News Reports for April 24

1000 volunteers to trial Flinders Medical Centre flu vaccine

April 24, 2008 FLINDERS Medical Centre is to trial a new vaccine that could play a critical role in the event of a global influenza or bird flu epidemic.

The sugar-enhanced vaccine will be subjected to the world's largest ever single-centre trial, with 1000 people taking part. The new vaccine already has been demonstrated to improve flu immunity in healthy people with the new trial to test if it improves immunity in the elderly and those with chronic disease.

"Although the vaccine is still in its trial stage, we believe it could be the world's best defence against an influenza or bird flu epidemic," (Snip)

The new vaccine uses a natural sugar to boost its potency and researchers believing it to be 10 times more effective than vaccines currently available.In the event of a pandemic it could allow health officials to stretch existing supplies to protect 10 times as many people as would be protected with a traditional vaccine.

"In a trial fo 200 health volunteers last year we were able to demonstrate that the enhanced vaccine was not only safe and well tolerated, but also very effective in terms of improving the ability of the vaccine to induce immunity towards the flu virus,"  (Snip)

The new trail will target four groups, people with chronic lung disease, with heart disease and with kidney disease and healthy people aged over 60. http://www.newsnow.co.uk/h/Bus...

Life is not measured by the number of breaths we take, but by the moments that take our breath away. --Unknown

     

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by: Carol@SC @ Thu Apr 24, 2008 at 04:45:19 AM UTC

Link to Flinders story in Australia

http://www.news.com.au/adelaid...

"The truth does not change according to our ability to stomach it."  Flannery O'Connor

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by: Jane @ Thu Apr 24, 2008 at 15:16:23 PM UTC

[ Parent ]

What horses can tell us now about the coming pandemic

Stored safely in a freezer at Cornell's James A. Baker Institute for Animal Health are samples of the virus thought to be most like the one public health experts expect someday to afflict record numbers of the world's population. The virus was collected in 1973 during an outbreak of equine influenza at a Florida racetrack. Dorothy Holmes, an infectious disease specialist in Cornell's College of Veterinary Medicine, had obtained samples of the virus with the intention of using it to create nasal spray vaccines for horses.

Now, 35 years later, Cornell scientists have the rare chance to study the behavior of the organism to figure out why this particular virus, an H7 serotype, outperforms all other serotypes in its lethal powers. The study is supported by a seven-year, $3 million award from the National Institutes of Health.

"Influenza H7 is unique in its capability to invade not only the lungs but other parts of the host's body, including the brain, and this is why it's so dangerous," explains Gary Whittaker, an associate professor of virology who leads the project.

All the action takes place where the virus enters the host's cells. To study what goes on there, Whittaker, a specialist in the entry mechanisms of viruses, has assembled a team of experts and computational resources from across campus. They include Daniel Ripoll, a senior research associate with the Computational Biology Service Unit at Cornell, who has created a computer-generated 3-D model of the molecular structure of the H7 influenza virus coat protein (hemagglutinin or HA, for short). This is the molecule responsible for enabling the influenza virus to recognize a cell and invade it.

"With this model we can look inside the structure of the virus and make a really good prediction of what's going on," Whittaker explains. "Without it we'd be shooting completely in the dark."  Continued:  http://www.physorg.com/news128...

Life is not measured by the number of breaths we take, but by the moments that take our breath away. --Unknown

     

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by: Carol@SC @ Thu Apr 24, 2008 at 04:47:53 AM UTC

a reminder that

there's more than H5 out there.

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by: DemFromCT @ Thu Apr 24, 2008 at 16:54:06 PM UTC

[ Parent ]

Foreign observers to witness bf exercise in Indonesia

JAKARTA, April 23 (Xinhua) -- At least 42 representatives of international agencies and foreign governments are to witness a bird flu handling exercise in Bali on April 25-27, (Snip)
"They will be able to see from close quarters the seriousness with which the Indonesian government, including the Bali provincial administration, is handling bird flu," (Snip)

The simulation would involve related agencies and ordinary people and be staged in three districts and one municipality in Bali. It would also take place at Tabanan district's general hospital, Ngurah Rai airport and Sanglah General Hospital in Denpasar.

