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Home / GENERAL NEWS / Members Of Board of Trustees To Gov't : Suspend Construction Of National Cathedral Until Independent Audit
Members Of Board of Trustees To Gov't : Suspend Construction Of National Cathedral Until Independent Audit
Adwenpa-Hene 4 days ago GENERAL NEWS 393 Views
Two eminent clergymen and members of the Board of Trustees of the controversial National Cathedral project have called for its immediate suspension and audit.
The two – Archbishop Duncan Williams and Reverend Eastwood Anaba say their call is based on the controversies surrounding the project.
According to them, the suspension will pave the way for transparency and accountability to be provided to the Ghanaian people.
In a memo sent to the Board of Trustees on Monday, January 23, they called for independent audit into the expenditures of the project.
The two respected preachers said the auditor(s) must be one that is nationally recognised.
"That in the spirit and cause of transparency and accountability to the Ghanaian people, the current Board of Trustees of the National Cathedral shall appoint an independent, nationally recognised accounting firm to audit all public funds contributed to and spent by the National Cathedral.
"Auditors will also audit the overall cost of the project. This appointment of an auditor shall take place before the deferment of activities of the Board of Trustees," excerpts of the memo said.
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Meanwhile, the two Bible scholars also said the project should only continue until the economic conditions in the country is improved.
"That current activities advancing the construction of Ghana's National Cathedral shall be deferred until the atmospherics in Ghana are improved and the audit of the Cathedral account is done," excerpts of the memo added.
The National Cathedral Project has been one of the controversial public issues, since the project was first announced by President Akufo-Addo.
Apart from the questions of accountability which have been repeatedly raised by the Minority in Parliament, there have also been concerns about the relevance of the project, in the face of the country's economic crisis.
Amidst the plethora of issues, founder of the LightHouse Chapel International, Bishop Dag Heward-Mills, resigned from the Cathedral's Board of Trustee in August 2022.
In so doing, the preacher did not assign any specific reason for his departure; leaving the public to rely on their own conjectures and speculations about why the celebrated man of God left the scene.
See also Plea Bargaining Introduced Into Ghana's Justice System
However, after five months of his resignation, the Bishop's justifications for exiting the Board have been revealed.
The seasoned Bible teacher noted in his resignation letter which appears to have been leaked recently that his unresolved concerns about the cost of the National Cathedral and other pertinent issues triggered his exit.
The said letter, which appears to be a leaked document was addressed by the Bishop to the Chairman of the Board of Trustees of the National Cathedral.
"I feel that the treatment of the issues I have raised in my several letters has been unfortunate. My letters have been ignored in the past; not attended to for years, and at best addressed flippantly", Dag Heward-Mills said.
"You may recall I have spoken passionately and written extensively about the costs, the design, the location, the fundraising, the mobilization of the churches, and the role of the trustees.
See also 'I Do Not Know Where They Got Their PhDs From' – IEAG Secretary Fires Government Officials Over Economic Downturn
"These, if heeded, would have made our project more achievable. Generally speaking, my inputs, my opinions, and my letters have been trivialized and set aside", portions of the letter further disclosed.
Source: My Joy Online
Disclaimer: MyGhanaMedia.com is not responsible for this report and its content.
Archbishop Duncan Williams DAG HEWARD MILLS Eastwood Anaba Ministries National Cathedral of Ghana President Akufo-Addo 2023-01-24
Tags Archbishop Duncan Williams DAG HEWARD MILLS Eastwood Anaba Ministries National Cathedral of Ghana President Akufo-Addo
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The Wright Time for a Caution
 The New Hampshire Motor Speedway has a long history with open-wheel racing that includes some very memorable moments. There was Nigel Mansell's duel with Paul Tracy in 1993, Andre Ribeiro's first-ever Indycar win for Honda in 1995 and the 2011 race that saw a controversial re-start in wet conditions and the five-car pileup that followed.
On Thursday night, the Lionheart Retro Series visited iRacing's virtual replica of the track for the 143-lap Indy Elite Grand Prix of Loudon. When the checkered flag flew, Jake Wright emerged as the winner of a sim race that was easily as memorable and surprising as some of its real-life counterparts.
Wright, who qualified fourteenth, found himself in the lead with 24 laps to go thanks to a risky pit strategy that left him several laps short on fuel. During the final run, Wright was saving fuel and surrendered the lead briefly to Matthew Mercer, who was also short on fuel. Mercer pitted two laps later, putting Wright back in the lead just before a race-ending caution flag flew with three laps remaining.
Even under the final caution laps it remained unclear if Wright had enough fuel to follow the pace car to the checkered flag. Luckily, he managed to nurse the car to the finish line and claim his first win in the Retro Series. The victory pushed him ahead of Ryan Otis and into the overall points lead.
"I'm still in shock; I have no idea how that happened!" said Wright in victory lane. "I didn't have the speed; all I could hope for tonight was strategy."
"That was an extremely lucky race for me," he added. "That wasn't the first time I almost ran out of fuel. That first pit stop I was distracted and almost didn't come down pit road when I needed to; I ended up getting lucky with the caution coming out right then."
Scott Bolster finished second thanks to the same risky fuel strategy.
"One hundred percent there was a ten percent chance that I was going to make it," joked Bolster after the race. "It's so much fun racing with these guys. You know the guy you're going side-by-side, wheel-to-wheel with is going to be able to race you clean and hard. That's what makes this series a lot of fun!"
Pete Edwins brought his Lotus 79 home in third place. Unlike Wright and Bolster, Edwins remained confident that he had enough fuel to finish without the late yellow.
"My Z1 dashboard said I had enough to make it," said Edwins, who started twenty-ninth after some qualifying issues. "I started laying off a little bit. I was taking it easier through the corners just to give myself a bit of extra fuel."
The late-race caution was not good news for some of the sim racers who were quickly chasing down Wright, Bolster and Edwins. Chris Lanini, who chose a safer fuel strategy, finished fourth after leading a race-high 60 laps. Jason Galvin, who also believed he was good on fuel, came fifth.
Robert Mikes, Patrick Taylor, Travis Jegerlehner, Joe Hassert and Matthew Mercer rounded out the top ten. Overall, the race was slowed by 4 cautions for 14 laps, with the only major incident taking place on the second lap and collecting six cars.
Wright now holds a 44-point lead on Ryan Otis for the series championship. Robert Mikes sits third, just 53 points back. Jason Galvin and Travis Jegerlehner round out the top five.
The sim race was presented by Joe Branch and the Indy Oval Elite Series. The open-setup DW-12 Indycar league will feature its crown jewel event on May 7th with the Indianapolis 500 presented by Apex InfoTech. The 200-lap sim race will be broadcast live on RaceSpot at 7:00PM ET.
The Lionheart Retro Series also has a lot to look forward to in the weeks to come. On May 11th, the series will visit the streets of Long Beach for the Lionheart Grand Prix of Long Beach. The event will not be broadcast but the series will return to the Global Sim Racing Channel (GSRC) and iRacing Live on June 1st for a 250-mile battle at Indianapolis – the second leg of the 2017 Triple Crown. Coverage will begin at 10:35PM ET.
Otis dominates Retro race at Montreal
In a sight all too common to their competitors, Ryan Otis and Jake Wright proved once again it will be hard to keep up in the Lionheart Retro Series Canadian Grand Prix presented by Dewar's Candy Shop.
It was Otis' second win in as many road course starts, leading all 37 laps from the pole with Wright in tow the entire way, the duo finishing more than a half lap ahead of third.
"That was a blast, a fast race wire-to-wire," Otis said. "It was definitly close. I felt like as long as I could stay in front going into turn one, I'd be okay. But I was pushing the entire time, Jake was too. I knew I wasn't going to get away from him."
Wright stalked the points leader, and at one point mounted a charge late in the event, but Otis was too strong.
"Ryan was quite a bit faster," Wright said. "I think we're going to see a lot more races like that where I'm chasing down Ryan, he has these cars figured out."
With the top two spots on the podium all but decided after qualifying, all eyes turned to third where a blanket could be thrown over three drivers for the entire event.
Jason Galvin, Dustin Wardlow and Travis Jegerlehner finished within three seconds of each other, but the gap was never more than about two seconds from third to fifth during the race. The three ran nose-to-tail for 37 laps, even hitting pit road together.
In the end it was Galvin, who jumped into third on the start, who held on after a heated battle with his two closest rivals in the series.
"I'm pretty sure I can say without a doubt that was the best race I've ever driven," Galvin said. "I'm not a road course racer, I've never been one, but to hold off Dustin and Travis in this car, on this track, those two are exceptional road course racers. It was a blast."
For Wardlow, piloting a Dewar's Candy Shop entry, the finish was satisfying.
"I think all three of us were so evenly matched that any mistake would cost us dearly, and we were just lucky to stay clean," Wardlow said. "But what a ton of fun this was. I think traffic ultimately settled it for us."
Scott Bolster came home sixth, followed by David Altman, the top 10's biggest mover from eleventh to 7th. Andrew Kinsella, Pierre Daigle and Chris Stofer, the final car on the lead lap, rounded out the top 10.
One major crash garnered attention, when Vincent Bluthenthal blew his entry to the final chicane and collected Matthew Mercer.
24 of the 28 drivers to start the event finished.
Otis opened his points lead to 17 over Wright, despite missing an event. Bob Mikes sits third, followed by Galvin and Tony Showen.
The Lionheart Retro Series takes their Lotus L79 entries back to the oval side on Thursday, April 20th for the Indy Elite Grand Prix of Loudon on the Magic Mile of New Hampshire Motor Speedway. That race can be seen live on the Global SimRacing Channel at 10:40 p.m. EST.
For more information on the Lionheart Retro Series, or the Lionheart IndyCar Series presented by First Medical Equipment, head to www.LionheartRacingSeries.com.

