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owlservice · 3 years ago

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In the month of June 1900 there occurred, mainly in the Midlands but also in other parts of England and Wales, an out break of an illness variously described as "alcoholism," fi rse c 'i f' peripheral neuritis " or "multiple neuritis." This affected about 6000 persons and resulted in about 70 deaths. It was soon ascertained that the sufferers were all beer drinkers, and several of them were employees of a local brewery, the majority of whom had suffered for some months past. Although suspicion fell early upon beer, some considerable time elapsed before Dr E. S. Reynolds of Manchester discovered arsenic in dangerous proportions in the beer. Steps were immediately taken by brewers and sanitary authorities to ensure that this arsenical beer was withdrawn from sale, and, as a result, the epidemic came speedily to an end. In all instances where this epidemic of sickness had been traced to particular breweries, the latter had been users of brewing sugars - glucose and invert sugar - supplied by a single firm. The quantity of arsenic detected in specimens of these brewing sugars was in some cases very large, amounting to upward of four grains per pound. The implicated brewing sugars were found to have become contaminated by arsenic in course of their manufacture through the use of sulphuric acid, some specimens of which contained as much as 2.6% of arsenic. The acid had been made from highly arsenical iron pyrites, and as the manufacturers of the glucose had not specifically contracted with the acid makers for pure acid, the latter, not knowing for what purpose the acid was to be used, had felt themselves justified in supplying impure acid. A royal commission was appointed in February 1901, with Lord Kelvin as chairman, to inquire into the matter, and an enormous amount of attention was naturally given to it by chemists and medical men. It was soon found that arsenic was very widely disseminated in two classes of food materials, namely, such as had been dried or roasted in gases resulting from the combustion of coal, and such as had been more or less chemically manufactured. All coal contains iron pyrites, and this mineral again is contaminated with arsenic.

