30/01/2012 by admin.

Bird watchers in America are reporting a mass exodus of snowy owls from Arctic into the lower 48 states. The beautiful birds have been seen from coast to coast in a southern migration described as unbelievable by the owl research institute. The migration has baffled the experts with no logical explanation coming to the fore.

Snowy owls have been in the limelight for a number of years due to Harry Potter’s pet Hedwig, but we think this is real magic. The opening scene of our novel includes a white owl flying over the head of Ben Whittenbury as a prelude to all that follows, empowering him with the support of a hidden force - the Earth spirit or a divine creator - to serve as Nature’s Champion. This is deep magic and humanity neglects this sign at its peril.  Time for Bob Marley..

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BWw_gP0vDfE 

Posted in Q68 Does the Earth have a spirit?, Q75 Have you ever put on a show?, Haymakers: Watch Wonders, Q54 Do you enjoy a bit of a mystery?, Q39 Do you believe in magic?, Q16 Have you ever had a psychic experience?, Q20 Have your eyes ever deceived you?, Q12 Is our Earth enchanted? | No Comments »

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 »

10/01/2012 by admin.

As the New year begins to unfold its of interest to us that two movies have been grabbing the headlines - War Horse and the Iron Lady.

We’re amused since our environmental project is all about finding the right balance between industrial growth (otherwise known as Gross Domestic Product) and defending Mother Nature. This is symbolised in the opening scene of our novel when an unknown figure is galloping on a horse to save Mother Nature from unbridled exploitation and destruction by humanity with a ghostly Lady in Grey (who represents industry - an Iron Lady) mournful at setting humanity on a precarious path. Its a struggle that continues today and everyday, perhaps these movies are a timely reminder of the need for humanity to progress ethically and morally? Here’s the trailers…

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=B7lf9HgFAwQ 

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yDiCFY2zsfc

Posted in Q58 Do things happen for a reason?, Q75 Have you ever put on a show?, Haymakers: Watch Wonders, Q49 Do you ever think about the old days?, Q47 Do you know your history?, Q10 Have you ever seen a ghost?, Q12 Is our Earth enchanted?, Q13 Have you ever been mistaken for someone else?, Q.7 Have you dreamed of being a champion? | 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 »

07/01/2012 by admin.

A lion named Malik has reacted fiercely to a young girl staring at him through strengthened glass in his enclosure at Wellington Zoo. The moody lion swipped his front paws against the 33mm glass, perhaps to defend his meal, but Sofia aged 3 stood firm. She seemed surprised but didn’t kepy her cool.  Its not the first time Malik has charged the glass and is probably because he’s trying to eat his food and is trying to chase off possible rivals.

However, perhaps Malik had a deeper message - afterall in our novel Wellington chaired the meeting of the Blakesware Set, the group behind the Haymakers Survey.  And, Malachi the messenger and voice of the animal kingdom is likened to the lion statue around which the magic of time travel in our story unfolds. Malachi is also abbreviated many times in the story, including to Malik.  Maybe Malik the former king of the jungle is letting us know that nature’s patience with humanity is fast running out?

Here’s the video clip..

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=P0RWuyqkzeE

Posted in Haymakers: Watch Wonders, Q51 Have you ever taken part in a protest?, Q41 Do you like surprises?, Q12 Is our Earth enchanted? | No Comments »

21/12/2011 by admin.

This year’s most popular video on You Tube features a talking dog - some 79 million hits and counting. Curious as I’m sure Malachi our very own messenger and speaking dog in The Haymakers Survey would be a number one fan. It’s jolly good fun.

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

Posted in Q75 Have you ever put on a show?, Haymakers: Watch Wonders, Q58 Do things happen for a reason?, Q56 Do you believe rules are there to be broken?, Q37 Do you know how to have fun?, Q17 Can you speak another language? | No Comments »

19/12/2011 by admin.

At picturesque Carmarthenshire, ‘The Garden of Wales’ bundles of hay lay strew across raliway tracks after a commuter train struck a lorry carrying a hay trailer. 

Fortunately only a few passengers experienced minor injuries on the crossing at Whitland.  Seeing all that hay on the tracks makes for quite a sight and its interesting to us that Whitland translates to ‘The Old Whitehouse’, which is curious as in our novel Charles Lamb takes a serious fall adjacent to an old white house and claims that ‘it is all over.’  His journal also records how ‘The Blakesware Set’ speculated on the impact of the railways as the industrial revolution began to take a grip. Is Mother Nature telling us to derail the runaway train that is human exploitation of planet Earth?