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaCommonCrawl


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Articles by "TPP"
Showing posts with label TPP. Show all posts
ASEAN Bangkok Economy RCEP Southeast Asia Thailand TPP USA
Wrestling for largest free trade area in the world
One third of the global economy and almost half of the world's population are involved: In Bangkok, 16 Asian countries are negotiating the world's largest free trade agreement. The initiative came from China.
The negotiations should be concluded "later this year" to boost economic growth, trade and investment, "said Thai Prime Minister Prayut Chan-o-cha at the inauguration of the annual Southeast Asian Nations Association (ASEAN) Summit in Bangkok. The free trade agreement involves the ten member states of ASEAN and six other countries - China, Japan, India, South Korea, Australia and New Zealand. Their heads of state and government will not attend a meeting on Monday until Monday.
Idea from Beijing
The agreement would include a space of more than three billion people and a $ 17 trillion economic power. This corresponds to around 40 percent of world trade. China had proposed the trade partnership and wanted to build a counterbalance to the trade agreement TPP. The "Transpacific Partnership" (TPP) is owned by eleven states on various continents, including Australia, Chile and Canada. The US also originally wanted to participate. A few days after taking office, US President Donald Trump announced the agreement in 2017 but on.
As a result, the Southeast Asian states of ASEAN intensified their work on a separate agreement and are now in the final stages of the negotiations. The agreement could be signed in February 2020, a spokeswoman for the Thai government said.
The ASEAN group comprises ten states in Southeast Asia
Another topic on the agenda in Bangkok is the territorial dispute in the South China Sea . The Philippines, Vietnam, Malaysia, Brunei and Taiwan claim parts of the South China Sea, while Beijing occupies almost the entire maritime region. The regional bloc has worked with China to develop a non-aggression agreement or code of conduct. "We are ready to work with ASEAN countries and build on the existing foundations and foundations to maintain long-term peace and stability in the South China Sea," said Chinese PM Li Keqiang to ASEAN leaders in Bangkok.
Climate change affects Southeast Asia particularly strongly
UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres traveled as a guest to the summit in Bangkok and appealed to the world to get out of coal because of the climate crisis of energy. "I have been working hard to make more progress on carbon pricing and to make sure that there are no new coal-fired power plants by 2020," Guterres said. It should not continue to use trillions of taxpayer money as subsidies for fossil fuels, he said with a view to climate change. This only leads to more cyclones, tropical diseases and conflicts.
UN Secretary-General António Guterres: "It takes concrete measures"
He was particularly worried about the effects of the many coal-fired power plants that would be rebuilt in some parts of the world, such as in East, South and Southeast Asia, Guterres said. At the same time, developed countries would also have to help developing countries to emit less harmful gases. It needs concrete measures.
Already the day before, Guterres had said that the world's dependence on coal remains a major threat to climate change and that countries in the ASEAN region are particularly vulnerable. In the region a lot of energy is gained from coal. A recent report released by the UN states that sea levels are likely to rise faster than expected because of climate change. Therefore, several Asian cities are threatened by flooding in the future.


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A Faith Observed
A posthumous collection of essays explores Rachel Held Evans' spiritual vision
By Beth Waltemath | November 4, 2021
In a posthumous collection of essays, bestselling author and self-described "religious overachiever" Rachel Held Evans describes a way of pursuing God that embraces uncertainty, vulnerability, and compassion. Evans' friend, author Jeff Chu, has revised her unfinished manuscript and compiled other unpublished essays to create Wholehearted Faith, the final book from this beloved writer and activist who died of influenza-related complications at age 37 in 2019.
Evans — who grew up in Dayton, Tennessee, site of the infamous 1925 Scopes Trial — championed other Christians wrestling with the line between orthodoxy and heresy and spoke her truth within a movement of post-evangelicalism. She was able to capture the attention of evangelicals and progressives because of her ability to bridge the rhetorical divide between them. In her previous books, including Evolving in Monkey Town, A Year of Biblical Womanhood, and Inspired, she traced her evolution from fundamentalist to feminist. In Wholehearted Faith, she explores a theology that is unafraid to reach across differences of race, religion, and science.
Jeff Chu (Photo: Elizabeth McManus)
Evans called herself a "memoirist," although it's hard not to mourn the loss of the preacher she could have been if raised in a tradition that ordained women. In these essays, she delivers biographical details with discernment, choosing instead to discuss theological ideas over personal events. She recounts familiar anecdotes with her signature humor: her childhood wish to be rewarded with "The Best Christian Attitude," her adolescence as a "Jesus freak," her obsession with strong women in the Bible, and her addiction to winning Twitter arguments against conservative men. The Christian beliefs she addresses are framed by evangelical paradigms about the centrality of the Bible and the necessity for believers' testimony of their personal relationship with Jesus. The re-engagement of these apologetics can at times limit the expansive spiritual view she pushes toward. However, the voices she pulls in to reframe her faith are revolutionary in the context of these Christian conservative doctrines and practices.
To broaden her understanding of God's grace, she consults Black Liberation and Womanist theologies, Jewish midrash, and the social science research of Brené Brown and Jonathan Haidt. It is from Brown's concept of wholehearted living that Evans coins her concept of wholehearted faith, which she describes as follows:
To live and love fully, to embrace human vulnerability rather than exploit it, to try and make sense of our place in this fragile yet beautiful world, to seek to understand our role proclaiming God's love and justice – this has been the work of generations.
She then explores all the ways religions have taught people to disintegrate, disengage, and numb themselves as they try to conform to gender roles, deny desires and talents, stifle questions, and silence their consciences in the face of systemic oppression. She encourages her readers to see that true faith embraces uncertainty and vulnerability rather than conformity and silence.
Self-awareness is a strength in her work and perhaps especially so when she turns her discerning eye to her own motivations and methods as a writer. She admits that although her theology might have progressed, the patterns of fundamentalism are firmly ensconced in her psyche. She wonders if she is "trying to construct a façade of certainty" with her arguments no matter which side of the divide she occupies. "At times it is as if I didn't dismantle that fortress at all. I just took one flag down and raised a different one in its place."
Perhaps the most poignant story of her fragility is not the one Evans narrates in this book, but the one her editor and her readers know is unfolding for her — the approaching inevitability of death. After an amusing and self-deprecating story of all the ways her misguided ambition scored her Jesus points, a light-hearted lesson turns to poignant prophecy:
If you want to follow me, you have to prepare not to win but to lose, Jesus says. You might have to lose your need to be right, your lust for blue ribbons, your desire to be first. You — as well as all your claims to the Best Christian Attitude Award — might even have to die.
Although these pages call us to embrace the precarious nature of our existence to enliven our faith and compassion, Rachel's sudden death did not allow for her to reflect on her own brush with mortality. We may never know the true revelation of a wholehearted faith forged in vulnerability by this prophetic writer, but we are left with a lovely testimony of the faith described in the New Testament as "the substance of things hoped for and the evidence of things not seen."
Beth Waltemath, a native of Nashville, is a writer, writing coach, and a minister. She currently lives in Decatur, Georgia. Her essays have appeared in The New York Times, The Washington Post, and Chapter 16.
The Humanity in Every Person
Shades of Humanity
Wholehearted Faith
By Rachel Held Evans and Jeff Chu
Also by Beth Waltemath
Ross Gay incites revolutionary thinking through sharing joy, fruit, and poetry
Tallu Schuyler Quinn reflects on the ingredients of a good life in her posthumous memoir
Becca Stevens on trauma, resilience, and divine love
Street chaplain Lindsey Krinks finds her own voice through serving the voiceless
See More from Beth Waltemath


