Vacation Care in Melbourne
Here’s the very best vacation care Melbourne parents are telling each other about. Kids love this sort of school holiday entertainment …
Strings Attached
An introduction into the wonderful world of Puppets
Children will discover different types of Puppets and how they operate. They will also have the opportunity to work with sock, rod, hand, marionette and bunraku style puppets.
Benny will introduce children into the wonderful world of Puppets
OverviewReviews
Puppetry Workshop
Presented by one of our most popular presenters – BennyO.
The Master Puppeteer for “Bobbie the Bear.
Benny will introduce children into the wonderful world of Puppets.
Highlights
Discover different types of Puppets and how they operate
Children have the opportunity to work with sock, rod, hand, marionette and bunraku style puppets.
Children will put on their own show on a real puppet stage
Children will make their very own puppet to take home
Lots of games and activities
Discover different types of Puppets and how they operate.
Muttley Crew
A Spectacular Dog Show
Shows children how to communicate effectively
through the body language of a dog and interpret
what a dog is actually saying to develop a relationship
based on a trust and mutual benefits.
A Delightful Doggy Day!
This spectacular show is filled with fun and cuteness while children learn about acting safely around all kinds of dogs. Get ready to have your heart melted with the Mutley Crew’s gang of wonderful dogs, specially trained for even the most nervous children.
Highlights
Presented by Farmer Dave Graham
Children are shown how to communicate effectively through the body language of a dog.
See how to interpret what a dog is saying to build a trusting relationship
Understand the value of dogs in our society and the importance of positive reinforcement training
What’s Included
These adorable dogs are brought to your centre by Muttley Crew
Full compliance verification and documentation
My Time Our Place Framework: Outcomes:
Children have a strong sense of identity
Children are connected with and contribute to their world
Children have a strong sense of wellbeing
Children are confident and involved learners
Children are effective communicators
Dr Hubble’s Bubbles
Everybody loves bubbles!
The fun begins as Dr Hubble shows us the magic and
beauty of bubbles.
Dr Hubble makes bubbles from objects we find around the house like the milk bottle bubble and the gumboot bubble.
Children will also see bubbles inside bubbles, a square bubble, the biggest bubbles you have ever seen, the new explode-a bubble and at the end of the performance one lucky child will be put inside a bubble!
Royal Flying Doctors
Aeromedical Simulator
A life-sized replica of the fuselage of a flying doctor plane.
It is fully equipped with stretchers, communications, oxygen,
suction and the equipment used by our everyday heroes; the
doctors, nurses and pilots of the Royal Flying Doctor Service.
A Unique Experience!
Imagine flying the skies in a life-sized replica fuselage of a Royal Flying Doctor plane! This flight simulator comes to your centre for an action-packed session of learning and working as a team. This is a fantastic experience not to be missed!
Highlights
A fully equipped flight simulator with stretchers, communications, oxygen, suction and other equipment used by our everyday heroes – the doctors, nurses and pilots of the Royal Flying Doctor Service
Hear inspiring stories
Learn how to land a plane and rescue a patient!
Gain intercultural understanding about Aussie kids in remote communities
Learn critical and creative thinking
What’s Included?
A life-sized replica of the fuselage of a Flying Doctor plane is brought to your site.
All tuition and activities included
Full compliance verification and documentation
Richard Vegas
An intriguing and comical children’s magic show!
Richard Vegas – one of most original and accomplished master Magicians!
Magic that will make you gasp with disbelief as objects appear, disappear and even fly through the air!
One of Australia’s most accomplished Master Magicians!
Richard Vegas brings you his intriguing, enthralling, dramatic and comical children’s magic show! Watch tables levitate, glasses that float, objects that appear and disappear and lots more that will leave the audience with their mouths open in disbelief!
Highlights
A highly interactive, fun-filled, engaging, and comic performance
Classic stage magic routines set to music as well as modern magic with audience participation
Demonstrations and tutoring in basic sleight-of-hand and misdirection tricks
A hands-on experience not to be missed!
What’s Included?
Graduate of NIDA and international magician Richard Vegas brings his fabulous show to your centre
Full compliance verification and documentation.
Rainbow Warrior
Paint your holidays rainbow
Active Attitudes encourages physical activity.
Incursion includes fun drills, exercises & challenges all completed under a rainbow cloud of colour.
Ninja Warrior meets colour run
In an obstacle course setting, this program is designed to encourage physical activity and push the comfort zone with a number of fund rills, exercises and challenges for children, all completed under a rainbow cloud of colour.
Highlights
Colour powder wars
Physical challenges
Problem solving
Group and individual tasks
Mateship and teambuilding
What’s Included?
Program conducted by fully trained and accredited staff
Full compliance verification and documentations
Vaudeville Spectacular
Vaudeville Spectacular
An Incredible Vaudeville Extravaganza!
International artist Benny O entertains the children in this action-packed show, featuring circus, dance, magic, clowning, comedy and plenty of audience participation.
Children’s imaginations are transported to a bygone era … 1900s America in this action-packed show. With circus, dancing and fun audience participation, this show will have everyone rollicking! BENNY-O blends his experience as a street mime artist, performer at the Commonwealth Games, award winning balloon sculptor, show producer,director and circus performer with his dynamic energy to enthral the children with this fantastic show.
Highlights
Circus, dance and magic
Clowning, comedy and plenty of audience participation
What’s Included?
Benny-O brings this show to your centre for 1.5 hours of entertaining fun
Full compliance verification and documentation
Adventures of Detective D
Would you like to be a part of a real life detective movie?
Detective D is a story and workshop about solving cases and unravelling the big questions, like who ate my lunch?
Do you have what it takes to solve a crime?
Do you think you could lie to a professional sleuth?
Would you like to be a part of a real life detective movie?
Detective D is a story and workshop about solving cases and unravelling the big questions, like who ate my lunch?
Detective D is a real life Sherlock Holmes with years of experience reading peoples body language, changing his identity through disguise and has ….Well some things he’s sworn to secrecy about.
Highlights
Learn how to pick up and take a finger print
Use blue light and make a foot cast
Solve a crime and play some sleuthing games
What’s Included?
This 90 minute rollercoaster of fun will teleport everyone into a world where every blink is a clue.
Full compliance verification and documentation.
Monster Skate
A fun sport in pumping atmosphere
Children are introduced to action sports with accredited coaches and top of the line equipment.
Skateboarders and scooters riders can test their skills on an outdoor vert and mini ramps.
Pump up the tunes and get skating!
Skateboarders and scooters riders can test their skills on an outdoor vert and mini ramps. Whether they are new to the sport or want to test their limits, this is a day of fun for all children.
Highlights
Fun Sport in pumping atmosphere
Children can choose Skateboards or Scooters
2 hours of instruction and free play
What’s Included?
Instruction from qualified coaches
All equipment brought to your centre (jumps, ramps, all safety gear)
Full compliance verification and documentation
Archie Brothers Electric Circus
Roll Up! Roll Up!
Archie Brothers Cirque Electriq is your one-stop entertainment destination at Melbourne Docklands. Run yourself ragged around their arcade and activities – dodgems, bowling and more…
With six bowling lanes, 67 arcade and ticket games,
XD Theatre and dodgems, Archie Brother provides
hours of entertainment for everyone.
Highlights
Arcade Games Galore!
Ten pin bowling
Bumper Cars
XD Theatre
What’s Included?
So much fun for a very special price, exclusive to Fun Day Out!
Unlimited either 1 or 2 hour package
Complimentary Tea/Coffee/Water for OOSH Staff
Space for Lunch where children bring and eat their own lunch on premises
Full compliance verification and documentation
* Docklands, VIC *
Bringing Mindfulness To Our Work
15 practical steps Thich Nhat Hanh says we can take to bring mindfulness to our work. Some of these may be hard to adopt straightaway, but some of them are easy and will make a lovely difference to your day …
1. Start your day with 10 minutes of sitting in meditation.
2. Take the time to sit down and enjoy eating breakfast at home.
3. Remind yourself every day of your gratitude for being alive and having 24 brand-new hours to live.
4. Try not to divide your time into “my time” and “work.” All time can be your own time if you stay in the present moment and keep in touch with what’s happening in your body and mind. There’s no reason why your time at work should be any less pleasant than your time anywhere else.
5. Resist the urge to make calls on your cell phone while on your way to and from work, or on your way to appointments. Allow yourself this time to just be with yourself, with nature and with the world around you.
6. Arrange a breathing area at work where you can go to calm down, stop and have a rest. Take regular breathing breaks to come back to your body and to bring your thoughts back to the present.
7. At lunchtime, eat only your food and not your fears or worries. Don’t eat lunch at your desk. Change environments. Go for a walk.
8. Make a ritual out of drinking your tea. Stop work and look deeply into your tea to see everything that went into making it: the clouds and the rain, the tea plantations and the workers harvesting the tea.
9. Before going to a meeting, visualize someone very peaceful, mindful and skillful being with you. Take refuge in this person to help stay calm and peaceful.
10. If you feel anger or irritation, refrain from saying or doing anything straight away. Come back to your breathing and follow your in- and out-breath until you’ve calmed down.
11. Practice looking at your boss, your superiors, your colleagues or your subordinates as your allies and not as your enemies. Recognize that working collaboratively brings more satisfaction and joy than working alone. Know that the success and happiness of everyone is your own success.
12. Express your gratitude and appreciation to your colleagues regularly for their positive qualities. This will transform the whole work environment, making it much more harmonious and pleasant for everyone.
13. Try to relax and restore yourself before going home so you don’t bring accumulated negative energy or frustration home with you.
14. Take some time to relax and come back to yourself when you get home before starting on household chores. Recognise that multitasking means you’re never fully present for any one thing. Do one thing at a time and give it your full attention.
15. At the end of the day, keep a journal of all the good things that happened in your day. Water your seeds of joy and gratitude regularly so they can grow.
CTTO: Thich Nhat Hanh
Business Tax Laws Ever More Complicated
It is without a doubt that business taxes are too complicated yet every year, the system gets even more complex. Why is this the case? The answer is that taxes policies usually have a conflict with the policy goals of the establishment, and it’s crucial to hire yourself a good business lawyer.
What is the law on business taxation?
This law relates to the determination of payment of business taxes. The business people understand the regulations about implementing, paying the taxes, and the consequences of non-payment of taxes. You also get information in understanding the disputes that may occur and how your rights and interests may be protected in the existing laws. These taxes apply across the board between individuals and companies.
If you are a business owner, most often you may deal with issues revolving around the administrative role of taxation, and therefore you may need the help of a good tax lawyer to be on the right hand of the law.
Why is a tax lawyer essential?
An assessment of tax may be simple or complex, and some allow for exemptions. The tax is levied on the total taxable income of business after deducting the allowable. Income is usually the proceeds of the business but does not include the sales. Allowable deductions are certain expenses which you may incur concerning the business.
If you are a sole trader, you must pay tax. It is essential to lodge a return every year even if you incurred losses and did not have any tax liability. There is usually a tax comparison table that will guide you on the amount you should pay and total tax obligations.
There are instances where your income may reach a certain amount, and you are required to pay tax instalments typically quarterly. This is to reduce your tax bill when lodging your returns. Also, you are supposed to deduct income tax from your employees, remit, and keep records.
There are some instances where every income earning person must contribute to a medical fee depending on the amount collected. Some small business with a guaranteed annual turnover are eligible for tax concessions, and it’s essential to find out if your business falls within this category. It’s also necessary to find out about the base rate depending on your turnover. Usually, tax rates change yearly, and some incomes may be considered as passive.
If you are threatened with a suit due to a tax dispute, it is essential to hire yourself a good business lawyer. He should be well conversant with your business and will advise you on the steps to follow.
Having a lawyer will help you in avoiding some tax mistakes you may not be aware of. This is because tax issues are usually complex, and there may be a lot of legal pitfalls. A lawyer will also refer you to specialized services and may refer you to other tax professionals such as tax experts and accountants.
Conclusion
If you have a business, you should hire yourself a good business lawyer, and you will run your business with the confidence that you are fully compliant with the laws in regards to taxation.
Revolutionary Dental Techniques Attract People to the Profession
When most people hear of any advancement in technology, what mostly comes into their mind is the fancy and speedy Ferraris and other high-tech cars hitting the roads. However, this is not the case anymore. Technology is becoming dynamic and ever-changing in all aspects of life, and dental medicine is no exclusion.
