I thought I knew about feminism. I had the word FEMINIST written in black marker pen across the front of my homework diary aged 15, along with an anti-war sticker that incongruously involved a cupcake. I had graduated from the girl power of my primary school years to reading Germaine Greer on a beanbag in the college library. I felt sorry for the girls in sixth form getting Brazilians, who, unlike my enlightened self, clearly hadnt clocked that waxing was a tool of patriarchal oppression. I studied feminist theory, went to feminist gatherings and listened to feminist podcasts. I had spent several evenings sitting cross-legged at a collective organised by other middle-class, university-educated women talking about intersectionality and Frida Kahlo. By the time I graduated from university, I had firmly absorbed a list of the correct ideas and words that I needed to be a proper feminist (but was probably not someone you wanted to invite to a dinner party).

In 2015, two years after graduating, I began a job working in a high-security womens prison. I had read enough statistics and policy reports before I started to know that women in prisons were in desperate need of a little female empowerment. But what I quickly learned was that my feminist education had a thick wedge of information missing: namely, the part where it connected to actual women being very fundamentally oppressed because of their gender. Confronted by someone whose cervix had been plugged with four egg-sized capsules of crack cocaine on the behest of a controlling boyfriend who would reap the profits, I found it difficult to work out quite how my Frida Kahlo T-shirt and mansplaining radar were going to help things.

I quickly learned that my feminist education had a thick wedge of information missing

Women in prison are a group statistically likely to be on the wrong side of almost any curve: to have grown up in areas of deprivation and be victims of childhood sexual exploitation, sexual and domestic violence, domestic homicide and homelessness. Half of women in prison are there for committing a crime to support someone elses drug habit almost always a mans. For some, this crime is selling sex from pavements, or soliciting; for plenty of others it is professional shoplifting, known as grafting. This means pocketing anything from fillet steak to mascara to be resold round the houses. In the months leading up to Christmas, shopping lists are collected in pubs for toys and gifts to be stolen on request and sold cut-price. Women are sent out on these grafting missions because they are seen as less conspicuous than men.

Needless to say, I was very green in my first few months in prison. I worked between the education and chaplaincy departments and the majority of my time was spent running art classes to help women with their personal development and self-expression.

I had been helping to run a soup kitchen, and lived at a community house where we gave homeless people emergency shelter in our spare room, so I had naively thought the problems would feel familiar. It was so different, though, when those issues unstable housing, addiction and abuse were condensed in the prison, packed into classrooms and three metre by two metre cells.

In one session, we asked the women to make an A3 map of their lives from torn-up magazines. The collage would show a road that meandered from their past experiences to future goals. Almost every road began with bottles of vodka, syringes and shadowy characters, and almost every one ended with symmetrical houses and white wedding dresses and Laura Ashley sofas. I had spiked the magazine pile with my partners railway-modelling magazines and glossy Sunday supplements in the hope of inspiring something different a new job, an interesting hobby, some travel, perhaps? but to little avail. What else would you be doing in the future? I asked Cathy*, looking at the scenes of domesticity she aspired to. Youve been writing some beautiful poetry about your experiences, I told her. I could help you get them published as part of a campaign for prison reform.

Cathy was about my age (29) but since leaving the care system had only known the control of either a man or the state. She, like many others, was a shoplifter and was frequently in and out of prison for theft and drug possession. It will be finding the one that will get me out of my mess, she said. He will look after me and keep people away who come round trying to sell me gear [heroin] again.

Cathys was an oft-told story. She had been prevented from seeing her children by social services because she couldnt stop seeing an abusive partner. He kept coming round and, against her best judgment, she opened the door.

What I wanted to say was that she didnt need a man to straighten her life out for her, that she had everything she needed inside of her (life advice that works best when Instagrammed over a picture of a thin white girl walking into a sunset).

In time I came to realise that she was probably right. Ambition and independence are a good deal further up the hierarchy of need than security. Its pretty realistic to assume that the quickest way to ward off a coercive and abusive man is to find another man who is kinder and stronger to stand in the way.

Prison changed my attitude to sex work, too. The jail had just appointed its first female governor and she was keen to put feminism on the agenda for International Womens Day that year. My projects (I had previously hosted a lecture by a non-binary Mars astronaut, run a workshop on gender-neutral pronouns and started a choir that sang protest songs) that would have been met with eye-rolls before her arrival were now enthusiastically scheduled: a showing of the film Made in Dagenham followed by a debate on the gender pay gap. The learning and skills department was running a concurrent visit from a local museum, featuring artefacts from the suffragette movement.

I had engaged with ideological debates on the topic of sex work before, of course I had. I knew that to question whether sex work is really like any other work would make you a dreaded swerf (sex worker exclusionary radical feminist) and like the patriarchy is an attempt to control what women do with their bodies. People dont need rescuing, the theory goes, they need rights and unions.

I had assumed that sex work was well paid. Most women could only keep 10%

Phoebe was the first to speak after I had introduced the topic of equal pay and sexism in the workplace. She was, as many of the women in prison were, on the game. She worked as an escort, managing her business online, so she could charge her own prices and didnt need to rely on a pimp. She was fairly new to the jail, and had been transferred from a big city prison, ruffling the other inmates with her manicured nails and diamante sliders. I dont think women get it worse at all, she said. We get doors opened, bought presents, we got everything we need to get what we want right here. She ran her hand down the length of her body and winked. You cant do that if youre a man.

