemies ----- enemies with atomic bombs!!  With  an Islamic Europe, it would be up to America alone to  preserve the heritage of Rome, Athens and Jerusalem.To close, Dear Friends: Liberty is the most precious of gifts. My generation never had to fight for this freedom, it was offered to us on a silver  platter, by people who fought for it with their  lives.  All throughout Europe, American cemeteries  remind us of the young men who never made it home, and  whose memory we cherish.  Our generation does not  own this freedom; we are merely its custodians.  We  can only hand over this hard won liberty to Europe's  children in the same state in which it was offered to us. We must not, and cannot strike a deal with mullahs and imams !!  Future generations would never forgive us. We cannot squander our, or their liberties - we  simply do not have the right to do so !!!      We must take the  necessary action now to stop this Islamic stupidity from  destroying the free world that we know.  Thank you, and may God Bless us all. Please take the time to read and understand what is written here. Please send this to every person that you know -  it is so very important.

Pauli Ambrosini ● 5705d1 Comments ● 5704d

Muslim education

IftikharA message has been awaiting your attention on this forumAs you have chosen to ignore it for some time, I was thinking you might need a reminder to reply, or is the great Muslim education so lacking in teaching good manners? not a good advert for Muslim education are you?Taking into account your extreme interest in the education of muslim children.I was wondering what your views were on the barbaric actions of these men on innocent Muslim girls/women?Bearing in mind that these men are Muslims, and if I am correctly informed.. as a good Muslim you believe that any attack or critism directed at one Muslim is an assault on all Muslims.....Should your reply be to condemn these mens actions then you will be guilty of attacking all Muslims, on the other hand if you support their actions you are condoning violence from one Muslim on another which amounts to the same thing.Here is the message from this site just to jog your memoryAs reported in today's 1 o'clock news, several young girls/women were sprayed with acid in their face and eyes, their crime?.........they were going to school in Kandahar- Afgghanistan. It is alleged, although not confirmed, that the two men on motor cycles were Taliban who are against the education of females...nice people Iftikhar?You have a reputation for detailing what is wrong with our education system, perhaps you could now spare a moment, to give us your valued opinion of this outrage......your silence will/might be perceived that you agree with the Taliban.

Carol Ann Jupp ● 5705d0 Comments ● 5705d

Read this, if this happens Iffy will close this webste...

