A letter of gratitude from Cambodia , By Tracey Vale

Beyond Disability is a  project executed through Baptist World Aid in partnership with Australian churches. It's main aim is to create awareness and understanding of disabilities in countries such as Bangladesh and Cambodia, where those so afflicted tend to be among the most vulnerable and dis-empowered.

These people are ostracised, misunderstood and left behind in education, community involvement and life fulfillment. They are unable to change their circumstances and are increasingly dependent on their carers, both physically and financially.

The Beyond Disability project aims to change this by offering long-term, sustainable solutions to encourage awareness, acceptance and to integrate these people into their communities and offer them a means to escape their dependence on others and enable them to live a better, self-fulfilling life. This is achieved through educating the community, integrating disabled people into schools in order to achieve the same educational opportunities as their able-bodied peers, as well as offering health solutions and coping strategies for carers where possible. 

Lifting the burden from individual households and educating those with disabilities also has a two-fold effect of raising household income and easing life for the carers. The following are among the outcomes of Beyond Disability:

• Access to vocational training
• Community awareness, acceptance and understanding
• Home visits to teach essential life skills such as personal care, washing, cleaning and other household chores
• Family counseling
• Improvement of fine and gross motor skills through the provision and implementation of games and puzzles
• Physiotherapy
• Provision of equipment such as wheelchairs and walking sticks
• Health service referrals
• Entry to mainstream education
• Teacher training to ensure their ability to take on a disabled pupil
• Provision of special classes
• School fees, supplies and transport
• Small business funding
• Improvement of self esteem and self worth

The following letter was sent to Brandon Chaplin, Senior Pastor at the Blackwood Hills Baptist Church and Village Church, in gratitude for their assistance through the efforts of Beyond Disability:

Dear Brandon,

Greetings from Cambodia. my name is Sopha and I am a widow with six grown children. We live in a village not far from the capital Phnom Penh.

Of my six children, three of the boys were born with cerebral palsy. They are now 16, 20 and 28 years old. As the boys were growing up, they helped me around the house with simple tasks such as collecting firewood and carrying water. Unlike their siblings, they never had a chance to go to school.

Six years ago, we became involved with this project through their special education classes. With their help and the help of a volunteer from Australia, a teacher in our area was trained in providing education for children with intellectual disabilities. They also helped improve access to the local school by building ramps and accessible bathrooms.

My sons have been attending classes at this school three days a week for a number of years now. even though they are older than most school children, the teacher is happy for them to continue attending this class for as long as they want to.

Since attending the special classes, my boys have learnt many important skills for daily living, such as how to dress themselves, helping to prepare food, and basic personal care tasks. importantly, they have also learnt how to hang their own mosquito nets over their beds so they won't be as susceptible to malaria.

My sons really enjoy attending school and it has helped them become more self-sufficient. Since being involved in the program, I have also noticed changes in our community's attitudes toward the boys. they are now accepted and loved by the community, and included in a variety of community activities.

Sopha

If you would like to financially support Blackwood Hills Partnership with Beyond Disability,  donate here.


Link:

http://www.baptistworldaid.org.au/pdf/09BD_wrap.pdf

Lady-Comp increases awareness of OC cancer risks

Lady-Comp, the developers of the world’s most advanced natural fertility device, are concerned that women may have become blase about the possible risks of oral contraceptives due to their longevity in the health system. Lady-Comp wants to increase awareness of these risks and promote natural contraception as a means for optimal health.

Oral contraceptives have been at the centre of concerns about the risks of related cancer development and, as such, have been under the microscope for the past 18 years. Over this time, considerable research and studies have been undertaken but results have remained inconclusive.

"This means that oral contraceptives cannot be deemed conclusively safe, especially in the long-term," said Tracey Vale, spokesperson for Lady-Comp. "Questions concerning cancer-risk continue to be raised and investigated."

"We are concerned that women do not know the potential risks of the pill, simply because it has been around for so long and is deemed safe and acceptable in the mainstream.”

"Women should be made more aware of these risks and choose natural birth control for their long-term health and well being,” Vale said.

The National Cancer Institute (U.S.) says "Because medical research suggests that cancers of the female reproductive organs sometimes depend on naturally occurring sex hormones for their development and growth, scientists have been investigating a possible link between OC use and cancer risk." The pill suppresses oestrogen and progesterone production, while the lesser effective mini pill suppresses progesterone.

"A correlation between oestrogen and increased risk of breast cancer has sparked continuing controversy about a possible link between OCs and cancer.”

