Shale oil is booming or at least it is in America. It is an Industrial Revolution that is now visible from space. Not because the facilities needed are hundreds of acres across, which is what I expected to be told. No, the reason that it can now been seen from space is because each and every shale oil field burns off 'unwanted' gas.
'Unwanted'? I have to admit that I thought it was a funny way of putting it, considering the size of the gas bill I had to help pay last winter, up by eight per cent and the highest quarterly bills came out in January. They could send some of that 'unwanted' natural gas in my direction.
However, when you extract oil, even shale oil, which is mixed with a lot of sand, natural gas comes up with it but it's uneconomic to capture it and then pipe it away to storage so the easiest thing is to burn it off. Oh and guess what? America isn't even the worse for burning off! Russia is the biggest burner and Nigeria, the second, burns off the equivalent of the UK's yearly gas use every three months!
So while everybody with a heart and a soul and a dose of humanity is struggling to decrease the effect humans have on the planet, the oil industry is farting out enough green house gases to heat up the planet faster than anything before. Kind of makes you wonder why you bother, doesn't it? Granted I wouldn't want to sink down to the level of the industries that put profit and ease before the worth of the planet. That and the fact that there are people and industries who are working to drop their imprint on the environment. For example the landfill dump site that, instead of just letting the methane produced by all that rotting waste dissipate into the atmosphere, pipes off the gas to a power station where it is used to produce electricity. And as far as I know they receive some money for that.
I wonder, has America ever considered the amount of money it would receive doing that with it's 'unwanted' shale oil gas?
Monday, 11 February 2013
Tuesday, 5 February 2013
The Possibilities
O.K I am going to take a risk of loosing popularity here and confess something. I am a Practising Christian.
I am a Christian in that I believe that Jesus Christ was the Son of God and that he came to show us humans a better way to live with one another. I am Practising because I haven't got it right yet.
As such I am more than willing to talk over the points of view of others, be they atheist or a different denomination from me. As such I have had friendly and very interesting contact with the Jehovah's Witnesses. Granted they have some view points on which I totally disagree, however, I have come to the conclusion that it is only through contact with people of other faith that your own faith can grow.
Coming to the point is this - one of their resent publications contained an article on the promises that are testified to in the Bible. As I read through the list it dawned on me that the only one of these promises that lays outside of the grasp of humankind, right now, is the ability to bring the dead back to life. For example:
"No more war"
Just because it has never been done in the past does not mean that it cannot be done in the future. We have the Internet, we have freedom of speech, we have blogs so that we don't have to rely on the newspapers who dress up the facts to say what they want them to say. We have organisations like 'Muslim for a Month', which work tirelessly to bring understanding and acceptance between different people. We don't have to accept what the governments of this world say any more when they are trying to point out enemies to us. So we are different people? If God wanted us all the same he would have made us tins of beans. There is not nearly as much separating us as we thinking there is. Every human being bleeds red. Can we go on ignoring that common brotherhood?
"Plenty of Grain Upon the Earth"
If you take this to mean all food then we already have more than enough. America has 'food mountains'. England has a third of all food bought being thrown away. Half of the fruit and vegetables grown in Britain are thrown away before it even reaches the shops because it fails the 'asetics' tests. All that food thrown away just because it doesn't look quite right. If people would stop
being greed then instead of our cargo ships sailing out to Africa and the Third World using sand as ballast, they could use all that (to us) unwanted food. If humans valued the common good above gold then no-one would have to go hunger. Maybe the Western World won't have so much but won't that help with the obesity crisis?
"There will be no more sickness"
'If people would stop wasting money on war we'd have the care for cancer by now.' A professional doctor told that to my Nan twenty years ago and what is really sad is that we have the cure for cancer (search for Salvestrols) but the man who discovered it could not advertise because he will not sell the patent to the big pharmaceutical companies because he believed (quite rightly) that they would make people pay thousands for each pill. Because he won't sell out to the big companies they told the University where he researched that if he ever advertised his discovery the companies would stop all funding to the University. So he didn't advertise but the knowledge starting spreading word of mouth.
When the death threats started on his family he lost his mind. It's only because he was able to set up branches in America and Canada before hand that the work has been able to continue in his absence.
