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Defensive tackle Fred Jones was not observed practicing after he walked into practice with a heavy limp, and Cory Durden was not practicing.
The defensive ends worked on identifying the play and adjusting accordingly. Some reps called for them to bounce outside and stick with the quarterback while others asked them to get inside with the running back.
Linebackers DeCalon Brooks and Dontavious Jackson were both wearing non-contact jerseys at Tuesday’s linebackers.
The linebackers worked on blitzing through the correct gaps on an offensive line represented by lined up garbage cans. Once near the quarterback, the linebackers raised their hands to try and affect the pass while a third linebacker jumped the route of a short pass to the right side.
The defensive backs worked on a number of close coverage drills Tuesday. The first saw a defensive back staying right with another defensive back acting as a receiver through a series of quick cuts.
The second was a weaving drill around players which again forced the defensive back to stay with the wide receiver through a series of obstacles and for an extended period of time.
Keidel: Seahawks-Patriots Super Bowl Rematch Worth The HypeThe Seahawks-Patriots winner in Week 10 won't get a Lombardi Trophy, but they might be the Super Bowl favorite come February.
Seattle Seahawks SoaringThe Seahawks, with a convincing win over the Vikings and a favorable schedule remaining, could roll right into the playoffs.
WATCH: Letterman, Belichick Playfully Discuss Deflategate On 'Late Show'"I know you know exactly what happened," Letterman said. "You know I know you know, and what it was was some kind of horseplay. Am I right?"
Worst Play Call Ever? Seahawks Players Criticize Disastrous Decision By CarrollBecause they didn't go into Beast Mode, the Seattle Seahawks found themselves in Spin Mode after losing Super Bowl XLIX.
Keidel: Seahawks' Stupidity Shouldn't Overshadow The Greatness Of BradyWe can now finally and forever say that Tom Brady broke through that historical membrane between three and four Lombardi Trophies, which just made him part of a most holy trinity of quarterbacks.
There’s rioting in the streets of San Francisco. And no, it’s not excitement about election day.
You can see exactly where people are going nuts.
Earlier tonight, the San Francisco Giants defeated the Texas Rangers to win the World Series (that’s baseball, if you were confused). Afterwards, your typical intoxicated excited sports fans began celebrating in slightly socially unacceptable ways. Nothing too earth-shattering there, especially when you compare it to soccer hooligans.
The craziness in San Francisco, though, has a new social-media component that adds a completely different dimension to raucous behavior: instant self-journalism. You can see photos of what is happening around the city as it occurs, listen to police radio streams, and you can track wherever the crazed action is based on twitter reports. Even better, you can “check into” a riot on Foursquare, a social connections app.
Leave it to San Francisco to incorporate social media into literally everything in the world.
Considering that Insomniac Games planned to release all three of its downloadable content packs for Marvel’s Spider-Man before year’s end, we figured it wouldn’t be long before we heard about the next pack that would be following last month’s The Heist. And now we have.
A new report from IGN indicates that the next downloadable content for the game will be called Turf Wars, and it’ll be set for release this month, on November 20.
Neither Insomniac Games nor Sony have officially announced the DLC yet, but considering it’s less than two weeks away from release, we’ll more than likely see the ball rolling on it any day now. You can see this image below.
IGN confirmed the content with its own copy of the game, and after giving it a look, I can safely say the same. Looks like the adventure will continue in just a few more days -- and with Hammerhead in tow, nevertheless!
It looks like Hammerhead’s ties with organized crime will play a part in the storyline, just as it has done within Marvel’s main shared universe in the comics. The character initially made his debut in The Amazing Spider-Man #113 back in October 1972, bringing with him a rather large noggin that can make him a real headache to some. He belongs to the Hammerhead Family, a Maggia crime family that will no doubt have residence in the city to some degree.
As for his reshaped skull, it was put back together using an unbendable steel alloy following an injury -- thus the headache portion of his persona.
We should know more details about the DLC very soon, complete with a debut trailer that features Hammerhead in action!
Marvel’s Spider-Man is available now for PlayStation 4 and PlayStation 4 Pro. Be sure to check out our review!
The minister announced that President Magufuli has warned Mr Lwakatare few minutes after he told the Press that he had been sacked.
Transport services were paralyzed yesterday morning after some of Udart drivers reportedly went on a strike.
Dodoma/Dar. Events along the Dar es Salaam Rapid Transit (Dart) yesterday were a clear manifestation that the public rapid transport system was facing serious operational challenges.
This started with Udart drivers going on a strike claiming having not been paid salaries for two months, a move that caused thousands of city commuters to get stranded at terminals and general disruption of services.
In another development, President John Magufuli yesterday issued a stern warning against (Dart) managing director Ronald Lwakatare.
This was said by the Minister of State in the President’s Office (Regional Administrations and Local Government), Mr Suleiman Jafo, during a press conference.
The minister first briefed reporters that the President had sacked Mr Lwakatare. However, before reporters dispersed they were recalled to the conference room where he told them that the President had only issued a strong warning against Mr Lwakatare.
