Michael Billett MBE addresses former interns

The New York Director of a prestigious work and study programme announced his resignation last night.

Michael Billett, MBE, told former interns about his decision at an event celebrating the Mountbatten Institute’s 25^th birthday at the Mountbatten hotel in Covent Garden.

Billett has been New York Director with the Institute for 15 years.  He will leave his position in December to set up a global independent company, working closely with alumni.

‘Masters of the Universe’

In his speech he described seeing interns arrive on the programme ‘wide-eyed’ and watching them transform over the year to leave as ‘masters of the universe’.

He went on to do a small rap, infamous amongst interns due to his revelations about the ‘Mountbatten Grapevine’ – gossip amongst the interns – at each interns Leavers’ Dinner.

“Billett Intern”

The Mountbatten Institute enables young people to work and study in either New York or London for 12 months.  Interns are able to work in a variety of industries, predominately finance, law and property.

The Mountbatten Institute enables young people the chance to work in New York for a year

The Institute, formerly known as the Mountbatten Internship Programme, was set up in 1984 and named after The Earl of Mountbatten, who had an interest in cultural exchange.  His eldest daughter, Lady Patricia Mountbatten, is now Patron.

Billett read a statement from Lady Mountbatten, and joked with the audience about the name of the Institute.

‘Can you imagine calling it anything else?’ he asked. ‘I always thought “Billett intern” had a certain ring to it.’

An American has been appointed as the new Director and will start in the New Year.

An on-line application to assess learning disabilities in children is to become available to the public for the first time in the UK next week.

The assessment, developed by educational psychologist Amanda Kirby, will seek to provide accessible analysis and information regarding a child’s learning development and aims to cut considerable time and money.

Until now, the assessment has included a full day of standardised tests carried out by a top educational psychologist.  This is followed up with relevant advice and the issue of an Individualised Education Programme (IEP) assessment document. The standard charge for the assessment and document is £600. Currently, a child has to wait between four and six months to obtain one.

The on-line assessment is immediate and dysTalk will only charge £30.

dysTalk

dysTalk is an organisation that explores learning difficulties in children and provides parents with comprehensive information from educational and behavioural experts.

Will Orr-Ewing, founder of dysTalk, says the 4-6 month wait for an IEP assessment document can have a crucial detrimental effect on a child’s learning and development. It sometimes ‘leaves them half a year behind their contemporaries’.

With an IEP assessment document, a school can better understand the learning disability (for example, dyslexia) of the child and thereby accommodate his or her needs.  Moreover, the document legally requires the school to facilitate the needs of that child.

Mr Orr-Ewing says ‘it can guarantee children the sympathy and support they need (such as individual attention) and can help them to gain ground’.

The assessment

The assessment involves a series of short audio and visual tests designed to be parent and child friendly.  The results are not diagnostic but instead highlight areas that may need some attention and offer constructive advice on how to develop learning strategies.

Josh Pull, co-founder of dystalk, concedes that the on-line assessment and analysis cannot reach the ‘same depth or breadth as a formal day long assessment but will provide an overview of some issues that may need to be more closely looked at’.

The assessment will become available on Monday 16^th November. There will be no user charge until January 2010.

A Newcastle landmark is preparing to make its final voyage, according to a recent report.

The Tuxedo Princess, or ‘The Boat’ as it is affectionately nicknamed by Geordies, is in Greece waiting to be scrapped, The Chronicle reports.

The former floating nightclub left its Gateshead berth in July.

The Chronicle reports that an investigation by trade magazine Ships Monthly suggests the boat will be scrapped in Turkey.

Valuable Steel

Initial plans to convert the nightclub into a casino and restaurant have been put on hold.  The steel from the boat will be re-smelted and reused.

Iain Wakefield, editor of Ships Monthly told the Chronicle that the current value of scrap steel was high, and added: “Steel from the ship would go back in the melting pot and used for pretty much anything.”

Newcastle based owner Absolute Leisure was forced to sell the Tuxedo Princess after going into administration.

Council chiefs in Gateshead are now planning a £10m restaurant and office development on Hillside Quay where the Tuxedo Princess and her predecessors had berthed, reports the Chronicle.

Student Favourite

A popular nightclub with students and locals alike, The Boat ran regular student nights and became the final destination for charity pub crawl Last Man Standing.

Jim Jamieson, 23, an analyst for Accenture, graduated from Newcastle University in 2008.  He was a regular at the Monday student nights.  He described the boat as ‘a nautical oasis of loveable junk… [which was] the jewel in the crown of the Tyne.’

Famous for its revolving dance floor, The Boat attracted a number of celebrities during its heyday, including the cast of Auf Wiedersehen, Pet and Gazza.

Disabled residents in Notting Hill are unhappy to be left out of theatre trips this Christmas due to a lack of access in a local play house.

The Gate Theatre in Notting Hill

The Gate Theatre in Notting Hill boasts a reputation that “far exceeds its size”, but 20 steps up to the auditoriums mean locals with disabilities cannot get through to the upper foyer.

Mary Engleheart, 62, is an art dealer and a wheelchair user. She said: “It is totally unacceptable. The theatre has been standing since the 70s and there seems to have been no effort at all made to install disabled access. 

