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Following the Community Engagements Awards earlier this week, where student volunteers and community partners were honoured and encouraged for their efforts towards actively seeking social change and justice within the community, here are some highlights of the work by Rhodes University and the Grahamstown Community.
Nine-Tenths Mentoring Programme
The Vice-Chancellor's Nine-Tenths is a mentoring programme designed to equip matric students from the three earmarked schools of excellence in Grahamstown with the capacity to cope with their final year studies and achieve a bachelor pass.
There are 90 Rhodes University student mentors for at least 56 pupils from Mary Waters, Nombulelo and Ntsika High School, respectively. Through nine guided and structured contact sessions, learners are given one-on-one attention that has seen them improve the pass rate of their schools.
Ntsika High School's pass rate increased to 87% and Mary Waters achieved a 70% pass rate since the initiation of the programme. Of the 51 learners that obtained bachelor passes from these schools, 35 were part of the Nine-Tenths programme. Although Nombulelo High School only joined the programme this year, there is already visible improvement on the results of the learners.
Vuyolwethu Zumani, a Nine-Tenths mentee, passed with five distinctions and was one of the top achievers in the district. He is currently studying towards a BSc degree at Rhodes University majoring in Maths and Statistics. At least 18 of the mentees have applied to study at Rhodes in 2018.
"We continue to mould this valuable programme to further improve the relationships and success of Rhodes University and the Grahamstown community. Thank you to the student leaders and senior mentors who have put in hours of motivation and administration," said Benita Bobo, Student Volunteer Programme Co-Ordinator for RUCE.
The programme has formed formidable collaborations with partners that develop material, assist with training, follow up with schools and facilitate meetings.
Student Volunteer Programme
The Student Volunteer Programme (SVP) is a volunteerism programme open to Rhodes University students. Students are recruited and trained for placement with community partner organisations whose mandate falls under these different categories:
- Arts and Alternative Education
- Care
- High School Tutoring and Mentoring
- Literacy and Homework
The Programme welcomed seven new partners that will serve as a platform for activities around the four themes listed above.
- The Creative City Project - embraces a range of projects, which, collectively, help make Grahamstown one of the most creative cities in the country.
- The Parent Engagement PC Training Programme
- The Parent Engagement Mentoring Programme
- Digital Storytelling
- Awarenet - an international inclusive social network open to all leaners
- Sun City Reading and Mathematics Club, and
- Umthathi Training Project - promoting a better and organic quality of life through sustainable healthy living. The project builds capacity in organic food production, nutrition, income generation and the cultivation and conservation of useful indigenous plants.
Students are required to volunteer a few hours each term and to engage in quarterly reflections with their teams. Transport is provided to all community partner organisations.
A team of 25 student leaders is responsible for at least 400 student volunteers. Six student leaders were part of the top 11 students nominated for the Gold Award at the RUCE Annual award ceremony held recently.
A student leader represented Rhodes at the International Community Engagement conference in May. The programme attracted six exchange students who had an impeccable volunteer attendance record of 100%.
Early Childhood Development Residence Programme
The Early Childhood Development (ECD) Residence Programme, now in its second year, sees RU residence halls partner with an ECD Centre to work on the following two projects.
The Siyakhana@Makana (S@M) Programme is a 19-week joint planning, execution and reflection process of community engagement activities between community representatives and volunteer managers. Each year the ECD Centres come up with three goals to accomplish with CE representatives.
The second is the Reading Programme, which is in its first year, initiated to build on learners' literacy and numeracy skills. Student volunteers from residences visit their partner ECD Centre in the mornings once a week to do reading and educational activities.
This year the programme introduced three new partners:
- Gladys Williams Creche
- The Centre for Social Development Toy Library at St Mary's DCC, and
- Ikhaya Losizo
All partner groups in the ECD Residence Programme managed to fulfil at least two of their respective three goals centred on school readiness, acquisition of additional resources and renovations. Reflecting on this past year, both partners and students highlighted good partnerships, personal growth, and relationship building as their key highlights of this year.
Four students were up for the Gold Awards, and three partners were finalists for the Community Partner of the Year award.
Fifteen organisations collaborated with residences and halls to provide educational programs tailored to suit the specific needs of Grahamstown. This signals improvement in the creation of partnerships for skills sharing and co-creation of knowledge.
During Trading Live for Nelson Mandela Week, most partners participated fully and learnt from one another, thus building sustainable relationships of reciprocity.
"What Trading Live has given birth to, is the innovation of an integrated approach of the 'each one, teach one' model. Our community partners have moved away from working in silos and have started working together more regularly," said Bobo.
The Parent Engagement Programme
The Parent Engagement Programme (PEP) is an initiative that is part of the VC's Education Initiative to Revive Grahamstown Schools. Members of staff, who are in the salary scales of Grade 1 to 5, and who have children in school, are invited to join the programme designed to assist them to best support their children's educational development.
"The buy-in from parents has been enormous this year with 121 registered parents and 168 learners. Of the121, 95 have attended most of the workshops designed to upskill them, which is remarkable as the commitment was lacking in 2016," Bobo said.
Parents attend four workshops during the course of the year, all tailored towards the different educational stages of their children. Seven parents are now literacy development activists within their own communities.
Lithalethu Mashiya, a learner from the programme, has received a Diocesan School for Girls scholarship. Baye Fall was part of the Rhodes University Siyanqoba junior A-team and competed in the South African Mathematics Team Competition. Olwethu Lukwe, a Grade 12 learner at Mary Waters has ensured that her June examination results qualify her for entry at Rhodes University next year.
"The programme is still young and the commitment shown by the parents indicates that the VC's vision of reviving Grahamstown's public schools will be achieved, one year at a time," commended Bobo.
Engaged Learning and Research
Engaged learning and research work across all faculties has continued to grow with the Science and Pharmacy Faculties in particular doing outstanding work in the community engagement space.
Six departments in the Science Internship Program have hosted at least 30 learners this year. The second Science Open Day saw approximately 450 local learners participate in 19 activities across campus for National Science Week.
The mobile science lab has taken knowledge, resources and lively interaction to local schools through a partnership with the Microbiology department. Beyond the long-standing courses, the Science Faculty at Honours level introduced two new service-learning courses.
Human Kinetics and Ergonomics students worked in partnership with the Waainek community mass rearing facility; and Environmental Science students worked in partnership with the Amakala Foundation and Patterson High School.
Epistemic Justice - Scholarship of Engagement
The emerging discipline of the Scholarship of Engagement is gaining momentum internationally, and RUCE is establishing itself as a national hub of research and postgraduate study with the newly developed Centre for Epistemic Justice headed up by Dr Sharli Paphitis.
This is a National Research Foundation (NRF) funded transdisciplinary research project targeting engaged research. The Project currently hosts a postdoctoral fellow, and eight postgraduate students from honours to PHD level.
Community Engagement Conference
RUCE and Durban University of Technology co-hosted the annual Community Engagement conference in Durban earlier this year. Eleven Community Engagement staff and students presented their community engagement based research - bringing together transdisciplinary teams to tackle issues of local importance collectively and in participatory ways.
The Community Engagement office with the combined efforts of faculties and community partners are championing the challenge to bridge the deep divides which poverty has scoured across the community, bringing together new learning and capacity to model a different and better future, in South Africa, in the Eastern Cape and specifically in Grahamstown.Source: Communications
Please help us to raise funds so that we can give all our students a chance to access online teaching and learning. Covid-19 has disrupted our students' education. Don't let the digital divide put their future at risk. Visit www.ru.ac.za/rucoronavirusgateway to donate


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Process Review: Comfy Throw With Fringe
- By Karen
- January 22, 2019
- 16 Comments
This throw has fringe. It seems appropriate for a homestyle cotton wrap. Fringe says comfortable, casual, and playful. I do not mind the time it takes to twist the threads to make this tactile edging. It's a satifying close to a worthwhile project. After all, who can resist running their fingers through soft twisted fringes?
Reminisce with me through the start-to-finish process of making this eight-shaft undulating twill throw for my lovely daughter-in-law Lindsay.
May you have plenty of fringe benefits.
Happy Weaving,
16 Comments
Really nice- what are the dimensions?
Love the colors looks so soft
How did you wet finish?susan Gruen
How big are your tie-on bundles? You are such an inspiration to me! Love your color choices!
Thank you for your inspiration. Love to see the progress pictures.
Like your threading hook, what brand is it?
Your throw is beautiful! Thanks for all your inspiration. Where to you find the time?!
This really beautiful. I love the colors. I noticed you had 2 knots in your twisted fringe. Could you tell me why?
This throw is gorgeous! I love the color and drape. Wow! It looks like the way you tie on to the loom allows you to get started weaving right away.


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Links We Love
By Raya Ramsey Published in Shopping & Fashion July 10, 2013 10:54 am
StyleSheet's charrería-inspired fashion spread + this good story on what charrería is.
Nini Nguyen and Jane Aldridge in Who What Wear's street style roundup today.
This Q&A with Marfa's Playboy sculpture creator Richard Phillips (who hasn't been to Marfa) on Bullett.
ESPN's Body Issue 2013. So many amazing (naked) bodies.
Willie Nelson as the face of John Varvatos' next campaign on Women's Wear Daily. Love it.
Bonus: This insane Bloody Mary from Anvil Pub on SideDish.


