Last month I featured an article about Etsy. I you haven't heard of Etsy, it is an online store that focuses on handmade art, clothing and vintage items, along with jewelry, photography, accessories, craft supplies and more. I have become a huge fan of Etsy for several reasons' but mainly because it is place where very talented and creative people can sell their items at very reasonable prices with an artistic and handmade touch. When I visit Etsy, I feel like I have been transported into an old fashion vintage shop full of intimate, cozy and beautiful items that all woman love. You know the kind I am talking about, candles, soft music playing, and the smell of jasmine or lemon pound cake. Little nuggets of the store full of romantic jewelry, soft colors and unique lotions and hand bags, sassy shoes, scarf's... All the while light jazz playing and a sweet little lady who offers you a satchel for your items and a complimentary cup of tea. Yeah, I could spend all day on Etsy, but my husband and my kids might notice when dinner goes missing.
So I am thrilled and super excited to introduce you to Lauren Perkins who is the owner, designer and creator of Plumfield Shop.
Plumfield Shop opened last year and offers a wide Varity of charming and sweet items for the home, children, gifts and of course for you, your Mom, or BFF. Her items are very creative and have an outdoors appeal that is perfect for spring and summer time.
I have been honored to get to know Lauren a little a bit and how she got her Etsy business started and what it is like to be an entrepreneur in the Charlotte area. Read below to learn more about her, and make sure you check Plumfield Shop on Etsy as well as her blog which offers wonderful tips on sewing cooking and other bits of life.
I have been sewing for five years. I had always wanted to learn to sew and one day decided that it was time. I picked out an inexpensive sewing machine for my mother-in-law to get me for Christmas. I read the whole manual that came with the machine. I asked my husband for help.
Eventually, I found my groove. After lots of practice and lots and LOTS of mistakes, I realized that I was in love. The fabrics, the colors, the design and construction- everything about this hobby appealed to me. The only problem was that I could never sew enough. There was always something keeping me from sewing as much and as often as I wanted.
Finally, my husband and I put our heads together. We planned and we calculated and we schemed. We came up with the crazy idea that I could quit my full time job and start a sewing business. We read books, brainstormed shop names, and did market research. And then we just did it.
I opened my shop in August of 2010. I get to sew every day, sometimes all day, and I have never had more fun. My favorite part is getting to work directly with a customer to create an item that is uniquely theirs. There is a certain joy that comes from taking your skills and knowledge and using them to give form to someone else's dream.
I think that one of the advantages to starting my own business in Charlotte is that it is a large city with tons of resources. I have access to all sorts of great supplies and inspiration here. Most of the small business connections I have made so far are online, but I am looking forward to meeting other local entrepreneurs.
The hard part about Charlotte being so large though is that I always feel like I am missing something! I am sure there are lots of great shops and groups that I will never cross paths with and I hate to think that I'm not using my community to its fullest!
A big thank you to Lauren for allowing me to feature her here on the Chatter. I think you will love her and Plumfield Shop as much as I do. Don't forget to check out her shop visit her blog and on Facebook as well.


The Devil's Way: In Genesis, the serpent tempted Eve to eat the forbidden fruit in the Garden of Eden: "God knows that if you eat of it your eyes will be opened, and you will be like God knowing good an devil." (Gen. 3:5). It's a kind of temptation "to be like God", not in love and mercy but in power and glory, dependence one oneself not in God. The life of our first parents and their children was shattered as a consequence of their sin of disobedience. Cain, considered Abel not a brother but a rival and killed him.
When someone is admired, has nice house and car and successful, envy and jealousy creep in and many succumbed to it. Some politicians even eliminate their rivals.
The devil's "sweet talking" temptation continues at all times done in fashionable ways of vain ambition, luxurious obsession and mundane desires. The devil's subtle baits and traps maneuver their way into sacred places and pious personages. When one is proud and self-conceited, imposes himself or herself, exploits the poor and the weak, takes advantage of someone's goodness is the devil's way.
Jesus' Way: Our Lord presents to us the way to be like God through Love and mercy. Our love should not be selective. Love includes everyone for that is how God loves us. Jesus manifested God's love through his suffering and death on the cross for all people bad and good, believers and unbelievers alike. He said; "You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, and with all your soul, and with all your mind and with all your strength, and you shall love your neighbor as yourself." (Mt. 22:37-39). Be merciful as your heavenly Father is merciful. (Lk.6:36).
Vengeance seems to be the natural impulse to get even with someone who hurt us. Can we still love that person? Here are the wisdom of Pope Emeritus Benedict XVI; "The love which we are called to is not a product of pour own effort…it is a gift of God." David sees, in a sense, not his own but God's eyes.
On the flip side, someone said that truth is like a surgery, it hurts but it heals. Encourage and build up each other. Look for Christ and you will find him. The Lord tells us today that he needs our sufferings to rescue souls. Everyone loves you until you become a competition. A heathy you is your best gift to your family. Never believe you're above or below anyone, be humble. Amen on that folks!!
St. Faustina wrote Jesus' words; " I do not reward for good results but for the patience and hardship undergone for My sake." (Diary 86). Pray the Divine Mercy every 3 pm daily, pray the Chaplet of Mercy and the Holy Rosary for peace in our families and world.


Description: Step back in time at the Isaac Ludwig Mill! Children's activities will include candle dipping, cookie making on our wood cook stove and ornament making. Looking for a unique holiday gift or have some baking to do? Pick up some of our stone ground products to take home.


Been tossing the idea around for a few years, still on the fence about taking the plunge. I've got a 17' Lund pro sport that's been an extremely fun and reliable boat, but with the boys getting bigger I'm thinking about getting a bit bigger boat. Always wanted a jet boat but have shy'd away because of maintenance and cost of operating compared to a regular outboard motor.
Can anyone enlighten me on the facts about running a newer jet boat with like a 200 or 240 merc optimax engine? Or maybe suggest a more efficient engine to run? I'd like a boat in the 19'-21' range, something I can camp in and an open bow. I don't want to buy new, $60-$90k is definetly not in the budget, I'd like to get the most I can out of $40k max.
Last edited by Kurt505; 05-15-2018 at 09:44 AM.


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6 years ago @ The Toast - An Open Thread, and Se... · 44 replies · +97 points
Thank you for making this space for us. Thank you for being funny and insightful and inspiring. Thank you for making us felt like we mattered.
Does anyone else have a Toast Resolution? Something that they're going to work on or focus on because of this community? Maybe it made you feel more brave, or more accepted than you realized?
For me... I'm going to write! It's been a desire of mine my entire life but I've always felt inadequate. I've always worried that there are too many people with my goal to make any kind of impact, or to even achieve anything. And it feels like a silly, throw-away goal. But I don't care! It's something I enjoy doing! It brings me a lot of joy and I think now, more than ever, that's really all that matters. The Toast posted something of mine (silly Game of Thrones fan theories) which was awesome, even though it wasn't anything long-form. Some lovely commenters (OK maybe just one or two) asked me if I was a writer based on some super insane dreams I shared, and told me I should pursue it. I just love that this community exists, even if it won't exist in the same fashion for much longer. You all make me feel like I matter and that we are all worth listening to!
6 years ago @ The Toast - A note on The Toast · 0 replies · +20 points
6 years ago @ The Toast - Link Roundup! · 6 replies · +47 points
one of my best female friends is turning 50 next year and married a 27/28 year old guy last year. the age difference isn't as stark, but it's still enough to draw attention. literally neither of them have considered it an issue, apart from one of mechanics (i.e., is she too old to have kids? what about her retirement/potential illness when he is still young? which are super hard issues to talk about but also important ones!)
their families reeled when they announced it, but they came around so quickly you would not believe. all it took was.... are you ready for this? all it took was them seeing how HAPPY they made each other, and suddenly they were all about it.
(meanwhile i am dating a guy 4 years my junior and like, he was in high school at the height of emo/screamo and so that's sort of his thing while i am like "oh my god?? no?? it's all about alternative rock and alt-metal??" and then i remember that if that, and the fact that he appreciated shit like pokemon and harry potter when he was appropriately aged, UNLIKE ME WHO WAS JUST A WEIRD TEENAGER, is our biggest issue, we are doing OK.)
6 years ago @ The Toast - The Brush Off: The Ear... · 0 replies · +14 points
is this where i admit i have no freakin idea what subculture i was a part of then? i was definitely aware of these things happening around me, but i was too busy reveling in a heinous amalgamation of late 90s skater and subdued/makeup-free goth. idek.
6 years ago @ The Toast - Cocktail Hour: Open Th... · 3 replies · +4 points
Does the band know you?? That actually sounds quite adorable.
I just need to chill for fear of being Too Mom at him. like SWEETIE YOU WERE SO GOOD LOOK AT THESE PICTURES I TOOK AW MY GOSH EVERYONE LOOK AT HIM GO! ISN'T HE THE BEST??
Although I do that sometimes when he's just standing around, so maybe he's used to it.
Probably wise. I guess there are more book in the same universe/time but with other narrators, and I considered reading some but... the disappointing ending of her most well-known/well-received series doesn't bode well for them...
I was actually put off by the dragons!! It felt like a weird fantasy cop-out... but then again I had an ebook so no cover to guide me!
Yeah it really dragged. I was surprised when there wasn't another round of Fitz being caught, tortured, and saved by a new group of people he'd eventually leave. Overall though I'm most upset about Burrich and Molly. Totally uncalled for. What a waste of two characters.
I just finished the Farseer trilogy by Robin Hobb. I enjoyed the first two but was really disappointed with the final installment. It felt like she wrote herself into a corner. And it's always a gut-punch when an author develops a character you love and then gives them an out-of-character ending...
6 years ago @ The Toast - Cocktail Hour: Open Th... · 6 replies · +10 points
how dare you give me good & practical & anxiety-relieving advice!!!
(thanks. it's the first time he'll be playing live with this band and the first time i've seen him perform. he is the most down-to-earth, chill, soft-spoken guy you will ever meet who moonlights as a headbanging double-bass-pedal-shattering metal drummer. i'm really excited to see him play!)
6 years ago @ The Toast - Cocktail Hour: Open Th... · 10 replies · +12 points
My boyfriend's band is having a CD release concert tonight!! I'm so excited. BUT. I have no idea what I'm supposed to do! Like literally, WHAT DO I DO?
Where do I stand? Should I casually be in the back by the bar? Would it be corny if I was in front cheering? Or is it worse if I'm NOT in front cheering? Am I in charge of getting him beer/water throughout his set?? What do I wear?! How do I act?!?!?
an Joint

