International Lifestyle Magazine

e l y t s e f i L

No.40

International

TM

Magazine

HEALTHY

LIVING ASSERTIVE

THINKING WITH REBEKAH FENSOME

Time for a Sabbatical

RHINO CONSERVATION

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The Editors Welcome to issue 40 Here we are at issue 40 with over 120 pages of positivity!

We welcome Alan Coxon to the team who will be writing about food and his travels leading up to his new BBC program, you can read the first article in this issue.

Rebekah Fensome, a wonderful Lifecoach, writes her first article for us about assertiveness and we look forward to future articles from Rebekah.

On the subject of assertiveness the story of Lisa Marie, a baby rhino who beat all the odds is a fabulous story and one that should be shared and is one of many conservation articles in this issue.

Enjoy and get involved where you can and make a difference, not only to yourself but to others. It is easy to get lost in depressing news but this world really is full of opportunities.

Welcome

issue 40

Contact

Be positive, be strong, keep focused and above all, do that what makes you happy and those around you.

cblmedia@gmail.com 00(34) 690 806 283 www.internationallifestylemagazine.com

Editors Julian Nicholson Lynn Nicholson

The Editors

Contributors

Cover Image: ŠRyan Green Photography. all rights reserved

International

Lifestyle

Magazine

The International Lifestyle Magazine and its officers accept no responsibility for the accuracy of advertisers’ copy, their work, services or goods. Whilst we do our best to ensure content is correct, we cannot accept responsibility for admissions or errors or copyright infringement where multi media is concerned. All materials within International Lifestyle Magazine are the property of International Lifestyle Magazine and any unauthorised reproduction whether in part or whole is strictly forbidden.

Robert Hare (inspiration) Janey Lee Grace Steenbergs Kyle Valli Rebekah Fensome Mark Brightman Alan Coxon Juliet Gellatley Ryan Green

International

Lifestyle Magazine

Sprout People In this issue we have an article about using sprouts and I have to say, if you need any help with any aspect of this from getting seeds, to equipment to just “How” these are the people, their recipes are fantastic and open the door to a whole load of new ideas but do take time to read their story, its an inspiration. http://sproutpeople.org/

Steenbergs Organic Ghee Of course you can make this yourself but, really, do you have the time? Pukka organic ghee - clarified butter is rich in healthy fatty acids. Ghee, also known as clarified butter, is used to promote a healthy appetite and to nourish the body.100% organic, ethically sourced and suitable for vegetarians.

Pukka Organic Ghee (clarified butter) 300g £8.95 www.steenbergs.co.uk Worldwide Delivery.

O R P T O H Steenbergs Goji Berries

I love these and I could write a whole article on them, actually I already have in a previous issue! Goji berries have been a source of nutrition in Asia for thousands of years and you can either eat them as they are or add them to salads, put them in your juices or smoothies in fact, there are plenty of ways to enjoy these wonderful healthy berries. Organic Goji Berries 100g £6.90 www.steenbergs.co.uk Worldwide Delivery.

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7 Day Vitality Programme.

Packed full of delicious, easy to use recipes that take no more than a couple of minutes to prepare. The programme will show you in very practical ways that a well hydrated and nourished body will give you a spring in your step.

This programme is equally suited for the newcomer to wheatgrass juice and the experienced person who eat raw foods and already have incorporated wheatgrass as part of the daily diet. ‘Funky and inspiring’ says Janey Lee Grace. £8.99 www.livewheatgrass.co.uk Worldwide Delivery

S T C U D O Chilli Mill

Now I know that at £24.99 this may sound expensive but it is one of those things that you will use again and again.

With it standing in your kitchen, looking beautiful, or even on the dinner table, you will have those wonderful dried chillies to hand to use whenever you want. (plus due to the shape it is a bit of a talking point!) You can mix different strengths of chilli to create your own special blends. www.lakeland.co.uk Worldwide Delivery.

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T H E

C U R RY B y

A l a n

H

T R A I L S

C o x o n

aving spent over a year developing and planning a new TV food and travel series, I am now delighted to announce to the readers of International Lifestyle magazine that all filming and editing is complete and the series is ready to hit TV screens around the world.

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I always think that it is a surprise and possibly disappointment for many people when I start talking about the amount of work and time spent on trying to make a good TV cookery series on a budget that`s tighter than George Osborne`s smile!, with a point of difference and with relevance, so despite every second of me looking as though I am on a luxury holiday without a care in the world, jetting to marvellous locations, it is actually all hard work, honest!.

But with all this in mind and as a true martyr to the cause, I wanted to do a TV food series with a difference, so I embarked upon “From Birmingham to Bombay “ with the aim of revealing the history and recipe `s behind the world`s 5 most popular curries .

As curry is officially the number 1 most popular meal in Britain, I asked myself, do our curries actually derive from India or are they a British creation? do they cook a korma, Rogan Josh, Tandoori, Vindaloo or a Madras the same as we have in the UK ?

Having never been to India before, I embarked upon the project with slight trepidation, as many friends had experience of the country and were quick to point out that I will at some point be struck down by “Delhi belly” for certain.

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One friend informed me that he didn’t touch a drop of water throughout his entire journey and even cleaned his teeth in beer and yet still managed to be struck down, others were laid up for three days in a hostel whilst one story of a friends friend flying back to the UK with dysentery is not worth thinking about !

So needless to say my itinerary needed to work around staying well clear of Delhi, just to be on the safe side!, after all, the rest of the country must be fine having never heard of people suffering a “Bombay Belly” or “Goa Gut”!, this had to have a certain logic ! .

I was also trying to work out what to do if I or the film crew succumbed to any illness, as we had to travel across two continents and take a total of 9 international and internal flights with many hours by car and train to reach 7 locations all within 21 days and all whilst filming 5 shows back to back, so there was simply no good time to go down with the “Delhi belly” .

Having packed my bags with more products than Boots the chemist, and enough Imodium to dry up the river Ganges, I together with a 5 strong crew headed from Birmingham to Bombay !, (well in all honesty it was from Heathrow to Delhi , because they were the cheapest flight s !).

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On arriving at Delhi we then had a 6 hour wait in the airport lounge for an internal flight to get us to our first filming location in the Northern state of Punjab and the city of Amritsar, sadly this was delayed by 4 hours due to smog!.

Eventually having had my ticket stamped 8 times before boarding (

they do like to have official rubber stamps in India ) I sat on the flight like a child on his first school trip, stretching my neck to see through the window and to catch glimpses of the country below.

Alas the thick smog lay like a blanket between reality and my imagination whilst hoping the sun would reveal

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itself at some point to burn away and expose the countries exotic charms , not forgetting that a food and travel show always looks good with a bit of blue sky as a backdrop and the dazzling sun reflecting on the famous Golden Temple is certainly what I had in my head at the production meetings. In reality, we disembarked in pea soup, with a

temperature struggling to hit 1 dgr! where did it say this in my travel brochures? I thought we were in India, where it has monkeys, tigers and elephants so it must get hot!, instead it looked like Manchester in February and If it wasn’t for my fear of chronic diarrhea, then I may have had room to pack a jumper instead of cotton t shirts !

Having had my boarding pass and passport stamped once again, we then went through customs. Whilst this is fairly straight forward for most people, (unless you look like a hippy that didn`t really need a plane to fly on in the first place), when you have camera`s and tripods that need special permission to import into the country, this was never going

to be easy!. Nearly two hours later and more stamped paperwork, we were eventually released.

My journey has begun!

Next article We visit the Golden temple and seek out a Tandoori recipe.

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Words & Recipe by Lynn Nicholson

NUTTY FUDGE SLICES R E C I P E B Y LY N N N I C H O L S O N

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Ok, I agree this is not the healthiest recipe to date, however, sometimes we all need a little bit of decadence accompanied with a cup of hot, freshly milled coffee with its comforting aroma whilst we flick through a magazine, basically, taking a time out.

This is an incredibly easy recipe and it will keep in the fridge for a week, which is hilarious because you will not have it for a week!

You can change the nuts if you wish, try walnuts, hazelnuts of chopped Brazil nuts, or just use a mix. You will also need a tin 20 x 30 cm which you will need to line with baking paper which makes it much easier to get out!

Nutty Fudge Slices You will need:250g of digestive biscuits.

125g butter (and only butter do not use margarine) 90g natural icing sugar 2 Tablespoons of organic cocoa powder (sift this if it is a bit lumpy) 25g desiccated coconut 60g chopped pecans 80g glace cherries 80g of glace ginger 1 organic egg, lightly beaten 1 Teaspoon of vanilla extract For the topping: 200g of organic dark chocolate, chopped.

To Make Firstly, crush your biscuits either in a food processor or in a plastic bag with a rolling pin.

Now in a saucepan put the icing sugar and cocoa power together and then place over a low heat, to avoid burning, for around 2 minutes basically until the mixture is dissolved and smooth. Now remove from the heat and stir in the biscuits, coconut, pecans, cherries, ginger, beaten egg and vanilla extract.

Stir altogether until it is all combined and smooth and then pour into your prepared tin, keeping it as even as possible and the top nice and smooth.

Now you can make the topping by putting the chocolate in a heatproof bowl and stand the bowl over a pan of simmering water, but make sure the bowl is not touching the water or the chocolate will go grainy, and stir until smooth. Now pour this over the fudge and use a spatula to spread evenly.

Let it cool at room temperature and then cut into small squares and put in the fridge! (makes around 24 but in reality 23 because you will need to try one, just to make sure they are ok!)

Super easy, super delicious and you can always change the taste by adding different things. If you do not like cherries, use sultanas or soft dried apricots, the point is, use the basic recipe and add your own touch!

You can buy all the ingredients you will need from www.steenbergs.co.uk for Worldwide Delivery. www.internationallifestylemagazine.com

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TAKE TIME IN

There was a time when if someone mentioned that they wanted to take a sabbatical people would assume that they were having a midlife crisis, a breakdown or simply wanted to run away from the world. The only time this was ever seen as acceptable was if you were a student taking a gap year, but now, and with research, it has been proven that taking a sabbatical can be very beneficial to you on many levels.

We all know that even taking one day off, switching off phones, shutting the lid on our laptop and just taking time out can have its benefits so imagine what a longer period of time could do for you.

In this fast paced world there can be little time to actually think, put things into prospective and make decisions. Often we are forced to either shelf a problem or just find the quickest solution to make it go away, for a while, which ultimately can lead to bigger, less manageable problems.

By giving ourselves time, giving ourselves moments of stillness, we can achieve moments of absolute clarity, we can solve problems which seemed massive which were, in fact, tiny. We can start to clear the “in tray� in our head and make

positive strides forward.

These benefits can affect you as a person, your family, your relationships and of course your work environment. If you are in management how can you see solutions if you are constantly drowning in the here and now. To have the ability to create space allows our creative juices to thrive and grow and we become a much better person for it. Families benefit from having the true you, relationships can almost be reborn as you begin to remember who you are and those close to you remember who they fell in love with, the qualities that time and pressures push down.

I do not think anyone realises how loud those background noises are until you find silence. It is not until you find yourself walking through nature, listening to the sound of

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the trees or the wildlife that you realise just how much noise was being pumped into your head on a daily basis, drowning out any of your own thoughts and ideas that may have been trying to push to the surface, to be honest, you do not realise just what a mad house you have been living in until you walk out and close the door behind you. The silence, the peace, leaves people feeling much younger after a sabbatical, they lose those frowns in their foreheads, they remember how to laugh and they find that inner confidence that powers them on in life. It really is the best tonic you could ever give yourself.

Obviously you have your allocated leave but realistically this is not sabbatical time, in fact a 2009 survey from Expedia found that 1/3 of employees don’t take all of their leave time, and that one in five employees have actually cancelled their leave for work reasons! I think we have all been away on a holiday to see the person sitting on a sun lounger with a phone wedged in their ear, frantically scribbling notes or tapping into a lap top, basically having moved their office from one place to another. To be honest, if this is you, then you really are due for a sabbatical.

A sabbatical is about taking the time you need to do the things you “want” to do. Things you have always dreamed off, you know the things you day dream about in meetings or whilst sitting with a group of others having a conversation, again, signs that you need a sabbatical. Anyone can do it, yes you have to make some arrangements but this should not be an excuse not to do it, you need to focus and find a way, and to prove anyone can do it, here is an example.

Stefan Sagmeister, a designer with a busy New York studio, takes one year off every seven years.

He closes his office down entirely, sets voicemail asking his clients to call back in a year (no kidding!), and enjoys a year to pursue his personal projects and interests.

Curiously, despite the time off, his business survives — and even

thrives — for it.

So at what point does a person take a sabbatical? The answer is simple, before you actually need it. Working on the every 7 years principle you have time to plan out exactly what you want to do. Is this something you want to do alone, is it something that you want to do with your partner or is this going to be a family adventure. I strongly believe that children can gain so much from a life experience, more so than they could ever learn in a classroom, so think it through and start planning. List everything you want to achieve in your time and then find someone to help you bring this to fruition.

Every sabbatical is different, everyone has their own dreams and ideas so you need someone who can take your list, your time scale, your budget and create the perfect package for you that gives you everything you need, even if you have a blank piece of paper but know you need to get away, you are going to need help. laterallife www.laterallife.com are experts in planning creative travel experiences and in particular sabbaticals. They work very differently from other companies and one of the main areas is that they make the time to sit down and meet with you face to face to ensure they know you, understand you, to provide you with the trip of a lifetime. They appreciate everyone is different and with their experience, and through speaking directly with you they can suggest ideas that you may never have even considered, but when you start to get that excited feeling in your stomach you know that you are on the right path. This is the first point of your sabbatical, the planning, probably the first time in a long time that you have spent time thinking about what you want from life.

Do visit the website and read some of the testimonials from people who have already done this and if you have not got time to do this then ask yourself, why?

www.laterallife.com

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Nick Matthews, Founder, laterallife After a lifesaving neck operation, Nick decided to throw in his highly successful publishing career and “because I’ve always wanted to..........travel the world” embarked on a three year global odyssey.

