-It has become noticeably more Wintery in the last few days. Instead of just wearing a sports coat, I have actually started wearing an insulated jacked, scarf, and hat. A few days ago we even had a few snowflakes fall, though we managed to avoid real accumulation.
-I went for my Swine Flu vaccination shot today. Dalhousie was providing a free shot service so I thought I might as well stop by. What was particularly impressive about the whole thing is how well organized it was. They were moving people through quite quickly, the result being that when I went there wasn't a line even though a steady stream of people kept arriving. So far my arm and I feel fine. I am expecting that by some point tomorrow I will start to feel something in the arm where I received the shot.
-My big news yesterday was that I submitted my SSHRC graduate fellowship application. SSHRC is a federally funded granting agency, and one of the main sources for graduate funding in the social sciences and humanities. While it would be great to get a SSHRC fellowship I am not holding out much hope, the odds are not in my favour.
-We had a tofu stir-fry for dinner yesterday night. I thought it was pretty tasty.
-A few days ago I was thinking about writing about the people that borrow my fountain pen and are then able to use properly. I was going to comment on the seeming universal inability of the current generation to use fountain pens. Of course I ended up loaning my pen to two younger students today and neither of them had any problems. Good thing I didn't write was I was thinking about writing as I think it turns out that it wouldn't have held up.
-All three of my classes have come through with extensions for their essays. Though this means I won't have much free time before my Christmas departure I think it will generally be a good thing the quality of the essays.
-On Saturday we played a hard fought game of Ultimate. While we were leading at halftime we ended up losing by a point.
-I should get going, it is already much too late.
Showing posts with label Swine Flu. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Swine Flu. Show all posts
Thursday, December 03, 2009
Friday, May 01, 2009
A Few Quick Notes 310
-After a few days of relatively nice weather we have slipped into rain and wind. Apparently this type of weather is supposed to be here tomorrow as well. The one major upside of this is that I presume it is helping with the Spryfield fire, so I guess in the long run this is probably a very timely turn of events (though maybe it would have been a little better yesterday afternoon).
-On the subject of the Spryfield/Herring Cove/Purcell's Cove fire that started yesterday afternoon (and that I covered in a few posts yesterday), while listening to the news I have heard suggestions that this may have had something to do with the end of the school year. As the public schools are still in session I presume these references are to universities, though I am not really sure I am following what it is they are suggesting. If these people are trying to suggest that people are going into the woods and having barbecues, or something similar, why not just say that. Instead every comment I have heard is vague and seems to jump around the point. Furthermore, as far as I know, the cause of the fire isn't known (and it certainly didn't seem to be known yesterday afternoon), so why people would jump to such conclusions seems a little strange to me.
-Neil, Rebecca, and Rebecca should be returning from their Saint John New Brunswick conference later today. Aside from them all getting there safely I don't really know anything about the experience. Presumably Neil will have plenty to blog about when he gets back.
-This morning I noticed that the two pots of chives that I had were rather infested with spider mites. Because chives don't have regular leaves with undersides the damage caused by the spider mites wasn't as noticeable. I now presume that these plants where what allowed the spider mites to jump to the bean plants I planted a few weeks ago. Soon after discovering the infestation I decided to get rid of the plants and wash all of the empty pots and trays. At the moment the only thing I have growing on the infested living room shelving unit is the zebra aloe, some dill, some beets, and two African violets. The reason these plants have remained is that they are showing no signs of infestation. I really hope this does the trick.
-I decided to bake a little more bread this morning. At the moment the final two loaves are in the oven. While the bread looks fine, the crust seems to have a slightly different texture than I was expecting.
