Han pasado dos años desde que se filtró un video íntimo de la pastora Rossy Guzmán, líder de la iglesia Shalom Tierra de Paz en República Dominicana, y el tema sigue siendo un punto de debate en redes sociales. El contenido explícito y comprometedor del video no solo desató una ola de especulaciones sobre su vida personal, […]
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AS ladies say ‘cheers’ to drinking alcohol in the stands at Women’s Championship matches, the chance of a return to a beer or two on all the men’s terraces are about as high as Accrington Stanley winning League Two.
Actually, Accrington’s average attendance of 2,509 would be a very good ground at which to start serving alcohol as policing any noisy drunks would be a simple process.
But it isn’t going to happen at Wham Stadium which, incidentally, is not named after (the late and great) George Michael and Andrew Ridgeley’s pop pairing.
Nor anywhere else, at least not in the near future.
Drinking alcohol within view of the playing field was stopped in 1985 after a sequence of events involving noisy, sometimes violent, spectators.
There are no moves to change the law although there are many ways of buying alcohol beyond a pitch view, and a recent study showed Chelsea fans top the beer table, drinking on average six pints a game.
At that rate, they might need a half-time substitution for their liver more than their team.
The police and stewards are on the look-out for drunks or people bringing alcohol into grounds although some still try.
A Leeds supporter succeeded in 2012 and, should anyone need convincing that the ban should end, the facts were he assaulted Sheffield Wednesday goalkeeper Chris Kirkland after running on to the pitch.
It transpired that the offender drank countless cans of lager and a bottle of vodka on the journey to the ground. In Sheffield he then drank at least seven pints of cider.
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I feel woozy even writing that. He was jailed for 16 weeks and banned from football grounds for six years.
There isn’t a measurable risk of violent drunks at Women’s Championship matches and it made sense supporters should be able to drink wisely during this trial.
It’s a different crowd, reflected in the fact government data revealed there had been no arrests recorded at women’s football matches.
The end of restrictions is positive for several reasons — extra revenue, another attraction for people to attend, and even a tot to cheer fans of the losing side.
Supporters of a return to drinks during play can point to rugby and cricket for freedom from limitations.
At the Ireland v Scotland match a record 137,000 pints of beer were sold at Stade de France.
There was a mass brawl, but that was on the pitch between the players. Drinkers at cricket are often asleep anyway.
Women tend to follow the rules rather than consider them a nuisance. We despise violence and bad behaviour, both of which are much more prevalent among men and it is unlikely many will see pie-eyed woman causing trouble at matches.
I would love to make a bonfire of all restrictions but I don’t think it would be possible or responsible.
Ultimately, the question isn’t just about alcohol — it’s about trust. Have fans moved on from the dark days of the 80s? Can clubs strike the right balance between modernisation and maintaining order?
In football, intensity and passion run high. Add alcohol to this and it can be a problem.
The last thing clubs or fans want is a descent into chaos because of a few irresponsible drinkers.
The landscape of football has been transformed in those 40 years. Stadiums are safer, crowds are more diverse, and family-friendly atmospheres have replaced toxic environments of the past.
Perhaps the solution lies in compromise. Limited trials at selected matches could provide data on whether ending the ban works.
Guidelines would have to be stringent and include steps such as alcohol-free zones, stricter ID checks, and time-limited drinking.
I am happy to let responsible drinkers drink, it’s the rest of them I worry about . . .
A FARTING whale is thought to have sparked fears that Russian drones were targeting UK nuclear subs.
The suspected blow-offs were picked up twice by Navy sensors scanning the area for signs of enemy activity.
It raised concerns that one of Vladimir Putin’s drone subs had dropped a listening device on to the seabed between the Isle of Raasay and Applecross in North West Scotland.
But a Naval official told The Sun: “We have been analysing the sounds and now believe it was a marine mammal. A whale.”
However, another source said they were still worried, adding: “We are taking it very seriously. We have to assume the worst.”
The sound was first detected travelling north from the range towards open sea. It came back days later and moved south towards the Skye Bridge before turning round and leaving.
At first, analysts described them as man-made sounds which had never been picked up on the range in its 55-year history.
It was feared that Russia’s deep sea research unit, known as GUGI, was trying to record acoustic signatures of our subs — making them easier to track and putting crews in danger.
And this week two civilian ships equipped with undersea robots were spotted at work in the 1,000ft-deep channel.
However, whale trumps have been mistaken for enemy subs in the past.
