Life is Healthy

Water As The Source Of Life And Strife

WATER WORLD
Water As The Source Of Life And Strife
by Claude Salhani
UPI International Editor
Amman (UPI) Jordan, May 21, 2007

The next major Middle East war could well be fought not over land, oil or religion --the traditional causes of conflict to date -- but over water, a precious commodity becoming rarer by the day. Addressing top leaders in industry, business, banking and the media in his speech at the opening session of the World Economic Forum held on the shores of the Dead Sea last week, King Abdullah II of Jordan raised the alarm over the scarcity of water in the region and warned of the dire consequences for not only the developing nations, but the havoc water scarcity would have on the developed world as a whole.

Indeed, much of the Israeli-Palestinian land dispute is in fact centered on water rights, as both communities are battling for control of extremely limited water resources.

Additionally, Israel has long envied Lebanon's Litani and Zahrani rivers that flow through the south of the country. During the last three decades Israel has launched repeated military operations in southern Lebanon in which Israeli troops found themselves in control of the rivers, albeit temporarily, following international pressures on Israel to withdraw.

In previous years Egypt had threatened to go to war with Sudan to prevent Khartoum from trying to mess with the natural course of the Nile River -- the lifeline of Egypt without which the tiny strip of arable land on either bank of the river and its loamy delta would become engulfed by the desert sands.

Similarly, tension between Syria and Turkey rose to near danger levels a few years ago over the distribution of the water of the Euphrates River, which flows through Iraq, Syria and Turkey.

"One critical challenge is water," said the Jordanian monarch. "From the snowy peaks of the Atlas Mountains to the Empty Quarter of the Arab Peninsula, most of our region's countries cannot meet the current water demands.

"As a region, if we do not plan how we will meet this most basic need, if we do not commit the necessary investments to resolve this problem, we will not be fighting for peace, we will be fighting for our lives," said Abdullah. "We need to rise to this challenge."

A witness to the king's testimony over water shortages was only a stone's throw from the convention center and easily visible to anyone who took a few minutes to venture onto the terrace facing the Dead Sea.

The sinking levels of the Dead Sea waters have authorities both in Jordan as well as in Israel seriously worried. The current rate at which the waters are receding is about 1 meter a year. During the 20th century the level of the Dead Sea dropped from about 390 meters below sea level in 1930 to 414 meters below sea level in 1999, with the average rate of fall accelerating in recent years. Today it stands at 418 meters below sea level.

End of excerpt

To be continued.

My last entry regarding this conflict:

http://water-is-life.blogspot.com/2006/08/is-israelilebanon-war-over-water.html

Well what a week! From the tapas meet onwards I knew this would be a good week, just a vibe I got (admitedly nervous as half the group didnt show at tapas).

When I arrived at the venue and saw I knew 4 of the master students that made me smile, as the ice is already broken, they know me and vice versa, which helps! Not to mention one of them was Rodrigo (the clown) the guy is amazing and has plenty of energy.

After giving the speeches we decided there would be no parties; just gatherings. Essentially the same thing but without the mess, lol. Well there were a few of them throughout the week and luckily for us there was no mess and no damages! ;)

Eduardo was the party animal of the group and kept everyone well stocked and amused, it was a pleasure meeting him and several of the others Javier, Fernando, Mar to name but a few. We also had some old favourites such as Jimmy Casanova - who has insured he's not forgotten by writing his name is permanent marker on the board (muppet, lol), Katrina, Mike and Fred. Who know the program and gave it their all too; which helps make my job far more enjoyable.

I also made what I hope will be a long term relationship with a very special person who had plenty of positive energy for everyone: Heidi. I really hope our paths cross again and her life gives her everything she needs, she is such a beautiful person; if you meet her hug her - she wont mind, in fact she'll insist!
And Kenny who took great pleasure in throwing me around the grass (he's a Judo Instructor) and a great guy to boot.

What else to say well loads but it will just bore you, if you think your missing out - YOU ARE!! COME ON!!! Join in the fun and sign up to Vaughan Town I promise you wont regret it.

As usual the photos are posted and you can see them HERE

Josh, age 33, battled with his weight for many years but last year he decided to get very serious about weight loss after his cholesterol levels reached record numbers and his deteriorating health became life-threatening.

In just over ten months he has succeeded in losing 80 pounds. (That's him on the right in the 'before' photo above.)

He did not use magical pills, go on fad diets or enlist the help of a personal trainer. Instead he lost the weight naturally and on his own.

See his very inspirational weight loss story and more before and after photos here.

What is it about this particular road? It must be the Spaghetti Junction of ley-lines, as just a few paces from where the bath mat spent its final weeks on earth, then was reincarnated as a snowman, this blue door has appeared. If this isn’t a portal into another dimension then I don’t know what is.

