Fooled by the Love Drug

 

It’s easy to love someone when you first meet and you’re all jacked up on love hormones. You can look at your new fandangle boy or girl toy and say, ‘you’re everything I’ve ever wanted.’ You actually mean it too!

Barf.

It’s so easy to look past their flaws when the chemicals overtake your brain, for the sake of pro-creation. It’s not real. Sorry. It’s your hormones telling you to make thousands of babies, gay or straight – the love drug finds a way to make wee mini reproductions of YOU.

Fair Go, Mate!

Last week I said to Hubby: ‘My darling sweet man, I desperately need some new baking trays. Wouldn’t you agree?’ Because that is exactly how I speak, in real life.

 

‘Yes,’ he replied. ‘Please get some. You could almost classify your old ones as a food group.’

 

‘Ha! Very funny.' He was right, though. Years of baking will do that to a beloved tin. There’s always a little bit that won’t scrub off.

 

Delighted to get out of the house, off I went with a skip and a hop (with baby Charlotte in tow) ready to buy some new trays. Now in my head I was thinking, ‘mortgages, electricity, phone bills, petrol, rates, water bill, Foxtel, internet connection, baby formula, nappies’ and the list goes on.

 

These things are a priority over baking trays and so when I made my choice, I chose the $6.99 ones, on special—the ones made in China.

GivingUp On Trying Hard

Look different.

Better, faster, stronger, thinner.

I never liked looking like me.

I decided, one day, to give up on everything. 'IS IT A BIG MISTAKE?'

‘What if I balloon up to 150 kilos? It might happen!’

Sustainability with African Style - by Lisa Heinze

Jambo!

I'm writing this from Tanzania, where I've been for nearly 6 weeks, partly on holiday, partly volunteering, and mostly absorbing all the African culture I can before I leave next week. It's been hard to decide what to blog about in Africa. There are some very serious environmental, social and economic sustainability topics I could write about - animal welfare in safari parks, unreliable residential waste removal, the lack of education options for young people. I will write a little bit about these in due time, but first I want to share with you a beautiful and inspirational organisation called Shanga, a group succeeding in making a positive impact on many lives.  

How fabulous is their tagline?!

Throw Me A Bone!

 

A couple of years ago, when I was buying fragrances at Myer, as Christmas gifts, the lady at the counter looked at me and said, ‘you know, love, you can get these two fragrances, plus a large tote bag for 50 cents cheaper!’ She was delighted with herself.

‘Thank you,’ I responded coolly, ‘but I don’t need a tote bag.’

‘But, it’s cheaper!’

‘I don’t need one.’

‘It costs less.’ As if saying it differently, would somehow help me to understand. So I rephrased, too. ‘I’d rather pay 50 cents, than to see that extra-large monstrosity go straight into my local land-fill. But thanks.’ She left me alone after that.

Save The Elephant Foundation- By Lauren Shuttleworth

 

Beautiful Medo - she has terrible injuries from her time in a forced breeding program.

Elephants were never my favourite animal as a child. Don't get me wrong - I've always found them beautiful and majestic, I was just somewhat obsessed with kittens for a while. It was Mum who truly loved them, although I'm not actually sure why. There was just something about elephants she found particularly wonderful.

But Mum had a soft spot for all animals really. From a young age she taught us to be kind and respectful to them. The house that we grew up in backed on to a bush reserve, and so Mum was always pointing out the koalas and whistling to the native birds. She used to say that if she hadn't been a teacher she would have liked to have been a park ranger. When she retired she wanted to volunteer with WIRES. Sadly though, Mum never did get the chance to retire. She had been getting ready for work on the morning she died. I could tell you about my shock, my grief and how much I still miss her, but that's a story for another time. Instead, I'm going to tell you about how she inspired me. About how I packed up and went to Thailand, and spent a month volunteering with those gentle giants Mum loved so much. I arrived at the Elephant Nature Park in June 2012. It's a 250 acre jungle-green sanctuary, complete with mist-topped mountains and a pretty, meandering river. At last count, thirty-five elephants call it home. Aside from those born at the park or saved as babies, all have been rescued from a life of horrendous abuse and neglect. They have come from decades of illegal logging, perilous forced breeding programs, and many are victims of the booming trekking tourism industry. There is a dark side to the popular elephant safaris of which few holiday makers are aware.

The food revolution, fad, trend or social enterprise?

by Halinka Panzera

Jamie Oliver’s Food Revolution can teach us much about social enterprise strategy. In trying to change the way we eat he has implemented a comprehensive multi media campaign. What makes it a social enterprise and not advertising is the fact that it is public education. He is concerned about the quality of food people are consuming and how it affects their health. His approach involves a genuine focus on food issues as they relate to the end user. Through his attention on the health needs of the population his brand becomes strengthened.