Sign the NFU open letter to Police & Crime Commissioners and demand action to tackle fly-tipping

Dear Police & Crime Commissioner,

Action on fly-tipping

Fly-tipping is a blight on our countryside and incidents are on the increase. Last year alone nearly 1 million cases were reported across the country. Fly-tipping is a crime that needs to be tackled as a priority to prevent our iconic countryside being used as a rubbish tip.

As my elected Police & Crime Commissioner I am asking you to:

• Work with the UK Government, your local authority, landowners and the waste sector on prevention, clean-up and prosecution
• fund additional investigative support to help bring offenders to justice, including forensic support to track the source of waste
• explore technological solutions, eg the use of CCTV in fly-tipping hotspots
• Raise awareness of the duty of care householders have for disposal of waste to the final disposal point

The current system of reporting fly-tipping is frustrating and confusing, which means the true scale of this problem is hidden. Many farmers and landowners are the victim of this crime​, as they have to spend time and money cleaning up other people's rubbish. It shouldn't be this complicated to keep our countryside looking beautiful. Please help care for our countryside and use your authority to make a difference and reduce the scourge of fly-tipping.

Yours sincerely

Please click HERE to sign

This letter will be sent to your local Police and Crime Commissioner after the elections on 6 May.

www.countrysideonline.co.uk       www.nfuonline.com

TKC2021: Watch the brand new video 'We Seek Your Kingdom!'

 

This year, Thy Kingdom Come have teamed up with the London Institute for Contemporary Christianity to produce a video for the civic hymn 'We Seek Your Kingdom'.

The hymn, is a song for our times, fresh lyrics set to the tune of 'Abide With Me'. 

The song features worship leaders, Andy Flannagan, Noel Robinson, Donna Akodu and Lou Fellingham.

www.thykingdomcome.global

Update your Macs! Malware attacks can exploit critical flaws in Apple’s built-in defences

Apple has released a brand new update for its macOS Big Sur operating system, and you really should install it.

Amongst other fixes, Big Sur 11.3 patches a zero-day vulnerability that could allow an attacker to craft malicious payloads that will not be checked by Gatekeeper, the security check built into Apple’s operating system that is supposed to block the execution of software from untrusted sources.

Researcher Cedric Owens says that all recent versions of macOS prior to Big Sur 11.3 are vulnerable to an attack that could easily be launched against unsuspecting users.

www.grahamcluley.com

Slavery - rescuing children from Brick Factories in Pakistan

When Becky Murray, visited Pakistan in 2018 with the Dignity Project - an anti human trafficking initiative, giving girls sanitary products and wisdom about the tactics traffickers use - her heart was broken by what she witnessed.

Within Pakistan there are about 20,000 brick kilns where children are forced into bonded labour, Becky knew God arrested her heart and she had to do something. She shared her story with Premier's Rachel Matthews.

Becky Murray, Founder and President of One by One, a missions organisation with a heart for the poor and broken across the Third World.  If you would like to find out more about their work or support the mission taking place you can visit their website.

www.premierchristianradio.com

COVID: In the UK, how do I order a supply of lateral flow tests?

 

People in England and Scotland are being encouraged to take rapid coronavirus tests regularly. The UK government says regular testing could be an important tool for easing restrictions.

Why is testing being increased? It's hoped the tests - known as lateral flow tests - can help stop individual cases from becoming outbreaks. About one in three people have coronavirus without any symptoms.

How do I get a lateral flow test? Anyone without symptoms in England can get free tests from testing sites, pharmacies or through the post (in packs of seven).

Where to pick up lateral flow tests near you

Order lateral flow tests online

UPDATE @ PM 29th April 2021. I ordered one of these kits yesterday afternoon 4.30pm. Amazingly it was delivered this afternoon. Under 24 hours from order to delivery - impressive! Now - what isn't so impressive:

Full Article here: www.bbc.co.uk

Google Maps Timeline - why the straight lines?

 

Four of us went for a spin on the bikes yesterday. Jeff came up with the route & it was a cracker: Denmead, Clanfield, Chalton, Finchdean, South Harting, Hurst, etc. A lovely spring day for a fab ride in the beautiful Hampshire countryside!

As I have no sense of direction, nor any idea of where I am most of the time(!), I rely on SatNav, Google Maps etc. However, I've noticed that generally Google Maps doesn't track roads - it tends to draw straight lines. Last time I checked, not all roads are Roman roads!

This became really apparent when Kim & I were doing our West Coast road trip in 2018. One day Google / the odometer on the bike were dozens of miles out. When I looked at the Google Timeline - apparently we had ridden across the sea! Funny, I don't remember the wheels getting wet! 

So why does this happen? Here is an excellent article on GPS accuracy, drift & update intervals. An interesting read. Doesn't help with working out the route where one has been tho! Have to zoom in on the map & try to spot the roads, villages & places of interest we've travelled through...

www.google.com

Increased hand sanitizer use blamed for rise in gastro outbreaks

 

A number of countries are reporting increasing rates of viral gastroenteritis over recent months, and experts suggest greater use of hand sanitizers, known to have little effect on pathogens such as norovirus, may be partly responsible.

Exactly why norovirus clusters seem to be increasing is unclear, but some experts are suggesting the growth in use of alcohol-based hand sanitizers may be playing a role. As the COVID-19 pandemic took hold in early 2020 more people than ever started frequently using hand sanitizers. Some estimates suggested demand for the product grew 16-fold in the first few months of the pandemic.

“I suspect many of us have become a bit complacent with handwashing and instead are slapping on alcohol-based hand sanitizer when we can, although this is anecdotal,” hypothesizes gastroenterologist Vincent Ho, in a recent article for The Conversation. “However, even though hand sanitizer is convenient, it doesn’t work as well against norovirus as thorough handwashing does.”

Researchers have long suspected alcohol-based hand sanitizers may not be as effective as soap and water handwashing in removing norovirus. A compelling 2011 survey of 161 long-term care facilities in the United States found those facilities using soap and water more often than hand sanitizers experienced less frequent norovirus outbreaks.

www.newatlas.com