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I’ve thought about not doing much more than just lotion but I’m curious to hear what you guys are doing!!
Giving up 😔 I made it all the way to 34 weeks with my first. Not a mark on site, then I woke up one day and it looked like I got attacked by a tiger in my sleep. They never really went away, just got really light. But they are bright red again, I’ve heard it’s genetic but my moms always been a bigger woman so I can’t say for sure or not. I do have a cream that I got, but i mainly use it to stop the itching.
Nada, they personally don’t bother me. I didn’t have any at all with my daughter until after I gave birth I assume from my stomach shrinking so suddenly. This time I have given up .. if they she up, oh well and if not I had them anyways so it doesn’t make a difference to me. Personally I’m not self conscious about them so it doesn’t matter.
Agreed, for most people there’s a pretty big genetic component, but it also has to do with how much weight you gain, and how quickly. With that being said, I do use lotion and oil pretty regularly, I figure it can’t help to keep your skin hydrated and healthy. Also, make sure you’re eating a healthy diet and drinking enough water!


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Another academic year ends and another round of degree shows have been installed, visited and removed – all in a matter of weeks. It seems like a good juncture to reflect on the role these exhibitions play in shaping our experiences of higher education (whether as student or as audience).
Supposedly the culmination of years of study, the degree show symbolises not only your past and current educational achievements but also your speculative Real World Future(s). Solitary and competitive, collaborative and public, they can be a costly affair, both financially and emotionally. They have become a site for industry and institutional judgement, but do they have potential to be a space of disruption, occupation, agitation and protest?
Over the course of the evening, we hope to unpack some of these dualities with our invited speakers and attendees. Students/graduates/teachers are welcome: maybe you never attended Art School but Degree Shows are your only entry to the campus – all opinions are valid and welcome!
Organised and facilitated by:
ALL THIS GOOD THOUGHT (Kingston University)
Image: Protest banner 'Stop the Elephant Development' dropped at Chelsea Degree Show

domain: artistic


text:
Now that it is spring, the nursery garden is beginning to change. The new plants are starting to grow and the animals are starting to reappear.
The children have been learning about respecting and being kind to the plants and the animals.
We have been moving all the worms off the paths and putting them back onto the soil where they are safe and we have called this 'Worm Saving'
We also talked to the children about how important the worms are as they mix up all the soil, making little holes for the air and water which helps the plants to grow.
So come on...be a 'Worm Saver!'

domain: agronomy


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Bob Eyely iPhone Case
Safeguard your iPhone with the vibrancy of Bob Marley's legacy using our "Bob Eyely" case. Illustrated in our signature eyeconic cartoon style, this case is a modern nod to a global music icon. Perfect for Bob Marley enthusiasts who appreciate an intersection of protection, style, and musical admiration. Carry a piece of reggae history with you, every day.This sleek iPhone case protects your phone from scratches, dust, oil, and dirt. It has a solid back and flexible sides that make it easy to take on and off, with precisely aligned port openings.
• BPA free Hybrid Thermoplastic Polyurethane (TPU) and Polycarbonate (PC) material
• Solid polycarbonate back
• Flexible, see-through polyurethane sides
• .5 mm raised bezel
• Wireless charging compatible

domain: design


text:
KOCHI, Japan -- With the world quickly developing a taste for plant-based alternatives to everything from burgers to dumplings, one region in Japan wants everyone to know that it has made vegetarian sushi for ages.
Inaka sushi -- literally "countryside" sushi -- has been a staple at celebrations in the southwestern Japanese prefecture of Kochi for generations. Instead of fish, it features such vegetables as myoga ginger, bamboo shoots and taro stalks, many of which grow wild across the mountainous region.
Preparing inaka sushi is a labor of love, and tourists wanting a taste usually must make reservations at certain restaurants and hotels. But the prefecture and experts are working on a freezer-friendly version that would help take the delicacy global.
"I've seen lots of copycats recently at stores in Saitama and Kyoto" prefectures, said Hideko Mitani, who teaches at a local culinary school and heads an association dedicated to promoting inaka sushi. Before the rivals take hold, she hopes to make inaka sushi a household name across Japan.
Mitani is working on a recipe that preserves the signature crunchy texture and citrus aftertaste even when frozen. The final recipe will be provided free to interested local businesses, which will be able to sell frozen inaka sushi stamped with a seal of authenticity from the Kochi prefectural government.
Five have signed on to the initiative so far, with an eye toward online retail opportunities, especially with the coronavirus outbreak causing many people to stay home. Kochi Prefecture also hopes to tap the growing interest in vegetarian cuisine inside and outside Japan, with plans to showcase frozen inaka sushi at a Singapore trade fair in October.

