Microgreens Experiment

As part of my "lose it to gain it" plan I'm working on, I need to eat more vegetables (not that I don't eat a lot anyway - I'd gladly become a vegetarian if meat wasn't so god-damned tasty) and more importantly, more vegetables that offer a high nutritional content.  So, microgreens!

What are microgreens?  Sprouts.  Basically.  Well, kinda.  Microgreens includes the salad greens and leafy vegetables as well as herbs and edible flowers.  And sprouts.  Microgreens includes a variety of edible, yet immature greens harvested up to a month after planting.  You eat not only the first proper set of leaves, but also the stems and even the seed leaves (cotyledons).

So, basically, I want to grow these in a quantity and format that there is enough to eat every day in various forms.

Day 1
So, to do this I went to a garden shop (in this case, just to Bunnings as they were open at 5:45pm one evening) and bought some seeds (shown below) as well as some 5L plastic containers.  I then decided to use the 5L containers to store stuff in - such as the unused seeds and potting mix - and use takeaway food containers (of which I have a half dozen or so - Fred's chicken necks come in these) instead.

As I had some left over potting mix downstairs, I wet that with water from the fish tank, put about 2cm in the bottom of each food container then sprinkled the seeds I wanted on top of this potting mix.  Some places suggest soaking the seeds overnight - I didn't do this but if there is a less than stellar result from this first attempt, may try that.

I then covered the seeds with a thin layer of dry potting mix and put the covers on the container to keep the moisture in.

I then placed the containers on the verandah where they get a reasonable amount of afternoon sun (except on a day like today when it is heavily overcast and rainy).  You can also see the sweet basil and coriander (cilantro) growing in pots - Pete and Linda kindly donated these to my collection. :)  For those people who hate coriander, you're wrong! :)

I will spray these containers each day with a spray bottle filled with pre-pooed-in fish tank water (fish poo, not Outspoken Wookie poo - that would be gross).  In a few days I should see the seeds starting to germinate and then a week or two after that I should have a decent crop.  We'll see...  I'll then work out how long they take to grow and what sort of harvest I get and work out how many more containers I will need in a rotation and how often I will need to set a rotation off.  :)

Update: Day 6

I've left the containers inside until around lunch time today.  They seeds have germinated quite nicely and I'll now leave the lids off and leave them all on the verandah during the day and bring them into the kitchen at night so they can receive early morning sun.  Looking good so far! :)  The basil and coriander are also coming along nicely.

Update: Day 7

I thought I'd take a closer photo this time - they seem to be doing well - the "D" container did have fewer seeds in it to begin with and the result shows that. They are all looking quite decent and I'll leave them another few days and see how they look before I start sampling them. :)

Update: Day 10

OK, so I think I could call this a success.  The "D" packet (Kale, Cabbage Red and Pea Morgan) may need a little more loving, else I will drop it and try something else later.  Maybe I didn't sprinkle enough seeds?  Aside from that, the rest look good - especially the "B" packet - the Hot & Spicy Mix of Radish, Radish Red Arrow, Kale Red Russian and Broccoli.  Now, how did this experiment know that this is the one of the four I was most interested in?  :)  I'd like the Alfalfa to be a little heavier next time, too.    But all up, I'll call this a successful first attempt with a little tweaking needed to get it to a regular production level for myself. :)

I will add another update or two here and then see how long it takes me to eat through this lot.  I'll start another batch probably on Monday next week (it is Friday now).  This will let me see how many sets I need to have in a rotation to keep this all at a satisfactory level.

Regards,

The Outspoken Wookie

Medical Woo-Woo Shits Me

Anyone who knows me knows that I'm not a fan of medical woo-woo.  So, to help people understand what these quasi-medical woo-woo terms mean, here's a Patient's Guide to Magical Medicine.

And in case someone is looking for the other common term for these practices, it is "SCAM" as in Supplements, Complementary and Alternative Medicine.

Regards,

The Outspoken Wookie

Speaking of Nom, Nom

I'm staying in St Kilda, which is nice.  There's a tram stop just about outside the hotel door, the Medina Executive Apartments room is quite good, the air conditioning is working well and there are quite a few good coffee joints within easy walking distance.

Speaking of walking distance, Phil Kent and I put in quite a bit of that on Friday afternoon. :)

The Australian Skeptics National Convention has been going well and the final day today looks to continue being well worth attending.  I've met some good, fun, skeptical people and look forward to meeting yet more. :)

I'll be having a chat with Linus from BackupAssist tomorrow about some of the exciting new products he and his crew are working on.

The Secular Party of Australia is having a Victorian Branch meeting tomorrow night at Sale e Pepe Italian Restaurant that I'll be attending which should be good, especially considering the Royal Commission into child sex abuse that Julia Gillard has finally (been forced) to call for.  Having a proper separation of church and State in Australia will ensure we never again treat these church organisations (and other NGOs) as anything special - we need to ensure that we treat our children with the utmost respect and care, unlike has been the case in the past, particularly in the catholic church.


Regards,

The Outspoken Wookie

Nom, Nom

I dropped in to the Central Coast on my way down to the Australian Skeptics National Convention and was treated to home made pizza and salad for dinner. The salad had a little something in it I had never tried before, pumpkin pieces baked in coconut oil, which gave the whole salad a lift!