-It seems that the name 'Swine Flu' has become a matter of some debate. My understanding is that a number of groups, including the WHO and the pork lobby, are interested in having the disease called by another name (ironically they want to call it the same name as the 1918 flu). I have a hard time believing that such a change is really worth the effort. It would seem that the efforts of such organizations might be more reasonably used for other matters relating to the outbreak. More importantly, it seems perfectly reasonable, at least to me, that the name of the disease reflects its origin (the animal not the food). To change the name of this disease helps downplay the significance of animal to human disease transmission, something that has the ability to be quite problematic. If anything we should at least acknowledge this risk, particularly as most of our recent flu scares in recent years have developed in this way (as well as other diseases). This isn't just a safe little thing that came out of thin air, it clearly came from a certain type of animal and other such diseases might come from other animals in the future, and this is something that we shouldn't forget. If this gets us to think about our food sources and farming practices it is probably not a bad thing, hopefully we might find ways to reduce such occurrences in the future. To ignore the origins is this disease is to increase the risk of similar issues arising again.
-A few days ago I started reading a pretty bad biography of G.K. Chesterton, so far I still have hardly any idea who he was or why I should be reading his biography.
-On the subject of the Spryfield/Herring Cove/Purcell's Cove fire that started yesterday afternoon (and that I covered in a few posts yesterday), while listening to the news I have heard suggestions that this may have had something to do with the end of the school year. As the public schools are still in session I presume these references are to universities, though I am not really sure I am following what it is they are suggesting. If these people are trying to suggest that people are going into the woods and having barbecues, or something similar, why not just say that. Instead every comment I have heard is vague and seems to jump around the point. Furthermore, as far as I know, the cause of the fire isn't known (and it certainly didn't seem to be known yesterday afternoon), so why people would jump to such conclusions seems a little strange to me.
-Neil, Rebecca, and Rebecca should be returning from their Saint John New Brunswick conference later today. Aside from them all getting there safely I don't really know anything about the experience. Presumably Neil will have plenty to blog about when he gets back.
-This morning I noticed that the two pots of chives that I had were rather infested with spider mites. Because chives don't have regular leaves with undersides the damage caused by the spider mites wasn't as noticeable. I now presume that these plants where what allowed the spider mites to jump to the bean plants I planted a few weeks ago. Soon after discovering the infestation I decided to get rid of the plants and wash all of the empty pots and trays. At the moment the only thing I have growing on the infested living room shelving unit is the zebra aloe, some dill, some beets, and two African violets. The reason these plants have remained is that they are showing no signs of infestation. I really hope this does the trick.
-I decided to bake a little more bread this morning. At the moment the final two loaves are in the oven. While the bread looks fine, the crust seems to have a slightly different texture than I was expecting.
-It seems that the name 'Swine Flu' has become a matter of some debate. My understanding is that a number of groups, including the WHO and the pork lobby, are interested in having the disease called by another name (ironically they want to call it the same name as the 1918 flu). I have a hard time believing that such a change is really worth the effort. It would seem that the efforts of such organizations might be more reasonably used for other matters relating to the outbreak. More importantly, it seems perfectly reasonable, at least to me, that the name of the disease reflects its origin (the animal not the food). To change the name of this disease helps downplay the significance of animal to human disease transmission, something that has the ability to be quite problematic. If anything we should at least acknowledge this risk, particularly as most of our recent flu scares in recent years have developed in this way (as well as other diseases). This isn't just a safe little thing that came out of thin air, it clearly came from a certain type of animal and other such diseases might come from other animals in the future, and this is something that we shouldn't forget. If this gets us to think about our food sources and farming practices it is probably not a bad thing, hopefully we might find ways to reduce such occurrences in the future. To ignore the origins is this disease is to increase the risk of similar issues arising again.
-A few days ago I started reading a pretty bad biography of G.K. Chesterton, so far I still have hardly any idea who he was or why I should be reading his biography.
Thursday, April 30, 2009
More bad news on the Swine Flu front
It seems that CBC is now reporting that another 4 cases of Swine Flu have been confirmed in Nova Scotia. Not surprisingly it seems that these are related to the original four cases.
I was just beginning to think that maybe Nova Scotia would luck out and the outbreak would be limited to the original four cases, but I guess this was not to be. Hopefully the early knowledge and subsequent precautions will allow this second outbreak to be contained. Now that I think about it, I don't really know when it is that people with Swine Flu are contagious.
On a related note, Mary (through somewhat passive means) brought my attention to this map, which seems to show reported instances of Swine Flu. If I get around to it later today it would be neat to find an equivalent map from the WHO, or a similar body.
