Happy Birthday: Sir Alfred Charles Bernard Lovell OBE FRS (31 August 1913 – 6 August 2012) was an English physicist and radio astronomer. He was the first director of Jodrell Bank Observatory, from 1945 to 1980. 

[I went to Jodrell Bank radio-telescope - pictured below - on a school trip. AMAZING!]

Just Finished re-Reading: The Valley of Fear by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle (FP: 1914) [192pp] 

Holmes was already too late. The heinous deed he suspected was about the happen had already done so. Inspector Alec MacDonald of Scotland Yard had brought the news and requested Holme’s help in unravelling the mystery. In his country estate a man lay dead in his drawing room. There is no sign of a forced entry, the house is locked up and is even protected by a drawbridge. How then did the murderer gain access and, more importantly, how did he escape? It wasn’t just a locked room mystery; it was a locked house mystery. The police are at a loss and at first Holmes is equally bemused. Something is missing, something in plain sight. Is everything as it appears? Little things, the bloodstain, the cut bell-rope, the abandoned bicycle, just don’t fit the narrative the police have created for themselves. But if Holmes can make them fit maybe he can point to the real reason a man is dead and exactly who he was... 

This is ACD’s last Holmes novel (with the next, and last, book in the series being the usual collection of short stories) and is, I think, the worst of the bunch – although I might be being a little harsh here due to an understandable disappointment. I did actually enjoy the mystery and the very clever way it was solved. I was especially intrigued by the mention of Professor Moriarty on the SECOND page and thought/hoped that we would learn more about Holmes’ mortal enemy/alter-ego. But nothing further was revealed over and above what we already knew about him being ‘the Napoleon of Crime’. Colour me disappointed! But what I found that disappointed me even more was the diversion away from Holmes, crime and the English countryside for a lengthy backstory/flashback to the gold fields and mining towns of the USA. This wasn’t just a few pages, or even a few chapters but 94 pages – practically half the book – then rounded out with 3 pages of epilogue! Now I freely admit that this diversion wasn’t badly told and was even quite dramatic at times BUT I couldn’t help but feel that I was a little mislead in assuming that this was a Sherlock Holmes novel and not a Holmes novella plus a western one. It did feel at times that ACD had simply lost interest in Holmes and wanted to write about something else. Weirdly, although ACD has done this kind of thing before – though usually on a MUCH smaller scale – I have zero memory of any of these side-stories. I’m guessing that either I blanked them out as being ‘not my thing’ or that they were completely overshadowed by the Holmes narrative that I was expecting and looking forward to. 

Despite the fact that neither novella (I can’t honestly call this a single book) was poor in itself – indeed the Holmes mystery part was very good – I can’t say that I greatly enjoyed this outing. The side-story was WAY too big and didn’t add much to the ‘main’ narrative and could have easily been compressed into 10 pages or less. I am, however, still looking forward to the last book in the set which will be reviewed at the end of October. After that I’ll be moving onto Holmes adjacent literature. There’s LOTS of it out there – and some of it is VERY out there! Reasonable. 

It's like when my dental hygienist recommended that I stop drinking Coke/Pepsi. I told her that I'd been drinking it for almost 60 years, so I wasn't going to stop now.... 

Just Finished Reading: King Solomon’s Mines by H Rider Haggard (FP: 1885) [256pp] 

As a hunter, Allan Quatermain had no intention of going off on a fool's chase looking for hidden treasure. Even the old map he had held for years didn’t convince him otherwise. But returning home by steamer he chanced upon Sir Henry Curtis and his companion Captain John Good who were searching for Sir Henry’s younger, wilder, brother. Said brother had decided to do what Allan had not – to look for treasure in the vast expanse of southern Africa and make a name for himself by finding the fabled diamond mine of King Solomon himself. Persuaded to take the role of guide by Sir Henry, Allan still dismissed the existence of the mine but was willing to seek the fool who was chancing his life on the belief. It was going to be quite the adventure. Allan was certain on that point. Whether anyone would know of their fate, if they died in the desert, died on the mountain or died to wild animals he was less certain. If they came back at all they would not come back rich, unless the legend was true, unless the mines did in fact exist... 

