Many left-behind parents are told that the Hague Convention will bring about the return of their abducted children. Some authorities say that if your child is abducted, you should follow procedures outlined by the Hague, but we don’t agree.

Until 1980, there was no international system in place to help parents recover abducted children who had been taken to other nations. The Hague Convention attempted to create one, but it doesn’t work. If you take the time to read the well-intentioned text of the Hague, you’ll see its many flaws.

In our opinion, it’s not worth the large amounts of money, time and trouble to hire an attorney to try using the Hague Convention to get your child back. You aren’t likely to get him or her back — and even worse, the abducting parent could be “legitimized” by the courts in another nation.

Under the Hague Convention, a case must be filed in the country where the abductor has taken the child. The courts of that country tend to render their decisions in favor of their countrymen, as the Hague Convention focuses on residency, not citizenship. There is little concern for the fact that the child is a citizen of the country from which he or she was abducted, or for the possible detrimental effect on the child.

Even if the child was born in your country, if that child is found to be a “habitual resident” by the courts in another country, the child may be ordered to be returned to that country.

This underscores the need to act quickly.

Few, if any, of the Hague signatory countries are going to send anyone out to physically recover your child for you. Embassy officials will check on the child’s welfare, if it is known where the child is and if the abducting parent lets them.

As soon as abducting parents are aware that that they’ve been located, they’ll usually disappear with the children again.

And about hiring lawyers

You need to be aware that a great amount of money has been spent on lawyers in foreign abduction cases. The unfortunate fact is that they, most often, can’t practice in the foreign courts and are required to hire associate lawyers in the foreign country.

Note: they often have no qualifications or experience working with child abduction cases.

More money…

Educate yourself

Many resources are available to help you learn about parental child abduction. If you’re dealing with an abduction, the better informed you are, the better equipped you’ll be to cope.

Recover your child

Time is of the essence. Parentally abducted children are helpless on their own and confused by the irrational and sometimes abusive acts of non-custodial parents who are supposed to have their best interests in mind. ABP World Group Ltd. has the manpower and the know-how to rigorously cover all avenues, and bring your child home.

Published by: ABP World Group International Child Recovery Service

Visit our web site at: www.abpworld.com

It’s almost time for the second annual NICE Festival in Liverpool, UK.

The NICE Festival – ‘Nordic Intercultural Creative Events’ – is a two week long music, arts and film festival starting on the 19^th of November until 3^rd of December 2009.

The countries involved in the programme are Finland, Sweden, Denmark, Norway, Iceland and The Faroe Islands.

The aim of the festival is to “present the best in collaborative works between the UK and Nordic countries”

‘NICE aims to establish itself as a unique and inspirational highlight of the North West’s cultural calendar.’

The main Finnish events in this year’s programme are:

• Film: Helsinki Forever (12A)

Directed by: Peter Von Bagh

1hr 15 long

Finnish with English Subtitles

Thursday 19^th November 6:30pm

FACT, Liverpool

Tickets: Adult: £7 / FACT Member: £5 / Concessions: £5.50 / Under 15: £4.50

Book on www.fact.co.uk, Tel: 0871 704 2063

‘In a faraway land called Finland, all roads lead to Helsinki’… and so starts award winning director and film historian Peter von Bagh’s new portrait of Finland’s capital. Helsinki, Forever is a beautiful mosaic of the city’s history as captured by leading Finnish feature filmmakers over a period of a hundred years. Like Terence Davies’ love letter to Liverpool, Of Time and the City, Bagh’s city symphony reads as a homage to his home town, and is every bit as captivating.’

• Film: Hanasaari A (12A)

Directed by: Hannes Vartiainen, Pekka Veikkolainen,

15 minutes

No Dialogue

Thursday 19^th November 2009

(This film is screened prior to Helsinki Forever)

“Hanasaari  A is an experimental documentary about the changing cityscape of Helsinki and the final moments of a coal-fired power plant. The old industrial milieu is being destroyed to make space for modern housing units. The film is a combination of animation, live action cinematography, and graphic elements. It is based on 500 000 photographs taken during the final two years of the existence of the power plant.”

• Film: Moomins and the Midsummer Madness (U)

Directed by: Maria Lindberg

88 minutes

In English

Saturday 28th November 2009 12pm

Tickets: Adult: £5 / FACT Member: £3 / Concessions: £3

Book on www.fact.co.uk, Tel: 0871 704 2063

“A tranquil summer day is interrupted by a volcanic eruption, causing a flood in the Moominvalley. The water rises higher and higher in Moominhouse, forcing the family to take refuge in a strange house that floats by. The unusual lifeboat turns out to be a theatre which has been set adrift. Moominpappa begins to write a play for the others to put on… The Finnish felt animated family are back for a new magical adventure based on Tove Jansson’s well-loved books, for young children and big kids alike.”

At last, after an appalling 58 days or so of delay, here is my first of many posts on my trip to Sweden with my good friend and fellow photographer Ollie Malpass.

I’m not going to write too much about the photos in this particular post; I’m up at a rather unusual hour today, so I’m not thinking straight enough for terribly eloquent writing.

For now, feast your eyes on these photos and please do comment!

Click on any photo to view a larger preview

28mm, f/2.8, ISO 100, 1/250 sec

28mm, f/2.8, ISO 100, 8 seconds

28mm, f/9.0, ISO 100, 10 seconds

28mm, f/5.6, ISO 100, 1/40 sec

28mm, f/8.0, ISO 100, 4 seconds

28mm, f/2.8, ISO 400, 1/1250 sec

View the rest of the set (which will be added to over the next few days) on Flickr.

