Keys Corner

Marc wrote recently about the British serving chicken frequently when they invite people for a meal. Well, here’s a reason to switch to something else – the BBC reports that over a third of chickens sold in the UK could be infected with E.coli germs resistant to the antibiotic Trimethaprim which is used to treat bladder infections. VRE (Vancomycin Resistant Enteroccci) were in 1 in 25 of samples taken by the BBC and 12 of 147 chickens had antibiotic-resistant Campylobacter. Over half the birds sampled came from outside the UK.

I can’t speak for the first two germs, but from personal experience, Campylobacter is really unpleasant and very easily spread to humans. And the thought that over 8% of the chickens contained an antibiotic-resistant strain is not pleasant at all.

The A-level (advanced level) exam results are due again on Thursday this week. The percentage of students passing them is expected to have risen for the 23rd year running to around 96.5% from 68,2% in 1982. And it will be no surprise if more than one in five get the best grade, an “A”. The think tank Reform has published research showing that an E grade (the lowest pass grade) in maths in 1988 would have been worth a B grade in 2004.

So far, so bad. The system is being devalued. Forty six percent of the UK voters believe the exams have become easier. It wouldn’t seem difficult to correct the trend – the marking or the questions have to become stiffer, but in Britain the consensus seems to be that the exams need to be scrapped and replaced with a baccalaureate-style exam. Now, I understand that the baccalaureate and the German Abitur both cover a wider range of subjects, which in itself may be good thing. But I can’t see how a different syllabus will ensure that the questions and marking don’t continue to get easier each year. Can anyone enlighten me on the thinking behind this proposal?

And one other thought – if the A-levels (which are the basis for getting into university) are getting easier, does this mean that British degrees are also being devalued or made easier to pass?

If you’re looking for something good to read, the Man Booker Prize for Fiction longlist published today is supposed to one of the strongest since the prize was founded in 1969. Previous winners include The Life of Pi (2002) and Vernon God Little (2003).

Research carried out in London and Atlanta shows that although bird flu could affect half the world’s population with a 50% mortality rate, the right actions taken in the first three months could limit the number of cases to less than 100 in the first two months. The key to containing an outbreak is treating the first people infected and those who may have come in contact with them as soon as possible. To do this, the World Health Organisation (WHO) needs to have 3 million doses of the anti-viral drug Tamiflu available to use anywhere in the world and good surveillance systems at local level, particularly in at-risk countries in south-east Asia, for fast detection of the virus’s emergence and accurate diagnosis.

Currently the WHO has only 120 000 doses of Tamiflu available, and timely reporting and treating of cases of suspected bird flu in humans in Asia has often not happened.

It’s good to see a chance of beating a bird flu epidemic (which experts increasingly state is not a question of “if”, but of “when”), but there is a lot needs to be done by governments around the world to make it possible.

The Importance of Punctuation
From: Games Magazine (1984)

Dear John:

I want a man who knows what love is all about. You are generous, kind, thoughtful. People who are not like you admit to being useless and inferior. You have ruined me for other men. I yearn for you. I have no feelings whatsoever when we’re apart. I can be forever happy—will you let me be yours?

Gloria

Dear John:

I want a man who knows what love is. All about you are generous, kind, thoughtful people, who are not like you. Admit to being useless and inferior. You have ruined me. For other men, I yearn. For you, I have no feelings whatsoever. When we’re apart, I can be forever happy. Will you let me be?

Yours, Gloria

(via John Lejderman’s Translations)