Nun sees off the doormat health and safety zealots
Health and safety enforcers have met their match in the form of a nun.
Sister Christine, a Roman Catholic nun, has campaigned for residents in the area since the 1980sPhoto: STIAN ALEXANDER
8:00AM GMT 12 Nov 2010
Sister Christine Frost told workers who tried to take away her neighbours' doormats and cut down their washing lines to tackle anti-social yobs instead.
Tower Hamlets Homes, which is responsible for council housing in the east London borough, started implementing new health and safety measures this week.
Its workers, accompanied by police, turned up at the Will Crooks Estate in Poplar to enforce the rules on Monday.
They even impounded children's bicycles chained to railings and pulled down hanging pot plants, all in the name of health and safety.
Their actions angered Sister Christine, a Roman Catholic nun, who has campaigned for residents in the area since the 1980s.
She said: "It's Big Brother gone mad.
"They cut washing lines and removed security gates and bikes, including at least one child's bike.
"They even took away hanging plant pots from walls and residents' doormats."
The Irish-born nun, who lives in the area added: "To focus on this ridiculous thing about washing lines and doormats is quite stupid when there is anti-social yob behaviour they should be dealing with.
"If they don't want us hanging out washing in view of Canary Wharf they should buy us all tumble dryers."
On Tuesday, scores of residents led by Sister Christine held a protest meeting demanding that their doormats, washing lines and bicycles be returned. Hours later, bosses at Tower Hamlets Homes apologised and explained that they were following what they thought was guidance from the Fire Brigade.
One resident, who did not want to be named, said: "They came mob-handed with police to take away our washing lines, doormats, pot plants and bikes.
"Anything that wasn't nailed down – and even stuff that was – they wanted to take away if they thought it was a health and safety hazard.
"Nobody could believe what they were doing."
Tower Hamlets Homes said the aim was to "carry out tenancy enforcement work including the removal of washing lines, bikes and other obstructions as a landlord to keep residents safe".
Jonathan Gregory, the chief executive, said: "I'm sorry about this. We don't want to cause offence."
He said the health and safety measures were now "on hold" and a team of workers would start talks with residents of the estate in the coming weeks.
A US woman has been charged with aggravated assault after allegedly attacking a police officer with a sex toy.
Carolee Bildsten, 56, of Gurnee, Illinois, allegedly assaulted the officer with what local police commander Jay Patrick called "a rigid feminine pleasure device".
Police became involved when Ms Bildsten allegedly ran out of a local restaurant without paying her bill, reports the TribLocal.
The assault is said to have happened after a police officer went to her home to question her about the complaint from Joe's Crab Shack.
Ms Bildsten was arrested and taken into custody. As well as the aggravated assault charge, she was also charged with theft.
Ephiphany: Rev. Carmen D'Amico is offering a 2.30am Mass for night owls at his Pittsburgh church
A church in Pittsburgh has had an epiphany and decided to offer a late night Mass to give local residents an alternative to boozy nights out.
Churches in the city used to offer middle-of-the-night services for employees who worked odd hours but Rev. Carmen D'Amico from Epiphany Church is bringing the tradition back with a 2.30am service.
Father D'Amico said he's adding the weekly Mass on Sundays, timed for just after the bars close.
He hopes to attract those out late on Saturday nights - especially local college students who are up into the early hours but is also appealing to people who want a quiet alternative to a wild night out.
Officials have been handing out fliers at nearby universities to publicise the new service to draw in the younger crowd.
The Pittsburgh Post-Gazette reports the service was dubbed the 'Printer's Mass' because it used to be popular with newspaper employees but the early Mass hasn't been held since 1991.
Members of the parish worship committee agreed earlier this year that there may be a renewed need for the pre-dawn liturgy and to give it a trial run to see what kind of crowd the special service will draw.
The appeal of sinning on the Saturday night and then going straight to confession to cleanse might also be appealing for some.
Pittsburgh Catholics have been able to fulfill their Sunday attendance obligation by attending Mass early Saturday evening since 1966.
