Diverse and Interesting Topics

Sandra · Apr, 04, 2024,

A language guide advising Scots to stop using words such as 'mother' and 'father' to avoid being 'oppressive' has been published by a taxpayer-funded aid organisation.

Scotland's International Development Alliance (SIDA) is behind the document, which it says aims to help people 'avoid bias, stop reinforcing existing power structures, and convey respect'.

Among the words listed as 'problematic' are 'girls', 'guys', 'mother' and 'father', Instead, people are encouraged to instead use 'parent' or 'guardian' along with 'colleagues' and 'everyone'.

Terms such as 'third world' and 'foreign aid' are also frowned on.

The Inclusive Language Guide, published in February, states that 'only by talking about and reflecting on language can we hope to make it anti-oppressive'.

Sandra · Apr, 04, 2024,

Fears of surging food prices and empty supermarket shelves thanks to new post-Brexit border charge that will see suppliers pay up to £145 to bring cheese, fish and salami to the UK from the end of the month.

Importers bringing small amounts of cold products such as cheese, salami and fish into Britain through the port of Dover or the Eurotunnel will have to pay up to £145 to do so from April 30.

New post-Brexit administration fees are set to push up food prices further and lead to empty shelves, food producers have warned.

Importers bringing small amounts of cold products such as cheese, salami and fish into Britain through the port of Dover or the Eurotunnel will have to pay up to £145 to do so from April 30, according to guidance published on Wednesday.

The 'common user charge', as it is known, will govern the movements of commercial - not personal - animal and plant products for imports entering the UK as well as transits leaving the country.

Importers have warned that the new charges could lead to higher prices for consumers - and reduce the amount of products available to shoppers.

Sandra · Apr, 09, 2024,

Quote [Expand]A government testing programme checked fresh produce on sale in the UK, some of which had been imported from overseas.

It found 95 per cent of strawberries contained PFAS.

Other foods that contained the toxins included grapes (61 per cent), cherries (56 per cent), spinach (42 per cent), tomatoes (38 per cent) and peaches (38 per cent).

They were also found in smaller percentages of other common products, such as two per cent of the potatoes and apples that were tested by the Expert Committee on Pesticide Residues in Food.
PFAS chemicals are used in pesticides and household products such as non-stick frying pans, clothing, cosmetics, food packaging and fire extinguisher foam.

'Given the growing body of evidence linking PFAS to serious diseases such as cancer, it is deeply worrying that UK consumers are being left with no choice but to ingest these chemicals, some of which may remain in their bodies long into the future.

'With some plastic food packaging also contaminated with PFAS, and PFAS present in UK drinking water and soil, we urgently need to develop a better understanding of the health risks associated with ingesting these 'forever chemicals' and do everything we can to exclude them from the food chain.'

PFAS, which stands for per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances, is a family of more than 10,000 chemicals.

Some may never degrade once they're in the environment or our bodies.

Traces of the chemicals are found in most water sources.

Small quantities are considered safe, though a separate study by the University of New South Wales yesterday found that 69 per cent of global groundwater samples exceeded safe limits.

There are 25 PFAS pesticides currently in use in the UK, six of which are classified as 'highly hazardous'.

Pan UK is urging the government to ban them and support farmers to find safer alternatives.

Last year, the World Health Organization declared PFOA, a type of PFAS, a category-one human carcinogen.

There is particular concern over childhood exposure to the toxins as they have been linked to developmental delays, changes in behaviour and accelerated puberty.

'PFAS are a group of entirely human-made chemicals that didn't exist on the planet a century ago and have now contaminated every single corner.

'No one gave their consent to be exposed to these harmful chemicals, we haven't had the choice to opt out, and now we have to live with this toxic legacy for decades to come.

'The very least we can do is stop adding to this toxic burden by banning the use of PFAS.'

What ARE 'forever chemicals'?

'Forever chemicals' are a class of common industrial compounds that don't break down when they're released into the environment.

Humans are exposed to these chemicals after they've come in contact with food, soil or water reservoirs.