'Twas quite nommy and as we all know, nommy and healthy is a rare combo...  :)

Regards,

The Outspoken Wookie

Government Wins Plain Packaging Battle Against Big Tobacco

Congratulations to the Australian Federal Government who today won their High Court battle with Big Tobacco.  The High Court of Australia has deemed that the Federal Labor Government's "Plain Packaging" legislation is Constitutionally valid.

This is not only a win for the Government, but also for the health of the Australian population in general.  Let's hope this encourages New Zealand and the United Kingdom as well as other countries to go down a similar path.

More at: http://www.smh.com.au/opinion/political-news/big-tobacco-loses-high-court-battle-over-plain-packaging-20120815-247kz.html

Regards,

The Outspoken Wookie

Another Catholic Bishop Likes Slippery Slope Fallacies

Bishop Hugh Gilbert of Aberdeen, who claims "As Bishop of Aberdeen, I know there are gay people among the community of the Church. I promise I will always respect and love them and uphold them in their relationship with the God who loves them. But I won’t marry them. It just can’t be done." seems to have a penchant for slippery slopes - maybe he really wanted a Slip 'n' Slide as a kid.

He questioned why, if Scotland treated its citizens all equally and therefore allowed gay people to get married, this equality would not extend to “nieces who genuinely, truly love their uncles” and why men could not have two wives.  This is the exact same slippery slope fallacy that was treated with the respect it deserved when Tony Jones threw to Jeremy Marou and after he stopped laughing, he said "That is the most... weirdest question I've ever heard!" and left it at that.

Now, with the history the Catholic Church has with immorality and their support for paedophile priests in preference to the children who they have raped, I don't know how anyone can take any Catholic priest of any level seriously - and it seems that the higher the level that a priest achieves in the Catholic church, the more involved they become with protecting the paedophile priests from prosecution by the laws of the land in which their priests have raped their parishoner's children.

Earlier this year in Australia, confidential police reports detailed 40 suicides of people who had previously been abused by Catholic clergy.  There are many more known cases in other reports.  The church knew about this and had attempted to keep this information quiet.  This is abhorrent and indicative of an institution that has no self control and no ability whatsoever to self-regulate.  What's even worse is that the church continues to try and keep this information private even though there's a huge outcry in Australia for a full investigation into how the Catholic church operates regarding its paedophile priests.

And in case you think George Pell is completely clear, have a read of this article.

Currently, evidence about three of the Catholic Church's most senior priests is being referred to the NSW Director of Public Prosecutions for possible charges.

So, while the Catholic church continues to rape children and support hiding this information about these heinous crimes from the parishioners and the authorities, they think they have the right to question governments' calls for treating all people fairly when it comes to gay rights.  How can the Catholic church hold any sway in a moral society?


Regards,

The Outspoken Wookie

The Best Birth Control In The World Is For Men

"If I were going to describe the perfect contraceptive, it would go something like this: no babies, no latex, no daily pill to remember, no hormones to interfere with mood or sex drive, no negative health effects whatsoever, and 100 percent effectiveness. The funny thing is, something like that currently exists."  Oh, and it is easily reversible, too!

Please go here to read more about this. :)

Regards,

The Outspoken Wookie

Vibrams FiveFingers

OK, so I've known about the Vibrams FiveFingers range (well, some of it) for some time and know a few people who have some and quite like them, but it wasn't until I recently posted in Facebook that my physio recommended that I buy some supportive, anti-pronation shoes to help my recently (2011-10-23) badly sprained ankle that I actually considered buying some.  And if it wasn't for a friend suggesting that I look at them, I'd have totally forgotten about them!

So, as Joanne suggested I take a look at these instead of buying "normal" shoes, I did just that.  And I'm glad I did.  The exclusive Australian distributor for Vibrams products is Barefootinc, and right now they are at the end of a sale on some of their line, so now was a perfect time to make the leap.

I decided to buy a pair of Mocs for around the house, mainly in winter when it *does* get just a little chilly here in Brisbane.  They'll also be great when I'm staying in a hotel somewhere.  I also bought a pair of Sprints to walk in as I need to get back into walking a few afternoons a week to help get rid of a few(1) extra kilos and also to start strengthening my ankle now I can walk on it sans crutches and heavy strapping.

I've been wearing the Mocs for most of the past week since they arrived and find them to be quite nice.  They have a soft, kangaroo leather upper which appeals to me - I eat a lot of roo anyway, so walking around in the carcasses of my conquests seems only fair.  (Please note, I buy my roo pre-packaged in plastic.)  As they are designed exclusively for indoor use - they don't have the same soles as the majority of the Vibrams range - I've been wearing them mainly indoors and also out to the car/bin, but not out on the footpath or road.  I can see these being well used as time goes by...

I only received my Sprints on Thursday and wore them last night when a mate and I went to Nandos for some excellent Portugese chicken (much better than that sub-par Oporto stuff).  I wandered around a bit in them and was pretty happy with the way they seemed to alter my standing/walking posture and also they felt good to walk in.

This evening I took the Sprints for a walk around some fairly flat streets (until my ankle's strong enough, I'm keeping clear of the hills I normally encounter on my walks).  I was quite comfortable walking in them and was impressed with how "natural" they felt when walking.  OK, let me just say that unless I'm on a client site I'm generally always barefooted around home and the office and have been for many, many years.  I don't hate shoes, I just prefer to be barefooted.  So wearing the Sprints when walking felt like I wasn't wearing shoes (which I wasn't in the traditional sense) and really did feel good.

