Tagged / Global Health
Migration & mental health research in Nepal
BU research, Featured academics, Global engagement, Impact, Research news, research staff, Uncategorized, writing Edwin van Teijlingen
Congratulations to Dr. Pramod Regmi and Dr. Nirmal Aryal, both in the Faculty of Health & Social Sciences (FHSS), who co-authored of our latest health and migration paper which was accepted this week. This paper called "Nepali migrant workers and the need for pre-departure training on mental health: a qualitative study" will appear in the Journal of Immigrant & Minority Health [1]. This is the sixth paper published this year by this FHSS team of researchers on migration and health research about Nepal and the twelfth paper in total on the topic [2-12].
This important health and migration research in Nepal and about Nepali migrant workers is also the foundation of a Bournemouth University REF 2021 Impact Case Study.
Regmi, P., Aryal, N., van Teijlingen, E., Adhikary, P. Nepali migrant workers and the need for pre-departure training on mental health: a qualitative study, Journal of Immigrant & Minority Health (accepted).
Regmi, P., van Teijlingen, E., Mahato, P., Aryal, N., Jadhav, N., Simkhada, P., Syed Zahiruddin, Q., Gaidhane, A., (2019) The health of Nepali migrants in India: A qualitative study of lifestyles and risks, Journal of Environmental Research & Public Health 16(19), 3655; doi:10.3390/ijerph16193655.
International Organization for Migration (2019) Research on the Health Vulnerabilities of the Cross-Border Migrants from Nepal, Kathmandu, Nepal: International Organization for Migration.
Dhungana, R.R., Aryal, N, Adhikary, P., KC, R., Regmi, P.R., Devkota, B., Sharma, G.N., Wickramage, K., van Teijlingen, E., Simkhada, P. (2019) Psychological morbidity in Nepali cross-border migrants in India: A community-based cross-sectional, BMC Public Health 19:1534 https://bmcpublichealth.biomedcentral.com/articles/10.1186/s12889-019-7881-z
Aryal, N., Regmi, P.R., van Teijlingen, E., Simkhada, P., Mahato, P. (2019) Adolescents left behind by migrant workers: a call for community-based mental health interventions in Nepal. WHO South East Asia Journal of Public Health 8(1): 38-41.
Adhikary P, van Teijlingen E., Keen S. (2019) Workplace accidents among Nepali male workers in the Middle East and Malaysia: A qualitative study, Journal of Immigrant & Minority Health 21(5): 1115–1122. https://link.springer.com/article/10.1007/s10903-018-0801-y
Simkhada, P.P., van Teijlingen, E.R., Gurung, M., Wasti, S. (2018) A survey of health problems of Nepalese female migrants workers in the Middle-East & Malaysia, BMC International Health & Human Rights 18(4): 1-7. http://rdcu.be/E3Ro
Adhikary P, Sheppard, Z., Keen S., van Teijlingen E. (2018) Health and well-being of Nepalese migrant workers abroad, International Journal of Migration, Health & Social Care 14(1): 96-105. https://doi.org/10.1108/IJMHSC-12-2015-0052
Adhikary, P, Sheppard, Z., Keen, S., van Teijlingen, E. (2017) Risky work: accidents among Nepalese migrant workers in Malaysia, Qatar & Saudi Arabia, Health Prospect 16(2): 3-10.
Simkhada, P.P., Regmi, P.R., van Teijlingen, E., Aryal, N. (2017) Identifying the gaps in Nepalese migrant workers' health and well-being: A review of the literature, Journal of Travel Medicine 24 (4): 1-9.
Adhikary, P., Simkhada, P.P., van Teijlingen E., Raja, AE. (2008) Health & Lifestyle of Nepalese Migrants in the UK BMC International Health & Human Rights 8(6). Web address: www.biomedcentral.com/1472-698X/8/6
Sapkota, T., Simkhada, P., van Teijlingen, E. (2014) Nepalese health workers' migration to United Kingdom: A qualitative study. Health Science Journal 8(1):57-74.
Tags: Dr. Nirmal Aryal Dr. Pramod Regmi Edwin-blog-post Global Health immigration mental health Mental Health and Wellbeing migrant migrant health migrants Nepal Prof. Edwin van Teijlingen South Asia Southasia training
BU papers on academic writing are getting read
BU research, Featured academics, international, open access, Publishing, Uncategorized, writing Edwin van Teijlingen
Yesterday ResearchGate announced that the paper 'Academic authorship: who, why and in what order?' [1] has been read 1000 times. The paper addresses two related issues in academic writing: (a) authorship; and (b) order of authors. The issue of authorship centres on the notion of who can be an author, who should be an author and who definitely should not be an author. The paper reminds the reader that this is partly discipline specific. The second issue, the order of authors, is usually dictated by the academic tradition from which the work comes. One can immediately envisage disagreements within a multi-disciplinary team of researchers where members of the team may have different approaches to authorship order. Prof. Vanora Hundley is the lead author and the paper is co-authored with Prof. Edwin van Teijlingen, both in the Centre for Midwifery, Maternal & Perinatal Health (CMMPH), and BU Visiting Professor Padam Simkhada. Padam is Professor of International Public Health in the Public Health Institute at Liverpool John Moores University.
Paper by Hundley et al. published 2013
This paper is part of a larger set of papers by academic in the Faculty of Health & Social Sciences addressing various aspects of academic writing and publishing. Many of these papers are in Open Access journals, hence easily available across the globe for anybody with an internet connection. The series has covered papers on selecting an appropriate title for an academic paper, the role of the journal editor, the publication process and many more [2-9].
Hundley, V, van Teijlingen, E, Simkhada, P (2013) Academic authorship: who, why and in what order? Health Renaissance 11(2):98-101 www.healthrenaissance.org.np/uploads/Download/vol-11-2/Page_99_101_Editorial.pdf
Pitchforth, E, Porter M, Teijlingen van E, Keenan Forrest, K.. (2005) Writing up & presenting qualitative research in family planning & reproductive health care, J Fam Plann Reprod Health Care 31(2): 132-135.
Hall, J., Hundley, V., van Teijlingen, E. (2015) The journal editor: friend or foe? Women & Birth 28(2): e26-e29.
Simkhada P, van Teijlingen E, Hundley V. (2013) Writing an academic paper for publication, Health Renaissance 11(1):1-5. www.healthrenaissance.org.np/uploads/Pp_1_5_Guest_Editorial.pdf
van Teijlingen, E., Ireland, J., Hundley, V., Simkhada, P., Sathian, B. (2014) Finding the right title for your article: Advice for academic authors, Nepal J Epidemiol 4(1): 344-347.
van Teijlingen E., Hundley, V., Bick, D. (2014) Who should be an author on your academic paper? Midwifery 30: 385-386.
van Teijlingen, E, Simkhada, PP, Rizyal A (2012) Submitting a paper to an academic peer-reviewed journal, where to start? (Guest Editorial) Health Renaissance 10(1): 1-4.
van Teijlingen, E, Simkhada. PP, Simkhada, B, Ireland J. (2012) The long & winding road to publication, Nepal J Epidemiol 2(4): 213-215 http://nepjol.info/index.php/NJE/article/view/7093/6388
Pradhan, AK, van Teijlingen, ER. (2017) Predatory publishing: a great concern for authors, Med Sci 5(4): 43.
Tags: academic writing CMMPH co-authored congratulations creative writing editor Editorial Global Health horizon 2020 journal open access predatory publishing Prof. Edwin van Teijlingen Prof. Vanora Hundley publication publishing social sciences training Visiting Professor
International evening at BU 24th April
conferences, Delicious links, Events, Global engagement, international, Knowledge Transfer Partnership, Public engagement, Uncategorized Edwin van Teijlingen
Dorset Global Health Network: Tech for Good:
The Dorset Global Health Network would like to invite you to an exciting session with two great guest speakers Andrew Moore and Waheed Arian on Wednesday 24 April on the 3rd Floor, Bournemouth University's Executive Business Centre, 19.00 – 21:00 proceeded by a Light Buffet Dinner at 18:30.
Mr Andrew Moore from 3 Sided Cube is a Bournemouth based app and digital product company passionate about using Tech for Good on a global scale. Andrew will be telling us about their exciting and award winning work, including the worlds first blood donation tracking app.
Dr Waheed Arian from Arial Teleheal, a pioneering telemedicine charity, providing advice to doctors in war zones and low income countries. Hear Waheed's inspirational personal journey from living in a refugee camp to being recognised as UNESCO Global Hero 2017 and winner of Rotary International Peace Award 2018.
Book your space at: https://bit.ly/2Nn0JJR
The Dorset Global Health Network is a forum for anyone interested in global health to meet, exchange ideas and experience.
This event has been organised by the Dorset Primary Care Workforce Centre (PCWC) in collaboration with Wessex Global Health Network.
Tags: #globalBU Charity COPMRE Global Health medical medicine poverty Prof. Edwin van Teijlingen telemedicine
Dorset Global Health Network: Focus on Africa
conferences, Global engagement, international, Public engagement, Uncategorized Edwin van Teijlingen
Dorset Global Health Network invites you to its next meeting focusing on Africa on Wednesday 7 November 2018 in Bournemouth University's Executive Business Centre. The meeting organised by Primary Care Workforce Centre starts with a dinner at 6.30 PM with the event running between 19.00 and 21.00. You can register here!
