for public service employees engaged in social solidarity

MINISTRY FOR THE FAMILY

CHILDREN’S RIGHTS

& SOCIAL SOLIDARITY

MALTA

AUTUMN

2017

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MINISTRY FOR THE FAMILY, CHILDREN’S RIGHTS AND SOCIAL SOLIDARITY Parliamentary Secretary for Persons with Disability & Active Ageing

Parliamentary Secretary for Social Accommodation Commission for Children

Commission for Older Persons Commission for the Rights of Persons with Disability

Department for Benefit Fraud And Investigation Department for Social Welfare Standards

Department for the Elderly and Community Care Department of Social Security Directorate Corporate Services

Foundation for Social Welfare Services Housing Authority

Policy Development and EU Affairs Programme Implementation - Social Affairs

DEPARTMENT OF

SOCIAL SECURITY - MALTA

DONATE BLOOD

Off the Beaten Track with Marvic

Tanzania - The Land of Safaris Page 3

Restawr ta’ Palazzo Ferreria

Pages 4 & 5

IRU Commitments Pages 6 & 7

In-Nanna Gerit

Page 8

Ismijiet tad-dinja l-oħra Page 9

Safer Office

Pages 10 & 11

Peter’s Kitchen - Wild Berries Pudding

Page 12

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TANZANIA THE LAND OF SAFARIS

Last June I had the privilege to be invited for an Agent’s Familiarizing Trip to Tanzania by a South African safari outfitter, specializing in the iconic destinations of East Africa. It was a great learning experience in astounding sur-roundings!

Tanzania is well-established as one of the best wildlife-viewing destinations in the world. Safaris follow the trail of giant herds of wildebeest, zebra and antelope, while li-ons, cheetahs and hyenas lounge in the shade waiting for their next meal. More than any other destination, Tanzania is the land of safaris.

Tarangire National Park Boasting a variety of wildlife as diverse as its landscape, Tarangire is also the park that has the largest population of African elephants in the world. During the dry season, herds of up to 300 elephants can be seen digging in the dry riverbed of the Tarangire River looking for underground streams. Tarangire is also the best birdwatching destination in Tanza-nia.

Ngorongoro Crater Conservation Area Ngorongoro is one of the largest calderas in the world that isn’t a lake. Its steep walls pro-vide the setting for an incredible natural drama as prey and predators graze and stalk their way around the open grasslands, swamps and acacia woodland on the crater floor.

As a conservation area, Ngorongoro is a unique park in which people and Africa’s ani-mals live side by side. The local Maasai tribes live in harmony with the animals that call the park home, and opportunities to interact with Africa’s most famous red-cloaked warri-ors abound as a result.

Serengeti National Park Welcome to one of the greatest wildlife-watching destinations on earth. With its sweeping savannah plains, towering rocky hills, and seemingly unending skies, the Ser-engeti is as much a stunning landscape as it is a place to see Africa’s most iconic animals.

The Serengeti offers outstanding year round game-viewing, but is particularly popular dur-ing The Great Migration when some 1.7 mil-lion wildebeest, 500,000 zebras and 200,000 antelopes cross the Serengeti on their way to the Maasai Mara in Kenya.

Hot Air Balloon Safari & Champagne Break-fast The only thing more memorable than seeing a Serengeti sunrise is seeing a Serengeti sun-rise from a few thousand feet. A hot air bal-loon flight over the Serengeti is undoubtedly something for the bucket list.

Starting before sunrise, you’ll be high in the air when the sun crests the horizon and lights up the Serengeti in brilliant red and orange. After your serene ride above the plains, you’ll settle out on the Serengeti for a champagne breakfast in the wilderness.

Wildlife, beaches, friendly people, fascinating cultures – Tanzania has all these and more wrapped up in one adventurous, welcoming package!

