Monday 15 December 2008

Still with a glut in my throat

I've been longing to watch 'The Boy in the Striped Pyjamas' since I saw billboards of the film in the London Tube stations back in September.

Last night, my wish was fulfilled, and I must say, I still have some of its scenes running through my mind.

Although is has some factual goofs (e.g. PoWs in camps were not allowed close to the fence, they would be shot immediately), the end is what I call a real climax. So much suspense, so much thrill. And as in all reviews I have read about the film, most people sat in silence for a few minutes after the credits started rolling.

It kept all four of us affected, as we drove home quietly for most of the journey.

You must see it!

Wednesday 19 November 2008

Obama speaks on Climate Change.

Obama is the new president of the US. With the Yes We Can and Change campaigns, here is one of his latest interventions, one that he promised the American electorate on.

Sincerely, I hope that his pledges of support and money to the climate change cause are implemented and bring a significant energy shift.

Saturday 25 October 2008

Cycling morning

I have been feeling the need to cycle a bit around since my last cycle trip with a MIRM mate in Maremma Italy. I decided to combine it with a noble act, i.e. waste disposal at a Civic Amenity Sites. These sites accept all kinds of waste from the usual paper/plastic/glass/metal to electronic and hazardous waste.

For no reason at all, I have been collecting endless amounts of old PC motherboards, CD-ROM drives, graphic cards etc. I had lots to throw away. I packed all the stuff in Baanisuu's backpack. This included 2 power supplies, 2 motherboards, 2 hard disks, a discman, a joystick, some RAM, a CD-ROM, an old car stereo and an old phone. I straped the backpack to my back and off I went.

I set off from my home in Safi and cycled all the way to the Hal Far Civic Amenity Site. It was pleasant, at times bumby and noisy (hunting season you know). I could not notice the smell of carob, the pleasent colour of green and also a particular and long crawling species that I am sorry I did not have a camera to take a picture of.

Anyway, it took me one hour in total to disposte of the waste and arrive back home. I used the cycle lanes on the urban roads. They are not bad but a little akward with lots of breaches.

Nonetheless, it was some good exercise on the thighs for sure and some long-awaited fresh air.

Wednesday 22 October 2008

Eating fast makes you fat

While reading this article on the BBC website, a number of people whose eating habits I know came to my mind. The study by Osaka University scientists found that fast-eating men were 84% more likely to be overweight. Women were just over twice as likely. Also those, who, in addition to wolfing down their meals, tended to eat until they felt full, were more than three times more likely to be overweight.

In other words, if you eat slowly, savor your food and enjoy the company, you will probably eat less and live a healthier life.

Sunday 19 October 2008

Let's go Indian!

Indian food is an occasional must. Both Baanisuu and I adore it, the spices, the thickness, the bread, the rice. It's a Sunday morning and just thinking of it wets my appetite.

Anyway, so yesterday (Saturday) we decided to indulge ourselves in our favourite cuisine. I came up with the brilliant idea to go to a new place called Ganeesha at Xemxija. I got to know of the place the day before during some work related travelling. I saw a sign by the road of this new place and thought we could try it out.

Anyway, so after around 40 minutes to reach Xemxija, we started following these signs but got to a dead end. We drove around every street of Xemxija without success. That's strange. We ended up asking a local who pointed us to the corner we just drove around but remarked...'if it's open!'.

So we drove back around this corner and finally found it. But it was closed! We were going to try a new Indian restaurant that was not yet open! We should be invited to the opening night for our dedication.

Anyway, so we ended up applying Plan B, i.e. dining at the Star of India (also at Xemxija). We can safely say that this is our favourite Indian place. It is actually the first Indian restaurant we ate at, four years ago, to celebrate Baanisuu's birthday. And as with most first timers, it remains special.

Our second visit (we rarely revisit restaurants, if though they may be favourites) was no exception. As starters, we had vegetable pakoras and onion bhaji. For the main course, our choices fell on Pulao rice, garlic Nan bread, Chicken Chettinad and Jeera Ghost. Yes, the Jeera Ghost. I learned the hard way that Ghost means lamb in Indian. I made a complete fool of myself by telling the waiter "...and I would like to order Lamb Ghost." It is like saying: "I would like to order fish huta (fish in Maltese) or meat carne (meat in Italian)".

