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Best Outdoor Lighting in McKinney, Texas
Owning a home in McKinney, Texas is a point of pride, and outfitting that home with high-quality outdoor lighting will make it all the more enjoyable. At Creative Nightscapes, we're proud to offer the highest quality outdoor lighting available in the McKinney area. Whether you are looking for landscape lighting, pool lighting, security lighting, or more, you can trust Creative Nightscapes to provide you with beautiful, high-quality lighting that will increase the value of your property and add a new dimension of aesthetic appeal.
Landscape Lighting Installation and Design in McKinney
Designing and installing landscape lighting for your McKinney home all starts with a free quote. From there, our professional designers will work with you to develop a lighting design that goes above and beyond your expectations. Once you are fully satisfied with the design, our installation experts will bring that design to life, working quickly and with minimal intrusion. At the end of the process, you'll have a custom-designed landscape lighting that will truly brighten up your night.
LED Low Voltage Lighting
Creative Nightscapes offers environmentally friendly outdoor LED landscape lighting for a Greener tomorrow. This type of low voltage outdoor lighting provides a safe and reliable energy solution for illuminating homes and landscaping all night for pennies a day. You don't want to have big electric bills, though, and there are ways to get the lighting you love without a lot of expense.
Landscape LED low voltage lighting is a great way to make your yard stand out in McKinney. One of the best ways to do that is through the use of low voltage lighting, which doesn't use a lot of electricity but easily lights up even the largest yards when placed correctly.
Having low voltage LED lighting, or other types of outdoor lighting options in your yard can make it beautiful. Contact us, and we can help you explore some great options for an outdoor space you'll love, day or night.
Living in McKinney
McKinney, Texas is a wonderful place to call home, and outlined below are some important facts to know about living in McKinney:
- The population is 172,298.
- The overall cost of living is 17% higher than the national average.
- The median household income is $82,298.
- The median price for homes that are currently for sale in McKinney is $359,000.
There's a lot to love about living in Mckinney, Texas. For one, the city is known for its vibrant culture and community, and the residents are never short of anything to do. Downtown McKinney is charming, lively, and historical, and it also offers plenty of access to amenities, shopping centers, restaurants, and beautiful scenery.
McKinney is a city that is bustling with activity, providing you with plenty of opportunities to get involved. One great way to keep up with what's going on in McKinney is to check out the city's official website. There you'll be able to see what events are upcoming in the city and make plans to attend.
People in McKinney are very accepting and inviting, and making new friends shouldn't be hard. Attend a few events, spend a little time downtown, and interact with everyone you can. In no time at all, you'll be a part of the thriving community.
The proximity of a location to Dallas and Fort Worth is an important consideration for many people. McKinney is 33 miles away from Dallas and 57 miles away from Fort Worth. This equates to about a 56-minute drive to Dallas and a 1 hour and 14-minute drive to Fort Worth.
Visiting McKinney
If you'd like to check out the city before you decide to purchase a home there, you're in luck. The city offers plenty of attractions to visitors, making for a fun getaway no matter where your interests lie. Outlined below are some of the landmarks and attractions that you can check out on your visit to McKinney.
Historic Downtown McKinney tops the list of landmarks to check out in the city. From stunning architecture to beautiful statues and other works of art, it's easy to spend an entire day checking out all that Downtown McKinney has to offer. From there, you may want to check out the Heard-Craig center for the arts. This art and flower exhibit is a stunning attraction and an iconic landmark of McKinney. Lastly, stop by the Pecan Grove Memorial Cemetery to pay respect to veterans from all wars since the civil war.
There's certainly no shortage of things for people visiting McKinney to do. For a wonderful tour and delicious drink, you can take a trip to the Tupps Brewery or the Landon Winery. If you would like to get in touch with nature, stop by the Heard Natural Science Museum & Wildlife Sanctuary, or let your dog get in on the fun by taking them to the dog park at Bonnie Wenk.
Local Resources
If you decide to call McKinney home, there are plenty of great local businesses that will be happy to help you make the most of your new location. If you need landscaping services, give Luke's Landscape and Maintenance a call. For plumbing work, you can count on Benjamin Franklin Plumbing. In short, no matter what you need you can count on plenty of great McKinney businesses to rise to challenge.
Local Reviews
for McKinney, TX
Very professional and wonderful design, service and price !!
