text:
Click on the book covers below to access the digital resources

Learn U: A Short Devotional for Getting to Know Yourself

For about a decade, I served as a faculty member and administrator at a major Christian university in Virginia.  During those years, I came into contact with some pretty extraordinary teachers and students.  These countless souls ended up being used by God to teach me much more about myself than I ever taught anyone as an English composition and Earth science professor.  In fact, as I look back on those years, I fondly recall three specific life lessons I learned.  I want to pass these lessons on to you in the form of this three-day introspection, Learn U: A Short Devotional for Getting to Know Yourself.  I hope you enjoy this devotional, and, more importantly, I hope it spurs lasting and positive change in your life.

Two-Week Turnaround cover.jpg
Two-Week Turnaround: A 15-Day Devotional for Perspective

So many times in life, we find ourselves at a crossroads--a place where we want change, but we don’t know how to make it happen.  Maybe you’re going through a difficult time in your life right now; maybe you’re experiencing relationship, career, or financial problems.  Or maybe you’re just feeling the tug to do something different with your life.  Whatever the crossroads, I want you to take this 15-day devotional challenge.  I’m not proposing that this short devotional exercise will change your life, but I bet it will change your perspective.  And sometimes all we need to catalyze life change is a perspective check.

LLOP Book Cover 2.jpg
Living Life on Purpose: A Practical Guide

Who doesn’t want to live a life of purpose?  In fact, ask the average person what he/she wants out of life, and you will most likely hear something like, “I want to live with purpose!  I want my life to have direction and focus, and I want to make a difference in the lives of others.”  People want to know where they are going; they want definitive goals and objectives.  But developing these goals and objectives is much harder than it seems, especially if you don’t possess a success mindset. In this short book, then, we will define purpose, examine the common obstacles to a purpose-filled life, talk about the essential elements of a success mindset, and give you some tools to start on your journey toward finding purpose.

Antidote: A Blog-Length Guide for Overcoming Toxic Leadership

earth science lab manual.jpg
Elements of Earth Science Laboratory Manual

The lab manual features a unique approach to earth-science education. Whereas most academic earth-science publications demonstrate old-earth and evolutionary commitments, Elements of Earth Science Laboratory Manual and Kit promotes a decidedly young-earth creationist worldview, while at the same time adhering to the principles and practices of “good science.” This is truly a laboratory and kit like no other! Featuring beautiful color images throughout, Elements of Earth Science Laboratory Manual and Kit is comprised of 16 chapters that include student friendly pedagogical features such as purpose statements, learning objectives, material lists, laboratory overviews, definitions, quiz questions in various formats (multiple choice, true/false), and Scripture-focused vignettes.

Cats Can't Use Glue

Have you ever seen a cat use glue? The idea is quite ludicrous. But what if cats could use glue? What would happen? This book takes the reader into a world only the imagination could create-a place where our furry friends do the unimaginable and the unexpected. If cats had the ability to use glue, this book explores the outlandish results, and it does so in a humorous, lighthearted, and poetic way. With attractive tempo, rhyme, and imagery, it is sure to bring your children many hours of enjoyment.

strategies book cover.jpg
Strategies: A Research-Based Approach for Academic Success, Personal Development and Spiritual Growth

Strategies: A Research-Based Approach for Academic Success, Personal Development and Spiritual Growth  is designed to help you make a smooth transition to college as well as equip you with strategies for success that you can use throughout college and beyond. Its aim is to promote the academic excellence and personal development of all students. Whatever your previous educational record may have been, college is a new ballgame played on a different field with different rules and expectations. So rather than trying to figure out how to do college on your own through random trial-and- error, this book gives you a game plan for getting it right from the start. Its plan is built on a solid foundation of research that equips you with a comprehensive set of well-documented strategies for success.


Content-Type: application/http; msgtype=response

WARC-Identified-Payload-Type: text/html

WARC-Type: response

text:
AZ Instructional League

Cubs Rally to Defeat Angels at Fitch

Tony Campana had four RBI, Logan Watkins scored three runs, Josh Vitters had two doubles and a walk, and Jake Optiz smashed a double and a triple, as the Cubs rallied from a 7-3 deficit to defeat the Angels 9-7 in AZ Instructional League action this morning at Fitch Park Field #3 in Mesa.

Errors & Walks Doom Cubs in Maryvale

The Brewers took advantage of four errors and seven walks to defeat the Cubs 10-1 at Maryvale Baseball Complex Field #7 in AZ Instructional League action this afternoon in Phoenix.

While the main purpose of "Instructs" is to provide lots of coaches and instructors and a less-pressurized, more low-key environment that allows pitchers to work on a new pitch or on their secondary stuff and position players to try a new position, make adjustments as a hitter, or improve their baserunning, the fact is somedays the Cubs youngsters look better than they do on other days. And today was just not one of the good days.

warcinfo:
isPartOf: CC-MAIN-2021-39
publisher: Common Crawl
description: Wide crawl of the web for September 2021
operator: Common Crawl Admin (info@commoncrawl.org)
hostname: ip-10-67-67-177
software: Apache Nutch 1.18 (modified, https://github.com/commoncrawl/nutch/)
robots: checked via crawler-commons 1.2-SNAPSHOT (https://github.com/crawler-commons/crawler-commons)
format: WARC File Format 1.1
conformsTo: https://iipc.github.io/warc-specifications/specifications/warc-format/warc-1.1/


text:
Twists at Celine

Twists at Celine

Céline, SS13, Paris.

The Céline collection for Spring-Summer 2013 combined texture plays with slouched silhouettes to create garments that felt simultaneously luxurious and effortless. There was a certain gravity to the collection, created in no small part through the use of large twists that folded heavy satins across the body.

The heavy “evening wear” connotations of these glossy satin fabrics was off-set by the more casual insouciance of gestures such as stray raw hems. The high shine fabrics were also broken up when twisted with matt fabrics, lines of crinoline or overlaid over fabrics of contrasting colours.

Crinoline was an unusual choice in this context, as this type of crinoline is usually used for millinery purposes.

Céline images from»

Technical images from The Cutting Class»

Recent Articles

Reverse Textiles at Guo Pei Haute Couture | The Cutting Class. Panelled dress with oversized sleeves from the SS20 Haute Couture collection.
26 Mar 2020
Reverse Textiles at Guo Pei Haute Couture
Guo Pei, SS20, Haute Couture, Paris. There are times where we want fashion to be a slightly elevated version of the everyday, and then there are times where you just...
Gathering and Ceramic Plates at Loewe | The Cutting Class. Detail of gathered fabric and ceramic plate by artist Takuro Kuwata from the AW20 collection.
13 Mar 2020
Gathering and Ceramic Plates at Loewe
Loewe, AW20, Paris. The Autumn-Winter 2020 collection by Jonathan Anderson for Loewe, featured fabric that had been draped and gathered around central ceramic disks or bold matte black central panels....
Connected Knits and Layering at Issey Miyake | The Cutting Class. AW20 Multi-coloured connected knits.
08 Mar 2020
Connected Knits and Layering at Issey Miyake
Issey Miyake, AW20, Paris. The Issey Miyake Autumn-Winter 2020 collection led by designer Satoshi Kondo, was made up of a series of smaller stories. These stories explored the "words and...


text:
George R R Martin cannot think of single good reason to finish book

AGEING multimillionaire George R R Martin has stopped writing the next Game of Thrones book while in the middle of a sentence.

Halfway through The Winds of Winter, Martin typed ’Tyrion looked darkly at’ when he suddenly realised he was already very rich and quite old.

He said: “I was a hundred thousand words into this thing where I’ve got armies in one continent, zombies in another, dragons burning things all over the place and numerous uninteresting sub-plots involving minor noblemen whose names I cannot currently recall. It is, by anyone’s reckoning, a fucking nightmare.

“I was looking at several more months of inhumanly hard graft and even then everyone is bound to slag it off as ‘unsatisfying’.

“Meanwhile it is a lovely day outside and I am an older man with more money than I can possibly ever spend.

“You tell me why I should finish this? It’s an honest question. Someone else can do it if they like, I’m cool with that.”

Martin had already spent the morning wading through a massive Excel spreadsheet listing hundreds of characters as ‘ALIVE’, ‘DEAD’ or ‘IN SOME SORT OF SKY DUNGEON’, which he has since deleted.

Nerd wrongly assumed to know about computers

A SELF-STYLED ’nerd’ is unable to fix computers, it has been confirmed.

27-year-old science fiction fan and fantasy wargamer Wayne Hayes has told his friends to stop asking him what is wrong with their laptops.

He said: “I like Star Trek, Stargate SG-1 and own a £175 scale model of the ‘marine carrier’ from Aliens. I always wear the same Millets fleece and avoid large social gatherings unless it’s a convention. That doesn’t mean I can fix your fucking computer.”

Hayes receives around six requests per week to repair computers, despite working as assistant manager in a garden centre and having no IT qualifications.

Hayes’s cousin Tom Booker said: “Of course he knows about computers, just look at him. I don’t know why he’s being so uncooperative.

“He reads these really thick books with spaceships on them so he must be able to make my iTunes work.”

However Wayne Hayes said: “I’m into technology that isn’t real, like warp drives and teleporters, because it is exciting whereas my boss’s sister’s husband’s Lexmark printer that ‘won’t do the thing’ is not.

“Some nerds know less about computers than thick-necked lager drinkers.”


text:
My Cart

Hanae Cap Sleeve Crop Top BLACK

£26.00 GBP

This open back cap sleeved crop top makes a comfortable, versatile choice for your next performance. Designed with a keyhole back and soft mesh panelling across the shoulders. The high neckline fastens with a clasp positioned at the nape of the neck.

  • Cap sleeves
  • Cropped length
  • Keyhole back with soft mesh inserts
  • High neckline
  • Nylon mix

Customer Reviews

You also Viewed


text:
What and Why?

The lens in each of your eyes lies immediately behind its pupil, the dark circle of variable size in the middle of the iris, which is a colourful shutter of muscle. If it is transparent as it should be, your pupil will appear pink in a flash photograph with you looking at the camera. Cataract, which is frosting over of your lens, diminishes this pinkness and eventually changes it to a dense white.

