Good morning from sunny Madrid Barajas airport. I was just thinking that this is the airport from which I first took a plane in 1962. Obviously, it does not look quite the same. We are on our way to Sao Paulo. Tomorrow we'll meet up with Michael and the Sao Paulo gang. Then it's off to Rio de Janeiro for a major series of interviews with staff at INCA. We'll also try to avoid the Denge fever which has struck Rio. We are landing in the midst of it. Fortunately I brought some OFF and we have long sleeves. After Rio it'll be off to Peru for a full five days of filming. We'll keep you posted.

Earlier in the week we shot the intro sequence at the Clinique d'Argonay in Annecy. I'm happy with it. Allison is working hard on getting us a celebrity narrator. I really hope that comes through, especially if we can find someone who is truly committed to cancer.

How is the film going so far? I'm happy. I'm still looking forward to some great new footage, but so far the interviews have been very satisfying.

That's all for now. I'm going to shut down and walk to the gate; I don't really want to miss the flight.

What a hectic week. Planning, buying, fixing... all the things that you do before a major production trip. But we're excited. The countdown is on. We leave in exactly one week. On the up side, the Peru visas came through fine. We're still struggling with the Indian visa though. Seems it's very tough to get a journalist's visa. What's incredible is that we really want to put the country in the forefront in a positive light considering all the great work they are doing. I'm hoping it all works out otherwise it will be a great deception and a logistics nightmare. Today I interviewed Dr. Luc Hessel of Sanofi-Pasteur MSD. Great interview. In fact, all of them have been. I'm getting the feeling that this film is going to be very substantial.

Still ahead before we leave for Brazil, our first round the world stop, is our intro sequence which I will be filming in front of a clinic in Annecy. They have graciously offered to let us film there though they want their name left anonymous. That's a rarity these days. Most people want to be highly visible, with them it's the opposite. Oh, and great filming sequence at IARC on Tuesday. Thanks again to Peter, Caroline and all the wonderful people there. They're making this film much easier to produce.

Good morning from Tirana, Albania. Back after 12 years. This country has changed dramatically. The airport is new, really new, as is the road from the airport to downtown. We are currently at the hotel waiting for the health ministry to come pick us up. We look forward to a few good interviews including a visit to the PACT site at the Mother Teresa hospital.

The weather is grey and ominous. This will definitely mean indoor filming today unless I can find a really nice terrace with an overhang.

Travelling by air was ok. This was our first 'air' leg of the film. We were overweight (arghh). And the tripod had to be checked in after being wrapped in plastic. Not happy about that. I've asked Gilles to figure something out so that we can, at least, protect it.

Anne has been a great crew member as Gilles stayed back in France. He and Sophie went to Paris to secure their Peruvian visa. I'll be going in a couple of days.

That's it for now. Will probably revert with news of the filming later.

Overall a good day today though it started and ended with lots of traffic and a couple of 'wrong turns'. I won't point fingers; instead I'll let Gilles plead guilty in person when he sees each and every one of you.

On the more serious side, we had a great interview with Prof. David Kerr. He is obviously passionate about his work and the new labs at Oxford are quite impressive. As you will see in the film, his work on colorectal cancer is extensive and his search for new drugs is impressive as well.

Rushing out of Oxford we could find nothing healthy to eat so we defaulted to a Domino's Pizza takeout. Then it was off to Folkestone to catch the Eurotunnel. Incredible traffic. Not sure why but there was a line up of trucks several miles long.

Tonight we'll be sleeping in Brussels at a way too expensive hotel but that's all we could find at this late stage downtown which is where we have to be early in the morning for an interview hastily arranged by one of our great guardian angels Caroline G. We were slated to interview Dr. Adamou, but he cancelled out at the last minute for health reasons.

Hope we are not boring you with our trip blog. If you are receiving this by email and wish to be taken off please do so immediately; no hard feelings. If you're reading it on our website, then it's easier, just tune us out (sniff).

I'll close by saying this. I think by the end of the trip, my greatest frustration will be twofold. First will be that I wish I could interview each person for ten times as long. They are fascinating and committed. Secondly, how am I going to edit this film down into a 52 minute piece when every little bit of interview is so captivating?

One last thing. I liked this... in our hotel last night, there was a no smoking sign, but check out the fine! Expensive cigarette; I hope it makes people think twice.

Had a great day today. Very good interview with Prof. Margaret Stanley at Cambridge. She is a leading authority on infectious agents. She was also very eloquent and structured which made for an excellent interview. We then braved UK weather, and wow was it severe, to make it to London. The high note of the drive was my Shell station onion bahjees. Indeed, I found some vegan onion bahjees at a gas station! I was in vegan heaven.
Anyway, we finally made it to London. We went to interview Simon Davies the CEO of Teenage Cancer Trust. Very interesting work being done for teenagers with cancer. The low point of the afternoon was, however, trying to park the van in this tiny underground parking lot. Kudos to Gilles for getting it in and out of the elevator! That's right, we put the van in an elevator.
Rounded off the night by having a quick, but tasty, Indian meal in Thame near Oxford. Tuesday we are in Oxford to interview Professor Kerr and then we're off to... actually not sure. Dr. Adamou (MEP) had to cancel our Strasbourg interview so we're trying to find an alternate for Wednesday before going on to Warsaw for our Thursday interview.

