Refinance Your Way to the Renovations You Want
How renovations are high on home owners agendas. Introduce how you can refinance your mortgage to pay for your renovations…
Are you thinking about home renovations? Well, you’re not alone. More and more home owners are putting renovations high up on their agendas. Considering the times, this trend is not particularly surprising. After all, there is a greater interest in properties which aren’t necessarily the most polished or completed, but which instead offer a lot of potential upside. Instead of focusing on how a house looks at present, more people are buying properties with an eye to how it might look, a renovation or two down the road. That might mean that a home buyer will create a backyard in a property which originally didn’t have one. Or it might mean that some landscaping work will already be planned, even at the point of purchase.
It makes sense really since renovations offer a whole host of advantages and benefits. A well-planned and well-implemented project could result in a higher property value for a home. This would make any future sale of the property more rewarding for the home owner. Then, there is also the benefit of the improvement itself. A well-landscaped front yard would be a more pleasant place to hang out. A swimming pool out back could make the area a more fantastic place to hold parties or cool off on a hot day. Renovations also offer benefits for home owners who plan to offer the property to others for rent. Improvements may make it easier to find people interested in renting the place, and they can also allow the owner to appropriately charge higher rates.
That said, some people are held back because of the notion that such major work may not be affordable. Thankfully, this isn’t always the case, especially with the help of a good home loans company. The idea here is that it is very possible to roll the cost of a major renovation into a home loan by refinancing your mortgage. This process can be easier than people think.
One important step is finding a home loans company which has a good reputation, which has experience in this type of mortgage refinance, and which is willing to work with you and your contractors in order to design a loan that is right for your needs. Another step is to determine where you stand in terms of your credit rating. The better your score, the higher the probability that you will have access to more affordable interest rates. Another thing to determine upfront is what category of renovation you intend to embark on. Will you be making changes which affect the fundamental structure of the property? Will you be focusing more on making repairs to the existing structure? Is the change you envision more of a luxury upgrade, such as a pool or something similar?
From there, you will need to get a more firm handle on the expected costs and timetable for the renovation or renovations. This will mean that you will be bringing third parties on board. It would be better if you could get estimates or bids from various contractors, so that you are in a better position to present the best offer to your home loans company. The number that is eventually agreed upon will then be factored into the mortgage refinance. Keep in mind that this will have to be a number that you can work with. There’s a good chance that this estimate will not be subject to change or increase, if you decide that you want to include some additional work to the renovation, after it has started.
Best Place for a Seachange in Australia?
We talk to PAUL PRITCHETT of Nelson Bay’s Portfolios Property, about a seachange that younger Australian people are making … and the lifestyle and real estate opportunities between Newcastle and Port Stephens …
To the amazement of people in Sydney, Melbourne, and the rest of Australia, in 2010 Lonely Planet crowned Newcastle one of the Top 10 hottest cities to visit in the world. Newcastle! Its inclusion at No. 9 was even more surprising, given more sophisticated siblings Sydney and Melbourne have never featured on the list.
The Lonely Planet plaudits were as follows: A diverse array of assets such as surf beaches, dining, night life, arts and “a unique blend of imagination and sophistication” justified Newcastle’s top 10 ranking, according to Lonely Planet Asia Pacific travel editor Shawn Low.
From which the Sydney Morning Hertald went on to say: It’s a genuinely underrated destination, with most of the amenities of Sydney but on a smaller scale and without the traffic, overcrowding and frightening property prices.
Paul Pritchett moved to Nelson Bay, 20 minutes north of Newcastle, in 2005 and immediately saw the potential of the area.
Newcastle has a gorgeous beach scene and a chilled-out vibe with friendly people,” he says.
Drive less than an hour from Newcastle and you can be in Port Stephens, the Hunter Vallley, Lake Macquarie, Swansea, Catherine Hill Bay, Mount Sugarloaf, Myall Lakes … what’s not to like?”.
Paul soon set up a real estate business helping people take advantage of the cheaper real estate prices by being able to invest in the area, but his business, Portfolios Property, also helps people make their first forays into property ownership. And living in beautiful and yet very affordable Nelson Bay, he knows only too well that Sydney renters who can no longer afford to even start saving for a home have their best chance looking into options in Newcastle, Nelsons Bay and Port Stephens for example.
Inner City Excitement?
In the inner city, historic neighbourhoods such as Cooks Hill, The Junction and The Hill have graceful terraces, restored workers’ cottages, lovely parks and smart boutiques,” he adds.
For many people, Newcastle will never match the excitement and hedonism of Sydney, but for late arrivals to Sydney, people who went there in the last decade and after ten years of pedalling hard while renting high, are no closer to buying a home, Newcastle offers a panacea to their urban wounds.
I say give it another 10 years with all the high rise housing built in town enough people will actually live in central Newcastle, it will be a little bit like Melbourne docklands, a great place to work, live and play. Then it certainly will rival Sydney and Melbourne as a relaxed vibrant city to visit and live.”
For more info check out http://www.portfolios.net.au
What other people say about Newcastle:
Newcastle is also a paradise for bicycle riding. The old old network of coal skip lines and port lands have been made into a network of flat/easy cycle paths, extending Westward and as far South as Belmont. Check out Newcastle’s most read cycling blog, maintained by a lecturer in architecture there, who also happens to be a bike racing legend: www.behoovingmoving.com
Since 2003, Australia experienced the effects of the 2000s commodities boom as commodities prices for major export good such as coal and iron ore rose significantly. This provided a large incentive for investment in the Newcastle and Hunter region due to its status as a major coal mining and export hub to Asian markets. Large projects related to the coal industry helped to propel the Newcastle unemployment rate to 20 year lows and allow the Newcastle region to weather the effects of the late 2000s recession better than NSW as a whole: Wikipedia
The University of Newcastle is a world-class university demonstrating excellence in teaching and research. We undertake research that makes an impact on the world. As an organisation we aim to grow and prosper in a changing world. – University of Newcastle
Ten magnificent beaches offer ample recreational opportunities around the city including surfing, beach fishing and swimming in the fabled Ocean Baths. Newcastle boasts many magnificent parks. Relax in glorious King Edward Park, take in the splendid beauty of the Blackbutt Reserve or discover many of the other smaller parks scattered throughout the city.A short two-hour drive north of Sydney, Newcastle is within easy access to attractions including rainforests, wilderness areas, and extensive vineyards as well as a buzzing music, nightlife and cafe scene. – Total Travel.
A Difficult Decision
Choosing pregnancy termination is one of the most difficult decisions a woman will ever have to make …
Unplanned pregnancy is always a shock and presents a woman (and often her partner) with a dilemma of what to do. Bringing a child into the world is a great responsibility, and will change lives forever. If it is decided, that it would be better for all concerned, that the pregnancy should not continue, it can be terminated. This is most easily and safely done in the first 12 weeks of pregnancy (weeks of pregnancy are calculated from the first day of the last normal menstrual period).
There are 2 ways to terminate a pregnancy:
Medical
This is a combination of treatment of a tablet and a vaginal pessary, given over a 12 hr period. The pregnancy miscarries , usually, at home. It can take up to 48 hrs for the pregnancy termination to complete, and can be painful, like a bad period pain. Medical termination is available in Australia, but not in all states. There is no medicare rebate available for medical termination in Australia.
Surgical
A surgical termination is undertaken under intravenous sedation, by specially trained doctors. It is a simple procedure, which takes about 10 minutes, and involves a gentle emptying of the womb using special instruments. It is over quickly and definitively, and the woman is not aware of the procedure occurring. She can go home about an hour after the procedure is undertaken. Gynaecare, in Artarmon, North Sydney, offer surgical termination of pregnancy termination under intravenous sedation, and no referral is required. The all female staff at Gynaecare are caring and sympathetic.
Risks
As with any medical procedure, there are some risks associated with termination of pregnancy, but these are minimal. The main risk of pregnancy termination (both medical and surgical) is that of incomplete emptying of the uterus, which is uncommon but easily rectified by having a D&C (dilatation and curettage) under sedation.
Emotions
Many women feel guilty about having a termination, and give a great deal of thought to the decision about what to do. Gynaecare is non judgmental regarding your choice, and aims to provide you with the best care possible, regardless of what decision is made when dealing with the unplanned pregnancy.
Where is Gynaecare Located?
Gynaecare’s clinic is located in Artarmon on Sydney’s north shore. For enquiries contact Gynaecare (02) 9413 2538 or view their website: www.gynaecare.com.au
Global Weapons Sales
JOHN HARTIGAN looks at one of the mightiest obstacles to a peaceful world – the massive international arms market …
THE MILITARY SUPERMARKET – OPEN ALL HOURS
Is a future golden age of peace still a far-fetched dream? If the world’s 64 current wars continue to rage, if the 110 million active landmines hidden in the earth continue to kill and main innocent people, and if the multi-billion dollar weapons industry continues to revolutionise technologies of death, then a peaceful future will probably never exist.
“Every gun that is made, every warship launched, every rocket fired signifies, in the final sense of theft from those who hunger and are not fed, those who are cold and are not clothed. The world in arms is not spending money alone. It is spending the sweat of its labourers, the genius of its scientists, the hopes of its children.this is not a way of life at all in any true sense. Under the cloud of threatening war, it is humanity hanging from a cross of fire.”
– Dwight Eisenhower, US President 1953-1961
EXPLOSIVE MARKETS
It’s sadly ironic that a former US president’s perceptive statement is so contradictory to the attitudes of America’s incumbent president. Yet as the decades have passed since Eisenhower made that statement, America will still lead the world in the weapons arms race. In 2002 it’s estimated that US$9 trillion has been spent on nuclear weaponry since 1945 – that equates to approximately US$1.5 million every minute. The consequences in terms of human suffering are incalculable, in simple terms the death toll is placed at 35 million people. In 1995 world military expenditure on conventional weapons was a staggering US$591,854,000,000 according to the Stockholm International Peace Research Institute (SIPRI). By next year that figure will have has risen to US$739,806,250,000 or US$107.53 for every man, woman and child alive today. The figures alone are daunting, but when taken in conjunction with the cost of diverting economic resources from peace to weapons, the figures are not obscene, but cast grave doubts on the sanity of world leaders.
Eisenhower is only one of the numerous people in history who, having experienced war and its terrible effect on humanity, so eloquently criticised it.
In her excellent book ‘the March of Folly’, American historian Barbara W Tuchman opens with profound words: “A phenomenon noticeable throughout history regardless of place or period in history is the pursuit of governments of policies contrary to their own interests.” The English historian, Eric Hobsbawn, writes: “Since this century has taught us, and continues to teach us, that human beings can learn to live under the most brutalised and intolerable conditions, it is not easy to grasp the extent of the, unfortunately accelerating return to what our nineteenth-century ancestors would have called the standards of barbarism.” ‘Land Mines Friend or Foe’, a study authored by former British Brigadier Patrick Blagden, looked at the hideous consequences of anti-personnel mines. Blagden said in thirty years as an army officer, he hadn’t considered the consequences of this form of weaponry. It was only later, as a clearance adviser to the UN, that he witnessed the lasting legacy these mines have. At a cost of between $300 and $1000 to remove each mine, it’s simply impractical for many third world countries to eradicate them. Especially when they can be bought on the black market for around $10 each. The US Red Cross estimates 800 people a month are killed by stepping on mines, and there is no respite because land mines have no ‘use by date’
WARFARE AND THE HUMAN MIND
War doesn’t just take a physical toll. Psychological research shows that the horrors of war remain in the mind as a psychological legacy, lying there like an unexploded landmine. ‘It’s estimated that from World War Two onwards, approximately 30% of battlefield casualties have been psychiatric casualties,” says Dr Harry Cohen, president of the Australian Medical Association for the Prevention of war. “Our species, in spite of what some may think, is not suited to inflicting and witnessing violence and suffering. In the Vietnam War over 50,000 US soldiers were killed. Since then 100,000 Vietnam veterans are thought to have committed suicide. We can now add to those from the Vietnam War, soldiers who have been involved in two Gulf Wars, Bosnia, Afghanistan, Chechnya, East Timor and a host of so-called police actions.
If we accept Dr Cohen’s viewpoint, that war and conflict is not a natural activity for humans, but rather it is an aberrant form of behaviour that rears its head as a result of social, physical and psychological stresses, we must also accept that apart from the 50 million soldiers and civilians killed in the last fifty years, and the multiple effects on the survivors, the international modern military is inevitably leading us to Eric Hobsbawn’s Standards of Brutality.
Wars are historically fought for a range of complex reasons – power, perceived security, greed and provocation. Today, many people see all of the above inextricably entwined in a battle for trade domination.
Despite all the advances of humankind the prevention and pre-emption is still a distant dream. While world social needs go unmet, the nuclear military machine moves inexorably onwards – devouring another US$1.5 million a minute.
Promoting the reduction in war, analysts predicate that one of the key areas to encourage peace is in meeting the needs of children. This they claim will reduce community stress of providing for their children, by educating tomorrow’s leaders, and by offering a sense of hope for the future.
A report by the United Nations Children’s Fund, published three years ago stated that the future of the world’s children would be more secure if military expenditure was cut by a mere three percent a year. The ‘State of the World’s Children’ report claimed the cut would give developing and industrialised nations $460 billion to spend on better education, health and welfare for their youth in the next decade. The report continued with the premise that we need to kindle a sense of absurdity at the idea that the world cannot afford to meet the needs for all children for adequate nutrition, basic health care, primary education and clean water.
ESTIMATED COSTS FOR MEETING WORLDWIDE NEED FOR :
BASIC CHILD HEALTH:
$17 BILLION
PRIMARY EDUCATION:
$8.6 BILLION
SAFE WATER/SANITATION:
$12.5 BILLION
FAMILY PLANNING:
$8.6 BILLION
ESTIMATES OF WORLDWIDE SPENDING ON:
GOLF $59 BILLION
WINE $118 BILLION
ADVERTISING $380 BILLION
MILITARY $590 BILLION
THIRD WORLD BUYERS
A better way to invest in peace other than the option of more guns is the support of Third World nations in achieving genuine independence and political stability. At present it could be argued that Western nations have a vested interest in keeping these countries suppressed and subservient, ensuring they ‘re continually available as a source for rich nations development. Labour, resources, tourism, and the arms trade. Western Nations need the subjugation of Third World countries to maintain their extravagant lifestyles. America, comprising approximately 5 percent of the world’s population, consumes 40 percent of world resources. Europe and Oceania (15 percent of the world’s population) eats up another 40 percent. Leaving the remaining 80 percent of the world’s population to squabble over the remaining 20 percent.
The West feeds on the misfortune of disempowered countries. Countries at war keep the voracious arms industry afloat and ensure there’s a dumping ground for yesterday’s weaponry. Victor W Sidel looked at this side of the issue in an article entitled ‘The International Arms Trade and its Impact On Health’.
“Virtually all wars since 1945 have been fought in Third World countries, often as surrogate wars between America and her perceived enemies,” Sidel wrote. “More recently civil wars, often based on historic ethnic enmities, opposition to oppressive governments, or arising from artificial geographic boundaries created by colonial powers, have created the greatest number of casualties.”
THE HUMAN DEVELOPMENT COST OF ARMS TRADING
Money spent on defence is a trap; it keeps people in fear and ignorance, retards their ability to think clearly and globally, creates mistrust with other countries and denies ordinary people money for real economic growth. Many countries continue to import expensive weapons, even though they have a long list of more essential items. This is clear from the arms deliveries and orders in the categories covered by the UN’s arms register. Some of the choices made by developing countries in 1992:
CHINA – purchased 26 combat aircraft from Russia in a deal whose total cost could have provided safe water for one year to 1450 million people now without safe water.
INDIA – ordered 20 MiG 29-fighter aircraft from Russia at a cost that could have provided basic education to all 15 million girls out of school.
IRAN – bought two submarines from Russia at a cost that could have provided essential medicines to the country several times over – 13 percent of Iran’s population has no access to health care.
REPUBLIC OF KOREA – ordered 28 missiles from America for an amount that could have immunised all the unimmunised 120,000 children and provided safe water for three years to 3.5 million people.
MALAYSIA – ordered two warships from the UK at a cost that could have provided safe water for 25 years to its people.
