Department

Heartstopper: how this joyous teen show contrasts with my bitter memories of school life under homophobic law Section 28

Retrieved on: 
Tuesday, August 29, 2023

For those who don’t know Heartstopper, it is Alice Osman’s Netflix adaptation of their boy-meets-boy graphic novel.

Key Points: 
  • For those who don’t know Heartstopper, it is Alice Osman’s Netflix adaptation of their boy-meets-boy graphic novel.
  • Charlie (Joe Locke) and Nick (Kit Connor) and their LGBTQ+ friends come of age and fall in love at school.
  • This was because almost all my teaching career was spent under a law called Section 28.

Teaching under Section 28

    • In my book Pretended: Schools and Section 28, I describe the mandated homophobic silence that descended upon every school in Britain.
    • My research with other LGBTQ+ teachers shows that Section 28 profoundly affected those who experienced it.
    • My biggest regret as a teacher under Section 28 is that I could not be a positive role model for the young LGBTQ+ people I taught.
    • When Mr Ajayi finds romance himself with another male teacher, there is no hint of the fear or shame that eventually drove me and countless other LGBTQ+ teachers from careers in teaching.

Adult influence

    • The friends have compassion in abundance as they warmly embrace and accept their differences.
    • They show respect, sensitivity and empathy for each other as together they figure out who they are and who they love.
    • They are a nourishing presence in each other’s lives, cheering one other on and picking each other up when things don’t go to plan.
    • Since my own Section 28 diaries helped inspire the Bafta-nominated film Blue Jean, many of my former students have been in touch.

How to get help or your money back after travel disruptions – experts explain

Retrieved on: 
Tuesday, August 29, 2023

Passenger numbers were up 30% in the northern hemisphere in June 2023, versus the previous year.

Key Points: 
  • Passenger numbers were up 30% in the northern hemisphere in June 2023, versus the previous year.
  • Air travellers caught up in these events are legally entitled to care and assistance from airlines under UK law post-Brexit.
  • But our research shows that people are often unsure or completely unaware of their rights when travel is disrupted.
  • At present the regulator is unable to directly and independently fine an airline, it must bring a court action.

Uncertainty about legal rights of air passengers

    • But the mass cancellation of flights during the COVID pandemic and the failure of many airlines to refund some passengers really brought the problem to the wider public’s attention.
    • We have researched passenger experiences of flight cancellations during the pandemic, as well as the level of awareness among air passengers of both their legal rights and routes to redress.
    • These problems are even more acute for passengers who have booked through an online travel agent rather than directly with the airline.

How to get redress for travel disruption

    • If you don’t get a response, or are unsatisfied with the response, there are other options.
    • Further, not all airlines are members of the schemes and ADR decisions are not binding.
    • Alternatively, you could bring a court action against an airline, although this can be tricky if the airline is based abroad.
    • This allows you to make a claim to the bank or provider of the credit card you used to pay for your flights.

What about the airline regulator?

    • This pits the weaker consumer against the powerful interests and deeper pockets of the airlines.
    • The Department for Transport proposed reforms in January 2022, but the UK government has yet to act.

Judicial orders restricting Trump's speech seek to balance his own constitutional rights

Retrieved on: 
Monday, August 28, 2023

In each of former President Donald Trump’s four indictments, he has been allowed to stay out of jail before his trial so long as he abides by certain conditions commonly applied to most people accused of crimes in the U.S.

Key Points: 
  • In each of former President Donald Trump’s four indictments, he has been allowed to stay out of jail before his trial so long as he abides by certain conditions commonly applied to most people accused of crimes in the U.S.
  • In the federal case in Washington, D.C., he is under a protective order with the same types of restrictions, barring him from speaking to people involved in the case except through or with his lawyers.
  • Trump has objected to all of these restraints, saying they limit his First Amendment rights to free speech – and in particular his right to discuss the cases while campaigning for the presidency.

Protecting Trump’s rights

    • All the orders Trump is subject to are designed to protect that presumption.
    • To do so, they limit his ability to speak publicly about the cases against him, but they do so within the limits of the Constitution.
    • These limits without doubt restrict Trump’s ability to speak freely – but they’ve been imposed because his own actions led to criminal charges.
    • In any event, First Amendment rights have often been subject to restrictions based on when, where and how a person speaks, for the purpose of balancing free speech with other competing social purposes.

