The title is from ThisIsSomerset who turn to Churchillian quotes to make their point:
http://www.thisissomerset.co.uk/Badger-culls-end-beginning/story-19891543-detail/story.html#axzz2h1SwsX3U
and clearly on the side of the Government's decision "to take difficult decisions for what everyone hopes will be a long-term gain and the eventual eradication of bovine TB". Everyone? Really? Have you listened to Dominic Dyer? And the warning from Lord Krebs that you have also reported on? One flies in the face of the other.
http://www.thisissomerset.co.uk/Lord-Krebs-warning-badger-cull-credibility/story-19328415-detail/story.html#axzz2h3Eooyql
The anti-cull protesters will not go quietly into the night....
Monday, 7 October 2013
Sunday, 6 October 2013
October Garden Birds
It is still pleasantly mild in Brighton for early October. The temperature today is 20℃ and the garden is bathed in sunshine with a light breeze.
Since hanging out feeders containing sunflower seeds at the back end of last year the number of Goldfinches Carduelis carduelis has grown from 2 or 3 in January to a squabbling number of 14 or more today, the 'charm' containing first and second brood juveniles. A delight to watch.
Yesterday we had a solitary Chiffchaff Phylloscopus collybita flitting around in the lilac tree and the Dunnocks Prunella modularis are back after an absence of several months. A pair of Blue-tits Cyanistes caeruleus are daily visitors and a single Great-tit Parus major makes the occasional brief visit. Starlings Sturnus vulgaris have reappeared over the past few days. They certainly enjoy the fruit flavoured red suet pellets. A number of Woodpigeons Columba polumbus raid the feeders every day and since the beginning of the month a Eurasian Collared Dove Streptopelia decaocto has returned. Herring Gulls Larus argentatus and Jackdaws Corvus monedula are always about although they seldom land in the garden. The Jackdaws though do attack the fat-balls with relish.
Noticeable by their absence at the moment are Blackbird Turdus merula and Robin Erithacus rubecula.
Since hanging out feeders containing sunflower seeds at the back end of last year the number of Goldfinches Carduelis carduelis has grown from 2 or 3 in January to a squabbling number of 14 or more today, the 'charm' containing first and second brood juveniles. A delight to watch.
Yesterday we had a solitary Chiffchaff Phylloscopus collybita flitting around in the lilac tree and the Dunnocks Prunella modularis are back after an absence of several months. A pair of Blue-tits Cyanistes caeruleus are daily visitors and a single Great-tit Parus major makes the occasional brief visit. Starlings Sturnus vulgaris have reappeared over the past few days. They certainly enjoy the fruit flavoured red suet pellets. A number of Woodpigeons Columba polumbus raid the feeders every day and since the beginning of the month a Eurasian Collared Dove Streptopelia decaocto has returned. Herring Gulls Larus argentatus and Jackdaws Corvus monedula are always about although they seldom land in the garden. The Jackdaws though do attack the fat-balls with relish.
Noticeable by their absence at the moment are Blackbird Turdus merula and Robin Erithacus rubecula.
Saturday, 5 October 2013
Bees Losing Sense of Smell
It has been reported by neuroscientists at the University of Southampton that traffic fumes render the scent of flowers barely recognisable to honeybees and could have a serious impact on their ability to find food. The report states that reactive pollutants in diesel destroyed key chemicals in the odour of oilseed flowers making them smell different to the bees.
Honeybees have a sensitive sense of smell and an exceptional ability to learn and memorise new odours. The effect of diesel fumes on flower scent could have serious detrimental effects on the number of honeybee colonies and pollination activity.
Three quarters of the world's food crops rely on bees and other natural pollinators, a service valued at £135bn a year globally. But there have been serious declines in natural pollinators in recent decades. A combination of factors has been blamed including the huge loss of the flower-rich habitats that sustain bees as well as disease and the impact of agricultural insecticides. And now it appears that traffic fumes are adding to the problem.
Honeybees are very, very selective on what they home in on. They do not go randomly from flower to flower. The team of scientists found that it was the highly reactive nitrogen oxides (NOx) that chemically altered the smell by removing key chemicals within a minute of exposure in the laboratory environment.
Emissions from diesel regularly exceed the limits for nitrogen dioxide and emissions from petrol vehicles often contain even higher levels of NOx. These nanoparticle pollutants, already known to harm human health, may also be affecting bees.
Honeybees have a sensitive sense of smell and an exceptional ability to learn and memorise new odours. The effect of diesel fumes on flower scent could have serious detrimental effects on the number of honeybee colonies and pollination activity.
Three quarters of the world's food crops rely on bees and other natural pollinators, a service valued at £135bn a year globally. But there have been serious declines in natural pollinators in recent decades. A combination of factors has been blamed including the huge loss of the flower-rich habitats that sustain bees as well as disease and the impact of agricultural insecticides. And now it appears that traffic fumes are adding to the problem.
Honeybees are very, very selective on what they home in on. They do not go randomly from flower to flower. The team of scientists found that it was the highly reactive nitrogen oxides (NOx) that chemically altered the smell by removing key chemicals within a minute of exposure in the laboratory environment.
