In the news.
This page is mostly topics of information
from the news that will effect most of us "hence the reason for this webpage".
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Disabled sailor achieves record.
31st Aug 2009.
A yachtswoman on Monday became the first
quadriplegic woman to sail solo around Britain, arriving in Dover to cheers from
well-wishers.
Hilary Lister, 37, sailed into Dover
harbour after the 40-day trip in her specially adapted boat.
"It's absolutely amazing. It's great to be back in Dover and to have completed the
trip, the dream," Lister told reporters.
"I can't quite believe I've done it to be honest."
After enjoying sports as a child, Lister was diagnosed with a degenerative disease
which gradually limited the use of her body.
She had to adapt to adulthood being able to only move her head, eyes and mouth,
but her life changed when she discovered sailing in 2003.
Her mother Pauline Rudd said: "It is a staggering achievement, technically apart
from anything else.
"Not only for her but for the whole crew who deserve a lot of recognition. To be
able to do this when she is in so much pain and so dependent is a huge undertaking."
Lister operated the boat using three straws connected to sensitive pressure switches.
A "sip" on one straw caused the boat to go to starboard, while a "puff" took the
boat to port.
The second straw controlled the winch motor for both sails in a similar fashion.
The third straw allowed Lister to control her autopilot, to trim one sail relative
to the other and raise or lower the height of the boom.
Source.
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Online Bank Accounts 'Vulnerable
To Fraud'
27th August 2009.
The security measures used by some high
street banks for online accounting leaves their customers open to fraud, according
to a leading consumer group.
Abbey and Halifax were found to have the weakest visible security systems for online
bankers.
Meanwhile Alliance & Leicester and HSBC's measures were described as "average".
The survey, conducted by Which? Computing, said Halifax's log-in procedure was the
least secure, as customers are more vulnerable to having their information stolen
by a criminal using a key logger.
Key logger software, which monitors everything being typed into a keyboard, is thought
to have been responsible for online banking fraud doubling during 2008 to more than
£50m.
HSBC, Alliance & Leicester, Abbey and Halifax were also criticised for not logging
customers out of their accounts when they leave the website as it could allow someone
access to their details, especially on shared computers.
The banks may say it's the hidden security measures that count, but to have real
confidence in an online account, customers needs to see security in place.
Sarah Kidner, Which? Computing
Barclays was found to have the highest level of visible security measures - the
bank provides its customers with a PIN sentry device which generates a random password
each time a customer logs on.
Barclays also uses drop down menus when customers are entering details, making information
a lot harder to track.
Which? found that practices employed by some banks when transferring money differed
greatly, with Abbey, First Direct and Halifax not even asking for a password or
security details.
The banks criticised have defended themselves, claiming the hidden security measures
in place were more important when protecting customers.
A Halifax spokesman said: "The vast majority of our fraud defence is not visible
to customers and we deliberately seek to provide security which does not adversely
impact our customers' ability to bank with us online."
Sarah Kidner, editor of Which? Computing, said: "There are surprisingly big differences
between big banks' visible online security systems.
Source
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Can you be completely safe online?
18th August 2009.
US prosecutors have charged a man with
stealing data relating to 130m credit and debit cards. Rupert Goodwins, editor of
technology website and magazine ZDNet, discusses what whether more can be done to
make online transactions safe.
Source (External link to an online sound
track BBC 4).
Tips on how to try and stay secure (from
the web-editor).
1. First of all I would always
use a credit card instead of a bank card online as you have more security with this,
if anything did go wrong and it was not down to you then you should get your money
back with a credit card (they have insurance measures in place for this and is written
in to their terms and conditions) the banks on the other hand would tend to leave
you to sort it out yourself.
2. Never ever pass on your card
details to anyone and without knowing first hand that you are at a secure web-page.
This can be easily identified by looking
for the padlock in the bottom right hand side of your screen and it can also be
identified by the web address text in any secure website the website address text
should start looking like https://www (whatever the remainder of the address may
follow) as opposed to an unsecure website address which would be something like
http://www
See diagram below.
I have not used a bank or anything for the example but it is still a secure website.