I was just beginning to think that maybe Nova Scotia would luck out and the outbreak would be limited to the original four cases, but I guess this was not to be. Hopefully the early knowledge and subsequent precautions will allow this second outbreak to be contained. Now that I think about it, I don't really know when it is that people with Swine Flu are contagious.
On a related note, Mary (through somewhat passive means) brought my attention to this map, which seems to show reported instances of Swine Flu. If I get around to it later today it would be neat to find an equivalent map from the WHO, or a similar body.
Monday, April 27, 2009
A Few Quick Notes 309
-Though occasionally overcast, today was a generally nice day. As far as I can tell, it was generally warmer than predicted. Apparently tomorrow is to be the first very warm day of the year, with temperatures that are expected to go as high as 26. If this is the case, it could be a little warm for my liking.
-I am now 2/22 on this year's Roll Up the Rim to Win contest. As supplies of cups are running out or have run out, I don't imagine that I will manage to really improve my rather dismal record at this point. I guess I need to re-group and come at things strong next year.
-Just moments ago I woke up from a nap. Originally the nap was supposed to be 45 minutes at most, it turned out to have run 1 hour and 15 minutes. As I ended up setting my alarm incorrectly I guess I am luck that I ended up only sleeping for an extra 30 minutes and not several hours.
-If my most recent 'stache was any indication, it seems that temporary tattoos may last longer than mustaches.
While I was out walking last night I realized that I had a conference to attend today which. Though it may have been unnecessary, I thought it would be best if I shaved before attending this morning's opening session.
-The conference, which is on the European Union and is my first full-fledged academic conference, is quite informative. Unfortunately, I was relatively tired for most of the day (the 9:00 AM starts really hit me hard). There are a number of sessions tomorrow that should be quite good.
-It seems that the swine flu problem in Nova Scotia has only gotten worse since it was first reported yesterday. CBC is now reporting that it seems that the disease has likely spread beyond the original four cases, which should not be all that surprising considering that it is contagious. As you might have expected, this news hasn't really comforted me.
-I am now 2/22 on this year's Roll Up the Rim to Win contest. As supplies of cups are running out or have run out, I don't imagine that I will manage to really improve my rather dismal record at this point. I guess I need to re-group and come at things strong next year.
-Just moments ago I woke up from a nap. Originally the nap was supposed to be 45 minutes at most, it turned out to have run 1 hour and 15 minutes. As I ended up setting my alarm incorrectly I guess I am luck that I ended up only sleeping for an extra 30 minutes and not several hours.
-If my most recent 'stache was any indication, it seems that temporary tattoos may last longer than mustaches.
While I was out walking last night I realized that I had a conference to attend today which. Though it may have been unnecessary, I thought it would be best if I shaved before attending this morning's opening session.
-The conference, which is on the European Union and is my first full-fledged academic conference, is quite informative. Unfortunately, I was relatively tired for most of the day (the 9:00 AM starts really hit me hard). There are a number of sessions tomorrow that should be quite good.
-It seems that the swine flu problem in Nova Scotia has only gotten worse since it was first reported yesterday. CBC is now reporting that it seems that the disease has likely spread beyond the original four cases, which should not be all that surprising considering that it is contagious. As you might have expected, this news hasn't really comforted me.
Sunday, April 26, 2009
Bad news on the swine flu front
CBC is reporting that there are at least 4 cases of Swine Flu in Nova Scotia. This is definitely not good news.
Hopefully this really isn't as bad as we are being lead to believe it is, though the fact that 4 students from Nova Scotia, and others from other parts of North America can pick it up on school trips is not a good sign. The other thing that I find a little discomforting is that being on the young side (teens to twenties) does not seem to be of any particular advantage.
Anyway, I guess we will have to pay attention to the news and see how this develops in the coming days.
Hopefully this really isn't as bad as we are being lead to believe it is, though the fact that 4 students from Nova Scotia, and others from other parts of North America can pick it up on school trips is not a good sign. The other thing that I find a little discomforting is that being on the young side (teens to twenties) does not seem to be of any particular advantage.
Anyway, I guess we will have to pay attention to the news and see how this develops in the coming days.
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