When the coal is burned the fumes are arsenical and part of the arsenic condenses and deposits. Malt dried in English malt kilns was found to be almost invariably arsenical, and there cannot be a doubt that English beers had for many years past been thus contaminated. At the present time coal virtually free from arsenic is selected for malting, or Newlands' process, consisting of the admixture with coal of lime which renders the arsenic non-volatile, is adopted, and malt free from all but the merest traces of arsenic is manufactured. Part of the arsenic remains in the coal-ashes and wherever these deposit arsenic can be traced. Sir Edward Frankland had, many years previously, detected arsenic in the London atmosphere. Chicory roasted with coal, steaks and chops grilled over an open fire, thus obtain a minute arsenical dosing. In sugar refineries carbonic acid gas is, at one stage of the process, passed through the liquor for the purpose of precipitating lime or strontia. When this carbonic acid is derived from coal the sugar often shows traces of arsenic. When arsenical malt or sugar infusion is fermented, as in brewing, the yeast precipitates upon itself a considerable proportion of the impurity, thus partly cleaning the beer, but all preparations made from yeast - yeast-extracts resemble to some extent meat extracts, with which they are sometimes fraudulently mixed - are thus exposed to arsenical contamination. On the continent of Europe malt is not dried in kilns with direct access of combustion gases but on floors heated from beneath, and continental beers therefore have not been found arsenical. The second class of causes of contamination consists of chemicals. The most important chemical product is sulphuric acid. This used to be made from brimstone or native volcanic sulphur, which is virtually free from arsenic. But since about 1860 sulphuric acid has been more largely made from iron or copper pyrites. Pyrites-acid is always arsenical, but can, by suitable treatment, be easily freed from that impurity. For many purposes acid that has not been purified is employed. In the Leblanc process of manufacture the first step is the conversion of salt into sodium sulphate by sulphuric acid. The hydrochloric acid which is formed carries with it most of the arsenic of the sulphuric acid. Wherever such hydrochloric acid is used it introduces arsenic; thus, in the separation of glycerin from soap lyes, the alkali of the latter is neutralized with hydrochloric acid and glycerin is in consequence frequently highly arsenical. So is the soda produced in the Leblanc process, and every one of the numerous soda salts made from soda is liable to receive its share. All acids liberated from their salts by sulphuric acid, such as phosphoric, tartaric, citric, boracic, may be, and sometimes are, thus contaminated. All superphosphates, made by the action of crude sulphuric acid upon bones or other phosphatic materials, and sulphate of ammonia, made from gas-liquor and acid, that is to say, two of the most important manurial materials, are arsenical, and the poison is thus spread far and wide over meadows and fields, and can be traced in the soil wherever artificial manures have been applied. The crops sometimes take up arsenic to a slight extent, but happily the plant is more selective than man, and no serious amount of poison absorption appears to be possible. The risk of contamination is, of course, much greater with substances which, like glucose, are not further purified by crystallization, but retain whatever impurity is introduced into them. Glucose is not only used in beer, in which by legal enactments it is permitted to be used, but is also substituted for sugar in a number of food products, and is liable to carry into them its contamination. Sugar confectionery, jams and marmalade, honey, and such like, are often admixed with glucose. It is difficult to say in the present state of the law whether such admixture amounts to adulteration. It was clearly made originally for fraudulent purposes, but usage and high court decisions have gradually given the practice an air of respectability. Vinegar of sorts is also made from a glucose liquor produced by the action of sulphuric acid upon maize or other starchy material, and is, in its turn, exposed to arsenic contamination. There is hardly a chemical substance which has directly or indirectly come into contact with sulphuric acid that is not at times arsenical. Thus, while artificial colours,.now so much used for the dyeing of food products, are no longer prepared - as was rosaniline (the parent substance of so many aniline dyes) at an early stage of its manufacture - with arsenic acid, yet they are often contaminated indirectly from sulphuric acid. Furthermore, hardly any metal that results from the smelting of any ore with coal is free from arsenic, iron in particular, as employed for pots and pans and implements, being. highly arsenical. From the iron the many chemical preparations which contain or are made with the aid of iron salts may be arsenicated. The general presence of arsenic from some of these causes has been known for many years; outbreaks of arsenical poisoning have been due to it at various times, but neglect, forgetfulness and human shortsightedness let the matter go into oblivion, and it is safe to predict, in spite of all attention which has been given to the subject, of the panic which was created by the beer-poisoning outbreak, of the shock and injury caused to manufacturers of many kinds, and of the watchfulness aroused in officers of health and analysts, that as long as the production of food materials or substances that go into food materials is not left to the care of nature, and as long as man adds the products of his ingenuity to our food and drink, so long will " accidents," like the Manchester poisoning, from time to time recur. We now search for arsenic; some other time it is lead, or antimony, or selenium, that will do the mischief. Man does what he can according to his light, but he sees but a little patch of the sky of knowledge, while the plant or the animal building up its body from the plant has learned by inheritance to avoid the assimilation of matters noxious to it. Strictly speaking, arsenical poisoning does not belong to the subject of adulteration. It is not due to wilfulness but to stupidity, but it affords a lesson which cannot be taken too much to heart, that mankind, by relying too much upon " science " in feeding, is on a path that is fraught with considerable danger.

#arsenic #unreal

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erikacousland · 5 years ago

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Conwy Castle illuminated at night, Conwy © Jon Arnold/DanitaDelimont.com

Today on Bing 1 March 2020 The colossal splendour of Conwy Castle We’re celebrating St David’s Day here on the north coast of Wales in the spectacular walled town of Conwy. For more than seven centuries, Conwy Castle has towered over its narrow streets, against the mountainous skyline of Snowdonia. In its heyday it would have been white – lime render can still be seen on the walls – but even in its darker state it makes quite the impression, soaring out of a natural rock formation at the mouth of the River Conwy. Climb its battlements and you will be treated to sweeping views of the mountains, the sea, Conwy itself and the castle’s roofless Great Hall.

You’re never too far from a castle in Wales – there are around 600 of them, many of which will be flying the Welsh flag on St David’s Day. Other ways to celebrate Wales’s patron saint include wearing a daffodil or a leek, the country's national emblems, taking part in parades, concerts or simply feasting on Welsh cakes, lamb and bowls of traditional Welsh cawl. Dydd Gŵyl Dewi Hapus! – or Happy St David’s Day, for the non-Welsh speakers among you.

#Bing

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abcnewsgathering-blog · 8 years ago

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Tassie’s got ‘talent’- ‘Back Roads’ heads to Cygnet

(The ‘Back Roads’ team filming in Cygnet, Tasmania - Photo: Back Roads)

The picturesque Tasmanian town of Cygnet features in tonight’s ‘Back Roads’ (Monday, January 23, 8pm) and Supervising Producer Kerri Ritchie explains why it captured the attention of the program’s story hunters.

