Pompey Mick

Anyone noticed this article in the Daily Mirror today 23rd Feb about Human Eyesign THE EYES DO HAVE IT THEY'RE THE WINDOWS TO YOUR SOUL.. By Sara Wallis 23/02/2007 More Top Stories THAT'S right. For centuries people have believed that looking into someone's eyes lets us search their soul... and now scientists have proved it to be true. According to new research, patterns on your iris reveal the personality lurking beneath. Lines and minuscule blotches can point towards a warm heart or an impulsive streak. A dense iris could mean you are more affectionate than others, but more lines can point towards intensity and control. Researchers at the University of Orebro, in Sweden, compared the eyes and personality traits of 428 people to see if there was any link. And the results were astonishing. The scientists argued that eye structure and character could be linked because the genes responsible for the development of the iris also play a role in shaping part of the frontal lobe of the brain - which affects personality. "The tissue in the front of the brain is reflected in the iris, so the two could be linked," says Mats Larsson, who led the research. "We analysed four different groups of people who had different types or irises and found that they differed in their personality in a systematic way. "For example, people with a dense iris structure were receptive to their inner feelings as well as being sympathetic and feeling concern for others - more than people with an open-iris structure. "It was surprising at how strong the links were." Take a look in the mirror and see how your eyes compare. Discipline comes first CLUSTER 1: THE structure of the iris is full of densely-packed threadlike fibres that go from the pupil to the outer edge of the iris and there are very few ring-shaped lines close to the iris rim. This means a person has a lot of warmth and positive emotions. They are agreeable and trusting, tender and have strong values. This person will strive for achievement and have lots of self discipline. IMPULSIVE & INTENSE CLUSTER 2: A DENSE iris structure with lots of rings around the outer edge of the iris. These rings are a result of when the iris contracts to the light. These people are impulsive and in touch with their feelings and those of others. They feel intensely - when they're happy they're really happy, and vice versa. They are in tune with what is appropriate socially and remain in control. TEND TO BE RESERVED CLUSTER 3: THE iris has an open structure, with lots of little gaps and openings within it - and there are lots of lines creating a circle going round the pupil. These people can be warm and agreeable, but less so than people in cluster one. Selfdiscipline is more of a challenge, and they're much more reserved. Cluster three people are harder to read - to look at them it's not obvious how they are feeling. Ambitious but closed CLUSTER 4: An open iris structure with lots of gaps like cluster three, but here there are very few lines or wrinkles around the eyes. These people strive for achievement more than those in cluster one and have better self discipline. But they are not as spontaneous or open to new experiences as other people. They have a less positive outlook and take more time to decide on whether they want to do something.

When has pigeon racing ever been fair?

I've a book called 'International Racing Pigeons, History and Memoirs by George F. Twombly and he has some Bastin pedigrees 1948 bred by a John Mahaffrey who obtained his stock from Mr Lew Curtis of Boston who imported them from Lucien Bastin in Belgium in the 1920's . Mr Curtis was a millionaire who flew with the Boston Concourse. I have attached a scan of the pedigrees

Here is a photo of my very first winner in my first ever race in 1963. She won Dorchester (60mls) by 25mins

Well done Fifer, I'm in the process of a claim but the SE Awards for All committee have different 'Aims' than the other regions and its hard to word my claim so that it satisfys one of their 'Aims'

I taped it last night on Cable 851, juust watched it now, a very good piece putting pigeons across in a very good way with a sympathetic presenter. Well done to Keith Mott for his part in this and also Peter bryant. And a big thank -you must go to whoever instigated this programme.

Sorry to hear of your chest problems Steve, I was getting a lot of breathing problems made worse because I have Asthma damaged lungs so I bought an Aircap filtration face mask. It made all the difference, now I use a normal mask at all times, only resorting to the Aircap when doing excessive work in the loft. It worked for me, I even went to Blackpool this year (no mask) with no ill effects, I last went 24yrs ago and suffered badly. I think my lungs must have become less susceptible over the years.

