14/11/2008 by admin.

Many happy returns to Prince Charles, the Prince of Wales, who is celebrating his 60th birthday today.

The life of the heir to the throne of the UK and Commonwealth has been eventful and not without controversy, especially on his marriage to Diana, Princess of Wales.  The Prince is well known for his interest in the environment, conservation and natural foods. The landmark anniversary is significant to us given the reference in our story to the Prince of Wales’ heraldic badge.  It consists of three white feathers above a gold coronet. A ribbon below the coronet reads ‘Ich Dien’ - German for ‘I Serve’. Legend has it that the feathers represent those from an ostrich - another feature in our novel.

We can do all the mind games and play with your brain, but the coincidences just keep rolling in! We simply present the truth. In Mother Nature we serve!

Here’s the Prince’s thoughts on the world’s rainforests…

http://uk.youtube.com/watch?v=M2Cqo1Aksv4

Posted in Q76 Are you going to take action now to save our world?, Star Question - what happened to the blue ribbon?, Q58 Do things happen for a reason?, Q55 Do you believe in truth?, Q49 Do you ever think about the old days?, Q36 Should a good life cost the Earth? | No Comments »

12/10/2008 by admin.

As the world’s governments seek solutions to the global credit crunch and rescue the fragile financial services we’ve noticed that the Disney Movie, Mary Poppins, has appeared on television a lot recently, including today.  The story revolves around the Banks’ family:

Here we marvel at the Fidelity Fiducia Bank Sing Along, with Mr Banks at the heart of everthing! 

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jt9JpYRulSk

In our tale, we found some old pennies embedded in rocks in our garden; coins dated from the Maundy Ceremony. Did we unwittingly foresee this financial crisis emerging?  Is the real solution a global culture change - a world built around love and respect for Mother Nature as our tale suggests, rather than growth, profit and greed.

Let another Banksy give us a steer - this time the artist and his bizarre fake ’Pet-Shop’ which aims to encourage people to think about the way we treat animals.  Why not take a look…

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=c1laBLYjuqM&feature=related

The set includes a proverbial white rabbit, mentioned by Malachi in our story!

Meanwhile, an EU commissioned study has put the annual cost of forest loss at between $2 and $5 trillion dollars.  the figures come from the various services that forests perform, such as providing water and cleansing carbon.  The study leader believes the rate of loss dwarfs that currently being experienced by the financial markets.  It’s not only continuous, it’s happening year after year, after year.  For us, the greatest risk we run is not valuing nature as much as we should!  Here’s a supporting video from IUCN:

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

Posted in Q38 Have you built a house of cards?, Q36 Should a good life cost the Earth?, Q15 Do you sometimes fear the worst?, Q.1 Does your life have a purpose? | No Comments »

03/09/2008 by admin.

In his journal, Charles Lamb records the importance of the Harvest Hockey to the local farming community.  Perculiar then that the climate ‘hockey stick’ graph first presented in 1998 has been vindicated ten years later by scientists.  Assessments of an array of evidence, including extra data covering 2,000 years and more methods to anaylse the information led them to conclude that Northern Hemisphere temperatures are ‘anomolously warm’. 

The ‘hockey stick’ graph includes the shaft of the stick, representing a sharp upturn in temperatures since the industrial age.

As if to ratify the findings, scientists have reported a collosal loss of ice shelves in Canada’s High Arctic. Floating tongues of ice attached to the Ellesmere Island, which have lasted for thousands of years, have seen more than a quarter of their cover has broken away to become floating sea-ice. Loss of ice in the Arctic, and in particular the extensive sea-ice, has global implications. The “white parasol” at the top of the planet reflects energy from the Sun straight back out into space, helping to cool the Earth. 

Further loss of Arctic ice will see radiation absorbed by darker seawater and snow-free land, potentially warming the Earth’s climate at an even faster rate than current observational data indicates.

Scientisits have confirmed that another consequence of a warming world is evidence of the strongest storms becoming stronger - they are delivering a more powerful punch. A 1 degree rise in ocean temperatures would increase the incidence of stronger storms by about one third.  Our readers will know that we recorded a fierce storm and a wind of change in the lead up to the discovery of Charles Lamb’s journal.

Posted in Q76 Are you going to take action now to save our world?, Q36 Should a good life cost the Earth?, Q.3 Do you have a good imagination? | No Comments »

03/07/2008 by admin.

