Autistic man featuring on BBC3 documentary
Alex Jameson
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An autistic man is featuring in a BBC fly-on-the-wall documentary about his condition.
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Alex Jameson, 25, will be appearing alongside two other people in the film which charts their day-to-day lives as the live with Asperger’s Syndrome.
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The documentary is called The Autistic Me and will be screened on BBC3 at 9pm next Tuesday (August 11).
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Alex’s mother Peggy, who lives in Bexhill, said: “The BBC put out feelers on a website I was looking at about autism. It was looking for people interested in taking part in a documentary.
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“I sent off an email after speaking with Alex and the next day the film crew were at the door.
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“They did lots of filming around Hastings and Bexhill, including shots of Alex playing pool, walking on Bexhill beach and meeting with a young lady in Brighton. Crews also filmed him at work.
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“The programme is all about how young adults with Asperger’s and how the cope with the condition.”
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Asperger’s Syndrome is a form of autism, which is a lifelong disability that affects how a person makes sense of the world, processes information and relates to other people.
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It is mostly a hidden disability in that you cannot tell that someone has the condition from their outward appearance.
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People with the syndrome sometimes find it difficult to express themselves emotionally and socially. For example, they may have difficulty understanding gestures, facial expressions or tone of voice.
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Many people with the condition are sociable but have difficulty with initiating and sustaining social relationships, which can make them very anxious.
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They have difficulty knowing when to start or end a conversation and choosing topics to talk about.
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People with Asperger’s Syndrome can have difficulty with social imagination. This can include difficulty in understanding or interpreting other peoples thoughts, feelings or actions.
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Those with the condition people may have rules and rituals which they insist upon sticking to. For example walking the same way to school.
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Mrs Jameson said her son, who works at BeSure Security Systems in Battle Road, St Leonards, was diagnosed with the condition when he was 12.
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She said: “People do not know they have it usually until they are older, sometimes not until they reach their 50s.
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“Alex was diagnosed after there were behavioural issues when he was at school.
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“Awareness of Asperger’s is increasing more and more. Alex has a mild form and went to Filsham Valley, Hastings College and did training with Tressell Training.
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“He also volunteers for the Alzheimer’s Society and Age Concern in Hastings.”
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Source: Â http://www.worthingherald.co.uk/hastingsnews/Autistic-man-featuring-on-BBC3.5522300.jp
Last Night’s Television: The Autistic Me, BBC3
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Tom’s mum was worried about him. “Since puberty he’s become much more aggressive, much more violent..” she explained. “He doesn’t seem to care now who he upsets… he seems to have lost all his compassion for people.” “Congratulations, my dear, you’ve got a teenager,” I thought, but the flippancy wouldn’t sustain for long.
There were aspects of Tom that will have looked familiar to anyone with teenage children – the shoegazing withdrawal, the early-morning torpor, the seething fury at the lightest parental guidance – but in Tom all these aspects were turned up to 11. Tom is autistic, one of three young men on the autistic spectrum whose problems with growing up were detailed in Matt Rudge’s film The Autistic Me, and he was not having a happy time when filming was underway.
Oli, 23 years old and with a high-functioning form of autism, appeared more cheerful, a charming type set at just a slight angle to the ordinary world, but enough of one to make it tricky for him to find a job, which was his dearest wish. Alex, at 24, did have a part-time place at a security firm, but didn’t have a girlfriend, and was hoping that an online dating site might fill that gap in his life.
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All three were very different – individuals, not representatives of a syndrome. But they each had one thing in common – protective mothers understandably nervous that the world would not look as lovingly on their children as they did. And in Tom’s case, you couldn’t help but wonder whether this might be part of the problem.
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The Autistic Me
At last: TV tackles autism without being worthy and po-faced. The results are terrific
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Sam Wollaston
The Guardian, Wednesday 12 August 2009
- Alex, who has Asperger’s syndrome, features in The Autistic Me. Photograph: Wesley Pollitt/BBC/Firecracker Films
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There’s nothing worse than an awkward date. I’ve had a few tricky ones in my time, but nothing quite like Alex. Alex, who’s 24, met Kirsty on the internet, and now they’re going to meet in person for the first time. He puts on deodorant and sunglasses, and then his mum Peggy drops him off at the cafe. He’ll call her when he’s finished, he says.
