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Russell Monk

The Undaunted Eye - 40 Years of Photography

Exhibition Dates: July 16 - August 16 , 2020.

Opening Reception: Saturday, March 7, 4:00pm - late.

Artist in attendance.

Russell Monk has had a dual existence over many years, both as an assignment photographer (mainly on location) for a multitude of magazines and newspapers, including National Geographic, GQ., The Detroit Free Press, The London Sunday Times, The New York Times and The Globe and Mail (where he covered the Rwanda Humanitarian crisis) as well as numerous advertising agencies, that saw him shoot major advertising campaigns for companies like Nike and Samsung, as well as Cuba tourism worldwide. And for design firms he travelled all over the globe shooting annual reports. His editorial work saw him shooting many portraits, including such luminaries as David Cronenberg, Elvis Costello, Lou Reed, Timothy Findley and Margaret Atwood, to name a few. And he was once contracted by Greenpeace International, where he was part of a crew that spent a month on the Brazilian Amazon, investigating and documenting the effects of illegal logging on the environment and the culture.

He also found the time to explore many personal projects that saw him travel and photograph extensively, the photographic results of which were often published or appeared in various exhibitions. This exhibition consists almost entirely of the latter and for the most part in black and white, Russell's preferred medium for many years - mainly silver gelatin prints, that he treasures for their contrast, deep blacks and range of tonalities. Not to mention their permanence.

The photographs exhibited here are made over a forty year span, and Russell's influences are clear-Irving Penn, Cartier-Bresson and Salgado, to name a few. They include images from Canada and the US, the far east, Indian religious festivals and it's ship breaking yards, Africa, Europe (even Albania!) and many from Mexico (where Russell has lived for some years now) and various other Latin American countries.

Russell has had one man shows in Toronto, New York and Mexico, where he had a show at the Bellas Artes museum. Most recently he was asked to participate in the 11th International Exhibition of International Art in Toledo, Spain. He has garnered countless awards and been featured in a number of Awards annuals such as, most notably, Communication Arts and American Photography- more than once.

He also won best "Travel writing" one year at the National magazine awards, besides photographic awards. His work, depicting the plight of the homeless in Tennessee is housed in the Museum of Civil Rights in Memphis.

Along with creative director Steve Mykolyn, he undertook a multi year project "El Dia de Los Muertos" resulting in a show and award winning limited edition book (and ultimately a documentary). He self-published a book called "Amusing World"- with a forward by the renowned writer and artist Douglas Coupland, with photographs from over twenty countries.

His most recent published body of work, "Proximos" was featured in the NY Times Lens Blog series. The Times has also published more recently Russell's ongoing series on Mexican "roof dogs" and "Havana at night" and last year he followed the migrant central caravan to Tijuana for them as well. And his work was published in the Sunday edition of the paper.

Russell's most recent body of prints- have been made using a historic archival Palladium process, duo tones gum over palladium using two or three negs. In some cases tri-colour gums over palladiums. Labour intensive. Hand made. No two the same. Very permanent. A beautiful combination of digital technology and historic analogue processes. All printed on Rag paper. Available in very limited editions.

Russell Monk

"The Amazon"

Shot whilst on a month long assignment for Greenpeace International in the Brazilian Amazon.

Konika Hexar camera

TriX 35mm film.

Selenium toned silver gelatin print

Russell Monk

A  Mexican "albanil" (builder) and friend. Shot as part of an ongoing series titled "Proximos", photographs of local people near Russell's home in Mexico. It was featured in the NY Times.

Rolleiflex camera. TX 120 film.

Gum over palladium archival print.

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After the Breach: Response and Recovery

Siobhan Gorman
Director, Cybersecurity and Privacy Practice, Brunswick Group

This is Cipher Brief Level I Member Only content. It can be accessed via login or by signing up to become a Cipher Brief Member.  Joining this high-level, security-focused community is only $10/month (for an annual $120/yr membership). What a great and inexpensive way to Feed Your Need to Know….

The Author is Siobhan Gorman

Siobhan Gorman is a Director in the Washington D.C. office of the Brunswick Group, where she concentrates on the Cybersecurity and Privacy Practice. She specializes in breach preparedness, breach crisis response, and thought leadership initiatives in the cybersecurity arena. She has worked on confidential cyber crises, as well as preparedness projects in the airline, automotive, and retail sectors. Prior to joining Brunswick, she had a successful career as a reporter, most recently at The... Read More

Learn more about The Cipher Brief's Network here.

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The Muslim Moors ruled much of Spain from 711 to 1492. Although they were driven from Andalusia --the Moorish center of power and the largest region of Spain -- in the 15th century, their influence remains evident in the architecture, agriculture, decorative arts and language of modern Spain, particularly in the southern regions. Islam left in Spain a legacy that still lives on, long after the last Moor departed.

The Moors left an indelible mark on Spanish agriculture. Before their arrival, this arid region could only grow winter crops because of the intense summer heat. The Moors introduced an advanced irrigation system, farming methods and crops that still play an important role in the country's economy. Their understanding of water management -- a consequence of desert living -- impacted agricultural methods in Andalusia. Fruit orchards and vegetable production expanded, and, thanks to the irrigation, rice became a viable crop. The Moors brought in citrus trees from India, and dry-farming crops that needed little water, such as sugarcane. Today, the orange is Spain's iconic fruit, and towns throughout Andalusia are lined with orange and lemon trees.

After Latin, Arabic is the next biggest contributor to the Spanish language. Modern Spanish started its development in the more northern Castile region at the same time as the Moors arrived in the south; consequently, Arabic words were absorbed into the language as "Castellano" -- another word for Spanish -- moved south. Arabic words abound in legal and commercial terminology, in agriculture and in place names. Arabic also influences Spanish pronunciation of certain sounds, particularly in Andalusia, which has its own distinct accent. For example, the guttural "h" sound at the beginning of a word like "jota" is typically Arabic. A selection of Spanish words that are Arabic in origin include arroz (rice), alfombra (carpet), jarra (jug), and paraiso, or paradise. The Spanish exclamations "olé" and "ojalá" are also from the Arabic -- both invoke the will of Allah, and the second term is equivalent to the modern Arabic "inshallah."

Spain has preserved its monuments of Moorish architecture in Andalusia's major cities: the Alhambra Palace in Granada, the Great Mosque in Cordoba, and the Giralda and Alcazar in Seville. Although these are palaces and forts on a grand scale, certain style elements and decorative approaches used by the Moors exist in contemporary Spanish domestic architecture. The Arab mastery of arch construction, especially the horseshoe arch, had a massive influence across Europe, and is probably the forerunner of the Gothic style used in the great medieval Christian cathedrals, according to historians. The courtyard garden is another Islamic influence -- hidden from the outside world, it's typically rectangular with a fountain at its center. The extensive use of colorful tiling with geometric designs throughout southern Spain is a legacy of the Moors and sections of cities like Seville and Cordoba have quarters exclusively selling "azulejos," derived from the Arabic word for tiles.

The Moors also promoted the idea of a great cultural center, and chose Cordoba as its location. In the 10th century, the Caliph of Cordoba built a massive new palace and city called "Al-Zahra." Some historians believe he built it to display his power and wealth to other European rulers, and that the concept of lavish state receptions can be traced back to this enterprise. Cordoba also attracted scholars, booksellers, philosophers and scientists, and according to historian J.B. Trend, it was the most advanced city in Europe. When the rest of Spain needed a surgeon, they sent to Cordoba. It also had street lighting, 70 public libraries and 900 public baths, amenities rarely found in the rest of Europe.