domain: news


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- Research article
- Open Access
Factors influencing healthy menopause among immigrant women: a scoping review
BMC Women's Health volume 21, Article number: 189 (2021)
Many factors influence the menopausal transition and the complexity of this transition increases with the addition of immigration transition. This review aims to identify the factors that influence the menopausal transition for immigrant women based on ecosocial theory.
A scoping review of English publications was conducted according to PRISMA guidelines using CINAHL, AgeLine, MEDLINE, PsycINFO, ERIC, Nursing and Allied Health Database, PsycARTICLES, Sociology Database, and Education Research Complete. Thirty-seven papers were included for this review.
The factors which influence the menopausal transition for immigrant women were grouped into three categories: (a) personal factors, (b) familial factors, and (c) community and societal factors. Personal factors include income and employment, physical and psychological health, perceptions of menopause, and acculturation. Familial factors include partner support, relationships with children, and balancing family, work, and personal duties. Community and societal factors encompassed social network, social support, healthcare services, traditional cultural expectations, and discrimination in host countries.
Interventions addressing the menopausal transition for immigrant women should be designed considering different psychosocial factors and actively work to address systemic barriers that negatively impact their transition.
Menopause is reached when a woman experiences a consecutive year of natural amenorrhea without any causal pathological reasons . The menopausal transition is characterized by the presence of menopause-related symptoms and there are often limited options for managing these symptoms. Many factors can affect a woman’s menopausal transition. The complexity of the menopausal transition increases with the addition of an immigration transition as it adds another level of intricacy consisting of migratory, cultural, traditional, economic, community, and social changes. Recently, there has been a great influx of immigrants around the globe. Many of these immigrants are middle-aged women who are concurrently going through their menopausal transition in tandem with their immigrant transition. These two transitions have been explored together in a limited sense. Factors related to a healthy menopausal transition for immigrant women have been explored to an even lesser extent . There is currently a gap in research describing the link between the menopausal transition and the immigrant transition.
Most of the current research on menopause focuses heavily on the biological aspect of this transitional stage of life. Some commonly recognized physical symptoms include hot flashes, sleeping difficulties, and mood swings . However, an immigrant woman’s menopausal transition is also profoundly shaped by the cultural and social transition of immigration since immigrants often face social marginalization. This, coupled with biological changes, can have a profound impact on one’s emotional, mental, physical, and psychosocial wellbeing. Due to the complexity of this transition, it is crucial for researchers, policy makers, and social service providers to understand and target the barriers which negatively impact immigrant women. A psychosocial analysis should be utilized to observe the factors which influence menopausal transition for immigrant women in order to create tailored interventions for support .
This review aims to explore the psychosocial factors related to the menopausal transition of immigrant women. The ecosocial theory was used to guide data collection, data analysis, and presentation of the findings. The ecosocial theory is a complex theoretical framework used to examine how social determinants influence disease distribution and encourages critical thinking for an appropriate social intervention of health and wellness . Based on this theory, the psychosocial factors in this review were grouped into the following categories: (a) personal factors, (b) familial factors, and (c) community and societal factors. The examination of the factors influencing the menopausal transition for immigrant women can offer detailed insight into their experiences and inform individuals, families, communities, and the public.
This review was conducted according to the PRISMA extended guidelines for scoping review . The following medical, health-related, social, psychological, educational, and social science databases were included in the literature search: CINAHL, AgeLine, MEDLINE, PsycINFO, ERIC, Nursing and Allied Health Database, PsycARTICLES, Sociology Database, and Education Research Complete (Fig. 1).
Studies were included if they: (a) had discussed middle-aged immigrant women (45–65 years) who were in a natural menopausal transition, (b) identified a specific barrier or facilitator to immigrant menopausal health at the individual, familial, or community/societal level, and (c) was written in English. Studies were excluded if: (a) the full text of a paper was not available, (b) immigrant women settled into a new region of the same country, or (c) the article was a review/commentary, or dissertation/thesis.
The databases were searched using the keywords, (Immigrant* OR Newcomer* OR Settler* OR Migrant* OR Noncitizen* OR Incomer* OR Incoming* OR Foreign*) AND (Menopaus* OR Perimenopaus* OR Midlife* OR Middle-age* OR Middle life). All citations were collected into EndNote reference manager to facilitate the removal of duplicate articles. Based on the pre-established eligibility criteria, the abstracts of all articles were reviewed for relevancy. Then, articles deemed relevant were screened for their full text documents. A manual search was also conducted to gather additional articles.
The Critical Appraisal Skills Program Checklists were used to assess all related articles and to classify them as low, moderate, or high quality . Two researchers independently evaluated each article and any discrepancies were discussed until a consensus was reached. Papers rated as low quality were excluded. Thus, all papers included in this review are of moderate and high quality.
Data extraction and analysis
Based on pre-established criteria, data were extracted by reviewers. A plethora of data, including authors, publication year, sample number and characteristics, research setting, research design, recruitment method, outcomes, and significant findings were extracted. Significant findings were then classified into personal, familial, and community and societal categories. Further facilitators and barriers were identified within each category. Data was organized in Excel and the characteristics of the included studies were presented using descriptive statistics. The findings were also further categorized and summarized using thematic analysis.
Characteristics of included studies
Thirty-seven articles were included in this review (Table 1 & Additional File 1): twenty-two (58%) were conducted in the United States of America, five (14%) in Asia, four (11%) in Australia, five (14%) in Europe, and one (3%) in both North America and Asia. Thirty-one (84%) studies independently collected first-hand data and six (16%) studies were secondary analyses of national surveys. Eleven (30%) studies were qualitative, nineteen (51%) were quantitative, and seven (19%) used a mixed-method design. Since some studies shared the same samples, the total sample size of eleven qualitative, nineteen qualitative and seven mixed-method studies were 430, 6786, and 789, respectively.
Socioeconomic status, income, and employment
Nine studies (24%, 9/37) examined the relationship between socioeconomic status and the menopausal transition of immigrant women. Higher socioeconomic status was linked to better health [7,8,9]. Higher economic attainment was also correlated with higher education and acculturation, which was further linked to healthy habits. Although immigrants’ education was rarely acknowledged, having a higher pre-immigration socioeconomic status most often led to further opportunities in their new country . Low education and illiteracy were related to psychological complaints, cognitive impairments, increased odds of reporting negative symptoms, and low overall health status [11,12,13,14,15].
Twelve (32%, 12/37) studies discussed career issues related to immigrant women’s menopausal transition. Some women faced challenges when validating their degrees, examinations, and certifications while attempting to find work in their professions. This ultimately led to feelings of being deskilled, low self-satisfaction, low occupational engagement, and emotional distress [16,17,18,19,20]. Most women were confined to low wage occupations and worked under unfavourable labour conditions [8, 21, 22]. Furthermore, occupation related issues, such as unstable employment, unfamiliar working conditions, unpredictable hours, lack of rest time, workplace changes, increased job demands, and the shift from housewife to employee, were also reported as barriers to optimal menopausal health [13, 21, 23]. Women were often unable to focus on their health because they were focused on their careers in order to thrive in a foreign country [23, 24]. Unemployment was also significantly related to the severity of vasomotor and psychological symptoms [15, 17, 25].
Physical and psychological health
Nine (24%, 9/37) studies discussed the negative effects of physical ailments and changes on immigrant women’s menopausal transition. Common physical and psychological health complaints, included joint and muscle stress, aching back and neck, [13, 21, 26, 27], cardiovascular symptoms such as palpitations, shortness of breath, and chest pressure , sleep disturbances, fatigue, cognitive dysfunction, sexual difficulties , obesity, dyslipidemia, depression, and other psychological stressors [13, 17, 22]. In addition, changes in physical appearance, such as graying hair, skin dryness, and sagging arms, also had a negative impact on women’s self-image .
Seven (19%, 7/37) studies examined the effect of exercise on immigrant women’s menopausal transition. Few women participated in community sports or regular exercise at country clubs, gyms, or aerobic classes which ultimately negatively affected their health . The most frequently reported barriers to participating in physical activity and exercise were money, language barriers, lack of information regarding physical activity, safety issues, and the perceived lack of space and organized sport programs for this population [20, 30,31,32]. Furthermore, overweight or obese immigrant menopausal women with weight misperception were likely to report significant barriers to exercise . While the lack of exercise could affect an immigrant women’s menopausal transition, there was a positive relationship between exercise and overall well-being. Immigrants turned to exercise as a method to decrease stress, anxiety, and irritability [16, 30]. There was also a link between physical activity and healthy nutritional habits, which were associated with decreased reporting of chronic conditions .
Perception of menopause
Eleven (30%, 11/37) studies discussed the impact of perception of menopause on immigrant women’s health. Some women thought that middle-age was the best time in one’s life for stability, maturity, energy, mastery, success, and perfection and they did not think of menopause as a disease [11, 24, 26]. Some cultures normalized and ignored menopause or attributed health symptoms to the natural aging process. Thus, women thought the symptoms they experienced were healthy and normal [8, 10]. Some women managed this transition by taking control of their lives, making their own decisions, managing their treatments, and changing their lifestyle [15, 16]. Consequently, women viewed their menopausal transition in a positive light after they gained control . Having a positive self-esteem served as a buffer against potential unpleasant menopause symptoms [7, 8, 29]. However, some women perceived a lack of power over their own health and viewed the middle-life transition negatively due to its overwhelming responsibilities, association with aging, and loneliness [24, 26, 33]. Women with negative or fearful outlooks towards menopause suffered from prolonged emotional and physical issues through their menopausal transition [16, 24, 34].
Acculturation and learning new skills
