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The Full Moon Yoga class at Deering Estate is going virtual! From the comfort of your home, you can enjoy a view of the sunset, while welcoming the full moon, from one of the most beautiful settings in Palmetto Bay. The class will be held on Thursday, June 4th from 6:30 p.m. to 7:45 p.m. For this virtual class, Zamanta, who has been teaching yoga for over 10 years, will lead a Hatha yoga flow where you can experience the transition of the Sun, the Moon, and the cosmic elements of Mother Earth. Recommended for beginning and intermediate participants, ages 16 and older. The cost is $10 per virtual session. Register online or call the Deering Estate Ticket Office at 305-235-1668, press 9, then ext. 233. For more information, please visit the Deering Estate website. About the Deering Estate The Deering Estate preserves the 1920s era Miami estate of Charles Deering, Chicago industrialist, early preservationist, environmentalist, art collector, philanthropist and first chairman of the International Harvester Company. The Deering Estate is a 21st Century house museum, cultural and ecological field station, and a national landmark listed on the National Register of Historic Places, owned by the State of Florida and managed by Miami-Dade County Parks, Recreation and Open Spaces Department. The Deering Estate is located at 16701 SW 72nd Ave. in Miami. By Miami Living Staff. Image by Unsplash.

Yoga is one of the most unvarying and popular practices observed globally that fosters good breathing, flexibility, balance, muscle strengthening while reducing stress. It pushes you forward towards self-awareness and mental strength. To find out the top and most popular yoga studios in Miami and in their whereabouts, I compiled a list based on user feedback, reviews and instructors' quality. Let's get straight to our favorite studios! 1 - Yoga That Yoga That, Yoga Studio is located in Miami Beach, Florida and is dedicated to yoga practices that focus on proper alignment and flow as well as exploring the philosophy of yoga through workshops, special events and community involvement. Address: 763 W 41st St, Suite C, Miami Beach, FL, 33140 Telephone:  786-372-8428 Website: Yoga That 2 - Ahana Yoga Ahana Yoga has classes for all levels, from the advanced yogi all the way to the newbie. They are a group of teachers, students, healers, surfers, runners and everything in between who are about the community and raising the vibe. They teach beginners, athletes, advanced yogis, flexible people and tight people - everyone is welcome. They have five different class types in order to cater to all kinds of yogis. Address: 3806 NE 1st Ave, Miami, FL, 33137 Telephone: 305-456-5339 Website: Ahana Yoga 3 - Hot Yoga Brickell In Hot Yoga Brickell, all our classes are Bikram yoga style. We have 60 minute and 90 minute classes. Both are beginners level. They provide a series of 26 beginning, classical Hatha Yoga postures conducted in a heated room. It is known for its countless medical benefits as well as for its remarkable ability to train and calm the mind. The series of postures is highly therapeutic for people of all levels of fitness. Mats and towels are NOT provided with the ClassPass reservation. Address: 809 SW 1st Ave, Miami, 33130 Telephone: 305-416-0251 Website: Hot Yoga Brickell 4 - Body & Soul Miami The 10,000 square foot cutting- edge, boutique fitness facility provide members with the highest level of service, leading and breakthrough equipment, most sought after trainers in the business, and group classes you will actually want to take. Address: 3183 SW 38th Ct, Miami, FL, 33146 Telephone: 305-441-2348 Website: Body & Soul Miami 5 - Skanda Yoga Studio Skanda Yoga is a home for high quality yoga asana. They teach alignment-based power yoga that is synchronized with the harmonics of the 13-Moon calendar. Address: 1800 SW 1st Ave., Suite 102, Miami, FL, 33129 Telephone: (786) 567-8124 Website: Skanda Yoga Studio 6 - Synergy Yoga Synergy Yoga is a popular choice of yoga in South Beach since 1997. The mission at Synergy Center for Yoga and the Healing Arts is to provide a sacred space to empower the community through the dynamic teachings of Yoga. They practice all styles! Ashtanga, Kundalini, Prenatal yoga, Kids Yoga, Vinyasa, Hot yoga, Hatha and Sound Bath and Yin Yoga! We also do Massage Therapy,Reiki, Chakra Balancing, Thai Massage , as well Yoga Teacher Training with International Certification. Address: 844 Alton Rd, Miami Beach, FL, 33139 Telephone: (305) 538-7073 Website: Synergy Yoga STUDIOS BY NEIGHBORHOOD Below are the notable yoga studios organized by neighborhood. MIAMI BEACH (SOUTH BEACH) Green Monkey Green Monkey is one of the most beloved studios in town. Their power yoga and Vinyasa flow classes are taught by inspiring teachers for a true community feeling. Located in South Beach’s Sunset Harbour, the studio often hosts community programs with free yoga classes all over the city. Address: 1800 Bay Road Suite 201 (upstairs) Miami Beach FL 33139 Telephone: (305) 397-8566 Website: Green Monkey Wynwood & the Design District With an infrared heated studio, SOL Yoga founded by Cathy DeFrancesco is Wynwood’s newest yoga studio. The gently heated room is designed to deeply release toxins, increase circulation, burn fat and build immunity while engaging in your flow. Address: 48 NW 25th St. Suite 104. Miami, Florida 33127 Telephone: 305-549-8550 Website: SOL Yoga Coconut Grove For yoga in the Grove, head to Dharma Studio which offers a wide selection of styles, including the heart-oriented Anusara practice. The beautiful space makes you feel more like you’re practicing in a friend’s living room than at a traditional studio. They also offer pre-and post-natal classes and host free classes in the Coconut Grove community. Address: Currently they are offering only cyber classes. Telephone: 305.724.9646 Website: Dharma Studio Om Movement is a creative yoga studio offering both traditional and hybrid yoga classes, ranging from gentle to flow, as well as Pilates, acro-yoga and classes that incorporate weights, cardio and therapy balls. Address: 2895 McFarlane Road, 2nd Floor. Coconut Grove, FL 33133 Telephone: (786) 452-8428 Website: Om Movement Little Haiti Inhale Miami is a yoga and wellness center located inside a beautiful, airy space in Little Haiti. With a variety of yoga styles on the schedule, they also offer bodywork services ranging from Thai massage to lymphatic drainage