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Growth Trends for Related Jobs
Disability analysts are hired to help improve the quality of life of people with physical and mental disabilities. They conduct assessments with a focus on determining the nature and severity of these disabilities. Health insurance companies use this information to calculate disability benefits, while educational institutions use it to make suitable classroom and workplace modifications. Aspiring analysts must have the right knowledge and skills to enter the profession. In most cases, they need professional certification as well.
College Degree
Disability analysts must possess in-depth knowledge of mental and physical impairments and their functional effects on the human body. They can obtain this knowledge through a bachelor's degree in healthcare disciplines such as nursing, physical therapy, occupational therapy and exercise physiology or kinesiology. To enhance their job prospects, many disability analysts pursue additional courses in disability assessments, such as those offered by National Association of Health Underwriters.
Occupational Skills
Effective disability analysts have strong skills in information gathering and analysis. Their job involves obtaining and examining personal and medical records and detecting any inconsistencies. An understanding of disability laws and regulations governing the disclosure of health information is also essential. For example, disability analysts can only share a client's health information to authorized persons. Speaking, listening and report writing skills are important as well because these professionals must interview people with disabilities and craft clear reports detailing their findings.
Professional Experience
To improve your chances of getting a job as a disability analyst, you need significant healthcare experience. Experienced professionals are more desirable to employers because they can rely on their many years of healthcare work to make sound judgments. As such, people who have worked as nurses or physical or occupational therapists stand a higher chance of getting this job.
Professional Certification
The American Board of Disability Analysts offers two levels of certification that aspiring analysts can obtain to enhance their employment prospects. Individuals seeking the Senior Disability Analyst and Diplomate designation must have at least nine years of experience working with the disabled, while those seeking the Disability Analyst and Fellow certification must have at least four years of professional experience working with the disabled. The ABDA also requires certification applicants to submit one work samples and three letters of reference as part of the certification process.


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Yezidi – Mystery Religions in the Middle East
The Yezidi (or Yazidi) religious minority has been lifted from obscurity for the very worst reason. They have been brought to the attention of the international world because of the cruelty and slaughter that came upon them in the form of the Islamic State. Many people heard about them for the first time and wondered who this quiet community was and why IS seemed so eager to wipe them out.
It's possible that some heard the words "devil worshippers" whispered as an excuse for the atrocities they had undergone. But is that really a true representation of their mysterious beliefs?
Yezidi's believe in one God (Xwede) who created the universe and then left it in the capable hands of his seven mightiest angels. God is uninterested in the affairs of earth, even if he is all forgiving and merciful. He has left the workings of the world to the governing of Tawsi Melek (the Peacock Angel) who is both his servant and an occasional manifestation of himself. There is some kind of idea of a trinity in the form of the Peacock Angel, Sultan Ezi (a young man), and Sheik Adi (an older man and reformer of the Yezidi faith). This idea of "trinity", is not necessarily agreed upon by all Yezidi.
The central figure in the Yezidi faith is this Tawsi Melek. The Peacock Angel is also the center of most of the controversy between Yezidi and the Abrahamic faiths. It is believed that Tawsi Melek is the Yezidi's direct connection with God. They pray to and venerate him as God, though they do recognize a distinction between the two. Some would refer to the peacock angel as God's 'alter ego'.
Is the Peacock Angel really Satan?
In their mythology, Tawsi Melek 'rebelled' against God by refusing to worship Adam as God had commanded. He claimed that only God was worthy of worship. As a result, Tawsi Melek was cast out by the other six ruling angels, but then restored to his position of authority over them all when God intervened in the disagreement. He was honored for his faithfulness to God.
It is this story that causes the surrounding religious sects to see Yezidi's as worshippers of Satan. Nor is it helped by the fact that Tawsi Melek is also known as Azazil or Iblis. However, modern Yezidi's are careful not to use that name in reference to the Peacock Angel, due to the huge amount of persecution suffered by them in the past.
They do not see Tawsi Melek as a fallen angel, but one who has always been righteous and was wrongly persecuted. Much like themselves. They see the fallen and restored angel as their protector, advocate, and friend. He has enlightened them to the workings and ways of God, and they are grateful.
What about the other six angels??
Of the remaining six earth ruling angels, three are seen as 'mysteries' meaning that the Yezidi themselves are unsure of their roles on earth. The other three roughly correspond to archangels mentioned in Abrahamic faiths. The messenger of God to prophets and true believers is Jibra'il. Israf'il stands before God and blows a trumpet to announce his words. Finally, Ezra'il is considered the angel of death.
Can anyone become a Yezidi?
There is not much said in Yezidism about sin or reconciliation to God. Yezidis believe that they are a separate people from all others that walk the earth. They consider themselves to be born only of Adam, not Adam and Eve, and therefore to marry or commune with a non-Yezidi is to lose the purity of their race. One cannot convert to Yezidism, but one can certainly and irrevocably be removed from it. They do believe in the eternality of the soul, but not necessarily in heaven. Instead, souls transmigrate or are reincarnated, presumably back into the Yezidi community.
Scriptures/Oral Traditions
As with most mystery religions, Yezidi's don't have a written text that is has been passed down throughout the generations. The best guess to the time when Yezidi teachings were written down is some time in the 19th century.
More recently the Yezidi religious authorities have given permission for their people living abroad to write down and even to translate some of the stories and poetry of their people. This has been compiled into what is known as 'The Black Book'. The first half of the book contains some of their creation mythology and other stories. The second half records some of their songs of praise to God and Tawsi Melek.
However, many of the traditions of their faith have been passed down through stories and songs that can only be spoken by their holy men. There is some rumor of a written holy text that is available to these men, but it is not suitable for viewing by anyone outside of that very small circle. The people must believe and follow what they are told by their leaders or leave their community. This form of passing on knowledge may be changing as more and more Yezidis move to lands outside of Iraq.
Yezidis follow several rituals that are similar to other religions. They do pray, fast, observe holy days, and go on pilgrimages.
How do they pray?
However, no Yezidi is required to pray, nor are there set times of corporate or individual prayer. The most religious do pray at three set times during the day; sunrise, morning, and sunset. When they pray they must first wash their hands and face, cross their arms over their body, and lift their faces to the sun. There are no rote prayers to be said. All prayers are addressed to Tawsi Melek or Shams (the sun). Most prayers are completed while standing and are ended by kissing the hem of their garment or an east facing wall.
What about fasting?
Fasting is usually only done for three days every December. Again, this is not a requirement but something the most religious do. It is done in memory of Sultan Ezi. Those in higher levels of the religious and social strata do fast for 40 days during the summer and during the winter.
How would you like to have Wednesday off?
The Yezidi holy day is Wednesday. Much like the sacred days of other religions, no work is to be done on the holy day. Those who are close enough to visit a shrine would do so on this day. However, there is no formal requirement to meet with other community members or have any kind of corporate worship. Each Yezidi is to pass the day as they wish. Other holy days require pilgrimages, but as those each come with their own sets of ritual and remembrance, we will cover them later in their own section.
Rites of Passage
There are six rites of passage that all Yezidi males and most females will pass through. They are haircut, baptism, circumcision, brother (or sister) of the hereafter, wedding, and funeral.
There's a first haircut party!
Yezidi boys are not allowed to have their hair cut until they are six months to a year old. Tradition calls for the child's 'godfather' (brother of the hereafter) to cut off a portion of the forelock and keep it. Gifts are given to the boy's family and he is officially considered part of Yezidi society.
Do they have baptism?
Girls must wait to join society until they can be baptized. This is usually done when they are very young, but can be done at any time in a person's life. The child (either male or female) is baptized in the waters of the baptistry of Lalish (the most holy shrine of the Yezidi).
The only people present for the baptism are the holy man, the child, and the child's parents. Baptism is more than just joining society, it also indicates that the child is now a servant of Sultan Ezi. This rite of passage is most closely followed by those who live near Lalish in Northern Iraq. However, some who live abroad have begun to have the holy water sent to them. Then their child can be baptized without having to make the journey 'home'.
Circumcision: before or after death?
Males are circumcised twenty days after their baptism. The parents choose a kefir for this occasion. The kefir is generally chosen from a caste with which the child is not permitted to intermarry as the kefir is considered a brother to the child. Often the kefir is someone from outside the Yezidi faith. Kurdish Muslims are often chosen to be kefir in order to strengthen ties with the outside communities.
Some Yezidi's living outside of Iraq may not perform this rite until after the person has died. They believe that any uncircumcised Yezidi is an infidel and will be punished in the day of Judgement. If their adopted culture frowns on circumcision they may wait until the person's life is over to carry out the rite.
Brothers for the afterlife?
The brothers of the hereafter are chosen during a lifetime. Every Yezidi must have two to help and protect them as they navigate the rites of life. Men may only choose from the two upper classes of society, whereas women are free to choose any they wish. However, should a woman marry, her husband's brother or sister will then become her brother (or sister) of the hereafter.
Arranged Marriages
Most marriages happen young (15-16 years old) and are arranged by the fathers of the couple. As with most Middle Eastern weddings, there is a bride price paid by the groom's family and the wedding must be carried out by a holy man. The bride undergoes the application of henna, is arrayed in red and is escorted from her family home to that of her groom. There is usually a sheep slaughtered in sacrifice, followed by feasting and dancing. Marriage is only allowed within the Yezidi community, but even that is limited by castes and social standing. Marriages can occur at any time during the year, except in the holy month of April.
What is death?
A funeral does not denote the passing of a soul, but only the end of its time in that body. The soul will transmigrate to a new body after undergoing its Judgement Day and will have no remembrance of its previous life. The corpse is washed, dressed in a white shroud, and placed in a sarcophagus. Soil from the shrine of Sheik Adi is placed in the mouth, and the body is buried with its head facing east.
After the funeral, a seer is asked by the family to determine the destiny of the deceased. If the soul is seen to have entered returned as a Yezidi the family celebrates with a feast. If however, it is found to be housed in any other living being the family offers sacrifices to 'redeem' their soul. For one week after this, the brother of the hereafter visits the family. His job is to console, sing praise to Tawsi Melek, and share happy memories of the deceased. After four days, an ox is sacrificed on the tomb and its meat is given to passersby as alms.
Just the Beginning
There is obviously much more to the Yezidi religion than we have here. This is only part one! If you have questions you'd like to ask, please contact us through Facebook! And you can read more and support the Yezidi people who have suffered so much, below.
Continue reading about Yezidi rituals and holidays HERE.
Read the introduction to this series here.
Help support the refugees in Northern Iraq many of whom are Yezidi.
"The Yezidis: The History of a community, culture, and religion" By Birgul Acikyildiz
"Heir of the Forgotten Kingdom" by Gerard Russell
"The Yezidis" By Eszter Spat