The alert came as Defence Secretary John Healey yesterday warned that Russian ships which damage British underwater cables faced being boarded and seized by Marines.
In November a Navy sub surfaced next to a Russian spy ship loitering over critical undersea infrastructure in the English Channel.
A Navy spokesperson said: “We constantly monitor territorial waters to protect the UK.”
BRITISH “humanitarian” charities are riddled with far-left activists and must be investigated, politicians demanded last night.
Senior Labour and Tory MPs warned of a rise in excessive woke activism in the third sector, which risks breaking rules around neutrality.
So-called humanitarian charities are awarded millions in taxpayer cash every year to carry out aid work for the government.
But MPs say organisations have become increasingly politicised and hostile to both law-and-order policies and Israel.
This week Save the Children UK was forced to apologise after a manager delivered an unhinged rant on TikTok, claiming Jewish bagel stores are owned by “genocidal maniacs”.
The member of staff also asked for food recommendations that don’t have a connection to Israel, which they referred to as “that hellhole place”.
Meanwhile, Oxfam, whose CEO wanted to be a parliamentary candidate under Jeremy Corbyn’s Labour leadership, released a report declaring Western states must pay India $5 trillion every year as reparations for colonialism and climate change.
The report calls for the “Global North” to dismantle its “dominance of the global economy in all forms”.
Esteemed historian and pal of King Charles, Simon Seabag Montefoire, described the Save the Children bagel “buffoonery” as an example of “many ex ‘charities’ have degenerated from noble humanitarian work for all children in peril to narrow ideological activism and inaccurate bigoted biased political campaigns”.
He said: “Government and regulators need to look into this.”
Rising star Labour MP Mike Tapp added: “The comments are truly shocking but sadly aren’t an isolated case.
“Too many in the charity and NGO sector are subscribed to a distorted hard-left view of the world with a singular obsession about Israel.
“Charities should seek to employ balanced and fair members of staff who understand all forms of racism.”
Shadow Minister Greg Smith added: “Yet again we see the left-wing activists in the charity sector casually piloting a wholly unacceptable, anti-Israel, anti-Semitic path.
“It has to be deliberate. It’s full of hate. And must stop.
“Government must investigate and take action.
“If they don’t we can only presume they condone this behaviour.”
A spokesperson for Save the Children UK said: “The language used in this TikTok is unacceptable and does not in any way reflect the views of Save the Children UK.
WARBURTONS had to scrap a batch of loaves and dough because stubble-chinned Paddy McGuinness failed to wear a beard-net while filming at one of its bakeries.
The presenter, 51, went on the production line for BBC show Inside The Factory.
But viewers quickly spotted he had not complied with food hygiene recommendations by wearing only a hair net.
One said: “I couldn’t believe my eyes as I was watching.
“Paddy McGuinness is one of the best-known and most popular celebrities around — and there he was setting an absolutely terrible example.
“To make it worse, Warburtons workers were stood chatting to him the whole time. Why did no one say anything about it?
“It might not have looked very good or been very practical for presenting purposes but that’s beside the point.”
Bolton-born Paddy, visited Warburtons in his home town after replacing Gregg Wallace, who stepped down over alleged comments on set.
In a letter to a viewer who complained, Warburtons’ customer care team said: “We would like to reassure you that the food safety of the product was not compromised during the filming.
“All products were disposed of where interactions with the product had taken place.”
The company declined to say how many baked goods had been affected.
But it told The Sun: “Having Paddy on site was a real pleasure.
“The handful of loaves, and balls of dough he interacted with during the episode were sent to be made into animal feed. They were gratefully received.”
A LITTLE prick helps men to last longer in bed, research reveals.
Acupuncture jabs are effective in treating persistent premature ejaculation, the review of eight previous studies shows.
The treatment — popular in the Far East but less so in the UK — is thought to regulate hormone levels and dampen excitability of the nerves.
Researcher Dr Fu Wang concluded: “A sustained regimen of acupuncture sessions can significantly prolong time to ejaculation and improve the sexual satisfaction of couples.”
About a third of men are estimated to suffer with the condition, which is usually linked to illness or stress.
In their review, the China-based researchers compared acupuncture to the conventional treatment — anti-depressants known as SSRIs.
They found the sweet spot for acupuncture was 20 to 30-minute sessions, with needles inserted just below the waistband and in the feet.
Men were treated regularly for between four and eight weeks.
The research showed needle therapy did not work as well as the drugs but had fewer unwanted effects.