Day one of Cancer is... filming. I picked up Gilles at 5:30 and we went to the studio to pick up the equipment. The first few days of any shoot are always a little scary. You have to dive into the new topic. Make certain all the equipment is working flawlessly. Every detail counts. Admittedly, this is how I feel right now, a little nervous. As most of my friends, clients and stakeholders know, I'm a little bit 'extra' nervous on this one because I really want to do a good job for all my friends and family, notably mom, who have known cancer's wrath. This is really a film that I am making from the heart.
The trip was fine. Left the studio at 6:15 AM and headed North through the mountain roads to join the A41 highway. The weather was beautiful with the sunrise coming just as we joined the highway. Northbound we went through Dijon, Reims and Calais before getting on the Eurotunnel where the Kangoo we are driving did not, we thought, make it through the car section so we went over to the truck section. In fact, we did clear the height; it was just the antenna. The guys at Eurotunnel were cool though and let us on without paying the height penalty. The trip across the Channel has really become uneventful. Drive on to the train, listen to the emergency announcements in English and French and off you go. I remember taking the 'Chunnel' when it first opened and there was an air of excitement. No more.
Perhaps soon we'll be able to say this about cancer. Maybe a cure will be found and we will someday consider cancer a concern of the past. That's what we're going to try to find out.
Travelwise, the big event of the day was being hit by two stones. As we were driving out of Reims, after a quick visit of its unique cathedral, we were getting a little hungry and ready for a sit down meal so we started looking for a restaurant. Little did we know that we would be driving right past a gypsy camp with three kids engaging in David rock throwing target practice. Sure enough, Gilles says to me: "looks like we are about to get hit by some rocks." At this point I had not seen the kids but when the two stones hit the Kangoo roof, there was no doubt that these kids spent more time doing stone throwing practice than studying math. Obviously, with all our film equipment and a sense of innate calm, it was useless to get into an argument we could not win. We knew full well that we would accomplish nothing by confronting the kids and a camp full of testy men. So on we went looking for our restaurant which, by the way, we never found. Gilles ended up eating a burger — not very healthy, we know — and I postponed my vegan eating.
A closing note to do with omens. I am not superstitious but my mom was and for her the first crescent moon was the sign of luck for the month. And the clearer it was, the better. As it happens, as we were driving into the Cambridge area, where we have our first interview tomorrow, sure enough there was a majestic, crystal clear, first crescent. Proof that it was a sign that the production will go well: we missed what I thought to be the hotel exit. Well, believe it or not, after the additional ten miles of complaining that we had missed the right exit, when we got off, at the next exit, what do we find? The hotel was right there, at the 'wrong' exit. Had mom's moon guided us here?

One has to wonder if relaxation is a valid action. There is so much wrong in the world and so much to do. Would it not be a sign of solidarity to forego any type of enjoyment? Should we not spend every available minute of our day volunteering or otherwise doing good? This is a problem that has haunted me for as long as I have been working. The thought crossed my mind this summer when I went hiking and was revived when my partner Franck sent me this shot. It brought me back to that wonderful day.

On the other hand, if one spends most of one's life doing good or helping others, is rest not a great way to 'recharge our batteries' so to speak? Is it not essential if we are to give of ourselves on a continuous basis?

If you think that I am asking the question rhetorically because I actually have the answer, you're wrong. Sure, I would like to enjoy life, my wife, my children and the world we live in. But I really do fight with the anguish that others do not have that luxury. I have seen the slums of Kibera. I have walked the famished plains of central Africa. I have also seen the relentless labourers of ex-Soviet republics labouring to feed their families. They do not have time to relax. They do not have time to hike or bike away a Sunday.

That's it. No answers. Just a question. I'm assuming that 98% of you think that relaxation is essential. That we need to enjoy life. I'm just a little weird I guess because I just don't know.

