What Do you See?

 Today I took my notebook to school and in every 2nd class presented National Geographic photographs on PowerPoint. It's a refreshing way to get them talking. You refer to a colorful, unusual picture, and ask them what they see.

In some of the classes I turned the lights out, and it felt like a mini cinema. Some of the kids loved it, others chewed pizza or juggled with praying mantisses (I'm serious). There's constant background noise in other classes. Frustrating having lots of chortling going on when you're just trying to be listened to as you describe the basics (color, action) of each slide. I guess I expected unanimous enthusiasm for my effort today. But the students who usually participate were the usual bright eyed and bushy tailed bunch offering suggestions for the various slides.

I guess it's unlikely that the next President of Korea will be one of my kids. But you know, stranger things have happened.

4 Pretty Girls and other Concepts

Saw some very pretty girls on the way to swimming last night, and back. The first was an air hostess, in a skyblue flightsuit. Very trim, every hair in place.

This morning I printed out some of the best pictures I have on file. My color cartridge seems to have resurrected itself. A few weeks ago everything it printed came out yellow. Now it works perfectly again. So making hay while the sun shines.

I'm brainstorming today to try to develop a concrete concept for Rocketboy. To give you an idea of the complexity and degree of difficulty - it's something like an alien saying to you, "Can you please summarise the Bible in one sentence for me." God is Love?
So my forehead is crinkling a lot, and behind it there's a heady buzz that might turn into a headache at any moment.

I also called SAA this morning and have delayed my flight back to South Africa by one day. I'll explain why later.

Now to concentrate on the job at hand.

 

 

Dead From the Waist Down

By Catatonia:

The sun is shining
We should be making hay
But we're dead from the waist down
Like in Californ-i-a
Victory is empty
There are lessons in defeat
But we're dead from the waist down
We are sleeping on our feet
We stole the songs from birds in trees
Bought us time on easy street
Now our paths they never meet
We chose to court and flatter greed, ego disposability
I caught a glimpse, and it's not me

Make hay not war
Make hay not war
Make hay not war
Or else we're done for
And we're D from the W down

There's no contracts binding
No bad scene beyond repair
But when you're dead from the waist down
You're too far gone to even care
We stole the songs from birds in trees
Bought us time on easy street
Now our paths they never meet
We chose to court and flatter greed, ego disposability
I caught a glimpse, and it's not me

Make hay not war
Make hay not war
Make hay not war
Or else we're done for
And we're D from the W down

(repeat)

The sun is shining
 

 

 

6/15 Frogger

Went to the pool with Andrea and it was a lot emptier than usual. One of the Korean dudes, a regular swimmer (I forget his name) said everyone is watching the soccer - Korea vs Iraq.

Andrea's not a bad swimmer. She says she made the swim team at age 5 and then swam full time for quite a while. She'll need to get goggles otherwise she's gonna have a doe-eyed look after every session.

It was nice to be in the water again. Felt like I was dragging a waterfilled balloon around my belly button. But also felt comfortable and good at various stages.

Swim: 1.5km
Time: 40:08
Best 100m: 1:29
Best 25m : 13 seconds.

In the shower the same guy whose name I can't remember commented, "Haven't you put on weight?" I was like, "Yes I know, I want to lose 5 kilograms as soon as I can."
He said, get this, "More like 7 kilograms."
Thanks buddy. He's right though:

Weight: 85.4kg
I intend to make this the maximum boundary. Last year it was 80kg. I don't want to hit 86kg from now on.

After the swim Andrea reminded me that I'd mentioned Vinceanne's farewell dinner. Think she disappointed that I passed that up. I met one of my Kang's adult students. Very nice to see her again. We actually had a great dinner, and really delicious too. Both of us were a little bleary-eyed from a lack of sleep. Glad I wasn't the only one.

Will try to swim again on Sunday.

 

4 Theme Song

As these October days tick away I'm feeling an encroaching happiness. Think I'm looking forward to putting these sleep deprived chapters to bed, and getting out of bed for some real summer.
Was looking at a map at school and started tracing a route to the Fish River Canyon and the Nossob river. I'm attracted to these ultra empty ancient deserts for some reason. Maybe because it's these empty places that fill you up with their loneliness, and not your own. Maybe it is just peaceful, and you can hear every footstep you make. Maybe it's just Somewhere Else.

A friend of mine recommended Catatonia's Dead From The Waist Down, as a theme songfor this blog. It's softly appropriate. And it got me thinking. The theme for this blog is what exactly? It's about The Road To A Home. My journey through the real world. I felt I wanted a theme song that was more aggressive and energetic, somehow African, having roots (as in the roots that compel us towards a sense of home) but also a song that is about the schism that we all feel in our lives today. You see, tt doesn't help me if I build a real world in a flat world that operates on a framework of lunacy. The world is not flat after all. It's round. What ever got us on track to think otherwise? I could try to invest in a flat world, and I might lose it all. I might not, but that's a gamble I'd rather not take. I'm willing to take risks; gambling is something altogether different.
This blog endeavours to awaken a sleepwalking society, encourages a New Urbanism, an enlightened way of living and reveals the authors own attempt to find meaningful direction..
Finding our way means moving counter to the comfortable laziness of a sick society versus swimming and driving ourselves in a stream of consciousness, a more principled path, a conservative life, pursuing mutual health, and not focussed on consuming but sharing, not obsessed with gratification but with the real road and the surrounding countryside of present world accountability.
More than one person has said to me, "You're very political, aren't you..." Or, "Why do you have to be so serious all the time." Probably because no one else is. I'm no saviour, but I am an artist, and I guess it's my job (it's just who I am really) to have a deep sense of what is going on in the world. Well, this blog represents my interpretation. If you prefer rap music, change the channel. If you don't like it, go to a Surrealist Gallery or something.

