Just Blogging

Jon Stout asked:




Our lives are busier today than ever. We work longer hours and have hectic family lives, too. All of this activity can lead to higher stress levels, and the physical symptoms that accompany such high stress levels.

High levels of stress can lead to headaches, vision troubles, joint stiffness and other physical symptoms. Over time, these symptoms can turn into more significant physical problems. Long term exposure to extreme stress causes serious back and neck problems, psychological problems and even high blood pressure in some people.

In addition, stress causes our bodies to release the hormone cortisol. Cortisol often causes weight gain; meaning that too much stress can often make you fat. There are two important pieces to managing stress in your life.

The first piece to managing stress is reducing it where you can. Take a look at your life and remove the things causing you stress wherever possible. For example, does your high traffic commute cause you to arrive at work already stressed out? Consider public transportation, carpooling, working from home or altering your hours to avoid traffic.

Is your family life too hectic with sports and activities? Consider reducing the number of activities your family participates in. Keep the ones that bring the most pleasure, but allow your family a few nights at home with no activities.

The second part of preventing stress from causing you physical and emotional difficulties is managing the stress you can’t avoid. No matter how hard we try, none of us will be able to completely rid our lives of stress.

So, get rid of stress where you can, but then learn to manage the stress you have left. How you react to stressors in your life is critical, and it is something you can have some control over.

Employing stress reduction techniques on a regular basis can have a powerful influence on your ability to manage stress. Some of the most popular stress reduction techniques include:

Exercise – Not only is exercise good for the body, it’s good for the mind, too. Exercise can relieve physical symptoms of stress like tight muscles and can relieve psychological symptoms, too, since focusing on the physical and rhythmic elements of exercise can often relieve the stress that’s weighing on your mind.

Yoga and Stretching – Yoga and its relaxing stretches can be a great way to soothe the mind and work out the kinks in the body. Like other forms of exercise, yoga helps free your mind from your stresses and worries, too.

Meditation – Many people swear by their meditation routine. Meditation teaches your mind to “turn off”. Whether your meditation consists of 5 minutes of sitting in a quiet room with your eyes closed or a more complex routine including music and guided meditation, it’s a very successful stress reduction technique. When you teach your brain to “turn off’ for a few minutes, you’ll also find that you’ve taught it to focus more intently when needed. This can be beneficial when you need to concentrate to work out problems.

There are numerous other stress management techniques that work for many people. Pilates, crafts and hobbies, music and dance can all be great ways to relieve stress. The key is making the time to do the things that help you to cope with the stress in your life.

Watch What You Eat and Drink

When you’re under stress, your diet can either help or hurt you. Eating nutritious foods can make you feel better. On the other hand, foods full of sugar and fat can weigh you down, making you feel worse than before. So, eat a healthy diet to stay at your best even when stress is getting you down.

Some studies have suggested that you can benefit from drinking tea when you’re under stress. In particular, a study conducted by the Institute of Traditional Chinese Medicine and Natural Products in China studied the effects of tea on women under stress. Fifty five Chinese women were studied over a period of time while under a regimen of oolong tea. The women’s stressors and physical symptoms of stress were monitored.

The women were divided into three groups. One group received daily doses of oolong tea, one group received barley tea and the third group received water. Barley tea is a very popular beverage in Asia and is made from barley kernels rather than the camellia sinensis plant, where regular tea comes from. Barley tea is considered to be an overall healthy beverage.

During the study, participants received their test beverage twice in the morning and twice in the evening. They were also subjected to work and deadlines designed to cause stress.

The results of the study concluded that the women who consumed tea showed reduced signs of physical stress related symptoms like headaches, stiffness in the neck and back and eye fatigue. Those participants receiving oolong tea showed greater benefit than those receiving barley tea. However, participants receiving barley tea showed greater benefit than the participants receiving water.

In addition to relief in physical symptoms, participants receiving oolong tea also showed a reduction in the amount of cortisol released by the brain.