Emissions from diesel regularly exceed the limits for nitrogen dioxide and emissions from petrol vehicles often contain even higher levels of NOx. These nanoparticle pollutants, already known to harm human health, may also be affecting bees.
Thursday, 3 October 2013
Playlists on the iPhone
It has taken me some considerable time to realise that by creating playlists on my iPhone I listen to far more of my music. Probably a moot point but I get rather disinterested to listen to every track on a particular album, one after the other. So, for the sake of music fans, here is a playlist I have entitled: "On The Road" (yes, very original...):
- Ain't Nobody Rufus & Chaka Khan
- All My Love Gwen McCrae
- Alphaville Bryan Ferry
- Always and Forever Pat Metheny
- Anyway Jamie Cullum
- Automatic The Pointer Sisters
- Back Stabbers Seal
- Been So Long Anita Baker
- Body and Soul Amy Winehouse & Tony Bennett
- Boogie Wonderland Earth, Wind & Fire with The Emotions
- Caught Up in the Rapture Anita Baker
- Dance Your Pain Away Agnetha Fältskog
- Deep Within the Corners of my Mind Melody Gardot
- Diamonds Rihanna
- Do You Wanna Be Mine Gwen McCrae
- Feel So Good Gwen McCrae
- Get It Over With Rihanna
- I Can Make You Feel Good Shalamar
- I Can't Give You Anything But Love Terence Blanchard
- I Care Beyoncé
- I Gotta Feeling The Black Eyed Peas
- I Want Your Love Chic
- Mirrors Justin Timberlake
- Cry Me a River Justin Timberlake
- Oh Well Depeche Mode
- If You Don't Know Me By Now Harold Melvin & The Blue Notes
- Take Back the Night Justin Timberlake
- After the Love Has Gone Earth, Wind & Fire
- Love Won't Let Me Wait Luther Vandross
- Love Won't Let Me Wait Jackie Moore (same song but different)
- Nobody's Business Rihanna (featuring Chris Brown)
- No Snow Blues Brian Protheroe
- Rock With You Michael Jackson
- A Night to Remember Shalamar
There you have it, a fairly eclectic mix of pop, funk and soul that plays for well over two hours whilst driving. I like it anyway...
Extremely Rare Vagrant on Shetland
An extremely rare vagrant has been seen this week on Shetland. The Hudsonian Whimbrel Numenius hudsonicus was first recorded on Fair Isle in May 1955. This week saw the appearance of one on Mid Yell and will become only the fourth record for Shetland.
Hudsonian Whimbrel
This brings the total number of individuals seen in Britain since 1950 to eight. Before this week's individual the most recent sighting was in 2011 from September 20th - 25th at Mizen Head, Co. Cork, Ireland.
I am not a rarity chaser but I would love to be on Shetland right now....
Wednesday, 2 October 2013
The Reality of Life on The Dole
Let me preface this by stating that I am not speaking from personal experience. I am happily retired after a long and rewarding working life. I do however have acquaintances amongst the long-term unemployed. Not because they want to be and not because they are scroungers. They remain unemployed because they are superabundant. If there were several million vacancies and nobody was filling them because of their attachment to daytime TV then the Tory campaign against the jobless would carry more weight. But clearly, George Osborne and Ian Duncan Smith do not have a clue.
I am told by those in the know that the Work Programme is not working. Tougher sanctions against the unemployed are not what is required. What is required is to make work a realistic prospect, which does not mean cleaning graffiti and cooking for the elderly.
Now, IDS has come up with the cockamamie idea under a Workfare scheme that jobseekers will have to report to the job-centre every day, some benefit claimants facing 35 hours a week so occupied. How will the unemployed in rural areas cope? Reporting to the job centre everyday and what that alone means in transport costs. And where will these people be put? There are millions of them all needing to use the toilet facilities....
I am not standing in defence of the work-shy. I am saying though, that treating the unemployed as social outcasts is a toxic form of political attack that has no place in my reasoning.
GO and IDS should try living in the real world....
I am told by those in the know that the Work Programme is not working. Tougher sanctions against the unemployed are not what is required. What is required is to make work a realistic prospect, which does not mean cleaning graffiti and cooking for the elderly.
Now, IDS has come up with the cockamamie idea under a Workfare scheme that jobseekers will have to report to the job-centre every day, some benefit claimants facing 35 hours a week so occupied. How will the unemployed in rural areas cope? Reporting to the job centre everyday and what that alone means in transport costs. And where will these people be put? There are millions of them all needing to use the toilet facilities....
I am not standing in defence of the work-shy. I am saying though, that treating the unemployed as social outcasts is a toxic form of political attack that has no place in my reasoning.
GO and IDS should try living in the real world....
Tuesday, 1 October 2013
Upgrading to iOS7
I have finally completed upgrading my iPhone 4S (have a 5S on order), iPod Touch 5th Generation and iPad2 to iOS7. If you are yet to complete this upgrade I assure you it is well worth it. The new user interface is fantastic, but be warned. It takes anything up to 1½ hours to complete the download and install! When all this is done you then need to wait quite a while for your music to re-download from iTunes or iCloud.
Apps re-configured for iOS7 are a joy to use.
Great stuff Apple.
Apps re-configured for iOS7 are a joy to use.
Great stuff Apple.
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