Tags: Africa COPMRE Dorset Global Health Poole Prof. Edwin van Teijlingen Wessex
First meeting Dorset Global Health Network great success!
BU research, Events, Featured academics, Global engagement, international, PG research, Public engagement, Research communication, Research news, Uncategorized Edwin van Teijlingen
This week's inaugural meeting of the Dorset Global Health Network was a great success. It was sold out on 'Eventbrite' long before day of the event (25th of April). The inaugural meeting held at Bournemouth University (BU) focused on Nepal. The evening was opened by Dr. Emer Forde who is GP Programme Director, Health Education Wessex (Dorset) and member of BU's Centre for General Practice. She spoke of her and her son's recent experience in her presentation 'Voluntourism in Nepal : A lesson in the grey areas of global health.'
The second short presentation was by Prof. Edwin van Teijlingen for BU's Centre for Midwifery, Maternal & Perintal Health (CMMPH). His presentation with the title 'The challenge of perinatal mental health in Nepal' covered issues around maternal mental health, auxiliary nurse-midwives and stigma and culture in southern Nepal. The project brought together academics, midwives, nurses, and other health workers in Nepal and the UK to help in the training of auxiliary nurse midwives in Nawalparasi on key aspects of mental health and mental health promotion. The project led by Bournemouth University was funded under the Health Partnership Scheme (HPS) which is managed by a London-based organisation called THET (Tropical Health & Education Trust).
The third speaker and final speaker Dr Ollie Ross, Consultant Anaesthetist at Southampton General Hospital, introduced the film 'Hospital'. The film provides a portrait of a state-run hospital in one of the most remote and poor districts of Nepal and how individuals can make a difference to people's lives. Dr Ross is also a consultant to the Nick Simons Foundation working in Nepal. According to The Nepali Times Nepal's most accomplished documentary maker, Kesang Tseten, has a knack of bringing out in his films the best in people. He looks for the flower that grows amidst the squalour, and tries to spread a message of hope. His film, Hospital, returns to rural Nepal to portray a hospital in Kalikot where ordinary health workers accomplish extraordinary things.
The event was organised by the Dorset Primary Care Workforce Centre in collaboration with Bournemouth University and the Wessex Global Health Network.
Tags: BU research CMMPH collaborative research COPMRE general practice Global engagement Global Health Health midwifery Nepal Prof. Edwin van Teijlingen public engagement research social sciences Wessex Wessex CRN
New paper on Nepalese migrant workers
BU research, Global engagement, international, Research news pregmi
Approximately 3.5 million young Nepalese are working abroad. Unskilled construction jobs including labourer, scaffolder, plumber and carpenter are the most common jobs. Every year there are more than 1000 de aths and many hundreds cases of injuries among Nepalese workers in these countries excluding India. For example, the Foreign Employment Promotion Board of Nepal recently reported that 1002 Nepalese migrant workers died in the 6 GCC countries and Malaysia in the last Nepalese calendar year, of which 357 (36%) were documented as cardiac related. However, in a quarter of deaths, the cause was unknown. Postmortem examination of migrant workers in many destination countries is not carried out and official records of the destination countries tend to record these deaths as being 'from natural causes'. Information on underlying causes, such as heat stress on construction sites, is often not available.
The paper [1] which was recently published in SAGE's Asia Pacific Journal of Public Health Journal, is jointly contributed by researchers based in New Zealand, Nepal, and FHSS's Professor Edwin van Teijlingen and Post Doctoral Research Fellow, Dr Pramod Regmi, Dr Pratik Adhikary (BU's ex PhD student) and FHSS's visiting Professor Padam Simkhada. The authors argue that despite the contribution made by migrant workers to the economic prosperity of the host countries, they often face many major difficulties accessing effective health care and are perceived as a burden on the local health care system. Therefore, greater efforts are needed to protect the health and well-being of migrant workers from Nepal and other South-Asian nations.
BU staffs and students can freely access this paper by visiting this link.
Aryal, N., Regmi, P., van Teijlingen, E., Simkhada, P., Adhikary, P., Bhatta, Y. and Mann, S., 2016. Injury and Mortality in Young Nepalese Migrant Workers: A Call for Public Health Action. Asia Pacific Journal of Public Health. DOI: 10.1177/1010539516668628
Congratulations to the all authors for bringing up this important public health issue.
Pramod Regmi
Tags: Global Health migrant Research news
Bringing FUSION to Nepal
BU research, Fusion, innovation, international, Knowledge Transfer, Publishing, Research communication, Research Integritiy, Research news, student research, Training, Uncategorized Edwin van Teijlingen
We have written in many previous BU blogs about progress of our THET-funded project in southern Nepal (e.g. here AND here ). Today's blog reflects on the use on BU's unique FUSION approach in our project 'Mental Health Training for Maternity Care Providers in Nepal'.
Our BU-led project brings highly experienced health professionals, such as midwives, health visitors or mental health nurses, to Nepal to work as volunteer trainers. The training is aimed at community-based maternity care practitioners and addresses key mental health issues relevant to pregnancy and for new mothers and offers the required communication skills. These health professionals will bring their experience as health care providers as well as trainers in the field of mental health and maternity care/midwifery, mental ill-health prevention and health promotion. They volunteer for two to three weeks at a time to design and deliver training in southern Nepal.
The Centre for Midwifery & Maternal Health (CMMPH) collaborates in this project with Liverpool John Moores University (LJMU), the Department of Health, and Physical & Population Education at Nepal's oldest university Tribhuvan University's (TU). The project is supported in the field by a local charity called Green Tara Nepal. Our project is part of the Health Partnership such as Nepal. HPS itself is funded by the UK Department for International Development and managed by THET (Tropical and Health Education Trust).
Our maternal mental health project is a good example of BU's FUSION approach as it combines EDUCATION (through the training of Auxiliary Nurse-Midwives in Nepal) by UK volunteers (representing PRACTICE) through an intervention which is properly evaluated (representing RESEARCH) is a perfect example of BU's FUSION in action. Moreover, the project will be partly evaluated by FHSS's Preeti Mahato as part of her PhD thesis research. This PhD project is supervised by Dr. Catherine Angell (CEL & CMMPH), BU Visiting Professor Padam Simkhada (based at LJMU) and CMMPH's Prof. Edwin van Teijlingen.BU's focus on the FUSION of research, education and professional practice is a unique variant of the way UK universities (and many abroad) blend academic teaching, research and scholarship. FUSION is a key concept derived from BU's strategic Vision & Values).
Tags: BU research CMMPH Fusion Global Health Health HSC impact Nepal Prof. Edwin van Teijlingen social sciences Southasia training
BU's THET project in Nepal
BU research, Centre for Excellence in Learning, Global engagement, international, Knowledge Exchange, Research communication, Uncategorized Edwin van Teijlingen
Nepal birthing centre
On Friday the third cohort of UK volunteers will leave Heathrow as our education project 'Mental Health Training for Community-based Maternity Providers in Nepal' [1]. Mental health issues are a seriously underfunded and understudied area in Nepal, and not just in the field of maternity care. [2] Our project is a collaboration between the Centre for Midwifery, Maternal & Perinatal Health (CMMPH), Tribhuvan University (Nepal's oldest university) and Liverpool John Moores University (LJMU). The project receives funding from DFID, and is managed through THET and supported locally in Nepal by a charity Green Tara Nepal.
One of the three latest volunteers, BU Visiting Faculty and Poole Hospital NHS Foundation Trust midwife Jillian Ireland wrote about her forthcoming trainig visit (click here for Jillian's blog). The other volunteers on this visit are midwife Andrea Lawrie from The Robert Gordon University/Aberdeen Maternity Hospital, Aberdeen) and Dave Havelock, a mental health nurse specialising in high intensity therapy (IAP) from North Yorkshire.
Previous Bournemouth University Research Blogs (see here! and here! ) and blogs by one the earlier UK volunteers retired health visitor Ish Fawcett (click here!) have outlined details of our project. Bournemouth University has a great history of developing and delivering innovative education projects with the support of its Centre for Excellence in Learning (CEL).
van Teijlingen, E., Simkhada, P., Devkota, B., Fanning, P., Ireland, J., Simkhada, B., Sherchan, L., Silwal, R.C., Pradhan, S., Maharjan, S.K., Maharjan, R.K. (2015) Mental health issues in pregnant women in Nepal. Nepal Journal of Epidemiology 5(3): 499-501.
Simkhada, P., Winter, R.C., Fanning, C., Dhungel, A., Marahatta S.B. (2015) Why are so many Nepali women killing themselves? A review of key issues Journal of Manmohan Memorial Institute of Health Sciences 4(1): 43-49.
Tags: Asia Centre for Excellence in Learning CMMPH Global Health midwifery Nepal Prof. Edwin van Teijlingen Southasia training Visiting faculty volunteers
Editorial by Dr. Way in top journal highlights midwifery education
Fusion, international, Publishing Edwin van Teijlingen
The forthcoming editorial in Midwifery (Elsevier) by FHSS's Dr Susan Way highlights the importance of midwifery education and its educators.[1] This editorial makes reference to the recent series on midwifery in The Lancet.[2] Of course, midwifery plays a vital role in improving the quality of care of women and infants globally. Dr. Way reminds us that consistent, high-quality midwifery care has a vital role to play in the reduction of maternal and newborn mortality. Outcomes are enhanced when care is led by midwives who are educated, licensed, regulated, integrated in the health system, and working in interdisciplinary teams, with ready access to specialised care when needed.