Here's an interesting little article, especially for the Brighton boys. Challenge of gathering news to send by pigeon By The Argus, Brighton The Argus in Brighton is celebrating its 125th anniversary this year. Here the paper looks back to a time when reporters covered their patch by bicycle and flew stories to the office... -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- The life of a 19th Century journalist was beset with challenges incomprehensible to staff of The Argus today. These were, after all, the years that saw the invention of the light bulb and specifically-made toilet paper. There were no cars, few telephones, no radio, no fountain pens – even tea bags were unheard of until 1904. Newsgathering in the very early days presented particular problems for the district reporters. Sidney Walter Evans joined the company in March 1897, spending almost 25 years in the Midhurst and Horsham area. When he first took over his patch of some 60 parishes he had to cycle an average of 30 miles a day. Footpads – highwaymen without horses – were not unknown and he invariably carried with him a smooth-edged knuckleduster and a truncheon. In those days, when telephones were few and far between, urgent news was sent back to Brighton by carrier pigeon – a much faster method than using the telegraph service. Evans often carried a basket of six pigeons with him when he went on an assignment. There was a pigeon loft and trap on the roof of head office at Brighton. One of the boys employed to look after the birds was William Christmas, who started work in 1887. It was his job to secure the pigeons as they arrived, remove the reporters' copy from the little capsules attached to them and take it down to editorial. Among the stories Sidney Evans dispatched via his carrier pigeons were his sighting of Queen Victoria's coffin on its way from Osborne House to London for the state funeral and the opening by King Edward VII of the hospital at Midhurst. Evans certainly had a close acquaintance with the community he worked in. Often, after a puncture on the way home late at night, he was glad to seek a bed in one of the local rural workhouses. On one occasion, when an inmate died and the coffin plate failed to arrive, he helped out the master by sitting astride the coffin and painting the corpse's name and age on the lid. Cecil Kerman, later a sports editor of The Argus, started with the company in 1908 as a 14-year-old messenger boy. He used to take a basketful of pigeons to important football matches to send back the results and scorers, and on one occasion had to carry 14 pigeons to the scene of a road crash to fly the story to the office. In later years he stoutly maintained that the pigeons were much quicker than the modern phone service. The Hastings office also had its own pigeon loft, in a tower at the corner of the building. Another pigeon boy, Leslie Long, who started work with the company in 1912, was put in charge of advertising at the age of 21 and held the post of advertisement manager until his retirement in 1963. I wonder if there are any signs of the lofts still there? --------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Yours is on already Bruno, they must be working overtime.

A plastic coiled ring is the best option as the RPRA rings will be useless if you cut them because they have a paper insert protected by the plastic covering which will be rendered unreadable very soon after the plastic protection is damaged.

Congratulations Ben, keep up the goood work.

Yes I do Craig, but I believe she also competes in the South Coast Fed.

The Solent Fed set its Race Programme today (fingers crossed) OB Commencing 21st April Kingsdown, Picauville 1, Picauville 2, Fougeres 1, Fougeres 2, Messac 1, Messac 2, Cholet 1, Cholet 2, Picauville 3, Saintes, Picauville 4, Bergerac. The races have been doubled up in case of the 7day rule being imposed again. YB Commencing 28th July. Exeter,Guernsey 1, Yelverton, Guernsey 2, Truro, Guernsey 3, Wadebridge, Guernsey 4. DEFRA permitting

I am afraid this thread will only' be put to bed' when the saga has hopefully run its course. All the time there are developments on this story, there will be comments and opinions. I will be over the moon when Avian Flu story lines die off but until then I am afraid that Avian Flu is going to play a very big part in Pigeon Racing. Having said that we must keep positive and plan for the forthcoming season and get some early training in when the weather improves. I am going to the Solent Fed meeting tomorrow to finalise our race programme which should be mainly Channel racing. In the present climate I don't know what we will be able to decide.I think we shall have to decide on a contingency programme based on ifs.

They just as well recall them because I can't see many people buying them. I sure the supermarkets would love a product recall to save themselves the problem of out-of-date turkey products on their hands which will be probably classed as hazardous waste and dealt with accordingly. It would be better all round to stop the what-if brigade to recall and dispose of all related products to restore public confidence and lay this matter to rest. The last thing we need is the sight of Bernard Matthews turkey products languishing on supermarket shelves reminding everyone of the situation. Better out of sight and out of mind.