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About the Author

Based in London, Eleanor McKenzie has been writing lifestyle-related books and articles since 1998. Her articles have appeared in the "Palm Beach Times" and she is the author of numerous books published by Hamlyn U.K., including "Healing Reiki" and "Pilates System." She holds a Master of Arts in informational studies from London University.


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‘Looper’ Bends Time And Breaks Convention

Looper:  5 out of 5

Joe: Time travel has not yet been invented. But thirty years from now, it will have been.

Time travel movies can often be tricky.  I am a big fan of films that attempt to utilize the subject, as I like to spend plenty of time thinking about the logic involved.  In many cases, regardless of how much fun or how good the film is, the logic is not really sound.  Some time travel flicks work because of how much time they spend detailing their own logistics (Primer is the ultimate example of this).  Others work because of how little they seem to care about the logic (think Bill & Ted).  But then there are time travel films that just fail on all fronts (think Timecop).  Writer/director Rian Johnson’s Looper excels at making its time travel premise work, because it smartly sidesteps a lot of its own issues by almost using its setup as a clever misdirect.  As characters bend time, the film bends its own meaning, with a smart and original script and solid performances to hold it all together.

The film is set in a plausible-looking future, where time travel will eventually be invented.  The function of time travel will be deemed illegal, which leads to gang leaders utilizing it for one purpose:  assassination missions.  Targets will be captured, bound, hooded, strapped with a form of payment, and sent back in time to be eliminated and disposed of.  The assassins employed in the past are known as Loopers.  Joseph Gordon-Levitt stars as Joe, the best Looper in Kansas City, as it were, but he runs into a problem – one of his targets escapes.  Making matters worse, the target that escapes is his own self from the future, played by Bruce Willis.  The most important rule a Looper must follow is to never let a target escaped and Joe is now tasked with hunting down and killing himself.  Why are things different this time though?  Why has older Joe arrived unbound and seemingly with a plan?  The life of a Looper may pay well, but getting caught up in a paradox can be no fun when it comes time to close your own loop.

I have been looking forward to Looper for quite some time.  I have been a huge fan of Rian Johnson since the debut of his hard-boiled high school-set noir, Brick (also starring Gordon-Levitt).  His follow up film, The Brothers Bloom, is incredibly enjoyable as well.  I initially heard about Looper a little after the release of ‘Bloom’ in 2009 and continued to track it since.  Stopping short of the learning actual plot, I continued to be excited for all that I was hearing about it, given the setup for the premise, the actors involved, and even the minor involvement of Shane Carruth, of Primer-fame, who knows a thing or two about time travel.  It is fortunate that this all paid off, as I was satisfied with the results for a multitude of reasons.

I am already wrestling in my head about the logic of Johnson’s use of time travel, but at the same time, the film if clever enough to deal with its own logic by acting rather pragmatic about it.  Rather than have characters draw pictures on a chalkboard, we get some of Joe’s narration and characters telling other characters some of the broad strokes.  It is important to the plot and looks neat visually, but provides just enough to keep you satisfied on a base level, before realizing that re-watching the film could make it just as interesting.  Looper certainly has a lot more fun in its first half, as time travel and the work done by Loopers factors in quite heavily, but there is a turnaround in the latter half of the film, which takes the film into more thought-provoking territory.

Now I mentioned fun and Looper definitely has a lot of entertaining aspects, but what surprised me most, aside from how the plot twists and turns, is how dark the film was.  This could have been a safe and bloodless PG-13 film, but instead, Looper is quite bloody and not afraid to dive into the violent world that it has created for itself.  There is a slight loony edge to how some of the characters interact, which keeps things from going down a too depressing route, but the film does not compromise its vision, which I admire.  Fortunately, the actors are up to the task follow suit.

Joe:  We both know how this has to go down, so why don't you do what old men do and die.
Older Joe:  Why don’t you take that little gun out from between your legs and do it, boy.

Joseph Gordon-Levitt continues to be having a great year for himself by doing two things really well in this film:  having me care for a guy who unquestionably commits murder for a living and playing a young Bruce Willis quite well.  Playing an assassin, I enjoyed the fact that Joe is a smart guy, but also fairly stubborn in his ways, while slowly unraveling what can happen vs. what will happen.  The Bruce Willis thing is notable, because Gordon-Levitt is wearing some prosthetics and makeup to achieve a certain look, which is convincing enough, but more so due to how he plays the character.  Watching this performance, it felt like one that a 25-year old Willis could have easily embodied, which is a trip in itself.

Speaking of Willis, he’s already landed on two sides of a coin this year.  He was fantastic in Moonrise Kingdom, which I hope is not overlooked, but was pretty terrible in Expendables 2.  Here, Willis is back to doing what he can do very well, which is underplaying a character.  Sure, we get a couple moments, which made me go, “Hell Yeah Bruce Willis!” but seeing him play a man who has gone through a lot and is looking to do something very specific, which puts him in a very difficult place can be tough to pull off effectively, but hey, it’s freaking Bruce Willis, and he does.

Older Joe:  It’s hard staring into your eyes.  It’s too strange.
Joe:  Your face looks backwards.

The film is also filled with nice supporting work from other actors including Jeff Daniels as a mob boss sent back from the future, in order to keep control over the Loopers; Paul Dano as a fellow Looper; Noah Segan as a young enforcer; Piper Perabo as a dancer that Joe has a soft spot for; and Emily Blunt as a woman who may be more important than anyone knows.  What helps is that none of these characters are extraneous.  Even small parts for actors I have not listed become more important than one would expect.  Try to throw out holes in the plot, but a uniformly solid cast that is used effectively keeps the film balanced.

Future worlds are also always of interest to me for films like this and I was happy to see that Johnson took a more subtle route in depicting where the world is at in 2044 and 30 years beyond.  Very similar to something like Children of Men, the societal elements are pushed to the background, allowing the audience to focus on the characters and story, but register what this world is like through visuals.  We see changes in automobiles, some little forms of advance technology, and, yes, hover bikes, but Looper is not too concerned with showing us how cool everything is.  The film is slick because of its craftiness, not because of how crafty it thinks it is.

As far as how the film came together, Rian Johnson continues to evolve as a filmmaker, creating a movie that is vastly different from what he done before, but still just as competent.  The film has a lot of great visuals and a lot of action that feels kinetic and unique to what it tries to achieve.  Seeing alternate versions of the same scene tends to be fun in time travel flicks, but so are scenes that involve changes in characters, based on how the past (or present) is altered, which leads to some neat visual moments as well.  Working with a lot of his same crew that he started with, including his cinematographer Steve Yedlin and composer Nathan Johnson, Johnson certainly has a film that feels comfortable enough to slow down towards its end, before reaching its impactful finale.

Looping back to where I began, I am happy to add Looper to the realm of time travel films that I find to be both really enjoyable and really clever.  The film is full of ideas and brings a lot to the table, but serves as a very solid entry into the science fiction genre, without collapsing under its own weight.  Both Gordon-Levitt and Willis are playing one role that becomes well defined due to the strength of both actors, the setup for the film makes it plenty intriguing and leaves room to grow as it goes, and I think I mentioned hover bikes…Anyway, while influenced by other strong entries, Looper is smart, bold, and original, a strong sci-fi achievement.

