John Judge obituary
As chief quantity surveyor at Manchester city council, my father, John Judge, who has died aged 91, was part of a team that led the city’s housebuilding programmes from the 1960s to the 90s.One of his roles was to create bills of quantities with specifications for all the work to be conducted, which were then priced up, after which tenders were invited for each scheme.He then helped to manage the work through to completion.John was born in Regina in Canada to English parents, Rosannah (nee Cahill) and her husband, Thomas Judge, a telephone linesman.John’s father died when he was three and afterwards his mother and her five children moved to Swinton in Lancashire, where she worked as a cleaner.
There was little money within the household, and at one point, when the family were evicted unjustly from their home, he was separated from his mother for a time.That experience of housing insecurity never left him, and informed his later work.After doing his secondary schooling at Worsley Technical College in Manchester John began as a probationer at a small quantity surveying practice while studying part-time at the College of Estate Management via a correspondence course.A fine sprinter, he joined Swinton Athletic Club in 1950 and competed in a number of high profile races, including one against Charlie Pratt, the US intercollegiate champion, in a televised meet at the White City stadium in London.When he began his national service in 1958 with the Royal Engineers they latched on to his athletic talent and he was able to improve even further by training daily.
He represented the Army in the Inter-Services Championships and became the Army record holder over 100 and 220 yards.Once John’s national service had finished he began his career with Manchester city council in 1960, rising to be chief quantity surveyor and later senior assistant director of the council’s consulting services.Throughout his working life he was known for his empathetic approach and an ability to remain on good terms with all.He was always supportive of fellow staff members and became a respected mentor.After retirement in 1997 John studied law at the Open University as a hobby, adding a second degree, at the age of 70, to the one he had gained in the 70s in the history of architecture, also with the OU.
John’s wife, Audrey (nee Lloyd), a teacher whom he married in 1961, died in 2020.He is survived by their four children, Sarah, Lisa, Edward and me, and nine grandchildren.
Every person should have care – not lethal drugs | Letters
The argument that the legalisation of assisted suicide in Oregon in 1997 has not started a “slippery slope” is dangerously misleading (‘Slippery slope’ fears over assisted dying have echoes of abortion debate, 24 November). While Oregon’s eligibility criteria have changed little, their interpretation has widened and safeguards have been relaxed. Oregon’s law, like Kim Leadbeater’s proposed bill, allows assisted suicide for adults with a “terminal illness that will lead to death within six months”. Interpretation of “terminal illness” has expanded such that physicians have prescribed lethal drugs to people with anorexia and arthritis.As for safeguards, Oregon’s 15-day “waiting period” (similar to that proposed in Kim Leadbeater’s bill) ceased to be mandatory in 2020
John Judge obituary
As chief quantity surveyor at Manchester city council, my father, John Judge, who has died aged 91, was part of a team that led the city’s housebuilding programmes from the 1960s to the 90s. One of his roles was to create bills of quantities with specifications for all the work to be conducted, which were then priced up, after which tenders were invited for each scheme. He then helped to manage the work through to completion.John was born in Regina in Canada to English parents, Rosannah (nee Cahill) and her husband, Thomas Judge, a telephone linesman. John’s father died when he was three and afterwards his mother and her five children moved to Swinton in Lancashire, where she worked as a cleaner
‘The science of fluoride is starting to evolve’: behind the risks and benefits of the mineral
A national conversation about fluoride’s health benefits exploded this fall after a federal toxicology report, court ruling and independent scientific review all called for updated risk-benefit analysis.Fluoride, a naturally occurring mineral in some regions, has been added to community water supplies since the mid-20th century when studies found exposure dramatically reduced tooth decay.The controversy, heightened by description of the mineral as “industrial waste” by Robert F Kennedy Jr, Donald Trump’s pick to lead the US health department, highlights questions some towns are now wrestling with: should the mineral’s well-established protective effects against tooth decay be prioritized lest Americans, and especially children, be subject to unnecessary pain and shame from an unhealthy smile? Or should the possibility of neurodevelopment effects be prioritized, even as studies continue?“Fluoride is the perfect example of helping people without them even having to do anything,” said Dr Sreenivas Koka, the former dean of the University of Mississippi Medical Center’s school of dentistry. The state is a “dental desert”, where there is only one dentist for every 2,120 residents. “Fluoride in the water – all you have to do is drink water and you’ll get the benefit
Esther Rantzen urges MPs to vote on ‘vital issue’ of assisted dying
Esther Rantzen, whose terminal cancer diagnosis led her to campaign for the legalisation of assisted dying, has issued an impassioned plea to MPs to vote this week on a “vital life-and-death issue”.The television personality told MPs “my time is running out” but the issue was one “the public care desperately about” and said it might not be debated by MPs “for another decade” if the legislation did not pass.Rantzen, who has stage 4 lung cancer, revealed almost a year ago that she wanted to be able to die at a time of her own choosing surrounded by loved ones, galvanising a national debate about assisted dying.In the first Westminster vote on the issue in nearly 10 years, MPs will decide on Friday whether England and Wales should join other jurisdictions including 10 US states, New Zealand, Canada, six countries in Europe and most of Australia in legalising assisted dying.Scotland, the Isle of Man and Jersey are expected to legislate for change in the next couple of years
Three former Conservative prime ministers are against assisted dying bill
Three former Conservative prime ministers are against the assisted dying bill, it has been revealed.Theresa May, Boris Johnson and Liz Truss have expressed their opposition to a change in the law, days before MPs vote on assisted dying proposals affecting patients in England and Wales for the first time in almost a decade.May was expected to vote against Friday’s bill, the Daily Telegraph reported, noting her position had not changed since she voted against the legislation in 2015.Johnson cannot vote because he is not a member of parliament, but he said he would not support the legislation as it stands. Rishi Sunak previously said he would back a change in the law over assisted dying, but it has been reported that it does not necessarily mean he will support the bill
‘Doing it with no partner is easier’: the single women using fertility treatments
It was Covid that gave Amy, 45, the final push to have fertility treatment on her own. “I had been thinking about it for a while, and then with Covid, I thought: ‘I’m never gonna meet anybody.’ And I didn’t really want to be that woman who’s like: ‘Hey, we’ve been on one internet date. Let’s have a baby!”Amy struck lucky with her first embryo transfer and is now the mother of a three-year-old. “I feel very blessed,” she said
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Australia’s mission improbable: crack the genius of Jasprit Bumrah in 10 days | Barney Ronay