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This angst-ridden leviathan does have a message, but perhaps the expression on his face speaks volumes.  After all, asking people to think about what they throw away (and how they do it) is sometimes difficult - you might even say it can be a waste of time.  People do not like to be preached at.  So how on earth do you make a European Union Directive interesting enough to grab people's attention?  Through art?  Well, it's worth a shot!  So, a mysterious seven meter creature was born.

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So here is the result - WEEE Man!  On average a citizen of the United Kingdom will produce 3.3 tonnes of waste in their lifetime.  At the same time that sounds like an enormous amount but, considering our lifestyles in the West it does seem rather small at the same time.  This is only, in reality, a fraction of the waste that one person creates.  In fact, it only represents the electrical waste that will be produced by an individual in their lifetime.  The WEEE man weighs in at this exact weight - and as such offers a direct insight in to the enormity of the problem.

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What is he made of?  Firstly, large household appliances, such as washing machines and television sets make up a large part of his structure.  Then there are smaller objects, such as toaster, irons, and other electrical tools.  There is lighting equipment and automatic dispensers, IT and telecoms equipment and toys and leisure items, all making up this latter-day Frankenstein's monster of Brobdingnagian proportions.  This guy is big!  Waste is no longer out of sight, out of mind.  The hope is that his birth will make people think about their behavior when it comes to disposing of the electrical equipment they no longer want.

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People still do not consider recycling sufficiently.  To draw attention to this the British Royal Society of Arts started to think - and think big.  Hugh Knowles Mark Fremantle, both Fellows of the RSA developed the idea in tandem with Giraffe Innovation. The result was WEEE Man - seven meters tall and, yes, over three tones in weight.  He is a scary looking guy - hardly the ‘wee' man you might imagine if you were told you were to be introduced to him at the bar after work!  Wee, of course, is Scottish slang for someone of diminutive stature - and this wonderful play on words is integral to the impact of this work of art.

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At the risk of sounding like a cosmetic ad, here's the science (or at least the boring bit - the reason why WEEE man was created in the first instance. WEEE actually stands for the Waste Electrical and Electronic Equipment Directive (WEEE) which became European Law way back in 2003.  Its aim was to set targets for the collection, recovery and (mais bien sur!) the recycling of any and all types of electrical equipment.

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The law recognizes that it is not the sole responsibility of the buyer to dispose of their electrical equipment once it has become redundant.  Rather it is the equal responsibility of the manufacturer to ensure that their customers can return their WEEE with ease - and for nothing.  Additionally, the organizations mist use the collected materials in a way that is ecologically friendly - which means no more selling off the used goods to poorer nations to bury a few meters below the ground and ruin the water table for the local inhabitants.

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So, the WEEE Man was considered a good way to draw attention to this.  After all, out of all the European Union Member States only little Cyprus managed to meet the deadline to place this Directive in to their own national law.  The UK (and its usual tagalong play mate Malta) were the only two member states not to transpose a framework of the regulations at the very least in to their national law.  Step forward the Royal Society of Arts with a reminder of the governmental responsibilities - and we are not talking a post-it note on the PC monitor here, either!

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Once the point had been made, at the South Bank in the heart of London, WEEE Man now finds a home at the marvelous Eden Project in Cornwall.  There he remains (but will be on tour again soon), a colossal reminder of the waste that we produce and a nudge to our consciences that we must do something about it.  How he has managed to encourage discussion around our throw-away consumer society could never properly be quantified.  However, something this big gets noticed perhaps this WEEE Man has made people think about their choices when it comes to the disposal and recycling of our waste.

Snowboarding

Since the Olympic winter games in Nagano 1998, the Japanese have developed a fondness for winter sports. From ice-skating to skiing, every sport practiced in the snow or on ice has gained popularity. Initially there were only a lot of skiing places around Nagano, but the rising popularity of skiing has led to the birth of a lot of skiing areas with good facilities. While Nagano is still popular, a lot of Japanese choose for Hokkaido now. Being more Northern than Nagano, there are areas with guaranteed snow and the facilities are growing to an agreeable level. With all this attention to skiing, it is easy for snow-boarders to use the facilities too. Being not as popular as skiing, there should be no trouble for you to find your snowboard gear in any skiing area. Even the après-ski is bound to be as fun as it would be in one of the expensive ski-resorts in the Alpes. So Japan is good to go.

Skateboarding

While skateboarding can be done in Japan and is regarded as cool amongst the youth, there are some obstacles to overcome. Skate-parks are rare and only located in the big cities. Most of them are indoor skate-parks and since there is little choice, you can grow bored and you get no alternative to choose from. As for boarding outside, it can be hard to find places suited for boarding. Almost in every town the police won't be happy with your performance. So good luck with finding a private place that's good for skateboarding. There are some places in the big cities, where you can hang out with fellow skaters, but they are rare and not easily discovered. The same goes for finding gear. You can find some skate-shops, but they will not be cheap and only a few can get you everything you want. I think if you have some skateboarding Japanese friends, you're good to go, but just going there by yourself you'll be completely lost.

