Michael Gray
Edinburgh
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Articles by Michael Gray
Pink Cloud: An Addiction Recovery Tool or a Profiteering Scam?
Ongoing social support is considered vital in the recovery of substance-addicted individuals. 12-step meetings, like Alcoholics Anonymous, provide the necessary support, understanding, and guidance that individuals on the path to recovery need. These meetings offer a safe space where individuals can share experiences, gain insight, and build a supportive network.
Lathrop GPM Franchise Memorandum Issue 304.
A federal court in Wisconsin recently denied a haircare product dealer’s motion for summary judgment on its Wisconsin Fair Dealership Law (WFDL) and breach of contract claims against the dealer’s national distributor. Brava Salon Specialists, LLC v. REF N. Am., Inc., 2024 WL 3443799 (W.D. Wis. July 16, 2024). Brava Salon Specialists is a Wisconsin-based dealer of haircare products manufactured and distributed by REF North America.
Michael Gray's Page
The Press Photo History Project Mapping the photo agencies and photographers of Fleet Street and the UK UAL Photography and Photography and the Archive Research Centre Royal Photographic Society's Historical Group www.londonstereo.com London Stereoscopic Company / T. R. Williams www.earlyphotography.co.uk British camera makers and companies Fox Talbot Museum, Lacock. National Portrait Gallery, London http://www.freewebs.com/jb3d/ Alfred Seaman and the Photographic Convention Frederick Scott Archer
Gray matter on Northern Ireland trade deal
M.E.G’s Michael Gray explains how agreement can reopen business with EU Prime minister Rishi Sunak’s long-awaited trade agreement for Northern Ireland has far-reaching consequences for the greeting card industry and all businesses which trade with the European Union.
Even The UK Government Is Now Selling Its Offices
In April this year it was reported that government efficiency minister Jacob Rees-Mogg was visiting civil service offices in London and leaving notes on desks saying âsorry you were out when I visited.â The implication was that the government wanted the civil service back in offices as soon as possible. Spin forward to August and Mr Rees-Mogg announced that over £1.5 billion worth of government buildings in London are to be sold.
Workshop Recording: Does WFH Really Make Business Sense?
Our team recently ran an online training workshop hosted by the Welsh Contact Centre Forum. Sandra Busby, owner of the WCCF, chaired the event which featured: Paul Whymark, Chief Operating Officer Sarah Benkalai, Team Leader The focus of the workshop was: Does WFH Work? Does it make business sense?
Betty Blue Eyes | Sardines
Photo: Richard McNeill As we dust off the bunting and the union flags for the upcoming Platinum Jubilee, this charmingly nostalgic show takes us back to the post-war Royal Wedding of 1947. Austerity reigned, and rationing was still a part of everyone’s life. And thereby hangs a [curly] tale … If you don’t know Betty, she’s named after Princess Elizabeth, soon to be our Queen. A sow raised in secret to be the unlawful dish of the day at Shephardsford’s patriotic banquet.
The left views US Constitution as Bill of Wrongs
Amid a scourge of violent shootings in major cities across the US this summer, a top priority for the FBI is asking Americans to monitor family and friends on social media. “Family members and peers are often best positioned to witness signs of mobilization to violence,” the FBI tweeted Sunday. “Help prevent homegrown violent extremism … learn how to spot suspicious behaviors and report them to the FBI” Republican lawmakers were quick to jump to the defense of grandma’s Facebook posts.
Israel's 'risky' vaccination drive has 'paid off' despite third lockdown
Israel has triggered a third national lockdown after Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu warned the pandemic was "spreading at top speed," including some cases of the more transmissible variant of the disease first identified in the UK. Prior to the new restrictions, Israel had been dominating global headlines for emerging as a world leader in vaccine roll-out.
Miss South Africa winner fears COVID-19 could increase tuberculosis deaths
03:25 Tamaryn Green has quite the resume: medical doctor, model, activist and Tuberculosis survivor. The beauty pageant winner – who was crowned Miss South Africa and Miss Universe runner-up in 2018 – was diagnosed with tuberculosis (TB) during her medical studies at the University of Cape Town. She originally hid her diagnosis due to a fear of the reactions of others, before launching the campaign #BreakTheStigma to help those affected.