I’ve had this book on my shelves for decades probably after seeing one of the numerous movie adaptations. Rather strangely, I thought, my copy describes it as a ‘Children’s Classic’. That’s not something I would’ve pegged it as! The text surprised me in another way – in the fact that such a well-known Imperial adventure novel could be more than a little dull. Despite the fact of evident hardship, threat and drama I didn’t feel a great deal of tension at any point. Part of that, I think, is that the adventure was essentially told in ‘flashback’ as a book written by Allan to his son in England. So, whatever was happening, we knew for certain that Allan himself would survive. Although it was somewhat less certain that either Sir Henry or Captain Good would likewise make it out, I thought the odds pretty good that they’d do so. 

The overall story was pretty well told and I can see why it must have thrilled at the time of publication and for decades afterwards. Being the type of story it was and the time period it was written in there is a significant degree of unthinking casual racism that some readers might find offensive – but to be honest such things come with the territory and should simply be noted. There was one incident in particular when the Zulu companion spoke to Sir Henry ‘as an equal’ which made Allan VERY annoyed (despite the Zulu in question essentially being a prince among his own people). But there are other significant passages were the Zulu(ish) warriors in particular are greatly praised for their bravery and fighting ability. The author had obviously done some research and I was impressed by his obvious knowledge of Zulu fighting techniques and tactics. The disastrous battle of Isandlwana had taken place 6 years prior to publication with the last stand at Rorke's Drift shortly afterwards. So, the author at the very least read about Zulu fighting styles in the papers of the day. 

Despite the problems I had with the book – both expected and not – I haven’t been put off reading more from the author. I am a fan of British Imperial fiction, both modern and classic, and have already acquired the trilogy surrounding the enigmatic character known as ‘She’. I think that should be a fun Fantasy read. This was definitely worthy of the title ‘Classic’ so I thought it was worth the read. Reasonable with the usual caveats for this sort of thing. The oldest book of the year so far. 

The Last 10 Movies – August 2024 edition. 

Both my friends and I used to be HUGE movie goers. Not going to the movies was a much rarer event than actually going. It seemed like we went every week – although we didn’t go THAT often! - but it was unusual that more than a few weeks went by without someone asking if we were going to see X, Y or (pushing the boat out) Z. We’d see action flics, sub-titled movies, Sci-Fi, Historical, Fantasy... Just about everything... And then we didn’t. Months went by and nothing (or at least not much that interested more than one or two of us). Then came Covid and EVERYTHING stopped... and we didn’t go back – at least not that often. Now it’s become pretty standard that two or three of us might see three or four movies a year at the Multiplex.  

I think part of that is that we’re all just getting old and ‘modern’ movies aren’t really made for our generation. Part is because of the domination of things like Marvel (I lost interest in Superhero movies LONG ago), sequels, re-boots, live-action versions and remakes. BORING. Originality seemed to have died. This was thrown into greater contrast when they showed ‘classic movies’ from 20, 30 and longer years ago. We saw 2001, Alien, Die Hard (at Christmas of course!), the Original Bladerunner, even Escape From New York and the cinema was PACKED. That was FUN. These days the few movies I am watching are either from Amazon Prime or BBC iPlayer. So, inspired by Stephen’s movie postings over at Reading Freely, here’s my list of the last 10 movies I’ve been watching. 

Robocop (1987) 

A cyborg cop in Old Detroit. Still watchable after all these years. Iconic SF and very much of its time. 

Robocop 2 (1990) 

The cyborg cop returns to fight drugs and evil corporations. The inevitable cash-in sequel. Still more than watchable but with some very dodgy model FX. 

The Cannonball Run (1981) 

A race across America to smash the blanket 55mph limit. Had its moments but has not aged well, at all! 

Wargames (1983) 

Teen hacker almost causes WW3. Very dated but still lots of fun. 

The Terminator (1984) 

An unstoppable robot from the future sent back to kill a waitress and destroy humanity. Another iconic movie that (mostly) stands the test of time. 

The Final Countdown (1980) 

USS Nimitz travels back to 1941 and intervenes in the Pearl Harbor attack. A fun if silly film with some really good moments. Lacked substance though. 

Outlander (2008) 

Spaceman crashes to Earth in 8th century Norway and fights an alien creature that escapes from his ship giving rise to the legend of Beowulf. A great smash-up of genres. Not exactly high art but LOTS of silly fun. 

Infinite (2021) 

A reincarnated human who wants to get off the cycle of life and death aims to kill the world to stop it. Other reincarnates aim to stop HIM. Interesting idea (kind of) but a terrible film. 

