This is not my... Week 35
02/10/06 - Boys, boys, boys...
28/09/06 - Risking life and limb
26/09/06 - Oh my!
This Section; Background; The point
02/10/2006 - Boys, boys, boys...
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Writing this while watching a spot of XXX*
A classic if ever there was one...!? |
Vin Diesel (is that his real surname? Really?) blowing stuff up and driving around in fast cars. Plus lots of women in not so many clothes despite the fact that they are in Russia.
You'd think it would be quite chilly.
They should wrap up a bit.
Anyhow - on the subject of men and clothes (any old tentative link will do late on a Sunday night) just got an email in from Robert at Babygod organic clothes for men.
Which is where the real men can get in on the real action of... shopping.
Nah - seriously - it reminded me that there are loads of fantastic things for men out there too which have been made that little bit better.
For other great stuff try howies, THTC, Tonic or any of the others in our directory.
You can even get Make Poverty History boxers.
A much better than CK's for reeling in the ladies I reckon.
Plus - if you want your ethics to go skin deep then you can head to Organic Homme rather than nicking your girlfiend/house mate/neighbours moisturiser.
And - you can get it all on-line so avoid actually having to go on the painful fight/trip down the high street.
Perfect.
Leaves more time for the cars, guns and women.... (hmmmm!?!)
Have a lovely week x
*Mum this is a Hollywood film and not ACTUALLY x-rated!
29/09/2006 - Remember, remember
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The fourth of November... |
Forget Guy Fawlkes and his unfortunate taste in stockings - this year it's not the burning of stuff that is important (though the whole 'Bonfire of the Brands' thing is quite entertaining) - this year it is the 4th which is the one to watch.
Really this is just a call for you to get it in the diary.
On the 4th November there is the UK's largest demonstration on climate change will be held in Trafalgar Square. Plus there are loads of fun things going on too.
For more details check out the icount website.
The idea is that in addition to asking the Government to take some action we all think about what we can do to minimise our impact.
Which all seems eminently sensible to me. (Some ideas - of course - in our action section.)
Far less sensible is the snail racing my mate Phil and I are putting on this evening!
If you happen to be in the Frith St area then get in touch and come along.
It's all for Mencap (don't worry - there are snail safety officials) and will be most entertaining.
Anyhow - best potter along as there are all of the last minute panic things to do and - if I can - I would also like to get along to see Tessa Jowell (my MP).
Mind you - don't actually know where her local surgery is held... sure I wrote it down somewhere... argh!
Anyhow - have a lovely day, weekend, cup of tea and see you later x
28/09/2006 - Risking life and limb
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Right now... |
Ollie loves to send me all the good news!
Just got this link in from him to tell me that Apple are getting some bad press again.
This time GreenPeace have launched a campaign to highlight the dangerous chemicals in their machines.
Such as the one I am typing on...
To be honest. I think I'll be ok (no need to send the paramedics round just yet) but those who are at risk are the many workers making their machines.
The GreenPeace site has lots of entertaining ways to get Apple to change some of their practices so check it out.
Worth a look too is The Big Ask.
It's been round a while but this month Friend's of the Earth are asking the Government to include a climate change bill in the Queen's speech.
The Queen's speech is in early Nov (I think...) making this - the Big Ask, Big Month.
If you have a second, use their facility to send a message to your MP. Or write your own. Or have a trip to visit them.
Mine is around on Friday's.
I had a meeting that got cancelled and I have the day off work. Might potter along to harangue her.
Never been to see my MP before.
Could be fun.
Worked in Parliament for a bit and the MP's I met were nice. Mind you there were a couple of odd ones. Like the guy who wrote erotic poetry. Oooh what was his name?
20 minute frustrating googling session ensues...
Paul Marsden!!!
Have a read of his work! It's entitled 'She came in the night'.... If you like really badly written erotic poetry it could be quite the treat.
Anyhow - will love you and leave you with that excitement but if you get chance do ask and do write to Apple.
Have a fabulous one x
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Can be really hard... |
Saw my friend Rohan last night.
He is the founder of slowlondon.
It was a timely meeting.
I have been running around like a lunatic for the last couple of weeks and - though short term that isn't a bad thing - I was reminded not to make a habit of it.
slowliving isn't so much about achieving less and doing less. It is about prioritising so that you can do more. And appreciate what you are doing more.
Instead of eating a sandwich on the run, you sit down and have half an hour for lunch. Instead of jumping on the tube, you spend an extra 20 minutes walking home.
That sort of thing.
If nothing else, it is better for your well being and so you end up being more productive, more healthy and more precise in other areas of life.
It's the long-term approach.
Which isn't always the easiest to take.
Much environmental argument highlights the need for long term solutions to global problems rather than short term attitudes, policies, and thinking.
It may be harder to go for the long-term approach but often it will be better for us.
Investment in green technologies, insulation, waste minimisation etc will combat climate change in the long term. Without spending now the cost of environmental degradation will be bigger. And we will suffer more because of it. Both financially and in quality of life.
Take a mini example. Energy efficient bulbs cost more up front but save a lot more money and a lot of energy.
They make sense - but we need to get round to changing them.
In the short-term the trip to the shop (and I am certainly no saint here) can get put off in favour of working, seeing friends, dancing round your bedroom singing Take That songs etc... but if we do it it will mean we have more cash so can work less, see friends more and - erm - keep dancing round the bedroom singing Take That songs... (?!)
