You are welcome.
All is the same here, except today was the warmest day this year, around 80 degrees. Makes me smile.
Take good care of yourself.
Turn your speaker on for the computer and then go here:
http://www.ringsurf.com/ring/sausagemania/
There is a photo of a black kitty.
Tease him with your mouse and he will try to catch it and then when he gets mad he ‘Meows’.
Yes, I am laughing.
5 am and I am sitting here teasing a kitty on the computer,
LOL.
http://www.homesteadingtoday.com/showthread.php?t=286321
After watching Clark Howard on tv this a.m., I checked www.missingmoney.com. While my name wasn’t on the list, my best friend and my son were. Also, I learned that many people who have sold homes have an FHA rebate coming. The one mentioned on the show was $2200. You can check for this at www.hud.gov. Look for FHA rebates in the menu on the left side of the screen. Who can’t use a little “found” money?
Far afield from the previous posts, but this is something that I do regularly that sometimes raises an eyebrow.
At the grocery store, in the produce department, I am certain to weigh things that come in pre-packaged bags. For instance... a five pound bag of potatoes can actually weigh anywhere from 4 1/4 pound to 6 pounds. As I choose my produce, I size up with my hands, several bags, searching for the ‘heaviest’ feeling ones, then head over to the hanging scales to finalize my choice.
There is a really substantial difference in those bags of ‘too ripe’ bananas, which is the only way I buy bananas. I’ve gotten as much as a 2 1/2 pound difference there. When you divvy up the cost per pound you’ve saved a lot, or gotten more for your money, depending on which way you wanta look at it.
I have found this to be true of ‘pre bagged’ frozen meat products as well... and yes, swinging back by the produce department gets you some odd looks sometimes. It takes a few minutes, but makes a lot of sense to me.
dawn
For liquid hand soap-
I asked my sister for one of her nearly-empty foaming dispensers because (after the initial cost of purchasing the bottle) they are economical. They dispense foam instead of a big squirt of soap. I make a diluted solution of about 3/4 water and 1/4 cheap Suave shampoo to use in it.
Thought of something when deciding to replace my old mini-blind.
The blades are warped, but those blinds could be taken apart and the cord and blades reused in the garden.
Cut the blades up and use a magic marker to identify garden plants and the cord can be used as ties when staking plants.
An addition to the dishwashing that works too is Absorbic Acid using in canning. I make it with 1 cup of borax, 1 of baking soda, and 1 tsp of absorbic acid. GREAT dishwashing powder...I second the rinse aid of vinegar and a plus my dishwasher never smells ...
I had a stye try to start. I could see the swelling, but it hadn’t come to a head yet. So I held a warm damp washcloth to the eye several times a day, for a quarter of an hour each time. This dissolved the infection without antibiotics and in a minimum of time.
This is something that I never even realized I did. Then I saw an add on freecycle for patterns that had been cut out but the giver didn’t know which size they were.
Don’t cut out sewing patterns designed for more than one size! It makes the most sense on patterns for children’s clothing, where you know they will grow. It also makes sense on adult patterns too though. You might gain or lose a size, or you may want to make something for someone else who is a different size than you are.
Just copy the pattern onto another piece of paper (tracing paper or something similar) and cut that out instead and treat it like you would your pattern. I have even used sheets of looseleaf taped together when I was in a hurry and didn’t have anything else on hand.
If you buy your patterns at the full price they can cost as much as $15. I usually buy them when they are on sale at Joanns for $1 or $2, but I still want to get the most out of that pattern! You paid for all those different sizes, there’s no reason you shouldn’t be able to use it if you need it later on!
Kaykeigh—I learned to trace patterns for my son to save the pattern—I use white tissue paper I buy on sale at wallyworld on clearance. Right now it is 75% off so it is a good deal. I just tape the edges together to be big enough to cover the piece I am tracing. I save the larger pieces that are left to use on smaller pattern pieces.
We are turning the heat down and wearing an extra layer—opening the curtains during the day to let the sun warm the house. We are planning the garden and what fruit trees to plant this spring so we can hopefully produce enought to get through the next year.
More plant label ideas/suggestions
For those of you making plant markers out of old window blinds, do NOT use a sharpie or other “permanent” marker. They will fade and become illegible in the sun before the growing season is over! (If you write on both ends and bury one end, the below-soil writing will likely still be legible, though.)
