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Wednesday, April 29, 2009

04/29/09 PRESS RELEASE: We The People - National Competition

Hi all,

Seems Tony Mullen wasn't the only GPS representation in Washington D.C.
this week!

The GHS 'We The People' Team made it to the National Competition after a
series of county and State competitions. They made it through all early
rounds in DC, and reached the Top 10 finals on Monday, April 27, 2009. At
this point, they are still waiting for their final results/standing,
however they do know that they were not 1st, 2nd, or 3rd. Still, a
fantastic finish and a great experience for all involved.

This is the We The People web page, describing the program and if you
scroll to the bottom, watch the video clip, it features many of the
Greenwich students: http://www.civiced.org/index.php?page=wtp_introduction

Aaron Hull, GHS History teacher and recently named Distinguished Teacher,
is the group's advisor/mentor on this project.


He may be reached at: aaron_hull@greenwich.k12.ct.us or 625-8847

Thanks!
Kim

Kim Eves
Director of Communications
Greenwich Board of Education
290 Greenwich Avenue
Greenwich, CT 06830

http://www.greenwichschools.org/

Phone: 203-625-7415
e mail: kim_eves@greenwich.k12.ct.us
Fax: 203-869-8003

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Please send your comments,news tips and press releases to GreenwichRoundup@gmail.com

04/29/09 Managing Editor Bruce Hunter Can't Explain How The Greenwich Time Became The Fastest Growing Newspaper In America, But Greenwich Roundup Can


You Can Torture And Waterbaord Failed Greenwich Time Managing Editor Bruce Hunter At Gitmo, But He Is Too Embarrassed To Give Up The Secret ......


Think all newspapers are losing readership? Think again!

Editor & Publisher just reported the top 25 daily papers that had the biggest audience gains in the six months ending March 2009. The numbers are compared to the same time frame in 2008, and include both print and online readership.

The Greenwich Time ranked first with a whopping 30.74% gain - maybe they'll share their secret? . ...

PLEASE SEE:


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Please send your comments, news tips and press releases to GreenwichRoundup@gmail.com
“Journalism can never be silent: that is its greatest virtue and its greatest fault. It must speak, and speak immediately, while the echoes of wonder, the claims of triumph and the signs of horror are still in the air." - Henry Anatole Grunwald

04/29/09 The Raw Greenwich News Feed

Today's Top Greenwich News Story

The Headlines:

Journalistic Standards Upheld: Greenwich Representative Alfred Camillo And David Theis Caught Red Handed By The Greenwich Time

E-mail from Alfred Camillo to Republican Town Committee Vice Chairman David Theis Camillo wrote: "Copy and paste this below to your own email. Let me know if you have any problems with it."

The Quotes:

"I've written probably 100 letters in my life putting my name to it," Rep. Alfred Camillo said.

"Whatever the circumstance is behind how it came to exist or be sent, it's inappropriate on the part of a government official to take part in the creation of a letter that deals with him in any way if that letter is not going to have his name on it," caid Thomas Mellana, editorial page editor for Greenwich Time, "I don't doubt that this type of thing happens from time to time. But when we become aware of it, it would be wrong of us to run the letter, which is why we decided not to."

"I hit the wrong button and sent Freddy's draft," Republican Town Committee Vice Chairman David Theis said. "It was a good lesson for me to be careful when sending out communications."

The Reporter

By Neil Vigdor

The Story:

Officials issue mea culpa over misfired e-mail to newspaper

Samuel Clemens had Mark Twain.

Stephen King had Richard Bachman.

But Rep. Alfred Camillo, R-151st District, said he was not writing under a pen name when an e-mail he had recently authored was signed by another Republican and submitted as a letter to the editor of Greenwich Time and The Advocate.....

The Clasic Story Ending:

...."I'm a pretty good wordsmith, but I wanted to be accurate," Theis said. "I'm perfectly capable of writing my own response."

America's economy shrank at an alarming rate in the first quarter
Economist
It could be that the first quarter fall was a form of capitulation, with businesses rushing to cut all at once, muses Stephen Stanley of RBS Greenwich
...