Nick founded laterallife in 2004. The company’s strength lies in his own experience and love of travelling both on and off the beaten path. To date Nick has visited over 60% of the world’s 192 countries.

Prior to indulging in his passion for travelling the world and founding laterallife, Nick worked as UK Director at Newsweek International for over 19 years. Part of his remit included the design and delivery of Corporate Entertainment

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S

ome more fantastic product ideas from the Queen of Eco Janey Lee Grace check out her website for even more ideas! www.janeyleegrace.com Janey Lee Grace Author, TV Health Expert www.janeyleegrace.com

Grab a shot of Cherryactive on the go, packed with Montmorency cherries, great for joint pain and helps you sleep ! www.cherryactive.co.uk

Eyesiccal eye drops At last eye drops without scary chemical ingredients www.eyesiccal.com

Optibac ‘For a flat stomach’ Probiotic Powders Great for travelling and holiday tummy ! www.optibac.co.uk

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Premae Revive Anatomy Body Balm Gorgeous for aftersun and 100 per cent natural www.premaeskincare.com

Inlight lip salve A gorgeous rejuvenating lip balm for sunkissed lip www.inlight-online.com

Gococo coconut water Natural isotonic drink – great for on the run ! www.gococodrinks.com

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Apex

Soup Sharks are a vital part of our ocean environment. They act as apex or top predators in their environment, maintaining the balance of all life beneath them, but how much do we really know about sharks?

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The answer until recently has been very little.

Statistics published by scientists from the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) make for concerning reading, with a third of all open ocean sharks assessed as being threatened with extinction.

As an apex predator, if there is a healthy and abundant shark population, we can rest assured that there are healthy populations of fish, corals and other species.

Removal of the top predator from this ecosystem however, is likely to have untold consequences, potentially affecting the availability of seafood for our consumption.

But why are sharks in decline?

One of the main drivers is the insatiable appetite for shark fins.

These fins are used in shark fin soup, a status symbol in Asian cultures, served at important banquets and weddings. Research has shown that up to 73 million sharks are killed every year for their fins. This is an unsustainable rate, which the world’s shark populations cannot sustain. With demand in China for shark fin soup increasing and more of the population being able to afford shark fin soup, the concern is that the number of sharks being killed each year is much higher.

However this is not just an issue of sustainability. The price attained for shark fins far outstrips what a fisher can obtain for the meat, making the rest of the shark effectively worthless. As a result an estimated 98% of the shark is thrown back into the sea unused. This process is not only wasteful, but shockingly cruel.

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Sharks are dragged onto fishing boats, their fins sliced off whilst they are still alive, and the shark thrown back overboard, left to die a slow agonising death, either from drowning or loss of blood.

The evidence of this practice has been witnessed by many divers, who have found sharks stranded on the bottom of the ocean, finless but still breathing, surrounded by the corpses of their kind who had suffered a similar fate. And all for a bowl of soup.

Ironically shark’s fin itself provides no flavour, nutritional or medicinal value to those who choose to eat it. In fact, research is increasingly showing that high levels of mercury and other toxins may actually make the shark fin soup a threat to human health. But still demand increases.

Worldwide, the plight of sharks is starting to gain attention. More and more countries and individual states are putting in place laws that ban the trade and possession of shark fins, in an attempt to curb this cruel and wasteful practice.

In the United States, Hawaii and California already have these laws in place, and New York and Illinois and other states are currently considering putting in place similar laws. Other countries are taking different action. In 2009 Palau put in place the world’s first shark sanctuary, banning the fishing of sharks in their waters in recognition of the fact that sharks are worth far more alive to their tourism industry, than they are dead in a bowl of soup.

Australia’s waters are not immune to these threats. Illegal fishers have been found off our northern coastline with boats full of shark fins, having plundered our shark populations. Whilst some sharks, such as the great white shark, are protected under our laws, commercial shark fisheries that target shark species for their fins are still sanctioned. Thankfully, in

our waters fishers are required to land the sharks with their fins attached, a measure used worldwide to ensure not only that sharks are not cruelly thrown overboard alive, but also a mechanism to reduce the number of sharks caught by fishers. It takes up far more space to bring back a whole shark with its fin attached than it would to bring back just its fins. This ‘fins attached’ measure is increasingly being seen as the benchmark in international fisheries management, in an attempt to reign in the indiscriminate slaughter of shark populations, and provide some form of control.

Humane Society International is actively working to get better protection for sharks in Australia and worldwide. So far we have succeeded in getting protection for five shark species threatened by extinction, including the grey nurse shark and scalloped hammerhead, with many more under consideration. We are also campaigning for laws in Australia which will ban the sale and possession of shark fins, to bring an end once and for all to this cruel and unnecessary practice.

How can you help stop this destruction?

Firstly don’t eat shark fin products of any kind. Let your friends and family know about the plight of sharks around the world. If you come across shark fin products at your local restaurant or shop, ask them why they continue to sell such products and encourage them to seek alternatives.

And if you agree Australia should be putting in place more restrictive measures to ban the sale of shark fins – why not write to the Government and let them know?

Alexia Wellbelove, Program Manager, Society International

Senior Humane

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Ryan Green - Photographer

Portraits

Following on from our previous issue we now look at the Portrait work of Ryan Green.

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You can see more by visiting his website! Š ryan green 2010 all rights reserved.

ryan@ryan-green.net ryagre@gmail.com http://www.ryan-green.net

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E p i c Memories Wo r d s : R o b F r e e m a n

I

F you fly from London to Sydney, one way to pass both the time and the miles is to stare at the little screen in the seat back in front of you. Chalk off the list of amazing sights, cities and countries as they pass many thousands of feet below you.

But there is another way to go from London to Sydney, an alternative that carries you across the world via stops in many of those remarkable places which were previously little more than blinking pixels on that tiny screen.

It might not be as quick – three months as opposed to around 24 hours – but the overland route provides memories, friends and experiences which will stick with you much longer.

Epic Overland is a small, specialist company with designed to offer travellers the amazing London to Sydney adventure, as well as the unique London to New York journey – the only commercial trip between these two great cities without a single flight.

And client director Rob Freeman is convinced they offer a travel experience with a difference for people of all age and backgrounds.

“An Epic trip is perfect for anyone new to travelling, those heading out solo who want the reassurance of spanning the globe in a group or anyone in search of something

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different,” he said. “We are there to turn ambitious travel plans into reality.

“We discussed a lot of different names, from the simple to the clever, but we kept coming back to Epic because it sums up the whole experience perfectly.”

While the scope of the journeys may be epic, the company prides itself on remaining small and being able to provide a personalised approach.

“We believe there are three main ingredients which make Epic Overland trips stand out – the places we visit on our unforgettable overland adventures, the people you travel with and the personal service we are able to offer,” said Rob. “As we operate just three departures a year, we deal with no more than 70-80 passengers each year. Our size is a plus as we can provide personalised, one-to-one attention from the first point of contact, through the preparations and all the way through the journey.

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“Epic passengers do not have a booking reference, we prefer to deal with them by name. The whole travel experience starts not when you actually start clocking up the miles, but from when you first start planning and booking your adventure. We are there to help through the whole process.

“Everyone at Epic Overland has inside knowledge of our routes and preparing for one of our adventures, be it as operator, passenger or tour leader. We have more than two decades of experience in overland travel and are delighted to pass on our knowledge.”

What they will be passing on is information on two epic – see, the name is very apt – trips, each crossing three continents over the space of three months.

The London to Sydney trip heads off twice a year with departures in September and October, the last of which reaches journey’s end to be welcomed to Sydney with an evening amid the spectacular New Year’s Eve celebrations.

In between lies 17 countries and countless highs as the route heads through a widely-contrasting string of locations and experiences.

The first couple of weeks visits some of Europe’s classic cities – Bruges, Prague, Vienna, Budapest and Belgrade among them – en route to Istanbul and the first taste of Asia. A loop of Turkey takes in the surreal landscape of Cappadocia (and the chance of a not-to-be-missed early-morning hot-air balloon ride) and a boat cruise along the Mediterranean coast before heading back to Istanbul.

The first of a few short flights – “We would love to make the whole journey without flights, but a mixture of political situations and geography means we have no choice at the moment,” explained Rob – carries the journey into India

and a route which heads through Rajasthan, Amritsar, Delhi, Agra (with a trip to the Taj Mahal) and Varanasi en route to Nepal.

“Nepal is a great midway point for the trip,” said Rob. “Not only do we get a chance to get close to the wildlife in Chitwan National Park but we also get time to explore Kathmandu and chill out within sight of the Himalayas and take an unforgettable flight to get a closeup view of Everest.”

A flight to Bangkok kicks off the second half of the journey – although there is the option to go as far as Kathmandu or join in Bangkok – with a few nights in “Sin City” itself, followed by a few nights on the beach at Koh Samui, Kuala Lumpur, Singapore and onto Indonesia, crossing Java with a stop at the active Mt Bromo before reaching Bali.

The final leg in Australia carries the trip across the Outback via Uluru, Adelaide and Melbourne before reaching Sydney.

The price for the whole 90-day trip is £5,499, plus an estimate flight cost of £680. Included in the price is all accommodation (hostels in Europe and Australia, guesthouse and hotels in Asia with a few nights camping in the Outback), all overland transport, all breakfasts, a tour leader and local guides.

The London to New York trip is priced at £7,199 with similar items included, although it also includes two weeks on a cruise liner with all meals included, the TransSiberian Railway and more meals included during the Asian leg of the journey.

Heading out in mid-March each year, the trip follows the same route as far as Prague before turning north-east through Poland and the Baltic States to St Petersburg and onto Moscow, starting point for that iconic journey on the TransSiberian.

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The train takes the strain to the stunning Lake Baikal – “Having done the trip as a passenger, Baikal has to rank as one of my favourite and most surprising destinations,” said Rob – through Mongolia, complete with a night in a traditional ger, and onto Beijing, the start and finish point of a loop around China that includes many of the must-see sights, including the Terracotta Warriors and the Great Wall.

Two weeks on the Diamond Princess cruise liner provides the only way to complete this journey without flying as it is the link to Alaska, home for the first part of the North American leg with a detour into the spectacular interior.

The final leg, after a ferry down Alaska’s Inside Passage, is a mix of big cities (Vancouver, Seattle and Chicago), stunning National Parks (Yellowstone, Grand Tetons and Badlands) and unforgettable locations (Mt Rushmore and Niagara Falls) before the journey across the USA ends in New York.

“We think those are two unforgettable routes,” said Rob. “But we also think the great places en route are just part of the story. The people you share it with elevate to another level altogether.”

For more details on Epic Overland trips, check out the website at www.epicoverland.com or e-mail info@epicoverland.com with any questions. You can also follow Epic Overland on Facebook and Twitter (@epicoverland).

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SYSTEM RESTORE with Blue Lizard Adventures

“In the end we will conserve only what we love. We will love only what we understand. We will understand only what we are taught.”

- Baba Dioum

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B

ehind the scenes of many companies conservation projects play a major part of the business,the giving back if you will, and here we look at Blue Lizard Adventures.

At Blue Lizard Adventures the environment and its’ conservation is one of our primary focuses and key aspects underpinning who we are and what we do. All of our volunteer projects have conservation as their basis, whether that is practical habitat conservation, environmental or wildlife research or direct animal care, rehabilitation and husbandry.

Practical conservation has obvious benefits. An underlying principle is that for an area to support wildlife it must be of an appropriate condition and aspects of previous human activity removed. In addition, we believe we have a duty to help restore areas of the environment back to its original condition through our projects, to ensure that many biology processes can happen effectively and to push the balance back.

There are many Volunteer Projects and here we look at Wilderness Conservation and Wildlife Research – South Africa h t t p : / / w w w. y o u t u b e . c o m / watch?v=v61cWpGzRQA This project is a fantastic mix of both practical conservation and research and is perfect for those looking to gain wide ranging experience and be taught in a number of different

modules including: habitat/reserve and wildlife management, fire management, alien plant control, basic weapons training, first aid and field guiding.

Practical conservation here takes places in the form of habitat restoration and maintenance to create a benchmark wilderness reserve, where ultimately the reserve will work as a careful balance with little intervention.

There are many tasks and here are just a few:Sleep outs / monitoring in remote areas. Not only is sleeping out in the wild an unforgettable experience, but is part of the anti – poaching tools.

Assisting with maintenance of boundary fences and fence patrols.

Removal of internal fencing / pens / droppers / poles / wire / rubbish from old mines etc.

Participating in anti-poaching and snare patrols.

Game capture and transportation where applicable.

Erection and maintenance roads, dams, boreholes etc.

of

Mechanical maintenance equipment and vehicles.

of

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Alien vegetation control: the volunteers will learn to identify and mechanically or chemically clear stands of alien and invasive vegetation on the reserve.

Water provision and management.

Bush encroachment and its control This project also has a number of on- going research projects and some new additions:, for exampe:Sex / age ratio analysis: animal species will be monitored to establish optimal ratio to increase productivity.

In conjunction with annual game counts, a more accurate idea of species population sizes, composition and sex/age ratios will be determined.

Elephant - vegetation impact study Ecological Base line surveys: students will contribute to the collection of data needed to compile a resource inventory.

Predator / prey dynamics: prey selection, frequency of kills etc. will be monitored as predation influences the herbivore component directly which in turn affects the vegetation of the reserve. Being a stocked reserve there are also financial implications related to predation.

Cheetah research: Assist with our wild cheetah relocation programme, ensuring the survival of these magnificent cats.

Rare species breeding projects: assist with the current breeding projects of special species such a sable, nyala and reedbuck (feeding, maintenance and monitoring).

Nocturnal mammal focus: The monitoring of these species occurs during nocturnal drives, whereby volunteers participate to acquire data on the ranging, foraging and reproductive behaviour of nocturnal species.

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Assisting with game counts when needed.

This is just one example!

All of our volunteer projects and adventures also bring much welcomed and needed revenue for local projects, organisations and communities. All of which is then ploughed back into conservation and the community.