What I use instead is a paint pen, found in craft stores/departments. Not the cheapest thing, but they will last for YEARS this way with no fading. A china pencil (wax) is supposed to work well, too. And regular pencil, but it’s not dark enough to read from a distance.
Don’t have window blinds to cut up and want super durable, FREE plant markers? Cut the top and bottom off of 2-liter pop/soda bottles, and cut the remaining “tube” into vertical strips. Make one end pointy, round off the other end so you don’t scratch yourself while weeding (I learned that the hard way!) and presto! Plant labels that will last for years in all weather and sun without getting brittle, are easy on the eyes (you don’t really see them unless you’re looking for them), and stand up to pretty much everything I’ve thrown at them except the weedwacker. Oops. When you’re done with them or they get damaged or scratched or the plant dies or whatever, you can either re-use them by removing the paint pen with nail polish remover (acetone) or just toss ‘em in the recycling bin and start over. If you want to have tags to attach to a cage or branch, use a paper hole punch and punch a hole in one end and use bread bag ties or short wires to attach them.
__________________
“So folks out there - plant your victory gardens... this time, the war is against inflation.” —highplains (from here at HT)
I’m sure others have already thought of this but I use shredded paper in the bottom of my countertop compost bin. Shredded paper as well as egg shells go into the garden for mulch.
Peanut packing material can go back to the UPS store. They’re always willing to accept the peanuts. They do NOT take the solid chunks of styrofoam, however.
Bleach bottles make good scoops as well as bird houses (good kid’s project).
Interesting old clothes/costume jewelry go well in a dress-up box.
Men’s shirts make great painting smock (put on backwards and buttom up).
Save fat scraps, render, combine with birdseed, peanut butter and mullet makes great suet.
Plastic lids from cans of peanuts or coffee make good trays under house plants.
Also, pour paint thinner into an empty peanut can, cut an “X” in the center of a lid, insert a paint brush and use for cleaning paint brushes. Suspend so the bristles are just into the thinner and not resting on the bottom of the can.
Odd tea cups and saucers make cute planters.
I am the cold natured one in our family, so in order to stay snuggy warm in bed at night without heating up the entire house, I take my flannel rice pack that I usually heat up for about 2.5 minutes fro sore muscles and such, and I overheat that thang for about 4 minutes and 20 seconds and I take it to bed with me! I tuck it in where my feet will be while I dress for bed and then when I get in I either put it on something that is aching (putting a quilt betwwen me and it, cause it is real hot) or I just put it in the bed a couple of inches away from me and sleep with it next to me. It keeps me warm, and when I wake up about 2 or 3 in the morning, it is still quite warm, and I just re-nuke it to keep me warm the rest of the night! (Would not recommend if you might accidentally lay on it - it can give you a nice red burn if you are in skin contact with it too long when it is first heated up!)
I made an extra large rice bag (4-5 lbs.) covered with flannel and heat it really hot before I go to bed. I put it under an old flat bed pillow under the covers where my feet will be. The pillow is flat enough to be comfortable, keeps my feet toasty and also keeps the bag warm all night. I used to put it on top of the covers, but the weight was uncomfortable. I also put a smaller one under a pillow against my back and it keeps me warm nearly all night.
There still 3 pages of this thread, and I didn’t post them all...LOL granny
Another thread of frugal tips and there are years of them:
http://www.homesteadingtoday.com/showthread.php?t=235885
http://www.squidoo.com/pumpkinbreadrecipe
Double Pumpkin! Made in the Bread Machine.
2 1/4 Tsp active dry yeast
1 2/3 Cup bread flour
1 1/2 Cup whole-wheat flour
3 Tbsp Powdered Milk
3 Tbsp Brown Sugar
1 1/2 Tsp Ground ginger
1 1/2 Tsp grated nutmeg
1 1/2 Tspground cinnamon
1 1/2 Tsp salt
1 1/2 tbsp vegetable oil
3/4 Cup pumpkin, canned or cooked and pureed
3/4 Cup water plus 3 Tbsp
3/4 Cup roasted pumpkin seeds
Consult your bread machine manual and add all ingredients in the order they recomment. Do not add the pumpkin seeds just yet. Process using the basic bread cycle.
Add the pumpkin seeds at the beeper or at the end of the first kneading cycle.
When finished baking, this pumpkin bread recipe is wonderful spread with cream cheese or plain butter.
Note: the quantity of ginger given could be too much for some tastes. Adjust accordingly.
