72M Magazine: A world of whose making?

seventy2minutes.com April 2015

Issue 17

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fabulous, frivolous, fashion; online - in app - 24/7

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contents

72M vox 12 / age of the supramodel 22 / our man in belgrade 24 / alexis king 28 / dream big 46 / the drugs that work?

48 / a purer, simpler world

discover 10 / ntombentle dolls 15 / kyoto 17 / brit on the boulevard 30 / because I said I would 36 / heart london 38 / morgan james 40 / stingrays: a short film 42 / les jardins de metis

learn 60 / twelve twitter tweaks for a fuller following 62 / the next beauty miracles 64 / the time for technology 66 / world wise women 68 / cardology

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contributors

the editor dinah sackey- founder, editor and dreamer of bigger things

the philosopher alexis king - knowing that all that we know just ain’t no thing.

the entrepreneur darren darnborough - seemingly, omnipresent, certainly multi-talented

our man in belgrade dave calcutt - english, male and in Serbia teaching words (English ones)

the pr guru catherine lyn scott - promoting london with flair

the aesthetician Dr. Vincent Wong - celebrity beauty tips without the beastly burden of the surgeon’s knife

the eclectic sanela kesegi - journalistically flexible from beauty, through fashion to business

the marketeer terri seymour - a font of articles, resources and information

the mediator andy holmes - DJ, Author, practising media mogul

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The dolls our children are allowed to play with, the models we see on the catwalk, the wars we bear witness to, the information we receive, the creations we manifest... our conversations concern the world, its making, and our varied efforts to continue shaping it.

Thoughts, theories, and bold assumptions are shared as the eclectic minds of 72M tackle the question of how we have come to live in the world that we do.

Interspersed in our collective musings are the passions of an entrepreneurial spirit (p10) , a celebration of a sonorous song bird (p38), a brief record of the sting of a childhood agressed (p40), and the power of a promise kept (p30).

the

Lose yourself in the conversation, then find your heart in London (p36), Kyoto (if only for 24 hours) (p15), and Hollywood...

Utah... Texas... Vegas (p17).

ed

itor

When the conversation runs dry whet your appetite for learning new things by tweaking your twitter game to gain more followers (p60), or maybe try your hand at the mystery of cardology (p68) and join in our marvel at the seemingly endless ways we can get to ‘know thyself’.

’s re vi e w

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Enjoy the read, and share the knowledge. The conversation is yours to continue.

#thisworld

#

S A H

A HT

G

People were created to be loved.

Things were created to be used.

The reason the world is in chaos is because things are being loved and people are being used.

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1 year

4 conversations

5 platforms

With over 13,000 followers, 20,000 impressions per issue, and 40,000 web page views per month we’re working on changing the conversation.

join our flock

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join us

“start a conversation change the world”

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discover

ntombentle d o l l s

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ntombentle dolls

M

y name is Molemo Kgomo, a mother of two girls ages 12 and 7, I am married and in my fabulous forties! Ntombentle, which means BEAUTIFUL GIRL, started in 2005 but was extremely slow as toy stores where not ready for her!

My goal is to make sure that kids all over the world, especially our African kids, can look at themselves and say “I AM BEAUTIFUL”. I would love to do expos so that moms and kids can see, and buy, Ntombentle!

I would like to add to this brand a male figure doll, hopefully later in the year or sometime next year.

When I started with the brand, Ntombentle , it was not an alternative to Barbie or to anything . I couldn’t find a Black doll that I could buy for my daughter, who was 1 at the time, the ones they had on the market where not appealing or nice looking . Ntombentle is a doll that represents our African / Black cultures and heritages. She is a full figured doll with hips and a bum, big beautiful eyes, and a doll African kids can identify with. It is so filling to hear a child say “ mama, e tshwana le nna” , “ Mama , it looks like me”.

I want our girls to learn to appreciate themselves, to love themselves, know who they are, how they look and know that black is beautiful ! Our kids seem to have ideas that short hair, or no hair at all, is ugly, being full bodied is not

nice, you have to look skinny and have long hair to look good ! I want to change all that , I want to show them that you can still be gorgeous with all the above. I wanted a good quality doll for our kids, but this doll has seen all races buy it for their kids, and for themselves as adults.

I think social media plays a big part and is a good tool to use to promote your products. It has really helped my brand. The dolls have caused a big excitement here at home and overseas.

When I first approached retail stores here at home, to see if I can have my product in their stores, I Was told all kinds of things about black dolls , “ they will not sell, there is no demand ”. But how can they sell, or be in demand, if there isn’t a black doll that is beautiful or nice looking? How will it sell if you don’t give it window space or advertise it? Barbie , Brats and the like , will sell because they are given priority . We need to change that, Ntombentle has arrived and we will get the space and we will sell!

I have had wonderful words of encouragement, people are just so excited about the products.

Anytime one does something like this, you will have negative and positive responses. I don’t dwell on the negative because you will not make everyone happy.

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discuss

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models of diversity

a g e

o f

t h e

supramodel Founder of the Models of Diversity agency Angel Sinclair on a revolution for the runways

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y ambition through Models of Diversity was to change the fashion and beauty industry! I hoped to make the catwalk, glossies and media look more like the people they were aimed at. And if anything, the more I learn as the campaign grows, the greater the challenge looks but my ambition is undiminished!

I believe in a genuine change to embrace diversity, though it might take longer than I imagined to start with. As we get more used to seeing a more representative media it seems inconceivable that a savvy public will tolerate a reversal.

Models of Diversity continues to be a voyage of discovery for me, mainly from the experience of professionals. The one huge subject I hadn’t really considered at the beginning is the near absence of models with a disability. But mainly I’ve learned to never give up, that after hearing “no” all day you will get a “yes” if you persevere.

How do I think the beauty standard has been shaped to become what it is today? That’s a huge question.

The glib answer is whoever has had the power. But perhaps as well as who, the question should look at why all those who have had the power, had together such a narrow view of what was beautiful - or at least believed that only a narrow range of people would be accepted as beautiful by the public. Is it perhaps because there is little actual diversity among them?

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Take your love to

new heights Hail a private jet directly from your mobile device with the JetSmarter app

jetsmarter.com

in

hours

I

t’s hard to find someone that doesn’t have great things to say about Japan after they’ve been, and thanks to the hyper-fast bullet trains, it’s very easy to city hop once there. Somewhere that definitely deserves a place on that itinerary is Kyoto - its blend of modern city life, architecture, tradition and surrounding nature make it a perfect short stop.

Begin your day with a fulfilling breakfast in the basement floor of department store Takashimaya, which has an incredible indoor food hall boasting aisles and aisles of boutique independent offerings ranging from Japanese delicacy to elegant French patisseries to both eat in or takeaway. Meander through, trying different items and marvel at the exquisite presentation and gift wrapping of a few to take along on your journey.

From there, jump on the easy to navigate subway over to Arashiyama, where just outside the station you can cheaply rent bicycles to cycle around the beautiful area.

Make a stop at the monkey mountain, where after a quick hike up the trail, you’ll be face to face with the primates that live atop this incredible viewpoint, and be able to feed them.

Head down and over the river to the UNESCO world heritage site of Tenryu-ji temple and its stunning gardens, through to the aptly named bamboo forest and back along the shopping street where many local crafts can be bought for gifts.

kyoto supported by

Feeling peckish, stop back into the city to graze the food on offer at Nishiki market, where the different stands offer fresh fish sashimi lollipops, Japanese bean buns and dumplings, dried seafood, mochi, ramen, sushi and other delicacies you may never have seen, with many offering tasting samples for the daring or sceptical.

Finish up lunch with a little shopping at the boutiques or world class stores along Shijo Street before taking the subway over to the Inari Shrine, one of Kyoto’s most striking and recognized landmarks, where thousands of bright red gates line the path up the mountain, each in honor and remembrance of those passed.

For dinner, choices are abundant, but if you are looking for traditional Japanese dining in a exclusive environment, head over to the Gion district, where a tight grid of alleyways play host to restored exclusive restaurants, most of which require advance booking, though many insist on an introduction through a recognized Japanese patron, so make some friends or check with your concierge to hire a Geisha ahead of time to complete your experience.

