I make these delicious vegan flapjacks, from an easy recipe courtesy of my friend Dumi. Click to download vegan-flapjack-recipe
Environment, animals, food, ethics
14/01/2012
12/12/2011
Berry picking on farm
Berry-picking on farm for making seasonal decorations, leaving plenty behind for the birdies to feed on.
Photograph © Amber Garnet 2011
10/12/2011
Home-made mulled wine
A good alternative to the Oxford Street trolley-dash... home made mulled wine. Click for home made mulled wine recipe.
Photograph © Amber Garnet 2011
13/11/2011
Bill Clinton goes vegan
Former fast-food fan and US president Bill Clinton was recently interviewed by CNN about his journey from omnivore to vegan:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=R3ied_AD4iE
See the full CNN report here:
http://edition.cnn.com/2011/HEALTH/08/18/bill.clinton.diet.vegan/index.html
10/10/2011
Psychic profession under attack
ITV's This Morning recently ran a feature on whether psychics were con artists. The interview was topical as a well-known TV medium, Sally Morgan, had recently been accused of fraud at a Dublin Theatre by a radio phone-in caller identifying herself as "Susan".
Psychics vs. sceptics
I'm not particularly familiar with Sally's work and have never seen her television show, yet I can't help but feel sympathy for her. The claims that Sally was using assistance to bring messages from the deceased to people in the theatre audience were made by an unidentified person (out of an audience of 700) only once but subsequently quoted many, many times in various media outlets world-wide. Despite the theatre itself making a public statement backing Sally and refuting the claims, and this caller never being heard of again, sceptics are citing this to be another example of psychics using underhand techniques to make money out of vulnerable people.
Left: How can genuine psychics reassure consumers of trust, integrity and quality?
This situation illustrates why genuine psychics need to be especially vigilant to ensure their conduct is professional, transparent and non-exploitative (either emotionally or financially). Particular care should be given to wording and presentation of services or guarantees offered, and any beneficial claims need to be substantiated. Similarly, psychics and their clients should be aware that fake testimonials from 'satisfied customers' are now illegal (Consumer Protection from Unfair Trading Practices Regulations, 26 May 2008, ASA).
Above: Daniel Dunglas Home - a controversial psychic or a clever
fraud? Debate raged in the Victorian era; opinion is still deivided today.
The media-frenzy around the Sally Morgan's case feeds the argument for more regulation of the psychic industry, which is still relatively young and in some senses just stepping out from the shadow of the middle ages. A UK-wide membership body with recognised training and code of conduct would help the authentic psychic shake off a professional stigma that labels practitioners as fraudulent at worst and naive, deluded simpletons at best.
The art of psychic reading
Yet, at this stage quite how regulation would be achieved is hard to know. From my own experience the psychic clairvoyant develops a personal style and library of symbolic meaning which is used to translate information for each client. An effective psychic clairvoyant literally, in the words of Simon Cowell, "makes it [the work] his/her own." On top of that, sessions are very individualistic; there is no one truth or way of looking at things and each reading may be coloured by the clients situation, mood and character, as well as levels of trust/rapport between client and reader.
Above: Image of witches being hanged, from England's Grievance Discovered in Relation to the Coal Trade by Ralph Gardiner, 1655.
I liken the psychic process to be a little like psychotherapy; it is an art - not a science. It is personal, not impersonal. It will not suit everyone's taste or temperament, and therefore may be of little benefit to someone who is only analytical and rational in their approach to life, or someone who is uncomfortable with introspection or recognising their own feelings. Most psychotherapists, whether medically qualified or not, are not primarily scientists. Furthermore, there is a strong body of evidence to suggest that people drawn to the arts/humanities are very different to those drawn to the exact sciences, and this difference manifests early in life (Ref: Liam Hudson). It seems to me possible that those with scientific 'left' brain development find the idea of psychic readings so appalling because it literally makes no sense to them. This would explain the sometimes attacking nature of left-brained professions when confronted with a right-brain psychic who relies on a different way of seeing, understanding and being.
