Human Health and Animal Ethics New Website

A new website has been started, called Human Health and Animal Ethics, which is specifically devoted to the subject of how protecting human health, far from being incompatible with defending animal interests in certain areas, is actually perfectly compatible with it.

This is because the main areas of animal exploitation, i.e. animal experimentation and animal farming for food, are those in which human health also suffers from those forms of abuse of animals.

Meat is generally bad for human health, whereas a vegetarian nutrition is the healthiest, as medical bodies and health authorities will tell you.

Similarly, the method of testing drugs and other substances for human use on other animals and of studying human diseases on animals has been consistently proven throughout the decades to be lacking of predictive value, extremely unreliable and therefore highly dangerous for human health, when its results are transferred to human beings.

This is why the tagline of Human Health and Animal Ethics is Ending animal abuse can seriously benefit your health.

2010 Ashbourne Shrovetide Football videos now online, Watch Tuesdays game here.

I have finally managed to edit together my clips from this years Tuesday game

Video Part 1 of 2:


Video Part 2 of 2:

Ashbourne Shrovetide Football, Tuesday 16th. Video footage will appear soon.

I have just got back from todays Ashbourne Shrovetide football game. I have never seen so many people turn out for a Shrovetide game.

I took this photograph at 13:41 outside the Green Man Royal hotel where the crowd can be seen wating for the ball to emerge. (see my Shrovetide map for the ball parade route)





Patrick McLoughlin threw the ball into the crowd at exactly 14:03:28 GMT
It was bitterly cold and was snowing quite heavy when the ball was on Sturston Road.
When I left the game the ball had entered a tunnel next to Somerfield where it ran under the Shawcroft car park !

No one really knew where the ball was until it emerged at the other end of the tunnel near the Duck pond on Park Road. It was extreamly muddy around the Duck Pond. This was the first time I had seen the game actually take place under the car park, must be pitch black in there.

A goal was eventully scored by Kevin Clarke for the Downards at 6:27 at the Clifton goal.

Watch this space as I will soon be posting a video of todays game in HD (720p) quality. May be a few days as I will have to look at all the video clips, then edit them together, then render the final movie in sony Vegas 9 then upload it.

If you are planning on going to Wednesdays game then you may find my Shrovetide Guide Map of use and also my last blog post about the 2010 Ashbourne Shrovetide Football Game.

2010 Ashbourne Shrovetide HD Video coming soon, keep an eye out for it.

Update Saturday 20th, Videos now live :

2010 Ashbourne Shrovetide Football - Part 1 of 2

2010 Ashbourne Shrovetide Football - Part 2 of 2

Andy

Stray dog frustration

This is the second time in as many weeks that I've had a call from someone who's found a stray dog. By law stray dogs are the responsibility of the local council and should be reported to their dog warden, but there's no guarante of cover unless the dog is found between 9 and 5 on a weekday.

Until a few months ago, the main police station in central Cambridge used to hold dogs overnight and over the weekend, but that seems to have been stopped, although the council website is still advising people to contact the police about stray dogs.

"If you find a dog in the evening or at the weekend, you should contact Cambridgeshire Police on 08454 564564.

You may be asked to take the dog to the police at Parkside police station, if you are able to do so safely."

and the police website still says that Parkside police station will accept dogs when no dog warden is available.

Ashbourne Shrovetide Football, Tuesday 16th, Wednesday 17th February 2010.

This photograph is one I took at Tuesdays game of the ball being presented to the crowd by Patrick McLoughlin.

Its that time of year again when the maddest game of football in the world takes place in Ashbourne Derbyshire.

Ashbourne in Derbyshire is host to one of the Oldest Shrovetide football games in England.


It was first recorded in 1682, though thought to date back to the 12th Century ,various attempts were made to suppress it over the years.

It has continued unabated ever since, and by 1928 it had become so respectable that the then Prince of Wales was invited to start the game. From that year on it was known as the Royal Shrovetide Football game.

The Game is played annually on Shrove Tuesday and Ash Wednesday, and consists of two teams, one from anyone born to the North of the River Henmore, and one from people born South of the river, these are known as Upards and Downards.

The Goals are on the sites of Old mills, one at Clifton and one at Sturston, these are three miles apart.
A goal is scored by a player striking the mill wheel three times with the Ball.

The ball may be kicked, carried or thrown, but generally proceeds in a series of hugs invisible to the spectator. The game can last for many hours, finishing well after dark.

The game starts at 2pm in the afternoon, when a specially prepared ball - larger than a football and filled with cork which weighs around 4lbs is thrown in by a visiting guest of honor. The balls used for the Shrovetide games are made by Ashbourne man John Harrison who is turning up the ball this year.
The hand sewn leather balls are filled with cork chippings.
The balls are a work of art and take a few weeks to paint.