In addition, we ourselves at HQ are involved with a number of projects back in the UK, we frequently campaign for environmental issues we recently pushed and raised awareness for the World Ocean Day. We volunteer at local wildlife trusts when we can.

Additionally we: Minimise paper usage, always use recycled paper and recycle any paper waste. Wherever possible send out information via email.

Curb the company’s energy output by: using energy saving light bulbs, all electrical equipment is only used when necessary and always turned off when not in use.

Heating is kept to a minimum.

Off set carbon where possible.

Promote education of sustainability, responsible travel and support conservation.

Work with, advocate and promote projects that have close links with their local communities and support local schemes.

Work with projects and companies of the same values.

You can find on our website tips on responsible travel and a link to offset carbon before you travel http://www.bluelizardadventures. com/advice_and_information.html and do take a moment to read an additional article within issue 39.

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Words & Recipe by Lynn Nicholson

Super Energy

Super Food

I

never tire of marvelling at how the tiniest seeds can, with a little water, spring into life and produce a shoot that will ultimately grow into a plant. The energy these little things use to force out the shoot is immense and nothing stands in their way, I mean, look at weeds, they push through driveways, concrete, grow out of the sides of buildings, their strength is huge. They store that energy until they need it and them, boom, the shoots appear and who knows it could be the start of a huge tree that will grow for hundreds of years.

The brilliant thing about seeds is that you can grow them in your kitchen and enjoy the huge benefits of the shoots as they appear, even children who may turn their nose up at vegetables will show an interest in seed growing, everyone remembers growing cress in an egg shell so it appeared to have hair, well the principle is the same just you can

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use an awful lot more than just cress seeds.

Pound for pound they are more nutritious than any other food and since they are eaten raw nothing is lost in the cooking process and again, since you grow them at home you know they are completely free of any pesticides or nasties sometimes hidden in products.

So what is a sprout? Quite simply it is the stage between seed and plant. It is the tiny seed that contains all the nutrients to sustain the baby plant through its first few days of life, and this is what we enjoy by eating sprouting seeds.

You can feel the waves of energy as you eat them, I keep a bowl of them in the fridge and grab a scoop every time I open the fridge.

Guilt free energy!

They look so pretty that you can add them to salads, use them as toppings on dips in fact, you can add them everywhere and each time you get your energy hit!

They are brilliant if you are trying to reduce your weight, the problem with many foods is that a huge amount of it is waste, or the nutrients are lost in preparation so you start to feel hungry again soon after eating, but with sprouts you get the full hit, so whilst it may only look like a small amount you are getting the full, undiluted nutrition that feeds your body and gives you the energy you need.

Many people who want to gain control of their weight do one of two things, eat too much of the wrong foods or they eat hardly anything,

either way the body is screaming for nutrition and demands more food until it receives what it needs, hence why people who eat huge meals of poor nutrition quickly feel hungry again and yet, ironically, if they ate an apple they would probably feel fuller for longer. If you do not eat enough your body freezes and your metabolism slows right down in case you do not eat again for ages, basically protecting itself from starvation.

Eating sprouts gives you, and your body, the energy hit it needs to get you up and about. Simple really.

One thing, you should never cook them, this basically destroys everything and quite honestly, nothing replaces the taste of these raw, even if I am cooking Chinese food I add the bean sprouts right at the end for a second so they maintain their crunch and goodness.

You can literally sprout anything, try different types to experience the different flavours for example you can use peanuts, chick peas, lentils, pumpkin and sesame seeds, but start with the Sprouting Mix from Steenbergs and get your kids involved, the sooner they learn the better!

Energy Balls!

Kids love these because they have a natural sweetness, so you can make them, pop them in the fridge and let them help themselves!

You will need:200g of sprouted seeds - I use the Organic Sprouting Mix from Steenbergs.

50g of chopped nuts (you can choose which I like to use walnuts but use your favourite or a mix) 50g of sunflower seeds (out of their shells - you can buy these in bags!)

200g of raisins - Soak them for 2 hours first.

1 Tablespoon of organic honey - You may need more but start with this.

2 Tablespoons of organic coconut.

grated

To Make Put the sprouts and raisins in a food processor or you can roughly chop them by hand.

Now mix with the nuts, sunflower seeds and honey.

Use a desert spoon of mixture and roll this into a ball and then roll through the coconut.

Now pop into the fridge for at least one hour so that they set.

These will keep for a couple of days but from experience, they will not last a couple of days!

You can buy all your ingredients from www.steenbergs.co.uk for worldwide delivery.

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When the going gets tough... “…..it’s like open brain surgery.” This was the remark G. , a former flying phobic, made when she was invited to join the Captain whilst he landed his plane at Chicago airport.

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everal years back G. enrolled on my Neuro Linguistic S Programming Foundation Course. In fact she was dragged there by a friend. She was not keen and very sceptical about the whole thing. At the time G. was a senior executive and working for a major pharmaceutical company in the UK. She had a severe flying phobia and she had to fly out to Chicago about once a month. It was a nightmare for her.

When during our course I wanted to demonstrate how easy it is to remove a phobia I asked for a volunteer and G’s friend volunteered her. So, I had this unwilling and unbelieving woman sitting next to me. She sort of followed my instructions but I had my doubts about the results!

However…. two weeks later I received her e-mail from the States telling me that instead of being a nervous wreck, reduced to tears and wanting to sit on the floor of the plane, she had enjoyed the flight and cheerfully told the cabin personnel all about how this wonderful technique got rid of her flying phobia in about 5 minutes flat!

The cabin staff told the pilot who invited her into the cockpit to watch the plane landing. He said that this was the final bit of her therapy. This all happening before 911, when there was still access to the cockpit. Since then G. continued her NLP training to Master Practitioner level. She uses these skills in running groups and managing her teams.

I usual spend longer than 5 minutes with my clients when I help them get rid of a phobia. I would take their personal history, just to make sure that the phobia is not part of a chain of events that need to be taken care of. So the session is usually 1 hour. However, I don’t think this is bad going for getting rid of something that is often terribly restricting to people and their nearest and dearest lives too.

I could give you many examples of how simple it is to make major life changes both personal and professional, but this is not the place for it. I want to tell you a bit more about what NLP is and how useful it can be.

What actually is NLP and where

does it come from?

Neuro Linguistic Programming started in the 70s in California when Richard Bandler and John Grinder researched what it was that made some people exquisite at what they did and others, who on the face of it did similar things, simply were no as effective. They started by unpacking what some therapists did when they worked with their patients. They found that the ones who were getting great results with their patients managed to achieve and maintain wonderful rapport with their patients. As a result of this, they got very valuable and exact information from their patients which is of paramount importance in helping them get well. As the innovators of NLP started to analyse what they called ‘the difference that makes the difference’ they found that by copying or modelling in detail the same processes the successful therapists used with their patients, they could get the same positive results. Their observations they made did not stop by just seeing what the therapists behaviour was, they also looked at their language patterns, their own beliefs and values, their patients beliefs and values, unconscious gestures and even eye movements, the unconscious skills of achieving and maintaining rapport and much more. They called this ‘Modelling Excellence’.

One underlying belief of NLP is that you can create excellence by modelling excellence; i.e. if something is possible in the world it is possible for me!

In addition to the originators of NLP Richard Bandler and John Grinder many others have further developed patterns and techniques, including Robert Dilts.

In fact many of the techniques that are very popular in NLP practices come from him.

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So how is this useful for us and for so many of us that don’t necessary want to have therapy but are in need of some coaching? The NLP models are used in business, sales, management, customer care, running teams of people, sport., etc.

Teaching is another great example.

During the development of Neuro Linguistic Programming, which by the way is ongoing, NLP developers started to model also what did not work. One of the things they considered was: how come some people are good spellers and others aren’t? They looked at unconscious eye movements of both groups and discovered that they differed greatly. They modelled how effective learning takes place and this has given us some great models to work with, including models for spelling and reading.

Without going into too much detail here, I just want to mention that the kind of eye movements you make relate to whether you are accessing your thoughts and memories either Visual (picturing), Auditory (hearing or internal dialogue) or Kinaesthetic (feeling).

It became clear that good spellers automatically Visualise the word they are spelling as if they were, in a split second, taking a photo of it, and then looked at that picture to spell it out.

Poor speller, however, have another strategy: they first check the word by spelling it out (Auditory), then check whether it feels right (Kinaesthetically) and finally they try to picture it (Visually) and probably couldn’t and have to go round and round again. All this happens quite unconsciously and internally and incredibly fast. Neither type of person will be aware that they do this.

An NLP practitioner can teach poor spellers to be great spellers by teaching them to use the good spellers’ strategy.

Personally I have worked successfully with many children who have been labelled dyslexic.

NLP does not require clients to relive their earlier traumas, so that ‘they can let go of them’. It is quite to opposite, we keep clients dissociated from their earlier issues and let them get a different point of view of whatever it is that has held them back from making the changes in their life so that they can have the life they want to have instead.

I find that my clients have enough “common sense” to not repeatedly get themselves entangled in the same troublesome relationships, or to be scared of spiders, heights or open

spaces. Most people who I see as clients know consciously that they are successful parents, business people, and partners. They know consciously that they have the capability to do great presentations, they have had plenty of feed-back and evidence of this, but still they suffer low self esteem. They know that being scared of un-scary things is not necessary for their safety, but something drives them unconsciously to continue to hang on to these things as if their life depends on it.

So it is obvious that to resolved these problems and help people change these limiting beliefs it is unnecessary to just tell them again and again how great they are and what their problems are, where they stem from, and if only they would understand that fully, the problems would just resolved themselves. They will know all of that already; they have lived with their limitations for a long time. It is almost as if saying:”Pull yourself together.”

What they need instead is the “how to” to change these undesirable internal programmes they are running in their mind. What is of great importance is to find out what actually drives these unconscious patterns or programmes that makes them have these behaviours and beliefs over which they seem to have no control. A skilled NLP Practitioner will pinpoint these internal programmes that drive the clients and keep them repeatedly being stuck in the same place with the same problems and limitations. The NLP Practitioner will then use NLP techniques and models to suit the clients needs so that it is safe and possible to leave old beliefs and behaviours behind.

One of the many things that keep me personally so interested after 18 years of having my own practice is the fact that working with NLP is so magical and so quick. I see people walking through my door feeling totally stuck and after one session they can see some light at the end of the tunnel or have totally made the changes necessary to get on with their lives. When they come back they have a strong belief that they can be in charge of their life.

My biggest wish for NLP is that NLP would be more widely accepted by the medical profession, so that people who sometime suffer crippling problems can benefit more quickly, easily and without having to pay practitioners like myself.

It would also save the health service a lot of money too. Just recently I did one session with a client who had been grieving for the lat 10 years for the loss of a parent. In one session she could

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let go of that grief and rejoice in happy memories of her father. This technique was developed by Robert Dilts and is one of the most powerful and impressive models I work with. This person has had many years of therapy elsewhere.

I could give you many great examples.

As far as coaching and therapy is concerned there are no boundaries.

A former client of mine, Claire Brown, is a qualified NLP Master Practitioner and specialises in eating disorders and is tremendously successful. She sees people in her Practice in Tonbridge Wells, UK or by Skype. She can be contacted via her website http://www. clairebrownnlp.co.uk/ By using NLP models and by being creative with it, I personally work with adults and children on a one to one basis and by Skype. I also run courses for NLP Practitioners to help them refine their skills and give them continuous professional training (CPD) I also give training for the general public too for self help, such as Goal setting, Advanced Communication skills and more.

I see clients of all ages for lost self esteem, business coaching, rapport building skills, presentation anxiety, crippling shyness, trauma, nail biting or other compulsive behaviours, sleeping problems, general anxiety, panic attacks, problems communicating, fears of driving after a car crash, goal setting, smoking cessation, Easybirth, allergies, mental and physical trauma. etc.

To come back to G., the earlier client I wrote about. You might be curious how it was possible for G. to leave her flying phobia behind. I’ll tell you now. I will give you the “NLP HOW TO”. When the developers of NLP started modelling excellence they took on a belief that people are not only excellent at what is useful for them, but also perfect at things that cause problems, such as phobias. Phobics have learned either by personal experience or by observing others to be really scared of something.

They learn that in one go. They don’t learn to be a little bit scared one day and a bit more a week or so later on.

When they learned to have this fear they ‘filed’ it in their unconscious mind in such a way that they can always get hold of it when they needed it for their self preservation. They are so good at accessing this ‘fear file’ that they can even feel the fear when someone just talks about it or when they look at, for example a picture of a spider, not the real spider! In fact they are Phobia perfect! This is what they do really fast as if in a flash:

They picture whatever they are scared of. Always the same kind of picture.

They don’t have to be in the presence of what it is they are scared of.

They feel the fear.

That is the pattern. There is nothing else.

They don’t have internal dialogue they don’t first feel the fear and then see the picture; that would not achieve the fear at all.

That is the “WHAT” now the “HOW TO”: The skilled NLP practitioner can help the client, by using an NLP techniques of changing the mental picture by dissociating them, changing the internal picture, so that the feeling (fear) disappears. I can’t tell you here “how” it is done…just see a good NLP Practitioner!

As stress is such an enormous problem in our society I decided a few years ago to run stress management courses.

I call these ‘Flourish under Pressure Courses’. They have been run for the NHS in the UK as well as in Industry.

On the basis of this work and also my earlier background of yoga, I have produced a Relaxation CD, which is in fact a brief course to teach people to relax. One of the reasons this CD has been so successful is that I have used many principles of NLP as part of it, which makes it possible for everyone to relax at will easily. It is also available as a download. http://www.alphawavesnlp. co.uk/untangle-your-mind-relax-yourbody.html I write an almost monthly ‘wellbeing article’, which can be read or downloaded from my website. I welcome your feedback and will answer e-mails happily.