This study’s conclusions provide powerful help to those of us trying to reduce the stress in our lives. Simply ensuring that we drink tea on a regular basis may help us to cope with the stress in our lives more easily and may help us reduce the physical problems that go along with stress.

We may even be able to decrease the amount of cortisol released by our bodies during stress, avoiding the weight gain that so often accompanies periods of high stress in our lives.

Tea is a delicious and healthy beverage. It has no side effects and is generally well tolerated by everyone. There’s no reason why we can’t all add tea to our diets to help us manage stress more effectively.

Arran James asked:




If you are a recreational kayaker, or new to the sport, you might not have a lot of money to spend on a new kayak and would prefer a more modestly priced entry-level model. You may have looked at used kayaks but you would prefer not to take the risk of someone else’s possibly damaged kayak. If this is you, a good choice might be a Pelican Kayak.

Pelican has made a business out of designing and selling well-built entry-level kayaks. They might not be in the same class as the sleeker models put out by other manufacturers; a Pelican Kayak is still a very good choice for those just starting out. These kayaks are really good for flat-water creeks and lakes, and since they are below $300 they won’t break the bank either!

Pelican specializes in entry-level kayaks that are either sit-in or sit-on-top models and come in a wide variety of configurations. The 3-layer molded design is extremely strong, impact resistant, and has good rigidity. These Kayaks are not as light as those made with composite materials, Kevlar, or even fiberglass, but they are strong enough to last for many years and provide enjoyment with typical use.

For sit-in kayaks, they have a model that is excellent for touring called the Persuit; one type of kayak that is designed mostly for sporting or fishing called the Getaway; and one that is designed more for recreational use called the Sport 94.

If you are more interested in the sit-on-top variety of kayak, Pelican offers the Zest and Viper models for recreational use; the Apex for touring; and the Castaway for sporting and fishing.

If you are more interested in using your kayak on family adventures, Pelican does offer recreational kayaks family use. These complement people with a wide variety of skill levels. The SOT models come with open cockpits. They also include built-in flotation, and have a reasonable amount of storage capacity. The Pelican sporting models are great platforms for fishing and have more than enough storage capacity.

Finally their touring models, which might not be the first choice if you those die-hard paddlers, are just fine for those who are on shorter trips on flat water.

Whatever your choice, Pelican kayaks are an excellent choice for the beginner or recreational kayaker.

Sam Manfer asked:




Develop professional relationships with senior managers responsible for P/L and competition will not exist, price will be a benchmark only, business you never thought existed will surface, budgets will be created, and you will increase your sales and market share tremendously.

1. Use your Golden Network to Get to the Top. You have contacts that have benefited from you, your services, and/or your company I call these contacts your Golden Network of relationships. Now if you ask these contacts to introduce you to higher-level people, and give them a creditable reason why, they will do it. You want these people to transfer their credibility with their bosses to you. This is the easiest way for you to gain access to a top level exec.

However, many sales people have gotten to the leaders and blown the opportunity by being product/service focused. That is; they try to convince or present why this upper level person should be interested in what they have to sell. So here are some tips.

2. Meetings with leaders are not about you or your company. They are always about the senior exec where s/he is giving you an opportunity to listen and learn about her or him.

3. Your initial meeting is your best and only opportunity for the senior exec to open-up and explain his situation to you. You may be thinking just the opposite, but he knows you don’t know him and he’s willing to offer you some insights. But he’ll have to be prompted.

4. Therefore you have to ask focused questions to get this rightfully self absorbed leader talking about his issues, her environment, his threats, and her opportunities as they relate to your world.

5. If you try to make it about you initially - talking about what you’re selling, giving reasons why s/he should listen to you, and/or what others are doing with you, you’ll be perceived as self serving and a typical vendor that no high level executive wants to spend time with.

6. First meetings are not forums to present, consult or pontificate. Don’t be concerned that if you don’t tell about what you offer, you may never get another chance because if you do, it’s a guarantee that you’ll never get back.

