Just Bloggin

The Ring of Fire is a horseshoe-shaped line of volcanoes and deep ocean trenches that runs around the Pacific Rim: from New Zealand up through Tonga, New Guinea, Indonesia, Japan, the Aleutian Island Chain, Alaska, and down the West Coast of Canada, the United States, Mexico, and Central America, finally ending where the southern end of Chile meets Argentina near Cape Horn at the tip of South America.

While doing research for my adventure novel TSUNAMI, I found that this highly unstable seismic zone is called the Ring of Fire for good reason. 90% of the world’s earthquakes, over 70% of volcano eruptions, and most of the tsunamis on Planet Earth are spawned around the Pacific Rim, where oceanic (seafloor) plates collide with and relentlessly slide under the continental (land) plates.

The lithosphere is the name given to the earth’s crust plus a portion of the earth’s upper mantle, which is the layer just below the crust. In the theory of plate tectonics, the lithosphere is broken into 15 to 20 pieces called tectonic plates. Geologists can’t seem to agree on the exact number. The plates range in size from only a few thousand square miles to hundreds of thousands of square miles. The crustal portion of continental plates averages approximately 22 miles in thickness. Oceanic plate crusts are 4 miles thick on average. Average thickness of the entire lithosphere is about 75 miles. Temperature at the base of the lithosphere is over 2300 F.

The tectonic plates float on the hot viscous material that makes up the asthenosphere, or lower portion of the earth’s upper mantle, which is estimated to be about 250 miles deep. The floating plates are in constant, though very slow, motion. The rate of tectonic plate drift varies from about 1 inch per year to as high as 6 inches per year. Oceanic plates tend to drift into and gradually slide under the continental plates. This process is called subduction, and is the underlying cause of earthquakes, volcanoes, and tsunamis in the Ring of Fire.

There are many subduction zones, where oceanic plates converge with continental plates, all around the Pacific Rim, home of the Ring of Fire. In fact, the Ring of Fire is a product of this subduction process. When an oceanic plate slips under, or subducts, a continental plate, it gradually slides deep below the earth’s crust into the lower mantle where the temperature reaches 2000 to 4000 degrees F. The dense material of the oceanic plate melts under the intense heat, combines with water molecules, and rises into the upper mantle and up through cracks and seams of the earth’s crust as magma fueling the volcanoes and building the mountain ranges circling the Pacific Rim.

Over many millions of years of seismic activity, the Ring of Fire has created a long line of famous mountain ranges and volcanoes. The Cascade Range in Washington, Oregon, and Northern California with several peaks over 14,000 ft. is a good example. Among the many active Cascade volcanoes are Mt. Baker, Mt. Adams, Mt. Rainier, Mt. St. Helens, Mt. Hood, Mt. Shasta, and Mt. Lassen.

Some peaks of the Andes Range in South America exceed 22,000 ft. The Andes are also home to over 200 volcanoes, 36 of which have had one or more eruptions in the past 200 years. Among the largest and most active are Mt. Cotopaxi in Ecuador, Ojos del Salado on the Chile-Argentina border, Mt. Gualatiri in Chile, and Licancabur/San Pedro in Bolivia.

Alaska has some of the world’s most active volcanoes. The Mt. Redoubt eruption in 1989 shot an ash plume 45,000 ft. high. When a KLM jet flew into the plume at 30,000 ft., its engines ingested the volcanic ash and flamed out. The plane descended 13,000 ft. without power before the crew finally restarted the engines and landed safely in Anchorage. All 4 engines had to be replaced. In addition to Mt. Redoubt, some of Alaska’s most active volcanoes are Mt. Spurr, Mt. Novarupta, and Mt. Katmai.

The Aleutian Islands are an arc of 300 small volcanic islands extending from southwest Alaska for 1200 miles to Russia’s Kamchatka Peninsula. There are 57 active volcanoes in the Aleutians, and 82 eruptions have been recorded there since 1900.

Japan’s major volcanoes include Mt. Bandai, which had a catastrophic eruption in 1980, equaling the Mt. St. Helens blowout in intensity and amount of material ejected. Mt. Unzen on Kyushu Island erupted in 1991, killing 43 people. The Unzen explosion of 1792 was Japan’s most disastrous volcanic event, killing 15,000. Mt. Fuji and Mt. Usu have recently erupted.

Krakatau and Tambora in Indonesia, Mts. Pinatubo and Mayon in the Philippines, and Rabaul in New Guinea have all had historic blowouts that killed many thousands of people and destroyed thousands of homes.

The subduction process of the Pacific Rim, in addition to creating mountain ranges and fueling volcanoes, causes earthquakes on land and under the sea; and it is undersea earthquakes that start tsunamis. Taken together, those three destructive forces – earthquakes, volcanoes, and tsunamis — have taken untold millions of lives. The Ring of Fire has been an important force in shaping the topography of the planet, but it has also been and continues to be the place where trouble starts.

Gordon Gumpertz, author of TSUNAMI, is a working novelist who writes suspense-packed adventure novels featuring believable characters caught up in the dynamic forces of natural and man-made disasters. His books achieve a sense of immediacy and realism through extensive background research. For more, visit Tsunami.

According to a major report unveiled at the 2008 Global Spa Summit in New York, the global spa economy is estimated to be over $250 billion. Prepared by SRI International on behalf of The Global Spa Summit, the first-ever Global Spa Economy Report represents the most comprehensive effort yet to quantify the rapidly expanding global spa industry.

More than 220 industry leaders from around the world attended this year’s summit, which was highlighted by keynote speeches from hotelier Ian Schrager and Dr. Richard Carmona, 17th Surgeon General of the United States and Vice Chairman of Canyon Ranch.

The report’s estimate, which looked at the year 2007, includes $60.3 billion in core spa industry revenues, such as spa facilities, capital investments, education, consulting, media, associations, and events, and $194 billion in spa-related hospitality, tourism, and real estate.

When broader spa-related industries such as mineral essential beauty, nutrition, and fitness were factored into the equation, last year’s global health and wellness market exceeded $1 trillion, according to the report. The one-year snapshot makes the spa sector one of the first industries to organize at a global level and analyze its own worldwide impact.

The report also found that 1.2 million workers were employed in more than 71,600 spas worldwide in 2007. During the same period, capital investment in spas approached $13 billion, with continued expansion on the horizon.

