#board of inspectors of prisons

[astrojulia]

Tarot Cards as Professions

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Major Arcanas:

The Fool: Work with abroad, connections with imports, language teacher, multinationals, entrepreneur, intern, college student, art major.

The Magician: Entrepreneur, job that needs skill with the hands (acupuncture, hairdresser, artisan), actor, salesperson, influencer.

The High Priestess: Education, especially children, nutrition, psychology, cook, housewife, food engineering, toy factory, fortuneteller, spiritual advisor, librarian.

The Empress: Management, business administration, foreign trade, secretariat, translation, decoration, stay-at-home mom, model, cook, farmer.

The Emperor: Business administration, work related to areas of technological innovation, the military or sportsmen, CEO, tycoon.

The Hierophant: Philanthropic areas, ONGs, religious work, social work, diplomacy, and a degree, journalism, writer, editor, priest, spiritual guru, politician.

The Lovers: Sales area in any sector, tourism, theater, advertising, the arts in general, porn star, stripper, masseuse.

The Chariot: Activities related to transport, cars, the latest technology, chauffeur, mechanic, athlete.

Strength: Aesthetics, physical education and various body therapies, medicine, zoologist.

The Hermit: Teacher, writer, doctor, antique dealer, restorer, librarian, gardener.

Wheel of Fortune: Financial market, exchange offices, casinos, lottery houses, stock exchanges, and areas related to public relations, hospitality, game show host.

Justice: Public jobs, won through competitions, politics, police, with government positions, in the diplomatic area, law, insurance company worker.

The Hanged Man: Nurse, auditor, inspector, porter, secretariat, general assistants, yoga instructor, prison guard, philanthropist.

Death: Doctor, farmer, geologist, business administrator, gardener, accountant, assassin, death row executioner, surgeon.

Temperance: Working with liquids in general or with what is transported in liquid form such as alcoholic beverages, medicines, juices. chemist, chef, food critic, regional or even international traffic.

The Devil: Does not limit the individual to a professional wing, so he can also go to extremes for the desire he has, such as landlord, drug lord, sex trafficker.

The Tower: Social assistance, humanitarian aid, medicine, firefighter, police officer, construction worker.

The Star: Music, painting, sculpture, poetry, cinema, makeup artist, dressmaker, beautician, agent, promoter, sound artist, astronomer, harpist, dealer, meteorologist.

The Moon: Oceanographers, sailors, fishermen, owners of bars and restaurants or nightclubs, artists in general, medium, hypnotist, psychiatrist.

The Sun: Motivational speaker, entertainer, comedian, social relationships, work with the public, artist in general, member of society.

Judgment: Work done at home, connection with the law, lawyer, judge, work with disabled or people excluded from society, social assistance, board member, executive producer, director.

The World: Pharmacist, massage therapist, scientist, teacher, community leader, religious leader or priest, fashion designer, makeup artist, interior decorator.

Wands:

Creative industries such as advertising, marketing, and graphic design.

Entrepreneurship and starting your own business.

Athletics, sports coaching, or physical training.

Outdoor jobs like park ranger or tour guide.

Event planning or organizing.

Firefighters or rescue workers.

Ace of Wands: Entrepreneur, startup founder, motivational speaker, fitness coach, personal trainer.

Two of Wands: Business strategist, project manager, travel agent, international consultant, import/export specialist.

Three of Wands: Sales representative, marketing manager, e-commerce entrepreneur, market researcher, international trade coordinator.

Four of Wands: Event planner, wedding coordinator, party organizer, festival manager, hospitality industry professional.

Five of Wands: Conflict resolution specialist, mediator, lawyer, debate coach, competitive sports coach.

Six of Wands: Public relations manager, spokesperson, social media influencer, motivational speaker, winning athlete.

Seven of Wands: Defense attorney, human rights activist, political campaigner, advocate, civil liberties lawyer.

Eight of Wands: Courier, delivery driver, airline pilot, travel blogger, expedition guide.

Nine of Wands: Security guard, bodyguard, soldier, endurance athlete, self-defense instructor.

Ten of Wands: Overworked entrepreneur, project manager, event organizer, professional organizer, heavy equipment operator.

Page of Wands: Assistant in a creative field, aspiring artist, intern in a startup, social media coordinator, apprentice.

Knight of Wands: Travel journalist, adventure tour guide, professional athlete, race car driver, stunt performer.

Queen of Wands: CEO, business owner, charismatic leader, life coach, influential speaker.

King of Wands: Executive manager, entrepreneur, leadership coach, consultant, director of a creative agency.

Cups:

Counseling, therapy, or social work.

Hospitality industry, including restaurant management and bartending.

Wedding planner or event coordinator.

Artistic fields like poetry, writing, or acting.

Healing professions such as nursing or holistic therapy.

Psychologist or counselor specializing in emotions and relationships.

Ace of Cups: Therapist, counselor, social worker, holistic healer, emotional support specialist.

Two of Cups: Marriage counselor, matchmaker, relationship coach, wedding planner, love psychic.

Three of Cups: Event organizer, party planner, celebratory event coordinator, community organizer.

Four of Cups: Meditation teacher, mindfulness coach, spiritual counselor, psychologist, therapist.

Five of Cups: Grief counselor, trauma therapist, hospice worker, emotional healing practitioner, bereavement support.

Six of Cups: Child psychologist, teacher, daycare worker, children's book author, pediatric nurse.

Seven of Cups: Creative writer, fantasy novelist, imaginative artist, dream analyst, visionary.

Eight of Cups: Travel blogger, adventure seeker, spiritual pilgrim, explorer, wanderlust photographer.

Nine of Cups: Life coach, happiness consultant, gratitude coach, self-help author, wellness retreat organizer.

Ten of Cups: Family therapist, marriage and family counselor, foster care advocate, wedding planner, family mediator.

Page of Cups: Creative writer, artist in training, intuitive healer, aspiring therapist, dream interpreter.

Knight of Cups: Actor, romantic poet, musician, art therapist, love and relationship coach.

Queen of Cups: Psychic reader, intuitive healer, counselor, compassionate caregiver, therapist.

King of Cups: Therapist, counselor, intuitive mentor, emotional intelligence trainer, psychologist.

Swords:

Legal professions like lawyers, judges, or law enforcement officers.

Journalists, reporters, or investigators.

IT specialists, computer programmers, or hackers.

Teachers or professors specializing in critical thinking or philosophy.

Military or defense-related careers.

Strategic planners or analysts.

Ace of Swords: Lawyer, judge, legal consultant, investigative journalist, strategic planner.

Two of Swords: Mediator, conflict resolution specialist, negotiator, diplomat, relationship counselor.

Three of Swords: Divorce lawyer, grief counselor, trauma therapist, emotional healer, heart surgeon.

Four of Swords: Rest and relaxation specialist, meditation teacher, spiritual retreat organizer, yoga instructor.

Five of Swords: Military strategist, competitive sports coach, lawyer specializing in litigation, debate coach.

Six of Swords: Travel agent, relocation consultant, therapist specializing in transitions, boat captain.

Seven of Swords: Private investigator, spy, intelligence analyst, cybersecurity expert, undercover agent.

Eight of Swords: Social justice lawyer, human rights advocate, disability rights activist, therapist specializing in limiting beliefs.

Nine of Swords: Insomnia specialist, anxiety therapist, nightmare counselor, sleep coach, mental health counselor.

Ten of Swords: Surgeon, coroner, forensic scientist, mortician, grief counselor.

Page of Swords: Researcher, journalist, fact-checker, apprentice in a legal field, investigative reporter.

Knight of Swords: Military officer, police officer, attorney, competitive fencer, conflict resolution specialist.

Queen of Swords: Judge, lawyer, critic, journalist, literary agent.

King of Swords: Judge, attorney, CEO, strategist, military general.

Pentacles:

Financial advisors or investment bankers.