Apart from that, the food was excellent, the setting quiet, uncrowded and with a beautiful view of St. Paul's Bay. It is highly recommended and also well priced. The meal cost us Eur19 (Lm8) each, including a bottle of sparkling water.

Thursday 9 October 2008

Panasonic Lumix TZ5

I have recently decided to go for a new digital camera. My current one is a Nikon 3100 that I purchased almost 5 years ago from Liverpool. It has served me well, taking so many memorable pictures of student days, travels, Baanisuu and other events. But, the time is up for it and hence my search for a new one.

My eyes almost immediately fell on the Lumix TZ5. I still wanted to go for a compact camera, since I do not considered myself a pro or semi-pro. Plus, I'd rather have a camera that can fit in my jeans pocket. What struck me of the TZ5 is its optical range (280mm or 10x) and its wide angle (28mm) lens. It comes with a lithium ion battery pack which is what I was after after a not-so-happy relationship with rechargeable AA batteries. I had a look at several reviews which gave it quite a positive ratings:

Digital Camera HQ

Image Resource

DPReview

It also is capable of shooting HD video with sound (My Nikon shot videos without sound).

One of the downsides seems to be pictures taken indoors and at low light. As for the dimensions, it it a typical point and click measuring 104x 62 x 35 millimetres. Here below are some pictures of it. I quite like the blue one.



In terms of price, I found the item on eBay for Eur 260 (Lm111) including shipping costs, a 4GB SD memory card and other 7 goodies. What do you think?

Friday 3 October 2008

2 October 2008

Yesterday, back from training, I had a quick shower to get ready for a traditional Maltese horse meat dinner. After the shower, I grabbed my mobile and found a missed call. Interesting!

I tried calling back on my way to the bar&restaurant but the caller did not reply.

I arrived at the bar&restaurant.

The caller might have phoned me in error. It happens sometimes. I considered sending an sms, wrote half of it but then discarded the idea. As soon as I put my mobile back in my pocket, it rang. I went outside and answered the phone:

(lots of background noise)

Caller: Hello! Who is this?

Me: Hi! It's me! I have found a missed call from you and tried phoning you back.

Caller: I am sorry who?

Me: It's me!

Caller: Oh yes, I have some news for you!

(to be continued next week)

Wednesday 1 October 2008

Andrew Simms, Met Office and Sarah Palin

Wonder what the above have in common? They all featured in articles on The Guardian today. All were related to climate change.

The article in The Guardian by Andrew Simms it is related to climate change and the need to avert significant change by doing action now. From the whole article, the following paragraph stuck out:

Considering that it took governments in the UK and US just a week to drop decades of hardened economic practice to save the financial system (a subsidiary of the environment) from meltdown, nationalising banks at great public expense, we should be asking why it takes any longer to act to save the planet from runaway warming.

Very true!

The author goes also about the environmental deficit, ie, the use of resources and disposal of waste at a rate which nature cannot recover from. This complements the article on a Met Office report that urges governments to start reducing emissions now before it is too late:

Professor Bob Watson, chief scientific adviser for the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, said..."If we act now, maybe we have got a fighting chance,"

Very sad!

To close it off, a third article on The Guardian identifies Sarah Palin's (running mate of McCain (Republican)) environmental credentials. Actually, she does not have much. She denies man-made climate change:
"I'm not one though who would attribute it to being man-made"
and would rather have oil drilling companies doing their job in Alaska rather than declaring the polar bear as an endangered specie. Luckily, she lost the case. However, she has placed an appeal against the decision!

In May the US department of the interior rejected Palin's objections and listed the bear as a threatened species, saying that two-thirds of the world's polar bears were likely to be extinct by 2050 due to the rapid melting of the sea ice. Palin, governor of Alaska and the Republican nominee for US vice-president, responded last month by suing the federal government, to try to overturn the ruling.


Outrageous!

