REGULARS
Government Meddling and Crack Cocaine
For those of us who still own property in the UK , the following article should pique your interest.
In the UK , or anywhere else for that matter, Government meddling and crack cocaine have a huge amount in common. It's a wonder New Labour doesn't claim credit for the booming market in celebrity rehab.
Both are just one step away from what's already accepted and practical - running the country for government, snorting cocaine amongst middle-class partygoers. A little of either sounds like fun at first too. But the real cost of both meddling and crack always turns out to be far greater than anyone dares to guess at the start. And once you've begun-meddling or toking alike- it's just so hard to stop. Take the UK housing market for instance.
By 2006 average house prices in Britain had more than trebled inside 18 years. The buzz for the active participant felt so good and no one worried about who'd pay for the next hit. All the cash released by mortgage equity withdrawal helped avoid recession in 2001. The bubble also made for great slogans at election time. What a rush!
Even New Labour could see the problem, with runaway inflation in the nation's right to own the upkeep cost of bricks and mortar. First time buyers couldn't afford to buy. Like sunken eyes and acne, it gave the game away.
Worse still, nurses and firemen kept popping up on the telly, complaining that they'd been disenfranchised by New Labour's home owning democracy. They had to live in Swansea and commute if they wanted to work in London .
Something, as ever, had to be done. So New Labour rolled up its sleeves and stuck its fist into the market, right up to the elbow. Grabbing the bull by the horns, they pulled out a radical answer - use taxpayers' money to prop up the lower end of the market.
“HomeBuy helps people who wish to buy a property but cannot afford to”, explains the eponymous website. It also helps those “who wish to rent but cannot afford to pay market rents”. Letting the market set going rates is such an old fashioned idea after all. Why leave first time buyers to wait for a pullback in prices? Invite lower income families to buy only half the flat they fancied. Get taxpayers to stump up the rest. Simple. Half the mortgage means half the mortgage repayments, creating twice the purchasing power. It also means twice the upward pressure on prices too. But market dynamics are beyond New Labour, remember.
If Gordon Brown ever thinks about market forces, it must be to proudly smile at the fact that he's abolished them- along with the boom bust cycle in the economy-Open market HomeBuy- New Build HomeBuy- New Build discounted rent-Social HomeBuy... First time buyers' initiative- all such lovely friendly names. Trouble is, the scheme's advantage to new buyers has already been parsed to nothing. The extra buying power that HomeBuy pumped into the market evaporated in the steamy heat of Britain 's lust for property.
Now public sector workers in shared ownership schemes say their rents are rising at twice the rate of their salaries, according to Radio 4. Nurses in one London development have seen their rent –tied to the old retail price index (RPI) rise by 5.5% year on year. Their salaries on the other hand are pegged to the consumer price index (CPI). So wages are only rising by 1.9%
“I'm paid by the government and this is a government funded scheme” said one South London nurse to Moneybox. “My rent continues to rise but my salary doesn't reflect that.”
Welcome back to the free market in other words. For the scheme to keep bringing fresh meat into the market, the government will have to increase the proportion of purchase price it's willing to cover. The equity owned by wannabe buyers therefore will have to shrink. It's already happened to Social HomeBuy. The government will now buy 90% of a council house from....umm....well, from itself.... Leaving the tenant to buy just one tenth of the roof over their head. You might wonder why they'd bother.
Meantime the cost of buying your own home just keeps soaring up 10.5% year on year in January according to the governments own data up from 9.9% in December The average British pile now costs £205,286.
Something should be done, right? “I think housing is probably as important an issue now as it was in 1945” says Labour chair Hazel Blears. “Ordinary families are quite aspirational. They want to own their own home and it is becoming more difficult”
Her answer is of course more meddling.....just like a crack addict whose answer to suffering withdrawal is to buy more rocks. “Being more imaginative about shared equity, shared ownership and staying on the side of those people who want to do well is where the Labour party has got to completely anchor itself” says Blears lashing herself to the mast instead.
Dabbling with socialism, kids, puts you on a slippery slope. Just say no.
You must be really glad you moved to live in Thailand .
Your comments appreciated to jerry@swissinvestcenter.net
Mag's Page
You know how you remember where you were and what you were doing when Kennedy or Lennon were killed? Well - those of a certain age will remember anyway.
So think around the end of August 1997. And no - I can't put an exact date to it due to having a Senior Moment - but come on, rattle those brain cells! Yes, it's coming up to the 10th anniversary of the death of Princess Diana.
Never known to miss such a golden opportunity, the Daily Mail was first past the post as early as February, offering readers the unmissable chance to own a Royal Doulton Diana figurine for just a few quid and an awful lot of tokens. (Available only of course by buying several months worth of Daily Mails)
And if you think that's naff, they are also offering copies of Diana's most memorable pieces of jewellery. Starting with the pearl bow earrings. Yes - you know - those huge pearl drops suspended from diamond-encrusted bows. What do you mean you don't remember?
Actually if it hadn't been for the illustration neither would I. Maybe it was just another Senior Moment. I remember the engagement ring. It was quite big and blingy in an old fashioned kind of way, and safely sapphire. Unlike Diana's successor who, we are given to understand, prefers emeralds.
The wedding dress was also memorable, if only for the way it didn't quite fit into the horse drawn carriage, with the inevitable consequences. But as for the rest of Diana's undoubtedly expensive rocks - sorry, I draw a blank. So, while I can understand people wanting to own a genuine piece of Royal ornamentation, as happened with the auctions of jewellery worn by the Duchess of Windsor and Princess Margaret, who in their right mind wants a cheap copy of some 80's or 90's rock that would be unrecognisable to the average shopper in Tesco?
Sadly, probably quite a lot. And no doubt over the next few months many other publications will follow the Mails' lead. We might even see an official day of mourning.
By strange coincidence just days after the Daily Mails' unmissable offer, Tony Blair announced that the government were considering an extra Bank Holiday this year, in honour of the Queen and Prince Phillips diamond-wedding anniversary in November.
No one could doubt that the Queen has shown amazing fortitude in reaching this milestone, and deserves to be congratulated. Certainly her ancestor Henry V111 was unable to display the same level of tolerance. Unfortunately though, for reasons best known to the Government and the vagaries of the Gregorian calendar, the best date for the extra Bank Holiday appears to be August 28th. Just a couple of days before the anniversary of Diana's death, Our Tony certainly knows how to kill two birds with one stone.
So yet again the best laid plans of following up on the previous months' theme have gone pear shaped. This time due to missing out on the March column (sorry - pressure of work) and the fact that plans tend to be overtaken by events. In this case the Mail's stunning offers.
But all is not quite lost or forgotten. February's theme of annoyingly discontinued items prompted a friend to add another dimension in the form of discontinued magazines. In particular those which have jumped on the hugely popular bandwagon of ‘Crafting'
Although hand made craft papers are available in cheap abundance in Hua Hin, together with plenty of decorations, which could all be put together, to make greetings cards, the hobby is limited by the lack of other tools and equipment such as cutters and rubber stamps. However back in England there is no such shortage of ‘goodies', and the hobby mushroomed, with specialist magazines following suit. Unfortunately one such magazine fell by the wayside very early into its' first year, after having accepted goodness knows how many pounds in advance yearly subscriptions from its new readers.