Or if you’d prefer to sit at the counter drinking sake watching a Japanese masterchef prepare excellent seafood and soft flavorful Wagyu beef, then bag a seat at Haafu Honsen, a small discreet restaurant with a great reputation where your evening spans five delectable courses, leaving room for maybe a couple more sakes as you wander the safe backstreet bars back to your hotel.

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D

id you make any New Year’s resolutions for 2015?

And are you still on track with them?

I tend not to make specific resolutions as I think they are often either too easy to achieve, or too easy to break and forget – I prefer to try for general upgrades and improvements.

I really love the Japanese concept of “kaizen” which suggests continuing betterment in what you do. So I kicked off the new year planning to be healthier in both my fitness and food, read more, learn more, be refined and be open to all different types of personal development.

Living in LA, that meant doing a juice cleanse, joining a gym, eating copious amounts of kale and quinoa, hiking Runyon canyon, or running Lake Hollywood every day, whilst listening to my favorite podcasters wax lyrical about their best productivity and good-life techniques.

The first portion of this year was devoted to the final phases of development in my new company WeRehearse.com and releasing my film Stefano Formaggio, so I had to be on my game.

All work and no play makes Darren a dull boy, however, so I infused both with the annual filmmaker pilgrimage to Sundance film festival, which is a reasonable

excuse for a work vacation. We drove the distance from LA, to Park City Utah with our good friend British actor Jimmy Akingbola who’s been making some serious waves stateside. After stopping off for some Peggy Sue’s breakfast halfway to Vegas, and some excellent BBQ at Sonny Boys in Cedar City, we rolled in to the snow, just in time to attend Sundance royalty Mimi Kim’s birthday in her stunning home.

This intimate private affair kicked off 5 days of their much lauded Chefdance dinner, where invited guests of the film festival mingle with celebrities and chow down multiple courses of a top chef ’s menu, which changes each night, followed by music by some great upcoming artists – one of the hottest tickets on the calendar since it’s just so damn exclusive.

The next few days were jam-packed as we made our way around press interviews and photoshoots; the Eddie Bauer lounge who decked us in some great cold-weather ski; and the Chase Sapphire lounge where by day we pitched films to Harvey Weinstein, and by night we pitched up on the dancefloor busting out some moves that should probably be left at home with our new found film friends.

We nursed the hangover at Closets For Causes &

Boulevard on the

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Beauty For Freedom’s brunch, where we were kindly gifted something better than Santa managed – a private Jet subscription allowing us to fly empty legs for free, from Jetsmarter, and supported and celebrated the fundraiser for Adrian Grenier’s documentary passion project ‘The Lonely Whale’, seeking a whale who has no friends due to the different frequency he sends out.

was a mix of established businesspeople and budding entrepreneurs, all looking to learn a little something from Tai and his cohorts which included Oren Klaff and Joel Salatin. I personally love these seminars, as no matter what, you can come away with at least one little nugget of improvement, and there were many to be had from Tai.

In my efforts to focus more, stress less, and be more We wrapped our last day on the gorgeous Park City productive, I also began using the “brain-sensing” ski slopes, with some great powder and no lines – headband Muse. I’ve often heard successful people tout the town may be busy, but the slopes were idyllic. the benefits of meditation, but I’ve dismissed it through a mix of skepticism, and poor explanation. I had tried, Returning to LA always invigorates me and ignites the but unsure whether what I was doing was right or not, or ambition, and so I attended motivational coach Tai whether my self-proclaimed zen-master friends were just Lopez’s Hollywood seminar at the Roosevelt hotel pompously asserting their higher-tranquility, I gave up. to get a slap on the ass and some fire in the belly. I’d been listening to Tai’s podcasts for a while after being Muse is great. It makes sense. You wear the headband, introduced by my friend James Swanwick (who also whilst doing guided meditation through an app, and it can does a great podcast) and his words are insightful, not to tell if you are calm or distracted, by delivering peaceful mention he is incredibly well read. The packed out room birds and water or a torrential storm, helping you to train 18

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your brain to a place of focus, just like you work other muscles in the gym, tracking your progress as you go.

All psyched up for February, focus was still interspersed with fun, especially since it forms the heart of award season in LA, with all the creative industries being celebrated.

One of the great things about modern working is the mobile life – we can continue to do what we do anywhere, which is why after a great dinner at Houston Bros’ new spot Butchers & Barbers, we booked a lastminute private jet (as you do) to San Francisco. It was app-tastic.

The JetSmarter app allows members to book the empty legs for free, so if a private jet has flown oneway and has to get back, you can claim that empty flight for you and your friends. I booked the plane through the app; text my friends through an app; booked my car to the airport through Uber; ordered my lunch to arrive on the runway through GrubHub; posted my picture-brags to Facebook from the air in our Hawker

800; and booked our night’s stay on HotelTonight.

An epic pizza, luxurious stay in the Clift hotel (lastminute bargain), breakfast and Irish coffees at the famous Buena Vista café, playing vintage arcade games at Fisherman’s wharf, catching up with friends and a bizarre tiki-themed charity event that made the Silicon Valley TV show seem like a factual documentary, and we were off back down the 5 freeway in a one-way rental car booked from the Kayak app, back to Hollywood.

The next night, I had the pleasure of a dinner guest who was truly inspiring and great fun to boot. Hanifa, one of the patients being treated by charity Face Forward, for whom I sit on the board, was in town from Uganda to receive multiple surgeries after an acid attack to the face by her husband. This obviously left Hanifa with physical and emotional scarring, but a simply astounding amount of resilience, love and positivity that literally brings tears of joy to your eyes. Hanifa is such a beautiful person to sevent y 2minutes April 2015

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be around and now devotes her time to helping others, whilst proving to us all that we have a lot to be thankful for.

We finished up February indulging in some great preOscar events. We watched contender Birdman in the elegantly restored Ace Hotel theater, introduced by Michael Keaton himself, with the drum score played live on stage by the composer - a phenomenal way to enjoy one of the most inventive movies of the year.

Brit director Bobby Razak impressed us with his documentary debut Mask, following the impressive though sadly short career of Tapout MMA clothing founder Michael Lewis. Somehow, we squeezed in an intense 6am group workout at the Hollywood Bowl with the November Project, before bumping into Elton John and Harvey Keitel at the Gagosian Gallery's pre-Oscar bash; Eastender Patsy Palmer at Art Of Elysium's penthouse soirée at Mr C's; and Uptown magazine's party honoring director Lee Daniels.

That weekend, our pancakes and Mimosa's were enjoyed alongside Nicole Kidman and team Special Olympics at the exclusive Gold Meets Golden brunch, before wrapping up with the Oscars viewing party at Pearls on Sunset, where we took over the patio with our Brit film industry friends including recent transplants The Postlethwaite Twins (from Peaky Blinders) who are infecting Hollywood with their boundless #twinning energy. Eddie Redmayne did our countrymen proud.

Straight on to the next festival, I just about had time to squeeze in attending Dreambuilders annual charity event, my first golf lesson from Director Richard Keith (apparently I'm pretty good for a newbie) and some great new Headshots from OG pictures, before I was on a plane to Texas for the SXSW festival. Austin gets overrun by this annual convergence of creative industries in a 2 week cocktail of Film, Music and Tech.

Awards, before running into my 20Ft Below castmate Danny Trejo and meeting director Sara Bordo ahead of her win for the Lizzie Velazquez documentary.

My hangout du jour was kindly provided by one of my favorite magazines at the Fast Company Grill, where I ate great food by day, partied by night, meeting tech entrepreneurs and panelists excited to hear about my new entertainment website WeRehearse.com which was moments away from launch. I bounced from the documentary premiere of Russell Brand's story, to parties by Facebook, SGN, Rothenberg Ventures and Hulu, before Texan hay fever (or maybe too many ribs) put an early end on my antics.

I wound up the month checking out Brit chef Brendan Collins' new restaurant Birch on Cahuenga in Hollywood. Where he gets very inventive with the recipes following his hit Waterloo & City, before attending a special screening of live-action fairytale Cinderella at the Director's Guild, which seemed to star half of the cast of Downton Abbey and was a whimsical fun, modern take on the tradition, whilst keeping the true essence intact. The clock striking midnight scene definitely deserves a special mention for visual effects.