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Hall of Famer
Can anyone recommend a useful Canon forum for a beginner? There are so many Canon forums, it's hard to know where to start. I'm looking for a forum that helpfully covers the basic stuff along the lines of 6D cameras, plastic fantastic lenses, that sort of thing, and where Canon v Nikon wars and disrespect of other brands and formats are kept low on the subject list. Alright, that last criteria may be a tad unrealistic but you get my drift and I've been on this forum long enough to trust the views of those here. So advice would be welcome.


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I never set out to be or do anything in particular in my life which at times has been frustrating as there's never been a clear plan. Not one that I was consciously aware of anyway. I've always been a bit envious of people who've always known what it is they wanted to do, had a clear plan and then pursued it with such focus and determination. (Though I have had a few clients who've done this, come out the other end and asked "is this it?")
After dropping out of college part way through a diploma in hotel management that wasn't for me, I was asked by a careers advisor 'what are you good at?'. At the time I was really good at maths so I ended up on an accountancy Youth Training Scheme (YTS) with Babington Business College, both working and studying with them. Now, whilst I don't regret my time with Babington as I learned a great deal, I have realised that:
Just because you're good at something doesn't mean it's the right thing for you to do.
Better questions would be: 'what do you love to do?'; 'what is it that gets you really fired up?'; 'what makes you really happy?' But if you had asked me those questions back then I probably wouldn't have been able to tell you that either – well apart from my love of the ocean and beaches, which might just be where I originally hoped my hotel management diploma was going to take me….
Whilst I was able to pass my exams easily it became clear that I wasn't destined to be an accountant – it just wasn't inspiring me (no offence to accountants, I need them). Instead it was discovered by those I worked for that I had a knack for sorting out problems and complete messes. So began my reputation for being given numerous jobs, roles and departments that desperately needed an overhaul. This I relished, was very successful at and then, once all was running smoothly I reluctantly relinquished for the next challenge. It was hard to let go, but if I didn't I'd get bored. So I moved up the ranks quite quickly, motivated by a need for efficiency and effectiveness and generally finding ways to make everything easier.
About 10 years into my job with Babington I questioned whether I really wanted to spend another 10 years of my life there, and if not there, where? And doing what? I sought the advice of another careers advisor who conducted some psychometric tests which determined that I was already in the right job. This was not what I wanted to hear! I knew deep down this wasn't right and I needed to do something else.
Don't believe everything a psychometric test tells you – you know yourself best, you just need to listen and tune into yourself (or go see a coach…)
Over the years I became the person people came to with their problems, not just work problems. I was a good listener which wasn't something I'd considered a great skill at the time but I began to ponder becoming a counsellor. Four years later I qualified as a counsellor/psychotherapist, clocked up numerous placement hours with local charitable organisations Derby Women's Centre and Derby Rape Crisis all whilst undergoing immense personal development (which is indicative of most counselling training) and whilst continuing to be full-time employed at Babington in a very demanding job. Not quite sure how I did it but it worked out relatively easily. That's not to undermine the work involved but many synchronistic events enabled me to achieve what I needed to.
When it's right it flows easily. If it's not flowing, stop, stand still, be patient and listen. Listen for the quite voice inside of you that will let you know what the next step is. This is your own personal sat nav.
In April 2003 I set up my counselling/psychotherapy private practice in Derby alongside working for Babington. I did end up another 10 years at Babington though! But at the beginning of 2010 I took the leap and left Babington so I could pursue my ambition to be fully self-employed and concentrate my energies on building my private practice.
It came as a complete shock to me that on leaving Babington my health deteriorated and I suffered with burnout, anxiety and spiralled into depression. My own personal breakdown. I now realise that if I had stayed any longer at Babington, which was no longer fitting with who I was and what I really loved to do, my health would have suffered even more greatly.
Listen to your body and respond; if you don't it will demand your attention further down the line… For a long time my body was telling me I was tired, but I kept on pushing through.
Maybe I should have left earlier? Who knows? It's a pattern in my life that generally things have to get really bad before I do anything about it. My last year with Babington is still, to date, the most stressful year of my life. The company was being sold and I had to keep this information from my long-standing colleagues, some of whom had become my friends, whilst also meeting the demands of due diligence auditors and solicitors.
Yet the outcome of whatever painful transition I am in (there's been a few) is always beyond what I could have expected or hoped for – in a good way.
It's mainly fear that stops us from changing and taking leaps of faith, but things change anyway whether we want them to or not.
"It is not the most intellectual of the species that survives; it is not the strongest that survives; but the species that survives is the one that is able best to adapt and adjust to the changing environment in which it finds itself." Darwin
My experience of burnout, anxiety and depression has deepened my empathy and compassion for people with ill health, whether it's physical, mental, emotional or spiritual. I also realised how much of my identity had been wrapped up in my successful job and position. Without it who was I? Yes, I was still a practicing counsellor/psychotherapist, but that had actually only been a small part of what I did. Even though I had a few years' experience under my belt I felt a novice when faced with it now being my only source of income and a label to who I was. How often are you asked 'what do you do?' when you first meet someone? That question floored me at the time. I'd lost all sense of who I was, or who I thought I was.
"Although we are told (and want to believe), "You are not your job," the messages from employers, colleagues and the media counter that well intentioned adage with "You are exactly what you do, how well you do it and what you earn"." Brené Brown
Over the next few years I explored more fully the world of counselling and psychotherapy, expanded my business, developed my approach, became a BACP Accredited Counsellor and qualified as a Supervisor and a Coach. And here I am. But that's still only a part of me and what I offer in my work. I've come to realise that who I am and my work are synonymous and that it's important to be open about my spirituality and how this has deeply influenced my practice.


text: Shopin is a highly successful discount retail chain in Beijing with an e-commerce, plus bricks and mortar, business model. With a fast-growing business, the management realised that the foundation of their brand needed to be realigned to support the opportunities of expansion ahead of them. We helped build a solid base for the future growth of the brand.


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McGuinness and Foster oppose move to ban paying for sex in the north
A BID to overturn the ban on paying for sex in the north will be opposed by the First and Deputy First Ministers, the High Court has been told.
Arlene Foster and Martin McGuinness have instructed Stormont's chief legal adviser to intervene in the landmark legal action being brought by sex worker Laura Lee.
Mr Justice Maguire had been expected to rule on whether to grant leave for a judicial review but adjourned his decision until next month after a last minute intervention from Attorney General John Larkin QC.
Mr Justice Maguire told Belfast High Court: "I am disinclined to create circumstances where leave is granted without matters being properly rehearsed."
Northern Ireland became the first part of the UK to make paying for sex a crime when the legislation was passed last year.
The Bill, championed by DUP Assembly member Lord Maurice Morrow, means anyone caught breaking the law could be jailed for up to a year and faces a hefty fine.
Previously, paid-for consensual sex was legal although activities such as kerb crawling, brothel keeping and pimping were not.
The law change was welcomed by Christian organisations but prostitutes' campaigners argued that it has endangered sex workers by pushing the industry underground.
Judge Maguire expressed frustration at the late notice of the intervention by the Office of First and Deputy First Minister (OFMDFM) and said "a clear and cogent explanation" had not been provided.
"The court has been provided with scant explanation from OFMDFM was to why, as of yesterday, at very late notice, they wish to contest this application and have the case adjourned for that purpose," the judge said.
The court also heard that the Department of Justice, the only named respondent, was not opposed to the case going ahead.
Barrister Tony McGleenan QC said the department had been placed in an "unusual" position because Justice Minister David Ford had opposed the legislative change when it was debated in the Assembly.
However, Mr McGleenan told the court: "In our view the matter is arguable."
He said the OFMDFM intervention had not been anticipated, adding that Ms Lee had "got it right by directing fire towards this department."
Meanwhile counsel for Ms Lee argued the case was of "genuine importance" for all sex workers.
Steven McQuitty said: "We are concerned about the late, grossly late, improper intervention from the First and Deputy First Ministers.
"We say at this stage that intervention is without merit."
The barrister later added: "If not improper, (it is) highly unorthodox that they should now try to intervene when the DoJ recognises the substantial importance of this case."
Outside the court, Ms Lee, a high profile campaigner for better rights for prostitutes, expressed disappointment at the delay.
"I am disappointed but I understand that due process must be followed and I will be returning to court on March 14," she said.
"I am taking this case because sex workers are placed in danger every single day when we are compelled to work on our own.
"Last week saw the absolutely horrific murder of another sex worker in Aberdeen.
"She suffered a fate that dogs in the street should never, ever meet. And, in her name and in the name of every other sex worker who has died under these nonsensical laws, I will fight this case."
The hearing has been adjourned until next month.