I walked for about 50 minutes and probably about 30 - 35 minutes into the walk I decided to walk on the grass beside the footpath and see how my ankle handled the uneven surface, which has been a HUGE issue over the past few weeks.  Well, I can report that in the Vibrams Sprints, my ankle felt fine - both on the footpath and on the grass/uneven surface.  I even considered walking a bit further but the rain was just starting to fall and I decided that I'd prefer to keep my phone dry and head out again tomorrow.

So, with the way I feel my standing/walking posture improve when wearing these VFF Sprints and the fact that they are extremely comfortable to walk in, I'm now considering a pair of black KSOs a size or so larger so I can wear them with Injinji socks (also from Barefootinc) to replace my normal shoes (Adidas runners that actually feel pretty good for regular shoes) most of the time.


(1) Well, OK, a few more than a few(2)
(2) And maybe a few more than that

Regards,

The Outspoken Wookie

Human Dignity Campaigner Dr Jack Kevorkian Dies At 83

The well known campaigner for human dignity, Dr Jack Kevorkian, died on Friday 3 June, 2011 in Michigan, after being admitted to hospital suffering from kidney and respiratory problems.  Dr Kevorkian had spent many years of his life dedicated to allowing humans to die with dignity when their death would otherwise be unavoidably painful and messy.  He spent 8 years in a Michigan jail for these "crimes against humanity" as some have called this compassionate exercise.

I've always wondered why we can afford a level of dignity to our pets and other animals that we legislate against for humans - it makes no sense to me.  Oregon seems to have seen the sense in allowing humans to die with some dignity and have, thanks to the efforts of Dr Kevorkian (and others), enacted the Death With Dignity Act which protects assisted suicide as a legitimate medical practice.

There's a difference between being alive and not being dead and maybe this is time to reflect on what this difference actually is, out of respect for the one man who brought this to the attention of the law makers.


Regards,

The Outspoken Wookie

What to drink in this heat?

Aside from plain old water (which is quite acceptable as a drink), here's some comparisons for some drinks you may be looking at on a hot day.

(NOTE: Not all drinks are available in the same sized package, so to be fair I've used the standard "Average Quantity per 100mL" figures on the Nutritional Information Panel of each product for this comparison.  Please also note that a number of these drinks also contain other nutritional information that I haven't included here purely for table width constraints.  Finally, the RDI figures I use are probably as accurate (see also here) as those used on various products and are for an "average adult" which many people are not, so your personal RDI may well vary from this figure.)

The reason I did this is because I was amazed at the amount of sugar in Gatorade and Staminade (and likely Powerade) which I usually drink one of and then a water.  I'd likely be better off drinking a Coke Zero and having a handful of apricots and prunes now that bananas are off the store shelves (or there at CRAZY prices)!  :)

	Energy kJ	Protein g	Tot Fat g	Sat Fat g	Carbs g	Sugar g	Fibre g	Sodium mg	Potassium mg
Recommended Daily Intake (Avg Adult)	8700	50	70	24	310	90	30	2300	3800
Water (Mount Franklin, Still)	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	5	0
Water (Schweppes Soda)	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	5	0
Mizone (Passionfruit)	49	0	0	0	2.8	2.8	0	< 5	0
Gatorade (Orange Ice)	103	0	0	0	6	6	0	51	22.5
Staminade (Lemon Lime)	106	0	0	0	6.1	6.1	0	37.7	18.4
Nutrient Water Endurance - Ribose & Ginseng	85	0	0	0	5	5	-	0	-
Coca Cola	180	0	0	0	10.6	10.6	0	10	0
Coke Zero	1.4	.05	0	0	0.1	0	0	11	0
Diet Coke	2	.05	0	0	0.1	0	0	15	0
Pepsi	175	0	0	0	55	55	0	60	0
Pepsi Max	2.5	0.1	0	0	0	0	0	14	0
Lemonade (Schweppes)	196	0	0	0	11.3	11.3	0	15	-
Fanta	194	0.1	0.1	0	11.3	11.3	0	5	-
Bundaberg Pink Grapefruit	192	< 1	< 1	< 1	11.3	11.3	-	9	-
Mother (Lemon Bite)	197	0	0	0	10.5	10.5	0	52	-
Red Bull	96	0	0	0	5.7	5.4	0	40	-
Red Bull (Sugar Free)	7	0	0	0	0	0	0	40	-
V (Green)	195	< 1	0	0	10.6	10.6	0	110	-
V (Sugarfeee)	6.4	0	0	0	< 0.1	< 0.1	0	50.6	-
Berri Apricot Nectar 25% Fruit Drink	231	< 1	< 1	0	13.8	13.4	0	8	-
Berri Apple Mango Banana Juice	189	< 1	< 1	0	10.5	10.2	0.2	8	-
Coles Lite Milk (UHT)	199	3.1	1.5	1.0	5.0	5.0	0	49	-
Fat Yak (4.7% alc)	169	0	0	0	3.4	0	0	0	-
Pure Blonde Naked (3.5% alc)	109	0	0.1	0	1.1	0	0	-	-
Pure Blonde Platinum (4.6% alc)	138	0	0	0	1.4	0	0	-	-
Pure Blonde Premium (4.6% alc)	125	0	0	0	0.9	0	0	-	-
Toohey's Extra Dry (5% alc)	161	0	0	0	2.5	0	0	-	-
Toohey's Old (4.4% alc)	156	0	0	0	3	0	0	-	-
XXXX Bitter (4.6% alc)	152	0	0	0	2.7	0	0	-	-
XXXX Bitter Light 2.3% alc)	99	0	0	0	2.6	0	0	-	-
XXXX Gold (3.5% alc)	120	0	0	0	1.9	0	0	-	-
Jim Beam White & Cola (5% alc)	209	0	0	0	6	6	0	-	-
Wild Turkey & Dry (8% alc)	332	0	0	0	7.9	0	0	-	-

