My blog will be updated daily, so make sure you come back! If you would like to add or reply to a comment on one of the articles below just send me your comment and, if it's reasonably decent and not libellous or anything like that, I'll add it to the article (don't forget to include the date and title of the article).
24.10.12
GP who planted flowers on muddy verge near her surgery hit with £84 council bill for 'licence to cultivate'
A GP who planted flowers to brighten up a muddy verge near her surgery was stunned when she was charged £84 by a jobsworth council - for a ‘licence to cultivate’.
Dr Susannah Beattie planted nine shrubs on two patches of mud between her home and a GP practice in Cambridge in a bid to deter motorists from parking on it.
Local families welcomed the move and congratulated the doctor on improving the area around the Cornford House Surgery in Cambridge.
'Licence to cultivate': Angry GP Susannah Beattie and local councillor Geoff Heathcock by the spruced up muddy verge in Cambridge with the small number of plants she put in, in front of them
But just a fortnight later Dr Beattie received a snooty letter from Cambridgeshire County Council informing her that she was breaking the law.
Council officials claim the amateur gardener must pay £84 for a ‘licence to cultivate’ on the verge outside her home - or pull up the plants.
Dr Beattie, who was yesterday resigned to paying the fee, has demanded a rethink on the 30-year-old rules she claims leave no room for common sense.
'It doesn’t make sense to discouraging the local community from beautifying the neighbourhood,' she said.
'So many people litter the streets and aren’t brought up for it, but if you are beautifying the streets you have to pay extra money.
'I think it should be looked at because it is a disincentive against people taking ownership of their neighbourhood and making the place look beautiful.'
Dr Beattie was told she must submit a plan to the Cambridgeshire County Council, which controls all planting on public land, for her flowers on Wulfstan Way, Cambridge, to be approved.
Cllr Geoff Heathcock, who represents Dr Beattie’s area on Cambridgeshire County Council, yesterday said the action was 'unnecessary.'
He said: 'This action is both unnecessary and petty compared to the damage that is done all year round by parking on verges, and considerably less is done about that.
'I think there needs to be some balance in the application of highways laws to distinguish between something which is constructive rather than destructive.
'This is over the top and dissuades people from public-spirited activity to replace verges that would otherwise be mud or worn away.'
But a spokesman for Cambridgeshire County Council said the licence was standard practice.
He said: 'The fee covers the cost of inspecting the site and agreeing a suitable planting scheme that specifies the species and sizes of plants.'
vicious.sid: Welcome to the Cambridge Council meeting. Right, come on you lot, we want chocolate digestives instead of the plain ones for our tea breaks, how can we make some money? What about charging them 16 quid to walk on the path? No, Canterbury Council tried that one, didn't work. I know, I saw someone planting flowers yesterday . . .
24.10.12
London 2012 comes in £377million under budget (but still £6.5BILLION more than forecast when the bid was won)
The London 2012 Games ended up £377million under budget, new figures showed today.
The overall cost of the Games is forecast to come in at £8.921billion from a budget of £9.298billion.
But this was still much higher than the original £2.4billion cost forecast when the bid was won in 2005.
The original budget for the London 2012 Games was £2.4billion, but rose to more than £9billion
Today the government hailed the underspend as 'prudent'.
Sports minister Hugh Robertson said: 'The work of the construction and delivery teams, from the ODA (Olympic Delivery Authority) and Locog (London Organising Committee of the Olympic and Paralympic Games), has set a very high standard and I have no doubt that London 2012 has set a new benchmark for the management of Olympic and Paralympic Games in future.'
Attempts to claw back millions from security firm G4s for its failure to provide thousands of guards just weeks before the Games started are still ongoing.
Mr Robertson said: 'There are projected savings of at least £377 million so the predictions that I made this summer that we could bring this project in at under £9 billion has almost certainly been met.
'Locog also have to conclude, and we have to sign off, the negotiations with G4S over the size of the amount of money that will be paid back to the public purse - so if you were to add to that £377 million, anything that will not be used but is held against outstanding work and anything that might come back from G4S, it is entirely reasonable to expect that figure to rise.'
vicious.sid: Hilarious! Nothing other than what can be expected from the efficient and honest British politicians!!! Who else in the whole world can say that a job quoted at a cost of £2.4billion and completed at a cost of £8.921billion works out at £377million under budget! The rest of the world must be looking at British politics and laughing their heads off! How the hell can these people get away with it over and over again? If Cameron ever wants a quote for building a conservatory, I'll quote him for four grand, charge him 17 grand and it'll be £465 under budget, impressive or what? Wow, I am flabbergasted, I think I need to sit down!!!!
24.10.12
Madonna falls flat on her face during Like A Prayer performance on tour
MADONNA takes a tumble on stage as she performs her hit Like A Prayer to fans. The Queen Of Pop was playing a date of her MDNA tour in Dallas and getting up close to fans when one eager audience member tugged on her hand, causing her to fall.
