DHL v. Lisa Jewell and bullying

Hi - I'm reading "Watching You: Brilliant psychological crime from the author of
THEN SHE WAS GONE" by Lisa Jewell and wanted to share this quote with you.

"Freddie nodded. ‘It’s horrible.’
But then he straightened and said, ‘But it wasn’t my dad. Was it?’
She looked at the article and thought that people not being charged with crimes didn’t mean they hadn’t committed them. It just meant that no one could find enough evidence to say that they had. But she didn’t say that.
She smiled instead and said, ‘Doesn’t look like it.’
‘She was being bullied,’ he continued, pointing at the relevant section.
‘That’s probably why she did it. That happens a lot, doesn’t it? People being bullied at school and killing themselves?’
‘Yes,’ she said vaguely,
‘yes it does.’
‘So, that’s probably what happened. Isn’t it?’
‘Yes,’ she said again. But if that was the case then why was Viva’s mother hitting Mr Fitzwilliam?
Why was she not hitting the bullies who had hounded her daughter to her death?
What was in Viva’s diary that had made her mother believe that Mr Fitzwilliam was to blame for her death? There was no way of knowing. The only people who would know what was written in Viva’s diary were her family. The Harts.
‘Here,’ she said, turning the screen towards herself again and pressing the back button.
‘Let’s see what else we can find.’ She scanned through the search results until she found an article accompanied by a photograph. She zoomed right in on the photo and stared for a while at the image: a pretty girl with long, very dark hair, big eyes and an air about her of imminent hilarity. She looked kind, Jenna felt, and thoughtful. It was impossible to imagine this girl taking herself to a dank old chicken shop, chopping off all her beautiful hair with a pair of scissors and hanging herself with a pair of tights. It was impossible to imagine her being dead. The mother’s name was given in this article. She was called Sandra. No father was mentioned. She typed in Sandra Hart but it brought her full circle back to the newspaper articles about her daughter. Then she went on to Facebook and clicked on a few ‘Sandra Harts’, but each turned out to be too young or too old or to have no connection with anyone or anything apposite to any elements of the Genevieve Hart story. And then she clicked on a Sandra Hart who lived in Sheffield and had been born in Derby in 1957. Her page was set to private, so Jenna clicked on the only link that was available: her friends’ list. She only had twenty-two. Jenna went through them one by one until she got to the profile of a younger woman called Rebecca Louise Hart. Her page was also set to private but her personal information was available,"

Start reading it for free: http://amzn.eu/9nBKfu2

--------

Download Kindle for Android, iOS, PC, Mac and more

http://amzn.to/1WLoAkB


Have to give a win to Lisa on this one.
I don't actually know of anyone who has killed themselves due to DHL bullying, but I know they've been close.

DHL v Lisa Jewell

Hi - I'm reading "Watching You:

Brilliant psychological crime from the author of

THEN SHE WAS GONE" by Lisa Jewell and wanted to share this quote with you.

"her mum’s side and touched her shoulder.

Her mother clasped her hand over hers.

‘My daughter knows what I’ve been through.

She can tell you.

She can tell you everything.

Maybe then someone will listen.’

‘Mum, we’re going home now.’ Jenna gently pulled her mum to her feet and started to lead her towards the door.

‘I’ve written to the chief superintendent three times in the last six months. I’ve written to my councillor and my MP. Nobody wants to know. I get fobbed off with these meaningless stock replies. Maybe now, maybe someone will actually listen. And you two!’

Her mother turned suddenly as they neared the front door and pointed at the embarrassed-looking couple.

‘I’m sorry I had to approach you both so heavy-handedly. I can see that wasn’t ideal. But as long as decent people like you keep believing what you’re told about people like him, nothing will ever change.’

‘Come on, Mum.’ Jenna kept her moving.

The police officer held open the door and finally her mum was out of the hotel bar, on the pavement. People stopped and watched.

Traffic slowed as it passed.

The two police officers escorted Jenna and her mum back to their house and stayed"

Start reading it for free: http://amzn.eu/fJcyMHN
--------
Download Kindle for Android, iOS, PC, Mac and more
http://amzn.to/1WLoAkB

Feel like you're banging you're head against a brick wall?

I do.

I get the impression DHL know this, and that's why they can get away with more or less anything they want.

I'm not beaten yet.

DHL v. Peter James

Hi - I'm reading "Dead If You Don't (Roy Grace Book 14)" by Peter James and wanted to share this quote with you.