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaCommonCrawl


Fantasy Football Week 8: Start or Sit Raheem Mostert, Marlon Mack, or Ronald Jones?
It feels like the fantasy football season just started, but this is the last week where we can consider ourselves in the midgame. After this week, you're entering the last third of your fantasy football regular season, and you have to start thinking of things on a week-to-week basis. Thankfully, we always think of you when considering our week-to-week propositions. Our goal is to help you make the hard start or sit decisions every week. We consider six players at all positions, helping you decide if you should start or sit them. Without further ado, in the first half of our start or sit running backs piece, we help you decide if you should start or sit Raheem Mostert, Marlon Mack, or Ronald Jones?
Going into the season, very few people would think we would be in this position with Mostert. The fourth-year vet has 75% of his career carries in the last three games. That's not a typo: Mostert made his hay before this season as a special teams guy. He never rose above fourth on the 49ers depth chart before everything fell apart around him. However, Matt Breida's extreme fragility continues to rear its ugly head. This weekend it's looking extremely unlikely that Breida will play, and even more likely that Alf Morris will continue to have his amazing Washington days firmly in the rearview mirror. Mostert is likely to get the bulk of the carries this weekend, and he's been electric in that role the last two weeks. His first extended run of his career finds him with with 157 rush yards on just 24 carries. That's a very good rate, and he has a chance to build on it this weekend as the 49ers square off the worst rush defense in the entire NFL. The Niners and Cards played just a few weeks ago, and the running backs totaled over 33 fantasy points against them in half-PPR. If you're wondering if you should start or sit Raheem Mostert, just call him Raheem Must-Start. I am not sorry.
To be honest, I would start whoever is going up against Oakland this week. That team is a freaking disaster, and the only halfway decent thing to come out of Gruden's tenure there is isgrudengoneyet.com (the brainchild of the Something Awful Dot Com Forums). Marlon Mack is the best running back out of the 700 that the Colts cycled through this season, and has over 200 yards rushing in his first two games since coming back from—aaand he's already hurt again. Mack was a DNP on Thursday at practice for the Colts, so this is a recommendation to monitor. If he plays, I'm firing him up. Oakland can't stop anything, and the Colts showed their willingness to stick the ball in Mack's belly already. Even a partial workload for him against a messy Raiders run defense is enough to return RB2 numbers. You'll have to pay close attention to the inactive report on Sunday, but if you're wondering if you should start or sit Marlon Mack on Sunday, go ahead and start him if he is active.
I am not going to try to sugar coat Ronald Jones and his time in the NFL. He hasn't been great, and the Tampa Bay offensive line hasn't done him any real favors so far this year. He has just seventeen carries on the year, and he's taking those carries for absurdly low yards per carry for the back that he was in college. This week, he gets a chance to turn it around against the Bengals. Peyton Barber is unlikely to play, and Jones is better than everyone else they have. The Buccaneers take on a Bengals run defense that has allowed the fifth-most fantasy points to RB this year, including nine touchdowns to the position in the last six games. He's not the best option this week, but if you are in a pinch and trying to decide if you should start or sit Ronald Jones, I would start him this week.
Previous Article Fantasy Football Week 8: Start or Sit Crowell, Yeldon, or Doug Martin?


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Weidach ist ein Stadtteil der Stadt Wolfratshausen und eine Gemarkung im oberbayerischen Landkreis Bad Tölz-Wolfratshausen.

Das Dorf Weidach liegt nördlich direkt anschließend an die Kernstadt Wolfratshausen an der Loisach. Die Isar fließt östlich.

Die Gemarkung Weidach hat eine Fläche von 181,45 Hektar und liegt vollständig auf dem Gebiet der Stadt Wolfratshausen. Auf ihr liegen die Wolfratshausener Gemeindeteile Nantwein und Weidach. Ihre Nachbargemarkungen sind Dorfen, Ergertshausen und Wolfratshausen.

Sehenswürdigkeiten
In der Liste der Baudenkmäler in Wolfratshausen sind für Weidach sechs Baudenkmäler aufgeführt, darunter die Anfang des 20. Jahrhunderts errichtete Kapelle (Nähe Äußere Münchener Straße), ein putzgegliederter Satteldachbau mit Eingangsportikus und Dachreiter.

Die Dorflinde gegenüber dem ehemaligen Rathaus (Weidacher Hauptstraße 40) ist als Naturdenkmal geschützt.

Geschichte
Am 1. Mai 1978 wurde die Gemeinde Weidach nach Wolfratshausen eingegliedert. Sie bestand aus den beiden Orten Weidach und Nantwein und hatte 1961 eine Gemeindefläche von 180,24 Hektar.

Weblinks

Einzelnachweise

Gemeindeteil von Wolfratshausen
Ort im Landkreis Bad Tölz-Wolfratshausen
Gemarkung in Oberbayern

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaWikipedia


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Morrissey - Viva Hate
Released in 1988, Viva Hate is the debut solo studio album by the English singer and former Smiths frontman Morrissey.
Arriving six months after the final album by The Smiths, 'Strangeways, Here We Come', it features the singles 'Suedehead' and 'Everyday Is Like Sunday'.
Members can get 20% off using discount code Mem22.