John - McKinney, TX
Jerry and his team explained everything and had great ideas to accomplish our goals. His team was professional and quick and they left the yard as clean as it was when they got there if not better. I would highly recommend. Our McKinney home is greatly enhanced with this lighting. Thank you Jerry and the rest of the team
Love it
Michelle - McKinney, TX
Love our new lightning! From start to finish everything was professional and was explained in detail. Any time I had questions, George was very timely with responding.
Awesome experience all around!!
Greg - McKinney, TX
Amazing Work and Crew!
Ashley - McKinney, TX
George and his crew did an amazing job! They were such a pleasure to work with. We are so happy with their work!
Quality Experience
Ron - McKinney, TX
CreativeNightScapes, did what they said they would do it, when they said they would do. They did quality work, and was customer focused. This is a rarity in services today. I am most pleased with all aspects, did not select them for price and glad I did not. I highly reccommend them.
Pleasantly Surprised
Katie - McKinney, TX
This was one of my best home service experiences yet. The whole process was quick and seamless. We love our new lights!
Beautiful landscape lighting.
Laura - McKinney, TX
We are extremely pleased with the way our lighting design turned out. Our new home looks beautiful at night!
Excellent Service!
Throckmorton - McKinney, TX
The pricing was inline with other bids, and the service was great. The installation was problem free, and the end product looks great.
Stellar design ideas, terrific installation execution.
Chris - McKinney, TX
George had great ideas on how to best work within the parameters of our home for lighting options. Stephen and the installation team did an incredible job executing that vision. The final result is amazing and we couldn't be happier with the outcome.
George W.
Installed & upgraded existing system to Kichler LED low voltage lighting in front & backyard accenting the home, down lighting the front walkway & steps and backyard pool deck in the Newport Village community of McKinney, TX.
Jerry H.
Installed Kichler LED low voltage lighting to accent front facade, down lighting to illuminate walkway, waterfall and bar area, tree canopies and highlight landscaping in the Stone Hollow community of McKinney, TX.
George W.
Installed Kichler LED outdoor landscape lighting around First McKinney Baptist Church. Placed up lights to accent various trees around the property.
George W.
Installed Kichler LED landscape lighting at home in Trails at Craig Ranch. Placed up lights to accent the facade of home. Mounted down lights and hardscapes to highlight the back and side yards as well as the facade of home near the patio.
Jerry H.
Upgraded existing fixtures to LED lamps and installed new Kichler outdoor lighting at home in Tranquility Farms. Mounted down lights in eaves to illuminate the garage and driveway areas. Placed up lights to accent facade of home and trees. Set well lights to accent Red Plum trees and Palm trees. Mounted hardscapes under seating area and steps near fire pit.
George W.
Installed Kichler LED lighting at home in Lacima Haven. Placed up lights to accent the facade of home, columns, and canopies of various trees. Set path lights to highlight the pool deck walkway. Mounted down lights to illuminate garage doors and trampoline area.
George W.
Installed Kichler LED outdoor lighting at home in Village Park. Placed up lights to accent facade of home, columns right of entry, and 2 small trees. Mounted down lights under eaves to highlight yard below in back yard. Mounted hardscape lights to illuminate garage door and second level facades and columns.
George W.
Installed Kichler LED outdoor lighting at home in Village Park. Placed up lights in front of home to accent facade and small tree. Mounted down lights and hardscapes in eaves to highlight patio entrances and yard areas.
Jerry H.
Removed existing fixtures. Installed Kichler LED outdoor landscape lighting at home in Fairway Vista at Eldorado. Placed up lights to accent facade of home and trees behind pool. Mounted down lights in eaves to illuminate side yard, driveway, walkway, and trash can area. Set wash lights to accent landscape greenery in back yard.
Jerry H.
Installed Kichler LED lighting at home in Crimson Ridge. Placed up lights to accent front entry, facade, Japanese Maple, and other trees. Mounted down lights to highlight driveway, pool deck, and walkways. Set path lights to illuminate walkway, steps, and landscape greenery. Mounted hardscape lights to illuminate walkway and steps near street.


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Every Christian claims to trust the Lord. Yet, in reality, many of God's children aren't ready to face the black storm coming upon the world. Unless we lay hold of a special, unshakable trust in our Lord, we won't be ready for the hard times, now or in the future.