Since 1992 American companies have sold Iraq $75 millions worth of materials for building nuclear power stations, as well as billions of dollars worth of arms to Israel. France continued its trade with Iraq and Iran in selling both nuclear components and military hardware. Britain has sold Indonesia fighter planes and gunships. Western nations are still selling weapons of every description to most Third World countries – and the sales continue to increase in volume.
AUSTRALIA’s military figures as shown in SIPRI and confirmed in recent Federal Budget numbers are; $11, 027 million, or nearly $600 per person. Australia’s attitude toward defence is demonstrated by the fact that in the same budget papers:
Environmental protection receives $160 million, or $8.42 per person.
National disaster Relief $58 million, or $3.05 per person.
Human Rights and Equal Opportunity $12 million, or 63 cents per person.
National Youth suicide Studies, $4.8 million, or 25 cents per person.
Just a ten percent reduction in current military spending in a decade could largely wipe out our foreign debt, ending the present cuts to education, health, welfare and other social programs.
THE MARKET LEADERS IN WEAPON SALES
Who are the manufacturers? Lockheed (USA) heads this illustrious list. Of the company’s near $30 billion in sales, 63 percent is earned by arms sales. After Martin McDonnell Douglas (USA) comes British Aerospace earning $7730 million in the sale of weapons. General Motors are fourth generating $6200 million, while Boeing (USA) earns $4640 million from the machinations of war. Included in this hall of shame are such familiar names as DaimlerBenz, General Dynamics. GEC, Westinghouse Electric, Mitsubishi, Rolls Royce, Unisys and Kawasaki.
THE FUTURE IS UP TO YOU
In the next ten years it’s estimated another US$ 101,482,233,000,000 will be spent on conventional weapons alone. On the nuclear front, the United States will be spending $50 billion on research and development on new nuclear weapons technology in the next decade and plans to conduct ‘subcritical nuclear testing’ in the Nevada Desert this year. With no pretence at subtlety America has announced it plans to produce mini-nukes as standard weapons for its conventional ground forces. Meanwhile India and Pakistan continue with their own plans for nuclear weaponry as a deterrent against each other they say. North Korea ignores the Nuclear Non Proliferation Treaty, Israel keeps its arsenal of around 100 nuclear bombs dusted off ready for action, their neighbours in Iran are quietly going about developing their own arsenal of destruction, and Russia is open shop to anyone who wants to buy its nuclear left overs.
Currently there are around 37,000 nuclear weapons worldwide. Unless the nuclear weapons states commit to reducing their stockpiles to zero, the threat of a renewed nuclear arms race is imminent.
Australia took a leading stance in both the Chemical Weapons Convention and the Comprehensive Test Ban Treaty. Pushing for a general nuclear ban is the logical next step, but it’s only the beginning.
We must take up the challenge against the perpetrators of the warmongering mentality – those who produce and market weapons of war.
John Hartigan is a Perth-based freelance writer who welcomes your correspondence. Email him via hartigan@iinet.net.au
For more background articles and relevant links click here.
Pinterest for Business – Does It Work as well as They Claim?
Brands serious about leveraging Pinterest to boost revenues from online and mobile channels are advised to get themselves firmly ‘pinned’ to the Pinterest ‘board’ as opposed to hanging on its fringes … or so the story goes … is that true or not?
Let me begin this article with a straight-out tip for business folk on Pinterest – you can do plenty of “buy our stuff” pins, but mix them up with pins that can go viral, such as pins on …. cats! The other day when I did a cute cat pin, within just 10 minutes I got the following notification email from Ben and the crew at Pinterest:
Hi …
Leslie Bridges likes your pin ‘Hovercat … #cats’
Angie Haubrich likes your pin ‘Hovercat … #cats’
Mary Kay Scott likes your pin ‘Hovercat … #cats’
Crista Fisher likes your pin ‘Hovercat … #cats’
Titania Amyx repinned your pin ‘Hovercat … #cats’
Amanda Fay repinned your pin ‘Hovercat…’
Teagan Raher repinned your pin ‘Hovercat … #cats’
Amelia Ary repinned your pin ‘Hovercat … #cats’
Gabrielle Morrow repinned your pin ‘Hovercat … #cats’
April Grunwald repinned your pin ‘Hovercat … #cats’
Brittany Deacon repinned your pin ‘Hovercat … LOL @Lauren Lewis’
Mandy Lawler repinned your pin ‘Hovercat … #cats’
Carley Carris repinned your pin ‘Hovercat … #cats’
Happy Pinning!
– Ben and the Pinterest Team
Despite the frivolous nature of social-media-going-viral, Pinterest continues to show all the right signs that it’s fast becoming a mainstream player on the social media front.
Conceived in November 2009 and launched four months later, this ‘visually styled’ social network platform is already driving the social shopping experience. It offers a way for consumers to share images of anything – from fashion to pets, pots to plants. Users can create their own online pin boards to suit any theme and share it with likeminded people.
“Users are often ‘buy hungry’ when they visit Pinterest. As such, it presents a very ‘ready’ opportunity for brands to sell products to users actively seeking them out,” says Charlie Elliot of British branding firm Greenlight.
“By joining Pinterest and sharing, brands can learn a huge amount from their followers as they are offering up a whole load of information into their personal interests. It is typically the sort of insight and intelligence a brand needs and would have to go to great lengths to get, in order to create and/or tailor its product offering to its target audiences taste. Among others, those retailers early to the game include Gap, ASOS and Etsy.”
Pinterest is Pull, Not Push Media
Pinterest is not a broadcast mechanism in the same way as other social networks.
“Pinterest does not encourage product pushing. Therefore brands will need a different approach to the likes of Twitter and Facebook and will have to be creative in their output,” says Elliott.
There is proof aplenty that Pinterest already has a sizeable and importantly a loyal user base.
“Exact user numbers have not as yet been released. However, Pinterest is one of the top 10 social networking sites currently being tracked by Hitwise (who estimate visits in December 2011 reached 11 million). It featured in TIME magazine’s 2011 top 50 websites. Moreover, it has also just been introduced as one of 60 new apps available on Facebook’s Open Graph. This is bound to vastly increase user numbers and raise awareness of it further.”
The pace of change within the social media sphere is rapid and impacting extremely on retail and brand visibility dynamics.
“In all of this remains the constant competition for a share of the customer wallet. Brands would therefore do well to steer clear of coming in late, playing a costly game of catch up or worse still, being completely left behind as this sphere continues to evolve,” says Elliot.
Brands Getting Pinned For Profit
Below are just some of the topics being covered in a new ‘Pinterest for Business’ presentation which has recently emerged in Sydney:
- You and Your Global Brand Optimising your Pinterest Profile
- How to use Pinterest as an Active Resume
- Deciding on your Pinterest Settings
- Branding Yourself on Pinterest key elements for standing out and the importance of consistency
- Integrating Pinterest with your Social Media strategy
- Boost your online sales How to use Pinterest’s “Gift” section
- Connecting with other industry Profiles & Pages
- Abiding to Pinterest’s terms of use don’t get shut down by being a spammer.
Pinterest Essentials
Sydney social media workshop presenter Nicole Greentree also says that there are more Pinterest insights coming to the fore such as:
- Transcending ‘Critical Mass’ Pinterest when tweeted grows both profiles for you
- How to get 10 Minutes on Pinterest done Every Day so you’re never off the pace
- The Best Ways to Use Pinterest On Your Smartphone
- How to Best Use Pinterest in harmony with Facebook, Twitter, Google Plus and Your Website
- How Even Small Businesses can Outsource to a highly professional Social Media Manager
- What Not To Do on Pinterest and What You Should Always Do
- Building a staff army of Pinners
- The Fastest ways to use Pinterest to organically grow an Authentic and Targeted Audience
Australians on Pinterest
While in the USA& UK they’re miles ahead of us on Pinterest, there are a number of Australians – both individuals and business people – embracing Pinterest – here’s a small sample:
http://pinterest.com/bondichai/
http://pinterest.com/thehealtharts/
http://pinterest.com/francoisesydney/
http://pinterest.com/dcidercider/
More On Pinterest?
Click on the links if you just can’t get enough”
A Greenlight Pinterest Slideshow
Pinterest & Niche – a Cool Example
Five Pinterest Tips for Heightening Your Addiction
Looking to find out more about Pinterest For Business workshops? Email media@SEOtherapy.com.au or call 0413 276 780 during business hours.
Pilates
We have the best list of the finest Pilates studios in Sydney and surrounding areas – read on…
By now pretty much everyone in Sydney has heard of pilates (say “pill-ah-tees”!). The growing popularity of this conditioning and corrective method is due in great part to its suitability for all types of bodies, lifestyles, conditions or injuries. The fact that celebrities and elite sports stars are all doing it also contributes to the massive rise in popularity. Carrie-ann Moss was a daily devotee of Pilates International during the Matrix filming in Sydney, and local stars such as Wendy Harmer, Miranda Otto and Ian Moss are all “pilatophiles”.
Pilates has been around for almost a century. The method is based upon realistic, sensible principles that combine the best of Eastern and Western philosophy, focusing on the connection of mind and body creating a strong stable body that moves freely and functionally. Pilates aims to create balance in the body – in all systems and all ways.
Some of the major benefits of adopting the Pilates Method include the ability to target specific muscle groups that require strengthening or release to correct postural imbalances – which may also often be the primary cause of lower back pain. Contemporary lifestyles contribute constantly to poor posture and chronic conditions that manifest in the body. Shoulders become tight and lifted, the necessary curves of the spine either disappear or become extreme, abdominals become weaker as the low back becomes tighter, necks become tense, upper back weakens and slumps forward. These are just a few of the common problems that pilates has the ability to correct and prevent. Strong abdominals support the spine and control the torso, balanced curves through the spine can absorb shock and hold the torso upright, and stable and free-moving joints allow for easy movement of the limbs around a strong centre.
A great part of the beauty of pilates as a corrective technique is the opportunity to use resistance to build strength and endurance whilst working in a no-to-low impact environment. Along with the obvious benefits that pilates offers to posture, back and joint care, it’s constantly proving to be a major benefit in conditions of the respiratory, neural and digestive systems, as well as aiding in regulation of chemical production and distribution within the body. The positive effects of pilates are endless.
The best way to really understand what pilates can do for you, is to try it. Programs will be individually tailored for your needs, but you will need to give it five or six sessions before you start to grasp where it might take you. An introductory package for starting off is a great idea – these packages give you a combined rate lower than paying as you go, and are designed to give you a starting knowledge of the method in your own body. Check out a studio from the list below or seek out the Australasian regulatory body, The Pilates Alliance, who will help you find a reputable studio or instructor appropriate for you.
Sally Anderson, director of Pilates International in Surry Hills, offers this advice: “Pilates has a unique ability to correct postural problems, back and joint problems, as well as many conditions and common injuries. However, it needs to be done with great supervision in order to create changes and correct working technique. Large group classes will not offer you the real benefits of the pilates method, and may in fact be detrimental to many people. Make sure the studio or instructor you choose has trained extensively and maintains a controlled ratio of clients to instructor. We recommend a maximum of four people to one instructor.”
City Studios
Pilates International
Suites 41-42, 61 Marlborough St
Surry Hills NSW 2010
(02) 9699 5509
Director: Sally Anderson
A large, open studio with lots of air and light, focusing on traditional pilates with contemporary understanding of biomechanical application. Rehab to elite training available. Also features Mum + 1 post-natal classes Delivers registered certification programs for instructor training.
South Sydney
Absolute Pilates
101a Gymea Bay Rd Gymea
(02) 9531 5255
Director: Kristy Selden, B Med Sc Quality contemporary pilates in a bright and friendly atmosphere. Rehabilitation through to elite training with a maximum of three clients to instructor.
Eastern Suburbs
Kerry Etkin Pilates & Physiotherapy Randwick Medical Centre
155 Belmore Rd Randwick
0410 561 564
Director: Kerry Etkin
An individualised practise offering contemporary approach to traditional pilates in conjunction with Kerry’s knowledge as a physiotherapist with post graduate degree. Excellent rehabilitation combination.
The Pilates Place
5 Albion St Waverley 0418 441 138 Director: Sarah Walker
On the same premises as the Yoga Warehouse, this boutique studio features the traditional method combined with a contemporary approach. Mainly apparatus sessions.
Pilates Moves
390 New South Head Rd
Double Bay 1360
(02) 9328 5600
Director: Helen Tardent
Right in the heart of “the Bay” this studio offers group classes using the matwork system as well as the Allegro group reformer classes. Emphasis is on fitness rather than rehabilitation.
Bhodimaya Pilates Centre
2/44 Bondi Rd Bondi 2026
(02) 9369 4354
Director: Chrystene Carol
Upstairs on Bondi Rd, this newly renovated centre offers apparatus and matwork sessions. Also associated alternative and traditional practitioners on-site.
North Shore
Pilates on Park
774 Pacific Highway Gordon 2072
(02) 9499 3164
Director: Amanda Clayton
With a pleasant, relaxing and personalised environment, this fully equipped studio provides highly supervised rehabilitation and general training for all ages.
Manly
Powerhouse Pilates Studio Level 1, 28 The Corso Manly 2095 (02) 9977 1536 Director: Catherine Aquilina Just a stroll from the beach, this studio offers contemporary apparatus sessions plus matwork classes. Specialising in pilates for pregnancy. Physiotherapists on site plus Polestar Education program.
Central Coast
Pilates International @ Fitness 2000 310 The Entrance Rd Erina
Director: Sally Anderson
Studio Manager: Renae Blackmore Highly trained and experienced instructors in separate studio offering apparatus and matwork sessions. Also best quality matwork group classes offered in the main centre. Great discounts on studio pilates for members of Fitness 2000.
Northern Coast
Bodiline Pilates Studio
2/ 74 Clarence St. Port Macquarie
Ph: (02) 65845099
Director: Lyn Suitor
Offering traditional style pilates with a contemporary approach, tailored programs with biomechanical application of work from rehabilitation to body conditioning. A professional and relaxed environment in a fully equipped studio overlooking the waters of Port Macquarie.
Don’t Just Sign Up to a Gym, Wake Up to the Future You
Perth-based personal trainer LUCY MORRIS offers some inspiration for getting into shape mentally and physically …
After the post Christmas gluttony is over and the New Year’s Resolutions lists are compiled many people will identify weight loss and improved fitness as priorities at the start of January.
Commercial gyms and fitness centres love this time of year as they know that people will be eager to sign up and commit to a 12 month membership, but remember signing up is the easy part – you have to actually turn up to get the results you are after!
And once you have turned up you also need to know how to make the most of the time you spend there, as a haphazard approach to training will only lead to frustration when you hit a plateau.
In order to get real value out of your gym membership, or any kind of training (e.g. outdoor or at home) that you are thinking of doing, it is worth teaming up with a good personal trainer to help you.
The benefits of having your own trainer go way beyond merely having someone there to motivate you and hold you accountable for keeping an appointment.
A good trainer will conduct a thorough pre-exercise questionnaire which will identify any pre-existing conditions that may affect the program you undertake. It is also an opportunity to identify your goals and devise a strategy to achieve them.
Prior to prescribing any kind of training program a good trainer will also carry out a range of flexibility and strength testing protocols and use the results to design an individualised program.
Almost everyone (irrespective of their exercise history) has muscle imbalances and weaknesses, as well as flexibility issues that need to be addressed in the preparatory stage of training.
You should also expect your trainer to provide you with a program detailing the exercises you are required to do and this program should be changed every 4-6 weeks.
Tracking your progress is key to your success so it is important to have everything written down.
If your trainer does not provide you with a copy of your program and appears to making things up on the spot then chances are they are doing the same exercises with their other clients, in which case you may as well attend a group fitness class instead and save your money.
A good trainer will demonstrate a genuine interest in you as an individual and will be able to provide information regarding nutrition and other lifestyle factors that will influence whether you achieve your goals or not.
While the time you spend training is important, it is what you are doing the rest of the time that will also play a huge role in your progress.
Have high expectations of your personal trainer – if they are going to demand your best while you are training then you have the right to expect a top quality service from them too.
The trainer/client relationship should be rewarding for both parties, and when it is you will be reaching your goals, setting new ones and constantly raising the bar.
