Surrey Street Art – on the M25 Motorway – and Psychedelic Art Accompanies Techno Storm over Africa: This week I will share with you some of the risks artists go to in order to make the M25 look pretty (including pics of the artist at work). I will also explain how to download a free copy of ‘Techno Storm over Africa‘ – so you can enjoy the uplifting, pulsating, rhythm in the privacy of your own bathroom!

While you read the following article why not listen to my e-baroque compositions – just click on the box below:

or if techno music is more your cup of tea here are my techno/ambient compositions:

I hope you find the article below interesting…please visit chrisduggleby.com again.

This weeks article has a distinctly ‘modern (psychadelic) art‘ flavour to it – so if you prefer classical music simply please swap over quickly to one of my earlier articles like the ones here (Vivaldi) and here (Bach). Let me start with that rather exciting ‘TECHNO‘ storm. Here is the video for Techno Storm Over Africa:

As you will have noticed I have used some spiffing computer graphic art to accompany this rather uplifting little techno number. It was inspired, written and recorded in my studio here in Africa – hence the title. There is a shot of the location of the studio at the end of the video which I think you will agree is likely to inspire even the most dull person (did I tell you I used to be an auditor!).

If you would like to take advantage of my special offer of the free MP3 download just follow the instructions on the special FREE MP3 page here.

Now, moving on from my musical activities in Africa to the street art in the English county of Surrey. Regular visitors to ChrisDuggleby.com will be familiar with the picturesque photos from my walks around the Surrey countryside (if you missed it – the link to last week’s canal-boat adventures with some pretty chicks is here). On one of my recent walks along the local waterways I came across a gentleman artist who was using, as his canvas, the M25 Motorway:

You may well ask ‘how is it that Chris is walking along the Surrey waterways and bumps into the M25?‘. Well, at the point where the Basingstoke canal meets the River Wey Navigation System they both also intersect with the M25 motorway. To avoid the cars getting wet this section of the motorway has been sensibly built on stilts and it was to these support structures that the artist was giving a facelift.

As his pictures seemed to go well with the ‘psycho’ graphics used on my Techno Storm in Africa video I though they would also be a nice accompaniment to this week’s article. Considering this similarity of artistic output perhaps we are both on the same psychedelic drugs (in other words I am presuming the artist also likes very cheap red wine). So without further ado let me introduce you to some pictures of Surrey’s latest ‘street’ art (OK ‘Motorway’ art is probably a better descriptive term):

Actually the political statement on the last photo makes me think I may have been a little presumptuous in assuming the artist’s preferred drug was cheap red plonk (especially the Australian stuff I get in Germany for €1.99 a bottle). Although I didn’t check his credentials I assumed this artist was working for the local council as part of their motorway infrastructure renovation project. He probably thought I was doing a ‘time and motion‘ study for the local council’s audit department (…when taking pics I always find it’s useful to have a clipper-board on a string around my neck – it gets me into those more sensitive places without too many questions – an old auditor’s trick).

So I think that’s enough psychedelic art for one week. If for some reason my video didn’t quite uplift you as much as you wanted I suggest you take a good stiff drink or two and watch it again. I am currently working in the studio near Cape Town with my digital choirboys on the next uplifting techno number. Watch this space!

Chris Duggleby.

For new visitors to my site you may be interested in some other articles featuring Woking and the Surrey countryside. Here are a few examples:

Woking Walks – Part 2: Canal Boat Chick Gets Frisky, Chris’s Organ Gets a Good Plucking

Walking Round Woking – Part 1: River Wey, Newark Priory Ruins & 13th Century Royal Palace

Prehistoric Britain (or more precisely: Prehistoric Woking!)

Searching for Cannibals in Surrey

The beach where the Martian invaders landed

Newark Priory, near Woking inspires TRANSFORMATES’ ‘Rock the Priory’ (with Cannons)

English Countryside: Gallery

and of course some firework pics from Woking’s bonfire night display… here

In addition here are some of my other recent articles: Just click on the titles below:

…starting with some fun reports…

21st June 2015: Bio-undies: Guilt free Passion with ‘Easy Emma’ and ‘Loose Harry’and Getting Rid of Garden Snails with Rent-a-Duck

4th March 2015: Hamburg Reeperbahn (St. Pauli): Germans install walls that urinate on passers-by

19th April 2014: German Police Catch Hedgehogs Testing Home Made Crash Helmets in Saarbrücken

17th April 2014: Niche On-line Dating Services (Specialities: Herpes,Thrush and Genital Warts)

18th March 2014: Germany and Finland Joint Investigation: New Case of Sexual Cannibalism Including Self-mutilation (Castration) During Intercourse.

18th August 2012: How Bavarians and Austrians use their middle finger – Fingerhakeln: a men-only sport (did Arnold Schwarzenegger start training this way?).

…and here’s some more serious stuff…

25th October 2015: Health Risks: Food allergy prevention – Latest research ‘feed infants early with allergenic food‘

17th October 2015: Health Risk: Vitamin and antioxidant supplements help cancer cells become malignant – latest research from Texas

31st May 2015: German Concern about Potentially Carcinogenic Aromatic Hydrocarbons in Cosmetics  

11th May 2014: Product Development Risk: New Air Conditioning Coolant Gas Produces Carbonyl Difluoride (Highly Toxic – Related to WW1 Gas Phosgene) in Vehicle Fires

16th April 2014: Ethical Pricing: Same Drug – For Leukaemia 21 Euro(Now Withdrawn) – For Multiple Sclerosis 888 Euro

6th April 2014: Product Quality Risk: Shoes Sold On-line By Zalando Recalled Due To Chromium 6 Contamination – Known Allergen And Carcinogen

29th December 2012: Spreading diarrhea and vomit through the washing machine– The Norovirus propagator in our kitchen

You can also find some of my more humorous reports in the Alpine Press section of this site using the link here.

Whales Jumping to Bach, Moon Porn Exhibition and Obsessive Camera Disorder (OCD) – In this week’s article I will describe a little more about my recent ‘Jamming with Bach‘ video and explain what it did to the local whale population. I would also like to introduce you to the newest art form produced here in South Africa’s VALIUMM 3 studio – Moon Porn. I will then describe for you some details of my rather disturbing medical ailment which mainly appears when there is a full moon. 

While you read the following article why not listen to my e-baroque compositions – just click on the box below:

or if techno music is more your cup of tea here are my techno/ambient compositions:

I hope you find the article below interesting…please visit chrisduggleby.com again.