She directed her comments pointedly to the woman next to her. Lesley was the kind of sex worker we more often see in prison, known as a survival sex worker, someone on the game because they have no other choice. Lesley sold 6 blowjobs from street corners to fund her and her partners heroin addictions, the signs of which showed on her face, with hollowed cheeks and yellowed teeth. Before I worked in prisons, I had assumed that sex work must be quite well paid per hour that even those with a pimp could surely enjoy a 60:40 split of the takings. This was wishful thinking. Although there are plenty of women like Phoebe, they are less likely to end up in jail, meeting people like me. Most of the women I met were getting more like 10%, or being paid in drugs and housing rather than cash. The almost universally male pimps often have a group of women in their employ and rake in the takings in return for protection. In other words, its a racket. Survival sex work has a worse gender pay gap than almost any other industry. Does anyone disagree with Phoebe? I asked. There was a silence, then Lesley piped up. I dont see anyones boyfriends having to go out on the game, she said. Phoebe rolled her eyes. No ones making you, babe. And no one is setting your prices that low either. I started to sense that there was some sort of argument from the wing going on here that I was not aware of, and the spat was working its way into our discussion in the guise of a price war. Youre bringing everyones prices down with what you charge on the pavement, you slut. By this point, they had both got up. We do the same thing, Lesley shouted. Dont you go thinking youre better than me. By this point, I had lost the room. Security had arrived. And the questions I had planned about unionisation and female solidarity were drowned out by more immediate concerns.

It was not the International Womens Day I had planned. But as happened so often in my time in prison, the theories and beliefs I came in with sat uncomfortably next to the nuance of the reality. The majority of sex workers I met in prison, who arrived with bruises and track-marks, would rather have been doing anything else. They needed their rights protected, sure, but they also wanted a route out. The reality was not simple. It rarely is.

I learned that my idealism had made me treat feminism like a club rather than a journey. My self-congratulatory, cross-legged-femcast feminism was not flexible enough to accommodate the volume of womens conflicting experiences, thoughts and feelings in the prison.

The truth is that some women want to start a business, and others would like the safety and security provided by giving control to a trustworthy man, at least for now. Some sex workers want unions, others want an escape route. For feminism to be at all useful, it has to be uncomfortable. It has to include people whom it would be easier to leave out: women who say theyre not feminists; who think they need a man to save them, or who say they fancy Piers Morgan.

Working in prison messed up my ideas of what feminism should be. It didnt invalidate the ideas I had learned and fought for, it just disrupted the clean lines, leaving me with unresolved tensions and fewer opinions. I went into prison thinking that I would be able to use feminism to help empower women, and to reform a system. Instead I met women who taught me about feminism, and saw myself change instead.

* Womens names have been changed.

Jailbirds: Lessons from a Womens Prison by Mim Skinner is published by Seven Dials (RRP 16.99) To order a copy go to guardianbookshop.com or call 020 3176 3837. Free UK p&p over 10, online orders only. Phone orders min p&p of 1.99.

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I thought I knew about feminism then I started work in a womens prison - The Guardian

BY MARCI CAPIELLO

In 1977 I remember the campaign to stop Sus initiated by parents from South London to protect innocent young black men. There were so many men who were subject to the humiliation of Suspicion stop and search processes for no reason.

Mavis Best was the leader of the Scrap Sus Campaign in London which was supported by Paul Boateng. He was the first mixed race cabinet member to become the chief Secretary to the Treasury in May 2002.

The police under the sus law could stop and search anyone on suspicion of them committing an offence. They could also search and potentially arrest people.

In 1999 The Macpherson inquiry, some twenty years later stipulated that police stops should be recorded to give some accountability to the process. This was a recommendation that was finally implemented in April 2005.

On reflection Black men in the 1970s felt discriminated against and singled out and it was apparent that many were being stopped and searched with no evidence of crimes being committed. Parents became tired and frustrated for their children and insisted that this abuse of power be brought to an end.

In looking at the soaring statistics of knife and gun crime it is obvious that there has to be a way to retrieve weapons that are being carried by young people.

There have to be positive initiatives and safe spaces to allow young people to express feelings of anger and frustration that are safely supervised and channelled in a positive way. The concerns of course are just how and what would be the best way to do this without creating further conflict.

We do not want to see a repetition of the Brixton riots where feelings of prejudice and discrimination between young black men and the police reached an all-time high.

We want there to be law and order on our streets to feel safe and for people of all generations to be able to walk the streets.

This should be without fear of being stabbed or shot. We want our young people to be mentored and appropriate community initiatives to be supported.

We cannot completely understand what goes on in the mind of a young person who pursues a life of crime, but we should have a voice and respond to our concerns as it continues to affect our communities. These are hugely worrying statistics with rising death tolls that do not seem to be subsiding.

Young people seem to be restless, bored having unrealistic expectations about what they can achieve by doing very little. It concerns me that the world of drugs seems to offer a quick and easy path to wealth with little educated efforts, toll or labour.

They believe that through imposing fear and intimidation onto others that they are somehow in control of their own universe.

There is little moral sense of community nor responsibility. There are skills involved sure i.e. negotiation, maths and great organisational skills these are unfortunately not being put to the best and most appropriate use.

Tony Lloyd a boxing coach and friend of ours would say that through his boxing activities he allowed young people to believe for a brighter future where they could feel safe and secure and be kept off the streets.

K and GC Victim Support Group want all our young people to take pride in themselves have a sense of purpose and a positive sense of identity.

We want to encourage and protect our young people so that they appreciate just how to make an important contribution to society so that the next generation benefits and does not just focus on immediate and present rewards only.

The virtual world of Facebook and snap chat offers something of an illusion and a fake reality of how to communicate, how to express emotions sometimes unsafely.