Part 2 coming soon…

Rhapsody in Books reviews The Girl Who Kicked the Hornets’ Nest and gives it high marks as the best of the trilogy – and gives it a thematic tag: women warriors (which struck me as interesting right after reading a recent installment of Unshelved which is about a book of women warriors who are kind of scary but can provide a leadership lesson of sorts …)

Peter reviews Arnaldur Indridason’s Hypothermia, which he considers “the best novel so far in one of the best modern crime fiction series. A lovely book.”

Maxine’s review of Gunnar Staalesen’s The Consorts of Death has appeared at Eurocrime and says that, though most of the books in the series have not been translated and there are huge gaps between the volumes available in English, this is a fitting introduction to the main character, Varg Veum, since it provides his back story.

Norm has finished reading Hornets’ Nest and has plenty to say about the book and the entire trilogy.

And just as Stieg Larsson’s books are cropping up on “best of” lists, Christopher Hitchens offers a substantial appreciation (if that’s what it is … you can never quite tell with Hitchens) of Stieg Larsson’s Millennnium Trilogy, its author, and the neo-fascist movement in Sweden in the page of Vanity Fair. No, this Sweden is not the pacific and “herbivore” nation we imagine. And these stories are not heroic sagas, but modern and bleak.

Larsson is very much of our own time, setting himself to confront questions such as immigration, “gender,” white-collar crime, and, above all, the Internet. The plot of his first volume does involve a sort of excursion into antiquity—into the book of Leviticus, to be exact—but this is only for the purpose of encrypting a “Bible code.” And he is quite deliberately unromantic, giving us shopping lists, street directions, menus, and other details—often with their Swedish names—in full. The villains are evil, all right, but very stupid and self-thwartingly prone to spend more time (this always irritates me) telling their victims what they will do to them than actually doing it. There is much sex but absolutely no love, a great deal of violence but zero heroism. . . .  Bleakness is all. That could even be the secret—the emotionless efficiency of Swedish technology, paradoxically combined with the wicked allure of the pitiless elfin avenger, plus a dash of paranoia surrounding the author’s demise. If Larsson had died as a brave martyr to a cause, it would have been strangely out of keeping; it’s actually more satisfying that he succumbed to the natural causes that are symptoms of modern life.

Close Protection

Corporations, Small Businesses and Private individuals face an ever-increasing threat from terrorists, criminals, racists and the mentally unstable. When a situation such as kidnapping, assassination, blackmail, industrial espionage and publicity arises, the need for Close Protection is paramount.

Security trained Chauffeurs and Security Drivers are an important part of any Close Protection team. Not only being able to transport the client from one place to another, but they are also trained to react quickly and safely to move the client out of immediate danger if a situation should arise.

Surveillance and Counter Surveillance

Our surveillance services are employed in Corporate, Individual and Legal information gathering such as marital disputes, fraud and counter industrial espionage. Our personnel are highly skilled in physical & electronic surveillance techniques, using the latest in state of the art technology and communication equipment. We can undertake surveillance operations ranging from static covert surveillance to teams of mobile operatives, with the ability to gather information from a wide array of sources such as voice recorders, camcorders, digital photography and others.

Protective surveillance is often used for sensitive situations such as the protection of spouses and children, where the overt attention of a Close Protection officer or team would not be conducive to their lifestyles or especially for at-risk teenagers who do not wish for their friends and peers to know that they are being protected.

Security specialists such as Close Protection and Executive Protection officers are often referred to as “Bodyguards”,  but the modern day Close Protection officer needs to be more than just the old fashioned “Bodyguard”. Executives and Media personalities no longer tolerate the stereotypical untrained “giant” when it comes to personal safety. Requiring their personal security operatives to be well mannered, intelligent and able to discreetly deal with any situation should it arise.

Published by: ABP World Group International executive protection services

Love these artless everyday automotive snaps from Sweden. In our opinion, the best photography (be it automotive or otherwise) is the kind that looks like it’s not trying at all, yet manages to look effortlessly good.

(That same idea probably applies just as well outside of photography.)

Photo credit: Michael Winnerholt

- Gyro

If you keep kosher, eating out – here in Sweden – can be a bit of a problem, unless you enjoy cold dishes or know people whom you can trust with food. The first photo features herring on brown bread with tomatoes and red onions. The second shows a redcurrant cake made by a colleague who has worked in Israel.

On Tuesdays, just post any photo you like (it must be one of your own) that contains the color RED and then link to this blog.

With the Name of God, The Source of all Grace, The Source of all Mercy,

Peace and greetings, everyone. The last video I made entitled “Boycott “Without You” album and Boycott Awakening Records, too!!!” did not give due attention to the “Without You” album being fake. Therefore, I made another video concentrating exclusivly on the “Without You” album. Here it is:

I urge all of you to not buy the fake “Without You” album and to urge others not to buy it, either. God bless y’all and take care.

Samir R. Elneser

Ardmore, Oklahoma, United States of America

Knut and I went on a long spa and suite weekend at Strömstad, Sweden – a two-hour drive from Oslo. We were greeted with this view from our room, which was a sign of the relaxing days ahead.

The canal view with that solitary little red house at the end was so serene.

The living room featured these cool ring chairs we called donuts. The lower back support on these is amazing.

The hotel/resort is built next to a marina. I bet it’s thriving here in the summertime.

I like taking sunset photos. They are both calming and magical.

Wicked and whimsical.

I wanted to take home one of these cool lamps. If only they weren’t this huge.

Wearing my new Balenciaga shoes, Acne jeans, Cheap Monday shirt and my new DND Denim Development knitted cardigan I got as a gift from Knut.