Let’s start with the news about Johann Sebastian Bach – or more precisely about his newest band member ‘Yours Truly‘. Those of you who saw last week’s article will know that one of my hobbies is jamming along to baroque classics. Last week I did it with Vivaldi (you can see that article by using the link here). This week it is the turn of Bach’s famous organ classic the Toccata and Fugue in D minor – (or to be more precise Chris’s version written for strings and electric guitars – the old video for that piece is here).

Well, having transcribed the original work for string instruments I found myself jamming along to it using my latest keyboard (no I don’t have many friends!). Try to visualise the sad image – I listened to MY OWN album track in the living room (- commercial message: ‘it’s available on iTunes here‘ -) and then hung a keyboard around my neck and started playing along with myself. A rather subtle form of musical self abuse!

After many hours of improvising to this one tune my ‘jam‘ evolved into a new piece of music to accompany Bach’s original work. I like to think that it is something he might have written and played himself if only he had managed to find a shoulder strap for his organ.

Prior to my departure from the UK over a week ago I recorded this new ‘jam’ track in my UK recording studio and filmed myself doing it (yes I have received therapy for this habit – but it didn’t seem to do much good). Upon arrival at my facilities near Cape Town I set about turning the newly recorded track and the associated film into a short video. This is where the whales became involved. As I was finalising the video and playing it through my loud speakers I looked out of the open studio window and noticed in the distance that there was a whale jumping out of the ocean and spouting water in time to the music.

Clearly this must be a good omen for my new baroque inspired masterpiece. Perhaps even Bach himself has been reincarnated as a whale!. I will include some of my whale pics below but first let me share with you the music which will probably now become a ‘must-have’ for ocean wild-life enthusiasts around the world. Don’t be surprised if they start playing it on whale spotting expeditions.

Although I live a somewhat reclusive existence I do seem to have a lot of whale friends who come to visit me at Sunset Rocks in the Table Mountain National Park. Here are some pictures of these music loving friends attending one of my open air events:

Now let me introduce you to ‘moon porn‘. Regular visitors to this site will be familiar with my little full moon fetish (if you missed the background here are a couple of articles explaining this somewhat deviant behaviour – with graphic photos – here and here). Basically whenever there is a full moon I just can’t leave it alone. I have discussed this with my therapist but she explained that treatment for this condition is beyond the resources available under the UK’s National Health Service. She recommended I write to my local member of parliament.

So, to continue with the story, this week (yesterday to be precise) I was rudely awoken at about 4:00 a.m. by the full moon shining through my bedroom window.

Anyway, I did my best to ignore it by wrapping my boxer shorts around my head and trying to go back to sleep. Sadly this didn’t work and when I next looked up I noticed a ship was passing underneath the moon. This I could not resist, I sprang out of bed, got my camera and started to click – all typical characteristics of a person with Obsessive Camera Disorder (known in medical circles as OCD).

To try and maintain an appearance of ‘normality’ (in case the neighbours were up) I returned with the camera back to my bed and did most of the clicking wrapped in my duvet. This is where the term ‘Moon Porn‘ was born – it signifies the explicit photographic products made by a person in his (or her) bed during a full moon. To illustrate this perversion here are some of the photographs which will feature in my first moon porn exhibition – all taken on 26th November 2015 at Sunset Rocks (Llandudno) in the Table Mountain National Park:

So I think that is enough excitement for this week. I hope you have enjoyed reading about baroque jam making, ocean wild-life concerts and art related medical ailments. Please do not hesitate if you have any comments or recommendations (despite my therapist’s conviction that encouragement is not the best approach!). Meanwhile I now need to get back to composing music and writing about risk management – surrounded by this inspiring African landscape. I hope my US visitors had a great Thanksgiving and wish everyone a joyous weekend.

Chris Duggleby

If you found this article interesting please consider taking a look at some of my other recent reports.

Just click on the titles below:

…starting with some fun reports…

21st June 2015: Bio-undies: Guilt free Passion with ‘Easy Emma’ and ‘Loose Harry’and Getting Rid of Garden Snails with Rent-a-Duck

4th March 2015: Hamburg Reeperbahn (St. Pauli): Germans install walls that urinate on passers-by

19th April 2014: German Police Catch Hedgehogs Testing Home Made Crash Helmetsin Saarbrücken

17th April 2014: Niche On-line Dating Services (Specialities: Herpes, Thrush and Genital Warts)

18th March 2014: Germany and Finland Joint Investigation: New Case of Sexual Cannibalism Including Self-mutilation (Castration) During Intercourse.

18th August 2012: How Bavarians and Austrians use their middle finger – Fingerhakeln: a men-only sport (did Arnold Schwarzenegger start training this way?).

…and here’s some more serious stuff…

25th October 2015: Health Risks: Food allergy prevention – Latest research ‘feed infants early with allergenic food‘

17th October 2015: Health Risk: Vitamin and antioxidant supplements help cancer cells become malignant – latest research from Texas

31st May 2015: German Concern about Potentially Carcinogenic Aromatic Hydrocarbons in Cosmetics  

11th May 2014: Product Development Risk: New Air Conditioning Coolant Gas Produces Carbonyl Difluoride (Highly Toxic – Related to WW1 Gas Phosgene) in Vehicle Fires

16th April 2014: Ethical Pricing: Same Drug – For Leukaemia 21 Euro(Now Withdrawn) – For Multiple Sclerosis 888 Euro

6th April 2014: Product Quality Risk: Shoes Sold On-line By Zalando Recalled Due To Chromium 6 Contamination – Known Allergen And Carcinogen

29th December 2012: Spreading diarrhea and vomit through the washing machine– The Norovirus propagator in our kitchen

You can also find some of my more humorous reports in the Alpine Press section of this site using the link here.

In this week’s blog I want to try out something new. You may have noticed that none of my previous videos showed me playing any of the instruments I used – well that is about to change. Here I am using the AX (Roland’s shoulder synthesizer) to add a little spice to the electro-baroque version of Vivaldi’s Summer Concerto (part 3) that I included in my last album (‘Baroque Transformation‘).

While you read the following article why not listen to my e-baroque compositions – just click on the box below:

or if techno music is more your cup of tea here are my techno/ambient compositions:

I hope you find the article below interesting…please visit chrisduggleby.com again.

If you have never seen a shoulder synthesizer before this is what it looks like:

One of the special characteristics of this model, making it different to other keyboards you hang around your neck, is that it actually has a pretty sophisticated synthesizer built into it. Earlier models were simply keyboard ‘controllers’ which needed to be hooked upto a computer with a built-in digital synthesizer to make their sounds. The AX does not need the computer. You can simply plug it into an amplifier on stage, very much like a guitar, and away you go.