One on one is needed and now more than ever mentors like Tony and those of us of an older generation who have sacred knowledge of how our elders raised us, have to pass on that knowledge to young people to enable and empower them to thrive, teaching them how to be successful.

We need to be able to offer a future an alternative to a life of crime where education and career are accessible and of interest.

To those looking for a life less ordinary where a life of crime appears to be glamorous and more interesting, we must promote safer and better alternatives.

It is important for all our children to feel warmth, love and acceptance. This is vital for their mental health and emotional well-being, their personal development and their future.

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In My Opinion: Marcia Capiello speaks on the old evils of "Sus" coming back into the everyday lives of black people - London News Online

When Londoner Saher Bhatti was working as a commercial lawyer in the heart of the City, she had many frustrations, but the one which prompted a completely new career change was not to do with the stresses of the legal profession, but rather to do with not being able to find the right accessories. Needing a bag that was practical yet stylish, at an affordable price point, she realised there was a gap in the market for pieces that reflected the fast-paced, versatile lifestyle of the modern woman. She also realised there were hardly any brands at this level which offered an ethical and sustainable approach to fashion.

Bags from Lawful London marry style and ethics.

Eventually, after meeting with a UK designer, who had previously collaborated with the likes of Ralph Lauren and House of Fraser, they came up with the concept of Lawful London atimeless, cruelty-free fashion house that took conventional handbag styles and enhanced their capabilities, as well as not compromising on ethics.

Bags are practical and covetable.

The Classic Collection is Lawful Londons first range, and includes three styles of contemporary, adaptable bags: the Aspen, Dahlia and Sienna. The bags are made from cruelty-free vegan leather (PETA-approved) and are also eco-friendly (PVC-free). Combining functional features such as slip pockets, laptop sleeves, detachable straps and bottle holders the range is not only suitable for well-heeled travellers, but also has travel at its heart. Crucial to launching the brand, says Saher, she travelled extensively for a year around the world to find just the right suppliers that fitted in with her ethical ethos, to garner style ideas and to find partners who would fit in with her vision. Here, she explains how this experience has ultimately shaped the brand.

What countries did you go to in the quest to find the right supplier for your brand?

When looking for a supplier in the first instance, I considered Italy, South Korea and China. After exploring the manufacturing options with a few Italian suppliers and learning of their reluctance to experiment with alternative materials, I had to consider suppliers located elsewhere, as cruelty-free fabrics are a key component of the brand. I then approached suppliers in South Korea and China, after researching the best factories for vegan leather, and also discovering where existing brands were manufacturing high-quality ethical products. Both countries have a number of experienced suppliers who manufacture using leather alternatives. However, China is undoubtedly the manufacturing capital of the world, and from my own experience, I think this is due to the extensive choice they can provide to businesses of all sizes, in terms of quality, materials and manufacturing speeds.

Behind the scenes: design sheets.

Where did you find the right supplier which fits in with the ethos of your brand?

I finally found the right supplier in China, but the manufacturing journey was far from straight forward. China has so much choice, so while it is easier to locate a factory that will produce using cruelty-free fabrics, it is very difficult to find a manufacturer that will also create products that accurately represent the design sheets and provide the desired finish. The search for a factory that reflected the ethos of the brand of no compromises on ethics, quality and aesthetics was incredibly challenging and time-consuming, but after working with five suppliers in China and multiple sample rounds, I finally found the best supplier for Lawful London located in Guangzhou.

What were the highlights of your 'year of travel'?

There are so many highlights and small wins when travelling around. The best was reaching the final products after 12-months of liaising with suppliers, sourcing materials and working with factories to produce prototypes followed by multiple sample rounds. Another key highlight was meeting a bag designer in New York completely randomly in a pop-up space. She spoke to me about her experiences, and it was refreshing to meet someone who had already gone through the same struggles. My trip to America also gave me so much inspiration. I discovered so many ethically produced high-quality products, and this gave me confidence that it was possible to source the fabrics to produce excellent bags with immaculate workmanship. It reinforced that my vision was totally achievable, it was simply a matter of time and commitment to the process with perhaps a couple of hurdles along the way.

A fitting travel companion.

In terms of travel, what inspires you?

I am inspired by variety and innovation. I love travelling to places which continually seek to evolve, showcase something new and deliver new experiences. I also enjoy learning about local cultures. Born and raised in the UK, there are a number of similarities with other western countries, so travelling to other regions, such as the Middle East, provides greater insight into what local people want, how they view trends and whats important for them, ethically or otherwise. As a fashion brand aimed at providing timeless accessories, it is important for us to understand how style trends, ethics and values are perceived globally in order to create classic, contemporary and universally appealing products.

Is there a country that is leading the way when it comes to vegan living?

The USA is definitely leading the way for vegan living. The choice of vegan products, including food, beauty, fashion and household items, are endless and not solely limited to supermarkets or online vegan websites. This is clear even when shopping in prestigious stores like Bergdorf Goodman, which offers such a vast range of vegan products in response to the fact that it is no longer an online-only market. The visibility, accessibility and range of products in the USA generally, shows that American brands have reacted well to the shift in values and lifestyle choices of the vast number of people who are choosing to embrace ethical, sustainable living.

What is the USP of Lawful London?

The USP is thecombination of ethics, form and functionality. We understand the difficulty of finding a durable workbag that is ethically produced, practical for everyday use yet still contemporary and timeless. When creating the products, we were committed to designing bags which were practically beautiful in every way aesthetically, ethically and functionally. Each bag has been designed with all three concepts in mind with no single factor being more important than the other as shown in the first range, the Classic Collection.

