Thursday, February 26, 2009

The Reality Behind Slumdog Millionaire

After picking up 8 Oscars at the Academy Awards, and quelling controversy that raged from Mumbai to Hollywood, it would seem the story surrounding Slumdog Millionaire is over, but in fact only ½ the story has been told, announced Vitamin Angels, a non-profit organization that has been working in and around Mumbai and throughout India for the past 14 years.

Hope for India's millions of slum dwellers lies not in the winning of a game show, but in the hands of countless individuals dedicated to improving the conditions seen on screen. "I just returned from India a few days ago and the situation in the slums is far worse and far better than Slumdog Millionaire begins to reveal," noted Howard B. Schiffer, the President of Vitamin Angels. While the story of an underdog winning wealth and love captured the attention of millions worldwide, those toiling to change the reality hums beneath the radar every day. "'Slumdog' shows one child who has been blinded by an evil beggar master, when in truth hundreds of thousands are already blind in India today and many from something as simple as Vitamin A deficiency," said Schiffer.

Recently Schiffer toured the slums north of Mumbai with their local partner, Charitable Eye Care Trust, doing vitamin A and deworming distributions to prevent childhood blindness and increase child survival rates by as much as 23%. "When you look at the slums from the outside, you only see the filth and poverty, but inside they are brimming with life and hope," Schiffer noted. "In the slums, classes are being taught on child nutrition, prenatal health, transitioning from breastfeeding to solid foods, and much more. Most importantly, it is the people in the slums who are teaching these programs, making them sustainable," he continued.

"When I arrived, people in India were really upset about Slumdog Millionaire, but I saw the movie as an opportunity" said Schiffer. He went on, "For many, the Indian economic miracle is finally putting a new face on the country, but 'Slumdog' shined too bright a light on those still largely excluded from the Indian economy. At Vitamin Angels, we see incredible work being done in the slums and hope in the faces of the children we serve. For us Slumdog Millionaire is a wonderful opportunity to tell their half of the story."

Wednesday, February 25, 2009

Lost Beatles & Stones Photos Coming to NY Gallery


Forty-five years after the The Beatles and The Rolling Stones first came to America, an extraordinary collection of "lost" photos of the young bands has just been discovered. The 3,500 photographs -- extraordinary, intimate and unpublished -- were taken by Bob Bonis, their U.S. Tour manager, during their first U.S. tours (1964, 1965 and 1966) and document perhaps the most critical point in their careers: coming to America.

The Bob Bonis Archive of photographs is now exclusively represented by the Not Fade Away Gallery, which has announced its first show, "The British Are Coming: The Beatles and The Rolling Stones 1964-66," to inaugurate the Gallery, March 4-April 14. The Not Fade Away Gallery is located in New York City at 901 Broadway, 2nd floor, at the corner of 20th Street.

The Gallery's first exhibition will feature 50+ images of The Beatles and The Rolling Stones that establish the unparalleled access and close friendship Bob Bonis (1932-1991) had with the young men who became the most significant rock musicians of the 20th century. Revealing a private, behind-the-scenes glimpse into the early days of rock 'n' roll, the photos show the boys in candid, intimate shots on stage, in rehearsal, in concert, backstage (tuning up, waiting to go on stage and clowning around), dressing and relaxing, on vacations or en route to shows or cities, getting haircuts, bowling, recording in the studio, at press events and just hanging around being themselves.

"The discovery of so many never-before-seen photographs of the two most influential bands in rock history, captured at the most pivotal time in their careers, is a once-in-a-lifetime event," says Larry Marion, founder/director of Not Fade Away Gallery (http://www.NotFadeAwayGallery.com) and an acknowledged expert in the field of music memorabilia. "In more than twenty years as a rock 'archeologist,' I've never come upon a discovery of this magnitude -- thousands of extraordinary unpublished photographs of The Beatles and The Rolling Stones -- young, innocent and unguarded. This is likely the largest single trove of such important unknown photographs ever uncovered."