Over the years, the field has experienced advancements that have seen the area attract more professionals who are eager to deal with the ever increasing number of people who need dental health specialists. These revolutionary dental techniques are quite a number. However, of all of them, the all-on-four dental implants stand out as one of the best-revolutionized methods.
To understand the concept of “all-on-four” dental implants, there is the need first to understand what implants are. Dental implants are titanium screws inserted into a patient’s jawbones in spaces that were left behind by missing teeth. Once the implants are inserted, dentists will them allow them to heal before inserting an artificial tooth that looks exactly like the other remaining teeth.
Now multiply this idea by four, and you will get an All-on-four dental implants, where instead of using a single implant for every missing tooth, the dentists only use four implants on the top jaws and four implants on the bottom to support and anchor all the teeth.
The “all-on-four” dental implant procedure.
With this in mind, what are these indicators that may prompt people to book a date with dentists for an all-on-four dental implants and what is the procedure involved during the process?
The primary indicator is if a patient has terminal dentition. These are dentitions that are weak and can easily fall off. Another group is patients with edentulism, a state of being toothless wholly or partially due to accidents or just naturally.
The on four implant procedure begins by a surgeon preparing your mouth by removing all falling and loose teeth, which is followed by the removal of adjacent infected tissues. This paves the way for the implantation process, where the titanium screw is inserted into the jawbone. These titanium screws are the primary basis of the all-on-four implantation process. The titanium screw is the allowed to heal before the look alike artificial tooth is now placed onto the artificial titanium screw.
The fact that the process is a revolutionized dental technique does not imply that it is an easy and comfort filled process. Several post-surgery issues can accompany this dental surgery. Some of which may require close monitoring by your dentist. The common post-surgery issues are:
Swelling
Any operational process is always accompanied by swelling 2-3 days after the process. However, if the swelling persists, then this may be an indicator that tissues were not well rectified that may require prompt attention.
Persistent bleeding
This will be common since several tissues are damaged when making way for the titanium screws that are used as implants.
Pain.
This is the most unbearable thing that patients have to deal with after any surgical process. However, an anesthetic may be used to suppress the pain.
Sharp sensation in the mouth
The sharp feelings are often due to the bony walls that anchor the now missing teeth. The bones may at times protrude from the gums.
In should however be noted that some of these problems arise due to poorly performed All-on-four dental implants. At Dental boutique, we guarantee you of safe and affordable all-on-four dental implants. Book a date with us to enjoy the service at a cheaper cost.
Weddings Are Another Story
A digital life is one that is always connected. From the moment you wake up, it is the first thing you look at. Same story after you brush your teeth to go to sleep. It is always at the back of your mind or resting on your palm. We should be smarter than that.
Smartphones have made our lives easier, busier and horribly documented. Even drinks to cool us and food to sustain us are photographed and posted online. Documented but not living in it. We go somewhere, we think of how to expertly photograph it, caption and hashtag for our social media accounts. We are not in the moment, just merely recording it.
And nothing is more documented than an event people are invited to. Like weddings, baptismals, even birthings. For ordinary occasions and unexpected ones like birthing and birthdays, go ahead and use your smartphone to photograph what you ate, who you’re with, with your famous duck face and peace signs. But weddings are another story.
The bride and groom have prepared and dreamt of this day for a long time. The bride probably since she was a little girl. The theme, the colours down to the tiniest detail. Her gown would be stunning, her makeup accentuating all her best features, the ceremony solemn.. Wait, is that.. Put down that smartphone! The couple booked a photographer just for this moment. Someone who will take incredible pictures. For this, their moment. For memories. For their children and children’s children. This is so everybody could take part and enjoy this moment and simply be with them as they embark on this coupled journey and they want you to witness it, share in it not document it.
Besides, you are merely blocking the winning shot that the paid photographer is aiming for. These photographers are skilled in getting the best angles and photos. And their gear is better equipped to get shots that will not pixelate even if magnified should the couple want it blown up to life size proportions.
How much is a moment worth? Probably not a quick question to answer. But it sure is not worth 20 or more smartphones recording your wedding.
Dental Anxiety Can Be Overcome Naturally
Dental anxiety is a term used to refer to a phobia for needles, drills and other apparatus in a dental setup.
Quite a large number of people do not look forward to seeing a dentist. They have this perception that visiting the dentist is only accompanied by excruciating pains; of which, is not correct. Some people will overcome the fear and go ahead for dental appointments. For others, the thought of sitting on the dental chair is terrifying. They are so shaken up about it that they will go to any lengths not to go for their dental visits.
If you are one such person, you are not alone. You could ask your dentist if she or he can help your dental anxiety.
SIGNS AND SYMPTOMS OF DENTAL ANXIETY
There are many people who will skip dental appointments whether it is a simple or a complex procedure.
There are various tale-and-tell signs that someone is experiencing dental anxiety. Some of them include:-
- Racing heartbeat or palpitations
- Sweating
- Restlessness
- Visible distress. This can also include crying
- Using humor or aggression to hide anxiety
HOW TO OVERCOME DENTAL ANXIETY NATURALLY
There are various ways you can use to overcome dental anxiety without the prescription of over-the-counter anxiety meds.
- Speak up
This works with every type of anxiety. All anxious people realize that expressing their fears verbally will make a difference. The best thing to do is to tell the dentists that you are anxious. When you talk to the receptionist while booking for an appointment, tell them you are anxious. When you walk into the dental office, remind the dentist and his staff that you are anxious. Speak up on the bad dental experiences you have had if any and ask for their advice on how to cope with it.
Also, ask your dentist all questions you have. Sometimes knowing what is going to happen will help in combating the fear of the unknown.
Agree with your dentist on a hand signal. This should come in handy when you need to take a break in between the dental procedure
Also, do not feel embarrassed about asking for more local anesthetic in case you feel pain.
- Distract yourself
Distracting yourself may seem like an impossible task but it might be very necessary. You could picture yourself on a beach somewhere relaxing. If that is too much, you could have a stress ball and squeeze it through the whole procedure.
Another option would be to have your earphones and listen to all your favorite songs on your phone.
- Mindfulness techniques
These are techniques that help your body relax. You could practice breathing techniques to help your muscles relax.
One technique is to breathe slowly. For every inhale, count your breaths then exhale slowly for the same amount of breaths.
Another technique is to do a full body muscle relaxation. Concentrate on relaxing your facial muscles then down to the neck until you get to the toes.
Practicing these simple but crucial strategies will ensure you overcome your fear of dental procedures.
Why is Biltong Suddenly So Popular in Australia
Before that, what is biltong? Biltong is dried, cured meat that could be beef or that of other game meats. They’re cut along the grain of the meat into a little thicker than normal jerky strips, usually an inch wide. Curing biltong is slightly different from jerky as it has vinegar, salt and other spices (coriander, fennel seeds, pepper) added and the drying process is used to magnify the flavours, giving it its unique taste. And unlike jerky, biltong is not smoked – it is air dried usually in hooks.
Although it is widely accepted as being South African, biltong is actually Dutch in origin. Bil for buttock or round, and tong which is tongue in Dutch, literally round tongue. The strips are usually from the back of the thigh but they could actually be from any part of the game. Game could be ostrich, antelope, kangaroo or lamb.
But why is Biltong suddenly so popular in Australia?
Why not? Aussies are massive steak and barbecue lovers. Beef is an addiction in their culture. So biltong is like a convenient, ready-anywhere dried bbq steak. It’s no wonder biltong is becoming massive in Australia with men who love a well-seasoned steak. Biltong has a very particular tang, oftentimes an acquired taste is needed for it to be appreciated. However, it is one of the better, healthier snacks for you as it is
- Low in fat and naturally gluten-free
- Fewer kilojoules yet tasty and incredibly healthy
- A great workout snack because it is high in protein low in carb
- It stores well, with familiar spices; paprika, coriander, salt and pepper
- It is compact and convenient to carry and every strip is packed with nutrients
- Rumored to boost concentration
- High in Vitamin B12 for healthy blood and nerve cells
- Doesn’t spoil easily.
It is also a favourite of mums with teething children because it is chewy but not tough. Some people cook with it and goes well with mangoes and avocados.
But one needs to buy from a trusted and reliable biltong manufacturer in Sydney because it is still classified as a kind of processed food and if it is not prepared properly it could become contaminated. As with everything, moderation is the key.
Enjoy!
Mainland China Highlights: Ten Of The Best Destinations
On a recent trip to China, TIM DUGAN discovered an eclectic array of travel options. Here are ten of them …
Guangzhou
Guangzhou is the internal ‘Canton’ capital city of China. It’s best known for its amazing range of tasty food, exceptional shopping and diverse range of people from all over China. Over the last 15 years Guangzhou has grown from a local city to a metropolis with close to 250 million people in the region. The phenomenal construction and development is now responsible for many tall skyscrapers but most notably the IFC towers in both Guangzhou and nearby city Shenzhen.
The Great Wall of China
Seen from anywhere, from any angle, whether below it, on it, or above it, the scale of the Great Wall of China can never be forgotten. An astounding 21,196 kilometres long, the Great Wall has been rebuilt, maintained, and enhanced over various dynasties; the majority of the existing wall is from the Ming Dynasty (1368–1644). The defensive characteristics of the Great Wall were enhanced by the construction of watch towers, troop barracks, garrison stations, signalling capabilities through the means of smoke or fire, and the fact that the path of the Great Wall also served as a transportation corridor. The Great Wall is generally regarded as one of the most impressive architectural feats in history.
Tiananmen Square, Beijing
Named after the Tiananmen (“Gate of Heavenly Peace”) located to its north, separating it from the Forbidden City, Tiananmen Square contains the Monument to the People’s Heroes, the Great Hall of the People, the National Museum of China, and the Mausoleum of Mao Zedong. Mao Zedong proclaimed the founding of the People’s Republic of China in the square on October 1, 1949; the anniversary of this event is still observed there.
Shuiwan Road, Zhuhai
A street full of bars. It seems that each one is dedicated to making the loudest music possible to drown out their competition next door. Not a place for quiet conversation. A lively place especially at weekends.
Wangfujing Snack Street, Beijing
Located south to the Haoyou Shijie Shopping Mall on the Wangfujing Shopping Street, the Wangfujing Snack Street is easy to spot with its ancient Chinese style gateway. The street covers over 2,000 square meters and offers some 500 snacks from all over China. You can also find the time-honoured brands of traditional Beijing snacks, like Baodu Feng (quick-fried tripe) and Doufunao Bai (jellied bean curd). Even if only in Beijing for five days, you can easily find yourself here almost by accident at least three times – your stomach will draw you towards it.
Shenzhen Airport
A modern wonder, with the most dazzling ceiling which seems to go on forever. If this is what contemporary Chinese architecture can produce, I’m a fan. This airport get the award for best transition to modern times and very rightfully too. What a design – simply fantastic. This is beautiful architecture, an ultra modern design that is light and airy. Services and facilities are first rate. It’s probably the nicest airport in China. Good signage and easy to navigate without a translator. Strongly recommended to go through this Airport to see what the Chinese can do to an airport.
Shanghai
Shanghai, the river city on the coast, is an amazing place full of local delights with a specific twist on international diversity. Most foreigners speak a very good level of local language Mandarin and can easily help you order some amazing local food and explore the local French Concession sights or the colonial bund. With a city that is themed by the Pearl Oriental tower, many local and international movies have featured the sights of this city and many more will come.
The Temple of Heaven
Beijing’s 25 million inhabitants have some great cultural treasures, most of which are over-run by tourists, but simply have to be seen anyway. But the Temple of Heaven is one of my ultimate favourites. It’s on a par with Paris’s Arc de Triomphe, being not the highest publicity icon, but something that has mystique, power, and which evokes a spiritual response.
Zhuhai Opera House
Inspired by the Sydney Opera House, but looks like two UFOs have crashed into the earth. Or two very large macaroons, or more to the point of reality, two massive clam shells – which makes sense as just like Sydney’s iconic trendsetter, the Zhuhai Opera House is located next to a beautiful expanse of water. It is endowed with world-advanced acousto-optic and stage technical effects. The Concert Hall has 1,600 seats, a lobby, auditorium, and stage for broad-scale musical drama, musicals, ballet, stage drama, symphonies, chamber music, opera and other large-scale performances and variety shows. With floor space of nearly 50,000 square metres, the opera house cost 1.08 billion yuan ($158 million). Some say it’s shaped as scallops to represent the brilliant sun and entrancing moon, the landmark opera house is the first on-island theater in the Chinese mainland.