massage. Music is also a major focus with events and workshops involving song and dance. Address: 6310 NE 2nd Ave. Miami, FL  33138 Telephone: (786) 391-1897 Website: Inhale Miami Casa Vinyasa Classes at Casa Vinyasa are geared for the seasoned yogi, athletes, beginners, weekend warriors, and the yoga-curious! They offer Power Vinyasa, Vinyasa Flow, Restorative Flow, Yin, Yoga for Athletes and Pilates classes. Casa Vinyasa offers the latest in Infrared heating as a source of heat for the Power Vinyasa Classes. Infrared heat is more than normal heating because it raises the temperature of your body by directly warming the muscles much faster than forced air heating systems. This leads to increases in circulation, pain relief for minor and chronic injuries, detoxification and increases in metabolic rate. Address: 5901 SW 74th St., Suite 414 , Miami, FL, 33143 Telephone: +1 786 238 7327 Website: Casa Vinyasa Modo Yoga It is a green, clean, hot yoga series that stretches, strengthens and tones the muscles while helping to detoxify the body and calm the mind. All classes are suitable for all levels of ability – even absolute beginners with limited flexibility. Every class is a cardiovascular workout intended to strengthen, tone and loosen the muscles, while calming the mind and reducing stress. The ‘hot’ in hot yoga (a humid 98’F) allows for deep, safe stretching and promotes detoxification of the skin, blood and muscles through sweat. Address: 1935 West Ave, Miami Beach, FL, 33139 Phone: +1 786 216 7878 Website: Modo Yoga Words By Sumbal Kuraishi, a Writing Maestro, Roll of Honor awarded, Founder of Modernfashionblog, Co-Founder of Designbolts and CEO of Fabnailartdesigns. Special thanks to ClassPass for textual inserts. Images courtesy of Unsplash and respective Yoga Studios featured on this story. ClassPass provides access to different fitness classes such as many of the yoga studios mentioned in this story. To join visit ClassPass today.

Sharks elicit outsized fear, even though the risk of a shark bite is infinitesimally small. As a marine biologist and director of the Florida Program for Shark Research, I oversee the International Shark Attack File – a global record of reported shark bites that has been maintained continuously since 1958. We are careful to emphasize how rare shark bites are: You are 30 times more likely to be struck by lightning than be bitten by a shark. You are more likely to die while taking a selfie, or be bitten by a New Yorker. In anticipation of the anxiety that’s typically generated by the Discovery Channel’s Shark Week programming, here are a few things about sharks that are often overlooked. A big, diverse family Not all sharks are the same. Only a dozen or so of the roughly 520 shark species pose any risk to people. Even the three species that account for almost all shark bite fatalities – the white shark (Carcharodon carcharias), tiger shark (Galeocerdo cuvier) and bull shark (Carcharhinus leucas) – are behaviorally and evolutionarily very different from one another. The tiger shark and bull shark are genetically as different from each other as a dog is from a rabbit. And both of these species are about as different from a white shark as a dog is from a kangaroo. The evolutionary lineages leading to the two groups split 170 million years ago, during the age of dinosaurs and before the origin of birds, and 110 million years before the origin of primates. White, tiger and bull sharks are distinct species that diverged genetically tens of millions of years ago.Gavin Naylor, CC BY-ND Yet many people assume all sharks are alike and equally likely to bite humans. Consider the term “shark attack,” which is scientifically equivalent to “mammal attack.” Nobody would equate dog bites with hamster bites, but this is exactly what we do when it comes to sharks. So, when a reporter calls me about a fatality caused by a white shark off Cape Cod and asks my advice for beachgoers in North Carolina, it’s essentially like asking, “A man was killed by a dog on Cape Cod. What precautions should people take when dealing with kangaroos in North Carolina?” Know your species Understanding local species’ behavior and life habits is one of the best ways to stay safe. For example, almost all shark bites that occur off Cape Cod are by white sharks, which are a large, primarily cold-water species that spend most of their time in isolation feeding on fishes. But they also aggregate near seal colonies that provide a reliable food source at certain times of the year. Shark bites in the Carolinas are by warm-water species like bull sharks, tiger sharks and blacktips (Carcharhinus limbatus). Each species is associated with particular habitats and dietary preferences. Blacktips, which we suspect are responsible for most relatively minor bites on humans in the southeastern United States, feed on schooling bait fishes like menhaden. In contrast, bull sharks are equally at home in fresh water and salt water, and are often found near estuaries. Their bites are more severe than those of blacktips, as they are larger, more powerful, bolder and more tenacious. Several fatalities have been ascribed to bull sharks. Tiger sharks are also large, and are responsible for a significant fraction of fatalities, particularly off the coast of volcanic islands like Hawaii and Reunion. They are tropical animals that often venture into shallow water frequented by swimmers and surfers. Sharks are important predators that play critical roles in ocean food chains. Humans are not targets Sharks do not “hunt” humans. Data from the International Shark Attack File compiled over the past 60 years show a tight association between shark bites and the number of people in the water. In other words, shark bites are a simple function of the probability of encountering a shark. This underscores the fact that shark bites are almost always cases of mistaken identity. If sharks actively hunted people, there would be many more bites, since humans make very easy targets when they swim in sharks’ natural habitats. Local conditions can also affect the risk of an attack. Encounters are more likely when sharks venture closer to shore, into areas where people are swimming. They may do this because they are following bait fishes or seals upon which they prey. This means we can use environmental variables such as temperature, tide or weather conditions to better predict movement of bait fish toward the shoreline, which in turn will predict the presence of sharks. Over