Six (16%, 6/37) studies examined how acculturation into a new society affected the menopausal transition. High acculturation was linked to norms of expressing health issues and increased awareness of what constituted an alarming medical symptom. This led to an increase in symptom reporting and successful treatment [15, 22, 33]. Acculturation also promoted positive mental health as it decreased social isolation, family, and personal stress [35,36,37]. Learning new skills, such as English and driving, was beneficial in women’s menopausal transition. Women considered English literacy as an empowering factor as it simplified access to health resources, facilitated socialization in the community, provided opportunities, and decreased stress [8, 38]. On the other hand, reduced English language proficiency made women feel deskilled, inadequate [16, 24], socially marginalized, and stranded within restricted social networks [8, 37]. It also made them feel isolated with limited opportunities to work  and become familiarized with the new culture and society [32, 39]. However, being able to drive improved their capacity to access health services, particularly when they started to enter their older years .
Relationship with husband/partner
Nine (24%, 9/37) studies examined the divergent effect of differing relationship status of immigrant women and the consequent effect on their menopausal transition. Being married notably increased happiness as it provided an additional source of self-esteem and decreased feelings of loneliness . An early study suggested that immigrant women reported higher marital relationship satisfaction compared with their female counterparts in their migrant country . However, in some cultures, women were typically in a lower social position than men in their families due to patriarchal norms . Such norms made immigrant women’s menopausal transitions more difficult as they were forced to make familial sacrifices . In addition, men viewed their wives differently during and after their menopausal transition, at times seeing them as non-sexual, less womanly, and less attractive. This shift in male attitude was a determinant in domestic violence, extra-marital affairs, and divorce . Divorce and widowhood significantly predicted emotional distress in immigrant women as they felt a loss of support in their lives, making it difficult to manage hormonal changes [11, 16]. Most women recognized that their partner’s support, understanding, and openness to learning about their physical and emotional changes had a positive effect on their health. They reported that their husbands aided them physically, emotionally, and mentally through their immigration and menopause [20, 39]. Contrastingly, as most of the migrant countries encouraged individualistic behavior, immigrant women found themselves feeling decreased dependence on their husbands, which created room for self-growth .
Relationship with children
Eight (22%, 8/37) studies discussed the beneficial effect of relationships with children on an immigrant women’s menopausal transition. Immigrant women reported that their adult children supported them financially through their immigrant transition and enhanced their adjustment to a new society . Family social support generally moderated the negative relationship between ethnic cultural competence and depression . More specifically, immigrant women who had limited English language abilities benefitted from family members accompanying them to medical appointments . When their children became adults and left home, some immigrant women experienced separation issues and felt loss, depression, anxiety, and sadness [10, 22, 26, 27]. However, some immigrant women cherished the importance of their new identity as grandmothers, identifying this as one of the main positive aspects of aging .
Competing personal needs and family responsibilities
Fourteen (38%, 14/37) studies examined how familial responsibilities conflicted with immigrant women’s personal needs. After arrival, many women had to assume primary responsibility for their families and children. Thus, women tended to neglect their own needs and gave their menopausal transition less attention than they did to their immigrant and work transition [10, 16, 18, 23, 37, 40, 41]. Some women did not have the monetary and material resources to pursue their own interests or education since they had to work and care for their children [21, 39]. Some women let their husband’s retirement and health take precedence over their own health as they believed they should do their best as mothers and wives [24, 26]. Despite taking the primary role of childcare, women were also expected to equally participate in work and complete all of the household chores [37, 38]. Further, some women’s parents requested their presence in their mother country or they had to care for their aging parents who lived with them, causing stress [16, 19, 42].
Community and societal factors
Social network and support
Five (14%, 5/37) studies examined the impact of social networks on immigrant women’s menopausal transition. Many immigrant women lack social networks and support [21, 30]. This led to difficulties adapting to a new environment , a lack of appropriate information on feasible facilities [16, 30], financial issues, emotional distress, and feelings of being stranded . Networking with other women in their new community aided immigrant women as they felt that they were not going through their menopausal transition alone .
Five (14%, 5/37) studies discussed how participation in religious activities positively affected immigrant women’s menopausal transition. Attending religious services on a weekly basis was linked to higher life satisfaction and lower emotional distress . For instance, women believed that their faith helped them consider life in a positive light and helped them get through difficult health situations [18, 39]. Specifically, women believed that prayer, learning about their faith, and participating in religious affairs allowed them to build innate coping abilities in the face of health issues and general life stressors . Furthermore, women believed that their participation in religious events provided them with understanding and guidance which helped them in coping with their menopausal changes . Generally, being part of a religious institution was linked to happiness among immigrant women . It was also noted that immigrants saw religion as the centre of social activity, which ultimately enhanced their sense of belonging in their new community [34, 41].
Ten (27%, 10/37) studies investigated impact of healthcare services on immigrant women’s menopausal transition. Some women who were able to seek aid from their family physician spoke positively about their healthcare experience . However, some women stated that they were confused with all the contradictory information they received from their community healthcare system regarding their menopausal health [16, 19, 26, 43]. Some women felt that physicians ignored their questions [31, 43] and did not take time to get to know them . They also stated that physicians articulated the need for lifestyle changes but did not share information on how to implement such changes , prescribed hormone therapy without discussion and information , and did not explain procedures, surgeries, and symptoms thoroughly [22, 26, 36]. Women also expressed they were uncomfortable talking about their menopausal health with a male practitioner [31, 43]. In addition, medication and treatment costs created financial strain . Some women did not want to pursue care from mainstream healthcare providers and were able to find alternative health resources in the community, such as herbs and teas [30, 43].
Traditional cultural expectations
Eleven (33%, 11/37) studies examined how cultural expectations could spread negative discourse concerning menopausal health. Cultural expectations of impassivity concerning women’s health made women hesitant to talk to their primary healthcare providers about their symptoms, leading to misdiagnoses [18, 24, 26, 29, 34, 43]. Some women minimized the severity of their symptoms as their cultural views posited that their menopausal symptoms were a normal part of the natural aging process [28, 32]. Immigrant women were unable to discuss menopause as freely as Western ones  and their symptoms were ignored and endured in silence [10, 16]. In addition, some cultural expectations linked menopause to a decrease in attractiveness, lost value, and uselessness , producing a negative attitude towards menopause .
Discrimination in host countries
Five (14%, 5/37) studies examined the adverse effects of discrimination on the menopausal transition of immigrant women. At times, this population was discriminated against not only in health care settings but also at their workplace [16, 23, 39]. Structural discrimination from healthcare professionals was a barrier to receiving healthcare. Immigrant women did not receive an equal level of care compared to their Western counterparts and healthcare professionals did not recognize their health issues. Immigrant women were not used to the level of assertiveness required with Western providers and, thus, felt uncomfortable when seeking healthcare [40, 43].
Summary of findings
The findings of this review suggest that an immigrant woman’s menopausal transition is influenced by several personal, family, community and societal factors. Major personal factors include income and employment, physical and psychological health, perceptions of menopause, and acculturation. Familial factors include partner support, relationships with children, and balancing family, work, and personal duties. Community factors encompass social network, social support, healthcare services, traditional cultural expectations, and discrimination.
Socioeconomic status, income, and employment
Our review suggests that employment and income heavily influence the menopause transition for immigrant women. Regular employment and steady income are advantages that improve an immigrant woman’s menopause by decreasing monetary and financial stress. These findings are consistent with the general literature. Disadvantaged socioeconomic status has been significantly linked with poorer health outcomes in all women of all ages . There is also an enduring link between socioeconomic status and health in later life and lower mortality rates. Further, those with higher incomes are more likely to self-report good health and less likely to report depression . Workplace services for immigrant women could potentially mitigate the negative effects of low socioeconomic status on the menopausal transition.
Physical and psychological health
Physical and mental ailments have a significant negative impact on immigrant women’s menopausal transition. Physical aspects of health and well-being generally decline during the menopausal transition and many women experience symptoms such as hot flashes and night sweats . Further, the risk for depressive symptoms and disorders is greater during this transition. Depression can result in immense emotional, social, and economic costs from treatment, lost productivity, emotional, and social damage. This risk is greater for African American and Hispanic women . Physical and mental symptoms may be due to hormonal changes but may also be caused by other life circumstances in an immigrant woman’s life. During the menopausal transition, immigrant women may benefit from physical and mood monitoring in addition to an assessment of their situational and environmental surroundings . These actions could lead to earlier interventions to help avoid symptom exacerbation. Our review also elicits that physical activity has the potential to ameliorate physical and mental menopausal symptoms. These findings are consistent with the literature as physical activity has the potential to boost mood and improve some physical symptoms of menopause . It is important for healthcare providers to be aware of these symptoms and their presentation in order to effectively aid women during this transition.
Perception of menopause
Our review suggests that menopausal perceptions can greatly impact an immigrant woman’s menopausal transition. This is consistent with the general literature as differing attitudes towards menopause can variably affect a women’s experience. For instance, some women think they will achieve ‘wise women status’ during their menopausal transition and have an increased influence on their family. Further, some women think that qualities such as being feminine and maternal are not given up, rather they are redefined to new roles such as mother-in-law and grandmother. This can have a positive impact on their menopausal transition . Contrarily, some women believe that the primary purpose of women is to be fertile and birth children, thus these women may have a more negative view towards menopause . Perceptions of illness and health are strongly tied to a woman’s culture . These findings imply that empowering women to actively participate in the management of their menopausal symptoms will generally contribute to feelings of control .
