I love to travel, mainly to Africa where I was born, I enjoy reading and playing bridge. I go for rambles in the countryside. I collect stamps and go to T'ai Chi classes. I love my two cats and my garden birds. I adore the African wildlife and try to help Conservation groups.
Dog ends habit for office smokers.
Rupert has proved so popular, other branches are to get a dog. Smokers at an office in West Yorkshire have kicked the habit thanks to a new colleague - Rupert the cocker spaniel. The nine-month-old dog was brought in by managers at Relay Recruitment in Bradford in January to help staff beat the post-Christmas blues. But the move had an unexpected bonus as four of the firm's 12 smokers gave up cigarettes by substituting fag breaks for a 10-minute walk with the dog. Bosses now plan to provide dogs for their staff in Leeds, Halifax and York.
Relay Recruitment spokesman David Gatehouse said: "We're delighted with the effect Rupert has had on staff health and morale. "We initially brought him in because we'd seen research which said that having a pet reduces stress and increases a feeling of well-being. "We thought we'd bring in a dog so people could make a fuss over him and it would lift morale, especially during the depressing days after Christmas and New Year. "Then somebody suggested instead of having a fag break they'd take him for a 10-minute walk round the block.
"The idea caught on and now four or five people have given up smoking altogether and others are cutting down. "They're also losing weight because of all the exercise they're getting." Rupert is owned by managing director Steven Street, but has proved so popular he even spends some weekends with other members of staff. "He's proved a real hit," said Mr Gatehouse. "The staff love him."
BBC NEWS REPORT.
Crocodile-wrestling gran honoured.
Saltwater crocodiles are the world's largest reptiles. A 61-year-old Australian grandmother has received a bravery award for wrestling a giant saltwater crocodile as it dragged her friend from a tent. Alicia Sorohan was awoken by screams while camping in Queensland and jumped on the 4.2 metre (14ft) reptile's back in an attempt to distract it. The animal then turned on her, breaking her nose and almost ripping her arm off before her son shot it.
Northern Australia has an estimated 100,000 saltwater crocodiles. Mrs Sorohan's arm was left "hanging by a thread" following the incident in October 2004. She now has two metal plates and 12 screws in her arm but she still does not have full movement back.
Mrs Sorohan was one of three people who were awarded Australia's Star of Courage, which recognises citizens for acts of outstanding bravery. "We are privileged to have such role models in our society," Valerie Pratt, the chairman of the Australian Bravery Decorations Council told Australian Associated Press. Mrs Sorohan said she was shocked at the nomination but said she "would do the same thing again". "It was pretty scary. But it's one of those things - if you see someone in trouble, you've got to help them," she said. The grandmother-of-two from Brisbane has since returned to the spot she calls "paradise". "Everyone is back to normal now. You put it behind you," she said. "I liked crocs before and I still do. They are a fascinating creature."
BBC NEWS REPORT
10 THINGS WE DIDN'T KNOW THIS TIME LAST WEEK
Snippets harvested from the week's news, chopped, sliced and diced for your weekend convenience.
1. In an effort to weigh as little as possible, ski jumpers are susceptible to anorexia.
2. Big Brother's Preston is the great-great-great-great grandson of 19th Century prime minister, Earl Grey - he of the fragrant tea.
3. Harper Lee, author of To Kill a Mockingbird, who is portrayed in the Bafta-winning film Capote, lives a reclusive life in Alabama and has written nothing but four articles since the book's release in 1960.
4. Ian Gardiner, who played Reginald Molehusband in the classic Public Information Film, was paid £10 for the job.
5. Kenny Everett did the strangulated cat voice in the Charley Says Public Information Films.
6. John Irving, the brother of Holocaust-denier historian David Irving, is chairman of the Wiltshire Racial Equality Council.
7. The political cartoonist Gillray's real name was Carlo Khan.
8. Daniel Craig, the latest incarnation of 007, cannot drive manual cars - meaning Bond's classic Aston Martin DB5 has had to be converted to automatic.
9. Christopher Lee, a former Bond villain, is a distant cousin of 007 creator Ian Fleming.
10. Gwyneth Paltrow is a Two Ronnies fan.
BBC NEWS MAGAZINE.
Birth control for Israeli giraffe.
