A Secretary's Wife

A Secretary's Wife is a work of historical fiction that draws from real events and people who emerge from the journals and letters of Lady Anne Barnard while she was in the Cape for the period 1797–1802. Lady Anne Lindsay marries a younger man without title or fortune. When he lands a position as secretary to the governor of the Cape, she is determined to go with him. They make the journey on a crowded ship to Cape Town and, on arrival, find the Cape expensive and turbulent. Narrow-minded people complain incessantly, slavery and hangings are rife, and shortages of wood, flour and other commodities are commonplace. Life improves after they are offered accommodation in the abandoned old Government House at the castle. They set up a home and try to understand the culture, the people around them and each other. Barnard begins to thrive leaving Anne to her own devices. At the same time, she come to terms with being barren within the context of her society. The use of a country cottage called Paradise helps the Barnards reconnect, but when Lady Anne suspects Barnard's infidelity with a slave woman and, due to ill health, the governor leaves the Cape, life can never be the same again. In writing this work, I have attempted to reimagine Lady Anne Barnard's life, in particular the personal aspects to which she may have made fleeting references, otherwise it is entirely fictional

A possible deuterium anomaly: Implications of the CH3D/CH4 mixing ratios in the atmospheres of Jupiter, Saturn, and Uranus

Observations of CH3D in the atmospheres of the outer planets provide a test of the theory of deuterium fractionation equilibrium in the formation and evolution of these planets. Recent measurements of the CH3D/CH4 mixing ratios made for Saturn and Uranus are presented and intercompared with current values of Jupiter, illustrating large differences between the planets. Their implied D/H ratios are compared to D/H ratios derived from measurements of HD/H2; and, in the cases of Jupiter and Saturn, they may be incompatible. Implications of these comparisons are discussed in terms of the deuterium fractionation chemistry and possible enrichments of deuterium in the core ices of the planets

Individual Development Accounts: The Path to a Dream

Low-income workers can increase their financial security by increasing their asset base. Individual Development Accounts (IDAs) match participant savings for preagreed upon goals such as home ownership, education, and small businesses. IDA program evaluation found that half of the participants saved at least 80% of the maximum amount allowed. Extension educators have an opportunity to incorporate IDAs into poverty-reduction strategies in their counties. They can also provide financial education as a means to help families set and sustain long-term financial goals and plans

The problem of tracing dirty money from Russia: how ‘illegal’ are ‘illicit’ flows?

Russia’s invasion of Ukraine has prompted renewed calls to tackle the flow of ‘dirty money’ from Russia into other European states. Tom Mayne, Tena Prelec and Catherine Owen argue that given the challenges associated with conceptualising illicit financial flows, a wider approach to studying the transnational reach of dirty money is needed

Relationship Between Alcoholics Anonymous 12 Steps Facilitation and Development of Competencies in Rehabilitation Facilities in Central and Nairobi Regions, Kenya

Helping an alcoholic overcome addiction calls for an appropriately planned and skillfully managed processes that offer personal support and guidance, necessitating effective approaches in the treatment of alcohol rehabilitation. Despite the growth of rehabilitation facilities in the recent past, statistics indicate that approximately 90% of alcoholics are likely to experience at least one relapse over a four-year period after treatment. This is an indication that recovering alcoholics may have not gained sufficient competencies while in rehabilitation to avoid the relapse. An understanding of how the AA 12 steps facilitation influence the development of competencies among recovering alcoholics is therefore key to their reintegration into society. The study adopted behavioural, Adlerian and person centred theories for its theoretical framework. The study employed the ex-post- facto correlational research design with an accessible population of 202 recovering alcoholics and 81 addiction counsellors in 17 rehabilitation facilities in Central and Nairobi regions employing the 12 step facilitation approach. Census sampling method was used for the addiction counsellors with the entire population participating in the study. A sample size of 134 respondents calculated using Yamane simplified formula was used for the recovering alcoholics. Data was collected using a structured questionnaire for the recovering alcoholics and addiction counsellors. The instruments were validated and adjustments done after the pilot study, while reliability was determined using the Cronbach’s Alpha Coefficient at 0.898.  The data was analysed using the IBM Statistical Package for Social Sciences (SPSS) version 22.0. Pearson correlations were used to test the relationship between the dependent variable (recovering alcoholics competencies) and the independent variable (AA 12 steps facilitation). The 12 steps facilitation was established to be statistically significant at p=0.000<0.05 with a moderate positive association (r=0.491). The study recommends strengthening of key indicators under the AA 12 steps facilitation model established to positively contribute towards the development of competencies. These comprised of the aspects of self-acceptance of the person as an alcoholic, acknowledgement and the commitment of the alcoholic to continue seeking help that would promote high levels of rehabilitation success among alcoholics. Keywords: Alcoholics Anonymous, 12 Steps Facilitation, Recovering Alcoholics, Competencies, Rehabilitation DOI: 10.7176/RHSS/9-10-07 Publication date:May 31st 201