Marshall McLuhan passed away 31 December 1980. For those of you who are not entirely familiar with his work, it was extensive. This said, you likely know one of his phrases. As with most famous people, take Edison as a prime example, they are usually known for one quick phrase, moment or invention despite producing thousands over the course of a lifetime. In the case of Marshall McLuhan, that phrase is the Global Village. Indeed, this very unique Canadian communications professor coined this phrase which now, more than ever, means so much. Indeed, this Global Village, initially coined in a communications sense, has now become a political, economic and even climate reality. We are but one. Maybe, as the year ends, as we near the anniversary of his death and as we start a new one, we could all take a moment to reflect on this and see how, in the context of a Global Village, we can help our neighbour. For, indeed, if we were living in a 'village' would we not help our neighbour? That's what villages are. They are the first joining of tribes into one sedentary location. It was the step after the caravanserai. So why is it that in this Global Village we have become so unneighbourly? Why do we treat people in our own appartment building like total strangers? Is it not time that we find ways of bonding amongst ourselves as our tribal elders once did? We are the only animal on Earth to be able to communicate worldwide at the touch of a 'send' button. Image an elephant wanting to get the word out to all other elephants? Not quite possible now is it? That's right, we are the only animal to have the means to communicate and de facto cooperate, and we don't. Instead, it's as though we have taken these Global Village communications tools and used them only to spread pornography, war images, drug-ridden sporting megafests and hollow political campaigns. I guess I should be practicing what I preach. Before the year is out, I'm going to go across the hallway and meet our neighbours. We've said hello a hundred times but never a second word was spoken. I don't know their names, what they do, if they need assistance... If we are going to live in a Global Village then let's respect the village rule!

One last thing, if you want to discover Marshall McLuhan, you can visit his unofficial site. I would start with a page that lists some of his most famous phrases here.

Facebook, YouTube and dozens more are all the rave. Social networking is where it's at. Millions, literally, are currently, this very minute, online chatting, exposing, sharing and otherwise typing away just like me. They're also posting images, voice and video. Some are vulgar, a few are substantive but, the truth is, most are trivial. Exchanges on social networks rarely go beyond the lightest of banter. Either that, or they go to the other extreme freefalling into the most aggressive behaviour imaginable.

I believe that unsubstantive communities are not sustainable. Despite attracting new members, their lifespan is limited. I believe that in not so long, maybe two to three years, the social networking phenomenon, as we know it today, will peak and decline. There is one possible alternative. There is one development that could alter this course. If there were to be a turn towards useful exchange of knowledge. Remember, that's what they promised us in the early days of the Internet before we veered off course and made it into the land of auctions, book selling and pornography. It was supposed to be a place to find information and dialogue. So, in essence, the idea is to make serious social networks. I'm not talking about micro forums where 100 people discuss. Those are important, definitely, but larger fora are too. We need to turn social networking into a tool for advocacy and change. We need to use the Internet to mobilise at the speed of light. The internet can keep our policy makers honest and can bring together activists from around the globe instantly, so long as there is a mechanism to do so.

Who will lead the way? There are sites out there that are, to some degree trying. The one that comes to mind first is idealist.org. It's still not where I would like it to be, but it is a start. Time will tell if I am right.

The paradox of our time in history is that we have taller buildings but shorter tempers, wider Freeways, but narrower viewpoints. We spend more, but have less, we buy more, but enjoy less. We have bigger houses and smaller families, more conveniences, but less time. We have more degrees but less sense, more knowledge, but less judgment, more experts, yet more problems, more medicine, but less wellness.

We drink too much, smoke too much, spend too recklessly, laugh too little, drive too fast, get too angry, stay up too late, get up too tired, read too little, watch TV too much, and pray too seldom.

We have multiplied our possessions, but reduced our values. We talk too much, love too seldom, and hate too often.

We've learned how to make a living, but not a life. We've added years to life not life to years. We've been all the way to the moon and back, but have trouble crossing the street to meet a new neighbour. We conquered outer space but not inner space. We've done larger things, but not better things.

We've cleaned up the air, but polluted the soul. We've conquered the atom, but not our prejudice. We write more, but learn less. We plan more, but accomplish less. We've learned to rush, but not to wait. We build more computers to hold more information, to produce more copies than ever, but we communicate less and less.

These are the times of fast foods and slow digestion, big men and small character, steep profits and shallow relationships. These are the days of two incomes but more divorce, fancier houses, but broken homes. These are days of quick trips, disposable diapers, throwaway morality, one night stands, overweight bodies, and pills that do everything from cheer, to quiet, to kill. It is a time when there is much in the showroom window and nothing in the stockroom. A time when technology can bring this letter to you, and a time when you can choose either to share this insight, or to just hit delete...

Remember; spend some time with your loved ones, because they are not going to be around forever.

Remember, say a kind word to someone who looks up to you in awe, because that little person soon will grow up and leave your side.

Remember, to give a warm hug to the one next to you, because that is the only treasure you can give with your heart and it doesn't cost a cent.

Remember, to say, "I love you" to your partner and your loved ones, but most of all mean it. A kiss and an embrace will mend hurt when it comes from deep inside of you.

Remember to hold hands and cherish the moment for someday that person will not be there again.

Give time to love, give time to speak! And give time to share the precious thoughts in your mind.

AND ALWAYS REMEMBER:

Life is not measured by the number of breaths we take, but by the moments that take our breath away.

George Carlin