For further information on NLP go to www.alphawavesnlp.co.uk antonia@ alphawavesnlp.co.uk

© Antonia Boyle 2012

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Life Beyond The Medicine Cabinet

Words: Lynn Nicholson

From the moment we arrive into this world we are introduced to conventional health care, before we are even 24 hours old someone has injected us with vitamin K and from there on in we are introduced to vaccine schedules, medical check ups, growth charts, weight charts and so on and yet, never are we introduced to the treatments that will keep us in balance, the treatments that will ensure that our mental, physical and emotional states are kept in tip top condition. No, we are taught that when something is wrong we visit the doctor and they will provide us with the chemicals we need to deal with the issue.

Now, do not get me wrong here, there is a place for Doctors, of course there is, when we feel something is wrong we visit the doctor to get a diagnosis and it is from this point that we now have choices. In my own personal case I went to the doctor with a rash on my back which I was concerned about. The doctor then told me that I had psoriasis, it was not curable and that I would need to live with it and here is a prescription for a cream that does nothing really except bleach your skin therefore making the whole thing even worse. Now I could still be sitting here with this instead, I studied food, found a solution, kept to a strict diet of foods and basically eliminated the problem. I then studied as holistic nutritionist to really get to understand just how important being in balance is.

Cathy Nettles with her business CN Holistics work to these principles.

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Understanding yourself, your needs, who you are and how to take time to relax and bring peace to your inner self. All of which are healing in their own right.

Starting with a free 15 minute consultation, Cathy can discuss your own personal situation and then recommend the correct route for you to take. Actually taking this first step and talking about your problems is in itself a very therapeutic process. It is so nice to actually open up and talk about how you feel, to go over the possible solutions you have already taken and to have someone actually listen to you rather than begin writing out a prescription before you have even finished.

Cathy offers a selection of massage treatments, all of which are designed to assist in the achievement of balance.

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Life Beyond The Medicine Cabinet Massage is actually much more than just making you feel better, massage works as a powerful tool to improve the circulation of nutrients and fluids throughout the body, lets face it, if you lead a busy stressful life you can start to feel your body get harder, particularly around the neck area, you start to ache more and can constantly feel like someone has placed a tight elastic band around your shoulders. This all adds to your stress and if you have stress you are immediately affecting your digestive system so even if you are eating well your physical wellbeing is preventing the good foods getting into your system.

Massage is quite often the first step to opening the doors to feeling great.

Once you have begun to work on your physical aspect you can now start to look at your nutrition. Cathy will work with you, depending on what you are looking to achieve, to find the solutions for you.

Eating well should be fun, relaxed and easy. Anything that causes stress in your everyday life takes us right back to the situation of bad digestion so it is vital that programmes work with you and your lifestyle.

Once you understand nutrition and how it helps you find, in time, that you naturally gravitate towards the right foods for you.

When this first happens it is an amazing feeling as it shows that you are now tuned into your body and its needs and is a great sense of control of who you are. It takes

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time but you can start to feel the results really quickly from a good diet.

The emotional aspect of your life comes as you gain more confidence in how you feel. This has a direct impact on your self esteem and you find that people around you start to comment on how you look. Much of this is down to the energies you are giving out. If you feel good you exude more confidence and people love to be around happy people.

The changes others notice bring you additional confidence, builds your self esteem and you start to feel the real benefits of being in balance and just how great you can feel.

As well as helping you to feel healthy and confident in your body and spirit, Cathy can show you how to become relaxed and healthy in your mind. By using Samadhi and Vipassana meditation techniques in her classes, courses and meditation therapy she shows you how to live in the present and how to reduce the levels of stress by quieting and stilling the mind.

You can read more about Cathy at her website along with some great links and an on line shop.

For me personally I suggest you take 15 minutes out of your day and contact Cathy and get on the road to being who you really are.

Happy, Confident and Healthy!

Cathy Nettles

http://www.cnholistics.com

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Vo l u n t e e r i n g for a man’s best friend

Article by Brigit Rosenmai

‘This was the first time we’d try to incorporate volunteer vet work with a family holiday…we’d only know on the flight home to Melbourne three weeks later if desexing street dogs in a Tibetan refugee camp was a good place for the Christmas school holidays!’

For Dr Michael Heath and his partner Lisa, along with their two boys Finlay (10) and Archie (turning 6), being volunteer veterinarians with Vets Beyond Borders (VBB) required persistence and a flexible attitude. Their original trip to Ladakh at the tip of far north India, scheduled for August 2010, was cancelled due to a natural disaster.

Over a year later, Michael and his family were ready to try again.

This time they were assigned to the Bylakuppe project in southern India.

Located around 230 kilometres west of Bangalore, India, Bylakuppe is home to the largest population of Tibetans outside Tibet. After the annexation of Tibet by China in the 1960s, the Indian government allocated this region to Tibetans forced to leave their homeland.

In December 2011, the family flew to India to test out their volunteer/ family holiday combo.

Their destination was a veterinary clinic established and run by VBB and housed in the Sera Mey Monastery hospital and clinic.

‘Once we arrived on the project, I decided that something familiar would be a good way to settle in so we set about amputating the leg of Baloo, a scruffy mix breed with a confident look in his eyes.

Baloo had been waiting with his non-union fracture of the left tibia for two weeks.’

Michael and Lisa found the clinic to be similar to ones back home in Australia. The only thing missing was a gaseous anaesthetic machine. In place of this they

substitute with anaesthetics.

intravenous

The modified vet clinic proved effective as their first surgery went according to plan and, ‘Baloo was walking that afternoon and back bossing the courtyard dogs the next day’.

Baloo paraded about town in a bright blue towel collar secured around his neck to prevent him from licking his stitches. This unusual apparel, and Finlay and Archie’s chatter, quickly alerted locals to the fact that the clinic was open and ready for business. What followed was a steady stream of locals and canine companions. The vet team attended to common skin conditions such as lice, ticks, fleas and mange as well as treatment for vomiting, paralysis, road-accident injuries and infectious diseases.

Surgical procedures were also common. In fact, Michael and Lisa would conduct 50 operations in the two weeks following the operation on Baloo. And while two thirds of these were desexing operations, a third were eye surgeries, amputations, exploratory abdominal surgeries, enemas and lump removals.

While Michael and Lisa attended

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clinic, Archie and Finlay went on shopping expeditions to refugee Camp One. Back at base near the clinic, a nun handing out Oreo cookies would keep an eye on the boys while they played 2-square.

Michael and Lisa were not, however, confined to clinic. They also participated in dog-catching expeditions to catch, clean and desex street dogs and return them to the community.

‘Catching dogs in nets requires some cunning and, importantly, a plan to allow the dog to run into the net.’

The World Health Organisation (WHO) endorses the desexing of dogs to control the streetdog population. The alternative culling practice is inhumane and ineffective. Remaining dogs have a greater chance of survival and there is more territory available for newly-abandoned dogs or dogs from neighbouring localities.

By the end of their trip, Michael and Lisa had worked longer hours on their holiday than they would have back home in Australia. Plus, they lived with their family on-site in basic living quarters. Despite this, Michael felt enormously satisfied with his vet work holiday.

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‘I have never felt more refreshed after a holiday than I did on our trip to India. It was satisfying to help control the dog population, prevent common diseases like distemper and rabies, and being able to see the results in the streets the next day’.

Finlay and Archie had been kept busy too. When Archie turned six, he shared his cake with the local kids and the ladies who cooked lunch for the kindergarten. In return, he was placed in a high chair while aged Tibetan nomads performed a traditional song and dance. It was such an exciting birthday for a boy from Victoria.

And the volunteer/family holiday combo? Well, it was a success. Archie asked his parents, even before they had left Bylakuppe, when they were coming back.

Fact file The sponsor for the Bylakuppe project was the Fondation Brigitte Bardot.

In 2012, key projects of Vets Beyond Borders (VBB) are: VetTrain Program: Launched in 2012, this program is a 15-day course to increase the skills and knowledge of veterinarians, assistants and animal handlers in areas relevant to the Animal Birth Control – Anti-Rabies programs, thus helping them help themselves. Courses will take place in various locations in India. This project is a collaboration between VBB, the University of Queensland and the Animal Welfare Board of India (AWBI).

Sikkim Program: This program works on reducing the incidence of rabies and controlling the dog population in Sikkim, India. This project continues to be enormously successful, with no human rabies deaths reported in the region since 2008. This project is a collaboration between VBB, the Government of Sikkim (Sikkim is an Indian state) and the Fondation Brigitte Bardot (France).

The general public can help support Vets beyond Borders and their VetTrain and Sikkim projects at

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The Other Side of

Crazy

By Lynn Nicholson

I

think for many people, when you mention Ibiza you automatically think of wild parties, loud people, streets crammed with ticket touts all trying to get you into their nightclubs and yet, there is a truly beautiful side to Ibiza that many miss because of these preconceived ideas.

When the directors of Hip Holidays Ibiza Jamie Strachan & Julia Bergklint first came to the Island they fell in love with it. They saw the natural beauty that the island had to offer with its dramatic coast line, unspoilt landscape and quirky beaches, the perfect place to sit and watch the stunning sun sets over a glass of wine. The island of Es Vedra, with all its magical powers and immense energy is felt by all that visit Ibiza.

As with all Mediterranean countries, visitors are always made welcome, I know when we first moved to Spain it felt so odd that strangers would greet you with a smile and a “buenas dias�, how refreshing and I can tell you it is totally uplifting and you forget, when you turn to the UK, that this is quite unique, try smiling and saying good morning to a stranger in London! Add to this the glorious weather, which in itself is a mental lift, and the fact that the island offers just about something for

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everyone and you can start to see the attraction of visiting.

Jamie and Julia has spent the last few years checking out the island to discover exactly what it has to offer which includes road-biking, rock climbing, hiking in fact, you have the opportunity here to design your own holiday here to incorporate all your requirements so it makes a great destination for couples, friends and families.

So how about accommodation, I mean, you do not want to spend a relaxing day on the island only to return to find you are above a loud bar or club or next door to a stag party!

In 2006 Jamie and Julia started Hip Chalets in the French Alps, the main agenda was to offer a highly personalised experience providing everyone that booked with them the very best of high end accommodation combined with the perfect locations for skiing.

This ethos was duplicated into Hip Holidays Ibiza.

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I think you can see from the images that the villas are way above average and that is not by accident. Each one is hand picked for their unique character, charm and location. It has taken four years to build the perfect portfolio and the relationships with the owners to ensure that each guest gets exactly what they are expecting. Everything is professional and personalised.

The villa collection offers a cross section of rustic renovations,contemporary minimal design villas and everything in between. Whatever your tastes of requirements, there will be a villa to match.

The great thing about staying in a villa, in my opinion, is the freedom it offers. No set times for meals, the space is your own, you do not have to talk to anyone else if you do not want to, this is an opportunity to completely relax. You can still have all the advantages of a hotel for example, with the free concierge service that is available to you, you can book a private massage, book a boast with a skipper to take you to one of the many secluded spots on the island or perhaps you want to book a nanny or babysitter for the evening whilst you take an evening out. There are a million options, but they are all yours to take as and when you want to.

I can see a couple of drawbacks of coming to Ibiza with Hip Holidays Ibiza. Firstly, you are never going to want to come home again, secondly, it is going to be difficult to book anywhere else having stayed in one of these beautiful villas, but then, why not try them all and a make a yearly gift to yourself of a week in Ibiza in complete luxury? http://www.hipholidaysibiza.com/ http://www.hipchalets.com/

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C R E AT I NG T H E

ASSERTIVE MIND

By Rebekah Fensome

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C R E AT I NG T H E

ASSERTIVE MIND

W

hen Tracey, 31 from London first came to see me she knew she was lacking in assertiveness but her excuse for not wanting to change was that she was worried about people seeing her as arrogant. However, once I helped her see how her lack of assertive behaviour was affecting her she realised that it was causing problems in all areas of her life and ultimately making her unhappy. “People are always taking of advantage of me, my friends, family and work colleagues. I know it’s my fault as I allow them to see me as a push over. I’m a nice person though and I don’t like to let people down. However, I find that I don’t have time for myself as I’m always helping other people out” After having a couple of sessions with Tracey we together agreed that she needed to start putting herself first and not feeling guilty or worried if she wasn’t able to help one of her friends, or family members out. She also had to start saying “no” more at work.

Here are some of the assertiveness techniques we developed together and Tracey put into practice: -

1.

Clear communication When communicating your opinion, complaint, etc ensure that you are being direct, clear and precise.

2.

Take responsibility Don’t shy away from the point you want to make or action you want to take.

Commit to it and take full responsibility.

For example, say “I think” rather than “we think”.

3.

Don’t apologise when you don’t need to Don’t apologise before or after you talk to someone about something as again this takes away any strength or emphasis from you.

4.

Use strong verbal and body language Use the correct tone of voice and body language when talking. For example, don’t talk into yourself or have a tremble in your voice. Maintain eye contact and use a solid strong voice but with a normal volume.

5.

Are you being listened to?

Check with people that they have listened to what you have said by encouraging them to summarise your opinion, complaint, request, etc. Don’t allow people to make excuses for having misunderstood and stick to what you’ve said.

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Get out your comfort zone Don’t avoid particular people or situations that you don’t feel confident in. In fact push yourself into as many of these situations as possible and practice your new assertive self. If there are certain people you find difficult to approach then walk up to them confidently and smile at them before you start talking.

Stick to the facts Being assertive doesn’t mean making things up to support your opinions, complaints etc. You should stick to the facts and not exaggerate. It’s good to be seen as objective rather than emotional.

Keep it objective When you’re in a difficult situation with people then don’t make personal references. For example, don’t say “I find you really annoying”, say instead “Please refrain from talking to me like that.”

Observe assertive role models Watch assertive people and pick up words, tones, body language that you think makes them successful at being assertive. Keep a list of these attributes and add them to your own portfolio.

Reward yourself Each time you’re successfully assertive note this down and reward yourself. Try and exhibit your new assertive behaviour so much that people start giving you feedback. This is your ultimate reward!