Abe: This time travel crap just fries your brain like an egg.

Aaron is a writer/reviewer for WhySoBlu.com.  Follow him on Twitter @AaronsPS3.
He also co-hosts a podcast,
Out Now with Aaron and Abe, available via iTunes or at HHWLOD.com.

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Essay on If I Were a Billionaire

“If I ever become a billionaire,
I will do everything positive and nothing negative.”

Gone are the days when millionaires were considered to be important people since the fall of the value of the rupee on international markets. Now I wish I were a billionaire to have my · desires fulfilled in my dreams or ideas, if not in reality.

First of all, I would buy a most beautiful house outside the city (in the outskirts) with wide lawns and gushing (flowing out quickly) fountains. Birds would be found sitting on some of the rarest (most uncommon) plants, green, yellow, red and blue in brilliant sunshine and milky moonshine. Some of the richest fruits of all the five continents would be found hanging by the lovely branches of the dark green earth-kissing plants of the finest kind. And between the trees on the soft, grassy grounds, I would play different games with my friends and classmates. Musical instruments will be played by the best musicians in soft tunes.

Secondly, with a part of my wealth, I would have a very spacious (with a lot of space) library hall constructed beside (close to) my house. The most important and useful books in the arts and sciences would be brought from all over the world and placed in this library. It will be a well-equipped library with compact discs (CDS) of films and recorded programmes on different subjects of real interest for all kinds of students, teachers, and scholars.

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Thirdly, with the money with me, I would set up a public hospital for poor and middle-class people. All the facilities for the treatment of different diseases will be provided here. And, the patients will be able to get all the medicines easily.

Fourthly, I would develop the most impressive public park in the country. Different kinds of shady trees and plants will add to its charm. Games for children and grown-ups will be an added attraction. Restaurants will provide all manner of foods to the visitors. The income generated (provided) by this park will be constant and will be spent on the maintenance of the public hospital.

Fifthly, I would set up a huge factory producing cotton and woolen cloth of the best quality. The income from this factory will be offered to deserving students, doctors, engineers, technicians, artists, writers and teachers in the form of scholarships to help them to study further.

Sixthly, I would like to go around the world several times to write a book about different societies and cultures.

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October 4, 2008

Movie Review: Choke

choke1_largeBack in 1999, David Fincher and Jim Uhls teamed to adapt a novel by author Chuck Palahniuk. That teaming resulted in the excellent Fight Club. Now, nearly a decade later, the Palahniuk catalog has been dipped into a second time. This time out it is actor Clark Gregg (New Adventures of Old Christine) taking a stab. Choke is Gregg's second credited script, following 2002's What Lies Beneath, and his first shot at directing a feature. I have not read either of these books (actually, I have not read any of Palahniuk's novels), but I have seen both of the films. If you are hoping for anything near the level of Fight Club, in either the writing or visual style, you will be left unfulfilled. If you are a fan of the book, I have read that you will likely be disappointed as well. If you merely hope for a good, involving film, I am sad to report that you, too, will be disappointed. I know I was.

choke6Sam Rockwell plays Victor Mancini, and he is a sex addict. He spends his days going to sex addict support groups, sneaking off to have sex with group members, and earns a living as a historical re-enactor at a colonial-themed amusement park. When he isn't working, or looking for a quickie, he spends considerable time with his aging mother, Ida (Anjelica Huston), who is in a psychiatric home suffering from dementia. While he spends a great deal of time with her, she rarely knows who he his, most often confusing him with a dead lawyer.

Now, if dealing with a mother suffering dementia and suffering from sex addiction is not enough, Victor also has a habit of pretending to choke in order to get a restaurant patron to throw him in the Heimlich and "save" him. Invariably, the people insist on giving him money when he is in need. This is a scam he uses to raise the money to keep his mom in the home. Then there are his abandonment issues, as shown through the numerous flashback showing Ida serially kidnapping Victor from foster families.

Early on we watch Victor go through the paces, putting on his costume, getting in trouble at work, visiting his mom, going to meetings, all normal (for him) until one day. One time when he visits his mother he meets her new doctor, Paige Marshall (Kelly Macdonald). She's young, pretty and Victor seems to genuinely like her. She also happens to have knowledge on the forefront of medical technology that could help his mother, just as it simultaneously plays into his addiction.

choke4Some inconsequential stuff happens as we build to a couple of revelations in rapid succession in the final third of the film that I will not reveal here. The problem is that the story moves so fast and the film is over in such a short period of time that the characters do not have time to sink in and resonate with the audience. Perhaps it is not the speed of the film, maybe it is the adaptation, or could it go all the way back to being a problem with the source material?

The movie just does not give too much depth to the characters or enough time to the plot. I found some of the moments humorous, such as their meeting Cherry Daquiri and the first couple of accusations from the old women at the home. I also enjoyed the performances of Sam Rockwell, Kelly Macdonald, and Anjelica Huston. Yes, I know that sounds a little odd considering how week I found the overall film to be, but it is true. Their work is good and without their effort the weakness of the material would have been further exposed.

Bottomline. In the end, this film just felt shallow. There certainly seemed to be potential for a deeper, more meaningful tale. The film, as presented has its moments of humor and tragedy, however the link between them to the audience is tenuous at best. Oh well.

Very Mildly Recommended.

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scent memories

For This Perfumer, Happiness Smells Like a Very Specific Bread

Nathalie Lorson. Photo: Courtesy Maison Margiela Fragrances

Scientific studies confirm that of all the senses smell offers the best recall. In Scent Memories, the Cut asks people about the scents they associate with different times in their lives.

Next up is master perfumer Nathalie Lorson, an expert at fine fragrance house Firmenich, and the nose behind memorable fragrances like YSL Black Opium, Le Labo Poivre 23, and most recently, Maison Margiela Replica Coffee Break. Replica fragrances pinpoint collective everyday memories, and Coffee Break bottles finding reprieve in a cozy coffee shop thanks to Lorson’s unique, feminine, grounding scent. The Cut caught up with Lorson to talk brioche and morning brews.

My first scent memory is: The resinous smell of my very first Christmas tree.

Happiness smells like: The smell of orange flower, which reminds me of the fougassette from my childhood in Grasse. It’s a slightly sweet bread that’s flavored with orange flower water.

Love smells like: The odor of a red, sensual rose.

Friendship smells like: The smell of fresh crumpled mint, lime, and rum, coming from a delicious mojito shared with friends.

Regret smells: Bitter. A bitter smell, which you should never dwell on.

Vacation smells like: The smell of the beach, exotic flowers, and sand, mixed together and all warmed up by the sun.

The worst smell is: Any odor to that is too aggressive because it then becomes repulsive.

Sunday morning smells like: Warm, toasted bread for breakfast, melting together with the smell of freshly roasted coffee.

Monday morning smells like: A plain black coffee to better start my day!

My home smells like: My little heart-shaped plant and the freshly cut herbs from my garden.

If I could have one smell on my hands forever it would be: White musk. I always like to smell like some sort of musk.

If you buy something through our links, New York may earn an affiliate commission.

For This Perfumer, Happiness Smells Like a Specific Bread


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Police Locate Driver Who Was Seen Striking Protesters

June 9, 2020 Updated: June 9, 2020

A driver who struck several protesters in Indiana on Monday was located by law enforcement, a police spokeswoman said.

A brief video clip shared on social media by a woman at the protest showed a dark minivan striking several people who were protesting in Indianapolis. As people shouted, the driver continued driving as the individuals who were hit bounced off the front and tumbled to the ground.

