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Tag Archives: Brendan Barnett
John Bowden Writes From HMP Shotts
John Bowden writes about his treatment at the hands of a megalomaniac social worker and an all too acquiescent Parole Board. Further articles by John, and others about his current situation and what you can do to help, can be found here and on the Leeds ABC website.
In June of 2011, the Parole Board for England and Wales finally carried out its statutory obligation to review my continued imprisonment after 32 years of captivity. Its official terms of reference were clear and straightforward; to be reassured that I represented no risk or danger to the public, (the main legal criteria determining whether a life sentence prisoner is safe to be released or not), and that I could be safely managed or supervised in the community beyond prison.The circumstances of my original offence of murder were indeed brutal and terrible, although confined to a sub-culture of petty criminals and alcoholics who existed on the margins of South London working-class society. Along with two other men I was convicted of the murder of another man during a drinking session in a South London flat; ordinarily a fairly unremarkable event in that part of inner-city London. This killing stood out more because of the means by which the victim's remains were disposed of than by the actual act of killing itself. At the time of the offence I was 25 years old, and had already spent the greater part of my life in repressive institutions and jails, and was considered the leader of the group of men who had committed the murder basically because I was considered marginally more intelligent and articulate than the other two. I was sentenced to life imprisonment, with the judge's recommendation that I serve no less than 25 years. The other two received recommendations of 15 years, and were released almost two decades ago.Two leading forensic psychologists , one a world authority on "psychopathic personality disorders", Professor David Cooper, interviewed and assessed me before the parole hearing last June, and submitted written and oral evidence at the hearing which essentially said that I no longer represented a risk or danger to the community and was safe to be either transferred to an open prison or be released completely. The first and most important legal criterion determining a life sentence prisoner's release; public safety or protection, obviously justified releasing me. Overall, the general consensus of professional opinion presented at the parole hearing was that I could be released and safely managed in the community, and in fact I already had been to some degree by being allowed to work in the community for a number of years on external prison work projects and schemes. A post-release supervision plan was also presented to the parole hearing by a community based social worker, which envisaged my living a reasonably independent life in my own accommodation whilst being regularly visited and monitored by a social work team. Legally, the Parole Board would have been justified in ordering my release, but they chose not to do so.
Throughout the hearing the Parole Board panel focused insistently on my "anti-authoritarian" character and attitude, and defined it not as a result and product of my experience of prison, but as a lingering residue of a "psychopathic personality disorder". My prison history of protest and resistance, as well as legal actions taken against serious abuses of power on the part of the prison system, was not defined or characterised as a positive conversion from hardened de-humanised criminal to politicised prisoner and human rights activist, but as simply evidence of a pathological hatred of authority and discipline, and a potential risk to the community. As far as the panel were concerned I remained a psychopath, although one probably mellowed by age and manageable by the strictest and most robust post-release supervision plan.
Rejecting the independent living post-release supervision plan presented at the hearing, the Board decided instead that if released I should be required to live in a closely-supervised hostel and allowed minimum freedom and autonomy. Although I represented no real danger to the community, my "anti-authoritarian" character was considered, by the Board, justification for imposing as much authority and control over me as possible following my release. In order to allow Edinburgh Criminal Justice Services, who would be responsible for supervising me in the community, sufficient time to arrange such a stringent post-release supervision plan, my release was denied for a further twelve months, during which time, the Board suggested, I would be transferred to an open jail and prepared for release. The Scottish Prison Service representative at the hearing agreed to arrange such a transfer at the earliest opportunity.
Following the parole hearing, two crucial things happened. First, the prison authorities reneged on the agreement to transfer me to an open jail, using two earlier absconds from prison to justify insisting that I be psychologically risk-assessed and made to complete whatever behaviour-modification programmes and courses were recommended, before consideration would be given to transferring me to open conditions. There were, of course, long waiting lists for both the assessment and programmes. And second, responsibility for formulating a post-release supervision plan was given to Brendan Barnett, a social worker employed by Edinburgh Criminal Justice Services.
Barnett considered his role to involve far more than just arranging a release plan and hostel accommodation, and decided also to write for the Parole Board a thorough personal assessment and analysis of my life before the murder offence, a forensic description of the killing itself, and what he believed were my psychological motivations both before and during my imprisonment, all of which he coloured with subversive moral opinion and obvious antipathy. His completed report to the Parole Board was a mixture of amateur psychology, distorted fact, and obvious prejudice, with an actual post-release supervision plan almost an incidental addition. He also blatantly lied in his report, claiming to find a reference in an obscure early prison social work report, that justified his outrageous subsequent claim that I was convicted of racist and homophobic hate crimes! Despite every bit of evidence to the contrary (police reports, trial transcripts, and indeed every other report and document in my file), Barnett presented as fact his ridiculous lies. Equally incredibly, when presented with his report, the Parole Board chose to remain silent, despite KNOWING that his report was seriously and inexorably flawed.
When I made a formal complaint about the lies in Bartlett's report to his superiors at Edinburgh Criminal Justice Services, what immediately kicked-in was a concerted attempt on their part to close ranks around him, and despite all the evidence clearly ascertaining what he had wrote was untrue, reject my complaint out of hand. Truth and fact were clearly secondary to the absolute priority to defend and protect a colleague, even one so seriously and worryingly lacking in personal and professional integrity.
Barnett's response to my complaint was vicious and single-mindedly spiteful. On the 14th May this year, he held a "multi-disciplinary meeting", and persuaded a hostel in Edinburgh, that had agreed to accept me as part of the Parole Board inspired post-release supervision plan, to now refuse me accommodation. He also persuaded a representative from Edinburgh Housing not to provide me with accommodation. He then persuaded Scottish Prison Service Headquarters that I should be transferred back to the English prison system because I had no links or contacts in Scotland, which he knew to be completely untrue. He then persuaded a remarkably compliant Parole Board that my next parole hearing, scheduled for June this year, should be postponed until I was "psychiatrically risk assessed" by a psychiatrist of his choice.
The Board were aware, of course, that I had already been thoroughly psychologically risk-assessed before the hearing last June, and there was absolutely no justification for introducing a psychiatric dimension to my case, but they agreed to Barnett's recommendation nevertheless. Neither did they question why Barnett, who was effectively engineering my transfer out of the Scottish system, and beyond Edinburgh Criminal Justice Service's responsibility and obligation to supervise, should happily provide the funding for a psychiatrist of his choice to "risk-assess" me. Brendan Barnett had effectively wrecked any post-release supervision plan, and yet the Parole Board appeared content to go along with and support him.
At the parole hearing last year, the parole panel clearly set it's face against releasing me, despite the legal criteria supporting that release, and it then insisted on a post-release supervision plan of such severity that it was virtually inevitable that an authoritarian zealot such as Barnett would emerge to abuse the power such a plan would exercise over me. Barnett has created a justification to further prolong my imprisonment, and the Parole Board seem happy with it.
Earlier this year, the outgoing Chairperson of the Parole Board, once safely distanced from responsibility, warned that the Parole Board's hindering and delaying the release of life sentence prisoners, of which there are over 1200 in England and Wales, would inevitably and eventually create serious unrest in the prison system. The deliberate design in preventing my release suggests a total disregard for personal or institutional consequences.
Barnett meanwhile, continues to use the system to exercise his hatred of "offenders", supported and defended by his colleagues at Edinburgh Criminal Justice Services, and clearly within a social and political climate of increasing authoritarianism, intolerance, and hated of "offenders" and those on the margins of society, he will feel empowered to continue wrecking the lives of the powerless.
HMP Shotts
ML7 4LE
Tagged Brendan Barnett, John Bowden, state repression, writing
Day of Action in Support of John Bowden MON 11th JUNE 2012
Posted on May 29, 2012 by Bristol ABC | Leave a comment
Day of Action in Support of John Bowden
Imprisoned since 1980, (and in fact for most of his life before that), John Bowden has been a thorn in the side of the English and Scottish prison systems for three decades. John has paid a heavy price for being a staunch defender of prisoners' rights and a committed opponent of injustice, spending years in the most brutal conditions, and suffering numerous physical assaults and treatment that has frequently amounted to torture.
Over the past decade though, John's captors have been using a new tactic to keep him behind bars – the lies of prison social workers and quack 'psychologists'. First, a few years ago, Matthew Stillman alleged that the Anarchist Black Cross were a 'terrorist organisation' and that John was therefore a 'terrorist' by implication. Brendan Barnett has now made even more ludicrous allegations against John, but such is the corruption within Edinburgh 'Criminal Justice Services' that John's complaints have led to his victimisation, rather than the disciplining of Brendan 'Pinocchio' Barnett.
Tagged Brendan Barnett, John Bowden, solidarity
Criminal Justice Services continue to cover up lies about John Bowden