Midwifery one of the leading academic journals globally in the field of midwifery and maternity care. Dr.Way is based in the Centre for Midwifery, Maternal & Perinatal Health in FHSS at the Lansdowne Campus.
Way, S. (2015) Consistent, quality midwifery care: How midwifery education and the role of the midwife teacher are important contributions to the Lancet Series, Midwifery (online first) see: http://www.midwiferyjournal.com/article/S0266-6138(16)00021-8/abstract
Renfrew, M.J., McFadden, A., Bastos, M.H. et al. (2014) Midwifery and quality care: findings from a new evidence-informed framework for maternal and newborn care. the Lancet. 384:1129–1145.
Tags: CMMPH education Fusion Global Health midwifery Prof. Edwin van Teijlingen publication publishing
BU very well represented in this year's ERCS Festival!
Awarded & submitted bids, BU research, Festival of Learning, Fusion, Knowledge Exchange, Knowledge Transfer, PG research, Publishing, Uncategorized Edwin van Teijlingen
The ESRC website lists its Festival events for 2015 and amongst the interetsing events is a record number of BU events! The full list can be found on the ESRC webpages, click here!
Pathways to impact: part deux!
7 November 2015 | Bournemouth | Event
This event aims to engage participants who attended a previous one-day ESRC Festival of Science event which took place in 2012 entitled, "Pathways to Impact: ageing, diversity, connectivity and community".
Creatively mapping the coast
9 November 2015 | Bournemouth| Event
Children will have the chance to take part in a creative mapping exercise using coastal artefacts and pictures to create their own sensory and emotional maps of the topic, starting with the question of 'how does it make me feel to be here?'
Safeguarding vulnerable adults from financial scamming
10 November 2015 | Bournemouth | Event
Older people are increasingly at risk of falling victim to financial scams that target vulnerable people, including mass marketing fraud via post, telephone or email and doorstep fraud.
This event will give practitioners, agencies and members of the public, the opportunity to come together to learn more about the threats posed.
Church as place: ethnography
This event asked the question:
what meanings of place and space are constructed by secular or non-specifically religious and religious visiting of church buildings?
Creativity and dementia: making a connection
11 November 2015 | Poole | Event
Bournemouth University Dementia Institute (BUDI) will bring dementia awareness to life through running creative activities including a performance from the BUDI Orchestra – made up of people affected by dementia and musicians – poetry and technology such as IPads and Nintendo Wii.
Child deaths and poverty: disadvantaged British children!
Are British children disadvantaged compared to children in other Western countries? An analysis of data from global sources compares the standards of mortality, poverty and health funding for children and adults in Britain vs. those in 20 other Western countries.
Copyright reform: the implications one year on
One year ago, in October 2014, the UK Government introduced major changes to the Copyright Law with the aim of promoting innovation and creativity. These included a range of exceptions and limitations benefiting users as well as educational and cultural institutions.
Enhancing social life through global social research – event 1
These exhibitions run over the course of three days presenting a showcase of Bournemouth University research projects demonstrating our research impacts on social and community wellbeing and our concern for diverse groups and work with a wide variety of stakeholders.
Fused all ways: transdisciplinary insider research
A group of researchers from Bournemouth University are researching the lived experience of students entering higher education from and in 'non traditional' contexts. By bringing together research, educational practice and students as research co-creators, a unique lens is created through which to observe the question.
Increasing fruit and vegetable intakes: Why? How? – Event 3
The 5-a-day campaign went global after a recommendation from the World Health Organisation that we should all be eating a least 400g of fruit and vegetables per day. Variations on this message are repeated in countries all across the world. But does the message cause more confusion than good?
Tags: BU research BUDI BUDI; dementia Centre for Social Work ESRC ESRC festival of social science global Global Health nutrition Prof. Edwin van Teijlingen Prof. Jonathan Parker social policy sociology sociology of religion
Manuscript accepted from Dr. Regmi (FHSS)
BU research, Featured academics, Global engagement, Publishing, Research news, Uncategorized Edwin van Teijlingen
Congratulations to BU's Dr. Pramod Regmi on the acceptance of the manuscript: "Importance of health and social care research into gender and sexual minority populations in Nepal" by the Asia-Pacific Journal of Public Health.
Dr. Pramod Regmi is originally from Nepal and currently a post-doc researcher in the Faculty of Health & Social Sciences.
Tags: BU research Dr. Pramod Regmi Global Health Health HSC Nepal Prof. Edwin van Teijlingen publishing research social sciences
New paper by PhD student Sheetal Sharma
BU research, Featured academics, PG research, Publishing, Research communication, Research news, student research Edwin van Teijlingen
Sheetal Sharma, PhD student in the Centre for Midwifery, Maternal and Perinatal Health (CMMPH), published her latest paper this week in the Asian Journal of Social Sciences & Humanities [1]. The paper 'Nepenglish' or 'Nepali English': A New Version of English? raises the question whether we are beginning to see a new variant of English.
The paper is co-authored with Mrs. Pragyan Joshi from the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) in Kathmandu and BU Prof. Edwin van Teijlingen. Sheetal's PhD research focuses on the evaluation of a large-sclae maternity care improvement intervention in rural Nepal.
The paper is based on listening to people in Nepal speaking English and reading their writing in English. English is a living language and different native and non-native speakers develop English in slightly different ways. This paper argues that it is time to consider whether we should study the English spoken by native-Nepali speakers (Nepenglish) as a separately developing variant of English. The question is particularly intriguing since Nepali English bears such a similarity with Indian English, as both are largely based on originally Sanskrit-based languages. The focus is particularly on how native-Nepali speakers express themselves in English.
Sharma, S., Joshi, P., van Teijlingen, E. (2015) 'Nepenglish' or 'Nepali English': A new version of English? Asian Journal of Humanities & Social Sciences 4(2): 188-193. www.ajssh.leena-luna.co.jp/AJSSHPDFs/Vol.4%282%29/AJSSH2015%284.2-21%29.pdf
Tags: BU research English Global Health Health Hinglish Nepal Nepenglish Prof. Edwin van Teijlingen publishing social sciences
South Asian midwifery at ICM 2014
BU research, Publishing, Research news, Uncategorized Edwin van Teijlingen
Photo from UNFPA Lao PDR
In early June I published a short overview of Bournemouth University's contribution to the ICM (International Congress of Midwives) conference in Prague (Czech Republic) (see: http://blogs.bournemouth.ac.uk/research/2014/06/05/cmmph-strong-presence-at-icm-conference/ ). In addition we highlighted the Nepal contribution in a separate BU Research Blog (http://blogs.bournemouth.ac.uk/research/2014/06/03/46-sharma-s-sicuri-e-belizan-jm-van-teijlingen-e-simkhada-p-stephens-j-hundley-v-angell-c-getting-women-to-care-in-nepal-a-difference-in-difference-analysis-of-a-health-prom/ ). Today a belated update of our presence at the Special Session on South Asian Midwifery at the ICM conference last month, as I just received photos from our friends at UNFPA Lao PDR.
South Asia posters at ICM conference (photo: UNFPA Lao PDR)
One of the speakers at the South Asian Midwifery session was our friend Kiran Bajracharya, president of the Midwifery Society of Nepal (MIDSON). Several of our posters describing our work in Nepal were on display. Bournemouth University friends were involved in the organisation of the event, such as Swedish midwife Malin Bogren and the editor of the newly launched midwifery journal Journal of Asian Midwifery, Dr. Rafat Jan. The session was concluded by another BU collaborator Petra the Hoope-Bender of Integrare.
Professor Edwin van Teijlingen
Tags: BU research CMMPH collaborative research Global Health Health research


The Walls of John Fowke
London in the English Civil Wars, 1642-1648
John Fowke's portrait
It was a dramatic scene by design. On the fateful day in January 1642 that King Charles I swept into Parliament expecting to arrest his enemies, he was embarrassed by their absence. Instead of the more famous John Pym, Denzil Holles, John Hampden, Arthur Haselrig, and William Strode, Charles found an older and even more dedicated opponent waiting for him. According to Samuel Butler, it was Alderman John Fowke, newly elected to the common council of London, who met the king and responded to his inquiry about the missing men with a "saucy, insolent speech."
The missing parliamentarians were probably hiding at the Coleman Street home of Isaac Pennington, Lord Mayor of London and Fowke's mentor in mass political organizing. A key figure in the radicalization of the City, Fowke was also a merchant adventurer, a haberdasher, and probably a gunpowder bootlegger. One man thus contained almost everything about London that Charles found impossible.
Tiptoeing on the edge of treason, Fowke expressed hope that any charges against the men would "be tried but in a Parliamentary way," emphasis Butler's. It was a pointed, personal sting. Charles had prosecuted Fowke, a tax protester, in his star chamber for "clippings and piracies" 15 years before. Fowke then played a hand in the embarrassing fiasco of the Courteen expedition, driving a wedge between the king and his royal East India monopoly. Unsatisfied, in 1641 Fowke led the mob demanding the head of Thomas Wentworth, 1st Earl of Strafford, a key supporter of the crown, and rose to political power in the City by supporting Pennington's coup.
