The Merit Exhibition features those artists who have obtained a sufficient amount of points allocated on the evaluation of their work by outside judges during the SASA Annual Exhibition 2015.
Together with these members of the society, I will be exhibiting four of my own scratchboard/scraperboard artworks. The exhibition will be opened at 18:00 on Monday 25th by Andrew Lamprecht (Critic, curator and lecturer at Michaelis School of Fine Art) and will be open thereafter daily from 10:00 - 17:30.
My itinerary for the current year looks exciting and demanding and you will be updated on all events.
1. End of January (25th - 7th Feb) - SASA Merit Exhibition Selections based on points awarded by independent judges during the previous SASA Annual Exhibition at the end of 2015.
The above EXCLUDES private commissions, the sale of prints, and other smaller exhibitions!


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Fiona Bruce MP
Working hard for Congleton
About Fiona
Fiona speaks in the House of Commons on why it is our responsibility to speak out on breaches of human rights
Saturday, 19 December, 2020
Fiona Bruce MP spoke in the House of Commons on why it is our responsibility to speak out about breaches of human rights - saying we are part of a 'common humanity' in which every individual has work and value.
The full speech is as follows:
As my term of office serving as chair of the Conservative party human rights commission comes to an end shortly, I would like to pay tribute to all who over the past few years have contributed to our inquiries and reports, in particular the brave people who have given evidence to us, many at personal risk, and who either themselves or through their families have suffered greatly, often at the hands of their own Governments. I want to put on record my thanks and respect to them. Many are named in our reports. Without them, we as commissioners could not have highlighted the human rights concerns in those reports.
The commission's reports include a 2016 report on human rights in China, 2013 to 2016, entitled "The Darkest Moment"—sadly, now a misnomer. That was followed later that year by a report on forced organ harvesting in China. Under a year later, there was a report on human rights in Russia today. In 2019, there was a report on China's Confucius Institutes, as well as a report entitled "The Limits of Consent on Human Trafficking and Modern Slavery and their Impact on Prostitution in the UK". This year, we have held nine sessions to inform a further report, which we will shortly publish on human rights in China 2016 to 2020, entitled, sadly, "The Darkness Deepens".
Promoting and protecting freedom and human dignity should be at the heart of foreign policy. The Conservative party human rights commission was set up by my right hon. Friend the Member for North Somerset (Dr Fox) to highlight international human rights concerns; inform, advise and enhance the party's foreign policy; and ensure that fundamental human rights are kept high on the political agenda. A number of Members of Parliament have been the chair of the Conservative party human rights commission since its creation, but the deputy chair has throughout this 15-year period been the same person, Benedict Rogers, to whom I pay particular tribute. I want to put on record my profound thanks and respect to him. He has not only carried the bulk of the commission's work throughout this entire period, organising witness sessions and producing the first draft of most of our reports, but he has also travelled to dozens—probably hundreds, I have lost count—of places across the world, often at great personal danger. He has been refused entry to one place and arrested and detained in others, meeting directly with those subject to human rights abuses to ensure that our reports are as reliable and authentic as they can be. I know that my respect for Ben is shared by very many parliamentarians in both Houses, and it has been a true privilege to work closely with him in this role.
Four years ago, the Conservative party human rights commission was a canary in the coalmine in Westminster, calling attention to China's human rights crisis almost as a lone voice—in fact, an urgent question I raised in 2015 prompted a furore from some parts of Government—although, of course, many other courageous voices, such as Bob Fu of ChinaAid, have been raising such concerns for years well beyond Westminster. Today, it is heartening that the Conservative party human rights commissioners are but one of many such voices here in the UK Parliament, as yesterday's urgent question on the Uyghurs demonstrated—including voices from within the current Government. We welcome that.
As mentioned, we will shortly be launching a further report expressing concerns on the deepening deterioration of human rights in China, which we hope will serve to continue to highlight these issues and inform further debate—a debate it is critical we have if we are to better understand how, as parliamentarians, we can help to shape a new international order in which the value of human rights and human dignity, the rule of law, democracy, international treaty promises, and freedom of expression, association and religion or belief are better promoted and defended. It is heartening to me how, over my 10 years in this House, expressions of concern by parliamentary colleagues on these issues have noticeably increased, and with impact and effect, not least as we have seen recently with regard to Hong Kong.
