I wonder if other travelers have times when they are planning their journey and some folks just do not wish them well or support their choices. It often surprises me when one adult cannot fathom that another adult may decide to do things they would never do, are afraid to do or don’t have the freedom to embark on. What could be the motivation for a person to actively attempt to put a wrench in the works of another’s efforts?
So many of my friends and clients have been supportive, flexible and understanding. I truly appreciate every one of them. The one devil’s advocate in my life, after learning of my decision to take this journey, quickly realized his reservations about my trip were disregarding my ability to make my own choices and he became a huge support. I love and appreciate him for all of it.
This is not a game and I am not typing from my own safe space anymore. I mean, am a ‘seat of my pants” traveler but I am 47 now, and I am feeling a bit of anxiety about the next leg of my trip, even though I do not leave Phoenix until Friday. I am feeling an urgency to find a safe and stable landing pad in New Orleans. It is not a city where you want to be unsure of your safe landing.
I have several irons in that fire. Waiting on Couchsurfing responses, asking around, looking at hostels. It will all work out but I will feel much better once I have secured a place to stay. I am really craving beignets and chicory coffee.
Although I am adventurous and brave and ready for whatever, on some level I am dependent on people’s understanding, flexibility and commitments or I will end up on the road and stuck someplace. I don’t have some huge savings. I am literally working my way across the U.S. one week at a time. Each day of work is crucial and delays stop me from being able to travel.
As I take each day one by one, I am forever grateful for the selflessness and hospitality of my friends and family. Whatever comes on this journey, I surrender to Spirit and know it will all work out.
Yet and still others have not even wished me well. That is not an expectation I have from everyone, but I can feel *stuff* from some folks and it is mildly upsetting.
If a friend and cannot wish me well or support my journey, even if with prayers I wish you well and bid adieu. If someone’s own ‘stuff’ prevents them from being happy for me, Sprit will remove them from my circle if that’s what is to be.
The last thing I need right now is any incumbrance to the flow.


My main focus during my Ph.D. study is to the application of electrochemistry in water treatment. Examples are membrane fouling and recovery on an inorganic conductive membrane using electrochemical impedance spectroscopy, mechanistic study of the validity of hydroxyl radical probe used in electrochemical processes, and surface passivation and regeneration on a substoichiometric TiO2 electrode using scanning electrochemical microscope.
- Membrane fouling and recovery using electrochemical impedance spectroscopy
Traditional membrane fouling detections are ineffective, for example, filtration law cannot be applied to large systems, imaging technique such as SEM, requires the destruction of membrane. Use of electrochemical impedance spectroscopy to detect membrane fouling takes advantage of the conductive nature of the Magneli phase inorganic membrane. This method injects a sinusoidal alternating potential signal with different frequencies into the asymmetric membrane, the penetration depth of this signal inversely depends on the frequency, and therefore different layers of the membrane can be resolved under different frequency regime. We have successfully constructed a mathematical transmission line model to simulation different fouling mechanisms, and justified with experiments.
- Mechanistic study of the validity of hydroxyl radical probe used in electrochemical processes
As a reactive oxygen species, hydroxyl radicals have been extensively used in several water treatment processes, such as advanced oxidation processes and electrochemical advanced oxidation processes. Meanwhile, hydroxyl radicals in the redox flow battery and flow cell cathode from the oxygen reduction reaction could damage the organic membrane separator. Researchers in the electrochemical area always use the hydroxyl radical probes in other system to the electrochemical systems without questioning the validity, due to the neglect of direct electron transfer under a low applied potential. In this work, we examined four most commonly used hydroxyl radical probes found in the literature, and found the terephthalic acid and benzoquinone are the best candidates, at the same time, it should be noted that benzoquinone can be easily reduced at the cathode side to produce hydroquinone, a divided cell need to be adopted if used.
So my experience has trained me to a electrochemist, membrane and water treatment scientist.


Liana over at Working to be Worthy asked me to review her new e-book. l was more than pleased to do so and overjoyed. I wish I had a resource like this when my kids were little. This is a well written book about celebrating the liturgical year with your child with ideas for activities and crafts from Advent to Christmas to Lent, Easter and Ordinary Time. The written from a Catholic perspective, but has many ideas that will appeal to Christians of all denominations. I wish I had a book like this when my kids were younger.
Liana has a back round in Psychology, and is a Nationally Certified School Psychologist. As such she understands child development and how your child thinks. She has worked with children of all ages and has geared this book for those up to age 5.
I particularly loved what Liana had to say about Christmas. She writes about reducing materialism during Christmas. I am a big fan of the simple Christmas, so this was right up my alley. Liana, also touches on teaching your child how to dress for church and the importance of doing so.
“In our culture, dressing in formal clothing is a sign of respect.Liana does not neglect the parent either. Each chapter end with a special section for the parent’s spiritual growth. You can get Liana’s her book Growing (up) in Faith here where 10% of the proceeds go to Angel Care or if you are an e-book reader you can get it on Amazon for Kindle. At $4.95 it is a great value.
Christmas and Easter usually inspire people to wear their best
clothes. Many families will buy special outfits particularly for the
season. It is worth considering why most people do not wear their
“Sunday best” for every Mass”
This book makes a great edition to the family bookshelf and has many ideas that can be incorporated in families of all ages.


||[Feb. 16th, 2007|01:09 am]
i'm so tired.
go to sleep, right?
not that kind of tired.
tonight, i drink. i drink to the people i've cut out of my life -- i really am a surgeon, stitching up the gaping holes of childhood and prescribing elliott smith and alcohol to cope with the ensuing emptiness.
not that i regret it; i'm not capable of giving any attention to them without little voices in the back of my head pushing me, prodding me to say the awful things churning in my belly and hiding behind cool gazes.
i loved them. i hated them.
and now i cannot care about them.
life is full of chaos and upheaval, and there is too much of that for me to attend to someone who seeks to relive the past.
i'm sorry. that's all i can say, and it probably isn't good enough.
i'm missing the girl i knew in college who wrapped her skinny arms around my neck and giggled when our glasses bumped and kept me dreaming when i was dangerously close to being grounded and normal.
i'm missing the girl who wrote me letters on coffee filters and talked about riot grrrls and hot pink girl love.
i'm missing the boy who told me to read the fountainhead and laughed gently when i complained about it being too much. he didn't seem to mind that i didn't like it.
but those people are gone. i'll likely never talk with any of them again.
still, they have pieces of my heart.
i give it away too easily, and i find i'm left with nothing for myself.
explains a lot, doesn't it?


Obscura Rhapsody is an ongoing monthly serial written by Julio Angel Ortiz. An action / adventure / psychological drama, it follows a group of adventurers in the aftermath of their greatest defeat, and the dangerous political climate in which they find themselves. Here is the blurb for the initial storyline:
Five years ago a group of adventurers known as the Shadow Vanguard, each wielding a facet of a strange power called Obscura, failed to save the city-state they swore to protect. In the cataclysmic aftermath, the Vanguard went their separate ways, going into hiding and taking care not to draw the attention of an antagonistic power, the Tai’Hiera. They vanished from history… until now.
A deadly encounter in the woods brings Khloe face-to-face with the former leader of the Vanguard, Aedyn, and together they embark on a journey of reunification and self-discovery.
But both paths are fraught with danger and intrigue. For the dark power of Obscura is anathema to the Tai’Hiera and their zealous Saints. Aedyn’s former home harbors cutthroats and rogues seeking to turn them in for wealth. Some former Vanguard have become embroiled in a secret war they do not understand. And others may not want to be found.
Aedyn and Khloe must pull together the shattered Vanguard, as a horror beyond their imagining begins to stir…
Each installment will run roughly 5,000 words, in a format inspired by the old Penny Dreadfuls. Obscura Rhapsody launches May 23rd, and will be available in PDF format.
All Obscura Rhapsody Posts


Imagine the year is 2048, thirty years from now! A young woman steps into a dusty, dark attic. Large shadowy shapes surround her, covered in white sheets. In one swift motion she tugs on a sheet, sending up a cloud of dust to reveal an old piece of furniture. Below the towering shape she spots the bright white edge of a picture frame. Carefully pulling the frame from its shadowy home she wipes her hand across its glass surface, removing a layer of dust. Upon seeing the image, her heart fills with love; she is reminded of a time long ago when the halls of the house below were filled with the sounds of laughter, happiness and joy. Her Mother stares back at her, eyes glinting in the dim light of the attic. In her arms a newborn baby sleeps.
“Who’s that Mummy?”, a voice mutters from behind the woman's shoulder. “That’s my Mummy”, the woman replies, not tearing her attention away from the image for one second. “She’s beautiful!”, replies the young girl. The woman pauses, breathes in and whispers back, “She certainly was…”
Exist in Photography; in years to come your children will be looking for photographs of you, what will they find?
The importance of the printed image had never been more important to me than it was after losing my Nan. Now her image greets my every time I descend the stairs to start a new day. I know she didn't like the photograph that now takes pride of place on my wall; “Look at my wrinkles!”, she used to say, but for me, the photograph isn't just a depiction of what my Nan looked like at that time in her life, it’s a gate way to all the wonderful memories of our time together that I hold close to my heart. When I see it I’m reminded of her laugh, the way she looked when she was mad, how she liked her cup of tea! “That’s like bark!”, she would exclaim after I had made her cuppa too strong. Those little things, those little moments, they aren't so little.
Jo Buckley Photography | 01209 215422 | firstname.lastname@example.org