This was too much disrespect to bear now from such a bitter foe. Turning on his elevated heels, the diminutive king left Parliament intending to return and try again later. It would never happen. Feeling unsafe in London and ruminating over his humiliation, Charles fled a few days later to plot a stealth mobilization. Clumsy efforts to seize control of weapons and ammunition made his intentions obvious, however. In July, Charles fumbled an attempt to enter Hull and take its armory, laying siege for two weeks when an alert castellan shut the gates in his face. Parliament raised an army in response and Charles skulked off to Oxford. He finally raised his standard there on 22 August when negotiations with Parliament broke down.
It was the final break with Fowke and his faction. At their direction, Londoners took up shovels and confronted the king in a frenzy of digging.
The Piracies of John Fowke (Audio Version)
Listen now (22 min) | I am now recording select posts as podcasts. First up is my long post from last week about John Fowke, a Puritan merchant of London whose personal war with King Charles I and the East India Company ignited a slow fuse that exploded into the English Civil Wars…
a year ago · Matt Osborne
One week before the Battle of Edgehill in October 1642, Parliament ordered that the Trained Bands should have "pieces of ordnance taken from Tower-hill and be planted in several places of the City" to defend it from a potential Royalist attack. The day after the Battle of Edgehill, Parliament ordered shops in the City shut down so that citizens might "attend the defence" of London and Westminster against the king, putting their backs into hurried construction. Actual organization preceded lawmaking as Parliament issued an order the following day "for the speedy putting this city into a posture of defense." By then, thousands were already toiling away.
London was the heart of revolution and the largest mobilization center. To protect their investments, Londoners erected one of the largest defensive fortifications in Europe over just seven months, setting aside even their Puritan sabbath days. As a key leader of the war party in the City, Fowke was expected to contribute a share of physical work, not to mention money and organization. This was conspicuous piety. From Mayor Pennington and his closest allies on down, men such as Fowke had to turn up frequently and do their bit, with their wives working beside them. To be seen doing less than any other man would be a social and political disaster.
Fowke was also a powerful member of the common council and an Alderman, so he was in meetings where detailed planning orders got written. His leadership on the Committee of Safety and the militia subcommittee put him in touch with people, plans, and preparations across the City. We may judge his importance from the esteem of his enemies. Four days after the Battle of Edgehill, the Royalist newspaper Mercurius Aulicus declared "alderman Fulke" unforgiveable for agitating the City to make war on their king. Edward Walker, secretary to Charles, picked out Fowke from among the rabble and called him its ringleader. A personal war had been subsumed into a wartime propaganda scene. From the Royalist perspective, the man and London's walls were one opponent.
George Vertue's 1739 map of the London Lines of Communication in 1643
London was hardly the only site of rapid civic fortification in the British Isles. Archaeology has located widespread substantial earthwork fortifications associated with the wars of 1638-1652. Municipalities everywhere responded to the emergency of war with shovels. Combined, the new defensive constructions across England by the middle of 1644 stretch far longer than Hadrian's Roman wall enclosing Scotland. Fortifying even a small city was an enormous undertaking. For example, the defenses around Chester required the relocation of more than three million cubic feet of dirt, or about 600,000 wheelbarrow loads.
The logistics of the defenses of London dwarfed those figures. Functional, covered in grass turves to prevent erosion, the 'Lines of Communication' were not pretty or advanced, but they were a defensable improvement over the obsolete Roman and medieval walls of London. Ramparts connecting trace italienne-style earthworks resisted artillery attack and maximized defensive enfilading artillery fire from bastions. To attack such defenses would have cost the king an entire army, and he only had the one.
Touring the Lines of Communication shortly after their completion in 1643, travel writer William Lithgow recorded "two hundred and twelve pieces of cannon; which, indeed, is a mighty and tremenduous sight … all the ordonance are mounted upon new wheeles; besides the pallosading and barrocading of them without, with yron workes and other engynes." However, this number of guns may be a wartime exaggeration, even deliberate disinformation. Some of Lithgow's 'travels' were clearly fantasies and many readers dismissed him as a fabricator. "It seems remarkable that such a potentially useful document should have been published" when Fowke and his friends were trying to keep their building plans secret, historians Victor Smith and Peter Kelsey observe.
As the new defenses took shape, Charles repeatedly threatened to storm them. Construction was concentrated on the northern bank, his threats mentioned the southern side of the Thames. Then, with fortifications almost completed on the southern bank, Charles made an empty threat to block the Thames below London. His announcements merely enhanced the atmosphere of suspicion and secrecy within the City, where his remaining supporters met increasing social and legal pressure to conform with Fowke and Parliament.
When threats had failed to stop the Lines of Communication from being completed, Charles engaged in petty boycotts of London trade throughout his own domain. He picked an unequal fight. London was a global entrepôt, a port where wholesale goods came from around the world for manufacturing and distribution at profit. In a very real sense, the walls of London reflected the mercantile policy of John Fowke and the colonizing-interloping traders with whom he did business. Charles could never hope to match their spending power or sea power.
Worse, the king was embarrassed by the successful defense of Gloucester in 1643 when his royal siege train ran out of ammunition. Fowke was a child of Gloucestershire and a strident advocate of relief. Inspired by the courage of the smaller town, Parliamentary forces rallied from torpid inaction and marched out; Charles abandoned his siege. Charles had thus tried and failed to crack a city that was far smaller and less capable than London. Military historians refer to this as a turning point of the war.
It may also have altered thinking among Fowke's clique. Most of the guns Lithgow described along the Lines of Communication "were in the upper weight-range of artillery," as Smith and Kelsey note. However, a later financial report shows only 94 cannons deployed along the Lines of Communication rather than the 212 that Lithgow reported in 1643. With the king's threats to besiege London discredited, more cities and shipping to defend than Charles, and losses to replace besides, the discrepancy may reflect the success of the Lines of Communication in deterring Royalist attack altogether, for that prospect seemed very unlikely by the beginning of 1644.
In the new year, Fowke was made a Sheriff of London and Pennington became Lord of the Tower. If the guns along the Lines of Communcations were in fact culled and redistributed at this time, it must have reflected their forward policy of taking the fight to Charles.
The Gunpowder Reason, A Plot
Listen now (135 min) | Before I go any further with the John Fowke project, I would like to present subscribers with a podcast version of the original term paper that started me down this rabbit hole. It's above the picture. I was curious to understand why the British "military historians" dominating the previous generation of English-language historiography were so dismissive…
a year ago · 1 like · Matt Osborne
Befitting a king who loved the finest paintings in Europe, the Oxford defense plan was a superb design by a continental master of siegeworks, more elaborate than the defense system of London. However, in 1643 plans to divert the flow of local streams for their construction forced William Baber, the royal gunpowder monopolist, to close his processing mills and move operations to Bristol. It was typical of Charles to compromise between interests in this way and pay for it later. When Oxford finally did come under siege in 1646, Charles slipped out of the city in disguise once his ammunition ran short.
Nor was Charles ever able to test the Lines of Communication. Indeed, the closest he ever got was at Turnham Green on 13 November 1642, just weeks after Edgehill. Low on ammunition as usual and facing an army almost twice the size of his own, if far less disciplined, Charles reluctantly withdrew under the cover of his artillery. As with contemporary conflicts elsewhere, primitive logistics and conservative strategy conspired to prevent single battles from resolving this war. As long as the enemy had an army in the field, it would be difficult to lay proper siege anywhere and win a war for control of England.
This left the rural zones. Although London could resist Charles, the exurban landscape of England was supremely vulnerable to so-called 'small war' tactics of raiding and pillage ('scorched earth') implied in the contemporary French term chevauchées. Fearing the depredations of the king's Cavaliers, many thousands of English folk left their homes and flooded into the City. Propaganda may have played a role, as the Thomason Tracts, a collection of pamphlets printed in London during the war, include lurid allegations of rapine and barbarism. Yet the reality of civilian suffering in Germany, which was being torn apart by the Thirty Years' War at the very same time, surely enhanced such fears.
Parliament printed an order concerning this "great resort of People unto London" eleven days after Turnham Green. At the same time, Parliament ordered that "no victuals be suffered to be carried out of London and that no officer or souldier of His Excellencies Army be permitted to come into this city without a certificate." Further orders include "a search to be made in London, and towns adjacent, for Armes." Finally, reports of "Souldiers" having "pawn'd" their ammunition and horses heralded a paranoid gloom descending upon the City.
Walls protect, but also encircle and confine. The war was dragging on through 1644 and public morale suffered in London, whatever the grand strategic picture.
John Fowke and the Invention of News (Audio Version)
Listen now (6 min) | This is another podcast version of a selected post. I will be doing this for all of my posts about Fowke from now on, as the chair of my thesis committee is blind. (Have you ever seen someone give a 60-minute lecture on English Civil War historiography without notes? I have, and it's amazing!) I will begin recording posts on other topics soon enough. Do…
From their construction, it is clear that the Lines of Communication were oriented towards control of Londoners as much as their defense against the king. For example, the infamous Tower of London was included in the plan as a citadel, the feature of the new fortification design that had replaced the castle keep. Useful for defense, citadels had nevertheless emerged as a potent European symbol of state tyranny, much as the medieval infamy of the Tower carried over into early modern Britain.