“The spa industry is growing at a breakneck pace, but its diversity and scope have always made it difficult to quantify its size and financial strength, as well as to harness the full power of its collaborative voice,” said SpaFinder CEO Pete Ellis, who also serves as the chairman of the board for the Global Spa Summit. “For the first time ever, this report shows decision-makers from investors to policymakers to the industry’s own leaders just how big the industry is, and how integral it is to the global economy.”

In a breakdown of spa revenues by nation, the United States emerges on top, with earnings of more than $12 billion, followed by Japan ($5.7 billion) and Germany ($3.8 billion). The list continues with France, Italy, the United Kingdom, and China.

The report’s findings derive from interviews with over 50 high-level industry executives; 1,000 responses to a global survey of industry sources; and data collected from more than 210 countries – ten times more than in previous spa industry reviews. The study defined spas as establishments that promote wellness through the provision of therapeutic and other professional services aimed at renewing body, mind, and spirit.

The study was conducted by SRI International, a worldwide independent research firm originally founded as the Stanford Research Institute.

Global Spa Summit is an international organization dedicated to bringing together leaders and visionaries to shape the future of the global spa and wellness industry. Founded in 2006, the organization hosted the second-ever Global Spa Summit in New York City in May 2008, where top industry executives gathered to exchange ideas and advance industry goals, such as establishing a common language and understanding across regions and continents and creating uniform performance benchmarks for spas worldwide.

Last year’s sold-out Summit attracted top level business executives from all over the world with interest in the spa and wellness industry. Representatives from diverse sectors including the hospitality, investment, finance, real estate, medical, consulting, product, and other related industries attended this much anticipated event.

Global Spa Summit was underwritten by Spa Finder, Inc., the world’s leading spa marketing and media company, in collaboration with a team of international advisors. This year’s Summit was sponsored by Technogym, Pevonia Botanica, CNL Income Company, LLC, Fairmont Raffles Hotels International, Mandara Spa, Murad, Raison d’Etre, Spa Chakra, SpaFinder, Spatality, Steiner Leisure and Sodashi and Talise.

Geologix Inc. manufactures products using a proprietary formula featuring 34 natural minerals contained in the ancient sea water from the famous Michigan Basin — a concentration of minerals higher than that found in any known body of water in the world. Mineral Essentials focuses on spa, skin care, and massage products to moisturize and provide anti-aging protection for great skin. Mineral Essentials

Designed to resemble a billowing sail, the Burj Al Arab Hotel soars to a more than a 1,000 feet, dominating the Dubai coastline. At night, it offers an unforgettable sight, surrounded by choreographed color sculptures of water and fire. This all-suite hotel reflects the finest that the world has to offer. Guests are transported discreetly inside a chauffeur-driven Rolls Royce the hotel where check in is conducted in the privacy of the guest suite. At private reception desks on each floor, a brigade of highly trained butlers provides around-the-clock attention. At the Burj Al Arab Hotel, guests are assured of a highly personalized service throughout their stay.

Burj Al Arab does not have rooms; it has 202 suites, each one arranged over two floors. The spacious suites feature floor-to-ceiling glass windows which offer simply breathtaking views of the Arabian Gulf. Decorated with lavish textures and exuberant colors, each suite features a sumptuous living and dining area, state-of-the-art entertainment system and office facilities. Their sheer opulence in every tiny detail is underpinned with technology that does everything from controlling the 42-inch Plasma screen TV to closing the curtains.

An extensive range of full-size Hermes bathroom amenities, a decadent bath menu with music and oils, and an alternative menu offering a range of 13 pillows to choose from are also provided as standard in all the suites.

After conducting business, shopping, or exploring Dubai, when it’s time to wind down, nowhere instills a feeling of luxury, pampering and well-being better than the breathtakingly beautiful Assawan Spa & Health Club. In a setting on the 18th floor that would make a poet sigh, tensions are eased in the spa’s crystal clear pools or by indulging in the finest treatments to invigorate and revitalize.

Emulating the luxurious standards set by the hotel, Assawan Spa & Health Club at Burj Al Arab is a haven of serenity and extravagance. The beautiful mosaics used stylishly throughout the spa create an atmosphere of tranquil escapism, enhanced by the breathtaking views over the Jumeirah coastline and Arabian Gulf.

A harmonious balance of well-being and relaxation is the essence of the spa. This underlies the choice of pampering treatments as well as the assortment of fitness options available. Guests can bask in the quiet ambience of the wet areas, consisting of separate ladies’ and gents’ saunas; steam room; Jacuzzi and a choice of the mixed or ladies-only infinity swimming pool.

For a more active approach, the spa’s personal trainers tailor sessions based on individual goals, ability and availability. Yoga, non-impact aerobics and other fitness classes are scheduled. The latest high tech training equipment and a squash court, a mixed gym and dedicated ladies only area are set aside for use by members and guests.

The alluring treatments at the contemporary spa, where meditative music and gentle hands melt away all signs of stress, are specially designed to provide the ultimate in luxurious relaxation. From the decadent massages to the finest facials, the treatments from world-renowned houses such as La Prairie, ESPA and Aromatherapy Associates truly are a delight. All products used in the spa are of the utmost quality and can be purchased in the Spa Boutique.

A signature Assawan treatment, the Tuina Massage is a traditional Chinese-type of massage, based on the use of the Chinese principles, to bring the body back in balance. The therapist uses a series of pressing, tapping, and kneading techniques, with palms, fingertips, and knuckles, that help the body to remove blockages along the meridians of the body and stimulate the flow of qui and blood to promote healing.

The pricey Extreme Indulgence is a luxurious ritual, comprised of a caviar facial and caviar body treatment, designed to have an immediate firming effect and the leave the skin with a youthful, all-over glow.

Totally focused on naturally improving the condition of the skin and enhancing its appearance, all ESPA facials include a ritual of specialized double cleansing techniques, gentle exfoliation, acupressure facial massage, and a deep cleansing and intensive face mask. This is followed by a deep oriental head massage to clear the mind and bring harmony and tranquility. Totally exclusive and unique to the Assawan Spa, therapists have been chosen by ESPA to offer these specialist rituals such as these.

