SATURDAY SNIPPETS

Bit of a mix today:

BBC NEWS Warning of food price hike crisis For a few months now I have been moaning about the price of food, and it seems I was right.

The Gov has finally admitted that: it believes food prices have peaked and it is tackling child poverty through increased child benefits and child tax credits.

According to The Grocer, a typical basket of 33 items of food cost £48 a year ago. That has now risen to £57.50.

James Ball, from the magazine, told the BBC: "It is the staples that have really gone up and that's tough for people who buy the cheapest food.

"Rice costs double what it did last year; baked beans are up more than a third. Lots of everyday items cost a lot more than they used to."

Rice - up 81%
Pork sausages - up 51%
Mince - up 22%
Milk - up 14%
Source: The Grocer

As the UK imports about 40% of its food, the weak pound has driven up prices. Unpredictable world harvests and a spike in oil prices last year have also played a part.


I knew it!






BBC NEWS Lollipop cameras to trap speeders

Lollipop men and women in Glasgow are to get cameras fitted on their signs in a bid to catch motorists who fail to stop at school crossings.

The company which runs crossing patrols in the city, Cordia, plans to test the mounted devices in the coming months.

Similar systems have already been trialled in London and Yorkshire but it is believed this is the first time the technology would be used in Scotland.

Good idea, but did you know it was in use in London and Yorkshire?

Ananova - White House gives out sex line number Journalists hoping to interview Hillary Clinton on the G20 summit were surprised when the number they were given turned out to be a phone sex line.

The White House accidentally listed a sex line number for journalists seeking an "on-the-record briefing call with Secretary of State Hillary Clinton and National Security Advisor Jim Jones", reports Fox News.

Journalists who dialled the number heard a soft-voiced female recording that was clearly not Clinton, asking for a credit card number if you "feel like getting nasty".


Yeah right!



Ananova - New guide to keep PCs PC Police officers have been ordered not to finish off the sentences of people with a stutter.

Officers have been given a new "diversity handbook" advising them how to avoid offensive faux pas when dealing with the public.

The 140-page guide also tells them not to move people's walking sticks or lean on people's wheelchairs, reports the Daily Telegraph.

It tells officers that it would be "inappropriate" to handcuff people who can only communicate through sign language.

And it says they should not "chew gum, eat sweets, shout, turn away or cover their mouths" when communicating with the deaf.

The booklet also reminds officers it is legal "to wear clothing and accessories of any gender in public so long as their genitals are covered".

The pocket-sized handbook has been compiled by the Association of Chief Police Officers in Scotland and distributed to all Scottish forces at a cost of £4,500.

I love the bit about not handcuffing people who can only communicate through sign language, being “inappropriate”


The words “common sense” comes to mind.



Ananova - Mother-in-law survives rocket attack
A desperate husband tried to kill his mother-in-law with an anti-tank missile launcher after claiming she'd turned his wife against him.

Bosnian Miroslav Miljici wanted revenge after blaming his wife's mum for the break-up of his marriage.

And when his mother-in-law survived the rocket attack on her home, he tried to finish her off with a machine gun, a court in Doboj, Bosnia, was told.

Amazingly, she survived both attacks with barely a scratch, judges heard.

In defence Miljici - jailed for six years for attempted murder - told the court he could no longer take his mother-in-law's nagging.

I’m saying nowt!


And finally:


Only in England Ananova - Swimming pool to close if 'too wet' Swimmers at an outdoor pool have been warned it might have to be closed if it gets too wet.

Health and safety rules have been introduced at the London Fields Lido in Hackney, north London, for the protection of the pool's users.

But the policy raised fears that health and safety guidelines were being taken too far, reports the Daily Telegraph.

Swimmers were warned that they might have to leave the water if the heavy rain increased, but they were allowed to stay when the weather lifted.

Hackney Council said the rules were only enforced in extreme weather, when there was torrential rain, hail or thick fog.

A spokeswoman said: "Very occasionally extreme weather can impair visibility for our lifeguards. We make no apology for providing protection for swimmers from drowning."

What next: no sunbathing on beaches if the sun comes out, or maybe no going to school if it snows-oh sorry that rule is already in force.

"Inflation is the one form of taxation that can be imposed without legislation." Milton Friedman

Angus

NHS Behind the headlines

Angus Dei politico

NHS-THE OTHER SIDE