HOMELESS Peter Roberts lay dying on the floor of a launderette in Exeter, ignored by customers who carried on with their washing around him. How sad that no one thought to call for help. By the time a policeman tried to revive him, it was too late. This happened in February, it's no surprise Peter sought sanctuary in a nice warm launderette.
One lesson of all this is that vulnerable people need a place to go to be warm, fed and welcomed. The charity St Petrock's is working hard to do just that, providing help for homeless people, and it deserves our thanks and support. And just remember when you pass someone selling the Big Issue, they are making an effort to get back on their feet. Even if you don't buy one (and I would strongly recommend that you do) it does no harm to say hello rather than turn away. A little kindness goes a long way.
STEVEN Carter did the right thing when he paid child support for the girl he thought was his daughter. It is a bit late to now go public after finally finding out he is not her dad after all.
The woman at the centre of the row, Katie John, from Beacon Heath, Exeter, is now 22 and has children of her own. Mr Carter is complaining that he paid £30,000 in child support for her, and now wants it back. The Child Support Agency says it is too late, and his continued payments showed he must have accepted being her parent.
Apparently it all came to light when she asked him to take a DNA test because one of her own children had medical problems. Katie is now having to deal with not knowing who her real dad is. That is much more traumatic than Mr Carter's complaint. Katie says she never really knew him, so she and her children haven't got much to lose. He should get over it and get on with his life.
THE gruesome death by beheading of American journalist James Foley is shocking and abhorrent. The manner of his killing is an act of medieval barbarity, videoed and published on the internet as a piece of brutal propaganda, taunting the United States.
One of the most disturbing aspects is that his executioner in the sands of Syria appears to be British, one of a reported 500 young men who have travelled to the Middle East to join the Islamic State fighters. But are they really driven by religious fundamentalism? One theory is that they are mostly young men looking for a adventure, seduced by violence, with only a shaky grasp of the politics.
The British authorities are concerned that they might bring the violence back to these shores.
Nevertheless, I suspect I wasn't the only one uncomfortable with a statement from Scotland Yard that viewing the video, or sharing it on social media, could be an offence in this country under terrorism legislation. This response defies common sense and does nothing to counter the very real threat that we might face. The Counter-Terrorism Act 2008 was intended to target terrorism suspects. Yet this warning targets all of us. I haven't viewed the video, because news reports tell me all I want to know. But the effect on any right-minded person of watching it would surely be revulsion.
Trying to suppress propaganda using censorship of this heavy-handed kind surely misses the point. It is like when Margaret Thatcher banned the broadcast of Sinn Fein leaders, to deny them the "oxygen of publicity". It won't stop the outrages, or tackle the reasons why people choose violence.
THE EU has come to our rescue again, this time saving us from one of the greatest threats to humanity – powerful vacuum cleaners. At no doubt huge expense, the bureaucrats of Brussels have decreed that from next month, no motor can exceed 1,600 watts of power. This effectively bans five of the seven Which? 'Best Buy' cleaners at a stroke.
The Eurocrats say the new rule will help save the planet by using less energy in the home, reducing harmful carbon dioxide emissions.
Critics say it will make no difference, as it will take longer to clean your home using a less powerful machine. But you can pick up one of the soon-to-be outlawed cleaners. If not, I suppose they will end up on a shelf gathering dust.