Has it fallen off a passing Tardis?

Is it an elaborate set-up for a “knock knock” joke?

Is it a trap door into a cave?

What is the meaning of the six, not-quite-evenly-spaced holes?

Dare I open The Door That Could Lead to Adventure?

Jimmy Moore has the most successful personal weight loss blog online. He's lost a ton of weight on the Atkins diet.

But now his wife has also decided it was time to lose weight. Christine started a low-carb diet five weeks ago. She's seen remarkable results without trying very hard. Her dress size has gone from 14 to 8 and she has lost 13 pounds.

This is a photo of Christine from five weeks ago when she first started the diet. Check out her success story here.

Blogger in draft has some new features, if you're keen to tinker with (and give us feedback on!) some in-development stuff. Notably:

• Polls, which you can add to your blog sidebars
• Enclosures, which turn your blog feeds into pod/video-casts

This is probably the best headline in the world ever. I have no idea whether the clowns were doing the attacking or were the victims. I didn't want to look at the newspaper because whatever had actually happened wouldn't be half as funny as the image in my head.

Though I suppose things might have got nasty if someone went for the juggler.

You may have noticed a new dropdown menu in your Blogger Dashboard:


In it are 17 new languages, in addition to the 19 that were there previously - tell your friends around the world! Here's the list of new ones:

• български
• hrvatski
• Català
• česky
• Ελληνικά
• Hindi
• magyar
• Indonesia
• latviešu
• lietuvių
• polski
• Português (Portugal)
• Română
• slovenčina
• slovenščina
• Українська
• Tiêng Viêt

Judith Lederman lost a lot of weight nine years ago and has kept it off. She used to weigh 225 and now weighs 135 pounds.

She has written a book about the psychological aspect of her weight loss. The book is called Joining the Thin Club and it is getting very good reviews.

See her website at The Thin Club.

Today is my birthday, the day that I stretch the definition of "mid-30s" ever closer to breaking point. I have been wished a happy birthday by my girlfriend and received cards and presents from her, from family and friends. My parents and niece rang me this morning to wish me a happy birthday. People I have never even met in real life have given me virtual presents on Facebook.

So why is it that when I needed to write the date on something I paused, thought about it, then looked at my watch to see what day it was? Whatever this is a sign of, it cannot be good.

(At least my watch is one of those that does actually tell me the date - it is not as though someone asked me the way to the station and I looked at my watch. I will save that particular insanity for my "late-mid-30s".)

Most people don't realize that many spices have a good amount of vitamins and nutritional goodness. Spices can add wonderful zing to many low-calorie dishes that may otherwise taste bland. Especially if you are trying to cut down on your salt intake, many spices make marvelous substitutes.

Here's a great beginner's guide to the key spices available out there today. So try some bay leaves in your lentil soup, cumin in your chili, sage on your chicken breast and some fresh cilantro in your salad.

Check out the health benefits of cayenne pepper, basil, cinnamon and mustard seeds here.

Desalination Not The Solution

Desalination 'not the solution'

Untapped resource: oceans contain 97% of the planet's water

Turning salt water into drinking water is not a solution to tackle global water scarcity, the WWF has said.

A report by the environmental group said a growth in the energy intensive technology would increase emissions and damage coastal and river habitats.

More attention should instead be paid to conserving supplies, it suggested.

The study was published as Australia announced plans to build one of the world's biggest desalination plants to supply drinking water to Melbourne.

"Desalinating the sea is an expensive, energy intensive and greenhouse gas emitting way to get water," said Jamie Pittock, director of WWF's global freshwater programme.

"It may have a place in the world's future freshwater supplies but regions still have cheaper, better and complementary ways to supply water that are less risky to the environment."

The report called for greater emphasis on managing existing supplies before the go-ahead was given to major water projects.

It added that new desalination plants, which were primarily located in coastal areas, should also be subject to tighter impact assessments to minimise damage to the marine environment.

Advances in technology meant that it was also possible to develop alternative "manufactured water" systems, such as treating waste water, the authors wrote.

end of excerpt.

As I have written here before, I too believe that desalination (reverse osmosis process) is an expensive GHG emitting procedure that is simply a bandaid on a crisis that will not be solved by looking to methods that actually exacerbate the problem of emitting GHGs, particularly the Co2 that causes drought, wildfires, and water shortages.

In many cases it is only through the wasteful practices of humans that water becomes scarce. Seventy percent of the water that is wasted in this world is lost through wasteful irrigation practices. Why then is it easier for man to expend countless hours and dollars in building these huge desalination plants that do nothing to replace the water lost and threaten the habitat of other marine animals, instead of simply looking to their moral compasses and conserving what we have?

