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The "And in other news..." thread

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RailUK Forums

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23 Oct 2017
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Hove
The link talks about them being "new super-bins", without elaborating on what makes them "super" other than being five times bigger than normal ones and partly underground. I wonder if they have some sort of rubbish-compating mechanism as with some newish bins in Nottingham.

The ones in Brighton are now huge!
I think all the bins go to some central bin centre down some shafts. It also compacts it...
Not a fan of these, as you have to touch a handle to use the bin.
 

Dentonian

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4 Dec 2017
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1,192
How does The news text formerly known as Ceefax work? The lead story on the "Manchester" page this morning, was the trading of insults between a London Rail franchisee and a Wolverhampton based discount store - something to do with Chocolate, iirc! What the **** has that got to do with Manchester.
 

341o2

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17 Oct 2011
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Animal rights activists start petition regarding banning races to be held at a local pub, only to find out that the entrants were to be people dressed as animals

Animal rights campaigners who launched a campaign against what they thought was pig and lamb racing at a Dorset event have discovered it's all porkies.

The online campaign attracted almost 15,000 signatures – but protesters were "misinformed" and the actual racing will involve people dressing up as animals.

The Cambridgeshire-based Lambentations group claims it has already successfully got eight sheep races and a pig race cancelled through campaigning.

Its latest protest was against what members thought were plans by The Swan Innin Stalbridge to hold piglet and lamb racing as part of it's Ale and Gin festival due to take place on Saturday, June 30.

The group also claimed the pub would let children ride the piglets.

The petition on mypetitionsite.com which has since been removed, said: "On 30th June The Swan Inn, Stalbridge plan to hold piglet and lamb racing as part of their Ale & Gin Festival.

"Not only that but they have said that children will be allowed to ride the piglets."


The petition described the event as "cruel" and claimed that racing animals was "exploitative".

It added that a beer festival was not a suitable environment for the animals.

It concluded: "As if that wasn't enough there will also be a BBQ where the animals will be able to smell the cooking flesh of their fellow creatures."

http://www.dorsetecho.co.uk/news/16..._racing_live_animals_at_festival/?ref=mr&lp=2
 

A Challenge

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A thong, lube and a stolen car radio in a carrier bag are among some of the worst presents that teachers have been given as a thank you for their role in young people’s lives.
As the end of the school year approaches, parents will be scrambling together ideas for thank you gifts for teachers. Sweet treats and alcohol are common offerings.
But not all presents given to school staff at the end of the year are welcomed with open arms.

Teachers have been presented with a bag of potatoes, a "plan your wedding" book - despite having no marriage plans – and aftershave (for a female), parenting website Mumsnet has revealed.


A poll of more than 1,200 teachers and teaching assistants shows staff were given a part-drunk bottles of wine, a half-eaten box of chocolates and a re-gifted diffuser from a school raffle.

The majority of teachers would just like something personal and cost-free, according to the survey.

Asked what they would like to receive, the most popular answer was a personal note or card from a child (64 per cent), followed by a personal note or card from a parent (57 per cent).

Justine Roberts, Mumsnet founder, said: "This feels like a classic gifting struggle: hassled parents trying to do the nice thing but not at all sure what to give - and occasionally going very wrong indeed."
https://www.independent.co.uk/news/...ents-thank-you-presents-mumsnet-a8427551.html
 

341o2

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Seagulls have been observed in Dorset (Bournemouth and westwards) apparently have imbibed some sort of alchoholic waste and displaying all the signs of drunkeness
MORE than a dozen seagulls have fallen ill after becoming ‘drunk’ along the South West.

The RSPCA is concerned the birds have fallen ill after gaining access to waste products from a local brewery or alcohol producer and has received a number of call-outs over the past two weeks.

The RSPCA has been called to more than a doze 'drunk' seagulls along the south west.

Incidents have occurred in Bridport, Lyme Regis and a number of locations across Devon.

The animal welfare charity said a few of the birds had died after falling ill but most of them have made a good recovery following treatment and been released.

RSPCA vet David Couper said: “The birds appear disoriented and confused and struggle to stand. We took some video of one of the birds who is staggering around and losing his balance just like a person would if they’d had too much to drink.”

The RPSCA is now urging local breweries, distilleries and alcohol producers to check that their waste is secure and cannot be accessed by wildlife or birds.

RSPCA inspector Jo Daniel said: “At first, the birds look like they have botulism (an illness caused by bacteria) but then, after vomiting, most seem to recover.

“The birds absolutely stink of alcohol when we collect them so now our vans smell like pubs!”

Animal collection officer Clara Scully added: ““These birds were clearly wearing their beer gog-gulls when they scavenged their meal for the day and they’ve really been suffering with hangovers after a gulls’ night out.”

http://www.bournemouthecho.co.uk/ne...ohol/?action=success#comments-feedback-anchor
 

najaB

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Shed station DJ given BBC local radio slot

A DJ whose shed-based radio station has only ever been heard by his wife is expanding his audience after 44 years.

Deke Duncan, now 73, started playing pop records from his back garden in Stevenage in 1974.

But with no licence, the station could only be beamed through a speaker in his living room to wife Teresa.

Mr Duncan has been offered a one-hour special on BBC local radio - and can finally realise his "ultimate ambition" to broadcast to the rest of Stevenage.

He said his interest in radio was sparked by pirate station Radio Caroline, which broadcast off the coast of Essex in the 1960s.

He set up Radio 77 - named after a job-lot of second hand jingles bought from an American station of the same name.

