Snippets general.........

Gang attacks police after a litter warning.......
Kicked, beaten, bitten by a gang of schoolchildren.
A colleague races to his aid and is pulled to the ground and kicked as several older men and women joined in.
More than 30 people were involved at one point in a shopping mall in North End.
"It is the behaviour. It is unbelievable... that someone could bite another human being like that. They were acting like animals, but I hate using the term 'animals' because animals would not do that. They have a reason for doing something."
Yep - ain't this country grand!!!!
http://www.independent.co.uk/news/uk/crime/child-gang-attacks-police-after-litter-warning-871818.html

Hydration diet woman awarded £810,000 damages....
I am actually torn on this one as to who is most at fault.
A woman that claims to be a nutritional therapist and life coach actually giving the advice to drink an extra 4 pints of water a day and cut out as much salt as possible from the diet - or a grown woman who had tried other diets that had not worked but surely should have known that cutting out all sodium in your system is dangerous?
Ok that may sound presumptuous and bitchy and I do feel for the lady for the outcome and suffering she will have to endure. The money will ease a little but it is not going to give her her life back as it was. I do know however I am far from being the only one thinking 'surely she should have known better.' On the other hand I do know that it is natural to put your trust in someone that has qualifications and sounds like they know what they are talking about.
I also think that anyone that claims to be a nutritional therapist and gives this kind of advice should have to pay damages - esp as she has a diploma in natural nutrition - but we have all heard how easy some diplomas are to come by - or in some cases come 'buy' after revelations a few months ago about people buying their qualifications.
http://www.independent.co.uk/news/uk/home-news/hydration-diet-woman-awarded-163810000-damages-874864.html

Pubs facing new restrictions in government bid to stop dangerous drinking......
But it is not as though the government sent out any kind of misguided messages to anyone by allowing '24 hour opening' for those establishments willing to do it - is it?!
http://www.independent.co.uk/news/uk/home-news/pubs-face-tough-laws-to-stop-dangerous-drinking-874860.html

Failures found in mental health inquiry.........
I am not exactly sure what they expected to find when so much funding has been taken away from mental health services to be used in other services and departments of the NHS - oh - but no government would take money from one dept and use it on another or for to fund other things - would they? I feel a sense of deja vu!
http://www.guardian.co.uk/society/2008/jul/23/mentalhealth.prisonsandprobation1?gusrc=rss&feed=networkfront