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Try looking in the monthly archives. September 2019

Even After 25 Years Pete Roses Ban From Baseball Is Money in

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  • Sep, 30, 2019
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In the long and varied history of sports heroes — from Pheidippides to Johnny Football — none has signed his name more often, nor more energetically and whimsically, than Pete Rose. Signing for dollars has been at the core of Rose’s livelihood, and lifeblood, since he was banned from baseball 25 years ago. For years now he has appeared four days a week, in five-hour shifts, at a memorabilia shop in a Las Vegas mall. The crowds don’t swarm, but they do come, steadily. An autographed ball costs $99, a bat $200, a jersey $40. Items are also bundled and sold in packages. It’s not unusual for Rose to move more than $10,000 worth of merchandise in a day.Prices and item choices are set not by Rose himself but by the company, Hit King Inc., that employs him. (He gets a flat fee for his work, but if sales pass a certain level, he receives a percentage of the extra money.) That means that when he’s signing somewhere else and has a different employer, the prices, and the menu, can vary. Just the other day, for example, Rose was in Cooperstown for Induction Weekend, where he has made almost annual autograph appearances for the past two decades. He signed at the Safe at Home shop on Main Street, less than 400 feet from the Hall of Fame to which he has been famously denied induction. In Cooperstown, customers could do a lot better for themselves than they could at The Art of Music store, Rose’s autographing venue in Vegas.Here’s a look at some of the price variability of baseballs with two popular Rose inscriptions, by retailer (keeping in mind that an autographed item for sale on eBay may be less reliably authentic than one signed in person or bought from Steiner Sports):The first inscription refers, of course, to Rose’s record career hits total; the second is a winking apology for the crime (betting on baseball) that landed him in the boat he’s in. Rose likes to lampoon his situation further: In certain circumstances he’ll sign baseballs with “I’m sorry I broke up the Beatles” or “I’m sorry I shot JFK.”Downtown Cooperstown is many things to many people on Induction Weekend but it is most conspicuously a bazaar for players selling their signatures. At any moment you can find scores of former big leaguers signing things in shops or at sidewalk tables along the narrow streets. Voices ring out, carnival-barker style, to let you know where to look for your favorite players. “Ernie Banks! A Hall of Famer, he’s right here! Come on in! Ernie Banks here today!”Special inscriptions like Rose’s are sometimes part of the transaction. This year, for example, the former Braves closer John Rocker, famous for his anti-New York rant in the late 1990s, was in town, capitalizing on the influx of Atlanta fans who’d come to see Greg Maddux, Tom Glavine and Bobby Cox get inducted. You could get a ball signed by Rocker for $20, plus $10 for a personal inscription. The inscription price rose to $25, though, if you wanted him to write “F New York” or “F the New York Mets.”So how does Rose’s Cooperstown fee of $60 compare with other players’ fees? Below is a look at the rate for some notable autographs during Induction Weekend. Typically, a Hall of Famer’s autograph sells for more than a non-Hall of Famer’s. So leaving out Rose’s figure, and relying on help from a pair of fine reporters (big cheers to David Bauer and Larry Mileo), I also calculated the average price for each of those two subsets of players. The autograph prices are set by the vendor and are determined, naturally, based on demand. It sometimes happened that a player appeared at more than one venue during the weekend and his autograph sold for slightly different prices. I took that into account.In comparison with Hall of Famers (the group Rose’s supporters believe he should be part of), Rose commanded 6 percent less than the average price. (Among teammates from the 1970s Big Red Machine, Rose drew about 13 percent less than Hall of Famers Johnny Bench and Joe Morgan and about 9 percent more than Hall of Famer Tony Perez.) Compared to other non-Hall of Famers, however, Rose killed it. Braves pitcher John Smoltz, who had the Atlanta contingent in town and who was billed on a price flyer as a “Future Hall of Famer” (he’ll get in next year) was the only non-Hall of Fame player whose autograph went for as much as Rose’s.Most surprising, given how long Rose has been at it and how deeply he has saturated the market for his own signature, is that his price has remained stable as he has continued to sell. At Safe at Home, the signed ball fee went up from $55 to $60 about seven years ago, according to store proprietor Andrew Vilacky, and has remained at that price. In Las Vegas, Rose’s autograph on a ball cost $79 when he was selling at the Field of Dreams in 2009. Today, at The Art of Music, he gets a 25.3 percent higher rate without any drop in volume.So why does Rose, now 73, still draw? As the eBay price in the first table suggests, no one is investing in his autograph in hopes of making much resale profit. Part of the allure is Rose’s continued fame — he may be the most famous non-Hall of Fame former baseball player alive. But there is more to it than that.What people keep buying is not just the autograph, but also the experience of getting it. Plenty of ballplayers can engage with the fan base, but nobody does it better or embraces it more than Rose does. Pete is extremely good at being Pete. You sit with him for five minutes during an autograph session. He’ll banter cornily (“Your name is Bob? Mind if I spell it backward?”) and crassly (“The whole time your wife was taking that photo with me, she had her hand on my ass”). He will give batting tips to kids (essentially, “Be aggressive”) and recall old at-bats with astounding clarity and detail. He’ll break off an anecdote about Willie Mays in a urinal, and he might, without warning or provocation, hold forth on the subject of blow jobs. However all this may sound to you, many customers clearly view it as value added. I have seen people wait to get their ball signed, spend the time with Rose, then get back in the queue and do it again.People are also drawn to Rose for the contradictions in his character — what to make of someone who both honored and dishonored the game so profoundly? Rose, through his gambling and his recalcitrance, has the lure of an outlaw hero. He’s also the only player in baseball history to be expressly denied a place on the Hall of Fame ballot, and that gives customers something edgy to discuss with him. As much as Rose might like to get inducted one day, he is not blind to the notoriety that his banishment has given him, nor to the understanding that, in the autograph trade, it may have helped his bottom line. “You know,” he once said to me. “Not being in the Hall of Fame — that’s my shtick!”For the right price, I’m sure, Rose will write that on a baseball for you. read more

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NBA Playoffs Preview LeBron vs The SuperBalanced Hawks

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  • Sep, 30, 2019
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Over in the Western Conference, James Harden’s Houston Rockets, however, rank as the fourth most unbalanced team in the past 31 years — in the 2nd percentile! Meanwhile, this year’s Warriors team is more balanced than usual, ranking in the 76th percentile, which is amazing given that Stephen Curry himself has 2.0 WAR through the first two rounds. The Dubs have a superstar and a well-balanced team. (Which probably goes a long way toward explaining why they’re so great.)The Cavs are favored not because their third, fourth or fifth starter is better than his counterpart on the Hawks. He isn’t. The Cavs are favored because they have LeBron James — and that’s probably enough to get LeBron to his fifth straight NBA Finals. The Fighting LeBrons — err, we mean the Cleveland Cavaliers — face off against the Atlanta Hawks for a trip to the NBA Finals. It’s the four-time MVP vs. four All-Stars.And it’s a close matchup, though the Cavs have a slight edge. The Hawks earned the top seed in the East and home-court advantage, but the Cavs still have a 63 percent chance of winning the series, according to our Real Plus-Minus projections.But if these two teams are similar in their overall level of talent, they are radically different in its distribution. This year’s Hawks team is historically well-balanced — like the 2004 Detroit Pistons, the 2006 Phoenix Suns and the 2013 San Antonio Spurs. The 2015 Cavs, in contrast, are largely carried by James (and, to a lesser extent, by Kyrie Irving).Atlanta has four players — Kyle Korver, Paul Millsap, Al Horford and DeMarre Carroll — who have all accrued 1.1 to 1.5 wins above replacement (WAR) through the first two rounds of the playoffs. Meanwhile, LeBron has amassed 2.1 WAR for the Cavs all by himself.The Hawks rank fourth out of the 124 teams to make the conference finals since 1985 in terms of the evenness of their production. (As measured by the distribution of WAR among the five players with the most minutes through the first two rounds, weighted quadratically.1That is, the player with the highest WAR is given a weight of one, the second-highest WAR player gets a weight a four, the third gets a weight of nine and so on.)By that measure, the Hawks’ score was 52.2. (The higher the score, the greater the contribution the team received from its less-heralded players.) LeBron’s Cavs, however, ranked 71 out of the 124 teams with a score of 26.9 — so they’re not extraordinarily unbalanced, but they are less balanced than the typical team in the conference finals. In addition to the brilliance of James, that number was primarily driven by the weak production from Cleveland’s fourth- and fifth-best players, namely Tristan Thompson and Timofey Mozgov.Below is a table of each conference finalist since 1985 with their weighted WAR and its percentile. The Hawks are in the 98th percentile, while the Cavs are in the 43rd.2Past LeBron teams, whether the Cavs or the Heat, are even more unbalanced than this year’s Cavs team. read more

