One month to go before the Asian Forum on Corporate Social Responsibility (AFCSR), October 25 & 26 in Bangkok, Thailand

Bangkok, Sept 27, 2012 - (ACN Newswire) - Following ten successful conference runs in six of Southeast Asia's major cities - Manila, Bangkok, Kuala Lumpur, Jakarta, Ho Chi Minh City and Singapore, the Asian Forum on Corporate Social Responsibility (AFCSR) continues to be at the forefront of CSR development in Asia. This 2012, Bangkok will host the 11th AFCSR on October 25 & 26, Thursday & Friday.

The two-day event, with the theme "Innovative Approaches to Create Value for Business and Society," will allow attendees to interact with leaders and experts from the business, government and civil sectors and to learn about improving business competitiveness through innovative implementation of CSR.

H.E. Anand Panyarachun, Chairman of the Board, Independent Director, and Member of the Corporate Social Responsibility Committee, Siam Commercial Bank; and Former Thailand Prime Minister will be joining us for the Opening Ceremonies on October 25, 8:30 AM.

We also have 45 confirmed speakers, each an expert on their own field. You will find the sessions very interesting. Please find attached our conference brochure and program agenda to find out more about the sessions we have prepared for you.

We have listed our impressive line-up of speakers from 25 different countries that will share their knowledge about the best CSR practices all over the world.

1. Ms. Emily Abrera - Chairperson, Children's Hour (Philippines) 2. Ms. Anusha Alles - Head of Corporate Social Responsibility, Brandix Lanka (Sri Lanka) 3. Ambassador Delia Domingo Albert - Senior Adviser, SGV & Co. (Philippines) 4. Mr. Mohiuddin Babar - Convenor, Nature Alliance (Bangladesh) 5. Ms. Ma. Cecilla Filipinas Calleja-Taufique - VP for Public Relations and Community Affairs, Rapu-Rapu Minerals Inc. (Philippines) 6. Mr. Russell Campbell - APAC Corporate Social Responsibility Manager, Intel (Thailand) 7. Mr. Archawat Chareonslip - Director, Public Affairs and Communications, Coca-Cola (Thailand) 8. Prof. Nieves Confesor - Professor, Asian Institute of Management (Philippines) 9. Ms. Marthyn Cuan - Chief Information Officer, Manila Electric Company (Philippines) 10. Mr. John Dasilva - Project Development Manager, Kenan Institute Asia (Thailand) 11. Dr. Steven DeKrey - President, Asian Institute of Management (Philippines) 12. Ms. Marilou G. Erni - Executive Director, Petron Foundation (Philippines) 13. Ms. Suzanne Fallender - Director of Social Innovation, Intel (U.S.) 14. Prof. Bradley Googins - Director Emeritus, Center for Corporate Citizenship, Boston College's Carroll School of Management (U.S.) 15. Prof. David Grayson - Director, Doughty Centre for Corporate Responsibility, Cranfield School of Management (U.K.) 16. Ms. Agnes De Jesus - Senior Vice President, Environment and External Relations, Energy Development Corporation (Philippines) 17. Mr. Jonathan Joson - Communications Relations Manager, Sagittarius Mines (Philippines) 18. Mr. Boris Joaquin - General Manager, Team Metamorphosis (Philippines) 19. Ms. Angela Kang - Executive President, Global Competitiveness Empowerment Forum (South Korea) 20. Ms. Amanda Keogh - Director for Sustainability, Fuji Xerox (Asia-Pacific) 21. Prof. Mari Kondo - Professor, Doshisha Business School (Japan) 22. Mr. David Laurence - Executive Director, The Australian Center for Sustainable Mining Practices (Australia) 23. Mr. Chris Levy - Associate Director for Corporate Affairs, GlobeScan (Canada) 24. Mr. Thirawit Leetavorn - Senior Vice President, Double A (Thailand) 25. Mr. Sam Y. S. Lee - Founder and Chief Executive Officer, InnoCSR Co. (China) 26. Mr. Rafael C. Lopa - Executive Director, Philippine Business for Social Progress (Philippines) 27. Ms. Jude Mannion - CEO, Robin Hood Asia (New Zealand) 28. Ms. Monica Marshall - Deputy Director, Global Head Public Private Partnerships, United Nations World Food Programme 29. Mr. Alex Mavro - Executive Director, Sasin Centre for Sustainability Management (Thailand) 30. Mr. Takeshi Miyamoto - Director General, Global Compact (Japan) 31. Ms. Tulip Noorazyze - Director of CSR, Shangri-La Tanjung Aru (Malaysia) 32. Dato Paduka Timothy Ong - Chairman, Asia Inc. Forum (Brunei Darussalam) 33. Mr. Quintin Pastrana - PGPA Manager, Chevron Geothermal Philippine Holdings Inc. (Philippines) 34. Dr. Sopon Pornchokchai - President, Thai Appraisal Foundation (Thailand) 35. Ms. Belen O. Rillo - Vice President, Jollibee Foundation, Inc. (Philippines) 36. Ramon R. Del Rosario - President and Chief Executive Officer, Phinma, Inc. (Philippines) 37. Mr. Joseph Scaria - Area Director for Asia Pacific Region, Habitat for Humanity International (Thailand) 38. Dr. Michael Shafer - Director of Operations, Warm Heart (Thailand) 39. Mr. Ola Jo Tandre - Director of Corporate Responsibility, Telenor Group (Norway) 40. Mr. George Tahija - President Director, PT Austindo Nusantara Jaya (Indonesia) 41. Mr. Thomas Thomas - Executive Director, Singapore Compact for Corporate Social Responsibility (Singapore) 42. Ms. Ambreen Waheed - Executive Director, Responsible Business Initiative (Pakistan) 43. Ms. Miki Watanabe - Leader, Planning Group, Corporate Social Responsibility Group, Fuji Xerox (Japan) 44. Mr. Jochen Weikert - Senior Manager, Gesellschaft fur Internationale Zusammenarbeit (GIZ) (Germany) 45. Mr. Oliver Yang - Corporate Social Responsibility and Government Relations Manager, AmCham Shanghai (China)