Tuesday 30 September 2008

Another week gone by

Another weekend gone by. This time, Baanisuu and I spent the weekend on Gozo, the sister island. We were staying at Ta' Marija farmhouse in Gharb. It accommodates 16 people (though it has 5-6 rooms), has a huge pool, well stocked kitchen and a large living area. We did not use the pool much.

This weekend came on the back of two large events.

One was the visit to London the week before (blog post in the working). The other was my dissertation viva on Thursday 25th. Basically, this was a sort of a 30 minute interview in front of some 7 people. You may think it is intimidating, but alas, the setting was not. I was situated at the head of an oval shaped table. That reduced the confrontation element. I knew all the people in the room except for the foreign examiner. Questions were though and at times rather tricky, but I think I answered them well. As expected, the trickiest came from one of my tutors...

So know I am waiting for the disseration and degree grade. In the meantime, I have some corrections to my dissertation to do.

Tuesday 23 September 2008

22 September 2008 (Monday)

This day did not start well. First of all, it was the first day back to work after the brief spell in London. Second, on that Monday, primary and secondary schools restarted. So you can imagine all the hassle on the roads. Traffic is getting worse by the day. It will worsen at the beginning of October when University and sixth forms start and remain so until May/June of next year.

Not a good Monday morning at all.

Wednesday 17 September 2008

London: Here we come!

Tomorrow I am off to London for the weekend. It promises to be an eventful weekend. Firstly, me and Baanisuu will be meeting our mates who have left this island for a better life elsewhere.
Secondly, we shall be attending a gig on Friday night that will feature the following great bands:
  • Anathema;
  • Paradise Lost; and
  • My Dying Bride
Thirdly, on Saturday night, Baanisuu and I will be watching the musical Les Miserables.

Fourthly, we shall also be the standard tourist. Sightseeing, making photos, a couple of souvenirs, take away food etc.

Can't wait...

Tuesday 16 September 2008

Winds show how dirty we are

Ever noted that in Malta, when the wind gets strong, so much dirt lies around?

The cause is easy to understand. Unfortunately, we Maltese are heavy dumpers. We throw away lots of stuff away in the outside environment, such as from car windows or by accidentally dropping objects. Such items such as paper, plastic bags and bottles etc tend to congregate in shadowy corners, at the base of trees or wherever. Thus, only some patches look dirty.

However, the wind of the last days has shown our true colours. Go walk anywhere you like and you'll find lots of rubbish lying / flying around.

And for heaven's sake do not blame the laziness of garbage / litter collectors. It if were not for our constant and obscene littering, these people would not have a job!

Yes, we are a dirty people.

Sunday 3 August 2008

It's over

I am done with it! No more Mirming! After having spent a week in Maremma doing our final credits, I had two weeks left to finish my dissertation.

The corrections that I had to do in the end were not much. At this exact moment I am printing my second copy. I need to hand in the copies by tomorrow noon.

Actually I still have the viva left. It will be held on the 25th September. But let's not worry about that now.

Daqshekk! Finito! Fertig! Chan gun!

Welcome back life!

Wednesday 30 July 2008

Extreme sport: tower jumping

Ever thought of doing some rock climbing?

Well, it seems this was not enough adrenalin for the Czechs who invented tower jumping. After climbing up rock, they sort of jump themselves down.

Watch this video to believe... crazy!

Tuesday 22 July 2008

Still alive

Just a note to tell you that I am still alive. My dissertation has taken up much of my life for the past weeks. It is due on the 4th of August. In the meantime, I also went a week to Maremma, Italy for a week of hard work (fieldwork and presentations) as part of the MIRM course.

Anyway, hope to be regularly back in a few weeks, and finally get my life back!

Saturday 14 June 2008

Thursday 29 May 2008

Google Maps now features Maltese roads

For those of you who love Google Maps, I have just realised that you can see the names of the Maltese roads on the map! Now that is really great isn't it?

The directions does not seem to work properly yet! If that is improved, I will no need to go to the MEPA website to search for roads. Just lovely. Thanks you Google Maps Team! You're the best!

