16/03/2009 by admin.

HRH Prince Charles, our revered ambassador for the preservation of the Amazon rainforest has journeyed to the region to witness the dramatic impact of deforestation and seek solutions for preserving it.  The Prince of Wales made clear that he was visiting to ‘listen and learn’ and not present solutions to local people and politicians. 

Charles’ joy at seeing the beauty and sheer size of the forest first hand was tinged with sadness that some 15% of the Brazilian Amazon had been subject to deforestation with illegal logging gangs a growing problem.  An area the size of London has been lost in the last 3 months. Maybe the demise somehow led the Prince to a spontaneous waltz with some local tribes people.

 http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NPN-L2KfNN4

Was he unwittingly replicating the scene in our story where Mother Nature uses dance - Julia and Ben in a hypnotic Waltz - to illustrate the plight of our natural world? We’ll let you be the judge of that - but remember Malachi our messenger refered to the Prince of Wales’ feathers and the words ‘Ich Dien’ German for ‘I serve’.

A lesson for us all? Did not the Prince recently warn that the world has less than 100 months to save the planet from irreversible damage? The clock is ticking!

Posted in Q36 Should a good life cost the Earth?, Q68 Does the Earth have a spirit?, Q34 Have you ever restored something?, Q22 Do you love our Earth?, Q21 Have you ever hugged a tree?, Q.4 Have you ever wanted to stop the clock? | No Comments »

11/03/2009 by admin.

A spectacular new ‘Dracula fish’ has been discovered in Burma. Its the only species of carp-like fish to have ‘teeth’ - bones that project through its mouth to look like fangs.  Scientists were surprised at the discovery since none of the 3,700 varieties in the Cypriniform group have teeth. The fishes colourness and almost translucent appearance adds to its errieness. Relax - it seems the fish do not use the bones to suck blood, but to spar with other males. Still, the discovery amused Sarah given her prank with the straws in our story where she pretends to be a vampire to ward off Bill Darvill.  Here’s the fish with the fangs alongside.

RAT PLAGUE

Meanwhile, Britain’s rat population is booming with councils receiving some half a million complaints last year.  One of the worst places hit is Flamborough in East Yorkshire, which is experiencing a plague of rats running wild.  People living in the area say they have seen hundreds of them carpeting the streets, especially to the north of the village.  Curious given Malachi’s odd post of fate using the proverb “The cat, the rat and Lovell the dog rule all England under a hog.” What’s more, the letters forming FLAMBOROUGH EAST YORKSHIRE include the word HAYMAKERS!

So much for the Rat Race! Let’s have some rat rapping…

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vb4Sf-EuPXk

SPEEDING UP THE GREEN MAN

The Green Man, an icon for pedestrians across Britain, may be joined by a Countdown Clock as part of plans to help with traffic congestion in London. If London Mayor Boris Johnson gets his way pedestrians crossing from oneside of the road to another will have to do so against the clock.  Under the proposals the crossing time for some Londoners will be reduced by 6 seconds, surrendering priority to cars and putting the elderly and disabled at greater risk.  Tony Armstrong from the Living Streets campaign says “we’ve designed people out of the environment.”  Ironically, this could be a covert message “speed up green man and address the urgent environmental challenges now.”  Do we have the X Factor?

Posted in Q76 Are you going to take action now to save our world?, Haymakers: Watch Wonders, Q41 Do you like surprises?, Q20 Have your eyes ever deceived you?, Q15 Do you sometimes fear the worst?, Q.4 Have you ever wanted to stop the clock? | No Comments »

06/03/2009 by admin.

The date 03:06:09 (US date line) brings the release in the UK of the superhero film ‘Watchmen’ adapted from the 1980s comic book series. 