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Considering abortion?
Struggling after abortion?
Supporting women with unplanned pregnancy, and post-abortion
The Pregnancy Crisis Helpline is based in the UK and was set up to provide a safe and confidential place for women to find help when facing an unexpected pregnancy, or suffering after an abortion.
When faced with an unplanned pregnancy women can often feel alone and isolated – at the time when they most need help. The first reaction is often to panic and make a decision that might be regretted. The helpline seeks to support women (and their partners) in exploring their feelings and their options at this stressful time.
We also have access to an extensive directory of pregnancy support centres around the UK. We can tell you about your local services so you can receive face-to-face support in your local area – eg: counselling, financial advice, help with housing, support groups for single parents and many others. Let us know if you'd like help finding support in your local area.
While we offer support for women (and their partners) struggling with an unplanned pregnancy or post-abortion difficulties, we do not refer people for abortion.
Give us a call now 0800 368 9296
Please note: we do not refer for abortion
info@pregnancycrisishelpline.org.uk020 3880 5798
© 2020 Pregnancy Crisis Helpline. PO Box 76073 London EC1P 1AA | Legal | Privacy | Login


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Publications TMI Magazine TMI 194 > An Insight into BlackRock's Cash Management Business
An Insight into BlackRock's Cash Management Business An interview with Rich Hoerner and Simon Mendelson, Co-Heads of Global Cash Management and Securities Lending, BlackRock TMI talks to Rich Hoerner and Simon Mendelson about today's investment priorities for international investors, the MMF industry, and more.
An Insight into BlackRock's Cash Management Business
An Interview with Rich Hoerner and Simon Mendelson, Co-Heads of Global Cash Management and Securities Lending, BlackRock
BlackRock has undergone substantial change in recent years, particularly with the acquisition of Merrill Lynch Investment Managers (MLIM) and Barclays Global Investors (BGI). As a result of these acquisitions, as well as the organic evolution of the firm, BlackRock is now positioned as a leading provider of money market funds (MMFs) and securities lending, both within the United States and internationally. In this interview, Helen Sanders talks to Rich Hoerner and Simon Mendelson, who were appointed co-heads of Global Cash Management and Securities Lending for BlackRock in October 2010. Rich has a strong background in portfolio and risk management, with many years' experience at BlackRock. Simon was formerly head of corporate strategy for BlackRock following a career in management consultancy, with an emphasis on financial institutions, and he joined the cash business as COO in 2007.
How has the business changed since the acquisition of MLIM and latterly BGI?
Both MLIM and BGI brought significant value to our business. MLIM increased the scale of our activities, and enabled us to access the full breadth of Merrill Lynch's relationships, among both institutional and retail investors. While the needs of international investors have always been a priority for BlackRock, BGI dramatically expanded our international footprint, with particular strength in GBP funds, as well as a strong fund portfolio in EUR and USD. These acquisitions are now behind us, and all three businesses are now largely integrated into a unified BlackRock, with one back office and technology infrastructure, standardised fees, and a cohesive suite of products.
Investors continue to value our stable and reliable approach to fund management and dedicated resources
What are today's investment priorities for international investors, and how is BlackRock responding to this?
In many ways, investment priorities globally remain consistent, with a primary focus on security and liquidity. While yield is typically less important among investors, this is not universally the case, and certain clients are still looking for opportunities to earn extra return on their cash. In reality, the current low interest rate environment is probably not the right time to seek higher returns as this usually implies higher incremental risk for a relatively small return.
In general, however, we see greater consistency across corporate investors globally than we saw before the crisis. Before 2008, we found European investors typically had a slightly higher appetite for risk than their US counterparts. For example, MLIM had a small number of ultra-short bond funds that we inherited with the acquisition. While the size of these funds was not huge, it was interesting that corporate investors were willing to risk principal value to achieve a higher return, which was far less the case in the US. Now, however, this appetite for risk has reduced, and is more aligned with US investors.
BlackRock has always had a conservative approach to risk, evidenced during the crisis as our funds remained stable throughout a period of great uncertainty in the short-term credit markets. Consequently, investors continue to value our stable and reliable approach to fund management and dedicated resources, particularly in areas such as credit research and risk management. Although we have not needed to adjust our investment process as a result of the crisis, we have, of course, revised some elements of our activities in line with new regulatory requirements. For example, in the US, our MMFs now typically hold higher levels of daily and weekly liquid assets and typically have a shorter weighted average life. In Europe, the situation is similar; however, these demands are more driven by the rating agencies and the industry group, namely the Institutional Money Market Funds Association (IMMFA), as opposed to regulatory bodies
Are there any regions in which you see particular growth, either now or in the foreseeable future, and why is this?
We expect to see our international funds grow more than our US funds in the short to medium term, driven by two key factors. First, despite the presently low interest rate environment, there is the potential to earn greater return on cash in Europe. Second, while MMFs are well-established in the US and UK, awareness and adoption of MMFs is still developing in other parts of Europe and Asia. BlackRock is already a leader in USD, EUR and GBP funds, and we are gradually expanding our activities in Asia as demand for MMF solutions develops.
Published Apr-2011
Rich Hoerner
and Simon Mendelson, Co-Heads of Global Cash Management and Securities Lending, BlackRock
Next Generation Treasury Management: From Industry 4.0 to Treasury 4.0
Industry 4.0 is changing the way businesses operate and compete, powering a new breed of treasury management solutions and strategies. Without a robust understanding of the challenges and opportunities that Industry 4.0 – and importantly Treasury 4.0 – brings, companies risk losing their competitive edge.
Driving Success: Taking the Lead in Real-Time Payments and Collections
The 2019-20 Journeys to Treasury Report suggests that that strong regulatory pressure and rising consumer demand are laying the foundations for the standardisation of real-time payments, a reality that treasurers must play an active role in preparing for.
Digital Dynamite: Lighting up African Trade
My Life in Treasury: Karen Van den Driessche


Eastwind Wholesale Gift Distributors is dedicated to supplying you quality wholesale items to add to your online inventory value free. Chill out and relax with a backyard that is designed alongside the rules of Zen. You'd most likely as a way to use terracotta planet decide to indicate a garden needs. To make it look unique and unique, it can be combined with different forms of Decor to avoid a superstitious feeling however quite to deliver a combined environment.
At the moment, nevertheless, garden sculpture is far more loosely used and might refer to handmade objects and to objects constructed from molds in factories. Garden fencing concepts are nice for partitioning off the backyard, but they're actually a lot more than that.
Including a chook feeder close by and crops surrounded by backyard stake butterflies which can add the right amount of nature" to your fairy backyard area. This is without doubt one of the best small garden concepts, as all that you want for a Zen backyard is a small patch of land which you'll order utilizing the principles of Zen (though a Zen backyard will be absolutely big as properly).
The theme of a backyard is an important consideration when doing garden decor. Garden fencing provides the proper backdrop to a colourful flower backyard, in addition to providing shade for a seating area on a patio. Statuary placed strategically can look nice, if it enhances the style of the garden and structure of the house.


Today I made it through the second day of my Trim Healthy Mama Fuel Cycle and it went really well again.
I stuck to eating Deep S all day (not such a chore really), and felt good about everything I ate. I consumed a lot of leafy greens, between Earth Milk and two salads, so I've had to pop out to the supermarket for more. This has taken me over my grocery budget for the week. Worth it, I think, if I can get my weight down to a healthy one.
I actually walked to the supermarket, pushing J in the stroller. Paul encouraged me to get some exercise while the girls were having their evening bath, and I'm so glad he did. It was the first time I had donned exercise shoes since having J. My body feels all tingly and exhilarated now.
While I was at the supermarket I bought frozen prawns, because L and I love them. I think they will be featuring on tomorrow's menu.
I didn't love the Zucchini Fritter I ate for breakfast. It had a slightly strange taste I couldn't get past, yet there was something satisfying about the crispy texture, so I didn't not enjoy it. Boy, was that a roundabout way of saying it was OK. I probably won't make it again though.
Notes: Well I had the Shrinker planned, but I'm loving my Earth Milk so much, I made a big jar of that again instead. So good! Although no one else in my family thinks so.
Notes: This turned out to be a simple salad of baby spinach, rocket, coriander/cilantro, celery and cucumber topped with fresh smoked salmon from a packet. No dressing after all, but I enjoyed it all the same. Especially because I ate it at a picnic with Paul and the kids. We were able to meet at our local playground on Paul's lunch break. One of the blessings of him working close to home.
Notes: We sliced up some of the leftover Bolar Roast for this salad, which also featured baby spinach, rocket, coriander/cilantro, mint, celery and cucumber for me, plus a dressing of fish sauce, soy sauce, fresh lemon juice and liquid stevia/erythritol blend. It was delicious! The rest of the family also ate carrots and tomato with their salad, but those are too high-carb for DEEP S.
Actually, come to think of it I did eat some plain decadent chocolate today, because I had some leftover from the other day that I finished off.
Thanks for all your support. I'm enjoying the structure this Fuel Cycle is giving my meal planning.
Hi Emma. I stumbled upon your blog and read a few things. I have started THM plan 6 weeks ago. although I haven't lost "weight" (a few hundred grams since started), I have lost cm's. I feel better too going low carb, mostly gluten free and totally sugar free. I was wondering if you still do this plan and how much has changed for you? Hope to hear from you.
Hi Nella, thanks for getting in touch. I haven't followed THM for a long time, but I'm just looking over my fuel cycle again and have started Day 1 this morning. I've been finding myself crave way too much sugar lately, so think it's time to snap out of that with a fuel cycle.


