text:
The running mate of the flagbearer of the New Patriotic Party (NPP), Nana Addo Dankwah has stated that the party will reserve a quota of government procurement for the training of Persons Living with Disabilities (PLDs) if they are elected into office.
Dr. Mahamudu Bawumia, who was in Medie in the Greater Accra Region on Wednesday, stated that an NPP government will establish a Training Institution and Scholarship Scheme purposely for Persons living with disabilities.
To demonstrate the party’s commitment to improving the lives of persons living with disabilities, he donated 20,000 Ghana Cedis for the completion of a training facility, which had been neglected due to a lack of funds.
The facility was being put up by the Future Life for the Disabled (FLD), a group of persons living with disabilities, which seeks to equip its members with technical skills to be productive.
Dr. Bawumia stated that a Nana Addo presidency would pay more attention to PLWDs and formulate policies geared at ensuring equality in the society.
“With particular regard to people living with disabilities, we all realise that without well-thought-out policies and actions from government, such persons will continue to struggle and that is why we will initiate a number of policies all geared at ensuring a fairer society. Nana Akufo-Addo will introduce these policies to help the persons with disabilities because as we all know, he is someone who cares for persons living with disabilities”, he said.
He added that the NPP would prioritise the training and education of PLDs to enable them contribute towards national development.
“God willing when Nana Akufo-Addo becomes President, we will establish a major Training Institute for people living with disabilities with one campus in Northern Ghana and another in Southern Ghana to equip you with technical and vocational skills to enable you work and earn a living.
“As our Chairman recounted, he couldn’t go to school but we have all realised that he has great intellect that should be used for nation building. It is a similar case for most persons living with disability and that is why the second major policy initiative will be the establishment of a scholarship scheme purposely for persons living with disability to help persons living with disabilities to go through schooling from the basic level to the tertiary level.”

domain: sociology


text:
Every second of every day, we're doing something that shapes our tomorrow.
Every second of every day, we're either giving ourselves a gift that will help make our future self happier, healthier and wiser... or not. Every day, we have an estimated 35,000 opportunities to make a choice that will benefit our future self, of which about 200 involve making food-related decisions.
Some of these gifts yield their cumulative payoff in a matter of hours, days or weeks, but more often than not, they unfold slowly and quietly much later down the road.
And the best gifts? They’re usually the tiniest.
Here are 5 small, but impactful gifts that you can start giving to your future self, today:
GIFT #1: Forgive yourself
All of us have pain that we hold on to — pain from mistakes that we'd made, self-inflicted hurt or hurt that we allowed someone else to inflict upon us. As a result, we feel a dark, heavy cloud constantly hovering above our heads, following us everywhere we go.
Lighten your load by acknowledging these mistakes. Yes, you made some of them happen, and you allowed others to happen to you. But they don't define who you are. More importantly, they do not define your future.
Every moment you experience is already in the past, and all you can do is to focus on making the moments to come, better.
GIFT #2: Nurture a healthy, capable body
When you're going through your day, you want to have focus and energy to serve the people you do amazing work for. You want to feel at ease in your own skin and look good in the clothes you wear.
You want to have a meal and feel nourished and satisfied after, not bloated, guilty and lethargic because you'd overeaten....again.
So while this point may sound old and cliched, I think it's still worth saying again and again: Treating your body right and doing everything you can to keep it healthy, strong and capable is probably the most important gift you can give your future self.
GIFT #3: Rest, guilt-free
As our list of responsibilities pile sky high, it can be easy to discount the importance of rest so that we can get more done in the few hours that we have daily, but I'm here to tell you that it's not only important, it's necessary.
It's necessary to wake up in morning gently and peacefully so you can ease yourself into a new day. It's necessary to steal those ten to twenty minutes in the middle of your day to be still or just connect with yourself. It's necessary to make those 30 to 60 minutes before bed calming so that you can give your body the rest and rejuvenation it needs.
It's necessary because the people who love and care about you are counting on you to be the happiest and most present version of you around them.
GIFT #4: Simplify your life
The older we get, the more clutter we accumulate.
And it's not just material things that can clog up our lives — we also get bogged down by our incessant worrying and unrestrained thoughts, technology, an unhealthy diet full of processed foods, and social obligations, not to mention the emotional baggage that we inevitably get saddled with as we go through life.
This is where considering going down the path of minimalism can help lighten your future physical and emotional load, and those of us who do choose to for many different reasons — some out of a desire to opt out of the pressure that society places on us to want and have more, some wanting to live a life with as little self-inflicted complication as possible, and just as many who need to live with less out of sheer necessity.
I’m no expert on minimalism and am still discovering what feels right for me, so I rely on my fellow bloggers in the simple-living space for guidance in this area. If this is something you’d like to learn more about, I recommend that you read this post by Joshua Becker.
GIFT #5: Stop giving a f**k
Don’t get me wrong.
I’m not talking about being indifferent to the people and things around you. What I am talking about is knowing enough about who you are and how you want to live your life to care only for the people and things that mean the most to you and have the biggest impact on your life.
This means not allowing the trivial and petty things life — mindless gossip, passive aggressiveness from folks who have nothing better to do in life than to be passive aggressive, rejection, bad traffic, or the type of car you should be driving to keep up appearances — to get under your skin and eat away at your happiness for days, weeks, months or worse, years.
So no, I don’t want you to not care about everything. I just want you to stop giving a f**k about everything that’s not important to you in life.
For the ultimate guide to not giving a f**k, read The Subtle Art Of Not Giving A Fuck: A Counterintuitive Approach To Living A Good Life by Mark Manson.
If you’re too busy surviving, chances are, you’re not thriving. You’re feeling tired, unhealthy, unmotivated and just plain worn-out from life. I’ve created a FREE workbook just for busy folks like you who want to take back their health, peace of mind and happiness. To get your copy, all you have to do is ask for one to be emailed to you HERE. No spam. Just helpful, good-for-you stuff. Pinky swear.
This article was originally published at michelelian.com

domain: psychology


text:
Because of the urgent need, many African countries can buy stolen grain without hesitation.
The Kremlin is trying to profit by selling wheat stolen from Ukraine to drought-stricken countries in Africa, some of which could face famine.
This is stated in the material of the American edition of The New York Times .
In mid-May, the United States sent out a warning to 14 countries, mostly in Africa, that Russian cargo ships were leaving ports near Ukraine with “stolen Ukrainian grain.” Three Russian cargo ships have been named as being suspected of carrying the stolen goods.
U.S. officials have confirmed that these are countries in northern and eastern Africa, as well as Pakistan, Bangladesh, Sri Lanka and Turkey.
“The United States is working with other countries to prevent the sale of grain that was likely stolen from Ukraine,” a State Department official said.
Already, many African countries are ambivalent about the punitive Western sanctions campaign against Russia.
Russia and Ukraine typically provide about 40% of Africa’s wheat demand. Grain prices in Africa rose 23% last year, a devastating drought left 17 million people starving, mostly in parts of Somalia, Ethiopia and Kenya, according to the UN.
Faced with such an urgent need, many African countries are unlikely to hesitate to buy Russian-supplied grain, no matter where it comes from, said Hassan Hannenje, director of the HORN International Institute for Strategic Studies, a think tank in Kenya.
“It’s not a dilemma. Africans don’t care where they get their food from, and if anyone is going to moralize about it, they’re wrong. The need for food is so urgent that they don’t need to discuss it,” Hannenje said.
Over the weekend, several African officials refused to discuss the US warning about stolen Ukrainian grain.
Machariya Kamau, chief secretary of the Kenyan Foreign Ministry, denied that Kenya had received any reports.

domain: geography


A hay drying system can be operated with the standard AGRIMAT control of the AGRIFRIGOR™. An AGRICONTROL Siemens S7 can be superordinated and individually control all switching operations, and a screen displays the current system status.
This is especially useful if more drying boxes are present. Thus the operator always has an eye on everything. Even a remote data transmission via modem can be realized.


HTC, the former smartphone company behind the virtual reality headset you’re most likely to want if you’re a Steam fan, has made its new Vive Flow VR hardware official. Following several leaks earlier this week, the company took the wraps off its new headset and it’s… interesting.
The Vive Flow virtual reality headset is being punted as lightweight VR for people who are not really sure if that’s what they want. But at $500 (about R7,500) a pop, it’s not exactly entry-level.
What the hell, HTC?
Particularly since, if you buy an HTC Vive Flow, you’re also going to have to connect it to a compatible smartphone. The only mobile devices compatible with the Flow are those that are running Android P or better. iOS handsets and Exynos processors are not supported, which immediately wipes out the Apple and Samsung flagship market here in SA.
If you can get past that, then you’ve got dual 1.6K screens (1,600 x 1,600) to look forward to, with a 100-degree field of view and a 75Hz refresh rate. The headset has 4GB of RAM and 64GB of storage onboard, and weighs in are just 189 grams. There are dual speakers and Bluetooth is also present — if not for the fact that you’ve got to connect to a smartphone for its major functions, it’d be a pretty sweet VR headset.
Oh, yes, and there’s basically no battery. Users will have to connect to an external power source to get it to work, like a battery pack. Not to worry, there’s a “…built-in uninterruptible power supply system” in there if you’re thinking of swapping batteries that’ll give you five minutes to get the job done.
Okay, maybe we’re being a little hard on the headset. Paired smartphones can be used as a pointer inside virtual reality — which means that there’s no controllers in the box — but this really is VR-lite hardware. HTC says that the Vive Flow is intended for “…wellness and mindful productivity.” This sounds a bit like we’re being asked to buy a face-mounted version of one of Amazon’s “wellness booths” and… there we go, being nasty to the Vive Flow again.
HTC’s obviously hoping it hits the sweet spot for mass consumer VR — the Vive Flow is light, works with loads of devices, is (relatively) affordable, and is intended for things like meditation, VR concerts, and ASMR — basic escapism, in other words. On paper, it’s a decent idea, but we’ve got our doubts about the Flow’s usefulness in South Africa. Still, it’s up for pre-order internationally, if you’re the sort to take a chance.


