#but we are allowed to centre our own lived experiences when we are actively experiencing some of the worst trauma of our lives

[avi-on-jumblr]

it is mind-boggling that the first thing people do after seeing a horrible antisemitic attack, or the firebombing of a synagogue, or a mob going after a jewish teacher, or the assault of a jewish student, is to go out and make a statement condemning "islamophobia and antisemitism and other forms of hate" in that order.

[plumbingmate]

Best Day Boarding School in Ottawa, ON

Ottawa is a bustling city with plenty of opportunities for fun and adventure. It has parks, museums, sports teams and more. But what about your kids? Do you want them to get the best education possible? Or do you want them to grow up without any knowledge of their cultures or traditions? Of course not! That's why we've compiled this list of day boarding schools in Ottawa that will give your child everything they need to succeed both academically and socially.

Blyth Academy The Glebe, Ottawa

Blyth Academy is the largest network of private high schools in Canada. With eight physical campuses and two virtual schools, we create a unique opportunity for Grades 4 to 12 to reach their fullest potential, and ultimately shape the world.

Each campus is designed to be a community of 75-150 students with average class sizes of 12 students per class. Blyth Academy offers a comprehensive full-time program, as well as night school, private courses, summer school, and online classes either teacher-led or self-paced.

We deliver the curriculum set out by the Ontario Ministry of Education, but what sets us apart is our ability to tailor education to the individual student. Our carefully curated individualized structure allows our guidance teams and teachers to consider each student’s learning style and areas of interest when customizing an academic plan unique to them.

Westboro Academy

Westboro Academy is a small, independent day school for kindergarten through grade 8. Learn about our history, mission, team, and the Westboro Academy bilingual education advantage.

Founded in 1993, Westboro Academy has grown to become the region’s premiere school for excellence in bilingual education. Westboro Academy was founded by a small group of parents looking for excellence in bilingual education. By 1998, the school had undergone 2 moves to allow for rapid expansion and finally landed on Brewer Way, near Carleton University, where it stayed until 2019. The current school at 1000 Brookfield Road East was formerly École Gabrielle Roy and we are very pleased to know that we will be here until at least 2039!

Polaris School and Centre

Polaris School and Centre is inspired by the principles of Waldorf education. ​ Our Mission

We awaken knowledge and creative ability through a rich and multifaceted educational experience. Acting with freedom, our teachers evoke reverence for the world and humanity, and guide our ​students toward a life lived with purpose as responsive citizens of the world.

Our Vision

The heart of our community beats with a desire to seek a healthy approach to education for our times. We are committed to Rudolf Steiner's vision of a community where we are equals, free in our realms of activity and truly supporting each other in our striving for social and cultural renewal in the world.

Plumbing Mate is a full-service plumbing contractor that specializes in all things plumbing. We understand that when you need a plumber, you need it done right—and with our team of experienced professionals, we will make sure that your plumbing problems are taken care of quickly and effectively.

Whether you are looking for an expert to identify and fix leaking pipes, or you need someone to install new fixtures or repairs in your home, Plumbing Mate is here to help. We take pride in our work and will always treat your property as if it were our own. Our goal is not just to get the job done quickly and efficiently, but also to leave you happy about your choice of professionals.

Plumbing Mate Ottawa, ON, Canada +16138990340 https://www.google.com/maps?cid=12135542159529235230

[aycock53andreassen]

Daycare in Whangaparaoa

The need for daycare centres in Whangaparaoa is high as many families can't afford to take off work to care for their children.

Types of Daycare Services

There are many different types of daycare services available to parents. Some daycare centers provide full-time care, while others offer part-time or drop-in care. There are also a variety of specialty daycare programs, such as those that focus on early childhood education or special needs children. When choosing a daycare center, it is important to consider your family's needs and schedule. You should also tour the facility and meet the staff before making a decision. The following are some different types of daycare services that may be available in your area: Full-Time Daycare: Full-time daycare centers provide care for children during the hours that parents are working. These centers typically have longer hours than part-time centers and may offer extended care options, such as before and after school care. Part-Time Daycare: Part-time daycare centers provide care for children for a shorter period of time each day. These centers typically have shorter hours than full-time centers and may not offer extended care options. Drop-In Daycare: Drop-in daycare centers provide care on an as-needed basis. These centers are often used by parents who work irregular hours

Types of Daycare Centers

There are several different types of daycare centers available in Whangaparaoa. Each type offers a unique set of benefits and drawbacks, so it is important to choose the right one for your family's needs. Nanny sharing is a popular option for families with young children. This arrangement allows two or more families to share the cost of a live-in nanny. The nanny cares for all of the children in the group, providing a home away from home environment. Nanny sharing can be a great way to save money and provide socialization opportunities for your child. However, it is important to carefully screen the other families involved to make sure they are compatible with your own values and parenting style. Another popular option is group daycare. This type of center typically cares for groups of 8-10 children of similar ages. The kids are divided into age-appropriate groups, with each group having its own caregiver. Group daycare can be a great way to socialize your child and expose them to other kids their age. However, it is important to make sure that the center you choose has qualified and experienced caregivers who are able to provide individualized attention to each child. Finally, there are

In Home Daycare

Looking for quality in-home Daycare Whangaparaoa ? Look no further than our directory of trusted and experienced providers. With years of experience in early childhood education, our daycare providers offer a loving and nurturing environment for your child to learn and grow. We understand that finding the right daycare can be a daunting task. That's why we've made it easy for you by carefully vetting each of our providers. We only work with the best of the best, so you can rest assured that your child is in good hands. If you're ready to find the perfect in-home daycare provider for your family, browse our directory today.

Before and After School Care

Before and after school care can be a lifesaver for working parents. It can also be a great way for kids to socialize and stay active during the day. Here are some things to consider when looking for before and after school care. Before you start your search, it’s important to decide what type of care you need. There are three main types of before and after school care: - childcare centers - family daycare homes - in-home care Each type of care has its own benefits and drawbacks. For example, childcare centers typically have more staff and resources than family daycare homes. However, they may also be more expensive. In-home care is usually less expensive than other types of care, but it may be harder to find a reputable provider. Once you know what type of care you’re looking for, you can start your search. Ask friends and family for recommendations. You can also check out online directories, such as the National Association of Family Child Care. When you’ve narrowed down your options, schedule visits to each provider. This will give you a chance to see the environment and meet the staff. Be

Other Services to Keep in Mind

When you're looking for daycare, it's important to keep in mind all of the other services that your facility might offer. Many daycares also offer after-school programs, drop-in care, and even summer camps. These programs can be a great way to keep your child occupied and learning while you're at work or running errands. Be sure to ask about these services when you're touring potential daycares.

Location Considerations

If you're thinking about starting a daycare, one of the first things you'll need to consider is where to locate your business. The best location for your daycare will depend on a number of factors, including your budget, the size of your facility, and the demographics of your target market. One of the most important factors to consider when choosing a location for your daycare is your budget. Rent or mortgage payments can eat up a large chunk of your operating expenses, so it's important to choose a location that you can afford. If you're tight on cash, you might want to consider starting your daycare in a smaller town or rural area where commercial real estate is more affordable. Another factor to consider is the size of your facility. You'll need enough space to accommodate all of your students, staff, and supplies. If you're planning on providing care for infants and toddlers, you'll also need to have age-appropriate equipment and playgrounds. If you're short on space, you might want to consider starting a home-based daycare instead of renting or buying a commercial property. Finally, you'll need to think about the demographics of your target market when choosing a location for your day

Budget Considerations

[the-modern-typewriter]

I love like when I’m in the shower and have nothing better to do than to think of scenes or concepts that I believe would make for a really great movie or TV show. But is it weird that I often now think of in what ways I could portray an LGBTQ love story and do it justice? Like I imagine LGBTQ scenes in my mind that I think would make for a better movie than what’s out there. I’m straight and I personally also feel that LGBTQ stories should be left for LGBTQ people to tell and I don’t wanna talk over those who’ve actually experienced it cause I feel like it’s not my place. Idk hopefully I made some sense. I do the same thing with like straight couples too, tbh I just like seeing the different ways in which love can be portrayed.

1 - I think telling stories of any sort in your head is normal. It’s like the exact opposite of weird. I do it in the shower, or lying in bed, or walking or basically as a default if my brain is not actively doing something else. Stories are how we make sense of the world, entertain ourselves, escape, figure out what we want.

2 - You didn’t ask for me to go into ‘and in this essay I will’ mode, but...

I strongly don’t believe that only LGBTQ people can or should tell LGBTQ stories.

I think own voice stories are incredibly important, and LGBTQ people can talk about their specific experiences and struggles with more nuance and lived experience than someone heterosexual can. But also...like, imagine if we told LGBTQ people that they’re only allowed to write LGBTQ stories. There’s something squicky and very censorship-y about it that I don’t like. 

As a very basic example, which I hope highlights the absurdity of the premise, does that mean because I’m a biromantic asexual that I should just stay in my lane and never write any stories which involve sexual attraction, sexual activities, or that I should only write a story in which a character is asexual? 

There are differences in how LGBTQ people experience our contemporary or historical world, but to suggest that only LGBTQ people can write LGBTQ stories perpetuates the myth of LGBTQ people as somehow inherently other, as if there is no cross-over or universal feelings between straight people and LGBTQ people and that is both a) not true and b) a potentially harmful an idea to perpetuate. It is harmful because to portray LGBTQ people as other, as people straight people cannot possibly understand, helps foster an ‘us versus them’ mentality. I.e., it once again centres the straight narrative as the default that everyone can understand, versus the LGBTQ narrative that is therefore not for everyone. It discourages empathy and upholds heteronormativity.

Writing a story with LGBTQ characters when you are not LGBTQ is not inherently talking over LGBTQ people, or inherently taking away story-telling opportunities away from LGBTQ authors. I know we love to check the diversity credentials of authors at this moment in time, but whether you are an own voices author or not doesn’t magically decide if your story is good or not, or whether it fits a nebulous gold standard of ‘good representation’, as if its a one size fits all when it’s just doesn’t.

The larger issue, to my mind, is a structural one. It’s to do with things like:

Well, are we only telling LGBTQ stories that primarily cater to straight audiences?

Are we only showing one specific kind of queer identity or presenting one specific way of living as the authentic queer experience?

Who are we giving authority to when we tell LGBTQ stories? Who gets listened to? Who knows queer history in the story? What is this saying?  

How are we portraying the LGBTQ characters we do use compared to how we are portraying straight characters?

Own voices are important, and should be boosted, but at least some of the context behind own voices currently being prioritised is that historically they haven’t been, because historically if you were openly LGBTQ you were censored and own voices is trying to fill in the huge representation gap. 

In the long term, what we need is more LGBTQ stories, period, because then there is not as much of an issue with ‘oh but this one story doesn’t reflect me’ or ‘this one character has to represent everything’. An LGBTQ villain on their own, for example, might contribute to a history of queercoded villainy which can be argued to contribute to the demonising of LGBTQ characters/attributes/culture by associating them with the evil characters...but similarly, to only be allowed to write LGBTQ characters as perfect little angels limits the humanity and variety of LGBTQ characters, and by extension our understanding of LGBTQ people. 

So to sum up: go forth, do your best, and write LGBTQ stories. Not every story about straight white people is a literary, nuanced masterpiece, and that’s okay. LGBTQ stories shouldn’t have to be that either to be worth writing or reading.

Wanting to explore different ways that love can be portrayed is one of the many reasons to write about love.

[takis-essays]

Is Prostitution a Victimless Crime?

Target word count: 2000 Final word count: 1944

Prostitution is considered a moral crime. Moral crimes don't necessarily involve breaking any major laws, or prosecution for any laws that do get broken. They involve the breaking of common morals or deviation from societal norms, meaning that they can differ depending on the cultural beliefs and common views in a specific location. An example of moral crime (asides from prostitution) is begging. While it doesn't land you any jail time, it is still actually a crime. In the UK, the exchange of sexual services for money is legal, but things like soliciting, kerb crawling, owning or managing a brothel and pimping are considered to be crimes. While they may often be seen as simple subcategories of prostitution, they are looked at as separate offences within the legal system and will land you with different charges.

Prostitution falls under moral crime, because it deviates from the norm. The majority of people don't perform sexual acts to receive a payment. Many people see it as morally wrong, because they believe it represents violence against women, or that it requires loss of dignity. It is most often strongly disliked by those with religious backgrounds, as religion plays a great part in shaping morals. There is also an overlap between prostitution and trafficking, as many prostitutes are, or have been, trafficked; however, sex workers have said it is important to distinguish the two from each other, as they are not the same thing. Whereas trafficking is always done against the will of the person being transported, prostitution can involve consenting adults

As stated in the above paragraph, a common argument siding with the opinion that there are victims within prostitution, is that it endorses violence against women. There have been many accounts of sex workers who have been assaulted and beaten, often having things done to them against their will. There is a belief that women who work as prostitutes have somehow given up their human rights and are exempt from the rights to protection which are easily given to other citizens. Public discourses concerning female safety often mention the view that women who do not act responsible with how they act are 'asking for it' or should not have the right to public protection, as they put themselves in that situation by choice. However, a person's human rights should still apply no matter what they choose to do with themselves, as it is their own business, especially considering that quite a lot of prostitutes have been forced into the field through trafficking, fraud and such other ways, which I will discuss next.

