29/05/2009 by admin.

In a timely reminder of the main purpose of our project, the first ever study of the human impact on climate change makes for uncomfortable reading.  The report comes from former UN secretary general Kofi Annan’s thinktank The Global Humanitarian Forum. It reveals how climate change is already responsible for 300,000 deaths a year and is affecting 300 million people worldwide.  It projects that increasingly severe heatwaves, storms, floods and forest fires will be responsible for as many as 500,000 deaths by 2030.  Civil unrest is also a major threat due to competition over limited resources, including a severe impact on fresh water. 

So, the world is at the crossroads to coin a phrase and, in the interests of every human.  We hear the calls for more ambitious agreements to adapt and prevent on climate change and increased effort to tackle complacency and ignorance on the issues.  In essence, to make the story accessible and meaningful to all, which we try to do through our work.  As Malachi proclaimed in our visionary novel: One World, One People, One Solution!

Here’s the link to the Forum’s excellent website…

http://www.ghf-geneva.org

Posted in Q76 Are you going to take action now to save our world?, Q46 Do you value a good education?, Q22 Do you love our Earth?, Q.1 Does your life have a purpose? | No Comments »

31/03/2009 by admin.

Dr Nina Fedoroff, an influential science advisor in the US Government believes the human population has already exceeded planet Earth’s limits of sustainability, saying “there are probably already too many people on the Earth.” 

Its an issue we explore in our novel. Let’s review some of the latest facts about our crowded Earth:

• Current world population = 6.8bn
• Net growth by day = 218,030 people per day.
• Forecast for 2040 = 9bn.

There are many challenges around food production, access to fresh drinking water, aspirations for a ‘good life’, competition for limited resources and land, and the ceaseless encroachment into the natural world.  All this at a time when the world we know is under threat from rapid changes to the climate. What to do? Its a major global dilemna - with no obvious solution.  It makes us question, “The Meaning of Life?”  Time for some perspective…

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=buqtdpuZxvk

Posted in Q51a How many people does it take to fill up the Earth?, Q74 Do you like puzzles?, Q.8 Do you crave a better life?, Q.1 Does your life have a purpose? | No Comments »

15/02/2009 by admin.

Professor Chris Field, author of the 2007 landmark report on climate change, has warned that global warming over the next century could be much worse than previously predicted.  He said the Interdepartmental Panel on Climate Change had underestimated the level of increase in greenhouse gas emissions between 2000 and 2007.   The 2007 report had previously estimated increases in temperature of between 1.1c and 6.4c over the next century.  The Professor said the impact on temperatures of the increase in emissions was unclear but warming was likely to increase at a much higher pace bringing more environmental damage than previously thought.

We see the warning as a wake-up call given the sense of complacency on the issue given the UK has experienced its coldest winter for many years following 2007 being the coolest year globally this century.  Maybe the unwelcome vision of our world in 2100 left to us by ‘The Emperor’  and included in the conclusion of our tale is not so far fetched!

Posted in Q76 Are you going to take action now to save our world?, Q46 Do you value a good education?, Q.1 Does your life have a purpose? | No Comments »

23/01/2009 by admin.

Barrack Obama has been sworn in as President of America for the second time in as many days because one word - faithfully - was spoken out of place during Tuesday’s inauguration ceremony.  The Chief Justice at the US Supreme Courts, Jonathan Roberts, administered the oath at the White House. 

The decision to repeat the oath was taken out of caution, but President Obama joked, “We decided it was such fun.”  Given the new President’s Green credentials, maybe the erroneous first oath was somehow meant to be.

Meanwhile, hundreds of tonnes of wood are beginning to wash ashore off the coast of Kent and Sussex in England. 

The load fell from the Sinegorsk cargo ship in the English Channel on Monday. The vessel is now berched at Southampton.   The incident follows a similar event last year when the Ice Prince shed at 2,000 tonne-load off the Sussex coast.  We see this as another timely reminder of the tragic deforestation taking place across the globe and the extent to which much of it is wasted needlessly.

Finally, we return to Mayfair, recent host of the Rose Cloud experience. 