Is it because we simply do not wish to admit that we are the cause of this crisis?















However, that is not to say that I am against desalination as a process when it is absolutely necessary to provide water to people, as in the case of the Middle East where water scarcity makes it necessary to emply such methods. I personally prefer geothermal desalination as the best method to protect marine life and cut down on carbon emissions.

This report from the Pacific Institute dated last year is a totally comprehensive and expert analysis of desalination globally and in the United States with both pros and cons explained in detail. There is no doubt that as we head further into the 21st Century in a world where water will be in greater demand desalination can be a part of a water management plan if absolutely needed (especially regarding using it in agriculture to conserve fresh water for human use,) but certainly not as the solution to this crisis and at the expense of other species and our environment especially regarding the clean up process. Only moral courage to conserve and to devise ways to use irrigation water more effectively and funds more effectively to shore up substandard water systems can we find the balance necessary to preserve all life.

Well another week over, they keep mounting up. For this program I was in San Zoilo and what a week mixed with highs and lows. There was a strange tension on this program which I hadnt experienced before as the week when on so did the tensions, I'm just happy it didn't end up ruining what otherwise was a good program.

The usual mix of activities to get people bonding and maybe knowing more about you than you would normally reveal, 1 to 1's and telephone sessions kept them all very busy, but I felt this week very draining and struggled to keep my energy levels up and biting my lip - obviously something I'm going to keep working on.

The theatre went well again lessons learn't there too - a new sketch which was funny almost fell flat (work in progress), although we had some excellent input from the participants which is always nice.

Party night was fun and David and I danced to its raining men - dont ask! Anyway it was really cool and he danced very well, in fact i think he carried me through it really, but i noticed camera flashes galour so the must be some interesting photos out there! Not satisfied with making me sweat he turned to Marisa and they cha cha cha'd there asses off, very cool indeed.

When I returned to Madrid, I went to find my new flat and move in, so glad to have a place to call home again, it wont be lonely as I'm sharing with a guy and a girl, so that will be nice too, the place is very cool has what I need - which isnt alot. And tonight I'm off to do it all over again with a new bunch of Anglos - keep smiling ;)

If you want to see a selection of photos of the time we shared check HERE

Here we have an entertaining video clip of extreme and rapid weight loss using Photoshop. If only we all lived in the virtual world and could lose weight like this in a couple of minutes....

How would you like to be paid €60,000 euros to go into isolation with 12 others for 17 months?!!?!

The European Space agency are looking for volunteers to spend 500 days in an isolation chamber to simulate a trip to Mars, to study the effect the boredom of it would have on people...

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/magazine/6221594.stm

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/sci/tech/6221424.stm

Though might get my book written if i did.... hmmm

Bret Baier set out to lose 25 pounds by the time his son is born in July. He started his exercise and diet plan on Christmas day. Baier is the Chief White House Correspondent for Fox News Channel. He travels with the President and covers all foreign policy and domestic issues involving the Presidency.

He started at 225 pounds and is now down to 198. His new goal is to be under 195 pounds by the time his child is born.

See his weight loss story at Mens Health.

YAY! I've found myself a new place to live! Sorted out all the details tonight and I move at the start of August. I'm moving into Chiswick, so closer to both my jobs by about 15mins. And the place have a garden which will be wicked for summer.
Definitely had a better feeling about it than where I am at the moment and there are less house mates, more living areas, a far more chilled out feel to it over all, so should be good for me. Its alos only 15mins walk to Chiswick High Street and about 8mins walk to the river with lots of pubs along the edge. Looking forward to being able to invite you all around!!

On Sunday I went to the park with my girlfriend and her parents and we played with a Frisbee. I thought it might have been a bit boring, or even embarrassing, but this was actually the most fun I have ever had with my clothes on (that involved my girlfriend's parents). Not that I have ever attempted to have any fun with my clothes off that involved my girlfriend's parents. Though her Mum has shown interest.

I am pleased to report that Frisbee technology has improved since I was a kid, and this one had a special rubber edge which meant that it didn't hurt your hand when you tried to catch it. I never liked that and generally went indoors and played with my ZX Spectrum at that point, pretending not to be crying.

But not only did I not want to go indoors this time, I was easily the best at it, which has never happened before in any group of people with whom I have been doing any kind of sporting activity. The fact that I was playing against two pensioners (one of whom is recovering from an operation) and a pregnant woman had no bearing on my victory and will be expunged from the record books.

Readers of our blog, who also read Andy's Blog may remember a while back that we uncovered a job with Durex.