One thing We The World will soon have to learn is to tolerate what we don't like, instead of killing it, or separating ourselves from it or trying to escape from it. Just Deal With It. That's why we're here, that's the purpose of our lives, to deal with who we are and what we co-create. To not do so is to lie to ourselves and to play pretend games (and watch pretend stuff on film) that will finally and irrevocably become real. Far better to act our instincts out in the here and now. Where else is there, but this place, this place called Here.

So I think a better theme song for this blog is an oldie by Hazell Dean. I've had this song in my head for 15 years or more and it's taken a really long time to find out that the artist who sang it was not Aztec Camera or anyone else. Hazell Dean. Who?
You'll know when you hear the song, especially the Zulu mix, which did the rounds in the late 90's in the dance clubs. The lyrics (which I'll post later) will also jog the memories of most of who read this blog.
We're swiftly heading for 20 000, and once there, I will dimish into the South, and feel my work is done. Many of the messages in this blog were specific to the end of 2005, particularly November.
I will probably post only every 2nd or 3rd day when I am in South Africa. To date I have kept up a routine of posting every single day for almost a year. On October 29 it will be a full year. I'd like to devote my time to some other interests.
Writing this blog though, has provided me with a good place to test my wits and discipline, and for the writer to continue to develop the craft of writing; something I started on when I was 13 years old. I starting copying story books just for the look and feel of a complete book scribbled on paper.

Hazell Dean sings They Say It's Gonna Rain. Rain washes away the dirt and cleans away the debris that lies on the land. Our society needs an overhaul. It's sick, through and through. It starts in the spirit, spreads to our thoughts and concepts, and once those are corrupts, the body fills with cancers and from there it gets shared into the world.
After the storms and floods, the land returns refreshed and restored. It shines and sparkles as an almost unrecognisable emptiness. It brings, above all, something the world really needs - a fresh start.

Paranoimia

 

Relax
You're quite safe here

Am I dreaming, no
Where am I, in bed
Well, what am I doing?
Oh, t-t-t-t-talking to myself

Look, I must have
A star on my door
Or better still
A door-a doo-a door
Ah, swing doors up
O-o-o-okay doors, swing

Paranoimia
Swing
Paranoimia
Swing

Now I know I'm dreaming
Dreaming, dreaming
Dreaming, dreaming, dreaming
Hmmm, how do I get to sleeep
I know, I'll count
Those bars on the window
One, two, three, sleep

Paranoimia, paranoimia

Paranoimia, paranoimia.....

How do I get
How do I get to sleep
Please let me sleep
Po-po-poetry, that'll work

Come sweet slumber
Enshroud me in thy purple cloak
Hmmm, doesn't even rhyme

Is that my teas made
Paranoimia paranoi

I cant stand tea
Tea, tea, tea, tea....

Paranoimia, paranoimia.....

Ahhh, Happy Harry's High Club
How do I, how am I
Gonna get to sleep

Trust me, trust me....

 

South African Software Gains Global Popularity

NEW YORK, Sep 9 (IPS) - A decade ago, Ubuntu was a word that shook apartheid South Africa. Today, it is a word that may be keeping Bill Gates awake at night.

Ubuntu is an African word that is one of the founding principles of the new South Africa, and it also is the name of a new computer operating system developed by South African Mark Shuttleworth and his company Canonical.

The word "Ubuntu is very difficult to render into a Western language," writes Archbishop Desmond Tutu in "No Future Without Forgiveness." It means "you are generous, you are hospitable, you are friendly and caring and compassionate. You share what you have."

Ubuntu Linux calls itself the "Linux for human beings". In less than six months from its introduction in October 2004, Ubuntu Linux became the most popular Linux desktop distribution in the United States.

In July, PC World magazine named Ubuntu Linux one of its "100 Best Products of 2005". And it has won numerous other awards. A special version was developed by Hewlett-Packard for its laptop computers that are sold in Europe, the Middle East and Africa.

Linux is a computer operating system, the software that makes a computer work. The operating system most commonly found on desktop computers in an office, at school or at home is Microsoft's Windows.

The second most common desktop operating system is Apple's MacOS, which at 4.5 percent of the market in the United States is a distant second. Linux is third at about 3.5 percent of the desktop computers.

That's not insignificant though -- it means that about one of every 28 computers in the United States is using Linux, and outside the U.S. the figure is much bigger.

Government agencies and local governments in Germany, Spain, Sweden Brazil and China have already changed from Windows to Linux. New Linux usage is picking up and its use on the desktop in the U.S. is expected to reach six percent in 2007.

