Gisele Scanlon – author of “The Goddess Guide” and “The Goddess Experience”

“Gisèle Scanlon author of the phenomenally successful “The Goddess Guide” book series is an enigma. The Irish born writer and illustrator, looks every bit the pretty Victorian fairy but to those who know her, she is also a welcome breath of fresh air. She’s passionate about work and is as happy in her studio in East London drawing, painting and drinking copious cups of tea as she is in travelling the globe to coolhunt.

After leaving a successful career in journalism, (she has covered among other things the international catwalk season for the past six years) she went on to set up the cult breakout Goddess Guide book brand. Within the short space of two years, she has collected a fan base of media admirers and millions of readers both in Europe and the US with her first book The Goddess Guide. Her authenticity is furthered by her unique interview technique (Renee Zellweger, John Galliano, etc.) and so captivating is her trademark “Goddess” show that her audience indulge her every word.

Her first book The Goddess Guide, quietly became a cult phenomenon garnering her glowing reviews in both the British and US media. She was chosen for the Richard and Judy Christmas book party alongside, Gordon Ramsay, Ricky Gervais and Jamie Oliver and went on to present a travel coolhunting slot for the Richard & Judy show. As memorable for her clever banter as she is for her encyclopaedic knowledge of fashion, beauty, travel, art and food she has recently been signed by Alexa Chung and Lauren Laverne’s tv agency in London who are helping her to develop her own brand of tv. You can catch her on the go at http://twitter.com/GoddessGuide drinking many cups of tea.”

REF:- “The Goddess Experience” Press Release 2010

Granny’s recipes:-

Gisele suggests a beautiful way of handing down Granny’s recipes from one generation to the next in the form of a beautifully crafted photo-book.

“Take some time with your granny, photograph her as she makes some of her family -famous recipes. Get some nice shots of granny mixing ingredients, putting trays in the oven, demonstrating her little tricks etc) Ask Granny to put down on paper the recipes she’s had in her head for years.

Then, either in Granny’s handwriting or typed in a nice script, place the recipes together with the photos in a scrapbook/photo album”
Wrap it in a beautiful bow and deliver to your mum on Mother’s day- guaranteed success!

This idea that went into creating the actual pages in The Goddess Experience, the scone recipe in the book is her Mums, passed down from generation to generation.

Gift suggestion 2:-

Create a loving link with cuttings from the garden.

Rather than a gift just for your mum, take some cuttings and present them to all the girls in the family. Ask each of them to plant the cuttings and that way you have definite excuses to call each other on a weekly basis to check on the health of each other’s plants.

Or.

Buy a normal bird box or boxes (in any hardware store), they come in different sizes for different breeds of birds (holes are different sizes for different breeds). Decorate it/them up and present them with a note to Mum that she will be surrounded with birdsong and birds having little baby birds this spring and that every time she hears birdsong she can think of you.

Like the plants it links your lives together (the progress of the nesting birds) and more importantly it puts everybody in touch with the outside world of nature.

Gift Suggestion 3:-

Skype from afar!

With many of our mums still fearing technology more than the devil himself, Mother’s day is a nice time for us to share with them the joy of internet communications. Whether your family is in the USA, Australia or in a remote part of the world, you can connect with them on Mother’s day with a special wave from grandchildren or loved ones from afar.

How about you bring out the fancy china, make (or even buy) some buns and have high tea with your mum with her missing family joining in via the WWW.

Visual:- High tea with buns on a cake-stand. Laptop with webcam feed to Judy’s office – ‘relatives’ will be waving away!

Gift Suggestion 4:-

Time Banking

The latest craze to hit the U.S of A is the concept of Time banking.
Put very simply, this is spending an hour of your time doing something for someone in your community. This hour then goes into a time bank and you then have a Time credit to spend on having someone do something for you.

This would be a novel gift idea for Dads to give mums or for a large family to do for each other for Mother’s Day.

It’s easy to see how there could be many abuses of this system though with people clocking up serious overdrafts, so what you could do is offer to be the manager for the bank.