Sadly, any such impact cannot yet be said to have happened with regard to the deteriorating human rights situation in China. Among the most dramatic evidence of the decline in human rights there since our commission's last inquiry in 2016 are the violations of the right to freedom of religion or belief. These have become even more egregious, widespread and systematic, according to evidence received by the Conservative party human rights commission this year. As we now know, some of the most egregious violations of freedom of religion or belief affect the Uyghurs, and they encompass an almost total denial of every basic human right. They include their own Government's attacks on the Uighur identity, culture and religion, the breaking up of families, the destruction of thousands of mosques and the recent heart-rending sight of people being loaded on to trains to be transported to prison camps with purpose-built factories alongside them. This was all too reminiscent of the holocaust.
However, it is by no means only the Uyghurs who are being persecuted. For every major religious community in China today—Christians, both Protestant and Catholic, Muslims, Buddhists, practitioners of Falun Gong and others—the situation has become more restricted. Believers across the faiths have been arrested, imprisoned, tortured and even killed in connection with their religion or belief. There are other Muslim groups as well as the Uyghurs in Xinjiang that are affected, as well as the Buddhists in Tibet. Violations against Christians have intensified with the imprisonment of pastors and the desecration or destruction of hundreds of churches.
Accounts to the independent China tribunal, chaired by Sir Geoffrey Nice, QC, which delivered its final judgment in March this year on the persecution of Falun Gong practitioners, were truly heart-searing. We are told that persecution by way of forced organ removal is taking place on an industrial scale. It is almost too horrible for the human mind to comprehend. Human beings are being cut open while still alive, without anaesthetic, for their kidneys, livers, hearts, lungs, corneas and skin to be removed and turned into commodities for sale.
We, as commissioners on the Conservative party human rights commission, have found that human rights concerns do not always come neatly packaged and presented. Engaging can be messy, awkward and risky, and speaking truth to power is not comfortable, often as much for the hearer as for the speaker. So, why raise these concerns? It is because, whether we agree with their beliefs or not, these are fellow human beings who are being affected. It is because we should respect the worth of every human being, and because every created individual has value. It is because once we have heard of these things, we should not stay silent. As the holocaust survivor Elie Wiesel said:
"Whoever listens to a witness, becomes a witness".
We speak simply because we should, and because, however distant the sufferings of those who hurt might be, we share in their common humanity. In this House we have been granted the profound privilege of having voices that can resonate across the world, and we must use them to speak out on behalf of the most vulnerable, afflicted and oppressed."
Fiona Bruce speaks at Open Doors World Watch List 2021 Report Launch
Fiona Bruce MP spoke at the Open Doors World Watch List 2021 Report Launch recently.
The event can be accessed at the following link https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FEG7lY-3Bho - Fiona's speech is from 49 minutes
Written Questions News
Fiona Bruce MP for Congleton
About Fiona Bruce
Promoted by Rhoda Bailey on behalf of Fiona Bruce MP, both at Moors Farm, Church Lane, Scholar Green, Cheshire ST7 3QR.
Copyright 2021 Fiona Bruce MP for Congleton. All rights reserved.

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaCommonCrawl


Invoke the blessing and protection of St. Benedict on your home and receive a daily reminder of his teachings. Hangs on door knob or hook.
Saint Benedict Crucifix - 2"
2 Saint Benedict medals - 1" & 1.5"
This item is not blessed by a Priest. Please have your Parish Priest bless your beautiful St. Benedict Home Blessing Door Hang.
The Home Blessing of St. Benedict is a new and unique way to benefit from the sacramental use of the St. Benedict medal that can be displayed just about anywhere.
Saint Benedict was a great saint known not only for his sanctity but for his resistance and power over devils that tried to undermine him. Tradition holds that at least twice attempts were made on Saint Benedict's life through poisoned food, and both times his blessing over his meal spared his life.
These and other miracles were frequent in the life of St. Benedict. He was especially adept at resisting the devil's wiles, thus the St. Benedict medal is a highly indulgenced Catholic saint medal with several exorcism prayers etched onto its surface.