There is also the argument talking about trafficking often overlapping with prostitution. It is widely believed that prostitution must involve trafficking in every instance, and while that isn't the case, approximately 40% of prostitutes have reported that they were former child prostitutes, meaning they were forced into the industry by either being trafficked or being a teenage runaway. 40%, while not being the majority, is still a very large number. Despite the clear overlap in prostitution and trafficking, there was a study done by two academics, Liz Kelly and Linda Regan, which investigated the extent of the sex trafficking problem within the UK. They concluded that the problem could be anywhere between two to twenty times larger than what we know, however the meaning of the term "trafficking" has been loosened and broadened, making it lose it's rightful impact. People have exaggerated the amount of trafficked prostitutes by making assumptions, and have used it to describe the general movement of all sex workers, even when they have willingly travelled somewhere themselves.

Another argument that sides with those who believe that prostitution is not a victimless crime is that both mental and physical health of the offender are affected by the profession itself. It has been shown that sex workers are under astounding amounts of stress which often lead to many psychological and physical health conditions. The most common psychological diagnosis reported by women who work in the prostitution field is depression with 35.1%, followed by anxiety with 19.9%, post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) with 12.7% and many others. These conditions on their own are bad enough, but when one considers that they can also lead to physical health complications such as Gastro-oesophageal Reflux Disease (GORD/GERD), a gastrointestinal tract related disease which can cause daily pain, poor sleep and food intolerance; depending on the severity of the symptoms, this condition can be debilitating. This isn't the only physical condition that can be developed. Besides the obvious sexually transmitted infections and diseases, things like peptic ulcers and Disseminated Gonococcal Infections (DGI) can also be developed, not necessarily related to stress, therefore even if the prostitute themselves doesn't find their job stressful at all, they are still at risk of physical health complications.

Another argument that supports the belief that prostitution victimises the very people that work in this field is that it causes substance abuse which in turn leads to a poor headspace, or vice versa. A study was conducted on 200 prostitutes, centred around substance abuse before or after starting their work. 55% of those that were questioned reported that they were addicted prior to starting their work in the field of prostitution. This would suggest that their addiction, leaving them in a vulnerable state, led them to start prostituting themselves due to them viewing it as the only way to get by. 30% reported that they developed an addiction after they started work. This would suggest that they suffered some kind of traumatic experiences during their time in this profession and had to resort to substance abuse in order to cope with it. The last 15% reported beginning to abuse substances concurrently with the beginning of their work. This could mean that they either got addicted around that time due to starting prior, or they began taking substances excessively in order to prevent traumatic experiences from taking over their lives. Overall, the suggestions here are grim and often point back to coping mechanisms or voluntary reality shifting in order to escape how they feel in the moment, which suggests that they are in fact victims of the profession itself.

An argument that agrees with the statement that prostitution is actually a victimless crime is that the criminalisation of prostitution is the main cause of the victimisation of anyone within the scenario, especially the offender. It is thought that criminalisation of prostitution is one of the leading structural factors that create vulnerability within the prostitutes. There is not only a link between criminalisation and violence against the individual providing the service, but also a link between criminalisation and HIV transmissions, further affecting the workers. Committing a crime in itself is seen as irresponsible and risky, meaning that society's generalised view of prostitution is that they are there because they have chosen to enter and stay in their situation. They also think that once someone enters the field of prostitution, they have immediately degraded themselves and they shouldn't complain, since it was their choice. This view in itself victimises sex workers, as now they feel that they are lesser and undeserving of protection rights. This in turn makes them more vulnerable and susceptible to violence. According to statistics, around 40% to 70% of prostitutes have or are experiencing some type of violence due to or within their career. This argument suggests that if prostitution was decriminalised, it would be a victimless activity or service; however, this is opposed by an observation of locations where prostitution is legal. It is shown that places that have made prostitution legal actually experience a larger amount of sex trafficking into the country, as do richer, more advanced countries with higher populations. A good example of this is Germany, which further legalised prostitution in 2002 by allowing third-party involvement. Now, Germany considers prostitution a regular job subject to tax payment and retirements, with about 150,000 people actively working as prostitutes. Despite this, the estimated stock of trafficking victims in 2004 was 32,800, which is about 62 times more than in Sweden, a country which re-criminalised prostitution in 1999.

Another argument which agrees with the claim that there are no victims within prostitution is that the act itself is consensual; both parties are willing to do it, therefore consent is present as long as both of the participants are of legal age. In our current society, we are given the right to freedom of choice, or rather the right to freedom of rational choice. This includes sexual activities. The laws surrounding consent have been put in place to protect people from having unwanted sexual experiences, whether that be outside the home or within it. Danger isn't exclusive to one place, and protection is a must no matter where someone is. However there is the issue of coercion and manipulation of someone into giving verbal consent, or at least not explicitly denying it. Many women in working the field of prostitution have said that they have felt distorted in their thinking, or powerless, unable to say no to sexual activities, no matter how much they were unwanted. The line between consensual and nonconsensual sexual activities within prostitution is purposely blurred by the industry itself. This is done in order to allow as much profit as possible, conditioning women from a young age that they shouldn't say no, because it will bring them a reward of some kind. This kind of treatment is inhuman and morally corrupt; it is the major problem within the field of prostitution. Thusly, the original argument about it being a consensual activity and not really being anyone else's business is invalid. Consent is only truly consent if it's conscious and informed.

To conclude this evaluation, after looking at the evidence presented in the form of statistics, statements from prostitutes themselves, and observational studies, there is a clear victim within the crime of prostitution; the prostitute themselves. They suffer from conditions, both mental and physical, caused by the activities required by their job. They are significantly more likely to be murdered than the average person, often suffering assault of many kinds at the hands of their clients, pimps, and in the case of kerb crawling, at the hands of people who are merely bored and need an easy target. Their vulnerable emotional state and lack of a stable life makes them susceptible to manipulation, extortion, coercion, and many other things that could affect their ability to consciously and honestly consent, without simply having to comply to the wants of their clients or "employers".

The arguments made against the presence of the victim in these deeds are easily disproved with studies, or just common sense. While it seems as though if prostitution was legal, there wouldn't be such an astounding amount of other issues (like trafficking and fraud) surrounding it, that was proven untrue by an observational study. The arguments were misinformed and based on speculation, some of them even disproving themselves whilst trying to make a point for themselves. It was very clear from the beginning that prostitution as an industry victimises those who work within it; more specifically, those who perform the sexual favours and acts. There is a shocking amount of lack of understanding of consent within the industry, leaving a lot of room for rape and other forms of violence.

Overall, while prostitutes themselves shouldn't be criminalised, seeing as they have been proven to be the victims in these scenarios, the actual act of prostitution shouldn't be endorsed or encouraged in any way. It does more harm than good, and it definitely harms a vast amount of people, whether it is knowingly or not doesn't really matter.

Bibliography: Legality of sex work: http://www.mash.org.uk/get-support/the-law/

Opinions on sex work: https://www.globalsistersreport.org/news/trafficking/worldwide-debate-about-sex-work-morality-meets-reality-48216

Opinions for and against: https://prostitution.procon.org/questions/is-prostitution-a-victimless-crime/

Violence against sex workers: http://sro.sussex.ac.uk/id/eprint/26912/1/Phipps_VAWchapter.pdf https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/full/10.1111/j.0141-9889.2004.00405.x

Trafficking and prostitution: https://www.theguardian.com/uk/2009/oct/20/trafficking-numbers-women-exaggerated https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0305750X12001453#s0030

Criminalisation of sex work: https://d8dev.nswp.org/sites/default/files/impact_of_criminalisation_pb_prf01.pdf

Sex work and mental/physical health: https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC5735638/ https://www.researchgate.net/publication/349336426_Impact_of_Prostitution_on_Health

Consent within sex work: https://www.abc.net.au/news/2016-04-28/jensen-with-prostitution,-when-is-consent-not-consent/7363782

Substance abuse and sex work: https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/7143150/

General statistics: https://sex-crimes.laws.com/prostitution/prostitution-statistics

Notes: I have slightly changed the structure of this essay as it was kind of a disjointed mess, the arguments were all over the place. I fixed some typos and grammatical mistakes that I noticed. I now have an improved structure and I'm fairly proud of it. I will reblog it when it gets graded, hopefully I'll have some tips and pointers for improvement.

[and-then-there-were-n0ne]

The Minnesota Starvation Study

In the 1940s, when starvation was widespread throughout war-torn Europe, little was known about the effects of human starvation or how to best refeed people who’d suffered from such deprivations. Dr. Keys led the first scientific study of calorie restrictions, at the Laboratory of Physiological Hygiene at the University of Minnesota, for the War Department. The researchers wanted to understand the medical needs facing millions of starving war victims and how best to renourish and rehabilitate them to health after the war. Their study was known as the Minnesota Starvation Study and the results were published in the legendary two-volume, Biology of Human Starvation (Minneapolis: University of Minneapolis, 1950). The study itself was so comprehensive and intense, however, that even Dr. Keys admitted no other human experiment quite like it will ever be done again because, given what we now know, it would be seen as too cruel and life-threatening. While the degree of suffering the participants underwent would violate what is seen as the ethical rights for human research subjects today, in one respect this study was different from obesity and weight loss research done today. These men were not volunteering because they felt they needed to lose weight for fear that their own lives were endangered, nor were the study authors motivated by personal gain or selling a weight loss program. Even the recruitment poster for the Minnesota Experiment, dated May 27, 1944, asked for men willing to starve so others may be better fed. The volunteers were all conscientious objectors to the war who said they wanted to do something of real meaning for their country, make a contribution to science and help to improve the medical care for the millions of starving people in Europe. They gave their consent freely, without a feeling of personal duress and with full knowledge of the risks. The recruitment information they were given stressed how difficult the experiment would be. One participant later said: “They explained what was going to happen. There was nothing held back. They explained that they could not assure me that there would be no permanent damage… They did not know what would happen. This is what they were trying to find out… really they emphasized the discomfort… this was not going to be an easy task down the road.” Sixty years later, Johns Hopkins interviewed the surviving study participants for their first-hand experiences and they all said they would do it again:

[T]he men continued to look back on participation in the Minnesota Experiment as one of the most important and memorable activities in their lives. Wesley Miller reported, “It’s colored my whole life experience… [and was] one of the most important things I ever did… I’m proud of the work the Civilian Public Service did during the war.“ Samuel Legg seemed to speak for all of the men when he commented, “I think probably most of us are feeling we did something good and are glad we did it, and that helps us live a better life.”