Observers would also come from professional organizations, various central government agencies, referral hospitals and public health offices in all other Indonesian provinces,

Indonesian Health Minister Siti Fadilah Supari is slated to open the demonstration in Jembrana District on April 25.  http://news.xinhuanet.com/engl...

Life is not measured by the number of breaths we take, but by the moments that take our breath away. --Unknown

     

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by: Carol@SC @ Thu Apr 24, 2008 at 04:51:02 AM UTC

India blames Bangladesh as bird flu spreads

GUWAHATI, India, April 24 (Reuters) - Authorities battling an outbreak of bird flu in poultry in India's remote northeast blamed Bangladesh for the spread on Thursday, but many experts said India was not doing enough to contain the virus.

More than 25,000 chickens and ducks have already been slaughtered in Tripura state this month after it was hit by the H5N1 strain.

On Thursday, authorities chose to blame neighbouring Bangladesh after they received reports of new bird flu cases in the state. "Unless bird flu is contained completely in Bangladesh, the virus will keep spreading in Tripura," U. Venkatateswarlu, (Snip) The remote northeastern state borders Bangladesh, where more than half the country's districts have been affected by the virus.

"Our main problem in controlling the situation is because of close proximity with Bangladesh," Venkatateswarlu added.
But many people disagreed.

For the past two days, while hundreds of birds mysteriously died in remote villages, complaints from people were largely ignored by state authorities, some officials and animal experts said.
(Snip)
"We had warned the Tripura government about bird flu and we told them the reason for the spread of bird flu is because of bad farm practices," he said by telephone. (Snip)

"The government is going too slow and blaming Bangladesh will not solve this problem as it is time we should take strong action," said Ratan Lal Nath, a lawmaker from Mohanpur town, worst-hit by the recent outbreak. Authorities said they would cull at least 15,000 more birds to control the virus in two new areas.

Most people had also stopped buying chickens in markets and traders said they were staring at huge losses.
Continued: http://africa.reuters.com/comm...

Life is not measured by the number of breaths we take, but by the moments that take our breath away. --Unknown

     

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by: Carol@SC @ Thu Apr 24, 2008 at 10:39:25 AM UTC

Fresh bird flu outbreak in Tripura, culling begins

Bird flu virus was detected in blood samples of dead birds from Nadilag village of Bishalgarh (Snip) Culling would begin at Nadilag after it was notified by the Central government, the sources said.

Meanwhile, 60,000 birds would be culled from on Thursday in eight gram panchayat areas, which fall within the 5-km radius of Mohanpur in Sadar subdivision of West Tripura district, from where samples had tested positive on April 21, (Snip) Culling would continue in the area for the next five days, he said.

A red alert has been sounded and import of poultry and eggs from outside the state, including neighbouring Bangladesh has been banned. Reports said a total of 43 districts in Bangladesh were affected by bird flu.
(Snip)
Five checkposts were set up at Sidhai, Mantola, Khowa Chowmuhuni, Tarapur and Bijaynagar School Chowmuhuni to ban movement of birds to and from the affected panchayats and Bangladesh, the sources said. http://sify.com/news/fullstory...


Life is not measured by the number of breaths we take, but by the moments that take our breath away. --Unknown

     

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by: Carol@SC @ Thu Apr 24, 2008 at 11:20:06 AM UTC

Effect Measure

Important new flu paper in Cell: part I  http://scienceblogs.com/effect...

Important new flu paper in Cell: part II http://scienceblogs.com/effect...

Important new flu paper in Cell: part III http://scienceblogs.com/effect...

Life is not measured by the number of breaths we take, but by the moments that take our breath away. --Unknown

     

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by: Carol@SC @ Thu Apr 24, 2008 at 12:00:36 PM UTC

Indonesia defends its bird flu stance against US criticism

Story
Indonesia (AP) - Indonesia does not want money for its samples of a deadly bird flu virus, a health official said Wednesday after the U.S. criticized his country for refusing to share the samples with the international community.

Instead, Indonesia wants governments and pharmaceutical companies to come up with a mechanism that will ensure future pandemic vaccines are accessible to developing nations, said Widjaja Lukito, an adviser to Health Minister Siti Fadilah Supari.

