BIOMASS SCHEME PROTECTS OUR ENVIRONMENT!
Of course everyone knows about the dangers to the world from environmental change triggered by the huge increase in carbon dioxide, the "greenhouse gas". Amazingly it is fairly simple to substantially reduce these CO2 emissions. Around the beginning of the 20th century Rudolph Diesel invented and designed engines that ran on peanut oil (a bio mass fuel) However, those who wanted to sell their fossil diesel oil (the only type widely used now) soon made changes to engines and took over the diesel oil market to serve their own ends and profits.
This fact is more than just interesting; for the use of bio- mass fuel means the CO2 produced can be recycled by vegetation and not gather in the clouds above
BIOMASS can easily be grown. Yellow rape, often seen in the fields, is suitable and biodiesel can be made from the seeds. In the UK set aside land could be used, much employment created and effectively, CO2 Emissions could be cut. If this BIOMASS ‘SCHEME’ was taken up here our atmosphere would begin to improve. If taken up worldwide, the global atmosphere would begin to return to normal; It is difficult to stop whatever one is about and realise just how perilous climate change will soon make life for us all. Governments must recognising the importance of saving the world’s environment and aid the change to bio fuels. Our’s could set an example & change its present stance. Bio must be sold with low or no duty.
LINK campaigns for this BIOMASS SCHEME. We could and will send this scheme to as many newspapers and effective people as possible. But LINK on its own can’t make the change. So we hope many will join together to trigger this vital campaign to save the world's clImate.
Our correspondent Mindi had already begun her campaign, read 'traffic vigilante from hell' - if she can do it in Hong Kong we can do it here!
From Kenya (pp6,7) Moses says ‘North Eastern Province has been suffering from extremes cases of famine, floods & insecurity. The region will continue to suffer drought caused largely by environmental degradation & climate change.
WAR ON POLLUTION IN HK Mindy D As I sit here in the very Southern part of Italy absorbing the freshest air I have breathed in a long time, I can't help but admire the fantastic quality and way of life here. I also can't help filling my lungs to bursting point, as though this pure, unpolluted air is about to run out. (Of course I'm hoping that nobody can actually see the hyperventilating, mad woman sitting on her balcony!!) Then my mind is taken back to the last article I wrote for LINK about the pollution in Hong Kong and this time I really think I'm hyperventilating! I remember encouraging everyone to do their part for the environment. So, of course I had to do the same and I'm proud to say that I did get off my rear end and do something about it. Firstly, I turned into -------- ‘Hong Kong's traffic vigilante from hell’. Whenever I'd be walking from one destination to another, I would spy on people sitting in their cars and trucks with their engines on. If I could hear the engine, I would sneak up behind the car to feel the exhaust pipe and then BANG! I'd knock on the window, causing the majority of drivers to jump out of their skin and be so shocked at the lunatic waving her finger and shouting about the pollution, that they would switch their engines off immediately. And if that wasn't enough, I would then go and hide behind a bush for five minutes to check that nobody has switched their engines back on again. The only thing missing was my Rambo costume! Secondly, I rang the head of 'Friends of the Earth' Edwin Lau and spoke to him for about an hour asking how we as individuals could be more pro-active about the pollution in Hong Kong. (I told him about my Rambo trick and can you believe it is not even illegal to keep engines on in vehicles that are stationary? You would think the government would welcome the extra cash from fines?) contd. p4 > from p3 Mindy D WAR ON POLLUTION Basically, he told me that I should write a public letter in a newspaper, to the chief executive (our equivalent to the prime minister) and put more pressure on the government to do something. I asked about the pollution that comes to Hong Kong from the factories in China and he explained that the 70,000 factories, ironically owned by Hong Kong, were up against a deadline to move their factories out of the Shenzen area so that they don't pollute the site and transmit their waste to Hong Kong via the air or the Pearl Delta River. That's already a start. The even better news is that the Hong Kong government is currently in negotiations with the electric companies encouraging them to reduce pollution. They propose to link the rate of return of these companies to environmental performance. Brilliant! The more they preserve the Earth, the more money they make, basically. Finally Edwin confirmed the ideas I had to do something quite radical. I'm saving this for a future LINK article. He thanked me for having such a kind heart. I replied that there was no point in having a kind heart unless you do something about it. I'm going to put my money where my mouth is, so watch this space LINK readers……..