“Our deepest fear is not that we are inadequate. Our deepest fear is that we are powerful beyond measure. It is our light, not our darkness that most frightens us. We ask ourselves, Who am I to be brilliant, gorgeous, talented, fabulous? Actually, who are you not to be?
You are a child of God. Your playing small does not serve the world. There is nothing enlightened about shrinking so that other people won’t feel insecure around you. We are all meant to shine, as children do. We were born to make manifest the glory of God that is within us. It’s not just in some of us; it’s in everyone.
And as we let our own light shine, we unconsciously give other people permission to do the same. As we are liberated from our own fear, our presence automatically liberates others.”
This quote was painted on the wall (in both English and Spanish) of a restaurant that Andy and I visited in Cusco a few nights ago. We were there because we’d heard it was the best restaurant to try alpaca, which we were keen to do. And, yes, the alpaca was excellent, but at the end of the night I found this quote more nourishing than the food.
The concept of shining, of embracing all that you’re capable of and not shying away from being “fabulous” just because it might make other people uncomfortable is something I’ve thought about a lot lately. I have a tendency to try to make everyone around me happy, sometimes at the expense of my own happiness. Our year of travel is a chance for me to try to come to terms with who I am and how I can best shine, to face some of my fears and to realise that in most cases I had nothing to be afraid of.
I think part of what makes this understanding possible is getting older and being more at ease with who I really am; but, part of it is remembering that I owe it to myself, to my family and to God to be as “brilliant” as I possibly can be and to help those around me be brilliant as well. It’s not something that will happen overnight. No amount of helpful quotes or stamps in my passport will help me immediately believe that I’m “gorgeous” or “talented”. But, pushing myself beyond my comfort zone and trying to live as bravely and honestly as possible is a pretty good start.


your typical 27-year-old mom with lots of energy (thanks to my ADHD). I'm a dreamer, reader, champion procrastinator, and master of the written word. Writing's been my passion since before I could walk (okay, maybe not that early, but you get me). Then came quarantine in 2020 - things got cray and my creativity found a new outlet: Episode Interactive. Between writing two plus super successful stories on Episode Interactive with views reaching 100k+. Realizing that my writing could reach much further, I decided to branch out and write a novel - there's just no stopping me!
Crimson Souls (Which you can find a tamer version of it on Episode) and Royal Syndicate - my gray babies still in progress. Let me tell ya'll somethin', I LIVE for morally ambiguous characters that make you question your sanity (in a good way). But hey, if romance is more your style, I got you covered too. Basically, with whatever I write, I want to take readers on an emotional rollercoaster ride full of laughter and tears. Thanks for listening to me ramble on about myself - it's great to meet you all!
ADHD brain here. Welcome to the wild world of my mind. I'm your friendly neighborhood idea-spinning machine, always cranking out thoughts in a 24/7 cycle.
At first glance, I'm just an average girl, but don't be fooled! I'm all about the grey life and see beauty in even the most off-putting red flags. Don't worry though, with my sick humor around you'll get your daily dose of laughter and maybe even some chills! Ain't nothin wrong with some wild times either. Don't worry though, I'm not always so morbid.
My friends would tell you that I'm a manhwa maniac of every kind ( BL or otherwise!) how could you not? I can't function without iced coffee, ALWAYS have my nails slayed, and reading smutty books or any kind of book for that matter like it's one of life's essentials. Life moves fast, so why waste time?
did you think i was done?
Multiverses exist throughout the universe. This one has to do with the omegaverse. However, this omegaverse is anything but ordinary.
Hierarchies are divided into three levels: Omega, Beta, and Alpha.
Humans without the ability to shape-shift, but with magical capabilities.
In this universe of possibilities, two people can shift the balance.
A successor to the kingdom and a successor to the syndicate. Once together.
Betrayal caused their relationship to break apart.
The threat to the kingdom brought them back together.
Despite this, one desires retribution, whereas the other is obsessively possessive and sadistically cruel and a kill-happy man.
Surrounded by destruction and violence, they face a dilemma: would they take the chance that could save the world, or fall victim to their own anger and hatred?
From disgustingly hot alphas to strong heroines, she really has something for everyone!”
Her character development and narration is beautifully written and you can easily imagine the scene as the words go. Before you finish reading you can’t help but to want more. To fall for her characters is a given, they all capture your attention from the beginning. In my opinion, if I’m at the point of accepting being murdered by Aziel, as long as I’m killed at his hands, I’d say I’m far lost in her words."


People Barbara Thanks and Admires
As a woman pursuing a career Barbara recognises that she owes a debt of gratitude to many individuals, both known personally to her and known only through their books and publications. “Life provides a series of ups and downs and sometimes only the help of another loving soul gets us through”.
She recognises both her headmistress at Faringdon Country Grammar School for Girls, Miss A.J. Towns, and one of her tutors, Alan Ness, at University College London where she read Physiology and achieved an Upper Second Honours Degree, as both, in their own way contributing to her developing strength of character and resolve. Always a little shy and self-effacing, at the age of 20 she was contemplating a future life as a teacher of junior children in Norfolk – not least because she had a boyfriend there. Both of them wrote highly and caringly of her in references which changed her way of thinking about herself.
But undoubtedly the most important person in her life, whom she thanks the most, is her first husband, Jim Page-Roberts, himself a prolific painter and sculptor, and writer (http://webpageroberts.blogspot.com). As a working class girl working her way through University College London her life could have gone many different ways. Instead she met Jim, twice her age and already life-experienced, cultured, artistic, aristocratic, and with one over-riding quality that she learned from him and his mother– the ability to get on with everybody from cleaner to queen and every possible social and financial class in between.
Jumping forward some forty-odd years, and omitting much that was life-influencing along the way, she comes to Masha Malka (www.mashamalka.com). They met at a training course in Accelerated Learning in Las Vegas. Masha is a young Russian woman married to Doran, relocated to USA and subsequently Spain, and at the time had one daughter, Veronica, and now another daughter and a son. Barbara and Masha found a common language in the desire to get people of all ages and inclinations to succeed in what they want to do, indeed first to find out who they are and what makes them tick – they are writing a motivation book for Baby-Boomers, as well as a joint effort for young people – The Success Manual. At a difficult transition period in Barbara’s life – the divorce with her second husband and the realisation that maybe she was less than perfect and even a ‘failure’ – Masha was the source of the mental positivity that came from knowledge and true caring.
And finally, Barbara is an avid reader, and is in the habit of extracting quotes from tomes and opinions that impress her. This is her absolute favourite, and the one she relies on to provide uplift during the darkest days and at the toughest moments of self-doubt.
“Our deepest fear is not that we are inadequate
Our deepest fear is that we are powerful beyond measure.
It is our light, not our darkness, that frightens us.
We ask ourselves,
Who am I to be brilliant, gorgeous, talented and fabulous.
Actually, who are you not to be?
You are a child of God. Your playing small does not serve the world.
There’s nothing enlightened about shrinking
So that other people won’t feel insecure around you.
We were born to make manifest the glory of God within us.
It’s not in some of us: it’s in everyone.
And as we let our light shine,
We unconsciously give others permission to do the same.
As we are liberated from our fears,
Our presence automatically liberates others.”
Written by: Marianne Williamson
Originally published: 1997
And this, in a completely different vein, comes a close second:
When I am an old woman I shall wear purple
With a red hat which doesn’t go, and doesn’t suit me.
And I shall spend my pension on brandy and summer gloves
And satin sandals, and say we’ve no money for butter.
I shall sit down on the pavement when I’m tired
And gobble up samples in shops and press alarm bells
And run my stick along the public railings
And make up for the sobriety of my youth.
I shall go out in my slippers in the rain
And pick the flowers in other people’s gardens
And learn to spit.
You can wear terrible shirts and grow more fat
And eat three pounds of sausages at a go
Or only bread and pickle for a week
And hoard pens and pencils and beermats and things in boxes.
But now we must have clothes that keep us dry
And pay our rent and not swear in the street
And set a good example for the children.
We must have friends to dinner and read the papers.
But maybe I ought to practice a little now?
So people who know me are not too shocked and surprised
When suddenly I am old, and start to wear purple.
Warning by Jenny Joseph
Originally published: 1997


My mother is the toughest woman I've ever known.
She's strong, rational and straightforward. Independent and crazy about challenges. Not the type of ladies lots of men can get along.
But in the face of everything, her appearance suggests the complete opposite. She has a whole collection of floral embroidered bracelets and pendants.
That bothered me for a while. Why does mom's taste contradict what people think about her so much?
"Because it's not about my image", one day she answered.
"It's about what makes me feel most comfortable as myself. Before speaking to the world, your jewelry should speak to your heart. The most natural things don't need an explanation; you just know it when you see it."
Are they the latest trends? Sometimes they are, sometimes not.
Our items don't speak to fashion. They speak to you.
They are things that comfort and heal, remind and recall.
That tap you right in the heart in just a blink.
That make you feel like home.
Make you feel like you.
Without a need for reasons.