3 cups bread flour
1/2 cups whole wheat flour
1 1/2 tbsp softened butter
1 tsp salt
1 tsp pumpkin pie spice
1 large egg
1/2 cup milk
1/4 cup orange juice
1/2 cup canned pumpkin or cooked pumpkin, pureed
1/3 cup sugar
1/2 cup pecan pieces
2 1/2 tsp active dry yeast
Use the basic bread settings on your bread machine. Process according to manufacturer’s instructions.
When done, remove your pumpkin bread recipe to a rack to cool.
This pumpkin bread recipe makes on 1 1/2 pound loaf.
Angela Lansbury’s Power Loaf
CDKitchen http://www.cdkitchen.com
Category: Bread
Serves/Makes: 2 loaves | Difficulty Level: 3 | Ready In: 2-5 hrs
Ingredients:
2 cups boiling water
1 1/2 cup cracked wheat
3 tablespoons shortening
2 tablespoons honey
1 tablespoon salt
2 packets active dry yeast
2/3 cup warm water
4 cups stone-ground wheat flour
1 cup bran flakes
3/4 cup quick cooking oats
1/2 cup wheat germ
Directions:
In large bowl, pour boiling water over cracked wheat and stir. Stir in shortening, honey and salt; let cool to lukewarm.
Sprinkle yeast into warm water; let stand until frothy; add to wheat mixture. Gradually stir in 3 cups (750 mL) flour. Stir in bran flakes, oats and wheat germ. Mix very well and cover bowl with damp cloth. Let rise, about 1 hour, until doubled in bulk.
Punch dough down. On floured surface, knead dough until smooth and elastic, blending in as much of remaining flour as needed if dough is sticky. Divide dough in half and place in 2 greased loaf pans. Cover and let rise in warm place until doubled.
Bake in 350 degrees F (180 degrees C) oven for 45 minutes or until loaves are well browned and sound hollow when tapped.
Recipe Location: http://www.cdkitchen.com/recipes/recs/2/AngelaLansburysPowerLoaf65143.shtml
Recipe ID: 35713
Don’t forget to stop back at CDKitchen and write a review or upload a picture of this recipe!
This recipe is from CDKitchen http://www.cdkitchen.com
© 1995-2009 CDKitchen, Inc.
A to Z Bread
CDKitchen http://www.cdkitchen.com
Category: Bread
Serves/Makes: 2 loaves | Difficulty Level: 3 | Ready In: 1-2 hrs
Ingredients:
2 cups sugar
3 eggs, lightly beaten
1 tablespoon vanilla
1 teaspoon baking soda
2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
1 cup chopped walnuts
1 cup vegetable oil
3 cups flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
1 teaspoon salt
2 cups any of the following A to Z ingredients
Apples, peeled and shredded
Applesauce
Apricots (dried), chopped
Bananas, mashed
Carrots, shredded
Coconut
Dates, pitted and chopped
Figs (dried), chopped
Grapes (seedless), chopped
Oranges, peeled and chopped
Peaches, peeled and chopped
Pears, peeled and chopped
Pineapple (canned), Crushed and drained
Prunes, pitted and chopped
Pumpkin, canned
Raisins
Raspberries, unsweetened fresh or frozen
Rhubarb, chopped fresh or frozen
Strawberries, fresh or frozen
Sweet potatoes, cooked and mashed
Zucchini, peeled and grated
Directions:
In a mixing bowl, combine the sugar, oil and eggs; mix well. Stir in A to Z ingredients of your choice and vanilla.
Combine flour, cinnamon, baking powder, baking soda and salt; Stir into liquid ingredients just until moistened. Stir in nuts. Pour into two greased 8 X 4 X 2 inch loaf pans. Bake at 325 degrees for 55 - 65 minutes or until a wooden pick inserted near the center comes out clean. Cool in pan 10 minutes before removing to a wire rack.
Recipe Location: http://www.cdkitchen.com/recipes/recs/2/A_to_Z_Bread16739.shtml
Recipe ID: 8882
Don’t forget to stop back at CDKitchen and write a review or upload a picture of this recipe!
This recipe is from CDKitchen http://www.cdkitchen.com
© 1995-2009 CDKitchen, Inc.