Edinburgh Criminal Justice Services, or what used to be know as the plain Social Work Deptartment, has seriously compromised its professional integrity by defending a member of its staff who deliberately told lies in a report to the Parole Board in an attempt to sabotage my chances of release from prison. Behaving like corrupt policemen instead of traditional social workers seems now to be acceptable practice at Edinburgh Social Services.
In an official report for the Parole Board written on the 29/2/2012 Brenden Barnett, who works for Edinburgh Criminal Justice Services, made the following incredible claims about my original case in 1980. "Secondary motives for using violence described by the trial judge and acknowledged by Bowden himself suggest a pattern of behaviour that allowed for the predatory targeting of vulnerable human beings on the margins of society defined by race or sexuality". "Bowden has suggested that his victims were easily discriminated against on the basis of race or sexuality". "There has been no investigation of the values and beliefs that informed Bowden's targeting of individuals, i.e. what particular characteristics deemed a person worthy of attack; ethnic background, deviant sexuality".
There is absolutely no evidence whatsoever to support Barnett's bizarre claims and in fact I was convicted in 1982, alongside two other men, of the murder of a white Caucasian heterosexual male during a drunken party in South London. If ethnicity was any sort of factor in the case it was actually represented in the defendants, two of whom were Irish and the third second-generation Irish; the victim was a native white south Londoner. Neither the police who investigated the case or the prosecution authorities or indeed trial judge had ever claimed that either racism or homophobia had played any part in the case; Barnett's claims are a total lie, as he well knew.
Naively, I imagined that by officially complaining to Barnett's superiors his lies would be exposed and the record put straight as far as his report to the Parole Board was concerned. Instead I was about to enter a sort of Kafkaesque nightmare.
On the 2/4/2012 I was interviewed by Jackie Peters, Manager for "Risk Management Services" and Barnett's immediate boss, and Sheila Ritchie, a "Sex and Violent Offender Liaison Officer", and also a colleague of Barnett's. Both made it absolutely clear that they intended to defend and support their colleague no matter what, even if it required some twisting of the facts and a total disregard of the truth. Throughout the interview I was treated with obvious contempt and at one point I was actually asked if any of my victims (I was convicted of one murder) were black or homosexuals. Despite my constant protestations that neither race or sexual orientation played any part whatsoever in my conviction, as the official files make clear, they steadfastly determined to somehow defend and justify Barnett's lies. I eventually realised that the interview was meaningless and their intention was simply to defend their colleague, so I told them that I would pursue my complaint beyond them and do whatever it took to expose Barnett's lies. In their subsequent report they would describe this as a "threat" against Barnett. They also alleged I had been "angry and aggressive" towards them and tried to shift the focus from Barnett's lies onto my behaviour during the interview, which they insinuated suggested a potential risk to both themselves and the wider community. The issue of Barnett's lies in their report was glossed over and my complaint rejected. It's important to remember here that we're not dealing with some miner factual inaccuracy or a biased interpretation of established fact, a fairly common phenomenon in social work reports on prisoners; Barnett wrote blatant lies in his report, claims that had absolutely no basis in fact or reality, lies that are easily disproved by reference to the mass of information in my prison and social work file, and yet those supposedly responsible for investigating my complaint decided that Barnett had done absolutely no wrong and his report was completely acceptable. Protected by an occupational culture that views and treats "offenders" as things to be monitored, supervised and policed, authoritarian characters like Barnett believe they have total power over those under their supervision and with it the absolute right to increase their demonisation and dehumanisation, even by writing blatant lies about them.
Those who employ Barnett and those who work alongside him in the Edinburgh Criminal Justice Services must ultimately take responsibility for his behaviour because by defending and supporting him they have seriously compromised their own integrity and are complicit in his dishonesty and abuse of power. A more senior social worker, Stephen Laird, signed off Barnett's report and therefore gave the official seal of approval to his lies, which is why those supposedly investigating my complaint, Peters and Ritchie, felt an even greater predisposition to support Barnett, even if his lies regarding my original offence were obvious and indefensible. This is how corruption spreads within institutions like the police and Social Services; defending and supporting colleagues who have abused their power, especially over people considered something less than human and utterly powerless, creates complicity and a culture of abuse generally. The prison system and police are riddled with this culture, which is why the abuse and death of people in custody is widespread and why those directly responsible are rarely identified and prosecuted. It would seem that the "Criminal Justice Services" generally, including social workers and probation officers, are also contaminated by this culture of lying and treating "offenders" as people stripped of all basic rights; my experience with Barnett and his colleagues certainly illustrates this.
Undoubtedly at my next parole hearing Barnett will claim that by challenging the lies in his report I have also challenged his authority over me and therefore I represent a "High Risk of Re-offending" because of my adversity to being supervised by Barnett in the community. As always Public Protection will be cited and used as a justification for my continued imprisonment, when in reality I shall probably remain in jail simply because I challenged Barnett's lies.
I have now complained to Peter Gabbitas, Director of Health and Social Dept. in Edinburgh, who has overall responsibility for Barnett and his colleagues, and he has yet to even acknowledge my letter, which suggests a disinclination on his part to recognise either my existence or that of my complaint. Incredibly it would seem that a pathological liar like Barnett has the absolute freedom to describe someone in an official report as a "racist and homophobic" serial killer without a shred of evidence, and absolutely no-one in his entire dept has the integrity or moral courage to criticise or expose him, and that apparently includes even the dept's Director. The complete absence of any basic integrity amongst those at Edinburgh Criminal Justice Services is both scandalous and deeply worrying for those under it's supervision.
The response of Barnett and Edinburgh Criminal Justice Services to my exposing his lies has been to ask the Scottish Prison Service to engineer my removal back to the English prison system, and on the 4/5/2012 Sharron Di Ciacca, Legal Service Manager of the Scottish Prison Service, wrote to me informing me that such a transfer would take place soon. Moving the "problem" on is of course a classic method of controlling and punishing "difficult" prisoners.
Edinburgh Criminal Justice Services should not be allowed to suppress or simply get rid of "offenders" who complain about and expose individuals like Brendan Barnett, and I ask all groups and individuals concerned about the treatment of prisoners and ex-prisoners at the hands of a corrupt social work dept like Edinburgh Criminal Justice Services to write letters or e-mails of complaint to the following addresses:
Scottish Public Services Ombudsman
4 Melville Street
EH3 7NS
Social Work Advice and Complaints Service
Waverley Court
Level 1/7
4 East Market Street
EH8 8BG
Michelle Miller
Chief Social Worker
Grindlay Court Social Work Centre
2-4 Grindlay Court
EH3 9AR
Peter Gabbitas, Director
Health and Social Care Dept
John Bowden, 6729
Tagged Brendan Barnett, John Bowden, state repression
Sack Brenden Barnett
Posted on April 28, 2012 by Bristol ABC | Leave a comment
from: support john bowden
Militant long-term prisoner John Bowden continues not only to get shit from the prison authorities, but also from 'social workers' acting as their lackeys (see http://leedsabc.org/another-attempt-to-sabotage-john-bowdens-parole-by-prison-hired-social-worker/ and http://leedsabc.org/update-from-john-bowden-about-lies-written-by-prison-hired-social -worker-2/ ).
Regular Indymedia readers may recall that a few years ago the System used stooge social worker Mathew Stillman to smear the Anarchist Black Cross as a "terrorist organisation" with whom John was in contact. Eventually Stillman was totally discredited, but now another State lackey, Brenden Barnett, is doing their dirty work for them.
John's official complaint against Barnett has only brought further repression. There is a need for a sustained campaign to expose Barnett's lies and to expose the fact that two years after the Parole Board recommended John Bowden be moved to an open prison, he continues to be held in a Scottish high security jail, and for no other reason than his political writings exposing injustice and repression in British prisons.
Please read John's articles on this latest situation (see link above) and take some time to at least write to Michelle Miller, Chief Social Worker, Grindlay Court Social Work Centre, Criminal Justice Services, 2-4 Grindlay Court, Edinburgh, EH3 9AR.
For just £2.16 postage you could even send a card like the one pictured above, which Leeds ABC posted on Saturday 21st April.
You can also write to John Bowden at:
John Bowden – 6729, HMP Shotts, Cantrell Road, Shotts, Scotland, ML7 4LE.
Update From John Bowden About Lies Written In A Report By Prison Hired Social Worker – April 2012
Posted on April 4, 2012 by Bristol ABC | Leave a comment
Update From John Bowden About Lies Written In A Report By Prison Hired Social Worker
Brendon Barnett, a criminal justice social worker in Edinburgh, has so compromised himself by writing blatant lies in a report to the parole board to try and sabotage my release that his employers should seriously consider his suitability as a social work professional.
Social Work Advice and Complaints Service in Edinburgh are currently investigating my complaint that in a report submitted to the parole board in February Barnett wrote what he knew to be total lies and did so without any concern that his lies would inevitably be found out. This suggests either a serious personality disorder on Barnett's part or a belief that whatever he wrote the system would support him and never hold him properly
accountable. It will therefore be interesting to see how my complaint is treated by the social work complaints service and how the system deals with someone who thinks it's completely acceptable to use their position to destroy the lives of people considered too marginalised, powerless and stigmatised to defend themselves.