Linux has been described as the most popularly used operating system that most users don't know that they use every day. Google.com's search engine is driven entirely on a giant Linux cluster. Amazon.com, eBay and a great many other Web sites are run on Linux systems.

But Linux has not been as popular on desktop systems. There are many reasons for this, starting with the fact that almost every computer comes with the operating system already installed and unless you make a special request, you won't get Linux on your computer.

Ubuntu Linux has been successful where others have failed, helping to take Linux into a significant segment of users much like that held by Apple's Macintosh.

Part of Ubuntu's success has to do with its design. To understand the significance of this, you have to unravel one of the mysteries of Linux.

Linux, unlike Windows or the MacOS, is software that is distributed under a Free Software Foundation license. The core of the operating system, called the kernel, is really the only part that of the system that is Linux. A Linux distribution takes that kernel and adds a great many additional software programs and utilities to make the whole system.

One common misunderstanding about Linux is to think that free software means that the work of developing it is being done for free. All the developers of the Linux operating system are being paid full-time wages. Most are employed by the giants of the computer industry like Hewlett-Packard and IBM. IBM alone has over 600 programmers working full-time on Linux development.

These corporations have chosen to be a part of the Linux development because some experts in the field of computer technology think that free, open source software can be more stable and secure than closed, proprietary systems. Linux has convinced many that this can be true.

Ubuntu Linux is built on one of the most stable and secure Linux distributions, adding an installer that is at least as easy to use as the Windows installer. The result has been described as "Grandpa's Linux" -- that is, it is the Linux you would put onto a computer for someone who needs an easy-to-use system.

Which leads to another reason Ubuntu Linux has been successful. It is a community-based distribution.

If you look underneath Ubuntu Linux, you'll find another name in Linux systems: Debian. Debian calls itself the "free software community" and its collection of Linux software emphasises stability and security.

Ubuntu Linux is actively part of that free software community. This has made it attractive to users in school systems, where having access to completely free software can make a difference.

At Yorktown High School in Arlington, Virginia, they are using Ubuntu Linux, says Jeff Elkner, a computer science teacher at the school. He says that one reason they've chosen Ubuntu is because it is based on the Debian distribution.

Debian is essential, Elkner says, because it is not subject to commercial pressure and therefore has long-term stability. In addition, "There is more free software packaged [for free download from the Internet] for Debian than for any other [Linux distribution], so Ubuntu users have access to all that software."

Elkner is one of the developers of Edubuntu, a Ubuntu distribution customised for use in schools. It is already being used at Yorktown High School and is expected to be released for general use in October.

At an Edubuntu Summit in July in Australia, educators from every continent came together. Reports from the summit indicate that Edubuntu will soon be found in hundreds of schools across Europe from Sweden to Spain -- in the state of Andalusia the government has chosen Ubuntu Linux for its schools, libraries and all public facilities. In Brazil, Elkner says, more than a million pupils will be using Edubuntu.

China, India and South Africa are also countries where Ubuntu Linux user communities have developed.

Finally, Ubuntu Linux is successful because it has strong financial backing.

In July, Mark Shuttleworth and Canonical set up the Ubuntu Foundation with 10 million dollars in financing. The money comes from Shuttleworth's deep pockets.

Shuttleworth came by his fortune by founding Thawte, a highly successful Internet security company that was an early seller of the digital certificates needed for online commerce. He sold the company for a reported 575 million dollars in 1999. After the sale, Shuttleworth spent 20 million dollars to be a space tourist on a Russian Soyuz rocket, spending eight days at the International Space Station orbiting Earth.

Back on land, he has put some of his fortune into developing Linux systems. His funding of the Ubuntu Foundation guarantees that Ubuntu Linux will have a stable future.

"The Ubuntu Foundation is a non-profit fund setup to ensure that a few core Ubuntu developers can be employed full-time for a few years, making good on commitments for long-term support for existing Ubuntu releases and also coordinating new Ubuntu releases," Shuttleworth told IPS in an email interview.

"So it allows people to be confident that Ubuntu won't go away, no matter what happens to me or to Canonical, the company behind Ubuntu."

*Gary Wilson is the author of "Samba Essentials for Windows Administrators" (Prentice Hall) and other computer-related books and articles. At the Columbia University Medical Center he directs a network of Windows, Mac OS, Linux and Sun OS computers in a research unit. (END/2005)

 

 

 

 

 

China's Economy Continues to Boom

By ELAINE KURTENBACH, AP Business Writer
Tue Oct 11,12:38 PM ET

SHANGHAI, China - China's economy continues to grow at a blistering rate, but the nation is facing mounting pressure from the United States to slow its soaring trade surplus by letting market forces set the value of its currency.

China's planning agency reported Tuesday that gross domestic product grew by 9.4 percent in the first nine months of the year, and is forecast to grow by 9.2 percent for the full year — almost three times the growth seen in the U.S. and almost six times what is expected in Europe.

China's economy grew 9.5 percent in the first half of this year and expanded by more than 9 percent in 2003 and 2004. China will release official third quarter GDP figures later this month.

The Tide Turns

 As the winter chill sets in (right about now) so will the growing unease, a sense of recognition, for what's in store for us in terms of the Energy Crisis.