By the end of the 15-second video, the driver had driven away from the scene on Monument Circle.

Chan Harris-Searcey, who took the video, said the driver ran through the crowd, which was “PEACEFULLY protesting.” Harris-Searcey, who posted on her Facebook that only black reporters should reach out to her, didn’t respond to a request for additional video footage.

Genae Cook, a spokeswoman for the Indianapolis Metropolitan Police Department, told the Indianapolis Star that the driver was later located and was cooperating with police.

“There was a vehicle on the roadway while protesters took over the street,” Cook said. “There was damage done to the vehicle and the vehicle attempted to leave the area,” she added, noting that several other people were detained for questioning.

Reached by The Epoch Times, Cook declined to share more information, including whether officers had obtained other video footage of what happened, saying, “Right now that’s under investigation.”

A prosecutor was aware of the probe, she said.

None of the injuries appeared to be serious, Cook told the Star.

Shakeela Dozier, 21, told the paper that a city truck went to the area to move barricades on the circle but was blocked by the group of protesters. As the truck backed up, the minivan came from behind the truck and struck several people before moving away.

The incident is the latest involving vehicles and protesters amid nationwide protests and riots sparked by the death of George Floyd, an unarmed black man who died while in police custody in Minneapolis on Memorial Day.

A trucker driving in that city was released last week without being charged after he drove onto a freeway blocked by thousands of people. The driver was pulled out of his track and assaulted by some of the people before being taken to a nearby hospital.

In Washington state, meanwhile, a man who was swarmed by a group on June 7 in downtown Seattle brandished a gun, shooting one of the protesters, before surrendering to the police.

Follow Zachary on Twitter: @zackstieber


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Laser hair treatment

“Stop worrying about the hair you lost
– start looking forward to the hair you can have!”

It's not just hair, is it? We have learnt through doing this for so many years, that we have a sort of identity attached to our hair and it makes us who we are in certain ways.

We get a haircut for a new job, a break-up or to signal a change in our life - it's a way of showing our style and identity. We are the "girl with the long blond hair" or "the redhead" - it becomes a part of us. We have had clients who call their new hair their "cape" and they are back to being the superwoman with the confidence their new hair gives them.

Here at The Extensionist hair extensions London salon we have helped thousands of women find confidence and get their dream hair through the help of hair extensions. We have helped models, stay at home mums, transgender women, beauty queens, celebrities and many many more.

However, one thing that we take the most pride in and love to do is helping women or men who are struggling with various illnesses and conditions affecting their hair growth to regain their confidence through their hair.

Changes in the body, alopecia, cancer treatments and other hormonal and medical conditions can affect healthy hair growth either permanently or temporarily.   It is not always that we can offer hair extensions until their hair has grown past a certain point, but we at The Extensionist hate to turn people away and want to help everyone get their dream hair. Hair loss for women can be an extremely stressful experience, and we want to help you ease this stress.

Therefore, we are now delighted to introduce two new hair replacement systems in the salon that offers solutions for everyone to acquire the hair they always dreamed of.

laser hair treatment London

Low level laser therapy

laser therapy london

Laser Hair Therapy is for thinning hair loss. Laser hair therapy uses Low Level Laser Therapy or LLLT for short to regrow your hair using a scientifically proven and FDA approved laser spectrum.

But what that does that mean you ask? Think of the LLLT as a form of superhero who fights the main culprit of hairloss - Dihydrotestosterone (DHT). DHT causes inflammation of the hair follicles which causes them to miniaturise and eventually die leading to hairloss. .The laser breaks down, clears and removes DHT from the scalp.

Not only that, LLLT hair loss therapy also prevents any future DHT to attach to the hair follicle preventing future hair loss too.

LLLT gives the best result when done over the course of several months but even just one session improves blood flow tot he scalp by 50% and can be used as a boost in between hair extensions.

  • Male Pattern Baldness (Androgenic Alopecia)
  • Female Pattern Baldness (Female Pattern Alopecia)
  • Alopecia Areata
  • Traction Alopecia
  • Stress Related Alopecia
  • Thinning Hair
  • Damaged or Broken Hair
  • Seborrheic Dermatitis
  • Psoriasis
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BlueBella Music Festival Logo

BlueBella Music Festival

Starts: 18th Aug 2018

The first ever Bluebella Music Festival takes place at The Blue Bell, Belford on Saturday 18th August.

Start Date

18th Aug 2018

End Date

18th Aug 2018

The Blue Bell, Market Place, Belford, NE70 7NE

Ian Prowse, Brian Nash, Morrissey & Marshall, Shaun Kelly & The Returned Gifts, Rosie Nimmo, Philip Rambow, John Reynolds, Ed James

Starting at 2pm and with free entry it promises to be a unique acoustic music event for music lovers and all the family to see. Headliners Ian Prowse and Brian Nash both have stellar musical careers. Ian has shared the stage with many a musical great and the late John Peel was his no.1 fan, co-headliner Brian Nash was part of Frankie Goes to Hollywood, one of the biggest bands in the UK in the mid 80’s and is now an acclaimed songwriter in his own right.

The seven-hour show will packed with some of the finest songwriters in the UK, while outside there will be family chill out zone in the Bell Tent and fun events including a Bouncy Castle, festival food and an outside bar in the picturesque garden of the hotel. Food and drinks will also be available as usual inside the hotel. It promises to be the must-see music event of the summer and all for free!

Accommodation including dog friendly rooms are also available for those wanting to make it a memorable weekend in the stunning Northumbrian scenery.

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Reframing – 22 Years Later

As many of us do when we graduate from college, I didn’t think too much about how my diploma was framed.  I was a starving artist with big student loan payments, and went the ready-made frame way to display my diploma (see below).  This small piece of paper that I spent over $25,000 on, got jammed into a cheap frame and matt.  I went to art school!  My diploma should look a bit better than that!  Come on!  I work at THE FRAME STUDIO!  I am a picture framer! So I decided to reframe this expensive piece of paper – 22 years later.

The first thing we had to contend with, was the damage that was done to my diploma because I used ready made products.  The frame had regular glass – no UV protection – and the matts and backing board were acidic.  This caused 2 things to happen: the regular glass allowed the UV rays to change the exposed part of my diploma to a pinkish-orange hue (as seen in picture below); the acidic boards burned the back of my diploma and turned it yellow.

We had to work with the UV damage on the front of the diploma, so the matt opening had to come up to the edge of the burn.  We tried to keep the design as neutral as possible, while still adding some artistic elements to show that art school taught me something.  Utilizing the wavy gold fillet to pull out the gold seal, and then picking the black ribbon-like frame to reiterate the wave gave the appropriate amount of flair to a rather boring (but expensive) piece of paper.

Now I have something to show for art school . . . go custom framing!!!

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Baby and Kid Product Videos

We love to showcase the best Baby and Kid toys from around the world! From teethers to trikes, we have made some very fun videos for kid products and aired them on the TV Show.

These videos take an in-depth look into the product benefits and features. We create a 3-5 minute TV Segment, 30 Second Commercial, On-set and Lifestyle photos and On-set and Lifestyle footage. After we're all finished, we air the TV Segment and we give you all the pictures and videos for your marketing needs, with an Unlimited License!