Quality Spa & Resort features facilities spread over 2,000 sqm that guarantee hours of relaxation. I loved the saltwater pool with colored lights, the outdoor jacuzzi which we tried while it was snowing outside (pictured on the upper right corner), and the hot bath with a horizon view over the waters of Strömstad.

Now what could be more relaxing than that?

Tio Gruppen is a name synonymous with Swedish design. The design collective, founded in 1970 by ten young textile artists and designers, has produced more than 600 printed fabrics and wallpapers. With a classic Scnadinavian aesthetic, Tio Gruppen designs incorporate simple and natural designs in a style that manages to be both contemporary and classic.

The Tio Gruppen store, located in Södermalm in Stockholm, is a design lover’s paradise, the walls covered with colorful prints in the form of bags, napkins, aprons and textiles by the yard. Always a favorite stop of mine when in the Swedish captial… very much worth a visit! And if you can’t make a quick Scandinavian jaunt, take a peek at the website.

Full gallery after the jump.

By Jeremy D. Morley

The Hague Convention on the Civil Aspects of International Child Abduction (the Hague Convention) provides that a child who is habitually resident in one party country, and has been removed to or retained in another party country in violation of the left-behind parent’s custodial rights, should be promptly returned to the country of habitual residence. However, many countries are not parties to the Convention, and even some that are parties enforce the laws only sporadically or in accordance with their own societal customs. Thus, the attorney must take special care when faced with the possibility that his client’s foreign national spouse might take the children to such a country.

Preventing Abductions to Non-Hague Countries

The first 4 months are  the golden window, were you have the chance to get your children back due to the Hague convention.

The mother in Ahmad v Naviwala,  learned these lessons the hard way. The Family Court awarded her sole custody of the children but unfortunately (although represented by counsel!) she permitted the father to take them to Saudi Arabia for a 3-month visitation. Not surprisingly (to a jaundiced international family lawyer), the father refused to return the children from Saudi Arabia, refused to allow the mother to see the children and obtained an ex parte custody order in his favor from a Saudi court. Had he kept the children in Saudi Arabia, they would doubtless have never been reunited with their mother. Fortunately, he took the children on a trip to Texas, where they were seized pursuant to a Broome County Family Court order, and returned to New York.

The Family Court then granted custody to the father (!), with visitation rights to the mother. Recognizing that Saudi Arabia was not a party to the Hague Convention, and that the mother could not enforce her visitation rights there, the court imposed various conditions upon the father intended to ensure that he would allow the mother to visit the children in Saudi Arabia. For violating the prior custody order, the father was sentenced to a suspended term of incarceration conditioned upon his future compliance.

On appeal, the Third Department awarded custody to the mother, stressing the fact that the father had intended to permanently remove the mother from the children’s lives. The Appellate Division found that the Family Court’s efforts to ensure the mother’s access to the children in Saudi Arabia were entirely insufficient, and allowed visitation by the father only in the United States, with the mother having sole custody of the children’s passports. A successful outcome for the mother was obtained only because the father had brought the children to Texas. This case highlights the fact that, all too often, the courts are reluctant to impose strict conditions to prevent parental child abduction until after an abduction has actually taken place.

United States v. Amer

In United States v. Amer, Egyptian parents were living separately in New York without a custody order. The father abducted the children to Egypt. The mother’s efforts to secure their return failed and the father procured an order from an Egyptian court granting him sole custody. He returned to the United States without the children and was arrested for international parental kidnapping. He was sentenced to 24 months’ imprisonment and a 1-year term of supervised release, with the special condition that he return the children to the United States. The Second Circuit upheld the requirement that the children be returned, since it was closely tailored to the crime and it served to deter others from wrongfully taking their children overseas.

While Muslim countries are generally not parties to the Hague Conven-tion (Turkey being an exception, although it does not fully comply with its treaty obligations), the problem extends also to many other countries. For example, those Asian countries with Confucian-based state family registration systems, such as China, Japan, Korea and Taiwan, are not parties to the Hague Convention (except for Hong Kong and Macau), and provide minimal assistance for the return of parentally abducted children.

Japan is a renowned haven for child abduction, particularly if the abducting parent is a Japanese national. See http://www.international-divorce.com/ca-japan.htm. In any custody battle involving a Japanese national, it would be foolhardy not to draft a custody order that precludes visits to Japan considering the possibility that that parent might take the child permanently to Japan. The courts in Japan will not enforce foreign custody orders and will not take any effective steps to return abducted children. See “Japanese Family Law — or The Lack Thereof!,” by Jeremy D. Morley, http://www.international-divorce.com/d-japan.htm. A foreign parent in a Japanese court will have minimal chance of securing anything more than extremely occasional visitation with his or her child in Japan if the other parent is Japanese. (Thus, in a case on which the author is currently working, the American father who lives in Japan has been allowed to see his child only once in 6 months, for only 2 hours, in court and with supervision).

Accordingly, if a Japanese parent threatens to take a child to Japan, or wishes to take a child for a temporary visit there during a time of marital strife, it is highly advisable to seek a court order barring any such visit. While a U.S. court will doubtless be skeptical when faced with such a motion, it is extremely important to educate the court as to the law, procedure, customs and traditions of Japan, all of which support a Japanese parent’s desire to raise a child in Japan to the total exclusion of the other (foreign) parent. Similar admonitions apply with respect to other countries that are not party to the Hague Convention.