Above: Scientists continue to explore how some cognitive functions tend to be dominated by either the right or left side of the brain. Creative Commons: Gutenberg Encyclopedia
The left-brain is associated with logical, rational/sequential, analytical and objective think which looks at individual parts. The right-brain is associated with random intuitive, synthesising, subjective and holistic thinking.
A case for industry regulation
Aside from the NHS-funded Cognitive Behavioural Therapy, there is similar lack of conclusive research findings that 'scientifically prove' the positive effects of psychotherapy. Like psychics, anyone can set up as a counsellor without having any professional training or experience. Yet, the psychotherapy profession, with its roots in 1860s, is more widely accepted today due its theoretical history and the work of regulatory bodies such as the BACP and UKCP. Today even 'healing', the intuitive industry's natural bedfellow, is increasingly regulated by structured member organisations with national standards of training, and is therefore more tolerated by healthcare professionals when used alongside conventional medicine. Meanwhile, the psychic profession remains in the margins of respectability.
I wonder how long it will be before psychics will have their own industry standards, trust/quality marks and government regulated code of practice?
Just as the public needs to be protected, doesn't the reputation of genuine psychics need to be protected from abuse too?
© Copyright Amber Garnet 2011
Ref: Hudson, Liam The Cult of The Fact, p.83. London. Cape.
[PLEASE NOTE: I am a 'psychic', that is, I simply see and feel the energy and feelings around a given situation or relationship, whereas 'mediums' channel messages from people who have 'passed over'. There is sometimes confusion between the two terms due to incorrect use. A 'psychic medium' will combine both approaches.]
Are all psychics fake?
Above: Medium Leigh Catherine and Paul Zenon on ITV1's This Morning show.
This question was debated in a rather lopsided manner on ITV1's This Morning on Tuesday 27th September 2011. The articulate sceptic and seasoned TV professional Paul Zenon presented his case first and assertively challenged psychic medium and girl-from-Cardiff Leigh Catherine to 'prove' her abilities and the legitimacy of psychic phenomena, in this case 'communicating with the deceased.' The psychic medium's response was somewhat unprepared and she took a defensive stance, becoming visibly flustered as the sceptic repeatedly cut-in while she attempted to make her case. It was disappointing and uncomfortable viewing as the psychic medium was brow-beaten into an ideological defeat. It was a disingenuous set-up when you pit a seasoned TV and corporate entertainer of several hundred TV performances against an unknown psychic with no media experience or training who is unlikely to be used to dealing with the public in such artificial circumstances, let alone under the bright lights of live TV. You don't need to know the future to predict the results...
View the ITV clip here: http://youtu.be/FQU4ohwvYjY
01/10/2011
Cold cure
One of the most effective ways to avoid catching a cold I've found: half a lemon squeezed into a glass of luke warm water each morning. As well as being an effective cleaner for kitchen taps (apparently), lemon juice kills the germs on the back of the throat so colds can't take hold.
05/08/2011
Jam making
I made some delicious summer blackberry and wild pear jam this weekend from fruit picked from hedges near a family-managed farm in Sussex. Here's the recipe below:
How to make Blackberry Jam
- 1 kilogram fruit
- 500 grams demamera sugar
- 4 lemons and 2 oranges
- square of muslin fabric (optional)
To sterilise your jam jars use boiling water then leave them to dry for a short while in a very low oven.
Carefully wash blackberries and other fruit. Weigh and put into jam pan and leave on very low heat to simmer until juices run (about 30 minutes) while stirring occasionally.
Squeeze in the juice of the lemons and oranges into pan for a natural preservative. Optional: put lemon and orange peel with cinnamon in a bag of muslin and simmer with the fruit for extra flavour, squeezing juice out when bag removed.
Add sugar and raise the heat until bubbling (combined effect of sugar and heat creates pectin which helps the jam set like jelly). Turn off the heat and leave to stand. As it cools the surface of jam should go slightly firm and wrinkle when touched. If it's still too runny, return to heat for 5 minutes before testing again.