In response to an article that I wrote exposing the lies in Barnett's report, Barnett submitted a second report to the parole board obviously motivated by a determination to inflict greater punishment for my having the temerity to speak out. In his second report submitted on the 22nd March he accuses me of being 'very selective' in my use of quotes from his first report and 'manipulative' in my 'editing' of them. He claimed that I wrote and distributed the article as a 'crude attempt to intimidate and cow' him. He also made reference to a warning or threat in his first report that my continuing to use the internet as a means of exposing dishonest reporting by social workers should be considered by the parole board as sufficient reason to deny my release.
In terms of my reason for writing and distributing the article about the lies in Barnett's first report, my actual motive was to try and highlight a pattern of behaviour on the part of prison-based psychologists and social workers that compromises their professional integrity by blurring the boundaries between an often vindictive prison system and the supposed professional independence of 'criminal justice workers' like Barnett. Although not formally employed by the prison system Barnett clearly had contact with and was influenced by senior prison staff whilst writing his first report and obviously believed he now shared with them such total power over me that I would be completely defenceless
to his lies; in fact what he actually succeeded in doing was undermining the basic integrity of his report and illustrating how so-called criminal justice professionals like social workers and probation officers are often used by prison staff to legitimise the otherwise blatant victimization of prisoners. Either way, my essential motive in writing and distributing my article was to bring attention to a clear abuse of power by Barnett and also to an obvious and repetitive pattern of lies in social work reports written on me for the parole board. In fact, Barnett's lies, although uniquely unbelievable, fit a consistent pattern of dishonesty and lies in reports submitted to the parole board since at least 2007. The motive is clear: to prevent my release by any means necessary.
Barnett claims that in my article exposing his lies I was selective in my choice of quotes from his first report and manipulative in my editing of them. In fact, I lifted the quotes verbatim from his report and selected those that were obviously untrue in the extreme, such as the claim that I was convicted of hate crimes against ethnic minorities and gay people. In a typical example of this he wrote, "Bowden has not only used a political analysis of his own history but also those of his victims suggesting they were individuals easily discriminated against on the basis of race or sexuality". This is EXACTLY what Barnett wrote free of any manipulation or editing by me. He also wrote, "Bowden has suggested that his victims were easily discriminated against on the basis or race or sexuality" and "There has been no investigation of the values and beliefs that informed Bowden's targeting of individuals, i.e. what particular characteristics deemed a person worthy of attack: ethnic background, deviant sexuality". Despite a mountain of official reports and evidence relating to my life before prison and the circumstances of my 'offending behaviour', which Barnett would have been familiar with, he decided to introduce a racist and homophobic dimension to my case that has absolutely no basis in fact or reality. The question therefore has to be asked why?
Prison-based social workers often exaggerate, distort and misrepresent facts when writing reports for the parole board, but rarely are naked lies written in reports that are examined by a judicial body like the parole board. In 2007 a prison-based social worker, Matthew Stillman, wrote a report for the parole board preparing to consider my release in which he described a prisoner support group, Anarchist Black Cross, as a 'terrorist organisation' and my connection with it as sufficient reason to deny my release. Stillman, a right-wing American, claimed that ABC's politics were 'Terroristic' in his opinion, though would subsequently also claim that he was encouraged by senior prison staff to use the term 'terrorist' in his report to the parole board. Political definitions, no matter how distorted, are however completely different to blatant lies, there are only two explanations for Barnett writing such outrageous lies in his report to the parole board, either plain incompetence [difficult to believe when one considers his otherwise forensic eye for detail in the report] or straight forward malevolence. Either explanation is almost secondary to the imperative that he should be sacked or removed from a job where he is able to inflict serious damage on people's live.
John Bowden – HMP Shotts – April 2012
Another Attempt To Sabotage John Bowden's Parole By Prison Hired Social Worker
Posted on March 11, 2012 by Bristol ABC | 2 comments
Another Attempt To Sabotage John Bowden's Parole By Prison Hired Social Worker March 2012
The changed role of probation officers, and in Scotland social workers, from 'client centered' liberal professionals into 'criminal justice workers' focused essentially on 'public protection' and 'managing risk' has in many cases led to serious abuses of power as what were once considered vocations of social conscience have been transformed into little more than the revenge of the middle class.
Nowhere more is this so than in the case of prison-based social workers and criminal justice probational/supervision officers who are little more than appendages of repressive state power and act as a legitimizing and respectable cover for that power.
The collaboration of prison hired social workers in the victimization of prisoners labelled 'control problems' was exemplified by Matthew Stillman, a social worker employed by Perth and Kinross Council in Scotland, who in 2007 whilst on placement at Castle Huntley open prison in Dundee wrote a social work report for the Parole Board in which he described the Anarchist Black Cross support group (ABC) as a 'terrorist organisation' and my support of it as sufficient reason to deny my release after 30 years in jail. As a direct consequence of Stillman's report I was removed from Castle Huntley open jail where I was preparing for release and returned to maximum security conditions. Following a public campaign by the ABC and an internal investigation by Perth and Kinross Council, Stillman's claim was exposed as a deliberate lie and he was quietly moved to another job. Stillman would subsequently claim that senior management as Castle Huntley jail had encouraged him to make the terrorist claim in his report. What the episode actually illustrated was the malleability of 'criminal justice professionals' by a vindictive prison management and how willing such 'professionals' compromise their integrity in the interests of career and power.
This was again illustrated in February of this year before another scheduled parole hearing to consider my release when the Parole Board asked a community based social worker in Edinburgh, Brendon Barnett, to prepare a post release supervision plan report. Told by the prison authorities that I was refusing to co-operate with an assessment for psychology based behaviour modification programmes, Barnett wrote a report clearly intended to influence the parole board to deny my release indefinitely. Like Stillman, he also wrote lies in his report, but this time the lies really did defy belief.
When claiming to describe my original offence in 1980 and my 'patterns of behaviour' at the time of the offence, Barnett wrote in his report: "His victims were individuals easily discriminated against on the basis of race and sexuality". "There was a pattern of behaviour that allowed for the predatory targeting of vulnerable human beings defined by race or sexuality". "Individuals were deemed worthy of attack on the basis of ethnic background and deviant sexuality". "There has been no investigation of the values and beliefs that informed Bowden's targeting of individuals, i.e. what particular characteristics deemed a person worth of attack: ethnic background, deviant sexuality?" Incredibly, without any reference to official records, i.e. police reports or trial transcripts, Barnett committed his outrageous lies to a report intended for the Parole Board, a body thoroughly conversant with the facts of my original offence.
The actual facts are these. In November 1980, during a drunken party at a flat in South London, Donald Ryan, a white Caucasian, heterosexual man was killed by 3 other white Caucasian, heterosexual men, one of whom was me. The police who investigated the case, the prosecution authorities and trial judge who tried the case, have never claimed or suggested there was a racist or homophobic dimension to the case, and why would they? Barnett's claims were a complete invention. In the preamble to his report Barnett claimed that all his information was derived from 'core documents' and 'source material'; this was also a lie. An explanation as to Barnett's motives in writing such reckless lies is possibly provided by other parts of his report. Under a heading he terms "Compliance" he writes: "Bowden's time in custody has been characterised as a sustained and deliberate war of attrition with the prison service. It is reported that earlier in his sentence he often began riots, dirty protests and hunger strikes. As his sentence progressed Bowden developed a strategy of intellectual analysis of the system he is subject to. He appears to conceptualize his activities in the light of a particular ideological awareness and as part of a wider struggle". He then provides the Parole Board with website references for various articles I've written criticising the prison system and cites Stillman's report as a reference source. He concludes this part of his report with – "Bowden questions the whole validity of the prison system and the honesty, professionalism and impartiality of those charged with his assessment and supervision".
The core motive for Barnett's lies are clearly revenge for Stillman, and this is made explicit in a paragraph of the report entitled "Professional Boundaries". Under this he writes: "Bowden is known to have aired grievances on the internet with regard to particular professionals involved in the assessment of his level of risk. He appears to have authored articles that have been forwarded to various websites naming professionals involved in the parole process, suggesting readers contact them directly. He has suggested a named social worker's "right wing views" (Stillman) influenced his assessment of Bowden". He then issues a clear threat: "Should he repeat these actions (publicising the names of social workers) this could be deemed a rejection of the conditions of release". What Barnett is actually saying is that should I dare to expose and publicise his outrageous lies then I risk imprisonment until death.
Brendon Barnett is supposedly a social worker employed by the Criminal Justice Services in Edinburgh who last year was instructed by his employers to prepare a post release supervision plan for me and present it's features in a report for the Parole Board. Instead he abused his position by collaborating with the prison system to prejudice the parole process and sabotage my release. Rather stupidly, instead of basing his disgusting allegations on historical fact and official record, he obviously regurgitated lies from Micheal Mansfield's "Memoirs Of A Radical Lawyer", that Mansfield himself has now publicly admitted were completely untrue. Brendon Barnett should be sacked.
Please write letters of complaint to:
Michelle Miller Chief Social Worker Officer
Please send letters of support to:
John Bowden 6729
Canthill Road