Well today I got home to discover an email in my inbox saying I'd been successfully selected and a package of 'equipment to be tested' was on its way to me!

Talk about timing! Not only do I now find myself without a test partner, I had just walked in the door from finding myself a new place to live - which happens to have a single bed!

Well, what can I say? I applied for a laugh while Dade and I were still living together, in the same country!!

This last week deserves to be labelled 'Production Music Appreciation Week'...

It started of with the gig I went to at the Jazz Cafe on Wednesday night, featuring the Sound Sytlistics, who started life as a production music band (which you all should have read about in my previous post!) and was rounded off nicely on Sunday evening by free tickets to see the KPM Allstars play as part of Jarvis Cocker's Meltdown Festival at the South Bank Centre (thank you KPM! - Another music company we use at work!).

http://www.timeout.com/london/features/3011.

Meltdown Festival is an annual event, curated each year by a different famous person who chooses the line up etc. Unfortunately we didn't get to see Jarvis, as he was next door at the Royal Festival Hall singing Disney classics (I kid you not!!), but we did get to see an amazing show.

It was a 14 peice orchestral line up, and compeered by a selection of production music composers - they played a whole heap of wicked tunes including some well known theme tunes - admittedly not having grown up here, nor having a TV currently i didn't know a lot of them, but hey, i still managed to bop my head to it all!

Fiona Falkiner lost over 65 pounds as a contestant on The Biggest Loser in Australia last year. The Biggest Loser program involves an extreme exercise regiment that can't realistically be maintained in real life.

Over the past seven months Fiona has regained much of the weight she lost. She's going to try again. This time she is being paid to endorse Jenny Craig in Australia. She's become the cover model on their website. Now the plan is to lose the weight more slowly, but keep it off.

Here's a fun video showing weight loss progress. The virtual model shown here is 5'7". She starts out at 250 pounds and we see her reach her personal ideal weight and then go too far and get to a BMI of 18.

I needed a ladder to fix a burglar alarm to the outside of the flat. But I do not own a ladder, so the burglar alarm just sat uninstalled on the table for several weeks. I was worried about this. Someone could break in and steal all our expensive electronic items – like the new burglar alarm for a start. But it would be a waste to buy a ladder to just use once, particularly as I have nowhere to store it.

I decided that I would ask to borrow my Dad’s ladder next time I go to see him, then try to find somewhere to keep it in the flat until I could take it back. Hardly ideal, but I emailed him to ask.

I then went to take the rubbish out and what did I find next to the bins but an old, paint-covered ladder. What are the chances? Imagine if I had asked to borrow a million pounds from my Dad. Or a naked Jenna Fischer. What would I have found by the bins then? Perhaps this could be the plot to a magical realism film like Being John Malkovich. A moderately successful children’s TV writer finds that when he emails his Dad asking to borrow something, the very thing that he asked to borrow appears next to his flat’s rubbish bins (albeit a bit covered in paint).

Even more serendipitous, the ladder was exactly tall enough for me to stand on the top step and reach up and drill the holes. And even more serendipitous still I didn't fall off the ladder and drill a hole through my skull as I hit the ground as I feared that I might.

I put the magic ladder back by the bins, ready for another adventure. (I know that leaving ladders out is a silly idea as they can be used by burglars, but obviously I have that covered now.)

I emailed my Dad again and said it’s OK – I’ve found a ladder. But if he’s finished with Ms Fischer...

Maureen McCormick, better known as Marcia Brady from the Brady Bunch has lost 34 pounds in 100 days. As she only weighed 150 to begin with this is an amazing accomplishment in such a short time. She lost the weight with an extreme exercise regiment and a very nutritious diet on the Celebrity Fit Club show.

She is only 5'3" and now weighs 116. She lost even more weight than had been her original goal when she started the show. See more before and after photos at ET here.

This is a classic example of overpopulation and poverty and the effects it brings to our natural resources. As Himalayan glaciers continue to recede at an alarming rate with predictions that they could be gone within the next forty to fifty years, India cannot afford to continue polluting the water they have left. And this begs the question when rightfully blaming it on poor management: why are people not crying out for changing it? What has happened to our moral will to stand up for what is right? To stand up for our planet and for ourselves? To respect the lifeblood of our planet that is sacred?


India's Rivers Dying Due to Sewage, Say Activists

INDIA: June 15, 2007

NEW DELHI - The daily dumping of millions of tonnes of sewage is killing India's rivers and threatening the lives of thousands of poor people, an environmental think-tank said on Thursday.