We are in trouble in the free world !!  Many of us have memories of Europe as we remember it 20+ years ago....   Will we be a part of this same change in America ?     This is difficult to understand and comprehend....            Geert Wilders is a Dutch Member of ParliamentHIS SPEECH CLEARLY SHOWS OUR SITUATION IN THE WORLD...VERY POWERFUL - YOU MUST READ'In a  generation or two, the US will ask itself: who lost EuropeHere is the speech of Geert Wilders, Chairman, Party for Freedom, the Netherlands, at the Four Seasons, New York, introducing an Alliance of Patriots and announcing the Facing Jihad Conference in Jerusalem...Dear Friends, Thank you very much for inviting me.I come to America  with a mission.  All is not well in the old world. There is a tremendous danger looming, and it is very difficult to be optimistic.  We might be in the final stages of the Islamization of Europe. This not only is a clear and present danger to the future of Europe itself, it is a threat to America and the sheer survival of the West. The United States as the last bastion of Western civilization, facing an Islamic Europe.First - I will describe the  situation on the ground in Europe. Then -  I will  say a few things about Islam. To close  - I will tell you about a meeting in Jerusalem.The first thing you need to understand is 'The Europe', you know is changing.You have probably seen the landmarks. But in all of these cities, sometimes a few blocks away from your tourist destination, there is  another world. It is the world of a parallel society created by Muslim mass-migration !!All  throughout Europe a new reality is rising: entire Muslim neighborhoods where very few indigenous people reside or are even seen. And if they are, they might regret it. This goes for the police as well. It's  the world of head scarves, where women walk around in figureless tents, with baby strollers and a group of  children. Their husbands, or slaveholders if you  prefer, walk three steps ahead.  With mosques on  many street corners. The shops have signs you and I cannot read.  You will be hard-pressed to find any economic activity. These are Muslim ghettos controlled by religious fanatics. These are Muslim  neighborhoods, and they are mushrooming in every city  across Europe. These are the building-blocks for territorial control of increasingly larger portions of Europe, street by street, neighborhood by neighborhood, city by city.There are now thousands of mosques  throughout Europe. With larger congregations than there are in churches.  And in every European city there are plans to build super-mosques that will dwarf every church in the region.  Clearly, the signal is: we rule.Many European cities are already one-quarter Muslim: just take Amsterdam, Marseille France and  Malmo in Sweden.  In many cities the majority of the under-18 population is Muslim.  Paris is now surrounded by a ring of Muslim neighborhoods.    Mohammed is the most popular name among boys in many cities.In some elementary schools in Amsterdam the farm can no longer be mentioned, because that would also mean mentioning the pig, and that would be an insult to Muslims !!! Many state schools in  Belgium and Denmark only serve halal food to all  pupils.   In once-tolerant Amsterdam gays are beaten  up almost exclusively by Muslims.  Non-Muslim women  routinely hear 'whore, whore'.  Satellite dishes are not pointed to local TV stations, but to stations in  the country of origin.In France school teachers are advised to avoid authors deemed offensive to Muslims, including Voltaire and Diderot; the same is  increasingly true of Darwin.  The history of the Holocaust can no longer be taught because of Muslim sensitivity.In England sharia courts are now  officially part of the British legal system. Many  neighborhoods in France are no-go areas for women without head scarves.  Recently a man almost died  after being beaten up by Muslims in Brussels, because he  was drinking during the Ramadan. Jews are fleeing France in record numbers - on the run for the  worst wave of anti-Semitism since World War II. French is now commonly spoken on the streets of Tel Aviv  and Netanya, Israel. I could go on forever with  stories like this -  Stories about - Islamization !!!This discrimination level of absurdity was seen in Saudia Arabia in 1974.A total of fifty-four million  Muslims now live in Europe. San Diego University recently calculated that a staggering 25 percent of the population in Europe will be Muslim just 12 years from now. Bernhard Lewis has predicted a Muslim majority by the end of this century.Now these are just numbers. And the numbers would not be threatening if the Muslim-immigrants had a strong desire to assimilate.  But there are few signs of that. The Pew Research Center reported that half  of French Muslims see their loyalty to Islam as greater than their loyalty to France.  One-third of French  Muslims do not object to suicide attacks. The British Centre for Social Cohesion reported that one-third of British Muslim students are in favor of a worldwide caliphate ( used as a title of a caliph - a successor of Mohammad as head of Islam).  Muslims demand what they call 'respect'. This is how we give them  respect - we have Muslim official state holidays.Muslim demands are supported by unlawful behavior, ranging from petty crimes and random violence; for example against ambulance workers and bus drivers,  to small-scale riots.  Paris has seen its uprising in the low-income suburbs, the banlieus. Much of this street violence I  mentioned is directed exclusively against non-Muslims,  forcing many native people to leave their neighborhoods, their cities, their countries.  Moreover, Muslims are now a swing vote not to be ignored.The Christian-Democratic Attorney-General is willing to accept sharia in the Netherlands, if there is a Muslim majority.  We have cabinet members with passports from Morocco and Turkey.I call the perpetrators 'squatters'- because that is what they are. They do not come to integrate into our societies; they come to integrate our society into their Dar-al-Islam.   Therefore, they are squatters.The second thing you need to know is the importance of Mohammed the prophet. His behavior is an example to all Muslims and cannot be criticized. Now, if Mohammed had been a man of peace, let us say like Ghandi and Mother Theresa wrapped in one, there would be no problem. But Mohammed was a warlord, a mass murderer, a pedophile, and had several marriages - at the same time. Islamic tradition tells us how he fought in battles, how he had his enemies murdered and even had prisoners of war executed. Mohammed  himself slaughtered the Jewish tribe of Banu Qurayza.   If it is good for Islam, it is  good. If it is bad for Islam, it is  bad.Let no one fool you about Islam being a religion. Sure, it has a god, and a here-after, and 72 virgins. But in its essence Islam is a  political ideology.  It is a system that lays down detailed rules for society, and the life of every person.  Islam wants to dictate every aspect of  life. Islam means 'submission'. Islam is not  compatible with freedom and democracy, because what it  strives for is sharia. If you want to compare  Islam to anything, compare it to communism or national-socialism, these are all totalitarian  ideologies !!!!Now you know why Winston Churchill called Islam 'the most retrograde force in the world', and why he compared Mein Kampf to the Quran.  The  public has wholeheartedly accepted the Palestinian  narrative, and sees Israel as the aggressor.  I  have lived in this country and visited it dozens of times. I support Israel because: it is the Jewish homeland after two thousand years of exile up to and including Auschwitz,  it is a democracy,  and because Israel is our first line of defense !!Israel is situated on the fault line of jihad, frustrating Islam's territorial  advance. Israel is facing the front lines of jihad, like Kashmir, Kosovo, the Philippines, Southern Thailand, Darfur in Sudan, Lebanon, and Aceh in  Indonesia.   Israel is simply in the way ----the  same situation West-Berlin was during the Cold War.Now please heed the following:The war against Israel is not a war against Israel. It is a war against the West-it is jihad. Israel is simply receiving the blows that are meant for all of us.  If there would have been no Israel,  Islamic imperialism would have found other venues to release its energy and its desire for conquest.Thanks to Israeli parents who send their children to the  army and lay awake at night, parents in Europe and America can sleep well and dream, unaware of the dangers  looming.Many in Europe argue in favor of  abandoning Israel in order to address the grievances of  Muslim minorities.  But if Israel were, God forbid, to go down, it would not bring any solace to the West.It would not mean our Muslim minorities would all of a sudden change their behavior, and accept our values.   On the contrary, the end of Israel would  give enormous encouragement to the forces of  Islam. They would, and rightly so, see the demise  of Israel as proof that the West is weak, and doomed.  The end of Israel would not mean the end  of our problems with Islam, but only the beginning.  If they can get  Israel, they can get everything. It will mean the start of the final battle for world domination.  So-called  journalists volunteer to label any and all critics of  Islamization as a 'right-wing extremists' or  'racists'.  In my country, the Netherlands, 60  percent of the population now sees the mass immigration  of Muslims as the number one policy mistake since World  War II.  And another 60 percent sees Islam as the  biggest threat. Yet there is a danger greater danger than terrorist attacks, the scenario of America  as the last man standing. The lights may go out in Europe faster than you can imagine. An Islamic  Europe means a Europe without freedom and democracy, an  economic wasteland, an intellectual nightmare, and a loss of military might for America - as its allies will  turn into enemies ----- enemies with atomic bombs!!  With  an Islamic Europe, it would be up to America alone to  preserve the heritage of Rome, Athens and Jerusalem.To close, Dear Friends: Liberty is the most precious of gifts. My generation never had to fight for this freedom, it was offered to us on a silver  platter, by people who fought for it with their  lives.  All throughout Europe, American cemeteries  remind us of the young men who never made it home, and  whose memory we cherish.  Our generation does not  own this freedom; we are merely its custodians.  We  can only hand over this hard won liberty to Europe's  children in the same state in which it was offered to us. We must not, and cannot strike a deal with mullahs and imams !!  Future generations would never forgive us. We cannot squander our, or their liberties - we  simply do not have the right to do so !!!      We must take the  necessary action now to stop this Islamic stupidity from  destroying the free world that we know.  Thank you, and may God Bless us all. Please take the time to read and understand what is written here. Please send this to every person that you know -  it is so very important.