Click on the “Characters” link under Buried Innocence and scroll down to new character Eshe Lubega. She’s a mere six years old but her character packs a who-lop!
Buried Innocence…a Novel Coming Soon
Clarissa Ingram, a retired nurse doing volunteer aid work at a remote medical camp in Uganda, turns up dead back in Wisconsin after falling for a mysterious doctor and seeing things never meant for her eyes in the African jungle...…
About the Author
Wendy lives in Chandler, Arizona with her husband, their Border Collie mix Jax and their kitten Willow. They have one daughter, a recent grad with a Bachelor of Arts in Behavioral Science from Western University. Wendy's hobbies include great adventures through travel, writing, and wine collecting. "We have two libraries; one for our books and one for our older "library" wines. The shelves with the books overflow, while the shelves of the wine chillers are hard to keep stocked." Favorite authors: Those that inject dry humor into mystery/thrillers. Favorite wine: Silver Oak. Favorite destination: Exotic beach locals and historic seaports.
I hope you'll enjoy looking at photos that inspired my writing beginning with these ancient writings photographed in Gold Canyon, AZ. View Galleries »


By Michael Jumba
Small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) and small and medium-sized manufacturing firms (SMFs) play a major role in countries at all levels of economic development with many acknowledging an increase in the proportion of SMEs and SMFs globally. It is predicted that the number of such entities will continue to grow, due to declines in manufacturing and growth in the service sector (Kobylanski and Szulc, 2011). As markets are becoming more global, many business opportunities are opening up for small and medium-sized businesses, but competitive pressure is increasing at the same time. They need to adjust their actions to the environmental challenges through active market development, a continuous search for market opportunities and expansion of their customer base. Many researchers and practitioners are looking to find the answer to the fundamental question as to why some organizations are more profitable with good perspectives for growth while others cannot achieve this feat (Kobylanski and Szulc, 2011).
The business environment is filled with a lot of uncertainty that come or may come in various forms. In addition to the everyday aspects of running a business, a company has to consider factors such as materials, energy shortages, inflation, economic recessions, unemployment, and technological changes. Increased competition in the global marketplace, the advancement of manufacturing technologies, and increasingly limited life cycle of products, have also greatly impacted product innovation strategies of the small and medium-sized manufacturing firms. A profitable company must respond to the market with its products and advertising (Smith and Albaum, 2012).
Another challenge that small firms are facing is that managers/owners often rely only on previous experience and common sense, because in their perception the boundary between marketing and selling becomes very blurred. One of the most important aspects that determine an organization’s market position is the entrepreneurs’ approach to market orientation and marketing actions. Small business managers’ attitude toward a structured approach to marketing can be seen as a sign of maturity and responsible decision making that can lead to a positive business performance. (Kobylanski and Szulc, 2011).
A substantial body of literature now highlights that there has been a fundamental and systematic change in the way small and medium-sized manufacturing firms SMFs undertake product innovation activities. Furthermore, use of external networks through collaboration and outsourcing has witnessed a substantial growth by the SMFs. External alliances and collaboration has become a cornerstone of the firm’s product innovation strategy by which we refer specifically to the use of outsourcing and strategic alliances to undertake product innovation.
The importance of external alliances in this sense is in relation to SMFs that lack the necessary resources and expertise to effectively manage the new product development process, from innovation to commercialization stages. Despite mostly having limited resources, SMFs need to overcome external barriers to growth by using external alliances if they are to continue to be relevant.
In order to be a successful entrepreneur one must adapt to the ever-changing business environment. A critical tool for measuring the market, staying competitive and adapting to the business environment is conducting rigorous marketing research (Smith and Albaum, 2012).
What is market research?
According to Smith and Albaum (2012), marketing research is about collecting information that will be used as evidence by decision makers to find solutions to business problems. Some of the business questions that are asked here are:
In simple terms that is to say, the solution to most business problems can be found through conducting marketing research. It is a search for information that will help you succeed in capturing your market share.
The focus of marketing research
Marketing research focuses on understanding the customer, the company, and the competition. These relationships are at the core of marketing research. Companies must understand and respond to what customers want from their products. However, this relationship is always influenced by competitors and how their products are received by your market. Thus, you must clearly identify the customer, company, and competition before developing a research project.
There are several important factors you must consider before you begin, including:
Methodologies of conducting marketing research
There are two main ways of going about marketing research; Fundamental research and Applied research.
Fundamental research seeks to extend the boundaries of knowledge in a given area and doesn’t necessarily solve your immediate problems. Nevertheless, it has useful applications. It reveals information and relationships that could be useful at a later date. For example, The PK company could conduct fundamental research about consumer preferences for certain combinations of chewing gum flavors under its label that differ in sugar type and strength of sweetness.
Applied research gathers information to solve a specific problem or set of problems. For instance, customers engaged in a blind taste test would respond with what they specifically liked or disliked about a new PK chewing gum product compared to a competitor’s product e.g Fresh chewing gum. This information could be used to tune your business plan, focus your advertising campaign, or improve your product.
Benefits of Market research
What we do for our clients
At Kryptone Consulting Ltd, we have a dedicated team of researchers: from fresh graduates who have just entered the job market to elite researchers who have over ten years experience conducting marketing research.
We specialize in finding creative and innovative ways to respond to our clients’ needs and challenges. The breadth and depth of our expertise allows us the flexibility to undertake a wide range of engagements. We provide solutions to match your needs.
We have business experience in the areas of automobile, agriculture, fast moving consumer goods, trade outlets, Information technology, Financial services, Travel & Tourism, Real estate among others.
We undertake the following types of studies;
Kobylanski, A., & Szulc, R. (2011). DEVELOPMENT OF MARKETING ORIENTATION IN SMALL AND MEDIUM-SIZED ENTERPRISES EVIDENCE FROM EASTERN EUROPE. International Journal of Management and Marketing Research, 51.
Royle, M. T., & Fox, G. (2011). THE RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN PSYCHOLOGICAL STRAIN SELF-REGULATION, AND INFORMAL ACCOUNTABILITY FOR OTHERS. International Journal of Management and Marketing Research, 1.
Sen, A. K., & Haq, K. (2011). PRODUCT INNOVATION BY SMALL AND MEDIUM-SIZED FIRMS THROUGH OUTSOURCING AND COLLABORATION. International Journal of Management and Marketing Research, 63-73.
Smith, S. M., & Albaum, G. S. (2012). Basic Marketing Research: Volume 1. Utah: Qualtrics Labs, Inc.
DOWNLOAD PDF VERSION HERE.


Anold, 12. Moses, 14. Elisha, 15. Nestori, 16. Allan, 13. Dick, 14. Michael, 16. Joseph, 14. These are names and age of some of the guys who are now living, or rather survive in the streets of Kabale, Uganda. They are all orphans of one or both parents, abandoned to their fate, because the next of kin is not in the economic conditions to deal with them. Each with its own history, their dreams, joined by a destiny that brought them to live on the streets, sharing what little food that each has found in the garbage, sleeping close to each other, some dressed only a tshirt, when the night temperature may fall between 5 and 10 degrees. Their day begins before dawn, it's done by their wits, to even earn a few shillings with which to buy something to eat, but when this is not possible, they have to petty theft, even just for reselling stolen by scrap one of the many small stores that are in town. Some of them smoke marijuana or sniff glue, and those days are not even able to eat because their body is so altered from what little food they refuse but they would need. When you have 4, 5, 6 years and you find yourself alone, alone in the street, with nobody to take care of you, it also becomes easier prey and a victim of unscrupulous adults: all of these guys were in fact lured by a man in city takes advantage of their condition pity passersby, tourists, and to obtain money instead of being used for boys, ends in his pockets. After almost one year of abuse, Anold, Moses, Elisha, and everyone else has decided that it would be better to be alone on the road, relying, solely, on the other one. The life torn from them that childhood that all children have a right to live, forcing them to become just "big." The street life had hardened their features, so as to make them look older than their age, but when you look in their eyes, hear them talk, you know that in reality they are still young children. There are more than 8,000 children, in Uganda, living on the streets. Many are orphans due to war or AIDS, most have between 6 and 15 years. Their main dream is to go to school, get education.


