Thursday, 30 August 2007

Thursday notes

I was going to write "a little brighter today", but that was before the clouds closed the covers on us. Hope it's going to stay dry. Incidentally, I think some people unfortunately took my piece on the ferry "proceeding by sail" too literally. The AIS-system, from which I gleaned my info, sometimes gets fed incorrect information by crews on board ships. This is a second error from our ferry - on a previous occasion it wasn't due back into port for 4 months, or something. It also showed a 25 mile jump back and forth within the space of a minute. Anyway, it was a good chance for some monkey business, and y'all replied in good humour.

More seriously, it is claimed that the world is facing an arsenic timebomb. Arsenic is a semi-metallurgic element, infamous for its use as a poison. It occurs naturally in the soil and the water, and can accumulate in plants. A very extensive article can be read here.

Still on the subject of poor health, a strong recommendation was made today for people to get vaccinated against typhoid. Many people in the UK travel to all sorts of exotic locations without getting the proper immunisation. Net result - they return home sick, suffering from typhoid, malaria or what have you. The incidence of typhoid has risen by 69% over the last few years. The advice is to investigate what vaccinations are required when travelling to that resort outside Europe (speak to your GP or pharmacist), and get them in good time. Some need several months to work, as the body only slowly builds up the required immunity. You can find out more here - this applies to the UK only.

2 comments:

  1. Very  informative entry Guido ...love Jan xx

    ReplyDelete
  2. Sorry about your cloud cover again today.  I could try sending some of this sunshine over but I don't know if that will work or not.   Linda in Washington state

    http://journals.aol.com/lsfp1960/LindasWorld/

    ReplyDelete