The Friendship Bridge Between Dandong & North Korea
Glimpsing North Korea from across the two-part Sino-Korean Friendship Bridge is fascinating. North Korea looks extremely beautiful from across the Yalu River, and yet there’s this captivating undercurrent of fear. The spectre of Kim Jong Un casts a nuclear shadow across the landscape, where every factory on the edge of the river feels like it’s probably a chemical weapons production plant. Walking to the end of the original bridge, halfway across the river, is so poignant – it was bombed by the Americans during the Korean War and has stayed bombed.
Freshmag is written by independent writers & social media influencers. Absorbed in the new digital era, we soldier on, some in the gutter, some looking at the stars …
Fresh Incursive Concepts for Our Kid’s Education
The standard of education in Australian schools continues to improve and we have some wonderful teachers, who are committed to their craft. At the same time, the whole business of education is undergoing a momentous transformation, largely driven by technological innovation, which is pervading our entire society. Teaching kids cannot remain in the era of Tom Brown’s School Days, as the world has moved on from the values espoused in the 19C. We need fresh incursive concepts for our kid’s education. School has been a large child care facility for much of its existence. Children are more attuned to the socialising influence of attending school than they are to the subjects taught on the curriculum.
Education Evolution in Australia
Large classrooms are not the ideal framework in which to teach knowledge and technical skills. Teachers are endlessly pitted against the noisy disruptions of too many pupils with too short spans of attention. Economic considerations have defined things like classroom sizes and numbers of teachers per volume of students in this country. Teachers have been rather poorly paid in comparison to other professions and any vocations involved in things like selling or managing money. All the recent complaints about Australia’s declining performance in educational testing standards globally, conveniently, ignore this changing face of education.
Incursions Stimulate Imaginations & Aspirations
Incursions are outsourced educational providers coming to schools, rather than students going on excursions to facilities outside of the school. Theatre groups and the like have been coming to schools for decades, often, with shows that have an educational message or theme. The high-tech incursions of the 21C, bring the technology behind digital productions in the media to primary and high schools around the nation. Click here to see an online example of a Sydney based incursive company. Children are able to access the production tools for movie making and enjoy the experience of creating their own movie.
Technology Has the Potential to Transform Education
Technology has the ability to transform the educational landscape in this country. Teaching kids how to access information and how to learn from the available data is, now, at our fingertips. Empowering young people to take responsibility for their education and training, removes the whole discipline imperative. If you treat kids as bunches of shuffling animals in halls and classrooms, they will behave like that. Education must become more one to one and less social, if it is to become more effective.
Spark Festival Celebrates Another Successful Year
Spark Festival is a festival that connects people, ideas, and resources across the entire innovation and startup ecosystem in Sydney. Spark festival includes startups, small businesses, government, corporates such as corporate leaders in Sydney’s digital marketing scene, universities, students, and investors who are invited to come together to celebrate Australian innovation.
Spark Festival Values and Objectives
Spark Festival is diverse and inclusive, and it holds events for people that are already working in the startup sector. It welcomes anybody who is curious to find what it is all about, and see where their skills might take them.
Spark Festival is a project of Spark Festival Limited – a not-for-profit organisation whose main objectives are to:
- Connect entrepreneurs, industry groups, government, and service providers that leads to the growth of vibrant startups communities in Australia.
- It provides opportunities for individuals of diverse background, age, and gender to pursue and succeed in their entrepreneurship career through events and other activities.
- It positions Australia as a startup country that is fostering, retaining, and attracting globally- recognised, talented individuals.
- It helps to provide training and awareness, and skills for individuals of all ages, primary and secondary children and workers from any industry to retain and transition to new industries.
- It supports industry development to help transition Australia’s industries towards a digital future.
The programming committee of the Spark Festival who are known as Spark Festival Track Leads usually meets throughout the year to oversee the development of the festival programme.
Spark Festival has just celebrated three years since its inception
The third Spark Festival concluded some few weeks ago. The Spark Festival was built in 2016 on the foundations set by Startup Week Sydney. The festival has seen tremendous growth since its inception with the number of attendees increasing every year.
In 2016, the number of attendees was 6,139 – in 2016, the number doubled to 13,081 in 2018. The number of sites visited during the festival was 14,400 and in 2018, the sites visited were 23,242. The numbers really speak for themselves. The festival’s ecosystem has:
- Hosted an additional 50% of events
- Extended the program from one week to ten days to two weeks
- Quadrupled the number of regional events
- Registered more than double the number of attendees.
A lot of work has also been done to make sure that the festival attracts more women. This year, the festival celebrated an increase in the number of female participation from 39% in 2016 to 49% in 2018. In this year’s festival, in addition to the events in Sydney CBD, the festival hosted events in Western Sydney, the Shire, and the North Shore all the way to Manly. Regional centers were also engaged with events hosted in Newcastle, Bega, Lismore, Byron Bay, Wollongong, Central Coast, Bathurst, and Orange.
The Spark Festival has once again put its best foot forward this year. It demonstrated the power of collaboration, opportunity, diversity, and diversity. The festival has ignited engagement in NSW, and it is planning to make things bigger and better come 2019.
Things to do in Brisbane this Summer
Brisbane is the capital city of Queensland. It is a large city on the Brisbane River. If you are looking to visit Brisbane this summer, these are some of the things to do in Brisbane to ensure you have the best time you possibly can.
1. Cool off at the Spring Hill Baths
Summer being a warm season, this is the time that you can take to cool off at the Spring Hill Baths. The hill bath was constructed in 1886. It has super individual changing rooms and great seating that are reminders of simpler times. The charges are affordable as well; adults pay $5.40 while kids pay $3.90.
2. Check out GOMA for a dose of modern art
The Gallery of Modern Art [GOMA] is one of the best art spaces that you must check out while in Brisbane this summer. The place offers a serene atmosphere and an outstanding architecture of its kind. Entry is absolutely free, but you can pay some cash if there is an international exhibition that’s happening.
3. Visit the East Street Markets
East Street usually happens throughout the year, but summer is its prime time. It represents a recreation of a hustling, bustling Asian street market but with an extra excitement in the summer with the breeze blowing in from the bay, and a warm weather. It even gets interesting on Fridays and Saturdays because of the fashion and music that’s added to the cuisine mix.
4. Dine on the river at Bar Alto
Brisbane is known for its early sunsets so take full advantage of the dusk by having dinner at the outdoor deck of Bar Alto at the Brisbane Powerhouse. Located across the river at the neat Hawthorne mansions is a special bliss. You can arrive at 6:30 pm and get a seat and catch a show at the Powerhouse later on.
5. Rooftop cinema at Limes Hotel
Limes Hotel is among the best digs in Brisbane, it also delivers one of the finest rooftop bars in the city. It offers two spectacular views; there is city center on one side and the cranes of Brisbane on the other side.
It even gets interesting on Wednesdays and Thursdays when the bar turns into a movie house with both old and new movies. Tickets are sold at a reasonable price.
6. Laugh at the Brisbane Comedy Festival
The laughing industry has seen a tremendous growth over the years and Brisbane is not left behind either. Brisbane has nurtured many of the best local and national comedians and even talent from abroad. Watt and Alto bars ensure that they keep you laughing and engaged throughout the night.
7. Day trip to Moreton Island
Taking a day trip to Moreton is also among the activities that you must do in Brisbane during this summer. Moreton Island sits across the bay from Brisbane, it is less than an hour ferry ride from Holt Street Wharf [15 minutes from the city], and it is ideal for a day trip of surfing, snorkeling, sand boarding, etc. During your adventure, if you run into any problem get yourself a Brisbane lawyer to defend your rights. The adventure on the Moreton Island provides different packages depending on your taste and preference.
The Hidden Cost of Driving a Car
Having your car can be one of the most exciting things in life. In this 21st Century, almost everybody wants to own a car. But wait, driving a car is not just about paying for petrol or maintenance, there are some hidden costs of driving a car that you must be aware of.
These hidden costs can sometimes leave car owners upset and confused, and feel like they no longer need the car. Before you purchase that new car or a used car online, these are some of the hidden costs of driving a car.
1. Interest
Buying a car is very costly and many people may not buy it without financing. If your car has been financed, it means that you will pay the asking price plus the interest that is charged. Interest rates vary depending on where the shopper goes whether it is the bank, online lenders, credit union, or a dealership. It is worth noting that even a small interest rate offered can reduce or increase the total price that will be paid for the car.
2. Car insurance
Car insurance is a requirement for every vehicle. Different types of car require different type of insurance and this is something that car owns should understand. Sports cars which are classic and antique require a separate insurance to cover for these vehicles. How the car is stored and the number of miles it can be driven each year can also determine the type of insurance that the car owner will choose.
3. Depreciation
A new car starts to deprecate the moment it is driven off from the dealership lot. Car owners should know this fact because they will keep their cars for some time and sell it off to get a newer model. The depreciation value of the car will determine the selling price and how much it can be sold off for a new car purchase.
4. Credit issues
Not everybody who purchases a car can qualify for a loan. Those with bad credit ratings may not qualify to get a loan, but if they do, they are likely to pay higher interest rates or they can qualify for smaller loan amounts. Even though getting a copy of their credit history and credit score may be significant to the consumers, but to some, it is only the start. Those car shoppers who have low credit might pay down their credit cards to increase their amount of available credit.
5. Repairs
It is very crucial for car owners to put aside some money for maintaining the car. Cars sold by the dealers whether new or used come with warranties. However, these warranties do not cover everything. But in case of an accident, you can look for car accident personal injury lawyers. Most of the car warranties do not cover the damages caused by negligence like texting or making a call while driving.
6. Parking
Majority of car owners don’t think about the amount they will be paying for parking. Malls, universities, airports, hospitals feature paid parking. Parking fees are some of the hidden costs that car owners should consider.
Ah it’s so great to drive a car, any car!
Herbal Medicines Aren’t All the Same
Just like the old TV ad about engine oils, herbal medicines are not all the same. As human beings, we hear or read words, which must, then, be translated into real things. You can’t eat healthy words and expect to remedy an ailment or health issue. You must follow through and find out the details about how herbal supplements are made, if you wish to get the good oil and its resultant healing benefits.
Just Eat the Plant
“Just eat the plant”, this has been the catchcry of Pharma Botanica founders Paul and Melissa Gribble for more than 21 years. Pharma Botanica is the only Australian manufacturer that exclusively uses 100% plants in all of their health formulations. Even their capsules are made from healthy kale.
Unfortunately, herbal supplements largely contain extracts not plants. When you look at the label of an herbal supplement in a store, look for the words, “Extract, Standardised Extract, or Extract Equivalent.” When you see that on a label, this means the product has been made in a factory, not from a plant.
Whole Herbs Are Best
Whole herbs, which is the Pharma Botanica way, are pretty much what they sound like. The herb in natural form – leaves, stems and/or roots – is dried, then, cut and sifted, and, then, milled into a powder. Powders are, either, packed inside a capsule or sold loose, so, that you can add them easily to a juice or smoothie.
“Since you are consuming the medicinal plant, you are getting its full spectrum of plant chemicals, called phytochemicals,” says Paul.
“That’s a good thing, because the herb’s phytochemicals work in synergy together, and we don’t always know how a single plant chemical will perform on its own. We share DNA with the plants, so, your body recognises it and can absorb it effectively. Powdered extracts are made by soaking the herb in a solvent that is later evaporated.”
“What’s left behind is a concentrated powder of one or some of the plant chemicals. Some companies use harsh chemicals in the soaking solvent, which can be found in residual amounts remaining in the extract.”
Extracts Are Not the Answer
Another issue is, if particular chemicals or constituents in a botanical are the only items of interest, then, the botanical source might be immaterial. If all you want is the alkaloid caffeine, for example, it can be extracted from coffee, tea, Yerba mate, guarana, or, even, synthesised. With an extract, you cannot really know what you are actually consuming.
It is comforting to know that in today’s fast paced technological world, we can still make a real difference to our health and wellbeing. It is, often, the simplest things in life, which are the best. Nature really does provide the answers. It’s always been there for us, and with Pharma Botanica, it still is.