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They seem to be campaigning for the sake of it

This election campaign is fascinating. Not, of course, for the quality of debate. Nor because the outcome is seriously in doubt. It is instead because we know that no politician will discuss any important issues with any sincerity over the next few weeks, and that Tony Blair will undoubtedly continue to be Prime Minister, that the attention of the pundits must increasingly be focused on the process of the campaign, rather than the content.

And in this way, the election turns out to be about the biggest questions of all: why should we vote? What are elections actually for? Do they represent the will of the people, or simply register differential rates of fear and loathing? And the answer will be measured by turnout.

This election cannot be about the direction of this country, because no real policy alternatives are being offered. On the big life-affecting choices there is complete silence. For example, the environment: are we facing the ravages of global warming, or not? Should we change the way we live? Then there's the pensions crisis, looming as the national demographics fundamentally shift. And our relationship with Europe: can that discussion really be transferred to a referendum that may never even happen?

Then again, perhaps it is right that these things should not be discussed now. One could argue that an election campaign is the worst time for such discussions, which require slow deliberation. Elections are not about issues, but for choosing which people we trust to make the big decisions on our behalf.

But what happens when there's no one we like, when here's no one we trust to take on that responsibility for us? Rarely can the British electorate have been offered such an unappetising choice between two such stale dishes.

So perhaps what the modern campaign is really about is defining our values. After all, we are now beyond ideology: the left have given up on the idea of total state control, even as a distant aspiration. The right have given up thinking about shrinking the state. The collapse of Rover is a political non-event. No-one seriously proposes a shift away from public services. Instead, there is a new line which separates one side of the electorate from another: recent YouGov research suggests that we no longer range along a left-right axis, but are divided by 'drawbridge issues'.

We are either 'drawbridge up' or 'drawbridge down'. Are you someone who feels your life is being encroached upon by criminals, gypsies, spongers, asylum seekers, Brussels bureaucrats? Do you think the bad things will all go away if we lock the doors? Or do you think it's a big beautiful world out there, full of good people, if only we could all open our arms and embrace each other? Depending on which side we take, we regard 'drawbridge up' people as unpleasant, or 'drawbridge down' people as foolish.

But even then this campaign doesn't allow us to define ourselves by these values, because while the Tories have clearly identified themselves as those who will slam up the drawbridge, Labour have been terrified to oppose them with an expansive, positive, alternative vision, in case it loses votes.

So what are we left with as the point of this campaign? If we cannot vote to decide important issues, nor to choose a leader we trust, nor to take sides on basic ideology, nor to express our heartfelt values, then what is the election for? It seems our task as voters is simply to judge which campaign team has implemented the best marketing strategy.

In what otherwise seems like a boring campaign, the way in which we respond to this is genuinely interesting. That is the real value of this electoral test. And the only measure we have is turnout. Will we just zap our TV sets to change the channel, or close our eyes for a nap, or get up and walk to the polling booth? Will turnout go up or down?

The drop in turnout to 59 per cent in the 2001 general election was preceded by a drop in the secondary-order elections at local and European levels. Recently, participation in those types of elections has increased. If these are indeed leading indicators, then we should expect a small rise in turnout on 5 May. And if that happens, then maybe it will mean, after all, that the politicians have judged the rest of us about right.

· Stephan Shakespeare is director of public opinion research at YouGov


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The War, the Journey, and the Road…

Home/Blog/The War, the Journey, and the Road…

The War, the Journey, and the Road…

*Know that before reading this, I am not a doctor, and I don’t work in the medical field. There is absolutely no proven evidence to back any of this up (though I’d love a crack at seeing if I’m right). These theories are mine alone. You may agree, you may disagree, and I may very well piss you off with my thoughts. You have been warned.

So I spoke to a friend I hadn’t talked to in ages today. He and I are in similar fields, and I had a business question for him.

And then out of nowhere, he asked this: “So I have a friend who has cancer. What should I say to let them know I support them?”

My first reaction was to totally build the person up, saying, “You’ve got this; kick its ass.” But these days, that can get you in trouble. In fact, it’s harder than ever to know what to say.

The most successful blog we’ve ever had in HuffPo was about what not to say to a cancer patient. They included things like, “At least,” “It’s God’s will,” “My uncle had cancer and didn’t make it…but I’m sure you’ll do okay, though.”

If you say any of these, stop it. Stop it now.

I heard these a lot when I went down my road, and it took every ounce of my strength to politely say, “Thank you for that.” I knew it came from a place of caring and compassion, which was the saving grace that kept me from going “December 21st” postal.

But the one thing that has really begun to gnaw at me is that when we are diagnosed with cancer, no one tells us many of the verbal pitfalls that are going to come…some of which are plainly evident, and others that are more subtle in their rage inducement.

An example of this is the word “war.” For those of you who are not entrenched in the cancer community either as a patient, caregiver, or loved one, you can’t imagine how many people don’t like using a military term for cancer. Some who have never seen a battlefield don’t feel comfortable with the terminology, thinking they don’t deserve to use that lingo.

Or, if they’re on the “peaceful” side of viewing adversity, cancer might be more of a journey of meaning, a path to the perspective on life that is now acutely in focus.

Of course, some hard-core war-linguists who do treat this like a battle look at the “My cancer is a journey” crowd as the greatest bunch of felines that ever stood in shoe leather.

Yes, felines means what you think it means.

Many do think of this as a war, a battle to be won. “I am gonna kick this thing’s ass!”

And then there is another group that I personally call The Road, and they tend not to like either of the previous two perspectives.

The Road looks at cancer for what it actually is: a disease. It’s not a battle, and it’s not a gift. It’s not personal, or human, or something to be embraced. It’s just cancer.

One of the reasons many in The Road dislike battle terms is because they view it as the ultimate slight if someone dies.

“Guess they just didn’t fight hard enough, did they?” can sometimes come off as the implication, whether the intent is there or not.

And seriously, what kind of sadomasochist really thinks cancer is a gift?

Well, I do. And I viewed it as a war. And I understand the feelings of The Road. To which each of the three facets might now be saying, “Pick a side.”

But that’s the beauty of a diagnosis, if there is one: whatever you choose is correct, particularly because many of us don’t choose how we feel. It just sort of happens, and I would venture to say that it can be based on a number of things…some inert, some due to the particular circumstances of their specific experience.

For instance, and this one of the few facts in this blog, there are many ways to look at the actual disease itself. There are those who simply look at it as part of them…some of my own cells had a meltdown and “poof.” And technically, it’s correct. We all have the potential to get cancer if our cells go rogue. Cancer is a part of us.

But then others look at cancer like a foreign invader…a la, “What the hell areyou doing here? And why are you trying to kill me? What did I ever do to you, you bastard?”

This latter one? That’s me. My cancer was absolutely a foreign invader to me. It made a deal with lefty so that he could sleep on the couch for a night or two, and then he kicked off his shoes and never left. And then he started eating my food. And he got fat and lazy and said, “I think I’m going to hang out for a while.”

And then he realized that he had a great time torturing me. “Let’s see what happens when I push on your spine sideways,” said the now rapidly growing tumor.

And with every stumble, every wince, every scream, it got bolder. “I wonder if I can kill you without you doing anything about it?” it said to me.

There’s a distinct possibility that I viewed my cancer this way because by the time I found it, it was the size of an NFL football. It was big and bad and a bully. It was trying to kill me and it was laughing at me the whole time it tried.

