APP TO THE GARDEN ROUTE AND KLEIN KAROO

 

The Eden District Municipality has decided to adopt the Southern Cape Hessequa App and expand it into a Garden Route and Klein Karoo App.
This App will be used by all seven Municipalities that make up the Garden Route as a region and will, in future, be known as the Garden Route & Klein Karoo App.
The Tourism/Municipality regions are Kannaland, Mossel Bay, Hessequa, George, Pettenberg Bay (Bitou), Oudtshoorn and Knysna.
For the first time there will be a marketing tool that will promote the whole area from Witsand to Plettenberg Bay and as far inland as Oudshoorn.
All the region’s Websites and social media structures will be working interactively with the App.
Just Update the version if you have already got the App on your Smartphone or device or go to the landing page and download the App.
Eden Munisipaliteit het amptelik die stap geneem om die bestaande Southern Cape Hessequa App te neem en sy baadjie te verander.
Dit sal voortaan bekend staan as die ‘Garden Route & KK App’.
Die App skep nou die geleentheid vir die hele omgewing om as ‘n eenheid bemark te word, wêreld wyd, sowel as om te dien as ‘n daaglikse informasie App vir alle besighede en geleenthede in ons direkte omgewing. So sal die toeris in Europa kan sit en ‘n hele vakansie vanaf Witsand tot Plettenbergbaai kan beplan, bespreek selfs betaal (met sy eie “Bookings system” wat binnekort bygevoeg word) asook sien watter aktiwiteite en gebeure in ons omgewing te doen en te sien is.
As gevolg van die sukses van die App en die wyse waarop Apps reeds wêreldwyd gebruik word , was dit duidelik vir Eden Munisipaliteit dat dit die voertuig is om die Garden Route as ‘n eenheid te bemark. Al die Munisipaliteite het ingekoop en sal die App voortaan as een van die bemarkings metodes gebruik word.
Soos duidelik uit die bestaan van die App vir net meer as ‘n jaar lank in Hessequa (Stilbaai en Riversdal omgewing) het dit bewys dat die App baie gebruik word en suksesvol is. Daar is huidiglik meer as 3500 permanente aflaaie en die App het meer as 46 000 gebruike deur hom. Hy het ook sowat 700 items wat reeds op hom verskyn. Dink net watter pragtige hulp en gebruiksartikel dit gaan wees oor ‘n kort tydperk van ‘n jaar of twee wanneer jy informasie van reg deur die Tuinroete kan bekom. Dit sal ook die plaaslike sektore soos Besigheid of Akkommodasie eienaars instaat stel om altyd direk bereikbaar te wees in die gebruiker se sak.
Alhoewel van die Toerisme-streke aktiewe web-tuistes het, gaan die App vir die eerste keer interaktief al hierdie streke saamvoeg en gesels met al die web-tuistes.
Die Garden Route en Klein Karoo sluit die volgende streke in: Hessequa, Kannaland, Mosselbaai, George, Knysna, Plettenbergbaai (Bitou) en Oudtshoorn.
Die huidige gebruiker hoef nie bekommerd te wees oor die veranderinge nie. Daar sal aan hulle ‘n kennisgewing d.m.v ‘n boodskap na hul slimfone gestuur word om net die vorige weergawe van die App op te dateer.
Soos jy vanaf Kaapstad gegroet word, net buite Heidelberg, met die woorde “The Explorers Garden Route” sal die App vir die eerste keer waarlik ons Hessequa dorpe soos Witsand of Stilbaai deel laat vorm van die Groter Garden Route, Suid Afrika en die wêreld.
-thegremlin

EXPEDITION AFRICA IS COMING TO THE GARDEN ROUTE

 

Journalist Glenn Murray takes a closer look at Expedition Africa and the World Adventure Racing Series for CXPress newspaper in anticipation of Expedition Africa in the Garden Route this May.

“At the time of writing the last straggling teams taking part in the World Adventure Racing Championships in Brazil were crossing the finish line 4 days behind the winning team. That winning team was the seemingly unbeatable Team Seagate from New Zealand who finished the 700 km event in 160 hours.