The reason I have computers and screens in the picture above is because this is the equipment I use in my UK studio (VALIUMM 1) for making recordings. The displays are showing my Digital Audio Workstation or DAW software (for techies: I am using here Cakewalk’s SONAR X3 Producer DAW with a Roland Octa capture high-speed USB Audio Interface). The video below shows me adding a new AX Synth track to my earlier recording of Vivaldi’s Summer Concerto (this ‘backing track’ was included in my Baroque Transformation album which is now available via i-Tunes).

I decided to invest in an AX Synth earlier in the year when my incapacitation with a nasty skin allergy prevented me from playing (gruesome pictures of various bits of my body are in the article here). As I was unable to move about much I had plenty of time to contemplate and realised that it would be rather difficult to perform most of my music live. The problem was that typically each track used between 15-25 instruments and it would be a bit expensive to take another 15-25 musicians out with me on the road. Some artists get around this problem by simply playing recordings of their work from the stage whilst fiddling (or pretending to fiddle) with a few knobs or faders and occasionally waving their arms in the air to remind the audiences that they are in fact alive.

I wanted to be able to actually play since this, for me, is the fun part of making music. So I decided to write some new tunes which I could play ‘over’ my original baroque pieces. These new tunes are original compositions by yours truly but designed to blend in with, and add a new dimension to, my earlier recordings. The earlier recordings all faithfully followed the music scores of the original baroque composers like Vivaldi or Bach but I had rearranged them to be played on modern instruments. The new tracks are totally new compositions – in fact they started off by me simply ‘jamming’ to my own earlier recordings (I know it’s sad isn’t it – he really should get out and meet girls!). Eventually the ‘jam’ matured into the pieces you can see in my videos.

I worked quite intensely during the last couple of months to get 3 of these ‘new’ live tracks ready. When you see the videos you will realise that my rather rusty old fingers needed a little practice to get upto speed and to be able to get through each recording from beginning to end without dropping a note. I prefer to record in this way because I feel it gets closer to what you would see in a live performance. The downside is that you may spot some mistakes but it means every recording will be unique (and is not ‘quantised’: an approach musical techies love in which they fix bum notes and timing mistakes in recordings using digital software – this may be a reason why much modern music is starting to sound similar and rather sterile).

The reason I was under pressure was that I needed to get the AX recordings completed before departing to Cape Town where my studio facilities are slightly more modest. I have two AXes in my German and UK studios but a third one for Africa would have bust the budget (and they are a bit too big for hand luggage). Now I have arrived at my pad in the Table Mountain national park I can finish off this work and share the videos with you. This activity is being supported by some much needed wet weather around Cape Town (but with the occasional rainbow – see the photo below that I took from my balcony this morning).

The first of the three new videos is now ready to share with you. In this I have taken the Vivaldi Summer Concerto recording I made earlier and played over this the AX Synth part. So if you heard the original recording you will notice this playing in the background (a simpler video for this earlier recording without the AX can be found on YouTube here). For the new video I am playing the AX in its pure lead synthesizer mode but modifying the notes using an electronic tremolo effect (this is what my left hand is doing while the right hand plays the twiddly bits on the keyboard).

Here it is. I hope you enjoy it and will try and share more videos with you in the coming days. Meanwhile greetings from a rather wet South Africa.

Chris Duggleby

If you found this article interesting please consider taking a look at some of my other recent reports.

Just click on the titles below:

…starting with some fun reports…

21st June 2015: Bio-undies: Guilt free Passion with ‘Easy Emma’ and ‘Loose Harry’and Getting Rid of Garden Snails with Rent-a-Duck

4th March 2015: Hamburg Reeperbahn (St. Pauli): Germans install walls that urinate on passers-by

19th April 2014: German Police Catch Hedgehogs Testing Home Made Crash Helmetsin Saarbrücken

17th April 2014: Niche On-line Dating Services (Specialities: Herpes, Thrush and Genital Warts)

18th March 2014: Germany and Finland Joint Investigation: New Case of Sexual Cannibalism Including Self-mutilation (Castration) During Intercourse.

18th August 2012: How Bavarians and Austrians use their middle finger – Fingerhakeln: a men-only sport (did Arnold Schwarzenegger start training this way?).

…and here’s some more serious stuff…

25th October 2015: Health Risks: Food allergy prevention – Latest research ‘feed infants early with allergenic food‘

17th October 2015: Health Risk: Vitamin and antioxidant supplements help cancer cells become malignant – latest research from Texas

31st May 2015: German Concern about Potentially Carcinogenic Aromatic Hydrocarbons in Cosmetics  

11th May 2014: Product Development Risk: New Air Conditioning Coolant Gas Produces Carbonyl Difluoride (Highly Toxic – Related to WW1 Gas Phosgene) in Vehicle Fires

16th April 2014: Ethical Pricing: Same Drug – For Leukaemia 21 Euro(Now Withdrawn) – For Multiple Sclerosis 888 Euro

6th April 2014: Product Quality Risk: Shoes Sold On-line By Zalando Recalled Due To Chromium 6 Contamination – Known Allergen And Carcinogen

29th December 2012: Spreading diarrhea and vomit through the washing machine– The Norovirus propagator in our kitchen

You can also find some of my more humorous reports in the Alpine Press section of this site using the link here.

November is an interesting time to be in the UK. This is the period when all of England embarks on a massive celebration of the time when a Yorkshire ‘terrorist’ very nearly destroyed the houses of parliament with explosives. In order to help people fully appreciate the dangers involved in the incident many of the shops sell family sized packs of explosives which invariably lead to hundreds of burns and other injuries – often to small children. In addition thousands of pets and wild animals are scared out of their wits by the millions of explosions and flashes during the nights leading up to this great anniversary.

While you read the following article why not listen to my e-baroque compositions – just click on the box below:

or if techno music is more your cup of tea here are my techno/ambient compositions:

I hope you find the article below interesting…please visit chrisduggleby.com again.

Not wanting to be left out of this cultural high spot I checked out the time of a rather large celebratory event about half a mile from my living room and loaded myself with lots of chocolate and red wine in anticipation of some visual excitement. The event in question was the annual Woking Firework Display which took place in the town’s main park. As my apartment is about 12 storeys above the park I tend to get a pretty impressive birds eye view of the fireworks without having to leave my sofa. Fortunately I was able to get a few photographs of the fireworks before the wine took effect.

To help set the scene here is a  picture of my ship shaped apartment block. I live on the south end which allows me to enjoy the fireworks stretching across most of the south Surrey countryside.