Real estate agents or property developers.

Agriculture, farming, or gardening.

Architects, builders, or construction workers.

Conservationists or environmentalists.

Accountants or bookkeepers.

Ace of Pentacles: Financial advisor, investment banker, wealth manager, entrepreneur, luxury goods retailer.

Two of Pentacles: Financial analyst, accountant, bookkeeper, event planner, stock trader.

Three of Pentacles: Architect, contractor, project manager, teamwork facilitator, craftsman.

Four of Pentacles: Wealth manager, investor, financial planner, asset protection specialist, treasurer.

Five of Pentacles: Social worker, philanthropist, charity organizer, financial counselor, volunteer.

Six of Pentacles: Philanthropist, humanitarian worker, non-profit manager, social worker, charitable fundraiser.

Seven of Pentacles: Gardener, farmer, agricultural consultant, sustainability expert, botanist.

Eight of Pentacles: Craftsperson, artisan, apprentice, skilled tradesperson, technical trainer.

Nine of Pentacles: Luxury brand manager, independent business owner, successful entrepreneur, vineyard owner, art collector.

Ten of Pentacles: Real estate developer, property investor, family business owner, generational wealth manager, financial advisor.

Page of Pentacles: Intern, student, apprentice in a practical field, aspiring entrepreneur, entry-level employee.

Knight of Pentacles: Accountant, financial planner, farmer, skilled tradesperson, meticulous worker.

Queen of Pentacles: CEO, business owner, property developer, hospitality industry entrepreneur, financial advisor.

King of Pentacles: CEO, business mogul, successful investor, high-level executive, financial consultant.

(CC) AstroJulia Some Rights Reserved

[gotham-ruaidh]

June 15, 1904

Today is the 120th anniversary of the General Slocum disaster in New York City’s East River.

120 years ago today, 1,358 passengers - mostly women and children - boarded the paddleboat steamship, hoping to enjoy the beautiful summer sunshine.

The General Slocum was built in 1891, and owned by the Knickerbocker Steamship Company. Just a month before the disaster, a fire inspector had deemed its fire equipment to be in “fine working order.”

When the fire broke out, the rotten fire hoses burst when filled with water. The dilapidated life preservers crumbled when seized by panicked hands. Life boats were bolted to the ship’s floor.

As the flames spread, hundreds of passengers jumped - or threw their children - overboard, only to drown. Countless others perished within the flames.

From the shore of Manhattan, hundreds of helpless onlookers could only watch. One newspaper described it as “a spectacle of horror beyond words to express—a great vessel all in flames, sweeping forward in the sunlight, within sight of the crowded city, while her helpless, screaming hundreds were roasted alive or swallowed up in waves.”

Finally the captain beached the burning wreck on the shores of North Brother Island - where patients with typhoid and other contagious diseases had been quarantined. Hospital staff swam to the burning boat, pulling dozens of victims to safety. Nurses threw debris for passengers to cling to while others tossed ropes and life preservers. 

The death toll of 1,021, most of them women and children, made the burning of the Slocum New York City’s worst disaster until the attack on the World Trade Center on September 11, 2001. 

Only the captain would ever face criminal charges for his ship’s unpreparedness. He was sentenced to 10 years in prison; he served four when he was pardoned by President William Howard Taft on Christmas Day, 1912.

The aftermath of the Slocum disaster was incalculable on New York City. The men of Kleindeutschland were left without families. Many returned to Germany, or moved uptown to Yorkville. Before long, the neighborhood changed completely - and became the mostly Russian, Polish, and Ukrainian neighborhood that it remains today.

Please take a moment today and join me in a prayer for the souls of those lost, 120 years ago.

Thank you for helping them be remembered.

[tomorrowusa]

Pardon me for not shedding tears over the death of the misogynistic theocratic thug Ebrahim Raisi.

As a strong supporter of Ukraine, I note that Iran under Raisi has supplied Russia with Shahed drones which have murdered or maimed thousands of Ukrainians.

Of course Raisi, first and foremost, has repressed and killed countless Iranians over the span of his brutal career.

Iran’s hardline President Ebrahim Raisi — once seen as a potential successor to 85-year-old Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei — died after his helicopter crashed into trees in a mountainous northwestern region of the Islamic Republic on Sunday.  The Iranian branch of the Red Crescent humanitarian network said on Monday its search and rescue teams had reached the crash site and “found no signs of the helicopter’s occupants being alive.” The discovery of the burned-out wreckage of Raisi’s helicopter among blackened trees — with seemingly only the tail surviving the crash — followed hours of searches in the fog-bound mountain valleys of Dizmar forest near the border with Azerbaijan.  [ ... ] Raisi, 63, was a conservative cleric and former judiciary chief who was responsible for decades of vicious crackdowns against his own people’s aspirations for greater personal freedoms and democracy, arresting, torturing and executing tens of thousands of the Islamist regime’s opponents.  Educated in the seminary city of Qom and dubbed “the butcher,” he was alleged to have been involved in the execution of thousands of political prisoners in the late 1980s, according to Iran’s opposition. As judiciary chief, he was also directly responsible for the wave of arrests and executions that followed massive anti-regime protests in 2019-2020.  As president, he oversaw the iron-fisted repression of the “Women, Life, Freedom” movement that followed the death of 22-year-old Mahsa Amini. Tens of thousands were arrested, and the death toll is estimated at more than 500. 

Raisi was a way bad person – even by the standards of the ruling theocratic mafia in Iran.

As for the helicopter crash that killed Raisi, look to Iran's terrible air safety record.

Iran's poor aviation safety record

The cause of the helicopter crash is not yet known - but Iran has a poor air transport safety record. This is at least partly the result of decades of US sanctions, which have severely weakened its aerial fleet. President Raisi was on board a Bell 212 helicopter, state news agencies said. The model was made in the US and could not have been sold to Iran since the 1979 revolution. Previous ministers of defence and transport, as well as commanders of Iran’s ground and air armed forces, have died in plane or helicopter crashes. When reformers led Iran's government, they aimed to modernise the country's fleet of aircraft by negotiating a deal with the West that would see sanctions lifted in return for limiting Iran's sensitive nuclear activities and allowing in international inspectors However, these efforts stalled when President Donald Trump withdrew from the deal and reimposed sanctions. Reformers were subsequently opposed and mocked by hardliners, who insisted that Iran could rely on its domestic industries and foreign allies to improve aviation safety.

Iran has been devoting more attention to building killer drones than to maintaining its own aircraft. The helicopter crash is poetic justice of sorts.

[berrypass-de-murdler]

2 - 67 All Aboard for Murder

Ah yes...

After all this time...

The edible Eminence has been found.

DON'T READ THE EPISODES WITHOUT READING THE BOOKS!!

Irratino can’t find the prison. He’s checked many maps (even Google Maps!) but he cannot find it… it’s too secluded. So he goes back to using esoteric methods - such as guessing. He boards a random train, and pleads it will take him to Logico.

Right away, he notices the vibes are off. But why? Oh… it’s just a human body. Again.

IRRATINO: [long pained sigh]

Lord Lavender, Dean Glaucous, Captain Slate, and Ecru are all sitting around. Despite the luxury of the train, everyone kind of just has the same blank emotion. 

IRRATINO: Hey… where is everyone going?

They all speak at the same time, so… different locations. Irratino just feels so empty. All this filler, all this running around alone is seriously getting to him. He doesn’t want to lie another night in bed wondering why he’s by himself. But he picks himself up. He WILL find his short king. But he has to solve this first, no matter how meaningless it seems.

Lavender places an old clock on a table. It’s very loud, like a metronome. And it’s about to get louder, because he’s composing…

LAVENDER: París My wish… My dream… IRRATINO: Oh, no… LAVENDER: Your city… Your life’s work… I��m in…

Poor Slate is just lying awake in bed, forced to listen to this. Ecru approaches her.

