Ken Livingstone is going through the motions. It is a wet Tuesday in the middle of the London mayoral election campaign.
Labour’s candidate seems semi-detached as he makes an after-lunch speech to a Westminster audience. He mumbles briefly about his manifesto policies and then moves to ancient history: his battles with Margaret Thatcher, his squabbles with Tony Blair. At one point he even talks about Clement Attlee.
Is age preying on Ken Livingstone’s mind?
Is the old newt-fancier succumbing to his pond years and becoming stagnant?
He was, after all, born in June 1945 — a month before Attlee won power. He has been a figure in frontline British politics since 1981.
He insists to his lunchtime audience in Westminster that he is in prime physical condition and feels like a man of 40.
When he last went for a medical check his doctor ‘almost had an orgasm’ to discover such a fit patient. Ew. But Mr Livingstone has always had a colourful turn of phrase. It is perhaps why he and Princess Anne get on well, as they do.
He grumbles that the ‘bloody’ media always reports how old he is.
He challenges his election rivals to press-up competitions. He complains that politics was much better in ‘the good old days when everyone was ugly’. No one asks him about policy these days, he complains.
Lo and behold, a reporter from the Left-wing Tribune magazine pipes up with a nerdy question about the fire brigade. Candidate Livingstone, sotto voce, mutters: ‘Gawd, I need a drink.’
A second — or is it a third? — glass of Aussie Stickleback cabernet sauvignon sloshes into his glass. Red, Ken?
Mid-April should be the molten core of the London mayoral election but the Livingstone campaign is backfiring and pinking like a motorised Delhi rickshaw. First, there was the row about his tax returns.
Although a socialist who espouses the redistribution of wealth, he has been avoiding tax by clever (legal) methods, on the advice of an accountant from the back streets of Brighton.
Then there have been controversial remarks about gays. He said that the Tory party was ‘riddled’ with them. He said Jews were too rich to support him. On the gay thing, he claimed it was intended humorously.
One voter, Fatima Begum, who lives in the ward, said: "People working for Gulam Robbani came and collected my husband's postal vote."
A second voter int Brune House, Husneara Khanam, said that Mr Robbani's workers had collected her and her husband's vote.
A third resident took a picture of one of Mr Rahman's councillors, Aminur Khan, holding a sheaf of papers which the resident said were ballot papers. Mr Khan categorically denied last night that he had been involved in collecting any ballot papers.
There is also evidence of apparent "ghost voting" at the block with as many as eight voters - all with postal votes - registered in some flats.
The Electoral Commission's code of conduct on postal votes says that party activists "should not touch or handle anyone else's ballot paper" and "it is absolutely clear that anyone acting on behalf of a party should not solicit the collection of any ballot paper".
Mr Rahman has strongly supported Mr Livingstone's mayoral campaign, making a joint appearance with him last year, saying that "Ken cares" and calling an election broadcast which left Mr Livingstone in tears "brilliant". Mr Robbani's leaflets in the byelection endorsed Mr Livingstone as the "people's mayor."
There is no suggestion that his campaign or the Labour Party knew of the apparent vote-harvesting. Mr Robbani was not available for comment.
Spitalfields saw enormous swings towards Mr Livingstone at the last mayoral election. His vote share in the ward went up from 29.6 per cent in 2004, an election he won in London as a whole, to 68.4 per cent in 2008, an election he lost.
The total number of voters in London has risen by 6 per cent since 2008. However, six London boroughs have seen striking rises. Tower Hamlets, Haringey, Hackney and Islington, all with rises of between 10 and 14 per cent, are Labour-controlled. Hammersmith and Fulham, which rose by 14 per cent, is Conservative-held. Sutton, whose electorate rose by 21 per cent is Lib Dem.
Some of the rises, particularly in Sutton, may be explained by new development but of the six, Tower Hamlets is the only one where there has also been a significant rise in the proportion of the electorate with a postal vote.
Cosmic rays are energetic charged subatomic particles, originating in outer space. They may produce secondary particles that penetrate the Earth's atmosphere and surface. The term ray is historical as cosmic rays were thought to be electromagnetic radiation. Most primary cosmic rays (those that enter the atmosphere from deep space) are composed of familiar stable subatomic particles that normally occur on Earth, such as protons, atomic nuclei, or electrons. However, a very small fraction are stable particles of antimatter, such as positrons or antiprotons, and the precise nature of this remaining fraction is an area of active research.