Columbia pictures has announced plans to direct a new film about the great detective, Sherlock Holmes.  In a comic remake, the film will star Will Ferrell and Sacha Baron Cohen.  Sarah will be pleased as she’s a fan of both actors - pity none will be Earth Detectives though…

New research suggests that the risk of extinction for many species has been seriously underestimated - by up to a hundred times greater in some cases.  Key factors have simply been ignored, including the ratio of the number of males to females.  Professor Alan Hastings from the University of California, Davis, said, ”There may be many species - and some will not be the large, charismatic ones, but things like insects and other smaller ones that are still very important - where we may be underestimating the risk by quite a bit.”The International Union for the Conservation of Nature (IUCN) has identified more than 16,000 species threatened with extinction. One in three amphibians, one in four mammals, one in eight birds and 70% of plants so far assessed for its Red Lists of Threatened Species are believed to be at risk.

Posted in Q54 Do you enjoy a bit of a mystery?, Q57 Have you ever spied on anyone?, Q48 Have you ever played solitaire?, Q36 Should a good life cost the Earth?, Q11 Do you believe in justice?, Q20 Have your eyes ever deceived you?, Q.1 Does your life have a purpose? | No Comments »

28/04/2008 by admin.

At the White House Correspondents’ Association Dinner, President Bush fufilled a life-long dream by conducting the US Marine Band. He took the baton and led the band on a performance of the Stars and Stripes Forever the National March of Amercia, composed by John Phillip Sousa in 1896. 

http://youtube.com/watch?v=Ju46sVoLrKE&feature=related

Stars and Stripes Forever follows the standard American march form. Its trio is the most famous part of the march. Most bands adopt the Sousa Band practice of having one or three piccolo players play the famous obbligato in the first repeat of the trio. In Britain, the tune is often used in football chants to the words, ‘Here we go, Here we go, Here we go!’

All very well we hear you say, but what does this mean for ‘The Haymaker’s Survey’?  Look back if you will to when Ben first conceived the idea of the Survey; did he not take up the fife presented to him by Malachi, perform Yankee Doodle then imagine it to be a conductor’s baton - a means to help brigade the people of the world to follow the cause of, ‘The Haymaker’s Survey’?  Another delightful coincidence!  Imagine it; the most powerful man in the world heralding, ‘The Haymakers Survey.’

Posted in Q75 Have you ever put on a show?, Haymakers: Watch Wonders, Q41 Do you like surprises?, Q40 Can you play a musical instrument?, Q39 Do you believe in magic?, Q36 Should a good life cost the Earth? | No Comments »

07/04/2008 by admin.

Global Warming sceptics are rubbing their hands with glee for Briton has experienced a cold spell, bringing snow and ice, bringing the return of winter to the dawn of spring.  The snow follows that which fell on Easter Sunday. “So what’s the big deal?” asked Bill Darvill, especially as the latest predictions are for a cooler year for the Earth in 2008 due to the cold La Nina current in the Pacific. It has contributed to torrential rains in Australia and to some of the coldest temperatures in memory in snow-bound parts of China.  However, The World Meteorological Organization’s secretary-general, Michel Jarraud considers this year’s temperatures would still be way above the average - and we would soon exceed the record year of 1998 because of global warming induced by greenhouse gases.  Let’s see what unfolds.

One of the stars of The Office TV series has opted to buy 5 acres of ancient woodland in Essex, rather than splash out on a classic sportscar.  Mackenzie Crook says he got it for my children, and to keep as a conservation area.  He wanted to make a stand against TV shows that promote a dangerous and misguided attitude about the the human race’s love affair with the car given the current plight of our Earth.   Mackenzie also featured in the Pirates of the Caribbean series of films, playing alongside the actor Will Turner.

Posted in Q53 Do you prefer to keep warm?, Q76 Are you going to take action now to save our world?, Q46 Do you value a good education?, Q36 Should a good life cost the Earth?, Q29 Could you live without machines?, Q35 Do you trust your instincts?, Q.7 Have you dreamed of being a champion? | No Comments »

19/03/2008 by admin.

The Arctic is losing its old thick ice faster than in previous years. Olde flows are thicker and less saline than newly formed ice, meaning they can survive warmer spells better. Ice more than two years old now makes up about 30% of all the ice in the Arctic, down from 60% two decades ago. The shrinking of Arctic ice has global implications, as its white surface reflects solar energy back into space whereas the open ocean absorbs it.