Keeping on the fairytale theme, I rounded up the month releasing my own modern fairytale, Stefano Formaggio out to the masses. Following a successful film festival circuit, picking up awards and screenings in Catalina, Carmel and Acccolade fests, we decided to share my directorial debut, about a charming Italian cheese maker and a beautiful florist, so you can now watch this "deliciously sinister" film on YouTube, Facebook or Vimeo, and so far the reviews have been thankfully very positive. No rest for the wicked, we packed our bags ready for an April trip to experience a bucket list item - the Cherry Blossom festival in Japan, which I will be telling you all about in the instalment of of Brit On The Boulevard.

Over opening weekend I enjoyed seeing Linklater, Rodriguez, & Del Toro take the stage at the Texas Film

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72M vox

A

sking myself “we live in a world of whose making” inevitably throws up a number of perspectives from which to view this question.

My initial reaction is to consider the topics of evolution, the universe and the Big Bang theory, but this is probably straying a little too far from the original concept of the question.

So let me, instead, focus on the description I was given.

That is to say, how have we come to live in the world that we do, where certain changes, trends and paths take hold, while others fall by the wayside.

I, probably like many others, don’t very often stop to think why the world is like it is. Many of us simply accept what is on offer to us and make our own individual choices as to which things we choose to embrace and which we would rather ignore or reject.

However, when you do stop and think about it all, it seems to me that there are people and institutions that have a lot to answer for when it comes to this world of ours.

Back in 2004, for example, a certain Mark Zuckerberg set up a funny little website that allowed his fellow college students to compare pictures of pairs of people to determine who was hot and who was not.

A little over a decade later, in excess of 1.4 billion people now use Facebook to post some of the most inane comments about just about every moment of their waking lives.

This in turn has spawned a whole host of other “social” networks and picture sharing websites that vast swathes of people seem unable to conduct their lives without.

This trend for addictive puerile posting has led to Zuckerberg being reported to be worth somewhere in the region of $35 billion.

Why has this website grown so spectacularly? Could it be due to our overwhelming desire to be sociable on these “social” networks?

Or, more likely, is it due to the influence of the more than 2 million advertisers who currently generate their billions with the help of this invaluable customer information tool?

With that kind of money and those kinds of numbers involved, is it any wonder that Facebook should be so successful?

Money, and the desire to make more of it, shapes the world we live in.

Forget any idealistic thoughts that the desire to improve our lives or the lives of others determines what succeeds or fails. Oil and coal generate endless pollution that threatens the environment with irreversible damage and yet so much money is being made from both these forms of energy that a little thing like an environmental catastrophe is not going to stand in the way of good, old fashioned greed.

Here in Belgrade, there is a growing campaign by the government to join the EU. We are constantly fed the line that it will result in a

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be

dave calcutt more prosperous future for all citizens. I suspect the likely reality has more to do with the fact that a privileged few will line their pockets with the substantial EU handouts and the proceeds of the sales of state owned assets ann institutions to foreign “investors”.

I mention the fact that there seems to be nothing that will stand in the way of this money making machine. Back in the late ‘90s, a certain Mr Tony Blair was amongst those who sanctioned NATO’s illegal bombing of Belgrade. In the last two weeks that same Mr Blair has been here in Belgrade giving advice to leading politicians and businessmen on how best to reform governmental procedures.

Blair’s advice doesn’t come cheap either. Never let a trifling thing like a moral conscience get in the way of making a quick buck eh, Tony.

It would appear that the lure of effective eraser of collective short

money term

is an memory.

Another example of the power of the lure of money is almost equally as disturbing, in my mind.

I may have mentioned before that Belgrade has some of the best local fast food that you could hope to taste. Once you have sampled the delights of a freshly grilled pljeskavica (grilled burger in freshly toasted pita-like bread with a variety of fresh salad and oh so tasty dressings) I imagined that nothing else would do.

Sadly, it seems that I was wrong! I am shocked and somewhat saddened to see the increase in the number of golden arches that are invading the streets of this city. Could it be that the genetically altered, chemically enhanced pseudo beef “burgers” have a flavour that is so totally captivating that scores of locals just can’t get enough of them? Or could it be that Ronald and his band of financial scavengers have tapped into the psyche of a developing capitalist society and cleverly, or cynically, associated all things American with some idea of wealth and opportunity.

Consequently, a growing number of people here appear to equate all things American with their own aspirations to better their personal circumstances.

“I’m loving it” I bet you are Ronald, and so is your bank balance.

dave calcutt is

our man in

elgrade

As an advisory footnote here, you might want to use some of that cynically acquired wealth to purchase some English lessons Mr McD. Pay particular attention in the lesson about conjugating stative verbs. So, there it is, money and the opportunity to make more money determine trends in this world.

No big surprises there then.

However, just for the record, evolution and the big bang theory will always, in my opinion, win out over any notions of creationism.

Although the question of what caused the big bang does still tend to get me a little confused. In spite of that, I am reasonably convinced that we are living in a world of the Big Bang’s making.

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the alex is experience

No bombs, no bullets, no wars, an end to marches, protests & politicking, not even a cry for freedom or a revolution from your bed is needed. Go inside with Alexis King and discover a path to peace, love , unity and having fun.

Hello (again) World!

S

by alexis king

upposedly, “It takes all kinds to make a world”. So who does it take to make the world?

For the purposes of this article you will continue to read the the of the world in italics to firstly distinguish it from abstractions of any hypothetical planet bound civilizations that may or may not also exist to suppose credence for this one being a mere variant of existence for this species replicated galaxy wide for others, and secondly to establish that ‘the’ be an indication that an attempt at definition for our apparent global civilization has been arrived at on our behalf, as distinct from the planet itself and termed for our use the world.

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alexis king

“We are what we think. All that we are arises with our The construction that is the world is by contrast our doing.

It is our invention. Where conception must be followed thoughts. With our thoughts, we make the world.”

This enlightened notion passed down by the Gautama Buddha serves both as a warning and an inspiration. For the truth of this is evident when one makes the quickest mental inventory of the ‘constructed’ world.

Look about you and try to find something in view that was not first an idea prior to its material realisation.

The chances are if you are successful in doing so you will be identifying nature. Nature is what we are; this is our being. The creation long ago made distinct and separate from the creator. For without such a separation we would not be able to distinguish ourselves from the divine to know the divine. Much like the developing fetus is not distinguishable from the mother during the period of gestation.

by action and where we demonstrate our unique human position to be able to manifest physically that which is begun mentally.

Clearly this is not instantaneous for such power would be poorly wielded by anything less than those of perfected grace. What horrors would be brought forth by means of instantaneous manifestation from even the barely troubled. Remember Dr Raymond Stantz’s incarnating the Stay Puft marshmallow man in the comedy movie Ghostbusters? Our non-cinematic horrors are evident nonetheless.

Through our imperfection we are able, should we so choose, to walk a path to the realisation of our divine aspect. Only by such a learning process can we truly know of this reality. Once more, long is the way and hard... sevent y 2minutes Issue 17

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72M vox So, in a spiritual sense we all have equal obligation and input into our shared reality. But is this the same as making the world? The world as previously discussed in this publication to mean etymologically ‘the man age’.

If we have shared responsibility for the making of the world we must, quid pro quo, share equal blame for the results. Responsibility rejected, misguided and claimed without action will nevertheless take their effect in the universal.

But is this the reality within the world since the principals of the spiritual have all but been excised from the ‘man age’ though they clearly remain evident to the human condition.

In practice those who conceive, fund, build and seek to control the world are few, very few. In part this is a direct result of the ability to conflate in our mind the concept of the world with human life itself and by so doing drawing a veil between those infected by a desire for dominance, control and order and those still connected to compassion, grace and humility.

This is achieved firstly by ‘the message’; the constant narrative that must be imposed, today through media, previously through doctrine, observance and dogma, supplanting what once may have been genuine investigation and information about our shared existence.

Examples of the narrative that form ‘the message’ that maintains the world in our consciousness as being indecipherable from life itself continue though to include religious texts, history as written by the victors, consensus science, technology, political misleaders, bureaucracy, academia, ‘experts’, ‘royalty’, rule, taxation, the pursuit of financial wealth, advertising, consumerism and man’s law.

The secondary strike in the one-two punch combination of the world is often the knockout and often comes as a result of ‘the message’; fear. Be under no illusion the state of fear is as constructed as the world in which it exists.