'The abolition of Parliament' Evans Gallo This is what the recently passed Legislative and Regulatory Reform Bill will do. Under the guise of speeding up legislation, ministers have arrogated themselves powers to alter laws passed by parliament without the intense scrutiny that is currently the norm. All a minister will need to do is propose the changes, a committee looks them over and then brings them to parliament for a mere one-and-a-half hour session for rubberstamping. No amendments will be allowed! We are expected to trust our ministers who have promised that the powers this bill will give them will not be used when dealing with 'controversial' issues, whatever that means! Who guarantees that ministers will always have the best interests of the common man at heart? The right to exhaustive debate, which is at the core of democracy, and which MPs are elected to exercise has been taken away from them. Is this not abolishing parliament in all but name?
‘this Education' Amanda Lloyd On Monday 26th March my daughter was sent home from her High school because she didn't have her tie on. Now I do believe in School rules and regulations but I don't believe in sending children home without telling the parent. My daughter Trisha was standing on the doorstep in the rain and she had to catch two buses to get from school! Obviously the school needs a policy where you do not send children home without the parents knowing. The head said letters were sent home the week before but I saw no sign of any letter! As a parent I feel children should not be sent away just for not having an item of uniform. Anything might have happened! Luckily she had the common sense to phone me to avoid lingering on the doorstep. And this is the second time this has happened. I left my daughter in the care of this Education and they sent her home without a care in the world-------
‘THIS problem’ Huge academies, little interaction -- Many schools have intakes of 1000 - 3000 children and obviously teachers cannot know all their names. Pretty obvious stuff this -- but knowing children well is an essential to good teaching. Rather than being concerned over uniform a school must strive to be friendly place which children enjoy. In future building smaller schools and splitting our present ones into smaller units would be a solution. Along with this it should be easy for parents to visit schools and a sense of partnership built up between, teachers, parents and interested children. Parents should be welcomed and asked to share their experience and expertise in classes. Even more, set up evening community centres in all schools for adult education and social gatherings.
The North Eastern Region of Kenya Moses Masinde - World Vision North Eastern Part Kenya is a land awash with diversities. It can be safe in the day but reaching morning people are running for safety. Tribal wars have broken out. It can also be dry during the day, even to the extent that deaths are reported because of hunger, only for the situation to change in the night and there is so much rain, people are again running for shelter because of floods! In this part of Kenya, life is simply unpredictable as one will never know what will happen next. This partly explains why the majority of the people particularly living in the North East and a section of Easter Province namely Marsabit and Moyale districts have resorted to nomadic livelihood. The two regions have had the worst of all kinds of sufferings. With a population of 902, 143 people, North Eastern Province has been suffering from extremes cases of famine, floods and insecurity. Similar situations have characterised the lives of people living in the two districts of Eastern Province. During the dry spell, the communities living in this region who largely depend on livestock as their source of livelihood, face all sorts of frustrations as they look for food, water and pasture not only for themselves but for their livestock as well. They are forced to trek for many long distances in search of the scarce commodity. The region will continue to suffer drought caused largely by environmental degradation and climate change.
As if that is not enough. During the rainy season, hell breaks loose nearly in all the areas stretching from Marsbit District bordering Ethiopia, through Garissa all the way to the areas bordering the Indian Ocean. During such times, the flooding that is witnessed across this land, chips away every fertile soil and rips through homesteads leaving the families just as anguished as when insurgents strike with guns, machetes and clubs. The communities most affected are the Gabrra, Borana, Rendille, Degodia and the Turkana The third problem afflicting most of the areas in the expansive province of 127,000 square kilometres is an increased level of insecurity. In one incident for example, more than 142 were butchered in a morning raid in which 17,000 animals were driven away by the attackers. Even with the assistance of the military helicopters, the Government did not manage to recover any of the stolen animals let alone catch up with the insurgents. This is only one of the many horrifying incidents that the communities living in North Eastern Province have been going through. In a more recent attack, taking place in last year, school children attending a morning class were killed along with their teachers after raiders attacked a village neighbouring the school. The raiders came with guns, machetes and clubs and killed people mostly women and children. Since then, the people of this region have been craving for lasting peace in the region without much success. In our next issue Moses looks at how peace may be approached
'For a sound Body we need good exercise and diet. To awaken a sound Mind and Spirit We need happy relationships, hope, meditation or prayer'. This quote is the essence of our column - and you may guess it's not always easy to get contributors: but it came to me just how important it is to take this body, mind, spirit plan forward together. We are here; we must survive, make it through. Why is it so hard then to work together? Anyway this new abstract for our website got some approvals: - ‘TOGETHER we make it work. Take our special approach -"look out 4 others and access new energy embedded in life". Generally what you put in is what you get out - this METHOD gives a lot more - the results can be amazing. "LINK, a 'sat-nav' for life" - A bit pretentious this last bit, sorry, but it's meant to be a sound bite. You know like the government use. To make things clearer, it's like putting energy in STORAGE. Then, unexpectedly, and when you really need it, this energy returns to help you. It is as if it is set up in the very science of creation. Access it via a sort of DIY experiential process. You take the 'chance' put others first, It becomes your personal strength and reserve. Footnote. Sure we talk of a Method or Philosophy here. But it's how you approach it that's important. It works for all people and is much wider than narrow religion or ritual. The Bigger Picture unfolds and enfolds all things. Right now every day, minute, it covers and can help in all the conditions we experience.