Open your browser and log on to http://maps.google.com.



View Larger Map



View Larger Map

Tuesday 20 May 2008

Inter campione : La grande festa a San Siro

The awarding ceremony of the Serie A Scudetto

Siamo noi, Siamo noi!!

The game that won the scudetto! - Grande Ibra

The genius does it all by himself....

Zlatan Ibrahimovic!!!!

Campioni d'Italia!!!



Sunday 18 May 2008

45 minutes remain...

After seeing the first half of Parma vs Inter, I can tell you...Inter are going to loose the scudetto.

No more hope left.

I will just see the next 45 minutes to get more frustrated

Saturday 3 May 2008

Green Office Project: Environmental Tips for the Workplace

Creative and straightforward video on green office tips produces by university students, including a friend of mine who is the actor ;-)



Thursday 1 May 2008

Clean that keyboard!

You there who are reading this beware. Most probably, one of your hands is on the mouse and the other on the keyboard.

Think...

How often have you been to the toilet and not properly washed your hands?
How often have you eaten over your keyboard?
How often have you cleaned your keyboard?

Read below...

'A microbiologist carrying out research published today for Which? Computing magazine examined samples from 33 keyboards and found a variety of bugs including E coli and S aureus, which can cause skin infections and make people ill...

The scientist swabbed a loo seat and a toilet door handle in a typical London office for comparison. One of the keyboards in the experiment had to be removed from the office because it was five times dirtier than the lavatory seat and home to 150 times the acceptable limit of bacteria...

The research showed that the chief culprit for contamination was people eating at their desks and dropping crumbs which lodge between keys and encourage the growth of millions of bacteria.

Other causes included poor personal hygiene, particularly people failing to wash their hands after using the toilet. Dust, which traps moisture, also provides ideal conditions for the growth of bacteria....'

Interesting huh? Knowing this, would you use internet cafes?

Source: The Guardian

Thursday 24 April 2008

The issue of food miles and globalisation

Jacob Musyoki, who I visited on his farm in the Machakos district of Kenya, grows green beans that are air-freighted to Britain for sale in supermarkets. A lot of environmentalists want us to boycott them because of the CO2 emissions from the nightly flights from Nairobi. But that would be bad news for Musyoki, who makes a much better living growing beans for consumption in Britain than he did when his only markets were local. He has enough money for a TV. He is a citizen of the world and is proud his kids can now stay in school.

Do we really want to cut emissions by pulling the plug on Musyoki? He is not responsible for global warming. We are. Perhaps we should do something to cut our carbon emissions that inconveniences us, rather than wrecks his life. Why not keep buying the beans, but take the bus to the supermarket instead of driving?


Fred Pearce - The Guardian

Quote of the month - how to save water...

This quote I heard at work: I wont' be saying from whom it came but it is a good one that can help you to save on water at home (we do not do this at work):

If it's yellow, let it mellow,
If it's brown, flush it down.

You'll know what it is referring to...

Sunday 13 April 2008

Portishead the video

Ok, so now you have proof that I listened to it all. I was provided the ability of embedding the video in a webpage. This is what I've done:

Porishead - 'Third'


Portishead

For all those of you who love Portishead, take a look at this:

http://current.com/items/88899146_portishead_in_portishead

This is a performance from Portishead performing 7 songs of their third album called 'Third'.

To be honest I am just listening to it at this moment now, but it sound very promising.

Friday 11 April 2008

I don't want to pay more than three times my salary

That is what a young professional told the BBC when asked about how much was she ready to pay for her mortgage. This young lady earns some £30,000 (€37,500) a year, meaning that the mortgage she aims for should be less than £90,000 (€112,000). How she will manage beats me, considering the housing market. If she does, and if many Brits do, I shall envy them. Why?

Take a look at Malta. If I would like to have a maximum mortgage of three times my annual wage, that would put me in the range of €40,000 to €50,000. Now, a decent unfurnished, shell form flat / apartment in a decent location would have a price tag of at least (and this is optimistic) double the maximum mortgage of three time my annual wage.

Looking forward to forking out that money? NO WAY!! But the time will come...