Marvic Cordina DTTC Travel Consultant www.traville.net

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Inawgurazzjoni tar-Restawr tal-Faċċata ta’ Palazzo Ferreria

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Nhar is-6 ta’ Settembru 2017 ġie inawgurat ir-restawr estensiv li sar fuq il-faċċata ta’ Palazzo Ferreria li ilu żmien twil sinonimu mas-servizzi soċjali f’Malta. Il-Palazz mibni fis-seklu dsatax fuq is-sit fejn il-Kavallieri kellhom il-funderija tal-armi huwa t-tieni l-akbar palazz fil-Belt Valletta. Ir-restawr sar mid-Direttorat tar-Restawr taħt is-superviżjoni tal-Perit Stephen Pulis. L-inizzjattivà ttieħdet mill-Ministeru tal-Familja, Drittijiet tat-Tfal u Solidarjetà Soċjail flimkien mal-Ministeru tal-Ġustizzja, Kultura u Gvern Lokali. Is-serata inawgurali nkludiet presentazzjoni dwar l-istorja tal-palazz, diskorsi mill-Perit Pulis, mis-Segretarju Permanenti, is-Sur Mark Musù, mill-Ministru Owen Bonnici u mill-Ministru Michael Falzon. Il-faċċata ġiet inawgurta permezz ta’ mixgħela spettakolari akkumpanjata bil-mużika. Fl-aħħarnett, iż-żewġ ministri flimkien kixfu lapida kommemmorattiva fid-daħla ewlenija tal-palazz. Ir-restawr fuq il-faċċati tal-ġnub tal-palazz jinsab għaddej filwaqt li r-restawr tal-faċċata ta’ wara huwa ppjanat li jibda minnufih kif jitlestew il-ġnub.

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IRU commitments during the term of the Maltese Presidency During the term of the Maltese Presidency of the Council of the EU (Jan – Jun 2017), the Department of Social Security had the responsibility to oversee the work in the field of social security which takes place in the heart of Europe, i.e. in Brussels. On a local level there were other commitments that the Department needed to fulfil, such as the organisation of various conferences. Staff members from the International Relations Unit (IRU) were involved, in parallel, in the work of the Social Questions Working Party (SQWP) in the Council, and also in the proceedings of the Administrative Commission for the coordination of social security. Below is an account of all the main highlights which took place during this period: Social Questions Working Party On the 13th December 2016, the European Commission launched COM(2016) 815 ‘Proposal for a Regulation of the European Parliament and of the Council amending Regulation (EC) No 883/2004 on the coordination of social security systems and regulation (EC) No 987/2009 laying down the procedure for implementing Regulation (EC) No 883/2004’ Malta was the first Presidency to deal with this dossier and its work focused on the chapters of ‘Equal Treatment’ and ‘Posting and Applicable Legislation’. The first SQWP meeting was held on the 30th and 31st January 2017. These meetings were mainly related to the presentation of the proposal by the Commission as well as of the impact assessment on which this proposal was based. The second SQWP meeting was held on the

15th and 16th February 2017. During these meetings a first tour de table on the chapters of ‘Equal Treatment’ and ‘Posting and Applicable Legislation’ was completed. On the 10th March 2017, the Presidency issued its first Compromise Text taking into account all the comments received by the Member States both during the previous meetings as well as the written submissions received. The third SQWP meeting was held on the 17th March 2017, during which the Compromise Text related to Equal Treatment and Posting provisions was discussed. The SQWP of the 23rd March 2017 was a continuation of the third meeting during which the Compromise Text related to Posting provisions was discussed. On the 18th April, the Presidency issued a second Compromise Text which was discussed on the following meetings of the 25th and 26th April. On the 17th May the Presidency issued the last Compromise Text which was discussed on the following meetings of the 24th and 30th May. The Presidency presented a progress report to COREPER on the 7th June 2017 indicating the progress achieved during the Maltese Presidency and also highlighting the outstanding issues upon which no compromise could be achieved due to the diverging positions of the delegations. All Member State delegations, and also the European Commission congratulated the Maltese Presidency team for the progress achieved on this dossier. The team was composed of Malcolm Scicluna (DSS), Karen Farrugia (DSS), Isabelle-Marie Camilleri (DSS), Antonella Gatt (PREU) and Daniela Sabino (PREU). Administrative Commission