When the full fury of the storm breaks and uncertainty falls over humankind like a cloud, multitudes of Christians will not be able to handle it. Overcome with fear, they will lose their song of victory. Who are these believers who won't be prepared to endure the storm? They are those who haven't cultivated a life of prayer with the Lord and are not grounded in His Word.
For years godly shepherds have urged Christians to set aside a time each day to meet God in prayer. Thank the Lord, many have learned to pour out their hearts to Jesus and they are being rewarded with a holy faith and trust. Indeed, their faith grows daily by their reliance on His Word.
You see, communion gives birth to trust. By pouring out to the Lord all our worries, we come away with His rest and assurance: "Trust in him at all times . . . pour out your heart before him" (Psalm 62:8). According to this psalm, "trusting" and "pouring out" are inseparable. If we are to trust God at all times, including the darkest times, then we must be pouring out our hearts to Him without ceasing.
As the days become more frightful, there will arise a people of God who become bolder and bolder. These are believers who call daily on the name of the Lord, "So that we may boldly say, The Lord is my helper, and I will not fear what man shall do unto me" (Hebrews 13:6). Revelation from God's Word will uphold them in the hardest of times.
David learned to call upon the Lord in every crisis of his life. Time after time this godly man ran to his secret place, emptying all his fears before the Lord: "In my distress I called upon the Lord, and cried to my God: and he did hear my voice out of his temple, and my cry did enter into his ears. . . . He delivered me" (2 Samuel 22:7, 18).

subset: commoncrawl


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Some mistakes 403 Quintuplets
Moderator: Big-Will
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Some mistakes 403 Quintuplets
1. the way the romanians are dressed... you won't see romanians dressed like that, you might see the russians
2. the romanians don't talk russian they have the romanian laguage, they are latins...
3. the names you gave to the girls.. lame... i mean those are russin names or basarabian's names or names from Ukraina, the only kind of romanian name is Nadia (you might have heard about the romanian gymnast Nadia Comaneci ... she is the first gymnast with a perfect 10.00 at the olympics.
4. when you say romania is gay think again... US is full of gays... you wont find many in romania.. the girls are pretty there, not fat as in US.. wich leads to another mistake... you made the grandmother fat... a few of the romanians are fat comparing to US.
5. The 200$ Kenny and his mom have.. wont last them for 2 weeks... actually if i think about it they don't have enough for 2 days at a decent motel ). It's good to know that so you wont think you could do a trip in romania with 200$ in you're pocket
6. Red hair is not specific to romanians.
7. Plus in Romania you can find malls and parks and whatever.
8. Not everybody from Romania is poor, watch this for example http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rm5oYNXJB3g starting 2:30, Like in every country there are poor people and rich people, and the middle class.
9. When they say "let's find babusca", babusca is a russian word which means old lady.
10. At 11:01 everything except the glag on the left is pure russian )
12. I don't think that there is a sign on any European airport saying "Welcome to Europe" (13:27).. what wold be the point of having such a sign? ( ow...!!! and for all the retards out there: Europe is NOT a country it's a CONTINENT)
13. I don't think the romanian goverment really gives a sh*t about romanians outside the borders... so they wouldn't send somebody to take back romanians from other country what would be the point?
14. Everything is cheap in Romania? cheap apartments? haha:)) for a medium 700 square meters apartment you have to pay at least 85000$, but if you want a good apartment or a new one you will pay above 120000 USD; FOOD in romania is f*ck*ng expensive, almost the most expensive in Europe.
15. Nobody really knows about Oprah in Romania, i'm sure that 6 years old romanain girls never heard anout Oprah.
I do like South Park so i'm going to say something that is true about Romania and romanians: The do have a russian accent when they speak english, the politicians are f*ck*ing corupt so the have the habit of bribing (they bribed the boat owners), Romania is a f*cked up because of the goverment, but so is USA from the same reason that's why you protest so much.
I do hope you won't delete this post. Ow and please excuse my english, I'm not that good at writing... Keep up the good work and at least try not to make confusions.. if you wold read anything about Romania you would have realised that there are a lot of things happening in Romania to laugh about it without invennting them
16. http://video.google.com/videoplay?docid ... q=romania#
I hope i hadn't double posted this
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Re: Some mistakes 403 Quintuplets
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We are host to a number of clubs and societies.
