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| Contents |
Issue No. 315 -- 31 January 2005 |
Editor's Message
Quote/s of the Week
Ad Hoc Article/s of the Week
Bits and Bobs
The Legal Beagle
Help Desk
Where are they now?
Club and Other News
Humour
Recipes
Sports News
Credits and Contact Info
Subscribing and Unsubscribing
| Send this Issue to a Friend! |
TOP |
Some weeks I find it a bit difficult to write my editor’s message. We most of us go to work, come home, eat, sleep and get some exercise. Life here in sunny Johannesburg is no different.
We moved into new premises late last year and are now reorganising our offices. At the moment there is ‘stuff’ all over the place but at last we know where everything will go. Yesterday the upstairs offices (where Captain Ken and his partners work) had air-conditioning put in. Should make a huge difference to the heat up there. I work in the downstairs offices – and we do not ‘suffer’ from the heat as they do upstairs. It will be great to finally get all our files and accounts put away and not have to move around boxes as we have done for several months now. Once it is all sorted out I will take a few pics so you can see where SAW and SAWmail are published.
We went off to ski the other night and on our way received a call from the person with whom we ski. A boat had run through the slalom course and broken part of the PVC pipe structure. What this did to the boat’s propeller is not known but I can only assume he had to replace it!
After making the new parts for the course we went out to replace them. I sat in the boat, holding the relevant bolts and nuts, as the twilight disappeared and the mosquitoes came out. By the time we had finished, it was totally dark! It was interesting (to say the least!) to be driving around the lake with only the lights from the houses on the shore.
These from me...
Twenty years from now you will be more disappointed by the things that you didn't do than by the ones you did do. So throw off the bowlines. Sail away from the safe harbor. Catch the trade winds in your sails. Explore. Dream. Discover. - Mark Twain
Many of life's failures are people who did not realize how close they were to success when they gave up. - Thomas Edison
The best and safest thing is to keep a balance in your life, acknowledge the great powers around us and in us. If you can do that, and live that way, you are really a wise man. - Euripides
Just as your car runs more smoothly and requires less energy to go faster and farther when the wheels are in perfect alignment, you perform better when your thoughts, feelings, emotions, goals, and values are in balance. - Brian Tracy
Happiness is not a matter of intensity but of balance and order and rhythm and harmony.
- Thomas Merton
I always try to balance the light with the heavy - a few tears of human spirit in with the sequins and the fringes. - Bette Midler
Man always travels along precipices. His truest obligation is to keep his balance. - Pope John Paul II
Send in any quotes you love... that have some special meaning for you... and I will use at least one every week. Usual address! editor@saw.co.za
| Ad Hoc Article/s of the Week |
TOP |
Where are you and what are you up to??
I have just been contacted (about five minutes ago!) by Louis Oelofse, a journalist at Rapport. He is doing research for an article to appear this weekend. He wants to find out where young South Africans are... those who have decided to do a bit of world travelling. Where are you and what interesting jobs are you doing?
If you are a travelling young South African please write directly to Louis and let him know where you are, what you are up to, why you decided to do this and how long you are planning to be away from home.
Here is the contact e-mail adddress: loelofse@rapport.co.za
Aid for Tsunami Victims
This from Don Hazen alternetheadlines@topica.email-publisher.com
(Editor’s note: Alternet is a great source for non-mainstream media article in the USA and worldwide.)
Dear Readers,
We here at AlterNet have been cowed by the magnitude of the calamity that befell South Asia on Dec. 26. The earthquake and resulting tsunami, which have now reportedly claimed over 200,000 lives, continue to be forefront in our minds.
What can we do? Aid has rushed into the affected countries, but the UN has issued a call saying that even more is necessary. With long lists of aid agencies -- and reports of questionable use of aid -- it's hard to know where to put our money.
For guidance in how to best help the survivors of this terrible event, we look to our friends. David Mendoza, a longtime advocate of artists, human rights and freedom of expression, reported for us from the Bali terrorist attacks in 2002. He is now volunteering for a Bali-based organization called Yayasan IDEP ("yayasan" means foundation) which launched its Aceh Aid program on Dec. 27 to provide aid to the citizens of Aceh, Indonesia, which is at ground zero of the disaster.
The UN is reporting that fatality rates in some parts of Aceh are over 75 percent. In the town of Calang, 90 percent of the population was killed by the tsunami. Until Jan.
10, when IDEP's chartered vessel -- holding 80 tons of supplies -- arrived in Calang, no aid had reached the area. The survivors had almost no food or clean water for two weeks.
This is just an example of the work that IDEP, which was created out of the crisis of the Bali bombings, has been doing. Because of the reputation of its programs and close connections with other NGOs in Sumatra, IDEP was able to mobilize before the big international aid groups and is better connected at the ground level. The goal of IDEP with regard to this disaster is to help the survivors rebuild their lives and not create a new and long-term group of refugees living in camps. This can be accomplished by understanding what the survivors need to rebuild (repair fishing boats or build new ones, clean or dig new wells, clear land to plant new food crops, build houses).
Mendoza reports that despite the logistical problems involved in running a major aid operation out of a tiny office with limited resources, "this band of heros and warriors have managed to accomplish truly remarkable work. I have observed them in awe and respect. Dedicated people, young and old, from Wales, Australia, U.S., Canada, Indonesia, U.K., France. My humble assignment was to help raise funds which I must say, by comparison, seems like such a minimal task. Some day the tale will be written about what has happened out of the IDEP office, negotiations with the Indonesian military, delivering relief to a region that has been in civil war for 30 years and cut off from outside contacts."
An Australian Broadcasting Company news segment on IDEP's work in Aceh aired on Jan. 27 to mark the one-month anniversary of the tsunami.
http://www.abc.net.au/7.30/content/2005/s1290927.htm
A story in the Jan. 7 Washington Post, written by Michael Dobbs, a Post reporter, relays his thoughts on how to choose whom to donate to. Dobbs notes that while the large aid agencies are important, much of the money is not efficiently spent -- "eaten up by administrative overhead or salaries for American contractors." He suggests that "their efforts can and should be supplemented by other, more personal networks built around direct ties between communities here and communities in the disaster-affected areas. That way we can associate names and faces with the people we are trying to help, and have a built-in accountability mechanism to track what happens to our money."