Kunstler rightly says that the public are taking their cue from the government and media, to pretend away the problem. But in winter, the discontent will overwhelm these fantasies.

A trickle of information reveals that a change in sentiment is starting. Alan Greenspan has also revealed that interest rates were raised last month so as not to worry consumers that anything had changed, 'post Katrina'. Silly man.

Oil stocks take their cue from crude

By Lisa Sanders, MarketWatch
Last Update: 12:09 PM ET Oct. 11, 2005

NEW YORK (MarketWatch) - Oil stocks recovered Tuesday, as crude futures climbed on the latest reduction to world oil supply forecasts.

The International Energy Agency trimmed its outlook for global oil demand growth by 90,000 barrels a day, but cut its non-OPEC supply forecasts by 300,000 to 400,000 barrels a day for 2005 and 2006.

November-dated crude rose 1.8%, or $1.10, to $62.90 a barrel.

"The market is higher as the IEA dramatically reduced oil supply, while only barely lowering projected oil demand growth," Citigroup analyst Kyle Cooper wrote in a note to clients.

Meanwhile, look at a company like JetBlue. Blissfully unaware, blissfully stupid. Expect a bankruptcy filing in the next 6 months to 1 year.

JetBlue has ordered 99 of the Brazilian-made Embraer jets through 2016 in what some analysts have called a risky change from most discount airlines' practice of flying a single aircraft type to minimize training and maintenance costs.

JetBlue is also still taking deliveries of its main, larger, aircraft type, the Airbus A320.

Fall-off in demand for oil is temporary, says IEA

 By Carola Hoyos and Joanna Chung in London
Published: October 11 2005 20:26 | Last updated: October 11 2005 20:26

Global oil consumption is expected to increase by 1.75m barrels a day next year to total 85.2m b/d, suggesting that a recent fall-off in demand is temporary, the International Energy Agency, the industrialised countries' watchdog, said on Tuesday.

The forecast pushed futures prices in New York and London up by more than $1. US benchmark crude oil futures rose $1.30 to $63.10 in early afternoon trading.

Oil consuming countries seeking to diversify their supplies will in fact have to rely more on the Organisation of the Petroleum Exporting Countries, the IEA added. Growth in oil supply from outside Opec is expected to fall to a six-year low this year, largely because of the shutdown in production caused by hurricanes Katrina and Rita in the US Gulf of Mexico in August and September.

For 2006, the IEA revised its forecast of non-Opec supply down 335,000 b/d to an average of 50.3m b/d.

Delays and declining production in Canada, the UK, Asia and Sudan are expected to damp production growth next year. The massive damage to platforms and rigs caused by Katrina and Rita will be felt outside the US as well, increasing costs and causing rig shortages in places such as the Middle East, where two of the rigs damaged by Rita had been scheduled to move this year.

At the same time, the world's thirst for oil shows few signs of abating, despite high prices. The IEA said that weakening of demand this month was likely to be a short-lived side effect of bottlenecks in distribution caused by the US hurricanes.

The continuing likelihood of high oil prices could harm the credit worthiness of oil-reliant emerging economies, such as those of Pakistan, Turkey and Lebanon, Standard & Poor's, the credit rating agency, is expected to warn in a report today.

Some consumers, however, have found creative ways to lower their energy bills. The IEA has also contributed to the softening in oil prices through its release of emergency supplies of oil and petroleum products in response to the hurricanes.

5/15 Keep Running

Have read an interesting article which suggests that leptin levels (a hormone associated with weight management and appetite) must stay stable to maintain health. This can be brought about by eating fish soups with citrus juice, getting enough sleep and not binging.

Went running with Corneli, although felt extremely hungry and sleepy. I didn't want to go to bed at 9pm and then be wide awake at 3am, so decided to go, even though I am still sore from Monday's pullups.

Took it very very VERY easy.

Run: 5.5km
Time: 41 minutes
Heart rate: 131 average (just one beat higher than my goal, which is fine)/162 max
Kcal: 611
Temperature: it's chilly at night now, even in a long sleeve shirt. About 17-19C

I thought I'd do just 5 pullups, but felt strong enough for a few more. Didn't want to push for 10 because I'm going to swim tomorrow.

Pullups: 7

Going to try to run on every weekday, except Wednesday's, when I'll be swimming. Let's see if I can...

Oct 10, 2005 NEW YORK (Reuters Health) - How much you exercise may be more important than how hard you exercise in terms of heart health, according to a study of sedentary overweight men and women. And, many will be happy to hear, exhaustive amounts of exercise are not needed for heart health.

In journal CHEST, researchers from North Carolina report that people who walk briskly for 12 miles per week or for about 125 to 200 minutes per week will significantly improve their aerobic fitness and lower their risk of developing heart disease.

"Anything beyond walking briskly for 12 miles per week, whether increasing your intensity or the amount of miles, has additional benefits," Brian D. Duscha from Duke University Medical Center in Durham who was involved in the research said. "So there is a separate and combined effect."

He also emphasized that the 12-miles-per-week walkers in the study improved their fitness without losing any weight. "People need to know: even without losing weight, you are getting significant benefits by exercising - you're improving your fitness level, decreasing fat and increasing muscle and improving your lipid panel - so don't stop exercising," Duscha said.
 