If you are interested, why not come in one evening.
Reading French Language Group
French language group in Reading since July 2008
for all people who like to speak French.
We meet at least twice a week, on Mondays for dinner and discussion in French, on Wednesdays for Board Games playing in French.
We organise regular quizzes, Sing-a-long, in French, Dance parties, ...
We also meet for special occasions, Bastille Day, Halloween, Christmas, go see French movies, concerts, and other related events in Reading or in the region, and up to London.
If you are interested to join, please go to our meetup page.
Insight Leadership
We are a group of entrepreneurs, business owners, employee's who want to meet like-minded inspirational, fun, motivated individuals.
We invite people to join the discussion on how to recognise, face & overcome personal &business challenges & create exceptional things in life, realise dreams &really be willing to knock down the blocks of what gets in the way of realising full potential in life.
Do you want to take your business to the next level, have more confidence to step up your career, build better client relationships, have more effortless & fun days at work? Join us for an interesting & impactful discussion on Tuesdays.
More details on our Meetup page.
Spiritual Realisation
This is a group for anyone interested in non-duality, self-inquiry and anyone wishing to find who they truly are.
For those who wish to discover their true self, who you really are before the body and personal mind. Why are we here, what is life and the Universe and what is our part in that? Looking inside ourselves to realise the true self, Non-Duality existence. Whether you are looking for answers to life's biggest questions, feel like you are searching for your soul, discovering your life purpose or just want to live a nice, quiet, happy life, this group is for you.
We are looking forward to having some fascinating and transformational discussions on Tuesdays.
More details on our Meetup page.
Award Winning Fiction Book Group Reading - Berkshire
_Our book group based in Reading Berkshire has now been going for almost four years. We are always open to new members. So if you're local and love reading, come along! We normally meet once a month on the last Tuesday of the month. Come to laugh, share stories and make new friends!
More details on the Meetup page.


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Digital Production
The Gnomon Workshop offers the most comprehensive set of Digital Production tutorials anywhere. The broad scope of the tutorials contained in this section range from foundational understanding of the software tools all the way to the professional application of these tools and concepts used by artists working in the film and game industries.
Entertainment Design
The Gnomon Workshop is widely regarded as the global leader in training tutorials for the designer working in the entertainment industry. With tutorials ranging from foundational drawing and design concepts to process tutorials from some of the top concept and character designers in the world, there is surely something here to inspire.
As the tattoo industry has seen an explosion in popularity over the last few years, the need training in this field has also grown. In these video tutorials, some of the top tattoo artists in the world share their techniques and their take on the art of tattoo. The tutorials range from absolute beginner level to advanced color and blending techniques used by some of the world's best.
The Gnomon Workshop offers professional training on most of the software applications used in today's digital pipelines. There are foundational titles to introduce users to the software and tools, as well as advanced production titles that discuss application tools and processes vital to the production of digital assets and media.
Professional Training for Artists
The Gnomon Workshop seeks out the most highly-regarded traditional and digital artists and technicians currently working in the entertainment and design industries. Our instructors have shared their practices working at such top studios as Pixar, ILM, Blizzard, and many more.Instructor GalleriesInstructor Interviews
Thierry Doizon, a.k.a BARONTiERi, attended both the European Design Institute (FR) and the Kent Institute of Arts & Design (UK), graduating with honors with a B.A. degree in Industrial Design and Interior Architecture. He fell into the weird world of videogames in 1995, and has worked for different companies such as Acclaim Studios, Splash Damage, Ubisoft and now Eidos Montreal. At the same time, he's been working on a diverse array of personal projects including illustrations, matte paintings and comic books, and has been invited to speak at various workshops and conferences (Disney Imagineering, ADAPT, Ubisoft Campus, The Gnomon Workshop and Massive Black).
"One of the most important steps in becoming a successful video game concept designer is knowing how best to approach the creation and presentation of game assets for the rest of the development team. Thierry does a wonderful job at presenting this process on his first educational tutorial. Seeing just how clear, direct, thorough and concise the design of any character or object can be executed from start to finish will be a great help to aspiring concept designers of all levels. This tutorial will greatly help with the refinement of a designers' ideas and how they should go about professionally presenting those ideas to the video game industry."
Try a Class on Campus
Gnomon specializes in computer graphics education for careers in the entertainment industry.