Geologix Inc. manufactures products using a proprietary formula featuring 34 natural minerals contained in the ancient sea water from the famous Michigan Basin — a concentration of minerals higher than that found in any known body of water in the world. Mineral Essentials focuses on spa, skin care, and massage products to moisturize and provide anti-aging protection for great skin. Mineral Essentials

What a wonderful idea to have a commitment to PEACE

Seeking freedom from the world husbandry of man’s endless mis-management, stupidity and over heated testosterone activated ego-centric actions.

It’s a great idea to have a commitment to PEACE I would suggest we take a positive step towards this.

But why not some steps towards changing the lack of balance in the world.

Less than a hundred years ago a woman threw herself in the path of the King of England’s race horse. Her motive! To gain the ability for women to vote in the members of England’s Parliament.

Now towards a PEACE that has eluded the world since humans arrived, it needs women in a more advanced role. A position that Women have never held on the Planet in any form.

( where you mutter “good thing too”! It means you have not grasped the consequences of leaving them out)

I am Ray Trevor Twine MA a retired Psychologist. I manage a UK Natural Health Research Charity Objective: Helping people to live longer with health in place. Ha! Ha! In a day in the life for people on Planet Earth.

My Father was killed in world war 11 when I was 7 years old. Millions and millions of men and women have lost a loved one to the wars perpetrated by the men of the Planet. Millions more are destined to suffer similar loss unless we start acting towards a ‘New Way’.

PEACE cannot be gained by people thinking of it. Just as that Suffragette decided to act. We do need women to act once more.

In the opinion of more and more thinking people Putting more women in an equitable voting position to temper the mad frenzy of man’s ego for power-revenge- with the touch of compassion.

The Three million African tribe-people who died a few years ago from the cutting blows of machetes could be alive today.

A women in Asia locked up for how many years? She is such a powerful threat to some really evil men who cling on to power with every means except the wisdom of care for their people.

Here is an outline for a future PEACE. Actions that have never been used in human history.

The proposition is that The yin of humans-the women. Have a just equal part in governing all matters that include the Earth’s people.

This will not be the rule of women. It will be the rule of yin-yang an equal wise ruling. Man’s EGO less dangerous for us all.

The ‘Yin’ The Woman on earth shall have 50% of the vote in the major decision making of all nations.

That it should be mandatory amongst all peoples that all laws-rules-edicts within all nations within all religions all institutions concerned with the welfare of man/woman shall have a 50% share in any/all vote.

Why such a silly idea? Well lets take a look at man and his efforts since life began on Planet Earth.

The ‘Yang’ male on earth have throughout history has been unable to provide the basics for most people food,shelter security. Consider the following:

The fact of life on Earth is ‘Mayhem’. This continues unabated throughout the world day in day out.

Destruction-killing millions of people every year by warring males. The male has created the new 2000 Millennium killing method.

This calls for a crazed-drugged up mad-man self- strapping on plus other man people filling a large truck with explosives. Placed where people congregate and blow them all away.

In addition the aiming of commercial airplanes at large buildings.

Note that the male in many Nations has been unable to govern the people at all.

Most notable is the inability of governments to protect woman. On the African Continent 1 in 5 women have reported being raped.

A million women 1,000,000 in USA have reported either physical and or rape abuse every year for the past 5 years.

Imagine the true figures? (annual reports of the abuse of the USA male is numbered at 300,000)

We refuse to accept women in numbers to have a place in governing the people? Yet cast a thought of what might have been a Planet scenario had man been just and fair towards them.

Imagine had they taken up their right full ‘Yin’place dovetailed into the ‘Yin-Yang’ design of the ‘Human Being’ complete.

Man with an apparent fear of women has used such devious means to prevent her joining him at the helm of life for others.

Take a moment to further consider that a Planet Earth with equal women/men gender in the governing status would have led to a more peaceful Earth.?

That instead of between 8 to 10% of the world’s people with food shelter and security in place. Yes! That is fact reading this you are not part of the 90% you are in the 8 to 10 percent of us lucky people.

Perhaps with the compassion of the women voting power in place over the last few Thousand years or so.

We would have closer to Eighty Percent 80% of people with enough food with a roof, without fear of persecution. Just living.

Though our history. All Nations all governing institutions,religions, cults gangs of men consider the woman inferior less worthy enough to have a role?.

We have a present situation of a Billion women Catholics governed by old men who have never experienced a full life in a family situation. Men who dictate that women shall not have a say as yes/no to the creation of a life in their own body.

The greatest numbers of women on Earth through another religious doctrine/. Live as the chattel of man with less voice of authority in matters of welfare for others than the dog in the kennel outside.

Yes! I know now and again a women with enormous effort rises through the ranks and gains a position of some power. Men point this as evidence: “Look we do let them in”!

But talk to Mrs Blair (The wife of the ex PM of England.) (Through her intellect in Law she entered the male domain) She tells of the closed shop of the British legal system. Impossible for a woman to rise to a high level in the ranks.

Talk to millions of women abused once by a man and then by a male’ judge deciding for his own gender.

We all know the gangs of men the renta-a gang created in all nation through-out the world. The lackey of the wealthy ruling elite.

These gangs with a fancy title to fool the people into believing that they can be part of their ranks.

The Conservatives, Democrats,Liberals,Maoists,Socialists, Islamists Communists Republicans and more…. Exist in every Nation in the world. The do not allow women into their gang in equal numbers?

At election time the statement (communists apart) is made > “We want to represent you”

The male-female gender fact is that 50% of each nation is female. All males in Government means it is not possible for true-representation to ever take place.

The women have little or no representation within the world decisions making.

Spain is the exception with 50% of women as ministers.

The present news is gloomy but expected, everyone knows that our Planet Earth wars between ourselves are relentless in their frequency.

The latest development between East and West is caused by man’s ego. We move back again in time to a ‘cold-war’ in place.

Man just does not have wit, enough wisdom to keep any kind of peace in the world. They have had many Thousands of years to get it right. Please note Never never with Women to help them.

Now we, who are in that 8 to 10 % of the Earth population the lucky few. We have a new worry Will we have a future world war?

In therapy we pass on a patient when we have failed to bring in change.

Lets make a change for the better for all of us.

A freedom from the world husbandry of man’s endless mis-management, stupidity. Those over heated testosterone activated ego-centric war first actions.

Lets bring in the ‘Women’ to ‘cool it’. Thats Planet Earth of course.

PS Over 3,000 people have contributed to a Planet Earth Constitution This can be examined free of any charge request a copy using the email address below. No hidden motive exists.