Zookeepers say they are worried about inbreeding. A female giraffe in Jerusalem has been put on birth control after a "baby boom" at the city's Biblical Zoo. The zoo's most fertile female, Shavit, received an injection of hormones that will prevent her from getting pregnant for at least a year. The five-year-old has given birth twice in four years, and zoo officials say they do not have the facilities to cope with the current population of nine. The giraffes cannot be moved abroad because of foot-and-mouth fears.
Although the babies are cute and female giraffes make good mothers, there is not enough room for more, a zoo official said. Zookeepers also said they were worried about inbreeding. Two giraffes were recently moved to a zoo in Singapore but American and European zoos have refused to take animals because of the risk of foot-and-mouth disease, the zoo confirmed. The birth control hormones were administered by dart - a unique delivery method, according to the zoo's head vet. Shavit will be monitored throughout the year and the findings shared with zoos in Berlin and San Diego, he said.
BBC NEWS REPORT.
Dog's old sofa saved by petition.
The campaign to save Levi's sofa attracted worldwide support .A pet dog's favourite tatty old sofa has been saved after an unusual petition attracted support from around the world. Levi's owner Jacky Jackson wanted to throw the "smelly and chewed" sofa out when she moved home in Buckie, Moray. The bone of contention doubled as the Rhodesian ridgeback's bed. An online petition started by her partner was signed by more than 100 objectors - so Miss Jackson allowed the sofa to move house with them too. Miss Jackson wanted to throw out the threadbare three-seater as she said it was tattered and smelly.
"It's a success for the dog, he needs a familiar place" said Darren Spence However, her partner Darren Spence started the petition to save three-year-old Levi's comforting favourite seat. Miss Jackson said she would allow the couch to move to their new home - but only if enough people supported the petition. More than 100 people from as far afield as Germany and Finland offered their support, and she conceded Levi's sofa was saved. Restaurateur Mr Spence, 34, told BBC Scotland on Monday: "Levi is now settling in to his new home and has parked himself on his favourite sofa again - so he's happy, which is the main thing.
"Jacky thinks the sofa is smelly and chewed, it's about six years old and Levi took a shine to it. He also used it as a bed. "The online petition response was thick and fast, it has had more than 100 supporters from all over the UK and Europe. It's amazing - and it also saves us buying Levi a new bed. "Levi loves it." He said his partner "took it on the chin" when she realised the petition had saved the sofa. Miss Jackson said of Levi's sofa: "It's an absolute mess."
BBC NEWS REPORT.
10 THINGS WE DIDN'T KNOW THIS TIME LAST WEEK
Snippets harvested from the week's news, chopped, sliced and diced for your weekend convenience.
1. George Formby's When I'm Cleaning Windows was temporarily banned by the BBC for its suggestive lyrics.
2. The late Dame Barbara Cartland founded a gypsy site called Barbaraville in Herefordshire in 1963, and it still exists.
3. Tufty the road safety squirrel had a surname. It was Fluffytail.
4. Children and teenagers' more acute hearing means they can detect some high-pitched sounds inaudible to adults - and these sounds have been used in a device to ward off gangs from trouble-spots.
5. Someone with a 20-a-day habit will spend £31,025 on cigarettes over the next 20 years, according to the NHS's stop smoking website.
6. Male robins are the only birds to sing at night.
7. And the intensity of a bird's song is related to its testosterone levels - it's the fittest birds that sing the loudest.
8. Barry Cryer's mentor was the magician David Nixon.
9. New York is to launch what is thought to be the world's first municipally branded condom to encourage its citizens to have safe sex.
10. David Cameron's supporters are said to play a game in which they imagine themselves in a political version of Middle Earth, with their leader cast as a Tory Frodo.
BBC MAGAZINE.
Ray of hope for endangered bird
By Omer Farooq - BBC News, Hyderabad.
There may only be 25 of the small wading birds left in the world. The only known habitat of India's rarest bird may yet be saved from destruction in a last-minute effort to re-route an irrigation canal.The Andhra Pradesh government in southern India has asked the Bombay Natural History Society (BNHS) to submit a report with alternative routes for the Telugu Ganga canal. The elusive Jerdon's courser (Rhinoptilus bitorquatus) was thought extinct in 1900, but was dramatically rediscovered in 1985 in the forest area of the Kadapa district of Andhra Pradesh.