Acculturation and learning new skills
An English language barrier negatively impacts an immigrant women’s transition to a new country and her menopausal transition. If unable to communicate in the host country’s primary language, women may not be able to network, find work, or be readily accepted into their new community. Immigrants who complete training programs or participate in English classes may be able to overcome employment barriers and gain personal benefits . Learning English helps facilitate an occupational identify which increases self-confidence and autonomy. Interventions targeting ongoing language acquisition could improve the menopausal transition for immigrant women . Additionally, having foreign degrees that are not recognized or valued in immigrant hosting countries can negatively impact immigrant women during menopause as this leads to employment barriers and feelings of being deskilled. In general, immigrants’ credentials hold a penalty compared to their host-country-born counterparts. Further, foreign degrees harshly affect visible minority immigrants . This occurs because ambiguities associated with immigrant status release latent biases against immigrant minorities . Policies targeted at recognizing foreign degrees could potentially mitigate these factors .
Relationship with husband/partner
Our review suggests that in some cultures, women often feel lower in status compared to their husbands due to patriarchal norms. These findings are consistent with literature and there is limited literature that reports on supportive partners. Stereotyping and gender role formation are developed and instilled in families, where most boys are taught to dominate, control, and present themselves as strong and independent, while girls often try to establish and sustain their relationships . In a traditional nuclear family, the wife is expected to tend to her husband’s needs and take care of the housework which puts a great deal of responsibility on women . These findings imply that there needs to be support in place for all women, including immigrant women, who experience this type of phenomena.
Relationship with children
This review supports the finding that children have an important role in supporting immigrant women’s adjustment to a new society which positively impacts women’s menopausal transition. Our findings are partially supported by literature. For instance, a good parent–child relationship is an important motivator for giving and receiving support . Children can bridge the language gap which exists for many immigrant women. This is beneficial for managing health concerns if children are able to accompany women to medical appointments. Our findings imply that children play a more significant role in aiding immigrant women during their menopausal transition than previously discussed in the literature. With this, social services should consider the role of parent–child relationships when designing services.
Competing personal needs and family responsibilities
The findings of this review suggest that immigrant women do not have the time to tend to their own needs because of competing responsibilities. These findings are consistent with families in general where women often complete the majority of household chores but are also expected to participate in the workforce and financially contribute to the family . These competing responsibilities result in high stress levels and negatively impact psychological health . Women also have a higher sickness average than men in most Western countries, which is theorized to be related to biological, work, educational, and health factors. This double burden stems from the ‘role strain theory’ which suggests that the mix of multiple roles can increase work strain and adverse health outcomes . This complicated issue is rooted in patriarchal norms. However, organizations could provide extra support to women once they recognize this double burden that many women experience.
Community and societal factors
Social network and support
Our findings reveal that an immigrant woman’s menopausal experience is heavily influenced by their social network and support. A lack of social network and support can lead to an unsafe environment and personal issues. Immigrant women of all ages are found to benefit from co-ethnic communities which facilitate acculturation and community adjustment . For instance, some women received free meals, reduced rent, or gifts of essential household items. However, the nature of this support was not constant, and women were unsure when they could depend on their community . Social support must be available on a continuum to immigrants. Some social support service makers note that immigrants miss out on some services due to language and economic limitations, social isolation, inadequate information from the government, and an affinity to rely on their own social or ethnic group for support . Thus, social support services should consider these factors when designing services.
Religious services and activities have a positive effect on an immigrant woman’s menopausal transition as they are linked to higher life satisfaction and lower emotional distress. These findings are congruent with the general literature discussing religion and immigrant support. For example, some churches provide language training, assistance with setting up a house, food, furniture, clothing, transportation, health care, housing, and job seeking support . These supports are often inconsistent as most of the service is driven by a small group of volunteers. Additionally, religious services are also agents of cultural and religious assimilation which foster large scale inclusion of immigrants into society . Despite providing both types of support, most religious services tend to meet short-term needs, and the informal nature of these services allow them to dissolve easily. Thus, a proactive approach to supporting immigrants may be more beneficial than the traditional, reactive approach.
This review suggests that immigrant women have unmet healthcare needs during their menopausal transition. In general, female immigrants of varying ages report unmet healthcare needs, while their male counterparts do not . Furthermore, both men and women in the lowest income category have a higher chance of having their healthcare needs unmet than their counterparts in the highest income category . This phenomenon usually occurs due to language differences between the care provider and patient, bias, stereotyping, prejudice, clinical uncertainty of healthcare providers, staff neglect, medication, and diagnostic errors . Further attention needs to be given to immigrant healthcare services and connecting new immigrants to a primary healthcare provider should be done as early as possible in their transition since this is an integral intervention point which may facilitate a smoother transition to their new country’s healthcare system .
Traditional cultural expectations
Traditional cultural expectations create negative discourse around an immigrant woman’s menopausal transition which can lead to impassivity and shame surrounding menopause. In cultures where menopause is regarded as a natural event, menopause is a sign of aging and is viewed in a positive light . However, some cultures and societies demonize aging as this signals deterioration of the human spirit and lack of energy. These cultural values determine if an immigrant woman feels comfortable and open to bringing up their menopausal transitions and associated symptoms with their healthcare provider . These cultural values, not solely associated with menopause but also with aging, must be taken into consideration when healthcare providers interact with their female immigrant patients . Whenever possible, interactions should be in the patient’s native language with awareness of the specific terms linked to menopause and its associated symptoms. Further, healthcare providers should take precautions to avoid medicalizing and trivializing their patients’ experiences and feelings .
Discrimination in host countries
This review suggests that discrimination has overwhelming adverse effects on the menopausal transition of immigrant women. These findings are consistent with the general literature. Generally, women experience systematic discrimination in regards to access to power, prestige, and resources. Immigrant women experience even more gender discrimination as they work in informal sectors, occupy lower professional ranks, and receive lower wage jobs while their male counterparts work in professional sectors . Discrimination is also a major source of stress . Furthermore, in addition to sexism, immigrant women face racism. Higher levels of experienced racism is linked to higher suffering of psychological stress symptoms and poorer self-rated health. Overall, discrimination affects the health of women more than their male counterparts . Healthcare providers and immigrant support providers should be specifically aware of these discriminatory practices and the negative impacts it has on immigrant women. Efforts must be made to work backwards and dismantle discrimination’s harmful effects.
This review examined immigration primarily through a Western lens as the search was limited to studies completed in English or translated to English. Most of the literature reviewed investigated the experiences immigrant women in Westernized or developed countries, as opposed to Eastern or developing countries. Thus, our findings cannot be generalized to all immigrant women populations. It is possible that immigrant women who move to non-Westernized countries have different experiences than their Westernized counterparts. There are likely differences in the acculturation process and available resources.
This review identifies the factors which influence an immigrant woman’s menopausal transition guided by the ecosocial theory. Most notably, we identified several factors at the community and societal level, which serve as major barriers to immigrant women during their menopausal transition. These include systemic discrimination, racism, and sexism. These macro factors impact micro factors for individual women. For instance, sexist ideologies at the macro level negatively impact a woman’s micro interactions and thoughts about herself. Thus, to combat these barriers, individuals and organizations must recognize and be proactive against these factors in order to aid immigrant women through their transition. Moreover, our review identified acculturation and learning new skills as an integral part of the immigrant transition for menopausal women. Further, we were able to identify key relationships and services that aid immigrant women. Thus, our review was able to link together macro and micro facilitators and barriers while also identifying some key novel factors that influence an immigrant women’s menopausal transition.
The menopausal transition for immigrant women is complex as many women are also concurrently experiencing an immigration transition. This scoping review identified 37 articles that investigated the factors which influence the menopausal transition for immigrant women. From these, three types of influencing factors were identified: (a) personal factors, (b) familial factors, and (c) community and societal factors. Personal factors included socioeconomic status, physical and psychological health, perceptions of menopause, and acculturation. Familial factors included spousal support, relationships with children, and competing responsibilities. Community and societal factors included social network, social support, healthcare services, traditional cultural expectations, and discrimination. It is important that interventions addressing the menopausal transition for immigrant women consider individual, familial, community, and societal factors. Interventions must also actively work to address systemic barriers, which negatively impact this transition. Further research is needed to deepen the understanding of immigrant women’s experiences during menopausal transition, particularly in non-Western countries.
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All data is contained within the manuscript and the additional file.
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This research was funded by the Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council, Institutional Grant (Ref # 102090).
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Zou, P., Waliwitiya, T., Luo, Y. et al. Factors influencing healthy menopause among immigrant women: a scoping review. BMC Women's Health 21, 189 (2021). https://doi.org/10.1186/s12905-021-01327-z
- Influencing factors
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domain: sociology