SLATE: Who are you. ECRU: Uhm… I dunno. I just… hi. SLATE: … ECRU: Everything’s just so BLEAK right now. I don’t even know why… SLATE: It’s because Logico is missing. Logico is the one who brings light into our lives in the strangest ways.

This hurts Irratino even more! He starts to blame himself for not finding Logico sooner. What was he doing, just messing around for so long? Logico must be going insane, stuck in a cage for weeks… and it’s all his fault. When he does find Logico, he may not even forgive him. And he’d be right not to… 

He slaps himself. It doesn’t matter what Logico thinks of him. He still has to find him no matter what! So he looks deep into a crystal ball, and sees Dean Glaucous… 

IRRATINO: Dean… Glaucous. GLAUCOUS: Oh! Um… h-hello, Irratino. I-If you’re alright with that. I can call you Inspector instead… IRRATINO: It’s alright, how… how are you doing? GLAUCOUS: I… don’t want him to be in there. IRRATINO: Yeah. Me too… GLAUCOUS: You’re looking for him though… I know you’re trying your hardest. I trust you.

Irratino begins to sob, not knowing if he really is trying his hardest. Glaucous holds and pats him. Lavender wants so badly to make an unhelpful comment. But something’s not letting him.

Finally, the goat lord is able to take some deep breaths. And he finishes the investigation, able to place the blame. Archaeologist Ecru.

ECRU: …Okay fine! I killed the porter. But when he was helping me with my bags, some ancient artifacts fell out of ‘em. And yeah, maybe I broke a few international laws by taking them from the tomb I found them in, but I was gonna sell ‘em to a museum, which is where they belong right? No harm no foul?

Irratino sighs in response.

ECRU: [turns to Slate] Do you wanna get a drink or something… SLATE: …No.  ECRU: [sad] SLATE: I can’t drink. ECRU: Oh…

Irratino looks out the window. And he has a feeling this train is taking him closer to where he needs to be.

The end!

:p

yknow I shouldn't get mad at irratino for not finding him fast enough

He's still my baby goat lord

The power of Goat Lord compels you!

See you next time murdlers!

[stephensmithuk]

Bunny's cage: HMP Wormwood Scrubs

Bunny Manders spends his 18 months of 'porridge' at what is today called HM Prison Wormwood Scrubs, located south of the park of that name in London W12. The HM of course stands for "His Majesty's". While the UK does have some privately run prisons, this is not one of them.

The nearest Tube is East Action and the A40 Westway is close by if you want to visit. Hammersmith Hospital is next door, in case prisoners need to go there.

It has an iconic entrance - see below - which is commonly used for prison release scenes in TV and movies, such as The Italian Job.

(The interiors for that were filmed at the long-closed Kilmainham Gaol in Dublin, also a common filming location, turning up in, of all things, Into the Badlands.)

Even one of the Gorillaz ended up there...

"The Scrubs" as it is known, was started in 1874 to a design by Sir Edmund Frederick Du Cane, who gives his name to the road the prison is on. The British needed to construct new prisons to hold convicts after transportation to Australia ended in 1867, basically because the non-convict Australians had had enough of being used as a dumping ground for criminals.

Convicts from Millbank Prison were used to construct a temporary facility initially and then worked over the next sixteen years until the facility was complete in 1891. It would hold male and female prisoners until 1902. At that point, the last of the latter were transferred to Holloway and the prison has been male-only since, although there may be some female officers there.

It had been intended for as a long-term penitentiary but ended up becoming a local prison for those serving shorter terms at "His/Her Majesty's Pleasure" as the popular, but inaccurate term would have it.

(That term is legally used for young offenders convicted of murder as an alternative to a life sentence)

Wormwood Scrubs was your typical prison of the period, as this 1903 image shows:

The nets, still there today, are an anti-suicide measure.

This article shows what a single person cell at Wormwood Scrubs looked like in 2015:

A lot of the cells today are two-person ones with a bunk bed.

Anyway, going back to 1896. After the 'Separate System' of the 1840s had driven prisoners mad, a new approach was tried from the 1860s. Basically, the idea was to "scare 'em straight" - make prison just undesirable enough so convicts did not reoffend. Reform was seen as impossible and attempting it pointless.

Du Cane was going to make hard time ...

(Du Cane putting on Victorian sunglasses)

Hard.

(GIF of Victorian man screaming "Capital, dear chap!")

Du Cane called this '‘Hard Labour, Hard Fare and Hard Board’.

Hard Labour

Prisoners would spend long periods of time, like eight hours a day, doing physical labour that was often completely pointless.

Stuff like:

Walking on a rotary treadwheel like you were a hamster. Not connected to anything in most cases. You got breaks, but you were basically climbing the equivalent of the Matterhorn on a daily basis.

Turning a crank thousands of times. Again for no actual useful reason than to break your spirit.

Picking up a cannonball, carrying it at chest height across the yard and putting it down again. Prisons would have cannons used to announce executions, but those generally didn't fire actual live rounds.

Untwisting tar-covered old ropes from ships so the fibres could be used as caulking for waterproofing said ships. This was arguably the most useful task for society, but it was a nasty one, causing cramp and bleeding fingers. This was commonly done in workhouses to by those deemed unsuitable for other tasks - so children, commonly. You would be expected to do at least 3lbs a day if sentenced to hard labour.

Breaking rocks in the hard rain. You'd fought the law and the law won.

This was also done under the 'Silent System' - prisoners were banned from talking to each other.

There were in fact two classes of hard labour and also work in a trade. If you were deemed to be unfit for the first class, you could be put in the second. If for neither, you would be put in a trade.

Oscar Wilde was assigned to the second class, so picked oakum while at Wandsworth. However, even that was too much for him and he collapsed at chapel, rupturing his right eardrum and spending two months in the infirmary. Transferred to Reading, he eventually ended up in charge of distributing books to prisoners from the small prison library.

Indeed, prisoners would try anything to avoid the treadwheel, like eating soap or large quantities of salt. Collapsing at the wheel could result in serious injury or even death as you could be crushed by the still turning device unless someone spotted you.

There was no labour on Sundays or public holidays. I imagine you would spend most of your time in the cells. Something not much changed today, considering the 2021 inspection report of Wormwood Scrubs I found.

Wormwood Scrubs has in fact got a very large chapel and today it has an organ originally from a cinema in Ealing.

Hard Fare

The food was deliberately kept monotonous, but enough of it was provided to keep the prisoners alive and able to work. The main staple was gruel (hence "doing porridge") as in the workhouses or the oatmeal-based substitute stirabout. However, you would get other stuff for doing hard labour. The Victorians ate a lot more bread and potatoes then we do today for example.

A 2019 study by the University of Liverpool found that many of the 400 prisoners they looked at remained with the same BMI as they went in with - many even gained weight.

However, that was by no means the sole indication of health - prisons could easily provide vectors for infection, even if they were less overcrowded then before.

Hard Board

Prisoners had formerly slept in hammcocks - they now had hard boards to sleep on instead. They would also wear blue uniforms with broad arrows on, still something seen in cartoons.

Literature was limited - Wilde was initally limited only to the Bible and The Pilgrim's Progress. He was initially not even allowed pen and paper either.

I believe you were allowed to spend an hour in the yard each day, but this was walking in single file with again no talking.

I can imagine that even with a stove, your cell might get quite chilly in winter. Chillbains would have been common.

Rule-breaking could lead to various punishments including flogging. You might also be put solely on bread and water, a punishment still employed by the US Navy until 2019.

Summary

Wilde, who would write two books on his experience, never recovered from his prison time. He is thought to have got meningitis as a result of his fall and died in France three years after his release.

The effect of all this on offending rates was limited too - many would end doing further sentences. At least you got fed, something not guaranteed outside unless you headed for the workhouse.