Ray Trevor Twine M.A. Author of ‘The Planet Earth in the Court of the Universe’ Copyright FREE play entered into the 2007 BBC International Playwriting competition. CEO of CRPT a UK Natural Health Research Charity. trevortwine @ http://gmail.com http://www.ahealthylonglife.com

It’s in vogue for advertisers to tout their green initiatives from how much paper they’ve saved through online billing and paying systems to recycling, reusing, and replenishing valuable resources.

And, certainly I-ShopTheWorld does not question the integrity of this need to preserve the environment.

We are “green” in that context, for sure, being an online shopping service, with an online catalog as opposed to a printed one. Our customers save gas by not having to get in their cars and drive someplace to shop. We all save paper through our online payment system. Even our accounting is online. We shop for environmentally friendly products to offer you and hope to add to that overall product category in the near future.

But, we beg to suggest that while green is a wonderful color, there are many other colors in nature that deserve preservation and honor. The blue of the sky with those puffy white clouds and their reflection in the waters of our oceans, lakes, and streams. The awesome browns, oranges, and yellows of fall foliage that signify life getting ready to take a rest so it can revive itself with the burst of those brilliant spring pastels. The holiday colors that enable us to recognize the symbols we associate with fun times, family, and friends.

Those are colors we do not want to overlook. We need the whole visual perspective to really appreciate the life around us. We need all aspects of how that color is seen. We need the glint of the sun bouncing off of a piece of silver jewelry, like unique the SilverLily jewelry you get from I-ShopTheWorld. We need the warm brown hues of a delicious cake baked just right, like our Tortuga Rum Cakes. We need the beautiful colors of silk, like our classic Thai silk clothing.

We may not start a campaign to put all colors on equal footing with green, but we do want to make you aware that you should not get so carried away being green that you overlook all of the other colors in the universe and forget to stop and appreciate the beauty of a piece of teak furniture or a flower in full bloom (we can sell you’re a silk orchid so that color is preserved for a very long time).

And, lest we be misunderstood, we do like green. We like the eco-greens that nature creates in grasses, leaves, and chameleons. We appreciate the greens that humans have devised for plastic recycling bins, bottles, and baubles. We totally enjoy the greens of money, a must for shoppers at I-ShopTheWorld.

We just wanted to let you, our visitors, know that you can relax and shop online and not obsess about whether or not you are doing good for the world by going green. So, if you are feeling blue or are red-in-the-face at that store in the mall, pay us a visit. Our products come in a variety of colors; many of them very mood enhancing. Look through our catalog, picture yourself glowing in the light of day while unpacking a box with something you’ve admired and given to yourself.

If you happen to be a “greenhorn” to online shopping, just give us a green light ‘cause we are here to help you.

—–

If you liked this Article on “Why Just Go Green?” and/or are interested in other Articles on Topics related to “Going Green”, You may Find and Read More of our Articles on “Going Green” at:

http://i-shoptheworld.com/topics/going-green/

Please Reply and Post All of Your Feedback and Comments regarding this Article and …

What All do You Think about “Going Green“?

What do You think about the premise that “Shopping Online is Green”, more so than shopping offline in “brick and mortar” stores?

What “Green Initiatives” do You Support? and How?

How else might You Recommend that I-ShopTheWorld may be “More Green”?,

… and/or …

Support other “Green Initiatives”?

What else may We ALL Do Together to Help Save Our Environment and Save Our Planet?

at:

http://i-shoptheworld.com/2008/09/21/why-just-go-green/

…. for the Mutual Benefit of Everyone Around The World, ok?!

Michael S. DeVries is the Founder of I-ShopTheWorld.com (http://www.I-ShopTheWorld.com ) - where You may Save Money on Unique Native Products Direct to You from All over the World! and a Principal of The Virtual Consulting Firm (http://www.TheVCF.com).

7 years after the atrocity of 9/11, Americans may know more details about what happened that tragic early autumn day, but we still have trouble fathoming how religious extremists could commit such a calculated, monstrous attack on thousands of innocent, unsuspecting people.

Terrorism isn’t anything new and excessive religiosity isn’t a modern ailment – even in America. More than a hundred fifty years ago, on another September 11th, an act of religious terrorism left more than a hundred American men, women and children dead. And the perpetrators? Fellow Americans.

A closer look at this relatively obscure attack may shed some light on how religious terrorists are created and serve as a warning, that terrorists don’t always speak another language, have a different color skin, or live across the ocean.

The Mountain Meadow Massacre occurred on September 11th, 1857. It was carried out by a group of Mormons who attacked a wagon train of pioneers traveling from Arkansas through Utah on their way to California. Who ordered the massacre and why has been shrouded in secrecy for over a hundred years, but it is believed the atrocity was committed in the name of God.

Whether or not Mormon leader Brigham Young ordered the massacre is a moot point. What is important was the atmosphere and politics in Utah at the time, the history of persecution suffered by the Mormon Church, and the hysteria whipped up in sermons by the church hierarchy, led by Young. Why his sermons were so inflammatory has been the subject of much speculation. The fact is, sermons such as the one called “Blood Atonement,” remains a troubling part of history. And the absolute, unquestioning obedience of the men of Southern Utah who believed they were acting righteously is shocking at the very least.

I wrote September Dawn to share the story of how religion can become distorted and followers can commit heinous acts with the belief that they’re following God. The book and subsequent movie aren’t really about a particular group. The story is an American tragedy about blind obedience and loyalty to doctrine created by flawed human beings.

What can we learn from the terrible incident? Several things. First, we need to acknowledge that terrorism isn’t a foreign commodity — it can happen anywhere. Religious terrorists are created through consistent indoctrination, a forceful, charismatic leader and an insistence on absolute obedience to the religious hierarchy. Terrorism is cultivated in an unforgiving atmosphere that teaches zero tolerance for “others.” Terrorism is spawned during times of social, political or economic turbulence. Unwilling to accept responsibility for one’s own problems, it is easier to find a scapegoat.

We must learn not to accept doctrine without examining our own hearts. Many of the young Mormons forced to participate in the massacre wept and vomited as they killed innocent men, women, and children. The more enlightened threw down their guns, and at least one young man was shot by his own father for trying to save a little girl by hiding her. Monsters did not commit the massacre. Farmers, family men, blacksmiths, grocers, normal, everyday Americans were responsible for this horrific crime.