Advice for Blue State refugees
Despite the demonstrable fact that dying from COVID is about as likely as you getting a birthday card from a one-armed Himalayan banjo player you've never met, pinhead state governors, city mayors, and local officials all the way down to dogcatchers still insist on maintaining the fiction that merely catching the beerbug is a death sentence and that squashing the things until none of them are left is some sort of life-or-death priority.
Coronavirus Won’t End the Scotland-England Union – But the Tories Will | Novara Media
With theatres and cinemas closed, you can always count on the creaking British constitution for melodrama. Government “shocked”. “Mounting irritation”. A “borderline coup d’etat”. When first minister of Scotland Nicola Sturgeon’s lips move, Westminster’s right-wing politicians and commentators rev their engines in this flaccid frustration. That she has responded to the coronavirus pandemic in her own way and with her own words is enough to cause them distress. It shouldn’t.
Three Movies that Should Make You Feel Better
Long before the planet started running a temperature from a bad case of the flu, paradoxically resulting in submerged petty tyrants bubbling up from out of nowhere, film audiences were treated to the terrifying prospect of out-of-control bugs threatening mass extinction — yet, as far as we know, in contradistinction to contemporary political leaders, none of the audience members was prompted to flee hysterically from theaters.
Revisiting Franchise Agreements In Light Of COVID-19
By Michael Gray April 2, 2020, 4:21 PM EDT Law360 (April 2, 2020, 4:21 PM EDT) -- Even though franchisors are in the middle of dealing with closed locations, modified operating procedures, supply chain disruptions and employment turmoil, it is not too early to review standard franchise agreement provisions in light of what we have learned from the COVID-19 pandemic.
Scottish Independence is Inevitable – Unless Corbynism Transforms Britain | Novara Media
“It’s not a proper country,” Billy Bragg once summed up the UK. The tensions of our multi-national union have never been nearer to snapping. While English tabloids beat the drum for Brexit and Britannia, their sister stables have a different focus. “Nic’s Bojo Bounce!” proclaimed The Scottish Sun’s cover this week. Scotland’s first minister Nicola Sturgeon is pictured bouncing atop Boris Johnson’s head shaped into a space hopper. And she might well do.
Former councilman's column a series of misstatements
I read former Council member Tarris Woods’ column (“District 1 is being preyed upon by the City of Galveston,” The Daily News, June 13). As is often the case with Woods, his column is a series of misstatements and errors that cries out for correction. Woods quoted a letter from the City Marshal’s office requesting that an inspection be permitted on his family’s property.
The definitive visual companion to the life of Syd Barrett.
Special offer We’re joining with Nick Mason’s Saucerful of Secrets to celebrate the wonder of Syd-era Floyd. Get an incredible 50% discount on either edition of Barrett, the definitive visual companion to the life of Syd Barrett. Only available until end of Monday May 6. Purchase now. Simply choose your edition and select your shipping zone.
America's Immigration Policy Needs an Overhaul
The good side of the government shutdown is that I have had time to write. In some ways I write for a living due to my work as a political and economic officer with the Department of State. After fifteen years of mainly overseas service mostly in the ‘stans and Europe, I returned home last summer to teach new officers how to do political and economic work in embassies abroad.
Turkeys are a 'bird of courage'
"For my own part, I wish the bald eagle had not been chosen the representative of our country. He is a bird of bad moral character ... The turkey in comparison is a much more respectable bird, and withal a true original native of America ...
Obamacare mental health care not perfect in Kentucky but does good points
The future of mental healthcare in Kentucky depends on the outcome of larger battles happening right now in Washington and Frankfort. Politicians on both sides of the aisle, understandably intent on keeping campaign promises, fight tooth and nail over how to administer and fund Medicaid, whether the government can or should mandate health plans for all Americans, who should and should not be covered by insurance and how much that coverage should cost different levels of government.
Biogeographic comparison of
Over the last decade, publications on deep-sea corals have tripled. Most attention has been paid to Lophelia pertusa, a globally distributed scleractinian coral that creates critical three-dimensional habitat in the deep ocean. The bacterial community associated with L. pertusa has been previously described by a number of studies at sites in the Mediterranean Sea, Norwegian fjords, off Great Britain, and in the Gulf of Mexico (GOM).