The team of four, 3 males and a female athlete (the rules state that at least one member of the team must be female) had just swam, ran, cycled and paddled through the Brazilian Pantanal in sleep deprived states’ orienteering and navigating their way to the various check points which are supposed to keep the teams on course. Amazingly they were the only team to complete the entire route and not miss any checkpoints.

The Adventure Racing World Series consists of 9 events worldwide and each year one of these event’s is chosen as the world championship. The circuit has been around since 2001 and the Southern African edition “Expedition Africa“ joined in 2012.

Last year it took place in Swaziland. Before that it was held in the Drakensberg, Port Alfred and Port Edward. Next year it will be held on the Garden Route and will start and finish at Pine Lake Marina, outside Sedgefield.”

Racers competing in Expedition Africa will traverse some 500+km of the Garden Route in this incredible adventure racing challenge.

Find out more about Expedition Africa, their exciting live tracking system and the local teams that will be competing.

-thegremlin

CAN I INHERIT IF NOT FORMALLY ADOPTED?

 

I have been raised as the only child by parents who are not my biological parents. Although I regard them as my true parents, I was never formally adopted by them. They are both in ill-health and I don’t think they have a will. They don’t have much, but I am concerned that if they die I will lose the possessions that they do have. Will I be able to inherit from them when they pass away?”
The short answer is no – If you are not legally adopted and there is no valid will which bequeaths the estate, or part of it, to you, you will not be entitled to inherit.
To inherit where there is no valid will – referred to as intestate succession – requires a child to be either the biological or adopted child of the parents. Adoption is the process where an adult assumes the parenting rights and responsibilities from the biological parents or legal guardians of a child who is under 18 years of age. Adoption is intended to effect a permanent change in the status of a child and must take place through a court order. Children who have been legally adopted in terms of our law are deemed to be the descendants of their adoptive parents, and cannot therefore be a descendant of their biological parents and inherit intestate from them. An adopted child can therefore share in the estate of a deceased adoptive parent in the same way as a biological child, and will accordingly be able to inherit intestate should there be no will.
To address the question of whether growing up with parents is sufficient to entitle a person to inherit from them even if not formally adopted, our courts have found that unless an adoption process has been completed, a child that is not the biological child of the parents cannot inherit intestate from them irrespective of whether the child has grown up with the parents or even had an adoption process underway. Such a child will however remain a natural descendant of their biological parents and will be entitled to inherit intestate from such parents.
In your situation, where you have not been adopted, you would therefore not be able to inherit intestate from your parents should they pass away without a will. It would thus be appropriate to raise the issue of inheritance with them and if necessary have a will drafted that establishes your right to inherit from them..

CONSIDERING A VISIT TO THE TOP END?