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American soccer stars Abby Wambach and Megan Rapinoe shine at OUAB discussion

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  • Sep, 28, 2019
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Megan Rapinoe (center) and Abby Wambach (right) speak to OSU women’s soccer coach Lori Walker during an OUAB event on March 28 at The Ohio Union. Credit: Samantha Hollingshead | Photo EditorTwo of the most prominent American female athletes visited Ohio State on Monday night to discuss a wide variety of topics in a crowded Archie Griffin Grand Ballroom at the Ohio Union. The event, put on by OUAB, featured former U.S. Women’s National Team forward Abby Wambach and current midfielder Megan Rapinoe. The duo sat down with OSU women’s soccer coach Lori Walker for a talk about women’s rights, gay rights and Wambach’s retirement. Those in attendance listened to the moving words and topics that the athletes presented. Wambach and Rapinoe are coming off a FIFA Women’s World Cup title, the third in U.S. history. The duo described their feelings when meeting President Barack Obama and riding on floats through New York City for their championship ticker-tape parade.However, these women had a much larger message to leave with students.Both Rapinoe and Wambach have come out as lesbian in recent years, and wanted to let people who are struggling with their sexuality know it is OK to be gay. The World Cup champions described the points in their life when they discovered they were gay, and the triumphs and struggles they encountered while doing so.Wambach said she plans to release a book toward the end of the year describing not only her successes in life, but also her failures and darkest moments. The all-time leading goal-scorer in the history of international women’s soccer said she will open up in ways that no one knows about, and that some of the details in the book might be shocking to some readers. Even so, Wambach said she is not scared about unleashing this information, and she is completely comfortable with who she is.For the first time publicly, Wambach announced she will join former U.S. women’s soccer player Brandi Chastain and donate her brain for concussion research. Rapinoe said she would follow suit, as well, although she noted she doesn’t use her head quite to the extend Wambach does. Rapinoe talked about her engagement and upcoming marriage to singer-songwriter Sera Cahoone and her excitement surrounding the event. The USWNT winger was recently inducted into the National Gay and Lesbian Sports Hall of Fame and is a large proponent of the LGBT community.Rapinoe said she feels that her advocacy role is not only about the story of her own sexuality, but to make other people of the LGBT community feel comfortable with who they are and to “be your best you.”Throughout the discussion, Wambach touched on her recent retirement from soccer, and what her future plans are both in life and in the realm of the game. The 35 year-old said she knew it was time for her to retire when then-teammate Kelley O’Hara came in as a substitute and scored a goal against Germany in the semifinal of the 2015 World Cup. Wambach said at that moment she felt that she could leave the team after being a leader and member since 2001 and it would be “in good hands.”The former teammates in Wambach and Rapinoe remain great friends, and Wambach said she plans to remain involved in the game of soccer, specifically with the USWNT. The champions will also drive to become even bigger advocates within the LGBT community and always remind people to not care and to be happy with who they are.A full story about Rapinoe and Wambach’s decision can be read here. read more

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NFL week 5 guide to fantasy football

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  • Sep, 28, 2019
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Play ‘Em Sam Bradford: Bradford has looked impressive as a rookie so far this season. Last week against Seattle, he threw for 289 yards with two touchdowns and no interceptions. This week, Bradford faces a Detroit defense that ranks 26th in passing defense and has allowed at least two touchdowns to opposing quarterbacks in three of its first four games. If you’re looking for a bye-week quarterback, consider Bradford. Eli Manning: Last week against Chicago, Manning threw for 195 yards and no touchdowns, but the Giants’ defense was the main focus. This week, Manning faces an awful Texans secondary. Look for Manning to rebound against a defense that allows 338 yards passing per game. Jamaal Charles: Charles has scored one touchdown in his 2010 campaign, but look for success this week against the Colts. Through four games, running backs have averaged 22 points in standard scoring leagues against the Colts’ defense. Charles will continue to split carries with Thomas Jones, but Charles’ seven yards per carry is worth noting. Mark Clayton: It’s hard to believe how well Clayton has fit so well in the Rams’ system after being traded from Baltimore. Clayton caught five passes for 72 yards last week against Seattle, but was targeted 14 times. He will continue to be consistent against a Lions defense that surrenders 27 points per game. Marques Colston: It’s time to wake up, Marques. Colston has been irrelevant in the Saints’ passing game this season, with 190 receiving yards in four games. Believe it or not, Colston hasn’t had more than 70 yards in a game. Expect Colston to find the end zone against a subpar Cardinals defense. In his last game against Arizona, Colston had eight catches for 114 yards with a touchdown. Bench ‘Em Carson Palmer: Last week, Palmer threw for 371 yards and two touchdowns against the Browns. However, the Bengals trailed early, which allowed Palmer to air it out. Palmer’s next challenge is to face a Tampa Bay passing defense that ranks 10th in the league. The Bengals will utilize the running game, since that has been Tampa Bay’s weakness. Darren McFadden: McFadden is battling a hamstring injury that could cost him a start this week. Whether McFadden is healthy or not, look for Michael Bush to get a majority of the carries. The Chargers hold their own against the run and McFadden’s last game against San Diego wasn’t impressive, as he had just 68 yards and lost a fumble. Terrell Owens: Owens shocked us all with his performance last week, 222 yards and a touchdown. For those of you trying to get on the T.O. bandwagon, get off. Owens will continue to be mediocre as the Bengals try to find an identity on offense. LaDainian Tomlinson: As expected, Tomlinson had a monster game against Buffalo, with 133 yards and two touchdowns. This week the Jets face a Vikings unit that allows 87 rushing yards per game and is coming off a bye. The Vikings will crowd the box and force Mark Sanchez to make plays downfield. The Vikings haven’t allowed a touchdown to an opposing running back in their last two games. read more

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Ohio State footballs Nate Williams out for season

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  • Sep, 28, 2019
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Ohio State defensive lineman Nathan Williams will likely miss the remainder of the season, first-year OSU head coach Luke Fickell announced Tuesday. Williams, a senior, has been out of action since injuring his left knee against Akron on Sept. 3 and undergoing arthroscopic surgery on Sept. 14. Fickell said Williams will “probably have another surgery” but offered very few details in regard to the situation. “I don’t know much more,” Fickell said. “It looks like (Williams) is done for the season.” Williams led the Buckeyes with 4.5 sacks in 2010. He was also effective dropping into pass coverage last year, tallying three passes defended and recording an interception. In 2011, he was named to the preseason watch list for the Ted Hendricks Award, given to the nation’s best defensive end. Former OSU head coach John Cooper told The Lantern Tuesday that he feels Williams is possibly the Buckeyes’ best player. “I think we got some really, really bad news today regarding Nate Williams,” Cooper said. “(He), in my opinion, arguably might have been our best football player.” As far as the effect Williams’ absence has had, and will have on the Buckeyes defense, Fickell turned the focus to moving on. “He hasn’t played since the first game,” Fickell said. “It’s a part of the game. Sometimes when you figure out what you’re going with, it might make you better, too. “We’re not going to sit and dwell upon it.” Senior linebacker Tony Jackson said that although the team would obviously want to have Williams back, it must press forward. “We’d like to have him back,” Jackson said. “If he could go, we’d definitely have him in there. But if he can’t go, we’ve got to go on without him. We can’t just stop because we lost one player or something happened. We’ve got to keep moving on.” Under NCAA bylaw 14.2.4, Williams would be able to apply for a hardship waiver, which could grant him an extra year of eligibility. According to the bylaw, a player is eligible to apply if he or she suffers an “incapacitating injury or illness” during the first half of the team’s season, and competes in no more than three games or 30 percent of the team’s games, whichever is greater. OSU will continue play without Williams on Saturday at Illinois’ Memorial Stadium. Kickoff is set for 3:30p.m. and will be televised on ABC. read more