So whether you need a babysitter for an hour or maybe you could teach violin for an hour, you can register your services with the time bank and the co-ordinator takes it from there.

Timebank Ireland is already up and running with a timebank set up in Dublin 2. Check out www.timebanks.org for suggestions on how to set up a time bank and how to make it work for your family/community.

Gift suggestion 5:-

Walk with me

Another gift suggestion is walking shoes. To go on walks with your Mum is one of the most amazing things and is a treat at family get togethers- Easter, Christmas etc.but how do you help your Mum remember that you’re there when you physically can’t be.

“When my Mum ties her laces to go on a walk she says she thinks of me because when I got her, her walking shoes ages ago, I drew a little map of her favourite route and gave it to her in the box along with them.

For most Mums the map you’d make should include landmarks of the little things that you did together as you were growing up say.blackberries we used to pick together on the right.remember when you used to collect me from school? This makes the walk more special for your Mum when she’s doing it alone without you and the landmark little map that she has read will remind her that you took notice of all the little things you did together and you will never be far from her mind and you’re grateful for her being very special and your Mum.”

HAY HOUSE AUTHOR – STEPHANIE J. KING

Working with Spirit is Easy…

• In this EASY workshop – work with spirit to assist yourself & others in ways you never thought possible before
• Know how 2012, your destiny, life & personal soul journey are intrinsically linked and always have been
• Know the reasons you’re here on Earth at this time
• Access instant help & information for daily happiness, challenging events & situations
• Watch obstacles & stresses dissolve & disappear as you approach them from far better angles
• Access love, understanding, recognition, better health & relationships, confidence, life purpose, fulfilment, goals & much more…
• Remove shyness, worry, fear, phobias, doubt…

How you subconsciously define your past & present dictates, shapes & re-shapes your future. Life today was not supposed to be so difficult. During this workshop you’ll learn how to access up to the minute help

& information – completely relevant & in-tune with present experiences. You’re Spirit here and now – living life in physical form, you’re having a real-time Earthly soul journey. You program live events, life then responds accordingly, all you think & say & do adds something somewhere.  Everything you will achieve you’ll leave behind you in your wake to mark your time here.  Bearing this in mind are you achieving your highest potential, are you happy, healthy, fulfilled & are those around you? Or maybe you’re looking for deeper meaning, purpose, direction, focus, as in your own way you want to give something back?  If you say yes to any of these points – this workshop is perfect for you…..

Saturday 20^th March  -  11.00am to 3.00pm

Cost:   £65.00 including books

Venue: The Magik Thread, 7 Archer Road, Stapleford, Nottingham, NG9 7EP

To secure your place go to www.channelledbyspirit.com 

Or www.themagikthread.com

Payment by credit/debit cards, cash and Paypal are welcome

Jerry Casey Licensed

Livestock Dealer

&

Export

                                               “All Animals Bought & Sold”

“WANTED FOR EXPORT”

Fr. Bull. Calves

2 to 4 Weeks Old

Contact: – Jerry Casey Export on 063-2369637/087-2369637

I have a one day Rhythm Retreat coming up on the 5th April (Easter bank holiday) in the Clara House holistic centre in Clara Co Offaly (just outside Tullamore).  Yes, we’re back again for another one day full of drumming and rhythm fun and games, and a chance to chill out away from the mad hussle and bussle of working life. We all need some way to relax and de-stress, and I can tell you, drumming is one of the better ways to BEAT stress….just click here for some info on recent research into the health benefits of group drumming. A great way to spend a bank holiday Monday…..bring a friend and save some money…..€70 per person…..€120 for two people. You can book on line at my web-site www.rhythmretreats.com or just phone 087 9151134.

We will also be having a RHYTHM and WELLNESS weekend at Clara house in May.  The dates will be 14th to 16th. The program for the weekend is not yet finalised….however it will comprise of drumming/yoga/nature walking/chill out time/fun.  More details on the way very soon…..but please take note of the dates for your dairy.

