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Prince William got a Wii over the holidays.
His girlfriend was nice enough to pick it up for him.
He was having a lot of fun with it,
that is, while he had the chance to play.
Now the console is being hogged by none other than the Queen! Apparently she is a natural at
Wii Sports Bowling. Apparently, the Queen has become a bit of a
technophile in recent years. Now she’s added the Wii to her list of must-have gadgets.
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Pensioners surfing the internet are spending more time online than their younger
counterparts.
So-called "silver surfers" dedicate an average of 42 hours a month to the World Wide Web, compared
with 37.9 hours among 18 to 24-year-olds.
A greater interest in hobbies, news and local issues among the elderly is believed to be driving
the trend, which sees over-65s account for nine per cent of all time spent online in the UK.
The figures, from a report by media regulator Ofcom, debunk the traditional image of pensioners as
technophobes.
Although only 16 per cent of over-65s said they had used the internet at home in the 30-day period
covered by the report, those that did use it stayed online for longer than any other age group.
And the trend is likely to continue for decades to come, with over-50s now accounting for a
quarter of all UK internet users. Across all generations, average daily internet use in 2006 was 36 minutes,
up 158 per cent on 2002.
The UK Communications Market 2007 report, which analyses Britain's media consumption patterns,
also reveals that the internet seems to be growing in popularity with women.
Of time spent online by those in the 25 to 49 age bracket, more than half is by women, with
shopping and parenting sites proving particular attractions.
However, the trend has failed to reach the over-65s as yet - 80 per cent of internet surfing by
pensioners is done by men.
The report also unveiled a trend away from computer games and watching DVDs among
children.
However, instead of marking a return to active outdoor pursuits, the figures simply reflect a move
towards youngsters using the internet and using mobile phones and MP3 players.
Between 2005 and 2007, the proportion of children playing computer games dipped by about ten per
cent.
The proportion watching DVDs and videos went down by about 20 per cent in the same period, as did
the number who regularly listened to the radio. Similar trends were evident in the adult
population.
Ofcom spokesman Peter Phillips said: "Use of the internet is now starting to eat into the time
that people are spending using traditional media like TV and radio."
The media watchdog's report notes that 75 per cent of 11-year-olds now have their own TV, games
console and mobile phone.
And despite concerns about paedophiles using the internet to groom children, seven per cent of
ten-year-olds have their own webcam, a figure that rises to 15 per cent among 13 to
15-year-olds.
The study provides a telling insight into how technological advances are affecting our habits when
it comes to the media. For example, more households now use solely mobile phones than rely on
landlines.
There are nine per cent mobileonly households and seven per cent fixed line-only, while 84 per
cent have both.
And there was bad news for companies advertising on television. The survey says that of the 15 per
cent of the population who have invested in a digital video recorder, nearly four out of five fast-forward
through the commercial breaks.
According to Ofcom's figures, although the British public consumption of media in general has gone
up, we are paying less for it.
We now consume more than 50 hours of media - via phone, internet, TV and radio - each week on
average.
Yet in 2006 the average household spend on communications services was £92.65 per month, down from
£94.03 in 2005. The reduction is explained in part by people buying their TV, phone and
broadband in discounted packages from the same company
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FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
DISASTER PREPAREDNESS FROM A DEAF PERSON'S POINT OF VIEW
At 9:15 a.m. November 1, the facility manager of a Federal building in Washington DC received a bomb threat,
the third within the past month. The facility manager pulled the alarm and the employees in the building casually
evacuated into the cold frosty morning air.
As usual, everyone stood away from the building and chatted amongst him or herself as they normally did during
these common false alarm bomb threats. While one of the employees was chatting, he looked up at the second
story-building window, and a young woman walked by with files in her hand. The man burst out laughing and pointed
to the young woman. Others in the area looked up and cracked up laughing. Just then, the building exploded!