The 54-year-old singer is seen looking horrified as she realises she is going to stumble and a fan is heard screaming excitedly.
She then tips backwards on to the floor with her legs in the air before rolling on to her front and clambering back to her feet.
However, Madonna remains professional and carries on singing throughout the whole ordeal.
vicious.sid: She's been taking a bit of training from Suarez or some Premier player. The fan only just touched her, honest, ref!
24.10.12
FA go gold for 150th anniversary
STEVEN GERRARD has revealed his pride at being England captain as the FA prepare to celebrate their 150th anniversary. English football’s governing body will commemorate the landmark year with a series of blockbuster matches and events ahead of a big birthday bash October 26 2013.
Midfielder Gerrard was handed the Three Lions armband on a permanent basis by manager Roy Hodgson in May.
And the 32-year-old could not hide his excitement at being one of the key participants in FA150.
He said: “It is a source of enormous pride to captain my country and to do so in such a significant year is fantastic.
“The history of football in this country is immense and it is staggering to think next year it will be 150 years since the organisation came together.
“Football has been my life from a very young age and it is important that we celebrate the opportunities and benefits of the game.
“It brings people so much happiness and while I’ve travelled the world as a footballer there is nowhere in the world quite like our country for passion and enthusiasm.”
The traditional Three Lions crest has been retained but will turn gold for the first time to underline the significance of the occasion.
And the design also features a 150-specific mark underneath, along with some of the handwritten text from the original FA Minute Book.
England boss Hodgson added: “The FA hold a very important place in history as the oldest governing body in football and it is only right we celebrate reaching a significant landmark.
“As I have said many times already, I am immensely proud to be the England manager and that is only heightened by holding the post at such an auspicious time in the history of the organisation.
“England have some exciting fixtures during the year and I’m very much looking forward to it.”
vicious.sid: England are going to play some blockbuster matches? Blimey that'll be a first! I'm sure the reporter misheard the England spokesperson, they actually said 'lacklustre matches'.
24.10.12
Subway thief leaves victim for dead in path of train
A THIEF robbed a drunk man who had fallen on to underground tracks – then left him there to be run over by an oncoming train. Callous Nadar Khiari, 28, leaped off the platform to steal the victim's belongings before fleeing.
Moments later, a train slammed into the 38-year-old who lost a foot but survived.
Khiari was sentenced today to 18 months in prison for theft and ordered to pay £1,125 in damages to the man, named only as Johnny.
The court in Stockholm, Sweden, ruled Tunisian national Khiari would be deported after serving his sentence.
But he was not charged with leaving the man on the tracks as Swedish law does not require people to help.
vicious.sid: That's ok, mate, when you're kicked out, you know where to go. Britain takes all scumbags from around the world and gives them lots of money and goods. Roll up, roll up!
24.10.12
Dad delivers own child...in hospital
A DAD had to deliver his wife’s baby in hospital — because there were no midwives. “Petrified” Daniel Araujo, 36, begged for help when he saw his son’s head poke out of Natalia’s underwear in a maternity ward’s reception area.
But the only staff member ran out to get help — and the removals boss was left to deliver the baby ALONE.
The couple had been told to wait at 1.30am after Natalia asked for a pain-relieving epidural. Two hours later she began to have contractions every minute.
Natalia got into a standing position as Daniel put his hand under the baby’s head.
Just one push later and he caught Daniel junior — then noticed he was struggling to breathe with the umbilical cord around his neck.
Brazil-born Daniel said: “I put my finger around it and twisted Daniel around to free him. He started to cry. We felt extremely relieved.
“I saw how it was done with my first two kids. If I wasn’t there he’d have fallen on to the floor. I thought he was going to die.”
vicious.sid: Well done, Daniel, now that's the way to bond with your child! This government and the NHS are disgusting and couldn't run a booze-up in a brewery. My daughter is at the beginning of her training to be a midwife and, even though she has no money, she has dedicated many, many hours to it whilst disrupting her and her family's home life. I am very proud of her because she is doing so well - with NO thanks to this wonderful government! They are putting every barricade in her way possible, every way she turns there is something else to stop her. I don't know if it's a test to see if she is serious, but it is very upsetting for her and completely unnecessary. She is battling through it and I feel sorry for her because it really is a battle but I am sure she will become fully qualified eventually. Don't let the buggers get you down, you can do it, girly!!!
24.10.12
Surfing the net aged just three, the hi-tech toddlers: Half of three and four-year-olds are technology savvy
Once upon a time, they would have played with train sets, dolls and cuddly toys.
Today’s toddlers, however, are more likely to be playing with an iPad - and are becoming adept at using the internet long before they start school.
Nearly half of three and four-year-olds are now technologically-savvy, a report by media watchdog Ofcom revealed yesterday.
And one in ten is already using an iPad to visit websites, watch films and television programmes and play games.
vicious.sid: Nothing new at all! My son is 23 now and when he was five or six he was programming the video recorder for us! I didn't have a clue how it worked!!!