WHY YOU SHOULD CHOSE EXTRA VIRGIN OLIVE OIL By Melanie Fourie
We live in a modern day food jungle. A myriad of supermarkets, fast food outlets and the World Wide Web, in all its online shopping glory, have left us spoilt for food choice. Most consumers are governed by the economy and the leniency of their purse strings, so anything cheaper, irrespective of how good or bad, would just simply have to digest.
Countless recent surveys have revealed a marked increase in diseases that have resulted from poor diet and obesity. One sure way to go, according to German Dr Ernst Schneider, is the replacement of refined foods with its natural counterparts. An example of this would be pure virgin olive oil, which, according to Dr Schneider, is the only natural edible oil. According to Dr Schneider, all other oils, except pure virgin olive oil, are not obtained through cold processes but with potentially harmful chemicals. Schneider reveals that the non natural oils are light in color, and insipid due to the refining process. He defines refining as , “removing the oil’s aroma by applying steam, using bleaching agents to whiten them, making them less acidic by adding bleach and thickening them with hydrogen.” He adds that refining processes leads to an overt loss in value of the product. “Out of the nutritional product that was alive we obtain a simple, inert supplier of empty calories”.
Pure Virgin Olive Oil, better known as ‘liquid gold’ has, according to Schneider been conferred the name ‘king of all oils’ by world renowned food scientists such as Ralph Bircher, Paroli, Segovia de Arana and Balzli.
Not only has the purest oil in the world been noted as the tastiest by far by food critics, but it is also well known for its vital and abundant phytosterois. These are substances that block the intestinal absorption of cholesterol found in the food we so blissfully stuff into our bodies.
According to Schneider, who is also the author of the medical journal titled ‘Healthy by Nature’; the following are advantages of adding pure virgin olive oil to your shopping list:
• It has infection combating qualities.
• It is extremely beneficial for the liver and gall bladder.
• It helps excavate the intestines by increasing binary flow.
• It contains huge amounts of vitamin e.
• It prevents thrombosis.
• It improves thyroid gland functionality.
• It helps with carotene transformation and most importantly for all those who love their hearts,
• It prevents and helps cure cardio-circulatory ailments.
Funny how civilization has evolved from eating raw food, to refined food, only to find that au natural is better. So go on, make those healthier choices today and give yourself the gift of longevity, health and happiness.
Copyright © Melanie Fourie
Friday, July 29, 2011
Wednesday, April 29, 2009
Winehouse Rocks the Urban Music Scene By Melanie Fourie (2007)
Amy Jade Winehouse is a force to be reckoned with. She has captivated music audiences worldwide with her unique combination of realness, soulful insight, verve and musical genius. Her physical trademarks include her dark mane of high hair, engaging hazel eyes, tattoos of naked pin up girls, arched brows, a facial mole and full pouting lips. She often strums her acoustic guitar and her musical style is a cross genre of Soul, Jazz and R&B. Her velvety voice is an eclectic mix of the old and the contemporary with undertones of a young Shirley Bassey or Nina Simone. At the age of 23, the English-Jewish singer and songwriter has already claimed several coveted music awards, released two albums, the first being ‘Frank’, which was released in 2003 reaching platinum status. ‘Frank’ was also nominated for the Mercury Prize. Currently topping the iTunes and Amazon charts, she has also claimed ‘The Best British Female Artist Award’ at the 2007 BRIT Awards, a title favourite Lily Allen expected to win, and graced the recent covers of US Rolling Stone and Spin magazines. Music legend Shirley Bassey is so impressed with Amy; she is urging film bosses to sign the 23-year old up to sing the next James Bond theme tune.
Said 70-year old Bassey, “There aren’t many female artists of her generation with such an unusual sound. I can’t think of anybody else to sing the Bond theme tune.” Bassey has sung the theme song for three James Bond movies, namely Goldfinger, Diamonds are Forever and Moonraker. Amy has also denied rumours that she is to be the next Bond girl. “I’m just not an actress,” she said.