The experiment — the starvation syndrome

The 40 young male participants were carefully selected among hundreds of volunteers for being especially psychologically and socially well-adjusted, good-humored, motivated, well-educated, active and healthy. They were put on calorie-restrictive diets of about 1,600 calorie/day, meant to reflect that experienced in war-torn regions, for 3 months. They dieted to lose 2.5 pounds a week to lose 25% of their natural body weight. The calories were more generous than many weight loss diets prescribe today! What this study was actually studying, of course, was dieting and restrictive eating — our bodies can’t tell the difference if they’re being semi-starved involuntarily like war victims or voluntarily. During the 3-month nutritional rehabilitation period after the diet, the men were randomly assigned to various nutritional regimens, with differing levels of calories, proteins and vitamins. The men lived at the lab and everything they ate and did was closely monitored, as was their health with a battery of tests. Daily exercise was walking about 3 miles a day. As difficult as the diets were for the subjects, they knew their hunger was less than that of the war victims they were trying to help. All but four completed the study. One of the participants said: “The difference between us and the people we were trying to serve: they probably had less food than we did. We were starving under the best possible medical conditions. And most of all, we knew the exact day on which our torture was going to end. None of that was true of people in Belgium, the Netherlands, or whatever.” Dr. Keys and colleagues painstakingly chronicled how the men did during the 6 months of dietary interventions and for up to a year afterwards. This study scientifically defined for the first time “the starvation syndrome.” As the men lost weight, their physical endurance dropped by half, their strength about 10%, and their reflexes became sluggish — with the men initially the most fit showing the greatest deterioration, according to Dr. Keys. The men’s resting metabolic rates declined by 40%, their heart volume shrank about 20%, their pulses slowed and their body temperatures dropped. They complained of feeling cold, tired and hungry; having trouble concentrating; of impaired judgment and comprehension; dizzy spells; visual disturbances; ringing in their ears; tingling and numbing of their extremities; stomach aches, body aches and headaches; trouble sleeping; hair thinning; and their skin growing dry and thin. Their sexual function and testes size were reduced and they lost all interest in sex. They had every physical indication of accelerated aging. As the physical effects became more dramatic, one study participant said Mrs. Keys confided that Dr. Keys “went through terrible times during the experiment as we lost weight and became gaunt and so on. And he would come home and say, ‘What am I doing to these young men? I had no idea it was going to be this hard.’” But the psychological changes that were brought on by dieting, even among these robust men with only moderate calorie restrictions, were the most profound and unexpected. So much so that Dr. Keys called it “semistarvation neurosis.” The men became nervous, anxious, apathetic, withdrawn, impatient, self-critical with distorted body images and even feeling overweight, moody, emotional and depressed. A few even mutilated themselves, one chopping off three fingers in stress. They lost their ambition and feelings of adequacy, and their cultural and academic interests narrowed. They neglected their appearance, became loners and their social and family relationships suffered. They lost their senses of humor, love and compassion. Instead, they became obsessed with food, thinking, talking and reading about it constantly; developed weird eating rituals; began hoarding things; consumed vast amounts of coffee and tea; and chewed gum incessantly (as many as 40 packages a day). Binge eating episodes also became a problem as some of the men were unable to continue to restrict their eating in their hunger. The act of restricting food and the constant hunger “made food the most important thing in one’s life,” said one of the participants. “Food became the one central and only thing really in one’s life. And life is pretty dull if that’s the only thing. I mean, if you went to a movie, you weren’t particularly interested in the love scenes, but you noticed every time they ate and what they ate.” These experiences are familiar to those who’ve spent their lives dieting. In fact, many of the symptoms once thought to be primary features of anorexia nervosa are actually normal biological responses of undernutrition and restrictive eating, said David M. Garner, PhD., director of River Centre Clinic in Sylvania, Ohio, in Psychoeducational principles in the treatment of eating disorders (NY: Guilford Press, 1997). It was actually Dr. Keys’ research that first evidenced the role of dieting in increasing risks for eating disorders. The extreme physical and mental effects Dr. Keys observed led to his famous quote: “Starved people cannot be taught democracy. To talk about the will of the people when you aren’t feeding them is perfect hogwash.” This was also what led early feminist activists to see dieting and weight concerns as a way to keep women preoccupied with food, filled with guilt and self-hatred, more easily influenced by others, and too mentally and physically exhausted to succeed professionally and politically.

The aftermath

The last part of the Minnesota Starvation Study revealed perhaps the most important effects. When the men were allowed to eat ad libitum again, they had insatiable appetites, yet never felt full. Even five months later, some continued to have dysfunctional eating, although most were finally regaining some normalization of their eating. As they regained their weights, their suppressed metabolism and energy levels returned, although even three months after ending the diet none of the men had yet regained their former physical capacity, noted Dr. Keys. While it seemed the men were “overeating,” Dr. Keys discovered that their bodies actually needed inordinate amount of calories for their tissues to be rebuilt:

Our experiments have shown that in an adult man no appreciable rehabilitation can take place on a diet of 2,000 calories a day. The proper level is more like 4,000 kcal daily for some months. The character of the rehabilitation diet is important also, but unless calories are abundant, then extra proteins, vitamins and minerals are of little value.

In other words, they weren’t really “overeating,” it was a biological, normal effect of hunger and weight loss. The men regained their original weights plus 10%. The regained weight was disproportionally fat, and their lean body mass recovered much more slowly. With unlimited food and unrestricted eating, their weights plateaued and finally, about 9 months later, most had naturally returned to their initial weights without trying — giving scientists one of the first demonstrations that each body has a natural, genetic set point, whether it be fat or thin. Despite the fear that with unrestrained eating everyone would continue to grow larger, it isn’t true. As Dr. Garner explained:

One of the most notable implications of the Minnesota experiment is that it challenges the popular notion that body weight is easily altered if one simply exercises a bit of “willpower.“ It also demonstrates that the body is not simply “reprogrammed” at a lower set point once weight loss has been achieved. The volunteers’ experimental diet was unsuccessful in overriding their bodies’ strong propensity to defend a particular weight level. Again, it is important to emphasize that following the months of refeeding, the Minnesota volunteers did not skyrocket into obesity.

[…] Scientists at Rockefeller University replicated the findings of the Minnesota Starvation study and went on to learn that the body has an incredibly complex and sophisticated system to regulate its fat stores. And when those fat levels deviate from the body’s genetic setpoint, compensatory mechanisms kick in to return the body to is normal state without us having a lot of say about the matter. Decades of sound studies have continued to show that healthy obese people eat and behave no differently than anyone else to explain why their bodies are bigger. It’s not “overeating,” or eating “unhealthy” foods or not enough “healthy” foods, or too little activity, that explains why some of us are fat and others lean. Conventional wisdom on obesity’s cause hasn’t changed appreciably from the time of Galen, who held obese individuals responsible for their size, said obesity researcher Dr. Jeffrey M. Friedman, M.D., Ph.D., head of the Laboratory of Molecular Genetics at Rockefeller University. The commonly held belief that obese people can simply decide to eat less and exercise more to control their weight is “at odds with substantial scientific evidence illuminating a precise and powerful biological system that maintains body weight within a relatively narrow range (10-20 pounds),” he said. Fat people are victimized by a social stigma predicated on these myths, he wrote in a 2004 issue of Nature Medicine. Our body shapes and sizes are, to a most significant extent, genetically determined. “The heritability of obesity is equivalent to that of height and greater than that of almost every other condition that has been studied,” said Dr. Friedman. Someone genetically predisposed to obesity will become obese independent of their caloric intake, he explains. And, while it may explain a few extra pounds, it’s not the environment, where almost everyone as unlimited access to calories, that explains the marked difference in body weights in our population today. “Why has the scientific evidence from long-standing obesity research not found its way into the minds of the public and even a significant proportion of the scientific community?,” asks Dr. Friedman. “Perhaps,“ he says, "it is because these views are shaped by a constant barrage of advertisements from the diet industry which has a multibillion dollar interest in promoting the view that weight can be controlled through volition alone… Perhaps it is because humans prefer to believe that the conscious wish to be trim is an element of our “free will” and should therefore dominate” our genes. But the average person eats one million or more calories each year, while weight changes very little, because energy balance is biologically regulated with a precision of greater than 99.5%, which far exceeds what can be consciously controlled, he explained.

[adrianodiprato]

+ “Design is really an act of communication, which means having a deep understanding of the person with whom the designer is communicating.” ― Donald A. Norman

Game Changers | Series Seven Reflection For Series Six, we turned our attention to Flourishing Future: Designing for a better normal as we attempted to unpack the provocation How do we in schools keep challenging binary thinking for designing a better normal? In Series Seven of the Game Changers Podcast, we once again have eleven remarkable educators – a financial literacy guru, an immersive learning designer, a Director of Student Opportunity & Careers Education, a global citizenship educational leader, an inclusive education champion, a foundational Principal, an Imagine If explorer, a Principal of marginalised youth in society, an entrepreneurial education superstar and two visionaries of the transition from high school to life. Each challenged our binary thinking and inspired us with their version of intentionally designing a better normal – all Game Changers who continue to light the torch for us and show us the way to build schools (and even society) differently. 

Each Series Seven Game Changers guest reminded us that those school leaders and educational sectors that understand potential futures, and what each might mean for them, and have the courage to plan ahead, will be the best prepared to support young people to succeed and flourish in the obvious reality of our new tomorrow. That we need to re-examine the purpose of schooling for our times and ensure that it is based on the facts and best predictions about the impact of this relentless change. It means realising that our decision on our vision today will lead to consequences in the future that we may or may not live to see, but others will, especially our COVID Children and the generations that follow.

Our Series Seven Game Changers helped us explore the key ingredients for designing a better normal, so that each young person in a school might begin to flourish in their today and into their future. We started Series Seven with Founder of Money School, Lacey Filipich. 

Episode One | Lacey Filipich Key learnings – I first met the effervescent Lacey at s p a c e in 2019. I was instantly drawn to her infectious smiles, smarts and optimistic concept of money and its real human value. Our conversation in Series Seven highlighted the value of flipping the ‘time poor’ narrative, this deficit thinking economics, to the concept of being time rich, a half glass full story line, when viewing financial management, an important literacy for all learners, that focuses on lifting up, from a conversation around limiting waste and liberating hope.

Episode Two | Mond Qu Key learnings – Encounters that evoke feelings of awe often lead to new relationships with self, place and the other. These moments of awe give us a profound sense of hope and the ability to see the bigger picture. Each teaches us that there might be something magical in beauty of everyday life, that we can be forever grateful for. Working in research, practice, and teaching internationally, Mond challenges all educators and learners to iterate in this space of encounter and embrace the challenges of the 21st century. In this episode, he discusses why we all should adopt a designer mindset in a world that needs us to be more curious, more creative, more diverse than ever before, through being open to exploring the power of habits and intentionality immersive encounters of wonder and awe. 

Episode Three | Samantha Jean McFetridge Key learnings – Outstanding organisations like Foundations for Young Australians (FYA) have illustrated to us, through extensive reports that there is a new work order, that career pathways aren’t as linear as they used to be with young people expected to have 17 jobs across 5 careers in their lifetime. Our conversation with Samantha reminded us that entrepreneurial-minded learners achieve success by applying knowledge, creatively and resourcefully; be it in STEM, business, creative arts, trade, social enterprise, professional or any other type of knowledge. And that this ability is recognised globally as critical to 21st century learning and active citizenship. Understanding that this is not just about building a business but empowering all learners to build their own future through discovering possibilities available to them, via a comprehensive career’s education framework.

Episode Four | Hamish Curry Key learnings – Our chat with Hamish reminded me of the significance of place. This thinking is centred around the notion that learning can take place anywhere, anytime. Where young people can access knowledge at a touch of a button. Therefore, schools need to commit to creating authentic learning experiences that enable learners to connect deeper with self, place and especially the other. This more personal exchange with real-world contexts and in-country immersions allows all learners to consider the social change, dialogue and bridge building needed to better connect to local and global communities. It allows for all learners to construct global perspectives and their own meaning not only in the classroom, but outside the classroom and outside of school. And we cannot ignore that virtual reality ensures that the entire world is the new classroom.

Episode Five | Tanya Sheckley Key learnings – The rise and rise and rise of personalised learning. Alongside our changing notions of what constitutes a classroom, Tanya reminded us that our ideas about the way teaching is delivered must also be reshaped. That the old ‘one size fits all’ model is outdated and has no place in the agenda for today’s schooling, for today’s tomorrow. As a result, teachers will need to develop individualised learning plans for students, each home to a unique life, which will enable each student to access curriculum and learning designed at a pace that best suits their abilities and divergent needs, that allows them to engage with knowledge, skills, and wisdom, that are most beneficial to them.

Episode Six | Scott Donohoe Key learnings – True vulnerability is waking up each day and choosing courage over comfort. School leaders have a responsibility to shepherd all in their learning community to a post pandemic next, new, or better normal. Scott is one of those school leaders that has a capacity of tuning in and outward and being brave enough to anticipate evolution and opportunity born from moments of real struggle and challenge and flipped to opportunity and hope. He realises that courage is about overcoming all obstacles when most of the society are frozen in an old reality. He realises that courage is to not be afraid to become and reveal who you really are, for self and the places and people you serve and lead.

Episode Seven | Loni Bergqvist Key learnings – Imagine If students have more opportunities to learn at different times in different places. With anytime, anywhere learning becoming the better normal for our students. Where online tools facilitate opportunities for a more highly personalised learning experience of individually targeted stretch and challenge tasks. One that is self-paced, self-determined and incorporates relevant and real-world inquiry-based learning. Resulting in all classrooms being flipped, meaning the knowledge and skills part is learned outside the classroom, at home. Where on campus class time becomes one of character appreciation, deep collaboration, teamwork and the practical application or transfer of knowledge and understanding, of real-life issues. Where taking tests will be replaced by students’ growth and achievement through creative and collaboration projects to problem solve wicked and relevant real-world questions. Well, this exits via Loni and her team at Imagine If.

Episode Eight | Sally Lasslett Key learnings – Our encounter with Sally animated what truly matters in education, people. Sally and the brilliant staff at The Hestor Hornbrook Academy understand that their vocation is being an important champion to their students, many of which have had an adverse childhood or experienced significant trauma. And why do these educators do what they do - well, from my perspective they get that every person in our schools is home to a unique life. This learning community isn’t about a handout, but a hand forward and up, where each feels seen, respected, safe, valued and understood. Sally reminded me of my why, and the profoundness of why I will forever be a teacher. The greatest vocation in the world.