Fortunately the weather was very mild on this evening (7th November 2015) so I was able to open the windows without risk of hypothermia. This enabled me, in addition to the visual treat, to be able to enjoy the Star Wars theme and Adele’s James Bond ditty bellowing out from the loud speaker systems in the park below. Any poor animals in the park that had not already died of fright due to the explosions probably ended up with tinnitus!

In case you missed your own local terrorist remembrance display here is a selection of my pictures of the evening. To enhance your pleasure why not also listen to my baroque interpretations play list on YouTube  – just click on the box below:

Any non-Brits may wonder why we go to all this trouble to celebrate a former terrorist. Guy Fawkes was born in the town of York in 1570 and eventually became part of a catholic conspiracy to blow up the then houses of parliament by placing explosives in the cellars. Suspicions were raised when catholic members of parliament received letters advising them that it would be in their best interest to stay away from work for a couple of days. King James got wind of this and on the 5th November (‘Bonfire night’) he had the cellers searched and found Guy Fawkes with a rather large amount of explosives and a long match.

King James ordered that Guy Fawkes be taken for a stretch in the Tower of London. In those days a ‘stretch’ in prison had a more literal connotation than today. Basically prisoners who required interrogation were often increased in length during the questioning process. This was because of the use of the rack which pulled their arms and legs in opposite directions. To fill in time they were often asked difficult questions during this stretching exercise. If they got the answers right the stretching would stop. At the end of the process they were given a confession to sign as a true and accurate statement of their answers to the questions. Although their arms and legs may have been torn out of their sockets many prisoners, like Guy Fawkes, still managed to sign the confession (although their writing was perhaps a little untidy).

The sentence given to Fawkes and his conspirators in 1606 required for them to be dragged along the ground across town behind a horse, to have their genitals cut off and burned before their eyes and then have their bowels and hearts cut out. The bits of their bodies were then to be displayed in the open air (to become “prey for the fowls of the air”) and were eventually distributed around the country to act as a disincentive to other potential conspirators. It would appear that guy himself (unlike his less lucky conspirators) managed to break his neck as he mounted the scaffold which meant that by dying he did not have to endure some of the more agonising elements of his punishment. The following picture depicts this first ‘Guy Fawkes’ celebration:

For new visitors to my site you may be interested in some other articles featuring Woking and the Surrey countryside. Here are a couple of examples:

Walking Round Woking – Part 1: River Wey, Newark Priory Ruins & 13th Century Royal Palace

Prehistoric Britain (or more precisely: Prehistoric Woking!)

Searching for Cannibals in Surrey

The beach where the Martian invaders landed

Newark Priory, near Woking inspires TRANSFORMATES’ ‘Rock the Priory’ (with Cannons)

English Countryside: Gallery

Enjoy the rest of Sunday and the forthcoming week (and please be sensitive to any animals that may still be on a state of shock).

Chris Duggleby

If you found this article interesting please consider taking a look at some of my other recent reports.

Just click on the titles below:

…starting with some fun reports…

21st June 2015: Bio-undies: Guilt free Passion with ‘Easy Emma’ and ‘Loose Harry’and Getting Rid of Garden Snails with Rent-a-Duck

4th March 2015: Hamburg Reeperbahn (St. Pauli): Germans install walls that urinate on passers-by

19th April 2014: German Police Catch Hedgehogs Testing Home Made Crash Helmets in Saarbrücken

17th April 2014: Niche On-line Dating Services (Specialities: Herpes, Thrush andGenital Warts)

18th March 2014: Germany and Finland Joint Investigation: New Case of Sexual Cannibalism Including Self-mutilation (Castration) During Intercourse.

18th August 2012: How Bavarians and Austrians use their middle finger – Fingerhakeln: a men-only sport (did Arnold Schwarzenegger start training this way?).

…and here’s some more serious stuff…

25th October 2015: Health Risks: Food allergy prevention – Latest research ‘feed infants early with allergenic food‘

17th October 2015: Health Risk: Vitamin and antioxidant supplements help cancer cells become malignant – latest research from Texas

31st May 2015: German Concern about Potentially Carcinogenic Aromatic Hydrocarbons in Cosmetics  

11th May 2014: Product Development Risk: New Air Conditioning Coolant Gas Produces Carbonyl Difluoride (Highly Toxic – Related to WW1 Gas Phosgene) in Vehicle Fires

16th April 2014: Ethical Pricing: Same Drug – For Leukaemia 21 Euro(Now Withdrawn) – For Multiple Sclerosis 888 Euro

6th April 2014: Product Quality Risk: Shoes Sold On-line By Zalando Recalled Due To Chromium 6 Contamination – Known Allergen And Carcinogen

29th December 2012: Spreading diarrhea and vomit through the washing machine– The Norovirus propagator in our kitchen

You can also find some of my more humorous reports in the Alpine Press section of this site using the link here.

The German Sustainable Condom Wars – Yesterday a court in Düsseldorf decided whether a marketer’s claim that their condoms corresponded to upto three orgasms each should be banned. Specifically the packs of 7 Eishorn (Unicorn) condoms declared that they were good for upto 21 orgasms. One of Eishorn’s competitors in the Fair and Sustainable German condom market, Fair Squared, took them to court due to the confusing nature of their marketing statements.

While you read the following article why not listen to my e-baroque compositions – just click on the box below:

or if techno music is more your cup of tea here are my techno/ambient compositions:

I hope you find the article below interesting…please visit chrisduggleby.com again.

Regular visitors to ChrisDuggleby.com will know that I write reviews about serious risk management subjects. I also sometimes report on subjects that I have discovered in the Alpine press which are of a slightly less serious nature (but non-the-less true). I was therefore delighted today to come across an occurrence in Germany which serves as both a lesson in marketing risk and also has an element of fun (I am on a personal crusade to dislodge the global misconception that Germany does not have a sense humour). Hence today’s article about the German Sustainable Condom Wars.

Two Condom suppliers to the German market, Einhorn (in English ‘Unicorn‘) and Fair Squared both claim that their products are ‘Fair Trade‘ and ‘Sustainable‘. In fact Einhorn even claims that its condoms are Vegan. Yes their marketing approach has a somewhat humorous taste whereas Fair Squared take the subject of natural rubber based contraceptive products more seriously. Until recently Einhorn claimed on its packet of 7 condoms that they were good for upto 21 orgasms (my rough translation of their slogan ‘1 Tüte à 7 Stück entspricht bis zu 21 Orgasmen‘).

In addition to getting upto three orgasms per condom and being Vegan products the Einhorn contraceptives also claimed to contain traces of fairy dust. For the weight conscious they also point out how many calories are consumed during sex. Of all of these items it was the number of orgasms per condom which attracted the Düsseldorf court’s attention.