Even though the sultry songbird has the world at her feet, she seems modest and unfazed by stardom. “I don’t care about any of this, and I don’t have much of any opinion of myself. I don’t think people care about me, and I’m not in this to be a role model…I don’t think I’m such an amazing person who needs to be written about.” Like many other stars, she has had her fair share of personal problems. Her need for alcohol, relationship problems and battle with the weight has often formed the basis of media frenzies. When questioned about her excessive drinking she responded, “My justification is that most people my age spend a lot of time thinking about what they’re going to do for the next five to ten years. The time they spend thinking about their life, I spend drinking.” Her self proclaimed favourite cocktail is Rickstasy, which is a blend of Vodka, Southern Comfort, banana liqueur and Bailey’s. “By the time you’ve had two of them you’re like, don’t even try and go anywhere. Sit down and stay down, until the birds start singing,” said Amy. Her hit single ‘Rehab’, which was released from the album ‘Back to Black’ in October 2006, encapsulates her drinking problem. The song is about her refusal to go for alcohol rehabilitation when asked by her management company. She refers to Ray Charles ‘Ray’ and Donny Hathaway ‘Mr Hathaway’ in the song. Amy left the management company as a result. However, in May 2007, ‘Rehab’ earned her the ‘Best Contemporary Song’ award at the 52nd Ivor Novello awards for British songwriters. When journalists ask about her weight problem, she apathetically responds, “A little bit of anorexia, a little bit of bulimia. I’m not totally okay now, but I don’t think any woman is.” She once attributed her weight loss to kicking her cannabis habit. “I stopped smoking weed and started going to gym. I’m a size eight now, I was a size ten before,” she said. Amy has since moved onto greener pastures in the love department and wed her on-off boyfriend, Blake Fielder-Civil at a secret ceremony in Miami recently. The couple had once been apart for an entire year, but found each other again. “We were always very close, but we got to the point where it was hurting other people for us to keep seeing each other. It just made sense for us to be together. I’m still singing about it every night on my knees and crying onstage. But when I’m with him, I feel like nothing bad can happen,” said Amy when the couple were once apart.
They looked happy at the 2007 MTV Awards, where Amy performed her hit single ‘Rehab’, but rumour has it that they had a huge argument afterwards. Amy said that she would give up singing anyway to be a wife and mother. “I’m not here to sing. I’m a caregiver and I want to take care of my husband and kids,” she said. Strong words for a woman who is so overtly talented, was born into a family of Jazz musicians and who has been influenced by a melting pot of artist throughout her young life. Some of those artists include Ray Charles, Sarah Vaughan, Dinah Washington and Frank Sinatra.
When asked about writing music Amy said, “I just hope that people won’t hear my stuff and go, ‘this is that white girl from London.’ I hope they’ll go ‘this is a girl who has actually go some soul, and she’s young but she’s had some experiences, and she’s relating to them and I can relate to that’. I assume I will get pigeon holed, it’s inevitable, but my music is pure, and when I write I don’t have any preconceptions. I just write what I feel and I just hope that people will receive it as purely as I write it.” With realness like that, she is sure to achieve her objectives.
Fact file
• She was born Amy Jade Winehouse in Southgate, a town in Northern London on September 14, 1983.
• Her record labels are currently Island/ Universal.
• She has her won website at http://www.amywinehouse.co.uk
• Her father was a cab driver and her mother a pharmacist.
• Amy attended Ashmole School.
• She formed a rap group ‘Sweet and Sour’ at the age of ten.
• She was expelled from school.
• One of the reasons she was expelled was because she had pierced her own nose at the age of thirteen.
• She began singing professionally at the age of sixteen
• She received her first guitar at the age of thirteen.
• Her song ‘Rehab’ has been covered by Justin Timberlake.
• Her hit single ‘Rehab’ appeared in the pilot episode of the show ‘Hidden Palms’.
• She is two-time Ivor Novelo Award winner, the first being for her hit single ‘ Stronger that me,’ which was released from her debut album in 2004.
Sources cited
http://www.tv.com
http://www.blackvoices.aol.com
http://www.squidoo.com
http://www.dailymail.co.uk
http://www.celebritymound.com
http://www.wikepedia.com
Copyright © Melanie Fourie (2007)
Said 70-year old Bassey, “There aren’t many female artists of her generation with such an unusual sound. I can’t think of anybody else to sing the Bond theme tune.” Bassey has sung the theme song for three James Bond movies, namely Goldfinger, Diamonds are Forever and Moonraker. Amy has also denied rumours that she is to be the next Bond girl. “I’m just not an actress,” she said.