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It's finally happened, guys! My debut novel Amanzimtoti: The Ridge is now available for pre-order on Amazon, with an official release date of March 14th! I can't even express just how giddy I am at seeing my book up there looking all shiny and new and asdfghj there really aren't words!
So please-please-please! head on over to Amazon and pre-order your copy of Amanzimtoti: The Ridge today! I've even made you this handy wee button to make things nice and easy. And if I've coded things right, it should direct you to your local amazon site. (Please let me know if it, you know, doesn't.)
[amazon template=add to cart&asin=B01CBBGS1U]
Once you've pre-ordered your copy, don't forget to share your purchase with your social media, you'd be doing me a huge favour getting the word out about my story! (;
Why yes, I did infact buy my own book. How else was I going to get this screencap for you guys?!
(OK that's mostly an excuse, but don't even tell me you wouldn't have done the same!)
[amazon template=add to cart&asin=B01CBBGS1U]
Thanks for your continued support! <33
— Carmen-Shea
Set in Amanzimtoti, South Africa, the story follows Wayne du Preez as he starts his matric. Completing his final year of high school won't be his only problem however when a boy from his childhood makes a surprise reappearance in small town Toti, throwing Wayne's picket-fence dreams with girlfriend Jess into a tailspin and forcing him to deal with a part of himself he's been denying ever since he shared his first kiss with Kyle way back when.


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Designed by 21-year-old Yuhan Zhang from China, the Volkswagen Aqua hovercraft concept offers an insight of a futuristic vehicle powered by hydrogen and propelled by an impeller.
It has been designed as a solution to address the variety of terrain covering China, from the lakes, rivers and coastal waters to the roads, wetlands and snow.
The futuristic vehicle was also short listed in the CDN Car Design Awards China, based on the brief titled "Chinese off-road vehicle" by Volkswagen.
The Volkswagen Aqua air cushion vehicle runs on more than one engine. Its hydrogen fuel cell-powered primary motor runs the main fan to inflate the skirt around the vehicle, which help raise the VW Aqua just above the ground.
The fans at the rear run on individual electric motors to provide forward thrust and directional control. The Aqua has a minimalist exterior and interior design, and it can seat two inside.
The telescopic steering wheel enhances the driving experience. The Aqua all-terrain vehicle is capable of traveling to any place in the world with an adjustable ground clearance.
Aqua perfectly interprets the philosophy of Volkswagen Design with no parting line and laconic appearance. Designer Yuhan is a graduate from Xihua University with a degree in Industrial Design.


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"Carolyn is putting on a Jesus Film showing and tech talk overnight at Simeon's village on Friday," Dad announced.
'Overnight?' The Jesus film was always shown late, after dark, but usually just meant getting back to our beds around midnight, not actually sleeping at the showing site.
Grace looked my way. I knew exactly what was running through her mind; I was thinking it, too.
Go watch our short video of the trip!! https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hsI8X8wem6o&t=20s
This was an exceptional chance. Usually any overnight trips were to remote places and made by smaller groups of just the guys, being either inappropriate or unsafe for us girls to tag along on. Grace, even more so than I, wanted to experience a village for more than just a day trip. While Dad and Jonathan had had opportunities, we had lived for two years in Papua New Guinea without ever sleeping overnight a village.
And here was a group outreach heading out this weekend to a nearby place, one of our staff's own villages!
We discussed the trip as a family over dinner. "We don't get these chances very often," said Dad.
Grace agreed, "I mean, this is what we came here to do! We don't want to stay in town the whole time."
'In fact, with only a year left, we may not even get another opportunity before we leave, the rate we've been going!' I thought. Now we were over two-thirds of the way through our term, I was becoming more and more aware of the adventures we wanted to have here before I was off to university in the States.
Dad had to be on radio duty that weekend, however, monitoring CRMF's emergency channel during the office's off-hours. He was out of the outreach.
The day just before the proposed trip, Mom and Sarah came down with a cold that had been going around. They were both out as well.
In the end, Grace, Jonathan, and I joined the CRMF team heading down to Fifix in the Ketarobo area, the village of one of our electronic mechanics.
"…the Feka family is going, the Ruruks are going, Nancy is going, it will be so much fun…"
Surprised at the number of staff Grace listed who had jumped at the chance to be a part of this outreach, I realized we weren't the only ones longing for some fresh air out of town.
Friday afternoon we quickly put together our overnight bags, ready to leave at 4:30 when the CRMF office closed for the weekend.
Surprisingly on time, a fifteen-passenger van swung in front of our compound gate with a honk.
"They're here! Come on, Jenny!"
I rushed from my room to the front yard.
Grace, Jonathan, and I stepped through the gate and towards the van, where we attempted to squeeze our sleeping bags and large container of filtered drinking water into the already people and luggage crammed space.
After travelling for fifteen minutes down the rutted highway, we turned onto a gravel road leading into a grove of coffee trees. Before us was the river. The laughing, chatting group of staff and us exited the van, removed our shoes, and began carrying cargo to the riverside. Now how to get our amplifiers, computers, projector, microphone, and other gear across?
As we watched, several mangi (young men and boys) drifted toward us on inner tubes. Once they reached us, they began piling all our equipment onto rods laid across the inner tubes and taking it down stream. Then we were piled on, too. I straddled one leg around the width of the massive semi-truck inner tube along with Grace and several others in the group. While we rode the swift current to the lower drop off point, one of the young men steered our tube by swimming in the water behind it. After several trips, everything and everyone made it across, without once taking a dip in the river!
We carried our equipment, with a lot of help from Simeon's relatives, to the village. Emerging from the short forest path, we stepped onto a small, grassy green. Bees and butterflies buzzed around the tropical flowers decorating this beautiful place, and a cluster of kunai (woven grass walls and thatched) houses sat at the end of the green.
'This has got to be one of the most beautiful villages I've seen!'
Adults, pastors, and their grinning children came up and warmly greeted us. After we dumped our baggage inside of their large kunai prayer house, the youth and pastors welcomed us with a sweet ceremony of singing, tambourine playing, and encouraging words. I watched, fascinated, as the girls swirled and beat their tambourines, decorated with streamers, in time to the music–their playing was just as much a dance as a musical performance.
Back in the prayer house hot food awaited us. Our hosts had filled up the table with cooked bananas, vegetables, fruits, and sweet potatoes, not to mention the delicious fire roasted chicken. After stuffing ourselves, laughing, and talking, we got ready to show the movies.
Youth and local villagers gathered on top of the massive tarp spread out on the ground as we began to play short videos. Uncle Caine encouraged the youth in their walk with God in between the videos and explained more about their messages. When we got to God's Chisel Skit, created by the Skit Guys, people laughed a lot. Yet as we looked at them, we also saw that they were soaking in every word.
After the short videos, we started the Jesus Film around 9:00 p.m.. The light from the projector pierced through the darkness, illuminating the children's faces as they stared at the movie projected on the large white piece of cloth.
"This must be the part when Jesus calms the storm!" one child exclaimed excitedly to the girl sitting beside her.
Though the film didn't finish until a little after 11:00, young children were still sitting in rapt attention on the cold ground until the end. Many in our group, however, were fighting to keep our eyes open; it had already been a long day of school and work.
We quickly dismantled the projector and sound equipment, then went back to the prayer house as the villagers made their way to their homes. Some of us fell to sleep right away; others stayed up, storied, and sang worship songs. Exhausted, I drifted to sleep to the crackling of the fire, watching the smoke eddy and pool high in the slanted, thatched roof of the house, before exiting.
In the morning there was more food! Several women had made banana bread over a fire and it tasted wonderful.
"A fire?" I had to make sure I had heard correctly; roasting or boiling was one thing, but baking over coals must take true talent!
As the large kettle over our own fire began to steam, we each poured a mug of the instant Nescafe the village had kindly provided. Cupping my mug in my hands, I blew on the steam and relished my first morning cup of joy in an actual village.
Around 9:00 a.m., we started our technology talk. Grace spoke on the disadvantages and advantages of technology, encouraging the youth to use platforms such a Facebook as a positive way to reach others. Caine Ruruk shared about what happens when one allows something like pornography into their life and how it can take over. Sadly, with the new access to technology, both beneficial and harmful content is entering PNG, without much education on how to wisely navigate it.
After the talk came the fun part. A large crowd quickly formed as we set up a volleyball net, and a small tournament soon formed, with Jonathan, Grace, and I split up between different teams.
To soon it was time to leave. All the young boys helped us carry our gear to the river's edge, then started loading it up again on the inner tubes. This time most of us decided to swim down to the pick-up point. The sun was hot and the river refreshing; we splashed right along with the kids. While the cargo was being taken down in trips, Grace, I, and a group of the young girls made our way along the bank, just to be able to float down the current one last time together.
Tired but happy, our group squished our damp selves into the fifteen passenger bus between our equipment and several live chickens, a thank you gift from the village. As the van pulled in front of our compound, we grabbed our backpacks and chicken, then waved goodbye. It pulled away, ready to drop off the rest of the tired CRMF group.
As we stepped into the cool house, Mom greeted us cheerfully, "How was it, guys?"
We slumped into chairs, rambling off as many details as we could remember. It had been a wonderful weekend.
Please pray that God would continue to water the seed we planted in the youth and others of Fifix who saw the Jesus Film and heard the talks. Also pray as CRMF tries to meet the need for positive technological influences and fights the spreading of pornography in Papua New Guinea, one of the projects Grace is currently majorly involved in.
Some of our CRMF Team