7. So you have to set the stage for this busy exec to want to see you again and here is how it’s done. Give him assurance that you understand what he explained to you. Tell him you need time and other resources to prepare a response targeted at correcting, solving and/or improving what he told you about. And then ask him if he would be interested in meeting you again to hear your ideas.

8. Even when senior managers ask you to tell them about what you have, you have to push back and ask them what exactly they want to hear about and how come. You’ve got to learn where this individual is coming from or else your presentation will be weak and uneventful. Don’t be anxious to let-out all you know and don’t get intimidated into revealing your information before you get his.

9. The higher the level of the executive, the more the issues are personal. You can’t think what you have is good for his or her company. That’s what they get paid to do. You have to find out what is good for him or her. So let them tell you what they want and why.

10. When you do come back, it will again be personal and about what you can do for him - not his company or her subordinates. These meetings have to be one-on-one and carefully rehearsed.

As simple as these steps seem, they are really very difficult. Developing the confidence and poise to network, ask and listen - without presenting, letting the exec say whatever without getting defensive, are all very difficult and seldom practiced skills. However, once mastered, the sales person’s closing ratio and selling performance will skyrocket.

Elizabeth Lindsey asked:




Sue Grafton was born on April 24, 1940 in Louisville, Kentucky where she and her sister were also raised. Her parents were Attorney C.W. Grafton and Vivian Harnsberger Grafton. Her father also wrote in his spare time had four mysteries published.

After graduating with a BA in English Literature from the University of Louisville in 1961, Sue worked in
Santa Monica and Santa Barbara, California, cashier, medical secretary and hospital admissions clerk. Although she started writing when she was 18 years old, she wasnít published until 1967.She started writing screenplays, Television movies, and television pilots.

Sue is married to Steven F. Humphries and has three children from previous marriages. She was in the middle of a divorce in the 1980ís when she started writing her Kinsey Millhone books. She joking says, “Your homicidal urges can be turned to good in this world. Donít let that ex-husband get you down! Just start a new job.”

Sue Grafton lives in Santa Barbara where her Kinsey Millhone Protagonist lives, but she has renamed it Santa Theresa in the books. Many years ago another author, Ross Madonald, also set his protagonist, Lew Archer, in Santa Theresa.

Sue says that when she first did book signings, most of the people in line were women, but now there are at least as many men if not more. She is not a gender neutral writer.

Sue was writing one book a year but decided that was too much, so now she publishes a book about every eighteen months. She says that when she dies, she will leave all of her papers to Boston University. She absolutely refuses to let Hollywood get hold of Kinsey Millhone.

Books by Sue Grafton:
Kinsey Millhone Series:
A is for Alibi (1982)
B is for Burglar (1985)
C is for Corpse (1986)
D is for Deadbeat (1987)
E is for Evidence (1988)
F is for Fugitive (1989)
G is for Gumshoe (1990)
H is for Homicide (1991)
I is for Innocent (1992)
J is for Judgement (1993)
K is for Killer (1994)
L is for Lawless (1995)
M is for Malice (1996)
N is for Noose (1998)
O is for Outlaw (1999)
P is for Peril (2000)
Q is for Quarry (2002)
R is for Ricochet (2004)
S is for Silence (2005)
T is for Trespass (2007)
U is for Undertow (2009)

Kinsey Millhone Omnibus:
Three Complete Novels 1: A, B and C (1990)
Three Complete Novels 2: D, E and F (2001)
Three Complete Novels 3: G, H and I (2002)
Three Complete Novels 4: J, K and L (2007)
Three Complete Novels 5: M, N and O (2008)

Stand Alone Novels:
Keziah Dane (1967)
The Lolly-Madonna War (1998)

Anthologies Edited:
The Best American Mystery Stories: 1998 (1998) with Otto Penzler

Nonfiction:
Writing Mysteries: A Handbook by the Mystery Writers of America (2002)

Sue Grafton is well known for the meticulous and painstaking research she does for each book. Her entire series takes place in the 1980’s, so she has to make sure she doesn’t get ahead of herself (hmm…no cell phones…). Of course, that means Kinsey Millhone stays in her 30’s, too.