Parents who oppose prohibiting the removal of children for temporary overseas visits often assert that such orders are unnecessary, because wrongfully retaining a child in a foreign country is a felony. The International Parental Kidnapping Crime Act (IPKCA), 18 U.S.C. 1204, makes it a federal offense to remove a child from the United States or to retain a child (who has been in the United States) outside the United States with intent to obstruct the exercise of parental rights (custody or visitation). Unfortunately, this law often makes a bad situation worse, since parents who have wrongfully retained children overseas fear that they will be arrested if they return to this country (as happened in U.S. v. Amer, supra). In addition, foreign countries rarely permit extradition for international parental kidnapping, and those countries that are the most likely to do so are countries that are already parties to the Hague Convention.

Preventing Abductions to Non-Compliant Hague Countries

Merely because a country is a party to the Hague Convention does not mean that it will effectively enforce its treaty obligations. For example, the U.S. State Department has asserted that Mexico is “non-compliant” with the terms of the Convention. U.S State Department Report on Compliance with the Hague Convention on the Civil Aspects of International Child Abduction, 2004. Mexico’s noncompliance results from the following problems:

• Mexico has not enacted any legislation to implement the Hague Convention, which has not been integrated into the Mexican legal system.
• The Mexican Central Authority has no law enforcement powers and Mexican law enforcement agencies make no serious efforts to locate parentally abducted children.
• The burden of finding an abducted child in Mexico is left entirely to the left-behind parent. Mexican authorities provide no effective help and if the child cannot be located, nothing happens.
• There is an apparent lack of understanding of the Convention among the judiciary in Mexico.
• The Mexican Central Authority does not have adequate resources to perform its functions under the Convention.
• The “amparo” (a special appeal in Mexico claiming a violation of constitutional rights) is used by taking parents to block Hague proceedings indefinitely.
• Mexican courts are able to reconsider the facts of a Hague at any stage of the proceeding, which allows proceedings to be prolonged substantially.

Accordingly, custody orders concerning parents with strong ties to Mexico must be drafted so as to minimize the risk that the child will be taken to that country. It would be reckless to permit a Mexican parent who has expressed a desire to move to Mexico, and who has strong family or business ties to Mexico, to take a child into that country for a visit, regardless of the conditions that may be imposed to encourage the parent to bring the child back to this country.

The State Department’s 2004 report establishes that similar concerns exist with respect to Austria, Colombia, Ecuador, Honduras, Mauritius, Turkey and Romania and, to a somewhat lesser extent, several other countries.

Conclusion

When courts receive applications to prevent children’s temporary visits to their parents’ country of origin, they are tempted to rely on the need to respect other countries’ legal systems and on international comity to preclude them from deciding that the foreign country may not provide sufficient guarantees that the child will be returned. However, if counsel marshal extensive evidence to support the fact that a foreign country will not respect or effectively enforce an American custody order, the courts should be prepared to reach the necessary conclusion and issue an effective remedy. It is far better to prevent children being taken to such countries that do not fully respect their international treaty obligations than to attempt to procure their recovery after the fact.

Published by: ABP World Group International Child Recovery Service

Visit our web site at: www.abpworld.com

I ignored the flu for a long time.  I knew it was coming.  I am even in a flu study through my job.  But I sort of hoped that we would get the flu and not know it (this could have happened, of course, as we have been fighting off a series of colds and bugs) but ignorance does us no good.

Because after months of news reports from other corners of the world, that nasty virus showed up at my daughter’s daycare last week.  She was vaccinated last week too (suddenly swallowing all concerns about mercury and the like), but it does not fully work for a while, and she is in a risk group (asthma).   So she stayed home.  Apparently, many kids stayed home – only 17 of 36 children in her group came to dagis on Friday.

Both kids also got sick last week, a low fever, wheezing, worrying kind of sick.  So we skipped two parties we were invited to, and I ended up pushing them in the sibling stroller out into the rain on Sunday.

I have no funny stories about this walk.  Not in Sweden in November.  No, I just walked into the rain, and both kids went quiet and just sort of stared into the dim midday.  My 9-month-old baby is clearly depressed by the weather.  This is his first November ever, and he is sad when he goes outside.  What must he think of the world?

Maybe he worships the sunlamp like the rest of us.

Anyway, I did not want to walk around our nearby lake because I thought the children might get antsy.  So I just went.  This was a mistake, as I left the trails of green beauty in Solna and entered the modernist, concrete ugliness.  We trudged by a big road, around the mall, up a hill (look Daddy, a pillow in the tree!  yes, trash was a highlight on this day), around the backend of the mall, along another big road, through a gas station parking lot and then back home through stained, orange apartment buildings under the shadow of huge blue monoliths that block out the sun.

The children did not get antsy.  They did not eat.  They did not talk.  The baby smiled if I tickled him.  The toddler got excited by that trash.

November.  Flu season.  Solna.

Turn on the sunlamp!

Kingdom of SWEDEN

stamp: 3,30 kronor

year: 1989

amphibian: frog – Hyla arborea

Mondays are not usually good days – The thought of going back to school/work after a nice weekend is not one generally associated with happiness. however, today has been quite positive. I’ll start from the beginning;

Monday lessons are split into 2. The first hour and a half is spent in the classroom as usual and the second one and a haf hour is spent on the computers learning from language programs. Interesting side note; all the computers are iMacs yet come installed with Windows… Meh.

I had been having trouble with a few Swedish nouns and their plurals so I was not looking forward to going back to be tested on them. As it turned out, this was not the subject of todays lesson (I get that pleasure delayed until Wednesday), today was about food. As I’ve been in Sweden for a few months now and several occasions in the past, I’ve been food shopping a good few times and most of the words I knew already. As well as this little win ( if you can call it that), the best came after the break.

