Home - 9 MARCH 2023 News HARVEST - Embracing uncertainties together!

IN THE SPOTLIGHT

FROM THE FRONTLINE - 379th day of war

A huge wave of more than 80 Russian missiles, including 6 hypersonic missiles according to Ukrainian officials, have been fired at cities across Ukraine in a sustained overnight barrage - the biggest for weeks - killing at least six civilians, knocking out electricity and forcing the largest nuclear power plant in Europe off the grid. Kyiv, the Black Sea port of Odesa and the second-largest city Kharkiv were all hit as missiles targeted a wide arc of targets, stretching from Zhytomyr, Vynnytsia and Rivne in the west to Dnipro and Poltava in central Ukraine, officials said. More on BBC or Euronews.

Ukraine had appeared likely to withdraw from Bakhmut, but has now signalled a new determination to fight on. More with FT.

"Each time we are rolling a dice. And if we allow this to continue time after time, then one day our luck will run out."

Rafael Grossi, the head of the International Atomic Agency (IAEA), UN's nuclear watchdog

Image courtesy of Bansky

Ukraine war: Why Bakhmut matters for Russia and Ukraine
According to its deputy mayor, Oleksandr Marchenko, there are just a few thousand civilians left living in underground shelters with no water, gas or power. "The city is almost destroyed," he told the BBC. "There is not a single building that has remained untouched in this war."
Why are Russia and Ukraine fighting so hard over this pile of rubble? Why are both sides laying down the lives of so many of soldiers to attack and defend this city in a battle that has lasted longer than any other in this war?
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BBC, 9 March 2023

THE FUTURE OF EUROPE: WIDER AND DEEPER?

The relationship between the widening of the EU and the increasing scope and strengthening of its powers is a central concern for the Union. Let's have a look at the current state of affairs of both the enlargement and the integration processes!

Emmanuel Macron’s vision of a more muscular Europe is coming true
Across Europe, leaders are grappling with the fallout from ,Russia’s war. In France, the conflict has shone a light on Mr Macron’s ambition to keep his mid-sized country seated among the giants at the top diplomatic table—and the frustrations of trying to do so. In many ways Europe has come round to the French president’s way of thinking.
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The continent is rearming, asserting itself and learning to speak the language of power. Yet on crucial questions, notably its future security, it is still not persuaded by Mr Macron’s ideas.
The Economist, 08-03-2023
The EU must accelerate its next enlargement
According to the author of this article, Admitting eight countries in eight years would be a daunting challenge for the European Union, but it would bring formidable benefits.
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The New Statesman, 08-03-2023

AROUND THE WORLD

International Women's Day 2023: History, marches and celebrations
International Women's Day has become a date to celebrate how far women have come in society, in politics and in economics, while the political roots of the day mean strikes and protests are organised to raise awareness of continued inequality.
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BBC, 28 February 2023
Thousands of Georgians are protesting against a “foreign-agent” law
Against the backdrop of the ongoing negotiations between Georgia and the EU for the former to obtain candidate status, over the past few days, Georgia’s ruling party, Georgian Dream, started to push a law through parliament that would brand media and NGOs that receive funding from abroad as “foreign agents” , a move that drew comparisons to similar laws in Hungary and Russia and that prompted huge demonstrations in the capital, Tbilisi. Today, Georgian Dream has announced that it will withdraw its foreign-agent bill “unconditionally”, citing a desire to avoid “confrontation”.
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However, the fact remains that the bill was proposed while the country is trying to implement reforms that the EU has demanded as conditions for Georgia to become a formal candidate for membership. Against this backdrop, the move almost looked like a deliberate act of self-sabotage.
The Economist, 08-03-2023
En Tunisie, le président Saïed va dissoudre les conseils municipaux, un acquis de la jeune démocratie après la «révolution de jasmin»
Le président tunisien, Kaïs Saïed, qui accapare tous les pouvoirs depuis l’été 2021, a décidé jeudi 9 mars la dissolution prochaine des conseils municipaux formés en 2018. Il a annoncé deux projets de loi : l’un «concernant la révision de la loi sur l’élection des conseils communaux» et l’autre «concernant la loi pour l’élection des membres » de la future Assemblée des régions.
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Le Monde, 09-03-2023

