TALK WECOMEONE

It’s been one of those days.

It 4pm already, and I can’t remember what I’ve done! I came in, went through the mail, we had a start up meeting at 8.30am (yes we’re early starters at Wecomeone)…and then here we are at 4pm.

What the hell have I been doing since 9am? I must have skipped time!

This is how Homer must feel most of the time!

Nevertheless, I feel kinda good, kinda happy and its cool that I haven’t done anything significant today. I think we all need days like this.

Tonight am off to the movies…to watch a film about a poor boy who becomes a multi-millionaire! I’ll probably be lot more motivated tommorrow!

Live now. Make now always the most precious time.
Now only comes once.

Nothing is made from nothing!

There has to be something first in order to create something else. Most things we need in order to survive come from scarce resources, whether it is coal, wood, fertile land, oil… These things determine whether you have a Porsche, or a dog with a saddle. Natural resources will not last forever, but there is one specific resource which is more valuable than the rest – wood. Wood comes from trees, trees and plants are the umbilical cord of all life on earth, because they exchange oxygen for carbon dioxide.
 

We all know that resources are consumed very quickly, especially with today’s philosophy of consumption. The way that trees are cut leave no fertile land for re-forestation, and since trees are mostly made from carbon, the more trees that are burnt, the more carbon dioxide there is in the air. This contributes to global warming; I find it quite frightening that the amount of polar ice caps melting per year is equivalent to the land mass of Texas. That much water and carbon dioxide is sure to cause a significant imbalance in the atmosphere. With the changing weather, who knows where and when the snow will fall next?

I already miss snow on Christmas, my kids probably won’t see snow, and if they do, it will be that smart-price snow we get now. I worry about the future for our children because even a Christmas sack full of Prozac won’t be enough to run away from the problem.
 

After discussing this issue with some friends, we reached a conclusion. I predict that the last tree will be made into a handle of an axe! It’s just the way we humans are sometimes! Until, that is, we realise that there’s no trees left, but by then it’ll be too late.
 

Many people are now ’thinking’ and making a change; more people are becoming aware, companies are becoming ethical and products are now becoming more environmentally friendly. We have to play a part in all this, because if we don’t, no one else will. We can help spread awareness, be more eco-friendly in what we buy and recycle. It’s never too late!
 

What do you think? To find out more visit: www.mongabay.com / www.wrm.org.uy / www.wikipedia.org/wiki/Deforestation#Deforestation_today     

Life is good, lets keep it that way!

As fashion trends are continuously changing, I’ve decided to keep you up to date with what is hot this season by dedicating this section of the WeComeOne blog to this seasons must have trends.

The 60’s, 70’s and 80’s have played a major influence in this seasons styles.

The Monochrome look – black, white and grey are some of the must have colours for 2007. Black and white will look great teamed up together especially if they’re in stripes. Fabrics must be light and shapes airy…a simple, streamlined and clean look.

Graphic Prints – this season you will see 70’s style, animal print and floral prints. All the way from delicate floral, full blooms and foliage prints through to pressed petals this season you cant escape the floral print. Floral prints give a feminine and sophisticated look. Mix and matching of different prints should be avoided. The best floral buys will be printed blouses, skirts, jackets and dresses. Neon is back, graphic prints in neon colours are a must have look. Wider stripes are back and so are tartan and check prints.

Smart Tailoring – menswear inspired cuts are big for 2007. Tailored wide leg trousers play a big role. Team these up with a flowly blouse or if you still love shorts, longer tailored shorts are an alternative option.

Bright and Metallic Accessories –  a lot of metallic colours will be out this season, they give off a very futuristic feel.Gold is the most popular metallic colour, its also the most feminine.The easiest and best way to update your look is to invest in a metallic belt or chain and team it up with the monochrome look. Belts can be worn big or small. The main accessories to have are citrus and neon belts, bags and shoes or futuristic jewellery and accessories, these together with a black outfit will create a more dramatic effect. Other essential accssories include an oversized slouchy bag and chunky beaded necklaces.       

This is what Leicester looks like today.

 Life is good. 

Researchers have laid out a set of proposals outlining how consumers could satisfy their needs for clothes and textiles with significantly reduced impact on the environment, while also offering new business opportunities to UK companies.

(Media-Newswire.com) - The new study, produced by academics at the University of Cambridge, sets out a vision of a sustainable clothes industry which at the same time would offer new opportunities to retailers and manufacturers.