WORSHIP @ home & on the road: Who's The Boss?
by Dan Macaulay

Whether you are a worship leader who travels and ministers itinerantly or one who leads primarily in one place there is one all-important concept you absolutely need to understand:
Authority.


Failing to understand the biblical concept of authority, especially as a worship leader, I believe, is a death-wish for your ministry; and poison in the place(s) you minister. How many church splits and conflicts have been rooted in worship leaders failing to submit to the vision of their pastors? Some would argue theologically that Lucifer himself is the precedent for this: Article: Is Lucifer Leading Worship In Your Church?


Here are the basics: The entire basis & root of sin is rebellion to God's authority. And as John Bevere writes so well in his book Under Cover (Highly recommended reading): "We cannot separate our submission to God's inherent authority from our submission to His delegated authority. All Authority originates from Him!" (U.C. pg.11) "For there is no authority except from God. Therefore whoever resists the authority resists the ordinance of God, and those who resist will bring judgement on themselves." (Romans 13:1-2)


So here's what this means for you and me: The authority of the pastor you serve under, whether you're visiting or resident, traces back to Jesus himself. .....

.....Dan Macaulay is both a part-time Worship Pastor at Harvest Time Church in Greenwich CT and an internationally known worship leader, artist, and composer with an expanding traveling ministry. This blog is about how those two hats compliment ...

HS Notebook -- Stamford girls lax squad wins pair, including ...
Stamford Times
It was a tough early schedule for the Knights, as well, as they had to face JV programs for both Darien and Greenwich
(twice), but regardless the squad's ...

Greenwich Student, Blogger And Receptionist krystle's Collection of things *not to forget* --- 911 Calls Show Plane Terror - *Video: 911 calls show plane terror 0:47* As a White House plane flew low over Manhattan, 911 operators fielded calls.

Hedge Funder Must House the Poor in Order to Build Mansion
Wall Street Journal Blogs

As for low-income housing in Greenwich, well, that is the government's problem. But in an age when the wealthy are getting excoriated for conspicuous ...

Greenwich Time: Local Sports - RSS Feed ----Scholastic summaries - BASEBALL Trinity 7, Danbury 5 Danbury 000 230 0 5 9 2 Trinity 101 032 x 7 8 2 Anthony Sabene (L, 0-1, 3BB, 3K), Nick Arconti (6, 1BB, 0K) and Mike Beers.

Edward Kristoff Jr.
St. Augustine Record
... Hospital, Baltimore, Md. He is survived by his wife, Patricia Ann Kristoff; his mother, Alberta Kristoff, of Greenwich, Conn.; and his daughter, Tricia Kristoff, and two grandchildren, Michael and Krissy Lombardo, of St. Augustine, Fla. Memorial ...

For What It's Worth By Riverside Blogger Chris Fountain
Realtor speak - A client now working with me tells the story of viewing property with another agent some time ago when they pulled up to a listing. “Is that the Merritt Parkway...

GDP Down 6.1%, Reflecting Continuing Economic Woes - Economy
"There won't be positive growth until the second half of the year probably, but the fall in the second quarter, if it's negative at all, will be far smaller," said Michael Darda, chief economist at MKM Partners in Greenwich, Conn. ...

Greenwich Time: Columnists - RSS Feed --- Ex-Greenwich Time Managing Editor Bernie Yudain --- Speculating on the future fate of Chris Dodd - The pundits -- state-based and national -- are hyperventilating with theories about what's going to happen to Chris Dodd.....


Obama Loves The Rich
MSN Indonesia
New Orleans hasn't been rebuilt, but the government is hard at work on Greenwich, Conn
., and Abu Dhabi. Michael Maiello is editor of Markets and Intelligent ...

Greenwich Time: Food - RSS Feed
Naturally Savvy: Cauliflower soup - This soup gives the illusion of being cream-based even though it has very little dairy. The recipe is egg free and gluten free.

Today's Greenwich Time Letters To The Editor
Letters frin Readers - Gay marriage no threat -

Gay marriage law only added to basic rights

To the editor:

The April 27 letter to the editor ("Tampering with foundation," Greenwich Time), was written with such rage and hatred that the author apparently had no time to include any reason. I feel obligated to respond to the writer's hysterical claims.