To find out more contact:
Pharma Botanica
www.pharmabotanica.com.au
www.facebook.com/earthsmedkit
www.instagram.com/pharmabotanica
How Much Compensation For 19 Years Wrongful Imprisonment?
Imagine being wrongfully imprisoned for 19 years, so when you emerge from prison life into the light of freedom, you’re an old man – your youth was stolen away from you?
In the case of David Harold Eastman, which is massively in the Australian news right now, his bid to sue the ACT government for wrongful imprisonment is well and truly back on.
An ACT Supreme Court jury on Thursday returned a not guilty verdict on whether Mr Eastman had murdered senior police officer Colin Winchester in the driveway of his home in January, 1989.
Compensation lawyers have speculated Mr Eastman could be eligible for up to $20 million in compensation if he were to win a payout via the courts.
The ACT government could, however, settle the matter out of court and provide Mr Eastman with an ex gratia payment.
Governments can make ex gratia payment to compensate a person without having to admit liability.
Mr Eastman served 18 years, 11 months behind bars for the murder after being found guilty at trial in 1995.
A 2014 inquiry, however, found the trial had been a miscarriage of justice and the full bench of the Supreme Court quashed the conviction.
Mr Eastman’s retrial for the murder began in June and ended with a verdict of not guilty on Thursday.
The civil case, launched in 2015, had been stayed pending the outcome of the criminal proceedings.
Mr Eastman filed an ACT Supreme Court lawsuit alleging the territory is liable to pay him compensation under two sections of the Human Rights Act.
Court papers, filed by Mr Eastman’s lawyers, Ken Cush and Associates at the time, said the civil claim came as a result of their client’s unlawful detention and wrongful conviction.
It alleged the former Treasury official’s imprisonment caused him deprivation of liberty, loss of income, to suffer mental harm, damage to his reputation, and he had expended legal cost and time in fighting to reverse his conviction.
He has also asked for interest and costs.
“Mr Eastman’s imprisonment and detention was unlawful by reason that the deprivation of his liberty was not on grounds or in accordance with procedures established by law,” court documents said.
The government, in its defence, argued Mr Eastman’s detention had been lawful and the Human Rights Act did not give rise to any cause of action.
Mr Eastman served more time than the high profile compensation case of Perth man Andrew Mallard, who received a $3.25 million payout in 2009 after spending 12 years behind bars for a murder he was proven to have not committed.
Mr Mallard was cleared in 2006 and received an ex gratia payment of $200,000 upon his release. At the time various Perth lawyers agreed his overall payment was about half of what they had been expecting.
Alice Lynne “Lindy” Chamberlain received $1.3 million in compensation in 1992 after she had been wrongly convicted of killing her nine-week-old daughter, Azaria, at Uluru in 1980.
She spent about three years behind bars before her sentence was overturned.
A coronial inquest in 2012 finally confirmed what many had said for years – that a dingo had killed the child.
Record Crowds At Etihad Turn Out For Adele Concert Show
The British Superstar better known as ADELE has outdone Robbie Williams and Justin Beiber to generate the biggest crowd in history to gather at Melbourne’s Etihad stadium causing traffic chaos in Melbourne on Saturday night as 75,000 people left the venue.
Many fans took to social media to document their slow journey home, describing it as a ‘mission’. The guests flooded the stadium’s exits after Adele’s last song, posting photos of the crowd walking shoulder-to-shoulder.
Meanwhile, Etihad Stadium took to Twitter to thank Adele for her record-breaking performance. Despite Justin Bieber performing at the venue earlier this month, they confirmed the Rolling In The Deep star had hit a milestone. ‘It’s the biggest crowd ever at an Etihad Stadium event. Thank you!’ read the post.
Etihad Stadium also tweeted their car park spots were ‘sold out’, despite fans being urged by Public Transport Victoria to take public transport. Early reports by the Herald Sun suggested overcrowding at Bourke St. tram stops amid real congestion at Southern Cross railway station as concert goers arrived early.
The publication claimed while Yarra Trams scheduled extra services for the event, the trams were already at capacity when they arrived at the packed stop. Adele has created traffic chaos during her previous Australian tour dates, forcing her to start 45 minutes late in Sydney earlier this month. The mother-of-one performed hits from her critically acclaimed album 25, as well as old favourites in her 18-song set list.
As she wrapped up the first of two Melbourne shows on the final leg of her debut Australian tour here is a woman who glides across the stage in a dusky pink sequinned dress from the gods, her voice big enough to match the sizeable stadium, delivering 18 songs flawlessly and with an effortless grace, punctuated with many a warm smile.
In an era where real girls next door are hung up on curating Instagram-friendly versions of themselves, Adele is keeping it real. “I have managed to avoid your paparazzi like the plague” she said, apparently thanks to some decoy vehicles which misled our snappers as to her whereabouts. “There hasn’t been one paparazzi shot of me in Australia, I think Justin Bieber got the lot of it.”
The bottom line is talent not just for belting out a tune but for connecting with an audience and bringing people together. This she has in spades and it’s worthy of the retro glamour she pays homage to from that drop-dead-gorgeous frock to the many influences in her music, from the tambourine-laden, ’60s soul ballad-inspired One And Only; to the upbeat, 70s Rock n Roll feel of I’ll Be Waiting.
It’s talent that should be celebrated, and shared, and basked in, and to that end, this concert went the extra mile. The adorable “kiss cam” singling out couples (especially gay ones) to smooch on camera, the inspirational notes written on confetti that rained down on the audience (a personal note once again stuck to the back of a chair in the nosebleed section) and the vision of Flinders Street Station and other City landmarks scrolled across the screen during Hometown Glory while the singer swaddled herself in the Australian flag. Adele will perform her last Australian concert in Melbourne on Sunday, before jetting to Auckland, New Zealand next week.
A Vasectomy in Sydney? How Many Kids Are Too Many?
How many kids are too many? For every father, the answer is different and based on many factors. In Australia, where the cost of bringing up a child is high, many men and their partners reach a point where vasectomy is the most convenient contraception of all …
Vasectomy is a straightforward surgical procedure which allows men to take control of their own fertility. Apart from condoms, this is the only method which enables men to take responsibility for contraception, as the famous “male pill” is still not available.
Vasectomy is a procedure men choose to undergo, when they have completed their families. Reversal can be attempted, if a man changes his mind after he has had a vasectomy, but it is not always successful, and therefore careful consideration should be made before making a decision about whether to have this operation.
The Procedure
The operation is simple, and takes about 20 minutes. It is available at a number of vasectomy clinics in Sydney and can be done as a day case, under local anaesthesia or with intravenous sedation. Gynaecare in Artarmon has been offering this procedure for the last 18 years, and many thousands have been performed there. No referral is necessary to attend for a consultation at Gynaecare and the cost of a vasectomy, when undertaken at Gynaecare, by the specialised procedural GPs there, is a fraction of the price charged by consultant surgeons or urologists.
Alternatives
There are many alternatives to vasectomy, each comes with its own responsibilities. For example, condoms are an excellent form of contraception, when used properly. The condom needs to be put on before any penetration takes place, as pre ejaculate contains active sperm, which can cause pregnancy, and the pre-ejaculate is released before the man reaches orgasm. Condoms can also help protect against sexually transmitted infection, again, if used properly. The condom needs to be worn on the penis, before any penetration (oral, vaginal or anal) occurs, otherwise sexually transmitted infection can occur. Condoms are not 100% effective as protection against STI’s but they are the best protection we have. There are also female condoms which are as effective as male condoms for protection against STI and for contraception but they are not as popular. Other alternatives to vasectomy include oral birth control pill, withdrawal method, female ovulation temperature management etc.
Risks
As with any medical procedure, there are some risks associated with vasectomy. Post-procedure Most men report feeling sore, or uncomfortable for a few days. Most men also report bruising (sometimes spectacular!), and swelling. The bruising and swelling doesn’t always happen immediately – it often happens after a few days but in most cases has mostly disappeared after two weeks. You should discuss with your doctor what is, and isn’t normal, and how to get treatment if necessary. For comprehensive information on the risks associated with vasectomy click this link: vasectomy risks.
Emotions
Some men go through a brief period of self-consciousness. 50% of men keep their operation a secret, they may believe that the operation is tainted by the stigma of emasculation and thinking it would degrade them in the eyes of their friends. This period passes quickly. A small percentage of men experience depression and angry emotions. Some experience a period of mourning over the loss of their ability to reproduce. These feelings usually resolve given time. A very small percentage of couples experience adjustment difficulties. The emotional distress manifests in sexual dysfunction, impotence, or premature ejaculation. The vasectomy is the catalyst but not the cause. Studies show men who experience impotence post vasectomy are more likely to have female partners who are unable to accept the operation.
Where Can You Get a Vasectomy Done?
Gynaecare’s sexual health & vasectomy clinic is located in Artarmon on Sydney’s north shore. For enquiries call (02) 9413 2538 or view their website: www.gynaecare.com.au
Wikileaks’ US Military Footage of Slaughter of Iraqi Civilians & Reuters staff
This famous video whistleblown by Chelsea Manning (formerly Bradley Manning) showed how the “war in Iraq” continued to be a slaughter-zone for years (including today) and the most horrific aspect of this video is that two children were directly caught up in the US helicopter’s bombardment of a van trying to rescue a severely injured man. This is a war crime according to the Geneva Convention … yet somehow the whistle-blower ends up in jail for life. Shame on you Barack Obama, George Bush, Hillary Clinton & others who preside over this criminality.
Geneva Convention 1 article 18:
“The military authorities shall permit the inhabitants and relief societies, even in invaded or occupied areas, spontaneously to collect and care for wounded or sick of whatever nationality. No one may ever be molested or convicted for having nursed the wounded or sick.”
Barack Obama said nothing about this video. Neither did Kevin Rudd.
So much for them being the “good guys”. Once in power, they preferred to play it safe.
An article in the New York Times quoted Noor Eldeen, the father of the Reuters photographer, Namir Noor-Eldeen, killed in the video as saying:
“At last the truth has been revealed, and I’m satisfied God revealed the truth. If such an incident took place in America, even if an animal were killed like this, what would they do?”
Here’s just a tiny percentage of responses from people who watched the video – more than 1.2 million people have watched it on Youtube so far, and it is posted on many other video-sharing websites:
@PIentyMoney:
It IS a war crime
“Geneva Convention 1 article 18:
“The military authorities shall permit the inhabitants and relief societies, even in invaded or occupied areas, spontaneously to collect and care for wounded or sick of whatever nationality. No one may ever be molested or convicted for having nursed the wounded or sick.”
Also, dont forget 600,000 innocents have been killed in this war. Would you fight back if your family got killed? That’s why we’re still in Iraq and Afghanistan.
@HawkSig:
what people like that fail to realise is that we are all people, why are we fighting each other???
because of political boundaries?
skin colour?
lies by the media?
@elfhaiku:
As Jeremy Scahill said (I think that was him on Democracy just now), this is everyday occurrence in our tax-funded war zones – I agree with 420 below – all the people in this chain of command involved in this, from the pilots, gunners and commanders saying “shoot”, as well as those of us paying taxes back home, are implicit. Our nation is morally corrupt. War is conveniently sanitized from a distance. Thank you Wikileaks for posting this.
@ratmtbola:
I’m not anti American or anything, but seriously, one day the United States will pay for shit like this along with tons of other war crimes they conducted over the? past years.
@mclarenflat:
USA, if there not shooting at their allies they are shooting up? civilians!! Trigger happy morons.
@musako88:
can you hear their laughing about the panzer driving over? the body? that’s fucking humanless.
@tdaggie00:
first the us army is there for no other reason than oil, second these people were not attacking anyone, third the american cowards they even shot the ones who were trying to rescue them!!! what threat is that??? the streets are empty the iraquis are under occupation and the occupier should go home and let them alone and let? their resources alone. You are evil just like them.
@D13HARD:
I’m filming this video with my HD Camcorder so if they try to erase it…I’ll have already made like 30 copies on DVD and they’ll be given to friends and strangers so that it will exist AFTER Google and YouTube censor the truth like in China or Turkey.
@someonegetsteve:
I felt physically sick.? The children in the van, (whether it was right for them to be there or not), and the pilot’s gloating justification for shooting them really got to me.
@mcedik:
Did you hear that? …it´s their fault for bringing their kids into a battle…
Maybe, there was a family-van, accidentally passing by,? to help the wounded one.