Another mass performance took place. In a wave of "security theater" not wholly unlike the post-9/11 era, chainposts and sentry points installed around the city enforced a state of alert in the streets. Guardhouses and gates stood as visible points of control not just while coming in or out of London, but also while traveling through the City. Parliamentary acts prevented export of foodstuffs and war material upriver, so an armed sentry ship enforced these ordinances, guarding a chain which blocked barges from travel up the Thames towards Oxford without permission. No part of London was uncontrolled.
Despite these measures, Royalists moved in and out of the Lines of Communication throughout the war, often printing their pamphlets in London, for example. Clearly, secrecy was hardly improved by the Lines, nor was it possible to keep the plans of their construction completely secret from the king. Rather, these walls and bastions protected Fowke's party in the City from king and countrymen alike and allowed Parliament to control the outbound flow of war material.
Charles had only himself to blame, really. As recorded by court historian Bulstrode Whitelock, on 5 January 1643 an open letter from the king promised pardons to everyone in London — with the exceptions of Mayor Pennington, Henry Mainwaring, John Venn, and John Fowke, all of whom were to suffer execution for treason. The ham-fisted outreach was vindictive and mercurial, which the king's supporters in the City saw to their dismay. Well-meaning loyalists tried to edit the damaging material from a republished version, but Pennington censored the redacted edition immediately and confiscated the printed copies. In its place, the Lord Mayor had eight printings of the unexpurgated original letter run and distributed across the City to ensure everyone knew all about it. The king's own words had the desired effect, spurring volunteer labor participation and public displays of commitment.
During the next several weeks, Charles Stuart received answers from Londoners in at least seven pamphlets defending the targets of his ire. On 14 January 1643, there was "A Humble Remonstrance to the Kings Majesty, in vindication of Isaak Pennington, Lord Mayor of London, Alderman Foulkes, Capt. Venne, Capt. Mainwaring, whom his Majestie desires to be delivered to custody to answer an accusation of treason. Printed for T. Wright."
On 11 February, "The Declaration and Vindication of Isaack Pennington, Col. Ven, Capt. Mainwaring and Mr. Fowke, in answer to the sundry pamphlets wherein they are charged to be the maine incendiaries of these present troubles in London. Printed for Humphrey Johnson." Reflecting a common theme, the author proposed to "safeguard" London, protecting "the subjects liberties, and the security of the true Protestant religion" against supposed Catholic infiltration.
Other very-17th Century titles include "The Bloody Game at Cards," "A Briefe Answer to a Book Intitled His Majesties Letter," and "Animadversions on the King's Answer." All of them mentioned or alluded to Fowke. In their wake, Londoners redoubled the speed of construction and rumors of Royalist conspiracy abounded.
The atmosphere of suspicion turned electric in June with the revelation of the Waller Plot against the city. The sequence of events that followed was typical of the press cycle that had emerged by 1641, as Fowke rose to political power, and that was visible with each pamphlet defending the king's foes. First, a pamphlet appeared proposing a "Vow and Covenant" of Parliament to resist nefarious royal plots in the City. Then the following Sunday, multiple sermons across London all endorsed the idea. Fowke was patron to the preachers. The proposed ceremonies were duly held with pomp and circumstance.
How to Succeed in Regicide Without Even Trying (Audio Version)
Listen now (13 min) | Having done as much as any Londoner possibly could to prepare for war with the king, to raise an army to meet the king in battle, to bypass the normal rules of governance in London to do that, urging action and raising troops and even collecting taxes for the purpose, agitating all the while for an open rebellion against Charles instead of halfhearted i…
When an army did finally come to call on London, the Lines of Communication failed to stop them from imposing their will on Parliament. This is unsurprising, since to a small degree it was John Fowke's army.
Just as the walls of London were a personal investment, Fowke personally contributed £1,000 of the £80,000 fund for the organization and equipment of the New Model Army, to say nothing of his tireless efforts to create it in the first place. Chaplains to the new force, including Hugh Peter and Joshua Sprigge, counted Fowke among their patrons. Perhaps equipped with some of the cannons that had formerly defended London from an empty threat of attack, the New Model Army was victorious at Naseby in 1645, overcoming the main Royalist army at last. Thereafter, a series of brutal sieges cracked Royalist strongholds until Charles became a captive.
Yet apparent victory slipped away. Losing their fear of the king, Parliament stopped paying their expensive new army. This was hardly uncommon for the era. Indeed, frequent arrears in pay explained most Spanish failures to reconquer their rebellious Dutch provinces and debilitated mobilization for every side throughout the 30 Years' War. Exhaustion with the cost in blood and wartime taxes had caught up with the war party in London. A new clique ran Parliament in 1646. Pym was dead, Holles was in charge, and Fowke was on the outside, looking in.
Left out of his customary place on the nomination list for the militia committee in April, the very next month Fowke was among the conspirators who met Oliver Cromwell to plot the New Model Army's march on London. Fowke then emerged as the liaison between Parliament and Thomas Fairfax negotiating the peaceful handover of London's defenses when Parliament balked at war against their own (Fowke's?) army.
During the same month of June, protesters mobbed Westminster demanding the changes to the militia committee list be reversed. After taking control of the City in August, the New Model Army quite insisted on Fowke's immediate re-appointment to the militia committee, and both houses of Parliament promptly and solemnly agreed. As a condition of this process, the defenses of London were now "slighted" and "reduced" so that Parliament could no longer close London to outside attack.
However, the Royalist flame still burned. A series of uncoordinated uprisings shook the country again, and so the New Model Army marched out of London to suppress them.
After crushing the Scots at Preston, they marched back to London in August 1648 to straighten out Parliament once again. According to Denzil Holles, as the victorious host approached the outlying suburbs, "some false brothers in the city as Alderman Foulks and Alderman Gibbs, bewitcht the city and lull'd it into a security" so the New Model could take control of London again. Dismantling work on the hastily-constructed Lines of Communication now resumed in earnest. Hardly any traces are left today.
John Fowke, personal enemy of the king, took part in every major decision during the brief history of London's wartime walls, agitating and organizing and planning and fitting out and building them. He also arranged the unopposed entry of an army into London — not once, but twice — breaching or bypassing those same defenses to restore his private interests. It is not too much to say that the Lines of Communication reflected the personal policy of John Fowke throughout their existence, and even through their demolition.
We cannot credit one man alone for such a monumental endeavor, but no other figure in wartime London can claim greater responsibility than John Fowke. Everyone else involved in creating the Lines of Communication worked with Fowke. He never fought a battle, but he knew his business, and in that sense his impression on history ought to be greater than that of his contemporary Wallenstein, for Fowke died of old age after winning almost all of his wars where the more famous man died at the hand of assassins, lost in his mystic reverie.
It is strange that no single, standalone historical volume about Fowke has ever been published. This writer hopes to correct that travesty some day.
John Fowke Versus the British East India Company
Less known than his contemporary Wallenstein, John Fowke was a merchant adventurer in an era of military entrepreneurship. A tax protester, he was also sent to the fleet for refusing to pay tonnage and poundage. After forking over a literal king's ransom for his release, Fowke became a constant irritant to the court of Charles I and a leader in the grow…


Travel Maximum ski: Get the most out of Whistler Blackcomb with these $66-million slope upgrades
Maximum ski: Get the most out of Whistler Blackcomb with these $66-million slope upgrades
Adam Bisby
Whistler, B.C.
Published January 29, 2019 Updated January 29, 2019
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Before this season, relatively little had changed on Whistler's slopes.
As I ride the glass-floored Peak 2 Peak Gondola between Whistler and Blackcomb mountains, I text Emma a simple question: "What's new?"
I have to wait a long time for an answer, though, what with "the world's first digital mountain assistant," as Vail Resorts calls it, not making its Canadian debut until eight months after my snowy spring-skiing visit.
Emma ends up with plenty of material for her eventual reply. Three days before the Dec. 18 launch of the digital mountain assistant, Whistler Blackcomb unveiled a new 10-person gondola that, along with two new high-speed chairlifts, comprises the largest single-year investment in the vast operation's 52-year history. The $66-million in upgrades also represents the largest single-year investment ever made by Colorado-based Vail Resorts, which paid $1.39-billion for control of North America's largest ski area in 2016.
The new Blackcomb Gondola provides a non-stop sheltered ride to the mountain's upper reaches.
Mike Crane Photography
This is good news for skiers and snowboarders who want to make the most of their time on the slopes. The new Blackcomb Gondola, which replaces the Wizard and Solar chairlifts and runs from the Upper Village to Rendezvous Lodge, boosts lift capacity by 47 per cent and provides a non-stop sheltered ride to the mountain's upper reaches. It also combines with Peak 2 Peak and the Whistler Village Gondola to offer the only three-gondola connection on Earth. Over on Whistler Mountain, the Emerald Express quadruple chair – one of the resort's busiest, especially among families – has been replaced by a six-passenger version, while Blackcomb's Catskinner three-seater has been ousted by a high-speed quad.
Before this season, relatively little had changed on the slopes, and in the two resort villages, since the frenzy of development that accompanied the 2010 Winter Olympics. The most recent substantial ski-terrain expansion took place in 2004, while no new lifts had been introduced since 2013. The Pangea Pod Hotel, which opened in August, is Whistler's first new hotel since the year Jon Montgomery won Olympic skeleton gold. Peak 2 Peak's record-setting 2008 launch, which created the world's longest continuous lift system, was starting to feel like ancient history.
