by Fern Shaw | May 7, 2015 | Water
Quite some time ago, I wrote a blog about chocolate – and all its health benefits. Yep, you read correctly – all chocolate’s health benefits. Go and have a squiz and be amazed.
So, this Easter, I was going to write more (as promised) about the origins of chocolate and in particular, chocolate Easter eggs.
Because I’m a bit of an Easter time junkie, I was slightly carried away with talking about all other things Easter – hot cross buns, egg painting, Greek Lamb (nom!) and I ran out of time.
Now Easter has come and gone, and I’m all like the White Rabbit, “Oh my fur and whiskers! I’m late, I’m late I’m late!” thinking now that I never did write that blog about the wonderful topic of chocolate. So, while we’re still in the month of April, let’s talk chocolate!
Chocolate has an incredibly interesting and complex history, but for our purposes, we’re going to keep that rather lengthy part brief. Initially, chocolate was really only affordable for royalty and the wealthy. Then the Age of the Industrial Revolution brought steam-powered engines to speed the processing of the bean, which then made chocolate more affordable for the masses.
Initially, eating (actual) eggs was not allowed by the church during the week leading up to Easter.
So any eggs laid that week were saved and decorated to make them ‘Holy Week eggs’, then given to children as gifts.
Victorians adapted the tradition with satin covered cardboard eggs filled with Easter gifts.
The first chocolate eggs were solid and a paste was used made from ground roasted cacao bean. Germany and France were the first to produce these, which were apparently bitter and hard, but these were quickly followed by the rest of Europe with the eggs being hollowed out.
By the turn of the 19th century the discovery of the modern chocolate making process and improved mass manufacturing methods meant that the hollow moulded egg was the most popular gift for Easter, but it wasn’t until the 1960’s that this was established world-wide.
So, now you know where your chocolate Easter eggs and bunnies originate from!
P.S. In case you were wondering about the title – it describes both a very angst filled 1992 movie as well as the fact that it apparently takes around 1 200 litres of water to produce a pound of chocolate. That’s a lot of water.
Hmm, maybe you should rather just drink water? Orrrr … perhaps not.
by Fern Shaw | Apr 24, 2015 | Water
I’ve always wondered why certain cities are more appealing than others and it struck me that it’s generally because those cities are near water. I’m not referring to seaside cities, but cities that have a river running through them.
Think of London and the Thames (pictured above) – with the redevelopment of Bankside, the opening of the London Eye and the completion of the 183-mile Thames Path (which runs from the source of the river in Gloucestershire to the Thames Barrier in Docklands), Londoners have finally rediscovered the waterway that was once the great thoroughfare of their city.
Then, of course, there’s the Seine in Paris. Of course it helps that Paris is one of the most beautiful cities in the world and that the Seine curves through 10 of the city’s 20 arrondissements, its banks dotted with some of the most famous landmarks of Europe. It was both to celebrate and protect this glorious waterway, with its elegant bridges and beautiful buildings, that the stretch between the Eiffel Tower in the west and Saint-Chapelle and Notre Dame Cathedral in the east was added to UNESCO’s World Heritage list in 1991.
The Neva, St Petersburg – An imperial masterpiece, St Petersburg remains very much the dream and vision of Tsar Peter I (later dubbed “the Great”). In the early 18th century he orchestrated the construction of this purpose-built capital on the banks of the river Neva, draining the surrounding swamps into a network of canals in the process. The result is still a jaw dropping fusion of water and architecture, with magnificent panoramas of pillared mansions intensified through reflections.
The Vltava, in Prague, is the Czech Republic’s longest river. This river cuts through the centre of this stunning city of turrets, spires and domes. The views from Karluv Most, or Charles Bridge, are famously breath taking but even more so is a trip along the city’s magnificent waterway, with the cream and golden hues of elegant baroque buildings mirrored on the surface.
The Danube, Vienna – The Danube slices this wedding cake of a city into unequal halves. The old town and most of the historic sights are south of the river, with the Danube Canal, which branches off from the main waterway, forming one of the borders of the ancient centre.
The Danube flows through four capital cities – Vienna, Bratislava, Budapest (pictured right) and Belgrade.
It does, of course, help, that even without their rivers, the above-mentioned cities are a marvel of architecture, history and beauty.
We can’t all lay claims to such magnificent river cities – but there is undoubtedly something special about a city that has a river running through it.
*excerpts from an article in The Independent
by Fern Shaw | Mar 30, 2015 | Water
Easter has always been my favourite time of year – followed closely by Christmas. Perhaps it’s the idea of celebrating; the colours, the decorations, festivities, the delicious food – whatever the reason, I’m in like Flynn when it comes around.