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Controlling a mini solenoid with an Arduino.

![The Build](./assets/SolenoidControl_build.jpg?raw=true)

Here's a quick demo of the circuit in action:

[![SolenoidControl](https://img.youtube.com/vi/CDqSoQETEIg/0.jpg)](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CDqSoQETEIg)

## Notes

[Solenoids](https://en.wikipedia.org/?title=Solenoid) are useful devices for converting electrical signals and digital logic into
physical movement. Whereas motors provide rotation, solenoids  are usually used for binary control
(valves on or off, locks engaged or free).

So we basically need the Arduino to be a switch. Connecting an Arduino to a solenoid just requires attention to two factors:

* the current (and possibly voltage) required by the solenoid probably exceeds the power an Arduino can directly provide, so we'd use a transistor or FET to switch a higher-power current source
* being electromagenetic devices, solenoids can produce significant [back-EMF](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Counter-electromotive_force) and require a [flyback diode](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Flyback_diode) to proect other components in the circuit

For this circuit, I'm using a mini push-pull solenoid that is rated for 3-12V. The data I have from the
[seller page on aliexpress](https://www.aliexpress.com/item/5pcs-mini-DC3-12V-Push-Pull-Type-Solenoid-Electromagnet-DC-Micro-Solenoid-Free-shipping/32309067252.html) specifies:

* Length: 20.3 MM
* Weight: 12g
* Voltage: DC 3 V, current: 0.08 A
* voltage: 6 V, Current: 0.17 A
* voltage: 9 V, Current: 0.26 A
* Voltage: 12v, current: 0.35 A
* Internal resistance: 32.8 ohm

That kind of makes sense, although I'm not sure why the rated current is a tad under the voltage/resistance calculation.

The switching transsitor used here is the S9013, which is rated for 500mA continuous collector current - sufficient for this application.
A 1N4001 diode provide flyback protection.

## Construction

![Breadboard](./assets/SolenoidControl_bb.jpg?raw=true)

![The Schematic](./assets/SolenoidControl_schematic.jpg?raw=true)

![The Build](./assets/SolenoidControl_build.jpg?raw=true)

## Credits and References

* [8.6. Controlling Solenoids and Relays](http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/1449313876/ref=as_li_tl?ie=UTF8&camp=1789&creative=390957&creativeASIN=1449313876&linkCode=as2&tag=itsaprli-20&linkId=5F6YF3D5RCEZYXUU) - from the Arduino Cookbook
* [Mini push-pull solenoids on aliexpress](https://www.aliexpress.com/item/5pcs-mini-DC3-12V-Push-Pull-Type-Solenoid-Electromagnet-DC-Micro-Solenoid-Free-shipping/32309067252.html) - 3-12V
* [S9013 datasheet](https://www.futurlec.com/Transistors/S9013.shtml)
* [1N4001-1N4007 datasheet](https://www.futurlec.com/Diodes/1N4001.shtml)

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaGithub


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Country Lists
Quizzes!
10 Most Interesting Ramen Restaurants in the World
In Japan, ramen is one of the hottest dishes and has become somewhat of a trend in the country. What's interesting about this trend is that is has traveled into other countries and nestled itself right among some of the top searched food items in the world. So, in order to highlight the tasty meal and the best of the best when it comes to Ramen we compiled the 10 Most Interesting Ramen Restaurants in the World.
As you will see in our list Japan, California and New York pretty much dominate when it comes to having some of the best ramen that money can buy. Ramen is a traditional Japanese dish of noodles, broth and various toppings. It is still unclear whether or not the dish originated in Japan or China, however, Japan has pretty much adopted it completely. So much in fact that it is a pretty good way to make a living in the country.
When most Americans hear ramen, they immediately think about the packets of Ramen Noodles that are super cheap and pretty easy to prepare for a quick meal. However, ramen is an art form all its own and the amount of flavors one can capture in a ramen dish is simply astonishing. You can check out our 10 Most Interesting Ramen Restaurants in the World to find out where some of the best ramen comes from.
10. Jin Ramen, NY
While the name may be a little scary as it translates to "benevolence," according to Jin Ramen, the restaurant prides itself on making good ramen and making a positive impact on the community. They serve Hakata style ramen that features a pork-based broth.
9. Kitakata Ramen Ban Nai, California
Kitakata Ramen Ban Nai is somewhat of a chain in Japan with 57 locations. However, there happens to be a location in Costa Mesa, California that brings the Japanese heritage to the U.S. With a heavy concentration on the Soba noodle, chef Akira Nakahara has been recognized as one of the masters of noodle making after being accepted by the Ban Nai family.
PhotoCred: Ramen Ban Nai
8. Mangetsu, Sakata, Yamagata Japan
Mangetsu has a rich history that started in 1960. The name translates to "full moon" and tourists can't seem to get enough of the ramen that is prepared by the second generation of Mangetsu, Tadashi Saito.
PhotoCred: Mangetsu
7. Ramen Lab, NY
Ramen Lab is a restaurant incubator and experimental spot where new takes on the classic dish are being concocted. It's an interesting experience for chefs and visitors who share a passion for ramen, making it one of the most unique places as well.
PhotoCred: Ramen Lab
6. Jinya Ramen Bar, California
Jinya Ramen Bar was built off the desire for Tomonori Takahashi to enjoy his favorite Japanese meal. In order to fulfill his desire for the dish Takahashi used his knowledge of his father's hard work in the restaurant business. The result was a successful business with plenty of delicious ramen.
PhotoCred: Jinya Ramen
5. Misoya, NY
Misoya NY is a ramen/miso restaurant that specializes in three types of miso. You could say the focus here is the brother for sure and the official website of the restaurant gives you a full breakdown of what miso contains and how it is made.
PhotoCred: Misoya
4. Shin-Yokohama Raumen Museum, Yokohama, Japan
For a truly educational and delicious meal of ramen. The Shin-Yokohama Raumen Museum is the place to be. As its name suggests, the museum is dedicated to ramen so it serves as a place where ramen lovers can discover the origins and tastes of all types of ramen.
PhotoCred: Shin-Yokohama Raumen Museum
3. Men-Eiji, Japan
In Men-Eiji, ramen lovers can be sure that only the best ingredients are being used for their meal. According to the official webpage, Men-Eiji uses Hokkaido wheat for their noodles which are considers "high-quality" for ramen.
PhotoCred: Men-Eiji
2. Tsuta
The Tsuta restaurant happens to be a Michelin starred ramen restaurant and is the first ramen restaurant to receive the honor. The restaurant is located in Tokyo and the system in which you must go through to get a seat at the restaurant full reflects that.
PhotoCred: Ramen Adventures
1. Kagari, Japan
Kagari is located in Ginza, Japan and it specializes in ramen with a creamy chicken broth. The setting along with the attention to detail in the food is heavily addressed in articles that have featured the restaurant. Don't get confused when you visit as their signs doesn't say Kagari, however, it does read SOBA.
PhotoCred: The Japan Times
best ramen in the world brother japan jin jinya kagari kitakata ramen ban nai mangetsu men-eiji misoya ramen ramen lab shin-yokohama raumen museum soup tsuta
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TokenRoll project puts forward unique approaches to the key problems of online casinos. TokenRoll Token(TKR), as the main instrument, is designed to represent the real value of that project starting from the ICO process and allow community to have a fully featured decentralized casino experience as soon as the platform is initiated. With this aspect, total token supply will be determined by the result of the token sale, protecting the rights and returns of the investors and letting community to decide on the actual scale of the TokenRoll project. Decentralized by nature, trusted by community - this is the ground of our credibility.


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text:
Sonia Gandhi Released from Hospital After Successful Treatment
in कांग्रेस
Former Congress president Sonia Gandhi was discharged from Sir Ganga Ram Hospital on Tuesday around 3 pm after being admitted with a viral infection.
Dr Ajay Swaroop, Chairman Board of Management at the hospital confirmed the news. She was accompanied by her daughter Priyanka Gandhi Vadra when admitted to the hospital on Wednesday.
On Friday, doctors at the hospital stated she was stable and recovering well.
A statement from the hospital stated that "Mrs Sonia Gandhi, Chairperson UPA, who is admitted at the hospital for a viral respiratory infection is stable and is making a gradual recovery".
Actor Shahrukh Khan unveils a magnificent vehicle at the Auto Expo, leaving audiences in awe
Investigation Launched into Uranium Package with Potential Pakistan Connection Seized at Heathrow Airport
मध्य प्रदेश के मुरैना में 28 जनवरी शनिवार सुबह को एक बड़ा हवाई हादसा हो गया इस हादसे में एयरफोर्स...
शेयर में आई गिरावट के बाद गौतम अडानी की 20% दौलत स्वाहा, LIC के डूबे 18000 करोड़, सातवें नंबर पर खिसके अडानी


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In the pediatric population, nitric oxide (NO) is often used to reduce pulmonary vascular resistance in term and near-term neonates with hypoxic respiratory failure. Such patients often present with varying issues that require magnetic resonance imaging, which normally means going off NO while the child is taken in for a scan.
Mallinckrodt out of Dublin, Ireland now received pediatric indication and FDA clearance for its INOmax DSIR Plus MRI device which allows for delivery of nitric oxide on the way to and from, and while inside the MRI scanner.
It's to be used with MR compatible ventilators that are indicated to work alongside the INOmax DSIR Plus MRI device. Scanning while using the system can be done within MRI machines up to 3 Tesla and where the field strength is up to 100 gauss.
The system is essentially the same as previously available INOmax DSIR system, but the cart parts, the INOmax delivery cable and tubing, the gas sampling tubing, as well as the software, were updated to work properly and safely near an MRI machine.


text:
\section{Introduction}

As machine learning has matured into wide-spread adoption, building models that users can understand is becoming increasingly important. This can easily be observed in high-risk applications such as healthcare \citep{ahmad2018interpretable, caruana2015intelligible}, finance \citep{hajek2019interpretable, chen2018interpretable} and judicial environments \citep{Tan:2018:DAB:3278721.3278725, soundarajanequal}. Interpretability is also important in general applied machine learning problems such as model debugging, regulatory compliance, and human computer interaction.