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Autism Care Provider Reacts to BBC TV Documentary ‘The Autistic Me’
 
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Much has been made of the benefits of eating garlic, but often left out of the discussion is what kind of garlic to eat. Is fresh-crushed better than paste or pre-peeled cloves? What about garlic powder? How about just popping a garlic pill?
A study by researchers at the University of Connecticut School of Medicine suggests that for certain elements of cardiac health, fresh-crushed is better than processed.
Continue Reading… http://www.nytimes.com/2009/08/04/science/04obgarlic.html?ref=health
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By Jeannine Stein
When Gaetano Vaccaro meets with depressed patients at Moonview Sanctuary, he sometimes moves part of the session outside, taking a walk while talking. The result: “People’s state of mind can shift.”
Depression can spawn a spiral of lethargy and hopelessness, so that the last thing someone wants to do is exercise. But regular, moderate physical activity may lessen depression symptoms as much as some medications.
Copyright 2009 Los Angeles Times
 
Rachel Yarmolinsky
A Â marked and broad expansion in antidepressant treatment occurred among Americans older than 6 years between 1996 and 2005, although treatment rates remain low among racial and ethnic minorities, according to a report in the August issue of Archives of General Psychiatry.
Treatment for mental health conditions is becoming more common in the United States, according to background information in the article. “Several factors may have contributed to this trend, including a broadening in concepts of need for mental health treatment, campaigns to promote mental health care and growing public acceptance of mental health treatments,” the authors write. “In parallel with growth in mental health service usage, psychotropic medications have become increasingly prominent in treatment.” Antidepressants are now the most commonly prescribed class of medications in the United States.
Mark Olfson, MD, M.P.H., of Columbia University Medical Center and New York State Psychiatric Institute, New York, and Steven C. Marcus, PhD, of the University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, analyzed data from the 1996 and 2005 Medical Expenditure Panel Surveys, sponsored by the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality to provide national estimates regarding health care usage and costs. A total of 18,993 individuals age 6 and older were included in the 1996 survey and 28,445 in the 2005 survey. A designated adult in each household responded to questions regarding medical visits, prescriptions, conditions for which they were treated and other variables.
Between 1996 and 2005, the rate of antidepressant treatment increased from 5.84 percent to 10.12 percent or from an estimated 13.3 million to 27 million individuals. “Significant increases in antidepressant use were evident across all sociodemographic groups examined, except African Americans, who had comparatively low rates of use in both years (1996, 3.61%; 2005, 4.51%),” the authors write. “Although antidepressant treatment increased for Hispanics, it remained comparatively low (1996, 3.72%; 2005, 5.21%).”
Among antidepressant users, the percentage who were also prescribed antipsychotic medications increased between 1996 and 2005 (5.46% -V-. 8.86%), but fewer also underwent psychotherapy (31.5 percent vs. 19.87 percent). “Together with an increase in the number of antidepressant prescriptions per antidepressant user [an average of 5.6 vs. 6.93 per year], these broad trends suggest that antidepressant treatment is occurring within a clinical context that places greater emphasis on pharmacologic rather than psychologic dimensions of care,” the researchers write.
Beyond the general expansion of mental health treatment, several factors may have contributed to the overall increase in prescriptions, they note. First, major depression may have become more common. Several new antidepressants were approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration to treat depression and anxiety disorders during the study period. In addition, clinical guidelines were published that supported the use of these medications for a variety of conditions.
The study was funded by grants from the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality and by the National Alliance for Research on Schizophrenia and Depression.
 
Michael Woods
American Chemical Society
Feeling stressed? Then try savoring the scent of lemon, mango, lavender, or other fragrant plants. Scientists in Japan are reporting the first scientific evidence that inhaling certain fragrances alter gene activity and blood chemistry in ways that can reduce stress levels. Their study appears in ACS’ Journal of Agricultural and Food Chemistry, a bi-weekly publication.