That could include creating a multilateral trust that would enable price tiering or bulk purchasing of lifesaving vaccines, Lukito said.

The adviser was responding to comments made by Health and Human Services Secretary Mike Leavitt, who accused Indonesia of withholding virus samples from the World Health Organization since early 2007 because it wanted royalties or other monetary benefits.

"This is not a line we want to cross," Leavitt told The Associated Press at the end of a quick stopover in Indonesia last week. "Because it means the next unique virus we come across, wherever it is, we'll end up with people who say there is a price to pay for the virus."

He repeated the allegation on his blog, saying Supari's bottom line appeared to be "share samples, get paid."

Leavitt vowed in his blog on April 15 to give Indonesia another two months to work toward a solution.

Source
http://ap.google.com/article/A...

Note Dr. Leavitts blog http://secretarysblog.hhs.gov/
Indonesia Part 1:  http://secretarysblog.hhs.gov/...
Indonesia Part 2:  http://secretarysblog.hhs.gov/...

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by: Kobie @ Thu Apr 24, 2008 at 13:16:58 PM UTC

L-3 Announces First Quarter 2008 Results

Story
  Australian defense contractor Tenix selected L-3 to provide integrated communications systems for the Royal Australian Navy's two Canberra-Class Landing Helicopter Dock amphibious ships.

 The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention awarded L-3 a blanket purchase agreement to assist with preparedness efforts for all-hazards, including bio-terrorism and pandemic outbreaks.

The United Kingdom's Ministry of Defence (MoD) selected L-3 to supply an Integrated Broadcast Service, which will provide real-time intelligence capability to the MoD and its operational forces.

 The U.S. Army extended L-3's period of performance on the Linguist contract for three months to June 9, 2008. During March, Global Linguist Solutions (GLS) selected L-3 as a subcontractor to supply translation and interpretation services in Iraq under the U.S. Army's Translation and Interpretation Management Services (TIMS) contract, and L-3 withdrew its previously filed protest with the U.S. General Accounting Office of GLS' selection for the TIMS contract. During the three-month contract extension, L-3 will transition its linguist services to GLS.

 The U.S. Marine Corps awarded L-3 a contract to supply and implement Tactical Video Capture Systems at military training sites in the U.S. and overseas.

Source
http://www.businesswire.com/po...

Note - CDC asked L-3 for help with pandemic prep. It is communications I presume.  

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by: Kobie @ Thu Apr 24, 2008 at 13:32:52 PM UTC

Mumps concerns - Top health officer defends response to 2007 outbreak

Story
  Opposition health critics challenged the province yesterday to admit the response to last year's mumps outbreak was inadequate, but officials continue to maintain the spate was handled effectively overall.
"Thank goodness it was only the mumps - what if it had been something a lot more serious?" Dave Wilson, health critic for the Liberal party, said.

 Wilson was one of several critics who grilled Department of Health Promotion and Protection officials at a legislature committee hearing yesterday on the findings of the auditor general's report.

  When Jacques Lapointe tabled his semi-annual report in February, he said the mumps outbreak was "handled in a manner that simply wasn't sufficient," citing deficiencies in communication with the public, planning, vaccine transportation and immunization practices.

  Chief public health officer Dr. Robert Strang acknowledged the validity of the recommendations, but defended the actions the department took to contain the outbreak, which primarily affected post-secondary students.  

   To address the concerns surrounding communication in preparation for a possible pandemic, Strang says the department has increased its staff, and is working to strengthen relationships with district health authorities and the Department of Health.

Source
http://www.metronews.ca/halifa...

Note *"Thank goodness it was only the mumps - what if it had been something a lot more serious?"* Dave Wilson, health critic for the Liberal party

  I wonder how TPTB will spin their handling of the pandemic after wave one. A great sucsess? We dodged a worse fate of asteroid impact or nuclear war??  

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by: Kobie @ Thu Apr 24, 2008 at 13:37:31 PM UTC

India - Ministry of Health and Family Welfare - Press Release

Story
Avian influenza A H5 and H7 viruses can be distinguished as "low pathogenic" and "high pathogenic" forms on the basis of genetic features of the virus and the severity of the illness they cause in poultry; influenza H9 virus has been identified only in a "low pathogenicity" form. Each of these three avian influenza A viruses (H5, H7, and H9) theoretically can be partnered with any one of nine neuraminidase surface proteins; thus, there are potentially nine different forms of each subtype (e.g. H5N1, H5N2, H5N3, H5N9). The virus causing alarm at present is H5N1 strain of the Influenza A virus.