Earlier, Mr Jafo had told reporters that the President had replaced Mr Lwakatare with Tanroad Singida regional manager Leornard Kapogo. Udart, which operates transport services along Dart, however, said transport services were disrupted because most of their buses were damaged by the May floods at Jangwani.
The disruption forced Dar es Salaam Regional Commissioner Paul Makonda to issue a statement over the matter. He said that he was not satisfied with the way Udart has been operating.
“I’m sure President Magufuli feels the same because the project was aimed at addressing transport woes in the city,” he said in the statement. Speaking during a tour by the labour commissioner, Udart managing director Charles Newe admitted that some officials had gone for two months without salaries.
However, Mr Newe said the company has already started to pay them. According to him the company failed to pay salaries since Tanzania Revenues Authority (TRA) froze its account over a tax dispute.
“Most of problems started in May, when some of our buses were damaged by floods at our Jangwani yard,” he said. Seventy Udart buses are still being held by TRA at Dar es Salaam Port after importers failed to pay the due taxes. Mr Jafo on Tuesday insisted that the government wouldn’t grant them an exemption.
Damen Shipyards Group has signed a contract with Abu Dhabi Ports and its subsidiary Abu Dhabi Marine Services (Safeen) for the supply of two new Damen ASD Tugs 2411, at the ongoing Abu Dhabi International Boat Show (ADIBS).
The four-day show will conclude on October 20.
The contract was signed by Captain Adil Ahmed Banihammad, the acting chief marine services officer at Safeen, and Pascal Slingerland, regional sales director for Damen Shipyards Group, said a statement.
Delivery of both vessels is due within three months, it said.
Abu Dhabi Ports is a vital part of the Abu Dhabi economy, owning and operating 11 ports and managing over 55,000 vessel calls each year. The ASD Tugs 2411 will bring valuable additional vessel handling capabilities to the group.
Examples of the class can be found operating all over the world and they are highly regarded for their excellent pulling power (70 tonnes), reliability and manoeuvrability, all contained within a compact, 24-m hull.
The two tugs will join the 12 harbour tugs already in service with Safeen, the fleet operating subsidiary of Abu Dhabi Ports responsible for pilotage, mooring, vessel handing and towage at Abu Dhabi Ports, and will bring a new level of capability. In particular, they will be supporting vessel movements at Khalifa Port’s two container terminals managed by ADT/MSC and COSCO Shipping Port Limited (CSPL) as well as EGA’s berth for Bauxite shipped to its smelter in Al Taweelah.
The three-month delivery timetable is possible due to Damen’s policy of building its most popular vessels for stock. The ASD Tugs 2411 are currently at being finished to the requirements of Abu Dhabi Ports / Safeen at Albwardy Damen, in the UAE, before sailing for Khalifa Port.
The ASD Tugs 2411 will join three other Damen vessels already in the Safeen fleet; a Stan Tug 1907 delivered earlier this year and the Shoalbuster 2609 Al Maqtaa, delivered in 2016. The Al Shahama, a Damen Buoy Maintenance Vessel built in 1994 in Abu Dhabi under Damen Technical Cooperation programme, is also an active member of the Safeen fleet.
Local warranty and after-sales support will continue to be supplied by Albwardy Damen from its facilities in the United Arab Emirates.
“We are confident that they will be able to handle port operations for all kinds and sizes of vessels safely and effectively, including the world’s largest 400-meter container vessels with 20,000 TEUs capacity,” he said.
“Furthermore, our Damen Services Hub is around the corner to provide Abu Dhabi Ports with support during the lifetime of the tugs,” he added.
“The average size of a vessel has grown by 65 percent due to economies of scale and we recognise the importance of equipping our ports with the right equipment and logistics to adapt to these changing demands,” he added.
SINGAPORE - Four men were arrested after a scuffle in Pasir Panjang on Friday evening (Jan 4).
The police were alerted at 7.02pm to a case of affray at 24 Wholesale Centre. Four men, understood to be of ages 23, 29, 58 and 59, were arrested in relation to the case.
The incident occurred when two debt collectors from Majestic Debt Recovery turned up at the stall to collect a debt of $6,800, reported Shin Min Daily News.
The owner of the debt collecting company Makko Poh, 37, told the Chinese-language newspaper that he had sent two of his employees to the wholesale centre to chase the owner of a vegetable and fruit stall for money that had been owed for at least four months.
He said that after the staff identified themselves and their reason for being there, the stall owner became increasingly agitated. He then began to hit one of the debt collectors and called his employees to join in.
The other debt collector was standing at the side and shouting at them to stop, Mr Poh told The Straits Times in a mix of English and Mandarin.
Shin Min reported that according to videos that Majestic Debt Recovery showed them, there were more than 10 people surrounding one of the debt collectors when some of them suddenly began to throw punches. The debt collector was hit and fell on the floor.
“He tried to defend himself by blocking and pushing them away,” added Mr Poh.
Another video showed a staff member from the vegetable and fruit stall using a fire extinguisher to hit one of the debt collectors, breaking his glasses.
Mr Poh said that he will be meeting his lawyer on Monday.
“Aggressive debtors we have met before, but never have we met people who owe money and still beat up those who are collecting the money from them,” he said.
The Straits Times understands that one of the men arrested was a 29-year-old debt collector, who was taken to the National University Hospital with minor injuries. The other three arrested were the owner and his workers from the vegetable and fruit stall.