Pauli Ambrosini ● 5705d0 Comments ● 5705d

Muslim Children and Sex Education

Muslim parents teach their children to respect their teachers. From a very young age, we are taught that Islam teaches us that after our parents, our teachers are most deserving of respect. Also, western politicians put a huge blame on parents for neglecting their children’s upbringing nowadays. Parents are blamed for allowing their children to grow up as uncouth, disrespectful, promiscuous and antisocial members of society. So it must be an extremely confusing time for the Muslim parent in Leytonstone, London. For up to 30 parents may face prosecution for withdrawing their children from school, disobeying the teachers in the school, simply to secure a decent moral upbringing for their children. The school had decided to have a week of lessons about lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender history. Part of this was a special adaptation of Shakespeare’s Romeo and Juliet retitled Romeo and Julian as well as fairytales and stories changed to show men falling in love with men. The Muslim parents have been told that local council officials may 'take action' against them for 'unauthorised absences' from school. Last year the Guardian reported statistics published by the Department for Children, Schools and Families showing that a record numbers of pupils persistently played truant in 2006-07, with around 272,950 pupils persistently absent in 2007, missing more than 20% of school. We rarely see councils prosecute the parents of these persistent truants. Yet, the parents who removed their children as a one-off to protect their morality may be prosecuted!If the local council does decide to go through with a prosecution, it would be in line with the government's approach to the Muslim community. Last month Communities Secretary Hazel Blears confirmed what had been leaked in the newspapers, that Muslims who believe homosexuality was a sin against the law of Allah (swt) would be labelled as extremists. Liberal totalitarianism is a growing phenomenon in Britain and the west in general but many people will be shocked that the school can override a parent's view of what's appropriate or inappropriate to teach their children. This latest episode should be a wakeup call for Muslim parents. Teachers are paid to teach our children. They are certainly not paid to impose their liberal values on our children. Muslim parents MUST explain our moral standards to schools and be prepared to take steps to protect our children’s morals and values from a growing agenda to impose liberal values upon them. The solution of all the problems facing Muslim children is state funded Muslim schools with Muslim teachers. Those state schools where Muslim children are in majority may be designated as Muslim community schools. Bilingual Muslim children need state funded Muslim schools with bilingual Muslim teachers as role models during their developmental periods. “O you who believe. Ward off from yourselves and your families a Fire (Hell) whose fuel is men and stones, over which are (appointed) angels stern (and) severe, who disobey not, (from executing) the commands they receive from Allah, but do that which they are commanded.” [TMQ At-Tahrim 66:6]Iftikhar Ahmadwww.londonschoolofislamics.org.uk 