Religious terrorism is often the result of unquestioning loyalty. Self-righteous followers believe they will be rewarded for their acts. Everyone has a right — and a duty — to examine their leaders and their doctrine. Terrorist seeds are planted in an atmosphere that forbids questioning. They take root in the minds of followers and eventually deaden their hearts to humanity.

Carole Whang Schutter has studied most of the world’s major religions. September Dawn was made into a major motion picture in 2006 starring Jon Voight. She is currently at work on several writing projects. Get more info at http://carolewhangschutter.com/

Prologue

My latest adventure, or should I say mis-adventure, involved rib patrol boats and gunboats mixed in a heady concoction of deceit, death, corruption and desolation. It’s a story that’s still going around and around in my head, and hopefully by setting out my thoughts it will help me come to terms with what must be my experience of a lifetime.

It all started out, as I guess many of these things do, by a phone call with the offer of some offshore oil support work operating some 35-40 miles offshore in the Gulf of Guinea. A planned one month stint during our winter months, in the warmth of Africa away from the cold and damp of blighty, and some good remuneration to boot!

Little was I to know that I was to become witness to the reality of life in the third world, between the haves and the have nots in what was in truth a division between life and death. As my story unfolds you will hear about a culture of deceit and corruption at the highest levels in government and military, why each and every white European carries a bounty of $2m on his head and the reasons why a militant organisation claims justification for piracy and murder.

Black gold, the oil that the west has an insatiable desire for, is the catalyst for a dreadfully greedy and violent part of Africa, Nigeria.

DAY BY DAY

Day 1. Tuesday 11th March

An exciting and early start to catch my flight from Manchester to Heathrow, before catching the daily BA flight to Lagos. I was met at the airport by a representative from my new employer, a UK Security Consultancy employing some 80 personnel. The job was to be the captain of an ex MOD Spitfire Class 24m, RTTL (Rescue and Target Towing Launch). It was one of two vessels recently acquired by the company with another two on the way. These vessels had been previously used by the RAF & Royal Navy for target towing in support of military exercises.

This was a great opportunity for me to gain valuable experience in a vessel somewhat larger than the 11m Humber Rib, which I worked on the wind farm at Burbo Bank, and the survey vessels in the Isle of Man and the Channel Islands.

I arrived early evening in Lagos, to be met by the company’s shore based project manager and driven to the Lagos Motorboat Club. Lagos, a city built for 3 million inhabitants but which supports 8 million, was vastly overcrowded with poverty around every corner. The city is the economic and financial capital of Nigeria and the second most populous in Africa after Cairo. It’s a huge metropolis which originated on islands separated by creeks that fringe the southwest mouth of Lagos Lagoon, protected from the Atlantic Ocean by long sand spits.

From the Motorboat Club I was ferried out to Apapa Island to rendezvous with the boat, meet up with the crew, have a few beers and a BBQ in the + 30c heat, at what was now 9:30pm.

Day 2. Wednesday 12th March

Day break and familiarisation with the boat was conducted by the chief engineer, an ex South African Navy engineering officer. Then a briefing from the two company liaison officers on board, again South African, both from a security background. My first mate was Nigerian as was our assistant engineer, also our chief cook and bottle washer was a Nigerian. A total company complement of 7 persons, comprising three Nigerians, three South Africans and me, the only Brit!

Background

Offshore and onshore oil installations are heavily guarded by security organisations, due to the aggressive militant operations carried out by MEND (Movement for the Emancipation of the Niger Delta). These militants have been engaging the military in regular battles in the creeks of the Bonny River since the Nigerian government decided to heighten operations in the region to halt rising cases of kidnapping of foreign oil workers, who carry a $2m bounty on their heads, and the murder of fellow Nigerians seen to be co-operating with the oil companies, as they have no value.

Nigeria relies on oil and gas exports for more than 90 per cent of its annual foreign earnings, but has been collecting dwindling revenue because of the destruction of oil production facilities and its infrastructure by the activities of the militants in the region which is currently at an all time high.

The Plan

Our task was to patrol an offshore oil installation in the Gulf of Guinea. Prior to this we were to rendezvous with the Nigerian Navy. Our sail plan involved leaving Lagos taking an offshore passage through the Bights of Benin and Biafra across the Gulf of Guinea, some one and a half days motoring (350nm) to arrive at Port Harcourt.

Our rendezvous point was the onshore LNG (Liquefied Natural Gas) Plant terminal on Bonny Island. At this location our vessel was to be fitted out with four 12.7mm heavy calibre machine guns, two on the fly bridge with the second two astern, some light machine guns and a detachment of eight Nigerian marines with personal weapons, before proceeding to take up station offshore.

The Day’s Events

We had a Lagos pilot booked for 5pm so we took the opportunity to do final provisions and a fuel top up during the day. Our 24m patrol vessel was powered by twin 1,000hp engines. At 4pm, eight Nigerian Navy marines arrived and boarded as our guards during the passage. For security reasons the vessel was flying the Nigerian flag.

At 5pm with no sign of the pilot we cast off to wait in the middle channel for the pilot, which was not uncommon. The harbour entrance was quite formidable with watercraft dashing here, there and everywhere. A hundred ships were also at anchor just outside the harbour entrance.

I was very pleased to see the pilot cutter arrive and I welcomed aboard the pilot. After the formalities and documentation stamping etc. I asked to set the throttles forward to commence our passage. The pilot was immediately alarmed and requested our vessel to stop so that he could get off!

It became apparent that his job was only the paperwork and that we had to take ourselves out of the harbour and through the buoyage system to the fairway. On disembarking the pilot turned to me and pointedly asked did I have anything for him! He got short shrift from me, on this, my first introduction to the pre-requisite ‘backhander’.

At 6pm we successfully cleared the fairway buoy.

Day 3. Thursday 13th March

Steady motoring at 8 knots in a pleasantly rolling (no big waves) F2 all the way. We experienced some small delay due to the prevailing Guinea current across the Bight of Biafra on our way to Port Harcourt, the capital city of Rivers State (the oil capital of Nigeria).

Day 4. Friday 14 March

Arrived at the entrance to the Bonny River channel just after noon, 12:15pm. The Nigerian marine’s lieutenant was quickly on his mobile phone to the local naval base to confirm our arrival and to take instructions on our meeting point. The Lagos marines were due to disembark and fly back to their home base in Lagos, their job done.