DIET: to regain health we must become fat burners and so maintain a healthy weight. There is polyunsaturated fat in two forms, one good and one bad; also saturated fat: too much of this is bad. The trick is to have mainly polyunsaturated fat containing omega 3 fatty acids (such as in mackerel and sardines): and with correct diet and regular exercise to keep this at the right level. In fact we must be in 'maintenance mode' so we are not building up more fat but maintaining just the right amount. The necessary change in diet is to do with cutting down carbohydrates and getting in good proteins. Oh yes, regular exercise is also essential or no diet can work - you must burn the fat away. Personally I walk twice a day and swim 2/3 times per week. I eat mainly grass fed** lamb for meat, vegetables and have almost cut out bread and potato. I have lost 1 3/4 stones over 6 months and feel well. NB. * Before trying any diet discuss this with your doctor. ******Grass is the food intended for ruminant animals and they make this into the best meat with good protein. ( New Zealand is a good source) The meat from Cattle, that are fed up before market on corn and various mixtures, can resemble carbs. John Broadhead
Hypnosis and the relief of Pain Graeme Cuthbertson Jack Gibson (1910-2006), a highly regarded Irish surgeon, carried out over 4000 operations, including amputations, without chemical anaesthesia. It is hard to imagine this. It is hard to imagine the razor sharp surgeon's knife cutting into you without you feeling any pain. It seems impossible, unbelievable yet it is a real phenomenon in hypnosis; called hypno-anaesthesia. It's also amazing to think that it has actually been around longer than any modern, chemical anaesthesia yet has hardly been explored by the mainstream medical profession. It opens doors of possibility for people who can't tolerate chemical anaesthesia due to the health risks involved for example like a weak heart, and it could also be used alongside chemical anaesthesia to lower the amount that is needed during surgery. Hypnosis has also been proven to shorten healing times, help patients to be more comfortable before the operation and afterwards. It is a tool that offers a peaceful, natural and self-empowering, way to face surgical operations. Jack Gibson was a remarkable man, a true pioneer in his field because of his successful use of hypnosis in surgery, for pain control, and for psychological conditions. He also practised it upon himself, healing himself of a cancerous tumour on his forehead using only self-hypnosis. He believed in the power of the subconscious mind - the inner mind. Hypnosis is also an effective way to deal with chronic pain. Hypnosis has been successful in helping sufferers of arthritis and rheumatism, as well as other conditions to control and manage their pain, when used as a complimentary therapy. It should be stressed however that pain is an essential mechanism of the body, and hypnosis should never be used to cover up any undiagnosed pain, the doctor, or the hospital, is always the first priority for any unknown condition. But for those who suffer from chronic pain, and have been told that they must learn to live with it, then hypnosis can offer relief. This is a huge subject area, and if you would like more information then please visit my website - www.paincontrolhypnosis.co.uk .
