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How daft does it have to get?


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Daily Mail:

 

"A pensioner has been banned from tending a village flowerbed - unless she puts up warning signs, wears fluorescent clothing and has someone standing by as a lookout.

 

For eight years green-fingered grandmother June Turnbull, 79, has tended the blooms at the entrance to the village and paid for it all using her pension.

 

And all without any accidents or mishaps."

 

FLOWERBED

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I have been trying to find the one from yesterday's mail, about Lancashire CC invested thousands in road signs re.telling drivers that they are going too fast, but are unable to put them up-because their staff are not allowed to climb ladders.

Under Health and Safety rules, workers must receive training before erecting signs, even though the installer would only be 3 or 4 feet off the ground.

LCC are going to ask the local fire brigade to see if it can help.

In the meantime, the 30mph indicator display signs are languishing in village halls across the county.

 

You couldn't make it up. :roll:

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Rather than start up a new topic I thought I would post the following here:

 

The world's strangest laws ( in today's Times)

 

25. It is illegal for a cab in the City of London to carry rabid dogs or corpses.

 

24. It is illegal to die in the Houses of Parliament.

 

23. It is an act of treason to place a postage stamp bearing the British monarch upside down.

 

22. In France, it is forbidden to call a pig Napoleon.

 

21. Under the UK?s Tax Avoidance Schemes Regulations 2006, it is illegal not to tell the taxman anything you don?t want him to know, though you don?t have to tell him anything you don?t mind him knowing.

 

20. In Alabama, it is illegal for a driver to be blindfolded while driving a vehicle.

 

19. In Ohio, it is against state law to get a fish drunk.

 

18. Royal Navy ships that enter the Port of London must provide a barrel of rum to the Constable of the Tower of London.

 

17. In the UK, a pregnant woman can legally relieve herself anywhere she wants ? even, if she so requests, in a policeman?s helmet.

 

16. In Lancashire, no person is permitted after being asked to stop by a constable on the seashore to incite a dog to bark.

 

15. In Miami, Florida, it is illegal to skateboard in a police station.

 

14. In Indonesia, the penalty for masturbation is decapitation.

 

13. In the UK, all men over the age of 14 must carry out two hours of longbow practice a day.

 

12. In London, Freemen are allowed to take a flock of sheep across London Bridge without being charged a toll; they are also allowed to drive geese down Cheapside.

 

11. In San Salvador, drunk drivers can be punished by death before a firing squad.

 

10. In the UK, a man who feels compelled to urinate in public can do so only if he aims for his rear wheel and keeps his right hand on his vehicle.

 

9. In Florida, unmarried women who parachute on Sundays can be jailed.

 

8. In Kentucky, it is illegal to carry a concealed weapon more than six-feet long.

 

7. In Chester, Welshmen are banned from entering the city before sunrise and from staying after sunset.

 

6. In the city of York, it is legal to murder a Scotsman within the ancient city walls, but only if he is carrying a bow and arrow.

 

5. In Boulder, Colorado, it is illegal to kill a bird within the city limits and also to ?own? a pet ? the town?s citizens, legally speaking, are merely ?pet minders?.

 

4. In Vermont, women must obtain written permission from their husbands to wear false teeth.

 

3. In London, it is illegal to flag down a taxi if you have the plague.

 

2. In Bahrain, a male doctor may legally examine a woman?s genitals but is forbidden from looking directly at them during the examination; he may only see their reflection in a mirror.

 

1. The head of any dead whale found on the British coast is legally the property of the King; the tail, on the other hand, belongs to the Queen - in case she needs the bones for her corset.

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17. In the UK, a pregnant woman can legally relieve herself anywhere she wants ? even, if she so requests, in a policeman?s helmet.

 

I wonder if the copper would have something else to say to this??

 

 

10. In the UK, a man who feels compelled to urinate in public can do so only if he aims for his rear wheel and keeps his right hand on his vehicle.Now i know what will do next time i am in Warrington!! and then i can blame Paul.

 

7. In Chester, Welshmen are banned from entering the city before sunrise and from staying after sunset.

 

Well i can the reason behind this!!

