MPs back bill designed to limit NHS 'privatisation'-MAKE A STAND AGAINST.

A bill which aims to curb the private sector's role in the NHS has cleared its first parliamentary hurdle.

Under the bill, compulsory tendering for NHS contracts would end and NHS hospitals' income generated by private patients would be restricted.

Although MPs backed it in a vote by 241 to 18, as a private member's bill it has only a slim chance of becoming law.

The government insisted its priority was to ensure care was "delivered in the right way for patients".

Labour MP Clive Efford brought in the bill, which he said would "cut the heart out" of the coalition's reforms.

It would restore ultimate responsibility for the NHS to the health secretary, stop NHS hospitals earning up to 49% of their income from private patients, and would exempt the NHS from an EU-US trade treaty known as TTIP.

Critics fear TTIP could lead to American companies suing future governments for reversing privatisation.

Those who voted in favour of the bill included two Conservative and seven Lib Dem rebels.MAKE A STAND AGAINST THIS-http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/health-30137368

Comet landing: Organic molecules detected by Philae

Carbon-containing "organics" are the basis of life on Earth and may give clues to chemical ingredients delivered to our planet early in its history. The compounds were picked up by a German-built instrument designed to "sniff" the comet's thin atmosphere. Other analyses suggest the comet's surface is largely water-ice covered with a thin dust layer. The European Space Agency (Esa) craft touched down on the Comet 67P on 12 November after a 10-year journey. Dr Fred Goessmann, principal investigator on the Cosac instrument, which made the organics detection, confirmed the find to BBC News. But he added that the team was still trying to interpret the results. It has not been disclosed which molecules have been found, or how complex they are. Continue reading the main story “ Start Quote There's a trade off - once it gets too hot, Philae will die as well. There is a sweet spot” Prof Mark McCaughrean Senior science adviser, Esa But the results are likely to provide insights into the possible role of comets in contributing some of the chemical building blocks to the primordial mix from which life evolved on the early Earth. Preliminary results from the Mupus instrument, which deployed a hammer to the comet after Philae's landing, suggest there is a layer of dust 10-20cm thick on the surface with very hard water-ice underneath. The ice would be frozen solid at temperatures encountered in the outer Solar System - Mupus data suggest this layer has a tensile strength similar to sandstone. "It's within a very broad spectrum of ice models. It was harder than expected at that location, but it's still within bounds," said Prof Mark McCaughrean, senior science adviser to Esa, told BBC News. "People will be playing with [mathematical] models of pure water-ice mixed with certain amount of dust."-READ MORE-http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/science-environment-30097648

Sun's magnetic field boosts lightning strikes across the UK

The number of lightning strikes across the UK has been significantly affected by solar activity, according to new research.

Scientists say the Sun's magnetic field is bending the Earth's own field, increasing our exposure to cosmic rays.

These rays are believed to increase the number of thunderclouds and trigger lightning bolts in some locations.

Over five years, the UK experienced 50% more strikes when the Earth's magnetic field was affected by the Sun.

Fields of influence

The manner is which lightning bolts are triggered has long puzzled scientists as the air is known to be a good insulator of electricity.

Something else needs to come into play to conduct the electrical charges built up in thunder clouds down to the ground.

Since the 1990s, researchers have speculated that the magnetic activity of the Sun could be linked to lightning on Earth.

Current theories hold that high energy particles called galactic cosmic rays provide the necessary link that lets the current flow into a lightning bolt.

This latest work suggests that the orientation of the Sun's magnetic field is playing a significant role in the number of strikes.

The researchers believe the field is like a bar magnet, so as our star spins around sometimes the field points towards the Earth and sometimes away.

"What we found was there is significantly more lightning in the UK when the field is pointing towards the Sun than when its pointing away which was surprising," said Dr Matt Owens from the University of Reading, the lead author on the study.

"What we think is happening is that the Sun's magnetic field is pulling or pushing on the Earth's field and that's letting energetic charged particles down into the atmosphere at different locations and the idea is that these actually trigger lightning."

"For lightning, you need a thin conducting channel like a wire, and galactic cosmic http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/science-environment-30103561rays can provide this thin column of ionisation in the atmosphere."READ MORE-

Geckos inspire 'Spider-Man' gloves

The way geckos climb has inspired a device that allowed a 70kg man to scale a glass wall like Spider-Man. Much research has gone into trying to unlock the clever way that little geckos climb. But trying to use gecko adhesion to work at larger scales - such as on a human hand - without any loss of performance has proven difficult. The hand-sized silicone pads created by a team at Stanford University keep their adhesive strength at all sizes. They employ the same attractive and repulsive forces between molecules - known as van der Waals forces - that geckos use. Although the forces are very weak, the effect is multiplied across the many tiny hairs that cover the toes of a gecko, allowing them to stick firmly to surfaces. Along the same lines, the Stanford team created tiny tiles called microwedges to harness van der Waals forces. They were able to produce a dry adhesive even more efficient than that of the gecko. In tests, the 70kg (11 stone) climber successfully scaled a 3.6m-high vertical glass wall using 140 sq cm silicone pads in each hand. The climber tested the adhesive hundreds of times on the wall without failure. Earlier this year, America's Defence Advanced Research Projects Agency (Darpa) demonstrated another climbing device which allowed a person to scale a sheer glass wall. However, the exact details of their climbing method remain classified. This latest effort was also a collaboration with Darpa. The agency's Z-Man programme aims to develop biologically-inspired climbing aids for soldiers without the need for ropes and ladders. The team at Stanford have published their findings in the Royal Society journal Interface.

SHARK JAW IN GARDEN

A woman found a odd carcass in her garden .It turned out to be the jaws of a SHORTFIN MAKO SHARK-which normally roam in Mexico and can grow up to 14 ft

1. The shortfin mako shark or blue pointer, Isurus oxyrinchus, is a large mackerel shark. It is commonly referred to as the mako shark together with the longfin mako shark. Wikipedia
3. Scientific name: Isurus oxyrinchus
4. Rank: Species
5. Higher classification: Isurus

TRIED TO VOLUNTEER AT NORTHAM LODGE ,BIDEFORD,DEVON

Northam lodge  i attended interview about becoming a volunteer but at the moment full.The co-ordinator -fiona was a nice lady who explained about that i had a lack of recent work history due to not working since 2003 and all my old bosses have move on ,hope will contact me one day.

Northam Lodge appeals for plastic bottles

Take your two litre bottles to Bideford Tesco for charity greenhouse project.Northam Lodge is desperately appealing for people to donate two litre plastic bottles to help them build a greenhouse. The project, in conjunction with Tesco Bideford, has used more than 400 bottles but has now run out and reached a standstill. Clear and green bottles can be donated in the labelled cage in the foyer of Tesco Bideford.