New Delhi alone produces 3.6 billion litres of sewage every day but due to poor management less than half is effectively treated. The remaining untreated waste is dumped into the Yamuna river. "We talk a lot about industrial pollution of our rivers, but sewage pollution is a big problem," Sunita Narain, director of the Centre for Science and Environment, told reporters.

"What is happening to the Yamuna is reflective of what is happening in almost every river in India," she added. "The Yamuna is dead, we just haven't officially cremated it yet."

According to the Central Pollution Control Board, around 70 percent of the pollution in the Yamuna is human excrement.

This results in water-borne diseases such as diarrhoea -- one of the biggest killers of children in India -- and affects thousands of poor people living near the river who drink the water and bathe in it.

Environmentalists say while India has over 300 sewage treatment plants, most are underutilised and poorly positioned. Treated waste is often mixed with untreated sewage and thrown back into rivers.

India's drainage system is also decrepit and in serious need of repair, with more than half of the country's drains virtually redundant.

Narain said India's sewage management and treatment system needed to be revamped and rivers kept clean, rapid industrialisation and urbanisation leading to greater demand for water.

Climate change is also another threat to India's water supplies with Himalayan glaciers -- the source of many of India's rivers -- rapidly receding, and erratic rainfall predicted due to global warming.

Skirmishes are beginning to occur in parts of India where farmers have been protesting over rights to more water, Narain added.

"We should first look at effectively treating our waste water," said Narain. "And then using it for drinking or as irrigation rather than just throwing it back into the rivers."


Story by Nita Bhalla

About The Yamuna River

Last night went along to a Deep Funk night at the Jazz Café in Camden, courtesy of one of the music companies we use at work. Wasn’t sure what to expect, but hey as I was going with Helen, Geary & Michelle I knew it’d be good company and besides it was free so all’s good! (oh it’s a hard life working for a media company sometimes!).

The Jazz Café is quiet a chilled venue, nice comfy seating area near the bar, for those pre gig drinks, where we just chilled and chatted through the support act (The Grits I think) before moving to the comfortably intimate space in front of the stage when the main act came on. The Sound Stylistics started life making production music together (that’s non commercial music that is used in Movies, Promos, TV Shows, commercials etc that doesn’t cost anywhere near as much to use as the commercial stuff ) but have now released a commercial album together. They are a deep funk 'super group', featuring members of Jamiroquai, Brand New Heavies, Galliano, The New Mastersounds, The Herbaliser and the James Taylor Quartet and last night was their first live gig. And a very good gig it was indeed. There were about 10 of them – reminded me of a school band as they came on stage, but boy, the sound was nothing like one! They were very very good, and great to bop along too. All the musicians obviously love what they do, as you could see it in their whole body language as they performed. It was so cool to watch, especially the bongo drum guy, and the keyboardist, when they got going! Didn’t get any pics of them, and can’t find any online but they are definitely worth seeing if you get a chance.

If there is one thing that always makes me regret not learning to play an instrument, its going to live gigs like this! Though I don’t get to nearly enough of them. Must try harder.

Who will be Miss F.A.T. in 2007? The hype is just starting now. Here's a short video of Tanisha Malone being crowned last year as Miss F.A.T. 2006.



This is the third year "Mo'Nique's F.A.T. Chance" beauty pageant is being hosted on Oxygen. The final 20 contestants are flying to Paris and the winner will be chosen on July 28.

DAY 1 - Get tongue pierced

DAYS 1 -3 - Be restricted to a diet of liquids and ice creams for 3 days
(supposedly without alcohol, though alcohol is useful to numb the pain!).

DAY 4 - Once able to eat slightly solid foods again, go out for a curry.
Get food poisoning

DAY 5 - Spend 24 hours in the bathroom ridding your body of entire stomach contents.


Having no appetite for a further 2-3 days will help to maintain this new body weight….


NB: Location is unimportant, though I found that by situating myself in a foreign city for the first 2 steps particularly beneficial, as I had no access to a kitchen in which to prepare wholesale ‘liquids’ such as soups and mashed up food!

Today we released something for Blogger that we've long wanted to do - an experimental version of the site where the early adopters among you can try out new features before they're ready for full release. We're calling it Blogger in draft because the features are almost ready for publishing, but not quite.

The first feature available on Draft is Video Upload, accessible via a new button in the Post Editor. Check it out!

Here in London we are constantly being told to be alert. Apparently our country has a shortage of lerts. Haha. No, obviously it is the threat of bad people and their nasty bombs.

So when I spotted an abandoned rucksack on a bench at my local tube station I knew that despite once again being in a dilemma of not wanting to die horribly, but also not really wanting to make a fuss, I should really tell somebody about it.