We are committed to making your AFCSR experience as smooth as possible. In this light, we suggest that you make reservations at the soonest possible time to avail of the best rates for you and your colleagues.

We hope that we can count on your attendance for this year's AFCSR. Please contact delegates.afcsr@aim.edu.

Also, please do like us on Facebook (www.facebook.com/AFCSR) or follow us on twitter (www.twitter.com/AFCSR2012) as we shall be updating you on developments from time to time.

See more here:
Asian Forum on CSR (AFCSR) 2012: 'Innovative Approaches to Create Value for Business and Society'

Thai index tops gain; Vietnam down after Moody's downgrade

BANGKOK, Sep 28 (Reuters) Most Southeast Asian stock markets rose on Friday, racking u p strong gains for the quarter, as global markets welcomed Spain's spending cuts, but Moody's downgrades dented Vietnam's banks and the broader Ho Chi Minh Stock Exchange's VN Index.

Thailand's benchmark SET index led the pack, rose nearly 1 percent to end at its highest close since May 1996. It posted a 10.8 percent gain for the July-September quarter, Southeast Asia's best, reversing a 2.1 percent loss of the previous quarter.

Optimism over Thai banks' earnings for the third quarter boosted buying interest, said Bangkok-based strategist Viwat Techapoonphol of Tisco Securities.

Among actively traded, Bank of Ayudhya Pcl rose 3.3 percent, snapping a six-day losing streak. It was under selling pressure early this week after a stake sale by shareholder General Electric Co The Ho Chi Minh Stock Exchange's VN Index reported a 7.1 percent quarterly fall, the region's worst, adding on a 4 percent fall for the second quarter.

On Friday, Moody's Investors Service downgraded Vietnam's sovereign credit rating by one notch to B2, citing stresses in the banking industry. It cut local and foreign currency deposit ratings of all eight Moody's-rated Vietnamese banks.

Among losers on Friday, Vietcombank fell 2 percent while Military Bank was down 0.75 percent.