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|Sighting Report
|Occurred : 3/21/2010 04:00 (Entered as : 03/21/2010 4:00)
Reported: 4/26/2010 5:27:33 PM 17:27
Posted: 5/12/2010
Location: Issaquah, WA
Shape: Circle
Duration:5 to 10 seconds
|White orbs in the clouds, both as big as a two story house, seen near Issaquah, Wa. on I-90, March 21st, 2010
I was riding in the passenger seat of a vehicle that my friend was driving. It was about 4:00am or so, on Mar. 21st, 2010. We were coming back from Ellensburg, Wa., headed towards Seattle.
We were dropping down into the valley, near Issaquah, Wa., on I-90, headed west. I saw two big white glowing orbs in the clouds. And then they dove down out of the clouds, and disappeared after about 5 to ten seconds.
My best guesstimate as to how big the orbs were, were that each of them were probably as big as a two story house.


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Gunsmoke – western TV show – Page Twelve. Watch Episodes of The Gunsmoke western TV series shows. Free Online! BACK TO WESTERNS TV MAIN MENU
The back stories of some of the main characters were largely left to the imagination of the viewer. Matt Dillon spent his early years in foster care, knew the Bible, was a wayward, brawling cowboy, and later mentored by a caring lawman. Kitty Russell, born in New Orleans and reared by a flashy foster mother (who once visited Dodge), apparently had no living family. Barkeep Sam was said to be married but no sightings of a wife were made (In the episode "Tafton", he is seen side-by-side with a woman in a church singing). Quint Asper's white father was killed by white scavengers. Thad Greenwood's father, a storekeeper, was harassed to death by a trio of loathsome ne'er-do-well thieves. Chester Goode was known to be one of many brothers raised by an aunt and uncle, and he mentions his mother on one occasion; he referred to past service in the cavalry, and years as a cattle driver in Texas. The cause of Chester's stiff right leg was never given, but it was shown as his own leg and not a prosthesis. No direct reference was ever made to his disability in the script, although some oblique moments painted the free spirited, comic deputy with a darker tone. Newly O'Brien was named after a physician uncle, who ignited his interest in medicine.


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Ween is a unique one of a kind band. This well respected duo consists of Gene and Dean Ween who consistently play new and different experimental psychedelic music. They have a huge underground fanbase but are mostly unknown to the majority. Just so you can get an idea of how crazy these guys are, supposedly on the album The Pod the contraption on the album cover is a bong-like device with scotchguard used to propel marijuana by use of nitrous oxide , which was said to leave the user intoxicated for days. No one knows if they actually made this device and used it, but it just shows you how crazy these guys are. So CHECK OUT THEIR MUSIC
Best live show on the archive: http://www.archive.org/details/ween2003-10-03-flac16 (Download the VBR Zip on the left side of the page)
Ween TV: http://www.ween.com/weentv
Ween Playlist
Download: Ween – Mister Richard Smoker
Download: Ween – Take Me Away
Download: Ween – Piss up a Rope


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There's a lot to unpack from
You know the news. Four African-Americans were charged last week with hate crimes in the alleged kidnapping and torture of a bound, white and mentally disabled young man.
Police said they beat him, forced him to drink toilet water, jabbed at him with a knife and cut his scalp, shouting "F---white people!" and "F--- [
I watched some, not all of that video, the way they brutalized that young man, the terror in his eyes, hearing their laughter. And I realized these were human beings, amusing themselves with the pain of a mentally disabled man. There are many words for this, but irredeemable is the one that comes to mind.
And when
"It makes you wonder what would make individuals treat somebody like that," said
Johnson's been a cop in
Because cops work in that world where people do such things to each other. Where criminals laugh and inflict pain, on babies, old people, anyone. Most of the rest of us haven't been to that place and we'd be psychologically damaged if we did.
There are other elements of this heater case that should be acknowledged, like the politics of this thing. It's crawling with politics now.
It's partly a racial thing so let's talk race. If the races were reversed, and a mentally disabled black kid were tortured by white barbarians, the political left would be screaming that over-the-top political rhetoric from the right had trickled down and encouraged the brutes. You can argue with me about this, but that won't change it.
