FILE – Visitors pass through Disneyland in Anaheim, Calif., on April 30, 2021. A lawsuit claims Disneyland employees snickered at Joanne Aguilar, 66, a…
FILE – Visitors pass through Disneyland in Anaheim, Calif., on April 30, 2021. A lawsuit claims Disneyland employees snickered at Joanne Aguilar, 66, a disabled woman struggling to get off a Jungle Cruise boat, before she fell and broke a leg on Aug. 22, 2021, leading to her death from an infection five months later. (AP Photo/Jae C. Hong, File)
Lawsuit claims woman’s death stemmed from Disneyland fall
SANTA ANA, Calif. (AP) — A lawsuit claims Disneyland employees snickered at a disabled woman struggling to get off a Jungle Cruise boat before she fell and broke a leg, leading to her death from an infection five months later.
The lawsuit was filed in federal court in November by the family of Joanne Aguilar, 66, of Ventura, against the Walt Disney Company, its theme park division and Disneyland, the Southern California News Group reported this week.
In a response filed with the court Dec. 29, Disney denied the allegations and said it is seeking a jury trial, the news group reported.
According to the lawsuit, Aguilar went to Disneyland on Aug. 22, 2021, with her adult daughters Andrea Mallul and Zenobia Hernandez.
The lawsuit says Disneyland employees at the Jungle Cruise ride told the family a wheelchair-accessible boat was unavailable and Aguilar opted to board with the assistance of her daughters.
At the end of the ride, employees “placed small unsecured blocks on top of the existing steps inside the boat to reduce the height of each step” and the daughters attempted to help Aguilar get out of the boat, the lawsuit says.
It claims that employees did not assist but snickered and giggled as they watched Aguilar struggle before she lost her balance on the blocks, fell backward and fractured the femur in her right leg.
Aguilar had surgery at a local hospital where she spent 10 days before moving to a rehabilitation center. According to the lawsuit, she spent five months at the center, got an infection, went into septic shock and died on Jan. 29, 2022.
The lawsuit claims wrongful death and violation of the Americans with Disabilities Act. It seeks monetary damages for pain, mental suffering, humiliation, medical costs and funeral expenses.
The case was assigned this month to U.S. District Judge Cormac Carney at the Santa Ana courthouse.


Tom Bailey Story #2: The Uslan 500
I wrote a few weeks ago about a guy named Tom Bailey, an old-time catskill rodmaker who used to work at Leonard when I was there. In addition to Bailey recounting the “window shopping” that had gone on at the shop from time to time I had also alluded to a second story about him and so here it is.
While I was working at Leonard in the late 1970’s to entertain myself there was a discovery auction once a month in the next town over from Central Valley, NY where our shop was located. There wasn’t a whole heck of a lot going on in the area in those days and so I used to go over to the auction just for something to do. It was a lot of fun and I really liked going to it, especially since old fishing tackle would often turn up.
Anyway one of the things that I bought at the auction was a Uslan 500 spinning reel for about $5. Essentially the manufacturer had created the reel by taking off a very simple and workable bail system and substituted it with a very complicated system that relied on a triangular and hemispherical plate with a pickup finger mounted on the nose of the reel (one that had surely cost them a lot more to make than a simple bail). When you turned the handle the plate would spin around and the finger would pick the line up, and then you’d have to push a button in order to cast it (you also had to slide the plate back up to a center position, and when you cranked the handle again the finger would pick up the line). If that all sounds a bit complicated it’s because it was, but hopefully these pictures will give you a basic sense of what I mean.
Anyhow, after the auction I brought the reel into the shop one day at Leonard, and I showed it to Tom Bailey. I wasn’t expecting much in the way of acknowledgement, maybe a nod or something to that effect, but then he said:
“Aw, Nat Uslan. Last time I saw him he made up about batch of those. Then he went south somewhere to try and sell them. I never saw him again.”
I thought to myself, Jesus, he knew Nat Uslan? It was one of those moments where you really remembered that the old guy sitting in the corner knew a whole lot more, and had seen a whole lot more, than he was letting on even if he didn’t say much.
Looking back now I wish that I had been able to get Bailey to talk a lot more about what he had witnessed over the years. It’s too late now of course, but I still have that Uslan sitting on a shelf at home and when I see it I often think of him and those early days in Central Valley.
-Marc


EXCLUSIVE: Todd McFarlane Explains How Batman and Spawn Are Forever Linked
The following article contains spoilers from Batman/Spawn#1, on sale now from DC Comics.
Batman/Spawn sees the titular protagonists linked together despite their disparate universes by the deaths of the most important women in their lives -- Bruce Wayne's mother, Martha, and Al Simmon's wife, Wanda.
In an exclusive interview , writer and Spawn creator Todd McFarlane explained how Bruce and Al are forever linked together in tragedy. "I was saying that they (Martha and Wanda) both died not only on the same date but, in my mind, they died at the same moment. This is what created these two characters (Batman and Spawn). On one side, you've got the Spawn Universe. On the other side, you've got the DC Universe. Then, you've got these two characters, Batman [and] Spawn, and then you have their loved ones."
Martha And Wanda's Multiversal Connection
In the world of Batman/Spawn, which appears to be separate from both heroes' regular continuities, Martha and Wanda both died on June 26th. Their deaths appear to have been partially orchestrated by the Court of the Owls, whose influence spans universes. The finale reveals that Martha Wayne is still living in Spawn's universe, while Wanda Blake is alive in Batman's universe.