The latter history of Wormwood Scrubs

However, reform had started of the system and conditions would become a good deal less harsh. The more pointless hard labour was abolished in 1902.

The First World War saw the Scrubs hold a number of conscientious objectors, who had refused even non-combat roles as they saw those as keeping the war going - when refused an exemption, they had refused to obey orders to report to barracks. Hubert W. Peet spent 112 days there and his account is now public domain:

The 'sequel' as I often call it saw Wormwood Scrubs cleared of prisoners and taken over by the War Department. MI5 spent a short time based there at the start of the war. Secretaries would often be two to a cell.

The prison returned to normal operations afterwards.

In 1966, it would see its most famous escape.

George Blake

George Blake was an SIS officer who had started working for Soviet intelligence as while imprisoned in the Korean War. He tipped off the Soviets about the tunnel the Allies would dig under the West Berlin/East Berlin border to tap military telephone lines. Being the cagey bees they were and not wanting to compromise Blake, they waited a year before 'discovering' the tunnel in a blaze of publicity. In fact, they appear to have not even made measures to restrict what the lines were used for and the West probably got some pretty good intel off it.

More seriously, Blake betrayed a large number of SIS agents to the Soviet bloc, many of whom ended up dead as a result.

Blake was arrested in 1961, ultimately made a full confession and in a private trial at the Old Bailey was sentenced to 42 years in prison; the maximum sentence for his actual offence was 14 years, but he was deemed to have committed five separate offences and some would run consecutively. This was the longest non-life sentence ever handed down in a British court.

In 1966, Blake was helped to escape by three former prisoners, two anti-nuclear campaigners and an Irish career criminal called Sean Bourke, who thought his sentence was inhuman. They also liked him. A walkie-talkie was smuggled in. During the weekly film show, Blake broke a window in his cell block, got to the perimeter wall and then climbed a rope ladder thrown over it, breaking his wrist on the way down.

Blake would eventually be smuggled out of the UK and to East Germany, along with Bourke. Blake was picked up by the KGB, taken to the USSR and remained in what become Russia until his death in 2020 aged 98, being given a funeral with military honours.

The anti-nuclear campaigners were charged with aiding his escape in 1991, claiming a moral defence. The jury, as British juries sometimes do, ignored the judge's instructions to convict them and instead declared them both not guilty. Bourke had returned to Ireland, where the Supreme Court refused to extradite him in 1973 in the grounds his crime was a political one. He would die in 1982 after collapsing walking down the road; one ex-KGB defector has claimed he was poisoned.

Penal dustbin

In 1979, IRA prisoners staged a rooftop protest over visiting rights. Then a riot over conditions, including awful toothpaste, resulted in a lot of injuries. The governor had resigned just before the riots and when the 1982 inquiry blamed the prison, he called the place a "penal dustbin".

The 1990s saw six officers convicted over brutality and large compensation payouts - the chief inspector of prisons told the place to improve or close.

Various inspection reports over the years have seen some improvements in conditions... largely as many prisoners spent most of their day in their cells.

Famous and infamous residents

Various well-known people have spent time in the Scrubs, including:

Horatio Bottomley, a newspaper mogul of the era who got seven years in 1922 for stealing money from a bonds fund.

Charles Bronson. Not the actor, but he inspired the man's use of that name.

Pete Doherty, for breaching probation, one of his several run-ins with the law over drugs use.

Lord Alfred Douglas, Wilde's lover.

Leslie Grantham, the later actor who spent ten years in prison for murdering a taxi driver during a robbery in West Germany, where he was serving in the British Army.

Timmy Murphy, a jockey convicted of indecent assault on an air stewardess.

Keith Richards of the Rolling Stones.

John Stonehouse, a former government minister who faked his death to get away from false accouting charges. Which didn't work.

Wormwood Scrubs today

Wormwood Scrubs is a Category B prison, equivalent to the US federal 'Medium Security', with five wings (the last completed in 1996) and some smaller units. It holds around 1,200 prisoners. More than it really should, common to many prisons today.

It is also a listed building and so cannot be demolished - it may well close in the near future and become a museum.

Prisoners are given a uniform, but allowed to wear some of their own clothes after a while if they behave - white and black are banned to avoid confusion with prison officers.

It also holds those on remand awaiting trial or sentence. These do not wear prison uniform.

There are now options for video calls and prisoners can have landlines in their cells to call approved numbers, although officers can of course listen in. You can even send and receive emails to those inside, although not directly.

I will leave you with the 2021 inspection report on the prison:

Anyway, Bunny would not have had a nice time of it. Especially without Raffles...

[lboogie1906]

Sheriff Jeremiah A. Brown (November 14, 1841 – March 28, 1913) was a politician and civil rights activist in Cleveland. He worked on steamboats with Mark Twain. He moved to Cleveland, where he was elected to the Ohio House of Representatives, he played an important role in fighting Black laws, supporting education, and working for the civil rights of Ohio’s African Americans.

He was the first African American to receive a political appointment in Cuyahoga County, the first to serve as a deputy sheriff in Ohio, and the second to be elected to the Ohio state legislature.

Known as “Jere”, he was born in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. He was the oldest child of six children of Thomas A. and Frances J. Brown. His sister, Hallie Quinn Brown, was a noted educator and civil rights activist.

He apprenticed himself to work as a carpenter and joiner. Many employees quit when he joined the shop, unwilling to work with a Black person. He attended Avery College. The family moved to Chatham, Ontario. He married Mary A. Wheeler (1864-1904).

His first position was as bailiff of the county probate court, followed by deputy sheriff and county prison turnkey. He became clerk of the City Boards of Equalization and Revision and a letter carrier for the post office. He was involved in numerous state and national conventions of colored people.

He became a member of the Ohio State Republican Party executive committee. He was made US Customs Inspector. He was appointed clerk in the Internal Revenue Bureau, he was in charge of the office of immigrant inspector. He held several appointments including deputy in the state insurance commissioner’s office.

He was a member of the Carpenters’ and Joiners’ Union of Cleveland. He opposed segregated labor unions. He was a prominent Mason and was a Grand Master of Prince Hall Masonry. He served as a Trustee of Wilberforce University. He was a member of the Congressional Club of Cleveland. He was raised in the AME church and was a member of the Mt. Zion Congregational Church. #africanhistory365 #africanexcellence

[ukrfeminism]

3 minute read

Imagine it. You’re at the end of your tether. Perhaps it’s an undiagnosed or untreated mental health problem, or maybe a financial or family disaster has pushed you to the edge. You do the unthinkable and try to end your life. The police are called, you survive. But because we do not have enough mental health beds in this country, you are sent to prison as a “place of safety” or “for your own protection”. 

This is completely legal and happened to six women in three months from May to July 2022. While most of us enjoyed the warmest summer in over 10 years, they were sent to HMP Styal during one of the lowest periods in their lives. This was in addition to seven other women who were sent there solely on mental health grounds.

HMP Bronzefield, another women’s prison, was sent 75 women by the courts between 2021 and 2022, because there were not enough mental health beds in the community. That was more than double the number of women that they received the year before.

The cases above were highlighted by the Independent Monitoring Board’s (IMB) latest report on mental health concerns in women’s prisons, which came out earlier this month. But this awful phenomenon is not a new one. About a year ago, Her Majesty’s Inspectorate of Prisons reported concerns to the all party-parliamentary group (APPG) on women in the penal system.

At the time, politicians called for a change to laws that give courts the power to remand people in prison “for their own protection” under the 1976 Bail Act (meaning you can be sent to prison if you are considered a danger to yourself, which could include a suicide attempt). 

And now, the the reformed Mental Health Act is set to end the use of prison as a “place of safety” too, which sometimes happens under the 1983 Mental Health Act (this law permits the authorities to put people with severe mental health needs in prison until there is space for them to be admitted to hospital). 