Yet it's the other way now, isn't it? And the political right is arguing that anti-Trump rants from the left -- including casting white males as the political enemy -- have given license to this kind of thing. The two sides will slap-fight each other over this on social media, in anonymous and hateful comments under online news stories, and they'll slap each other in the journals.
And this is how we craft political weapons from human misery.
But there is another kind of politics at work here as well, the politics of
You weren't in the meetings and neither was I, but you can envision them huddling in three distinct groups: One group with
Foxx seemed to never miss a camera during the Laquan McDonald controversy. When that video finally surfaced after the mayoral election, showing the white cop shooting a black kid 16 times, Foxx won her election.
She was all over the news then, but for this case, she was rather reserved, though her office pressed the charges.
And Emanuel, hoping to rehabilitate himself with black voters after the way he handled the McDonald fiasco, waited until the water was warm.
Most of it was left to Johnson, and he made sure to hit his main political talking point early in his news conference last week, as the charges were read and national news was made.
"There was never a question whether this incident qualified to be investigated as a hate crime," Johnson said.
The "F--- white people!" and "F--- Trump!" commentary on the video left no other options. So hate crime it was.
But what is a hate crime if not thought crime? I don't like the idea of hate crimes, because people's thoughts should belong only to them, not the government. What's important is action.
And binding and gagging a disabled man, poking at him with a knife as he cowers in a corner, carving a chunk out of his scalp as he whimpers while the kidnappers laugh, all that brutality is certainly hateful enough.
We're sickened and shocked because we watched it all on video.
But I wonder how we'd feel if we had access to those police body cam recordings, to see what cops see when they walk up and look into a victim's eyes.
Comment by clicking here.
John Kass is a columnist for the Chicago Tribune who also hosts a radio show on WLS-AM.


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So, we had a discussion about the differences in the library systems from when I was a kid, to today. Do you remember the smell of the wood drawers in the card catalogue? Wondering what a great job it must have been to type all of those cards and filing them in those wooden drawers with brass door pulls, which slid so smoothly in the perfectly chiseled drawer holes, and then, late,r in the disgusting metal file cabinets? I felt so independent as a kid, being able to look for the author or title in those card catalogues, and then finding the treasure between hard-covered containers with magical pages inside, easily on the library shelf. Who would have fathomed back then that there were more authors than Judy Blume, and book series such as Nancy Drew and the Hardy Boys?
Today, not only can you find book lists, but you can go to a computer (not invented way back when in the history of libraries... I'm just sayin'!) look up a topic, person, event even a T.V. show - even if it is on cable - at any age, and possibly watch episodes, AT ANY AGE. And the library cannot censor material for anyone who has a library card. ANYONE! Could this possibly be a little much for certain people, not just the children? I know it would be for me at a younger age, not knowing that I should possibly be careful not to let the temptation of "access" infiltrate my desire to stay focused on the God Whom I serve. So to you who read this, remember, it's not too late to limit or define what is okay to look for on the World Wide Web.
Here are 10 (ten) things I wish I had implemented, from the get-go, into my exposure on the computer. These are tactics - it can be a battlefield online. I will be adopting them for myself and my family. Feel free to repeat it, as written or modified, for your situation, occupation, etc.:
1. I will make a Mission Statement. It does not have to be fancy. Just something to remind me of what is important to me while I am on an adventure online. I will post it somewhere on, or near, my computer(s) and work spaces where I use my laptop. Here is an example: Our family mission online is to seeking God and Truth. To use online as a tool for learning, communicating and sharing while honoring Our Lord. Philippians 4: 4 - 18
2. Pray before turning on the computer. No it is not cheesy, especially when God strongly advises us to pray (Philippians 4:18). Sometimes I pray that my computer will work, which may be a little frivolous, but it is honestly on my mind sometimes. My laptop is falling apart - the monitor is hanging by a single hinge-thingy. My speakers stopped working last week. But that's beside the point. Also, pray for God's guidance and that He will open my eyes and mind to see more truth about Him, help me ignore the junk, and help me love others in my communication exchanged with associates, acquaintances, friends and family
3. It is okay to set a time limit to be online for myself and family members, especially for social networking. I will make an appointment for being online. Put it in the schedule. Then, before logging on, I will set the timer on the stove, get the egg timer, or set the one on my cell.
4. It is more than okay to say "NO" to things I know are not appropriate. Close a window before I have time to think about it, if something appears unrelated to what I want for my life.
