Manchester Idea Parties

24-hour Global Twitter and Telephone Idea Party

A message from Barbara Sher:

Hi, everyone,

This coming Monday, Mar 23-24 is the big 24-hour GLOBAL TWITTER & TELEPHONE IDEA PARTY to celebrate the 30th anniversary of my first book, Wishcraft. Don't miss this giant brainstorming festival of ideas!

http://www.barbarasherwishcraft.com

The Idea Party will start on Monday, March 23th, at 8pm Eastern Standard time (and end 24 hours later, on Tuesday, March 24th, at 8pm Eastern Standard time (New York time)

The party will be happening simultaneously in 2 mediums, and we welcome you to join us at either one or both places at any time during the 24 hours. You're invited to ask questions, make comments, and give suggestions to people who are asking for help with 'impossible' dreams. (We know there are no such things, right?)

HOW TO JOIN US ON TWITTER

Twitter

For directions on how to use Twitter, go to this link.

Once you've registered in Twitter, you might find that it's easier to follow what's going on during the party by using this site, which parallels twitter.

BY TELEPHONE:

The same phone number will be used the whole time, but every six hours the access code will change, so there will be a few minute's pause and everyone will dial in again and enter the new access code. The  main number and all access codes are in this link:

All telephone info is at www.barbarasherwishcraft.com.

Since we are expecting a large volume of callers, we ask that once you are connected to the call, you mute your phone by pressing *6. If you want to make a comment during the call or ask a question, you can un-mute your phone by pressing *6 again, but once you've gotten an answer, please re- mute.

Wishcraft is 30 years old on Monday and has done some good in this world. You can read all the wonderful stories - mine, and Wishcraft's readers - and you'll never believe your dreams are impossible again. So let's celebrate that. (I might secretly drink champagne when it gets towards midnight in NY :-)

Let's make this a grand party. Let's launch someone's dream. Maybe yours.

Barbara Sher

One for the photographers amongst you...

Are you a photographer (amateur or professional) who would like to get your teeth into a new project? If that sounds like you, check out The Online Photographer's blog post about SoFoBoMo (short for Solo Photo Book Month) - a group event where a bunch of photographers all make solo photo books from start to finish in 31 days, at more or less the same time. The post contains a link to the SoFoBoMo site where you can sign up to join in the fun.

Two for tea?

You can't have missed the fact that Valentine's day is just around the corner.

Now I know it's a bit corny and it certainly is over-commercialised but, it's still a special time for couples.  Whether you're just starting out or a comfortable couple, there's still an opportunity to make things special.

If things are a bit tight and you can't afford to go out for dinner, you might prefer to cook a meal in - it will certainly save you money and can be much more fun.  The money you save on expensive restaurant bills you can spend on some flowers and, at home, you can create that special atmosphere - no pressure, no stress, just a comfortable and romantic evening together.

To help you out there's a fresh idea from the Two Cook For Two team at http://www.TwoCookForTwo.com.  And, even better, it's completely FREE at the moment...

This is a new book full of easy recipes designed to be both cooked and eaten by a couple. I particularly liked the sound of the coriander and lime salmon - a quick, easy and healthy recipe that's got to be good for you. I can't say the same for the chocolate mousse recipe! I'm looking forward to trying them both.

There's a rumour that they're bringing out some extra recipes for a Valentine's day updates so keep watching!!

The most important thing about Valentines weekend is to chill and take it in your stride. Too many couples suffer when there's such pressure to be that perfect romantic. Remember - if they want to be with you the other 51 weekends of the year, they'll still enjoy your company on Valentine's day. Just add in a bunch of flowers and maybe a candle or two over dinner to make it special.

And as for dinner - anything that get's us both in the kitchen cooking together without fighting over the chopping boards has got to be worth a try.

Release your inner author...

Have you made a start on that book you always wanted to write yet?

Someone told me this morning about authonomy - a unique online community that connects readers, writers and publishing professionals. authonomy, which was conceived and built by editors at HarperCollins Publishers invites unpublished and self published authors to post their manuscripts for visitors to read online. Authors create their own personal page on the site to host their project - and must make at least 10,000 words available for the public to read.

Visitors to authonomy can comment on these submissions – and can personally recommend their favourites to the community. authonomy counts the number of recommendations each book receives, and uses it to rank the books on the site. It also spots which visitors consistently recommend the best books – and uses that information to rank the most influential trend spotters.

It costs nothing to create a profile, to upload your book, or to read and recommend the books on offer.

