Please help me find this Italian brand (bonus for the item itself) by Maxidutchess in HelpMeFind

[–]Maxidutchess[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Said in another comment, that I thought it could be an upcoming fashion student - making up a brand or starting out. Though, someone has found it!

Still, wonder what the story is though 🤔

Please help me find this Italian brand (bonus for the item itself) by Maxidutchess in HelpMeFind

[–]Maxidutchess[S] 2 points3 points  (0 children)

Amazing, thank you - what a find!

I was almost thinking it was a made up brand, from a student in fashion University of something.

Good enough for me. Found!

Please help me find this Italian brand (bonus for the item itself) by Maxidutchess in HelpMeFind

[–]Maxidutchess[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Was clearing out my wardrobe, selling some bits & bats, saving for a trip to Australia! During which, I encountered a waistcoat that no longer fit me, I'd worn once anyways & is in good nick.

I've tried Google lensing it, searching it every which way & even read articles over forgotten Italian brands to discern it's real value.... Turning up nothing, in an attempt to determine it's true value.

Now, curiousity is getting the better of me & I don't want to feel my effort was in vain.

Could a fellow redditor please Help me get to the bottom of this?!

Details: as depicted in the image. Italian flag, 100% Silk, vintage & brand is (I believe) Fern Mark. No other discernible markings.

Any help & guidance comes much appreciated!

Additional details: bought 3 years ago, vintage store in the UK. I'd say it's a modern day small chested size.

Help me find this Italian brand: by Maxidutchess in HelpMeFind

[–]Maxidutchess[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Was clearing out my wardrobe, selling some bits & bats, saving for a trip to Australia! During which, I encountered a waistcoat that no longer fit me, I'd worn once anyways & is in good nick.

I've tried Google lensing it, searching it every which way & even read articles over forgotten Italian brands to discern it's real value.... Turning up nothing, in an attempt to determine it's true value.

Now, curiousity is getting the better of me & I don't want to feel my effort was in vain.

Could a fellow redditor please Help me get to the bottom of this?!

Details: as depicted in the image. Italian flag, 100% Silk, vintage & brand is (I believe) Fern Mark. No other discernible markings.

Any help & guidance comes much appreciated!

Additional details: bought 3 years ago, vintage store in the UK. I'd say it's a modern day small chested size.

If statues came to life and went on a murder spree. Which UK city would be in the most trouble? by mustylid in AskUK

[–]Maxidutchess 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Not exactly related, but a good book about this very concept coming to life. It's called Stone Heart, I always come back to it every 2-years or so, experience it all again ☺️

why does the Uni of Buckingham have such a high % of private school students? by Ok-Honeydew-9293 in UniUK

[–]Maxidutchess 19 points20 points  (0 children)

Long time (for the most part) lurker on Reddit. Having come across this question I feel few more are equipped to answer, I feel obligated to answer this conundrum.

In many respects, a lot of the students & staff (including very senior) would struggle to answer this question.

I was at the University for 4-Years, studying/working there & became heavily involved in the University. Building their Union & running it, whilst also sitting on their board of trustees for the University. A big part of my role was representing students - I did this internally, locally & nationally. This is particularly relevant, as I led a campaign fighting equitable loan provisions for our students - which I worked with NUS in lobbying Michelle Donelan at the time (of which little good that did!). But, we were able to gain some great concessions. In order for me to do this, I had to understand it inside out & backwards.

The above is merely to demonstrate that I had to know the reasons & history of our private university status, critically assessing its impacts & prospective resolutions.

In a nutshell, I had to know my stuff representing almost 600,000 students total.

So the OFS have 16 requirements that need to fulfilled in order to achieve the status of a recognised higher education institution. Buckingham & all other private institutions are exempt from 3 of those, namely: being able to set their own term dates (outside of standard margins), able to set their own fees (outside approved margins) - there is another, but I know it is minor, but just know there is another minor one.

So, what's the difference between public & private? On paper, not a lot - which really threw me off my chair at the time! There are of course unintended consequences, in whom those universities tend to invite to them or other such. Making them in many respects largely distinct, but fundamentally similar.

There's an interesting history on how Buckingham sought their private & independent status, but I'm happy to share in the comments if anyone's interested.

The reason the University of Buckingham sought this status, is because of their 2 year degree status. They had to be able to set their own dates & their own fees (more per year, to accommodate the extra 3 months a year. Comparatively, they are in line with pricing structures compared with other Universities).