Now as you’re reading this, it must sound utterly irrational, and I could not agree with you more. It’s batshit. But that’s the thing about a cancer diagnosis and treatment: rationality goes out the window. Instinct kicks in. You look at it how you look at it because no one tells you how to look at it or why you look at it in a certain way, either rationally or askew.

Metaphoric show of hands: how many patients had their doctors or health team ask them, “How do you look at your cancer? How do you see it? How do you want to see it?”

Most of the pre-treatment comes in the form of blood tests and scans and ports inserted and chemo drugs picked and the possibility of radiation and a potential litany of surgeries. But as any cancer patient will tell you, the physical is maybe, maybe, half the battle.

It’s the emotional that will get you. You have a good idea if you’re going to lose your hair. You have no idea how you’re going to react to it. You know that you’ll probably throw up from nausea. You have no idea how scared you might feel when the nausea doesn’t go away after puking…a la that one (and only) time you ate the worm in the bottom of the tequila.

Oh don’t tell me you haven’t done it. Yes? No?

No one discusses this with us, and we’re left to figure it out on our own. We create what we need to create to make sense out of something that has just blindsided us.

But this has created a by-product that, honestly, I didn’t see coming. Sadly, some patients turn on each other because of differing viewpoints on how cancer should be addressed.

I can only speak for myself, because mine is the only life I can live, but in my eyes, and let me be abundantly clear on this, whether you’re a warrior, on a journey, or a realist on a road…you’re right. Period.

There is no road map to this. You absolutely have to do what is best for you to endure, and you need to trust your own instincts.

For me? Cancer was not a gift, but it was the single most transformative event of my life. It forced me to put things into perspective, and gave me a purpose that I never knew I would have.

And yes, I did look at is as a fight, a battle, a war, because my perception was that a very large tumor not only tried to kill me slowly physically, but did a bang-up freaking job on me emotionally as I begged my God to take away my pain by any means necessary.

And contrary to what the anti-war movement might think, I do not look at people who die from this disease as beaten by this disease. It took my friend Deb’s life, but because I love to tell her story, she is very, very much alive.

I know that my stance may not be correct for many of you, and I’m okay with that. I totally support your choice to disagree with me, as I may disagree with you. But each of us has the inalienable right to view cancer the way we need to view it.

We earned that right with those three words.

By | 2017-05-24T01:37:57+00:00 April 7th, 2016|Blog|0 Comments

About the Author:

Dan Duffy has been working in film, television, and radio for almost 20 years. Graduating from the Foundation Film program at the Vancouver Film School in 2000, he has been making documentaries, commercials, and short films since for companies big and small around the world. Prior to this, Dan spent five years as an assistant producer, sports director, production manager, and on-air talent for the nationally syndicated “Steve and DC Radio Show.” He has won numerous awards in his career, including a Telly Award Winner, a seven-time Telly Award Finalist Winner, and an AIR (Achievement in Radio) award, with two other nominations. In 2003, Dan was diagnosed with stage three testicular cancer. Through massive amounts of chemotherapy and multiple surgeries, Dan was declared cancer free seven months after his diagnosis.

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Jen Ward
Prior to joining The Harbor staff in January of 2017, I lived in Haiti as a missionary for a year and served in youth ministry and preschool ministry for over thirty years. I love to capture and savor beauty through the lens of a Nikon, as well as with my own eyes. I've been married to Chris since 1990, and we have three grown children and our grandchildren keep coming. My favorite thing to do in life is to “risk the ocean” in my journey with Jesus.


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Two Poems

by Justin Han

Illustration by Justin Han

published February 1, 2019

Mentions this only as strange

ordeal, her translation resisting

delivery—vegetable state and

we’ll see no more of Tsalia,

Damia, Disekia, each of them

intact and unknowable. In the uppercase

half of the alphabet I know,

I can build the set of their ‘54, parse

the scattershot threads of its design.

A ham-fisted flaring up to earth,

then mules kneeling, storks’ nests

dismantling atop Marathea’s walls falling

and pried like walnuts open. Even if

she says these are generous facts, gifts

of the raconteur, I hear them still in bells tolling

cavernous off the herd, inside cafes named

after opium and the Western. He was there,

she parrots, when each person fell into the next

in mourning dependable ground; in processions

that took homes’ stone husks north, a town

taken back to the bole.

The Long Yard

And so I take it upon myself to caulk

the open prairie, cover corners

dumbly reserved for no one, stalks gripping

the fallow field. For reference, see an office lot

at sundown, its empty threats still holding ground.

Already the silo hatches early to wrens, offside,

a ditch welcomes rear wheels. Trip mountains

scaled down, find the fusebox blown out

and exposed. All worth here we qualify

by first impression: the open claw

looking functional but buried in a wall’s

fatal perforations, the cables tonguing slyly

from a second floor removed. Dangled invisible,

the rhododendron blooms ornamental. In a mess

of straw see a keyboard planted with black breaches

for keys. We pursue giddy these harsh corners, impossible

slants, sing away this remnant bliss as it ages

not a day, then nip what needs continuance

with concrete and mortar. No spare muscle

to clear the gazebo out, fumbling at the wick

and so it is on only me to


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Imam Abdullah Haron (1924 – 1969)

As this year marks half a century of Imam Abdullah Haron’s murder at the hands of the erstwhile and brutal apartheid’s security branch, the light of his conscious spiritual socio-political leadership and his editorship at the Muslim News keeps shining.

Imam Abdullah Haron, born on 8 February 1924 in Newlands-Claremont, in the southern suburb of the Western Cape, was the youngest in a family of five, and still an infant when Asa Martin, his mother died. Since his father Amarien, was not able to care for him, his sister, Maryam brought him up. His aunt supported him to pursue his studies until the time he got married to Galiema Sadan on 15 March in 1950.

During his early years he completed Grade 6 at Talfalah Primary School (est.1912). For two years he pursued ‘Islamic studies’ in Mecca where he was tutored by the famous Shaykh `Abdurahman al-`Alawi al-Maliki (d.1986). Upon his return he continued his studies under Shaykh `Abdullah Taha Gamieldien (d.1946) and Shaykh Ismail Ganief (d.1958). These three shaykhs made an indelible impact upon the Imam’s ideas and activities. Shaykh Ismail Ganief was, however, the one who encouraged him to participate fully in community activities, particularly in the social welfare of others. Haron would take on activism and extend his services to the poor and the needy, while he also began to teach at a local Muslim school.

Building socio-political conscience

Whilst doing his part-time studies under Shaykh Ismail, working in the community and teaching, he befriended individuals who prepared themselves for the building trade and teaching professions; they came from the Fakier, Sadan, Hattas, Galant and Ganief families. Quite a few of them frequented the intellectual gatherings of the Teacher’s League of South Africa and the Non-European Unity Movement and in turn, shared these ideas with him. The Imam was attracted to their views and became more aware of his community’s socio-political circumstances. Externally he was influenced by the ideas of the Egyptian Muslim Brotherhood and other Arab-Indian movements. He purchased their books and extracted the relevant articles for circulation purposes.

Becoming a progressive Imam

When he was officially appointed in 1955 as Imam of Al-Jamia Mosque in Stegman Road (Claremont) many of his ideas were implemented. At Al-Jamia he created discussion groups, initiated adult male and female classes, innovated alternatives for the Coon Carnival, introduced brief talks about various issues pertaining to Islam after prayers during the month of fasting, allowed women to participate in the mosques’ executive activities. Along with his close circle of friends such as Abu Bakr Fakier, Ismail Saban, Sait Galant, Sedick Galant, Karriem Sadan, Abu Bakr Hattas, Rashaad Saban, and others, he established the progressive Claremont Muslim Youth Association (CMYA) in 1958.