(1) These rules may be called the West Bengal Universities and Colleges (Composition, Functions and Procedure for Election of Students' Council) Rules, 2017.
(2) They shall come into force on the date of its publication in the Official Gazette.
(n) "Teachers' Council" in relation to a college, means the association of regular whole-time teachers including Graduate Laboratory Instructors and librarians.
(2) Words and expression used but not defined in these rules shall have the same meaning assigned to them in the Act.
(1) With effect from the date of effect of these rules, any association or body of students or union in any college or in any University by whatever name called shall, henceforth, be known as the Students' Council.
(2) Notwithstanding anything contained in any Statutes, Regulations, Ordinances or rules of any University, for the time being in force, the constitution, duties, functions and procedures of election of the Students' Council shall henceforth, be guided by the provisions of these rules: Provided that the colleges administered by minorities may adopt their own rules regarding composition and functions of its Students ' Council.
(1) The election of Students' Council shall be conducted regularly once in every two years as may be advised by the State Government from time to time, and every such elected Students' Council shall ordinarily have a tenure of two years unless otherwise directed by the State Government.
(2) The Students' Council of colleges and Universities shall not use any banner or emblem of any political party in any manner during election or campaigning.
(3) Every student contesting in the election as candidate or as class representative shall be identified by his own name, class or section and roll number and nothing else.
Provided that the State Government may under exceptional circumstances, extend such period as it may deem necessary considering the local conditions or otherwise of the concerned college or University.
Provided that the polling and declaration of result shall be done on a single day during the working hours of the institution concerned.
(g) elected class representatives of all classes/ sections- member, to be elected by the regular students of individual sections or departments.
(2) The elected class representatives of all classes/ sections/ departments shall be the members of the Students' Council and shall have power to vote in any meeting of the Council. The President or in his absence, the Vice-President, shall have a casting vote in the event of a tie.
(3) Every meeting of the Students' Council shall ordinarily be convened by the President or in his absence, the Vice-President within the college campus and only after the academic hours.
(g) Class Representatives- Members, to be elected by the regular students and research scholars of various faculties, departments of the University.
(2) The office bearers mentioned under clauses (c) (d) and (e) of sub-rule (1) shall be elected from amongst the elected class representatives of the concerned University in the first meeting of the Council through direct election by an electoral college comprising of the office bearers (except nominated members) of the Students' Council of the affiliated colleges, and the elected class representatives of the University, taken together.
(3) All elected class representatives of each faculty/ department or sections of department of the University shall ordinarily be the members of the Council and shall have the power to cast vote in any meeting of the Council.
(4) Every meeting of the Student Council shall ordinarily be convened in the name of the President and in his absence, by the Vice-President, within the University campus regularly.
(5) A University having more than one campus shall be treated as a single unit and there shall be a single Students' Council of such Universities, irrespective of the number of Campuses.
(6) In case of Unitary University having no affiliated college, the composition of the Students' Council will be the same and the office bearers of such Council shall be elected by the elected class representatives from amongst them in its first meeting.
(1) A student shall be permitted to contest in or to cast vote in the Students' Council election, if his name appears in the electoral roll of the regular students of the college or of the University.
(2) Every college and University shall prepare an electoral roll of regular students and publish the same on the official Notice Board as well as in its official website for inspection of all students, at least fifteen days before the scheduled date of poll.
(3) Every complaint relating to the electoral roll shall be heard and settled by the Election Authority at least two days prior to the date of Poll.
(4) A student can contest in the Students' Council election only for two times in the concerned institution.
(5) A student convicted or charged in a criminal offence or offence involving moral turpitude or having been punished under formal proceedings by the college or the University, shall not be eligible to participate in any election.
Note- Mere investigation or enquiry in connection with a criminal proceeding by the Police shall not however, be a disqualification for contesting or voting in the election.
(6) A student shall be permitted to contest or cast vote in any election if he has been issued with a security enabled valid Identity Card issued by the College or the University authority, as the case may be.
(b) three whole-time teachers of the University or of the College, as the case may be, to be nominated by the Vice Chancellor or the Principal/ Vice-Principal/ Teacher-in-Charge, as the case may be.
(2) The Committee shall be responsible for the proper conduct of the election and to resolve dispute, if any, in consultation with the Election Authority constituted by the State Government for the University.
(3) The President of the Election Committee shall appoint Presiding Officers/ Polling Officers for conducting the polls, from amongst the teaching staffs of the college.
(4) The Election Committee shall publish the draft electoral roll at least twenty days before the date of Election.
(g) date and hours of counting.
(6) Declaration of results shall be made immediately after the counting is over.
(7) The Election Committee shall appoint Counting Officers from among the members of the whole time teaching staffs of the college who shall be responsible for counting of votes in the presence of the Presiding officer and the contesting candidates.
(8) In case two or more contesting candidates secure equal member of votes, the Election Committee, shall by a draw of lots decide as to which of the contesting candidates would be declared elected.
(9) In case of any dispute relating to the conduct of poll, counting of votes or any other related matters; the decision given by the Election Authority of the affiliating University shall be final and binding.
(10) There shall be one class representative for each class or section, irrespective of the number of students in the class/ section.
(11) A detailed calendar of dates for different events/ phases of the election shall be published by the Election Committee.
(12) In the elections envisaged under these rules, the forms of nomination (Form—I) and withdrawal of candidature (Form-2) appended to the Schedule shall be used. All other necessary forms relating to the holding of elections may be prescribed by the Election Committee.
(1) A candidate contesting election shall not be permitted to campaign within the college premises or University premises, as the case may be, or in the hostels or at the residences of the students twenty-four hours prior to the scheduled date and time of the poll.
(2) A candidate or student shall not cause any disturbance or disorder during the academic hours of the Institution.
(3) No person, excepting the employees and the students of the Institution shall be allowed to enter the premises of the institution on the day of Poll.
(1) There shall be a fund known as Students' Council Fund which shall be credited with all subscriptions and grants received from the Institution or any body concerned.
(2) The Council's Fund shall be maintained by the Treasurer of the Council and shall be used for meeting the expenses in connection with bonafide purposes, development work, performance of cultural functions etc.
(3) The Fund of the Students' Council shall be audited annually by the institution concerned and shall also kept open for inspection for every student during office hours.
(1) The State Government shall have the power to give directions to every institution regarding smooth conduct of election and every such direction shall be binding upon the said institutions.
(2) In case of any confusion or difficulty that may arise in the implementation of these rules, the matter shall be referred to the State Government and the decision of the State Government shall be final and binding on all concerned.


