Minstrel

I want to write a poem for you, my lover; my minstrel with white skin that absorbs me, my minstrel that saves me from myself and brings me to hide —growing oh so small, so small in your arms . . . ever so small, till I can burrow between your fingers..

Benefits of Yoga for Physical Health and Quality of Life for Older Adults - Report Series # 18

What are the benefits of yoga for community-dwelling older adults? In this pilot study, we included six older women in a once-weekly Iyengar yoga class for 12 weeks. Our findings indicate that yoga has beneficial effects for physical fitness and psychological health. Further, reports from interviews and journals indicate that this type of fitness program changes perceptions of ways to engage in physical exercise, and would be likely to encourage adherence among participants

Enhancing Social Interaction between Preschoolers and Older Adults with Dementia - Report Series # 6

This qualitative intergenerational study, conducted in the spring and summer of 2005, was structured within the parameters of the High/Scope educational approach. High/Scope is guided by active learning which allows children the choice to develop their own learning priorities based on their interests and abilities. Within this model, 5 older adult clients from the Victorian Order of Nurses (VON) Seniors Day Program (Halton Branch) interacted with 5 pre-school children from the Sheridan Child Care Centre. Twelve sessions were conducted over a 6-week time period, and data was collected through both remote (web-casting) and participant observation. Although quantitative data that tracked physical interaction between children and older adults did not show a significant increase in intergenerational interaction, qualitative data indicated greater interaction with frequency of sessions. This study points to a need for further research into specific intergenerational activities and their impact on children, older adults with cognitive impairments and their families

Adapting to the Recession: Labour Force Changes and Labour Costs Reductions

This paper will examine two aspects of the labour market flexibility, namely the ability of the workplaces to adjust their workforce and to reduce their relative labour costs. The survey covers the period ending in May 1991 during which firms faced considerable economic uncertainty and financial pressure. As with the above studies it confirms that considerable flexibility existed in the New Zealand labour market prior to the Employment Contracts Act

Magnetic White Dwarfs from the SDSS II. The Second and Third Data Releases

Fifty-two magnetic white dwarfs have been identified in spectroscopic observations from the Sloan Digital Sky Survey (SDSS) obtained between mid-2002 and the end of 2004, including Data Releases 2 and 3. Though not as numerous nor as diverse as the discoveries from the first Data Release, the collection exhibits polar field strengths ranging from 1.5MG to ~1000MG, and includes two new unusual atomic DQA examples, a molecular DQ, and five stars that show hydrogen in fields above 500MG. The highest-field example, SDSSJ2346+3853, may be the most strongly magnetic white dwarf yet discovered. Analysis of the photometric data indicates that the magnetic sample spans the same temperature range as for nonmagnetic white dwarfs from the SDSS, and support is found for previous claims that magnetic white dwarfs tend to have larger masses than their nonmagnetic counterparts. A glaring exception to this trend is the apparently low-gravity object SDSSJ0933+1022, which may have a history involving a close binary companion.Comment: 20 pages, 4 figures Accepted for publication in the Astronomical Journa

Text messaging to help women with overweight or obesity lose weight after childbirth:the intervention adaptation and SMS feasibility RCT

Background There is a need to develop weight management interventions that fit seamlessly into the busy lives of women during the postpartum period. Objective The objective was to develop and pilot-test an evidence- and theory-based intervention, delivered by short message service, which supported weight loss and weight loss maintenance in the postpartum period. Design Stage 1 involved the development of a library of short message service messages to support weight loss and weight loss maintenance, with personal and public involvement, focusing on diet and physical activity with embedded behaviour change techniques, and the programming of a short message service platform to allow fully automated intervention delivery. Stage 2 comprised a 12-month, single-centre, two-arm, pilot, randomised controlled trial with an active control. Setting This study was set in Northern Ireland; women were recruited via community-based approaches. Participants A total of 100 women with overweight or obesity who had given birth in the previous 24 months were recruited. Interventions The intervention group received an automated short message service intervention about weight loss and weight loss maintenance for 12 months. The active control group received automated short message service messages about child health and development for 12 months. Main outcome measures The main outcomes measured were the feasibility of recruitment and retention, acceptability of the intervention and trial procedures, and evidence of positive indicative effects on weight. Weight, waist circumference and blood pressure were measured by the researchers; participants completed a questionnaire booklet and wore a sealed pedometer for 7 days at baseline, 3, 6, 9 and 12 months. Outcome assessments were collected during home visits and women received a voucher on completion of each of the assessments. Qualitative interviews were conducted with women at 3 and 12 months, to gather feedback on the intervention and active control and the study procedures. Quantitative and qualitative data were used to inform the process evaluation and to assess fidelity, acceptability, dose, reach, recruitment, retention, contamination and context. Results The recruitment target of 100 participants was achieved (intervention, n = 51; control, n = 49); the mean age was 32.5 years (standard deviation 4.3 years); 28 (28%) participants had a household income o

Aquilegia, Vol. 25 No. 3, March-April 2001: Newsletter of the Colorado Native Plant Society

https://epublications.regis.edu/aquilegia/1184/thumbnail.jp

The Iowa Homemaker vol.36, no.14

Here’s to Your Job!, Marcia Wilsie, page 4 Journalism is for You, Ann Baur, page 6 Contest, Betty Gregory, page 7 “Little World of Spices”, Pat McBride, page 8 Miss Bernice Burns, Jan Anderson, page 10 Promise, Martha Elder, page 11 Choose Wisely, Cutlery, Anne Beem, page 12 Clara Inkumsah from West Africa, Margot Copeland, page 13 Good Design doesn’t have to be Expensive, Mary Vandecar, page 1

Impact of a Community-Controlled Adult Literacy Campaign on Crime and Justice Outcomes in Remote Australian Aboriginal Communities

Using qualitative self-reported and observational evidence combined with a quantitative breakdown of linked administrative justice system data, this before-and-after study demonstrates the beneficial impacts of a First Nations community-controlled adult literacy campaign in six rural and remote communities in New South Wales, Australia. The most significant quantitative finding is a 50% reduction in reported serious offences in a sample of 162 campaign participants. Qualitative data from interviews found  an increased use of legal assistance services following the campaign.. These findings are contextualised through the lived experiences and perceptions of First Nations campaign staff and participants, community leaders and government and non-government agency personnel