The Wee Issue

Are you for Independence?Scots for Independence At the beginning of the year the Scottish Government launched a consultation on the SNP's forthcoming referendum on Scottish independence. Supporters of Scottish independence claim that Scotland's inability to fully control its own affairs, both nationally and internationally, is detrimental to Scottish interests. They argue that, as the UK govern-ment acts primarily in the interest of the entire United Kingdom (of which England is by far the most populated part), it is to the detriment of Scottish interests to remain in the United Kingdom.

Our Scotland, Our choice Regardless of personal views on independence, the consensus is that the decision making process should be informed by the interest of the Scottish people. Although we live in difficult and turbulent times, if we want Scotland to succeed then we as individuals must all play a role towards its success.

Benefits culture In 2011 almost half a million people were on benefits in Scotland (Department of Work & Pensions). Whilst many have genuine reasons not to work, there are others who are enjoying the support system. The recession is not help-ing with many people losing their jobs. The Government has a role in finding alternative opportunities to employment.

Investing in to our economy The hand that gives is better than the hand that takes If we truly want our nation to succeed, we must all be willing to give a helping hand in bringing about growth and prosperity. Our government must respond to the needs of the people and give them opportunities. The community as a whole shares the responsibility of the success of its nation.

ISSUE 5 SPRING EDITION 

The Fire Brigade Union project Dundee to Nablus finally delivered the kit and equipment on December 2nd 2011. The background to the project is that the FBU have supported the Palestinian people and their fight for self determination for over 25 years. The union has continued contact with Palestinian Trade Unions and civic society. In 2009 the FBU arranged for 8 firefighters to travel to the UK to receive up to date training in firefighting techniques. The Nablus 8 stayed in Dundee and worshipped in the Dundee Central Mosque. The Scottish FBU raised funds to buy 2 fire appliances. They transported the equipment which included 150 sets of Fire Kit; 100 sets of fire gloves; 80 fire helmets; 80 pairs of fire boots and 20 Breathing Apparatus Sets, through Europe, the Middle East then on to Palestine. The party of 5 left on the 3rd October, and were given a send off by the Scottish Government Minister Fiona Hyslop at the Scottish Parliament. The Israeli Authorities informed the party that the appliance and equipment were being impounded. The visit to the Middle East left on October 16th. The work continued, through lobbying UK and Scottish politicians, to put pressure on the Israeli Authorities to release the kit and equipment. After 47 days we received the tremendous news that the equipment had been delivered and was now with the Nablus Munic ipal i ty Fi re Department. The kit was put to immediate use and the project had delivered.

Dundee to Nablus

Future Leaders meet HRH The Princess Royal

A group of 17 young activists from the UK and Bangladesh met

HRH The Princess Royal during her recent visit to Dundee.

The Global Xchange Programme has partnered up with Yusuf

Youth Initiative as part of its Future Leaders Programme. The

volunteers have started working on community projects in

Dundee ranging from education, women’s support organizations

and working with vulnerable children.

The team has spent the last three months volunteering in the

indigenous village community of Khagrachari (Bangladesh) in

the Chittagong Hill Tracts working with young people and Youth

Clubs on Water and Sanitation projects.

The Princess Royal previously visited Bangladesh in 2010 and

was interested to listen to volunteers talk about the advocacy

work they had carried out around access to safe drinking water,

the importance of hand-washing and using safely-built latrines.

The Princess Royal was greeted at the event by Sir Andrew Cubie,

Chair of the Volunteer Services Overseas UK Board and VSO RV's.

Phil Hanks from GX and partner staff were also present. GX is part-

nering with Yusuf Youth Initiative (YYI) in Dundee to promote young

people as future leaders.

 

A Wee Success

We look back at life and regret the

things we didn't do more than what

we did do. Wasted opportunities

are something I never want to look

back and regret. I remember back

when I was in high school and

university, I always wanted to do

something different, what that

would be I never knew. Art was

something I loved and enjoyed, but

unfortunately creativity isn't valued

as much as it should be, so I didn't

pursue it further until I graduated.

When I graduated from university

there were not many opportunities

in terms of employment, and being

creative was always a passion. I

started my freelance make-up

business 5 years ago which has

been successful and opened

doorways for me into my current

business. I used to go to weddings

and look at all aspects of decor

and cakes and think if that was me

I would do it like this, I would

change this, then I realised that

this is what I wanted to do in my

life. There was nothing stopping

me anymore.

I went to my very first cake

decorating and floristry class and

I've never looked back since. It

has been a journey full of

obstacles, but to me it’s something

that I love and it is not very often

you get a chance to pursue a

career that you really love. All I

know now is that I will never look

back and say I wish I tried.