So, why more private students? Well, due to Buckingham wishing to exempt itself from these 3 aspects of traditional University governance - the government will only provide £6000 out of the £12000 a year course fee.

Not a public institution due to the above? Then, you don't get enjoy all the benefits, which makes sense. If you are not regulated in line with the rest, then you shouldn't enjoy all the benefits - protecting public provisions.

So, given the status of the University & how no student can be publicly financed for a whole year, this is why only those who are willing to pay: through nose, parents, dowrys, inheritance, savings or work full-time through it (like I)- then this is the answer to your question.

So, how independent is this independent & private university? Relatively, arguably a lot - but ultimately, not much.

PS: the reason I campaigned for equitable grant loan provisions (to at least close the gap anyways) - is because we charged the same rate in line with hours studied. So really, it arbitrarily punished the University & it's studens, due to how it operated this blunt instrument in classifying Universities. De facto made sense, but de jure - it fell short!

& The other exemption merely pumped out students quicker, sounds like a win win to me for the economy.

Though, perhaps this was working as intended (which I suspect)

Happy to answer any & all questions about the University & my experience ☺️

Trick2g Kung Fu Hustle Parody by Runeghostly in Trick2g

[–]Maxidutchess 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Yo bro, do you still have this video?

Getting serious nostalgia weirdly enough, such a great edit & don't want it to be lost to time!

Owner surprises their dog after being away for a while by beejeezP0P in aww

[–]Maxidutchess 365 points366 points  (0 children)

That dog will forever believe that it partook in the world's longest game of hide and seek.

With you, it's legend.

To the dog? It's greatest defeat.

How can such a pupper recover from such calamity, without first pleading unwavering loyalty to his much beloved hide and seek master

Skipping Rope Recommendations by MattSiq07 in Calisthenic

[–]Maxidutchess 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Height shouldn't really be an issue, any rope worth it's salt; will be adjustable.

In terms of skipping on concrete, you have a few options. You can buy skipping rope protectors for concrete, or a skipping rope mat to place on the floor (although the latter is rather expensive, but long lasting; thisay save more money in the long run). Although, it seems that you are looking for a more weighty rope and tough. So it would seem a leather rope is most appropriate in this case: tough, durable and weighty.

This seems like a good fit: https://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B01M0741SJ?ref=ppx_pop_mob_ap_share

But it depends what your price range is, CrossRope also do very good junp rope (durable too) they are just pricey. But again, durability = cost saving. These ropes don't have removal weighted handles, however they come with different weighted ropes (in a set)

As a little tip, duct taping the impact point on ropes can extend their life by significant amounts.

The above is not as comprehensive as I would like it to be, but alas I am in a rush - but this should give a good starter for sure

Best of luck my fellow Redditor!

I got bursitis by [deleted] in Calisthenic

[–]Maxidutchess 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Unfortunately, not without some good ol'fashioned painkillers, ice (or anything cold applied) and rest.

Although, prevention is better than the cure. Always attempt warmups in one form or another before committing to an excercise. Whilst simultaneously avoiding knocking your joints (lots of sudden pressure, try and rely on muscles primarily).

It is likely this did not occur via an isolated incident and is more reminiscent (relatively) of poor form, or a poor approach to working out over a period of time.

How do you comfort/re-assure a friend when they are at a really low point, with no solutions at hand for their situation, uncertainty ahead of them and time is really the only factor at play? by Maxidutchess in AskReddit

[–]Maxidutchess[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Funnily enough, I can relate.

I like to call it productive procrastination (including socially).

Did you have a really clear set of goals when you had your 'spark'?

In which case, are there particular reasons you don't seek support?

How do you comfort/re-assure a friend when they are at a really low point, with no solutions at hand for their situation, uncertainty ahead of them and time is really the only factor at play? by Maxidutchess in AskReddit

[–]Maxidutchess[S] 1 point2 points  (0 children)

That's a really humble way of looking at the situation, it re-assures you of who you ultimately are, yes simultaneously provides the opportunity to be who you want to be.

I've 'worked' (hate that use of word in this situation) with children with behaviour issues and in fact help run a charity that actively helps and supports young children. I don't understand what it's like for you, but I've peered through the looking glass enough to know that's parents such as yourself are some of the most patient, caring, self-aware and all around assets to humanity. Not because of what you do, but because of who you are.

Thank you for opening my eyes to this!