Working Party of the Administrative Commission on Posting Issues – 14 March 2017 This meeting covered a number of proposed amendments to the current administrative

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instruments adopted by the Administrative Commission in the field of Posting and Applicable Legislation, namely: Amendment of Decision No A1 concerning the dialogue and conciliation procedure, Amendment of Decision No A2 concerning the interpretation of Article 12 of Regulation (EC) No 883/2004 on the legislation applicable to posted workers and self-employed persons Proposal for a Recommendation No A1 concerning the issuance of the PD A1 (including standardized sets of questions for the application for a PD A1) Amendments to the PD A1 After this meeting, the Maltese Presidency team presented four new draft documents incorporating the proposed amendments to be adopted at one of the meetings of the Administrative Commission. 350th Meeting of the Administrative Commission – 15-16 March 2017 The meeting included a very conspicuous agenda prepared by the Secretariat in agreement with the Presidency, which consisted of a series of administrative issues covering different aspects of the Regulations, which included: draft mandate for the Conciliation Board Determination of applicable legislation when no PD A1 has been issued declarations pursuant to Article 9 of Regulation (EC) No 883/2004 Reimbursement of unemployment benefits EESSI governance and project progress statistical reporting on the coordination of social security schemes Joint Meeting of the Administrative and Technical Commission – 3-4 May 2017 The Presidency hosted a very important Joint meeting of the Administrative and Technical Commissions during which the final decisions on the launch of the transitional period for the implementation of the EESSI system were discussed. This meeting was co-chaired by Malcolm Scicluna (DSS) and Euchar Sultana (MFH).

The 351st meeting of the Administrative Commission - 27-28 June 2017 During this meeting the Presidency managed to achieve agreement on an important milestone which is the way forward of the EESSI project and marked the start date of the transitional period from the 1st July 2017 to 30th June 2019. During this period, MS agreed to prepare their national access points in order to be EESSI-enabled by June 2019. Other issues which were discussed during this meeting included: follow up to the working party on the AC on posting issues new mandate and nomination of members to the Conciliation Board submissions to and decisions of the Conciliation Board statistical reporting on the coordination of social security schemes Ad hoc group on family benefits feasibility study on a European Mobility Portal on social security Once again, all Member State delegations, and also the European Commission congratulated the Maltese Presidency team for the progress achieved in this area. The team was composed of Malcolm Scicluna, Karen Farrugia, Michelle Xuereb and Nevena Veselinovic, all from DSS (IRU). Meeting of the MISSOC network in Malta – 11-12 May 2017 The bi-annual meeting of the MISSOC network was held in Malta on the 11th and 12th May 2017 under the auspices of the Presidency. The IRU was actively involved in all the organizational preparations for the hosting of this meeting. Apart from the official meeting dates, the Presidency offered the delegates a welcome dinner on the evening of the 10th May and a Social Programme on Saturday 13th May. Karen Farrugia International Relations Unit

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In-Nanna Gerit F’daqsxejn ta’ terran ġewwa l-Gżira, in-nanna Gerit kienet tgħix waħedha wara li żewġha miet u uliedha ħadu l-istat tagħhom. Kienet mara rqiqa u pjuttost qsajra. Żewġha, li kien negozjant bil-birra, ħallielha xi sold li baqgħet tiekol minnu sakemm mietet. Imma d-dawl prezzjuż ta’ għajnejha beda jħalliha bil-mod.

Darba fost l-oħrajn, kif kienet imdorrija tagħmel, ommi qabdet lit-tliet itfal iż-żgħar li konna u rħitilha lejn il-Gżira biex tagħti lin-nanna Gerit daqqa t’id fil-faċendi. Wisq inħasdet meta sabet kullimkien imġemmed għax in-nanna ma kinitx indunat li kienet telgħatilha l-ispiritiera. Sewdet qalbha ommi u għamlet f’rasha li tiġborha magħha biex tindukraha.