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Commentary Scarlet Team has the advantage in Ohio States Spring Game

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  • Sep, 28, 2019
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When the Scarlet and Gray teams face off in the Spring Game Saturday, the passing and blocking advantages give the Scarlet Team the edge for securing victory.The coaching staff was divided into Scarlet and Gray teams, which in turn drafted rosters to play against each other Saturday. Offensive coordinator and quarterbacks coach Tom Herman will lead Scarlet along with assistant coaches Everett Withers, Mike Vrabel, and Tim Hinton. Defensive coordinator and linebackers coach Luke Fickell will coach Gray, with Kerry Coombs, Ed Warinner, Stan Drayton and Zach Smith assisting him.Braxton Miller, the rising sophomore starting quarterback of the Buckeyes, was drafted to the Scarlet roster. The quarterbacks for the Gray roster will be rising redshirt junior Kenny Guiton and incoming freshman Cardale Jones.As a true freshman, Miller showed his ability to be a dynamic dual-threat quarterback. While Miller had his ups and downs last season, this will be his first opportunity to take the field and show his progression with Herman leading the offense.Guiton had a strong Spring Game performance last season, completing 11 of 21 pass attempts for 167 yards and two touchdowns. That said, he is not the true playmaker that Miller is, and having him gives Scarlet a big advantage in the game.Additionally, the Scarlet team has a much more experienced offensive line. Four of this year’s five expected starters – rising redshirt junior Jack Mewhort, rising redshirt junior Corey Linsley, rising senior Reid Fragel and rising redshirt junior Marcus Hall – are on the Scarlet roster. The Gray roster includes rising junior guard Andrew Norwell, a returning starter from last season, but rising sophomore Antonio Underwood is the only other offensive lineman on their roster with any playing experience.Gray has an edge at the offensive skill positions. The top five returning receivers from last season – rising sophomore wide receiver Devin Smith, rising redshirt senior tight end Jake Stoneburner, rising junior wide receiver Corey Brown, rising redshirt sophomore wide receiver Verlon Reed, and rising senior running back Jordan Hall – are all on the Gray roster. That said, their success as receivers will rely upon Guiton’s ability to pass the ball, and Miller is the much more talented passer. Rising junior running back Carlos Hyde and redshirt junior Chris Fields highlight the skill position talent on the Scarlet roster.Scarlet is also loaded with much of OSU’s top defensive talent.The roster is led by rising junior defensive tackle Johnathan Hankins, a massive, athletic defensive tackle who emerged as a star last season with 10 tackles for loss. Their roster also features possibly the most talented linebacker on the roster, rising sophomore Ryan Shazier, who played tremendously when he earned time in the starting lineup late last season. The Scarlet roster also features three of last year’s four starters from the secondary: rising redshirt junior safety C.J. Barnett, junior safety Christian Bryant and rising senior cornerback Travis Howard.Rising senior defensive end John Simon, who was a third-team AP All-American last season, will lead the Gray defense up front. Rising redshirt junior Adam Bellamy and rising redshirt senior Garrett Goebel are returning starters on the Gray defensive line, and the wild card for them up front could be senior Nathan Williams, a talented pass-rusher who missed the entire 2011 season with injury.However, while Gray might have an edge in comparing defensive lines, Scarlet has the edge among linebackers and defensive backs. The Gray roster only has two returning starters among the defensive back seven: rising redshirt senior linebacker Etienne Sabino and rising redshirt sophomore Bradley Roby.Additionally, the Scarlet roster will have a clear edge in kicking field goals with rising junior Drew Basil. Rising senior punter Ben Buchanan will give Gray an edge in the field position battle, but Miller showed last season that he has the ability to drive the team to points from poor field position.As OSU is still learning the offense, I expect their defensive talent to have the better success in this game. That said, I expect Miller to lead the Scarlet offense to more breakthroughs, and therefore a Spring Game victory.Score Prediction: Scarlet 20, Gray 14 read more

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Football Fourstar safety Tyreke Johnson commits to Ohio State

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  • Sep, 28, 2019
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Ohio State landed its first recruit in nearly three months when four-star safety Tyreke Johnson committed to the school, adding another highly regarded recruit to the top 2018 class in the country.A Jacksonville, Florida, native, Johnson is the fifth-ranked safety in the nation and the 38th-best prospect overall, according to the 247Sports composite rankings. He joins five-star Jaiden Woodbey and four-star Josh Proctor as the third safety in the class. The Buckeyes have two cornerbacks, four-star Sevyn Banks and three-star Marcus Hooker, committed. Johnson attends Trinity Christian Academy, the same high school as freshman cornerback and former five-star recruit Shaun Wade. He is the fourth Floridian in the class to commit to Ohio State. Johnson is the first player in the 2018 class to pledge his services to the Buckeyes since junior college defensive tackle Antwuan Jackson Jr. committed on Sept. 12. read more

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The giraffe is not one species but four scientists discover

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  • Sep, 25, 2019
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first_imgYet relatively little research has been done on giraffes, compared with other large animals such as elephants, rhinoceroses, gorillas and lions, say the researchers.Prof Janke and his team looked at DNA taken from skin samples from 190 giraffes from across Africa.Analysis showed there were four highly distinct groups of giraffe, which apparently do not mate with each other in the wild. Scientists have stuck their necks out and decided that the giraffe is not one species, but four.Until now, only a single species of giraffe made up of several sub-species had been recognised.But new DNA evidence shows that four distinct species of the animals exist – and they are genetically at least as different as brown and polar bears. The unexpected discovery, published in the journal Current Biology, highlights the urgent need to protect the world’s tallest mammal, say researchers.Geneticist Professor Axel Janke, from Goethe University in Germany, said: “We were extremely surprised, because the morphological and coat pattern differences between giraffe are limited.”Giraffes are in dramatic decline across their range in Africa. In the last three decades their numbers have dropped from more than 150,000 individuals to fewer than 100,000. AFP Giraffes have already become extinct in seven countries. They are killed for their meat and their habitats are being destroyedSir David Attenborough There are four types of giraffeCredit:Jean-Francois Monier A baby giraffe and mother Researchers looked at giraffes’ DNACredit:Gareth Fuller /PA The scientists categorised four species of the animal: the southern giraffe (Giraffa giraffa), the Masaigiraffe (Giraffa tippelskirchi), the reticulated giraffe (Giraffa reticulata), and the northern giraffe(Giraffa camelopardalis).The northern giraffe includes the elusive sub-species, the Nubian giraffe, from Ethiopia and South Sudan. Want the best of The Telegraph direct to your email and WhatsApp? Sign up to our free twice-daily  Front Page newsletter and new  audio briefings. Earlier this year Sir David Attenborough told the Telegraph that giraffes are facing a “silent extinction” as their numbers in the wild dwindle.“These gentle giants have been overlooked,” he said. “ It’s well known that African elephants are in trouble and there are perhaps just under half a million left.“But what no one realised is there are far fewer giraffes. Giraffes have already become extinct in seven countries. They are killed for their meat and their habitats are being destroyed. Time is running out.” A giraffe in Ashford, Kent Giraffe populations are on the declineCredit:Jean-Francois Monier /AFPlast_img read more