 

 

6. In the city of York, it is legal to murder a Scotsman within the ancient city walls, but only if he is carrying a bow and arrow.

 

 

Steve

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A letter in today's Mail

 

"As a white heterosexual male, I've always taken pride in the way that I've dealt with and respected persons of different beliefs and cultures.

After 30 years of exemplary and mostly enjoyable years, I decided to retire from the police force. In the latter days of service I assisted with the training of special constabulary officers and PCSOs.

I decided to apply to become a PCSO so I could continue to put my experience to good use. My interview process was conducted by no fewer that eight persons. perhaps not surprisingly my application was rejected, the reason given was that I failed to come up to the required diversity standard.

I wonder if I would have stood more of a chance if I'd blacked my face and pretended to be gay."

 

 

It wasn't just the suitably qualified chap's rejection on dubious grounds that irritated me it was the need for EIGHT persons to make the bloody decision. :onfire:

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Also from the Daily Mail....and reported in other papers and on local TV.

 

Taxpayers face a ?200,000 bill after a mayor sued town hall bosses for damages in a row over breast feeding.

 

Councillor Pauleen Lane claimed she was hauled before senior council staff after breast feeding her five-month old son Oscar in the back of her mayoral vehicle on her way to an official visit.

 

The Labour councillor told a court she was forced to follow behind the civic car when travelling to mayoral appointments with the tot, and forced to keep him out of sight.

 

The car ban came after senior council figures responsible for looking after her complained when she breast-fed her baby in the foyer of the council chamber at Trafford Town Hall, Greater Manchester.

 

Councillor Lane won ?7,000 damages after suing her own council in a row over breast feeding

 

A sex discrimination case was brought to court, but Dr Lane offered to settle with the Trafford Council for a ?5,000 charity donation.

 

But yesterday - two years after the offer was rejected - a judge ordered the Conservative-run council to pay ?7,000 damages to Coun Lane and cover her costs of up to ?200,000 after agreeing it had sexually discriminated against her.

 

The council's ruling Tory group slammed the councillor for showing "a complete disregard for the interests of taxpayers and service users of the borough."

 

Council Leader Susan Williams said: "Councillor Lane has demonstrated a complete disregard for the people she represents and has sought to deprive the council of money that should be spent on service users in the Borough, many of whom are very vulnerable young and older people.

 

"This case should never have come to Court. It would seem that Councillor Lane was acting out of political spite, seeking to make a political issue out of, what is essentially, a personal matter.

 

"Sadly, the judgement will cost local Trafford taxpayers and service users dear - an estimated ?170,000 all told of which Councillor Lane receives an award of just ?7,000 in damages."

 

Councillor Lane, 43, said: "I'm really relieved.

 

"The case has been going on for two years. The original incident was dreadful in the first place, and the council has absolutely refused to accept it had done anything wrong.

 

"The process has been a really grinding one, and I'm glad it's finally finished.

 

"The case could have been brought to a close two years ago, when I offered them the option of giving me an apology and making a ?5,000 donation to Trafford Victim and Witness Support. They never got back to me.

 

"I'm pleased to have won, but taking the council to court was not something I ever wanted to do."

 

Salford County Court heard how Councillor Lane's ordeal began when she was spotted breast-feeding young Oscar, who was feeding on demand, in the foyer of the council chamber at Trafford Town Hall before she was elected as mayor.

 

Head of Election Mayoral Services Elaine Hill was said to have formally complained about her.

 

Councillor Lane, a civil engineer and university lecturer, said: "She said she found breast-feeding offensive and that it should be banned.

 

"All I was doing was discreetly feeding Oscar while getting on with my job.

 

"I found that ridiculous. The council was always sending out press releases saying it supported breast feeding and giving out certificates to organisations that supported it.

 

"Yet here there was a senior officer saying it was offensive."

 

Shortly afterwards when Coun Lane was appointed mayor, she was informed she would not be able to use the mayoral car when with the baby - then two months old - for health and safety and insurance reasons.

 

She said: "I was told I would have to travel with Oscar in my own car behind the civic car, which carried the mayoral chain.