IDEP is the kind of ethical, honest, transparent, and caring grassroots organization that we know and love. It has been accepted by Tides Foundation to channel funds and
Microsoft has agreed to match employee gifts to IDEP via Tides.
Please check out their web site to read the latest update.
http://www.idepfoundation.org/aceh_aid.html
We hope you will consider making a donation to Aceh Aid at IDEP.
Don Hazen and the staff of AlterNet
How to Help Aceh Aid at IDEP
The best way for people outside of Indonesia to help Aceh Aid and IDEP now is by making a contribution. Note that both methods are channeled via the Tides Foundation, which is tax deductible for US taxpayers. However, IDEP does not receive the names of donors via this method so if you wish to receive an e-mail update about Aceh Aid's relief efforts with your donation please e-mail David Mendoza and ask to be included on the e-mail update list: davidacehaid@dps.centrin.net.id
1. With a credit card, via PayPal, an internet payment system which allows you to make payments from 45 countries (not including Indonesia -- if your credit card billing address is in Indonesia this will not work). Follow the instructions from this address:
http://www.idepfoundation.org/aceh_aid.html
2. By check payable to "Aceh Aid at IDEP/Tides Foundation" and mailed to Byron Miranda, Accounting, Tides Foundation, P.O. Box 29903, San Francisco, CA 94129, USA.
If you have questions or interest in sponsoring particular projects, supplies, equipment, or about contributing in other ways, please contact David Mendoza at
davidacehaid@dps.centrin.net.id.
Update from Marlene
(Editor’s note: I am publishing these updates from Marlene in New Zealand to help her let all the well-wishers know what is going on with Natalie. It is obviously not possible for her to write individually to everyone who is sending love and good wishes and praying for her daughter’s recovery.)
Hi Maureen
This is quite a trying time and it seems hard to catch up with everyone and life in general. I am struggling to get into a routine as cancer has its own way.
We had family members outside of our immediate circle who had to deal with cancer.
Eddie's mother collapsed in October 2003. She was taken to hospital and then they discovered that the right kidney was riddled with cancer and that it had spread down her leg. The kidney, some tissue and veins where the cancer had spread to, was removed. She had undergone chemotherapy. She is well although still very tired. Ilene, Natalie's cousin of 22 years is undergoing chemotherapy cancer of the brain. She is going through ups and downs at this stage, but apparently is doing better than expected.
Your life can change in a flash. Priorities can shift and you have to reconsider what you have planned for the coming year. Life certainly has changed for us as a family. It seems that the cancer is bringing more positive than negative emotions and vibes. We refuse to sit back and is fighting this advanced stage of cancer every step of the way with positive thoughts. If you think of it, depression is an emotional waste of time. We cannot afford to waste time by getting depressed.
I recently decided to keep some sort of a journal. I think it is necessary as this gives one a way to reflect and to see how she progresses as time goes by. It seems she will receive radiation therapy as well as chemotherapy, but I am unsure as to how and when they want to administer it. Her next appointment at the Deaprtment of Haematology & Oncology at Auckland Hospital is on 11 February 2005.
Wednesday 19 January 2005
Natalie went to a "Look Good, Feel Good" session of Canteen across from Auckland Hospital. She opted for this session first instead of a wig as she think she might like to wear hats or scarfs. She is also concerned about possible pigmentation as she will receive radiation therapy in the near future which can be very damaging to the skin. Big cosmetic companies sponsor the program and each patient receive make-up to the value of $600.00. Today was a "good" day and we are grateful for that. She went for a blood test this afternoon to see if she would be up to the chemo session which will be on tomorrow, Thursday morning, 8.30 a.m. We pray that all will be well with the white blood cell count so she can continue with treatment every fortnight for the next six months.
Thursday 20 January 2005
The chemo went wrong today.
We were at the Department of Haemotology and Oncology at 8.30 this morning. The doctor wanted to see Natalie prior to treatment. We then heard that the specialists will all have a meeting regarding Natalie and her treatment tomorrow morning as tey now consider radiotherapy after the third chemo. When Natalie went for her treatment, the nurse was poking around for a vein and in the end did the same to the other arm. I think she must have perished it, as Natalie was given the pre-meds and anti-histamine per IV, but when the chemo was administered in the end, complications set in as her arm immediately risen in big red bumps which told the nurse that the chemo was into the tissue. Natalie also told them that she was sore and stinging. The Haematologist specialist was called and she advised for some drug to be administered and a cold pack on the arm. We were advised that it would be better for Natalie to get a PIC line, which now will be put in in theatre tomorrow moring. She will have pre-meds and anti-histamine again before she go in and afterwards the chemo. The PIC line is a "permanent" intravenous line that will feed the chemo thourhg the body straight in the direction of the heart. The phlegbotomists will be able to draw blood from it and it will ease the task of everyone. Natalie has very bad veins, so this will ease the stress for her when the medical staff is looking for a place to insert the needle.
Dr Issa told us today that instead of now doing a CT scan after every 6 sessions of chemotherapy, an MIR and CT scan will be done after every 3 sessions. The doctors are also considering radiation therapy on the spine and both lungs.
Friday 21 January 2005
Today was another long day. Blood was taken as soon as we arrived at 9.30.
Natalie went into theatre at 10.00 where the PIC line was inserted into the arm. This is now leading straight into the aorta. As soon as she was back at Haematology & Oncology, antihistamine was administered and soon afterwards the chemotherapy. The chemo went so much better through the PIC line. Natalie was exhausted and when we got home at 4.30 p.m. She went to bed until 8.30 p.m. I had to call her to have some dinner as she had to take medication. She had a bath. The problem with the PIC line is that it cannot be submerged in water. Bath time is pretty much an uncomfortable event we have to go through now. We have to cover the arm in a plastic bag before she gets into the bath.