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Pageantmaster of the Lord Mayors Show talks parade secrets and mishaps

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  • Sep, 25, 2019
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first_imgAnd then there was the case of the Hong Kong Economic and Trade Office’s “bun tower” getting stuck under Chelsea bridge in 2006. Based on a traditional tower, usually made from bamboo and covered in baked buns, a steel replica was create in Wales and a driver was given “very detailed instructions” on how to get it into London the night before the show. “Of course, it came in on the Friday night, the bloke driving it ignored all the instructions and put the directions in his sat nav and ended up wedging it under the bridge in Chelsea,” Mr Reid said.”This bloody thing just wedged itself completely under the bridge and London traffic came to a standstill until somebody went and let the tyres down and got it out, it was extraordinary.” Mr Reid said he usually spends around 15 months planning before the big day Mr Reid said he usually spends around 15 months planning before the big day “You are dealing with lots of complex relationships, people who want to be in a certain place, for example Hong Kong has a particular number they like because it is luckier than any other number so we try and build that into [the procession].”While dealing with each organisation’s request, he also has to make sure the bands are far enough apart not to drown each other out and animals that “don’t like other types of animals” are separated.”You can’t mix donkeys and horses, you can’t mix reindeer and horses so you have to have them in different places and they don’t like it if they smell each other,” he said. “It is bonkers really, the whole thing. It takes a good bit of fiddling with.”The Wednesday before the parade each year the organisers run what has become known as a “ghost parade”, wheeling the Lord Mayor’s carriage out in the early hours. The new Lord Mayor, Dr Andrew Parmley, and his wife Wendy wave from the coach during the rehearsalCredit:Dominic Lipinski/PA Wire The Lord Mayor of London's State Coach passes St Paul's Cathedral during the rehearsal for the show on Wednesday   It is the perfect parade; a three-mile procession steeped in 800 years of tradition and watched by hundreds and thousands of people as colourful floats, marching bands and, finally, the Lord Mayor’s golden carriage pass through the streets of London. But behind the scenes of the Lord Mayor’s Show is “organised chaos on a colossal scale” with last-minute mishaps and unexpected issues forever cropping up, the show’s pageantmaster has revealed. In a rare interview, Dominic Reid, an architect and solider who is celebrating his 25th year organising the parade, revealed the secrets of getting the world’s largest unrehearsed procession to run smoothly.  This year, the show will welcome the new Lord Mayor Dr Andrew Parmley, the principal of the private Harrodian School in Barnes and organist of 35 years at St James Garlickhythe church. It will have a particular emphasis on music, including a special commission. Mr Reid, who is also the managing director of the Invictus Games Foundation and who took over the pageantmaster role from his father John, said he “loves” organising the show and has no plans to retire, as yet. “We have had lots of fun along the way, it has been a fantastic privilege to do it,” he said. “It has been really wonderful and my life now populated with these daft and insane moments.”The Lord Mayor’s Show is on Saturday. It starts at 9am with a river pageant before the procession, which starts at Mansion House, at 11am. The fireworks are at 5.15pm.  The Lord Mayor of London’s State Coach passes St Paul’s Cathedral during the rehearsal for the show on Wednesday  Credit:Dominic Lipinski/PA Wire The steel replica eventually made it to the show The new Lord Mayor, Dr Andrew Parmley, and his wife Wendy wave from the coach during the rehearsal The Hong Kong Economic and Trade Office’s “bun tower” got stuck under Chelsea bridge while being transported to the show in 2006 Despite the rehearsal happening annually, Mr Reid said Londoners still haven’t caught on. “What I love are the people who just encounter it on their way to work and look absolutely amazed… it is entertaining,” he said. But despite the careful planning, there are always things that go wrong. “There is always something, I remember once turning up and somebody had very carefully built a traffic island somewhere where I wasn’t expecting to have a traffic island,” Mr Reid said. “It stopped us getting from one side of the road to the other and caused us to reroute a whole lot of stuff.”In 1994, Mr Reid forgot to make sure Christopher Walford was in the back of the Lord Mayor’s carriage before it set off.Eight years later, the then Lord Mayor, Roger Gifford, had to be transferred into the back of Mr Reid’s Land Rover mid-parade when one of the wheels on his carriage “jammed on” at Blackfriars.”He was very humourous about it and it all went down very well,” Mr Reid laughed.  Speaking to The Telegraph ahead of this year’s show on Saturday, the 55-year-old said he usually spends around 15 months planning before the big day. It takes him up to three days to decide on the running order of the procession alone – a process he calls “shunting” – as he uses colour-coded cards to ensure he meets each float, charity, band and organisation’s specific needs. He not only meticulously measures the route, calculating timings to the nearest second, but “walks it a lot” including at 4am just to check nothing has changed. “I have a very complex spreadsheet with an algorithm built into it that helps me calculate timing and gaps and stuff, but the actual putting into order we do with cards and slots on a board,” he said.  The steel replica eventually made it to the show Want the best of The Telegraph direct to your email and WhatsApp? Sign up to our free twice-daily  Front Page newsletter and new  audio briefings. The Hong Kong Economic and Trade Office's "bun tower" got stuck under Chelsea bridge while being transported to the show in 2006last_img read more

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Company director is sent to prison after telling judge doing unpaid work

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  • Sep, 25, 2019
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first_imgA company director has been sent to prison after telling a judge that doing unpaid work as a punishment was beneath him.In rejecting the offer of community service, Owen Ambrose, an IT specialist, added that he found it difficult resisting assaulting fellow convicts who were also on the same scheme.Judge Peter Moss heard that Ambrose said carrying out unpaid work was demeaning and monotonous and it required “all his strength” not to be physically violent towards other offenders. He said that the prosecution did not want a trial on the issue.However, Judge Moss said that the shoplifting offence on August 24 this year at Morrisons in Shepherds Bush, put Ambrose in breach of the suspended sentence in any case. He imposed one month’s prison for the shopping theft and eight months’ jail for the breach.The court heard that the defendant planned to sell chocolates and pain-killing tablets taken from the store to help feed a Class A drug habit costing up to £100 a day.Andrew Turton, defending, said his client had worked in IT.”He is now living rough and goes shoplifting to get money to buy drugs. He presents as an intelligent and engaging young man,” he said. Mr Ambrose said it took all his strength not to be physically violent towards other offendersLee Harris, prosecuting Want the best of The Telegraph direct to your email and WhatsApp? Sign up to our free twice-daily  Front Page newsletter and new  audio briefings. The 28-year-old company boss had fallen prey to a drugs habit and had become homeless as a result, the court heard.He appeared before Judge Moss at Guildford Crown Court via video link from prison and was jailed for eight months for shoplifting and for breaching a suspended sentence imposed for car theft in February 2015. “I would rather to prison,” he said via the video link.He admitted the shoplifting offence but denied failing to comply with a direction to do 100 hours unpaid work without reasonable excuse.Ambrose told Judge Moss: “I do have an excuse.”Lee Harris, prosecuting, said that after receiving the suspended prison term, the defendant failed to keep in contact with probation staff after completing only five hours of the unpaid work programme.”He said he found unpaid work demeaning and monotonous,” said Mr Harris. “Mr Ambrose also said it took all his strength not to be physically violent towards other offenders.”last_img read more

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Jane Austens famous cup and ball game for sale complete with family