Dr Wang added: “Acupuncture is generally associated with minimal adverse effects and is well tolerated by patients.
“This provides a safer alternative for patients reluctant to try other therapies due to concerns about side effects.”
AS the smell of vinegar-laden chips and lager wafts through the stand, cabbie Keith Moore eyes the greyhound in trap six and assures me it’s a winner.
Soon punters’ cheers of “go on my son” and wild shrieks of “come on number two” echo as the dogs hurtle around the sandy track.
As they enter the home straight, number six begins to pull ahead and Keith’s voice rises: “Go on, baby! Oi, oi — another grand.”
The Gooner, 66, who owns greyhounds, is soon collecting his winnings, folded in crisp £100 bundles. Even those who have lost seem to be loving the banter, beers and camaraderie here.
Yet, if you believe the gloom merchants, the old working-class sport of greyhound racing has, well, gone to the dogs.
Last Sunday the track at Crayford in South East London’s hinterlands locked away its mechanical hare for the final time.
Once there were 33 greyhound tracks inside the M25. Now only Romford remains.
This week I took the Elizabeth Line to the birthplace of Richard Madeley, Little Mix’s Jesy Nelson and the Romford Pele himself, Ray Parlour, to see if the dogs have really had their day.
It’s a Wednesday evening in the market town of Romford, where the East End meets Essex, and the weather outside is brass monkeys.
Tucked away close to the railway line amid suburban streets, the Coral Romford Greyhound Stadium has an unlikely place in the history of Britpop.
Lending themselves some geezer chic, Blur used a snap of racing greyhounds at Romford on the cover of their landmark 1994 Parklife album.
Singer Damon Albarn even bought a share in a greyhound, and one cultural commentator at the time said of the dogs: “Horse racing’s poor relation has now grown into its hip younger brother.”
Although I didn’t spot any famous Britpoppers there, the stadium’s glass-fronted Coral Stand — with its three cosy bars — was filled with a decent smattering of midweek punters and party-goers.
Executive chauffeur Michael Goodridge, who drives a Rolls Royce Cullinan, says: “I’ve had a little bet on two dogs and had no luck. But it’s an exciting evening.”
Here with his in-laws, Michael, 38, from Manor Park, East London, added: “It’s best not to get caught up in the gambling side of it too much and don’t spend more than you can afford to lose.
“You can choose to have a bet or just come to relax and eat and drink. It’s a cheap night out, too.”
Prices are a steal compared to a seat at Premier League football.
It’s free to get into the track from Monday to Wednesday and on Saturday mornings.
At other times the admission fee is just £7.
A cafe serves up £4 beefburgers and hotdogs while a portion of cheesy chips is £4.50.
There’s also the Pavilion Restaurant with more substantial fare, including pork belly and T-bone steaks.
A gaggle of beefy security guards on a day off are laughing over their lagers as they celebrate their very late Christmas party. While, fivers in hand, family groups on midweek beanos queue up to have a punt.
First time visitor Nikita Sheridan, 25, who lives in Romford and is here celebrating her husband’s birthday, said: “I recommend it. I’ve won a few quid and it’s free to get in.”
The hubbub in the stand rises to a crescendo when the dogs flash from their starting boxes as the announcer declares: “And they’re off.”
There are no airs and graces at the dogs. No killjoy dress code like there is at some horse racing tracks, and no posh stand for those with bigger wallets.
Tucking into chicken goujons and chips, builder James Harbour, from Basildon, Essex, has been coming to Romford dogs for 35 years.
Here for a family night out, James, 53, told me: “It’s a real working-class sport. I love the atmosphere, meeting people and having a punt.”
Greyhound racing was banned in New Zealand in December over animal welfare concerns, but James, a former greyhound owner himself, assures me the dogs are kept in the best conditions, insisting: “They are fed better in kennels than most human beings are in hospital.”
Sounding more forlorn, he added: “This is proper British sport and it’s so sad that it’s gone downhill.
“The crowds have gone down but you can watch it on your phone at home now if you want to.”
It’s a sport entwined in British history.
One of William Shakespeare’s most famous verses, from Henry V, says: “I see you stand like greyhounds in the slips, straining upon the start.
“The game’s afoot: follow your spirit; and upon this charge, Cry ‘God for Harry, England and Saint George!’” Once, tens of millions of us flocked to 200 greyhound tracks all over the country.
The first stadium, Belle Vue in Manchester, was opened in 1926 after an American devised a slant on Britain’s centuries-long — and now illegal — pastime of hare coursing. Canine superstar Mick The Miller won the greyhound Derby back to back in 1929 and 1930, helping to popularise the sport.
