Jottings from previous page
line food delivery operation has complained about a spike in fraudulent complaints . It says one of the most brazen complaints claimed that an order including cheesecake , milkshakes and ice-cream had arived “ cold .”
Spare a thought for ...
... Lucy Battle from Leeds who accidently offered her seven-monthold son for sale on Facebook . She was trying to sell a sofa but instead posted a picture of the toddler with the caption , “ Need gone today .”
... a squirrel in Hartlepool which got stuck in a squirrel-proof bird feeder . The RSPCA had to be called in to rescue the greedy creature which had
eaten all the nuts left for our feathered friends and had become a little too portly to sneak out the way he had sneaked it .
... cat owners in Freemantle , Western Australia , where the council plans to ban them from letting their pets outside unless they are on a lead . Councillor Adin Lang said , “ In the 1970s , dogs would roam our streets and I expect roaming cats will also become a thing of the past .”
... police in Kansas City who had to chase a camel around for a whole day last month after it broke free from its role in a Nativity Play and decided to explore .
... members of a Belgian heavy metal band who are refusing to change their name . They formed two years ago and are presently preparing their first album , but despite pressure , they ’ re sticking with their name : Omicron .
Quotes
“ This win is precedent setting .” – Meghan Markle ’ s verdict after the Court of Appeal upheld her privacy complaint against the Mail on Sunday published in a summary judgement .
“ The right to free speech must not be trumped by famous people ’ s demands to shield their reputations .” - Human rights barrister Geoffrey Robertson writing in the Daily Mail on December 5 .
“ If students cannot cope with hearing opinions they find disagreeable they shouldn ’ t be at university .” – The Free Speech Union , a public interest body , on Durham Students Union who demanded the resignation of Professor Tim Luckhurst after he invited journalist Rod Liddle to “ spout vile propaganda he knew would cause division ” during a Christmas party .
“ Staffing shortages were exacerbated by some staff working from home , which hampered communication .” - Raphael Marshall , the 25-year-old whistle-blower who exposed the selfindulgent office culture at the UK ’ s Foreign , Commonwealth and Development Office during the Afghan refugee crisis last August .
“ The most persecuted woman in the history of the Royal Family .” – Sarah , Duchess of York , describing herself in an interview with a French magazine .
“ The woke are at war with free speech .” – Mick Hume writing in the Daily Mail last month .
“ How could they not have known ?” – Sky TV ’ s Kay Burley questioning the role of police guarding 10 Downing Street on the night of the notorious alleged Christmas party . ( For information , this is the same Kay Burley who was suspended for six months in December 2020 after attending a birthday party which broke Covid-19 restrictions .)
“ What happens when you play Pokémon GO in space ?” – One of the questions Japanese billionaire Yusaku Maezawa aimed to answer when he spent 12 days on the International Space Station last month .
Grateful acknowledgement to the following papers from which some of this material is extracted : Daily Mail , Daily Mirror , Daily Express , Independent on Sunday , Mail on Sunday , The Sun , The Sunday Times , The Times and The Telegraph . Seen something funny , bizarre or just plain weird ? Contributions for Jottings are welcome by email to : sarah @ soltalk . com .
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