I suppose that I was expecting armed police, bomb disposal experts, a sniffer dog at the very least. What actually happened was that a female member of London Underground staff prodded the bag a bit, opened it, and said, “Yeah, it’s just got some clothes in it”.

I suppose that this must be a common occurrence for them, and that they have to judge each case on its merits before calling out the emergency services. I can see that 99 times out of 100 simply prodding and opening the bag would produce a quick, simple answer to the question of what was in the bag, but I couldn’t help thinking that on that hundredth occasion... No, actually it would always produce a quick, simple answer as to what was in the bag.

By coincidence, a pair of stellar blogging clients have seen major updates in the past several days. If you like using Blogger but have browser-o’-phobia, one of these might be right for you:

The Windows Live Writer team has released Beta 2 of their software, which adds labels support along with the proverbial host of other features. Developer and friend of Blogger Joe Cheng covers the highlights and lowlights on his blog, and you can grab the beta for Windows Vista and XP over at the download page.

In the Macintosh corner, Red Sweater Software’s MarsEdit has been updated to version 1.2, adding Blogger photo upload support via Picasa Web Albums. Developer Daniel Jalkut (also a friend of Blogger) describes the update on Red Sweater’s blog. You can download a 30 day trial (Mac OS X 10.3.9 or higher) from the MarsEdit page.

For bonus additional Blogger goodness (for Mac users), grab the newly updated, newly working again Blogger Dashboard widget from Google’s widget page. F12 + typing = blog post.

Working on a Blogger client of your own? Make sure you’re hanging out in the Blogger Dev group to chat and keep in touch.

TTT is a 27 year old guy who has lost over 35 pounds in less than four months. He used to weigh 206 and now weighs 169. He feels he is still ten pounds away from his ideal weight.

Of the above before and after photos he says;

The old me had a gut that hung over my belt. That 42 inch waist was a miserable traveling companion. It popped numerous button from the front of some great khaki pants. Now, when I put on my fat clothes they hang on me like a trash bag, and my old, old, old clothes fit perfectly.

See his inspirational story and more before and after photos here.

Okay I'm not to blame, I got bored!!

If you have the attention span of a goldfish (like I do) you know how easy it is to get bored and create mischief, well it happened - first was the hair - i went to a Spanish hairdressers, I swear he never once picked up a pair of scissors just a razor and hacked into my hair, which left me feeling that I had to take action myself. So for 2 days I fought the urge then I decided right I'm gonna do it - so I headed off to El Corte Ingles to buy some clippers - only they were closed; DAM!

The following day after trying to get another style outta the hair (which wasn't happening) I headed straight for the centre and bought some clippers - went back and started to restyle my hair, boy I didn't realise how much silver i was hiding under there - I could have pawned my head and made a fortune - needless to say a dye was required!

This 'haircut' is getting expensive. OK so dye on beard trimmed and hair sorted, I'm happy right?? Well no, I want something else but what??
I know a piercing, but where? Got it!
I'll get my eyebrow pierced (again)! But along my eyebrow rather than down like normal - just to be a bit different.

Anyway why not check out my new look for yourself.

It has been a long search for the perfect car. I have been reading surveys, browsing magazines and scouring price guides. I have registered with websites, and automated emails have filled my inbox with likely candidates. I have spent days going to look at these, only to find each one fall at hurdles such as not having been serviced at the correct intervals, having a rather worrying sticker on the dashboard warning me that the mileage might not be accurate, or having more scratches than a flea-ridden dog.

Finally, we have found The One. It is the right make, model, age, condition and price. It has the correct stamps in the service history, and my detailed multi-part mechanical inspection has confirmed that it does indeed have four wheels.

My girlfriend goes to find a salesman just as I decide to perform one last check.

She returns, the salesman taking one look at me and instantly upgrading his monthly bonus expectation.

“Actually, I’ve changed my mind”, I say, as I sprawl casually against the side of the car.

“What?” asks my girlfriend.

“Yes. There’s a problem with the...” Damn, the car is perfect. “The colour.”

“But you’re the one who wanted silver.”

“It looks different in this light.”

The salesman looks around, confused, as there has not been an unexpected eclipse in the last two minutes. I lean further back, desperately trying to mime something to my girlfriend.

“We’ll keep looking”, I say, sending the salesman back to mentally cancel his foreign holiday.

“What was wrong this time?” my girlfriend asks with a sigh. It is true that I have been dragging her around lots of garages when, to be honest, we could have already been driving around in something perfectly suitable for the past month.

“I wanted to see if it had a lock on the petrol cap, and this came off in my hand”, I say, showing her part of the fuel filler flap that I had only managed to hold in place by nonchalently leaning against it.

I sort of wedge it back on, and we continue the search.

