Why the no-makeup selfie brigade miss the point

    Holly Willoughby, one of the many female celebrities who took off their makeup for the campaign




I am at a complete loss to the #nomakeuposelfie campaign that has absorbed my Twitter and fb new feed this week.  It saw women post pictures of themselves on Twitter and fb  with no makeup on who asked people to text Cancer Research UK and make a donation to the charity.
 Scores of women posted pictures of themselves with no makeup on as though it is a tough task? Like they have done something groundbreaking. I'm all for donating to good causes but why not do something challenging like jump out of a plane or run a marathon - perhaps I would donate then. I am not inclined to in response to an armchair reaction of somebody who has taken a selfie and posted it on social media. Is this a campaign about fighting cancer or women's vanity issues?! Is it not a lot more admirable to be a cancer survivor than to show your support by simply taking off makeup ? - an action which is met by cringey replies of "wow you still look amaze babes"... By tomorrow their charity badges will be back in the loft gathering dust. The selfie brigade are in no doubt just following the latest trend, ultimately, it is disappointing to see that charity fundraising can be picked up loosely by so many, and many of whom have never even considered the work of Cancer Research UK before. 
The women who culled their makeup for a selfie raised £2 million pounds in 48 hours, which is of course great for the charity and can help fund their work in research and for caring for the many who have been stricken by cancer. But the sad fact is these contributions will soon stop coming and many who stood up in support will forget the charity ever existed.  What is needed is people who will dedicate themselves to donating on a more permanent basis, not this knee-jerk effort from have-a-go charity fundraisers who are copying what their friends did on facebook.They are not brave or admirable - they are simply hanging on to what is for them the coattails of the latest fashion trend. It is so concerning that this campaign has overlooked cancer and has centred on body image. 

A week immersed in the paradise that is the Amazon jungle

THE Amazon rainforest is one of the most bio-diverse regions in the globe, sprawling across nine countries and rich with millions of species of tropical plants, animals and fauna.

In December, Brendan McFadden travelled 52 miles north of Iquitos, the capital of the Peruvian Amazon, to go on adventurous excursions with  tour company Otorongo Expeditions; in one of the hottest and most beautiful  regions on Earth. 

After flying into Iquitos, the largest city in the world not accessible by land and then spending two hours on a speed boat from Iquitos, me and my companion had arrived at Otorongo’s lodge.

 The lodge is located off a small Amazon tributary called Quebrada Oran and is the brainchild of husband and wife team, Anthony and  Ivonne Giadinelli,  who built it from the trees in the surrounding jungle in 2005, in an effort to develop the area through ecotourism.

Surrounded by a beautiful exotic garden and lush with palms, butterflies and songbirds, the rustic Otorongo lodge is located in a wonderfully tranquil setting. 

And so it began, for the next seven days and six nights our every moment would be filled with adventure, awe and astonishment.

After dropping our bags in our room we were shown to the dining area. Here we enjoyed a buffet lunch made up of the typical delicious Peruvian cuisine and exotic local fruit available at the lodge, whilst chatting to other guests about what lay ahead.

Each room at Otorongo comes with its own private bathroom and has either single or double beds, which are covered with mosquito netting to ensure guests’ sleep peacefully.

The facilities at the lodge are basic, but it soon becomes clear that the lodge is where you eat and sleep, as most of the time is spent enjoying daily excursions, which start early at 8am.

Some excursions saw us head out on walks, allowing us to see a wondrous amount of bugs, insects and tarantulas. Others allowed us to enjoy enchanting boat trips around the Amazon and its tributaries, where we fished for piranhas and spotted countless amounts of tropical animals, such as grey dolphins,  birds, monkeys and sloths. Such is Otorongo’s prime location deep in the jungle, we did not have to wander far from the lodge garden to see such wonders.

On other outings we were able to visit nearby villages, where we mingled with locals and bought charming hand-carved trinkets.

Excursions at Otorongo are completely customised for each guest, meaning we really had free reign to enjoy  the magnificent terrain, which is made up of beaches, lakes, rivers, palm swamps and much more.