As a pastime for the urban working class, tracks were usually near city centres where — in pre-betting shop days — folk could have a punt.
Built for the 1908 Olympics, London’s premier track at White City stadium averaged an amazing 40,000 racegoers at meetings.
Incredibly, the France vs Uruguay match at the 1966 World Cup was moved from Wembley to the White City venue because the national stadium had a greyhound meeting scheduled on the same day.
Famous greyhound owners included the Queen Mother, Prince Philip and comedians Frankie Howerd and Ernie Wise. Off-track betting shops opened in 1961, meaning attendances declined.
Tracks — often occupying prime urban sites — were then eyed up greedily by developers.
White City became home to BBC offices, Portsmouth a housing development, and Walthamstow, the latter-day home of the dogs, even became a building plot.
Only the listed art deco facade remains at Walthamstow — where David Beckham had his first job collecting pint glasses — like a relic from another age.
The pursuit remains strong in its traditional heartlands
Oliver Harvey
It leaves cabbie Keith Moore, from Hackney, shaking his head disconsolately. “Walthamstow was always rammo, right to the end,” he laments. “It should have been saved for the community. Now you’ll never get it back.”
Greyhound racing peers enviously at darts — another working-class sport which, inspired by World Champion Luke Littler and shepherded by Barry Hearne, has gone into the stratosphere.
Today Britain has just 19 licensed greyhound tracks.
Crayford was shuttered — a spokesman from owners Entain Group tells me — due to falling attendances and too few dogs being entered for its races.
Just 18 per cent of meetings this season had the full complement of six dogs, which makes racing less interesting for punters, they said.
The parent company of bookies Ladbrokes and Coral, Entain Group also own Romford as well as tracks in Hove, East Sussex, and Monmore, Wolverhampton. They insist the stadiums will remain operational.
The South East London track’s demise was met by a headline in the Racing Post, insisting: “Crayford closure a stark reminder of the downfall of a sport that could once attract royalty.”
Yet governing body the Greyhound Board of Great Britain (GBGB) points out that 800,000 punters still visit the dogs annually, putting it among our top ten spectator sports.
The pursuit remains strong in its traditional heartlands, with stadiums at Wolverhampton, Nottingham, Doncaster, Sunderland and Newcastle still pulling in the punters.
It turns over £166million, contributing £52million in tax to the Exchequer. Although decreasing, it still has a betting turnover of £1.5billion annually.
Among those who own or have owned greyhounds in recent years are Katie Price, ex-Arsenal star Ray Parlour and Vinnie Jones.
And the industry supports 5,400 jobs, including trainers and kennel hands as well as people working in hospitality at the tracks.
Romford’s security operations director Josh Webber, 28, said: “The track employs loads of local staff.
“I’ve worked here nine years and the place has a special feel. It’s authentic. It’s a great family night.”
GBGB chief executive Mark Bird, says £6million is spent every year on the welfare of racing dogs.
The ex-Met policeman told me: “We owe a big debt to the dogs and we think that through our welfare strategy we meet that debt before, during and after they race. It’s the hundredth anniversary of the first race meeting at Belle Vue next year.
“There’s no reason why the sport shouldn’t make it through another hundred years as well.”
Back at Romford, accounts manager Michelle Bowmer tells how she’s been coming to the dogs with her family for 20 years.
“Romford’s the only track left in London now,” the 50-year-old from Brentwood, Essex, said. “It’s just got to keep going.”
With a smile, she adds: “They never catch the hare and it’s better than playing a fruit machine. You’re guaranteed a good night here.”
With that, a cheer echoes around the cavernous stand as the greyhounds bound from the starting box once more.
There’s life in the old dogs yet.
MOVE over Dallas, an anti-woke TV show is revealing the risky and raunchy side of the Texas oil business.
Landman was described by Sun columnist Jeremy Clarkson as “the best thing I’ve seen on television in years” and is the most watched series on the Paramount+ streaming service.
In the first episode alone, oil workers are blown up, a cocaine-laden plane crashes into a truck and a bikini-clad blonde sells coffee from a drive-thru named Babes And Brew.
While this might sound like a work of fiction, much of the show’s storyline was inspired by real events.
The multibillion-dollar oil industry has brought “breastaurants” to Texas, clashes with brutal drug lords and the deaths of more than 200 workers in just five years.