View original post here:
Thai index tops gain; Vietnam down after Moody's downgrade

ChildLight Yoga offers its nationally recognized weekend teacher training, designed to provide yoga teachers, educators, therapists, counselors, parents and others working directly with children and youth with the tools and knowledge needed to share the gifts of yoga with children.

Developed by Lisa Flynn, founder of ChildLight Yoga and Yoga 4 Classrooms, the ChildLight Yoga Teacher Training program is a popular, effective opportunity for educators, therapists, parents and others to learn to share yoga with children. The foundational training and certificate program consistently receive rave reviews from experienced kids' yoga teachers as well as from those new to teaching.

The training will be held in Flagstaff Oct. 19, 20 and 21. The discounted cost of $350 with coupon code CCCY35 includes 17 contact hours, comprehensive ChildLight Yoga Instructor Manual, the corresponding CD of "Yoga Songs for Children," certification administration and materials, and membership in the supportive ChildLight Yoga Instructor community. In addition, participants who complete the ChildLight Yoga Teacher Trainings are eligible to receive CEUs.

To register, visit: http://www.child lightyoga.com

ChildLight Yoga, based in Dover, N.H., provides evidence-based yoga education to children in schools and communities, and to professionals whose work supports the well-being of children. For more information, visit http://www.childlightyoga.com.

Originally posted here:
ChildLight Yoga teacher training comes to Flagstaff

London, Sept. 30: A Catholic priest is proving surprisingly unbending in his opposition to yoga ' he will not allow his local church hall to be used for teaching yoga because he views it as an alien Hindu practice that could undermine the Catholic faith.

The hardline attitude on yoga by Father John Chandler has shocked thousands of its practitioners, Indians and non-Indians alike.

He has banned Cori Withell, a fitness instructor, from using St Edmund's Church Hall in Southampton, where he is in charge, for yoga lessons.

"There are other halls she could use in Southampton," was the priest's final word on yoga.

Fr Chandler is not in the mould of the gentle, tolerant priests who run St Xavier's and other missionary schools in India. Fr Chandler is convinced yoga is born out of Hinduism and permitting lessons would be to stray on to a slippery slope.

"Yoga is a Hindu spiritual exercise," he insisted. "Being a Catholic Church we have to promote the gospel and that's what we use our premises for."

"We did say that yoga could not take place," he went on. "It's the fact that it's a different religious practice going on in a Catholic Church."

He explained his moral dilemma: "On one hand we say to our parishioners, 'Be strong in your faith,' and on the other hand there's this other religious belief that's not part of our faith. It's not compatible. We are not saying that yoga is bad or wrong."

But there is no disguising his firm belief that yoga is wrong. He also accused Withell of being devious in the way she had booked her lessons. She had initially pretended she was only going to give lessons in Pilates (a fitness regime which began in Germany), but later slipped in yoga, he alleged.

Far from seeking to control a troublesome priest, Portsmouth Catholic Diocese, Fr Chandler's employer, gave him full support.

More here:
Yoga classes? Not in my church, says UK priest

Yoga postures are very different from ordinary exercise. It is a mistake even to call the postures exercises, in the usual sense of the word. Their purpose is not to strengthen the muscles. They emphasise relaxation quite as much as they do tension. Unlike most physical exercises, they do not excite; rather, they eliminate excitement from the system.

An important difference between these postures and other systems of exercise is that in yoga practice one must never strain. Relax, never force yourself, into the prescribed positions. Stretch only slightly, if at all, beyond the point of comfort. You will be astonished to see how many poses you can accomplish by progressively deeper relaxation.

The yogi should act always from a centre of poise and calmness, of mental and physical relaxation. When I first met my Guru, Paramhansa Yogananda, he told me that, while sitting in a chair giving interviews, he was not even aware of his body below the chest. To be able so completely to relax the body when not using it, it is necessary first to be in full control of it; to be able at will to be fully conscious of every muscle.

The yoga postures are not only a series of physical positions but exercises in mental awareness. The yogi must try to become conscious of the energy as it directs the muscular movements.

