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The Ice Bucket Challenge - water wastage and hypocrisy

There is a craze sweeping the world at the moment, filling newspapers and ‘going viral’ on the internet.

For anyone who has been living in a cave for the past two months I am talking about the ‘ice bucket challenge’ - the latest thing to be seen doing.

A simple theory, it involves filling a bucket with water and tipping it over your head, preferably with a camera pointed in your direction.

Complaints to energy companies reach record high

ENERGY companies were the target of more customer complaints last month than ever before, shocking new figures reveal this week.

Experts say the major suppliers are in “meltdown” with staff unable to deliver basic customer service.

Disgruntled households lodged 5,193 complaints in July compared to 4,178 the previous month - 24 a per cent rise.

It is almost three times more than the same time last year when 1,844 complaints were made in July 2013, according to the Energy Ombudsman.

Bake Off fever grips Britain

GREAT British Bake Off fever has gripped the nation with sales of cake trays, gadgets and ingredients rocketing since the start of the new series.

Britons are rushing to stock up on eggs, flour, blenders, mixers and other appliances as they start rolling up their sleeves and dusting their rolling pins, figures out today show.

There has also been a surge in online searches for cooking products since series five of the Bake Off was aired last Wednesday.

The power of football and the billion pound World Cup effect

I don’t get football. I find it boring, pretentious and generally pointless. In fact, I hate it - I realise I am in the minority.

This became especially apparent during the World Cup when for more than a month everyone (it seemed) except me was obsessed with the events in Brazil.

Not only was it on every television channel and in every newspaper, but shops, offices pubs and homes were full of it.

It didn’t light my candle, but as I said I was in the minority and in fact the impact of the event was astonishing, not least on the boost to the economy.