As such St. Benedict medals have become favorites among Catholic faithful. This Home Blessing of St. Benedict is a decorative way to display the St. Benedict medal with knotted nylon cords and beads that can hang from a doorknob or from another convenient place in the home or car. In addition to a St. Benedict crucifix are two St. Benedict medals of various sizes.
The purpose of using the St. Benedict medal is to call down God's blessing and protection upon us, wherever we are, and upon our homes and possessions, especially through the intercession of St. Benedict.
Sacramentals used in this way become a constant silent prayer and reminder of our identity as followers and lovers of Christ. The St. Benedict medal has several prayers associated with it as identified by the acronyms on both sides.
These are a prayer of exorcism against the devil, a prayer for strength in time of temptation, a prayer for a peaceful death in the Lord, a prayer for peace among ourselves and among the nations of the world, a prayer that the Cross of Christ be our light and guide, a prayer of firm rejection of all that is evil, a prayer of petition that we may with Christian courage "walk in".


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Maldives is building the world's first floating city
Maldives Floating City/Facebook
The first homes are slated to open to public viewing in August
The Maldives has long been the picture-perfect paradise getaway, and even more so during the pandemic. Last year saw tourism return to almost pre-pandemic levels with the arrival of 1.3 million travellers, as compared to 1.7 million visitors in 2019. And now, the world's lowest-lying nation might just have a stable solution to the stark reality of rising sea levels. The Maldives Floating City has just been green-lit for construction: 5,000 housing units that are linked together and tethered to the floor of a 500-acre lagoon, designed to preserve and enhance its natural and cultural ecosystem.
All you need to know about Maldives Floating City
A rendering of Maldives Floating CityMaldives Floating City/Facebook
Located a 15-minute boat ride from Malé and the international airport, the project is based on an integrated tourism model, and will include hotels, houses, shops and restaurants. It will be a car-free zone, to be navigated via the canals and the natural white-sand roads–on foot or on bicycles and electric, noise-free buggies and scooters.
International travellers also have the option of obtaining a residence permit with the purchase of a house. The first floating housing block, under construction by Bison, will be transported to the lagoon and opened for public viewing in August, to enable people to gauge the look and feel of the homes. The modular city construction is slated for January 2023 and will take about five years to complete.
The Maldives Floating City is a private-public partnership between Dutch Docklands and the island government. Dutch Docklands' founders are architect Koen Olthuis and developer Paul van de Camp and the project relies on floating technology from the Netherlands, which has a centuries-old engagement in designing architecture to withstand floods.
Are floating cities climate-proof?
The design by architect firm Waterstudio was a finalist for the Best Futura Project at the 2022 MIPIM Awards, nicknamed the Asian Oscars for global development. Many factors shaped the design and urban planning, from the projection of sea-rise levels over a 100-year period to the supply and waste management, surplus energy in the smart grid, and the shadows that its large structure would throw on the seabed that might hinder marine life. The city's grid is "a nature-based structure of roads and water canals resembling the beautiful and efficient way in which real brain coral is organised," states the project website, explaining that the city will also stimulate coral growth with artificial coral banks attached to its underside, which will in turn provide a natural wave-reduction breaker.
With the threat of climate change, there is a rising interest in floating architecture as a sustainable alternative. While we have traditional examples such as the indigenously created reed islands on Lake Titicaca and Manipur's manmade aquaculture ponds shaped from floating vegetation, recent innovations include Amsterdam's floating neighbourhood of Waterbuurt, and floating hotels like Copenhagen's Hotel CPH Living and France's Off Paris Seine. If all goes to plan, the world will see its first floating city in 2027.
For details and updates on Maldives Floating City, see here.