"In between that is all the gap that I didn't really get to show, which [involves] the Court, other dimensions, how time works, how these two ladies could have died at the same moment, given that it seems like it's decades apart, but it wasn't," McFarlane said. "...These characters (Martha and Wanda) are there, and each one of them (Batman and Spawn) is oblivious to it. It's just another kind of torture [for] both of them. They don't even know they could be close to the person they care about the most, but they're just on the other side of this dimensional fence now. Neither one of them even know. Even if they could get over the fence, they don't even know it. It may seem like kind of a happy ending, but to me, it's more of another torture for both these gentlemen who have been tortured plenty."
McFarlane and artist Greg Capullo have teased possible sequels to Batman/Spawn, which was originally pitched as a multibook series. Aside from the obvious plot hooks of Martha and Wanda, Batman/Spawn also features a cameo from the Joker, who doesn't serve as the major villain of the story but appears to have fostered an alliance with Violator, promising a deadly challenge for both Al Simmons and Bruce Wayne in the near future.
Batman/Spawn is written and features inks by McFarlane, pencils by Capullo, colors by Dave McCaig and letters by Tom Napolitano. Cover art comes from Capullo, McFarlane and McCaig and variant cover art from Gabriele Dell'Otto, Sean Murphy, Dave Stewart, Francesco Mattina, J. Scott Campbell, Sabine Rich, Capullo, McFarlane, Brian Haberlin, Brett Booth, Sandra Hope, Ivan Nunes, Jim Lee, Scott Williams, Alex Sinclair, Jorge Jimenez, Jason Fabok, Brad Anderson and FCO Plascencia. The issue is on sale now from DC.


World Cup: U.S. Defeats Iran
By Garrett Nada and Connor Bradbury
The U.S. national team defeated Iran 1-0 on November 29 in the most politically charged match at the 2022 World Cup in Doha, Qatar. The Americans were often on the attack; they took 12 shots while the Iranians only took four. But the game was a nail-biter right until the end. “That was stressful. I think I have less hair on my head now,” Gregg Bernhalter, the U.S. coach, told Fox News after the win.
🇮🇷 IRN 0 - 1 USA 🇺🇸
WE ADVANCE OUT OF GROUP B.#USMNT x @Visa pic.twitter.com/b3wx2bmUCA
— U.S. Men's National Soccer Team (@USMNT) November 29, 2022
Before the game, Iranian players—arms draped around each other’s shoulders—sang their national anthem for the second consecutive game. They had refused to sing along during their first match against England on November 21. Their silence was widely interpreted as a sign of support for the protests back home, which broke out in mid-September 2022.
The stadium echoed with noisy cheers and chants during the U.S.-Iran match—a follow-up to the 1998 World Cup when Iran upset the United States and won 2-1. A 2000 exhibition match in California ended in a 1-1 draw. In Qatar, Americans and Iranians were both draped in their national flags. Iranian fans formed the majority of the crowd in the 44,000-capacity stadium.
Related Material: “History: U.S.-Iran at the World Cup”
Related Material: “Iran’s Protests and the World Cup”
The United States dominated the first half of the match. Christian “Captain America” Pulisic, a midfielder, contorted his body to score during the 38th minute. Iranian goalkeeper Alireza Beiranvand’s knee went into Pulisic’s side. The 24-year-old from Pennsylvania sat out the second half and was taken to a hospital for scans after the game.
Iran did not register a single shot on goal until minute 52, a header that was too high. The Iranian players appeared sluggishly and gave up many opportunities to the Americans, who played relentlessly. The U.S. squad, with an average age of 25 years, was the second-youngest team in the 2022 World Cup.
The U.S. team also played well in the first half of its match against Wales, then played a lousy second half—the game ended in a 1-1 draw on November 21. It also played to a no-score draw against England on November 25. Iran suffered a humiliating 6-2 loss against England, but the team rallied for a 2-0 victory against Wales. So Iran went into the match against the United States with a slight advantage.
Players collide going after the ball
Iran played more aggressively in the second half. But the extra nine minutes of stoppage time at the end of the game were the most intense. Iran nearly scored when defender Morteza Pouraliganji headed a free kick that missed wide left. Iranian players later begged for a penalty as a player collided with the U.S. goalkeeper, barely missing a goal that would have tied the game.
“The dream is over with this result,” Iran’s manager Carlos Queiroz said after the loss. “We started to close and stop all the movements of the U.S.” The Iranians made a desperate attempt at a rally in the last few minutes but ultimately came up short. Soccer “always punishes the team that doesn't score,” Queiroz added.
Bernhalter was proud of the U.S. team for holding on to the lead. “We showed what we can do, soccer-wise, in the first half. Second half we showed what we can determination-wise,” he said.
Antonee Robinson showed his class by consoling Ramin Rezaeian and other Iran players 👏https://t.co/SF51dNfNws
— Mirror Football (@MirrorFootball) November 30, 2022
Key Game Statistics
• Possession: United States (51 percent); Iran (49%)
• Shots: United States (12); Iran (4)
• Shots on goal: United States (5); Iran (1)
• Fouls: United States (10); Iran (14)
• Yellow cards: United States (1); Iran (3)
The Iranians, with a total of 14 fouls and three yellow cards, played slightly more aggressively than the Americans, who had 10 fouls and received one yellow card. Some players were injured. But neither team played with animosity. Right back Ramin Rezaeian and left back Antonee Robinson collided when they both jumped for the ball. But Robinson patted Rezaeian afterwards.