LATEST IN BELGIUM

Grève des services publics ce vendredi 10 mars : transports en commun, écoles, administrations… Voici les perturbations attendues
Toute cette semaine, le front commun syndical se mobilise dans les services publics. Des actions ont notamment été menées par les pompiers et par le personnel pénitentiaire ces mardi et mercredi. Cette semaine de manifestation se clôture ce vendredi 10 mars avec un appel général à la grève, à l’initiative de la CGSP, pour l’ensemble des services publics.
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RTBF, 9 Mars 2023
Perquisitions en cours au parlement wallon
Accompagnés d’une juge d’instruction, des agents de la police judiciaire fédérale ont poussé les portes du parlement régional ce jeudi matin. Il s’agit notamment pour la justice de s’assurer de la légalité de l’attribution de plusieurs marchés publics validés par l’ancien greffier.
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Le Soir, 09-03-2023

EU FILES

EU ECONOMIC GOVERNANCE FRAMEWORK

Member States agree on overall approach of forthcoming reform of EU economic governance framework
Member States’ ambassadors to the European Union (COREPER) did not even need to discuss the EU Council’s draft conclusions on the reform of the EU economic governance framework in order to approve it on Wednesday 8 March. The European Summit on 23 and 24 March should then validate the main approach of the reform before the European Commission presents, at the end of March or beginning of April, its legislative proposal to be adopted in co-decision with the European Parliament.
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Agence Europe, 9 March 2023

QATARGATE - FOLLOW-UP

According to POLITICO, Qatargate ''has a distinctly Italian flavor'', and ''Italians are responsible for both partly causing — and perhaps also rooting out — any rot infiltrating Parliament''.

Money laundering in Milan? Qatargate shifts to Italy
Italian officials have launched their own probe into whether a Milan firm, Equality Consultancy, helped launder Qatar' bribes for EU lawmakers, a person familiar with the investigation confirmed. On Thursday, three Milan judges will have to decide whether to extradite the firm’s founder, Monica Bellini, to Belgium. But first, local officials want to see the latest evidence from Belgium.
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Politico, 09-03-2023

DIAMOND SANCTIONS ON RUSSIA

Putin’s blood diamonds: EU countries push for sanctions by May
Western countries are working on plans to hit Russia's diamond exports with sanctions and are hoping to seal a deal as soon as May, according to officials from European states involved in the talks. The European Union has repeatedly debated banning imports of Russian diamonds over the past year — but held off amid fears this would only divert trade away from the Belgian city of Antwerp, a global diamond hub, without actually harming Vladimir Putin's war finances. The G7 summit in Japan could be the moment to agree an international plan to trace conflict diamonds.
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Politico, 07-03-2023

PARADIPLOMACY & CROSS-BORDER COOPERATION - SUBNATIONAL ENTITIES GO GLOBAL

BARCELONA - ISRAEL RELATIONS

This week for our section about paradiplomacy, we look at Barcelona's decision to severe official ties with Israel.

Barcelona mayor brands Israel apartheid state, cuts ties
In February, Barcelona's Mayor, Ada Colau, has severed her city’s official ties with Israel, accusing the country of “the crime of apartheid against the Palestinian people”. The Catalan capital had been twinned with Tel Aviv for 25 years and its decision to temporarily suspend such agreement is thus historic.
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abc, 09-02-2023
Laura Pérez, Barcelona Deputy Mayor: ‘We are at the Forefront of Palestinian Solidarity’
Barcelona's Deputy Mayor, Laura Perez, has released an interview to the Palestine Chronicle.
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Palestine Chronicle, 08-03-2023

GOOD PRACTICES FROM ALL OVER THE WORLD

Four South Asian cities show the way for collaborative, low-emission development
The creation of Urban Low Emissions Development Strategies in cities in Bangladesh and India shows the value of sharing knowledge and insights at the local level
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The Third Pole, 15-02-2023

GRASSROOTS EUROPE - LOCAL BEST PRACTICES FOR THE EU

Europe needs a strong Directive to combat violence against women NOW!
On International Women’s Day 2023, the European Women’s Lobby (EWL) reiterates its demands for the EU to enhance and swiftly adopt the European Commission’s proposal for a Directive on combating violence against women and domestic violence. An enhanced Directive, including a strong harmonised definition on rape in Article 5, as well as provisions on sexual exploitation and online violence against women and girls, remains our goal. The EWL continuously advocates for inclusion of all forms of violence against women and girls in the Directive. The Directive must criminalise all forms of sexual abuse (i.e. sexual violence, rape and sexual harassment) and abuse over women’s sexuality (i.e. FGM, forced abortion and sterilisation, forced pregnancy and sexual exploitation, including prostitution, pornography and surrogacy).
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EWL Press Release for the International Women’s Day, 7 March 2023
Swedish Women’s Organisation's campaign against sex trafficking
The Swedish Women’s Organisation together with the #intedinhora organisation and the support of the Brussels’ Call, the European Women’s Lobby and CAP International are launching the EUquality Model Now campaign against prostitution and human trafficking in Europe. The purpose of the campaign is to diffuse knowledge about how criminalising the purchase of sex and pimping can reduce the demand for prostitution and offer protection to victims of prostitution. Internationally, legislation that criminalises the purchase but not the sale of sexual acts is described as the Equality Model. This is because the responsibility for prostitution is shifted from the person who is exploited to the person who pimps or buys another person for sex. In recent years, France, Israel and Canada, among others, have introduced and further developed legislation based on the Equality Model.
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European Women's Lobby, Members' News, 3 March 2023