The courts of law and public opinion

    • Trump has a right to speak – and the public has a right to be allowed to listen if they wish.
    • In fact, the audience’s rights are often one key protection against censorship of a speaker.
    • However, the court of public opinion – in legal terms, the public forum – remains a relatively ungoverned space.
    • However, he may not use that right to subvert society’s constitutionally protected right to the integrity of the criminal justice system.

Lucy Letby: child murder case highlights need to regulate managers and improve whistleblowing procedures

Retrieved on: 
Friday, August 25, 2023

Two medical consultants, Dr Stephen Brearey and Dr Ravi Jayaram, both raised concerns about unexplained infant deaths as early as July 2015.

Key Points: 
  • Two medical consultants, Dr Stephen Brearey and Dr Ravi Jayaram, both raised concerns about unexplained infant deaths as early as July 2015.
  • Common sense would dictate that if a senior doctor raised concerns with managers, even informally, it would be taken seriously.
  • This highlights an urgent need to change the structure of the NHS to ensure managers and executives are held to account for the decisions they make.

Refusal to act

    • In hospitals such as the Countess of Chester, most routine decisions are made by middle management.
    • Brearey and Jayaram suggested that executives were attempting to minimise any reputational damage to the unit and, by extension, the hospital.
    • The decisions of hospital executives will be investigated as part of a public inquiry.

Freedom to Speak Up

    • This is what led to the Freedom to Speak Up review, which investigated how organisations dealt with concerns raised by NHS staff.
    • The results of the report led to the Freedom to Speak Up policy, which provides guidance for NHS staff on how they can raise patient safety concerns.
    • A Freedom to Speak Up Guardian is also now present in every NHS Trust to ensure issues raised are responded to.
    • Even with the Freedom to Speak Up Policy, the British Medical Association reports that staff are still being victimised for raising concerns.
    • Clearly, the policy needs to be improved and legislation passed that would protect staff from dismissal if they do speak up.

Trump's classified-documents indictment does more than allege crimes − it tells a compelling story

Retrieved on: 
Wednesday, August 23, 2023

And many did – concluding not only that the indictment was well-written but engaging.

Key Points: 
  • And many did – concluding not only that the indictment was well-written but engaging.
  • I study the ethics of using narrative and rhetoric in legal persuasion.
  • Instead, they wrote what in legal circles is called a “speaking” indictment.

Show, don’t tell

    • But doing so might not only be boring but also leave readers with their own stock sense of what a “residence” is.
    • True, Mar-a-Lago does have a “storage room” where many boxes were put.
    • These images not only keep readers engaged by breaking up the text but also reinforce the Department of Justice’s written allegations.
    • And because viewers assume images to be true without reflection, including this photographic evidence as visual allegations is especially effective.
    • Readers could infer what’s going on: Trump ordered that the boxes be moved and did so to conceal their contents.

‘It’s only one side’

    • The public would be left with just Trump’s claims about what the case was about.
    • Instead, an indictment full of persuasive storytelling techniques might frame the public’s first, and sometimes only, impressions.
    • While admiring the writing of Smith and his team here, readers should also be aware: It’s only one side of the story.

In one chaotic day, Thailand sees one PM elected, one ex-PM sent to jail. Where does the country go from here?

Retrieved on: 
Wednesday, August 23, 2023

More than three months after Thailand’s national elections – and many anti-democratic manoeuvres in parliament – the country finally has a new prime minister, Srettha Thavisin.

Key Points: 
  • More than three months after Thailand’s national elections – and many anti-democratic manoeuvres in parliament – the country finally has a new prime minister, Srettha Thavisin.
  • But, given the chaotic nature of Thai politics, this was perhaps not even the biggest news of the week.

Who is Thaksin and why is he important?

    • Thaksin’s extraordinary popularity as prime minister challenged the primacy of the monarchy and the military in the country.
    • The first removed Thaksin from power, prompting him to go into exile to avoid prosecution.
    • After Thaksin touched down at Bangkok’s airport this week, he was taken to the Supreme Court for a hearing and transferred to prison.