Einhorn claimed that the number of orgasms per condom was not intended to mean that a man can get three orgasms out of each item. They were working on the basis that although the man would only be expected to get one orgasm it was quite likely that his partner would also get an orgasm and in fact it is not unheard of for a lady to get two orgasms during an appropriately passionate session. This was the derivation of ‘upto 3 orgasms’ – one for the bloke and upto two for the lady.

The competitor Fair Squared claimed that the 3 orgasm claim was both confusing and potentially dangerous. It might confuse consumers into thinking that the condom was reusable which could increase the danger of contracting sexually transmitted diseases and raise the risk of unwanted pregnancies. The Court concurred with this view and have banned Einhorn from claiming that a single condom corresponds to multiple orgasms.

Having just checked the Einhorn website (for research purposes of course) I noticed that they have now changed the ‘slogan’ of their multipack to ‘The Orgasm Pack – Well Known from its Court Room appearance‘ (another rough translation by yours truly from – ‘Das Orgasmus Paket – Bekannt aus dem Gerichtsaal‘). Clearly they take their product names very seriously having delightful sounding products like Foodporn LIMITED (bearing what looks like a picture of French fries on the packet!) and ‘Spermamonster‘. Their e-mail address also leaves something to be desired (sorry I can’t publish it because it uses words my mother doesn’t allow me to use).

For those interested the websites of the two sides in this war are embedded here under their names: Einhorn and Fair Trade. I do not endorse either product but you might be interested to compare the marketing approaches for their ‘sustainable’ condoms. For German visitors to my site (and there are many!) you can see a German report on this court case using the link here.

Make sure you carefully consider the potential of your marketing slogans for misinterpretation.

Chris Duggleby

Chris Duggleby started his scientific career studying Bacteriology, Virology and Immunology at the Manchester University Medical School. From there he went on to spend over 35 in the chemicals and oil industries which included setting up a polymers research and development group in Geneva, Switzerland for a major international chemicals company. Following an MBA from Warwick University he went on to lead a number of international manufacturing and marketing operations in the Chemicals, Plastics and Oil industries. His work involved living and working in Europe, Asia, the USA, the Middle East, and Russia. More recently he was invited to take on a senior leadership position in the Audit Department of the BP International Oil Group. Here he used his global change and risk management experience to help the group reshape its management structures and processes following a major environmental disaster in the Gulf of Mexico. He has now retired to focus on writing about risk management and producing music in his studios near London, in the Alps and Cape Town. If you are interested in risk management check out his RiskTuition.com or BizChangers.com (management of change) sites.

If you found this article interesting please consider taking a look at some of my other recent reports on similar subjects.

Just click on the titles below:

…starting with some fun reports…

21st June 2015: Bio-undies: Guilt free Passion with ‘Easy Emma’ and ‘Loose Harry’ and Getting Rid of Garden Snails with Rent-a-Duck

4th March 2015: Hamburg Reeperbahn (St. Pauli): Germans install walls that urinate on passers-by

19th April 2014: German Police Catch Hedgehogs Testing Home Made Crash Helmets in Saarbrücken

17th April 2014: Niche On-line Dating Services (Specialities: Herpes, Thrush and Genital Warts)

18th March 2014: Germany and Finland Joint Investigation: New Case of Sexual Cannibalism Including Self-mutilation (Castration) During Intercourse.

18th August 2012: How Bavarians and Austrians use their middle finger – Fingerhakeln: a men-only sport (did Arnold Schwarzenegger start training this way?).

…and here’s some more serious stuff…

25th October 2015: Health Risks: Food allergy prevention – Latest research ‘feed infants early with allergenic food‘

17th October 2015: Health Risk: Vitamin and antioxidant supplements help cancer cells become malignant – latest research from Texas

31st May 2015: German Concern about Potentially Carcinogenic Aromatic Hydrocarbons in Cosmetics  

11th May 2014: Product Development Risk: New Air Conditioning Coolant Gas Produces Carbonyl Difluoride (Highly Toxic – Related to WW1 Gas Phosgene) in Vehicle Fires

16th April 2014: Ethical Pricing: Same Drug – For Leukaemia 21 Euro(Now Withdrawn) – For Multiple Sclerosis 888 Euro

6th April 2014: Product Quality Risk: Shoes Sold On-line By Zalando Recalled Due To Chromium 6 Contamination – Known Allergen And Carcinogen

29th December 2012: Spreading diarrhea and vomit through the washing machine – The Norovirus propagator in our kitchen

You can also find some of my more humorous reports in the Alpine Press section of this site using the link here.

Advice on what to do about feeding potentially allergenic food to infants has in the past been variable with many parents simply avoiding to feed their babies with ‘suspect’ foodstuffs (the most common causes of food allergies are: cow’s milk, eggs, peanuts, tree nuts, soy, wheat, fish and shellfish). The latest research from the University of Manitoba, Winnipeg, contradicts this approach with the authors recommending that, in order to prevent allergies developing, infants should be introduced to a broad range of foodstuffs from the age of 4 months.

While you read the following article why not listen to my e-baroque compositions – just click on the box below:

or if techno music is more your cup of tea here are my techno/ambient compositions:

I hope you find the article below interesting…please visit chrisduggleby.com again.

I remember from my immunology studies many years ago in the Manchester University Medical School that if the human immune system was introduced to sufficient dosage of an allergen (something that causes an allergic reaction) very early in life the body may recognise that substance as ‘non-dangerous’. It becomes tolerant or desensitised. As a result later encounters with the same substance did not develop a full blown allergic reaction. The body’s response is quite different when, later in life, bacteria and viruses enter the body for the first time – these are normally recognised as dangerous and stimulate the white blood cells and antibodies to develop a proper defensive reaction. Vaccines can be used to prime the body against these harmful bugs thus accelerating and enhancing this full blown defensive response.

The immune system is complex and can sometimes provide researchers with unexpected results. For example in 1989 Erika von Mutius an epidemiologist at Munich University carried out asthma research by comparing residents in the former East German communist states with their counterparts in West Germany. Considering the amount of pollution in East Germany, the lower general levels of cleanliness (fewer vacuum cleaners!) and the tendency to offload infants as early as possible into State run kindergartens she expected to find a much higher rate of asthma and other similar allergic conditions like hay fever in the former communist states. In fact the opposite was true – the ‘clean’ West German States had much higher rates of asthma and hay fever. It looked as though the early exposure to ‘dirt’ in the east (like faeces from communist dust mites) was helping the infants to become desensitised and thereby prevent the allergic reactions that were more common in the west. Now living conditions in the east have improved guess what has happened to the allergy rates – perhaps vacuum cleaners cause allergies!