When Less Is Not More

(WebMD) Chronic sleep deprivation may be part of America's obesity problem, a new study suggests. Lack of sleep has a bad effect on the "appetite control" hormone leptin, researchers say.

Leptin is a widely studied hormone, thought to be the secret to obesity. Produced by fat cells, our leptin levels tell the brain when the body does or doesn't need more food.

Sleep deprivation plays an important role in regulating our leptin levels and in controlling appetite, explains senior researcher Eve van Cauter, PhD, a diabetes researcher with the University of Chicago. Her study appears in The Journal of Clinical Endocrinology & Metabolism this month.

A few earlier studies have investigated the effects of sleep deprivation on leptin levels, since sleep regulates hormones and other body processes. During sleep, leptin levels normally rise. But leptin levels are also markedly dependent on sleep duration, she says.

According to the researchers, sleep deprivation results in a triggering of hormones of the nervous system, which can lower leptin levels. These low levels of leptin have been associated with obesity. Other hormones that control metabolism are also triggered by sleep deprivation and may affect leptin levels.

During periods of sleep deprivation, "low leptin levels tell the brain there is a shortage of food and increase appetite," van Cauter tells WebMD. "When leptin levels are higher, satiety levels are higher, which tells the brain that the body is getting enough food."

In their study, van Cauter's research group investigated sleep deprivation's effects more closely.

Sleep Deprivation And Leptin

The study involved 11 healthy 22-year-old men who spent 16 consecutive nights in the University of Chicago's sleep laboratory. For six days they got four hours of sleep - their week of sleep deprivation.

The men's food and activity levels were strictly regulated and hormone levels were taken during the day and while they slept. Their sleep was also monitored to make sure they followed the study's guidelines.

One year later, the men returned for a six-day study with an 8-hour sleep period, so they served as their own comparison group, van Cauter explains.

The results: After their six-day sleep deprivation period, volunteers had a leptin decrease ranging from 19-26 percent, she reports.

The decrease appears to send an erroneous signal from the brain that more food is needed when, in fact, enough food has been eaten, says van Cauter.

This suggests that during periods of sleep deprivation, we tend to overeat," van Cauter tells WebMD. Since the men were getting the same amount of calories and activity, leptin levels and appetite control should not have changed. "But, in fact, they changed in a major way."

Some volunteers were asking for up to 1,000 calories more per day, van Cauter reports. "We think sleep deprivation probably signals a need for additional calories."

A larger study, involving more than 1,000 volunteers, showed a similar appetite control pattern.

More Than Sleep Deprivation Affects Leptin

Satya P. Kalra, MD, professor of neuroscience at the University of Florida in Gainesville, is conducting his own leptin research. He offers his insights on this aspect of sleep deprivation.

"Sleep is not the primary regulator of leptin," Kalra tells WebMD. Sleep deprivation "is one of many factors that can affect leptin. But leptin is produced by fat cells, and most leptin production is dependent on the amount of calories one consumes and burns. If there is excess calorie intake, that excess is stored as fat. That fat produces more leptin,"

It's true, a decrease in leptin increases appetite, as van Cauter showed during sleep deprivation, Kalra says. However, her study is by no means conclusive, he says. A few other studies have shown that sleep deprivation creates eating disorders.

Until scientists have this theory worked out, there's no denying that getting sufficient sleep is a good idea. Sleep deprivation is simply stressful on the body overall. "Our study suggests that if you are trying to lose weight by restricting calories when you aren't getting enough sleep, it's probably going to be very difficult to lose weight," says van Cauter.

Also, a number of studies have shown a relationship between body mass index (BMI, an indirect measure of body fat) and sleep deprivation, she adds. "These consistently suggest that when sleep is under seven hours, BMI is higher."

SOURCES: Van Cauter, E. The Journal of Clinical Endocrinology & Metabolism, November 2004; vol 89: pp 5762-5771. Eve van Cauter, PhD, University of Chicago. Satya P. Kalra, MD, professor of neuroscience, University of Florida, Gainesville.

By Jeanie Lerche Davis
Reviewed by Brunilda Nazario, MD
� 2004, WebMD Inc. All rights reserved
 

 

Quake Toll Jumps to Estimated 35,000

Spare a thought for the tens of thousands suffering and homeless in Pakistan and Kashmir.

AP - 31 minutes ago
MUZAFFARABAD, Pakistan - Heavy rain and hail forced the cancellation of some relief flights to earthquake-stricken regions Tuesday and survivors scuffled over the badly needed food — the first international aid to make it overland to this devastated city. Officials estimated that the death toll would surpass 35,000. In the latest of a series of remarkable rescues, emergency workers in the northern town of Balakot pulled a teenage boy from the rubble on Tuesday, 78 hours after Saturday's quake.
 

Sleep: More Important Than You Think

Chronic Sleep Deprivation May Harm Health WebMD Feature
Reviewed By Stuart Meyers, MD

Not sleeping enough and not sleeping well is not OK. As a matter of fact, there is quite a price to pay. It may surprise you to learn that chronic sleep deprivation, for whatever reason, significantly affects your health, performance, safety, and pocketbook.