Rules
If the balls are goaled, then it will become the proud possession of the person who has goaled it. If no-one goals it, then the person that turned-up the ball gets to take it home.
The game starts in the Shawcroft Carpark (back of Somerfield supermarket), See my detailed map lower down.
I have provided a detailed interactive Shrovetide map lower down in this post which will enable you to see all the key points of the playing field which 3 miles between the two goals at Sturston and Clifton.

Ashbourne Royal Shrovetide Football is something that you just have to see to belive your eyes.




Here is a video I made of the game last year to give you an idea of what its like :



This year the game takes place on 16th and 17th of February.
On Tuesday Derbyshire MP Patrick McLoughlin will be turning up the ball at 2.00pm. And on Wednesday John Harrison who has been making Ashbourne Shrovetide balls for the last 20 years will have the honour.




I have lots of photographs and several videos from past games that you can view :

Photographs:
Photographs from the 2008 Ashbourne Shrovetide Football game.

Photographs from the 2007 Ashbourne Shrovetide Football game.

Photographs from the 2006 Ashbourne Shrovetide Football game.

Photographs from the 2004 Ashbourne Shrovetide Football game.

Photographs from the 2002 Ashbourne Shrovetide Footbal game.


Videos:
Video footage from the 2007 Ashbourne Shrovetide Footaball game.

Extra video footage from the 2007 Ashbourne Shrovetide Football game.

I will post my 2010 Ashbourne Shrovetide Football video this Friday, so subscribe to my Youtube channel if you don't want to miss it.

I have created an interactive map which shows all the key points in the game such as the turning up plinth where the ball is thrown, the two goals and the Henmore which is what determines if you are a Upard or a Downard, Click the link below the map for a large view of all the points of interest :

View Ashbourne Shrovetide Football game map. in a larger map

In 2011 The Ashbourne Shrovetide Football game will take place on Tuesday 8th March 2011 and Wednesday 9th March 2011. Jim Boden from Cubley and Frank Lomas from Kniveton will be starting the 2011 games.
Put these dates in your Diary.

Worse and worse...

Three calls asking for help with the cost of treatment at private vets today. One I didn't feel that bad about as the owner knew about our clinic and had had the dog in question for several years, so there's no real excuse for not getting him registered. I'm reasonably happy that she did get the dog to the private vet and, while it may have left her painfully short of cash, nothing awful is going to happen because we couldn't help her.

One I felt very bad about — a hamster which had been dropped and almost certainly had a damaged spine, as he was dragging his back legs. In that situation there would be little that a vet could do other than put the hamster to sleep, and it's debateable whether spending £100 to get that done this evening rather than wait until the morning would be a good use of charity funds even if we could afford it. Still, in an ideal world this is something that wouldn't be delayed, even though spinal injuries aren't usually painful.

The third was one of those situations that really make you despair: a couple with twelve dogs, six of them not vaccinated, one with a litter of puppies. Last week one of the un-vaccinated dogs developed parvo-virus and was put to sleep. Today, the bitch with the puppies had diarrhoea with blood in it, which is one of the symptoms of parvo-virus infection. If she'd been registered at our clinic she could have been seen as an emergency — although even then there's a very limited amount that could be done to improve her chances. All I could suggest was that the owner should speak to the vet who treated the first sick dog to at least get some advice, and then take the bitch to our clinic on Tuesday (leaving her in the car so that she didn't mix with any of the other dogs).

How to share large files across the world for free using dropbox, Upto 2Gb

I recently needed to send a large HD timelapse video to someone in Chicago, The file was over 250Mb so what options are available to achieve this? burn to a CD or a usb flash drive and post it but this takes too long.

The answer to the problem is http://www.dropbox.com/

This is a website that allows you to share files with people you choose to share them with. Your files are synced with “the cloud”. It acts like a regular folder on your PC. You can manage files within this folder just like elsewhere on your machine (add, edit, copy, and delete them) and changes will be automatically synced to Dropbox’s storage system.

You simply install the software and within minutes you are able to share files with anyone around the globe.

You get 2GB of online storage for free, with up to 100GB available to paying customers, Sync files of any size or type, Transfers will correctly resume where they left off if the connection drops, Shared folders allow several people to collaborate on a set of files, you can undelete files with 30 days of undo history.
Files uploaded via the web site are limited to a maximum of 300 MB per file but there is no limit on filesize for files uploaded via the desktop shared folder.
It uses SSL transfers and stores the data via AES-256 encryption.

There is even a free app for the iPhone that lets you sync files with dropbox and your iPhone.

I think this is a useful service for anyone that wants to share large files with individuals and a lot simpler to use than a BitTorrent client as a method of sharing files.

Hope you find this website of use.
Andy

The Good Life?

We periodically get requests to take in pigs and chickens (particularly cockerels which have caused fallings-out with neighbours), so I hope this is not a portent of things to come.

RTFM (or better, get personal advice from an expert, such as a vet), applies even more to living things than to computers.



They'd mostly be better advised to stick to fruit and veg (although my Mum says growing your own doesn't actually produce cheaper produce; just fresher and tastier; and the real benefit is the exercise you get).

