Britain's councils and tourist boards spend millions on hiring brand consultants to choose the few special words they hope will attract new visitors. For many, it is the PR event of the year, a chance for an ageing image to be updated, a sullied name to be scrubbed up and polished.

Frequently, however, it all goes horribly wrong. In 2005, Leeds City Council suffered great embarrassment when, after bringing in the firm An Agency Called England to launch a new slogan at a cost of £150,000, locals objected to the resulting "Leeds. Live it. Love it". Initial antipathy turned to all-out hostility when they discovered that the idea wasn't even new: Hong Kong had been using "Hong Kong, Live it, Love it" since 2003.

A new logo for Nottinghamshire has been unveiled by the people responsible for its promotion as a tourist and business hot-spot. The new brand cost £120,000 to produce and a key feature is a new Logo featuring just the letter "N" standing alone.

It replaces the "Nottingham, Our style is legendary" Logo featuring a Robin Hood character and will appear in different forms all over the county on tourism leaflets, road signs and local firms' literature.

Belfast, too, has decided it needs a Post-Troubles makeover as it tries to embrace tourists keen to experience a destination touted as: "The New Berlin"!

Here are some slogans from other parts of Great Britain.

I particularly like: "Up here it's different" (Donegal) and "Uniquely Manchester" (I'm sure both statements are true!):

Moray: 'Malt whisky country'

Fermanagh :'Tell your own story'

I have often wondered why some people develop lung cancer when they have not smoked even one cigarette.

It has been suggested that it may be from 'passive smoking'.

However, I wonder, could it be the result of a silent killer - Radon?

Radon is a natural radioactive gas. You cannot see, hear, feel or taste it. It comes from the minute amounts of uranium that occur naturally in all rocks and soils.

Research has found that domestic exposure to radon gas is responsible for a significant number of lung cancer deaths, both in smokers and non-smokers.

The risk appears to be much higher for smokers, who have about 25 times the risk of developing lung cancer than those who do not smoke.

Radon gas from natural sources can accumulate in buildings and reportedly causes 21,000 lung cancer deaths per year in the United States alone. In the UK the figure is about 1,000 per year.

Radon is present in all parts of the UK, although the gas disperses outdoors so levels are generally very low.

However, geological conditions in certain areas can lead to higher than average levels. Some of the highest radon levels have been found in the southwest,particularly Cornwall. But levels well above average have been found in some other parts of the UK.

You can find a map of the incidence of ground Radon in England and Wales at:

http://www.hpa.org.uk/radiation/radon/radon_maps/index.htm

Radon seeps into your house from the earth beneath.

What can you do about it - apart from move?

High radon levels in existing houses can usually be reduced by changes to the ventilation system, such as improving underfloor air bricks and extracting radon from beneath the building with a fan, although this can cost up to £1,000 to install and £50 per year to run.

When constructing new buildings, however, low concentrations can usually be achieved by enhancing the damp-proof membrane across the full footprint of the building, at an extra cost of only around £100.

The only reliable guide to the level of radon in a building is a measurement over a period long enough to average out short term variations in radon levels - this should ideally be three months. The procedure recommended by the HPA is to use passive monitors as they are reliable, simple to use and can be sent by post. The individual result for each home is confidential and will not be given to anyone else without the prior consent of the householder at the time of the measurement. This service is available to any householder in the UK at a cost of £39.95 (including VAT). This includes the supply of two radon detectors, their subsequent analysis and the reporting of the result. All packaging and return postage are also included.

Go to: http://www.hpa.org.uk/radiation/services/radon/home.htm

Rome's traffic chief, Giovanni Catanzaro, was sacked yesterday after parking his red Alfa Romeo Brera car in a no-parking zone near the Spanish Steps and displaying a disabled permit belonging to an 86-year-old woman.

(Matt)

Last week the UK government had to admit that it had lost in the mail two computer discs containing personal details of 25 million families with children, including their addresses.

Some time ago I wrote about the new body scanners that are being introduced at airports across the world. They show virtually naked pictures of passengers to the equipment's operator.

I know it is supposed to be in the cause of anti-terrorism, but it seems a little voyeuristic and I am not particularly mollified by the assurance that only males will see males - and females females.

It is only voluntary in the UK at the moment - but how long will it be before it becomes compulsory?

I don't really want ANYONE to see me naked without my personal invitation or permission. (Except of course legitimate members of the medical profession.)