There are many causes of sleep deprivation. The stresses of daily life may intrude upon our ability to sleep well , or perhaps we trade sleep for more work or play. We may have medical or mental-health conditions that disrupt our sleep and be well aware that we are sleep-deprived .

However, it is critically important to realize that sleep deprivation is very often due to unrecognized sleep disorders. After a typical night's sleep, you may not feel restored and refreshed and be sleepy during the day, but be totally unaware that you are sleep-deprived or have a sleep disorder. You might think, "it's just the stress of work or the kids," or you might have "always felt this way" and had no idea that you should feel differently. This lack of awareness compounds the consequences, because so many people remain undiagnosed for years.
That said, let's look at the consequences of sleep deprivation.
In the short term:

Sleep deprivation induces significant reductions in performance and alertness. Reducing your nighttime sleep by as little as one and a half hours for just one night could result in a reduction of daytime alertness by as much as 32%. Decreased alertness and excessive daytime sleepiness impair your memory and your cognitive ability -- your ability to think and process information.

Disruption of a bed partner's sleep due to a sleep disorder may cause significant problems for the relationship (for example, separate bedrooms, conflicts, moodiness, etc.).

You may experience a poor quality of life. For example, you might be unable to participate in certain activities that require sustained attention, like going to the movies, seeing your child in a school play, or watching a favorite TV show.

Excessive sleepiness also contributes to a greater than two-fold higher risk of sustaining an occupational injury.

The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) estimates conservatively that each year drowsy driving is responsible for at least 100,000 automobile crashes, 71,000 injuries, and 1,550 fatalities.

The good news for many of the disorders that cause sleep deprivation is that after risk assessment, education, and treatment, memory and cognitive deficits improve and the number of injuries decreases.

In the long term, the clinical consequences of untreated sleep disorders are large indeed. They are associated with numerous, serious medical illnesses, including:

High blood pressure
Heart attack
Heart failure
Stroke
Obesity
Psychiatric problems, including depression and other mood disorders
Mental impairment
Fetal and childhood growth retardation
Injury from accidents
Disruption of bed-partner's sleep quality
Poor quality of life

Studies show an increased mortality risk for those reporting less than either six or seven hours per night. One study found that reduced sleep time is a greater mortality risk than smoking, high blood pressure, and heart disease. Sleep disturbance is also one of the leading predictors of institutionalization in the elderly, and severe insomnia triples the mortality risk in elderly men.

Remarkably, sleep loss may also be a contributing factor to obesity. John Winkelman, MD, PhD, medical director of the Sleep Health Center at Brigham and Women's Hospital and assistant professor of psychiatry at Harvard Medical School sums up this finding up nicely: "What most people do not realize is that better sleep habits may be instrumental to the success of any weight management plan." And Michael Thorpy, MD, director of the Sleep-Wake Disorders Center at Montefiore Medical Center in New York adds, "Any American making a resolution to lose weight ... should probably consider a parallel commitment for getting more sleep."

It is also important to realize the huge scope and prevalence of these disorders; more than 85 sleep disorders are recognized by the American Sleep Disorders Association, affecting more than 70 million Americans. Up to one-third of Americans have symptoms of insomnia; however, less than 10% of those are identified by primary care physicians. Sleep-related breathing disorders represent a spectrum of abnormalities that range from simple snoring to sleep apnea (repeated episodes of cessation of breathing during sleep). As highly prevalent as they are, most cases remain undiagnosed and untreated.

Chronic snoring, for example, is associated with an increased incidence of heart and brain-related diseases. It is present in about 45% of the U.S. population; up to half of those have sleep apnea.

The prevalence of sleep apnea is on par with diabetes and asthma. More than 20 million Americans -- 24% of adult men and 9% of adult women -- are estimated to have some degree of obstructive sleep apnea. Only a fraction have been diagnosed and treated.

Sleep apnea is a primary risk factor for high blood pressure; as many as 40% of those people are undiagnosed and untreated for high blood pressure. Effective treatment of sleep apnea in patients with high blood pressure leads to a substantial reduction in stroke risk.

Patients with moderate to severe sleep apnea perform as poorly as drunk drivers and have up to a 15-fold increased risk of motor vehicle accidents.
With the wealth of information and treatment options available for sleep deprivation, much of the suffering, illness from the many related diseases, increase in accident rates, and effects on productivity, performance, concentration, and memory can be avoided. Increased awareness is the first step, for us individually and the healthcare community. Some researchers suggest that sleep deprivation should be recognized with the same seriousness that has been associated with the societal impact of alcohol.
Originally published May 2003.
Medically updated Oct. 5, 2004.