As the game ended, the crowd quieted, and U.S. fans and players began to celebrate. Players on both sides fell to the ground as the clock ran out. U.S. players embraced on the field, and Iranians collapsed in exhaustion and disbelief. Iranian players looked on as the U.S. team celebrated. American players consoled Iranians, patting them on the back as both teams milled around the field.
As Saeid Ezatolahi, a defensive midfielder, wept on the ground, four U.S. players gathered to comfort him. Josh Sargent, a forward, embraced him, and forward Tim Weah helped Ezatolahi stand up. “It’s more than just football, Weah told FOX Sports after the game. “The United States and Iran have so many issues politically and I just wanted to show that we are all human beings and we all love each other.” Forward Brenden Aaronson was also moved by Ezatolahi’s anguish. “I could feel the emotion from him on the ground,” he said. “All you want to do is go and console them and tell them that everything is going to be OK. It’s just a human thing.”
“A night of dreams,” Weah said. “I always say it’s us against the world because nobody believed that the U.S. could play good football. So we’re here to show the world.”
The stakes were huge for both countries. The United States needed a win to move on beyond the first round, while Iran only needed a draw. Just as important were the bragging rights of a victory. Iran boasted about its decisive defeat of the United States in 1998—the only other World Cup encounter between the two nations—for the intervening quarter century. The U.S. team did not even qualify for the World Cup in 2018, while Iran won a match but did not advance to the second round.
American fans at the game
The game had intense political undertones, with the two nations deadlocked on major diplomatic initiatives—most notably the 2015 nuclear deal—and backing rival political factions across the Middle East. The United States had also condemned and sanctioned Iran for cracking down on protestors at home and providing drones to Russia for use in the Ukraine war.
But the atmosphere among Iranian and American fans was jovial in Doha. “Side by side the Americans and Iranians are putting their differences aside and dancing,” tweeted one spectator on the stadium grounds. Fans, decked out in patriotic gear, posed for photos together. “It has been amazing to see Americans. They are so friendly,” Yas, a 14-year-old from south-central Shiraz, told the Associated Press.
Inside the stadium, before the game, one man wearing an Iranian flag as a cape and an American man wearing a U.S. jersey and hat bumped fists for a photo. American fans stood for Iran’s national anthem, and Iranian fans remained standing for the U.S. national anthem.
Ironically, the main tension was between different groups of Iranians. People who expressed support for the protests, sometimes by carrying posters or wearing t-shirts with political slogans, were reportedly harassed by other Iranians. “I feel like I am surrounded by IRGC [Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps] agents,” Mehrdad, from Arizona, told the Associated Press. “Everybody’s watching you.”
An Iranian fan at the match
Security officials also threatened players with retaliation to prevent displays of support for the protests. The IRGC reportedly called on lawmakers to draft legal consequences for any players who challenged the government. IRGC officers met with players and threatened to detain and torture their family members if they spoke out against the government or did not sing along to the anthem.
Tensions flared ahead of the match when the U.S. soccer federation altered Iran’s flag in social media posts on November 26. It excluded the tulip-shaped emblem representing the Muslim declaration of faith, “There is no god but God.” The flower is a symbol of martyrdom in Shiite Islam.
Iranian media condemned the politically charged posts. They also called for the expulsion of the U.S. team from the tournament for violating FIFA regulations. The posts were later deleted. The U.S. federation said that it posted the altered flag for 24 hours in support of “the women in Iran fighting for basic human rights.” On November 28, Berhalter apologized. The “players and the staff knew nothing about what was being posted,” he said.
Iranian journalists had lambasted Berhalter and U.S. captain Tyler Adams during a press conference on November 28. They demanded to know why Berhalter hadn’t called on the United States to decrease its naval presence around Iran and why Washington restricted Iranians from visiting. They criticized Adams for pronouncing “Iran” incorrectly and asked him about playing for the United States despite its “discrimination against black people.” Adams apologized for mispronouncing Iran and countered, “There’s discrimination everywhere you go. In the U.S. we’re continuing to make progress every single day.”
USMNT players have been asked questions about the political context surrounding their match vs Iran
Yesterday, Captain Tyler Adams had this exchange with an Iranian reporter pic.twitter.com/Y7Q9wV7lS9
— FOX Soccer (@FOXSoccer) November 29, 2022
Despite the tensions, both coaches expressed respect for each other’s teams during pre-game press conferences. Queiroz said that the United States had the “best performances” of the other teams in Group B. When asked about the flag incident on social media, Quieroz said that Iran could still win despite “mental games.”
Berhalter echoed the sentiment of mutual respect. “I like what Iran has done so far, especially in the last game [against Wales], [they showed] a lot of commitment, really good counter-attacking, and we expect it to be a hotly contested game and we'll be ready for it,” he said. He had downplayed the political significance of the game in the week leading up to the match. “I envision the game being hotly contested for the fact that both teams want to advance to the next round—not because of politics or because of relations between our countries,” he said. “We're soccer players, and we're going to compete and they're going to compete, and that's it.”