Dr. Quin, from Germany seems to share my view:

"I was randomly selected last weekend for the new body-screening system at Heathrow and was asked to perform what is best described as a number of Elvis-like poses.

(Letter to the editor of a Sunday newspaper)

Have you heard? The EU want to ban the use of the words "Made In England" on any goods manufactured in the UK.

To be fair, the ruling from Brussels will apply to ALL member countries.

It is all to do with standardisation within the European Community.

Do we really want to become part of a "United States Of Europe" ?

A woman of 102 has stripped off for a nude calendar in aid of her village football club.

Nora Hardwick, who was born in 1905, posed as Miss November behind the bar of the Ermine Way pub in Ancaster, Lincolnshire, for a charity calendar to raise funds for the local team, Ancaster Athletic.

Mrs Hardwick said: "It was all very tastefully done"

"They draped a bit of pink cloth around my shoulders, but at my age I just don't have the model body to be taking it all off," she said.

"It was all very tastefully done. You couldn't see any of the bits or anything."

"I suppose they asked me because I'm the oldest person in the village and I'm all for it if it's for charity. It's just a bit of fun really."

Mrs Hardwick, who already has two great-great grandchildren, said her own children Maureen, 80, Janice, 74 and Robert, 62, had been very supportive.

She has lived in the village since 1933 and was the village postmistress for 35 years before retiring at the age of 72.

Yesterday was "Thanksgiving" in America. All over the land people will have over-eaten, watched football and come to the conclusion that Uncle Walter is nowhere near as much fun as he thinks he is.

However, some Native Americans treat the holiday as a day of mourning. This reaction is understandable.

The story of the Wamapanoag tribe and the Pilgrims in Plymouth Massachusetts is compelling and sad:

The Pilgrims, in late 1621 close to destitution, were taught how to cultivate local crops, catch fish and generally take care of themselves by the locals. However, the success of the community that ensued meant that more and more Europeans came to the area, and the Wampanoags were driven off their territory.

In 1675, some of the younger members made a series of attacks on white immigrants at Swansea and the tribe was nearly exterminated by the settlers' reprisals. Today there are about 3000 of the tribe left, mostly on a reservation on Martha's Vineyard.

All over America this story was repeated in different forms for a couple of centuries.

Even if we find it hard to allow the use of the term 'genocide' to their story, there is no doubt that Native Americans are amply justified in their grievances.

So what would be an appropriate response to "Thanksgiving"?

I really don't know - but those who now live a life of relative prosperity and peace in the United States should certainly give thanks to the Wampanoags.

I was watching the conclusion of a BBC TV programme earlier in the week and, when he signed off, the presenter invited viewers to "Join Lucy and I next week".

A prime example of the lowering of standards at the BBC. We used to rely on our main broadcasting company to set a good example.

People hear things like that and think it is correct. It should of course, be "Join Lucy and me next week".

There is an easy way to determine whether "I" or "Me" should be used - just remove the other person from the sentence. You would never say "Join I next week" would you?

The trouble is that the rules of English Grammar are no longer taught at school. Once you have learned them, it becomes second nature and any departure from them is jarring.

I have found a fairly long article on the subject at:

http://www.wsu.edu:8001/~brians/errors/myself.html

Take a look. It is an American website (Washington State University) and there may be some differences between US and UK grammar.

I always think it strange that if you telephone an American who does not recognise your voice, you may be asked "Who is this?" I feel tempted to say - "Why, Don't you know who you are?"

I would always say "Who is THAT?". However, the American form is beginning to be adopted here. Too many Hollywood movies and American soaps?

It is rather like "Railway Station" (English) and "Train Station" (American).

Finally, I have heard Americans say things like: "I brought my guitar to the party at my friend's house yesterday" - where I would say "took". Is that correct American, or just uneducated ignorance?

THE LATE MR. COMMON SENSE

Today we mourn the passing of a beloved old friend, Common Sense, who has been with us for many years.

No one knows for sure how old he was, since his birth records were long ago lost in bureaucratic red tape.

He will be remembered as having cultivated such valuable lessons as:

Knowing when to come in out of the rain; Why the early bird gets the worm; Life isn't always fair; and Maybe it was my fault.

Common Sense lived by simple, sound financial policies (don't spend more than you can earn) and reliable strategies - adults are in charge (not children).

His health began to deteriorate rapidly when well-intentioned but overbearing regulations were set in place.

Reports of a 6-year-old boy charged with sexual harassment for kissing a classmate; teens suspended from school for using mouthwash after lunch; and a teacher fired for reprimanding an unruly student, only worsened his condition.