As there are only 18 iMacs and over 20 students, some of us have to sit on a table working from a book until people finish. When they’re done we switch tasks and those that were on the iMacs work from a book and vice versa. Today I ended up being part of the group that didn’t manage to negotiate the rush to get on an iMac first, and ended up sitting at the table ready to write. The tasks we get are never particularly taxing but more time filling. I managed to complete this fairly swiftly and changed with someone who had finished with their software questions. After doing this for the remainder of the lesson (I really need to work on my listening) the teacher approached me and asked if I would like to join another group – A faster working group – the more intelligent group!

Aside from the initial disappointment that a bachelor’s degree and several past visits to Sweden amount to a place in the lowest beginner group, I was quite pleased. I told my teacher I think on it and left with a spring in my step.

Will I change group? Should I? I feel as though I would like to learn faster, but then I’m worried I wont be able to keep up. Maybe it’s best to take the compliment and say, thanks but no thanks…

Lastly, the teacher mentioned in one of my previous posts (the scary one) has mysteriously quit/left. This was quickly glossed over during discussion with no mention of why. A cover up? Of course not, but strange nonetheless. I’m relieved in a way, although now there’s a new teacher to adapt to. What’s she like? I’ll find out Wednesday.

Kevin R D Shepherd Defends Psychic Medium Conny Larsson

Kevin R.D. Shepherd is a staunch Anti-New Age, Anti-Psychic, Anti-Superstition, Anti-Guru activist who believes that self-professed psychic channelers, spirit mediums, gurus and/or New Age practitioners are misled, brainwashed, fraudulent and deficient. Nevertheless, when it comes to agendas that Kevin R.D. Shepherd supports, he will cite an entire slew of New Age practitioners, self-professed psychics and/or Guru promoters to support his agendas.

This article will document Kevin R.D. Shepherd’s shameless attempt to defend and cover-up for Psychic Medium Conny Larsson. Although Kevin R.D. Shepherd gave a few tongue-in-cheek criticisms about Conny Larsson’s self-professed psychic abilities, Shepherd actually defended Larsson and claimed that since Larsson gave a talk at FECRIS, Larsson is thereby a credible and reliable reference against Sathya Sai Baba.

What Kevin Shepherd forgot to mention, however, is that Psychotherapist Conny Larsson purposely suppressed his psychic medium claims from FECRIS because FECRIS would never allow a self-professed Psychic Medium to talk at their conferences. FECRIS is extremely critical of alleged “psychic” psychotherapists (like Conny Larsson) who use their training and skills to manipulate, mislead and brainwash others. See: FECRIS: Psychotherapeutic Deviation: The Use Of Psychotherapy In The Case Of Cult Influence. Obviously, Conny Larsson’s training as a psychotherapist has enabled him to con many people, including Kevin R.D. Shepherd.

Kevin R.D. Shepherd cited the following email quote in defense of Conny Larsson:

Conny Larsson: “I could keep on interpreting the texts for hours, and in that sense people sometimes make their own opinion that I’m channelling, but in fact it is only me speaking out what is in my own intuitional knowledge.”
(Kevin R.D. Shepherd: This quote appeared in an email to myself from ex-devotee Robert Priddy dated December 2008.)

It has long been Moreno’s personal opinion that Conny Larsson is a bold-faced and pathological liar. Conny Larsson’s explicit and documented denial of being a Trance Channel & Psychic Medium is more proof of his repeated attempts to mislead through prevarication and deceit.

This article will provide verifiable information that proves that Conny Larsson solicited himself as a Trance Channel & Psychic Medium, which was even documented in a national Swedish newspaper!

It is an irrefutable fact that Conny Larsson was solicited twice on his official website at vedicmasterclass.org as being a psychic “trance channel” for the immortal sage, rishi & chiranjeevin Vyasa. After Joe Moreno (a Pro-Sai Activist) exposed Conny Larsson’s psychic claims on SaiSathyaSai.com, Conny Larsson rushed to do damage control by changing his profile and by changing the written testimony of Judith Bourque (essentially falsifying her first-hand testimony as originally published on the vedicmasterclass.org domain since mid to late 2006 – February 2009). See the ‘before’ and ‘after’ screencaps:

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BEFORE (relevant text is highlighted) →

[CLICK HERE For ScreenCap Reference]
“Conny Larsson, Sweden/Cyprus – Founder of Vedic Mantra Meditation school in Europe. – Author and psychotherapist. Transchannel for ‘Vyaasa, the first Rishi’ During the Master Class Conny guided participants in the knowledge of the Vedic Mantra systems with regard to the 7 chakras of the nervous system. As Vyaasa he channeled 4000 year old knowledge for the group as a whole and at times for us as individuals. He also took us through processes to expand our levels of consciousness. conny@email.com”

AFTER (note that the relevant text was removed) →

[CLICK HERE For ScreenCap Reference]
“Conny Larsson, Sweden/Cyprus Founder of Vedic Mantra Meditation school in Europe. – Author and psychotherapist. During the Master Class Conny guided participants in the knowledge of the Vedic Mantra systems with regard to the 7 chakras of the nervous system. He took us through processes to expand our levels of consciousness. conny@email.com”

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BEFORE (relevant text is highlighted) →

[CLICK HERE For ScreenCap Reference]
“Meeting for the Masters’ Class in Cypress was truly inspiring and an excellent example of how to spend a meaningful holiday. We were a group of teachers from several different countries, each bringing to the class an area of acquired knowledge and experience…Conny spoke about the seven different states of consciousness and also did some trance channeling of Vyaasa, ‘the first Rishi, or Seer’. That, for sure was an extra bonus at the seminar…I really look forward to the next event of this kind that Conny organises! Judith Bourque, Holistic Therapist and Independent Filmmaker”