By Kerri Ritchie

The first thing people want to know when I tell them I work for the ABC TV show ‘Back Roads’, is how do we choose the towns and the people we end up featuring.

It’s a very old-fashioned process really and, for me, the best part of the job. Often we find out about a terrific little town through word of mouth. One of our producers is at a BBQ and hears about a great place someone recently visited, or our Executive Producer receives a phone call from a former colleague who is raving about the amazing community they’ve just moved to. Sometimes it’s as simple as a few of us in the office scanning a map of Australia, finding a town with a great name and then we hit the phones. We speak to everyone. The butcher, the baker if there’s one, the postie, the publican of course, the school principal and the local GP.

(Stunning Cygnet - Photo: Back Roads)

We also lean on our colleagues at ABC radio stations dotted around regional Australia, who give us the low-down on a particular town, and can advise on who is the best ‘talent’ in the district. When I was searching for a community to feature in our Tasmanian episode (which airs tonight on ABC TV at 8pm) I rang journalist Felicity Ogilvie in the ABC’s Hobart office. The conversation went something like this..

Felicity: “Go to Cygnet. An amazing opera singer lives down there. She’s also one of the best in Australia when it comes to building and rendering straw bale houses. Oh, and did I mention she’s a cold water swimmer who braves Tassie’s freezing beaches. I think she might also live off the grid”.

Me: “A professional opera singer who builds houses out of straw-bales .. Sold!”

(Cygnet’s Opera singer come straw bale house builder Helen Thomson - Photo: Back Roads)

Helen Thomson was easy to find (thanks Facebook!) but hard to catch. Wild winds around Cygnet meant Helen’s landline was down and her mobile coverage is patchy, so we played phone tag for a few weeks. When we did finally speak, it was obvious she had all the characteristics we look for when searching for ‘talent’ for our TV show. She was interesting, articulate and passionate about living in the country. Five and a half years ago Helen quit her singing job in The Netherlands to move to Cygnet. For her, leaving Europe wasn’t hard.

“Terrible weather, lots of congestion, and little access to wilderness. It was very hard to live a life that is close to the earth,” says Helen.

Helen’s a classically trained soprano, composer, musical director and vocal coach. When Helen and her partner Chloe moved to Cygnet, they were determined to build their own house.

“We wanted to get some acreage and leave most of it untouched so little wild things could be there. We wanted to build our own place, but we had limited skills in that area so the first thing we did was get educated. We went from being a professional gardener and a professional singer, to being professional earth builders.”

(Helen Thomson rendering a straw bale house - Photo: Back Roads)

Now they run their own company, OzEarth, and have become experts in lime rendering straw bale houses.

Locals in Cygnet told ‘Back Roads’ the key to longevity in this place, is the ability to wear many hats. A lot of the residents have multiple and very varied jobs, to keep some money coming in especially over the very cold long winter.

(Opera singer Helen Thomson performing - Photo: Back Roads)

Helen Thomson might be driving to Hobart one week for singing and conducting gigs and the next week she’s getting her hands dirty, rendering straw bale houses across the Huon Valley.

“The reason we came here was to live simply and build naturally and teach other people to build naturally”, says Helen.

“You have to do all things here and I quite like that.”

(Back Roads presenter Heather Ewart with Cygnet residents Michael Gissing and Helen Thomson - Photo: Back Roads)

When our presenter Heather Ewart and the camera crew caught up with Helen, she was doing some repair-work on the rendering on a studio belonging to fellow tree-changer Michael Gissing. Inside his remarkable straw bale studio with an equally impressive view, Michael Gissing does post-production on films and documentaries. He moved to Cygnet from Sydney to get out of the rat race and reduce his carbon footprint. The pair has cut a deal. Helen will be paid for her work in meat. A whole heifer is waiting for her in Michael’s freezer. We’re told bartering is big in Cygnet.

“Michael’s meat is extraordinarily good, grass fed, pesticide free, so it’s not something I can buy in a shop. The deal works for me,” says Helen.