We address these needs with InterpretML by exposing many state of the art interpretability algorithms under a unified API. This API covers two major interpretability forms: "glassbox" models, which are inherently intelligible and explainable to the user, and "blackbox" interpretability, methods that generate explanations for any machine learning pipeline, no matter how opaque it is. This is further supported with interactive visualizations and a built-in dashboard designed for interpretability algorithm comparison. InterpretML is MIT licensed, and emphasizes extensibility and compatibility with popular open-source projects such as scikit-learn \citep{scikit-learn} and Jupyter Notebook environments \citep{Kluyver:2016aa}.

\section{Package Design}

InterpretML follows four key design principles that influence its architecture and API.

\textit{Ease of comparison.} Make it as easy as possible to compare multiple algorithms. ML interpretability is in its infancy, and many algorithmic approaches have emerged from research, each of which has pros and cons. Comparison is critical to find the algorithm that best suits the users' needs. InterpretML enables this by enforcing a scikit-learn style uniform API, and providing a visualization platform centered around algorithmic comparison.

\textit{Stay true to the source.} Use reference algorithms and visualizations as much as possible. Our goal is to expose interpretability algorithms to the world, in their most accurate form.

\textit{Play nice with others.} Leverage the open-source ecosystem, and don't reinvent the wheel. InterpretML is highly compatible with popular projects like Jupyter Notebook and scikit-learn, and builds off of many libraries like plotly, lime, shap, and SALib.

\textit{Take what you want.} Use and extend any component of InterpretML without pulling in the whole framework. For example, it's possible to produce a computationally intensive explanation on a server, without InterpretML's visualization and its related dependencies.

The code architecture and unified API is best expressed in Figure \ref{fig:interpret_arch}, providing an overview and relevant example code.

\begin{figure}[H]
    \centering
    \includegraphics[scale=0.6]{images/architecture.png}
    \includegraphics[scale=0.5]{images/Code_Screenshots.png}
    \caption{API architecture and code examples}
    \label{fig:interpret_arch}
\end{figure}

\begin{comment}
Currently, InterpretML supports lime \citep{lime}, shap \citep{NIPS2017_7062}, partial dependence \citep{friedman2001}, and methods from SALib \citep{Herman2017}.
\end{comment}

\section{Explainable Boosting Machine}

As part of the framework, InterpretML also includes a new interpretability algorithm -- the Explainable Boosting Machine (EBM). EBM is a glassbox model, designed to have accuracy comparable to state-of-the-art machine learning methods like Random Forest and Boosted Trees, while being highly intelligibile and explainable. EBM is a generalized additive model (GAM) of the form:
\setlength{\abovedisplayskip}{0pt}%
\setlength{\belowdisplayskip}{0pt}%
\setlength{\abovedisplayshortskip}{0pt}%
\setlength{\belowdisplayshortskip}{0pt}%
\begin{align*}
g(E[y]) = \beta_0 + \sum f_j(x_j)
\end{align*}
\noindent
where \textit{g} is the link function that adapts the GAM to different settings such as regression or classification. EBM has a few major improvements over traditional GAMs \citep{hastie1987generalized}. First, EBM learns each feature function  f\textsubscript{j} using modern machine learning techniques such as bagging and gradient boosting. The boosting procedure is carefully restricted to train on one feature at a time in round-robin fashion using a very low learning rate so that feature order does not matter.  It round-robin cycles through features to mitigate the effects of co-linearity and to learn the best feature function f\textsubscript{j} for each feature to show how each feature contributes to the model's prediction for the problem. Second, EBM can automatically detect and include pairwise interaction terms of the form:
\setlength{\abovedisplayskip}{0pt}%
\setlength{\belowdisplayskip}{0pt}%
\setlength{\abovedisplayshortskip}{0pt}%
\setlength{\belowdisplayshortskip}{0pt}%
\begin{align*}
g(E[y]) = \beta_0 + \sum f_j(x_j) + \sum f_{i_j}(x_i,x_j)
\end{align*}
which further increases accuracy while maintaining intelligibility.
EBM is a fast implementation of the GA\textsuperscript{2}M algorithm \citep{LouCGH13}, written in C++ and Python. The implementation is parallelizable, and takes advantage of \texttt{joblib} to provide multi-core and multi-machine parallelization. The algorithmic details for the training procedure, selection of pairwise interaction terms, and case studies can be found in \citep{LouCG12, LouCGH13, caruana2015intelligible}.

EBMs are highly intelligible, because the contribution of each feature to a final prediction can be visualized and understood by plotting f\textsubscript{j}. Because EBM is an additive model, each feature contributes to predictions in a modular way that makes it easy to reason about the contribution of each feature to the prediction.

\begin{figure}[ht]
    \centering
    \includegraphics[scale=0.25]{images/ebm_global_age.PNG}
    \includegraphics[scale=0.25]{images/ebm_local.PNG}
    \caption{Left: Function f\textsubscript{Age}. As 'Age' increases from 20 to 50, p(1) increases significantly.
    Right: Individual prediction, where the 'CapitalGain' feature dominates.}
    \label{fig:ebmglobal}
\end{figure}

To make individual predictions, each function f\textsubscript{j} acts as a lookup table per feature, and returns a term contribution. These term contributions are simply added up, and passed through the link function \textit{g} to compute the final prediction. Because of the modularity (additivity), term contributions can be sorted and visualized to show which features had the most impact on any individual prediction.

\begin{comment}

\begin{figure}[ht]
    \centering
    \includegraphics[scale=0.3]{images/ebm_local.PNG}
    \caption{Individual prediction, where the 'CapitalGain' feature dominates.}
    \label{fig:ebmlocal}
\end{figure}
\end{comment}

\begin{figure}[ht]
\begin{tabular}{ |p{3.2cm}||p{1.5cm}|p{1.5cm}|p{2cm}|p{2cm}|p{2.1cm} | }
 \hline
 \multicolumn{6}{|c|}{Classification Performance (AUROC)} \\
 \hline
 Model & heart-disease (303, 13) & breast-cancer (569, 30) & telecom-churn (7043, 19) & adult-income (32561, 14)  & credit-fraud (284807, 30)\\
 \hline
 EBM & \textbf{0.916} & \textbf{0.995} & \textbf{0.851} & \textbf{0.928} & 0.975\\
 LightGBM & 0.864 & 0.992 & 0.835 & \textbf{0.928} & 0.685\\
 Logistic Regression & 0.895 & \textbf{0.995} & 0.804 & 0.907 & 0.979\\
 Random Forest & 0.89 & 0.992 & 0.824 & 0.903 & 0.95 \\
 XGBoost & 0.87 & \textbf{0.995} & 0.85 & 0.922 & \textbf{0.981}\\
 \hline
\end{tabular}
\caption{Classification performance for models across datasets (rows, columns).}
\end{figure}

\begin{comment}
\begin{figure}[ht]
    \centering
    \includegraphics[scale=0.4]{images/auroc-5}
    \caption{Classification performance for models across datasets.}
    \label{fig:auroc}
\end{figure}
\end{comment}

\begin{figure}[ht]
    \centering
    \includegraphics[scale=0.28]{images/fit-time-09-18.pdf}
    \includegraphics[scale=0.28]{images/score-time-09-18.pdf}
    \caption{Computational performance for models across datasets (rows, columns).}
    \label{fig:comp_perf}
\end{figure}

In terms of predictive power, EBM often performs surprisingly well, and is comparable with state of the art methods like Random Forest and XGBoost.\footnote{All models were trained with their default parameters. EBM's current default parameters are chosen for computational speed, to enable ease of experimentation. For the best accuracy and interpretability, we recommend using reference parameters: 100 inner bags, 100 outer bags, 5000 epochs, and a learning rate of 0.01.} To keep the individual terms additive, EBM pays an additional training cost, making it somewhat slower than similar methods. However, because making predictions involves simple additions and lookups inside of the feature functions f\textsubscript{j}, EBMs are one of the fastest models to execute at prediction time. EBM's light memory usage and fast predict times makes it particularly attractive for model deployment in production.