That law change cannot come soon enough. There’s no doubt it will make all the difference for women who are not legally “guilty” of any crimes but find themselves in prison because they are mentally unwell. 

From oversubscribed healthcare and specialist units at HMP Eastwood Park and HMP Bronzefield, to mentally unwell women who are segregated because the necessary support is not available, and prison staff who are struggling because they are not trained mental health professionals, the IMB report makes it clear that prisons are no place for vulnerable women who need mental health support. 

However, the real question is where women with mental health needs will go if they don’t end up in our prisons. Mental health services outside prisons are also oversubscribed. Last year, an 18-year-old woman going through a mental health crisis had to wait eight-and-a-half days in A&E before she got a bed in a psychiatric hospital. Right now, 23 per cent of adults with a mental illness must wait more than three months to start treatment.

To truly break the link between mental health needs and women in prison, we must expand our mental health services on a grand scale. 

More than 80 per cent of women in prison told a Justice Inspectorate Survey they had some form of mental health problem (compared with 59 per cent of men). That means people in prison without mental health problems are the minority.

Pavan Dhaliwal, the chief executive of Revolving Doors, a charity that aims to reduce reoffending said: “All evidence points to a clear solution: the end to short prison sentences and instead well-funded, trauma-informed, and personalised support in the community that addresses the root causes of crime.

“Yet, over four years after the Female Offender Strategy’s promise of fewer women entering the criminal justice system and better management of their needs in the community, the Government continues to fall short.” 

Women in the prison estate are some of the most vulnerable and overlooked women in our society. I have heard first hand from a woman who had such a difficult and unstable life that prison was the first place she had any semblance of security. 

I once interviewed a woman in prison with schizophrenia. When I asked her for examples of kindness she’d received from prison staff, worryingly, her best example was when a nurse had let her miss taking her medicine five times so she could get to her prison job on time.

A woman who served time in prison for murder wrote for iabout witnessing self-harm on a massive scale, and group therapy sessions that left her suicidal. She tried to take her own life during her sentence in 2016.

When asked about her experience of prison and mental health, Natalie* said: “When I was sent to prison, I spent 24 hours in a cell and found myself experiencing an anxiety attack. I rang the alarm bell six times, asking to speak to a healthcare professional, but no one came. It wasn’t until the next morning that a prison officer came to find me in my room. I was on the floor and I hadn’t gotten any sleep because of how distressed I was. Things didn’t get any better during the rest of my sentence. In fact, my mental health just spiralled, and I was in an even worse place than when I came in. 

“When you’re having mental health issues before being charged, prison does nothing to help – it just turns your life upside down.” 

This is the truth. Whether they are innocent or guilty, women in prison with mental health needs desperately need so much better than what is currently on offer. The question is whether our Government will do anything about it. 

Natalie* is an alias 

[xxdumbblondexx]

--- Additional Learning Support ---

11 - bro almost uprooted everything

Masterlist --- Next --- Previous

“For today’s session, I have designed three topics for each of you from one of your corresponding Lessons. You have today to revise and perfect your knowledge about them as, over the next week, you will need to present them for twenty minutes. Each of you has one debate card, listed on the white board behind me.”

Over Albedo’s shoulder was possibly the cleanest whiteboard you had ever seen. Not even a smudge but his hand writing was almost unreadable

“I want the rest of you to take a look inside these topics and provide a debate back. Whoever makes the best argument gets to decide the next session's meal. These will be presented Monday.” Albedo explained and you partially spited ever agreeing to look after Klee again.

But without the energy to argue, you looked to the board behind him. There you saw a title written next to your name.

Did the Churches involvement in medical procedures affect the progression of modern day medicine. (History)

“Which side are you going to take for that?” Heizou asked from his potion beside you. From being the first to take your seat, he proudly took the seat beside you although there were plenty others available.

“That it did.” You replied shortly, pulling up a powerpoint on your phone.

While it loaded, you flicked your eyes to the three cards that lied in front of you. The first was the debate card.

The second was 'Explain how the position of elements on the periodic table effect their stability, e.g electromagnetic configuration, atomic radiation, extra.' Applied science.

The last was 'Explain how the media’s perception of crime affects society.' Sociology.

“Ah, I know about that topic. Want me to help you?” He leaned in closer, purposely looking over your shoulder.

“Can I cut out your tongue and wear it as a necklace?” You retorted, feeling your eyebrows go taught.

In the moment of silence you looked up to check the white board for everyone else.

Aether had ; Does the movement toward Reusable energy benefit the environment. (Applied science)

Which you thought would be difficult since Science is less of a debate and more of facts. However there was always the point that these are all theories and it is impossible to prove what we cannot perceive.

Xiao had ; Should electro currency be equal to physical currency. (IT)

You had no idea about IT so it barely really bothered you.

Kazuha had ; In An Inspector Calls, who is at fault for the death of Eva Smith. (English Literature)

You watched it once or twice and had enough of a jist of it to create an argument. But the underlying fact was that an Inspector Calls was created as a social call out to capitalism and you were sure he’d pick that side.

Scaramouche had ; Is Sociology a science. (Sociology)

You were sure to create the best debate possible to piss him off. Sociology was named a social science which pretty much separated it from true sciences such as physics or biology. But you would make sure to pick at every fault in his debate.

Finally, Heizou had ; Should individuals of different gender identities be placed in prisons based on their biological sex. (Criminology and Law)

You had no idea about Criminology and law but you knew that as soon as you got out of there, you would be on the phone to Yanfei to get the lowdown on all of it. It was your job— no, your purpose —to piss Heizou off as much as he had been doing to you.

Thinking about Heizou, you thought that comment would shut him up but then he continued with,

“Are you saying you want my tongue on your neck?”

It shot through you like boiling water and before you could even think, you shouted,

“Albedo!” Who suddenly shot up from his seat and suggested in a less shroud voice,

“Why don't we swap seats.” And you couldn’t agree more

“Ok once was weird, this is full blown stalker-ish.” You found yourself saying as you walked home. 

Once again, Scaramouche was there, following your footsteps. You expected him to speed past you as he had tried to do the time before. But this time he didn't. This time he was creeping behind you. 

“Not my fault. Childe said he wanted me to walk you home.” 

Childe did what?!

Ok, so sometimes your brother could be over protective. Deliberately scare away a person who was into you. Torment some girls who were being bitchy towards you. Follow you around, scowling at everyone because he claimed something you were wearing was inappropriate.  But this…was a new level. 

Honestly you thought he was relieved that he no longer would have to ferry you around. He seemed to be at least. Clearly you had forgotten his own-given duties of being your older brother. 

“You could have said that instead of creepily following me.” You answered as he came to walk beside you. 

“Sounds like too much effort.” He let out a hot sigh that evaporated into steam as he stretched his arms behind his head. 

“You excited for the debate on monday?” You tried to make small talk because otherwise you knew this walk would be hell. 

“Nope. Not with you and that Heizou guy in my ass.” Which was true. You might have spent too long looking at ways to make him and Heizou regret ever annoying and too little looking at your own topics. 

“Did you revise much?” 

“A little. That prick pretty much chose a unit of sociology. There’s so much of it and Interpretivism can eat my ass.” 

Another weakness you were sure to note.

“Yeah. Those dudes pretty much just hopped on the individualism train and took a nap.” 

“Twats. ‘An individual has their own choices and beliefs’. What the fuck does that have to do with anything about science? I just enjoy the idea that ‘true’ science theories are only true until they are disproven. Sociology, you can say what you want about feminists and marxist but their points still stand.” 

“They're resilient. Even though Marx spoke about the ‘working class revolution’ over a hundred years ago and it still hasn't happened.” 

“Funny thing is though, I bet Karl Marx wouldn't have created Marxism if he didn't fall through the capitalist ladder.” 

With that, you laughed, spitting out a 

“Prick,” in the process.