In the new study, Akio Nakamura and colleagues note that people have inhaled the scent of certain plants since ancient times to help reduce stress, fight inflammation and depression, and induce sleep. Aromatherapy, the use of fragrant plant oils to improve mood and health, has become a popular form of alternative medicine today. And linalool is one of the most widely used substances to soothe away emotional stress. Until now, however, linalool’s exact effects on the body have been a deep mystery.Â
The scientists exposed lab rats to stressful conditions while inhaling and not inhaling linalool. Linalool returned stress-elevated levels of neutrophils and lymphocytes – key parts of the immune system – to near-normal levels. Inhaling linalool also reduced the activity of more than 100 genes that go into overdrive in stressful situations. The findings could form the basis of new blood tests for identifying fragrances that can soothe stress, the researchers say.
 
A project in Norfolk which helps students with learning difficulties find work is to be rolled out across the UK.
Students on the first Project Search scheme have just graduated from internships at the Norfolk and Norwich University Hospital.
Roles included housekeeping, health records work and catering.
The county council, which helps run the project, said the government hopes other UK partnerships will do the same.
Other organisations involved in the project are Remploy, which provides employment services for people with disabilities, health management company Serco, and City College Norwich.
Read Article in Full:Â http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/england/norfolk/8179749.stm
 
Friday, 31st July 2009
*Yesterday, ASAN representatives attended a reception at the United States
Mission to the United Nations celebrating the signing of the UN Convention
on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities, the first international human
rights treaty signed by the United States in the 21st Century. *
U.S. signs U.N. disabilities pact, in change of course Thu Jul 30, 2009
5:39pm EDT
By Patrick Worsnip<http://blogs. reuters.com/ search/journalis t.php?edition= us&n=Patrick. Worsnip>
UNITED NATIONS (Reuters) – The United States signed a U.N. convention on
Thursday aimed at ensuring equal rights for the world’s 650 million disabled
people, a pact that the former Bush administration refused to endorse.
In a ceremony at U.N. headquarters, U.S. Ambassador Susan Rice inked the
pact, billed by the United Nations as the first human rights treaty of the
21st century. It came into force last year.
The 32-page U.N. Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities
outlaws all forms of discrimination at work on the basis of disability,
including in hiring, promotion and working conditions. It requires equal pay
for work of equal value.
It also calls on signatory states to promote the employment of disabled
people, including through “affirmative action” programs that favor them.
The pact stipulates the disabled may not be excluded from mainstream
education systems. It demands that governments provide them with physical
access to transportation, schools, housing, medical facilities and
workplaces.
Bush administration officials had said the document was weaker than the 1990
U.S. Americans with Disabilities Act and therefore could complicate
enforcement of that law.
But Rice said the United States was “very pleased to join 141 other
countries that have signed this convention in pursuit of a more just world.”
Sixty-one countries have ratified the pact.
President Barack Obama would soon submit the convention for Senate approval,
Rice said at the ceremony attended by representatives of U.S. disability
groups.
Valerie Jarrett, a senior adviser to Obama, told the gathering the signing
was a “historic step toward advancing our global commitment to the
fundamental human rights for all persons with disabilities. “
She also announced the creation of a senior-level position at the State
Department to develop a strategy to promote the rights of disabled people
around the world.
The signing underlined the more favorable attitude toward the United Nations
of the Obama administration than that of its predecessor, which often
criticized the world body and was leery of international treaties that could
have an impact on U.S. law.
Human Rights Watch, one of several advocacy groups that welcomed the
signing, said the United States had signed six out of nine core
international human rights treaties but ratified only three — on racial
discrimination, civil and political rights, and torture.
Jamil Dakwar of the American Civil Liberties Union said that Thursday was “a
great day for the rights of people with disabilities and a step forward for
the U.S. human rights movement.”
(Editing by Peter Cooney)
—
Ari Ne’eman
President
The Autistic Self Advocacy Network
http://www.autistic advocacy. org
info@autisticadvoca cy.org
732.763.5530
———— ——— ——— ——— ———
Take a look at our innovative new Public Service Announcement produced with
the Dan Marino Foundation at http://www.nomyths. org
If you like what we do, help support the Autistic Self Advocacy Network by
making a donation at:
https://www. change.org/ donation/ create?charity_ id=211198
 
Issues with sleep are common from birth through each and every stage of life for many, if not most, on the autism spectrum. These issues may include: unusual patterns of sleep, bedtime resistance, bedtime anxiety, delayed sleep onset, nighttime awakenings, nightmares, night terrors, sleepwalking, snoring, bed-wetting, early morning awakenings, and excessive daytime sleepiness.