I am not a brave person. More often than not, when God has a difficult assignment for me, I pull a Moses: "I can't, Lord!...why me???" Recently He gave me a chance to stretch a little... I needed a root canal. To put it mildly, I wasn't thrilled at the prospect. Yet I made the appointment, knowing I didn't really have a reasonable alternative.
A couple of days before my appointment, the receptionist called to confirm. When she gave me the address in a downtown medical building, my heart fell into my stomach: it was two floors up from the clinic where my husband and I, then unmarried, aborted our first child eight years ago. My instant reaction was NO WAY! Despite the fact that I've been through a biblically-based support group to deal with the trauma of my abortion, this was just a little too close for comfort. I thought of approaching that building engulfed in fear, much the same way I had in the winter of 1992, within days of what should have been my child's eighth birthday. I was afraid of flashbacks, ugly memories, and reopening the emotional wounds.
After some serious prayer and the godly counsel of friends, I decided the Lord wanted me to do this. Not only would I go ahead with the dental appointment, I would create a memorial to my baby to leave outside the door of the abortion clinic.
My appointment was on Monday. I spent the weekend talking myself out of the memorial idea. I was terrified of being confronted. Scenes of hysterical abortion workers screaming at me played out in my mind's eye. I backed out a hundred times, telling myself that God wouldn't really mind.
My husband picked me up and we drove downtown. I battled fear and a strong desire to skip the memorial the entire drive. We parked the car, prayed, and headed into the building. I felt as though I should be trembling, but somehow I wasn't. I kept reminding myself that I am more than a conqueror in Christ, that He was going with and before me, and that He wanted me to do this. Carrying my sign and our camera, we got off the elevator on the ninth floor. My heart was pounding, yet God's strong presence compelled me forward through the fear.
We came around the corner to the door of the clinic. I stood by the door holding the sign while my husband took a picture. Then I placed it next to the door, and after another picture, we returned to the elevator area.
We had barely turned the corner of the hallway when the door to the clinic burst open. Our eyes were as big as saucers, wondering what we were in for. The furtive voices spoke in hushed tones, betraying tension and fear.
The feeling of the presence of evil was so strong!
The elevator arrived to take us up to the dentist. As the doors closed, we embraced in joy, eyes filling with tears at God's goodness. The feelings of oppression and heaviness, even fear, lingered. But while they were unsettling, the sweetness of the victory in Christ was triumphant. I wanted to dance! We had just fought a mighty spiritual battle, and won!
Everyone who has experienced abortion understands this battle. It wasn't the abortion industry I was fighting, it was the fear in my heart that keeps me from speaking the truth in love about the effects of abortion. But this time, abortion didn't conquer me, I conquered it in the strength and glory of the Lord.
This article in English originally appeared in the Fall 2001 issue of Eternal Perspectives magazine.


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Burkina Faso at epicentre of dramatic humanitarian crises gripping central Sahel
Photo: WFP/ Marwa Awad, A family displaced in Burkina Faso, now living in a camp in Pissila, a town north of the capital Ouagadougou
OUAGADOUGOU – The United Nations World Food Programme (WFP) today warned of an escalating humanitarian crisis driven by widespread violence and the long-term impact of climate change that has gripped Burkina Faso and neighbouring countries in the Central Sahel region of West Africa. WFP said the humanitarian response needed to be rapidly escalated to protect and save lives in Burkina Faso and the wider region.
"A dramatic human crisis is unfolding in Burkina Faso that has disrupted the lives of millions. Close to half a million people have been forced from their homes and a third of the country is now a conflict zone," said WFP's Executive Director, David Beasley. "Our teams on the ground are seeing malnutrition levels pushed well past emergency thresholds – this means young children and new mothers are on the brink. If the world is serious about saving lives, the time to act is now."
There has been a sharp increase in violence in Burkina Faso – the number of attacks in the first half of 2019 surpassed the total for 2018, with reported civilian deaths four times the total recorded in 2018. The escalating levels of insecurity have led to schools being closed and farmers abandoning their fields in search of safety – this in a country where 4 out of 5 people rely on farming for their livelihoods.
The impact on the now 20 million people living in conflict areas across the region is dramatic. At least 486,000 people have been forced to flee their homes in Burkina Faso alone, bringing the total number of internally displaced people across the three Sahelian countries to 860,000 people. Meanwhile, 2.4 million people need food assistance in the Central Sahel - a figure that could rise due to continued displacements.
WFP and other humanitarian agencies are facing the growing crisis at a time when funds to support relief efforts are running low and a substantial injection of new resources is required to meet the growing needs.
Even without the exacerbating impact of insecurity, the Sahel is on the forefront of climate change, and many communities are already having to adapt to an unpredictable climate.
WFP is faced with the immense challenge of simultaneously responding to immediate humanitarian needs, while protecting investments made in community resilience and self-sufficiency to ensure that all the gains made in recent years are not lost.
WFP has stepped up its response, providing more than 2.6 million people with food and nutrition assistance so far this year in the three Central Sahel countries, focusing its efforts on areas where humanitarian needs are most severe and where large-scale population displacements have taken place.
WFP urgently needs US$150 million for operations across the Central Sahelian nations of Mali, Niger and Burkina Faso, under existing programmes that include both emergency activities and resilience-building programmes.
Broadcast quality footage from Burkina Faso available via the following link.
Photos available here, feature-length story here.
WFP's Director of Emergencies and Country Directors in Burkina Faso and Mali will be available for interviews.
The United Nations World Food Programme - saving lives in emergencies and changing lives for millions through sustainable development. WFP works in more than 80 countries around the world, feeding people caught in conflict and disasters, and laying the foundations for a better future.
Follow us on Twitter @wfp_wafrica @wfp_africa wfp_media
Burkina Faso Mali Niger Emergencies
For more information please contact (email address: firstname.lastname@wfp.org):
George Fominyen, WFP/Dakar
Mob. +221 776394271
Frances Kennedy, WFP/Rome
Tel. +39 06 65133725, Mob. +39 346 7600806
Marwa Awad, WFP/Rome
Mob. +39 345 979 4751
Jane Howard, WFP/London
Tel. +44 (0)2038 577413
Mob. +44 (0)79 68008 474
Bettina Luescher, WFP/Berlin
Tel. +49 30 20 614929
Mob. +49 160 99261730
Herve Verhoosel, WFP/Geneva
Tiphaine Walton, WFP/Paris
Tel: +33 (0)674159209
Aneta Szczyglowska, WFP/Brussels
Tel. +32 2500 0917, Mob. +32 491 39 54 20
Steve Taravella, WFP/Washington
Tel. +1 202 653 1149, Mob. +1 202 770 5993
Shada Moghraby, WFP/New York
Tel. +1 646 5566914, Mob. +1 929 289 9867
To receive WFP news releases, please write to wfpinfo@wfp.org
WFP Executive Director to visit Burkina Faso
European Commission and United Kingdom helped WFP reach the most vulnerable with food assistance in Niger
As millions experience increased food insecurity in the Sahel, UN Food Agency Chiefs pledge to redouble efforts to reduce poverty and hunger


Mix in four tablespoons of grape seed oil and a few drops of lavender oil. Apply it on your hair and scalp. Leave it on for half an hour. Finally, shampoo your hair as usual.
Second example is – Mixture two egg yolks and two tablespoons of extra-virgin olive oil on your scalp. Leave it 15 to 20 minutes. Wash it with cold water and then shampoo your hair.
Apply it on your scalp two tablespoons of extra-virgin olive oil, whisk an egg and add one cup of milk and juice from half a lemon. Leave it 20 to 30 minutes before washing it out and shampoo your hair.


Eltjana is a graduate student at University of Paris 7 and University of Turin. After taking some courses on Commons and Open software, she became really interested in the field. She is particularly focused on Open Education issues and its impact on development. She has written two papers about Open Education and MOOCs (Massive Open Online Courses).
MOOCs, Open Education and developing countries: something good is in the air?