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Chicken and Bacon Shish KabobsFrom pleclare 12 years ago
- 1/4c soy sauce shopping list
- 1/4c cider vinegar shopping list
- 2Tbs. honey shopping list
- 2Tbs canola oil shopping list
- 10 large mushrooms,cut in half shopping list
- 2 green onions shopping list
- 3 skinless,boneless chicken breast halves-cut in chunks shopping list
- 1/2lb. sliced thick cut bacon,cut in half shopping list
- 1(8oz) can pineapple chunks,drained shopping list
- skewers shopping list
How to make it
- In a large bowl, mix the soy sauce,cider vinegar,honey,canola oil,and green onions. Place the mushrooms and chicken into the mixture,and stir to coat. Cover,and marinate in the refrigerator at least 1 hour.
- Preheat the grill for high heat. Wrap the chicken chunks with bacon and thread onto skewers so that the bacon is secured. Alternate with mushroom halves and pineapple chunks Lightly oil the grill grate. Arrange skewers on the prepared grill. Cook 15 to 20 mins. brushing occasionally with remaining soy sauce mixture,until bacon is crisp and chicken juices run clear.


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Fed raises key interest rate
The US Federal Reserve took note of a resilient United States economy Wednesday by raising its benchmark interest rate for the second time this year and signalling that it may step up its pace of rate increases.
The Fed now foresees four rate hikes this year, up from the three it had previously forecast. The action means consumers and businesses will face higher loan rates over time.
The central bank raised its key short-term rate by a modest quarter-point to a still-low range of 1.75 per cent to 2 per cent. With the economy now nine years into an expansion, the move reflects the steadiness of growth, the job market's strength and inflation that's finally nearing the Fed's target level.
Economists said the Fed left little doubt that it's prepared to increase the pace of its credit tightening.
"The labour market is getting tighter, and price pressures are picking up," said Greg McBride, chief financial analyst at Bankrate.com. "The Fed is prepared to be quicker about pushing rates higher."
It was the Fed's seventh rate increase since it began tightening credit in 2015, and it followed an increase in March this year.
The announcement helped resolved a debate in financial markets over whether the Fed under Jerome Powell, who succeeded Janet Yellen as chairman in February, might see a need to signal a possible acceleration in rate hikes. The statement the Fed issued Wednesday after its latest policy meeting ended suggested that he does.
Besides raising its projection for rate increases this year from three to four, the Fed removed a key sentence from the previous statement that had been viewed as foreseeing a need to keep rates low for an extended period. The Fed had previously said its key rate "is likely to remain, for some time, below levels that
are expected to prevail in the longer run."
new projection
The Fed's new projection for the pace of rate hikes shows four rate this year and three in 2019 - both unchanged from its previous forecast in March - and one in 2020, down from the two that had been projected previously.
The new median forecast projects the benchmark rate at 3.1 per cent by the end of 2019, up from 2.9 per cent in the previous forecast. For 2020, the Fed foresees a median rate of 3.4 per cent. That means that by then, it thinks its key rate will finally exceed the 2.9 per cent it sees as neutral - as neither stimulating nor restraining growth. Should the Fed's expectations prove accurate, its policy would then be intended to slow the economy.
In its updated forecasts, the Fed envisions stronger US growth this year - 2.8 per cent, up from the 2.7 per cent it predicted in March. Inflation by the Fed's preferred gauge would hit its target of 2 per cent this year and edge up to 2.1 per cent over the next two years.


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Moving the apostrophe on 'bees' is a small change to make. As is giving a beehive to a poor rural home.
Yet the impact is immense on the lives of the 1,200 affected families. And on the community. And on the environment. And on the likes of Sappi and Mondi who have vast forests, tree plantations that risk being burned down by ignorant bee-hunters.
Wonderful honey is produced by this project, the real stuff, unadulterated, unfiltered, unheated, unpasteurized, unmixed with sugar or irradiation. Gravity extracted.
I learned a few things very quickly on my visit to bee farmers near Richard's Bay in a village I'd never heard of, called Sokhulu.
One, most honey in South Africa's supermarkets is adulterated, most of it imported from China.
Two, honey is 'green' until the bees cap the cell with wax. Chinese farmers use green honey as it weighs more because it still has a high moisture content. This is not good. Chemicals are added to stop it fermenting.
Three, why do bees go woozy in smoke? It is because bees think their hive is at risk so they quickly gorge on the honey, making them clumsy and drowsy and disinclined to sting or defend. Greedy little buggers, really.
Four, we have two kinds of bees in South Africa. Black bees, which belong in the Cape and need to be eliminated if moved north by ignorant beekeepers, and the summer rainfall one. The African bee and Cape bee. Both are considered aggressive compared to European varieties.
The way this project works is based on six three-day 'workshops' given to locals, who are recruited by pamphlet and word-of-mouth.
The first workshop acts as a self-selection process. Those who come learn to make a protective veil and gloves from old clothes and kitchen curtaining, plus a smoker from a tin and a 'hive tool' (a sharpened metal thing to open the hive). If they don't attempt to make those things, they don't progress. Simple. Successful ones get to make their first hive from a flat-pack (materials necessary to make a hive). Those who come expecting a handout leave, and go looking for pots of gold at the end of rainbows made up of political promises.
So those who have ultimately selected themselves, go on to Level Two – and learn to catch bees, manage bees and manage their apiary sites. After completing a test they move to level three.
Level Three is about harvesting. They must get 100% for the test because it is about food safety and hygiene issues. Level Four is about a business plan (everyone sees how a sandwich business can turn R40 into R80 in a day). Level Four also teaches them to make a mobile chicken pen and garden towers. Five is about record keeping and the final Level Six focuses on advanced beehive management. After the Level 6 test, they get a certificate.
The change is people's lives is dramatic. From lethargy to being productive, from dependency to self-sufficiency, from a complete lack of money to an income of sorts, honey, food from the tower gardens, eggs from the chickens, and a sense of purpose.
One farmer told me he had sold 60kg of honey this past season (January to June) at R45 ($3.50) a kilogram. The African Honey Bee people buy all the honey, although farmers can sell it elsewhere if they wish. They generally lack the sophistication to market their own honey. Some two tons of honey was produced in the Sokhulu area over four months this year, 600kg in February 2017, 800kg in March, 1,100kg in April and 600kg in May.
Tower gardens are really sacks with soil in them, a bucket of stones in the middle, grey water from washing is used and after planting seeds, towers overflow with cabbages, squash, onions, tomatoes.
Bees love plantations. Trees produce an enormous number of flowers packed densely together, so even our sterile gum forests have many wild bee colonies.
Income from honey, chickens and veggies provides the necessary cashflow that allows small-scale timber growers to postpone harvesting trees from four to eight years, enabling them to quadruple their returns.
'It's the bee's knees' comes from the 18th century and meant something very small and insignificant. Its meaning changed in the 1920s to mean an outstanding person or thing.
This African Honey Bee project is indeed the latter. – Written by Peter Sullivan


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My name is Emily Bickle and I will be serving as a CGS intern this semester. As part of my internship, I will be blogging about our department, as well as my hectic life and many endeavors. I am a junior at Penn State University and I am delighted to be working with the fall semester Center for Global Studies interns. I am majoring in Global & International Studies and French & Francophone Studies as well as pursuing minors in Spanish and Business & Liberal Arts. In order to introduce myself and the expectations I have for the internship, I want to share three important characteristics I use to define myself.
First, I am adventurous and love tackling mountains, literally. Over the summer, I led a group of ten incoming Penn State Freshman in the White Mountains of New Hampshire. Throughout the hike, I experienced moments when I questioned my abilities. When we reached the summit of this beast of a mountain, Mount Eisenhower, and the clouds blew out of sight revealing the endless beauty of New Hampshire, I felt endless possibilities. In the same fashion I tackled that mountain, I plan to tackle this internship. I plan to have moments of doubt and yet continue taking step after step forward to achieve change and growth in myself and our community. I am looking forward to taking on the challenge of organizing and leading an event this semester that will encourage others to learn more about our world and then teach others about what they learned.
The second thing you should know about me is I value compassion. I want to devote my life to helping people. I have spent countless hours over the past five years volunteering at several places in the State College community. I want to continue this same kind of work in hopes of benefiting our shared planet. This internship will help me explore volunteering through education. I believe my work with CGS will be valuable practice for future careers where I will continue trying to educate people on different global issues and helping everyone reach their potential as global citizens. As I grow through this internship, my main goal is to teach others the role they play in contributing positively to society. My career goals, while not completely defined, are highlighted under the realm of non-profit work. I most simply put want to give back to the world and lend a hand where I can.
Lastly, I am curious about the world and I want to discover more. I am hopeful this internship will provide an outlet for me to connect to the larger world through working with guest speakers and other interns. I am looking forward to learning from their vast knowledge while sharing some of my own insight. I love a good challenge. I expect this internship to allow me to explore my curiosity within the world of global studies. The best way I can describe my curiosity is to tell a about when I was in England over the summer. I visited Stonehenge on a tour bus with 40 other students. Upon my arrival, I was intrigued and captivated instantly by the mystery of these huge rocks. My first instinct was to purchase a book and read about the theories people had created to explain these thousand year old rocks. This internship and my life in the future will be driven by the same curiosity I demonstrated on that sunny day under the rocks. I will always be asking questions, researching, engaging in conversation, and digging deeper to satiate my curious tendencies.
Throughout this internship, I promise to be adventurous, compassionate, and curious. I have high expectations for this internship, myself, and my future career. Keep checking into the CGS blog for more information on the internship and my progress throughout the year!