Anxiety plays a key role in hampering sleep efforts. A calm, firm and reliable routine from morning to night, including regular daily exercise can greatly help reduce anxiety and pave the way for better sleep, and better well-being all round. Books have always been a major source of comfort for myself and my children. They played and continue to play a key role in bridging that transition from the relative safety of ‘the light of day’ to what can sometimes be ‘the unknown terror of darkness/night’, especially if nightmares are prevalent and repetitive. Some children on the spectrum are able to control their dreams from a young age, so great is the fear, and some report learning to ‘fly’ in their dreams as a means of rising above and escaping the ‘fear’. Adolescents and adults may replay the events of the day or the past over and over in their minds, as time ticks by. How easy life would be to have an on/off switch for such times, when to ‘quiet the mind’ would make all the difference. Some ‘practice calm’ through yoga, meditation etc. Some adults find sleep is hastened with the security and comfort of the white noise of television in the background. Some drift off to a favoured piece of classical music.
Some adults are fortunate to sleep relatively well, while others find themselves booked into sleep clinics for overnight study. That elusive ‘good night’s sleep’ for some is hard earned and hard won. For others, vast improvement may come with age and maturity. The latest studies point out that better sleep usually arises from retirement. For those of us who aren’t quite ready for retirement yet, the following is a small compilation of articles and research for further reading on this important issue.
Articles
“Sleep and Autism: helping your child”:
http://www.autism.org.uk/nas/jsp/polopoly.jsp?d=2427&a=3376
“Good Night, Sleep Tight, Don’t Let The Bed Bugs Bite
Establishing Positive Sleep Patterns”:
http://www.autism-help.org/behavior-sleep-autism.htm
“Helping your Autistic Child to Get a Good Night’s Sleepâ€:
http://www.webmd.com/brain/autism/helping-your-child-with-autism-get-a-good-nights-sleep?page=2
“Night Terrorsâ€:
Night terrors are distinctly different from the much more common nightmares, which occur during REM sleep. Night terrors are characterized by frequent recurrent episodes of intense crying and fear during sleep, with difficulty arousing the child. Night terrors are frightening episodes that disrupt family life.
An estimated 1-6% of children experience night terrors. Boys and girls are equally affected. Children of all races also seem to be affected equally. The disorder usually resolves during adolescence.
http://www.emedicinehealth.com/night_terrors/article_em.htm
“Night Terrors?â€:
http://www.autism-pdd.net/testdump/test14032.htm
“Sleepwalkingâ€
http://www.emedicinehealth.com/sleepwalking/article_em.htm
Latest Studies
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“Sleep: A Common Science Mysteryâ€:
http://aspie-editorial.blog-city.com/sleep_a_common_science_mystery.htm
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“Study: Melatonin Can Treat Sleep Problems Of Autistic Childrenâ€:
http://aspie-editorial.blog-city.com/study__melatonin_can_treat_sleep_problems_of_autistic_child.htm
“Significant Sleep Deprivation & Stress Among College Students, USAâ€:
http://aspie-editorial.blog-city.com/significant_sleep_deprivation__stress_among_college_student.htm
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“Primary Insomnia Linked to a Neurochemical Abnormalityâ€:
http://aspie-editorial.blog-city.com/primary_insomnia_linked_to_a_neurochemical_abnormality.htm
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“NYTimes: Gene Mutation Tied to Needing Less Sleep/Online Sleep Programs Promising in Helping Insomniacs, Studies Showâ€:
http://aspie-editorial.blog-city.com/nytimes_gene_mutation_tied_to_needing_less_sleep.htm
Â
“Treating Sleep Disorders May Ease Anxiety & Mood Disordersâ€:
http://aspie-editorial.blog-city.com/treating_sleep_disorders_may_ease_anxiety__mood_disorders.htm
Â
“Abstract: Antidepressants and Sleep: A Reviewâ€:
http://aspie-editorial.blog-city.com/abstract_antidepressants_and_sleep_a_review.htm