May vs Reality: The truth behind Theresa May’s 12 point plan for Brexit
Theresa May has outlined her uncompromising programme for the UK’s exit from the EU, but are her 12 goals really all achievable? UK PRIME MINISTER Theresa May has outlined an uncomprimising case for ‘hard brexit’, removing the UK’s four nations from all the major institutions of the EU. European leaders and opposition parties have reacted with incredulity. But how plausible are the 12 goals she has outlined? Can the UK really get whatever it wants on trade? Can the UK itself survive the process?
OZY's Ultimate Holiday Homemaker Guide: The Tom & Jerry
Because overindulgence is what the holidays are all about. From our family to yours, OZY staff share their favorite time-honored holiday recipes to keep you warm, stuffed and slightly buzzed all season. As a kid growing up in the 1960s, I got a lot of mileage out of telling schoolmates that my uncle was Ed Sullivan. The Ed Sullivan, of course, was TV’s variety-show czar, the guy who introduced America to the Beatles, Richard Pryor and all those freak contortionists and plate-spinners.
Why do team-sport athletes drink fluid in excess when exercising in cool conditions?
This study assessed the potential physiological and perceptual drivers of fluid intake and thirst sensation during intermittent exercise. Ten male rugby players (17 ± 1 years, stature: 179.1 ± 4.2 cm, body mass (BM): 81.9 ± 8.1 kg) participated in six 6-min small-sided games, interspersed with 2 min rest, where fluid intake was ad libitum during rest periods.
Nicola Sturgeon swears loyalty to the people before the monarchy
All MSPs are forced to swear allegiance to Mrs Windsor, the Queen, to sit in parliament FIRST MINISTER Nicola Sturgeon has asserted her party’s “loyalty” to the people of Scotland on the day MSPs are required by law to swear allegiance to Mrs Windsor, the Queen, and any of her successors as unelected head of state.
.@Rise_Scotland spokesperson admits election campaign failures
Reflection on result admits mistakes and limits of voter strategy THE LEAD SPOKESPERSON for the Rise socialist alliance has conceded that the new coalition had a “brutal” and “painful” Scottish Parliament election result. Jamie Maxwell, who worked as the group’s media co-ordinator, reflecting on Rise’s performance on Bella Caledonia, admitted that its messaging and political organisation was not strong enough to persuade the public to back Rise.
Bute Brewery secures meeting with under-pressure council over closure risk
ANGER at Argyll and Bute Council has led to a promise of action over the threatened closure of a local brewery business - but no explanation has been provided for the bureaucratic nightmare which threatens its closure. Yesterday, CommonSpace reported that popular island brewery, Bute Brew Co. in Rothesay, Isle of Bute, was planning to close after months of effort to secure a derelict council site for business development was left in the lurch by unelected council officials.
Anger on Bute after council's derelict building decision leaves brewery on brink of closure
THE OWNER OF A POPULAR ISLAND BREWERY is considering giving up his business after a council authority rejected plans to expand to a derelict council-owned building. Bute Brew Co., based in the town of Rothesay on the Isle of Bute, had applied to revitalise an abandoned slaughterhouse site on the island's Meadows Road that has lain disused for over a decade.
4,835 UK addresses revealed from leaked Panama Papers documents
New documents provide vast quantity of data on secrecy jurisdiction industry PART OF THE BIGGEST data leak in the history of journalism has been made available, identifying the scale of the secrecy jurisdiction industry in Scotland and the UK.
McConnell, legislature can OK bills to improve mental-health care
Mental illness impacts millions of Americans and hundreds of thousands of Kentuckians, but is largely undiagnosed and untreated. As citizens of the commonwealth, we must hold our federal and state leaders accountable so they can fix gaps in the mental healthcare system.
Party campaign lines drawn over influence in new parliament
SCOTLAND’S five main parties have all promised to make an impact in the new parliament, with various proposals made of they will deal with a SNP-led government. The SNP’s election victory delivered a historic third term for Sturgeon’s party - but with the group just two seats short of a guaranteed majority some negotiations will be required to deliver the party’s budgets and manifesto commitments.
