Cheers for cheese: Brewery produces 'Stilton' beer

1 January 2011 Last updated at 11:44 BBC Leicester's Peter Snow speaks to brewer Colin Brown and Martin Taylor of Long Clawson Dairy

A by-product from the Stilton cheese-making process has been used to make a new East Midlands beer.

Blue Brew is a "chestnut coloured ale", made by mixing whey with wort - water and barley liquid - before fermenting.

Colin Brown from Belvoir Brewery in Leicestershire said it tasted "creamy" rather than cheesy.

Stilton - produced only at dairies in Leicestershire, Derbyshire or Nottinghamshire - has previously been used to make a perfume and a milkshake.

Martin Taylor of Long Clawson Dairy said: "It sounds like it could be awful, but it doesn't taste of mouldy blue cheese. It has a smooth rounded flavour - quite delicate."

Nigel White, secretary of the Stilton Cheesemakers Association, said: "People often think of Stilton as a cheese just for Christmas and forget how versatile it is.

"Traditionally the whey from cheese making would have been fed to pigs. We wondered if it could be used for other purposes and Belvoir Brewery has now made a new beer."

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Two charged with athlete murder

1 January 2011 Last updated at 16:37 Sylvester Akapalara was shot in the neck and chest on Wednesday Two people have been charged with murdering a "model athlete" in south London.

Sylvester Akapalara, 17, of Streatham, was shot dead in a stairwell on the Pelican Estate in Peckham on Wednesday.

Sodiq Adeojo, 18, and a 17-year-old male have been charged with the killing. They are due at Camberwell Green Magistrates' Court on 3 January.

Sylvester, a Sierra Leonian national, was said to be in the top 30 in the country for 400m running.

Steve Bosley, of athletics club the Herne Hill Harriers, said he was "quiet and unassuming".

More than 760 people have joined a Facebook group set up in memory of the teenager, who was also known as Sylvester Da Donappa.

He was found bleeding to death on the fourth floor of Heron House on the Pelican Estate and had been shot in the neck and chest.

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Third teenager dies after crash

1 January 2011 Last updated at 16:54 Frankie Bowyer, 16, died at the scene of the crash, which happened close to Rowdeford School A third teenager involved in a crash in Rowde near Devizes, which killed two other boys, has died from his injuries.

George Connor Forester, 17, of Tudor Close, Chippenham, died in hospital early on Saturday.

A Renault Clio hit a tree on the A342, near the entrance to Rowdeford School, at about 0130 GMT on Friday.

Frankie Bowyer, 16, of St Teresa's Drive, Chippenham, died at the scene. Jamie Thomas Walker, 17, of Hatherell Road, Chippenham, died in hospital.

The male driver, 20, was not badly hurt, but was taken to hospital complaining of chest pain.

Wiltshire Police said he provided a negative breath test, but suffered minor injuries and was treated for extreme shock.

A statement from the family of Frankie Bowyer said he was a "dearly beloved boy".

The statement said: "Frankie lived life to the full. A popular friend to all that knew him, he will be sorely missed by his family and friends."

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Brrr... crowds gather for new year swim

1 January 2011 Last updated at 13:37 Hundreds of people gathered to watch the annual event, organised by the Panama Swimming Club in Whitley Bay.

About 200 people took to the icy waters off the Tyneside coast to take part in a traditional New Year's Day swim.

The annual event is organised by the Panama Swimming Club in Whitley Bay and regularly attracts hundreds of onlookers.

Some participants donned fancy dress costumes for the event, which took place close to Whitley Bay's famous Northern Promenade at 1100 GMT.

A club spokesman said: "It's the perfect way to blow away the cobwebs."

Many of those taking part raise money for charities.

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Ambulance crews' 'busiest night'

1 January 2011 Last updated at 14:52 The service was receiving 800 calls an hour at one point London Ambulance Service (LAS) says New Year's Eve was the busiest night in its history.

Staff in the control room were taking an average of 11 emergency calls every minute between midnight and 0400 GMT.