TopicsMaldivesClimate changeclimate crisisNetherlands
This country will become the most visited on the planet in 2025
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What a wonderful 2nd term the kids had! Over the past several months we are thrilled to report that the overall health of all our kids is great. We had a couple of sicknesses that we were able to deal with or are dealing without an expense to our kids and their families. We praise the Lord that he has kept us mainly healthy during 2nd term. You might already be aware through updates on Pure Charity that we have been making home visits to every child in Kunda as part of our standard procedure. The purpose of these are to make sure the kids are being well taken care of on all developmental levels, identifying problems, and seeking solutions for these problems. The caregivers we're visiting report a greater quality of life since the kids have joined BFR. We have also been encouraging the caregivers to put more effort into helping their kids out with school work and avoiding home chores when the kids should be studying. Our Intervention Team (former members of the Kunda Sponsorship Program or older students in BFR) have committed to helping the younger kids in their studies while encouraging the kids in school attendance and assignments, helping with tough problems at home, setting good examples and showing the kiddos how to behave.
This term we focused on teaching our kids where our blessings come from and the importance of thanking the Lord for them before we eat or even before we lie down in our beds to go to sleep. We also encouraged the kids to attend church on Sunday mornings and to remain active in kids' choir. On Saturdays, we were able to take one hour to have a Bible story lesson through 30 minutes of reading and 30 minutes of discussion. We also really enjoyed singing worship songs together, and even learned a few new ones!
This is such a key aspect to the kids' future, and we aim to stress this lovingly but firmly. Sometimes, the structure of a classroom is more that what they are used to, and we want to make sure they know to not take for granted their opportunity of an education. This term we had great conversations with the caregivers about the importance of education for their kids. Through these conversations, we realized it's tough for some of the caregivers to help, especially in sectors like Nyarugunga where they don't have any former education themselves. So we sought to establish a tutoring system with the Intervention Team to help fill in that gap. For the students that are in boarding school, the leadership enjoyed visiting them so the students could have a familiar face and so we can check to see how everything was going. In fact, the week of June 5th we declared "Education Week" which is where we took the opportunity to visit every child in BFR at school so we could see how they were doing and to discuss their progress with teachers.
As part of this pillar, we strive to teach our kiddos key Rwandan values. This term we focused on loving each other without discrimination. We also enjoyed teaching them about Rwanda's leadership so they can have a better understanding of their roles and purposes in our government. Lastly, we were able to participate in multiple community service projects and youth forums where they learned about creating businesses instead of waiting on government jobs.
In June, we were able to purchase annual health care for all our kids because of your generous support through the Kunda. This was such a blessing to them and their families. For some children that required extra medical assistance, we were able to help with doctor visits and medication purchases outside of what is covered by insurance. We also focused on prevention and took time to tell the kids about the importance of washing their hands before they eat and about healthy eating habits. One other big milestone we were able to meet during this term was to test every child in BFR for HIV/AIDS. We were grateful to see that there were not many new cases found, and only 6 of our 190 children were affected by the illness. For those that were affected, we established an extra food allotment program to give them a little more food to combat the medication side effects and provide extra needed strength. Lastly, we enjoyed a team that came and gave great dental clinics to all the kids in BFR!
Because of your generous support through Kunda, we are able to gather the kids together at each branch every Saturday to share fellowship, small cakes, and milk. This is a great way to continue building community within our organization while also helping the kids to get a calcium-rich snack to help their little bodies grow. Through your sponsorship dollars we were also able to purchase sugar and flour for the nursery students. These ingredients make porridge that they eat with their classmates while at school. Lastly, through your sponsorship dollars, we are able to give a healthy supply of bananas, potatoes, and beans to each child in BFR. This food allotment not only helps the kids but their families. Along with the food allotment, we provide oil for cooking and soap for every child.
For this pillar, we really like to focus on two things which is to 1) make sure the kids are participating in fun activities and having the chance to be a kid and 2) letting them discover talents that they never knew they had. During this term we met every Sunday and did awesome things like fashion shows, soccer matches, and dancing. We also love singing songs together and took these gatherings as an opportunity to teach them new songs! During this past term, we had a visiting team with many sponsors and we were able to get all the kids together from every branch, something we haven't been able to do since 2014. It was a great time for all the kids to play with one another and it was incredible to see how big our family has grown!
Thank you so much for all your support in helping us to feed into these kids day in and day out. Every part of our ministry is funded by your generous support through the Kunda Sponsorship Program, and none of this would be possible with out your sponsorship, so thank you, thank you, thank you!