ROUND OF SIXTEEN 🇺🇸 pic.twitter.com/DqWp5S7gvR
Hours before the game in Doha, Secretary of State Antony Blinken said that he was looking forward to a “very competitive” match. But he deferred from injecting politics into the decisive match when asked about its potential geopolitical implications. “When it comes to soccer, or to football, as it’s sometimes more properly known, let’s let the athletes do their thing,” he told reporters in Romania. “I don’t think there are any particular geopolitical aspects to this other than that we have what should be a competitive game, and let’s let the game speak for itself.”
Blinken also reflected on the intersection of the World Cup match and the protests in Iran. "When it comes to protests,” he added, “our position is the same everywhere, which is that we support the right of people everywhere to peacefully protest, to make known their views, their concerns, and their frustrations.”
Photo Credits: Tasnim News Agency (CC BY 4.0); IRNA (CC BY 4.0)
Garrett Nada, managing editor of The Iran Primer, and Connor Bradbury, a senior program assistant at the U.S. Institute of Peace, compiled this report.


Ordina per date modified ↓
Filtro per: Creator Petrovic, Jean Cancella il filtro Creator: Petrovic, Jean Collezione Eccles Centre Bibliographic Guides Cancella il filtro Collezione: Eccles Centre Bibliographic Guides
U.S. Politics and the Media: A Selective Guide to Materials at the British Library
During the past fifty years an on-going media revolution has transformed political communication in the United States. Yet, despite potential access to political information being at an all-time high, many observers believe that the culture of ‘infotainment’ is preventing a corresponding increase in either levels of political knowledge or political...
Petrovic, Jean
The American City in the Twentieth Century: A Selective Guide to Materials in the British Library
A select guide to monographs on the American city in the twentieth century, covering city government, crime and urban unrest, education, housing and African Americans; works on particular geographic regions and individual major American cities.
‘For Myself, For My Children, For Money’: Selective Biographies Of Early American Women Writers
Select biographies of American women writers who published single volumes under their own name by 1850.
'For Myself, For My Children, For Money': A bibliography of early American women’s writings at the British Library
This bibliography offers readers a guide to writings by American women in the seventeenth, eighteenth and early nineteenth centuries. Each of the women listed here had their first work published as a single volume, under their name alone, by 1850. The works include novels, collections of poetry, historical monographs, biographies,...
The Federal Writers’ Project: A guide to materials held at the British Library
The Federal Writers’ Project (FWP) was established by President Franklin D. Roosevelt on 27 July 1935 as part of the Works Progress Administration (WPA). As with so many of the New Deal programmes, the remit of the FWP – and its sister projects in art, music and theatre, known collectively...
The Harlem Renaissance: A selective guide to materials at the British Library (revised)
The rich surge in African American arts and letters that took place in 1920s was not limited to Harlem, nor even to New York City. However, the intensity of the movement in that city, and the sheer number of black writers, musicians, and scholars who lived and worked in Harlem...
Early American Science: a selective guide to materials at the British Library
By the early eighteenth century the American colonies were well established along the eastern seaboard. In many respects, their economic development until this point had been remarkable. So, too, were the advances they had made in self-government. By the 1720s trade between the colonies was increasing; transport links were improving;...
US Fine Presses Established after 1945: A Guide to the British Library’s Holdings
This project grew out of a conversation in late 2019 with Phil Hatfield, then Head of the Eccles Centre for American Studies at the British Library, who had recently pledged financial support towards the cataloguing of a backlog of US fine press publications that had been acquired by our curatorial...
Petrovic, Jean[remove]8
Eccles Centre Bibliographic Guides[remove]8


Mitchell’s last expedition: Discovery of rich pastoral country [chapter 23 of “The story of Australia” by Martin Hambleton]
[Editor: This is chapter 23 of “The story of Australia” by Martin Hambleton. Published in The Sunday Mail, 18 November 1934.]
The story of Australia — XXIII
Mitchell’s last expedition
Discovery of rich pastoral country
In 1845 Mitchell was again ordered by Sir George Gibbs, the Governor, to organise an expedition to explore the northern half of Australia. No better task could have been offered to this intrepid explorer. It had been his great ambition to cross the continent and open up a route to the distant Gulf, and, although fate ordained otherwise, his expedition was successful, and forms a memorable epoch in this history of exploration.
On December 15, 1845, Mitchell, accompanied by E. B. Kennedy, the unfortunate explorer, who several years later was killed by the blacks when leading a disastrous expedition in Cape York Peninsula, two dozen able-bodied men, and provisions for a year, left Buree. He had planned to journey northwards until he discovered a western flowing river, whose outlet might be in one of the great bays of the north-western coast.
A fine river
Travelling westward through country which was already occupied by settlers, he reached the junction of the Barwon and the Macquarie on February 28. In the immediate neighbourhood was Mount Harris, which had served as a guide to explorers since the days of Oxley. The Narran was then followed until the Balonne was reached. Mitchell described this river as the finest he had seen in Australia, with the exception of the Murray.
Resuming his journey he struck the Culgoa, and followed it until it divided into two branches, and then kept to the main stream which retained the name of Balonne. On April 12 he came to a natural bridge of rocks which extended across the river. Mitchell gave it the name of St. George’s Bridge, a name which it still retains in common with the township that has sprung up in the vicinity.