Between poses, he should calmly withdraw his energy from the periphery of his body; he should rest within himself. Savasana, the Corpse Pose, is particularly recommended for these peaceful interludes.

The yogi is enjoined to practise moderation in everything. He should avoid eating too much, or too little. He should not sleep too much, nor too little. (More than seven hours' sleep at night only drugs the nervous system.) He should be especially moderate in his sex life. Sexual over-indulgence causes tremendous drain on natural vitality. Continence, if it has the full consent of the mind, can be a tremendous factor in helping one to achieve full vigour, mentally and physically, and to attain deep spiritual insight.

Yoga practices help one to live in harmony with the forces of nature. The yoga postures should always, if possible, be practised out-of-doors, or by an open window.

They should be practised on an empty stomach or at least three hours after eating. It is preferable that the body be warm when performing them. But don't practise immediately after strenuous activity; or so long that the postures themselves result in over-exertion and fatigue.

Women should use caution if they wish to do yoga postures during the first day or two of the menstrual period.

The postures should not be practised, save with the greatest of caution, when the body is unwell. Any posture that gives rise to a feeling of pain (other than muscular) in the chest, abdomen or brain should be abandoned until the cause has been ascertained. People with high blood pressure should avoid all but the most gentle poses.

See the original post here:
Yoga is just not exercises, gives higher awareness

Video Link: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=du5Fttcyt24

29-09-2012 16:31 trying on my new Royal blue belly dance costume Please click on my fan page link 🙂 Hello ! how are you? I am on here to try to help everyone eat better and exercise If you need any help with that email me or call 1 (607) 483-8445 please do notforget to eat raw organic fruit (focusing on the fruit) vegetables (especially dark leafy greens) nuts and seeds and exercise two hours or two miles (walking) a day everyday huge hugs remember you are loved huge hugs dedicating all my videos to my mom who passed on to Heaven April 24, 2012 She will be enormously missed. my heart is happy my soul is free my love for you still stands strong freedom is the answer from far beyond time will change people will see that the answer is nature and natural and that life is to be clean to be happier molding one person at a time will make a happier place for us all. no one has all the answers but the key is to try and be what you were meant to be in the first place stand for what you believe in and go after it full circle love binds us and entwines us as one.... Happiness can be achieved if you follow your chosen dream love JuneMarie P. Liddy

Read the rest here:
June-Marie Raw Food and Fitness Health weight Loss misc fun videos A quick Hello - Video

Video Link: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AG8QnVK0sbw

29-09-2012 18:57 This is original choreography by Kendra Hyson, founder, for the Carrithyms! dance program. This song was featured on the July/August 2012 playlist in class as an urban jazz/pop routine. Kendra took this routine on the road to the NBC6/TELEMUNDO 51 HEALTH AND FITNESS EXPO on September 22 & 23, 2012. For more information on classes or how to get certified in Carrithyms!, message us or like us on . FEEL THE GOOD VIBES!

Read the original post:
"Show Me" by Usher (Urban Jazz/Pop) - NBC6/TELEMUNDO 51 HEALTH AND FITNESS EXPO - Video

Members of the embattled health Club California Wow (CAWOW) on Sunday filed fraud charges against the bankrupt fitness operator for allegedly failing to provide the services agreed upon and to refund their membership fees.

The charges were filed with the Consumer Protection Police Division by about 50 members of the financially troubled health club accompanied by Saree Ongsomwang, secretary-general of Foundation for Consumers.

Ms Saree said her foundation had received complaints from 587 affected members under life-long, yearly and monthly membership contracts demanding a total of more than 30 million baht in compensation from the company.

CAWOW went into bankruptcy earlier this year and closed most of its club branches. Now It only has three facilities operating two located in Siam Paragon and Esplanade shopping centres in Bangkok and the other in Chiang Mai province.

The complainants living in Bangkok said it was inconvenient to travel to the two remaining facilities after the club branches near their residences had been closed down and they wanted to cancel their memberships. However, the company did not give any response when they demanded their membership fees be refunded.