As adverts scream at us to buy this year's must-have items and the never-ending Christmas music in the shops drives us to distraction, present panic is fast setting in.
The recent revival of the pound-dollar exchange rate is sending people scuttling across the pond to snap up the latest designer goods and even expensive Europe gets a look in with its Christmas markets offering traditional trinkets that won't break the bank.
One resource many people forget despite often passing by them in the run-up to the festive season is airport shops.
Patricia Davidson, author of The Shopaholic's Top 1000 Websites and founder of online shopping directory www.thesiteguide.com agrees there are discounts to be had - if you're selective.
'I think airport shopping has improved immensely,' she says. 'If you're travelling out of Heathrow and Gatwick in particular, the range of merchandise is phenomenal.
But Patricia adds that if you go with a shopping list, you will have to be prepared to be flexible as there might not be everything you want.
She also warns that you should know your prices as some things may not be cheaper than on the high street.
Whenever you buy goods airside, they often seem cheaper because they are either duty-free or tax-free. But what is the difference?
Excise duty only applies to alcohol and tobacco products and whether or not you pay depends on where you are flying to.
Passengers travelling to a destination outside the EU can buy goods free of excise duty (duty-free) and VAT but this is not the case within the EU.
These passengers pay a price that includes excise duty and VAT. That is why two prices are normally displayed and why a sales assistant will ask to see your boarding card.
Tax-free refers to products which are VAT exclusive. But either way, there are savings to be made.
Travellers should also remember that while you can get a limited range of products on your return to the airport after you go through customs, anything you buy on the way out, you'll have to carry.
Believe it or not, some of the biggest savings to be made can be on expensive jewellery from designer watches to engagement rings.
In fact, some of the jewellery is so heavily discounted that you can buy a one carat diamond ring for the equivalent price of half a carat.
Gatwick airport's biggest saving is around £600 with a one carat diamond, 18 carat gold engagement ring going for £4,218 instead of £4,850 on the high street.
Or, on the cheaper end of the scale, a princess cut, one carat diamond set in 18 carat white gold sells for £1,738.33 instead of £1,999 - a saving of £260.67.
Heathrow has an equally wide jewellery selection available at a discount, with up to £400 savings on Cartier watches and almost £100 on a men's Paul Smith watch.
Airports have finally cottoned on to the fact that savvy shoppers don't want to dash around the terminal for an hour throwing their money at anything that appears cheap.
With the advent of online shopping, consumers want to research what they are going to buy before committing. So airports have started offering a similar service.
At Manchester Airport they have a pre-order service so that you can browse online, select what you want to buy and guarantee that it will be in stock when you arrive at the terminal to pay.
There are also online vouchers available with bigger discounts and until January the airport will be tweeting their latest downloadable offers.
Manchester is not the only one to recognise the importance of making their discounts flexible in order to entice shoppers.
Taking it one step further, Heathrow has set up a dedicated website for finding Christmas gifts - www.heathrowgiftlist.com - which suggests different presents for him and her.
You can choose an item, reserve online and collect at the airport. Or if you are flying within Europe you can pick up your purchase on your return from the Shopping Collect Point.
Electricals have generally always been considered cheaper at the airport. But it is only since the advent of online and pick-up services that you can really take them seriously. Who wants to take a laptop on holiday with them?
Now most airports offer discounts on favourite items such as iPods, cameras and phones. Many of the traditional electricals have money off which can really add up if you're buying a few bits.
Dixons Travel, which can be found at Edinburgh, Luton, Birmingham as well as many other airports has a £25 discount on iPod Touches and £15 off iPod Nanos.
The real bargains are when you are buying bigger items.
If you are shopping for a television, new Samsung flatscreens like the LE40B651T have savings of £115 - down to £781.
Or the Panasonic TXP42X10B has a £90 discount making it £607.85. However, you will have to pay for home delivery. Small televisions can cost as little as £17.99 while bigger ones are priced around £19.99.
Bigger airports such as Heathrow also host other big name electrical shops that it can be worth checking out.
The latest phones - such as the Nokia N97 mini - are available at the Nokia store with over £50 off. The Sony Style Store has slashed the same amount from its Sony Cybershot WX1 camera.
HMV is also offering discounts with the new Elite X-Box 360 selling for £170.20, a saving of around £30.
The gift sets you can buy in shops like Boots and Next are always popular, particularly over the Christmas period, and duty free shops have made these packs of miniature gifts into an art form.
Presents such as the Clinique travel set for men is offered at Heathrow and costs £22.50 - ideal for a token gift under the tree.
World Duty Free, which has shops in all the major and many regional airports, also offers a Molton Brown Japanese Journey gift set which consists of six travel size products in a presentation case for £29.75. The Elizabeth Arden 'eight-hour' travel set is available for £28.90.
Other special gifts and deals tend to centre around luxury drinks products. Baileys Gold, a premium luxurious Baileys presented in a gold case, is available at World Duty free for £23.99.
A special edition of Glenmorangie Sonnalta PX Whisky, which is only available at airports, is priced at £64.99.
A discounted bottle of branded perfume from the airport has been given as a gift as long as there have been 'business trips' - and the tradition is still going strong.
Some of the reductions are well worth a look, particularly on the recently-launched perfumes, which are often a popular request for Christmas gifts.
The new Marc Jacobs fragrance, Lola, is available at World Duty Free for £35.65 as opposed to the hefty £60 it is currently selling for in Boots. Likewise, the Marc Jacobs limited edition silver Daisy fragrance costs £48 airside instead of £60.
Manchester's Biza store is selling Calvin Klein's Secret Obsession for women for £48.85, saving over £12 on the high street price and Davidoff Adventure for men is £8 cheaper at £34.65.
Birmingham's Alpha store is selling Prada Man for £27.40 instead of £35 on the high street and Armani's Acqua di Gio is £41 instead of £49.91.


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John Anderson Tribute Album To Feature Luke Combs, Eric Church & More
On August 5, Easy Eye Sound will release an album paying tribute to veteran country music star John Anderson.
The album will feature a number of A-list artists covering songs by the Nashville Songwriters Hall of Fame inductee.
They include Luke Combs, Eric Church, Jamey Johnson, Brothers Osborne, Ashley McBryde, Tyler Childers, Brent Cobb, Del McCoury, John Prine, Nathaniel Rateliff, Sturgill Simpson, Gillian Welch and David Rawlings.
The collection of Anderson songs, titled Something Borrowed, Something New: A Tribute to John Anderson, was produced by Dan Auerbach of The Black Keys and David Ferguson.
Auerbach said he made it a point to ask every artist to come to his Nashville studio for recording.
"We weren't trying to piddle around and make the normal tribute record. It had to be the best singers with the best songs and the best arrangements, and they all had to come into the studio. This wasn't like, 'Mail me the song, and we'll put it together.' Everybody had to come here and do their thing," he said in a statement.
The first preview of the album features Gillian Welch and David Rawlings' performance of "I Just Came Home to Count the Memories."
1. "1959" performed by John Prine2. "Years" performed by Sierra Ferrell3. "Wild and Blue" performed by Brent Cobb4. "Low Dog Blues" performed by Nathaniel Rateliff5. "Mississippi Moon" performed by Eric Church6. "I Just Came Home to Count the Memories" performed by Gillian Welch & David Rawlings7. "Shoot Low Sheriff!" performed by Tyler Childers8. "Seminole Wind" performed by Luke Combs9. "When It Comes to You" performed by Sturgill Simpson10. "You Can't Judge a Book (By The Cover)" performed by Brothers Osborne11. "Would You Catch a Falling Star" performed by Del McCoury feat. Sierra Hull12. "Straight Tequila Night" performed by Ashley McBryde13. "I'm Just an Old Chunk of Coal (But I'm Gonna Be a Diamond Some Day)" performed by Jamey Johnson
(Photo: Alysse Gafkjen)
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By now many of you may have noticed a change on my social media accounts, and now on my blog. The Beauty Puff has officially become Lusterhood. What does that name mean? Lusterhood is a combination of things I love - lustrous finishes, things that catch my eye, motherhood, and all that encompasses.
To change the name of a blog is no easy task. To be honest, it took me a long time to commit to the idea. It's more than a link in your bookmarks or a shared photo on Instagram. I really had no idea how in depth the process was and quite honestly, didn't have the time to figure it out. This last year has been a whirlwind with the birth of my twins in November, my four year old starting preschool, and adjusting to being a mom of three, all while keeping this blog afloat. Now that my schedule is a bit more manageable (some days!) I decided to take the plunge and rebrand my entire blog.
The Name | I wanted the new name to strike interest but also broaden the scope of the content here on my blog. I will still be featuring beauty, lifestyle and children's products, but wanted a name to reflect more than just beauty. I consider this an opportunity to open more doors and insure longevity in an ever-changing world on social media.
Social | Want to find me on social media? You can find @lusterhood on Instagram, Facebook, Pinterest and Twitter! I encourage you to come say hello and connect on any of the above platforms!