Aloha Quick Bread
CDKitchen http://www.cdkitchen.com
Category: Bread
Serves/Makes: 1 loaf | Difficulty Level: 3 | Ready In: 1-2 hrs
Ingredients:
1/2 cup butter or margarine, softened
1 cup sugar
2 eggs
2 medium mashed ripe bananas
1/4 cup milk
1 tablespoon grated orange peel
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/2 teaspoon almond extract
2 cups all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 cup flaked coconut
1/2 cup chopped nuts
1/2 cup crushed pineapple
Directions:
In a mixing bowl, cream butter and sugar. Add the eggs, one at a time, beating well after each addition. Beat in banana, milk, orange peel and extracts. Combine flour, baking soda and salt; add to the creamed mixture just until moistened. Fold in the coconut, nuts and pineapple.
Transfer to a greased 9x5x3-inch loaf pan. Bake at 350 degrees for 1 hour and 20 minutes or until a toothpick inserted near the center comes out clean.
Cool for 10 minutes before removing from pan to a wire rack.
Recipe Location: http://www.cdkitchen.com/recipes/recs/2/Aloha-Quick-Bread79013.shtml
Recipe ID: 49797
Don’t forget to stop back at CDKitchen and write a review or upload a picture of this recipe!
This recipe is from CDKitchen http://www.cdkitchen.com
© 1995-2009 CDKitchen, Inc.
http://www.treas.gov/press/releases/tg63.htm
March 19, 2009
tg63
Administration Launches New Consumer Website For Responsible Homeowners Seeking Relief
MakingHomeAffordable.gov Features Self Assessment Tools, Calculators
to Help Borrowers Determine Eligibility, Payment Reductions
under Administration’s Refinancing and Loan Modification Program
Washington, DC— The U.S. Department of the Treasury and the Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) today launched a new website for consumers seeking information about the Obama Administration’s Making Home Affordable loan modification and refinancing program. MakingHomeAffordable.gov offers features including interactive self-assessment tools that will empower borrowers to determine if they’re eligible to participate and calculate the monthly mortgage payment reductions they could stand to realize under the Making Home Affordable program.
First announced by President Barack Obama in February, Making Home Affordable will offer assistance to as many as 7 to 9 million homeowners making a good-faith effort to make their mortgage payments, while attempting to prevent the destructive impact of the housing crisis on families and communities. MakingHomeAffordable.gov is a joint effort of the Department of the Treasury and HUD.
“Education and outreach is central to the success of our Making Home Affordable program,” said Treasury Secretary Tim Geithner. “Putting resources and tools directly in the hands of homeowners will expedite the process of delivering relief to responsible borrowers, and stabilizing the housing market is central to our overall economic recovery.”
“The tools offered on this site will help American families access the help they need even faster,” said HUD Secretary Shaun Donovan. “Communicating how this program works and who is eligible to those who need it is critical to the program’s success, and this website does just that.”
Since releasing the guidelines to enable servicers to begin modifications of eligible mortgages under Making Home Affordable on March 4th, representatives from Treasury, HUD and other members of a broad interagency task force have conducted detailed briefings and training sessions for mortgage loan servicers and investors, nonprofit housing counselors and nationwide borrower advocacy groups. Through these early and aggressive efforts to arm those interacting directly with borrowers with information, interagency representatives have briefed more than 2,500 participants on the Administration’s plans in the last two weeks.
A wide array of large banks to small lenders have already agreed to participate in Making Home Affordable, and servicers have undertaken steps to proactively engage borrowers and respond to their inquiries related to the new program. For example, JP Morgan Chase has put several special tools into place and initiated proactive solicitations to eligible borrowers around the Making Home Affordable program, including an online site to provide program details and allow borrowers to download a new financial information package; increased staffing in a dedicated service center that provides simple entry point for all borrowers, including CHASE, heritage Washington Mutual and EMC; a partnership with Fannie Mae to solicit over 125,000 eligible borrowers; and solicitation to an additional 180,000 non-GSE eligible borrowers.
With those wheels in motion, the Administration is now accelerating efforts to communicate directly with borrowers about the Making Home Affordable program. Features of the MakingHomeAffordable.gov website launched today include:
* Extensive information about the Administration’s Making Home Affordable plan
* Self assessment tools to allow borrowers to determine if they are eligible for the program
* A calculator feature that allows homeowners to estimate the reduction to their monthly mortgage payment that they might stand to realize under the plan
* Resources to find free, HUD-approved counseling services for borrowers who have additional questions
* A handy checklist to ensure homeowners collect all the documents they need before calling their servicers
###
LINKS
* MakingHomeAffordable.gov
http://makinghomeaffordable.gov/
Are You Eligible?