Again the Internet can help us take back the power from those who would abuse it.
Looking at in that light the only thing that stops mankind taking a huge step towards a world paradise is greed and laziness. Think of the possibilities if we started standing up for what is right instead of for what is easy.
PS. I have tried using a different computer to upload my photographs but still no luck. Will keep trying.
I am a Christian in that I believe that Jesus Christ was the Son of God and that he came to show us humans a better way to live with one another. I am Practising because I haven't got it right yet.
As such I am more than willing to talk over the points of view of others, be they atheist or a different denomination from me. As such I have had friendly and very interesting contact with the Jehovah's Witnesses. Granted they have some view points on which I totally disagree, however, I have come to the conclusion that it is only through contact with people of other faith that your own faith can grow.
Coming to the point is this - one of their resent publications contained an article on the promises that are testified to in the Bible. As I read through the list it dawned on me that the only one of these promises that lays outside of the grasp of humankind, right now, is the ability to bring the dead back to life. For example:
"No more war"
Just because it has never been done in the past does not mean that it cannot be done in the future. We have the Internet, we have freedom of speech, we have blogs so that we don't have to rely on the newspapers who dress up the facts to say what they want them to say. We have organisations like 'Muslim for a Month', which work tirelessly to bring understanding and acceptance between different people. We don't have to accept what the governments of this world say any more when they are trying to point out enemies to us. So we are different people? If God wanted us all the same he would have made us tins of beans. There is not nearly as much separating us as we thinking there is. Every human being bleeds red. Can we go on ignoring that common brotherhood?
"Plenty of Grain Upon the Earth"
If you take this to mean all food then we already have more than enough. America has 'food mountains'. England has a third of all food bought being thrown away. Half of the fruit and vegetables grown in Britain are thrown away before it even reaches the shops because it fails the 'asetics' tests. All that food thrown away just because it doesn't look quite right. If people would stop
being greed then instead of our cargo ships sailing out to Africa and the Third World using sand as ballast, they could use all that (to us) unwanted food. If humans valued the common good above gold then no-one would have to go hunger. Maybe the Western World won't have so much but won't that help with the obesity crisis?
"There will be no more sickness"
'If people would stop wasting money on war we'd have the care for cancer by now.' A professional doctor told that to my Nan twenty years ago and what is really sad is that we have the cure for cancer (search for Salvestrols) but the man who discovered it could not advertise because he will not sell the patent to the big pharmaceutical companies because he believed (quite rightly) that they would make people pay thousands for each pill. Because he won't sell out to the big companies they told the University where he researched that if he ever advertised his discovery the companies would stop all funding to the University. So he didn't advertise but the knowledge starting spreading word of mouth.
When the death threats started on his family he lost his mind. It's only because he was able to set up branches in America and Canada before hand that the work has been able to continue in his absence.
Again the Internet can help us take back the power from those who would abuse it.
Looking at in that light the only thing that stops mankind taking a huge step towards a world paradise is greed and laziness. Think of the possibilities if we started standing up for what is right instead of for what is easy.
PS. I have tried using a different computer to upload my photographs but still no luck. Will keep trying.
Monday, 28 January 2013
Failure after failure after failure
Alright, thanks to my friend Stormwell I finally know how to add photographs to my blog. Oh yes! So, without further ado:
Aaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaarrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrgggggggggggghhhhhhhhhh!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Sorry for the general scream of frustration but having found that I cannot open the folder containing my panto photographs, even after I unzipped it, I spent several very long and frustrating minutes trying to put said photographs into the my pictures folder (the computer wasn't to sure that it was going to do even that) I have now spent even longer trying to make this stupid blog import them as it is supposed to. I have checked and double checked that I am following every step how I am supposed to and all it comes up with is
"Served failed"
If this computer was a person, right now I would be strangling them!
It rather reminds me of a quote my Mother IT teacher told her when she was doing one of these Update Your Computer Knowledge courses:
"There are machines.
There are damn machines.
There are bloody stupid useless machines.
And then there are computers."
Aaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaarrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrgggggggggggghhhhhhhhhh!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Sorry for the general scream of frustration but having found that I cannot open the folder containing my panto photographs, even after I unzipped it, I spent several very long and frustrating minutes trying to put said photographs into the my pictures folder (the computer wasn't to sure that it was going to do even that) I have now spent even longer trying to make this stupid blog import them as it is supposed to. I have checked and double checked that I am following every step how I am supposed to and all it comes up with is
"Served failed"
If this computer was a person, right now I would be strangling them!
It rather reminds me of a quote my Mother IT teacher told her when she was doing one of these Update Your Computer Knowledge courses:
"There are machines.
There are damn machines.
There are bloody stupid useless machines.
And then there are computers."
Wednesday, 23 January 2013
The Panto
'Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs' performed by the Great Ellingham Pretenders was a roaring success, not in the least for my very first major role - the magic mirror.
Having enjoyed the best opening Thursday night they have had in years (apparently), Friday was a sell out show that had the audience participating so much that at one point I had to pause mid line, tell them to 'wait for it', before I could finish telling the Queen that I had no idea where Snow White was. Having managed the 'it's behind you' scene with many a funny face pulled (best exercise for lifting the old chin droop I can tell you) I thoroughly enjoyed the entire run and the audience seemed to pick up on the fact that we were having fun as we didn't seem to have a single dud audience.
As for trying to put in some of the photography one of my friends took from the audience:-
Well, lets just say I haven't mastered putting photos into a blog just yet. Many rude words jump to mind at this point so I guess that I will have to keep trying. I will crack it one of these days. Then perhaps I will be able to up load the photographs of what we are having to deal with to make this house livable for civilised beings.
Any way, back to the panto. I have to admit that it was not without it stresses. Due to the weather at one point I thought I was going to have to pull out of the cast with least that forty eight hours to go. That was not a good feeling at all. Thankfully our producer/director owns a bed and breakfast in Attleborough, The Corner House and was willing to put me up for the duration of the production run. Incidentally, I can recommend The Corner House to anyone looking for a family friendly bed and breakfast outside of Norwich but with good public transport links to the city (bus and train). It is also good for the Wyndonham area.
Having enjoyed such a good performance for my first major part and a very long weekend away into the bargain, I am definately staying on for the next production. I'm considering having a go at doing the bad guy depending on what we are doing next.
Watch this space.
Having enjoyed the best opening Thursday night they have had in years (apparently), Friday was a sell out show that had the audience participating so much that at one point I had to pause mid line, tell them to 'wait for it', before I could finish telling the Queen that I had no idea where Snow White was. Having managed the 'it's behind you' scene with many a funny face pulled (best exercise for lifting the old chin droop I can tell you) I thoroughly enjoyed the entire run and the audience seemed to pick up on the fact that we were having fun as we didn't seem to have a single dud audience.
As for trying to put in some of the photography one of my friends took from the audience:-
Well, lets just say I haven't mastered putting photos into a blog just yet. Many rude words jump to mind at this point so I guess that I will have to keep trying. I will crack it one of these days. Then perhaps I will be able to up load the photographs of what we are having to deal with to make this house livable for civilised beings.
Any way, back to the panto. I have to admit that it was not without it stresses. Due to the weather at one point I thought I was going to have to pull out of the cast with least that forty eight hours to go. That was not a good feeling at all. Thankfully our producer/director owns a bed and breakfast in Attleborough, The Corner House and was willing to put me up for the duration of the production run. Incidentally, I can recommend The Corner House to anyone looking for a family friendly bed and breakfast outside of Norwich but with good public transport links to the city (bus and train). It is also good for the Wyndonham area.
Having enjoyed such a good performance for my first major part and a very long weekend away into the bargain, I am definately staying on for the next production. I'm considering having a go at doing the bad guy depending on what we are doing next.
Watch this space.
Saturday, 12 January 2013
Stage Fright
For those of you who don't know, I'm a member of the Great Ellingham Pretenders and I'm the Magic Mirror in this years production of 'Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs'. Seeing as it is my first major role I have had lots of mixed feelings about it all - happy, nervous, full of beans and scared to hell.