The owner was released on bail on Saturday morning, an employee of the stall told Shin Min.
A BLIND man claims he was forced to sit on a Virgin train floor for two-and-a-half hours while "ignorant" passengers sat in disabled seats.
A shocking picture has emerged of Roger Debman and his guide dog Nevin hunched up between carriages on a journey between Liverpool and Peterborough.
The 56-year-old claims train staff allowed able-bodied passengers to sit in seats reserved for the disabled.
He alleges a conductor pointed to the floor and instructed him to "sit there". Virgin have now apologised to Roger and pledged to investigate.
Furious Roger said: “It’s close to fraud. I’ve had two heart attacks, a stroke, I have a pacemaker - and I’ve to sit on the floor?"
The former businessman from Liverpool needs to use seating designed for the disabled because it provides enough space to keep his dog out of the aisle.
He booked the journey in advance for himself and his wife, Debra, but says Virgin gave him no option to reserve a disabled seat.
He said today: "My wife asked the conductor and he told us there was no seats and to just 'sit there'. The conductor told me to sit where I was.
"I can't do the conductor's job for him but the bottom line is it says disabled seats and if a disabled person gets on you should give up your seat.
"Passengers were ignoring me, happy-as-larry. You just get used to it. It shows the ignorance that's about towards disabled people.
"It's a joke. It happens regularly. I’ve had to sit on the floor before. I’m used to it."
Roger and his wife were travelling from Liverpool to Peterborough to celebrate his sister's birthday.
Posting about his experience on Facebook, Roger said: “This is how Richard Branson transports registered blind people and guide dogs on his trains.
Janet Russell responded: “Sorry it’s not Branson.... but selfish b*****s that wouldn’t move their fat asses out of the designated seats."
On his return trip, this time with London Midland, he was again unable to find an available disabled seat because they were occupied by able-bodied passengers.
He used a regular seat meaning Nevin had to sit in the aisle resulting in complaints from other passengers.
Roger said: "He had to lay in the aisle.
"With looks of disgust because users had to climb over him some even tutted as they climbed over."
Virgin Trains said priority seats are available for customers travelling with guide dogs. They recommended reserving the seats in advance.
The spokesman added: “We have been in touch with Mr Debman to apologise for his experience and to fully investigate what happened.
"Thousands of passengers with disabilities travel with us every year and 94 per cent of those using our Journey Care assistance programme are pleased with the helpfulness of our staff.
State Rep. Diana Urban and North Stonington Selectman Nicholas Mullane are shown in these Day file photos.
Stonington -- The race for state representatives from the 43rd District is a contest between two well-known North Stonington residents, eight-time Democratic incumbent Diana Urban and Republican Nick Mullane, who served as the town’s first selectman for 32 years before deciding not to seek reelection last fall. The district also includes Stonington.
Both candidates have differing reasons for running for the seat.
Mullane, 78, said his slogan is "We Can do Better."
"I want to live in Connecticut," he said about his reasons for running. "My kids and their friends can't afford to live here."
“I have the experience and relationships in the General Assembly and people listen to me,” she said, adding those are things that are needed as the state and her two towns face increasing challenges.
If re-elected, Urban listed several main issues she would work on.
The first is to continue her long-running effort to implement results based accountability budgeting in state government, something that has been met with opposition from some state officials. RBA requires that a program show data that it is successful in order to continue go receive funding.
Her Children’s Committee has created the Children’s Report Card and has now collected data on all the state programs that affect children. She said the committee is now examining the data to see which programs work.
So far she said money has been reallocated from programs on teen pregnancy and other areas that have not had measurable success to those whose data show they are successful.
Urban said that because the state underfunds education in the cities there will continue to be a push to decrease aid to rural and suburban towns. This means towns such as Stonington and North Stonington will continue to experience cuts in state aid as money is funneled to the cities.
Last year, she said she was able to restore almost all of Stonington’s $1 million cut. She said the town needs to “have a player in there with influence and respect ” during the budget talks.
“If not you’ll get cut,” she said.
In addition, she pledged to work toward developing a new state education aid formula that people can understand.
“I’m an economist and I can’t understand it,” she said about the convoluted formula which has numerous factors and exceptions.
Urban said that now that the state has agreed to use generally accepted accounting practices to create its budget, the state must use the proposal to examined past budgets to determine how money was spent and how the budget functioned.
Urban said that, if re-elected, she will continue her effort to have the state reimburse the many small businesses, individuals and organizations that never received the money they were owed by the now defunct Amistad America. The state gave the group more than $9 million in state funding but did not monitor how the money was spent. Urban was the lone legislator who urged the state to conduct an audit of the group’s finances. That led to the ship being placed in receivership and being sold to a new group. Those who were owed money, however, were never paid.