Kelly Price asked:




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Juanita Watson asked:




Interview with Peter Davies
author of Scatterlings of Africa
Literally Publishing Limited (2006)
ISBN 9780955440908
Reviewed by Olivera Baumgartner-Jackson for Reader Views (4/07)

Today, Juanita Watson, Assistant Editor of Reader Views talks with Peter Davies, author of the action/adventure novel “Scatterlings of Africa.”

Born and raised in Africa, Peter Davies served as a territorial soldier in Rhodesia from 1963 to 1975. He saw action, and took part in captures and interrogation. This gave him insight into terrorist minds, many of which were successfully encouraged to ‘turn’ and fight alongside Rhodesia’s soldiers against their former comrades. Davies wrote his novel, “Scatterlings of Africa,” using his own recollections of how the war was fought, and how it affected Rhodesia and its people.

Juanita: Welcome to Reader Views Peter, and thanks for the opportunity to talk with you today about your new novel “Scatterlings of Africa.” Your story takes place in 60’s-70’s Rhodesia. Would you paint a picture of this area for readers, and tell us what was happening politically in the region?

Peter: Well, thank you for inviting me, Juanita. As you know; after almost fifteen years of war, Rhodesia fell under the grip of Marxist dictator Mugabe who changed its name to Zimbabwe in 1980. But Scatterlings of Africa takes you back to December 1972 in Rhodesia’s Zambezi Valley. At that time, the Valley was full of animals that were wild and free – it was what was known as a ‘protected hunting area’, not one of the relatively tame ‘game reserves’ that most people see. I had many encounters with lions, elephants, buffalo and other big game in addition to all the usual smaller stuff like wart hogs, antelope, etc. in this beautiful but wild part of the Valley. Scorpions, tsetse fly and other nasty insects abounded and there was abundant bird life.

Sadly, a civil war was getting underway, and the Zambezi Valley; Rhodesia’s north eastern border with Zambia and Mozambique, was the route insurgents used to gain access to the more populated areas of Rhodesia up on the highveld.

In 1965, Rhodesia’s government had declared independence from the United Kingdom. Radical black African politicians were not satisfied with the slow progress being made by the mainly white Rhodesian government towards universal franchise. Their demand was ‘one-man-one-vote’.

Rhodesians had watched this happen in all the other former colonies of Africa and saw that once that happened, future elections – if they took place at all – were rigged in favour of the incumbent African government. When they discovered that they were worse off than they had been under colonial rule, black African electorates were unable to change their black African governments. It had turned out to be a case of one-man-one-vote… once. Mass murder, corruption and economic disaster became the norm for independent Africa.

Back in Rhodesia, the frustrated radical black politicians soon became exiles and set up external military wings; a bit like radical Muslims and Al Qaeda today. These Rhodesian terrorist organizations were funded by the West; yet trained and armed by the Soviet Union and Communist China. Like the modern fanatics of Islam around the world today, terrorist insurgents set about trying to indoctrinate the peaceful black peasant populations of Rhodesia. Those who did not join the ‘cause’ were intimidated, tortured and sometimes killed. That is why I – along with many others – was a civilian soldier and hunting terrorists in the Zambezi Valley during the 1960s and 1970s. My book is a novel, and all the characters are fictional; but the events are based on what I saw and experienced during those years of war.

Juanita: What was your history with Rhodesia at this time?

Peter: I was born there. When I was a child in the 1940s and ‘50s, my family lived in the bush many miles from the nearest town and I had only black friends. I spoke the local African language, ‘Ndebele as fluently as I spoke English – possibly better. But we moved to areas where other languages were spoken and I was sent away to attend school. So through lack of use, I’ve since forgotten all but the most basic greetings in ‘Ndebele… It was an exciting childhood: I clearly remember my mother’s anguish when a small herd of elephants came through one night and wreaked havoc with her flowerbeds. That was an unusual event. But I often lay awake, terrified by the distinctive grating snarl of a leopard outside my open bedroom window as he prowled close by looking for a tasty dog or cat – or maybe even me – as a snack; and the row when he broke into the chicken run. It was too hot to keep the windows closed. Snakes abounded – everything from the huge, deadly black mambas, notorious for their aggressive nature down to the smallest adders; almost as deadly. I remember seeing a cobra once and it looked all of twelve feet to me, but my father scoffed at that and said it was ‘only’ about eight feet! I lived and worked a regular civilian life in many parts of Rhodesia and Northern Rhodesia – now Zambia.