Hannah (2011) 

Teen super-agent returns to civilisation after a life of hiding from the CIA. Much carnage ensues. Reasonable if with more than a little low-budget vibe about it. 

Dial M for Murder (1954) 

Alfred Hitchcock classic. Although I’ve seen it multiple times this is still a delight to watch. VERY clever plotting. 

At the speed I’m watching movies these days it might be a while before I post my next 10. Although I am two down with another partially watched, so maybe it won’t be TOO long. I guess we’ll see. 

Happy Birthday: Jean-Michel André Jarre (born 24 August 1948) is a French composer, performer and record producer. He is a pioneer in the electronic, ambient and new-age genres, and is known for organising outdoor spectacles featuring his music, accompanied by vast laser displays, large projections and fireworks.

Jarre was raised in Lyon by his mother and grandparents and trained on the piano. From an early age, he was introduced to a variety of art forms, including street performers, jazz musicians and the artist Pierre Soulages; but his musical style was perhaps most heavily influenced by Pierre Schaeffer, a pioneer of musique concrète at the Groupe de Recherches Musicales.

His first mainstream success was the 1976 album Oxygène. Recorded in a makeshift studio at his home, the album sold an estimated 18 million copies. Oxygène was followed in 1978 by Équinoxe, and in 1979, Jarre performed to a record-breaking audience of more than a million people at the Place de la Concorde, a record he has since broken three times. More albums were to follow, but his 1979 concert served as a blueprint for his future performances around the world. Several of his albums have been released to coincide with large-scale outdoor events.

Or, you could just work your contracted hours - the ones you're being PAID for - and once you've done them get up from your desk and walk out with a spring in your step and a song in your heart.... Why work at something when you're not getting paid? Why feel GUILT for leaving once they stop paying you? Are you an employee or a serf...? or a slave....? If people stopped working for free, maybe their companies would pay them overtime - if they *wanted* it... 

Just Finished Reading: Islands of Abandonment – Life in the Post-Human Landscape by Cal Flyn (FP: 2021) [330pp] 

What happens when people leave, when they abandon a place never to return? With abandoned industrial sites, ex-war zones, urban retreat, industrial accidents and much else in mind the author of this intriguing and honestly beautifully written book tries her best to answer that question. 

As we’ve seen before with the emergence of volcanic islands it doesn’t take long before seeds arrive, insects drop out of the sky and nature begins a long and sometimes arduous process of reabsorption. Exactly the same process takes place in environments abandoned, for a whole host of reasons, by humans. Industrial sites – once a veritable hive of activity – can close almost overnight after a much sought after substance is exhausted. Leaving behind infrastructure too expensive to remove, to say nothing of potentially toxic waste areas, nature can take its time coming back. Lichens and plants hardened to extreme conditions arrive first and it isn’t long before other plants, insects and animals arrive. Even in highly toxic environments like around the Chernobyl site nature finds a way.  

Somewhat less toxic, at least in the physical, chemical, sense are areas abandoned after or because of conflict. One such is the zone created between Greek and Turkish occupied Cyprus. Sometimes only a few metres apart, in other places the ‘dead’ zone can be a kilometre or more deep. Fenced off and compete with warning signs this has prevented (most) human occupation since the shooting stopped. With broken windows, open doors and collapsing roofs the area is, slowly, taking on a surreal and other worldly appearance. The city of Detroit has this in spades. Known simply as ‘the Blight’ (a Sci-Fi post-apocalypse phrase if I’ve ever heard one) it is caused by rapid depopulation and the inability of local authorities to ‘pull back’ gracefully from earlier urban expansionism. Whole blocks, as well as the odd house or three, have been abandoned to time and the elements to decay on their own, on natures, schedule. 

One of the most interesting places the author visited, and one I need to find out much more about, is the Zone Rouge around the city of Verdun. When the Great War ended, it was decided to leave much of the devastation to its own devices. SO much explosive had been used and the ground was SO contaminated that it was swiftly agreed that the expense of reclamation wasn’t worth the cost whilst other farming areas could, at least theoretically, recover. It took a long time for nature to come back in this zone and there are still some areas – described in a spooky almost horrific manner – where nothing can live, not even the most extreme of the extremophiles. These ‘dead zones’ are truly awe inspiring for all of the wrong reasons. 