Monday 24 January 2005
What a week and and what a weekend... Last week was a bit of a nightmare as things did not go well on Thursday. Natalie had to be at the hopital at 9.15 on Friday morning. She was given premeds and stuff for nauseousness. She was then taken for a PIC line as she was scheduled for 10.00 to get it done. Rebecca Sutton and the radiographer was great who had done it. We are grateful that she line is in place as afterwards, blood was taken from the line to test her white blood cell count and she was given antihistamine.
After a while, the chemo was administered and it all went fast compared to the previous time as the line goes straight to the heart and no one has to be concerned about the vein anymore. There are some things to watch out for with the PIC line, but rather this than going through the constant pain and suffering as they try to find a vein. Natalie was extremely sore and swollen on Friday night on the left stomach area and the back. The swelling subsided over the weekend but she is was still sore last night. I am writing this as she is still asleep, so do not know how it's going this morning. She was also very nauseous last week and over the weekend. The one drug is giving her very bad nightmares. We are staying clear of that one, although it is difficult as apparently it is one of the best to help against nauseousness when having chemo. We will see the specialist dealing with radiation therapy for the next appointment. They are talking of targeting the lungs and the vertebra as the cancer is bad in those areas and is the cause for breathing difficulties. Natalie wanted to go to church yesterday, but it did not work out as she was weak and sore.
Later in the day: Natalie woke up feeling good, but as the day progressed experiences pain in several areas. We suppose and hope that it is the chemo working.
Saturday 29 January 2005
Natalie had a terrible run on Monday. She was sore, tired and vomitting. Tuesday as a tad better and I think Wednesday was the best so far. Thursday and yesterday were filled with aches and pain. I called Pip, the Natalie's chemo nurse and she said that it is great to hear about where the pain is as it is an indication that the chemo is working. We received a letter from Auckland Hospital on Monday. Natalie has to be at the Department of Haematology & Oncology on 11 February to see Dr Stephem Palmer. This will be her third chemo session. From what we understand the specialists now also look at the possibility of doing radiation therapy in conjunction with the chemotherapy. Natalie's back and the left is in severe pain. The PIC line was being attended to by the District Nurse this week. One thing I've noticed is that they do not draw blood back before they flush it. This morning, the nurse doing the weekend shift, wanted to come at 9.00. She insisted. I had to tell her that Natalie is still asleep and that I will rather take her to Auckland Hospital to get the flushing done. Natalie had a bad run. not sleeping very much this week and when she is asleep, we do not wake her unnecessary. We did not plan anything for the weekend as we cannot go out with her, especially in the sun as she might get skin pigmentation because of the chemo. She wants to go to church tomorrow, but have to wait and see if she will be up to it.
I anyway would prefer Pip Brown, the chemo nurse to check the dressing and the PIC line as it was a bit red yesterday where the line enters the arm.
Meanwhile we have many visitors, coming and going. Weekends are the busiest when people think that they just drop in for a quick chat and before you know it, the next visitors arrive.
Saturday night
The District nurse called this morning, insisting to come early. I refused to wake Natalie as she had a bad run the past week with broken sleep. She woke up at 10.25 this morning. She had Feijoa juice and Pro-Nutro for breakfast and I told her that we would take her to Auckland Hospital for the flushing of the PIC Line. She was relieved as Pip, her chemo nurse was on duty in Ward 62. She always works so nicely and quick with Natalie. She offered to teach me how to do the flushing and the dressing, so this is what I will be doing tomorrow morning. Natalie had a headache today, but by now we know that it is not the head, but caused by the cancer in the spine. We hope that she will be pain free tomorrow. We are positive that Natalie will recover. It is a long and winding road, but with God by our side, we cannot go wrong. If Natalie gets through this, I will write about the whole experience.
The District Nurse, or rather, someone doing duty for her, called just after 8.00 yesterday morning. I had to tell her that we were taking Natalie to Auckland Hospital. The Nurse Educator stated on Saturday that she wants me to perform the flushing procedure of the line. The PIC line will stay in for the next 6 months. If i can do it, as well as change the dressings every second day, it will make life easier for all. We have to wait for the nurse to come, which is a bit annoying as you never know when she will appear at home. They just come as they have finished with the previous home call.
Sunday 30 January 2005
Marie-Louise, Natalie and I went to the hopoital yesterday morning. Marie-Louise stayed in the car, in case a truck would appear to tow it away. We had to go to ward 62 as usual when the PIC line is to be flushed over weekends. This is the ward for Haematolgy, Oncology, liver transplants and bone marrow transplants. This is where Natalie would have been admitted to. We as a family must have made somewhat of an impression on Dr Somna Issa and Dr Stephen Palmer as they then decided that Natalie could stay at home.
We thought that it would be quick, but it was an hour before we were actually asked to go into the one room. I was shown and told about the dressings and flushing procedure, give two bags of everything, as well as a yellow type of enclosed bin where I have to dispose of the blood products. We have left after being at the hospital almost two hours. Natalie went to church last might and said that she feels refreshed. She was a bit despondent yesterday morning but we go through the ups and downs and she
seems to get quicker out of the "down"-side nowadays. We hope that the radiation will work thick and fast once she receives it as the headache appeared again over the weekend, but luckily we now know that it is not the head, but the cancer in the vertebra causing the pain. It disappeared again after she took some medication. That was a relief as the last time we have lost count of the days after day 25. It was the mother of all headaches.
We had more visitors today. This now seems to be a daily trend.
Monday 31 January 2005
It is the first time that I attempted to flush the PIC line on my own. I had to work as sterile possible. All went well. I had the three syringes in the correct order and had done everything right. The part where I struggled a bit was to draw back the blood. I was given a special bin by the hopital to dispose of the syringe with blood. I need to change the dressings as well as flush the PIC line tomorrow. The great thing about me doing this now is that I needn't have to wait to get the line flushed every day. I do it as soon as I can in the morning.
Natalie had a headache again. The liver, spleen and her spine was in pain as well. The medication helped to an extent. It was not only 27 degrees today in Auckland, but very humid. It is bad enough with the cancer and it seems that the humidity and hot weather is making Natalie feel worse.
Cancer is not a disease, it is a lifestyle. The treatment consisting of bags, jabs, medication and PIC line, eating sufficiently, rest and positive thoughts, is now priority. We are positive that Natalie will go into remission.