Nature brings death, and its counterpart the fight for life, but fear is something fabricated in and transmitted from the mind of man.

Herein lies the crux of the world we then create. Do our thoughts naturally include the macabre, the sinister, the hateful, the devious, the sadistic and even the murderous?

What proportion of people when alone with their own thoughts will turn to ruminations in these terms? How many people allow themselves or are allowed time and space to contemplate that still inner voice? If they could 26

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alexis king hear it would it speak of these terrors from within?

How many news sources will you consume today that will impress upon you concepts of the horrific kind; murders, abductions, wars, rapes, imprisonments, abuses, thefts, deceptions, lies…

This ‘message’ is the very cornerstone of the world, because first of all, before anything else is even begun, it serves to inhabit your consciousness like a cuckoo.

By destroying your world, your inner world, the one you used to build and invent and make magic happen in by instinct as a child, by terrorizing the one that you spent those years delighting in and where literally anything was possible, the one you could retreat into for comfort, for contemplation and for inspiration, by usurping you from dominion over your own inner sovereign realm, for you and everyone else who has allowed this invasion to occur, not only is the tyranny in your shared reality assured, but your subsuquent enslavement almost inevitable.

If you were under the impression then that you had to fight for freedom, become ‘active’ to start a revolution, invent something to have influence, or to become a person of renown to ‘make it’, you can certainly go ahead and do these things but you will not change the world from the dark conception upon which it is currently founded.

Only the tiniest few have given light through this pervasive gloom that burns on long after their physical form has left, so as to inspire like the stars of the night sky and to make wonder of our genuine human potential. Forget more fear mongering of extra-terrestrials, and what is ‘out there’ these were the adventurers of the inner space.

Its long since been time then to turn off the T.V. to stop reading newspapers, be selective about your online media and don’t listen to fear based unsubstantiated gossip.

To make a world, a truly magical world, a world of peace, love, unity and joy you just need to take back your interior world.

Banish the colonizer who has darkened your soul, refute the infection of fear and lies, and then imagine the shared experience we will have when everyone else has done the same.

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discuss

DREAM BIG by sanela kasegi

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sanela kasegi

W

e live in rapidly changing world. We are playing the key role in creating our own days, but are we aware of this? When we hear a question a world of whose making we must think about everything not just about our own power and responsibility for our own lives.

“In a time when the world is flooded with problems we can make a choice of how to react. It is much easier to choose to have no choice. Lots of people wear their life as a burden on their back, hoping that someone else will do something for them that will make them happy.

Others who believe they have a choice select a happy solution. Focus on the solution of problems produces energy for a better life. Hope that we have the power to choose our own good and supportive We complain about government, about various thought develops confidence in support of life and centers of power, and it is always someone gives hope that the solution depends on us.

Everyone is guilty… for everything, for wars, for poverty, for unemployment… Why? because we didn’t achieve our dreams.

else’s fault for everything that happens to us. We complain that “they” manipulate us, and that we are powerless to change anything…

There are various theories about how we are insignificant and that we are just guinea pigs in a large experiment, that our fates are predetermined and that will always be the case because it’s the way someone else wants it.

Positive thinking is the recognition of a person’s own responsibility for the beauty of life and not insisting on the ugly, negative and discouraging.

The law according to which the world works is to give exactly what you need.

This is the only way that you can return it. If you need love, show it to others to make you feel loved, If this is so, how then to explain the fate of a little if you need appreciation show it to others so that girl who grew up with a single mother in poverty they can respect you. and one day decided to conquer the world. How to explain that she had just a little bit of money in her pocket, and big dreams in her heart. How to explain that she started from nothing and achieved everything she ever wanted?

And where were the government, these centers of power, the wars and the poverty that prevent any one little girl from becoming the ‘queen’ when she was just a ‘beggar’?

Many people believe that we can change the world by thinking positive. I asked one of the most popular Heal Your Life* trainers in Serbia Dragana Stojic, to explain how this works;

Currently on the planet, perhaps only 1% of people think this way. They say that when we reach 3% of the world will be saved. Believe that you have the power to choose good, choose your best thoughts, create a sense of your life, so good will come into your experience” So, who is creating the world? You are… think about that… *after the method of Louise Hay

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...prom to ke 30

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mises eep... sevent y 2minutes  April 2015 

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A

promise is comfort to a fool.

Says Sean Paul, the Dutch proverb, and Gregory Isaacs.

Maybe it is our lived experience to expect promises to be nothing more than words spoken, the intent forgotten once breath has passed our lips. Maybe the ease of saying “Of course I will, I promise” has become a flippancy in the hectic pace of our lives that we are readily forgiven when we talk the talk, never once walking that hallowed walk. You were tired, busy, hungry, hurt, angry, sad, tempted… excusable but inescapably dishonouring the commitment you made to “do”.

Alex Sheen believes in the power of a promise. Founder of ‘Because I Said I would’ the death of his father prompted him to consider how the funeral of a loved one is often treated as a day of sadness to be forgotten.

Something we experience and then move on from. Alex did not want the death of his father to simply signal the absence of the good that he brought to life. He openly expresses his opinion that his father was not a perfect man. He, like all of us, had his faults but he, for Alex, was a good person who kept his promises and his death should not equate to a reduction of ‘good’ in the world. Thus ‘Because I Said I would’ was born. A noble, passionate, pursuit that has touched many hearts and changed many lives.

I spoke to Alex via Skype about the social impact of BISIW and his vision for it’s future.

Your family and friends, and their thoughts?

I’ve got support from my friends and my family, this is thought of as his eulogy. Things have grown much bigger, and this has gone much further, than we thought it would. At first they were worried because I talked about leaving my job; I was successful, and made a fair bit of money, so they had concerns… that’s a good thing! That’s how they care. They appreciate honouring the memory [of Alex’s father]. They appreciate seeing other people around the world do something, not just pretending to care but actually making a difference in their own lives through promises made and kept.

How much of this is you?

Let’s put some metrics to it to give some context.

I travel about 300 days a year. Last year I volunteered at 52 different non-profit organisations. It does start to consume me, in a very positive way. Think about the phrase “Because I Said I would”, and think about 32

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because I said I would our mission, “the betterment of humanity through promises made and kept”, as the founder I must hold myself to the standards that we advocate for. That means that when I say I’m going to be there I’m there on time, every time, and if I’m not that comes with a big apology and a real reason; not because I’m tired that day. It’s a life where excuse aren’t welcome. It gives a sense of honour, direction, purpose.

The change you wish to see?

I’m incredibly fortunate in so many respects. Being committed, for me, is probably easier than being a different version of myself in a different life! I’m driven to fulfil my promises and because of the nature of our organisation people expect me to live and operate in a certain way. That expectation creates a certain amount of pressure on myself which can be very positive. We get messages from supporters around the world every day. Thousands of messages from people who remind you of the importance of a promise to their stories.

Not only does this give positive reinforcement, the pat on the back, that virtual reminder of their stories… I recognise the importance of this.

Your word, your honour?

Through all the stories of our supporters I have learned a lot about the challenges that many face, and the tragedies that so many have endured. I say that because I came from an upper-middle class family. My father was a pharmacist; college paid for, car paid for.

I didn’t truly understand what the world was about. I went to college, we travelled about, but I didn’t really get it until these messages started flooding in. What I realised by learning through those experiences of others, and of course making my own promises, is that in this world so much can be taken from you. They can take my computer, this shirt, my house, and my car, but you can’t take my honour. That is something that I have to give away. In this life of materialism that so many people pursue we need to be reminded of what truly matters, once in a while. It is not to say that material things are evil, that’s certainly not I want to point at. We need a reminder of what can’t be taken from us. What matters the most. I think if you look back at everyone that you know, everyone that you respect, that respect and the most genuine parts of it will come for people who followed through, people who honour their word, respect themselves, and help other people. Honour is not valuable in a monetary sense, but it is valuable in a way that money cannot measure. sevent y 2minutes April 2015

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discuss

My goal is to make and keep a million promises, by a million people...

Spreading the message..

It’s interesting because the speeches [that Alex is invited to give] range so widely from preparing for a TED Talk to speaking to universities. The first time I spoke to a middle school, thirteen year olds, a group of 8th grade girls I was thinking to myself “I don’t have any idea of what these people think! Do they think I’m funny, are they all going to be texting?”