Common Sense lost ground when parents attacked teachers for doing the job that they themselves had failed to do in disciplining their unruly children.

It declined even further when schools were required to get parental consent to administer sun lotion or an Elastoplast to a student; but could not inform parents when a student became pregnant and wanted to have an abortion.

Common Sense lost the will to live as the Ten Commandments became contraband; churches became businesses; and criminals received better treatment than their victims.

Common Sense took a beating when you couldn't defend yourself from a burglar in your own home and the burglar could sue you for assault.

Common Sense finally gave up the will to live, after a woman failed to realize that a steaming cup of coffee was hot. She spilled a little in her lap, and was promptly awarded a huge settlement.

Common Sense was preceded in death by his parents, Truth and Trust; his wife, Discretion; his daughter, Responsibility; and his son, Reason. He is survived by his 4 stepbrothers; I Know My Rights, I Want It Now, Someone Else Is To Blame, and I'm A Victim.

Not many attended his funeral because so few realised he was gone. If you still remember him, pass this on. If not, join the majority and do nothing.

And a little extra........................

Can you imagine working for a company that has a little more than 600 employees and has the following statistics?

29 have been accused of spouse abuse

7 have been arrested for fraud

19 have been accused of writing bad cheques

117 have directly or indirectly bankrupted at least 2 businesses

3 have done time for assault

71 cannot get a credit card due to bad credit

4 have been arrested on drug-related charges

8 have been arrested for shoplifting

21 are currently defendants in lawsuits

84 have been arrested for drink driving in the last year

Which organization is this?

It's the 635 members of the House of Commons, the same group that cranks out hundreds of new laws each year designed to keep the rest of us in line !

The BBC stoked controversy last week by announcing plans for a "contemporary" nativity play featuring Mary and Joseph as asylum seekers instructed to report to the nearest passport office.

In a move that has dismayed traditionalists, who think the story is dramatic enough without having to embellish it with politically correct themes, the action will take place in the centre of Liverpool.

The story will be told against a backdrop of pop music and will star Cathy Tyson, who appeared as a call girl in the film Mona Lisa, as a female Herod and Jennifer Ellison, the former Brookside star and glamour model, as an angel.

During the retelling, actors in contemporary dress will walk through parts of the city singing hits from The Beatles' "Let it Be" and "Lady Madonna" to The Zutons' "You Will, You Won't", accompanied by the Royal Liverpool Philharmonic Orchestra.

Geoffrey Hughes, who played binman Eddie Yeats in Coronation Street, leads the cast as the Angel Gabriel, directing events as they unfold from William Brown Street in the city centre.

Herodia, played by Cathy Tyson, is a paranoid government minister in a fictional state desperately clinging to power who orders a crackdown on immigration.

In the midst of the turmoil, Mary discovers she is pregnant and must fight to protect both Joseph and her unborn child.

Members of the public will be able to watch the action from other parts of Liverpool on giant screens. The project is not the first of its kind to be attempted by the BBC; last Easter, it staged a live version of the Passion from the streets of Manchester.

Although the 300-strong cast will include angels and Mary - played by Jodie McNee - is portrayed as a virgin, many Christians will be upset by the presentation.

Tony Kilmister, the vice-president of the Prayer Book Society, said the BBC was indulging in "gimmickry" and was undermining the dignity of the nativity.

"This is not the sort of thing that Christmas needs," he said.

"The story is loved and revered by Christians around the world. There is a dignity to it that will be lost.

"Adding political correctness of this sort is harmful and quite uncalled for."

The BBC, which will broadcast the hour-long event live on December 16 on digital channel BBC3, said the nativity was far more than the simple story beloved of primary schools.

It said the "intimate, personal" story of a pregnant young girl set against a background of political tension and unrest was as "fresh and relevant today as it was 2,000 years ago".

How long do you or your children spend on the computer each day?

IN KOREA, A BOOT CAMP FOR WEB OBSESSION

MOKCHEON, South Korea — The compound — part boot camp, part rehab center — resembles programs around the world for troubled youths. Drill instructors drive young men through military-style obstacle courses, counselors lead group sessions, and there are even therapeutic workshops on pottery and drumming.

But these young people are not battling alcohol or drugs. Rather, they have severe cases of what many in this country believe is a new and potentially deadly addiction: cyberspace.

They come here, to the Jump Up Internet Rescue School, the first camp of its kind in South Korea and possibly the world, to be cured.