the winds thrashed that night. and the rains did too. came down hard and heavy, like nails from up above. pelting nails.
on nights like that the trees bend and toss. make you forget, nose pressed to glass, watching, staring, gasping right out loud, that trees are made of wood not paper.
makes you wonder, on nights like that one, how the wild things survive. how the dawn comes, and the dewdrops glisten. how the birds shake off their sodden feathers, fly again.
you tiptoe out in the morning, survey the world that's yours as the light comes up, casts its gold-drenched illumination, like a blanket rolling toward the west. your naked toes drink in the bath that is oozy lawn, two parts mud, one part grass.
you count the fallen things: the poppies pummeled, crepe-paper petals strewn, so much sad confetti; the peonies waterlogged and dripping, necks bent, noses pressed into the earth, fuchsia washrags in the end, their short, short season cut even shorter.
it is all the heartache you come to know, come to weather, when you love a garden year after year after one disaster or another.
but then, sometimes, some holy blessed heart-breaking times, you stumble on a fallen something that draws you to your knees. that draws a gasp from your heart and lungs.
it's not something you see maybe more than once a lifetime. it's not something you want to see. not tumbled to the ground anyway. not tousled, cracked. before your toes and eyes.
not when it's a nest, a perfect robin's nest, all mud-daubed, sticks and stems on the outer rim, for stability. and tucked within with grasses finer, softer, where the eggs will gently lay.
where the eggs are now, as you've stumbled upon it. where the eggs, two of them at least, still are perfect ovoid realms of possibility.
but the third is cracked. and you can see straight inside, to flesh and blood and little bird, formed and forming. till the winds and rain and tumbling came, that is.
and there's no mama robin in sight. and you can't hear her either. can't hear her mournful cry. for she has lost her nest, and babies too.
and you can't bear, quite, to swallow all of this. to make sense of this.
how so perfect a springtime construction can be tossed and whipped by winds and rains and trees that bent like paper.
my mama was the one who found it. of course my mama. she's the one who knows her trees, her wild things, by heart. she lets no day dawn without her keeping close watch. she makes it her job to be the caretaker of all this wonder.
she tracks the comings and the goings of all the babies–ducks and deer, raccoon and robin. she knows generations, even.
year after year, they return to her, the wild things of the woods that surround her.
the ducks–mr. and mrs. mallard, she calls them–cross at the sign she has posted on her mailbox–SLOW. DUCK CROSSING–so the cars might pause where the mallards make their passage from the creek on one side, to my mother's cracked corn on the other.
mama deer bring their fawns. nestle down atop the ivy beds, close to the house, where they know, i suppose, that they'll be safe, tended to, while the mamas make feast of my mother's gardens.
more than once, a mama deer has left her spotted little one at my mama's all day long. came back at dusk to fetch the wobbly thing. deer daycare, i suppose. smart choice, i say, commending mama deer. i, too, made the same choice, when it came to caring for my little ones.
and so, of course, it was on my mother's early morning rounds, the morning after that nasty noisy storm, that she found the nest and eggs that tumbled down.
in my mama's book of rules, you do not leave a sacred something lying there abandoned. as if a discard.
there are no discards when it comes to nature. only lessons to be learned. and mercy studied.
and so my mama lifted it, the nest and all its eggs. slipped it in a bag, and brought it here, to where i type.
left it lying beside my keyboard, so i too could study its perfection. its heartbreak. its potential so abruptly wrenched from the safety and sanctity of the mighty oak's gnarled limbs.
i take these lessons from above quite to heart, of course. i am my mother's daughter, after all. don't take it lightly that i am blessed to peer inside a mama robin's grassy labors.
i am again and again enchanted by the brilliant know-how of the birds, how they know to make the nest just so, sturdy on the outside, soft and soothing where the babies would have hatched.
i muse, of course, on how all of us are born knowing the fundamentals of construction–how it is, at least, we build our nests for the ones we hatch and love.
i consider, too, the emptiness of that mama robin's belly. how she must be longing still to press against the warmth of those bright blue eggs, where perhaps she felt the stirrings of the life within.
there is much to learn contemplating how mud and sticks and grass combine to build a nest. and how the wind and rain and bending trees could toss it all away.
i consider the thud that must have been, when the nest came tumbling down, stopped hard against the ground. and how that thud echoed in the empty heart of that blessed mama robin.
once again, lessons left for me to learn. thanks be to my very own mother nature.
did you have a chance this week to stumble on a lesson left–in any form–by the hand of mother nature? or some other week, perhaps? do tell…..
some weeks all it takes is a grocery store coffeecake, under a clear plastic dome, slapped with a bright orange sticker; its price slashed in half.
some weeks when you are a mama, or any plain tired old soul, when you've been through the wringer, feel ready to fall, wish like anything for arms to fall into–even the arms of your favorite old chair–some weeks all it takes is a stroll past a plastic-domed cake.
to feel your heart wobble a little.
to think, that's the thing.
plop it down on the table.
make like i'm paying attention. making home feel a little like home.
instead of the wasp's nest. or the hurricane. that it's felt like all week.
for 16 years now–come monday, that is, when my firstborn strides round that big 16 bend–i've made it my job, my no. 1 job, to try to make certain that here in our house there's a wrapper of love.
i remember the moment, clear as could be, that i saw in my head the picture of this brand of love, the one i would traffic in, once my firstborn was born.
a clear-walled bubble it was, unpunctured. no beginning or end. all-encompassing. a shield that would keep out the bad, and seal in only the good.
oh, it bobbled at first, that bubble of love. took a stumble or two, back in the early few weeks.
where is the room, i kept gasping and asking myself, for breathing and eating and thinking whole thoughts, here with a babe in your arms, with a heart that is suddenly, utterly, yours to protect?
right off, my instincts went deep, didn't swerve or look back. fact was, i'd never felt love quite like this love.
like falling it was. like i wouldn't ever let up, let a crevice or crack of darkness seep in.
my love would be fierce, would be always. my heart and my arms would be harbor. in time, so would the walls of my home.
over the years, as i've said here before, i chiseled my own solid gospel of everyday grace, of the comfort and beauty that is mine to bring through the door. to set on the table. to tuck under the sheets. to stash in the drawers.
oh, but these last few weeks, i've felt i could hardly keep up. could barely patch together a semblance of peace, or of calm. or dinner at six.
so i, like a swimmer out there where the water's too deep, i keep grasping. for lifelines and buoys.
i've run out of words, out of steam, too often of late. it's all i can do, some sorry late nights, to chase my sweet little boy straight up the stairs, to tuck him in bed, and race through the prayers, and let out a sigh as i pull shut his door.
and feel rather sad that i've not done it all better, this rare grasp of life with a child of seven. and one who's nearly 16.
so the crumb of the coffee cake, there on the grocery store shelf, at the end of a very long week, it whispered to me, offered a promise of lifting the day to a richer beginning.
it might make a friday different from thursday. offer a break from the cornflakes and milk, of monday till now.
it's all i could do, that cake for $2.49. to tell the boys that i love that i'm not giving up. i'll not forsake all my vows, my promise made long, long ago.
i'll be the shield and the light. i'll sew stitches of grace. scatter dewdrops of beauty.
i'll leave coffeecake crumbs in my trail.
long as they lead us all home, to here where our hearts thump the most loudly.
question: what brand of love did you set out to spread in the world? do you think much about it, or just simply live it? who taught you loving, or was it born straight from your heart, or from heaven itself?
do you ever resort to shortcuts, or secret morse codes, to spell out your love, when words and hours run short?
the calendar months and months ago had been marked, "school's out." the plan, picnic at the beach, carved into our little heads.
workdays had been shuffled around, errands scratched.
it was the last day of school, dang it, a day that still stirs that once-in-a-lifetime gallump in your belly, that still can make even a mama feel lighter than air itself.
for weeks now, it's been nothing but worries, making sure the 2d grader got the research project signed, sealed, delivered. getting the high schooler through exams, without crumbling into little bits of nerve-jangled angst.
last day of school is hardly just a picnic for the children. why, it's hallelujah time for grownups too.
and so we weren't about to let a little winter weather get in the way of our summer's start.
never mind that winds were howling. and goosebumps, the skin covering of the day.
fools we were, marching into the joint where hotdogs and gyros come drippingly (though not in trans-fats, the posters promise). we ordered up. grabbed our grease-dappled bag and set out to where the summer would begin: the beach.
the 50-degree, rain-splattered, wind-tousled beach.
hmm, seemed no need for that ol' tattered quilt in the back of the wagon. it would not be spread across these soggy sands. maybe just around our shaky shoulders, there inside the comfort of our upholstered picnic grounds.
seemed our picnic–and thus our summer–would commence right there on seats A and B of the wagon. the dashboard, we found, made for a fine picnic table. as did the booster seat in back.
we sat, counted raindrops, nibbled on our non-trans-fats.
we were, except for the fellow steaming up the windows in the car next door, the only fools testing out the beach, taunting summer to begin, darn it. get started already.
sometimes you make do. you stick your fingers in the mound of greasy fries. you consider the fact that only summer lies ahead.
you make wishes on the raindrops, savor the immense weightlessness of that one glorious day that comes but a few times in any life: the day that all the worries of the world are lifted, and you are free, free of sitting in your desk, free of hauling lunch in lunch bags, free of filling in the nightly homework log.
those days aren't mine any longer. long ago i lost the blessed, lung-filling magnificence of no-more-worries. that's a gift for kids alone.
but once a year, when you're a mama, you get to slip and slide into the dream, to pretend, until you reach the bottom of the bag of fries, that you too are let loose from all that ties you.
and, so, even when the rains splatters on your windshield, you steer toward the beach. you pour out your picnic fare. and you lick from your fingertips all that summer promises.
and you pay no mind to goosebumps.
people, what's your wish list for summer? besides a little heat, please….
we said a prayer last night. for all the ones who didn't make the team. the ones who tried out in pouring rain and chill winds, three nights running. the ones who laced up, hoped and dreamed. especially for the little one who held his father's hand, hid behind a tree and never even made it on the field.
then yesterday, when the list went up, when the teams were all disclosed, when the cuts came clear and cold, spelled out in numbers on a list, some 20 of the 60 boys scanned and held their breath. looked high and low to find their number somewhere on the roster. didn't find it.
my little one did. his number, there. right smack where he hoped it would be.
but all day long, and especially in the moments when we waited, before our eyes fell sharp and clear on the 1-1-8 that belonged to him, i couldn't help but think of 7-year-olds and 8-year-olds finding out too soon perhaps that they didn't measure up.
not by this measure anyway.
i struggle mightily with these sorts of measures, with any sort, i think. and i can't wholly tell you why. only that i live and breathe to see the wholeness, the completeness, in each and every one of us. that, mightily, i pray that all of us could bathe and bask in the holiness of who we are.
maybe for too long i felt like i fell short.
maybe there've been too many nights of tears in my own kitchen, holding on, wishing more than anything that i could soothe the wounds, staunch the drip-drip-drip, of my own child who'd been told somehow he wasn't fill-in-the-blank enough.
and here we are, in a world where winning seems to count for everything. where all the glory comes to those who charge the field, seize the goal, rise triumphant. where the stumbles, too often, go ignored.
where i wonder who is pausing now to consider all those broken hearts, the soccer dreams in shatters on the pillows in the houses all around this town, every town, everywhere.
i've no idea, really, how it is we teach the human heart to go beyond its borders, to consider how the other child feels. but i won't stop trying. won't turn in the book of empathy. and this seems, indeed, time again to stretch and reach and plant another seed.
it is, perhaps, the most essential lesson that we teach.
we spend our years, some of us, mumbling and muttering words that might, frankly, enter one ear and exit straight out the other.
but we mumble and mutter anyway.
we mumble and we pray.
we pause and say the words.
dear God, we prayed last night, my little one and i, please take care of all the hearts that are sad tonight, the ones who didn't make it.
my little one prayed along. or at least he echoed all the words.
i prayed in double-time, praying not only the prayer itself but also that some little crumb, a dust speck maybe, of the message here settled on my brand-new soccer player's heart.
that especially when we grab hold of what we wanted, more than anything, we remember those who didn't.
remember what it feels like. imagine what it feels like.
to go running in the rain, three nights long, and then be told by week's end, that it wasn't good enough. we weren't good enough.
not everyone, i know, can be a winner all the time.
but dear God, i beg, bless the hearts of those who cannot understand, who wonder what it is that left them looking for a number that wasn't there.
and now at merely 7- or 8-years old–so very, very young, really–they've come to stumble on a sort of sadness i don't wish for any child.
do you worry about the shock to the human heart of being told you're not good enough? did you suffer this when young? how did you survive, climb out of that dark hole? how have you been tested to soften the blow when it came to someone you love? what are your thoughts on social constructs that are built on a foundation of some-win-some-lose, that's-the-way-the-world-works? need it be that way? or is there, please Lord, some other gentler way?