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This selection of massage news articles will help you keep on top of what’s happening in your industry.
Massage Movie Featured at Film Festivals
A new documentary, “Touched: A Massage Story,” follows Jonathan Grassi from struggling, new massage therapist to business owner. The 29-minute film, which also details the benefits of massage and the use of massage therapy worldwide, is now making the rounds at film festivals, including the LA Indie Filmfest, DocuWest International Film Festival and the Illuminate Film Festival.
Grassi was chosen by producer Chandler Toffa to reveal a personal story behind massage. “In the film, viewers witness the power of touch as an antidote to individual pain and a balm for worldwide isolation,” Toffa said, according to a statement on Grassi’s website. “From his childhood in Queens, New York, to claiming his title at the World Championship in Massage, Jonathan’s story shows us the importance of community and expands our cultural awareness and appreciation for the beauty of human connection worldwide.”
In the beginning of his career, Grassi had a hard time making it financially, sleeping on a friend’s couch because he couldn’t afford a home. The $700 massage table he bought was the most expensive thing he owned for a decade. “To me, massage therapists often do provide this foundational service, and yet they need two or even three jobs, often,” said Grassi in the film, adding that part of his journey has been to continue to believe in “the medicine of touch” even in the face of such hardships.
Today, Grassi is the successful creator of a form of bodywork he practices from a clinic in Lafayette, Colorado. Grassi named his approach Bodywork for Liberation because, as he said in the film, “The work that I’m exploring is how can we support your sense of psycho-emotional well-being through touch and to be a guide so that we have more language around something that can be, you know, a little bit hard to describe.” He says his work helps the client’s whole body unfold.
About the move, Grassi told MASSAGE Magazine, “There hasn’t been a documentary like this before that shines a light on our profession and its healing potential. It shows therapists from around the world and their modalities, and my journey from Queens, New York, to the World Championship in Massage. It’s a powerful look at our profession.”
People Feel Differently About Their Bodies Now
A recent survey of 2,000 American consumers, conducted by OnePoll on behalf of Massage Envy, examined the evolution of respondents’ relationships with their bodies since the COVID-19 pandemic started.
According to the survey, 51% of respondents revealed that the pandemic has negatively affected how they feel about their bodies. Also among the results: 42% confessed to not feeling “at home” in their bodies anymore; 50% admitted to feeling physically drained on a daily basis; and 40% feel they’re going to need professional help to get their body feeling like its pre-pandemic self.
“It goes without saying that the last 15 months have been extraordinarily stressful for everyone, so it wasn’t really a surprise to learn that over half of Americans believe the pandemic has negatively affected how they feel about their bodies,” Massage Envy CEO Beth Stiller told MASSAGE Magazine. “The survey also highlighted that people are noticing an impact on their physical appearances. The impact of video conferences and too much screen time in general has left many people feeling drained or like they don’t recognize themselves.”
Respondents said their energy was drained by general stress from the pandemic; lack of in-person interactions; the general sameness of passing days; having to practice safety precautions; homeschooling; remote work; lack of alone time; and too much screen time, including an increase in video calls.
The activities respondents said they need to regain pre-pandemic confidence include a vacation, a massage, a night out, a haircut, a mani/pedi, a date night or mental health therapy.
According to Stiller, demand for massage at franchise locations is so high now, Massage Envy franchisees (massageenvy.com) nationwide are looking to add thousands of professional massage therapists and estheticians to their teams.
COVID-19 is Airborne—Farther than Six Feet
In mid-May, the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) announced the results of research into how the novel coronavirus (COVID-19) is spread and announced the virus can be spread farther than six feet—the amount of distance promoted as needed to avoid contact with droplets and aerosols since the pandemic began more than a year ago.
Factors that are now understood to increase the risk of infection, according to the CDC, include:
• Enclosed spaces with inadequate ventilation or air handling within which the concentration of exhaled respiratory fluids, especially very fine droplets and aerosol particles, can build up in the air space.
• Increased exhalation of respiratory fluids when an infectious person exercises, shouts or sings, or is engaged in physical exertion.
• Prolonged exposure to these conditions, typically more than 15 minutes.
Visit massagemag.com/coronavirus for information and articles on best practices related to COVID-19, on such topics as air quality, asymptomatic transmission, sanitation and marketing.
Reciprocity for Massage Therapists Takes a Step Forward
The Federation of State Massage Therapy Boards (FSMTB) announced March 17 that the U.S. Department of Defense (DOD) has selected the massage therapy profession to receive technical assistance from The Council of State Governments to develop an interstate compact for occupational licensing portability.
What this means for massage therapists is one could practice in more than one state with just one state license.
The scope of the assistance includes the drafting of model interstate compact legislation, developing a legislative resource kit, and convening a national meeting of state policymakers to introduce the compact.
Interstate occupational licensure compacts allow professionals in licensed occupations to transcend state boundaries by creating uniform licensure requirements, FSMTB Executive Director Debra Persinger, PhD, told MASSAGE Magazine.
Although the DOD couched this in language related to spouses of military personnel, “The compact will create streamlined pathways for interstate practice for all members of the profession, not just those with a military affiliation,” Persinger said.
In addition to massage therapists, the DOD stated, the professions of teaching, social work, cosmetology and dentistry/dental hygiene were also selected to work with the Council of State Governments to develop model interstate occupational licenser compact legislation.
Student Wins Myoskeletal Massage Scholarship
The 2021 student winner of the Erik Dalton Scholarship Award is Taylor Gephart, a senior at Indiana State University who is majoring in Applied Medicine with a minor in Massage Therapy. Gephart intends to become a doctor of physical therapy.
Erik Dalton, PhD, creator of Myoskeletal Alignment Techniques, partnered in 2012 with the university to create the Advanced Myoskeletal Massage Therapy program, the only minor degree in massage therapy program offered by a major U.S. university.
To provide assistance to students and encourage other universities to follow suit, Dalton established an endowment to fund scholarships.
Massage Keeps Fighter Pilots Flying High
The U.S. Air Force is taking a preventive approach with its pilots in order to counteract the extreme amount of pressure put on pilots’ bodies while flying.
That approach includes contracting with athletic trainers, strength coaches and massage therapists to address some of the symptoms pilots present with.
Fighter pilots experience anywhere up to 9 Gs of force while executing aerial maneuvers, according to a press release from Nellis Air Force Base in Nevada, which added, “at 9 Gs, a 200-pound pilot, with gear that typically weighs 30 pounds, experiences over 2,000 pounds of force on their body.” According to Scientific American, at 9 Gs, “Your body feels nine times heavier than usual, blood rushes to the feet, and the heart can’t pump hard enough to bring this heavier blood to the brain.”
Maj. Clayton “Red Beard” Cruichshank, an F-15C pilot assigned to the 433rd Weapons School, said, “The idea behind the program is the preventive maintenance, rather than waiting until someone has a back or neck problem, we’re already training to be stronger before problems occur, so we’re better able to handle the stresses.”
Fighter pilots leave the Air Force due to physical issues related to G-forces, the press release noted.
“This program can help pilots fly the missions they’re supposed to for longer periods of time during their career without being injured or grounded,” said Cruichshank. “We love flying and we want to do it for as long as possible.”
Franchise Advances into Canada
Hand & Stone Massage and Facial Spa, a franchise company, announced it acquired Massage Experts, a Canadian massage services franchise organization, in May. By acquiring all 24 of Massage Experts’ existing locations, Hand & Stone expanded its footprint in Canada and also made the brand’s North American presence 500+ locations strong.
“Now more than ever, stress and uncertainty have had a negative effect on our physical, emotional and mental well-being,” Hand & Stone Massage and Facial Spa Canada General Manager and Director of Marketing Anita Wells told MASSAGE Magazine. “The lack of touch and physical contact has also contributed to this.”
Massage therapy and therapeutic touch can directly and indirectly help clients manage some of the symptoms associated with physical and mental health, Wells added. “Expanding our company to join forces with the Massage Experts brand affords us the opportunity to bring the many health benefits of massage therapy to more Canadians with the goal of helping them improve and maintain their health and wellness.”
Hand & Stone was founded in 2004 and entered the Canadian market in 2009.
About the Author
Karen Menehan is MASSAGE Magazine’s editor in chief.