Please use the self-assessment tools provided on this website
to see if you are among the 7 to 9 million homeowners who may
be able to benefit from Making Home Affordable.
Find out if you are eligible
Learn About Making Home Affordable
Refinancing
Many homeowners pay their mortgages on time but are not able to refinance to take advantage of today’s lower mortgage rates perhaps due to a decrease in the value of their home.
Modification
Many homeowners are struggling to make their monthly mortgage payments perhaps because their interest rate has increased or they have less income.
› Frequently Asked Questions PDF
› Beware of Foreclosure Rescue Scams - Help Is Free!!
To view or print the PDF content on this page, download the free Adobe® Acrobat® Reader®
http://www.state.gov/p/inl/rls/rm/120679.htm
Bureau of International Narcotics and Law Enforcement
Affairs Remarks (2009)
Guns, Drugs and Violence: The Merida Initiative and the Challenge in Mexico
David T. Johnson
Assistant Secretary of State
Bureau of International Narcotics and Law Enforcement Affairs
Statement before the Subcommittee on the Western Hemisphere of the House Foreign Affairs Committee
Washington, DC
March 18, 2009
(As prepared)
Mr. Chairman, Ranking Member Mack, and Members of the Committee:
Thank you for the opportunity to discuss the Merida Initiative, which is a security cooperation partnership to combat transnational narcotics trafficking and organized crime in Mexico, Central America, and Caribbean.
Roughly 90 percent of all the cocaine consumed in the United States transits Mexico. The country is also the largest foreign supplier of marijuana and much of our domestic consumption of methamphetamine still originates in or transits through Mexico to the United States. Central American officials have identified gangs, drug trafficking, and trafficking of arms as the most pressing security concerns in that region. Transnational crime and narcotics trafficking affect us all, and I would like to share with the Committee what we – at the Department of State, Department of Homeland Security (DHS), Justice, and across agencies – are doing to address it.
Our partners in Mexico, Central America, Haiti and the Dominican Republic have already made considerable progress in their own efforts to confront these problems, and they appreciate our help, which will enable them to greatly expand on this progress. Likewise, the U.S. has committed tremendous resources domestically to reduce drug demand and to secure our borders so that dangerous people and drugs do not come in and guns and drug proceeds do not go out. However, our domestic efforts must be complemented by regional cooperation to confront what is increasingly a transnational problem. Through bilateral and multilateral initiatives, and specifically the Merida Initiative, the governments of Mexico, Central America, Haiti, and the Dominican Republic are demonstrating unprecedented willingness to work with us and each other to address these issues. This is a compelling opportunity to advance our common national security interests. <<<
[Only a snippet, but you should go and read it, for it sets out what we are doing to help them and are not managing to do in our own country.
Somethings confuse me, and the State Department is one that always leaves me wanting to ask which country they serve, not the U.S. , in my opinion.
granny]
http://www.cashill.com/regional/etiquette.htm
The Etiquette of Economic Distress
by Jack Cashill
Published in ingramsonline.com - March 2009
Some years back, I found myself scrubbed up in a surgical suite, interviewing a doctor as he extracted a gall bladder from the poor sucker on the table in front of us.
The interview proved useless as we could not see the doctor’s lips move behind his mask—duh!—and the viewer had no way of knowing who was talking. Still, the doctor served up an insight into human nature that has proved valuable in this period of economic instability.
We were shooting a TV commercial about a then newish procedure called a laparoscopic cholecystectomy. As it works, the doctor inserts a tiny video camera into the patient’s abdomen and guides his own instruments by watching them on a video monitor. At the climax of the video, the money shot, this seriously funky gall bladder comes squirting out a hole at the patient’s navel, an image as gross as it sounds.
“We give the patient a copy of the video,” the doctor told me matter-of-factly.
“Who would want such a thing?” I asked.
“You’d be surprised,” he told me. “Some people request multiple copies for their friends and relatives.”
I did not doubt that some people like to navel gaze, but I seriously doubted whether anyone’s friends or relatives wanted to share the experience.
To get the gist of the guidelines that follow, the first ever “etiquette” for the downwardly mobile, just remember that others will think of your “portfolio” the way you think of this fellow’s gall bladder, and it will all begin to make sense.
Rule #1. Keep your portfolio to yourself.