How did Srettha become PM?

    • The party nominated its own prime ministerial candidate, Srettha, a wealthy property developer and political newcomer, and formed a new coalition with two military-aligned parties, the Palang Pracharath Party and Ruam Thai Sang Chart Party, and a range of others.
    • This gave Srettha the support he needed from the military-appointed senators to win the prime ministership.
    • The only significant party to vote against Srettha in the parliament election was Move Forward and its 149 MPs.

What happens now?

    • As such, we may see a tussle between Srettha and Thaksin for influence in the party.
    • Srettha may very well attempt to project the image that he is his own man and not beholden to anyone.
    • Once again, the anti-democratic forces within Thailand’s elites have stifled the will of the people and we may be entering another volatile era in Thai politics.

FTC Charges Experian with Spamming Consumers Who Signed Up for Company Accounts with Marketing Emails They Couldn’t Opt Out Of

Retrieved on: 
Tuesday, August 22, 2023

In the emails, the company failed to provide clear and conspicuous notice of consumers’ ability to opt out of receiving additional marketing messages and a mechanism for doing so, in violation of the CAN-SPAM Act, according to the complaint.

Key Points: 
  • In the emails, the company failed to provide clear and conspicuous notice of consumers’ ability to opt out of receiving additional marketing messages and a mechanism for doing so, in violation of the CAN-SPAM Act, according to the complaint.
  • But the emails did not contain an unsubscribe link consumers could use to keep from receiving even more marketing emails.
  • In addition to the $650,000 penalty, the proposed order prohibits ECS from sending marketing emails that fail to offer a mechanism to opt out of such messages.
  • Follow the FTC on social media, read consumer alerts and the business blog, and sign up to get the latest FTC news and alerts.

FTC and DOJ Send More Than $9 Million in Refunds to People Who Lost Money to a Student Loan Debt Relief Scheme

Retrieved on: 
Tuesday, August 22, 2023

They also falsely told people that their $49-$99 monthly membership fees were going toward their student loan balance.

Key Points: 
  • They also falsely told people that their $49-$99 monthly membership fees were going toward their student loan balance.
  • In November 2020, the FTC announced that Frere and his companies were banned from providing debt relief services and prohibited from violating the Telemarketing Sales Rule.
  • The refunds being sent today combine all the available funds from the FTC and DOJ settlements.
  • Follow the FTC on social media, read consumer alerts and the business blog, and sign up to get the latest FTC news and alerts.

FTC Charges Experian with Spamming Consumers Who Signed Up for Company Accounts with Marketing Emails They Couldn’t Opt Out Of

Retrieved on: 
Tuesday, August 22, 2023

In the emails, the company failed to provide clear and conspicuous notice of consumers’ ability to opt out of receiving additional marketing messages and a mechanism for doing so, in violation of the CAN-SPAM Act, according to the complaint.

Key Points: 
  • In the emails, the company failed to provide clear and conspicuous notice of consumers’ ability to opt out of receiving additional marketing messages and a mechanism for doing so, in violation of the CAN-SPAM Act, according to the complaint.
  • But the emails did not contain an unsubscribe link consumers could use to keep from receiving even more marketing emails.
  • In addition to the $650,000 penalty, the proposed order prohibits ECS from sending marketing emails that fail to offer a mechanism to opt out of such messages.
  • Follow the FTC on social media, read consumer alerts and the business blog, and sign up to get the latest FTC news and alerts.

FTC and DOJ Send More Than $9 Million in Refunds to People Who Lost Money to a Student Loan Debt Relief Scheme

Retrieved on: 
Tuesday, August 22, 2023

They also falsely told people that their $49-$99 monthly membership fees were going toward their student loan balance.

Key Points: 
  • They also falsely told people that their $49-$99 monthly membership fees were going toward their student loan balance.
  • In November 2020, the FTC announced that Frere and his companies were banned from providing debt relief services and prohibited from violating the Telemarketing Sales Rule.
  • The refunds being sent today combine all the available funds from the FTC and DOJ settlements.
  • Follow the FTC on social media, read consumer alerts and the business blog, and sign up to get the latest FTC news and alerts.