How ironic? Let’s take a closer look at the characters:

• We’re particularly amused by the hero called the Comedian as he wears a Smiley badge!’
• Whilst another, Rorschach, is disguised in a mask similar to that used by our Magician.
• Dr Manhatten has the ability to manipulate time and space - features in our story.
• Silk Spectre was haunted by ghosts - another trait in our tale.
• NightOwl - which is strange given the role of the owl in helping to unleash our magic; and
• Ozymandis - the smartest man in the World: Celeb Hitch would have something to say about that!

Maybe our famous five will one day command a similar level of adulation? LOL!

THE FAT DUCK

Since January, some 400 diners at The Fat Duck restaurant run by top chef Heston Blumenthal in Bray, Berkshire, have fallen ill leading to the temporary closer of the world-renowed venue.   The Fat Duck was named the best restaurant in the world in 2005 and in second place since then in an annual poll if international chefs and critics.  The Health Protection Agency are working closely with the restaurant and the borough’s health team, but the cause of the outbreak is currently a mystery.

We have a potential explanation.  Our novel records how debates about the threats about climate change and global warming take place in the White Horse beneath the sign, ‘Duck or Grouse’.  One such outcome is the increased risk of disease and famine.  Perhaps this explains why the letters within the words BLUMENTHAL, BRAY and BERKSHIRE include the words HAYMAKERS TRUTH.  

Posted in Q58 Do things happen for a reason?, Q72 Are you a good time keeper?, Q75 Have you ever put on a show?, Q55 Do you believe in truth?, Q54 Do you enjoy a bit of a mystery?, Q.7 Have you dreamed of being a champion?, Q41 Do you like surprises?, Q.4 Have you ever wanted to stop the clock? | No Comments »

24/02/2009 by admin.

As predicted in our tale, the White Rabbit has been pulled from the magician’s hat - in Northgate, Kent to be precise.  In the Garden of England a giant runaway rabbit was spotted in the middle of a busy road in Canterbury in the early hours of Sunday.  Pcs Matt Jackson and Yasmin Mossadegh spotted the animal yet only managed to capture the rabbit when ‘kind hearted and pet-loving’ members of the public came to the officers assistance - with ten pairs of hands required to end the rabbit’s time on the run.  The rabbit - named Tiny by his saviours - was taken to the Barton hospital in Canterbury for collection by the RSPCA.

So we have a majestic white rabbit safely in the hands of the animal rescue and welfare charity established by William Wilberforce, a key member of the Blakesware Set, captured by many hands as our tale also predicted (many hands make for light work).  Another curiosity is that the letters which make up the names JACKSON, MOSSADEGH and TINY include the words MAKE HAY!

Mysteriously, nobody knows where the rabbit came from.  

You can find the White Rabbit reference on page 37 of our novel.

Here’s another White Rabbit from the 1933 film Alice in Wonderland… look how late its getting!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ehDY64su3mw

Posted in Haymakers: Watch Wonders, Q54 Do you enjoy a bit of a mystery?, Q41 Do you like surprises?, Q20 Have your eyes ever deceived you?, Q.4 Have you ever wanted to stop the clock? | No Comments »

28/01/2009 by admin.

We’ve seen a collection of related stories in the media recently all about ice.  First, an account from scientists which reveals the temperature in the Antarctic is getting steadily warmer, disputing previous theories about the continent.  Its a complicated picture as West Antarctica is warming, whilst the East is cooling down.  Rather worryingly, if the West Antarctica ice sheet melted completely, global sea levels would rise by 5 to 6 metres! The study does not indicate how long that might take, nor does it consider the probability of such an event.

All the same, its bad news for the Emperor Penguin whose numbers are set to plummet by 95% by 2100 based on predictions of sea ice extent from climate change models.  The challenge faced by the iconic adorable creatures is that the sea ice plays a major role in their breeding season and influences the amount of food available to them.  So much for Happy Feet!

The Emperor Penguins are to the Anatarctic what the polar bear is to the Arctic.  Timely then that a sculpture of a giant polar bear and her cub adrift on an iceberg has appeared on the River Thames in London, stranded before the Houses of Parliament as an iconic reminder of the threat posed by climate change, not only to the bears but also to the 2 billion people worldwide who are dependant on fresh water from glacial meltdown - one third of the Earth’s human population.