As usual, I picked up this volume because it ‘looked interesting’. I was most definitely not disappointed. Not only does the author write in a beautiful manner (I can’t really describe it otherwise), she’s also brave enough to travel to some of these zones – a few of which would definitely give me second or indeed third thoughts! - and report back what she saw. On top of this there’s a lot of discussion of what exactly we’re doing to our planet, our effects on nature and other life forms, our effect on the climate and how it's going to (inevitably) bite us in the ass and much else besides. She has some interesting guides to some of the zones – the ones she doesn’t ‘invade’ on her own (without official permission) - with their own stories of retreat, decay and regrowth. It is, as you might imagine, a fascinating subject especially when we consider both climate-based mass-migration and the abandonment of areas in the future due to population decline. One particular interesting thing was the fact that SO much agricultural land has been abandoned over the last 50 years that regrowth has actually made a significant impact on the levels of CO2 in the atmosphere thereby slowing down Global Warming. I’ll definitely be picking up her previous book – a completely different topic: tracing her family history back to the original colonisation of Australia. Highly recommended and one of the highlights of the year.   

Just Finished Reading: On The Road by Jack Kerouac (FP: 1957) [281pp] 

Sal Paradise is looking for adventure, escape and material for a book. What better, he thought, to travel across the country and visit friends in New Orleans, San Francisco and Los Angeles? Borrowing $50 with the promise to pay it back once he got a job, he sets off by bus to see friends, the world and have fun. Almost immediately things go wrong, he hasn’t really thought out his route, he certainly doesn’t have enough money for the whole trip and he finds himself drenched in a sudden downpour. Now hitching, he finds himself almost back where he started before setting out again. THIS time he’d have an adventure, THIS time it would work, THIS time he’d have fun along the way. In the weeks that followed, before the promised return to college, he’d travel across the country more than once, meet up with old friends, make some new ones, meet women, get VERY drunk, watch live music the like of which he’d never heard before and meet the much talked about Dean Moriarty who would change his life forever. It was going to be quite a ride... 

I’d heard about this book decades before I actually picked up a copy. It’s kind of hard to avoid especially if you have hung around students as long as I have. One of my university friends RAVED about this book and I would be surprised if it had helped to define who he was. I’m not sure if it actually created his wanderlust or just fed it enough to create his seemingly permanent itchy feet (although I understand you can get some powder for that). After reading it I can understand both why this is an American classic and the fact that it must have launched a thousand (at least!) road-trips across the US. The structure is pretty simple – a bunch of young guys, although sometimes with girls in tow, travelling around getting drunk, getting high and getting laid. That’s not all but that’s the foundation of the book. What takes it above the mundane and makes it the classic that it deserves to be is a mixture of characterisation and conversation. Sal is pretty much the ‘everyman’ and it's his eyes we see things through. Moriarty is his opposite, almost his ‘evil’ twin. Moriarty is impulsive, hedonistic, irresponsible and frankly dangerous at times. I might even class him as a sociopath – he certainly doesn’t care for those around him and, more often than not, uses people for entertainment and as resources to supply him with drink, drugs, sex and distraction. He has no real direction except for following the siren sound of whatever seems to be ‘fun’ (for him) at that particular moment. He was NOT a very nice character at all – although few of the other characters saw him as such (with the interesting exception of some of the women in the group). 

Overall, I’m glad I read this. Although I can’t say that I loved it, or indeed enjoyed it a great deal, I did find it to be an interesting slice of ‘Beat’ culture and I can certainly understand why it became such a staple of the following 60’s Counter-culture. If you’re looking for an insight into America of that period this is worth a read. 

Happy Birthday: Belinda Jo Carlisle (born August 17, 1958) is an American singer and songwriter. She gained fame as the lead vocalist of the Go-Go's, the most successful all-female rock band of all time, and went on to have a prolific career as a solo artist.

Raised in Southern California, Carlisle became the lead vocalist of the Go-Go's after the band's formation in 1978. With their chart-topping debut studio album Beauty and the Beat in 1981, the group helped popularize new wave music in the United States. The Go-Go's were the first (and to date only) all-female band in history who wrote their own songs and played their own instruments to achieve a No. 1 album. The Go-Go's have sold over seven million records worldwide.

