Stick to the real news please, not the trivia!

I very rarely read the newspapers any more and I never watch the news because it’s so depressing and miserable . If I need to know what’s going on I can rely on the internet. But for some reason, on Monday night I actually found myself watching one of the news channels at 10.00pm. Monday had been a grim day as we had all heard about the ‘dissapearance’ of the Air France flight from Rio de Janerio to Paris and feared the worst. There was also the ‘mysterious’ death of a couple and their five year old son at Beachy Head, an infamous suicide spot.

The news opened with the headline story, the Air France flight, a tragic but newsworthy story. This was followed by, you would think the tragedy at Beachy Head, but NO, the next story was all about Susan F**king Boyle and her admission to the Priory Clinic following her breakdown. I for one don’t care about Susan Boyle’s breakdown but I do care about people who have real problems like the loss of their loved ones. The Beachy Head story received a small mention in the second half of the program.

I remember when news programs were about news but now they seem little more than extensions of the ‘reality TV’ craze that is sweeping our nation. I have nothing against reality TV and watched Britain’s Got Talent (although I must bee the only person in the world who hasn’t watched Susan Boyle), but they are entertainment programs and don’t parade themselves as anything else. News at Ten was once ITV’s flagship program dealing in real news stories but it is now watered down and largely irrelevant. Come on guys, stick to the news and leave the entertainment to someone else.

The world’s best job goes to a Brit!

Described as “The best job in the World”, a six month position as caretaker of an Australian tropical island with a A$150,000 (£73,500) salary has been awarded to Britain Ben Southall, 34, a charity fundraiser from Petersfield, Hampshire.

Ben beat 34,000 other applicants to land the dream position. His new job requires him to live and report from Hamilton Island, on Queensland’s Great Barrier Reef. As well as the salary, the post of caretaker at Hamilton Island comes with a three bedroom beach home, a swimming pool and golf cart.

The job description requires the successful candidate to “to explore the islands of the Great Barrier Reef, swim, snorkel, make friends with the locals and generally enjoy the tropical Queensland climate and lifestyle”. As a thoroughly modern caretaker, Mr Southall will also be expected to report back to Tourism Queensland and the world via blogs, a photo diary, video updates and interviews.

The 34,000 applicants were whittled down to 16 finalists who all spent four days on Hamilton Island undergoing a rigorous selection process involving snorkelling, barbecues and time at a spa. The finalists also had to demonstrate their blogging abilities and take swimming lessons.

After being awarded the position Ben commented, “I hope I can fill the boots as much as everybody is expecting. My swimming is hopefully up to standard and I look forward to all the new roles and responsibilities that the task involves.”

The campaign was launched by Tourism Queensland in a bid to boost the areas declining tourism industry.

It’s not my fault I am FAT, it’s my metabolism.

Whale-sized single mother of 3, Leane Salt hit the headlines this week when it was revealed that she feeds her eight month old triplets McDonald’s and Wotsits. The jobless, 29 stone mum said she is “too busy” to give her babies proper cooked food. To busy doing what, Eating?

Leane admits that she feeds the kids burgers and fish & chips, but chews them first (and probably swallows a bit as well) before feeding them to little Deanna, Daisy and Finlee. “I don’t, like, take them to McDonald’s and buy them a McDonald’s. I buy myself a McDonald’s and they,ll probably have, what, a chip or something”, she said. “I feed my babies vegetables every Sunday, and a lot of baby food has fruit in it.” Leane steers away from healthy foods in case it makes her kids anorexic. “I don’t want them to think they have to watch what they eat. I’ll tell them that big is beautiful”. Well not from where I’m standing, love!

Leane lives on £227 a week, and guess where it all comes from, benefits. And the father of the three kids, no where to be seen. Now there’s a surprise!

Britain is P.C mad and compensation crazy

There are two things that are screwing up Britain at the moment (aside from the Government), Political correctness and the compensation culture.

We live in a society where ‘anything goes’ just in case we infringe someone’s human rights. We cannot speak out for fear of being labelled racist. We cannot protect ourselves for fear of being punished. We encourage the creed of greed, where no one is responsible for their own actions because someone else will always pay. Usually the poor old taxpayer, after all when they are handing out money, benefits or compensation, it is only ever going to come from one place, US!

Very occasionally, however, will the light of common sense shine through and a glimmer of hope that the tide may be turning in favour of fairness and decency. Rose Gibb, former chief executive of Maidstone & Tunbridge Wells NHS Trust, had been ’sacked’ days before a damning report blamed filthy wards for the death of 90 patients during Britain’s worst ever C.difficile outbreak. She had struck a deal with the trust to go quietly in return for £250,000 compensation.

After an outcry from relatives of  the dead, Health Secretary Alan Johnson blocked the deal but let her keep £75,000 notice pay. Grasping Rose Gibb took the matter to the High Court, but the judge threw out the claim and ordered her to pay costs believed to be in the region of £100,000. A sign, maybe that the culture of rewarding failure may be coming to an end. 

 

              

Rich lose Billions – What a shame!

According to the Sunday Times Rich list, the collective wealth of the 1000 richest people is down a mind blowing £155 billion. Victims of plunging stock markets and plummeting property values, the rich have just got a lot ‘less wealthy.’ But lifes not too bad, each person in the top ten has still got a fortune in excess of £2 billion, so as they say, ‘I wouldn’t mind being a pound behind any of them.’ The top 10 richest British residents are:

Joint 9th  -   John Fredriksen: £2.5billion / David & Simon Rueben: £2.5billion

8th  -  Sammy & Eyal Ofer: £2.67billion

7th – Charlene & Michel de Carvalho: £2.96billion

6th – Sir Philip Green: £3.83billion

5th – Hans Rausing: £4billion

4th – Ernesto & Kirsty Bertarelli: £5billion

3rd – The Duke of Westminster: £6.5billion

2nd – Roman Abramovich: £7billion

1st – Lakshi Mittal: £10.8billion

I don’t suppose they will be losing too much sleep or buying economy brands just yet!

UK Swine Flu couple recovering in Hospital

A Scottish couple who caught swine flu during their Mexican honeymoon are said to be responding well to treatment in hospital.

The newlyweds, Dawn and Ian Askham, from Polmont, near Falkirk, are being treated for the virus after returning from the coastal resort of Cancun. They fell ill at the weekend, days after flying back to the UK. They are being treated in an isolation unit at Monklands Hospital in Airdrie, Lanarkshire.

 Mrs Askham’s father, Brian Colston, said his daughter’s condition was improving, when he spoke at the door of his home in Falkirk today.

Asked how his daughter was doing, he replied: “She’s doing OK, she’s getting better.”

Health officials have said the couple are not seriously ill.

 Seven other people, including close friends and workmates who had come into contact with the couple after they returned are said to be showing “mild symptoms” of the virus, according to Scottish Health Secretary Nicola Sturgeon