Special Series | Nicole Dyson and Will Stubley & Saxon Phipps Key learnings – Phil’s chats with Nicole, Will and Saxon reminded me of crowdsourced classes, entrepreneurship or self-directed learning is almost certainly at the core of the future of learning. To not allow learners to ‘play’ with information, platforms, and ideas is to ignore them access to the tools and patterns of 21st Century life. And that in a progressive learning environment, students should constantly be generating original ideas from multiple sources of information–and be doing so guided by teachers, mentors, and communities, all in pursuit of self-knowledge and self-created meaning and creativity. Highlighting the role of teaching becomes much more about coaching and guiding students to not only build their knowledge, skills, and attributes, but to also make better sense of what they are learning, to fully flourish in life.

From each of our Series Seven Game Changers we learnt the significance for learning communities to be deeply tuned into the sign of times, this new world we live in. That we have a responsibility to shepherd all in our learning communities as they emerge from the pandemic towards designing a better normal in doing school. That this is about anticipating the opportunity born from moments of real struggle and challenge. And about planning and executing an incremental and unstoppable evolution towards better outcomes for all learners. While overcoming all obstacles when many in society are still frozen in an old reality. 

Thank you to Lacey, Mond, Samantha, Hamish, Tanya, Scott, Loni, Sally, Nicole, Will and Saxon for sharing your story and passion. And thank for reminding us all that each person in our learning communities is home to a life. It is as simple and complex as that. Born from the construct of love – of self, for place and the other.

Listen to our Series Seven: Epilogue via streaming platforms - SoundCloud, Apple Podcasts, Spotify, and Google Play.

[opiatemasses]

Strong men, fragile minds: Bodybuilding and Mental health

In recent times there has been an incline in exercise participation involving men and women across the world. Whether its competing in team events, going on solo jogs, or hitting the gym and getting a pump on. One thing is for certain, we know regular exercise with a good diet necessitates a healthy body and a strong mind, right?

Mental and Physical benefits of regular exercise

Physical Benefits

The NHS champion the positive benefits frequent exercise has on our physical wellbeing. For example, there is up to a 50% lower risk of type 2 diabetes, a 30% lower risk of an early death, and up to a 35% lower risk of coronary heart disease and stroke.

Furthermore, the NHS recommends how much exercise we should be participating per week, if you are unsure how much you should be exercising take a look at the below links to find out:

Young people aged 5- 18 years

Adults aged 19-64 years

Older adults aged 65 and over  

Mental Benefits

Sport England discovered that over the course of the six-week lockdown average 63% of people in England participated in exercise to manage their mental health.

A study from Kenneth. R Fox written in 1999, reported on the potential effects exercise has on the improvement of mental wellbeing. Such as, clinical or subclinical depression and anxiety.

Furthermore, the paper examined the use of physical activity as a means of upgrading life quality through, enhanced self-esteem, improved mood states, reduced state and trait anxiety, resilience to stress, and improved sleep. Click the link to read in more detail.

We have Identified the positive benefits of exercise for both physical and mental wellbeing, but what happens when we take exercise too far?

What is bodybuilding?

Case study- Connor Wilcox: Below is a link to a podcast I did with Connor, interviewing him on his experience as a bodybuilder in that social space.

https://open.spotify.com/show/2Urc8rJFr8F48hKAl6GvRp?si=MtJR6BM-RxCe39Z2iGE2Mg

Connor goes into detail about his experience in the 'bodybuilding' world. He speaks on the training methods and diets he goes through, the stigma around bodybuilding, mental disorders that are exposed to bodybuilders, the perception of steroids use in the sport, and how society is to blame for mental disorders to flourish. 

Bodybuilders and Muscle Dysmorphia

Bodybuilders (with their high masculine egos) on first glance, may be seen to be powerful, strong minded individuals and less likely to be receptive to any mental illness compared to ‘regular sized people’. Are however, just as vulnerable to the mind crippling thoughts of self-doubt, self-harm, and unworthiness. Below is a case study showing the effects of one particular mental disorder prominent in in male bodybuilders.

In a recent BBC documentary, it is feared that 1 in 10 men that train in UK gyms have Muscular Dysmorphia.

What is Muscle Dysmorphia?

Muscle Dysmorphia (MD) is categorised as a sub-group of Body Dysmorphic Disorder (BDD) that is commonly found in male bodybuilders and males that are involved in the weightlifting world. Although the disease is not discriminatory to woman as study authored by Ung, Fones, and Ang in 2000, concluded that research in this field has centred its examination of the eating disorder primarily in males.

In a study by Pope and colleagues written in 2005, expanded on the definition of Muscle Dysmorphia. Concluding that an individual with such a disorder is obsessed with a particular body part (e.g., ears, nose, hair), however some are preoccupied with their entire body, thinking it is not lean enough, too small, and insufficiently muscular. Leading to deficiency in social or occupational functioning.

The association of men fearing of looking “insignificant” or “diminutive”, when in reality they look ordinary or even objectively muscular is often correlated with distress about the body being seen in public. Wolke and Sapouna produced a research paper, “Big men, feeling small”, transcribed in 2008 examined the correlation between childhood bullying and the link to Muscle Dysmorphia. Researchers found that bodybuilders who were exposed to childhood trauma (bullying, abuse) were more likely to experience Muscle Dysmorphia tendencies.

What allows mental disorders to succeed in our environment?

Social pressure

Dr Scott Griffiths ‘Ted Talk’ on society as a catalyst for mental illnesses to thrive, explains one mental disorder that is Muscle Dysmorphia, and offers possible solutions/advice to those suffering with the disorder.

WE are influenced by the body we are exposed to. “As society places increasing value on those aspects of physical appearance that can be modified through diet or exercise, whether it is body fat or muscle, we create an environment in which eating disorders can flourish”- Dr Scott Griffiths.  

Objectification theory

Definition of Objectification theory: is a framework that was created by Frederickson and Roberts in 1997 for the purpose of understanding the experience of being female in a culture that sexually objectifies the female body.

While this framework was initially invented to comprehend the processes engaged in females emotional and behavioural reactions to meet Western societies cultural standards of physical appearance, a study written by Tiggemann and Kuring in 2004 found this framework can also be applied to males.

Let’s apply this to the male bodybuilding world

A study formulated by Hallsworth, Wade, and Tiggemann in 2005, examined whether ‘objectification theory’ could be used to offer an explanation on the observed differences in male body-image and the negative effects self-surveillance can have on the wellbeing of male bodybuilders.

Results of the study found that bodybuilders had substantially higher levels of self-surveillance, compared to the other male participant groups. Researchers found that there was a strong correlation between persistent self-surveillance and an increase in body shame and appearance anxiety in male bodybuilders, in turn exposing them to mental disorders such as Body Dysmorphic Disorder (BDD) and Muscle Dysmorphia (MD). So, what causes such disorders to infest the mind of such an individual?

Possible Causes of Muscle Dysmorphia:

We cannot say with certainty the fundamental cause or causes of Muscle Dysmorphia, but we are able to offer possible reasons by which the disorder can thrive. The Mind organisations website propose prospective triggers:

Abuse or Bullying – Experiencing abuse or bullying can cause one to develop a negative self-image and may lead one to be obsessed about their appearance.

Low self-esteem- you may become fixated on certain aspects of your appearance that you would like to improve, making oneself attach a lot of importance to how you look.

Fear of being alone or isolated- Fearing of being alone or feeling isolated from social groups may lead to negative irrational thought patterns which could lead to the disorder.

Perfectionism- trying to appear physically perfect or regularly comparing yourself with other people can lead to BDD/MD behaviours.

Genetics- some research propose that BDD/MD is more common in people whose family members also have the mental disorder.

Depression, anxiety or OCD- those that suffer with other mental health problems, are more likely to be affected by BDD/MD, due to the individual suffering with self-doubt and obsessive tendencies.

Signs and Symptoms of Muscle Dysmorphia

The Laurence Trust is a charity that supports men living with Eating Disorders and their families. The charity offers advice, helplines, and informs us on the recognisable symptoms of Muscle Dysmorphia. Please take a moment to have a look at the great work this charity does and the extensive information they provide on such disorders.

Detectable symptoms of Muscle Dysmorphia include:

Excessive exercise with the aim of ‘bulking- up’

Preoccupation with body image, specifically the wish to look muscular

Often neglecting other life interests and Planning your day around exercise

Use of anabolic steroids or dietary supplements aimed at increasing muscle mass

Avoiding situations where the individual’s body could be exposed due to feeling deficient

Obeying unconventional diets to help achieve the ‘perfect’ body shape

Being obsessed with the idea that one’s body is not muscular or lean enough

Ceaseless ‘mirror checking’ or completely avoiding the mirror

What can we do to help those in need?

Helping someone with Muscle Dysmorphia?

TOGETHER we are STRONGER

Recovery village is a support organisation that helps tackle people with drug addiction, alcohol abuse, and those who suffer from mental health issues. They have a 24/7 helpline that is open for those with the problem and those looking to support those people with the issue. Not only this, but they also offer advice on their website that gives tips on how you can help those in need.

These include:

Steer the conversation away from their appearance or what they see as flaws.

Avoid talking about your own insecurities or flaws, this could spiral into a more negative conversation.

Provide a space where they can talk openly and freely with you about their feelings.

Celebrate the small steps your loved one or friend takes that improves their mental wellbeing.

Even if you cannot understand your friend or loved one’s feelings, work on understanding that their feelings are real to them.

Encourage your loved one or friend to seek help for BDD/MD.

Recommend online therapy services such as teletherapy.

I am certainly not suggesting the above tips will ‘cure’ your or your friends’ condition, but by coming together and supporting one another we can help support those on the road to recovery. Together we are stronger.  

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For those who would like to further your newly founded knowledge on this area of research please see the academic reading list below.

Recommended reading

Fox, K. R. (1999). The influence of physical activity on mental well-being. Public health nutrition, 2(3a), 411-418.

Hallsworth, L., Wade, T., & Tiggemann, M. (2005). Individual differences in male body‐image: An examination of self‐objectification in recreational body builders. British journal of health psychology, 10(3), 453-465.

Tiggemann, M., & Kuring, J. K. (2004). The role of body objectification in disordered eating and depressed mood. British Journal of Clinical Psychology, 43(3), 299-311.

Wolke, D., & Sapouna, M. (2008). Big men feeling small: Childhood bullying experience, muscle dysmorphia and other mental health problems in bodybuilders. Psychology of Sport and Exercise, 9(5), 595-604.

[rebeccarayner]

[vc_row][vc_column][vc_column_text]Wiltshire is an English county bursting with history. Tales of medieval conquest and druid ceremonies resonate across the county, but these tales have subsequently become overshadowed by their more famous neighbour, the prehistoric Stonehenge.

This ancient monument has become a popular day trip from London due to its easy transport connections to Salisbury, but what about the rest of Wiltshire? As well as the stones, there are plenty more things to see and do and different ways to experience one of England’s most historic counties. I teamed up with Visit Wiltshire to experience a jam-packed 2 day Wiltshire itinerary. What a way to discover how to maximise your visit to Wiltshire and how to get off the main tourist trail and see way more.[/vc_column_text][/vc_column][/vc_row][vc_row][vc_column][vc_column_text]

Don’t forget to pin this post

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Day one in Wiltshire

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Stay Somewhere Unique- Stonehenge Campsite And Glamping Pods

Staying in the same homogenous chain hotel time after time never really gives you any feeling of depth, diversity or the sense of truly discovering what a destination is about. Try and get away from the tourist traps of familiar chains and instead focus on finding something unique, different or that allows you to discover more of somewhere. If you’re planning a visit to Wiltshire and really want to be in the heart of this historic landscape, then a fantastic place to stay is the Stonehenge Campsite and Glamping Pods. With direct bus routes to Salisbury and Devizes, it’s easy to get around. The site has award-winning facilities and a range of camping options. If you want a truly unique experience there are a range of Glamping pods available, each with its own special touches. I stayed in the Butterfly Pod, a little wooden hut with a warming electric fireplace, double bed and tea making facilities. There was a private garden and picnic bench, perfect to enjoy the outdoors with a little privacy.

To find out more information about pricing and the different types of glamping pods available, visit the Stonehenge Campsite Website[/vc_column_text][vc_column_text]

Walking The Salisbury Plain, A Guided Tour Through History

I always say the best way to get to know somewhere is to walk it, so to take this one step further, a personalised guided tour is like turning a place into a potential mastermind subject and getting to experience it in a way not everybody does. Chris from Guided Walks In Wiltshire took us on a guided tour around Salisbury Plain, pointing out interesting historical information and stories as we walked. The tour took a varied route from the gate of our campsite through winding villages and up into woodland and out to the vast windy openness of the Plain.

Not only is the countryside in this area known for its historical sites of importance such as the Neolithic Stonehenge and surrounding monuments like woodhenge, but the area also has a fascinating background with the British armed forces. The area is still highly used today for military training when you’re walking you encounter some obvious signs of this, including tank-crossings.

To find out more about Guided Walks In Wiltshire and how to book a guided walk, visit their website here [/vc_column_text][vc_column_text]

Visit Stonehenge

Even when you’re travelling consciously trying to avoid the big tourist traps in favour of experiencing somewhere like a local, there are always circumstances where it’s worth making an exception. When in Wiltshire it is definitely worth paying a visit to Stonehenge. Though this ancient monument lay shrouded in mystery it’s modernisation was front-page news, with English Heritage spending a whooping £27 Million renovating the sites visitors centre.