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Be the first AL.com user to add photos or videos of My RV Mail, Inc
My RV Mail, Inc is located at 5715 Highway 85 N, Crestview, FL. This business specializes in Camping.


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Here's what you'll need to make Boston Cream Poke Cake:
- 1 yellow cake mix (and ingredients called for on box, usually eggs, oil, and water).
- 2 boxes instant pudding vanilla
- 4 cups of milk
- 1 Can of your favorite chocolate frosting
You'll also need a 9×13″ pan, a wooden spoon, and a whisk!
Related Article: Chocolate Cake Smothered with Sweetened Condensed Milk, Hot Fudge, and Andes Mints! Everyone loves our Thin Mint Poke Cake!
How to Make boston Cream Poke Cake
Start by mixing together the ingredients for your cake. We keep this pretty simple by following the directions on the box for baking. It may vary from brand to brand, but it's never too difficult!
Once your cake has baked, take the end of a wooden spoon and poke holes in your cake. You don't have to follow any particular pattern or method, just make sure your spoon is wide enough that the pudding can seep through.
In a separate bowl, mix together your pudding and your milk. Whisk it until it begins to set up. Then slowly pour it over the holes in your cake mix.
We used the opposite end of our wooden spoon to spread out the cake mix and make sure it covered all of the holes. It may not all sink down at once, but if you've got a good layer over each hole, it'll sink while your cake cools.
Cool your cake in the refrigerator for about 2 hours, or until the pudding has set up and the cake is no longer warm. This will help your frosting set up faster.
Remove the foil or plastic from your frosting container and pop it in the microwave for a few seconds. You'll want it to be pourable, but not piping hot.
Related Article: This White Raspberry Poke Cake is light and refreshing because of one secret ingredient!
Pour your frosting over your cake and spread it evenly, covering all the edges. Let it cool again in the refrigerator until the frosting has set up. This will only take about 20-30 minutes.
Now you are ready to go! Slice up your cake and serve it, we like to serve ours right out of the fridge.
More Poke Cake recipes on six sisters' stuff
New to poke cakes? They truly are the best way to eat your cake! Here are a few more of our favorite recipes!
- Strawberries and Cream Poke Cake
- Sheet Pan Hawaiian Poke Cake
- Reese's Peanut Butter Poke Cake
- Blueberry Cheesecake Pudding Poke Cake
Serves: 20
2 hr, 40 Prep Time
30 minCook Time
3 hr, 10 Total Time
- 1 (15.25 ounce) box yellow cake mix
- 1 1/3 cups water
- 1/3 cup vegetable oil
- 3 eggs
- 4 cups milk
- 2 (3.4 ounce) boxes instant vanilla pudding
- 1 (16 ounce) container chocolate frosting (or favorite homemade chocolate frosting)
- Heat oven to the temperature suggested on the cake mix box. Make cake mix according to directions on box by adding in the water, vegetable oil and eggs.
- Bake in a 9 x 13 inch pan as directed on cake mix box.
- When cake is finished baking and is still warm, poke holes all over cake using a wooden spoon handle or other similar size object (you want those holes fairly big so the pudding has room to get in there and you need to poke straight through to the bottom of the cake).
- In a medium bowl, add milk to pudding mixes and continue to whisk until most of the lumps are removed.
- Pour pudding on top of warm cake, making sure to pour straight into the holes in the cake.
- Take a spoon and spread it evenly across the top of the cake (very gently press down pudding to ensure that pudding goes into the holes and spread it all the way to the sides).
- Put cake in fridge and allow to cool completely before adding the frosting (about 2 hours).
- Remove the lid and foil covering from the tub of chocolate frosting and microwave for about 10-15 seconds. Stir frosting with a spoon- it should still be thick. Gently spoon or pour chocolate frosting on top of pudding. Spread frosting to evenly cover cake. Start in the middle and gently spread to the sides.
- Allow to cool on the counter for a few minutes, then put into the fridge to fully cool and set up.
Recipe source: The Country Cook
Be sure to not miss another recipe!
Follow Six Sisters' Stuff on Instagram | Facebook | Pinterest | YouTube
Have you heard about our newest cookbook, Copycat Cooking?
We took over 100 of our favorite restaurant recipes and simplified them so that you can make them right at home!
Every recipe has a beautiful mouth-watering photo and has been picky-eater approved. The directions are simple, easy to follow, and do not require any strange ingredients.
This cookbook includes copycat recipes from Wingers, Texas Roadhouse, Starbucks, Panera, Cheesecake Factory, Kneaders, and so much more. We have you covered from drinks, to dessert and everything in-between.
We are so excited to share these recipes with you. Order your copy today!
Six Sisters' Stuff COPYCAT COOKING <—– Click here to order!
Have you checked out our YouTube channel?
In this video we're making our delicious Peanut Butter Poke Cake recipe!


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Internet News: In Brief
*Nashua Mobile and Internet Solutions (IS) have teamed up to bring a new voice-over Wi-Fi service called VoIS Mobile to market. The two companies have announced a partnership that will see Nashua Mobile resell the IS VoIS Mobile product to its corporate subscriber base while IS will in turn offer mobile contracts from Nashua Mobile to its clients.
* Kigali — Banking institutions in the country that are connected to Rwandatel's internet network have had their services affected following Seacom's undersea cable failure. The internet breakdown that started early this week is attributed to the fault on an undersea cable running from Dar-es-Salaam to Mumbai in the Indian Ocean.
* Geneva — President Paul Kagame has arrived in Geneva, Switzerland where he is participating in the first meeting of the recently launched Broadband Commission at the International Telecommunications Union (ITU). The President and Mexican tycoon, Carlos Slim, will co-chair the commission, whose objective is to advocate for widespread access to broadband for developing countries.
* The International Telecommunication Union (ITU) Regional Development Forum and the 11th Forum on Telecommunications/ICT Regulations Authority (FTRA) opened Monday at the Kairaba Beach Hotel in Kololi. The two conferences, which aim at dealing on the Fibre optic broadband and sharing capacity and open access principles to achieve Connect Africa Goal, are organised by the ITU on the invitation of the government of The Gambia through the Public Utility Regulatory Authority (PURA).


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Amazon is looking for a new home for their headquarters in North America. They announced on September 7 they're looking to invest over $5 billion in construction and operations for the Amazon HQ2 facility, this is said to create 50,000 new jobs.
Amazon's headquarters in Seattle is huge, it's 8.1 million square feet, has 33 buildings, 24 restaurants and cafes and employs 40,000 people.
With this recent news various cities in Canada were quick to show interest in this opportunity. Mayors of cities like Toronto, Brampton, Edmonton, and Montreal were quick in selling their cities.
Mayor Linda Jeffrey from Brampton was very vocal on twitter, expressing how she felt about Brampton being the city to host the new Amazon HQ.
Amazon stated that, "HQ2 could be, but does not have to be" an urban or downtown campus, it could have a similar layout to HQ1, and be "development-prepped" somewhere that has viable real estate options.
But they do favour areas with more than 1 million people, a stable and business-friendly environment, urban or suburban locations with the potential to attract and retain strong technical talent, and communities that think big and creatively.
It still remains to be seen whether Halton would want to make a proposal but cities like Oakville, Burlington and Milton are growing cities and they could be able to support a new facility.
Amazon founder and CEO mentions, "Amazon HQ2 will bring billions of dollars in up-front and ongoing investments, and tens of thousands of high-paying jobs. We're excited to find a second home."
Would you want to see Amazon's HQ2 in a city near you? Let us know!
Sources: Inhalton, Inside Halton


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Retaining Walls and Dividers For: Feed Containment – Manure Management – Aggregate Containment – Stone Containment
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See many of these brilliant applications right here on our website by checking out our hundreds of photos of guardrail applications.