Defensive tackle Fred Jones was not observed practicing after he walked into practice with a heavy limp, and Cory Durden was not practicing.

The defensive ends worked on identifying the play and adjusting accordingly. Some reps called for them to bounce outside and stick with the quarterback while others asked them to get inside with the running back.

Linebackers DeCalon Brooks and Dontavious Jackson were both wearing non-contact jerseys at Tuesday’s linebackers.

The linebackers worked on blitzing through the correct gaps on an offensive line represented by lined up garbage cans. Once near the quarterback, the linebackers raised their hands to try and affect the pass while a third linebacker jumped the route of a short pass to the right side.

The defensive backs worked on a number of close coverage drills Tuesday. The first saw a defensive back staying right with another defensive back acting as a receiver through a series of quick cuts.

The second was a weaving drill around players which again forced the defensive back to stay with the wide receiver through a series of obstacles and for an extended period of time.

Keidel: Seahawks-Patriots Super Bowl Rematch Worth The HypeThe Seahawks-Patriots winner in Week 10 won't get a Lombardi Trophy, but they might be the Super Bowl favorite come February.

Seattle Seahawks SoaringThe Seahawks, with a convincing win over the Vikings and a favorable schedule remaining, could roll right into the playoffs.

WATCH: Letterman, Belichick Playfully Discuss Deflategate On 'Late Show'"I know you know exactly what happened," Letterman said. "You know I know you know, and what it was was some kind of horseplay. Am I right?"

Worst Play Call Ever? Seahawks Players Criticize Disastrous Decision By CarrollBecause they didn't go into Beast Mode, the Seattle Seahawks found themselves in Spin Mode after losing Super Bowl XLIX.

Keidel: Seahawks' Stupidity Shouldn't Overshadow The Greatness Of BradyWe can now finally and forever say that Tom Brady broke through that historical membrane between three and four Lombardi Trophies, which just made him part of a most holy trinity of quarterbacks.

There’s rioting in the streets of San Francisco. And no, it’s not excitement about election day.

You can see exactly where people are going nuts.