 

"The official car would park in the official space at the event, and I would have to find my own space and pay for the parking.

 

"I would arrive at the event, the chain would be put round my neck at the start, taken off at the end and them I would make my way back to my car.

 

"It was completely ridiculous."

 

On once occasion, Councillor Lane said she was forced to use the mayoral car at the last minute due to problems with her own vehicle, and took Oscar with her.

 

She said: "The driver did not have a problem with it, but I was still summoned to the town hall and told I was not to do it again because of health and safety and insurance rules.

 

"I don't know what else I could have done though. If I hadn't used the car I would have had to let people down.

 

"I just felt like they were trying to make my job as difficult as possible.

 

"The council gave the job of taking care of the mayor to someone who had already said they found breastfeeding offensive.

 

"It's no wonder that in the court case, the judge said the council was a 'bungling administration.'"

 

Councillor Lane, who lives with her partner in Old Trafford said she hoped the ruling would encourage other mothers to breast feed.

 

She said: "I did it because it wast the best thing for my baby. It wasn't about me making a huge issue over something.

 

"I would give encouragement to other mothers to do it if at all possible, and to not be put off by basic prejudice.

 

"It can be done quietly and calmly. There doesn't need to be a huge fuss about it.

 

"I am glad the case has gone this way because it shows that the law is quite clear on the subject."

 

Following the ruling, Trafford Council's Chief Executive David McNulty said: "We take full note of what the judge had to say.

 

"We're disappointed with the outcome. We believe this matter should never have come to court. We take our equalities duties very seriously.

 

"The reputation and dignity of our mayor as our first citizen is important to the council as it is to local people. We have done and will continue to do our best to uphold the reputation of this civic post."

 

There is a thought that given the role of a Mayor can be a very busy one, maybe she should have deferred accepting the role until her child was a little older. Indeed noting that Cllr Dr Lane is a civil engineer and a lecturer her life must be very hectic without adding the Mayoralty to it. Oh the sacrifices people make to do their civic duty. :wink:

 

I understand Cllr. Lane is a Labour Councillor....in a Conservative run council......say no more...as they say, although if I was a council taxpayer in that area, I think I would have a lot to say.....aren't councils always claiming to be short of money. :wink:

 

[ 24.08.2007, 14:25: Message edited by: Paul Kennedy ]

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Not like you to be sexist obs.

Surely the fault lies with the ?female? who complained in the first place.

 

As for making someone Mayor in her condition, I believe that our Deputy Mayor got elected because no-one else was available, or willing to forego their prime position for 2 years. :o

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Mail on Sunday:

 

"Prison officers have furiously rejected a management cost- cutting scheme to reduce daily security checks on jail cells to just one per week.

 

The Prison Service proposal, and another recommending a reduction in mandatory drug-testing of inmates, were described last night as "appalling" by officers' leaders, who are demanding urgent talks with Justice Secretary Jack Straw.

 

And they warned the moves would result in an upsurge in violence against staff and vulnerable inmates, more drug-taking and an increase in escapes."

 

Maybe best to do away with prisons altogether...save plenty of money that way. :redmad:

 

[ 26.08.2007, 11:00: Message edited by: Paul Kennedy ]

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  • 4 weeks later...

Daily Mail:

 

"Firefighters in Lancashire are being handed Polish phrase-cards with sentences including 'What is on fire?' and 'Are you hurt?' to help cope with an influx of eastern Europeans.

 

Free Polish classes are also on offer to firefighters, to help make them understood by the 50,000 Polish immigrants who have settled in Lancashire neighbourhoods."

 

Not really free, somebody will have to pay the teachers one assumes. :wink:

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  • 3 weeks later...

Not sure the best place to put the following from The Sunday Times, so here seems reasonable as I don't really want it as a new topic which could descend into who knows what. Clearly if the medical student reports are true, their places could and should have been taken by others who were prepared to study the whole course.

 

"Some Muslim medical students are refusing to attend lectures or answer exam questions on alcohol-related or sexually transmitted diseases because they claim it offends their religious beliefs.