Well, I know it’s a year away, but we must plan for the best things in life. Read on….this is Magic!!!

GROUP DRUMMING TRIP OF A LIFETIME

How would you like to travel  around the Mediterranean on a cruise ship visiting magnificent places, and learning how to use drumming as a way to a new YOU? Of course you would.  Well now for the first time YOU CAN!!

In April 2011 we will be sailing the Med seas, on a wonderful rhythm cruise designed to help you relax, refocus and reignite your zest for life, by drumming your way to a new start in life.  Yes, 12 glorious days of Mediterranean sunshine, and on board drumming/rhythm workshops. You, and your friend or your group can join other like-minded people from around the world on a rhythm trip of a lifetime.  This is the FIRST EVER rhythm cruise on the Med, and promises to be a trip never to be forgotten. The cruise is absolutely perfect for individuals, couples, families or groups of any kind who want to combine a sunshine holiday with a recreational drumming expeirience aimed at helping you re-energise your life. The 5 day workshops cost €8oo (including all workshop facilitation CD and Book and all instruments will be provided.). The cost of the cruise is seperate. Click here for full details and to find out how to book. More details to follow soon!!

12-Day Eastern Mediterranean Cruise Itinerary

Port of Call                            Voyage Date              Arrive Time               Depart Time

Barcelona, Spain                 17 Apr 2011                                          7:00 pm

Workshop at Sea                18 Apr 2011

Civitavecchia (Rome, Italy)   19 Apr 2011              8:00 am                 7:00 pm

Workshop at Sea                20 Apr 2011

Piraeus (Athens, Greece)      21 Apr 2011              10:30 am                8:00 pm

Izmir (Ephesus, Turkey)        22 Apr 2011              9:00 am                 6:00 pm

Workshop at Sea                 23 Apr 2011

Alexandria (Cairo, Egypt)      24 Apr 2011              7:00 am                    

Alexandria (Cairo, Egypt)      25 Apr 2011                                          6:00 pm

Workshop at Sea                26 Apr 2011

Valletta, Malta                   27 Apr 2011                11:00 am              6:00 pm

Workshop at Sea                28 Apr 2011               

Barcelona                          29 Apr 2011                5:00 am

START PLANNING NOW!!!!

Well guys, it don’t get much better than that.  Lot’s more info about this amazing drumming trip of a lifetime over the coming months….so stay tuned!

That’s it for this month folks….don’t forget to visit my web-site often to stay informed or to book onto any of my programmes.

 Increased eye pressure at the front of the eye, which damages the back of the eye and essentially the optic nerve, which, when damaged, will lead to loss of peripheral vision (patient will be left only with tunnel vision)

What is tunnel vision?
Having no vision in the side of your eyes, so a sufferer can only see in front of them, as though they are looking through a tunnel or a hole.

 What are the symptoms?
Worryingly there are rarely any symptoms of this condition, however there are also very few risk factors, so the main thing is that everyone gets their eyes tested.
Peter had symptoms because he was at an advanced level. At this level there is a possibility (but not guaranteed) of symptoms such as:-

 - Red eyes
- Sore eyes
- Blurred vision

 Blurred vision does not mean constantly, it is intermittent, which means that it can happen at different times of the day i.e. when driving, reading etc.

Are there any risk factors?

Age:- 40+
Family History

Does bad eyesight have anything to do with getting glaucoma?
No, it is a separate condition from anything to do with vision, however people who have no vision problems would tend not to go for an eye test.

What test needs to be done?
A simple general eye test in an opticians will have the pressure test used to detect the condition with Peter.

Prevention:-
There is no method of prevention other than awareness.

Can it be treated?
Damage done to the optic nerve is irreparable, but all cases, no matter how advanced or early they are should be treated to prevent any further damage. Treatment is either in the form of drops, as in Peter’s case, or in some cases eye surgery.