In-nanna ta’ qalbi issa kienet lejl u nhar magħna. Xi ħlew din-nanna! Kellha fuq is-sebgħin imma kienet għadha mobbli sew. Aħna n-neputijiet tagħha, kellna taqbila dwarha: ‘in-nanna Margerit – mara xwejħa li tara ftit’. Kienet tiġborna madwarna u tgħidilna: “Ejja ħa ngħallimkom ftit everbji” biex tfisser li riedet tgħallimna l-proverbji. Kienet mara ta’ mħabba li kienet togħxa meta mmorru ħdejha f’kamritha u nagħtuha ftit mill-ħin tagħna. “U le, tmurx għalissa”, kienet tgħidli meta nkun għidtilha li rrid immur lura f’kamarti għax għandi x-xogħol tal-iskola xi nlesti.

Ġieli kont neħodilha xi perlina fil-kamra tagħha. Peress li ma tantx kienet tara, kienet tħossha bi jdejha u ddur madwar il-ġewża ftit ftit. Imma l-ġewża ma kinitx tkun tista’ tikolha minħabba li ma tantx kien fadlilha snien. Allura kienet titfagħha bis-serqa taħt is-sodda. U ommi erħilha twissiha biex ma tibqax titfa’ l-ġewż taħt is-sodda għax inkella jiġi n-nemel.

Din in-nanna Gerit, kont issibha tqaxxar il-ħaxix għall-borma u żżebbeġ ir-rużarju, tosserva lil ommi trabbi s-sitt ulied tagħha,

mingħajr ma tindaħlilha fit-trobbija, u tgħanni xi għanja fuq Karlu tagħha:

Ħanini skrivan il-Qorti Tajtu qalbi jirgħanieli Għidtlu “qiegħdha ġo post tajjeb, Ħalli ħadd ma jeħodhieli”

Kienet tħobbna u ħelu ħelu taqbeż għalina, sforz il-ħniena u l-mogħdrija tagħha. Kollha konna nħobbuha bil-bosta. Kienet tagħti għajnuna finanzjarja lill-familja għall-ġid li kienet qed tirċievi. ‘Allaħares ma kinitx din ommi’ kont tisma’ lil ommi tgħid. Għax wieħed irid jgħid li bil-ftit tal-flus li kienet tagħtiha n-nanna, ommi, bil-għaqal tagħha, kienet twarrabhom għall-bżonn.

U kbirna u hi xjaħet ħafna u konna ngħinu biex intaffu l-piż lil ommi. Meta kelli 21 sena, in-nanna Gerit mititli. X’vojt ħalliet f’darna! Imma dak li għexet, ma spiċċax ma’ mewtha. Illum li għandi l-familja għażiża tiegħi, il-ħsieb tal-imħabba li tatna, jagħtini saħħa speċjali biex b’mod ġeneruż dejjem nibqa’ ningħata.

U ommi... kemm kienet qalbiena u ġeneruża li minkejja l-familja kbira tagħha, daħlet għal din ir-responsabbiltà. X’eżempju ta’ mħabba! Fiż-żmien li għamlet tgħix magħna n-nanna, ommi kienet indifnet ġewwa biex żgur ma tħalliha qatt waħedha.

Qatt ma ninsiek nanna u dak iż-żmien tant ħelu ta’ meta ġejt tgħix u tmut magħna. Prosit tal-imħabba kbira li kellek, imħabba eżemplari li tnaqqxet fil-karattru tiegħi biex bħalek nibqa’ ningħata b’mod sħiħ u nħobb bla qies.

