It is now taking me more than an hour to watch an episode of Qi, why I hear you ask, if you anyone is reading this post, why? More and more answers, to questions I would never have asked, are being given. Stephen Fry, Eddie Izzard, Danny Baker, Bill Bailey and Alan Davies are present in the episode of Qi (series 8/H).
1) Two hamsters have the same energy footprint as a plasma television, the size and make of both hamster and electronic media are not given.
2) Americans may potentially remove a third of the price of a house valuation due to haunting, although ghosts don't exist. I am awaiting scientific proof for this however Eddie Izzard, one of the guests was mentioning that ghosts don't exist due to the lack of cow ghosts, worm ghosts and, a lovely apparition if they did exist, dinosaur ghosts. How come this was never mentioned in valuation lectures, I guess because we are not valuing American property. I also heard, but have no proof and this was not due to Qi, that the presence of a swimming pool can be devalue a property. Is this true, can anyone give more substantial evidence for this?
3) Straw is an ideal building component (19th Century Nebraskan invention), as it more fire resistant that conventional buildings as it has less air space between the straws due to compaction. It is also "structurally sound, resistant to earthquakes, inhospitable to insects and rodents (although I am sure bees would lay eggs or pupae in the hollow straws, this is my purportage), clean straw has no allergy issue, relatively cheap, below zero carbon rating, locally grown, excellent insulation and sound proofing, biodegradable at the end of the building's life, versatile, easy to use..." (Stephen Fry and the Qi Gnomes - accessed here from the Internet Series 8 of Qi). If you were concerned of the water ruining the straw, it can be clad in a stucco or plaster. (Side point - Grand Designs of Channel 4 followed the construction of such a building in Islington, click here for the episode, it can be also bought on iTunes under Grand Designs Series 1 Islington:A Straw House) A website of straw construction can be found here. The Nebraskans also used hay as a construction material, but it was eaten by a herd of cows.
4) Britons have the smallest houses out of the European countries, 76 square metres and bleaches don't claim to kill 100% of germs because it is potentially impossible to prove with present technology, even though they may kill 100% of germs (David Mitchell waxes lyrically on germs here with Emma Thompson and Stephen Fry). On another side note, Sarah Beeney starts her house restoration on Channel 4 tonight, more details can be found here and the programme will probably be available on 4OD and iTunes at a later date.
Thursday, 18 November 2010
Wednesday, 20 October 2010
The Spending Review and news for the REM
Updated...
With news from the Chancellor's, George Osbourne, spending review, the Farmer's Weekly state that Defra will have its budget cut by 29%. Defra states that the schemes that are of greatest benefit to the environment will be given priority, which includes an 80% increase for HLSS. More details can be found at this page on the Farmer's Weekly Interactive website. They can also be followed using Twitter, their twits can be followed at http://twitter.com/FarmersWeekly
Other sources of the Spending Review and how it may affect the REM include Saffrey Champness, Smiths Gore and LandlordZone.
Saffrey Champness states that the "HMRC has been spared large scale cuts and that £900 million will be allocated to stamping out tax evasion and fraud". It is suggested that "voluntarily providing full and frank disclosure to the Revenue will always drastically reduce penalties payable". Saffrey Champness has a timetable of events for Land Agents Tax Update, see here.
Smiths Gore has produced a four page document summarising the structure of the Spending Review (covering the period 2010/11 to 2014/15) in order to reduce the £120 million a day in debt interest. Their findings include "an average cut of 19% per government department; following the abolition of the RDAs the government will introduce a regional growth fund worth £1.4 billion between 2010-2014...which the private sector, public-private partnerships and Local Enterprise Partnerships can bid for projects...the planning process as a whole from national to local level will be reformed and will be published in the Decentralisation and Localism Bill; 150,000 affordable homes will be built by 2014/2015; Defra's cuts (as described above) may mean closer communication between the Environment Agency, the Forestry Commission and Natural England; £2 billion to be spent on flood defences; the RDPE is cut by 33%; Defra to reduce red tape but will ask farmers to bear the cost of animal welfare and disease prevention; trials of increased broadband in four areas (Cumbria, Herefordshire, Highlands and Islands and North Yorkshire); £30 billion on transport which will include some rural improvements; a green investment bank supported by £1 billion of public sector money". A fuller summary of the spending review and a list of saved and scrapped quangos is listed here.
A handy review for Landlords, from LandlordZone may be found here with either a guide in Flash (required) or in pdf (required) can be downloaded.
This blog is for information and interest only and I cannot be held responsible for the content or lack of content on the site or if the information has been removed. If anyone can find any more information, please link to reports or pages in the comments section, thank you.
With news from the Chancellor's, George Osbourne, spending review, the Farmer's Weekly state that Defra will have its budget cut by 29%. Defra states that the schemes that are of greatest benefit to the environment will be given priority, which includes an 80% increase for HLSS. More details can be found at this page on the Farmer's Weekly Interactive website. They can also be followed using Twitter, their twits can be followed at http://twitter.com/FarmersWeekly
Other sources of the Spending Review and how it may affect the REM include Saffrey Champness, Smiths Gore and LandlordZone.
Saffrey Champness states that the "HMRC has been spared large scale cuts and that £900 million will be allocated to stamping out tax evasion and fraud". It is suggested that "voluntarily providing full and frank disclosure to the Revenue will always drastically reduce penalties payable". Saffrey Champness has a timetable of events for Land Agents Tax Update, see here.