SOURCES: Sleep: "We Are Chronically Sleep Deprived," Vol. 18 No. 10. Sleep Medicine, Kryger, Meir, et al., Third Edition. 2000. Sleep: "Excessive Daytime Sleepiness and Risk of Occupational Injuries in Non-shift Daytime Workers," Vol. No. 3. Heart Disease , Vol. 4 No. 5. Sleep"The Cost of Sleep-Related Accidents," Vol. 17, No. 1. National Center on Sleep Disorders Research. Sleep: "Health Care Utilization in the 10 Years Prior to Diagnosis in Obstructive Sleep Apnea Syndrome Patients," Vol. No. 22. Journal of Clinical Hypertentions, Vol. 4 No. 6. Journal of the American Board of Family Practice, Vol. 15 No. 2. Sleep: "Sleepiness-Related Accidents In Sleep Apnea Patients," Vol. 23 No. 3. AM Rev Respir Dis: "Automobile Accidents Involving Patients with Obstructive Sleep Apnea," Vol. 138. Am J Respir Crit Care Me: "Simulated Driving Performance in Patients With Obstructive Sleep Apnea," Vol. 154. Circulation: "Effect of Nasal Continuous Positive Airway Pressure Treament on Blood Pressure in Patients with Obstructive Sleep apnea," Vol. 107. News release, "Planning to Lose Weight in the New Year? Experts Say, Think Sleep. Studies Show Sleep Loss May Sabotage Success of No.1 Resolution," Sanofi-Synthelabo Inc. Columbia University, Dept.of Otolaryngology, Head and Neck Surgery.
Copyright 2004

Non-stop huh? 

4 Wake Up Call

I didn't go to get my passport today, but I did manage to pay my phone bill. Even though I went in just a t-shirt, still felt sweaty running up the stairs. Crazy weather for this time of year.

This morning I turned on the television just in time to catch a really disturbing report that links sleep deprivation not only to obesity, but also to some pretty nasty degenerative diseases, even cancer. It makes complete sense, as you drive the body when it is under constant strain, both physically and mentally.
So I am really going to make it a priority to set clear boundaries for sleep, work and play. One of the reasons I think I enjoyed South Africa so much was due to spending so little time near a computer.

So going to pay a lot more attention to that.
Work calls now.

SA enters era of growth

The good news is that South Africa's energy infrastructure, including home heating, is largely produced through hydro-electric sources. Many poor people though, continue to purchase paraffin for heating and lighting, and this will soon no longer be affordable.
Furthermore initiatives like Sasol and Cape gas exploration initiatives will mitigate some of the effects. What remains though are our own massive fleets of vehicles that drink nothing but petrochemicals. It's global transport infrastructures that stand at the root of our dilemma, and the suburbs and cities that function along these arteries of energy.

High fuel costs will especially hurt the vulnerable open economies of large countries, with cities separated by hundreds of kilometres. This means Australia, South Africa and the USA. Desert cities like Alice Springs and Tannant Creek in Australia, and Phoenix and Las Vegas (currently booming, and the fastest growing American cities) will become the quickest to wheither, as long haul truck companies pass on the mounting fuel price shock. South African towns like Beautfort West, and Kimberley, that are essentially large water-deprived transport hubs, will also struggle. Remote Desert states like Namibia, Ethiopia, Bolivia, Chile, Tibet, and Pakistan will bear the brunt of the crisis, as these countries are dependent on food being hauled through vast deserts or difficult terrain.

Gold will reach its zenith, which will do well to offset what would otherwise usher in a more severe currency crisis for South Africa's Rand. Companies in South Africa like SASOL will do superbly well over the next few years (their business is the synthesis of oil from coal), and public railroads, companies like TRANSNET, will become more important than they are today. ESKOM, South Africa's (and in fact Africa's) enormous energy utility, will become an even more sought after company, and it may well continue to expand its wind turbine, and nuclear facilities further into Africa. Hydro electricity is at 100% capacity even in many developing countries.

The excesses of our era will be regarded by the generation that follows as both vulgar, and stupidly short sighted. They will look on the Cheap Oil Era as we regard the hippie era of the 60's - with a certain amount of nostalgia and contempt.
But the bottom line is that the era for growth for South Africa, and the world, ought to come to an end next year (2006) and end forever. It's unlikely that we'll see these ludicrous levels of meaningless, valueless consumption or environmental destruction (other than through nuclear holocaust) ever again. There is some comfort in that. But that's likely to be all comfort to be had in the increasingly uncomfortable world that's coming.

From Bizcommunity.com:

South Africa's economy, with a more fairly valued Rand, low inflation rate, higher growth path and increased consumer spending is enjoying one of its most healthy periods for many years. This was the message from Rudolf Gouws, Chief Economist for Rand Merchant Bank at the seventh Consumer Goods Council/Efficient Consumer Response conference in Sandton.

Gouws says: "We have entered a new era of lower inflation and higher economic growth. Growth is being driven by fixed investment which is one of the most positive indicators of a healthy economy."

Business confidence, he claimed, was at a 23-year high: "We are seeing the longest recorded economic upswing that will move along a fairly horizontal band underpinning the private sector investment we are experiencing."

The data also indicates that in terms of job creation, South Africa is breaking into positive terrain.
Gouws notes that the strong growth rate displayed by consumer spending would slow down during 2006: "The consumer confidence index indicates historic highs, and it is this confidence that is driving spending."

He cautioned, however, that much of this spending is funded by credit and will be one of the factors expected to slow down consumer spending.

Interest rates might possibly experience a slight rise in 2006: "We do not expect the rand to rise more and there will be no repeat of major import price windfalls."

The recent strength of the Rand is attributed to the Dollar (US) weakness and will continue to level out with considerably less volatility Gouws claims.