the next few years, the Florida Program for Shark Research will work with colleagues at other universities to monitor onshore and offshore movements of tagged sharks and their association with environmental variables so that we can improve our understanding of what conditions bring sharks close to shore. More to know There still is much to learn about sharks, especially the 500 or so species that have never been implicated in a bite on humans. One example is the tiny deep sea pocket shark, which has a strange pouch behind its pectoral fins. Only two specimens of this type of shark have ever been caught – one off the coast of Chile 30 years ago, and another more recently in the Gulf of Mexico. We’re not sure about the function of the pouch, but suspect it stores luminous fluid that is released to distract would-be predators – much as its close relative, the tail light shark, releases luminous fluid from a gland on its underside near its vent. The goblin shark, found mainly off Asia, can project its jaw forward to pull prey into its mouth. Sharks range in form from the bizarre goblin shark (Mitsukurina owstoni), most commonly encountered in Japan, to the gentle filter-feeding whale shark (Rhincodon typus). Although whale sharks are the largest fishes in the world, we have yet to locate their nursery grounds, which are likely teeming with thousands of foot-long pups. Some deepwater sharks are primarily known from submersibles, such as the giant sixgill shark, which feeds mainly on carrion but probably also preys on other animals in the deep sea. Sharks seem familiar to almost all of us, but we know precious little about them. Our current understanding of their biology barely scratches the surface. The little we do know suggests they are profoundly different from other vertebrate animals. They’ve had 400 million years of independent evolution to adapt to their environments, and it’s reasonable to expect they may be hiding more than a few tricks up their gills. By Gavin Naylor & The Conversation. Special thanks to The Conversation for this story. You can support the independent network which provides news by donating today.

With every passing year, Southeast Florida faces more pressure to adapt to climate change. The region already experiences the effects of climate change, such as flooding on sunny days during the highest tides of the year, the failure of flood control canals, rapid beach erosion and saltwater intrusion into drinking water supplies. In 2009 the Southeast Florida Regional Climate Change Compact – which brings together Florida’s largest regional economy and most vulnerable cities – was created to tackle climate change. The compact is just one example of a growing trend of local and regional organizations banding together to take action on climate change in the United States. With limited federal and state government support for adapting to climate change, regional climate efforts are particularly important in the U.S. We and our colleagues studied Florida’s regional efforts and found that its approach is innovative and has been effective in creating a culture of adaptation. But as a voluntary initiative, it provides guidance only to local governments without robust inducements or support from other levels. And Florida has had limited success with voluntary regional planning approaches in the past. Vulnerable The compact is a voluntary partnership of four counties (Broward, Miami-Dade, Monroe and Palm Beach) and 26 municipalities within those counties. It has received notable political attention. President Obama regards it as “one of the nation’s leading examples of regional-scale climate action” and has highlighted it as “a model not just for the country, but for the world.” The emergence of local leadership for climate action reflects the climate-related pressures facing Southeast Florida. A three-foot rise in sea level would submerge more than a third of the region. Over 5.5 million people live in Southeast Florida, predominantly along the coast, so the risks to coastal infrastructure from sea level rise are substantial. To prepare for effects of climate change, such as flooding of city infrastructure, municipal planners need to incorporate climate change into their land-use plans.skewgee/flickr, CC BY-SA It is little wonder this region is considered one of the most vulnerable areas worldwide in terms of assets exposed to property damage from coastal flooding due to climate change. Adapting to climate change in Southeast Florida, however, is complex. The underlying geology – much of the state lies above porous limestone – and generally flat topography means strategies used elsewhere to combat the effects of sea level rise will not work and that new ideas are needed. Also, Florida is home to a politically conservative state government that reportedly discourages the use of terms like “climate change,” “global warming” or “sustainability” in funding, policy, programs or research. To adapt to the effects of climate change, governments need to redirect development away from vulnerable locations and upgrade critical infrastructure such as roadways, water supply, wastewater and stormwater facilities to better withstand coastal flooding from sea level rise. Thoughtful, yet limited, design The Southeast Florida Regional Climate Change Compact is structured so that professional staff can build general agreement on recommendations for local governments and others to inform legislation, policy and planning. This occurs through the steering committee – the principal decision-making body of the compact. The compact’s steering committee consists of high-ranking professionals, usually only one or two levels below the county chief executive. Once it reaches regional agreement on policy and products, such as the unified sea level rise projection and the Regional Climate Adaptation Plan, the relevant authorities in each county or municipality translate this into local action. The compact works through existing planning and policy processes by seeking to amend comprehensive land-use plans, stormwater master plans, zoning ordinances, building codes and transportation standards. Implementation is dependent on county and municipal decision processes, budgets, local approaches to public involvement, enforcement, monitoring and review, and politics. With a sea level one foot higher, coastal Florida faces significant challenges to its coastal communities. NOAA The ability to prioritize climate action through development