The tea cosy and hotpad are completely finished and awaiting their labels. I used the dyed skein to do a blanket stitch around the hotpad.
Then I did a herringbone stitch along the decrease lines of the tea cosy because I just didn't feel that they looked right. The stitching pulls the cosy together, don't ya think? I knitted about 2" of I-cord for the top loop and fastened that securely to the cosy. Then I did blanket stitch around the bottom of the cosy to help the felted and slightly-curled edge to flatten a bit and match the hotpad.
|Closeup of tea cosy stitching|
And here's the "official" photo of the finished set. I understand that the bidding for the guild items went well, and I shall turn over my creations to the winning bidder on Wednesday morning. Glad another fiber person will have these to use and treasure!


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FLINT, MI – During a press conference today, Monday October 23rd, 2017, Genesee County Prosecutor David S. Leyton and Genesee County Sheriff Robert J. Pickell announced that five teens are facing second degree murder charges after a man was killed when rocks were thrown onto I-75 from the Dodge Road overpass last Wednesday evening, October 18th.
Charged are Kyle Anger, 17-years-old, Alexander Miller, 15-years-old, Mark Sekelsky, 16-years-old, Mikadyn Payne, 16-years-old and Trevor Gray, 15-years-old. They are all being charged as adults. All five are from Clio.
Kyle Anger, the oldest of the five, is believed to be the one who threw the boulder that struck and killed Kenneth White.
On Wednesday October 18th, 2017, at approximately 8:30pm, Kenneth White, 32-years-old, of Mt. Morris, was riding in the passenger seat of a van on his way home from a work trip to Au Gres. White and his co-workers in the van were heading south bound on I-75, when a large rock was thrown from the Dodge Road overpass. That large boulder slammed through the windshield of the van, critically injuring him. Kenneth White was transported to a local area hospital where he later died due to his injuries.
Other charges that are being leveled at the teens include six counts of felony malicious destruction of property and two counts misdemeanor malicious destruction of property after four other vehicles sustained damage.
A Go Fund Me account has been established to assist the family with funeral expenses for Kenneth White. He was the father of a 5-year-old little boy. If you would like to contribute to that fund, please Click Here.
Anyone with information concerning this crime is asked to call the Genesee County Sheriff’s Office at 810-257-3422. People who want to remain anonymous can also visit P3tips.com or call 1-800-422-JAIL.


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Join SELCO library system for a virtual author talk with David Housewright!
David Housewright is an award-winning Minnesota author of crime fiction and mystery fiction. Housewright is best known for his Rushmore McKenzie and Holland Taylor detective novels as well as other tales of murder and mayhem in the Midwest. His book From the Grave: A McKenzie Novel is a finalist for the 2021 Minnesota Book Awards.
David Housewright Zoom Link: https://us02web.zoom.us/j/81849592790
Meeting ID: 818 4959 2790
This project is made possible with money from Minnesota’s Arts and Cultural Heritage Fund and the people of Minnesota for Library Legacy activities.

domain: library


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What Color Is Mercury Transparent Images (0)
What Color Is Mercury PNG (0)
Here provides 30+ significant illustrations and clipart images for Anti-Bullying Day.
Amazing watercolor splash transparent images you don’t want to miss.
Holi is popularly known as the Indian "festival of spring", the "festival of colours", or the "festival of love".


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Welcome to Thomas Insights — every day, we publish the latest news and analysis to keep our readers up to date on what’s happening in industry. Sign up here to get the day’s top stories delivered straight to your inbox.
Researchers took a couple of suction hooks and some shower hose to create a new robot inspired by leeches.
They call it the LEeCH, or Longitudinally, Extensible Continuum robot inspired by Hirudinea. Like its natural counterpart, LEeCH uses its unique design to elongate, bend, and stick to surfaces in order to scale walls without any constraints.
Land leeches are known as natural climbers that can maneuver complex terrain in forests and mountains with little more than a suction cup at each end of its soft, flexible body.
What's interesting is that the lead author of the study, Ayato Kanada, a doctoral programs student, didn't come up with the idea while looking at a leech (or watching that scene from Stand By Me). He had his 'aha' moment in the bathroom.
One day, Kanada accidentally turned on the shower at full blast and the hose "went wild" as if it had a life of its own. He wondered, what if I could manipulate that hose?
Kanada's curiosity has birthed the LEeCH, a lightweight, flexible, and extensible soft body robot.
Working with a team of researchers from the University of Cambridge in the United Kingdom and Toyohashi University of Technology in Japan, Kanada designed the LEeCH using three generic flexible tubes that you would find in most households. A gear drives the tubes back and forth so they can elongate or bend.
So far, the robot has climbed up and down a wall, climbed up a wall and transitioned to a flat surface (like a stair), and climbed up and over a wall, successfully transitioning to the other side of the wall to climb back down.
According to the researchers, this could be the world's first soft and flexible robot that can move freely on a wall.
Given the capabilities, the LEeCH could one day be used in anything from building inspection and maintenance to search and rescue operations.
Next, the team is working on durability. The researchers believe that filling the hoses with liquid will make them more durable and resistant against collisions.
The full study was published in the American scientific journal "Soft Robotics."


Barnaby Joyce’s resignation has failed to draw a line under his affair after it emerged an audit of his travel spending is under way and his diehard supporters refused to rule out a comeback.
It has also emerged Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull ordered the head of his department to investigate Mr Joyce over possible breaches of the ministerial code of conduct, nine days into the growing scandal over his affair with a staffer who is now pregnant.
After saying an external probe into the growing controversy around Mr Joyce’s affair with former staffer Vikki Campion was unnecessary, Mr Turnbull asked Department of the Prime Minister and Cabinet secretary Martin Parkinson to investigate any possible breaches on February 21.
The request came six days after Mr Turnbull’s incendiary press conference announcing the ban on ministers on sleeping with staffers, in which he invited Mr Joyce to consider his position after his “shocking error of judgment”.
Mr Turnbull had said Mr Joyce gave him assurances there was no breach of the code but it is understood Mr Turnbull wanted independent verification as the scandal showed no sign of abating.
A Senate estimates hearing on Monday was told that Dr Parkinson had informed Mr Turnbull he was dropping the previously undisclosed investigation, saying there was “little to be gained” from continuing in the wake of the former Nationals leader’s resignation last week.
Facing lengthy questions about when Mr Turnbull and senior ministers first knew about the affair and Ms Campion’s subsequent redeployment to two other Nationals offices, Finance Minister Mathias Cormann told the hearings Mr Turnbull had ordered the investigation with Mr Joyce’s cooperation.
A separate investigation into Mr Joyce’s travel claims and other spending related to Ms Campion was also revealed, and that probe by the Independent Parliamentary Expenses Authority will continue.
Senior government sources suggested the authority initiated its inquiry, and officials from the watchdog are expected to be grilled at estimates on Tuesday.
Chapter to be written by Barnaby
Meanwhile, Mr Joyce’s supporters have left the door to him one day resuming the leadership if he can rehabilitate his reputation during his backbench exile.
“Who knows what the future holds? If you had said to me four weeks ago he wouldn’t be deputy prime minister any more, I would have said you were crazy,” NSW Nationals senator John Williams said.
“You have to wonder,” another MP said, when asked whether it was possible for Mr Joyce to be resurrected.
“If things go his way, I think what we will find his popularity will cause a call to come back,” the MP said, suggesting Mr Joyce’s replacement as Nationals leader, Michael McCormack would have to keep forces at bay.
Nationals federal president Larry Anthony said he believed Mr Joyce still had a role to play in Parliament.
“That chapter is to be written by Barnaby,” Mr Anthony told Sky News.
“What I’d like to see as president of the party is that he rucks in, that he supports the team, that he still remains that fierce advocate for people in the weatherboard and iron as he so articulately puts, and I think he will continue to play that role.”
Even Mallee MP Andrew Broad, who on Thursday demanded Mr Joyce quit, offered a charitable comparison to Winston Churchill’s wilderness years.
“We all learn from our experiences, perhaps we all come back empathetic as a result,” he said.
“I think that would be a great story to tell but then that’s a choice for what Barnaby chooses to do with his future.”
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Castile – La Mancha has experienced a greater growth in the aerospace industry than any other region in Spain. As a sector, the aerospace industry is becoming one of the main economic drivers in the region.
- It is the 3rd region in Spain in terms of sales volume of the aerospace industry.
- It represents 2.8% GDP (2014).
- It directly employs around 4,000 people (data from 2014).
- It exports 70% of its production, and 13% of the sales volume is invested in R&D.
- It produces 10% of the world production of carbon fibre for aerospace.
- Castile – La Mancha holds a first – class world status in aero-structures of composite materials.
- Airbus Helicopters plant in Albacete has been designated Major Component Assembly (MCA), becoming a Centre of Industrial Excellence.
- The greatest project of composite materials for the A350XWB is led by Aernnova, creating new jobs in the region.
- All companies related to the aerospace and aviation cluster.
- Those related to the cluster of Composite and Advanced Materials (Illescas).
- MRO (Maintenance, Repair and Overhaul).
- End of life stages and dismantling.
- Aircraft painting.