3. Nothing is actual fool proof
with the amount of tools the criminals have nowadays if you listen to the clip you
will hear that, but if you at least try to cover all these tips and keep your computer
up to date with anti-virus protection and anti-spyware and keep your firewall kept
on and keep all the Microsoft updates that are available you should be at least
on the right side of the track.
Similar? Security warning
over wireless networks 16th Oct 2009. Click
here.
Similar? Millions tricked by scareware!
19 Oct 2009. Click
here.
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Free bus pass travel getting
killed off?
19th June 2008.
Could the present free bus pass becoming
to an end? This was meant to get people out of their cars, to jump start people
in to using the public transport system.
It appears this may be the case, especially
so in England, as far as Scotland is concerned, Alex Salmond refused repeatedly
to give long-term guarantees for key elements of concessionary bus passes for the
over-60s.
Although the First Minister categorically promised MSPs that he would not raise
the age threshold for the passes from 60 to 65, he was less forthcoming on whether
his government would be likely to make any changes to rules governing routes, time
of operation and distances.
His spokesman was equally reticent, saying later that there were no plans to change
these elements, but refusing to give an outright guarantee that they would remain
as they were.
The concessionary fares scheme for senior citizens and disabled people has been
one of the most popular benefits of devolution since it was introduced by the previous
Labour/Liberal Democrat Executive in April 2006. More than one million Scots have
concessionary travel cards, an estimated take-up of more than 90 per cent.
I have copied a few external links on this subject if you care to read them.
Source,
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Nurses in assisted suicide talk.
25th July 2009.
The Royal College of Nursing (RCN) in
Scotland has said it will talk to the Independent MSP Margo MacDonald about her
proposals on assisted suicide.
It comes after the RCN became the first major medical institution to drop its long-standing
opposition to the idea of helping patients kill themselves.
Margo MacDonald hopes to introduce her
bill to legalise assisted suicide in Scotland in the autumn.
She said she would be very grateful for nurses' input.
The comments by the Scottish arm of the nursing body comes after the RCN dropped
its opposition to the concept of helping patients to commit suicide.
The college, which represents 400,000 members, has now adopted a neutral stance,
neither supporting nor opposing a change in the law.
The RCN vote on Friday follows a three-month consultation of members, which drew
over 1,200 individual responses.
Of those, 49% supported assisted suicide, but 40% were opposed to the concept.
Members of the RCN council also decided that nurses should be given detailed guidance
on the issue, which will now be drawn up.
In Scotland, the organisation also said it wanted to ensure there was guidance and
protection for patients and staff.
It said it would work with Ms MacDonald on the details of her proposals for a bill.
Remains opposed.
Ms MacDonald, who suffers from Parkinson's disease, has expressed her own wish to
choose a dignified death.
She told the BBC: "The RCN recognises that there is a public mood to deal with choices
at the end of life.
"They recognise that their members will be asked by patients about it because very
often the relationship between the nurse and the patient, particularly now that
we have the specialist nurses, is perhaps the closest one."
The British Medical Association remains opposed to assisted suicide, having briefly
and controversially adopted a neutral stance several years ago.
Source.
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Scots 'drowning in personal debt'
9th June 2009.
Levels of personal debt among people
seeking help from Citizens' Advice Bureaux (CAB) have doubled in the past five years,
a new report has suggested.
The Drowning in Debt report analysed cases brought to CAB staff across Scotland.
It revealed a picture of rapidly mounting debt against a background of increasingly
aggressive recovery tactics from some lenders.
Motions are to be tabled at Holyrood and Westminster calling for action.
The report said mounting debt was causing "desperation" among its clients, many
of whom were going without food or heating in order to pay off their debts.
It found that one in in 10 of CAB's debt clients owed more than £50,000, with the
biggest an astonishing £239,346 - excluding mortgage debts.
For every £1 of monthly income, these clients owed on average around £28 of debt,
the report said, with the ratio of debt to monthly income rising by a quarter since
2003.
The report also accused creditors of pursuing debts more vigorously than in 2003
- with two fifths of clients reporting instances of aggressive harassment.
The report found that almost twice as many debt clients in 2008 had been threatened
with unlawful debt recovery methods, with the vast majority having charges and fees
added to their debts due to their failure to pay on time.