The Institute says "This scrutiny has produced a wealth of data on OC use and the development of certain cancers, although results have not always been consistent."

The National Cancer Institute’s Fact Sheet cites the following concerns based on past, current and ongoing studies and research:

• ·        Oral Contraceptives increase the risk of certain cancers.

• ·        For recent users of oral contraceptives under the age of 35, there is a risk of breast cancer.

• ·        There is evidence that long-term OC use increases the risk of cervical cancer.

• ·        There is some evidence that certain liver tumours may be related to OC use.

Lady-Comp was developed to offer women a healthy, natural alternative to oral contraceptives and other forms of contraception. OCs are considered to be a burden on the body due to their chemical nature and the fact that they alter the natural status quo of the hormonal system.

“There is no logical reason for a woman to burden her health, or her sex life, with contraceptive measures for a full 28 days, when in fact it is only possible for her to become pregnant on six of these days,” said Vale.

Sources:

LadyComp http://ladycomp.com.au

National Cancer Institute, National Institutes of Health, cited at http://womenshealth.about.com/cs/thepill/a/oralcontrcncrri.htm

National Cancer Institute Fact Sheet http://www.cancer.gov/PDF/FactSheet/fs3_13.pdf 

An entertaining 45 minutes at kindy, By Tracey Vale

I spent some time with my son at kindergarten this morning. I'm always struck by the glaring differences between boys and girls at this age. The 'in' colour for girls is pink, purple or both, while the boys wear a much broader range of green, blue, red and orange.

Their play is also a glaring point of difference. The boys generally travel in packs and are more boisterous and active than the girls. The girls are more studious and spend longer on painting or at the making table. They will also choose the 'home corner', crafts or dress-ups over the boys prevalence for construction activities. Of course, there are always exceptions--my son, for example, prefers to play quietly rather than travel in a pack as he wants to choose rather than follow--I'm just painting a picture of what is obvious in a quick glance-around in any kindy.

This morning, I spent some time with him at the making table. He now has two cork guys with wool hair in a little box, plus a cellophane/biscuit tray/patty pan creation to bring home, as do a couple of other kids at that table. I'm sure their parents will be thrilled....

Once outside, he produced an impressionist painting of splats and splodges, as if his life depended on it and he was way behind schedule for that planned exhibition. At the same time, the girl next to him painted a large pink flower, with neatly swirled petals and a long, pink stem.  The girl opposite, painted a pink, happy face with long, purple hair, with the obligatory flick-up at the ends.

At this point, a girl came up to me with a piece of wood. "Look! I wrote my name on this!" I said "Wow!" and studied it for what was becoming an uncomfortable time and, unfortunately, had to ask her what her name was. She said "Jemma" and I said "Oh yes--with a 'J'", pointing to her letter 'J', to reassure her that it was indeed legible. She had written the whole name back to front and with backwards letters! Mirror image!

A pretend bus was set up outside on the lawn and the bus driver, a boy (what else?), said to another boy as he got on, "Hello, Mr. Connor. Where would you like to go?" Another boy called out from the window of a nearby cubby house "Bus tickets for sale! Bus tickets for sale!"

A short distance into their imaginary bus trip, the bus driver stopped the bus and stated to his almost full load of passengers "I feel sad. I need coffee." At which point, he disembarked and purchased his coffee, leaving a bewildered bunch of passengers wondering if they could step up to the driver's seat. Soon after the bus driver's somewhat unprofessional behaviour, the bus ticket office was transformed into a McDonald's franchise, with the new owner proclaiming "McDonald's is open!"

Four Ingredient Classic Desserts from 1958, By Tracey Vale

The following classic desserts have remained family favourites through the decades. The recipes have been adapted to suit today's measurements, ingredients and modern appliances from Good Housekeeping's Cookery Compendium, 1958 edition, as described in the previous post.

Blackberry Fool

450g blackberries

75g sugar

300ml thick custard

150ml cream, whipped

Gently stew fruit and sugar. This can be done in a saucepan over low heat or in the microwave, until fruit is tender. Puree until smooth. Beat in custard and fold in cream. Pour into wine glasses and top with nuts and whole berries, to decorate.

Strawberry Blancmange

40g cornflour

600ml milk

25g sugar

Strawberry flavouring and pink food colour, if desired

In a saucepan, blend cornflour with a little milk. Heat remaining milk in a microwave-safe jug in the microwave on HIGH, until hot but not boiling. Pour over the cornflour paste and bring to the boil on the stove, stirring continuously. Cook 4-5 minutes, sweeten, flavour and colour. Pour into a wet mould and leave to set. To turn out, loosen the edges carefully with your fingers. Serve with stewed fruit.

