bottled light

Tags

a liter of life, Alfredo Moser, alternative energy, bottle bulbs, environment, nature, Philipines, quotes, Sao paulo, solar bulb, Solar power, water

Photo courtesy of ALiterofLight.org

Living in our westernised world we often forget how many luxuries we take for granted every single day. We turn on a tap and hot or clod water comes pouring out, clean and ready to be used. We open the fridge and our pint of milk is fresh and cool, waiting to enrich our cup of tea. We flick a switch and a light-bulb illuminates our home, light flooding through darkness, helping us see.

I was reminded of the these luxury yesterday evening when for a little while the power went out. Due to the winds or because of some fault, for one hour I sat in the flickering light of candles and the fire in the hearth.

Of course the lights went out in the most inopportune moment, I was in the bathroom, doing what one does. I went downstairs to see if it was only a blown fuse, a candle stick in hand like Wee Willy Winkle, but it turned out to be the entire street.

I lit more candles and decided to make a cup of tea, but just as I was about to flick the switch I realised what a silly idea that was, after all my kettle is electric. Instead I poured myself a glass of wine and while I watched the flames dance in the fire place I remembered something I had heard about a little while ago.

In 2002 a mechanic in Sao Paulo came up with a brilliant idea, of how to light up a home without a light-bulb but by using the natural light from the sun. Alfredo Moser  took a one liter plastic bottle and filled it with a mixture of water and some bleach (to prevent algae from forming), sealed it and after cutting a hole into his tin-roof placed the bottle into the hole (cap up) and sealed the bottle in. As soon as the sunlight hit the water in the bottle it fractured and flooded his work-shop with light. And thus the solar bulb was invented.

These solar bottles give about the same amount of light as a 50-60 watt bulb but they don’t costa penny, only a bit of recycling and a dash of household cleaner. Student’s from M.I.T have now perfected the system and it has spread around the globe, bringing free light to the poor and changing peoples lives. Currently a tiny Filipino organisation, called My Shelter Foundation, is the poster child of the solar bottle as it has put bottle bulbs into tens of thousands of homes, aiming for a million. Their project is called Isang Litrong Liwanag (A Liter of Light), a truly illuminating and brilliant cause.

As Ella Baker, the wonderful African-American human rights activist once said:

Give light and people will find their way

Watch this wonderful ad for The Liter For Life project:   Solar Power Philippines

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slapstick slice

Tags

foot, health, injury, knee, miscellaneous, quote, quotes, random, style, thought

I flew yesterday. My feet literally left the ground and I sailed through the air. It wasn’t very graceful and I am sure had someone seen my flight, it would have caused it’s fair share of guffaws and snickers. Luckily no one was around to see my one woman act, leaving me with a bruised knee but an intact ego.

It was a perilous peel, a sticky slice of orange that set everything in motion, again literally. With one innocent step I lost touch with the ground, banged my knee and sprained my ankle in one massive Chaplin-move.

So I spent the day hobbling around like a horse without his shoes and silently groaning whenever I had to take a step. Sadly that meant no red boots today however I did sport a perfectly purple knee on my lower limb instead.

But no mater how sore my knee or tender my foot I had to chuckle whenever I pictured myself swan-dive to the ground, red boats and dress flying. I do believe even Mr Chaplin would have widened his black rimmed eyes and twitched his moustache in appreciation of my slapstick slide on the a sticky slice.

After all he did say so beautifully:

Laughter is the tonic, the relief, the surcease of pain

red boots

Tags

clothing, fashion, grafton street, miscellaneous, red shoes, shoes, shopping, style, thoughts, Wizard of Oz, yellow brick road

As those of you who follow my blog now by now I love shoes. They don’t have to be expensive or fashiony as long as there is something about them that makes my heart smile.

This lifelong passion started from an early age and like most little girls I yearned for my very own pair of sparkly red Dorothy slippers. I wanted to dance down the yellow brick road holding hands with the scarecrow, sing with the munchkins and click my heals while making a wish.