Add to this the fact that there were doubts about whether or not we were even going to have a Recreation Centre to perform in and this production has never looked certain. Apparently someone fell over due to a toy the play group had left out so Health and Safety came swarming down all over the building. The Great Ellingham Recreation Centre has a purpose built stage but it is tiny so for years the Pretenders have been extending it for their productions with a temporary stage added on. That is fine, according the Health and Safety. What is not fine is the fact that there is a drop of less than a household step between the two, therefore someone could trip over and hurt themselves. The fact that such an event has not occurred in the years that the Great Ellingham Pretenders have been performing does not count, even though one of those performances involved a young girl in a sleeping bag jumping up and down that step (she was acting the part of a caterpillar). I some times feel that we all ought to live our lives wrapped up in cotton wool as far as Health and Safety are concerned.
Any way the Pretenders have bought a new extension stage so Health and Safety have finally been placated so the show is going on.
If any one would like to come along and see me perform than it is:
Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs
By the Great Ellingham Pretenders
Performed at
The Great Ellingham Recreation Centre
On
Thursday 17th, Friday 18th and Saturday 19th
Evening performances starting 7.30pm
Saturday Matinee 2.30pm
Tickets are £6 for adults and £4 for children
Box Office 01953 456180
Hope to see you there because the bigger the audience the better the show, as long as you are in full and vocal participation.
Add to this the fact that there were doubts about whether or not we were even going to have a Recreation Centre to perform in and this production has never looked certain. Apparently someone fell over due to a toy the play group had left out so Health and Safety came swarming down all over the building. The Great Ellingham Recreation Centre has a purpose built stage but it is tiny so for years the Pretenders have been extending it for their productions with a temporary stage added on. That is fine, according the Health and Safety. What is not fine is the fact that there is a drop of less than a household step between the two, therefore someone could trip over and hurt themselves. The fact that such an event has not occurred in the years that the Great Ellingham Pretenders have been performing does not count, even though one of those performances involved a young girl in a sleeping bag jumping up and down that step (she was acting the part of a caterpillar). I some times feel that we all ought to live our lives wrapped up in cotton wool as far as Health and Safety are concerned.
Any way the Pretenders have bought a new extension stage so Health and Safety have finally been placated so the show is going on.
If any one would like to come along and see me perform than it is:
Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs
By the Great Ellingham Pretenders
Performed at
The Great Ellingham Recreation Centre
On
Thursday 17th, Friday 18th and Saturday 19th
Evening performances starting 7.30pm
Saturday Matinee 2.30pm
Tickets are £6 for adults and £4 for children
Box Office 01953 456180
Hope to see you there because the bigger the audience the better the show, as long as you are in full and vocal participation.
Monday, 31 December 2012
New Year
So after the wild, wet, windy and general disaster prone year that has been 2012 the world is looking towards 2013. Can we expect a better year than last year?
In my opinion, we can if we work for it.
I will agreed that it is fairly hard to avert natural disasters (a reminder perhaps that we don't actually own this planet, we're just squatters here) but, as I have mentioned before half of these natural disasters won't be happening if we weren't mucking up the environment. For example - flooding. It has been proven before and will be proven again, unless the human race grows up and stops being so damn greedy, that it you chop all the trees down not only does down stream suddenly start having trouble with flooding, all the nutriment in the soil gets washed away leading to, guess what, famine. It happened on Easter Island, it's happening in Britain and it is definitely happening in the Third World.
Another natural disaster - drought. Again it has been proven, put the trees back and it starts to rain. It is true that trees don't make it rain however, it is equally true that trees make the sky rain. How does that work? Rain comes from the moisture in the air, if the air is very hot it cannot condense enough to fall as rain. Trees loose moisture from their leaves, significantly cooling the air around them. Plant enough trees and the air will become cool enough for the clouds to form and fall as rain. Advised reading on the subject - 'The Man Who Planted Trees'. It may not be historically accurate but scientifically it is bang on.
So that is three major world disasters that can be adverted by simply planting trees. And the U.K. government wants to build houses on Green Belt land? Did they leave their brains in the dust bin or something?
