Friday, October 12, 2007

Tidbits from the Telegraph

Since our Times Colonist didn't arrive this morning due to production problems I'm reading the Telegraph from London in more detail...usually I just peruse the headlines.

A few quotes from stories that captured my interest...this isn't a tabloid but almost seems like it from these stories...

* "Nicolas Sarkozy, the president of France, faces renewed speculation that his marriage may be about to break down after reportedly saying that he was getting ready for life as a bachelor. The level of feverish gossip in the French media and on the internet has reached unprecedented heights in a country which was once famous for ignoring its leaders' private lives."

* "Stringent new regulations and increased insurance premiums have pushed the price of a modest festive display to as much as £25,000, and out of the reach of many town budgets. Smaller towns may lose their Christmas lights
This year councils must use a pressure gauge to individually test every bolt holding a cable or light fitting to a wall. Only fully insured professionals can hang the lights and workers must use expensive hydraulic platforms to do the job because ladders are not deemed safe."

* "The parents of missing Madeleine McCann have issued a furious rebuttal to an "offensive" report claiming Portuguese police believe Gerry is not her father.
Kate and Gerry were "horrified and devastated" by the latest "absolutely untrue" slurs in the Portuguese press claiming Madeleine's DNA was different to that of her twin siblings – all three of whom were conceived by In-Vitro Fertilisation – because she has a different father.