Building work for the canal is currently on hold and the government committee will meet again on 8 March. There may be only 25 of the small wading birds left, with most found in the Sri Lankamalleswara wildlife sanctuary in Andhra Pradesh. The irrigation department's plans to lay the canal through the sanctuary have angered wildlife conservationists. The Jerdon's courser is probably more endangered than the tiger or rhinoceros Dr Asad Rahmani, Bombay Natural History Society.
They warn if the canal is built in the area, it will place the courser in serious peril. The four-member committee constituted by Andhra Pradesh's Supreme Court met wildlife experts and state government officials in Hyderabad on Tuesday to hear the complaints against the canal. It now looks like there might be a last-minute ray of hope for the Jerdon's courser if the BNHS can come up with a suitable new route. According to one of the BNHS researchers, Dr Jaganathan, the organisation had suggested an alternate route during the meeting. But the officials told him the route was not feasible for the government. Jaganathan said a solution acceptable to all sides would now have to be found.
Construction of the canal is well advanced, but work was halted late last year when conservationists realised the extent of the danger facing the courser. The issue has evoked keen international interest from the bird watchers and wildlife conservationists, including the UK's Royal Society for the Protection of Birds, which has said the courser's extinction would be a tragic and unnecessary burden for Indian authorities to bear. The BNHS and RSPB have said shifting the canal's path at least a mile from the sanctuary boundary would be enough to prevent building work affecting the bird.
Dr Asad Rahmani, director of Bombay Natural History Society, said: "The Jerdon's courser is probably more endangered than the tiger or rhinoceros and every effort should be made to protect its habitat, even if that means changing the whole irrigation plan. "It is only found in a 20 square kilometre area in and around Sri Lankamalleswara sanctuary, and if we lose this area we will be saying goodbye to the species for good."
BBC NEWS REPORT.
10 THINGS WE DIDN'T KNOW THIS TIME LAST WEEK
Snippets harvested from the week's news, chopped, sliced and diced for your weekend convenience.
1. The Queen is the only over-75 not legally required to have a driver's licence. But, like others, she does have to fill out a form every three years declaring any medical conditions.
2. Architect Sir Christopher Wren was keen to test Newton's theory of gravity by "shooting of a bullet upwards at a certaine angle from the perpendicular round every way - thereby to see whether the bullets soe shot would all fall in a perfect circle".
3. Between 19,500 and 35,100 children are taking heroin, according to a government survey.
4. The mitten crab, imported in ships' holds from China, is on the verge of taking over some of the UK's major waterways.
5. Taxpayers have spent £78m on the Northern Ireland assembly since its suspension, according to Secretary of State Peter Hain.
6. A "lost world" exists in the Indonesian jungle that is home to dozens of hitherto unknown animal and plant species.
7. James Dean worked as a stunt tester on the game show Beat the Clock, testing the safety of the stunts that studio audience members would later perform.
8. Ronald Reagan was born the same day that Rolls Royce started using its famous "Spirit of Ecstasy" on car bonnets - 6 February 1911.
9. Keira Knightley and Scarlett Johansson hadn't met before posing nude together for the Vanity Fair cover, despite being close in age and in the same profession.
10. Whale meat caught under Japan's research programme ends up not only in high-end sushi but in dog food, school meals and as fast-food "whale bacon".
BBC MAGAZINE MONITOR.
Food scarcity is hitting sparrows.
Conservationists are worried about the bird's decline The decline of the house sparrow, one of Britain's best known birds, could be down to a lack of insects and spiders during the summer months, experts say. A De Montfort University team claims adult sparrows are struggling to find enough food to feed their chicks in the early stages of their lives.
UK bird charity RSPB said measures that boosted insect numbers could also help arrest the sparrows' decline. This included growing deciduous trees and shrubs and cutting insecticide use.
In August 2002, the house sparrow was added to the Red Data list of bird species of conservation concern because their decline had been more than 50% in the last 25 years. Between 1977 and 2000, house sparrow (Passer domesticus) numbers in the UK declined by 65%.
BBC NEWS REPORT.
Exotic crabs in waterway invasion.