The function of your eyes makes contradictory structural demands that would baffle the cleverest engineer. They require precise construction, with perfectly transparent and elastic corneal skin and lenses that must be able to bounce back to exactly the same shape without permanent harm after considerable and repeated deformation, over many years. The transparent parts must resist degeneration by ultra-violet sunlight, but manage without the brisk circulation otherwise desirable for this purpose — blood vessels would spoil their transparency.

So your lenses, like your joints, put up with indirect nourishment and drainage, conveyed with the watery fluid that circulates through the front part of your eye. This fluid arises from small arteries on the front of your iris (the coloured part of your eye) and drains into veins arranged all round the lens, amongst the muscles that hold it in place. This watery fluid flows slowly around your iris through your pupil (the dark hole in its centre), and only comes into contact with the front surface of your lens. But changes of its shape (to enable you to focus near or far) help to wring spent fluid out of it and let fresh air and nourishment in. Nevertheless, its metabolism is restricted to a low level, and it is very susceptible to the same jelly-like and crystalline deposits of waste acids that cause rheumatism and arthritis.

Your lenses are therefore liable to degenerate in response to the same dietary factors which set off this crystallization in other parts of your body — heavy meat consumption in particular. But their exposure to sunlight makes them particularly liable to free radical damage, which not only stiffens their substance directly but promotes crystallization of any dissolved materials concentrated there — waste acids in particular. This only increases the degenerative tendency which shows as stiffening of the lens, irregularity of its surfaces, and loss of transparency.

All this was known by natural healers a century ago, but has been utterly rejected in favour of the exclusive use of surgery to remove the lens once it is past repair. Degeneration to that point is regarded as inevitable once it has started — so much so that cataract was recently chosen as a fair test of the effectiveness of spiritual healing.

Eye surgery is a brilliant success, but expensive and imperfect. It is as foolhardy to discard simple eye hygiene in its favour as to stop washing cars, just because neglected bolt-on bodywork can so easily be replaced!

What can I do?

1. If the optician or your doctor notices that you have cataract or confirms your own suspicions, take remedial steps even though the changes do not yet seriously affect your vision. You should be able to stop further deterioration and may even manage to heal the damage you have already. Your main aims are to improve nutrition and cleansing, to stimulate your eye circulation, and to prevent further damage by ultra-violet exposure.

2. Start with a cleansing diet to reduce drastically your protein and fat intake. After the first month you can temper this to the diet for health (see the Diet Based on Vegetables; Food For Health is more liberal).

3. Supplement this with free radical scavengers — food-state or bionatured Vitamin C 250mg, food-state or bionatured Selenium 100microgm and food-state or bionatured Vitamin E 200IU daily — to protect your eyes from ultra-violet damage. Additional food-state or bionatured Zinc 15mg and Manganese 20mg, with one Vitamin B Complex daily, make good the deficiencies common in cataract that can prevent recovery. replete can supply these.

4. Bathe your eyes frequently and thoroughly in cool water containing a little sea salt, or use tea made of Aloe Vera or Rue. You need to open your eyes under the water and roll them through all directions of gaze, to expose every part. Repeat this four to six times daily for a minute or two.

In addition, make a point of focusing your eyes several times in and out, from near to far, during the day. This helps to keep the lenses soft and their controlling muscles toned.

5. To encourage the circulation of fluid in the front of your eye, follow this bath twice daily with a strong shower jet of cold water directly at the lightly closed lids of each eye in turn, until your eyeball just begins to ache with the cold. Then massage it firmly for one minute through your closed eyelids with the tips of two fingers, making a brisk vibratory or trembling movement. Finish with a few firm rubbing strokes across the eye from the inside corner, then in the opposite direction, moving your upper lid under the stroking finger. Repeat the entire sequence on the other eye. Do not be afraid of damaging them — eyes are a lot tougher than most people think.

6. If you wear sunglasses, make sure that they cut out ultra-violet light. Otherwise they widen your pupils to admit even more ultra-violet than usual, doing more harm than good. If they tint everything on the brown, red or yellow side, they are probably satisfactory; British Standard 2724/1987 is a reliable guarantee; products up to this standard are not necessarily more expensive. You may need to consult the salesman or an optician about non Standard products that are blue or black. If you are unsure of your present glasses, use an opaque eye-shade or broad brimmed shady hat as well or instead.

7. Never use a sun-bed or ultra-violet lamp without full eye protection.

8. If surgery is after all recommended and you decide to accept, prepare for it carefully and continue these measures fully up to the operation date — they will help ensure the best possible recovery and result.

Discussion Maximise

Sign In to Comment


text:
Limited Time Discount Offer 40%OFF - Ends in Coupon code: THE40

ACSS Certifications - Guarantee Succeed

TheExamCerts have brought an amazing ACSS certification exam product to you in the form of the ultramodern ACSS PDF Exam Questions. The students will be able to pass the ACSS certification in the first attempt after preparing from the pdf exam questions. There is real ACSS certification exam question that matches with the questions you would be solving in the examination Hall. The ACSS Certification exam product is designed for ensuring success and there is no chance of failure with full preparation.

Carry Your ACSS Exam Preparation with You

Are you daily routine hectic that you cannot pay attention to learn? It is true with most of us that our busy schedules do not allow us to spend time in studying. The Updated product by ACSS exam preparation is an exciting gift for all the people who fall in this category. The ACSS certification exam has the property of easy download at any kind of device and the user can use the test in remote locations. There is no restriction of a certain venue; the learner can study the ACSS exam everywhere and anywhere.

Buy ACSS Exam With Free 90 Days Updates

TheExamCerts has the rights of making any kind of the changes or modification according to the requirement seen from time to time. If the Avaya update the syllabus, the scenario of learning and practicing also changes. The inclusion or exclusion of ACSS exam questions has the high impact on the performance of students. The students need not worry about the ACSS system as the company will inform the entire group of a customer in case of any modification in the ACSS certification exam.

New & Updated Exams

  • Cisco
  • CompTIA
  • IBM
  • Microsoft
  • Oracle
  • SAP


text:
• Putting an end to Fibromyalgia
  • Mon - Sat 8.00 - 18.00.

The Brutal truth- A full Fibro recovery

Its normally me who writes these kind of blogs on my clients, but when I asked Heather if she would write a paragraph, she pretty much wrote the whole blog for me 😀 Although not every client will make a total, full Fibro recovery, as some have issues such as bakers cysts, some actually turn out to be fairly deep into the EDS spectrum and other things can be present that make it very hard.  Age I believe is a big part of it, as well as a persons own beliefs, however there is not a single person reading this who couldn’t help themselves to creating a better standard of living.

Fibro is a culturally adopted label. Its not a disease; but a syndrome; a collection of symptoms. A lot of people with the Fibro label have similar symptoms (partly because a large percentage are actually hypermobile).

Fibro is not a disease, it does not affect your eyes, it does not have stages and it is not genetic. Is the fatigue and the pain people who have the Fibro label experience real? Absolutely! Is fibro anything more than a label…the answer is no.

Since 2012 there has been over 9000 research papers published on fibromyalgia, so research is not lacking. However we are no further forward to a “cure” than we were 20 years ago. You will not find the cause of fibromyalgia through an MRI scan, a blood test, nor an X-ray because there is no pathological cause, because it’s not a disease. If you are reading this on your phone, imagine you smash your phone on the floor, as you sift through all of the hardware, the circuit board, the screen, etc, how long will you have to look until you find a text message? Forever I’d imagine, as text messages are software and you are looking at hardware. As Fibro is not a disease, it means there is no cure! Recovery however is completely possible if you decided to do a little research and realise that “Fibro”, despite causing horrendous amounts of pain, is not some omnipotent demon, hell bent on destroying you through degenerating your organs. It is a label and the pain you experience is complex and designed for protection.

Pain is complex and is a multifactorial experience, pain is the body’s software. Generally , looking at a MRI scan for the cause of Fibro  (or indeed most chronic pain) is like looking at the circuit board of your phone, trying to find your text messages, good luck hunting because you won’t find anything. Do people with Fibro seem to have bad posture? Yes. Is this a cause? Not really! Posture is more of an effect, its more emotionally driven. How many depressed people do you know who walk tall as they walk the streets? How many people in pain do you know who walk tall? Pain changes everything, from how you interact with friends, how you move and even how you talk. Will people with a Fibro label have low vitimin D? Yes more than likely, if you’re in pain you won’t leave the house very much. Many of the things people in pain have in common are effects rather than cause. Yet many of the so called support groups online push Fibro as a disease and in turn, limit not only themselves, but those seeking support in recovering. If you have been on the my page a while, then you know I created it for a singular purpose, to chronicle the people I work with to show people that actually, recovery, getting your life back or whatever you want to call it…is completely possible. Like I have said a million times before, once you remove the people who are actually hypermobile, you are left with a group of people (myself included years ago) who are completely different  “symptom” wise and can make full recoveries. Heather is incredible because not only has she smashed a full recovery, she is also hypermobile!

You can take what I say at face value, perhaps you will use it to see a path forward that you may of not been aware of. Or what I say will really piss you off and you cling to your own biases and nothing will change.

I don’t say these words to anger people, I just want people to see that sometimes what they believe, is not true. I know we all want validation that our pain is real and a Fibro diagnosis gives that. I am not saying you are not in pain, I’m simply saying it isn’t because of Fibro.

What you do with this information is up to you, it makes no difference to how I work with people or how I educate them. But if just one person reading this can see a way to change their life, then I am happy.