A Mohamed, M Abukhater, W Mohamed. Adult Choledochal Cyst: Intra-operative Surprise. Case Report and Literature Review. The Internet Journal of Surgery. 2009 Volume 25 Number 2.
Presentation of a choledochal cyst is rare in adults.
The diagnosis of adult choledochal cysts is frequently delayed due to nonspecific clinical symptoms or symptoms obscured by secondary hepatobiliary disease. We report a case of choledochal cyst associated with gallstones in a 15-year- old female which was diagnosed during laparoscopic cholecystectomy.
Choledochal cysts (CCs) are congenital conditions associated with benign cystic dilatation of bile ducts. Although cystic disease of the biliary tree has been described since 1723, much about its etiology, pathophysiology, natural course and optimal treatment remains under debate. CCs are reported mainly in children; however, an increasing number of adult patients have been diagnosed with the disease. Pre-operative diagnosis is essential for proper planning for surgery and to avoid unexpected intra-operative surprise. We report a case of an adult choledochal cyst missed on ultrasonic evaluation of a patient with gall stone symptoms. The diagnosis was established intra-operatively during laparoscopic cholecystectomy by intra-operative cholangiogram and confirmed by post operative MRCP.
A 16-year-old female patient presented to the surgical outpatient department at King Fahad Medical City, Riyadh, KSA with a history of recurrent right hypochodrium pain radiating to the right shoulder. She gave no history of jaundice, fever, rigors or pervious surgery. She had no history of medical illness. Clinical examination was entirely normal. Laboratory investigations including full blood count, liver function test and urea and electrolytes were within normal limits. The upper abdominal ultrasound was reported as liver normal in size and echogenicity with no focal lesion. The gallbladder showed multiple stones with normal wall thickness and no evidence of acute inflammation. The common bile duct was normal in caliber and there was no dilatation of the intrahepatic bile radicles (figure 1, 2).
Figure 1: Ultrasonography of the gallbladder showing multiple stones with normal wall thickness and no evidence of acute inflammation.
Figure 2: Ultrasonography of the liver showing a dilated tubular structure posterior to the gallbladder with internal echoes and posterior wall enhancement (findings overlooked in the initial ultrasound report).
The patient was booked for elective laparoscopic cholecystectomy on the assumptive diagnosis of gall stones. Intraoperatively, the gallbladder was distended, but not inflamed (figure 3). On traction of the gallbladder upwards, a dilated cyst was seen which seemed to be in continuity with the gallbladder just below the level of the cystic duct (figure 4). The cystic duct was dissected (figure 5) and transcystic duct cholangiography was done (figure 6) which confirmed the diagnosis of a choledochal cyst.
Figure 3: Distended gallbladder without obvious signs of acute inflammation.
Figure 5: The cystic duct was dissected and it was obvious that it was in continuity with the cyst.
Figure 6: Intra-operative cholangiogram catheter inserted through the cystic duct.
We proceeded with routine laparoscopic cholecystectomy without dealing with the cyst at this stage. A postoperative MRI confirmed the diagnosis of a choledochal cyst (figures 7 & 8).
Figures 7 & 8: Postoperative MRCP confirming the diagnosis of a choledochal cyst.
Subsequently, the patient had excision of the cyst with hepaticojejunostomy without complications. The histopathology report confirmed the diagnosis of a choledochal cyst.
Choledochal cysts (CCs) are congenital conditions associated with benign cystic dilatation of bile ducts. They are uncommon in western countries (1) but not as rare in East Asian nations like Japan and China. In North America the incidence of CCs is estimated to be 1/150,000 (2).
Although cystic disease of the biliary tree has been described since 1723, much about its etiology, pathophysiology, natural course and optimal treatment remains under debate (3).
Vaterl is often cited as the first to report a case of CC in 1723, but the first well documented case was reported by Douglas (4) in 1852 when he presented a biliary cyst in a 17-year-old girl.
Alonso-Lej and colleagues (5) proposed the first classification system for CCs in 1959, describing 3 types of bile duct dilation, which has gained wide acceptance. Todani and colleagues (6) expanded this system in 1977 to include the occurrence of intrahepatic and multiple cysts, and this modified classification is now most commonly used by clinicians (7). This classification is based on the cholangiographic morphology, location, and number of intrahepatic and extrahepatic bile duct cysts.
In 1958, Caroli (8) described in detail the distressing course of the condition.
No strong unifying etiologic theory exists for choledochal cysts. The pathogenesis is probably multifactorial (7). Although many theories have been put forth, Babbitt's (9) theory of cysts caused by an abnormal pancreaticobiliary duct junction such that the pancreatic duct and the common bile duct meet outside the ampulla of Vater, thus forming a long common channel, has gained much popularity.
allows pancreatic secretions to reflux into the common bile duct, where the pancreatic proenzymes become activated, damaging and weakening the bile duct wall. Defects in epithelialization and recanalization of the developing bile ducts and congenital weakness of the ductal wall also have been implicated. The result is formation of a choledochal cyst.
CCs are reported mainly in children; however, an increasing number of adult patients have been diagnosed with the disease. About 20-30% of CCs are diagnosed in adults (10).
Most of CCs present in the first year of life; adult presentation is rare and usually at this stage is associated with complications. The classic triad of intermittent abdominal pain, jaundice, and a right upper quadrant abdominal mass is found only in 20% of patients.
The diagnosis of adult choledochal cysts is frequently delayed due to nonspecific clinical symptoms or symptoms obscured by secondary hepatobiliary disease.
Pre-operative diagnosis is essential for properly planned surgery and to avoid unexpected intra-operative surprise. There are only few cases of CCs that were diagnosed intra-operatively. Sharp et al. reported a case of choledochal cyst found during a cholecystectomy using a transcystic intra-operative cholangiogram (11).
Gibbs et al. reported a case which was almost similar to our case in which a Hispanic female presented with classic findings consistent with biliary colic. A preoperative ultrasound revealed multiple gallstones and mild dilatation of the common bile duct. At the time of laparoscopy, she was found to have a dilated common bile duct, cystic duct, and gallbladder. Further dissection was discontinued, a cholecystectomy made, and a percutaneous transabdominal cholangiogram through the gallbladder was performed, which revealed a type I choledochal cyst (12).
A choledochocele may be easily overlooked by the conventional diagnostic methods, such as upper gastrointestinal series, intravenous cholangiogram, abdominal ultrasound, and computed tomography (13).
Multidetector computed tomography with reformatted imaging, magnetic resonance cholangiopancreatography, and endoscopic retrograde cholangiography represent the important techniques providing the anatomical resolution and detail required to properly diagnose and classify choledochal cysts and their associated abnormal features of the biliary tree, as well as their pancreaticobile duct union (14).
Magnetic resonance cholangiopancreatography (MRCP) is now considered to be the gold standard (15, 16, and 17).
MR cholangiography can be used to confirm the diagnosis of choledochal cysts and define the extent of involvement preoperatively (18). MRCP offers diagnostic information that is equivalent or superior to that of ERCP for the evaluation of type I choledochal cysts in adults and because this modality is non-invasive, it should be the preferred imaging technique for examination of adult patients with choledochal cysts (19).
Matos et al. compared MR cholangiopancreatography and endoscopic retrograde cholangiopancreatography in eight patients with choledochal cysts. They concluded that MRCP provides information equivalent to that provided with ERCP, without potential complications, for the preoperative assessment of choledochal cysts. Dynamic secretin-stimulated MRCP studies might help better understand the pathophysiologic characteristics of this entity (20).
Complications of choledochal cysts in adults include cholecystitis, recurrent cholangitis, biliary stricture, choledocholithiasis, recurrent acute pancreatitis, and malignant transformation into cholangiocarcinoma (2).
In the past, choledochal cysts were often treated using drainage procedures; however, the optimal treatment used today is likely to involve the complete excision of the extrahepatic duct, cholecystectomy, and Roux-en-Y hepaticojejunostomy.
CCs are reported mainly in children; however, an increasing number of adult patients have been diagnosed with the disease. Adult presentation is rare and the diagnosis is frequently delayed due to nonspecific clinical symptoms or symptoms obscured by secondary hepatobiliary disease. Pre-operative diagnosis is essential for proper planning for surgery and to avoid unexpected intra-operative surprise. MRCP provides a valuable non-invasive diagnostic modality for establishing the diagnosis in suspected cases.
1.	Liu YB, Wang JW, Devkota KR, et al.: Congenital choledochal cysts in adults: twenty-five-year experience. Chin Med J; 2007; 120 (16): 1404-7.
2.	Wiseman K, Buczkowski AK, Chung SW, Francoeur J, Schaeffer D, Scudamore CH: Epidemiology, presentation, diagnosis, and outcomes of choledochal cysts in adults in an urban environment. Am J Surg; 2005; 189(5): 527-31.
3.	Vater A: Dissertation in auguralis medica poes diss qua scirrhis viscerum dissert, c. s. ezlerus. Edinburgh: University Library; 1723; 70: 19.
4.	Douglas AH: Case of dilatation of the common bile duct. Monthly J Med Sc (London); 1852; 14: 97.
5.	Alonso-Lej F, Rever WB, Pessango DJ: Congenital choledochal cyst, with a report of 2 and analysis of 94 cases. Int Abstr Surg; 1959; 108: 1–30.
6.	Todani T, Watanabe Y, Narusue M, et al.: Congenital bile duct cysts: classification, operative procedures, and review of thirty-seven cases including cancer arising from choledochal cyst. Am J Surg; 1977; 134: 263-9.
7.	Singham J, Yoshida EM, Scudamore CH: Choledochal cysts: part 1 of 3: classification and pathogenesis. Can J Surg; 2009; 52(5): 434-40.
8.	Caroli J, Couinaud C: Une affection nouvelle, sans doute congenitale des voies biliaires: La dilatation kystique unilobaire des canaux hepatiques. Sem Hop Paris; 1958; 34: 136.
9.	Babbitt DP: Congenital choledochal cyst: new etiological concept based on anomalous relationships of the common bile duct and pancreatic bulb. Ann Radiol; 1969; 12: 231–40.
10.	Hernández-Castillo E, Mondragón-Sánchez R, Mondragón-Sánchez A, Martínez-González MN: Choledochal cysts in the adult patient. Rev Gastroenterol Mex; 2003; 68(4): 298-303.
11.	Sharp A, Guzmán S, Tapia A, Llanos O, Ibáñez L: Choledochocele, Report of a case and review of the literature. Rev Med Chil; 1994; 122(8): 940-3.
12.	Gibbs DH, Crist D: Intraoperative diagnosis of choledochal cyst in preparation for laparoscopic cholecystectomy. Surg Laparosc Endosc; 1994; 4(3): 225-9.
13.	Venu RP, Geenen JE, Hogan WJ, Dodds WJ, Wilson SW, Stewart ET, Soergel KH: Role of endoscopic retrograde cholangiopancreatography in the diagnosis and treatment of choledochocele. Gastroenterology; 1984; 87(5): 1144-9.
14.	Lee HK, Park SJ, Yi BH, Lee AL, Moon JH, Chang YW: Imaging features of adult choledochal cysts: a pictorial review. Korean J Radiol; 2009; 10(1): 71-80.
15.	Kim MJ, Han SJ, Yoon CS, et al.: Cholangiopancreatography to reveal anomalous pancreaticobiliary ductal union in infants and children with choledochal cysts. AJR Am J Roentgenol; 2002; 179: 209-14.
16.	Hussain ZH, Bloom DA, Tolia V: Caroli's disease diagnosed in a child by MRCP. Clin Imaging; 2000; 24: 289-91.
17.	Carrera C, Castiella A, Fernandez J, et al.: Caroli's disease diagnosed by magnetic resonance cholangiopancreatography. Eur J Gastroenterol Hepatol; 2002; 14: 577.
18.	Govil S, Justus A, Korah I, Perakath A, Zachariah N, Sen S: Choledochal cysts: evaluation with MR cholangiography. Abdom Imaging; 1998; 23(6): 616-9.
19.	Haciyanli M, Genc H, Colakoglu O, Aksoz K, Unsal B, Uluç E: An adult choledochal cyst--the magnetic resonance cholangiopancreatography findings: report of a case. Surg Today; 2008; 38(11): 1056-9.
20.	Matos C, Nicaise N, Devière J, Cassart M, Metens T, Struyven J, Cremer M: Choledochal cysts: comparison of findings at MR cholangiopancreatography and endoscopic retrograde cholangiopancreatography in eight patients. Radiology; 1998; 209(2): 443-8.