You have probably heard the line, “there’s nothing quite like…” but there are few places in our shrinking world that truly delivers on this message. There is literally no place on earth like the Northern Territory.
Considering a visit to the Top End?
Where else in the world can you spend the day cooling off under waterfalls before tucking into a barbeque of locally caught barramundi and crocodile. If croc meat isn’t for you then you can always feast on Asian-inspired fare at the famous Parap Markets before finishing off the day with a cold drink on the Waterfront.
Only a few hours drive from Darwin and you’ll truly leave your world behind. The sweeping views, exotic wildlife, natural infinity pools and ancient rock art at Kakadu National Park make it a destination you’ll remember forever. Take a Yellow River Cruise through the water lilies and see if you can spot the elusive crocodile resting on the banks. Learn dreamtime stories at Nourlangie’s rock art galleries before climbing to the top of Ubirr to witness the sun setting over the floodplains in Arnhem Land.
Further along The Nature’s Way drive you’ll find yourself in Katherine – a place where the tropics meet the outback. Head to Nitmiluk to canoe amongst the towing cliffs at Katherine Gorge, or jump on a relaxing dinner cruise. Learn about the local history through a cultural tour or an outback experience, or relax and rejuvenate at the Thermal Pools at Mataranka.
Kakadu National Park
Canoe amongst the towing cliffs at Katherine Gorge
Ready to wind your way down South through Australia’s spectacular red Central Desert? Pull in at Tennant Creek, a friendly hamlet on the main artery between Alice Springs and Darwin, and discover a rich history shaped by gold mining, Aboriginal culture and the NT’s original cattle kings.
Further on in Alice Springs art lovers big and small will easily lose themselves in the art galleries of the unofficial capital of Aboriginal art and culture. For the outdoorsy type there’s a whole host of four-wheel drive, quad bike and camel trekking options to choose from. A great way to see the town is on 2 wheels, exploring its many mountain biking trails.
Share the clean night air and the stars above with friends over delicious food and champagne at the Sounds of Silence Dinner or enjoy a buffet of Australian and International cuisines at the Ayers Rock Resort. At the Earth Sanctuary you can try real Aussie damper with a variety of different grilled meats. And for those that enjoy a good old fashioned campfire, meet new friends at the Kings Canyon Wilderness Lodge.
One of the final spots to pop into for a true outback experience is Curtin Springs. 85 kilometres east of Uluru-Kata Tjuta National Park, the Curtin Springs Station offers accommodation, tours, 4WD tours and fantastic meals. There’s plenty on offer but you’d be silly not to try the Curtin Springs steak. It’s also the spot to pick up a unique souvenir for the family back home- some of Curtin Springs’ homemade paper created from the vast native grasses of Central Australia.
We think you’d agree it’s about time you ticked the NT off your bucket list. Start planning today and book that trip you’ve always dreamt about.
-readersdigest

Living with parkinsons

 

Before anything else happened, Beverly Lavender lost her sense of smell. It was a sign of changes in her neurons, though she didn’t know it at the time. It was only four years later, in 2004, that Lavender, then a 44-year-old fashion designer, began to notice a slight tremor in her right hand and headed to her doctor. While the neurologist to whom she was referred ordered blood tests and an MRI to eliminate other possibilities, he quickly zeroed in on Parkinson’s disease. “I felt like I’d been punched in the chest,” recalls Lavender.
Six years ago, Steve Van Vlaenderen, now 66, realised that the middle finger on his right hand kept twitching. His GP thought he might have nerve damage or carpal tunnel syndrome, but after the tremors spread to his forearm, Van Vlaenderen asked to see a neurologist. When he received a Parkinson’s diagnosis, he took it calmly at first. “I’d confirmed what I had, which is what I wanted to do,” he says. “But after I left the doctor’s office, it hit me like a ton of bricks. It was going to change everything.”
Lavender and Van Vlaenderen are just two of the seven to ten million people worldwide who are living with Parkinson’s disease, the second most common neurodegenerative condition after Alzheimer’s.
With Parkinson’s disease, simple things most of us do without thinking – pulling change from a pocket, scribbling a note, going for a walk – can become difficult and eventually impossible. The source of the problem is in the brain. Cells in the substantia nigra region slowly die off, and with them much of the ability to produce the chemical dopamine, which relays messages from the brain to the muscles. Without enough of it, messages don’t get through easily, or at all.
The most common and best known of the disease’s possible symptoms – shaking, stiffness, impaired balance and slow movement – affect the motor skills. However, due to the range of ways the damaged neurons influence body and mind, Parkinson’s can also give rise to problems known as its ‘non-motor symptoms’. According to Dr Ron Postuma, an associate professor of neurology at McGill University in Montreal, these run the gamut from sleep disorders and constipation to double vision.