text:
Any religion problem
?HIT and CIE staff will respect individual student’s religious beliefs. During the period of learning in China, you have to strictly abide by the Regulations on the Administration of the Religion of the People's Republic of China. It is strictly prohibited on campus to do missionary work or send out religious propaganda materials. Posting or hanging religious pictures, text, or accessories in a public space is also forbidden. International students should respect different cultures, religious customs, and taboos.


text:
HI fellow travelers,
I am a single female traveler who's going to Europe with a three-night stopover in Dubai next week. I am flying on Emirates and will arrive in Dubai early in the morning (0500), and I just knew that there's a free shuttle service to Abu Dhabi from Dubai airport for Emirates passengers. The timetable is here: http://www.emirates.com/english/plan_book/to_and_from_airport/free_shuttle_service_dubai.aspx
I am thinking of putting my luggage in the airport storage, and catching the 0800 bus to Abu Dhabi, then take the 1600 back to Dubai Airport (arrive at 1745).
Has anyone done this before? Do you think a day-trip to Abu Dhabi like this is doable? I just wanna see more of the country and wonder if there's much to see and do besides visiting Sheikh Zayed Grand Mosque? Is the drop-off/pick-up point close to scenic spots? Is it easy to get around for a single Chinese girl in Abu Dhabi?
It'd be great to hear your ideas!
Thanks so much!!
Day trip to Abu Dhabi from Dubai Airport - Doable? *urgent*
HI fellow travelers,
Recent ActivityView all Africa & the Middle East activity »
- 1 Some advice re driving from Durban to Capetown via Umtata
- 2 Oman - moderate priced hotel near souks
- 3 Taxi - Casablanca Airport to El Jdidh
- 4 Israel/Jordan -- other trip options to bypass Israel?
- 5 Questions about Chobe
- 6 What camera to use on safari
- 7 Ethiopian Air - Horrible
- 8 Botswana vs Namibia in May
- 9 Discover Namibia Tours & Safaris - Gemma Dry
- 10 FOREX Nairobi airport
- 11 To go to Israel or not?
- 12 Bidair at JNB
- 13 Saw the Big 5 in one day in the Mara last week!
- 14 Trip report/blog - South Africa honeymoon
- 15 Trip report about self-driving in Northern Namibia for 2 weeks in May 2014
- 16 Lamu or Zanzibar?
- 17 Eastern Cape Lodges
- 18 Best Month for Experiencing The Great Migration
- 19 Dubai > Oman?
- 20 Dubai > Seychelles hop
- 21 Botswana Green Season 2014/15 Camp discounted pricing
- 22 trip report s africa, victoria falls & Botswana Zambezi Queen
- 23 Morocco Tour: Marrakech Fes Merzouga Camel Trek in Sahara
- 24 Tanzania (Selous): Trip Report for Lake Manze Camp
- 25 Tanzania (Selous): Trip Report for Selous Impala Camp


text:
CASUALTY actor Tristan Gemmill revealed on Twitter that his wife, actress Emily Hamilton has given birth to their second child, a baby girl.
‘Mum and baby are doing fine,’ he confirmed. The couple already have a young son.
Meanwhile, Gillian Kearney, who played Tristan’s onscreen partner, Jessica, gave birth to her first child in August. She had a son, named John Gerard.

domain: celebrity


Visitors can experience examples of Nissan’s innovation and the future of automobiles through the exhibition, interactive displays and demonstrations.
"We aim to start introduction of electric car LEAF in Australia by 2012. Our aim is for the Australian people to gain more awareness of Zero-emission mobility while enjoying LEAF as well as our advanced and friendly technologies. Both environment and safety are important factors for Nissan not only as an automotive company but as a citizen in a sustainable society," said Dan Thompson, Managing Director of Nissan Australia.
Maintaining the temperature of lithium ion batteries within an acceptable range is important in order to preserve battery life. Instead of an active cooling system, the electric car Leaf uses a simple fan to push air through the battery pack.
In addition to the battery life, there are also concerns about the Leaf’s 100-mile driving range being overly optimistic. The Leaf is also an all electric vehicle, without any kind of range-extending on-board generator, unlike the Volt or hybrids like the Toyota Prius.
Australia joins other major world economies like India, Dubai and Korea in staging Technology Square. At the exhibition booth, Nissan is going to hold programs for university students to share Nissan’s current and advanced automotive technologies.
Nissan to open new design studio in Beijing
Nissan (China) Investment Co., Ltd. (NCIC), a Nissan subsidiary in China, today announced the expansion of its global design resources with the establishment of a new design studio in Beijing.
"With the addition of 20 designers, Nissan’s new studio will enhance our design capabilities, as well as our product competitiveness in China and Asia where the automotive industry continues to see robust growth," said Shiro Nakamura, chief creative officer and senior vice president of design and brand. "Locating the studio where our customers live and work allows us to best respond to their needs and design vehicles that exceed their expectations."
Scheduled to open early in 2011, the studio in the Chao Yang district of Beijing will be the first design facility in China established by a Japanese automaker. As a trendsetting city with an expanding design community that includes a number of up-and-coming automotive designers, Beijing was a natural choice for a design studio for Nissan.
The studio will be part of the global network of Nissan design centers, which includes two facilities in Japan (Atsugi and Harajuku), one in the United States (San Diego, Calif.) and one in the United Kingdom (London).
NCIC plans to invest RMB 11.76 million (USD: 1.7 million) in the new studio.


text:
For many patients whose hope to restore their vision rests on emerging therapeutics, this research will mean a quicker and safer development cycle that will lead to the treatments becoming available sooner.Dr Jack Lee
17 December 2020
Researchers to resuscitate eyes, speed up clinical research for vision impairment
An international consortium of researchers is developing a new method to bring eyes back to life from deceased body donors for clinical research purposes.
Researcher in the School of Biomedical Engineering & Imaging Sciences, Dr Jack Lee, is part of an international consortium of researchers developing a new method to bring eyes back to life from deceased body donors for clinical research purposes.
Coordinated by Pia Cosma at the Centre for Genomic Regulation (CRG) in Barcelona, the group is creating a device that resuscitates eyes from the dead.
The device, codenamed ECaBox, will be a transparent, cubic box that mimics conditions in the living human eye, maintaining the eye’s temperature and pH levels while avoiding blood clots and removing metabolic waste and toxins.
Inside the ECaBox will be donor human eyeballs. The immediate goal is to test novel stem cell therapies without fear of risking patient harm on this platform.
Artificial blood will also be developed to provide cells with oxygen and nutrients, kick-starting the activity of nerve cells and restoring total eye function. Artificial vitreous humour will maintain the eye’s ocular pressure.
The health of the eyeball will be continuously monitored to confirm retinal function and regeneration. Beyond this scope, this technology can be extended to keep donor eyes intact for transplantation purposes, extending the current 48-hour window limit.
“King's College London will offer their expertise on computational modelling of perfusion and microvascular physiology to achieve optimal device operating parameters for the preservation of the eye,” Dr Lee said.
Vision impairment affects over 250 million people worldwide, with thirty-six million people being blind. Retinal degeneration is often incurable, and ageing populations worldwide are major social and economic challenges.
Current technological limitations mean that eyes can only be kept at 4ºC for a period of 48 hours before irreversible degradation. This greatly limits their use for experiments, particularly to test the effectiveness of new drugs and treatments.
While advances in human organoids, growing tissues in a petri dish, are successfully mimicking the function of the eye, they fail to encapsulate the eye’s physiological complexity, such as its immune, vasculature, and metabolism systems.
Pia Cosma, ICREA Research Professor and Group Leader at the Centre for Genomic Regulation (CRG) and coordinator of the project said: “There are a huge number of potential new treatments and therapies for eye damage and vision loss, but the eyewatering cost of running a clinical trial can mean they never reach the market.”
Our new method can greatly improve the preclinical validation steps for these treatments, supporting the screening of a larger number of candidates and helping promising drugs escape the ‘valley of death’ imposed by cost-benefit analyses in the pharmaceutical industry.Pia Cosma, ICREA Research Professor and Group Leader at the Centre for Genomic Regulation
An early prototype of the device is expected to be built by end of 2023. Upon completion, the group plans to use the device to test their own retinal regenerative therapies pioneered at the CRG.
ECaBox will be created by an interdisciplinary collaboration between seven research centres. In Barcelona, the project will be coordinated by Pia Cosma at the CRG in collaboration with two other Catalan centres – Ricardo Casaroli at the Universitat de Barcelona and Nuria Montserrat at the Institute for Bioengineering of Catalonia (IBEC).
International collaborators include the Association for the Advancement of Tissue Engineering and Cell Based Technologies & Therapies (A4TEC) in Portugal, AFERETICA in Italy and the Bar-Ilan University (BIU) in Israel.
The project has been awarded 3.5 million euros by the European Union’s Future and Emerging Technologies Open research programme, which funds radical new technologies.

domain: medical


text:
ÓX is the second restaurant in Iceland to be awarded the prestigious Michelin Star, a commendation for the finest dining in the world.
The announcement came yesterday, July 4, at the annual Michelin Guide Nordic Countries event in Stavanger.
Icelanders in attendance included Rúnar Pierre Heriveaux and Þráinn Freyr Vigfússon on behalf of ÓX, and Gunnar Karl Gíslason on behalf of the restaurant Dill, which was the first Icelandic restaurant to be honoured with the Michelin Star in 2017.
ÓX is run by chefs Þráinn Freyr Vigfússon and Georg Arnar Halldórsson. According to the Michelin Guide, ÓX “offers the best Icelandic produce in highly personalised dishes, which blend traditional flavours with a modern edge.”
In a statement to RÚV, Rúnar Pierre called the award the best possible advertisement for the Icelandic culinary scene but stated that it would not change much for him and his team, who will continue to work as they did before.
Some 11 other restaurants throughout Scandinavia were honoured with their first Michelin Star at the event, alongside two other restaurants with a two-star rating.
Dill was also awarded a Michelin Green Star, a commendation for their commitment to sustainable gastronomy.