But these motherf**kin´ bastards shot only for joy, wthout any reasons to.
I think the whole world should know, what happens in Iraq and Afghanistan!
@formelropreto:
In the 70’s we, the Portuguese, also used to call terrorists or “turras” to the ppl of Moz, Angola and Guinea Bissau engaged in the war against us. That was also our doctrine. Now, 35 years after, it is very clear that doctrine and true don´t go along very well. Can’t blame the soldiers in this case. Politics, oil politics, are to blame in a country that spends 20 000 000 barrels of oil EACH DAY and can,t just? stop it overnight.
@GreenTeaGringo:
yes they mistakenly think there is one. however, rather than just fire and kill people that are just loitering in the street, it takes an extra minute to circle once around and make sure there is an RPG. the rules of engagement are clear – first you must use the minimum amount of force (clearly not done here), and secondly you can’t fire upon the wounded who are disarmed (clearly not done here – they fired upon the unarmed people helping the wounded). major violations of code
@PIentyMoney:
Imagine if you lived there and could get killed for just walking outside. Imagine if that was your family. Those who dont think this is just a senseless killing are either really dumb or just douche bags.
nbydummy have the identities of the soldiers involved been revealed? if not, they crucially need to be. let people know them and see them for what they are.
@postmasterw00t:
WHY IS AMERICA IN IRAQ ANYWAY???
why the fuck does nobody care?
USA basically said, hey we are going to go in iraq and take over and kill loads of people for no reason and the media are going to make it seem like we are the good guys
@ebtricks
I felt after listening to these ‘soldiers’, that I was listening to children with lethal training. They weren’t calm, observant, or even disciplined. They were anxious to kill, and they bet many lives on the probability of a successful engagement.
Disgraceful work.
@Svejser A Punk:
is it ok to kill innocent children? America isn’t always right!!! That was cold blooded brother Imagine if some one does you or your family members like that!! Would the Suspect be well within his means,or would it be cold murder?
@dinkidow:
that was a camera not a rpg. and shooting a van that is helping so nobody except them or the red cross can help the wounded? nice. they see enemies in every corner, that is the problem. and every soldier in the world wants to shoot something, that´s why they are soldiers. but nobody was attacking them. yes, I think one of the men had a rifle, but that is not excuse for killing all the others and the ones that tried to help. there was no combat, they just wanted to kill? someone.
@sydneycafes:
Sadly this video is only the tip of the iceberg. The slaughtering began on March 20, 2003 and let’s not forget the child who, a couple of years ago, had his legs and arms blown off by US forces? Or have we forgotten him already? What became of the children shot up in this video, how bad were their injuries and what about the mental and spiritual damage to them of having their parent/s slaughtered before their eyes? And the appalling “soldier-talk” – from the few videos we have got out of this ongoing bloodbath, there’s a pervasive tone of cold blooded detached enjoyment. They even laugh when a tank runs over a body.
@LordTheisos
It’s a sad day for all of humanity when “laws” and “rules” suddenly become more important than the lives they’re supposed to protect. What good are laws and rules if humans die needlessly because of those laws and rules? We’re supposed to be working towards a better state of? existence for all of humanity. How is this freedom for the Iraqi people? Whatever happened to “the sanctity of human life?” This is madness…
@ComradeRama:
What? people don’t understand is that these soldiers are filled with hate. They were trained this way and to make matters worse, most of them were racist to begin with. Racism and hate make excellent killers.
@Mephzice
Americans need to wake up and recognize that they have been lied to for decades. Their country is bankrupt and in a shambles, as are all other countries. Media and gov’t have lied for decades. It’s time people stopped watching American Idol and took responsibility for how their tax dollars are spent. The? US gov’t overspends by 4.38 billion dollars per day. USA debt and unfunded liabilities = $120 trillion or $389,000+ for each person in the US.
@Hoodie89NL:
Fucking American assholes
killing innocent people, blind motherfuckers?
hplaserjet2001 @mcedik I agree, it’s likely the family was passing through on their way to take the children to school or to their home in the neighbourhood. The USA has created a war zone in their neighbourhoods. How long until the US gov’t unleashes the? same on its own citizens in the USA? Will they do the same when people finally wake up and riot in the streets because they realize their corrupt gov’t has lied for decades and wasted trillions of their tax dollars…
loptosko1 Oh my Lord. Oh. This clearly shows up that American are bloodthirsty murderers who killed just for fun. I am shocked. I? am shocked. Jesus. European Union should cancell all diplomatic contact with this fucking state of primitive butchers…. When I read that americans killed over 1 000 000 Iraqies I could not believe. Now I can. this had not to be the first of last crime. what italian journalist Guliana Sgrena? on others?
tibermoon2 They thought? They wanted to shot people and therefore everything they saw they filtered through that perspective.There was no indication of provocative towards the helicopter among the group of men out in the open talking.They could hear the helicopter but they did not seek? shelter. What justification can be given for shooting the vehicle that was passing by and assisted the wounded? They were carrying an injured person to the vehicle for transportation to medical care. Life is not a video game.
ziadxx71 i don’t care what any asshole says to try to Justify this,you never shoot at people trying to? save an injured man..and i think those are iraqi people so they are in their country..they could have all the weapons they want.. what da fuck are these red necks doing there in the first place..
NomenNesci0 Aside from all the legal problems of this operation, one thing has to be noted: lightly made tactical decisions create huge strategic problems. Secondly absolute power corrupts and who has more power than a gunner who has nothing else to do but? try to find someone to kill. And how can one even surrender in this new kind of war. Also it seem that evacuating the wounded is now more difficult and lethal (actually it is a war crime to shoot the people in this case).
MohamedZero Fuck america, their army and their “Democracy”. Ethic-less moral-less Fucks. Look at what your country and your army are doing to my people. The guys from the van had the balls and were man enough to? go and try to help innocent people. They were helping! why kill em!
patito76 I am sorry but the soldiers didn´t sound scared….laughing at the dead bodies and the body being crushed by a tank, they seemed eager to? shoot…not scared, and oh sure terrorist walk around with the weapons like that….this was murder. don´t take sides. and nobody asked the americans to go and save irak. remember the lies about the weapons of mass destruction. and what? people can´t even walk in groups without being shot at? nice democracy you´re building. be honest. it´s business.
Lovablekit Fucking awful. I’m glad this video was posted… maybe some of the hardcore pro-war/death retards here in America will see what’s really? happening over in the middle east, and stop believing that we’re doing “God’s work”. We’re not. Tons of Innocent people are dying for every actual legitimate Islamic extremist that gets killed.
InsaneGoonRules As a former Vietnam pilot I’m shocked. A blind babboon could see these people were Zero threat. ? WTF are we doing over there? They need a serious inquiry into this disgraceful conduct. Stop the coverup.
GiveUsTheTruth Geneva Convention 1 article 18:
“The military authorities shall permit the inhabitants and relief? societies, even in invaded or occupied areas, spontaneously to collect and care for wounded or sick of whatever nationality. No one may ever be molested or convicted for having nursed the wounded or sick.” So it’s a war crime and just plain murder.
J4vex This happens in all wars, unfortunately. But this, said by the soldiers in the video:
“Well it’s their fault for bringing kids into a battle”
That’s not a fair statement, and it’s a piss-poor justification for this incident. They went to help a wounded man on the road. They didn’t even get him into the van? before they got blown away. It wasn’t a “battle”, no more than shooting fish in a barrel is fishing.
NSAdisinformation Are young soldiers are so dumbed down with reality shit, and video games it is ridiculous. Ask them who did 911, they still think it was some arabs with boxcutters, or saddam!!! Most of US americans are borderline retarded. It would be too high of a compliment to call these guys inhuman monsters. They are fuckin’ retarded. Simple as? that.
loftyabuse What a bunch of sniveling cry babies. War is fucking hell and it always has been. Get this and get it good you anti American peace loving hippies, there always has? been war and there always will be.
sydneycafes@loftyabuse with people like you around there always will be war, because you love it so much. You’re just a psychopathic angry fucked-up weirdo. I bet when someone gets murdered in your own town you celebrate it: “there has always been murder and always will be”.
JamJHolmes Congratulations KILLERS. Way to MURDER innocent people/CHILDREN. Way to fight for bankers and corporations and Israel. Way to spend future generations money for this. The people who run our country at total pieces of? sht. Chickenhawk bastards. This makes me fkin sick.
tfwc63 Good report of wat modern time high-tech war looks like, that most people don’t see. So much like a computergame, that is uncanny.
Is this better than saddam hussein? In? god we trust, democracy, yeah right.
PIentyMoney Also, you shouldn’t enjoy killing no matter who it is, especial medical help. This just shows the type of training given to our troops and the type of people who attracted to? this job. For those talking shit, imagine those people killed were your family. And do you people who defend the killing think that they were posing a clear threat? Fuck no they were standing there. If they were insurgents they would not stand out in the open by under helicopter durrr
cedorris @FoxKeegan It wasn’t “moments ago.” Watch the full length video.
The Apache is way up in the air. How are the folks in the van supposed to know what’s going on? Maybe they were bringing their kids? home from soccer and saw someone bleeding in the street and dying. Maybe they knew he was a war journalist. Maybe they saw the gunship and thought “those are our allies, it’s safe to help the hurting journalist.” T.
For more on this video and other slaughterings done in the name of democracy check out http://www.collateralmurder.com
In the continual search for better health has Udo Erasmus discovered a little miracle?
The quest for a healthy body is quite an undertaking, requiring a lot of time, effort and study. Luckily somebody called Udo Erasmus has been doing the hard yards in advance and is happy to share some insider tips as SAUL KHAN reports …
Not everyone knows this about me, as some people find it a little dangerous and a bit of a fringe exercise, but I love martial arts. Nothing too crazy about that you say, but I happen to like the full on craziness associated with full contact fighting. When I practice I practice at a professional level, very heavy and very hard so I need to take a lot of care with my body to be able to maintain my body during the times I put stress on it.
I have to do things like cut weight to get to certain weight categories, and while I sit comfortably in the heavier brackets dropping weight is hard. Not least because of the dieting, but also because the diet is not necessarily nutritious enough to sustain the punishment your body is sustaining.
Like it or not the body needs to take in vital nutrients to be healthy, diet or no diet, and I found something very important for training to have optimum power. You can’t just erase certain food groups from the body, it’s not do-able. This includes fats.
The important thing to remember is that there are good fats and bad fats, some heal you when damaged and some just give you cellulite.
In fact if you really look into it your body needs about 20 minerals, 13 vitamins, eight amino acids and two essential fatty acids. All essential for peak performance of the body.
Now you can probably see I take this sort of thing fairly seriously, and have been doing my research to make sure I’m some sort super street fighter II type character, which is of course exactly who I am.
During my intellectual wanderings I stumbled across this character called Udo Erasmus, who claims to make this super oil full of all the minerals, vitamins, amino acids and even fatty acids my body could handle. So of course I decided to try it out and see if it would boost my performance.
This kind of oil is not something which you cook, it’s to be added to the meal after the cooking is done. Warm food is fine, just don’t go frying it.
Basically you add it to your protein shakes, salads, fruits etc to bolster the number of nutrients your body is taking in. It makes the fruit more filling and adds extra texture to salads. So it makes those harder diets a little more interesting and filling (thank God).
The most interesting development I’ve found so far is I do seem to have more energy when getting into training, I haven’t been doing it long enough yet to figure out what I’m most interested in. Which is the amount of time it takes for small injuries to snowball and sideline me for a few days (usually about a month), if I can increase the time it takes for me to collapse in a heap on the floor I’m onto a winner!
Just got to keep going and see what happens!
Looking to give Udo Erasmus a try? Start with these …
Udo’s 3-6-9 Oil Blend -Developed for people who want one product that gives them all of the good fats they need, without any of the bad fats they should avoid. For more on these products click here.
Udo’s DHA Vegetarian Oil Blend – Udo’s DHA Oil Blend is an excellent vegetarian source of DHA (Docosahexaenoic Acid) – algae-derived. DHA is an omega-3 fatty acid that is essential for the proper functioning of our brains as adults, and for the development of our nervous system and visual abilities during the first six months of life.* Supportive – but not conclusive – research shows that consumption of EPA and DHA omega-3 fatty acids may help reduce the risk of coronary heart disease. For more click here.