This week’s publication of research into food allergies from Canada appears to be following this trend of throwing out the previously assumed ‘wisdom’. In the past babies considered to be at a high risk of developing food allergies were recommended to avoid potentially allergenic foods until 12 to 36 months of age. The new research by Ellisa Abrams and Allan Becker, at the Department of Pediatric Allergy and Clinical Immunology in the University of Manitoba, contradicts this and indicates a much earlier exposure to these allergens is beneficial – starting as early as 4 to 6 months of age. They also concluded that: “Once highly allergenic foods are introduced, regular exposure is important for maintenance of tolerance — children should eat these foods on a regular basis.”

Their findings point to a recent randomized controlled trial known as the LEAP (Learning Early About Peanut) study. This concluded that giving peanuts early, rather than late, to children at high risk of peanut allergy reduced the incidence of the food allergy by 80%. Following on from this study the American Academy of Allergy Asthma and Immunology (AAAAI) now advises that high-risk infants should be introduced to peanuts between 4-11 months of age (subject to evaluation from their allergy specialist).

In addition some mothers previously avoided eating potential allergens during pregnancy and breast feeding. The new advice does not support this ‘avoidance’ diet approach. The American Academy of Allergy, Asthma and Immunology now recommends:

1. Introduce a new food every 3 to 5 days in an age-appropriate manner (e.g., prepared in such a way as to avoid the risk of choking).
2. Start with grains, yellow and orange vegetables and fruit.
3. Introduce one of the potentially allergenic foods, if well tolerated, in small amounts (e.g., cow’s milk, soy, eggs)
4. Introduce highly allergenic foods at home.
5. Increase the quantity of food over several days.

Drs. Abrams and Becker explained: 
”If parents ask how to prevent allergy in their children, our current advice is to introduce the allergenic foods at 4-6 months of age. Once highly allergenic foods are introduced, regular exposure is important for maintenance of tolerance – children should eat these foods on a regular basis.” In other words if the child appears not to initially like the new food you should persevere – it can take a while for the child to become accustomed to the new taste. In other words the desensitisation of the immune system requires a sufficient, sustained dosage of the allergen for the allergy ‘prevention’ to become effective.

As with all medical developments it is important to always have the most recent and comprehensive research before making important decisions. Sadly there has been quite an industry that has been built up by exploiting the fears of parents for their children’s well being. For example the marketing of IgG tests which ‘identify everything your child is allergic to‘ feeds on this fear. These tests identify immunoglobulins (Ig or antibodies) that the body has developed simply in response to contact with a substance – it does not mean that these substances will actually cause a full blown hypersensitivity or anaphylactic reaction. Sadly some parents take these results as being a ‘don’t eat under any circumstances’ list. Based on this latest research they could be doing their children more harm than good.

In an attempt to present dangerous allergic reaction risks in context Robert Boyle at Imperial College recently provided some statistics in the scientific journal Clinical and Experimental Allergy. The incidence of fatal food anaphylaxis in people with food allergies is 1.81 deaths per million (rising to 3.25 in children). This is about one tenth of the risk in the general population of accidental death (if you would like to see more of Dr Boyle’s statistics please visit the link here). The original article by Drs. Abrams and Becker can be found here.

If you would like to read another report I have prepared on skin allergies why not take a look at the following (apologies for the gruesome ‘human guinea pig’ pictures of yours truly):

Poison in your Washing Machine: Allergic Contact Dermatitis from Laundry Detergents, Softeners, Conditioners and Whiteners

In addition if you are interested in recent research into how multivitamins and antioxidants may be helping cancers to become malignant the following may be worth a read:

Health Risk: Vitamin and antioxidant supplements help cancer cells become malignant – latest research from Texas

Stay healthy!

Chris Duggleby

As with all medical issues you should always consult with your family’s medical practitioner if you have any concerns about potential allergy problems.

Chris Duggleby started his scientific career studying Bacteriology, Virology and Immunology at the Manchester University Medical School. From there he went on to spend over 35 in the chemicals and oil industries which included setting up a polymers research and development group in Geneva, Switzerland for a major international chemicals company. Following an MBA from Warwick University he went on to lead a number of international manufacturing and marketing operations in the Chemicals, Plastics and Oil industries. His work involved living and working in Europe, Asia, the USA, the Middle East, and Russia. More recently he was invited to take on a senior leadership position in the Audit Department of the BP International Oil Group. Here he used his global change and risk management experience to help the group reshape its management structures and processes following a major environmental disaster in the Gulf of Mexico. He has now retired to focus on writing about risk management and producing music in his studios near London, in the Alps and Cape Town. If you are interested in risk management check out his RiskTuition.com or BizChangers.com (management of change) sites.

If you found this article interesting please consider taking a look at some of my other recent reports on similar subjects.

Just click on the titles below:

17th October 2015: Health Risk: Vitamin and antioxidant supplements help cancer cells become malignant – latest research from Texas

31st May 2015: German Concern about Potentially Carcinogenic Aromatic Hydrocarbons in Cosmetics  

11th May 2014: Product Development Risk: New Air Conditioning Coolant Gas Produces Carbonyl Difluoride (Highly Toxic – Related to WW1 Gas Phosgene) in Vehicle Fires

16th April 2014: Ethical Pricing: Same Drug – For Leukaemia 21 Euro(Now Withdrawn) – For Multiple Sclerosis 888 Euro

6th April 2014: Product Quality Risk: Shoes Sold On-line By Zalando Recalled Due To Chromium 6 Contamination – Known Allergen And Carcinogen

29th December 2012: Spreading diarrhea and vomit through the washing machine – The Norovirus propagator in our kitchen

21st June 2015: Bio-undies: Guilt free Passion with ‘Easy Emma’ and ‘Loose Harry’ and Getting Rid of Garden Snails with Rent-a-Duck

You can also find some of my more humorous reports in the Alpine Press section of this site using the link here.

Many people take vitamin or antioxidant supplements in the hope that these will improve their chances of surviving cancer. Early research with regard to the benefits of such dietary supplements were at best mixed. There is now growing scientific evidence that such supplements, rather than helping us to fight cancer, actually benefit the cancer cells’ ability to successfully metastasise and thereby become malignant.

While you read why not listen to my album ‘Electro Baroque‘ (all tracks are also available on iTunes using the link here)? Classical music using modern instruments:

or if you prefer to listen to my electro/techno album ‘Studio Valiumm‘ here are the videos (also on iTunes using the link here):

More info about my music is at the dedicated website www.TRANSFORMATES.com

Research published this week in the respected scientific journal Nature describes how the condition of ‘oxidative stress‘ prevents cancer cells from metastasising. This is the condition where they break off from the original tumour and move to other parts of the body to cause new tumorous growths – in other words the cancer becomes malignant. This oxidative stress can be overcome through the application of antioxidants like those used in body-building and vitamin supplements.