domain: food


text:
- This event has passed.
SPECIAL EVENT: The Jack Radavich Trio with Jerry Weldon
October 10, 2021 @ 3:00 pm - 5:00 pm
110 E Roosevelt St,
Phoenix, AZ 85004
Phoenix, AZ 85004, USA Buy Tickets
About This Event
The Jack Radavich Trio with Jazz Saxophonist JERRY WELDON – featured soloist with HARRY CONNICK Orchestra
Jerry Weldon-tenor sax, Nick Manson-piano, Jack Radavich-bass, Dick Weller-drums
Longtime Phoenix bassist Jack Radavich spent time with the Tommy Dorsey Orchestra and, in the process, made some lifelong connections with New York City area musicians. Fortunately for us, these old friends occasionally make it to Arizona to play some music! Jack Radavich presents saxophonist Jerry Weldon, along with Emmy award winning pianist Nick Manson and the electrifying Los Angeles-based Dick Weller on drums, in a Sunday matinee performance that is sure to be smokin’!
Internationally renowned veteran sax man Jerry Weldon, has been a player on the jazz scene for more than 35 years. With eight CD’s as a leader and more sideman sides than even he can count…or remember, this native New Yorker’s performance/recording résumé reflects his venerable tenor tenure and reads like a virtual “Who’s Who of Jazz.”
Tier 1: $42 (Tier 1 seats are at 2-top tables)
Tier 2: $38
Tier 3: $29
Student (Tier 3 seats only): $16
(Plus processing costs)

domain: artistic


Complete 'Rock of Talk' Show from Friday, February 26th, 2021 | Journaled and Annotated | Podcast and Video of Show
MATCH THE TIMES ABOVE EDDY WITH THE TIMES BELOW. CLICK GRAPHIC TO PLAY THE VIDEO.
4:07: Eddy’s wide-ranging monologue touches on his feeling that “we’re open, or going to be open,” MLG, the “Trump Party,” the loss of Rush, Biden’s executive orders, and Tucker “breaking a lot of news” lately
4:16: Three Republicans in the House cave on Identity Politics (…


text:
WINNIPEG — Red River Co-op will begin construction this spring on a new, 35,000-square-foot food store in the south end of the city.
The store at Seasons will be the company’s ninth and is part of a 100-acre mixed-use retail and residential project featuring Outlet Collection Winnipeg.
“We are excited to bring the high-quality offerings we have at our other food stores in the city to Seasons to serve the growing communities in the area,” said Doug Wiebe, CEO of Red River Co-op.
“We will have a large selection of over 600 locally made products including fresh produce and meats, a butcher counter, bakery with scratch-made baking, health and wellness section, pharmacy and exceptional customer service that Red River Co-op is known for.”
The development is being spearheaded by Forster Harvard Development Corp.
Construction will begin this June with a planned opening for the summer of 2021.
Red River Co-op is also currently building a new food store in St. Norbert, scheduled to open this winter.


text:
Painful toothaches can disrupt a person’s life. But what if you have a toothache only at night? Having nightly pain can indicate a dental problem. Below, we will explain the most common causes of a toothache only at night. If you think you have any of these conditions, then talk to your dentist.
This is the most common reason for nightly toothaches. Lots of people grind their teeth while they sleep. Of course, it can be hard to tell if you do this or not. After all, you are asleep! However, waking up with mouth pain is a classic symptom. Your dentist can check your teeth for signs of grinding.
While cavities rarely cause toothaches, it can happen. This is especially true with severe cavities. If your tooth pain seems to be tied to a specific tooth, then mention this to your dentist. They can evaluate the tooth for signs of damage or decay.
Sensitive teeth can also cause toothaches. Most people with sensitive teeth experience tenderness after mealtimes. Are you eating late meals or bedtime snacks? This might be the cause of your nightly tooth problems. Try eating earlier in the evening and see if you feel relief.
TMJ disorders usually cause pain at all times of the day. However, busy people might not notice the pain until nighttime. If you cannot determine the cause of your toothaches, then you might have a TMJ problem. Ask your dentist for more information on this common jaw issue.
Your Dentist Can Help
It’s important to see a dentist if you are dealing with toothaches. Only your dentist can properly diagnose and treat you. Your dentist will be able to get to the root of the problem so you can finally live pain-free. Call Pearland Family Dentistry to schedule a dental exam today.


text:
you were made from fixed nitrogen implicit ideas raiders attracted to the flames culture is a knowledge relationship the Divine Port, the Sublime Port reservoirs of knowledge game theory vs. just happy to be here the older gay, the senior gay culture, symbolic thought, language
the interesting 40-year old the senior gay the origins of symbolic thought fish and fish hooks a symbol that stood in for an entire culture constrained meaning Rich Dad, Everybody’s Uncle with faith and trust and confidence Dos Equis and Stella Artois
embryonic, the cosmic womb the power to create life the symbols of a culture embrace complexity, embrace rapture the upside-down triangle, the yoni she’s you they share the same genes it turned into Minecraft the gift of the earth
in competition for your niche papercuts and Band-Aids chocolate-covered chicken purification, clarification The Unstated happiness is blue, blue in blue to feel and to live forever you’re on an iceberg, floating out to sea between heaven and earth
Redeemed and still, no one cares saying goodbye to your younger self completely buried under history
Please do not repost without my permission, but you can support my poetry here! Originally written 3/7/21. Copyright, All Rights Reserved. All art, not from the author, belongs to the original artists. This particular photo is of Stonehenge, in the UK.
things are never going to be the same it doesn’t matter now born on the wrong planet why I struggle Proportionality careful, circumscribed, discreet one of the dream team the biggest supporter, who benefits the least the Doors are Closing
everything is a shade of gray mega-pointless life went into the future wandering around somewhere another timeline we could have taken only in art, does life have the most meaning too social. like burnout social play the drums; hold the remote Benzene Tacos
the rising tide of culture alchemy to chemistry and living forever the bottom of the video game world dead god, lost god the diary of a sh*tposter AWPed into the ground the wrath god a Dark Messiah a fierce spirit, a fierce daemon
call down god, from the cloud look, another beautiful follower Djinn-spirits, Asura war still a human, not yet a god disciples and gods reproducing the Temple of Heaven the Realm of the spirits, animals, and the gods the sky opens up and the angels cry out you don’t have to find the return
it’s not the same we are not the same the myths and the lies that we tell ourselves valets and jesters
Please do not repost without my permission, but you can support my poetry here! Originally written 2/21/21. Copyright, All Rights Reserved. All art, not from the author, belongs to the original artists. This particular illustration is by the great poet and artist William Blake.
You must be logged in to post a comment.


text:
Printable coloring pages free Indeed recently has been sought by consumers around us, perhaps one of you. People now are accustomed to using the internet in gadgets to view image and video information for inspiration, and according to the name of the post I will discuss about Printable Coloring Pages Free.
Find, Read, And Discover Printable Coloring Pages Free, Such Us:
If you re searching for Free Printable Coloring Pages For Adults Christmas you've arrived at the perfect place. We ve got 104 images about free printable coloring pages for adults christmas adding pictures, photos, pictures, wallpapers, and more. In such page, we additionally have variety of images out there. Such as png, jpg, animated gifs, pic art, symbol, blackandwhite, translucent, etc.
Simple Coloringages For Kindergarten Book Easy Colouring Toddlers Unique Educationalrintable Of Printable Coloring Pages Boys And Kids Slavyanka Free Printable Coloring Pages For Adults Christmas
Spinosaurus Coloring Page Jurassic Park Spinosaurus Coloring Pages Free Printable Coloring Pages Birijus Com Free Printable Coloring Pages For Adults Christmas
Coloring Pages 57 Amazing Free Printable Colouring In Pictures Free Printable Colouring In Pictures About Shadrach Meshach And Abednego Colouring In Pictures Online Free Kids Colouring In Pictures Also Coloring Pagess Free Printable Coloring Pages For Adults Christmas
Happy New Year Coloring Pages Free Printable Paper Trail Design Free Printable Coloring Pages For Adults Christmas
Free printable coloring pages for adults christmas. Take your imagination to a new realistic level. Take your imagination to a new realistic level. Make your world more colorful with printable coloring pages from crayola.
You can print these adult coloring pages for free or use their online tools to color them right on your screen. Subscribe to the free printable newsletter. More free coloring sheets.
We have coloring pages for all ages for all occasions and for all holidays. Free printable award certificates. Our printable coloring pages are free and classified by theme simply choose and print your drawing to color for hours.
Get crafts coloring pages lessons and more. Adult coloring pages from hello kids 10 of 14. Coloring is a fun way to develop your creativity your concentration and motor skills while forgetting daily stress.
Crayons not included more free printables. Super coloring free printable coloring pages for kids coloring sheets free colouring book illustrations printable pictures clipart black and white pictures line art and drawings. No spam ever subscribe free these coloring pages are easy to download print and color.
For boys and girls kids and adults teenagers and toddlers preschoolers and older kids at school. We have over 10000 free coloring pages that you can print at home. Free printable coloring pages for children that you can print out and color.
Home alphabet animals artwork bible birthdays cartoons countries fairy tales fantasy flowers fruit holidays homes music nature people rainbows school space sports transportation video game characters weather color by numbers connect. Signup to get the inside scoop from our monthly newsletters. For boys and girls kids and adults teenagers and toddlers preschoolers and older kids at school.
Christmas halloween seasons carnival very popular themes and periods of the year appreciated by children which give the opportunity to color beautiful drawings. Sign up for crayola offers. Our free coloring pages for adults and kids range from star wars to mickey mouse.
Tremendous Garbage Truck Coloring Sheets Dialogueeurope Free Printable Free Printable Truck Coloring Pages Coloring Pages 7th Grade Formula Sheet Learn Mental Math Free Multiplication Table Cool Math Games Search Interactive Sites Best Free Printable Coloring Pages For Adults Christmas
Incoming Search Terms:

domain: entertainment


Boston and New York had recently declared a flu epidemic. In Beantown, there were about 700 reported cases wherein 18 people had already died. In order to keep things from being out of control, app developers and health officials turn to big data for help.
The Centers for Disease Control (CDC), the organization primarily assigned to stop the flu epidemic, had taken steps to use massive data to understand the epidemic. Although doctors are banking on the flu vaccine as a weapon to keep the epidemic at bay, the problem is that there is not enough vaccine for everyone. Also, there are various flu strains that must be identified before a flu vaccine is identified to stop the epidemic.
According to CDC flu epidemiologist Lynetter Brammer, a flu study is required to pinpoint the strain of influenza currently affecting a certain locale so that the necessary flu vaccine can be used to stop its spread. An anti-viral resistance testing is also done to ensure that the flu vaccine can mitigate the effects of the flu. Influenza and pneumonia deaths are also tracked in order to learn if the flu epidemic is causing the increase in death rates. However, Brammer admits that even with the help of big data, the doctors can never completely stop influenza. The best that doctors can do is to stop the flu epidemic. In the end, Brammer hopes that better flu vaccines can be made in order to lessen the flu impact.
Flu Apps Launched Recently
In partnership with Skoll Global Threats Fund, the American Public Health Association had recently initiated FluNearYou, an application used to gather information about the development of flu symptoms. A person who is at least 13 years old can register at the site to monitor the development of symptoms. The weekly survey can help disaster planning organization, researchers, and public health officials to prepare for the flu epidemic. This data sharing application is helpful in predicting any future flu outbreaks.
Germ Tracker, another information gathering site, helps track the flu virus through a map. It is helpful in monitoring the spread of the virus in a certain area. The application makes use of social media to cull data. The only downside with this application is that it can be misused by neurotics who will use the social media to report non-existent flu cases. Help Remedies, a pharmaceutical startup, also recently introduced Help, I have the Flu application which scans Facebook statuses for words like “flu”, “coughs”, and “sneezes” so that persons within the community can be alerted in order to avoid contact with persons with flu symptoms.
Flu Trends, a flu tracker from Google, monitors the increase in flu-related searches and exhibits intense flu activities in various US states. A map from the Center for Disease Control also shows how extensive the flu epidemic is. FluView, on the other hand, is a tracking tool which receives and organizes the vast amount of data sent in by doctors, hospitals, and laboratories to the Center for Disease Control. It provides a clear picture of the spread of flu epidemic so that doctors can effectively stop the flu outbreak.


text:
Instant (PDF) download $(4.95)
This book outlines a novel method for meandering through one's memories. Specifically designed to help gain access to memories that aren't on the top 40 list.
I don't know about you, but, whenever I go foraging for memories from my earlier life inevitably the memories retrieved are drawn from a limited set of old favorites -- the same old memories that are revisited time after time. Nothing wrong with that. But, I've been around many decades. Surely there are more memories packed away in there.
Turns out my suspicion was correct. After working with the simple method described in this book, I've been accessing a broader, diverse, and more expansive range of memories. It's like discovering that the local library has many floors and a couple of wings.
Well, this book is not for those that wish to memorize hundreds of random numbers to impress friends at a party. This is not a trainer for memorization. This is a method for rummaging through memories with the goal of accessing a wider variety of memories, some of which you may not have visited in quite some time.
During a special biography workshop, we were instructed to divide our life into decades. This was accomplished by putting age-brackets at the top of ten pages -- starting with 1 to 10, 11 to 20, 21 to 30, 31 to 40, etc.
Next we were instructed to collect memories and place them on the page corresponding to the the decade in which the memory is from. That went fine -- except, the memories I found were the same old ones that are recalled every time I engage in a similar effort. I know more happened in 1960s than the same old memories I dredge up when I go looking.
It was as in my process of memory retrieval I was being attracted and/or repelled. If I am going to gain access to a more complete picture of my life I needed a methodology that was not dominated by favoritism or aversion.

domain: literature


Ever heard the news when Sony sold off its rights on VAIO brand to Japan Industrial Partners? Since then, rumors have been spreading from different sources that the buyer of VIAO planned to have their own line of smartphone and devices and will include the VIAO name among them. Now, they are not just rumors but a certified fact. On March 12, the Japanese manufacturer will be officially launching the very first smartphone of VAIO—of course, their name will be making the rounds of it, too.
As they are yet about to show off their trade, Japan Industrial Partners did not reveal the phone specifications as of this moment. However, this leaves us to freely think about what are the chips working underneath the exterior. Starting off at the chipset itself, we expect that the first VIAO smartphone will have the 64-bit Snapdragon 410 MSM8916 chipset those clocks at 1.2GHz processor. To top the performance and features, the handset might have the latest Android 5.0 (Google Lollipop) for its debut. In front, a 5-inch capacity display of 720p can be the face of the handset.
Other features to wait for are 13MP primary cam, 5MP front cam and 16GB of internal memory. Now, that may be the key components for the eldest VIAO model we envision. March 12 is fast approaching so we can read more about this model. Hopefully, we can catch its name before the actual date of debut.


text:
Biological Abstracts® encompasses the entire field of life sciences and provides comprehensive coverage of the world’s published biological and biomedical research. This includes traditional areas of biology, such as botany, zoology and microbiology, as well as experimental, clinical and veterinary medicine, biotechnology, environmental studies, and agriculture. Interdisciplinary fields such as biochemistry, biophysics and bioengineering are also included. More than 6.500 serials are monitored for inclusion. The database also includes short communications such as technical notes and letters. Abstracts are provided for full-length articles.
Digital full text archive peer reviewed research from over 100 life sciences journals managed by the National Center for Biotechnology Information at the United States National Library of Medicine. Various dates of coverage are provided. Subjects include: Biology, Genetics & Life Sciences; E-Journals, Books & Newspapers; Health, Medicine & Psychology; Publicly Available Resources; and Science & Technology.
The Department of Energy’s E-Print Network is a gateway to over 27,850 Web sites and databases worldwide, containing over 5 million e-prints in basic and applied sciences, primarily in physics but also including subject areas such as chemistry, biology and life sciences, materials science, nuclear sciences and engineering, energy research, computer and information technologies, and other disciplines of interest to DOE.
Entrez, the Life Sciences Search Engine
This meta-search engine searches any or all of the National Library of Medicine’s Entrez databases with one click. The databases include clinical literature (MEDLINE), population and experimental data sets (PopSet and GEO DataSets), sequence databases (Nucleotide and Protein), and more than a dozen others.
National Biological Information Infrastructure
OvidSP is a user-friendly interface to many of the Library’s biomedical databases. These databases include the following:
Ovid MEDLINE In-Process
EBM Reviews – ACP Journal Club
EBM Reviews – Cochrane Central Register of Controlled Trials
EBM Reviews – Cochrane Database of Systematic Reviews
EBM Reviews – Database of Abstracts of Reviews of Effects
Health and Psychosocial Instruments
Journals@Ovid Full Text
EBM Reviews – Cochrane Methodology Register
EBM Reviews – Health Technology Assessment
EBM Reviews – NHS Economic Evaluation Database
Click here for the Ovid Personal Password login.
PubChem is an Entrez database, from the National Library of Medicine, that provides information on the biological activities of small molecules that is comprised of three individual databases: PubChem Substance, PubChem Compound, and PubChem Bioassay. It is a component of NIH’s Molecular Libraries Roadmap Initiative.
PubMed is a search system from the National Library of Medicine. It includes references from MEDLINE and MEDLINE in Process, as well as a small number of references not included in these databases. It features built-in search filters for diagnosis, therapy, and prognosis, and includes links to databanks of DNA/protein sequence and 3-D structure data. PubMed also links to publishers’ sites for full-text journals, although many of these journals require subscriptions for viewing. Older records (1950-1965) formerly in OLDMEDLINE have also been added to PubMed.


Your Thankful shirt is just a little reminder of the everyday miracle of life and to be thankful for it!
The perfect solution for: wear it with your favorite pair of jeans, skirt or short for summer, take it to a meet up with your girlfriends or wear it on a hangout with your family.
Your Thankful T Shirt Features:
• 100% ring-spun cotton
• Sport Grey is 90% ring-spun cotton, 10% polyester
• Dark Heather is 65% polyester, 35% cotton
• 4.5 oz/y² (153 g/m²)
• Shoulder-to-shoulder taping
• Quarter-turned to avoid crease down the center
LOOK AFTER ME
Avoid post-wash regrets, always check the label
|Length (inches)||28||29 ¼||30 ¼||31 ¼||32 ½||33 ½|
Please expect to receive your t-shirt in about 2 weeks. For more information about shipping visit our shipping policy page here.


text: We work hard to build a culture of trust, honesty, and sincerity. We believe that people and their pets deserve a veterinary practice that puts them above all else. We have a strong focus on preventative care, such as exams, blood-work, vaccinations, micro-chipping, heartworm and intestinal parasite testing and treatment. We also provide wellness plans, emergency services, allergy testing, onsite diagnostic laboratory equipment, digital xray, abdominal ultrasounds, echocardiography, isolation ward for infectious diseases, euthanasia and cremation services, health inspections (domestic and international), house calls, spays/neuters, soft tissue and orthopedic surgery (ACL repair, fracture repairs, etc.), and dental services.We maintain an in house pet pharmacy and online pharmacy, and we carry prescription diets and maintenance diets/treats. We make farm-calls (we don’t handle haul-ins) for our large animal clients. BCVC also offers advanced canine reproductive services and this has become a major focus for our practice. Our staff are highly trained and we work hard to maintain an healthy workplace culture! Come join us at BCVC for an incredible work experience!