MIGRATION in the EU

Europe has different boundaries depending on whether you look at it from a geographical, political or cultural perspective. The border that matters for migrants today is the line demarcating the Schengen area of unrestricted movement - The Economist.

Image courtesy of Bansky

Lost in a dark wood: the migrants trapped in Europe’s oldest forest
Until recently, few migrants had thought of entering the EU through the Eastern boundary of the Schengen area. Most attempted to cross the Mediterranean. But in 2021, the government of Belarus decided to open up a new pathway for migration and, in an orchestrated campaign that reached to Iraq, Syria, Turkey, Lebanon and beyond, it started to sell tourist visas, to co-ordinate flights to Minsk from the Middle East and to disseminate false information on social media about how simple crossing in the EU was. Here are some stories from people who tried to cross the border between Belarus and Poland to enter the EU.
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The Economist, 07-03-2023
Britain’s plan to stem the flow of asylum-seekers is deeply flawed
"Stopping the boats” is one of Rishi Sunak’s five promises for 2023. More than 45,000 small-boat migrants crossed the English Channel last year, exposing Britain’s inability to control its borders. That figure was expected to grow this year. Mr Sunak and Suella Braverman, the home secretary, have now come up with a plan. New legislation unveiled on March 7th would render inadmissible asylum claims by those who travel across the English Channel on flimsy dinghies. Instead, they would almost all be detained and deported, never to return.
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The Economist, 07/03/2023
How can EU labour markets adapt to Ukrainian refugees in years to come?
Sasha has been working in a vineyard in La Rioja for a few months now, although she has been living in the small village of Haro for a year. The young Ukrainian woman left Kiev shortly after the outbreak of war with her mother and younger sisters and moved to her cousins' house in this northern Spanish region [...] Sasha is one of the 168,000 Ukrainians in Spain who are benefiting from the temporary protection mechanism triggered by the EU in February 2022, which offers accelerated residence permits, access to employment, education, and healthcare. Across the EU as a whole, this protection reaches some 4.867 million, although the total number of refugees exceeds eight million.
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EU Observer, 07/03/2023
War refugees grapple with returning to Ukraine
Those who fled Russia’s war in Ukraine feel caught, living in their minds in two places at the same time.
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Politico, 09/03/2023
Réfugiés Balkans - les dernières infos: la Hongrie envoie des renforts de police en Macédoine du Nord et en Serbie
La guerre en Ukraine a poussé des milliers de personnes à prendre la route vers des pays voisins comme la Moldavie ou la Roumanie. Ce fort exode impacte les pays des Balkans, alors que de nombreux exilés d’Afrique, du Proche ou du Moyen Orient traversent la région sur la route de l’Europe.
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Le Courrier des Balkans, 09/03/2023

WORK TRENDS

9 Trends that will shape the work in 2023 and beyond
In 2023, organizations will continue to face significant challenges: a competitive talent landscape, an exhausted workforce, and pressure to control costs amid a looming economic downturn. How employers respond could determine whether they are an employer of choice.
Here are the 9 workplace predictions, based on Gartner research, that highlight the aspects of work that leaders must prioritize over the next 12 months.
Harvard Business Review, January 18, 2023

Gartner Identifies Top Nine Workplace Predictions for CHROs in 2023
“HR leaders have faced an increasingly unpredictable environment amid many organizations mandating a return to office, permanently higher turnover and burnt out employees,” said Emily Rose McRae, senior director in the Gartner HR practice. “This year’s predictions highlight the aspects of work that HR leaders must prioritize over the next 12 months.”

WOMEN RISING UP!

Sexism is a reality experienced daily by women, in all activities of their lives: while this reality is now recognized by the entire population, declared gender-based and sexual violence continues to increase in the world.

This is the main worrying finding of the 5th annual report on the sexism in France based on the results of the “Sexism Barometer” conducted with the Viavoice Institute.