Editorship of the Muslim News

The CMYA went on to publish a monthly bulletin, the Islamic Mirror, in 1959. And during that same year the Imam, Abdul Kays, Gulzar Khan, M. Mukaddam, Abdul-Rashied Sayyid and Zubayr Sayyid decided to establish a monthly newspaper, the Muslim News (1960-1986). He was appointed its editor and used the opportunity to make the paper as representative as possible. It covered cultural, religious, and political issues. The newspaper played a very functional role in that it kept the Muslims informed about Islamic issues taking place in the Cape, other parts of South Africa, and in the Muslim heartlands.

During the early 1960s the Imam and the CMYA invited various prominent individuals of diverse backgrounds to address them on various topics. Individuals such as Zac de Beer of the Progressive Party, Ray Alexander of the Food and Canning Workers Union, and Eulalie Stott of the Black Sash addressed them on relevant aspects of their organisations. These ideas gave the Imam and CMYA members clearer perspectives of how others think, and how they needed to respond to the contemporary developments.

And since these exchanges helped them to formulate their own ideas about Islam and society, it prompted them to circulate the well-known ‘Call of Islam’ anti-apartheid pamphlet in 1961. In addition to listening to the various viewpoints, they also maintained close contact with a number of activists such as Alex la Guma (d.1985) and Albie Sachs (CPSA member), Prof. Hoffenberg (former UCT Music Professor), and Robert Sobukwe (PAC leader).

The Imam’s ideas were however not only channelled through the Muslim News, but also via the Friday sermons and public lectures during the late 1950s and 1960s. It was in these sermons and lectures that he critically commented upon the different, barbaric racial laws. When the famous 1960 PAC-led march got underway in Cape Town, the Imam delivered a significant Friday sermon emphasising the concept of human brotherhood in Islam and the Muslims’ role during that time; and he urged them to support the Africans who were worse off within this racist system. The Imam, at this point in his life, had been in close contact with the Africans from Langa, Gugulethu, and Nyanga to show his social, moral and financial support. It is because of his respect for and his humane treatment of his fellow oppressed that they and their children affectionately called him ‘mfundisi’ (priest).

Opposition to draconian system

At a meeting on 7 May 1961 at the Cape Town Drill Hall, in an emotionally-charged speech the Imam described the Group Areas Acts as “inhuman, barbaric and un-Islamic” and added that “these laws were a complete negation of the fundamental principles of Islam… (they are) designed to cripple us educationally, politically and economically… We cannot accept (this type of) enslavement.” When the Sabotage Bill was tabled in parliament, he and many others reacted very emotionally to it. During the 1960s the Imam developed strong ties with individuals such as Barney Desai, a former member of the Coloured People’s Congress, who had by then gone into exile and become a member of the PAC. It was through Desai’s links that the Imam gave his assistance to the PAC. Although he was not a member as some may argue or wish to believe, he clearly supported the activities of the PAC as well as that of the African National Congress. By the mid-60s when the Group Areas Act was cruelly enforced, the Imam was amongst the 1,000s who were affected by it. In 1965 the Imam and his family had to move from the Jefferson Road, Lansdowne house – where all three of his children (Shamila, Muhammed & Fatima) were born – to Repulse Road, Athlone in the Western Cape. The Imam was in a fortunate position at that time in that he was working as a sales representative for Wilson Rowntrees (the British sweet company), and was therefore financially independent and in the position to build himself a new house. He built it opposite the City and Suburban Rugby Stadium where he eventually played a crucial cementing role in Muslim-Christian relations.

A journey to Mecca

In 1968, he undertook a journey to Mecca with the main objective of reviewing his relationship with the PAC and to sort out his eldest daughter’s study programme at one of London’s educational institutions. On this journey he met the Saudi Arabian Minister of Education, Hasan `Abdullah `Ali Shaykh, to discuss matters of educational interest and he also had the opportunity of meeting King Faysal (d. 1972). After his brief stay in Riyadh he left for Cairo where he spent a few days reacquainting himself with PAC members. He addressed a conference of Muslim representatives, which was attended by the PAC and ANC. Before reaching London, he stopped over in Holland where he met the Director of the International University Exchange Fund, Lars Gunner Erickson.

Before he returned home, he was warned that the situation was getting dangerous for him as the Security Branch police were targeting him, and he was thus advised to emigrate. As his father was old and frail and not eager to move to another country, the Imam was in a dilemma. As fate would have it, the Canadian Embassy seemed to have rejected his application, and by then he realised that it was too late.

Tortured to death

The Security Branch had been slowly building up a dossier of information regarding his clandestine activities. On the morning of 28 May 1969 the Imam was summoned by the notorious Security Branch to Caledon Square. This was the Muslim 12 Rabi’al-Awwal, the day when the community was preparing to commemorate the birth of their Prophet Muhammad. Once there, he was detained by one of the Security Branch’s brutal officers, Spyker van Wyk, under Section 6 of Act 83 of 1967, referred to as the Terrorism Act. The Imam was held incommunicado for over four months (123 days) with no opportunity to see his wife and children. That day marked the end of all the activities he had undertaken with such great zeal and enthusiasm since he had assumed the responsibility of Imam.

After having met members of his congregation, Catherine Taylor of the United Party raised the Imam’s detention (under the 180 days Act) in parliament on 10 and 13 June 1969. She received a reply from the Minister of Police, Muller that ‘it was not in the public interest’ to know why the Imam was detained. Despite these efforts, the Security Branch tortured and eventually murdered him on 27 September 1969. They averred that the Imam had ‘fallen down the staircase!’

This essay was first published on The Imam Abdullah Haron Foundation’s site on Nov 19, 2018.

Pictures supplied by the Haron Family.

More stories in Issue 107

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The Swamp Flower Necklace by Hummingbird Harper is a fun and perfectly distressed handmade necklace! This piece is shorter, and features a hand embossed and painted copper pendant. Above the pendant is a beautiful Czech Glass Bead Hibiscus Flower and several other Czech Glass flower beads line the necklace itself. The chain is made with jeweler's grade copper and closes with a simple lobster clasp. This necklace is gorgeous for fall!

  • Length: 18.5 inches
  • Pendant Drop: just under 2.5 inches
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Hummingbird Harper Swamp Flower Necklace

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Future Manufacturing Hub for Powder Processes Launches

The EPSRC Future Manufacturing Hub in Manufacture using Advanced Powder Processes, MAPP, was launched yesterday (Tuesday 31 January) at the University of Sheffield.

MAPP is a £20m research hub led by the University of Sheffield and brings together expertise from the Universities of Leeds, Manchester, Oxford, and Imperial College London, together with 17 industry partners and the UK’s High Value Manufacturing Catapult.

MAPP aims to realise the potential of advanced powder processes to provide low energy, low cost and low waste high-value manufacturing routes and products to secure UK manufacturing productivity and growth.

The launch event brought together 150 delegates from industry, universities, Catapults centres and sponsors. MAPP director and RAEng chair, Professor Iain Todd gave an overview of MAPP’s vision and how it aims to address the challenges and opportunities surrounding advanced powder processes through an ambitious interdisciplinary research programme.