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TFJ3KayeUTc

Posted in Q58 Do things happen for a reason?, Haymakers: Watch Wonders, Q51 Have you ever taken part in a protest?, Q20 Have your eyes ever deceived you?, Q12 Is our Earth enchanted?, Q.3 Do you have a good imagination? | No Comments »

12/12/2011 by admin.

Our Haymaker Caleb Hitch asked us to report that in Vancouver, Canada a cheeky black bear surprised everyone by hitching a ride on a rubbish truck in the centre of the coastal seaport city.  The British Columbian Conservation Officer Service suspect the bear climbed aboard in North Vancouver.  The bear was tranquilisedand caught in tarpaulin before being returned to a rural area.

The bear took the ride in Downtown Vancouver, close to Point Grey - one of Canada’s most affluent areas. Point Grey is also home to a diverse and ecologically appreciative populace.  Maybe Fanny Ebbs - the distraught Lady in Grey in our novel - would have something to say about the bear’s actions.  She symbolises the impact of the industrial revolution on the natural world. Maybe the bear was making the point that we’re throwing nature in the rubbish?

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=V9EMWQGeWmc&feature=related

Hardly a teddy bear’s picnic?

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MuNf70eV6sY

Posted in Q76 Are you going to take action now to save our world?, Haymakers: Watch Wonders, Q75 Have you ever put on a show?, Q41 Do you like surprises?, Q20 Have your eyes ever deceived you?, Q17 Can you speak another language? | No Comments »

30/10/2011 by admin.

Our 26 October ‘Ides of March’ post anticipated Mother Nature would put on a show to the developed world as a wake up call.  

Well, surprise surprise. Just days after North-Eastern Americans were basking in an Indian Summer, temperatures plummeted 40 degrees as heavy snowfall swept in. New York City and the East Coast were hit with snowfall before Halloween for the first time since records began.

Parts of the North East received more than two feet of snow as records for October tumbled.  This is climate chaos in action. Warmer global temperatures is bringing more extreme weather events.

Take Thailand the ‘Land of the Smiling Faces’ is experiencing prolonged flooding after heavy monsoon rains in July. Much of the country is underwater with many thousands of people displaced with the threat of insect-borne disease. 

It’s a humanitarian crisis, possibly forewarned by the recent celestial vision in the Eastern hemisphere.

Posted in Q75 Have you ever put on a show?, Haymakers: Watch Wonders, Q41 Do you like surprises?, Q36 Should a good life cost the Earth?, Q14 Do you believe your stars?, Q16 Have you ever had a psychic experience?, Q12 Is our Earth enchanted? | 1 Comment »

29/10/2011 by admin.

This year’s X Factor talent contest apears cursed. 

The calamaties have come thick and fast:

• Claims by contestants that the X-Factor mansion is haunted.
• Goldie, one of the final 16 contestants, pulled out prior to the first show and had to be replaced by Sami Brooks
• In a sing-off, Sami’s mentor Louis Walsh decided to keep Kitty and Sami should leave the show. Sami then suggested Louis should be pensioned off!
• Complaints from viewers about the unreasonable number of adverts between performances
• Ratings have crashed - 2 million less than in 2010 
• Accusations and rumours of bulling amongst some contestants
• The girls’ band Rythmics had to change their name because it clashed with a children’s charity - they’re now called Little Mix
• Due to his faith Ashley Baptiste, member of The Risk, decided being in a boy band wasn’t for him and choose to leave the show. He’s been replaced by Ashford Campbell one of the members of NuVibe, with some arguing about the legality of this as NuVibe were voted off a couple of weeks ago.  
• The ‘Hex’ has even spread to the judging panel - with arguments breaking out with Kelly Rowland missing this weekend’s show due a ‘throat infection.’

Perhaps the Hex Factor is because humanity is falling to demonstrate to the Earth’s creator that we have what it takes to be its guardian. Our novel anticipated this - see the free opening sequel. 

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1YPdeFknh34

Posted in Q58 Do things happen for a reason?, Q70 Do you like to look at the stars?, Q75 Have you ever put on a show?, Haymakers: Watch Wonders, Q54 Do you enjoy a bit of a mystery?, Q40 Can you play a musical instrument?, Q.8 Do you crave a better life?, Q10 Have you ever seen a ghost?, Q18 Do you let your heart rule your head?, Q.7 Have you dreamed of being a champion? | No Comments »