Connective blogs February 7, 2007
Posted by Andy Roberts in : Music, blogs and community , 1 comment so farThings have been starting to happen recently in relation to this blog. Not very consistent or tangible things, but little connections and coincidences occurring at a slightly faster rate, a process that develops half unseen, at arm’s length, accumulating. The comments on older posts, the topical inquiries, and also my own movement into different subjects and styles. Reorientation.
So Fuzzy, aka Graeme, tried to post a comment on my post “First Believer” but it didn’t work for some reason so he set up his own blog and posted it there. Welcome to the blogosphere Graeme. Now I wouldn’t have known about that if it wasn’t for Linda pointing out to me that he’d left a comment on her blog about her Dad.
Anyway, Graeme liked my song about Gernika partly for reasons which go back to childhood and he writes about model aeroplanes, history teachers, dyslexia and the Condor Legion.
Hearing your take on the bombing of Gernika, awoke all these memories. So thank you Andy for stirring up my old grey cells, as well as making me take another look at the history of that period.
All the best and hopefully a few more folks will soon become “believers” too.
How the internet brings us together February 6, 2007
Posted by Andy Roberts in : online facilitation , 1 comment so far
Cartoon by Dave Walker. Find more cartoons you can freely re-use on your blog at We Blog Cartoons.
Folk Awards 2007 February 6, 2007
Posted by Andy Roberts in : Music, UK , 1 comment so far
Congratulations to winners of this year’s BBC radio Folk Awards just announced :
MARTIN CARTHY & DAVE SWARBRICK
SANDY DENNY / FAIRPORT CONVENTION
Wild birds not to blame February 5, 2007
Posted by Andy Roberts in : Bird Flu, UK , 1 comment so farCircumstantial evidence points to bird flu spreading along transport routes of international trade rather than from migrating birds. Locals in the Suffolk town near the Bernard Mathews turkey factory report many Hungarian lorries going in and out in the past weeks. There was an outbreak of H5N1 in Hungary recently, where Bernard Mathews owns another poultry business.
UK bird flu outbreak matches Hungary case - World - smh.com.au
The Government confirmed the virus - identified in a turkey shed at the Bernard Matthews food business, on Friday - was the same strain found last month in geese on a farm in Hungary.The Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs said on Sunday it was investigating the movement of people and animals at the farm, including any links the farm could have had with Hungary, where Mr Matthews owns Saga Foods.
So for the third time in recent living memory the spread of terrible animal diseases is most likely to be linked to intensive factory farming methods, the treatment of animals as commodities for long distance markets and the relentless drive to reduce production costs in order to maintain profitability. No need to kill all the wild birds then.
Trade barriers start to go up February 5, 2007
Posted by Andy Roberts in : Bird Flu, UK , add a commentHere we go again - just like with BSE (mad cow disease) in the 90s and the more recent foot and mouth outbreak, some countries can’t wait to jump at the opportunity to start erecting non-tariff trade barriers.
Russia, Japan ban British poultry over bird flu - washingtonpost.com
Russians officials said Moscow would ban British poultry imports from Tuesday to prevent the spread of bird flu. Japan also banned British poultry imports while Ireland barred the import of poultry from Britain for “gatherings and shows.”
UK is the busiest ebay nation February 4, 2007
Posted by Andy Roberts in : Microjobs, UK , 1 comment so farVia Enterprise Nation I learn from BBC News that
Britain is now the world’s busiest eBay nation.
There is more traded on eBay UK per head of population - about £50 a year each - than anywhere else, including the USA.
So if UKers are taking to buying and selling physical objects in large numbers then how about the same sort of mechanism for bits of work and services, as in microjobs?
I can envisage a rapidly expanding future for services such as that which pajamanation is offering - a kind of ebay for short term jobs - once the idea takes hold, and that’s just as well since I’ve recently taken on the task of helping to develop the UK end of this international microjobs exchange. Registration at pajamanation.com is free for a period up to March 15th 2007 so both freelancers and job-providers can try out the service. Go on, take a look inside and imagine a future where you can pick up a few hours paid work in the same way as buying an ipod off ebay.
Homemade Mayonnaise February 4, 2007
Posted by Andy Roberts in : couscous recipe, Bird Flu, UK , add a commentHomemade Mayonnaise
By the author of Couscous Recipe Blog
Homemade mayonnaise is both delicious and economical. It’s just so much better than those expensive jars in the shops which contain a percentage of water ( highest in the ‘reduced fat’ varieties) and all sorts of preservatives and sugars.
I learned to make it in a blender/liquidiser and burnt out the motor on several because you have to run the motor continuously while trickling the oil in through the hole in the lid in thin stream, and benders aren’t really built for that kind of operation.
So what does “Cooking for engineers” say?
Use a bowl and a balloon whisk, of course!