Margaret Borg

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Kważi awtomatika li l-ewwel żewġ domandi li jiġu f’moħħna hekk kif niltaqgħu ma’ xi ħadd ġdid u se nintroduċu ruħna, dawn ikunu x’jismu jew jisimha u kemm għandha età. Sa madwar għaxar u ħmistax il-sena ilu, t-tendenza tal-ismijiet tat-tfal fil-gżejjer Maltin kienu aktarx assoċjati ma’ personaġġi mill-Bibbja u/jew reliġjużi. Sa żmien anke riċenti, b’sodisfazzjon jingħad li f’pajjiżna, fil-parti l-kbira tat-tfal li twieldu, almenu lura fiż-żmien madwar għaxar snin ilu biss, talli tendenza kienet għadha b’saħħitha. Biex nagħti eżempju; fl-2007 Maria kien l-aktar isem magħżul għat-tfal bniet. Għas-subien dan kien Luke. F’April 2008 rapport maħruġ mill-Uffiċċju Nazzjonali tal-Istatistika jiżvela kif l-aktar ismijiet popolari kienu Luke jew Luca - 98 tifel u Maria jew Mariah - 73 rispettivament. Wara dawn, għas-subien; 88 ingħataw l-isem ta’ Matthew, Matteo jew Matthias. 56 tifel ieħor kienu msemmija Jake. Għall bniet 47 ingħataw l-isem ta’ Martina, u 42 tifla oħra, Julia jew Giulia. L-istess rapport maħruġ mill-Uffiċċju Nazzjonali tal-Istatistika però juri xejriet li qed jiżvolġu maż-żmien, jispikkaw fosthom ismijiet moderni li kull ma jmur qed iżidu aktar fil-popolarità. Fost dawn l-isem Aiden - 37 u Kieran - 35, segwiti minn Zack - 33 u Jayden - 31. Ismijiet oħra popolari għas-subien kienu Liam, Alejandro u Kyle, filwaqt li oħrajn li s’issa għad mhux daqshekk in-voga kienu jinkludu; Dejan, Denzel u Kayden. Fuq in-naħa l-oħra nsibu li fost il-bniet ukoll daħlu ismijiet ta’ xejra moderna, bħal eżempju Maya - 34, Jasmine - 30, Shania - 27, Aaliyah u Hayley - 21. Oħrajn anqas popolari kienu jinkludu; Kylie, Kaya, Kayleigh, Kelsey, Leah, Rihanna, Thea, Ella, Kiera u Kyra. S’hawn x’hemm ħażin?... Proprju xejn. Nemmen li kemm-il darba isem għal tifel jew tifla għandu fih elementi jew kwalitajiet li jirriflettu f’tifsira relevanti, anke jekk inhu l-aktar isem stramb li qatt seta’ jiġi vvintat, għala le. Għalkemm l-ismijiet tradizzjonali Maltin jibqgħu l-aktar aċċettati u jinfthiemu għax madwarhom se nsibu xi storja ta’ xi personaġġ bi profil, iżda rridu naċċettaw li ninsabu fl-2017. Fost tant affarijiet li nbiddu fina u f’pajjiżna, partikolarment fl-era tal-informatika fejn id-dinja allura ċkienet sostanzjalment, ma jistax jonqos