Juanita: What inspired you to write this book?

Peter: That’s a good question, Juanita; mostly my love for the Africa that was. And its people – especially the black Africans who, unlike most of us white Africans had nowhere else to go when the bad guys took over. The decent, often kind and gentle, black Rhodesian Africans were the ones who suffered most during the war. They’re suffering even more today…

Juanita: What happens in “Scatterlings of Africa”?

Peter: By December 1972, the war is beginning to hot up. Civilian soldiers are increasingly being called upon to leave their families and careers to fight terrorists ‘in the bush’. Unlike most of his compatriots, protagonist Lieutenant Ron Cartwright prefers his life as a soldier. But things are changing back home. His wife, Angela; desperately unhappy about her husband’s obsession with the war feels neglected and becomes involved in an illicit romance with her long-lost cousin, Mark. Cartwright is suspicious and trouble brews; he’s a hard-bitten, tough soldier by choice and not a man to cross… There’s a dramatic end involving all four of the main characters.

Juanita: How did you own experience influence this story and its characters?

Peter: The military parts are very much based on what I experienced during the war. There’s one hard-to-believe scene involving an elephant during the story, but I served alongside a man that this actually happened to. All I did was take a number of incidents, many of which happened to me personally, and wove them into the Scatterlings of Africa story. I’d better make it clear that the romantic part did not happen to me – my wife will be reading this – but I knew people whose marriages came under serious strain because of the war, and I knew about wives who had affairs while their husbands were away – it happens more than usual during wars, I think.

Juanita: Would you tell us about Lieutenant Ron Cartwright’s obsession with catching the freedom fighter, Gadziwa, and why he chooses to focus his attention militarily rather than on his family?

Peter: Well, it begins with Ron’s inclination for the army life in the bush in preference to the rather more mundane life of a civilian at work and home. Cartwright is a hard man. Working as an accountant is no match for the comradeship and excitement of the military. A pretty wife and even limited involvement with three small female children is a mixed blessing and rather boring by comparison with life in his beloved wilds of Africa. The terrorists are bad guys but a good excuse to get away from it all. But atrocities committed by one particular insurgent group turns Ron from general hatred of all terrorists to an obsession with one in particular – led by Comrade Captain Gadziwa, a proud but ruthlessly cruel guerilla. This gets Cartwright into serious trouble with his Army superiors. In the end the two of them battle it out in hand-to-hand combat.

Juanita: Peter, who are the “scatterlings of Africa”?

Peter: Another good question. During the early 1980s an artist listed as Juluka released this distinctly Africa sounding song – I think it’s the same person who is today known as Johnny Clegg… ‘They are the scatterlings of Africa Each uprooted one… Scatterlings and fugitives Hooded eyes and weary brows Seek refuge in the night’.

It’s really about how Africa is the cradle of humankind, and how we are all scatterlings of Africa. When my wife and I eventually left Africa in the late 1980s we felt like scatterlings – we’d lost our homeland, and I still miss it. So when I was looking for a title for the book I’d written, I decided to use Scatterlings of Africa. If Johnny Clegg’s lyrics – and current anthropologists are to be believed, the whole of humankind are scatterlings of Africa. But I believe that we exiled former Africans, black and white, are the modern-day scatterlings of Africa. Those who read my book will see how this fits.

Juanita: You have delved deep into the characters of your book, making this a significant exploration into relationships and personal motivations. It is quite profound. Would you comment?