Two in five clients - including half of all women - were going without essentials
as a way of managing their debts, compared with one third five years ago.
And nine in every 10 clients said debt had a negative impact on their mental or
physical health.
Brian Ritchie, a book keeper from Paisley, is about £45,000 in debt. His finances
spiralled out of control when his wife's disability payments were delayed because
of an administrative mix-up and he racked up huge credit card bills.
He said: "Everything is maxed up to the hilt. I am up to my neck in debt.
"Each month when I get my wages I go on the internet and work out how much I need
to pay on each card I have.
"I have found that if you try to run away from your debts they will catch up with
you."
He added: "It is very easy to get credit cards. As far as I could see there were
no checks done on me. I just phoned up and asked for one.
"I feel companies should really be doing more to check what other debts you have
before giving you more."
Kaliani Lyle, chief executive of Citizens Advice Scotland, said the recession was
making things even worse for people on low incomes, and plunging many others into
financial hardship for the first time.
"The result is that debt has become a sad reality for too many Scots," she said.
"But this report shows that the levels of that debt are getting out of control.
Debt breeds debt. People take out a loan or new credit card because they can't make
ends meet.
"Then they fall behind with their repayments, so they take out another loan to pay
the first one off.
"Then they find they have to take another loan again, and before long they are spiralling
into massive debts that they just can't control."
She warned that taking out further loans was rarely the answer, and urged anyone
concerned about their finances to seek advice immediately.
Parliamentary motions backing the findings of the report were due to be lodged on
Wednesday morning by John Wilson MSP at Holyrood and Mark Lazarowicz MP at Westminster.
Source. alternatively to see an updated
version of more of the same subject then just click on
here. (External Links).
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A costly mouse click mistake
of £2,000.
11th September 2009.
Claire Logie has a cartoon on her desk
which says "stop and think" - a painful reminder of the day when she failed to do
exactly that.
She had been meaning to transfer a sum of £2,000 into her savings account.
But, after clicking the wrong box, she accidentally sent the cash to someone she
had paid years ago, and whose details had been saved on her account.
"As soon as I'd done it I felt sick and very upset," she said, but assumed she would
eventually get the cash back.
But six months on she is still to receive a refund.
'Easy to do'
Claire is no online novice, and even works for one of the big four high street banks,
so is familiar with banking on the internet.
She says: "I am not a dizzy person. I am not an idiot. I made the mistake, and it
is very easy to do."
So, why will the bank not return the money?
The bank concerned, the Alliance and Leicester, says it cannot force the person
who received the money to return it.
They tried repeatedly to contact the customer concerned, but "regrettably" that
customer has not responded.
A spokesperson told the BBC: "It wasn't our mistake, so we are unable to take any
further action".
Furthermore, they would not even tell Claire the name of the customer, because of
the Data Protection Act.
That means she is unable to take the case to the small claims court.
The Financial Ombudsman is also unable to help, because her complaint is not against
the bank itself.
Grey area
Cases like this are rare, because most people receiving money by mistake pay it
back.
But Jemma Smith, of the Payments Council, which oversees the efficiency of bank
payments, admits there's nothing in the banking code about how errors like this
can be dealt with.
The only answer seems to be not to make the mistake in the first place.
"Everything your bank will tell you is going to be stressing how important it is
that you have the correct account name and sort code," she says.
Instances like this are not necessarily regarded as theft.
Legally this is a grey area, as proving the recipient of the money had a guilty
mind at the time he or she received it could be difficult.
Imagine giving £2,000 to someone who looked like your friend on the street, but
turned out not to be.
If they ran off with the money, would you have a leg to stand on?
The police told the BBC it might be possible for them to investigate, but they could
not guarantee the Crown Prosecution Service would agree to prosecute.
'Arbitration'
Alison Steed, a former Daily Telegraph journalist who has set up a financial website
called MyMoneyDiva.com, believes the problem is much more widespread than has been
realised.
She estimates up to 1% of all bank transfers go astray.
That would mean as much as £439m being paid to the wrong person every year in the
UK, although the vast majority of such payments would be corrected.
She also believes the Financial Ombudsman service should set up a department to
deal with such mistakes.
"Part of the Ombudsman service could be in a position to look at these cases, and
take on some kind of arbitration," she says.