As a trainer myself I could write my own programs and make good progress, but I know the value of having someone else to work with and wouldn’t be without my PT … !!
For more information on Lucy Morris check out www.mobilitypt.com.au
Your Body Energy is Your Soul Energy
ROBERT KIRBY reveals the mysteries of body energy …
Your body’s natural beauty is directly related to the vibrancy and strength of your body energy. Stress, fatigue and emotional upsets over a period of time will overwhelm and weaken your energy field. It is not uncommon for people, under duress, to eat junk food on the run, sleep poorly and engage in negative thinking. This stimulates your sympathetic nervous system and causes your body energy to contract. Your immune system may go on holidays which brings on colds, flu, infection or allergy attacks. The skin looks pale, flushed and blemishes may appear. All these symptoms jeopardise your body’s beauty.
Here are some simple tips for enhancing your energy field within and around your body from direct interaction with mother nature. First a swim in the ocean will cleanse and energise the entire body’s energy field. As the salt purifies, the negative ions generated by the ocean’s waves organically strengthen the body’s energy field. Another potent energiser is walking on flat stones or rock climbing in the rain. The combination of the electro-magnetic effects of water hitting the body and stone simultaneously has a profound positive effect on the body’s field of energy. Your energy field is hungry for negative ions because the body’s skin is a
positive charge. A further option is bush walks or jogging by the sea. Enjoy the ‘charge’ and the beautiful change in your body’s appearance.
Eyes of the Beholder
A simply beautiful and unique quality that creates enormous attraction between human beings is the aliveness of their eyes. What we frequently refer to as chemistry between two people is the magnetism of their eye contact. It’s much more than the colour, size or shape of the eyes. Eyes reflect the openness, kindness, love and emotional availability of the individual.
In addition your eyes demonstrate your inner beauty, intelligence, self confidence, degree of trust in the process of Life, and your level of connection to spirit. It is often said that the eyes are the windows to the soul – this cliche has a great deal of wisdom and truth – your eyes tell a story of your personal history that words often betray.
When you look deep into a person’s eyes they may look away due to shyness, disconnection from self, or fear of being seen. They may also look straight back at you which may mean self-assurance, friendliness, or they come across as seductive or hostile.
To gain a better understanding of you body’s aliveness, sit for five minutes and look into a small mirror at your own eyes. If you desire a reflection of inner beauty that generates from your eyes, repeat this exercise once a week for several month’s and occasionally thereafter. Healers have used this process effectively as a biofeedback mechanism for many years. Slowly over time your eyes will reveal your deeper essence.
Body Rest
Taking good care of your beautiful body requires adequate sleep and rest every day. Everyone has different requirements for sleep and this changes at different stages of life.
Babies require the most sleep because of their growth spurts. When they are tired they cry and when awake and fed their natural beauty can light up a room with their innocence and happiness.
As we get older we require less sleep, however we always retain that natural beauty and fresh perspective we had as a baby when we are well rested! So while you may not require or have time for eight hours of sleep per night the rejuvenation of your body energy requires at least eight hours of rest and relaxation out of each twenty-four hour day. For example, if you normally sleep six hours per night, then you will require at least two extra hours of rest each and every day to optimise the inner and outer beauty of your body, mind and spirit.
In this example, the extra two hours of rest may take the form of a thirty-minute ‘cat nap’ after work or prior to an evening outing. If you allow yourself to sleep deeply, the thirty minute nap will create profound recovery, enhanced body energy and feelings of well being. The additional rest time may be allocated in meditation or journaling. Perhaps a quiet walk in the garden or along a river, lake or ocean will allow time for beauty, rest and meaningful insights from your inner world.
Regarding the suggestion of journaling, many people keep a dream journal as a key to self inquiry. Your unconscious mind is seeking harmony with your spirit. This reconciliation allows you to rest deeply and your body beautiful to emerge.
Relaxing with Mind-Body Harmony
Deep inside everyone is a thirst for wholeness. When different aspects of our personality and consciousness are fragmented we feel empty or anxious. At your fingertips is easy access to your body’s energy system. It is the common thread that connects your body, mind, spirit, heart and soul. It is indeed in your highest good to nurture this doorway to wholeness.
Nature is perpetually seeking to balance itself and so is your body’s energy field. On a physiological level your nervous system is balanced when in a parasympathetic state. This is an indication of complete respiration – your breathing is natural with thorough inspiration and expiration. Your pulse, heart rate and blood pressure are normal. When in this desirable state you tend to be relaxed and content.
In the real world daily challenges and disappointments cause most people to go out of balance. Since healthy breathing is a strong indicator of harmony on many levels it is a natural access point to your body energy. If you have an interest in Eastern philosophy, then you know the masters have intended to harmonise the yin and yang energy field for many centuries through the breath. Yoga, Tai chi, chi gung and martial arts of all kinds seek this same balance of body energy. If you are not the type to attend classes, videos are available.
If you prefer traditional types of exercise then stretching classes which focus on breath and inner awareness will achieve the same desirable state.
Feeding Body Energy
Universal energy can power your own vitality. For you to benefit from a connection to the cosmosphere you should first ground your physical body to the vibration of mother earth. In other instances, it is beneficial to permit an experienced, well-trained and high integrity body worker to intervene in your body energy to facilitate and propel your vibration. Some examples of effective bodywork modalities are deep tissue and muscle therapists, craniosacral therapy, or professionally trained hands-on-healers. There are many excellent and diversified courses available in Australia so it’s important to be scrupulous in your selection of a healer.
Dr Valerie Hunt of UCLA’s research indicates that “after an hour healing session you as a client will literally take on the identical energy vibration of your therapist through transference and counterference … if the healer is in an undergrounded, disoriented state of mind it’s immediately passed on to their client”. Hunt’s conclusion is that you as the client have the right to be very discerning about which healer you choose to intervene in your body energy.
If you are fortunate enough to select a very skilled body worker then you had better be ready for phenomenal change and growth at a rapid rate! The body energy is blocked in most people due to traumas held in their psyche, muscular armouring and negative body energy. This prevents the personality from its natural evolution and maturity. Once the energy has been freed, creative, sexual, intellectual and emotional capabilities can reach new heights.
Sensory Awareness and Beauty
All sensory information is coloured by your body’s energy field before it reaches your nerve endings. The more vibrant your energy system is, the more authentic is your experience of outside stimuli because all your senses will be heightened. Research indicates that all sensory awareness is integrated through visual imagery. This imagery is happening constantly as you daydream or think. If you tend to see the beauty in your daily activities your auric field will oscillate at a very high vibration and your life’s guidance will come from a divine level.
Conversely, if you tend to worry, stress or see the negative side of life or others, your auric field vibration will slow down and visual perception will be duller. You will tend to make decisions from the most insecure part of yourself. Your appreciation of beauty in nature, within yourself, within people including their physical bodies is a powerful sensory experience because it affects not only vision, but also smell, taste, hearing and touch.
If you tend to be the insecure type who expects disappointment then it may be difficult to always appreciate life’s beauty with heightened sensory awareness. It may be helpful to break this habit through focused imagery. Many people avoid visualisation because they struggle to hold a clear image of what they desire with their eyes closed. Those people are more ‘touchyfeely’ types or good listeners. However, this is not a problem because all five senses are integrated by your brain through imagery – thoughts, dreams or daydreams. In other words, all your most passionate thoughts, feelings and daydreams colour and intensify your imagery. This creates your experience of the world.
Knowing this gives you the power to take control of your life by empowering the vibration of your auric field. The Hunt Laboratory has measured auric field oscillations up to one million cycles per second. To move in this exciting direction of expansion, and in addition to the tips previously stated, sit quietly twice per day for five minutes with eyes open or shut – it makes no difference. Dust off your dreams and think about them, feel them with the excitement of a child. If you feel like it – smell, taste, touch and hear yourself talking with gratitude about what a great life you have and what a wonderful person you are. Daydream yourself into a new life!
Beauty and Nourishment
Just as the body’s energy system seeks balance and harmony so does your body’s biochemical system through nourishment and detoxification. Scientists now believe that neuropeptides are the mediators between your physical body, your body’s bioelectric field and also between your bioelectric field and the cosmosphere. This means the efficiency of your biochemical system dramatically effects your relationship with the entire universe including your spiritual connection.
As most people have experienced, we tend to revert to unhealthy choices when emotionally upset – sugar, high fat foods, alcohol, drugs and tobacco. This toxifies your biochemical system, accelerates your nervous system, and slows down the oscillations of the auric field. Your entire being goes out of balance and you disconnect from your vital force and your higher self. If you take a look in the mirror at your eyes and skin, they immediately reflect the neglect – diminished beauty, colour and aliveness.
Since your consciousness is seeking evolution and realisation of potential your technical understanding of the interconnectedness between your biochemical, psychological and spiritual systems are an incentive to make small changes in your life that maximise your inner and outer beauty.
If you first and foremost consider the quality of the food and drink you ingest and its affect on your biochemical system you may choose to pay a little extra for organic fruits and vegetables as well as meats and poultry free of hormones. Secondly, as often as possible do not rush meals. Take the time to prepare your food with love and eat in a relaxed setting. When dining out, find restaurants that prepare healthy food exactly as you request it and serve it to you with love and kindness.
If you have concerns about dehydration, toxins and constipation then it is recommended that you drink two litres of filtered water and a large glass of fresh vegetable juice per day. By adding beneficial foods and avoiding harmful foods your body will activate energy levels, improve digestion and relieve allergies.
Creativity and Sensuality
Creative energy flows directly from your body’s energy field. Mobilising your life energy stimulates both creative and sexual energy. In the Hunt Laboratory at UCLA it was demonstrated that creativity peaks at about age five and by about age forty most adults retain only five percent of the creative energy they generated at age five. This points to the undercharged, out of balance and incoherent body energy of many people in our modern times.
The paradox is that if you are like most people, you are working harder and longer hours than you did ten years ago and probably under more stress. Your sincere efforts to succeed may be harming the very energies that bring the most satisfaction and fulfilment in life. Your unique creative self-expression and sexual pleasure is an inherent and deeply rooted longing of your soul.
According to psychiatrist Wilhelm Reich, creativity and sexuality go hand in hand and their influence on your personality’s self-esteem, self-acceptance, mental stability and happiness is immeasurable. If your intention is to expand your body energy and connect solidly with the earth plane, you will eventually be able to connect your inner-most feelings of love and devotion to your creative juice and your sexual energy. If sincere, the entire vibration of your essence will be absorbed in passionate endeavours. You will no longer be confused or divided inside regarding relationships, career choices or about what’s best for your children.
Psychiatrist John Pierrakos devoted fifty years of his life to teaching couples to heal the lost eros in their relationship. He taught males and females to each take 50 per cent of the responsibility in all conflicts so they could consistently dissolve blocks to loving so the flow of eros (the energy that connects love and sex together) is passionately sustained. Therapeutic methods to dissolve long standing resentment, hurts, betrayals and misunderstandings permit couples to fall ‘in love’ again and rekindle the intimacy and romance. The restoration of the eros energy between partners was the key to Pierrakos’ success.
Naturally couples who re-establish their passion in life are also inspired in their other roles as parents, business leaders or sport participants. Renewed eros will rock your world and you will feel sensual and beautiful.
Body Energy and Spirituality
Perhaps the most profound benefit to your expanded, balanced and coherent body energy is the strength and evolution of your spiritual connection. The vibrations of your body energy are capable of unlimited expansion and reflect the strength of both your human self and spiritual self. Previously suggested modalities of body energy enhancement are all second to thirty minutes of prayer. “For some unknown reason”, says Valorie Hunt, “prayer’s ability to expand your energy field is uncanny – even to those individuals who claim they do not believe in God. It’s probably directly related to Faith.”
This body energy is very fragile and, as a multidimensional reflection of your Inner Life permits a beautiful connection to the divine spirit of God. Meditators who allow themselves to open the body energy field prior to mediation frequently report an increased ability to suspend thinking and enjoy the fruits of ‘oneness’.
References available upon request.
Robert Kirby is a Sydney-based author, psychotherapist and energetics therapist.
Trancending attachment to Mistakes on the journey to being Authentic
Master of self-esteem ROB BORG writes about making mistakes, learning from them, and using the greater self-awareness to become more authentic and empowered…
Make Mistakes
“Don’t argue for other people’s weaknesses. Don’t argue for your own. When you make a mistake, admit it, correct it, and learn from it – immediately.” Stephen R. Covey, Author and Speaker.
What happens when you make a mistake? How do you react? What do you believe about making mistakes?
While our natural tendency may be to hide and cover up, what does this do for us in the long term?
One thing it does is to reinforce unhelpful attitudes we hold towards ourselves. What may have helped us learn when we were children no longer serves us in our adult lives. Instead we decide that by making mistakes we are now somehow ‘bad’ or ‘wrong’, and push ourselves to an unattainable perfectionism. And so the cycle of inner judgement and criticism continues.
So how do we change our attitude towards making mistakes?
One change is in the definition we hold. Mistakes are beneficial to our growth. Mistakes help us learn, help us keep on our path. In fact, some go as far as to say that if you are not making mistakes, you are not growing. Another benefit of immediately owning up and learning from our mistakes is that we don’t need to make that mistake again. What a relief!
Exercise: Think of a recent mistake you made. How did you handle it? Could you have made different choices? What disadvantages and/or benefits did your choice bring?
Create a Healthy Self-image
Deep down, what do you really feel about yourself, and who you are? What do you see when you look in the mirror? Are you proud of who you are or only of the things you’ve done? Perhaps you don’t like what you see at all.
You may be saying here, ‘Wait a second Rob – what exactly is a healthy self image anyway? Surely it’s getting into dangerous territory, thinking you’re better than you are?’.
But a healthy self image has nothing to do with judging yourself. In fact, it’s the opposite. Accepting yourself where you are, just as you are now, is the basis of a healthy self image. By using that basis to allow yourself to become aware of what needs changing, it gently brings you into a position where you can readily take action.
Exercise: Write a description of yourself, including any opinions you may have never shared with others. Go and do this now before moving to the next part of this exercise.
Now that you have written your description, read it again, as though it were written by someone else, about someone you have not yet met.
Ask yourself: Would I like this person I have read about? What do you think the author thinks of this person?
Do your answers reveal anything about yourself and your self image? Is it balanced and healthy or is there conflict? What actions do you need to take to improve your self image?
Be Yourself – authentically
Do you remember the last time someone asked how you were, yet they didn’t listen for the answer? Or when you heard someone bragging a little too long over the famous people they know?
We all know people like this – to the extreme we might even go to lengths to avoid them. One reason is that we suspect they are not authentic.
Yet, if we are honest with ourselves, there can be times when we are inauthentic too. Instead of listening to our own truth though, we continue – sometimes in the hope that we will be accepted by someone, or some group. It may be our colleagues, our parents, our peers.
Why do we do this? Is it really that beneficial, to have conditional acceptance from people who we are afraid won’t like us for who we actually are? Why do we give other people what we think they want?
Authenticity, or being ourselves, is the greatest gift we can give ourselves and the world. Every single person has something unique and valuable to offer. All it needs to start is by simply being true to yourself – something every one of us is able to do.
The more authentic we are, the more we grow in self-awareness, the more we achieve what we are meant to achieve. Just like a seed planted in spring, our inner peace has a chance to thrive.
January 2005 Theatre
More relevant than ever …
MYTH, PROPAGANDA &
DISASTER IN NAZI GERMANY
& CONTEMPORARY AMERICA
by Stephen Sewell
Presented by Tangent Productions, Stephen Sewell’s multi-award winning Myth, Propaganda & Disaster in Nazi Germany & Contemporary America will return to the SBW Stables Theatre for a limited season from January 13th.
Since this production originally played the Stables in November 2003, Myth, Propaganda & Disaster in Nazi Germany & Contemporary America has gone on to become possibly the most awarded play in Australian theatre history. It has recently been produced in London and will appear Off Broadway in 2005.
“In 03 we had turned away hundreds of people wishing to get a ticket – so when we saw an opportunity to return to the Stables, we grabbed it,” says director Christopher Hurrell. “Like Michael Moore, Stephen Sewell is a warrior, opening our eyes to the truth about the destruction of freedom going on in our name. Since the atrocities of Abu Grahib, the play’s perceptive and prophetic message is more timely than ever.”