I fully share the thought of the people in the BBC article:

"I'm not looking for an investment. I'm looking for somewhere to live" - Izzy Miyaghi

"...an entire generation of young professionals has been unable to get on the housing ladder as a direct result of immoral lending" - Heidi McFadden

BBC

Painful Emptiness

It is more than a week now that the dentist took out three wisdom teeth from my mouth. Yep, three at once. After corrupting my stomach with a three time daily (at minimum) dosage of painkillers, one side of my mouth decided to give me a break and the pain eased off. However, the same is not true for the right side of my mouth. Only one tooth was taken out on this side, but pain is never ending.

I visited the dentist, worried about my situation a few days back. His reply: 'It is healing'. Ok I thought, thank God the pain is there because it is healing.

However, why the two teeth (or better, holes) on the left decided to heal days before the one on the right beats me.

Saturday 29 March 2008

Malta versus Liechtenstein

Michael Mifsud manages to score five goals in a record breaking match where Malta beat Liechtenstein 7-1

Quite a match I must say! I am sure those few people present did not expect this





















Friday 28 March 2008

Surprise party pics

Pictures taken during my surprise birthday party (25th year on this blue planet) can be viewed online here:

Thursday 27 March 2008

Massive Antarctic ice sheet collapses with global warming

The Wilkins ice shelf disintegrates and loses large chunks of ice into the sea.
A sign of anthropogenic global warming? Scientists think so...

See all the article on The Guardian

25...

It's official.

Three cheers for living a quarter of century on planet Earth.

Thank you all (including Earth) for sustaining and sharing with me your lives.

Sunday 23 March 2008

Dumbfounded

Tuesday I received a call from the dentist, telling me that my appointment on Thursday (for tooth extraction) had to be changed...

My dad told me that on Saturday we were having a barbecue at my dad's farmhouse at 9pm...

Organised and paid for by English friends of ours...

The time was chosen so that my aunt could go for the Easter Saturday mass and we meet afterwards...

That meant missing the Inter vs Juventus match (which ended 1-2 for Juventus)...

On Friday, my friend told me he had not seen my sister for quite a while...

On Saturday, mum went to help my aunt with the food preparation (for the barbecue)...

My sister came early home (she was away for Easter weekend), we saw Lost and then she left to to talk to a friend of hers...

At around 8.55 Baanisuu and I were walking to the farm...

I noticed a parked car similar to that of the drummer...

Baanisuu notices that there are quite a few clouds and it could rain...

We enter the farmhouse, I notice the outdoor barbecue is unlit...


Happy Easter

Happy Easter to all of you who read this blog!

Saturday 22 March 2008

Chooseday and Shut the Door!

This week I have read about two community initiatives taken in the UK that try to do simple things that help reduce CO2 emissions and improve our environmental footprint.

The first I read about was Chooseday (sounds like Tuesday). The aim of this initiatives is for people to decide a day of the week in which they will leave their car at home and travel to work by bus or carpooling. The obvious aim is to reduce the number of cars on the road (http://www.chooseday.org/). This is being carried out in Bristol.

An interesting thing I noted is that bus lanes (yes, they caused significant controversy when they were introduced for a few hundred metres in Marsa) can also be used by cars that car pool. So instead of here where bus lanes are used by buses, mini vans and taxis (even if carrying no passengers), this could be extended to allow cars that have more than two passengers. I do not know how many fines were dished or how it is monitored.

The second community initiative I read about was Close the Door. It speaks for itself: Leave doors shut and is targeted at the business community. A lot of energy is wasted by leaving the doors of shops and restaurants open. Huge losses result from lost hot / cool air. Why not close them and save this energy. It was calculated this may bring a 20-25% reduction in electricity bills. The initiative offers stickers to be fixed on doors to explain why the shop is leaving its doors closed. Good one!

I would extend this to offices too. We took a similar initiative at work to keep room doors shut when the air conditioner is on. It may go against what many cry out for the 'open door' attitude (mainly to bridge the physical divide between management and staff). I do not have records of the achievement from our initiates, but electricity consumption did fall.