------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Hiyaaa,

Tbh, the only a levels/betecs i took were Sociology, applied science and health and social care so for the rest of them i'm literally trying to remember what i was taught in high school. For IT, i have no clue. I literally just played cool maths during the lessons. And i never took criminology. So i tried to take from what my friend did in uni.

Also, if you haven't noticed, im going to try and change from guy to guy to give a profile of what they will be like during the next part, (when a guys finally chosen)

I've still got a bit to write till then, and I've still pretty much gotta finish Xiao's (which is coming up next) Kazuha and Aethers. Like little taster chapters.

Anyway, thanks for reading x

[vintage-london-images]

The Thames Prison Hulks. The decision to use former warships for housing prisoners, was seen as a temporary measure to ease overcrowding in jails partly due the war in the colonies, and thus an Act of Parliament in 1776 initially authorised their use for just two years. But despite rising concerns over conditions on the hulks, they eventually remained in use until 1857 in Britain and 1884 overseas, with some 8,000 convicts being housed upon them in the first 20 years alone.

The hulks were initially moored off Woolwich with the former East Indiaman Justitia and a former French Navy frigate Censor among the first. The convicts aboard them were put to use working to improve the river defences at Woolwich Arsenal and nearby docks. The hulks were also later positioned at sites including Limehouse and Deptford.

The hulks were initially operated by private companies under a government contract with little interference, but after concerns they were eventually placed under the supervision of the Inspector of Hulks in 1802. Aaron Graham was first to hold the post while his successor John Capper, who was appointed Superintendent of Prisons and the Hulk Establishment in 1814, oversaw numerous reforms of the system. During Capper’s tenure, the use of private contractors was later phased out with the government assuming direct responsibility for the hulks.

Some hulks like one positioned at Limehouse were used as receiving hulks where prisoners were initially sent for several days where they were inspected and issued clothing, blankets, and a mess kit. They were then sent to convict hulks where they were assigned to a mess and a work gang for the long-term. Other hulks were to serve specific purposes such as being a hospital hulk, there was also a hulk the Bellerophon, which was specifically designated for boys.

Conditions on board the vessels were indeed appalling and disease spread quickly with mortality rates of 30 per cent not uncommon. Prisoners were kept chained when aboard with floggings handed out as punishment for any offences. Food and clothing were of poor quality.

Despite this, the hulks continued to be seen as a convenient means of housing convicts, and in 1841 there were still more than 3,500 convicts on board hulks. It was said that one ship housed as many as 700 convicts alone.

Following several government inquiries into the hulks and the construction of more prisons on land, the hulks were gradually decommissioned. But altogether, between 1776 and 1884, the British Government had converted more than 150 ships around the country and in the colonies.

[lisablack000]

Paris Hilton spoke before a House committee, testifying about the traumatic abuse she suffered during her time at a residential youth treatment facility.

On June 26, Hilton spoke before a House committee, testifying under oath about the traumatic abuse she suffered during her time at residential youth treatment facilities, urging lawmakers to institute laws that would protect vulnerable children sent to these types of places.

Hilton recounted how she was “ripped” from her bed in the middle of the night at 16 and transported to the first of four facilities.

“I was force-fed medications and sexually abused by staff. I was violently restrained and dragged down hallways, stripped naked and thrown into solitary confinement,” Hilton said.

At the time, Hilton was struggling with attention deficit/hyperactivity disorder, getting poor grades and skipping classes. Someone recommended to her parents that she be sent to a treatment facility for kids.

“My parents had no idea; they just thought it was going to be a normal boarding school," she said.

“And when I got there, there was no therapy. We would just constantly be torn down, abused, screamed at, yelled at. No education whatsoever. I learned nothing there except trauma.”

“I am here to be the voice for children who currently do not have one, while this committee has the responsibility to move bipartisan solutions forward to protect them,” she told lawmakers.

“For children who do end up in foster care, we cannot allow them to grow up in cold facilities that act like kid prisons,” she added. “The treatment these children have had to endure is criminal. These kids deserve to grow up in safe, family-centered environments.”

“If you are a child in the system, hear my words: I see you, I believe you, I know what you’re going through and I’m not giving up on you,” Hilton said.

“You are important, your future is important, and you deserve every opportunity to be safe and supported.”

The Department of Health and Human Services inspector general’s office said in a recent report that many states are failing to track how frequently children in foster care facilities are abused, sexually assaulted, or improperly restrained, leaving them vulnerable to mistreatment.

Billions of federal taxpayers’ dollars go to foster care for thousands of children around the country. And while some of those children are placed with families in homes or with their relatives, others who may have complex medical or behavioral needs, are sent to residential treatment facilities.

[effervescentnonsense]

Alright Book Lovers

I have a series recommendation for all of you.

If you like:

- Second World fantasy (as in, not our world)

- Magic

- Edwardian/Victorian aesthetics

- Complex stories that will have you cracking out the Red String Board

- Canonically/explicitly Queer characters (including Shield Lesbians, Ace detectives, Bisexual retired spies, healthy polyamorous relationships involving 7 or more people, and even trans characters!)

- So many female characters that one of the books even fails the Reverse Bechdel Test

- a wide array of sub-genres

Then may I present to you,

The Maradaine Saga

The Maradaine Saga is 14 core books that take place in the city of Maradaine, plus two novellas and one full length novel taking place in other parts of the same world. AND COUNTING (this series is still ongoing!)

The core 14 books contain Four main casts and their respective genres:

The Thorn of Dentonhill stars Veranix Calbert, magic student by day, vigilante hero by night, determined to rid his neighbourhood of efitte, the toxic drug sold by crime lord Willem Fenmere, who killed Veranix's father, and deliberately overdosed his mother. Aided by Kaiana, whose father also succumbed to efitte, and Delmin, his fellow magic student, and his cousin Colin, the street gang member.

A Murder of Mages follows Minox Welling, an inspector for the Maradaine Constabulary, a genius, if socially awkward, and considered a jinx around the station, because he is secretly an untrained mage. Assigned to be his partner is Satrine Rainey, mother of two, struggling to make ends meet with her husband who was gravely injured in the line of duty. Formerly of Druth Intelligence, she is 15 years out from her time as a spy, and forges her paperwork to get the only job she can do that will pay the bills- becoming the first woman inspector on the force.

The Holver Alley Crew- when Holver Alley goes up in flames, killing dozens of people and destroying the homes and businesses of many more, brothers Asti and Verci Rynax discover it was arson, and are determined to use their skills as thieves to track down who destroyed their neighbourhood. Asti, a former spy for Druth Intelligence, retired because of his recent escape from an enemy prison where he was tortured until it broke his mind, and Verci, husband and father and inventor of all sorts of gadgets. Recruiting old friends and new, they set to perform daring heists to make the arsonists pay.

The Way of the Shield- Dayne Heldrin is easy to spot in a crowd- towering at 7ft tall, and in his blue Tarian Uniform- he is a veritable Knight of the Modern era. He is a candidate in the Tarian order, a historic organization upholding values of Chivalry and Defending the Innocent, Shield on arm. He has just returned from being overseas, where his mentor was killed by the Gearbox Killer, a maniacal murderer who builds elaborate clockwork contraptions, designed to kill. Dayne barely survived, and his advancement to an Adept Tarian is in doubt. He befriends a young Initiate, Jerinne, and begins to mentor her, pushing her to be stronger, and uphold the values of the Tarians. Political Conspiracy is afoot, however, as a shadowy organization has fashioned themselves after the Grand 10, ten historic figures that helped turn the country of Druthal into what it is today.

All of these books take place in the same city, at the same time, and as the series goes on, recurring characters and crossovers begin to appear as these ragtag bunch of do-gooders find allies in each other.

I cannot stop talking about this series, its so good! The worldbuilding is immaculate (after all, the author, Marshall Ryan Maresca, is one of the hosts of the podcast Worldbuilding for Masochists), the pacing will keep you gripping your seat for dear life!

