Thoughts from Selina

Part 2 in the Easter Delight

12/4/2020

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Healthy Sesame Seed Snaps for Easter

12/4/2020

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Photo - Sketa Oz

Given that it is Easter and I am confined to barracks - I spent yesterday afternoon, doing up some very yummy sesame seed snaps. It is a different option for Easter or for that matter, just having fun in the kitchen with the children.

Happy Easter!

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Windowsill green savers

7/4/2020

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Photo - Sketa Oz

So this week, in my downtime of not working on Term 2 planning for school, I have potted up a few vegetables that will do well living inside the home.

Pottering about in the garden is one of those things, most people have come to enjoy and appreciate, with the hope of getting back to nature. However, being confined to barracks or living in an apartment does not mean you can’t get into the garden. You just have to get creative.

Photo - Sketa Oz

A sunny position on a windowsill, in a bedroom or on the veranda – closed in or not, can be a great way to keep the veggies coming and keeping it fresh. The crop might be a little smaller than you’d see in a regular garden, but it is also a great way to get productive, to keep the kids entertained and educated, and will add a touch of green around the house.

Photo - Sketa Oz

Potted plants are a great air-cleaner, and a ripe tomato from the windowsill is a good nibble that doesn’t need to clutter up your refrigerator. Basil, spinach and lettuce are my favourites, as well as cucumbers.

A couple of weeks ago, I also raised seedling tomatoes. Today, I potted them out, ready for the windowsill. They look pretty awesome, don’t they? You should give it a try. Now, I just have to wait a month or so, for them to crop. Maybe, I should get some indoor bees – what do you think? Just joking – I was having a ‘Trump’ moment. 😊

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Do you own a pet? Then, read this!

28/3/2019

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Photo - Creative Commons

I was doing research for an article I was writing a few months ago and found this particularly interesting academic paper - on contractable bacteria and diseases easily acquired from pets, specifically dogs. It talks not only about being diligent in cleaning up after them but also, in washing your hands, cleaning surfaces, etc.

I was unlucky enough to pick up such a bacteria that now lives permanently in the base of my lungs. I have always been a healthy, fit person and particularly obsessed with cleanliness.

Photo - Creative Commons

This took me by surprise and when I asked the doctor how I might have contracted such bacteria, he said you would be surprised as to how many people we see each week with such related illnesses.

I am not saying people should give up the idea of owning a dog or a cat. However, I don't think one should ever become complacent about cleanliness. It might seem trivial, but if one is not careful or one does not teach young children about appropriate hygiene while caring for or handling animals, they could pay a very big price of being permanently at risk for not only these diseases, but a whole host of others - like leading to limb amputations

You can learn more at: One Health Fact Sheet

Photo & Resources - CDC

Resource and Research papers
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC5319273/
https://www.cdc.gov/healthypets/pets/dogs.html
https://www.empr.com/home/news/dogs-saliva-caused-bacterial-infection-leading-to-amputations/
https://www.petmd.com/dog/conditions/infectious-parasitic/c_multi_leptospirosis
https://www.cdc.gov/healthypets/pets-and-antibiotic-resistance.html
https://www.cdc.gov/onehealth/multimedia/factsheet.html

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Save Honey!

27/9/2018

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Still footage of Inubosaki Marine Park - www.dolphinproject.com

Aerial Still footage of the complex - www.dolphinproject.com

Still footage at the park - www.dolphinproject.com

I would like to bring to your attention the plight of ‘Honey’ - the dolphin, 46 penguins and 100’s of fish and reptiles that remain abandoned at the now defunct - Inubosaki Marine Park Aquarium in Choshi, Japan. The Park closed 9 months ago and without the kindness of a few locals, these poor animals would have died months ago. The animals and the angels taking care of them - need urgent assistance to place them in a marine park where they can get access to medical attention and be humanely cared for; where ‘Honey’ can recuperate & retire with a caring family of dolphins.

Aerial Still footage of HONEY - www.dolphinproject.com

Dolphin Project have been recording her status and that of the other remaining animals. They have been trying to gain the attention of the Japanese authorities to change the conditions for the animals, but with little response. The owner of the Park has apparently been contacted, but no response to date.

Please help. It is a matter of paramount urgency.
I have signed the petition and believe your should too. I’m just incredibly concerned this issue will go unheard.

THE PETITION

Here you are able to view the animals as best available; one can not determine the physical state of HONEY the dolphin, but no doubt its emotional/psychological state is not the best given it remains alone in the pool, without any contact from its own species.

Aerial Still footage of penguin enclosure - www.dolphinproject.com

Some other articles presently circulating the Internet, regarding this issue are listed below. Take a good read. LIfe can't be easy for the creatures.
https://www.dolphinproject.com/blog/exclusive-video-plight-desperate-for-taiji-caught-abandoned-dolphin/
https://www.dailymail.co.uk/home/article-6105121/Honey-lonely-dolphin-abandoned-Japanese-aquarium-sparks-public-outcry.html
https://nation.com.pk/28-Aug-2018/honey-the-lonely-dolphin-abandoned-in-japanese-aquarium-sparks-public-outcry
https://www.thehindu.com/news/international/outcry-after-dolphin-left-in-deserted-aquarium-in-japan/article24803272.ece#!
https://www.reuters.com/article/us-japan-aquarium/honey-the-lonely-dolphin-abandoned-in-japanese-aquarium-sparks-public-outcry-idUSKCN1LD0JR

Again, this is a matter of paramount urgency; we get as many people to sign this as possible.
Follow the link to the petition and lets get HONEY and the other animals to safety!

THE PETITION

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