What you need to know about this week’s election
CommonSpace presents all the information and key points to look out for as the election results emerge this week EARLY ON FRIDAY MORNING [6 May] 32 council authority counts will declare the results of the fifth Scottish parliamentary elections. With 129 seats to be decided through Scotland’s two vote election system, there will be a tidal wave of data reflecting the new positions of the country’s political parties.
“TTIP is bad. Real bad”: Document leak undermines US-EU corporate pact
Secret talks unravel as truth emerges of TTIP threat to health and environment UNELECTED EU AND US bureaucrats negotiating key democratic freedoms and economic standards in secret have been exposed by the leak of sensitive documents at the heart of the controversial Transatlantic Trade and Investment Partnership (TTIP) project.
New @Common_Weal report warns economics of corporate fracking don’t stack up
Economic impact likely to be short-term and benefit major companies above communities THE USE OF fracking and other forms of unconventional gas extraction would damage Scotland’s economy in the long-term, according to a new report by the Common Weal think-tank. Controversial fracking licenses, granted across the central belt of Scotland, have been met with angry community opposition, mainly surrounding fears about the environmental impact of dirty fossil fuels extraction and burning.
Stop the War “absolutely certain” UK military forces waging war in Libya
Questions over use of covert missions without parliamentary scrutiny PEACE CAMPAIGNERS have raised concerns over reports of an ongoing secret UK war in Libya. The campaign organisation Stop the War told CommonSpace that it is “absolutely certain” that UK special forces are taking part in military operations in the war-torn North African nation of Libya, after years of fall-out following the overthrow of the Gaddafi regime.
Wealth of super-rich Scots reveals scale of national inequality
NEW WEALTH FIGURES have revealed the true scale of inequality in Scotland between the super-rich and the general population. A tiny clique of billionaire and multi-millionaire families own more wealth than the bottom million Scots combined. The figures, released in the Sunday Times rich list, confirm previous research by Oxfam Scotland on the scale of inequality and division in Scottish society.
Exclusive: Edinburgh university has spying strategy on activists’ social media
EDINBURGH UNIVERSITY MANAGERS plotted to undermine student protests through “monitoring social media where possible”, a document leaked to CommonSpace reveals. A meeting of “finance managers” last month felt “a clearer strategy is required from top down” to counter the campaign against university fossil fuels and arms investments, and therefore “managers along with security” should monitor the communications of student activists.
Campaigners ask the SNP: ‘What happened to rent controls?’ #SP16
Disappointment that anti-poverty measure is missing from SNP manifesto HOUSING JUSTICE CAMPAIGNERS have expressed concern that an SNP promise to deliver a “national system of rent controls” does not appear in the party’s Holyrood manifesto. The campaign for rent controls - which aims to improve the quality of private housing and reduce high cost pressures - has won support across Scotland’s biggest party and welcomed a new policy motion in Spring.
SNP launches #sp16 manifesto with pledge to tackle inequality if re-elected
THE SCOTTISH NATIONAL PARTY has launched its election 2016 manifesto pledging to “lift more people out of poverty” if re-elected for a third term to govern Scotland. Today [Wednesday 20 April] the 30,000 word document revealed the party’s prospectus for government including tax freezes, childcare investment, and a continued commitment to independence.
10 take-away headlines from the SNP manifesto launch
CommonSpace takes a look at some policy pledges from the SNP THE SCOTTISH ELECTION has been dominated by tax and spending pledges, alongside calls to tackle inequality. The SNP’s 30,000 word manifesto claims the party can tackle inequality and meet the expectations of campaigns for social reform. Here are some of the main policies confirmed today [Wednesday 20 April] in Edinburgh. The SNP will keep the council tax - with increased rates for those in the most expensive homes.
.@ScottishTUC conference launches with celebration of trade unionism #stuc16
THE TRADE UNION movement should make the case for stronger workers’ rights in the face of attempts to undermine representation in the workplace, according to Scottish Trades Union Congress (STUC) president Lawrence Wason. Wason, from the USDAW union, launched the 119th conference of the STUC this morning in Dundee as hundreds of trade union representatives met to organise campaigns and establish national policy.