Another great read from Peter James

"Roy Grace arrived home at 10.30 p.m.
As he climbed out of his car, nearly on his knees with exhaustion, a text appeared on his job phone.
It was from Cassian Pewe.
I want you in my office at 9am without fail, Roy.
He stood, staring at it, thinking about something he had read in a management training course he had been on, some years back.
Too often in organizations, sooner or later incompetent people fail upwards.
He was so tempted to text that to the ACC. Instead he sent a terse, one-word reply.
Fine.
It might have been nice if his boss had said a thank-you for what he had done today –even just a tiny one.
But it seemed Cassian Pewe had been born with the ability to give praise missing from his DNA.
Humphrey barked as Roy walked in the pitch-darkness from the car towards the house.
The security light came on.
He unlocked the front door and patted the excited dog, then went through to the living room.
Cleo, looking as drained as he felt, was on the sofa, a glass of white wine on the coffee table in front of her, watching the news.

Start reading it for free: http://amzn.eu/5gOTi5o

--------

Download Kindle for Android, iOS, PC, Mac and more

http://amzn.to/1WLoAkB

"Too often in organizations, sooner or later incompetent people fail upwards."
I've heard a similar phrase before, usually applied to the brown nosers using the work and results of others to gain promotion.
DHL Managers? I think so.

As do others

DHL v. One Step Ahead

Hi - I'm reading "ONE STEP AHEAD: detectives hunt a serial killer who knows all their moves (The DSI Jeffrey Brandt Murders Trilogy Book 1)" by DENVER MURPHY and wanted to share this quote with you.

"Well this is it, thought McNeil.
Any hopes of being allowed to quietly slip back into the anonymity of his old role had been dashed.
He would now have to face the humiliation and injustice of being blamed for merely following orders.
Whilst he knew that he would want to stand up for himself and argue that any fallout from that day was Johnson’s responsibility for hatching the risky, not to mention ethically questionable, plan, he also still felt somewhat intimidated by her. Even if he could brave the inevitable wrath that would immediately meet his accusations, he could do nothing to stop her exacting revenge by ensuring he was given nothing more high profile in the future than shoplifting. He could of course make a formal complaint but as modern as the police was in the 21st century, and as much as official policy endorsed whistle-blowing, the truth was tradition came above everything. A grass was still a grass, and a grass could not be trusted; shunned forevermore by his colleagues. If Sergeant Andrews had an opinion on how best to handle the situation, he clearly wasn’t keen to share it and maintained his focus on completing sections in his logbook.
All that remained for McNeil was to get this over and done with, in the hope that he might be allowed to leave early and crack on with his plan to quickly fall into an inebriated oblivion. It was as he neared the top of the stairs that he remembered he still didn’t know the code to enter the plain clothes’ floor. Just as he was about to gingerly knock, like a school pupil at the door to the staffroom, he heard footsteps behind.
Without greeting, Johnson brushed past him and started punching numbers into the keypad.
McNeil was hit by the strong aroma of fresh cigarette smoke mixed in with whatever perfume she had applied that morning. Although she held the door open behind her, she did not look in McNeil’s direction and strode across the floor towards her office.
That none of the few detectives in the room glanced in either of their directions was small comfort. He walked into Johnson’s office and turned to close the door, having resolved to speak first; hoping that a heartfelt, in tone at least, apology might go some way to fixing things
 Nevertheless, it was she who spoke first: ‘Who shat in your cornflakes?’
‘I’m sorry?’ Not quite the apology McNeil had intended.
‘I said, why are you looking so glum all of a sudden?’
‘But, ma’am, the flat… Sarah, Josh…’
‘Ah, bollocks to that. So what?’
‘But I thought you would be…’ Was all he could manage in reply.
‘Nah, it was a long shot anyway.’ She smiled and eased back in her chair.
‘And as for that contemptuous little twat, I would love to have seen the look on his face when he saw all those automatic weapons trained on him.’"

Start reading it for free: http://amzn.eu/diiZ53v

--------

Download Kindle for Android, iOS, PC, Mac and more

http://amzn.to/1WLoAkB

Have to rate this as a draw, both side stepping their whistle-blowing policies.

Denver Murphy on Radio

Hi - I'm reading "ONE STEP AHEAD: detectives hunt a serial killer who knows all their moves (The DSI Jeffrey Brandt Murders Trilogy Book 1)" by DENVER MURPHY and wanted to share this quote with you.

