The Last King Of Scotland!

Finally, the last King of Scotland, MP David Mundell has been dethroned by the newly appointed Emperor of Great Britain, Boris Johnson. Democracy is a farce on these islands and anyone who thinks otherwise should seriously get their heads examined. David Mundell and the future crown prince Oliver Mundell, have access to more power, money and resources than our Scottish parliament. All given to them with one real purpose; to protect the Monarchy and the union at any costs. It does not matter to them if his constituents are using foodbanks or having trouble paying their bills or even feeding their children. Now that he is sacked; conveniently after it being revealed that the Scotland Office was spending far more money than his predecessors; people who voted for him should seriously think again before letting this benefit scrounger be elected again.

Mundell was always seen in the area, just in time before elections ,canvassing for votes. David knew he had a fanatic fan following, no matter what, these voters would turnout in their droves to get him elected just to keep the SNP out! Even Labour and Lib-Dem supporters voted for him. An irrational behaviour by the people, but at the same time a campaigning strategy by Mundell and his Conservative & Unionist party , who constantly stoke fears of Scottish Independence.

Let me make this as clear as possible, the United Kingdom was forced upon by England through the Treaty of Union on the rest of these islands independent countries. Taking advantage of the financial losses suffered by the Scottish ruling class during their misadventure of the Darien scheme(an unsuccessful attempt to establish a colony), England found a way to bribe these individuals by promising financial security and land! This in a nutshell is what happened. Academics and Unionists can scream from the highest roof tops that this is not the case. Anyone who has read and researched the malicious and often devious methods used by the crown all over the world (former colonies) will tell you otherwise. The problem in this country is that some people are not only ignorant but arrogant at the same time, which is why we have this Brexit shambles as some people were longing for Gran Britannia and a whiter Britain! History does not teach the atrocities, genocides, cultural destruction and mass plundering of resources and wealth from these colonies by the British state. If people only knew the truth I doubt they will be proud to be British!

David Mundell in his latest appearance for Fringe by the sea event in North Berwick said that Scotland should be given the power to hold a second referendum if in the next Holyrood elections, pro-independence parties win a majority! The King of flip flop strikes again! Has he changed his mind because he has been sacked by the Union! Or Mundell is positioning himself for the winds of change blowing in Scotland towards independence?

I will leave that to you the readers to decide.

Published in the Peeblesshire News on 16th August 2019.

What is a healthy lifestyle?

Bosco Santimano – Founder/Executive Director

What do you mean by living a healthy lifestyle? Over the decades I have asked this question to many of my family, friends, acquaintances, colleagues and the community we served since 2007. We realised it was not a very straight forward question and depending on who you spoke to, we always received different answers. Most people you speak to associate a healthy lifestyle to eating fresh vegetable and fruits, less red meat and processed foods and overall some sort of physical exercise. But is this true? Or is there more to it than meets the eye?

Having done my research over the years and engaging with a wide variety of people from all socio-economic backgrounds during our work on the ground delivering cookery and growing sessions, I have come to the conclusion that the factors we use to determine a healthy lifestyle are very narrow and restricted to a few buzz words like, calories, trans fats, no smoking, less consumption of alcohol and so on. Healthy lifestyle unfortunately is also hijacked by the middle class and alternative food fanatics like vegans and vegetarians to further confuse the lay person. Our current lifestyle for work in most jobs are very sedentary and laidback. We are constantly glued to our screens, whether it’s our smart phones, iPads, laptops, computers, television you name it and we are glued like zombies from an apocalypse movie. Children from a very young age are addicted to their screens either by default(a cheap babysitter) or their surroundings. Children are getting obese due to less physical activities and also the food they are given by their parents/carers who have lost the art of cooking from scratch.

As I child growing up in Bombay in a working class area, we had practically nothing compared to what young people have today, but we had the time of our lives. We played outdoors, ate fresh meals, very little sweets as they were expensive and did not have a designated babysitter as the neighbourhood kept a watch on your child. I remember having one obese child in our whole school and it was due to a medical condition. Now I see mostly obese kids, glued to their smart phones during school break. A far cry from what used to be life’s simple pleasures.

So where have we gone wrong and why is healthy lifestyle such a massive money making industry? In modern Britain both parents have to work nowadays just to put food on the table, let alone paying for the mortgage or rent. The biggest factor affecting our health today is “stress”. The number one silent killer that’s taking its toll on society and affecting both young and old. What can we do to reduce our stress levels which will than have a positive impact on our health and our relationships with close family/friends and society in general.

The solution is simple! Take stock of your life, stop chasing money and status and eat to live not live to eat!

Published in the Peeblesshire News on 2nd August 2019.