control and sustainability decisions varies across the region. The efforts done through existing planning and local initiatives build on years of experience in improving comprehensive plans and lessons about managing growth and development in Florida. Many states require local governments to prepare a comprehensive plan, and some require that these plans be aligned with land development regulations (the local zoning code, most notably). Through state statutes and key court decisions, comprehensive plans in Florida have become increasingly important; any alterations to local land use policies and all development decisions must be consistent with the local comprehensive plan. Template for other regions? The level of uptake by local government appears to be relatively high, as the municipal implementation report highlights. Strategies to improve energy and fuel efficiency and policies to adapt water supply, water management and to improve local sustainability are among the most implemented recommendations of the climate action plan. In terms of results, though, changes to county and municipal comprehensive plans, which function as sort of a long-range vision for communities, have been modest. The compact has placed climate change in the set of issues to be considered, but with no requirements that climate change be a primary factor to shape land-use decisions or infrastructure investments. State, federal and regional governments participate in compact discussions and technical working groups and share scientific data for emergency management and vulnerability assessment in response to 1-, 2- and 3-foot sea level rises. But they are not bound to participate in decision-making processes or implement recommendations. This coordinated structure means the regional body is able to lobby and achieve outcomes at these other levels of government. For example, in 2010 the compact negotiated the creation of Adaptation Action Areas (AAAs) by the Florida Legislature, and in 2015 state statute Chapter 163 was amended to strengthen Florida’s Comprehensive Planning Law around flooding. Also, the Regional Climate Action Plan identifies priority areas for the region to lobby for federal resources, align state and local policy arrangements, and coordinate scientific data and new research. This sort of activity builds a narrative for more progressive climate change policies at state and federal level. Questions remain about whether this is enough to influence outcomes. The compact does not require any actions by participating members and it controls no major resources of its own. It does have the capacity to steer policy and practice by involving county professionals, creating a culture of information sharing, building new knowledge and ideas to address climate change adaptation issues. This provides a useful starting point for climate action. The collective weight of coordinated multiregional climate action could be just what’s needed to strengthen the lobbying power and direct resources for supportive climate policies at the federal level. As such, other regions around the U.S. could consider replicating variations of Florida’s regional planning model. By Karen Bella & William Butler. Special thanks to The Conversation for this story and images. You can support the independent network which provides news by donating today.

Kicking off its 42nd year of helping develop up-and-coming leaders and those interested in further developing leadership skills, the Greater Miami Chamber of Commerce’s iconic Leadership Miami® program is currently inviting interested participants to apply for the next class. This year’s participants will take a deep dive into helping address current local issues, crisis management, creative solution solving, diversity, equity and inclusion. The program will include virtual focus sessions with community experts, along with team projects, and partaking in fieldwork opportunities. With more than more than 9,000 accomplished alumni, and over 200 local non-profits impacted, Leadership Miami® is the premier community leadership training program in South Florida. One of the key purposes of Leadership Miami® is to prepare the next generation of Miami's leaders to address vital issues affecting Miami-Dade County and meet future challenges, while providing them with tangible professional and community leadership skills. The program offers participants the opportunity to meet Miami's leaders and to share an intensive learning experience through a planned process of lectures, seminars, small group discussions and leadership skills exercises. Leadership Miami® is an annual program of the Greater Miami Chamber of Commerce, in partnership with the South Florida Progress Foundation. This year, the program is being chaired by Incoming Chair Adriana Oliva, entrepreneur and owner of the #aoinsight group, and Incoming Vice-Chair Ashaki Bronson-Marcellus, a Vice President Business Relationship Manager with BankUnited. In addition to their successful professional careers, these women combined have over 20 years of experience with Leadership Miami®, allowing them to provide unique insight and access into why this is one of the nation’s premier community involvement programs. “Leadership Miami® was an awesome experience for me personally and professionally,” said Bronson-Marcellus. “Being fairly new to South Florida at the time, I originally applied for the program to grow my network and meet other professionals. Little did I know I would walk away with lifelong friendships, an amazing network of professionals that I can call upon, leadership abilities that are bar none, and a stronger sense of community that I have personally contributed to make better.” “Ten years later, I am where I am today because of Leadership Miami®, and the amazing people involved,” added Oliva. “Since day one, I looked up to those leading our class, and knew I wanted to be like them. The lessons learned, memories shared, and connections made have been priceless and key to the success of my business, philanthropic projects, and personal growth. I love you Leadership Miami®!” Who: Business and community professionals looking to develop leadership skills and an understanding of community issues, while creating, developing and implementing a service project in teams. What: Leadership Miami®: Be Here. Be More. Be the Future. Why: To gain insight on vital issues affecting Miami-Dade County, develop leadership skills, network, and leave a lasting impact through team community service projects. When: Program starts October 30th and runs through June 2021. Deadline to apply: Friday, September 18th, 2020 Where: Virtual through March (to be assessed thereafter) How: Apply at bit.ly/LeadershipMiami Courtesy of Leadership Miami. Image by Unsplash