Iftikhar Ahmad ● 5947d21 Comments ● 5731d

Muslim Community and Extremism

It is wrong to assert that a small unrepresentative group of Muslim activits tried to Islamicise a state primary school in Woking. The silent majority of Muslim parents would like to send their children to state funded Muslim schools. They are not extremists who want to change of ethos of those schools where Muslim children are in majority. It is the democratic right of every Muslim parents to see that their children recieve balanced education, so that when their children grow up, they do not find themselves cut off from their cultural roots and linguistic skills. It is a question of common sense, humanity and reason that bilingual Muslim children must be educated in state funded Muslim schools with bilingual Muslim teachers as role models during their developmental periods.  Politicians like Damian Green and David Blunkett believe that those children who speak two or three languages are the cause of problems in education. The whole world believes that people who speak more than one language is a vital economic asset.Pupils awho speak more than one language do not cause difficulities. It is the politicians and monolingual teachgers who are the problems for bilingual pupils.  Funding Muslim groups is not going to prevent anger, frustration and extremism. Muslim youths have been educated in a wrong place at a wrong time. They have been mis-educated and de-educated by state and church schools with non-Muslim monolingual teachers during their developmental periods. Muslim youths are being detained without trial in the war on terror. The policy of detention is radicalising young people in the United Kingdom. Iftikhar Ahmadwww.londonschoolofislamics.org.uk

Iftikhar Ahmad ● 5978d3 Comments ● 5733d

Places of Interest

Following Rachael Spencer’s recent post about The London Hydraulic Power Company building at Wapping (thanks for the heads-up Rachael!) I’m starting a thread on places of interest.  Please add places that you have found and enjoyed and would like to share with others.  My emphasis will be on places which are less well known than the established museums and landmarks, that are free for admission and are reasonably accessible from this locality.So, my starters (in no particular order): Free Friday lunchtime music at Ignite at Café Consort, Royal Albert Hall http://www.royalalberthall.com/tickets/ignite-summer/series.aspx Excellent jazz/swing/blues &c.. Royal Doulton building, corner of Lambeth High St / Black Prince St Wonderful tilework on exterior. Kensal Green Cemetery Extensive, brooding, seemingly detached from urban London. Surrey Docks Farm http://surreydocksfarm.org.uk/index.php?option=com_frontpage&Itemid=1 St Pancras Station Victorian Gothic at its best, plus the hugely affectionate Betjeman statue. The area of renewal behind St Pancras & Kings Cross Stations. Any and many of the places opened for “Open House Weekend” http://www.openhouse.org.uk/public/london/event.html The Great River Race http://www.greatriverrace.co.uk/ A great spectacle, and this year to be be run from Greenwich to Ham. Bonnington Square, SW8 A delight, just yards from Vauxhall Station. The Thames Festival http://www.thamesfestival.org/weekend/highlights/ QuecumBar, Battersea http://www.quecumbar.co.uk/ Free jam session on Tuesdays.  Non-stop gypsy jazz by an ever-increasing ensemble.Over to you!