Regards,

The Outspoken Wookie

Crank Chiropractor and Crank Power Balance Bracelets

Back on 23rd December, 2010 I blogged about the ACCC finally forcing Power Balance Australia to remove false/misleading claims about any enhancements that their rubber band offers.  Now, I wonder if Matt Bateman - a chiropractor that went on air to state that he saw a 500% increase in the strength of his "patients" who wore this - will now retract this statement that all claimed enhancements of this product have been proved false and have been retracted by Power Balance Australia?

Regards,

The Outspoken Wookie

Power Wristbands A Crock

Now, as hard to believe as it is, a rubber band around your wrist doesn't help your strength, balance nor flexibility (but it does give a healthy increase to the bank balance of the company who were (up until recently) promoting this with false claims.

The ACCC has finally ordered Power Balance Australia to cease marketing its wristbands with any claims of enhancement - Choice spoke to Power Band Australia some time back, but only now have they been forced not only to take down the misleading claims, but to pay back anyone who feels they have been mislead by the totally baseless claims about these rubber bands.

Good to see some sanity creeping into the faux health product market!

(Update: This was just posted on the Gizmodo site.)

Regards,

The Outspoken Wookie

US Republicans: 911 First Responders Can Stay Hurting

What happened on 9/11 in NYC was bad. We *ALL* know that. And what the first responders did was *AWESOME*. We all know that, too. Well, so I thought...

The US Government is trying to do the right thing - they are trying to allow the 9/11 First Responders to have access to health care.  It seems that the Republican Party think that allowing those people who put their lives on the line to save as many people from the WTC towers disaster to have access to health care (as in reimbursed costs if they are suffering a condition that was caused by their work during the attack) i ssomething that they don't want to support - and to prove this, EVERY SINGLE REPUBLICAN CONGRESS MEMBER voted against allowing these people access to health care.

That's downright disgusting.

And what's probably equally as bad is that Fox News is reporting this failure to pass legislation without mentioning that every Rep Congress member voted against it - how could the totally biased, right-wing, Fox network say anything bad about their beloved Republican Party, even if it *is* a fact?  :(

Regards,

The Outspoken Wookie

We Should All Be Disgusted At Canada

Asbestos kills.  Everyone with access to a television or newspaper or radio or especially the Internet over the past 20 or more years knows this.  Canada realises this, yet wants to open a new mine and ship their lethal asbestos to developing nations in Asia - where people don't have access to the same health and legal systems they do in developed nations such as Canada.

This is disgusting and is something that should make all people who read this feel sick (at least morally, if not physically).  Canada is clearly trading human lives for cash here - this is abhorrent.

Read more at ABC News.


Regards,

The Outspoken Wookie

Get Back On Your Bike

OK, so I've finally listened to myself and I got back on my bike.  I recently bought an Elite Crono Fluid Elastogel trainer from Wiggle.co.uk.  Even with freight (which cost AU$104), it was $150 cheaper than buying one locally.  Which is fucking insane, if you ask me!

So, I've cleared out more crap in the back room, mounted the bike on this and a CycleOps Riser Block and am starting (slowly) to get back in the saddle.  There's a bit more crap I need to clear out of this room and that's happening.  And the crap around the office is making a serious march binward (and organizedward - not that that these are real words, but you get my drift...)

As the bike has been sitting, gathering dust for so long I probably should take it in and get a good service done on it, get it all re-aligned and rocking and rolling so that I don't have to worry too much about gumming up anything important.  Actually, I may take it in tomorrow night as it is late night trading.  Better to be safe than sorry...


Regards,

The Outspoken Wookie

Do You Want Your Child To Become A Scientologist

Well if not - and what sane, caring parent would - then have a read of this article which may well be cause for concern.  These nutbags should be kept well away from children - nothing they do is good.

Regards,

The Outspoken Wookie

Walkin'... by myself...

Sorry, that was totally uncalled for.

Well, after unsuccessfully talking myself out of being lazy (after I said to Robert Crane that I'd go for a walk while he sits and eats some of the chocolate he received as his Spotlight Session thankyou gift), I asked Ben for some podcast ideas, and he suggested iTunesU.  I don't have iTunes installed anywhere here, but am going to run it in a virtual machine when I get a few minutes to spare.  So I looked around a bit more and came across Armed with Science which had a number of interesting podcasts available, so I downloaded and listened to Episode #20: Carbon Nanotubes -- From Super Molecules and Super Computers to Super Strong Fibers and also Episode #28: Designing Intelligent Braces and Exoskeletons to Facilitate Walking After Paralysis during my 6km walk this evening.