AFTER (note that the relevant text was changed) →

[CLICK HERE For ScreenCap Reference]
“Meeting for the Masters’ Class in Cypress was truly inspiring and an excellent example of how to spend a meaningful holiday. We were a group of teachers from several different countries, each bringing to the class an area of acquired knowledge and experience…Conny spoke about the seven different states of consciousness and also did some interpretations from Vyaasa, ‘the first Rishi, or Seer’. That, for sure was an extra bonus at the seminar…I really look forward to the next event of this kind that Conny organises! Judith Bourque, Holistic Therapist and Independent Filmmaker”

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[CLICK HERE For ScreenCap Reference]
Click Here to view the archive.org results for Judith Bourque’s original testimony as published on the vedicmasterclass.org domain (archive.org results are still available as of September 8th 2009). Archive.org has four results (from July 4th 2007 to February 13th 2008) for the webpage that contained Judith Bourque’s original testimony. It is important to note that archive.org only indexes webpages after a period of 6 – 12 months. Therefore, Judith Bourque’s testimony was published on the vedicmasterclass.org domain sometime in mid to late 2006 and remained there until February 2009 when it was altered. The screencap shows the archive.org results for the webpage containing Judith Bourque’s first-hand testimony about Conny Larsson’s “trance channeling” of Vyasa.

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[CLICK HERE For ScreenCap Reference]
Further strengthening the fact that Conny Larsson posed as a psychic healer are pictures of him giving “trance healings” that were originally released on the joga harmonia website (which were subsequently deleted at Conny Larsson’s request). If Conny gets this intimate and physical with women while in public, one can only wonder how intimate and physical he gets with women during his “private” psychic consultations. As they say, “seeing is believing” & “a picture is worth a thousand words”.

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The screencap above specifically states the following about Conny Larsson:

1. Conny Larsson will give private consultations for psychic trance healings.
2. Conny Larsson will give a demonstration of his trance healing to the audience.
3. Conny Larsson is a trance healer.
4. Conny Larsson diagnoses the aura.
5. Conny Larsson promotes and endorses the power of Vedic mantras.
6. Conny Larsson will perform a séance.
7. Conny Larsson will sell and autograph his new book that speaks against Sathya Sai Baba.
8. Conny Larsson charged members 80 kroner (US $12) and non-members 120 kroner (US $17) for a talk on trance healing and aura diagnosis.

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[CLICK HERE For ScreenCap Reference]
The screencap above specifically states the following about Conny Larsson (Original Reference):

1. Conny Larsson will solicit his book “Behind The Clown’s Mask”.
2. Conny Larsson will channel his spirit guide to help diagnose people’s medical problems
3. Conny Larsson will talk about trance healing and will demonstrate his trance healings on various members of the audience.
4. Conny Larsson offers private trance healing consultations
5. Conny Larsson is a life philosopher.
6. Conny Larsson is a psychotherapist.
7. Conny Larsson will teach the healing benefits of meditation and how it can increase life-force and well-being.
8. Conny Larsson is on the Swedish board for Neal Donald Walsh’s “Humanity Team”.
9. Conny Larsson teaches the TM method of meditation.
10. Conny Larsson will channel a banshee (ghost / spirit) that transfers healing energies.
11. In private consultations, Conny Larsson will perform aura cleansing and trance healing.
12. Conny Larsson will demonstrate trance channeling in front of the audience and on a few volunteers.
13. In private consultations and with the guidance of his spirit guides, Conny Larsson will diagnose the real causes of problems in a person’s life.
14. Conny Larsson will use a crystal pendulum to analyze the aura and chakras.
15. Apparently fearing a public exposure from critics, not everyone can book a private trance healing session with Conny Larsson. Private trance healing consultations are made exclusively at Conny Larsson’s sole discretion and he filters and chooses who he will perform his healings on in private.
16. Conny Larsson charged members 60 kroner (US $9) and non-members 100 kroner (US $14) for a trance healing demonstration. Charges 500 (US $72) kroner for a meditation workshop and charges 600 (US $87) kroner for a private psychic medium consultation.

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[CLICK HERE For ScreenCap Reference]
The screencap above was taken from a national Swedish newspaper (Norrland Social Democrat aka Norrlandska Socialdemokraten) entitled “Medium Draws Full House”, which specifically stated the following about Conny Larsson (Original Reference):

1. Conny Larsson personally claimed he is a psychic trance medium.
2. Conny Larsson gives spirit seances.
3. Conny Larsson personally talked about “protective spirits” on the Astral Realms and claimed he was protected by them.
4. Conny Larsson went into a trance and channeled the dead dog of a woman in the audience, claiming the dog still barks and stands at her house.
5. Conny Larsson channeled an astral message for Gun Isaxon (a Communist party leader in Sweden) from her deceased father, warning of health problems and not to take any office.
6. Conny Larsson gave a demonstration of aura cleansing on an elderly woman in the audience by using a crystal pendulum.
7. Conny Larsson claimed that body piercings affect acupuncture and meridian points and are harmful on the “cellular level”.
8. Conny Larsson claimed he has 10,000 devotees / students in Sweden and around the world.
9. Conny Larsson attracted “large numbers” of women (judging from the picture in the article, 100% were women).
10. Many people remember Conny Larsson as the clown “Beppo”.
11. Conny Larsson claimed that “Words have power. Together we can bring peace and love.”
12. Conny Larsson warned his audience about “charlatans” who charge money for their services. Nevertheless, participants paid 100 kronor (US $14) as an entry fee (the article claimed over a hundred women were present, meaning that Conny Larsson grossed US $1,400+ just on admission fees). The weekend meditation fee is 400 kronor (US $58) and individual psychic healing sessions are 500 kronor (US $72). The article also claimed that over 400 people were learning meditation from Conny Larsson (meaning that he grossed US $23,200+ on his meditation classes alone).
13. Conny Larsson also sold books and CDs about himself at the lecture (notice the money-making trend?).