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Restoring your equilibrium
Balance therapy is designed to help with the dizziness, walking difficulties, and falls that may result from central nervous system problems, bodily weakness, posture issues, or damage to the "vestibular system" – an organ inside the inner ear that maintains equilibrium.
Addressing your balance problems through this specialized form of physical therapy can help you remain safe and independent as you go about your daily activities. That's why, at Huggins Hospital's Back Bay Rehabilitation, we not only have the latest in balance technology, we also have staff who are trained in this specialty. We provide a comprehensive balance evaluation, individualized rehabilitation, and retraining to improve function and prevent falls.
In your first visit, which takes 45-60 minutes, we'll assess your balance, vision, dizziness, strength, walking, and movement. After that initial assessment, you'll have weekly therapy sessions with progressively more challenging balance and strengthening activities that you can also do at home.
There's no need to struggle with balance issues on your own, when help is right here in your community. To get started in our program, please check with your health care provider for a referral and prescription, and then call Back Bay Rehabilitation at 603.569.7565 to schedule your evaluation.
- Adult Day Program
- Aquatic Therapy
- Assisted Living at Sugar Hill
- Back Bay Rehabilitation
- Balance/Vestibular
- Cancer Care
- Cardiac Rehabilitation
- Cardiac Stress Testing
- Cardiology
- CT (Computed Tomography)
- Day Surgery
- Dentistry
- Dermatology
- DEXA/Bone Density
- Diabetes Services
- Digital Mammography
- Digital X-Ray
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- Emergency Services
- Fluoroscopy
- Gastroenterology
- General Surgery
- Gynecology Services
- Hand Therapy
- Hospitalist
- Imaging/Radiology
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- Intensive Care Unit
- Laboratory
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- Massage Therapy
- Medical/Surgical Inpatient Care
- Neuro Rehab
- Neurology
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- Orthopedics
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- Pediatric Speech Therapy
- Pediatrics
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- Primary Care
- Rehabilitation Services
- Respiratory Therapy
- Social Services
- Speech Language Pathology
- Sports Medicine
- Sugar Hill Retirement Community
- Surgical Services
- Swing Bed Program
- Travel Clinic
- Ultrasound, 3D
- Urology
- Vascular Surgery
- VitalStim® Dysphasia
- Women's Health


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Maybe you've heard it before, but the skilled trades like electrical, HVAC, and construction are struggling to find workers. It's said that for every 4 skilled workers retiring or leaving the industry, only 1 is entering. With competitive wages and high employability, it's a reliable career path, but trade industries struggle to recruit the next generation.
Enter the South Carolina Ride and Decide Program. Currently in its pilot program, SC Ride and Decide works to pair students and high schools with industry contractors in their region. The program lets students experience the trade during summer break, assisting in paid work activities. The Ride and Decide Program is a project of the South Carolina Association of Heating and Air Conditioning.
Senior year of high school can be a stressful time. In addition to finishing important coursework, teenagers are tasked with figuring out plans for life after high school. For some, college is the next step, but many are still unsure of what to study or pursue for a career path.
For Mark Phillips of North Myrtle Beach High School, the Ride and Decide program allowed him to work with Myrtle Beach's Cooper Mechanical Services, an unlimited license electrical and HVAC contractor. Phillips works part-time with the Cooper team in a variety of areas including business growth. For Phillips, the program provides him a well-paying part-time job and the ability to learn about specific jobs he may decide to pursue in the future.
For Cooper Mechanical Services and many businesses like them, Phillips represents the future of the skilled tradesmen and women. "Having Mark on board is a wonderful," said Glenn Cooper, founder and president of CMS. "The relationships we are building with students and high school administrators is a great thing for our community and the industry."
Another Cooper employee is also praising the new program. "Finding quality HVAC people has been a challenge," remarks Mike Ruggieri, Cooper's HVAC Clean & Service Manager. "We hope that this program will let young people see that there are good jobs in HVAC here that pay well and let you work with new challenges everyday."
The Ride and Decide program is open to any South Carolina high school junior or senior meeting the following requirements:
To participate, student must:
Be at least 16 years of age before starting the program.
Have completed their sophomore year of high school.
Have at least a C average and excellent school attendance.
Have reliable transportation to and from work location.
Be recommended to the program by an educator, school administrator, or SCAHACC member.
Obtain parental permission with a Release for the SCAHACC and educational institution.
Adhere strictly to the attendance and employment regulations required by the employer and adhere strictly to the SC Child Labor Laws.


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This is the penultimate article in our series on ten things to consider when choosing a supplier.
Today's technology has taken over. Even the mechanic in the garage, has to rely on a computer to diagnose whether the car's engine and suspension are in working order – it's no use him being a magician with a spanner and a dab hand using his feeler gauges to set up your ignition any more!
So if you are considering a capital equipment purchase such as phone systems or the latest in voice recorders you can be sure there are a number of suppliers of the product you've decided has the features and facilities your firm requires. The burning question is, can they maintain it, or will they sub-contract it out?
It is far better with purchases like this that you have support from the vendor – you've experienced it before where someone else comes along to say "This hasn't been fitted to the specification!â€Â They will then charge you the Earth to put it right. If it's the company that installed it, then you do have a legitimate argument for having it corrected for free.
Check if the dealer has manufacturer accreditation – this tells you that they have been trained – but enquire how many of the technical team are qualified to service your OfficeServ7000 – the more of them there are, then you are guaranteed excellent cover.
For phone systems there's more to it than just the telephones themselves. The technician should be aware of the complexities of CAT5, CAT6, ISDN2e, ISDN30e, Broadband, SIP, DECT, Wi-Fi, Bluetooth, DDI, CLI, ACD, and others!
Where you require additions, then again skill is a boon. The awareness of how to implement any change to phone systems without taking them out of operation for hours will limit the down time where your staff cannot perform.
Hopefully you'll have spoken to Les, Dave, Adrian, Damian, Danny and Tony and appreciate that we do have the knowledge on phone systems that's the equal of any other phones systems provider.
Watch out for the Article 10 which will focus on Contactability.
For more information on this or any of the previously published topics – feel free to speak to us on 0800 652 8052.


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AFL star Hipwood excited for 2018
AFL: Sunshine Coast AFL star Eric Hipwood is gearing up for a big 2018 as he and the Brisbane Lions enjoy an exciting off-season period.
Hipwood and fellow Rising Star nominee Harris Andrews were named in the league's 22under22 upon season's end, while the club selected Cameron Rayner with Pick 1 in the National Draft in late November.
The Lions also welcomed four-time Hawthorn premiership player Luke Hodge to the fold during October's trade week, along with 2017 grand finalist and Adelaide Crows livewire Charlie Cameron.
The 20-year-old said the addition of league legend Hodge was "fantastic" for morale as the young Lions look to build on their foundations next season.
"Along with everything else, Hodgey is just a great bloke," Hipwood said.
"He's obviously very knowledgeable and has a lot of experiences to draw from that successful background, and he's also very genuine and easy to approach.
"He's going to be a great presence to have for the young guys and the experienced players too.
"He really gives us a lot of hope that we're on the right track."
Hipwood said the two younger arrivals had also been "really positive" for the overall environment at the club.
"Charlie comes from another successful background at Adelaide, so he has a lot to offer the group too," he said.
"He's a great character, loves having a joke with the boys.
"He (Rayner) has been very impressive around the club since he's got here.
"He's talented, skilful and driven to succeed, so it's definitely exciting to have that type of player come in."
Hipwood, a key forward standing at 202cm, became one of the highlight players in the competition last year, known for his ability to kick goals from long distances and use his uncanny blend of speed and agility to beat bulkier defenders.
Despite being picked in the 22under22 team, in addition to his Round 5 nomination for the league's Rising Star award, he said he was "not the type of player" to focus on his own achievements.
"I haven't really reflected on any of it," he said.
"My mentality is very much team-oriented.
"I just want to keep trying to improve so we can get better as a unit.
"I guess it's nice to know I'm doing things right once in a while, but I probably won't look at any of the individual stuff properly until my career's done."
As the Lions look ahead to an off-season training camp in Tasmania for a second straight year, the return of injured veterans Mitch Robinson, Allen Christensen and Tom Bell add further depth the club needs to continue progressing next season.
Though former Number 2 pick Josh Schache and midfield veteran Tom Rockliff departed for the Western Bulldogs and Port Adelaide respectively, the club's new additions give plenty for fans to be excited about it.
While Hipwood admitted that it was exciting for the players too, he said "keeping a level head" was of major importance as the journey continues.


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We will be glad to speak with you without charge for a few minutes on the phone, or you can email us to determine if your matter is something we can or would like to handle. During this brief exchange, feel free to ask about our qualifications, services, and availability. In most cases, however, we will need you to set up an appointment for a paid consultation and evaluation of your case that usually lasts at least an hour. The one-hour consultation fee is $100 and will be credited to your account if you hire us within 60 days. We require a consultation before accepting a new case. If you live outside of the Baltimore/Washington DC area, we can discuss by phone, Skype or FaceTime. Contact me today for a consultation. More complex matters may take longer or require follow up (e.g., national interest waivers, cases needing waivers of inadmissibility, involving criminal or deportation history problems, or asylum, etc.). Ask about our less expensive 30 minute consultations where we can answer general questions about immigration law or process. These consultations do not involve eligibility analysis or strategy decisions about your specific facts, as that will require a full evaluation consultation usually lasting at least an hour.
ATTENTION EMPLOYERS: We will provide an initial one-hour free consultation with you directly concerning your hiring plans, long and short-term visa needs, and initial evaluation of candidates. Please note that for most employer sponsored visas and green cards, we need your active participation, and in some categories, the employer must pay all or some of the legal fees and costs (e.g., government filing fees, advertising).
THE BENEFITS OF A FULL CONSULTATION: We get to know each other be tter. We want you to feel comfortable hiring us to help you with your legal matter, since we are often set for a long journey together as nothing is quick in immigration law. For new or prospective immigrants to the U.S., we may be your first encounter with the American legal system. We want you to feel confident hiring this firm, and, likewise, we want to enjoy working with you to help you reach your goals.
We listen to you and your concerns. We want to learn more about you and your business or personal opportunities in the U.S., your priorities, and any cultural, religious, travel, timing, family, and/or work related concerns so that we can custom tailor a solution for your legal matter given those priorities.
Once we have all the facts in your case, we can create a custom strategy tailored for your facts and priorities. We will be honest with you if there is nothing we can do or the chance for success is limited.
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Home > FLRO > Vol. 86 (2017)
Article Title
The Reliability of the Adversarial System to Assess the Scientific Validity of Forensic Evidence
PCAST, DOJ, report, forensic evidence, validity, evidence law, Daubert, 702
This Article was prepared as a companion to the Fordham Law Review Reed Symposium on Forensic Expert Testimony, Daubert, and Rule 702, held on October 27, 2017, at Boston College School of Law. The Symposium took place under the sponsorship of the Judicial Conference Advisory Committee on Evidence Rules. For an overview of the Symposium, see Daniel J. Capra, Foreword: Symposium on Forensic Testimony, Daubert, and Rule 702, 86 Fordham L. Rev. 1459 (2018).
Recommended Citation
Goldsmith, Andrew D.
"The Reliability of the Adversarial System to Assess the Scientific Validity of Forensic Evidence,"
Fordham Law Review Online: Vol. 86
, Article 13.
Available at: https://ir.lawnet.fordham.edu/flro/vol86/iss1/13