Why podcasts?  Well, walking bores me shitless.  Totally.  Utterly.  Completely.  And I've tried walking with music, but it didn't help.  So I thought I'd try podcasts.  And it works quite well.  I can walk, listen and learn at the same time.  And I can learn stuff I normally wouldn't spend the time sitting in front of the computer listening to - such as things about the design of intelligent exoskeleton braces to help paralysed people stand and walk.  That's right - I can learn *cool shit*.  :)

I think I'll listen to Episode #1: Atomic Time and the Master Clock of the Naval Observatory and Episode #8: Earth Orientation Parameters for Geopositioning tomorrow morning.

So, if anyone knows of any interesting podcast sites, please let me know!  :)

Regards,

The Outspoken Wookie

Way to go, Mike!

Many of us have dreamed of this but few of us will achieve this dream. Mike has managed to do what many of us won't ever achieve. We should all stop and admire him, have a beer in his honor and strive to achieve greatness as he has!

Regards,

The Outspoken Wookie

H1N1 Influenza Strain 09 (Swine Flu)

In case anyone is interested, I'm regularly updating my original Swine Flu post with the current stats. I'll keep doing it for a while, at least.

Regards,

The Outspoken Wookie

Swine Flu

The WHO (and similar agencies) NEVER raise the level of threat of any contaigen without having good reason - we all know of the boy who cried wolf! Sure, they don't always get it right, but who does? They are pretty good with their knowledge of pathogen spread.

And then comes along Swine Flu. The threat levels have been raised, and it seems now that this was for good reason.

(Update: 11 June, 2009:

This announcement by the WHO to raise its global pandemic alert recognises the continuing spread of the virus around the world but it also acknowledges that at this time the H1N1 Influenza 09 is a moderate disease.

WHO Phase 6 is characterised by community level outbreaks in at least one other country in a different WHO region (from the source country). It indicates there is sustained human to human, community level transmission.

Designation of this phase indicates that a global pandemic is underway and that it is no longer possible to contain the virus in a particular geographical area.

The WHO recognises that globally there is good reason to believe that the pandemic, at least in its early stages, will be of moderate severity but that, as we know from experience, the severity of the pandemic can vary from one country to another. The WHO will continue to monitor the situation quite closely.

)

On May 9 2009 the first case of Swine Flu was recorded in Australia. 20 days later there's now 103 confirmed cases. As far as I can tell, the growth has been like this:

Date	No. Cases	No. Deaths	Comment
May 08, 2009	0	0	No confirmed cases
May 09, 2009	1	0	First confirmed case (via USA)
May 20, 2009	5	0
May 21, 2009	10	0	First human-human transmission in .au
May 22, 2009	11	0
May 24, 2009	16	0
26 May, 2009	31	0
27 May, 2009	66	0
28 May, 2009	103	0
28 May, 2009	147	0
29 May, 2009	168	0
30 May, 2009	254	0
31 May, 2009	297	0
01 Jun, 2009	401	0
02 Jun, 2009	501	0
03 Jun, 2009	633	0
04 Jun, 2009	876	0
05 Jun, 2009	1006	0
07 Jun, 2009	1051	0
08 Jun, 2009	1207	0
09 Jun, 2009	1211	0
10 Jun, 2009	1263	0
11 Jun, 2009	1263	0	Pandemic Alert Level raised from 5 to 6 - this is the first global Influenza pandemic in 40 years
12 Jun, 2009	1307	0
14 Jun, 2009	1542	0
15 Jun, 2009	1823	0
16 Jun, 2009	1965	0
17 Jun, 2009	2112	0
18 Jun, 2009	2199	0
19 Jun, 2009	2330	1	26yo man from WA with other pre-existing chronic diseases died in SA - first suspected H1N1 Influenza 09 death in Australia
20 Jun, 2009	2383	1
21 Jun, 2009	2436	1
22 Jun, 2009	2733	1
23 Jun, 2009	2857	2	A Victorian died of H1N1 Influenza 09, laboratory results confirming the virus after death
24 Jun, 2009	2994	3	A second Victorian died of H1N1 Influenza 09, laboratory results confirming the virus after death
25 Jun, 2009	3280	3
26 Jun, 2009	3519	4	A third Victorian has died of H1N1 Influenza 09
27 Jun, 2009	3677	5	A western Australian has been confirmed dead from H1N1 Influenza 09
28 Jun, 2009	3858	5
29 Jun, 2009	4038	7	Two more Victorians have died from H1N1 Influenza 09
30 Jun, 2009	4090	7
01 Jul, 2009	4370	7
2 Jul, 2009	4568	5	An additional 2 Victorian deaths have been attributed to H1N1 Influenza 09
3 Jul, 2009	4958	10	SA 1; Vic 7; WA 1; NSW 1
4 Jul, 2009	5254	10	SA 1; Vic 7; WA 1; NSW 1
5 Jul, 2009	5298	10	SA 1; Vic 7; WA 1; NSW 1
6 Jul, 2009	5733	11	SA 1; Vic 7; WA 1; NSW 2
7 Jul, 2009	6353	13	SA 1; Vic 7; WA 1; NSW 2; NT 1; Tas 1
8 Jul, 2009	6767	13	SA 1; Vic 7; WA 1; NSW 2; NT 1; Tas 1
9 Jul, 2009	7290	18	SA 1; Vic 11; WA 1; NSW 3; NT 1; Tas 1
10 Jul, 2009	7933	18	SA 1; Vic 11; WA 1; NSW 3; NT 1; Tas 1 Now known officially as "Pandemic (H1N1) 2009"
11 Jul, 2009	8006	18	SA 1; Vic 11; WA 1; NSW 3; NT 1; Tas 1
12 Jul, 2009	8337	18	SA 1; Vic 11; WA 1; NSW 3; NT 1; Tas 1
13 Jul, 2009	9050	18	SA 1; Vic 11; WA 1; NSW 3; NT 1; Tas 1
14 Jul, 2009	9828	19	SA 1; Vic 11; WA 1; NSW 4; NT 1; Tas 1
15 Jul, 2009	10389	21	SA 1; Vic 12; WA 1; NSW 5; NT 1; Tas 1
16 Jul, 2009	11194	24	SA 2; Vic 12; WA 1; NSW 5; NT 2; Tas 1; Qld 1 Queensland records its first H1N1 related death.
17 Jul, 2009	11962	31	SA 2; Vic 14; WA 1; NSW 10; NT 2; Tas 1; Qld 1
18 Jul, 2009	12001	31	SA 2; Vic 14; WA 1; NSW 10; NT 2; Tas 1; Qld 1
19 Jul, 2009	12048	31	SA 2; Vic 14; WA 1; NSW 10; NT 2; Tas 1; Qld 1
20 Jul, 2009	13178	32	SA 2; Vic 14; WA 1; NSW 10; NT 3; Tas 1; Qld 1
21 Jul, 2009	14037	37	SA 2; Vic 15; WA 1; NSW 14; NT 3; Tas 1; Qld 1
22 Jul, 2009	14703	41	SA 3; Vic 15; WA 1; NSW 17; NT 3; Tas 1; Qld 1
23 Jul, 2009	15701	43	SA 3; Vic 15; WA 1; NSW 17; NT 3; Tas 2; Qld 2
24 Jul, 2009	16567	46	SA 4; Vic 15; WA 1; NSW 17; NT 3; Tas 2; Qld 4
25 Jul, 2009	16768	47	SA 4; Vic 15; WA 1; NSW 17; NT 3; Tas 2; Qld 5
26 Jul, 2009	16768	48	SA 5; Vic 15; WA 1; NSW 17; NT 3; Tas 2; Qld 5
27 Jul, 2009	17061	50	SA 5; Vic 16; WA 1; NSW 17; NT 3; Tas 2; Qld 6
28 Jul, 2009	19026	50	SA 5; Vic 16; WA 1; NSW 17; NT 3; Tas 2; Qld 6
29 Jul, 2009	20109	53	SA 6; Vic 16; WA 1; NSW 17; NT 3; Tas 3; Qld 7
30 Jul, 2009	20688	58	SA 6; Vic 16; WA 2; NSW 21; NT 3; Tas 3; Qld 7
31 Jul, 2009	21668	61	SA 6; Vic 17; WA 2; NSW 22; NT 3; Tas 3; Qld 8
1 Aug, 2009	21752	62	SA 6; Vic 17; WA 2; NSW 22; NT 3; Tas 3; Qld 8; ACT 1
2 Aug, 2009	21752	63	SA 6; Vic 17; WA 2; NSW 22; NT 3; Tas 4; Qld 9
3 Aug, 2009	22109	67	SA 6; Vic 17; WA 2; NSW 24; NT 4; Tas 4; Qld 10
4 Aug, 2009	23692	70	SA 7; Vic 17; WA 2; NSW 24; NT 4; Tas 4; Qld 12
5 Aug, 2009	24114	74	SA 7; Vic 17; WA 5; NSW 24; NT 4; Tas 4; Qld 13
6 Aug, 2009	24395	77	SA 7; Vic 18; WA 5; NSW 24; NT 4; Tas 4; Qld 15
7 Aug, 2009	24949	85	SA 8; Vic 18; WA 5; NSW 30; NT 4; Tas 4; Qld 15; ACT 1
9 Aug, 2009	26399	88	SA 8; Vic 18; WA 5; NSW 30; NT 4; Tas 4; Qld 18; ACT 1
10 Aug, 2009	26957	92	SA 9; Vic 18; WA 5; NSW 33; NT 4; Tas 4; Qld 18; ACT 1
11 Aug, 2009	27663	95	SA 9; Vic 19; WA 8; NSW 32; NT 4; Tas 4; Qld 18; ACT 1
12 Aug, 2009	28307	100	SA 9; Vic 21; WA 8; NSW 32; NT 4; Tas 4; Qld 21; ACT 1
13 Aug, 2009	28987	102	SA 9; Vic 21; WA 10; NSW 32; NT 4; Tas 4; Qld 21; ACT 1
15 Aug, 2009	29833	108
16 Aug, 2009	29833	110
17 Aug, 2009	30111	112	SA 9; Vic 21; WA 12; NSW 33; NT 5; Tas 5; Qld 25; ACT 2
18 Aug, 2009	30993	118	SA 10; Vic 22; WA 15; NSW 33; NT 5; Tas 6; Qld 25; ACT 2
19 Aug, 2009	32224	121	SA 12; Vic 22; WA 15; NSW 33; NT 5; Tas 6; Qld 26; ACT 2
20 Aug, 2009	32799	128	SA 13; Vic 22; WA 16; NSW 36; NT 5; Tas 6; Qld 28; ACT 2