Mitten crabs have spread as far north as the River Tyne. An exotic Chinese crab that preys on British native species is on the verge of taking over the country's major waterways, environmental experts warn. Mitten crabs were first brought into Europe in ships' ballast water. The UK spread has been most marked northwards to the River Tyne and on the south coast westwards to the Teign. A study by researchers at Newcastle University compared their invasion to that of grey squirrels, which pushed native reds to the verge of extinction. The study authors predict the mitten crab - so called because its claws are coated with small clumps of dark brown fur, or mittens - has the potential to establish itself in all major UK estuaries in several years' time.
The crabs are already present in some waterways, including the Thames, Humber and Tyne rivers, and parts of the North Sea and Channel coasts. They survive in both sea and fresh water, prey on protected native species, such as white-clawed crayfish and salmon eggs, and can destabilise river banks by burrowing into them. Dr Matt Bentley, a member of the research team, said: "The pattern of the spread in the UK since the 1970s mirrors the spread in mainland Europe and in the Baltic region which experienced a major outbreak. "This is a fairly good indication that the UK is set for a similar situation." The study, published in the academic journal Biological Invasions, recommends that a nationwide monitoring and trapping system for the crab be introduced before it is too late to control the population. Dr Bentley added: "With most invasive species, such as the grey squirrel, the problem is not recognised until it is too late to do anything and you cannot eliminate it without taking drastic environmental measures."
BBC NEWS REPORT
Deal protects Canada rainforest.
Indigenous tribes will have an unprecedented say in land use. Canada's province of British Columbia has announced plans to protect a huge swathe of Pacific Coast rainforest, known as the Amazon of the North. The forest is home to a rare white bear, and is the ancestral land of several indigenous Canadian tribes. The deal will save a vast area of forest for wildlife, while allowing sustainable logging in other parts.
The settlement between tribes, loggers and environmentalists is being hailed as an example for other countries. The land covered by the Great Bear Rainforest is huge. At 64,000 sq-km (25,000 sq-mile), it is about twice the size of Belgium. It stretches 400km (250 miles) up the Pacific Coast from Vancouver Island all the way north to Alaska. It has seen frequent disputes in recent years between the lumber industry and environmental groups. Under the new agreement, about a third of the land is being preserved completely to protect wildlife in the region, including the Kermode bear - a sub-species of black bear with white fur, found only in this region - wolves, grizzly bears and wild salmon.
Gordon Campbell announced a haven for the Kermode bear. The rest of the region will see some logging and mining but even environmental groups say they are satisfied the companies will use sustainable practices that will be a model for the rest of the world. Local aboriginal groups have given their backing to the agreement. They have been fighting for a much greater say in land use around their traditional territories for decades. Provincial Premier Gordon Campbell, announcing the agreement alongside native Indian drummers, said: "The result is a strong marriage that balances the needs of the environment with the need for sustainable jobs and a strong economic future for coastal communities." The BBC's Ian Gunn in Vancouver says this is all a far cry from just a few years ago, when environmental groups and the logging industry clashed in the same forests with blockades and frequent arrests. Now both sides say they have an agreement that should settle the matter for good.
BBC NEWS REPORT.
Shark stalks Sydney swimming race.
The shark was chased away by boats. More than 20 swimmers were hauled from the water during an ocean swimming race in Australia when a three-metre-long shark started stalking swimmers. The 10km (six-mile) Cole Classic race off Sydney's Manly Beach was abandoned halfway, local media reports said. Twenty-one swimmers were picked up by boats and jet skis while other boats chased the shark away, organisers said. The rescue came weeks after three sharks killed a 21-year-old Australian woman off Brisbane.
"The shark was on the surface so the best thing we could do was start a mass evacuation straight away," race director Stephen Ford told Australia's Daily Telegraph newspaper. The race involved some of Australia's top long-distance swimmers. The shark's dorsal fin was seen slicing through the water behind the swimmers. The woman who died off Brisbane in January was the 10th to be killed by a shark in Australian waters since 2000.
In September of last year a surfer fought a five-metre-long (15 ft) great white shark in waters of South Australia's Kangaroo Island.
BBC NEWS REPORT.
10 THINGS WE DIDN'T KNOW THIS TIME LAST WEEK
Snippets harvested from the week's news, chopped, sliced and diced for your weekend convenience.
1. Shoppers spend £46m a year on "distraction buys" - items bought to mask embarrassing purchases, such as condoms and treatments for piles, in the same shopping basket.
