Family

 My daughter, her partner and my grandson live in an Area of Australia that is undergoing a heat wave and a spate of bush and grass fires. When we were in Australia, the heat was not extreme, and the fire danger was not high in her area. Since we returned home the area she lives in has been in a high fire danger zone and we are very worried. Worried but not concerned as I have every faith in their plan and their access to information about the fire danger.

A couple of days ago, my daughter phoned to say that they may have to evacuate their home because of the fires burning close to them. The fire was between them and the nearest town and the only place for them to go was up to the mountain. I looked on the CFA the Australian Country Fire Authority website and saw that the fire was large and they were on a  Watch and Act warning. 

As a parent and as a grandfather, my heart was in my boots, I knew I could do nothing, and the feelings of helplessness are not ones that I like. So we waited and within a day one of the fires had been contained, so my daughter did not have to leave her home. I was relieved but as the summer heat intensifies in Australia and the extreme heat continues, I will be kept on alert and will be checking in with the website every few days, rather than worry her with my concerns.

Climate change is a fact of life and with it comes more extreme weather, the science is clear, but because of politics and vested interests we are not moving as quickly to counter the issue, which I find sad and frustrating. My daughter and her friends in Australia, do not believe in Global warming and deny that it exists, and this belief is a strong one in Australia, and in the minds of some of our political leaders in Canada.

I hope that the summer heat gives way and that the area my daughter lives in is given some relief and that she and all of the people in Australia affected by the heat are and continue to be ok.

How some non boomers see my generation

The following is taken from All About Baby Boomers  © Wings Of Success (My thoughts in italics)

The ideals of this generation created The Boomer’s Six Commandment. These “rules” defined what the baby boomer generation was about and how they lived. Most of those born during this era followed these ideals, but not all. Every generation is defined by the circumstances and experiences they have to deal with. Think about everything that happened in those years: Vietnam War, Civil Right Movement and the Energy Crisis (Birth Control,  rock and roll music, the fall of Russia).

Be trendy and hip. Some think a major problem with the baby boomers is not being able to grow up. This is seen in a variety of ways. There are those who try to reverse the aging problem, which will never put plastic surgeons out of business. Baby boomers sometimes get frozen in their own era, dressing and acting like they have for 20 years. However, there are other baby boomers that move on with the fashion times, wearing and exemplifying what it means to be cool. (This is a jaded view, we are not frozen in our own era but we will not fall into fashion when what we are wearing makes us look silly, but maybe we are wearing these clothes to make fun of ourselves)

Being relevant is important, so accept the changes. Everything moves on and even the baby boomers couldn’t keep the culture stagnant. They learned wisely that it is more lmportant to accept the culture that is changing around them rather than fight it. This can be
seen through many different ideals of the baby boomers.(Change is always good and should be celebrated and we never tried to keep our culture stagnant, but those who study us think we do)

Be an individual. There were so many children born in that time period that it is easy to

lump everyone into one category. However, the baby boomers won’t allow that. Being an

individual is just as important as supporting the greater good. The baby boomers lived Through a time of enormous change and have created radical movements that have transformed this country. (Because there was so many of us, being an individual became and still is important to all of us as it should be to every generation.)

    Create a new history. What happened in the past doesn't seem to matter to baby boomers. Everything they did was done for the first time, at least that is what they all want you to believe. Baby boomers view their generation as a milestone creator leaving no room for any previous generation to have a significant importance. Occasions that happened in the past are just that – history – and have no place their lives. (So we are doomed to repeat the mistakes of the past by this assessment. Every generation does new things for the first time, that is how humans advance and learn. Boomers may appear to be larger than life to some because there are so many of us, we do however study and learn from the past so we will not repeat the mistakes of previous generations, but when we make mistakes we make them big)

Don’t be a sell out. If you become a sell out, you will lose your baby boomer card. Just because they are living the American dream as white, middle-class folks doesn't mean that is what they feel deep down in their heart. They will always be revolutionaries who are willing to change a generation at the drop of a hat. (We never were revolutionaries willing to change at the drop of a hat, we were, however  willing to embrace change, if that change made the world a better place--at this point in our journey many of have forgotten this concept but we are slowly awaking to the fact that there are those who are trying to turn back the clock, and we will not allow this to happen)

Always question authority. Baby boomers had a difficult time of trusting anyone older

than them. It meant they wouldn't listen to cops, priests or their parents. This was the care-free  generation who couldn't trust anyone, just each other. Baby boomers didn't follow the rules, they made the rules. They weren't going to be told how to live their lives. (As we move into retirement our leaders--many of whom are younger than us have to remember this is still true we still believe because of our sheer numbers that we make the rules and now many of us do not trust those younger than us :-)

Climbing down from the mountain

When I was younger back in the very early 1970's I went off to a academic retreat for a week as part of my training to become a teacher. When I returned back home, I noticed that I thought I had changed, but I noticed that the people around me had not. Live goes on as normal, even when we are away and having life changing or just wonderful experiences that force us to look at what we do differently. Talking it over with my professor (Maurice Gibbons), I think he called it the "Climbing down from the mountain" syndrome (The idea is a variation of the Mountain Top Experience that comes from religious experiences, which gave you a deep sense of your own worth and/or the beauty of life). 

This idea struck me as interesting and important and I have used the concept as a way to help my Masters of Education students think about how that experience changed them and how they had a responsibility to others around us to help them understand our journey. In brief the idea is that we find it hard to adjust to life when we have experienced a new adventure or experience that we think has changed us or our view on our world. 

