Tag: prevention

All This Healing is Killing Me: A Memoir

The opening words to the first chapter of this heartbreaking and courageous Memoir from Gabrielle Pelicci, All This Healing is Killing Me, say ‘Nobody tells you how to become an adult’, which is absolutely true. If you have parents who guide you through the trauma of growing up, you are very fortunate: if not you have to find your way through what frequently becomes a battle ground, littered with bad choices, failed expectation and the detritus of human life.

In Gabrielle Pelicci’s case, she grew up in a horrifically traumatic family with a father who was at the very least a homicidal maniac. Her parents eventually divorced and her mother died at a young age, leaving her bereft; an emotionally delicate woman in her early 20’s.

From an ethereal or out of body experience at her mother funeral, to a serious rift with her brother Joseph, she decided the way forward was to study Psychology, which lead onto her study of many more subjects such as Energy Healing, Massage and over the years, many areas involved within the healing modalities.

She staggered from one toxic relationship to another, each time destroying a little more of her fragile self-belief. Over the years she saw a raft of therapists who all encouraged her to face her fears; basically face her truths about her childhood, the trauma associated with this and by doing so beginning to heal.

Fearful and terrified, she moved from one needy relationship to another, changing locations often, depending on what she was studying, either learning or involved in various healing disciplines, each time believing she was on the pathway to happiness, only to be cast aside once again, until she could go no further. She reached the end of her various routes of ‘escape’ and had, with the help of a very skilful therapist, to face her demons; to begin to heal.

For anyone who has walked the challenging pathway of destructive relationships, mental and physical health issues, substance abuse and much more, Pelicci’s words will offer hope and understanding, as can only come from someone who has already travelled the pathway of self-destruction.

Beautifully written with no sense of self-pity at any stage, All This Healing Is Killing Me is an unflinching Memoir, which shares the hard work, challenges and immense courage it takes eventually to walk away from a destructive life pattern and be able to live a freer and happier life.

May 22, 2023
Terrorism in Australia – The story of Operation Pendennis

The world has for centuries been shattered by terrorist events, however the more recent ones including ‘Lockerbie/ PAN AM’, ‘The London Bombings’, “Mumbai Attacks’ and ‘September 11’ have entered our living rooms via the media. Now with 24 hour News channels and social media, there is no escaping the carnage and destruction resulting from acts of terrorism.

Australia, which is considered by the world to be one of the safest places on earth, has also seen acts of terrorism in contemporary times. ‘The 1978 Sydney Hilton Bombing’ and ‘The 2014 Hostage Crisis’ at the Lindt Café shocked the nation and alerted the population that Australia too is vulnerable to those who wish the nation harm. How do we stop an attack on our shores? Who is a terrorist? Australia’s response to terrorism has been to establish and strengthen its intelligence agencies: Australia’s law enforcement, intelligence and security organisations work collaboratively together to prevent attacks on its people and property.

In his book ‘Terrorism in Australia’ author Peter Moroney relates how from June 2004 to the arrest of the perpetrators in November 2005 Operation Pendennis, foiled the biggest (to date) planned terrorist attack on Australian soil. It uncovered jihadist cells in Melbourne and Sydney amassing guns, ammunition and bomb-making equipment to use in terrorist attacks on home soil. Nine men in New South Wales and twelve men in Victoria planned to commit a devastating attack, which was designed to kill and maim men, women and children in Australia.

The success of this counter terrorism investigation demonstrated the ultimate investigator’s skills, their tenacity, grit and resolve. It is an extraordinary story of the Australian Islamic ‘home-grown’ terrorists and the dedicated officers who thwarted them.

The book also explores how the culture of terrorist’s groups work and think; how ‘home-grown’ terrorists are radicalised. The author shares the story of the often unrecognized but tireless effort and skill of the security personnel and other investigators. The reader cannot but be in awe of these officers, how their dedication to keeping Australia safe (often at the expense of their own families) drove them to commit to their cause beyond the call of duty. He also reminds the reader of the importance of remaining vigilant to threat and emphasises the importance of calls to the terrorism hotline.

There is a great deal of mystery that surrounds terrorism. True crime readers will find this book both enthralling and revealing as Peter Moroney tries to demystify terrorism by presenting to the reader a clearer understanding.

November 12, 2018
Better Brain Food Eat to cheat dementia and cognitive decline

As more information becomes available about preventing dementia and slowing the ageing process, it is necessary for research to be current and pertinent to our lifestyle. These criteria have certainly been met in this book. Not only is it informative, and up to date with latest research, but it is also a pleasure to browse through sections at leisure.

The Contents shows us that the beginning chapters deal with the Brain, Gut Health, Obesity and Diabetes and Diet plans. We see that brain health is dependent on a myriad “of factors including nutrition.” We know that getting enough sleep, being social, and being physically active are a few of the ways we can care for our brain, but this book deals with the nutrition aspect and so we have a chapter that explains how we can understand the brain, its function and its needs.

The author explains that the more “connections brain cells make throughout life, the more you amass what is called Cognitive reserve.” The brain uses an enormous amount of our nutrition intake, and uses glucose to fuel its workings. Exercise helps to reduce inflammation in the body, and the muscles need protein to maintain their work load. There are fascinating studies being undertaken now on brain and gut health, and information on both. Some natural anti-oxidants are listed.

Part two of the book consists of recipes. The beginning of the chapter deals with pantry essentials and the author looks at spices such as cinnamon and turmeric, cumin and coriander, nuts and seeds and grains. Salt is mentioned, and those foods such as bread, breakfast cereals and prepackaged meals are shown to exceed a healthy limit of salt. The storage and preparation of these foods is shown to be helpful, and we begin to see the recipes such as “Spicy Mixed Seeds,” which make an ideal snack or nibbler.

Salad dressings, mayonnaise, vegetable stock and pickles to make, are introduced next. This excellent book has something that many lack, and that is, “Cooking for One or Two.” It is easy to increase the amount, but so helpful to have recipes for one person. Next we come to the recipes. I wince when quantities of kale, quinoa and exotic ingredients are required, but no! The first recipes are for Sardines and tomatoes on toast, and Fried eggs; such satisfying, recognisable and easy recipes. There are also pizzas, pancakes, salads, lamb chops and stir fries.

Not only are the recipes delicious, easy to prepare, and wide ranging to cover every taste, they only need a short preparation time. The photography and presentation are excellent. The book is set out in such a way that the information is in a compact and easy to read style, while the recipes are spaced out with one recipe per page, and many colourful photographs. It is a beautiful book to browse, but more importantly, it is inspirational in its ideas and support.

August 11, 2017