Source
http://pib.nic.in/release/rele...

Note Interesting info but IMHO not helpful as a press release. Much like describing piston ring types as a way to improve bad driving.  

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by: Kobie @ Thu Apr 24, 2008 at 13:43:15 PM UTC

Woman dies of H5N1 in Egypt

(Posted by cottontop on the Egypt thread)

http://www.infeksi.com/newsdet...

A woman in Egypt died by bird flu, that increased the number of deaths as a result of bird flu in the country became 22.

The official Egyptian news agency, MENA, quoted the officials of the ministry of the health said casualties who were 30 years old at first showed signs of the infection on April 2 and were brought to the Cairo hospital on Wednesday was dealt with.

The woman was the third person in Egypt that died by the illness in three weeks.
Last week a man young died in a hospital in Alexandria and a woman other died beforehand in a close Cairo hospital.

Almost five million Egyptian households depended on the poultry to eat or the production.

The government said this caused was not possible for the government to be able to combat the illness, although having the program of the poultry vaccination on a scale besar. (voa)

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by: AlohaOR @ Thu Apr 24, 2008 at 14:17:17 PM UTC

Do we have or can we create a comparison between the cfr's last year and this Egypt?

Last year i recall more children being ill, and also much higher rate of recovery (or lower cfr, depending on glass half empty or full)compared to this year, where it seems like most confirmed cases are ending in death.

Always have a plan B.

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by: maryinhawaii @ Fri Apr 25, 2008 at 04:22:39 AM UTC

[ Parent ]

Egypt case history

Here's the data by quarter.  I have not included the case reported today because it has not yet been confirmed by the WHO.

WHO-Confirmed Cases in Egypt by Quarter of Onset (reported to 04/18/08)

		2006				2007				2008
Qrtr		Cases	Deaths	CFR		Cases	Deaths	CFR		Cases	Deaths	CFR
Q1		7	3	43%		15	4	27%		5	2	40%
Q2		7	3	43%		4	1	25%		2	1	50%
Q3		1	1	100%		1	0	0%
Q4		3	3	100%		5	4	80%
Total		18	10	56%		25	9	36%		7	3	43%

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by: AlohaOR @ Fri Apr 25, 2008 at 04:44:52 AM UTC

[ Parent ]

AlohaOR

You are on the ball! This is great. Thanks.

Life is not measured by the number of breaths we take, but by the moments that take our breath away. --Unknown

     

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by: Carol@SC @ Fri Apr 25, 2008 at 06:40:36 AM UTC

[ Parent ]

Yes, this is a great chart, Thanks.

(Note: That 4th quarter of 2007 is a significant change, but then I notice that the same quarter in 2006 also was very high...I wonder if there is any causative factor making cases (or treatment)worse during that time of year.

Also when this recent death is verified by WHO, will that make the cfr for q2 2008 100% or 67%? (that is, is the case that died one of the 2 recorded in your chart, or is it an additional case?)

Always have a plan B.

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by: maryinhawaii @ Sat Apr 26, 2008 at 17:33:20 PM UTC

[ Parent ]

The case was already reported, so the chart is current

The report of the 30yo woman was a recycled report of an already-reported case (and death).

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by: AlohaOR @ Sun Apr 27, 2008 at 01:27:39 AM UTC

[ Parent ]

Turns out this is a recycled story from April 11, not a new case (n/t)

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by: AlohaOR @ Sat Apr 26, 2008 at 03:42:13 AM UTC

[ Parent ]

wiki theory

http://rhiannonlooseley.blogsp...
Theories of participation in Wikis

and

http://rhiannonlooseley.blogsp...
Public sector Wikis

and

http://rhiannonlooseley.blogsp...
Authority again

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by: DemFromCT @ Thu Apr 24, 2008 at 16:56:43 PM UTC

from wall street journal

http://online.wsj.com/article/...