“I was diagnosed with fibromyalgia during my last pregnancy and hadn’t found anything during the 5 years that have passed that would help ease my pain and chronic fatigue so I could function “normally” . I went from working 70+ hours a week, while also running a children’s charity in my spare time as well as studying at uni. I had to stop working, stop the charity work and put my studies on hold.
I had refused to take the awful medication the dr wanted me to try as I believed in helping my body heal, not drugging it.
I came across Adam’s Facebook page and sent an enquiry to see if my symptoms could be helped and in September this year (2017) I began my training sessions and whilst I was hoping it would eventually help I was NOT prepared for how quickly my body responded!!!
I won’t lie… it’s HARD… and Adam is evil 😎 but he clearly knows what is needed to get results and I did exactly as I was instructed and by the second week I not only had a night out 😱 but I had no pain despite being outside, standing around and wasn’t cold! This was a very surreal experience but I expected to be in agony the following day as any sort of social event would have had me bed bound the following day. WELL the next morning I woke up pain free! It was the first morning in almost 5 years where I hadn’t reached for my pain meds before even getting out of bed!!
Since then my symptoms continue to diminish, to the point where I can have a night out and not have to take medication with me, as well as going a full day without needing any medication at all! My energy levels are back to pre fibro levels and I am able to work full time and not be in agony and can also manage my uni studies again…….
I really can’t thank Adam enough for his ongoing support and he is always on hand to give me help, advise and moral support and whilst the sessions are physically and emotionally hard, we also have a laugh and I throughly enjoy my training and have no plans to stop attending altogether once my 8 weeks training plan is up :)”

6 Replies to “The Brutal truth- A full Fibro recovery”

  1. Brilliant. Well done both of you. x

    1. Thanks ❤

  2. I do not understand your viewpoint on Fibromyalgia. If a person who is diagnosed with this condition, and naturally, they are in pain, what is the pain due to? What do you attribute the nerve pain, tremors, digestive issues, sleep issues, dry skin, severe itching, and allodynia to? There are many experts in the field who would disagree with you. I am just trying to understand your perspective. My daughter and I have both been diagnosed with this condition. I am tired all the time, have pain, and tremors. I would love to have my life back! But I feel that what you are saying is that what we are experiencing is not real. I hope I am wrong!

    1. Hi Tonja,

      Not all, infact at several points in the blog I reaffirm that the pain people experience is real, just that fibromyalgia is not pathological cause, it’s a label.
      Every person you know with Fibro also has a sink in their kitchen, so does this mean that it’s cause IBS itching? No, just because something correlates doesn’t always imply causation.

      The majority of people with Fibro are misdiagnosed hypermobility sufferers. With connective tissue being very abundant in the body, you find that those with lax connective tissue generally have systemic problems.

      Pain is real, however making the label that is Fibro into some sort of causation to every problem limits people’s recovery and is generally just a nocebo.

      Warm regards

  3. That’s NOT what Adam is saying,
    There’s is no cure as there is no fibro… it may be what the medical professionals have named it but that doesn’t mean it is correct
    The PAIN, the FATIGUE, the DISLOCATIONS ARE VERY VERY VERY real but this is what we need to focus on resolving not just hiding behind a title as it’s easier to do that than work hard to get better
    Believe me I’ve tried regular physio and I was in agony afterwards, bed bound for days actually but what Adam does is target the specific issues that are causing the pain and helping the body be more efficient in how it deals with the stresses of day to day living.
    I tried everything going except the strong pain medications the drs wanted me on and nothing worked, I was starting to look at mobility scooters and walking aids that’s how bad my pain was yet after 2 weeks of putting 100% faith (and a lot of swear words) in Adam I was feeling better. I’m still amazed at how quickly I responded to what we did… it I was at the point of I had nothing to loose by trying and boy am I glad I did!!

  4. Hello Adam
    I am pleased that you have managed to improve your health, I hope this continues for you.
    My son suffers from a severe form of ME/CFS and has been bed bound for 15 years. I wonder if your regime could be adapted for him without any risk of exacerbating his symptoms?

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published.

You may use these HTML tags and attributes:   <acronym title="">
      <q cite=""> <s>

Hi, How Can We Help You?


text:
• Putting an end to Fibromyalgia
  • Mon - Sat 8.00 - 18.00.

End Of Year Review 2017 – Looking back at a hell of a year!

As another year comes to a close, I take a trip down memory lane and revisit some of the amazing people I have worked with this year. I have a look at how much they have changed their lives, and how 2017 has been in general.  I’ll take a look at the various projects I embarked on and take a look at the ups and downs of this year. This is also the second full year I have taken “The Fibro Guy ” to social media. I’m still blown away by all the support and positive comments, it’s truly appreciated!

2017 has been incredible, but it definitely came at a cost.  This year has been one of the most exhausting, both physically and mentally, I’ve had in a very long time!

This has been the year that I’ve finally managed to figure out a lot of things that I didn’t understand. In the middle of this year, I made several changes to the way that I operate and it practically doubled the success rate with clients. I also figured out that I’d been a little too obsessed with certain things in the programme and, whilst checking my biases, I managed to move away from them, be objective and figure a lot of things out. It’s because of this that you may have noticed a huge behavior shift in the demeanor of the page. I’ve moved away from raising awareness and I am now not concerned with raising awareness and more concerned with showing that a complete recovery is actually possible. This year (especially from August onwards) I’ve been steadily cranking out some solid, consistent, FULL recovery cases. Would you believe it though, the pure hatred I’ve had directed at me because of this, because I’m actually trying to show people that they don’t have to live in pain, it’s ridiculous…”We want help” yet you try to give it, they don’t want to know unless it requires no effort or as long as it comes in pill form…

Coming soon I am going to post my first and last rant this year, which is mainly going to centre on this deeply flawed petition that is currently spreading hopelessness, highly inaccurate information and being what I can only call a ‘nocebo’ for anyone who actually wants to get better. Once that’s out, the only things in this year’s blogs and on the page are success stories. I’m actually going to make a conscious effort this year so that I have more photos and videos and posts. 2018 is going to be the year of autonomy for the Fibro Guy and the year that there are too many people who get better, that it cant be ignored 🙂

Several of my clients have been in the press this year. This is fantastic as it helps to spread the message that everyone can do something to help themselves!

Kriss – Fibromyalgia and Ehlers-Danlos Syndrome (Hypermobility type, with vascular crossover).

I first met Kriss in March 2017, her mobility was incredibly poor and she was still struggling after her lungs had collapsed the year before. Kriss relied on a smart crutch to get around and was in a very bad place. What Kriss achieved, I could never put into words, so please watch the news piece that ITV News did on her to really do her justice— Watch here   Kris is is back to work full time and is doing just great!

Kriss was the first client  this year to be featured  in the northeast local newspaper, the Chronicle and several nationwide publications! Kriss was a pleasure to work with and like all my clients, I would like to consider her a lifelong friend. Together we even featured on the local radio and shared her story on ITV news to over 2.5 million people 🙂

Lisa – Fibromyalgia

After a freak accident in 2014, involving a blow to the head from a falling can of hairspray, Lisa slowly began to suffer from chronic pain, loss of movement in her neck and rapidly lost her mobility, eventually ending up in a wheelchair. Lisa’s progress over 5 weeks of her programme gained media attention and is truly inspirational as she went from a wheelchair to superwoman! I’m still working with Lisa and I’m looking forward to seeing what 2018 brings her, as our aims are to get Lisa driving again and returning back to work! Its been again, a pleasure to work with Lisa and I’m truly warmed at how wonderful her family has been throughout her journey. Lisa’s mum, Sue, always brings me food, as she knows I don’t ever get time to have a dinner break (my own mother didn’t even do that lol). A lovely family, and I’m looking forward to seeing what next year brings 🙂

You can watch Lisa’s video journey here.

You can read Lisa’s Newspaper article here.

Fibromyalgia recovery

Debra – Fibromyalgia

After being diagnosed by one of the UK’s top rheumatologists, 51-year-old Debs spent nearly 8 years in chronic pain along with having crushing fatigue. In October 2017, she answered my post asking for a volunteer to work with me for free and we recorded Debs full recovery from fibromyalgia as a mini-documentary, which was later picked up by the press. You can read Debs story here or you can watch her recovery here. Like every year, I always do at least one volunteer programme. It gives someone the opportunity to come and work with myself for free and it allows me to a chance to tweak anything I’ve been wanting to change in the programme or its delivery.  After talking to Deb for an hour, I knew how well she would do and I couldn’t wait to get started on the mini-documentary. Again, another lifelong friend I’d like to think I made there 🙂

I’ve had to say goodbye to a lot of clients this year

I’m not a huge fan of the many manual therapies out there that require multiple weekly treatment sessions which end up being incredibly expensive. I have few clients that I’ve had for a while, others I see for a few years, others a few months and some a few weeks. Every client is different and they can stay with me along as they wish, but the long-term goal is always to allow people to go back into the world with the knowledge and the tools to keep themselves right after our sessions have finished.  There are far too many of you this year that it’s just not possible to mention everyone, but I hope you all realise that each one of you brought and left little piece of yourself that made me love our sessions and time together and it remains still in the studio 🙂

I thought in 2016 that I did a lot of workshops, but it came nowhere close to 2017.  I have had people from all over the country travel up to Newcastle to take part. I’ve even had a few travel overseas to come to the studio! I’ve held workshops in a lot of city’s this year such as Aberdeen, Edinburgh, Manchester, Coventry, Southampton, Northampton, Cardiff, Glasgow, Canterbury, and Leeds. Workshops will always prove to be complicated as I only get 3 hours, 1:1 with people. This obviously isn’t how I prefer to work as I need to tweak things as we go along, and it means that I cant apply the psychological aspects of the programme, but despite this, for those who have taken part in the workshops who strictly adhered to what I asked them to do,  they had some pretty amazing results!!

But, this year I won’t be doing any more trips to cities (other than ones already booked) and I have severely cut Sunday workshops in Newcastle as this year I have a lot of projects in the pipeline and I’ve promised myself that ill actually going to take some weekends off this year. With so many workshops done,  I’ve picked one from the start of the year, one from the middle and one from the end of the year.

Mairi – Fibromyalgia

Mairi came down to Newcastle for a workshop in early 2017 and has done absolutely brilliant! She’s not skipped a beat and has followed everything to the letter and I couldn’t be prouder.