I know it is very easy when you look at the world's problem to be so discouraged that you say 'they're so big, what can I do?' Well it puts me in mind of a story Mr Evans, my primary school headteacher down in Wales told us one assembly:
"One night there is a big storm down on the coast and the following morning a young man goes for a walk along the beach. Around his feet thousands of starfish lay on the sand, dying in the sun. He is feeling sad for all the lives lost when away in the distance he sees the figure of an old man who, every couple of steps or so, bends down and throws something into the sea. As he comes closer he realises that the old man is picking up the star fish one by one and throwing them back into the sea. Walking up to the old man he says 'Why are you doing that? There are thousands of them, what difference can you make?' In reply the old man bends down, picks up a starfish and throws it out to sea. 'Well it made a difference to that one,' he said."
Think of what a difference it would make to our landscape if every single person who owns a garden planted just one tree! Think how much carbon dioxide would be sucked out of our atmosphere, how many more water catchers there would be. How much more food and nest sites for our endangered garden birds. And if we all planted one fruit tree we would be able to share in the bounty. Instead of buying fruit, in about five autumns time after planting, we'd be able to enjoy fruit that had grown in our own back gardens, making the pennies stretch that much further. Think of all the extra help it would be to the bees. Does no one remember the motto of Britain during the Second World War 'Dig for Victory'? It stands just as much in a recession as it did during the war and it would make our planet healther as well as ourselves.
Come to think of it that's four natural disasters that can be averted or at least controled by planting trees - flood, famine, drought and species extinction. Isn't that something to think about?
In my opinion, we can if we work for it.
I will agreed that it is fairly hard to avert natural disasters (a reminder perhaps that we don't actually own this planet, we're just squatters here) but, as I have mentioned before half of these natural disasters won't be happening if we weren't mucking up the environment. For example - flooding. It has been proven before and will be proven again, unless the human race grows up and stops being so damn greedy, that it you chop all the trees down not only does down stream suddenly start having trouble with flooding, all the nutriment in the soil gets washed away leading to, guess what, famine. It happened on Easter Island, it's happening in Britain and it is definitely happening in the Third World.
Another natural disaster - drought. Again it has been proven, put the trees back and it starts to rain. It is true that trees don't make it rain however, it is equally true that trees make the sky rain. How does that work? Rain comes from the moisture in the air, if the air is very hot it cannot condense enough to fall as rain. Trees loose moisture from their leaves, significantly cooling the air around them. Plant enough trees and the air will become cool enough for the clouds to form and fall as rain. Advised reading on the subject - 'The Man Who Planted Trees'. It may not be historically accurate but scientifically it is bang on.
So that is three major world disasters that can be adverted by simply planting trees. And the U.K. government wants to build houses on Green Belt land? Did they leave their brains in the dust bin or something?
I know it is very easy when you look at the world's problem to be so discouraged that you say 'they're so big, what can I do?' Well it puts me in mind of a story Mr Evans, my primary school headteacher down in Wales told us one assembly:
"One night there is a big storm down on the coast and the following morning a young man goes for a walk along the beach. Around his feet thousands of starfish lay on the sand, dying in the sun. He is feeling sad for all the lives lost when away in the distance he sees the figure of an old man who, every couple of steps or so, bends down and throws something into the sea. As he comes closer he realises that the old man is picking up the star fish one by one and throwing them back into the sea. Walking up to the old man he says 'Why are you doing that? There are thousands of them, what difference can you make?' In reply the old man bends down, picks up a starfish and throws it out to sea. 'Well it made a difference to that one,' he said."
Think of what a difference it would make to our landscape if every single person who owns a garden planted just one tree! Think how much carbon dioxide would be sucked out of our atmosphere, how many more water catchers there would be. How much more food and nest sites for our endangered garden birds. And if we all planted one fruit tree we would be able to share in the bounty. Instead of buying fruit, in about five autumns time after planting, we'd be able to enjoy fruit that had grown in our own back gardens, making the pennies stretch that much further. Think of all the extra help it would be to the bees. Does no one remember the motto of Britain during the Second World War 'Dig for Victory'? It stands just as much in a recession as it did during the war and it would make our planet healther as well as ourselves.
Come to think of it that's four natural disasters that can be averted or at least controled by planting trees - flood, famine, drought and species extinction. Isn't that something to think about?