They answered a total of 2,639 emergency calls - some 800 an hour at the peak.

An LAS spokesman said it had expected a high number of alcohol-related incidents and had to prioritise very ill patients.

On an average night the service takes 180 calls an hour.

Deputy director of operations Jason Killens, who led the service's response on New Year's Eve, said: "Demand in the early hours was extremely high.

"A lot of that extra demand was because of alcohol-related calls and inappropriate use of the service - people shouldn't be calling 999 simply because they're drunk.

"We had to prioritise calls to make sure seriously ill patients got help - that meant more patients than normal with minor illnesses were given advice over the telephone."

The number of 999 calls exceeded the previous record, set on the eve of the year 2000.

Explaining the high number of callouts, an LAS spokesman said: "Everybody was up all night and a lot of people were worse for wear.

"A lot of calls were for someone who had drunk too much and passed out on the street.

"We have to judge every case on its own merit."

A temporary "alcohol recovery centre " was set up in the West End.

So-called "booze buses" then ferried drunken revellers to the centre where they were kept warm until sober enough to make their way home.

LAS is meeting later in the month to begin planning for New Year's Eve 2011.

There were 77 arrests during the night, mostly for public order offences.

Others were held for assault, drug offences and robberies.

There were a number of shootings and stabbings, though none were fatal.

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Cat Kennel Mies

Boredom can be detrimental to cats, say top catteries and cat boarding facilities. When a cat kennel Mies understands this, they can do more to satisfy their most finicky customers.

Boarding for cats that is mindful of a cat’s propensity for fighting takes careful measures to separate cats, for safety and security.

Consideration by a luxury cat boarding facility Mies of your cat’s unchangeable nature helps the most discerning establishments to be the most lucrative, because they manage to satisfy not only you, but your persnickety pet.

Understanding instinctive cat behavior is important for knowing whether our cats’ boarding is beneficial or detrimental to our furry feline friends:

· Cats get lonely. When left alone for unusual amounts of time, cats often become lonely and stressed, taking to bothersome behaviors like urinating outside of their litter boxes. Often, they will lose their appetites, too.

Sometimes, lonesome behaviors can become dangerous. If your cat is desperate from loneliness, he or she could become lodged while looking for an escape; eat or drink dangerous items, like poisonous plants, medication, or household chemicals; become tangled in, or chew, electrical cords; chew or scratch valuables, like carpets and furniture; or even turn on a faucet and flood your home.

· Cats aren’t social butterflies. If cats were pack animals, you’d see groups of them traveling together, and you might notice that they’d care more about what you think. Their independence, along with the aloofness that they’re famous for, prove that cats are not happy in crowds; especially when those crowds include fellow felines. If a cat does accept another cat, it usually only happens after plenty of gentle introductions and lots of time.

Cats are territorial, and will fight to establish ownership of land, a room, or an enclosure. In wide open spaces, cats will go to great extremes to avoid conflict, but when they have no choice, they will resort to clawing, biting, and drawing blood. Sure, your pet might seem to be amicable with other animals, but there’s no way to guess who he or she might have to room with at a cat resort that doesn’t take this behavior into consideration. Even the nicest cats may have to turn to violence. Fighting never ends well. In fact, it often results in terrible eye damage, open bite wounds, transmission of disease, and posttraumatic stress.

· Cats are watchers and thinkers. In the wild, cats watch and plan carefully. Because this is a natural behavior, they feel compelled to partake in it daily. You might watch your cat focus on a little bug, or on a hovering speck of dust for minutes at a time. Cats enjoy this type of stimulation. If locked in an enclosure for long periods of time, they might not get this opportunity, and will be disheartened.

· Cats like to exercise. Unlike humans, cats don’t have to be encouraged to move around. They enjoy jumping, stalking, running, and climbing. Without the prospect of doing so, kept locked inside a cage all day, a cat will easily become depressed.

· Cats cannot self medicate. Without concerned, human eyes to monitor the health of your feline friend, he or she could suffer from declining health. Loneliness, depression, and stress can exacerbate existing health conditions, too.