But she is not optimistic about Claire getting her £2,000 back.
"I hope she gets it back. But I think in reality the chances are pretty slim."
In the meantime, for anyone doing some online banking, it might be worth remembering
to stop and think.
Having that cartoon on your desk, and acting on it, could really save you money.
Brian Milligan reports.
Source. (online video on this External link)
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Postal strikes 'could leave thousands facing fines and bad credit
rating'.
16th September 2009.
The postal strikes have left thousands
of families and businesses facing bank penalty charges and fines for late bill payments
as a backlog of more than 20 million letters continues to grow.
Credit and store card statements are among the trapped mail, raising fears that
the credit rating of many people may be affected, while small firms risk large overdraft
charges as customer cheques fail to reach them.
The late payment of utility bills could lead to some families threatened with disconnection
while parking fines will also incur an added cost and possibly legal action if they
are not received and dealt with in time.
Hospital appointment notifications, passports and mortgage offers will also be among
the stacks of unsorted mail.
As many as 20 million letters and parcels are now waiting to be cleared after a
series of rolling strikes by some 20,000 Royal Mail employees which have been hitting
the network since July.
It has been estimated that the total cost of lost orders, bank charges and administration
costs will exceed the £300 million loss of the 2007 postal strike.
Union sources say that informal sampling had found that some parcels and letters
are being held up in the backlog in the mail system for up to a fortnight.
One official said: "We are finding that it is taking between 11 and 14 days for
post to come through." Typically around 55 million items of post are sent through
the system every day.
Most banks say charges for the late payment of credit card bills are generated automatically,
and it will not be possible to alter this because of the Royal Mail dispute.
Robert Hammond, from customer body Consumer Focus, said: "Banks could show a bit
of flexibility to their customers. Let's face it, they could do with some good PR
at the moment."
Liberal Democrat Treasury spokesman Vince Cable said: "It is simply outrageous for
banks to be landing thousands of customers with yet more charges for delays that
aren't their fault.
"Banks must be more flexible over payment delays caused by postal strikes. They
should pay back these punitive charges and end this practice immediately."
UK Payments, the banks' trade body, said the charging regime will not be modified
to compensate for the late mail.
Communications director Sandra Quinn said: "The majority of these charges are generated
automatically when a payment deadline is missed. There is no special dispensation
built into the system because there is industrial action in the postal system.
"Most people know when their statement is due. If if does not arrive they should
contact the company to find out the balance and how much should be paid. If you
do get a charge as a result of the postal strikes you should contact your bank.
They will deal with such requests sympathetically."
The London Chamber of Commerce and Industry have reported that some businesses have
waited ten days for their post.
Policy director Helen Hill said: "The combination of high volumes of undelivered
mail and the uncertainty as to when post will arrive has made this summer a nightmare
for businesses.
"This dispute must be brought to an immediate end so firms can get on with the real
job of getting through the worst recession in a generation."
The Direct Marketing Association has also called on the Government to intervene
to end the dispute.
Robert Keitch, a spokesman, said that the disruption could force some companies,
which are already struggling in the recession, to go bust. He said: "It is quite
clear that businesses cannot sustain these interruptions indefinitely.
"Should relations deteriorate further and a national postal strike take effect,
this would have a significant impact on businesses that rely on issuing invoices
and receiving payment via post.
"We are seeing evidence that the economy might be staging a recovery from the recession
and yet strike action could be the final blow for many struggling companies.
"Disruption to the post will drive companies away from using mail to sell their
products, which will not be particularly helpful to the Royal Mail and its employees
when mail volumes are already down year-on-year."
The industrial action has hit towns and cities across the country. This week the
stoppages have been concentrated in Cambridgeshire on Monday, followed by Middlesbrough
on Tuesday and then London on Wednesday before moving to Scotland later this week.
The Communication Workers Union is holding a ballot on an all-out national strike.
Royal Mail management and the CWU are in dispute over a modernisation programme
that revolves around thousands of job cuts and changes to working patterns.
A Royal Mail spokesman denied the strikes have caused as much disruption as has
ben claimed.
"The amount of mail delayed by their [the CWU's] action is well less than a quarter
of the normal daily mailbag with more than 90 per cent of our postmen and women
working as usual every day.