Peter: Yes, I’m glad that many readers have found this and delighted that you asked the question. I wanted Scatterlings of Africa to appeal to both men and women readers. I also wanted it to be a story about people and how they’re affected by war – not just a book about war. So I worked hard at taking my readers deep into each main character’s viewpoint – to become one with each character and to understand what he or she was feeling and why they were acting they way they did. Readers will be able to understand what motivates the terrorist, Gadziwa – why he’s fighting for his cause, his country – the Zimbabwe that belonged to his ancestors. And why Cartwright is equally determined to fight for his country – the Rhodesia where his settler grandparents and parents carved out a living for themselves from the barren bush. Gosh, that sounds a bit like the American West doesn’t it? I want my readers to be able to feel as if they’re living in Rhodesia in the 1970s, experiencing some of what people felt during that earlier war against terror.

Juanita: What is the take home message of your book?

Peter: Mostly that there’s more to what happened in Rhodesia than the media and governments of the West would like people to know. In reality, there are many sides to the story. And your reviewer, Simon Barrett recognised the link between what’s happening in the world today and what happened in Rhodesia way back in the 1970s. I see the same cynical manipulation of the media – propaganda, and similar terror tactics being used in the wars of Afghanistan and Iraq as those used by Mugabe and his insurgents in Rhodesia.

Juanita: The rawness of your story that exposes the reality of violence/turmoil in Africa and juxtaposes it with love/romance is an interesting statement in itself. Would you elaborate? Do you think this dichotomy is true to the African experience?

Peter: Great question – you really have hit the nail on the head. I’ve tried to take the tragedy of Rhodesia and make it into a readable novel that will entertain as well as educate. After all, we who lived through it had good times as well as bad – mostly good times until near the end. Of course love happens during terrible times… I think love is even more intense; people’s inhibitions become less constraining.

Juanita: Many readers of your book remark that your story isn’t politically correct. Would you comment?

Peter: You’re right there, and I was aware that I’d fall foul of the PC brigade as I wrote the book. I told the story from the viewpoint of the people who were there and lived through it… People who have never been at the sharp end, set the agenda for so called political correctness. With the benefit of hindsight some things could have been done better in Rhodesia; that is the case with almost any endeavor. Could the Romans have ruled the world better and prevented the downfall of civilization that plunged Europe into the mediaeval ‘Dark Ages’ if they’d done things differently? Maybe Pearl Harbor wouldn’t have happened if the Americans had been more alert in December 1941? I don’t happen to go along with current thinking on political correctness. One day I think we will come to regret much of what has been and is being done under the guise of political correctness. But Scatterlings of Africa reflects what I saw and believed when I lived through those times. I make no apology.

Juanita: Peter, what are your thought about Africa today, and the continued civil unrest in many of its countries?

Peter: Despair; and anger. It’s not just civil unrest that’s happening in Africa; the terrible situation in Darfur, for example is close to being genocide. Thanks to liberal western media and politicians, millions of innocent black Africans have died and are still dying; some due to war, others from famine and disease. None of this happened on any scale during colonial times. In 1970s Rhodesia, life expectancy was the highest in Africa – well over 60 years. Now it is 37 years for men and 34 years for women there (see the World Health Organization statistics on Zimbabwe). No wonder there’s civil unrest. The (mainly white) liberals and socialist agitators who called for, and financed “freedom” for Africa – many of whom had never actually lived in Africa – mostly now live safe, comfortable lives in Britain, the US and other civilized countries.

I’m not suggesting we should go back to having colonies. That’s not possible in Africa anyway; Islamic fundamentalists are taking over north of the equator and Communist China to the south. Africa’s vast mineral resources are being exploited today more ruthlessly than was ever the case under colonial rule. And the Muslim religion is being imposed on black African Christians and other ‘non-believers’ more ruthlessly than Missionaries of old ever preached Christianity. But democracy, as we know it, does not always work in all parts of the world. I even wonder if it’s the right thing for Iraq or Afghanistan.

Juanita: Peter, did you find it difficult writing this book? I imagine you would have had to dig deep, into memories that have been buried for years. What was the experience like for you?