21 Aug, 2009	33179	131	SA 14; Vic 24; WA 16; NSW 36; NT 5; Tas 6; Qld 28; ACT 2
22 Aug, 2009	33228	132	SA 14; Vic 24; WA 17; NSW 36; NT 5; Tas 6; Qld 28; ACT 2
24 Aug, 2009	33511	132	SA 14; Vic 24; WA 17; NSW 36; NT 5; Tas 6; Qld 28; ACT 2
25 Aug, 2009	33844	132	SA 14; Vic 24; WA 17; NSW 36; NT 5; Tas 6; Qld 28; ACT 2
26 Aug, 2009	34180	138	SA 15; Vic 24; WA 19; NSW 36; NT 6; Tas 6; Qld 30; ACT 2
27 Aug, 2009	34332	147	SA 15; Vic 24; WA 20; NSW 41; NT 6; Tas 6; Qld 33; ACT 2
28 Aug, 2009	34467	150	SA 16; Vic 24; WA 20; NSW 41; NT 6; Tas 6; Qld 35; ACT 2
29 Aug, 2009	34508	150	SA 16; Vic 24; WA 20; NSW 41; NT 6; Tas 6; Qld 35; ACT 2
30 Aug, 2009	34543	150	SA 16; Vic 24; WA 20; NSW 41; NT 6; Tas 6; Qld 35; ACT 2
31 Aug, 2009	34593	150	SA 16; Vic 24; WA 20; NSW 41; NT 6; Tas 6; Qld 35; ACT 2
1 Sep, 2009	34924	154	SA 16; Vic 24; WA 23; NSW 41; NT 6; Tas 6; Qld 36; ACT 2
2 Sep, 2009	35095	155	SA 17; Vic 24; WA 23; NSW 41; NT 6; Tas 6; Qld 36; ACT 2
3 Sep, 2009	35225	160	SA 17; Vic 24; WA 23; NSW 46; NT 6; Tas 6; Qld 36; ACT 2
4 Sep, 2009	35444	161	SA 17; Vic 24; WA 23; NSW 46; NT 6; Tas 6; Qld 37; ACT 2
5 Sep, 2009	35474	161	SA 17; Vic 24; WA 23; NSW 46; NT 6; Tas 6; Qld 37; ACT 2
6 Sep, 2009	35474	161	SA 17; Vic 24; WA 23; NSW 46; NT 6; Tas 6; Qld 37; ACT 2
7 Sep, 2009	35579	161	SA 17; Vic 24; WA 23; NSW 46; NT 6; Tas 6; Qld 37; ACT 2
8 Sep, 2009	35701	162	SA 17; Vic 24; WA 24; NSW 46; NT 6; Tas 6; Qld 37; ACT 2
9 Sep, 2009	35775	162	SA 17; Vic 24; WA 24; NSW 46; NT 6; Tas 6; Qld 37; ACT 2
10 Sep, 2009	35897	165	SA 18; Vic 24; WA 24; NSW 46; NT 6; Tas 6; Qld 39; ACT 2
11 Sep, 2009	35921	169	SA 20; Vic 24; WA 24; NSW 48; NT 6; Tas 6; Qld 39; ACT 2
12 Sep, 2009	35933	169	SA 20; Vic 24; WA 24; NSW 48; NT 6; Tas 6; Qld 39; ACT 2
13 Sep, 2009	35933	169	SA 20; Vic 24; WA 24; NSW 48; NT 6; Tas 6; Qld 39; ACT 2
14 Sep, 2009	35963	169	SA 20; Vic 24; WA 24; NSW 48; NT 6; Tas 6; Qld 39; ACT 2
15 Sep, 2009	36138	171	SA 20; Vic 24; WA 24; NSW 48; NT 6; Tas 7; Qld 40; ACT 2
16 Sep, 2009	36173	171	SA 20; Vic 24; WA 24; NSW 48; NT 6; Tas 7; Qld 40; ACT 2
17 Sep, 2009	36210	172	SA 20; Vic 24; WA 24; NSW 49; NT 6; Tas 7; Qld 40; ACT 2
18 Sep, 2009	36237	172	SA 20; Vic 24; WA 24; NSW 49; NT 6; Tas 7; Qld 40; ACT 2
19 Sep, 2009	36237	172	SA 20; Vic 24; WA 24; NSW 49; NT 6; Tas 7; Qld 40; ACT 2
20 Sep, 2009	36237	172	SA 20; Vic 24; WA 24; NSW 49; NT 6; Tas 7; Qld 40; ACT 2
21 Sep, 2009	36263	172	SA 20; Vic 24; WA 24; NSW 49; NT 6; Tas 7; Qld 40; ACT 2
22 Sep, 2009	36270	172	SA 20; Vic 24; WA 24; NSW 49; NT 6; Tas 7; Qld 40; ACT 2
23 Sep, 2009	36454	177	SA 25; Vic 24; WA 24; NSW 49; NT 6; Tas 7; Qld 40; ACT 2
24 Sep, 2009	36487	178	SA 25; Vic 24; WA 25; NSW 49; NT 6; Tas 7; Qld 40; ACT 2
25 Sep, 2009	36487	179	* SA 25; Vic 24; WA 26; NSW 49; NT 6; Tas 7; Qld 40; ACT 2 * The reporting of current hospitalisations has been replaced by weekly reporting of new hospitalisations, as States and Territories have moved from reporting data daily to weekly as at 25 September, 2009.
26 Sep, 2009	36487	179	SA 25; Vic 24; WA 26; NSW 49; NT 6; Tas 7; Qld 40; ACT 2
27 Sep, 2009	36487	179	SA 25; Vic 24; WA 26; NSW 49; NT 6; Tas 7; Qld 40; ACT 2
28 Sep, 2009	36495	179	SA 25; Vic 24; WA 26; NSW 49; NT 6; Tas 7; Qld 40; ACT 2
29 Sep, 2009	36605	180	SA 26; Vic 24; WA 26; NSW 49; NT 6; Tas 7; Qld 40; ACT 2
30 Sep, 2009	36626	180	SA 26; Vic 24; WA 26; NSW 49; NT 6; Tas 7; Qld 40; ACT 2
1 Oct, 2009	36644	180	SA 26; Vic 24; WA 26; NSW 49; NT 6; Tas 7; Qld 40; ACT 2
2 Oct, 2009	36670	183	* SA 26; Vic 24; WA 26; NSW 51; NT 6; Tas 7; Qld 41; ACT 2
3 Oct, 2009	36670	183	SA 26; Vic 24; WA 26; NSW 51; NT 6; Tas 7; Qld 41; ACT 2
4 Oct, 2009	36670	183	SA 26; Vic 24; WA 26; NSW 51; NT 6; Tas 7; Qld 41; ACT 2
5 Oct, 2009	36670	183	SA 26; Vic 24; WA 26; NSW 51; NT 6; Tas 7; Qld 41; ACT 2
6 Oct, 2009	36888	183	SA 26; Vic 24; WA 26; NSW 51; NT 6; Tas 7; Qld 41; ACT 2
7 Oct, 2009	36888	185	SA 27; Vic 24; WA 27; NSW 51; NT 6; Tas 7; Qld 41; ACT 2
8 Oct, 2009	36888	185	SA 27; Vic 24; WA 27; NSW 51; NT 6; Tas 7; Qld 41; ACT 2
9 Oct, 2009	36889	185	* SA 27; Vic 24; WA 27; NSW 51; NT 6; Tas 7; Qld 41; ACT 2
12 Oct, 2009	36889	185	SA 27; Vic 24; WA 27; NSW 51; NT 6; Tas 7; Qld 41; ACT 2
13 Oct, 2009	36910	185	SA 27; Vic 24; WA 27; NSW 51; NT 6; Tas 7; Qld 41; ACT 2
14 Oct, 2009	36936	185	SA 27; Vic 24; WA 27; NSW 51; NT 6; Tas 7; Qld 41; ACT 2
15 Oct, 2009	36940	185	SA 27; Vic 24; WA 27; NSW 51; NT 6; Tas 7; Qld 41; ACT 2
16 Oct, 2009	36942	185	* SA 27; Vic 24; WA 27; NSW 51; NT 6; Tas 7; Qld 41; ACT 2
19 Oct, 2009	36958	185	SA 27; Vic 24; WA 27; NSW 51; NT 6; Tas 7; Qld 41; ACT 2
20 Oct, 2009	36968	185	SA 27; Vic 24; WA 27; NSW 51; NT 6; Tas 7; Qld 41; ACT 2
21 Oct, 2009	36991	186	SA 28; Vic 24; WA 27; NSW 51; NT 6; Tas 7; Qld 41; ACT 2