Even though the sultry songbird has the world at her feet, she seems modest and unfazed by stardom. “I don’t care about any of this, and I don’t have much of any opinion of myself. I don’t think people care about me, and I’m not in this to be a role model…I don’t think I’m such an amazing person who needs to be written about.” Like many other stars, she has had her fair share of personal problems. Her need for alcohol, relationship problems and battle with the weight has often formed the basis of media frenzies. When questioned about her excessive drinking she responded, “My justification is that most people my age spend a lot of time thinking about what they’re going to do for the next five to ten years. The time they spend thinking about their life, I spend drinking.” Her self proclaimed favourite cocktail is Rickstasy, which is a blend of Vodka, Southern Comfort, banana liqueur and Bailey’s. “By the time you’ve had two of them you’re like, don’t even try and go anywhere. Sit down and stay down, until the birds start singing,” said Amy. Her hit single ‘Rehab’, which was released from the album ‘Back to Black’ in October 2006, encapsulates her drinking problem. The song is about her refusal to go for alcohol rehabilitation when asked by her management company. She refers to Ray Charles ‘Ray’ and Donny Hathaway ‘Mr Hathaway’ in the song. Amy left the management company as a result. However, in May 2007, ‘Rehab’ earned her the ‘Best Contemporary Song’ award at the 52nd Ivor Novello awards for British songwriters. When journalists ask about her weight problem, she apathetically responds, “A little bit of anorexia, a little bit of bulimia. I’m not totally okay now, but I don’t think any woman is.” She once attributed her weight loss to kicking her cannabis habit. “I stopped smoking weed and started going to gym. I’m a size eight now, I was a size ten before,” she said. Amy has since moved onto greener pastures in the love department and wed her on-off boyfriend, Blake Fielder-Civil at a secret ceremony in Miami recently. The couple had once been apart for an entire year, but found each other again. “We were always very close, but we got to the point where it was hurting other people for us to keep seeing each other. It just made sense for us to be together. I’m still singing about it every night on my knees and crying onstage. But when I’m with him, I feel like nothing bad can happen,” said Amy when the couple were once apart.
They looked happy at the 2007 MTV Awards, where Amy performed her hit single ‘Rehab’, but rumour has it that they had a huge argument afterwards. Amy said that she would give up singing anyway to be a wife and mother. “I’m not here to sing. I’m a caregiver and I want to take care of my husband and kids,” she said. Strong words for a woman who is so overtly talented, was born into a family of Jazz musicians and who has been influenced by a melting pot of artist throughout her young life. Some of those artists include Ray Charles, Sarah Vaughan, Dinah Washington and Frank Sinatra.
When asked about writing music Amy said, “I just hope that people won’t hear my stuff and go, ‘this is that white girl from London.’ I hope they’ll go ‘this is a girl who has actually go some soul, and she’s young but she’s had some experiences, and she’s relating to them and I can relate to that’. I assume I will get pigeon holed, it’s inevitable, but my music is pure, and when I write I don’t have any preconceptions. I just write what I feel and I just hope that people will receive it as purely as I write it.” With realness like that, she is sure to achieve her objectives.
Fact file
• She was born Amy Jade Winehouse in Southgate, a town in Northern London on September 14, 1983.
• Her record labels are currently Island/ Universal.
• She has her won website at http://www.amywinehouse.co.uk
• Her father was a cab driver and her mother a pharmacist.
• Amy attended Ashmole School.
• She formed a rap group ‘Sweet and Sour’ at the age of ten.
• She was expelled from school.
• One of the reasons she was expelled was because she had pierced her own nose at the age of thirteen.
• She began singing professionally at the age of sixteen
• She received her first guitar at the age of thirteen.
• Her song ‘Rehab’ has been covered by Justin Timberlake.
• Her hit single ‘Rehab’ appeared in the pilot episode of the show ‘Hidden Palms’.
• She is two-time Ivor Novelo Award winner, the first being for her hit single ‘ Stronger that me,’ which was released from her debut album in 2004.