Also, don’t get disheartened when you’re not successful. Just realise where you went wrong and correct it next time.

“I love the new assertive me. I get more done, in less time and feel really good about myself. I’ve realised I need to look after myself first and then I’m in a even better place to help others.”

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About Rebekah Fensome

Rebekah Fensome is a Lifestyle Expert.

As an accredited professional Life Coach, Business Coach, NLP Practitioner, Clinical hypnotherapist and yoga teacher she believes in leading a realistic healthy lifestyle from a MIND BODY FUEL perspective.

She has had her private wellbeing practice for six years and is also the founder and creator of “Just Stop”, a Life Coaching and Yoga Retreat in the UK and Ibiza.

She has a diverse range of clients from actors, writers, Mums, celebrities, bankers, traders, personal trainers and entrepreneurs.

She came from a management consultancy background working for Accenture as a strategy and people consultant for 3 years.

She decided to change her career when she found that she wasn’t spending any time at home and that she was missing out on important evenings with her friends. The defining moment for her was when working late on a project in Paris, one of the partners called home at 10pm to tell their young son that Daddy wouldn’t be home until the weekend (hopefully) to read them a story. This made her realize that this was something she didn’t want to have happen in her life so decided to take control back and change her life for the better.

She then moved into the world of advertising and worked in account

management for 4 years, which was when she found that people kept turning to her for advice and inspiration. She would find herself spending a lot of her time having coffees with her team members while they expressed their unhappiness with their lives.

This along with a desire to feel fulfilled and really put her 6 years of Psychology study to some good is when she decided to re-train and the rest is history.

She says she has now found her true and fulfilling career path. She describes her approach as warm and insightful, gentle but focused, with great practical and more importantly honest advice. She is supportive and encouraging yet challenging empowering people to become more confident, get out of their comfort zone and tackle their fears head on. This then empowers her clients to remove those barriers, leading them to successfully achieve their goals.

She has her own column in Psychologies magazine online called “Rebekah Fensome’s Life Coaching diaries” www. psychologies.co.uk. She is often asked to give her expert opinion on various topics for magazines such as Glamour, Zest and nationals such as the Daily Mail.

She makes appearances on radio and TV. She is also the “Business Brain” for Sage who sponsor the Krypton Factor and the “Lifestyle Expert” for Activia Yoghurts.

rebekah.fensome@gmail.com (44) 07889 761272 www.juststopyogaretreats.com

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RISE TO THE CHALLENGE B y A d r i a n Tu r n e r

Darwin’s Trails has the mission to provide the best experiences in cultural tourism and nature orientated travel, demonstrating the most authentic aspects of each place visited. We are convinced that Chile is a great destination with the challenge to provide all services at the highest standards so the experience of travelling with us in Chile will be memorable and exceed the expectations for all of our visitors…

If you are fit and active, love unspoiled natural beauty, wish to escape from your “normal life” for a time, are seeking authentic local people contact cultural experiences, and want to discover remote and not overrun places, as well as being curious and concerned about the environment, then Darwin’s Trails is for you...

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We believe that your trip to Chile should be better than expected so with our expert local knowledge, allow us to select the best possible accommodation, guides and excursions to match your budget requirements and trip contents.

Let us tailor make your ideal itinerary. You have probably already planned what you would like to do or have a special desire to visit a certain place, so whatever you want from your trip we can use our detailed local knowledge to plan your itinerary and iron-out the logistical and organisational challenges involved.

The importance of tailor-made travel arrangements is the fun of plannning the trip with us - design to your interests and budget, so you can explore at your own pace and select accommodation that suits you, with our specialist knowledge at your disposal to perfect your travel plans.

At darwin’s Trails, we have a firm commitment to minimising the environmental and social impact of travel, and strive to ensure that a visit from one of our clients has a positive effect on the local destination. We have a firm commitment to the principles of responsible travel working close in hand with Fair Chile, a local independent NGO promoting fair and local trade within Chile. We work very closely with the local comunities through which we pass. The guides, cooks, porter staff, drivers etc. are all employed locally to where the trip is visiting.

Darwin’s Trails is committed to providing a long-term source of income for our local contacts.

Secondly, our CO2 Footprint is an important issue for which we have taken action! We want to offset our responsibility of the

impact that may cause our actions as a company, and our clients’ actions and decisions in an environmental context. With this in mind, Darwin’s Trails has set the goal, to reduce these negative impacts on the environment as a result of our passenger transport, energy consumption and waste production that inevitably is left by every tourist each year by planting native trees close to Valparaiso and Puerto Montt. For every overseas client Darwin’s Trails will be planting one native tree.

One important pioneering concept for which we are proud to have presented and where our involvement in local communities is acknowledged, is the Darwin’s Trails “Local People Experience”…

The objective of the programme is to promote tourism to and within authentic original local communities, actively participating with the inhabitants in everyday actions and activities with our clients, but at the same time ensuring that there is respect and consideration from visitors.

With this in mind, Darwin’s Trails created a benchmark for visitors to know ahead of time the degree of contact and involvement with local people that a certain itinerary, tour or excursion may have. All Darwin’s Trails itineraries, tours and excursions are now benchmarked in this way using hands...

Slight Contact: Mainly used for transfers with local drivers and guides. 3 Hands.

Good Contact: Tours or excursions such as horse-trekking, walks, etc. In company of local people maybe also be the enjoying of locally prepared food, seeing local handicrafts, experiencing local music and dance traditions. 7 Hands.

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Deep Contact: Sharing a living experience by staying and sharing with a family their home and routine while enjoying excursions.

5 Hands.

It is important to Darwin’s Trails that all of our trips, whether half-day, full-day or multi-day excursions, have a positive impact on the local areas visited.

We operate a “leave no trace” policy when visiting any area, using every opportunity to minimize the environmental impact of our trips. We also aim to raise cultural awareness among our clients with a briefing on sustainable tourism and local cultural issues.

Contact Details

http://www.darwinstrails.com

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www.rhinos-irf.org

Fighting On The Story of Lisa the Rhino

By Mark Brightman

In September 1987, eight black rhino calves (4 males and 4 females), were moved from the Zambezi Valley to the Chiredzi River Conservancy in Zimbabwe’s South-East Lowveld, as a result of the devastating rhino poaching which was ongoing throughout that region. The animals were captured and moved

by Zimbabwean legends such as Clem Coetzee and Mike la Grange – both experts in the field of game capture. They had been tasked with translocating black rhino into ‘safer’ areas, away from the Zambezi Valley, where they were extremely vulnerable to poachers infiltrating from Zambia at that time.

The outlook was grim. As a result, around 300 black rhino were moved during 1987/88 and placed into Conservancies throughout Zimbabwe. This was an ‘insurance policy’ whereby it was hoped these animals would be better protected, and could eventually re-stock decimated areas in the future, should the poaching be reduced once more to manageable levels.

Under these circumstances, Chiredzi River Conservancy (CRC) successfully introduced the calves, under the care and management of the Style family – Lowveld pioneers in their own right.

And by February 2007, their black rhino population had increased to 29 animals – a phenomenal breeding success, and one of the highest breeding rates recorded anywhere in Africa.

Sadly, it was not to remain so, and inevitably the rhino poaching which had spread throughout Zimbabwe, reached the CRC in that same year.

The rhino there also began to face poachers’ bullets – well organised crime syndicates operating with firearms, the AK47 assault rifle, carried for their defence as well as

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killing rhinos. All in the relentless quest for rhino horn, to cater for the growing and seemingly insatiable demand in the Far East for use in traditional medicine for remedies and potions.

Another very real added threat was the increased snaring, taking place. These were set by some of hundreds of largely illegal and opportunistic ‘settlers’ who, taking advantage of the chaotic land reform program at that time, flocked into previously pristine wildlife areas in unplanned settlements. These snares were usually manufactured from steel cables, several strands thick, set along game paths indiscriminately to catch any victim who was unfortunate enough to get caught – usually by the neck or a leg.

This caused horrendous injuries and a painful death followed, as the animal pulled and strained to break free – resulting in the wire cutting deeper and deeper into flesh and bone.

This is exactly what befell Lisa, an 8 month old female black rhino calf. Fortunately, rhino monitors employed to closely keep a check

1.‘Lisa’ at the time she was rescued – Dr. Chris Foggin (mentioned in the article) is applying ear ‘muffs’ to minimise any unwanted loud noises which could elicit a response from her, whilst under anaesthesia so the snare could be removed;

2. Shows the extent of Lisa’s horrific injury, just after she was captured and moved to be treated, sustained from the snare cutting deep into her flesh.

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on rhino movements and numbers, were quick to discover her in this condition. She was found resting under a shady tree, with her mother in close proximity. Her injury was serious – her right hand back leg was very swollen. In her struggles, she had obviously managed to break free, but not before the wire had cut deep into her leg – almost to the bone. She had to be treated as soon as possible.

Dr. Chris Foggin, renowned wildlife veterinarian and specialist in rhino immobilisations, was summoned from the Veterinary Service’s Wildlife Unit in Harare, and Lisa was duly darted with immobilising drugs and the snare removed. The injury was very deep, and had almost severed her ‘Achilles’ tendon. This would have meant her being handicapped for life. Sadly, but due to the serious nature of her wound, the decision was taken to remove her for ‘foster-care’.

3. Shows the progress of healing on her leg by 18 April 2007, some 5 months after she sustained the injury (note the still exposed ‘Achillies’ tendon);

She was moved to nearby Buffalo Range Headquarters, where she was put under the expert care of Janey Style, the ‘matriarch’ of the Style Family. Janey had previously raised numerous orphaned animals, including victims of two devastating droughts. Janey had another black rhino calf already there, whose mother had been shot by poachers and the calf had also sustained a gunshot wound through the shoulders and her face had been chopped by an axe.

The two young rhino bonded together and under Janey’s ‘TLC’, started to slowly heal from their traumatic encounters brought about by man. Top South African vets also came to look at Lisa’s leg wound and their prognosis was very discouraging. They thought she wouldn’t survive or that her back leg would at the very least have to be splinted and put into a plaster caste totally unpractical on a rhino!. After receiving this very depressing news, Janey nevertheless continued to treat the wounds with topical dressings to promote scar tissue so as to seal the open wound. With constant care Lisa recovered well, and amazingly, the use of antibiotics was never needed.

Through Janeys incredible care, Lisa has since fully recovered, against all odds, and is once more living the life of a free, wild rhino with Carla at her side, in a better-protected area of the country.

4. Shows further remarkable healing by December 2007.

5. Lisa’s leg as of April 2008 – 16 months from the outset – a truly remarkable recovery seemingly against all odds. Although almost completely healed, Lisa will have a slight limp for the rest of her life, but this should not handicap her in any way, and we look forward to the news (in the not too distant future) of her bearing the first of many calves during her lifetime!

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6. Janey Style (centre) touching Carla (left) and Lisa (on right), both eagerly awaiting the next bottle feeds – a tribute to her care and dedication to these wonderful, but highly endangered animals!

7. FEEDING TIME! CARLA ON THE LEFT LISA ON THE RIGHT.

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P a r t o f Yo u B y Vo l u n t e e r M a l d i v e s

t’s been a busy time, the last few months for Volunteer Maldives! We’ve been Itraveling around to different islands, meeting lots of people and organisations wanting to implement new programs, and expand on existing ones, and would love our volunteers’ to help them out!

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In the pipeline are some exciting conservation projects – some are already in place and need volunteers to carry them through to completion, or help continue on some vital work – particularly coral monitoring. Other projects are not up and running just yet, and the smaller islands with little or no funding would love to have volunteers who are experienced in marine conservation issues, or agriculture to come over and give them a hand to set them up properly. Anyone who can help please do drop us a line – we’d love to hear from you!

out in the regional school each day, but they’ll get involved with lots of environmental issues and activities, including coral cleaning, beach clearing, setting up a hydroponics system, and tree planting! We’ll keep everyone updated via our website and through our Facebook page!

This summer’s placements are booking up quickly, and we’re looking forward to meeting all our volunteers and sending them up all over the country to their islands, which will host them and take good care of them.

Open to all our wonderful volunteers throughout the summer is our first photo competition. The incredible beauty created by mother nature is inspirational, the open smiles of friendly people warm and welcoming, and the simplicity of a child playing barefoot on an Indian Ocean island enchanting.

We’re very happy to be hosting our first University Group from Sydney in July for a special 3-week program – 7 very clever young people who no doubt will take as much from their experience as the benefit they’ll give to the island community!

We’ve lots in store for them, not only will they be helping

Coming over from Hull University this summer we also have 4 lively lads who will be heading over to Noonu Atoll to participate in a mixture of teaching and sports – no doubt they’ll leave an impact on the already football mad local kids!

We can’t wait to see how our volunteers see the Maldives and its people through the viewfinder!

The winner will receive Amazon vouchers, and a donation will be made to a project of their choice carried out on the volunteers’ host island.

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ALLERGIC REACTION If you, or anyone you know, suffers from allergies and you struggle to find products that are sympathetic to your needs then you need look no further than Healthy House.

This is a wonderful website with information on allergies, information on how to shop by allergy and of course a product list that covers just about everything.

With over 20 years experience, this is a company that can help you deal with your problems, here is their story.

The Healthy House was set up as a family business to help others with allergies and chemical sensitivities.

When our children were born in the 1970s we were living in Canada and owned and operated a pine furniture manufacturing business.

We lived in the country in a small farmhouse with few neighbours.

Our son, Alexander, showed signs of food allergies and digestive problems very early on and even before our daughter was born she was labelled as “very active� by the nurses examining me. This was just a small indication of what was to come. Both children found it very difficult to sleep and both suffered continuous ear and throat infections until we removed dairy products from their diet.

When Emma was 16 months old she was taken into hospital with digestive problems though the consultant had told me he thought she and I had a personality conflict! This did not endear us to traditional medicine. In fact, much to the consultant’s surprise, Emma calmed right down in the sterile hospital environment and slept

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well for the first time in her life.

She was found to have multiple allergies -in particular to house dust, dust mite, moulds and pets.