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  • Sep, 25, 2019
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first_imgAn autographed letter will also be sold An autographed letter will also be sold The game, as completed The game is to be sold at Sotheby’s this week with an estimate of £20,000-30,000.It has previously been on display, and has been replicated by admirers of Austen, but this is the first time it has been available outside her direct family after it passed to her brother Edward and down through his descendants.Her nephew James Edward Austen-Leigh recorded in his 1871 biography: “Her performances with cup and ball were marvellous. The one used at Chawton was an easy one, and she has been known to catch it on the point above an hundred times in succession, till her hand was weary.”  Austen was said to have successfully landed the ball on the spike 100 times in a row Dr Gabriel Heaton, Sotheby’s books and manuscript specialist, said the items gave admirers of the author “the sense of a life lived”.”It’s terribly powerful and rather poignant,” he said of the biblocatch.”If you want something which gives a sense of the long hours of life and the things people did to spend their time, you can just imagine rainy afternoons in Hampshire.”You can see at the bottom there are chips where the Austens and their descendant have played it.”The items will be sold at Sotheby’s on December 13th. HOW TO PLAY THE GAME, BY AUSTEN FAMILY:- Stand lightly holding stem around its ‘waist ‘ ( just below spike ). – Let ball hang. Then the trick is, with other hand get the ball spinning fast with a sharp flick of the wrist. Try to get the ball spinning in its original position without swinging about. – You have to allow ball to to finish spinning ( winding up ), and when it has built up good speed spinning back (unwinding), move hand as before, trying to position the spike under the hole in the ball.- The spinning causes a gyroscopic effect which keeps the ball rotating on its axis with the hole pointing down, ready to be caught on the spike. The cup and ball game played by Jane Austen, used to while away the long hours between writing her novels, is to be sold by her family, who have given away the secrets to her famous success.The game, called a biblocatch, is to be sold at auction for the first time, after passing down five generations of the family.Said to have been played by the author to help rest her eyes from writing and reading, it gives a physical insight into the domestic life of Austen, who recorded how she played simple games to pass the time.The Pride and Prejudice writer is said to have been a master of the cup and ball, completing it more than 100 times in a row to the amazement of her nephew.center_img One lot will include the only known recording of the name of the man Austen was engaged to The game, as completed Want the best of The Telegraph direct to your email and WhatsApp? Sign up to our free twice-daily  Front Page newsletter and new  audio briefings. One lot will include the only known recording of the name of the man Austen was engaged to Writing to her sister Cassandra in October 1809, Austen herself said: “We do not want amusement: bilbocatch, at which George is indefatigable; spillikins, paper ships, riddles, conundrums, and cards, with watching the flow and ebb of the river, and now and then a stroll out, keep us well employed; and we mean to avail ourselves of our kind papa’s consideration, by not returning to Winchester till quite the evening of Wednesday.”The sale also includes a letter from 1800 valued at up to £60,000, containing her only mention of the man whose proposal Austen accepted and quickly retracted, Harris Bigg-Wither.A third lot includes an manuscript of Sanditon, left unfinished by Austen when she died and completed by her niece. Austen was said to have successfully landed the ball on the spike 100 times in a rowlast_img read more

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Rationing rules restricting surgery to those in most pain must be axed

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  • Sep, 25, 2019
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first_imgThe number of patients seeking hip surgery has risen significantly amid an ageing population Credit:Alamy Want the best of The Telegraph direct to your email and WhatsApp? Sign up to our free twice-daily  Front Page newsletter and new  audio briefings. “Arbitrary” rationing measures restricting NHS surgery to those in most pain must be lifted, health officials have ruled.NHS England has warned clinical commissioning groups (CCGs) to stop denying hip and knee operations to patients using criteria which only allow surgery to those in the worst discomfort.Health officials intervened after warnings from the Royal College of Surgeons of “alarming” restrictions on surgery, with patients told they could only have surgery on the NHS if pain left them unable to sleep or carry out daily tasks.NHS England has now issued advice that such restrictions are not allowed, with local health officials told they should follow guidance from central rationing bodies.Noting that “a number of CCGs in England are rationing large joint replacements using arbitrary cut offs” – using a system to measure pain levels – advice from regional officials warns against such actions.Local services have also been warned not to restrict surgery for smokers and obese patients – although delaying operations while giving patients help to lose weight and quit smoking is endorsed. A separate memo from NHS England urges all organisations to follow guidance from the National Institute of Health and Care Excellence (Nice), which says surgery should be considered “before there is prolonged and established functional limitation and severe pain.”center_img elderly couple  The letter, from Matthew Cripps, national director for “NHS RightCare” and Peter Kay, a consultant hip and knee surgeon from the Whittington Hospital, says: “For some indicators, such as elective activity, investment cannot be interpreted as poor or good value without further investigation… There is strong evidence that hip and knee replacements are extremely cost-effective interventions when warranted by clinical need and patient preference.”The disclosures, reported in Health Service Journal, were welcomed by surgeons.Clare Marx, President of the Royal College of Surgeons, said: “It is extremely welcome news that NHS England has now intervened to discourage clinically unacceptable rationing of surgery in the NHS.”However, she urged NHS England to go further, and to instruct CCGs to lift any unfair restrictions on surgery.“The guidance in this letter is a very welcome start. However, it only criticises the rationing of hip and knee surgery. Patients are left wondering about the validity of restrictions to other types of surgery and NHS treatment,” she said.  “Given this very clear intervention from NHS England we strongly encourage CCGs to reverse any existing discriminatory policies.”Three commissioning bodies in the West Midlands came under fire in January for drawing up policies to restrict hip and knee operations to those most in pain. The move followed widespread restrictions in access to treatments, drugs and IVF across the country, after the NHS recorded the worst deficit in its history.last_img read more

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Parliament shooting eyewitness man plunged big knife into policeman

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first_imgAt least two people have died after a knifeman brought terror to the heart of Westminster, mowing down pedestrians then stabbing a policeman before being shot by armed officers.Eyewitnesses described scenes of terror as the attacker was shot several times as he approached a second officer within yards of the Houses of Parliament.Paramedics fought to save his life and that of his victim on the floor of the cobbled courtyard in front of Parliament with Foreign Office minister Tobias Ellwood among those who rushed to help.Eyewitness Rick Longley described the attack. “We were just walking up to the station and there was a loud bang and a guy, someone, crashed a car and took some pedestrians out.”They were just laying there and then the whole crowd just surged around the corner by the gates just opposite Big Ben.”A guy came past my right shoulder with a big knife and just started plunging it into the policeman.”I have never seen anything like that. I just can’t believe what I just saw.” Want the best of The Telegraph direct to your email and WhatsApp? Sign up to our free twice-daily  Front Page newsletter and new  audio briefings.last_img read more

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Obsessive builder accused of kidnapping and raping two young women leaving one