Sources cited
http://www.tv.com
http://www.blackvoices.aol.com
http://www.squidoo.com
http://www.dailymail.co.uk
http://www.celebritymound.com
http://www.wikepedia.com
Copyright © Melanie Fourie (2007)
Book review by Melanie Fourie – Danielle Steel's Answered Prayers
Book review – Answered prayers – Author: Danielle Steel
Reviewed by Melanie Fourie (2002)
ISBN 0-552-14854-7
Svelte, intelligent, affluent and wholesomely good looking, that was what the world perceived Faith Madison to be. At forty-seven, the New Yorker seemed to have it all, a successful husband at the pinnacle of his merchant banking career, a beautiful home and two beautiful daughters who were both advancing their respective careers.
Steel’s heartwarming tale unravels in the first chapter that Faith is a lonely woman with a disturbing past and that she is still mourning her best friend and brother Jack, who has died three years ago. The brother-sister duo had forged an inseparable bond since childhood after Faith revealed her secret to him. And he had taken her secret to his grave. I think that this secret should have been revealed later on in the novel to assist in the creation of a twist and it is this that adds to the overall predictability of Steel’s tale.
Faith’s husband Alex, is emotionally unattached and distant, much like her militant-like stepfather had been. Alex is psychologically abusive, often resorting to emotional blackmail when Faith disagrees with his self centered motives.
The tale picks up its pace when Faith attends her stepfathers’ funeral and reacquaints herself with her and Jack’s dear childhood friend, Brad Patterson. Faith is suffering a bad case of empty nest syndrome as both her daughters are away at college and expresses to Brad her heartfelt desire to return to law school. Brad, a married father of twin boys is practicing criminal law and changing the lives of youth, much to his overbearing lawyer wife’s chagrin.
Tensions run high between Faith and Alex when Faith is adamant about preparing for her LSAT exam and returning to law school. However, Zoe, her youngest daughter and Brad support Faith’s academic decision.
Being the emotionally blackmailer to note, Alex attests his infidelity to Faiths’ need for a career other than her role as his wife. He also tries to poison their oldest daughter, Eloise against her mother.
Faith’s life becomes tumultuous very quickly when Alex demands a divorce and tries to evict her. She holds onto her sanity through her faith in God and rekindled friendship with Jack, who has become her rock in the midst of her tribulations. Brad is unhappy in his marriage and the two characters often turn to the church, prayer and each other to find peace and comfort in their turbulent lives. They realize that they have fallen in love, though neither wants to admit it.
Disaster strikes Brad’s family when one of his twin sons is injured in Africa. This incident painfully reveals to Brad the revelation that his marriage is finally over.
The plot moves along expeditiously from the second half and is engaging from its’ exposition to its’ denouement. Although utterly predictable, it is a warm tale of adversity, faith, strength, love, answered prayers and ultimate triumph.
Reviewed by Melanie Fourie (2002)
ISBN 0-552-14854-7
Svelte, intelligent, affluent and wholesomely good looking, that was what the world perceived Faith Madison to be. At forty-seven, the New Yorker seemed to have it all, a successful husband at the pinnacle of his merchant banking career, a beautiful home and two beautiful daughters who were both advancing their respective careers.
Steel’s heartwarming tale unravels in the first chapter that Faith is a lonely woman with a disturbing past and that she is still mourning her best friend and brother Jack, who has died three years ago. The brother-sister duo had forged an inseparable bond since childhood after Faith revealed her secret to him. And he had taken her secret to his grave. I think that this secret should have been revealed later on in the novel to assist in the creation of a twist and it is this that adds to the overall predictability of Steel’s tale.
Faith’s husband Alex, is emotionally unattached and distant, much like her militant-like stepfather had been. Alex is psychologically abusive, often resorting to emotional blackmail when Faith disagrees with his self centered motives.
The tale picks up its pace when Faith attends her stepfathers’ funeral and reacquaints herself with her and Jack’s dear childhood friend, Brad Patterson. Faith is suffering a bad case of empty nest syndrome as both her daughters are away at college and expresses to Brad her heartfelt desire to return to law school. Brad, a married father of twin boys is practicing criminal law and changing the lives of youth, much to his overbearing lawyer wife’s chagrin.
Tensions run high between Faith and Alex when Faith is adamant about preparing for her LSAT exam and returning to law school. However, Zoe, her youngest daughter and Brad support Faith’s academic decision.
Being the emotionally blackmailer to note, Alex attests his infidelity to Faiths’ need for a career other than her role as his wife. He also tries to poison their oldest daughter, Eloise against her mother.