Isn't it strange how the threat that became a reality that was being dealt with has now become another threat,i.e. it MIGHT be in the food chain and other animals MAY eat this hypothetical infected meat that MIGHT be in the food chain, and then they COULD infect wild birds which in turn COULD infect turkeys. This is the result of Risk Assessment commmittees, the modern phenomenen, who all sit round a table and try to think of anything that COULD POSSIBLY happen. These are the people we are up against. I thought the news that this disease was spread 'in house' was good news, I'm not so sure now.

A bit of a common thread here, ferreting & shooting, kept a few rabbits then moved onto pigeons. It seems strange how a lot of fanciers have moved from killing birds to caring for them.

So it was a'commercially confidential' decision not to tell the Public the Turkey carcasses from Hungary were delivered just days before this outbreak. How come poultry movements were allowed so soon after the Hungarian outbreak. DEFRA are quick enough to crack the whip over other, less commercial, issues but to allow imports of poultry in this situation is criminal. These turkeys could be in the food chain by now, so much for Bernard Matthews 'Norfolk' turkeys.

Here is a more in depth report on the latest developments on the Avian Flu outbreak. It would seem {as suspected} that there is a direct link between Hungary and the Bernard Matthew farm -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- The Observer can reveal that a consignment of turkeys, which had been partly processed, travelled by lorry from the Hungarian plant and arrived in the UK a few days before January 27, the date when farm workers began to notice the first signs of illness in the turkey chicks at the farm near Holton, Suffolk. A Whitehall source said there were concerns about bio-security at the processing plant, which lies adjacent to the Holton farm, where the infected birds were found. Officials from the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (Defra) are looking at allegations that scraps of meat are sometimes left lying around the floor of the plant and are scavenged by rats and wild birds, creating a possible route for infection. Defra was aware last Monday that a consignment of meat had been taken into the plant but it was not revealed to the public. The environment secretary, David Miliband, made no mention of it when he made a statement to the House of Commons that day. Nor was it revealed by Lord Rooker, the agriculture minister, in the Lords earlier today. Lord Rooker confirmed that there had been no importation of chicks or eggs into Britain, but did not mention the possibility that carcasses had been transported into the plant. British health officials also told the European Union last Tuesday they did not believe there was a link between the outbreak of bird flu at the Bernard Matthews farm and two recent cases in Hungary where Matthews also has poultry interests. A Defra spokesman said last night: 'The government is developing its investigation into what might have caused the outbreak of avian influenza in the Suffolk poultry farm, following preliminary scientific tests showing the viruses in Suffolk and recent outbreaks in Hungary may well be identical. 'Along with a number of other hypotheses Defra, the Food Standards Agency and the Health Protection Agency are investigating the possibility of a link between the Hungarian outbreaks, poultry meat from Hungary and the introduction of disease in the farm in Suffolk. 'The investigation will include arrangements at the company's adjacent plant for food processing. 'Scientific advice remains that the risk to human health is negligible, and Food Standards Agency advice remains the same, that properly cooked poultry is safe to eat.' Deputy Chief Vet, Fred Landeg said: 'Our investigations have shown that one possible route of infection is poultry products imported from Hungary. It is important that this is investigated thoroughly, along with all the other possible routes. 'We are working in partnership with the Food Standards Agency and the Health Protection Agency to carry out a thorough investigation. 'We are also working in close contact with the Hungarian authorities and the European Commission. 'The company involved have voluntarily agreed to temporarily suspend the movement of poultry products between their outlets in the UK and Hungary until the investigation is complete." Professor Pat Troop, Chief Executive of the Health Protection Agency said: 'We are continuing to work closely with Defra and the FSA. Should any public health issues arise as part of these investigations we will of course follow these up and carry out a full risk assessment to ensure the public are advised and protected.' Dr Judith Hilton, Head of Microbiological Safety at the FSA said: 'Food Standards Agency advice has been and remains that avian flu does not pose a food safety risk for UK consumers.' The British and Hungarian outbreaks, the first in Europe for more than six months, occurred within days of one another. Officials in Brussels said no wild birds had been discovered bearing the virus, despite widespread monitoring. The Observer understands that the information about the meat consignment was considered by Defra officials to be 'commercially confidential' and a decision was initially taken not to put it into the public domain. The government confirmed earlier this week that the strain of the H5N1 virus which was identified in one turkey shed the previous Friday was the same strain found last month in Hungary, where an outbreak among geese on a farm prompted the slaughter of thousands of birds. A flock of 3,000 geese on the infected farm near Szentes in southern Hungary was destroyed last month after they were found to have H5N1. The virus first appeared in the country in February last year in wild geese, swans and domestic poultry. Britain's £3.4bn poultry industry, which produces 800 million birds a year, will now be under scrutiny. Defra has continued to investigate the movement of people and animals on and off the farm, including any links the farm may have had with Hungary, where there have been a series of outbreaks in the last month and where Matthews owns Saga Foods, the country's largest poultry company. His plant in Sarvar lies 165 miles from the recent outbreak in the south of the country, in Sventes. Last Monday Miliband ruled out claims that the outbreak of bird flu could have been caused by chicks imported from Hungary. 'In respect of the chicks, they all came from within this country, so there is no Hungarian connection,' he said. 'The fact is the factory involved in the Hungarian outbreak is not a Bernard Matthews factory.' He added: 'We have not dismissed any suggestions. We are pursuing all possible avenues of inquiry. It remains the case that the most likely reason or route of this problem does lie in a link with the wild bird population but that does not mean we should not pursue any other avenues in a serious way with full speed, and that is what we are doing.' A spokeswoman for Bernard Matthews said this evening: 'Bernard Matthews continues to work closely with Defra to assist with its ongoing investigation. We are cooperating fully and as a precautionary measure we have volunteered to cease any movements to and from Hungary. 'We want to reassure consumers that Bernard Matthews products are perfectly safe to eat.'