When you understand what’s inside your cat’s head, you can take accurate recommendations about the best places for him or her to stay. Boarding for cats that takes those same recommendations to heart always end up being the best choices.

Don’t settle for a cat kennel Mies that omits even one of the following amenities: holding by staff a few times every day, veterinary supervision, brushing, opportunities to play in a private room with outdoor views, weight checkups, and a single occupancy enclosure for every cat.

The best way to maintain your cat’s happiness is to search out a cat kennel Mies or cat boarding facility that respects the intrinsic needs of cats. Catteries and cat kennels that take notes about what cats think have proven, and are continuing to prove, to be the best of the best.

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Good Catteries Mies Know Cats Inside And Out

Good Catteries Know Cats Inside and Out

Cat boarding services Mies and cat kennels, when in tune with the inherent nature of cats, know that boredom isn’t just a bothersome side effect of a cat staying at home alone; it’s a medium for greater problems to develop.

A good cat kennel Mies also knows that cat fights are facts of feline life, and should be avoided without exception; or serious mental and physical health effects will result.

When a cat boarding kennel offers services that adhere to what a cat’s nature demands, a happy cat and a satisfied cat owner are the most prominent side effects.

When considering what to do with your cat when you’re away, your feline friend’s needs should be taken into account:

· Interaction: a cat needs social contact. If a cat is left alone at home, he or she might partake in troublesome behavior, like spraying, or refusing to eat or drink.

Because the cat will feel stressed and lonely, he or she might take to doing things that aren’t typical; like turning on faucets, getting tangled in electrical wires, chewing on poisonous plants, getting stuck in small spaces, ingesting chemicals, or otherwise destroying the home that you love.

· Fighting: cats don’t mingle well. They’re not pack animals. This is made evident by their lack of desire to please any beings but themselves. Their independent nature makes them somewhat tolerant of other cats, but the introductions have to be orchestrated perfectly, and can take weeks or months.

Cats don’t generally fight for dominance, but will fight for territory. In the wild, they will most often choose to avoid confrontation, but when two cats are forced to share a small space together, the result is often ugly, bloody, and scarring. Even if your cat has been socialized at home, you can’t account for what kinds of cats or situations he or she might encounter at a questionable cat kennel. Additionally, when surroundings are unfamiliar, the chances of territorial brawls multiply, along with chances of bite wounds, disease transmission, severe eye injuries, and stress resulting from bullying.

· Mind exercise: cats need to be mentally stimulated. When a cat is confined to a small space, he or she will begin to long for mental stimulation. In the wild, cats use mental prowess to stalk prey. That’s why they can capture miniscule movements with their eyes and focus on them for long periods of time. That’s also why cats are so captivated and engaged while in front of a window. They enjoy watching movement outside; it’s therapeutic for them.

· Physical exercise: cats need to move. If a cat is confined to a small space for too long, he or she will begin to long for the ability to move freely. Unlike us, who often need an outside catalyst to motivate us to exercise, cats do so because it’s part of their nature. They naturally climb, stalk, run, and jump; and without the freedom to do these things for a portion of the day, they can become depressed.

· Health: cats need medical supervision. When your cat is alone, or boarded in a cat kennel that isn’t professionally astute, health changes can go unnoticed. Note, too, that depression and loneliness can lead to feline health complications.

Now that you know a bit about a cat’s nature, you can make better decisions about luxury pet boarding Mies. Leaving a cat at home alone for an extended period of time is never a good idea. Employing the services of cat boarders that don’t take your cat’s innate needs into consideration can be just as detrimental.

Search for a cat resort that has professional medical supervision onsite; provides weight checks, brushing, and visual inspections; gives human interaction several times every day; offers a private enclosure for each cat; and orchestrates playtime out of enclosures, in a private room with windows.

Cat boarding in a conscientious cat kennel is your best choice for fighting cat fights, boredom, and poor health. When searching, remember that catteries Mies and cat kennels that are well-equipped and considerate of feline nature will know lots about your cat, even if they’ve never met your best friend.

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