Speaking in front of people gives you a different perspective, a peak into their lives. For me, ultimately, it’s an honour to speak to so many; whether it’s to staff members in a small non-profit, or ten thousand people in a stadium. It truly is a gift that I get any invitations to speak, and no matter how many I do I don’t get numb.

Promise stories It’s an everyday thing. I see something that reminds me about how much one person can change a life; their own, a community’s, or even something much bigger.

Of course a couple of our more shared promise stories resonate with me, not just because they resonate with so many others, because the reason they were shared speaks to the core of every one of us. One example is the drunk driver confession video from Matthew Cordle who wrote a promise; “I will take full responsibility for what I’ve done” [Cordle, against legal advice, confessed to killing Vincent Canzani in a drunk driving collision].

The personal sacrifice is something that we all need to take account of but that’s an example in so many that give us pause for thought.

Heroes I’ve always found [being called a hero] a very odd thing 34

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to respond to. Two and a half years ago I was just a guy behind the keyboard. I don’t want to pretend that I’m some kind of patron saint of promises. I make errors. I forget to send ‘that thing’, I can be there 5 minutes late because of traffic… my batting average is pretty solid but I’m human too! When people say such kind things it’s hard to accept but I do think that it’s a reminder to every one of us that we can make a difference. I am no Martin Luther King Jr, no Ghandi, nor will I ever be as rich as Bill Gates. I’m none of these people but I can make and keep promises, and the truth is, so can you.

Where will it end?

I will have to find that out. That is something that will be discovered in a trial by fire! It’s a gift. I’m not willing to complain too much. The vision for Because I Said I would, in my opinion, has not been seen by the world. My goal is to set up chapters around the world. Small, or even large, groups of people who make unified promises, hold each other accountable for their commitments; whether it’s to quit smoking, be there for their kids, whatever, I want to start these groups so that we can have a more hands on approach.

My goal is to make and keep a million promises, by a million people, on the same day, for a positive cause, and with that energy we can see unprecedented waves of change.

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by catherine lyn scott

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heart london

hether you are workin g hard 9 to 5 or any ot he need a break and getti ng the chance to trave r hours, we all l abroad is not always possible. So here are a couple of fun getaw Britain for you to enjoy ays in Beautiful , whatever your budg et.

The W hite Lion Hotel is situated in the prett y se is only a 90-minute dr ive from London, wh aside town of Aldeburgh, it ich makes it a perfect getaway. The hotel is week right opposite the be ac h, so close you can ste end the beach within seco nds and enjoy the fre p onto sh alternative to Brighto n. Stepping inside th sea air and it makes a great e ho feel and great custom er service from the fri tel you can enjoy the homely endly receptionists.

The bar area is very m odern and well decora ted in earthy sea colo porthole like mirrors urs, while adorn the walls. Beau tiful lilies ensure the divine, soothing jazz bar smells music plays in the ba ckground and the ba just as friendly as the r staff are receptionists. The fo od at the White Lion outstanding and supe Hotel is rior to many 5 star ho tels.

Aldeburgh is a pretty town and the W hite Li on Hotel is the perfect destination to relax an be d enjoy the sea fresh air. The hotel is excelle achside for money, so you do nt not need a special reas on to visit. Just pop alo value a weekend and enjoy great service, delicious ng on food, comfortable be beautiful sea view. ds and a If you have a bigger budget and want to giv e yourself a treat, Ro could be the perfect ckliffe Hall weekend trip. The ha ll is a two and a half ride from London an hour train d about a four hour dr ive off though as it is wo rth every second when , do not let the drive put you building of Rockliffe yo Hall. The view is as ex u set eyes on the stunning citing as the history it monks used to live at boasts, the hall and it still ho lds a the beautiful building.

The halls are set in we magical feeling throughout ll-kept grounds, also golf course. All the sta beside a ff work and are happy to at the hotel are welcoming, they take prid e in their share the love they ha ve bedrooms are huge, ve ry well designed in wa for this char ming place. The rm browns and cream ultra modern technol og y, s, with lights to suit your moo including a headboard complete with ch angeable d. From the press off the bed you can switc a button and not even h on or off the lights leaving in any room.

The spa offers fantas tic and varied treatmen ts, with experienced an welcoming therapists. d Th well equipped with am e gym and spa changing rooms are spacio us and ple towels, cleansers, toners, hair sprays an The pool is large and d more. surrounded with relax ing recliner seats. Th pool is surrounded wi e hydro th beautiful spa room s including the Tropoc pretty blue igloo room arium, a to cool you down and warm body shaped be the Tepadarium room ds. with The White Lion Hotel, Market Cross Place, Aldeburgh, Suffolk IP15 5BJ

+44 1728 452720

The Rockliffe Hall an d Spa is well worth th e 4everything at this spec ial hotel is A-Class. Fr hour drive from London, om the perfect service courteous staff, luxur ious bedrooms and de , licious food, to the sp treatments themselve a s. This may be a hidd en chance to take a trip to the hotel spa you wi gem, so if you ever get the ll romantic break, to a healthy weekend or a be glad you did. From a hen weekend with th Rockliffe Hall and Sp e girls, the a is excellence at its be st.

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morgan james

heart shake with the deep spirit of soul, jazz, and r’n’b providing the source for her Idaho born, California raised, New York based voice, 72M spoke to vocalist and songwriter Morgan James about neo-soul, inspirations and aspirations.

For you, is Opera still an option?

Your top 3 musical inspirations?

I don’t know that it ever was. Moreover, it’s not something one can just ‘choose’ to do. It would take complete dedication and focus to succeed in that world.

I am fortunate enough to dip my toe in the classical world every now and then, and when I do it’s a welcomed challenge! I do love it. I may like to do it here or there, should the right project came along. But I don’t think a solitary operatic career was ever truly my destiny.

Aretha Franklin, D’Angelo, Nina Simone

When are you at your vocal best?

Rested, hydrated, and when I am singing a LOT. I perform well when I am in high demand.

Why D’Angelo’s ‘Black Messiah’ and what has the overall reception been?

I am a longtime D’Angelo fan, and the world had been waiting for the album for 14 years! It did not disappoint: It’s rich, textured, poetic, brilliant. It’s not just an incredible r&b record, but a rock record, as well. My guitar player, Doug Wamble, and I wanted to deep dive and learn the whole thing, top to bottom, as a challenge and also to honor it. The reception has been pretty amazing.

There will always be people who don’t understand why I did it, or who wonder what I could possibly know about it being who I am... The bottom line is, I wanted to pay tribute to D and the Vanguard.

Do you still have the acting bug and if so are there any shows you’ve thought about?

Oh sure! That will never leave me--it’s where I came from, and the theatre taught me so much. I would love to act again, if the project and timing were right. I really love premiering new works, but Sondheim is my favorite theatrical composer of all time.

When you hear yourself (live or recorded) whose voice do you think yours sounds like?

I don’t know that I sound like anyone anymore. I think when I was younger, I relied on imitation while I was learning and finding myself. Sometimes I hear shades of my idols, a lick of Aretha here, a Mariah-ism there, phrasing of someone, etc, but I strive to peel away and reveal more of my truest voice every time I sing.

What are your plans; music, love, and life, for the coming year?

I hope to continue to tour and meet fans--I think that I can do something very unique in a live setting, and I want to reach as many people as possible. I want to start writing the next album, and put my writing hat back on.

I love looking at a full calendar of signing ahead of me.

Your dream duet would be?

Prince. Anything he wants.

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film

Writer & Producer

fiona domenica presents

S T I N G R AY S a film

the pitch Gritty drama True Romance meets Into the Wild meets The Tree of Life.

the intention This is the first script I have written so this was a total learning process from script to production. First of all I didn’t think I could write a script, nor did I know how to. But I listened to a lot of 90’s grunge rock and studied a lot of scripts. The goal is to submit to festivals, and complete it as a feature film. In the process I aim to raise money for abused children in LA, NC, and London, through screening events.

the challenges I deliberately didn’t want the abuse to be graphic as this would turn away the audience. Instead it was subtle clues that gave the essence of what went on in the childhood of the two leads.