The Pangea Pod Hotel, which opened in August, is Whistler's first new hotel since 2010.
"This new gondola is a game-changer for the resort," Whistler's chief operating officer Pete Sonntag says. "People are going to see a noticeable improvement in how they access the mountains and get to their favourite terrain."
The new lifts also represent a reversal of long-term plans announced by the resort's managing partner, Whistler Blackcomb Holdings Inc., shortly before it was acquired by Vail.
Under pressure to diversify and upgrade guest amenities and local services, Whistler Blackcomb Holdings unveiled a $345-million long-term plan, tellingly dubbed "Renaissance," three months before the Vail takeover. It prioritized the construction of year-round diversions such as an indoor waterpark, ropes course and mountain roller coaster.
With many locals and visitors already worried that Whistler was becoming some kind of alpine Disneyland, Vail's acquisition fuelled further discontent. Suddenly, lift-ticket prices were based on the loonie-crushing greenback. The new on-mountain app initially used Fahrenheit and inches rather than Celsius and centimetres. Much of the controversy centred on Whistler being added to Vail's multiresort Epic Pass, which was widely perceived to favour globetrotting jet-setters over locals and more budget-conscious guests. A family-oriented season pass that could be used by either parent, for example, is being phased out.
Whistler was the most-visited Epic resort last ski season, Vail data reveals, with more than 8 per cent of the 750,000 pass-holders spending at least a day there. Over all, Whistler now receives about 3.5 million visitors each year, with that number more than doubling over the past 15 years.
Many locals and visitors are worried that Whistler was becoming some kind of alpine Disneyland.
Business is booming, but "so too is the level of local angst surrounding this growth," wrote Tourism Whistler chief executive Barrett Fisher in a 2017 open letter that acknowledged the transportation, housing and staffing challenges fuelled by a record influx of visitors.
In response to the concerns, Vail "played to its strengths," as Sonntag puts it. Instead of leaving major lift improvements to the third and final phase of Renaissance, as was originally planned, the company made them a priority. "Our focus is the on-mountain experience, and we felt we could make an immediate impact by adding the new lifts," Sonntag adds.
Vail also reduced early-bird pricing for its Epic Pass products, introduced a money-saving two-day Edge pass (starting at $199), and rolled out the Epic SchoolKids Whistler Blackcomb Pack, which provides five days of free skiing and riding, as well as lessons and equipment rentals, for Canadian schoolchildren from kindergarten through Grade 5. The free alpine app was modified to deliver metric or imperial measurements based on users' service providers. Future plans, meanwhile, include a 200-bed staff housing facility and mobile technology that will allow guests at all 17 Vail-owned resorts to obtain prepurchased lift tickets from roving agents at base-area lifts.
And Renaissance? All traces of the plan have vanished from Whistler's website, with the original web page now redirecting to an announcement about the new lifts.
The Resort Municipality of Whistler's new mayor, Jack Crompton, says Vail's strategic shift demonstrates the importance of constructive collaboration between local government and resort ownership. "We're still getting to know each other, but one thing's for sure: They love to ski and so do we. They were built by skiers, our town was built by skiers. At our cores, we share a critical love for the mountains. Our natural assets are a big part of why people come here, but they also come here to connect with mountain people. If the people who live here don't enjoy living here, tourists will stop coming."
Will Vail's efforts satisfy these local mountain people, out-of-town Canadian visitors and international guests alike? Time will tell. In the interim, I'm curious to find out what Emma thinks.
The writer was a guest of Vail Resorts. It did not review or approve this article.
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Home Uncategorized Stargate or Star Wars?
Stargate or Star Wars?
Darren Perks a British Ufologist writes, "Since approximately 1980, a secret space fleet code named 'Solar Warden' has been in operation unknown to the public…
Is this nonsense, is it a conspiracy or is it simply so sensitive that it will cause uproar around the world?"
These are my own words after conducting research into the secret program. Whilst conducting an FOI (freedom of information) request with the DoD (department of defense) in 2010, I had a very unexpected response by email from them which read:
"About an hour ago I spoke to a NASA rep who confirmed this was their program and that it was terminated by the President. He also informed me that it was not a joint program with the DoD. The NASA rep informed me that you should be directed to the Johnson Space Center FOIA Manager."
I have run your request through one of our space-related directorates and I'm waiting on one other division with the Command to respond back to me. I will contact you once I have a response from the other division. Did NASA refer you to us?"
The program not only operates classified under the US Government, but also under the United Nations authority. So you might be wondering how do I know this information?
Well there are a few people and many others that have tried hard to find out the truth, and have succeeded by leaked information or simply asking questions and have government departments slip up and give away information freely, just like what happened when Darren Perks asked the DoD. One notable contributor is Gary Mckinnon.
When Gary McKinnon hacked into U.S. Space Command computers several years ago and learned of the existence of "non-terrestrial officers" and "fleet-to-fleet transfers" and a secret program called "Solar Warden", he was charged by the Bush Justice Department with having committed "the biggest military computer hack of all time", and stood to face prison time of up to 70 years after extradition from UK.
But trying McKinnon in open court would involve his testifying to the above classified facts, and his attorney would be able to subpoena government officers to testify under oath about the Navy's Space Fleet.
To date the extradition of McKinnon to the U.S. has gone nowhere.
US Naval Network and Space Operations Command photo)
Allegedly, McKinnon also found out about the ships or craft within Solar Warden. It is said that there are eight cigar-shaped Motherships (each longer than two football fields end-to-end) and 43 small "scout ships. The Solar Warden Space Fleet operates under the US Naval Network and Space Operations Command (NNSOC) [formerly Naval Space Command]. There are approximately 300 personnel involved at that facility, with the figure rising
Solar Warden is said to be made up from U.S. aerospace Black Projects contractors, but with some contributions of parts and systems by Canada. United Kingdom, Italy, Austria, Russia, and Australia. It is also said that the program is tested and operated from secret military bases such as Area 51 in Nevada, USA.
So should we just write this off as utter nonsense? No we shouldn't and as time goes on the truth will slowly come out. Many people around the world are now witnessing craft moving around in the skies and sub space that completely defy gravity. Whether they are part of the Solar Warden secret program, military experimental aircraft or not, thousands of people know what they see.
In my view Solar Warden is very real and a very strong possibility. So no, I don't think we should rule it out as complete nonsense. Yes, it's a conspiracy because of all the hype and controversy surrounding the facts and information about the program. Lenard Walson Astronomer photos of spacecraft
John Sensitive is an understatement. This program would change the world and our views on space exploration and travel, so no wonder that it would be kept a big 'secret'.
We should all keep it in the back of our minds… for now at least! Thanks to Sheryl Dingman, Read aboutDarren Perks investigation work at: www.ufoshropshire.co.uk
Editors Note: I have heard similar stories that appear to have some validity. Commander Graham Bethune who was the chief pilot for several Admirals told me similar information and that we have bases on the Moon and Mars. His story was similar to some of the Stargate SG-1 television series and its sequels. Several types of starships are introduced in the later seasons with world missions to other planets visited via the Stargate. The Stargate is an alien device discovered on Earth that allows near instantaneous travel to other planets via a controlled wormhole across a network of similar gates. Some of these alien races are hostile to Earth and bent on galaxy-wide domination, so Earth starships are built by the US military through billions of dollars in secret funding to respond to the threat.
Earth begins constructing its own space-capable fighters and larger, Mothership-style vessels based on alien technology. The plans for these vessels are shared with the Russians. The first successful ship fielded by Earth is the F-302, a small, two-man craft somewhat similar to a traditional human fighter aircraft. Later on, Earth begins creating interstellar battle cruisers, such as The Daedalus-class battle cruiser.
Is it possible the series is based on insider information? There are sci-fi movies such as Hangar 18 and TV series that are allegedly financed by the government apparently to educate the public. The Lockheed Skunk works Director Ben Rich claims we have built craft that can take ET home. Of course the question is why spend billions for a task force in space?
The Stargate series has similarities to the Star Wars system proposed by President Reagan. In Reagan's March 23, 1983, "Star Wars" speech, Reagan announced, "I call upon the scientific community who gave us nuclear weapons to turn their great talents to the cause of mankind and world peace: to give us the means of rendering these nuclear weapons impotent and obsolete." In a surprising statement, "He also offered to share the technology with the Soviets."
The Star Wars program became the largest and most expensive weapons program in the US defense budget costing 8.5 Billion dollars per year. Although, were are told it is designed to destroy incoming nuclear missiles it may also be an effective weapons system to protect the United States against limited UFO threats as Reagan inferred on several occasions. In 1984, the Strategic Defense Initiative Organization (SDIO) was established to oversee the program, which was headed by Lt. General James Alan Abrahamson USAF, a past Director of the NASA Space Shuttle Program. Initially, the program focused on large scale systems designed to defeat a Soviet offensive strike. Is it possible that there is a secret war going as former enemies are now allies. Navy press release that says that Tenth Fleet is in charge of "space planning and operations" and "missions across the cyber, electromagnetic and space domains.
"Is not an alien force already among us?
