To BE or not to BE ... WaterAid, that is the Question! We are WaterAid. Are YOU WaterAid?

* To be WaterAid is to believe in a vision of the World where access to Clean & Safe Water are basic Human Rights!


* To be WaterAid is to take action towards a World where Water, Sanitation and Hygiene are accessible to all!


WaterAid is a non-governmental organisation which has helped to date over 13 million individuals of the world poorest communities get acess to clean and safe water.


Please, IF YOU ARE WaterAid help me run for Water by donating at :




http://uk.virginmoneygiving.com/forabetterworld




By   getting all involved we could make a huge difference in the lives of millions of persons!

How was our World this week?

Mafalda:  Did hunger and poverty end in the World? Were nuclear weapons suppressed? Yes?
Dad:  Hum, I don't think so darling
Mafalda: So why on earth do we change year?!

Another challenge this year I set to myself was to keep abreast of what is happening in the world . I figured out by posting weakly comments on news that caught my attention and receiving your comments could be an interactive and very informative way to share and learn from each others.

Today, I would like to expose my concern about rising global food prices which have “surged to a nominal record high, surpassing the peaks of the 2007-08 food crisis - when bread riots rocked poor countries” (FT 11/01/11). Soaring food prices are affecting both worlds (developing and developed worlds) but its impact on the world poorest people is particularly worrying as household spending is predominantly food. Since a graph or an image says more than a thousand words, there I suggest you have a look at those graphs which spare me from using some few thousand words:

- Largest changes in prices of key commodities per continent (p.10)

http://www.fao.org/giews/english/gfpm/GFPM_01_2011.pdf

- International cereals prices : wheat,  maize, rice (p.1)

http://www.fao.org/giews/english/gfpm/GFPM_01_2011.pdf

- Map of countries in crisis requiring external assistance for food (p.2)

http://www.fao.org/giews/english/gfpm/GFPM_01_2011.pdf

It seems that governments are putting in place individual strategies to secure food supply such as Abu Dhabi or South Korea which latest, is to “set up state-led grain trading company in Chicago … to buy up to 30% of Korea's grain needs by 2020” (FT: 11/01/11). I will tend to think that a global strategy would be more appropriate than isolated measures to tackle an issue that affect us all.

To most stories we have losers and winners, do you see any winners to that one?

What strategies could me more efficient?   

What was your highlight of the week?

“If you always do what you’ve always done, you’ll always get what you’ve always got.” Henry Ford (1863-1947)

Today was a great accomplishment to run the targeted 12 miles with the Brighton Marathon group! I was very happy I could see a clear progression in my performance in just a week which shows that with persistent work and effort I should be up for the challenge of the 26 miles this 10^th of April. The run took place on the beautiful seafront by Hove Lawns which was a complete and utter luxury. Running along with my uncle was another stimulus to keep going as we motivated each other. A funny anecdote he told me later is that when he was about to give up the run to walk an older woman who was also running in the group approached him and mentioned that it wasn't serious that she could outperform a strong man like him, and I think it was a clear wake-up call since he managed to keep running until the end of the run. He was very happy about his performance and impressed about mine, which comment is always nice to hear. I was advised by one of the runner ambassadors to aim at running in total 25 miles in a week counting the ones I do on Sundays with the group. Hopefully, I will manage to stick to my personal training program which target is to run 3 x 10 miles during the week.

After the rain, comes the rainbow!

“Apres la pluie vient le beau temps!” French saying, best resumes those past couple of days following my first training for the Brighton Marathon. The “rain” would be the painful battle I had to endure when trying to do simple things such as walking or even laughing. I was shocked to realize that despite feeling all right after the first training, few hours later I was discovering to my despair muscles I didn't even know existed. As you can imagine, for someone not really accustomed to run such long distances the pain was intense and I had to put on hold my planned training. Fortunately, only after two days I was back in control of my body and ready to continue with my training which involved running for an hour at the gym, as a starter. I must admit first, that I had made some typical novice oversights that probably led to my original muscle soreness following the first training. I neglected stretching before and after the run and I did not wear the appropriate running shoes. So one bit of advice,STRETCH, STRETCH and STRETCH before, after and even during if you can, it will make a huge difference. When purchasing running shoes there are many elements you should consider such as the shape of your feet, the surface you run on , your weight etc..so I will tend advising going to a specialist shop were you could be indicated what would best suit you considering the extensive offer in the market. Since the first training I have been able to run for an hour at the gym which represented around 6 to 10 miles without incurring any muscle soreness, which was my “rainbow”!   

"Here comes the mud!" (1st training day)

Today was my first training day for the marathon. I joined the Brighton marathon training group (http://www.brightonmarathon.co.uk/running_community.html)  which gathers every Sundays on different locations around Brighton.  The targeted running distance today was of 9.5 miles and I was thrilled to have survived it. I met the group at Hove Park  and I was often blown away by the amazing views. On the way I thought I should have brought my camera, but unfortunately I had nothing to take pictures with. I might go back there for a walk and in that case, I would be posting pictures. The mud was a bit of a problem and I resented not wearing appropriate running shoes so one bit of advice : make sure you have the right shoes!  Also make sure not to ask how many miles you have done so far as the answer might be discouraging!  I felt exhausted , relieved and proud to have managed finishing the run. I felt that running along a group was very motivating and helped me keep going so I will definitely recommend it. 

I would love to hear about your first marathon experience, so feel free to share. For me it was a challenge as I wasn't sure whether I will manage it or not and I was quite surprised to not be completely exhausted. I still managed to walk and catch my bus back home.