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The screencap above proves that Conny Larsson is devoted to the Indian Guru Shankaracharya Swami Brahmananda Saraswati (the guru of Maharishi Mahesh Yogi) and posed in front of his pictures between 1998 (while still a Sai Devotee) to 2005 (five years after leaving Sai Baba and several years after accusing Maharishi of having sex with women).

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[CLICK HERE For ScreenCap Reference]
The screencap above specifically states the following about Conny Larsson (Original Reference):

1. Conny Larsson conducts trance healing “séances”.
2. Conny Larsson can contact the dead.
3. Conny Larsson teaches others how to use crystal pendulums.
4. Conny Larsson teaches others how to “diagnose” blockages in auras.
5. Conny Larsson will demonstrate his trance healings on “selected individuals” in the audience and at his discretion.
6. Conny Larsson claims we all possess a “cosmic reality”.
7. Conny Larsson teaches a nine-step meditation program in which students must pass lower steps in order to advance to higher steps using the TM (Transcendental Meditation) technique.
8. Conny Larsson is on the Swedish board for Neal Donald Walsh’s “Humanity Team”.
9. Conny Larsson conducts private trance healing sessions in which Spirit Guides helps him diagnose the real problems in a person’s life.
10. Conny Larsson analyzes chakras for blockages.
11. Conny Larsson is an internationally renowned psychic trance medium.
12. Conny Larsson claims crystal pendulums help amplify the real causes to problems in a person’s life.
13. Conny Larsson charged 500 kroner (US $72) for the meditation, aura cleansing and crystal pendulum workshop.
14. Conny Larsson charged 600 kroner (US $87) for a private trance healing in which he channels spirit guides.
15. Conny Larsson charged members 60 kroner (US $9) and non-members 100 kroner (US $14) for a public demonstration of a trance medium séance.

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[CLICK HERE For ScreenCap Reference]
The screencap above specifically states the following about Conny Larsson (Original Reference):

1. Conny Larsson is teaching a meditation class on February 6th 2009
2. Conny Larsson is a life philosopher.
3. Conny Larsson is a psychotherapist.
4. Conny Larsson spent a year in silence meditating in a cave.
5. Conny Larsson teaches meditation from the beginning phase to the most advanced techniques.
6. Conny Larsson is on the Swedish board for Neal Donald Walsh’s “Humanity Team”.
7. Conny Larsson is also known as “God’s Little Clown” (from his devotee phase).
8. Conny Larsson will teach the healing benefits of meditation and how it can increase life-force and well-being.
9. Conny Larsson teaches a nine-step meditation program in which students must pass lower steps in order to advance to higher steps using the TM (Transcendental Meditation) technique.
10. Conny Larsson charged 600 kroner (US $87) for the meditation classes.

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[CLICK HERE For ScreenCap Reference]
The screencap above specifically states the following about Conny Larsson (Original References: 01 – 02 – 03):

1. Conny Larsson is one of two International Coordinators for the Heart And Soul Exposition (the other International Coordinator is Judith Bourque).
2. The “Heart And Soul Exposition” is a website for: “Many, Local and International workshop leaders and Inspirational speakers plus: Acupressure, Angel therapy, Aura photography, Breath Work, Clairvoyance, Crystal Healing, Crystal Bowl Therapy, Diana Cooper School of Angel Healing, Energy Biofeedback Therapy, Environmental issues, Esoteric teachings, Feldenkreis therapy, Indian Head Massage Practitioner, Life Counsellor, Meditation, Oriental Dance Teachers, Pranic Healing, Psychic Medium, Reflexology, Reiki Practitioners/Masters, Shamanism, Tai Chi, Vedic Meditation Master, Yoga Teachers.”
3. Conny Larsson was a former actor educated at the Royal Sate School of acting in Malmo, Sweden.
4. Conny Larsson became a meditation teacher under the “auspicious guidance of Maharshi Mahesh Yogi” (notice how the wording is positive although Conny Larsson is Anti-Mahesh-Yogi).
5. Conny Larsson teaches his own meditation class free of charge (although the February 2009 program stated he charged 600 kroner for his meditation classes).
6. Conny Larsson is a Vedic Mantra meditation teacher.
7. Conny Larsson founded the Vedic Mantra school of meditation.
8. Conny Larsson founded The Master Class in North Cyprus.
9. For many years Conny Larsson acted as Chairman for the Karnan Institute for criminal and drug abusers in Sweden.
10. Conny Larsson will lecture on the “Sixth Sense”.
11. Eileen August (an aura photographer and reader) will be present.

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Kevin R.D. Shepherd & Psychic Medium Conny Larsson – In Conclusion

Despite Kevin R.D. Shepherd’s desperate and shameless justifications and cover-ups for Psychic Medium Conny Larsson, the numerous references provided in this article irrefutably prove that Conny Larsson widely solicited himself as a psychic, trance medium, spirit guide channeler, Vyasa channeler, aura reader, aura cleanser, crystal pendulum reader, chakra reader, chakra aligner, Vedic Mantra acharya, séance conductor, meditation master and spiritual healer. Conny Larsson also promotes himself in direct association with other New Age practitioners, psychics, mediums, channelers and healers on his vedicmasterclass.org and heartandsoulexpo.com domains.