Rich pastoral lands
Here a depot was formed, and when completed Mitchell pushed on with a few men, instructing Kennedy to follow on later when the cattle had sufficiently rested. He followed up the Balonne until the Maranoa was reached, but as its appearance did not merit investigation he marched on as far as the Cogoon, which he now followed. The river led him through rich pastoral country, known afterwards as the Fitzroy Downs, near the centre of which the town of Roma now stands.
He ascended a hill and from its summit he saw on every side magnificent rich pastures, which suggested the name of Mount Abundance to the hill on which he stood. This name has been retained. It is worthy of note that it was here that he saw the first bottle tree. Leaving Mount Abundance he again met the Maranoa, where he established another depot, and waited for Kennedy’s arrival. Not far from this spot the town which perpetuates the memory of Mitchell was built.
Upper Maranoa
Kennedy arrived on June 1, bringing with him despatches from Sydney, which had reached the party after Mitchell had left. Again following out his policy, Kennedy was left behind at the depot, and Mitchell with a small party worked westwards across the Upper Maranoa. He discovered the Warrego River, which he fondly hoped would lead him northwards, but he was soon convinced that the stream was running in the wrong direction.
On July 11 he crossed the Upper Nogoa, and on the 21st he discovered the Belyando. This river gave great promise of leading to the Gulf. He followed its course for more than 200 miles, only to find that it was a tributary of the Burdekin. Disappointed, he returned to the head of the Nogoa, where he formed a depot. Sub-dividing his party once more, Mitchell struck due west across the Nive Valley, and at last on September 15, found himself on a river flowing north-east, “the realisation,” as he wrote prematurely, “of my long-cherished hopes.”
Barcoo discovered
The direction of the upper course left no doubt in his mind that this was the head stream of the Victoria River, whose mouth lay on the north-west coast, some 1200 miles away. He therefore bestowed that name on the Barcoo, which in its later stage is called Cooper’s Creek. It was while on the Barcoo that Mitchell noticed the famous grass which now bears his name.
Mitchell hastened back to Sydney to make known his wonderful discovery, but as he had not followed the river any distance to verify his report it was thought advisable to send a small party to ascertain its course and destination, and Kennedy was chosen to lead the expedition.
Sir Thomas Mitchell stands in the foremost rank of Australian explorers. His discoveries opened up a vast extent of pastoral country in the vicinity of the already settled parts; and they were eminently valuable, as they were suitable for immediate occupation by the people.
The Sunday Mail (Brisbane, Qld.), 18 November 1934, p. 29
Filed Under: articles Tagged With: Australian explorers on land, Martin Hambleton (1869-1938) (author), SourceTrove, The story of Australia (by Martin Hambleton), Thomas Mitchell (1792-1855), year1934


18th Century history, Georgian Lords, History of Parliament Trust, Parliamentary buildings
Comings and goings: the other houses of Downing Street
Previously on the History of Parliament blog we looked into the history of No.10 Downing Street, the famous residence of the Prime Minister since the mid-18th century. But who called the other houses of this well-known street home? Dr Robin Eagles, editor of our House of Lords 1715-1790 project, investigates…
In 1742 Sir Robert Walpole left 10 Downing Street for the last time. His tenure there had been relatively short, the residence, cobbled together out of several houses, having only been his official base as Prime Minister since 1735. While the intention was that it would continue to serve future premiers, Walpole’s successor, Spencer Compton, earl of Wilmington, had no need of the house, enjoying a much smarter address in St James’s. Number 10 was thus taken over by the chancellor of the exchequer, Samuel Sandys and well into the next century prime ministers often eschewed Number 10 in favour of other houses.
Sir Robert Walpole, Earl of Orford; Jean-Baptiste van Loo; Government Art Collection via ArtUK
Walpole’s departure did not mean an end to the Walpole family’s links to Downing Street. In 1738, not long after Walpole had moved into Number 10, his brother, Horatio Walpole, acquired several other houses in the street and some of these properties remained in family hands for much of the rest of the century.
In spite of the presence of the Prime Minister at Number 10 and of both Numbers 11 and 12 ultimately being employed as government offices, Downing Street was not an entirely fashionable address. Many of the houses – Number 10 included – had been built fairly shoddily when the street was developed by Sir George Downing in the late 17th century on land occupied by the former grand town residence, Hampden House. Technically, Sir Christopher Wren had been involved in the design, but in reality much of the work was quickly and cheaply done. Even the neat brick frontage was ‘fake’: the elevations comprising a mixture of bricks and rubble overpainted with neat lines of mortar to make it look like high quality brickwork.
Despite this, given the location, a number of MPs and others associated with Westminster did live in Downing Street alongside the Prime Minister and or the Chancellor. Samuel Martin, later notorious for his duel with John Wilkes, had an official residence there as secretary to the Treasury. He clearly thought it rather poky because when his father attempted to offload one of his younger sons on him, Martin protested that the place was ‘too small’ to accommodate him. William Wilberforce was another well-known MP to live there for at least a time.
However, many of the houses, or parts of them, were home to people unconnected with government or Parliament. One of the better-known temporary inhabitants of the street was James Boswell, who found lodgings in the house of Mr Terrie, chamber keeper to the office of trade and plantations. Boswell took an apartment ‘up two pair of stairs’ with the use of ‘a handsome parlour all the forenoon’ in return for 40 guineas a year. Dinner with the family at a shilling a time was also part of the deal. Boswell described the street at the time as ‘genteel’ and ‘very healthful’. A few years before Boswell was there, the novelist Tobias Smollett, who was also a surgeon, set up a practice in the street.