[if-you-fan-a-fire]

"TWO SAW WAY OUT OF JAIL MAKE LADDER, SCALE WALL," Toronto Star. May 14, 1943. Page 3. --- Cut Six Iron Bars on Window at Welland, Tear Boards Out of Shed --- ONE FROM TORONTO --- Special to The Star Welland, May 14 - Police in the Niagara peninsula today are hunting for John Stark, alias Stack, 24, Crowland, and Peter Max, 27, Toronto, who escaped from the county jail here during the night.

Stark and Max sawed their way out of their cell with hacksaws, crossed the corridor and sawed through six iron bars on a new window in the north side of the jail. They also sawed away the iron sash and crossbars of the window itself. Dropping down six feet from the window into the jail yard, they went to an old woodshed and broke away a part of the shed. With this lumber they fashioned a ladder to scale the jail wall and dropped 25 feet to the street.

The escaped men had been on remand for the past two weeks. They were arrested by provincial police near Port Colborne. They allegedly were carrying three revolvers, one an automatic. Police said they picked them up in a stolen car,

("We want these men in Toronto," stated Inspector of Detectives Arthur Levitt of Toronto police. "They are wanted on housebreaking and car theft charges. One of the revolvers found on them was stolen from Oriole Parkway in Toronto."

(Police also stated the men are wanted in Hamilton on theft and shopbreaking charges.)

The men's escape was discovered by a night guard, Harry Herman.

"We suspect they got outside help in some way," said Sheriff V. L. Davidson of Welland county. "They have had visitors."

C. F. Neelands, deputy provincial secretary, said the men would be wearing civilian clothes. "There are about 25 prisoners in the jail," he said.

[gusty-wind]

Atty. Tom Renz: “The COVID-19 Murder for Money Scheme in the Hospitals… Have Been Carried Out by Fake Doctors and Nurses”

By Jim Hoft May. 6, 2023 5:20 pm357 

On Saturday, anti-corruption attorney Thomas Renz in Ohio made headlines by suggesting that fake doctors and nurses may have been behind the COVID-19 murder-for-money scheme in hospitals.

“DEVELOPING: This is the most important developing story in the country. The COVID-19 murder for money scheme in the hospitals appears, in many cases, to have been carried out by fake doctors and nurses,” Renz wrote on Twitter.

I will have MAJOR news on this from Renz Law and https://t.co/IDxPWXBko5 on this soon.

— Tom Renz (@RenzTom) May 6, 2023

His statement follows the arrest of over two dozen people by the Department of Justice (DOJ) in connection with a plan to sell fake nursing degrees and transcripts from legitimate institutions.

“The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services Office of Inspector General (HHS-OIG) and our law enforcement partners launched a multi-state coordinated law enforcement action to apprehend individuals engaged in a scheme to sell false and fraudulent nursing degree diplomas and transcripts,” according to the news release.

“The enforcement action resulted in the execution of search warrants in Delaware, New York, New Jersey, Texas, and Florida, and 25 individuals being charged for their involvement in the fraud scheme.”

“The alleged scheme involved the selling of fake and fraudulent nursing degree diplomas and transcripts obtained from accredited Florida-based nursing schools to aspiring Registered Nurse (RN) and Licensed Practical/Vocational Nurse (LPN/VN) candidates. The individuals who acquired the bogus nursing credentials used them to qualify to sit for the national nursing board exam. Upon successful completion of the board exam, the nursing applicants became eligible to obtain licensure in various states to work as an RN or a LPN/VN. Once licensed, the individuals were then able to obtain employment in the health care field.”

More than 7,600 fraudulent nursing degrees were granted by three nursing schools in South Florida. These institutions were Siena College in Broward County, Palm Beach School of Nursing in Palm Beach County, and Sacred Heart International Institute in Broward County. These schools are now closed.

According to DOJ, each defendant faces up to 20 years in prison.

“Not only is this a public safety concern, it also tarnishes the reputation of nurses who actually complete the demanding clinical and course work required to obtain their professional licenses and employment,” said U.S. Attorney for the Southern District of Florida Markenzy Lapointe, who added that “a fraud scheme like this erodes public trust in our health care system.”

“Health care fraud is nothing new to South Florida, as many scammers see this as a way to earn easy, though illegal, money, “said acting Special Agent in Charge Chad Yarbrough, FBI Miami. “What is disturbing about this investigation is that there are over 7,600 people around the country with fraudulent nursing credentials who are potentially in critical health care roles treating patients. Were it not for the diligence and hard work of the investigators on this case, the extent of this fraud may not have been discovered.”

“The alleged selling and purchasing of nursing diplomas and transcripts to willing but unqualified individuals is a crime that potentially endangers the health and safety of patients and insults the honorable profession of nursing,” said Special Agent in Charge Omar Pérez Aybar of Department of Health and Human Services, Office of Inspector General (HHS-OIG). “In coordination with our law enforcement partners, HHS-OIG continues to aggressively investigate bad actors who so brazenly disregard the well-being of others in order to enrich themselves fraudulently.”

Recall, DOJ charged 18 people including doctors in massive Covid healthcare fraud takedowns last month.

“The Department of Justice today announced criminal charges against 18 defendants in nine federal districts across the United States for their alleged participation in various fraud schemes involving health care services that exploited the COVID-19 pandemic and allegedly resulted in over $490 million in COVID-19 related false billings to federal programs and theft from federally funded pandemic programs,” DOJ said in a news release.

NBC reported:

One California doctor, Anthony Hao Dinh, was charged with allegedly submitting around $230 million in fraudulent claims to the federal Health Resources and Services Administration’s Covid-19 Uninsured Program.

Dinh, who practices in Orange County, was the country’s second-highest biller to that program, according to the DOJ. The program aimed to provide uninsured patients with access to Covid testing and treatment, but it stopped operating last year due to a lack of funding.

Dinh allegedly used more than $100 million of fraud proceeds for high-risk options trading.

Dinh and two other individuals are also charged with allegedly submitting more than 70 fraudulent loan applications that obtained more than $3 million under the federal Paycheck Protection Program and Economic Injury Disaster Loan Program.

Another defendant in California, lab owner Lourdes Navarro, is accused of submitting more than $358 million in false claims for lab testing to Medicare, which is the federal health insurance program for senior citizens, to HRSA and to a private insurance company.

Navarro’s lab performed Covid screening tests for nursing homes and schools, and allegedly increased its reimbursements by adding claims for respiratory pathogen panel tests that providers and facility administrators did not order.

A doctor and marketer in Florida were charged with allegedly purchasing Medicare beneficiary identification numbers and shipping tests to beneficiaries who did not request them.

That resulted in $8.4 million in fraudulent claims to Medicare, the DOJ said.

Other cases involved the alleged manufacture and distribution of fake Covid vaccine record cards.

[amongxylophonesandglockenspiels]

Bollywood Movies Part CCVIII

Inspector Jatil Yadav (Nawazuddin Siddiqui) investigates the murder of the influential Raghubeer Singh (Khalid Tyabji) on his wedding night to his young second wife Radha (Radhika Apte). As Jatil investigates, he learns more about Raghubeer’s proclivities and about family secrets long left undisturbed, including the truth about the death of Jatil’s first wife (Natasha Rastogi).

CW for movie: human trafficking, rape, sexual abuse of a minor, some gore. Raat Akeli Hai is a good whodunnit that gives us a satisfying ending, while also being a love story. I enjoyed Jatil and Radha’s interactions, but I loved the performances of Shivani Raghuvanshi and Padmavati Rao as the combative Vasudha (Raghubeer’s niece) and the reprehensible Pramila Singh (Raghubeer’s sister-in-law) respectively. Ila Arun was also good as Jatil’s mother who wants him to get married. Favorite song is Ghoom Charkhya (no subtitles).