To begin, the letter says, "The very definition of marriage -- the foundation of families and the cornerstone of civil society -- has been tampered with by the state of Connecticut." This is absolutely false. What S.B. 899 did was guarantee equal access to civil marriage for all Connecticut residents.


What this bill did not do is force any house of worship to offer religious marriage ceremonies to anybody. In fact, the bill was specifically amended to make sure that no religious organization would have to perform same-sex marriage ceremonies if it did not wish to (although it is still not clear to me why any organization that benefits from the tax dollars of all citizens has a legal right to discriminate against any one of them).


To state Rep. Lile Gibbons, who said that her "generation is not ready to vote 'yes' on this": Please take credit for your own intolerance, and do not blame it on an entire generation of Connecticut residents, many of whom have long been denied the dignity of equal access to the benefits of citizenship because legislators whose salaries they pay were not "ready" for equality under the law.

The only people for whom this is a "life-changing piece of legislation" are the thousands of couples who have been denied access to the rights they are entitled to under our constitution. The writer said that this legislation "will affect each and every person of our great state" and that this law will "injure marriage and families." I submit that if one's marriage is threatened by legislative language coming out of the Connecticut General Assembly, that individual is not qualified to lecture the rest of us on the sanctity of that institution.


I look forward to the day when such anger and rage is a relic of a less enlightened past.
Justin Horton
Old Greenwich

Cityfile: Marisa Noel Brown Takes a Hit on East 78th
Marisa Noel Brown, the daughter of disgraced Fairfield Greenwich Group founder Walter Noel, and her husband Matt, are officially putting their townhouse at 12 East 78th Street on the market. The Indiana limestone–faced manse, ...

Exit 55 By Rob "WGCH" Adams - The Sports Voice Of Greenwich
Wow...Don't Change the Channel! - I went over to YES to check on the Yankees (10 runs in the seventh, lead 10-0) and by the time I returned, the Devils, once leading 3-2, fell 4-3. Adios....


Old Bags event approaches
YWCA Board member and Old Bags co-chairwoman Lynne Wheat with co-chairwomen Lucy Day and Cathy Dann recently came out ro support the Old Bags Luncheon held at Neiman Marcus Westchester. The YWCA will hold its fourth annual “Old Bags Luncheon” to benefit its Domestic Abuse Services on Thursday, May 7, at the Belle Haven Club. It will feature live and silent auctions of “old bags” and new bags, donated by designers, retailers and private donors.

The YWCA’s YNet youth philanthropy leadership program, in partnership with Greenwich High School, will be recognized at the event. YNet works to prevent teen dating violence and promote healthy relationships through grant making, public awareness, volunteer work and social change campaigns. YNet, made-up of about 35 male and female students, operates through the school year. For information, sponsorship opportunities or to make a donation, call 869-6501, ext. 102, or e-mail s.conetta@ywcagreenwich.org.

Greenwich Blog : The Blog of Greenwich, Connecticut :: USA
Morning Bird Walk - Fairchild Garden Wednesday, April 29, 2009 7:00 AM to 8:30 AM Rise and shine for this annual tradition. No fee or RSVP required. Bring binoculars.

Captain Jack's Blog: Marine paintings at Bruce Museum capture ...
by Captain Jack Richards

A large detail of "Magic," which is part of the exhibit, "Illuminating the Sea: The Marine Paintings of James E. Buttersworth, 1817-1894," at the Bruce Museum in Greenwich, Conn., through July 5. ...

Greenwich Time: Life And Family - RSS Feed
Physician's reference: Norwalk doctor authors guide for cancer patients - As director of Whittingham Cancer Center at Norwalk Hospital and medical director of the Mid-Fairfield Hospice, Dr. Richard Frank is reminded daily of the ...

Greenwich Police question fire department drill
It's fire season in Greenwich
-- sort of. Trying to build up data on response times, fire trucks were sent out last week on mock calls throughout town with their lights and sirens activated to see how far they could get in four minutes, a nationally recognized standard for firefighting.