A few years ago I was very reluctant to do individual workshops as it meant I couldn’t monitor people, introduce people to pain science or modify things like I can during 1:1 sessions. But, I went ahead and started them and over the years there have been some awesome results.  People generally send at minimum a text or email a week, ask questions and let me know how they are getting on. I tell each person the same thing “you have my services until you don’t need them anymore” Most workshops go brilliantly like Mairi’s, she’s texted every week and has followed everything to the letter. It’s honestly so amazing what a little bit of education on pain, changing beliefs and changing movement patterns does. Mairi is also a Psychologist and after been astounded at her own full Fibro recovery, reached out and we are now co-writing a book together. I’ve met up with Mairi twice this year, once when I was doing the Edinburgh workshops and last week when Mairi came down to Newcastle, so I’m looking forward to getting this book finished and having an in-depth, backed by science, book on how to recover, from not only my point of view, but Mairi’s from both client and a psychologist. 🙂

Amanda – Fibromyalgia Amanda even made a home gym 🙂

“I was first diagnosed with Fibromyalgia in the early 1990’s, after about 6 years I would have said I had recovered. I lived a busy active life until the summer of 2014 when I became poorly again. I searched for ‘the thing’ that would fix me, going to lots of doctors, therapists and alternative therapists. When I first contacted Adam I was barely able to get up and down the stairs, could only walk short distances and was off work, again! After following The Fibro Guy on Facebook I had read about one of his clients who had gone from using a wheelchair to being able to run and I just had to get to see him. My husband and I traveled over to Newcastle from Belfast; I was panicking how I would get through the airport. As soon as I met Adam I felt so comfortable, he listened to my story and explained his. It felt amazing just to speak to someone who understood and who had been through the same problems but could offer some hope. When I left my workshop I felt lighter than air, I was walking better and had so much confidence in the programme I was about to start. After my 1st session at home I felt great and faithfully did the programme for several weeks. I had more energy and very little pain. This is where i admit I fell off the wagon! I think I got cocky as I went back to work. I forgot some of Adams lessons; of course, I was going to be tired, I was doing loads! As pain began to creep in after a couple of weeks, I did 1 ‘pin and press’ session and the pain went. This is as all I needed; this stuff really works! I got back on the wagon and finished the last stage of the programme. I am now feeling good, back at work and maintaining physical activity a few times a week. I’m so grateful to Adam, he supported throughout the programme ready with an encouraging word or a kick up the behind! Adam has changed my life, I’d encourage anyone to give to a go. It’s not easy but it is more than worth doing.”

Cat- ME/CFS and Hypermobility

A huge well done to Cat!!

Cat came up to Newcastle for a workshop in November and has worked tirelessly since then. We have kept in contact while working remotely and I’m incredibly proud that things are coming together for her! Cat’s gone from hardly being able to get up the stair to now back running!

I even managed to catch up with both Rebecca and Dianne (older workshops) who I mentioned in last years end of year review to see how they were doing

Danne – Fibromyalgia and Hypermobility

Dianne came to Newcastle for a 3 hour workshop in late 2016 and came walking into the studio on crutches. She was plagued with chronic fatigue and constant knee, back and hip pain. After 5 weeks Dianne had informed PIP to tell them of her change in circumstance after she ditched her crutches and returned back to work. But the best part of the programme, Dianne says, is that she can now walk her children to school whilst holding their hands.

Update- More than a year on Diane continues to live her life to the fullest. After climbing mount Juicc, she is now an avid walker.

Rebecca – Fibromyalgia.

Rebecca traveled down from Scotland for a 3-hour workshop after I visited her local fibro support group to guest speak. Rebecca told
me that everything I had talked about at her group had really made her think about her condition. After years of becoming more and more frustrated with her fatigue, hip and back pain she had made the decision to come and see me at the studio. I had 3 hours face to face with Rebecca to assess her and get to know her, and she left the same day with a programme designed for her. Today, she has much more energy. Her back and hip pain has gone and she has returned back to work as an Occupational Therapist. More than 6 months on, Rebecca is an avid powerlifter!

Online Course

Although there is no way to replicate my 1:1 programmes for a video programme, I did, however, manage to create an in-depth, movement-based and education course.

This programme has allowed me to do what I originally wanted to do with the graded exercise DVD, which is to focus more on the poor movement patterns of those in chronic pain and introduce a huge educational element; dispelling many of the myths of posture and misalignment that stop people recovering. The online programme consists of pre-recorded instructional videos sessions which you follow twice a week, pain education and access to myself for as long as you need it on the course. Before starting the programme you will complete two weeks of foundation exercises, wherein you will learn how to pin and press, learn about pain and learn how to create descending inhibition. My aims for you whilst on the course are to achieve the following:

  1. Create an insight and understanding into how pain is made and more importantly….why!
  2. Disregard and overcome subconscious fears of movement.
  3. Learn how to, and regularly, create a descending inhibition response for pain (start to turn down the pain response).
  4. Become comfortable with movement and start to return to activities you once enjoyed.
  5. Finish the course with less pain and fatigue, being able to commit to dates without fear of flare-ups.
  6. Most of all, have fun and learn along the way!

You can find out more here.

I learned about Parsons Turner Syndrome

Alison came through doors with something I’d never even heard of before…..Parsons Turner Syndrome. Considering we both had no idea what to expect working together, but she’s actually doing incredibly well!

Parsonage-Turner syndrome (PTS) is an uncommon neurological disorder characterized by rapid onset of severe pain in the shoulder and arm. This acute phase may last for a few hours to a few weeks and is followed by wasting and weakness of the muscles (amyotrophy) in the affected areas. PTS involves mainly the brachial plexus; the networks of nerves that extend from the spine through the neck, into each armpit, and down the arms. These nerves control movements and sensations in the shoulders, arms, elbows, hands, and wrists. Other nerves in the arm or even the leg can also be involved. The exact cause of PTS is unknown, but it is believed to be caused by an abnormality of the immune system (immune-mediated disorder). The severity of the disorder can vary widely from one individual to another due, in part, to the specific nerves involved. Affected individuals may recover without treatment, meaning that strength returns to the affected muscles and pain goes away. However, individuals may experience recurrent episodes. Some affected individuals may experience residual pain and potentially significant disability.

However, months down the line, Alison is actually doing incredible. We are still working on a few shoulder restrictions and other things, but she’s been discharged from the Neurologist and her diaphragm is working again, she’s mobile and the pain is massively down 🙂

Read about Ali here.

The Smiths came to visit

With doing this job for as long as I have, I’ve met and worked with a tonne of people and have made so many friends whilst doing so. But by far my favourite family is the Smiths 🙂

Whilst sat eating my dinner in between clients one day in September, I received a phone call. Now anyone who knows me will tell you the chance of me picking up are pretty slim, as I’m with people all day. However, for some unknown reason, I did. To my surprise, it was Elaine (Mrs Smith), but unfortunately, it wasn’t good news. Laurens’ esophagus has ceased to work properly and as a result, she had to me PEG feed and ended up losing a considerable about of weight, ended back up in the wheelchair and starting to weaken. Her shoulder and hip were both out and she had been to the hospital again for pain relief whilst professionals tried to get her hip back into place.

Elaine wanted to know what they could do to stop Laurens hip dislocating and I advised. I sent some online videos, and I hoped they would suffice. We saw a little progress, but Lauren had some problems with doing a few of the movements. This always happens online with certain movements. I can literally teach anyone how to do them pain-free, but, certain ones I feel need me there to reassure people as they have difficulty with them. I have a lot of time for Lauren and her family, they are genuinely nice people. The kind of people who would give you their last Rolo, as I like to say 🙂 I knew if I could get Lauren to the studio for 4 hours over 5 days (4 sessions), we could really see some progress. At the time, I had just had a few more people leave and go back to work so my diary wasn’t as busy as it normally is. This seemed like the perfect time! I could easily squeeze 4 hours in and that’s just what we did. You can read the full story and see the videos here.

I kept getting asked to see some behind the scenes footage

Late this year I looked through my emails and saw that a lot of people had asked to see some “behind the scenes footage” of the people on the page, as they only really got to see the before and after stuff. So, with that being asked, I came up with a plan!

In early October 2017, I asked for a volunteer to work with me for 8 weeks and to document their journey towards a full recovery from Fibromyalgia. I got what I asked for!! Debra, who was first diagnosed 6 years ago, answered my call. Over the next 8 weeks Debra kept a home video diary, we took footage in the studio and we documented Debs full Fibromyalgia recovery. This is Debra’s recovery from fibromyalgia.

Its been a crazy, non-stop, frustrating, rewarding, admin nightmare of a year, but I wouldn’t have it any other way

So with the end of 2017, comes the fresh start to do it all again, bigger, better and with more passion. 2018 is going to be the year of autonomy for the Fibro Guy, the year I expand and set up studio elsewhere and the year that there are too many success stories that it cant be ignored 🙂

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published.

You may use these HTML tags and attributes:   <acronym title="">
      <q cite=""> <s>

Hi, How Can We Help You?


text:
Kalashnikov Concern Tools Up for Mass Production of Lebedev Pistol

    Kalashnikov Concern Tools Up to Mass Produce the Lebedev Pistol (1)

    According to Kalashnikov Concern and TASS Russian News Agency, the Izhevsk Mechanical Plant (a subsidiary of Kalashnikov Concern) is preparing for the mass production of Lebedev pistols in the foreseeable future.

    Kalashnikov Concern Tools Up to Mass Produce the Lebedev Pistol (2)

    Kalashnikov Concern and Udmurtia government officials during the opening ceremony of a new facility in Izhevsk Mechanical Plant

    This announcement was done by Alexander Gvozdik, the managing director of Izhevsk Mechanical Plant,  during a ceremony of opening a new woodworking facility in the plant. Both the opening of the new facility and setting up the Lebedev pistol manufacturing are part of a large investment plan which total sum is 5 billion rubles ($88 million) and will be completely accomplished by the end of next year.

    The design of the Lebedev pistol will get final refinements and put through testings soon. The company officials didn’t tell anything about the date when the production of the pistols will start. Whether it will be produced for export or for domestic adoption is not disclosed either.

    Kalashnikov Concern Tools Up to Mass Produce the Lebedev Pistol (11)

    The first version of Lebedev Pistol was called PL-14 and it was introduced back in 2015. Later, in 2016 they released the updated version of the pistol called PL-15. A year later, in ARMY 2017 arms exhibition, the final iteration of the PL-15 pistol and its compact version (PL-15K) were announced.