There seems to be no ‘come back' in these situations, which to be fair appear to be quite rare. Probably the value of the Introductory Offers that accompany annual subscriptions can be so much that customers feel they haven't really lost out at all. But it's still one of life's annoying realities.
Like the Government's continued crack down on smokers, which does seem to be having some effect if an advert in my local rag is anything to go by: -
Cot. Lovely wooden cot, with mattress, drop side, ex. cond, non-smoker'
What a relief that the younger generation are taking notice!
ARTS & CULTURE Minimalism And Land Art
Our penultimate piece of the art puzzle covers two fascinating movements, which are distinctly modern - minimalism, and the somewhat outlandish Land Art. The former has been extremely influential across all art forms, while the latter is somewhat of an artistic specialty as it often involves expertise in areas such as engineering, or being able to operate earth-moving equipment.
Minimalism describes movements in various forms of art and design, especially visual art and music, where the work is stripped down to its most fundamental features. In other fields of art, it has been used to describe the novels of Ernest Hemingway, the plays of Samuel Beckett, the films of Robert Bresson, the stories of Raymond Carver (called the King of Minimalism), and even the automobile designs of Colin Chapman.
As a specific movement in the arts it is identified with developments in post-World War II Western Art, most strongly with the visual arts, for example the paintings of Mark Rothko. The term has expanded to encompass a movement in music that features repetition and iteration, for example the music of Steve Reich, Philip Glass and Terry Riley. It is rooted in the spare aspects of Modernism, and is often associated with Postmodernism and reaction against Expressionism in both painting and composition.
The term “minimalist” can also refer to anything that is spare, stripped to its essentials, or providing only the outline of structure, independent of the particular art movement, and “minimalism” the tendency to reduce to fundamentals. It is sometimes applied to groups or individuals practicing asceticism and the reduction of physical possessions and needs to a minimum.
Minimalism in visual art, sometimes referred to as “literalism” and “ABC Art,” emerged in New York in the 1960s. It is regarded as a reaction against the painterly forms of Abstract Expressionism as well as the discourse, institutions and ideologies that supported it. As artist and critic Thomas Lawson noted in his 1977 catalogue essay Last Exit: Painting, minimalism did not reject Clement Greenberg's claims about Modernist Painting's reduction to surface and materials so much as take his claims literally. Minimalism was the result, even though the term “minimalism” was not generally embraced by the artists associated with it, and many practitioners of art designated minimalist by critics did not identify it as a movement as-such.
In contrast to the Abstract Expressionists, Minimalists were influenced by composer John Cage, poet William Carlos Williams, and architect Fredrick Law Olmstead. They very explicitly stated that their art was not self-expression, in complete opposition to the previous decade's Abstract Expressionists. Very soon they created a minimal style, whose features included: rectangular and cubic forms purged of all metaphor, equality of parts, repetition, neutral surfaces, industrial materials, all of which leads to immediate visual impact.
The first art specifically associated with Minimalism was Frank Stella, whose “stripe” paintings provided the first of the reductive works that would follow as “minimalism.” Minimalist sculpture is greatly focused on the materials used (see Donald Judd, the early works of Robert Morris, and Dan Flavin).
The origins of Minimalism are in the geometric abstractions of pre-World War II painters in the Bauhaus, Russian Constructivists and the Romanian sculptor Constantin Brâncu i (whose work was a major influence on the Minimalism of Robert Morris). The Russian Constructivists proclaiming the distillation was in order to create a universal language of art that the masses were meant to understand. It may have also supported the rapid industrialization planned for the massive country. Brâncui's work was much more of a search for the purity of the form and thus paved the way for the abstractions that were to come, such as minimalism.
This movement was heavily criticised by the high modernist formalist art critics and historians. It was called futile, mechanistic, mandarin, elitist, circular, endless, entropic, pedantic and authoritarian. The artists of Minimalism were interested in how the rational categories of painting and sculptures were intrinsically delimiting and this is why many worked in 3-D and played critical attention away from expression and toward process and materiality (i.e., time and space). Some very anxious critics thought Minimalist work of art was a complete misunderstanding of the modern dialectic of painting and sculpture according to critic Clement Greenberg.
Other Minimalist artists include: Carl Andre, Jo Baer, Walter Darby Bannard, Larry Bell, Dan Flavin, Donald Judd, Sol LeWitt, Brice Marden, Norman Carlberg, John McCracken, Erwin Hauer, Robert Smithson, Ad Reinhardt, Richard Serra, Tony Smith, Robert Morris, Frank Stella, and Anne Truitt
Ad Reinhardt summed up the style in these terms: ‘The more stuff in it, the busier the work of art, the worse it is. More is less. Less is more. The eye is a menace to clear sight. The laying bare of oneself is obscene. Art begins with the getting rid of nature.'
Also notable are the Postminimalist artists, including Eva Hesse, Hannah Wilke, Martin Puryear and Joel Shapiro. The hallmark of Postminimalism is the often-distinct references to objects without direct representation.
Musical minimalism: In classical music of the last 35 years, the term minimalism is sometimes applied to music which displays some or all of the following features: repetition (often of short musical phrases, with minimal variations over long periods of time) or stasis (often in the form of drones and long tones); emphasis on consonant harmony; a steady pulse. Minimalist music is sometimes very similar, currently, to electronic music and composition.
It should be noted that the minimalist movement in music bears only an occasional relationship to the movement of the same name in visual art. This connection is probably one reason why many minimalist composers dislike the term. Philip Glass, whose group initially performed at art galleries where his minimalist visual artist friends were showing, reportedly said of minimalism, “That word should be stamped out!”
The term minimalism is also used to describe a trend in design and architecture wherein the subject is reduced to its necessary elements.
Architect Ludwig Mies van der Rohe adopted the motto “Less is more” to describe his aesthetic tactics of flattening and emphasizing the building's frame, eliminating interior walls and adopting an open plan, and reducing the structure to a strong, transparent, elegant skin. Designer Buckminster Fuller adopted a similar saying, “Doing more with less”, but his concerns were more oriented towards technology and engineering than aesthetics.
Contemporary architects working in this tradition include John Pawson, Eduardo Souto de Moura, Tadao Ando, and Peter Zumthor.
Literary minimalism is characterized by an economy with words and a focus on surface description. Minimalist authors eschew adverbs and prefer allowing context to dictate meaning. Readers are expected to take an active role in the creation of a story, to “choose sides” based on oblique hints and innuendo, rather than reacting to directions from the author. The characters in minimalist stories and novels tend to be unexceptional; they're average people who sell pool supplies or coach second tier athletic teams, not famous detectives or the fabulously wealthy. Generally, the short stories are “slice of life” stories.
Minimalist authors include the following: Raymond Carver, Chuck Palahniuk, Bret Easton Ellis, Ernest Hemingway, Amy Hempel, Eneas McNulty, Bobbie Ann Mason, Tobias Wolff, Grace Paley, Sandra Cisneros, Mary Robison, Frederick Barthelme, and Alicia Erian. The Irish author Samuel Beckett is also known for writing minimalistic plays and short stories.
Minimalism in philosophy or minimalistic philosophies indicates a philosophy formed around only a few elements of life as opposed to the full spectrum. People practicing minimalistic philosophies often resort to living life with the bare minimum of what is required to survive.