Thank you to those who have contacted us for your support and for the prayers. We appreciate each and every message we receive.
Kindest regards
Marlene
Coming Home
Each week we will feature a question and answer sent in to the Company for Immigration. We hope these will help answer any questions you might have regarding any part of the coming home process. If you would like to send in your own question, please feel very free to do so.
We will also be featuring a great amount of information on the SAW Website (www.saw.co.za) under the Coming Home section. You can also find out info by visiting our newly relaunched site, South Africa Online (www.southafrica.co.za) and checking out the Coming to SA section.
Here is a bit more info...
Whenever and wherever South Africans meet, the surest way to start a lively discussion, is to ask someone for an opinion about emigration from or remigration back to South Africa. In 2002 we (i.e. the non-profit immigration service, Company for Immigration, and the trade-union, Solidarity) realized that the return of South African expats had become a fact and that their inputs are essential for the growth and development of the country. We are neither interested in a debate about the reasons why people leave or come back, nor about the merit of their decisions. We prefer to provide a practical service instead:
offering advice and assistance to prospective remigrants;
addressing the problems which cause people to emigrate; and informing people about the pros and cons of emigration, to help them make an informed decision before leaving.
Interested? Want to receive our monthly newsletter by email? Have questions or suggestions? If so, please visit our mirror sites www.comehome.co.za or www.komhuistoe.co.za and leave your details on the visitor's page, or contact us at admin@cfi.org.za. We are looking forward to hearing from you!
Alana & Annatjie
COME HOME CAMPAIGN
Alana is moving to bigger and better premises! She will be back soon with more advice.
Company for Immigration / Maatskappy vir Immigrasie
P.O. Box 1283, Pretoria, 0001, South Africa
T: 0027-12-3231428
F: 0027-12-3239587
admin@cfi.org.za
The Good News - South African film nominated for Oscar
In 2004 South Africans celebrated Charlize Theron’s winning of her Best Actress Oscar for her role in Monster. In her acceptance speech, Theron thanked the people of her home country for their ongoing support, a move that enabled most of the world to discover for the first time that Charlize Theron is a South African and helping to put South African talent on the international map.
This year South Africans are hoping to celebrate again after “Yesterday”, the first feature film to be shot in Zulu, was nominated for an Oscar for Best Foreign Film. “Yesterday” is the first South African film to be nominated for an Oscar, and it was chosen as a nominee from around 60 other films from around the world.
The film, co-produced by South Africa’s most famous film maker, Anant Singh (producer of films such as “Cry Freedom”), stars the popular South African actress Leleti Khumalo (“Sarafina”) and is directed by accomplished director Darryl Roodt. It deals with the impact of HIV and AIDS on a rural family in KwaZulu-Natal.
Khumalo plays the part of Yesterday, a wife and mother whose migrant miner husband infects her with HIV. Stigmatised and ostracised by friends and neighbours, Yesteday chooses to look after her sick husband when he comes home after his HIV infection turns to AIDS, at the same time as caring for her daughter.
Singh hopes to be able to take all of the major players in the movie to the famous awards ceremony in Hollywood on 27 February. Khumalo hopes that the movie and its nomination will help to boost her career, possibly making her another of South Africa’s big movie exports, along with Charlize Theron and Arnold Vosloo.
Roodt said that he expects the nomination to be a major boost for the rapidly growing local film industry, while Mike Auret, head of the film industry’s promotion body Sithengi, pointed out that South African film is going through a boom. The industry used to produce one or two full length films a year, and today it is producing around twelve a year. Hollywood produces around 100 films a year.
Nelson Mandela, whose Nelson Mandela Foundation does a tremendous amount of work with HIV and AIDS sufferers, said that in the fight against HIV and AIDS we need stories which are not only tragedies, but which also talk of hope. “Yesterday” is a film about hope, and it will help to fight the stigma attached to AIDS, which is one of the major difficulties in trying to overcome it.
For more interesting and exciting news about developments in South Africa, subscribe to the International Marketing Council's regular BrandSA newsletter by visiting www.imc.org.za/goodstuff.htm or www.imc.org.za/subscribe.asp. You can also visit the South African gateway website at www.southafrica.info.
Choice Coach – Work in Progress
"Just a moment..." Just a second..."
We may not have much time, but we all have "a moment," "a second." Do we ever stop to consider just how important that second can be?
It takes only a second to make eye contact and smile - that smile may be only one that the other person gets that day. When you receive an unexpected and radiant smile - doesn't it lift your heart, and sometimes turn around a negative mood? Remember that, however you feel today, you have the power to give that gift, the gift of a smile, to someone else - possibly someone who really, really needs it.
It takes only a second to glance away, to tune the radio, or check on something in the car. When you are driving at 60 miles (less than 100 kilometers) an hour, in one second you travel approximately 88 feet (almost 27 meters). That's a lot of ground to cover with your eyes shut. You say that your eyes were open? Yes, but they might as well be shut if you are not looking at the road. In one second who knows how many lives could be affected if an accident occurs. Perhaps you are thinking that you do it often, and that it could never happen to you because you have never had a problem. Perhaps in that one second you are playing "Russian roulette."
In one second one can say "I love you." In one second one can say "You mean nothing to me." In one second one can say "Yes" or "No" and change one's life, and perhaps some else's, for ever.
In one second we can react without thinking, and spend a lifetime wishing we had thought first.
In one second we can see a sunrise, the sun on a frost-covered tree, the sparkle of water or snow, and have our hearts lifted.
In one second we can say "Thank you, God" (or whatever our term for our Higher Power may be) and feel a connection to the universe.
In one second we can realize that we have options, and that we can life our lives purposefully and choicefully.
(In one second we can be told that "choicefully" is not a word and choose to use it anyway.)
Supposing that you sleep for eight hours in 24 - well, just suppose it anyway - then you have 16 hours of being awake, being capable of making decisions. That is 57,600 of those seconds, every one of which might be a turning point in your life, even in someone else's life.