(Helen Thomson and fellow Cygnet resident Michael Gissing - Photo: Back Roads)

When Helen Thomson first considered moving to the country, she couldn’t decide between the northern New South Wales hinterland or southern Tasmania. But then the Black Saturday fires hit and Helen and her partner decided Tasmania was a safer option. Helen says they have no regrets about giving up city life and have no plans to move on from Cygnet.

“I’ve waited all my life to find somewhere with mountains by the sea”, says Helen.

Cygnet was the place where she also took up another passion, cold water swimming. Helen heads to beaches about 15 minutes outside the township and only swims when the water is above 14 degrees or Helen says it’s too dangerous.

“It’s a miracle that you can insert into your day.”

For Helen, living outside the big cities is all about being part of a community.

She remembers once when her mum and her mum’s partner came to visit her in Cygnet from their home in Canberra. They went out for dinner. Helen says from the moment she got out of the car and walked the 25 metres to get into the restaurant, she’d bumped into 12 people she knew and she’d only been living in Cygnet for three years.

Her mum’s partner said “How do you stand it?”

But for Helen, it’s the whole point. That wonderful feeling of being connected.

“It’s beautiful,” she says..

Watch ‘Back Roads’ on Monday at 8pm

vimeo

Click here to return to the Back Story home page or catch up on stories from the past four years on our archive page.

#back roads #regional #kerri ritchie #tasmania #cygnet #heather ewart #television

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mrstevenbushus · 6 years ago

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10 Steps to a Green Home Renovation

There’s no denying that new eco homes are a fantastic step towards a low carbon country, but as more than 80 per cent of the houses that will be standing by 2050 have already been built, retrofitting our existing dwellings is a crucial measure.

While the government recognises that eco-retrofits are extremely important, the onus still falls on you, the homeowner, to get things done. So if you’re keen to increase your home’s efficiency, here are our top 10 steps:

1. Upgrade your home’s insulation

Attaching renewables to your home is pointless if it’s so poorly insulated that heat flows straight out. Insulation is essential for any eco-renovation, because as much as 40 per cent of a home’s heat loss is down to a lack of it.

Insulating loft or cavity walls is relatively simple. You can be do this with a range of materials, from sheep’s wool to expanding foam. Insulating either will cost from £250 and could save more than £150 a year in energy bills.

To bring this Georgian renovation up to modern standards a new central heating system was installed, coupled with a heavily insulated roof

It’s trickier to insulate solid walls. Internally you could apply thermal lining. Externally, a layer of insulation can be fixed to existing walls and then covered in render.

Do be aware, though, that if you’re working with a heritage home, you will need to make sure you retain the breathability of the building fabric to avoid problems with damp. For more information, follow our guide to how to insulate a period house.

Costs vary significantly – for a realistic quote contact the National Insulation Association.

2. Go for double or triple glazing

Over 10 per cent of a home’s energy can be lost through the windows, so it’s essential that yours perform well.

Triple glazing now comes in an array of stunning contemporary designs, for instance – this Norrsken folding window

Replacing single-glazed windows with double- or even triple-glazed versions will slow heat transfer. To reduce this further, consider a product filled with a low-conductivity gas, such as argon.

You can even get hold of low-emissivity (low-e) glass, which has a special coating to reflect heat back into the room. See our feature on energy efficient windows for more information.

3. Invest in solar panel systems

Solar panel systems can be used to produce hot water or generate electricity, and work well with financial incentives such as FITs.

Solar photovoltaic (PV) systems convert sunlight into electricity. They don’t need direct sunlight to work – so you can generate on a cloudy day – but you’ll need to attach them to a roof or wall that faces within 90 degrees of south. Costs vary between £8,000 and £14,000.

Get some inspiration

If an eco-renovation seems like a daunting process, you’d do well to take a tour of the Renovation House at the National Self Build & Renovation centre (pictured above).

At the beginning of the tour, they will introduce you to a dilapidated interwar home. The property showcases all of the problem areas you mightface on a typical renovation – damp, no insulation, poor heating and even rotting timbers.

As you’re guided round, room-by-room, you’ll be shown how to recognise common problems and install the necessary measures to combat them.

From replacing window frames and installing insulation to treating rising damp the Renovation House covers everything you need to know.

By the time you walk through the finished rooms, you’ll have ample inspiration to start your own home transformation.