Leave to cool for a while before pouring into jam jars. Seal lid and turn jam jars upside down to create vacuum. Once completely cool, label and store in a cool, dry place until needed for breakfast or presents.
06/06/2011
Ayurveda
There are three main doshas in ayurveda – vata, pitta and kapha. Which one are you? Take the dosha quiz: Ayurveda Quiz
A summary of the ayurvedic philosphy can be found in this interesting authentic Indian Food blog:
http://indianfoodrach.blogspot.com/2010/06/ayurvedic-diets.html
Free ayurveda PDF book downloads and links...
http://www.ayurveda.uk.com/ayurveda-and-yoga-links-2
14/02/2011
Limescale: a green solution?
Why spend pounds on a bottle of chemicals when you can get rid of limescale and clean your toilet with.... erm, malt vinegar? Yes, it REALLY works (- as well as being cheap and harmless to the environment).
The only downside is the powerful smell, but I'm happy to report this goes after a few rinses of water.
30/01/2011
Meditation to be taught in UK state school
Photo: Creative Commons, Wikimedia
Meditation is to be taught at a state school for the first time. A private school in Lancashire run by followers of the Maharishi Mahesh Yogi - the spiritualist who taught The Beatles the transcendental technique - will transfer to the state sector in September 2011.
For the full story, visit: http://www.independent.co.uk/news/education/education-news/meditation-school-to-transfer-to-state-sector-2197784.html#
05/01/2011
04/12/2010
Yule celebrations and decorations
Home-made wreath from recycled materials and the fruits of nature (found during recent visit to Surrey countryside). Mulled wine recipe is delicious! For two bottles of wine add:
• 2 oranges
• peel of 1 lemon
• peel of 1 lime
• 250g caster sugar
• 6 whole cloves
• 1 cinnamon stick
• 3 fresh bay leaves
• 1 whole nutmeg (- I use ground nutmeg - less work!)
• 1 whole vanilla pod, halved (- I use vanilla essense!)
• 2 star anise
08/11/2010
Big Bang at CERN today
Today, scientists at the Large Hadron Collider (LHC) CERN project on the Franco–Swiss border near Geneva, have successfully replicated conditions a millionth of a second after the start of the universe by producing a series of mini versions of the Big Bang (which occured almost 14 billion years ago).
British scientists working on the LHC's Alice experiment were today celebrating the achievement, which scientists claim opens up a new era in particle physics (nuclear) research.
The 'Mini Bangs' were produced by smashing together lead ions together at close to the speed of light along the LHC's tunnel. The collisions generated temperatures a million times hotter than the centre of the sun.
For more information on CERN, visit: http://public.web.cern.ch/public/
23/09/2010
Autumn arrives ...with it's leaves
The Autumn Equinox occurs at 3.09am today. The leaves begin falling as summer says goodbye.
01/09/2010
Low-carbon food in London
If all this talk about 'saving the planet' puts you off your food, you might like a new vegetarian restaurant chain that's opened in Covent Garden, London. Originating from New York, Otarian restaurant refuses to buy air freight food; all the oil from their kitchen is turned into bio-fuel; their packaging is either composted or recycled; and furniture / fittings are made from recycled materials. I was a little bemused by the interior as it looks a bit bright and shiny with a plasma screen, rather more like a bar than an ethical eaterie, but was intrigued. The vegan field mushroom burger was delicious (above). Prices aren't cheap but the feel good factor is worth paying more for.
Otarian (Covent Garden), 190 Shaftesbury Avenue, London WC2H 8JL [Please note: Sadly this branch has now closed].
Otarian (Soho), 181-183 Wardour Street, London W1V 3FB
15/08/2010
Tea: brew your own clothes
Designer Suzanne Lee shares her experiments in growing a kombucha-based material that can be made like tea and can be used like fabric or vegetable leather to make clothing. The process is fascinating, the results are beautiful (though there's still one minor drawback ...) and the potential is simply stunning.
More information:
http://www.ted.com/talks/suzanne_lee_grow_your_own_clothes.html
16/07/2010
Hyde Park for London Psychics
Beautiful Hyde Park, one of the many green lungs of London.