I watched the second half of the game last night from my Emergency Room bed (yeah, I have good insurance coverage). I got wheeled in right before half and saw the Suns up in a high-scoring game in which Amare Stoudemire had 25 points on 11-14 shooting. I was feeling great.
The emergency room? Broken nose. In several places. My Washed-Up World Cup league had a game at 6:00, and the tip was set for 6:30. Knowing that it would probably start late and that my game ended at 7:00 (indoor soccer), I figured I'd miss a couple of minutes, listen on the radio and be home by about 7:15 to watch the rest.
At about 6:45, with less then ten minutes to go and up by three, I decided to focus on defense because of the game situation. Sadly, I am one of the leading playmakers (I get a lot of the assists (mainly) and a few of the goals, on my team. I say "sadly" because that is a bad sign for our team. On defense, I slid over to get in front of a player who had beaten my teammate (help defense). I got my foot on the ball and blocked his shot, but he kept moving forward – forehead right into my nose. He was slightly out of control, but it was a fair play. He was overdoing it a bit, getting the full push-off from his plant foot so he had all his weight behind the shot. That's the type of play you get in the Washed-Up World Cup.
When he originally heard my plan, Bluntman told me not to go. He said a super-fan wouldn't miss the first few minutes. I told him not to worry, that by halftime Shaq and Amare would have at least 4 fouls combined and the score would be 40-something to 40-something.
4 fouls: wrong (it was three).
It comes in threes, so I figured that the Suns were in good shape. Until the third period. The Suns scored 11 points, largely because of Shaq's 5 of 6 free throw shooting during Pop's implementation of Hack-A-Shaq. If that plan had not backfired, the Sp*rs would have been up by even more during the fourth.
As fate would have it, I was rolled out for a CT-Scan between the third and fourth periods. I only missed the beginning few minutes of the fourth period.
I'm no basketball genius and I wasn't concentrating on the game a whole lot (I had some stitches put in during the third), but how does Amare go from 25 at half to only 33 for the game (which included a desperation 3).
The series is far from over, and it would not be homeristic optimism to say that the Suns will win the next two. I'm not saying that, just because I'm in an overall depressed funk. But, it is not unfathomable. Game 3 is the dreaded "must-win" game. After that, the Sp*rs will have a series on their hands.
See you at Seamus McCaffrey's before the game.


hound dirge riding the evening sky.
of autumn, the chill in the air, the loss of the moon.
did not. How sirens ripped through the night then!
and ambulance onward, and how we still hear it.
her aching rendition of "You Light Up My Life,"
transcribed by her teacher to bass clef for bassoon.
filled the night. It could only have been the bassoon.
Copyright 2010 by Pat Hale.
Pat Hale has written poetry since she was a little girl and believes it has supernatural powers, not unlike those that make it possible for Superman to fly and Lassie to hear Timmy, no matter how deeply he falls into the well. Pat's award-winning work has appeared in many journals and she facilitates a writing group modeled on the Amherst Writers and Artists method. A recent corporate layoff has provided her with the opportunity to spend more time writing and watching the Canada geese that frequent the field across from her house in West Hartford, Connecticut.
Great poem. Reminds me a little of Billy Collins's poem about Beethoven writing a part for barking dog.
This is absolutely delightful! "the baying of dogs sang counterpoint to despair"--a great line!


This practice will run through rounds of competition style heats of all 5 International Latin dances. The sole purpose of this practice is to give you dedicated practice space in an intense environment of competitors. Our run through conducted by top competition judges and Pro dancers that will provide immediate feedback.
Dedicated practice is the key to developing your dance whether as a dance couple or alone. Don't skip out on practice no matter what level dancer you are because you'll get smoked by those that do practice. That's a fact!
It's a great way to prepare for upcoming competition.
We have an open door run-through. Many students from other dance schools and states travel to our studio to prepare for upcoming competition or practice their routines on our 4000 square-foot floating hardwood dance floor.
This is open door Run-through.
Any competitive couples are welcomed to join.


The successful children"s writer Claire Holloway is troubled by scary nightmares and is under psychological treatment. While working out watching television, she sees the landscape of the Rose Marsh Farm in the Westmoreland County, and she notes that the farmhouse is linked to her nightmares. She decides to spend her vacation in the farm, which is located nearby a swamp, and she is haunted by the ghosts of a little girl and a teenage boy inside the house. She is befriended by the local publisher and historian Noah Pitney but after a sequence of disturbing visions, she decides to contact the paranormal consultant Geoffry Hunt. Together, they investigate the mystery and disclose a tragedy that happened in the farm about twenty years ago.