A few years ago Mike Thornton had a beer belly. He shared this feature with two-thirds of American men. But after a friend said he looked like 'a before picture' he swore off fast food, started exercising and was able to lose 30 pounds and two waist sizes in about three months. Today he is a personal trainer in Dallas.

He says exercises such as 'the plank' help to tighten the transverse abdominis. He calls it "the beach muscle because it's the one that we all draw in at the beach when the girls walk by".

See his exercise tips for a flatter stomach here.

Okay yet another program under my belt, working with Rob has been the usual fun and laughs and again I have thoroughly enjoyed the time and gotten to know (if only briefly) some amazing people. Having said that this week had been especially trying what with personal issues and a few issues with participants; however it all worked out in the end, fortunately.

The weeks seem to go by very quickly, its like Carrie only left a few days ago when it been a week already. Shes now back in the UK planning when to leave and see the rest of the world - London seems to suck you in and refuse to let you go if you let it. Break free and show the world who and what you are.

I on the other hand am here (and loving it) with somewhere to live as of next week; Yeah!

Highlights of the week:
Rob rocking on his guitar,
Participants bonding so quickly made our lives so much easier (well done guys),
Karaoke night; boy that night hurt, but its all practise!
I did some magic never performed live before (scary biscuits!!) but it worked out, yea me!
Party night rocked - I'm still recovering!
The surprise birthday bash for Rob - dude you rock!

After such a varied week I realise there is far more to this job than as an Anglo you appreciate (I say that as having been one), no complaints here just observations. I sincerely hope that yet again the friends we met will make the effort to keep in touch

As usual all photos are posted HERE

and please upload and share the photos that you have so we can all enjoy them too ;)

I have spent the last few weeks having great fun working on a children's quiz show. I was just going through some of the footage yesterday when I came across this damning indictment of Labour's record on education:

QUIZMASTER: I'm going to ask you some general knowledge questions...

11-YEAR-OLD BOY: What's general knowledge?

What makes it worse is that he was the eventual winner.

After a lovely long weekend in Spain I've come back to england and got ill :-(

I've just spent the last 24 hours alternating between bed and the bathroom with either a tummy bug or food poisoning. Not sure which - i did go out for a curry for our work team building day on Tuesday, but as far as i know, no one else in the office is ill... hmmm

I'm going to brave going into the office today as I have sooo much to do, but I definetly do not feel my complete self!

Is this a sign that London is wearing me down?

Last weekend I took a break from the dismal London weather and headed out for a few days in Sunny Spain.

Dade and I spent a lovely two days together wondering the streets of Madrid, trying to find the elusive market at Fuencarrel (btw Dade i now know where we went wrong, ask me next time we speak!), getting my tounge pierced, therefore not so much enjoying the lovely tapas as the lovely cool spanish beer, milkshakes and ice creams...

Dade unfortunately then had to go back to work on the Sunday morning, so I had two days to amuse myself, so on Sunday i jumped on a train to Toldeo, only 30min south of Madrid (I even bought my ticket completely in Spanish - so proud :-D ). Toldeo was gorgeous, lots of winding narrow streets and alley ways to get lost in. For those who ever get a chance to visit it do, but I would definetly recommend talking the bus up to the old town - don't try to walk it, at least not up from the train station. Also its probably best a town to visit with others as, other than wondering the old streets there wasn't a lot else to do except enjoy the tapas bars.

Michael Moore says he has lost thirty pounds over the past three months.

He changed his breakfast to oatmeal each morning. He has switched from white bread and pasta to whole grains. He's walking 10,000 steps a day with his pedometer and has hired a trainer. He also says he has forced himself to sleep seven or eight hours a day; that it is harder to lose weight if you are getting less sleep.

His blood pressure, cholesterol and blood sugar have returned to normal levels.

Global Warming Is Shrinking The Great Lakes

Global warming is shrinking the Great Lakes
30 May 2007
NewScientist.com news service
Jessica Marshall Duluth

Tom Mackay reckons his backyard in Duluth shows what is happening in Lake Superior as well as any place. In November 2005, the metre-tall wooden "Bay Ness Monster" statue he installed in the water just off his home dock was submerged up to its gaping mouth. Today, his would-be water serpent is high and dry.

For residents of this lakeside Minnesota city, located more than 3000 kilometres by boat from the open Atlantic, the transformation is disturbing. Lake Superior, the largest body of fresh water in the world by surface area, is experiencing its lowest water levels since the record set in 1926. The lake is down by 34 centimetres from a year ago, and more than half a metre below its long-term mean. At least part of the drop can be attributed to a multi-year drought that has been particularly severe since 2006. More troubling, however, is evidence that global warming is driving a long-term shrinkage of this massive natural reservoir.