South Korea boasts of being the most wired nation on earth. In fact, perhaps no other country has so fully embraced the Internet. Ninety percent of homes connect to cheap, high-speed broadband, online gaming is a professional sport, and social life for the young revolves around the “PC bang,” dim Internet parlors that sit on practically every street corner.

But such ready access to the Web has come at a price as legions of obsessed users find that they cannot tear themselves away from their computer screens.

Compulsive Internet use has been identified as a mental health issue in other countries, including the United States. However, it may be a particularly acute problem in South Korea because of the country’s nearly universal Internet access.

It has become a national issue here in recent years, as users started dropping dead from exhaustion after playing online games for days on end. A growing number of students have skipped school to stay online, shockingly self-destructive behavior in this intensely competitive society.

Up to 30 percent of South Koreans under 18, or about 2.4 million people, are at risk of Internet addiction, said Ahn Dong-hyun, a child psychiatrist at Hanyang University in Seoul who just completed a three-year government-financed survey of the problem.

They spend at least two hours a day online, usually playing games or chatting. Of those, up to a quarter million probably show signs of actual addiction, like an inability to stop themselves from using computers, rising levels of tolerance that drive them to seek ever longer sessions online, and withdrawal symptoms like anger and craving when prevented from logging on.

To address the problem, the government has built a network of 140 Internet-addiction counseling centers, in addition to treatment programs at almost 100 hospitals and, most recently, the Internet Rescue camp, which started this summer. Researchers have developed a checklist for diagnosing the addiction and determining its severity, the K-Scale. (The K is for Korea.)

In September, South Korea held the first international symposium on Internet addiction.

“Korea has been most aggressive in embracing the Internet,” said Koh Young-sam, head of the government-run Internet Addiction Counseling Center. “Now we have to lead in dealing with its consequences.”

Though some health experts here and abroad question whether overuse of the Internet or computers in general is an addiction in the strict medical sense, many agree that obsessive computer use has become a growing problem in many countries.

Doctors in China and Taiwan have begun reporting similar disorders in their youth. In the United States, Dr. Jerald J. Block, a psychiatrist at Oregon Health and Science University, estimates that up to nine million Americans may be at risk for the disorder, which he calls pathological computer use. Only a handful of clinics in the United States specialize in treating it, he said.

“Korea is on the leading edge,” Dr. Block said. “They are ahead in defining and researching the problem, and recognize as a society that they have a major issue.”

The rescue camp, in a forested area about an hour south of Seoul, was created to treat the most severe cases. This year, the camp held its first two 12-day sessions, with 16 to 18 male participants each time. (South Korean researchers say an overwhelming majority of compulsive computer users are male.)

The camp is entirely paid for by the government, making it tuition-free. While it is too early to know whether the camp can wean youths from the Internet, it has been receiving four to five applications for each spot. To meet demand, camp administrators say they will double the number of sessions next year.

During a session, participants live at the camp, where they are denied computer use and allowed only one hour of cellphone calls a day, to prevent them from playing online games via the phone. They also follow a rigorous regimen of physical exercise and group activities, like horseback riding, aimed at building emotional connections to the real world and weakening those with the virtual one.

“It is most important to provide them experience of a lifestyle without the Internet,” said Lee Yun-hee, a counselor. “Young Koreans don’t know what this is like.”

Initially, the camp had problems with participants sneaking away to go online, even during a 10-minute break before lunch, Ms. Lee said. Now, the campers are under constant surveillance, including while asleep, and are kept busy with chores, like washing their clothes and cleaning their rooms.

One participant, Lee Chang-hoon, 15, began using the computer to pass the time while his parents were working and he was home alone. He said he quickly came to prefer the virtual world, where he seemed to enjoy more success and popularity than in the real one.

He spent 17 hours a day online, mostly looking at Japanese comics and playing a combat role-playing game called Sudden Attack. He played all night, and skipped school two or three times a week to catch up on sleep.

When his parents told him he had to go to school, he reacted violently. Desperate, his mother, Kim Soon-yeol, sent him to the camp.

“He didn’t seem to be able to control himself,” said Mrs. Kim, a hairdresser. “He used to be so passionate about his favorite subjects” at school. “Now, he gives up easily and gets even more absorbed in his games.”

Her son was reluctant at first to give up his pastime.

“I don’t have a problem,” Chang-hoon said in an interview three days after starting the camp. “Seventeen hours a day online is fine.” But later that day, he seemed to start changing his mind, if only slightly.