Professor Todd explained: “It’s an exciting time for powder based processes with new opportunities opening up rapidly in a range of key sectors including aerospace, energy, automotive and healthcare. However, there are still some fundamental scientific issues to be addressed before these technologies can be adopted more widely.

“MAPP brings together leading UK researchers, industry and the High Value Manufacturing Catapult to achieve right first time manufacturing for advanced powder processes and develop the next-generation of manufacturing technologies. The EPSRC Future Manufacturing Hubs are key element in our approach to tackling the UK’s productivity gap and solving some of the longer term challenges faced by the UK’s manufacturing industry.”

Professor Iain Todd speaking at the launch event - image courtesy of MAPP.
Professor Iain Todd speaking at the launch event – image courtesy of MAPP.

Presentations from MAPP’s academic partners highlighted how leading-edge research is being applied to provide new insights on advanced powder processes and how this new understanding is leading to improved outcomes for UK manufacturing.

Professor Peter Lee, from the University of Manchester and the Research Complex at Harwell, spoke about how experiments at the UK’s Diamond Light Source are providing new information on the fundamental physics and chemistry of technologies such as additive layer manufacturing, and professor Andrew Bayly, from the University of Leeds, discussed how physical models can give a better understanding of the dynamic behaviour of powders in processes and some of the challenges associated with powder processing.

MAPP brings together industry partners from two key UK sectors, aerospace and energy, and across the full supply chain. Presentations from MAPP’s industry partners will outline the opportunities for advanced powder processes, some of the challenges which need to be overcome, and how the research in MAPP, together with aligned programmes funded by industry and the UK government, are overcoming the challenges and delivering benefit for UK productivity and growth.

Speakers from MAPP’s industry partners included: Dr Alison Wagland, technology manager at Johnson Matthey; Rob Sharman, global head of Additive Manufacturing at GKN Aerospace; and Dr Phil Carroll, chief executive officer of LPW Technology.

Dr Richard France, senior business sevelopment Manager at MAPP commented: “We’ve developed a strong vision and plan for MAPP together with our industry, academic and Catapult partners. Today has given us the opportunity to share our vision and plans for MAPP with a wider network so we can start to develop new opportunities for collaboration. The breadth of sectors attending and the feedback we’ve received demonstrates the appetite and need for MAPP.”


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megan-spencer-logo_circle-largeDear Meditation Friends – Happy New Year!

Welcome to the very first issue of my Meditation E-News! 2016 was a busy year for me, both as a teacher of Mindfulness Meditation and continuing my studies and professional development…

Some highlights in a year of many: in Bendigo, (regional Victoria, Australia) I had the pleasure of leading two beautiful Sunday morning sessions of ‘moving meditation’ with a lovely group of local women in a beautiful botanical park. I presented my workshop Mindfulness and Meditation at Work at The School of Life in Melbourne – an amazing space for learning and meeting lovely people!

And in Berlin I joined forces with MBSR Teacher Signe Glahn, to co-teach eight consecutive weeks of guided mediation drop-in sessions, meeting another brilliant group of people in the process. We called it ‘Open Your Heart‘.

Continuing my professional development, I completed a second module of MBSM Teacher Training at The Gawler Foundation in Australia, and also undertook Mindful Self-Compassion classes for the first time – both in a 10-week online course, and also in a 5-day MSC Intensive in Amsterdam. Incredibly challenging, and incredibly rewarding!

Pursuing this pathway further, in April I will undertake MSC Teacher Training. Of course paying clear, close and kind attention to our experience is important, but I believe that taking good care of ourselves and embodying self-compassion, is essential.

My aim is to be equipped to teach MSC in in addition to Mindfulness Meditation.

* * *

“Thank you both so much for a lovely and inspiring day! Your gentleness and sensitivity made it a safe space for us all, and it was really beautiful to hear such authentic truths from everyone. It feels great to have self-care approved and encouraged. The day was a joy.” – Tatyana, 2016 Express Yourself participant

BERLIN | After the successful 2016 trial of the ‘Express Yourself‘ one-day mindfulness, movement, creativity and expression workshop, Grinberg Method Practitioner Hanna Nordqvist and I have announced two new dates for it in 2017: Saturday March 4 & Saturday May 13.

Earlybird bookings are now open for both dates, with a further discount if you bring a friend! Places are very limited (10 per workshop).
 Full details for the Express Yourself workshops are at this link with terms and conditions here.  Registrations are by email.

We received very positive responses from the participants of our 2016 ‘beta’ workshop, for what was another rewarding professional collaboration! Hanna and I  are very much looking forward to the new dates and meeting new participants.
 We have a growing community on Facebook and Berlin Meet Up, and we’re also looking into teaching the workshop in Amsterdam.

“Thank you for sharing your mindfulness knowledge with us. I have received more from the course than I thought possible.
 It’s the beginning of a profound change.” – Fiona, Open Your Heart meditation, 2016.

BERLIN | After a rewarding and warmhearted collaboration in 2016, Signe Glahn and I have decided to continue our teaching partnership into 2017.

On Sunday January 22, 2017, we are offering the Open Your Heart Day Retreat, a day of gentle reflection and guided meditation practices, both seated and moving. Held in a beautiful and tranquil setting in Kreuzberg, this is a unique opportunity to get in touch with the need for inner stillness and reflection we all carry, but often don’t make the time for.

Tickets are at the special introductory price of 35€.
 Again, places are extremely limited (10 only). Registrations are by email. Full details are at this link, with terms and conditions here. Consider joining our communities on Facebook  and Berlin Meet Up. Start the New Year off with a ‘pause’ instead of the craziness we’ve become accustomed to!

“Resonating. Reaffirming. Educational. Mind Opening. Healing. Thank you.” – TSOL workshop participant, Melbourne, 2016

BERLIN | On Saturday March 11, 2017, I’ll be presenting (in English) my workshop Mindfulness & Meditation At Work at The School of Life Berlin, at their lovely room in Prenzlauerberg.

Tickets for this 4-hour workshop are on sale now, with TSOL Berlin offering discount rates for early bookings up to five weeks ahead. It pays to register early!

AUSTRALIA | I will also run this workshop at The School of Life in Australia, firstly in Sydney on Wednesday 12th April at 6.00pm, and again in Melbourne on Saturday April 15 from 10.00am. Tickets for both dates will go on sale very soon on their respective websites (Sydney, Melbourne). The event sold out extremely quickly when I presented it in Melbourne in April 2016.

The workshop received a very high participant feedback rating and excellent testimonials. It is a joyful and special experience teaching this workshop at The School of Life – a fantastic place to listen and learn, both as a participant and and as a teacher!

BENDIGO | Watch this space for more meditation events in Bendigo, Australia, March-April!

“I believe that meditation and mindfulness are the next big public health revolution.” – Dan Harris

Around this time last year I gave an interview to betahaus  co-working space in Berlin about why I thought mindfulness and meditation could be of such benefit in the workplace. The post also includes a link to Dan Harris and Katy Daviss gorgeous wee animation, “Why Mindfulness Is A Superpower” (above) – I seriously love it! And agree!

Next to its specific application to creativity, mindfulness practice in the workplace – both formally and informally – is a particular interest of mine. The online Q&A is also very relevant to the workshop I’ll be presenting at The School of Life in Germany and Australia.

* * *

Please feel free to get in touch if you have any further queries about these events – and also to share them with anyone you think might benefit from these programs.

Let’s make 2017 a year filled with kindness, care and compassion – for ourselves, loved ones, and strangers.