Load Up the Pantry
April 21, 2008
By Brett Arends

Wall Street Journal

I don't want to alarm anybody, but maybe it's time for Americans to start stockpiling food.

No, this is not a drill.

You've seen the TV footage of food riots in parts of the developing world. Yes, they're a long way away from the U.S. But most foodstuffs operate in a global market. When the cost of wheat soars in Asia, it will do the same here.

Reality: Food prices are already rising here much faster than the returns you are likely to get from keeping your money in a bank or money-market fund. And there are very good reasons to believe prices on the shelves are about to start rising a lot faster.

"Load up the pantry," says Manu Daftary, one of Wall Street's top investors and the manager of the Quaker Strategic Growth mutual fund. "I think prices are going higher. People are too complacent. They think it isn't going to happen here. But I don't know how the food companies can absorb higher costs." (Full disclosure: I am an investor in Quaker Strategic)

Stocking up on food may not replace your long-term investments, but it may make a sensible home for some of your shorter-term cash. Do the math. If you keep your standby cash in a money-market fund you'll be lucky to get a 2.5% interest rate. Even the best one-year certificate of deposit you can find is only going to pay you about 4.1%, according to Bankrate.com. And those yields are before tax.

Meanwhile the most recent government data shows food inflation for the average American household is now running at 4.5% a year.

And some prices are rising even more quickly. The latest data show cereal prices rising by more than 8% a year. Both flour and rice are up more than 13%. Milk, cheese, bananas and even peanut butter: They're all up by more than 10%. Eggs have rocketed up 30% in a year. Ground beef prices are up 4.8% and chicken by 5.4%.

These are trends that have been in place for some time.

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by: DemFromCT @ Thu Apr 24, 2008 at 17:19:16 PM UTC

Economic forces strong

DemFromCT,

 Thank you. The article is well thought out and sounds better than ROI of bulk buying for prepping I wrote.

 Cramer on "Mad Money" has said ConAgra is building ethanol plants so they are investing in turning more corn into fuel. More money to be made growing corn than wheat.

 In a conversation with a stock trading friend: "Oil prices go up not because of an earthquake, oil shortage, nor disaster. They climb becuase people still buy and T Boone Pickens says he does not see problems with $150 oil"

 No word on how long this will last. Is it a blib or trend?

 It just makes the whole pandemic thing worse. I can not grow alot of these things at home (rice, beef, coffee, etc)

kobie

 

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by: Kobie @ Thu Apr 24, 2008 at 17:52:13 PM UTC

[ Parent ]

the toilet paper story all over again?

or maybe this will teach everyone a lesson on "going local with food production"?

"Stock up" is easier than "grow your food", I know.  But "grow your food" is not even mentioned.

It may be done without mention.

Thing is, is it being done?  Are we seeing trends in "grow food closer to home"?

You arm yourself to the teeth just in case.  You don't leave the gun near the baby's hand.

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by: lugon @ Thu Apr 24, 2008 at 19:04:25 PM UTC

[ Parent ]

People are starting to grow their own

Articles from the last few days....

Vegetable seed sales increase by 60 per cent as Britons attempt to save money while credit crunch hits
By NEIL SEARS - More by this author » Last updated at 00:18am on 22nd April 2008

Comments Comments

Dig to save: Seed sales are soaring
When the going gets tough, the tough get growing.

Families faced with soaring food bills are reacting by raising more vegetables in their gardens, allotments and even in window boxes.

The result is that vegetable seed sales are outstripping flower seeds for the first time since we were told to Dig for Victory in the Second World War.
http://www.dailymail.co.uk/pag...

and
Demand for seeds increases

Monday, April 21, 2008

WATERVILLE (AP) - The last time Nikos Kavanya saw such a spike in demand for vegetable seeds was in 1999, when survivalists bought up all they could in advance of the catastrophic events some were predicting would come on Jan. 1, 2000.

Back then, many people turned to seed suppliers to prepare for a Y2K computer crash that some thought would wreak havoc on the world, said Kavanya, the seed buyer for Fedco Co-op Garden Supplies. The fears were misguided, and the chaos never occurred.

This time around, the increased demand for seeds comes from rising food prices, said Kavanya. Seed sellers say more people appear ready to plant their own gardens this year in hopes of saving money.
http://www.sunjournal.com/stor...