Â
“Does A Good Night’s Sleep Really Help?â€:
http://aspie-editorial.blog-city.com/does_a_good_nights_sleep_really_help.htm
Â
“Evidence Suggests Poor Sleep Increases Risk Of Depressionâ€:
http://aspie-editorial.blog-city.com/depression_can_make_your_brown_eyes_blueevidence_suggests_p.htm
Â
“Sleep and Our Sanityâ€:
http://aspie-editorial.blog-city.com/sleep_and_our_sanity.htm
Â
“Sleep Disturbances Improve After Retirementâ€:
http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/11/091101132537.htm
Â
“Sleep: Dreamlike Thoughts During Sleepwalking and Sleep Terror Episodes/Sleep Changes Predict Onset of Physical Changes Associated With Pubertyâ€:
http://aspie-editorial.blog-city.com/sleep_dreamlike_thoughts_during_sleepwalking_sleep_terror_.htm
“Chronic Insomnia: Losing Sleep, Losing Brain?â€:
http://aspie-editorial.blog-city.com/chronic_insomnia_losing_sleep_losing_brain.htm
“Therapy To Quiet Mind Eases Insomniaâ€:
http://aspie-editorial.blog-city.com/therapy_to_quiet_mind_eases_insomnia.htm
“Impact of Sleep Deprivation on Brain Functioning Different Than Previously Thoughtâ€:
http://aspie-editorial.blog-city.com/sleep_impact_of_sleep_deprivation_on_brain_functioning_diff.htm
Â
“Take That Nap! It May Boost Your Learning Capacity Among Other Good Thingsâ€:
“http://aspie-editorial.blog-city.com/take_that_nap_it_may_boost_your_learning_capacity_among_oth.htm
“Abstract: Sleep Problems In Autistic Children And In Typically Developing Childrenâ€:
http://aspie-editorial.blog-city.com/abstract_sleep_problems_in_autistic_children_and_in_typical.htm
“Naps and Dreams Help Academics/The Secrets of Sleepâ€:
http://aspie-editorial.blog-city.com/naps_and_dreams_help_academicsthe_secrets_of_sleep.htm
“Sleep: Short Sleep Increases Risk Of Death And Over-Long Sleep Can Indicate Serious Illnessâ€:
http://aspie-editorial.blog-city.com/sleep_short_sleep_increases_risk_of_death_and_overlong_sle.htm
Â
“Why Night Owls Are More Intelligent Than Morning Larksâ€:
http://aspie-editorial.blog-city.com/why_night_owls_are_more_intelligent_than_morning_larks.htm
Â
“Abstract: Atypical Sleep Architecture and the Autism Phenotype/An Investigation Into Sleep Characteristics Of Autistic/AS Childrenâ€:
http://aspie-editorial.blog-city.com/abstract_atypical_sleep_architecture_and_the_autism_phenoty.htm
“NYTimes: Phys Ed: Does Exercise Help You Sleep Better?â€:
http://aspie-editorial.blog-city.com/nytimes_phys_ed_does_exercise_help_you_sleep_better.htm
“DSM 5 Sleep Disorders Overhaul/Sleep-Disordered Breathing Common/Sleep Apnea In Children & Teensâ€:
http://aspie-editorial.blog-city.com/dsm_5_sleep_disorders_overhaulsleepdisordered_breathing_co.htm
“Circadian Rhythms, Their Role and Dysfunction In Affective Disordersâ€:
http://aspie-editorial.blog-city.com/circadian_rhythms_their_role_and_dysfunction_in_affective_d.htm
“To Dream, Perchance To Sleepâ€:
http://aspie-editorial.blog-city.com/to_dream_perchance_to_sleep.htm
“Sleep Case Study: There’s A Party In My Dream And Everyone’s Invitedâ€:
http://aspie-editorial.blog-city.com/sleep_case_study_theres_a_party_in_my_dream_and_everyones.htm
“Children and Sleeping Pillsâ€:
http://aspie-editorial.blog-city.com/children_and_sleeping_pills.htm
“The Importance Of Bedtime Routines With Your Autism Spectrum Childâ€:
“REM Sleep Disorder As Early Warning Of Neurologic Impairmentâ€:
“Seven Hours Sleep A Night Best For Health/Tired On Mondays? Sleep More On Weekendsâ€:
http://aspie-editorial.blog-city.com/seven_hours_sleep_a_night_best_for_healthtired_on_mondays_.htm
“Cumulative Sleep Deprivation Harms Brain and Bodyâ€:
http://aspie-editorial.blog-city.com/cumulative_sleep_deprivation_harms_brain_and_body.htm
Books
“Sleep better!: a guide to improving sleep for children with special needsâ€
Author: V. Mark Durrand
 
Â
Chronic Fatigue Syndrome
“Chronic Fatigue Syndrome ~ An Inside Lookâ€:
http://brainblogger.com/2009/08/04/chronic-fatigue-syndrome-%e2%80%93-an-inside-look/
Â
“Understanding Chronic Fatigue Syndromeâ€:
 http://chronicfatigue.about.com/od/whatischronicfatigue/a/understandCFS.htm
Â
“Abstract: A Two-Year Follow-Up Study of Chronic Fatigue Syndrome Comorbid with Psychiatric Disordersâ€:
http://aspie-editorial.blog-city.com/abstract__a_twoyear_followup_study_of_chronic_fatigue_syn.htm
Â
“Recovering From Chronic Fatigue Syndrome(CFS)â€:
http://aspie-editorial.blog-city.com/recovering_from_chronic_fatigue_syndromecfs.htm
David Burrowes MP, Sunday, July 26 2009
This last month has been an unusual one since it has involved a constituent’s case receiving national prominence and has led to Parliamentary calls for a review of both an Act of Parliament and a Treaty.Â
There are other occasions when a constituent comes into one of my regular advice surgeries in Enfield Southgate and raises issues which need national or at least Parliament and Government’s attention.Â
The case of my constituent Gary McKinnon is though unique. Sadly unique in Gary being the first UK citizen accused of a computer hacking crime to face extradition to the US; unique in that Gary’s condition of Asperger’s syndrome makes him particularly vulnerable as he face up to 60 years in a US jail. Also unique is that last week Gary’s case was the subject of our Opposition Day’s debate in Parliament when we debated a motion to review the Extradition Act 2003.Â
These issues are of crucial importance to Gary McKinnon since he fears mental health problems and even suicide if he ends up in a US jail. However the principles at stake are crucial for all of us.Â
The principle of a fair hearing lies at the heart of the campaign to provide justice in his country for Gary. He has admitted breaking computer laws by hacking into US systems whilst in his flat in North London. Yet the Home Secretary and DPP hide behind the unbalanced extradition arrangements the Government agreed with the US. Â
The Home Secretary says it is a matter for the DPP to decide whether to prosecute in this country, whilst the DPP has refused to prosecute him despite other computer hackers’ being brought to justice in the UK and cedes jurisdiction to the US. What we need is the implementation of the amendment, secured by the late and much missed Lord Kingsland, to the legislation which would allow a court to properly decide which country’s jurisdiction should apply.
I was a solicitor specialising in criminal law for over 11 years before entering Parliament. I came across many people with special education needs like autism and the criminal justice system sadly became the dustbin for the failures to identify and support the young person at an earlier stage.Â
Gary McKinnon’s impending extradition is also an example of failure, but let us not allow Gary to be extradited due to our failure to act. Please let the Home Secretary know of your opposition to Gary McKinnon’s extradition by writing direct to the Secretary of State or writing to your own MP.
http://www.conservatives.com/News/Blogs/Gary_McKinnons_impending_extradition_must_be_stopped.aspx
Hacker Gary McKinnon will receive no pity, insists US
Gary McKinnon, the Briton accused of hacking Pentagon and Nasa computer networks, faces an increasingly hostile climate on cyber security in the US if his extradition is approved this week.
By Philip Sherwell in New York
Published: 7:00AM BST 26 Jul 2009
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American officials have made clear that they regard Mr McKinnon, 43, an unemployed computer programmer who has been diagnosed with Asperger’s syndrome, as a serious offender whose case must be pursued rigorously in the US courts.
Following a recent explosion of cyber assaults on US military, intelligence and government networks, the authorities say they are more determined than ever to prosecute national security hackers vigorously.
A senior military officer at the Pentagon told The Sunday Telegraph: “US policy is to fight these attacks as strongly as possible. As a result of Mr McKinnon’s actions, we suffered serious damage and lost a lot of time and money.
“This was not some harmless incident. He did very serious and deliberate damage to military and Nasa computers and left silly and anti-American messages. All the evidence was that someone was staging a very serious attack on US systems.”
A US intelligence official echoed those comments. “He really caused us a lot of trouble,” he said last week.