5. REMEMBER: My presence online, I mean lack of it, is not going to be the end of the world. If someone who is important to me has something to say or ask, they can call me or text.
6. When in doubt, don't do it!!! Remember, there is no love in fear. Doubt is maybe a little more subtle of a word, but it is anxiety, which is fear.
7. Make a shopping list of things I want to learn more about, shop for, ads to place, etc., and bring the list to the computer when going online. It can save time.
8. When typing up something like an advertisement, article, blog - do it offline. Edit and proofread it offline. Then post it during your next online appointment. I really need to work on this one!! If you are anything like me, I need to read things aloud to make sure everything is fit for public access. Sometimes, reading it aloud again, after taking a break from it
9. As in most things in life, trust my instincts. If something does not feel right, it most likely is not. Flee from it!! This goes along with number 6 above. It is a good habit to be more careful about things.
10. Never, NEVER communicate online while overwhelmed with emotion. Pick up the phone and call someone you trust and know will advise you according to what your life ambition is, whether that be to be God's servant, or maybe in the best interest of living a productive life. I, as a parent, need to diligently discuss, and be available to communicate about things with which my kids interact online, and in this wide, open world we live. My kids came to me a few days ago, asking what something meant that a friend said. I explained, in an age appropriate way, what it was and why it was inappropriate. I thanked them for coming to me. There is no guarantee that I handled it perfectly for each of them, but I pray that they understood, without judging the friend, that they do not have to adopt certain things into their own way of living.
This mostly boils down to self-control. It is a muscle that I personally plan to exercise more. Remembering, though, that I need His power through the Holy Spirit, to help me. Prioritize. It is especially important to me to actually spend time with the people I love, and who love me well. That is a priority for me. Social networking can be fun, but it is important to remember that it is only a tool, not a relationship. Being able to access information on the internet so easily is wonderful, but do we really need to pursue all the information, images, videos, songs, etc. we pursue? I wonder if people felt the same way when the wheel was invented?
Be careful out there!


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The three courses – work readiness 101
Every Workplace
The purpose of this course is to tell the young person about to get work experience
something about the way workplaces- well, work.
It covers what to put in an CV and how one should think about the CV from the point of view of the employer who is likely to see it. It talks about the social media checks the employer is likely to do, and therefore what precautions to take in this respect.
It covers day one, and also the final day, and the etiquette surrounding both. It also looks at basic health and safety issues and when to ask questions and the etiquette surrounding the relationships with one's immediate superior.
Transition from education into work
The purpose of this course is more wide-ranging. It covers the essentials of business writing, and also of confidentiality; making an inexcusable error in this respect can be expensive for the employer and counter-productive for the individual. There is an outline description of boundaries between the different departments of the firm, the firms in a sector, and shareholders who own them. The intention is that even if something is not clear at the outset, there is something to refer to during the internship period.... and that is why the modules are made available for a whole year, upon a single one off payment. Start your annual access before the internship begins and let it run to after it finishes
Get your CV seen by a human
This is a rather neglected topic in schools and FE colleges - not to mention universities. Most of us find out by default that Applicant Tracking Systems are in use both within companies and particularly in recruitment firms, which are used to compile the first shortlist. A significant number of CVs don't get to a human being - they are discarded because they don't have the right keywords. This is a short course about how to draft one's CV - not for human eyes, but to get beyond the machines in the first place.
It takes a professional look at why such systems are used, and makes suggestions about how to get beyond it, to a human being, on whose discretion an internship might be granted.


text:
Janien Linde
Marthie van der Walt
Nina Brink
Nina Brink achieved a BA in Communication Studies, and BA Hons and MA in Afrikaans and Dutch at the North-West University's Potchefstroom campus. Her specific research focus is on Afrikaans children's first language acquisition. This is an underexplored theme in the field of Afrikaans linguistics. Nina works within the framework of functional/usage-based and cognitive linguistics, and also specialises in Afrikaans language editing. Her research forms part of the Subprogram: Descriptive Linguistics of the Research Unit for language and literature.
Estie Lubbe
She uses the flipped classroom pedagogical model for third year Accounting students. Students are required to view short videos on the theory at home before the class session and this enables contact sessions to be devoted to practical work. This change enables more students to be engaged in the contact sessions and increase their confidence in the subject.