Cults often claim to practice minimalistic philosophies, where the leaders exhort their followers to abandon things of value in their lives, including things as basic as clothes and the right to maintain personal hygiene.
Most modern philosophies could also be considered minimalistic in that they resort to providing only a limited set of valued elements as opposed to everything a person needs to live their life, for example a philosophy centred around only money.
LAND ART OR EARTH ART is a form of art that came to prominence in the late 1960s and 1970s primarily concerned with the natural environment. Materials such as rocks, sticks, soil, plants and so on are often used, and the works frequently exist in the open and are left to change and erode under natural conditions. Particularly large works are sometimes known as earthworks. Many of the works were ephemeral in nature and now only exist as photographic documents.
The movement was inspired mostly by modern and minimal movements such as De Stijl, Cubism, Minimalism and the work of Constantin Brancusi and Joseph Beuys. Many of the artists associated with ‘Land art' had been involved with Minimalism and Conceptual Art but according to the critic Barbara Rose writing in ‘Artforum' in 1969 had become disillusioned with the commodification and insularity of gallery bound art. The sudden appearance of Land Art in 1968 can be located as a response by a generation of artists mostly in their late twenties to the heightened political activism of the year and the emerging environmental and women's liberation movements.
The movement was ‘launched' in October 1968 by the group exhibition ‘Earthworks' at the Dwan Gallery in New York . Perhaps the best known artist who worked in this genre was the American Robert Smithson whose 1968 essay “The Sedimentation of the Mind: Earth Projects” provided a critical framework for the movement as a reaction to the disengagement of Modernism from social issues as represented by the critic Clement Greenberg. His best known piece, and probably the most famous piece of all land art, is Spiral Jetty (1970), for which Smithson arranged rock, earth and algae so as to form a long (1500 feet) spiral-shape jetty protruding into Great Salt Lake in Utah. How much of the work, if any, is visible is dependent on the fluctuating water levels. Since its creation, the work has been completely covered, and then uncovered again, by water.
Smithson's Gravel Mirror with Cracks and Dust (1968) is an example of land art existing in a gallery space rather than in the natural environment. It consists of a pile of gravel by the side of a partially mirrored gallery wall. In its simplicity of form and concentration on the materials themselves, this and other pieces of land art have an affinity with minimalism. There is also a relationship to Arte Povera in the use of materials traditionally considered “inartistic” or “worthless”.
Land artists have tended to be American, with other prominent artists in this field including Nancy Holt, Walter De Maria, Hans Haake, Alice Aycock, Dennis Oppenheim, Michael Heizer, Alan Sonfist, and James Turrell. Turrell began work in 1972 on possibly the largest piece of land art thus far, reshaping the earth surrounding the extinct Roden Crater volcano in Arizona . Perhaps the most prominent non-American land artists are the British Richard Long and Andy Goldsworthy. Some projects by the artist Christo (who is famous for wrapping monuments, buildings and landscapes in fabric) have also been considered land art by some, though the artist himself considers this incorrect, as explained on his web page. Joseph Beuys' concept of ‘social sculpture' influenced ‘Land art' and his ‘Eichen' project of 1972 to plant 1000 Oak trees has many similarities to ‘Land art' processes.
Land artists in America relied mostly on wealthy patrons and private foundations to fund their often-costly projects. With the sudden economic down turn of the mid 1970s funds from these sources largely dried up. With the death of Smithson in a plane crash in 1973 the movement lost its figurehead and petered out. Turrell continues to work on the Roden Crater project. In most respects ‘Land art' has become part of mainstream Public Art.
In 1998 a group of artists started in Amsterdam (The Netherlands) a project called Indoor Land Art Programme - ILAP, and had shows all over Europe .
One particularly unusual example of land art is the well known Marree Man in South Australia which is both the largest, and unique because, despite this, it came into being without any witnesses whatsoever to its presumably extensive creation activity and no artist(s) have either laid claim to the work or ever been identified!
THE TICKET 
Surf FM Chart
This month, Surf 102.5FM's DJ Matt “Mixmaster” Laminator gives his personal top 10 hits of the 1980's.
The music of the 80's is often criticized and lambasted. After the rock and roll of the 50's and 60's, and the music revolution that took place in the 70's, the 80's can sometimes appear a bit lacking and wishy-washy. As time goes by and the 80's kids are getting married and having their own kids, it seems that people are starting to look back at the 80's music scene with a new found fondness. It was a period of transition that is often misunderstood; some bands persisted with the traditional guitar band set-up, whilst others experimented with new technology. As with any experiment, sometimes it works and sometimes it fails miserably (as it did on numerous cringe worthy occasions!). Bands such as The Police, Style Council and Aussie new boys INXS continued with the tried and tested approach and had great success in doing so. Those who fully embraced the new technology include Herbie Hancock and Harold Faltermeyer who's 1983 hit ‘Axel F' featured in the blockbuster movie Beverly Hills Cop and proudly sits at the top of the pile in this month's Surf FM top ten.
1. Harold Faltermeyer – Axel F 6. Cameo - Word Up
2. Michael Jackson - Billy Jean 7. INXS – I Need You Tonight
3. Style Council - Walls Come Tumbling Down 8. Police - Every Breath You Take
4. Herbie Hancock - Rock It 9. Hall & Oats – I Can't Go For That
5. Prince - When Doves Cry 10. Toto – Africa
Matt Lavender can be heard on air everyday between 4pm and 7pm playing a selection of hits from yesteryear. We are sad to have to temporarily lose Randy Cornhole who is returning to England for a while. Randy has been a huge hit on Surf FM over the last few months with his thrice-weekly rock show. Everyone at Surf would like to say a huge thank you to him for being a consistently brilliant fixture in our weekly schedule. We wish you a safe journey and look forward to your return.
Tune into Surf 102.5 FM everyday between 6am and 12 midnight. You can also listen online at www.surfhuahin.com. Phone in your requests and dedications on 032-522990 or Skype Surf using the name Surf102.5FM.
ONCE YOU”VE TUNED IN TO SURF FM YOU”LL NEVER TOUCH YOUR NOB AGAIN!
Movie Reviews
THE NUMBER 23
When challenged Jim Carrey can come up with some good performances that are not just focused upon his face pulling and physical contortions.
Unfortunately this psychological thriller based on numerology becomes more ridiculous and less involving with each passing minute.
It appears that there are a lot of missed opportunities in this movie, what could have been a spooky, mind-bending freak-out, seems to have become over indulged.
However the special effects are good and the cast seem to acquit them self-well. You may enjoy this if you like working out bizarre puzzles, but ultimately you may be disappointed. The ending is one of the least satisfying conclusions as it makes nonsense of a story that made little sense to begin with.
GHOST RIDER
Of all the comic book heroes to plunder for ideas this would be low on the list. Basically Satan's errand boy on a motorbike with a flaming head.
Perhaps this could be eternal damnation for Nicolas Cage who seems to be choosing some turkeys recently.
Apparently it is not done ‘tongue in cheek', but there may be many sniggers in the audience.
If you have a young male adult to entertain then he might get off on this movie, as it is a PG rating you will just have to suffer in silence or go along with it.
Starring Nicolas Cage, Eva Mendes, Peter Fonda, Donal Logue, Sam Elliott and Wes Bentley.