The tremors that convinced both Lavender and Van Vlaenderen to seek med­ical advice appear in approximately 70% of people with Parkinson’s – but that phenomenon can be present in other illnesses. To be certain of the diagnosis, a neurologist will typically run a series of motor-skill tests. They might look for signs that a person can tap his thumb against his index finger, tap his heel against the floor, perform various hand and arm movements – all at a rapid pace.
Although the symptoms can appear in people as young as their 30s, the average age at diagnosis is around 65, with men at somewhat greater risk than women. In most cases, there is no family history.
Van Vlaenderen noticed shifts in his mood at about the same time the shakiness in his hand began. These changes were subtle at first, but over the two-and-a-half years following his diagnosis, they gradually turned into anxiety attacks and a depressive crisis. Parkinson’s disease targets areas of the brain that influence mood, which is partly why one-third of patients experience anxiety and depression. “I was in a black hole and couldn’t seem to find a way out,” he says. Even now that his mood has stabilised, he rarely feels elated. “Compared to that,” he says, “the tremors and motor-skill problems are easier to handle, at least for me.”
Lavender has struggled with depression, as well. “I recommend that anyone who experiences this problem seeks assistance,” she says. “Antidepressants helped me, and it’s also good to have a therapist.” For Lavender, perhaps the most valuable step was joining a support group. “We’d often ask each other, ‘Have you noticed this symptom or that one?’ It’s nice to feel like you’re not the only one.”
When it comes to medications, the gold standard for treating Parkinson’s is levodopa, a drug that is converted to dopamine in the body. But, says Professor Leslie J. Findley, chairman of the UK’s National Tremor Foundation, “We know that over three to five years, problems with levodopa can arise.” Those issues include dyskinesia – involuntary movements that can be, as Findley says, “quite excessive”. At the same time, people on levodopa might become stiff as the drug wears off before the next scheduled dose.
Often, doctors will start people newly diagnosed with Parkinson’s on one of two other classes of drugs: so-called dopamine agonists, which mimic the effects of dopamine; and MAO-B (monoamine oxidase) inhibit­ors, which slow the breakdown of dopamine in the brain.
Potential side effects can be significant, however. Dopamine agonists, MAO-B inhibitors and, to an extent, levodopa are associated with lessened impulse control, making those taking them more prone to risky behaviours, such as gambling.
Treatment isn’t entirely pharmaceutical. One of the best ways to battle Parkinson’s symptoms is with physic­al activity, either self-guided (yoga, swimming, walking) or under a physiotherapist’s supervision.
In 2013, side effects such as extreme weight gain and debilitating fatigue convinced Van Vlaenderen to stop taking MAO-B inhibitors. Although he may eventually need medication, for the past two years he’s been relying on robust physical activity to keep his symptoms to a minimum. He remembers the night he decided to take control of the disease. “Any kind of change was better than continuing with my life the way I was,” he says. “The next day, I started going to the gym.”
Five times a week, Van Vlaenderen sweats through a two-hour cross-training routine that works a lot of his core muscles – strengthening them helps counteract the effect of Parkinson’s on his balance. Not only has he grown fit enough to bench-press 110 kg, he’s also seen huge psychological improvements. “Lots of things require greater effort with Parkinson’s, so it’s tempting to not do anything,” he says. “But I feel a lot better when I make a deliberate decision to stay act­ive.” Besides working out, he’s been running a storage and records-­management business, dictating emails to his smartphone or typing them with his left hand because his right is no longer up to the task.
For her part, Lavender was able to work full-time for 11 years after her diagnosis, thanks partly to positive effects from levodopa, as well as e­xercises such as tai chi and yoga. Only recently has her fatigue progressed to the point where she decided to retire. But she continues with hobbies like painting and knitting, both which slow down the disease’s toll on her hands’ motor abilities.
The progression of Parkinson’s varies from person to person. “About ten per cent of patients have a tremor, usually in one hand,” says Findley, noting that this might be their sole symptom for a decade or more. “At the other end of the spectrum are patients who, within five years, have reached the mid-stage.”
Early challenges might include stiffness, muscle discomfort or a loss of facial expression. “Sometimes I worry how people perceive me because of my relative lack of body language,” Van Vlaenderen says. “I can appear uninterested when I’m not.” However, he laughs, this can work to his advantage when playing poker.