The reason for bringing this up is that we have just returned from a seven week trip to Australia a few days ago. After jet lag I  immediately came down with one of the two types of flu making the rounds in my area of the country. As a result I have not had a chance to comment or catch up on the goings on in North America, but I will over the next few days and weeks get caught up on my reading and discussions with friends and family to catch up and to try to settle back into the routine of being at home so I can reconcile my experience with the routine of being at home.

One of the interesting things about being a Canadian abroad is that Canada is the realization that Canada is not a player on the world stage. In Australia, the only news of importance about Canada that I recall seeing over the seven weeks was about the Hockey lockout; this was because one of our hosts is a real hockey enthusiast, otherwise Canada was not mentioned at all in the mainstream media that I looked at over the time I was visiting.

At one point Canada may have had some influence but I suspect that Steven Harper and his government foreign affairs policies have made Canada redundant on the world stage. So without any news of Canada I missed out on the birth of the "Idle no more" movement, the hunger strike of  Attiwapiskat Chief Theresa Spence, the backlash and the support of the movement from the public the return of the ugly face of racism (for more on this check out Montreal Simon's always interesting blog,)  to the mainstream of Canadian consciousness and much more I suspect. 

As I was in an area of Australia that had no broadband, I was also not able to link to Canada with the Internet or email or Facebook, which was a bit of a shock as I think I am an information addict, and the loss of connection was hard, but after a week or two I was over the shock and getting on with the holiday.

Canadians are well received in Australia, but we are often confused with Americans and I learned to laugh and gently correct the misconception, I guess my West Coast Canadian accent must to the Australian ear sound American. Just as to my ear, the New Zealand and Australian accents sound very similar. While in Australia I had the time to write down some ideas that I will share over the next few months. 

In BC we are coming up to an election and I agree with the thoughts at "Keeping it Real" that the blogging community will play an important part in the upcoming election.

It is good to be back and I look forward on getting caught up with the life, and to my brother, whose Retirement party I missed,  as you start the second month of your retirement, best wishes and enjoy the time as you have earned it.

The Shocking Truth About Candy Rewarding 2

Still not convinced?

Then brace yourself for what follows! Science has gone really far these days…It actually has gone so far, that it broke any natural law and forgot about common sense, in the name of selling cheap Franken-food with high profits. Many of these ingredients are listed as being “natural flavors and colorings” . I’ll let YOU be the judge in deciding  how “natural” they really are :

1. “Shiny” Carnauba Wax

Carnauba wax is a common ingredient in car waxes, shoe polish, cosmetics, floor polish, surfboard wax. It is also very common in Halloween candy. Talk about glowing in the dark!

2. Beetle Juice, anyone?

Shellac is a resin secreted by the female lac bug. It is processed and sold as dry flakes, which are dissolved in etyl alcohol to make liquid shellac, which is used as a brush-on colorant, food glaze and wood finish. Just perfect to glaze candies like Skittles, or sprinkles on cupcakes and ice cream sundaes!

3. Insect Powder as Red Food Coloring

Carmine (carminic acid) is used in the manufacture of artificial flowers, paints, crimson ink, rouge, and other cosmetics, and is routinely added to food products such as yogurt and certain brands of juice, the most notable ones being those of the ruby-red variety.

To prepare carmine, the powdered scale insect bodies are boiled in ammonia or a sodium carbonate solution, followed by a variety of treatments. This ingredient might be listed as “natural color”.

4. Have some Coal Tar with Cotton Candy?

Coal tar is a brown or black liquid of extremely high viscosity.  It is among the by-products when coal is carbonized to make coke or gasified to make coal gas. Coal tar is listed as number 199 on the United Nations list of “dangerous goods,” but that doesn’t stop people from using it in food. The coloring Allura Red AC is derived from coal tar and is commonly found in red-colored candies, sodas and other sweets. It is banned in Europe. Allura Red AC was originally introduced in the US as a replacement for the use of amaranth as a food coloring.

5. A fancy word for Beaver Anal Glands – Castoreum!

Castoreum extract is a natural product prepared by direct hot-alcohol extraction of castoreum, the dried and macerated castor sac scent glands (and their secretions) from the male or female beaver. It has been used extensively in perfumery. In the US castoreum has been approved by the FDA as a food additive, often referenced simply as “natural flavoring”. You’ll find it in candy as a vanilla, raspberry and strawberry flavoring.

To find out which are the specific foods your metabolism thrives on and obtain a customized, CLEAN, non-toxic diet plan that can help you reverse disease and keep you healthy, visit this page.

Article Sources

1. Natural Health News

2. Wikipedia

3. Deep Nutrition by Catherine Shanahan MD

4. 141 Reasons Sugar Ruins Your Health by Nancy Appleton

5. Intense Sweetness Surpasses Cocaine Reward. Lenoir M. PLos ONE. 2007; 2(8):e698)

About the Author

Raluca Schachter is a passionate Nutritionist and Metabolic Typing Advisor®, with a background in both nutrition and communication/PR. She believes in traditional, unaltered food, ancestral wisdom, sustainable farming and living. Raluca was able to naturally reverse chronic health conditions she was struggling with most of her life, and now uses her knowledge to help as many people as possible do the same. Her health programs and diet plans offer a very unique and comprehensive approach to health, where individual nutritional and biochemical requirements are firstly met using specific nutrients and foods that each metabolism thrives on. This approach reveals why and how ‘one diet/herb doesn’t fit all’ and why ‘one man’s food is another one’s poison.. For more information visit her website and blog guide2health.net