Peter: Yes, I did dig deep; I have written this book from my heart. It was difficult, sometimes painful, but at the same time immensely rewarding.

Juanita: Do you ever go back to Africa?

Peter: Juanita, there’s an old saying; “you can take the man out of Africa, but you can’t take Africa out of the man”. Africa is in my blood, my very bones; so yes, I do visit from time to time. It’s such a beautiful place. I get depressed with the dirt and poverty now though; it was never like that when I lived there. But the game reserves are still wonderful. I loved going on safari in the Okavango Delta in Botswana a few years ago. And South Africa is a huge country that still has much of its infrastructure intact – and the scenery there is wonderful. On the border between Zimbabwe and Zambia is the mighty Victoria Falls – one of the original seven natural wonders of the world.

Juanita: The writing style in this book, including your realistic descriptions of the land, its people, the conflict, combined with its fast-pace, is receiving high accolades from readers. What is your background with writing?

Peter: Apart from non-fiction, none. But even as a young man I always wanted to write fiction, so I took early retirement some years ago and began the business of learning how to do it. I attended writing courses, read books about writing and went to writers’ workshops. When I’d finished writing Scatterlings of Africa, I asked a professional appraiser, who is a published author herself to read and criticize the manuscript for me. She did a wonderful job but I had to virtually re-write the whole book. I sent it back to her a year later and she found less to criticize, and more to praise; another six months of hard work. Last year I gave it to her again and she passed it as being up to publishable standard. The whole thing took me over three years of hard work. Even now that I’ve learned the trade, every time I read another good book, I learn more.

Juanita: Do you have any more projects in the works?

Peter: Yes, I’m working on a new novel, which I hope will take much less time than Scatterlings of Africa did because of what I’ve learned. The research takes a lot of time; even though you know your subject well, you forget details after more than thirty years. I want my novels to be authentic, so that veterans will say – ‘yes, that’s how it was; this author knows what it was like…’

Juanita: How can readers learn more about you and your book?

Peter: For more information about Scatterlings of Africa, please take a look at my website: it’s quite easy to find on any of the main search engines – just key in the words Africa Peter Davies and http://www.peterdaviesbooks.com should be near the top of the page. There’s a section that enables visitors to read the first few pages; I keep it up to date with the latest reviews, plus links to Amazon. There are a few pictures from my last visit to Botswana, and the unique Okavango Delta – a wildlife-filled water paradise in the middle of a desert, deep in Southern Africa.

Juanita: Peter, thank you for the opportunity to talk with you about “Scatterlings of Africa.” Your life experience is incredible and readers will certainly be intrigued by this fascinating dialogue. Before we depart today, do you have any last thoughts you’d like to share?

Peter: Yes, please Juanita; I wrote Scatterlings of Africa to entertain people who like a good action-filled adventure story. I’m grateful that people who have read and reviewed it seem to be saying I’ve achieved that.

I’d also like to take this opportunity to say thanks to Olivera Baumgartner-Jackson of your organization for his excellent and perceptive review of my book on your site; and to thank you for undertaking this interview with me. I found your questions profound and have really enjoyed answering them.

Dr. Eswararamanan VR asked:




If you have been diagnosed with diabetes, chances are you are being required to visit your doctor and to take medications and insulin injections in order to prevent any severe damage to occur your body. The amount of insulin, when depleted, can cause people to become diabetic, which is caused by a lot of things such as too much sugary and salty foods and not maintaining a healthy body weight. Though medications are the top of the line solutions to diseased and severe illnesses nowadays, there are actually many natural ways to lower blood sugar in the body. They may require you to change your daily routines and your overall food diet for yourself, but if it is a healthy lifestyle that you want, then you will have to take into consideration these five effective solutions.

1) Eat and Drink, Healthy and Raw

There are two types of diabetes and those who are diagnosed with Type two diabetes are usually the ones who are required to take insulin shots and all kinds of medications. One of the most natural ways to reduce sugar level in blood is to eat and drink natural and raw foods and drinks. These are the types of foods that are rich in fiber, vitamins, and minerals, so you have to take them almost everyday if you want to regulate normal blood glucose amounts in your body.