Italians enjoy this tradition by parading in their finest fashions around the piazza on Saturday in what is called the passagiata.
Pre-dawn confession: Father D'Amico said he timed the Mass for after the bars close but also wants to give people a quiet alternative to a sinful Saturday night
Father D'Amica who is a self-confessed Italian night owl understands people liking the flexibility and wants to ensure all his parishioners are catered for.
The early morning 'Printer's Mass' was first celebrated on April 30, 1905 and attracted employees from seven daily newspapers who opened the church doors and lit the candles.
Pittsburg Sun-Telegraph workers wanted to take Communion after finishing their shift at 2am.
Press truck drivers often served on the altar and then began delivering papers at 3am.
With only two main daily papers left, there are fewer printers but Father D'Amico hopes a new wave of parishioners will enjoy the pre-dawn service.
McDonald's and other food companies will help write policy on obesity and diet-related diseases. Photograph: Murdo Macleod for the Guardian
The Department of Health is putting the fast food companies McDonald'sand KFC and processed food and drink manufacturers such as PepsiCo, Kellogg's, Unilever, Mars and Diageo at the heart of writing government policy on obesity, alcohol and diet-related disease, the Guardian has learned.
In an overhaul of public health, said by campaign groups to be the equivalent of handing smoking policy over to the tobacco industry, health secretary Andrew Lansley has set up five "responsibility deal" networks with business, co-chaired by ministers, to come up with policies. Some of these are expected to be used in the public health white paper due in the next month.
The groups are dominated by food and alcohol industry members, who have been invited to suggest measures to tackle public health crises. Working alongside them are public interest health and consumer groups including Which?, Cancer Research UK and the Faculty of Public Health. The alcohol responsibility deal network is chaired by the head of the lobby group the Wine and Spirit Trade Association. The food network to tackle diet and health problems includes processed food manufacturers, fast food companies, and Compass, the catering company famously pilloried by Jamie Oliver for its school menus of turkey twizzlers. The food deal's sub-group on calories is chaired by PepsiCo, owner of Walkers crisps.
The leading supermarkets are an equally strong presence, while the responsibility deal's physical activity group is chaired by the Fitness Industry Association, which is the lobby group for private gyms and personal trainers.
In early meetings, these commercial partners have been invited to draft priorities and identify barriers, such as EU legislation, that they would like removed. They have been assured by Lansley that he wants to explore voluntary not regulatory approaches, and to support them in removing obstacles. Using the pricing of food or alcohol to change consumption has been ruled out. One group was told that the health department did not want to lead, but rather hear from its members what should be done.
Professor Sir Ian Gilmore, the leading liver specialist and until recently president of the Royal College of Physicians, said he was very concerned by the emphasis on voluntary partnerships with industry. A member of the alcohol responsibility deal network, Gilmore said he had decided to co-operate, but he doubted whether there could be "a meaningful convergence between the interests of industry and public health since the priority of the drinks industry was to make money for shareholders while public health demanded a cut in consumption".
He said: "On alcohol there is undoubtedly a need for regulation on price, availability and marketing and there is a risk that discussions will be deflected away from regulation that is likely to be effective but would affect sales. On food labelling we have listened too much to the supermarkets rather than going for traffic lights [warnings] which health experts recommend." Employers are being asked to take on more responsibility for employees in a fourth health at work deal. The fifth network is charged with changing behaviour, and is chaired by the National Heart Forum. This group is likely to be working with the new Cabinet Office behavioural insight unit, which is exploring ways of making people change their behaviour without new laws.
Lansley's public health reforms are seen as a test case for wider Conservative policies on replacing state intervention with private and corporate action.
While public interest groups are taking part in drawing up the deals, many have argued that robust regulation is needed to deal with junk food and alcohol misuse.
