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Russian authorities are reporting the identification of the H5N1 strain of bird flu in samples from the Novosibirsk region of Siberia. The domesticated fowl have probably been infected by migratory birds from southern Asia.

The Russians believe they have contained the outbreak, but if migratory flocks are carrying the disease, there is no good way of preventing to spread to ever wider regions. Migratory birds were suspected in a recent outbreak in rural China, and the same infected flocks probably continued north into Siberia.

This would indicate that some of the migratory species are carriers of the disease, as they would normally die if infected and be unable to fly north.

It’s a good thing that the US has strengthened its public health system in reaction to 9/11 and the threat of Weapons of Mass Destruction…never mind.

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In his column in the BBC magazine section Pete Clifton, BBC News web site editor, says that while there have been several blog-like segments on the site, he won’t call them blogs because they lack the minimum elements that he considers necessary.

Clifton’s definition requires:

• Minimum duration, even for event-based blogs, of at least a week
• Commitment from the author to engage and respond to the audience
• Periodic short posts in reverse chronological order with permanent URLs
• Ability to take and display comments
• RSS feed so users can subscribe to them without coming to the site

He says there won’t be any blogs on the BBC site until they can get the software that supports these features.

His article shows one of the lacks, as you have to scroll down past a couple of things before you can find his comments on blogs.

I find it interesting that he feels that to be a true blog there has to be interaction with the readers. Apparently, coming from old media, he feels that the interactive component is a signature feature of the true blog.

I would note that the BBC World Service constantly solicits e-mail and text message comments on their stories and read them as they come in, unlike the NPR once a week letters segment and the general lack of any type of viewer commenting on television.

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CNN reports: Uzbekistan says U.S. troops must leave.

Well, they gave us 180 days, but I wouldn’t ask for a return of the damage deposit. Apparently President Karimov was annoyed by American officials, who talked about spreading democracy and didn’t condemn the UN for aiding several hundred Uzbekis fleeing the repression of demonstrators to escape his grasp. Even if they didn’t mean it, it was annoying to a government that doesn’t have a problem with boiling detainees and gunning down demonstrators. Like most brutal dictators, Karimov believes that people don’t approve wholeheartedly of everything he does are against him.

Rumsfeld’s recent trip was supposed to mend fences, but it obviously didn’t impress the Uzbek government. I doubt the US can match the bribes offered by the Afghani drug lords, nor are there alternative facilities in the area capable of handling large cargo aircraft. Too bad nobody planned for this possibility.

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