\acks{We would like to acknowledge everyone on our \href{https://github.com/microsoft/interpret/blob/master/ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS.md}{acknowledgements.md} file for their support on this project. } We also depend on many amazing software packages and research: scikit-learn \citep{scikit-learn}, plotly \citep{plotly}, lime \citep{lime}, shap \citep{NIPS2017_7062}, SALib \citep{Herman2017}, partial dependence \citep{friedman2001}, Jupyter \citep{Kluyver:2016aa}, pandas \citep{mckinneypandas}, and more.

\newpage
\newpage

\nocite{*}

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaArXiv


text:
PortSmash vulnerability hits Intel CPUs
By Mike Moore 05 November 2018
Skylake and Kaby Lake chips among those affected in wide-ranging flaw.
Some of Intel's most popular chips have been hit by a major security flaw, researchers have claimed.
This vulnerability, named PortSmash, has been discovered by a team of academics from Tampere University of Technology in Finland and Technical University of Havana Cuba.
PortSmash is impacting some of Intel's most well-known processors, including the Kaby Lake and Skylake units found in many laptops on the market today, and could potentially allow attackers to leak encrypted data from the CPU's internal processes.
Intel CPU threat
Specifically, PortSmash targets a flaw in Intel's hyperthreading technology, which cuts down on the time needed for a device to carry out high-end computing tasks.
The researchers where able to exploit a leak in the hyperthreading system to access secure private keys from servers running Skylake and Kaby Lake processors by tracking specific computing processes in order to deduce the key.
The flaw affects both servers and PCs, the researchers said, although the former is more at risk, which could prove dangerous for cloud providers who offer infrastructure-as-a-service (IaaS) platforms, as servers, storage and networking hardware could be targeted in a single shot.
Intel has responded to the report, noting that it expects that the threat it "is not unique" to its platforms alone.
"Protecting our customers' data and ensuring the security of our products is a top priority for Intel and we will continue to work with customers, partners and researchers to understand and mitigate any vulnerabilities that are identified," the company added.
Via: ArsTechnica
The best internet security suites 2018
See more Computing news


Mechanic Can't Find This Part. Can Anyone Help?
I have a 2000 Mazda 626lx Automatic.
My mechanic says that the "Variable Tumble Control Valve Solenoid and valve Core" needs replaced. The problem is he can't find this part!
This is a picture he provided. I really hope this helps.
From what I understand this is a part that may have only been in California cars due to their emissions law.
Does anyone know where I may find this ?
did you search the forum? A few results do come up.
is only found on the 98-02. It's basically the same concept as VRIS for the KL or VICS for the JDM FS-ZE. If you are familiar with what the VRIS actuator looks like on the KL-DE V6 engine, it will look very similar. The concept for VTCS was taken from VRIS and VICS. I really hate saying this but it's also comparable to Honda's VTEC system.
On the left side of the intake manifold. It will look like a small saucer shaped object with a vacuum hose in the top and a rod from the bottom. There is a diaphragm inside of it that when provided vacuum will pull the rod open which in turn opens the shutter valve hidden inside in the end of each intake manifold runner. Practically identical theory of operation as the KL VRIS actuator. If you remove the intake manifold from the head of the engine you will see the shutter valves.
It's directly above the VTCS actuator. There are 2 solenoids on the left side of the intake manifold directly above the VTCS actuator. The one on the left is the EGR boost solenoid (orange dot). The one on the right is the VTCS solenoid (green dot). The ECU controls when the solenoid is activated and supplies vacuum to the VTCS Actuator.
Just prior to the VTCS actuator is a small one way check valve (green cylinder).
Here's a great side view that clearly shows most of the VTCS components on a 2001 Mazda 626 FS-DE engine.
The 93-97 Mazda 626 FS engine has solenoids in the same exact locations however they are completely different solenoids that are wired to different systems. Those 2 solenoids were moved from the left side of the intake manifold to the right side in 1998 (next to the throttle body). Those would be the purge solenoid and PRC solenoid.
Here's a video that shows the shutter valves. I'm hesitant to post this because of what he's doing in the video. I highly do not recommend deleting the EGR or shutter valves for a daily driver. I would only recommend gutting the VTCS system if you are going for a forced induction (turbo) build for a dedicated track race car. You will likely fail state emissions inspection. This is not my video or my 626 even though it looks somewhat similar in color scheme as my engine bay.
There is a lot of bad information in that video. Bad bad bad information. He doesn't know what VTCS stands for or what it does but he wants to gut it because it's a popular thing to do. Someone give me paddle please I want to spank this guy. I've never seen that video before but I couldn't watch more than a few minutes it made me cringe so much because it's just a bad thing to do. He admits you never want to gut VTCS for an NA vehicle but he's gonna do it anyway. It doesn't have VICS that's the FS-ZE. I'm only posting it so you can get a good close up look of what the VTCS really looks like. Actually just do yourself a favor and mute the video while you watch it so you don't digest all the bad info.
You can get that part at any Mazda or Ford dealer, probably through Rockauto.com, and a few other places. It's the same type of solenoid that's used all over the engine bay on this car, on both the I4 and V6 models, and many other cars out there too.
If your dealer doesn't have them, you could also try a junkyard.
Also, DJ, VTEC is a totally different technology. VTEC uses a solenoid to physically shift the camshafts over [laterally, along it's rotational axis] to select a different cam profile, while the engine is running. This is triggered by specific engine RPM thresholds. VTCS/VICS/VRIS use butterfly valves that are vacuum actuated (controlled by electric solenoids, which in turn are controlled by the ECU)...these modify the airflow characteristics of the intake manifold, either to boost VE (volumetric efficiency...i.e. cram a little more air into the cylinders by taking advantage of resonance frequencies in the intake manifold/plenum), or to control laminar/turbulent flow characteristics (frictional losses...as well as possibly noise control).
Shows how much I know about VTEC and Honda's. Shouldn't have said anything I guess. I always thought it was air induction differences like VRIS. There I go acting like a Honda Boy talking about VTEC when I don't know a damn thing about how it works. Someone slap me.
I didn't mean to come across as condescending, just sharing what I've learned over the years. The two technologies have similar effects (improved power output), and are both controlled/discrete changes as a function of engine RPM and load, so to the end user, they might feel similar.
Either way, they're both old-tech at this point. I'm pretty sure every mfr. now uses continuously-variable valve timing of some form, making the original VTEC obsolete. As for the VRIS/VTCS/VICS, this is still very relevant, and can be used on an engine in conjunction with variable valve timing.


Discussion in 'Credit Talk' started by Cadillac408, Mar 19, 2001.
I don't know if you read my previous post about my FICO score but I mentioned that I sent a collection agency 2 validation letters and they have NOT responded. I am ready to do whatever it takes (i.e. legal actions) but need to send the final 3rd letter. Could you please help me draft something similar to your letter that you sent Credit Data Services on Feburary 18, 2001?
I just want to get this all cleard up. I'm tempted to go down there right now and hand deliver copies of the letters and demand that something be done! They are 3 minutes from my house.


