Officials confirm death of Shambo

Word to the Secular Society spokesperson, of course. Far more astonishingly, we have perfect sense there from Akhandadi Das, who is a regular Hindu contributor to Thought for the Day.

He's absolutely right. Where conditions can be managed so there is minimal danger (for example, I understand Shambo was isolated from his harem as soon as the test came back positive), treatment should be an option for pets and perhaps all livestock. Viewing our animals as goods has got to stop. No doubt Das will use his unopposed religious platform in the middle of BBC radio's flagship Today news programme to reiterate this view, and for once I'm all for it.

It's the 40th anniversary of the decriminalisation of homosexuality.

Gay men in Wales recall their experiences.

Attitudes are slow to change. The fact that we still need (and can get commissioned) tv programmes in which the only notable selling point is that most of the characters are gay is testament. Once someone's sexuality is just a thing like any other, comparable to having thinning hair or preferring carob to chocolate, then we'll really have got somewhere.

There are moves by men to stop women wearing trousers in a South African township. These men, we have to assume, do not have gainful employment to occupy their time.

Airlines can no longer refuse to transport people for being disabled or old. (I hope being a complete arsehole never gets classified as a disability. Poor air stewardfolk.) Guide dogs, too, will soon be allowed to fly unobstructed. Does anyone make DVT stockings for dogs?

Jerusalem has a Muslim woman taxi driver and, unfortunately, this is newsworthy. (I like that last paragraph.)

I don't think I linked the psychic death-ray granny-murdering cat, which was (of course) the most read and emailed story on Thursday, never mind all that boring politics, environment and civil-liberty business, but lo and behold, BBC Magazine has investigated the world of animal diagnosticians further.

A man takes his budgie to the vet, places her on the examination table and says "Shirley is right off her linseed. Please help." The vet examines the budgie and says "I'm sorry, Mr Tooting, but your budgie is dead." "No, no!" the man cries, jumping up wild-eyed. "I want a second opinion!" So the vet purses his lips and whistles. His Labrador retriever enters the room and on the vet's command, sniffs around the motionless bird, looks up with a doggish shrug and walks out again. "You see, the budgie is dead," the vet kindly informs its owner. "No, I shan't believe it!" cries the man. "I want another opinion!" So the vet clicks his fingers and pops his lips and a phlegmatic ginger tom enters the room. It circles the unmoving avian once, disdain in every paw pad, then walks out again. "So you see, your budgie really is dead," says the vet. "I must accept it," the man sighs. "That will be £810, please," the vet says. "What! Why so much?" asks the man in horror. The vet replies, "Why, ten pounds for my diagnosis, 500 for the Lab test and 300 for the cat scan."

A few of the attitudes of the founder of Scouting.

Great wording on the smoking and drinking advice. And a few sniggers at some of the rest. All you blanket-users, you'll go blind, you know!