Jottings from previous page
Among the critics was Clare Mullen , founder of BetaHR Ltd , which specialises in Human Resource training for start-up businesses , who said that Grant , “ only applied ” for the job . She continued , “ He didn ’ t select his CV , conduct the interview and then agree he was the right candidate for the job . A hiring committee did that . THEY should be the ones we hold to account .”
Bonkers Corner
( Trigger warning : Before you read this , your Jottings team wish to point out that today is not April 1 .)
Men who eat meat should be banned from having sex .
That ’ s the bizarre recommendation from the German branch of our fave activists Peta ( People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals .) They have claimed that men contribute significantly more to the climate crisis than women , primarily through their meat consumption .
Findings from the scientific journal Plos One are cited , suggesting that men emit 41 per cent more greenhouse gases than the female population because of their eating habits . Peta concludes that women should “ go on sex strike to save the world ” and even suggest that carnivorous males should be prevented from having children .
Peta even states ( without citing a reference ) that “ every child not born saves 58.6 tons of CO2-equivalent per year ,” adding that men who continue to eat meat should pay a tax of 41 per cent . Eating meat , it continues , is a symptom of “ toxic masculinity .”
Peta UK claimed that their German counterparts had made a “ tongue in cheek ” suggestion , intended to , “ get men to sit up and take note .” Your Jottings team have relegated the story to our Bonkers Corner .
The Oxford Comma
The Oxford comma is used to describe a comma which appears before the last item in a list . For example , in UK English , “ red , white , green and blue ” requires a comma after the first and second item but not after the third . Such an extra comma following “ green ” got its nickname Oxford because of its use being traditionally required by the Oxford University Press .
The UK ’ s new Health Secretary ,
Therese Coffey , last month issued her departmental staff with a list of her working preferences , which included a ban on technical jargon and urged them to , “ be positive .” Recipients of the email , which also banned use of the Oxford comma , called it “ extremely patronising .”
Within days , Ms Coffey published a statement which included the sentence , “ Our plan will sit alongside the NHS Long Term Plan , the forthcoming workforce plan , and our plans to reform adult social care .”
It wasn ’ t long before eagle-eyed Twitter readers spotted her own goal : the comma after “ workforce plan ” is an Oxford comma . Oops …
Council Capers
It ’ s not the first time that council contractors have shown that they need to go back to school . This time it was workers painting road signs outside Brighton ’ s Portslade Aldridge Community Academy early last month who managed to paint “ SHCOOL ” in big yellow letters outside the entrance . What puzzles our Jottings team is how they managed to do it , and how they didn ’ t notice what they ’ d done .
Meanwhile , Norfolk County Council recently had to close a road which had just re-opened after a threemonth £ 470,000 (€ 538,000 ) upgrade . The trouble began when motorists complained that their vehicles had suffered damaged when they travelled over a speed bump in South Park Avenue , Norwich .
Then it was found that the bump was 4.5 centimetres taller than it should have been , so , embarrassingly , the road had to be closed on August 31 for the bump to be cut down to size . The Council then embarrassed itself even further by announcing the road ’ s closure on “ 31 / 9 / 22 ” – a date which does not exist .
Fire engines have become the latest target of the TaxPayers ’ Alliance , who are forever critical of the UK ’ s tax strategies . This time , they claim that taxpayers “ are being ripped off with the rush to be right on .”
The reason for their anger is the revelation that fire brigades have spent over £ 17,000 (€ 19,500 ) on painting vehicles in the rainbow colours associated with the LGBT movement . Action has been taken since 2017 in response to diversity and inclusivity drives .
Oxfordshire County Council , for example , is reported to have spent £ 4,320 (€ 4,950 ) for a paintjob on one of their older fire engines which , it said , contributed to its “ equality , diversity and inclusion ” goals . Dorset and Wiltshire Fire and Rescue paid £ 3,390 on similar projects in the last few years “ to promote inclusivity ” while Suffolk Fire Service said the colourful designs were “ a relatively cheap way to advertise .”
However , the TaxPayers Alliance maintain that fire services should “ fight fires not cultural wars .” Fire chiefs , it adds , need to recognise that “ expensive rainbow wrappings ” do not help deliver “ heroic life-saving ” firefighting services .
In Brief
The release of the GCSE exam results at the end of August was clearly an important event for many school pupils . However , in their rush to tell students how well they had done , some exam boards revealed how badly they themselves had done .
The details supplied to some individuals who took chemistry and biology listed a new subject called “ Chemsitry ” while others couldn ’ t recall having studied “ Biology Seperate .” Relatives of one student said the spelling errors were , “ laughable .”
PayPal is reported to have shut down a number of accounts for violating an “ acceptable use policy .” Three of these belong to Toby Young who is the founder of the Free Speech Union which defends victims of cancel culture . PayPal says it tried to balance “ protecting the ideals of tolerance , diversity and respect ” with the values of free expression . But it won ’ t tell Mr Young which of its “ prohibited activities ” they think he is guilty of .
Similarly , UsForThem , which campaigned for schools to stay open during the Covid pandemic , has had its PayPal account closed , denying it access to cash which it holds . The group claimed that they received no prior warning or meaningful explanation .
A pub in Cheshire has been advertising for a new chef , but stipulating “ No snowflakes please .” Landlord Christopher Darnbrough says he is fed up with previous “ flaky ” employees who “ constantly wanted time off .” He added he ’ s simply after someone “ hard working ” and “ slightly eccentric .” Not too much to ask , is it ?
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