EXTRAIT du Rapport annuel 2023 sur l’état des lieux du sexisme en France:
4 jeunes femmes sur 5 considèrent qu'il est difficile d'être une femme dans la société actuelle. Ce constat est plus fort chez les femmes de 15 à 24 ans que dans le reste de la population féminine. Hommes et femmes confondues, les Français sont 55% à considérer qu'il est "difficile" d'être une femme dans la société actuelle. Seule 1 jeune femme sur 5 juge notamment que les réseaux sociaux sont un espace égalitaire, alors qu'elles en sont les premières utilisatrices.

WHY FEMINISM MATTERS!

Despite the great global strides made in recent years, gender equality has not been completely achieved yet, as women still face monumental odds in every country and in every society. Moreover, while feminism is a movement to raise women out of the oppression of the past, it is important to note that feminism is not about man-hating. Feminism is about inclusivity for all and it can therefore benefit the entire society.

Eight years until EU fixes equal pay for women?
The latest Eurostat figures from 2020 show that women still earn on average 13% less per hour than men. The difference is even more evident in countries such as Latvia and Estonia, where the gap is above 20%, but almost non-existent in some others, such as Luxembourg.
According to the Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD) analysis, pay transparency rules are an important tool to combat gender inequality, as male and female workers become aware of the differences between them within the same company.
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EU Observer, 08-03-2023

WOMEN'S RESISTANCE

Today, Afghanistan is among the most restrictive countries in the world for women, according to human rights monitors.

Girls are barred from secondary schools. Women are prohibited from traveling any significant distance without a male relative, and from going to public spaces like gyms and parks. In recent months, women were banned from attending universities and from working for aid organizations, some of the last hopes left for professional or public lives.

The New York Times spoke with dozens of women and girls across the country to understand how their lives and Afghan society have changed over the past year and a half.

Shakila is one of them.

The New York Times

ANNOTATIONS TO THE MARGIN OF THE INTERNATIONAL WOMEN'S DAY

Costs of the exclusion of women from the digital world
Today, a persistent gender gap in digital access keeps women from unlocking technology’s full potential. According to recent data, women’s exclusion from the digital world comes with massive costs for all, having already shaved USD 1 trillion from the gross domestic product of low- and middle-income countries in the last decade - a loss that, without an intended plan of action and suitable investment, is expected to increase to USD 1.5 trillion by 2025. The disparity between women and men in relation to digital adoption and their relative opportunities to access, use, and benefit from digital technology remain a major barrier to equal participation in tech design and governance. Women and girls remain underrepresented across the creation, use, and regulation of technology. They are less likely to use digital services or enter tech-related careers, and significantly more likely to face online harassment and violence. This limits the transformative potential of technology and innovation as a whole.
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Press release, UN Women, 8 March 2023
Tackling gender equality in Research and Innovation
Understanding how gender plays a vital role in research and innovation allows us to address the diverse needs of citizens of the European Union. It enhances the societal relevance of the knowledge, technologies and innovations produced, and contributes to the production of greater goods and services. Gender balance is the balance between women and men in research teams who will implement a project. The gender dimension implies taking into account the possible differences between women and men (biological characteristics, as well as the social and cultural features), in the R&I content of the project. In the R&I lifecycle, addressing sex and gender can appear challenging. However, examples in many fields show otherwise.
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European Research Executive Agency, News Article, 7 March 2023
Space scientist Dr Maggie Aderin-Pocock given Barbie honour
A space scientist, best known for presenting BBC One's The Sky at Night and CBeebies Stargazing, is to be honoured with a Barbie doll. Dr Maggie Aderin-Pocock has been named as a Barbie Role Model for her work promoting science careers to girls. It comes ahead of International Women's Day on Wednesday and British Science Week from 10-19 March. "I hope my doll will remind girls that when you reach for the stars, anything is possible," she said. Earlier this month, the astronomer became the new chancellor at the University of Leicester, which is known for space research. Dr Aderin-Pocock said she fell "in love with the idea of space travel" as a young girl and had since spent her career "trying to show girls how fascinating space science can be". "These subjects are just too important to be left to the guys because through science, you can literally change the world", she added.
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bbc.com, 07 March 2023
Give equity a huge embrace!
For International Women's Day and beyond, let's all fully #EmbraceEquity!
Equity isn't just a nice-to-have, it's a must-have. A focus on gender equity needs to be part of every society's DNA. When we embrace equity, we embrace diversity, and we embrace inclusion. We can all challenge gender stereotypes, call out discrimination, draw attention to bias, and seek out inclusion. Collective activism is what drives change. From grassroots action to wide-scale momentum, we can all embrace equity. Forging gender equity isn't limited to women solely fighting the good fight. Allies are incredibly important for the social, economic, cultural, and political advancement of women. The aim of the IWD 2023 campaign theme is to get the world talking about Why equal opportunities aren't enough. And it's critical to understand the difference between equity and equality. People start from different places, so true inclusion and belonging require equitable action. And we can all play a part. #IWD2023
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https://www.internationalwomensday.com/
Travel through time with 21 women explorers who changed the world
Have you heard of Augusta Van Buren, motorcycle maverick, Gertrud Bell, Arabia's uncrowned queen, or Louise Arner Boyd, Arctic explorer? These are just a handful of all those women having contributed to science and society for centuries. Travel through time with 21 women explorers who changed the world!
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National Geographic online