After the break-up of the Go-Go's in 1985, Carlisle went on to have a successful solo career with radio hits such as "Mad About You", "I Get Weak", "Circle in the Sand", "Leave a Light On", and "Heaven Is a Place on Earth". The Go-Go's reformed in 1999, and Carlisle performed with them until their disbandment in 2022, while also maintaining her solo career.

Carlisle's autobiography, Lips Unsealed, published in June 2010, was a New York Times Best Seller and received favorable reviews. In 2011, Carlisle, as a member of the Go-Go's, received a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame. She and the band were inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 2021, and the California Hall of Fame in 2024.

[I was lucky enough to see Belinda in concert some years ago. She was AMAZING. One of the best concerts I've been too. She was a huge part of my 90's music listening.]

Just Finished Reading: Off the Map – Lost Spaces, Invisible Cities, Forgotten Islands, Feral Places and What They Tell Us About the World by Alastair Bonnett (FP: 2014) [300pp] 

It is easy to think that, with Google Maps, Street View, surveillance satellites whizzing over our heads and the ever-present buzzing of drones, everywhere has been mapped, catalogued and categorised and that mystery, the unknown and the delightfully naive ‘here be dragons’ motif no longer exists. I have, mostly, believed this to be true although my faith in the modern surveillance society is shaken whenever people, ships or aircraft ‘go missing’ never to be seen again – but cities, islands, borders? Surely such things are real, physical, stationary... Apparently not. 

I picked up this book years ago on a whim (I know, not like ME at all) and it’s been sitting in a pile of random books waiting to be read. As I’ve also picked up a few more books in similar vein (more later) I thought it was about time to take several journeys to points unknown. I think the first thing that struck me about this delightful narrative is the authors ability to find the odd and the overlooked in the everyday and the ordinary, those places that we walk past every day and ignore so much that they effectively become invisible – that patch of grass (usually with a tree or two) just sitting there, disconnected and often difficult to get to, separated by a busy road or fenced off. Lost spaces. They do give off an ‘Urban Fantasy’ vibe, as if they are half-hidden doorways to other realms that hide in plain sight. I’m sure that they’re everywhere if you open your eyes and see them. Not TOO sure about the exploring bit though. I’d take a well packed bag and a change of clothes, just in case! 

Then there are underground installations, bunkers and indeed whole cities (both modern and ancient) that don’t show up on any map but sit there as if waiting for their occupants to arrive and bring them back from the brink. There are islands that appear almost overnight – often through volcanic action – hang around for a while, for weeks, months, sometimes years and they vanish again after a storm or earthquake. One of the most interesting things I discovered here was that not all borders are, well, borders. Some are fractured for weird historical reasons and you might cross them multiple times within the space of a mile or two without even realising it. Then you have national enclaves within another country – with another enclave inside it. It gives a whole other meaning to ‘border dispute’. Then there is territory that exists outside of any national jurisdiction – not just international airspace, or vast ocean areas outside national limits but also Freeports (often at airports) where nation states have no hold and VAST amounts of wealth accumulate in paintings, other works of art, designer cars and much else. My personal favourite is the micro-nation (like Sealand – about which more later) where individuals or companies buy (or simply take) slices of territory not previously claimed by near-by nations.  

This was in many ways a delightful eye-opener to how unregulated, unnoticed or simply misplaced places can be in a supposedly over-regulated over-documented world under constant and pervasive surveillance. Things, it seems are not really like that. The world is less regimented and more ‘enchanted’ than we realise. To get a flavour of such enchanting places I definitely advise you read this book. You’ll probably start noticing things that previously slipped by you. Much more to come on this intriguing topic! 

Just Finished Reading: Attack Warning Red! - How Britain Prepared for Nuclear War by Julie McDowall (FP: 2023) [212pp] 

When the Soviets developed the atomic bomb in 1949 – years ahead of expectations – Britain needed a response. So, deep inside the defence apparatus old World War Two plans were dusted off and tweaked to take into account the enhanced devastation caused by nuclear warfare. Plans for evacuation to safe areas, movement of essential workers and industries were drawn up, government bunkers and safe places for historic treasures were set aside. Then came the Soviet hydrogen bomb test. Hydrogen bombs are a very different beast to their atomic brethren. Hydrogen bombs use atomic bombs as their detonators and have no theoretical upper limit of power – as long as you have the ability to build it or deliver it on to a target. The existence of such weapons made the earlier plans completely obsolete. A handful of bombs, dropped on the west coast, could both destroy major cities and produce enough fallout that ALL of Great Britain would be contaminated to such an extent that life itself might not be possible. So, no safe zones and no evacuation. Shelter in place was the new message. Or, as the cynics no doubt said, dig you own grave as no one is coming to rescue you. 