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Zambian players, managers and fans alike are all in buoyant mood ahead of their trip to Nigeria to face the Super Eagles.
Having recorded impressive back-to-back victories over Algeria, the Chipolopolo are utterly confident of clipping the wings of their hosts on Saturday.
Nigeria hold a three-point advantage over their South African guests who are aiming to qualify for their first FIFA World Cup final.
“There is nothing sinister about the Nigeria game, it’s a game like any other we have played before,” said Zambia deputy skipper, Ziyo Tembo.
“Yes they have a good side and have quality players and we can’t take that away from them but they are beatable.
“Nigeria’s dominance over us is history for we are looking at the future and what will matter most in the game is our application on the pitch.”
Indeed, Nigeria’s 20-year dominance may become history if the country fails to hunt down some of Wedson Nyirenda’s key players.
Here are three of such players.
- Brian Mwila
South Africa-based forward, Brian Mwila, flaunts an impressive return for his country. The 24-year-old has scored an unbelievable seven goals in just eight games since making his debut early in the year. It’s as though the charismatic forward is destined to score every time he dons the Green and Black stripes. He is currently his country’s top scorer in the qualifiers with two goals.
- Fashion Sakala
Christened “giant slayer” for his heroics away to Algeria, Fashion Sakala is another star capable of hurting Nigeria. Like Mwila, Sakala was given his first shot with the Chipolopolo early in the year and took it graciously with both hands. Now, the 20-year-old has established himself as an indispensable member of Nyirenda’s team and will definitely be poised to continue his fine form on the road at the Godswill Akpabio International Stadium.
- Kennedy Mweene
In the event that Mwila and Sakala fail to deliver the goods in attack, goalkeeper, Kennedy Mweene, may step up to take up the goalscoring role. Not only is Mweene renowned for his prowess in stopping opposing teams, he hurts them as well by scoring decisive goals. The experienced 32-year-old, who is his country’s most-capped player and skipper, will most definitely play a pivotal role on where the pendulum eventually swings to on Saturday.


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This thesis focuses on the role of newspaper in relation to a specific ethnic conflict in the south of Thailand that was selected as a case study. There were four main objectives of this research. The first objective was to explore the news coverage of the violent conflict to find out how the conflict was covered by the Thai news media. The second was to examine the opinions and attitudes of relevant stakeholders in the journalism profession about the Thai news media’s performance and roles in covering news about the conflict. The third was to examine the effect of social, political and economic factors on the role of the news media. And the fourth objective was to elaborate a normative way for journalists to cover the violent news in the Thai context. This research adopted the pragmatism paradigm to set the study approach and used it as a framework to understand and analyse the results from all of the research methods used.
In concert with the pragmatism paradigm, this research employed a mixed-methods approach. There are three methods used in the study: content analysis, in-depth interviews and participant observations. The content analysis involved 316 news and non-news articles about the violent events in southern Thailand from six major newspapers. These articles were selected from the whole population of 1,521 articles published during 2008. The sampled newspapers represented three main targeted audiences: two quality, two popular and two English-language newspapers. Galtung’s peace journalism model was adapted into the construction of the coding sheet in this study as the framework of analysis. The 23 in-depth interviews were conducted with four different groups: (1) editors and news chiefs, (2) journalists, (3) academics and (4) community leaders. Participant observation was a supplementary method to this study. There were two types of observation settings: the newsroom and newsroom meetings, and the news gathering process in the conflict area.
The findings of content analysis revealed that the newspapers tended to report “what” had happened and the “visible effects” of the violence, rather than the “invisible and cultural” effects. The traditional news values and reporting style that place emphasis on timeliness and obvious impacts were the causes of the lack of depth in the reportage. In terms of language, emotive, demonising and victimising words were frequently used in the news. In a comparative analysis, the vernacular newspapers reported the events in “emotionalised” and “dramatised” ways, while the English-language papers used a more neutral tone. However, both types of newspapers relied mainly on official and government sources for news.
The in-depth interviews captured criticism of journalists’ roles and suggestions for how to develop a practice of peace journalism in Thailand. Self-censorship of the media was seen by the academics as a reflection of national ideology and was seen by the media professionals as away to avoid the complexities of the violence. Traditional news values (such as impacts, the unusual, conflict and timeliness) were also important concerns for Thai journalism because they meant that the news emphasised and amplified the more violent aspects. There was a consensus that the constraints inside and outside a newsroom affected the work practices of journalists. The findings from the participant observation revealed some of the roots of the problems and concerns found in the content analysis and the in-depth interviews. For example, local journalists and stringers from the conflict area sometimes were acting simultaneously in two roles: as media professionals and local people. Subjectivity and emotional reactions are always involved in journalists’ decisions about what news to report and when to report it. The observations in the newsroom revealed that the routine working style of newspaper editorial staff is to follow the traditional newsworthiness assessment.
A number of concerns were identified that might make developing peace journalism in the Thai context problematic. This thesis addresses these concerns and proposes afour-point model of peace journalism practice for Thai journalists. The first recommendation is that closer networks be established between local and national level journalists and that all journalists develop closer networks with civil groups and academics. The second recommendation is that each newspaper establishes a ‘conflict and crisis’ news desk with specific policies. The third recommendation is that a new ‘frame of practice’ of news selection and newsworthiness be developed because the traditional newsworthiness assessment is a significant factor causing the violent news to become war reporting rather than peace reporting. The final recommendation is that the study of peace and conflict journalism be introduced in journalism schools to address the fundamental need for the development of a new generation of conflict-sensitive journalists.


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Electric small Fresh meat slicer cutting machine with stainless
Suitable for small-scale catering and meat processing industry,
especially school and factory’s small canteen.
1) Special hardened stainless steel blade ,Machines for stainless
2) Each machine with a set of blades (5 mm) for clearance, the
subassembly can choose and buy another: 2.5/3/10 to 25 mm
clearance. In addition to the instructions of the service and note!
3) Note: for special export voltage 110 v, need to add money.Main
features: QJS - A series of vertical version, one-time cut the meat
into silk, double motor drive, can be controlled separately, shred
slice, the wire again cut into cubes.
4) Suitable for the bigger food or meat processing enterprises.
Inlet length 145 mm, 80 mm wide, base with wheel, flexible
movement, cutting tool to external hanging patent design,
convenient operation, health more secure
5) For processing different thickness of meat shredded meat, need
to change into the corresponding tool can be achieved, multi-usage.
6) Inside the machine is equipped with safety protection switch,
when cutting tool exposed, self-locking machine can't start, in
order to protect security.
7) Blades made of special stainless steel material, hardness is 52
degrees, durable. Part of the transmission is worm gear
8) By the secondary variable speed belt and motorcycle chain
1. Pork, beef, mutton, jellyfish, chicken, squid, ham,
pickles,fungus, mushroom and vegetable are available to be sliced.
2. With high output, best apply for steak, pork chop and bacon.
3. Available to cut to slice, and cut third time to dice.
4. Fresh Meat Cutting Machine

domain: food


Meet Mike Sales Of ‘Simpleprops’ – 50 Musicians In 50 Days
Mike and I never really had the chance to sit down and have a conversation, much less play together but after this interview, both happened! He invited me to play while he sang a Billy Joel song and we got to chat more about what (or better said, who) gives this lead singer of Simpleprops wings! Hear us jam together for the first time and get a closer peek at the incomparable Mike Sales below...
Hear Mike And I As We Cover The Piano Man's 'New York State Of Mind'
Now For More On The 14-Year Front Man Of Simpleprops
How about some footage of Mike and his band shot from Jeff Clanton's soundboard... Don't miss these guys next time you're out!


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From Tom's Hardware: Being the world's No. 1 supplier of notebook platforms, Intel must adopt the latest technologies as soon as possible to maintain this lead. In addition, one of the key selling points of laptops is a fast Wi-Fi connection, so adopting the latest tech version is crucial for the CPU giant. As it turns out, Intel is poised to support Wi-Fi 7 (opens in new tab) by its client PC platforms by 2024.
"We are currently developing Intel's Wi-Fi '802.11be' in order to obtain the 'Wi-Fi Alliance' certification, and it will be installed in PC products such as laptops by 2024," said Eric McLaughlin, vice president of Intel's wireless solutions division, at a press conference in South Korea, reports ET News (opens in new tab) (via The Register (opens in new tab)). "We expect it to appear in major markets in 2025."
Wi-Fi 7 (also known as IEEE 802.11be) will offer a maximum raw aggregated bitrate of 40,000 Mbit/s (40 Gbit/s), which will make wired Ethernet connections obsolete for most users. However, in most cases, client devices will support considerably slower connections.
View: Full Article