Life is not so short but that there is always time enough for courtesy. Ralph Waldo Emerson

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by: mojo @ Thu Apr 24, 2008 at 19:14:19 PM UTC

[ Parent ]

Grow Your Own

This not a new article (Feb. 22), but it's a good one.

Cheap eats: Grow your own
By DEAN FOSDICK - For The Associated Press
Americans finding soaring food prices hard to stomach are battling back by growing their own food.

Home vegetable gardens appear to be booming as a result of the twin movements to eat local and pinch pennies. Although the 2008 planting season is still largely in the planning stages, it appears vegetable seed sales will be up significantly from year-ago figures, said Barb Melera, president of D. Landreth Seed Co., in New Freedom, Pa.

[Snip]

Roger Doiron, a gardener and fresh food advocate from Scarborough, Maine, said he turned $85 worth of seeds into more than six months of vegetables for his family of five.

[Snip]

As founding director of Kitchen Gardeners International, a nonprofit group promoting home gardening and healthier food, Doiron pays close attention to pocketbook issues. Food prices, gasoline prices and oil prices are all up sharply com-pared to a year ago, making it more challenging to put a meal on the table, Doiron said.

[Snip]

During World War II, gardens were pitched as an important part of the war effort - by war's end, the victory gardens were turning out 40 percent of the nation's produce, freeing up big farms to supply the troops. And they were important at home in a time of rising food prices and rationing, the Kitchen Gardeners' Doiron said. "Home gardens made the difference between people being well fed and going to bed hungry," he said, adding that the gardens increased consumption of fruits and vegetables to historic highs.

Read the entire article here.

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by: InKy @ Thu Apr 24, 2008 at 21:22:53 PM UTC

[ Parent ]

Fresh Bird Flu Epidemic In Vllage Near Agartala

Story
The laboratory confirmed that the blood and faecal extracts sent from backyard poultry in Tripura were infected with the highly pathogenic H5N1 strain of bird flu virus, which in turn infecting birds in a village, 130 km from the state capital Agartala.

The virus was detached from Kalachari village in Mohanpur block just before it began to cause large scale mortality among birds.

Sources
http://www.topnews.in/fresh-bi...
A second report at:
http://www.thaindian.com/newsp...

note Two sources about same story. 28 Rapid Response Teams (RRT), 5,000 birds culled.  

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by: Kobie @ Thu Apr 24, 2008 at 18:04:53 PM UTC

Location: India (n/t)

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by: AlohaOR @ Thu Apr 24, 2008 at 23:40:46 PM UTC

[ Parent ]

Location, location, location! Thank you AlohaOR. I forgot location. n/t

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by: Kobie @ Fri Apr 25, 2008 at 11:43:00 AM UTC

[ Parent ]

Rice rationing in U.S.

Just back from vacation (Key West again!) so I'm a little behind on things.  Saw the huge t-storm complex while flying by Dallas last night...as much as I love K.W., it was clearly the highlight of my trip LOL

So this story came out about rice being rationed at Costco and Sam's Club.  Not directly BF-related but an obvious concern for preppers.  Man I hate how things are going right now.

http://blogs.reuters.com/shop-...

...Worried that rice prices may soar beyond affordable levels and worried that shortages abroad would be replicated at home, U.S. shoppers began buying up large quantities of rice.

The move caused warehouse club operators Costco and Sam's Club, which sell large bags of the staple item and have lots of small restaurant owners as their customers, to limits sales of rice.

Wal-Mart's Sam's Club warehouse chain said it was limiting sales of 20-pound (9 kg), bulk bags of Jasmine, Basmati, and long grain white rice to four bags per customer per visit, at all of its locations. It cited "recent supply and demand trends."

Costco's CEO Jim Sinegal said he thought the sudden surge in buying was being triggered by constant media reports highlighting food shortages and rising prices. He said the warehouse club was trying not to limits sales of the items...

Meteorologist in Florida!?!  Now we're talkin'!!!

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by: Tempest @ Thu Apr 24, 2008 at 20:37:58 PM UTC

If anyone lives in Dallas

I hope I didn't sound insensitive, I know it had to be scary.  People here who know me here know my fascination with weather goes beyond my common sense sometimes.