    I think the best scenario for the company will be if they manage to get a contract of replacing the Makarov pistol. This intention was earlier speculated by a number of Russian sources. Regardless, there are no official plans to replace the good old Makarov, which despite being completely outdated is still the main service handgun both in the Russian armed forces and police.

    “Концерн «Калашников» дал старт инвестпрограмме Ижевского механического завода”. (2018, March 5). Kalashnikov Concern. Retrieved from: https://kalashnikov.com/press/news/news_436.html

    “”Калашников” в ближайшее время запустит серийное производство нового пистолета Лебедева”. (2018, March 5). TASS Russian News Agency. Retrieved from: http://tass.ru/ekonomika/5008827

    Images from: Kalashnikov.Media

    Hrachya H

    Managing Editor

    Being a lifelong firearms enthusiast, Hrachya always enjoys studying the history and design of guns and ammunition. He also writes for OvertDefense.com and SilahReport.com
    Should you need to contact him, feel free to shoot him a message at [email protected]


text:
American – $193: Washington D.C. – Denver (and vice versa). Roundtrip, including all Taxes

A good sale to/from Denver

Skyline, Denver, Colorado - Photo: Dave Dugdale via Flickr, used under Creative Commons License (By 2.0)

Skyline, Denver, Colorado – Photo: Dave Dugdale via Flickr, used under Creative Commons License (By 2.0)

Sample Travel Date:

  • April 15th – 21st

Fare Availability:

  • Valid for travel from April – May for Tuesday and Wednesday departures. Must purchase at least 21 days in advance of departure and by March 11th (TODAY)
  • Please note that while this fare is valid at time of posting, prices change constantly. If this post is two days old, the fare is likely gone.

How to Search for Availability:

Fare Class:

  • O

  • DCA – DFW (Dallas) – DEN (Denver) – DFW – DCA. Also available from/to IAD (Washington D.C. – Dulles) and BWI (Baltimore)

  • 3,658 miles or 5.3 cents per mile.

How to Book:

  • Support us by using our Priceline link to book with dates found on ITA Software Matrix Airfare Search. Make sure you enter “American” on the Airline textbox in the Advanced Flight Options section

  • TripAdvisor - One of the leading hotel meta-search engines. Find the lowest hotel prices from 200+ sites.

Car Rentals

  • Rental Cars - One of the world’s leading car rental agencies. Includes all the major brands like Hertz, Avis, Budget, Dollar, Enterprise etc.

Activities and Tours

  • Viator – The world's largest marketplace for destination activities and tours

For more of the latest cheap Washington D.C. / Baltimore Flight Deals:

* The Flight Deal will receive a commission if you use the Priceline, accommodation, car rental, activities, or travel insurance affiliate links to make a booking or apply and is approved for a credit card using our link above. Thank you for your continuing support.

To make sure you receive our latest deals, LIKE our The Flight Deal Facebook Page, follow us on Twitter @TheFlightDeal, or subscribe to The Flight Deal RSS Feed or Subscribe via Email (Once a Day)

The Flight Deal does not sell travel products or services. We provide you with information about third-party travel suppliers’ offers, and link you to their sites. The information posted by The Flight Deal is valid at the time of publication. However, we have no control over the suppliers, and we therefore do not warrant or guarantee that their offers will not change or become unavailable. Nor are we responsible for their products, services or site content. Please see their sites for their most up-to-date offer information and all applicable terms and conditions.

Stay Informed on the Latest Deals

Sign up to receive The Flight Deal Daily DealsLetter, to stay up to date with the latest and greatest flight deals available.

You might also like

No Comments

Leave a Reply


text:
URGENT DELIVERY- Express Delivery in Dubai!

Memorable 50 Roses

View Description
Product Code:  FF120812

These Fiftey appealing red roses are the supreme spirit of a luxurious romantic gesture. Set by hand and completed with luxurious gift packaging. It is, with no hesitation, a truly incredible way to demonstrate someone how much you love them. Depending on availability, components such as vase color and design, may vary.

Flower Store ships orders via Own www.TheFlowerStore.ae temperature-controlled  vans. The cut-off time for picking and shipping orders is 7 pm est, Saturday - Friday, so please choose the appropriate ship method in order to receive your order timely. If ordered before 7pm, the item can be delivered on the same day to Dubai, Sharjah & Ajman UAE and ordered before 5pm for Abu Dhabi same day delivery.

Our Products can be delivered in the United Arab Emirates to Dubai, Abu Dhabi, Sharjah and Ajman. For additional information about shipping, please visit our Shipping section or call us among 8am and 6pm. Our customer care representative will be able to assist you. For complete shipping information, click here: Shipping FAQs >>

AED 0.00

1. Select Your Item Select Your Item :
Delivering on:
Product Code: FF120812
Availability: In Stock
3 .Delivering on

It is now past 7pm,
Delivery Today kindly call customer care or chat with us live.

Call Customer Care

(04) 5531019

Working Hours:

Sunday to Saturday

8am to 9pm

The selected date (14 Feb) is closed for further bookings.
If you have special inquiry or wish to order, then please select 15 Feb Onwards.

+971 4 553 1019

Email At


text:
Register my restaurant

American With friends

Menu - 70s & 80s American Diner

Carrer de Carles Buïgas, 20, 43840 SalouSee map

Average price €25

30% off the 'a la carte' menu

Find a table

Up to -30%

Free service • Reservation confirmed immediately

YUMS x2Earn more Yums
You will earn 200 Yums by making a reservation with this restaurant.
More about Yums

à la carte

Average price €25

Dietary options

Vegetarian dishes

Main Course

Prices and dishes may change.

These prices do not include offers.

Prices shown include sales tax.

Are you a restaurant owner?

Register your Restaurant

Tell us more about you and we will contact you as soon as possible

Already a Client

Log in to TheFork Manager and contact us by Chat.

Download our App

  • Download from the App Store
  • Get it on Google Play
  • About
  • Loyalty program
  • Contact
  • Terms of Use
  • Are you a restaurant?
  • Privacy and Cookies Statement (updated)
  • Frequently asked questions
  • We are hiring
  • MICHELIN Guide Partnership

© 2021 La Fourchette SAS - All rights reserved

Promotional offers are subject to conditions displayed on the restaurant’s page. Offers on alcoholic beverages are strictly reserved for adults. Alcohol abuse is dangerous for your health. Drink with moderation.

Free serviceInstant reservation


text:
Join the 6-Month Business Mentorship

for women who want to start a freelance lifestyle and business

The Free Birds Business Mentorship is an incubator program designed to create and transform your digital freelancing into a thriving legitimate business that you can run from anywhere. Throughout the mentorship, you'll learn proven strategies to massively grow your business, find the perfect clients, make more money, create more freedom in your life, and truly love what you do - all by your own design.

Please note: the mentorship is by invite only.

join the waitlist

Is freelancing right for you?

Before you jump into the freedom-seeking lifestyle that is freelancing, take our quick quiz

What would it mean if you could...

Work from anywhere, be it home, a coffee shop, or a tiny island far, far away?

Take time when your soul needs it the most?

Make your own hours to accommodate the things you really love?

Earn an abundant living and not worry about making enough money?

And make a greater impact on your world and the world of others?

Listen to Our Founder and Freelancer Mentor

The World is Changing,
and So Should Your Career

say goodbye to the 9-to-5 and hello to your freedom
join the waitlist

The Guided Program

Month One

Designing Your Freelance Life + Business

Our first month is dedicated to getting full clarity, setting intentions, and developing the mindset to be a successful freelancer. We'll be laying the groundwork that will set you apart from the rest and help you to create a thriving and sustainable business and lifestyle.

Month Two

Finding + Landing the Perfect Clients

Confidence is the biggest profit prohibitor for freelancers. This month, we'll be overcoming fear and self-doubt to find and land clients who we love (and who love us) with proven strategies and an action plan to close like a boss.

Month Three

Moneh, Moneh, Moneh

Learn how Afton went from making $8 per hour to over $150,000 per year by growing her skills, team, and agency. PLUS, her secrets for asking and getting the money you deserve (without them batting an eyelash), by having the right body language, discussion and email scripts, and creating badass proposals.

Month Four

Keeping Clients Crazy Happy (and Wanting More)

A happy client makes a happy (and profitable) freelancer. This month, we'll be focusing on creating amazing client relationships that last, how to build a team that can support you, how to handle difficult clients, and even how to fire a client yourself (and feel great about it).

Month Five

Taking it to the Next Level

Efficiently running a freelance business is the difference between being free and stuck. This month, we'll be digging into creating productive operating procedures for your business, investing in your business, creating extra sources of revenue, knowing how + when to build your team, and how to finally go from 9-to-5 to free

Month Six

Intensive Coaching

In our final month, we'll be diving into specific issues that you're dealing with, with intensive coaching sessions and a battle plan to get you to where you want to be. It's all about accountability. No one is left behind.

Who is the mentorship for?

Freedom-seekers. Hustlers. Adventurers. Those who want to break free from the confines of the 9-to-5 and cultivate their freedom. Those who want to create a life and business by their own design.

If you're considering a career in digital freelancing, or you're excited by the opportunity to work online, then this is the program for you.

Digital freelance businesses include (but are not limited to)...

  • online business operations (virtual assistants, customer service)
  • graphic design and illustration
  • copywriting and creative writing
  • web design and development
  • digital strategy and consulting
  • social media management and marketing
  • search engine optimization
  • digital advertising
  • branding and art direction
  • product development
  • online business architecture
  • and more

We have women join every week who are excited to dive into digital freelancing, even if they don't have existing skills or experience working online. We all have to start somewhere - and this is where you need to be.

Work From Home, a Coffee Shop, or a Tiny Island Far, Far Away

What results can you expect from the mentorship?

✔ Knowing what you'll do, what services you'll offer, and what you're known for to properly position yourself in the marketplace

✔ Advanced business-building skills to make you stand out as a true professional and help you to grow for years to come

✔ Confidence to really make the money you deserve and land the clients you've always wanted

✔ Increased profits by helping you to correctly price your services, find more profitable clients and projects, and potentially create your own team

What Our Alumni are Saying

Rita V.