Our guide Wilver Anhuanari Chota explained that by providing  customised tours, guest who stay at Otorongo  are able to take more from their experiences in the jungle.

He said: “There are many lodges around Iquitos but Otorongo is the only one that is completely customised for each guest.

“At other companies they take large groups out but that is no good as guests do not always get to do the activity they want to do. Otorongo gives each guest a choice to do whatever they want each day.”

Wilver was born in a small rural village on the banks of the Amazon not far from Iquitos and is part Cocama indian, an indigenous tribe which has populated Peru for thousands of years . He is highly skilled as a guide thanks to his extensive knowledge of the ecology of the area, acquired through his father and from several years in the Peruvian army. Above all he has a warm endearing personality and is always happy to help.

In one of our many activities we set out with Wilver and boat driver Mikey on a camping trip to search for caiman alligators.

After heading out on a long boat, we pitched our tents near the shore and as darkness fell we headed out to scour the area for caimans.

Wilver stood at the front of the boat and scoured left and right with his head torch beaming into the darkness.  After 45 minutes of gently wading through swamps we had almost given up hope of seeing anything but then Wilver suddenly whispered with great enthusiasm “caiman!”. He had spotted a young caiman hundreds of yards away. We pulled onto shore – our guide leaped out and marched along the banks – before snatching the young reptile from the water and bringing it back to us. “This is a baby one, do you want to hold it,”  Wilver said with a beaming smile. Before passing me and my companion the two-foot caiman. Wilver explained:  “This one is only ten months, it will grow as big as four metres long – it would be very dangerous to hold it at that size”. It was humbling to be in such close contact with one of nature’s great predators. As we headed back to our tents I was hoping to see an adult caiman and my wish was granted when one glided past the boat and looked us straight in the eye! The experience was truly exhilarating and encapsulates how activities with Otorongo allowed us to engage and explore the buzzing ecosystem around us.

Seven days staying at Otorongo felt like seven years,  there was so much to be experienced but yet it was still far from enough.  It is a place where you can unleash your childish sense of adventure and be exposed to nature in all its rugged glory, whether that be kayaking through swamps or holding a terrifying tarantula.

So it is without a doubt that I will be returning to Otorongo  for another adventure. I leave with my mind enlightened but my thirst for adventure is far from quenched and there is no doubt I will be enjoying the vast expanse of the Amazon again soon.

To find out about trips with Otorongo Expiditions visit otorongoexpeditions.com

It started in a back garden but four years on Mates is toasting great sucess; I found out the secret of its success

                          

It may have started as a hobby in a friend’s back yard but only four years after formation a company from Wiltshire is now selling a variety of bottled and cask cider and perry to rugby clubs, pubs and music festivals all over the region.

Dave Harrison and Roger Heston, owners of Mates Cider and Perry Company, invited Brendan McFadden to meet them at their farm base near Minety, to find out how they make their successful products.

Roger, 67, explained: “There were four of us at the start. The first year we did it in my back garden and then we expanded it into more of a group activity. We did it for a year, we didn’t sell it but just drunk a lot. It was a bit of fun.”

But after coming fourth in the Hereford International Cider festival & Perry Competition at Hereford museum, the group made the decision to set up a professional business. 

“We decided to enter the festival and came fourth and that was just amazing. We then thought why not do it professionally if people like it,” said Roger, who is a food technologist.

The company produce a variety of cask ciders, such as  Ravens Roost, Jackdaw and Golden Eye as well as Red Leg perry , which comes from Wiltshire and Herefordshire.

Two of their most popular customers are award winning pubs The Red Lion in Cricklade and The Rummer hotel in Bristol, who both picked up accolades in the Great British pub awards recently.

To make the drinks, each summer thousands of apples are picked from orchards in Hereford and Somerset and pears are sourced from Wiltshire and Herefordshire.

They are then transported back to Minety, where they are checked and cleaned, before being put in a hydraulic press, which extracts juice from the fruits using 24-tonnes of pressure.