Sadly I never got those sparkly red shoes and ever since then my eyes light up when I see a pair of shoes in any hue of rouge, and if I even like the design I find it very hard to resist the urge to want to own.

So yesterday evening, after teaching a class, I walked down Grafton Street making a short shopping list in my head. Sadly I underestimated the danger all those sale signs dangling in the shop windows. Half way down the street the lure of the 70%-Off won me over, so I wandered into a shoe shop.

Luckily for me I didn’t really see anything I wanted, flats with studded, spiky tops aren’t really my style, simmering disco ball stilettos are very low in my “need” list  and as I really only but leather shoes the variety of plastic and faux fur didn’t really inspire me. However as I was heading to the door a flash of red caught my eye and I saw them and they called me “mammy”.

I tried them on and was in love. I may not need them and Mr Winter is on his way out but the little red ankle boats were to pretty to leave behind. So as I stood and admired them in the mirror I clicked my heals three times and mumbled under my breath “there’s no place like home”.

daring to compete

Tags

competition, miscellaneous, photography, photos

When I saw that Nia had entered a photo compotion here on WP I decide to follow her lead and give it a go, too.

So Rodposse  is doing his annual competition (see below)

and here is my entry: the rail … please like to help me win!!!

If you want to see what every one has entered so far: all challengers 5th RPC

5th RPC starts NOW

Theme: Lines

The rules:
1) This competition is for 5 days. You have 3 days to sent me your picture. The last 2 days are ONLY for voting.
2) Each blogger can sent me ONLY 1 photo
3) When you choose your photo, send it to me either via e-mail at flobo.consigliere8@gmail.com or via message on Rodposse Photography facebook page
WARNING: Do not forget to sent me the link of your blog (if you have one)

When I upload your photo I will sent you the link which corresponds to your picture.Spread the world this link to like your picture and become the winner of the 5th Rodposse Photography Competition!!

roads, railroad tracks,  foot prints in the snow or sand, people waiting in line, lines are everywhere so the possibilities with this one are truly endless!
GOOD LUCK

soup weather

Tags

cooking, food, healthy-living, mental-health, miscellaneous, quotes, random, soup, thoughts, weather

After yesterdays downpour and wet-knicker experience I made myself a pot of hot vegetable soup. As I sat and spooned the steaming hot combo of vegetables and mushrooms into my mouth I watched the rain beat against the window.

As the wind made a plastic bag dance down the street I felt content, the hot soup in my belly making me feel safe and warm while the stormy, wet weather played havoc with the world outside. And even though my soup is not pretty to look at, the mixture of beans, broccoli, carrots and mushrooms all mashed together became an unsightly greeny-brown, it tastes wonderful, the perfect food for a wet and windy day.

The weather has gone from bad to worse today and because I have to brave the blustery storm in a little while I am thankful that my pot of soup is heating up on the stove. A little bowl of comfort food will help to keep me warm and brighten my spirits for the afternoon of teaching.

So while it may not be the perfect weather for a walk, it definitely is the perfect weather for soup, comfort food and healthy all in one. And if a spoon full of sugar is the perfect antidote to anything bitter, a spoonful of soup is the best cure for the wet-weather blues.

And as Ludwig van Beethoven said so kindly:

Only the pure of heart can make a good soup

soggy bottom

Tags

apple turnover, baked cakes, blustery wind, clontarf castle, food, miscellaneous, rain, random, soggy bottom

The surprising TV hit of 2012 was The Great British Bake Off. In this program people of all walks of life entered a tent, baked cakes of all shapes and sizes and were judged by Mary Berry and Paul Hollywood, two of the UK’s leading bakers.

Now I may be a baker myself but I never watched the show. However yesterday evening as I was flicking through the channels I was mesmerized into watching The Great British Comic Relief Bake Off. As I scrutinised celebrities bake custards slices to various degrees of success, I also learnt that a “soggy bottom” (not fully backed and still wet) in pastry isn’t very good.

As I had breakfast this morning I watched the sun play with my prism in the window and make rainbows dance around the room. So I decide to take a walk up to Clontarf Castle and visit the Antique Fair there. But somehow it took me  a while to get ready and by the time I put on my boots the sun was playing hide and seek with clouds.