Things improved with both the children when we had a central air cleaner installed on the furnace of the house, filtering all airborne particles including the hairs from our dog. However, with Emma things were still not right and when she was three we were fortunate to have found an ecological doctor who could help us. Both she and I were diagnosed with multiple chemical sensitivity and finally things started to make sense.

At the time Don and I owned and ran a pine furniture business just outside Ottawa. As well as running the business, Don was involved in the manufacture of furniture and at the beginning I was finishing the furniture. This was probably one of the causative factors in our chemical sensitivity.

I was very depressed and lacking in energy at this time and although we could have put it down to sleepless nights and problems with the children, I felt there was more to it than that. It was when the doctor asked if there was a pattern to my week that it became quite clear that I was reacting to the chemicals at work and that Emma was also suffering from the effects of the business as well as synthetics in the home. We had already stripped the foam rubber underlay from underneath the carpet throughout the house. We spent a long time searching for

bedding and other products that would help though we did have a few major set backs during this time - one was when we had patio doors put into the kitchen and acrylic sealant was used.

In 1984 we sold the business and moved to Gloucestershire where the children could continue their Steiner education - certainly beneficial for chemical sensitivity since the children only use natural products, wood, beeswax, wool, cotton etc. It was shortly after we moved that we finally determined that Alexander was very sensitive to baker’s yeast. In the first few years of living in the U.K. we found it very difficult to find products for people with allergies and in particular, chemical sensitivities.

It was then that we came to realise how little there was in the way of information and products available for people with allergies and chemical sensitivities.

In 1990 we started sourcing products and writing the first Healthy House catalogue.

Over the years the product range has grown from a skeletal group of products to the wide range we offer today. Though we now have five employees and hundreds of products we retain our original ethos - to provide high quality information and safe products for people with allergies and sensitivities. We welcome your

phone calls and are confident that we can help with most allergies and sensitivities.

We encourage people to use untreated and natural materials whenever possible and to be aware of the hundreds of chemicals that are now used in everyday products from cleaning products and toiletries to home furnishings.

When choosing products for our range we are careful to ensure that not only is the product effective for what it was designed for, but also that it will not introduce other problems or pollutants into the indoor environment. This is why you will not find treated dust mite proof bedding in our range. The dust mite proof cases work through the density of the weave and do not need chemical treatments.

We provide products for asthma. eczema, hay fever, chemical sensitivity, dust mite, pet and mould allergies, electrical sensitivity and Seasonal Affective Disorder (S.A.D.). Products to combat electrostress and to relieve some of the symptoms of electrosensitivity are a growing part of the business Maxima and Don Skelton The Healthy House Ltd www.healthy-house.co.uk Follow us on twitter - http://twitter. com/thehealthyhouse

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Selected products from

The Healthy House Just a selection of some of the great products available, visit the website for even more great ideas.

Airfree air steriliser is a unique and very popular product – ideal for dust mite and mould allergies , bacteria and viruses. It is for one room use, uses no filters, is silent and needs no maintenance.

Airvax air purifier is a small and quiet machine which removes 99.9% of particles down to 0.25 microns : dust, smoke, moulds, smells and VOCs including carbon monoxide, car exhaust gases , formaldehyde, toluene, benzene, germs, bacteria and airborne allergens. Suitable for a room 25sq m. www. healthy-house.co.uk/ airvax To see our wide range of air purifiers www.healthy-house. co.uk/airpurifiers

www.healthy-house.co.uk/airfree

Allergy Sprays – non toxic and very effective sprays for controlling allergens, from dust mites to pet allergens and moulds. Save 10% on a pack. Sprays also available for wiping onto the coat of your pet to remove the allergens that cause symptoms in humans. www.healthy-house.co.uk/ allergysprays

Ecozone Ecoballs are an ecofriendly, chemical free way to clean your clothes. The pack contains two balls and enough refills for 150 washes making it economical too. Perfect for sensitive skin and chemical sensitivity. www.healthy-house.co.uk.ecoballs

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dust mite proof barrier cases can make a huge difference to the morning sneezes and wheezes if they are caused by dust mites in your bedding.

Choose a bed set at 10% discount www.healthy-house.co.uk/bedsets or choose a mattress case and a dust mite proof duvet and pillow: www.healthy-house.co.uk/dmpbedding

Culligan Filtered Showerhead – a shower head with a difference. Not only does it offer a choice of five settings including massage, it also contains a filter that removes chlorine from the shower water, preventing chlorine damage to your skin, hair and lungs. www.healthy-house. co.uk/culligan

Green8 Small Double Pack for protection from electrostress from mobile and DECT phones.

These very neat little foils can either be placed within the battery compartment of your mobile or adhered to the outside of your smartphone. We also recommend attaching one to the base station of your DECT phone and one on each handset. www.healthy-house.co.uk/green8 To see other products for electrostress protection www.healthy-house.co.uk/electroprotection

Stainless Steel Gravity Water Purifier with free glass bottles allow you to filter your water even if you are travelling or in rented accommodation, then fill your glass bottles and take it with you. www. healthy-house.co.uk/gravity Or if you’d like a plumbed in water filter choose from our wide range: www.healthy-house.co.uk/water

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Against The Madness

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e all want to feel wonderful, full of energy and have the outlook that everything in life is great. Often these thoughts are limited to moments of day dreaming amongst the total madness of the world and yet, with a small amount of planning you can discover the tools you need to make this a reality - and The Retreat at Split Farthing Hall is just the place for this.

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Andrea and Claire Maguire, a stepmother and step-daughter team, were inspired to create a retreat after Claire was diagnosed with breast cancer. As Andrea explains “Claire underwent a mastectomy, chemotherapy and radiation therapy at the age of 38. This lifechanging event shattered her selfesteem and confidence making her realise the importance of loving our bodies as they are, accepting who we are, being passionate about our lives and being kind to ourselves. Using methods and techniques that she herself used to regain her own self-confidence, re-set her goals and recreate a positive body image, Claire is now passionate about helping other women do the same and learn to become the person they deserve to be.” The fact that the family was, at the time, restoring their stately family home, Split Farthing Hall, gave them the perfect venue to fulfill that dream.

They are strong believers in combining the mental, the physical and the emotional aspects to achieve a holistic approach to overall health. In order to achieve the feelings that your day dreams afford you, you need to have all three of these in balance. Then you can overcome that image of a swan gracefully gliding through a river and yet beneath, those feet are paddling like crazy and you can achieve total calm and control.

Now, I appreciate that in normal daily life it is not always easy to remain serene and calm, but what is important is having the ability to identify when stress levels are increasing and to react before they spiral upwards.

So, where to begin? Split Farthing Hall is the ideal retreat to take yourself out of your current environment and surround yourself with like-minded people in a luxurious, relaxing atmosphere that affords you the space of thought and peacefulness. It is here that you start to rediscover who you are, gain control and develop the skills to grab life and enjoy it.

With the warm intimacy of Dr Claire Maguire’s life coaching skills, her empathy and caring guidance take you on a journey of self-discovery and personal growth. The retreats offered are designed to be experiential with a very well thought out process guiding the guest throughout a transformation over the weekend.

You can literally see the change in people before your eyes.

The programs have names including ‘Evoke Your Senses’, ‘Adventure for the Soul’, ‘Live, Love, Laugh’ and ‘Fitness and Detox Kick-start’, along with raw food workshops. They may sound a little esoteric, but they are all results-driven, created with the real-life approach that Andrea and Claire endorse and live by.

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Which leads us onto another major aspect of getting into balance your diet. It makes no difference at all if you take time out to meditate or go for a run and then finish off with a burger and chips!

I’m sure you know how it affects how you feel. You really need feel nourished from the inside, you need to feed your body with all the best foods you can. For me personally, it is not what we eat that makes a difference, but that which we absorb, so learning how to cleanse our system first is vital, and you can learn all about this whilst you are here. The food is all based around the nutrition, vitality and energy of gourmet raw cuisine - check out some of the delicious, healthy recipes on the website.

Working with Claire as your life coach, you get the opportunity to speak, freely, and have her listen.

Imagine that! When was the last time you could really express yourself without “fear” of upsetting someone else? I feel that we all think of others a little too much and put ourselves to the back of the queue when it comes to emotional needs. One of Claire’s main aims is to help women make time for themselves without feeling guilty. Andrea explains: ‘Claire has shown me that by including myself in my priorities and looking after myself, I will be of much better assistance to those I want to help. ‘ You can stay at Split Farthing Hall for either a day or a week, or you can even organise your own retreat. Numbers are limited to 10 so this provides you with an intimate group feeling rather than a class and of course, smaller groups ensure you have the time you need with Claire as your wellbeing coach.

Split Farthing Hall is nestled on a small rise at the foothills of the Hambleton Hills with panoramic views across the Vale of York towards the majestic Pennines. It

is a place of absolute beauty and tranquillity – perfect for enabling contemplation and reflection away from the bustle and distractions of everyday life.

This is a women only retreat and to be honest, that is a good thing. I know that people talk about equality but let’s be honest, women do the juggling of most of the day’s events, be that in the office or at

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home. So to be amongst others who are in the same position and be true to themselves, discussing the issues honestly and problems around this, finding solutions together, has to be the most effective way to move forward.

Welcome to taking control of your life – welcome to Split Farthing Hall…

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ChocolateGreek Doughnuts (Loukoumades)

Loukoumades are Greek-style doughnuts.They are the oldest recorded pastry of any kind in European literature.

Loukoumades or “honey tokens” as theywere called in Ancient Greece were offered to the victorious athletes as aprize in a highly ritualized ceremony along with the wreath. “Honey tokens”were essentially fried balls of dough covered in honey.

Nowadays we cover themwith honey, cinnamon, and nuts.

It is believed that loukoumades wereadded as one of the prizes to the Olympic Games because Coroebus of Elis whowas a humble baker and athlete won the stadion race in the first recordedAncient Olympic Games in 776 BC. This made Coroebus the very first Olympicchampion in history. And so a pastry was incorporated as an Olympic prize.

I have come up with this alternate recipewhich includes chocolate.

Makes approximately 25 Ingredients 7 grams dry yeast 1 cup warm water 2 cups of plain flour 1 teaspoon salt 1 -1¼ cup cold water 1/2 cup chocolate pieces Olive oil, for deep-frying 20 grams icing sugar, garnish Method Place the yeast in the warm water.

Place the flour and salt in a bowl and stir in the yeast. Add 1 cup of cold water ands mix until you have a smooththin paste. (You may need an additional ¼ cup of cold water). Add the chocolatepieces and mix them through. Cover and set aside for up to 1 hour until itrises and forms bubbles under the surface.

Pour olive oil into a deep frying pan toa depth of 4–5 centimeters and heat. Using a tablespoon, drop in large dollopsof the mixture, one spoonful at a time. The mixture will form round dumplings.Fry for 2-3 minutes on each side until golden brown, then remove and drain onkitchen paper.

Whilst still hot, dust with a littleicing sugar on top and serve

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www.greekalicious.com.au “Food cooked with the Senses, Love and Harmony” Maria Benardis, is theauthor of “My Greek Family Table” winner of the prestigious 2009 Gourmand WorldCook Book Award (Best Mediterranean Cuisine Book in Australia). It is available at all good bookstores andyou can purchase it online at: http://www.greekalicious.com.au/ Maria Benardis has also released an ebook”A Greekalicious Feast” that can be purchased on Amazon or ibooks.

Greekalicious Phone: (02) 9331 0734 P.O Box 660, Paddington Sydney NSW Australia 2021

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WHITE SECRETS Fr o m Ky l e Vi a l l i

I thought I’d let you into a little secret. A simple and effective way of whitening your teeth.

Actually, it is pretty easy to whiten your teeth in the short term, from salt, chalk and charcoal, from baking soda to hydrated silica - all these substances whiten teeth. They “whiten” by removing the top layer of your tooth and exposing a new cleaner layer.

The problem however, is that they do so at the long term expense of your teeth health by “grating” or “sand-papering” away the protective enamel that surrounds the dentin of each tooth. This strategy may be useful as a periodic routine to give a whiter smile, but should not be used too regularly, for our teeth will become thinner, more fragile, structurally weaker and less immune to cavities.

The solution for a daily whitening routine is simple: Oil pulling is a oral practice that dates back to the early ancestry of Ayurvedic medicine.

Much has been documented regarding its effect not just on oral health but on the improvements it can impart to the entire body, it truly is a hidden gem. But in simple regards to teeth whitening Oil Pulling does 4 things: 1) It helps to pull out toxins from the gums which can stain teeth.

2) It assists in expelling mucous and phelgm which can contribute to staining around the gum line.

3) It helps to remove deeply embedded debris that have been secretly lodged in between teeth and the gum line.

4) AND most importantly (hence the bold): the lipids of the oil help to literally draw out many of the stains in the enamel, which can not be washed out by water alone.

This is becuase many stains are fat soluble only, that means they are unlikley to be removed, unless oil is present to extrude them out. The swishing proces of Oil Pulling works wonders here.

Kyle Vialli is as an independent wellness researcher, speaker and forthcoming author, Kyle’s refreshing and animated approach opens up new dimensions in our understanding of human vitality. He is founder of the Three Dimensions of Nutrition which eloquently demystifies one of the elementary cornerstones of human wellbeing – our personal diet – allowing anyone to master the science of eating whilst reaping the varied rewards of renewed vigour.

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HOW? All you need is an organic, cold-pressed oil.

From olive oil, sesame, flax, sea buckthorn, virgin coconut, or sunflower oil, your main goal, to begin with, is to find a high quality oil that you can use on a daily basis First thing in the morning on an empty stomach is best to do Oil Pulling, but if another time works better for you, that’s fine. Take about 1 tablespoon of oil in the mouth, and swish it through the teeth gently, not vigorously, in a comfortable way, for 5-15 minutes. Don’t simply swish side to side, but back and forth in the way you might do with mouthwash.