The juice is then put in large containers and goes through its first fermentation period which can take up to seven weeks, before fermenting for a second phase which can last up to six months.During the second phase lacto and malic acids in the juice combine to give flavour to the juice.

I was there to see the middle of these phases, where  the juice is transferred from one container to another using a pump, leaving a residue of starch and yeast behind. 

Dave,61, explained that this process is vital because the residue can destroy the taste of the cider if it is left for the second phase of fermentation.

He said: “If you left that in it would just taste very bad – you wouldn’t be able to drink it.

“The second of fermentation is the most important and the juice must be monitored carefully to ensure the best results.

David Harrison pumps cider from one vat to the next, watched by business partner Roger Hesten at Mates Cider

 “The softer lactic acid allows the fruit flavours to come out where as the malic masks them.When these two acids are combining we need to keep checking the cider to make sure it does not go off.”

Today 14,000 bottles are produced by the company, most of which are bottled  in Minety with the exception of  Ravens Roost variety, which is bottled in the Forest of Dean.

Although Mates Cider and Perry is already enjoying the taste of success, Dave and Roger vow to continue to make new and interesting ciders.

Roger, said: “We want to make new varieties and be ahead of the game and try and make something different."

 

 

Dave added: “We have to be realistic, we are both in our 60s,we do not have many years left to build an empire. My ambition is to continue what we are doing. We also want to make a single variety cider.”

To find out more and buy the cider and perry visit http://ciderandperry.org.uk/

John Terry steps down from England duty

“Nobody thinks that John Terry is a racist so the FA need to leave it” – the thoughts of Avram Grant, ex-manager of John Terry at Chelsea, somebody who knows him all to well. But the FA have yet too make up their mind and Terry’s head remains placed precariously in their guillotine. Terry’s decision to step down as an England player at the weekend raised the eyebrow of football fans around the country, not least the Stamford Bridge contingent who idolise him and consider him as iconic as the lion on the club’s crest. Today’s Premier League game is brimming with passion and excitement, which often results in players being caught up in fiery foul-mouthed exchanges.

 In a match at Loftus Road in October 2011, things appeared to surpass this normal level of tension. And In July, Westminster Magistrates Court revealed the gloomy details of that clash between John Terry and Anton Ferdinand, where a side of football most thought was left in the terraces and pitches of the 1980s reared its ugly head again. Racism. "F**k off, f**k off … f**king black c*nt. F**king nobhead,” were the words that landed Terry in court. Terry argued there should have been a question mark after “f**king black c*nt”. Exclaiming that he was simply being sarcastic, mirroring a slur uttered by the QPR defender. Howard Riddle, Chief Magistrate, agreed and he was acquitted, consequently being spared the punishment of prison. But it did lead to the FA taking Terry’s England armband without consent, which in turn caused a rift between them and Fabio Capello, eventually leading to his exit. This was not the first time this happened – in February 2010, Terry first lost the England armband following revelations he had an affair with a teammate’s girlfriend, Wayne Bridge. Although the law has cleared his name, the FA has brought its own charge to the fore. An independent panel are this week examining the fact he referenced the ethnicity and race of Ferdinand. If this was proven, Terry would surely be removed from the England squad anyway.

Terry stated that the FA had made his position with England "untenable" indicating he wanted to leave with grace. Head held aloft. Riddle’s decision shocked many and with the FA now being handed back authority, is it an opportunity for him to be rightfully reprimanded for his actions? His off-field behaviour has been lambasted time and time again, and this could be another fatal blow to his reputation. Ultimately, on this occasion the FA's hard line against the player has pushed him over the edge. Although the racism argument has yet to be silenced there is no doubt about his quality on the pitch. As an integral cog for England in the last three major tournaments, Terry has been outstanding; for Chelsea over fourteen years, he has been an inspiration; he was captain aged 20 and has helped them claim the league title three times and the FA cup five. As BBC pundit Mark Lawrenson remarked on Sunday’s Match of the Day 2 programme: “Forget about what else has been going on, on the pitch, as a leader generally, he’s been outstanding. He’s looking at that (the FA hearing) and thinking at the end of this week I won’t be playing for England anyway – I’m just going to beat them too it.” And with the door slamming shut for Terry, another could open for Rio Ferdinand.