Myth, Propaganda & Disaster in Nazi Germany & Contemporary America is about an Australian in US academia who finds himself dangerously at odds with the prevailing political temperature and is forced into a labyrinth of intrigue and threat. With compelling drive and theatrical daring, we are swept from cocktails at the Guggenheim to the brutal reality of Guantanamo Bay. Nicholas Eadie reprises his astonishing, towering portrayal of Talbot Finch, Sewell’s accidental hero; an academic dedicated to reason. But amongst the shouts of America Hurrah and Pax Americana, is he the last thinker of the enlightenment? When a mysterious figure insinuates into his life, can Talbot survive the new definition of ‘traitor’?
Sewell’s controversial and acclaimed response to the conservative backlash from September 11, is a thrilling work that continues to ask serious and disturbing questions about the truth behind Western political, economic and philosophical values. At the same time it plumbs the depths of self doubt and fear that haunt us all as we search for identity in an increasingly alienating society.
Also returning to this dynamic production are William Gluth, Mark Constable, Melanie Vallejo and Margot Fenley. They will be joined for the return season by two more greats of the Australian theatre; Tony Sheldon and Deborah Kennedy.
Tangent Productions present
Myth, Propaganda & Disaster in Nazi Germany & Contemporary America
By Steven Sewell
Previews 13 – 19 January
MEDIA OPENING on 21 January
Season through to 5 February
SBW Stables Theatre 10 Nimrod St Kings Cross
Tickets on Sale through MCA Ticketing 1300 306 776 OR online www.griffintheatre.com.au
or
1 hour prior at: SBW Stables Theatre Box Office
Full $30. Concession $25. Groups of 8 or more $22.00. Under 30 $20
Sydney’s best bars?
Click here
Peanut Allergy a Gut Feeling
Dr Peter Dingle, author of My Dog Eats Better Than Your Kids, examines the life-threatening condition that is peanut allergy …
Food allergies as well as many other atopic disorders have been increasing in children over the past few decades. Asthma has plateaued, while eczema and food allergies keep climbing.
Food allergies affect 4% to 6% of children and 3% to 4% of adults. The most common food allergens in children include cow’s milk, egg, soy, peanut, tree nut, shellfish, and fish. Estimates for allergies to peanuts, other tree nuts or both are between 0.5% and 1% to 2%. About 3% of children have a positive peanut allergy test (such as a skin prick test) but only one-third of these will develop reactions upon eating peanuts. The occurrence of peanut allergy in childhood varies greatly in different countries but Australia is a country with a relatively high prevalence of peanut allergy.
While the percentage of people with peanut allergies is relatively low, the reactions are severe. They are one of the most dangerous forms of food allergy and the number one cause of death from anaphylactic shock. Each year in the United States peanut allergies cause about 30,000 anaphylactic reactions and 200 deaths. Even the smallest amount of nut contamination, as low as 2 milligrams of whole peanut, can have severe results.
The allergies generally develop in early childhood with a median age of onset at 24 months. Unlike many other food allergies, it is less likely for an individual to develop a tolerance to peanuts; these allergies have lifelong lifelong reactions, becoming more severe with age. In most children under five years of age with peanut allergy, the allergy will continue into later childhood. However, 20% of children do grow out of their peanut allergy.
Despite the gravity of the disease there is very little known about the causes of peanut allergy. Underlying factors responsible for the increase in food allergies and atopic disorders may include bottle feeding, early introduction of solid foods and imbalance in the immune system (T helper development in favour of Th2 over Th1 cells).
What is it?
Peanut allergies occur when the immune system mistakes a harmless substance such as peanuts for an infectious one and begins to attack it.
The immune system acts to release histamine into the blood and antibodies from cells and organs to fight the perceived infection. The chemicals that the body releases can affect tissues including the eyes, nose, skin, airways, intestines and blood vessels.
Peanut allergy symptoms characteristically occur quickly, within minutes of ingesting peanuts or peanut-contaminated food. The majority of allergic reactions to peanuts are mild and consist of hives around the mouth where a peanut or part of a peanut has touched the skin, or more generalised hives on other parts of the body.
Mild reactions include:
- Stomach ache
- Runny nose
- Itchy skin
- Itchy, watery eyes
- Rash and eczema
- Urticaria
- Tingling of lips and tongue
More severe symptoms include:
- Laryngeal oedema
- Asthma
- Diarrhea
- Vomiting
- Angioedema (swelling of face and around the eyes)
- Anaphylaxis
Causes
Little is known about the causes of peanut allergy, although children who have atopy, asthma, other food allergies and family history of peanut allergies are at a greater risk of having peanut allergies themselves.
It has also been suggested that peanut allergies are linked to soy milk and soy formula, however research has found no increase in the risk of the peanut-specific immunoglobulin E antibodies or the peanut allergy during the first two years of life for children on a soy formula.
Some studies suggest a transfer of peanut allergy through mother’s breast milk, as peanut protein is found in breast milk of lactating women. However, this does not appear to bring about the peanut sensitization. Studies show the percentage of mothers who breastfed was not associated with allergy to peanuts, and that the mothers of children with the allergy did not eat significantly more peanuts during breastfeeding than mothers of children without the allergy. The breastfeeding theory does not explain why some children develop peanut allergy and others do not.
The increase in allergic disease seems to have something to do with our Western lifestyle because it happens in the West, and when people move from developing countries to a First World environment they seem to get more allergies – including peanut allergies.
One hypothesis which has growing support is the “hygiene hypothesis,” also referred to as “exaggerated hygiene.” This suggests that little or no exposure to bacteria and viruses during a critical period of infancy can lead to an imbalance in the immune system and result in diseases such as asthma, especially in high-risk groups, like children with parents who have asthma. Researchers theorise that when infants are exposed to germs early on, their immune systems are pushed to go in an “infection-fighting direction.” Without this push, the immune system’s shift to infection fighting is delayed, and it becomes more likely to overreact to allergens – dust, mould, and other environmental factors such as food molecules that most people can tolerate.
According to this theory, over-clean environments may be at the root of the problem. Research also shows allergies and asthma are less common among farm children, children with cats, dogs or pigs in their homes, children who begin day care at an early age, and children from large families.
More likely it is the conditions that lead to gut dysbiosis – imbalances in the intestinal flora, such as pregnant mothers and neonate use of antibiotics and Cesarean births in particular – that contribute to the increase in allergies including peanut and other food allergies. We are, quite literally, too clean inside.
Gut function
The gut is a dynamic living organ in the body that is in constant contact and communication with its surrounding media. The mucous membrane absorbs and assimilates foods and serves as a barrier to pathogens and other foreign chemicals and particles (antigens). Optimal functioning of the gut relies on good intestinal integrity. When this integrity is compromised, the permeability of the gut may be altered; little gaps appear and gut function erodes. Two major factors that determine the integrity of the gut are health of the gut lining (the mucosa) and a balanced bacterial population.
The human gut is the natural habitat for a large and dynamic bacterial community with more than one hundred trillion bacteria and hundreds of different species. The biggest amount, 30% to50%, is in the large intestines including over 400 species, which affect its cell biology, structure and balance.
Major functions of the gut bacteria include: metabolic activities that result in improved nutrition through the breakdown of food into usable energy; important feeding effects on the gut lining; immune structure and function; and protection of the colonised host against invasion by “alien” microbes. The gut bacteria also help manage gut physiology, particularly barrier integrity.
The gut lining (mucosa) is composed of close fitting, thin and semi-permeable (epithelial) cells separated by tight junctures. When the intestinal mucosa (cells including enterocytes and colonocytes) is disrupted, the permeability may increase, allowing larger particles, bacteria, undigested foods or toxins to cross the barrier into the blood… causing an immune reaction and a subsequent food allergy.
Unlike most other cells in the body which get their energy and nutrients from the blood supply, more than 50% of the energy needs of the small intestine and more than 80% of the energy of the large intestine (where most of the bacteria are) come directly from the food in the gut. The preferred food of these cells are short chain fatty acids like butyrate, acetate and propionate which are derived from the metabolism of indigestible carbohydrates in dietary fibre by beneficial gut bacteria, especially Bifidobacteria. The bacteria in the gut literally create the “food” for the gut lining.
Any change in the relative proportions of the different bacteria alters the subsequent nutrients available for the digestive tract and its health. If the right food is not available, the cells can literally get sick and starve.
Pathogenic bacteria or other microorganisms that colonise the gut can also cause damage to the GI mucosa by releasing toxins. Fortunately, the good gut bacteria help to keep the pathogenic bacteria in check. Many of the good bacteria produce lactic and acetic acid that control intestinal pH and inhibit the growth of Candida albicans, E. coli, and other bacteria that have more pathogenic qualities. Recent research on low birth weight neonates has shown probiotics significantly reduce the incidence and intensity of enteric colonization by Candida.
Probiotics
While probiotic (and prebiotic) therapy has been known for millennia, it has largely been disregarded by the medical world, until recently. There is currently a rapidly growing appreciation for the role of the enteric flora in health and disease. Overwhelming evidence has accumulated about the role of healthy gut bacteria in the treatment and possible prevention of inflammatory bowel diseases, Crohn’s disease and ulcerative colitis including counteracting gut barrier dysfunction associated with inflammation and infection.
About 80% of the body’s immune system is localized in the gastrointestinal tract. Experimental data and clinical studies have shown that the immune system of infants can be stimulated by the intestinal bacteria, with specific prebiotics and probiotics being shown to promote mucosal immunologic maturation in infants. The first months of life represent a critical period for the maturation of the infant’s immune system and, thus, a window of opportunity for measures to improve immune function and reduce the risk of disease.
The mechanism by which prebiotics and probiotics may benefit a developing immune system is that allergic diseases are reported to be caused by a skew in the balance between T helper type 1 and 2 cells. Because some lactic acid bacteria have been shown to stimulate IL-12 production, which in turn shifts the balance between the T helper cell response from type 2 to type 1, they have the potential to either prevent or ameliorate disease conditions or both. T helper cells type 2 are associated with allergic diseases and it is the T cells which then instruct the B cells to manufacture antibodies.
Numerous recent studies including blinded placebo controlled studies (the gold standard of clinical studies) have supported these findings. In one study, infants at risk of developing atopy who received special probiotics during the first six months of life had a fifty percent reduction in atopic dermatitis after two years compared to the control group. The intake of probiotic-supplemented yoghurt reduced Japanese cedar pollinosis symptoms in infants. Administration of the probiotics at the time of introduction of cow’s milk in the infant’s diet resulted in higher tolerance to cow’s milk.
In a blinded placebo control study of 251 children, ages three to 12 years, special probiotics showed a small reduction in the days of illness, respiratory tract infections and gastrointestinal disorders. The intake of probiotics to allergy-prone infants also did not to impair antibody responses to diphtheria, tetanus, or Hib, but appeared to improve the response to Hib immunization in six-month-old infants.
The beneficial effect of prebiotics (Oligosaccharides) has also been demonstrated in a prospective, double-blind, randomised, placebo controlled trial of 259 infants on the development of atopic dermatitis in a high-risk population of infants.
A number of studies have now shown no adverse effects associated with probiotic use in infants as young as neonates, even in highly susceptible groups.
The cause of the problem
Possible factors contributing to disruption of healthy gut bacteria, gut dysbiosis and an increased risk of developing allergies, including peanut allergy, as an infant include:
- Antibiotics given to the mother or child;
- Cesarean birth;
- Preservatives such as antimicrobials; and
- Poor food such as dairy and wheat.
It is widely known that the use of broad spectrum antibiotics has negative effects on intestinal integrity and may alter the balance between beneficial and pathogenic bacteria. This is especially important in children, for whom antibiotics are prescribed frequently.
This effect may be not only on a newborn receiving antibiotics, but also if the expecting mother receives antibiotics. Colonization of the infant’s digestive tract occurs during the transition through the birthing canal, and gut dysbiosis may remain for up to twelve months after an initial disruption.
Clinicians should consider coadministration of probiotics with antibiotics.
Cesarean delivery alters the bacterial colonization of the gut for more than six months which normally occurs shortly after birth and may have a protective effect against the predisposition to asthma and allergies. A number of large studies have shown that Cesarean delivery is associated with wheezing and allergic sensitization.
The gastrointestinal tract of a healthy fetus is sterile. During the birth process and rapidly thereafter, microbes from the mother and the surrounding environment colonize the gastrointestinal tract until a dense, complex microflora develops.
Diet is a major factor in maintaining a healthy human gastrointestinal tract. In infants who are breast-fed, Bifidobacteria constitute about 90% of their intestinal bacteria; however, this number is lower in bottle-fed infants and when infants’ diets are changed to cow’s milk and solid food. Foods with a high prebiotic potential such as vegetables, fruit and beans (legumes) will help maintain a healthy gut bacteria population.
“Occam’s razor” is a basic premise of science and suggests that the simplest solution is the most effective. Unfortunately, in today’s pharmacology-dominated medical industry, this may not be the case. The addition of probiotics to infants and pregnant mothers is a simple, easy and a logical step now supported with a large amount of scientific evidence. And while colonisation in adults appears to be only short-lived, it is stable for as long as six months, and may persist for as long as 24 months.
This approach is cheap, easy to implement and has no negative side effects. The cost would be a mere fraction of the medical costs of one child who contracts a severe nut allergy. The added benefit is that we already know it will help in the reduction of other allergies such as asthma and gut-related problems.
For children, this is a win-win approach to lifelong good health.
Dr Peter Dingle has a Bachelor of Education in Science, a Bachelor of Environmental Science with first class honours and a PhD. He conducts ongoing research into diet and nutrition, lifestyle and environmental impacts on health, well being and productivity. To find out more go to www.drdingle.com
Australia is Still Great, Outback
Outback tour host SALLY BRAY writes about the authentic Aussie Bush Adventure experience she introduces travellers to …
Aussie Bush Adventure
On an Aussie Bush Adventure you know you will have a lot of Fair Dinkum Aussie fun, with experiences in discovering the culture, nature and history of the Aussie Bush, but it’s the unexpected experiences that invariably pop up which really add to the wow factor of a tour with Aussie Farmstay and Bush Adventures.
The four day Venture West Tour begins with a visit to the renowned Koala Park Sanctuary Wildlife Park in North West Sydney, so it is guaranteed that you will meet some Koalas, pat them, have a photograph taken with them and have their habits explained to you by one of the expert keepers. You’ll also definitely pat or hand feed lots of friendly kangaroos and their joeys and you’ll see dozens of other examples of Australia’s unique native wildlife including colourful and talkative birds.
But after that, out on the road in the Mountains and the bush we can never be sure what birds and animals we will see in the wild. The most frequent sightings would be birds. Everyday there’s pink and grey Galahs, snowy white Sulphur-Crested Cockatoos, multicoloured Crimson and Eastern Rosellas, black and white Magpies and Currawongs and pure black Crows. We even saw a pair of Wedgetail Eagles last week. The animals we see on these tours from Sydney are just as varied. On recent tours we have come across echidnas (spiny ant eaters), Shingleback and Eastern Blue Tongue Lizards, Kangaroos, Wallaroos and Wallabies – including last week a family of Eastern Grey Kangaroos of a Male and Female with Joey in pouch. I can’t orchestrate their appearance, but by the numbers we see, passengers often wonder if I’ve had a hand!
The people that you’re sure to meet on tour will include many Fair Dinkum Aussies born and bred in the Bush, including Bill and Mary Norris who own Inglevale farm where we stay. Bill’s parents Wilf and Pat usually come out for the night as do my parents Jan and John who also live locally. They’re all wonderfully fun and warm heartedly hospitable and love to meet travellers and tell stories..
But the farmstay is not a static display, it’s a dynamic event that happens when we arrive and I never know who will turn up. Bill has seven brothers and sisters, who have partners and children, and any of them may come out for the evening. All of the regulars invite local family and friends to different nights, and they usually take up the invitation to attend because the local Aussies love the entertainment on the farm just as much as the travellers. With animal tricks, farming displays, singing and poetry around the campfire it’s a night to remember. When Wilf and Pat decided to celebrate their 50th wedding anniversary on the farm there were 50 locals to greet my two passengers. They were treated to the most wonderful friendly Dinky Di bush night ever.