View of the old Foreign Office and other buildings on Downing Street, Westminster. 1827
© The Trustees of the British Museum
Of course, many of those living in the now demolished sections of old Downing Street were rather less well known than such literary figures. One way in which one can discover information about some of the lesser-known Downing Street addresses is through insurance records. They chart a story of frequent change of hands and of multiple occupancy of some of the properties. They also indicate people of varying social status. In 1791, Number 5 was occupied by Ann Somers, a spinster; by 1801 the house’s insurance was made out to another occupier, Mary Howard. Number 7 seems to have passed through several hands. In 1791, insurance was taken out by Mercy Abbott, in 1799 by Edward Raven, in 1802 by Charles Beaumont and in 1818 by Hannah Simpson. Mary Sparrow, a widow, had insurance covering Numbers 22 and 25 in 1816, so presumably let lodgings in at least one of those.
Perhaps the most flamboyant of all the residents of Downing Street in the period was ‘His Excellency Count Zenobio’, who had an insurance policy at Number 2 in 1791 (the same year as another policy was taken out for the same address by James Fowler). In 1794 Zenobio, a Venetian aristocrat, was ejected from the country for his radical activities. He later staged a return in 1807 during the Talents ministry probably thanks to his contacts among some of the old Foxite Whigs, and by the time of his death in 1818 he was living in Duke Street, Westminster.
If much of the housing stock in the 1730s was described as ‘very old and in bad repair’ by the early 19th century the impression is that parts of Downing Street were very shabby indeed. By the 1820s plans were afoot to redevelop the site once again and in 1825 Numbers 1 to 8 were demolished to make way for a new building designed by John Soane to house the Board of Trade and the Privy Council offices. Soane’s building was then itself remodelled under 20 years later by Charles Barry, architect of the present Palace of Westminster. The house Boswell had lodged in was one of those to disappear.
The owners of the houses scheduled for demolition were compensated fairly generously: the owner of Number 4 receiving £1,250 3s. 2d. for his trouble. The greatest sum went to the pub owners, Whitbreads, owners of the Axe and Gate, an inn that had stood at the corner of Downing Street and Whitehall for generations. Indeed, parts of what became Downing Street had originally been occupied by a brewery belonging to the Abbey of Abingdon. In return for the loss of the pub, Whitbreads received over £2,000.
The remaining buildings of Downing Street, then, mask a story of a very different sort of place to the centre of power: a street of ill-built lodging houses nestling beside finer London residences, with a venerable pub on the corner.
RDEE
For insurance records, see collection at London Metropolitan Archives
J.R. Dinwiddy, Radicalism and Reform in Britain, 1780-1850 (1992)
Boswell’s London Journal, 1762-1763, ed. Frederick A. Pottle
Survey of London XIV (St Margaret, Westminster)
Follow the research of our House of Lords 1715-1790 project on the ‘Georgian Lords‘ page.
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UNOPS Registration Clerk, Cuenca, Ecuador
Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR)
UNHCR in Cuenca
Hardship Level (not applicable for home-based): U (unclassified)
Family Type (not applicable for home-based): Family
Staff Member / Affiliate Type: UNOPS LICA3
Target Start Date: 2023-03-15-07:00
Job Posting End Date: February 5, 2023
TERMS OF REFERENCE (Individual Contractor Agreement) Title: Registration Clerk (1 position) Project: Strengthening Registration and Identity Management Process for Assistances and Services in Ecuador Duty station: Cuenca, Ecuador Section/Unit: UNHCR Registration Unit Contract/Level: Local Support, LICA 3 (USD 1.250,00) Duration: From 15 March to 31 Dec 2023 Supervisor: Direct Supervisor: Field Associate, Cuenca, Ms. Gabriela Montero Functional Supervisor: Registration and Identity Management Officer, Ms. Tania Martu00ednez
1. General Background Ecuador is part of the United Nations Convention of 1951 relating to the Status of Refugees and its 1967 Protocol, as well as major international and regional human rights instruments that recognize the right to asylum. It is also part of the United Nations Convention of 1954 relating to the Status of Stateless Persons and the United Nations Convention of 1961 on the Reduction of Statelessness. The asylum procedure in Ecuador is regulated by the Organic Law of Human Mobility, effective February 6, 2017. Ecuador is a country of transit and destination for people who need international protection. In the last two decades, Ecuador hosted more than 68,708 recognized refugees (mainly Colombian) and has become one of the leading countries of transit and destination for refugees and migrants Venezuelans. Ecuador receives the second highest number of Venezuelans after Colombia. Since 2016, more than 4.7 million Venezuelans have left their country, making it the biggest exodus in the history of Latin America. Of these, 2.2 million have entered Ecuador, of which 400,000 Venezuelans have been established in the country. In 2019, approximately 2,100 Venezuelans per day entered Ecuador (with peaks of 6,000) until 26 August, when Ecuador began requiring visas for Venezuelans. Since 2018, the number of Venezuelan asylum seekers exceeded the number of asylum seekers from Colombia. According to monitoring protection of UNHCR, in 2019, nearly four out of ten Venezuelans did to the least part of their journey on foot, and three in ten have specific needs (pregnant women, unaccompanied or separated children, people with disabilities or catastrophic and elderly diseases). The Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees works in Ecuador supporting the Ecuadorian government to protect refugees. UNHCR’s operation in Ecuador began in 2000 as part of the strategy of the organization to protect and provide assistance, particularly to the victims of the Colombian conflict. The operation aims to support the Government of Ecuador to: (i) the development of mechanisms of protection, (ii) strengthening national asylum system, (iii) and identification of durable solutions for refugees. The operation of UNHCR in Ecuador has a multiyear Protection Strategy and Solutions for the period 2018 – 2020, which encompasses the dimensions of the legal, economic and social protection of refugees in Ecuador and which have a decisive role the approaches to gender, ethnicity, and age and other diversities. The operation is coordinated at the national level by the country office in Quito. In addition, UNHCR has Sub- Offices in Quito (Solanda), Ibarra and Guayaquil; Field Offices in Esmeraldas, Huaquillas, Tulcu00e1n, Lago Agrio, and Field Units in Manta, Cuenca and Ambato.