David Biles ● 5842d13 Comments ● 5759d

CCTV in Wandsworth

I originally posted this in Putney (my home) but it applies everywhere.A recent headline in Wandsworth Guardian ‘They’re Spying on You’ reinforces a widely held view that the Regulation of Investigatory Powers Act (RIPA), dubbed "snoopers charter" compromises our civil right to privacy. And right here in our own Borough too.The UK has 1% of the world’s population yet has a staggering 20% of the world’s CCTVs. After Russia and China, according to Privacy International, the UK ranks as one of the leading surveillance societies in the world. One camera for every fourteen of us - and increasing year by year.Except in a few high profile cases, where (it might be argued it is in the interests of Government to persuade us otherwise) there is little hard evidence that CCTV has prevented acts of terrorism or reduced the level of crime while the prison population has doubled in the last twenty years. Yet under the guise of combating terrorism, the present Government are busily granting police, local authorities and many other agencies wide ranging powers over every aspect of our lives. Now that they are in place, the structural powers are readily available for abuse by some future less benign government.But we don’t have to step outside Wandsworth to see that. Like a plague, cameras have infested our Borough until there is now no escape.Councillor Leonne Cooper "find[s] it both surprising and outrageous that the council has misused a piece of legislation" to catch benefit fraudsters, fly-tippers, blue badge offenders and the like.I agree. However, according to the Home Office, it appears that WBC is acting within, but to the very limits of this pernicious law.Interestingly, again according to the Home Office, local authorities "cannot carry out intrusive surveillance … nor are they able to access the most intrusive form of communication data – namely traffic data".  A WBC spokesman boasts, "As a direct result of RIPA we have convicted more than 400 motorists of 1,164 blue badge offences since 2004 …".So, can WBC assure all of us that they have not strayed outside the scope of RIPA and used ‘traffic data’ to convict in any one of these cases?Finally, just where do our elected members and prospective parliamentary candidates stand on the issue?Two weeks ago, just as a test case I (politely) emailed WBC as follows: I still have not yet received even a simple acknowledgement. Have we a problem with our elected members? Have I not the right to know? Have things come down to this?"Dear Officer,I am attempting to build as large a picture as possible about the level of information held about me (at present) or/and accessible to you under the statutary powers granted to you under RIPA? Can you include CCTV images, movements, political affiliations, tax details, health, car details, traffic violations or any other - none, some or all of these please by any source either public or private.I realize that this may involve a good deal of effort but I really would be most grateful.Yours Sincerely. etc

Robert Storey ● 5777d0 Comments ● 5777d

State Funded Muslim Schools

The demand for Muslim schools comes from parents who want their children a safe environment with an Islamic ethos.Parents see Muslim schools where children can develop their Islamic Identity where they won't feel stigmatised for being Muslims and they can feel confident about their faith.Muslim schools are working to try to create a bridge between communities. There is a belief among ethnic minority parens that the British schooling does not adequatly address their cultural needs. Failing to meet this need could result in feeling resentment among a group who already feel excluded. Setting up Muslim school is a defensive response. State schools with monolingual teachers are not capable to teach English to bilingual Muslim children. Bilingual teachers are needed to teach English to such children along with their mother tongue. According to a number of  studies, a child will not learn a second language if his first language is ignored. Bilingual Muslim children need state funded Muslim schools with bilingual Muslim teachers as role models during their developmental periods. Muslims have the right to educate their children in an environment that suits their culture. This notion of "integration", actually means "assimilation", by which people generally really mean "be more like me". That is not multiculturalism. In Sydney, Muslims were refused to build a Muslim school, because of a protest by the residents. Yet a year later, permission was given for the building of a Catholic school and no protests from the residents. This clrearly shows the blatant hypocrisy, double standards and racism. Christians oppose Muslim schools in western countries yet build their own religious schools. British schooling and the British society is the home of institutional racism. The result is that Muslim children are unable to develop self-confidence and self-esteem, therefore, majority of them leave schools with low grades. Racism is deeply rooted in British society. Every native child is born with a gene or virus of racism, therefore, no law could change the attitudes of racism towards those who are different. It is not only the common man, even member of the royal family is involved in racism. The father of a Pakistani office cadet who was called a "Paki" by Prince Harry has profoundly condemned his actions. He had felt proud when he met the Queen and the Prince of Wales at his son's passing out parade at Sandhurst in 2006 but now felt upset after learning about the Prince's comments. Queen Victoria invited an Imam from India to teach her Urdu language. He was highly respected by the Queen but other members of the royal family had no respect for him. He was forced to go back to India. His protrait is still in one of the royal places. There are hundreds of state schools where Muslim pupils are in majority. In my opinion, all such schools may be designated as Muslim community schools with bilingual Muslim teachers. There is no place for a non-Muslim child or a teacher in a Muslim school.Iftikhar Ahmadwww.londonschoolofislamics.org.uk