Written/directed by Mark Steven Johnson. 114 minutes.
FANTASTIC FOUR:
RISE OF THE SILVER SURFER
Now if superheroes are to be plundered then the Silver Surfer is the one, a strange being who travels through space on a cosmic surfboard. This guy is a story and series of movies himself.
Basically the Fantastic Four, Mr. Fantastic, Invisible Woman, the Human Torch and the Thing, face a world-devastating threat in the form of the Silver Surfer.
If you have not read the Marvel comics then we will not spoil the movie for you, if the movie lives up to the original story it should be good.
While trying to subdue the Silver Surfer, the Fantastic Four discover to their horror that the Surfer is just a herald for an even bigger menace: The planet-devouring Galactus.
Order your Silver Surfer T-Shirt now.....woooooooshh!
Director(s) Tim Story. Cast: Michael Chiklis, Jessica Alba, Ioan Gruffudd, Chris Evans (more)
Release Date in America : June 15, 2007
STAR PROFILE
The first of our new features spotlights the recent Oscar winner, Forrest Whitaker, who has a considerable and impressive track record, although rarely is he the leading actor.
Forrest Whitaker is the father of three children. He has two daughters, Sonnet and True, by his wife, Keisha Whitaker and a son Ocean Whitaker, from a previous relationship. He also has Autumn, a stepdaughter through his marriage with “Keisha”.
Forrest was born with an eye condition called amblyopic, commonly known as “lazy eye”.
Originally cast in the role of “Sawyer” on “Lost” (2004), but opted out of the role when 20th Century Fox green lighted his film First Daughter (2004).
Brother-in-law of Jeffrey Nash, Kidada Jones, Rashida Jones, and Quincy Jones III.
In 2003, Whitaker became Executive Director of the Nodance Film Festival, a festival that celebrates the alternative digital film culture with an emphasis on first-time filmmakers and digital filmmaking. Originally held in Park City , Utah , Nodance has recently re-launched in Los Angeles and holds the distinction of being the world's first DVD-projected film festival.
He tried to be as bulky as possible to play Big Harold in Platoon (1986), but the vigorous boot-camping training, bad food and rough shoot caused him to lose a lot of weight. When he noticed Whitaker was getting thinner, Oliver Stone said to him, “What are you doing? You're supposed to be ‘Big' Harold”.
Raised in Los Angeles by an insurance-salesman father and schoolteacher mother, the high school football star ditched his jersey and helmet after catching the acting bug in a production of Dylan Thomas' “Under Milk Wood”.
Whitaker hosted “Saturday Night Live” on February 10, 2007, during which his singing talent was featured in several sketches.
Met his wife actress Keisha Whitaker, nee Nash, on the set of Blown Away (1994).
Spent a total of three and a half months in Uganda researching and filming The Last King of Scotland (2006). Uganda was his ever first visit to Africa.
He and his daughter, True, have recorded a public service message promoting vegetarianism on behalf of People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals (PETA).
Book Reviews
HALF OF A YELLOW SUN
by Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie
If you look through the book reviews you will find the following words: Heartbreaking, funny, exquisite, masterpiece, stunning, exuberant, vivid and classic.'
And about the author: Awe and envy.
Short listed for the Orange Prize, and winner of the Commonwealth Writers Award.
Set in Nigeria in the 1960's during a vicious civil war. The three main characters are a young boy from a poor village, a young middle-class woman, Olanna, who has to confront the reality of the massacre of her relatives. And the third is a white man, a writer who lives in Nigeria for no clear reason.
Simple advice, read it if you can.
Format: Paperback 448 pages
Publisher: HarperPerennial
ISBN: 9780007200283
THE SHADOW OF THE WIND
by Carlos Ruiz Zafon
Lets look at some of the quotes: “A page-turning exploration of obsession in literature and love, and the places that obsession can lead”.
“Quite possibly my favourite book ever, I cannot rate it highly enough”.
It's not often that a book gets so many favourable reviews. This is a real page turner that you may want to finish in one session.
The characters are real and the story gripping. Good plot, murder, mystery, romance and politics.
It leaves the reader with a sense of enchantment, a wonderful portrait of Barcelona - “not the sunny, culture rich and fun loving city - but a shadowy, at times dark and atmospheric picture of the city centre streets in the years following the Spanish Civil War.”
This book follows the story of Daniel, who at the age of ten is taken by his father to a secret labyrinthine library known as the ‘Cemetery of Forgotten Books'. He chooses one book ‘The Shadow of the Wind' by Julián Carax. A few years later the book starts attracting interest from various people and so Daniel decides to try and find out more about the mysterious author.
Probably a modern day classic.
Format: Paperback 512 pages
Publisher: Phoenix Press
ISBN: 9780753820254
BLUE SHOES AND HAPPINESS
by Alexander McCall Smith
Alexander McCall Smith has created a world, which is steeped, in the rich characters, heritage and scenery of Botswana.
This seems like the kind of book that will release you from everything that is ordinary in your life.
The story of Mma Ramotswe of the No. 1 Ladies' Detective Agency of Botswana and the variety of matters she has to attend to. A disturbing case of blackmail and theft from the Government catering college, or while on an errand for her husband to the Mokolodi Game Reserve Mma Ramotswe is seconded to investigate something that may be down to witchcraft, or the sinister goings-on at a health clinic.
These are just a few of the tasks for Mma Ramotswe who is just recently married to her long term suitor. And to add to all this she is, how can we say, traditionally built.
All in all a very untraditional hero, therefore a more entertaining read. Definitely worth checking out.
Format: Paperback 256 pages
Publisher: Abacus
ISBN: 9780349117720
SNOOKER
The Snooker World Championships takes place this month beginning on the 21st April, and finishing on the 7th May. As usual the venue for this historic competition is The Crucible in Sheffield. Last year's winner, Graeme Dott will have his work cut out defending his title against an array of the top names in snooker as well as a host of newcomers.
The draw is listed below; the named (seeded) players in Round 1 are all playing qualifiers, and they were was not known at press time.
Champions League Draw
Chelsea, Liverpool and Manchester United were kept apart in the Champions League quarter-final draw.
Jose Mourinho's side face Valencia, while Liverpool were paired with Arsenal's conquerors PSV Eindhoven and Manchester United meet AS Roma.
The draw was also made for the semi-final, and it will see Chelsea and Liverpool meet in a repeat of the 2005 clash if they both emerge victorious.
Manchester United will play AC Milan or Bayern Munich if they beat AS Roma.
All the Premiership sides are likely to be happy with their draw, with the prospect left open for an all-English final in Athens on 23 May.
Liverpool have already beaten PSV in the group stages, winning 2-0 at Anfield after drawing 0-0 in Holland - and they have the added incentive of having the second leg at home.
If Chelsea and Liverpool go through, Mourinho will have his sights set on revenge for their defeat against Rafael Benitez's side at the same stage two years ago.
If they both go through, the second leg will again be at Anfield, where Luis Garcia's controversial goal sent Liverpool to the final, where they beat AC Milan on penalties.
CRICKET
The 2007 Cricket World Cup in the Caribbean will feature 16 teams from around the globe.