In Gwyneth Paltrow’s new Netflix series, The Goop Lab, Paltrow explores a variety of wellness management approaches, from “energy healing” to psychedelic psychotherapy. Goop has long been criticized for making unsubstantiated health claims and advancing pseudoscience, but the brand is incredibly popular. It was valued at over US$250 million in 2019. The alternative health industry is worth over $3 billion – and projected to grow. A key driver of the industry is increased health consciousness. With easier access to information, better health literacy, and open minds, consumers are increasingly seeking alternatives to managing their well-being. Goop has capitalised on the rise in popularity of alternative health therapies – treatments not commonly practised under mainstream Western medicine. Health systems in countries such as Australia are based on Western medicine, eschewing traditional and indigenous practices. These Western systems operate on measurable and objective indicators of health and well-being, ignoring the fact subjective assessments – such as job satisfaction and life contentment – are just as important in evaluating quality of life. This gap between objective measures and subjective assessments creates a gap in the marketplace brands can capitalise on – not always for the benefit of the consumer. The Goop Lab fails to engage with the cultural heritage of traditional health and well-being practices in any meaningful way, missing an important opportunity to forward the holistic health cause.The uncritical manner in which these therapies are presented, failure to attribute their traditional origins, absence of fact-checking, and lack of balanced representation of the arguments for and against these therapies only serve to set back the wellness cause. New to the West, not new to the world Many of the historical and cultural origins of the therapies in The Goop Lab are not investigated, effectively whitewashing them. The first episode, The Healing Trip, explores psychedelic psychotherapy, suggesting this is a new and novel approach to managing mental health. In reality, psychedelics have been used in non-Western cultures for thousands of years, only recently enjoying a re-emergence in the Western world. In the second episode, Cold Comfort, the “Wim Hof Method” (breathing techniques and cold therapy) is also marketed as a novel therapy. For the ‘Hof method’ a group of Goop staff members did yoga on the banks of Lake Tahoe.Screenshot/Netflix The meditation component of Hof’s method ignores its Hindu origins, documented in the Vedas from around 1500 BCE. The breathing component closely resembles prāṇāyāma, a yogic breathing practice. The “Hof dance” looks a lot like tai chi, an ancient Chinese movement practice. Whitewashing these alternative therapies represents a form of colonisation and commodification of non-Western practices that have existed for centuries. The experts showcased are usually white and from Western cultures, rather than people of the cultures and ethnicities practising these therapies as part of their centuries-old traditions. Rather than accessing these therapies from authentic, original sources, often the consumer’s only option is to turn to Western purveyors. Like Paltrow, these purveyors are business people capitalising on consumers’ desire and pursuit of wellness. Only the rich? Paltrow describes Goop as a resource to help people “optimise the self.” But many of these therapies are economically inaccessible. In The Health-Span Plan, Paltrow undergoes the five-day “Fast Mimicking Diet” by ProLon – a diet designed to reap the health benefits of fasting while extremely restricting calories. The food for the treatment period costs US$249 (but shipping is free!). Paltrow also undergoes a “vampire facial”, where platelet-rich plasma extracted from your own blood is applied to your skin. This facial is available at one Sydney skin clinic for between $900 to $2,500. Paltrow’s vampire facial is touted as a ‘natural alternative’ to botox.Screenshot/Netflix These therapies commodify wellness – and health – as a luxury product, implying only the wealthy deserve to live well, and longer. This sits in stark odds with the goals of the World Health Organization, which views health as a fundamental human right “without distinction of race, religion, political belief, economic, or social condition.” A right to live well Companies like Goop have a responsibility to explain the science and the origins of the methods they explore. Given their profit-driven motive, many absolve themselves of this responsibility with an easy disclaimer their content is intended to “entertain and inform – not provide medical advice.” This pushes the burden of critically researching these therapies onto the consumer. Governments should seek to fund public health systems, such as Medicare, to integrate traditional health practices from other cultures through consultation and working in collaboration with those cultures. Perhaps this will give everyone access to a wellness system to help us live well, longer. This way, citizens are less likely to be driven towards opportunists such as Goop seeking to capitalise on our fundamental human right to live well. Words by Nadia Zainuddin Senior Lecturer, University of Wollongong. Special thanks to The Conversation for this story. You can support the independent network which provides news by donating today. Header image: Netflix’s new show fails to critically explore the alternative therapies it promotes. Adam Rose/Netflix

Nationally acclaimed Broward-based author Julie Marie Wade will read selected works from her books Just an Ordinary Woman Breathing and When I Was Straight in a live, virtual literary event presented by the Art and Culture Center/Hollywood. The reading is Free and will be broadcast via Zoom. Must pre-register: click PoetryandProse. Registered guest will receive link prior to the event. Photo credit: Julie Marie Wade Words by The Art and Culture Center/Hollywood. For more info about contemporary gallery exhibitions, live stage performances, and award-winning education programs visit The Art and Culture Center/Hollywood. Image courtesy of The Art and Culture Center/Hollywood.