2. Purpose and Scope of Assignment Work activity will be based in Cuenca, in the office of the UNHCR with regular visit to Government and Partner Offices. Under the direct supervision of the Field Unit in Cuenca, the Contractor shall be responsible for: – Assist in the implementation of UNHCR registration strategies and methodologies for populations of concern. – Assist in implementing of Registration and Data Entry Standard Operating Procedures (SOPs) in accordance with relevant standards and policies. – Conduct registration interviews in accordance with local SOPs and registration standards. – Respond to queries from asylum seekers and refugees regarding UNHCR’s registration procedures and their rights and entitlements. – Maintain accurate and up-to date records and data related to all individual registration cases. – Identify persons with specific needs and ensure timely referral to protection follow-up as required. – Collaborate with protection staff and/or partners in the delivery of assistance and programming, including provision of identity and entitlement documentation – Maintain data security in line with UNHCR’s Data Protection Policies and Guidelines. – Refer cases to other units within the office and to implementing partners as necessary. – Assist with other Protection activities as required – Ability to travel to remote locations when required.
3. Monitoring and Progress Controls – Conduct regular data quality check and clean-up; – Provide weekly and monthly data quality assurance reports; – Provide weekly and monthly statistics on registration, enrollment, protection and assistances; – Provide monthly data audit reports and analysis; 4. Qualifications and Experience a. Education – University Degree in Computer Science, Statistics, Social Sciences, Economics, Business Administration, Information Management, Information Technology or related fields (mandatory). b. Work Experience – 1 year relevant experience (internships count as well). – Experience in training. – Basic knowledge of the principles of protection, registration and assistance to asylum seekers, refugees and other persons on concern. – Experience in working with identity management software or database. – Good knowledge of handling confidential and statistical data. – Good computer skills, particularly in data entry and management. c. Key Competencies – Analytical Thinking – Technological Awareness – Planning, organizing, and adaptation to work under pressure – Negotiation and respect for cultural diversity. – Political Awareness
5. Submission of applications u2022 English Desirable. Level intermediate. u2022 Shortlisted candidates may sit a technical test. u2022 Foreign candidates, to be considered eligible for this position, must have a temporary or permanent residence in Ecuador that allows them to carry out work activities in the country. u2022 Recruitment as a UNHCR staff member and engagement under a UNHCR affiliate scheme or as an intern is subject to proof of full vaccination against COVID-19, independently of contract type and duration. The recommended candidate(s) will be required to provide the proof of vaccination prior to recruitment. u2022 If recommended, the candidate must submit a current and updated RUC Unique Taxpayer Registry and a voluntary contribution certificate to the Ecuadorian Institute of Social Security IESS. Voluntary IESS securities will be covered by the staff member. The salary offered is in net terms. u2022 If you wish to be considered for this vacancy, please submit your application according to the following instructions: CANDIDATES WITH ACCESS TO THE WORKDAY: In order to apply, you must first create your profile in the WORKDAY system.
EXTERNAL CANIDATES: Candidates who do NOT have access to the WORKDAY system should submit their application through UNHCR’s official site for applications: (link)
CVs WILL NOT BE ACCEPTED BY EMAIL. ONLY THOSE APPLICATIONS SENT BY THE SYSTEM WILL BE CONSIDERED.
Standard Job Description: Required Languages: ,
Additional Qualifications: Skills
Other information: This position doesn’t require a functional clearance
Tags: asylum seekers, computer science, data entry, data protection, data quality, durable solutions, human rights, information management, information technology, latin america, refugees, social protection, social sciences, statelessness, statistical data
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Menopause leave rejected by government with concerns over ‘discriminating’ men
Government ministers have rejected plans for menopausal women to have time off work to help alleviate their symptoms.
By Chelsie Sewell
The British government has rejected calls for women to trial a ‘menopause leave’ in England to help alleviate their symptoms in the workplace, arguing it could be “counterproductive”. The calls for the pilot trial came after the Women and Equalities Committee accused ministers of making "glacial progress" on menopause support.
Last year, the committee published a report which warned that the impact of menopause was causing the UK economy to "haemorrhage talent". It said a lack of support for women going through the menopause in the workplace was pushing women out of employment. The Committee also made 12 suggestions aimed at giving working women more rights.