Yes, sure, it is shriveling and diseased. So what? Whose isn’t? With the oddball exception, your friends and relatives want to hear about this no more than they do your latest round of golf. The economy isn’t about you. The Masters of the Universe don’t wake up each morning thinking how they can screw you. Stuff happens, and at the end of the day our kids get all the money anyhow.
Rule #2. Lose the anger.
Unless Bernie Madoff was your broker, you really have no cause to be mad at anyone other than perhaps yourself. For years, you insisted you could outsmart the market. You told us so fairly often. You couldn’t, and the world is run by people no wiser than you are. Barney Frank comes conspicuously to mind here. No one promised us that we, uniquely in the history of the world, would continue to grow richer and fatter forever. We got kicked out of the Garden, remember?
Rule #3. Hold all talk of the Apocalypse.
No one wants to listen to your distinctive insight into the end of the world as we know it. You have no more a clue about the future than my mother-in-law or your average economist. Your friends would rather you get back to talking about cheerier subjects like global warming, nuclear winter, or the Kansas City Royals.
Rule #4. Don’t blame capitalism.
It has been a while since I read Adam Smith, but I do not remember him advising bankers to lend money to low and middle-income people for home loans that they would not be able to pay back. I think that advice was hatched in Washington. And if my memory serves me, although the message came from Uncle Sam, there was nothing avuncular about its delivery. “Deregulation,” me arse.
Rule #5. Get some perspective.
Some years ago, I was flying back from London via St. Louis. On the flight I was reading this epically gloomy book on the siege of Leningrad during World War II. Just as the book was reaching its doleful low point, we landed in St. Louis.
There we changed planes. The fellow next to me on the Kansas City leg had also been on the London flight. As the plane started backing out of the gate, he saw his bag still on the baggage train, jumped up, and demanded that the plane turn around and pick it up. When the flight attendant told him this was impossible, he reacted as if they had left his baby on the baggage train. Still fuming, he turned to me for consolation. A mistake. I was not in the mood.
“Mac, the poor schmucks in my book here are eating sawdust and rats for their Sunday brunch, and you are outraged because, worst case, someone brings your bag to your house a few hours after you return from a European vacation.”
As it happened, his bag had not been left behind. When the fellow saw it being loaded on to the baggage train in Kansas City, he blamed the airline for creating the illusion that it had been. Can you imagine being this guy’s broker?
Rule #6—Share your deeper thoughts.
Once you have given up squawking about your investments or sputtering madly at Wall Street and Washinton, you have to talk about something. I would recommend you switch from CNBC to ESPN or HGTV or the Animal Planet. They don’t run a stock ticker on any of those channels.
You might also take a long walk every now and then. You will notice that sunsets are fully indifferent to equity markets. Even the worst day on Wall Street does not discolor them. At your next dinner party, share your newly developed “Deep Thoughts” with your fellow guests.
If need be, borrow a few from Jack Handey like, “If trees could scream, would we be so cavalier about cutting them down? We might, if they screamed all the time, for no good reason.” Even if you make up your own, they would be better received than still another whine about your dwindling wealth.
Rule #7—Don’t count your chips until the game is over.
I had the privilege of growing up around my parent’s poker table. When I was old enough to sit in, I had the etiquette of the game drubbed into my head: play the hand close to your vest, no whining, no weeping, no gloating, no blaming the cards.
The game’s most critical lesson was simple enough: don’t count your chips until the game is over. If you are winning, you will annoy the other players. If you are losing, you will only unnerve yourself.
This larger game is far from over. Keep your cool and leave the counting of chips to the lesser mortals at the table. Although I shy from making economic predictions, I tend to be an optimist, and I will bet my house against your mailbox that no one reading this column will end his or her days eating rats and sawdust.
AFRICAN SWINE FEVER - RUSSIA (03): (STAVROPOL)
**********************************************
A ProMED-mail post
http://www.promedmail.org
ProMED-mail is a program of the
International Society for Infectious Diseases
http://www.isid.org
Date: Thu 19 Mar 2009
Source: The Moscow Times [edited]
http://www.themoscowtimes.com/article/600/42/375463.htm
African swine fever strikes collective farm
A Moscow region lab confirmed that pigs at the Lenin kolkhoz
[collective farm] were infected with the disease. A team of
veterinarians, law enforcement officers and Emergency Situations
Ministry officials were working in the quarantine zone, and police
are guarding entrances to the farm, local news agencies reported.