The most difficult scene for me was creating the sound of a child being beaten from outside the trailer home. I got the mother and child to scream at each other while I held a large cloth and continuously slapped it against a hard table. I then played back the sound recording and it sent shivers down my spine.

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fiona domenica

“The most difficult scene for me was creating the sound of a child being beaten...”

the focus The film follows two young people dealing with life after an horrific childhood. The message I’d like to put across is that it doesn’t matter what happens to you in your life, you have a choice to either stay a victim to the past or move on and create the best life for yourself. It is also about love and its complexities, especially with abusive parents.

the experience I learned so much, particularly the importance of having a clear vision. After I wrote the script I sent relevant music, visuals, and film scenes to the Director and DP. Understanding the casting process and, when you have a clear vision how tough that can be on casting, was also a valuable experience.

I learned the importance of takes. Sometimes I didn’t have enough takes due to budget constraints but in the editing room it is vital to have a selection to play with. I found the challenge of acting the lead while rewriting and producing extremely tough, but I enjoyed it and I realized the value of everyone on the set much more.

the future I have written a feature film length script called Sleep. This is a psychological horror based on a true life experience of mine. I am very excited about this project and I cannot wait to shoot it!!

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growth of the garden Alexander Reford, founder and director of LesJardins de Metis on restoration, contemporary landscape design and animating the garden experience

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art

I

became interested in the gardens because of my work as an historian. I had been commissioned to write the biographies of two of my great grandfathers for the Dictionary of Canadian Biography and in doing the research in the family archives, then in a dusty room in an historic building in Old Montreal, I came across boxes containing my great grandmother’s garden diairies.

The thousands of photos of her garden taken over more than three decades by her husband also whet my appetite. I thought the story merited a story-teller and offered my services to write a guidebook. In the midst of this research, the garden’s future was threatened with sale by the government, who had taken them over in the 1960s. Writing a book on a garden that would be closed seemed rather pointless. So I gave my attention to saving the gardens.

My involvement in managing the gardens was driven by my historical interest. And our ongoing restoration of the gardens continues to be grounded in research and respect for the original design and plantings. But we have become known for our innovative approaches to landscape and our openness to incorporate contemporary

design and art in the gardens as a way of bringing them to life and animating the garden experience.

We founded the Internation Garden Festival with several objectives in mind. First, we saw (after three years of a summer school jointly held with the Université de Montréal) that young designers emerging from their studies in landscape architecture and architecture did not have many venues in which to create. They were obliged to join larger firms and have their work subsumed into that of others. So the Festival seemed like a way to foster creativity and capture the intensity of these young and emerging professionals.

Our second objective was to reach out to a younger audience. Gardens (like museums) are very successful at attractng visitors 55 and older. But we have difficulty attracting younger visitors – young couples, families and vacationers who are more likely to be found on a hiking path or a beach than in a garden. So putting young designers front and centre and creating a buzz around their presence and with their work seemed like a good way to broaden our appeal.

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discover And finally, as a private not for profit, we need visitors.

That is how we pay our bills, employ our staff and invest in improvements to our buildings and grounds. We don’t get a government subsidy or have a large endowment. So we had a commercial objective which was, and remains, to continue to attract visitors from Quebec, the rest of Canada and around the world.

Thus far we have surpassed all of our objectives. We started the Festival in 2000, one of many events created for the millenium. We are probably one of the few such projects to have been sustained. Our success is in identifying (through our open competition process) creative designers to design installations and in building and maintaining these installations to high standards.

Our visitors are enchanted to have this living laboratory of creativity and to follow the new crop of designers.

As a garden, we have been invigorated by the constant invitation to renewal and the challenge that comes with working with emerging designers at the cutting edge of design, use of materials and tackling societal problems with design. Our event takes on more relevance with every year.

We think our Festival is not so much a festival of passing festivities as an artistic event whose relevance

is demonstrated by the quality of the installations on display.

In my opinion, landscape and landscape architecture is an art. One of the things that we most celebrate over the last 15 years has been to see how the public and the policy makers have come to realize how good landscape design is essential to every built project. Our cities, towns, natural spaces and domestic environments are made better with good design.

Landscape architecture has risen in importance around the world and landscape architects are beginning to be recognized for their unique talent set. They are very aware of the ecological imperatives (water, use of resources, native vs invasive species), the economic realities (cost and maintenance) and the need to create spaces that work.

The other artistic disciplines have different imperatives.

Good landscape is good art. Good landscape creates better cities and happier citizens. In this sense, our Festival is a gallery where visitors can see good landscapes and judge for themselves what works and does not work. It is a landscape laboratory and one that contributes to a global dialogue.

“Good landscape creates better cities and happier citizens.”

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les jardins de metis

Me?, I am certainly no artist. My talents, such as they are, are limited to the selection and encouragement of artists and to facilitating their creations. In addition to the International Garden Festival, we also host temporary exhibitions by visual artists and photographers and curate a collection of outdoor sculpture.

We are working on new initiatives to offer ‘art everywhere’ and augment the number of artists using the gardens and intervening on the site through a new artist in residence program. We are building two buildings to accommodate artists and look forward to welcoming them in the future.

I consider myself more of a cultural entrepreneur. This means that me and my staff are always on the lookout

for new projects that can foster a dynamic of creative interaction, that benefits the gardens, the community and the artists.

In the future we have ambitious plans for the gardens and their development. We are constantly working on projects, large and small. In 2015, we will be opening a new facility (ERE132), which is an interpretation centre dedicated to explaining and exploring green building.

We have several major landscaping projects underway, all part of a more focussed concentration on sustainable development. These include greening our parking lot by adding 10 sheep to mow our grass and to enliven the rather ugly areas dedicated to visitors and their cars.

Plus we are creating some bee (and bird and butterfly) berms, planted

with flowering plants that will contribute to creating spaces for pollinators.

Connecting to the St. Lawrence River is another priority, and various pathways and conservation projects are underway with various partners, likewise dedicated to conserving the unique ecosystems of the estuary.

Do I have a garden? Yes, at my own home I have a vegetable garden. It uses the same techniques (square foot gardening, in raised boxes) as we used when building the restored vegetable garden at Les Jardins de Métis. I don’t have the benefit of spending much time there during the summer, so use what time I have to mow pathways through fields of wildflowers and pastures and growing vegetables. It has an extraordinary views of the St. Lawrence river. sevent y 2minutes April 2015

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discuss

W

hen it comes to the world of pharmaceuticals, who decides what drugs are available to the general public and which drugs are medical grade only?

The pharmaceutical drug approval process is strictly regulated by respective federal drug agencies in countries of drug manufacturing and market distribution. Generally, drugs that are manufactured by pharmaceutical companies have passed a long process of investigations that go from early discovery and development to clinical studies to federal drug agency approval.

Bringing the right drugs to the right market segments translates into a wealth of understanding about the intrinsic nature of the drug, its effects on the human body, the adequate dosing for different patients, a high degree of safety assurance, and superior control of potential side effects.

There are alternative theories about Big Pharma having a strangle hold on the pharmaceuticals market, preventing life-saving drugs from coming to market in order to perpetuate ill-health for financial gain. As someone who works within the pharmaceutical industry, how do you think these theories have come to be and how does it impact on While ideally, every medication a patient takes should your working world? be FDA approved, it is not surprising to realize that at times doctors may prescribe off-label medications to certain individuals for special disease conditions for which approved drugs may not be available or in cases where other approved drugs may not be suitable for a particular segment of the patients.

Pharmaceutical companies, however, can only promote and market medicines that have been fully approved by the FDA for the intended disease and population segment. So, when a patient buys and takes an FDA approved drug, they get a higher level of assurance that the drug they are taking has underwent intense clinical studies and that its effectiveness and safety is more reliable.

In your experience and opinion, if the world did not have any organizations that monitored which drugs come to the market and which ones are banned how would this impact the drugs available?

The impact would be disastrous. Drugs, whether approved or unapproved, have different effects on the human body and on its physiological performance.

Without any responsible entities involved in the approval process, anyone literally could sell whatever substance they wanted and make misleading claims.

The general public would be unprotected and would be at high risk of intaking medications that could potentially jeopardize their health and even be fatal.