If you have the urge to swallow, exhale slowly (through the nose!) and continue breathing slowly until the urge passes. If you really need to swallow, go ahead and swallow just from the back of the throat, keeping the oil in the front of your mouth.

If it becomes too unpleasant, spit out and try again another day. It can be a bit unpleasant at first when you’re not used to it, but soon won’t be bothersome at all, just like brushing your teeth.

When the oil has become saturated with the toxins it has pulled out, it will become somewhat whitish and a thinner, milky consistency, depending on the type of oil used. Each time you oil pull, it can take a different amount of time to get to that point, so 15 minutes is a general rule of thumb, but you can experiment with this.

Spit the oil out, then rinse the mouth with warm salt water. Salt water rinsing isn’t absolutely necessary, but is very helpful.

Et voila! Oil Pulling, Try it for 2 weeks straight to convince yourself.

by Kyle Vialli www.kylevialli.com This years flagship Vitality Conference for UK in 2012 can be found via this link: http://www.vitalityplanet.co.uk/

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ALMOST HIDDEN

By Sally Spencer

Sometimes we all need a change of scenery, a new outlook, somewhere we can fill our lungs with fresh air and the only sounds are that of nature and if that is you then this is the perfect place! Not far from the Scottish/ English borders you can find Saughs Farm with 110 acres of grass and conservation land providing you with all the beauty and peace you could ever need. The farm itself boarders the Kershop Forest, so beautiful it looks like the set from a movie and nestled, almost hidden, are three traditional Borders holiday cottages.

Here you can kick back, relax and unwind, no toxic noise, smells or interference just time for you, time to read a book whilst wiggling your toes, time to listen to music, time to just close your eyes. www.internationallifestylemagazine.com

For those who want to get a bit more active during the days the area is perfect for mountain bikers. The area boasts several thrilling off road trails, with something for all levels so do not be put off if this is going to be your first time, here you can whip through the countryside filling your lungs with nothing but fresh air and getting that wonderful glow to your cheeks that screams healthy.

There has been a great deal of press lately about the benefits of walking, how it can help you get fit, how you can meditate whilst you walk, how you can think and clear your mind of built up information and if you are looking for somewhere then here would be great. You will become transfixed with the surrounding beauty that you will find yourself, probably the first for a long time, thinking of nothing else. As you

breath through your nose, filling your lungs with fresh air, and then exhale through your mouth you will feel your energy levels increase and you get a high simply through fresh air. You can walk for miles if you wish, in fact, once you get into the flow of walking, taking in the nature, noticing things around you, you will be amazed how far you actually walk.

There is anotherside to Saughs Farm which means you can bring your horse on holiday with you! Now as well as being able to enjoy the area on horse back, how glorious would that be, you can also bring your horse to get involved in specialised tuition with some fabulous tutors who can work with you through workshops and residential clinics to help you get the most enjoyment from your companion.

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The facilities for your horses here are just excellent, do look at the website images, so both you and your horse will be very, very comfortable.

Here you can take your riding to a new level through Connected RidingŽ for example:Learn how to balance yourself and your horse in motion without bracing – ride with ease instead of discomfort or stress.

Discover how groundwork improves your horse’s flexibility, muscle tone and posture while providing daily diagnostic and warm up tools.

Identify limitations that prevent you and your horse from progressing together.

Understand what creates these limitations and how to effectively make changes that bring more

ease, fluidity and fun to your riding.

Take time to look at the profiles of the trainers, you will appreciate how much they know and how much you could learn. Take a look at the website to see when you could take part in the next clinic.

At the end of the day you can return to your cottage All the cottages are self catering, each is beautifully decorated, full of character but they all maintain the quality of their background. Each cottage is centrally heated, with beautiful wood burning stoves which adds a real cosy feeling at the end of the day. Everything you need is here, you can be completely self sufficient and whilst they are very stylish they are of course horse and dog friendly.

Each holiday cottage has its own patio with outdoor garden furniture

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and barbecue and all linen and towels are provided. All you have to bring are yourselves and food supplies!

Bookings are generally for a week at a time but if you want something shorter or longer do telephone and everything will be done to fit in with your requirements.

If you are looking for a beautiful break away,alone, with friends which includes your horse and dogs, then this is the place. Beautiful, tranquil and an opportunity to completely recharge. What are you waiting for?

Contact Details Sally Spencer Skylark Cottages & Resources For Horses www.improveyourhorsemanship.co.uk

+44 1697748346

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Profile: Sally Spencer “I have been involved with horses for over 30 years. I began life as a horse owner during my early twenties. As a child in Canada I was sent to a few summer horse camps. After moving to Edinburgh in 1967, I fed my horse appetite with sporadic visits to local riding schools and helping at livery stables. After a number of years nursing in Edinburgh, during which time I was given a horse on loan by a patient, I was drawn to combining my desire to assist people and work with horses.

This materialised when I began working at the Drum Riding for Disabled, in Gilmerton, Edinburgh in 1974.

The experience I gained during my years at the Drum was a distinct privilege. It was at this time I came to own my first horse, Butterfly, a rising three year old TB. Looking back I was pretty clueless but with great intentions, like many other people entering into such an adventure with no reason to think otherwise.

Butterfly and I developed an incredible telepathic connection that brought both joy and dilemma into our lives.

I’ve never forgotten it and it has proved to influence me to the present day.

This period of my early education reinforced my core belief that there had to be a way of working with horses and riding them that was nondirect pressure-based for both horse and human. Needless to say, looking back, I was largely winging it, relying on my intuition and commonsense.

The snag about this is that emotions can get in the way. I was aware that I was not equipped with the appropriate knowledge and skills to really help my horse. I subsequently discovered I couldn’t find any other people who possessed many of them either or could articulate their skills. As a result I suffered numerous bouts of heartache, sense of failure and lapses of confidence amongst my successes and magical moments. I am sure that I am not unique in this.

By 1985 my husband, Tommy, and I had moved to a small holding in Lanarkshire, Scotland. As I became a breeder of Morgan Horses, standing my stallion Monnington Andante at stud and marvelled in the world of raising young stock I faced various setbacks, the most debilitating suffering the effects of chronic fatigue.

I simply adored helping youngsters to feel secure and have good grounding before venturing out into the world.

Impairment of my mental, emotional and physical wherewithal occurred to such an extent that I had to notice that my horses were not only reading changes in my energy field but reflecting it, in particular my stallion.

My dogs did too. Frustration abounded as I felt powerless to remedy what was happening for quite some time. Over the years I developed my interest in complementary therapies. I was instrumental in the promotion of nutritional feed supplements aiding joint function and soft tissue repair and studied care and trimming of the barefoot horse, transitioning all of my shod horses out of shoes.

By the year 2000 a window of change appeared. A virtual troop of remarkable horsemen and women seemed to be available to me through the efforts of Trisha Wren, now resident in New Zealand., who ran Centaur Clinics.

They were Mark Rashid, Leslie Desmond and Peggy Cummings and Svante Andersson. I have attended clinics and activities whether as an auditor or ride participant and through them and their associates my life, learning and experience continues to expand. I moved to Saughs Farm in June 2007 with my husband, Tommy, and our family of horses and dogs with the intention of creating a facility offering core connected foundations for the benefit of humans and horses alike.”

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Vo i c e l e s s

By Elise Burgess

S e n i o r C o m m u n i c a t i o n s O f f i c e r o f Vo i c e l e s s

Animal protection is fast becoming the next great social justice movement as Australians become increasingly concerned about finding out more of the journey their food makes from paddock to plate.

Every year in Australia, 550 million emotionally complex, intelligent beings such as pigs and chickens are effectively locked away in sheds or cages, barely big enough to fit their bodies and often mutilated without pain relief to increase production and reduce costs. In 2003, when philanthropists Brian Sherman and his daughter Ondine Sherman became aware of the mass production of animals for food and of how factory farming impacts such large numbers and involves the worst of animal abuses, they founded Voiceless, a national nonprofit institute focused on reducing the suffering of animals.

Since its start in 2004, Voiceless has been at the forefront of the animal protection movement.

Promoting respect and compassion for animals, Voiceless works to alleviate their suffering and lift the veil of secrecy that hides the conditions in which they live.

The organisation concentrates on factory farming and the kangaroo industry, highlighting institutionalised animal cruelty in Australia with a focus on building animal law, influencing legislative reform and creating a powerful network of animal protection advocates from business, science, law and the arts.

Awareness of factory farming and its treatment of farm animals is gaining momentum in Australia, with free-range labelling and live export issues now appearing regularly in the news and noted to be a topic of concern to many Australians. Voiceless wants to build on this momentum, informing Australians about the processes

and conditions endured by animals produced for food in order to encourage consumers to think more closely about developing a cruelty-free lifestyle. It does this through various means, including engagement with mainstream media, government submissions and speaking tours.

In February 2012, Voiceless launched a provocative series of community service announcements (CSA) which call attention to the plight of factory farmed animals in Australia. The campaign was initiated by Dr Charlie Teo, a prominent member of the Voiceless Council who delivered the 2012 NSW Australia Day Address.

“I wanted to help Voiceless talk to consumers through the captivating language of film, and help to lift the veil of secrecy that hides factory farming,” Dr Teo said. The results of a recent consumer survey by Voiceless reveal that this message is not falling on deaf ears.

Conducted in 2011 by an independent survey firm across all states and demographics, the survey revealed that 82% of people, when informed about how sow stalls are used and the effect they have on pregnant pigs, believed the devices should be banned in Australia. The goal of this campaign then is to bring the conditions to the forefront of Australian’s minds when they go to purchase factory farmed products.

This reveals a defining aspect of Voiceless’s approach to animal protection.

Voiceless is not prescriptive when it comes to eating meat or going vegetarian

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or vegan; rather, it aims to equip people with the information necessary to make informed decisions about their own lifestyle. This is based on the founding principal that while animal protection is becoming a broad social movement, it remains an extremely personal issue.

In addition to factory farming, Voiceless focuses on exposing the cruelty that occurs within the commercial kangaroo industry. Australia’s iconic kangaroos are hunted in the largest commercial slaughter of land-based wildlife on the planet, with almost 90 million kangaroos and wallabies lawfully killed for commercial purposes in the last 20 years. This number doesn’t factor in culls, recreational hunting or road accidents.

The slaughter that occurs every year in Australia causes tremendous suffering to kangaroos, primarily due to the gap between what relevant Codes of Practice require of shooters and what actually happens in the field. For example, under the commercial Code shooters must aim to shoot a kangaroo in the brain for an instant death, however, non-fatal body shots are unavoidable due to the moving target and the fact that the hunts occur at night, causing horrific and painful injuries. The Code also results in around one million joeys a year being killed, either by a single blow to the head (usually with a steel pipe or against the tow bar of the shooter’s truck) or through decapitation. The lack of government monitoring and enforcement of the Code exacerbates the situation in the field.

One way Voiceless works to build the animal protection movement beyond the organisation is to offer financial support through an extensive grants and prizes program that has awarded $1.2 million to date to projects and organisations who share Voiceless’ focus. Prizes include awards for media coverage of animal issues, literary works and scientific research to improve the current position of animals.

According to Dana Campbell, Voiceless CEO: “Ultimately, each of us must respond to animal cruelty in our own way and the response is often a journey, where the starting point is learning the truth that lies behind your fork.”

Applications for Voiceless’s Grants and Prizes program can be submitted online at: www.voiceless.org.au

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Craft of Ages

By Lynn Nicholson

ojest is an easy-to-use online gallery & market place B that enables you to purchase products safely and directly from designers, artisans, artists & crafters.

You can buy either ready-made items or bespoke made-to-order to suit your personal requirements.

Bojest was created to help provide artisans & crafts people, professional & non-professional with an international outlet for their craft and handmade products.

The aim of Bojest is to support small businesses and individuals; therefore they do not sell mass produced items, and never will, which ensures you can buy something really different everytime.

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Everything sold on Bojest has been made or created by hand, by artists & artisans. This unique collaboration provides an eclectic blend of modern, interesting and unique products with an international appeal. Bojest believe there is a revolution happening as more & more people want fresh, new and original handmade items.

This revival and new respect for craftsmen & craftswomen is the future!

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If you are thinking about joining, then here are a few ideas to help you make your decision.

• You set the price, delivery, packaging.

• No set up fees!

• You can be confident that you will share this gallery with other talented, like-minded independent designers and artisans from the UK and France, • Bojest support small businesses, artists & artisans and talented crafters.

• You will not be competing on Bojest with cheap, imported mass produced products.

•Artisans & artists are only accepted for their good quality, look and design of their products/ art.

• Bojest endeavor to have products on Bojest that are desirable, creative & unique.

• Exclusive products to Bojest will have special benefits including ‘home page’ exposure.

• You can start selling immediately at a very reasonable cost.

• Bojest take care of the marketing, maintenance, security and updates of the site.

• Bojest encourage trade within Europe & worldwide.

So who is behind this inspired business? I will let Tamsin introduce herself.

I lived in London for many years where I trained and worked as a child psychotherapist., before turning my focus on becoming a full time Mum. I have always had a love for sewing and have dreamt for a long time of one day designing and hand-making clothing and handbags, which I could then sell.

However, lack of time and a busy life always seemed to keep these plans on hold, at least until we made a temporary move to rural France. Country life does tend to lead to a more leisurely pace of existence, which is wonderful, but as a city girl at heart, I soon found myself looking around for things to keep me occupied. It was not long

before I rediscovered my passion for sewing, and a short while after I had set up my own very petite enterprise making and selling my handmade clothes and bags. It now feels this is my true journey and have never been tempted to return to psychoanalysis!

Initially I started off going to various English & French fairs in the hope of selling my handmade items. I did enjoy the experience as selling face to face you meet so many wonderful, interesting & creative artisans & crafters.

However, I always had a niggling feeling that my time would be better spent in my studio creating and I was sure there must be a better way to get my designs in front of potential customers, and which would give me more time to spend in the creative process.