The Man United player was also caught up in the racism fiasco surrounding his brother Anton. And then Rio was dropped from the Euro 2012 squad, with Roy Hodgson citing his poor fitness as a  reason for his exclusion. This seems all to suspicious after he retweeted a comment calling England defender Ashley Cole a “choc-ice” after he defended Terry in court and was then accused of racism himself. But one thing for sure is, Rio’s inclusion will surely test team spirit, risk continuing this grim story in the media even further and damage the reputation of English football even more.

Dalai Lama visits UK

A link to my exclusive story for Mancunian Matters on the Dalai Lama's visit to the UK.

Peaceful, easy, sunny reggae vibes

For most people ten years ago a festival would mean a three day trip somewhere for the weekend that was booze fuelled, full of mayhem, dance or rock, in the wonderful English mud. Indeed until recently it would not be ridiculous for somebody to go to two or three festivals in a year. And the lure of the UK festival scene is not to be scoffed at. Arguably one of the best in the world for its choice, with the gem in the crown being Glastonbury.

Not that much has changed over the years, in fact the number of festivals has bloomed. On the outset we have a booming market for festivals, with a hefty 500 going off this year. Although, bright and rosy in numbers, 2011 has seen a decline in ticket sales as people become tighter on their wallets. Figures released by music mag, Music Week, said that 30 events had been cancelled in August alone. Existing festivals have been struggling to book fresh new acts that are capable of pulling the crowds. Artist like Muse have played eight UK festival headline shows in the last seven years and Kings of Leon have played five times in the last four years, excluding their two Hyde Park shows this summer.

Melvin Benn, managing director of Festival Republic explained to The Guardian that between Reading, Leeds and Creamfields, a quarter of a million people went to a festival – meaning the love for festivals is not gone but people are feeling the effects of recession.

I wanted to take the opportunity this year to try something different at Spain’s Rototom Sunsplash 2011, which offered me a chance to enjoy one of my favoured music genres - reggae. I am one of those feeling the pinch of the economic downturn and wanted to be strategic about the choice I made. And with this and a need to wind down after my journalism training in mind (and for no other reason…) I decided to head to the sun soaked Med with some friends.

After two train journeys, a taxi ride, a flight and an overnight stay in Barcelona I arrived in Bennicassim, where Sunsplash is hosted. Located in the sun baked setting of a coastal town situated between Valencia and Barcelona, hoards of Reggae fans descended upon the festival to enjoy its 17th offering. And I was gleefully there to be part of it.

Okay so the trip was a little longer than my summer jaunt to a festival but the alluring factor of this was both the price (180 Euros) for ten days camping and the location.The great thing about it is it's both festival and beach holiday rolled into one and I was happily trading the mud for the sand and sea of glorious Spain. How was this not a good idea?

I as a first time attendee I had mixed expectations. I of course expected a blanket of reggae to cover me throughout with chilled out vibes and musical offerings from a wealth of talent both old and new. But I suspected that I may succumb to the intensity of ten whole days straight of Reggae. And I felt it begged the question: Is ten days of chilled out vibes too much and will I have my fill after just a few days?

Any fears were wiped away from me instantly. Ten days was just not enough to enjoy the wealth that was on offer.


There was so much more here than the sun to soak in. As well as fantastic reggae acts from all regions of the globe at night, during the day there was a whole host of activities to keep the mind active. From Capoiera classes, the history of Reggae explained via film in the Reggae University tent , as well as a host of art workshops for children. And just a few miles away to top this all off you could be at the beautiful beach. Now doesn’t that sound perfect?