The Faculty of Public Health, represented on several of the deal networks, has called for a ban on trans fats and minimum alcohol pricing. Professor Lindsey Davies, FPH president, said: "We are hopeful that engaging with the food industry will lead to changes in the quality and healthiness of the products we and our children eat. It is possible to make progress on issues such as salt reduction through voluntary agreements, and we're keeping an open mind until we see what comes out of the meetings, but we do think that there is still a role for regulation."
Responding to criticism that industry was too prominent in the plans, the Department of Health said: "We are constantly in touch with expert bodies, including those in the public health field, to help inform all our work. For the forthcoming public health white paper we've engaged a wide range of people, as we are also doing to help us develop the responsibility deal drawn from business, the voluntary sector, other non-governmental organisations, local government, as well as public health bodies. A diverse range of experts are also involved."
He added that the government wanted to improve public health through voluntary agreements with business and other partners, rather than through regulation or top-down lectures because it believed this approach would be far more effective and ambitious than previous efforts.
An over-arching board, chaired by Lansley, has been set up to oversee the work of the five responsibility deal networks, with representatives of local government and a regional health director – but it too is dominated by the food, alcohol, advertising and retail industries. Gilmore called for a better balance of commercial interests and independent experts on it.
Other experts have also expressed concern at Lansley's approach. Professor Tim Lang, a member of the government's advisory committee on obesity, doubted the food and drink industry's ability to regulate itself. "In public health, the track record of industry has not been good. Obesity is a systemic problem, and industry is locked into thinking of its own narrow interests," said Lang.
"I am deeply troubled to be sent signals from the secretary of state about working 'with business' and that any action has got to be soft 'nudge' action."
Jeanette Longfield, head of the food campaign group Sustain, said: "This is the equivalent of putting the tobacco industry in charge of smoke-free spaces. We know this 'let's all get round the table approach' doesn't work, because we've all tried it before, including the last Conservative government. This isn't 'big society', it's big business."
A Norwegian nurse who applied to be a police officer has been turned down because she is too sexy, after pictures surfaced from her nude modelling career.
Rejected: Ashima intends to fight the decision not to let her be a police officer (CEN)
Nurse Cathrine Ashima, who models part time, breezed through the medical and fitness tests required to join the force but was rejected after an interview panel questioned her over her work as a nude model.
Police deny that the decision was made on these grounds saying that ‘the applicant was not found suitable on the basis of the following: Work motivation, understanding about the role of the police and a lack of general knowledge.'
However Ashima says she knew she would not get the job after a female member of the interview panel confronted her with her modelling shots.
'During the interview one of the women on the board held up some nude pictures of me and started waving them in my face.
'I think it's too bad that someone in the police thinks I am unfit to be a police officer because of my great body.'
Despite passing the tests with flying colours police told the nurse that working as a nude model was akin to being a member of a right-wing organisation.
'It's just terrible political correctness,' Ashima said.
She has now reportedly sought legal help and intends to challenge the board’s decision.
Don't try this at home... or, indeed, on the coast near Brighton Pier.
That's because the gnarly dude who managed to clear the pier yesterday - the first person to manage the feat - is a former double Great British kite surfing champion.
Lewis Crathern, who with his pal Jake Scrace cleared Wothing Pier last year, had been waiting months for the perfect conditions to attempt the death-defying stunt.
Check out the video of the amazing feat below
flying high: Lewis Crathern, a double British kite-surfing champion, managed to become the first person to clear Brighton Pier with an astonishing leap
Death-defying: The 25-year-old from Goring on the south coast had been waiting months for the perfect conditions and Thursday was ideal
The 25-year-old, who was British Kite Surfing Association's champion in 2006 and 2007, said that he bided his time for the right winds and waves before taking the leap of faith over the pier, which has a total length of 524 metres and opened in 1899.
Mr Crathern, who hails from Goring on the south coast and has been kite surfing for 17 years, spent two hours in the sea, enduring gale-force winds, before lifting off at 4pm.
With scores of anxious onlookers willing him on, he soared over the pier building and landed with ease on the other side.