As a drill instructor barked orders, Chang-hoon and 17 other boys marched through a cold autumn rain to the obstacle course. Wet and shivering, Chang-hoon began climbing the first obstacle, a telephone pole with small metal rungs. At the top, he slowly stood up, legs quaking, arms outstretched for balance. Below, the other boys held a safety rope attached to a harness on his chest.

“Do you have anything to tell your mother?” the drill instructor shouted from below.

“No!” he yelled back.

“Tell your mother you love her!” ordered the instructor.

“I love you, my parents!” he replied.

“Then jump!” ordered the instructor. Chang-hoon squatted and leapt to a nearby trapeze, catching it in his hands.

“Fighting!” yelled the other boys, using the English word that in South Korea means the rough equivalent of “Don’t give up!”

After Chang-hoon descended, he said, “That was better than games!”

Was it thrilling enough to wean him from the Internet?

“I’m not thinking about computer games now, so maybe this will help,” he replied. “From now on, maybe I’ll just spend five hours a day online.”

Lee Chang-hoon, 15, runs
an obstacle course at the
Jump Up Internet Rescue School.

He spent almost all of his time
online before his mother
sent him to the camp.

Seventeen hours a day online
is fine,” he said at the camp.

(New York Times)

Learning the Labour way: Citizenship lessons are very un-British

The Home Office has issued a guide for immigrants who wish to apply for British nationality. It is titled "Life In The United Kingdom: A Journey Into Citizenship."

Richard Littlejohn wrote this comment in the "Daily Mail"

Figures released yesterday show that 690,000 people moved here last year. No wonder it's selling so well.

The best place to start with official publications is usually at the back. So I headed straight for the glossary, which contains a selection of "key words and key expressions" for would-be citizens. The italics are mine, the rest is all kosher.

A is for abusive (behaviour), adultery and asylum seekers.

B is for baron, birth parent, brutality and burglary.

C is for cannabis, chieftain, civil disobedience, clamp (as in wheel), cocaine, colonise, corrupt and Crusades (wars fought to spread Christianity).

D is for degrading (treatment), deport, detained by the police, disability and dump (as in fly-tipping).

E is for ecstasy (makes users feel they have lots of energy), ethnic minority, executed and exploitation.

F is for famine, firearm and forced labour.

G is for gambling, grant (money paid by an authority) and guerilla war.

H is for hard drugs, heroin, Holy Land (see also Crusade) and humiliated.

I is for immigration, inappropriate touching, indecent remarks, inhuman behaviour, insulting words and Islamic mortgage.

J is is for judge, judiciary and jury.

L is for labour (as in Vote Labour), legal aid and legitimate children (whose parents are married to each other).

M is for maternity leave, mental illness, migrate, missionary (as in Godbotherer, not position) and molestation (sexual attack on someone, often a child).

N is for nationalised (as in Northern Rock), naturalised citizen (as in Captain Hook), nobility and not-for-profit (see nationalised).

O is for obstructive (behaviour), occupy a country (as in Iraq or Northern Ireland), offensive (behaviour) and off-licence.

P is for paternity leave, persecuted, plague, pluralistic society, pogroms and proportional representation.

R is for racial, racially-motivated crime, racism, rape, recycle rubbish and referendum (except in the event of a new European treaty).

S is for scratch card, serious misconduct, slavery (see forced labour); and strike, to go on.

T is for terrorism, therapist (psychology), torture, tow away a car (see also clamp) and treaty (see referendum).

U is for unemployed.

V is is for victim and vulnerable people.

W is for welfare benefits.

Y is for Yellow Pages

There was no K, Q, X or Z, but as for the rest: you couldn't make it up.

You might have thought that a publication about Britain which bothered to explain that a baron was a minor member of the aristocracy and that a chieftain was a Scottish clan ruler might have found room for the Queen.

And what a depressing picture it paints. Abuse, adultery, brutality, burglary, cannabis, degrading treatment, exploitation, famine, forced labour, gambling, guerilla war, heroin, inappropriate touching, Islamic mortgages, mental illness, persecution, plague, pogroms, racism, rape, slavery, strikes, terrorism, wheel-clamping.

RESTAURANT DINERS ANGRY AT COST OF BOTTLED WATER

Consumers are fed up with paying over the odds for mineral water in restaurants and should routinely be offered free tap water, the National Consumer Council said yesterday.

Its research reveals that nine out of 10 UK restaurants push diners to buy expensive bottled water and fail to offer them free tap water.