Learn more about Stonehenge on the English Heritage website

Kristi of Day Trip Tips has written an amazing blogpost detailing even more about visiting Stonehenge and Avebury. If you’re interested in visiting definitely give here blog post a read here. [/vc_column_text][vc_column_text]

Eat Like The Locals

Once you’re done with soaking up the historical landscapes and culture, you’ll probably have worked up quite an appetite. Food and culture are ingrained into one another so the best way to know somewhere is to eat what the locals eat. In England, this could be as simple as going to your local country pub. There are many small picturesque villages a short distance from the stones, meaning plenty of options for food lovers. I visited The Swan Inn at Stowford for a taste of the comfort food us British LOVE! There was plenty on the menu to choose from, I ordered the lamb shank with mint gravy, seasonal veg and mashed potato, which was cooked to perfection.

After dinner the local pub is also the best place to wind down, maybe have a drink with some locals. We did a bit of pub hopping and visited another small pub, The Boot Inn, that happened to be running a quiz that night. It was £2 entry per person, which included a surprisingly decadent half time snack of homemade pasty and roast potatoes. The pub had a very close-knit family vibe but was also exceedingly welcoming, which made for a very fun evening.

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Visiting Devizes, A Wiltshire Market Town

After spending the first day of our trip getting to know the outdoor landscapes, local history and small villages of Wiltshire, Day two meant it was time to discover a more urbanised area. Devizes is a market town with a rich medieval past and fascinating architectural history, with over 500 listed buildings in the area. Alongside its regular Thursday market, the town has some great places to visit and explore.

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Local business At Its Best: The Wadworth Brewery Tour

Located in Devizes since 1875, family-owned Wadwarth is a cornerstone of Devizes identity. Impressively, they have managed to keep up many of their traditions, which are now available for all to see during regular guided tours of the brewery. Walking around gives you a fascinating insight into the history of Wadworth and its production of typically British ales. Although some of the production has been modernised and changed with time (like the move away from coal power to greener alternatives) it is nice to see some firmly remain intact. Wadworth still uses traditional Shire horses to deliver casked ale to local pubs in Devizes. The three horses, Monty, Max and Archie, regularly attend local events and compete in shows. The brewery also has it’s own in house sign painters, creating traditional and personalised signs for its entire 200 plus partnership pubs. Prince Charles recently paid a visit to the brewery to honour its work in promoting the importance of community and local pubs across Britain.

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To find out more about Wadworth and the tours of the Brewery, visit their website.

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Learn About History On A Local Scale

Unlike national museums that encompassed broad subjects of wide international importance, small museums can provide significant context on the important historical events of a specific location, meaning a much more targeted and therefore encompassing approach. In the case of The Wiltshire Museum, it significantly covers the history of the counties story, including but not limited to Stonehenge. The museum allows you to pursue its range of award-winning displays at leisure, including treasures discovered inside the stone circle by various archaeologists. If you want to learn about Stonehenge and the regions wider history in a quiet, relaxed and knowledgeable setting this museum is the place to visit.

For more information about the Wiltshire museum, visit their website [/vc_column_text][/vc_column][/vc_row][vc_row][vc_column][vc_column_text]I hope you enjoyed reading my first Two Days To Do It Differently feature. Living on the Wiltshire border myself, it is an area I am very familiar with and one I know can easily be a tourist trap, what with having one of the most well-known attractions in England. I thought for the first feature, it’d be nice to start on a local scale and try and see somewhere close by a little differently. I have found it’s common to have the tendency to take places nearby for granted, instead favouring more far-flung and exotic destinations. Exploring Wiltshire showed me just how much potential lays right on your own doorstep.

*Disclaimer: Thank you to visit Wiltshire for partnering up with me and guiding me in finding some fantastic things to do across the county. They provided the accommodation and activities free of charge for this visit.

If you would like to learn more about what to do in Wiltshire, the best place to go is the Visit Wiltshire Website

Thanks for reading,

Rayner

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Two Day Wiltshire itinerary: visiting Stonehenge, brewery tour and Wiltshire walks Wiltshire is an English county bursting with history. Tales of medieval conquest and druid ceremonies resonate across the county, but these tales have subsequently become overshadowed by their more famous neighbour, the prehistoric Stonehenge.

[unbidden-yidden]

I saw your post about how Xianity is not essential to Judaism and and I don't want to derail it it but one particular thing really struck me while reading it; the concept of teshuva compared to Xian forgiveness, particularly how those differences really reflect how I've seen both religious cultures (???) handle person-to-person forgiveness. Judaism (at least from what I've seen) has actual steps for apologising, and they're all really good common-sense rules like 'don't do it again'. (1/3)

(cont.) The burden is on the offender to make things right, they’re the active party. In contrast, in Xianity you don’t have to do anything to make it up to the person you hurt. In fact, in Xian communities there’s usually a burden on the /hurt/ party to forgive and it’s seen as really cruel and a sign of moral weakness that you won’t let them feel better about what they did, even (sometimes /especially/) when they’re not sorry and intend to keep hurting you. (2/3)

(cont.) To me these two things feel like extensions of the attitude towards divine forgiveness and repentance. In Xianity receiving forgiveness feels like a very passive thing that’s all centred on your own guilt, your own inherent sin, and an attitude of ‘I said sorry so my hands are clean and now you have to make it up to me for making me feel bad for what I did’, etc. Judaism, on the other hand, seems to take a very pro-active, balanced approach of doing better for yourself and others. (3/3)

Hi Sarahsyna, 

The differences between xian and Jewish understandings of what forgiveness is and how we should go about it are interesting, no? 

I would say this is a pretty accurate analysis of the differences and where they come from. However, I would like to expand on this and add a bit of nuance to it, if I may. 

There are different levels and types of wrongs to be forgiven, and the responses to them should be different. 

Wrongs that are relatively minor, are fixable, and/or that are relatively common amongst otherwise decent people; 

Wrongs that major, unfixable, and/or that are criminal/violent in nature; 

Wrongs committed against oneself

Wrongs committed against others (usually in your sphere of influence, such as to your family members, but not necessarily) 

In my experience, Judaism does a much better job of making these distinctions than xianity. 

Minor Wrongs vs. Major Wrongs

Xian forgiveness is really appropriate for minor wrongs (with proportionately minor consequences.) Things like: someone took your lunch once, which creates an annoying but temporary problem. We shouldn’t sweat the small stuff, and as frustrating as that situation is, it’s not worth holding a grudge against someone forever because of a dumb prank. 

Judaism similarly holds that we shouldn’t hang onto a grudge over this, and encourages people to let it go. Give the offender ample chance to apologize, but if they don’t, don’t waste your energy being mad at them. (Have you forgiven them? No. Should you still move on with your life? Yes.) 

Of course, if by taking your lunch, they caused you to be unable to take a vital medicine, which consequently put you in the hospital, it should change the equation, no? 

In xianity as I experienced it (**please insert that caveat throughout this discussion), it actually doesn’t change the equation. The intent of the offender was a dumb prank and so the forgiveness should be equally straightforward, even if the consequences to you are more severe than that person realized they would be when they did it. You should try to put yourself in the prankster’s shoes and imagine how awful you’d feel and how badly you’d want to be forgiven if it were you. 

In Judaism, that person would need to do a lot more to make it right before asking for forgiveness. That might involve helping you pay your hospital bills, picking up your slack at work and/or otherwise trying to help in concrete ways because while their intent was minor, the effect on you was major. They must cope with that reality in the same way that you must. Might their intent factor into how inclined you are to forgive them afterwards? Sure! But they need to show that they realize how serious the consequences of their actions are and seek to remedy it first. 

Fixable vs. Unfixable Wrongs

The consequences of some wrongs are fixable to varying degrees; others are not. If you take five dollars from my bag and then feel bad about it an hour later and put the money back? You’ve totally rectified the situation. 

On the other extreme? While I have put in many, many hours of therapy and self-reflection and healing and therefore have gotten it under control, I will never not have trauma from having been raped and abused. Even if the perps spent the rest of their lives truly regretting what they did and doing hard work on behalf of survivors, they could never undo the damage they caused, even if they subsequently changed their behavior 180 degrees. (Editorial note: unsurprisingly, none of them have actually done any of that.) 

Growing up, I felt an unbearable need to magnanimously forgive the perp despite his refusal to admit to what he did or apologize, and even as a culturally xian adult, I still felt a compulsory need to forgive subsequent offenders at least for my own sake in order to move on. 

Judaism relieved me of any responsibility to forgive any of them, ever, because they have never apologized. I’m not even allowed to forgive them since they’ve never asked for it, but I don’t have to do so in order to heal because nothing they could do could heal me anyway. Them apologizing wouldn’t change the reality of their acts and me forgiving them wouldn’t change their future behavior. My healing is (for better or worse) my problem, and their becoming better people is their problem. 

In a better world where they did hold themselves accountable? That would be stellar, but even in that world my remedy comes from the peace of mind in knowing that they aren’t hurting other people, from them still staying the hell away from me, and the justice in knowing that they have to live with what they did and are truly reckoning with it. 

As a side note, it’s worth noting that this is why lashon hara is compared to murder by the rabbis. Lashon hara literally means “evil speech,” but refers to true statements that did not need to be made for any serious purpose and are malicious in nature. As an example, “Alex has gotten really overweight this year, huh?” might strictly speaking be true, but is nevertheless clearly intended to be mean and gossipy. Why is lashon hara taken so seriously? Because you can’t put that toothpaste back in the tube. You can’t unring that bell. Once those words have left your lips, they’re out there, forever. You can apologize, but you can’t unsay what you already said. 

Grace vs. Accountability

Ultimately, I believe that the foundational difference between how xianity approaches forgiveness and how Judaism approaches forgiveness are how it is defined in each. 

In xianity, forgiveness flows, as you said from the idea that humans were forgiven for our sins by Jesus on his own initiative, and therefore we should replicate that kind of forgiveness in our own lives. Sin is inevitable, and the work of repairing it can be done by the person who was wronged, the same way that Jesus repaired humanity’s relationship with God through his sacrifice. This creates a model that centers grace given by the wronged person. Deservingness on the part of the wrongdoer does not factor into the equation. 

At its best, this gives the person who was wronged the agency to address the problem themselves without waiting around for the wrongdoer to get it together. It has the potential to allow people with pain to let go of that pain. At its worst, it creates a system where victims are pressured (by their communities, spiritual leaders, and/or themselves) to forgive at great cost to themselves with zero accountability on the part of the offender. 

However. 

That assumes, as a baseline, that forgiveness is a prerequisite to moving on with your life. In the same way that forgiveness by God/salvation is a prerequisite to eternal life in xianity, so too is forgiveness between individuals a prerequisite to living the rest of your life without that baggage. 

Judaism makes no such assumption. In fact, it comes to rather the opposite conclusion: forgiveness may be necessary for the wrongdoer to move on, but you, the wronged person, should feel no need to provide it unless and until the person has actually rectified the situation and asked for forgiveness. (And even under those circumstances, while forgiving is the morally correct thing to do, you aren’t always actually obligated to do so.) 

Judaism operates on an accountability model that says that if you harm another person, it’s on you to fix it to that person’s satisfaction. If you are harmed by another person, you should do whatever you need to in order to move forward, but you don’t have to say that they’ve met their burden unless and until they actually do. In this view, forgiveness is not defined as grace, but rather as recognition that the person has actually held themselves accountable for their actions. 

This, too, flows from a theological perspective: G-d expects us to constantly be striving to better ourselves, which we can only do by holding ourselves fully accountable for our actions. We are moral creatures, capable of making an active choice between good and evil. While mistakes are inevitable, we elevate ourselves spiritually, not by the grace of G-d or others, but by evaluating and reflecting on our own behavior and then taking active steps towards long-lasting change. 

All of that, however, refers to direct wrongs between the wrongdoer and the wronged. I would be extremely remiss if I didn’t address … … 

Wrongs Committed Against You vs. Wrongs Committed Against Others in Your Vicinity

One of the most serious problems I have with xian theology is the fact that the concept of grace doesn’t just apply between the wrongdoer and the wronged. It also applies between bystanders and the wronged. 

Here is a great example of this: 

Many of you may not know that one of my four children has Down syndrome. Her name is Bekah, and today she is 25. Bekah went to public school in elementary and middle school and was in normal classes and had lots of friends. Later, she attended college.

Many years ago, Bekah wanted to try out for cheer leading. My wife and I were amazed at how she learned the routines – jumping in the air, doing splits, and yelling out the cheers. Unfortunately, she did not make the team which was very disappointing for her and us. She had a really hard time understanding that she could no longer cheer with the other girls.