Water-based systems – evacuated tubes or flat plate collectors fitted to your roof – draw energy from the sun to warm domestic water.

You can use a back up boiler to boost the temperature if necessary. Most boiler and hot water cylinder systems are compatible. Prices start from £3,000.

Unless you live in Wales or Northern Ireland you won’t need planning permission for most systems, depending on size.

4. Consider renewable heating systems

There’s nothing more sustainable than taking a natural approach to heating your home.

We’ve already looked at solar thermal, but there are other options worth considering, including heat pumps (which act like refrigerators in reverse) and wood-fuelled systems such as biomass boilers.

Ground source heat pumps collect warmth from a few metres beneath the surface, where the temperature is relatively constant, and concentrate it into useful energy

Ground-source heat pumps use buried pipes to extract heat from the earth for your home’s heating and hot water circuits. You won’t usually need planning permission, but you’ll need to be prepared for the disruption of digging up your garden.

Air-source systems use a similar principle, but extract heat from the air. They can be fitted to an external wall or sometimes in roof space, making them ideal for retrofits. Air source heat pumps cost from around £2,000.

Wood-fuelled heating systems burn pellets or logs to power central heating or warm a single room. A biomass boiler (from £9,000 including installation) feeds your central heating and hot water.

It should provide for all your heating needs, but requires plenty of space; a spacious utility room should suffice.

A standalone stove (around £3,000) heats one room and can be fitted with a back boiler to provide water heating.

5. Reclaim and reuse building materials

Directing construction and demolition materials out of the waste stream by reusing them is great for the environment.

The best place to source reclaimed materials is direct from the site of a demolition or remodelling project. Buildings are often dismantled quite carefully so that materials can be sold on.

This listed conversion used reclaimed materials to create an authentic feel

You can also source useful items from salvage yards, which sell anything from old bricks to high-end materials and heritage products.

Using reclaimed building materials can be beneficial, especially if you are restoring a period home. Always ensure you buy materials that are fit for purpose.

6. Decorate with eco-friendly finishes

You’ll undoubtedly be using a lot of paint to decorate your home. Fortunately there are plenty of green products available.

Most eco-paints are water-soluble and use plant oils and resins to form the solution, with pigments coming from minerals or plant dyes.

Environmentally-friendly wood varnishes and waxes are also available, as are green options to clean and prepare walls. Sustainable wallpapers include natural coverings made from materials such as hessian, cotton and wool.

7. Lay underfloor heating

If you’ve always used radiators, maybe it’s time for a change. Underfloor heating (UFH) is a great alternative, and should be easy to install if you’re pulling up floors as part of the renovation process.

Underfloor heating means that there is no wasted wall space in this stylish living room

It operates at a temperature just a few degrees warmer than the room air temperature by circulating warm water through a network of cross-linked pipes installed under your flooring.

The low operating temperature means it’s easily linked with alternative heating sources with similar low temperature outputs – such as solar thermal or heat pumps.

8. Improve thermostats and heating controls

Over 60 per cent of the energy consumed in the average household is used for space heating. By using smart HVAC (heating ventilation air conditioning) controls, this can be reduced by up to 35 per cent.

Temperature regulation is the key; a one degree temperature drop equates to a ten per cent energy saving overall.

HVAC controls can be used to run individual zones or rooms at different temperatures, so unused areas of the house can be heated at a lower temperature. Wireless systems are relatively easy to install and costs start at around £250.

9. Choose natural materials for walls and floors

Specifying natural products will help keep your home chemical free. Internally, your main priority is the walls and floors. Walls must be airtight but breathable so that moisture can escape outside.

Architect Surman Weston incorporated innovative cork cladding in this home office design. This creates a thermally and acoustically efficient external barrier

If you’ve insulated with a natural product, don’t hide it behind synthetic walls. Both lime and clay plasters are a natural, breathable and flexible alternative.

There are many natural flooring products, with wood being the most popular. Make sure it is derived from a sustainable source (the FSC logo is a good indicator).

If wood’s not your thing, consider cork, marmoleum or even rubber, which can all be 100 per cent natural – but always check the supply chain.

10. Recycle water

Thousands of litres of rainwater fall on your roof each year – so why not collect it? This water can function to flush toilets, fill washing machines and water gardens.