Legends of the Bush
Australia in general, has temperatures much more temperate then the United Kingdom, Europe and United States, and the weather is usually pleasant. But Australia is an unpredictable environment and we can never know what might happen on our tours from Sydney. Although normally temperatures in winter don’t drop below freezing, last July the country was covered with a generous drop of snow on day 3 of one tour, as the below photo taken by one of our passengers shows:
New South Wales has recently endured nine years of drought, but in December last year the creeks around Eugowra and Canowindra were all flooded the day before we came through on our Outback tour. And this week, only days after we visited the Blue Mountains, there were bush fires around Katoomba.
So if it’s the excitement of experiencing the unknown and the pleasure of surprise that you’re looking for in a holiday, you can’t go past an outback tour run by Aussie Bush Adventures. Guaranteed to be an experience you’ll never forget, even if you can’t exactly predict everything.
Where Do You Get It?
For any enquiries or bookings you can contact Sally
0410 405 022 or email sally@aussiebushadventures.com.au or check out their website
www.aussiebushadventures.com.au
Also Check Out:
Mudgee Food & Wine Tasting Tours
Mudgee Food & Wine Tours
Blue Mountains Horse Riding
Jenolan Caves Tours
Blue Mountains Adventure Tours
Blue Mountains Horse Riding
Food Wine Tours Mudgee
9 things you need to know before having a thread lift
Thread Lifts… Thread Face Lift…Contour Threads…Non-Surgical Lifts and Non-Surgical Facelifts. There are many names for a new rejuvenation procedure that’s being embraced by professionals who want to look like “the me I used to be”. Thread lifts emerged because many people — men and women – would like to look younger, but don’t want the ‘stretched’ look of a traditional facelift. Instead, they want procedures that keep the natural contours of the face so that the results are subtle and natural-looking.
That leads friends and colleagues to observe that ‘you look great’, rather than ‘you’ve had work done’.
In a thread lift, medical-grade threads are literally inserted across the brow, checks, neck or other area to be lifted, and are gently drawn up to hold the area in place. This can be done under local anaesthetic, in as little as an hour (which is why early thread lift procedures were branded as the ‘lunchtime lift’ or ‘weekend lift’).
Thousands of thread lifts are performed each year in the United States (US plastic surgeons alone performed more than 5,000 thread lifts in 2006). A new development in thread lifts is the use of absorbable threads, which break down in the body over time (and therefore don’t interfere with any procedures you may wish to undergo in the future.
This new category includes Promoitalia Revitalizing threads which have been available in Australia since 2009, and have been successfully used in many dozens of thread lift procedures.
As with any cosmetic procedure, though, there are factors that govern the success of thread lift procedures. Some of the most important factors are outlined below.Is this procedure right for me?
The best advice here is to discuss the procedure with your cosmetic surgeon, plastic surgeon or other qualified medical professional.
As a guide, the best candidates are aged between 30 and 55. That is, people who are typically mid-career or at the peak of their career, and want natural, subtle rejuvenation with a very short recovery period compared with traditional face lifts.
How can I be sure my doctor is qualified and experienced in this procedure?
Because any medical doctor can legally perform any type of medical procedure, it’s important that you are confident – well before the date of surgery – that your doctor is trained in the latest Thread Lift protocols and uses proven, medical-grade technologies.
For example: in order to perform the Revitalizing Thread Lift, Australian doctors undertake extensive training, are regularly briefed on best-practice protocols and use patented, TGA-listed threads that have been engineered for more effective and long-lasting results. (Visit MaraAesthetics.com for more information on doctors who have achieved certification on the Revitalizing Thread Lift procedure).
Do you mean that there’s a difference between the different threads on the market?
Absolutely!
To begin with, Promoitalia Revitalizing Threads are absorbed by the body over time, so that they don’t interfere with any future procedures you may wish to have done.
And on a technical level… thread lifts depend on the body recognising the threads as a ‘foreign material’, and generates collagen bundles – fibrosis – around them. This provides the scaffolding that keeps your face’s new structure in place. Most threads on the market are circular, with tiny cogs that sit – umbrella-like – to hold the skin firmly. The Promoitalia threads used in the Revitalizing Thread Lift are a patented, multi-sided shape with a higher density of cogs, precision cut into more complex shapes. These boost the fibrosis process – leading to a better outcome.
How will I look afterwards?
With a thread lift, you can anticipate improvement, not perfection. The best indicator of what you can expect from a thread lift is to look at photos of yourself from a few years ago. Post-procedure, that’s how you’re likely to look.
How long will I take to recover?
The short answer is … not long.
With the Promoitalia Revitalizing Thread Lift, patients are not required to stay at home at all. In most cases, there is minimal bruising, swelling or discomfort – although ice packs are recommended for the first 24 – 48 hours.
You may have some bandages to keep your Thread Lift in place – however, you can quickly begin resuming everyday activities, taking care not to stress or exert pressure on treated areas for the first few days following the procedure. At around the three-week mark, patients can begin confidently resuming their usual activities.
Can I combine this procedure with others to achieve the look I want?
It is not uncommon to have this procedure combined with other cosmetic procedures such as Botulinum toxin to reduce facial muscle activity, Dermal fillers such as hyaluronic acid or fat to enhance skin volume and laser therapy to improve skin texture and collagen formation.
In fact, Mara Aesthetics suggests the Revitalizing Thread Lift belongs in the hierarchy of anti-ageing procedures (see below) and adding to the pyramid’s base will support the results at every stage.
How many procedures will I need – and how many can I have?
In most cases, the results will be evident after just one thread lift procedure, in which a number of threads are inserted under the skin, in each area to be treated.
The procedure can, however, be repeated in the future if required. What are the risks?
As with any surgical procedure, there is the risk developing complications. Albeit rare, these include the development of blood clots. For this reason, it is extremely important to tell your plastic surgeon if you or any of your family members have a history of blood clots, if you are on any medications, or have any other medical conditions. How much will the procedure cost? There is an enormous variation in the cost of the Revitalizing Thread Lift, depending on factors including the number of threads your doctor will be using. There is a suggestion that the average cost of a procedure is $3,000 – $5,000 – significantly less than a full face lift.
The best advice is to conduct your research beforehand, and then talk with your doctor to work out realistic goals and a firm price – so that you know, before the event, what your investment is likely to be, and the result you’re likely to get.
Mara Bontempo-Ross is an accredited professional with more than two decade’s experience in the medical, cosmetic and pharmaceutical industries. She is the founder of Mara Aesthetics, an Australian company dedicated to providing the highest quality, scientifically researched products, backed by accredited training to help Australian and New Zealand’s doctors achieve outstanding thread lift outcomes. For more information, see www.maraaesthetics.com
Bouncing the Bounce
Reader LEONA BALDWIN gnashes her teeth at the crass arrogance recently dished out to her by a Sydney “security man”
Of all the stereotypes of all the professions, only one can be counted on to hold true as often, and universally, as that of bouncers.
Living up to their reputation collectively as a bunch of boorish bloodthirsty brutes who, under the guise of “maintaining order”, covet nothing more in an evening than a good punch up, most bouncers function as the clear catalyst in escalating disputes, as opposed to the pacifist.
Take for example, my recent encounter with the beefed-up boys in black at The Palace, a popular beach bar establishment at Coogee Beach, one Saturday night just a few weeks ago.
Located mere meters from the beach front, The Palace is renowned for its lively yet laidback atmosphere, wide rooftop patios overlooking the beach, and the perpetual supply of backpackers circulating through its doors daily.
Open all day, and continuing into the early hours of the morning, The Palace exudes the same easygoing attitude that is characteristic of the area, and markets itself specifically to this type of clientele.
But make no mistake – Cinderella isn’t the only one who transforms at the stroke of midnight. Fronted by a mob of snarling, smirking, testosterone-fueled meatheads on the door, The Palace by night becomes about as friendly and relaxed as a night out with the Bulldogs. Between suspicious glares and unintelligible grunts at patrons to produce ID, the bouncers greet customers at the door with open hostility, bordering on outright aggression. Honestly, U.S Customs officials- post 911, have nothing on these guys.
Flexing their over-inflated muscles to bolster their even more over-inflated egos, the bouncers busy themselves in the crowd trying to elicit even a remotely confrontational remark from someone – just begging for an excuse to exercise their sheer bulk.
Should such an excuse arise, the offender/ customer is dealt with swiftly, met with approving looks from other nearby bouncers for every implied threat and diminutive comment uttered. (ie, “We got your back, man”).
Regardless of age, sex, or ethnicity, it has to be said, they are commendably indiscriminate with these tactics of intimidation, lavishing an equal amount of malice and condescension on everyone who crosses their path. And, unlike many scenarios where even a tinge of feminine appeal opens most doors, my own charms were found less than beguiling.
It all started out quite harmlessly. We arrived around 6pm on a typical Saturday night out with some friends – all regular patrons of The Beefcake Den, aka The Palace, and made our way up to the roof top patio for some drinks. A few hours later, (in true backpacker fashion) my partner and I found our finances dwindling and a visit to the ATM was required.
Squeezing through the crowded stairwells and down the escalator, we emerged victorious from the teller machine, and then attempted to proceed back up the same escalator to regroup with our friends.
Standing at the base of the escalator, with one great meaty arm held up like a highway tollbooth barrier, the bouncer scrutinised us with a mixture of suspicion and disdain. As if we were late for the Opera with no black tie.
Glancing at his own upheld arm with authority (should we dare challenge it), he stood immobile, chest puffed out, with an obtuse expression on his face that refused to acknowledge our existence. He was taking his time. Relishing his glorious moment of real power over us lowly patrons deciding whether or not we would be afforded the luxury of actually getting upstairs in the beach bar (ooooh, the prestige!!!). I could barely contain my excitement.
With a sweeping look of disdain at my boyfriend’s feet, it finally spoke.
“Not tonight ladies and gentlemen.” (Fist responsively tightening at the end of its arm/ barrier, pre-empting any resistance).
“Sorry?” I questioned, forcing polite inquisition to dominate the tone of my voice, and not the incense that lay behind it. Everything about this bouncer suggested he was the archetypal ego-driven power-hungry wanker from which all bouncers are stereotyped, and for which I have even less patience than I do respect.
Leveling its eyes towards me, lips curled slightly in an oh-so becoming sneer, it stated again with exaggerated authority, “Not tonight ladies and gentlemen,” and began surveying those behind us to cement the message.
Standing within spit-range of an individual endowed with both the size and intelligence of a brick wall, it became evident after this preliminary verbal exchange that conflict resolution was a concept it neither understood nor practiced.
Weighing my desire to reunite with our friends against the overwhelming urge to tell the meathead to stuff it, I opted to reason with him.
“I don’t think you understand, we’ve just come from upstairs, we only came down to use the ATM, and now are on our way back upstairs to meet our friends, what seems to be the problem?”
Shaking its head patronisingly, as if refusing a child his dessert, it answered in what I’m sure it imagined was a threateningly monosyllabic tone, “Don’t fit the dress code”.
Incredulous, my partner and I laughed, taking in each others ‘trendy casual’ appearance compared to the accepted attire of beach shorts and t-shirts, and pressed further for explanation.
“No thongs” it answered with increasing agitation.
Assuming he meant the footwear and not the undergarments, my temper now flared. Everybody and I do mean close to 80% of the people in there were wearing thong sandals- it was a beach bar for Christ’s sake!
Raising this issue, along with my voice, the bouncer was starting to get very annoyed with me now. This wasn’t part of the plan. It barked orders, and we being the meek patrons either spinelessly acquiesced, or swallowed our pride and pathetically wheedled at them to reconsider. Direct challenges were not acceptable, particularly when they could not be dealt with using a swift punch in the face. (Though visibly, it could barely restrain itself).
My partner, refusing to argue any further with someone so pitifully desperate for authority, embarked on a compromise, suggesting I be allowed up to meet our friends and retrieve a house key, so he could go back and change his shoes.
But its ego had already been too badly damaged in the exchange to allow for this. Resorting to spite, and not even bothering to cover it with any semblance of professionalism, it answered:
“No, because your girlfriend is a bitch.”
Glaring at me, it was forced to acknowledge its own defeat of power. I was the one who had undermined it now, forced to employ totally unjustifiable measures to retain its control. Caught in an internal dilemma, its frustration was palpable. Being the opposition against its authority, if I were male I would have been unconscious by then, but being female, it was in the uncomfortable position of engaging in a confrontation without being able to threaten me physically.
Shocked and almost amused by this unprecedented verbal assault I retaliated as my boyfriend now pulled me away in disgust, “I may be a bitch, but I’m not the one standing at the bottom of an escalator for a profession!” To which he called back with even more venom, “Bitch!”
And so it ended. In vain my boyfriend angrily informed ‘management’ of the altercation, but even in light of the derogatory expletives used by its staff, they apologetically explained; “Sorry, we have to stand by our staff – but please do come back another night.” Yeah right!!!
Irate and indignant at being called into question in front of its superiors, the ‘escalator bouncer’ now lingered out the front of the establishment, watching us like a wounded and caged animal just waiting to lash out. Inciting support from nearby bouncers (only too eager to get into the action), in typical and almost laughable bouncer form it even threatened to show my partner “how it feels to have my fist in your face” when he continued prodding it to apologise to me.
This threat was not only heard, but ignored, by management less than 3 feet away.
Not surprisingly either, as generally speaking, this is the only tolerance you will experience in a contentious situation in clubs or bars today. From management towards the physical and verbal assault its ‘security staff’ (or more aptly named ‘insecurity staff’) inflict onto its ‘valued’ clientele.
So why is this tolerated? By patrons, by management, by the 0.05% of bouncers who don’t adhere to the near universal bully mentality? And at what point do you draw the line? It’s too late to ask David Hookes that question.
At minimum, enabling bouncers to treat paying customers according to their own egotistical whims can only reflect badly on the establishment that employs them, jeopardising both their business and reputation. Granted I didn’t walk away from the experience physically battered, but to say that it put a damper on what should have been an enjoyable night out is a mild understatement.
The bottom line is, of all the establishments in the area, we chose to frequent The Palace, and it brings only a small measure of satisfaction to know that, as a result of the unapologetic abuse I experienced that night, our group of friends atleast, will no longer do so. And hopefully, as a result of this article, maybe a few other potential customers will be influenced to abstain as well.
– Writer Leona Baldwin is a Sydney resident with a normally placid nature.
Recommended Bars & Nightclubs in Sydney (where you hopefully will get more respect):
Arq
16 Flinders St, Darlinghurst 9380 8700
The Basement
29 Reiby Pl, Sydney 9251 2797
Bristol Arms
82 Sussex St, Sydney 9262 5491
Carmen’s Nightclub
590 Kingsway, Miranda 9524 0398
Cave Nightclub
Pirrama Rd, Pyrmont 9566 4755
Chinese Laundry
3 Slip St, Sydney 9299 1700
City Live
Bent St, Fox Studios 9358 8000
Embassy Nightclub
16 Cross St, Double Bay 9328 2200
Gas Nightclub
477 Pitt St, Haymarket 9211 3088
Globe Nightclub
King Head Tavern. 60 Park St Sydney 9264 4844
Home Nightclub
Cockle Bay Wharf, 101 Wheat Rd Darling Harbour 9266 0600
IceBox
2 Kellet St, King Cross 9331 0058
Jackson’s On George
176 George St. Sydney 9247 2727
The Phoenix
34 Oxford St, Darlinghurst
Tank Nightclub
3 Bridge La, Sydney 9251 9933
Yu
171 Victoria St, Potts Point 9358 6511
The Bank
129 Pitt St, Sydney 9230 0521
Castle Hill Tavern
25 Victoria Ave, Castle Hill
Castles Nightclub
114 Castleraegh St, Sydney 9261 2238
Club 77
77 William St, King Cross 9361 4981
Club 209
209 Queen St, Campbelltown 4628 4283
Club Sydney
122 Pitt St, Sydney 9233 2171
Eden Nightclub
88 Oxford St, Darlinghurst 9331 5314
EP1
1 Earl Pl, Potts Point 9358 3990
Goodbar
11a Oxford St, Paddington 9360 6759
Jupiters Nightclub
Rear253 Windsor St, Richmond 4588 5594
Luna Lounge
176 George St, Sydney 9247 2727
M X Nightclub
Hunter St (Cnr Burdett St ). Hornsby 9477 5555
Metropolis Nightclub
Mount St, North Sydney 9954 3599
N V Nightclub
Lvl 1, 163 Oxford St, Darlinghurst 9360 5666
Nakita
104 Bathurst St, Sydney 92839199
Rogues Nightclub
Oxford St (Cnr Riley St) Darlinghurst 9380 9244
Shelbourne Hotel
Market St (Cnr Sussex St) Sydney 9267 3100
Sugareef Nightclub
20 Bayswater Rd, Kings Cross 9368 0763
Tantra
169 Oxford St, East Sydney 9331 7729
Tracks Nightclub
58 Beecroft Rd, Epping 9876 1855
GoodBar
11a Oxford St, Paddington
Zen
22 Bayswater Rd, Kings Cross 9358 4676
Rogues
16 Oxford Square, Sydney 9380 9244
DCM
33 Oxford St, Darlinghurst
The Pavilion Hotel
580 George St, Sydney
After the Flood, Beware the Mould
Australia may be regarded as the world’s dryest continent, but the remarkable irony of this tag is just how wet our Great Southern Land truly is! And when it rains, it pours – and often floods …
And when it floods, as it seems to be doing across half of Australia at the moment, it isn’t just the short term damage that flood victims suffer from.