Digital ResourcesThe Digital Puritan
The Mather Project
Sermon Notebooks Online
Southern Manuscript Sermons before 1800: A Bibliography
Works of Jonathan Edwards Online
Barker, William S. and Samuel T. Logan, Jr., eds. Sermons that Shaped America: Reformed Preaching from 1630 to 2001. Phillipsburg, NJ: P & R, 2003.
Bond, Edward L., ed. Spreading the Gospel in Colonial Virginia: Sermons and Devotional Writings. Lanham, MD: Lexington, 2004.
Bosco, Ronald A., ed. The Puritan Sermon in America, 1630-1750. 4 vols. Delmar, NY: Scholars’ Facsimiles & Reprints, 1978.
Bushman, Richard L., ed. The Great Awakening: Documents on the Revival of Religion, 1740-1745. New York: Published for the Institute of Early American History and Culture at Williamsburg, Va. [by] Atheneum, 1970.
Heimert, Alan and Perry Miller, eds. The Great Awakening: Documents Illustrating the Crisis and Its Consequences. Indianapolis: Bobbs-Merrill Educational Publishing, 1967.
Kidd, Thomas S., ed. The Great Awakening: A Brief History with Documents. Boston: Bedford/St. Martin’s, 2008.
Levernier, James A. and Douglas R. Wilmes, eds. Sermons and Cannonballs: Eleven Sermons on Military Events of Historical Significance during the French and Indian Wars, 1689-1760. Delmar, NY: Scholars’ Facsimiles & Reprints, 1982.
Mather, Increase. Departing Glory: Eight Jeremiads of Increase Mather. Ed. Lee Schweninger. Delmar, NY: Scholars’ Facsimiles & Reprints, 1986.
Sandoz, Ellis, ed. Political Sermons of the American Founding Era, 1730-1805. 2nd ed. 2 vols. Indianapolis, IN: Liberty Fund, 1998.
Smith, Robert. The American Revolution and Righteous Community: Selected Sermons of Bishop Robert Smith. Ed. Charles Wilbanks. Charleston, SC: University of South Carolina Press, 2007.
Smith, Timothy L., ed. Whitefield and Wesley on the New Birth. Grand Rapids, Mich: Francis Asbury Press, 1986.
Warner, Michael, ed. American Sermons: The Pilgrims to Martin Luther King, Jr. New York: Library of America, 1999.
JournalsChristianity and Literature Church History Early American Literature Homiletic Journal of Southern Religion Literature and Theology Religion and Literature Renascence
Ahearn, Marie L. The Rhetoric of War: Training Day, the Militia, and the Military Sermon. New York: Greenwood, 1989.
Andrews, Edward E. Native Apostles: Black and Indian Missionaries in the British Atlantic World. Cambridge, MA: Harvard University Press, 2013.
Benton, Robert M. “An Annotated Check List of Puritan Sermons Published in Ameirca before 1700.” Bulletin of the New York Public Library 74 (1970): 286-337.
Bercovitch, Sacvan. The American Jeremiad. 2nd ed. Madison, WI: University of Wisconsin Press, 2012.
Brekus, Catherine A. Strangers & Pilgrims: Female Preaching in America, 1770-1845. Chapel Hill: University of North Carolina Press, 1998.
Brooks, Joanna. American Lazarus: Religion and the Rise of African-American and Native American Literatures. Oxford: Oxford University Press, 2003.
Bross, Kristina. Dry Bones and Indian Sermons: Praying Indians in Colonial America. Ithaca, NY: Cornell University Press, 2004.
Byrd, James P. Sacred Scripture, Sacred War: The Bible and the American Revolution. New York: Oxford University Press, 2013.
Cray, Robert E. Jr. “James Davenport’s Post-Bonfire Ministry, 1743-1757.” Historian 59.1 (September 1996): 59-73.
Davis, Richard Beale. Intellectual Life in the Colonial South, 1585-1763. Vol. 2. Knoxville, TN: University of Tennessee Press, 1978. 701-800.
Elliott, Emory. Power and the Pulpit in Puritan New England. Princeton, NJ: Princeton University Press, 1975.
Gordis, Lisa M. Opening Scripture: Bible Reading and Interpretive Authority in Puritan New England. Chicago: University of Chicago Press, 2003.
Graves, Michael P. Preaching the Inward Light: Early Quaker Rhetoric. Waco, TX: Baylor University Press, 2009.
Gustafson, Sandra M. Eloquence Is Power: Oratory & Performance in Early America. Chapel Hill: Published for the Omohundro Institute of Early American History and Culture, Williamsburg, Virginia, by the University of North Carolina Press, 2000.
Hall, Timothy. Contested Boundaries: Itineracy and the Reshaping of the Colonial American Religious World. Durham, NC: Duke University Press, 1994.
Heimert, Alan. Religion and the American Mind, from the Great Awakening to the Revolution. Cambridge: Harvard University Press, 1966.
Holland, Dewitte, ed. Preaching in American History: Selected Issues in the American Pulpit, 1630-1967. New York: Abingdon, 1969.
Jackson, Gregory S. “America’s First Mass Media: Preaching and the Protestant Sermon Tradition.” In A Companion to the Literatures of Colonial America. Ed. Susan Castillo and Ivy Schweitzer. Malden, MA: Blackwell, 2005. 402-25.
Jackson, Harvey H. “Hugh Bryan and the Evangelical Movement in Colonial South Carolina,” William and Mary Quarterly 43.4 (Oct 1986): 594-614.
Kidd, Thomas S. God of Liberty: A Religious History of the American Revolution. New York: Basic Books, 2010.
Kidd, Thomas S. The Great Awakening: The Roots of Evangelical Christianity in Colonial America. New Haven, CT: Yale University Press, 2007.
Lambert, Frank. Inventing the “Great Awakening”. Princeton: Princeton University Press, 1999.
Larson, Rebecca. Daughters of Light: Quaker Women Preaching and Prophesying in the Colonies and Abroad, 1700-1775. New York: Knopf, 1999.
Levy, Babette May. Preaching in the First Half Century of New England History. Hartford, CT: American Society of Church History, 1945.
Linck, Joseph C. Fully Instructed and Vehemently Influenced: Catholic Preaching in Anglo-Colonial America. Philadelphia, PA: St. Joseph’s University Press, 2002.
Mahaffey, Jerome D. Preaching Politics: The Religious Rhetoric of George Whitefield and the Founding of a New Nation. Waco: Baylor University Press, 2007.
McLoughlin, William G. Isaac Backus and the American Pietistic Tradition. Boston: Little, Brown, 1967.
Miller, Perry. The New England Mind. 2 vols. Cambridge, MA: Harvard University Press, 1953-54.
Neuman, Meredith Marie. Jeremiah’s Scribes: Creating Sermon Literature in Puritan New England. Philadelphia, PA: University of Pennsylvania Press, 2013.
Seay, Scott D. Hanging Between Heaven and Earth: Capital Crime, Execution Preaching, and Theology in Early New England. Dekalb, IL: Northern Illinois University Press, 2009.
Seeman, Erik. Pious Persuasions: Laity and Clergy in Eighteenth-Century New England. Baltimore: Johns Hopkins University Press, 1999.
Southern, Eileen, and Josephine Wright, eds. African-American Traditions in Song, Sermon, Tale, and Dance, 1600s-1920: An Annotated Bibliography of Literature, Collections, and Artwork. New York: Greenwood, 1990.
Stout, Harry S. The New England Soul: Preaching and Religious Culture in Colonial New England. New York: Oxford University Press, 1986.
Toulouse, Teresa. The Art of Prophesying: New England Sermons and the Shaping of Belief. Athens, GA: University of Georgia Press, 1987.
van Eijtnatten, Joris. Preaching, Sermon, and Cultural Change in the Long Eighteenth Century. Boston: Brill, 2009.
Weber, Donald. Rhetoric and History in Revolutionary New England. New York: Oxford University Press, 1988.
Winiarski, Douglas L. “Jonathan Edwards, Enthusiast? Radical Revivalism and the Great Awakening in the Connecticut Valley.” Church History 74.7 (December 2005): 638-739.


The figure before you appears human. His eyes are covered by a linen cloth and he wears a simple robe of pure white. In his hands he holds a shallow, marble bowl into which he appears to be gazing, despit his obvious blindness. The air around him seems to twist and ripple.
Born from the fabric of the First World in a place where time is in a constant flux Illuistar was born/died. He had a passion for knowledge that leads him out into the World of the Real. Standing outside the fabric of time, he saw a myriad of potential futures and so acted on them, gathering objects that will prove useful, he hopes, to a new band of heroes. The pebble has been sent down the mountainside he must now allow events to proceed naturally though he may have to nudge it a bit in the past/future.