“They continue to ignore the problem and those in wheelchairs, including pensioners, are left by the wayside.” 

Jamie Robertson, campaign manager at Scope, a national disability charity, said: “We’ve had this problem again and again with theatres and cinemas all over London. It’s not unusual – I wish it was. They should know that the Disability Discrimination Act demands that all public services, including theatres, must provide access for the disabled.”

What action is being taken

General Manager, Claire Simpson said: “We have very narrow access and only limited options, because we dont own the building. It’s an ongoing problem, and is top of my list.”

“But, we will never be able to have a lift for disabled people. Due to logistics we can only have a stair lift, but because it is such a small entrance it will be difficult to find a stair lift which is small enough. We cannot put a deadline on it.” 

Other disabled groups say there is not enough being done. Kate Larson from Shape, a support organisation for the disabled, has spoken out: 

“We are constantly raising awareness of this issue and the Gate has been yet another theatre to dismiss the problem. Fine they have logistical difficulties, but some kind of move must be made.”

Robertson adds that the lack of clear advertising is troublesome. “I’m a wheelchair user so I know how frustrating it can be. The Gate website advertises a number of steps up to the auditorium, but it doesn’t mention anything about the lack of a lift.” 

“Friends and relatives buying theatre tickets as a Christmas present may not understand – it’s happened to me before. People need better warning on the web.”

Talking therapies use CBT to treat those with mental health problem

A new scheme aimed at improving the provision of mental healthcare has been launched this week.

‘Talking Therapies’ will be unveiled across England as announced by Care Services Minister, Phil Hope.

The 52 new sites will benefit more than 100,000 people affected by depression, anxiety and personality disorders and provide them with access to Cognitive Behaviour Therapy (CBT).

Mr Hope believes that this scheme will help treat those with the mental health issues but also help prevent the onset of the conditions.

“The services will help people recover from debilitating anxiety disorders…and go a step further and prevent the mental health problems in the first place.”

The new system is also designed to address the discrimination and stigma attached to people with mental health issues. “This will break down the stigma that all too often surrounds mental health problems”, added Mr Hope, speaking at one such centre in Manchester.

Funding and Support

Mr Hope believes that this scheme will help treat those with the mental health issues but also help prevent the onset of the conditions. “The services will help people recover from debilitating anxiety disorders…and go a step further and prevent the mental health problems in the first place.”

Those with mental health problems welcome the introduction of new plans.

“Therapy that involves talking is very important when dealing with schizophrenia”, said Marian Moore, who was diagnosed with Schizophrenic-affective Bi-polar Disorder in 1989. “CBT changes your thoughts and behaviour and it really helped me”.

The current arrangement treats 73,000 patients, which is expected to rise to 100,000 when all the sites are active in March 2010.

National newspapers need to persuade less than 5% of their online audience to pay for digital content in order to move away from relying on digital advertising, reports the Guardian today.

The online paper quotes Dharmash Mistry, a former senior Emap executive who is now a partner at private equity firm Balderton Capital.  He told MediaGuardian.co.uk that if 3% to 4% of readers paid around £3 to access online content, it would cover the annual revenue he estimates most groups currently make.

“On a like-for-like basis, if newspapers convert an order of magnitude of 3% to 4% unique users to a pay model – at roughly £3 a month or 10% of the monthly price of buying print editions daily – you could probably generate as much in revenue as is being made from total online ad revenue currently,” Mistry said.

The statistics, while not holding true for all publishers, are based on a study of a print website which attracts over 20milliion hits a month, he added.

Impact On Audience Figures

Mistry told MediaGuardian.co.uk that newspaper groups fear asking readers to pay due to the impact of seeing audience figures decrease.  He said, ‘Newspapers are scared to see audiences reduce because they all measure themselves by audience size.’

The WestPress asked members of the public whether they would be likely to pay for news content online.

Gareth Taylor, 25, Alumni Relations Executive, said he would prefer established papers to keep free content.  ‘I’m an irregular user, so would always tend to go towards free websites,’ he said.

Adam White, 23, a student at Goldsmiths University agreed. ‘I’d get the news from Google blogs’, he said.

Hannah Boylin, 23, Assistant Editor and PR Manager, argued that £3 was a small price to pay for the news. ‘I think £3 a month is good value for money and having the news online is a welcome convenience.  How often do you have time to sit down and read a paper front page to back?’ she said.

‘As long as it is a reputable source that is well delivered, I think that reading online is a great idea’, she added.

Boris Johnson today unveiled Europe’s busiest diagonal crossing at London’s Oxford Circus.

Channel 4 reported that ‘The design of the new £5m crossing was inspired by the Shibuya crossing in Tokyo and allows pedestrians to cross diagonally in an “X” which should cut congestion and ease overcrowding.’

Mayor of London, Boris Johnson, unveiled the crossing by banging a gong at a ceremony that took place this morning, BBC online reported.

The Mayor said the crossing was a, ‘a triumph for British engineering, Japanese innovation and good old-fashioned common sense.’