"So the CWU claim that the effect is greater than the national strike of 2007 is
just nonsense," he said.
Source. (External Link)
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Clarity due on assisted suicide.
23rd September 2009.
Guidelines on assisted suicide law in
will be published later to clarify when people
are likely to be prosecuted.
It is currently illegal to help someone commit suicide, but as yet no-one has been
prosecuted for helping a person go abroad to end their life.
The Director of Public Prosecutions Keir Starmer QC has drawn up the guidance following
a Law Lords ruling.
He has already said it will not mean assisted suicide will become legal.
Instead, he has said he wants to set out when individuals are more likely to be
prosecuted or not prosecuted.
More than 100 Britons with terminal or incurable illnesses have gone to the Swiss
centre Dignitas to die.
Several of the cases have been looked into by police, but none has led to a prosecution
because the authorities have the power to use their discretion.
But earlier this year, Law Lords said Debbie Purdy, a multiple sclerosis sufferer
from Bradford, had the right to know whether her husband Omar Puente would be prosecuted
if he helped her travel abroad to die.
Ahead of the publication, Mr Starmer said: "It is not easy and there are lots of
factors that have to be taken into account.
"The basic approach we have taken is to try to bring some clarity, but at the same
time to protect the vulnerable."
Mr Starmer said there were a number of key factors that would be considered in a
prosecution.
These included whether the person stood to benefit financially from the death, whether
they had encouraged the suicide for reasons other than compassion and whether the
person wanting die was considered competent enough to make that decision.
Flexibility
But Mr Starmer said there would still be a degree of flexibility as every case he
had reviewed in recent years had been different.
"If we put it in a straight-jacket it will cause more problems than it resolves."
The guidelines will come into effect immediately, although this will only be on
an interim basis while they are consulted on.
Sarah Wootton, chief executive of the Dignity in Dying campaign group, agreed more
clarity was needed.
"This will represent a significant breakthrough in our campaign for greater choice
and control at the end of life."
But Dr Peter Saunders, of Care Not Killing, an umbrella group of doctors, religious
organisations and charities, said it was a shame the DPP had been forced into this
as the current situation was "working well".
"We hope no-one will be given immunity. It is only right that each case is looked
into as this acts as an effective deterrent and protects the vulnerable.
"There is also a danger that the DPP will become a consultancy service for law breakers."
'Uncertainty'
David Witt, from Tonbridge in Kent, who took his wife Elaine to Switzerland to die
two years ago when she was suffering with lung cancer, said the lack of clarity
had made it difficult.
The 64-year-old said: "[The guidelines] would have helped us a lot. On top of all
the physical and emotional problems, there's this uncertainty. You can't tell people
what you're thinking."
Anyone assisting someone to commit suicide can face up to 14 years in prison under
the 1961 Suicide Act, which covers England and Wales.
A similar law applies in Northern Ireland and fresh guidance is also expected.
In Scotland there is some uncertainty as there is no specific law on assisted suicide,
although in theory someone could be prosecuted under homicide law.
A bill is expected to come before the Scottish parliament soon in a bid to legalise
assisted suicide.
By Nick Triggle
Health reporter, BBC News
Source. (External Link to a live video
with Debbie Purdy is shown on this webpage).
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Millions tricked by 'scareware'
19th Oct 2009.
Online
criminals are making millions of pounds by convincing computer users to download
fake anti-virus software, internet security experts claim.
Symantec says more than 40 million people have fallen victim to the "scareware"
scam in the past 12 months.
The download is usually harmful and criminals can sometimes use it to get the victim's
credit card details.
The firm has identified 250 versions of scareware, and criminals are thought to
earn more than £750,000 each a year.
Franchised out
Scareware sellers use pop-up adverts deliberately designed to look legitimate, for
example, using the same typefaces as Microsoft and other well-known software providers.
They appear, often when the user is switching between websites, and falsely warn
that a computer's security has been compromised.
If the user then clicks on the message they are directed towards another site where
they can download the fake anti-virus software they supposedly need to clean up
their computer - for a fee of up to £60.
Con Mallon, from Symantec, told the BBC the apparent fix could have a double impact
on victims.