About 89% of cosmic rays are simple protons or hydrogen nuclei, 10% are helium nuclei or alpha particles, and 1% are the nuclei of heavier elements. These nuclei constitute 99% of the cosmic rays. Solitary electrons (much like beta particles, although their ultimate source is unknown) constitute much of the remaining 1%.
The variety of particle energies reflects the wide variety of sources. The origins range from processes on the Sun (and presumably other stars as well), to as yet unknown physical mechanisms in the farthest reaches of the observable universe. There is evidence that very high energy cosmic rays are produced over far longer periods than the explosion of a single star or sudden galactic event, suggesting multiple accelerating processes that cover very long distances with regard to the size of stars. The obscure mechanism of cosmic ray production at galactic distances is partly a result of the fact that (unlike other radiations) magnetic fields in our galaxy and other galaxies bend cosmic ray direction severely, so that they arrive nearly randomly from all directions, hiding any clue of the direction of their initial sources. Cosmic rays can have energies of over 1020 eV, far higher than the 1012 to 1013 eV that Terrestrial particle accelerators can produce. There has been interest in investigating cosmic rays of even greater energies.
Cosmic rays are enriched in lithium, beryllium, and boron with regard to the relative abundance of these elements in the universe compared to hydrogen and helium, and thus are thought to have a primary role in the synthesis of these three elements through the process of "cosmic ray nucleosynthesis". They also produce some so-called cosmogenic stable isotopes and radioisotopes on Earth, such as carbon-14. In the history of particle physics, cosmic rays were the source of the discovery of the positron, muon, and pi meson.
Cosmic rays compose a part of natural background radiation on Earth, averaging about 10-15% of it. However, persons living at higher altitude can obtain several times more cosmic radiation than at sea level, and long distance airline crews can double their yearly ionizing radiation exposure due to this source. Since the intensity of cosmic rays is much larger outside the Earth's atmosphere and magnetic field, it is expected to have a major impact on the design of spacecraft that can safely transport humans in interplanetary space.
Charles Wendell Colson (October 16, 1931 – April 21, 2012) was a former Special Counsel to President Richard Nixon from 1969 to 1973 and later a noted Evangelical Christian leader and cultural commentator.
Once known as President Nixon's "hatchet man," Colson gained notoriety at the height of the Watergate affair for being named as one of the Watergate Seven, and pleaded guilty to obstruction of justice for attempting to defame Pentagon Papers defendant Daniel Ellsberg. He became a Christian in 1973, and the following year served seven months in the federal Maxwell Prison in Alabama as the first member of the Nixon administration to be incarcerated for Watergate-related charges.
Colson's mid-life conversion to Christianity sparked a radical life change that lasted the remainder of his life. He began anew with a dual focus on both the non-profit ministry he founded after his time behind bars, Prison Fellowship, and to Christian worldview teaching and training. Colson was also a public speaker and the author of more than 30 books. He was founder and chairman of The Chuck Colson Center for Christian Worldview, which is "a research, study, and networking center for growing in a Christian worldview", and includes Colson's daily radio commentary, BreakPoint, heard on more than 1,400 outlets across the United States.
Colson received 15 honorary doctorates and in 1993 was awarded the Templeton Prize for Progress in Religion, the world's largest annual award (over US$1 million) in the field of religion, given to a person who "has made an exceptional contribution to affirming life's spiritual dimension". He donated this prize to further the work of Prison Fellowship, as he did all his speaking fees and royalties. In 2008 he was awarded the Presidential Citizens Medal by President George W. Bush.
Prison ministry
After his release from prison, Colson founded Prison Fellowship in 1976, which today is "the nation's largest outreach to prisoners, ex-prisoners, and their families". Colson worked to promote prisoner rehabilitation and reform of the prison system in the United States, citing his disdain for what he called the "lock 'em and leave 'em" warehousing approach to criminal justice. He helped to create prisons whose populations come from inmates who choose to participate in faith-based programs.
In 1983, Colson founded Justice Fellowship, using his influence in conservative political circles to push for bipartisan, legislative reforms in the U.S. criminal justice system.