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first_imgA builder who became obsessed with two young women kidnapped, raped and cut their throats, leaving one of them dead in a freezer at a disused house, a court has heard.Mujahid Arshid, 33, had spent weeks plotting how to abduct the two women, kill them and dump their bodies in a deep freeze, the Old Bailey heard.Jurors were told Arshid had become “sexually fixated” with the women and resolved “if he cannot have them no-one could”.At the time, both women had boyfriends and Ms Dookhran had moved into Arshid’s home, after falling out with her parents over her love life.He had allegedly abused the other woman when she was aged 13 and was “beside himself with rage” that she was going out with someone else, the court heard.Arshid recruited labourer Vincent Tappu to abduct the pair, wearing balaclavas and gloves, jurors were told.Bound, gagged and covered in a dust sheet, he allegedly bundled them into the boot of his car in July last year and took them to a house he was renovating.While there, Arshid raped both women and attacked them with a lock knife, jurors were told.One of the women managed to escape death and raise the alarm by persuading him they could be together, the court heard. Prosecutor Crispin Aylett QC told jurors: “The evidence in this case shows that, for a period of about three weeks before July 19 last year, the first defendant was planning to kidnap both young women.”Thereafter, and it is as bizarre as it is terrible, he intended to rape them both before murdering them and disposing of their bodies.”To that end he considered either putting them in acid or else concealing them in a deep freezer.”Arshid put his plan into action, the court heard on the evening of Tuesday, July 18, after Ms Dookhran, who worked at Barclays Bank in Mitcham, south London, was put under pressure to split up with her boyfriend.Wearing balaclavas and gloves, he stuffed socks into the women’s mouths and bound their hands and feet before Arshid drove to the Wimbledon house with them in the boot, the court heard.Two days before, Arshid had installed a chest-high deep freezer into the utility room.Armed with a lock knife, Arshid allegedly raped each woman in turn in an upstairs bedroom.Mr Aylett said: “The defendant took Celine back upstairs. He cut her throat in the bathroom, most likely with the lock knife.”With her mouth still stuffed with a sock, Celine died from the combined effect of the restriction of her airways and lost blood.” Officers went to the six-bedroom house in Wimbledon, south west London, and discovered the body of Celine Dookhran, 20, in a locked freezer in a utility room. Court artist sketch of Vincent Tappu (left) and Mujahid Arshid in the dock of the Old Bailey, where Arshid is on trial accused of the kidnap, rape and murder of his niece, Celine Dookhran, and the attempted murder of another woman Want the best of The Telegraph direct to your email and WhatsApp? Sign up to our free twice-daily  Front Page newsletter and new  audio briefings.center_img Mr Aylett said: “The defendant had been hatching his murderous plan for several weeks before he actually brought it into effect.”The prosecution suggest if he could not have them, he would make sure that nobody else could either.”He told how the property Arshid had earmarked was a three-storey house in Coombe Lane West, between Wimbledon and Kingston.The owner wanted to convert it into two flats and approached Arshid to do the work in June last year as he was awaiting planning consent.Mr Aylett suggested Arshid brought the deep freezer to the house in advance to stop the bodies from smelling as they decomposed.Arshid, of no fixed address, denies murder, attempted murder, the rape of both women and the earlier sexual assault of the surviving woman.He is jointly charged with Tappu, 28, of Spencer Road, Acton, west London, of both women’s kidnap and false imprisonment, and possession of a firearm with intent. Court artist sketch of Vincent Tappu (left) and Mujahid Arshid in the dock of the Old Bailey, where Arshid is on trial accused of the kidnap, rape and murder of his niece, Celine Dookhran, and the attempted murder of another womanCredit:Elizabeth Cook  Later, he took the other woman upstairs again and cut her throat, the court heard.But in a desperate bid for survival she managed to dupe Ashid into believing they could be together.Mr Aylett said: “It must have been the defendant’s intention to murder both women and to conceal their bodies in the deep freezer of an unoccupied house in the confident expectation that their bodies would not be found for many months.”Even though he had accomplished but half of his plan, the defendant nonetheless put Celine’s dead body into the freezer. He then locked it using a padlock that he had brought with him.”The surviving woman was able to ring in and raise the alarm, even though she did not know where she was.  She was taken to hospital by Arshid’s brother and managed to give police a description of the house, where officers found Ms Dookhran’s body in the freezer.Meanwhile, Arshid fled to the Kent coast and was arrested at a hotel in Folkestone, the court heard.The court heard Ms Dookhran’s family had disapproved of her boyfriend Omar because he was from Libya, and not Pakistan.The couple appeared to bow to pressure, although Omar has since said they were just pretending and had no intention to stop seeing each other, jurors heard.last_img read more

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Oxford student cleared of rape after twoyear ordeal prompts police force to

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  • Sep, 25, 2019
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first_img“We accept that we could have worked with police more effectively and that this could have brought about an earlier decision to end this case. We will continue to work with Surrey Police to review our joint handling and, as requested, will write to the judge with an explanation.”Jaswant Narwal, Chief Crown Prosecutor for CPS South-East, said: “We accept that we could have worked with police more effectively and that this could have brought about an earlier decision to end this case.”The CPS decided to offer no evidence against Mr Mears during a hearing at Guildford Crown Court on Friday. Prosecutor Sarah Lindop told the court the case was “finely balanced” from the start and that the new material “tips the balance” in favour of Mr Mears.The court heard that Mr Mears’ lawyers had been asking for the diary since October last year.Mr Mears, who was arrested weeks just weeks after celebrating his 17th birthday, decided to leave oxford as a result of the strain he was under and to concentrate on proving his innocence. The alleged incident had taken place at a large house party in his hometown.The college said he would be welcomed back. A St Hugh’s College spokesman said: “It was the student’s choice to suspend his studies. Students who suspend their studies can make the choice whether to come back or not.” St Hugh's College Jon Savell, Surrey Police’s head of public protection, said: “We accept that there were flaws in the initial investigation. It was not expedient and the investigator did not examine the victim’s digital media during the initial stages of the investigation or follow what we would consider to be a reasonable line of enquiry.”He added: “We are reviewing all our current rape cases to ensure that investigations are thorough, timely, effective and compliant with policy and guidelines. We will also work with the CPS to conduct a joint review of this case.” Want the best of The Telegraph direct to your email and WhatsApp? Sign up to our free twice-daily  Front Page newsletter and new  audio briefings. A second police force is conducting an urgent review of all its rape cases after a series of blunders led to the collapse of the prosecution of an Oxford University student.A judge criticised Surrey police and the Crown Prosecution Service (CPS), giving them 28 days to explain what had gone wrong or face ‘action’.It prompted both police and CPS to apologise for ‘mistakes’ in the investigation into a claim of rape made against Oliver Mears, 19.Mr Mears, of Horley, Surrey, had spent two years on bail accused of raping and assaulting a woman in July 2015 when he was only 17. The chemistry student, who left St Hugh’s College Oxford because of stress, was officially declared not guilty and the case against him dropped just days before the start of his trial.Surrey police’s decision to examine all current rape cases follows a review by Scotland Yard of every one of its sex crime investigations that was prompted by the collapse of two prosecutions in a week. Oliver Mears Oliver Mears Surrey police admitted on Friday it had failed to examine the woman’s phone and laptop computer at the outset of its inquiry two years ago. The force only did so after a request was made by the CPS on January 4th this year. The evidence was finally passed to the CPS on Monday. The woman’s diary, which supported Mr Mears’s version of events, was also only obtained in recent days.Judge Jonathan Black ordered the head of the CPS Rape and Sexual Offences unit write to him within 28 days “with a full explanation of what went wrong” before he decides whether any action is required “at CPS or police level”.The judge said: “There have been unnecessary delays in investigating… leading to what seems to be a completely unnecessary last-minute decision in this case.“Both Oliver Mears and the complainant have had this matter hanging over their heads for two years in circumstances, had the investigation been carried out properly in the first instance, would not have led to this position.”last_img read more

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Cressida Dick reveals she has experienced sexism since being appointed Scotland Yard