Post by Candera Storm on Nov 29, 2012 14:17:56 GMT -7
Shortly after The current king of Gemstone took the throne a prophecy Wes made. It went something like this.
A young heir brings the a great hunt after a child of the dragon is given life The child of the dragons be sought by 5 a cursed black with a terrible darkness will light the way to the jeweled dragons North wind a half white South wind a purple human East wind West wind The winds are the guardians The black the teacher
This is only one part of the prophecy the rest has been lost or hidden so the king could not find no one really knows for sure.


Living a few blocks from one of the most iconic bridges in the world, I often stroll to the harbor’s edge, spot the Sydney Opera House, and watch ferries come and go into the Circular Quay. Add the backdrop of the crisp, blue Australian sky as sun glistens across the water, and a poem should practically write itself each day.
But when the pandemic hit and we were told to self-isolate, going out only for essentials, the last thing I felt was inspired.
MADE: A series of conversations with artists about how they navigate impasses and discover breakthroughs in their work.
To reach Karen Dolmanisth’s studio, I must first navigate a series of stairs, metal doors, and maze-like corridors in an old mill building in Florence, Massachusetts. Then follows a tunnel of books, artwork, costumes, and other ephemera gathered and carefully placed over the twenty years she has worked in this space.
Since meeting her seven years ago, I’ve admired painter Amanda Acker’s ability to tell a story through a single image, as well as her sensitive use of color, which has the effect of teaching me how to see the vibrancy in my own surroundings.
Despite my inexperience, what I made is beautiful to me, in part because it accomplished something I’ve strived for in my poems for a while: radical simplicity, quiet, and room for the reader to think about a single image or idea at a time. I also enjoyed engaging with the visual elements of these spare essences of language, seeing them as art objects as much as I see them as poems.


Purpose: To compare the tentative near add determined using four common procedures (amplitude of accommodation, NRA/PRA, age expected addition, binocular fused cross-cylinder test) with the final addition prescribed in presbyopic patients.
Methods: Two hundred healthy subjects with a mean age of 48.92 years (range 40 to 64 years) were studied. Tentative near additions were determined using four different techniques: amplitude of accommodation (AA), age-expected add, binocular fused cross-cylinder (BCC), and balance of negative and positive relative accommodation (NRA/PRA). The power of the add was then refined to arrive at the final add.
Results: The mean tentative near adds were lower than the final add for every method. These biases were small in clinical terms (less than 0.25 D) with the exception of the AA procedure (0.34 D). The intervals between the 95% limits of agreement differed substantially and were always lower than ±0.50 D.
Conclusion: Among the methods examined here, the binocular fused cross-cylinder technique produced results that correlated best with the final addition. The coefficient of agreements (COA) detected suggests that every tentative addition should be adjusted according to the particular needs of the patient.
Similar Articles: Near Addition
Comparing methods of determining addition in presbyopes.Clin Exp Optom. 2008 May;91(3):313-8. doi: 10.1111/j.1444-0938.2007.00159.x.PMID: 18399801
Age and the amplitude of accommodation measured using dynamic retinoscopy.Ophthalmic Physiol Opt. 2016 Jan;36(1):5-12. doi: 10.1111/opo.12244. Epub 2015 Sep 9.PMID: 26353999
Developments in the correction of presbyopia I: spectacle and contact lenses.Ophthalmic Physiol Opt. 2014 Jan;34(1):8-29. doi: 10.1111/opo.12091. Epub 2013 Nov 10.PMID: 24205890 Review.
An evaluation of estimation methods for determining addition in presbyopes.Arq Bras Oftalmol. 2013 Jul-Aug;76(4):218-20. doi: 10.1590/s0004-27492013000400005.PMID: 24061831 Clinical Trial.
Developments in the correction of presbyopia II: surgical approaches.Ophthalmic Physiol Opt. 2014 Jul;34(4):397-426. doi: 10.1111/opo.12129. Epub 2014 Apr 10.PMID: 24716827 Review.


Mykah Montgomery is a published children’s book author, recording artist, public speaker, and community leader, who received a proclamation from the Honorable Libby Schaaf, Mayor of Oakland for her child literacy advocacy and anti-bullying efforts. She is also an esteemed Jefferson Award for Public Service recipient and distinguished Alumna of the Year honoree for Saint Mary’s College of California.
As an author she understands the importance of literacy in all forms that provide access to knowledge.
Mykah Montgomery “gifted” hundreds of books to children via her Leaders are Readers Gift of Reading movement, and continues to recruit dignitaries, community leaders, educators, and entrepreneurs to participate as LARs Ambassador volunteers to support literacy at LARs flagship schools in the San Francisco Bay Area.
About LARs Inc.
Leaders are Readers, Inc. is a literacy program focused on reading & writing proficiency, as well as knowledge and competency in the following areas, including but not limited to:
• Financial Literacy- The ability to use knowledge & skills to manage financial resources effectively for a lifetime of financial well-being.
• Technology Literacy- The ability to understand, and responsibly, appropriately, and effectively use technology tools to access, manage, evaluate, and create & communicate information.
• Image & Etiquette Literacy – The ability to behave and dress appropriately in social settings.
• Cultural Literacy- The knowledge of one’s own culture.
• Multicultural Literacy- The knowledge and appreciation of other cultures.
• Philanthropy Literacy – Skills and knowledge that allow individuals to make informed and effective decisions with their financial resources, with a focus on “giving back” to ones’ community.
• Media & Visual Literacy- Ability to think critically about different types of media and images.
Executive Director / Program Director
Mykah Montgomery is a published author, songwriter, producer, actress, filmmaker, and public speaker.
She is the author of The Little Girl Who Wanted a Tail and Isaiah Wants to Read; books that promote a love for self and others, a love for reading, and entrepreneurship.
Mykah holds a Master’s degree in Leadership and Humanities, and a MBA in Executive Management. She is an outstanding leader with a career spanning 25+ years providing valuable strategic insight and customer care in management and senior level individual contributor roles. She is an esteemed recipient of the Jefferson Award for Public Service, and she presses forward giving her all to worthy causes that greatly impact others’ lives.
Sylvia is a an esteemed social graces and image and etiquette consultant.
Board of Directors
Mykah Montgomery – President
John Bishop – Treasurer
Joan Simmons – Secretary
Raymond L Bobbitt


Admission : Free
We would like to invite you and your loved ones to celebrate the most auspicious occasion of Sri Krishna Janmastami, the divine appearance of Lord Krishna on Friday August 23rd.
Krishna, who is known as Govinda, is the Supreme Godhead. He has an eternal blissful spiritual body. He is the origin of all. He has no other origin and He is the prime cause of all causes.The supreme lord appears in this world on the auspicious eighth day of the dark fortnight in the month of Bhadrapada, during the auspicious Rohini nakshatra, when all the stars were in auspicious constellations, a sweet scent permeated the atmosphere and the entire universe sanctified in the welcome of the Shyamsundar.


The golden fields are green, though bare,
No paddy, only wild grass thriving there.
With the heavens above and earth below
brimming with nature’s beauty galore.
These fields used to be filled with golden crop,
Bowing down, waiting to harvest every last drop.
But now the fields are neglected and free,
For the local wildlife to relish it with glee.
I am not sure which version I like best,
And that question I shall not put to test.
I would rather enjoy the changing tides of time,
Feel the gentle wind, and feast the vision sublime.