Australia are favourites for the tournament, but any one of the eight major teams stands a chance of lifting the trophy. The tournament had just got underway, on 13th March, as we went to press, and continues until the Final on the 28th April in Barbados. The competition takes place all over the West Indies, and 8 different venues are being used in total.
THE FORMAT
The ICC Cricket World Cup in the Caribbean is the biggest in the tournament's history with 16 teams - two more than in 2003 - taking part. If you thought it was a simple knockout then think again as the tournament involves two group stages and there are seedings to boot.
GROUP STAGE
The 16 teams have been divided into four groups of four and seeded according to their world ranking (at a cut-off date last year when the schedule was announced).
Group A: Australia (1), South Africa (5), Scotland (12), The Netherlands (16)
Group B: Sri Lanka (2), India (8), Bangladesh (11), Bermuda (15)
Group C: New Zealand (3), England (7), Kenya (10), Canada (14)
Group D: Pakistan (4), West Indies (6), Zimbabwe (9), Ireland (13)
SUPER EIGHT
There will be 24 matches in the Super Eight, with each team playing each other, except for the one team they have already faced in the group stage. The points from that group stage match will be carried forward to their Super Eight tally. The top four teams from the Super Eight will progress to the semi-finals and for any tiebreakers the criteria listed in the group stage above will be used. The Super Eight seeding is the same as used in the first round, based on world ranking, with no notice taken of whether a side finishes first or second in a group.
For example, if South Africa win Group A and Australia come second, for the purposes of the Super Eight, South Africa will still be A2 and Australia will be A1. If, for example, Scotland qualify instead of Australia, Scotland will become A1.
SEMI-FINALS
The team that finishes first in the Super Eight stage will play the team that finished fourth. Second will play third.
THE WEATHER
There is a reserve day for every match at the World Cup. Every effort will be made to complete the match on the scheduled day with any necessary reduction in overs taking place. Only if the minimum number of overs (20 per side) cannot be bowled on the scheduled day will the match be completed on the reserve day. Any incomplete matches will be continued the next day from where they left off - a new game will not be started.
WORLD CUP VENUES
ANTIGUA: THE SIR VIV RICHARDS STADIUM
The £16m Sir Vivian Richards Stadium replaces the famous old Recreation Ground as the island's home of cricket. It will accommodate 20,000 people for the tournament, with the capacity reduced by half after it finishes. Funded by a grant from the Chinese government, the ground has two main stands - the north and south - a beach and underground passages for the teams. The venue is located halfway between the airport and St John's city centre and will host Super 8s matches.
ST KITTS: WARNER PARK
Warner Park was the first new venue to be completed ahead of the showpiece and it hosted a Test and one-dayer when India visited the Caribbean last year. The stadium in Basseterre will seat 10,000 during the group games but the island's population is only 35,000. Most of the £5m needed to build the ground was provided by the Taiwanese government and another interesting factor is the lack of an east stand. That is to allow the players to be cooled by winds from that direction. Australia, South Africa, Scotland and the Netherlands will play their group A matches in St Kitts.
ST LUCIA: BEAUSEJOUR CRICKET GROUND
The Beausejour Cricket Ground, which first staged international cricket matches in 2002, will play host to England's games in the group stage. It is set in 22 acres beneath the hills near the tourist resort of Rodney Bay and its 12,000 capacity will be raised to 20,000 with temporary stands. Batsmen have done well at the venue, with nine team totals of 250 or more in the eight one-dayers held there. The three Tests, all drawn, have also been high-scoring affairs. All the group C matches involving New Zealand, England, Kenya and Canada will be played here, plus the second semi-final.
BARBADOS: KENSINGTON OVAL
Originally opened in 1871, the historic Kensington Oval in Bridgetown is being revamped for the tournament. Capacity will be increased from 15,000 to 28,000 to host matches in the Super 8s stage and the final on 28 April. The ground staged the first home Test for West Indies in 1930; the hosts were unbeaten there from 1948 to 1993 and beat Pakistan in the last Test in 2005.
There has been plenty in the pitch for batsmen and bowlers, although the last few one-dayers have been high scoring.
GRENADA: QUEEN'S PARK
Queen's Park, which is part of the National Stadium complex, was only opened seven years ago but was badly damaged by Hurricane Ivan in 2004. It has been rebuilt with the help of funding from the Chinese government. Before the damage, one Test and eight one-day internationals were played at the cricket stadium, which lies next to a football and athletics ground. Super 8s matches will be staged at Queen's Park, which will have a capacity of 17,000 when reopened.
TRINIDAD: QUEEN'S PARK OVAL
Queen's Park Oval will be one of the largest venues used for the event and has hosted more international cricket than any other Caribbean ground. The picturesque stadium, with the northern hills as a backdrop, is being renovated for the group games there. High scores have not been common in one-dayers, and there have been some dramatic Test matches played.
England were skittled for 46 chasing 194 in 1994, while in 1976 India scored 406-4 in the fourth innings to win. The Group B matches involving Sri Lanka, India, Bangladesh and Bermuda will be played here.
GUYANA: PROVIDENCE STADIUM
The brand new 16,000-seater Providence Stadium replaces Bourda as the home of international cricket in Guyana, which is actually part of South America. Built on the outskirts of Georgetown, the state-of-the-art venue will host six Super 8s games. A shopping mall and hotel will be part of the complex, which is being built thanks to Indian government funding. The weather has proved a problem for matches staged in the area in the past, with heavy rain often curtailing play.
JAMAICA: SABINA PARK
Construction delays dogged the refurbishment of Sabina Park. The 23,000-seater venue will play host to the opening match of the tournament and one of the semi-finals. It first hosted Test cricket in 1930 and is located between the Blue Mountains in the north and Kingston Harbour to the south of the capital. The pitch, like many in the Caribbean, has become more docile than in previous years and scoring will not be easy, as India and West Indies found last year. Hosts West Indies, Pakistan, Zimbabwe and Ireland play their group D matches here.
Cricket Sixes
The Hua Hin Sixes has been a regular on the calendar for many years now, and this year it has attracted no less than 18 teams of extremely varying quality to compete. As always there are the local heroes, such as Colin Devonshire and Dave Calvin, rubbing shoulders with more illustrious international players, such as Darren Berry and Michael Lewis, both well-known players in first class Australian cricket before they retired.
The competition will be fierce, and no doubt the beer consumption will be of epic proportions (amongst some of the teams anyway!). All the action will be taking place at the Dusit Resort as always, although no doubt some stragglers will be found in and around the town centre during the 5-day event. Go along for a fun few days and cheer on your favourites!
CASTAWAY
After we have picked up our last castaway we usually drop off our new castaway to face up to the trials and tribulations of dolphin island, however this time due to an uncharacteristic storm we decided to visit the island ourselves to check out what has been happening. The following is our report...
Due to the recent storm the island was looking slightly the worse for wear, so we decided to visit the main area our Castaways have been inhabiting to survey any damage and do some housekeeping. But before tackling this unenviable task we did a quick check of the island.
For those of you who did not keep their copy of the island printed in the Oct. 2006 Observer (shame on you) we reprint it here.
Harbour Cove has become our main dropping off point, so we were set down early in the morning with a pile of new supplies there. Although the sun was shining the weather was blustery, and we had fears of being caught out in another dramatic storm; however the day settled down as we headed out towards Coconut Head, having tied down all the supplies just in case.