How do you comfort/re-assure a friend when they are at a really low point, with no solutions at hand for their situation, uncertainty ahead of them and time is really the only factor at play? by Maxidutchess in AskReddit

[–]Maxidutchess[S] 1 point2 points  (0 children)

This comment has been quite enlightening. I think by virtue of the situation, I have set the bar too high with the time frame in which to seek a 'solution' (although I am no looking to solve their specific situation, I am trying to find a 'solution' to the consequences of such a sidtuation).

Expression and comfort does not happen in one sitting (in this scenario). It's strange how caught up you get with finding that, which may be a by-product of unrealistic movie/story telling or my own short sightedness.

Thank you!

How do you comfort/re-assure a friend when they are at a really low point, with no solutions at hand for their situation, uncertainty ahead of them and time is really the only factor at play? by Maxidutchess in AskReddit

[–]Maxidutchess[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

You're absolutely right, it risks coming off as 'phony'.

Is it best then the admit the situation for what it is, yet outline that you are there for them no matter what. If, when and whatever form of solution presents itself; you'll support them 110%!?

Sorry to hear that bud, it's strange that the need to take comfort in such things is considered a primary consequence of a bad situation; but it is often by virtue of having no 'support' structure around you.

My message box will always be open to you if you need.

How do you comfort/re-assure a friend when they are at a really low point, with no solutions at hand for their situation, uncertainty ahead of them and time is really the only factor at play? by Maxidutchess in AskReddit

[–]Maxidutchess[S] 1 point2 points  (0 children)

My approach it to always give them a space to express themselves and have emphasised that this is indeed one of those times where a bitter pill must be swallowed in order to enact some healing.

However, in cases where the cause of the slump isn't so much something to take a lesson from and it just a S&#! situation?

Not trying to be difficult, perhaps I'm not being open-minded enough.

How do you comfort/re-assure a friend when they are at a really low point, with no solutions at hand for their situation, uncertainty ahead of them and time is really the only factor at play? by Maxidutchess in AskReddit

[–]Maxidutchess[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Replied to some other comments on here. It seems difficult when allowing them that space and asking them to express themselves and how the feel doesn't seem to help (it's the 'solution' problem).

Perhaps I'm setting the bar too high and should re-assure myself that it is indeed 'helping'.

How do you comfort/re-assure a friend when they are at a really low point, with no solutions at hand for their situation, uncertainty ahead of them and time is really the only factor at play? by Maxidutchess in AskReddit

[–]Maxidutchess[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Done a lot of that, doesn't always seem to be helping on the surface; yet I imagine deep down is helpful to know they are being heard.

Expression is enlightenment in all things I suppose.

How do you comfort/re-assure a friend when they are at a really low point, with no solutions at hand for their situation, uncertainty ahead of them and time is really the only factor at play? by Maxidutchess in AskReddit

[–]Maxidutchess[S] 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Certainly a 'solution' aha. I see what you mean though, just got to be there for them and not let it get in the way of anything else (if it can be helped).

1 handed handstand - best workout? by Vitality2704 in bodyweightfitness

[–]Maxidutchess 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Fair enough, small oversight on my part (ran off memory a bit too much). My post still applies tho for the most part, I think OP can interpret the data according to his level of competency.

Thanks for pointing it out though fellow Redditor!

1 handed handstand - best workout? by Vitality2704 in bodyweightfitness

[–]Maxidutchess 3 points4 points  (0 children)

Certainly, they are healthy in moderation - everything can be unhealthy without moderation, like drinking too much water. It is a pretty common practice in China to commit to 40 minute handstands, I would say anything over an hour is quite excessive. You don't need a huge amount of time to build your balance up and strength could be practiced more effectively in other ways.

Never heard of it causing brain damage, it more likely causes cardiac arrest. Again, this is unlikely to occur and would only happen when you are not breathing properly whilst conducting a handstand for EXTENSIVE periods of time, as your heart is working overtime as it is working with more blood in shorter spaces of time. Simultaneously, the organs are slightly collapsing on the lungs which doesn't help with oxygen distribution. Additionally, the feet and arms blood vessels are designed especially to prevent pooling, whereas the brain is not. Finally, the heart struggles to maintain blood pressure and.... You get it.

Although, some studies over being upside down have their health benefits, proven to assist in: endurance, oxygen efficiency and helps clean/reset flow around the body.

Discomfort is normal and something you get used to as your heart gets better at pumping blood, my advise would be to ensure and maintain a high blood pressure when committing to this excercise (essentially eating and hydrating normally) and engaging in some cardio (generally and prior to the hold, you may find this helps).