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first_imgCressida Dick has revealed that she has encountered sexism since being named the first female head of Scotland Yard.The 57-year-old, who last year became the first female Commissioner of the Metropolitan Police in its 189-year history, said men can struggle with working with a female boss who they think of as either a “governness or dominatrix”.Ms Dick said that she still meets men who seemed “threatened, baffled and confused” by her position.She said: “I long for the day when we can all be ourselves, whoever we are, and express ourselves in whatever way we like, and we don’t have these kinds of funny constraints in our heads that make us feel ‘Ooh, there’s a different power relationship because that’s a man and that’s a woman’.  And we still get that. It’s not helpful.”The Commissioner, who took a £40,000 pay cut to lead the country’s biggest police force, also described rising through the ranks of the Met in a “very male-oriented environment”. Cressida Dick with the Mayor of London, Sadiq Khan, last year at the launch of a new Knife Crime StrategyCredit:Lauren Hurley/PA In an interview at the launch of a leadership academy, she said: “It was at least 25 years since I thought regularly about the fact that I was a woman, doing this job. I think about it when people remind me. But I have on occasion suddenly realised that some men feel slightly threatened by, or slightly baffled by, or confused by, possibly even now, by having a woman in . . . a very powerful role. She said she feels fortunate to have been given “confidence” as a child, but fears more and more children are not being instilled with the same self-belief.“One of the things that I feel very blessed about is that I was given a fair amount of confidence as a young person and I constantly meet young people, even today, maybe even more today, when it is clearly not a given that they will have a reasonable amount of confidence.“It’s incredibly important that it doesn’t develop into arrogance. But a sense of — in old-fashioned speak — ‘I am OK, I do deserve to be here, I can do what I want to do, I can be myself, I can express myself’ is really important as you go into the working world.” Cressida Dick with the Mayor of London, Sadiq Khan, last year at the launch of a new Knife Crime Strategy “It must be very odd for [men]. There are now women at every level in every part of policing.”Ms Dick, who gave a keynote speech at the launch, recalled a talk she attended with other officers by the second female director of MI5, Eliza Manningham-Buller.She was surprised, she said, when colleagues began “talking about her [Manningham-Buller] as if she was a governess or a dominatrix”.Since her appointment in April 2017, Britain’s top police officer has presided over several terrorist attacks, a rise in violent crime and the poisoning of former Russian spy Sergei Skripal. Want the best of The Telegraph direct to your email and WhatsApp? Sign up to our free twice-daily  Front Page newsletter and new  audio briefings.last_img read more

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Prince Charles aide asked police if anything could embarrass him during inquiry

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  • Sep, 25, 2019
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The Inquiry is due to hear read evidence on Friday from the Prince of Wales Former Bishop of Lewes Peter Ball Calling the contact “highly unusual” on account of the prince’s status, he said it prompted him to consider whether the prince could be a witness in the inquiry.  He is expected to say in his statement that he did not know the caution involved an admission of guilt. On Wednesday morning the inquiry heard from Wayne Murdock, formerly of Gloucestershire Police, who had presided over the earlier inquiry, which ended with the caution. Mr Murdock said that he believed the outcome of his investigation could have been different had then-Archbishop of Canterbury George Carey handed over letters sent to Lambeth Palace by victims and their families.  He insisted that Prince Charles was not treated differently from “the man on the street”, and that while he would have been notified if there was any relevant information, this would also have been the case for a member of the public.”If there was evidence in the investigation that was of relevance to the person on the street, they would also be a potential witness,” he said, adding that he felt “no pressure” and did not feel the investigation had been influenced as a result of the contact.The inquiry also heard that pre-charge publicity around Bishop Ball encouraged 12 victims to come forward to police.The Inquiry is due to hear read evidence on Friday from the Prince of Wales, who maintained contact with the bishop after Ball was cautioned in 1993 for gross indecency.  An aide to the Prince of Wales contacted police in 2013 to ask about “embarrassing” material it may have collected during an investigation into a paedophile bishop, the independent child sex abuse inquiry has heard. A member of the Prince’s staff contacted the chief constable of Sussex Police to ask whether information gathered during its investigation into Peter Ball, the former bishop of Lewes and of Gloucester, could “be embarassing to Prince Charles or the monarchy in general”. Ball, now 86, was convicted in 2015 of misconduct in public office after admitting the sexual abuse of 18 young men. According to the evidence of Detective Chief Inspector Carwyn Hughes, who worked on the investigation, the disgraced bishop had a “long-lasting friendship” with the Prince of Wales and the pair had exchanged several letters.The contact was made after Peter Ball’s brother Michael Ball sent a letter to the Prince.On Wednesday the officer told the inquiry he examined the police’s records to see if they had collected any material which could “damage the reputation of Prince Charles”, and did not find any.  The Inquiry is due to hear read evidence on Friday from the Prince of WalesCredit:ITV Former Bishop of Lewes Peter BallCredit:John Stillwell/PA “He knew we were carrying out an investigation, and for some reason he withheld them,” he said. On Tuesday Lord Carey admitted that the letters should have been handed over, but added that he had “assumed the police were investigating this thoroughly”. The inquiry continues. Want the best of The Telegraph direct to your email and WhatsApp? Sign up to our free twice-daily  Front Page newsletter and new  audio briefings. read more

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NHS radiographer Hayley Carruthers stumbles into nations hearts as one of London

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Just watching it felt exhausting. Hayley Carruthers had just run the race of her life. But so much effort had gone into her own record setting achievement that she collapsed in a heap just yards from the finish.A stretcher was needed after she crawled over the final steps of the 26.2 mile London Marathon course on her hands and knees.But such is her dedication that the NHS worker, the only British elite runner to juggle her athletic career with a full time job, vowed to return to work on Monday morning after putting her name in the history books.The 26-year-old has little time to recover from her efforts as she is also a research radiographer who works with cancer patients at the Queen Elizabeth Hospital in Birmingham.”I’m definitely back in work tomorrow,” she told The Telegraph afterwards. “That’s just the nature of the job with the NHS. Although I am proud of the way I got to the finish, I would rather I hadn’t put myself in that situation in the first place by pacing the first half a little more conservatively. The big thing is to learn from it and use it as fuel.  Prince Harry also emerged to end speculation that his heavily pregnant wife, the Duchess of Sussex, was about to give birth in Windsor.The Duke of Sussex was seen laughing and joking as he presented medals to early Marathon finishers. The marathon was not only a success for those runners who achieved their personal bests. It also brought good news for the organisers as the total amount raised for charity by the long-running event finally reached £1 billion during its 39th race.The Virgin Money London Marathon Charity of the Year 2019 was Dementia Revolution, a partnership between the Alzheimer’s Society and Alzheimer’s Research UK.Their £3.5 million fundraising target was bolstered by a team running for Dame Barbara Windsor, 81, who was diagnosed with Alzheimer’s disease in 2014.Her husband, Scott Mitchell, and a team of EastEnders cast members including Adam Woodyatt, who plays Ian Beale, had raised £100,000 before the race started.Sir Richard Branson, founder of the Virgin Group, said it was an “amazing marathon” as he hinted he might run next year.”It’s been beautifully organised and it’s so amazing to have raised the big £1 billion,” he said.The marathon is the country’s largest annual fundraiser and a ballot of 444,168 applicants was narrowed down to 56,398 who were given a place. She works nine-hour days and trains at five o’clock in the morning and evening to fit in the miles. “Sometimes it’s hard,” she said ahead of the race. “I can’t have a nap in the afternoon which, some days, is really tough. Once, on a Tuesday night, doping control knocked on my door at 10pm, and I was like, ‘I just want to go to bed.’”After an eventful week, British Olympic champion Mo Farah finished fifth in the men’s race with a time of 02:05:39, behind Kenyan winner and marathon world record holder Eliud Kipchoge, who crossed the line in 02:02:37.Sir Mo, 36, said after the race he “felt good” mid-way through the course but could not match “incredible” Kipchoge, 34. He insisted his widely-publicised spat with Ethiopian Olympian Haile Gebrselassie did not affect his run. Reach out: Carruthers’ final lungeCredit:AP Photo/Alastair Grant It is believed he always planned to go, but did not publicly commit to the event as it was so close to his wife’s due date.He has previously attended the event for the mental health charity Heads Together, along with the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge. Prince Harry with the winner of the World Para marathon T 45/46 category Michael Roger TV pictures showed Carruthers being carried away on a stretcher to receive treatment as commentator Steve Cram reassured viewers she would be OK. “Well done Hayley. Hayley has just run a personal best. She’s okay. She knows she has to get across the line,” he said. Want the best of The Telegraph direct to your email and WhatsApp? Sign up to our free twice-daily  Front Page newsletter and new  audio briefings. Many spectators were shocked to learn she only started running three years ago, in 2016, after being inspired by a colleague who runs 5km after work. She didn’t even have a pair of running trainers, but a year later she ran her first marathon. On Sunday she finished in a time of 2:34:03, just three minutes off British Athletics qualifying standard for the world championships, and six-and-a-half minutes short of the official qualifying time for the 2020 Olympic Games in Tokyo. Hayley Carruthers is helped “Ultimately, though, it was about racing the other girls today and our pack definitely went off too fast. I’m not badly injured at all, apart from my pride! I’m really touched that people have been so kind about it. It’s not a reaction I expected – it’s certainly not my goal to end up in that state at the finish.  The scale of her injuries were only later revealed when she later shared photos of her bloodied and bandaged knees on Twitter. “We train very hard to cover the whole distance strongly and that will be the goal for next time. I’ve just had a lovely meal with my amazing family, they’ve looked after me brilliantly as always and keep things in the right perspective.” Made it: Marathon officials race to Carruthers’ aid after she crosses the lineCredit:Paul Harding/PA Wire Congratulations to Eileen Noble! 👏👏The 84 year-old was the oldest female runner at this year’s Virgin Money London Marathon finishing in an amazing time of 06:28:07!#LondonMarathon #ThanksaBillion pic.twitter.com/XW4JyLss8m— Virgin Money London Marathon (@LondonMarathon) April 28, 2019 You want to race. So you race. #runbrave 💪🏽 pic.twitter.com/Vc30TXJzIZ— Hayley Carruthers (@mileswithhayley) April 28, 2019 Prince Harry with the winner of the World Para marathon T 45/46 category Michael RogerCredit:AP Photo/Alastair Grant End in sight: Carruthers scrambled over the finish lineCredit:Naomi Baker/Getty Images Hayley Carruthers Today I learnt how NOT to run a marathon! 😂🤪 #londonmarathon atleast I PB’d … pic.twitter.com/iD1FYZSA5N— Hayley Carruthers (@mileswithhayley) April 28, 2019 Viewers were worried. Louise Brown tweeted: “Hope Hayley Carruthers is ok. Can someone confirm? I was in absolute tears watching her collapse over the finish line. So hard to watch.” Hayley Carruthers read more