2) Exercise Regularly

A 1-hour jog everyday can actually do wonders for your health. Spending time exercising and maintaining a normal body weight can keep your body healthy and in shape, which is a great way to reduce blood sugar level deemed abnormal by the doctors. Jogging, stretching and participating in sports are all great ways to exercise and keep your body in shape.

3) Drink Water Everyday

Do not think that water can be replaced by coffee or soft drinks; water is very essential if you want to maintain a good and effective diabetic diet meal plan. Try as much as you can to drink at least 8 glasses of water a day since this can help in lowering one’s blood glucose levels effectively. Though the day can be pretty hectic with no time to look for a water fountain, a little extra effort on your part can make a big difference for your health.

4) Take Natural Vitamins

Vitamins are constantly being innovated to be able to cure or help regulate a lot of diseases in a person’s body, one of which is diabetes. You can get a prescription or some health advice from your doctor with regards to the kinds of vitamins you can take everyday. If not, just make sure that the vitamins you buy are made from natural herbs and plants to avoid any side effects.

5) Visits to the Doctor

Just because you prefer natural ways to lower blood sugar doesn’t mean that you are allowed to take your regular visits to the doctor. He or she will be able to give you reports on your progress with regards to how low or how high your sugar levels have gone since your last visit. You can finally tell if your health has made any progress by visiting your doctor for a regular check-up.

Dan Fritschen asked:




Split level house renovations bring both unique opportunities and unique challenges. The first step in evaluating the opportunities and challenges is understanding what type of split level you plan to renovate. There are essentially five types of split level house designs:

1. Split Foyer or Bi-Level - Composed of two levels, with the entry on a level midway between the two floors. A short flight of stairs (usually 4-8) goes up and another short flight of stairs goes down. If the lower level of the house is built level with the ground, there will be stairs to the entrance. The lower level may be at least partly below ground level.

2. Split Level - This type has either three or four levels and two or three short sets of stairs. The entrance is usually on a middle level and opens directly into a formal living room.

3. Stacked Split Level - The stacked type has five or more levels with four or five short sets of stairs. The entry is on a middle floor, usually opening to a foyer with stairs going both up and down. The name is derived from the fact that additional bedrooms are “stacked” on top of the second living area. Many townhouses are of this type.

4. Split Entry - The entry to this type of house is between floors and is usually located in an entry area off the main house. Like the split foyer, steps lead both up and down from the entry.

5. Raised Ranch - This type of split level has two levels with a full flight of stairs and the entry into the lower floor. The living area is generally on the top floor, accessible by a staircase close to the entry.

Split Level Homes were very popular in the 1950s, particularly in the East and the Midwest. The house design is an adaptation that works well in construction of a house on uneven property. The house can be built into the side of a hill or slope very easily. These homes were designed to separate living areas from sleeping areas and to provide formal and informal living areas. They offer more privacy and quiet. Disadvantages include uneven heating and cooling and many stairs. The heating and cooling challenge can be met by installing a zoned system. The number of stairs can be a particular challenge for the elderly and disabled. The challenge can, however, be met by installing a glide chair.

Other limitations of the type of design include a lower level laundry room, no main level bathroom, shared bathroom on the upper floor with the bedrooms, and a lack of openness in the living area (particularly as compared to many contemporary designs).

Remodeling challenges specific to Split Level Homes are:

o Great care must be exercised in opening up the formal living area regarding weight-bearing walls

o Many split levels have small rooms

o The steps between levels cannot be removed

o It is difficult to create a defined entry area

o Moving the location of the kitchen makes this type of renovation expensive

o It can be difficult to add a level to some types of split levels without losing balance and external appeal

Most of these challenges can be overcome with creative thinking, careful planning, and detailed attention to the design. For the most part, it is best to accept and work with the basic floor plan and modify access, flow between rooms, and a feeling of openness. It is also usually a bad idea to try to add another floor to a split level or to add on to the length of the existing house.