Social Media Strategist

"I want to thank you for the way you have moved my life and the lives of the women in the mentorship group. Thank you for pulling me up, reminding me to take time to take care of myself and giving me the confidence to grow my business."

Leslie M.

Digital Strategist, Podcaster

"Afton is an amazing mentor and provides so much value and knowledge. I have learned an incredible amount from her and the amazing community. I would recommend the mentorship to anyone needing clarity in their business to sign up."

Janis M.

Web Developer, Strategist

"As I reflect on the past months and how we've all grown together, I am so thankful. We've been through every season together, laughed, cried, celebrated, restarted. Thank you for your leadership, your love, your example and for guiding and growing with us."

Gain Clarity + Direction

Often times, we don't know what direction to go, so we stay stuck, never realizing our dreams. But what if you could gain valuable mentorship from a like-minded community? That's just what happened to Deanna, giving her clarity on her business, services, and how she's grow for years to come. And the best part? She stayed unstuck.

Make Money (on Repeat)

It's one thing to make money, but it's another thing to gain security. Throughout the mentorship, we work closely to determine how  you can create services and a business that generates recurring revenue, like Cynthia's retainer client.

Freelancers earn an average of between $65-152K USD (source)

Of those who left a "traditional job", 2 in 3 say they now make more than ever before, either immediately or within 1 year (source)

What's Included

Guided Video Lessons

Access lessons in your own time and re-watch them when you need to. Lessons are accompanied by resources and assignments to keep you on track.

Group Coaching Calls

Our weekly calls are essential to getting your questions answered, listening to solutions from the group, and being part of an amazing community of freelancers.

Tools + Templates

Map your success with downloadable planners, client-facing documents, helpful conversation scripts, project tracking sheets, agendas, and more.

One-on-One Calls

Get a one-on-one call with your mentor at the end of your mentorship to discuss your plan of action and setting intentions for the future.

Slack Community

Access our freelancer Slack workspace to connect with other freelancers and have your questions answered by your mentor in real-time.

Lifetime Portal Access

All members will have lifetime access to the materials as well as new and updated lessons and resources to help you to continue to grow.

Frequently Asked Questions

Gain the confidence and direction you need to grow a thriving and lucrative freelance business

Our first Free Birds Mentorship graduate Tahisha Robertson

How much does it cost?

Single Payment

$1,000 USD

payments also available in CAD

  • Lifetime access to all self-guided video lessons
  • Module handouts and worksheets to keep you on-track
  • Weekly LIVE group coaching calls during your 6-month mentorship
  • One-on-one deep-dive call with Afton ($150 value!)
  • High-value tools, templates, and resources
  • Lifetime Slack access to our community alumni
  • Assigned accountability partners for extra support
join the waitlist

6 Payments

$180 USD

payments also available in CAD

  • Lifetime access to all self-guided video lessons
  • Module handouts and worksheets to keep you on-track
  • Weekly LIVE group coaching calls during your 6-month mentorship
  • One-on-one deep-dive call with Afton ($150 value!)
  • High-value tools, templates, and resources
  • Lifetime Slack access to our community alumni
  • Assigned accountability partners for extra support
join the waitlist

50 Awesome Digital Freelance Businesses That You Can Start TODAY

Afton Negrea, Freelancer Mentor

Meet Our Founder

Afton has been working in digital marketing for the past decade, helping clients all around the world to have their voice heard online. As a freelancer, she's living the dream. Freedom in every sense; family, travel, and naps, lots of naps. She wants to show you how she's gained the confidence to create a purposeful business that works for her life.

As Featured On


text:
Color: Ultra Navy-Tan

100% Satisfaction or Money Back Guaranteed

Free worldwide shipping
RFID blocking
Top quality eco-friendly Italian leather
Magnetic closure
Holds up to 12 cards & 12 bills
Dimensions: 63 x 99 x 10 mm
Works with any currency
      Compare Wallets

      We are committed to your 100% satisfaction. Therefore, if you are not fully satisfied with your purchase simply send it back at no charge within 10 days after you receive it and we will give you a full refund. Keep in mind that the order has to be made on our website (not through Indiegogo), the item has to be in perfect resell conditions, and import duties or any other collection fees are refunded as store credit only. Please be aware that deciding not to pay import duties is not eligible for a full refund.

      To complete your exchange or refund, please contact us before taking any actions. We also require a receipt or a proof of purchase as well as the physical product. For any additional information please contact us at support@thefrenchieco.com.

      Late or missing refund

      If you were deemed eligible for a refund and you haven’t received a refund, please first check your bank account or contact your credit card company. It may take a few business days before your refund is officially posted. If your refund is not posted within 3-4 business days, next contact your bank. There is often some processing time before your refund is posted. If you still haven’t received your refund, please contact us at support@thefrenchieco.com

      Customer Reviews

      2Reviews Write a review

      Recently viewed


text:
Karen L. (Roberts) Nasiatka

Stone-Ladeau Funeral Home

Karen L. (Roberts) Nasiatka

Winchendon - Karen L. (Roberts) Nasiatka, 69, of 11 Whitney Street, died peacefully at her residence Thursday morning, June 10, 2021, with her family at her side.

She was born in Winchendon on August 16, 1951, daughter of the late Albert J. and Janet I (Blomi) Roberts, was educated in Winchendon schools and was a lifelong resident of Winchendon.

Karen worked for many years as a seamstress and upholsterer in local furniture and upholstery shops. She greatly enjoyed her family, as well as crocheting and sewing.

Her husband of 37 years, Frank S. Nasiatka Jr., died in 2008. She leaves two children, Charles R. Nasiatka and his wife Monique of Winchendon and Lori A. Sheppard of Baldwinville; her grandchildren, Christine Correa of Winchendon, Charles J. Nasiatka of Hawaii, Chelsey Nasiatka of Winchendon, Samantha Sheppard of Baldwinville, Taylor Sheppard of Baldwinville; three great grandchildren Anthony, Andrew and Axel. One of thirteen children, she also leaves her brothers and sisters, Albert Roberts, Arthur Roberts, Yvonne Flis, Shirley Smith, Michael Roberts, Mary Conrey, Peter Roberts, Carl Roberts, John Roberts and Charlie Roberts as well as many nieces and nephews. In addition to her husband, she was preceded in death by two sisters, Anna Gauthier and Barbara Gilson.

Funeral services will be held Friday, June 25, 2021 at 1 P.M. in the Massachusetts Veterans' Memorial Cemetery, 111 Glenallen Street, Winchendon.

Stone-Ladeau Funeral Home, 343 Central Street, Winchendon is directing arrangements.

Posted online on June 11, 2021


text:
eleven Types Of Business Insurance You May Need

Availability of protection referenced in this doc can rely upon underwriting skills and state regulations. Many business homeowners choose compensation via these mechanisms as a result of, often, they’re taxed on the capital features price instead of ordinary income. While the decrease tax fee is sweet, if this is your solely compensation, you aren’t an employee eligible for unemployment advantages. If you don’t carry employees’ comp protection, and one of your workers will get hurt on the job, they received’t receive advantages. As a result, the Workers’ Compensation Board in your state could fantastic you for not having protection forward of time.

The LLC should additionally present each LLC member with a “Schedule K-1,” which breaks down every member’s share of the LLC’s earnings and losses. In turn, every LLC member reports this profit and loss information on his or her individual Form 1040, with Schedule E hooked up. However … Read More

The Seven Most Popular Types Of Businesses

That mentioned, people are all the time in search of wholesome food options which are already prepared. Setting up a service that caters to health-acutely aware individuals, or perhaps vegan or vegetarians (area of interest markets), could be worthwhile if you know the way to market the companies. We all love an excellent get together, and even higher — a great get together planner. Even in instances of economic despair, weddings and birthday celebration still occur. Party services may be flexible and versatile, masking planning, catering, bartending, and serving, among different features.

However, in return, you will keep your overhead low and will not be spending time or money creating the services or products. product and service subscription providers in rising numbers. Consider services corresponding to Netflix, Dollar Shave Club, Bark Box, NatureBox, Cat Lady Box, and more. The current recognition of those providers make it a superb business thought … Read More

The Different Types Of Business Insurance You May Need

Umbrella Insurance

business insurance

Our specialists are right here to help ensure you could have the correct of small business insurance, tailored to your company’s distinctive needs. We proudly companion with 1000’s of small business homeowners all through the nation. If you’re in search of extra data on insurance for small companies where you reside, try our state business insurancepage. Personal auto insurance policies do not cowl you when you’re driving for money. Check out our ridesharing insurance to get the protection you want.

Surety bonds assure a business’s purchasers that an insurance company will reimburse their losses if the business fails to ship contracted companies. Workers’ compensation insurance covers on-the-job injuries and occupational diseases.

  • The coverage pays damages regardless of who’s at fault within the accident.
  • The requirement is for employers who have the required variety of workers (this ranges from three to 5 depending on what state you live in).
Read More

The 4 Types Of Business Plans

Hopefully you’ll have laid the ground work for this part in the earlier ones and orientated your analysis of the market in a means that prepares the reader to embrace your positioning. The first a part of the technique section is the Competitive Edge sub-part which is the place you explain your market positioning. Strategy is an enormous word for what is basically simply explaining your view of the market, the way you wish to assault it, and why it should work. Once once more, you can find more particulars on this part in our market analysis article.

Here you will be judged on your ability to determine and concentrate on the important thing goals to bring your business to the next degree. This will help construct your credibility in the direction of your investor and in the end play an element in his investment choice. Do one week with … Read More

52 Types Of Marketing Strategies

Experience Using Editorial And Marketing Calendar Tools

This web site is protected by reCAPTCHA and the Google Privacy Policy and Terms of Service apply. Thus a product could also be an concept, a physical entity (a good), or aservice, or any combination of the three. It exists for the aim of trade within the satisfaction of particular person and organizational aims. A product is defined as a bundle of attributes (options, capabilities, benefits, and makes use of) able to exchange or use; usually a mix of tangible and intangible forms.