And a quick plug for local rabbit (as pets, not potential lunch!) and gardening expert, Twigs Way's latest book, Allotment and Guarden Guide, a historical study of the wartime "Dig for Victory" campaign.

Derby's No1 night dedicated entirely to music from the 80s, 1st Saturday of the month.

WeLuv80s at the Metro Bar on Albert Street, Derby.

Are you a fan of 80s music? Well did you know there is a bar in Derby where you can enjoy an entire night of music from the 1980s (8pm to 2am).
The welove80s nights take place on the first Saturday of the month.
So the next 80s night is on Saturday 6th March, put it in your diary now so you don't forget.

For more information on the dedicated 80s night please visit their website : http://www.weluv80s.com/

They have a page on Facebook, so why not add them as a friend : weluv80s Facebook.
If you love 80s music get yourself along to the next 80s night, you will love it.

Last nights 80s set included tracks from Adam and the Ants, Depeche Mode, Duran Duran, Dead or alive, Spandau Ballet, Belinda Carlisle, chaka khan, Paul Hardcastle, Frankie goes to Hollywood, Gary Numan, New Order, Go West, Human League, Pet Shop Boys, Heaven 17, Human League, The Smiths, Blancmange, Blondie, Martha And The Muffins, Michael Jackson, Ultravox, Wham, Simple Minds, Visage, Teardrop Explodes, Talk Talk, Kraftwerk, Madness, The Beat, The Specials.
Any many more, far too many to remember, all classic 80s tracks.

So stop playing Jet Set Willy that you bought from First Byte computers in the Main Centre, unplug your ZX Spectrum pop your Rubik's Cube into your C5 and get pedling into town to enjoy the best selection of 80s music Derby has to offer!

If you are interested in a bit of history about this pub then read on...
This pub has had many different names over the years. The building dates from 1848 and was called The George and Dragon, In 1872 it was renamed the Kings Head. In 1878 it was renamed The Central. In 1939 it was renamed back to The George and Dragon (Click here to see) and incorporated the building next door (as you can clearly see by looking at the Metro Bar today). In 1989 it closed and looked like it was going to be demolished for shops but ended up reopening as The Central Vaults in 1992. In 1997 it was renamed The Tap House, since 2002 it has become The Metro Bar.

Map location for the 80s night at the Metro Bar :


View WeLuv80s at The Metro Bar, Derby. in a larger map

P.S. They have now also started a dedicated 80s night at another Derby pub, This one is at The Slug and Lettuce pub on Irongate and takes place on the LAST Saturday of the month with 80s music played from 9pm-2am !
So the next 80s night is on Saturday 27th February 2010.

Do you remember Derby's Pubs in the 80s?
Did you see UB 40, Thomson Twins, Culture Club, Spandau Ballet, Human League and Soft Cell perform at The Blue Note on Sadlergate in the early 1980s?

Andy

RSPCA Week 2010 26th April to 2nd May

Register an interest in volunteering with us

How to test any suspicious file for viruses using every virus checker for free.

Website review : Virustotal
Do you have a virus checker running on your system and is it up to date?
Do you trust it 100%, well here is a useful website I found that allows you to upload any suspicious file you may have on your system and it will then test that file using pretty much every virus checker that you have ever heard of and show you the results for each virus engine.

The website is : http://www.virustotal.com/

In my example here I have uploaded a small Visual Basic program that I compiled using Microsoft Visual Basic a few years ago. Because I compiled this while at College I did not trust that the file was clean even though my Norton Antivirus 2010 said it was ok. So I used this website to check it using the many virus checkers it has. As you can see they all show that the file is safe.

It currently checks your file using the following virus checkers..
a-squared, AhnLab, AntiVir, Antiy, Authentium, Avast, AVG, BitDefender, CAT-QuickHeal, ClamAV, Comodo, DrWeb, eSafe, eTrust-Vet, F-Prot,
F-Secure, Fortinet, GData, Ikarus, Jiangmin, K7AntiVirus, Kaspersky, McAfee, McAfee+Artemis, McAfee-GW-Edition, Microsoft, NOD32, Norman, nProtect, Panda, PCTools, Prevx, Rising, Sophos, Sunbelt, TheHacker, TrendMicro, VBA32, ViRobot and VirusBuster.

The size of the file you can upload is limited to less 20Mb.
Of course this is not an alternative to having an up to date branded antivirus program running on your system at all times, but it is very handy if you have a file that you are not 100% happy with.
A very handy tool.

How to save lots of money on Antivirus Software.
If you want to buy Antivirus software then my advice is that you buy an OEM version, this means you get the software in a paper sleeve rather than a shiny box and it will save you a lot of money.
For example if you go into PC World you will pay £34.99 for Norton Antivirus 2010, but if you get an OEM version of Norton from Amazon then it will only cost £10.90 even though its exactly the same item.
I don't think many people realise that you can get OEM (sometimes refered to as System Builder software).
You will save a lot of money with OEM.



Hope you find this website useful.
Andy