Have bag, will travel.

How has your background in law helped you in the launch of the brand?

Law is a very challenging career that taught me so many transferable skills which I use in my business. From my legal background, I now appreciate the importance of patience, perseverance and purpose. Without these three key qualities, I think it is very difficult to achieve ambitious personal or professional goals. My journey as a lawyer involved many ups and downs, acceptance of continuous learning and personal development, late nights, high expectations from colleagues and clients, setbacks and disappointments. This is reflective of business. Creating a valuable and thoughtful product, a brand that people relate to and love, and learning from your customer to continually improve and create better products involves patience, consistency and dedication to a defined purpose.

Ethical and sustainable fashion is having a moment is this the way the industry is going?

I feel like its a movement and not just a moment. When the concept of ethical and sustainable fashion started to become more recognised a few years back, a lot of people were reluctant to connect with them to the extent that they do now. Perhaps with the rise of big brand initiatives, such as H&Ms Conscious Collection, Net-a-Porters launch of Net Sustain and Selfridges commitment to stop selling exotic animal skins, coupled with the growth of brands, like Stella McCartney and Everlane, people are more accepting of ethical fashion. The ethos is becoming embedded in mainstream brands and department stores. I think customers are also becoming increasingly aware of the impact of fast fashion and are beginning to consider other alternatives, which I feel will only increase, particularly as public awareness of the related environmental concerns continue to grow.

Where do you like to travel to?

I like to travel to places with a positive, vibrant atmosphere and a sense of uniqueness and innovation, where people are encouraged to explore the future without losing their culture and values. At the moment, Japan is top of my list of places to visit due to its innovation, culture and notoriously nice people not forgetting its neon-sky scrapers and Pokmon Outbreaks!

Saher putting her ideas to work.

What is the ideal holiday for you?

Depending on my mood, either a digital detox on a relaxing beach break or a city trip, sightseeing and exploring local culture, food and fashion!

How do you marry your ethical beliefs with a strong sense ofbusiness?

When launching Lawful London, I wanted to create something that would make a difference in business and learn how to make a business out of making a difference. I yearned for more than business success I wanted meaning and to contribute to making a positive impact on the world by creating better products in a better way.Combining a for-profit company with a social mission doesnt undermine either. The ethical beliefs make the bags more than a product, theyre part of a story, a mission and a movement open to anyone who wants to contribute something positive to the world. Building a business which helps women change a previously thoughtless purchasing decision into a meaningful one is both positive, rewarding and sustainable from a business and personal perspective.

Bringing an ethical approach to fashion.

What's next for Lawful London?

We are currently designing our second collection, which is aimed at the modern woman who wants a grab-and-go, easy bag. Something a little less formal but with the same elegance and ethics as the first collection. Were also exploring other cruelty-free, sustainable fabric options which may be suitable for a softer finish for the second collection.

lawfullondon.com

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Lawful London: How Travel Influenced This New Sustainable Fashion Brand - Forbes

Press Release: The University of Cambridge and The University of Pennsylvania are among the top universities chosen for further study by students from the British School of Bucharest

BUCHAREST, 17th of October 2019:The list of current destinations for our students includes the exceptionally prestigious Universities of Cambridge, Warwick, Lancaster, Bath, UCL, Imperial College and Southampton in the UK and in the US, UCLA and the Ivy Leagues University of Pennsylvania. This is alongside many other excellent destinations which have been added to this year with students moving to the new destinations of the University of Essex, University of Liverpool, University of Glasgow, University of the West of Scotland, Delft University of Technology, Computer Science and Engineering Amsterdam, dBs Berlin, Vrije Universiteit, Amsterdam, and University of Popular Arts Berlin.

So far, this year, 19 students received offers to continue their studies from 81 Universities after they graduate from the Britsh School of Bucharest.This reflects a gradual and measured growth showing an increase compared to 2018, when 17 students received invitations from 76 top Universities, while in 2017, 16 students received 65 offers.

We are concerned about the future of our students and we want to be close to them when they makechoices about future study. Thats why we pay keen attention to our higher education advice and this year we will bring the Universities closer to them and those interested to study abroad at the Bucharest International Schools University Conference, an event that will take place on 21st October on our campus at the British School of Bucharest, "said Philip Walters, Headmaster of the BSB.

On 21st October, representatives from many of the top Universities in the world will come to BSB to offer special presentations and One-to-One meetings for those interested in attending their courses.

Its the first edition ofBucharest International Schools University Conference that will take place at the BSB campus. Twenty-one top universities from the U.K, Austria, Netherlands, Italy, Switzerland, Canada and USA will be there, waiting for pupils aged 14 to 18 years old that are interested in studying abroad, to come to get familiarised with the various courses, campus choices and the key points for a successful application at one of these world-renowned Universities.

What can you find at the Bucharest International Schools University Conference:

UNIVERSITY PRESENTATIONS A chance to participate in exclusive seminars and presentations from some of the best Universities in the World.

ONE-TO-ONE MEETINGS- Participate in One-to-One meetings for individual guidance and specific information from the Universities you want to apply to.

APPLICATION PROCESS GUIDANCE Get expert advice for all stages of the university application process and studying abroad. Find out more about how to choose the right course and details of tuition fees and student loans.

UNIVERSITY FAIR Exclusive Fair of top Universities from the UK, Austria, Netherlands, Switzerland, Italy and the USA.

PARENT SESSIONS Dedicated sessions for parents on helping your child make informed decisions, supporting them through the application process and student finance.

For ALL University presentations or One-to-One meetings, you have to register in order to reserve a place, here.