Kaajal (Bhumi Pednekar) moves out from her cousin Dolly’s (Konkona Sen Sharma) place when Dolly’s husband Amit (Aamir Bashir) makes a move on her and leaves her hated factory job. To make ends meet, she starts working at an adult call center as Kitty and begins an affair with “Pradeep” (Vikrat Massey), one of her callers. Meanwhile, Dolly deals with trying to make ends meet for her and Amit’s new luxury apartment that under construction and with the backlash against her son Pappu (Kalp Shah) liking girly things.

CW: corporal punishment. Dolly Kitty aur woh Chamakte Sitare is a good film about two cousins and their lives. It does a good job talking about women experiencing sex and desire without punishing them for it. It also doesn’t shy away from showing the realities of the society they live in, but doesn’t make those realities disheartening. A great example of this is the call center and how all the women there support each other. Favorite songs are Neet Ve and Khwabida (audio only). Neither song has subtitles.

Akash (Aditya Roy Kapur) goes to local crime lord Sattu Bhaiya (Pankaj Tripathi) to help take down a sex video made of him and his ex-girlfriend Shruti (Sanya Malhotra) without their knowledge. Meanwhile, Aalu (Rajkummar Rao) tries to help the woman he loves, Pinky (Fatima Sana Shaikh), when she comes to him to help get her husband out of jail for being prime suspect in a murder Sattu Bhaiya committed. After being released from prison, Bittu (Abhishek Bachchan), Sattu Bhaiya’s former second in command, meets Mini (Inayat Verma) who has run away from home and agrees with her plan to pretend to kidnap her to get her parents’ attention. Rahul (Rohit Saraf), after being taken by Sattu Bhaiya for being near the murder, manages to get Sattu Bhaiya’s money with the help of nurse Sheeja (Pearle Maaney), but Sattu Bhaiya sends his goons after them to get his money back.

Ludo is an entertaining dark comedy that is structurally based on the board game ludo (more recognizable to Americans as Parcheesi). It was quite entertaining and funny, while also being heartwarming. I loved Bittu and Mini’s story because of how cute it was, especially when Mini prompts Bittu on how to make ransom calls to her parents. Overall, a fun romp. Favorite songs are Qismat Ki Hawa Kabhi Naram (originally from Albela), Aarbaad Barbaad, and Meri Tum Ho. None of the songs have subtitles.

[brookstonalmanac]

Events 10.31 (after 1950)

1956 – Suez Crisis: The United Kingdom and France begin bombing Egypt to force the reopening of the Suez Canal. 1956 – Hungarian Revolution of 1956: A Revolutionary Headquarters is established in Hungary. Following Imre Nagy's announcement of October 30, banned non-Communist political parties are reformed, and the MDP is replaced by the MSZMP. József Mindszenty is released from prison. The Soviet Politburo makes the decision to crush the Revolution. 1961 – In the Soviet Union, Joseph Stalin's body is removed from Lenin's Mausoleum, also known as the Lenin Tomb. 1963 – Indiana State Fairgrounds Coliseum gas explosion: A gas explosion at the Indiana State Fairgrounds Coliseum in Indianapolis kills 81 people and injures another 400 during an ice show. 1968 – Vietnam War October surprise: Citing progress with the Paris peace talks, US President Lyndon B. Johnson announces to the nation that he has ordered a complete cessation of "all air, naval, and artillery bombardment of North Vietnam" effective November 1. 1973 – Mountjoy Prison helicopter escape. Three Provisional Irish Republican Army members escape from Mountjoy Prison, Dublin aboard a hijacked helicopter that landed in the exercise yard. 1979 – Western Airlines Flight 2605 crashes on landing in Mexico City, killing 73 people. 1984 – Indian Prime Minister Indira Gandhi is assassinated by two Sikh security guards. Riots break out in New Delhi and other cities and around 3,000 Sikhs are killed. 1994 – American Eagle Flight 4184 crashes near Roselawn, Indiana killing all 68 people on board. 1996 – TAM Transportes Aéreos Regionais Flight 402 crashes in São Paulo, Brazil, killing 99 people. 1998 – Iraq disarmament crisis begins: Iraq announces it would no longer cooperate with United Nations weapons inspectors. 1999 – Yachtsman Jesse Martin returns to Melbourne after 11 months of circumnavigating the world, solo, non-stop and unassisted. 1999 – EgyptAir Flight 990 crashes into the Atlantic Ocean near Nantucket, killing all 217 people on board. 2000 – Soyuz TM-31 launches, carrying the first resident crew to the International Space Station. The ISS has been crewed continuously since then. 2000 – Singapore Airlines Flight 006 crashes on takeoff from Taipei, killing 83. 2002 – A federal grand jury in Houston, Texas indicts former Enron chief financial officer Andrew Fastow on 78 counts of wire fraud, money laundering, conspiracy and obstruction of justice related to the collapse of his ex-employer. 2003 – Mahathir Mohamad resigns as Prime Minister of Malaysia and is replaced by Deputy Prime Minister Abdullah Ahmad Badawi, marking an end to Mahathir's 22 years in power. 2011 – The global population of humans reaches seven billion. This day is now recognized by the United Nations as the Day of Seven Billion. 2014 – During a test flight, the VSS Enterprise, a Virgin Galactic experimental spaceflight test vehicle, suffers a catastrophic in-flight breakup and crashes in the Mojave Desert, California. 2015 – Metrojet Flight 9268 is bombed over the northern Sinai Peninsula, killing all 224 people on board. 2017 – A truck drives into a crowd in Lower Manhattan, New York City, killing eight people. 2020 – Berlin Brandenburg Airport opens its doors after nearly 10 years of delays due to construction issues and project corruption.

[talesofsorrowandofruin]

OC in Fifteen

Thanks for tagging me, @oh-no-another-idea! :D

Rules: Share 15 or fewer lines of dialogue from an OC, ideally lines that capture the character/personality/vibe of the OC. Bonus points for just using the dialogue without other details about the scene, but you're free to include those as well!

I'll do this for Yo-han in Mine Eyes Dazzle:

"I know how Jiang disappeared."

"It was really very simple. Jiang wasn't kidnapped at all. Mr. Li was almost right with his idea about the cleaner. On the way to his room Jiang made a point of speaking to two other guests and a maid, who later swore they didn't see him leave. But once he was in his room, he changed his clothes. His accomplice had given him a uniform that allowed him to come and go without being noticed: a hotel attendant's uniform. No one thought there was anything remarkable in a hotel attendant carrying a guest's suitcase. Unlike a cleaner, they're on duty all day all over the building. And Jiang had to bring the suitcase. He put his original clothes in it. Then he tore them, stained them with blood, and sent them to his father with the blackmail request."

"I've lost my way and I hoped you could direct me back to the police station."

"If you want to see Inspector Meng, I can ask him to come here."

"Jiang Qiu Heng met his cousin shortly before the argument."

"So I went to the records department and checked. Jiang Yun Liang mentioned his older brother and a nephew when he was first questioned. His exact words were," Yo-han checked his notebook. "Well, the police officer's polite translation of his words is, 'My brother phoned to offer his sympathy. He only wants his son to take my son's place.' There's a note that Jiang's actual words were very rude."

"Our theory is wrong. Jiang Qiu Heng can't be hiding here."

"He was interested in morbid stories?"

"Who else was at the dinner?"

"Excuse me, Mr. Goncharovsky? I'm from the police station. I'd like a word with you."

"He's a suspect in the Hannay death and I think he's about to run away."

"I don't think you're guilty. Maybe no one is guilty. Hannay's death was probably an accident."

"I'm just trying to work out exactly why he went back to the theatre."

"What order did the group leave in?"

"No one could be held prisoner in a boarding house on a busy street with the landlady downstairs and another lodger upstairs."

Open tag! :D