So try it yourself: carpool and close that door!

Sunday 16 March 2008

Firefox crop circle

It is Sunday morning, and I came across this crop circle in Google Earth / Maps ... Foxy Aliens?


View Larger Map

Friday 14 March 2008

Six Revisions

One of my hobbies, or rather addictions, is browsing through countless pages on the web, also looking for information that interests me. This covers a wide range of activities from football, Formula One, to climate change, energy and current news.

One of my hobbies and things I enjoy doing is building websites. I started by doing the typical personal website that were quite popular some five years ago. However, that project was abandoned (with all the stuff on it lost) while I was studying Geography for a semester at Hope University, Liverpool. Nonetheless, I worked on two projects, mainly related to my dad's travel agency business.

When I joined my current employer after finishing my final year at the University of Malta, I was given the task to develop the company website. I was also involved in building two project-related websites (that have been taken offline after the project was completed) and some others. Furthermore, I am currently working on an online questionnaire for my MIRM dissertation.

Therefore, when I encountered the blog 'Six Revisions' I could not have been more than pleased. Six Revisions is a web development and design blog. The posts are quite varied and include many tips, ideas and resources. What's best is that the language and jargon used is too my likeness,ie neither beginner nor too advanced jargon. No wonder I added the blog feed to Google Reader.

Finally, it is very useful to me since it helps to stay updated on the current trends and developments in both design and development.

Wednesday 12 March 2008

Wednesday morning

It is Wednesday morning, the day after Inter's elimination from the Champions League against Liverpool. The game did not go as all expected. I had a glimmer of hope after the first half, but when Burdisso was sent off and Ibrahimovic lost that easy chance up front I knew that all hope was lost.

Now imagine my mood right now.

I enter the offices at work and my colleague tells me that Mancini is to step down at the end of the season. No, not this one too!

It is going to be a long Wednesday...

Tuesday 4 March 2008

Saturday 1 March 2008

As usual, money goes to the wrong priorities

The US Air Force has just announced that it awarded a multi-billion dollar contract to a company called Northrop Grumman to replace its aging air refuelling tankers. The deal is first to replace 179 tankers and eventually the whole 500 of them.

The cost?

$40 billion dollars for replacing 179 expanding to over $100 billion dollars for the whole fleet.

Also, the US military has recently awarded the largest ever contract in history for a $200 billion Future Combat System programme.

The Pentagon is furthermore expected to award a contract of over $200 billion to the future F-35 Joint Strike Fighter program.

And then they accuse Iran, Russia and all the guys on the 'Axis of Evil' of rearmament. What is that they are spending the money for?

AND THEN the US finds it hard to sign an international treaty to curb CO2 emissions because it will hurt its economy BUT, it is ready to pay those billions of taypayer dollars to enhance its military fleet. Not to mention of the poor of course. This my friend, is the real unjust world.

Friday 29 February 2008

Marks and Spencer hopes to cut plastic bag use with 5p levy

I wonder if any of the local supermarket chains such as PAVI, Smart, Scotts, Lidl etc have considered such a move to cut at our bad habit of filling our car booths full of goods in plastic bags. Personally, I doubt it. I still remember the outrage when the ecotax was announced. I am not aware of any figures that show wheter such a tax has managed to reduce the consumption of certain products, apart from filling the public coffers.

Marks & Spencer will charge 5p for each bag and the proceeds will go to charity. In Britain, 13billion bags are distributed each year, each of which can take up to 1000 years to decay. Plus they are made from the black gold called oil.

Can anyone tell some executive at these chains that reducing the distribution of plastic bags helps their bottom line and the environment? At least, they can start a trail at one of their many outlets and gauge customer feedback.

Source: The Guardian

Thursday 28 February 2008

Awesome football video

This video is so cool, I had to put in on this blog (apart from the fact that I have not blogged much lately). This video has to do with the EA Sport Fifa Street 3. Great promo video of course, and cool skills, especially the shot over the head! Enjoy




Wednesday 13 February 2008

This is really pure genius - a car that runs on air!