Each participant can take part in up to seven events - presentations and One-to-One meetings - but everyone will have access to the University Fair itself for specific details about the offers and courses.

The conference will end with the University Fair where all universities will have sections, and all participants can have discussions about programmes and offers, tuition fees and funding opportunities to study abroad.

10:00 -Start of the Event

10:00 - 13:00 - University presentations and One-to-One Meetings, based on previous appointments

13.00 - 15.00 - University Fair

15.00 -End of the University Conference & Fair

Starting time: 10:00 || Finishing time: 15:00

The British School of Bucharest (BSB) is an established and well-resourced international private school located in Bucharest, providing a comprehensive international education based on the National Curriculum for England. BSB serves more than 600 students aged 2-18. It is a richly diverse learning community, with students representing approximately 50 nationalities. They benefit from an impressive pupil to teacher ratio and small class sizes, ensuring a personalized and highly supportive learning environment.

BSB is the only British school in Romania rated as excellent for both the quality of pupils learning and achievements and the quality of pupils personal development in its 2018 UK Independent Schools Inspectorate report.

This is a press release.Here you can orderpress releases on this site.

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Press Release: The University of Cambridge and The University of Pennsylvania are among the top universities chosen for further study by students from...

Regions award winners announced at North of England branch annual dinner dance in Gateshead

PROFESSIONALS from the minerals extractives sector gathered in Gateshead to celebrate the first regional awards ceremony for the Institute of Quarrying (IQ) Excellence Awards on Friday 27 September 2019.

Hosted by IQ North of England at the branchs annual dinner dance, the awards ceremony took place at Hilton Newcastle Gateshead. Hazen Bowskill MIQ, chairman of IQ North of England, presented the awards alongside Iain Smith FIQ, branch representative to IQ Council.

The IQ Excellence Awards celebrate the success of exceptional individuals, teams and projects around the UK. Award categories are aligned to the quadrants of the IQ Skills Wheel and recognize the positive impact professionals make across the country.

Award categories included:

STANDARDS & PROFESSIONALISMThe Best Personal Development Project award recognizes initiatives that are aimed at supporting the professional development of employees at company or site level. Rema Tip Top Industry UK Ltd won the award for Conveyor Confidence Through Understanding, with the judges expressing that the project has made a significant contribution towards some specific improved training practices and procedures.

The Health & Safety Individual Excellence award recognizes the achievements of an individual in improving the health and safety performance on site. Ben Williams, managing director at EPC-UK, was praised by the judges for going beyond legal compliance or increasing revenue.

KNOWLEDGE & INNOVATIONThe Most Effective Process Improvement award acknowledges a team, project or initiative of technical process improvement that has delivered improved operational performance. The category received many quality submissions, with Aggregate Industries crowned the winner and highly commended by the judges for its Wash Plant Improvement Project.

The Most Innovative Leader award recognizes an individual who has made the best impact on the innovation ecosystem at site, business unit or organizational level. Robin Gillespie, unit manager at Hanson UK, received praise for his dissertation findings. The benefits of using electronic delay versus pyrotechnical detonations for quarry blasting have already been introduced at Shap Quarry and recommended for implementation at Heidelberg Cement quarries around the world.

ENGAGEMENT, INFLUENCE & IMPACTThe Best Community Engagement Project award appreciates projects where sites are actively engaging their local communities and achieving positive results. Longcliffe Quarries Ltd were revealed as the winner for its Butterfly Conservation project at Hoe Grange Quarry. It was described as a very good example of a genuinely collaborative approach by the company in working with the community in developing the project.

The Most Inspirational Leader award honours an individual who has made the strongest positive impact on the team they are part of. Winner Susan Arnott, IQ North of England, was praised for her commitment and support for the Institute and its members and described as an unsung hero.

PERSONAL EFFECTIVENESSThe Best Initiative to Engage Workforce or Team award recognizes the best initiative aimed at supporting workforce engagement at either company or site team level. Commit To Be Fit from EPC-UK won the award, a project that has made a significant impact in the business.

The Most Promising Future Leader award recognizes a talented individual for building their all-round knowledge and skills. Tom OBoyle, project manager at Hanson UK, received the accolade and was described as a great ambassador for the industry.

James Thorne, chief executive officer at IQ, said: There are some great initiatives happening across the north of England, as well as individuals who go above and beyond what is expected of them in their day-to-day role. The awards evening was enthused with joy and excitement. On behalf of everyone at IQ, congratulations to all the finalists and best of luck to the regional winners at the National Excellence Awards!

With IQ Excellence Awards presentations taking place in Scotland, Northern Ireland, Wales and England, each regional award winner automatically goes forward to the National Excellence Awards to compete for the overall title in each category at Hillhead 2020.

Upcoming ceremonies:

Follow #IQAwards on social or visit: http://www.quarrying.org

The rest is here:
IQ Excellence Awards North of England winners revealed - Agg-Net

By Amrit Sadhana

Food is the most irresistible activity because it is needed for our survival. Imagine for a moment, if science finds new pills that will satisfy our hunger. 90% of the charm of living will fizzle out. We dont only eat through the tongue, we eat through all the senses. First we look at the food, then smell it, touch it, and then taste. Food is celebration of senses. This is why it is so difficult to diet.

Most people eat very unconsciously, automatically, robot-like.