This research therefore strongly reinforces the view that antioxidant and vitamin supplements can actually promote the development of malignant tumours. Until now such supplements have actually been prescribed to cancer patients in the belief that they can help the body in its defence against cancer. If these research results are confirmed physicians will need to reassess the use of such supplements in the therapy of cancer and other diseases like HIV. Likewise the everyday use of vitamin and antioxidant supplements by millions of people in the hope that they improve health may be wrong. For those of us already benefiting from a normal healthy diet such supplements may actually be doing more harm than good.

As with all health related research it is important to duplicate the results and ensure they are applicable in all relevant circumstances. However the team around Sean Morrison, director of the Children’s Medical Center Research Institute at University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center, is well respected. He explained “The idea that antioxidants are good for you has been so strong that there have been clinical trials done in which cancer patients were administered antioxidants….. Some of those trials had to be stopped because the patients getting the antioxidants were dying faster. Our data suggest the reason for this: cancer cells benefit more from antioxidants than normal cells do.”

The studies were conducted in specialized mice that had been transplanted with melanoma (skin cancer) cells from patients. Earlier studies have shown that the metastasis of melanoma cells in these mice is predictive of their metastasis in human patients. Metastasis, the process by which cancer cells spread from their initial site to other regions in the body, leads to the death of most cancer patients. Sean Morrison’s team found that when antioxidants were administered to the mice, the cancer spread more quickly than in mice that did not get antioxidants.

The Texas research now needs to be tested in people, however the team has already suggested that cancer should be treated with additives that promote oxidation (pro-oxidants rather than antioxidants) and that cancer patients should refrain from supplementing their diet with large doses of antioxidants (more details available in the original article in Nature using the link here).

Clearly more research needs to be carried out in this area but this is not the first time that the benefits of supplements have been questioned. In 2012 E.E. Martinez and co-workers at Vanderbilt University performing large-scale cancer prevention trials with Selenium (antioxidant) and Vitamin E showed that the antioxidants failed to prevent, and in some cases promoted, prostate cancer formation in men without a history of the disease (more details in their original publication here).

Similarly in 2014 Martin Bergo and coworkers published research results showing that antioxidants (Vitamin E and N-acetycysteine) accelerated lung cancer in mice. Using doses similar to those found in human multivitamin pills they found that those mice that had ingested the antioxidants developed tumours that were three times bigger than control mice and they died twice as fast (more details of this Gothenburg University Team’s research in their original publication here).

Clearly these findings will not be greeted enthusiastically by those drugs companies that have been encouraging millions of customers to prophylactically take multivitamin and antioxidant suppliments. However, as the body of scientific evidence builds, the future of such supplements may be questionable. One thing however has not changed by this research – a balanced diet including all the natural vitamins and elements provided by unprocessed natural foods is still best health option on offer (and take it from me – it can be cheap!).

Chris Duggleby.

Chris Duggleby started his scientific career studying Bacteriology, Virology and Immunology at the Manchester University Medical School. From there he went on to spend over 35 in the chemicals and oil industries which included setting up a polymers research and development group in Geneva, Switzerland for a major international chemicals company. Following an MBA from Warwick University he went on to lead a number of international manufacturing and marketing operations in the Chemicals, Plastics and Oil industries. His work involved living and working in Europe, Asia, the USA, the Middle East, and Russia. More recently he was invited to take on a senior leadership position in the Audit Department of the BP International Oil Group. Here he used his global change and risk management experience to help the group reshape its management structures and processes following a major environmental disaster in the Gulf of Mexico. He has now retired to focus on writing about risk management and producing music in his studios near London, in the Alps and Cape Town. If you are interested in risk management check out his RiskTuition.com or BizChangers.com (management of change) sites.

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My recent album ‘Baroque Transformation‘ is now available to download (iTunes link is here). You can find out more from Transformates.com (link here). To hear the tracks/see the videos here’s my YouTube Electro Baroque playlist:

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If you found this article interesting please consider taking a look at some of my other recent reports on similar subjects.

Just click on the titles below:

26th July 2015: Poison in your Washing Machine: Allergic Contact Dermatitis from Laundry Detergents, Softeners, Conditioners and Whiteners

31st May 2015: German Concern about Potentially Carcinogenic Aromatic Hydrocarbons in Cosmetics  

11th May 2014: Product Development Risk: New Air Conditioning Coolant Gas Produces Carbonyl Difluoride (Highly Toxic – Related to WW1 Gas Phosgene) in Vehicle Fires

16th April 2014: Ethical Pricing: Same Drug – For Leukaemia 21 Euro(Now Withdrawn) – For Multiple Sclerosis 888 Euro

6th April 2014: Product Quality Risk: Shoes Sold On-line By Zalando Recalled Due To Chromium 6 Contamination – Known Allergen And Carcinogen

29th December 2012: Spreading diarrhea and vomit through the washing machine – The Norovirus propagator in our kitchen

21st June 2015: Bio-undies: Guilt free Passion with ‘Easy Emma’ and ‘Loose Harry’and Getting Rid of Garden Snails with Rent-a-Duck

You can also find some of my more humorous reports in the Alpine Press section of this site using the link here.

Now prepare for an uplifting experience! 

While you read the following article why not listen to my e-baroque compositions – just click on the box below:

or if techno music is more your cup of tea here are my techno/ambient compositions:

I hope you find the article below interesting…please visit chrisduggleby.com again.

When I awoke this morning just before 4:00 a.m. my initial thought was that I had overdone it the previous evening while sampling my €1.99 bottle of red wine from the local supermarket. The bedroom had an unusual red glow. As I did not have a headache my second thought was that I had stumbled across a friendly lady’s parlour in the local red light district.

However, here in Germany, ladies of the night do not usually do business with gentlemen who only pay under 2 euros for a bottle of 2014 Australian Shiraz Cabernet from Penny Markt. (If you don’t believe me here are some of their other cheapo vino specials – I am angling after further discounts for the free advertising!!!).

The reason for the red glow in my bedroom was this morning’s full moon:

Just in case you slept through this rather early event – or perhaps you had a cloudy sky this morning – I managed to capture some photos of this unique event. The red colour of the moon was caused by an unusual eclipse in which the Earth sticks itself between the sun and the moon. By doing so the earth stops any direct sunlight getting from the sun to the moon so the only light which gets to its surface is made up of rays which are bent by the earth’s atmosphere. As a result the moon gets much darker and appears a deep red colour (yes a bit like a bottle of Shiraz!).