 

Some trainee doctors say learning to treat the diseases conflicts with their faith, which states that Muslims should not drink alcohol and rejects sexual promiscuity.

 

A small number of Muslim medical students have even refused to treat patients of the opposite sex. One male student was prepared to fail his final exams rather than carry out a basic examination of a female patient.

 

The religious objections by students have been confirmed by the British Medical Association (BMA) and General Medical Council (GMC), which both stressed that they did not approve of such actions.

 

Related Links

Fear of offending is killing our culture

It will intensify the debate sparked last week by the disclosure that Sainsbury?s is permitting Muslim checkout operators to refuse to handle customers? alcohol purchases on religious grounds. It means other members of staff have to be called over to scan in wine and beer for them at the till.

 

Critics, including many Islamic scholars, see the concessions as a step too far, and say Muslims are reneging on their professional responsibilities.

 

This weekend, however, it emerged that Sainsbury?s is also allowing its Muslim pharmacists to refuse to sell the morning-after pill to customers. At a Sainsbury?s store in Nottingham, a pharmacist named Ahmed declined to provide the pill to a female reporter posing as a customer. A colleague explained to her that Ahmed did not sell the pill for ?ethical reasons?. Boots also permits pharmacists to refuse to sell the pill on ethical grounds.

 

The BMA said it had received reports of Muslim students who did not want to learn anything about alcohol or the effects of overconsumption. ?They are so opposed to the consumption of it they don?t want to learn anything about it,? said a spokesman.

 

The GMC said it had received requests for guidance over whether students could ?omit parts of the medical curriculum and yet still be allowed to graduate?. Professor Peter Rubin, chairman of the GMC?s education committee, said: ?Examples have included a refusal to see patients who are affected by diseases caused by alcohol or sexual activity, or a refusal to examine patients of a particular gender.?

 

He added that ?prejudicing treatment on the grounds of patients? gender or their responsibility for their condition would run counter to the most basic principles of ethical medical practice?.

 

Shazia Ovaisi, a GP in north London, said one of her male Muslim contemporaries at medical school failed to complete his training because he refused to examine a woman patient as part of his final exams.

 

?He was academically gifted, one of the best students, but gradually he got in with certain Islamic groups and started to become more radical,? said Ovaisi.

 

?You could see there was a change in his personality as time went by. During the final exams he was supposed to treat a female patient in hospital. He refused to do it, even though it would have been a very basic examination, nothing intrusive.

 

?But he refused and as a result he failed his exams. I was quite shocked and disappointed about it because I don?t see there being anything in our religion that prohibits us from examining male and female patients.?

 

Both the Muslim Council of Britain and Muslim Doctors and Dentist Association said they were aware of students opting out but did not support them.

 

Dr Abdul Majid Katme, of the Islamic Medical Association, said: ?To learn about alcohol, to learn about sexually transmitted disease, to learn about abortion, it gives us more evidence to campaign against it. There is a difference between learning and practising.

 

?It is obligatory for Muslim doctors and students to learn about everything. The prophet said, ?Learn about witchcraft, but don?t practise it?.? "

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"After 15 happy years with his wife, Alan Jenkins decided it was time for the ultimate expression of love.

 

So, determined to prove his devotion, he had a lifesize image of her face - along with those of their two daughters - tattooed on his back.

 

The painful procedure took 20 hours and cost ?870.

 

Unfortunately for the besotted Alan, it also backfired on a monumental scale after Lisa, 36, absconded with a 25-year-old Latvian hunk she had met at work."

 

Daily Mail

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Daily Mail

 

"A Severely ill patient on a strict "soft food diet" choked to death at a hospital after nurses gave him toast.

 

 

Martin Jennings,36, who had problems swallowing, died following "gross failure" at Heartlands Hospital in Birmingham when lumps of toast became lodged in his windpipe.

 

Despite a warning notice on his bed and nurses being aware Mr Jennings could not eat solid food, Birmingham coroner's court heard they gave him toast because he wanted it.

 

The court was even told that the nurses "believed it was the patient's basic human rights" to have toast if he demanded it."

 

I'm sure an appropriate inscription can be put on his gravestone. :(

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