There is a beautiful meditation from Tantra which Osho has elaborated upon. The Sanskrit sutra says: When eating or drinking, become the taste of the food or drink, and be filled. This is a deeply sensuous way of relating to food. If the taste of an item is not lived, you are just stuffing. Osho gives some clues:

Go slow, and be aware of the taste. And only when you go slow, can you be aware. Do not just go on swallowing things. Taste them unhurriedly and become the taste. When you feel sweetness, become that sweetness. And then it can be felt all over the body not just in the mouth, not just on the tongue; it can be felt all over the body! A certain sweetness or anything else is spreading in ripples. Whatsoever you are eating, feel the taste and become the taste.

With no taste, your senses will be deadened. They will become less and less sensitive. And with less sensitivity, you will not be able to feel your body; you will not be able to feel your feelings. Then you will just remain centered in the head. This centeredness in the head is the split. Tantra says, do not create any division within yourself. It is beautiful to taste; it is beautiful to be sensitive. And if you are more sensitive, you will be more alive, and if you are more alive, then more life will enter your inner being. You will be more open.

You can eat things without tasting. You can touch someone without touching. We are already doing it We are afraid to touch somebody because symbolically, touch has become sexual. You may be standing in a crowd, in a tram, in a railway compartment, touching many persons, but you are not touching them and they are not touching you. Only bodies are there in contact, but you are withdrawn.

A person who is alive will not be afraid of death because he is living. When you are really living, there is no fear of death. You can even live death. When death comes, you will be so sensitive to it that you will enjoy it. It is going to be a great experience

When drinking water, feel the coolness. Close your eyes, drink it slowly, taste it. Feel the coolness and feel that you have become that coolness, because the coolness is being transferred to you from the water; it is becoming a part of your body. Your mouth is touching, your tongue is touching, and the coolness is transferred. Allow it to happen to the whole of your body. Allow its ripples to spread, and you will feel a coolness all over your body. In this way your sensitivity can grow, and you can become more alive and more filled.

DISCLAIMER : Views expressed above are the author's own.

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The sensuous art of eating and drinking - Economic Times

Born as Chandra Mohan Jain, Osho took birth in Raisen (a district in Madhya Pradesh) on December 11th, 1931. He was a great visionary and a religious movement leader who was praised and followed by many. His followers used to call him Bhagwan Shree Rajneesh and later, Osho. He didnt only have followers in India, but also in many other countries such as the USA, UK, Canada, and many more. It was like people were attracted by his words and he gave them an eye-opening experience.

Along with being a religious leader and a mystic, he was also a best-selling author and published many books such as Tarot Zen, The Book Of The Secrets, Gita Darshan, and many more. His books, words, and morals affected many people and gained him a lot of followers. He was so popular that Netflix even made a docuseries on him by the name of Wild Wild Country consisting of only 6 episodes. He was really a quotable man as he taught people a lot about love and spirituality through his sayings and books.

Rajneesh Osho inspired a lot of people to follow the path of spirituality with his words. I will be sharing some of those words in this article and they are either the ones he has said or written in his books. Either way, the goal is to grow our wisdom with the words of a man who influenced a lot of people. So, here are some eye-opening Osho quotes that will grow your wisdom:

If you love a flower, dont pick it up. Because if you pick it up it dies and it ceases to be what you love. So if you love a flower, let it be. Love is not about possession. Love is about appreciation.

What Osho says here is gospel and is really the true definition of love. Love is a big misconception nowadays and we really need to understand its true meaning. If you see a flower and find it beautiful, youll most probably pluck it to keep it with you. Well, thats human nature, however, if you do pluck it, it will not be able to complete its necessities for survival and will eventually die.

As a result, it wont be appealing to your eyes anymore. So, youll lose the reason you loved it for in the first place. A better thing to do would be taking care of that flower without plucking it. This way, it will always be the flower you fell in love with. It should work the same way with the people you love. For love is about appreciation, not possession.

Be dont try to become.

The meaning of this quote is very simple and quite understandable. Be the way you are. Just learn to love yourself and dont try to become someone or something that you are not. God gave us all different personalities, different goals, and different lives. You only have one life and you are here to be who you are, to play your part. Dont waste your one precious life to change the way you are from the inside.

Friendship is the purest love. It is the highest form of Love where nothing is asked for, no condition, where one simply enjoys giving.

Ive never heard anyone giving such a pure and perfect definition of friendship, other than Osho, of course. He says that the purest form of love is friendship as you dont keep any unreal expectations from your friends and you love them unconditionally. And that is exactly what love should be, caring for someone unconditionally. Rather than expecting that someone will do something for you or be a certain way with you, learn to appreciate them for what they are, just like you do with your friends.

Life begins where fear ends.

Never be afraid of hesitant to achieve anything you want to. Whatever you want in life, just go for it. Life is too short to keep waiting for the right moment and worrying about taking risks. If you really want something from the bottom of your heart, then stop worrying about the future and start working to achieve your goals. The life that you truly want to live, will begin when you stop stressing over things.

Truth is not something outside to be discovered, it is something inside to be realized.

People spend their whole lives trying to discover their true passion and identity. While theres nothing wrong in doing so, but we need to understand where we must be looking for our true identity. And as per Osho, our true identity lies within ourselves and instead of looking for it in the outside world, we must believe in self-exploration. Just dig deep and you will be able to find your true self inside yourself.

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Some Eye-Opening Osho Quotes That Will Grow Your Wisdom - Thrive Global

On October 2, Zorba the Buddha, an open faith spiritual centre in Gurgaon, hosted a date with Ma Anand Sheela, who was the personal secretary of Guru Bhagwan Shree Rajneesh (Osho) from 1980 to 1985. During a pre-dinner talk, the moderator asked about the famous spiritual gurus take on sex, marriage and polygamy. Sheela, 69, sat slightly bent on the stage, wrapped in a green shawl with her grey hair styled into an elegant bob. There was a smiling portrait of Osho in the backdrop, garlanded with marigolds. Although known for her sharp witshe was once called the tigress of the two-minute television news spotthat day, she seemed uncharacteristically mellow. You take responsibility for your actions..., she said. Bhagwan is not interested in your daily problems. Leave him alone.