Smiths Gore has produced a four page document summarising the structure of the Spending Review (covering the period 2010/11 to 2014/15) in order to reduce the £120 million a day in debt interest. Their findings include "an average cut of 19% per government department; following the abolition of the RDAs the government will introduce a regional growth fund worth £1.4 billion between 2010-2014...which the private sector, public-private partnerships and Local Enterprise Partnerships can bid for projects...the planning process as a whole from national to local level will be reformed and will be published in the Decentralisation and Localism Bill; 150,000 affordable homes will be built by 2014/2015; Defra's cuts (as described above) may mean closer communication between the Environment Agency, the Forestry Commission and Natural England; £2 billion to be spent on flood defences; the RDPE is cut by 33%; Defra to reduce red tape but will ask farmers to bear the cost of animal welfare and disease prevention; trials of increased broadband in four areas (Cumbria, Herefordshire, Highlands and Islands and North Yorkshire); £30 billion on transport which will include some rural improvements; a green investment bank supported by £1 billion of public sector money". A fuller summary of the spending review and a list of saved and scrapped quangos is listed here.
A handy review for Landlords, from LandlordZone may be found here with either a guide in Flash (required) or in pdf (required) can be downloaded.
This blog is for information and interest only and I cannot be held responsible for the content or lack of content on the site or if the information has been removed. If anyone can find any more information, please link to reports or pages in the comments section, thank you.
Tuesday, 12 October 2010
London Plane tree pathogens and honey
An introductory note to accompany the first post of blog for aspiring rural estate managers and associated employment. This blog is for information and interest only and I cannot be held responsible for the content or lack of content on the site or if the information has been removed.
Plane trees (Platanus spa.) are commonly found in towns and cities due to their tolerance of water shortage and their ability for their bark to absorb particulate pollutants and shed the bark. An advisory note (No. 7, 2008) "Problems on Plane Trees" from the Research Agency of the Forestry Commission explains that studies in Germany found an ascomycete fungus Splanchnonema platani (anamorph: Macrodiplodiopsis desmazieresii) which causes the dieback of the London plane (Platanus x hispanica.
This has been expanded upon by an article in the Independent (11/10/2010) by Cahal Milmo describes the new disease, see above, that is also named Massaria which is infecting plane trees. It is a fast spreading pathogen that infects the v-shaped section of each branch and it can strip the bark from larger branches. It can affect the canopy shape and the fact that the disease can kill individual branches, as well as trees with branches of up to 20 centimetres in diameter, and this does pose a threat and risk to public safety.
The aforementioned Pathology Advisory Note lists three other pathogens that affect plane trees, these include:
Ceratscystis fimbriata f. platani is a wilting pathogen that strains the xylem, induces severe wilting and eventually tree mortality.
Phellinus punctuates causes cankers on the bark before developing intense white rot in both sap and heartwood.
Inonotus hispidus, is a basidiomycete that creates rusty brown fruit bodies blackish, long, narrow cankers.
All these pathogens have health and safety implications and with the potential changes in climate and the increase in imported tree stock could lead to an increase of these pathogens.
More information from the Research Agency of the Forestry Commission can be obtained from here.
Honey can be used as an antibacterial substance that can be applied to skin wounds, this site explains in greater detail how this is done.
" Subrahmanyam (1991) suggests that honey is effective for treatment of burn wounds because: 1) It prevents infection because of its antibacterial or bacteriostatic properties (i.e., inhibits the growth of both Gram- negative and Gram-positive bacteria). 2) It provides a viscous barrier to fluid loss and wound invasion by bacteria thus preventing infection. 3) It contains enzymes which may aid the healing process by promoting tissue formation. 4) It absorbs edema fluid (pus) thereby cleaning the wound. 5) It reduces pain and irritation and eliminates offensive smell."
Plane trees (Platanus spa.) are commonly found in towns and cities due to their tolerance of water shortage and their ability for their bark to absorb particulate pollutants and shed the bark. An advisory note (No. 7, 2008) "Problems on Plane Trees" from the Research Agency of the Forestry Commission explains that studies in Germany found an ascomycete fungus Splanchnonema platani (anamorph: Macrodiplodiopsis desmazieresii) which causes the dieback of the London plane (Platanus x hispanica.
This has been expanded upon by an article in the Independent (11/10/2010) by Cahal Milmo describes the new disease, see above, that is also named Massaria which is infecting plane trees. It is a fast spreading pathogen that infects the v-shaped section of each branch and it can strip the bark from larger branches. It can affect the canopy shape and the fact that the disease can kill individual branches, as well as trees with branches of up to 20 centimetres in diameter, and this does pose a threat and risk to public safety.
The aforementioned Pathology Advisory Note lists three other pathogens that affect plane trees, these include:
Ceratscystis fimbriata f. platani is a wilting pathogen that strains the xylem, induces severe wilting and eventually tree mortality.
Phellinus punctuates causes cankers on the bark before developing intense white rot in both sap and heartwood.
Inonotus hispidus, is a basidiomycete that creates rusty brown fruit bodies blackish, long, narrow cankers.
All these pathogens have health and safety implications and with the potential changes in climate and the increase in imported tree stock could lead to an increase of these pathogens.
More information from the Research Agency of the Forestry Commission can be obtained from here.
Honey can be used as an antibacterial substance that can be applied to skin wounds, this site explains in greater detail how this is done.
" Subrahmanyam (1991) suggests that honey is effective for treatment of burn wounds because: 1) It prevents infection because of its antibacterial or bacteriostatic properties (i.e., inhibits the growth of both Gram- negative and Gram-positive bacteria). 2) It provides a viscous barrier to fluid loss and wound invasion by bacteria thus preventing infection. 3) It contains enzymes which may aid the healing process by promoting tissue formation. 4) It absorbs edema fluid (pus) thereby cleaning the wound. 5) It reduces pain and irritation and eliminates offensive smell."
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