Udo’s Choice Beyond Greens – is a whole foods foundation for better health. It’s made from organically grown whole foods, whole food concentrates and herbal extracts. It contains no fillers, binders or other non-nutrient ingredients. Where else can you get greens, essential fats, both kinds of fibre, phyto-nutrients, minerals, vitamins, naturally occurring enzymes, and proteins in a healthy, convenient, easy-to-use “fast” food delivery system? To see this product click here.
For more info check out:
http://www.udoshealthproducts.com.au
http://www.ntphealthproducts.com
http://twitter.com/udosoilaus
12 Ways Osteopathy Can Help You
More and more individuals are looking for alternative approaches to medicine. This gives them the option to pursue a form of treatment that suits their preference and needs. Osteopathy became quite a popular choice especially with the amount of features it provides introducing a less intrusive approach to healing. Here are 12 ways Osteopathy can help you …
Lower Back Pain
With the help of a chiropractor, lower back pain is relieved through spinal manipulation. It involves the chiropractor applying high velocity, short lever arm thrusts to the vertebra, with the goal of reducing pressure on the joints and providing pain relief.This includes techniques such as High velocity low amplitude thrusts and the likes.
Shoulder Pain
Similarly, your shoulder pain is treated in a relatively same fashion with your lower back through osteopathy. It focuses on treating the whole body (as opposed to specific symptoms or illnesses) and its focus is on the musculoskeletal system as one of the key elements to overall health and well-being.
Neck Pain
Through osteopathic manipulation, normal function of the body is restored and the same can also be said with pains and discomforts felt in your neck. Patients are able to rid themselves from such inconvenience allowing them to return to their normal routine of activities in a short amount of time.
Arthritis
Osteopathic articular technique is applied to help treat arthritis. Those who are suffering from pain from their joint are able to move freely in no time with the help of this procedure. This makes it possible to enjoy your day to day activities with little to no worries about your arthritis.
Sports Injuries
Sports injuries are healed in a more effective and efficient manner with the help of osteopathy. In addition, this procedure helps speed up the recovery of your injuries allowing you to get back to your game in tip top shape and perform your best in no time which is quite convenient.
Chronic Pain
Pains that have last a considerable period of time can be remedied through alternative medicine found with Osteopathy. If you have exhausted all of your means in looking for a suitable treatment of choice for the pain that you are experiencing, alternative medicine may be your best bet through Osteopathy.
Asthma
Osteopathy is able to use the power of visceral manipulation in order to help regulate and maintain your asthma. Of course, asthma cannot be fully treated but with that said, this condition however can be relieved in a more natural way especially with the approach osteopathy provides to their clients.
Children’s Development Issues
Children as well can benefit greatly from Osteopathy making it possible for them to seek the same type of treat which adults use without any worries about side effects and other major concerns. Such conditions where Osteopathy is useful for children include folic, delayed development, birth trauma, otitis media etc.
Pregnancy Issues
There are several pregnancy issues that may arise before, during and after a child is born. It is important for women to make sure that their body is in a relatively good condition to ensure that both of them are safe. A treatment that is suitable for pregnant womenwas found with .
Migraines
Headaches and other related issues are resolved in a timely manner with the help of Osteopathy. It is able to effective target systematic problems in our bodies that includea wide range of neurological syndromes. Migraine is included in the list making it quite a handy and convenient way of treating severe headaches
Menstrual Pain
As mentioned earlier, Osteopathy offers a less intrusive or invasive approach in treating your injuries. This reduces the risk of complications from ever happening especially since Osteopathy works by helping our bodies heal naturally from several ailments and conditions that we may experience. This also applies well when treating menstrual pain.
Ear, Nose and Throat Problems
Aside from the basic ailments and conditions which cover the field of Osteopathy, the practice itself also brings a lot of benefits to their patients. Osteopathy is a relatively cheaper alternative compared to major surgeries found today. This helps our patients save a fair amount of resources with their treatment.
A Fresh New Way to Move Anything … Anywhere in Australia Anyway!
The brainchild of Sydney graphic designer Erin Mulvey, LOADMAX is a revolutionary way that people wishing to move household items, office or commercial goods, or even boats and vintage cars – or fragile possessions – can attract quotes or bids from transportation companies whether local or needing something moved interstate…
Frustration with finding the right furniture delivery person for her household furniture was the inspiration for Sydney graphic designer Erin Mulvey to conceive a very advanced internet system which brings everyday people needing things carefully and professionally shifted with providers who wish to deliver the best possible service for the cheapest price.
But are we to say that the air indoors is safer? Indoor pollution is often overlooked as we seldom question that the air we breathe at home or in the office could be harmful. We may think that closing your doors and windows to the outside world is enough for these harmful elements not to follow us in – but the air that we breathe in our four-walled havens can also be polluted.
In its most basic sense indoor pollution is any impurity or contamination of any substance. As such there will always be some form of impurity inside. It could be natural, man made or chemical that would be airborne and grow to hazardous proportions. The danger there is that it could be slow in accumulation and as we are inside most of the time the longer we are exposed to it that could cause various allergic reactions even sickness without us noticing until it’s too late.
At an increased risk would be people that normally spend a lot of time either at home or the office. Children, the elderly, those who already have a pre-existing condition from respiratory ailments, pregnant women and those that are time bound to stay inside the office.
Sick Building Syndrome (SBS)
A World Health Organization report in 1984 suggested that a significant number of new and remodelled buildings may be linked to SBS. Generally it may be caused by poor heating and ventilation, building materials such as glue or paint but silent contributors at home can be caused by household cleaners, dry cleaned clothes, cosmetics and yes even chlorine from regular tap water. No matter how much we try to clean our homes there would always be traces of bacteria and dust mites that feed off dead skin cells. Their waste product can trigger allergies and asthma.
The office setting have their own set of low level contributors – the copying machine, printers and the cleaning and disinfecting agents. More so for companies that use artificial lighting and electronic equipment.
What Can We Do with Indoor Pollution?
For many of us our main exposure to air pollutants will be when we are indoors ~ Dr. G Pearman, Chief of Atmospheric Research, CSIRO.
This is not to say cleaning is not good, it just may not be good enough. Pollutants and hazards can be microscopically small and still pack a big punch. Some common tips would include regular check and maintenance of Heating, Ventilation and Air Conditioning (HVAC) systems, going green in building construction and maintenance even in choices of household upkeep, smoking outside and for those airborne microorganisms it would be sensible to use an air purifier to improve the air quality.
Take a deep breath!
What to do if you’re interested:
Simply call To Health By Choice
Freecall 1800 021 069
The Ion-70 Air Purifier
Unhealthy workplaces are everywhere in Australia and little is ever done about it. Likewise in the home, airborne chemicals and cancer-causing properties may be floating around the rooms without you even realising. Indeed it’s often true that outside air, despite traffic and industrial pollution, is healthier than being indoors. JEANETTE MORGAN looks at the issue and products like air ionisers which can assist with clearing and cleaning the air…
“… Repeated airborne infections of the bacteria acinetobacter in an intensive care ward have been eliminated by the installation of a negative air ioniser. In the first such epidemiological study, researchers found that the infection rate fell to zero during the year long trial. “We were absolutely astounded to find such clear cut results,” engineer Clive Begg at the University of Leeds, UK, told New Scientist …” – New Scientist Magazine.
Is Your Home or Office Killing You?
Ever heard about a “cancer cluster”?
If not, you’ve sure been out of touch with a big issue in Australia.
This is not something that hits just working class offices or badly run factory floors. This went to the core of our civilisation as 16 cases of cancer were reported in rapid succession among women at the ABC’s Toowong (Queensland) site.
ABC Managing Director Mark Scott said he expects more women who worked at the ABC’s former studios in Brisbane will be diagnosed with breast cancer.
In a sadly ironic twist, the following comes from the ABC’s own website:
“A member of the scientific panel that investigated the Toowong cancer cluster says she is frustrated a cause could not be found.
Dr Joanne Aitken, who assisted Professor Bruce Armstrong in reviewing the cluster, says it is unusual so many young women are developing breast cancer.
Dr Aitken says investigations are continuing, but a cause may never be found.
” We feel concerned for the women of course,” she said.
” We would like to know and get to the bottom of this and find out why there are cases occurring in relatively young women.
” We don’t know the cause for that yet, work is still going on and we hope to be able to get to the bottom of it in time, but at the moment there are no clues as to what might be causing this.
Is Indoor Air Pollution A Serious Issue?
It’s even got its own Wikipedia page, which states:
“IAQ (indoor air quality) can be affected by microbial contaminants (mold, bacteria), gases (including carbon monoxide, radon, volatile organic compounds), particulates, or any mass or energy stressor that can induce adverse health conditions. Indoor air is becoming an increasingly more concerning health hazard than outdoor air. Using ventilation to dilute contaminants, filtration, and source control are the primary methods for improving indoor air quality in most buildings.”
It goes into specifics which I will outline in brief here:
- Radon – “is an invisible, radioactive atomic gas that results from the radioactive decay of radium, which may be found in rock formations beneath buildings or in certain building materials themselves. Radon is probably the most pervasive serious hazard for indoor air in the United States and Europe, probably responsible for tens of thousands of deaths from lung cancer each year.”
- Carbon Monoxide – “One of the most acutely toxic indoor air contaminants is carbon monoxide (CO), a colorless, odorless gas that is a byproduct of incomplete combustion of fossil fuels. Common sources of carbon monoxide are tobacco smoke, space heaters using fossil fuels,
defective central heating furnaces and automobile exhaust.” - Volatile organic compounds (VOCs) – “are emitted as gases from certain solids or liquids. VOCs include a variety of chemicals, some of which may have short- and long-term adverse health effects. Concentrations of many VOCs are consistently higher indoors (up to ten times higher) than outdoors. VOCs are emitted by a wide array of products numbering in the thousands. Examples include: paints and lacquers, paint strippers, cleaning supplies, pesticides, building materials and furnishings, office equipment such as copiers and printers, correction fluids and carbonless copy paper, graphics and craft materials including glues and adhesives, permanent markers, and photographic solution.”
- Organic chemicals – “are widely used as ingredients in household products. Paints, varnishes, and wax all contain organic solvents, as do many cleaning, disinfecting, cosmetic, degreasing, and hobby products. Fuels are made up of organic chemicals. All of these products can release organic compounds during usage, and, to some degree, when they are stored.”
- Ozone – “outdoor air used for ventilation may have sufficient ozone to react with common indoor pollutants as well as skin oils and other common indoor air chemicals or surfaces. Particular concern is warranted when using “green” cleaning products based on citrus or terpene extracts as
these chemicals react very quickly with ozone to form toxic and irritating chemicals as well as fine and ultrafine particles. Ventilation with outdoor air containing elevated ozone concentrations may complicate remediation attempts.”
Awareness is Everywhere – And so are the Conditions
Twenty-two workers for Textron Financial Corp. in Little Rock allege they were exposed to fiberglass and “unknown toxic substances” while working in their offices at 112 W Third St. The employees are suing Delaware-based Textron and several other companies, including the Arkansas Democrat-Gazette, which owns the building – the former home of the Arkansas Gazette. Employees say they suffer from a variety of long-term illnesses including coughs, headaches, fever, nausea, night sweats, dizziness, ringing in the ears, growths on the face and panic attacks. They say their exposure to toxic substances took place within the last three years.
– Arkansas Business Review, Feb 10, 2003.
Offices and homes are filled with products made up of a toxic chemical that can cause symptoms mimicking allergies, colds, and flu. This chemical is formaldehyde, and it is found in everything from upholstered furniture to rugs, cabinets, paint, and particle board. Even wallpaper and draperies contain formaldehyde. So does cigarette smoke. Given the right conditions, it can off-gas into the air, causing havoc with the respiratory system and resulting in illness and lost work days. Often, the cause of mystery illnesses within the workplace can be traced to the poor air quality within the office environment itself. Toxic gasses lurk in the air around our desks and computers, one of which is formaldehyde, a potent carcinogen and noxious agent found in countless office items.
- This article was by Mary Pagay was voted #1 by the readers of Helium.com
- a serious journalism website.
Air ionisers are used in air purifiers. Airborne particles are attracted to the electrode in an effect similar to static electricity. These ions are de-ionised by seeking earthed conductors, such as walls and ceilings. The use of negative ions continues to be a less accepted mainstream therapy in Eastern Europe and the Far East than in Western Europe or the United States. Recent SARS outbreaks have fueled the desire for personal ionizers in the Far East, including Japan (where many products have been specialized to contain negative ion generators, including toothbrushes, refrigerators, air conditioners, air cleaners and washing machines). Notebook producers ASUS have now started to include air ionisers in their computers.