Meteorologist in Florida!?!  Now we're talkin'!!!

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by: Tempest @ Thu Apr 24, 2008 at 20:41:26 PM UTC

[ Parent ]

The Chicago weatherman said the storm had 4 1/2" hailstones, like softballs.

"The truth does not change according to our ability to stomach it."  Flannery O'Connor

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by: Jane @ Fri Apr 25, 2008 at 00:38:42 AM UTC

[ Parent ]

Storm Facination

An awful lot of folks who live in tornado alley have the same fascination (or similar at least) with big storms.  We fear them and respect them, but also cannot help but be fascinated by them as well.  When they are at a distance we love to watch them.  When they are right over head, we fear them and run for our storm cellars if the weatherman says there is rotation.  One cannot help but be fascinated by something so powerful.  

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by: Okieman @ Fri Apr 25, 2008 at 02:13:25 AM UTC

[ Parent ]

As an aside, I've had problems with my 20 lb bags of rice getting moldy.

So if anyone has a good method for storing rice safely without this happening would love to hear it.

Always have a plan B.

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by: maryinhawaii @ Fri Apr 25, 2008 at 04:28:35 AM UTC

[ Parent ]

Rice storage

Mary: I have one of those vacuum food sealers that suck air out of heavy duty plastic (food-grade - on rolls) bags you fill with food and seals them. If done right, the moisture and air removal kills/prevents bugs and mold and the rice can be stored for at least two years. The rolls are not cheap ($11 for an 8" x 22 ft roll)but can be reused and the machines cost a little over $100. It works with flour too. I hope that fits your budget.  

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by: INFOMASS @ Fri Apr 25, 2008 at 11:07:01 AM UTC

[ Parent ]

Thanks for the info...I'll check into it! (Better than starving!) n/t

Always have a plan B.

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by: maryinhawaii @ Sat Apr 26, 2008 at 17:35:28 PM UTC

[ Parent ]

Another WSJ article

article:  FDA Uncovers Problems at Merck Vaccine Plant

http://blogs.wsj.com/health/20...

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by: Swann @ Fri Apr 25, 2008 at 07:31:20 AM UTC

Corn and Rice Storage

I posted this on the Peakoil forum the other day.

I must confess in early September 1999, I was bitten by the Y2K Bug.   Before we quite literally lost the farm, I bought whole corn from U.S. Quality Feeds for my livestock.  I decided to put three fifty pound bags up in my utility room.  The room has been under continuous air-conditioning at 76 degrees except for six weeks in 04 when the hurricanes put us in the dark.  I put two bags in a plastic Wal-Mart bin and I put another bag and a fifty pound bag of rice in the second bin.  I stacked the two on top of each other under a window and forgot about them.   Hearing about the rice shortage, I stopped by Albertsons on the way from work and picked up a 20 lb bag of rice.  I thought it might be wise to open the two bins of grain I had in storage and check their condition.  

What I discovered might serve the interest of the group.  The bin with the two bags of corn in it was on bottom and had not been opened since 1999.  For whatever reason, the bin on bottom sitting on the floor had sweated and spoiled.  The bin on top was in perfect condition.  Apparently the fungicide U.S. Quality Feeds uses on its cattle feeds prevents bugs from hatching in either the corn or the rice.

My guess is that the concrete floor went through enough temperature change in our power outages to cause moister to build up in the bottom bin.  The second bin was far enough off the floor not to be affected.

The problem was mold caused by moisture.

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by: cloud9 @ Fri Apr 25, 2008 at 11:00:26 AM UTC

I read something about plastic on concrete being unreliable;

something in the concrete penetrates and maybe ruins the plastic.  How was the bottom side of that bottom bin?  Any holes?  I put my kerosene gallons down on cardboard.

"The truth does not change according to our ability to stomach it."  Flannery O'Connor

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by: Jane @ Fri Apr 25, 2008 at 14:39:52 PM UTC

[ Parent ]

I read that about water storage

that the chemicals in concrete will leach through the plastic into the water, so make sure to put your containers on risers.



All 'safety concerns' are hypothetical.  If not, they'd be called side effects...

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by: SusanC @ Fri Apr 25, 2008 at 20:14:19 PM UTC

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