If Music be the Food of Life - Play on! Ann Marie What kind of world would we have today if it were not for music? What other avenues would we find to relieve the stress and monotony that can become every day life? Would we know how it felt to sing, dance or even socialise? Some people claim that they don't need music - that to them it is just a banging noise, repetitious, too loud and not necessary. Maybe they would rather watch t.v. , however t.v. programmes and especially adverts would become very sorry affairs if they had no background music. When we walk down the street you can hear it pumping from car stereos. Your out in the country and hear the birds singing. Even the gurgling, indistinguishable noises of babies as they try to communicate with the grown ups around them seems to take on some kind of rhythmical tone. The point is that subconsciously, the music is there! It may be a personal assumption but I believe that the world could be a very lonely place without music which acts not only as a means to relax,but to express oneself in a way more personal than just talking. To me, whether it be coming from the next best commercial pop group, an African drummer and his tribe or raucous drunken punters after chucking out time down at the local, music and it's song is an expression of the soul, a gift and a blessing. Whilst some people would even go as far as to say that without music just as without food they would die - I would prefer to say, " if music be the food of life - play on!"
SOL’S SLICKHANDED GROOVES By Ann Marie Broadhead Nowadays, independent artists wanting to make it in the music business not only have to be vocalists but also writers, producers, performers and promoters for any real level of success.
To elaborate, recently I met up with Leeds duo Lanre and Tom from Slickhanded Productions. They had just returned from London, hot on the heels of filming a music video with Hard Kaur, one of a number of vocalists they have recently produced.
Further more and yet another project currently keeping the guys busy, is the promotion of their own debut Gospel album, entitled SOL (Sons Of Light). Named after their three piece group (which also includes Lanre's brother Arinze) this album showcases not only harmonious and perfectly gelled vocal performances but alsooutstanding production.
With live appearances on 1Xtra and MTV plus a nomination for an Oasis award the guys are discovering life in the fast line. Therefore, when I had the opportunity to meet the boys in person, I took it! In the short but sweet interview that follows, Lanre and Tom share their influences and insights plus give good advice and tips for all those struggling artists out there…..
What are your musical influences? Lanre - Anything from Gospel, RnB, Soul and Funk to Classical. I like Chopin, Mozart and Bach for their musical compositions and the depth of their string arrangements.
Tell me about some of the artists you are producing presently. Lanre - We've just finished a Hip Hop/Rap album for Leeds based Kockee which is soon to be released. He has a laid back sound but the way he delivers a punch line and his lyrical content takes the listener on a journey. He really captures his audience.
Tom - We're also working with Amy Stead a fantastic singer, songwriter and pianist from Bradford and similar to Aliesha Keys. Then there's Kyra. She's RnB and has already worked with Sticky who produced for Ms Dynamite. She's big in the London clubs and radio stations and is about to blow up!
What are your feelings on contemporary Black British music? Lanre - Fantastic! Grime may not be liked by everyone but it does highlight the talent in the UK. Now British people are proud to buy British music. The game has changed and the record deal is not really needed. Artists can sign to mobile phone companies for their deal if they want. Plus, networking can be done via myspace.com. Pod casts can be delivered to millions of people - you can perform a concert from your living room! This is what the Arctic Monkeys did - just gave their music away free to be downloaded. Later, when they got signed, people still bought their records!
Do you have any good advice for other young musicians, producers, vocalists and artists out there struggling in the independent music scene? Lanre - Yes. Learn your craft coming up. Producers learn an instrument, the keyboard or guitar. Also, learn your business. Read up on contract information and find out the best places to get advice. Websites can help or the local artists in your area or even Government initiative schemes. Join the PRS and the MCPS. Where can you see yourself in 5 years time? Lanre - In our second studio working on phatt albums with more established artists. Just broadening our horizons and moving forwards. Anything else you would like to add? Tom - Hi Mum! You can find SOL, the album at Leeds HMV or online at www.spiritdistribution.co.uk. For more info on SOL or Slickhanded productions go to myspace.com/sonsoflight or myspace.com/slickhanded
LINK BBQ 24 JUNE For the kids this year, the highlight of the LINK BBQ was definitely Franco and his drumming tuition sessions. The children loved it so much that the only time I actually saw them sitting patiently was when they were in the queue and waiting for their turn. Unfortunately, the weather didn't really hold out long enough for everyone to have a go but secretly, I feel the grown ups were not too disappointed. The noise of incessant drumming is fun if you're in a rock band or of course, if you're a kid. On the other hand, BBQ food (prepared and cooked by Evans) fine wine and being able to hear your conversation is rock and roll enough for the average grown up! All in all however, everyone had good time and I will be looking forward to the next LINK BBQ.