The series revolves around Billy Bob Thornton’s “landman” Tommy Norris, whose job it is to secure drilling rights and to make sure the black gold keeps pumping.
It also features Mad Men star Jon Hamm and recent Golden Globe winner Demi Moore.
The series was written for Billy Bob, 69, who was Oscar-nominated for A Simple Plan and whose six marriages include one to Angelina Jolie.
His character is the type of guy who throws a half-smoked cigarette in a swimming pool, drinks at lunch because “it’s Friday for somebody somewhere” and says things like: “It’s easier than selling p***y in a men’s prison.”
Billy Bob says of the real-life landmen: “I have met them. If you’re in that world, it’s a dangerous business. You understand the risk involved.”
Thanks to 1980s soap opera Dallas, the US state of Texas has long been known throughout the world for its oil.
The first well was drilled in 1921 and by 1973 two million barrels were being produced every day.
But at the turn of this century it seemed like the much-valued commodity was drying up.
That was until improvements in fracking allowed prospectors to tap into new reserves and by 2019 the Permian Basin, which also reaches into neighbouring New Mexico, was providing 40 per cent of the US’s oil.
The biggest deposits are near the city of Midland, Texas, the area in which Landman is set.
With new US President Donald Trump promising to “drill, baby, drill” production is sure to go up.
The dangerous nature of working with a highly combustible substance means that “roughneck” oil workers can earn around £150,000 a year.
Many of these young men don’t have families and that has led to a rise in the local sex industry.
There are strip clubs and prostitutes, but also milder forms of adult entertainment.
A podcast called Boomtown, which inspired the TV show, talks about “breastaurants”, where scantily clad female staff serve food.
One in Odessa, the city adjoining Midland, has a back room called Club Crude and a sign reading “Odessa: No Dry Holes”.
The coffee shop Boomtown Babes, which promises “our bikini baristas take the espresso experience to a whole other level”, features in Landman.
They have little pink drive-thru huts to serve workers at all times of the day.
Both Demi and Ali Larter, who plays Tommy’s ex Angela, parade in revealing clothes in the series.
It brings back the kind of glam to TV that was seen on screen in Dallas in the less politically correct Eighties.
Billy Bob says you’ll find that type of woman in Texas, commenting: “It’s hard to look that good, but some of ’em do.”
The reason roughnecks pull in such high wages is that death is an occupational hazard.
Figures released in 2023 revealed that 219 oil and gas industry employees died between 2014 and 2019.
That was more than four times higher than the total in the next most fatality-prone state — Oklahoma.
The biggest cause of death was being hit by an object, such as a wrench from one of the tall rigs.
A restaurant in Odessa has a back room called Club Crude with a sign ‘Odessa: No Dry Holes’. Coffee shop Boomtown Babes promises to ‘take your espresso experience to a new level’
But the kind of explosion seen early on in Landman is also a reality. In 2015 three men from the same family were killed at a well near Midland.
Talking about the terrible deaths in the show, Hamm, who plays Tommy’s boss Monty Miller, says: “We forget that in the pursuit of the almighty dollar, this is the consequence.
“We’ve seen all season the danger of what these guys do in ‘the Patch’.”
Christian Wallace, who co-wrote Landman and created the Boomtown podcast, used to work in the oil fields, as did his relatives.
A journalist on Texan Monthly mag, he used stories he’d heard for the script.
He said: “Some of the scenes are directly from that, such as the pipe crushing scene.
“That’s a real story that I heard from my uncle growing up. It was a pipe rack that fell on the victim and not pipes, but he really did call his wife before he passed away.”
One of the other dangers is travelling along Route 285, which has been nicknamed Death Highway, due to the number of crashes.
Christian said: “Now that it’s become the nation’s, and perhaps the world’s, most critical artery for crude oil, it looks like a scene from Mad Max.”
The southern part of the highway saw ten people lose their lives between 2015 and 2019.
Also travelling along those roads are the illegal substances carried over the border from Mexico.
Earlier this year a smuggler’s tunnel was found in El Paso, and in July Mexican drug lord Ismael “El Mayo” Zambada was captured in the same Texan city.
Christian said: “I didn’t address the cartel issues very much in the podcast, but drug trafficking is a real issue through that region.
“There’s oil theft, there’s equipment theft. It is kind of the Wild West.
In the TV series Billy Bob’s character has to deal with the Mexican gangsters, one of his crew dying and an aeroplane being stolen.
It is unlikely a real-life landman would have so much on his plate, but their job is to make sure operations run smoothly by dealing with the law, landowners and local residents.