But wait…. There are two egg yolks in the recipe. They get beaten and whisked a lot but they never get heated or cooked or pasteurised in any way, they end up in the finished mayonnaise as a raw egg ingredient and are eaten as such. I like my fried eggs sunny side up, boiled eggs soft boiled and poched eggs with a dippy yolk too, so eating eggs with a proportion of rawness is normal and enjoyable, in fact I wouldn’t bother with eggs if they had to be cooked all the way through, which is exactly what the World Health Organisation is recommending to avoid the Bird Flu in Nigeria
Avian influenza - situation in Nigeria - update
When handling raw poultry or live or dead birds, it is imperative to disinfect hands and surfaces with soap and water. Consumers also need to be sure that during the cooking process, poultry reaches temperatures of at least 70°C in all parts and that eggs are fully cooked throughout.
but not yet in the UK. How much longer for homemade mayonnaise and dippy eggs?
Note: If you were looking for a couscous recipe then please visit couscous recipe blog
H5N1 bird flu confirmed at Bernard Mathews February 3, 2007
Posted by Andy Roberts in : Bird Flu, UK , 3commentsI blogged the news this morning about the bird flu in Suffolk but now the story has become altogether much more serious.
The Guardian reports that the results of further tests are out and it has been comfirmed that the potentially deadly H5N1 strain of bird flu has been found among turkeys in a Bernard Matthews poultry farm in Suffolk.
Bernard Mathews is Europe’s largest turkey factory.
All 159,000 turkeys on the affected poultry farm will be slaughtered as a precaution and they are hopeful the outbreak will be contained.
The news release from DEFRA is also online now:
Tests from the Veterinary Laboratories Agency (VLA) have confirmed that the sample from the poultry found dead on a farm near Lowestoft in Suffolk did contain the H5N1 avian flu virus. Further tests are underway to determine whether the strain of the virus is similar to that found in Asia. Results are expected later today.
Fred Landeg, the Deputy Chief Veterinary Officer said:
“I urge keepers of birds to be vigilant, to take care if handling birds which appear to be unwell and to observe high levels of biosecurity. Owners that suspect disease, should act quickly consult their vet. Avian influenza is a notifiable disease and must be reported to the local Divisional Veterinary Manager in the State Veterinary Service”
There is no reason for public health concern. Avian Influenza is a disease of birds and whilst it can pass very rarely and with difficulty, to humans this requires extremely close contact with infected birds, particularly faeces
To find out more about H5N1 and avian influenza, there is the bird flu wiki and also the Avian Flu Watch group on Flickr.
For a wryly written but perceptive piece there’s also Bird flu: we’re all going to die at The Register.
Bird Flu outbreak in East Anglia, UK February 3, 2007
Posted by Andy Roberts in : Bird Flu, UK , 2comments
Bird Flu has been confirmed to have hit the enormous Norfolk Turkey industry with thousands of birds due to be slaughtered.
East Anglian Daily Times (EADT) reports:
EADT - Suffolk farm hit by bird flu outbreak
GOVERNMENT officials last night confirmed an outbreak of bird flu on a Suffolk poultry farm after hundreds of turkeys died.
So what will this mean in terms of restrictions on movement, isolation and containment policy?
Yesterday afternoon the plant was working as normal, with no exclusion zone visible from the outside, and with bus-loads of workers ferried from around Norfolk and Waveney converging on the former airfield site to start shifts.
Which strain of Bird Flu is it?
BBC Radio news reported this morning that the strain was yet to be confirmed but Newswire NZ is saying that it’s a type of H5.
Bird Flu Found At UK Turkey Farm
It is the second time in less than 12 months that a poultry farm in the East Anglia area has been hit by bird flu. More than 30,000 birds were slaughtered after chickens near Dereham in Norfolk tested positive for the H7 strain of the virus in April last year.
Microbiologist Hugh Pennington said further tests would determine how closely the H5 strain found at the farm related to the H5N1 strain that has killed more than 160 people around the world since 2003.
Farmers Weekly published an updated Avian Flu special report just a few days ago containing Essential information for farmers on Avian Flu
Watch the Farmers Weekly Interactive tag cloud to see when “birdflu” or “avian” appears.
DEFRA (the government) publishes advice for UK farmers
Defra, UK - Disease surveillance and control - Notifiable diseases - Avian Influenza
Avian influenza is a highly infectious notifiable disease affecting many species of birds, including commercial, wild and pet birds.
and releases the latest news:
Defra, UK - News releases 2007: Avian influenza test result on poultry
These preliminary results show that it is the H5 strain of the virus but further confirmatory tests are in progress to identify the strain more fully, and more will be known tomorrow. The affected premises were put under restriction on Thursday (1st February) evening and the appropriate contingency plan has been put into effect.
When the additional laboratory results are known further action will be taken and all available information will be provided.
Properly cooked poultry and poultry products, including eggs, are safe to eat.
All avian influenzas (H1 to H16) can be low pathogenic but only H5 and H7 are known to become highly pathogenic.
The particular strain which has been known to affect humans is H5N1 so we await the further tests with some urgency and in the hope that this is not it.
Map of countries with confirmed human case of H5N1 in 2006
See also the latest map from DARnet » The World is a dangerous place
1 Gb pen drive for the price of a pint February 2, 2007
Posted by Andy Roberts in : UK , 7commentsI can’t believe that amazon
They were £50 a year ago. And think of all the gold miners who died getting the minerals to make them. They are made of gold aren’t they - or is it sand?
is an online professional who initiated DARnet 