Earlier tonight, the San Francisco Giants defeated the Texas Rangers to win the World Series (that’s baseball, if you were confused). Afterwards, your typical intoxicated excited sports fans began celebrating in slightly socially unacceptable ways. Nothing too earth-shattering there, especially when you compare it to soccer hooligans.

The craziness in San Francisco, though, has a new social-media component that adds a completely different dimension to raucous behavior: instant self-journalism. You can see photos of what is happening around the city as it occurs, listen to police radio streams, and you can track wherever the crazed action is based on twitter reports. Even better, you can “check into” a riot on Foursquare, a social connections app.

Leave it to San Francisco to incorporate social media into literally everything in the world.

Considering that Insomniac Games planned to release all three of its downloadable content packs for Marvel’s Spider-Man before year’s end, we figured it wouldn’t be long before we heard about the next pack that would be following last month’s The Heist. And now we have.

A new report from IGN indicates that the next downloadable content for the game will be called Turf Wars, and it’ll be set for release this month, on November 20.

Neither Insomniac Games nor Sony have officially announced the DLC yet, but considering it’s less than two weeks away from release, we’ll more than likely see the ball rolling on it any day now. You can see this image below.

IGN confirmed the content with its own copy of the game, and after giving it a look, I can safely say the same. Looks like the adventure will continue in just a few more days -- and with Hammerhead in tow, nevertheless!

It looks like Hammerhead’s ties with organized crime will play a part in the storyline, just as it has done within Marvel’s main shared universe in the comics. The character initially made his debut in The Amazing Spider-Man #113 back in October 1972, bringing with him a rather large noggin that can make him a real headache to some. He belongs to the Hammerhead Family, a Maggia crime family that will no doubt have residence in the city to some degree.

As for his reshaped skull, it was put back together using an unbendable steel alloy following an injury -- thus the headache portion of his persona.

We should know more details about the DLC very soon, complete with a debut trailer that features Hammerhead in action!

Marvel’s Spider-Man is available now for PlayStation 4 and PlayStation 4 Pro. Be sure to check out our review!

The minister announced that President Magufuli has warned Mr Lwakatare few minutes after he told the Press that he had been sacked.

Transport services were paralyzed yesterday morning after some of Udart drivers reportedly went on a strike.

Dodoma/Dar. Events along the Dar es Salaam Rapid Transit (Dart) yesterday were a clear manifestation that the public rapid transport system was facing serious operational challenges.

This started with Udart drivers going on a strike claiming having not been paid salaries for two months, a move that caused thousands of city commuters to get stranded at terminals and general disruption of services.

In another development, President John Magufuli yesterday issued a stern warning against (Dart) managing director Ronald Lwakatare.

This was said by the Minister of State in the President’s Office (Regional Administrations and Local Government), Mr Suleiman Jafo, during a press conference.

The minister first briefed reporters that the President had sacked Mr Lwakatare. However, before reporters dispersed they were recalled to the conference room where he told them that the President had only issued a strong warning against Mr Lwakatare.

Earlier, Mr Jafo had told reporters that the President had replaced Mr Lwakatare with Tanroad Singida regional manager Leornard Kapogo. Udart, which operates transport services along Dart, however, said transport services were disrupted because most of their buses were damaged by the May floods at Jangwani.

The disruption forced Dar es Salaam Regional Commissioner Paul Makonda to issue a statement over the matter. He said that he was not satisfied with the way Udart has been operating.

“I’m sure President Magufuli feels the same because the project was aimed at addressing transport woes in the city,” he said in the statement. Speaking during a tour by the labour commissioner, Udart managing director Charles Newe admitted that some officials had gone for two months without salaries.

However, Mr Newe said the company has already started to pay them. According to him the company failed to pay salaries since Tanzania Revenues Authority (TRA) froze its account over a tax dispute.

“Most of problems started in May, when some of our buses were damaged by floods at our Jangwani yard,” he said. Seventy Udart buses are still being held by TRA at Dar es Salaam Port after importers failed to pay the due taxes. Mr Jafo on Tuesday insisted that the government wouldn’t grant them an exemption.

Damen Shipyards Group has signed a contract with Abu Dhabi Ports and its subsidiary Abu Dhabi Marine Services (Safeen) for the supply of two new Damen ASD Tugs 2411, at the ongoing Abu Dhabi International Boat Show (ADIBS).

The four-day show will conclude on October 20.