Launched in October 2014, the INAMA project aims to strengthen the enforcement capacity of Customs administrations in Sub-Saharan Africa, while focusing on the illegal trade in wildlife, particularly on species listed in the appendices of the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora (CITES).
The Convention regulates international trade in CITES-listed animals and plants, and this involves addressing both legal and illegal trade. For domestic or international trade in wildlife to be described as illegal or as 'illicit wildlife trafficking,' which is often used to refer to illegal trade, it must contravene either domestic or international law, or both.
Effective application of the CITES Convention depends largely on control over the issuance, inspection and acceptance of CITES documentation, as well as detecting wildlife that is being traded illegally.
Enforcement – participants learn through practical courses to plan and conduct enforcement operations, as well as to manage investigations through the use of a wide range of techniques, such as the conducting of controlled deliveries.
All countries participating in the project are Contracting Parties to the CITES Convention, but awareness of the Convention's provisions and of wildlife issues in general is rather low among officers who, in most countries, do not clearly understand their role in wildlife preservation.
Unfortunately, the enforcement of the CITES Convention is not a priority in several participating countries and does not feature in the strategic planning process of most of them, and Customs administrations face the challenge of weak government support for their role in fighting the illegal wildlife trade.
As a consequence, although most administrations have the legal power to conduct investigations into the illegal trade in species regulated by the CITES Convention, with only a few of them having the legal power to conduct controlled deliveries in this domain, they generally do not use those enforcement modalities.
Fifty per cent of the administrations do not have an intelligence unit in place, and none of them have Intelligence officers dedicated specifically to CITES issues. There is also a general lack of CITES risk indicators, and a recognized weakness in the development and dissemination of risk profiles covering CITES shipments. In fact, CITES related items do not appear in the risk register of at least one half of the administrations.
Fighting wildlife crime requires concerted efforts involving the pooling of financial, human and information resources. Sharing intelligence, especially, is a critical prerequisite to effectively fight the phenomenon. However, the level of inter-agency cooperation is still weak, and most of the countries do not have a specific multi-agency enforcement team in place.
Moreover, only a few administrations have been involved in joint exercises with other Customs administrations, such as global enforcement operations targeting illicit wildlife trafficking, although such exercises could help them to develop information networks and improve their risk indicators.
A number of CITES-listed species are high-value items targeted by organized crime groups, and this makes the officers responsible for regulating trade in these specimens vulnerable to attempts to corrupt them. It has been generally recognized that there is a lack of incentive to officers based at border posts to avoid exposure to corruption, and a lack of a suitable vetting process during staff recruitment.
Although fighting corruption is not a focus of the project, discussions are held with participating officers on efforts that should be made to mitigate the risks of corruption in the trade chain, and to ensure that adequate integrity policies and procedures are in place in national government structures to prevent organized crime groups from corrupting officials.
Revenue collection is the priority of most of the participating administrations. Thus, more emphasis is placed on the control of imports, leading to a much lesser allocation of resources to the control of exports. This reality poses a serious issue as these countries are wildlife range countries, with the illegal trade in wildlife occurring at both export and transit levels.
Based on the results assessment made by each participating country, the situation appears to be rather gloomy. However, the positive feedback received from the more than 120 officials who have been trained under the scope of the project gives hope that crucial progress may be made in the near future.
one on enforcement operations planning.
Support was also provided at the national level. Uganda received technical assistance on evidence handling and seizures. This assistance was delivered by WCO experts working under the COPES project, which focuses on the working methods used to combat fraud, from the identification of an offence to the storage of seized assets, including reporting, collecting and preserving evidence.
Moreover, Malawi and Zambia received support in strengthening their intelligence functions, and an exchange of personnel between the Customs administrations of China and Kenya as well as between China and South Africa was organized with the aim of strengthening cooperation between officers, which could facilitate the conducting of controlled deliveries in the future.
at least 3 out of the 25 participating administrations to have developed a work plan by 2017 on how to establish an intelligence unit.
So far, 13 Customs administrations have completed their self-assessment, and two have drafted an intelligence framework and a work plan to strengthen their intelligence functions.
Some officers have also started sharing information about seizures occurring in their countries, such as in Burkina Faso where 26 pairs of elephant tusk, en route to Côte d'Ivoire in a bus, were found and seized in January 2017 by the mobile Customs unit.
Some of the performance indicators will only be able to be measured at the end of the project. More time will also be required to achieve some of the expected results, which might only be realized after the project completion.
As with many capacity building projects, the main challenge to overcome is always ensuring the sustainability of the results already obtained and those to come.
To address the illegal trade in endangered species by improving Customs officers' capacity to enforce CITES regulations.
Implement new tools and enhance new structures, enabling their officers to better enforce CITES regulations.
increased capacity to collect, process and disseminate intelligence.
Angola, Benin, Botswana, Burkina Faso, Central African Republic, Cameroon, Congo (Republic of the), Côte d'Ivoire, Democratic Republic of the Congo, Gabon, Gambia, Ghana, Kenya, Malawi, Madagascar, Mozambique, Namibia, Nigeria, Rwanda, South Africa, Tanzania, Togo, Uganda, Zambia, and Zimbabwe.
*Countries in Asia will participate in specific activities of the project, and additional countries in Africa are expected to join the project.
Sweden, the United States Department of State, the German Federal Enterprise for International Cooperation (GIZ), and the Secretariat of the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora (CITES).


Under the current conditions, the Syrian Kurds have transformed to one of the major actors on the Syria's political and field stage. Accounting for about 10 percent of Syrian population, the Kurdish minority is present in north of the country and governed by a self-administered local system that has since the start of the conflict united the three cantons of Island, Kobani, and Afrin.
In the initial stages of the Syrian crisis, Kurds exercised restraint and neutrality, with their policy standing on the principle of neither fighting the central government in Damascus nor the takfiri terrorist groups. But this policy changed after ISIS arrival and attacking of the Kurdish-inhabited regions of the country. They had to defend their regions and launch counterattacks. Various sources have claimed that Kurds made a deal with the government and agreed to help Damascus counter terrorists in return for a set of privileges, including receiving citizenship.
In the meantime, Kurds mobilized their forces under the Democratic Union Party (PYD) and become the leading part of a coalition that has combated ISIS in Raqqa in northern Syria, and managed to take major portion of the de facto capital of the self-proclaimed ISIS caliphate with backing from the US.
At the present time, two major developments have aggrandized the position and future of the Syrian Kurds. First is the demise of ISIS as the country is not far from fully recapturing Raqqa and Deir ez-Zor and cleansing the two last ISIS strongholds of the extremist group's fighters. Second is the last week referendum of Iraq's Kurdistan region that is naturally expected to influence the Kurdish minorities in the whole region, especially those in Syria.
The separatist sentiments has been existing among the Syrian Kurds for a long time, however, their major role played on the battlefields has even sharpened their desire for breakaway from Syria. They announced establishment of Democratic Federation of Northern Syria or Rojava in March 2016 following a meeting that saw various Kurdish factions gathering in Rmeilam in the northern province of Hasakah. Rojava in the Kurdish language means "Western Kurdistan" that covers the northern parts of Syria.
However, the Kurds' federal system has failed to receive recognition of any country so far. They argue that the move was needed as a prelude to a broader movement to restore their "lost" rights. The Rojava held its first local elections in September 22 to pick representatives of 3,700 communes throughout the self-governed cantons. The region has also scheduled to hold election of "local councils" on November 3, .followed by the federal parliamentary election of the People's Democratic Council as the highest executive body of the region, on January 19, 2018. The Kurdish leaders claim they are not aspiring for independence from Syria and only seek federal rule in north.
Beside garnering the US backing, the Syrian Kurds opened their representation offices in Moscow and other European capitals over the past year. This comes while the West does not give the Syrian Kurds official status and they even were excluded from the Geneva peace talks. However, the PYD attended the Astana peace talks, a peace arrangement brokered by Russia, Turkey, and Iran between the Syrian government and the opposition groups, at the invitation of Moscow.
Up to now, the Kurds might have managed to gain the American and European support, but they remain facing tough antipathy of Turkey. Ankara accuses them of being affiliated with Kurdistan Workers' Party (PKK), an archenemy to Turkey, and representing its line of thought and policy in Syria. The US help for advancing Syrian Democratic Forces, a coalition majorly featuring armed Kurdish factions and minority Arab militia, aroused the ire of Turkey provoking the country to launch a major offensive in northern Syria in December 2016. The offensive, codenamed Operation Euphrates Shield, was aimed at curbing the US-backed Kurdish coalition's progression to Syria's northwestern areas. The Kurds' anti-ISIS campaign was meant to retake territories from ISIS and thus expand their areas of rule in north to the Mediterranean coasts.
On the other side, Damascus has accused the Kurds of seeking independence after they announced foundation of a federal region in north. Russia, an influential player on the Syrian scene, has suggested autonomy to the Kurds and recognition of the Kurdish language in the potential new Syrian constitution but opposed premature establishment of federal rule in the predominantly Kurdish areas of north, arguing that this status should be postponed until negotiations with Damascus are conducted and deals struck.
Iran, another key actor in Syria, comes against any secessionism by the Syrian Kurds, as it strongly opposed the referendum of independence held by Iraq's Kurdish region on September 25, insisting that the countries' sovereignty and integrity must be maintained.
Bearing the brunt of war and crisis and organizing forces to defend their northern territories in fierce battle against ISIS, the Kurds are now rising as an important actor and are making claims for shares and restoration of their historical rights.
The US supports for Kurds have emboldened their demands for a northern federal system. They held first election in late September as a first phase of the federation elections. Washington pursues the ultimate goal of Syria split by showing advocacy for the federation of the north. The green light given to the Kurds for separatist measures serves the American objective of downsizing and thus impairing Syria, a major party in a broader anti-American regional bloc, dubbed as Resistance Axis that is led by Iran. But it remains unclear how serious are the split plans or how successful the Kurds could be in realization of their autonomy.
Analysts do not rule out repeat of history in relation to the Kurds. Namely, the Kurds fall instrument to the superpowers' game for materialization of their interests, and at the end of the road the gainers turn their back to the promises they initially made to the Kurds.
Although, Iraqi Kurds certainly have a long and rough way to the independence through their plebiscite, their independence bid psychologically serves as a catalyst to the Syrian Kurds' chase of dreams and demands for a federal rule. But they have Turkey and its allies Iran and Russia's opposition that sets up serious roadblocks to Syrian Kurds' separatist ideals.
Anyway, amid Syrian closeness to end of war, the Kurds' future is largely reliant on the political process, new constitution, and negotiation and interaction with the central government. What is clear is that Syria's future, of course, will not stay away from influence and role playing of the foreign sides who each struggles to benefit from the Kurdish card for their own goals.