When Conny Larsson purposely and knowingly lied about his well-documented Trance Channel & Psychic Medium claims, how can anyone believe anything he has to say, especially in relation to Sathya Sai Baba?

Apparently, Kevin R.D. Shepherd thinks that Conny Larsson (a person who hears voices in his head and who claims to see and converse with dead people) is a credible voice against Sathya Sai Baba! Even more disturbing is the fact that Conny Larsson self-disclosed his psychiatric diagnosis (made by a psychiatrist) of him being “psychoinfantile”, which is also known as Histrionic Personality Disorder.

If you hear voices in your head, channel Vyasa, perform trance healings, converse with dead people, channel the spirits of dead animals, hold negative views about Sathya Sai Baba and have been officially diagnosed with a psychiatric personality disorder, give Kevin R.D. Shepherd a call because you might be his next credible reference against Sai Baba.

Vaccine for the H1N1? Anyone?

There is still a divided opinion in the Swedish population whether or not to take the Pandemrix shot. See debate in Swedish. Although this is provided free by the Swedish Government, not everyone is convinced regarding the positive effects of the vaccine for the individual or the society at large.

I personally reckon that the positive effects weigh more than the negative.

For corporations and businesses, this is a cost they never need to worry about. For the government, this is an investment to protect the Swedish economy from a probable breakdown. While the rest of the world is on a temporary sick-leave, the plan is to have Sweden and perhaps a few prosperous countries be the international economic motor during such uncertain period. Smart move. The question is if a few countries can give enough boost to keep the world economy rotating? On the other hand, more will stay home which means less travelling thus decrease in CO2 emissions?

Whether the standpoint of the population is positive or negative with regards to the free Pandemrix, we Swedes are very fortunate to be given the freedom to choose. And with the swedish culture built on equal rights to everybody, this simply gives a head start for Sweden than the rest of the international community. I would rather have the government spend my income tax on something I personally can gain from… than using it on social welfare for unemployed neo-nazists, racists, religious fanatics and intolerant homophobics.

The decision is right to give out the vaccine for free. It protects the Swedish society to an uncertain viral foe that can break the security every swedish citizen and residents are enjoying.

For those of you who grew up loving and treasuring the American Girl Doll Kirsten, American Girl is sending her to the archives!

Kirsten Larson has been a brave pioneer and immigrant from Sweden for more than 20 years.  She was my favorite doll and I am sure that others love her beautiful pioneer dresses, bonnet, and golden braids.  I just thought I would post an entry to say a final farewell to Kirsten!  After the holidays she will be gone, and she is already almost completely sold out on the American Girl website. 

Kirsten wasn’t just a doll to me.  I am part Swedish so she meant a lot to me.  Kirsten will always be a girl’s best friend.  Goodbye Kirsten!

Doodles walks around singing this tune every once in a while. This morning he was hitting it pretty hard.

I make no apologies. Much like The Current’s No Apologies track at 4pm each day with Mary Lucia. These are damn fine pop tunes. And for some reason this next one always hits me on an emotional level. In fact, yes, I’d put in my Top 100 All Time*.

Hey Abba, thank you for the music.

I’ve been on some kind of Swedish kick lately with books, music and film. Stieg Larsson, Little Dragon and all the meatballs I’ve been scarfing down. I can’t remember yet, only one coffee in me, but there are other examples of my Swedelove.

Anyway, I used to make mixes called Guilty Pleasures, but now I find there is no guilt. You like what you like. It’s a party in the USA. There’s a reason why some things are really popular. Maybe they’re actually pretty good, too. Throw a T-Swift tune on your mix and see if it works. I should confess, I cut one of her tracks from an earlier monthly mix for not wanting to dilute my indie cred. And the other track alluded to up there was an almost ran, too.

Here’s your chance to tell us your formerly guilty pleasure. In the comments section write:

My name is __________ and I like _______________.

Give us a link to check it out and not judge you, but rather admit maybe we like it, too.

*List in progress, always changing. Can’t be held to it.

My mind already wanders to post-exams … not a good sign since exam is in 3 days & I can’t focus because I’m overwhelmed by everything – holiday plans, internship, returning home, graduation and the list goes on. Instead of studying, I’m blogging and making my 2010 birthday plan in Bali. Here are some pictures that I heart … taken from this wonderful site, from my friend Jonathan and from myself. The simplicity of black & white speaks for itself. Timeless.

P.S. Sometimes life is more beautiful in Black & White.

The central table, featuring a map of the river and bridges through downtown L.A.

Here are a couple of photos from tonight’s opening reception for The Fifth Ecology: Los Angeles Beyond Desire. In my earlier post previewing this, I neglected to mention that there will be a free panel discussion tomorrow night (Monday November 16th at 6pm) featuring Los Angeles City Councilmember Ed Reyes and others. Come on down and listen in, ask questions, and share ideas. It’s free and takes place at Gallery 727, located at 727 South Spring Street, LA 90014.

From Team Stockholm: Jakob Ingemansson, Mania Aghaei Meibodi, and Bjorn Berglund

ps. for more upcoming fun on the L.A. River downtown, come and ride this Saturday’s (November 21st) Tweed, Moxie and Moustache bike ride, hosted by C.I.C.L.E. It’s a free easy beginner- and family-friendly bike ride which departs Union Station at 12:30pm and tours historic art deco architecture. I will be there speaking about some of the historic bridges over the L.A. River.

Downtown Ride this Saturday, featuring historic L.A. River bridges.