‘The head scratching frustration caused by the previous design is over and we’ve brought one of the world’s greatest crossroads into the twenty-first century,” he added.

Channel 4 reported on a similar scheme which was introduced on Kensington High Street which has seen road accidents reduced dramatically.  The online report stated ‘In 1999/2000 there were over 150 accidents, 17 of those serious.’

It went on to say, ‘In 2007/2008, after the “naked road” was in place, that figure dropped by two thirds to 53 accidents – 11 of them serious.’

The revamped intersection has reopened in time for London’s Christmas lights, which will be turned on along Oxford Street and Regent Street on November 3.

Cheryl Cole has topped both the singles and album chart tonight.  The Girls Aloud singer  achieved the ‘rare’ feat with debut single ‘Fight For This Love’ and debut album ‘3 Words’, as reported in the Metro.

Cole, 26, released ‘Fight For This Love’ last week and saw it leap up the charts to the number one spot.

Digital Spy reports that ‘3 Words’ sold over 125,000 copies to beat Canadian singer Michael Buble’s ‘Crazy Love’ and Michael Jackson’s ‘This Is It’, which came in at number two and three respectively (Reuters).

Congratulated By Cowell

The X Factor judge was congratulated by Simon Cowell on tonight’s live results show, shown earlier on ITV.

The Metro quotes Cowell as saying, ‘Cheryl has got the No.1 single and the No.1 album… Seriously, I’d like to say on behalf of us at the show, this is an incredible thing you have done.’

He went on to joke, ‘Now can you come to my record label, please?’

‘Fabulous Achievement’

Cole has already achieved 20 singles in the top 20 with Girls Aloud, and her debut is the fastest selling single this year, as reported on the Mirror online.

The BBC reported The Official UK Charts Company as saying it was a ‘fabulous achievement’.  Managing Director, Martin Talbot, said, ‘”3 Words” now looks set to be one of the biggest albums of this coming Christmas.’ (The Mirror)

Thousands of people gathered around Nelson’s column to speak out against homophobia and pay their respects to Mr Baynham.

The 62 year old civil servant was attacked on 25 September whilst walking through Trafalgar Square.  He died in hospital two weeks later.  

A three minute silence took place followed by a number of speeches and songs from the Gay Men’s Chorus.  The phrase ‘No to hate’ was spelt out in candles underneath the column.

MP Darren Johnson, Kirsten Hearn from the Metropolitan Police and comedians Stephen K Amos and Sandi Toksvig were amongst those who spoke at the event.

Rise in reported attacks

Homophobic crime in London rose by nearly a fifth leading up to September last year, according to BBC news.  But this could be due to the fact more victims are coming forward to the police.

Kirsten Hearn urged victims of homophobia to speak out: ‘if you experience hatred, speak up about it, do not be silent because silence kills’.

This was reinforced by a message from Prime Minister Gordon Brown who said ‘homophobia breeds in silence, thank you for speaking out today’.

It was noted that the BNP was the only party not to send a message.

Educating the youth

The youth of the attackers has shocked many.

Darren Johnson, MP, said that tackling homophobia in schools could significantly reduce prejudice and discrimination.

He noted that ‘things haven’t changed since I was at school 30 years ago, bullying hasn’t been tackled’.  He insisted that children need to ‘be brought up in an atmosphere of tolerance and diversity’.

Andrew Watts, a member of the crowd, said more needs to be done in schools to promote awareness and equality.  He said we need ‘to prove there’s nothing wrong with it’.

United together

The event received much support. A relative of Mr Baynham expressed his gratitude, saying to the crowd ‘we are here united throughout the globe to end hate crimes once and for all… you make the rest of the gay community around the world proud’.

Stephen K Amos ended his speech by saying ‘the diversity of this country is what makes London great… Do not be afraid of the dark. Do not allow anybody to fill you with fear.  Nobody is going to stop us walking through any part of London that we please.’

A pedestrian crossing in Kings Cross that has seen 36 accidents over a two year period remains unaltered a year after two audits deemed it “inadequate” and “like a battle-ground at rush hour.”

The surveys into the pedestrian crossing between York Way and Pentonville Road were conducted in January 2008 as part of an ongoing report into conditions for pedestrians around Kings Cross Station, but were not released to the public until late last year.

William Perrin, founder of local blogsite kingscrossenvironment.com, received the report in late October 2008, and was told that its recommendations were still under consideration.

The report, commissioned by TFL, found that provision of crossings was “insufficient” and often led to pedestrians being forced to find their own way across heavily-trafficked roads.

Auditors concluded that casualties were “inevitable owing to the sheer numbers waiting to cross”.

It was recommended that the central island at the crossing should be made bigger or removed completely in order to reduce the number of pedestrians spilling over onto the road at peak times.  They also advised that the speed limit should be reduced to 20mph around the junction.

‘Ridiculous’

Perrin, who has labelled the crossing ‘ridiculous’, said that as yet little progress has been made. “It’s now a year after the report, and nothing’s been done’.

Richard McCrann, a spokesman for Camden Council has responded ‘We are keen to do all we can to improve the area and to work with TFL, but the responsibility for the works ultimately lies with them.’