Wave Surfing

Geographically Japan is interesting for wave surfing. The reefs near Okinawa and the weird cracks under the sea near Kyushu can bring you some weird waves. In Okinawa all year through and in Kyushu in summer, surfing gains popularity. It's considered as one of the cool sports and more places where you can buy or rent equipment are starting up. Most of the equipment is imported from Australia and the quality is pretty high. Since surfing in Japan is still in growth status, you can find untouched havens and so on. I would really recommend Japan for the experienced surfer. If you are not yet very experienced, you may want to try some more touristic places in Okinawa. Or you can always try to find a Japanese friend who likes to surf and knows a certain area pretty well. Like I said Japan has some weird waves and you better be careful before throwing yourself into the water.

Wind Surfing

Japan has a lot of sea and quite enough wind. For the conditions for windsurfing you will never have to look far. But climate-wise and equipment-wise you are better off South in Kyushu or Okinawa. Wind surfing is not extremely popular in Japan. It doesn't mean that you can't find it anywhere but you will have to inquire first. Either there is a club and you'll find everything or people will stare at you like you've asked them whether the synchronized swimming team practices in this part of the sea. In some places they will even have a synchronized swimming team, but no windsurfing. So in short: you will not have to complain about circumstances, but more about material or finding a club.

Let's start with the different systems and not get to technical with the operation of them. First one will be the propane system, without propane you have no hot water or heat in this model (Pace Arrow).

The propane tank is located below the basement compartment. In the above picture, you can see the propane cylinder setting in a milk carton. The propane cylinder is placed in the milk carton so it will not tip over so easy. The propane cylinder is used for long stays at RV parks. The propane cylinder is attached to the extend-a-stay valve that you can buy at any RV store. The setup you see in the picture, allows you to use the propane in the cylinder, instead of the built in tank (gray tank) on the motor home. This way you don't have to move the motor home to fill the propane tank. The built in tank holds 40 pounds of propane and the cylinder is called a 20 pounder (17.7).

The spare tire is stored in the front compartment with the edge of the shelf slanted down for easy access to slide the tire out. This compartment has space for storing other things too.

The next system is the black and gray water system. This system is what it says it is, black water being the toilet and gray water is all the other water that goes down the drain. The black and gray water have two tanks, one for gray water and one for black water. This system is located in the basement area, usually underneath the bathroom. The black tank is under the toilet and the gray tank is beside the black tank.

The pictures are showing the level sensors on the black tank. The gray tank has level sensors, which show the levels on the gages inside the motor home. The open and close valves on both tanks are located in the tank area and a sewer hose is attached for empting the tanks. The gray water is dumped thru the same sewer hose and is first to dump then the black tank is emptied. I installed a tank-washing nozzle. It is mounted directly thru the black water tank, an inch below the top of the tank and close to the sensors. The valve on the black tank must be closed and about an inch of water with chemicals added, needs to be in the tank before it is used. I had a sewer hose supporter, which keeps the hose from moving all over the place when you dump the tanks.

I had a sewer hose supporter, which keeps the hose from moving all over the place when you dump the tanks. There is a hub that thread into the hub of the sewer pipe to eliminate the odor. The sewer hose is one thing you do not want to have a problem with while in operation of the dumping of the tanks. The sewer hose comes in different lengths, which you will want to have enough hose to reach at all locations.

There are odor prevention components that fit around the hose and then into the sewer hub in the ground if the hub is not threaded. The component is called a donut and is available at RV stores. There are chemicals for the black and gray water tanks for odor problems and if you use regular toilet paper to dissolve it. There is a light toilet paper that will dissolve with regular chemicals for the black tank. The gray water tank needs deodorizer for drain odors. You can flush the black and gray water tanks by running water thru the sinks and toilet. It is easier to flush if you have the tank-flushing nozzle installed on the tanks. The lubrication can in the black and gray water compartment is sprayed onto the valve handle rod to keep the slide valves sliding freely. Spray the handle rod each time you dump or open the valve. You can leave the gray water valve open if you wish when in camp.

The next system will be the drinking water system so until then hope this helps someone out.

The submarine seems huge until you squeeze through the oval door and descend the narrow ladder to crawl between pipes and pumps and machinery through the interior. This ship was not built for humans. It's full of engines and equipment and filtration machinery. Passageways are narrow. The crew's bunks are stacked six high between pipes and posts and gauges, where men slept in a space the size of a coffin with the ocean pressing down on them.

A young officer leads us through the metal maze, and I can barely scrape through the narrow passages. I get the impression that the lower decks are even more cramped than where we are. We are told that when the ship is submerged, the air is circulated endlessly, for weeks and months on end. Right now, it smells of oil and metal and old, unused machinery.

We see the radar equipment, and the head, and a tiny shower, and pass more clusters of bunks, squeezed between the entrails of the ship. “It takes a special type of person to be a submariner,” the young officer says, and we all agree. Finally, we are at the rear of the boat, where we squeeze into the sunlight and the salty air of Portsmouth. I breathe deeply and walk away from this black ship that roamed the oceans for twenty years.

Many unexpected problems can occur while yachting for pleasure. These few items can help to assure your peace of mind, knowing that you are well prepared for the occasional mishap.