Enjoy free admission to the galleries and an interactive STEAM-based art-making activity at the Art and Culture Center/Hollywood's monthly Free Arts! Family Day, this Sunday, September 20th from Noon to 4 pm. This month's activity is titled Find Your Guiding Star and celebrates International Peace Day. Join the Center as we celebrate the peace-making heroes in our lives. Commemorate the harmony-maker of your life at September’s constellation-creating Free Arts! Family Day. Families will work together to create their very own cosmic configuration as they explore the story of the stars while enjoying three exhibitions in the safe and inspiring Art and Culture Center/Hollywood galleries. Check out last month's activity by clicking here! Words by The Art and Culture Center/Hollywood. For more info about contemporary gallery exhibitions, live stage performances, and award-winning education programs visit the Art and Culture Center/Hollywood. Free Arts! Family Days is funded in part by PNC Arts Alive, and City of Hollywood General Fund Social Service Agency Grant. Image by unsplash and The Art and Culture Center/Hollywood

White Fox Boutique has a wide range of women's clothing, including your favorite swimwear. Shop online now with express shipping available worldwide at whitefoxboutique.com/collections/swim Click below to launch slideshow >

Inspired by sentimental jewellery symbolically known as “toi et moi”, Victoire de Castellane has dreamt up Dior et Moi, a transgressive new high jewellery collection that brings together exceptional and semi- precious stones. Thirty-nine creations bearing the audacious imprint of Dior Joaillerie’s Artistic Director revisit the notion of these emblematic duos. In a break with tradition, between-finger rings, bangles, necklaces and earrings dare to bring together unconventional colors, proportions and shapes. Lacquer is also a part of the mix, appearing in fifteen unexpected colors, in either solid or gradient shades that were developed thanks to the savoir-faire of the House’s jewelry ateliers. Sprayed on brushed gold, it lends a new allure to each stone with its intense colors and shine. Diamonds, emeralds and blue or pink sapphires, with brilliant, pear, cushion or oval cuts, find a joyful counterpoint in red spinels, tourmalines, rubellites, kunzites, turquoise, opals and pearls. One of Victoire de Castellane’s favorite stones, the opal takes pride of place in an XXL version, enhanced with a hypnotic dash of lacquer on a necklace set with a diamond. Asymmetrical earrings illuminated with bright hues ranging from green to pink reveal their mischievous, contemporary character. Each piece is worked on both sides, like secret jewels. In this way, motifs and geometric shapes subtly reveal themselves, recalling the art of detail according to Dior. In the continuity of the Gem Dior high jewellery collection, this new line asserts its abstract and artistic essence as well at its technical virtuosity. Click to view larger image > By ML Staff, Images courtesy of Dior

Celebs take central stage during Dior's latest Fall-Winter 2020-21 Ready-to-Wear women's fashion show. Let us know which celeb has the best look! Click to launch slideshow >

One conversation with rapper Rick Ross will have you questioning the definitions of success, wealth and opportunity; how to identify opportunity, how to achieve success and how to maintain it while keeping your soul and bodily faculties intact. Ross, born William Leonard Roberts II, rose to prominence in 2006 with his breakout single, Hustlin', a word that defines his character and approach towards life. Though Ross doesn't speak like a scholar, his wisdom permeates our conversation. He is an alchemist; aware of his power to transmute base metals to gold. Rick Ross' fans are believers in his use of language, and his unabashed celebration of riches. He's proud to remind people that he created a palatial oasis out of the urban desert that was his early life. Where many others in the Carol City district of Miami where Ross grew up saw few options, Ross saw the opportunity to translate his experiences into music. He came on the scene as hip hop left its golden era behind in favor of corporate commercialism, and then helped to usher in a rap renaissance of which he has become one of the genre's most powerful voices. The way Rick Ross explains it to me, the flash and cash his lifestyle portrays goes deeper than flagrant materialism. It leaves a roadmap for others behind him to follow - from no way out to a yellow brick road of possibilities. Even Ross' palatial Georgia residence can be dubbed rap's incarnation of The White House, with A-listers paying homage to the famous property (once owned by Evander Holyfield) on occasion. With eighty-seven singles under his belt, Rick Ross moves through the music business with the urgency of being on borrowed time. Not since the late Tupac Shakur has an artist been quite so cognizant of, nor vocal about, his own mortality, and for good reason. Witnessing the loss of life has been a constant for Ross since his childhood. In recent years Ross survived a grisly drive-by shooting and multiple life-threatening seizures. He's emerged more prolific than ever with his tenth studio album, Port of Miami 2 and the release of his new book, Hurricanes: A Memoir. From sleeping in his car in the early 2000s while doggedly pursuing the American dream, to holding tremendous clout among the most successful artists of the moment, Port of Miami 2 features guest appearances by Swizz Beatz, Meek Mill, the late Nipsey Hussle, John Legend, Lil Wayne and Drake. The relationship between Rick Ross and Drake goes back nearly a decade, when Ross showed tremendous support for Drake's career after the release of his early work, with the breakout mixtape So Far Gone. The two have been allies and collaborators since. The focus of our conversation was Ross' memoir, Hurricanes, and the rags to riches story he loves to illustrate for his fans. Interview by Allison Kugel Allison Kugel: You come across as nostalgic in your memoir, Hurricanes. If you could travel through time and bear witness to the making of any classic album, which one would you love to be a part of? Rick Ross: A rap album? That would have to be Paid In Full