-readersdigest

How should you care for your pet during the holidays

 
It’s that time of year, again. The holiday music has started. The door-buster sales are buzzing. The family is gathering at Grandma’s — and you’re trying to figure out how to squeeze Fluffy into a carry-on.
Holiday traveling is stressful. Whether going on a plane, train or automobile, adding your pet as your passenger doesn’t make things any easier. The roads are busier, airports are crowded and flights are packed. Whether your family is opting to travel without your furry friend or plan to invite him to bon voyage, you need to be prepared. So if taking Fido to the family function or leaving him at home, here is everything you need to know and prepare, for pet travel and at-home pet care, to make sure this season is hairball-free!

Leaving a Pet at Home
If your family decides the hustle and bustle of pet travel is too much around the holidays, there are other options that can give you peace of mind.

Place Your Pet in a Kennel
Although this option can be expensive, kennels can provide excellent care. They take care of animals all year round, have the comforts of home a pet needs and some states have specific kennel laws. Research kennels online prior to dropping off your pet as there may be differences in prices and availability. Just be warned: they tend to book up fast around the holidays.
Hire a Pet Sitter
Pet sitters can be a great alternative to kennel care (and often a cheaper option). Most pet sitters will watch your pet at their residence but some can also come by your house if your pet is more comfortable at home. Typically, pet sitters will stay with your pet for a majority of the day or will check in on him frequently. An experienced pet sitter will watch your dog or cat, keep up on training, take your dog for walks and be a friendly, loving face while you are away.

Hire a Dog Walker
A dog walker coming by twice a day to take your dog on walks while your family is away is often the cheapest option. This could be the least expensive option if you are only going away for a short time, your pet is comfortable being alone, and he only needs a few breaks a day to run and play.

Pet Airline Travel
Before you go to the airport, make sure you and your pet are ready for travel. Check with the airline. It’s so important to know what is allowed and what isn’t so you aren’t surprised when you arrive.

Booking Your Tickets
Research restrictions. Some breeds are restricted and cannot be checked. Most of the restricted breeds are short-nosed dog breeds (such as the American Bulldog, Pug, King Charles Spaniel, etc). Refer to your airline to make sure your pet is allowed to be checked. If the breed is restricted, you must carry-on your pet. Book early. A limited number of animals are allowed on each flight so to ensure your pet is accommodated, book your reservation early.

Find your flight. Go online and look at the flights you wish take to your destination and decide what days you want to travel.

Call to book your pet. Pets cannot be booked online. Call the airline’s Reservations phone number and ask the agent to check for pet availability (checked or carry-on). If they have availability on the flight, book your flight online (it’s $25 for you to book your ticket over the phone so you save money by booking online) and then call them back to book your pet.
Budget for the fee. Pets will carry a fee associated with their travel. Ask the airline what their prices and policies are. (Note most pet fees are non-refundable so you want to be certain your pet is coming with you before you book his ticket.) Fees associated with pets can be $75-$125 for a carry-on pet and $175-$250 for a checked pet each way.

Carrying-on Your Pet
Know the rules. Carry-on pets are not allowed on transatlantic flights, pets cannot come out of their carrier, and only one animal is allowed per customer.
Check the fit. Make sure your carrier meets the requirements. You can find carrier dimensions guidelines on most airline websites which will let you know the maximum size of cabin pet carriers. Some airlines may allow carriers 19″ long x 13″ wide x 9″ high while others may allow a maximum of 17″ long x 12.5″ wide x 8.5″ high so research ahead of time. There may also be restrictions on the type of carrier you can use (leak proof bottom, etc). Click on your airline’s Pet Policy guide below to see what the maximum size and other restrictions are.
Travel light. Your pet carrier will count as your one personal carry-on item. Use a pet carrier with side pockets. Store all necessary items in the side pockets and check all other baggage.

Checking Your Pets
Go inside. Pets must be checked at the ticket counter. Pets cannot be checked with curbside services or at the Self-Service kiosks.

What to Bring
Required vaccinations and documentation for each destination you are flying to (only if you are flying internationally)
Pet’s license and identification tags
Favorite toys-to give him a sense of home!
Blanket/comfortable bed (Some airlines, like JetBlue, carry great Pet Travel Kits available for purchase.)
Leash,Snacks and treats
Puppy pads (just in case)