The contract was signed by Captain Adil Ahmed Banihammad, the acting chief marine services officer at Safeen, and Pascal Slingerland, regional sales director for Damen Shipyards Group, said a statement.

Delivery of both vessels is due within three months, it said.

Abu Dhabi Ports is a vital part of the Abu Dhabi economy, owning and operating 11 ports and managing over 55,000 vessel calls each year. The ASD Tugs 2411 will bring valuable additional vessel handling capabilities to the group.

Examples of the class can be found operating all over the world and they are highly regarded for their excellent pulling power (70 tonnes), reliability and manoeuvrability, all contained within a compact, 24-m hull.

The two tugs will join the 12 harbour tugs already in service with Safeen, the fleet operating subsidiary of Abu Dhabi Ports responsible for pilotage, mooring, vessel handing and towage at Abu Dhabi Ports, and will bring a new level of capability. In particular, they will be supporting vessel movements at Khalifa Port’s two container terminals managed by ADT/MSC and COSCO Shipping Port Limited (CSPL) as well as EGA’s berth for Bauxite shipped to its smelter in Al Taweelah.

The three-month delivery timetable is possible due to Damen’s policy of building its most popular vessels for stock. The ASD Tugs 2411 are currently at being finished to the requirements of Abu Dhabi Ports / Safeen at Albwardy Damen, in the UAE, before sailing for Khalifa Port.

The ASD Tugs 2411 will join three other Damen vessels already in the Safeen fleet; a Stan Tug 1907 delivered earlier this year and the Shoalbuster 2609 Al Maqtaa, delivered in 2016. The Al Shahama, a Damen Buoy Maintenance Vessel built in 1994 in Abu Dhabi under Damen Technical Cooperation programme, is also an active member of the Safeen fleet.

Local warranty and after-sales support will continue to be supplied by Albwardy Damen from its facilities in the United Arab Emirates.

“We are confident that they will be able to handle port operations for all kinds and sizes of vessels safely and effectively, including the world’s largest 400-meter container vessels with 20,000 TEUs capacity,” he said.

“Furthermore, our Damen Services Hub is around the corner to provide Abu Dhabi Ports with support during the lifetime of the tugs,” he added.

“The average size of a vessel has grown by 65 percent due to economies of scale and we recognise the importance of equipping our ports with the right equipment and logistics to adapt to these changing demands,” he added.

SINGAPORE - Four men were arrested after a scuffle in Pasir Panjang on Friday evening (Jan 4).

The police were alerted at 7.02pm to a case of affray at 24 Wholesale Centre. Four men, understood to be of ages 23, 29, 58 and 59, were arrested in relation to the case.

The incident occurred when two debt collectors from Majestic Debt Recovery turned up at the stall to collect a debt of $6,800, reported Shin Min Daily News.

The owner of the debt collecting company Makko Poh, 37, told the Chinese-language newspaper that he had sent two of his employees to the wholesale centre to chase the owner of a vegetable and fruit stall for money that had been owed for at least four months.

He said that after the staff identified themselves and their reason for being there, the stall owner became increasingly agitated. He then began to hit one of the debt collectors and called his employees to join in.

The other debt collector was standing at the side and shouting at them to stop, Mr Poh told The Straits Times in a mix of English and Mandarin.

Shin Min reported that according to videos that Majestic Debt Recovery showed them, there were more than 10 people surrounding one of the debt collectors when some of them suddenly began to throw punches. The debt collector was hit and fell on the floor.

“He tried to defend himself by blocking and pushing them away,” added Mr Poh.

Another video showed a staff member from the vegetable and fruit stall using a fire extinguisher to hit one of the debt collectors, breaking his glasses.

Mr Poh said that he will be meeting his lawyer on Monday.

“Aggressive debtors we have met before, but never have we met people who owe money and still beat up those who are collecting the money from them,” he said.

The Straits Times understands that one of the men arrested was a 29-year-old debt collector, who was taken to the National University Hospital with minor injuries. The other three arrested were the owner and his workers from the vegetable and fruit stall.

The owner was released on bail on Saturday morning, an employee of the stall told Shin Min.

A BLIND man claims he was forced to sit on a Virgin train floor for two-and-a-half hours while "ignorant" passengers sat in disabled seats.

A shocking picture has emerged of Roger Debman and his guide dog Nevin hunched up between carriages on a journey between Liverpool and Peterborough.