EU YOUTH GENERATION - ONE LIFE!

THE YOUTH AND RETIREMENT AGE

"Raising the retirement age is always a very unpopular measure. That's why it is postponed as much as possible by politicians. But I could imagine that in the mid-2030s when we are stuck in the midst of demographic change, something will happen" - Johannes Rausch of the Munich Center for the Economics of Aging.

France's young people stand up against higher retirement age
Young people in France are protesting Thursday against the government’s push to raise the retirement age.
Students plan to block access to some universities and high schools, and a youth-led protest is planned in Paris on Thursday, as part of nationwide strikes and demonstrations against the pension bill under debate in Parliament.
For a generation already worried about inflation, uncertain job prospects and climate change, the retirement bill is stirring up broader questions about the value of work.
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Independent, 09-03-2023

THE DROPOUT CRISIS

Although Europe is currently experiencing steady growth trends in education, school dropout rates remain statistically significant.

Combatting school dropout: the Handbook is out!
The Handbook with regional good practices to combat school dropouts compiled by Västernorrland has just been published. It brings together examples from 11 regions to help young people evolve on a success path, whatever their own challenges may be.
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Assembly of European Regions
Jeunes peu diplômés : toujours précaires, mais la situation s’améliore
En France, entre le milieu des années 1980 et le milieu des années 2010, la part de jeunes sortis depuis moins de cinq années du système éducatif qui occupent un emploi précaire a presque doublé, passant de 17 % à 29,6 %, selon l’INSEE (Institut national de la statistique et des études économiques). Mais depuis 2015, la situation s’améliore.
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Futuribles, 09-03-2023

MORE IN DEPTH. STAY CURIOUS!

Seven books you are forbidden from reading
Book-banning remains a favourite tool of the autocrat and the fundamentalist, who are both genuinely threatened by the wayward ideas that literature can contain. In democracies books can provoke a different sort of panic. Armies, prisons, prim parents and progressive zealots all seek to censor literature they fear could overthrow their values. Bans on books that shock, mock or titillate reveal much about a time and place. They invariably attract legions of curious readers, too. Here is a brief world tour of book bans in the 21st century.
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The Economist, 24-02-2023

Noam Chomsky: The False Promise of ChatGPT
According to Noam Chomsky, ChatGPT and its brethren are constitutionally unable to balance creativity with constraint. They either overgenerate (producing both truths and falsehoods, endorsing ethical and unethical decisions alike) or undergenerate (exhibiting noncommitment to any decisions and indifference to consequences).
Given the amorality, faux science and linguistic incompetence of these systems, we can only laugh or cry at their popularity.
The New York Times

What Works - Gender Equality by Design
In 1970, only 5% of the performers in the five best American orchestras were female. Now more than 35% are. This didn’t happen by accident. Following the lead of the Boston Symphony, orchestras shifted to blind auditions, wherein judges hear musicians play but don’t see them. Directors always believed they cared only about a musician’s skill. “Unconscious” bias led them to select a majority of men. When they auditioned musicians behind a screen, they chose differently. “Stereotypes serve as heuristics – rules of thumb – that allow us to process information more easily, but they are often inaccurate.” Increased gender equality would benefit society. For instance, equality expands the talent pool: Consider how many fine musicians weren’t hired before the advent of blind auditions. When societies exclude women from the workforce, per capita income drops 40%. Yet, some efforts to increase diversity have failed or have had negative effects. Seeing what works requires experimentation.
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What Works - Gender Equality by Design, Iris Bohnet, 2016

BREATHE...

Mindfulness session with Jeff Warren. Synchronise. Find your flow.

"One of the core benefits of meditation is the sense of unity in mind and body. (...) Even more cool is when a third piece starts to come into the alignment - the world itself. All three, mind - body - world feel like they are just more and more in sync. There is less feeling of separation or splitting agendas." - Jeff Warren

Let us know if you cannot open the link from Calm app. Contact directly Mihaela on this.

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