On June 18, 2003, Colson was invited by President George W. Bush to the White House to present results of a scientific study on the faith-based initiative, InnerChange, at the Carol Vance Unit (originally named the Jester II Unit) prison facility of the Texas Department of Criminal Justice in Fort Bend County, Texas. Colson led a small group that includes Dr. Byron Johnson of the University of Pennsylvania, who was the principal researcher of the InnerChange study, a few staff members of Prison Fellowship and three InnerChange graduates to the meeting. In the presentation, Dr. Johnson explained that 171 participants in the InnerChange program were compared to a matched group of 1,754 inmates from the prison's general population. The study found that only 8 percent of InnerChange graduates, as opposed to 20.3 percent of inmates in the matched comparison group, became offenders again in a two-year period. In other words, the recidivism rate was cut by almost two-thirds for those who complete the faith-based program. Those who are dismissed for disciplinary reasons or who drop out voluntarily, or those who are paroled before completion, have a comparable rate of rearrest and incarceration.
From 1982 to 1995, Colson received honorary doctorates from various colleges and universities.
In 1990, the Salvation Army recognized Colson with its highest civic award, the Others Award. Previous recipients of the award include Barbara Bush, Paul Harvey, US Senator Bob Dole and the Meadows Foundation.
In 1993, Colson was awarded the Templeton Prize for Progress in Religion, the world's largest cash gift (over $1 million), which is given each year to the one person in the world who has done the most to advance the cause of religion. He donated this prize, as he does all speaking fees and royalties, to further the work of Prison Fellowship.
In 1994, Colson was famously quoted in contemporary Christian music artist Steven Curtis Chapman's song "Heaven in the Real World" as saying:
"Where is the hope? I meet millions of people who feel demoralized by the decay around us. The hope that each of us has is not in who governs us, or what laws we pass, or what great things we do as a nation. Our hope is in the power of God working through the hearts of people. And that's where our hope is in this country. And that's where our hope is in life."
In 1999, Colson co-authored "How Now Shall We Live?" with Nancy Pearcey and published by Tyndale House. The book was winner of the 2000 Gold Medallion Book Award.
On February 9, 2001, the Council for Christian Colleges and Universities (CCCU) presented Colson with the Mark O. Hatfield Leadership Award at the Forum on Christian Higher Education in Orlando, Florida. The award is presented to individuals who have demonstrated uncommon leadership that reflects the values of Christian higher education. The award was established in 1997 in honor of US Senator Mark Hatfield, a long-time supporter of the Council.
In 2008, Colson was presented with the Presidential Citizens Medal by President George W. Bush.
Charles "Chuck" Colson, the former special counsel to President Richard Nixon who was jailed for his role in a Watergate-related case and became an evangelical Christian, has died aged 80.
Colson, who compiled Nixon's infamous "enemies list" before the Watergate scandal led to the president's resignation in 1974, died of complications from a brain haemorrhage after undergoing surgery.
WASHINGTON -- Charles Colson, the tough-as-nails special counsel to President Richard Nixon who went to prison for his role in a Watergate-related case and became a Christian evangelical helping inmates, died Saturday. He was 80.
Colson's death was confirmed by Jim Liske, the chief executive of the Lansdowne, Va.-based Prison Fellowship Ministries that Colson founded.
Liske said the preliminary cause of death is complications from brain surgery Colson had at the end of March.
Colson, with his trademark horn-rimmed glasses, was known as the "evil genius" of the Nixon administration who once said he'd walk over his grandmother to get the president elected to a second term.
The efforts to discredit Ellsberg included use of Nixon's plumbers — a covert group established to investigate White House leaks — in 1971 to break into the office of Ellsberg's psychiatrist to look for information that could discredit Ellsberg's anti-war efforts.
The Ellsberg burglary was revealed during the course of the Watergate investigation and became an element in the ongoing scandal. Colson pleaded guilty in 1974 to obstruction of justice in connection with attempts to discredit Ellsberg, though charges were dropped that Colson actually played a role in the burglary of Ellsberg's psychiatrist's office. Charges related to the actual Watergate burglary and cover-up were also dropped. He served seven months in prison.
Before Colson went to prison he became a born-again Christian, but critics said his post-scandal redemption was a ploy to get his sentence reduced. The Boston Globe wrote in 1973, "If Mr. Colson can repent of his sins, there just has to be hope for everyone."