411mania.com: Wrestling - Ask 411 Wrestling
by Mathew Sforcina

Connecticut: Triple H (Greenwich) Delaware: The Briscoe Brothers (Sandy Fork) Florida: Terri Runnels (Palatka) Georgia: Jake Roberts (Stone Mountain) Hawaii: Ricky Steamboat (Honolulu) Idaho: Torrie Wilson (Boise) ...

Building served as Quakers' base
Poughkeepsie Journal
... to settle in the region. The area was part of the Oblong, an 80-mile-long, three-mile-wide tract that ran from Greenwich, Conn., to the Massachusetts border and included sections of New York. 'During that time Quaker Hill was a community unto its ...

Cosmetic & Reconstructive Plastic Surgery - Rick Rosen, M.D.
by Evan Langsted

We serve patients in Fairfield County and the areas of Norwalk, Westport, Weston, Darien, New Canaan, New Haven, Fairfield, Stamford, Greenwich, Bridgeport, Connecticut and Westchester County, New York. ...

Genesee & Wyoming Q1 profit up 34 pct
Forbes

... new acquisition opportunities,' he added. Shares of the Greenwich, Connecticut-based company closed at $26.78 Tuesday on the New York Stock Exchange.

Old Greenwich steps into the spotlight « For What It's Worth
by christopherfountain

Old Greenwich steps into the spotlight. I expressed my disappointment yesterday that Thomas Athan, A.I.G. executive now being investigated for fraud, didn't show up on the property rolls, ...

Friends of Autistic People celebrates town proclamation
Friends of Autistic People (FAP) recently celebrated the Proclamation by Selectman Peter Tesei that April is FAP Autism Awareness month in Greenwich. The Proclamation emphasized that every person, including adult children with autism, is a valued member of our community. Everyone contributes in their own way. Attendees, from left, included Senator Scott Frantz, Brita Darany von Regensburg, FAP founder and president, State Rep. Livvy Floren, First Selectman Peter Tesei, and State Rep. Alfred Camillo, Jr.

Today's Top 5/Predictions/Score updates LAX with JOE
by jlombardi

An FCIAC showdown between Ridgefield and Greenwich highlights today's slate. Last year, the Tigers beat the Cardinals not once, not twice but three times. Though Ridgefield, an offensive juggernaut, has been steamrolling, Greenwich is ...

Traffic officer cut brings in savings
Just months after police removed the Lewis Street traffic officer from Greenwich Avenue, the police chief said the change has already saved the department thousands of dollars and enabled it to shift officers to central Greenwich and Byram.

Three hosts to become two « TopOfTheCircle.com
topofthecircle

Greenwich Academy head coach Angela Tammaro, the only coach in American scholastic history to have breached the 500-win mark in both field hockey and lacrosse, knows how much of a carryover there is between the field hockey and lacrosse ...

Wreckers fall short against old rivals
The Hour

By STEVE GEOGHEGAN
The Staples-Greenwich boys tennis rivalry doesn't get old but it's been one-sided recently. The Cardinals, who have captured the last ...

Potent voice of change
Denver Post
... banking sector. And President Barack Obama walks with 2009 National Teacher of the Year Anthony Mullen of Greenwich, Conn., center, and Education Secretary Arne Duncan, rear, to the Rose Garden of the White House in Washington, Tuesday, April 28, ...

Blue Wave Sports Blog: Another Crushing from Blue Wave Girls Lacrosse
by JMcCauley

They are yet to play the always strong Wilton team but have played Greenwich and New Canaan and have come out with two solid wins. Greenwich (14-4) and New Canaan (17-6). So be sure to catch them play Wilton at 4pm next Thursday May 7 ...

A tree grows in Bruce Park
Peter Malkin, State Rep. Livvy Floren and Vice President of Greenwich Tree Conservancy Cheryl Dunson were among those who came out to plant a new tree at Bruce Park Friday, April 17 as part of the conservancy’s Commemorative Tree Program. The program goal is to plant 370 trees in town by the town’s 370th anniversary in 2010. So far, 60 have been planted.