Seventy per cent of people say mineral water in restaurants is too expensive and want to see free tap water readily available, as is generally the case in the US, the research found.

Some restaurants charge up to £3.50 for a 35p bottle of mineral water.

In the United States, public pressure has been growing to force powerful corporations to disclose where their bottled water comes from, after research indicated that up to 40% of bottled water uses tap water as its source.

Even one of the US’s leading brands of bottled water was found to contain tap water.

Some American consumers are already paying a 3,000% premium on water by buying it in bottles instead drinking it from their taps.

Women are being given controversial "virginity repair" operations on the NHS, it emerged last night.

Taxpayers funded 24 hymen replacement operations between 2005 and 2006, official figures revealed.

And increasing numbers of women are paying up to £4,000 in private clinics for the procedure apparently under pressure from future spouses or in-laws who believe they should be virgins on their wedding night.

Doctors said most patients are immigrants or British of ethnic origin.

The trend has been condemned by critics as a sign of social regression driven by Islamic fundamentalists. Some countries have made hymen reconstruction operations illegal.

Dr Magdy Hend, consultant gynaecologist at the Regency Clinic, Harley Street, London, who started hymen reconstruction more than 18 years ago in the Middle East and the Gulf, said: "In some cultures they like to see that the women will bleed on the wedding night. If the wife or bride is not a virgin, it is a big shame on the family."

Dr Hend said he was surprised by the "very good response" to the service and said there is "big competition on the market".

Most of his clients, he told More4 News, are in their teens or early 20s.

"They might be British of ethnic background, they might be immigrants, or some people come from abroad, Asia, Middle East, the Gulf, and they don't want to have it done back home," he added.

Dr Hend said demand is increasing, particularly from UK residents.

The operation can involve suturing of a tear in the hymen, such as might be caused by sexual assault, to help healing.

But it can also be conducted as a purely cosmetic procedure. A membrane is constructed, sometimes including a capsule of an artificial blood-like substance.

This operation is intended to be performed within a few days before an intended marriage.

Tory health spokesman Mike Penning expressed concern.

He said: "If there is any cultural or other pressure being put on the women from any source to have this done, that would be a very retrograde step.

"If a woman has been violated or raped and lost her virginity, clearly everything possible should be done to assist her.

"But what nobody would understand is if taxpayers' money is being used to fund operations of this kind for cultural or cosmetic reasons."

Labour MP Ann Cryer said she was "absolutely horrified" to learn of the phenomenon.

She added: "We should be trying to protect girls from this.

"It is a form of abuse of women and it may be that the woman who is asking for the operation to be done does not recognise the abuse that is taking place against her, but in later life she certainly will.

"We have to also ask whether our National Health Service should be providing this sort of facility. I don't think it should be available on the NHS."

The Department of Health said "certain cosmetic procedures" are available on the NHS "to secure physical or psychological health".

Virginity repair operations have become a source of controversy in France, where gynaecologists report a growing number of requests from women.

The procedure is supposed to be funded by the state only if the patient claims she has been raped. But some doctors agree to carry it out for cultural or cosmetic reasons.

The above article, in the Daily Mail, has already received almost 100 comments from readers, including these:

"Hang on! Cancer patients can't get new drugs, patients are left lying in urine-soaked sheets, people have to go blind in one eye before qualifying for sight-saving treatment, women in labour are turned away from over-stretched maternity units, etc. All because of "funding shortages". Clearly this is not true if the NHS can find the money to pay for a cosmetic procedure like this which serves no purpose other than to perpetuate a misogynistic mindset.

How do the NHS trusts justify spending on this while the queues for REAL operations and treatments grow ever longer?"

Maggie, Oxford

"If these women want to be thought of as a virgin for their wedding night, why don't they just keep their knickers on in the first place?"

David, Essex

"Look, your religion says you shouldn't have sex before marriage, so don't do it. If you do, then don't expect the taxpayer to pick up the tab for your deceit."

Mark R, Coventry UK

A WELSH SCHOOL HAS BANNED PUPILS FROM EXCHANGING CHRISTMAS CARDS

("Use the money to purchase a goat or mosquito net for a family in Africa instead")

It is a Christmas tradition dating back more than 160 years. But the exchange of Christmas Cards and accompanying good wishes has been banned by one primary school after staff claimed they were harmful to the environment.

Pupils at Evan James primary school in Pontypridd, South Wales, have been told that they will only be permitted to swap cards outside the school gates.