The effect which causes this colouration of the moon is the same as that which sometimes creates beautiful red sunsets (and sunrises). Again this is due to our eyes receiving more light from the red end of the spectrum as the main source of light disappears over our horizon. Just before the moon becomes fully dark one side shows a crescent of light as in the photo below:

Here is a slightly larger picture as the moon gradually became darker:

This is the point where a professional photographer would have used a tripod to try and avoid his rather shaky hands (no it had nothing to do with the wine – it was rather cold despite wearing my thermal onesie). Here is a picture as the moon became fully bathed in diffused red light – taken with your’s truly trying to steady his hand on the balcony wall.

Here is a larger picture of the moon totally illuminated by the red rays coming from multiple sunsets and sunrises around the Earth’s surface:

Regular visitors to this site will know I have a bit of a fetish about full moons (another reason why the ladies in the red light district prefer to keep their distance!). You may remember a couple of months ago when I presented a photo of the ‘blue’ moon taken from the kitchen window next to my Bavarian recording studio:

Here is a closer version of the blue moon which was taken on the evening of 31st July 2015 (You can see more blue moon pics in the blog here):

Knowing I have a weakness for the moon you will probably not be surprised to hear that I have used this heavenly body on the cover of my new album ‘Baroque Transformation’ which this week became available in iTunes (more stores to follow soon). The iTunes link is here. Below is the cover I finally decided on:

It probably will not surprise you that someone who pays less than €2 for a bottle of wine has a picture on his album cover which was taken from his own kitchen window (yes I am from Yorkshire and no we don’t like spending money). However I like the photo and whenever I raid the fridge for a supply of dark chocolate I am reminded of the album. Here are the 12 tracks:

1. Four Seasons – Summer Concerto (part 3) by Antonio Vivaldi
2. Toccata and Fugue by Johann Sebastian Bach
3. Miserere Mei Deus by Gregorio Allegri
4. What Power Art Thou from Henry Purcell‘s King Arthur
5. My Lord Willoughby’s Welcome Home by John Dowland
6. Hallelujah Chorus from George Frideric Handel‘s Messiah
7. Air on a G string by Johann Sebastian Bach
8. Fac Ut Ardeat from Giovanni Battista Pergolesi‘s Stabat Mater
9. Eja Mater from Antonio Vivaldi‘s Stabat Mater
10. Brandenburg Concerto Nr 2 by Johann Sebastian Bach
11. The Canon by Johann Pachelbel
12. The Baroque Anthem by Chris Duggleby

In addition to sampling them on the iTunes sampler you can also see the videos which I have uploaded to my YouTube ‘Electro Baroque’ playlist – just click on the arrow below:

More info about my musical activities can be found on the website of the TRANSFORMATES 變 Music Project using the link here.

So I think that is enough ‘moonlighting’ for today. Let me leave you with one last picture of this morning’s blood-red moon before I finish. Have a great week.

Chris Duggleby

A Lithuanian family travelling in their campervan along the Autobahn A8 through Bavaria got a very unpleasant surprise when they stopped overnight in one of the roadside parking areas. They were literally gassed as they slept and robbed while they were all unconscious. This happened in July 2015. This week there was a similar occurrence at the same spot and below I review some other incidents of campers being robbed and gassed in Germany.

The Lithuanian family were travelling through Germany on their way to Austria in a hired campervan. Their party consisted of a 65 year old man, his 55 year old wife, their son of 32 and his girlfriend, 28. They arrived at the autobahn service station at Hofoldinger Forst in the evening and went to bed in their camper at around 11:00 p.m. It was a very warm night and they left the small window open above the door of the driver cabin for ventilation.

At about 5:00 in the morning one of them awoke and noticed that the passenger door had been broken into and all their travel bags had been searched. Two mobile phones, a tablet computer and 500 Euros in cash were missing so they informed the police. When they first awoke the travellers suffered from bad headaches, sore throats, dizziness and facial swellings. The police took urine samples for a toxicological tests because they suspected the family had been drugged.

Experts considered that it would be very difficult to totally fill a camper with gas – the volume needed would be of the order of 33 kilograms – quite a lot of gas bottles. Technically this would be quite a challenge. The German motoring agency ADAC suggested at the time that perhaps someone quietly broke into the vehicle and then sprayed anaesthetic directly into the faces of the sleepers (speculation on their part).

At the same location on the evening of Saturday 29th August 2015 two more travellers, this time a German couple from Essen, were also robbed while they slept in their Campervan. Once again police suspect an anaesthetic was introduced into the vehicle after they couple went to bed (23:30). They woke 6 hours later feeling sick and found that several hundred euros, jewellery and a mobile phone were missing. On the driver’s door, just below the lock, they noticed a small hole.

Police presume that the anaesthetics used are highly volatile and therefore would be difficult to detect either in the air of the camper or in the blood of the victims following the event.

Having two almost identical events occurring in the same spot in Bavaria I decided to do a quick check on other parts of Germany and found that there were reports of similar occurrences this year on the autobahns around Hamburg (A24) and Berlin (A10 ring). In the last couple of months in the Northern region of Germany there were about 12 reported thefts from campervans (involving phones, computers and money). In three of these cases the police are checking whether an anaesthetic gas might have been used – the victims all complained of being sick on the mornings following the thefts. As in Bavaria traces of the actual gas used could not be identified.

Three suspicious characters were observed by police checking out several parked caravans and campervans at the service station at Fretzdorf (Osprignitz-Ruppin). As they approached three of the vehicles these suspicious characters were arrested and in their apartment the police found mobile phones and some equipment which might have been involved in a robbery. These investigations are ongoing.

The police are warning travellers not to camp in roadside or isolated parking areas and to pay for proper camping sites. Some experts have also recommended the installation of gas alarms. For German speaking visitors to ChrisDuggleby.com you can find original articles on these crimes using the links here, here and here.

Happy Camping!

Chris Duggleby

If you are interested in reading my other health focused articles try the following

Torture In The Shower – Face and Body Soap Allergies – Main Suspect: Pears Transparent Soap

Poison in your Washing Machine: Allergic Contact Dermatitis from Laundry Detergents, Softeners, Conditioners and Whiteners

Is Alzheimer’s caused by the Gum Disease Bacterium P. Gingivalis – A Dementia Prevention/Treatment Breakthrough?

Toxic Chemicals in Sex Toys – 18 Vibrators, Cock Rings, Love Balls Tested – Only 3 Get All Clear

My T-shirt Made Me Sick – Textile Allergies – Sinusitis From Your Underwear