Friday, 21 December 2012
Christmas Spirit
O.k. I've just sat down at my computer ready to write about what is generally in the news and how quickly they gloss over great tragedies. (To the families of the children lost in last weeks school shooting, my prayers. Though they are but a small thing I hope that they bring you some comfort in this dreadful time.) Only then I realised that it is almost Christmas. (Why is it that family tragedies are always worse at this time of year?)
Where has this year gone? This time last year I was preparing to fly out to Oman in some unGodly hour of the morning the next day. It has not been helped by the ever increasingly interesting house move at the beginning of August. Nearly five months and we have only managed to do two rooms. Five months, two rooms and another six to go. This could take us years and I haven't been out on my bike since we moved. At this rate she's going to have rusted to a lump by the time I can get her back out from under tarp.
Yes my room is now pretty much done. I am going to have to wait until January for my new bed to arrive but I managed to take advantage of a special offer at Furniture Village so my double bed, Tempur mattress, Tempur pillow and desk chair all came to the normal price of just the mattress. I love it when I do that.
However because of the house renovating it does not really feel like Christmas. Normally we would put the decorations up on the first Sunday of Advent. This year we put them up today. Due to this none of us have really gotten into the groove of Christmas, which for us is a crying shame. Normally Advent and Christmas is such a special family time for us and the build up of Advent is what makes Christmas so special. Normally I baking the Christmas cake in mid-November to give it plenty of time to mature. This year I doubt whether I'm going to have to chance to make one at all.
All this self-pity routine has made me think though.
The families that can't stand the sight of each other but force a get together at this time of year because it's 'traditional'. Do they have any idea of what they are missing? And the greater part of me asks 'why do you dislike each other so much'? Have any of these nightmare families we hear about in the popular fiction tried have some family time regularly? And is a family meal invariably ends up in a fight, why not just have the afternoon together doing say a jigsaw? Or maybe a board game? (Not cards, there is nearly always a fight over whether or not the winner cheated.) I think the most important part of Christmas is TURN THE TV OFF! Even if you've just received your most favourite film in your stocking, the TV has to remain off. Actually talk to one another and more importantly listen to each other. If for no other reason leaving the TV on while you have guests is the height of bad manners and even if it is just family, if all you remember of Christmas Day is what you watched on the TV what makes it any different to any other day?
Where has this year gone? This time last year I was preparing to fly out to Oman in some unGodly hour of the morning the next day. It has not been helped by the ever increasingly interesting house move at the beginning of August. Nearly five months and we have only managed to do two rooms. Five months, two rooms and another six to go. This could take us years and I haven't been out on my bike since we moved. At this rate she's going to have rusted to a lump by the time I can get her back out from under tarp.
Yes my room is now pretty much done. I am going to have to wait until January for my new bed to arrive but I managed to take advantage of a special offer at Furniture Village so my double bed, Tempur mattress, Tempur pillow and desk chair all came to the normal price of just the mattress. I love it when I do that.
However because of the house renovating it does not really feel like Christmas. Normally we would put the decorations up on the first Sunday of Advent. This year we put them up today. Due to this none of us have really gotten into the groove of Christmas, which for us is a crying shame. Normally Advent and Christmas is such a special family time for us and the build up of Advent is what makes Christmas so special. Normally I baking the Christmas cake in mid-November to give it plenty of time to mature. This year I doubt whether I'm going to have to chance to make one at all.
All this self-pity routine has made me think though.
The families that can't stand the sight of each other but force a get together at this time of year because it's 'traditional'. Do they have any idea of what they are missing? And the greater part of me asks 'why do you dislike each other so much'? Have any of these nightmare families we hear about in the popular fiction tried have some family time regularly? And is a family meal invariably ends up in a fight, why not just have the afternoon together doing say a jigsaw? Or maybe a board game? (Not cards, there is nearly always a fight over whether or not the winner cheated.) I think the most important part of Christmas is TURN THE TV OFF! Even if you've just received your most favourite film in your stocking, the TV has to remain off. Actually talk to one another and more importantly listen to each other. If for no other reason leaving the TV on while you have guests is the height of bad manners and even if it is just family, if all you remember of Christmas Day is what you watched on the TV what makes it any different to any other day?
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