Max wondered how that UK man managed to contract foot-and-mouth disease. I’m happy to say that I actually came across this nugget of information yesterday on Plastic. As an anonymous (yet helpful) visitor related, the slaughterman in question was swinging a calf carcass over his head, when the creature’s distended stomach burst and the contents poured out – some of them going right into the unfortunate slaughterman’s open mouth. EWWWW. (Apparently Newsnight was the only program that gave the full and disgusting explanation.)

In other words, folks, don’t reach for the gas masks just yet. “Unless we all start gargling with cow stomach juices we are probably okay…”