People threw themselves to the ground to avoid the burning, flying debris. People were screaming, and others
were yelling there was someone up there pointing to the second level window. The supervisor of the young woman
left in the burning building looked up in horror at the inferno, realizing that was his office area someone
pointed to and he began scanning the chaos for all his employees. He counted all but one and began looking
desperately for a young 22-year-old Deaf woman. They could not find her.
Meanwhile, another branch chief realized that he too was missing a Deaf woman on a lower level. In another
area of the Federal building, standing away from the blaze, yet another supervisor discovered his 56-year-old
paraplegic was missing. Three people with disabilities perished in the bombing. “Bomb threats” became common,
people stopped taking them seriously, and the threat became a reality. What people thought was funny was not so
funny.
While the above did not actually happen in entirety, the bomb threat, the evacuation, and persons with
disabilities forgotten during the evacuation actually did occur. I was one of those forgotten that day. They have
forgotten me many times.
Had the scenario been reality, the supervisors and occupants in this building would have had a major realty
check. The government might have had a major lawsuit and they would have done serious damage to their reputation
on how they treated people with disabilities. Families would have lost people they loved. The government is
supposed to protect its people, yet, they let people with disabilities fall through the cracks.
I am Robin Wenz, and I am the woman who really did walk past the window, and looked down realizing something
was not right when I saw people standing outside the building. Looking around the office, I realized everyone was
gone, and honestly thought that maybe everyone went outside for some kind of party. As I left the office to
“investigate” why no one bothered to tell me where they were going, a huge crowd of employees came plowing back
into the building. I asked someone what that was all about and they said, “Oh, it's just the second bomb threat
for this week. Nothing new!”
Horrified and angered that anyone could be so cruel to leave me behind, not once, but every time, I asked the
supervisor why no one alerted me. He was apologetic and assigned someone to “alert” me. Yet again, we had another
bomb threat, and that someone that management assigned to me was out that day. Once again, they forgot about
me.
I cannot stress enough the importance of including people with disabilities into our emergency preparedness
planning. I thank God every day that those bomb threats were not real. We need to take into consideration
emergency evacuation routes, flashers for the deaf, ramps for people with special mobility needs, special
lighting for people with eyesight problems, and so forth.
In an actual attack on Washington DC, who will take care of the people with special needs? Who will evacuate
them to a safe shelter, and who will provide for their needs when they arrive? Would the government and community
leave the people to die like the thousands who perished during hurricane Katrina? Even today, people are saying
there are still no solid plans for taking care of people with disabilities. Granted, there is a basic plan for
people with disabilities whom voluntarily submit their names to the Disability coordinator in their town, but
once they arrive at a shelter, what happens?
Generally, evacuation officials advise occupants to leave the building, perhaps announcing instructions over a
bullhorn; instructions that Deaf people will never hear. Upon arrival at a shelter, people with disabilities are
in for a rude awakening. Typically, there are no special facilities, no special dieting foods for diabetics, and
other people with special diet needs. Often, you won't find special ostomy appliances, wound dressings,
psychiatric medications, insulin, pregnancy products, hearing aid batteries or flashing warning systems, and the
list of daily and necessary needs go on unfilled, sometimes for days or sometimes they just don't have provisions
for people with special needs at all.
My story is having a happy conclusion. I caught the attention of a Healthcare Disaster Preparedness company
executive who recognized my experience in advocating for persons with disabilities and my personal desire to make
a difference. He was impressed with my educational background and my many years of experience serving on various
Governors' commissions including a Governor's Commission board member for people with disabilities, offered to
mentor me in a training program leading to my becoming his company's “Program Manager for People with Special
Needs.” In that capacity I will help Public Health Departments and Healthcare Organizations select, staff,
supply, and equip Special Needs Shelters. I will also train and mentor others with disabilities to prepare
cities, counties, hospitals, and so forth meet the Special Needs of the communities they serve. I have the good
fortune of meeting a “Pay it forward” type of person.
Ms. Robin Wenz is the Special Needs Program Manager in training for MEDLOG Inc.
If you would like more information on this subject, or to schedule an interview with Robin Wenz,
You can reach her at here.
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