For over forty years, the negatives and slides were safely stored away unbeknownst to anyone but Bob Bonis' family. Bob's son Alex recently unearthed them and brought them -- along with his father's collection of memorabilia from his Tour Manager days -- to Larry Marion for appraisal. In fact, the photos were at the bottom of a duffel bag of memorabilia--brought out almost as an afterthought. Now, Alex Bonis is one of the partners in Not Fade Away Gallery, which will begin to make these images available for exhibition and for sale as museum-quality fine art photographic prints (both black-and-white and color), in extremely limited editions, printed on era-appropriate paper, utilizing traditional photographic printing methods.

A private man, Bob Bonis never sought publicity and wasn't interested in pursuing attention based on his past exploits. He started out as a New York City talent agent in the late 1950s and through a series of unremarkable circumstances, he came to hold an extraordinary position at a pivotal time in rock history -- U.S. Tour Manager for both The Beatles and The Rolling Stones during their first U.S. tours in 1964 and continuing through 1966. Since his personal passion was photography, he took his camera along wherever he could and took photos of everyone he worked with--capturing incredibly intimate photos that the world is about to see for the very first time.

In addition to more than 3,500 photos he took of The Beatles and The Stones, Bob photographed Simon & Garfunkel, The Hollies, Cream, The Lovin' Spoonful, Buddy Rich, Frank Sinatra and many of the jazz greats he worked with. Not Fade Away Gallery has upcoming shows of these photographs scheduled for the coming year.

The extraordinary private moments Bob Bonis captured are now available for all fans and collectors of music and fine art photography to see and experience at Not Fade Away Gallery, honoring the life and work of Bob Bonis.

"The British Are Coming: The Beatles and The Rolling Stones 1964-66"

Not Fade Away Gallery, 901 Broadway (at 20th Street)

March 4th-April 14th

All photographs by Bob Bonis, copyright 2009 by 2269 Productions, Inc.

Tuesday, February 24, 2009

New Help For The Unemployed and Underemployed

We are encouraged lately to see creative work being done to help show unemployed and underemployed people how to get work of one kind or another.

With the vast majority of Baby Boomers wresting with fickle employers, shriveling retirement plans (IRAs, 401(k)s) and uncertain job prospects over the coming months many disgruntled workers are looking at taking charge of their future by putting their job skills on the global market.

"If you are just working or doing business in the United States or Canada you may be missing out on 30% to 70% of your earning power," says Dr. Debi Yohn, co-founder of Barefoot Consultants, a firm that helps Baby Boomers tap into their global earning potential.

Barefoot Consultants is sponsoring a worldwide survey to answer questions Baby Boomers have about how they can go about putting their skills into the global economy and tap their worldwide earning power.

The survey will look at all facets of the problems and concerns facing the Baby Boomer from marshalling their skill set, getting credit for their experience, finding global opportunities, presenting themselves for work and a number of other burning questions on Baby Boomers' minds.

People who are looking to income their earning power and reduce their dependence on the U.S. or Canadian economy can participate in the survey by going to: www.GlobalEarningSurvey.com.

"By taking charge of their earning power, rather than waiting for governments, financial institutions and employers to 'right themselves,' the baby boomer generation now has the power and access to put their skills and abilities on the global market regardless of where they live or work now," according to Winton Churchill, co-founder of Barefoot Consultants.

Confusion about how to make that transition has prompted this survey. The answers will help Baby boomers benefit from Dr. Yohn's and Winton Churchill's expert advice.

"Sad to say, I see so many situations where a qualified, employable boomer can't find work because of where they are located. By teaching our clients a few simple skills they are often able to tap into global networks of opportunity they never knew existed and do work that is interesting to them," says Dr. Yohn.

Once responses to Barefoot Consultants' survey have been tabulated from around the world, the results and insights will be published as a free resource to help baby boomers smooth their path to a global income that affords them more independence and control over their career.

Dr. Yohn encourages any baby boomer to take the "Earning Globally" survey. Respondents will be added to a special notification list alerting them when survey results are published.

They will also be invited to a live, interactive phone call where they can hear the answers to these burning questions.