with Eric B. and Rakim. Rakim was such a supreme lyricist and B. was the epitome of a DJ/dope boy. They were the center of style and fashion with their Gucci suits on the album covers, sitting on the hood of a Mercedes Benz S550. It was the epitome of what rap music really represented. Allison Kugel: Generational wealth or artistic legacy… which means more to you? Rick Ross: Generational wealth, without a doubt. Allison Kugel: You've had some close calls between your health issues and an attempt that was made on your life. What was the greatest lesson or insight gained from those experiences? Rick Ross: Ha! Something just ran across my mind, and I want to say that if it was the end, I would want to make sure I smoke all the roaches down until they're by my fingertips (laughs)! But it boils down to appreciating and enjoying every day. Allison Kugel: Do you believe in destiny, free will, or both? Rick Ross: Destiny, for many different reasons. When there was [sic] twenty shots fired at my Rolls Royce, I had the audacity to go back and get my Cuban link chain. Not only did I go back to get my Cuban link chain, I went back to go get my girlfriend. It had to be destiny. Allison Kugel; It's nice that you went back for your girlfriend but thank God you didn't lose the Cuban link (laughs). Kidding! Rick Ross: (Laughs) Allison Kugel: What is the source of your drive and ambition? Rick Ross: Other than my DNA, it comes from my neighborhood, and being so blatantly aware of the haves and the have nots. I knew I was one of the [have nots]. It may not have been traumatic at all. It could have been something as simple as me not having the Nintendo with the Mike Tyson Punchout game. Allison Kugel: That was my favorite game! You're taking me back… Rick Ross: Mine too. Mike Tyson Punchout and Double Dragon. When you're the one on the block, where your friends have to bring the game and cartridges in a Winn Dixie bag to come spend the night at your crib, you kind of know. Allison Kugel: Do you pray? And who or what do you pray to, and what do you pray for? Rick Ross: Daily. I call him The Big Homie because there's only one Big Homie; I don't care what nobody else calls him. I just let Him know I'm appreciative of everything, and I'm really under his command. The second he calls for me or is ready for me, I'm going to open my arms to him. Allison Kugel: What are you here in this life as Rick Ross to learn and to teach? Rick Ross: Just that others like me, who never learned math, that you can still be the CEO, you can still become authors and artists. Nobody ever told me that. I had to learn that on my own. When I was in school, I sat in the back of the class making jokes, trying to cover up the fact that I never learned multiplication or algebra. I want to let youngsters who are in the position I was in, know that they can be in this position I'm in now. My father wasn't there to tell me that, and I never had a big brother. The people I looked at were the ones in the street. I know the advice I always got from them, but I want to teach others that you can become a CEO, a huge success. I'm not only the CEO of one company, but close to a dozen. That's what I want to be able to teach people on a major scale. Allison Kugel: To divert a bit, let's talk about a song from your recent album, Port of Miami 2, Gold Roses featuring Drake. It's a great song. Describe the dynamic between you and Drake, musically and personally. Rick Ross: Drake is a genuine human being, and I think that is what I admire and respect about him so much. The role I've always played with him was Big Homie, and he always played my Lil' Homie. That dynamic has always been as natural as it comes, and that's when we're in the recording booth and when we're outside the recording booth. He's not afraid to show his sensitive side, and that's what makes him the artist he is. Allison Kugel: You've been quoted as saying that you never question God. Even in your darkest moments, you've never asked, "Why?" or questioned Him in any way? Rick Ross: If I have, it was many years ago before I began to understand what life is. Life can be a cruel place; it can be a cold place. But it also can be as beautiful as you make it. I didn't even question Him on the morning I woke up with my closest friend dead in the room next to me. We had just been together three hours earlier, and now three hours later, he's dead and gone (Ross recounts this story in his book, Hurricanes: A Memoir/Hanover Square Press). I never questioned when my other closest homeboy was gunned down in a home invasion in front of his two, three and four-year-old sons. I'm not going to question the Big Homie. Whatever his plans are, that's his plans. However I go out, it's destiny. Allison Kugel: Have you ever stopped to reflect on, and question, the violence that's surrounded you throughout your life? Rick Ross: Growing up where I grew up, I never questioned it because questioning it did nothing for it. Hearing AK 47s going off for sixty seconds at a time, you can cry, you can pray, you can question it, but you better just sit back, shut the fuck up, and wait for the ambulance to come. Year after year of seeing and hearing it and walking to school while passing a dead body, it gets to a point where you don't question it. You got to decide, am I going to survive or am I going to die? Allison Kugel: You discuss your solid financial prowess in your book. What do you teach your children about money? Rick Ross: The disadvantage my children have is that they're my kids, and my entire family is in a different position. They're receiving money from everybody. I could put my kids on an allowance, but my daughters have credit cards. I do explain the importance and the value of building a brand. I don't speak to my daughter about coming up from the mud to the marble and starting with nothing, because that's not her life. She's not in the position me and my sisters were in. Instead, I talk to her about the importance of maintaining our brands and bringing something new to the brand. By the time she was fourteen, my daughter knew how to run a Wingstop (one of Ross' several business interests). If we left her in a Wingstop [restaurant] with two other people, they would be able to run it for a full day. With