Is this a typical case?
No, Peter was very lucky to have symptoms, and the fact is that anyone can get this condition and tunnel vision can be a very serious consequence for someone to live with, and it is irreversible, so it’s important for someone who hasn’t been for an eye test, or who may have had a family history to get checked.

Additional / Misc’ Info:
Approximately 60,000 Irish people are thought to currently suffer from the condition.
THOUSANDS of people in Ireland could be risking their sight by unknowingly suffering from glaucoma, the second largest cause of unnecessary blindness in the world.

Those over 40 are particularly at risk, but if diagnosed early enough through a simple eye examination, the condition can be effectively managed. Specsavers is urging the over 40s in Ireland to have regular eye examinations to detect the onset of glaucoma and the stores will be lending their support to World Glaucoma Day on Friday 12 March, by offering complimentary eyecare advice.

Most people associate an eye test with getting a new pair of specs or renewing their prescription, but few would associate an eye test with the ability to save your vision. One such person is Peter McAvoy, who, thanks to a visit to Specsavers in Mullingar, is grateful to still have sight in his left eye.

Mr McAvoy, a 43-year-old from Mullingar, Co Westmeath, had been experiencing foggy vision in his left eye since Christmas 2008. He had previously been for eye tests and nothing had been found, so began thinking that he would just have to live with blurred sight. Eventually, Peter’s wife convinced him to have another eye examination at the Specsavers store in 11 Pearse Street, Mullingar. Finally, in August 2009, Mr McAvoy made his appointment.

Elaine McGovern, store director of Specsavers in Mullingar, who has more than xx years experience in eyecare, undertook the eye examination. Following Mr McAvoy’s description of his problem, she administered a pressure test using puffs of air. The results suggested signs of glaucoma, so she referred him to an eye specialist centre, in the Ballinderry Clinic.

Ms McGovern comments: ‘When I noticed the level of pressure in Mr McAvoy’s eyes, I became concerned that there could be a serious, underlying health condition such as Glaucoma. Time is always of the essence when detecting abnormalities so I immediately referred him to an eye specialist in Ballinderry Clinic for a diagnosis.

On arrival at the clinic, Mr McAvoy underwent a ‘field of vision’ test which revealed he was indeed a sufferer of glaucoma, confirming Ms McGovern’s initial concerns. The severity of the glaucoma was high and Peter received a specific type of eye drop containing steroids that reduced the pressure in his eye and controls the condition.

Alarmed by the discovery, Mr McAvoy reflects: ‘I was utterly shocked that the fogginess in my left eye that I had been experiencing was a symptom of such a serious condition. I owe my sight to the swift action of Ms McGovern and her team at Specsavers in Mullingar. I have since been informed that glaucoma is a hereditary condition and now my siblings and their children have also been for eye tests and will continue to do so regularly. ‘

Ms McGovern concludes: ‘Mr McAvoy’s case reiterates Specsavers’ advice that people should have their eyes tested at least every two years. Not only can an eye examination monitor your sight, it can also detect diseases and serious health problems. The main message to highlight for World Glaucoma Week, in light of Mr McAvoy’s case, is that eye tests are essential for both your sight and general health.

To book an appointment, call into Specsavers, 11 Pearse Street, Mullingar or call 04490038. You can also log onto www.specsavers.ie/mullingar

You can phone them on 01 6777 212 and their website is: http://www.sweeneyorourke.com/ebstore/so/

No Smoking Day is the UK’s leading health campaign for smokers who want to stop. This website has all the information and resources you need to quit smoking or organise an event on No Smoking Day, Wednesday 10 March 2010.

www.nosmokingday.org.uk/

International Women’s Day (8 March) is a global day celebrating the economic, political and social achievements of women past, present and future. In some places like China, Russia, Vietnam and Bulgaria, IWD is a national holiday. The

www.internationalwomensday.com/

Monday, 8th March is International Women’s Day

We speak to Irish author Cathy Kelly about International Women’s Day. Cathy was appointed a UNICEF Ireland Ambassador in 2005. We speak to her about her role within UNICEF and the struggle of women internationally, that she has encountered in her role as ambassador.