Read Article in Full:Â http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/uknews/5907994/Hacker-Gary-McKinnon-will-receive-no-pity-insists-US.html
An affront to British justice: How the dice were loaded against Gary MccKinnon
 
Gary McKinnon: Ruling in days
By James Slack
Last updated at 1:22 AM on 28th July 2009
The odds are stacked overwhelmingly against any British citizens wanted by the Americans for extradition, it was revealed last night.
Courts in the UK are approving an astonishing 89 per cent of U.S. extradition requests.
By comparison, only seven in ten requests to the Americans by the British authorities are granted.
The revelations from analysis by the Liberal Democrats will inflame controversy over the case of Gary McKinnon, an Asperger’s sufferer facing extradition to the U.S.
According to the figures, Britain has extradited over twice as many people to America as have been sent back to this country since the Extradition Act came into force in 2004.
It will fuel concerns that Gary, accused of hacking into U.S. military computers while seeking evidence of alien life, had the dice loaded against him by the Act.
The Act was pushed through in the aftermath of 9/11, ostensibly to fight the war on terror. But it has proved hugely controversial from the outset and ministers are under pressure to review it.
Crucially, the U.S. can demand a Briton’s extradition without having to provide any evidence while Britain has to prove its case in a U.S. court. Judges can refuse extradition on only very limited grounds, such as abuse of human rights.
Liberal Democrat home affairs spokesman Chris Huhne said: ‘These figures show that British people have far less chance of successfully fighting extradition than Americans, who are also protected by their written constitution.
‘It is sad evidence of Tony Blair’s willingness to do the United States’ bidding that he was willing to offer less protection to his own country’s people.
‘The United States should have to offer evidence to press for extradition, just as we do in the U.S.
‘What sort of special relationship is it if British citizens have second-class status in securing a fair trial? British people must have equal rights.’
Hacker’s ‘moral crusade’ over UFO
Tuesday, 28 July 2009 14:13 UK
A Briton fighting extradition to the US for hacking into top-secret computers claims he was morally justified in breaking the law.
Gary McKinnon, 43, from Wood Green, north London, admits hacking into 97 US government computers, including Nasa’s and Pentagon’s, during 2001 and 2002.
He told the BBC he was on a “moral crusade” to prove US intelligence had found an alien craft run on clean fuel.
Results of judicial reviews into Mr McKinnon’s case are due on Friday.
They focus on whether Mr McKinnon should have been allowed to face trial in the UK and whether the decision to extradite him should have been reconsidered in light of his diagnosis as having Asperger’s Syndrome last year.
His lawyers say he is “eccentric” rather than malicious and that he should be tried on lesser charges in the UK to protect his mental health.
Read Article in Full:Â http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/uk/8172842.stm
Previous Updates:
Gary McKinnon Updates: In In the Name of Compassion, Britain Must reverse This Shameful Decision”
http://aspie-editorial.blog-city.com/gary_mckinnon_updates_in_the_name_of_compassion_britain_mu.htm
 
Freddie Buckner at Freddies school with his headteacher. Photograph: Frank Baron
Chine Mbubaegbu and Joe Stubbs
The Guardian, Tuesday 21 July 2009Â
As the summer term draws to a close, we revisit some of the people whose stories we told this year, to find out where they are now and what happened next …
The mother who set up a new school for her son
Eighteen months ago, Freddie Buckner’s schooldays were often spent washing up mugs in the staff room after being excluded from mainstream lessons for lashing out at teachers and his fellow pupils. The eight-year-old’s complex behavioural needs, including autism spectrum disorder, attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) and dyslexia, meant that teaching him alongside other children in mainstream schools was deemed impossible. So the search began to find him a suitable school.
At one point, it was suggested Freddie attend the Mulberry Bush school in Oxfordshire, which provides treatment and education for severely emotionally troubled and traumatised children and young people. But Freddie’s determined mother, Suzanne, did not want this for her son. So she built her own £600,000 school in Reading. When we reported the story in November, Buckner was battling with her local authority, which had refused to send Freddie to Freddies school and had instead picked another for him to attend – 30 miles from his home.
But following a U-turn by Wokingham borough council in January, Freddie is now being taught at the innovative special educational needs (SEN) school his mum set up. And what a difference it has made.
Read Article in Full:Â http://www.guardian.co.uk/education/2009/jul/21/schools-higher-education