TEACHERS must undergo MoT-style check-ups to make sure they are fit for the classroom under Government plans unveiled yesterday. Staff will have to apply for a "licence to teach" - and take a test to renew it every five years. The licence - similar to those for doctors and lawyers - will help weed out rotten teachers and make it impossible for those who have been sacked to walk into a job at another school. Rookie teachers must apply for a licence from next year. It will then be intro
Index Complete Australian review US review page 1: camera US review page 2: new features US review page 3: 3.0 firmware updates US review page 4: performance & battery Editor's note: this review is in two parts. One is written by the Australian CNET team, and the other is by our team in the US. We'll focus on the basic experience of the phone; what's hot and what's not in this upgrade. Continue on to the following pages for the US review with an in-depth look a
Index Complete Australian review US review page 1: camera US review page 2: new features US review page 3: 3.0 firmware updates US review page 4: performance & battery Editor's note: this review is in two parts. One is written by the Australian CNET team, and the other is by our team in the US. We'll focus on the basic experience of the phone; what's hot and what's not in this upgrade. Continue on to the following pages for the US review with an in-depth look a
MTV Star Heidi Montag: Over My Dead Body Would I Take A Microchip Paul Joseph Watson Prison Planet.com Tuesday, June 30, 2009 Star of MTV’s The Hills Heidi Montag appeared on The Alex Jones Show today with her fellow co-star husband Spencer Pratt to discuss how some nightclubs are introducing implantable identification microchips to allow customers to access VIP areas. Montag told Jones, “You would have to kill me before I get a chip.” Montag said that as a Christian she had a
While this may seem like good news, it’s just a flick of the switch to make it compulsory. We’ll see how voluntary it is after a Sufficiently Horrific Provocation. Via: Reuters: Britain said on Tuesday it was dropping plans to bring in compulsory biometric identity cards for airport workers and that the multi-billion pound scheme would remain voluntary [...]
Don’t start cheering just yet. The UK Govt said on Tuesday it was dropping plans to bring in compulsory biometric identity cards for airport workers and that the multi-billion pound scheme would remain voluntary for all Britons. Home Secretary Alan Johnson said the government was going ahead with the introduction of the 30 pound cards, which contain personal details, fingerprints and a facial image, but ruled out making them compulsory. Civil rights campaigners and opposition politicians h
The Sun Last rites for ID cards read by Johnson Independent The Home Secretary Alan Johnson killed off the Government's cherished compulsory identity cards scheme last night, promising that British citizens would never be forced to sign up for them. … Labour in retreat as ID card plan is axed Scotsman Brown backpedals on spending and ID cards The Herald Dramatic Labour U-turn by new Home Secretary means we will never … Daily Mail BBC News
“The REAL ID Act may be on the verge of receiving its final coffin nails. Unfortunately, the Obama administration is pushing a replacement bill that poses many of the same threats as REAL ID. The history of REAL ID should inspire friends of freedom to once again vigorously oppose any and every federal grab for their personal information. The feds had sought legislation to create national ID cards in the 1990s but were rebuffed by a Republican Congress.” (06/30/09)
President Manuel “Mel” Zelaya of Honduras aims to return on Thursday from his brief exile in Costa Rica, to which he was removed by the military in his pyjamas. He has pledged to abandon plans to ignore the law of his country and carry out a non-binding referendum on setting up an assembly to rewrite it (in order to run for a second term). The constitution can be changed, but not in the way he went about it. The Honduran opposition perceived distinct shades of Chavez, the military performed a co
Saw this sign in the Baltimore airport last week: “Self-Service Check-In: You Will Need a Major Credit Card” and then in small print: “For Identification Only” Yes, apparently American Airlines will only give boarding passes to individuals who have been thoroughly vetted according to the strict standards of American Express , Mastercard , or VISA (and perhaps Discover). Sherri Davidoff PGP-signed text: 2009-07-01 (current) Did you like this article? Share it!