I researched a number of ‘buy & sell’ websites, but felt none of them really offered a market place for both artisans & crafters with an Anglo/French element that I was looking for. I felt there was a potential niche and gap in the market, leading me to come up with the idea of creating Bojest.

This would be a website to help British and French artists, artisans & crafters, professional & nonprofessional to advertise their craft and handmade products to an international audience.

I therefore needed a suitable name that wouldn’t present pronunciation issues and would represent in a general way the wonder of handmade!! In the end after playing around with a number of different ideas, I came up with ‘’Bojest’’, which sounds exactly like ‘Beau Geste’ meaning ‘beautiful gesture’ in French! For me it fits the ‘bill’ perfectly. It’s easy to say, write & remember in both languages and of course there is no more a ‘Beautiful Gesture’ than creating something by hand with skill & love and of course receiving something that’s been crafted in such a way!

The future certainly looks very exciting with plans to expand the

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website into both English and French along with a community page for buyers and sellers to share ideas and highlight different exhibitions and fairs for people to attend. September 2012 sees the opening of a Bojest boutique in Angouleme in France which all helps to promote the work of these excellent artists.

You can find Bojest online here: http://www.bojest.com and on Facebook https://www. facebook.com/Bojest.Artisans

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Panguipulli, Chile.

The Lakes District List Price: US$ 300,000 Type: Residence Style: Cabin Living Area: 1,130 ft2, (112m) Lot Size: 14 ha or 34 acres Year Built: 2004 Beds/Bath: 2 Bed/ 2 Bath

Description: Parcel/Lot Interior : House / 2nd Floor The sounds of birds and a cute cozy cabin nestled in a woodsy hollow; here_s a great property to enjoy exploring natural animal and bird habitats. Several hundred feet away from your back porch you can hear the rushing waters of your own expansive river frontage. Head down to watch the rushing stream of crystal clear water and know what a pristine environment you are surrounded by.

Enjoy getting away from it all. Solitude, serenity and fresh mountain air are in abundance here. You_ve got lots of land to roam, take long walks and enjoy in whatever way you wish. Enjoy complete privacy knowing that you are also safe and secure living inside of a very large gated community of other like-minded individuals. When you want company head up to the clubhouse and have a drink at the bar. Hang out and visit for the evening with one of the other 20 landowners. Spend your North American winters in Chile and then when you decided to head out on vacation for parts yet unknown, no worries. Feel confident in the fact that you can leave for months at a time and when you return everything will be just as you left it.

jeanette@southernchileproperties.com

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Pucon, Chile The Lakes District List Price: 60,000,000 pesos (apx $US 125,000) Type: Residence with guest cabin Style: Chilean Living Area: 82 m2 or 882 ft2 Lot Size: 300 m2 or .07 acres Year Built: 2004 Beds/Bath: 4 Bed / 2 Bath Wow, a great starter home in Pucon. Everyone keeps asking us for an affordable option to get into the Southern Chilean housing market and here it is at last!

Built on a typical in city-sized lot this house is a good option for those of us that don’t want to spend the best days of the summer fussing about with acres of yard to maintain. This parcel provides just the perfect amount of space to be able to enjoy the large outdoor patio in front, and a grilling area in back, plus there’s even a backyard casita. Use this comfortably sized building to put up your out of town family for an extended visit. Or hey, why not just consider renting it out during the high season.

And it’s only just a short 15-minute walk to town and all of your favorite restaurants. It is a great place for those of us who want to be in the area to enjoy the lake and abundant number of outdoor activities that are only available in this popular summer resort town. For snow lovers it’s a great location to have your winter weekend chalet and come ski the mountain.

Four bedrooms and 2 baths (one en suite), an entryway, kitchen and open concept dining/ living area combine to make a very practical use of space and none is wasted. A neighborhood of mixed incomes makes this an attractive spot to invest in the future advancement of the city’s growth and development.

Owning an affordable property such as this with a solid rental income is a great asset to demonstrate your interest in the country, which is a benefit for expatriates seeking to apply for future residency.

jeanette@southernchileproperties.com

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Villarrica, Chile The Lakes District List Price: UF 11,500 ~US$ 500,000 Type: Residence Style: Modern Living Area: 4119 ft2, (385m2) Lot Size: 5,000 m2 or 1.25 acres Year Built: 2001 Beds/Baths: 6 Bed/ 5 Bath A lovely modern home with high quality finishes. Located inside of a small, secure development of homes this house has lots of amenities to offer the right buyers. Being just 15 minutes outside of Pucon, the location is an enjoyable & easy trip into town on well traveled / paved roads. Yet far enough outside the center to be able to enjoy a relaxing evening by the pool and to take a break from all of the exciting activities and buzz of the downtown.

It’s a well cared for property with a gorgeous pool, nicely manicured lawn, and lots of interior space to spread out in. The first floor has a formal dining area and adjacent living space with a large double sliding glass door to the rear patio, making it a perfect area to add some outdoor furniture for a summer dinner party. A renovated first floor master suite turned family room can be re-purposed for those who would prefer their sleeping quarters downstairs or else it would make a great home office. And there is also a guest room and half bath at the start of the hallway for your visitors comfort.

Otherwise there is a choice of 2 more bedrooms upstairs perfect for the kids and just outside in the hallway is a clever spot under the skylights where there is presently a small office/study space. Just around the corner a cozy nook for the kids to hang out. Follow the hall all the way to the end and there is a lovely master suite replete with a luxurious spa type bath and ample walk-in closet.

A Location close to one of the small regional airports makes this house a great choice for those of us wanting to have a second home in Chile and the ability to diversity our investment portfolio with real estate

jeanette@southernchileproperties.com

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Fighting diabetes with a knife and fork

Words & Pictures Juliet Gellatley

The Vegetarian & Vegan Foundation (VVF) is launching a groundbreaking campaign – The Big-D – aimed at everyone at risk of or suffering from diabetes, their families and healthprofessionals all over the UK. No matter if you already have diabetes or not, the only thing you might need to change to prevent or reverse diabetes is the way you think about food.

Does it sound too simple? Read on…

What is diabetes?

Diabetes mellitus is a health condition characterised by high levels of glucose (sugar) in the blood. This happens when the body cannot use glucose properly either because the pancreas is not producing the hormone insulin (or not enough of it) or by the body cells’ inability to react to insulin.

Insulin acts as a key that lets glucose into the cells. Glucose is a vital source of energy and therefore the main fuel for all the processes in your body. It comes mainly from digesting carbohydrates – these are the main nutrients in healthy foods such as wholegrain bread and pasta, brown rice, fruits and vegetables, potatoes, and in not so healthy foods such as cakes and sweet drinks.

In the UK alone 2.8 million people are diagnosed with diabetes, while it is estimated that up to half a million more people have not been diagnosed yet.

Type 1 diabetes Diabetes type 1 usually develops early in life and is characterised by the body’s own immune system attacking and destroying insulin producing cells in the pancreas.

But why does the body attack itself by mistake? If you have a certain set of genes making you susceptible to type 1 diabetes, early exposure to cow’s milk can

trigger a strong immune reaction.

The body produces antibodies against specific types of milk protein and it just so happens that the structure of these is very similar to the surface of insulin -producing cells. As a result, the body also attacks its own cells by mistake. A viral infection can cause a similar reaction too.

If you develop type 1 diabetes you become dependent on insulin treatment and meticulous carbohydrate counting. However, a low-fat vegan diet has been shown to improve the condition significantly as it’s friendlier to your body and can improve your metabolism in many ways – see below.

Type 2 diabetes

react to insulin correctly.

A lifestyle intervention approach has been shown to yield remarkable results. Following a low-fat vegan diet and choosing food with a low glycemic index (GI) – see the Glycemic Index box - has already helped many people to reduce or even drop their medication. You should never make decisions about your medication yourself - that needs to be done by your doctor - but you can make sound decisions about what you eat. Our D-Diet - a lowfat wholesome vegan diet - helps the body reduce the fat stores in your cells, which are blocking the lock for glucose. Foods with low GI - see below - help your prevent your blood sugar from rising too high or dropping too low.

With type 2 diabetes the situation is different. The pancreas still produces insulin but the body stops reacting to it and develops insulin resistancy. Therefore the key (insulin) to open the way for glucose is there but the lock is jammed and glucose cannot get into the cells. This type of diabetes is usually linked to increased body weight and especially to abdominal obesity (when fat accumulates mainly around your waistline).

Glycemic Index:

Recent research suggests that when the body’s metabolism can’t keep up with the amount and type of food eaten, tiny drops of fat are stored in muscle cells. This fat then interferes with the cells’ ability to

Slow down, reverse…

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The glycemic index or GI is a measure of the effects of carbohydrates on your blood sugar levels.

Carbohydrates that break down quickly during digestion and release glucose quickly into the blood have a high GI; carbohydrates that break down more slowly, releasing glucose more gradually into the bloodstream, have a low GI.

A number of studies have shown that if you switch to a plant-based diet, insulin sensitivity usually improves, cholesterol levels drop,

and medication can be reduced or even discontinued. Patients who adopted a vegan diet have also lost weight without being restricted on portion sizes.

If you have diabetes, it means your body is not working properly and needs help. Giving up animal products offers much needed relief for your body and in return rewards you with better health.

3 golden rules of the D-Diet Make it vegan – everything you eat should be of plant-origin. Your body can digest plant foods much easier than animal products.

Low-fat – your body needs to get rid of excess fat so be careful with oils, nuts and seeds.

Low glycemic index (GI) – to help your body deal with the carbohydrate content of the food you eat, you should choose foods that release their energy slowly.

It is important to realise that diabetes is not just about sugars.

It also brings an increased risk of cardiovascular disease, raised cholesterol, kidney and eye

complications. A plant-based diet doesn’t only help with the management of diabetes itself but it’s also very effective at reducing all these complications. Plantbased means no cholesterol, no animal protein and only a little saturated fat, all of which help your heart work better, put less strain on your kidneys and cut down the risk of cancer.

What’s wrong with the conventional diabetes diet?

You might have been recommended to use food exchange lists allowing you to combine certain types of food at every meal, count carbohydrates and restrict portion sizes. While this kind of diet focuses mainly on the glucose management and weight-loss, it doesn’t limit animal products, which are the main source of fats in the diet.

Therefore it might keep your blood sugar under control but lets your body feast on saturated fats and cholesterol and makes your kidneys work very hard to cope with animal protein. Moreover, the fat drops accumulated in your muscle cells stay right where they

are. It doesn’t sound like the best approach, does it?

Are you ready to make the change?

If you already have diabetes and want to try this approach, inform your doctor that you are trying a new diet and if you experience hypoglycaemia (where your blood sugar gets too low), contact him or her immediately as it could mean your medication is too strong and might need adjustment.

If you don’t have diabetes but want to prevent it, there’s only one sound recommendation: Go vegan!

Order our brand new guide The Big-D – get your life back! containing more information on diabetes, diet and health, practical tips and a week’s worth of recipes.

If you want to know more about the science behind this campaign, read our fully referenced scientific report The Big-D or a shortened version – fact sheet.

For more information go to

www.vegetarian.org.uk

or call (+44) 117 970 5190.

www.viva.org.uk

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C H O C O L AT E

ORANGE

TORTE I n g r e d i e n t s 2 cups almonds 4 medjool dates 1 tbsp cacao nibs 2 avocados 1/2 cup raw cacao butter Honey – about 3tbsp but add more or less to suit your sweet tooth juice from 2 oranges 1 cup raw cacao powder Method In a food processor, process the walnuts, dates and cacao nibs Melt the raw cacao butter by grating and adding to a dish above boiling water and place over another dish filled with boiling water (bain-marie). You do not need to keep the water boiling as the heat will warm the bowl enough to melt the butter. Alternatively you can melt the butter by placing in a dehydrator at 42oC until melted. place the above mixture into a flan dish and press down firmly to form base (about 5mm thick) Blend the remaining ingredients Pile on top of the crust mixture Leave to set in the fridge Decorate as desired eg: fresh berries or orange zest

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Laurie Milne Photography / Adam Quang 2012 ©!

yoga!

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Quantum

Balance UK Meanwhile back at QBUK Headquarters emergency calls are flooding in. Bad radiation, noxious energy, and electrical smog are being reported everywhere, the world over. It seems there’s a layer of man-made radiation forming across the earth causing all sorts of havoc to health and well-being. Humans face new dangers as oxygen levels plummet.

Synthetic Positive Ion fields are infiltrating human defence systems, bio-electrics are in disarray, stress on major organs and compromised immune systems are being created. There’s tiredness, fatigue, lethargy, stress, headaches, poor concentration, hot head syndrome, effected sleep quality, depression, mood swings, lack of concentration, illness and all sorts of imbalances being reported everywhere. The cells in the body can’t even communicate with each other properly – it’s all chaotic and out of balance. Seems the human energy system is under constant attack.

“But where’s it coming from HQ? What’s the source of it all?”

“It’s subtle but altogether, overwhelming. We’re picking up strong signals from multiple everyday sources – it’s as simple as electricity and domestic appliances to mobile phones, wi/fi, cordless phones, fluorescent lighting, transmitting towers, power lines, microwaves, vehicle engines, satellite dishes, GPS units, baby monitors, high frequency radios, computers, digital TV and more. It seems that everything we plug in, turn on and transmit with are clogging up the airwaves and slowly wearing the humans down.”

“But what can we do HQ?” “There’s only one thing to do. Harmonise the living environment, NOW. Prepare for multi-talented, dynamic lifestyle protection tools. After all, we CAN have our lifestyle cakes and eat them too…engaging: The hugely popular Quantum Balance pendants The amazing Geoclense home/building/office/school Harmoniser The refreshing Vehicle Harmoniser The long-reaching mobile/wi fi harmoniser, and more “Transformational rebalancing has been enabled. Stress relief, better balance, performance, strength, endurance, stamina, focus and overall well-being are being experienced as we speak.”

“Whew QBUK Headquarters, now the humans can really live life to the max. Let’s see what they are capable of achieving now!”

www.quantumbalanceuk.com www.internationallifestylemagazine.com

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