Clarkson wrote that he loved the series because there was “not even a hint of political correctness”.
And certainly, Billy Bob’s character is a non-nonsense Texan who does not care who he offends. But he shares the insults equally, making rude remarks to a police officer, a landowner and a lawyer alike.
One scene from the series which went viral was when Tommy delivered a monologue about “clean” energy.
The scientific consensus is that burning petroleum is one of the chief causes of Earth’s rising temperatures.
But Billy Bob’s character points out that the lithium batteries powering electric cars are not clean and that wind turbines come with a significant carbon footprint.
Tommy also says that oil is in “tennis rackets, lipstick, refrigerators, antihistamines, pretty much anything plastic.”
The actor, though, does not think Landman is defending the petroleum industry.
He said: “It’s not a politicised series. It’s neither for nor against.
“It tells the details, the ups and downs, the bad side and the ugly side of the oil business.”
There is no word yet whether there will be a second series of Landman.
But given its popularity, it seems likely that co-creator Taylor Sheridan, who is best known for making TV hit Yellowstone, will write another one.
The anti-woke audience is clearly out there. Billy Bob, who also starred in Armageddon and Bad Santa, said: “I’ve been in some iconic movies over the years where the response has been pretty big.
“But I’ve never seen anything like this. I have people coming up to me every day, everywhere I go, reciting lines. We’re blown away by it, in other words.”
ALL last week, we were warned that we’d need to tie our dogs down because they were going to be sucked into the sky by the airborne twister- tsunami known as Storm Eeowowyion.
This mega storm was going to unleash hell. Buildings would be smashed, trains would be blown over. Forests would be flattened.
The weathermen were very clear about all of this. They even produced maps showing the low-pressure system and, to hammer the point home, they didn’t use reds and yellows. They broke out the scarlets and a purple so deep it was almost black.
And as a result, businesses arranged to shut for the day, travel plans were changed and everyone made sure their garden trampolines were chained to newly sunk concrete foundations.
And then we woke up yesterday morning to find it was a bit breezy.
The weathermen were all standing on the bottom corner of Ireland, making out like they were in Hiroshima in 1945 and there were stories that commercial airliners were coming across the Atlantic at speeds in excess of 800 mph.
But for most of us, there was no real weather at all.
I also lived through the Storm of ’87 and I’ve been to southern Chile where it rains, heavily, all day and every day for six months.
Look, I know why the weather- men like to get hysterical. It means they are elevated from a slot at the end of a news bulletin into the bulletin itself and this makes their mums and dads very proud.
And I know why BBC television producers like the histrionics as well.
It plays into the anti-Tory, anti-growth, anti-business global-warming narrative.
But for everyone else, it’s just a bloody nuisance.
When you tell us there is a “danger to life”, what are we supposed to do exactly? It’s like those road signs you see sometimes that say “falling rocks”.
Yes? And? Do you want me to turn round and go home? Or drive more quickly? Or fit the car with a titanium umbrella before proceeding?
Humans are surprisingly adaptable. I’ve worked in the Sahara Desert when the daytime temperature never dropped below 50C and I’ve operated in the exact opposite of that at the North Pole.
I also lived through the Storm of ’87 and I’ve been to southern Chile where it rains, heavily, all day and every day for six months.
And it’s always fine. We cope.
I will admit, of course, that the weather is changing. In Britain, it’s getting warmer and wetter, and we get more wind than we’d like.
But we can, and do, manage.
So, please, in future calmly tell us what the weather will do tomorrow so we’ll know in the morning if we should put on a jumper. And then leave it at that.
Oh, and can we stop giving storms names no one can pronounce.
WHEN Emily Damari, the British hostage held by Hamas terrorists in Gaza for 15 months, was finally released this week, she must have been over the moon with joy and excitement.
But I bet Emily was a bit sad when she discovered how her beloved Spurs had been getting along in her absence . . .
IT could be argued that Lewis Hamilton wants a record-breaking eighth world championship before he retires, and moved to Ferrari because he reckons that this year they will have the fastest car.
He may have a point. Early indications on the rumour mill suggest it’s very fast indeed.
However, if he’s so keen on that eighth world title, you’d imagine that he’d have arrived at the factory on day one, keen to know the car’s secrets and how he can extract the most from its vast arsenal of racing trickery.
Instead, he turned up in an SUV in a suit and tie and posed for pictures before talking to fans, under the watchful eye of a video drone which luckily was there to capture the moment.