For those of you who drive, live and dwell on or around campus, or simply choose to walk rather than subject yourself to the whims , smells and sad resignation aboard the AC transit system, this year expect a seller’s market for bus pass stickers. Amidst a gaping deficit and, it would follow, looming budget cuts, it looks like bus prices are on the up and up . Our hands protectively cup our oh-so-valuably adorned ID cards. Here’s the damage: Adult trips will go from $1.75 to $2; for kids
The Hills actor tells The Alex Jones Show why the implantable microchip represents the “mark of the beast” By Paul Joseph Watson Prison Planet | Star of MTV’s The Hills Heidi Montag appeared on The Alex Jones Show today with her fellow co-star husband Spencer Pratt to discuss how some nightclubs are introducing implantable identification microchips to allow customers to access VIP areas. Montag told Jones, “You would have to kill me before I get a chip.” Montag said that as a C
This isn’t a political blog, and it is a coincidence that I came across a couple of things that chime with each other on the same day that the UK government has started to reverse from its enthusiastic promotion of ID cards for all. The first juicy nugget came from Anne Marie McEwan . In writing about social networking tools and KM , she linked some of the requirements for successful social software adoption (especially the need for open trusting cultures) to the use of technology fo
The British government has abandoned its plans to force airside workers in London City and Manchester airports to sign up for ID cards after workers and unions kicked up a fuss. No2ID and others are calling it a humiliating climb down but don’t get too excited about the demise of the ID card scheme because it’s far from dead. Airside workers will no longer be required to have the ID cards (yet) but Mancunians are going to be spammed relentlessly from the end of the year telling them to vol
animation: James Jarvis SUITCASE I live from myself like a suitcase, withdrawing my accessories each day. When I was younger I used to be less careful: Id swing from rope to rope, a regular at the circus; I didnt mind the stumbles, without a net, the ride was more exciting. The crowd would howl with glee to watch me lose my grip, then I would somersault backwards, into the arms of Death, but he would never catch me. Id get up and pack myself back into my vinyl case, all ten thousand of me; …
Another look at what engendered a lot of anti-Ed Balls sentiment, even from inside the Labour ranks, as I put it on a Liberal Conspiracy entry; “On CiF, and during an interview with Radio 4’s World at One, Balls spelt out his reasons for wanting to go ahead with spending, along with why fighting within the [...]
A few weeks ago I wrote ( link here ) about the proposed launch of a trial of the ID cards scheme in Manchester. Today the Press Association carried the news ( link here ) that the Home Secretary, Alan Johnson, has announced that the trial scheme “which would have required some airport staff and pilots to carry the controversial cards” has been abandoned. Mr Johnson said: “Holding an identity card should be a personal choice for British citizens – just as it is now to obtain a passport. A
This is welcome: Home Secretary Alan Johnson has dropped plans to make ID cards compulsory for pilots and airside workers at Manchester and London City airports. The cards were due to be trialled there - sparking trade union anger. But: However, in a statement, the campaign group No2ID said the "humiliating climbdown" was not the end of the scheme. "It's just part of the ongoing attempt by senior Home Office officials to fortify the scheme against cancellation and to bind the hands of
Under fire, Wisconsin legislators killed a measure to give illegal immigrants special driver’s license but still passed a law that gives them discounted tuition at the state’s public colleges and universities. The two controversial measures were inserted into the 2009-2011 state budget and, up until a few days ago, both were scheduled to be approved. After all, the Badger State has at least three official illegal alien sanctuaries— Madison, Racine and Dane County —and a history of protectin
The credit card processing industry doesn’t exactly have a stellar reputation and merchant account complaints are far more common than they should be. In this article I’ll talk about how you can avoid doing business with the bad eggs in the industry, why it’s so tough to be heard when you have a merchant account complaint and what you can do to get the word out about a poor provider that you’ve encounter. Figure out who you’re dealing with First up is the issue of pre-screening potential mer
Indiana Governor Mitch Daniels has sent a letter warning state employees of a furlough in case of a government shutdown. Here’s the text letter… Dear Co-Worker: I apologize that I am only just now communicating with you, but I have held off at the request of state legislators who are working to reach a budget compromise before the fiscal year ends tonight. When midday arrived with still no formal agreement, I informed the General Assembly that in fairness to state employees I could not
Alan Johnson's announcement that id cards will not be compulsory for British citizens is to be welcomed. The Government always insisted that it would not be an offence not to carry your id card, and on that basis alone its capacity to counter terrorism was seriously ineffective. The notion that Osama Bin Laden, stopped by police shopping in West Bromwich, would be given 7 days to produce his id card at a local police station was always a bit daft. However, I suspect the 'not compulsory' element
The long decline of New Labour’s ID card scheme continues : As a result of Mr Johnson’s announcement, foreign nationals living and working in the UK will be the only group of people who will have to have the cards, with 50,000 already having been issued. So we can, thankfully, look forward to not having to jeopardize our good characters by refusing to carry the damn things. This is a good thing, though New Labour’s foot soldiers of tyranny will no doubt disagree. For a long, long time we