"Obviously, you're losing your own hard-earned cash up front, but at the back end
of that, if you're transacting with these guys online you're offering them credit
card details, debit card details and other personal information," he said.
"That's obviously very valuable because these cyber criminals can try to raid those
accounts themselves or they can then pass them on or sell them to others who ultimately
will try to use that information to their benefit not yours."
The findings were revealed in a report written following Symantec analysis of data
collected from July 2008 to June 2009. Symantec said 43 million people fell for
such scams during that period.
It has become so popular that the rogue software has been franchised out.
Mr
Mallon said some scareware took the scam a step further.
"[They] could hold your computer to ransom where they will stop your computer working
or lock up some of your personal information, your photographs or some of your Word
documents.
"They will extort money from you at that point. They will ask you to pay some additional
money and they will then release your machine back to you."
The scam is hard for police or other agencies to investigate because the individual
sums of money involved are very small.
Therefore, experts say users must protect themselves with common sense and legitimate
security software.
'Steal your identity'
Tony Neate, from Get Safe Online, told the BBC the threats presented by the internet
had changed in recent years.
"Where we used to say protect your PC... we've now got to look at ourselves, making
sure we're protected against the con men who are out there," he said.
"They want you to help them infect your machine. When they've infected your machine
it's possibly no longer your machine - you've got no control over it.
"Then what they're looking to do is take away your identity, steal bits of your
identity, or even get some financial information from you."
He added: "They used to be 16-year-olds in their bedrooms causing damage with viruses.
Now those 16-year-olds have grown up [and] they're looking for money, they're looking
for information."
source. (External Link).
Similar? Can you be completely
safe online? 18th Aug 2009. click
here.
Similar? Security warning over
wireless networks 16th Oct 2009. click
here.
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Teenage girl on stair
lift to millions after stumbling on handrail idea for a GCSE project.
Nov 14th 2009.
When
Ruth Amos created a design for a handrail as part of a GCSE project, her main focus
was to ensure she would get a good grade.
The 16-year-old schoolgirl never expected that her design idea would be turned into
a device that has helped change the lives of disabled and elderly people.
Now, three years on, she is running an expanding firm - and in a few years could
potentially earn millions.
Stairway to millions: Ruth Amos, aged
19, pictured demonstrating the 'Stair-Steady' at her home.
This week the teenager's achievements
were honoured when she was presented with the Young Star award at the Women of the
Future awards in Central London.
Ruth, 19, from Sheffield, designed the Stair-Steady to help those with walking difficulties
climb the stairs as part of her design and technology GCSE project.
Her teacher asked her to design a product that would help solve a dilemma for him.
He told Ruth that his mother did not want a stair-lift put into her house, but could
not get up the stairs without one.
Ruth designed and developed a metal bar attached to a metal stair rail. It
allows those with limited mobility to use the stairs without worrying that they
will fall.
Those using the Stair-Steady push the bar along the rail to help them balance when
they want go up and down the stairs.
The bar uses friction to lock itself in place so users can pull themselves up to
the next step. It will lock in place if the user falls or stumbles.
When not in use, the handle can be pushed flat against the wall.
Ruth's design was so good that a local
company made a prototype for her. She won the Young Engineer of Britain award
in 2006 and started her business - all at the same time as taking and passing 15
GCSEs.
The Stair-Steady, which costs £470, has been so successful that Miss Amos is now
considering selling it abroad.
She currently sells it nationwide, in partnership with Minivator, the UK's second
largest manufacturer of stair-lifts, and it is being bought at a rate of more than
three per week.
Although she would not disclose her turnover as she is in the middle of negotiations,
her business is worth more than £60,000 a year.
She had been planning to go to university, but has put that on hold for three years
to concentrate on the business.
'I can't believe how successful the Stair-Steady's been,' said Ruth. 'It's
doing really well and we're looking to expand our range and take the business to
Europe,' she said.
'Often a fresh mind on an old market place is the best thing. I love running
the business and I love being an entrepreneur.'
source. To visit her website click
here.
The you tube video click
here.
The you tube video of her factory
click
here part two click
here.
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This page was last updated on
07/12/2009 16:25:10
23rd Sep 2009.
27th Aug 2009.