However, yesterday (January 24) government ministers rejected the plans, alongside dismissing the recommendation to make menopause a protected characteristic under the Equality Act. The government instead said it was focused on encouraging employers to implement workplace menopause policies, adding: "We are concerned that specific menopause leave may be counterproductive to achieving this goal."
It also said it would not launch a consultation on amending the Equality Act to introduce a new protected characteristic of menopause "including a duty to provide reasonable adjustments for menopausal employees". And also said it would not be taking up the suggestion of making menopause training mandatory in the workplace.
The government expressed concern that a “menopause leave” pilot could cause "unintended consequences which may inadvertently create new forms of discrimination, for example, discrimination risks towards men suffering from long-term medical conditions or eroding existing protections."
The government has rejected calls for women to get menopause leave
Ministers accepted "in principle" the committee’s recommendations to launch a public health campaign around menopause and to appoint a menopause ambassador to monitor progress made by businesses in this area. It also said it would look at reducing the cost of Hormone replacement therapy (HRT) which menopausal women use to relieve symptoms.
However, the Conservative chair of the committee Caroline Nokes condemned the government’s overall response as "a missed opportunity to protect vast numbers of talented and experienced women from leaving the workforce and leaves me unconvinced that menopause is a government priority.”
GovernmentWorkMenopauseEnglandGovernment ministersEmployers


3 Reasons Realty Income Stock Could Fall
By Matthew Frankel, CFP® – Jul 20, 2017 at 7:47AM
NYSE: O
Realty Income
The retail REIT is down nearly 20% over the past year, but there could be more downside ahead.
Realty Income (O 0.98%), a net-lease real estate investment trust focused on retail real estate, hasn't performed well recently, with its stock price down 19% over the past year. Despite the drop, it's entirely possible that we could see Realty Income fall even further. Here are three things that could make the stock drop, and whether investors should be worried or not.
Retail worries could get worse
Many investors are scared to get involved with the retail sector right now, and who could blame them? There have been a few high-profile retail bankruptcies lately, as well as a bunch of store closure announcements. Many other brick-and-mortar retailers are struggling to hang on. In fact, this is why most retail-focused REITs have underperformed other areas of real estate.
To illustrate this point, look at the performance of Realty Income, Kimco Realty, and Simon Property Group compared with the overall REIT industry over the past year. While the company has performed better than its peers with more exposure to high-end and discretionary retail, it hasn't been immune to the retail headwinds.
O data by YCharts
As I've written before, the majority of Realty Income's portfolio isn't in danger. The company specifically focuses on retail properties that don't have to worry about e-commerce competition and can hold up well during recessions. Plus, its long-term net-lease structure keeps tenants locked in for years at a time.
For this reason, I see any retail-related drop as a long-term opportunity in Realty Income. Just be aware that if the brick-and-mortar retail environment gets even worse, we could see Realty Income and other retail REITs drop further.
Interest rates could rise faster than expected
Since the current rate-increase cycle began in late 2015, the Federal Reserve has implemented four separate 25-basis-point increases in the target federal funds rate, which currently sits at 1.00%-1.25%.
US Target Federal Funds Rate data by YCharts
As of the latest projections, the Fed sees the rate rising to 2.1% by the end of 2018 and to almost 3% by the end of 2019. These projections are well known, so it's fair to assume that they're somewhat accounted for in Realty Income's stock price. However, there's a possibility that it will have to increase interest rates more than expected, especially if inflation spikes unexpectedly.
Here's the problem: Rising rates are generally bad for REITs. Not only do they increase borrowing costs, which I'll get to in a moment, but they can also create selling pressure on high-dividend investments such as REITs. Simply put, when low-risk investments such as Treasury bonds pay more interest, investors expect higher yields from "riskier" investments such as REITs to compensate. Lower share prices translate to higher yields, so a spike in interest rates could certainly produce a drop in Realty Income's stock price.
Acquisition opportunities could dry up
Realty Income's primary growth mechanism is acquisitions. And when it comes to acquiring new properties, the company has a history of under-promising and over-delivering, especially in recent years. In fact, the company experienced such an attractive environment for acquisitions in 2016 that it increased its full-year guidance every quarter and ended up acquiring $1.86 billion in properties -- more than twice the volume of properties it originally anticipated.
One big reason for the flurry of acquisitions in 2016 is that the company's cost of capital was extremely attractive. Borrowing rates were low, and the company's stock price was high, so it was relatively cheap to raise money for acquisitions. Rates are rising, and the company's stock price isn't far from its 52-week low, so it remains to be seen if the company will meet its acquisition target for 2017.
As of the first quarter, Realty Income is projecting about $1 billion in acquisitions "at attractive investment spreads." If the company can't find enough attractive opportunities to meet its target, it could be a negative catalyst for the stock.
The Foolish bottom line
To be clear, there are many reasons Realty Income's stock could fall, but these are three that I believe are rather likely to occur. I doubt we've seen the end of the retail industry's woes, the Federal Reserve could be forced to increase rates faster that it plans to if inflation spikes, and higher rates could lead to a less attractive acquisition environment for the company.
Having said that, all three of these would be temporary issues that long-term investors shouldn't fear. In fact, I'd look at any significant price drop in Realty Income's stock price as a welcome long-term buying opportunity.
Matthew Frankel owns shares of Realty Income. The Motley Fool has no position in any of the stocks mentioned. The Motley Fool has a disclosure policy.
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