Consumers in the UK are increasingly aware of concerns about the environmental impact of the products they buy and the social conditions of the people working to make them. Specific environmental impacts associated with clothing and textiles can include the use of toxic chemicals in cotton production and in manufacturing; carbon emissions from burning fossil fuels to create the energy needed to run agricultural machinery and for heating air and water in laundry; the amount of clothing and textiles sent to landfill each year ( an average of 30kg per UK consumer ).

The new report is written by researchers at the University’s Institute for Manufacturing and was funded by Biffaward as part of its Mass Balance Programme, as well as Marks & Spencer. Entitled ‘Well Dressed?’, it considers what could be done differently to make the industry more sustainable.

Among other things, it recommends the use of more organic cotton, washing clothes at lower temperatures and encouraging consumers to buy fewer, high quality, longer-lasting clothes as well as more second-hand garments.

Some retailers have begun to address these issues but industry-wide change would require the evolution of new business models. Suggestions such as a focus on durability in the fashion world, and business models that would focus on extra services like repair and maintenance show that profit and growth can be decoupled from increasing material flow.

“The aim is to help answer the question of what we should do to create significant change at the sector level,” Dr Julian Allwood, from the Institute for Manufacturing, said. “We have focused on what might happen if we could make major structural changes to the way our clothes are made and used.

“For example, what would happen if we used different fibres or farming practices? What would be the consequence of washing our clothes in a different way, or keeping our carpets for longer?

If you want to read rest of the article, follow the link: http://media-newswire.com/release_1039536.html  

‘Fast clothes’ versus ‘green clothes’ — a face-off with environmental impact

WOKING, England: Josephine Copeland and her 20-year-old daughter, Jo Jo, visited Primark at the Woking Peacock Centre Mall to buy presents for friends, but ended up loaded with clothes for themselves: boots, a cardigan, a festive blouse and a long silver coat with faux fur trim, which cost £12 but looks like a million bucks. “If it falls apart, you just toss it away,” said Jo Jo Copeland, proudly wearing her purchase. Environmentally, that is more and more of a problem.

With rainbow piles of sweaters and T-shirts that often cost less than a sandwich, stores like Primark are leaders in the quick-growing “fast clothes” industry, selling low-cost garments that can be used and discarded without a second thought. Consumers, especially teenagers, love the concept, pioneered also by stores like Old Navy and Target in the United States, since it allows them to shift styles with speed on a low budget.

But clothes — and fast clothes in particular — are large and worsening sources of the carbon emissions that contribute to global warming, both because of how they are produced and how they are cared for, concludes a thought-provoking report from researchers at Cambridge University entitled, “Well Dressed?”

The $1 trillion global textile industry must become eco-conscious, the report concludes. It explores how to develop more “sustainable clothing” — a seeming oxymoron in a world where fashions change every few months.

Interested? You can read rest of the article on http://www.iht.com/articles/2007/01/24/business/clothing.php

Ah - Red Dwarf, we miss it.  I remember rushing back from football training on a thursday night to catch Red Dwarf at 9pm. Seriously funny, and a work of genius!

I am a little worried however, I am finding more and more people especially those who are a tad younger than I, who have no idea what Red Dwarf is!  How can this be? It’s like saying what’s Simpsons? Or even worse whats an Aston Martin DB9?  But its happening and its scary! So I’ve managed to conjure up a few links on the programme. In the meanwhile why don’t you share your memories of Red Dwarf or who your favourite characters were? If you don’t agree Red Dwarf should be the comedy King, please tell us who you would like to worship?

There can be no other! At least thats what we think. Let’s face it Simpson’s has changed all our lives! What I love most about this show are the characters, everyone of them and the scary part is, we all know someone who resembles at least one character on the show.

I know someone who behaves just the ‘comic book guy’! Pretty scary, but its true. Anyway, did you know that there is a Simpson’s movie coming out this year? Thats right, a Simpson’s movie - out in July 07.

Checkout these links: www.thesimpsons.com, www.thesimpsons.com,  www.snpp.com

Who’s your favourite character in the Simpsons?

I thought the Lord of the Rings was an incredible book. There has never quite been anything like it since. It’s a book that has created an entire world out of words, which come alive inside our minds when we are reading them.

The films were good, but the book is better. It’s an incredible read. The first time I read it, I must have been about 16 attending high school. I remember pretending to feel ill for three days in a row because I had wanted to stay home and read. I couldn’t put the book down. Eventually, my mum caught me and sent me to school.

It’s a book about adventure and great characters all nicely fit into a tale of morality. If we read a little deeper into the book, we find that JR Tolkien may have been telling a great story but he was also telling us about right and wrong.

What’s your favourite book(s)? Let’s get people reading.