RAWIllumination.net: Michael Johnson on RAW's "Tale of the Tribe"
In the post for the last section of the Coincidance discussion group, I admitted that I didn't know what Robert Anton Wilson was talking about in the last sentence of the book when he referred to "a centering process which I hope the reader has by now grasped intuitively since it cannot be expressed symbolically." I didn't grasp "intuitively" what the centering process was. I didn't grasp it at all.
You're at the center, right where you are sitting now.
Excellent piece Michael...got me thinking on ToTT again, and how I need to re-read "E-Mail To Univere".
Thanks, fuzzbuddy. And thanks yet again for the nod, Tom.


To continue this week on the Paris theme, you will learn about the Notre-Dame de Paris Cathedral and its history, stained glass, organ, and bells. This medieval Catholic cathedral sits on the Ile de la Cite I in the fourth arrondissement of Paris. As the most visited monument in Paris, the Cathedral is host to 12 Million visitors yearly.
On our visit to Paris years ago, my daughter and I saw this magnificent building up close and personal. Just as we saw the Mona Lisa and simply wondered what all the fuss was about just as we strolled down the Champs-Elysees on a cloudless February afternoon! The Avenue, one of the most famous of all the world, was originally laid out in 1667 for 1.7 miles. The avenue has glory and glamour and means Elysian Fields or as someone must have thought "Heaven on earth." We left Paris on the midnight train to Pisa.
Begun in 1160, the Notre-Dame Cathedral was completed in 1260 with many modifications in the following centuries. Notre-Dame suffered desecration during the French Revolution when much of its religious imagery was damaged or destroyed. Soon after the publication of Victor Hugo's novel "The Hunchback of Notre Dame" in 1831, popular interest in the building revived. In 1963 the façade of the Cathedral was cleaned of centuries of soot and grime, returning it to its original color. Another campaign of cleaning and restoration was done, 1991-2000.
The Notre-Dame de Paris Cathedral is a top destination for tourists.
The Cathedral of Notre-Dame de Paris was built on a site which is believed to have been occupied by a pagan temple and then by a Romanesque Church, the Basilica of Saint Etienne. King Louis VII wanted to build monuments to show that Paris was the cultural and economic capital of France. The cornerstone was laid in 1163 in the presence of Pope Alexander III. The French Gothic style of pointed arches carried the weight of the roof inwards and downwards to a row of pillars, and out to the abutments against the walls.
This Gothic cathedral was a liber pauperum or "a poor people's book" which was covered with sculpture vividly illustrating biblical stories for the vast majority of the parishioners were illiterate. The exteriors of cathedrals ad other Gothic churches were decorated with sculptures of a variety of frightening grotesques or monsters. These included the gargoyle, the chimera, the Strix. They were part of the visual message for the illiterate, symbols of the evil that threatened those who did not follow the teachings of the church.
The stained glass windows, especially the three rose windows, are exquisitely beautiful. The original glass was recreated in the 19th Century. The windows depict Old Testament subjects. Additional scenes include Christ triumphant seated in the sky, surrounded by his Apostles. Some of the 19th Century grisaille windows in the nave were given new windows.
The organ was built in 1403 by Friedrich Schambantz and was replaced about 1735. The current organ has 115 stops on five manuals and pedal and more than 8,000 pipes.
The bells number 10 and the largest, Emmanuel, original to 1681, is in the south tower and weighs just more than 13 tons. It is tolled to mark the hours of the day and for various occasions and services. Each bell is named such as Marie, Gabriel, Denis, Maurice, or Jean-Marie. New bells were set in place in 2013 and were designed to replicate the quality and tone of the originals.
Under a 1905 law the Cathedral is among 70 churches in Paris that are owned by the French state. With the building owned by the state, the Catholic Church is the designated beneficiary, having the exclusive right to use it for religious purposes in perpetuity. The archdiocese is responsible for paying the employees, security, heating, and cleaning, and assuring that the cathedral is open free to visitors. The archdiocese does not receive subsidies from the French State.


text:
Arja Anna-Leena Siikala (formerly Kuusi, née Aarnisalo, born Helsinki, 1 January 1943, died Espoo, 27 February 2016) was a professor emeritus at the University of Helsinki, specialising in folk-belief, mythology, and shamanism, along with oral storytelling and traditionality.

Education and career
Anna-Leena Siikala graduated as a Master of Philosophy from the University of Helsinki in 1968, took her licenciate degree in 1970, and Ph.D. in 1978. She was a professor of folkloristics at Helsinki 1995–2007. Siikala held the following professorships:

 1995–2007: Helsingin yliopisto, Professor of Folklore.
 1999–2004: Suomen Akatemia, Academy Professor.
 1988–1995: Joensuun yliopisto, Professor of Folklore Studies.
 1979–1982: Turun yliopiston folkloristiikan ja uskontotieteen vs. professori

She undertook fieldwork in Finland and the Cook Islands in Polynesia, and among the Finnic-speaking peoples of Russia, Udmurt people, the Komi peoples, and the Khanty people of Siberia.

Siikala's most important research projects were Myth, history, society: Ethnic/National Traditions in the Age of Globalization (1999–2004) and The Other Russia: Cultural Multiplicity in the Making (2004–2007). Together with Mihály Hoppál and Vladimir Napolskikh she edited the Encyclopaedia of Uralic Mythologies.

In 2009, Siikala was elected to the Akateemikko.

Publications
Anna-Leena Siikala had over 230 publications to her name. Key works are:

 The Rite Technique of the Siberian Shaman (Ph.D. thesis, FF Communications 220, 1978 and 1989).
 Interpreting Oral Narrative (FF Communications 245, 1990).

 Studies in Shamanism (Ethnologica Uralica 1992 and 1998, Budapest, with Mihály Hoppálin).
 Mythic Images and Shamanism. A Perspective on Kalevala Poetry (FF Communications 280, 2002).
 Return to Culture. Oral Tradition and Society in the Southern Cook Islands (FF Communications 287, 2005, with Jukka Siikalan).

References

1943 births
2016 deaths
Finnish folklore
Finnish folklorists
Academic staff of the University of Helsinki
University of Helsinki alumni


We all face death; sometimes it our own, or that of a spouse or child, of a friend. However, culture and society have more and more marginalized discussions of the topic, especially discussions from a Christian perspective. Death has become just one more disease to conquer or, even worse, an inconvenience to be ignored or denied. Nevertheless, death and the fear of death remain a source of deep anxiety for many people, believers and unbelievers alike. As secular worldviews and government actions they reduce the role of the church in this important area, especially on matters in which there is a distinctive Christian perspective, such as: aging, death, and ethical/bioethical decisions. This series is designed to open a conversation about important concerns surrounding the close of life, and to dispel the myths our secular culture has created. Topics will be discussed from a clear Christian perspective – a perspective that offers the only true foundation of hope and joy that comes through faith in Christ.
The Corinthian church had been severely wound by various severe sins, internal disputes, and division into factions; but now by the grace of God a time of healing had come. The Corinthians had faced their issues and were in the processes of dealing with them in a godly manner. The Apostle Paul now writes to them and gives them on how to move forward to complete the spiritual healing, both on individuals in the church and the congregation as a whole, they are in the midst of. That advice is as valid today as it was nearly two millennia ago. We will look at the themes Paul covers and see how we can use his counsel in our lives today.
We will be studying 8 Psalms over the course of the semester. If you plan to attend please purchase the study guide Psalms: At His Feet. Work on Psalm 1 for our first meeting. Each Psalm should take about 30 minutes of time. If you don't get time to complete it, still come! Invite your friends! If you need any more details, including the address where we meet, please contact Cindi Campbell.
Be sure to check our Calendar for more Memorial events and happenings!