It could also stem from the Time historical books I read as a child – I was lucky enough to have 2 dedicated bookworms as parents. In one of the books – I think it was about tradition and festivals – there were these colour photos of how people from Greece celebrated Easter – in particular, the hand dyed Easter eggs and plaited bread. There was this amazing array of dyed eggs – sky blue, forest green and a deep rich red. I still think it’s one of the most beautiful things I’ve ever seen.
Believing in a smorgasbord of tradition and celebration as I do, you can guarantee I’ll be organising Easter egg hunts, buying brightly coloured Easter eggs, scoffing Hot Cross Buns and most likely, cooking a traditional Greek lamb. Believe you me, there is nothing quite like a lemon and garlic infused Greek Lamb to share with loved ones on Easter Sunday.
So, now we’ve got me covered, how do other people celebrate Easter globally? As you’ll see, definitely not the same as chez Shaw, that’s for sure (aha aha).
A few unusual Easter observations are:
Neighbourhood children in Poland practice a particularly joyful Easter Monday tradition. They drench one another with buckets of water (often while the victim is still asleep in bed). One theory attributes the practice to the botanical affections of European pagans, likening the waterlogging of friends to the saturation of the holy Corn Mother.
In Guatemala, communities make beautiful carpets of sawdust and flowers that are usually a mile long. These colourful and extremely detailed carpets take weeks of preparation leading up to Easter. Once it’s Easter, huge processions walk over the carpets as people make their way to the local church where mass is held.
More water splashing takes place at an annual Water Festival in several countries in Southeast Asia. In addition to the simple splashing of water, the Asian cultures’ variation on the Polish practice involves boat races, floating river lanterns, and the dousing of a Buddhist statue. The holiday is rooted in the Dai association of water with religious purity, good luck, and good will. Soaking your friend or neighbour with a hearty splash is meant to bestow him or her with good fortune.
Australians have the ‘Easter Bilby’ instead of the Easter Bunny. This is perhaps to raise awareness for this almost extinct creature. It all depends on your opinion about certain creatures, but I personally think that the Bilby is rather cute!
In Switzerland, people decorate wells and fountains leading up to Easter. Decorating a well symbolizes the honouring of water, which is essential for life, and Easter, the feast of renewed life.
Finally, in Russia, there is a tradition of Butter Lamb. Russians dig into a large piece of butter carved into the shape of a lamb. This tradition is based on the religious idea that lambs are lucky since they were the only animals that Satan could not take a form of.
However you choose to celebrate Easter, I do hope it’s peaceful and blessed.
by Fern Shaw | Mar 30, 2015 | Water
It would seem that ancient methods are best when it comes to saving water in a ‘Modern Age’.
*Recently, The Stockholm Water Prize was awarded to Rajendra Singh, who is known as the ‘Water Man of India’. Rajendra’s methods have brought water to over a thousand villages in the country.
The judges of the prize say his methods have also prevented floods, restored soil and rivers, and brought back wildlife. They also maintained that his technique is cheap, simple, and that his ideas should be followed worldwide.
Rajendra uses a modern version of the ancient Indian technique of rainwater harvesting.
It involves building low-level banks of earth to hold back the flow of water in the wet season and allow water to seep into the ground for future use.
Rajendra first trained as a medic, but when he took up a post in a rural village in arid Rajasthan he was told the greatest need was not health care but drinking water.
Groundwater had been sucked dry by farmers, and as water disappeared, crops failed, rivers, forests and wildlife disappeared and people left for the towns.
“When we started our work, we were only looking at the drinking water crisis and how to solve that,” Mr Singh said.
“Today our aim is higher. This is the century of exploitation, pollution and encroachment. To stop all this, to convert the war on water into peace, that is my life’s goal.”
Similarly, on another continent, adaptations to an ancient manual water pump made using readily available and replaceable materials has ensured that the fondly named ‘Elephant Pump’ has been bringing safe potable water to villages and communities throughout Africa for more than 10 years.
Ian Thorpe, co-founder of The Africa Trust, was awarded the prestigious St Andrews Medal for the Environment in 2005 and The Elephant Pump received the World Bank Development Marketplace award for Water, Sanitation and Energy a year later.
As with Rajendra’s initial start as a medic, Ian started out teaching in Zimbabwe, but this soon changed when he witnessed the terrible conditions the villagers lived in and the hours spent every day retrieving water many miles away – water that was mostly unsafe to drink.