Not wanting to be deterred I gathered up my glass bottles and jars for the container, deciding to dispose of them on the way (they have been annoying me for a weeks), and left the house. However I reached the park just in time to see the sky go grey, the GAA and Football players flee the pitch and cold sleety rain bucket down from the heavens.

I was left with the decision to press on or turn back, after all I wasn’t even half way to the glass container. Still not wanting to give in I made my way through the park, the rain belting down on me from behind. By the time I reached the glass container I was soaked through all the way down to my underwear, my dress was wringabley wet. Bravely I disposed of my jam jars and wine bottles, the rain and blustery wind chilling me to the bone.

Feeling miserable  and not wanting to prolong my wet state much longer I opted out of the Antiques Fair and turned around to go home. Half way through the park I decided to take a quick detour to the shops, after all if I wasn’t going to treat myself to a cappuccino and a slice of cake in the castle, I could buy myself a piece of cake and enjoy eating it in warm dry clothes at home.

So as I stood in front of the display of tarts, cakes and cookies I felt the cold wet from my dress and knickers creep up my back and realised a soggy bottom in cake may not be very good, but on a person it is absolutely horrible.

An apple turnover that I will enjoy without a soggy bottom

delightful daffodils

Tags

daffodils, flowers, mental-health, miscellaneous, nature, photography, random, thoughts, yellow daffodils

Over the last few weeks I have been watching the tips of my daffodils emerge from the earth in my planter and are growing steadily every day. There is something promising about the way spring slowly surfaces, fresh green peeking up from the dirt.

Due to our mild winter and wet weather it seems that spring will be arriving early this year, delightful daffodils leading the way into warmer (hopefully) sunnier weather. But because impatiences is my middle name, okay it’s Bethna, I went out and bought my self two bunches of budding daffodils.

Over night the buds have exploded into lovely yellow daffodils, making me smile this morning. It’s not really surprising that the little bouquet improved my mood, after all studies have proven that looking flowers at triggers happy emotions in our brains, natures antidote to depression and anxiety packed into brightly coloured, fragrant  blossoms.  But flowers do more than just make us feel better, they give us a positive outlook on life, leaving us with a more satisfied, content feeling about ourselves.

Basically flowers make us happy. Maybe that is why we bring them when visiting people in hospital or when we are invited to dinner. We want to share our happiness with others, make them feel better and lighten the atmosphere.

Flowers also have specific meanings, in the case of the humble daffodil they symbolise hopefulness, faith, honesty, truth and forgiveness. No matter how harsh and unforgiving a winter has been, the daffodil returns every yea, faithfully and full of promise.

My new morning delight, promising to make my day start with a smile

truthful thoughts

Tags

cognitive fluency, miscellaneous, Oscar Wilde, psychologi, quote, random, thoughts, truth, truthful

What is the truth? Something you can prove with fact! But what if there is no book knowledge or facts to support what you believe to be true? And how easily are we swayed to trust in something untruthful?

Studies have shown that advertisers, politicians and even journalist use repetition to make people believe them, and interestingly enough it works. The reason behind this is something called cognitive fluency, basically how easy is it for the brain to think about something. When something is familiar we need less effort to process the information, which means we are more likely to believe it to be true.

This obviously makes it harder for us to believe complex thoughts or ideas. If our brain has to go into overdrive to compute elaborate and manifold thoughts we become distrustful, our minds confusing new with wrong. The only way to bypass this default setting in our brains is to repeat the information, even just once helps, but three to five times is optimal.

However we don’t just blindly believe something we hear again and again if we concentrate, when we actively process the information presented we are less likely to fall into the “I’ve heard it before so it must be true”-trap. This means that advertisement benefits from the fact that we are normally too distracted to really compute what we hear, making it easier for us to just except it to be true, instead of using precious mind power to think about it.

Another trick advertisers use to make us believe that what they have to say is true, is to use imagery.  When we hear words and see a picture of the topic at hand at the same time, we are more likely to trust the statement. Somehow our brains associate pictures with proof, turning it into a fact and we believe it.