The school is asking parents to make a donation to charity, instead of buying cards for their children.

A head teacher at a second school in the town has made a similar request, but has stopped short of an outright ban.

Angry parents and schools campaigners have accused the schools of acting against the spirit of Christmas.

Nicholas Daniels, deputy head of at Evan James primary school, said they were acting on "environmental and moral" grounds.

Teachers will instead allow the 420 pupils to make one card each for someone in their class so that everyone receives a handmade card.

Mr Daniels said: "The reasons for not having cards are endless and we are sticking to our guns.

"We are asking parents to contribute the money they would have spent on cards to the school's charity.

"We are a big school and the amount of cards teachers are asked to hand out can be horrendous.

"Cards in school cause litter problems and can become a popularity contest about who gets the most, with the risk some children could be left out.

"If the children want to write 30 cards to their friends they would be responsible for handing them out outside school premises."

Mr Daniels claimed that most parents and pupils supported the move.

But one parent said: "A lot of us feel the school is taking a politically correct decision but it is just a once-a-year occasion and the kids love taking cards for their friends.

"The school is acting like Scrooge and going completely against the spirit of Christmas."

Neighbouring Parc Lewis Primary has asked pupils not to exchange cards as part of its bid for an eco award.

In a letter to parents, head teacher Elaine Williams said: "As a change of plan this year and to help us get the Eco School Gold Award-Green Flag, we request that pupils don't bring in Christmas cards to give to each other.

"Instead they may make them in art lessons.

"Also, we request that you be so kind to donate £1 (instead of cards) for Oxfam and we will send the money to purchase a goat or mosquito net for a family in Africa."

The tradition of sending Christmas cards started in Victorian times when, in the early 1840s, busy entrepreneur Sir Henry Cole commissioned well known artist John Calcott Horsley to design a card with a message printed on it which he could send to family and friends at Christmas.

(From the Daily Mail)

Friends and relations attend P. Selvakumar's wedding to a dog

An Indian man who believed he had been cursed for stoning to death two dogs has atoned for his sin by marrying another dog in a traditional Hindu wedding ceremony.

P. Selvakumar, a 33-year-old farm labourer from the southern state of Tamil Nadu, married the four-year-old stray bitch after it was bathed and processed to his village temple dressed in an orange sari and garlanded with flowers.

The marriage took place on the advice of the man's astrologer who said it was the only way to atone for his actions of more than 20 years ago.

He was reported to have suffered a series of physical ailments after stoning the dogs to death and hanging their bodies from a tree.

“After that my legs and hands got paralysed and I lost hearing in one ear,” said Mr Selvakumar after the ceremony with his new "bride", whose name is Selvi.

A reception attended by some 200 guests was held for the newlyweds in the groom's house during which Selvi grew restless and ran away.

However she was subsequently recaptured and returned to her husband who gave her milk and a bun to eat.

Mr Selvakumar is not the first man to have hit the headlines for having romantic relations with animals.

Last year a Sudanese man was forced to marry a goat after village elders discovered him having sex with her. The goat died shortly afterwards.

According to therapists, being a super-millionnaire is a sure-fire recipe for unhappiness, leading to "Wealthy Fatigue Syndrome" (WFS). When money is available in near-limitless quantities, the victim sinks into a kind of inertia.

For some people, flying first class represents the height of luxury. But not Prince Alwaleed bin Talal of Saudi Arabia, who has become the first person to buy an Airbus A380 superjumbo to use as a private jet. Given that the passenger version costs £145 million, the VIP edition – dubbed "The Flying Palace" – will surely cost a hefty chunk of change.

Another, anonymous, billionaire spent £83 million on a flat in the Richard Rogers Partnership's new Hyde Park development – which was double the going rate.

Such excessive spending might not be a sign of conspicuous consumption but of addiction. "For the super-rich, houses, yachts, cars and planes are like new toys that they play with for five minutes and then lose interest in," says psychoanalyst Manfred Kets de Vries, one of the new breed of therapists treating the angst of the very rich. "Pretty soon, to attain the same buzz they have to spend more money. All the spending is a mad attempt to cover up boredom and depression."

Feeling any sort of excitement means taking more and more risks, financially and physically.

Luxury holidays are replaced by abseiling in Australia and swimming with sharks. The first-class ticket of old becomes a private jet such as Prince Alwaleed's: Boeing has 11 standing orders for such wide-bodied "mobile mansions".

Frank James, the author of Richistan, a study of this new class, saw WFS up close.