Ellsberg, for his part, said in an interview that Colson never apologized to him and did not respond to several efforts Ellsberg made over the years to get in touch with him. Ellsberg said he still believes that Colson's guilty plea was not a matter of contrition so much as an effort to head off even more serious allegations that Colson had sought to hire thugs to administer a beating against Ellsberg — an allegation that Colson states in his book was believed by prosecutors despite his denial.
"I have no reason to doubt his evangelism," Ellsberg said of Colson. "But I don't think he felt any kind of regret" for what he had done, except remorse that he had been ineffective and got caught.
Colson stayed with his faith after Watergate and went on to win praise — including the prestigious Templeton Prize for Progress in Religion — for his efforts to use it to help others. Colson later called going to prison a "great blessing."
He created the Prison Fellowship Ministries in 1976 to minister to prisoners, ex-prisoners and their families. It runs work-release programs, marriage seminars and classes to help prisoners after they get out. An international offshoot established chapters around the world.
"You can't leave a person in a steel cage and expect something good to come out of him when he is released," Colson said in 2001.
Michael Cromartie, director of the Evangelical Studies Project at the Ethics and Public Policy Center in Washington, worked with Colson at Prison Fellowship Ministries. He said he's certain Colson's faith was genuine.
"Before he went off to prison he had a born again evangelical experience, a conversion experience," he said. It produced guffaws in official Washington, Cromartie said, but Colson demonstrated he was serious.
When Colson emerged from prison, "he had a lot of offers to do other things that would have made him a lot of money", but he wanted to serve people who had been "forgotten" in society, Cromartie said.
"I think if he's going to be remembered for anything, he's going to be remembered as a person who had a complete turnaround in his life," he said.
While faith was a large part of Colson's message, he also tackled such topics as prison overpopulation and criticized the death penalty, though he thought it could be justified in rare cases. He said those convicted of nonviolent crimes should be put on community-service projects instead of being locked up.
He wrote more than 20 books, including Born Again: What Really Happened to the White House Hatchet Man, which was turned into a movie.
France's Nicolas Sarkozy faces a tough fight Sunday against nine challengers in presidential elections awash in fear and anger.
This has been a race of negative emotion and nostalgia for a more protected past: One of the world's top tourist destinations and biggest economies, France is feeling down about its debts, its immigrants, its stagnant paychecks and, above all, its future.
To voters, the conservative Sarkozy gets much of the blame. While he's likely to make it past Sunday's first-round voting and into the decisive second round May 6, polls show his support waning.
They predict another man will trounce Sarkozy in the runoff and take over the Elysée Palace: Socialist Party candidate François Hollande.
Under a quirk of French electoral rules, balloting got under way Saturday in France's embassies and overseas holdings, starting in the tiny islands of Saint Pierre and Miquelon, just south of Newfoundland. Campaigning and the release of poll data have been suspended until the first-round results come in Sunday evening.
Many French people also express a distaste for a president who has come to be seen as flashy following his highly publicized marriage to supermodel Carla Bruni early in his term, occasional rude outbursts in public and his chumminess with rich executives.
Pascal Rossignol / Reuters
A cyclist rides past electoral panels with campaign posters of the candidates for the 2012 French presidential election in Mons en Pevele near Lille.
"We have to get rid of Sarkozy," said Marc Boitel, a trombone player taking part in a street protest ahead of Sunday's vote. "People just want jobs."
Boitel plans to vote for tub-thumbing radical leftist Jean-Luc Melenchon, who wants an anti-capitalist revolution, and then Hollande in round two, reflecting a voter shift that is unsettling some financial analysts as feeble growth threatens deficit targets in Europe's No. 2 economy.
Still, Sarkozy is a more formidable campaigner than Hollande, who lacks sparkle.
The president's verve at the podium combined with his handling of a shooting drama in southwest France in March saw him claw back some ground in opinion polls last month. But he has since slipped back, leaving Hollande 10 or more points ahead in surveys for the deciding runoff.
Hollande is a whisker ahead for the first round, with an average 28 percent support in polls to Sarkozy's 27 percent. Both are far ahead of far-right leader Marine Le Pen, in third place at 16 percent, who wants to curb immigration and take France out of the euro zone.
Melenchon, whose crowd-pulling charisma and clench-fisted vow to end the power of markets over national economies have made him a star of the election race, ranks fourth with 14 percent, while centrist Francois Bayrou is fifth at 10 percent.