my haircare line, RICH Haircare (RICH by Rick Ross), I allow her to be in the conference calls and to sit in on the meetings. At the same time, she gets to live and enjoy life much more than I did at her age. You have to take the good with the bad, but I most definitely let them see firsthand what hard work is. Allison Kugel: You're raising your kids in the Holyfield Mansion (Ross' 44,000 square foot Georgian estate, once owned by Evander Holyfield). I would imagine there has to be a sense of entitlement when your kids are growing up in what is, for all intents and purposes, a palace. Rick Ross: It's not something I overthink. As parents, we need to set examples because we have to let our children grow into what and who they are going to be. I really don't put a lot of pressure on my kids, because they're good students and they are very respectful of me and of everyone else around them. I'm allowing them to become young adults, and to decide what college they want to go to, what they want to be, what they want to do, how they want to do it, and where they want to do it. I'm pretty free about that. But it's true. It's not an upbringing I would know about firsthand, and I'm pretty sure I would feel entitled if Eddie Murphy was walking around my dad's home and Coming to America 2 was being filmed at my father's estate. They're filming Coming to America 2 at the estate right now. Allison Kugel: Okay, well that's awesome! Are you in it? Rick Ross: I have a small role and I did my first scene a few days ago. Allison Kugel: I'll have to look out for you when it comes out. Rick Ross: Most definitely. You'll have to look out for Rozay in the movie when it's out (laughs). Allison Kugel: I love how in the back of your book you thanked a jeweler who let you browse his watch collection for hours and ask him a bunch of questions years ago, when he knew you couldn't afford to buy one. Do you think you envisioned your dreams into existence? Rick Ross: Without a doubt. I think that's a part of destiny. I believe that if you believe in something or anticipate something coming to you, you try your best to prepare for it. For example, I'm trying my best now to prepare to be a huge actor one day. Before I finished my book, I wanted to thank Mr. Morgan; that was the name of the jeweler. He was extremely kind and patient with me. For some reason he would always let me, for two hours at a time, look and ask questions about the jewelry. He knew I didn't have money. I probably didn't have money for a damn soda at that time. He'd take the time to describe the different watches to me, and my mind was just blown. I was fascinated by the idea of having jewelry. He would let me stand there for a long time and I never got the opportunity to purchase anything from him. I just wish he knew who I was, and I wish I knew where he was now, because I would personally want to thank him. Allison Kugel: How do you feel about your fans getting to know you on a more intimate level when they read your book? Does that make you nervous or excited? Rick Ross: I would never be nervous at the idea of my fans getting to know me, and I feel like if they really knew who I was, they wouldn't even believe me. The book paints some pictures for you but can never really give you an idea of what the real play was, because I came up in the era of some real things happening. Neil [Martinez-Belkin] did a great job of putting the book together. He spoke to maybe sixty or seventy of my closest friends and family, because talking to me there's only some much conversation I'm going to give you. The shit I've seen, when we talked, it got no realer. When I talked about getting real money it got no realer. That's what made me the businessman I am. Unlike a lot of other artists, I was familiar with money before the music came. Most artists, by the time they get their first advance, they got to go get a car or a home. I already had these things, so by the time I got money in the music business I was ready to invest in other things and do other things. Allison Kugel: At the end of your book, you also pay tribute to the late Nipsey Hussle. Why do you think his life ended the way it did and when it did? Rick Ross: As painful as it is to watch this type of shit online (referring to surveillance video footage of the shooting), that's what I grew up seeing. As painful as it is, I almost became numb to it over the years. I've always been the one that's been the shoulder for others to cry on. Why did it happen? I can't answer that. Was he a special individual? An incredibly special individual! Would I still consider Nipsey Hussle blessed and highly favored? Yes, I would. I've stood in those shoes before, and I was blessed to walk away. But for some reason, if it was to happen to me and that's how the Big Homie upstairs chose for me to go, I'm going to open my arms to him. I don't fear death, personally. I'm sure if Nipsey was here, Nipsey would still love and support his community the same way. Would Nipsey still love flossing in Crenshaw? I believe so. I would still love Miami 305, even if that was the city that took my life. Allison Kugel: What do you hope fans are getting out of reading your book? Rick Ross: I just hope the youngsters that are from where I'm from can see the potential in them in becoming authors, becoming CEOS or whatever they want to become. Do I really think I'm going to make money off this bullshit? Probably not. Do I think it will be successful? Really, anything with my face on it could be successful, but I didn't do it for that. I wrote the book because I'm another youngster from a failing situation that's seeing some success. Ultimately, that's what it's about. Going from being the hunted to becoming the hunter. Photos Courtesy of Bob Metelus. Creative Consultant: Sheldon Wright Hurricanes: A Memoir by Rick Ross with Neil Martinez-Belkin is available on Amazon and wherever books are sold. Port of Miami 2, Ross' 10th studio album, is out now. Follow him on Instagram @RichForever. Allison Kugel is a syndicated entertainment columnist, author of the memoir, Journaling Fame: A memoir of a life unhinged and on the record, and owner of communications firm, Full Scale Media. Follow her on Instagram @theallisonkugel and at AllisonKugel.com.