12/01/2012 by admin.

The high street bookshop Waterstone’s has decided to drop the apostrophe from its online presence - a move designed to bring more vesatile and practical for the modern digital age.

The decision has not been without its critics with the Chairman of the Apostrophe Society calling the decision, ‘plain wrong’. Others have tweeted voicing their disquiet.

None of this surprises us since we had a huge debate about the appropriateness or otherwise of an apostrophe in ‘The Haymakers Survey’. The point is to illustrate how modern society is too focused on detail and triviality and has lost perspective and a sense of proportion on a whole range of issues.

Maybe the distractions are deliberate - to take our minds away from the bigger picture - maintain the status quo and defer action needed to protect the natural world and bring about a more just world.

Posted in Q76 Are you going to take action now to save our world?, Haymakers: Watch Wonders, Q62a Is life logical?, Q56 Do you believe rules are there to be broken?, Q20 Have your eyes ever deceived you?, Q46 Do you value a good education?, Q17 Can you speak another language? | No Comments »

09/01/2012 by admin.

Another example of an iconic animal making a point on behalf of The Haymakers Survey. The latest involves a gorilla  at a zoo in France adopting a pose similar to Rodin’s The Thinker. 

The images were captured by the photographer Sophie Narses and shows the majestic ape appearing to be deep in thought.  A curious coincidence as in our novel Rodin’s The Thinker prompted Ben Whittenbury to first put together the questions in The Haymakers Survey.

Following on the heals of Sofia’s experience with Malik the lion (see 7 January post) we seem to be directed to the Norwegian philosophical novel Sophie’s World, which posed a series of questions designed to provoke thought about our place in this world - sound familiar?  This clip has a message for all the sceptics who humbug this project…

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fpvKzodPg3k

Posted in Q79 Have you ever looked into the shadows?, Haymakers: Watch Wonders, Q74 Do you like puzzles?, Q46 Do you value a good education?, Q32 Are you afraid of the dark?, Q23 Do you believe all the laws of physics? | No Comments »

31/10/2011 by admin.

The human population is estimated to have reached 7 billion worldwide. In acknowledgement there were ’celebratory events’ in India and China to mark the birth of the 7th billion person living on Earth right now.

The number of people on the planet has more than doubled over the last 50 years with a further 1 billion people alive now compared to the start of this millenium. It’s a startlingly sharp increase and has provoked some renewed discussion on how many people the planet can sustain.  We all require shelter, food, water and clothing and have aspirations on health care, education and access to material goods and experiences. We are also living longer and advances in health care and technology suggest this trend will continue. Trouble is the more of us there are the more we make demands on the worlds resources and squeeze and exploit the natural world for farming, materials and land for property.

In the modern world more people equals more cars, more CO2, more energy requirements, more desire for goods, more waste and pollution, but more profits for the world’s multi-national companies. There’s also the laudable aim of improving the life of those in developing countries.  Politicians, relegious and other world leaders tinker with the population issue, but the reality is our numbers are out of control and the consequences are stark and worthy of any Halloween horror story.  Climate change will exascerbate the problem of too many people increasing, social unrest, famine, disease, poverty and war. All this whilst the natural world shrinks ever more with bio-diversity seriously threatened and mass extinctions.  

We can’t just leave this to ‘market forces’. World leaders need to grasp the nettle on this issue and fast before we fall fail to the lessons of Easter Island or before Mother Nature strikes back. We know it won’t be easy as its in our genes to want to reproduce and children bring so much joy and every child deserves happiness, health, safety and a successful life. Also, historically the more children we have the greater their chances of achieving maturity.  There are religious and human rights issues to consider too. But ‘business as usual’ on population growth risks an abyss for humanity.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FuIxDMj3DNA&feature=related

Posted in Q69 Do you put off to tomorrow what you could do today?, Q76 Are you going to take action now to save our world?, Q51a How many people does it take to fill up the Earth?, Q47 Do you know your history?, Q46 Do you value a good education?, Q15 Do you sometimes fear the worst?, Q34 Have you ever restored something?, Q36 Should a good life cost the Earth?, Q.4 Have you ever wanted to stop the clock? | No Comments »

10/03/2011 by admin.

Scientists working for the United Nations report that the mysterious collapse of the world’s honey bee population has spread to Asia and Africa.