Iftikhar Ahmad ● 6000d11 Comments ● 5910d

Muslim Schools

Muslim schools continue to improve in their GCSE results. For the third consecutive year Muslim schools advanced on their previous results and surpassed the national average. The reason is that there is a positive co-relation between a Muslim school and a Muslim home. Muslim children develop self-confidence and self-esteem and they do not suffer from Idenbtity Crises.Muslim schools provide an outstanding standard of education for a couple of thousands young children across the country.Ex-pupils of Muslim schools have developed into examplary citizens and participate in all aspects of civic society. Independent analysis and thorough OFSTED inspections have demonstrated that academic achievement, behaviour, social and emotional development in Muslim schools is consistently and subtantially better than local and national averages. Higher standard meant that an increasing number of Muslim parents choose to enrol their children in a Muslim school. There is a dire need for more state funded Muslim schools and the only solution is that those state and Church schools where Muslim children are in majority, may be designated as Muslim community schools.Muslim parents would like their children to learn and be well versed in standard English to follow the National Curriculum and go for higher studies and research to serve humanity. But majority of Muslim children leave schools with low grades because monolingual teachers are not capable of teaching English to bilingual children. At the same time Muslim children need to be well versed in Arabic, Urdu and other community languages to keep in touch with their cultural roots and enjoy the beauty of their literature and poetry. They leave schools without learning such languages. If you ignore or neglect the mother tongue of a child , he is not going to learn a second language. Bilingualism is an asset but the British schooling percieves it as a problem. Therefore, it is crucial that Muslim children must have their own state funded Muslim schools with bilingual Muslim teachers as role models during their developmental periods, otherwise, they will keep on suffering academically, socially, emotionally and spiritually. In all western countries, each and every Muslim child must be in a state funded Muslim schools with Muslim teachers.A 13 years old Pakistani girl has written a 760 pages novel in English and was honoured by the President of Pakistan. She is well versed in Urdu and English because she has bilingual teachers who are well versed in Urdu as well as in English. Iftikhar Ahmadwww.londonschoolofislamics.org.uk

Iftikhar Ahmad ● 5983d3 Comments ● 5910d

Western Values and Muslim Community

The western "values" suggest equality and freedom for all, that means society must allow religious freedom. The Christians and Jews have Church/ Jewish schools as well as kosher meat, yet when Muslims simply ask for the very same treatment,the Islamphobic secular right wing jump up and down screaming that somehow western values have been attacked. The Jews throughout the western world have their own religious courts. Christians have been enjoying the right to be married in Church. Muslims should have the same right to get married in Masajid as well as they need Sharia Courts, dealing in marriage, civil matters and divorce. It is easy to say" Go back to where you came from",but do not forget that British Muslims are actually born and educated here. They are in the unenviable position of trying to combine two diffent worlds. That is no easy. Multiculturalism is not about separation, ghettoisation or balkanisation. It is, instead, a recognition of both diversity and the need for common ground, mutual respect,and cultural engagement. Muslims all over the world never opposed English as a language what they did was opposition of the Western culture and their system of education. In Pakistan, the medium of instruction is Urdu and English and the official language is both English and Urdu. Pakistan is going to send English teachers to Korea for the teaching of English language. Muslim parents would like their children to be well versed in standard English to follow the National Curriculum and go for higher studies and research to serve humanity. Majority of Muslim children leave schools with low grades because state schools with monolingual teachers are not capable of teaching English to bilingual children.At the same time, they need to learn and be well versed in Arabic, Urdu and other community languages to keep in touch with their cultural roots and enjoy the beauty of their literature and poetry. I am concerned with the education of the Muslim children. It is nothing to do with integration or segregation. Those state as well as Church schools where Muslim children are in majority, in my opinion, may be designated as Muslim community schools with bilingual Muslim teachers as role models. Bilingual Muslim children need state funded Muslim schools with bilingual Muslim teachers as role models during their developmental periods. There is no place for a non-Muslim child or a teacher in a Muslim school.  Iftikhar Ahmadwww.londonschoolofislamics.org.uk

Iftikhar Ahmad ● 6007d3 Comments ● 6005d

Racism Vs Underachievement

It is absurd to say that institutional racism is dead. It is still alive in the form of Islamophobia. . One of the deepest expressions of institutional racism affecting immigrant communities, and one that has been long documented is the unequal treatment of their children by the education system. They are motivated, but knocked back by their experiences of the school system. They are often treated more harshly and viewed with lower teacher expectation on the basis of teachers’ assumptions about their motivation and ability. LAs are failing in their duty to combat racism in schools, according to OFSTED, Education system exhibits “aspects of racism”. A quarter of authorities are not doing enough to promote equal educational opportunities. A Brighton University study found that the Britain education system is institutionally racist, with pupils and teachers vulnerable to abuse by peers, teachers and management. I discovered the element of racism in early 70s. National Curriculum does not reflect cultural diversity and minority pupils are being held back by native teachers.                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                           London Borough of Newham was judged by OFSTED as unsatisfactory in tackling racism. There are big issues about racism in schools needed to be tackled but could not understand that Bilingual Muslim pupils need state funded Muslim schools with bilingual Muslim teachers as role models during their developmental periods. It is a crime against humanity to deprive a child of his mother tongue but in the name of integration every thing is fair. Independent schools are also racist in nature. The parents of a Pakistani boy who was racially abused by his classmates and teachers are suing St. Christopher School.  Education report by Birmingham Advisory Service recommends that school lessons should take into account cultural differences in order to improve pupils’ performance. It calls for teaching “the need for mutual respect and understanding”. Minority pupils are underachieving at school because the curriculum is racist. The study found lessons often failed to motivate or interest pupils because curriculum did not provide enough positive role models. The curriculum needs to be more balanced and less Eurocentric. Pupils grow up thinking there is no other playwright than Shakespeare. An ethnicity “Tsar” should be appointed to reform British schooling. Muslim schools performed best overall, although they constitute only a fraction of the country’s 7000 schools. Muslim schools do well because of their Islamic ethos and a focus on traditional discipline and teaching methods. They teach children what is right and what is wrong, because young children need structural guidance. Muslim school is responsible for the development of the whole child. Muslim schools give Muslim children “pride, identity and a sense of culture and languages. Iftikhar Ahmad                                                                                                      