To submit answers to the question, "If you could ask us any question about putting your Baby Boomer career and life skills on the global market, what would that be?" and register for the free live conference call, visit http://www.GlobalEarningSurvey.com.

The other opportunity we have seen is for freelance writers. With such newspapers as the Chicago Tribune and Seattle PI talking about bankruptcy or closing, and glossy magazines tightening their belts, writers who used to be making a good living by selling their feature articles are having to find new sources of income. We found one very interesting one recently.

Pro Blog Source is a new website that helps people make money blogging. Evidently it's pretty easy to make a few bucks a day with a blog, and if you have a dozen or more blogs making a few bucks a day, that adds up to enough income to put gas in the car and chicken in the pot. Trouble is, most writers (or anybody for that matter) are only familiar with one or two areas and don't have the expertise (or the spare time) to write about 15 or 20 areas of interest. That's where Pro Blog Source comes in. They give their subscribers 250 pre-written blog posts a month, divided among 10 different niche categories. So in two months you could have 20 blogs up and running.

They also give you the ammunition and skills needed to bring the large volumes of traffic needed to earn a good income with these websites. Visit www.problogsource.com for details.

Friday, February 20, 2009

Salvation Through Salad Dressing?

Author-Intuitive Cal Orey, a health-nutrition journalist who has accurately forecast earthquakes to the current recession, believes vinegar and oil which contain polyphenols (disease-fighting antioxidants) may help lower the risk of developing heart disease, diabetes, and obesity -- three major health woes that may increase during shaky times and financial turmoil. "But staying healthy on an unhealthy cash flow can ease costly medical bills -- an important issue since ongoing news reports claim 47-million Americans do not have health insurance," Orey said, adding that an economic tsunami is in the works.

The sensitive disaster preparedness expert said, "As we mostly likely will plunge into a deeper recession, and possibly even another Great Depression, it's budget-wise to have one (or two) foods such as olive oil and vinegar that are recession-friendly for home cures, house cleaning, beauty uses, and pet care. These natural remedies that our grandparents used during the Great Depression are making a comeback."

What's more, during the recent research and writing of her forthcoming book on chocolate and health (to be published January 2010 by Kensington), the author noted her good news that she, after eating plenty of dark chocolate (including inexpensive mass market brands) maintained a size 4-6, had no cavities during a regular dental check-up, and maintained a healthful blood pressure.

"I give kudos to the Mediterranean diet (seasonal fresh fruit and vegetables, whole grains, fish, nuts, olive oil, red wine -- and chocolate) praised in my two books on olive oil and vinegar. It's this earthy European way of eating that allows people to enjoy comfort food like chocolate, and remain lean and healthy," she said.

"As people cope with layoffs, weak wage growth, soaring food prices, losing life savings, going back to Mother Nature and embracing Depression must-haves like vinegar and olive oil (and chocolate) will save money and help people feel better from head to toe," according to Orey, the author of 'The Healing Powers of Olive Oil: A Complete Guide to Nature's Liquid Gold' and 'The Healing Powers of Vinegar, Revised, and Updated' (both published by Kensington and released last month in budget-friendly mass market editions, $6.99, January 2009).

We have previously heard that vinegar, along with honey and garlic, can help improve almost every aspect of your health, help you lose weight and give your sexual energy a boost, without drugs or artificial chemicals. For more details, check out The Honey, Garlic and Vinegar Miracle.

Wednesday, February 11, 2009

Give A Great Valentine's Day Massage

Valentine's Day may have just gotten a little sexier with this interesting idea for a sure-fire gift. Sure, flowers and chocolates are ok, but imagine if your sweetheart gave you a massage with her or his own hands as a Valentine's gift?

For people who are looking to save money over the Valentines weekend but still give an unusual, thoughtful gift, Irene Diamond, R.T., national massage therapy expert in San Francisco has has put together some simple instructions and tips that will teach the reader how to give a great massage to their partner as their gift.