At the time of winning the St. Andrew’s Medal, around 250,000 people were already using the pump and today over two million people use the Elephant Pump every day. This figure is growing each month thanks to funding from AquAid and others.
There are lessons to be learnt here and what seems to be clear indicators that time honoured old methods are what are needed in supplying a large portion of the world’s population with the tools for a safe and sustainable water supply.
Gentlemen, I salute you both!
*excerpts from an article in the BBC Science and Environment section by Roger Harrabin.
by Fern Shaw | Mar 30, 2015 | Water, water cooler
I’ve noticed a rather disturbing trend has raised its invasively shaped head on the worldwide web in the last few years.
The every single day of the year allocated to some cause or other trend. Frankly, I find it exhausting. There seems to be a post 20th Century gene that’s automatically wired into any being that has access to said worldwide web, never mind all forms of social media. I call it ‘The Post Modern Guilt Gene’.
‘Why the Guilt Gene?’ you make ask. Well, if you have a conscience – whether it’s vastly overdeveloped (like mine) or even if it’s just an infinitesimal smidgen of your primordial make-up – there seems to be a knee jerk response to every assigned day. That’s until you give yourself a stern talking to, otherwise you’ll be splabbing to all and sundry on days like … wait for it … Forgive Your Parents Day. I tiny goat you not. There is an actual bona fide day of this and it was today. I listened in horror and some disbelief as people from all over called, texted and e-mailed the radio station about what they had forgiven their parents about. Granted, a visceral Schadenfreude part of me did gasp and ooo while Pamela from Peterborough regaled all about how she had tried to forgive her mother for burning her hair with a homemade perm in 1985, but then common sense prevailed. THIS Day of Forgiving was neither relevant, nor important and certainly not worth clogging up the airwaves (or any other wave for that matter).
There are of course, aside from commemorative public holidays, days that actually are significant and are worth marking or remembering, but more often than not, they’re just silly. A few examples:
Towel Day – May 25
International Talk Like a Pirate Day – September 19. (Okay, I’ll admit, I’d probably participate).
No Trousers On The Tube Day – every year around January. (Do you really need to know what day exactly? Really?)
The aforementioned ‘Forgive your Parent’s Day’ – March 18, and not to forget, the all-important;
Fettucine Alfredo Day – February 7.
Perhaps I’m being irreverent (my usual resting state) and a bit mean-spirited, especially considering the tangents my brain takes me (and subsequently, you) on, but for my sanity, I think there will be a number of Days that I won’t be observing, commemorating or even acknowledging this year. Or any year for the foreseeable future for that matter.
Now, if you’ll excuse me, I’ve very N.B. matters in mind, as I hare off to the water cooler to make the water gloomph.
Hold the phone! How about an International Make your Water Cooler Water Gloomph Day? Think it’ll catch on?
by Fern Shaw | Mar 22, 2015 | Health and Hydration, Water
In a previous blog, I spoke about the rather disturbing trend where almost every single day of the year has been tagged as a Day of Something or Other. One seems hard pressed to wheedle out a day that has actual significance or some real meaning or; that is of importance and is worth commemorating.
A day that is worth marking though is World Water Day, which this year, will be held on the 22nd of March 2015. In case you’re wondering why – as you may have all the water that you need and believe that’s all there is to it – here are just a few reasons – from a personal perspective:
- Water is essentially life giving.
- There is no spectrum of our lives that is possible without water – this starts with the fact that our physical make-up is around 70% water.
- Water is a scarce resource and as about only 2.5% of the world’s water is fresh water, it is a resource that needs to be protected and used wisely.
- Short of developments in nuclear fusion, we cannot ‘make’ water, so we need to ensure that the water that we do have is used in a sustainable manner going forward.
The theme for the 2015 World Water Day is Water and Sustainable Development. Some pertinent facts according to the World Water Day website:
- Water is health – Clean hands can save your life.
- Water is nature – Ecosystems lie at the heart of the global water cycle.
- Water is energy – Water and energy are inseparable friends.
- Water is food – To produce two steaks you need 15 000 litres of water.
- Water is equality – Every day women spend 200 million hours carrying water.
- Water is urbanization – Every week, one million people move into cities.
- Water is industry – More water is used to manufacture a car than to fill a swimming pool.
Taking all of these factors into consideration, I think it’s safe to say that the world’s water is of concern for us all and that creating and maintaining a sustainable supply is imperative.
Here at AquAid, a very important part of our ethos is assisting in the creation of a sustainable water supply globally, for those less fortunate, in order for these communities to empower themselves and their future generations.
You can follow this link to see what events are being held where this World Water Day 2015.