International Women’s Day (8 March) is a global day celebrating the economic, political and social achievements of women past, present and future. In some places like China, Russia, Vietnam and Bulgaria, IWD is a national holiday. International Women’s Day has been observed since in the early 1900’s, a time of great expansion and turbulence in the industrialized world that saw booming population growth and the rise of radical ideologies

Cathy Kelly

Cathy Kelly was born in Belfast, Northern Ireland, brought up in Dublin and started her working life as a journalist in an Irish national newspaper. She worked as both news and feature reporter, and worked as the paper’s film critic for five years, as well as being the agony aunt for seven years.

In 1997 she published her first book – Woman To Woman which was an instant bestseller, spending eight weeks at number one on the Irish bestseller charts. Her subsequent novels have been number ones all around the world and are published in many different languages. Cathy is married to John, and they have twin sons, Murray and Dylan.

Cathy has been supporting UNICEF since 2004 and was appointed a UNICEF Ireland Ambassador in 2005.

That year, Cathy visited Mozambique to highlight the impact that HIV/AIDS was having on children in sub-Saharan Africa and helped launch UNICEF’s Global Campaign “Unite for Children, Unite against AIDS” in Dublin.

Cathy also supported UNICEF 2006 Pampers Neo-Natal Tetanus Campaign and in 2007, Cathy visited Rwanda to highlight UNICEF’s “Schools for Africa” Campaign.

In her last two novels, Cathy has also highlighted her work with UNICEF and encouraged her readers to get involved.

A passionate advocate for children and for UNICEF, Cathy rarely misses an opportunity when speaking with the media to highlight UNICEF’s work – most recently, Cathy is one of

1. How did you become an ambassador for UNICEF?
My family and I were asked to pose for a family picture for a UNICEF book in 2005 to help raise funds for Global Parenting, a UNICEF programme to help children orphaned by AIDs and because I was so involved with it, UNICEF asked me to be an Ambassador for them.

2. Cathy what does being an ambassador actually involve?
I attend lunches, meetings, conferences and all types of fundraising events to generate funds and awareness for UNICEF. I also do a massive amount of media work for UNICEF – not just in Ireland but in all the countries, where I am known as an author – including the UK and Europe as well as Australia and New Zealand

3. Cathy, this is International Women’s Day, in your work with UNICEF, what kind of struggles have you seen on an international level for women in poverty-stricken countries?
International Women’s Day is nearly 100 years old and yet while women in the West have come so far in that time, there are millions of women who in other countries
*For example, the fastest growing group of people developing HIV/AIDs are women and children. This is directly linked to lack of women’s rights in many countries (patriarchial societies where men use prostitutes and come home to their wife, have condom-less sex with her and giv e her HIV) and women’s lack of education. In many countries, women are denied education or else, boys are sent to school instead of girls, and without education, women don’t learn how to protect themselves from HIV.
*In the West, we can have babies safely – while every day around the world in under developed countries, almost 1,500 women die from childbirth complications.
*millions of women spend hours every day collecting water because there’s no safe water supplies for them to use.
UNICEF is fighting all these injustices – I can go into details on all.

4. You want to refer to a recent article on Germaine Greer?
My Germaine point is that many people in our world assume the battle of feminism is won – referenced by nasty Germaine Greer article today. But this looks at a type of feminism that includes the concept of ‘we are free if we can go out and drink as much as any guy.’ I think we must look at what freedom is to all women, and that means access to medicine, health care for themselves and their children, clean water, education, and the right not to be abused or treated violently.

5. if you can also talk about the cases studies of women whom that you might have met in Rwanda and Mozambique?
I can talk about sitting in a clinic in Mozambique when my own sons were less than a year old and watching women just like me with their children, and realising that one in every five of those women would be burying that child before they reached the age of 5.