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Litany of surgical blunders revealed in Britain
The cases of 14 British brain surgery patients who were the victims of catastrophic errors when National Health Service (NHS) neurosurgeons operated on the wrong side of the head are to spearhead a government drive to make operations safer, says the Independent.
Sir Liam Donaldson, the Chief Medical Officer for England, will highlight the cases at the launch of his annual report today when he will announce the establishment of a new clinical board for surgical safety to reduce errors and eliminate "wrong site" mistakes.
In 2007, almost 130,000 errors involving surgical procedures were reported to the National Patient Safety Agency.
In 2007, 16 operations were done on the wrong site; examples include knee replacements on the wrong (healthy) knee, cochlear implants in the wrong ear and removing bone from the wrong foot.
One patient a day was listed for the wrong operation in 2007, and there were 1,136 errors involving operating lists, including mistaken surgery, wrongly identified patients or operations performed in the wrong place.
A study of 38 surgeons in 14 NHS hospitals in the British Medical Journal in 2006 found "most" had experience of operating on the wrong site.
About 20,000 patients die after surgery each year in the United Kingdom but it is not known how many were preventable.
An estimated 2,000 NHS patients die each year as a result of errors in treatment, and half of all incidents could have been avoided if staff had learnt the lessons of previous errors.
Source: Jeremy Laurance, Litany of Surgical Blunders Revealed, The Independent (London), July 14, 2008.
For text: http://www.independent.co.uk/life-style/health-and-wellbeing/health-news/litany-of-surgical-blunders-revealed-866894.html
FMF Policy Bulletin/ 22 July 2008


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Christine James (born 2 February 1954) is a Welsh poet and academic. She served as the first female Archdruid of Wales from June 2013 until June 2016. She first presided over the ceremonies at the National Eisteddfod in the 2013 Eisteddfod in Denbigh. Like all holders, she qualified by winning a major literary prize at a previous National Eisteddfod. She was elected Cofiadur (Recorder) of the Gorsedd of Bards at the National Eisteddfod in 2017, again as the first woman to hold the post. She is a recipient of the Wales Book of the Year.

Life and academic career
Christine Mumford was born 2 February 1954, in Tonypandy, Rhondda, and educated at Porth County Grammar School. Later at Aberystwyth University she gained a first-class honours degree in Welsh and was subsequently awarded a PhD for a thesis on the Laws of Hywel Dda.

Mumford currently lives in Cardiff and is an emeritus professor in the Department of Welsh, Academi Hywel Teifi, Swansea University. She is an elected Fellow of the Learned Society of Wales and of the Academi Gymreig (the Welsh Academy).

Poetry
She won the Crown at the 2005 National Eisteddfod for a poetry collection inspired by works of art, including a number in the National Museum Cardiff.

Her first volume of poetry, Rhwng y Llinellau, was published by Cyhoeddiadau Barddas in 2013 and launched at the National Eisteddfod in Denbigh. It was awarded the prize for the best volume in the Poetry category in the Wales Book of the Year 2014 competition.

References

1954 births
Living people
Alumni of Aberystwyth University
Crowned bards
Writers from Cardiff
People from Tonypandy
Welsh-language poets
Welsh Eisteddfod archdruids
Welsh-speaking academics

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaWikipedia


For larger corporations already operating in both France and Australia, and for companies that wish to broaden their trade relations between our two countries. These companies have a strong presence in the French-Australian business community and join to reinforce existing contacts with upper levels of industry and government, or to forge new and wider relationships.These members can actively promote their activities through our publications and sponsorship opportunities. Membership benefits are available to all employees.
For medium and large companies that are interested in the Chamber's events in order to network with other members and expand their contacts in the French-Australian business community. These members benefit from our range of business services, seminars and social activities, and also from the Chamber's contacts in the two countries when undertaking specific projects. These members canactively promote their activities through our publications and sponsorship opportunities.
This membership is aimed at small businesses to benefit from our range of networking opportunities. These members have access to our specific business expertise via our workshop and seminar series.
FACCI's 'Wine & Dine' Membership is specifically designed to benefit restaurants, bistros and cafés by providing them with access to the Chamber's diverse range of advertising and promotional opportunities, and providing them with opportunity to host FACCI Wine & Dine events. Membership benefits are available to all employees.
For those individuals who have an interest in gaining or maintaining contact with the French-Australian business community, and in developing their business and social networks.
For young entrepreneurs, employees, researchers and students who wish to gain access to a mix of affordable and enjoyable business and social events, and develop their professional contacts. Welcome to a platform dedicated to the younger (under 30) members of the French-Australian community!


COLORado Solo Batten is a powerful one-of-a-kind batten that projects a single homogenized wash with smooth color-mixing, giving it the appearance of a bright single bar of light without round "eyes" or pixels. It complements the COLORado Solo pars perfectly. This very versatile fixture is also engineered with 12 individually controllable square sections that appear seamlessly together without separation but can also create an endless variety of color control and pixel mapping effects. The unit is IP65 rated and equipped with DMX and RDM protocols.


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redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaGithub


Minden High School is a public high school of the Minden Public Schools located in Minden, NE. It has 220 students in grades 9th through 12th. Minden High School is the 92nd largest public high school in Nebraska and the 16,684th largest nationally. It has a student teacher ratio of 9.5 to 1.
You can also use the form below to search for alumni info and Minden High School students.
Minden High School is ranked 105th out of 265 ranked schools in Nebraska, for total students on lunch assistance.
The percentage of Minden High School students on free and reduced lunch assistance (31.8%) is lower than the state average of 41.3%. This may indicate that the area has a lower level of poverty than the state average.