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The pharmaceutical drug development process is certainly very complex. Day after day, thousands of professionals work intensely with a high level of rigorous discipline to understanding particular disease conditions and tailoring potential treatment for those patients. This hard work is only possible because these professionals and pharmaceutical organizations have a strong desire to touch millions of people around the world that makes their lives healthier and longer.

Just as the world evolves every day, diseases also become more complex. Sometimes, this complexity may arise from new viral strains, environmental changes or chemical exposures, climatic changes, genetic mutations, and nutrition and the list goes on.

Every patient is also different for so many reasons including different reaction to medicines, multiple disease conditions that may impact the efficacy of one single treatment, different genetic make- ups that may render them ineligible for treatment with a particular medication, etc.

Due to all this complexity, it often takes many years to even truly understand diseases and perform adequate experiments to shed light to potential inroads of treatment. Bringing a new approved drug to the market, hence, is undoubtedly very costly and at times may be difficult for patients with low resources to access these medications. There is where people come up with all sorts of Big Pharma theories.

yury yohana gomez

the drugs that work?

Big Pharma; a common term used by those who have “conspiracy theorist” levied at them as a form of insult. It’s rooted in the belief that the medicines available on the open market are controlled by powerful cartels that determine our access to life saving treatments; only for the purpose of perpetuating ill-health for their financial gain.

Curious to understand the debate from the perspective of someone in the pharmaceutical business I extended an invite to Yury Yohana Gomez, Pharmaceutical Business and Science Leader, currently working for Johnson & Johnson, for her perspective of how the legal drugs, we have ready access to, come to market.

As part of our ‘A World of Whose making?’ conversation we asked about the decision makers, the FDA approval system, and the impact of those persisting ‘big pharma’ theories. sevent y 2minutes April 2015

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72M vox

So instead, let me try playing Devil’s Advocate and imagine what a modern world would look like if it wasn’t one of the media’s making.

In a way the idea sounds like some sort of nirvana, no news, no Kardashians, a world where maybe, just maybe we’d remember the ancient art of conversation.

But the likelihood is that we’ve probably been brought 48

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hin e

B

Or what about it being an asexual world, under the dominance of the media, something I’ve argued about before, so perhaps in this issue, it’s worth seeing if that’s changed at all? To be honest, I’m not sure it ever has and probably ever will…

e

Is it a man’s world as James Brown once claimed or more in the hands of women as equality has thankfully moved our civilisation forward, although not as far as it probably needs to go.

s

D

ear reader, I feel somehow that we’ve been here before, discussing who really runs the world in the 21st Century.

len

a purer, simpler world?

d

the

up in the captivity of the media for so long now, that we would struggle if we had to return to the wild without.

If you’re reading this and thinking, oh I could cope without the media, I rarely watch my TV, well may I remind you about newspapers, social media, the internet, all parts of the media family.

I rarely watch TV, but as soon as I wake up, I’m checking social media on my phone, I’ll get to work and have the web on all day, and come the evening when I relax I’ll either be catching up on some Netflix or reading a book, also a form of media.

So who would feel better without it around?

Best to look at the world of advertising for that, where singletons like me, for instance, are rarely featured in advertising unless it’s to poke fun and to show that being on your own isn’t the norm, so we’d probably have an easier time of it.

andy holmes

by andy holmes But then again, without the web for instance, we’d probably feel more isolated anyway, as there would be less methods of communication with friends unless they lived round the corner and less chance to meet new people, as the media has helped open up the world of social networking.

So a purer, simpler world, maybe?

When I self-published my two novels, which thanks to THIS media I’m happy to say are still available on Amazon, as much as I can fall out with media, without it, I would have to have walked around the town where I live talking to everyone to sell them the product.

Let’s try sport without the media? Yes, a lot less hype, especially for our beloved English Premiership that may be the most entertaining in the world, but certainly isn’t the best, but take Sky out of the equation, and not just in football, and a lot of the money would disappear, along with the take up of other sports like cricket and tennis that can grow in popularity almost overnight thanks to a big event like The Ashes or Wimbledon, as publicised via the media.

Instead via channels like YouTube, Twitter, Facebook, radio and print, a large number of people know of the books existence.

A big part of the media is bias, every channel has an agenda based on their audience, every show is cut at the whim of a producer with an eye for the best narrative, so there’s the argument that no media would mean no hate figures on our screens, even if the hatred is partly generated in the edit.

But there’s certainly the argument that we all need people to not like, partly as something to talk about and partly to make ourselves feel better about our own existences.

So therefore, a world without soaps wouldn’t work either!

So, we may well live in a world made by the media, but for all its faults, and even as someone who has been around it for twenty years I can see there are many, a world not made by the media seems like an even less tasty pill to swallow.

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mind your business

Tweets Tweets & replies Photos & videos Terri Seymour @SeymourProducts .1m 1. Interesting and Complete Profile – Unfortunately you are only allowed 160 characters to sum up who you are so it has to be better than good. If you are tweeting for business use your real name. Do not use cutesy or clever pun names. Use a “casual professional” photo of yourself. List any skills and/or accomplishments and add your link.

Terri Seymour @SeymourProducts . 23m 2. Timing – There are good times to tweet and bad so do some testing This isn’t easy but there are tools to help you. Tweriod analyzes your tweets and followers’ tweets. TweetWhen will let you know when you get the most retweets.

Terri Seymour @SeymourProducts .33m 3. Repeats are Good – Repeat your popular posts periodically and it will help you get more followers. Search for your name and see which posts got the most replies and retweets. Repost those tweets a few times but not too closely together.

Terri Seymour @SeymourProducts . 2h 4. Autofollow is an automated service that allows Twitter users to automatically follow people who have followed them. A person who follows a lot of people and has about the same amount of followers could be an indication of Autofollow. If you follow that person, they will automatically follow you back.

But be wary of spam followers. They will be following thousands of people but will not have the same amount of followers as a person using Autofollow.

Terri Seymour @SeymourProducts . 8h 5. Promote Your Twitter – Spread the word to your website visitors, social media friends, subscribers and others. Use any means you can think of to let people know about your Twitter account and why they should follow you.

Terri Seymour @SeymourProducts . 11h 6. Variety is the Spice of Twitter – Don’t get hung up on one subject or topics. Offer a wide array of interesting, quotes, events, images, links, etc.

Terri Seymour retweeted

72M Magazine @Seventy2Minutes . 1d 7. Make it a point to retweet other people’s interesting tweets. This could most likely lead to a follow by that person.

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terri seymour Terri Seymour @SeymourProducts . 3d 8. Although #Hashtags can be annoying they have a purpose. They provide a way to make your post accessible to those with similar interests who may not yet be followers. If you are posting about aromatherapy you could add the hashtag #aromatherapy and other specific keywords. Use them anywhere in your post but do not use too many or excessively long ones.

Terri Seymour @SeymourProducts . 3d 9. Finding Others – Use keywords to search for and find other people with similar interests. Respond to their posts, retweet their tweets and follow them. Make a connection with them and they will more than likely follow you back.

Terri Seymour @SeymourProducts . 3d 10. Engagement – Asking questions and posting polls and quizzes about current events gets people interacting and creates interest in your tweets. Asking for people’s thoughts and opinions can increase response dramatically.

Terri Seymour @SeymourProducts . 5d 11. Use Images – More attention getting than text using images is to your advantage.

Tweets with images are also almost twice as likely to get retweeted. You can also tweet videos to increase your chances of getting retweeted or followed.

Terri Seymour @SeymourProducts . 7d 12. You can use an @message to get more exposure because this allows you to post to anyone whether they follow you or not or if you follow them or not.

twelve twitter tweaks

for a fuller following by terri seymour ©

T

witter is a micro-blogging service that has grown into one of the most popular social media sites available. To communicate with your followers you send short messages called tweets. These tweets can be used to build your business by building relationships.

There are many tools, tips and techniques you can use to increase your number of followers.

The above tips are a good place to get started. Fuse many of them together to make your Twitter following everything it can be and to grow your business for more success! sevent y 2minutes April 2015

51

discover

the next beauty

miracles....

Cosmetic expert Dr. Vincent Wong offers advice on how to select the right beauty treatments from an increasingly competitive market place.

M

irror mirror on the wall, what is the best treatment of them all? - If the Wicked Queen lived in today’s world that would probably be the question she would ask of the magic mirror.