The authors include some of the world’s leading honey bee experts and the findings amount to a stark warning for humanity as honey bees are crucial crop pollinators around the globe. A number of factors are thought to be contributing to the problem including:

• transformation of the coutryside and rural areas over the last 50 years or so 
• loss of flowering plants, and other habitat
• use of damaging insecticides
• air pollution - scents that once travelled 800 metres in the 1800s now travel just 200 metres.
• parasites and pests

Society is investing heavily in ‘industrial hives’ but we need to better manage the landscape in order to help wild bee populations recover.  Achim Stiener, UN Environmental Programme director said, The way humanity manages or mismanages its nature-based assets will define our collective futures. We have fabricated the illusion that we have the technological prowess to be independent of nature. Bees underline the reality that we are more, not less, dependent on nature’s services in a world approaching seven billion people.”

His capture the essence of The Haymakers Survey. As Malachi warns our actions now will determine if humanity will ‘be or not be’ that is the question?

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DpyY9_9y9Qw&feature=related 

Posted in Q65 Have you ever wished you could fly?, Q66 Do you have a favourite flower?, Q51a How many people does it take to fill up the Earth?, Q46 Do you value a good education?, Q34 Have you ever restored something?, Q15 Do you sometimes fear the worst?, Q27 Do you like gardening?, Q.9 Do you feel in control of your life? | No Comments »

23/02/2011 by admin.

I was at a sustainable development conference in London today.  It was fabulous to see so many committed people from an array of backgrounds, experiences and expertise come together to explore issues.

The coalition government for England and Wales claim to be the ‘greenest government ever’ using the Big Society idea to stimulate partnerships at local level to ensure communities work together towards common environmental goals and solutions.  It was pity then that a government minister wasn’t at the event to reaffirm that commitment. However, this was more than compensated by presentations and panel discussions involving senior representatives from a number of key organisations including Greenpeace, Friends of the Earth and the Future’s Forum. The event was sponsored by British Gas and it was surprising to learn of their environmental care initiatives, including a £2m scheme called Green Street. Though serious questions remain on whether their actions go far enough given the extent of their record breaking £2billion annual profits just announced. We also witnessed presentations from companies doing retro-fit on buildings.

Having reflected on the day one of the challenges on sustainable development may be the term itself.  It may work for practictioners, Radio 4 listeners, Newsnight viewers and readers of the quality press but will it enthuse and engage the wider community?  It’s a confusing, clumsy, limiting and arguably overly positive term.  It suggests ‘business as usual’ to many with a bit of tweaking here and there. We need a more viable and sexy alternative expression. If you want to be understood speak in the language of your audience.

Here’s a story about stuff which underpins challenges on sustainability…

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9GorqroigqM&feature=related

So western society as a whole is ‘making hay whilst the sun shines’ and had been doing so since the 1950s.  We’re programmed to consume and aspire to levels of wealth, possessions, comfort and experiences.  We want to see a new form of Haymaking - where people are empowered to live sustainably in partnership with nature led by businesses demonstrating genuine transparent corporate responsibility. 

Being a Haymaker also means reconnecting with Nature. Remember the passion of the people in protecting our woodlands made the government U turn? Maybe we should do more to harness that passion to redirect it to the wider environmental cause. This is part of our vision to make people happy.

Posted in Q41 Do you like surprises?, Q46 Do you value a good education?, Q36 Should a good life cost the Earth?, Q34 Have you ever restored something?, Q17 Can you speak another language?, Q.8 Do you crave a better life? | No Comments »

14/02/2011 by admin.

In our novel Mother Nature is portrayed by Lucy.

We’re fascinated that scientists have confirmed that a 3.2million year old fossil of one of our key ancestors could walk upright consistently. The evidence comes from a metatarsal bone that was found in Hadar, Ethiopia.

It represents one of the major advances in human evolution.  The bone has all the hallmarks of the form and function of the modern human foot.  The initial skeleton find was in 1974 and called Lucy.  Here’s an artist’s impression of her from all those years ago…

We wanted to celebrate confirmation of this evolutionary link as its a timely reminder of the need to be wary of the human footprint on this beloved planet Earth. How about the Woodstock anthem..

 http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WSzak2dJOAw

Posted in Haymakers: Watch Wonders, Q80 Have you ever searched for buried treasure?, Q47 Do you know your history?, Q46 Do you value a good education? | No Comments »

13/12/2010 by admin.

A huge winter storms in Israel has brought 100kmph winds and 10 meter high winds crashing onto the coast. The harsh weather brought disruption and chaos but also revealed an unexpected surprise - the discovery on an amazing ancient 2,000 year old Roman statue in amazing condition.

The headless marble figure of a woman was found on the beach at Ashkelon after the partial collapse of a cliff due to the wind, high seas and rain.  The woman is thought to be Aphrodite the Greek goddess of love.