Ms. Floren was recognized as the first donor to the program. She has donated Katsura, Shadblow and Magnolia, which have been planted in Bruce Park near Bowling Green. For more information, e-mail JoAnn Messina at treeconserv@optonline.net or visit Greenwichtreeconservancy.org

The Cool Justice Report: YOUNG WRITERS IN THE NEWS:
4 hours ago by andy thibault The poetry county champions are: Jhyde Ryals, 18, of Fitch Senior High School of Groton, for her poem, "To Jhyde: From Daddy;" Yarelis Rivera, 14, of Windham High School, for her poem, "I Said No;" Amanda Ball, 17, of Greenwich Academy, ...

Greenwich unions considering wage freezes
Still stinging from the pain of layoffs, the unions that represent a majority of non-school town employees are considering a series of money-saving concessions, including a wage freeze.

Where Promoting The Arts Is A Way Of Life: Bruno Lucchesi in ...
by Cavalier Galleries

Now in our 23rd year, Cavalier Galleries continues to offer the finest in contemporary painting, sculpture and photography from around the world at two premier exhibition spaces in Greenwich and Nantucket. ...

Presstek wins patent cases in federal, German courts
Danbury News Times
By Richard Lee

A Greenwich-based printing technology company has won an international patent-infringement battle that forces one of its competitors to halt ...

FLITE School: Our Next iLife PLP is Wednesday, April 29th
by FLITE School Finding,

Learning, Integrating Technology Encounters at Schools in the Greenwich Public School System Greenwich.....


Somers man honored by Obama as teacher of the year
The Patent Trader
... at the White House as the 2009 National Teacher of the Year. Anthony Mullen, 49, an educator at the ARCH School in Greenwich, Conn., and a former police officer, was chosen for the honor by the Council of Chief State School Officers, which cited his ...

Hearing scheduled for development plan
Town residents have another chance to review the town's proposed Plan of Conservation and Development
before it goes to the Representative Town Meeting in June.

Area stocks
Connecticut Post
... Partner Re, an international reinsurer with its U.S. headquarters in Greenwich that serves more than 2,000 clients in 150 countries, gained $2.66 to close at $66.13. Emcor Group, a Norwalk-based provider of ...

GHS grabs constitution competition awards
If the threat of the swine flu virus mounts, should the United States seal its border with Mexico, and if so, should state or federal officials have the decision-making power?

Greenwich boys tennis tops rival Staples
Stamford Advocate

By David Fierro WESTPORT -- Though Tyler Kratky is just beginning his tennis career at Greenwich High School, the freshman already knew the significance of ...

Farmers market, Maypole in Provo
Deseret News
... she learned the Maypole dance as a child at Joaquin Elementary. She went on to live in the East and teach dance at Greenwich Academy in Greenwich, Conn., where she became known as the Maypole Queen of the East Coast. Luke's enthusiasm for the dance ...

BLT takes over 8 buildings in Stamford from Antares
Norwalk-based developer Building and Land Technology on Tuesday took over management, leasing and construction services of the last set of Stamford office buildings that belonged to Antares Investment Partners....

Malia and Sasha Obama Urged to Join Veggie Campaign
US News & World Report
... "We want as much support as we can get on this," says Williams, an eighth grader at Central Middle School in Greenwich, Conn. In the letter to the Obamas, provided to Whispers, Wyntergrace writes: "My name is Wyntergrace and I'm a big fan of yours. ...

Noel, Fairfield Greenwich accused of fraud in Madoff case
Stamford Advocate
By David Glovin

Fairfield Greenwich Group, the hedge fund that steered $7 billion to Bernard Madoff, faces new claims of fraud by investors who previously ...

Autism awareness
Autism awareness Friends of Autistic People recently celebrated the proclamation by Selectman Peter Tesei that April is FAP Autism Awareness month in Greenwich.
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Please send your comments, news tips and press release to
GreenwichRoundup@gmail.com

“In America the President reigns for four years, and Journalism governs for ever and ever”
- Oscar Wilde

04/29/09 There Is A Historic Watch With Greenwich Connections That Is Not Being Sold By Terry Betterridge

Watch said to have belonged to Bobby Kennedy in city auction

Plymouth Evening Herald

A WATCH reputed to have belonged to Bobby Kennedy, the brother of President John F Kennedy, is to be auctioned in Plymouth next month.