text:
Global Implications of China's Rise
Security and Geopolitics
Balkan Trust for Democracy
Black Sea Trust for Regional Cooperation
Fund for Belarus Democracy
Brussels Forum
Welcome to the new GMFUS website!
Read the latest news and insights on the unfolding Russia situation from our experts.
Explore Here
The Summit for Democracy: A Transatlantic Readout
Manuel Lafont-Rapnouil
Stéphane Dion
Alexandra de Hoop Scheffer
Photo credits : Day Of Victory Studio
Canadian Embassy In Paris
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Civil Society Democratic Decline Domestic Politics and Society European Union United States
Director of Policy Planning, Center for Analysis, Planning and Strategy, French Ministry of Europe and Foreign Affairs
Senior Fellow and Director, Alliance for Securing Democracy
Laura Thornton is director and senior fellow at the Alliance for Securing Democracy at the German Marshall Fund. Prior to joining ASD, Thornton was director of global programs at International IDEA, a Stockholm-based intergover...
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text:
Peanut Country, U.S.A.
Where are peanuts grown in the United States?
Peanuts are grown commercially in 13 states: Alabama, Arkansas, Florida, Georgia, Louisiana, Missouri, Mississippi, North Carolina, New Mexico, Oklahoma, South Carolina, Texas and Virginia.
However, 6 major peanut producing states grow nearly all of the U. S. peanut crop.
In 2019, Georgia (nearly 50 percent) grew the largest proportion of all peanuts followed by Florida (over 11 percent), Alabama (over 10 percent), Texas (over nine percent), North Carolina (over eight percent), and South Carolina (over four percent). Together, Mississippi, Virginia, Oklahoma, Arkansas, New Mexico, Louisiana and Missouri produced over eight percent of the U.S. peanut crop.
There are about 7,000 peanut farmers in the major peanut producing regions.
Major peanut producing states are grouped into three regions. For 2014, the Southeast region (Georgia-Florida-Alabama-Mississippi) produced approximately 65 percent of all USA-grown peanuts. The Virginia-Carolina region (Virginia-North Carolina-South Carolina) accounted for nearly 13 percent of all USA-grown peanuts. The Southwest region (Texas-Oklahoma-New Mexico-Arkansas) grew more than 17 percent. Louisiana and Missouri together produced less than one percent of total USA-grown peanuts.
Where are peanuts grown around the world?
Peanuts are grown in the warm climates of Asia, Africa, Australia, and North and South America. As of 2019, the United States planted about two percent of the world acreage of peanuts but grew over five percent of the world's crop because of higher yields per acre. The bulk of the world's peanut production comes mainly from, China, India, Nigeria, Sudan, Burma, Argentina and Senegal.
World peanut production totals about 45 million metric tons per year. The United States is the world's fourth largest producer, after China, India and Nigeria. Worldwide peanut exports are about 3.6 million metric tons, with the U.S. ranking a close fourth behind Argentina, China and India.
U.S. Exports
The United States is one of the world's leading peanut exporters, with annual exports averaging over 500,000 metric tons per year at values exceeding $675 million. Exports in 2019 were double that of exports as recently as 2012. Recent yield and efficiency gains by American peanut farmers have made their products cost-competitive in the world market.
The largest export market for U.S. peanuts in 2019 was Canada, which purchased peanuts valued at more than $179 million, followed by Mexico, which purchased peanuts valued at more than $142 million (according to the USDA's Foreign Agricultural Service). The U.S. reputation for high-quality products and cost-competitiveness have facilitated exports to countries in the European Union, China, Japan and other countries around the world.
http://www.agmrc.org/commodities__products/nuts/peanut-profile/
https://usda.library.cornell.edu/concern/publications/tx31qh68h?locale=en
https://www.fas.usda.gov/data/oilseeds-world-markets-and-trade
https://downloads.usda.library.cornell.edu/usda-esmis/files/tx31qh68h/c247f928p/h415pt06n/oilseeds.pdf
http://msucares.com/news/print/agnews/an13/20130207_peanutmtg_phillips_scs.html
https://downloads.usda.library.cornell.edu/usda-esmis/files/j098zb09z/0k225n39n/jw827p632/acrg0619.pdf
https://www.nass.usda.gov/
peanut peanut growing region peanut farming peanut country
You're Eating More Peanuts Than Ever…Thank You!
Your love for America's favorite nut keeps growing. Read more
Here's everything you need to know about the peanut varieties grown in the U.S. Read more
Peanut Butter & Jelly—By the Numbers
We've unpacked some fun facts about one of America's most iconic foods—the PB&J. Read more
The Journey of a Peanut Butter Jar
Find out how peanuts grow and get to your grocery store shelf. Read more


Quality Inspection is a critical business process to ensure meeting the standards and compliance aspects for manufacturers serving the Medical Industry. The process of tracking, documenting, tracing and setting an accountable system can be very costly unless your organization will harness automation.
In addition, the 21st century globalization has created new opportunities for manufacturers to become more decentralized and incorporate profitable outsourcing into their business models. However, manufacturing business processes has to be streamlined in order to gain potential benefits. The capability to manage your supply chain effectively and with less issues is a huge advantage - this is where HighQA's Quality Management System with its flagship software product "Inspection Manager", makes a difference.
No matter the size of your organization and supply chain, working with our system enables you to meet the standards require by Medical customers.
HighQA's Quality Management System helps you to achieve the FDA 21 CFR Part 820, Quality System Regulation, and/or ISO 13485:2016 Medical Devices Quality Management System and record keeping requirements for our Medical Industry customers. Our system improves the productivity, consistency and accountability of your quality processes.
We pride our system on having outstanding automation and usability. The entire 2D print set of requirements (GD&T) is OCR in one click! All the requirements are digitized into an SQL database which leads to full automation of the Bill of Characteristics, First Article report and additional specific reporting as well as collecting data from CMM equipment or the shop floor is fully automated with additional applications built into our system.


Ahmadreza Ahmadi is one of the greatest and most famous contemporary poets in Iran. He writes for children as well, but his children's books are different from those of other authors. His books have been the subject of many discussions among those working in the field of children's books in Iran. He is a writer whose books are read by children and adults alike. His children's books should thus be called 'everyone's books'. Behind seemingly simple and childish stories, these books present adults with deep questions about life.


The Lindsay Park-trained favourite for Monday's Group 2 $400,000 Adelaide Cup (3200m) Fanatic has come up trumps with barrier three in the 18 starter field of stayers.
The daughter of 2009 Melbourne Cup winner Shocking sits as the $4.80 favourite in Adelaide Cup betting following the final acceptances on Tuesday.
Fanatic firmed in the markets after she drew ideally in barrier three with Michael Walker continuing his successful association in the saddle.
Chasing her first victory since the Listed Sandown Cup (3200m) over the same two mile distance last November, the mare comes off a good second to Aloft from last Saturday's Listed Roy Higgins Quality (2600m).
The Roy Higgins Quality form held-up in last year's Adelaide Cup results with Annus Mirabilis (2017) improving on a lead-up fifth.
Along with the top fancy Fanatic, the David Hayes-led Lindsay Park operation saddle-up two other in-form Adelaide Cup horses in 2018 with Al Haram (14) coming off a second over 3000m at Moonee Valley from February 23 and High Chaparral mare Raindrops On Roses (13) who won at The Valley last Friday night over 2500m.
The other best out of the Roy Higgins Quality on Australian Guineas Day backing-up in the bumper Adelaide Cup field this autumn meanwhile is the Darren Weir-trained third placegetter Ormito.
A German-bred son of Mamool, the five-year-old has finished top three in all three of his runs this year going back to Flemington's Listed Bagot Handicap (2800m) on New Year's Day.
He then finished only a quarter-length third to Double Bluff in last Month's Listed Torney Cup (2500m) at The Valley before the solid effort in the Roy Higgins that he will look to improve on heading up to 3200m for the first time down under from a nice barrier five draw.
Weir has accepted for three Adelaide Cup hopefuls with Ormito joined by stablemates Poppiholla (11) and the well-supported Master Of Arts who has work to do from barrier 16 with Brad Rawiller aboard.
Carrying the equal 59kg Adelaide Cup top weight along with Kiwi raider Benzini, Master Of Arts comes off a second in last Saturday's Group 3 Lord Reims Stakes (2600m).
The Lord Reims Stakes winner Etah James is a notable omission from the Adelaide Cup field this year leaving Master Of Arts and the third placed Benzini, drawn Monday's outside barrier (18), to frank the form of the traditional Morphettville lead-up.
Six-year-old Mastercraftsman grey Master Of Arts has a strong Morphettville track record of two wins, a second and a third from four runs at the course including his third in the Adelaide Cup trifecta last year.
Local South Australian Clare Lindop meanwhile has her final Adelaide Cup ride, the retiring hoop booked to partner the Grant Young-trained Viscount nine-year-old Tunes for his 25th run at the track.
Tunes was second to Purple Smile in the Adelaide Cup in 2016, while last year's runner-up Double Bluff is back out to go one better this year with Mark Zahra aboard the Robbie Laing-trained recent Torney Cup winner in gate seven.
Lindop is after a second Adelaide Cup success having partnered Exalted Time to victory back in 2006.


Khloe Kardashian lives her life in the public eye, and that includes all of the highs and lows of her love life. While Kardashian can be considered a serial monogamist, it doesn't seem like all the men she's picked to date feel the same way. We've gathered up some of Kardashian's most prolific and disastrous relationships from her doomed marriage, to her time with the wandering eyes of Tristan.
Kardashian and Lamar Odom met, got engaged and got married all within a month in 2009. The infamous whirlwind romance, which gave her stepdad Caitlyn Jenner cause for concern, seemed to be going just fine until 2013.
Kardashian filed for divorce as Odom struggled with drug addiction. Odom's drug addiction and constant cheating were not news, but Odom confirmed his behavior in a 2017 Interview on The Wendy Willams Show. Odom told Williams that he regretted having multiple affairs during his marriage to Khloe.
French Montana seemed to win Kardashian's heart shortly after she filed for divorce from Odom. The pair were spotted all around town together through 2013, and Montana even made appearances on Keeping Up With the Kardashians. They took several breaks throughout their relationship but called it quits for good in 2014.
While French Montana's relationship with Kardashian seemed rocky, it's one of the only relationships Kardashian has had that has not ended due to cheating allegations. According to Us Magazine, Kardashian put the kibosh on the relationship because she just wasn't ready for a serious commitment. It seems to be all love for Montana though. He began following Kardashian back in April 2018, right after Tristan Thompson first cheated on the Good American founder.
French and Khloe might not be over just yet, either. In October 2018 rumors surfaced that the 34-year-old reality star was stepping out on Thompson with French Montana. Cryptic tweets by both parties further fueled the talks, according to Capital FM.
James Harden, famed for his moves on the basketball court, wooed Khloe Kardashian in 2015. The pair who met through mutual friends started seeing each other quickly, but by 2016 the relationship was over, and fans were stunned. Harden and Kardashian seemed to have a healthy and happy relationship, but apparently more was going on behind the scenes.
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Kardashian may have walked away from Harden for his cheating ways, but she stepped directly into the fire. Shortly after ending her relationship with Harden, Kardashian met Tristan Thompson. While Thompson was still involved in a relationship, the two started dating, and the rest is history. Fans have watched Kardashian weather embarrassment after embarrassment at the hands of Thompson. While the pair is currently broken up, it's hard to say if this is the end for the couple. They share one daughter.