At a glance: 8 key points from the Scottish Green manifesto launch #SP16
Party pledges that jobs, tax and public services will form the Green agenda in parliament TAXATION AND THE ECONOMY would be the ‘Green lines’ for any Scottish Green Party MSPs after the election, according to co-convener Patrick Harvie. The Green manifesto, published yesterday [Tuesday 12 April] aims to develop the party’s image beyond its traditional environmental roots towards a wider audience of voters.
Scottish Greens pitch for power over tax policy with leftwing manifesto #SP16
Tax reform tops list of Scottish Green priorities for the next parliament THE SCOTTISH GREENS will push for a more ambitious approach to tax from the expected SNP-led government after the Scottish election. Launching the party’s full manifesto in Edinburgh today [Tuesday 12 April] lead party candidates agreed that its tax proposals would be their number one ‘Green line’ in the event of any hung parliament negotiations.
MP Dr Philippa Whitford spends parliamentary recess performing surgery in Palestine
Whitford: returning to Palestine hospital was like “coming home” CENTRAL AYRSHIRE MP Dr Philippa Whitford returned to Palestine this week to carrying out life saving breast cancer surgeries on women who struggle to access health service. Whitford, who timed the trip with the UK parliamentary recess, carried out four surgeries in the occupation ravaged West Bank of the occupied Palestinian territories.
David Cameron’s family finances linked to ownership of Scottish tax haven land
Questions remain over tax haven assets surrounding the family finances of David Cameron and Lord Astor BOTH SIDES of the UK prime minister’s family have now been implicated in the fall-out from the Panama Papers tax haven scandal. Pressure is building on Cameron to reveal whether he is set to benefit from his late-father’s multi-million pound tax haven investment firm, revealed this week among the 11 million Panama Papers.
The Brits exposed so far by the #PanamaPapers tax haven scandal
Banks, David Cameron, and the overseas territories system in firing line THE GLOBAL TAX HAVEN SCANDAL from the leaked ‘Panama papers’ exposed links between the tax haven firm Mossack Fonseca and almost every nation on earth. Over half of the 215,000 firms identified in the leaks are based in UK administered tax havens - placing the UK at the heart of a system linked to money laundering, crime and systematic tax evasion.
Global elite exposed by #PanamaPapers in Mossack Fonseca tax haven scandal
Single leak exposes almost every nation on earth to complicity in offshore secrecy THE BIGGEST DATA LEAK in the history of journalism has exposed the world’s rich and powerful as complicit in a vast offshore secrecy cabal. Over 11m files from Panama legal-financial firm Mossack Fonseca have been distributed to over 100 global media outlets, exposing dozens of powerful politicians, 500 banks, and the social chaos created by the offshore secrecy industry.
Understanding, funding needed to fight mental illness
Many Kentuckians suffering from mental illness are not getting the treatment they badly need. As a society and as a state, we do not fully understand it, we do not fund it, and so our relatives, friends and neighbors are unable to be treated and be well. Our society is experiencing a growing awareness of mental illness due to a relatively small number of high-profile tragedies and an increasing willingness of patients to come forward and discuss their conditions.
SNP to provide every Scottish child with mini-saltire flag in summer indy campaign
New independence pledge aims to boost national pride and flag economy EVERY CHILD under the age of five will be provided with a mini-national flag as part of the SNP's upcoming summer campaign aimed at persuading No voters to back independence, CommonSpace can reveal. The scheme will provide towards 300,000 saltires to children before they reach primary school, an announcement that has been welcomed by Scotland’s flag makers.
Ex-forces personnel speak out against military visits to Scottish schools
Veterans for Peace speakers: education should bring peace not militarisation FORMER NAVAL AND ARMY SERVICES PEOPLE are the latest figures to back the campaign to reform the “disproportionate” number of visits targeting school children for military careers. Conor McAllister (ex-navy) and Geoffrey Martin (ex-army) addressed a meeting in Glasgow last week to share their forces experiences and reasons for reforming UK military activity.
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