The disease, which has largely been eradicated outside sub-Saharan
Africa, has caused serious damage in the agricultural Stavropol
region since an outbreak was confirmed there in October [2008]. More
than 18 000 pigs there have been culled or died of the disease since,
Rossiiskaya Gazeta said on its website Thursday [19 Mar 2009]. The
Gazeta newspaper reported Thursday that officials were also trying to
contain a suspected outbreak in South Ossetia.
African swine fever is not dangerous to humans.
A local Emergency Situations Ministry official said that about 50
pigs had died at the farm in the Kievka [Kiyevka] village, Interfax
reported. Roughly 2700 pigs — most of them at private farms — are
within the quarantine zone, a local veterinary official told the news
agency.
A major outbreak in the Caucasus in 2007 was blamed on wild boars,
and Georgian officials had to cull 30 000 pigs after the United
Nations warned that the outbreak could cause an economic disaster.
In January [2009], some 7000 pigs were culled after the disease was
detected at another Stavropol region farm. Sochi, in the neighboring
Krasnodar region, said at the time that it had allotted RUB 4 million
(USD 118 000) to contain a smaller outbreak there.
In February [2009], 4 workers at a Stavropol collective farm — also
named after Lenin — were found guilty of veterinary violations and
fined RUB 50 000 to 60 000 [USD 1480-1770].
—
Communicated by:
ProMED-mail
promed@promedmail.org
[Following its initial introduction into Georgia, probably through
the Black Sea Georgian harbour of Poti, during the 1st quarter of
2007, ASF has been continuously spreading in the Caucasus region,
continuing its northwards march in south Russia. Initially affecting
the territories of Georgia, Abkhazia, Nagorno-Karabakh, Armenia, and
Azerbaijan, ASF penetrated Russia in November 2007. The distance from
the current outbreak, in Kievka (Kiyevka), to the Ukrainian border,
on its north west, is about 350 km (218 mi).
The Russian epizootic has, by now, been reported from the territories
of Chechnya, North Ossetia-Alania, Ingushetia, Orenburg (outside the
Caucasus; reportedly, wildlife affected), the Stavropolskiy Kray
(Stavropol), and the Krasnodarskiy Kray (Krasnodar). As of 16 Jan
2009 (most recent, 13th follow-up report), the total number of
outbreaks reported to the OIE (World Organisation for Animal Health)
by Russia since the start of its epizootic on 5 Nov 2007, had reached
50.
For an OIE summary, with a map including all said outbreaks, see
http://www.oie.int/wahis/public.php?page=event_summary&reportid=6546
For the location of Kievka (Kiyevka), go to
http://healthmap.org/r/007l (zoom in).
An update of the situation, in a new follow-up report, is
anticipated. - Mod.AS]
[see also:
African swine fever - Russia (02): (STA,KDA) 20090117.0192
African swine fever - Russia: (STA) 20090113.0139
2008
[Please pass the tinfoil, my hat isn’t working....
How long before it reaches here?
It appears to be in many of the countries that Russia wants to control...
granny
BBC Gardening
Collection of material about gardens and gardening from a British perspective. Includes a history of British gardening (covering Victorian gardens, the importance of war time gardens, and more), gardening basics, plant finder database (by common or Latin name) with photos and descriptions, interactive pest and disease identifier, suggestions for climate-friendly gardening, material for gardening with children and growing crops, virtual garden planner, photos from flower shows, blog, and more. From the British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC).
URL: http://www.bbc.co.uk/gardening/
LII Item: http://lii.org/cs/lii/view/item/25401
Cleaning 101
This collection of articles offers “[b]asic tips and tricks to get the entire house sparkling, from quick cleaning strategies to supplies to stock.” Features ideas for deep cleaning, keeping living areas clean longer, and “how to fake a clean house.” Also includes a daily cleaning checklist, video on window cleaning, and links to related cleaning articles. From the website for Real Simple magazine.
URL TRUNCATED, SEE LII ITEM
LII Item: http://lii.org/cs/lii/view/item/27553
Gardener’s Guide to Global Warming
Collection of materials relating to garden plants and potential global warming impacts. Click on the map to find out “if your official State Trees or State Flowers may be affected,” view an interactive USDA hardiness zone map for 1990-2006, see a list of not-wanted invasive plants, and take a gardener’s pledge to help fight global warming. Includes links to related material, such as a 2007 report of the same name. From the National Wildlife Federation.
URL: http://www.nwf.org/gardenersguide/
LII Item: http://lii.org/cs/lii/view/item/27941
[And it has started]
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