Could this be favourable news, if this is found to be true then it would mean that the Avian Flu was brought into this country as a lot of people suspected. LONDON, Feb 8 (Reuters) - Scientists investigating the outbreak last week of bird flu in a British flock of turkeys said on Thursday there might be a link with an outbreak in Hungary in January. Contradicting statements by British officials in Brussels on Tuesday that it was unlikely there was a Hungarian link, the government said there was indeed a possible connection. "Our investigations have shown that one possible route of infection is poultry product imported from Hungary," said deputy chief vet Fred Landeg. "The company involved have voluntarily agreed to temporarily suspend the movement of poultry products between their outlets in the UK and Hungary until the investigation is complete," he added. The cull of 160,000 turkeys on a farm in Suffolk, eastern England, where the H5N1 strain of bird flu broke out was completed on Monday. Russia and Japan banned British poultry imports after the country's first outbreak of the H5N1 strain in farmed poultry that sparked the cull. Workers wearing white protective suits, gloves and masks took the livestock away in crates to be gassed after discovery of the disease on the farm run by Europe's largest turkey producer, Bernard Matthews. The H5N1 virus has spread into the Middle East, Africa and Europe since it re-emerged in Asia in 2003 and although it remains largely an animal disease, it can kill people who come into close contact with infected birds. The virus has killed 166 people in the past four years.

Having flown North & South in recent years I would say that down here on the South Coast that generally North Road pigeons cope with the South Road better than South Road pigeons cope with the North This is a generalisation but I would state that more South Road 'winners' have been lost when turned North than North road 'winners' turned South.

If France decided to ban UK pigeons then I think the Nationals etc. will try the SE route through Belgium into Germany if allowed. I would like to go North myself, even though I would be one of the longer flyers.

The Dual Widowhood System, An American video of a pigeon lecture on the subject. It's the only video I have watched in one sitting without falling asleep.

I don't know what other members think , but I feel the press coverage on the Avian Flu outbreak has been quite reserved. Had this happened a year ago we would have had 'Death from the Skies' emblazoned across every front page. The Public reaction has been very muted. no real scare stories and the whole saga will be completely 'yesterdays news' by tomorrow. If this is an unexplained one-off we should be able to resume a dialogue with DEFRA to reinstate racing as soon as the restrictions are lifted. The biggest downside is the fact that DEFRA chose to remove the licence and ban gatherings immediately as well as imposing the local restrictions. It was hoped that this would not be the case and only the restricted area would be under DEFRA restrictions not all of the UK.

£63.00 Club Fees, £28.00 Fed Fees & £4.50 RPRA fees.