text:
A post-bushfire plan to remove feral horses from three areas in Kosciuszko National Park is an important step towards recovery.
The failure to control exploding numbers of feral horses in Kosciuszko National Park raises serious animal welfare issues as the park comes under threat from bushfire.
Position: ‘Threats to Nature’ Project Manager Reports to: CEO Basis: Part time (2dpw, possibility of additional days per week dependant on funding) Location: Canberra, Sydney, Melbourne (willing to consider alternative locations for outstanding applications) Duration: Two-year contract, with extension possible Salary range: $70-82,000 pa pro rata depending on skills and experience Job description The project…
When the NSW Government made the disastrous decision to protect feral horses in Kosciuszko National Park rather than reducing their numbers we acted quickly, joining forces with several other environment groups to form Reclaim Kosci. Led by Richard and Alison Swain Reclaim Kosci’s main objectives are to: Raise awareness about the impacts of feral horses…
In late 2016 the Invasive Species Council and Island Conservation, working with the local community, began a project on Norfolk Island to better control existing invasive pests and prevent the introduction of new potential pest species. The project had two objectives: Controlling rodents and ants The first was to help the Norfolk Island community protect…
Australia’s first Chief Environmental Biosecurity Officer has been in place for a year, so now is a good time to review the success of the position.
Australia’s new ten-year biodiversity strategy is a huge disappointment for invasive species and for biodiversity in general.
Environmental biosecurity – the protection of our natural environment from harmful exotic weeds, pests and diseases – requires much more attention than it currently receives.
Two government-industry bodies, Plant Health Australia and Animal Health Australia, have been working for many years to keep crop and livestock industries safe from new invasive species.
That is why we have launched ‘Keeping Nature Safe’, a proposal for the establishment of Environment Health Australia, a national body dedicated to environmental biosecurity. It would bring together major participants in environmental biosecurity, effectively involve the community sector, and foster collaboration in tackling some of Australia ’s most pressing and challenging environmental threats.
Environmental Health Australia would take up the challenge of keeping our incredible natural heritage, native plants and wildlife safe from new and emerging invasive species.
Fact Sheets, Reports & Submissions
An investigation into which insects overseas represent the greatest risks for Australia and how they could arrive here.
The Invasive Species Council supports the development of an interim national priority list of exotic environmental pests and diseases as the first step in developing a more comprehensive list of environmental biosecurity risks for Australia.

domain: biology


Lake County backcountry ski party identified
February 17, 2014
TWIN LAKES — The Lake County Office of Emergency Management has officially released the names of all seven skiers caught in an avalanche Saturday, Feb. 15 on Independence Pass in Lake County.
The two fatal victims, previously identified by an Associated Press report, were confirmed as Justin Lentz, 32, of Sun Prairie, Wis., and Jarrard Law, 34, of Portage, Wis. The five other members of the backcountry ski party are Carl Bryan, 51, Katie Bryan, 30, and Scott Smelcer, 28, all of Twin Lakes; and Ben Hartt, 38, and Seth Neilson, 30, both of Wisconsin.
Lentz's father, Robert, said his son loved to ski and started when he was 5 or 6 years old. He "was a good kid," Robert said, who worked as an electrician and was engaged to be married.
Law was an information-technology expert at the Necedah Area School District, where Superintendent Larry Gierach remembered him as an "incredible man."
"Jarrard had great skills with people and was an integral part of our planning when it came to technology," Gierach said.
Many staff members thought of Law as a friend first and as a professional second, the superintendent said.
Lentz and Law were close friends who frequently went skiing, snowboarding and mountain biking together, said Joey Kindred, 28, who knew them both well.
Kindred recalled how Lentz enjoyed competing his friends with over-the-top snowboard tricks, even though he had a bad shoulder that would pop out of its socket every time he crashed.
"He'd fall down so often we'd call him 'Man Down,'" Kindred said. "He'd laugh, get up and do it again. And when his shoulder popped out he'd call over to his fiancee — she's a nurse — and she'd pop it back in."
Law was always the life of a party, but he was happiest when he was in the outdoors or spending time with friends, Kindred said.
Kindred has gone skiing and snowboarding with Lentz and Law in the past. He said the two had only skied at resorts in Colorado, so they wouldn't have been familiar with the backcountry trails.
"I just wish I could have been with them to stop them from going down those lanes," said Kindred, who used to live in Colorado.
Lentz and Law were reportedly traversing the top of a ridge with their five companions at about 5 p.m. Saturday when they triggered the avalanche. The group was located on Star Peak about a mile from the LaPlata parking area off Colorado Highway 82 on the Twin Lakes side of Independence Pass in Lake County.
The five survivors were accounted for after the slide. Of those, three were taken to St. Vincent Hospital in Leadville with injuries that reportedly included a broken leg, a broken ankle and a possible broken rib and collapsed lung.
The Lake County Office of Emergency Management would not identify the injured parties. One of those three has since been released from the hospital.
Two other members of the party escaped the avalanche unharmed.
Lentz and Law went unaccounted for after Saturday's avalanche. The Lake County Sheriff's Office announced at approximately 12:30 p.m. Sunday that search and rescuers had recovered their bodies.
Both men were wearing avalanche beacons, Susan Matthews, public information officer for the Lake County Office of Emergency Management, told the Associated Press.
The cause of the avalanche remains under investigation, said Brian Lazar, deputy director of the Colorado Avalanche Information Center.
Among the participating agencies in the search and rescue effort were the Lake County Sheriff's Office, the Lake County Emergency Manager, Lake County Public Works, St. Vincent Hospital EMS, Leadville/Lake County Fire and Rescue, the Colorado Avalanche Information Center, Colorado Rapid Avalanche Deployment and Lake County Search and Rescue teams.
Three members of the Summit County Rescue Group also participated in search and rescue efforts, said that group's public information officer Charles Pitman.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
Trending In: Crime
- Probation sentence for seven-time DUI offender highlights prosecutors’ frustration over recent law change
- ‘Campaign of terror’: Breckenridge man sentenced to probation in cyberstalking case
- Summit County police blotter: Cop stumbles on freshly-powdered nose
- Breckenridge drug bust reveals cocaine being sold out of bars, restaurants
- 17 arrested, 10 at large in Rifle drug case
- Summit community comes together to support Flight For Life Nurse Dave Repsher (video)
- Male skier, 43, dies after falling into tree well at Tahoe-area resort
- Buried alive: Colorado Rapid Avalanche Deployment team inches closer to standard avy dog training
- How snowboarding set the evolution of winter sports back three decades (column)
- A mission, a milestone: Seven mountains at 70 years old


DTF film sheets work with all DTF printers utilizing DTF ink and DTF Powder. The process of heat transfer of textile ink to the film can be done on a variety of fabrics.
1. Performance: with a glossy finish, the printing effect is clear, color rich and waterproof.
2. Size: A3/A4 , Thickness: 0.029" x 0.75 mm - Double-sided
3. Compatibility: For processing with DTF printing systems.
4. Advantage: High rate color transfer, washable, soft feel and durable.
5. Tips：After pressing, this film is suggested to warm peel.
6. Application: You can print on any material (Cotton, Polyester, Leather, Canvas, and more)
How to Use:
1. Print the image onto the matte side of the DTF film in mirror mode. (CMYK+White Ink)
2. Apply Galaxy hot melt powder(Galaxy DTF Powder) evenly and then remove the excess powder by shaking.
3. Hovering to bake the hot melt powder (100℃/212℉, 180sec)
4. Transfer the image by heat press at 150℃/302°F~160℃320°F for 15sec with medium pressure.
5. Cold Peel (remove the film gently)
6. Heat press again for curing (150℃/302°F, 5sec) with medium pressure


text:
Despite closing Restaurant Andre in the busiest destination in Singapore, another new eatery will resurrect in its place towards the end of the year.
Over the last decade, PDT has collected a slew of lofty accolades including Outstanding Bar Programme, World’s Best Cocktail Bar. And now, PDT has made its way to Hong Kong. Find out more.
Gearing up for another edition of The World’s 50 Best Restaurants, the academy reveals its picks from rank 51-100 while we wait with bated breath for the top 50 winners
Uniting the world with food — the culinary event is back to celebrate its 21st year bringing with it the United Nations Gastronomic Assembly to our shores
As a nation that openly declares its love for food with such gusto, we decided to suss out the best fine ding restaurants on the sunny island to help you plan your next dinner date
The talented chef reinvents the famous comfort food to include some of the most luxurious ingredients for a truly sinful dish