President Reagan stated in remarks made to the 42nd General Assembly of the United Nations., Sept. 21, 1987, "In our obsession with antagonisms of the moment, we often forget how much unites all the members of humanity. Perhaps we need some outside, universal threat to make us realize this common bond. I occasionally think how quickly our differences would vanish if we were facing an alien threat from outside this world. And yet, I ask you, IS NOT AN ALIEN FORCE ALREADY AMONG US?"
Only a few people knew the answer was yes there is an alien force among us. Reagan received regular intelligence data on UFO activities including UFO landings.
Gorbechev stated on Italian Radio Channel RAI TRE, show Che Tempo Che Fa, 10-29-2006,"
Presidents Gorbachev and Reagan signing agreements.
"And I remember during a walk by the villa gardenwhere we met, President Reagan stopped and said, 'But, listen to me, President Gorbachev. If we were attacked from Space, would we come together? Would we unite?' – I answered him, 'I do not know what you think about it, but I propose to come together, that we join forces.' [] [applause from the audience]. Thanks tohttp://www.ufodigest.com/news/1206/gorbachev.html
It appears both the US Air Force and Navy operate space systems.
Meanwhile, the Air Force announced the X-37B sits on the Vandenberg Air Force Base runway during post-landing operations. It landed on June 15, 2012 after more than a year in space. The X-37Bs de-orbit and landing mark the transition from the on-orbit demonstration phase to a refurbishment phase for the program. (U.S. Air Force X-37B photo/ Michael Stonecypher)
The mission of Tenth Fleet is to serve the Cyber Command and exercise operational control of assigned Naval forces; to coordinate with other naval, coalition and Joint Task Forces to execute the full spectrum of cyber, electronic warfare, information operations and signal intelligence capabilities and missions across the cyber, electromagnetic and space domains.
Space Based Infrared System (SBIRS)
Cape Canaveral Air Force Station Lockheed Martin has announced Space Based Infrared Systems GEO-1 Satellite marks the Dawn of a New Era in Persistent Overhead Surveillance, The spacecrafts highly sophisticated scanning and staring Sensors will deliver unprecedented global, persistent, infrared surveillance capabilities to the United States and its allies.
BATTLE SPACE Awareness
The SBIRS constellation will deliver comprehensive infrared data to Combatant Commanders, Joint Task Force Commanders and other users to help characterize battle space conditions supporting force protection, strike planning and other missions. The SBIRS team is led by the Infrared Space Systems Directorate at the U.S. Air Force Space and Missile Systems Center. Lockheed Martin is the SBIRS prime contractor. Air Force Space Command operates the SBIRS system. The SBIRS architecture consists of hosted sensor payloads in Highly Elliptical Orbit (HEO), dedicated Geosynchronous Earth Orbiting (GEO) satellites, to receive, process, and deliver the infrared information to key decision makers.
http://www.lockheedmartin.com/us/products/sbirs.html
Editors Note: High interest objects in space would be intercontinental ballistic missiles and alien UFOs. Note the discs in Lockheeds drawing. Remember the Stealth fighter was kept secret for over ten years. SBIRs will operate with a Highly Elliptical Orbit (egg shaped orbit going comparatively deep into space.) The various leaks are painting an interesting picture of advanced capabilities to protect Earth.
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Chelsea star nominated for PFA Fans' Player of the Month for November
Posted By: VICTOR N December 2, 2019
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Chelsea fans won't be pleased with the way the month of November ended for the Blues, with losses to Manchester City and West Ham, but the first half of the month was a beauty for the Blues faithful.
Chelsea star Christian Pulisic has been nominated for the PFA Fans Player of the Month for November after his fine form this month.
Pulisic scored two league goals this month and six goals in his last seven games across all competitions. He completed 12 successful dribbles in the Premier League last month.
The American will be up against Raul Jimenez of Wolves, Leicester City's trio of Ricardo Pereira, James Maddison and Caglar Soyuncu as well as Liverpool's Sadio Mane.
Jamie Vardy was the last recipient of the award after his fine form in October.
VICTOR N
Chelsea is more than just a football club to me; it's a passion I share, and my affinity with the Chelsea badge is one that will last forever. As far as watching my favourite team is concerned, I'd rather miss a meal than miss a Chelsea game.
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GC SABADELL EMPRESAS 4, FTA
Rating Action: Moody's confirms ratings in GC Sabadell Empresas 4, Spanish lease ABS
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Moody's assigns definitive ratings to the notes issued by GC SABADELL EMPRESAS 4, Fondo de Titulización de Activos
EUR 620 million of securities rated
Madrid, June 10, 2009 -- Moody's Investors Service has assigned the following definitive ratings to the debt issued by GC SABADELL EMPRESAS 4, Fondo de Titulización de Activos:
- Aaa to the EUR525.8 million Series A notes
- A3 to the EUR25.1 million Series B notes
- Ba2 to the EUR69.1 million Series C notes
GC SABADELL EMPRESAS 4, Fondo de Titulización de Activos is a securitisation of credit rights (interest and principal, excluding the purchase option) derived from financial lease contracts granted by Banco Sabadell (Aa3/P-1) to Spanish enterprises and self-employed individuals. The portfolio will be also serviced by Banco Sabadell.
In Moody's view, strong features within this deal include, among others: (1) experience of Banco Sabadell as originator and servicer; (2) good seasoning of 2.1 years; (3) a strong swap agreement guaranteeing an excess spread of 0.25%; (4) no arrears included at closing; (5) a 12-month artificial write-off mechanism; (6) the fact that the residual value component is not securitised; and (7) the fact that the originator will rank junior with respect to the SPV for any amount due to the purchase option should the relevant lessee default.
However, Moody's notes that the transaction poses several challenging features, namely: (1) regional concentration in Catalonia (around 50%); (2) not very granular portfolio; (3) high concentration in the "building and real estate" sector (32%); and (4) the negative impact of the interest deferral trigger on the subordinated series. These increased risks were reflected in the credit enhancement calculation.
The provisional pool of underlying assets comprised, as of May 2009, credit rights derived from 4,499 lease contracts granted to 3,375 Spanish enterprises and self-employed individuals, for a total amount of EUR668 million. The loans were originated between 1998 and 2009, with a weighted average seasoning of 2.1 years and a weighted average remaining life of 7.9 years. The interest rate is floating for 96% of the pool and fixed for the rest. The weighted average interest rate is 4.7%. In terms of underlying assets, 57.5% of the outstanding of the portfolio is secured over real estate properties. Geographically, the pool is concentrated in Catalonia (50.4%) and Madrid (20.9%), and is around 32% concentrated in the "buildings and real estate" sector according to Moody's industry classification. At closing, none of the contracts will have amounts past due.
Moody's based the ratings primarily on: (i) an evaluation of the underlying portfolio of loans; (ii) historical performance information and other statistical information; (iii) the swap agreement hedging the interest rate risk; (iv) the credit enhancement provided through the GIC account, the excess spread, the cash reserve and the subordination of the notes; and (v) the legal and structural integrity of the transaction. Moody's initially analysed and will monitor this transaction using the rating methodology for EMEA SMEs loan-backed transactions as described "Moody's Approach to Rating Granular SME Transactions in Europe, Middle East and Africa", June 2007 and "Refining the ABS SME Approach: Moody's Probability of Default assumptions in the rating analysis of granular Small and Mid-sized Enterprise portfolios in EMEA", March 2009.
The ratings address the expected loss posed to investors by the legal final maturity of the notes (April 2035). In Moody's opinion, the structure allows for timely payment of interest and ultimate payment of principal on Series A, B and C at par on or before the rated final legal maturity date. Moody's ratings address only the credit risks associated with the transaction. Other non-credit risks have not been addressed, but may have a significant effect on yield to investors.
The only previous rating action relates to the assignment of the provisional rating (8 June 2009).
Moody's will monitor this transaction on an ongoing basis. For updated monitoring information, please contact monitor.abs@moodys.com. To reserve a copy of Moody's pre-sale report on this transaction, please contact the Moody's Client Service Desk in London at 44 (0)20 7772 5454 or visit our web site http://www.moodys.com
Benedicte Pfister
Luis Mozos


John F. Kennedy Commemorative Gold Coin
One of the most beloved and revered men ever
Minted in solid 14k gold
11 mm in diameter (.5'')
Includes a free preview of future issues in the collection The greatest U.S.Presidents . For more information, please refer to the Satisfaction Guarantee tab below. If you do not wish to preview future issues in the collection, you may purchase the single item using the 'Individual Item Only' tab at right.
Price $99.95 * $29.95
Born in 1917, John F. Kennedy seemed destined for greatness. The 2nd son of a prominent family,... more
Born in 1917, John F. Kennedy seemed destined for greatness. The 2nd son of a prominent family, JFK became a war hero who captivated the nation and went on to become President. America fell in lovewith his youthful charm, good looks, and quick wit, but it was his strong will and political savvy that led an entire nation through trying times, such as the Cuban Missile Crisis, and onto its greatest achievement of landing a man on the moon. Kennedy also helped to lay the groundwork for what would become the Civil Rights Act of 1964, which ended segregation in many areas of public life and banned various forms of discrimination.
Kennedy's brilliant political career was cut short by an assassin's bullet on Friday, November 22, 1963, in Dallas, Texas. Today, JFK remains one of themost beloved and revered men ever to hold the office of President of the United States of America.
