Season's Greetings and Happy New Year 2021

 Dear Friends and supporters,

December is a wonderful time of the year when I can wish you all the very best for Christmas, Bodhi Day, Return of the Wandering Goddess, Id al-Fitr, Winter Solstice,  Hanukkah, Kwanzaa, Yuletide & Saturnalia and a healthy, loving, peaceful and prosperous year 2021.

 JFDE.

Please note and see at the bottom of this email my websites and email addresses.

What a year it has been, 2020 was marked by Covid-19 and its implications: health and wealth have taken a huge blow, we lost some dear friends and family members, businesses closed and some will never reopen, we spent a huge time at home, stopped travelling, visiting friends and family and Zoom happened! 

Yes, we have many mode of communications and Zoom seem to have taken over the world. WhatsApp, Telegram, Messenger, SMS, Telephone and more were also used profusely and as Vaccines are being prepared we look forward to seeing each other again once this Pandemic end.

Our professional and social life took a hit and this has plunged most of us in various researches and readings. For myself I did quite  a bit on genealogical research and furthering my family tree till the dawn of time, or nearly. 

Also reading my diaries were, to paraphrase Oscar Wilde, sensational. Here is his original quote: “I never travel without my diary. One should always have something sensational to read in the train.” 

I still paint occasionally but as I am running of space, let me know if you want to purchase any so that I can produce more.

The Gay Professional Network met as usual this year although from March it was on Zoom and sometimes with a limited physical audience at the Civil Service Club, our speakers included Matthew Hodson CEO of AidsMap, Pliny Sooccormanee and Peta Cooper of Gaysians Faces, Dr Lori Bisbey talking about sex, Peter Tatchell, Dan Nouveau  of Museum Pride, Mark Bunyan about his music and dance and being a bouncing magistrate, Steven McIntyre CEO of Stonewall Housing, Dr Ian Dodds about his bisexuality, Craig Jones MBE, Caroline Paige and Patrick Lyster-Todd about Fighting with Pride, Gary Youssef about financial education and Dr David Clive Price  about Hidden demons, his latest book.

The Network  welcomed Cedric Torossian about Proptech, Dexter Moscow about "Stand Up and Sell", HRH Prince Frederick von Lauenberg and Franz von Habsburg  about Margery Booth, Tony Selimi about "Living my illusions".

Some speakers preferred to wait to the end of the Pandemic when we can meet in person again and we met regularly through zoom, sometimes weekly.

As Hon. Secretary of the Whitefriars Club, there were fewer events this year and yes there was some combination of zoom and limited physical audience there too. We welcomed  Richard Stokes on English Song, Enrico Franceschini on "Living to write - Writing for a living" and Sir Vince Cable on "Has Centrist Politics disappeared" and had a last zoom fest in December.

I decided that waking up at 3am to go the studios or on location filming had to come to an end this year but you can still see some of the body of work on http://www.imdb.com/list/ls038032236/ and will update this whenever all other films are in the cinemas or your television, it was fun.

As an event organiser and as a catering consultant, the businesses stopped completely this year so when we are back to normal and we all received our vaccine, please think about me to organise any of your events or feel that you want to start a new business. I have 40 years of experience at your service. Good advice saves you pounds and to further paraphrase L'Oreal this time: "because I'm worth it".

On a positive note, 2020 got some of us closer than ever together, they were trying times but what we have ensured that we can grow together.

Season's Greetings!

It remains to me to wish you and your family a wonderful end of year's festivities and all the very best for 2021, it can only get better! (Yes, another paraphrase, enjoy: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UwWfE4DAyao)

Yours ever,

Jean-François.

Please note websites and emails addresses:

https://jfdor.org	jf@jfdor.org
https://www.the-network.one	jf@the-network.one
https://gpn.one	jf@gpn.one
Private	jeanfrancoisdor@gmail.com

The Network's Awe inspiring talk by Ulrike Schlenter “Moving forward in...

Ulrike E. Schlenter – Biography

 Ulrike E. Schlenter – Biography

Of German and Danish decent Ulrike E. Schlenter was born in Hamburg, Germany into a typical Hanseatic family. She received her Bachelor of Arts, Psychology and Languages in a joint degree from the University of Freiburg and Paris. 

At the early stages of her career, she was a teacher for kids, students/adults and was involved in the development of a new school system in Baden-Württemberg, Germany. Additionally she was involved in the joint supervision of psychosomatic patients at the University of Freiburg. She is the founder & CEO of Sundara Design, a bespoke interior practice which fuses modern convenience with luxury and style. With more than 30 years of experience, her projects embody one-of-a kind designs; Lalique, Minotti, Vitra just to name a few are brands she collaborates with to create customized products for her clients. 

As she is a passionate sailor, Ulrike was a member of the Olympic Committee in Kiel in 1972. She was co-founder of "children for a better world" which was founded by Florian Langenscheidt in Bad Homburg and Berlin, Germany. She is a Rotarian, member of the Automobile Club Monaco and Past Governor of the American Cub Riviera. 

Since the past 20 years she is based on the Côte d'Azur. Having lived in more than 8 cities in several countries, through the continuous travels and her infinite curiosity for life, she remains true to her DNA: the creativity, the beauty and innovation in her work as an interior designer. Her motto: "Creativity has no limits”. 

Given her vast experiences, she sailed on many seas, experienced powerful up’s and down’s and has learned to start over again and again in challenging situations. Yet it is also through these experiences that she developed a positive mindset and outlook in life. Being positive is a mindset and lifestyle. It’s something in life you get to choose. 

Given the times we live in, Ulrike would like to share in her talk "Moving forward in times of crises" the knowledge she gained on how to continue or even start a new life in times of crisis with positive thinking. With raised awareness you can make a concentrated effort to redress the balance and live a life based on positive living. Because no matter what you do for a living, the end goal -- really, the goal to life -- is to be happy. 

During the Pandemic...

We understand that we have a responsibility to limit the spread of the virus and we will only host events where we believe that the type of the event and the location are appropriate.

However, to keep everyone safe, we will also need your help and we ask all Members to adhere to our health and safety guidelines when attending in-person events:

• Wash your hands regularly
• Keep a comfortable and safe distance
• Wear a mask if required
• If you feel unwell, please do stay at home
• If you cough or sneeze, please do so away from others, or into your elbow

If you have been diagnosed with COVID-19 and you have attended an in-person event during this period, please contact us at jf@jfdor.org so we can inform the rest of the attendees

If we all follow these basic safety guidelines, we are sure that we can safely reunite you and your fellow Members or Customers at our events.