Consider a rainwater harvesting system that collects rainfall via a drainpipe, filters out leaves and debris, and then stores the useable water in a tank.

Also think about changing your toilets and showers. A low-flush toilet uses less than four litres per flush and a low-flow showerhead less than 10 litres per minute.

When George and Rosie Woods bought an old Victorian house, they were keen to renovate it to create a warm, efficient family home. Find out how they approached their eco renovation project

The post 10 Steps to a Green Home Renovation appeared first on Build It.

Article reference 10 Steps to a Green Home Renovation

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endorsereviews · 7 years ago

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Geoff Lawton – Online Permaculture Design 2.0

Geoff’s newly-launched “Permaculture Circle” will guide you through the what, why, and how of permaculture.

70+ videos, animations, PDFs and a 24/7 online community.

100% Free Access

PERMACULTURE RESEARCH INSTITUTE (PRI) The Permaculture Research Institute (PRI) is located on a Permaculture demonstration site in The Channon NSW, and is headed by Geoff & Nadia Lawton. We specialize in education & training worldwide. We also provide daily Permaculture news and information via permaculturenews.org. The Permaculture Research Institute is a not-for-profit organisation, limited by guarantee.

Permaculture founder Bill Mollison established the first Permaculture Institute in 1979 to teach the practical applications of Permaculture design. It was housed on a 147-acre farmstead named Tagari Farm in Northern NSW, Australia. Bill Mollison is the co-founder of permaculture, which was first described in the book ‘Permaculture One’, in 1978. Upon his retirement in October 1997, Bill asked Geoff to establish and direct a new institute on the property. Geoff agreed and continued developing the Farm over a three-year period. During this time, Geoff established the Permaculture Research Institute we all know and love today and after three years he moved it to Zaytuna Farm.

Zaytuna Farm is situated on a sixty-six acre (27 hectares) property that fronts Terania Creek opposite the village of The Channon, Northern NSW. The property contains 800m of creek frontage, numerous swimming holes and abundant wildlife. The landscape is diverse, covering high frost-free hilltops, ridges and valleys with both cleared paddocks and forested areas.

Zaytuna Farm is a working permaculture education and demonstration farm under continuous development and with ever changing and evolving on ground research in practice; work is consistently in progress to develop new more efficient and productive systems. Situated in subtropical Northern New South Wales it offers students the opportunity to learn while experiencing a real life permaculture farming and gardening live in working experience situation. In addition to classroom time, students will train and work on daily farm duties interacting and caring for farm systems which can include animals, crops, trees, nursery, aquatics, irrigation, renewable energy, waste and recycling. Other tasks include looking at design in the landscape, making compost, natural fertilisers, testing soil, basic surveying and completing design exercises.

There is an integrated water harvesting system of multiple dams, ponds, and swales, with gravity irrigation throughout the property. Farm electricity is all stand alone off grid solar with generator back up, all toilets are state of the art composting toilets, all grey waste systems are gravel reed bed natural biological cleaning system all approved by the local government.

The buildings on site include mud rendered lime plastered straw bale, bamboo bale construction home, stylish upcycled shipping containers with passive solar aspect wind vented metal roofs, commercial kitchen, student launderette, internet cafe with student kitchen all enclosing open space classroom and dining area. There are also various sized metal industrial farm sheds from quite large to very small housing the solar power station, main tool room, main farm workshop, machinery storage, farm office, camping shelters, feed stores, dairy preparation area, main crop tools and supplies, nursery tools seeds and nursery stand alone pressure pump solar power station, all approved by the local government.

Zinc-allum metal roofing on all buildings harvests rainwater to water tanks and is pumped to a tank at the top of the property and supplies excellent pressure high quality showering, washing and drinking water to all the built infrastructure on site, all approved by the local government.

The continuous daily food production on the farm includes a large diversity of mixed vegetables and herbs including aquatic crops, fruits in season, chickens for eggs and meat plus ducks, quail, turkey, rabbits and fish, milk and dairy products from a small dairy house cow herd plus a small beef herd. All animals that are processed for food are very carefully, precisely and humanely slaughtered, butchered and prepared for consumption on the farm.

The farm has a large diversity of bamboo production for food and timber plus farm forestry and reforestation including river bank stability projects.