Amber Garnet London Psychic © 2010
21/06/2010
Summer Solstice 2010
Summer Solstice 2010 - the longest day of the year is here.
Amber Garnet London Psychic © 2010
16/06/2010
Is your cat psychic?
Is your cat psychic?
12/06/2010
Supermarket Supernova
Set up in 2010, The People's Supermarket on Lamb's Conduit Street, London, is an ethical food idea with legs. It is run 'by the people for the people' and aims to sell the best food at the lowest possible prices to members, who must work in the shop for a few hours every month. Because the workforce is nearly all volunteers, staff costs are kept low - which means shopping costs less. With a flat management structure, there are no bonuses for bosses or dividends for shareholders here: it's the members who benefit from any profits. They also decide how the place is run, what it sells and ultimately, what kind of shop it will be.
The People's Supermarket, 72 - 78 Lamb's Conduit Street, London WC1N 3LP.
19/05/2010
London water waste
Spiritual-types who profess to care about the natural world must surely question whether attempting to purify their system with mineral water is worth the environmental costs. The waste plastic produced by this booming industry amounts to approximately 200 billion bottles each year. Aside from disposing of the empty bottles, the environmental issues include
manufacturing and transportation.
I am waiting for purified water vending machines, where customers bring their containers, to catch on world-wide. A number of companies, among which are a number of North American supermarket chains, have vending machines that dispense purified water into customer's own containers.
Ethical communications agency Provakateur took on the bottled water industry with it's 'Tap campaign' (left) a couple of years ago, but it seems to have ran out of steam despite the press attention it garnered at the time.
In the meantime, I recently found Belu mineral water in a 'biobottle' made from corn - not oil! The company has reduced and offset all it's CO2 emissions and gives all profits to water projects worldwide. The bottles, which can be commercially composted back to soil in 12 weeks (roughly a million years faster than traditional plastics), are sold in a new co-operative supermarket, The People's Supermarket, based on Lamb's Conduit Street near St Ormond Street, London. For other eco-mineral water stockists, see www.belu.org. You could also try Life mineral water from the Pembrokeshire Hills, www.lifepurewater.com.
Findafountain is working to make drinking water accessible to everyone and runs an online 'water fountain directory' listing all the water found locations across London. To find your nearest fountian, visit: www.aquatina.com/findafountain.html
09/03/2010
Spirituality, food and consciousness
I have always felt pretty informed about the wider issues surrounding food production so I was surprised to watch a film in March that moved me so deeply it changed my life. Despite coming from a family of vegetarians, I have happily eaten meat for 35 years. However this particular film altered my awareness to such an extent I am now vegan. It's difficult viewing but if you feel you can stomach it, the Earthlings film is free to watch online. For slightly less gruesome viewing, End of The Line is also recommended (though you will need to buy a copy).
Though these films certainly highlight the ignorance behind much of humankind's behaviour on this planet, I'm an optimist. I believe there's still time to change the world by being change(s) we wish to see - whatever those changes happen to be! Naturally, veganism won’t be a choice for everyone - and I wouldn't dare to suggest it should be - so here's a few links to campaigns that demonstrate how individuals really can make a difference.
16/02/2010
Jamie Oliver's Food Revolution
TED Prize winner Jamie Oliver shares shares some powerful stories from his anti-obesity project in Huntington, West Virginia, US, and makes the case for an all-out assault on the ignorance of food in developed countries such as the United States and UK.
More information:
20/12/2009
London Psychic escapes to Animal Farm
Visited a Surrey small-holding today. It was an eye-opener and the animals were a joy....
Amber Garnet London Psychic © 2010
01/06/2009
Ladybirds for luck....
Found this lucky ladybird on Hampstead Heath, London, yesterday.
Amber Garnet London Psychic © 2010
Ladybirds look good naked
This apparently is how a ladybird looks before it turns into a ladybird. Mother nature is just a miracle waiting to happen.
Amber Garnet London Psychic © 2010
May 2012
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This work by Amber Garnet is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivs 3.0 Unported License.