Iftikhar Ahmad ● 6023d5 Comments ● 6022d

Multi-faith Schools

. Multi-faith Schools• A Muslim charity In Swindon is bidding to run the first Multi-faith Muslim School for Muslim and non-Muslim children and have teachers from different faiths. An hour of the timetable each day would be dedicated to studying Arabic and the Holy Quran. Non-Muslims pupils would be able to be exempted from the lessons, but it is hoped that the majority would choose to stay in class to gain more “insight” into the Islamic faith.• In my opinion, Multifaith school is not going to be successful because non-Muslim parents would not send their children. In the past, a plan for a Multi-faith secondary school in Westminster for 1000 pupils could not be materialised because faith groups could not come to any agreement. Now even Hindu community has set up state funded school in Harrow. Black community is also thinking of setting up its own school with Black teachers. • According to David Lammy MP, there are still too many inequalities in the education system which prevents disadvantaged children from applying to study for a degree. British schooling is wholly responsible for the inequalities. A culture of low expectation and a lack of rigour holding these pupils back. Every child must reach his full potential regardless of his background. Justice Secretary Jack Straw MP said British society should be one which recognizes and celebrates differences. One in which we all have an opportunity to flourish, regardless of who we are or where we are from. British schooling has been trying to integrate and assimilate Muslim community through education in the name of integration. The Imams and Masajid have been playing their parts to keep Islamic faith alive, but that is not enough. British schooling does not promote global cohesion. It does not encourage dialogue and increases understanding. • Bilingual Muslim children need state funded Muslim schools with bilingual Muslim teachers as role models during their developmental periods. They need to learn and be well versed in Standard English to follow the National Curriculum and go for higher studies and research to serve humanity. They need to learn and be well versed in Arabic to recite and understand the Holy Quran. They need to learn and be well versed in Urdu and other community languages to keep in touch with their cultural roots and enjoy the beauty of their literature and poetry.• Iftikhar Ahmadwww.londonschoolofislamics.org.uk

Iftikhar Ahmad ● 6092d18 Comments ● 6065d

An Open Letter to ED Ball

An Open Letter to the Secretary of State for Education Ed BallsThe debate over the trajectory of the western sociopolitical system and its strained relations with Islam is the most pivotal of our time.  Muslims are in one of the most difficult phases of their history when malicious attacks including allegation of terrorism are being made on Islam and Muslims all over the world. The malicious campaign against Muslims is politically motivated. The world is obsessed by Islam. Anti-terror measures are ruining lives of Muslim youths. If you go around arresting young Muslims, you are going to find that you are going to ostracise this community. Young Muslims don’t need to be ostracized, they need to be engaged. According to the Arch Bishop, Rowan Williams, acceptance of some facets of Sharia not only “seems unavoidable”, but could actually improve social cohesion. Muslims should be able to choose to have marital or financial matters dealt with in a Sharia Court. Such courts should therefore be incorporated into the British legal system as a constructive accommodation with Islam.  Schools are being asked to help “win hearts and minds” in the battle against violent extremists on both sides. British born Imams should go into schools to supplement the teaching of RE, PSHE and Citizenship so that all pupils can learn about the Holy Quran and Islam in the context of a multicultural society. OFSTED must make sure that their services should be fully utilised by the schools, otherwise, it will be waste of public money. The British Establishment is wrong to assert that Imams and Masajid have been radicalising Muslim youths.  The roots of extremism are in the British society and schools where institutional racism is at its peak. The racism within schools has got little media coverage. The school attended by 7/7 bombers in a part of Leeds known for its history of racial tension between British Asians and native Brits. Leeds council was so worried about the violence that it had to call in Foundation for Peace, a government funded peacekeepers who were used to keep Catholics and Protestants from killing one another in Northern Ireland. True message of Islam should be promoted because British media and society have always portrayed Islam in a negative way since Crusades and the siege of Vienna in 1683.  School Curriculum should be used to convey a deeper understanding of Islamic faith, history and culture. Prison is not the answer of those who are vulnerable to, or are being drawn into violent extremism unless they have clearly committed an offence. The greatest challenge to humanity is learning to live in a crowded and interconnected world that is creating unprecedented pressures on human society. The rector of Oxford’s largest Anglican Churches has called a Muslim call to prayers from the main Masjid “un-English”. This is a clear case of intolerance. Gibraltar is a British colony. Five Pound currency note has a queen image on one side and on the other side there is an image of the Muslim Conqueror with a sword in his hand. There is more hatred of Muslims seduced by the Western media, education system and church leaders like Bishop Nazir Ali. Catholic nuns have worn veils for centuries, with no public controversies arising. There is no reason why any girl’s school uniform can not now be modified to include a veil. Wearing a veil to school or to work must be a matter of choice for all. Iftikhar Ahmad www.londonschoolofislamics.org.uk