Nicknamed “viral” as a result of the variety of individuals uncovered to a message mimics the process of passing a virus or disease from one particular person to a different.

Try it now It solely takes a few minutes to setup and you can cancel any time. Whether you have one-time initiatives, recurring work, or half-time contractors, we can assemble … Read More

4 Types Of Insurance Everyone Needs

Simply by buying business insurance, you’re holding onto your most essential business assets. Another factor to think about, aside from the monetary price of masking an occasion you didn’t have insurance for, is lack of daily business actions.

As a business proprietor, you might be asking your self, “Is business insurance required? They can be found to business homeowners in the event of a catastrophic pure disaster or when confronted with a declare or lawsuit against the business or other staff.

They have the proper of brokers to assist new businesses transition to business insurance and perceive the precise types of business insurance their company wants. Since they’re an agency, they’ll discover the mix of coverage your corporation wants, whether it’s just industrial legal responsibility, business proprietor’s policy, or errors and omissions coverage.

Basically, prospects inform Insureon what their business kind is and what their insurance wants are and they’re … Read More

Types Of Businesses And Forms Of Business Organizations

Upload movies of yourself educating viewers on any subject, whether newbie or advanced, and use social media to spread word of your channel. As your variety of viewers grows, you’ll be able to monetize your movies and make a profit from them. Mobile functions are extra well-liked than ever, with folks keen to pay good cash for tactics to handle their lives from their smartphones. If you have a fantastic new concept for an app and know tips on how to code, you possibly can run with it and create your app yourself. You can alsobecome an app developerfor businesses that need to create particular apps.

business service

Both options require you to know the basic parts of software design and at least two common programming languages, such as SQL, JavaScript, PHP, Python, Ruby on Rails or iOS. Although some businesses might choose you to have a technical degree, many will … Read More

The Different Types Of Business Plans

Maybe, they may open your eyes to the problems you didn’t handle to note. Maybe, they had an identical downside earlier than they usually may give you a number of pieces of valuable recommendation. They might point out which sources you need to make use of to make your company raise back to its regular operation and which elements you should remove to avoid committing the same mistakes.

Debt is a way for business owners to enhance their funds and support business bills, both within the form of bank cards or business loans. Starting a business includes lots of time, cash and energy and failing—or even going bankrupt—is the last thing that any business proprietor would want to happen to their business. Guidant Financial takes an educational and clear strategy to small business and franchise financing. Our staff of financing specialists will help you perceive your funding options and … Read More

20 Types Of Handmade Items You Can Sell Online

Think about how much space you have in your home for these activities. Will you be displacing different family members with your small business actions? Consider your space necessities and your home’s capacity to fulfill these requirements earlier than transferring forward. If you propose to hire staff or contract staff as a part of your home based business, you will want to know the way to navigate labor legal guidelines.

Consider submitting for legal trademarks and copyrights to protect yourself from others stealing the name you’ve selected for your small business. Consider the size and spelling of the name for your small business. Using unusual words might make shortly finding your information on Yahoo and Google unimaginable for some prospects. If you are planning on doing any sort of manufacturing, product storage, or transport, you’ll doubtless need greater than a desk to work on.

These embody, but aren’t restricted to, … Read More

Insurance Types

There are many circumstances, however, when the property of your corporation could possibly be in jeopardy. If you do not havegeneral legal responsibility insuranceand someone slips and falls in your store or workplace, the business could also be answerable for the costs related to the accidents they sustain. This signifies that belongings of the business, like cash, accounts receivable, tools, supplies, and so forth, might have to be liquidated to pay for the particular person’s accidents. When you formed your corporation, you most likely decided to make the entity a Limited Liability Corporation (LLC) to protect your private property.

This type of entity will often do this, and it also offers different advantages similar to avoiding double taxation of income, which you’d be subject to if your organization was a C-company. You can take the subsequent step to assist protect your small business by working with licensed insurance corporations, like … Read More


WARC-Identified-Payload-Type: application/xhtml+xml

text:
“don’t discount small opportunities”

So, my plan had been to title this episode, “Reimagining Natural History”, which is the way Melbourne based artist Kate Rohde describes her work {as you can see from that fantastical blue display case up there} … but we just had so many great bits of conversation around the idea of just ‘saying yes and figuring it out later’ that I just had to kick things off with that thought! I wrote about Kate a few weeks ago, but last week’s guest, Sandra Eterovic, told me I had to reach out to Kate. So I did. And she said YES. Now, she’s not alone on this call. Her four month old baby boy was along for the ride! So sweet. You can listen right up there, or you can subscribe on iTunes.

Let’s start off with a few of my candy-colored favorites from my recent post about Kate:

Yes! Remember those? So good.

Next, here’s an installation, titled “Chateau Fatale” from 2005 that truly does “reimagine natural history”. I would happily spend the day in this super weird museum:

Fantastic! {Photos by Harry Fatouros}. Now, speaking of fantastic, I quickly mentioned Kate’s pieces under glass … mainly so that I had an excuse to put these images in the post:

That is a whole lot of colorful craziness… very different than the “brown and green” Australian landscape that Kate grew up in.

Up next, an insane collaboration with Australian fashion label Romance Was Born. They created custom textiles using collaged images of Kate’s work, and she made bizarrely beautiful resin accessories {yes, including horns}. This collection is called “Renaissance Dinosaur”, which might be the best name I’ve ever heard in my entire life:

Oh. My word. It’s like a crazy dream that I wish I could have every night. This project led Kate to making more jewelry… candy-hued, translucent, chunky jewelry that I would have a really hard time not licking:

Sigh. Stunning. ps. You can find Kate’s jewelry at Pieces of Eight, which also happens to be where I found these images.

One of my favorite bits of this episode was when we talked about lulls. Oh, lulls. You’d think they’d be a nice time to rest and recharge, but because we can’t predict the future lulls can feel more like THE END. Good news… they’re not. Not as long as you keep making stuff. During Kate’s lull she made vases. They don’t look like a lull to me! Now, we didn’t actually talk about this collaboration, but it’s just so beautiful I had to include it:

Now THAT is how you show off vases! Kate collaborated on this shoot with Melanie Stapleton from a floral studio in Melbourne called Cecilia Fox {that’s Melanie on the left, and Kate getting things just so on the right}. GORGEOUS!

And finally, Kate in her home studio. She lives upstairs and works downstairs:

Love it… and of course, I love that chunky bracelet! Thank you to Kate for taking time to do this with us, and HUGE thanks to Tristan for letting me distract his mama for almost an hour. He did so well  ♥ Thanks to Saatchi Art for supporting this episode, and thanks to audible.com for making my new book into an audio book! To preorder a copy for FREE {or to pick up any other book you might want} just use my link: audibletrial.com/JealousCurator. Finally, and as always, THANK YOU for listening. There will be more art for your ear next weekend.

Other links:

  1. Sandra Eterovic episode
  2. Kate’s work on SaatchiArt
  3. National Gallery of Victoria
  4. Romance Was Born Collab.
  5. Kate’s upcoming show, “Luminous Realms” at Craft Gallery, Dec 9 – Feb 2017
  6. Kate in her studio: Photo by Tobias Titz

comments (5)

  1. Megan Woodard Johnson /// 09.10.2016 /// 6:27am

    Oh my goodness- those baby sounds. I’m going to have to re-listen to this whole thing, because every time he coos I forget to listen to the actual content. (Which is so wonderful and full of such great perspectives)

  2. the jealous curator /// 09.10.2016 /// 7:20am

    i know! me too!!

  3. Julie /// 09.11.2016 /// 7:18am

    Such good work!!

  4. Kate Rohde – Melbourne artist – art4u.australia /// 09.21.2016 /// 11:34pm

    […] via “don’t discount small opportunities” — The Jealous Curator […]

  5. Annette /// 09.25.2016 /// 2:32am

    Danielle, I loved this interview with Kate.
    I’m a Melbourne girl too, and I’ve managed to avoid all the deadly things for 48 years.
    The COLOURS that Kate creates are incredible. I want to visit her pigment paradise.
    That blue ring….. oh! And the fashion collaboration, and the, and the, and the… thank you for introducing me to local artists that make my soul happy.
    On ya Kate!!
    Thanks Danielle.


text:
Skip to content
#Open journalism No news is bad news

Your contributions will help us continue to deliver the stories that are important to you

Support The Journal
The CD version of the final report from the Mahon Tribunal.
The CD version of the final report from the Mahon Tribunal.
Image: Leon Farrell/Photocall Ireland

13 things we learned from Mahon's final report

Who was ‘taken care’ of? What new powers should a future Tribunal have? What councillors were corrupt? Read it in a nutshell.
Mar 23rd 2012, 6:45 AM 6,568 11

DID YOU DECIDE to keep your blood pressure in check yesterday and avoid mention of the Mahon Tribunal’s final report?

If so, and you have since developed a sneaking curiousity about what went down, we’ve a handy recap here for you. Here are13 things we learned from the Mahon Tribunal final report yesterday. Lucky for some.