On this occassion we report on a £22m property which has been taken over by a group of young ‘posh-squat artists’.  The group are occupying a house in Clargy’s Mews is owned by TimeKeeper Ltd who discovered the occupation last month when they spotted a Christmas tree inside.  As the group face immediate eviction they have been holding open days under the theme of an ‘Open School of Thought’.   Our curiosity is the link between the May Fair which featured at the beginning of Charles Lamb’s journal; Art, a central theme in our project; and TimeKeeper.  As the artists suggest, it makes you think!

http://uk.youtube.com/watch?v=QWKdokcvM7A

Posted in Q56 Do you believe rules are there to be broken?, Q58 Do things happen for a reason?, Q60 Have you ever experienced deja vu?, Q37 Do you know how to have fun?, Q21 Have you ever hugged a tree?, Q.2 Are you an art lover?, Q.7 Have you dreamed of being a champion?, Q.1 Does your life have a purpose? | No Comments »

09/01/2009 by admin.

On New Year’s Day, Marc Greenhalgh was out walking in Alkrington Woods, Middleton, when his dog, Jarvis, ran onto the ice to chase ducks.  When the ice broke the dog struggled to get out so Marc plunged into the lake to rescue him.  The scene pictured below could well have been taken direct from Charles Lamb’s journal - when he had to rescue Malachi after he slipped through a frozen lake (page 378 of the story).

Although he was criticised by the authorities for putting his own life in peril, a passer-by who took the photo praised him for his bravery, “A lot of people would say he was idiotic to risk his life for an animal, but I thought he was really brave. If my dog was in danger I’d like him to be there.”

SIRIUS STAR

On November 15 2008, the oil tanker, Sirius Star, was hijacked by Somali pirates, becoming the largest ship ever captured.   The tanker has a capacity of 2 million barrels of crude oil and an overall length of 333 metres.  The cargo is worth some $100m.  The two month stand off ended today as the ship was released after a ransom of $3m was parrachuted on board.  However, the twist in the tale was that five of the pirates drowned with their share of the ransom after their small boat capsized.

Aside from the natural justice against the pirates, the hijack is interesting as Charles Lamb’s journal recalls how he and Mary Shelley speculated on the presence of Sirius the brightest star in the sky.  Here’s the extract from 30 December 1822:

“Together she and I stood after dusk on the terrace overlooking the wilderness garden. On a misty night, only one star broke through to shine in the sky overhead. Confidently dismissing the myth that the star can cause madness, we secretly dedicated the bluish white light of Sirius in the constellation Canis Major to the late Percy Shelley. His light shall not fade!”

Sirius is also know as the Dog Star, which is fascinating given the role of the dog Malachi as our Messenger. 

So, is the whole hijack experience designed to remind us to switch from our dependence on crude oil?

Posted in Q43 Do you believe in happy endings?, Q53 Do you prefer to keep warm?, Q70 Do you like to look at the stars?, Haymakers: Watch Wonders, Q26 Do you take poetry seriously?, Q23 Do you believe all the laws of physics?, Q.2 Are you an art lover?, Q15 Do you sometimes fear the worst?, Q18 Do you let your heart rule your head?, Q.1 Does your life have a purpose? | No Comments »

08/01/2009 by admin.

UFO hits wind turbine? So claims a media frenzy which has occured over a wrecked turbine on a wind farm in Lincolnshire.  The suggestion is the turbine was struck by a UFO after local residents claimed to have seen a glowing light at the scene, which resembled an octopus with tentacles.  One 65ft blade had broken off completely and another was crippled.  Experts described the damage as a unique incident.

The question we want to ask is why would a UFO crash into or damage a wind turbine? Perhaps it was a deliberate act?!? Why? Was it a reminder from a source unknown that we need to focus now on ’Green Energy’  solutions?  We believe it so - think of it as a ‘Wind of Change’. Ben Whittingbury alluded to this after he’d tossed his watch away in frustration at the lack of action by humans to preserve the natural world. He felt a wind of change on his face, after Malachi our Messenger warned ‘Tardiness can lead to all sorts of mayhem.” Read our online extract for proof.

Yet from a Watch perspective the most curious thing is that the key witness was Lesley Whittingham - so we have two very strange incidents occuring in quick succession (the Whitten Bridge event), each with names closely linked to the title of the Whittingbury Watch - what can it mean? The wind of change is blowing… Listen out for the comment at the end of the video.

http://uk.youtube.com/watch?v=taVW8Kv2HcQ

Posted in Q75 Have you ever put on a show?, Haymakers: Watch Wonders, Q54 Do you enjoy a bit of a mystery?, Q51 Have you ever taken part in a protest?, Q22 Do you love our Earth?, Q.1 Does your life have a purpose? | No Comments »

01/01/2009 by admin.