Iftikhar Ahmad ● 6157d9 Comments ● 6128d

Muslim Youths

Muslim YouthsMuslim youths are angry, frustrated and extremist because they have been mis-educated and de-educated by the British schooling. Muslim children are confused because they are being educated in a wrong place at a wrong time in state schools with non-Muslim monolingual teachers.  They face lots of problems of growing up in two distinctive cultural traditions and value systems, which may come into conflict over issues such as the role of women in the society, and adherence to religious and cultural traditions. The conflicting demands made by home and schools on behaviour, loyalties and obligations can be a source of psychological conflict and tension in Muslim youngsters. There are also the issues of racial prejudice and discrimination to deal with, in education and employment. They have been victim of racism and bullying in all walks of life. According to DCSF, 56% of Pakistanis and 54% of Bangladeshi children has been victims of bullies. The first wave of Muslim migrants were happy to send their children to state schools, thinking their children would get a much better education. Than little by little, the overt and covert discrimination in the system turned them off.  There are fifteen areas where Muslim parents find themselves offended by state schools. The right to education in one’s own comfort zone is a fundamental and inalienable human right that should be available to all people irrespective of their ethnicity or religious background. Schools do not belong to state, they belong to parents. It is the parents’ choice to have faith schools for their children. Bilingual Muslim children need state funded Muslim schools with bilingual Muslim teachers as role models during their developmental periods. There is no place for a non-Muslim teacher or a child in a Muslim school. There are hundreds of state schools where Muslim children are in majority. In my opinion, all such schools may be designated as Muslim community schools. An ICM Poll of British Muslims showed that nearly half wanted their children to attend Muslim schools. There are only 143 Muslim schools. A state funded Muslim school in Birmingham has 220 pupils and more than 1000 applicants chasing just 60. Majority of anti-Muslim stories are not about terrorism but about Muslim culture--the hijab, Muslim schools, family life and religiosity. Muslims in the west ought to be recognised as a western community, not as an alien culture.Iftikhar Ahmadwww.londonschoolofislamics.org.uk

Iftikhar Ahmad ● 6176d2 Comments ● 6134d

Day of Action to tackle obsessive compulsive disorder

My name is Paul and I am a volunteer press officer for the UK charity OCD Action. Since 1991 OCD Action has been promoting recovery, awareness and understanding of obsessive compulsive disorder. We have a day of action on November 22 at Imperial College London to show those who are affected by OCD how to fight back against their tormenting thoughts and secret rituals.OCD is a clinically recognised condition in which people experience repetitive and upsetting thoughts (obsessions) and use rituals (compulsions) to control the anxiety these thoughts produce.OCD can affect anyone at any time and it can hit hard. Do you know what it's like to try and rein in the uncontrollable anxiety that surges through your body when your mind is awash with obsessive compulsive disorder, and neither fight nor flight can defeat this invisible enemy?If you do then please come to OCD Conference 2008 on Saturday 22 November at Imperial College London from 8.30am-5.30pm. Professors, mental health experts and people who suffer from obsessive compulsive disorders will join forces in a series of presentations and workshops to raise awareness, increase understanding and share methods of how to treat the biological disorder that affects an estimated 1.8 million people in the UK. Read about ticket details on www.ocdaction.org.ukThere will be workshops for young people, adults and families on how to treat fears on contamination, hoarding, checking and reassurance, as well as Tourette syndrome, body dysmorphic disorder and skin-picking.  I hope to see you there.Paul