For some unapparent reason the guns could not be transported to the LNG jetty. We should continue to the jetty and wait for two patrol boats (gunboats) from the Nigerian Marines NNS Pathfinder group who would escort us to the Naval Base where the armaments would be fitted and the replacement detachment of Marines would board. As a civilian crew we were reliant on the Marines to handle all weaponry onboard.

One of the patrol boats, an 8-9m RIB, with five crew met us in mid channel to lead us to the jetty where the other patrol boat was refuelling. It was then decided that we would continue up the Bonny River led by the first patrol boat with the second boat following up once fully refuelled.

It wasn’t long before we were joined by the second patrol boat as we continued up the Bonny River, part of the Niger Delta. We were now well off our charts but with one patrol boat back and one front we pressed forward up river passing creeks at every twist and turn of this inhospitable river. Ship wrecks strewn the river bank which added to our sense of foreboding, but were in the hands of the Nigerian Navy so we should be alright!

Expecting to come upon a navy base at anytime it transpired that we had to go some 35 miles inland, through jungle waterways as well as open waters. At one stage I had to pass the helm over to my Nigerian number two while the white faced crew had to sit below the parapet because of the presence of militant hot spots. Some 6hrs later as nightfall befell us at 7pm we were rafted inside the navy base.

The base commander and an intelligence officer came aboard for 2hrs of questioning. The Lagos marines remained onboard and we all eventually bedded down for the night.

Day 5. Saturday 15th March

It was still expected that the armaments would be fitted at the navy base and the Lagos marines dismissed in order to catch their flight back to their home base. However a second intelligence officer returned and asked the same set of questions that were asked of us from the evening before. As our previous answers were still attached to this latest question list it was just a matter of copying out our yesterday answers. What was that all about? Information was very lacking and in the end nothing happened.

Day 6. Sunday 16th March

Standoff. Still nothing happened.

Day 7. Monday 17th March

St Patrick’s day and not a Guinness in sight! Not that this was of any consequence, being teetotal. The Lagos marines were becoming quite agitated and angry as they should have been flown home the previous Saturday. Their guard duties became non existent, sleeping most of the time. From this time on we set-up our own 4hr bridge night watches.

Day 8. Tuesday 18th March

Two company representatives arrived from Lagos, although not employed by our company they had some association with our operation. One an ex Nigerian Army Officer and the other an ex Nigerian Police Chief. They met with the base commander, returned to Lagos, and still nothing happened.

Day 9. Wednesday 19th March

By this time we were under the distinct impression we were being detained. Even if we could take our vessel out of the navy base how would we navigate the river, miss the militants and go where? At best we would probably become one of the many ‘hulks’ rotting away on the bottom of the Bonny River.

Our days had passed waiting for something to happen, some news or some direction. We watched interestedly as each evening we saw the patrol boats refuel in a most basic way. Fifty gallon drums of gasoline were casually rolled down and pushed around the quay, a plastic pipe inserted and ’sucked’ by a marine to draw up the fuel, and then passed over the deck to the fuel tank fillers. The air was rank with vapour and the bilges probably sloshed around with gasoline. Today one of the more friendly patrol boat skippers told us, “whatever you do don’t sail this boat out!” as a means of being helpful, I guess.

My Armageddon - Part II

On its way!

The author is the editor and publisher of an online power boat magazine for sports and professional users of rigid hull inflatable boats, RIBs. www.hotribs.com

I hope you managed to catch part I. But don’t worry if you missed it, the rest of the story is the most stirring!

Day 10. Thursday 20th March

At 4:45am, a strange time, the Lagos marines were finally discharged from their ‘guard’ duties and allowed to fly back to their home base. They were replaced by two Pathfinder marines who stood at arms all the time.

The day started as they all normally do in this navy base. The patrol boats, all re-fuelled the evening before were made ready for patrol and loaded up with their 12.7 mm machine guns fore and aft, their AK47’s and the ammunition for the day’s patrols. The navy’s Pathfinder group is responsible for the security of the Bonny River and its creeks in their fight against piracy, abduction and sabotage.

It was very frightening each day when machine gun fire broke the jungle silence as test rounds zipped overhead and into the forests around the base, but I learned to watch for the powder dust cloud of the fired ammunition and knew the sound would follow. The patrol (gunboats) then disappeared up river and creeks and arrived back at base late afternoon. Some six ribs formed the squadron, five serviceable with one under repair.

Fortunately they left us with our mobile phones which meant we could communicate with contacts back home.

Day 11. Friday 21st March

Good Friday, although I’ve never known what was supposed to be good about it! Today was to be my apocalypse, my Armageddon however you would like to describe it.

Roused a little early by the morning watch, at 06:20, I brewed a cup of coffee and went on deck to look at the comings and goings of this morning’s Pathfinders patrol. Just 20 yards from me I watched the lead RIB skipper (our friendly marine who only a couple of days ago let us know it would be best to remain in the navy base) who was finalising his preparations and crew for his next patrol. It was 6:45am now and I can still recall in slow motion how he checked over his shoulder to look at the outboards as he switched on the engine ignition.

In an instant I was looking at hell on earth! A wall of flame some 30ft high engulfed all the personnel on board the RIB. I could only make out shadows moving horrifically in the flames and no opportunity to help. One marine on fire, head to foot, appeared out of the holocaust, wearing heavy body armour and jumped into the river never to surface again.

I watched in fright and awe as the first RIB and its personnel disintegrated before my very eyes. Then the realisation that ordinance was exploding all around us and our vessel. Our crew, except the chief engineer who had bolted to the engine room to make ready to go, buried themselves behind the sand bags stacked at the stern of our vessel. For 30 mins my head was full of the noise of exploding ordinance. I was concentrating on keeping the Nigerian crew calm, as they were clearly terrified.

A break in the bangs, booms and zipping of bullets and a peer over the topsides. Almighty, not just one gunboat had gone up in flames, but one after another, after another. Five burning hulks came floating slowly past our vessel on the flood tide.

Now was the time to run ashore and run we did. We weaved our way passed spent heavy calibre shell casings praying that no more were on their deadly way. No time to look back now as we sought the shelter of the boats on the hardstanding. Another quarter of an hour was to pass before an all clear was declared.

I’ve never seen such devastation, but during the whole event it felt as though it was a film.

Removal of the bodies was a gruesome task. Rather than being ‘charred’ as I expected, I found it very bizarre that the bodies were white, arms and legs rigid in the final death throes of the fire.