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I added the feet today to the pot I made yesterday (see previous post).
The shape I am basing it is on this teapot on the far left. That is a stoneware that was gas fired to cone 10 and covered with an all over iron oxide decal pattern that I designed.
This new vase/teapot is bigger, but once it dries, and once its fired, it will be roughly the same size.
I plan to try to duplicate (as much as possible) the same firing in my home electric kiln. This is cone 6 stoneware clay. It will fire to a buff brown with dark speckles … then I will apply the iron oxide decals. And like the version on the left, it will not be glazed.
I still have to form the handle and the spout and the lid. So I had better get busy.
Thanks for stopping by! — Natalie


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Not on display
- Artist
- Claud Lovat Fraser 1890–1921
- Medium
- Gouache, watercolour and graphite on canvas
- Dimensions
- Support: 610 × 914 mm
- Collection
- Tate
- Acquisition
- Purchased 1975
- Reference
Catalogue entry
Not inscribed
Gouache, watercolours and pencil on canvas, 24×36 (61×91.4)
Purchased from Mrs Grace Lovat Fraser (Grant-in-Aid) 1975
Exh: Informal Exhibition of Paintings by Lovat Fraser, 45 Roland Gardens, London SW7, February 1913 (no catalogue traced); Claud Lovat Fraser, Victoria and Albert Museum, September–December 1969 (19, repr.)
Lit: Haldane MacFall, The Book of Lovat, London, 1923; Malcolm Easton, 'Three Lovat Fraser Sketchbooks', Appendix to catalogue of Claud Lovat Fraser exhibition, University of Hull, October–November 1968; Grace Lovat Fraser, Introduction to the catalogue of the 1969 Victoria and Albert Museum Lovat Fraser exhibition
Although Lovat Fraser's active involvement with the stage did not begin until 1919 (when his designs were used in a production of Pergolesi's operetta La Padrona), his interest in the theatre started much earlier in his career. The first theatrically-inspired paintings and designs for sets and costumes date from 1912, in which year he met Bakst and became closely associated with Edward Gordon Craig. The latter's influence is apparent in this gouache.
According to the artist's widow, 'The Slave Market' was one of a number of purely imaginary theatrical scenes Fraser exhibited (together with other stage designs) at his first one-man show and was the only work of this type left unsold when it finished. It represents 'the arrival at a Moslem fort of a shipwrecked Papal Legate and his suite, who are seen as they pass a street slave market'. (Grace Lovat Fraser, op.cit, p.7).
While orientalism was very much in the air in London in 1912 (as a result, perhaps, of such Ballets Russes productions as Scheherezade), Fraser's choice of theme is probably connected with his work during much of 1912 and early 1913 on Haldane MacFall's 'eastern' play The Three Students. Designs for this were included in the Roland Gardens exhibition and one, a 'Saracen's Head', was used for the poster advertising it. Shortly before the exhibition opened Fraser had been introduced to Sir Herbert Beerbohm Tree who at that time planned to put on The Three Students at Her Majesty's Theatre, and it was doubtless in the hope of this and other theatrical commissions that Fraser wrote urging MacFall to bring Tree to his show.
'The Slave Market' is very similar in conception and treatment to Fraser's contemporary designs for 'King Lear' (which, like those for The Three Students were never actually realized). Malcolm Easton (op.cit) has also drawn attention to the existence of several drawings in Fraser's sketchbooks of 1913 of a similar compositional type, which he calls 'pillar and crowd drawings'. In general these are horizontal in format, brightly coloured, and feature a milling crowd, the composition being stabilized by tall verticals rising high overhead. A wide variety of subjects serve as pretexts for such compositions in the sketchbooks.
Liberty and Co. recently (1974) adapted 'The Slave Market', with minor modifications, as a textile. Examples of this (a silk chiffon) are in the collection of the Victoria and Albert Museum.
Published in:
The Tate Gallery 1974-6: Illustrated Catalogue of Acquisitions, London 1978
- architecture(41,314)
- military(6,816)
- fortification(818)
- crowd(654)
- social comment(6,588)
- slavery(54)
- ship, sailing(1,344)


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The Lofts at Sylvan Thirty, apartments at the mixed-use development on Fort Worth Avenue at Sylvan, will range from $875-$2,725.
The smallest apartment comprises 592 square feet, and overall the units will lease for around $1.40 per square foot.
The apartments are still under construction but are expected to be available for move in this summer.
Here is a description of the finish outs, from leasing company Greystar:
"…granite counter tops, wood-style plank flooring, urban concrete, frieze carpet and espresso wood cabinetry with stylish chrome hardware. All homes also feature spacious walk-in closets and private patios or Juliette balconies."
There's also a pool, gym, concierge and clubhouse with a full kitchen.


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When extraordinary courage meets unthinking response
It would appear from the relative calm on the streets and in universities that the student movement, which has catapulted an entire generation of teenagers into adulthood in just a matter of days, is over. But calm is not necessarily peace, and peace can be an exhausted possibility when wrong methods are applied to attain it. From the look of things, a metaphorical bullet in the form of a more threatening development may have been dodged, but a sense of relief can be short-lived as the manner in which the protests were stifled, and public outrage that had ignited them in the first place, may have inevitable consequences in the future.
At this point, it's probably irrelevant to recall the particular circumstances under which the movement was born. Suffice to say, the deaths of the two college students on that fateful morning on July 29 gave the nation a rare moment of unity: they united in mourning for the two students killed, in seeking justice, seeking an end to road casualties, and supporting what started as a spontaneous gathering on Airport Road. That feeling of unity and rejuvenation is all but lost now. What transpired in the intervening period can be described as a classic case of what happens when, as a social commentator has put it, "extraordinary courage" is met with "extreme cowardice"—each day a more painful version of the previous day.
If the government is relieved that a movement that it could neither publicly disapprove of nor allow to continue unimpeded is finally over, those who supported it are just as well relieved that their children wouldn't have to face the business end of violence any more, not at least in the foreseeable future.
This speaks of an institutional system increasingly alienated from the public that is unable or unwilling to meet their legitimate demands and would resort to aggressive methods to counter them. Note what the police had to say when asked why only students, and none of those behind the attacks, were implicated in the 29 cases filed over the violence in protests: "Does any officer has the guts to file a case against ruling party activists unless a political decision comes to that end?" (The Daily Star) There you have it—a crime is not a crime unless the system says so. A victim doesn't deserve justice unless the system says he/she does. This culture of lawlessness, corruption and lack of accountability is precisely why a demand for justice by the grieving students of one school became a rallying cry for change for all the students and teachers from all educational institutions and people from all walks of life, who felt equally threatened by it and wanted a solution.
However, when extraordinary courage is met with extreme cowardice, it's unlikely to go without consequences. The government's handling of the movement, clearly one of the most injudicious crisis management blunders made by it in recent years, has drawn determined pushback. And some of the reactions or outcomes should worry it, with the general election only months away.
Firstly, the unflattering headlines in the international media, drawing attention to how the protesters were subjected to violence and torture, should worry it. The international media highlighted how the government allegedly crippled Internet services, censored local news coverage, and used extrajudicial force to cow the protesters into submission. Photos and video clips on these excesses circulated via social media attracted widespread condemnation from across the world. Not only did Bangladesh's image suffer as a result of it, but the government too will have to wrestle with the fallout from such critical portrayals.
Secondly, the government should think about the potential role that the increasingly disaffected youth can play in the next election. It's handling of the protests has clearly made it unpopular with a large section of the youth, aided by its past handling of popular movements like that for quota reforms, and further widened the chasm separating the institutional system from the people. For example, the young students particularly objected to the frequent references to the alleged politicisation of the movement and the involvement of "other forces", which they viewed as an attempt to discredit their movement and support the heavy-handed response used to tackle it. The government has so far failed to come up with any credible evidence of the involvement of "other forces", and made no visible attempt to identify the suspects either.
However, a fundamental problem with this line of thinking is that in Bangladesh, politics has a very narrow definition. Being political is generally understood to be supportive or critical of a political party. Going by this definition, you cannot be political and not directly support/oppose any party. This narrowing of definition, however, is as costly and chilling to the rich variety of the political traditions of this land as to those who like to think independently. Young people today are very conscious politically, but if we continue to go down this narrow path, all cherished notions of liberal democracy could soon be completely drowned out by reactionary politics.
According to the latest count, at least 1,21,34,000 new voters will exercise their franchise in the upcoming national election. These new voters may hugely impact the results of the election. Young people expect change and want to be heard, so the challenge for the government will be to try and convince them that it is sincerely willing to rectify its ways and be more receptive to their opinion and that of the general populace.
Badiuzzaman Bay is a member of the editorial team at The Daily Star.
Source: The Daily Star.