She has been teaching couples how to massage each other since 1988 and knows men in particular are looking for that unusual gift to give to their girlfriend or wife. Not only will this help her relax and feel better, this gift will be something she will enjoy and remember for a long time, but even more important, be the gift that will give women something to brag about to their friends.

Since most people are looking for a no-cost or low cost gift idea, this gift packs a big punch without even costing a dime.

Diamond says, "Even if you have never given a massage before it is simple to become a really good massage-giver. Plus your sweetheart will be very impressed you actually came up with this new idea and took the time to learn it."

Top 6 Secrets To Giving The Best Massage:

1. Start with the recipient face down. If you are not using a massage table with a face cradle, have them turn their head to one side so they can breathe. Be sure to ask them to turn their head the opposite direction after a while so their neck doesn't stiffen up.

2. Use pillows as needed. Place them under their belly, head, and ankles to assure they are comfortable. (Cover with a towel so the lotion or oil doesn't stain the pillows)

3. Start with slow but big hand movements such as glides and squeezes. Move your hands less than you think, and don't rush through it.

4. Only press into the soft areas of the muscle. If you feel bone, work around it rather than directly on it.

5. As you are giving the massage, think about what you would find enjoyable and try to do that on your partner.

6. Of course, if they say anything is uncomfortable, stop or adjust your pressure or speed. You don't want to have them "work through it!"

Diamond suggests you start on your partner's back and shoulders near their neck since that is where most people carry their tension. The goal is to get them to relax and feel better as soon as possible.

Ms. Diamond advises, "Now is not the time to "grin and bare it" because if you don't speak up and let your partner know if it doesn't feel right, they will keep doing it. Tell them what you would like them to change to make it feel better, such as slow down, lighten up or move just a little to the left."

"You can easily learn the basics of giving a massage in one evening and enjoy the experience and time shared as the gift. After all, we just need more one-on-one time with each other rather than more stuff. Spend your evening pampering and relaxing your partner. Get rid of pain and stiff shoulders, and help them forget their cares."

A Few Other Tips:

1. Be sure to turn off the phone so you aren't tempted to answer it.

2. Disconnect all your electronic beepers so they don't disturb your peace and quiet.

3. If possible, get a baby-sitter or send the kids to your neighbor's house for privacy.

4. Print out the instructions to refer back to while you are giving the massage.

5. Arrange the area you will be using to give the massage with soft lights, lotion, pillows, candles, and music.

6. Then, once you have announced what your gift is... away you go.

The real fun in this gift will be the two of you trying to figure it out together. Take turns trying the strokes and give each other gentle, honest feedback. Enjoy the process.

And if you like the idea of giving a massage very well, you may decide you want to get professional massage training to become a certified massage therapist!

Thursday, February 5, 2009

Russel Sands to Teach Forex Trading

We have been mentioning Forex trading a fair amount recently, and focusing on some of the new, automatic systems that take all of the effort out of the process. For example, Forex Miracle is quite a remarkable creation by John Kaplan and Kevin Hansen. Another very popular automated trading robot is FAP Turbo, a supercharged version of the previously pretty good Forex Auto Pilot system.

But for those who are more old fashioned and think their minds can work better than a million dollar robot, here is some news that should be of interest.

A one-day Forex trading seminar taught by veteran "Turtle Trader," Russell Sands will be held at the Solamar Hotel in San Diego, California, on Saturday, March 14, 2009.

Russell Sands is a veteran futures and Forex trader who has been trading for over 25 years. Russell will teach attendees step-by-step Turtle Trading strategies on how to trade the foreign currency market including trade entry and exit signals, money management rules, and account position sizes.

Russell is an expert in the Turtle Trading Method as developed by famous trader and money manager, Richard Dennis. In 1983 Richard recruited 14 people - some of whom had no trading experience - and taught them his trading methods. In one exemplary year the Turtles collectively made over $426 million in profits.

At present, Russell Sands is one of two original Turtle Traders who has permission to teach Richard Dennis' original Turtle Trading strategies.

For complete seminar details, please visit http://www.sandsturtleseminar.com or call (877) 872-3351.