Can you imagine this? A car that runs on compressed air! I could not believe this until I saw this video. That car and future off shoots can do wonders for the environment by reducing air pollution and CO2 emissions.

I wish all the best of luck to the two engineers on succeeded in the their project.

Also, the following comment caught my eye on youtube.com:


beautiful this cars will stop the terrorism we are sponsoring by buying oil from arabs



Climate change progress and the US

Is this deja vu or history repetition?

The conference
(in Hawaii) ended with the U.S. agreeing to join nearly 190 countries to craft a blueprint for fighting climate change by 2009. But that only happened after participants loudly booed repeated U.S. objections to the document.

Source: CNN

Sunday 10 February 2008

Europe's map according to the Maltese

I could not let this go unnoticed...so good. The words are in Maltese of course!

Lost for words

This blog has been quite dry lately, not much to say, not much to write. But, I have some news I would like to share. On Thursday 14th of February, I am off to Paris for a short break from this country, MIRM and politics. I shall be back on Sunday night, so if you want to catch me at the airport...

I shall not be alone of course. Baanisuu will join me.

A wonderful Valentine's Day present.

Wednesday 6 February 2008

Now this is a first!

"The Church of England is urging people to cut down on carbon, rather than chocolate, for Lent this year.

The 40-day plan lists simple energy-saving actions that can lead towards a lighter carbon footprint, including snubbing plastic bags, giving the dishwasher a day off, insulating the hot-water tank and checking the house for drafts.

Participants are asked to begin the carbon fast by removing one light bulb from a prominent place in the home and live without it for 40 days, as a constant visual reminder during Lent of the need to cut energy. On the final day of the fast, people are encouraged to replace the missing bulb with an energy-saving bulb."

The article on The Guardian also gives the 40-day plan. Some of the items are pretty simple, others require some investment. Whatever it is, you do not have to be a Church of England follower, or a Christian at all. What is good for the environment is good for Christians, Muslims and Buddhists alike.

Just read and follow.


Please note that the 'carbon fasting' must be carried out through the other 325(6) days of the year, of course.

Saturday 2 February 2008

Album of the Month: Dave Gahan - Hourglass

One of the things I like about winter is to have to keep the windows of my car shut while I am driving. This makes for an excellent opportunity to better listen to music since the sound waves are not distorted with the turbulence coming from open windows.

I grabbed this opportunity to get some new stuff. My pal R had made me listed to some staff from Dave Gahan, which I liked. I then managed to get his album Hourglass which was released last October.

My impression? Wow what an album! I must admit I was not much of a Depeche Mode listener so I cannot compare nor contrast. But Hourglass is really a good listen to, especially in a month like January where you are stuck with exams, assignment deadlines AND really tight work schedules.

Hourglass is for sure a welcome addition my list of favourites.


Are you watching the Hourglass?



Saturday 26 January 2008

Update: Election on the way...

An example of the structures I was referring to can be seen here below. And my thoughts were reflected in an article in The Times.

Thursday 24 January 2008

Election on the way...

How do you realise that finally the election is really due?

Look at the main arterial roads.

This morning I noticed more than 5 new structures that were placed along main road on my way to work. The concrete / steel structure were painted blue, a sign of to which party they belong (I should have got a picture).

What are they?

They are the footings for billboards that will haunt us from now on till election on all the good thing the government did, and all the bad things the opposition would have done.

Wednesday 23 January 2008

Biofuel saga again..going the wrong way?

Once again, the biofuel issue is a hot potato. The Guardian has in the last few days mentioned concerns by the EU, as well as scientists, on the actual benefits of biofuel.

The EU has admitted that:

the environmental and social impact of producing the crops may be greater than originally thought

Also, in the US, the cultivation of maize for biofuel, has been accused of increasing food prices and damaging the environment.

A Report in Science has also indicated that biofuels made from corn, sugar cane and soy could have a greater environmental impact than burning fossil since they have higher costs in terms of biodiversity loss and destruction of farmland.

Another Report from the Royal Society suggested that biofuels risk failing to deliver significant reductions in transport emissions and could even be environmentally damaging unless the government implements the right policies.