li naraw fostna ismijiet li għall-ewwel jistgħu jidhru strambi. Fil-verita’ ħafna minnhom f’pajjiżi oħra ilhom jintużaw is-snin. Imma kollox għandu limitu u kif jgħid sew il-Malti, “Iż-żejjed ħu n-nieqes”. Diġà wasalna f’ċerti ċirkostanzi fejn qed jingħataw ismijiet lil uliedna li m’għandhom assolutament l-ebda tifsira jew relevanza għajr li jappartjienu għal xi isem ta’ kantanta jew ta’ xi attur magħruf, inkella sportiv u l-kumplament. Dawn huma bħal ħamiem tal-passa li żmienhom malajr jgħaddi u malajr jispiċċaw mix-xena però l-isem li tkun tajt lil ibnek jew bintek, dan irid jibqa’ bih għal dejjem!... F’ċerti pajjiżi fid-dinja, f’dan il-kuntest diġà bdew jinħassu ċerti estremitajiet li jmorru bogħod mid-dinjità tal-bniedem. U dan, iva jgħodd saħansitra għal ismijiet li aħna qed nagħtu lil għeżież tfal tagħna li jinsabu fl-aktar stadju ta’ innoċenza f’ħajjithom. Madwar tliet snin ilu l-awtoritajiet ta’ New Zealand ħarġu lista ta’ ismijiet li xi ġenituri riedu li jsemmu lil uliedhom, però li dawn ma tħallewx, jew għax kienu tant strambi, inkella għax b’xi mod setgħu kienu offensivi. Fost dawn per eżempju nsibu li kien hawn ġenituri li xtaqu jsemmu ‘l binhom Lucifer jew saħansitra Mafia No Fear. Sa kien hemm ġenituri li forsi tant raw it-twelid ta’ tarbija frivolu aktar milli miraklu ħaj li xtaqu jsemmuh sempliċiment Full Stop. Xi dilettanti tal-Istorja riedu jsemmu ‘l binthom Queen Victoria waqt li xi dilettanti, probabbli tal-vetturi ippruvaw jirreġistraw isem it-tarbija bħala V8 li għal fini ta’ vetturi tfisser magna b’saħħitha. Koppji oħra forsi b’ċerta pretensjonijiet xtaqu li binhom jew binthom ikunu msemmija; King, Duke jew Princess. Ta’ min jgħid li f’pajjiż bħal m’hu New Zealand fejn l-ismijiet tal-ulied hu speċifikament kontrollat mid-Dipartiment tal-Affarijiet Interni tal-Gvern, hu projbit li tarbija tingħata isem assoċjat ma’ xi titlu jew kariga. Qed ngħid dan kollu għax onestament ma nixtieqx li naslu s’hawn. Però jkolli nistqarr, sfortunatament m’aħniex bogħod wisq biex

nibdew, anke f’pajjiżna, nagħżlu ismijiet forsi xejn maħsuba li, ironikament aħna nagħtu lil uliedna, u mhux lilna stess!... Tgħid, min jaf li

kieku l-istorja kienet bil-kontra?... Tonio Bonello - Opinjinist

ISMIJIET TAD-DINJA L-OĦRA

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SAFER OFFICE It's fairly obvious that safety and health hazards can exist on worksites filled with heavy machinery and equipment, where employees often are required to engage in strenuous manual labour. A job where most of the work tasks are completed while sitting in a chair in a climate controlled office building would seem less fraught with danger. However, a surprising number of hazards can be present in an office setting. Many office injuries could have been prevented had workers or supervisors recognized the risks and implemented simple workplace modifications to help mitigate them. Here are steps you can take to reduce the risk of injury among your office staff. Boxes, files and various items piled in walkways can create a tripping hazard. Be certain that all materials are safely stored in their proper location to prevent buildup of clutter in walkways. Further, in addition to posing an electrical hazard, stretching cords across walkways or under rugs creates a tripping hazard, so ensure all cords are properly secured and covered. Standing on chairs – particularly rolling office chairs – is a significant fall hazard. Workers who need to reach something at an elevated height should use a stepladder. Workers should never climb higher than the step indicated as the highest safe standing level. Workers can collide when making turns in the hallways and around blind corners or cubicle walls. Installing convex mirrors at intersections help reduce collisions. If workers can see who is coming around the corner, collisions are less likely to occur. Carpeting and other skid-resistant surfaces can serve to reduce falls. Marble or tile can become very slippery – particularly when wet. Placing carpets down can be especially helpful at entranceways, where workers are