We can read a lot about being self-aware (not the same thing as self-conscious), about awakening, about, to use a sixties phrase, being here right now. How often are we?
When we are here right now, staying conscious and alert not only to our environment, but to what is going on inside of ourselves, seeing how we feel, how we react to what is happening in and around us, then we are truly awake, and we are truly able to experience and value every one of those precious seconds.
Time CAN be on your side. It does not have to be an enemy to be battled day after day. Value it by experiencing it.
Most of the time, when we reach a goal we discover that what made the goal important was not the goal itself, but the journey we made to get there. Value the journey by being aware of every second. It will change your life.
Copyright Diana Robinson 2004. For more information visit Diana's web
site http://ChoiceCoach.com or contact her at Diana@ChoiceCoach.com.
Copyright 2004 Diana Robinson, PhD., PCC. Work in Progress may be reproduced in its entirety only, including this copyright line. Disclaimer -The contents herein are solely the opinions of Work in Progress owner, and should not be considered as a form of therapy nor advice. There is no guarantee of validity or accuracy. If expert assistance or counseling is needed, the services of a competent professional should be sought.
2604 Elmwood Avenue #230
Rochester, NY 14618
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Mind Massage
Mindfulness and Depression: Things Are Looking Up
From yoga studios to cancer clinics, from preschools to college campuses, mindfulness is quite the buzz. Law schools are offering courses in mindfulness as a tool to help in mediation, and business consultants are pouncing on mindfulness as the latest surefire path to better client relationships and higher sales figures.
I find all this interest in mindfulness quite thrilling. It's fun to see people looking at ways to pay attention at work as well as at play.
Of course, most of the approaches focus squarely on meditation and its role in providing clarity in a variety of settings. The higher the stakes, the more it seems that meditation is considered the only right path to mindfulness, and the most dire circumstances seem to encourage the most brow-furrowing effort. It would appear that serious problems require serious solutions.
I beg to differ.
Sometimes the lightest approach is the one that lifts those who are in the deepest pit of despair. Those suffering from severe depression have the most to gain from mindfulness, and there is no reason to believe that meditation is the only way to get there.
There's tremendous power in levity, and because I'm an evangelist (evangelista?) when it comes to playing with mindfulness, it's not too surprising that people assume I shy away from anything too deep.
Au contraire.
Mindfulness saves lives. I've seen it happen again and again. I offer it, lovingly and lightly, on a silver platter to those who are facing the toughest fight of their lives--finding a reason to live.
Mindfulness is a tool for living that provides what I affectionately refer to as the "p-word"--perspective. Without meditating, without once mentioning the Buddha, without ever coming across as a counselor or coach (I'm neither), it's possible to encourage those who are suffering to step back and see even the most desperate plight as a temporary, useful period prior to enormous growth.
There's something freeing about staring death in the face. Our natural tendency is to tiptoe around those who are suffering, but when you can't even imagine ever smiling again, there's nothing more welcome than a nearly-pee-your-pants belly laugh.
If you're sitting at the bottom of a well, another weight around your neck isn't going to help. You need to look up, to feel light, to rise up and climb out of your dark hole. When you've lost all hope, laughter lifts you up and mindfulness helps you see your way to the top.
Seems like a perfect combination to me.
I love the fact that mindfulness-based techniques have been developed to help those suffering from anxiety and depression. I only wish they incorporated a healthy dollop of humor at a time when it is sorely needed and remarkably healing.
Seeing hilarity in your failed suicide attempt? Now that's a sure sign of climbing out of that well. I've held hands and laughed with others during their "I'm such a loser I can't even kill myself right!" talks. With humor, warmth, and gentle guidance, we can use mindfulness to plant the seed of gratitude that grows into joy.
In the face of despair, mindfulness and laughter are a breath of fresh air. Breathe deeply.
Seriously....
Oh sure, I have fun with mindfulness. I offer my "Desperate Housewives" series. I do lighthearted workshops with titles like "The Mr. Bubble Syndrome: Learning How to Connect Without Popping" and "Thanks for the Mammaries." I help fairly happy people become very happy.
But because I've lost two brothers to suicide and gone through my own severe depression, I can't think of anything more important than helping others find hope and eventually--yes, even this--joy.
Mindfulness works. If you or someone you love is suffering, I hope you will seriously consider mindfulness training as a powerful part of recovery.
If you'd like more information on how laughter and mindfulness can heal, please contact me at maya@mindmasseuse.com or visit my site at:
http://www.massageyourmind.com/_wsn/page4.html
Technology Trance?
Are you distracted by technology? Do you find that it makes it harder to pay attention to what matters most?
I am contributing to a new book on technology and its role in our lives, and would love to hear your stories. Send them to me at
maya@mindmasseuse.com
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Maya Talisman Frost is a mind masseuse offering specialized mindfulness training to individuals and groups in Portland, Oregon. Her work has inspired thinkers in over 100 countries. To subscribe to her free ezine, the Friday Mind Massage, please visit http://www.massageyourmind.com.
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©Copyright 2004, Maya Talisman Frost
52 Best Stories – The Great Armadillo Caper
My name is Loren and I'm one of four men on a roughneck crew working on an oil drilling rig out of Gladewater, Texas. The other three guys are Mousie, Pappy and Ben. Our rig was on location outside of Grapeland, Texas. That was about a two hour drive from Gladewater through some backcountry on narrow farm to market roads.
One stretch of this road ran through some dense woods and we always saw armadillos along side of the road on this stretch. One day this led to a discussion as to how fast an armadillo could run. Pappy said he had heard they could outrun a horse. I laughed at him and said I bet I can catch one. Well this led to a bet of milkshakes for the crew and the great armadillo caper was on.
We worked the evening shift from 3:00 pm until 11:00 pm and we always left home at noon so we would have plenty of time to get to work on time. The next day after the bet was made we were ready for the big race. When we got to this stretch of road that ran through the woods we were all watching for an armadillo. The little farm to market blacktop was just wide enough for two cars to pass. This was Pappy's day to drive and he had been driving down the middle of the blacktop watching both sides of the road.
All of a sudden Pappy slammed on the brakes, threw the transmission into neutral and jerked up on the emergency brake handle. All four doors flew open and we all made a mad dash after the varmint.