Its long-time owner was a Scottish lady, Millie Craig, who worked for 31 years from 1957 as a chef for George Skakel, the brother of Bobby's widow Ethel.

The Kennedys used to congregate at weekends at the Skakel home in Greenwich, Connecticut, in the USA, where Mrs Craig cooked for them.

While working there she lost her fob watch at the house, and to make up for it she was given the gent's Rolex wristwatch, which belonged to Bobby Kennedy – but who never wore it.

He, like his brother, was assassinated – during celebrations of a successful campaign in 1968 for the Democratic party's nomination for President.

Mrs Craig cherished the watch all her life, wearing it night and day, and handed it down to her daughter in Plymouth, who has now decided to sell it by auction. She has retained some press clippings from the 1970s featuring the watch, but unfortunately there is no other evidence to confirm it belonged to Bobby Kennedy, apart from her intriguing story.

Back then, she said of the watch: "I never take it off because it has sentimental value. Bobby Kennedy was a particularly outstanding man. The watch is a fine remembrance of a great man." .....

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Please send your comments, news tips and press releases to GreenwichRoundup@gmail.com

I shouted out,
Who killed the kennedys?
When after all
It was you and me
Let me please introduce myself
I'm a man of wealth and taste - Sympathy for the Devil, Mick Jagger

Pleased to meet you; hope you guess my name.That may be the world's game. It's not the game of Christianity. Are we called as Christians to oppose unjust and evil things? Absolutely.

But in the 21st century we just don't want to go there.

We simply, really, don't.

We are led by moral cowards.

But, to take it further, more evil has been committed by fearful people than by brave ones.

There was a time in America when some of our leaders stood shoulder to shoulder with the poor and powerless in society.

We need a new Bobby Kennedy or maybe as a nation we should oncs again start to reach out to the poor and afflicted. What ever happened to that Great society?

Today we live in a society that still has not rebuilt the homes of the poor of New Orleans, but bailed out bankers hedge fund guys.



04/29/09 Greenwich Roundup's International Reporter: Stop Injustice Now (SIN) Injustice Newsletter

'Stop Injustice Now' News Letter

Stop Injustice Now Newsletter

News Stories

29th April 2009

Please Tell Me What You Think Of Our Newsletter - Feedback

In The News

The Times & Protest Groups Family Court Campaign, Starts To Pay Off!

Age of secrecy ends as family courts are opened to media scrutiny

A disturbing case in which a local authority failed to act to take a child into care was able to be revealed yesterday, after the groundbreaking decision to admit the media into the family courts came into effect.

The case, set against a background of alleged sex abuse, revealed how a family had managed to slip through the net of three London councils because they kept moving home and were not known to the social services.

The details are typical of the kind that would have remained unknown but for the opening of such hearings after decades of decisions being taken behind closed doors.

The historic opening up of the courts was taken by Jack Straw, the Justice Secretary, after sustained pressure from families affected by the courts’ decisions and the media, led by The Times.

Under the reforms more than 200,000 hearings involving sensitive and traumatic cases, and with decisions that will have a huge impact on the lives of children and their families, will now be open to media scrutiny.

However, there is still confusion in the courts as to how this reform should operate, although The Times was admitted to most hearings at the six court centres it attended yesterday.

Strict reporting restrictions remain in force, which many â€" including judges â€" fear will undermine the reform and dilute its impact. There is also no automatic access to papers that have been laid before the court as evidence.

No identification of parties can take place and there was a mixed message over whether local authorities, often the butt of criticism in care cases, can be named.

The Times attended the above case, at the Barnet Civil and Family Court Centre, in which a council wants to remove a four-year-old child and baby into care.

The Full Article

Family Courts; Bath

The list on the notice board at Bath County Court said simply: “A Minor”. They were two short words that concealed a world of heartbreak.

Seated to one side of a horseshoe of tables in front of the judge’s desk was the mother of a six-year-old boy. At right angles to her, but never once catching her eye, sat her mother. The child’s father, separated from the mother but siding with her, appeared briefly but did not speak. All were accompanied by lawyers.

At issue was the grandmother’s belief that her daughter was not a fit parent. She wants the boy, who is living with her, to remain permanently. The question before the court was whether he should be allowed to stay with his mother on three weekends between now and the full hearing in June to determine his future home.