Even the limited options available to the government aroused opposition. Some considered that ANY measure taken to survive a nuclear strike made the use of nuclear weapons more, not less, likely. Some even suggested that merely possessing nuclear weapons made the country a target and that the best defence was no defence. Understandably the government disagreed. If protection or defence was impossible then the only valid option was retaliation – the incredibly aptly named policy of MAD or Mutually Assured Destruction. If a nuclear strike was incoming the UK (and presumably its allies) would target the enemy with ITS nukes and EVERYONE would die. At first the UK tried to develop its own ICBM (Intercontinental Ballistic Missile) force but failed. Then it developed nuclear armed bombers – the fabled V Force – and then, in co-operation with the Americans, settled on nuclear armed submarines with some always at sea waiting to respond. 

I was, to be honest, slightly disappointed when this book arrived from Amazon some months ago. It was, it seemed to me, both short and ‘journalistically’ chatty rather than solidly academic. But once I started reading, I was HOOKED. Not only was this a fascinating look at UK government policy during the Cold War on Nuclear War, it was interlaced with interviews of people ‘on the ground’ as well as personal recollections from the author who was, she admits, traumatised at a young age when she was allowed to watch the controversial TV recreation of a nuclear strike on the city of Sheffield – Threads. I remembered that show (at least vaguely) and agree that it was pretty harrowing even watching it as a cynical teenager. I also remembered a conversation my Law teacher had with us one day at college. She was, we all knew, a middle-class (rather posh in her way) trendy Leftie and I really liked her. She wanted to know what we thought of nuclear weapons and the possibility that it could all be over in a matter of minutes after missile launch in the Soviet Union. I think we shocked her somewhat. Not one of us was overly bothered by the fact that we had a nuclear Sword of Damocles hanging over us 24/7. I actually remember saying that yes, we recognised the reality of the situation but that it wasn’t anything to lose a night's sleep over. We couldn’t do anything about it, it was completely outside of our control and if it ever did happen it was probably a GOOD idea to die in the initial attack. 

I do ‘remember’ (possibly falsely!) several tension moments when Britain was on HIGH alert status and Russian bombers were regularly buzzing our airspace and testing just how fast out alert fighters could get to them (damned fast apparently!). I even recall (again possible false memory alert!) stories of fighters sitting on the tarmac with their engines running complete with pilot ready to go. The pilot had to be changed every 2 hours because of the stress of sitting there. As far as I know that alert status lasted around 48 hours. TENSE! 

Of course, we’re living in a time were phrases like ‘nuclear war’ or ‘World War 3’ (NOT the same thing) are being thrown around like confetti. This is, of course, simply to raise people’s anxiety levels and is, I believe, a complete and total bluff. Most especially when one nuclear power threatens another nuclear power with nukes. That’s just stupid. I even heard a so-called ‘public intellectual’ saying on TV that the UK should give Putin what he was demanding “because he has nukes”. Well, so do we and I’m pretty sure that ours will work and will go where they’re aimed. I’m not so confident about Russian nukes or whether they’ll either stay in their silos or simply blow up in them.  

This was an interesting read although a little harrowing at times as you might expect. If you’re easily upset or prone to nightmares, I might want to avoid it, but if you’re made of sterner stuff and especially if, like me, you spent your formative years living under the threat of nuclear annihilation this is definitely a book worth reading. Recommended and more on this subject to come – eventually.      

I too worry about the level of human stupidity... For example, THIS guy is swimming (quite possibly in the French Olympics) in a *chlorinated* pool. It looks like he's just finished his race and is, therefore, washing off the chlorine with fresh water from the bottle. They are NOT the same water types! As anyone who swims in such pools knows, chlorine STINGS so washing the face reduces said sting in eyes, nose and mouth. Its a bit like swimming in the sea... If you're thirsty you don't think: hey, I'm swimming in WATER so why not just take a slurp of that....? Well, I guess that you COULD, but I wouldn't recommend it....