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UK weather Warnings issued as Britain braces for heavy rain and high

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  • Sep, 25, 2019
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In a statement posted on Twitter at 11pm on Tuesday, the festival said “we sincerely regret the disappointment to fans, and apologise for any disruption caused to local businesses”.It added: “The safety of you, the fans and attendees, as well as performers and crew comes first.” Ms Kent added: “The first band of rain could bring 30mm of rain in places, and if you draw the short straw, then you could get another 30mm with the showers that follow.”Some places might get as much as 60mm of rain.”A yellow weather warning for wind across all of Wales and central and southern England follows on Saturday.Although Scotland and northern England escapes the wind warning, a yellow guidance is in place for thunderstorms. Yellow weather warnings for rain and wind come in to force across large swathes of the UK on Friday and SaturdayCredit:PA A yellow “be aware” weather warning is in place across all of Wales and Northern Ireland, and most of England and Scotland, as some places could receive more than two inches of rain.Lee Schofield, who runs the website Highland & Islands Weather, filmed the River Dulnain overflowing after the water rose more than five foot in a day.  Britain is braced for heavy rain and high winds as the weekend will “feel more like autumn than August”, according to the Met Office.After some wet weather on Wednesday, yellow weather warnings for rain and wind come in to force across large swathes of the UK on Friday and Saturday.Heavy rain on Friday will give way to gale-force winds and “unseasonable” weather as the weekend continues.Met Office meteorologist, Sarah Kent, said: “On Wednesday night, there is still some thunder over Scotland, but throughout the night, any heavy showers should be dropping away for most.”Scotland saw some heavy rain on Wednesday, and one man was filmed attempting to cycle through a deluge near Edinburgh Airport. And an incredible timelapse of the torrential rain rolling in was captured by Mike McGrail from his studio.  Heavy rain will then develop throughout Thursday night into Friday, and will be followed by more heavy showers. Ms Kent said “it will be unseasonably windy”, with gusts in the warning area reaching 40 or 50mph.In more exposed areas, the winds could be even higher.Ms Kent added: “The English Channel coast could see winds in excess of 60mph.”Saturday is going to be a very unseasonal day, it could feel more like autumn than August.”Due to the forecast, people travelling over the weekend are being warned to expect delays and disruption to their journeys.Boardmasters music festival in Newquay, Cornwall, was cancelled at the 11th hour in anticipation of the bad weather.While performances at the event, which included slots from stars such as Wu-Tang Clan, Florence + The Machine and Foals, were not due to begin until Friday, doors were set to open to visitors on Wednesday. Yellow weather warnings for rain and wind come in to force across large swathes of the UK on Friday and Saturday Want the best of The Telegraph direct to your email and WhatsApp? Sign up to our free twice-daily  Front Page newsletter and new  audio briefings. read more

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Rembrandt drawing hidden in museum for 250 years found

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  • Sep, 25, 2019
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By Judith Vonberg, CNN(CNN)  A chalk drawing of a dog has been identified as a work by Dutch master Rembrandt van Rijn, after it spent almost 250 years mistakenly credited to a German painter.The discovery of the work’s true author has been described as “a sensation” by the Herzog Anton Ulrich Museum in Braunschweig, Germany. Known as “the Braunschweig terrier,” the image is believed to date from around 1637; it has been in the museum’s collection since 1770.Rembrandt’s drawing of a dog has been in the collection of the Herzog Anton Ulrich Museum in Braunschweig, Germany, since 1770, but was long thought to be the work of a different artist.Professor Thomas Doring, the museum’s curator of prints and drawings, was first alerted to the error two years ago while cataloging the museum’s 10,000 drawings for a digital archive.“It’s been on display for decades under the name of Johann Melchior Roos,” he told CNN, “so the idea that this could be a Rembrandt was never considered before.“But the boldness of the strokes, the variations in the shading from very gentle to quite violent and the expressive gaze [of the dog] — these are very typical idiosyncrasies of Rembrandt’s work.”Doring said his experience cataloging drawings by Rembrandt and his pupils during an earlier project was key to the discovery.“I was used to looking out for the differences between Rembrandt’s work and drawings by other artists,” he explained.This drawing of a lion (1650-1959), belonging to the Rijksmuseum in Amsterdam, is one of the few surviving animal studies by Rembrandt van Rijn.To find out whether his suspicions were correct, he visited Vienna, Amsterdam and Paris, studying Rembrandt drawings and enlisting the help of other Rembrandt experts.He said the response to his painstaking work had been unanimously positive.“Two of the three leading scholars of Rembrandt’s drawings told me they were fully convinced that this is a Rembrandt,” he said. “Since then, the third has contacted me to say he also has no doubts.”Rembrandt van Rijn’s “The Night Watch” (1642) from the Rijksmuseum, Amsterdam.“It’s extremely rare for all of the experts in a field to agree on an issue as controversial as this,” said Doring.Rembrandt included many dogs in his paintings, and practiced by sketching animal studies in chalk.According to a statement released by the museum, “the Braunschweig terrier” is very similar to the barking, jumping dog in Rembrandt’s 1642 painting “The Night Watch”, the star attraction at Amsterdam’s Rijksmuseum.The dog drawing, now with the correct artist’s name attached, is to go back on display at the Herzog Anton Ulrich Museum as part of an exhibition that opens in April. Share this:Click to share on Twitter (Opens in new window)Click to share on Facebook (Opens in new window)RelatedGovt plans to move Walter Roth Museum, staff by DecemberAugust 10, 2016In “latest news”Van Gogh paintings stolen from Amsterdam in 2002 found in ItalySeptember 30, 2016In “World”Germany evacuates 50,000 people on Christmas to defuse massive bombDecember 26, 2016In “World” read more

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