In most cases, their homes and offices become permanently damaged by water. Dampness becomes an unremitting feature of their domestic or commercial life. Mould gets everywhere, and that would be bad enough just on aesthetics alone, but the further fact is that for most Australians, being exposed to mould is a health risk, in some cases a very severe one.
“Flood damage leaves many long-term imprints – including residues of mould which may last for years”
With all this flooding going on, a result of climate change according to many distinguished scientists, a Port Macquarie company have discovered that their unique machines known as “dehumidifiers”, which many people scoffed at as being the Australian equivalent of selling ice to eskimoes, have suddenly become an essential item for the hundreds of thousands of people affected by the floods from Rockhampton in Australia’s north-east, to (simultaneously) Carnarvon, in our country’s north-west.
Dehumidifiers are not just the crucial technology of flood victims, however, because they effectively solve moisture, mould and dampness problems from the most rain-affected parts of Tasmania to the humid tropics of Australia’s north – and everywhere in between. Ordinary Australians have become collectively eager to acquire at least one dehumidifier for their homes, offices, hotels, art galleries and beyond.
We spoke to Moisture Cure’s Chris Lowder and asked her which she regarded as the 6 best dehumidifiers in their range, including 1 from their commercial lineup. We will also review our newest entry for best dehumidifier with their new laundry drying dehumidifier system.
Here’s Chris’s take on their 6 ultimate machines:
- Moisture Cure 928 DB-20 R has been in our range since 2001 and 100s of discerning customers will testify to this being their dehumidifier of choice. Simple, streamlined shape, it comes with all the bells and whistles, including a very economical power usage of only around 5 cents per hour. These units are happily purring away in homes from Tasmania to Perth, from Cairns to Melbourne and most places in between. The simple humidity control system allows you to set and forget the desired humidity in your home from 30 % to 80 % so you always can have your home at the best humidity level for you. The large capacity water catch ment bucket has a discreet hand grip so you never feel as if you may drop it when carrying it to empty and the 12 hour timer is easy to use. A handy carry handle folds away when not needed and 4 sturdy castors allow you to wheel anywhere, and of course it comes complete with a two speed timer.
- Moisture Cure 735 EA-30R, our largest capacity domestic size unit.
From the same manufacturer as the Moisture Cure 928, with all the same operating feature’s, the 735 has nearly twice the dehumidifying capacity at a whopping 35 litres per day. This is the perfect unit for large homes, entertainment rooms, home libraries and home theatre rooms, in fact any where lot’s of moisture needs to be removed in the quickest time. This powerful dehumidifier comes with its own continuous drain attachment for when you are on holidays or away for a week or two. Instead of the water collecting in the catchment tank and turning off when full, when the continuous drain is attached the water can siphon off down the floor waste in your bathroom or laundry floor. For customers who want to use this unit commercially or run the water away over a long distance, we have a more commercial answer with a screw on unit we have designed ourselves. Check it out on our web site www.moisturecure.com.au or ask us to describe it. This powerful dehumidifier uses a little more power than the 928 ( see above )but is capable of extracting volumes of moisture from your home or work place and will have you wondering where all this moisture has been hiding. - Amcor D 950-E
This is the big brother of the Amcor 850 –E and is THE best performing commercial dehumidifier we have found. Suitable for large areas such as court rooms, libraries, indoor heated swimming pool rooms, some of our recent customers have included the Sydney botanical gardens and the Hobart film archive rooms. These quality commercial dehumidifiers are sold worldwide and we are proud to include them in our range. If you have a need for a smart looking, quality built dehumidifier that will run quietly and fuss free for years you need look no further. - Moisture Cure EUR 2018
What a unique unit this is, powerful, 3 bedroom home dehumidifier, mini air conditioner and a powerful l ionizer all built into one neat modern package. This is the perfect package for a bedroom, family room or even a child’s bedroom. How nice to be able to wheel this unit into the bedroom an hour or two before bed time to cool the room down a degree or two. We have never came across another unit that so smartly combines three functions in one, and at the price of $1200 is a real bargain. - Lubra 122
This sweet little dehumidifier has been in our line up for around 9 years now and we intend stocking it for many more years . Light enough for a child to carry, but powerful enough to keep the humidity at bay in a bedroom, lounge or family room this dehumidifier is whisper quiet. Some of our customers even have to be convinced it’s running it’s so quiet. Simple mechanical controls, it has only one control knob, on / off. This is a very elegant, simple to operate dehumidifier with impeccable credentials that will give trouble free enjoyment for years to come. - Lubra 520
This genuine three bedroom home dehumidifier is the big brother to the Lubra 122, the main difference being the large moisture removal capacity. Practical carry handle and sturdy castors make this unit easy to move from room to room.
And … FYI …
All Moisturecure dehumidifiers come with excellent pedigrees as they are only included in their line up after careful consideration with a number of experts, including the manufacturers, their in-house electronic technician, their own decade long experience and their customers’ feedback.
All their dehumidifiers also have to past a stringent quality test, with criteria being such things as: are they up to the minute with design but able to be worked on later in their life when they need servicing, does the manufacturer supply adequate spares, (they still service machines that they sold up to 10 years ago, and in fact Chris and her husband Bob are now selling dehumidifiers to their original customers’ children, a point they’re very proud of.
The final words from Chris:
“I guess in a way we are a little boring and predictable as we tend to stick to only a handful of manufacturers as we have learnt over the years that these few companies always offer quality units at a fair price.
“This is why we have been able to offer an industry first by giving free service for the life of any dehumidifier purchased from us.
“All that is required from you is to return your machine to our work shop and we will strip it down, clean it thoroughly inside and out and return to you, free of charge. If we find anything that looks remiss after your 2 year warranty period, we will advise you and you can decide whether we should fix it there and then or send it back, your decision.
“This really is an indication of how well our dehumidifiers are made, no other supplier will give you this free peace of mind service.”
Most Searched Terms: Mould Removal Dampness Prevention Brisbane Queensland Flood Water Damage Solutions Australia Central Dehumidifiers Rockhampton Mould Sydney Melbourne Tasmania.
Article by Stewart Dawes of SEOtherapy.
12 Most Horrible Cancers Caused By Smoking
Tobacco smoke contains more than 7,000 chemicals that are harmful to both smokers and nonsmokers. At least 250 chemicals are known to be harmful, including hydrogen cyanide, carbon monoxide, and ammonia. At least 69 of these chemicals can cause cancer. These cancer-causing chemicals include the following: Arsenic, Benzene, Beryllium, Butadiene, Cadmium, Chromium, Ethylene oxide, Nickel, Polonium, Vinyl chloride, Formaldehyde, Benzopyrene, Toluene.
When you inhale tobacco smoke, these chemicals enter your lungs and spread around the rest of your body. Smoking harms nearly every organ of the body and diminishes a person’s overall health. Scientists have shown that these chemicals can damage DNA and change important genes. This causes cancer by making your cells grow and multiply out of control.
12 Most Horrible Cancers Caused By Smoking
- Lung cancer – The incidence of lung cancer is strongly correlated with cigarette smoking, with about 90% of lung cancers resulting from tobacco use. The risk of lung cancer increases with the number of cigarettes smoked over time.
- Larynx Cancer – Smoking tobacco causes most laryngeal cancers. Heavy smokers are most at risk for laryngeal cancer. For people who already have laryngeal cancer, quitting may reduce the chance of cancer returning after treatment.
- Oral Cavity Cancer – Around 91% of oral cavity cancers were linked to lifestyle and smoking. Smoking tobacco causes around 70% of oral and pharyngeal cancers in men, and around 55% in women.
- Pharynx Cancer – Pharyngeal Cancershow a strong association with alcohol consumption and tobacco smoking, particularly of cigarettes and cigars – in fact, tobacco is thought to be implicated in well over 80% of cases of pharynx cancer.
- Cancer of the Esophagus – Smoking increases the risk of oesophageal cancer. Recent cohort study shows that heavy smokers have a nine-fold risk increase for oesophageal cancer.
- Cancer of the Pancreas – Cigarette smoking is one of the biggest risk factors for developing pancreatic cancer. For example, smoking during college has been associated with a 2-3 fold increased risk of pancreatic cancer.
- Cancer of the Cervix – Women smokers are about twice as likely as non-smokers to get cervical cancer. Tobacco by-products have been found in the cervical mucus of women smokers. Researchers believe that these substances damage the DNA of cervix cells and may contribute to the development of cervical cancer.
- Kidney Cancer – Smoking increases the risk with the number of cigarettes that you smoke. People who smoke more than 1 pack a day can have up to double the risk of the most common type of kidney cancer (renal cell cancer) compared to non-smokers.
- Bladder Cancer – Carcinogens in tobacco smoke are absorbed from the lungs and get into the blood. From the blood, they are filtered by the kidneys and concentrated in the urine. These chemicals in urine can damage the cells in the bladder lining, which increases the chance of bladder cancer.
- Cancer of the Ovary – there is sufficient evidence that smoking causes ovarian cancer. Smoking cigarettes increases the risk of developing ovarian cancer called mucinous cancer in current smokers. Deaths related to mucinous ovarian cancer after diagnosis was faster in smokers compared to nonsmokers.
- Colorectal Cancer – studies suggest that long-term cigarette smoking is associated with an increased risk of colorectal cancer. Long-term cigarette smoking is associated with increased risk of colorectal cancer mortality in both men and women. Risk is reduced with early smoking cessation.
- Acute Myeloid Leukemia – Smoking may account for 17% of myeloid leukaemia.Smoking cigarettes can increase the risk of developing acute myeloid leukaemia. Researchers estimate that smoking doubles or triples the risk of AML. But the risk quickly drops if you stop smoking.
Quitting smoking is the best thing a smoker can do to improve their health. Quitting greatly reduces the risk of smoking-related cancers. The earlier you quit, the better. Stop smoking Sydney services and treatments are also available. Smokers are much more likely to quit successfully if they get professional support.
The 13 Most Eardrum-Damaging Bands on Earth
We asked SAUL KHAN to come up with a list of the Most Hearing Loss-inducing Bands on Earth and his response was “WHAAAAT???” so we sent him an email asking him instead. Here’s his list with relevant LOUD youtube clips to illustrate …
Recently it occurred to me, too many kids these days are listening to strange electronic music and auto tune ridiculousness. That’s why I thought it would be a great idea to put together some perfectly cromulent music for you to listen to and educate everyone you know about.
While some of the bands in this list are fantastic jokes, there’s a lot here worth listening to.
NB: If you watch any of these music videos you basically waive any rights you have to listening to anything ever again that is not this. Also you waive all damages against me in case of permanent deafness, seizures and shock induced comas.
This music is not for fun. It will melt your face off, obliterate your eardrums and burn your house down. So please, listen responsibly….
Dethklok
Everyone’s favourite cartoon super band. Despite being a cartoon band from a tv series, they’re better than whatever you listen to now. As an added bonus, this will not only blow your eardrums, but turn all the lights off and the below music video can also give you a seizure!
Kiss (136dB)
Gene Simmons is one of the world’s best fire spitters. The bassist’s fire-spitting is a stunt, but Simmons is actually good at it. He can spit fire 15 feet. Which is roughly the length of his tongue. After all these years Kiss are still up there as one of the truly loudest bands ever to walk the planet!
Motorhead (130dB)
Damage to the Cleveland Variety Centre 1986 – Lemmy’s blood is so toxic that if you transfused his blood into someone it would kill them. There’s also a theory putting mortal blood into him might kill him as his biological makeup has changed to cope with his life as one of those british rock gods who just won’t die.
Manowar (129.5dB)
Loud as hell!! Were in the Guinness book of World Records, however they stopped having a category for loudest band so as to not promote potential hearing loss.
Rammstein
This video is made from LEGO! You need to watch it!
Christopher Lee
Christopher Lee AKA Dracula released a metal album to celebrate his 91st birthday. Possibly the baddest man alive, Christopher Lee helped inspire metal before metal existed. You have to be pretty awesome to be a genre before it exists. He also served with the SAS during WW2 and worked on a project to track down Nazi war criminals after the war. Imagine being a Nazi, you killed hundreds of people, but then you discover that Christopher Lee is knocking on your door to fuck you over. Chuck Norris has nothing on this guy.
Municipal Waste
Because I like to party and so should you.
Mayhem
Famous for burning down churches. The lead singer shot himself in the face with a shotgun and the other members then took his teeth to make necklaces for themselves. He left a suicide note saying sorry about the mess.
Children of Bodom
Some of the most talented musicians out, blending a neoclassical edge into thrash and black metal.
Pantera
Dimebag Darrell was buried in a KISS kasket as one of his dying wishes. As there were only a limited number made Gene Simmons sent one of his own for Dimebag’s family to use.
Meshuggah
Bleed …
Napalm Death
When All Is Said and Done …
Spinal Tap
Because their amps go up to 11 they’re louder than any other band.
Got hearing loss from too many long nights in front of the speakers at your most-loved bands’ gigs, or with the headphones turned up to 11? Get helpful info at HEARNET.org.au
Men Who Do More Housework Get More Sex
In a study published in the Journal of Family Issues, men are ow being told that if they do more housework, they will get more sex.
“Now” being told? That’s what men have always been told.
”As life gets busier and time gets tighter, a select group of go-getter spouses can successfully balance multiple time commitments,” say the authors, Constance Gager, of Montclair State University, New Jersey, and Scott Yabiku, of Arizona State University.
The study shows that sexual frequency averaged 82.7 times a year, or 1.6 times a week, although there was wide variation. Age and the duration of the relationship dampened sexual frequency , as did being Catholic compared to being Protestant. The presence of small children reduced frequency but older children were associated with more frequent sex.
Women on average did 41.8 hours of housework a week, almost twice as much as men, and 19.7 hours of paid work, bringing their total labour to 61.5 hours compared to 57.1 hours for men’s total work hours. The more time spent on housework, the more sex the men and women reported.
As well, men and women who spent more time in paid work reported more sex, leading the researchers to conclude that ”individuals may be achievers across multiple spheres”. Certainly you’d have to include Tiger Woods as one of those achievers across (or inside) multiple spheres.
The US researchers say their findings debunk the theory that time spent on some pursuits, such as jobs or housework, must be stolen from other areas, such as sex. ”The much-lamented speed-up of everyday life … does not appear to have adverse effects on sexual frequency,” they say.
For more on this subject check out www.smh.com.au
Melbourne’s Artistic ‘Meeting Pot’
Thanks to an artist’s inspiration over 70 years ago, the very heart of Europe seemingly beats just 26 kilometres from Melbourne’s CBD. Tanja Bulatovic went in search of some regional cuisine, but found an entire region of Europe instead…
Australia’s oldest artist colony Montsalvat gives you a sense of having stepped into the heart of Provincial France. This cultural icon of Melbourne was born out of painter and architect Justus Jörgensen’s dream to create and build a melting pot for artistic pursuits. According to legend, the artist, who exuded a palpable presence, described Montsalvat as his “fortress for ideas, his palace for work, and tomb for his body”.