Admittedly, for a Brit abroad like myself, any sort of day-time movement proved difficult. When presented with 30 °C heat I have a tendency to lie down like a dead dog, but often after a litre or so of water I often had a second wind. Although predominately a Spanish festival it was still easy enough to speak to staff who were well versed in basic English and all the announcements were well translated. Occasionally, I found it was best I kept my basic Spanish to myself -- simple requests such as “ Tiene cerveza,” (I would like a beer) were often met with confused stares by bar staff. My semi-Latin looks crossed with my poor pronunciation gave the impression that I was more drunk lunatic than just a mere Englishman.

The music itself was top-class this year in all areas. The main stage was graced by acts that originated from eras gone by Toots & the Maytals, Johnny Clarke, Lee Scratch Perry, Ali Cambell (of UB40 fame), Michael Prophet and dub poet Lynton Kwesi Johnson. All of which can still captivate a crowd and are still going strong. Newer kids on the block, Mr Vegas, Capleton, Gentleman, Konshens Lutan Fyah and Queen Ifrica carried the torch for modern reggae with style and vigour.

Other main areas such as the Dancehall tent gave a refreshing wind-down from the main arena and hosted acts such as Delly, Kinpower and Urtica Sound. The Dubstation, a brilliant large domed shaped tent, coupled with an exquisite sound system, was flooded night after night by many UK dub acts like Channel One, Iration Steppa’s featuring YT and Maki Banton and Abashanti. What really stunned me was the Lion stage, which gave a colourful taste of reggae-ska had a great sense of fun surrounding. It had me coming back for more night after night with Train to Roots from New Zealand particularly impressing and stealing the show for me.


Bob Marley added the flavour to Rototom 2011; this year being a massive tribute to the legend on the 20th anniversary of his death. Bob’s children Stephen, Ziggy and Kwma Wani all played out some vivacious performances. A particularly emotional evening was concluded on the third night, when Rita Marley (Bob’s first wife) joined the stage with Ziggy to play ‘One Love’ at the end of his set.

A record 220,000 attended the festival over the ten days making it a record year, which is admirable for an event only just steadying its feet in Spain. Now in its second year here after being forced to move from, Ossopo in the province of Udine in Italy. The move was made after it was alleged by Sunsplash chiefs that police criminalised many festival goers and arrested them for carry marijuana. After so many years where a blind eye was taken to this type of drug use it is widely believed that the cracking of the whip was very much politically motivated, by the newly formed government leaders and far right conservatives Forza Italia and National Alliance. The finger was pointed at festival organisers for facilitating marijuana smoking by promoting Rasta culture - an accusation, which they firmly denied. The festival though was forced to leave the country and bosses called in their lawyers to fight the impending legal case.

That kink in the Sunsplash chain is seemingly forgotten about now though as Bennicassim and the Spanish authorities have received the festival with open arms. There was very little in the way of aggressive police and pot hungry sniffer dogs this year.

One could argue that illicit drug use at these festivals, whilst obviously illegal is expected and can never be controlled. Such is the nature of the genre and its home Jamaica that these things simply won’t happen. I for one didn’t see any hoodlums, or aggression or blatant criminal goings on. I saw peace, I saw unity and I saw love – I saw happy people brought together by the music, with a reggae arrow buried deep in their souls. I saw Rasta culture which ,yes, involved marijuana smoking but there was a whole lot more to what the festival offered. The wide selection of music and activities for both the young and old was the intervening factor in Rototom 2011.

For the value and the quality that was on offer this is undoubtedly the pinnacle of festivals for me and fiercely rivals anything coming out of the UK at the moment-- it was a real refreshing change. While the purse strings are tightened on our shores I wonder if the price of a budget flight to festivals like Rototom and the many other cheap European options such as Dour (France) and Exit (Serbia) could become more worthwhile.