Soon afterwards, we received a letter from the coach explaining Bekah was not cut from the team because of her disability but because…she kicked, hit, yelled and cussed while in line with the other girls. We were stunned, no shocked, because Bekah had never exhibited any of those behaviors ever in any situation.

At a sleepover a few weeks later, which Bekah hosted in our home, several of the girls who had made the team asked my wife why Bekah had not made the team. My wife gently told them about the letter. They all immediately cried out, “Ms. Ellen, that’s not true at all. Bekah didn’t do any of those things. In fact, she did great in the tryouts.” Ellen called for me and asked me to come hear what the girls were saying. They repeated it all again.

This person had not only lied but had impugned Bekah’s character and we were angry! What had been done to our daughter was dastardly. The question afterwards was, “What are we going to do about this?” We knew we could not pull these girls into a dispute with this coach. So, we had no recourse. This coach had hurt a person who could not speak up for herself due to her disability and there was nothing we could do about it…except forgive.

Did this person deserve to be forgiven? Absolutely not. But we were not going to allow a root of bitterness to grow within us that Hebrews 12:15 warns about. We were not about to give this person power over our lives. We were not about to give Satan power over us. Was it easy? No! Everything in us cried out for justice but there was none to be had.

So, we trusted Christ in us, the greatest “forgiver” of all time, to live through us so we could forgive. We wanted to live like who we are in Christ, “forgivers”, in obedience from the love in our hearts for our Father. We wanted to “forgive one another just as God had forgiven us in Christ” (Ephesians 4:32) So, we sat before the Lord and poured out to Him our anger, our hurt, and our desire for justice. Then, because God had forgiven us for all our sins we did not deserve to be forgiven for, we forgave this person; meaning, we released the person from the debt we believe they owed us. In this case, the debt would have been an admission to us and especially to Bekah of the wrong they had done.

A few weeks later, would you believe that we saw this person at a church we were visiting? We were both so glad we had been honest with God about the hurts we received from the offense and then chose to forgive. We live free today from bitterness, resentment and unforgiveness. Praise God!

[Source: x] 

Okay, so we don’t have time to unpack all of that, but just… sit with the fact, for a moment, that Bekah is utterly silenced by this approach. Did her parents have any right to forgive the coach? No, no they did not. That was Bekah’s right, and Bekah’s alone. 

Compare that to what Rabbi Telushkin relays in his Code of Jewish Ethics: 

”The differing attitudes of Jews and Christians on granting forgiveness for serious, particularly violent, crimes is reflected in an incident that Dr. Solomon Schimmel, a psychologist and a religious Jew, relates in his book, Wounds Not Healed, concerning a Christian woman who nursed back to life a man who had murdered her parents and raped her. The man, shocked by her behavior, asked the woman, “Why didn’t you kill me?” She replied, “I am a follower of him [i.e., Jesus] who says, ‘Love your enemy.’ “A remarkable story, but as Schimmel, writing from a Jewish perspective, asks, “Why, however, is it noble to love and take care of evil people?”

“In contrast to this woman’s attitude, when the Jewish writer Cynthia Ozick was asked if it was morally appropriate to forgive a penitent Nazi SS officer who had participated in the murder of a Jewish community in Poland, she responded: “‘I forgive you,’ we say to the child who has muddied the carpet, ‘but next time don’t do it again.’ Next time, she will leave the muddy boots outside the door; forgiveness, with its enlarging capacity, will have taught her. Forgiveness is an effective teacher. Meanwhile, the spots can be washed away. But murder is irrevocable. Murder is irreversible…. Even if forgiveness restrains one from perpetrating a new batch of corpses, will the last batch come alive again?…Forgiveness is pitiless. It forgets the victim. It cultivates sensitiveness toward the murderer at the price of insensitiveness toward the victim.”

“And what of the penitent SS officer? “Let the SS man die unshriven. Let him go to hell.”

“The Jewish view can be summed up as follows: Forgiveness is almost always a virtue, but the taking of an innocent life is an unforgivable offense.”

[Source: x] 

[yogaadvise]

5 reasons why teaching alignment matters

You've most likely, eventually, been instructed to Stack your knee over your ankle in Warrior 2 or Align your shoulders over your wrists in Slab present. Just recently there has actually been much conversation in the yoga exercise world regarding whether or not yoga exercise instructors ought to give so many anatomical positioning signs like these.

As a passionate SAFE YOGA EXERCISE lover as well as a 6-year professional makeup educator of yoga teachers-in-training, my reply is a loud and unquestionable 'YES' to comprehensive and also smart placement cues. Below are 5 of my factors why:

1 FEEL ME, TOUCH ME, HEAL ME: Straightforward body awareness

When I was asked lately in a meeting why I think individuals need to practice Hatha yoga exercise, my response was: 'Yoga allows you to have the alternative experience of your body and also where it is positioned, at any kind of moment, in area as well as time ... basically the superb experience of being entirely symbolized, of sensation greatly ALIVE."

The bulk of trainees concerning exercise yoga for the very first time are hardly knowledgeable about their body as a whole. The majority of individuals experience themselves as parts ... fragmented.

The majority of trainees practicing yoga for the very first time are barely mindful of their body in its entirety. The majority of people experience themselves as parts ... fragmented.

Life has a means of doing this to us: throwing us curve sphere after captain hook (work, worries, traumas) and afterwards desensitizing us from the concerns that have built up in our tissues. I inform my teachers-in-training constantly that one of our many vital tasks as yoga teachers is to put 'Humpty Dumpty' back with each other again so she or he can go back into their lives and also do whatever it is that they do (for work or play) around again ... with zest, vitality, and incredible sense of feeling complete.

Alignment cues motivate people to concentrate their minds on a certain body component, the signs instruct them how to relocate (within their very own variety of motion), location it as well as infuse it, exactly how to feel it if it is tight, tense or restricted in some method. This then opens up the trainee approximately the much deeper understanding of their body and the myriad of possibilities (as well as realities) of much less pain as well as pain and even more liberty, simplicity as well as array of movement (where perhaps they were even not aware there was none).

2 THAT ARE YOU? Stiring up to one's physical regular patterns

Whether it be from resting at a desk all day, driving a car for a work, training for a marathon or bicycle race or resting on your stomach with your head relied on the right for three decades - habitual patterns have been established in your body that will detrimentally affect (deteriorate) the body as a whole.

Whether it be from 'automatic' activities inscribed over a lifetime, mishaps, psychological traumas or considerable life occasions, purposeless habitual motion patterns will negatively affect (weaken) the body as a whole.

Also, deposit from accidents, emotional traumas or large life events like growing, birth as well as lugging a baby on your hip will certainly establish regular patterns in the body that are not useful to the body's continuous attempts to achieve vibrant stability (natural state of harmony, balance and also radiant health and wellness).

The human body is composed of regarding 300 joints and each joint has a specific quantity of all-natural activities done by certain agonist (key mover) and synergist (assistant) skeletal muscles. In order for the body to be radiantly healthy and execute at its maximum degrees efficiently, all connective tissue (bones, tendons, muscular tissues, ligaments and fascia) require to fully experience the equilibrium of toughness as well as suppleness - not as well tight, strained or limited in one area and also loosened or weak in another.

Teachers that show bone placement additionally require to show correct muscular tissue activation - informing their pupils on what skeletal muscular tissues move and also position the bones in certain shapes (presents and counterposes). This is so essential for both on- and also off-the-mat long life, if we have the knowledge as well as the experience of how to appropriately relocate the body we will be much less prone to soft tissue wear as well as tear and the risk of injuries will be diminished.

3 GRAVITY: Always a factor

As we continually and also continuously exercise the numerous various designs of Hatha yoga, working to experience the body-breath-mind union, we will undoubtedly obtain more powerful, more flexible, more able to experience feelings of entire body vibrancy as well as buoyancy. Up until after that we usually land on the mat experiencing the reverse: thickness, tightness, with a body that seems fragmented (experiencing the individual components versus the fantastic sum whole).

Sometimes I believe us older, wiser (wink, wink) and seasoned yoga exercise educators neglect what it felt to be a new yoga professional: puzzled, uncoordinated, clumsy, weak, incapable to float, fly or also stabilize! My partner, Dan, came up with an excellent example for this:

If you sent out a number of seasoned/master yoga educators (all asanas executed easily, pranayama techniques mastered, bandhas flawlessly engaged, reflective minds totally as well as utterly concentrated on their drishtis) on a school trip to a world where gravity is a lot different to ours below on planet (as if the air was like the consistency of honey) and asked them to exercise yoga exercise like they do back residence ... they will inevitably check out each various other and also ask HOW do we navigate these bodies? Where are the inhabitants of this earth ... can they educate us exactly how to move as well as position our bodies in such a method we won't obtain hurt?

I enjoyed this analogy of his! What would it really feel like to be a beginner once again ... to be educated how to relocate your body in a means that defies the restraints gravity puts upon it?

What would it seem like to be a newbie once again ... to be educated just how to move your body in a manner that opposes the constraints gravity puts upon it?

We all have had the experience (as well as if you are reading this as well as it hasn't took place yet ... IT WILL!) of a position that we battled, sweated and also vowed with, that with attentive technique, became unbelievably easy as well as stylish. Alignment-based yoga instructors are instructing basic bone-stacking as well as muscular tissue activation standards (not all positionings help all body kinds, obviously) so that the student can discover this ease, the free-flow of pranic power that is so Sukha sweet!

4 SECURE YOGA ROCKS: Tendons are not elastic

Wrong placement - breaking the natural functioning order of the bones and joints - of one's body parts can place feasible injurious stress and anxiety on the surrounding connective tissue - especially when gravity is a factor! A reality to keep in mind: tendons are not flexible! As soon as stretched from their original form they will never ever return to their original form. As a result of this, it is not beneficial to the ligaments to 'hang' on your bones in a stretch - again, especially when gravity is a factor.

Once extended from their original shape ligaments will never ever return to their original form. Due to this it is not helpful to the ligaments to 'hang' on your bones in a stretch.

For example, in a posture with a greater center of gravity such as Warrior 1 or 2, the knee ought not to surpass the stacked ankle/heel. Or else, the quantity of pressure that the upper leg bone put on the kneecap ligament as well as the knee joint tendons can cause injury - both from recurring movement and also traumatic. A reduced centre of gravity posture such as Low lunge doesn't necessarily have the exact same quantity of pressure on the knee. Some knees, even in such a low pose, should also not pass through past the ankle/heel.

Another instance is to make certain your shoulders do not dip listed below your joints in Chaturanga

Dandasana. This puts unneeded (and also damaging) weight on the tendons, ligaments and bursas of the shoulder girdle and the arm joint. Be aware of keeping the ribs in line with the parallel-to-the-earth upper arm bones in this reduced slab posture. By not allowing the ribs to dip reduced you prevent any kind of unneeded load-bearing anxiety on the tendons of the sternoclavicular and acromioclavicular joints.

For lots a lot more on this read For the love of the shoulder as well as Our complex shoulders and also Chaturanga Dandasana

It is ok, however, to have the shoulders lower than the elbow joints as you relax on the floor as well as prior to you use your back muscle mass to peel your body off the mat in Bhujangasana (Cobra Posture) since your alignment to gravity is reduced (resting on the ground) as well as you're using your erector spinae muscle mass (back extensors) to lift your body off the mat.

Up to this factor all these examples I have discussed have been ones I have actually experienced many various other yoga exercise experts struggle with discomfort, pain and injury in.

A last example is one I have actually directly experienced. I am a hyper-extender of the knees, without any muscular tissue activity I have 'dropped' right into the rear of my knees given that I was a child. Well, this quality of mine was celebrated in a details kind of hot yoga I have actually been lovingly exercising considering that 1999 where a recurring sign is to 'lock your knees, lock your knees, secure your knees'. Easy for a hyper-extender such as myself to do ... every class, 6 days a week for two years directly I secured my knee in 6 standing postures (higher facility of gravity, labelled weight bearing as well as 4 of them getting on one leg just). The tendon damage in my knees is so considerable that occasionally I stumble when I stroll because I am so unstable there. Now, when I practice that kind of yoga exercise (I still like as well as value the collection sequence) I micro-bend my knee to shield this valuable joint - a crucial safety and security alignment hint not normally offered but is vital for the health and wellness of the tendons of the knee!

5 BE BELOW CURRENTLY: Atha Yoga exercise Anushasanam

Lastly, one of one of the most yogic factors for teaching and exercising alignment-based yoga exercise: GREATEST EXISTENCE IN THE SPIRITUAL NOW. One of the most profound utterances besides AUM is the sanskrit work ATHA which means CURRENTLY. Yoga suggests union and also among the lots of translations of this principle of unity is the body-mind-breath-spirit link that truly can just be feasible RIGHT NOW. This minute. RIGHT HERE. NOW. Are you right here? Where are you? Are you planning or fretting about the future? Are you feeling resentment or regret about what occurred in the past? Are you right here being, breathing, experiencing the magic that is constantly unraveling or are you ... oops, you simply missed it. Currently, below it is again. Be here currently ... and also currently ... as well as currently ...