Anyhow - inspired - I am going to make sure that today is a slow one. And encourage everyone I see to take theirs easy too.
I am going to put off my plans for this evening, get home early and do lots of things that I haven't had chance to for a while.
I am also going to miss my train and get into work late so I can have a cup of tea.
Absolutely positive that I will work better if I go in awake and ready for the day rather than panicked and racing through things.
Just hoping that my boss is going to agree with the rationale...
Have a good one.
x
26/09/2006 - Oh my!
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I think I just witnessed an orgy... |
Not sure I should be writing about this after yesterdays entry for fear of you getting the wrong impression but nevermind!
I was collecting snails.
At the weekend my mate Phil and I are organising a Mencap charity fund raising event (feel free to come) and are holding a snail race.
Which - obviously - requires a few gastropods.
Phil is half French, so I figured that it would be best if I looked after the snail care and he focused on the race track.
Snails like lettuce, non acidic soil, leaves and beer! Easy.
I made a large sanctuary (alright - pierced holes in a big plastic box!) and went to my friend Penny's to save all of the snails in her garden - otherwise destined for the rubbish bin.
We spent a thoroughly harrowing 10 minutes gleaning some of the masses from her patio (not the best time to realise I have a rather unhelpful fear of snails) and settling them in to their temporary home.
After which.....
they all had a MASSIVE ORGY!!!!!!
Literally.
They just jumped on each other!
At first I thought that it might have been a big (and fairly slow moving) snail showdown but no. Fighting they were not.
I got home and - naturally - googled 'snail sex'.
(Actually that is a lie. I googled 'snail reproduction' for fear that I would be forever scarred by the results of a 'snail sex' web search.)
Lo and behold on the National Geographic:
"Snail reproduction is a curious tale. Snails are hermaphrodites, but although individuals contain both male and female sex organs, they do not self-fertilize. The two- to six-hour marathon session that is snail copulation is actually an exchange of sperm between two individuals, combined with plenty of rubbing, biting and "eye-stalk" waving."
Well I never.
Cheeky little things.
At least I know that they wont get bored over the next couple of days before I release them back into the wild (apparently Penny wont only be killing them if I take them back to hers!)
Anyhow - sure that there was an environmental point behind all that... ah yes... the interesting articles I have been reading.
One of these was by Jeffrey Sach's. Eminent orator, director of the Earth Institute and author of the End of Poverty.
It was a compelling piece highlighting the problem that an increased population will have, not only on wealth and poverty but also on global resources.
The human race is already using more than the earth can maintain - and it is getting bigger - by the minute.
It is a tricky and extremely sensitive topic. The 'one child' policy in China, state population control and the natural right to propagate highly controversial issues.
But it is an important thing to consider and Mr Sach's makes a sensible and positive argument for voluntary steep fertility reductions.
Think we have some articles on good sex and better sex too if you fancy a look at those too.
Anyhow - better get along for now. Work to do and orgies to study....
See you later.
x
This section will be a daily, well - Monday to Friday daily, editorial. (Have to keep some time aside to keep up the ritual wine drinking / dancing as if being chased by bees.)
I promise to make it my mission to investigate something each day on exciting forays to find new stuff, fun stuff, ethical stuff and anything involving break dancing men with extremely toned physiques.
Let me know if you think of something I should go and visit or if you have any great ideas or information. (Any dodgy suggestions will be politely declined... or not so politely, depending entirely on what they are!)
For today, though, please just have a look below to find out how this whole thing came about. I hope that you are having a lovely morning.
See you tomorrow,
Susie x
Background to This is not my...
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What is this site all about?
Well, as all good ventures do, it started in the pub with the ominous words "I know, why don't we...?" |
What was different, though, was that it still seemed like a good plan in the morning (and somewhat less injurious than trying out extreme ironing, the other suggestion...)
Anyway - once again we had been supping beers and putting the world to rights when someone mentioned the unmentionable, despite our disaffection with the state of the world, none of us was actually doing anything positive to change it.
Whether this was complacency or apathy, who knows - but we were definitely leaving it to others to make decisions and take action for us on issues about which we felt strongly.
We live in a free society, but often things seem to happen as a fait accompli. The war in Iraq, ID cards, the fact that we will eventually succumb to watching some of Big Brother no matter how hard we try...
And we just go along with it. But that is ok, right? I mean, we aren't exactly encouraging the abuse of others - are we?
Ok - so maybe my new top might have been made under less-than-perfect conditions and I suppose that means I am supporting those conditions, but - I have to buy something to wear, so what other choice do I have?
And that was the problem. What - and where - are the choices?
So we decided to investigate. Surely in this free society we have other options; we just need to know how to find them.
So we went online. There are some great directories already for ethical and/or environmentally friendly products, but for us these didn't go far enough. We were on a bit of a roll and decided that these products deserved more active promotion.
We wanted to make as many people as possible aware of the practical things they can do to live life in a better way.
So on this site we will provide information about easy, positive and ethical consumer choices. These are choices that won’t necessarily cost you more, either.
In our directories you will find environmentally friendly and ethical companies and products across the following categories:
Clothes
Energy
Food and Drink
Health and Beauty
Home and Garden
Office
Recycling
Restaurants
You will also find debates, downloads, fun stuff and plenty more to lure you back to the site on a regular basis.
We’d love you to get involved with some curious antics to keep important issues in the public eye – and provide us with much entertainment and amusement at the same time.
So - take a look. Explore… investigate… probe away.
We hope you like it; we hope you use it.