Our JFK Gold Coin Honors the Kennedy Presidential Legacy
At American Mint, our beautiful John F. Kennedy commemorative gold coin is our way of paying tribute to one of the most beloved and revered figures in our nation's history. Minted in gleaming 14K solid gold, this piece bears a striking image of JFK during his presidential years on the obverse. The reverse bears the legend "Greatest American Presidents," and features an engraved portrait of a bald eagle, our nation'senduring symbol of freedom and independence.
Take Pride in Owning a Kennedy Gold Coin
At American Mint, we want you to feel the sense of pride that comes with owning and displaying a piece as unique as the John F. Kennedy gold coin. Our in-house experts have the skill and experience to craft high-quality products that never fail to impress. Many of our pieces are American Mint exclusives you won't find anywhere else.
Save Money on Coins by Shopping at American Mint
American Mint is the best place to shop if you're looking to reduce your coin and collectible costs. We're thrilled to offer the Kennedy gold coin for sale at a significantly discounted online price. Combine the piece with other items in our collection and get free shipping and handling, which applies to all orders greater than $150. Our interest-free monthly installment plan, which is available with all purchases of more than $100, gives you the flexibility to pay for your coinsover time.
Order Your John Kennedy Gold Coin Today!
Buy the stunning John F. Kennedy commemorative gold coin easily and securely right here at our e-commerce site. If you havequestions or need assistance, give us a call at 1-877-807 MINT Monday through Friday from 8 a.m. to 8 p.m. EST. Be sure to browse our other presidential coins while you're here, as well.
Obverse: John F. Kennedy
Reverse: Greatest American Presidents
Material: .585 gold


Samsung Galaxy Tab S2 review: the closest thing yet to an Android iPad
A superb screen and lovely body - this is a brill Google tablet
Good screen
Thin and light
Strong performance
Average battery
Erratic fingerprint scanner
By James Rogerson 2015-12-09T17:20:00.342Z
Apple's dominance of the tablet market has gradually deteriorated over the years and with slates like the Samsung Galaxy Tab S2 it's no wonder.
With a 9.7-inch screen, a slim and light build and lots of power all packed into a premium shell it's almost an iPad Air 2 running Android.
Yet at around £320 it undercuts Apple's flagship slate, in fact when it comes to price you're in iPad mini 4 territory here.
On the other hand, as an upgrade to the Samsung Galaxy Tab S it's less impressive and while the Galaxy Tab S2 ticks many of the same boxes as the iPad Air 2, it doesn't do it with as much flair.
· The iPad Pro is the best tablet Apple's ever made
The Samsung Galaxy Tab S2 has some similarities with the iPad Air 2 (there's only so much you can do when designing a tablet), but in some ways it actually outdoes it, as at 5.6mm thick and 389g it's both slimmer and lighter. That's quite an achievement and means you can easily hold it in one hand or throw it in a bag and forget about it.
Back in Android land the Sony Xperia Z4 Tablet is almost as slim and just as light, but few other slates can compete with it.
The actual design is slightly less inspiring. The Tab S2 has a metal frame and a plastic back, which could almost pass for metal, but is a distinctly lower end material. The whole thing, metal and plastic both, is also a little slippery and, well, plain.
You could call it understated if you were feeling kind, but whatever you call it the Samsung Galaxy Tab S2 won't elicit the same impressed reactions as the iPad Air 2 or indeed the Samsung Galaxy S6. Still, it's an improvement on the all-plastic Samsung Galaxy Tab S.
Samsung does screens like nobody's business and the Galaxy Tab S2 is no exception, with a bright and vivid Super AMOLED display, just like you'll find on its smartphones.
That's also what you'll find on the original Galaxy Tab S, but oddly Samsung has actually lowered the resolution for the new model, bringing it to an iPad Air 2-matching 1536 x 2048. It's a shame that it's a step down, but it's still plenty sharp enough and a real joy to use.
The company has also changed the aspect ratio from 16:9 to 4:3, clearly in a bid to compete more directly with Apple's slates. The change makes it worse for watching movies, but better for web browsing.
If it seems like we're making so many comparisons with the iPad, you'll find it hard not to when you pick this up - and most of the changes from Samsung seem to have been designed to fight toe-to-toe with Apple's tablet.
Away from the screen, there's a fingerprint scanner packed into the Galaxy Tab S2, making it speedy to unlock. It mostly works well and as you can register up to four fingers you're not stuck using the same digit every time, but it failed to recognise the print about one in four times and on those occasions just typing in a PIN would have been faster.
With an octa-core processor and 3GB of RAM the Samsung Galaxy Tab S2 is a clear flagship and it performs like one, though it's not quite as fast as the Samsung Galaxy S6 or the monstrous iPad Pro.
In practice you won't notice. Everything feels smooth under the finger and it even copes well with high-end games. There's an occasional pause when swiping across the home screen, but that's likely the TouchWiz effect rather than a lack of grunt.
Battery life is a bit more of a worry, as if you do plan to use it for a lot of gaming or video you'll see it come crashing down in a matter of hours. With moderate mixed use you'll get a day or more out of it, but it won't see you through a full Star Wars marathon, so choose your starting trilogy carefully.
The camera is what it is - an okay 8MP snapper strapped to something that's far too big to ever use as a camera. In overcast autumn days it struggled to take any shots which weren't a bit dark, but get the light right and it's not awful.
The arguably more useful front-facing camera is just a 2.1MP one, which again struggles unless the lighting is bright and consistent.
The Galaxy Tab S2 runs Android Lollipop overlaid with TouchWiz. Samsung's modifications have never been the best, but there are some decent features here. Flipboard is baked right in for one, so a swipe to the leftmost screen will give you easy access to news and entertainment stories.
Samsung has also taken advantage of the large 9.7-inch display to offer a split screen mode for easier multi-tasking - the tablet is powerful enough to handle this smoothly, but the screen is just a little too small for it to be entirely comfortable.
T3 verdict
Is the Samsung Galaxy Tab S2 the slate to unseat Apple? Not quite, but in many ways it feels like an Android iPad.
It's a joy to use thanks to a thin and light design, a big and bright screen and plenty of power, which are the most important things really.
Well, those and battery life, which isn't quite as good as it could be, but there's still enough juice here to see you through an average day of use with ease.
All that and the Samsung Galaxy Tab S2 won't cost you any more than an iPad mini 4. It's not as beautiful to behold as Apple's tablets and with a not fully premium design it doesn't feel quite as high-end, but if you're after an Android slate with a great screen then this is right up there.
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Sweatpants & Parenting | Letter to the Other Mom
By Hilliary Holyoak
You know me—I'm that mom. The one you look at, wondering why she's not doing A, B or C about her child's behavior—silent judgment on your face. The mom who stands tall and fights back tears when you look at her disapprovingly. Or worse—when you look at her like you feel sorry for her, because her pride simply can't swallow your pity on top of it all.
I'm the mom whose child is climbing the window washer's scaffolding, or has picked all the leather off his brand new school shoes, or obsessively pinching his own hands with the clothes pin she reluctantly allows him to carry because it keeps his hands busy (and off your kid). The mom whose heart sinks every time the school's number flashes across her phone. The mom whose boy is brilliant, sweet, thoughtful—to the point that he tries to understand the entire world all at once, and the hugeness of it all periodically crushes him.
I'm the mom whose child doesn't want her to come to the school Art Walk because his butterfly sticks out from the other third-graders' butterflies, like a kindergarten piece mistakenly displayed in the wrong class. The mom who tells her son that his butterfly is beautiful and she loves the colors he chose and it's so special just the way he made it—only to have him look at her in tears saying, "I don't want my butterfly to be special, Mom. I just want my butterfly to be like everyone else's butterfly."
I'm the mom who hates herself for the embarrassment that rears its ugly head when her child's impulsiveness causes people to take notice, because she knows in her heart he can't help it and wants so badly to be like other kids. The mom who isn't sure what's worse: feeling embarrassed—or feeling guilty about being embarrassed.
I'm the mom who holds my little boy at night, listening to him explain things she doesn't even come close to comprehending, nervously visualizing the long road ahead, worried the world may one day eat him alive.
I know you know me because I used to be you. I was the other mom looking at that mom, wondering what she must have done (or should do), because her child doesn't fit the mold of the "normal" kid. I was the mom with no idea how much of herself that mom put into weekly therapies, behavioral counseling, social group therapy, school conferences, learning plans. The list is so very long.
I've been given the gift of humility as I now move through the pages of life as that mom, humbled remembering what it was like to be you. Other moms, please know we're acutely aware of the challenges we face, we really are doing the best we know how, and at the end of the day—when we're holding our kids just like you—we don't wish them to be any different. Because they're exactly who they should be.
And that's good enough for us.
Hilliary Holyoak is a single mother of three, spanning ages preschool to high school. Living in the spectacularly beautiful corner of America known as the Pacific Northwest, Hilliary is an avid environmentalist, animal rights activist and community event supporter. She also happens to be known as mom to an incredible nine-year-old boy with Asperger's Syndrome. Hilliary discovers pieces of herself in the moments she spends learning about life, both within and outside of motherhood – and these moments often manage to transcend into words on paper. You can connect with her via her Facebook page (https://www.facebook.com/hilliaryholyoak) or email (hilliaryholyoak@gmail.com).
#autism gratitude mothering parenting single mother special needs
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