I'm really with Denver on some of these quotes

"Chapter Eleven
Brandt was singing.
He had never liked listening to the radio and failed to understand why it was so popular.
Why would you spend your time hearing a bunch of songs you didn’t like on the off chance something might be played that was bearable?
Worst of all was those annoyingly cheerful DJs, so stuck for something to say, they invited contributions from dim-witted listeners who had nothing better to do than to call in and share their inane anecdotes.
The only time he tended to switch on the radio was to listen to the news, and for that he deliberately selected a station which didn’t play music at all.
But today was an exception.
Today he was in a good mood.
As soon as he turned on the ignition, he had surfed through the pre-programmed stations on the car’s stereo and had quickly settled on Radio 2.
Most of what was being played was modern stuff he didn’t recognise but currently it was David Bowie’s Let’s Dance. Having never bought a Bowie track in his life, he was surprised to find how many of the words he knew. For those he didn’t, he was quite happy to mumble his way along until the chorus came around. His singing continued with the next song: Lady In Red. It was one of his ex-wife’s favourites but even that didn’t bother him.
She had loved Stars In Their Eyes, an irritating 1990s so-called talent competition where people got made over to supposedly look like the artist they were going to attempt to perform as. Soon after they had started dating, he remembered her crying when the real Chris De Burgh surprised some loser in the middle of the song and turned it into a duet. However, he doubted if his bitch of a wife or if any of the morons who watched it were hearing the lyrics in the same way he did today:"

Start reading it for free: http://amzn.eu/bRXPJM3

--------

Download Kindle for Android, iOS, PC, Mac and more

http://amzn.to/1WLoAkB

Sent from my iPad

Denver Murphy on Football

Hi - I'm reading "ONE STEP AHEAD: detectives hunt a serial killer who knows all their moves (The DSI Jeffrey Brandt Murders Trilogy Book 1)" by DENVER MURPHY and wanted to share this quote with you.

Great quote from a really good book. Having watched a bit of Spanish football recently, the broken leg scenario gets taken to the extreme.

"Similarly, he had found a way of getting Franklin to agree to meet up when it had seemed he would be too busy. But on the other hand, he didn’t even know what Arsenal game Franklin had been referring to, much less had tickets for them.
Brandt hated football; ninety minutes of watching massively overpaid prima donnas falling to the ground and writhing in mock-pain as though they had broken their legs, only to jump up and celebrate scoring a goal like they had just discovered the cure for cancer.
And that was watching it on television from the comfort of his armchair.
The only enjoyment it had ever provided him was the fact that his wife had hated it more. Switching it on had been Brandt’s way of driving her from the sitting room; something he found all too tempting in the latter years of their marriage. Now, not only would he have to go to a game by choice, but he would have to pay for the privilege. As Brandt headed into the kitchen to fire up his laptop, he tried to reassure himself that he had made the right decision under difficult circumstances, and what he would gain from the day would be worth the hassle.
After twenty minutes on the internet and a frustrating phone call, he realised that the effort required to make this work was far greater than he had imagined. His initial relief at discovering they were playing at home, rather than somewhere like Newcastle, was tempered by who their opponents were. Even Brandt’s limited knowledge extended to an appreciation that a game between Arsenal and their north London rivals Tottenham Hotspur was likely to increase demand for tickets."

Start reading it for free: http://amzn.eu/bsUMw9Q

--------

Download Kindle for Android, iOS, PC, Mac and more

http://amzn.to/1WLoAkB

Sent from my iPad

DHL v. Ultimatum (Tina Boyd 6) by Simon Kernick

Hi - I'm reading "Ultimatum: (Tina Boyd 6)" by Simon Kernick and wanted to share this quote with you.

It's a great read, pity I started with book 6 though

Beyond the corridor walls, Tina could hear the faint sound of cell doors clanking and the staccato shouts of prisoners. The air felt hot and artificial, with an unpleasant undercurrent of cleaning products, reminding her of a hospital.

The guard’s words unnerved her, even though she’d heard the same thing from different sources plenty of times.

It was always disconcerting to know that however hard you fought, the war against the bad guys was ultimately unwinnable.

‘The whole country’s a tinderbox, Officer Thomson,’ she said.

‘The riots in 2011 showed that. We’ve just got to make sure we do our bit and keep blowing out the matches.’ She decided to change the subject.

‘This attack on Garrett by Eric Hughes. Do you think it was spontaneous, or planned?’

‘It’s difficult to tell. Hughes is a nasty piece of work –they both are –but there was no history of conflict between the two of them. The men in here are some of the most dangerous in the country, and they’re living in unnatural conditions, so their behaviour can get unpredictable.’

‘What about the camera? I heard it was tampered with.’ ‘It was broken, but we’re not sure it was deliberate.’

‘Do you know how long it was broken for?’

Thomson shrugged. ‘Things like that are meant to be fixed straight away for health and safety reasons, but we’re like everyone else. Short of money and short of staff. So it could have been a while.’

‘Would the prisoners have known the camera was out of order? I mean, it would explain why Hughes attacked Garrett where he did.’

‘I honestly don’t know,’ he answered, but Tina’s antennae picked up something in his voice that made her think he might be lying. She filed it away for future reference. They stopped at a set of heavy double doors and Thomson used a card to swipe them through.

He nodded at a guard on the other side, who unlocked another set of doors, and then they were into the maximum-security section of the prison. It was far quieter in here, and the smell of cleaning fluids stronger, making Tina feel slightly nauseous. Thomson turned to her as they walked down a windowless tunnel illuminated with garish strip lighting.