text:
The purpose of this paper is to discuss the National University of Lesotho Library’s shift to supporting of contact teaching to e-learning because of COVID-19. The university library increased access to digital content and broadened digital services.
This case study is based on reflective practice methodology in which practitioners learn from their practice, reflect and adapt to change as they improve on their practice. The library team members were reflective participants in the transformation of library services from on-site to digital services. The main research questions are “How did the digital libraries meet the needs of the digital community?” and “What will be the new normal after COVID-19 experience in digital libraries and their communities?” The literature review juxtaposes reports on transformation of library services to digital services.
The library transformed from on-site to digital services library. It also reports on observed increase in databases usage during lockdown.
The nature of a case study is limited by time and geography.
This paper has implications and possible applications for other university libraries in African countries that are resources constrained such as Lesotho.
This paper makes a valuable contribution to lessons on how African universities’ libraries respond to pandemics such as COVID-19. It speaks to the need to strengthen existing infrastructure and digital content, while ensuring the library staff and the university community adapts to the new normal.
Mbambo-Thata, B. (2021), "Responding to COVID-19 in an African university: the case the National University of Lesotho library", Digital Library Perspectives, Vol. 37 No. 1, pp. 28-38. https://doi.org/10.1108/DLP-07-2020-0061
Emerald Publishing Limited
Copyright © 2020, Emerald Publishing Limited
The COVID-19 pandemic spread around the world and precipitated lockdowns and restrictions by governments to contain its further spread. The measures included closing down economies and other activities including schools and university campuses. Higher education institutions in Africa opted to change mode of teaching despite the environmental and technological infrastructural challenges. Higher education institutions took measures to continue their academic programmes, most moving to e-learning and remote teaching as per recommendation of UNESCO (2020a, 2020b).
The purpose of this article is to outline how the National University of Lesotho Library supported the National University of Lesotho (NUL), as it changed its mode of teaching from contact learning to e-learning in response to COVID-19. The library responded by supporting the e-learning mode with digital content.
Lesotho is officially known as the Kingdom of Lesotho with a population of two million people. The seat of government and the capital city is Maseru. Lesotho is located in southern Africa while completely surrounded by South Africa. All its borders lead into South Africa.
Lesotho has several institutions of higher learning, but one public university, the NUL. The NUL was established in October 1975, by an Act of Parliament, although its origin dates back to 1945 when the University College was established by Roman Catholic priests with five students. It now has a total enrolment of over 10,000 students and 370 academics (NUL Strategic Plan 2015–2020). The hub of its administration and main campus is in the town of Roma. This is where the university library, the Thomas Mofolo Library, is located.
The NUL Library is central to academic work at NUL, ensuring support of core business of the university. It does this by providing unfettered access to digital collections, a well-balanced print collection and library spaces that promote learning, research and community engagement. Although the NUL Library operates as a national research point, allowing unregistered users to use its facility for research, only the following categories have lending rights, bone fide students of the university, staff member of the University as defined in the appropriate University statutes, extra-mural member approved by the Library Board and visiting research fellows and/or professors. The NUL Library comprises the Thomas Mofolo Library as the main Library at Roma Campus and the site libraries at the Institute of Extra Mural Studies in Maseru; www.nul.ls/library (2020).
State of emergency
On Thursday March 18, 2020, the then Prime Minister Dr Thomas Thabane declared a two-week state of emergency in response to a rapidly spreading COVID-19. In declaring the state of emergency, government outlined a set of restrictions that would be imposed during the state of emergency. Under the restrictions, schools and higher education institutions would be closed as from 19 March to 20 April, 2020. The ban was extended to include prohibition of public gatherings, including funerals and churches services. Furthermore, some borders were closed.
On March 24, 2020, the government further announced a four-week lockdown to commence on Sunday March 29, 2020. Only essential services were permitted to proceed. On April 24, 2020, this was extended by another two weeks.
In compliance with the government’s declaration of a lockdown, on March 26, 2020, the NUL ceased operations. Staff members vacated the University except for essential services. Students were on short term break at the time government declared a state of emergency. They could not return to campus. The Library closed down together with the rest of the University in compliance with the national lockdown.
This study is framed by reflective practice methodology. A working definition of reflective practice, according to Karnieli-Miller (2020) includes deepening the understanding of self, other and the environment while focusing on behavior and connecting current, present and future. It speaks to being able to learn, adapt and create a new situation. Karnieli-Miller (2020) emphasizes that reflective practice results in reflective practitioners. Macleod et al. (2020) posit further that reflective practice skills, resulting in a reflective practitioner, can be learnt. Furthermore, they add, that training in reflective practice should be mandatory in professions that interact with clients so that practitioners can be reflective and adaptable (Macleod et al., 2020).
In the field of librarianship, Sen and Greenhall (2014) state that reflective practice assists library professionals deliver efficient and accountable service. Further, Sen and Greenhall (2014) emphasize that reflection has a potential to improve on the future of practice and delivery of service. The study concurred with those of Chapman et al. (2009) who posited that reflective practice assisted professionals adapt to changing technology and improvement in service. Richards, Mascearenhas and Collins (2009) further concurred that reflective practice could improve individual and group performance. In the conclusion of their 2014 study, Sen and Greenhall (2014) state that reflective practice is used widely in libraries. While it is noted by De Salvo (2014) that reflective practice takes time and requires patience, Corrall (2017) highlights that continuing professional education of librarians in the UK includes reflective practice as a critical and defining professional practice.
In line with the conceptual framework of reflective practice, librarians at NUL reflected on their practice before COVID-19 pandemic and altered their practice to support e-learning.
The case study responds to two research questions. The first one is:
sHow did the digital libraries meet the needs of the digital community?
And the second one is:
What will be the normal after COVID-19 experience in digital libraries and their communities?
Review of the literature on COVID-19 and higher education libraries
According to the World Economic Forum, the closure of schools and universities in response to COVID-19 has affected 70% of the world population (Adoteyi, 2020). Furthermore, Adoteyi (2020) expands that despite the infrastructure un-readiness of higher education in Africa, the sector was compelled to move online and prepare for a world where COVID-19 or other similar disasters may occur. In response to the COVID-19 pandemic, on May 14, 2020, the UNESCO hosted a webinar entitled “The response of Higher Education to COVID-19 - Higher Education in Africa: challenges and solutions through ICT, online training, distance education and digital inclusion.” The meeting included the Association of African Universities, the Africa Union and its partners on higher education. The webinar deliberated on a coordinated response to COVID-19. The webinar concluded that higher education in Africa should digitize its curriculum and main stream online and distance education. The other recommendations call for training and capacity building in online and distance education, strengthening of knowledge structures and learning and research networks.
In South Africa, Universities South Africa (2020) indicates that all public universities responded to the national lockdown by closing down and teaching remotely. While some universities were ready to do so, it was acknowledged that some were not ready in terms of resources and staff ability. However, all universities were committed to salvage the reminder of the year by continuing to teach students online. Among other universities, the University of Cape Town issued a “The framework and calendar for completing the academic year” on April 16, 2020. The document served as a guide to the university community indicating modes of work during the COVID-19 period. Like other universities, all contact classes were suspended.
While universities deliberated and issued frameworks for online learning, one could not locate a specific reference to how libraries were to respond in this move to online learning. What has been located is literature on how libraries responded.
In its report on COVID 19 responses, The Committee for Higher Education Libraries in South Africa (CHELSA, 2020) indicated that 60% of its members had business continuity plans that informed their response to the COVID-19 emergency. Furthermore, the report indicates that 62% of its members moved to virtual services provision. Print collections were closed while digital collections remained available. Communication with clients was via social media, e-mail and LibChat services. According to the report, the majority of CHELSA members (60%) had plan of response. On the other hand, Cox (2020) states that Covid-19 surprised and “blind-sided” many university libraries in USA, leading to libraries closing stacks and preventing access to print collections and eventually closing libraries. Cox (2020) further notes that digital collections became the only content that libraries permitted users to access. Similarly, Falt and Das (2020) posit that digital collections became the vital resources for libraries. Noting further that publishers and e-resources publishers also offered more digital content, some of it gratis, during the COVID-19 period. The authors celebrate that, during the COVID −19, only digital libraries ensured safe public access to information without causing ailment and disease, in the way that print collection would be viewed as carriers of the corona virus.
While digital collections seemed to be the only safe access to collections for libraries, Banes and Pisacreta (2020) caution that the new normal of digital access mainly ignores issues of equity and access for vulnerable groups in the USA. In South Africa, the Minister of Education sought to mitigate access challenges for vulnerable students when he announced that students on government support grant would get 10GB data per month for three months (Pillay, 2020).
Besides the issues of equity and access for vulnerable groups, the UNESCO (2020a, 2020b) has cautioned that while e-learning and digital content has become the solution to learning during COVID-19, institutions should consider online safety for new users and ensure safety of learners online. Thus, the UNESCO created guidelines and recommendations to ensure that online learning environments were safe for learners (UNESCO, 2020a, 2020b).
How did National University of Lesotho respond?
For NUL, the closure was in two steps: Step 1 was March 18, 2020, which ended all academic activities. Students vacated the University. Step 2 was March 26, 2020, which saw the closure of all administrative and academic services, except for essential services in response to the government announcement of a national lockdown as from March 29, 2020. However, while the physical university closed campuses in response to lockdown, the “digital university” remained open. The University’s learning management system (LMS) Thuto was available online. The online admissions of students remained online and open. The University’s website was online. The Library’s website and digital content remained online. In short, the online university was not closed by the COVID-19 pandemic. The existing e-infrastructure at NUL created an opportunity for NUL to change mode of teaching and learning. Migrating from contact teaching to mainly e-learning was feasible, enabling students to continue learning in their homes while sheltering safely from COVID-19.
E-learning at National University of Lesotho
The University uses Thuto, as its LMS. The adoption and usage of LMS among lecturing staff was voluntary and optional at the time of closure. The LMS, Thuto, had been created to support 200 logins at a time and allowed for growth with more and better uptake among teaching staff. However, the advent of COVID-19 and prolonged closure, led to a decision by Senate to move to e-learning so that students could finish the academic year.
During lockdown, the government announced that it was working in partnerships with two leading mobile operators to reduce the cost of data to students. Through a series of negotiations, the government, NUL management and mobile operates agreed to zero-rate student access to learning platforms. By this process, the mobile data providers would not charge students who accessed the NUL websites. To facilitate access and zero rating, the mobile operators requested the University to provide URLs of NUL websites used by students. The library, together with other faculties, provided the URLs of sites used for learning, including those with subscriptions for e-books and e-journals, the library website, the NUL Institutional repository (NULIR) and the online public access catalogue (OPAC). Students visiting these listed sites would not be charged. Popular sites, such as Facebook and Twitter, which could have had learning content, were not included in the zero-rating plan. The University committed to continue zero rating beyond COVID-19 regulations. The University would meet the data cost for students in a process called “reverse billing” to enable students to continue to e-learning.
The COVID-19 crisis removed students from campus. They could not physically walk into the library to be taught information literacy or fetch a book. Therefore, the mode of provision of library services had to change, from one where students “walked-into-the-library” to “students-were-off-campus.” That placed digital content at the center of reaching students and necessitated change of mode of delivery of services to students.
NUL Library subscribes to a number of platforms and databases of e-books and e-journals and has created its own institutional digital library, the NULIR, which includes the locally produced articles and theses. Through its consortium, the Lesotho Library and Information Consortium, Lesotho-based institutions acquire resources via a country license. They also receive digital resources that publishers avail free to Lesotho to support teaching, learning and research. Through a combination of these means, the multi and interdisciplinary NUL digital collections are 12 in total.
These collections were available via the library website before COVID-19. Furthermore, the Library had subscribed to Remotex, a tool to facilitate off-campus access to digital resources. The library had a digital library ready and a tool for making the digital library accessible off-campus.
In response to the research question “How did the digital libraries meet the needs of the digital community?,” the NUL library considered its own readiness on one hand, and the students’ willingness and adaptability to using online platforms on the other. These two considerations were central to how the library pushed service on one hand while considering recipients of service, students on the other.
In terms of students, the NUL’s undergraduate profile fits into the category of “digital natives,” people born after 1984 who use technologies and digital content often. However, Blackwood (2020) refutes the notion of digital native and dismisses it as a myth. Blackwood (2020) cites that their use of technology is superficial. Therefore, teaching them information technology literacy is critical. For NUL, the advent of COVID-19 did not give students, whether they were digital natives or not, a chance to learn all information literacy modules. They had to learn to use Thuto, the LMS and access digital collections with minimal instruction. The frequently received question “How do I access Remotex” despite sending several notices, reflected just how much instruction students needed. The digital natives were thrown into the deep end and they adapted. It was their willingness and adaptability that enabled them to make the shift to e-learning.
In terms of library readiness, the library fitted the description of the interface between the library and digital scholarship by Li et al. (2020), which states that in the 21st century, libraries have become spaces for knowledge creation, retention and sharing. Li et al. (2020) assert further that in the era of digital scholarship, libraries have become leading institutions to pilot digital tools. The NUL library had been subscribing to online journals while the University was using the contact-teaching mode. When the NUL closed because of COVID-19, the library team focused on increasing access to its digital libraries provision to support the new mode of teaching.