To the armadillo it must have sounded like the whole Sioux Indian Nation at the battle of the Little Big Horn. He turned and made a mad dash for the woods. He was running as fast as his little legs could carry him.
We were right behind him whooping and hollering like a bunch of wild Indians. I was in the lead with Ben and Mousie right behind me. Pappy was bringing up the rear. In and out of brush piles, around trees and under logs that little varmint went with us in hot pursuit.
Finally I got close enough to reach down and grab his tail. I lifted him off the ground and he rolled up in a ball. I turned around and held him up so Pappy could see him. Ben told Pappy he owed us all a milkshake. We were laughing and talking about the chase as we walked back out of the woods to the car.
Just as we got to the edge of the woods we saw a Texas highway patrol car sitting there in the middle of the road nose to nose with our car. Our car was sitting in the middle of the road with all four doors open and the motor running.
As we walked out of the trees the two highway patrolmen saw us and came over to us. We lined up on the shoulder of the road with me on the right end. I was standing there holding this armadillo out in front of me like I was trying to hide behind it. No one said a thing.
Finally one of the highway patrolmen asked whose car that was blocking the road. Pappy managed to say it was his. The patrolman asked him why it was sitting in the middle of the road with the motor running and all four doors wide open. Pappy looked at me like I was supposed to answer that question. All I could do was hold up the armadillo a little higher and point to it.
For the next 30 minutes the patrolman lectured us and what he said is a whole nother story for different time. Afterward I let the armadillo go and we got in our car and went on to work, but the rest of the ride was sure quite. No one said a word. We even forgot about the milkshakes that Pappy owed us.
~ By Loren Moore Copyright 2002 who is 72 years old and an "uneducated redneck" that took early retirement from the General Motors assembly plant in Arlington, Texas, and is from the piney woods of East Texas. He writes saying: "Now that I'm in my old age and do most of my hunting and fishing in my memory, I decided to write about a few of my experiences. Those were the days my friend. We would live the life we choose we would fight and never lose for we were young and sure to have our way. ~
http://www.52best.com/caper.asp
One Man’s Australia
The time has come
Before starting my column this week I must record that Ivan Noble’s time has come. This raises the question “Who is Ivan Noble?”.
He is, or perhaps already was, the BBC News Science and Technology writer. He was diagnosed with a brain tumour in August 2002, shortly before Lynette’s was. Like Lynette his tumour returned after treatment. Unlike Lynette he was not paralysed, incontinent or struck dumb.
Instead he commenced to write a Tumour Diary which was published by BBC News. Lynette lasted five months and one day from her diagnosis to her death. Ivan has lasted 28 months.
He has now reached his end. He is too sick to continue so BBC News have published the final episode of his diary this week. He wrote it in advance – to be published when he could no longer write.
His diary was a major support for me through Lynette’s illness when I expended a lot of mental effort fighting the insidious feeling that we were utterly alone.
For readers who may be interested in reading the final episode of his diary - with links to the full series that go back to the beginning – it is at
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/health/4211475.stm
The return of the Bomber
Friday saw Kim “Bomber” Beazley elected Leader of the Australian Federal Labor Party yet again - and unopposed - after Mark Latham resigned from Parliament on health grounds. We have an anomaly in Australia in that John Howard’s Liberal/National Coalition is firmly in control at Federal level in Canberra, whereas all State and Territory Governments are Australian labor Party.
This is a measure both of Australian voting habits – which go in different directions at various levels of Government – and the fact that the current crop of political talent in the ALP tends to be concentrated at State and Federal level.
John Howard has warmly congratulated Kim on his return. And well he might. He has beaten him twice already in Federal elections and, doubtless, sees no good reason why he should not do so again.
Kim is a large (very), avuncular, very intelligent man from Perth, BUT…..
We are told that Kim's ambitions have been rekindled, that there's fire in the Beazley belly. An awesome thought. Internal combustion on that scale would be Vesuvial. Political seismologists are awaiting an earthquake. So far, however, only the familiar laval flow of words.
The pro-Beazley argument, among his backers, is that Beazley knows that if he's to leave a legacy – other than a succession of losses in federal and caucus elections – he has to tackle the issue of party reform. That he will realise that this, his lucky-last hoorah, demands a Herculean effort. That he will amaze us all.
Could Beazley really shake things up? It appears to be an odd idea. Beazley has never shown that sort of drive and energy. He's been the small-target man, the bloke who has surrendered on everything, from mandatory detention – both of Aborigines and of refugees – to allowing himself to be keelhauled by the Tampa illegal immigrant stand-off with John Howard at the 1998 Federal election.
The State Premiers came out on cue against Mark Latham. Apparently they want Beazley in the box seat.
They know he'll be more amenable, easier to manage and manipulate than the loose cannon Latham was. There's little enthusiasm for Kevin Rudd of Queensland among the Premiers. He's an unknown quantity but, being at least as brainy as Beazley - and hungrier - could prove to be a problem.
Then there's the unspoken issue of State versus Federal politics – Governments such as Bob Carr's in New South Wales and Geoff Gallup's in Western Australia, being wobbly, find it advantageous to have the Coalition in control in Canberra. It is worth votes from electorates seeking checks and balances.
Although John Howard might complain about those pesky Labor State Premiers, he prefers Labor governments in the States and Territories. It's to his political advantage – another reason for electorates seeking checks and balances to keep him as Prime Minister.
So in the Federal ALP caucus the dreamers appear to have united with the schemers because they imagine that Beazley Mark III is an entirely different man - and politician - than Beazleys Marks I and II.
The Labor State Premiers don't want a Mark III model, just more of the same. Kim's in their comfort zone. Not that everyone in caucus is buying the idea of a stoked, blast-furnace Beazley – or even the idea of Beazley as a great healer of party wounds. He didn't lose the two leadership ballots in 2003 for nothing. Sceptics, remembering how many Labor voters abandoned Beazley's ship at the time of the Tampa illegal immigrant affair in 1998, find it hard to imagine how he might win them back.