The breathtakingly beautiful grounds and architecture, open to the public, are well worth a visit, and with a bit of luck, your exploration might be punctuated with some ‘Resident Artist’-spotting, such as encountering the well-loved Matcham Skipper (sculptor/jeweller), and distinguished David Brown (violin/Japanese flute maker). But Montsalvat’s tour of the creative senses would not be complete if you accidentally bypassed Montsalvat’s café, which is about to change its name to “The Meeting Pot”.
On any chilly Melbourne winters day, expect to be warmly welcomed into The Meeting Pot by classical music, a 2001 Mount Langi Ghiran Cliff Edge Shiraz from the Grampians and a stunning array of dishes, such as the Scotch Fillet on a mustard grain mash with tomato and capsicum relish $24, or the marinated chicken breast with braised winter vegetables and a caramelised shallot cream sauce $22. Or simply sit and soak up the atmosphere with a cup of aromatic coffee and cake … you certainly wouldn’t be misguided in choosing the divine homemade pear and almond tart $6.
The venue is a blend of mud brick and recycled timber, crisp white tablecloths, and timber easels displaying specials of the day. The crowd – an attractive mix of colourful locals, eclectic tourists, and well known – and unknown – Australian actors and artists. And there’s a summer courtyard with rustic furniture and salvage style objects d’art peppered throughout, bringing to mind the nostalgic image of artists eating, drinking red wine, and
discussing every topic under the sun in the 1900s.
With a backdrop of classical music, over a Grampians 2001 Mount Langi Ghiran Cliff Edge Shiraz, there’s always the chance of encountering Sigmund Jörgensen, youngest son of Justus Jörgensen, who has been the chairman of the Montsalvat charitable trust since 1969. Chances are Sigmund may spare a moment to reveal his life-long passion for art, music, and the rich history of the breathtakingly beautiful grounds and architecture that constitute the magical majesty of Montsalvat.
At last, a spot for lovers of art, architecture, fine food and wine – this place will
truly nourish your soul!
Montsalvat is easy to find, just follow your heart, and the signs to:
7 Hillcrest Avenue, Eltham, Victoria.
Bookings: (03) 9431 2681
For further details, visit www.montsalvat.com.au
Email: functions@montsalvat.com.au for Weddings, Conferences, Private Functions,
Photographic and Film settings, Exhibitions & Concerts, Art Classes and more.
Mobile Phone Radiation Brain Cancer Risk
Exposure to mobile phone radiation brain cancer risk, published studies showed that intensive use of mobile phones might lead to an increased risk of glioma, and acoustic neuroma a malignant form of brain cancer.
Radiation from mobile phones can possibly cause cancer, according to the World Health Organization/International Agency for Research on Cancer (IARC) after a major review of the effects of electromagnetic waves on human health.
The declaration was based on evidence in published studies that intensive use of mobile phones might lead to an increased risk of glioma, and acoustic neuroma a malignant form of brain cancer, but have not been able to draw conclusions for other types of cancers.
Mobile phones and cordless phones emit a form of non-ionizing electromagnetic radiation, like a low-powered microwave oven which can be absorbed by the tissues and cells that come in close contact with the phone. What microwave radiation does is most similar to what happens to food in microwaves, essentially cooking the brain.
Studies found that our body’s defenses are weaker after radiation exposure—an even low-level radiofrequency exposure triggers the body to produce heat stress proteins, signaling to the body that your cells are in distress. The largest international study on mobile phone and cancer showed participants in the study who used cell phones for 10 years or more had doubled the rate of brain glioma, a type of tumor. Recent study shows that those who used mobile phones and cordless phones for more than 25 years were found to have a 300% greater risk of brain cancer than those who used cell phones and cordless phones for a year or less.
Children are at greatest risk – including while in utero both for parotid gland tumors and brain tumors. Children’s skulls and scalps are thinner, so the radiation can penetrate deeper into the brain of children and young adults. The radiation can be absorbed all the way into their midbrain, where tumors are more deadly. Aside from this, children’s cells reproduce more quickly, so they’re more susceptible to aggressive cell growth. According to Swedish Professor Lennart Hardell, those who begin using mobile phones heavily as teenagers have 4 to 5 times more brain cancer as young adults!
It is also wise for pregnant women to avoid cell phones as much as possible. Study found that exposure to mobile phones while in the womb, and also during childhood, were linked to behavioral problems. Using mobile phones two or three times a day during pregnancy could raise the risk of their babies developing hyperactivity and difficulties with conduct, emotions, and relationships by the time they reached school age.
Practice safe use of mobile phones to minimize the effects of radiation exposure now instead of later is timely and crucial. Here are simple ways to use your mobile phone radiation – and reduce your exposure to radiation:
- Limit calls reserve it for emergency purposes only.
- Use a speaker phone or air tube headset when calling.
- Keep cell phones away from the body.
- Alternate from one side of the head to the other when calling or answering the phone.
- Text instead of calling.
- Turn your cell phone off when not in use.
- Do not use mobile phone when reception is poor.
- Use a corded land line at home and at work.
- Remove DECT cordless phones from bedrooms.
- Children should always avoid using mobile phones.
- Purchase mobile phone radiation safety accessories to protect you from exposure.
Metaphysics for Business
SANDRA CABOT writes about metaphysics for business owners …
Jack Canfield’s book “Chicken Soup for the Soul” has inspired a great number of people. It is one of many really good books on Metaphysics which open up the possibilities of changing one’s thinking to more positive ways. Wayne Dyer has written many books on the subject, and his books have become more simple in their understanding as time goes on.
School education primarily is set up to educate people in numeracy and, in England, the USA and Australia, literacy (usually called English). It also offers practical logical ways of thinking. Asian races, such as Chinese and Indian put a lot of emphasis on these subjects, particularly in Australia where they make their children do extra curriculum in their home time.
However, it does not offer one of the most important skills known to man: Metaphysics (beyond the physical).
Children have a real connection with their spiritual selves. However, many parents are uncomfortable when the children talk to Angels or “invisible” friends. They discourage their children and tell them they are not real, except in fairytale stories. The children are taught to make these adjustments so they fit in with society.
Some children are more sensitive than others. I remember being four years old, put to bed in a darkened room to cope with Measles. An angel visited me frequently when I lay on my own in bed, comforting me. My family reacted with horror when I mentioned this. I quickly learnt to keep my experiences to myself. Over the years, I found there were times when I really needed help. These were the times I particularly found the presence of Angels supporting me. I was injured severely when a car ploughed into my stationary car. It took a long while to recover, as I knew painkillers products were addictive and refused to take them despite the pain. This led me to find out that I could control pain through Hypnotherapy. This therapy was so impressive that I decided to find out more about it and finally decided to become a Clinical Hypnotherapist and Master Practitioner of NLP.
I also found out that Kinesiology and Emotional Freedom Techniques (EFT) were very beneficial and effective. EFT was particularly effective when I learnt Speed Reading to assist me with my business courses and reading matter. The course was run by a Scientist from USA and I went from reading 400 words per minute to 1,700 words per minute through tapping.
When I decided to learn how to be an Entrepreneur while visiting friends in the USA, I found that Metaphysics really opened many doors. All up, I have spent about nine months in the USA mainly invited to stay with very influencial people who also embraced Metaphysics. For example, I was able to meet with some of the Dupont family. The only time I stayed in hotels was when the snow prevented flights out of Washington, enroute to various parts of the States.
I was fortunate to be a participant in some very wonderful workshops run by Stuart Wilde and Denise Linn. I was able to learn that my experiences with Angels was OK and normal. I learnt that Visualisation was the most powerful tool to manifest things that seemed impossible. I learnt that there are techniques to protect oneself from harm. I learnt that it is my birthright to ask for things (my childhood was impregnated with the words “Don’t ask for anything”).
Whenever my business gets a bit quiet, I realise that it is time to put aside “quiet time” and allow myself to visualise things the way I would like it to be. It is an essential part of making one’s life and work. Otherwise, there is no time to do these things. Instead of panicking, it is just “time to do Metaphysics”.
When I was first working as a Personal Assistant to a Senior Partner for the largest firm of Chartered Accountants, I used to spend my time on the bus trip to and from work, visualising my techniques of typing and shorthand. I became the most accurate typist and shorthand writer in the office and the Partners of the firm always wanted me to help them with special important projects. I didn’t realise at the time that this was Metaphysics.
I visited New York and was walking past the theatres in Broadway with a friend when I noticed two dark looking energies coming out of the crowd and following me. I turned around and faced them, and they then withdrew, merging back into the crowd. My friend was amazed as he thought we were going to be mugged. He knew my energy was strong and that I had spent time keeping it strong. It really impressed him.
I was living in Canberra and had two cats. Some cruel person had poisoned one of them. I did some healing work on the cat and took it to the Vet to have a drip put in. The Vet said the cat would most likely die within an hour. I continued to send healing energy to the cat. In the morning the Vet rang me to tell me to collect the cat. He told me that I would have to nurse it all week. I did some further energy work on the cat and when we returned home, he jumped out of the car and went to play with the other cat as though nothing had happened. Not long after I had moved house, the next door neighbour was on the news saying someone had fatally poisoned her dog.
Whenever I need help with internet issues, someone with the right skills just happens into my life to assist me. The owner of BizExpress gave me great advice when I needed help with Google Adwords. Stewart Dawes is helping me with SEO. I had paid others to help with SEO and they failed to do what Stewart Dawes has done. I am now at the top for Hypnotherapists in Sydney.
From time to time I run workshops to teach people some of the skills I have learnt or developed. I have learnt that it is OK to have healing energy and to pass it on to others. I used to do this on a “one to one” basis from an early age, commencing with sick animals and graduating to people. I was frightened by this energy as the people I knew didn’t seem to have these skills. At one stage I stopped doing it and tried to act “normal”. This didn’t last long as people sensed that my energy was strong and that my advice was sound. I have now devised ways that others can benefit and they learn quickly that they can do simple things that will help them with their personal lives and their businesses.
Juju, the First Australian-made Menstrual Cup
Looking for a healthy and eco-friendly alternative to tampons? Juju menstrual cup is the answer to your problem …
“What is a menstrual cup?” I hear you say.
A menstrual cup is a reusable cup, which is folded and inserted like a tampon. The cup then opens to collects menstrual flow rather than absorbing it like a tampon or pad. It is then emptied, rinsed and re-inserted. At the end of your cycle it is simply disinfected and stored until your next period when it is used again. A menstrual cup is a better, healthier alternative to tampons.
The health benefits of JuJu menstrual cup are numerous; JuJu is safe, latex-free, perfume-free, harmful chemical-free, chlorine-free, bleach-free and free from absorbency agents and fibers. Menstrual cups have never been associated with Toxic Shock Syndrome (TSS) and the Australian-made JuJu has been approved for sale by the Therapeutic Goods Administration (TGA).
Whilst it may seem like a small contribution, JuJu menstrual cup will reduce your environmental footprint. It is an environmentally friendly alternative saving our planet from each menstruating woman’s disposal of approximately 300 tampons and pads each year. It all adds up – over our lifetime, we can prevent 10,000 disposable personal care products per woman from polluting our environment. Not to mention the packaging waste that comes with all those individually wrapped tampons and pads.
A menstrual cup will help save you money too – it’s the economical choice as it can be used for up to 10 years. There is no need to spend money on expensive disposable sanitary protection products.
JuJu can be worn by women of all ages with a light, medium or heavy flow. Cups collect three times as much as tampons or pads and can be worn for up to 12 hours making them especially good for overnight use. JuJu is convenient and perfect for travelers as you don’t have to think to pack extra tampons or pads when travelling or worry about buying them when in an unfamiliar place or foreign country.
Cups are comfortable and discrete as they are worn completely internally. JuJu is absolutely fantastic for active women who love swimming, running, dancing, yoga or any other sport. With no strings, no wings or dangly things they are a revolutionary feminine hygiene product giving women greater freedom.
JuJu is made from a medical-grade silicone and available in two sizes or models based on age and child-bearing history.
You can buy JuJu menstrual cup online from www.juju.com.au and they generally ship within 1 business day.
Why Juju …
So why switch from tampons or pads to the JuJu menstrual cup?
Because Juju …
- can be worn for longer than pads or tampons
- can be worn overnight
- can be worn by women with a light, medium or heavy menstrual flow
- can be worn before you start your period
- will not cause vaginal dryness
- is not associated with TSS
- is safe and contains no harmful substances like chlorine, bleach, or fragrances
- is hypoallergenic for women with sensitive skin, dermatitis or allergies
- is TGA approved
- has no strings, no wings and no leaks
- is perfect for travelers and active women
- is easy to clean and disinfect
- saves you money – never buy tampons or pads again
- is convenient – you don’t have to remember to buy tampons every month
- is the environmentally friendly, sustainable choice
Buy your JuJu menstrual cup online from www.juju.com.au
Boxers Without Menace
The final frontier of men’s fashion has been scaled! We speak to Myriame Duetz, owner of Belmondo Boxers, a company which has made the term “undress to impress” for men’s boxer shorts …
Myriame what appealed to you about creating a company in the niche of men’s boxer shorts?
It was not the first item I produced! For years we had done silk ties, and then someone asked me to develop cotton boxer shorts in bright patterns. I thought . . . it’s the same as patterned ties really, – just a different function! The creative process is still the same . . . good colour and design are always appealing, no matter what the object. The appeal for me was being able to create a functional product that would make people smile, and make them feel they were expressing themselves with a bit of hidden colour.
Belmondo Boxers is such a fresh concept, truly a fashion and personality statement ‘out of the box’. How do you describe the company’s ethos or mission statement?
Our mission is to produce high quality product that appeals to the market at an affordable price. That said, “affordable price” does not mean that we don’t make a fashion statement! All of our boxer short patterns are carefully developed, and we spend a lot of time deliberating on the colour combinations with waistbands and pattern mix.
We also evaluate what are going to be the “bread and butter” patterns, and which are just going to be the icing on the cake – the icing component is important . . . . it makes people look, but it’s amazing how so many go back to the favourites!
What did you first do when you got into the fashion business?
I first worked at David Jones as an assistant buyer in fashion – in Brisbane. Perhaps my love of bright colours developed there . . . .
I then transferred to the Sydney buying office as a buyer in women’s fashion. It was so fabulous! Sydney was such an exciting place and David Jones was just starting to do it’s own Private Label program. Suddenly, I was traveling overseas and finding I had a real talent for developing product – mainly knitwear and shirts in those days.
After several years in that area, I was given the opportunity to move into menswear. I didn’t like the idea much at first . . . it was men’s ties, gifts and accessories. I thought it would be a bit dull after womenswear.
But it was such an eye opener. I loved it! There were so many things to buy, I felt like I was air traffic controlling most of the time. Those were the days when everyone seemed to have the Midas touch. Business was booming, and it was such a pleasure to work in that environment. Our Christmas catalogue was like a coffee table book . . .. men’s gifts filled pages of the catalogue.
So, I did that for 3 years, and then got the opportunity to buy in an area close to my heart . . . homewares!
In effect, I did 3 fashion areas at David Jones . . . and loved all of them! In that sense, I’m a fashion victim, – I love good style no matter what it is. I think if you develop an eye for what looks right in one area, it will stand you in good stead in most others. Homewares was then, and still is, my other passion.
Is there a narrative of how your early days in fashion have gradually led you towards specialising in men’s boxer shorts?
I wish this could be an elaborate answer on my “fashion evolution” . . . but frankly, it evolved because we’d had success with a boxed tie/cufflinks combination (where the box lid was covered in the same silk as the tie inside).
Everyone subsequently did that style – but we were the first with the idea in Sydney. This all happened after I left David Jones 14 years ago, and decide to develop product for my own company.
However, I had a friend at David Jones who was buying for men’s underwear at the time, and he asked me if there was something I could do to interpret this concept. So it evolved . . . the rest, as they say in the classics . . . is history!