In the family court yesterday were district judge, six lawyers, two parents, a grandmother, a legally appointed guardian, hundreds of pages of testimony and experts’ reports and, for the first time, a reporter. The hearing was scheduled to last a full day.

In the past few weeks in the course of my duties for The Times I have been savaged by an Alsatian (I was allowed to wear a padded suit), been pursued by a herd of “Nazi” cattle and come face to sucker with a bathful of giant leeches. The prospect of facing a court room full of hostility was worse than any of them.

I need not have worried. The move towards greater openness was welcomed not only by most of the lawyers but also by the judge, Francis Goddard. Only the barrister representing the boy’s mother attempted to have the case heard in private on the ground that it was an exceptional case that involved allegations of abuse and the mother’s history of mental health problems.

Judge Goddard ran through the list of grounds for excluding the media under the new regulations, which include the possibility of disorder and the risk that it could endanger the safety of a witness, then said that he was happy as long as the case was “anonymised” and the boy could not be identified.

The Full Article

Family Courts; Barnet

If judges and court staff were ready for what has been hailed as a revolution in the family courts, lawyers at Barnet’s Civil and Family Court Centre were slightly taken by surprise by the arrival of the media.

Two cases had to be adjourned while lawyers discussed whether to oppose the admittance of The Times, but both, in the end, agreed â€" realising that stringent reporting restrictions remain in place.

After decades of holding such hearings behind closed doors, no one quite knew what to do. One counsel for a local authority at least had on him the guidance on admitting the media just issued by Britain’s most senior judge. But he confessed to Judge Marcia Levy: “I don’t know what our position is . . . I simply don’t know. I was asking for ten minutes to take instructions from the team manager.”

The judge, who was preparing to give an hour-long judgment in a case involving two young children, said that neither their names, nor those of other children involved, could be mentioned; nor those of the parents, nor schools, places or anyone else connected with them that would enable them to be identified.

Nonetheless, her detailed unravelling of the complex family circumstances of a young mother who faces losing her two children, one aged 4, the other a baby, cast light on the daily difficult balancing exercise that the courts face in such cases.

The mother, in her twenties, was the step-daughter of the man who had fathered her children. She had grown up with his four other children, and had helped to look after them. A relationship developed and two children resulted.

There were allegations of sex abuse (denied) between the father and one of his other children; of inappropriate sexual behaviour between those children; and evidence of his “unpredictable” personality, glue-sniffing, lack of ability or willingness to care for them in any appropriate way or put their needs first.

Rather than worry about his children, the judge, noted, his main concern was for himself.

The action was brought by one London council but three others were mentioned and one, Judge Levy noted, had been criticised by the “guardian” (the social worker for the children) for failing to take action over the elder child at least three years ago.

The Full Article

CASE STUDIES; Family courts

The rudimentary “Press” sign, stuck with Blu-Tack on the door of what moments before was an interview room, indicated that the officials at Ipswich County Court were not used to such intrusions. One looked shocked when told that The Times had entered the building, and security guards insisted that the press keep identification cards visible at all times and await court hearings in segregation from the various parties.

The establishment recovered quickly, however. Within 45 minutes the flimsy “Press” sign had been replaced with a smarter, laminated version, and The Times was granted access to a care order hearing without any disruptions or objections from the various legal parties.

It was only at the lunchtime recess that Judge Peter Thompson acknowledged the press in the courtroom â€" two journalists from The Times and one from the local newspaper, the Ipswich Evening Star. He emphasised that the normal reporting restrictions applying to the anonymity of children in the case still stood, but said nothing further about the new legislation and imposed no further restrictions.

The Times was thus afforded access to Day One of the hearing in its entirety â€" care proceedings initiated by a council in relation to a ten-month-old girl. An interim care order, under which the child was placed with a guardian last October, was being contested by both parents.

It was an illuminating glimpse into the workings of the court. Psychological experts altered their conclusions as they were being questioned on the stand, and complained on numerous occasions that they had not been given enough information about the case to make satisfactory conclusions.

