From Abuse to Responsibility

by Michael Dixon, Lismore, Australia

When I was 15, a friend of mine offered me a cigarette. I tried smoking it, coughed a lot, got about half way through it, then threw the rest away, spending the rest of the day trying to get the horrible taste out of my mouth. At that age, smoking was cool; all my friends seemed to be doing it, even cigars on special occasions. I wanted to feel like I belonged to the club, so to speak, and by the age of 16 I was hooked. Continue reading “From Abuse to Responsibility”

Home with a Hearth

by Joel Levin, Perth, Australia

Image you live in a simple home with a hearth (fireplace) in the middle. The radiance from the fire is enough to heat the whole house. The warmth is not overpowering but complete and present in every room.

One day (for some reason) you crave something different and you open the window. At first the cold air stings, but the longer you stand in front of the window, the more used to this feeling you become. Over time you open another window, and then another, and then another… pretty soon the warmth leaves the house, all except the room with the hearth (nothing can touch this). Continue reading “Home with a Hearth”

Keyboard Cowards, bullet-point warfare… and why I will never stop loving men

By Rebecca Baldwin, Internet Professional, Goonellabah, NSW

Lately I have seen some pretty horrific treatment of women. I have watched some close female friends get belittled, intimidated and demeaned online and off, and in the national mainstream media.

Mostly this has been instigated by ‘Keyboard Cowards’. Men who use text messages, emails and blogging to debase, harass and intimidate their former partners, and when they are called to account they act as though it’s ‘dramatic’ to call this abuse.

But Keyboard Cowards are not representative of all men, and in fact in recent times I have been more inspired by real men in real life. Continue reading “Keyboard Cowards, bullet-point warfare… and why I will never stop loving men”

Without Love the World is a Very Unpleasant Place

by Eva Rygg, Oslo, Norway.

It is absolutely horrendous to hear about what is happening with media attacks as well as internet and personal attacks on our fellow students and friends in Australia. Don’t think for a second that because we’re on the other side of the world we are not equally affected. Continue reading “Without Love the World is a Very Unpleasant Place”

Acne Rosacea: My Face could tell a Story

by Dragana Brown, London, UK

In 1991 I went to the Dominican Republic to a wedding. I was 28. Whilst I was there I suddenly started getting spots on my face, particularly around the cheek area. Prior to that my face used to be absolutely crystal clear. Even throughout my teen years I never suffered from acne, and many people, women in particular, used to ask ‘what my secret was’. There was none.

At first I thought this was just some ‘strange’ phase I was going through, perhaps too much Caribbean sunshine, and that soon it would all be back to normal. I was wrong. Over the next few years it got much, much worse, and I ended up with very large and very prominent patches of redness on my face, mixed with spots. It left me feeling devastated and at times livid that it was happening to me – which didn’t help my already red face. Continue reading “Acne Rosacea: My Face could tell a Story”

Cult Expert?… Millikan’s Integrity In Question

by Desiree Delaloye, Goonellabah, NSW, Australia

What happened on the evening of the 12th October 2012 at the Universal Medicine – Esoteric Medicine presentation in Lennox Head was deeply disturbing to me as a paying audience member, a human being and as an Australian citizen.

David Millikan, a so called ‘expert on cults’ had asked to speak with the audience in attendance under the guise of openly researching our lifestyle choices to expand his insights and gather material for a book that he claims to be writing.

Millikan spoke with Serge Benhayon before the event, claiming that he was interested, and open, and willing to hear everyone’s views and understanding, when all along all that he was truly interested in doing was not reporting any truth, but fabricating his next big ‘Cult Bust’ explosive TV show to boost his reputation as a leading ‘expert’ in the field. Continue reading “Cult Expert?… Millikan’s Integrity In Question”