Are you below? Where are you? Are you below being, breathing, experiencing the magic that is constantly unfolding or are you ... oops, you just missed it.

Teachers that continuously teach their trainees exactly how to align their bodies in such a way that one of the most Sthira (stability) as well as Sukha (comfort) will be experienced are supplying their pupils something to concentrate their minds on. For 60, 75 or 90 mins the trainee's mind is paying attention to the instructor, paying attention to their body's toughness as well as weak points, paying attention to their breath to locate both obstructions as well as liberty. Throughout this moment there are no bother with the children, the costs, the one in charge, the aging and also troubling parents, etc. Essentially, alignment based courses are meditations right into the now, where the body actually moves, changes and relaxes. The mind likes to desert the body ... placement based yoga exercise offers the pupil a means to the body, a back to the NOW.

Read all the articles in Jennilee's collection on protecting against yoga exercise injuries:

The breath, prana as well as the vayus

The bandhas

Bone alignment

Muscle intelligence

Joint integration

[hereticelle]

Discrimination Against Women in the Name of Inclusion: A Statement From Vancouver Rape Relief and Women’s Shelter

1. On March 14, 2019, at the end of a flawed and unfair process, Vancouver City Council voted to terminate the yearly grant given to us in support of our public education work.

2. Vancouver City Council’s decision is intended to coerce us to change our position and practice of offering some of our core services only to women who are born female. Our organization’s status as an equality-seeking group and our entitlement to serve women who are born female was reaffirmed by the Supreme Court of British Columbia in 2003, by the British Columbia Court of Appeal in 2005 and by the Supreme Court of Canada in 2007.

3. Vancouver City Council’s attempt to undermine our autonomy as a women’s group — to decide who we serve, who our membership is and who we organize with — also undermines the protections the law has granted us. Such conduct has no place in a democratic society.

4. Vancouver City Council’s decision to cut funding from Vancouver Rape Relief and Women's Shelter is discriminatory. Many Vancouver City grants are given to organizations that deliver programs and support to specific groups of people such as Aboriginal youth, Chinese seniors, deaf persons and migrant workers. Rightfully, none of these groups have been challenged with the demand that they demonstrate “accommodation, welcomeness and openness to people of all ages, abilities… and ethnicities.” Such a demand of these organizations would be incomprehensible, as it would contradict the essence and purpose of their work. Yet, this is what is being asked of us under the guise of inclusivity.

5. Vancouver Rape Relief and Women’s Shelter is the longest standing rape crisis centre in Canada. Since 1973, our group has responded to close to 46,000 women seeking our support in their escape from male violence. Since we opened our transition house in 1981, we have housed over 3,000 women and over 2,600 children.

The operation of our rape crisis centre and transition house are forms of direct action, developed for women by women in the 1970s as a part of the second wave of the North American women’s movement. More than just providing immediate safety, we offer a place to group, analyze, strategize and fight back against male violence.

6. In addition to our frontline work, we put a substantial effort into public education, as it's an essential tool for social change. We are intentional in organizing public education events that are free, open and accessible to all.

7. We are also active in national women’s equality reforms. In the past year, we appeared in the Supreme Court of Canada case of the murder of Cindy Gladue; we conducted cross examinations and made oral and written submissions as a party with standing at the National Inquiry into Murdered and Missing Indigenous Women and Girls; and spoke to the House of Commons of Canada and to the Senate of Canada on legislative reforms related violence against women.

8. We have no doubt that people whose behaviour is not consistent with the patriarchal socially imposed definition of manhood or womanhood, including transgender people, suffer discrimination and violence. Transgender people deserve and must live in safety and have the equal rights and opportunities that are promised to us all. When it comes to our services, we have a collective commitment to see to the safety anyone who calls our crisis line, including transgender people.

9. As part of ongoing efforts to discredit us, we were accused that we “do not support sex workers” (including by a Vancouver City Council member on social media).

Our services are available to all women who have experienced male violence. We provide assistance to women and girls in prostitution who have been assaulted by johns, pimps or men pressuring them into prostitution. We provide assistance to women who are currently being prostituted, women who are trying to escape prostitution, and women who have been trafficked into prostitution.

We understand prostitution as sexual exploitation and male violence against women. Prostitution normalizes the subordination of women. It exploits and compounds systemic inequality on the basis of sex, race, poverty, age and disability. Our analysis of prostitution as a harmful patriarchal institution and our commitment to abolition is derived from, and is reinforced by, the prostituted women who call us and the members of our own collective who have exited prostitution.

10. Being born female still means being trained, socialized and forced to submit to male domination. The fact that we are born female and raised as girls to adulthood as women shapes our lives in profound ways.

Male violence against us is a harsh but common experience, and in no way the only one. Our sexuality is controlled and manipulated — whether by punishing women for not being virgins, or by the promotion of pornography and BDSM as liberating expressions of women’s sexuality. Our reproductive ability is controlled and manipulated — whether through forced abortion and sterilization, pressuring women to get pregnant, or forcing women’s pregnancy through rape.

Being girls and women in this world often impacts both how we look and how we act in private and in public; what we are allowed to do, encouraged to do and rewarded for; and also what we are discouraged from doing, prohibited to do or punished for.

And from that place, in a woman-only space, with other women, who have the shared experience of being born without a choice to the oppressed class of women we come together to organize and strategize our resistance and our fight for women’s liberation.

In the last few days we have received many messages of solidarity and donations from around the world. We are encouraged and grateful for this tremendous support.

The Collective of Vancouver Rape Relief and Women's Shelter

(from the VRR website)

[meditativeyoga]

How to embrace pain...

It was a fateful day in the lives of millions who enjoy spiritual guru Dada J P Vaswani. However it was additionally a day, which underscored Dada's greatness as he showed impressive spirit even when faced with physical hardship. It took place like this: Dada was going to a Sadhana Camp in Panama, UNITED STATE, on May 7, 2010. He was to join a campfire that belonged of the camp's tasks. While tipping out of the elevator, Dada saw some children playing ping-pong [table tennis] and went to join them. Sadly, while lobbing among the shots, he shed his equilibrium as well as dropped full blast on the difficult flooring, harming the best side of his body.

He remained in so much pain that it had not been possible to relocate him till the ambulance showed up. Yet also as the supporters around him were stressed, Dada kept his peaceful smile.

The discomfort got worse as the paramedics removaled him right into the rescue, yet, rather of moaning, Dada would certainly utter Hey Ram. Everybody around recognized that it must not be easy on Dada as he had simply recouped from a shoulder injury he had actually endured in January. With the whole experience a smile never left his face, thawing the hearts of those around ...

Dada was airlifted in an air-ambulance, outfitted with the necessary instruments and medical services. Regardless of his very own pain as well as acute pain, Dada maintained asking regarding the convenience of the medical personnel, sharing his worry for them. The airplane landed securely at Chicago.

Doctors in Chicago revealed that Dada had fractured the right hip [femur bone], the appropriate shoulder [humerus bone] and the right arm joint [olecranon]

The first surgery happened on Dada's hip as well as shoulder. It was done by Dr Walter Virkus. A pole and also 2 screws [intramedullary nails] were inserted into the thigh bone. A plate and also several screws were put in the humerus bone. As we might well imagine, the levels of pain have to have been really high, however Dada, with his persistence and also willpower, maintained his trade-mark smile.

By God's poise the procedure went off efficiently. When he was wheeled out, Dada might see the strained and strained faces of all his supporters. With a mild smile he frequently stated words, "Gratefulness to Thee, O Lord. Allow me birth this for Thy benefit. I approve this gift from You gladly. Tere Liye, Tere Liye.”

Despite having gone through two painful as well as traumatic treatments, Dada had a sanction which radiated his inner peace and a demeanour of joyful acceptance. The physicians, registered nurses as well as the job-related therapist that addressed Dada admire his forbearance also despite so much physical suffering. Dada is thankful that the procedures have experienced efficiently. He thinks that Divine Poise has transformed a mountain into a molehill.

As characteristic of him, Dada's sense of humour surface areas even during these hard times, for he never ever counts on being bleak as well as low. When nurse Jill said that she was sorry concerning Dada's fall, he responded, "It's a surge, not an autumn. Simply as a youngster rises after an autumn, so too I have actually increased."

By God's grace, on Could 17, Dada's second surgery on his right arm joint worked out without a hitch. Done by Dr Mark Cohen, it was a lengthy and complicated procedure, which lasted for over 3 hrs. The hearts of the enthusiasts going along with Dada defeat heavier and faster, but they were supported with prayers as well as with count on the experience of the surgeons. The doctors emerged from the operation theatre completely satisfied with the means the surgical procedure had proceeded.

Prior to the surgical treatment, the physicians had actually asked Dada if he was comfy. Dada responded, "Comfort is composed of two words--' come' as well as 'fort'. A 'ft' is an area of sanctuary. If we 'come' as well as seek refuge at the Lotus Feet of the Lord, we will certainly constantly be comfortable."

Dada's reply left them without words, however additionally assured them that their uncommon and extraordinary patient remained in 'comfort'.

Dada bestowed on all, his honored as well as stunning smile prior to being wheeled in for the surgery. His sanction, at every stage, has only mirrored calm and peace. Never ever has a shadow of uncertainty, sorrow, frustration or anguish ever before crossed his face.

Dada arised from the recovery area with a smile still noticeable on his face, offering everybody with the much-needed guarantee. However we did not have much time to unwind and also really feel obsequious, for God's ways are mystical as well as incomprehensible. He had us on our toes right away with the information that there appeared to be no motion on the left side of Dada's body.

This alarmed the doctors and had each of us in shock. Dada's left side would not reply to any kind of touch or motion. After various examinations and numerous discussions, the doctors diagnosed the problem as a moderate stroke, which had actually influenced the left side of Dada's body.

Word went round the globe as well as prayers as well as chants for Dada's healing started immediately.

It seemed as though years had passed considering that the dreaded hour. There had actually been many frightening as well as breakable minutes, when it had been intolerable to watch Dada in severe pain as well as distress. Also his restricted activities would certainly now be limited! However it was only we who were ruined, Dada's glowing smile never left his face.

The smile brought tears to our eyes! What does it cost? more discomfort might he take?

The development was painfully slow-moving, yet Dada's perspective assisted us go through this traumatic week with completely dry eyes and unshed splits strongly held back. Dada's perseverance as well as endurance were incredible, and a few of it massaged off on those that were with him.

Dada had been transferred to the physical rehabilitation unit of the healthcare facility for rehab. Below, his daily program included tremendous effort in taking part in the physiotherapy and line of work therapy. Totally alert as well as conscious, Dada poured in all his power, will-power, perseverance and perseverance in trying to physically return to normalcy as soon as feasible. Actually, on seeing Dada, the therapists say loudly, 'The Smiling One' has come.

One day, a therapist informed Dada, "You look like a young man." Dada smilingly dealt with, "I am a young guy."

Once a specialist asked if Dada was tired. Dada replied, "I never ever get tired as long as there are 3 points I could do-- pray without sleeping, smile all the while as well as function as many as I can."

Again and once more in Rush Medical Centre, Chicago, the followers around Dada maintained coming back to the exact same concerns: why do saints suffer? Could karma really bind a saint?

Dada discussed that saints typically take on their sufferings happily: one reason for this is that they want to resolve their karmic accounts and also become liberated from the cycle of death as well as rejuvenation. The second is that they are exceptionally compassionate by nature, and so they tackle the pain and also suffering of others. For them, physical suffering has no importance. They do suffer, once it is past, they do not also keep a memory of it. Therefore it was that Sri Ramana Maharishi, Sri Ramakrishna and Sadhu Vaswani, went through wonderful offer of discomfort as well as suffering in their last years ...

" Do they actually really feel all that discomfort, or do they simply transcend their suffering?" someone wanted to know.

Dada smiled. "Pain is actual as well as actual, for everybody," he said. "Several of the saints really endure even more than the remainder, because their bodies are very sensitive and their awareness is profound. Gurudev Sadhu Vaswani too, experienced therefore the slightest motions as well as gestures, which possibly, we would rarely recognize. A lot of us believed that he really tackled the suffering of others."

" It is difficult as well as demanding to be a saint, or a divine individual, is it not, Dada? And also just how numerous of us know or appreciate that a saint is taking on our suffering? A lot of us just stay in lack of knowledge, do not we? Who would intend to be holy, if there is a lot pain entailed?"

Dada smiled as well as said, "Saints recognize the worth of discomfort."

It boggles the mind sometimes just how such a strike has actually fallen upon a body that is so fragile, tender as well as frail! The intensity of the discomfort endured has actually been expensive, much greater compared to routine degrees of suffering, as well as yet Dada remained to smile as well as say thanks to God, the doctors, the nurses as well as all those that can be found in call with him.