Global oil prices and a more competitive Rand would lead to higher domestic fuel prices. However he stressed that the Reserve Bank had stated clearly that it was committed to ensure that gains against inflation would not be forfeited and that its monetary policy would not allow fuel prices to develop into an inflationary spiral.

SASOL: South Africa's Oil Solution

From Mail & Guardian:

Not fair dinkum, Sasol
by Kevin Davie

19 September 2005 03:30
Cash cow: Sasol's South African operating profits for the year topped R12,2-billion on sales of R35,3-billion

South Africa’s home-grown fuel giant Sasol published its annual results recently against the background of continuing high fuel prices and intensifying debate over how well the current regulatory regime serves the country.

Pump prices internationally are in the spotlight.

- In France, there have been some price cuts after threats from the government to increase corporate taxes on fuel companies.

- In Britain, there are threatened refinery blockades and demands for reducing fuel taxes.

-In Poland, diesel prices have been cut following pressure from farmers.

- In South Africa, the Democratic Alliance has called for Sasol to re-pay subsidies it earned when fuel prices were low.

Sasol reported that its headline earnings were up by 88% to R10,7-billion.

I asked a colleague who covers the oil markets in Singapore to suggest an international company to compare with Sasol. His suggestion: Caltex, Australia.

The South African and Australian fuel markets are removed from the major oil centres. Both import crude but also partially meet their own needs from gas to a varying extent. Urban centres in both countries are also far apart.

A major difference is that the Australian market is deregulated while South Africa is highly regulated. Motorists care little about this as an issue so long as they get the best prices.

Sasol and Caltex Australia are the leading companies in their markets, supplying about 9,6-billion and 10-billion litres of fuel respectively.

Caltex Australia, co-owned by Caltex and Chevron Corporation, is listed so its financials are available.

Caltex reported its interims -- numbers used here have been annualised -- at the end of last month, Sasol this week.

The Australian market leader reported operating profits of R1,42-billion on sales of R76-billion, a margin of just 1,9%. Chief executive David Reeves told a national radio show that first half earnings were “in the neighbourhood of two cents a litre (about R0,10) after tax”.

Sasol is significantly more profitable; its South African operating profits for the year topped R12,2-billion on sales of R35,3-billion.



At the group level the respective numbers are R15,7-billion and R69,2-billion, a 22,9% margin.

Sasol spokesperson Johan van Rheede says the two companies cannot be meaningfully compared because Sasol also produces crude oil from coal while Caltex Australia is a refiner and retailer.

“If you include the upstream activities of Caltex, it will make far better comparison. You can do the same with ExxonMobil, Shell and BP.”

Sasol is an international player with operations in many parts of the globe, but its profits -- 85% of the total -- come from South Africa.

“Sasol has assets of R35-billion in South Africa which produced profits of R12-billion,” one industry observer remarked. “Its offshore assets of R35-billion only managed to produce profits of R2-billion.”

Its South African operations produce R1 of operating profit for every R3 of sales, an excellent margin for a high-volume business.

This 33% margin is much higher than the 20% it realised in the rest of Africa, the 8% in Europe, India and the Middle East, and the 10% in the Far East.

“We achieve the best margins in South Africa because our production facilities are backwards integrated and we don’t have significant distribution costs,” says Van Rheede.

“Operating margins are calculated by dividing turnover into operating profit. In Africa, our operations are at project stage, with little turnover and high distribution costs.

“As far as Europe is concerned we have distribution costs from South Africa to our chemical operations in Europe, which in turn have very low margins because they are not backward integrated. We also have distribution costs to get product to India, the Middle East and the Far East.”

Sasol’s core, its synfuel operations, remains its key profit driver, accounting for R7,6-billion of operating profit, a 40% margin on revenues of R18,6-billion. These synfuel profits accounted for 50% of Sasol Group profits last year.

Two-thirds of all Sasol Group’s operating profits come from its South African fuel operations, R9,6-billion of R14,5-billion.
Liquid fuels -- Sasol’s conventional refining activities -- contributed R1,9-billion (8% of turnover).

A shortage in refining capacity, driven by rampant Chinese demand in recent times and Hurricane Katrina in recent weeks, has seen refining margins, refinery gate prices minus crude oil prices, rise to stratospheric levels.

There is no equivalent margin for Sasol, in that its synfuel is made from coal, not crude.

Merrill Lynch analyst Michael Kavanagh uses a proxy to calculate Sasol’s refining margin, being the difference between the basic fuel price (BFP), as calculated daily by the government using Singapore and Mediterranean refinery prices plus notional shipping costs, and Brent crude.

Sasol’s refining margin rose to $26,80 a barrel on September 2 from $13,50 on August 19. At mid-week it was $17,80.

Sasol, a fact sheet handed out at the results presentation tells us, is the country’s largest company with its primary listing here. Anglo and BHP Billiton are both larger but their primary listings are offshore.

Sasol is also our largest investor, investing R24-billion in the past four years, a figure equivalent to 90% of all foreign direct investment into the country. It pays the most tax, contributing R6-billion annually in taxes and levies.

Fuel markets internationally are likely to remain on the boil for some time. So too will be the intense scrutiny of the oil industry and responsible government officials.