Generally Speaking » General

African Food Crisis

Jeff Awesome — Thu, 07 Jul 2011 15:06:58 +0000

Oxfam has recently launched it’s biggest ever African appeal to help with the current food crisis that is facing more than 12 million people in Ethiopia, Somalia and Kenya. They need around £50 million so they can help 3 million people who are in need of water, food and basic sanitation.

The drought in Africa has hit the area where the borders of Kenya, Somalia and Ethiopia meet, which is a poor region and families rely on livestock for survival. In the worst hit areas 60% of herds have already died with the rest being severly sick and underweight.

Malnutrition rates are already well above emergency levels with some places being five times higher than the crisis threshold. Dolo Ado, a camp in south Ethiopia that house Somali refugees, has the highest malnutrition rate recorded in the region since the nineties.

Oxfam are accepting donations to help with the cause and every little helps.

The video below explains more about the situation.

Lady Lever Exhibition

Jeff Awesome — Wed, 01 Jun 2011 12:33:37 +0000

A new exhibition in Wirral at the Lady Lever art gallery features fashion items and accessories from Museums that have never been displayed to the public before. The exhibition is called The Finishing Touch and covers a whole range of women’s accessories from 1830 and 1940.

The collection even includes some royalty in the form of women’s shoes worn by Queen Victoria and Alexandra Princess of Wales. Other items include a veiled 1840s wedding bonnet, a widows bonnet and dress caps to show the Victorian era, Jewelled heeled shoes from the 20′s ‘Flapper’ era and platforms from the 30′s.

The exhibitions curator said about it: “The Finishing Touch looks at changing social customs and how these influenced accessories women wore. The changing role of women – from largely passive to more active – is shown through the items on display.

Many women enjoy the thrill of a new bag or the excitement of wearing a pair of shoes for the first time. In the past, just as today, they can make a plain garment seem special, make a cheap dress look expensive or give new life to an old outfit.

They say something about our personality and the way we feel.”

A Safe Cycling Guide

Jeff Awesome — Fri, 13 May 2011 16:20:38 +0000

It’s so important to be safe on the road, especially when you are cycling. Riding your bike without following these safety rules could put you in significant danger.

The first step to cycle safety is to check that your equipment is roadworthy. This means making sure your tyres are properly inflated, that your brakes work properly and are clean, that the chains are also clean, and can turn in fluid motion, and the bike is the best height for you. You can check all of these things by performing just a few simple tests at home: for tyres, put each wheel into a bowl of water, if bubbles do not rise to the surface of the bowl, your tyres are safe to fill with air. For brakes, wheel your bike around on a flat surface and pull the brake levers on and off, it should be self-evident if the brakes work, as the bike will stop and start as you use the brake levers. For the bike’s height, simply sit on the bike seat and alter the height of the seat so that your feet can touch the ground on both sides.

The next step to cycle safety is to dress appropriately. Not only do your clothes have to be bright enough for drivers to notice, but they must not constrict the motion of pedalling or get caught in your chains. This means that the best kind of clothes you can wear for cycling will be bright, will not have any dangling pieces of fabric, and will not billow out in the way of the pedals or spokes. You may choose to use clips and elastics to hold back skirts or wide pant legs if cycling is your chosen form of transport. You should also wear comfortable and appropriate shoes, preferably that will not slip off and will not impede pedalling. Also, investing in flashing lights or reflector lights for your bike will increase your visibility considerably, and consequently increase the safety of your trip and of course wearing a helmet is a must. It will protect your head in case of falls due to accidents or crashes.

Once you and your bike are safe and ready for the road, the next thing to do is to make sure you know all the road rules. The most basic being: to remember to ride in the direction of the traffic, use cycling lanes when provided and keep to the side, look behind you whenever you are about to change direction, signal when making a turn, stop when directed by signs or police, follow traffic signals, make sure drivers can see you, avoid speeding, watch out for pedestrians, try not to cycle on footpaths or walkways, and carry identification in case of accidents. If in the unfortunate case that you do get in an altercation it is a good idea to contact a cycle accident claims specialist like Shoosmiths to see where you stand regarding compensation and the law.

If you follow these simple rules, you should be safe to ride on the road, reducing the risks and dangers that usually go with riding a bicycle.