To meet the needs of digital community, the library was ready with a digital content. The students, who are “digital natives,” would be assisted to transfer from print-learning resources to digital libraries. To enhance service, the library focused on the following service changes and ways of work that would promote support of digital library service:
Staff and consultation
During the national health emergency, uncertainty as to how to proceed prevailed. The library aligned itself to the university pronouncement in response to the national state of emergency regulations. At Step 1 closure, the library print collections and spaces were closed to students but remained open for those returning print books. In line with WHO guidelines, the library acquired gloves and soap for its staff, especially those on the front desks. The institution proceeded to order sanitizers and place them at entrances. Staff were also encouraged to use personal protection and practice safe distance, hand hygiene and to sanitize. It was critical to keep staff safe at this time while navigating service offering to learners.
Soon after the first announcement of Step 1 closure starting on March 19, 2020, which sent students home, the library began to review its services to students who would not be on campus. Library management team met with the Information and Communication Technology (ICT) section to explore ways of enhancing access to the digital library. It was noted that registration for Remotex, the system that enables library access from off-campus, was a manual process. Students traditionally visited the library to register for Remotex, followed by a manual approval process. In the light of that, students were no longer on campus, it was evident that the process had to be changed and automated.
To automate the registration to Remotex, the library ICT team accessed records of all registered students in Thuto, LMS. The ICT team proceeded to e-mail registration instructions to students. While some students did not have e-mails, the message was broadcast on through social media platforms. All students reachable were given registration instructions, as well as contacts of library ICT team if they needed assistance. Internally, the library increased the number of administrators to approve Remotex registration. In a short time, the registration on Remotex was automated. Students could register from wherever they were.
Instructions on how to access online resource
Realizing that the library did not have an online information literacy programme, it was agreed to place self-paced information on accessing e-journals online. This information would assist student to access the digital content available online.
The library noted increase in usage of e-resources between April and June 2020. In the month of June, there was a drop in usage as students had exams and staff were marking. There was yet another increase in July. It was evident that the university community was using the e-resources during lockdown.
Long-term plans to improve online access
The library team agreed to continue reflecting on services offering on digital platforms. To enhance online access and presence, the team agreed on the following set of internal activities to improve remote access of library services:
Evaluation and improvement of the library’s online presence – The team agreed that the whole library team would workshop the library’s online presence. It was critical that the whole library team was involved in the evaluation of online presence tools and service menu to ensure a uniform and coordinated assistance for the faculties and students online.
Evaluation and revamp of the library website as the main window to many library activities.
Evaluation of access to open access online journals – Noting that open access journals were not accessible through Remotex, it was critical that students were educated on how to access all online journals including open access journal. An interactive workshop would create a manual of access online journals and a tool for assessing impact.
Reopening the library
The University reopened to staff on May 8, 2020. Students did not return to campus. The physical library was closed to students. The library continued meeting students online. Digital services remained at the core of service delivery to students. The reconvening of staff was critical for planning for the future of work in a digital environment. It had to be done safely.
On first day of NUL opening, the library team agreed to a framework of working in adherence to COVID-19 regulations, and based on IFLA COVID-19 guidelines. The library team immediately got into planning for long-term services to support e-learning. It was not possible to plan for the future while most staff were away because of lockdown. The library had closed before a culture of virtual and online work had been established. Therefore, the return of staff facilitated development of shared understanding frameworks and procedures while practicing social distancing. It was only after reopening that a culture of working online and virtually was established and staff could connect to meetings wherever they were.
Sustaining the “new normal” in service to the digital community
At the core of these changes is the second research question, “how will this new normal be sustained?” At NUL Library, the strategies for sustaining the new normal are premised on taking staff and students along. The following are some of the strategies for sustaining the new normal:
Breaking the digital divide
Data cost is a major digital divide that inhibits access to learning in digital spaces. The library by itself could not break the digital divide. It could only provide digital content. However, NUL’s adoption of reverse billing broke the digital divide that often prohibits access to online content. It broke the limitation of data costs. The cost of learning was not passed to students but was absorbed by the University. The cost of accessing the digital library was not passed to students but was absorbed by the University. This left student free to learn. The digital divide of data cost was broken.
Teamwork and reflection is key to online service support
E-learning at scale was new to the whole NUL community. Supporting e-learning was also new to the library team. The library team worked together to reflect on its existing practice and developed ways of assisting the e-learning community. Therefore, the library’s own online presence had to be critiqued and enhanced.
The library team worked together on evaluating the website. The team developed a website complete with a chat facility. It edited the features that consumed bandwidth. The team worked together in developing lib-guides. The team worked together on a framework of constantly enhancing its online presence. Working together, the team enhanced its online presence, making it easy for the university community to find information and help on the library website.
Sustaining human contact in a digital environment
Working in digital spaces is new to our community. It was important that some personal contacts were provided. The chat facility on the website, which would be answered by reference service, was set to meet that need. The chat facility for subject-specific queries would be answered by subject librarians. Staff phone numbers, Facebook contacts and e-mail contact were also provided on the subject lib-guides. This would ensure that the community was not isolated but could contact a human being to help them navigate the digital library.
Shifting mode to online support
While the library was enhancing its online presence, the familiar and known mode of delivery was serving students who were on campus and walked into the library. For the Library community, servicing students not on campus, not before us, not in a print environment but a digital environment, was new. Working in teams made it less threatening to change and adopt a new way of work. Working in teams enabled common reflection and shared a change of mind-set. While building a digital community of users, the library team was also building in internal digital support team.
Cost of digital infrastructure
The effect of COVID-19 on higher education libraries is yet to be ascertained. The sustainability of the existing digital content will be a challenge should e-book and e-journal prices escalate. NUL Library is working with partners to ensure that the current digital content is sustained, while also strengthening the open access infrastructure, so that open science is mainstreamed. This will enhance not only access to digital content but also provide NUL with a platform to add African content to digital spaces by publishing its own research output.
The response of NUL Library, to change mode to deliver digital services, was not unique. It was similar to those of institutions surveyed by Banes and Pisacreta (2020) for ITHAKA and the CHELSA (2020). Library services moved from print and site services to online and digital services. The services were not limited to digital content provision only, but included support for the off-campus community and continued online contact. The academic libraries shifted to digital services and online to support institutions of higher learning as they heeded the UNESCO (2020a, 2020b) recommendations to change teaching mode from contact to remotely teaching. Reflective practice assisted the team at NUL Library to assess which of their practices needed to change to remain supportive for students, in an e-learning environment.
As indicated in the CHELSA (2020), libraries with business continuity plans had formulated guidelines for responding to interruptions to onsite business. Those without such plans had to scramble for options. While NUL Library did not have a business continuity plan, its digital library infrastructure enabled it to change mode smoothly. A lesson learnt by NUL Library is the need for a business continuity plan to guide future responses to COVID-19 or similar pandemics. This is essential to sustain the digital library services generally, and especially in times of crisis.
Equity and digital access are real issues for many communities in Africa. Banes and Pisacreta (2020) caution that issues for equity may hinder access to vulnerable groups in the move to digital services. NUL Library will have to pay special attention to this, especially regarding students living with disabilities who had used resources on site to convert from print to other.
The NUL opted to absorb the cost of access to learning by continuing reverse billing beyond COVID 19 national arrangement. This will ensure that students continue to access the digital services and the university generally and the library in particular. This is a critical development that ensures that no student is left behind.
It is evident that COVID-19 has challenged higher education world over, including in Lesotho. However, higher education has also responded boldly by seeking alternative ways of continuing to educate. Most, as demonstrated, went online, including NUL. The shift to e-learning mode created a new method of work for the NUL community and its Library services. Library services shifted from delivering service on-site to delivering digital services online.
The NUL library team noted that it was not adequate to merely avail the NUL Library digital collections on its website. It rather needed to shift its role to providing digital content services to support the e-learning community. Active support of e-learning and digital services was strengthened by the library’s own online presence improvement. The Library website was improved by addition of lib-guides, chat service and e-mail contact of subject librarians’ website. By so doing, the library demonstrated not only how it would support the digital learning community but also its adaptability and willingness to change and support the digital community.
The library team remained committed to exploring new mechanisms of making digital content discoverable to the university community. To sustain digital service, the team will be exploring ways of strengthening the user experience of the Library’s digital services.
While COVID-19 was an unforeseen health emergency, the NUL community has provided a framework for continuing with its business online. The NUL Library remains committed to shifting its focus to strengthening the e-learning support and strengthening its digital learning support. Finally, NUL Library will continuously develop innovative ways of sustaining and scaling digital library provisions.
Adoteyi, S.K. (2020), “What will higher education in Africa look like after COVID-19?”, World Economic Forum, available at: www.weforum.org/agenda/2020/06/higher-education-africa-covid19-coronavirus-digital-online/ (accessed 10 August 2020).
Banes, E. and Pisacreta, E.D. (2020), “Reflections on the comprehensiveness and equity considerations of institutional plans for fall 2020 reopening”, Ithaka S+, available at: https://sr.ithaka.org/blog/reflections-on-the-comprehensiveness-and-equity-considerations-of-institutional-plans-for-fall-2020-reopening/ (accessed 2 August 2020).
Blackwood, E. (2020), “Integrating digital stewardship into library instruction: an argument for student (and librarian) success”, The Journal of Academic Librarianship, Vol. 46 No. 1, p. 102099.
Chapman, N., Dempsey, S.E. and Warren-Forward, H.M. (2009), “Workplace diaries promoting reflective practice in radiation therapy”, Radiography, Vol. 15 No. 2, pp. 166-170.
Committee of Higher Education Libraries of South Africa (2020), “Report on COVID-19 survey (unpublished report)”, available at: https://chelsa.ac.za/wp-content/uploads/2020/08/covid19survey.pdf (accessed 14 August 2020).
Corrall, S. (2017), “Crossing the threshold: reflective practice in information literacy development”, Journal of Information Literacy, Vol. 11 No. 1, p. 23.
Declaration of COVID-19 State of Emergency Notice (2020), March 27, 2020.
De Salvo, L. (2014), The Art of Slow Writing, St Mary, New York, NY.
Karnieli-Miller, O. (2020), “Reflective practice in the teaching of communication skills”, Patient Education and Counseling, Vol. 103 No. 10, available at: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.pec.2020.06.021
Li, B., Song, Y., Lu, X. and Zhou, L. (2020), “Making the digital turn: Identifying the user requirements of digital scholarship services in university libraries”, The Journal of Academic Librarianship, Vol. 46 No. 2, p. 102135.
Pillay, V. (2020), “Blade Nzimande: 10gb data for NSFS students for 3 months”, available at: www.iol.co.za
Public Health (COVID-19) Regulations (2020a), “Public health (COVID-19) regulations”.
Public Health (COVID-19) Regulations (2020b), “Legal notice 38 2020”.
Sen, B.A. and Greenhall, J. (2014), “Reflective practice in the library and information sector”, Journal of Librarianship and Information Science, available at: http://eprints.whiterose.ac.uk/85521/ (accessed 16 August 2020).
UNESCO (2020a), “Safe to learn during COVID-19: new recommendations released”, UNESCO, available at: https://en.unesco.org/news/safe-learn-during-covid-19-new-recommendations-released (accessed 10 August 2020).
UNESCO (2020b), “The response of higher education to COVID-19 – higher education in Africa: challenges and solutions through ICT, online training, distance education and digital inclusion”, UNESCO, available at: https://en.unesco.org/news/response-higher-education-covid-19-higher-education-africa-challenges-and-solutions-through-ict (accessed 10 August 2020).
Universities South Africa (2020), “Public universities have either embraced emergency teaching/learning, or are getting ready for the inevitable, in the COVID-19 era | universities South Africa”, Universities South Africa, available at: www.usaf.ac.za/universities-coronavirus-covid-19-updates (accessed 14 August 2020).
Falt, E. (2020), “Covid-19 put brake to academic activity, but digital libraries can ensure continuity”, The Print, available at: https://theprint.in/opinion/covid-19-put-brake-to-academic-activity-but-digital-libraries-can-ensure-continuity/397092/ (accessed 20 July 2020).
Kolb, D.A. (1981), “Experiential learning theory and the learning style inventory: a reply to freedman and Stumpf”, Academy of Management Review, Vol. 6 No. 2, pp. 289-296.
Lange, L.I.S. (2020), “The framework and calendar for completing the academic year”, available at: www.news.uct.ac.za, available at: www.news.uct.ac.za/article/−2020-04-16-the-framework-and-calendar-for-completing-the-academic-year (accessed 11 August 2020).
Maqalika-Lerotholi, L. (2020), “Release of staff and halt of operations due to corona outbreak COVID-19 (internal memo) REF/REG/ADMIN1.75-2020/07 26 March 2020”, Office of the Registrar.
Mcleod, G.A., Vaughan, B., Carey, I., Shannon, T. and Winn, E. (2020), “Pre-professional reflective practice: strategies, perspectives and experiences”, International Journal of Osteopathic Medicine, Vol. 35, p. 35.
Metro News (2020), “Lesotho declares state of emergency on COVID-19”, available at: www.maserumetro.com/news/health/lesotho-declares-state-of-emergency-on-covid-19/ (accessed 1 June 2020).
National University of Lesotho (2015), “National university of Lesotho strategic plan 2015-2020”, National University of Lesotho, Roma, available at: www.nul.ls (accessed 19 June 2020).
National University of Lesotho Library (2019), “Library”, National University of Lesotho Library, available at: www.nu.ls/library (accessed 19 June 2020).
Public Health (COVID-19) (Amendment) Regulations (2020), “Public health (COVID-19) (amendment) regulations”.
Public Health (COVID-19) Regulations (2020c), “Legal notice 41 of 2020”.
Robert, C. (2020), “Change, change indeed”, available at: inside Higher ED. Inside Higher ED, available at: www.insidehighered.com/views/2020/06/05/academic-libraries-will-change-significant-ways-result-pandemic-opinion (accessed 20 June 2020).
Teaching and Learning Community (2019), “Getting started with reflective practice”, Cambridge-community.org.uk, available at: www.cambridge-community.org.uk/professional-development/gswrp/index.html (accessed 17 August 2020).
Wikipedia Contributors (2019), “Digital library”, Wikipedia, available at: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Digital_library (accessed 22 June 2020).
www.ifla.org (2020), “IFLA – COVID-19 and the global library field”, available at: www.ifla.org/covid-19-and-libraries (accessed 22 June 2020).