These chemicals — known more properly as per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances, or PFAS — are added to cookware, carpets, textiles and other items to make them more water- and stain-repellant.

PFAS contamination has been detected in water near manufacturing facilities, as well as at military bases and firefighting training facilities where flame-retardant foam is used.

The chemicals have been linked to an increased risk of kidney and testicular cancer, and damage to the immune system, as well as birth defects, smaller birth weights, and decreased vaccine response in children.

Sandra · Apr, 10, 2024,

Farmers warn of food shortages after wettest 18 months on record threatens to bring first year without harvest since the end of WWII.

Fields across England remain underwater following a record amount of rainfall in the year-and-a-half to last month and 11 named storms hitting the UK since September.

Sandra · Apr, 10, 2024,

Woman who cut off lover's penis by tricking him into thinking she was going to perform a sex act is jailed for seven years

The man as also her boss at a bar in Sant Andreu de la Barca near Barcelona
She now has to pay her former boss and partner €250,000 in compensation
The attacker had already served two years behind bars as a remand prisoner

A woman has been sentenced to seven years in prison after admitting cutting off her lover's penis by tricking him into thinking she was going to perform a sex act on him.

The 38-year-old was handed her jail sentence after striking a last-minute deal with prosecutors at the start of her trial at a court in Barcelona yesterday.

She convinced her partner, also her boss, to cover his eyes with a napkin after promising him to give him oral sex, claiming she didn't want him to look because it made her feel embarrassed.

She then took out a knife she had hidden into her pocket and sliced off his manhood.

As well as dating the man she mutilated, he was also her boss at a bar in Sant Andreu de la Barca near Barcelona. They had been seeing each other for four years.
The convicted woman, known only as Tanya, 38, was handed a seven-year prison sentence after cutting off the penis of her lover. The victim was also her boss at a bar in Sant Andreu de la Barca near Barcelona

The amputation was complete and the victim, who comes from Bangladesh where he has a wife and children and has been identified only as Abdul, is still waiting for a prothesis.

Prosecutors believe his mistress could have acted out of jealousy because he was planning to return to his homeland.

They were demanding a 10-year prison sentence for a crime of aggravated wounding before yesterday's plea bargain deal.

The convicted woman, known only as Tanya, has also been ordered to pay her former boss and partner €250,000 (£215,000) in compensation.

She initially indicated she was pleading innocent at the start of her trial at Barcelona's Audiencia Provincial court, before changing her mind and admitting her guilt following a brief chat with her lawyer.

The penis slicing incident took place on May 31, 2021.

The victim ran to a nearby police station to raise the alarm and was rushed to hospital for an emergency op to reattach his manhood which was unsuccessful.

The woman subsequently arrested initially claimed self-defence, prompting reports at the time her boss could be detained.

Local police chief Oscar Carreras said immediately after the incident when the investigation was still at an 'early stage': 'The investigation is focused on discovering what happened inside the bar.'

'The injured man went to a police station in Sant Andreu de la Barca.

'A woman subsequently appeared at the same police station and made a series of comments in relation to this incident.

'We have aided the injured person and he was taken to hospital to be operated on for the serious wounds to his genital area.

'The woman was questioned and in her initial statement said she had been the victim of a sexual crime and that is something we are investigating.

'The man is the owner of the bar and the woman was working in that bar.'

Her claims she acted to protect herself during a sexual assault were dismissed, and the true story came out, thanks to CCTV camera footage.

The female attacker had already served two years behind bars as a remand prisoner before being bailed ahead of yesterday's scheduled trial.

The time she served will be taken into account in determining how long she has to go back to jail for.

The court heard the knife slash victim is now living with a relative and working part-time in a supermarket and surviving on a fraction of the amount he was previously earning as the owner of two bars.

A Brazilian woman confessed to cutting off her husband's penis during sex late last year and flushing it down the toilet.

The 34-year-old told cops she acted out of revenge after tying her partner's hands together using a pair of knickers and slashing his manhood while it was erect with a knife.