So maybe if we want that pay-rise or an extra day leave we should just keep telling or boss about it, hold up a picture of a pile of money or a beach while we do so and wait for moments in which  he/she is distracted. Maybe then he will believe it and give in to what you know to be true!

After all as the wonderful Oscar Wilde once said:

The pure and simple truth is rarely pure and never simple

Film Review: Flight

Tags

action film, action thriller, Charlie Anderson, Denzel Washington, Director Robert Zemeckist, Don Cheadle, drama, entertainment, film review flight, film reviews, Films, flight, John Goodman, Kelly Reilly, movies, reviews, Robert Zemeckist

When pilot Whip Whitaker (Denzel Washington) miraculously lands a plummeting plane in an open field all eyes are on him and a hero is born. However the newly found spotlight has a dark side too, as it shines a light on Whitakers alcohol and drug abuse. While the authorities try to find out what caused the crash, Whitaker lobbies to ensure that no who learns the truth about his addiction.

Flight may have been advertised as an action thriller but in reality it is a character–driven drama about a man struggling to admit to himself that he has a problem. Sadly it just isn’t a very good drama, although Washington is capable in his role as the flawed Whitaker. The plot is not very strong and the writing is littered with clichés.

Thankfully there is an array of good actors, even in minor roles, to distract from the poor writing and sallow characters. Don Cheadle as Hugh Lang, Whitaker’s union lawyer and Bruce Greenwood as Charlie Anderson, Whitacker’s only friend, help liven up the sluggish flow of the story, even if it seems that Cheadle has been paid to say “kill the tox report” as many times as possible. A pleasant comic relief is John Goodman as Whitacker’s dealer Harling Mays, with his Rastafarian bag filled with drugs. Sadly Kelly Reilly as Whitacker’s love interest Nicole is underused and does not add to the story at all.

The strongest and most captivating sequence of Flight is undeniably the plane crash scenes. However as this happens about a third into the film the viewer is left deflated watching a functioning alcoholic fall off the wagon again and again till he finally can admit to himself what is wrong.  And even though it is honest in its depiction, no pity party for the leading man but no routing for him to sober up either, Flight is very mundane.

Director Robert Zemeckist may have had good intentions but to lure action fans into buying tickets with trailers filled with misdirection seems a little unfair. So disappointment is guaranteed, as Flight just isn’t very good and probably would have been better as the action thriller the viewer expected to see.

 

 

coming comet

Tags

Apophis, Armageddon, Astronomers, Ben Affleck, Bruce Willis, miscellaneous, nature, random, science, thoughts

Ever seen “Armageddon“, that action si-fi staring Bruce Willis and Ben Affleck. In it a team of big burly oil rig workers go up into space to drill through and blow up an asteroid crashing down towards earth. Of course Bruce saves the world in good old Willis style, a firework of meteoric rock filling the sky. Interestingly enough this scenario may not be too far off reality.

The other night I was flicking the channels and stumbled upon a science show talking about the asteroid Apophis. The first time I heard about this hunk of rock and gas was in 2004. Astronomers had calculated that this near earth asteroid could possible enter our atmosphere in 2029 and collide with earth, but luckily that has proved to be incorrect.

My not so scientific mind couldn’t follow the calculations and measurements but what I did understand was that when Apophis passes by earth in 2029 it will be closer to us then our communications satellites.  With only 30,000 km between us and this spinning rock we will be able to see the asteroid on Friday the 13th of April (weird coincidence) as a moving bright light in our sky.  But it will be our lucky day as Apophis will pass us by and not destroy earth after all.

However there is a tiny chance, 1-10,000 (larger than the possibility of winning the lottery),  that Apophis will change it’s mind and decide to demolish life as we know it in 2036. So lets hope that by then NASA will have trained Bruce Willis and Ben Affleck to be the hero’s we have seen them be on the silver screen. And if not maybe someone else will relish the chance!

But either way we will be hearing a lot more about Apophis in the years to come, some hot air and a hunk of rock spinning around in space keeping our eyes fixed on the nights sky.