domain: library


Lupita Nyong’o to be honored by Essence at Black Women in Hollywood luncheon
12 Years a Slave star Lupita Nyong’o may have been snubbed at this week’s Golden Globes but she’s been winning in all sorts of other ways.
She was widely viewed as the best-dressed actress at the ceremony, further cementing her status as a burgeoning style icon.
And now Essence magazine plans to honor the likely best supporting actress Oscar nominee at their annual Black Women in Hollywood luncheon.
Also to commemorate the 1964 Civil Rights Act’s 50th anniversary, performers with ties to the civil rights movement like Jim Brown, Cicely Tyson, Diahann Carroll and Nichelle Nichols, among others, will be singled out as well.
The luncheon will be held in Beverly Hills on February 27th.
Meanwhile, you can catch Nyong’o’s breakout performance this weekend as 12 Years a Slave re-expands into several more theaters nationwide to capitalize on its awards buzz.


FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
State Bar of Wisconsin
State Bar Candidates Named for President–elect, Treasurer, and Judicial Council
Madison, WI – Grant Birtch and Kathleen Brost have accepted nominations to run for 2019 State Bar of Wisconsin president–elect. Birtch is with Von Briesen and Roper S.C. in Neenah, and Brost is with Legacy Private Trust Co., Neenah.
The president–elect serves a one–year term before becoming president for the 2019–20 year. The nominees for treasurer are Eric Andrews, McCoy Leavitt Laskey LLC, Waukesha; and Kathryn Bullon, Deerhaven Consulting Services, Sombra, Ontario, Canada. The treasurer serves a two–year term.
The candidates for Judicial Council representative are Howard Bichler of Wisconsin Judicare, Cumberland; and Sarah Zylstra of Boardman & Clark LLP, Madison. The Judicial Council representative serves three years.
The candidates are nominated by the State Bar Nomination Committee. Committee members were appointed by State Bar President Chris Rogers for the State Bar’s April 2019 election cycle. State Bar members can also run for an officer position by filing a petition signed by 100 active State Bar members.
The State Bar mails election ballots to its member attorneys in mid–April to be returned by April 26, 2019. Persons elected take office July 1, 2019.
# # #
The State Bar of Wisconsin is the mandatory professional association, created by the Wisconsin Supreme Court, for attorneys who hold a Wisconsin law license. With more than 25,000 members, the State Bar aids the courts in improving the administration of justice, provides continuing legal education for its members to help them maintain their expertise, and assists Wisconsin lawyers in carrying out community service initiatives to educate the public about the legal system and the value of lawyers. For more information, visit www.wisbar.org.


text:
We alerted you recently to how our country’s representatives to the United Nations — in less than 24 hours after the President’s reelection — cast a vote in favor of producing a UN gun control treaty in March, 2013.
The full-throttled march towards gun control has begun.
But liberal media outlets are now going to bat for the Administration and trying to convince Americans that the UN Arms Trade Treaty will not affect average gun owners. For example, Media Matters calls efforts by the gun community to raise awareness of this treaty as nothing more than a “right-wing U.N. gun grab conspiracy.”
However, they couldn’t be farther from the truth. Retired Lt. Gen. William Boykin said earlier this year that, “[The ATT] means the United Nations, an international body, will decide how you and I as Americans can buy and sell our weapons, how we control those weapons, who is authorized to have those weapons and where they are. This is a dangerous trend.”
Gen. Boykin is absolutely correct. And this is why Gun Owners of America is pressing U.S. Senators to reject the outlandish lies from the political Left and to oppose the President’s gun control agenda.
GOA has the facts and the information to show Senators that the UN Arms Trade Treaty will adversely affect the rights of their gun-owning constituents.
There is no doubt that the UN treaty will infringe upon our Second Amendment rights. While GOA has already written a more detailed analysis of this treaty, consider just one Article in the treaty which would, undoubtedly, lead to gun owner registration:
“State Parties shall put in place adequate measures that will allow them, where necessary, to MONITOR and CONTROL imports of [weapons, and to] adopt appropriate measures to prevent the diversion of imported items to unauthorized end users or to the illicit market.” (Article 8)
Elsewhere the treaty requires each nation to “adopt appropriate legislative, administrative or OTHER MEASURES [aka, Executive Orders] to monitor and control” firearms.
This treaty would pave the way for an anti-gun Obama Administration to unlawfully impose registration restrictions — just like they did last year when they imposed gun owner registration in four southwest border states as the “answer” to Operation Fast & Furious.
This is a huge problem, as gun registration has historically been a first step towards gun confiscation!
"There's no way to rule innocent men. The only power government has is the power to crack down on criminals. Well, when there aren't enough criminals, one makes them. One declares so many things to be a crime that it becomes impossible for men to live without breaking laws." -Ayn Rand in Atlas Shrugged
"In a Time of Universal Deceit Telling the Truth Is a Revolutionary Act"~ George Orwell
We’re an empire now, and when we act, we create our own reality. And while you’re studying that reality — judiciously, as you will — we’ll act again, creating other new realities, which you can study too, and that’s how things will sort out. We’re history’s actors . . . and you, all of you, will be left to just study what we do. – Karl Rove

domain: news