Somebody's weekend got off to a bad start around 7:30 this morning. �Being on 8th street, we get a lot of traffic noise as big trucks lumber down the street and cars speed toward the freeways headed south. �I heard what sounded like a pretty ordinary "boom-boom, rattle" sound this morning, followed quickly by one of the colorful street locals proclaiming, "DAMN! That dude flipped over!"


- Decision No. 888/2018/QĐ-CT dated 09/05/2018 of the General Director of the Company on the appointment of Mr. Nguyen Ba Hai - Construction Engineer to hold the position of Director of Construction Inspection Center.
- Decision No. 889/2018/QĐ-CT dated 09/05/2018 of the General Director of the Company on the appointment of Dr. Pham Anh Tuan to hold the position of Deputy Director of Construction Inspection Center.
Over the past years, CONINCO has continually reviewed the human resources, and appointed young professional staff to have important roles in the management of production activities in order to improve organizational structure, develop personal brand, make the activities in each unit optimized and contribute to the company's development.
At the meeting, the appointed staffs shared their pride as well as the challenge of being assigned the important leadership and promised to contribute their utmost to the overall development of CONINCO, affirming the position of CONINCO in the domestic market and reaching the international level.


Residents of Puerto Lleras, Jiguamiandó collective territory in the department of Chocó, report threats and raids from paramilitaries near the Humanitarian Zone of Pueblo Nuevo, putting all the inhabitants at risk.
On 15 April the human rights NGO Interchurch Justice and Peace Commission (Comisión Intereclesial de Justicia y Paz, CIJP) reported that an unidentified number of paramilitaries from the group Gaitanista Self Defence Forces of Colombia (Autodefensas Gaitanistas de Colombia, AGC) entered the hamlet of Puerto Lleras, Jiguamiandó collective territory in the department of Chocó, in north-western Colombia. According to the NGO, these individuals rounded up the community and told them that they were going to take control over the zones previously occupied by the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia (Fuerzas Armadas Revolucionarias de Colombia, FARC), and that they would not allow the National Liberation Army (Ejército de Liberación Nacional, ELN) into the territory.
The CIJP reported that the paramilitaries offered 800,000 Colombian pesos (approximately 280 USD) to anyone who wanted to join them, and ordered the community to farm coca crops on their territory. They also announced that they were waiting for a further 100 men who were coming to join them from Pavarandó, heading for the hamlet of Pueblo Nuevo, which is a Humanitarian Zone. According to the CIJP there has been no concrete action on the part of the military stationed around these zones, on the contrary, the paramilitary groups have been able to move freely in and out of the territory.
Despite the fact that the Humanitarian Zones of the Uradá Jiguamiandó reservation, Pueblo Nuevo and Nueva Esperanza have been granted protectionary measures by the Inter-American Commission on Human Rights and the Constitutional Court of Colombia, they report that raids from paramilitary groups persist and have worsened since the beginning of March. In addition, Jiguamiandó community leaders reported threats against them in March this year, among them Manuel Denis Blandón, Melkin Romaña, Romualdo Salcedo, Félix Álvarado, Erasmo and Benjamín Sierra and the Indigenous leader Argemiro Bailarín.
* Urging the authorities to take immediate action to break up paramilitary groups, in accordance with the commitments made by the government and recommendations from international bodies.
The Inter-Church Justice and Peace Commission (Comisión Intereclesial de Justicia y Paz, CIJP) works together with Indigenous and Afro-descendent communities living in the Curvaradó and Jiguamiandó river basins in the process to reclaim their territory. In these zones, paramilitaries have occupied the land of some Indigenous and Afro-descendent communities since 2005.
In recent years, many of the people who fled their land after being violently displaced by the paramilitary and security forces at the end of the 1990s have returned to the Curvaradó and Jiguamiandó river basin communities. The communities have attempted to defend their right to the land and to stop the expansion of illegal African palm plantations and other economic activity in their territory. As a result, many members of the communities have been threatened or murdered. Despite repeated orders from the Constitutional Court, the land has not been returned to the communities.
In April 2006 the first of many different "Humanitarian Zones" was established. These are clearly marked zones whose inhabitants request that the parties to the conflict respect their decision not to participate in the conflict. They represent a means of protection, and also send the message to the parties to the conflict that their rights as civilians should be respected. The Humanitarian Zones of the Urada Jiguamiandó reservation, Pueblo Nuevo and Nueva Esperanza are located in the Jiguamiandó river basin and the residents have demanded the right of the civilian population not to be involved in the conflict.
Since 2015 there have been reports of paramilitary groups in the zone, stirring up fear among the inhabitants and threatening the leaders of the communities. In his most recent risk report, the Ombudsman pointed out in particular the situation of ethnic-territorial leaders, Indigenous authorities, and community rights movements, particularly in the rural zones of the municipalities of Alto, Medio y Bajo Baudó, Litoral de San Juan, Nuquí and Juradó. Since 5 March 2017 the murders of two community leaders, the expansion and strengthening of the ELN into zones previously controlled by the FARC, and an increase in the number of Gaitanista Self Defence Forces of Colombia (Autodefensas Gaitanistas de Colombia, AGC) troops have been recorded. In an interview with local media on 17 April, the Ombudsman warned that the conflict in Chocó has worsened recently, leaving in its wake over 2,000 people affected, one abduction every day, and that 20 of the 30 municipalities in the department are at risk due to the struggle for territorial control between armed parties.
* Instando a las autoridades a emprender acciones inmediatas para desmantelar los grupos paramilitares, de acuerdo con los compromisos expresos del gobierno y con las recomendaciones formuladas por organismos internacionales.
La Comisión Intereclesial de Justicia y Paz (CIJP) viene trabajando con las comunidades afrodescendientes e indígenas que viven en la zona de las cuencas de los ríos Curvaradó y Jiguamiandó en el proceso de reclamación de sus territorios. En esas zonas, los paramilitares vienen ocupando las tierras de algunas comunidades afrodescendientes e indígenas desde el año 2005.
En los últimos años, muchas de las personas que huyeron de sus tierras tras ser expulsadas violentamente por los paramilitares y las fuerzas de seguridad a finales de la década de 1990 han regresado a las comunidades de la cuenca de los ríos Jiguamiandó y Curvaradó. Las comunidades han tratado de defender su derecho a la tierra y de impedir la expansión de plantaciones ilegales de palma africana y otras actividades económicas en su territorio. A consecuencia de ello, muchos de sus miembros han sido víctimas de amenazas y homicidios. Pese a las reiteradas órdenes de la Corte Constitucional, la tierra no se ha devuelto a las comunidades.
En abril de 2006 se creó la primera de las diversas "Zonas Humanitarias": zonas delimitadas cuyos habitantes piden que las partes del conflicto respeten su decisión de no participar en las hostilidades. Estas zonas son un medio de protección, y también transmiten a las partes enfrentadas el mensaje de que sus derechos como civiles deben respetarse. En la cuenca del río Jiguamiandó se ubican las Zonas Humanitarias del resguardo Urada Jiguamiandó, Pueblo Nuevo y Nueva Esperanza, que han exigido el derecho de la población civil de no ser involucrada en la confrontación.
Desde el año 2015 se han denunciado incursiones de grupos paramilitares en la zona, generando temor en las poblaciones y amenazando a los líderes y lideresas de las comunidades. La Defensoría del Pueblo en su último informe de riesgo identifica en especial situación de líderes étnico-territoriales, autoridades indígenas, procesos organizativos reivindicatorios de derechos sociales, principalmente en las zonas rurales de los municipios del Alto, Medio y Bajo Baudó, Litoral de San Juan, Nuquí y Juradó. Desde el 5 de marzo de 2017, se han registrado dos homicidios contra líderes sociales, una dinámica de expansión y fortalecimiento del ELN hacia zonas que en el pasado fueron controladas por las FARC, como también un incremento del pie de fuerza de las denominadas Autodefensas Gaitanistas de Colombia (AGC). En entrevista a un medio local el 17 de abril, la Defensoría advierte que el conflicto en el Chocó se ha incrementado en los últimos veces dejando a su paso más de 2000 afectados, un secuestro diario y que 20 de los 30 municipios del departamento se encuentra en situación de riesgo por cuenta la lucha territorial de los actores armados.
Nombre: Residentes de Puerto Lleras, Pueblo Nuevo y Nueva Esperanza, territorios colectivos de Jiguamiandó.


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