text:
Articles Review Of The Week 19 December 2022 2 January 2023
Review of the Week: 19 December 2022-2 January 2023
43ddcb87-1779-4c14-9abe-0e7ce4574e89
Firstly, a Happy New Year to all our readers!
It was certainly a case of quality over quantity as 2022 tailed away. Ireland that came out on top, adding two new species to its national list over the festive period. On the whole, however, the BirdGuides news output was feeling a little slow compared to some years.
'Bird of the fortnight' is arguably Ireland's first White-winged Scoter on Achill Island, Co Mayo … overdue if nothing else! Originally found on 29th, the bird was briefly considered to be a Velvet Scoter, but footage emerged soon after and showed features more in line with White-winged Scoter. However, the diagnostic bill base remained to be seen. Fortunately, over the following days the bird swam close inshore and pictures allowed for confirmation. As the saying goes, the rest is history. It did the decent thing of lasting into the new year too, and is still present at the time of writing.
White-winged Scoter, Tonatonvalley, Achill Island, Mayo (Micheál O'Briain).
Why is it a White-winged Scoter? There are structural differences, but the deal breaker is the shape of the demarcation of feathering at the bill base.
The feathering at the bill base extends well towards the nostril (as shown by 'a'), further along the culmen than it would in Stejneger's Scoter, and ends abruptly at a squared-off 'point'.
The head and bill profile give the bird a 'broken-nosed' and 'tiered' quality (as seen in 'b'), albeit subtle at some angles. In a Velvet Scoter, the bird would be smoother and concave.
The pale belly and limited white shown on the greater coverts in open wing shots allow ageing as a juvenile. Sexing the bird is a bit more a guessing game with female being the obvious choice (which it probably is) however some footage appears to show raspberry ripple-esque pink just starting to streak through the bill sides and tip. It may be something to watch for, but may be nothing. The (relatively large) white spots at the tip of the greater coverts also perhaps hint at the bird being a drake. One can only dream of a showy adult male in years to come!
White-winged Scoter, Tonatanvally, Achill Island, Mayo (Micheál O'Briain).
The adult drake White-winged Scoter was reported again off Musselburgh, Lothian, on 1st after a two-month hiatus from the site. The following day it was picked up close inshore off Ferny Ness, the first time it has been recorded this far east and presumably where it's been disappearing to. To complete the scoter set, the drake Stejneger's Scoter just managed to sneak into the recording period and was last noted at Aberlady Bay, Lothian, on 20th. It is surely feasible this bird will resurface again before the winter is out … hopefully anyway. 'Six scoter day', anyone?
A female-type Harlequin Duck was photographed at Feall Bay, Coll, on 22 December, although news wasn't picked up until 27th. Of course, the bird could easily overwinter in the area.
@Tireebirder Ben says 'what do you think?' pic.twitter.com/DGJrEK9u7Y
— Domingo Nash (@domingo_nash) December 22, 2022
Sussex has started the year off strong, with a new county bird in the form of a Little Swift at Eastbourne on 2nd. News broke late morning but unfortunately, in typical fashion, the bird moved through 'swiftly'. The bird had been seen around the Martello Tower at Sovereign Harbour. Not to twist the knife, but it's not totally implausible the bird roosted there the previous night. Hopefully it returns anyhow.
Little Swift, Eastbourne, East Sussex (Adam Huttly).
The Double-crested Cormorant remained consistent at Doon Lough, Co Leitrim, and made it into the new year. Unfortunately, the same couldn't be said about the Greater Yellowlegs at Tallow, Co Waterford, which was last reported on 29th, although maybe just down to interest?
Greater Yellowlegs, Tallow, Waterford (Tom Murphy).
As if just to reaffirm Ireland's good start to the year, the country added another species to its list when photographs emerged of two Eurasian Penduline Tits at The Gearagh, Co Cork, on New Year's Day. Only, the next day when twitchers arrived there were actually three birds present. A fantastic record, not least because the site is well inland and a fair way west. Two were also found at Steart WWT, Somerset, on 2nd, and with a nice flurry of records in late autumn it's one to keep an eye (and ear) out for locally.
Cheshire's White-throated Sparrow was still being reported in the private garden in Kingsmead, Northwich, and was last noted on 28th although almost certainly still around. It's surely still a matter of time before it gives itself up in the nearby woodland again, this time for longer.
White-throated Sparrow, Northwich, Cheshire (Mark B).
An apparent Coues's Arctic Redpoll was photographed in a Lesser Redpoll flock at North Hykeham Pits, Lincolnshire, on Christmas Eve. Unfortunately further searching didn't produce any sightings but four Mealy Redpoll were present. Otherwise, it's been a relatively poor year for redpolls countrywide, but nonetheless an Arctic Redpoll has made it to Dunsilly, Co Antrim, representing a first for Northern Ireland.
Devon also joined the impressive festive roll-call on 20th, when photographs of a late 'wheatear' at Colyford Common LNR proved to show an Isabelline Wheatear. This species is on an upward trend, but any record remains very welcome and it represents first for mainland Devon, so was appreciated by county listers in particular. Flooding at the site appeared to move the bird on, only for it to reappear on 2 January. An apparent first-winter Eastern Yellow Wagtail also turned up at the same site on Christmas Day, before also disappearing until 2nd – impressive! Hopefully sound recordings can be obtained before long. Another Eastern Yellow Wagtail was reported at Carlton Marshes SWT, Suffolk, and later Burgh St Peter, Norfolk, on 20th. It's worth noting the former site hosted a probable in early November.
Isabelline Wheatear, Colyford Common LNR, Devon (Tim White).
An apparent first-winter American Herring Gull was a brief visitor to Drift Reservoir, Cornwall, on 29th. The bird reappeared the next day before flying to Newlyn – the site of last years showy bird. At this stage the photographs are just shy of confirming the ID, although it certainly looks the part and is one to watch.
Late news of a drake American Black Duck came from a private site at Llanrihidian Marsh, Glamorgan, on 20-21 December. The drake Hooded Merganser continues to linger at Carramore, Co Mayo, and was still present on New Year's Day. Another was reported at Doddington Pool, Cheshire, on 30 December – an opportunity to make up for last years suppressed bird? Not quite, as pictures proved it to be a hybrid Hooded Merganser × Common Goldeneye. Fife's Lesser Scaup moved between Kinghorn Loch and Beveridge Park, Kirkcaldy, and was last reported on 28th. Other drakes were reported at Lough Arrow, Co Sligo, on 22nd and Oxford Island NNR, Co Armagh, from 28-29th.
American Black Duck, Llanrhidian Marsh, Gower, Glamorgan (anon).
Six American Wigeon were on offer over the festive period, only one was new however, a drake at Loch Gorm, Islay. The Hampshire drake was last reported on 21 December, whereas the Somerset bird reappeared at Shapwick Heath NNR on 29th. Otherwise, drakes remained at White Sands Quarry, Lothian, until 20th and at Big Waters NR, Northumberland, until 31st, while the Dumfries and Galloway bird made it into the new year at Crook of Baldoon RSPB. Other Nearctic wildfowl included Green-winged Teal at 16 sites and Ring-necked Duck at 28. At least two Ferruginous Duck persisted on the Norfolk Broads, as did the female at Aqualate Mere, Staffordshire, until New Years Day at least. Another was reported in the county at Lodgerail Pool, Penkridge, on 26th.
Lesser Scaup, Kirkcaldy, Fife (Simon Knight).
What was probably the regular drake Black Scoter was again off Ross Back Sands, Northumberland, on 29th although ID wasn't confirmed. Just three Surf Scoter were reported, a female off Ben Head, Co Meath, between 26-28th, one of the regular drakes again off Gullane Point, Lothian, on 31st and a new female at Loch Indaal, Islay, the same day. The popular King Eider at Redcar, Cleveland, was still a regular feature of the BirdGuides news page, and was still present on 2nd. Another drake was reported again at Bluemull Sound, Shetland, on 28th.
Smew were logged at 36 sites during the fortnight. The redhead at Derrybrick Lough, Co Cavan, is perhaps the most notable, although one at Audenshaw Reservoirs, Greater Manchester, is a good county record. Bewick's Swans continued to arrive, albeit numbers are still nowhere close to the 'good old days'. Up to 150 have been reported in the area surrounding Welney WWT, Norfolk, while the peak count at Slimbridge WWT, Gloucestershire, so far is 115, and 53 at Walland Marsh, Kent, is worth a mention.
Smew, Tophill Low NR, East Yorkshire (Glyn Sellors).
Lingering Richardson's Cackling Geese were reported from Campbeltown, Argyll; Bridgend, Islay; and Balranald RSPB, North Uist. One was with Barnacle Geese at Loch Skerrols, Islay, and could feasibly be a new bird. Most notable however was one mingling with Pink-footed Geese at Fenham-le-Moor, Northumberland, on Christmas Day. The flock took flight shortly after the find and the bird hasn't been relocated thus far. Another unassigned Cackling Goose was picked up in a Barnacle Goose flock at Elwick, by the same observer on the same day, a nice self-gifted Christmas present. The only 'cackler' reported in Ireland this period was one with a feral Canada Goose flock at Derrybrick Lough, Co Cavan, on 22nd. The Todd's Canada Goose continues to accompany the Argyll Richardson's, and others were reported from Banks Marsh, Lancashire, and Rockcliffe Marsh, Anthorn and Salt Coates, all Cumbria. The apparent parvipes was last noted at Aldcliffe Marshes, Lancashire, on 20th.
The wintering Barnacle Geese at Salt Coates, Cumbria, also turned up at Red-breasted Goose from 27th although seemingly left before the new year. One was located with Barnacle Geese at Loch Gruinart RSPB, Islay, on 1st. At least three Grey-bellied Brant remained in Dublin and two more were at Rosslare Backstrand, Co Wexford, on 29th. Black Brant were spread across eight sites between Dorset and East Yorkshire. Three Irish sites hosted Snow Geese, including a blue morph with Greenland White-fronted Geese at Deerpark, Co Offaly. Otherwise sightings were restricted to Scotland, with the most popular being the white morph at Drymen, Clyde.
