By Fergus Dullaghan
Several years ago my wife was mugged just outside Geneva. It was a terrifying experience for her. The damage wasn’t limited to stolen items and a trip to hospital in the back of an ambulance – it was the aftermath. Months (maybe years) of jumping at shadows, disrupted sleep and anxiety.
As a former professional martial artist, I have wanted to help other women in the area avoid the same fate for a long time. Now, I have the opportunity to do so. To make it accessible I have tried to keep the price as low as possible. I would like to offer some very simple, but highly effective strategies to stay safe if you are ever attacked.
We will cover:
- The anatomy of an attack - understanding how a mugging happens
- The psychology of an attack
- Pattern disruption - how to stop an attack before it begins
- Behavioural habits - maximising your chances of a good outcome if you are attacked
- Instinctive defence - how to survive physically
- The aftermath - being aware that the attack itself is just one part of the process
- How to deepen your knowledge (suggested books, blogs and local training possibilities)
The new Body Pass 2020 discount wellbeing card is back again this year and Cyril has kindly offered one as a competition prize. The addition of 15 new partner centers in the last year and a luxury member card, this makes it the best Body Pass to date!
Body Pass 2020 gives members immediate access to 150 of the best spas, institutes and hair salons in Switzerland and neighboring France – all at half price!
With this valuable pass you can discover a multitude of new treatments offered by the best professionals in the world of wellbeing. Big names included in this year’s line-up of spas include: Le Spa Valmont Kempinski in Geneva, Bain-Bleu, Le Mirador Resort & Spa at Mont Pèlerin, Le Fairmont Montreux Palace, W Verbier, Hotel Royal in Crans-Montana, and Les Sources des Alpes in Loèche-les-Bains.
Make sure to book your seats in the upcoming GAOS show for a fresh rendering of the much-loved children's classic 'The Wind in the Willows'. A musical treat for the whole family.
One of the best-loved works of children’s fiction in English, Kenneth Grahame’s The Wind in the Willows was first published in 1908. Renew your acquaintance with Mole, Rat, Toad and Badger in this modern-day production by GAOS.
The animals’ adventures take them from the gentle countryside to the ghettos of the inner city. Mole is the newcomer whose education is the thread that runs through the whole story. The animals represent the real world and the turmoils and temptations that face us. As in all Christmas shows, good will triumph over evil!
Follow the animals on this comical modern-day production, scripted by Alan Bennet, where their adventures and misadventures populate the entire story. From an idyllic riverside picnic to a snowy encounter in the Wild Woods, and from poop-pooping in Toad's shiny new motor car to escaping jail!
But watch out for the weasels who plot to take down the protagonists and take over Toad Hall. Will they succeed or does good overcome evil?
Trending Comics Gala is back with another spectacular English-language gala showcasing some of the hottest comedians from all over the world. Read down to find out how to win a double ticket!
It promises to be another epic celebration of the truly universal language of laughter. Catch this unique comedy experience on Friday the 6th of December, 20h30 at the Auditorium Stravinski, 2m2c, Montreux. Hosted by Paul Taylor (UK) and Sebastian Marx (USA). Featuring Conrad Koch (SA), Thomas Wiesel (CH), Charles Nouveau (CH), Ken Cheng (UK), Arzoo Malhotra (DBX), Mpho Popps (SA) and Noman Hosni (FR)!
World-renowned comedians are coming all the way to Montreux
Montreux Comedy presents another fantastic line up of international acts in this year's Trending Comics Gala, the only one entirely in English. The show is fast becoming a popular feature at the Festival.
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Conrad Koch: South Africa’s top comedy ventriloquist, and possibly the only one, and is a double International Emmy nominated comedian. His most famous puppet, Chester Missing, has won numerous awards in his own right, including being the first recipient of the Ahmed Kathrada Foundation’s Anti-Racism Award.
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Thomas Wiesel: He has managed to make his mark on the French-speaking Swiss scene, on stage, radio, television and web. Thomas tackles all subjects and spares no one!
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Charles Nouveau: He grew up in a cultural mix in the Nyon area and is trilingual (French, English, Spanish).
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Ken Cheng: A British born Chinese professional poker player and comedian noted for his YouTube comedy character, Mark Liu, and reaching the final of the 2015 BBC New Comedy Awards.
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Arzoo Malhotra: She was born in India, moved to Egypt, then to the US, and now lives in Dubai. She decribes herself as “a third-culture kid” which is reflected in her writing.
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Mpho Popps: In 2009, he entered a show entitled “So you think you’re funny”. He has gone on to other shows such as "Blacks Only" and Market Theatre for the Just Because Comedy Festival. He was nominated for the First Annual Comics Choice Awards in the Best Newcomer category in 2010.
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Noman Hosni: Stand-up comedian, actor, director and French animator residing in Switzerland. He has worked at the Théâtre du Point-Virgule, and opened for Norman Thavaud and Mathieu Madénian throughout France.
Who doesn't like a board game? One of my favorites is Scrabble, although I'm not very good at it. I have memories of my parents pulling out the dictionary and arguing about the meaning of the words (or rather whether the word was allowed). Somehow my mother was always right! When I heard that there was a new Scrabble group starting up in 2016, I jumped at the opportunity to meet with other like-minded people. I caught up with Aurea Fagel, the president of the Swiss English-language Scrabble Association (SESA) to talk to her about it.
Why did you start the Scrabble Association SESA?
After coming from a Scrabble Championship Tournament, Kévin Meng and I realized that there was no existing club or association in Switzerland that organize English Scrabble. Therefore we wanted to create the very first Swiss English-Language Scrabble Association (SESA) in the country to spur interest as well as discover and meet people who share the passion for the game. With the help of our dear friends (Dave, Vicky, Sue, Bill, Anne-laure, Jaqueline, Benoit, Hugo) we met and formed SESA one September evening in 2016. SESA is the official English Scrabble Association in the country, officially recognized by the Swiss Scrabble Federation as well as WESPA, the world governing body for English Scrabble.