And what about power, the moderator, Ashwin Bharti, asked. Sheela jumped up from her seat. With an eerie smile, her eyes glinting with excitement, she stared down at her enraptured audience. Look at me, she said. I am Oshos power. Have a good look at me. It is called the power of love. The crowd roared and whistled; they had got their moneys worth. In this instance, Rs 2,500 for a sampling of Oshos work, a talk, a Q&A session and dinner with Sheela, the linchpin of the 2018 blockbuster documentary Wild Wild Country, on Osho and his improbable commune in Oregon.

But what the participants had not bargained for was a possible cameo in an upcoming Netflix documentary on Sheela herself. When they were informed that there was a videographer shooting the show, some walked out of the hall feeling short-changed and wanting a refund. Most did not seem to mind. Ma Anand Sheela is like Oshos first wife, you know, said a participant, who was never really a follower of the godmans teachings but was a fan of Wild Wild Country. It is great entertainment, he said. But you cannot believe anything of what she says. It is like listening to Modi. Sheela, who was born in Gujarat as Sheela Ambalal Patel, was introduced by her father to Bhagwan Rajneesh in Bombay in 1967, just as she was about to leave to the US for further studies. She apparently got lost in his eyes in that first encounter. By mid-1981, she had bought the 64,229-acre Big Muddy Ranch at the Wasco and Jefferson counties in Oregon to form the Rajneeshpuram commune. At its peak, it hosted 15,000 spiritual seekers from around the worlda hippie carnival that turned into a dangerous, aggressive cult. And when it crashed and burnt, Sheela was exposed as the mastermind behind the movementa sort of manager, spokesperson and chief of staff of the Rajneesh empire. Her operating style during her four years in Oregon was perceived as Machiavellian. She was accused of arming the commune members with semi-automatic weapons, drugging homeless people, attempting to murder Oshos doctor and plotting to kill an Oregon investigative reporter. You accept a crown, be ready for the guillotine, Sheela said in a recent interview with Karan Johar, organised by the NGO Humans For Humanity and Sipping Thoughts, a women-centric talk show. The two organisations were responsible for bringing Sheela to India, 34 years after she left the Osho ashram in Pune.

You accept a crown, be ready for the guillotine Ma Anand Sheela

Evidently, the Indian audience wants more of her trademark, flame-throwing punchlines from the 1980s. The internet is full of listicles of her wild wild quotes. What can I say? Tough titties tops the lot. Ever the slick provocateur, she could twist any uncomfortable question into a brazen celebration of the self. Which is how she has tackled questions during her India tour as well. But those quotable quotes are not as fiery or egomaniacal as they used to be. Now, they are more about self-love and self-help. A few of her tepid one-liners during Johars show which generated hearty applause were: I am a free woman; Love has no reason, if love has [a] reason it is not love. It is a bargain; I dont push the buck around; You create your own rainbow and You too are divinity. Some titillating bits included Sheela offering Johar post-coital Swiss chocolates, admitting how she never meditated or had sexual relations with Osho, and how she had personally paid for 96 Rolls Royces.

But often, one could see flashes of alarm and muted outrage. After Johars interview, when an audience member asked her about the allegations of mass poisoning and fighting with the local residents of Antelope in Oregon, she recalledalmost with a death-glarehow the Rajneeshees were even blamed for a volcano that exploded there. I have nothing to do with these accusations.... This information you have is not correct, she said. There was a bit of gaslighting, too. At the pre-dinner session on October 2, when a woman wondered how her great love for Bhagwan could allow for violence, Sheela defended her actions as self-protection at a time of spiraling negativity. But I have a question for you, Sheela shot back. Tell me this, you are such a pretty girl, but why do you look so sad? She ended the cross-questioning with an advice: Be positive, otherwise you will become suicidal. Yes, that is where depression starts. That was the last question of the evening.

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Return of the agent provocateur - THE WEEK

Jeff Greenfield is a five-time Emmy-winning network television analyst and author.

Its not hard to know what the fallout from this debate will be: Pete Buttigieg offered his strongest performance of his campaign, with a series of forceful, coherent arguments, and at least one contender for quote of the night. He drew the sharpest distinctions yet between himself and the rest of the still crowded field, and gave voters a preview of the fight he might bring to a one-on-one debate with Donald Trump.

His pushback at Rep. Tulsi Gabbards attack on what she labeled a bipartisan regime change foreign policy was the first sustained case any of the Democrats have offered in defense of an activist foreign policya case buttressed by Buttigiegs military service.

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The slaughter going on in Syria is not a consequence of American presence, he said, turning to Gabbard, who herself served in the Army. Its a consequence of a withdrawal and a betrayal by this president of American allies and American values. A small number of specialized, special operations forces and intelligence capabilities were the only thing that stood between that part of Syria and what we're seeing now, which is the beginning of a genocide and the resurgence of ISIS. Meanwhile, soldiers in the field are reporting that for the first time they feel ashamedashamed of what their country has done. When I was deployed, I knew one of the things keeping me safe was the flag on my shoulder represented a country that kept its word. You take that away, it takes away what makes America America.