The aesthetics market and beauty industry in general are saturated with thousands of treatments every year, with each one claiming to be the next miracle. Realistically though, how effective and how different are they?

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From my experience, one of the main factors that differentiate whether a new treatment is just another pretty jar with a different name, or a true revolution, lies in the expectations of the patients and consumers. For example, if someone has microneedling treatment and expects to look 10 years younger without a single wrinkle, then she is certainly not going to be happy and will probably never have the treatment again.

However, if you compare the same treatment on someone who is looking to improve the quality of her skin in terms of hydration and glow, then micro-needling becomes a wonder treatment. This discernment is especially important, as it has become the norm to speak openly about beauty treatments and beauty ‘secrets’, with most people trying out new treatments that have been recommended by someone they know.

dr. vincent wong

Another important factor that can make or break a treatment is the mechanism of action. That is to say, how exactly does a treatment or product achieve the promised results? With increasing levels of information available via the internet consumers have become more savvy about their beauty regime.

To avoid the disappointment of being the victim of over-hyped products, many consumers will

do some background reading beforehand. This has definitely led to a big drive in research and development when manufacturers are considering the launch of new treatments. The benefits of this are then clearly evident with the products that remain on the market being those with both a better safety profile, strong scientific approval and a well understood mechanism of action.

Ground-breaking technologies are now available, and I personally believe that this will drive the future of beauty treatments, delivering better results in shorter periods of time to consumers. However, it is definitely important to have the right expectation and to do some research beforehand. In this era, consumer education and empowerment work better than the magic mirror and true love’s kiss.

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technology

T

he world we live in is aided by technology.

Whether rudimentary or radical, the makings of the human mind have shaped the way we hunt, gather, seed, and grow.

In developed countries it has become easy to believe that technology equals computers. Products we have ready access to allow us to monitor our heartbeats as we run, map that run, calculate how much fitter we are because of that run, then share with all that care to pay attention.

Countries we consider to be developing are tarred with the gloom of deficiency as we compare the world that we live in to theirs, and find them wanting. No Iproducts, little modern architecture, no central heating, air conditioning, bottled water, hair straighteners, shoes, satellite TV, Nike trainers, Victoria Secrets bras, O.P.I nail varnish‌ gosh how do they live?

Technology is more than the comforts we hold on to in developed and developing nations.

Technology is skill, knowledge, equipment, machinery, tools, things that we all have access to. How we choose to use it becomes the defining point.

flint

c. 2.6 million years ago

fire

c. 1.5 million years ago

From the Archimedes Screw to the Zip we skip through 2.6 million years of technology that has shaped the physical world we live.

Key to Last 10,000 Years Ink - c. 4,500 years ago. Banknotes - c. 3000 years ago. Telescope - c. 400 years ago. Vaccination - c. 200 years ago. Photography - c. 170 years ago. Computer program - c. 150 years ago. Zip fastener - c. 100 years ago.

Cloning - c. 50 years ago. Large Hadron Collider - c. 6 years ago.

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Prehistoric Period

Last 10,000 Years

Last Year

maps c. 4.5 thousand years ago

Hover Board Wireless Electricity

clothes built shelter c. 500 thousand years ago

c. 400 thousand years ago

3D Printers Sign Language Translator

alcohol c. 10 thousand years ago

SelfieStick

lunar calendar c. 15 thousand years ago

the time for technology sevent y 2minutes  Issue 17 

55

learn

A

world of whose making supposes that the world we live in has been shaped by us, and by us I mean human kind.

When we think of the ‘world’ rarely do we consider, at the metaphysical level, the influence that other animals have had. Existential musings are restricted to those we can easily reflect our thoughts off and whilst man’s best friend might comfort us s/he doesn’t register as influential in the way we have come to be - least not according to the many accounts of “The World’s most influential...”

Clearly the way we view our “world”, not our “planet”, nor our “earth”, has much to do with it. The world is something we conspire to create. It is the societies we belong to, the laws we usher in, and the trends we perpetuate. All this is seemingly very ‘human’, although science will readily highlight the similarities in the way we go about our lives to those of other animals known to us on this planet.

In past issues we’ve used WWW as a platform to explore the

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connection between our chosen topic of conversation and the many women connected to that topic, and this issue is no different. Having explored feminism, patriarchy, beauty, progress, and many more besides, the conversation about women who have changed the world becomes narrow if we don’t revisit some of these ideas.

Feminism, womanism, and other enclaves of progressive thinking are almost, always, thought of us producing ‘game changers’. Steinman, hooks, Rand, and Walker are the tip of the feminist iceberg. Hotly contested, sometimes vilified, and very divisive in their beliefs and their rhetoric yet it is arguable that the voices they have added to the feminist debate have challenged those involved in the dialogue, confronting the way we think - whether to uplift, confuse, or in some cases disgust. Their activism has contributed to a world where feminism remains a political movement, and womanism separates itself in the need to define the intersectional nuances of a struggle often ignored by the mainstream movement.

We tackled the ‘Changing Face of Beautiful’ in issue 16 only to conclude that beauty is, as beauty has always been; aesthetically pleasing. Many invest in the belief that popular media impresses upon us the given standard of beauty for any era. Mona Lisa? Marilyn Monroe? Jackie Kennedy? Somebody captured their image, promoted their beauty, and suggested they were to be admired above the ordinary ‘woman’, presenting this complex entanglement between fantasy and reality where reality, the dour pofaced cousin, always loses. From thigh gaps to big butts the fantasy / reality dynamic of body diversity pushes at us from all corners – ‘Real Beauty’, ‘No Angel’, ‘Thyck Troupe’, ‘Inked Girls’ – all battle cries for beauty varied, all contributing to a

world wise woman world where beauty is firmly fixed to a physical attribute...

Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics are frequently thought of us ‘female voids’ but many women have shaped, and continue to shape, the world we live in through their work in these fields. Marie Curie, Ada Lovelace, Mae Jamison, Lera Boroditsky, Roger Arliner Young, Chien-Shiung Wu, Sofia Kovalevskaya – whatever the barrier, they prevailed. History has, in the past, ascribed some of their achievements to male associates but the internet, our increasing access to information, and the explosion of ‘armchair enthusiasts’ creates an environment whereby everything is open to challenge revealing truths once obscured from us. The importance of these revelations being the confirmation that there are no ‘voids’, just the perception that in some avenues of life women ‘have not been’. We are learning that this is untrue. Wherever men have been, it is likely that women have been too.

Politics, economics, banking, business, culture, science, religion, philosophy… we conspire, through the many facets of humanity, to construct a reality that closely reflects the way we choose to live and women have been contributors to this. Even when conflict has arisen, and there have been plenty to write about, the result of these disagreements have been change; for better or worse, in favour or against.

The very exciting thing we ought to hold on to is that the making of our ‘world’ is neverending. The cycle of life forces the continuous refresh of the issues that matter to us, forcing the refresh of the norms that we hold dear, further forcing a shift in our perception, and acceptance, of the world we make and live in.

There are many aspects of who we are as tribes of people, or societies if you will, that determine the shape of our world.

World Wise Women sevent y 2minutes April 2015

57

discover

cardology

N

umbers, lines on hands, lumps in bottoms, and now cards!

Where will this journey end?

Know that the quest to know thyself is never-ending and the joy of discovering who you are is a life time’s journey.

This issue looks at Birth Cards, or Cardology, the notion that your date of birth correlates to one of the 53 cards in a deck, thus providing insight to your personality and 58

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the faculties you come to life with.

The belief is that each card is derived from a mathematical equation taken from your date of birth to your current age, offering insight as to who you are, and where you are destined to go. Each of the 53 cards reflects a date in the Gregorian calendar. The card that matches your date of birth therefore reflects your personality, challenges, and purposes.

To learn what the cards say about you pay a visit to; www.thecardsoflife.com

you-ology

As a Diamonds card, they can excel in business and promote themselves through an exceptional ability to communicate well. A sharp intellect accompanies this card and as such these people can be excellent leaders and listeners, able to manifest a mental construct into a material expression.

Their energetic Mars card in their life script hosts the King of Clubs: powerful, driven, leadership ability and sharp intellect. There’s an air of authority around them that, when fully embodied, gives them the ambition to achieve and progress throughout their lives.

http://thecardsoflife.com/

the editor’s card!

sevent y 2minutes Issue 17

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