Interestingly, the 16ft high structure was launched from Greenwich, the home of Time! 

Now the words of Vanilla Ice have a new meaning…

http://uk.youtube.com/watch?v=MxN_pbMOFk0

Posted in Haymakers: Watch Wonders, Q76 Are you going to take action now to save our world?, Q22 Do you love our Earth?, Q15 Do you sometimes fear the worst?, Q.4 Have you ever wanted to stop the clock? | 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 »

02/12/2008 by admin.

Happy 27th Birthday Britney Spears. Let’s celebrate - in the last year, Britney Spears was the most searched for term on Yahoo.com.  There are billions of searches each year and the troubled pop artist drew more hits than Barack Obama.  He was third on the list, behind Britney and ‘World Wrestling Entertainment’. 

This is all very interesting as some recent buyers of our novel initially mistook it to be by Britney Spears, not Billie Shears.  This was simply an ‘at a glance’ problem, but their names are very similar and rhyme.

Then we realise that Britney’s breakthrough song was, ‘Baby one more time’ with the lyrics, ‘Give me a sign, hit me…” She still believes. Do you? Here’s the video, complete with the clock ringing at 3.00.

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

Curious as a definition of ‘Haymaker’ includes one able to deliver a good punch. Which leads us on to the ‘World Wrestling Entertainment’. Interesting as ‘throwing a haymaker’ is a wrestling move.

Perhaps this all explains why Britney Spears made an appearance on the show, ‘The X Factor’?  Does not our novel ask whether we - the human race - have the X factor? Are we equipped to care for our planet and its eco-systems? Why Britney even chose to wear a top hat, just like the mysterious man in the shadows - the character orchastraing our story is clearly making a big impression.

Posted in Q75 Have you ever put on a show?, Q79 Have you ever looked into the shadows?, Haymakers: Watch Wonders, Q62a Is life logical?, Q43 Do you believe in happy endings?, Q.9 Do you feel in control of your life?, Q20 Have your eyes ever deceived you?, Q40 Can you play a musical instrument?, Q.4 Have you ever wanted to stop the clock? | 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 »

23/09/2008 by admin.

The autumn equinox is a key part of our story, so it comes as no surprise that the London edition of the cultural and events magazine Time Out is celebrating its 40th Anniversary edition.  The edition features a look back over previous iconic covers, interviews with global celebraties and identifies 40 London Heroes since the birth of the magazine.

So, we have a significant TIME OUT anniversary on the Autumn Equinox! Are we out of time to take remedial action to save our natural world? Let’s consult the Cranberries…

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=O28YoOIaXMA

Posted in Q78 Do you want to be part of the picture?, Q58 Do things happen for a reason?, Q35 Do you trust your instincts?, Q24 Do you get enough time to yourself?, Q.4 Have you ever wanted to stop the clock? | No Comments »

20/09/2008 by admin.

The Corpus Clock, perhaps the strangest clock in the world has been unveiled by Professor Stephen Hawkins at Cambridge University.   The 24 caret gold-plated £1m mechanism features a giant grasshopper and has 60 slits cut into its face which light up to show the time.

The clock’s creator, Dr John C Taylor says he wants to make time keeping interesting.  He turned the clock inside out so people can literally see the seconds being ‘eaten up’.  he wanted to depict time as a destroyer - to show that once a minute has gone you can’t get it back again!  Let John explain further…

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pHO1JTNPPOU

Curious this should happen as time is of the essence given the environmental challenges today and in the years ahead.  Some music maestro..

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ntm1YfehK7U

The final verse is especially relevant to our tale!

Posted in Haymakers: Watch Wonders, Q72 Are you a good time keeper?, Q24 Do you get enough time to yourself?, Q.4 Have you ever wanted to stop the clock?, Q.2 Are you an art lover? | No Comments »