Vanilla Ice Cream

300ml cream or evaporated milk

300ml store-bought vanilla custard

Whisk ingredients together and pour into an ice cream maker to churn until ready. Alternatively, pour into a lamington tray and freeze until just firm. Remove and churn with a spoon or fork and return to the freezer. Continue until satisfied with the consistency.

Rice Pudding

40g, or 4 level d/sp, uncooked rice

2 Tbsp sugar

600ml milk

butter

Sprinkle rice and sugar onto the base of a pie dish. Pour milk over and dot with small dobs of butter. Bake in a slow oven, 150'C, for 2 hours.

Chocolate Rice Pudding

As above, but dissolve 50g grated chocolate into the milk before pouring over rice. Omit butter and add a few drops of vanilla essence (optional).

Baked Egg Custard

1 egg, lightly beaten

300ml milk

1 d/sp sugar

Nutmeg

Heat milk without boiling. Add sugar to the beaten egg and pour heated milk over. Stir and pour into a pie dish. Sprinkle with nutmeg. Stand the dish in a deep baking tin and pour cold water into the tin to prevent the custard from over-heating during cooking. Bake in a slow oven, 150'C, for 40 minutes, or until set and lightly coloured.

Fruit Mince Pies

Frozen, ready-made puff pastry, or shortcrust

Jar fruit mince

Egg, to glaze

Icing sugar

Cut pastry into rounds to fit small muffin tins. Oil-spray tins and place rounds, gently pushing down. Spoon a heaped teaspoonful of mince meat into each case and brush pastry edges with water. Cut smaller rounds of pastry and place on top of each case, crimping edges gently with a fork. Snip a 'v' into the top of each pie and glaze with beaten egg. Bake in a preheated, hot oven at 450'F for 25 minutes. Sift a little icing sugar over the tops, to serve. Serve hot.

Syrup Tart

150g shortcrust pastry

3-4 Tbsp golden syrup

50g breadcrumbs

Juice from 1/2 lemon

Oil-spray a shallow pie dish and line with pastry,  trim and set remainder of pastry aside for lattice top. Crimp pastry edges. Mix remaining ingredients together (lightly warm syrup to enable easier mixing if required). Spread mixture onto pastry, keeping edges free. Lattice the top with  thin, criss-crossing strips of pastry. Bake in a hot oven at 230'C for 20-30 minutes, or until the pastry is cooked and the filling is golden-brown.

Musings over a vintage cookbook, By Tracey Vale

I love old books. I love that they have a history--the odd scribble or remark on a page, an old envelope used as a bookmark and offering a clue as to it's previous owner, a popular page that has been read and re-read, a gift inscription on the first page--and the following find was no exception. It was bookmarked with a portion of an envelope addressed to a Mrs. Winter of Adelaide and it's pages offer the occasional advice on favourite recipes in that typical 1950's cursive.

I came across the book while fossicking through a secondhand bookstore. I noticed a black, leatherette-bound book with an embossed insignia on the front cover. As it was sitting face-up on the counter, I couldn't see the spine and was curious as to what this book was and how old. Upon opening the cover, I discovered it was an old cookbook--published in 1958 after several reprints since the original had come out in 1952.

Good Housekeeping's Cookery Compendium, published in the U.K. by Waverley, is a true gem and an essential reference book for all cookery buffs. It is 640 pages of cooking from sauces, soups, roasts, curries and stews to baking, catering, three-tiered wedding cakes and desserts. It was published as a kitchen reference for all that the 1950's housewife would require and included photographs and even some appliance reviews. 

It's aim was also for mother's to teach their daughters the basics (very stereotypical and definitely not politically correct by today's standards!), as stated in the Introduction:

"It is produced with an eye to the needs of every member of the family and presented in attractive pictorial form, so that young daughters can be shown all the basic processes of cookery, and their elders can embark on ambitious recipes in the certain knowledge of success."

The book sold millions of copies in each edition and dog-eared versions are kept and held on to today, as I discovered after doing a little internet and forum research. The book continued to be revised and republished and there is a current version available today, although some have commented that they still hold on to their mother's/grandmother's edition as this still remains the true reference.

As so many were sold, there are many old editions available for sale on such sites as Amazon and Ebay, ranging in price from around $20 to $60 and up. Some even come in their original delivery box--perhaps a post-war sign of the times where items were valued and remnants of all kinds were kept, just in case.