A rapidly warming lake is the key to understanding the change, says Jay Austin, a limnologist at the University of Minnesota Duluth's Large Lakes Observatory. Earlier this year he reported that Superior's surface waters had warmed by about 2.5 °C since 1979 - far more than average air temperatures in the region during the same period (Geophysical Research Letters, vol 34, p L06604). Austin's findings link the warming to a reduction in winter ice cover on the lake. The less ice is present to reflect sunlight, the more solar energy the lake can absorb. On average, the onset of summer warming of the lake is happening half a day earlier each year. The reduced ice cover also contributes to shrinkage by allowing more evaporation. "Most of the evaporation goes on in winter," Austin says, as cold, dry air swoops over the warmer lake. Without the ice cap to block evaporation, water losses increase.

"Lake Superior's surface temperature has warmed by 2.5 °C since 1979 - far more than average local air temperatures"Cynthia Sellinger of the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration's Great Lakes Environmental Research Laboratory in Ann Arbor, Michigan, agrees. While the lake's level has dropped precipitously since last year, Sellinger has tracked a longer-term decline of an average of 10 millimetres per year since 1978. Evaporation has increased by an average of 4.6 millimetres per year over the same period, she says, while precipitation has decreased by 4.1 millimetres per year. These drops are consistent with climate change models, Austin says, which predict a decline in Great Lakes levels of 0.5 to 2.5 metres with a doubling of atmospheric carbon dioxide.

The falling water level is already affecting Lake Superior's shipping industry. Freighters carry less cargo now for fear of running aground. Natural beds of wild rice growing in the lake's shoreside wetlands and harvested by Native Americans are also threatened. The long-term effects of prolonged warming on Lake Superior's aquatic ecosystems are not yet known.

end of excerpt

I wrote about this last August here:

Great Lakes Going Down?

Drought In Minnesota

News About The Great Lakes

Mocking advertisements and pointing out the inane lies behind them is like shooting fish in a barrel. And not lots of little fish that are swimming around quickly, making them a bit difficult to aim at, what with water refracting light and giving a false perception of depth, but one fat fish that is so big it’s pretty much wedged into the barrel. A fish that has also been genetically modified to grow a series of concentric circles on its back like an archery target with a big flashing neon arrow saying “AIM HERE ->”.

It’s unsatisfyingly easy, but I was intrigued by the latest advert from Head and Shoulders that promised to leave me “up to 100% flake-free”. That “up to” is worryingly non-specific, isn’t it? By its very definition, percent goes from 0 “up to” 100, so what they’re really saying is “anything could happen”.

On that basis anyone could claim anything:

“Werthers Originals – make you up to 100% immortal.”

(I don’t have dandruff by the way – just healthy-looking hair.)

I'll be starting the preface this weekend and already have a title, so I will see where it takes me. It will be on the global water crisis with a list of solutions and recommendations included with facts and my own personal comments.

I have been thinking of doing this for a long time but my own insecurities kept me from doing it. I can't let that stop me any longer. This is an issue dear to my heart that is so important for our future, so I doubt I will have any problems expressing myself and hopefully I can convey this in a way to move people to action as well.

So if I am not here as much as usual in the next few months it will because I am working on this project, although I am not going to stop posting here completely because this is an important issue and I want people to know what is happening regarding it.

Wish me luck.

"Pixelodeon is an annual independent video festival recognizing innovation, inspiration, and community in global online video. This is our inaugural year! Over 300 videos, four keynote speakers, two dozen curators, and several hundred people interested in independent media will get together in one weekend to celebrate the diversity and talent of online video content. If you want to see what’s happening online and meet the people who are making it happen, this is the place to be."

Adam shows us some pretty impressive pictures of how his body has changed over 100 days with an intensive fitness and weight lifting program. It seems hard to believe this kind of transformation would be possible in less than four months but if it's true, it's very inspiring. See his three minute video here.

The flat is almost back to normal. Worse things happen, I think to myself as I relax on the sofa for the first time in weeks as it is no longer covered in books. And if our upstairs neighbours had never flooded us (twice) then I’d never have met the man who came to clean the carpets, and he’d never have been able to go home and tell his two autistic sons about how he met one of the people who wrote their very favourite CBeebies show. Perhaps someone has been moving in mysterious ways.

I give a contemplative glance heavenwards. Where I am reminded that I still need to get all the bloody ceilings repainted. Truly there is no God, I rage, as I storm off to chase up painters and decorators.

Except... That brown water stain above the bookcase – it looks a bit like... It can’t be. The Virgin Mary? This is fantastic – not only do I not need to paint over it, I can charge admission.