likely to be coming in with shoes wet from rain. Another major type of injury in the office setting comes from workers being struck by or caught by an object. File cabinets with too many fully extended drawers could tip over if they are not secured. Additionally, open drawers on desks and file cabinets pose a tripping hazard, so be sure to always completely close drawers when not in use. Proper storage of heavy items can help reduce the number of office injuries. Large stacks of materials and heavy equipment can cause major injuries if they are knocked over. The load capacity of shelves or storage units should never be exceeded. Perhaps the most prevalent injuries in an office setting are related to ergonomics. Because office workers spend the bulk of their day seated at a desk and working on a computer, they are prone to strains and other injuries related to posture and repetitive movement. Ergonomics hazards can be difficult to detect. One size does not fit all in an office workstation. Chairs, work surfaces, monitor stands, etc., should all be adjustable in order to accommodate the widest range of employees. Although employers may be reluctant to pay for expensive ergonomic equipment, experts insist the equipment is a wise investment. Providing adjustable furniture and equipment is only the first step in creating an ergonomically sound workstation. Workers do not know how to adjust their equipment, and they do not know the most ergonomically beneficial way to set up their workstation. Train workers on both the ideal setup and how to operate adjustable equipment accordingly. Very often workers have their keyboard tray on the desktop, so in order to reach it, they need to jack up their chair so high that their feet can barely touch the floor. Unless an employee’s feet are on the floor, a chair will not be able to reduce pain and discomfort. Recommended options are adjustable keyboard trays or rolling tables adjusted to

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the creation of a bright spot in the worker’s line of vision. Place computer monitors slightly below eye level and 20-26 inches from the eyes. Screens that can tilt or swivel are especially beneficial. Screen glare is a major cause of eyestrain in the office. To minimize strain, avoid positioning monitors opposite open windows, or be sure to always close shades or blinds. A glare reduction filter also can be used. Workers should tell their eye doctor if they spend a large portion of the day working on the computer. The doctor can check the efficiency of vision at 20-30 inches – the typical distance a computer monitor should be placed. Glasses are available for computer use that allow the wearer to see

the full monitor without having to excessively strain the neck.

Small font sizes on the computer can strain both your vision and your neck, as workers tend to pull the head forward to view smaller print. A simple adjustment to the

font size on the computer screen can eliminate the need for this.

Giving your eyes a rest and allowing them to focus on things at varying

distances can help reduce strain and fatigue. Workers

should take a 10-minute break for every hour

spent on the computer. These breaks can include working on tasks that require your eyes to focus on objects at a further range.

the proper height. Although footrests are a second-best option, their small surface may impede some of the worker’s movement. Frequently typing from hard copy can lead to neck strain if a worker is forced to repeatedly look down to the desk and back to the computer screen. Providing document holders help reduce this strain. Document holders also are good for the eyes. Keeping reference materials close to the monitor reduces the need for your eyes to change focus as you look from the document to the monitor. Workstations where the computer keyboard is on a tray, but the mouse remains on the desk spells disaster for the neck and shoulders. The mouse should always be placed beside the keyboard. Although looking at a computer monitor cannot damage your eyes, spending a large portion of your workday at the computer can cause eyestrain. Eyes can become dry and irritated, and workers may begin having trouble focusing. A few work area adjustments can help alleviate some of these issues. Florescent lights in office buildings often are too bright for optimal vision. If more light is needed for a particular task, provide individual task lamps rather than increasing overall lighting. Lamps should be fully recessed to avoid

EASY WILD BERRIES PUDDING Ingredients

1 white sliced loaf of bread

500 grams mixed wild berries

3 tablespoons honey

caramel ice cream

icing sugar Method

Prepare 8 aluminium foil muffin tins.

Reserve some of the wild fruits for decorat-ing.

Place the remaining wild fruits and the honey in a pan and cook over medium heat.

Drain the wild berries, reserving the liquid for later.

Allow to cool.

In the meantime, remove the crust from the white bread slices. Cut the remaining white bread in shapes to cover the tin bases, sides and tops.

Dip the bread shapes in the liquid and let them fully absorb the liquid. Place the bases and the sides in the tins. Spoon in the centre the cooked wild berries. Cover the top with the remaining white bread shapes.

Place in a dish and put a weight on top of the filled tins. Refrigerate for at least 24 hours.

Put a pudding onto a serving plate by placing a tin upside down and gently removing the aluminium tin.

Decorate with the extra wild berries and some sifted icing sugar. Serve with a scoop of caramel ice craam.