Given the significance of Roman marble statues in the Justice Hall at Blakesware Manor where the Haymakers Survey was first conceived, we wonder is this another poignant reminder from Mother Nature to love the natural world? In our story Caleb Hitch advised us to look to the Holy Land as a point in the curious mystical triangle of magic behind the Haymakers Survey.

It’s unbelievable to be part of this.

Posted in Q46 Do you value a good education?, Q47 Do you know your history?, Haymakers: Watch Wonders, Q41 Do you like surprises?, Q34 Have you ever restored something?, Q11 Do you believe in justice?, Q20 Have your eyes ever deceived you?, Q.2 Are you an art lover? | No Comments »

26/05/2010 by admin.

In Thessalonika, Greece a flood of frogs has forced the closure of a key northern highway for two hours. The chief of traffic police for Thessaloniaka said that ‘millions’ of the amphibians covered the tarmac. There was a ‘carpet’ of frogs.  Authorities chose to close the road after three cars nearly sped off it.

The amazing spectacle was caught on camera - see video below.  The most favoured explanation is that the frogs merely left a nearby lake in search of food. Others have speculated that they were feeling in anticipation of an earthquake. Our take is perhaps more insightful. 

First our novel includes (page 171) the fable of the frog that stayed in the jar of water as it gradually warmed until he boiled alive - it’s an anology for humans being reluctant to change behaviour until crisis occurs, which from an ecological perspective will be far too late. 

Second in his journal Charles Lamb describes the gathering of ‘The Haymakers’ as a grand Salon (page 279) a coming together of great minds to ponder the consequences of population growth and the industrial revolution on planet Earth.  Fascinating since the original name for Thessalonika was Salonika.

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/europe/10167636.stm

Third the monuments of ThesSALONika are a recognised UNESCO World Heritage Site. The site was chosen in 1988 for cultural reasons the criteria for which can include “to represent a masterpiece in human creative genius.”  Maybe the message is deeper - another message from Mother Nature about preserving our natural heritage - planet Earth and its great and glorious diversity.  As we say ‘Its not that easy being green’.

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

Posted in Q75 Have you ever put on a show?, Haymakers: Watch Wonders, Q52 Do you believe in miracles?, Q51 Have you ever taken part in a protest?, Q20 Have your eyes ever deceived you?, Q46 Do you value a good education?, Q12 Is our Earth enchanted? | No Comments »

06/04/2010 by admin.

The rules of the word game Scrabble are being changed for the first time in the game’s history to allow the use of proper nouns. Place names, company names or brands will now count. Mattel hope the change will encourage more younger users. Interesting since the scrabble board helped Sarah - then in her early teens - reveal the anagram magic within ‘The Haymakers Survey’.  Scrabble was invented in 1938 by the American architect Alfred Butts - which is a teasing surname in itself.

Posted in Q46 Do you value a good education?, Q37 Do you know how to have fun?, Q.7 Have you dreamed of being a champion?, Q.4 Have you ever wanted to stop the clock? | No Comments »

24/11/2009 by admin.

150 years ago Charles Darwin’s Origin of the Species was published.  At the time its publication was controversial yet today its seen as the foundation of evolutionary biology.  It presents evidence that the diversity of life on Earth arose through a branching pattern of evolution - termed Natural Selection.

Today also marks the 35th anniversary of the discovery of a 3.2 million years old skeleton of a hominid named ‘Lucy’ (Amharic).  Lucy also has a second name (Dinkenesh) which means ‘You are beautiful’ or ‘You are wonderful’.  The fossilised skeleton was discovered by Tom Gray and Don Johanson from Texas in a small gully near the Awash River in Ethiopia.   That evening everyone in the expedition set up camp by the discovery and celebrated by playing loudly and repeatedly a taped recording of the Beatles song, ‘Lucy in the Sky with Diamonds’ afterwhich she was named - and we all know the significance of the Beatles in providing inspiration for The Haymakers Survey. 

The Lucy fossil is currently part of a six year US regional tour: Lucy’s Legacy:  History of Treasures from Ethiopia.   The tour is designed to raise awareness of human orgins. It began in September 2007 and included a film titled Lucy’s Cradle: The Birth of Wonder.  Lucy has been in New York City since this June.

Let’s wrap all this up! In our story the fossil like remain’s of a human like figure ‘Lucy’ is found connected to a ‘Web of Life’. Simples! We interpret the anniversaries and Lucy’s US tour as a clear indication that humanity is at risk if we countine to disrespect Mother Nature and put the diversity of life in jeopardy.

Posted in Q75 Have you ever put on a show?, Haymakers: Watch Wonders, Q47 Do you know your history?, Q46 Do you value a good education?, Q22 Do you love our Earth?, Q17 Can you speak another language? | No Comments »