There is also the vexed question of the Federal ALP and the US. There will always be a welcome mat for Kim at the White House. Even with the departure of his friend Rich Armitage, the Bomber is seen as being reliable by the Bush administration.
But the re-elected President is switching his attention from Baghdad to Tehran. Bush appears to be encouraging the Israelis to take out the Iranian nuclear facilities, as they did the Iraqi nuclear facilities some years ago. This will, hopefully, allow Bush plausible deniability. Unfortunately for that deniability Vice-President Dick Cheney is already spruiking up exactly this course of action.
If Beazley does not have the balls to say "thanks but no thanks" to further pre-emptive attacks, the fracture lines within the Federal ALP will continue to widen.
The big question about Beazley remains. In John Howard's words, “Does he have the ticker?”.
Many Australians believe that, although he has long wanted to be Prime Minister, he hasn't wanted it enough. In that sense many Australians view him as the Federal ALP's counterpart to Al Gore.
Boetjie Worldwide
Reading one's way around the world
Look, if one cannot get on a plane or a ship and set off for the wide blue unknown, there is at least the consolation of books! For many years armchair travel was all I could manage, and now I'm more or less in the same boat, hence my return to some old favourite writers lately.
I have long been an admirer of Michael Palin's, so when I stumbled on a bargain edition of his Sahara I snapped it up. And while reading about his adventurous travels through that great desert, from Tangier through places like Marrakesh, Tindouf, Dakar, Bamako, Timbuktu, Agadez, Tobruk, Djerba, Tunis and Algiers, I was reminded of seeing the sun rise over the western Sahara once during a flight to Lisbon. We were high over the border area between Mali and Algeria and I remember staring out of the aircraft window and thinking how much I would have liked to have been able to travel through that vast, empty, yet fascinating landscape. Oh, I know all too well it's not an easy journey! But travel is not meant always to be easy; one needs the adventure of breakdowns, delays, missed flights or trains, hassles with customs, etc. to make a journey memorable. It is far too easy to romanticise desert travel, but I know from experience how intensely rewarding an experience it can also be, despite all the hardships.
Being in such places reduces life to pure essentials. I remember as a boy how utterly enthralled I was with the silence, the immensity and the stark beauty of the wilder parts of the Karoo - places where there is no trace of human presence as far as the eye can see. That is perhaps the main reason why Palin appeals to me - we share the same attitude to the landscapes we find ourselves in.
My 16-year-old daughter flew out here for a seven-week visit recently, and I'm afraid the travel bug has bitten her, too! In any case, for my birthday she gave me another Palin book: Himalaya. Of course it is a fascinating read, even though that is one of the few parts of the world that does not call me all that strongly. Yes, I do feel strongly about Tibet, and wouldn't mind being able to explore it for myself, but that will most likely never happen, so in the meantime I am content to read the book.
On a more nautical note. I have just completed reading a book by another of my adventurer heroes, Tim Severin. In Seeking Robinson Crusoe he travels to the Juan Fernandez archipelago, where Alexander Selkirk was marooned on an island, long thought to have been the site chosen by Daniel Defoe for the island on which his Robinson Crusoe lived, to the Caribbean and to the Moskito Coast of Honduras and Nicaragua in order to trace all the possible sites where events similar to Selkirk's desert island experience took place. His travels were arduous and often frustrating, but Severin succeeds in discovering that Selkirk was but one of many castaways whose tales were recorded in the late 17th and early 18th centuries and who all contributed to the Robinson Crusoe tale.
What is amazing is how these castaways managed to survive; true testimonials to the incredible strength of the human will to live. For one as fascinated by the sea as I am, these are tales to savour!
A far more intriguing story is that of Erskine Childers, author of the classic Riddle of the Sands, a sailing yarn and also one of the first great espionage novels, set on the Frisian coast shortly prior to World War I. I first read Riddle when I was a young man, and the sailing adventures impressed me most of all. Then I dreamt of having a small boat with which to explore hidden coves and creeks, spending days and weeks at sea with only port calls to replenish supplies. Of course the South African coastline does not lend itself to this kind of cruising - it is a wild and dangerous coast - but the dream persists to this day.
Childers based his story on his actual cruises in the shallow waters of the coast off Holland and Denmark in his little cruiser Vixen. Later, in the larger Sunbeam and Asgard, he sailed extensively along the British coast and even into the Baltic, visiting Helsinki and Stockholm. His cruising adventures make for a great read, and reminds one of Arthur Ransome's cruises in the same waters in his yacht Racundra. Incidentally the two were cruising the area in the same era; Ransome slightly later, as he was still a correspondent for The Guardian in Russia and Latvia at the time of World war I.
Erskine Childers, by the way, had a strong South African connection, as he served as a driver in the Honourable Artillery Company during the Boer War. The HAC was part of the City (of London) Imperial Volunteers. He was soon to be impressed by the courage and skill of the Boers, so unlike the caricature of them painted in the British minds by their press, and he came to disagree with many aspects of the way the war was being waged. Later he became embroiled (of his own free will) in the Irish cause, and was even involved in gun-running for the Irish republicans. Always a romantic, his involvement with the Irish struggle for independence led to his arrest as a traitor, and he was executed by firing squad at seven o' clock on the morning of November 21st, 1922.
What Palin, Severin and Childers have in common, though, is their restlessness of spirit that takes them to sea or on long and arduous, even hazardous, voyages and journeys. They are members of that elect company that includes Thor Heyerdahl, Sir Francis Chichester and all those before and after them - a long line leading back to the first Phoenician explorers and including the Portuguese, Viking and British seafarers and venturers into the unknown. It is the restlessness that I try to appease with my own mini-explorations of Victoria while the rest of this island continent and Tasmania still beckon as well. I suppose it is something that will only abate when I breathe my last, since it has been with my from as far back as I can remember!
Well, at least there are books and television travel documentaries to take the worst edge off this hunger. Talking of which, ABC TV here is at present running a series called A Place in France about two Englishmen who buy and restore a 300-year-old farmhouse in Provençe and their adventures, especially those of Nigel, who ends up living in the house all year round and trying to make a living there. Gripping stuff! (Oh, and it always reminds me of my Francophile friend, of course, except that Nigel Farrell and his friend Nippy Singh seemed to get on better with their neighbours!)