Gnarly: Mr Crathern, along with his pal Jake Scrace, cleared Wothing Pier last year, and the kite surfing world are waiting to see what his next stunt will be
'I felt safe,' he smiled after the breath-taking effort.
'I would never attempt these things if I wasn't 100 per cent safe.'
After clearing Worthing pier last year, Mr Crathern added: 'Brighton was a bit more difficult than Worthing because the pier is a lot higher.
Short back and thighs: Old Basing hairdresser strip for racy charity calendar (Pic: Solent)
The team of hairdressers de-robed for a racy calender and showed that in addition to demon scissor skills they have other great assets.
The colleagues from Hampshire can be seen posing with hair-dryers, brooms, scrapbooks and other hairdressing paraphernalia in a shoot that will surely come as a shock to the sleepy Old Basing village.
Laura Haystaff, who organised the calendar, said: 'I was surprised how keen people were to get naked.'
The proceeds from the calendar will go to the local church.
The Heart Attack Grill in Arizona is offering free food for anyone who weighs over 25 stone
The Heart Attack Grill in Arizona has launched a new offer where anyone who weighs over 350 pounds (159kg) can dine for free at the famous eatery.
The restaurant employs waitresses dressed as nurses, with food such as the Quadruple Bypass Burger and Flatline Fries on the menu.
To front the new promotion, the fast food restaurant has also hired 45-stone Blair Rivers to star in an advertising campaign.
Mr Blairs features in a video promising diners steady weight gain if they stick to the ‘Heart Attack Grill Diet’.
The advert and the restaurant’s owner Jon Basso have been heavily criticised in the US for the advert which features a voice-over warning of the side-effects of the sticking to the ‘diet'.
The ad claims dining at the restaurant could result in ‘repeated increase of wardrobe size, back pain, male breast growth, loss of sexual partners, lung cancer, tooth decay and liver sclerosis stroke. In some cases mild death may occur’.
According to the Center For Disease Control in the US more than 1.3 million Americans suffer heart attacks each year, with $316.4 billion spent every year to fight heart disease.
Ronnie Corbett, the veteran comic, has claimed he was frozen out of the BBC in favour of edgier performers and other channels because he refused to swear.
Ronnie Corbett with the statue of his long time comedy partner Ronnie BarkerPhoto: PA
9:44AM GMT 12 Nov 2010
He made a scathing attack on the country's younger generation of comedians, saying they are only interested in shocking audiences or trying to be clever.
Corbett said that many are not genuinely funny and do not have a feel for comedy.
The 79 year-old, who is most famous as being one half of The Two Ronnies, says he was frozen out by the BBC and other television networks in favour of more edgy performers and that his refusal to swear caused him problems.
He told Saga magazine: "There are many around who do not really have a feel for comedy.
"They can say outrageous things, have clever thought and deliver some funny angles.
"They are not genuinely funny.
"They walk on, stand at the microphone, deliver and walk off again. They are not interested in a particular style of performance. The great Tommy Cooper could just walk on stage and the audience would dissolve into laugher, just from looking at him."
Corbett told the magazine his nice personality belies a fierce underbelly.
"I have not survived in showbusiness for more than 50 years by being Mr Nice. I might like to hide behind the impression but it's simply not true. If you are weak, this business eats you up."
He also spoke of his sadness of being dumped by the BBC back in the 80s, when they dumped his comedy series Sorry but told how he is now back in fashion.
"It was a huge blow at the time. I went from the non-stop success of The Two Ronnies and several series of Sorry to nothing at all. But what do you do? I smiled sweetly and took it.
"I have burned with indignation inside. I dont like myself when I feel like that. I try not to show it but I know that I suffer from the same jealousies and feelings of rejection as anyone. I've just hung around long enough to come back in to fashion. It's a bit like keeping old clothes in the wardrobe. At some point, they seem quite fashionable again. That's exactly how it has been.
"I never eff and blind. That has been a problem in recent times.
"I am a stick-in-the-mud about work. I like to turn up in plenty of time, know my lines, not cause a fuss and be pleasant to people. The face that has got me this far says something."
