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Published on Leave a comment on Iceland’s Four-Day Working Week Trials An ‘Overwhelming Success’ Report Finds

Four Related Articles In This Post For Good Measure!

Trials of a four-day working week in Iceland have been lauded an "overwhelming success", with research revealing the initiative helped increase productivity, and led to an overall improvement in workers' wellbeing.

The trials, run by Reykjavík City Council and the Icelandic government, were held between 2015 and 2019, and ultimately included more than 2,500 workers — or about one per cent of Iceland's working population.

As part of the project, employees from a range of professions — including offices, kindergartens, social service providers and hospitals — moved from a 40-hour working week, to a 35 or 36-hour working week, but received the same pay.

Research into the trials, published this month by researchers from the UK think tank Autonomy and Iceland's Association for Sustainable Democracy (Alda), noted that following the trials' success, trade unions "achieved permanent reductions in working hours for tens of thousands of their members across the country".

In total, roughly 86 per cent of Iceland’s entire working population has "now either moved to working shorter hours or have gained the right to shorten their working hours", the report found, adding that such reductions were won in contracts negotiated between 2019 and 2021.…

Published on Leave a comment on Signatures Of Foods: A Fascinating Health Concept

By Janet Vargas - Independent Natural Health Researcher 30+ Years

THIS IS THE COMMENCEMENT OF AN ARTICLE I STARTED TO WORK WITH 10-12 YEARS AGO. I HAVE BEEN VERY BUSY WITH SEVERAL WEBSITES (that is pretty time consuming) AND THIS TAKES A LOT BUT IT'S VERY INTERESTING - I'M SURE SOME OF YOU WILL AGREE WITH ME.

Health Signatures In Various Foods

This article is about a phenomena that has been referred to as the "Doctrine of Signatures" and popularized in the early 1600s and practiced previously by people who believed in a Creator God who made many foods and herbs to resemble different parts of our bodies to give us an indication that they are good for that area of our health and could bring healing to certain conditions. Doctrine is actually an Old-English word for Teaching:)

Some Christians remembered a verse in their Bible that said "I have given you every seed-bearing plant throughout the earth and all the fruit trees for your food” when noticing the remarkable resemblance to our brain, heart, ears and eyes etc and they started adopting various foods into their diet as different foods - in this light – became part of their conversation.…

Published on Leave a comment on Feeling Down Or Stressed? Try Nature Eco-Therapy.

A Return To Nature – Now Referred To As ECO Therapy

Summer often means spending time outdoors, swimming, camping, taking walks, and just enjoying the great outdoors. These leisure activities are fun and good for you.

That's right. They're good for you!

ECO Nature Therapy Is Good For The Soul

Psychologists in the new field of Eco-Therapy believe that spending time outdoors is important for our health. Connecting more with nature can help improve depression, lower blood pressure, improve self-esteem, help with impulse control, decrease post-operative recovery time, and encourage new social behaviors in patients with dementia, according to ecotherapyheals.com and the book Ecotherapy: Healing with Nature in Mind.

Eco-therapists claim that eco-therapy can be especially beneficial for those with depression, anxiety, stress or other mental illnesses. Depression is the most common psychiatric disorder, and the incidence of depression has increased every year during the past century. Now, one in six people will experience a depressive episode in their lifetime.

Traditional treatment for depression has focused on medications and individual or group therapy.

Now, Eco-therapists suggest that benefit can be gained with activities such as gardening, walking or other outdoor exercise, or spending time with animals.…

Published on Leave a comment on Practical Help For Quitting Cigarettes And Dope

Can't Stop Cigarettes? Don't Despair!  New Routines.

Freedom from Smoke and Dope.
They are not good ways to Cope.
Come, make a Start.

Tobacco users aren’t just addicted to smoking or chewing; they’re also habitually addicted to the physical act of using tobacco products. Over time, smoking or chewing becomes a part of your daily routine or coping mechanism. Certain activities, routines or feelings “trigger” the urge to smoke or chew.

Triggers can be habitual daily activities, such as a morning cup of coffee or hanging out with a certain group of friends. Triggers can also be feelings and emotions, such as stress or unhappiness. Even certain times of the day can be triggers. Triggers can be a huge barrier to quitting tobacco. In order to quit successfully, you need to first determine what “triggers” you to smoke or dip. With practice, you can overcome your triggers. Eventually, it becomes easier to separate triggers and tobacco, and then finally quit for good. Here are some proven tips to help you identify and beat your triggers:

Step 1 Figure out what your triggers are by keeping a list of when you have the urge to smoke or dip.…

Published on Leave a comment on Help Breaking Habits – Some Good Things To Try!

Everyone Has Habits They Would Benefit From Breaking
Maybe That Someone Is You?

I'm thinking of what habits I'd like to break
and make a better tomorrow.

Habits can be like giants to most of us, hard to overcome. Many have started regimes in their Quest to get somewhere with this problem that seem to have more relevance Today more than any time in history it seems. Because these days, so much is expected of us….on the work scene….on the social scene….eyes are towards how we perform, as it were. We live in a day where self-acceptance is important – how one feels about oneself. If we’ve mastered this, we can handle some critique that comes our way….be it not meeting someone’s Personal standards or expectations, by glance or comments or reports. We need to be happy with the one we live with (that’s us) to function at our best and relate well with those around us, at home and when we go out. When we’re happy with ourselves we can face the day so much better. We really can.