Not in the article... "Finally." said his wife when she found out the news. :)
 

341o2

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17 Oct 2011
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If you think you have had a bad day, spare a thought for this forklift driver

https://metro.co.uk/2018/11/20/ware...er-forklift-driver-crashes-into-unit-8160061/

If you think you’re having a bad day – just be grateful you’re not this guy. Dramatic CCTV footage captured the moment an entire warehouse of goods collapsed after a worker bumped into the shelving unit in a forklift. Filmed inside an unnamed distribution centre, the clip starts with the driver slowly making his way down the aisle between tall piles of boxes. He then appears to only gently bump into the stack on the right hand side of the screen, instantly causing the shelves to tumble down like a house of cards. But as if that wasn’t enough, the force of the fall then pushes his forklift into the opposite shelving unit, causing them to start crashing to the ground as well. The shelves keep tumbling down until they the whole role is on the floor – sparking a domino effect that makes the next row tip over as well. By the end of the video, the forklift driver is left completely buried in the rubble, while four of the shelving units have also been completely wiped out
 

341o2

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17 Oct 2011
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And this service to Weymouth will be stopping at Wareham, Vegan Wool....eh?

PETA, a vegan animal rights group claim the practice of sheep shearing is potentially cruel and has asked for this hamlet to change its name, which has nothing to do with sheep but is a derivative of "well" or "spring". Thankfully, the council rejected the request

PETA 'disappointed' parish council refusing to re-name Purbeck village 'Vegan Wool'

The director of animal rights group PETA says she is 'disappointed' Wool Parish Council has dismissed a suggestion to re-name the village 'Vegan Wool'.

As reported, parish clerk Jacqui Hughes and chairman Keith Foggon have decided the matter will no longer be discussed at the next council meeting.

They said villagers had "no appetite" for PETA's request, and Wool's name derived from the Anglo-Saxon word for a spring - not the wool industry.

However, PETA director Elisa Allen said the council had declined the opportunity to highlight an important issue.

"This was an opportunity for a small community to help highlight, on a large scale, the many vegan fabrics readily available today that don't harm a single hair on an animal's head or support animal agriculture, which is wreaking havoc on the planet.

"Disappointingly, Wool Parish Council refuses to discuss the request at its next meeting and has thereby locked PETA out of the conversation."

Mrs Hughes suggested in her letter to PETA on Monday that the group's offer of 2,000 wool-free blankets to villagers, should Wool be re-named, were donated to local homeless shelters instead.

Responding yesterday, Ms Allen said: "Had we been given the platform we were promised, we would've explained that we'd gladly donate the wool-free knits to a local homeless shelter or other worthy cause if the council went along with this fun, easy, and unthreatening idea – even for just a day. "What a win-win situation that would've been! PETA will, however, still donate some warm vegan garments to the needy in the community – and we'll continue to spread the message that sheep's wool, like foxes' fur, belongs to the animals who were born with it."

https://www.dorsetecho.co.uk/news/1...fusing-to-re-name-purbeck-village-vegan-wool/
 
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fowler9

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29 Oct 2013
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Liverpool
Someone parked their VW down the entrance to Liverpool Central last night breaking the window of the Sainsbury when the car stopped. Oddly enough the police said they think it was because the hand brake wasn't properly applied. God knows where the car was parked if that was the reason. No parking anywhere near the entrance.
 

507021

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Chester
Harry Redknapp has won this year's I'm a Celebrity...Get Me Out Of Here.
 

najaB

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The decline of cash in the UK - in charts

Cash use is falling, with predictions that fewer than one in 10 transactions will be completed with notes and coins in 10 years' time.

Ten years ago, cash was used in six out of 10 payments, but it has been overtaken in popularity by debit cards, driven by the use of contactless technology.

A review of payments, published by banking trade body UK Finance on Thursday, said cash was here to stay, but would play a less important role in the future.

The most recent figures show cash payments are still common, but declining - down 16% from 2017 to 2018, while debit card use is rising.

Thinking about it, I probably only use cash for one transaction in 15 or 20 these days. Contactless is just so much easier than walking around with a pocket full of change or fumbling for notes.
 

DanTrain

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Sheffield
The decline of cash in the UK - in charts


Thinking about it, I probably only use cash for one transaction in 15 or 20 these days. Contactless is just so much easier than walking around with a pocket full of change or fumbling for notes.
It's even more evident in places like Sweeden, I had to pay the 50p charge for public loos by card when I was there a while ago! I agree that it's much easier generally but I do worry for when it goes wrong, like when visa went down last year.
 

najaB

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Man spends £30,000 fighting £100 speeding fine (BBC News)
A man spent £30,000 of his savings on a failed legal battle "for justice" over a £100 speeding fine.

Richard Keedwell, 71, said a "seriously flawed" legal system meant fighting the fine had taken nearly three years and used up his sons' inheritance money.

He claims he was wrongly clocked doing 35mph in a 30mph zone on a day trip to Worcester in 2016.

The Crown Prosecution Service (CPS) said the case involved a "multiplicity of issues" which added to its length.

Retired engineer Mr Keedwell, of Yate near Bristol, claimed he "was certainly not doing more than 30mph" in New Road in November 2016.

He said: "I was very surprised when a couple of days later I got the NIP [Notice of Intended Prosecution].

"I really could not believe that I had been speeding. It made a simple day out turn very sour actually."
Winning the battle but losing the war? Actually, not even winning the battle!
 

najaB

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Plymouth man denies attack with seagull
A man has denied wielding a seagull in a fight with a cafe customer.

Paul Elcombe, 26, allegedly threw the bird at Kyle Towers at Goodbody's cafe in Plymouth on 12 May last year.

Mr Elcombe, from Greenbank in Plymouth, appeared at the city's crown court to deny wounding with intent to cause grievous bodily harm.

No plea was entered to another charge of attempting to injure a wild bird. Mr Elcombe was remanded on bail for trial at Plymouth Crown Court on 7 April.
 

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