"The rich are never happy, no matter what they have," he told CNN. "There was this man who owned a 100ft yacht. I said: 'This is a terrific boat.' He said: 'Look down the harbour.' We looked down the marina, and there were boats two and three times as large. He said: 'My 100ft yacht today is like a dinghy compared to these other boats.' When else in history has someone been able to call a 100ft yacht a dinghy?"

The rich are no longer a tiny elite who hide behind electronic gates in Mayfair. There are half a million American households with assets of more than $10 million, and a study of 71 countries by Merrill Lynch and the consultancy firm Capgemini found that the fortunes of "high net worth individuals" increased by 11.4 per cent last year.

In Britain, the wealthiest self-made billionaires have trebled their fortunes over the past five years.

But, as you draw up battle plans for surviving the credit crunch, spare a thought for the sufferers of WFS and how monumentally dull and isolating it is to live in a world where estates are traded like Pokémon cards.

"A lot of my clients made money in commodities, and consequently everything – including houses and boats – is treated like shares," says Peter Grabham, a project manager for the rich and famous. "When the houses have outlived their purpose, they are sold."

Gardens arrive on the back of trucks; art collections fill entire wings overnight, though the owners often can't recall the artists' actual names. I have seen 20-year-old cypress trees craned into gardens – and out again when the owner got bored with that year's fashionable look.

One neighbour in Holland Park tore up her house, employing the most expensive interior designer in England. But after spending the better part of £2 million on refurbishment, she decided she was more a traditionalist than a minimalist, and tossed the contents into the skip outside.

A famous hedge fund manager spent the better part of £20 million building the most exquisite estate in Gloucestershire. As soon as he had thrown a few big parties to show it off, he sold it. "I need a new project," he muttered.

Some of our friends have jumped from nice five-bedroom houses in South Kensington to gated mansions in St John's Wood, complete with hot and cold running staff. But many who join the super-rich find it hard to keep their old circles of support. Happiness studies have repeatedly shown that being marginally better off than your neighbours makes you feel good, but being a hundred times richer makes you feel worse. So either you change your friends or live with the envy of others.

"When a relationship becomes unequal, it becomes difficult," explains Dr Brendan Burchell, a professor of economics and psychology at Cambridge University.

"If you're out in a three-star restaurant, how do you split the bill when he is a super-millionaire? And if he has a driver and you consider a taxi a luxury, you stop having shared experiences."

In the end, the super-rich become isolated – and the only way to find empathy is to surround themselves with people as rich as themselves.

"The poorer everyone else gets, relative to the rich, the more isolated the rich become," says Dr Burchell. "Soon you end up like the Russian oligarchs, needing bodyguards and electric gates outside your house."

The happiest nations, he says, are those where people feel most equal, even if that means being less wealthy. Pentecost, a tiny island in the South Pacific, has recently been voted the happiest place on earth. They don't have WFS – in fact, they don't have money; they use pigs' horns instead.

In places such as Pentecost, people actually talk to each other – indeed, belonging to a community is one of the single most important prerequisites for happiness. But when you jet between the Scottish estate, the London mansion and the chalet in Aspen, there isn't much time to get to know the neighbours.

"One of the most common complaints among the super-rich is loneliness," says de Vries. "People stop calling them. They assume they're too busy, or they are simply too intimidated." Or they simply can't cut through the barricade of staff.

Families, too, can fall victim to WFS. As the men get richer, the wives are either tossed out in favour of a new model or become engaged in inane, busy-making activities. The post-nup is the new must-have among hedge funders.

"This world is full of gold-diggers, and rich men are highly suspicious," says de Vries. "Often, they develop a form of paranoia."

Meanwhile, for the wives, shopping trips to Paris and Milan get tedious. "Super-rich wives are effectively unemployed, and have all the same mental issues as the real unemployed," says Jon Stokes, an organisational psychologist and executive coach with Stokes and Jolly.

Children are just as vulnerable. In America, upmarket brat camps offering psychological support for rich kids are now common. Suniya Luthar, a professor of psychology and education at the Teachers College of Columbia University, found that such children are just as prone to antisocial behaviour as those from inner cities.

One in five affluent American children also suffers from clinical depression. One of the reasons given was absent parents: "These kids just get sent from house to house on private jets with nannies and tutors on board," says a teacher who works for the very rich during the holidays. "No one engages with them who isn't staff."

According to de Vries, the only cure for the boredom and anxiety is to give something back. "These people need to return to small pleasures and to stop worrying