Ultimately, the Royal Society was quoted as saying that given biofuels were already in the market, it was "vital that policies that promote biofuel development also address the environmental, economic and social impacts.

Sources: The Guardian
The Guardian

Sunday 20 January 2008

New ways of generating energy / heat

How about using body heat from a railway station to heat buildings next door?

Or using the heat from traffic passing on roads to heat nearby households?

And what about human excrement? Ever thought that it could be converted to biogas?

Or chocolate - using production wastes to create fuel?

Read on here: Crazy idea, but it might just work

Friday 18 January 2008

The comeback of Adriano?

I admit he was one of my favourite players, but his form at Inter let many to doubt his talents. The death of his father had a too large impact on him. Adri became depressed, indulged in drinking and a life not ideal for top class footballers. Inter have sent him to Brazil, to regain tranquillity and find his form.

Here is the first goal he scored in the first official match for the San Paolo outfit.

Hopefully, Adri will continue to score such goals and go back to Inter FC after July full of energy and goals up his sleave.







Monday 14 January 2008

What bullshit! Junk mail at its worst

Just take a look and read carefully the image below. I found this piece of paper placed face down between the front wiper and windscreen of my car. I realised there was something while I was driving and thought it was some comedy, you known Mr. Hero ... but then!

There is so much bullshit around these days. I wonder how such people manage to survive.

As for the services he offers..wow! It seems godly with all those guarantees.

Even Achmed would manage to get his promised 72 (female) virgins!

Mr Hero, help him!

Ibra goal 1-3 VS Siena

What a goal by Zlatan Ibrahimovic!!

Saturday 12 January 2008

Busy Busy Busy

I have my first semester exams today week. So I have to do much reading and memorising the basic theories. That will most probably stress me out a little but then Sunday 20th I shall rejoice!

Anyway, the New Year has been good to me so far. I have already given Baanisuu her Valentines' present. I know it is still early and still fresh from the Xmas presents dash but circumstances led to it.

Ok so I am off to continue studying. Please....

Silence!

I kill you!

(Thanks Achmed!)

Thursday 10 January 2008

Vote for Michael Mifsud

Coventry City striker Michael Mifsud is among a five man shortlist for the FA Cup 'E.ON Player of the Round'. Voting is now open and will close at 9am on Monday January 14.

Click here to vote for Mifsud.

He is currently the leader at 77% of all votes. Make this count larger and vote for Michael!

Spread the word.

Sunday 6 January 2008

Blacburn Rovers vs Coventry city

Coventry do it again in the Cup. Last time in the Carling Cup, now in the FA Cup. Michael Mifsud manages to score two in an excellent match for Coventry.

The Guardian posted: "Michael Mifsud was inspirational as Coventry dumped Rovers out of the Cup at Ewood Park" in an article aptly titled: "Mifsud makes Hughes his latest cup victim".

Well done Michael!

Friday 4 January 2008

The countdown begins

Today is the 4th of January 2008. I have just handed in my last assignment for this semester. Exactly today in six months time, 4th June 2008, I have to hand in my dissertation.

The countdown has begun.

Welcome 2008

The first post of the year has to be a welcoming one. Looking back at 2007, I must admit that it was characterised by a number of lows that were not experienced in the years before. Nonetheless such events help to make people stronger and love each other more.

So what do I expect from 2008?

Well there are two major events: Hopefully My Masters Graduation in November and a good result for Italy in the Euro 2008.

I have no holidays plans at the moment but I am sure that Baanisuu and I will run away from the country for some time.

I also hope that Inter will keep on doing well as they did in 2007. 2008 is the year Inter will be 100 years old. For that occasion, they are playing with a special gear that was designed on the original way back in 1908. I have one such gear, given to me by Baanisuu for our fourth anniversary.

I also hope that 2008 will be a calmer one, one where I will also have more time to spend on things I enjoy. I shall hopefully be returning to playing football after I finish with my MSc studies. With the extra time at hand, I shall be also spending more quality time with Her.

Anyway, farewell 2007, I expect more from 2008.