Next, there was a tour of the team’s headquarters where, in slow motion, we saw the fawning engineers and the applause. And then, eventually, he went on to the track, in an F1 Ferrari that’s three years old.
I’m told his new house isn’t anywhere near the team’s HQ. It’s in Milan, and he doesn’t even commute in a Ferrari road car, choosing instead to use Fiat’s helicopter.
It made me wonder. What is Lewis now? A driver? Or a superstar?
What I do know is he’ll have his work cut out to beat his team-mate Charles Leclerc, who speaks Italian, knows the team, doesn’t spend quite so long posing for pictures and, thanks to a single-lap shootout, is regarded by many to be the fastest driver of them all.
Maybe Lewis is aware of this. And maybe he signed for Ferrari for a different reason – he knows he’s past his prime now and he didn’t want to retire having never driven for motorsport’s crown jewel.
Either way, I wish him well.
AS we know, the Germans love their rules.
You are not allowed to drive a car in the nude, it’s illegal to have an urn in your house, and you face a hefty fine if you run out of petrol on the autobahn.
So it’s no surprise to learn you can’t call your child any name that pops into your head. There are rules about that too.
A name should reflect the baby’s gender, and it shouldn’t expose the child to potential ridicule.
Which is why, this week, a young couple were informed that they would not be allowed to call their baby “Lucifer”.
Other names that aren’t allowed include Satan, Pain, Vagina, Gucci and Lenin.
But weirdly, you are allowed to call your baby Adolf, providing neither parent is a neo-Nazi.
Which does beg a question. If you’re not a neo-Nazi, why would you name your son after Hitler? That’d be like me naming a baby “Keir” or “Rachel”.
TOKYO has just seen the opening of something called the “museum of extinct technology”.
It’s rammed full of floppy discs and VHS recorders and iPads and CD players and all sorts of other things which, a few years ago, were seen as cool and important and here to stay.
Interestingly, however, you won’t find a fax machine in there. Because despite Japan’s reputation for being at the cutting edge of tech, businesses over there still routinely use faxes as a means of communicating.
In the same way, I guess, that half of Britain’s middle classes still use Agas. Which are ovens that cost a fortune to run, and can’t ever be turned off.
AS I’ve been discovering in recent months, it is extremely difficult to make a pub profitable.
The rot started with the smoking ban, which forced the nation’s fun people into the wind and the rain until it dawned on them that staying at home for a smoke and a pint was easier.
Then came Brexit which caused huge staff shortages, and the sudden rise in energy costs which means cooking a poached egg now costs £15,000.
Then we got Rachel Reeves and her madcap ideas on National Insurance.
And now comes news they’re thinking of lowering the drink-drive limit to a point where a spoonful of sherry trifle will be enough to put you on the bus for 12 months.
I wish they’d back off, because the fact is this.
You don’t have a village school any more, or a village bobby or a village doctor. If the village pub has to close as well, what’s left?
IF you are looking to make a bit of extra cash this month, we have compiled a simple guide to give you a helping hand.
More than one in four people are looking to save money as part of their New Year resolutions, according to a survey by eBay.
Of this group, 30 per cent plan to do so by selling items online. But with so many platforms to choose from, it can be difficult to know which is best.
Here, Adele Cooke compares top sites Vinted, eBay and Depop and shares super sellers’ pro tips to help you get the most cash.
PUTTING effort into your Vinted listings can increase your earnings and guarantee a quick sale.
There are no fees to upload or sell items on Vinted.
Once the sale is complete, the full sale price will be paid into your Vinted balance.
How long your item takes to sell depends on factors including the brand, condition, price, demand, photos and how well it appears in search results.
Think about the time you choose to list clothes and accessories on the website to boost your sales.
The weekend is the most popular time for browsing and shopping on Vinted but especially on Sunday evenings so make sure clothes and accessories are posted on the website before then.
Bank holidays can be another good time to upload your items if you do not use Vinted often.
Try to list accessories and clothes for the current season for a quicker sale.
Shoppers are more likely to buy summer clothes in the warmer months and winter items at that time of year.
Upload winter boots and raincoats in the autumn or dresses and sunglasses in a heatwave.
You should also consider an item’s condition when you set its price.
As a rule of thumb if an item is “new with tags” or “new without tags” then list the item for around 80 per cent to 60 per cent of the retail price.
Clothes and shoes in “very good” condition can fetch 60 per cent to 40 per cent of the retail price.
THERE are also no fees to sell items on Depop.
Which items buyers are looking for depends on the time of year.