Mooiloop!
Ray
Raytheron at iprimus.com.au
Our Legal Beagles are available for all your relevant queries... please continue to send in any queries you have for them and we will get them answered for you free of charge!
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Legal Beagle - UK
Dear Maureen
As fellow SA citizens my children and I have been living in Scotland, UK for the past 13yrs and had never applied for British Citizenship. But one of my daughters is invited to go to America with some friends but we can’t find her passport and it expires in August 2005. The holiday is booked for the 27 AUGUST 2005 which is 2day before the expired date. Please advice and help me in how do i go about replacing a passport. As we live North of Scotland and she is under 16yrs old it is very difficult at the moment for either one of us to travel to London.
I would be grateful for any help and advice on this matter.
PS Would it be possible maybe just to apply for a British passport as we are indefinite residents of the UK.
Thank you
Karen
Dear Karen
Your daughter may attain a Temporary SA passport via the South African High Commission. This may enable her to travel to the USA depending upon how the US authorities regard a Temporary SA passport. If they will be willing to endorse a US visa into her SA ppt, she will also need to have the correct UK endorsement in her passport, to enable her to re-enter the UK appropriately. It appears that she holds Indefinite Leave to Remain, although this will have to be proved by some means. Perhaps you have a letter of confirmation from the home office regarding this when her ILR was granted?
You may all be eligible to apply to become naturalised as British Citizens, depending upon whether you meet either the 5yr Rule or the 3yr Rule. Details of this are on our website at: http://82.43.43.204/value_visas_ltd_016.htm
We will be happy to advise you further upon request.
Best Regards,
Steve Purdy.
www.valuevisas.com
Nobody needing help this week.
If you are looking for a lost friend... if you would like old friends to contact you... If you want to find old school friends... if you just want people who used to know you to find you again for a chat...
Send in your info, the info of anyone you are looking for and let’s see if we can find them for you!
Luxembourg
Dear all,
We have decided to do our share for the Asian Floods and donate all profits from our annual Carnival Party. So please support us and come along and have a great evening, please could you hang the attached poster in your office and sell as many tickets as possible. Remember this is all for a good cause. Some great prizes to be won and lots of fun to be had!
Please pass on to anyone you think might be interested.
We need as much advertising as possible.
Many thanks
Pat and Elaine
Carnival party
South African club of Luxembourg invites you to attend their annual carnival party
Fancy dress
At the Check in, Findel Tel: 42 35 85
On Saturday 26th February 2005, 20h30
Featuring the South African group "Fade to Gray"
Let us keep with the spirit and wear some form of fancy dress.
There will be prizes for the best, worst and funniest outfit.
Euro 10.00 per person
Profits will be donated to UNICEF for the Tsunami relief efforts.
For bookings call Pat on tel: 88 90 54 or Elaine on tel: 021 397 586
Just Cloning around...
This from me... via www.humour.co.za
Once there was a mad scientist who worked by himself in his laboratory. He was so lonely that one day, he decided to clone himself. Everything worked perfectly, except that the clone had a very foul mouth. The scientist worked with the clone, but alas, he could not make the clone clean up his language. He got so tired of the clone's language that one day he pushed him off the end of a cliff. A policeman rushed up to him, and yelled
"You are under arrest! You are under arrest!"
"What for?" the mad scientist asked.
And the policeman's answer was:
For making an obscene clone fall.
This recipe for Curried Greens is from the Dr Weil site (www.drweil.com) – I like spinach and Captain Ken is not keen... so I am going to sneak it into his diet via this recipe!
1 pound spinach, kale, collards, or beet greens (or mixture of all)
2 cloves garlic, pressed or minced
2-3 tablespoons curry powder
1 cup finely chopped tomatoes (fresh or canned)
1 tablespoon tomato paste
1 tablespoon dark-brown sugar
1 tablespoon canola oil
1 cup onion, finely diced
3/4 pound brown potatoes, peeled and cubed
1/4 cup chopped fresh cilantro (optional)
1. Wash and drain greens, removing any coarse stems and midribs. Cut into half-inch strips.
2. In a small bowl, mix together garlic, curry powder, tomatoes, tomato paste, and sugar.
3. Heat the canola oil in a skillet and sauté onion over medium-high heat until it begins to brown. Add the spice-and-tomato mixture, mix well, and cook for a few minutes.
4. Add the potatoes and 2 cups water.
5. Mix well, bring to a boil, reduce heat, cover, and cook for 10 minutes.
6. Add greens and cook for 10 minutes more, or until potatoes are done.
7. Correct seasoning to taste. Garnish with the chopped fresh cilantro if desired.
Top job for Nick Mallett
Former Springbok coach Nick Mallett had been appointed Western Province's (WP) director of rugby, the president of the WP Rugby Football Union, Koos Basson, announced on Tuesday. The newly created position forms part of the strategic vision for WP rugby. Mallett has been appointed on a contract basis for three years.
http://www.mg.co.za/articlepage.aspx?area=/breaking_news/...
Retired Ferreira named in SA Davis Cup squad
Almost five months after announcing his retirement from international tennis, the former South African number one Wayne Ferreira has been named in the SA Davis Cup squad to take on Germany in Johannesburg from March 4 to 6.
Ferreira's name was alongside those of Wesley Moodie, Rik de Voest, Justin Bower, Jeff Coetzee and Raven Klaasen in the squad released by Davis Cup coach and captain Kevin Curren in Johannesburg on Tuesday.
http://www.iol.co.za/index.php?set_id=...
Long-distance swimmer breaks own record
Veteran long distance swimmer Theodore Yach, 47, broke his personal record time in the 11km ocean stretch from Robben Island to Three Anchor Bay on Sunday. Yach set his previous record of 2 hours 54 minutes in May 1988, but beat it 17 years later with a record time of 2:44. The swim, which commenced at 9.30am from the Robben Island lighthouse, was supervised by members of the Cape Long Distance Swimming Association.
http://www.iol.co.za/index.php?set_id=...
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