Geshe Graham Woodhouse: a teacher in Buddhism

Born in 566 BC, in Lumbini, Nepal, Siddhartha Gautama, was born into a privileged upbringing. He was son of the king, blessed with many riches and comforts and was destined to take the throne. Aged 29, after spending his life entirely inside the grounds of the palace, he ventured outside the royal courtyard, and saw pains of the world: sickness, death and suffering. This disturbed him so much he set out into the world on a journey to seek wisdom. As a holy man he spent over six years on a path of meditation and ascetic practices. He was intent on finding the meaning of life and so looked deep inside himself; one day he sat at the Bodhi tree and after 40 days, on the full moon in May, Siddhartha finally attained enlightenment. He had realised true freedom.
And so Buddhism was born. From there on in Siddhartha, was known as the Buddha and spent the rest of his life until his death aged 80 spreading his teachings.
Fast-forward over 2,500 years and the remnants of the Buddha’s schoolings are very much still existent. Today, many types of Buddhism exist and while some vary in techniques, all share the same goals and beliefs.
“It helps understand how the mind works internal and external, why we are here, what we can best do with our lives and then fundamentally understand suffering. That’s the bottom line – why do we suffer? Where do we find happiness of a lasting kind and not just temporary? Because happiness sort of gets snatched away from us.”
Words spoken by Tibetan Buddhism monk, Geshe Graham Woodhouse, who took little persuasion to talk to me. I was happily invited into his home in a leafy Sheffield suburb to hear his views and beliefs.
Sheffield man Geshe Graham, has spent a mammoth 16 years in studying in India, at the Institute of Buddhist Dialectics in Dharamsala, with exiled monks, completing the “Geshe ,” program, which is the monks equivalent of four PhD’s. And strikingly he is only one of only six western people to have ever completed this ancient course.
The makeup of the Geshe program is the study of five key topics, which help the student understand how to reach “enlightenment”; it is a guide to understanding the path to enlightenment, which can aid the student to realise it.
Typical days on the programme are spent studying from engraved wooden blocks, before the student conducts Tibetan style debate with fellow students in the school's courtyard.
Debate is a key factor in Tibetan monk’s training, and is a way of stretching the mind, increasing mental sharpness, developing methodical capability, and achieving internal clarity.
“It’s quite an entertaining way of studying” says Geshe Graham, “ it’s not just going into a library and studying, though you had to do that as well. But when it came to a response you had to be able to argue and answer questions and ask questions to see if the other persons actually understood and not just think he’s understood. It’s not people letting their hair down when they’re young, it’s people shaving their head and trying to build up these qualities of good behaviour and turning away from things like the negative minds of anger and attachment, selfishness, pride and so forth.”
Graham’s institute of study with banished monks is an example of the effects felt after the Chinese invasion of Tibet in 1950, which saw thousands of Tibetans flee the country. Chinas’ then leader Chairman Mao had a strong communist ethos which starkly opposed Buddhism. And thus cruelly destroyed nearly all of Tibets’ 9,000 monasteries and took control of the country.
“In India these types of Tibetan institutions have flourished in exile to a certain extent, but there in exile you see, so they’re in a foreign country and the completely wrong climate for Tibet.” Geshe Graham explains, “They’re doing their best in exile to keep that going and they deserve all the help that they can get.”
This exodus helps explain how Tibetan Buddhism doors were opened up on our own doorsteps. The noninterventionist nature of the 60s and early 70s, saw young free willed youth, set out overland to India and Nepal on the hippy-trail for a budget travel experience and for some spiritual enlightenment
So what could lead a western man so far from his cultural upbringing? I pose the question to Geshe Graham, who in his twenties qualified as a teacher from Sheffield University, then left the UK to tutor in Africa and the Middle East, before finding appeal in the Tibetan monks’ way of life in India.
“You look at civilisation and all the wars that have been fought and you wonder where does society lie – why can’t men organise themselves in a way such that we do look after each other? What are the flaws? The Buddha comes along and provides an analysis that beats all forms of other truths. And gives the truth of suffering which we can all understand.”

Geshe Graham's forthcoming book Tsongkhapa's Praise for Dependent Relativity, out in October, is a transcription and explanation of an ancient script by famous Tibetan lama Tsong Khapa on the subject of emptiness.

http://www.wisdom-books.com/ProductDetail.asp?PID=23041