In that single answer, Buttigieg, the mayor of South Bend, Indiana, folded in a defense of Americas international role with a concise assault on Trumps invitation for Turkey to invade Syria. It was one of several instances in which Buttigieg, lurking in the polls just below former Vice President Joe Biden and Senators Elizabeth Warren and Bernie Sanders, made his strongest argument as a moderate alternative to front-running Biden, who, while avoiding the rhetorical stumbles of past debates, seemed to fade into the scenery as the night went on.

Buttigieg, displaying a passion that many said was conspicuously lacking in his earlier appearances, punched up on the subject of the candidates competing heath care plans. When Elizabeth Warren once again promised that costs will go down for most Americans under her no private insurance idea, Buttigieg staked out an alternative that went to the heart of the political danger of a single-payer plan. He noted that Warren, unlike Bernie Sanders, repeatedly refused to acknowledge the fact that taxes will go up for the middle class, which they argued would be more than eased by an overall lowering of costs.

A yes or no question that didn't get a yes or no answer, Buttigieg chided. This is why people are so frustrated. Your signature is to have a plan for everything, except this. No plan has been laid out to explain how a multi-trillion-dollar hole in this plan that Senator Warren is putting forward is supposed to get filled in. We can move forward with the biggest transformation since Medicare. The way to do it without a giant multi-trillion-dollar hole and avoiding a yes or no question is Medicare for all who want it.

And in what is sure to be among the most featured moments of the night, Buttigieg displayed a bit of temper in an exchange with former Congressman Beto ORourkes proposal for a mandatory buyback of assault weapons.

The problem isnt the polls, the problem is the policy, Buttigieg said. I don't need lessons from you on couragepersonal or political. The problem is not other Democrats who dont agree with your particular idea of how to handle this. The problem is the National Rifle Association and their enablers in Congress and we should be united in taking the fight to them.

What we owe to those survivors is a solution. We are at the cusp of building a new American majority to actually do things that congressmen and senators have been talking about with almost no impact for my entire adult life. This is really important, OK? On guns we are this close to an assault weapons ban. And we're going to get wrapped around the axle whether it's Hell, yes, were going to take your guns?

If Im right, Buttigieg will get the lions share of the Who won? judgments, with Minnesota Senator Amy Klobuchar earning high marks as the moderate voice of reason, and Sanders demonstrating no ill effects from his recent heart attack.

But this raises a more fundamental question: Will Buttigiegs performance matter in the only way that really mattersa bump in the polls?

We have had one example of a much-heralded debate performance whose half-life proved nonexistent. Kamala Harris critique of Joe Bidens record on busing was the featured moment of the first debate. Her rise in the polls was followed by a steady return to single digits. Why? Perhaps it was her failure to explain exactly what her health care plan was; or that the distance between her and Biden on busing was shorter than first appeared; or that, in general the rationale for her campaign was less clear than those of her rivals. Whatever the cause, her one debate moment proved far too fragile to sustain a rise in support.

Less obvious, but equally significant, was Joe Bidens continued presence at or near the top of the pack, despite three debates in which he was heard wandering through a confusing rhetorical landscape of incomplete sentences, odd allusions and garbled statistics. His decades of experience, his ties to the still-wildly popular Barack Obama, his strength among African-American politicians and voters, has thus far mattered more than his unsteady debate performances. And if youre looking for a debate moment to account for Warrens steady rise in the polls, you wont find one. Instead, her overall debate presence has been characterized by a no drama offering of policies wrapped neatly around her strivers biography and stories she has gathered from people shes met on the trail.

For those of us whose professional lives revolve around politicswho only checked on the Washington-St. Louis game during commercial breaksdebates are often seen as high political drama, with enormous stakes. Every debate is viewed through the prism of the clashes leading up to a general election, even though we are 3 months away from the first primary vote. And voters know this, which is why every survey shows a thumping majority of them say they either have no favorite or could change their minds.

If these debates matter as much as the coverage suggests they do, we should see some measurable movement in the polls. But even if we do, the more significant question is: Will that movement be sustained? Or are there other factors that will make the sound and fury of these debates underwhelming in the end?

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Will Mayor Petes Breakout Performance Actually Move His Poll Numbers? - POLITICO

It comes after he was forced to pull out of a performance in Japan earlier in the year

The Cures Simon Gallup was forced to pull out of the bands performance at Austin City Limits Music Festival last night (October 12th) and return to the UK due to another serious personal situation.

Headlining the Honda Stage on the Saturday of the festivals final weekend,The Cure were without their regular bassist, who, according to a statement put out by the band, had to return to the UK.

Another serious personal situation affecting our bassist Simon arose yesterday, and as a consequence he had to return to the UK, the statement read. It then thanked Gallups son Eden for filling in for his father: We would like to thank Eden Gallup for filling in on bass again at such short notice.

This isnt the first time this year that Gallup has had to pull out of a performance. In July, the bassist was unable to travel with the band to Japan to perform at Fuji Rock Festival. It was announced that a serious personal situation had arisen following a performance atPaleo Festival.

Eden Gallup also stood in for him then andthe band said they were very grateful to Ed for reaching out across the generational divide to help us out, and join him in welcoming his dad back for our seven remaining summer festival shows.

The Cure added to last nights statement by thanking everyone at ACL for their understanding and support.

Meanwhile,The Cures Robert Smith has revealed that the goth-rock icons have three new albums in the works with the first potentially arriving before the end of 2019.

After previously revealing that their next effort will be shaped by the darkness of losing his mother, father and brother, Smith confirmed plans for a release before the end of the year in a new interview.

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The Cures Simon Gallup forced to pull out of Austin City Limits performance due to another serious personal situation - NME Live