We wanted to mark our first post of 2009 with an iconic statement - a reminder of our purpose.  Our readers will be aware of the symbolism of the sinking of the Titanic neary 100 years ago, when it infamously struck an iceberg and sunk following complacency and arrogance that the ship would never sink.

Well, the two co-stars of the marvellous Titanic movie, Leonardo DiCaprio and Kate Winslet, have reunited after 10 years to make the movie ‘Revolutionary Road’.  How apt!

Here’s the famous clip of the ship striking the iceberg - a poignant warning to all those complacent about the likelihood of impending human induced climate change on our world.

http://uk.youtube.com/watch?v=nMMD-XeCFiM&feature=related

And here’s the link to Leo’s site devoted to his movie, ‘The 11th Hour’.

http://11thhouraction.com/seethefilm

Posted in Q78 Do you want to be part of the picture?, Q75 Have you ever put on a show?, Q.5 Do you believe in fate?, Q.4 Have you ever wanted to stop the clock?, Q.1 Does your life have a purpose? | No Comments »

21/12/2008 by admin.

Our readers will be aware of the significance of the X Factor poser in our narration. Well, the saga continues for the winner of this year’s contest Alexandra Burke now tops the pop tree with her powerful cover version of the song, Hallelujah.  The version has two fewer verses than the original and includes a key change.

http://au.youtube.com/watch?v=wAaw6VWpk4A

Alexandra’s closely followed in the charts by a more sombre but much acclaimed version by Jeff Buckley, first released in 1984.

http://au.youtube.com/watch?v=AratTMGrHaQ

It;s the first time in 51 years that the same song has occupied the top two positions in the UK pop charts - and the first time ever at Christmas.

A remarkable trinity of the song’s presence in the Top 40 is completed by Leonard Cohen’s original version, released in 1984.

We wonder whether the trilogy represents Art, Love and Nature?  Is it a call to arms from God - afterall the Hebrew meaning of the word Hallelujah is a request for a congreation to join in praise (of a divine force’s influence on The Haymaker’s Survey)?

FACE IN THE CLOUDS

Our novel recalls how Caleb Hitch reminded Ben Whittenbury of the likelihood of an encounter with supernatural forces on the Winter Solstice - the shortest day - in the run up to his ghostly encounter with Queen Caroline that fateful night in 2006.  How strange that 3 years later we should unwittingly capture a strange face in the clouds at sunset on this Winter Solstice?  Its almost as though Mother Nature was trying to provide some evidence for the doubting public of the credibility of this project.  Here take a look at the video which we’ve produced…

http://uk.youtube.com/watch?v=U4WouBKSCm8&feature=channel_page

Posted in Q75 Have you ever put on a show?, Haymakers: Watch Wonders, Q52 Do you believe in miracles?, Q46 Do you value a good education?, Q.7 Have you dreamed of being a champion?, Q33 Do you believe in life after death?, Q.1 Does your life have a purpose? | No Comments »

08/11/2008 by admin.

For one week only, the dome of St Paul’s Cathedral will be lit up was part of search for answers under, ‘The Question Mark Inside’ project to help celebrate the 300th anniversary of the completion of the topping out of the cathedral.  The project seeks to answer the question, “What are the things that make modern life worthwhile and what does St Paul’s Cathedral mean in that context?” A stream of possible answers will appear as text projections on parts of the Cathedral.  The projections will run from the 8th to the 15th of November.

Most curious given the reference to St Paul’s Cathedral in our tale and the role of questions in our story! It makes you think?

Posted in Haymakers: Watch Wonders, Q52 Do you believe in miracles?, Q.1 Does your life have a purpose? | No Comments »

02/11/2008 by admin.

Hertfordshire hero, Lewis Hamilton from Stevenage, snatched a last gasp opportunity to become the youngest ever Forumla 1 Motorsport Champion.  Entering the penultimate bend at the Brazilian Grand Prix, Lewis took 5th place to secure the points he needed for victory in the 2008 Championship.  It was a thrilling climax to the season which demonstrated that it’s never too late to succeed. How ironic that his triumph should happen in Brazil - home to the threatened Amazon rainforest.

http://uk.youtube.com/watch?v=TfUBVdgcFEo&feature=related

Posted in Q.7 Have you dreamed of being a champion?, Q.4 Have you ever wanted to stop the clock?, Q.1 Does your life have a purpose? | No Comments »