Come on in, make yourself at home. I’ll get the kettle on.
So…what have you been reading lately?
Today’s world building blog post is all about the structure of power in your literary world. If you’ve missed any of the previous instalments you can find them all Here. This might at first glance seem like a pretty easy choice to make: Shall I have a King/Queen? Or a President/Prime minister? Well, what if… Read more
5 Steps to craft the perfect magic system for your world Hello, and welcome to week four of my world building blog series. Over the previous three weeks we have looked at aesthetics, weather/climate and technology. If you’ve been following the series then by now you should have a pretty good idea of what your… Read more
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Nominative Determinism (Another Manifesto/ancient blog post)
Thursday, April 30, 2015
Nominative DeterminismEvery moment tortured by its self-awareness, anthropomorphised like the feminine. To understand this it is necessary to really know that the Greek word anthropos means man.
To understand this it is necessary to look no further than its context.
The writing is arbitrarily separated, categorised, imagined through refrain. It is an inherently physical writing. It is independent of narrative, except as it pertains to the machine that constructs it.
It is prescribed by the body of the author, as much as associated prejudices are imposed on the text through this self-knowledge, of author and audience.
The Contemporary:Not chronologically nor anachronistically but rather descriptively “Contemporary,” the moment of stasis that is post-industrialisation, frozen as an arbitrary gesture against that which came before, which is all that it refers to, the absence of the past, of humanism shocked to death by barbarity “no poetry," nothing will ever be the same.
Nominative determinism:At base a tautological statement, all words pertaining to reason and understanding somehow mean to diminish, they are words of containment and confinement.
All determinism is logocentric, it seems silly to even apply the word "determinism" when it applies to nothing but prejudice.
The nature of human intelligence is that it is not.
There is little to be lost and the whole world gained in thinking beyond reason.
Finally managed to explain myself, and to great affect, by simply stating that I remark (explain, stating, remark) that I (discuss) art as it pertains to capital, as it is predicted by its environment. Which is to say (say) that I write about everything, somehow, and yet it suffices by way of (definition).
Returns:With only a negative return on work, or real-time investment, accelerationism passing for belief in the afterlife.
Exhausted and exhaustive style making cheap the attempts toward accelerationism, as ordinarily unwittingly as they may be devised, and obsolete the anti-individualist attempts at retrofit individuality.
Once upon a time, belief was incentivised, but this system is perfect. It is all over.
Default-mode:For my part, believing in nothing, my independent dissociative state determined only to process phantom pain more or less resulting in the failures of my physiology and my nerve.
Task-negative network, overcome by the tacit incapacities of this working life, forging ahead only when stricken, closer somehow to the conditions of existence than when making money out of money.
I can't now and could never keep up with the expansionist intentions of those that set the working week.
Made all illness the responsibility, and indeed the fault of its sufferer as though it were subject to their authorship.
Here I am (there I go), one of capitalism's Dead Souls, feted to belong only to the hoard in an unfinished and morbid scam, or else to be wasted, to go to waste.
Ultraviolet:Light that by not being, throws into relief that which cannot be seen, the building blocks of the vegetative state, simply enough to feed off of, black light.
It just striking me as hard to penetrate, my own thoughts, a semi-permeable membrane.
The logic of penetration being assimilated as symbolic of a loss, a gift, a submission, is rape culture. And I have no desire to subject my perfect body to anthropomorphisation.
I have nothing left to say.Posted by Z.O'Mahoney at 8:05 PM


Ahhhh we are SOOOO flippin’ excited about this. K here, I’m finally back after taking a few weeks off (see post below from M). My sweet baby boy is currently sleeping in a Moby wrap strapped to me, giving me a little time to check emails and do some blogging. (I’ll write another post SOON about the transition to mommyhood, I promise!)
So just two days before I gave birth to Arie, Marissa & I finished up this project that we had been working on for a few months – and we are happy to say that it is finally through the production & publishing process, and it is available for purchase. It’s our new eBook! “1500 Poses: A Boudoir, Glamour, and Portrait Shot Guide for Photographers and Models” We are really excited about this eBook and love that we are able to get it in your hands at such a killer price (currently at an introductory rate of only $9.99!)
Get the Boudoir Divas’ New eBook NOW – an INSTANT DOWNLOAD PDF!
PURCHASE ON ITUNES – iBook Version
PURCHASE ON AMAZON – Kindle Version
You will just need to download the Kindle App for iPhone or iPad to be able to view it.
Within about an hour of launching the eBook on Amazon, we got tons of downloads, and our first review: “Amazing set of photos, finally something that is useful! Certainly already has spurred ideas I’ve not yet thought of. Buy it!” (Thank you, Shannon, for sharing your review!) If you purchase the eBook, we would REALLY value your opinion if you can take the time to write a review on Amazon for us. Thank you so much.
We said this in our book, but also wanted to mention here as we officially announce the launch – that this book wouldn’t be possible without the help of so many amazing people. Our Boudoir Divas Team (and fab photographers, Sarah, Erin, & Deena, who played a role in this book by taking some of the images inside!) Our fab HMU artist Peggy, for beautifying our clients. Lindsey, the Divas’ “Production Princess” – for working your post-production magic. (Also gotta mention that Lindsey, Sarah, and Peggy all make cameo appearances in the book as models!) And to ALL of the clients, friends, and models who were brave enough to let us share your images in this book… thank you, thank you, thank you. From the bottom of our hearts. (There are many more people to thank – please see the acknowledgments section in the book!)
Have a happy Friday, a fabulous weekend, and GO BUY THE NEW BOOK NOW! xoxo, Kimberlee


Welcome to Eve
A father daughter story I had written half a year ago that went on hiatus when the trailer for Logan dropped D;
September 30th, 2016, 11:26 pm
Today marks the momentous date of the launch of
! Comics coming soon!


**I was asked by dear Kristin Lemus to host week seven of the Women at War Bible study here at kjtanner. The study is based on the book by Jan Greenwood and let me tell you, it is making me think and God is using it to change me and my heart. It's about to get real honest up in here. Thanks for joining and if you like what you read, you can subscribe by clicking here.**
More than once I've walked away from a conversation with the thought, "I really dislike women." The cattiness, the backbiting, the competition and the one-upmanship that seems to rear its ugly head in a group of women leaves me utterly content to sequester myself in a corner with a good book and a journal. However, as Beth Moore says in her study on James, "Immunity from community means no ministry."
Ladies, my ministry probably looks different than your ministry which looks different from her ministry which reaches an entirely different demographic than her ministry. Even so, if you are drawing breath, you are called by God and frankly, your ministry will involve people...probably women. The beauty of this is that we each have something unique to bring to the table. Let's stop the competition and instead augment each other with our individual gifts and talents.
I recently read an amazing book. Maybe you've heard of it. It's called Lean In and it's written by Sheryl Sandberg, the CFO of Facebook. In it, Sandberg encourages women to quit competing and instead take their place at the table. To accept their callings, identify their goals, whether they be family focused, career focused, or both and get to performing to the best of their abilities. While not an overtly Christian book, Sandberg's principles would be well-applied in our ministries.
Back to Jan's book.
One of the biggest associations with being a woman is that of being a mother. In Christendom (can I still use that word?) every woman is called to be a mother. Some of us biologically and others of us spiritually. The Bible is big on adoption so it would make complete sense that as women we can adopt fellow women into our family as we mentor them. In the same way, we are mentored by others.
Mentoring sounds like this big scary word, but here's what Oprah has to say about mentoring--"A mentor is someone who allows you to see the hope inside yourself." The only requirement to be a mentor is to be able to point out the hope in others, the good in others, the potential in others. I'm pretty sure that since we carry Hope Himself in us that every single one of us as Christians qualifies as a mentor. We each have something to offer. I don't care if you've been following Christ for one month or one lifetime--you can and are called to offer hope; to be a spiritual mother to someone else.
The entirety of chapter seven (my assigned chapter) was about mothering and I could blather on and on about it, but instead, I'd like to hear from you....and I'll answer my own questions as well because well, it would be no fun if I just asked and didn't volunteer my answers first...so here goes....
1. Have you ever been mentored? If so, by whom and what were the effects?
Honestly, I have about four women that I consider to be in my mentor group. These women know the good and the bad--the ugly and the beautiful and they never stop seeing the potential in me. These women have covered me in grace and are the ones that continue to tell me that, "You can do this." One of them is about thirty-five years older than me, the other is about fifteen years older than me, and two are what I would call peer mentors. We are in the same stage of life and are doing this mothering thing together.
2. What is a dream that God has placed in your heart? How could someone come alongside you to help encourage that?
I want to write. Thankfully, one of my peer mentors helps me do that. Just to hear her voice saying, "Keep writing. Someone needs to hear/read this," is extremely encouraging. We are both writers, both bloggers, and yet there is no competition. We both encourage each other and pray for each other's platforms and influence. This friend is the real deal, y'all.
3. Just as you are being poured into are you pouring into others? Is there someone in your life that you could encourage?
Mentoring can sound so scary. Sometimes just a note or a voicemail of encouragement is all that is needed. Instead of thinking about mentoring as this huge responsibility, just think about it as encouraging someone else. If you can't think of someone off the top of your head, ask God to reveal someone to you in the next week that he would have you pour into. Then do it. :-)
4. Lastly, take a moment and think about who God has positioned in your life as a mentor. Then write them a note, send them a text, email them and just let them know that they are important to you and are making a difference in your life. We're all women and we can all use a little encouragement.
***Thank you so much for joining us here for today's study. We'd love to hear your thoughts in the comments so feel free to interact there. Jan can be found here and on twitter. Kristin Lemus has been orchestrating this amazing blog study tour and you can follow her here. Lastly, if you like what you read, you can subscribe to kjtanner here or you can follow me on Twitter.***