How long did you work for David Jones and what werethe highlights of that time?
I can pretty much say that David Jones was my entire working life until I left to start up my own business.
I started with them in Brisbane as a trainee assistant buyer, then to buyer. I had just finished university, and thought I might have a year in the workforce, save some money, and go back to do Law. That didn’t happen . . . and I stayed with DJs for most of the next 23 years!
I left DJs for a couple of years to move to Sydney to work for a womenswear company. I was 25 – it was my first time traveling overseas to learn how to look at overseas fashion trends, how to buy fabrics, understand styling for your target market. I learnt great things from some very clever people, but missed Brisbane . . . and went back to DJs in Brisbane. . . . but I had been bitten by the creative bug.
When DJs in Sydney started their Private Label, I was one of the few people within the ranks who had really had experience in developing a collection, and subsequently, I was asked if I would be interested to move to David Jones Sydney – Head Office! I SURE WAS!!!
If I had to nominate the highlights of that time at David Jones . . . . hard to think . . . there are so many.
Certainly going to Japan for the first time – I had never been there. It was totally different, new and exciting. So many fabulous things to catch your attention.
I suddenly developed a love for the East . . . Japan, Korea, HK. My parents are both Dutch, so my heritage really speaks to all things European [which I also love], but I found the Far East so fascinating – and still do to this day.
Being part of the heyday of David Jones was also very exciting. These were the days of only 2 clearances a year: when people were 20 rows thick outside the doors from 5 in the morning, when they had to turn the escalators off because there were so many people on them they were worried someone may get hurt!!
It was when we were told to “put something extra” into our private label program . . . shell buttons on our blouse program, best quality wools in our co-ordinates, buy the top line angora quality for the knitwear, and the finest merino. It was enstilled into all of us that we were to offer the best we could develop.
I also loved our trips to Italy when I was in the homewares area. I remember sitting with a colleague in the mountains just outside of Bassano [where they make ceramics], on a terrace, overlooking a valley after we had finished our work. She turned to me and said “aren’t we lucky?” . . . and we were, – incredibly lucky to have had that amazing experience. I will always appreciate it. It gave me such an insight into the world and especially into all things stylish.
Being part of a team was also a highlight. Those days, all buyers did “store visits” on Wednesdays. It was great. We often went together, and those visits to stores gave you tremendous insights into how your product looked in the suburban stores, what your staff thought of it [they were never shy in telling you that!], and getting feedback on what you had not bought – which they needed.
These days, computers tell you lots of things, but good ol’ face to face spoke volumes for relationship building and eyeballing your stock sometimes gives you much greater clarity on what was a good choice and what was not.
Recently you’ve launched your very attractive Belmondo Boxers website – what was the appeal of setting up shop online?
I think it’s the present and the future. This is how people want to shop. I am a great lover of the bricks and mortar shopping experience, as I like to “make a day of it”. It does not feel like wasting time to me! I love the experience – but a lot of people don’t like to shop that way, and want something fabulous delivered to them quickly. This way, I can also appeal to the world, rather than only in Australia. That old adage ‘making money whilst you sleep” also held some allure!!!
Belmondo Boxers can deliver to anywhere in the world that has an address! To find out more about men’s boxer shorts check out their website www.belmondoboxers.com.au
With the Right Choices, Menopause is Easier Than Ever
Have you noticed you’ve been putting on weight since menopause arrived? CATH INSLEY writes about the solutions to this “age-old” problem …
We often hear the complaint that women seem to put on weight more readily around the time of their menopause. Why is this and what can be done to manage it?
Rates of metabolism decline in the peri-menopausal years leading to weight gain and a reduction in muscle mass.
As the ovaries begin to fail and become less efficient in producing oestrogen, the fat cells up their production of oestrogen. This leads to fluctuations in weight and fluid retention.
A reduction in testosterone levels which starts in the late 20s means that less calories are used to create lean muscle and that fat production becomes more likely.
At this time fat distribution changes resulting in greater storage around the internal organs and the abdomen. This is directly related to an increased risk of cardiovascular disease in women as their ovaries tune down.
Our western diet is dominated by carbohydrates in the form of bread, pasta, cakes and biscuits. Over time this diet results in insulin resistance where insulin struggles to keep glucose levels under control. As part of insulin resistance, fat cells are created to cope with the excess glucose and fat breakdown is inhibited.
It may seem that we are facing an uphill battle just to maintain healthy weight but adjustments to lifestyle can go a long way to help reverse these problems.
Firstly, the aim is to reduce blood glucose so that insulin can become more effective at fat breakdown and also to avoid glucose being transformed into fat.
This is achieved by adopting a low GI/high protein diet.
Secondly metabolism can be speeded up by daily exercise which maintains healthy muscle mass and reduces the fat-to- muscle ratio.
Occasionally some women may need a drug called metformin which is used for type 2 diabetes. Metformin lowers blood glucose and aids fat breakdown and avoids fat creation.
This treatment is only on prescription after specific blood tests to ascertain its use for an individual. It needs careful management by an accredited dietician and a general practitioner.
It is also worth having a full check up at this stage of life to assess cardiovascular risk and other possible reasons for weight gain.
These can include lethargy secondary to iron deficiency, vitamin D deficiency, depression or thyroid disease.
We can be optimistic about our management of metabolism at this stage of a woman’s life as we understand the complex interrelationships between hormones, metabolism and biochemistry.
This means we can provide support and advice based on scientific knowledge to help women manage their weight and chronic disease risks.
Looking for Menopause Help?
Gynaecare’s clinic is located in Artarmon on Sydney’s north shore. For enquiries call them
(02) 9413 2538 or view their website:
www.gynaecare.com.au
Summer Lovin’ … Melbourne’s 20 Best Bars
LARA MCPHERSON reveals her pick of Top 20 Melbourne Bars …
1806
169 Exhibition Street, Melbourne
03 9663 7722
www.1806.com.au
If expertly prepared classic cocktails are your thing then 1806 is the destination for you. This beautiful basement venue radiates class with a modern edge. Dapper bar staff, chesterfields and rich wood interior create a great vibe. These guys also put on cocktail education workshops where you get to taste the goods! Come for: tasty, tasty cocktails made by folk who really know their stuff.
Hot Tip: Bring friends. You’ll want to taste their drinks too.
Bimbo Deluxe
376 Brunswick St
Fitzroy VIC 3065
03 9419 8600
www.bimbodeluxe.com.au
This spot was once home to one of Melbourne’s iconic live music venues and has found new life as a bustling hub and big sister to Chapel Street’s Lucky Coq. A great range of beers, infused vodkas and awesome simple pizzas make Bimbos a magnet for students, artists, and corporates alike. Gotta love it.
Come for: cheap pizzas during the week. Best $4 you can spend.
Hot Tip: You might have your work cut out for you trying to get a seat. Come early..
Cavallero
300 Smith Street, Collingwood
03 9417 1377
This place is a bit of an anomaly on the pub-dominated Smith St landscape. Raw, minimal and discreet, it is chic, urban bar culture at its best. They also do great light Italian fare for breakfast and lunch, but the relaxed feel of this open space is best enjoyed for dinner with a beverage in hand.
Come for: so much inner city cool factor with none of the underaged hipsters.
Hot Tip: check out the space out the back. Brings yet another dimension to a great Smith St alternative..
Comme
7 Alfred Pl, Melbourne
03 9631 4000
www.comme.com.au
This slick inner city spot caters to everyone, with great drinks, great food and some beautiful function and private dining spaces. The space is immaculate, with a french bent. The wine is lovely, breakfast, lunch and dinner are available daily and are simply delish! Likely to be verging on full of a Friday and Saturday night.
Come for: spectacular food and slick european stylings.
Hot Tip: the function spaces really are stunning.
Cookie
1/252 Swanston Street Walk, Melbourne
03 9663 7660
www.cookie.net.au
A long time Melbourne favourite, Cookie is a go-to for high quality Thai, great drinks (particularly European Beers) an always buzzing crowd and beautiful surrounds, right in the centre of the city. Guaranteed to be busy every night of the week, but well worth organising a booking.
Come for: dinner in the dining area. Be sure to book.
Hot Tip: This place is a fail safe for a good night. And you can do a mini pubcrawl without leaving the building.
Der Raum
438 Church St, Richmond
03 9428 0055
www.derraum.com.au
The hidden gem of the Richmond (and Australian) bar scene, though the word is slowly getting around. These guys continue to produce amazingly inventive, ambitious, and spectacularly good drinks lists, complete with absinthe varieties and german beers. To add to their stellar reputation for quality cocktails, they have recently begun teaming up with St Ali for food and drink degustation evenings. Educating the Melbourne public one alcoholic beverage at a time. Come for: the best cocktails you’ll have outside London. And that’s not only my opinion. Hot Tip: check out their version of shelving. Who knew tie-down straps were so versatile?
Hairy Canary
212 Little Collins St, Melbourne
03 9654 2471
Typical of a Melbourne laneway secret – discreet, cosy and always buzzing – the amazing food and delicious cocktails at Hairy Canary have ensured the longevity it’s life in the Melbourne bar scene. Still a destination, after several years in the mix, great food, drinks, service and location will you have you returning again and again.
Come for: tapas and cocktails that are always right on the money.
Hot Tip: Their range of cocktails, and drinks specials are always worth a look.
Long Room
162 Collins St, Melbourne
03 9663 7226
www.thelongroom.com.au
A favourite of Melbourne’s corporate population, this spot in the old Georges’ building is a regular Friday night hotspot. Luxurious interior (complete with real moosehead), comfortable lounges and expert bar staff make this place a reliable spot for a drink stop any night of the week. Come for: quality drinks, sophisticated surrounds and intelligent conversation. Hot Tip: Their selection of edible goodies is often welcomed after a couple of martinis.
Madame Brussels
59 Bourke St, Melbourne
03 9662 2775
www.madamebrussels.com
Another rooftop terrace in the Melbourne CBD, but this one is with a difference. Named after a fine upstanding 19th Century Melbourne brothel owner, this place is not like many others. Adorably kitsch surrounds, waitstaff clad in Fred Perry tennis outfits, Pimms and finger food. Unashamedly girlie, but still oddly civilised and refined.
Come for: a splash of colour in the black Melbourne landscape.
Hot Tip: They also put on fantastic events. Well worth a look.
Post Office
90 Swan St, Richmond
03 9428 6674
www.postofficehotel.com.au
The team behind some of the best bars in Richmond have succeeded in turning this kind of awkward little space into a destination. Cosy little nooks and rich wood interiors have made this a great spot for drinks or dinner. A poky little space outside has been turned into a cool beer garden – great for a visit any time of the day or night.
Come for: a warming beverage on a winter night or a cooling drink outside in the beer garden on a summers day.
Hot Tip: Their food is also rather good. Simple, easy, quality..
Red Bennies
www.redbennies.com
1/373 Chapel St, South Yarra
03 9826 2689
Part student hangout, part highend artshow venue, Red bennies has both ends of the market covered. With great drinks specials appealing to the masses and a very wide range of performance artists from jazz musicians to martial artists, burlesque dancers to cabaret singers, you will never know what to expect from this place. But you will always be guaranteed great service and a great mix of people.
Come for: cheap drinks and an element of the unexpected.
Hot Tip: They also do some great food specials if you’re on a budget.
Red Hummingbird
246 Russell St, Melbourne
03 9654 2192
www.theredhummingbird.com
A multileveled inner-city bar, cosy on the lower level with a beautiful open beer garden/ rooftop terrace on the top level. Caters to every type of Melbourne cool, with great cocktails, good beers and a nice relaxed vibe and staff. Equally great on a Friday night as on a Sunday afternoon.
Come for: very civilised drinks. Or the less civilised version later in the night.
Hot Tip: Look for the bird cage.
Riverland
www.riverlandbar.com
Federation Wharf (Under Princes Bridge at St Kilda Rd), Melbourne
03 9662 1771
Tucked discreetly down beside the Yarra is this really well conceived outdoor bar. Riverland has quickly become a thriving hub of social activity every night of the week, thanks to a comprehensive drinks list, simple and tasty food (including barbecued gourmet sausages whose smells are impossible to resist) and a great location.
Come for: riverside relaxation and a bit of friendly conversation
Hot Tip: A great place to watch all the fit people ride past on bikes, while eating pizza and kransky and drinking beer.
Rooftop Bar
6/252 Swanston St, Melbourne
03 9654 5394
www.rooftopcinema.com.au
The top floor of the glorious Curtain House Building has been converted into a Rooftop Bar and Cinema. A totally cool crowd, cheap drinks and fairly spectacular views make this place ideal for a warm summer night, which is when the cinema season runs. You won’t want to miss the great selection of films they put on.
Come for: independent, cult and arthouse films, deckchairs, popcorn and other fun stuff.
Hot Tip: If you’re venturing there on a winter evening, wear warm clothes. And bring a blanket. Or Two.
Rue Bebelons
267 Little Lonsdale St, Melbourne
03 9663 1700
Considering the Rue Bebelons is actually quite conspicuous it actually took me a little while to stumble upon it. This cosy, very student friendly spot is equal measures bar and cafe, with a pub vibe. Cheap stubbies and good music make for a great combo and plenty of good nights.
Come for: a cool student hangout without the pretention.
Hot Tip: Coopers Red is stronger than a normal beer. Just so you know.
Silk Rd
425 Collins St, Melbourne
03 9614 4888
www.silkroadoncollins.com
One of Melbourne’s favourite nights spots is unashamedly decadent – quite uncharacteristic of Melbourne, more renowned for dingy pubs and secret spots down dark alleys. This one is certainly out of the ordinary. With gorgeous chandeliers and rich interiors with gold gilt everything, you’ll want to just settle in and enjoy with a glass of french champagne in hand.
Come for: beautiful surrounds – the bar and the people.
Hot Tip: Only professional dress acceptable of a Friday night.
Spleen Central
41 Bourke St, Melbourne
03 9650 2400
A surprisingly engaging little spot, with live local musicians, local djs, plenty of personality and the best mojito I have ever had. The staff are lovely, interested and interesting and though they don’t serve their own food, they have a great arrangement with neighbouring cafes who will deliver food to you at the bar! Hooray!
Come for: pre-show drinks. The Palace is across the road.
Hot Tip: Drinks specials are always quality.
Transit
www.transporthotel.com.au
Level 2, Transport Hotel, Federation Square, Melbourne
03 9654 8808
This rooftop bar sits squarely in the centre of the city and has the benefits of the most amazing views you will see, overlooking southbank, the river and the city. As an added bonus, they also do perfect cocktails, have friendly staff and don’t mind when we get our groove on to the jazz band. Then you only have to stumble across the road to Flinders St Station to make it home. Wins all round.
Come for: the view. So. Good. Will make you appreciate our fair city all the more.
Hot Tip: Bottom floor Transport is good fun for a casual drink and Taxi Dining Room in the middle is renowned for its sensational asian food.
Trunk
www.trunktown.com.au
275 Exhibition St, Melbourne
03 9663 7994
This unique building, once a synagogue and school, now houses one of the most interesting venues in the city. Fantastic for Friday night drinks or a sunsoaked afternoon drink in the outdoor area, this place also serves some fairly spectacular food. Cosy, but oddly spacious and sleek, this is a great place for when everyone of your drinking buddies feels like something different.
Come for: drinks, but try the food while you’re there. You won’t be disappointed.
Hot Tip: Take a second to admire the fairy lights late at night.
Tyranny of Distance
147 Union St, Windsor
03 9525 1005
www.tyrannyofdistance.com.au
A discreet little open air gem tucked away on a side street in Windsor is responsible for many spontaneously fantastic Saturday afternoon beverages. Combining a beachy feel with quintessential Melbourne cool, the relaxed garden atmosphere, cold drinks and simple, homemade fare make this place perfect for whiling away the afternoon.
Come for: a chilled afternoon.
Hot Tip: I think the vibe may have something to do with it but best Pear Cider ever.
Lara McPherson is a Melbourne-based French-speaking freelance writer/marketing & media operator into music, fashion, slow living, sustainability, food & wine, and the arts. Check out her blog http://laviedelara.tumblr.com or follow her on twitter: http://twitter.com/laramcpherson
—ADVERTISEMENT—