In the summer men’s jerseys, flip-flops, sliders, trainers and casual shoes sell well.
When it is warmer, women’s overalls, leggings, sandals, platforms, sliders and bodycon dresses are popular.
In the winter, men look to buy puffer jackets, sweatpants, sweatshirts, trainers, hoodies and vests.
Meanwhile, women shop for sweatpants, fleeces, shirts, leggings, leather jackets and sweatshirts.
How long it takes for your item to sell depends on the tags and description you choose, the price and your photos.
You should build a relationship with your customers to boost your sales.
Reply quickly to potential buyers to build a rapport with them.
Be honest about the size, flaws and details of your items.
Give your photos a consistent look to help buyers understand what your shop is about.
YOU can sell up to 300 items a month on eBay for free.
You only pay fees for optional listing upgrades or if you deliver to an overseas address.
The average time to sell an item depends on the format you use to list it.
If you decide to auction your goods, you can choose to list it for between one and ten days.
Meanwhile, if you opt for a fixed price the item will be relisted every month until it is sold or until you end the listing.
Try to use all 80 characters and any relevant keywords in your listing.
The first four words of your item’s title should use terms that buyers will be searching for.
For example, if it is a luxury brand buyers will search by brand name so this should be one of the first words in your title.
Try to take photos in natural light against a neutral background.
You can add up to 24 images to your listing so take photos showing the item from all its different angles.
VICKY Reynolds has made £1,450 in the five months since she joined Vinted.
The 36-year-old, from Birmingham, does not wait for her items to sell and instead reaches out to potential buyers.
The charity worker said: “Interacting with people can be really successful and helps to get your item sold.”
She messages her buyers to say: “I’m posting tomorrow and I can include this too if you’d like” or sends them a reduced price to help push the sale along.
Vicky also interacts with people on Vinted Facebook pages to secure a sale and increase her followers.
She said: “I’ve found the more followers you have, the more likely it is that people see your items when you upload them.”
She recommends always being transparent about the quality of your clothes and accessories.
Vicky said: “When listing be really thorough and take pictures of any stains or pulls.
“Go over your item to make sure you have not missed anything.”
By Laura Purkess
TENS of thousands of people face paying off their mortgages well past state pension age after taking out long terms later in life, new data has revealed.
A total of 100,511 borrowers aged 36 or over took out mortgages with terms of 35 years or more between 2018 and September 2024, data obtained from the Financial Conduct Authority shows.
This means they would still be paying off their mortgage into their 70s.
The data, obtained by Quilter and shared exclusively with Sun Money, shows the number of people over 36 signing up to these lengthy terms gradually increased over that period, rising from a low of 5,911 in 2020 to 22,103 between January and September last year.
Experts are now warning that borrowers taking out such long mortgages at an older age risk struggling to keep up with their repayments in retirement.
If you take out an ultra-long mortgage when you’re younger, you have more opportunity to pay down your debt and switch to a shorter term before retirement.
But if you start a new mortgage with a long term later in life, you may not have as much time to improve your finances enough to move to a shorter term.
And you could even end up fixing on to a higher rate. Karen Noye, mortgage expert at Quilter, said: “Retirees on fixed incomes may find it challenging to manage mortgage payments alongside other living costs, particularly if they have not accounted for this in retirement planning.”
JOBSEEKERS have been warned to watch out for scammers preying on them with offers that are too good to be true.
The job market is tough at the moment as employers grapple with rising costs.
Now, according to consumer champion Which?, phoney job ads are being sent via text and WhatsApp in an attempt to lure in desperate jobseekers.
One example is the recruitment impersonation scam. In the con, the scammer lists a recruiters’ number that is actually fake.
You’re then asked to share more details in order to lure you in.
Next is a message from a HR department claiming that you have a perfect CV.
The scam aims to target people who have recently applied for jobs and contains a Whatsapp link to continue the conversation with the scammer.
Job adverts are also being shared on Whatsapp for non-existent roles.
The message typically provides details for a phoney job with an attractive salary and flexible work offer.
In most cases, Which? said these random job scam messages lead to so-called “task scams”, which encourage you to sign up to a dodgy website or app where you can complete tasks for money.
Tricksters will then ask you to pay a fee to upgrade your account.
Lisa Webb, consumer law expert at Which?, said: “Anyone searching for a new opportunity needs to be on the lookout for scammers.
“If you lose any money to a scam, call your bank immediately using the number on the back of your bank card and report it to Action Fraud, or the police.”