  1. Bertie Ahern has not “truthfully” accounted for lodgements of over IR£165,000 to accounts connected to him – including the lodgement made after the infamous Manchester dinner with Irish businessmen. The Tribunal rejected his assertion that two thirds of the £24,838.49 was in punts. It said it was solely a stg£25,000 lodgement, ie, probably not a gift or ‘digout’.
  2. The final report from Mahon does not, however, brand Ahern as corrupt.
  3. Eamon Dunphy’s evidence that developer Owen O’Callaghan had told him that Bertie Ahern “was ‘taken care of’ in return for a promised favour” in relation to the building of a shopping centre was truthful and honest.
  4. Bertie Ahern dismissed a proposal for a National Stadium in 1994 – five years before announcing his own plans for the so-called ‘Bertie Bowl’.
  5. PR man and lobbyist Frank Dunlop, despite his 99 days of evidence to the Mahon Tribunal, was a “problematic witness” with compromised credibility. “Money did the talking” says the report of his extensive payments and movement of monies connected to rezonings and rewards from clients to him.
  6. The FBI was called in at one point to investigate Dunlop’s redacted diaries. Sections which may have related to Quarryvale were “subjected to very heavy overwriting of a nature which indicated that a deliberate attempt had been made to alter them, obliterate them altogether and render them indecipherable”.
  7. There were 11 councillors in the Dublin area taking corrupt payments during the periods of planning anomalies investigated by Flood/Mahon. Five councillors were specifically named in relation to money spent by the Monarch Group to secure support for the rezoning of land at Cherrywood – they were Tony Fox, Colm McGrath, Don Lydon, GV Wright (all Fianna Fáil) and Tom Hand of Fine Gael.
  8. Thirty Dublin councillors in total were investigated by Mahon over rezoning of land in Quarryvale, west Dublin. If you want to see the verdict on each of them, a synopsis is here.
  9. There should be a register of lobbyists – the final recommendations of Mahon says such a register would record who the lobbyist’s clients are, what issues they are lobbying on, and which people/officials they are lobbying.
  10. The late Liam Lawlor effectively “conducted a personal business” in which he sold his expertise, knowledge and influence as a councillor and a TD for personal financial reward. This is the first formal finding of corruption against Lawlor whose three brief jail terms during the Tribunal were to do with his lack of co-operation with the inquiry.
  11. Former Fianna Fáil minister Padraig Flynn “wrongly and corruptly” took a payment of IRL£50,000 from developer Tom Gilmartin in 1989 and used the money for his personal benefit. Much of it went to buy a farm in Mayo in his wife’s name. The Tribunal found that the payment was known about by senior FF figures including former taoisigh Bertie Ahern and Albert Reynolds.
  12. It has been recommended by the Tribunal that those Oireachtas members who are found to have breached the Ethics Acts in terms of a conflict of interest should be subject to a criminal prosecution.
  13. The powers of any future Tribunals should be extended so that they can force a person to attend an inquiry for private interview, order the discovery of documents without prior notice, and seize documents if necessary. Presumably, this recommendation was made by Mahon as its authors bore in mind the very long lifespan and legal wranglings of its own inquiry (detailed here in our all-you-need-to-know Mahon timeline).

If all those have whet your appetite for more indepth analysis, click on these:

#Open journalism No news is bad news Support The Journal

Your contributions will help us continue to deliver the stories that are important to you

Support us now

Send a tip to the author

Susan Daly

    Back to top


text:
• Sri Lanka may have opened its borders, but travelling to the country comes with strict rules, such as having a valid visa.
  • With borders closing and reopening all over the world, it can be difficult to remember which countries welcome foreign visitors and which don’t. Sri Lanka is one of the countries that is slowly accepting tourists again. But this comes with certain very strict requirements, such as a mandatory visa requirement.

Travelling to Sri Lanka possible?
In theory, it is possible to travel to Sri Lanka again for European travellers. Sri Lanka opened its borders to foreign tourists on 21 January 2021. This was done because the government feels that the coronavirus pandemic is sufficiently under the control within the country.

Although Sri Lanka is seeing an increase in Covid cases, overall cases and deaths are relatively low when compared to other countries in the region.

The borders opening does not mean that all holidaymakers are free to enter the country. The Sri Lanka government is well aware of the risks involved with permitting foreigners to enter the country. As such, entering Sri Lanka is subject to strict requirements. Failure to meet them means you are not allowed to board the plane.

If you have not yet been fully vaccinated, you will be tested several times during your stay in Sri Lanka, depending on how long you are staying: people staying longer than 14 days are tested a total of three times throughout their stay. If tested positive, you will be isolated and if needed transported to a hospital.

If the tests turn up negative, no quarantine is required and you are allowed access to all of the hotel’s facilities. However, during the first 14 days of your stay in Sri Lanka, you cannot contact the locals. This is to limit any possible chance of spreading the coronavirus. You will be made to stay in a “bubble” of people during your first two weeks in Sri Lanka.

You can freely travel around the country with this group, provided you follow the general coronavirus rules such as safe distancing. After these two weeks have passed, you are allowed to freely interact with the local population. However, the covid rules still need to be followed.

Sri Lanka visa mandatory
Along with the opening of the borders, the Sri Lanka government has also started issuing visas again. All travellers headed to Sri Lanka are required to have a valid Sri Lanka visa in their possession before boarding the plane. The visa cannot be applied for on arrival in Sri Lanka.

Instead, the application must be submitted online in advance of your trip. To qualify for a visa, you need to have booked a special hotel designated as a  Safe and Secure Hotel Level 1 by the Sri Lanka government. A special health form must be filled in and you must be able to present a negative PCR test result (or proof of vaccination).

If all of this is in order, you can submit your Sri Lanka visa application online, rather than going to the embassy or consulate. After filling in all the required information and making the payment, you will receive the visa by e-mail.

Returning home
Also keep in mind the rules of your home country regarding returning travellers. Failure to meet them can result in hefty fines. For instance, British travellers returning from abroad need to provide all of their travel details as well as a negative coronavirus test result. Two additional tests in the UK must be booked before you arrive. Finally, you must self-isolate for 10 days.

These rules differ per country. Always check before departure what rules apply to your particular situation.


text:
Tens of thousands expected at Berlin yoga fest

Tens of thousands expected at Berlin yoga fest
Ravi Shankar. Photo: DPA
Tens of thousands of yoga fans are expected in Berlin this weekend for a huge festival organized in the German capital's 1930s Olympic Stadium by one of India's best-known gurus, Sri Sri Ravi Shankar.

The July 2-3 World Culture Festival is billed as a “unique celebration of harmony in diversity,” bringing together an anticipated 70,000 participants from 151 countries.

All will take back home with them “unique sights, sounds, tastes and the mesmerizing variety of all the world continents in one place,” the organizers promise.

Dance and music troupes from around the globe will perform, climaxing in a grand finale involving 30 pianos and 2,000 guitars as well as a mass “Peace Meditation.”

Figures from government, business and academia as well as “spiritual leaders, peacemakers and renowned personalities” will “exchange their views and spread the message of peace, unity and harmony in diversity.”

The venue was built for the 1936 Olympic Games, infamously intended by Adolf Hitler to showcase Aryan racial supremacy, but since then its Nazi ghosts have been steadily exorcised.

The stadium plays a central role in the German sports and cultural calendar, hosting Berlin’s main football team, the 2006 World Cup final, concerts by the likes of U2 – and in September Pope Benedict XVI will hold a mass there.

The eclectic list of weekend attendees includes former European Commission president Jacques Santer, a tribal king from Ghana and a former Slovenian prime minister who will play the EU anthem, Beethoven’s “Ode to Joy,” on the harmonica.

Yoga, though, the originally Eastern combination of meditation, controlled breathing and body postures that has exploded in popularity in the West in recent decades, is the main focus.

The event will be “the world’s biggest yoga camp,” according to Ravi Shankar’s biographer Francois Gautier.

“It will be a chance for the public to get to know all the different kinds,” operations director Christoph Glaser told a news conference ahead of the festival.

The event also celebrates the 30th birthday of the Art of Living Foundation, created by Ravi Shankar, one of India’s best-known spiritual figures whose public appearances often draw vast crowds.

The 55-year-old’s foundation is a not-for-profit, educational and humanitarian non-governmental organization dedicated to creating a “stress-free mind and a violence-free society.”

Based in Bangalore, India, it has also helped in conflict resolution in places such as Afghanistan, Sri Lanka and Iraq, disaster relief, female empowerment and environmental sustainability.

Ravi Shankar, always dressed in white and sporting a long dark beard, is one of India’s five most influential people, according to US magazine Forbes. He is also on social networking website Facebook, needless to say.

He once studied under Maharishi Mahesh Yogi – the guru who famously inspired the Beatles. He is not to be confused with the world-famous sitar player Ravi Shankar, also associated with the Fab Four.

Millions of people overseas are believed to use his breathing techniques.

“Unless we have a stress-free mind and a violence-free society, we cannot achieve world peace,” he says.

AFP/The Local

Member comments

Become a Member to leave a comment.Or login here.


text:
Nearly 5,000 refugee children missing in Germany: report

Nearly 5,000 refugee children missing in Germany: report
Refugee children at a facility in Berlin. Photo: DPA.
Government officials have told the Frankfurter Rundschau that nearly 5,000 children and teens were reported as missing from refugee homes as of January 1st.

As of January 1st, 4,749 unaccompanied refugee children and teens had been reported missing, a German Federal Criminal Police Office (BKA) spokesperson told Frankfurter Rundschau (FR) on Tuesday.

A spokesperson for the BKA confirmed the report to The Local.

About 10 percent, or 431, of those children were under the age of  13 and 4,287 were between the ages of 14 and 17. The remaining 31 were over 18.

This is a sharp rise from six months ago in July when 1,637 were reported missing.

The BKA told The Local that sometimes missing children will turn up again and that the numbers could be distorted if one child is reported as missing in multiple places, or with slightly different personal information.

But the BKA said that they could not rule out that some of the children had been victims of crime.

Europol reported on Sunday that at least 10,000 refugee children had gone missing in Europe over the last 24 months.

“This does not mean that something happened to all of them,” a Europol spokesperson had told DPA regarding the report. “A portion of the children could in fact be staying with relatives. But it does mean that these children are potentially at risk.”

The president of the German Child Protection Agency, Heinz Hilgers, told FR that unaccompanied children can be “easy targets” and could be exploited by criminals.

“These perpetrators are not necessarily paedophiles,” Hilgers explained. “They have a disease that many people around the world have: That for them it totally does not matter how they make their money.”

A representative from the German Association for Unaccompanied Underage Refugees (BumF) blamed the number of missing children in part on the process of refugee registration in Germany.

“It is not only the system of how refugees come to Europe, but also the registration process in Germany,” said Niels Espenhorst of BumF, adding that when children are not properly registered upon arrival at temporary care facilities, they may fall through the cracks.

Espenhorst explained that when juveniles are brought to places without any prospects, “they escape into illegality and are extremely vulnerable”.

In the most high profile case of a refugee child disappearing, a Bosnian boy called Mohamed Januzi went missing from outside a government building in Berlin last autumn.

A man later admitted to abducting and killing the boy.