As the crow flies, the distance to Coconut Head is about 6.4 km, but as we are not crows, the distance on foot is about 7.5 km but relatively flat, and for much of the time there is a wonderful view over the sea. As we neared Coconut Head there was some evidence of storm damage with some of the older coconut trees lying flat on the ground with roots pointing to the sky. The usual small troop of monkeys seemed unfazed and sat preening themselves while observing us as we passed; presumably they were on vacation from Monkey Mount.
We made good time so had a quick snack with some much-needed water, before we retraced our steps; Coconut Head had survived both the storms and the Castaways relatively unscathed.
Our next destination was The Lizard's Tail taking the route between Monkey Mount and the Devil's Ridge. Although not a direct route we kept to the track as the undergrowth was dense in places and sometimes difficult to navigate over the undulating terrain.
The journey back to the intersection of paths was relatively uneventful with the occasional suggestion that a visit to the still visible beach might be a better option, however we trudged on and soon the two major rises of land on the island loomed over us.
It was obvious that we could not make it much further before sunset so we decided to find somewhere suitable to spend the night and rest our weary legs, being unaccustomed to so much walking. However we had not planned our hike very well as we were now trying to find suitable ground for tents in one of the wettest areas of land on the island. Luckily for us this was not the time of the year when it is almost impossible to get through this bog-like area, but the storm had added to the water level. It took us some time to find a suitable site to set up camp and due to the damp location we were cursed by mosquitoes throughout the night, driving us to distraction.
In the morning we were all a little the worse for wear but our spirits were lifted when we spotted the distinctive Green Parrot that had been the companion of Ian Lawrie during his stay on the island. Despite our best efforts we realised that it fully intended to stay on the island and avoided our attempts to capture it.
Abandoning the elusive parrot we headed off, glad to be away from the oppressive atmosphere of the landscape between the Devil's Ridge and Monkey Mount. Within a short time we had reached a pathway intersection, the right leading on to the high pass at the Devil's Ridge and further on to Crag Point, but now we were heading for the Lizard's Tail and therefore took the left fork.
The journey down to the Lizard's Tail was welcome after the previous night. This piece of land is about a half a kilometre wide, therefore at certain points there is a view in both directions over the sea. To the right a view to the idyllic cove with white sandy beach untainted by beach umbrellas or noisy jet skis. Equally beautiful but in contrast, the view to the left was of steep dramatic cliffs overlooking the more choppy sea. It was difficult to believe that the two views were part of the same island.
We were soon approaching the furthest point of the Lizard's Tail and our first real signs of all the Castaways who had spent time on the island; what was this first sign of man pitting himself against nature? No, not a half built hut or an artistic icon to mark the time spent on the island; the first sign of modern man almost broke the neck of the person who stood on it; a golf ball. No finger pointing here, but someone had been doing a bit of target practice around the sandy area at the end of the Lizard's Tail.
We now noticed for the first time that there was no sign of the Fisherman's Spit, usually located about a kilometre off the end of the Lizard's Tail, it would appear that the recent weather had washed the top surface off the Spit and it was no longer visible. As we had hoped to spend a little time fishing this was a disappointing discovery. Later, when flying over the area we could see the spit clearly inches below the surface. Presumably this was a common occurrence and the spit later regenerates itself, alternatively we hope it is not another sign of global warming.
Altering our plans we decided to continue back up the path to make our way to the beach for an early lunch break and perhaps a welcome swim to cool down a little. It was on our way back up the path that we made another discovery marking the occupation of the island, a large pile of crab and mussel shells. One of the Castaways had obviously often caught shellfish here and discarded the shells to avoid carrying them back or perhaps consumed them in the area. This discovery made us aware of our own hunger, as we had only taken time for a small breakfast, so we hastened on to the junction in the path we had passed earlier.
The path led around the cove until we reached a point at the end of the beach opposite the Lizard's Tail, this was where we spent a lovely couple of hours recuperating, checking for blisters, and eating. We decided not to go swimming, as it seemed that the recent storm had washed several small sharks into the area between the beach and the reef. Although not large enough to kill we didn't fancy messing with them. They would eventually need to find a way back to the sea if they were to survive, as there were few large fish inside the reef.
It was also here that we made another discovery. This spot had become a favourite hang out for many of our Castaways, in a natural clearing just off the beach a very small cave held evidence of many blissful hours spent relaxing, a neat pile of books. Lord of the Rings (Colin), Wuthering Heights (Dawn'), The Moon's a Balloon (Grahame), and a book on the Thai language either read by Colin or Ian.
As we expect everyone to fend for themselves we collected these books up, so any future Castaway will have to choose for themselves. But for future Castaways, remember this little clearing - it's a perfect spot for dreaming and relaxing with a good book.
We decided that although the beach would make a lovely place to spend the night we had to push on as there were still 3-4 hours of daylight left. With some regret we left the beach, heading into vegetation that thickened steadily, slowing our progress drastically and making us curse our decision not to stay at the beach for the night.
The vegetation continued to close in on us, and consequently the breeze we had taken for granted now disappeared. The heat became oppressive, and the added attention of every insect on the planet, drawn to our sweat like a drunk drawn to a bar, only made things worse. We had had our little piece of heaven now we were getting our little slice of hell. It was at this point, when we were gasping for air and desperately requiring a ‘time out' from the bug onslaught, that we came upon a rocky outcrop where we could see the next junction in the pathway. This was an obvious point to make camp for the night and get out the bug spray.
Our night was relatively comfortable despite someone swearing that they had seen a snake near the camp, it was probably a lizard but it was a timely warning that we should not stomp about in thick undergrowth too often.
We had now travelled about 30 km, which was a reasonable feat over such varied terrain, but our progress was about to slow a little as both of our route options led to rougher terrain. The direct route to Crag Point was through semi jungle, and over rocky undulating hills and difficult scrubland. Our other option was directly up the steep, winding, and partially covered pathway leading through a high valley between the two main peaks of the Devil's Ridge.
Although the direct route would have taken us past a wreck near Crag Point, we had no diving gear so therefore chose what we hoped would be the lesser of two evils, heading up towards the peaks. It was on this route that we hoped to find some of the rock carvings left by ancient inhabitants of the island.
Although the island could not be called mountainous the trek up the winding pathway was exhausting, with dense foliage again shutting out any sea breeze. Looking for carvings started to become less important than watching our footing on the rocky path while gasping for some air. In places the foliage had partly covered over the path and we spent a little time clearing away the growth before moving on.
We were in need of some rest but decided to forge on as we hoped to be more careful in our choice of camping site the next time. Either due to our haste or lack of observance we missed any rock carvings, perhaps also due to the current abundance of vegetation. Although still overlooked by peaks on each side we were now getting to the highest point that the pathway reached.
Arriving in a slight clearing we could see through to the lowlands ahead, and the landscape was in direct contrast to that which we had just struggled through. Instead of a steep climb and thick unforgiving vegetation there was a gradual decline over open scrubby land scattered with rocky outcrops and clusters of trees. However the main good news was the breeze that was coming from the sea about 4 kilometres in the distance.