6. In your last two novels, you highlighted you work with UNICEF and encouraged readers to get involved, can you explain this?
I explained that if it takes you four days to read one book, by that time, 5,700 children would have died of AIDs and 7,014 children under 15 will have been infected with HIV. I write about UNICEF in my website all the time because I want to keep getting the message home.

7. Has the struggles of women influenced your writing differently, for example, characterizations?
I’ve always written about strong women with a sense of moral justice. In my current book, one of the heroines works for a Vincent’ De Paul type charity.

8. Who do you think is the most inspirational women in history?
I have a soft spot for Marie Curie. Also Rosaline Franklin who was one of the unsung heroes behind the discover of DNA.
About UNICEF:

UNICEF works in over 150 of the world’s poorest countries, supporting programmes aimed at saving and improving children’s lives.

In Rwanda, UNICEF is working on building “child friendly schools”
The child-friendly school is UNICEF’s approach to promoting quality education for all children – especially among the most vulnerable and hard-to-reach populations – both in everyday circumstances and in emergencies. Child-friendly educators focus on the needs of the ‘whole’ child (which include his or her health, nutrition and overall well-being) and care about what happens to children in their families and communities before they enter school and after they leave.

Funding Cathy visited Busasamana and Umubano Primary Schools in Rwanda, which is one of the most recently built child friendly schools and met and spoke with pupils and teachers at the schools.

At the Rubingo Primary School, which Cathy Kelly visited, they have attempted to address the issue of participation of girls who tend to drop out of school much faster than boys. The main barrier initially was the fact that the school water and sanitation system provided little privacy for girls – with separate latrines not provided for boys and girls. With UNICEF’s support, nine dilapidated latrines have now been replaced with 2 latrine blocks of 45 toilets.
Cathy joined in the singing with the pupils at the Nemba catch-up Centre in Rwanda – the children were singing to welcome her and the UNICEF Ireland visitors. This UNICEF supported-centre provides a basic education for children aged between 9-16 , who have either dropped out or never attended school. Many of the children attending the centre are orphans, unaccompanied children or children living in child headed households as well as working and street children.

Cathy also visited the primary school in Munanira, Rwanda. With holes in the roof, a broken concrete floor, no running water, very few desks and chairs and no safe area for the children to play and exercise outside, the school is in urgent need of rehabilitation. Children lack classrooms or sit on the floor without adequate furniture. The school also lacks water and sanitation facilities. The schools have over 1,000 children enrolled and a pupil classroom ration of 70 to 1. The schools is urgent need of approximately 7 news additional classrooms and a rehabilitation of all existing classrooms.

Cathy said following her visit that there’s a lot of hope for the future of Rwanda and children are the hope.
A short background on to Cathy’s last trip to Rwanda:

Rwanda has come a long way since 1994. That year, Rwanda was plunged into a violent genocide that saw at least 937,000 Tutsis and moderate Hutus representing 10 per cent of the population killed in the 100-day genocide, according to Rwandan Government figures. The violence of 1994 cast a long shadow on this land. Rwanda today is home to over one million orphaned children. In addition to the legacy of the genocide, AIDS has taken a grim and steady toll on the population, leaving many young people to fend for themselves. More than 160,000 households are headed by children and 57 per cent of the population still live on less than one dollar a day. Rwanda is the most densely populated country in Africa, making natural resources scarce; more than half of the nation’s population is comprised of children (over four million children).

2010 Entries now open

              All participants must enter either on the official Entry Form
            which will appear in the Evening Herald every Wednesday and Saturday or online. 
          (On-line entries will incur an extra 1euro Bank processing charge)

THINKING OF FUNDRAISING?

Those participating in the Flora Womens Mini Marathon, who wish to fundraise, should contact their chosen charity directly themselves. Your charity should be able to issue sponsorship cards etc. To facilitate charities and participants,  we have a list of charities you can download from this website, giving contact people, phone numbers and e-mail addresses. You can fundraise for a charity not listed, – just contact the charity and tell them of your intentions.

www.womensminimarathon.ie/