2. The term "misfeasance" means to carry out a legal act illegally.
3. Rats smell in "stereo" - the rodents' brain responding differently to smells from the left and right.
4. The telegram which informed the world that Orville Wright had successfully flown misspelled his name as "Orevelle".
5. The communications director of the London Planetarium is called Diane Moon.
6. Louisiana has the highest rate of coastal land loss in North America - an area the size of Wembley stadium is lost to the sea every 20 minutes.
7. More households have two or more cars than have none.
8. Half of all cars sold in the United States are four-wheel drives.
9. Bill Gates is so rich the US tax department has a special computer devoted solely to his finances.
10. Metropolitan Police chief Sir Ian Blair has a glass cabinet in his office containing a Sikh sword, a Jewish prayer book and a book entitled A Portrait of New Zealand
BBC MAGAZINE ARTICLE.
Salmon-munching seal remains free.
The seal will be moved away from the salmon stocks. A seal which has been munching its way through salmon stocks in River Annan in Dumfriesshire has evaded capture. River managers had wanted to shoot the seal - nicknamed Sammy by locals - but the plan sparked a public outcry. Instead, an operation to capture Sammy and relocate him to waters where he would do less harm to angling interests was launched on Thursday. However, they failed in their efforts to move Sammy from his current home near Chapelcross power station. He was first spotted back in autumn in the area, which is popular with walkers, and he has become a local attraction.
However, it is also a valuable angling spot and river managers, concerned for stocks, first made plans to solve the problem before Christmas. They obtained a licence which allows them to shoot him, if necessary. The level of public outrage forced a re-think and experts from the Sea Life Centre at Oban were drafted in to try to catch Sammy and take him off to a new home well away from the salmon river. But their quarry was in hiding when they tried to carry out their plan on Thursday. A number of reported sightings saw the operation move up and down the river, but Sammy only showed his face once the team had packed up its equipment for the day. There will be further attempts to capture the seal next Thursday and Friday.
A young grey seal pup is recovering in an animal rescue centre in Orkney after spending three weeks trapped and unable to move on an uninhabited island. The seal had crawled into a shed beside the lighthouse on the island of Copinsay off the east coast of Orkney. It became stuck fast in a pool of tar which had leaked from a barrel being stored in the building. The animal was found by chance when two farmers began moving sheep onto the island. Ross Flett from the Orkney Seal Rescue Centre said the seal was severely dehydrated but otherwise unhurt and that the main task was to try to remove the hardened tar from its fur. The seal has been named "Tara McAdam".
BBC NEWS REPORT
PRINT 'PROOF' OF BIG CAT PRESENCE!
Police believe they have the first conclusive proof a big cat, dubbed the "Beast of Balbirnie", could be on the loose in Fife. There have been numerous reports of big cats in the Kingdom in recent years. Now officers have had a plaster cast of a paw print verified by experts who believe it is of an 18-month-old exotic large cat. Fife Police's wildlife crime officer, Mark Maylin, said it was most likely to be a print of a black leopard.
Mr Maylin said: "There had been several sightings at one time on the Balbirnie Estate near Glenrothes of a big cat so we went down and discovered this print. "At the time there was a local man who said he had been walking his St Bernard dog in the area but I was convinced it had come from a big cat so I took a plaster cast of it to two experts who said immediately it was from an exotic cat. "They couldn't be species-specific because there wasn't specific clarity in the heel pad but said judging by the size the animal was 18 months old and was the offspring of an animal released illegally in the 90s. "I am resigned to the fact we are going to have to live with this big cat in the area. It hasn't hurt anyone in the past. I would urge people to refrain from shooting it because an injured animal is a very dangerous one."
Rob Martin, The Cat Survival Trust manager who verified the cast was that of a big cat, said it was "exciting news". "It is definitely a big cat because there were no claw marks and the pad shapes are consistent with a cats. "It's exciting to think big cats are living wild in Scotland but they will eventually die off. It's most likely to be a leopard." Police sent the paw print off for analysis by experts George Redpath, Fife's big cat researcher, said he was "delighted" it had finally been confirmed. "I have always believed there are big cats in Fife after seeing black leopards on four different occasions. "But it is great that finally we have the proof and that an expert has come forward to confirm it is the footprint of a big cat. "Nobody should be unduly concerned because these cats have been here for years. they won't bother you if you don't bother them."
BBC NEWS REPORT.
Template by motime.com | header image credit: Markus Gann © www.begann.de