She is said to have taken a photo of the dismembered organ before getting rid of it down the loo.

The unnamed woman told officers when she handed herself in at a police station near the Brazilian city of Sao Paulo: 'Good night, I'm here because I've just cut my husband's penis off.'

An online fundraiser was later organised for Gilberto Nogueira de Oliveira for the prosthetic penis he wanted after Daiane dos Santos flushed his own pride and joy down the loo in a fit of jealous rage.

Sandra · Apr, 11, 2024,

British-funded French police were spotted standing by and watching as dozens of migrants sprinted across beaches to board small boats as they prepared to illegally across the English Channel .
The shocking events occurred despite a staggering £500million investment from the UK government as part of a three-year contract with France - which is meant to put a stop to the dangerous crossings.
The large injection of money is set to be used on vehicles and surveillance equipment, including drones, that will help control the area.
The latest UK-funded hardware was seen in action by unbothered French cops who let the migrants cross in front of them.
A large group of migrants - including children - were seen huddling as they crossed the beach before starting a sprint across the sands to reach a small boat.

https://videos.dailymail.co.uk/video/mol/2024/04/11/1564465752782061321/640x360_MP4_1564465752782061321.mp4

More than a quarter of Britain's foreign aid budget is spent on housing asylum seekers and refugees, new figures reveal

Data released by the Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office (FCDO) showed £4.3 billion was diverted to support the groups last year.

Sandra · Apr, 11, 2024,

Fury as cost of British passports rises for the second time in 14 months in fresh blow to holidaymakers - how much will YOU have to pay?

Adults will now have to pay £88.50 to renew their ID and children under 16 will see theirs rise to £57.50.

Sandra · Apr, 15, 2024,

NHS bosses are accused of 'woke pandering' after hanging banner featuring 21 LGBTQ+ flags including little-known Demiromantic, Neutrois, Androgyne and Genderqueer colours.

The flags and their meanings

Rainbow: Familiar Gay Pride flag launched in 1978
Progress: Gay pride flag including Transgender, Black and Brown people
Bisexual: Those who are attracted to both men and women
Pansexual: People who are attracted to all genders
Nonbinary: Those who do not identify as male or female
Transgender: People who identity as a different gender to their birth sex
Asexual: Those who do not feel sexual attraction to anyone
Intersex: Person born with a combination of male and female biologic traits
Gay man: A man attracted to another man
Lesbian: A woman attracted to another woman
Polysexual: Sexual or romantic attraction to more than one gender
Agender: Person who rejects gender identity and has none
Androgyne: Someone who does not look masculine or feminine
Genderfluid: Being more than one gender or having it change
Genderqueer: Person who does not follow binary gender norms
Neutrois: Person who lacks a specific gender identity
Aromantic: Someone who has little or no romantic feeling towards others
Demisexual: Sexual attraction to someone only after emotional closeness
Demiromantic: Romantic attraction to someone only after becoming emotionally close
Polyamorous: Having multiple relationships with multiple people at once
Straight Ally: A person who is straight but supports the LGBTQ+ community

Sandra · Apr, 16, 2024,

More Channel migrants have come from Vietnam this year than any other country, figures show after another 534 asylum seekers made crossing on Sunday

A total of 534 migrants in 10 boats reached Britain on Sunday, taking the total number of arrivals this year to 6,265 - 28 per cent higher than by this time in 2023.

Sandra · Apr, 16, 2024,

The Campaign for Real Ale is at the centre of a wokery row after it accused a beer brand of being sexist.

The organisation has ruled that it is unhappy with the name and imagery used for an award-winning beer called the 'Naked Ladies'.

The beer was created to celebrate a famous landmark in Twickenham, south west London, not far from the rugby stadium.

It was created by the Twickenham Brewery to honour the Naked Ladies, a statue which sits in the gardens of the local borough council.

The Grade II Listed statue, which was carved from white Italian Carrara marble during the late 19th century, depicts eight sea nymphs.