Faith’s life becomes tumultuous very quickly when Alex demands a divorce and tries to evict her. She holds onto her sanity through her faith in God and rekindled friendship with Jack, who has become her rock in the midst of her tribulations. Brad is unhappy in his marriage and the two characters often turn to the church, prayer and each other to find peace and comfort in their turbulent lives. They realize that they have fallen in love, though neither wants to admit it.
Disaster strikes Brad’s family when one of his twin sons is injured in Africa. This incident painfully reveals to Brad the revelation that his marriage is finally over.
The plot moves along expeditiously from the second half and is engaging from its’ exposition to its’ denouement. Although utterly predictable, it is a warm tale of adversity, faith, strength, love, answered prayers and ultimate triumph.
Thursday, March 12, 2009
I am
By Melanie Fourie (February 2004)
Me, the impoverished outsider. We all are. The ones where I’m from.
Scrounging, like scraps of humanity, in a futile abyss.
Me, conferred the hellish end of the stick. Perhaps judged before my birth? Pre-destined for failure? Ostracized my entire existence into believing that I am nothing. I am nobody.
Still, I push on. I push on with new hope inside of me. Hope, which filters through like pinpricks of sunshine peeking through a dark cloud.
Hope that He (God) has instilled into my sometimes fragile, sometimes languishing soul.
I will disprove my doubters and chortle in the face of adversity.
I will push on, I will prevail! I will one day, haunt my oppressors.
I will push on, I will prevail! I know I exist for a reason.
I will push on, I will prevail.
I am Love, and I await my destiny!
By Melanie Fourie (February 2004)
Me, the impoverished outsider. We all are. The ones where I’m from.
Scrounging, like scraps of humanity, in a futile abyss.
Me, conferred the hellish end of the stick. Perhaps judged before my birth? Pre-destined for failure? Ostracized my entire existence into believing that I am nothing. I am nobody.
Still, I push on. I push on with new hope inside of me. Hope, which filters through like pinpricks of sunshine peeking through a dark cloud.
Hope that He (God) has instilled into my sometimes fragile, sometimes languishing soul.
I will disprove my doubters and chortle in the face of adversity.
I will push on, I will prevail! I will one day, haunt my oppressors.
I will push on, I will prevail! I know I exist for a reason.
I will push on, I will prevail.
I am Love, and I await my destiny!
Book Review: The Negotiator
Author: Dee Henderson
Review by Melanie Fourie (2003)
Kate O’ Malley is an independent strong willed hostage negotiator. She is beautiful, with a voice as smooth as honey, yet tough as nails when it comes to protecting the lives of innocent civilians. Yet, beneath that hard-hitting exterior is a woman who is harboring a dark secret and hurt so deep, it leaves her with a spiritual void. She has changed her name and created a new life for herself, surrounding herself with her adoptive family, who are all like her, from a foster home. Together, the close-knit O’ Malley’s, who all coincidently have high risk occupations, cherish and nurture each other through a myriad of trails and tribulations.
Dave Richman is a FBI special agent with a passion for justice and faith strong enough to move mountains. When Dave and Kate’s paths cross in a death-defying hostage situation in a bank, he is drawn to her, yet disheartened by her fearlessness and the emptiness mirrored in her eyes. They befriend each other, despite his reservations about her being a non-believer. Kate becomes a victim when someone sends her black roses and leaves eerie messages on her answering machine. Fear paralyses this courageous woman once more when a plane with over two hundred people on board is blown up and she is linked to the incident.
Another tragedy strikes the O’Malley clan, the characters are drawn into a whirlwind of investigations and secrets Kate never thought existed are revealed. In order for her to solve the mystery and prevent an innocent man from being convicted, Kate must reach into the depths of her soul and find God, who is the only One able to put her life back together again.
The first book of the O’Malley series, it is definitely a page turner as Dee Henderson is in a class of her own. A cross-genre filled with romance, drama, suspense and undertones of spirituality about one woman’s journey of pain, love, faith and the God-fearing man who loves and helps her.
American Rita Award winner Dee Henderson is a superlative writer! She creates a mind blowing plot with numerous twists and some truly remarkable characters. I recommend this book to anyone with a keen interest in fiction and found it to be the perfect companion on a chilly autumn day.
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