Block Buster Fridays

Do you, like most of us, have a 'To Do' list as long as your arm?  A whole heap of things that you never seem to get around to doing?  A headful of things that you're carrying around with you and which you never seem to get to the bottom of?  In other words - all the things that block your productivity, creativity and your route to both relaxation and peace of mind.

Well you've come to the right place... 

Join us on our next Block Buster Friday and,
whatever it is that's been blocking you,
GET IT DONE - once and for all!

101 painless ways to detoxify your mind, body and home

If you're looking for ways to feel good this autumn, have a look at '101 Painless Ways to Detoxify Your Mind, Body, and Home' by Laura Milligan.  (It'll take you all autumn to check out all the useful resource links that the article contains.)

Living in the Raw

I love the idea of incorporating more raw food into my diet - no, I'm not talking about raw meat or anything like that - I'm talking about more fruit, salads, smoothies, nuts and seeds, etc.  Would you believe that you can even get raw chocolate cake and apple crumble?  Or flapjacks, cookies and ice-cream?

Karen Knowler is The Raw Food Coach. She's also an author, presenter, former MD of The Fresh Network (The UK's raw and living foods organisation), founder of The Fresh Festival and creator of Get Fresh! magazine. Karen has appeared on LK Today (GMTV), Channel Health, The Wellbeing Channel, Rude Health, LBC radio and Radio 4, as well as appearing regularly in the press in her capacity as raw food expert and food/life coach.  She really knows her stuff and she makes the idea of raw food seem an absolute 'no-brainer' (without appearing to be the slightest bit 'crusty' or 'cranky').

Recently Karen posted four different YouTube videos on her blog which, together, answer the following questions:

Q1: So what is raw food?

Q2: Why do people choose to eat more raw food or begin a raw food diet?

Q3: What does a typical raw food diet or menu plan look like?

Watch the videos for Questions 1,2 and 3 here

Q4: How much of a difference would it make eating half your diet raw and going all raw?

Q5: What about eating out?

Q6: What are the biggest potential pitfalls of following a raw diet?

Watch the videos for Questions 4, 5 and 6 here

Q7: How do you get started?

Q8: How long does it take to start feeling and seeing a difference?

Watch the videos for Question 7 and 8 here

Q9: What do you consider "must know" information that anyone new to raw foods should have?

Q10: Where do you see the concept of raw foods going in the future?

Watch the videos for Questions 9 and 10 here

30 things that every man should do really well (apparently)

There are, according to MSN Men's Life & Style, thirty skills that every man should master in his lifetime.  They include carving meat, admitting mistakes and accepting defeat, shopping for gifts, and cooking 5 or 6 dishes really well.  Not sure how protecting a computer by keeping firewall and virus protection software up-to-date qualifies as a skill though... 

Discover the other 25 skills here.

The thirty skills every woman should master?

What skills should a woman of the noughties have mastered?  According to MSN Life and Style, there are at least 30 - including walking in both stilettos and flats, saying 'No' and putting flat-pack furniture together.

Have a look at all 30 and see what you think...  Do you agree?  Disagree?  Would you add anything?  (Personally, I'm not convinced that leaving the house without make-up on counts as a skill...)

What's your Walk Score?

Walkable neighbourhoods offer many benefits to their residents with regard to better health, reduction in greenhouse gases, increased public transportation options, increased community activity and face-to-face interaction with neighbours, and stronger local businesses. 

Walk Score helps people find walkable places to live by calculating the 'walkability' of an address by locating nearby stores, restaurants, schools, parks, etc.  The Walk Score of an address is shown as a number between 0 and 100 and the general guidelines for interpreting your score are as follows:

90 - 100 = Walkers' Paradise: Most errands can be accomplished on foot and many people get by without owning a car.
70 - 90 = Very Walkable: It's possible to get by without owning a car.
50 - 70 = Some Walkable Locations: Some stores and amenities are within walking distance, but many everyday trips still require a bike, public transportation, or car.
25 - 50 = Not Walkable: Only a few destinations are within easy walking range. For most errands, driving or public transportation is a must.
0 - 25 = Driving Only: Virtually no neighbourhood destinations within walking range. You can walk from your house to your car!

It's a brilliant idea but, before you rush out and buy or rent a new property based on its Walk Score, you do need to bear in mind that Walk Score is just an approximation of walkability and that the strength of an address's Walk Score is no substitute for spending time on the ground in your chosen location and really checking it out before you commit to the move.  You can check out the known issues with the system here