Leprosy revealed in red squirrels across British Isle

Leprosy has been found in red squirrels across the British Isles and scientists believe they have been infected with the disfiguring disease for centuries.

The endangered animals carry the same bacteria that cause the human disease,research has revealed. This results in lesions on their muzzles, ears and paws, adding to the sharp decline in their numbers caused by invading grey squirrels, which appear immune to the disease.

It is possible that humans have caught leprosy from red squirrels in the past, as their fur and meat was once prized. But the last case of leprosy contracted in the UK was in 1798, indicating the risk is now extremely low.

“We should be even more concerned about the squirrels now and not frightened of them,” said Prof Anna Meredith, at the University of Edinburgh and one of the ..read more

Flaviu gets Willow as mate.

If you remember  the 2 year old lynx.. Flaviu ..that escaped Dartmoor Zoo earlier this year has now got a girlfriend.She is a 8 year old called Willow ,a special fence has been erected to stop physical contact until the big cats are comfortable with each other .

Racism.

I can not say i have never been racist as that would be a lie. i can only  say that i was treated as being gay for years as no girlfriend when young due to being shy.As for racism i did once say a comment about Pakistan people for which was barred from local gym in 80s rightly so i now try not too judgex

loo of the year awards.

The awards have a simple objective, namely, to encourage the highest possible standards in all 'away from home' or public toilets. Everyone has a shared responsibility to make this happen – toilet providers, managers, washroom suppliers, contractors, staff, visitors and customers – all toilet users.

The Awards are owned and run independently and since their introduction in 1987 the annual Loo of the Year Awards competition has helped focus the spotlight on 'away from home' toilets. It is now considered as 'the loo standard' and the Awards are supported by the national tourism bodies of England, Scotland, Wales, Northern Ireland and Jersey.

Any type of 'away from home' toilet can be nominated or entered in the competition, in any of the sixty separate Awards categories listed on the entry form. Entries are accepted from anywhere in England, Scotland, Wales, Northern Ireland, Republic of Ireland, Isle of Man, and the Channel Islands.

Anyone can nominate - staff, customers, visitors, managers, owners or contractors. Entries need to be authorised by owners or managers to guarantee payment of relevant entry fees which cover the inspection visit(s) etc.

Each entry is fully assessed against established judging criteria, covering both male and female facilities, as well as any baby changing, accessible and/or Changing Places facilities. All entries will receive a grading; Bronze, Silver, Gold or Platinum, following an unannounced visit by a fully trained and authorised Loo of the Year Awards Inspector.

The Attendant of the Year Awards form part of the annual Loo of the Year Awards but ---read more

Seagull-proof sack call to avoid 'annual menace'

Residents in a coastal area in south Devon have been advised to use seagull-proof rubbish sacks to prevent birds scattering litter.

South Hams District Council provides bags free to homes without wheelie bins or where waste lorries cannot access.

It said the bags were "a simple but effective solution to the annual seagull menace".

The council said it was working to arrange waste collections to avoid bags being left out longer than needed.

Rufus Gilbert, the council's environment services executive member, said "only takes one property not use them and the seagulls get to work, making a mess."also local  coastal

 town of Ilfracombe are thinking of investing in these bags. The bags  have a  secure velco  fastening.tie at back ,weighted base .As is known seagulls are scavengers  sosee open bags as free food so partly our fault.

Coping with Norovirus

Norovirus is the most common stomach bug in the UK. The ‘winter vomiting’ bug, as it’s also known, causes nausea, stomach cramps, vomiting, watery diarrhoea, raised temperature and aching limbs.

It also spreads incredibly quickly, so avoid public places if you’ve been struck down with symptoms. It’s particularly important to steer clear of GP surgeries, hospitals and care homes to protect already vulnerable patients from the virus.

Unfortunately, there’s no cure for Norovirus, so it’s simply a case of letting it run its course [symptoms usually pass within 48 hours].

But if you or your child do experience sudden diarrhoea and vomiting, taking the following action can ease symptoms:

• Drink plenty of fluids to replace the fluids lost from vomiting and diarrhoea – pharmacies supply special rehydration drinks made from sachets. Babies should continue to feed as normal
• Take paracetamol for any fever or aches and pains
• Get plenty of rest
• If you feel like eating, plain foods such as soup, rice, pasta and bread are best

While there’s no specific treatment for Norovirus, babies and young children are more at risk of dehydration. So, if you’re concerned or need more advice, you should get in touch with your GP or call NHS 111.--read more

When is a photo yours?

A recent argument as made me question who owns rights to a photo.Example using old family photos when were younger or use from facebook  .Here is what research brought up ... wnership of digital photos is a thorny issue, not helped at all by the difficult legalese that Omakes up most online terms and conditions.

With many popular social networking and photo sharing websites, you may 'own' your digital photos, but once you post them online, you give the site the right to use them how it wishes.

The photo application Instagram, owned by Facebook, caused a commotion when it changed its terms and conditions to state that it had the right to sell users' photos to advertising partners. 

The UK government has also not helped the issue by passing changes to copyright laws that could make it easier for media companies to claim ownership of, or at least use, images posted online.

So just what are your rights with the various photo-sharing sites and social networks? We've waded through the hellishly long terms and conditions for some of these companies to see what they mean for you.

Instagram

Instagram's stance boils down to the uneasy difference between ‘ownership’ and ‘license to use’. 

Post a photo to Instagram and yes, you do own it. But Instagram has the right to use it in its promotional activities, and it can transfer or sub-license this right to its partners.

To put it another way, it’s your car. But park it in the Instagram garage, and you give Instagram (and its friends) a spare set of keys and the right to go for a drive whenever it likes.

But a further clause reveals that this relationship doesn’t work both ways, and you're not free to help yourself to any old content on Instagram that isn't your own. 

Facebook

As the owner of Instagram, it's no surprise that Facebook's take on content ownership is the same. 

As a Facebook user, you own any content, including photos, that you post online, according to its terms. However, it also states in its T&Cs that you give it the right to ‘use’ your content, and this right can be transferred or sub-licensed to its partners.

According to the T&Cs of both Facebook and Instagram, any profit that is made as a result of using your content will not be shared with you.Twitter

It’s a familiar story over at Twitter’s T&Cs, with the same language being used around adapting, modifying, distributing and using your content, which includes any photos you upload.

By signing up to Twitter you agree to let it 'use, copy, reproduce, process, adapt, modify, publish, transmit, display and distribute' any of your content, including photos that you post. 

Once you post a photo to Twitter, it’s perfectly within its rights to use that photo for its own purposes.

Flickr

Even photo-uploading stalwart Flickr isn’t immune to the legalese around rights to use your content. 

Post a photo to Flickr and you give Yahoo! a right to 'reproduce, modify, adapt and publish' your content, though only for the purpose of promoting its own services.

Behind the legalese

With a lot of online photo-sharing sites, the same legal terms keep cropping up. But what do they mean for your content?

Use

It's a complete catch-all. There’s not much of a limit on what ‘using your content’ could boil down to, and it puts plenty of rights within the hands of the service.

Adapt/modify

Again, these terms could cover a lot of ground, for example cropping an image to show only a part of your photo rather than the whole thing if it were used as part of a promotional campaign.

Display/distribute

These terms allow the services to use your photos in promotional activities such as advertising campaigns, although it’s unlikely you’ll see your photo on the side of a bus poster.

Transferable/sub-licensable

This lets the service transfer the rights to your photos to any partner they may work with now or in the future – for example, an advertising partner.

Royalty-free

If any profit is made as a result of using your photo, you won’t be seeing a penny for it .