Yes, this is an absolutely standard and to be expected trend for any pathogen. Nothing alarming, just showing there's nothing out of the ordinary as far as infection rates goes. What is interesting is that we appear to be in the area of pandemic/other infections when the maximum number of infected people in the community is about to be reached. This can be seen by the flattening out of the graph from around 26 Aug until present (20 Oct).

Now, these figures are far from official, but have been gleaned from various news sources, and we all know how accurate these can be at times. But it is probably close enough to see a trend!

(Update: I'm now getting all figures from the Health Emergency website or the WHO's Situation Updates. At least that will mean all future figures will be the official figures. I also updated the totals in the list to reflect any totals listed on that site, so these figures are all *very* close to official figures now.)

Will the H1N1 Influenza 09 strain (Swine Flu) wipe us all out? Likely not. Will it affect us all? Likely not. Will it affect us more than the H5N1 strain of Bird Flu? Quite likely.

Right now there's (updated figures) 3205 deaths worldwide and 171 in Australia attributed to Swine Flu. But as the number of affected children increases (and as Swine Flu parties continue to occur, flying in the face of logic), this number may well rise.

So why did I blog this? Purely so people get a chance to see the approximate growth figures in one place instead of needing to read 20 different articles to find them. Keep an eye out for this one and in the mean time, try not to cough in my direction, please. :)

Regards,

The Outspoken Wookie