Despite our desire to find a good campsite for the night we decided to take a rest and eat. The main topic of discussion was our choice of routes. It would appear that doing our current journey in the opposite direction might be an easier task (take note future Castaways). Others in our party thought that perhaps we should have headed for Crag Point this morning. In the end we decided to push on now that the terrain was easier and perhaps tackle the journey to Crag Point the following day from the other route.
Revitalised we made good progress although the terrain was not as easy to trek over as it appeared from above, with many undulations in the landscape. Our only major event en-route happened when we least expected it; we were all lost in our own thoughts when a loud whisper to stop halted us. We had stumbled upon a large family of wild pigs not twenty metres from us. Looking at the tusks on two of the adults we decided that caution would be advisable. Although once we had circumnavigated this obstacle there was much macho banter about missing out on a good bacon sandwich.
The land was now flat and we decided that the next outcrop of trees would be our camping site for the night. Within an hour we were all settled comfortably for the night, eating and discussing the last few days hike. That night we slept well for the first time, untroubled by mosquitoes and thoughts of snakes.
The following morning everyone appeared refreshed, and we headed off for the junction in the path that would lead us up to Crag Point. The terrain, if anything, got easier and the breeze coming in off the sea less than 500 metres to our right made walking far easier.
As our journey progressed we could see a distinct change in the sea conditions, at first we thought this was a precursor to another storm heading our way but later realised this was just a natural phenomenon created by the underwater conditions at the north of the island that we had been told about.
Even on such a perfect day we could sense a different feeling as we reached Crag Head; the wild choppy sea and the jagged rocks just off Crag Point added to the harsh atmosphere. The vegetation was hard and sparse with underlying rocks visible everywhere. On route there had been suggestions that we stop off here for an early lunch but no one followed up on this once we reached our destination. We had seen Crag Point on a good day; it was definitely not a place to be on a bad day. The only signs of life seemingly happy with this location were several dolphins visible just off the point, probably because this is regarded as the best fishing area around the island.
On our return journey we passed the turn off that would have taken us back down to the Lizard's Tail but our time on the island was running out, so this would have to remain the only pathway we had not covered during our stay.
The remains of the day went by uneventfully and we made good progress. We decided that trying to make it back to Harbour Cove that night would be beyond us so stopped at a beautiful spot overlooking the sea with a wonderful view over to Humpback Island . Unfortunately we would not have enough time to get over to Humpback, but we later discovered that one of our adventurous Castaways had built a small raft/boat to ferry themselves over to the bird colony. Although the breeze built up during the night we all slept well and the following morning we made our way back to our starting point at Harbour Cove in a short time. We now had less than a day left to clean up and store away any supplies we had brought to the island.
It was amazing how clean the main dwelling was and someone had taken the time to build a quite useful lean-to for storage although it was empty now, except for a dog chew left by one of the many canine Castaways.
In the house there was obvious signs of successful attempts to make the dwelling more habitable, however we had little time to do a Homes & Gardens report so we started our task by clearing up the leftover books, CDs and DVDs. All of the movies seemed well-worn starting with Dr. Zhivago then the Wizard of Oz, Snatch, One Flew Over the Cuckoos Nest, Zulu, Pirates of the Caribbean and Trainspotting.
Although we had already collected some books we again picked up a stash next to the bed, mainly books on gardening, language and survival plus some Encyclopaedia Britannicas.
In the corner of the room we found a selection of bent and broken golf clubs, obviously the bunkers around here were a little tougher than in Hua Hin.
But by far the oddest discoveries were to follow; on doing a little beachcombing close to the hut we discovered a football stuck in a tree, the likely candidates here were Colin and Ian.
However the best was to come, half submerged in a new rock pool was a chair emblazoned with the Aston Villa crest. It had obviously been caught out in a storm and then covered by a high tide. Too heavy to drag back to the hut it now sat forlornly with a crab trying to decide if it would make a good home. As it turned out, while we watched the crab reached the club crest and then hurriedly scuttled away – obviously a Birmingham fan!
The final discovery we made was a delightful one; a beautifully designed (although somewhat overgrown now) vegetable patch and herb garden, which we have to assume was the work of our most recent Castaway Dawn. It was complete with a couple of fruit trees and a pergola constructed from locally found materials supplemented by the remains of Terry's croquet set; presumably whoever had constructed it had used either rocks or the croquet mallets as tools. We left this little luxury behind for future Castaways to clean up and improve, although all the gardening implements were removed, as was a large sample of the fresh fruit and vegetables for a final sumptuous lunch, before being picked up by our Navy friends. Our future Castaways certainly won't have it easy on Dolphin Island, but their predecessors have all left their mark in some way to make it more comfortable.
Just prior to the arrival of the helicopter we had another visit from the mischievous talking Green Parrot, and were a little concerned at some of the language it was using; it certainly seemed to be an extremely good mimic, and had obviously picked up on what the visitors to the island had to say during their stay! One expression was constantly repeated though, and could have applied to almost any one of the Castaways – “Damn, missed again!”
Earth Report
Cassini Penetrates Titan's Fog
Scientists have discovered what appear to be sea-size bodies of liquid, probably methane or ethane, on the surface of Saturn's largest moon.
The discovery by the international Cassini spacecraft was welcomed by researchers, who have long theorized that Titan possessed hydrocarbon seas because of methane and other organic compounds in its thick, largely nitrogen atmosphere.
Until now, Cassini had spotted only clusters of small lakes on the planet-size moon. “They're very obvious. There's nothing subtle about them,” said Cassini scientist Jonathan Lunine of the University of Arizona , Tucson .
Researchers using visual and radar imaging uncovered evidence of at least two seas on Titan's hazy north pole.
Cassini's camera last month spied a large, irregular feature stretching 680 miles long with a surface area similar to Montana 's, or to Asia's landlocked Caspian Sea .
Its radar instrument swept over the feature's northern tip and determined that it likely contains liquid methane or ethane because of its smooth appearance. However, scientists don't know whether the entire area is filled with liquid.
The spacecraft also discerned another body one-fifth the size of Titan's “ Caspian Sea .” With a surface area of about 46,000 square miles, it is larger than Lakes Superior and Ontario combined, scientists said.
While there's no scientific definition of what constitutes a lake or sea on Titan, the newly found features are significantly larger than previously discovered bodies of liquid on the frigid moon and should be considered seas, Lunine said.
Results were presented on 13th March at the annual Lunar and Planetary Science Conference in Texas .
Titan is one of the few objects in the outer solar system with a significant atmosphere, and scientists have long puzzled over its source.
Methane is a flammable gas on Earth but is liquid on Titan because of the moon's intense atmospheric pressure and cold.
Judging by their sizes and depths, the newly discovered seas likely aren't responsible for replenishing the long-term methane found in the moon's atmosphere, Lunine said. Instead, the source likely is underground methane reservoirs that vent to the surface.
In 2005, Cassini launched a probe that parachuted to the surface of Titan, where it found evidence of an active world with liquid methane rain and a landscape of ridges, peaks and features formed by erosion.
Cassini, on a mission to study the ringed planet and its many moons, is a project of NASA, the European Space Agency and the Italian Space Agency. The spacecraft is managed by NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory in Pasadena , California .
Missing: Chunk of Earth's crust
A team of British scientists has set sail on a voyage to examine why a huge chunk of Earth's crust is missing, deep under the Atlantic Ocean --a phenomenon that challenges conventional ideas about how the planet works.
