Re-cycling made easy

Lately I have been thinking where I'm heading with my dissertation, It has gone grown from carbon emissions to a full blown comparative study in Scandinavian and UK attitudes towards the environment. The difficulty that faces me is pin pointing exactly what I'm going to base it on-emissions, waste, pollution, recycling...? So today I got up and revisited an old idea that i thought of whilst cycling to work everyday last year. Just on the outskirts of town is a cycle charity shop named 're-cycle'. When i came across the charity, it's guiding principle is to donate old bicycles to African school children and farm workers. This idea is on the whole was a good one-recycling the UK's old bikes, but for me It just didn't make sense. The irony lies in that African countries along with parts of S.Asia will be the first to feel the impacts of climate change brought on by ourselves in Europe, China and America. Surely re-cycle could sell some of its bikes to keep afloat its diminishing charity? Apparently not.

According to Eurostat, one of the biggest producers of carbon emissions in the UK are cars. Considering that most drivers use their cars to commute, an easy solution is to push all car drivers out of their seats and on to a saddles-simple. Surely this was the grand Idea of all those in the Defra offices? Once again, apparently not. Whilst working I struggled to find a second hand bike in Colchester, a brand spanking new one (using 20kg of raw materials to make) would have been simple-straight to the cycle shop (or Argos) and pay £80 for a bike that would last a year. I wanted a second hand one, theres thousands out there-but could i find one?! No. I eventually found an old man in Wivenhoe selling second hand bikes from his garage. £25 bought me a 1983 raleigh-sturmey archer 3 gear town bike. I think the issue that annoyed me the most in this never ending quest was the sarcastic answers I would receive from bike shops when asking if they knew of any 2nd hand shops.

Anyway back to today: I visited Sue from re-cycle and asked if they were now selling restored bicycles to the public. The great news was that they were! Yes! Fantastic! A brilliant move in government funding! When Sue showed me around the warehouse, there were hundreds of old royal mail bikes, raliegh 3 speeds, dozens of dutch town bikes and then there, right at the back-9 bikes up for sale. (Coincidentally 3 students came into the re-cycle office whilst I was there, all left empty handed as none of the bikes fit to ride).

My reason for going to re-cycle was simple, I knew that the visit would re-ignite my anger and frustration with the situation we are in today. Lately I may have become to involved with the law books, and what the ECJ or Commission has to say about climate change-but these small things like second hand bikes-they're the most important (an easy!) steps that we can all individually take. But if the facilities aren't there to support us then how will we achieve the 20% reduction of carbon emissions?

Today hasn't been the greatest day of my existence on this planet, all in all I managed to break everything. The front wheel of my bicycle has always been a bit 'wobbly' but today it finally gave-in and decided to wobble off completely just as I was cycling home. Great. My laptop touch sensor mouse thing doesn't work anymore and finally I just sat on one of my favourite albums which I left on the sofa. Well, of course this is all trivial.

On a positive note I had my first lecture of the new term today which went well. I have yet another essay which is due on the 9th, everyone seems to have started this essay, but oh no, not me-not yet. This doesn't look good. I will start tomorrow. I promise. Well maybe I'll start it at the weekend. To be honest Im not feeling very focused, I dont know if its becasue if the essays that I've just handed in or the essay I should be doing right now. Maybe I will just go to bed and hope all this nonsense solves itself.

I'm Only Sleeping...

I finally handed my essays in Friday afternoon, its been a weird experience for me because i think for the first time its something that I've really want to do. With the first degree I knew that I just had to get through the terms, essays and exams whereas now its a whole new ball game, its EC law is something that I'm really interested in. I couldn't work out why I was really nervous about them, but at this point I can see the bigger picture (even though its obvious).

So this morning (..well afternoon) I didn't get out of bed until 1pm - I just couldn't wake up, but again this is because of the essays. Today I will go to the library and finally hand my books back which is ultimately the final act in the submission of my essays. I will probably go back to bed when I get back, I feel so washed out.

Cup of tea anyone?

I've just finished reading an article by Aussie Feminist and big brother quitter, Germain Greer and novelist Hari Kunzru about the recent BB house. In general I secretly watch big brother, whether celebrity or 'proles-but this series has left me feeling nervous and embarrassed. To be honest I have found it hard to pin point exactly why I feel this way but I think it goes a lot deeper than the 'racism' that many of have witnessed over the last few days. I am not a hardcore Bollywood fanatic, and to say the least I didn't know who Shilpa ('shipla' naaa i cant say that, its too difficult') Shetty is. But what I do know is that just because I don't understand someones culture or back ground doesn't necessarily give me the right to treat them like a moron. 'They eat with their hands innit? ...naa that's in china?' I mean you couldn't make it up! For me its the idea that the UK or Europe hasnt really moved on from 'fuzzy men living in trees'.

If anything this years housemates have proven that 'us Brits' are still as ignorant and racist as we were 150 years ago. I'm sure that Ms Shetty ('shiplu..naaa i still cant say it') is a tough girl and that she is just as wise as Greer makes out, but this is still inevitably racism if we use derogatory terms to describe someones identity and culture. For me the best way I can explain this is by going back to the old saying 'how would you like it?' of course this is a basic argument but rings true in this sense. I can already hear thousands of people out there claiming that 'oh people are so sensitive'...'that wasn't racism! ...calling someone a paki-that's racism'-but im sorry it is racism and if people want to voice their complaints by making a phonecall then so be it-we as spectators and citizens should have a duty to respect what others may feel is inappropriate...or we can evict her make a cup of tea and forget that none of this silliness ever happened.

A New Year..and all that..

Well yes, its a new year and its time to start something new. I have considered a blog for some time now, and after many sleepless nights I've decided to give it a go. I'm not sure what I will be posting but I'm hoping that this will keep me busy and up to date with not only my life but in general. Hopefully this will keep everyone (those of you who i sometimes I neglect) up to date in whats going on with me. Sometimes I just struggle to remember what day it is, let alone what I should be doing, but enough of my justifications!

I have to finish my essays and hand them in this friday. Every year is the same with me, they are always left to the last minute and they're never as good as I want them to be/could be. But fear not, I have escaped this situation many times before! Maybe that is exactly it, I know I will get them done so I always leave them to the last minute. It doesnt matter which way you look at it I should be writing them now, so maybe this is a good time to stop wrtiting this.