It is the first day in April and I am looking out the window at an epic April Fools Day prank. The skies and mountains are all gray. People are trapped in their houses submersed in the gray fear of coronavirus. There is no promise of spring tans, blue sky or yellow sun. We are even wearing gray sweatpants or lounge wear while waiting to be released from the endless isolation of our house. Just as I nestle down for my second nap of the day, my husband drags my reluctant butt off the couch. He insists on taking a walk in all this slushy gray depressing mess. I bundle up as if it was January and we head out. As we walk silently around our housing development, adhering strictly to the social distancing protocol, I notice that life is teeming around us. Birds are crowded in the trees. Worms pepper the sidewalks. Children are outside playing everywhere. It is like the whole world is out for recess. There are driveway basketball games, mom’s racing their kids on scooters, strollers, dog walkers and signs of the earth waking up. Time seems to have slipped backwards a few decades. I marvel at this revelation as we cross the bridge over Flat Creek. We take a minute to hang over the rails while scanning for fish. The water is clear and fresh. Small nymphs dart in and out of the rocks. The sound of the water gently brushes against the bridge. I realize people pay money to experience this on an app.
Nature is our one constant. It doesn’t ask our permission to change. The power of its defiance makes us bend to its will. It’s not worried about riding the tide of popularity or pleasing the masses. We can tweet, facebook and snapchat about it, but it will hold the path. Whatever is going on in the world belongs to the humans. The water is at the center of it all. It twists and turns creating its own destiny. My mind dares to jump ahead to summer. The warmth of my deck, the trails that wind through the mountains and the river. The river that is constant. It holds life in its depth as it slithers across the earth. Being out on the river is a rare gift. The fresh air, community of nature and the slowdown that happens the moment you step on a raft. The summer seems far away and vague. The river will be there when we are ready with its ability to make us forget the gray. In sickness and in health the river flows.
Our Wildest Neighbors: Tips for Spotting Wildlife in Jackson, Wyoming Since the earliest days of Jackson Hole, one of the most fascinating and special parts of the valley is the diverse wildlife that dwells in the wilderness around town. Just...Read More
Locals all agree – summer holidays are a great time to be on the river. For Labor Day, that’s especially true. Fall is the time of year when Jackson folks go to bed warmed by their outdoor adventures, and wake...Read More


Battle of Wits Battle of Wits was the winner of the October 2012 Raspberry and Vine Short Story Competition in Melbourne Australia. A police detective must solve the violent death of an elderly single man, focussing on the man's neighbours. Detective Eric Bryson thought he had seen it all, every type of victim and all manner of perpetrator. Then he met Christine Banks - beautiful, intelligent, and his only lead in this baffling case. Battle of Wits takes you on a journey into the psyche of both people, the cat and mouse game they play, and the subtlety of revelation that must be teased, coaxed…and earned.


Hmmm as I wrote the above title, I accidentally wrote “A NEW EAR” first and it made me think, “actually that is not inappropriate”. I’m in New York, ready to start a new experience. Well, many new experiences. And I like the idea of a new ear, a new way to hear things, a better way of picking up signals. Like an ear in music. Hearing the natural way a melody should go. I want to “hear” what the universe is actually telling me. I feel a bit like I’ve been living the life beside my life for the last 32 years (how long I’ve been acting – in case anyone thought I was trying to pretend I’m 32). I’ve had an amazing career. Truly exciting and thrilling and filled with opportunities. But I’ve always felt like I’ve been on a parallel path with my real life and its like the real life is on the other side of a very thin wall of rice paper – I can see the shadows, glimmers of the light but I don’t quite know what I’m looking at.
Well I feel so much closer to knowing now. And being here in New York, I want some new adventures. … [Continue reading]


Julian’s book has been released!!
‘Apostolic Priorities’ explores how the apostolic is the engine of the church and a vital component to our missional success. Full of real life stories, miracles and the history of New Wine Cymru.
Hear Julian talk about the book ‘Apostolic Priorities’ in his recent interview with Premier Radio.
To purchase a copy, follow this link.


Abbie @ab_reads curated a selection of books for Babingtons Blends to coincide with our Curiositea theme
Looking for some literary inspiration?
We partnered with the wonderful Abbie @ab_reads, book lover and baking enthusiast, to recommend a few October books to coincide with our monthly Curiositea theme.
Abi's curiosiTEA is queer historical fiction since we don’t see as many queer folk in historical fiction. For Abbie, Sarah Waters is the queen of lesbian, Victoriana fiction. Fingersmith is by far her favourite and she's planning on reading The Paying Guests this month.
Taking time out for yourself helps to ensure your overall wellness whilst you expand your mind and imagination. Get baking, pour some Babbingtons 'African Nights' South African Rooibos tea and fall into a comfy sofa whilst you indulge your mind, body and soul.
We can all get used to our favourites but why not try something new!
We have a delicious selection of blends to choose from including black, green and herbal.
@ab_reads enjoyed our two teas of the month including our delicious 'African Nights' South African Rooibos tea. Scented naturally with lemon myrtle, hibiscus, orange peel and almond natural flavouring, you can’t help falling in love with its creamy, sweet flavour. And the good news is, it's all natural and super healthy.
The red fruits and almonds, mixed in with the popular Rooibos little red needles, gift you with a creamy and intense herbal tea, which is delicious both hot and iced. Delicious for you or as a gift..
When was the last time you tried a new tea?
Visit @ab_reads on Instagram for some literary and baking inspiration.


Only 20 left
Another Place Press
Also available as a Special Edition, limited to 30 copies - each with an A4 limited edition inkjet print signed and numbered £55.00
Dinosaur Dust was made between 2014-19 over several trips through the Mojave Desert in California. Subjects become collaborators in this open-ended narrative, both experienced and directed, telling stories of life lived with a heightened sense of mortality and longing in this isolated landscape.
Many women are drawn to the desert, often living alone, building new homes and embracing this formidable wild life. Submit to the great meteorological forces and it’s a reminder of how it feels to be alive, drawn to this edge, like someone experiencing vertigo, with an inexplicable urge to jump into the abyss.
Available through Another Place Press


living, as i often do,
in post-industrial cities,
i articulate reasons why
i am a writing educator –
the stories of our lives
matter. as roland barthes
once famously said,
i am interested in language
because it wounds or seduces me.
or, another, from laetitia sadler:
what’s society built on?
built on words. built on words.
in december i will fly thousands of miles
to speak my languages, all or at minimum
both, repeatedly, in chambers, in hallways.
the fate of the free world could be at stake.
tides are already beginning to rise.
at this prospect, i often feel bathed
in thoughts of blithe nihilism –
to return to the foot of the cordillera
of my birth and assert expertise
on storybook matters of urgency,
on the brisk urge to curtail
the droughts, the floods,
the heat, erosion, melting glaciers,
soil contamination, make a wake, a wake,
a wake, a wake, awake.
these are the stories i want to share:
a woman teaching sick workers in tijuana
how to forage clam shells for beads.
my friend mike, who is
a three-time cancer survivor
and aging prophet of lake charles, louisiana.
the taste and smell of houston air.
how oil and water don’t mix, not
in chalmette, not
in whiting, not
in loreto, not
the first community solar streetlight
ever to grace the streets
of highland park, michigan,
blocks from the birth of cars.
what heat exhaustion feels like.
how easy it can be to plant fruit trees.
the disarming joy of sharing a simple meal.
i am going back home
to south america
because language either wounds
or seduces, and because
we build with words what we see –
we need a story that honors
who’s been failed, who we throw
away, who we’ll need (all of us)
to speak and see
universal things – the romance
and boldness of care, stewardship,
for the earth, for each other.
for abolishing throwaway geography.
having said this, i
want to open up the discourse
and ask you
what you’d say
if you could go, too.
by Pablo Baeza


Six months after Belgian cycling legend Tom Boonen hung up his wheels following Paris-Roubaix, he was back in the spotlight to present a new book about his career, entitled ‘Jaren van Bewondering’ (Years of Admiration).
VTM journalist Merijn Casteleyn set out in 2016 to interview some riders about Boonen for a retrospective on his career, but the project soon ballooned. According to Het Laatste Nieuws, Casteleyn said writing a book was not the plan at the outset.
“The interviews lasted longer than planned, the list of riders grew. I did not stick to a specific number, but just wrote down names. Ten were 15. Fifteen became 30. Thirty was soon 50. And counting,” Casteleyn said, and the original idea was scrapped in favour of a book.
Casteleyn interviewed teammates, riders from other teams, Belgians and foreigners, sprinters and Classics men from the current peloton and those who have retired.
“That’s when we realized how great the admiration of all those colleagues was for Tom, the man and the rider,” Casteleyn said.
The many big names among those interviewed include Peter Sagan, Philippe Gilbert, Alejandro Valverde, Greg Van Avermaet, Paolo Bettini, Oscar Freire, Johan Museeuw and Marcel Kittel.
You can read more at Cyclingnews.com


Tracey Lynn Roland - McMillon is a native of Little Rock, Arkansas and a graduate of both Little Central High School and University of Arkansas at Little Rock (UALR). After obtaining her Bachelor of Arts and Master Degree in Liberal Arts, she started her own paralegal company. In addition to being a business owner, Mrs. McMillon has also taught Criminal Justice and Math at the collegiate level and served as a Statistician for the United States Navy/Marines.
Her book, "Defying the Odds" is a testament to men, women, children and people of all races, that you can make it, regardless of where you come from, your circumstances or the many life challenges that present themselves as roadblocks. All one needs is mentorship, inspiration and the desire to simply do it.
An exemplary mentor herself, Mrs. McMillon is determined to share her story with those who are in within the sound of her voice.