Air Filter Product Example #1: The Healthstart Ion-70 Air Purifier
The Healthstart Ion-70 Air Purifier offers your working environment, waiting rooms, homes etc cutting edge technology – covering a huge area of 70sqm, usinga 9 stage system, energy efficient & no matter where they are used the Ion 70 Air Purifier components, integrated into the ventilation systems, provide an optimum room climate. These units have been widely used and tested in Europe, the USA and Canada.
According to the distributors, it removes more pollutants more quickly, from more air, than any other comparable portable air filter / purifier. Such things as:
- Bacteria. A four pronged attack to destroy airborne bacteria is provided by the electronic dust collector, ioniser, HEPA filter and the germicidal UV lamp.
- Germs and Viruses. The ultraviolet light is deadly for germs and viruses.
- Mould and Fungi. The HEPA filters, ionize and electronic dust collectors combine to take care of these problems whilst the germicidal UV light destroys any toxins released by mould and fungi spores.
- Pollen and other Allergens are effectively removed by the HEPA filters, electronic collection grid and the ioniser.
- Dust and Dust Mites. HEPA filters are the most effective against dust and allergens and their performance is enhanced by the ionisers.The germicidal UV lamp kills dust mites and other micro-organisms.
- Chemicals and Volatile Organic Compounds. The activated carbon filter is the most effective method of trapping these pollutants. The ionize and UV lamp complete the job.
- Odours and Tobacco Smoke. The activated carbon filter and ioniser combine to eliminate odours and smoke from most sources.
More Benefits:
- Suitable for home or workplace applications.
- Keeps the home or workplace healthier by severely retarding the spread of infected air.
- Cutting edge Japanese Technology gives the ION-70 unsurpassed particle and odour sensors which automatically monitor air quality.
- Adjustable rate of airflow and huge plasma dust collector.
- Powerful and ultra quiet four speed fan with the convenience of a remote control & automatic settings.
- Particle filtering capability of 99.97% at one micron.
- Additional sensors indicate when its time to replace filters.
- Efficient, compact and almost noise free, the ION-70 will not intrude on other activities in the work or home environment.
- Cleanable long life filters
- Timer mode from 1 to 8 hours.
- 30 day money back guarantee if not completely satisfied.
- Two year warranty.
Jeanette Morgan is a Sydney-based writer specialising in natural health,
email her via: reviews@freshmag.com.au
Dangers of Fluoride
What about on-going fluoride dangers?
We’ve just uploaded an article on what you can do to avoid public drinking water laced with fluoride – to check it out click here. And if you’re looking for further education on this subject,
check out these websites:
http://www.fluoridedangers.blogspot.com
http://www.fluoridealert.org
http://www.mbschachter.com/dangers_of_fluoride_and_fluorida.htm
Healthy gift ideas as available on the To Health By Choice website:
Shower them with Gifts: The Vitashower
Contains an in-built vitamin which dechlorinates the water, attaches easily to any shower head – improves the condition of skin and the texture of hair.
http://www.tohealth.com.au/vitashower.html
Healthstart Far Infrared Home Saunas
Come in a range of sizes. If you don’t know much about the benefits of infra red technology then well worth exploring how health-giving a sauna can be.
http://www.tohealth.com.au/saunas.html
The Auto-Sprouter
Sprouts have the greatest nutrition activity of any raw food. This is because sprouts are still in the process of growing and at a very chimerical early stage of their life.
http://www.tohealth.com.au/auto_sprouters.html
The Ion70 Air Purifier – Great Gift for Mothers Day
My mum rang the other day, holidaying in Denmark, Western Australia, and complaining she was reacting to the pollution in the main street! From all of 4 cars!! Yet many more people are becoming hyper-sensitive, asthmatic & allergic like her.
http://www.tohealth.com.au/hybrid_ion-70.html
The Elanra Air Ionisers
A range of medical ionisers which produce thousands of small biologically ingestible ions. Australian-made, these ionizers won silver at the Swiss inventors conference.
http://www.tohealth.com.au/elanra_ioniser.html
Therapeutic Magnetic Bracelets
Look good feel great – be fashionable and energetically fit. The finest quality in Australia, made from Finnish stainless steel and Japanese Black Magnets.
http://www.tohealth.com.au/magnetic_bracelets.html
The Hydros Water Distiller
Distillation has been shown to remove heavy metals, chemicals, pesticides, particles and other harmful compounds including fluoride. Great funky design & gives us back the perfect water we are meant to drink.
http://www.tohealth.com.au/distiller.html
The Healing Powers of Sound & Other Auditory Adventures
BLAZE FARRENDER can’t believe his ears as he discusses the healing secrets of music and sound with the director of the Tomatis Method in Australia, Francoise Nicoloff…
Personally trained by Dr Alfred Tomatis, French-born Francoise Nicoloff relocated to Australia in 1995 & has a thriving private practice in Edgecliff in Sydney’s inner east. A registered psychologist trained in EMDR and certified Tomatis consultant since 1978, she has been president of the International Tomatis Association since 2004 and regularly travels to Brisbane, Perth, Adelaide & Melbourne for workshops and one-on-one sessions, as well as overseas for Tomatis conferences and to meet other Tomatis practitioners around the world.
Very early in your life you had direct contact with Dr Alfred Tomatis – what was it about him which inspired you to follow his therapies as a full-time vocation?
What happened is my mother heard a radio program interviewing Dr Tomatisand what he said made so much sense to her – so we got a cassette of the interview and listened to it. Tomatis was explaining the difference between listening and hearing – then a few months later my grandmother was mentally unwell and it was for her to enter a psychiatric ward – she strongly refused it and asked to see Dr Tomatis. She went to Paris, stayed for three weeks, did his program and came back in much better shape.
Not long after that, my youngest brother had a car accident and was left with post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD). My parents decided to send him to Paris to see Dr Tomatis. Again after just three weeks he came back – and he was totally transformed. For a child who could be diagnosed today as ADHD, a very bright kid who could not sit still and concentrate and who would drive his teachers crazy, he started to calmly study and prepare for his exams even using study cards to organise his education.
At that time I was working on cruise ships as excursion manager and was interested in what Tomatis was saying about languages. As my two brothers had undertaken the Tomatis program, I used my holidays to experience the course for myself – and as soon as Dr Tomatis saw my listening test, he said “you are so lucky – you’ve got a Russian ear” – which means that I had an ear for languages. Three months later I was sent by my cruise ship company to do some marketing in Paris and I took the opportunity to complete my program and to start Spanish training with the Tomatis Method.
Seeing the evolution of both adults and children who were attending Dr Tomatis’s clinic, I was inspired to work with him.
How does the Tomatis Method help children?
As a short answer, the Tomatis Method helps children by repatterning the connections between the ear, the brain and the body – creating dynamic change between perception, processing, learning and emotions.
The Tomatis Method works by reprogramming the connections between the ear and the brain – can you explain what happens and how it happens?
The voice can only reproduce what the ear hears and processes – this is the first Tomatis principle. Children who have trouble in listening, trouble in speaking, trouble in learning often have a dysfunction in the nervous connections between the ear, the brain and the body. And the soul also. By retraining the tiny muscles in the middle ear, and reorganising the connections from the inner ear to the brain, thanks to the music of Mozart – often referred to as The Mozart Effect – as well as the ear and body connections, the Tomatis Method revisits the chronological evolutionary phases of maturity and consciousness – and integrated listening.
Why is the music of Mozart used mostly for Tomatis Method sessions? Are there other composers whose music can also work?
Dr Tomatis spent a great deal of time experimenting with the music of Bach, Haydn (which he loved), Beethoven and Salieri, but he concluded that those musicians couldn’t have the same therapeutic effect as Mozart. Although Mozart is influenced by some of the musical forms in use at the end of the 18th century, his music transcends them. For Tomatis, Mozart is not a musician that belongs to a specific period or to a specific place, because Mozart is universal, that is, his music has the power to touch anyone regardless of time or place.
I have been able to verify this universal aspect of the music of Mozart working in countries so different with their language and culture such as France and Japan or Indonesia or the Philippines and Tahiti or Australia. My colleagues are working in over 40 countries around the world and benefit from the same results in their practices.
Tomatis described Mozart as endowed with a “cerebral transistor” able to capture what creation and the environment were dictating to him.
There’s a bit in Dr Tomatis’s book, where he says about Mozart: “He was Austrian for sure, but he belonged to all times and places. He lived in the sky on his own orbit. He never came down. He lived immersed in the memory of that immensity that eternity unveils for us sometimes to prove that it exists … He knew how to lead humankind to a place where only beauty, transcendence and joy of living existed … when we are listening to Mozart, every one of us is launched into the cosmos in order to discover one’s own orbit.”
Tomatis tested a broad spectrum of music — classical or modern, traditional or contemporary — for therapeutic purposes. He also used “ethnic” music from the Far East, India and Africa for the same purpose, but was led to the conclusion that Mozart was superior for therapeutic use.
What’s the difference between hearing and listening?
The difference lies in the fact that hearing is a passive function of the ear, which means that the ear can receive any sound in the human auditory spectrum. Whereas listening is the possibility of hearing those sounds and to transmit them to the brain so that the mind can process them and make meaning – involving the body, emotions and will. So listening is a dynamic, active process and is a function of the brain.
Listening is the ability to select and decipher the raw sounds that we are receiving – so if there’s a dysfunction at the level of listening, comprehension and expression can be compromised. Therefore processing and learning are also inhibited or distorted.
You started your practice over 30 years ago – what keeps you motivated?
There is a constant stream of people who need help in their lives, whether it’s adults with depression or anxiety, or other emotional states that they just can’t shake such as anger or abandonment issues. Then conditions such as learning difficulties often don’t just affect children but adults too.
My focus is also on children with learning difficulties, speech delay or behavioural difficulties knowing that if you help a child at an early age, you give him/her the chances to be an accomplished adult. This helps also the country you live in – by enabling many individuals to lead happier or more enriching lives, then from my perspective as a migrant, it’s a way to contribute towards making Australia a better place.
What’s on your agenda for 2010?
Well like any year, you always set your agenda for the year and then chew like crazy. In my Sydney clinic I’ll be very busy seeing both adults and children who can benefit from the Tomatis method, plus I’ll be making trips to Perth, Brisbane, and more.
Plus I have some new technology for practitioners, psychologists and therapists who have not been associated with Tomatis before, which with a few days’ training will enable qualified therapists to use this new methodology called the SoListen program.
So this SoListen technology you’re launching in Australia which is aimed at psychologists, therapists and practitioners – what else can you tell us about the equipment?
Combined with special headphones, SoListen provides pre-programmed, selected and processed music to stimulate the auditory processing system. But the difference of Solisten from all other listening programs is in providing channels, an electronic gating system and delays.
The channels, gating system and delays allow the inner muscles to unconsciously contract and relax – as any muscles should do. This stimulation system has made the reputation of Dr Tomatis and helped millions of people overseas achieve great results.
The bone conduction on the headphones sends the information – the sound – to the brain before the ear has been able to receive it. It allows the brain to anticipate the sound and to better analyze it. After the sessions, the brain is able to replicate this analysis without delay.
When you meet other Tomatis Method practitioners at international conferences, are there direct benefits to your work?
In all professional areas, it is vital to keep at the cutting edge of news and developments. So the annual conferences where Tomatis Method practitioners can gather, is crucial not just to our professional knowledge, but for improving the opportunity to work collaboratively, for example in rolling out the new SoListen technology to practitioners and therapists who are not existing Tomatis Method operators.
Since the emergence of ADHD have you had an increase in the amount of parents seeking you out to treat this in children? What do they say about ADHD? How can you help them?
Quite a lot of families don’t want to go through the conventional medical models of treatment and don’t want to put their children on medication from an early age, therefore they seek answers in the natural and holistic therapy industry. The Tomatis Method is certainly one treatment they seek out, and the results are very positive when combined with other holistic modalities.
Claims of healing solutions for Autism spark heated debate around the world, is there anything you can add from the Tomatis perspective to further inflame this controversial subject?