Zaytuna Farm was the first Master Plan site but with The Permaculture Research Institute’s mission, many more have since flourished.

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Geoff Lawton – Online Permaculture Design 2.0 posted first on premiumwarezstore.blogspot.com

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sublimedeal · 7 years ago

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Geoff Lawton – Online Permaculture Design 2.0

Geoff’s newly-launched “Permaculture Circle” will guide you through the what, why, and how of permaculture.

70+ videos, animations, PDFs and a 24/7 online community.

100% Free Access

The farm has a large diversity of bamboo production for food and timber plus farm forestry and reforestation including river bank stability projects.

Zaytuna Farm was the first Master Plan site but with The Permaculture Research Institute’s mission, many more have since flourished.

Bikes, ice, food, and … more food

Hi, this is Geoff. Here we go… Bike comeback: One of the ultimate retro approaches

Permalink California drought, Georgia hope, and earthships… California drought, Georgia hope, and earthships…

Hi, this is Geoff. Let’s jump right in with this week’s Friday Five, weekend edition

Permalink Wear your trash? Wear your trash?

Hi, this is Geoff. Let’s jump right in with this week’s Friday Five: Food-as-medicine: Hippocrates

Geoff Lawton – Online Permaculture Design 2.0 published first on http://ift.tt/2qxBbOD

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londontheatre · 8 years ago

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Lucie Jones as Maureen in RENT. Credit Matt Crockett

In the early 90s, two creative projects about a group of friends living in New York were going through difficult gestation periods. One resulted in the television series “Friends”; the other in the award-winning musical Rent. Whilst the strongest drug in the former was endless cups of coffee, the latter featured lots of drugs including heroin and AZT as several the characters in Rent are suffering from HIV/AIDS. But deep down they’ve got a lot in common with interconnected, fluid relationships that are constantly changing between the friends and underscoring it all are real, resilient friendships.

The other thing they have in common is they’re both enduring and have captured the imagination of more than the generation that they were aimed at. Friends ran for ten years and is still being shown all over the world in re-runs and this new production of Rent celebrates the musical’s 20th anniversary.

Back around 1992, composer/lyricist Jonathan Larson wanted to transform musical theatre and write an identifiable rock and roll musical that featured contemporary life as he knew it. He and playwright Billy Aronson came up with an idea of basing a rock musical on Puccini’s opera La Boheme but substituting the struggling Bohemian’s of 19th century Paris for the creative people he knew who were finding it hard to survive on the lower east side of New York City. He also realised that he could substitute the shadow of tuberculosis that permeates the opera for HIV/AIDS and a rock musical was born.

Rent tells the story of wannabe filmmaker Mark Cohen (played by Billy Cullum) and room-mate, struggling musician/songwriter Roger Davis (Ross Hunter). They’re squatting without regular power or heat in a dilapidated building owned by Benjamin Coffin III (Javar La’Trail Parker), an old friend who’s married well and has become a property magnate. At the start of the musical, they’re joined by another friend, Tom Collins (Ryan O’Gorman) who’s been beaten up and robbed by a street gang because he’s gay. Mark is going through a tough time as his girlfriend Maureen (Lucie Jones) has left him not for another man but for Joanne (Shanay Holmes). Roger has been trying to write a song for months and is failing miserably. Along the journey, they’re soon joined by Angel (Harrison Clark), a drag queen who helps Tom after his beating and the two soon become a couple.

Then echoing La Boheme, Mimi (Philippa Stefani) who lives in the apartment above Roger’s, knocks on his door asking for a light for her candle. In the opera, Mimi wants the light so she can see her way around – whilst the Mimi in Rent almost certainly wants it so she can dissolve her drugs before shooting up. A relationship soon forms between the two but it turns out to be a turbulent one as we follow the story over the next twelve months or so before it comes to its inevitable conclusion.

Rent is undoubtedly one of the greatest musicals of the last thirty years or so with more memorable songs than any musical written during that period. Larson who had been mentored by Stephen Sondheim would have assumed the mantle of his mentor were it not for the fact that after struggling to get the musical produced, died unexpectedly on the morning of the show’s first preview on January 25th 1996 – a sad loss not only to his family and friends but to the world of musical theatre.