It’s almost cruel and unfair, the first few months after summer camp. I often found myself disoriented after camp, stripped of my freak-out and left to fend for myself. Days are now filled with artificial lighting and cubed rooms with few exit signs. I felt boxed into endless hours of power points, and irrelevant dense readings. But I’m being dramatic.
Camp represents the beautifully structured schedule that allows for creativity. There’s no rule without reason. It’s freedom and friendship. It’s natural and open. It’s the mud in between your toes before you hop in the lake that day. It’s a Cabin 4 boy telling a joke that doesn’t make an iota of sense, to a crowd of 100 people, and those very same 100 people clapping and laughing like hyenas, begging for more. It doesn’t hold to restrictive weirdness or arbitrary deadlines. Having experienced camp through middle school, high school, and college, I’ve had most of my epiphanies in life during the summer. And looking back, now more so than ever has it shaped the way I view my past decisions and future ones.
Growing up in the sheltered suburbs, I had it figured out. I did some sports, could play a few chords on guitar, got straight A’s, had an extensive social web, and had the best three friends a girl could ask for. A confident little lady in the eyes of many. But most importantly, I had a plan.
But then there were the few without them. I remember this one kid in our town who would wear old chucks and two dollar garage-sale-looking button downs. He had long hair that was slicked back behind one of his ears as he talked, and a stench of musty pants, or lack of bathing, or who knows, seemed to radiate unapologetically from him. He spoke as if it were the 60’s, always off to the next local music event, putting high school far at the end of his list. He seemed to float as he walked with long strides and would relaxingly hunch his lanky body slightly forward, as if he never had the nervousness to sit up straight before.
He’d pop up now and then downtown, never with a notice, never a call. Pretty sure he didn’t even have a phone. People couldn’t explain him. Why wouldn’t he finish high school? Why did he not have a phone? Why he didn’t seem to have a plan? Gossip blamed it on social weirdness or even the music scene, but evidence has it that he was as kind as a peach. His plan was music, though many reject something as unstructured as music to be one. Blues beats and old riffs would flood from his fingers with whatever instrument he touched. Whether it was his bass, guitar, keyboard, harmonica – give this kid a Q-tip, a wooden stick, and a doorknob and he’d make music.
Everyone knew him, and it being our last year of high school, everyone also knew the pressure of applying for the next step of education. Deadlines, applications, and endless recommendation letters were upon us. But these two pieces of knowledge, were held at opposite sides of the spectrum. Our options were clear: to stay trapped in the suburbs, as our musty panted friend had seemed to choose, or to move on out of our parents’ houses for a new start.
I of course supported and identified with our long haired friend’s blues background, having always wanted to be a front blues singer for a rock band, and found myself jealous and in awe of his natural talent. I could never relax my shoulders as he did, could never nonchalantly jam unannounced at a local show. But most importantly, I could never skip class the way he could, could never miss practice, get a C, the way he could. After all, I was working for something bigger- college, right?
As time went on we would still see him during breaks from college. My friends and I would playfully joke about him when we saw him riding his Schwinn with a ukulele on his back, or seeming to wander aimlessly downtown with a guitar. But the real joke was that we thought we had our lives figured out. Without even actively thinking about it, or being malicious, we elevated ourselves above him. His presence of not having a structured four year plan, somewhat reaffirmed our own nervous decisions of having one.
And of course with my three random switches in Majors later, the haunting realization had dawned on me: I had no plan. Just as he supposedly didn’t. But, this was okay. I will finish my two more semesters of overworked course loads and suffocated creativity, and renew myself with musty pants and camp spirit. Looking back on it, I wish I had the focus and gall to wear those musty pants, to fearlessly front bands and street corners, to pursue dreams of writing and music as our long haired friend did from the start of high school. He has camp in him. And this is not to say those with camp spirit are high school drop-outs. This is to say he did what he loved, and shared it with others with a big smile on his face. He has happiness. And that’s all we can search for right? Live and learn, and carry on with what you love.
Ready for more sap? Yes. I’m ready. So, with 2014 upon me, and my last two semesters, I feel the chains slowly loosen, and an awakening coming on. Arbitrary structure and higher education are like shooting sports for me. No matter how hard I attempted to align my shot, it always went a little to the left. At least I had the waterfront to splash freely. And so I did as a kid, and I will now. I will splash freely with the mustiest of pants and a renewed sense of camp spirit not just during my summer months, but all year round.--------------
Thanks to all those who sent thoughts our way. Happy Halloween, and we'll have more Camp News coming your way in November.


Audrey McPherson and Hallie McPherson are a sister filmmaking team who grew up in a family of filmmakers. Their own partnership benefits not only from a shared sororal language and political/artistic sensibility, but also from their complementary strengths. First and foremost a writing team, they are experienced filmmakers who are eager to both collaborate as well as direct their own work. They are interested in stories about women, family, magic, mythology, and are drawn to the darkest corners of comedy. Their writing motto is "make the audience laugh lest they weep."
Hallie writes full-fledged f*cked-up characters and never met a pun she didn’t like. Behind her wicked and sometimes unseemly dialogue you will find that Hallie is, at heart, a structuralist whose background in theatre has provided the scaffolding necessary to build a compelling and wholly-realized story. She currently lives with her sister and writing partner in Los Angeles, but plans to die in Brooklyn. Please click here to see a sample of writing beyond the screen and here to see her creative resume.
Hallie has been writing stories since before she could properly hold a pencil. A devoted theatre nerd, Hallie began writing plays in high school. She graduated from Barnard College with a minor in playwriting before going on to get her MFA in Dramatic Writing at Carnegie Mellon University. Her latest play "C*NTLOAF: Or The C-Word Play," was a finalist for the NAPAT award through the Kennedy Center, as well as earning her the Mary Marlin Fischer Award at CMU.
Audrey has a strong sense of structure and a knack for visual storytelling. Her time spent behind the camera has reinforced the idea that the words on the page are only as good as the images they conjure. Her partnership with her sister has only made her a better storyteller. Together, they are a formidable team. Please click here to see her creative resume.
After studying philosophy at Williams College and UCLA, Audrey hiked the Appalachian Trail, spent months living in a van in New Zealand, worked as a backcountry ranger in Northern Vermont and as a dive master in Thailand and Indonesia. Her travels taught her that a good story is universal currency: appreciated and accepted everywhere. She moved to LA and began taking cinematography and acting classes, writing screenplays, and making short films. Her filmmaking partnership with her sister began in 2019 when they wrote their first script together.


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The Power Of Now, A Guide to Spiritual Enlightenment, By Eckhart Tolle
"To meet everything and everyone through stillness instead of mental noise is the greatest gift you can offer to the universe."
- Eckhart Tolle
Eckhart Tolle is emerging as one of today’s most inspiring teachers. In The Power of Now, already a word-of-mouth bestseller in Canada, the author describes his transition from despair to self-realization soon after his 29th birthday. Tolle took another ten years to understand this transformation, during which time he evolved a philosophy that has parallels in Christianity, Buddhism, relaxation techniques, and meditation theory but is also eminently practical.
In The Power of Now, Eckhart Tolle shows readers how to recognize themselves as the creators of their own pain, and how to have a pain-free existence by living fully in the present. Accessing the deepest self, the true self, can be learned, he says, by freeing ourselves from the conflicting, unreasonable demands of the mind and living present, fully, and intensely, in the Now.
"In The Power of Now, author-sage Eckhart Tolle uses words to guide readers beyond words. Pointing to the portals of the eternal present, this practical mystic's modern gospel offers transcendent truths that set us free."
— Dan Millman, author of Everyday Enlightenment and The Laws of Spirit
" A great contribution to our understanding of what it means to be a spiritual being. "
— Ian Percy, author of Going Deep
About the Author:
Eckhart Tolle was born in Germany where he spent the first thirteen years of his life. After graduating the University of London, he was a research scholar and supervisor at Cambridge University. At the age of twenty-nine a profound spiritual transformation virtually dissolved his identity and radically changed the course of his life. The next few years were devoted to understanding, integrating and deepening that transformation, which marked the beginning of an intense inward journey. For the past ten years he has been a counselor and spiritual teacher, working with individuals and small groups in Europe and North America. He has lived in Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada since 1996.
Publisher: New World Library; (October 1999)
Size/Type: Hardcover, 0.88 x 9.34 x 6.34
Author: Eckhart Tolle
Title: The Power Of Now, A Guide to Spiritual Enlightenment
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