They also said the company was still recruiting new members even though it was facing financial problems and was now under a business rehabilitation plan.As a result, the members saw this asfraud, Ms Saree added.

The Foundation for Consumers chief believed many affected people have not filed complaints yet because the fitness operator had more than 100,000 members nationwide.

Share or reprint this article:

Read more:
California Wow faces fraud suit

ROBERT McCLURE opened the venue near Glasgow city centre seven weeks ago and makes hundreds of pounds each week from organising seedy sex parties.

A SAUNA boss asking council officials to give him a health and fitness licence is making a fortune from cash-for-sex orgies.

Robert McClure

Robert McClure opened his 40 Fox Street club in Glasgow seven weeks ago.

It is advertised as a unique gay and bisexual venue. But we can reveal that 52-year-old McClure makes hundreds of pounds each week from organising seedy sex parties.

Titled Greedy Girls Night, he takes 20 from men to have sex with up to three women at his club. McClure, from Coatbridge, Lanarkshire, holds the nights twice a week and regularly attracts more than a dozen men.

Last month, McClure applied for a Public Entertainment (Health and Fitness) Licence. The permit lets businesses operate as a gym, sauna or massage parlour.

Licensing sources say McClures sideline would torpedo his chances and land him in trouble with police. A council source said: If the premises were to be operating in the suggested manner, then they may be committing an offence.

The club, near the St Enoch Centre, is accessed through a large metal front door with a security entry.

When our investigator was buzzed in, McClure took 40 for entry, claiming it covered a years membership.

Excerpt from:
'Orgy' club boss applies to council for health and fitness licence

So Ill admit, I have an on / off again relationship with Grindr which Im sure is commonly shared amongst members of our community. My biggest qualm though isnt what youd think no, its not the countless headless torsos, weirdoes or instability of the app itself. Its all this internalised homophobia.

Cmon guys, what with all this No Femmes, No Asians, White only, Str8 Acting bullshit Im seeing? In the time Ive had the app, Ive come across an alarming number of profiles with this type of prolific racism and discrimination and its only getting worse, scarier is the fact that its somehow deemed acceptable amongst the user base.

Somehow it seems we have de-regulated traditional means of human interaction by creating a virtual environment where hiding behind a profile picture (that usually looks nothing like its user weve all had that experience, right?) and witty pick-up lines is an acceptable place for hurtful and unnecessary commentary.

Its only getting worse. Its somehow deemed acceptable amongst the user base.

Internalised homophobia and oppression is generally used to describe when an individual has been taught that heterosexuality is the way to be. Usually growing up in an environment that has created a perception that a certain type of masculinity and femininity is the correct portrayal of those genders. Even though these individuals may come out and be active members of our community, they bring with them, a certain perception of what is deemed acceptable for a man and woman to be.

Ive experienced it first hand with a guy I dated a little while ago, we caught up after things fizzled out between us and he was telling me about a new guy he was seeing (some guys move faster than others I guess) whilst I scoffed down on my Baskin Robbins. He went on to say that he met the new guys friends and one of them dressed strangely wearing heels to be exact.

He went on to say how completely wrong that was; somewhat trying to engage me into agreeing with him which I completely had no intention of doing. In his mind, a man shouldnt wear heels with the simple justification of it not being manly, but who was he to sit there and judge a complete stranger on the basis of his own perception of masculinity? I went on to state that being two young gay men living openly and facing adversity everyday, we should not be initiating negative judgment on those who are different dont you agree?

Weve got idiots in parliament saying that if our unions can be marriages we will open doors for beastliest (Oh, I cant believe that guy was serious I mean really Cory Bernardi? Really? ), our community has an alarming youth suicide rate and with the general inequality we face in our daily lives why are we, members of our beautiful and diverse community perpetuating this internalised hate? Vilifying people because of who they are, havent we all lived through enough to know that this is wrong?

Whether its an app, a comment or a conversation We shouldnt be casting the first stone.

Photo by Simon Lee, via the Sexual Racism Sux Facebook page.

View post:
Sex / Health / Fitness: When looking for love, what’s with all the hate?