The debate is still open about the origins of autism. There is new research suggesting that autism and ADHD may stem from the third trimester of pregancy due to the mothers undergoing a great deal of stress which then has an impact on the baby. Research has shown that auditory processing disorder or related difficulties are one of the aspects of autism.
In your work helping both children and adults with Learning Difficulties, what are some of the main symptoms?
People who have learning difficulties, either children or adults, they often have a problem in processing the information, that means that there is a distortion between what comes in the ear, and the way it is processed to the brain and therefore what can be expressed through the mouth – through oral expression. From receiving the information, a dysfunctional ear, which may not be a dysfunctional ear in terms of hearing, but at the level of processing and listening, creates a distortion between the ear and the brain.
What strategies will people encounter to tackle Learning Difficulties through the Tomatis Method?
So what the Tomatis Method does is to repattern the nervous connections between the ear, the brain and the body – because the body is also involved in the processing of the information. It helps people to read better, to concentrate better, to learn better, but first and most importantly is assisting the ability to understand what is being expressed or read or said.
Are there things the Tomatis Method cannot help, or is not allowed to help – out of the things that people approach you for?
Severe mental health issues such as schizophrenia – we will still do an assessment for people because sometimes there are other ways to address the difficulties and I have many tools in my toolbox as a psychologist.
In my discussions with you, you stress the scientific approach to Tomatis, distancing yourself from the more new age end of the holistic therapy industry. Is there further reading, whether online or through books that people can turn to in order to learn more about the Tomatis Method?
The Tomatis Association, through its research committee, has an online journal called Ricochet. There are a few books written by Dr Tomatis which are translated into English such as The Conscious Ear, The Ear and the Voice, and The Ear and Language. Also Don Campbell, the author of The Mozart Effect, writes a great deal about Dr Tomatis’ work. And I’m writing a book on the process which I aim to have finished later this year.
Is there any government assistance in Australia, through Medicare or other ways, for people who require your treatment but cannot afford it? If not now, is there a possibility of that in the future?
Unfortunately no, as a holistic therapy there is no government funding in place. Realistically this is not going to change in the near future – but people are still coming and funding it themselves. We’d love it to happen for the benefit of more people – it requires continued agitation from the public to get heard by the politicians.
What parts of Australia can people access you directly? Only in Sydney?
While I’m based in Sydney, I visit Perth and Brisbane most frequently for workshops and pre-booked assessments and consultations. I visit Perth at least six times per year, and this year, once demand is sufficient, I’ll make a couple of trips to Adelaide for the first time and even open New Zealand in the second part of the year.
For more information on Francoise Nicoloff check out www.tomatis.com.au or www.solisten.com.au or call (02) 9326 1650 or toll free 1800 677 010.
Also worth checking out:
Auditory Processing Disorder
Dyslexia Treatments
Learning Difficulties Clinics Sydney
Exploring the Wonders and Natural Scenery of Mindanao
Life has its way of sending great you surprises every now and then. I consider my trip to the enchanting island of Mindanao as one of these. The moment I received an invite to join a state college in their educational tour, I couldn’t contain the excitement of exploring and rediscovering places. Our first stop was Davao Oriental, in a municipality called Mati. After checking on a state college for benchmarking, we went to a museum called Subangan. Here you can find the history of Davao Oriental, its marine biodiversity, and also its tourist destinations.
After a short trip to the museum, the next stop was the Sleeping Dinosaur. This is a scenic view where you can find island formations that form the shape of a dinosaur that is asleep. Other people call it the Sleeping Turtle Island while one of my teacher companions calls it the Sleeping Dragon. Seeing that scenery felt like being in Jejo Island in Korea. Around the area, you will be surrounded with colorful bougainvillea flowers.
After Mati’s own version of the Korean Island, we went to Davao City to visit another state university. Shortly after a brief talk with the university officials, the group headed towards the hotel to freshen up and get ready for dinner. Dinner was Filipino dishes composed of the exotic bamboo rice, native chicken, and the Filipino pancit.
Then next day was Samal Island day. We took the car to the barge that will cross the channel from Davao City towards the island. We went around the island, stopping momentarily in some spots to take pictures. We then went to a farmer’s restaurant where food from fresh produced was served. After the sumptuous meal, we went back to the city.
Then afterwards, we went to a man-made adventure park within the city. It is called D’Leonor. You can enjoy statues of prominent cartoon, sports, and historical figures of varying types that will certainly bring back the child in you. You will also find what may be the largest pool in Davao City. You can enjoy the whole theme park by riding their shuttle car around. For those who like wild adventure rides like zipline, D’Leonor will give you the thrill you have been seeking for. To end the day we went to SM Lanang for dinner and went back home to rest.
Then next day we were up at 6 AM and after breakfast, we were on the road again to Surigao Del Sur where we will go to Bislig for its marvelous, jaw-dropping waterfalls called Tinuy-an. Legend says that the falls took its name after natives of the place were able to escape from slavery by leading their abusive master to fall off the falls’ edge. Hence the name “Tinuy-an” which means intention or will. Tinuy-an is also popularly known as the Niagara Falls of the Philippines. It is the widest falls found in the country.
The adventure was not yet over. Next destination was the Enchanted River in Hinatuan, Surigao Del Sur. The river forms a cone and its unique formation actually leads to a cave underneath it. It is indeed a river lagoon that leads to the Pacific Ocean. There are so many things that you will find as truly enchanted. The area is known for turtles and for fish species of different colors and sizes. The river also will give you shades that are truly unusually beautiful and with a little time for yourself, everything you can say is that it gives you goosebumps.
Are We Gambling with Our Future: Technology & Online Betting?
The online gambling industry is growing than ever in the country. With this “alarming” rate, some experts already consider online gambling as an Australian epidemic. In fact, online sports betting are the number one favourite pastime of many Australians.
Reports show that websites that offer sports betting, lottery and free bets bookmakers experienced a significant growth in online traffic in just six months. This translates to 23 percent more traffic or at least 5 million increase on web visits during that period. Without a doubt, these numbers back up the idea that the online gambling industry is indeed getting bigger. However, should we start worrying about the adverse effects of this growth?
The Australian Government and Gambling
The government analyses the data in a different perspective. For them, the growth is favorable for the country. This means that Australians are playing more on government-regulated online gambling sites rather than spend their bucks at illegal foreign gambling websites. Basically, it is a big win for the government. Federal and state authorities get to collect more tax from these Australian-based gambling sites.
However, not everyone sees it the way the government makes out of the situation. According to the Alliance of Gambling Reform, groups formed by religious sectors and communities would want the online gambling industry to be more tightly regulated. This initiative stems from the escalating gambling problems that are affecting families.
Impact of Online Gambling to Australian Households
According to studies, children with parents that are problem gamblers are affected by gambling in more ways than we thought. To start with, parents who are addicted to online gambling are oblivious to the harmful things that they are inflicting to their children because of their gambling problems.
Usually, extreme form of gambling addiction leads to theft or behaviors that are morally wrong. When children experience these kinds of behaviors from their parents, it will knock them sideways and/or psychologically scar them for life. In some cases, children blame themselves for these things.
Gambling addiction also results to violence in the family. Gamblers are usually grumpy and irascible. They get piqued when they lose or when they can’t make a bet. More often than not, this triggers domestic violence. At the end, children get hurt and emotionally distressed by their situation.
It’s a World Par-Tea
In the last 30 years, tea has bowed to coffee as Australia’s favoured hot beverage. CURTIS ANTHONY talks to Kerrie McMahon, director of the aptly-named World Par-Tea ….
With the vast array of varied exotic types of coffee on the market, there are many people who drink coffee only – and who can’t remember their last cup of tea. However, we recently met a woman who’s changing all that. Not through aggressive marketing campaigns, but by the seductive effect of wonderful, delicious, exotic boutique teas, blended from ingredients from all around the world.
With her three kids starting to leave their nest, Blue Mountains mum Kerrie McMahon was ready for a new adventure. A sea-change was in order, so she moved the family up to picturesque Port Macquarie. However this was no prelude to retirement – instead she decided to throw her life into a boutique tea business. And when the tea ranges are as exotic and international as Kerrie’s business, World Par-Tea, has sourced, then a subject as demure and reflective as tea can be a surprise packet. Kerrie was recently invited to showcase her products at no other place than New South Wales Parliament House as part of the NSW Regional Food & Beverage series of showcases, and that’s where we caught up with her to discuss the thrills – and spills – of a life in tea.
What inspired you to do tea as a business?
The truth? I was bored actually. That’s not good for me to admit that is it? (laughs) … I had a sea-change and went to live in Port Macquarie ….
And what was the tea scene like in Port Macquarie?
Basically nil … Most people were coffee drinkers – tea is becoming more in vogue now. The people who are getting inspired by the range of teas we have are food connoisseurs, elderly people, even children, teetotallers (laughs) …
Are there good cafes in Port Macquarie that you can recommend for people visiting the town?
There are heaps of fantastic cafes! Beantree & the Healthy Way both in the main street, Hortons Street. Or Crema which is on the corner of Hortons and Clarence Streets.The Healthy Way has a lot of organic food, including our teas.
How many of your teas will they find there, and which ones?
Most of the range – we have 85 different types – and they’ve got about 45 of them in there.
I might have a cup of tea, I think I’ll go for the Gardener’s Choice if that’s alright.
Kerrie pours the Gardener’s Choice, a pleasing blend of premium Japanese green tea, rose buds, lemon myrtle and marigold flowers, ideal for sipping in the garden. A pure, cleansing taste, freshens the palate but with a fully bloomed botanical zest.
What sort of teas have you brought to the NSW parliament showcase today?
Whites, oolongs, green teas, herbal infusions, organic teas, healthy varieties ….
And you’ve also got tea accessories?
Ceramic teapots, hand-blown glass tea pots, double layer glass cups, tea infusers, tea plungers & empty tea bags for filling with our famous loose leaf teas (laughs) …
What teas have you got out here on tasting?
We have everything on display today – chocolate chai, a really nice black tea with natural cinnamons, cardamoms, cloves …. it’s lovely … then we have a berry infusion, berry mixture also great as a iced tea.
To someone who is a tea novice, how can they differentiate your teas from other tea on the market?
We don’t have any additives to them, they’re completely natural, and most of them are organic. Also we source & blend to individual requirements.
Seems to me you’re the “world music of teas”! What are your most recent products?
A new tea that we have is our Pina Colada Tea – it’s a fruit infusion that tastes fantastic either as a hot or iced tea – it’s a very tropically-flavoured blend …. great for children and adults alike.
And we also have Lemon & Ginger Energiser, Mexican Mango Chilli, Australian High Tea Blend, Mixed Tea blossoms, Japanese Matcha, Blackcurrant Tea, Vanilla Tea, and Raspberry & Lime.
Where did you think of as far as coming up with the blend?
It wasn’t so much what inspired me as who inspired me. It was a lady who approached me – she’d seen similar teas elsewhere but couldn’t get hold of them and she wanted something natural for children especially something for children with ADHD and so she asked me if I would blend other teas.
What are some of your most successful products?
Certainly the organic peppermint tea, and organic raspberry leaf tea …
also our Bedtime Blooms …. it’s lovely especially for relaxing – made from whole Chamomile flowers, lavender and red rosebuds. In fact you can put it in your spa bath, under your pillow, in your foot spa …
Sounds like you can give your feet a cup of tea … What’s a good tea for perking you up, a tea version of a cup of coffee?
i reckon the berry bonanza, it’s high in antioxidants all the berry infusions, its a very lovely one I hope you agree …
Kerrie expertly puts this tea into a teabag and soon it’s soaked in piping hot water as its flavours ooze out across the cup … it’s a naturally sweet berry infusion with strawberries, rhubarb, apple, elderberries, beetroot, hibiscus, blackberries and red currants blended together to create a deep red infusion with a strong fruity flavour. This infusion can be enjoyed hot or iced and can also be used to make jellies.
While I was drinking this tea, well-known Australian food writer Lyndey Milan came up and interviewed Kerrie – definitely she seemed perked by Kerrie mentioning the organic tea blends in her range, and concluded her interview by saying:
“So here (at this showcase) you’re meeting the people who produce the products, they know exactly what’s in them – you made it so you know exactly what’s in it.”
The best way to look over World Par-Tea’s inspiring range of white teas, black teas, green teas, herbal infusions and exotic blends is by checking out their website by clicking here. Also here’s a cool article about the Health Benefits of Tea.
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