“Bah humbug” was, of course, an exclamation made famous by Charles Dickens’ character Ebenezer Scrooge  - a cynical and negative businessman preoccupied with a selfish pursuit of money. It’s  a phrase also used by Bill Darvill during one of our discussions about climate change. Well, a Norwegian sailors has spied icebergs with markings that reminded  him of humbug treats that he used to eat as a child. Jonas says they remind him of a barcode! What price for the planet blue in a sea of black?

Experts have been left stumped by the marking’s origins.  Here’s the images taken by Oyvind Tangen from his research vessel.

“Bah Humberg”

Posted in Q36 Should a good life cost the Earth?, Q17 Can you speak another language?, Q12 Is our Earth enchanted?, Q.2 Are you an art lover? | No Comments »

14/03/2008 by admin.

The controversial 5th Terminal has opened at London’s Heathrow Airpot costing £4bn. From the sky, it resembles a huge greenhouse.

The Terminal has divided opinion amongst top business and environmental groups.  It opens to passengers on 27 March.

They could always take a flight to Australia where much of the country is experiencing the worst drought in living memory, which has slashed its wheat exports! http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/asia-pacific/7289194.stm

There are also wild fires rampaging in Adelaide, as the Southern  States experience a heatwave of record intensity.  The city expereinced its 11th consecutive day of temperatures above 35 degrees.

Posted in Q36 Should a good life cost the Earth?, Q22 Do you love our Earth? FREE CHRISTMAS PRIZE DRAW!, Q15 Do you sometimes fear the worst?, Q.5 Do you believe in fate? | No Comments »

06/03/2008 by admin.

Britain has had the sunniest winter since records began, basking in 196 hours of sunshine in December, January and February.  That’s a scorching 37% more than average and more than any since records began in 1929.  Those clouds must be feeling terribly lonely; no wonder the Daffodils are out early!

A study by the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) predicts that the South-East of England will be as dry as the Sahara desert by 2030. The region will be at risk of serious water shortages that could lead to higher bills and rationing within 22 years.  It has been classed as one of the areas at highest risk due to changes in rainfall and population.  An anagram of SAHARA is - A SARAH, which made her smile.

Scientists are warning of a potential food crisis in years to come due to a range of factors, including growing population, changes in dietary habits in some parts of the world, and the impact of globalwarming.  It’s explained here…

http://news.bbc.co.uk/player/nol/newsid_7280000/newsid_7282500/7282572.stm?bw=bb&mp=wm&asb=1&news=1&bbcws=1

Posted in Q51a How many people does it take to fill up the Earth?, Q69 Do you put off to tomorrow what you could do today?, Q36 Should a good life cost the Earth?, Q27 Do you like gardening? | No Comments »

18/02/2008 by admin.

The developed world’s passion for bottled water has been called into question.  Most of it is imported, bringing ethical and environmental concerns.  In Britain, we have perfectly drinkable tap water, yet the ‘love-affair’ for bottled water has gone unchecked and has grown significantly in the last few decades.  Pity those in the developing world deprived of fresh drinking water.  It brings a new perspective to Samuel’s prophetic words, ‘water water everywhere, nor any drop to drink!” To find out more view…

http://news.bbc.co.uk/player/nol/newsid_7250000/newsid_7250000/7250011.stm?bw=bb&mp=wm&asb=1&news=1&bbcws=1

A 70 million-year-old fossil of a giant frog has been unearthed in Madagascar by a team of scientists.  The fossil has been named Beelzebufo or ‘Frog from Hell’.  The 16in long frog is thought to have had an agressive ’sit-and-wait’ temperament and been a formidable predator.  Just imagine such a ’sit-and-wait’ frog in a jar!

A study released today by Virgin Media shows Britons are racing through life faster than ever and will hit meltdown if they do not change their habits.  We are bolting our meals, spending money like there’s no tomorrow and not even slowing down to share some love.  Psychologist Honey Lancaster-James said Britons were now living life at a ‘crazy pace’.  She said, “The question we have to ask ourselves is, where is this going to end?” Any wonder that we struggle to respond to the challenges of our climate in chaos?

Posted in Q36 Should a good life cost the Earth?, Q69 Do you put off to tomorrow what you could do today?, Q28 Have you ever lived in poverty?, Q24 Do you get enough time to yourself?, Q15 Do you sometimes fear the worst?, Q22 Do you love our Earth? FREE CHRISTMAS PRIZE DRAW!, Q.4 Have you ever wanted to stop the clock? | No Comments »