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Rask Santos posted an update 1 year, 1 month ago
The origin of blackjack may be as ancient as betting itself. There have been traces of it in Roman and Greek times. The first precursor to blackjack likely was a French game called Vingt-et-un, or even blackjack (in French,” VING-uh-teu). There are many other kinds of blackjack, though. A basic blackjack is usually a thin, black-handled, board with quite a few conspicuous pockets where processors could be put.
The name blackjack comes from the name of the dealer, Jills Black. Another form of blackjack is known as 21st card, which means the initial 21 cards dealtwith The 21st card in folder was introduced in vegas from the 1950s. Other titles for the source of holdem include 21 Card Stud, 21 Card Spades, 21 Card Texas Holdem, 21 Card Triad, 21 Card Stud Hi/Lo, 21 Card Draw, 21 Card Texas Holdem, 21 Card Stud Hi/Lo, along with 21 Card Draw.
One casino in Las Vegas asserts it devised the game: the Silver Star Bet. A blackjack player in Las Vegas claims that the original game was invented by a man called Herb Trager, which the first known game in the United States was devised by a group of men in a nyc hotel. These men called their invented game"card counting". They assembled their argument by saying that when a card player wins two cards out of a deal which individual has under-statedly"under-counted" his cards.
There have been a number of arguments over who invented blackjack. Some argue that it was a mixture of the Chinese and the French colonists. The Chinese played with blackjack employing a ten-card deck, while the French colonists played with a twenty-card deck. The colonists just played blackjack with the twenty cards.
Put simply blackjack games, such as Omaha, one card is dealt to each player, while two cards are dealt in the identical moment to the players’ side. One card is called the"King", and the other card is known as the"Queen". The"Deck" consists of thirteen cards, also it is likely to acquire a straight mixture of cards. "ouses" are utilised to refer to the area on the table at which gamers were formerly dealt their two hands.
Traditionally, the Ace of spades can be utilized for black jack functions. "The Ace of Pentacles" is occasionally used. In older games, however, the Ace of Clubs or the Ace of Thumbs is much more prevalent. There’s a different card in holdem games that may be used instead of this Ace of Spades, known as the Queen.
In seven-card blackjack matches, each player has seven cards to deal with. In a seven-card match, there are just two cards that might be dealt to every player. The two"vets" are not a part of this simple seven-card deck. The titles of those cards are generally known as the vingt-et-Un and the vingt-ee.
As an interesting historical fact, the title"Ace of Diamonds" was actually derived from a Spanish word that meant"a bet of silver".
먹튀사이트 Thus, the Ace of Diamonds was really given to a lucky person to be able to win a lottery. It’s also interesting to note that through the early days of the USA, gambling was illegal in several states, because the authorities felt it was taking from the nation’s revenue. The British colonists took this matter into their own hands and started calling all players"dealers" since they had to use the same pack of cards since the Spanish government used. Thus, both words"trader" and"deck" eventually changed to eventually turn into one.
Blackjack was originally well known in Spain, however, it was quickly consumed by the Caribbean nations, in which its accessibility and ease of accessibility made it quite popular. The very first famous casino game table used a variety of 52, also in the time of its origin, it was the priciest. The early games were generally home matches, and these involved players betting or borrowing money from one another. The term"casino" comes from the Spanish word"cacerol" meaning"tea table". Casinos soon began appearing all over the world.
Today, casinos have totally changed the basic structure of this sport. The casino floor where players sit around a"race track" and bet on many of cards (the trail is a computerized grid using noticeable black traces ). Now, any participant can sit at any place, at any moment, and any player may make any wager. The first casino floors were built with tables at which a player could put a bet by pushing a button.
The growth of the game has been drastically altered by the introduction of integrated machines. These machines are meant to do exactly the same job as the traditional tables, to help a player win, but in addition allow the participant to produce a few additional bets. Additionally, since casinos are trying to find ways of bringing more visitors to their assumptions, they now offer special discounts and deals. From the late eighteen hundreds, there was this kind of frenzy to open up casinos all over the world that the tendency was afterwards picked up by other operators. Blackjack was added to these exceptional bargains, and the game became more popular.

domain: history


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Photo Tips by Ken Finegan
I hope you all got to try last week’s tips about Aperture Priority and what aperture does to pictures. Even if you didn’t succeed the first time try, try again!!! It takes a bit of time to get used to where all of the buttons are but it’s worthwhile.
Don’t forget if you want to ask a question directly you can message me on my Facebook page: Ken Finegan Newspics Photography.
This week I want to talk about the other semi-automatic mode on your DSLR. It is Shutter Speed Priority. Shutter speed priority is represented by the letter ’S’ on Nikon cameras and ‘TV’ on Canon Cameras. ‘TV’ represents Time Value.
This mode is similar to Aperture Priority in that you control one setting, namely the Shutter Speed and the camera controls the aperture this time. The exact opposite to Aperture Priority. But, as with Aperture Priority, you will get pictures.
So what does a shutter do. When you press your shutter release button to take a picture the mirror lifts and then the shutter opens to let light into your camera making a noise (the one I asked you to listen to last week). The light hits the image sensor in a digital camera and the film in a film camera making the image.
The shutter speed ranges from very fast speeds of up to 1/8000th of a second to really slow speeds of 30 seconds depending on the camera model you have.
What is the effect of a slow shutter speed on an image?
Using a slow shutter speed allows you to show movement in an image to emphasise speed or motion. It is a beautiful effect and can even make a moving object appear semi-transparent or see through. In illustration ‘1’ you can see where I used a very slow shutter speed and the tennis ball is nearly invisibly. You would have a problem even recognising it as a tennis ball.
In Illustration 2, I used a slightly faster shutter speed which still blurs the ball but it is more apparent as a tennis ball and in illustration ‘3’ I used a faster shutter speed and stop the ball mid-air. Showing all of the detail.
The 4th illustration sums up shutter speed in general. This picture was taken of people in an ice rink in France a few years ago. If you look in the background there is a girl who is perfectly sharp with no movement. This is because she is standing still. You will see varying degrees of blur or movement in other people in the image depending on the speed they were actually skating. So the amount of blur or movement is also related to how fast your subject is moving.
Here is a guide (Rule of Thumb) I use on a day to day basis:
To show movement us a shutter speed of 1/30th of a second or slower.
To stop movement us a shutter speed of 1/500th of a second or faster.
For general images where there is no major movement, such as a family occasion use 1/125th or 1/250th of a second.
To use faster shutter speeds you need good light, so outdoors is the best place. I’ll be dealing later in the series with some specific settings which will assist with shooting faster shutter speeds in low light.
Now, we’ve discovered we can show movement in our images or stop movement. But remember there are two types of movement. The one we have already discussed is ‘Subject’ movement but the other is ‘Camera’ movement.
If we use a slow shutter speed we can become subject to camera movement often called camera shake. This can actually produce some really artistic and abstract images but for the moment we will try and stop camera shake.
The usual way to do this is to support your camera on a wall, something steady or a bean bag for instance. The best way is on a tripod. There are various models of tripods ranging from a few Euro to thousands of Euro. When selecting a tripod go for something that suits your camera.
In general when I suggest buying a cheaper tripod I always say extend the tripod to its full height and put some of your weight where the camera would go. If the legs bend or the tripod lowers under this pressure do NOT buy it!!! You should get a reasonably good tripod for around €100 and there are quite a few really great camera shops locally, all offering great advice.
When shooting really slow shutter speeds, such as night time views I would always suggest using a remote control or the camera self timer to fire the camera. This stops you touching the shutter release button and prevents movement as you press on the camera causing camera shake.
There is another general ‘Rule of Thumb’ I would suggest when you are experimenting with your new camera ‘Do not use a shutter speed slower than the focal length of your lens’.
What does this mean exactly? Focal length of a lens is measured in mm. As stated in previous tips you kit lens is usually around 17-55mm. The next lens most people get is a 70-300mm. This brings your subject closer (Zoom).
So to implement the rule of thumb with the 70-300mm lens I would not use a shutter speed slower than 1/300th of a second. This is just a general rule but a good one to keep in mind.
For sport such as Gaelic, Soccer, Hurling, Rugby etc I would rarely go slower than 1/500th of a second to keep my images sharp. This Rule works every time.
One thing I forgot to mention last week was ‘when I would use Aperture Priority’? In general I would always use manual settings to control my camera but I do use Aperture Priority.
The main situation where I use Aperture Priority in on a sunny day covering a match. If there is a shadow falling across the pitch from a stand or group of trees the camera can react quicker than me to adjust the speed. I know it can be either slightly over or under exposed BUT I will get an image which I can then adjust.
So until next week, enjoy your camera and keep safe!