Teacher leaves school after probe over porn pictures

Teacher leaves school after probe over porn pictures


The Scotsman
Sat 22 Jan 2005

Teacher leaves school after probe over porn pictures

PAULA BATTERS

A SENIOR teacher from one of Scotland’s top private schools has left in disgrace following an investigation over pornographic pictures.

Colin Cruickshank left his post at George Heriot’s School in Edinburgh following claims that pornographic pictures had been printed out from a classroom computer.

The school confirmed yesterday that it no longer employs the technical department headteacher.

An investigation was launched amid claims that x-rated images from an e-mail had been printed on a staff computer.

Alistair Hector, the headteacher, said the school had strict procedures to prevent the downloading of porn from any computer in the school.

He remained tight-lipped over the abrupt departure of the father of two, and refused to say whether Mr Cruikshank had been sacked or had left voluntarily.

However, Mr Hector added that he could not rule out further proceedings.

He continued: "I will stress that the school followed relevant procedures appropriately with full regard to disciplinary issues, child protection and keeping parents informed where relevant."

Mr Cruikshank, a graduate of Jordanhill College in Glasgow, had worked at the prestigious Edinburgh school since 1998.


This article:

http://news.scotsman.com/archive.cfm?id=82332005

Instructor and teenage learner accused of dangerous driving

The Scotsman print print close close
Sat 22 Jan 2005

Instructor and teenage learner accused of dangerous driving

TIM BUGLER

A DRIVING instructor and his teenage pupil are facing joint charges of dangerous driving after their dual-controlled car went out of control, crashed through a fence and overturned.

Learner driver Susan Beaton, 19, and her instructor Robert King, 41, are both alleged to have been responsible for the crash, on a country road in the Campsie Fells in Stirlingshire in June 2003.

In addition to the charge of dangerous driving, Beaton is accused of being more than twice the legal alcohol limit during the driving lesson. King, who was injured in the accident, is also charged with refusing to take a breath test while in hospital.

The case is described by legal sources as being "highly unusual".

Beaton, of 31 Dunkeld Court, Balfron, is alleged to have lost control by driving a dual-control Peugeot 206 dangerously and at excessive speed on the B822 Kippen to Fintry road. As a result the car crossed the carriageway and crashed through a section of fence before landing, badly damaged, on its roof.

King, of 18 Drummond Place, Callander, is accused of driving dangerously by allowing Beaton to drive at excessive speed and lose control while he was instructing her and was in control of the duplicate clutch and brake pedals.

It is further alleged that Beaton was more than 2.4 times the legal alcohol limit - and that King refused a breath test in the accident and emergency department of Stirling Royal Infirmary without reasonable excuse in circumstances where it might be supposed he had alcohol in his body.

At Stirling Sheriff Court yesterday Beaton and King both maintained pleas of not guilty to the charges.

Defence agent Mark Lunny, for both, asked for the case to be adjourned for legal argument.

The court was earlier told that the legal debate would centre round the Crown’s right to use allegedly self-incriminating evidence about whether or not Beaton was behind the wheel at the time of the crash. Sheriff Andrew Cubie refused the legal move and continued the case for trial on 1 March.


This article:

http://news.scotsman.com/archive.cfm?id=80902005

Mobile phones 'alter human DNA'
Radio waves from mobile phones do harm body cells and damage DNA, a laboratory study has shown.
But the European Union-funded Reflex research did not prove such changes were a risk to human health.
The scientists behind the study, which has not been published in a journal, said more work was needed to see the actual effect of the phones on health.
But the UK National Radiological Protection Board said people should not be worried by the study's findings.
A spokesman said the study had not shown the biological changes led to disease.
He added that even research looking at the effects of radiowaves on cells and DNA did not consistently find evidence of damage.
This research is no reason for people to be worried Dr Zenon Sienkiewicz, National Radiological Protection Board,
Around 1.5 billion people around the world use mobile phones.
There is an ongoing debate over their safety, with fears over potential dangers linked to mobile phone masts and the handsets themselves.
But the UK government-commissioned Stewart report in 2000 concluded there was no evidence of harm associated with using mobile phones.
However, the report did recommend a precautionary approach and said children should only use mobile phones in emergencies.
The mobile phone industry maintains there is no scientific evidence of harmful effects from electromagnetic radiation.
'Precautions'
The four-year Reflex study, co-ordinated by the German research group Verum, studied the effects of radiation on animal and human cells in a laboratory.
They found that, after being exposed to electromagnetic fields, the cells showed a significant increase in DNA damage which could not always be repaired by the cell.
The results of this study are preliminary, not yet published or peer reviewed and require further replication by other groups Mobile Operators Association spokeswoman
Damage was also seen in the next generation of cells. Mutated cells are seen as a possible cause of cancer.
The study, which has not been published in a journal, also reported other harmful effects on cells.
The radiation used in the study was at Specific Absorption Rate (SAR) levels of between 0.3 and 2 watts per kilogram.
The SAR is the rate at which the body absorbs emissions from the phone handset.
Most phones emit radio signals at SAR levels of between 0.5 and 1 W/kg.
Mobile phones cannot be sold to unless they fall within the SAR of 2 watts per kg.
Franz Adlkofer, who led the Reflex study, said people should use landlines, rather than mobiles, wherever possible.
He added: "We don't want to create a panic, but it is good to take precautions."
He said definitive research would take another four to five years.
Other studies have suggested mobile phone radiation may have some effect on the body, such as heating up body tissue and causing headaches and nausea, but no study that could be independently repeated has proved that radiation had permanent harmful effects.
'No conclusions possible'
Dr Zenon Sienkiewicz, principal scientific officer at the UK's National Radiological Protection Board, said: "This research is no reason for people to be worried.
"It is an interesting study, but its conclusions should not be over-emphasised."
He added: "The bottom line is that more research looking at whether mobile phones do have a measurable effect on health is needed."
A spokeswoman for the Mobile Operators Association said: "Independent scientific review bodies in the UK and around the world have consistently concluded that the weight of scientific evidence to date suggests that exposure to radiowaves from mobile phone handsets and base stations operating within international guidelines do not cause adverse health effects.
"The results of this study are preliminary, not yet published or peer-reviewed and require further replication by other groups."
She added: "It is not possible to draw conclusions from this preliminary data.
"The authors of this unpublished study acknowledge that this work will need to be repeated by independent laboratories."
Story from BBC NEWS:http://news.bbc.co.uk/go/pr/fr/-/1/hi/health/4113989.stmPublished: 2004/12/21 10:35:59 GMT© BBC MMV

V I P E R L A I R .com - Unlocking and Overclocking the Athlon XP, Page 1/4

V I P E R L A I R .com - Unlocking and Overclocking the Athlon XP, Page 1/4

O'Reilly: A Survey of DVD Recording Formats

O'Reilly: A Survey of DVD Recording Formats

A Survey of DVD Recording Formats
by Wei-Meng Lee, author of Windows XP Unwired.
06/07/2004

One of the interesting aspects of the IT industry is its never-ending list of jargons. Every day we are drowning in a sea of computer jargon. This happened to me recently when I was sourcing for a DVD writer to burn some OS images. What I originally imagined would be a simple process turned out to be a day of research and study. With so many variations of DVD formats, which one is the right one for me? Should I buy a writer that supports “-“ or “+”. And is 4X fast enough for me?

This article is the result of my quest for the right DVD writer to buy. I hope the article will give you a better idea of the various DVD recording formats to choose from.
DVD Recording Standards

I have listed the various DVD recordable formats in the following sections.
DVD-R

* DVD-Recordable.
* Most compatible with DVD players and drives.
* Capacity of 4.7GB.
* Pioneer released the 3.95GB DVD-R(A) 1.0 drives in October 1997. The first drive cost $17,000.
* Created and backed by the DVD Forum.

DVD-RW

* DVD-Re-Writeable.
* Similar to DVD-R, except that DVD-RW disks can be erased.
* Capacity of 4.7GB.
* Developed by Pioneer based on DVD-R.
* DVD-RW came out in Japan in December 1999, but was not available in the U.S. until spring 2001.
* Some DVD-RW drives only record on DVD-R and DVD-RW disks.
* Created and backed by the DVD Forum.

DVD+RW

* Announced in 1997; became available in fall 2001.
* Capacity of 4.7GB.
* DVD+RW is supported by Philips, Sony, Hewlett-Packard, Dell, Ricoh, Yamaha, and others. It is not supported by the DVD Forum.
* DVD+RW drives read DVD-ROMs and CDs, and usually read DVD-Rs and DVD-RWs, but do not read or write DVD-RAM discs.
* Some DVD+RW drives only record on +R and +RW discs.
* DVD+RW have a couple of technical advantages:
o lossless linking, which enables editing after recording without a full erasure that DVD-RW requires.
o Up to 2.4X recording speeds on some writers.
* Created and backed by the DVD+RW Alliance.

DVD+R

* DVD+R was released in mid 2002.
* A write-only variation of DVD+RW.
* Capacity of 4.7GB.
* Created and backed by the DVD+RW Alliance.

DVD-RAM

* Launched in summer of 1998.
* Capacity of 4.7GB.
* Not compatible with most drives and players.
* Two types of cartridges: Type 1 is sealed; Type 2 allows the disc to be removed.

DVD-RW DL

A newer standard exists–DVD+R DL. The DL stands for Dual (or double) Layer. Basically, it means that the DVD media uses two layers of standard disk that have been pressed together, separated by a transparent spacer and a thin reflector (see this site for more details on how DVD-DL works). Figure 1 shows the Sony DRU-700A, a DVD+R DL drive.