Dark Thoughts
‘DARK isnt it. Its as if the roof of the world is being lowered on your head. The sun has been blotted out. For all you know, the sun may even be dead.
You wake up in the dark. You go to work in the dark. You come home in the dark.
You could go on holiday to get some winter sun. But where? As the Times says on its front page, 14 people in Turkey has contracted bird flu, and you should think twice before you dip into your chicken in a basket in Vietnam, Thailand or Indonesia.
And then you shouldnt believe everything you read in the holiday brochures. As the Times reports, consumer group Which? has been investigating what’s said in such august publications.
Just look what theyre saying about the Dana Palace Hotel in Golden Sands, a resort on the Black Sea. Thompson Holidays calls it picturesque. Relaxed, says Skytours. Airtours says it is quietly positioned in beautiful parkland. Which? went there – and found the hotel situated on a busy road junction.
Which? even awarded a prize (The Alistair Campbell Prize for Services to Spin) to the unnamed copywriter who went to the resort of Pineda in Spain cut off from the beach by a railway line – and was inspired to pen: Children will love watching the trains puff by as you make your way down to the beach.
Best thing to do is to get yourself along to the Light Lounge at the Science Museum in London.
It might not be the Caribbean, it might not even be Bridlington in May, but the creators believe a 20-minute stint in the room (lit by four specially-designed light boxes, each about four times more powerful than summer sunlight) is a ticket to a better and brighter you.
As the Telegraph says, it may even help combat the effects of Seasonally Affective Disorder (SAD).
Jennifer Eastwood, founder of the SAD Association, says the winter blues can be alleviated by light, even artificial light.
Its like recharging your brain every day, says she. It triggers the release of serotonin which wards off depression and reduces the production of melatonin which makes you lethargic.
Light is good. Like the light on your computer screen. Come closer. Closer… Closer… There. Doesnt that feel better? Welcome to Silicon Valley…’
Posted: 10th, January 2006 | In: Uncategorized Comment | TrackBack | Permalink