The 56-year-old claims train staff allowed able-bodied passengers to sit in seats reserved for the disabled.

He alleges a conductor pointed to the floor and instructed him to "sit there". Virgin have now apologised to Roger and pledged to investigate.

Furious Roger said: “It’s close to fraud. I’ve had two heart attacks, a stroke, I have a pacemaker - and I’ve to sit on the floor?"

The former businessman from Liverpool needs to use seating designed for the disabled because it provides enough space to keep his dog out of the aisle.

He booked the journey in advance for himself and his wife, Debra, but says Virgin gave him no option to reserve a disabled seat.

He said today: "My wife asked the conductor and he told us there was no seats and to just 'sit there'. The conductor told me to sit where I was.

"I can't do the conductor's job for him but the bottom line is it says disabled seats and if a disabled person gets on you should give up your seat.

"Passengers were ignoring me, happy-as-larry. You just get used to it. It shows the ignorance that's about towards disabled people.

"It's a joke. It happens regularly. I’ve had to sit on the floor before. I’m used to it."

Roger and his wife were travelling from Liverpool to Peterborough to celebrate his sister's birthday.

Posting about his experience on Facebook, Roger said: “This is how Richard Branson transports registered blind people and guide dogs on his trains.

Janet Russell responded: “Sorry it’s not Branson.... but selfish b*****s that wouldn’t move their fat asses out of the designated seats."

On his return trip, this time with London Midland, he was again unable to find an available disabled seat because they were occupied by able-bodied passengers.

He used a regular seat meaning Nevin had to sit in the aisle resulting in complaints from other passengers.

Roger said: "He had to lay in the aisle.

"With looks of disgust because users had to climb over him some even tutted as they climbed over."

Virgin Trains said priority seats are available for customers travelling with guide dogs. They recommended reserving the seats in advance.

The spokesman added: “We have been in touch with Mr Debman to apologise for his experience and to fully investigate what happened.

"Thousands of passengers with disabilities travel with us every year and 94 per cent of those using our Journey Care assistance programme are pleased with the helpfulness of our staff.

State Rep. Diana Urban and North Stonington Selectman Nicholas Mullane are shown in these Day file photos.

Stonington -- The race for state representatives from the 43rd District is a contest between two well-known North Stonington residents, eight-time Democratic incumbent Diana Urban and Republican Nick Mullane, who served as the town’s first selectman for 32 years before deciding not to seek reelection last fall. The district also includes Stonington.

Both candidates have differing reasons for running for the seat.

Mullane, 78, said his slogan is "We Can do Better."

"I want to live in Connecticut," he said about his reasons for running. "My kids and their friends can't afford to live here."

“I have the experience and relationships in the General Assembly and people listen to me,” she said, adding those are things that are needed as the state and her two towns face increasing challenges.

If re-elected, Urban listed several main issues she would work on.

The first is to continue her long-running effort to implement results based accountability budgeting in state government, something that has been met with opposition from some state officials. RBA requires that a program show data that it is successful in order to continue go receive funding.

Her Children’s Committee has created the Children’s Report Card and has now collected data on all the state programs that affect children. She said the committee is now examining the data to see which programs work.

So far she said money has been reallocated from programs on teen pregnancy and other areas that have not had measurable success to those whose data show they are successful.

Urban said that because the state underfunds education in the cities there will continue to be a push to decrease aid to rural and suburban towns. This means towns such as Stonington and North Stonington will continue to experience cuts in state aid as money is funneled to the cities.

Last year, she said she was able to restore almost all of Stonington’s $1 million cut. She said the town needs to “have a player in there with influence and respect ” during the budget talks.

“If not you’ll get cut,” she said.

In addition, she pledged to work toward developing a new state education aid formula that people can understand.

“I’m an economist and I can’t understand it,” she said about the convoluted formula which has numerous factors and exceptions.

Urban said that now that the state has agreed to use generally accepted accounting practices to create its budget, the state must use the proposal to examined past budgets to determine how money was spent and how the budget functioned.

Urban said that, if re-elected, she will continue her effort to have the state reimburse the many small businesses, individuals and organizations that never received the money they were owed by the now defunct Amistad America. The state gave the group more than $9 million in state funding but did not monitor how the money was spent. Urban was the lone legislator who urged the state to conduct an audit of the group’s finances. That led to the ship being placed in receivership and being sold to a new group. Those who were owed money, however, were never paid.