The 20-strong team aims to survey an area some 1.9 to 2.6 miles deep where the mantle--the deep interior of the planet normally covered by a crust miles thick--is exposed on the seafloor.
Experts describe the hole along the Mid-Atlantic Ridge as an “open wound” on the ocean floor that has puzzled scientists for the five or so years that its existence has been known because it defies existing tectonic plate theories of evolution.
“We know so little about it,” said Bramley Murton, a senior research scientist at Southampton 's National Oceanography Centre.
“It's a real challenge to our established understanding of what the Earth's surface looks like underneath the waves,” he told Reuters by telephone from the brand new, high-tech British research ship RRS James Cook.
Mid ocean ridges are places where new oceanic crust is born, with red-hot lava spewing out along the seafloor.
What scientists want to know is whether the crust was ripped away by huge geological faults, or whether it never even developed in the first place.
“The area that we are looking at is part of a mountain range that spans thousands of square kilometres, but we are beginning to realize that there are probably millions of square kilometres where the ocean floor is missing,” Murton said.
The six-week mission, led by geophysicist Roger Searle of Durham University and Chris MacLeod of Cardiff University's School of Earth, Ocean and Planetary Sciences, will recover sample cores of rock by drilling into the mantle using a rig lowered on to the seafloor.
Asked if the discovery posed a threat to the environment, Murton replied: “It's not problematic for (the planet) because it is a natural Earth process--but in terms of knowing how the Earth works and how the world is put together, it is important.”
Murton also said the expedition would shed light on the composition of seawater amongst other initiatives.
Crust formation is a fundamental mechanism of Earth that affects the chemistry of the world's oceans.
Progress by the research team can be monitored via a live Web link to the ship at http://www.noc.soton.ac.uk/gg/classroom@sea/JC007/.
Chimpanzees ‘hunt using spears'
Chimpanzees in Senegal have been observed making and using wooden spears to hunt other primates, according to a study in the journal Current Biology.
Researchers documented 22 cases of chimps fashioning tools to jab at smaller primates sheltering in cavities of hollow branches or tree trunks.
The report's authors, Jill Pruetz and Paco Bertolani, said the finding could have implications for human evolution.
Chimps had not been previously observed hunting other animals with tools.
Pruetz and Bertolani made the discovery at their research site in Fongoli , Senegal , between March 2005 and July 2006.
“There were hints that this behaviour might occur, but it was one time at a different site,” said Jill Pruetz, assistant professor of anthropology at Iowa State University , US .
“While in Senegal for the spring semester, I saw about 13 different hunting bouts. So it really is habitual.”
Chimpanzees were observed jabbing the spears into hollow trunks or branches, over and over again. After the chimp removed the tool, it would frequently smell or lick it.
In the vast majority of cases, the chimps used the tools in the manner of a spear, not as probes. The researchers say they were using enough force to injure an animal that may have been hiding inside.
However, they did not photograph the behaviour, or capture it on film.
In one case, Pruetz and Bertolani, , from the Leverhulme Centre for Human Evolutionary Studies in Cambridge, UK, witnessed a chimpanzee extract a bush baby with a spear.
In most cases, the Fongoli chimpanzees carried out four or more steps to manufacture spears for hunting.
In all but one of the cases, chimps broke off a living branch to make their tool. They would then trim the side branches and leaves.
In a number of cases, chimps also trimmed the ends of the branch and stripped it of bark. Some chimps also sharpened the tip of the tool with their teeth.
Adult males have long been regarded as the hunters in chimp groups. But the authors of the paper in Current Biology said females, particularly adolescent females, and young chimps in general were seen exhibiting this behaviour more frequently than adult males.
“It's classic in primates that when there is a new innovation, particularly in terms of tool use, the younger generations pick it up very quickly. The last ones to pick up are adults, mainly the males”, said Dr Pruetz, who led the National Geographic-funded project.
This is because young chimps pick the skill up from their mothers, with whom they spend a lot of their time.
Many areas where chimpanzees live are also home to red colour monkey, which the chimps hunt. However, the Senegal site is lacking in this species, so chimps may have needed to adopt a new hunting strategy to catch a different prey - bush baby.
The authors conclude that their findings support a theory that females may have played a similarly important role in the evolution of tool technology among early humans.
Nature's water cycle
The Water Cycle is Nature's continuous cycle of evaporation and condensation in the form of rain or snow. Earth's atmosphere contains 102,000 cubic miles of water or 0.031% of the 326 million cubic miles of water on Earth.
Tapping into the cycle: Air conditioners and dehumidifiers using refrigerant systems have been extracting water vapour from the air for generations. The water collected is usually regarded as wastewater. Other technologies for water extraction include thermo-electric devices (Peltier effect) and desiccants.
Atmospheric Water Generators are now available that work by converting the humidity in the air to water. The entering air is filtered so that only clean air passes across the cold surface of the machine's coil. Filtration and Ultra-violet treatment ensure bacteria and virus free drinking water.
Pure water is stored in tanks where it is chilled or heated for drinking. From the storage tanks, the water is continuously recycled to maintain its purity and taste.
The leading provider of these water generators is the Librex Group, an international company located in Lebanon . The company is engaged in the creation, development, production and distribution of several unique products.
Their machines are energy efficient and equipped with microcomputers to ensure proper and optimum performance. The WATEREX Atmospheric Water Generator produces the pure, high quality drinking water. Other water products are Crystello, a computerized water purifier, with a five-stage filtration process that ensures you have the cleanest and safest drinking water possible. It is a countertop device that occupies very little space and provides up to 100 litres/day of drinking water, and an industrial unit, the Watercrown, used in areas where there is no conventional water source available and using nothing but thin air and standard power sources (electric, diesel), this innovative technology has a daily production capacity between 1.000, 3.000, 5.000 and 10.000 litres/day of fresh drinking water.
Librex products are now available in Thailand , and the company are actively looking for Distributors and Sub-Distributors. If you are interested in either purchasing or becoming a distributor, please contact Frank Soto at their local office via email, clermont.info@gmail.com, and you can get more information at their website www.librexgroup.com.
Useful Telephone Numbers for Hua Hin
Railway station
032-512 770, 032-511 073
Bus station of Hua Hin
032-511 654, 032-512 543
Bus station of Prachuabkirikhan
032-601 901
Bus station of Pranburi
032-621 443
Hua Hin Hospital
032-520 401
Dog Rescue Center
0-1981 4406
Wild life Rescue Center (Tayang)
032-458 135
Department of Land Cha-am office:
032- 430 846-7
Department of Land Hua Hin office:
032-536 164, 032-512 407
Department of Land Prachuabkirikhan:
032-611 211
Department of Land Pranburi
032-622 199
Local Government (Hua Hin)
032-521 340, 532 471
Local water supply
032-511 677
The Power Board of Hua Hin
032-512 215, 032 513 165
Observer office:
032-531 078
Red Cross.
032-512 567
San Paolo Hospital
032-532 576-85
Polyclinic International
032-516 424, 032-516 425
Shell Cooking Gas
032-511 144, 032- 515 620
The Communication Authority of Thailand
(Hua Hin)
032-511 351
Rotary Club of Hua Hin
0-1916 6637
Meeting every Thursday 8.pm
at Hua Hin Grand Hotel & Plaza
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