[See image gallery at http://ift.tt/1FpwFUw] This 20th-anniversary production of the musical does Larson proud. Bruce Guthrie directs with a deft touch keeping it all together. Anna Fleischle’s set is a superb rendering of a grim New York squat with its metallic, industrial, scaffolding feel and all the other technical aspects of the show are spot-on especially Lee Proud’s choreography which is energetic and modern and fits in perfectly with the overall feel of the production.

But as in all successful shows, it’s all down to the casting and in this production, they’ve got it totally right. Although there are the aforementioned main characters, you get the feeling this is a real company of performers and it would be unfair to pick out anyone from the cast to spotlight as they all work so wonderfully together. They all sing, dance and act wonderfully with some of the ensemble playing four or more characters and are a joy to behold – their energy lights up the theatre and has the audience whooping with delight.

Ultimately Rent is a show about love and friendship that is splendidly served by this excellent production – go see it whilst you can.

Review by Alan Fitter

This exhilarating, landmark musical tells the thrilling story of a group of impoverished young artists struggling to survive in New York City’s East Village in the thriving days of Bohemian excess.

Inspired by Puccini’s classic opera La bohème, RENT features unforgettable music and lyrics by Jonathan Larson including the much-loved songs Seasons of Love, Take Me or Leave Me and La Vie Bohème. Winner of four Tony® Awards, six Drama Desk Awards and the hugely prestigious Pulitzer Prize for Drama, it ran on Broadway for an astonishing 12 years. Featuring a brilliant cast that includes Harrison Clark* (Hairspray, Wicked, We Will Rock You) and Lucie Jones (X Factor, Legally Blonde The Musical, Les Miserables), this is a rare chance to experience the searing emotion and breath-taking thrills of one of the all-time great musicals – book now to avoid disappointment!

Production Trailer | Rent | 20th Anniversary UK Tour

Running time: 2 hours 30 mins (approx) including 20-minute interval *Layton Williams will no longer be performing in RENT at The Churchill Theatre while he recovers from an injury. The role of Angel will be played by Harrison Clark. Read our interview with Layton Williams.

LISTINGS INFORMATION 6-11 February 2017 Churchill Theatre High Street Bromley Kent BR1 1HA Box Office: 020 3285 6000 Website: http://ift.tt/2f8ibQC

14-18 February 2017 Festival Theatre 13 / 29 Nicolson Street Edinburgh, EH8 9FT Box Office: 0131 529 6000 Website: www.edtheatres.com

28 February – 4 March 2017 Liverpool Empire Theatre Lime St Liverpool L1 1JE Box Office: 0844 871 3017 Website: http://ift.tt/2h1DCoa

7-11 March 2017 New Victoria Theatre The Ambassadors Peacocks Centre Woking Surrey GU21 6GQ Box Office: 0844 871 7645 Website: http://ift.tt/2gM2EJT theatre

28 March to 1 April 2017 Curve Rutland Street Leicester LE1 1SB Box Office: 0116 242 3595 Website: http://ift.tt/165GdBd

3-8 April 2017 Wales Millennium Centre Bute Pl Cardiff Bay Cardiff CF10 5AL Box Office: 029 2063 6464 Website: www.wmc.org.uk

11-15 April 2017 Cheltenham Everyman Theatre Regent Street Cheltenham GL50 1HQ Box Office: 01242 572573 Website: http://ift.tt/1jbSPg4

18-22 April 2017 York Theatre Royal St. Leonard’s Place York YO1 7HD Box Office: 01483 440000 Website: http://ift.tt/N8WRKO

1-6 May 2017 Lighthouse Poole’s Centre For The Arts 21 Kingland Road Poole Dorset BH15 1UG Box Office: 01202 280000 Website: http://ift.tt/1BF4o7x

9-13 May 2017 Belgrade Theatre Belgrade Square, Coventry CV1 1GS Box Office: 024 7655 3055 Website: www.belgrade.co.uk

16-20 May 2017 Nottingham Playhouse Wellington Circus Nottingham, NG1 5AF Box Office: 0115 941 9419 Website: http://ift.tt/165GdBc

23-27 May 2017 Assembly Hall Theatre Crescent Road Tunbridge Wells Kent TN1 2LU Box Office: 01892 530613 Website: http://ift.tt/1jwIRE2

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