The Full Article

National Anti Forced Adoption Week; 9th November 2009 until 15th November 2009, Anti Forced Adoption Week

Keep Up To Date; Check Out Our NEW Blog SiteAnti Forced Adoption Week 9th - 15th November 2009.
BAAF working to find A way to split families up, so children can be stolen all year round. Every November they draw the nation's attention in stealing more children. Each year they Campaign to steal more children. Read and listen to people who have been affected by Forced Adoption. The adoptive parents and adopted people are fooled in to the corruption with deception. If you feel ready to make the next step towards becoming an Abductor parent, we'll help guide you to the next steps. Stealing Children is open to more people than you think. BAAF, Social Services, Solicitors, Judges, The Government All Steal Your Children From You. There are opportunities to Email Your Local Social Services to Tell Them About Your Own Account Of How They Steal Children. In aspects of forced-adoption. Just Contact Your Local Authority, I'm Sure They Would Be Able To Steal A Child For You.

The Full Article

Kind Regards,


Ian Walton

Stop Injustice Now


Family Courts; Central London

Of the 66 hearings listed for the Principal Registry of the Family Division in Central London yesterday, 11 were already marked “Not open to the media”.

In those cases, Her Majesty’s Courts Service said, the press were automatically barred, and so the hearings were not covered by the new regulations.

Of those hearings to which the press was allowed to try to gain access, many were harrowing residency cases involving children, or divorcing couples arguing over dwindling assets. But in nearly all, the press was allowed to report only the “workings” of the court, to avoid identifying the children involved.

In some cases, barristers had been employed by local authorities or children’s charities seeking judicial approval about the best way to return youngsters to parents who now appeared fit enough to look after their offspring.

On the first day that reporters were allowed into the imposing seven-floor building just off Chancery Lane, The Times was granted access to sit in a hearing involving a celebrity who was trying to gain the right for his child to live with him.

However, the press’s presence in the case, which already has a series of strict reporting restrictions placed on it, led Her Honour Judge Vera Mayer to transfer it to High Court to establish exactly what journalists could report, if anything.

Referring to the new regulations allowing journalists to attend such sensitive cases, she said: “I think this is a new field and none of us has any proper guidelines. It has come at a speed that none of us anticipated.

“And a case of this nature has issues very specific to it; a foreign element and many other specific concerns. It could either be a case making bad law or an error which if it happened could not be rectified.”

The case was adjourned and the celebrity left court. One divorced couple who had probably not exchanged a civil word in months, paused as the immaculately dressed man walked passed them in the corridor, before one nudged the other and said: “Isn’t that, you know?”

The Full Article

Family Courts; Cardiff

The Times arrived at Cardiff civil justice centre yesterday on the first morning of a fact-finding hearing relating to a child.

After alerting the clerk to my presence before the case started, I was allowed to take a seat at the side of a small, brightly lit family proceedings courtroom on the third floor.

Although they knew about the rule change, my arrival was a surprise to at least some. On his way in, one of the solicitors involved in the case spotted that I had a copy of the new regulations allowing me to be there, and asked if he could borrow them to take a look. The judge asked to see my press card, and then explained to the court that I was there in accordance with the new access regulations that came into force yesterday, and was subject to the reporting restrictions imposed by the 1989 Children’s Act and the 1960 Administration of Justice Act.

The Full Article

Family Courts; Manchester

At one point in proceedings, the judge asked the pregnant mother before him whether she was in the habit of giving birth on the due delivery date. “Normally, on time,” she replied cheerily.

Judge Ian Hamilton, sitting at the Manchester Civil Justice Centre yesterday, was not being solicitous about her welfare. He was simply anxious to fix a date for a hearing to decide who will care for the unborn child and its two older brothers.

The parenting of the mother, a drug addict on a methadone programme, and her partner had given such cause for alarm that her eldest son was already being cared for by his paternal aunt.

Now aged 12, he was said to have suffered a neglectful childhood and been so emotionally traumatised that he lived in fear and had withdrawn into a shell, spending many hours in his bedroom playing computer games.

It was clear that Judge Hamilton was growing exasperated at the lack of progress of what had become a long-running case. It did not help that counsel for the local authority had not turned up on time, and then appeared to have no plan of action to push the matter forward.

The Full Article

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