That night myself and the three South Africans were accommodated ‘for our own safety’ in what was described as the officers hostel. The bars on the windows and doors, and us all sleeping together in the one room with a seven man guard really gave it away. We were never permitted to stray more than 100 yards from the ‘hostel’.

Day 12. Saturday 22nd March

This was now the time (I felt) to make contact with the British High Commissioner. He was unavailable to make a visit as he had no driver, but would endeavour to make representations the following day.

Day 13. Sunday 23rd March

The British High Commissioner turned up today. He was of very little help as his authority was not recognised by the naval base commander. Indeed he had other pressing matters later in the day, he had to get back in time to watch the football match.

Up to now the Marines had always kept their personal weapons with them. At one point after the Commissioner had left, a marine stood his rifle against the wall next to where I was sitting. He took some empty coke bottles into the kitchen. He was a friendly chap who I had known for a week or so and we got on well.

At this point where despair was almost total, all that went through my mind was ‘pick up the rifle, kill him and run’. It then dawned on me that yes, one would be dead and we could move to the door, but the guards who remained outside would mow us down before we got past the threshold. This thought stayed with me until the marine returned and reclaimed his weapon.

This was the only time in my life when I have ever thought about and could possibly have killed a man for real.

Day 14. Monday 24th March

Easter Monday, our deliverance day! I’m not religious but the significance of the hell of Good Friday and our release on Easter Monday was not lost on me.

We had been instructed by the company, through mobile phone calls, to show the marines how to operate our vessel the ‘Spitfire’ and all her idiosyncrasies. It was after this familiarisation with our vessel that I felt the most vulnerable. In effect they no longer needed us for anything to do with the vessel.

It appeared now that we had become a liability. With the tragic loss of the navy’s vessels and men on the Friday and a heightened risk of us ‘whites’ being kidnapped by the militants we became a genuine risk to their operations. Therefore at 4:30pm out of the blue, our associate the ex Nigerian Police Chief turned up at the naval base. After some discussion and paperwork we were dispatched in two military vehicles, two armed guards in each, to Port Harcourt for a hotel room. The next morning we caught the first available flight out to Lagos.

What a relief!

The following two weeks were spent in a Lagos hotel waiting to see if release orders would have any effect on us returning for the ship.

This period allowed us to reflect, report and talk through the events of the previous fortnight. I think this helped me hugely as I found it a relief to be able to talk about what I’d seen instead of coming straight back home and maybe keeping the death and destruction all bottled up.

The Nigerian Authorities did not release our patrol boat, so one month after arriving I was back on another British Airways flight back to blighty and the security of home.

Epilogue

We came to the conclusion that it was always the intention of the Nigerians to acquire our patrol vessel. Several representations had been made to our company for the purchase of our vessel during pre-planning discussions, which were all refused.

We felt the incident was simply the accident waiting to happen. Militants claimed it was of their doing when the extent of death and destruction finally became known. The militants and the authorities made denials, claims and counter claims which resulted in widely inaccurate reporting of this incident across Africa and in the European press. Google: ‘nigerian navy pathfinders’ to view several media reports of this incident.

This account, albeit with some detail and names omitted for obvious reasons, is to record the times, dates and casualty reports as accurately as possible from personnel who were there!

The Authorities

It is not unknown for deceit and corruption at the highest level to occur in this part of the world. Google: ‘vanishing oil tankers’ to get some of the background stories.

The Militants (MEND)

The Movement for the Emancipation of the Niger Delta believe they are fighting corruption as the oil taxation revenues were originally imposed to ensure that education and health policies and programs were established for the good of the nation. They are having a major impact on the reduction of revenues through piracy, sabotage of pipelines and oil production facilities, kidnapping and murder.

The author is the editor and publisher of an online power boat magazine for sports and professional users of rigid hull inflatable boats, RIBs. www.hotribs.com

Among cigar smokers, it is always just “the embargo.” After all, though governments declare trade and other kinds of embargoes for various reasons all the time, no other such order has so affected the lives of those who smoke cigars as has the United States’ trade embargo against Cuba, created by executive order by John F. Kennedy in 1962 and in force ever since. At the time, Cuba was the world’s undisputed cigar capital, thanks both to the uniquely fine tobacco of its Vuelta Abajo district and its history as the first place where many Western explorers and colonists encountered the ancient ritual of rolled tobacco-leaf smoking. As a matter of fact, though, that “cigar capital” status is increasingly being challenged by offerings from Honduras, Nicaragua, and the Dominican Republic—a fact that itself relates to our initial subject, The Embargo.

The trade embargo, banning imports to and exports from Cuba, is doubly ironic. After all, the two countries had enjoyed close trade relations for years; indeed, Cuba’s political and economic ties to the United States were seen as one reason for the latter’s willingness to go to war, in 1898, to secure the smaller island nation’s freedom from colonial Spain—a “freedom” that, as many observers then and now have pointed out, was sharply limited by Cuba’s utter dependence on the US. With the larger county accounting for a whopping percentage of the island’s exports (eighty-two percent as of 1877) and making periodic attempts at seizing Cuba for itself throughout the nineteenth century (the most famous being the 1854 Ostend Manifesto), it’s widely thought that Cuba, by accepting the assistance of its neighbor to the north in its struggle for independence, merely exchanged one kind of colonialism for another, slightly less obvious version. (Indeed, the guns had barely stopped firing when a US-owned company began offering Americans Cuban land; and US troops only left the country when its leaders agreed to accept the Platt Amendment, which stipulated the US’s right to intervene in the Cuban economy and political process as desired.) Whether you think that Cuban-US relations prior to 1959 were domineering, neo-colonialist, or just rather cozy, the Cuban revolution of 1959 put an end to that longstanding friendship.

The other major irony is that, according to aide Pierre Salinger, President Kennedy made a point of purchasing 1200 H. Upmann cigars the night before the embargo began. (Salinger himself was dispatched to make the purchase.) The trade embargo, in other words, was signed into law by a man who was himself no stranger to the taste of a fine Cuban cigar.