Red-breasted Goose, Salt Coates, Cumbria (Sam Northwood).
Snow Goose, Drymen, Clyde (Andrew Kinghorn).
Up to 156 Taiga Bean Geese were still in the Slamannan area on 31st although proved hard to get for any new-year listers thereafter. A young bird was picked up in a Pink-footed Goose flock at Croston, Lancashire, on 26th. Twenty sites recorded Tundra Bean Goose, with Russian White-fronted Geese at 49. There's still a little time for a decent arrival but both species appear a little thin on the ground again this winter.
Russian White-fronted Goose, Seamer Carr, North Yorkshire (Phil Bennett).
The wandering adult Forster's Tern made its annual appearance at Nimmo's Pier, Co Galway, at the turn of the year. The adult Bonaparte's Gull remained at Ballygalley, Co Antrim, throughout and new birds were found at Bantry, Co Cork, and Doonfoot, Argyll, both on 2nd. Ring-billed Gulls continue to be reported in paltry numbers, England, Scotland and Wales all had one apiece, regular adults at Strathclyde Loch, Clyde, and Hayle Estuary, Cornwall. One was reported at Penmon Point, Anglesey. Only five sites in Ireland produced reports, all of single birds. Of interest, the returning adult Ring-billed × Lesser Black-backed Gull was back at Llys-y-Fran Reservoir, Pembrokeshire, on 29th and 1st. An unseasonal Sabine's Gull flew past Praa Sands, Cornwall, on 26th.
Bonaparte's Gull, Ballygalley, Antrim (Ian Dickey).
An adult White-billed Diver was at Bluemull Sound, Shetland, on 28th and another flew past Holy Island, Northumberland, on 29th.
Norfolk's Long-billed Dowitcher remained at Titchwell RSPB until 27th before relocating to its initial site at Cley Marshes NWT on 1st. New Years Day saw year listers back at Burnham-on-Sea, Somerset, looking for the regular Kentish Plover, and with success too. Grey Phalaropes were spread across nine sites. The Eurasian Stone-curlew remained on St Mary's, Scilly, until 22nd.
At least 15 Glossy Ibises were present between seven sites, with no real change in distribution for a while now.
Midwinter seawatching is enough to send shivers down most birders backs, however, the past fortnight has seen a smattering of unseasonal records. Two Great Shearwaters were off Cornwall, one off Gwithian on 27th and another past Pendeen on 1st. Sooty Shearwaters were logged past six sites and a single Balearic Shearwater flew past Pendeen on 26th. Leach's Storm Petrels flew past three sites overlooking the English Channel, with another found dead in the harbour at Lyme Regis, Dorset, on 26th. While European Storm Petrels were reported from four sites.
A Black Kite flew over Almer, Dorset, on 26th. While the bird appeared 'clean' and 'genuine' it's worth noting a known escape was recently on the Channel Islands. The juvenile female Pallid Harrier remained on the north Norfolk coast, almost exclusively at Warham Greens. A juvenile at Machir Bay, Islay, on 1st is conceivably the juvenile reported on the island back in November, though a great surprise and pick-up by the observer. Confirmed Rough-legged Buzzards were reported from just five sites, with an additional four unconfirmed records.
Black Kite, Almer, Dorset (birdsofpooleharbour).
The probable Black-throated Thrush (or hybrid) was reported again at Haddington, Lothian, on 20th but not thereafter.
It's another bleak winter for Great Grey Shrikes, with a very poor five birds on offer. None were reported from Wales during the two-week period. One was a one-day bird at Bigton, Shetland, on 21st and another was unconfirmed record at Lee Valley CP, Essex. A new bird was found near Denny Wood, Hampshire, otherwise birds lingered at Pig Bush, Hampshire, and Hothfield Heathlands NR, Kent.
The Hume's Leaf Warbler continued at Brancaster, Norfolk, throughout the period with a report of a possible second on 22nd. Another was at Pencester Gardens, Dover, from 20th. Both birds were still present into the new year. Meanwhile, a Pallas's Warbler was a great find at Swalecliffe, Kent, on 2nd. Cornwall claimed five of the 14 Yellow-browed Warblers on the news page, and Siberian Chiffchaffs were reported from 36 localities. However, a Willow Warbler overwintering at Emerson Valley, Milton Keynes, Buckinghamshire, is arguably one of the most notable Phylloscopus warblers reported. The Wiltshire Dusky Warbler was last reported on 26th and one was at Tregillowe Pools, Cornwall, from 24th. Apparent Siberian Lesser Whitethroats were at Banks, Lancashire; Llechryd, Ceredigion; and Holme Dunes NWT, Norfolk.
Hume's Leaf Warbler, Brancaster, Norfolk (Tony Davison).
Siberian Chiffchaff, Hams Hall, Warwickshire (Dave Hutton).
As it stands the winter doesn't feel like a vintage white-winger winter, although the optimist in me would like it's still too early to rule out an arrival. Iceland Gulls were reported from 32 sites and Glaucous Gulls from 36. The juvenile Kumlien's Gull remained at Uyeasound, Unst, until at least 1st, the only example in the country at present. Caspian Gulls however continue to fare well, and for comparison, were reported from 48 sites.
It's fair to say Waxwing reports aren't instilling the same sense of anticipation they were earlier in the season. In the two-week period, they were reported from 25 Scottish and 32 English sites, with the majority of reports involving no more than a handful of birds at most.
The Rosy Starling lengthened its stay at Wiveliscombe, Somerset. Sadly the showy Olive-backed Pipit was last reported at Exmouth, Devon, on 20th, and a possible overflew Sheringham, Norfolk, on 24th. Single Richard's Pipits were at St Mary's, Scilly, on 21st and Gunwalloe, Cornwall, on 24th.
Shore Larks continue to favour the north Norfolk coast, with a peak count of 11 at Holkham Gap. Elsewhere, three were again at Beacon Ponds, East Yorkshire, and four at Ross Back Sands, Northumberland. The Cornish Little Bunting was last reported at Cot Valley on 29th.
After moving back to France, it was possible that was the last we'd see of the male Walrus affectionately named 'Thor'. However, fast forward to New Year's Eve and the impressive pinniped was found lounging in Scarborough harbour, North Yorkshire, and two days later was relocated again at Blyth, Northumberland. Giving anyone with an interest and some free time the option to see him, with the help and supervision of British Divers Marine Life Rescue.
Walrus, Scarborough, North Yorkshire (Bethan Clyne).
Iceland's adult Slaty-backed Gull had relocated to Höfn on 21st and a first-winter American Herring Gull was at Þorlákshöfn on 1st.
An apparent orientalis Oriental Turtle Dove was at Stavanger from 26th and the Eastern Black Redstart remained at Vestbygd.
A first-winter Western Sandpiper was found at Långetången on 31st and is impressively Sweden's third record. Elsewhere, the first-winter Baltimore Oriole lingered at Förslöv into the new year, as did the Blue-winged Teal at Lund and Pine Bunting at Nordanås.
Drake Black Scoter remained off Dragsmur, Denmark, and Wladyslawowo, Poland. An adult drake Stejneger's Scoter was on the sea off Stegna on 18th, and is believed to be a new bird, if accepted as such this will represent the sixth record for Poland – continuing the excellent winter for the species in Europe.
Two Pallas's Warblers were at Lake Kerkini on Christmas Day, just the second and third record for Greece. A male Pine Bunting was photographed near Zagreb on 28th constituting the third record for Croatia. In Hungary, the adult Pallas's Gull was reported again at Balatonbogláron 22nd.
In Germany, the male Syrian Woodpecker did the decent thing and held out at Frankfurt an der Oder for the new year. In the Netherlands, a Pied Crow was at Breskens between 21-24th, while a Black-winged Kite continued to tease British birders just across the English Channel at Renesse.
An immature Black-browed Albatross flew past Quiberon, France, on 28th. The first-winter Forster's Tern lengthened its stay at Le Curnic as did the adult Bonaparte's Gull at Piriac-sur-Mer. The first-winter American Herring Gull was still at Gueltas and was joined by an apparent second-winter in late December. The juvenile Northern Harrier made a reappearance at Ouessant on 27th. A female-type White-headed Duck was at Pont-l'Évêque and the long-staying Long-legged Buzzard was still at Thibie.
Red-billed Tropicbird, Fuerteventura, Fuerteventura (Mark Leitch).
It was all systems go in Spain. A video showing an apparent Yellow-browed Bunting on Mallorca on 22 December would be the first national record if accepted. Otherwise it was Rallidae stealing the show. Sadly, the countries third Striped Crake was found dead in a car park at Figueras, an intriguing record … could one make it to Scilly one day? Would it be detected? Keeping with the slightly morbid theme, an Allen's Gallinule was found dead in the harbour at Vigo on 26th. There was also some belated news of a Plain Swift over Lagoa de Traba on 8 December is just the second record for mainland Spain. The drake American Black Duck continued at Sada. A Brown Booby was on the breakwater at Fisterra on 20th and two Bonaparte's Gulls were in the country.
The adult American Herring Gull was reported again at Sesimbra port, Portugal, on 1st.
The returning Red-billed Tropicbird was reported again at Atlantico shopping centre, Fuerteventura, a couple of times over the festive period. Otherwise, the Canary Islands saw a run of African Crake records, with three taken into care on Gran Canaria and another on Lanzarote. An immature Allen's Gallinule was also taken into care on Gran Canaria. Another African Crake made it to Cape Verde, with one pottering around a garden patio on São Nicolau on 27th.
A Great Blue Heron was reported on Corvo on 26th while one lingered at Paul da Praia, Terceira. Two Pied-billed Grebe were reported on the latter island, with one reported again at Gruta do Natal on 2nd another was at Cabrito Reservoir the same day. The long-staying bird remained at Lagoa das Furnas, São Miguel. The American Coot continued at Lagoa do Junco. Elsewhere, the Wood Duck was again reported at Lagoa Azul Sao Miguel on 19th and a first-winter drake Hooded Merganser was found at Fajã dos Cubres, São Jorge on 23rd. The Double-crested Cormorant remained at Madalena harbour, Pico, on 22nd while a Killdeer was new at Feteira, Faial, on 28th.
Written by: Dan Owen
Dan Owen is a Cheshire-based birder with a keen interest in ringing and wildfowl. He works for the BirdGuides news team. Follow him on Twitter: @_danielowen