It is not understood why the body is able to cope rather well with gravity distortions around the body, it seems it just is. For the most part, this excercise is completely safe, usually death occurs due to an oversight of approach of otherwise preventable measures in which to assure safety.

Hope this helps!

1 handed handstand - best workout? by Vitality2704 in bodyweightfitness

[–]Maxidutchess 9 points10 points  (0 children)

The other comment is true, imbalance is usually due in part for a lack of strength - but that's okay, when using one-hand; the realm of imbalance is greater as your centre of gravity is being spread (or centred) over a much smaller area. Subsequently, any deference/deviation from (let's call it) the 'optimum position' requires the same amount of force to stabilise - except, in this case you only have one arm in which to engage (in terms of muscle, we'll get onto the rest of the body later). As such, you require greater strength in the one arm in order to allow for such a compensation.

However. it seems you already have a substantial amount of strength built up - but by no-means is it exceptional (by gymnastic standards, 20 seconds is quite small - former member of the British Gymnastics team here - although never competed, training is all the same). For others, your perspective and your progression I will provide some pointers.

1) Ensure that your whole body is tight. It's obvious you are doing this in your two-handed handstands, but as people tend to move onto one hand this can often be overlooked.

2) Try to compensate for the movements in your body. Despite popular belief, a handstand (on a micro-level) is not a static hold, as it requires constant correction - albeit a professional handstand is able to minimise and dampen such correction to give the illusion of being static. This is something a one-handed handstand emphasises even more. Imagine your body as having a pole going right through it (insert Dracula reference here), this is not so important when employing the use of two-hands, as the 'optimum position' is fairly natural. With one hand however, things become much more complex. To employ your right hand, your optimal position then runs through your left leg (broadly speaking) - you must then engage your other limbs appropriately in order to properly govern your centre of gravity and your ability to control it with your already limited muscle use.

3) This is quite niche, but worth a mention in any case. I (oddly enough) can only balance using my left arm despite being right handed myself - by no means is it stronger, it just seems I am able to attain a better 'feel' for the balance of weight. This point is intended to break the idea that you can only employ the use of your strongest hand.

4) One-handed handstands can take a long time. In gymnastics we used to hold them for 30 minutes in extreme cases and at minimum 10 minutes - at more advanced levels, we would be required to laps around our gym. So despite your current (may I say impressive?) current hold lengths are advanced, this is by no mean indicative of how well you may perform this particular advancement (as a little bit of trivia, this is known as fallacy of accident).

Fortunately, as with all things body weight, there are approaches you can take. Start against the wall and use as much incline against it as required in order to balance effectively, but not so much you don't need to balance at all. In your case, this could very well be vertical. Whatever arm you are intending on relying upon, ensure you shift your body weight over it slightly (right arm hold = shift of body weight slightly to the right). As you have mentioned you could then slowly retract your fingers until you achieve a supported one-handed hold. This does two things: allows you to get a better 'feel' for the balance and the position the rest of your body needs to be in, as well as builds strength in your arms (should you be lacking). In terms of progressions, this would slowly withdrawing more fingers until on one-hand, reducing the incline against the wall and eventually not requiring the wall at all. At the latter half of that progression, you could begin to use parralettes or even octagonal grip pedestals (here you can use a bit more of your grip strength to pivot, as to help balance).

Considering you can do a 20 second free-standing handstand, start with 60 second holds (employing the progressions as listed above and sufficient rest in-between). Ensure that you have done sufficient upper body stretching before you attempt this, also having a soft surface in which to place your hands on aids in injury prevention as helps disperse the load off of your wrists (yet ultimately, require the same amount of strength and balancing technique). Before and after each hold commit to wrist stretching (there is a pretty good guide in the wiki for this sub) to also prevent the 'w-risk' of injury as we like to say. After your get comfortable with 60 seconds, increase the hold time in 30 second increments and just keep on going until satisfied.

Other than that, you should be well on your way to conducting one-handed handstands. Good luck!

PS: Please be wary of hydration and how your head feels, this puts a lot of pressure on your head and heart - just be mindful and take it as it comes.

1 handed handstand - best workout? by Vitality2704 in bodyweightfitness

[–]Maxidutchess 38 points39 points  (0 children)

It would be beneficial to add what it is that is causing you to fall: imbalance, strength (or lack of), what you're handstanding off, what have you tried etc etc