Everyone is capable of something,

so always focus on the good and

take up opportunities, sometimes

you have to create them too. If

you have a positive attitude

anything is possible.

Be a Good Mother A mother has an awesome and challenging job. She is responsible for her child’s physical, emotional and spiritual welfare. Her behaviour and actions will influence and mould the child’s attitude and perspective of life. Being a good mother can be extremely challenging, here are some tips to help.

Be approachable: everyone needs a good listener to converse with. If your child can turn to you for advice his/her confidence will grow. Be supportive and make sure you talk to them about how they feel. Without support from a parent a child may turn to an unsafe source for advice or this can cause some children to retire into a shell.   Avoid public humiliation: If your child misbehaves do not scold them in front of others. Take him/her aside and inform them of their mistake. Your child will learn to treat others with the same kind‐ness.    

Be patient: Being a mother can be ex‐hausting and demanding but when a problem occurs try to keep calm and level headed. Remember you are a role model. Your child will look up to and appreciate and honour you. He/she will observe your behaviour and follow in your footsteps. You will be teaching your child patience and self control. Remem‐ber a good mother is kind but firm in  discipline.   Teach your child to share/be charitable: Explain why it is important to share with other children and to give to those who are less fortunate.  

Admit when you are in the wrong: This will teach your children to admit their own mistakes and also to apologise.   Pass on traditions to your children: Teach your child your family history. Cook old family recipes together, visit the places your parents took you to and visit relatives.  

The Black & Minority Ethnic(BME) Service at the Dundee Carers Centre This project supports both carers and disabled people from minority ethnic communities. For a lot of carers accessing services and information can be a struggle as well as coping with the role of a carer. This struggle can be exacerbated within communities where the first language is not English. We realise that some clients from minority communities may have some culturally and religiously sensitive needs. We have Development Workers who speak Cantonese, Mandarin, Punjabi and Urdu and who can empathise with the Chinese and South Asian communities. We also try to meet needs when developing services, such as female only groups, taking account of holy days or prayer times, training in community languages etc. The BME Service also helps carers and disabled people access services such as Social Work; occupational Therapy, Health services, Education, Housing, Etc. We also have our own Welfare Rights Team which will help with a benefits check and help fill out all appropriate forms, for example, Disability Living Allowance and Attendance Allowance. The Direct Payments team within the Centre can provide support and information to anyone who is interested in this. We have a newsletter which goes out in both Urdu and Cantonese. We also have monthly groups which allow carers to participate in activities & training.

We have a new project in the centre called “Carers Time 4 U”. This service offers carers the chance to have a break from caring. To be eligible, the cared-for person must not currently be receiving any Social Work services excluding community alarm, meal service and/or shopping service. The BME service also works in partnership with AMINA to provide a befriending service for carers and disabled people. Carers and disabled people are matched up with qualified volunteer befrienders who speak the same language and participate in activities with the befriender specific to their individual needs. If you would like further information about this service, please contact Sofia on (01382) 200422.

Get Motivated to Lose a Few Lbs  

Whilst many people attempt to change their lifestyles to become

fitter and healthier, the challenge begins when trying to maintain it.

Motivation is essential to exercising and healthy eating, but it is

difficult to achieve. The best way to maintain a new regime is to

devise a plan; this will keep you on track and help you to get

through the times when you feel like quitting.

Step 1: Keep track of your progress. Before you start your exer-

cise and healthy eating programme, take your measurements i.e.

weight, waist circumference, blood pressure etc. Also take note of

any symptoms such as low energy or mood swings which you

feel, as these are often influenced by diet and exercise. Keep track of how things change as you

progress with your programme – seeing improvements will encourage and motivate you to con-

tinue.

Step 2: Set attainable goals. If you tell yourself you are going to lose 10 lbs in a month, you will be

disappointed if you do not achieve this. Be realistic – set smaller more achievable goals i.e. aim to

lose 1-2 lbs per week, or eat a healthy breakfast every morning, or exercise for 30 minutes every

second day. Set monthly goals, and change your goal every month – this will allow you to focus on

something different and stop you from getting bored and diverging from your programme.

Step 3: Reward your achievements. Get yourself a new pair of jeans if you manage to drop a dress

size, or get a massage/facial if you manage to exercise 5 times a week for a month. Do not reward

yourself with food, but find other ways to pamper yourself. This way you will associate healthy eat-

ing and exercise to positive outcomes and will be more likely to stick with it.

Step 4: Change your activity often; nothing can be more boring than doing the same exercise rou-

tine over and over. Find something which you enjoy, such as hill walking, badminton or cycling –

anything physical! If you enjoy it you are less likely to get bored of it. It helps to find someone to do

activities with; it gives you company and can keep you motivated.