IT IS OF VITAL IMPORTANCE TO FOCUS ON WHO YOU ARE BECOMING THAN WHO YOU DON'T WANT TO BE

Some of the stress we face these days has to do with an underlying dislike for ourselves as much as a disliking for anyone else.…

Published on Leave a comment on The Fallacy Of Low Fat Diets And True Healthy Fats – Don’t Settle For Myths

By Janet Vargas - Natural Health Researcher

It Concerns Me When I See So Many Women Buying Lots Of Low-Fat, No-Fat Groceries For The Family (Kids And All) Setting Themselves And Their Kids Up For Being Cranky Because Healthy Fats Help To Cushion Our Nervous System. Our Brain And Heart Also Require Their Share - This Is Vital INFO You Are About To Read!

Extra Virgin Olive Oil - The choice of Healthy Mediterraneans

I intend to put a few very important things STRAIGHT on this page concerning the popular Low Fat Diet and the Cholesterol Scare Campaign and show you that the concerns raised about Fat-Intake are NOT VALID. There will be some cutting-edge knowledge Revealed by True Experts and an appeal to common sense. We need to know the REAL FACTS!

Low Fat Lies!

The Low-Fat Craze that commenced in the 90's has taken so many by storm and convinced most of the Medical Profession and Governments through Misinformation that "Fat is bad for You"..... "Watch your Weight"....."Watch your Cholesterol". And people are convinced this is true to the point of even changing the family meals to accommodate these concerns and leaving HEALTHY FATS out of their children's diets - that presents an imbalance to necessary NUTRITION.…

Published on Leave a comment on Heart Health and Cholesterol Scare Campaign: Statin Dangers – Find The True Facts!

By Janet Vargas - Natural Health Researcher

Cholesterol is Good for your Heart. Yes that's right, your Heart needs Cholesterol. The tide is changing on the Heart Health Scene, at least for those who are better informed and I'm here to let you know.

New Insights On Heart Health And Cholesterol

You may be pleased to hear that some leading Heart Specialists and Surgeons and MDs have been practicing a totally different approach to things than the Cholesterol Scare Campaign we have been accustomed to for a few decades now. Did you know the average GP/MD is mistaken and 'Specialists' too? Yes, it has now been proven to be a flawed theory. A mistake that was made a long time ago and never corrected. Sadly, most Specialists don't want to know because there's big profit that depends on your ignorance and mine.

Heart disease is a growing concern and heart attacks are a leading cause of death of both men and women, with one person having a heart attack around every three minutes. Could the No-Fat Low-Fat Diets and Statins have anything to do with it? My word yes!

IT'S A NEW DAY ON THE HORIZON, SO DO BE INFORMED.…

Published on Leave a comment on Could Tiny Homes Idea Solve Australia’s Housing Crisis At Same Time As Its Building Skills Shortage?

By David Chen  - ABC Southern Queensland June 2021

The future tradie's gaming console and couch might one day reside in a tiny house, like the one being built from scratch in a training program run by Toowomba-based not-for-profit, DGT Training and Employment.

"It's portable, its useful, you can store things in it, you can use it as second kitchen, second bedroom, back room for gaming, there's many different uses."

DGT Training CEO Kris McCue says the idea of using a tiny house to train students came after talks with local charities. (ABC Southern Qld: David Chen)

DGT CEO Kris McCue said he believed tiny homes could not only train the next generation of tradies but could also provide a short-term solution to regional Australia's housing and skills shortages.

"Rental vacancies are below 1 per cent in many, many areas — things like a tiny home can be a good, you know, shorter-term solution for that," he said.

"Also, young people moving out [for] their first time – it might not be achievable in this market, but putting a tiny home on the back of a block of their parents' home could essentially give people their own independence.

"I guess the ultimate thing for me would be for someone to participate in a training program to build a tiny home to get a job … and then to live in a tiny home that they'd built.…

Published on Leave a comment on An Interesting Love Story Growing For Nearly 100 Years – Citrus Orchard

ABC Wide Bay / By Brad Marsellos  2021

Nearly 100 years ago, an orange tree was planted on the banks of the Burnett River near Gayndah in south-east Queensland that would grow into a story of love. 

Walter Benham planted that tree in 1924, and four generations later the legacy continues with a family partnership and around 70,000 citrus trees.

Rachael Benham started making citrus products after advice from her grandma. (ABC Wide Bay: Brad Marsellos)

Like something from the pages of a Spanish romance novel, rolling plains filled with fruit-heavy trees and the occasional rocky outcrop, the Beyenda Citrus farm remains home to the Benham family.

The family now grows grapefruit, lemons, mandarins as well oranges for export and the Australian market on the picturesque property.

Rachael Benham was not born a citrus farmer like her husband and fourth-generation grower, Matt. She grew up on a western Queensland livestock farm.

The couple met at university and Ms Benham went from animal science to living on an orchard. 

Eleven years and two children later, Ms Benham still feels she has a lot to learn from the family with "orange juice flowing in their veins".

"Trees are a little different, they don't move and they don't kick, run away or need mustering," she says.…

Published on Leave a comment on Finding and Getting to Know Your Inner Child – Some Benefits

By Crystal Raypole 

You’ve probably made a few references to your inner child before.

“I’m channeling my inner child,” you might say, while jumping off swings at the park, chasing your roommate through the house, or diving into the pool with your clothes on.

Finding Your Inner Child - A New Discovery

Many trace the concept of an inner child to psychiatrist Carl Jung, who described a child archetype in his work. He linked this internal child to past experiences and memories of innocence, playfulness, and creativity, along with hope for the future.

Other experts describe this inner child as an expression of not just your child self, but your lived experience of all life stages. The inner child is also noted as a source of strength, since early experiences can play a significant part in your development as an adult.

This can go both ways, though: When childhood experiences negatively affect you, your inner child may continue to carry these wounds until you address the source.

“Each one of us has an inner child, or way of being,” says Dr. Diana Raab, a research psychologist and author. “Getting in touch with your inner child can help foster well-being and bring a lightness to life.”…