But that’s not the end of the story—and here it becomes doubly ironic again. As the embargo outlasted generations of activist efforts to change it (it even became federal law thanks to the 1992 Cuban Democracy Act and the 1996 Helms-Burton Act), even surviving the frequently-expressed criticism that it merely strengthens Castro while preventing needed aid from reaching ordinary poor Cubans (even staunch conservative George Schultz, who was Ronald Reagan’s secretary of state, has called the embargo “insane”), the Cuban cigar industry has been challenged, and some might even say eclipsed, by cigar makers in neighboring countries.

In what we might call the Stogie Diaspora, some of Cuba’s best-regarded, longest-established cigar-making families fled the country during any of the several waves of emigration that have punctuated Castro’s reign. Nicaragua, the Dominican Republic, and Honduras have absorbed an especially high number of these once-Cuban powerhouses. These immigrants have flourished in their new homes, to the point where cigars from these countries routinely top international rankings. Though a Cuban cigar remains a peak memory for many dedicated cigar smokers, the expertise of these Castro-evading expatriates has allowed these countries’ cigar industries to attract some of the prestige that once attached only to their island neighbor. For example, Nicaragua’s importance as a source of cigars is so established that its cigar industry has managed to survive not only the Sandinista-era decision to turn the country’s tobacco crop to cigarette tobacco (which was thankfully reversed in the early 1990s), but, more importantly, the utterly disastrous Hurricane Mitch, which left thirty percent of the country’s infrastructure standing.

Adding insult, perhaps, to injury, many of these same countries have benefited from the assistance of Castro’s Cuba over the years. In Honduras, for example, the two countries’ history of cooperation allowed the Hondurans to learn tobacco cultivation from the experts (some of whom then decided to remain in country permanently!).

CigarFox provides you the opportunity to build your own sampler of the finest cigars that include cigar brands like Montecristo, Romeo & Julieta, H Upmann, Macanudo, Cohiba, Partagas, Gurkha and many more. Choose from more than 1200 different cigars! Other cigar products include cigar humidors, cigar boxes, and cigar accessories like Zippo Lighters.

Sustainable development is a broad concept that refers to meeting the needs of people without hurting the environment. The concept covers meeting economic, environmental and social needs of everyone without hurting anyone or anything in the process.

What is sustainable development? The concept was brought to life and named by The World Commission on Environment and Development in 1987. Since it’s conception, the concept has become a major focus in the 1990s to the present time.

What is sustainable development related to hunger? The concept would attempt to make sure that all people have enough to eat no matter what their income is. Whether you are well off or live in absolute or relative poverty, you would legally have the right and the ability to purchase foods to provide you and your family with an adequate number of calories each day to maintain health.

What is sustainable development related to economics? All people in the workforce have a right to economic growth without undermining the environment, natural resources and the incomes of the next and future generations. Safeguards are put in place by the world government so that labor standards are put into effect along with mechanisms for compliance internationally. People that work with hazardous materials have rules to follow to keep themselves and the environment safe. People that work in high places must use safety equipment to ensure they don’t slip and fall. Accidents do happen; however, many times accidents are related to human error when the rules of safety are not followed correctly.

What is sustainable development related to food service? Domestic foods are regulated by the Center for Food Safety and Applied Nutrition (CFSAN); it also regulates foods that are imported at the point where they were received into the US. The US Department of Agriculture and the FDA require that workers in the food service industry have people in place to educate and train all food handlers how to prevent food-born illnesses though applied safety measures.

What is sustainable development related to preventing food-born illnesses in the food industry? Foods meant to be served cold must sit in ice when left in the open. Staff is responsible for recording the temperature of food, and if the temperature falls below the safe zone it must be discarded at once. All foods left out in the open for the public to serve themselves, such as in a salad bar or a buffet must have a shield between the food and the customers that serve themselves. This shield is to prevent contamination from people breathing, sneezing or coughing.

What is sustainable development related to dairy and meat farming? Sustainable farming does not use practices such as giving antibiotics or hormones, and once processed, the meat cannot be irradiated. In factory farming animals are almost driven insane with fear and cramped conditions, but in sustainable farming the animals are treated humanely. What is sustainable development? It is all the things mentioned above and so much more.

Goals of Sustainable Development in Urban and Rural Industries

The goals of sustainable development concerning the world system are to promote freedom of sociopolitical expression, economic freedom, as well as to protect human rights. The Goals also include that the governments are willing to invest in their citizens health, education and welfare. Workers and business people in the urban and rural regions of the world join in a team effort to make a living while preserving economic and environmental resources.

The goals of sustainable development are to preserve raw materials, conserve our natural resources such as water and energy. Learning to be conservative starts at home; we can start by recycling or reusing the items that would be detrimental to the environment. Articles such as plastic bags, plastic bottles do nothing more than clog up the landfills. As an individual, you can help fulfill the goals of sustainable development by separating paper, plastics, aluminum, and glass; these items will be re-manufactured into new products.

In the workplace, the goals of sustainable development are similar; you may be asked to reduce waste in your job. One of the goals of sustainable development is conservation of energy. Everyone can conserve by shutting off lights that are not in use. Tossing out the old incandescent light bulbs and putting in the new energy saving light bulbs saves energy and lasts much longer. Some light bulbs last up to 5 years.

In farming businesses, where our food originates, are reaching goals of sustainable development by changing over from fossil fuels to renewable forms of energy. The approaches the farmers use to achieve the goals of sustainable development may differ from businesses in the urban sector. A cattle farmer may divide his pasture land into subdivisions so that the cows can graze on different sections of the land in a rotation. The advantage to doing this is to manage the integrity of the soil, and the cattle can get adequate food to promote weight gain. To provide shade and cut the wind, farmers sometimes plant trees; this helps the livestock and also prevents lost soil through soil erosion.

In the food farming business, goals are to preserve the integrity of the soil, control or eliminate pests, and produce large crops that produce a good income to take care of their families. Goals of sustainable development are quite broad; one goal is to plant more than one kind of crop. This is called diversification; unlike mono-farming, where the farmer grows one crop, the grower is more likely to make a good profit even if the weather doesn’t cooperate. A farmer that is banking on one crop may lose that crop and lose his income; however, a diversified farmer that grows two or more crops is more likely to have a good yield of at least one of his crops. The goals of sustainable development vary from industry to industry; but in the end the the goals are met to promote socioeconomic growth, while preserving the environment.

Marcilio David M.D. is a Cardiologist, Clinic Owner and Internet Entrepreneur. Get your FREE report, receive a tips newsletter and learn more about Sustainable Development by visiting: The Sustainable development Guide.