‘Be careful of our Mr Garrett. He might be polite and quiet, but I wouldn’t trust him an inch.’

‘Don’t worry, Officer Thomson. I can look after myself.’

‘So I’ve heard, Miss Boyd. So I’ve heard.’

They stopped outside a door where two more prison officers stood guard.

‘He’ll be handcuffed for the duration of your interview, and there’s a panic button in case he tries anything. Press it and we’ll intervene immediately.’

Tina smiled. ‘Thanks, but I’m sure he won’t do anything stupid. He knows there’s no way out of here.’ Officer Thomson nodded.

‘Exactly,’ he said, opening the reinforced door. ‘Right now, he’s got nothing to lose.’"

"‘No. I’ve got to say I’m surprised. I’m not even working on the Stanhope case.’

‘The reason is I trust you. And I also think you can get things done. Most people do what they’re told, fill in the forms they’re meant to fill in, and let their bosses make the big decisions. That’s why this country’s in such a parlous state. Nobody likes taking responsibility any more. If it had been any other copper sitting where you are today, things would move slowly. With you, I think we might be able to get somewhere.’

Tina resisted telling him that as a DC in a mid-sized CID department, she really wasn’t in that powerful a position.

‘I’ll do what I can,’ she said. He nodded slowly

‘I know you will. I hear there’s a team still investigating the events at the Stanhope. I’m assuming they briefed you before you came here.’"

"within the police service itself, he ran eleven crackhouses across north-east London that were reputed to net him more than two hundred grand a week. And they were never shut down because one of Tyndall’s front companies bought the properties being used to sell the dope as well as the properties next door (usually at knockdown prices) so that complaints from neighbours were kept to a minimum, which meant the cops weren’t too interested either.

If no one reports a crime, there’s an argument that a lot of target-obsessed senior coppers subscribe to that says it’s not actually being committed.

Ergo, everyone –dealers, addicts, civilians, the law –stays happy.

One of the headaches you’ve got as a crack entrepreneur, though, is getting the cash out of your establishments and into your own grubby mitts. You need men you can trust for this. Men who are reliable, and who scare"

Start reading it for free: http://amzn.eu/e7bTIZP

--------

Download Kindle for Android, iOS, PC, Mac and more http://amzn.to/1WLoAkB

It was always disconcerting to know that however hard you fought, the war against the bad guys was ultimately unwinnable. - I suspect that the bad guys know how to play the rules, so that's a win for DHL, but I'm not beaten yet.

Health and Safety Executive

What happens after you report a health and safety issue

We use the information you tell us to assess if it’s something we should look into.  If it is, then we will take up the problem you report with the company by contacting them by phone, writing or a site visit. We make that assessment within 24 hours (during the working week).  Then, within 21 days, we will tell you what action we’re taking. We can only do this if you tell us your email or postal address.

When we can’t help

We won’t always be able to look into your problem. This could be because:

• it’s something we’re not responsible for
• you haven’t given us enough information for us to make an assessment on what is wrong, who is doing it, where and what law applies
• we decide that it is not a problem that we should take up
• you are reporting it for someone else (unless they are a child).

IQ News

IQ

New IQ Album
IQ are busy in the studio over the next few months recording the, as yet untitled, long awaited follow up to The Road of Bones. No track listing to report as yet, but its looking likely that there will again be a special edition of the album with a second disc of unused material.
To promote the album the band will be playing a series of shows later in the year and early next year, beginning with a special album launch show at the Islington Assembly Hall on September 7^th.
IQ live dates confirmed so far:

2019

• April 13^th - Artrock Festival VII, Reichenbach Im Vogtland, Germany
• June 22^nd - Midsummer Prog, Valkenburg, NL
• July 19^th - Night of the Prog Festival, Loreley, Germany
  
  NEW ALBUM TOUR:
  
• Sept 7^th - Album launch gig, Islington Assembly Hall, UK
• September 20^th - Viften, Copenhagen, Denmark
• September 21^st - Fryshuset Klubben, Stockholm, Sweden
  (more dates to be added in October)
  
  THE LEGENDARY IQ CHRISTMAS BASH(ES)
  
• December 6^th - The Garage, Islington, UK
• December 14^th - De Boerderij, Zoetermeer, NL.

2020

• January 11^th - The Met, Bury, UK
• January 24^th - The Colos-Saal, Aschaffenburg, Germany

You can find the latest links to purchase tickets at the official IQ website HERE or on the IQ Facebook page HERE

General Enquiry

General Enquiry

---

Thank you, we have now received your form.

Your reference number is C19/034153. Please make a note of this number as you will need to refer to it should you need to contact us again.
You should receive a response within 15 working days.