Step 5: Just do it! Don’t wait till Monday or next month before you start – you will keep finding ex-

cuses to put it off! Start your new regime today and by the summer you will see amazing results!

Good luck!!

Farana Latif,

Chartered Physiotherapist

The Royal Deeside Railway

A 'hidden gem' in Aberdeen(shire) for spending

some good time with a young family. You can get a

short ride on an old train along a very short part of

the old Aberdeen - Ballater train line.

The train is at Milton of Crathes (just before

Banchory on the North Deeside Road) and trains

run every 1/2hr from 12:00pm-4:30pm on a Sunday

(also some Wednesday and Saturdays this

'summer' - see link). Note the train ride is quite short

(i.e. 15-20 minutes or so).

They also have a stationary train with some toy

trains, toy cars and colouring paper and pens for

the kids (and teas and coffees for the parents). Also

a gift shop with heaps of train related stuff for kids.

www.deeside-railway.co.uk

Noahs Ark

Noah's Ark is a large soft play and entertainment

centre just on the outskirts of Perth. Housed in a vast

warehouse, you'll find a large soft play structure, a

ceramic workshop where you can paint figures for a

fee and also a go-kart track where both kids and

adults can hire a kart. Also on the premises, a large

cafe selling snacks and drinks.

Www.noahsarkperth.co.uk

Nae Limits

This one is for those of you who like living life on the edge and like a bit of adventure. Nae Limits is one of Scotland's most established adventure & outdoor ac-

tivity centres based near Pitlochry in Perthshire. White water rafting, canyoning, mountain biking, quad biking, paintball, bungee jumping & much

more, do I need to say anything more?

Www.naelimits.co.uk

McManus Galleries

Dundee’s main art gallery and museum, is a remarkable gothic building where art history and the environment combine to offer a fascinating glimpse into Dundee’s colourful past. The galleries house one of Scotland’s most impressive collections of

fine and decorative art and award winning displays of local history, archaeology, wild life and the

environment. Entrance is free for all.

Opening Times Monday - Saturday: 10am-5pm

Sunday 12:30pm-4:30pm

www.mcmanus.co.uk

Things to do...

Spicy Garlic Lime Chicken

Prep Time Cook Time Ready in

5 min 20 min 25 min

Ingredients

3/4 teaspoon salt 1/4 teaspoon black pepper 1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper 1/8 teaspoon paprika 1/4 teaspoon garlic powder 1/8 teaspoon onion powder 1/4 teaspoon dried thyme 1/4 teaspoon dried parsley 4 boneless, skinless chicken breast halves 2 tablespoons butter 1 tablespoon olive oil 1 teaspoons garlic powder 3 tablespoons lime juice

Directions

1. In a small bowl, mix together the dry spice and herbs (salt, black pepper, cayenne, paprika, 1/4 teaspoon garlic pow-der, onion powder, thyme and parsley.)

2. Sprinkle the dry spice mixture generously on both sides of chicken breasts.

3. Heat butter and olive oil in a heavy base skillet (frying pan) over medium heat until all butter melted and oil hot

4. Saute chicken until golden brown, about 6 minutes on each side. Sprinkle with 2 teaspoons garlic powder and lime juice. Cook 5 minutes, stirring frequently to coat evenly with sauce.

Recipe Tips!!

To make the chicken with more sauce, add 1/3 cup of chicken stock with a drizzle of lemon juice. Add this to the melted butter and oil in stage 3. (Also double dry spice and herbs in stage 1 to retain the flavour.)

Why not try dicing the chicken before coating it in the spices. Add some mixed vegetables to the pan such as red, yellow and green peppers and onions to make a tasty stir fry!

Serves great with...

Rice

Roast Potatoes

Mixed Salad

Or serve as a tortilla wrap!

Sudoku Every row, every column and every mini grid must contain the numbers from 1-4 for puzzle A, 1-6 for

puzzle B and 1-9 for puzzle C. Good Luck!

A

B

C

Palindromes Solve the clue for each question below to find out the word. Answers are at the bottom of the page under Sudoku.

1. I read the same when viewed upside down and backwards. What word am I?

2. Pronounced as one letter but written with three,

Only two different letters are used to make me.

I'm double, I'm single I'm black, blue, and grey,

I'm read from both ends and the same either way

What word am I?

3. What word, when written in capital letters, is the same forwards, backwards and upside down?

4. What call for help, when written in capital letters, is the same forwards, backwards and upside down?

Answers 1= SWIMS, 2 = EYE, 3 = NOON, 4 = S.O.S. D - 35 TRIANGLES

Solve the Puzzle How many triangle, is there in the picture below?

A = 10 B = 18 C = 27 D = 35