Every day, there is a various rule of thankfulness on his lips. On one day it is 'Thank you, God', on another it is 'Hare Ram'. Or at times it is ‘Satnam Mushkul Aasaan'. He hangs on to these regarding the Sherpherd's Staff for support, never as soon as whining or revealing his discomfort. It makes one doubt the nerve that our Expert is made of!

[bryonysimcox]

A best friend and a Roman city: Week 4, Spain

For the first time in our journey in Suzi the van, we’ve spent a whole week in one place. Zaragoza has been a welcome change of scene and a welcome change of pace.

Zaragoza was sort of the first big stop we always had planned before embarking on this overland adventure. That said, we’d also put a pin in the Alps but never quite made it there (see Week One Blog Post). Everywhere else we’ve visited has been pretty much been co-incidental or inevitable en-route.

We didn’t know what to expect from Zaragoza. It’s not somewhere that George or I have visited and it’s not really somewhere that’s on our ‘places we’d love to visit’ list, but it just happens to be where George’s best friend lives. Having been faced with a long-distance friendship the whole time we lived in Australia, as soon as we realised we’d be driving through Spain we knew we had to see Manny and spend some quality time together. He’s been living here for more than three years now, where he teaches English as a foreign language. He’s a keen musician who busks frequently in the city, and is also writing a novel.

(images) Scenes from our wanders in Zaragoza.

The arrival into Zaragoza is pretty magical. It’s surrounded by mountains to the north and a desert to the south, and arriving by van from the town of Huesca really shows off the city’s dramatic and isolated setting.

Once settled here, we first caught up with Manny on Tuesday. Not only was it really good to hang out with him again, but it was fascinating to talk from a placemaking perspective about the urban design and planning of the city. Over a coffee in Parque Grande, Manny reflected that Zaragoza has no clearly defined centre, that it has piecemeal incoherent architectural landmarks, that it turns its back on the river Ebro and that perhaps as a result, the city just doesn’t have that ‘pizzazz’ that other cities give you.

(images, left to right) George and Manny in Parque Grande, Manny performing at a local bar, and George walking back to our camping spot in the neighbourhood of Actur.

Maybe I’ve been biased by Manny’s opinions as a local, but I’ve definitely found his sentiments resonate as we’ve explored the city. It just feels like even though it is beautiful, well-kept and has iconic landmarks, it still lacks a certain something. This has been especially apparent when we’ve looked for a single neighbourhood which condenses some of the cultural and culinary destinations that George and I would usually look for (the ‘hipster’ street, basically), and struggled to find one.

Not having the pressure of wanting to go out into the city and explore every single day has given us time to focus on the final stages of the ultramarathon documentary.

At least three full days this week have just entailed us staying and working in the van. We found an ‘Area Autocaravanas’ (the equivalent to an Aire du Camping Car in France) which is not particularly idyllic but well-appointed and well-used too, and have stayed in the same spot for the whole week. This has provided a welcome break from the daily task of looking for a place to stay, a place to fill up water and a place to empty the wastewater. It has also been the first spot warm enough for me to have a makeshift shower - putting to use the 3 litre plastic bottle which previously contained ‘red wine’ (aka vinegar) that we bought wine in the week before in the Pyrenees!

(images, left to right) Making the most of waiting in the launderette by writing this blog post, George napping in the van, and my first very exciting homemade shower moment!

With the gorgeous sunshine not only allowing us to fling the van doors open but to keep all our equipment and laptops charged up too, we’ve been able to get our heads down and do some work. For George, this means doing the final motion graphics, sound design and colour grading for the ultramarathon documentary and for me it means creating collateral and sending emails to find new collaboration and commission opportunities for our documentary channel Broaden. We’ve got a couple more film ideas in the bag and a few people in Spain we’ve been liaising with, so watch this space. We promise we’ll have some videos out shortly!

On the topic of filmmaking, we went to a great film screening with Manny and his friend Saul on Saturday. While we’d been in Huesca at the end of the previous week, George had spotted a poster for the prestigious Banff Mountain Film Festival, with a screening date in Huesca. George had heard of the festival before, and knew that a selection of films were screened in different countries as part of the world tour. Given that we’re in the throws of making a 30-minute documentary about ultramarathon running in Mont Blanc, this world tour screening seemed too good an opportunity to miss.

(images) Sunset over the expanse as we drove to Huesca.

Watching films about the crazy endeavours of humans who kayak, climb, base-jump, cycle down, run up and kite-ski around mountains was pretty special.

Not only was there a refreshing diversity of films, but the whole night itself felt like a brilliant adventure, having two friends traveling with us in Suzi and venturing out of Zaragoza to another town for the night. It was also the perfect introduction to George’s documentary, which he screened to Manny and Saul the following evening. I think it was a huge weight off George’s chest to show others the fruit of his labour for the last three years, especially because the only other people who have seen it to date are the three runners from the film and me! Needless to say, Manny and Saul were really impressed and the film does now feel like it is 99.9% complete.

Experiencing George commit to this mammoth 3-year filmmaking project has thrown into question my own commitment to new projects and my tendency to undertake lots of smaller endeavours rather than one big thing. Consistently writing these blog posts and making collages as AnalogueBryony is one way that I’m trying to stay more focussed, but I’m also really excited to see Broaden grow and offer the chance to direct my energy into some longer, meatier creative projects.

There are certainly really enjoyable parts of this city, and its Roman history is particularly fascinating. 

I was never a huge fan of learning about the Romans at school, but my mum’s obsession with them must have rubbed off on me! I convinced George to visit the Cesar Augustus museum in the centre of Zaragoza, which turned out to be one of four connected museums each located at key historic sites: a river port, the forum, swimming baths and the theatre. The Roman city here used to be called Cesar Augustus (in fact if you say Zaragoza slowly you can hear the roots of the name!), and was incredibly prosperous around the 1st and 2nd century AD. It always amazes me how advanced their technology was, and we walked through stone tunnels that would have been part of a complex drainage system, accompanied by lead pipes which are still intact today.

(images) The Cesar Augustus Forum Museum - a fascinating place and a pretty cool building too.

I wasn’t hugely impressed by the central Cathedral up close, although I can’t deny that it looks pretty beautiful from across the river, topped by a technicolour ceramic tiled roof. I did really enjoy the central market though, and not only because we got some delicious cheese and tomatoes there (though that helped…). Manny later told us that the market has just undergone a big renovation, but I was really impressed by how the design has retained a sense of organic activity and local charm, unlike some other redeveloped markets that I’ve been to (e.g. the highly curated and touristic Time Out market in Lisbon).

(images, left to right) The newly refurbished central market, colourful tiles adorning the Cathedral’s roof, and a perfect lunch in the sunshine.

The ability to relax in the precious company of friends and a chilled-out vibe have defined this week.

I think we’ve really needed a change in pace and so our visit to Zaragoza has been well-timed. By the time we move onwards towards Barcelona in a day or so, a whole month will have passed since leaving the UK.

The experiences start to stack up like tiny tiles in a mosaic, but I still can’t see the bigger picture: where this journey will take us exactly and what will happen along the way. For that, I have to wait.

[youthforourplanet]

Human Nature Projects International

In conversation with Elliot Connor, CEO and Founder, Human Nature Projects International 

How old are you? 

I’m 16 years old- that funny age in which you’re no longer completely blocked out by duty of care bureaucracy, but still not quite an adult. Anyway, it helps to make me stand out a little from the crowd, and there’s plenty of youth-related opportunities out there if you know how to look for them.

When did you first start getting involved with conservation and the environment?

With these things, it’s very hard to pinpoint an exact time and place. My family being British, we’d always done some very amateur birdwatching and taken the occasional trip overseas to watch wildlife. But it was probably just before my sixteenth birthday when things really kicked into place: I took up a volunteering position with Birdlife Australia at a discovery centre they ran in a local park, working with lots of very old retired folks to chat to families and other visitors. It was admittedly a little dull, but it allowed me to start amassing contacts in the environmental sector, and the opportunities sort of sprang from there.

What does Human Nature Projects do?

Human Nature Projects is connecting people for the planet because together we can make a world of difference. We are reimagining conservation, creating a community vision for mutual respect and prosperity amongst all our Earth’s many lifeforms. We come from all walks of life, from every continent, speaking many different languages- yet we are joined by Earth’s universal tongue: the appreciation of mother nature, and an undying passion to protect it.

At last count, we have about 500 members coming from 70 countries across the globe, bringing to this movement their skills and experience in all manner of fields, their passion and connections, their vision for a future world. Together we work to promote a model of simple, holistic environmental volunteering whilst raising awareness of the conservation issues at hand and equipping the young generation with the skills to solve them.

Many people say that it is ‘human nature’ to destroy our planet out of greed, exploit other lifeforms to the point of extinction, and forget of their plight in our own short-sightedness. We say otherwise. Human Nature should be a force for good- a story of connection, collaboration and community which ends in a prosperous future for creatures great and small.

It is this very same philosophy which Human Nature Projects brings to all of its activities, our powerful network of nature-lovers growing organically through experiential learning and community leadership. Our mission is to restore humanity’s appreciation of Earth’s amazing biodiversity, reminding people that we needn’t be (indeed are not) the superior species on this planet.

Aren’t there enough environmental groups already? What is it that makes you so special?

First off, we’re an open group- everyone (and I mean everyone) can get involved, and play a useful role in helping grow the collective. Because it shouldn’t be hard to help our planet, and people need to feel they can change things, that they are important. I guess you could call HN more of a movement, and we certainly hope our numbers will reflect this in future.

Second, we’re a huge believer in collaboration- working alongside many organizational partners and existing networks to show our support far more than would be expected for a charity of our size. It really can’t be overstated the need to communicate and collaborate effectively with other NFPs in the field to grow audience and funding for mutual benefit and ensure efforts are not duplicated.

Last but not least there’s our philosophy. Trying to change the way people view animals is a task that most organizations shy away from, but it’s also the most important thing anyone can do. It takes a lot of thankless work with little or no funding, but in the end, it surely will be worth it.

How can one get involved in HNP?

First off, we’d get you to complete our volunteer sign-up on Google Forms. It’s quick and easy to fill out and will allow us to link you up to the national director in your country who will get in touch for a quick chat. After that, we’ll use the information you’ve provided to link you up with one or more of the volunteer working groups we have running, headed by members of the HNP executive committee. And that, as they say, is that.

So what’s in store for the future? Any big plans?

There’s plenty to look forward to. October will see the launch of our Conservation Connection network- HNP’s attempt to walk the talk and promote some solid inter-organizational discussion. Then in the new year, we’ll be launching the Credit2Nature day, a global awareness campaign to make people think about all nature has done for us and how little we have given in return. Working with 1% for the Planet among others, we hope to make this event an opportunity to raise fundraising levels for conservation as a whole, and in doing so establish a precedent which will help tremendously for the future.

How did you first find out about the topic you are passionate about/your work focus?

Well, the long answer is that I spent two hard years trying to break my way into the environmental field: giving heart, body and soul to volunteering for more organizations and projects than I could count, sending hundreds of emails to offer my help, and generally making a fool of myself. Yet after all that, I had met zero young people, made zero useful connections… and, well maybe I had a few memorable experiences. No-one could understand my work, let alone why I did it. So I came to a decision that this wasn’t good enough, that we needed to do more to support the likes of myself- those keen young students and youths wishing to make their mark in the world. And that was how Human Nature Projects began.

What is one thing you’d like older generations to know? 

I don’t think there’s anything that they don’t know already… it’s more about reminding them of certain things. Firstly, young people do care for our planet, and above all you must not give up on them. Secondly, that we need support: mentoring, community, resources, and most of all belief that our crazy ideas, our ambition has the power to change the world. And last of all, that we forgive them for what they have done to the Earth because they were unaware at the time. All that matters now is that they help to fix it.

Do you think youth should have more of a voice in environmental discussions?

Yes, absolutely. Environmental management is a very unusual field in that it cannot claim to have existed for more than the past fifty years but still lives in a sort of no-man’s land between the world then and the interconnected, rapidly evolving world of the present day. The wizened leaders of the movement continue to hold excessive power, handicapping the success of the whole by making it inaccessible, exclusive, bureaucratic, conservative and isolated from the general populace. We need a sort of people’s planet, everyone’s environment philosophy if the movement is going to grow, and it is the sort of ambitious thinking provided by youth which ultimately will bring this about.

It must be tough starting something so epic and large-scale as a minor. How do you make people believe in what you say?

You tell me! Sure I’ve experienced my fair share of setbacks and straight-off no’s, but taking a step back to look at the bigger picture it’s mind-blowing how supportive people can be. It takes only a little courage, some unbounded optimism, and a liberal dose of enthusiasm to begin turning heads. Then, of course, once things pick up it’s you and your army with enough manpower and voices to start a nice little avalanche.

Okay- how about a favourite quote? Or two, if you prefer.

“I think sometimes we need to take a step back and just remember we have no greater right to be here than any other animal.”

David Attenborough