Beitske Maria van der Niet
I am a lecturer in Accounting. I have been at the school of Accounting for 8 years. I have lectured in Accounting for 1st years all modules CA and Non CA modules, and second year modules CA and Non CA modules, and have lectured 3rd years in the Non CA stream - Financial Accounting and have also lectured Honours - Financial Accounting students.
Christelle Liversage
Jeanine Pires-Putter
Jeanine has 12 years' experience in the labour relations and trade union sector and more specifically 11 years' experience as negotiator in wage negotiations. She is a registered Chartered human resource professional and has a successful track record of achieving effective and positive outcomes in various negotiations and consultations. She is also elected Chairperson of SAPTU NW (South African Parastatal & Tertiary Institutions Union) (4years).
Diteboho Xaba
I have published more 15 articles in the areas of optimization and financial econometrics. Furthermore, most of the students are have co-supervise (Masters Students) and supervise are conducting their studies in these two areas. Currently, I am study my PhD in the very same area of financial econometrics using nonlinear models.
Bokang Ncube
I am currently employed on a temporary basis by the North-West University teaching undergraduate (first year) and post graduate (honours) modules: Introductory Statistics and Multivariate Analysis. Among other tasks, I am currently supervising two honours and one Masters students. I have interest in interdisciplinary research, especially using Multivariate Techniques. I hold a Masters of Commerce in Statistics and currently in my second year of my PhD studies in Statistics. I am conversant with the SAS software package and STATA.
Emile Coetzee
Mphegolle Ephraim Moshidi
Teaches Supply Chain Management for Industrial Engineering students.
Petrus van der Merwe
Ronel Wasserman
My research career started in 2009 when I began compiling the Historical Corpus of South African English, consisting of personal and business letters, news reportage, fiction and non-fiction from all over the country, and spanning from the 1820s to the present. I became more and more interested in the grammatical and semantic changes that occurred within this unique variety of English over time.
Mari-Leigh Pienaar
Maristi Partridge
After completing a degree in Language Practice I worked as a classroom interpreter and freelance language practitioner. I started work at the NWU in 2007 as junior lecturer where I presented modules in Academic Literacy, Language Practice and English Linguistics. The modules that focussed on the influence of various linguistic theories on translation theory contributed to my interest in linguistics.
Caroline Piotrowska
I am a lecturer and researcher working in the field of linguistics, and a member of the UPSET research focus area, at the Vanderbijlpark Campus of the North-West University.


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What Criminal Acts Are Deemed To Be A Burglary?
Interviewer: What is the definition of burglary?
Stuart: Burglary is the entering of a building or a dwelling unlawfully, or remaining unlawfully. What they mean by that, for the most part, is that you do not have a right or a privilege to do that. Everybody thinks about somebody breaking into a house, and that is the quintessential burglary.
But another one is somebody goes to a store, Macy's or Best Buy or one of those stores; and they are caught shoplifting. They are told they can never come back to the store again.
The store is not going to press charges. However, the person who shoplifted will have to sign an agreement saying they will never come back to the store; or they will not come back to the store for five years, or whatever it is.
Then two or three years go by, and they come back in the store. They steal something. It is now a regular larceny because they no longer have the right to be in that store. They gave up that right and it has now become a burglary, which in essence is a felony and a more serious crime.


text:
The Blue Bedroom and Other Stories288
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Celebrate life's journeys with the beloved author whose stories of life and love have touched the world.
With her evocative bestsellers The Shell Seekers and Coming Home, Rosamunde Pilcher opened your heart to the extraordinary powers of love, heartbreak, and joy. Now, in The Blue Bedroom and Other Stories, she invites you to share the full spectrum of life's moods and emotions through her very first collection of short stories. From a child's first knowledge of death, through city and country, to an elderly woman's newfound freedom, The Blue Bedroom is a welcoming experience full of the honesty and warmth unique to Rosamunde Pilcher.
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About the Author
Rosamunde Pilcher (1924-2019) wrote such worldwide bestselling novels as The Shell Seekers, September, Coming Home, Winter Solstice, and Voices in Summer. Her breakthrough novel, The Shell Seekers, written in her early sixties, sold more than 10 million copies. Pilcher also authored the photographic autobiography, The World of Rosamunde Pilcher. She was an Officer of the Order of the British Empire (OBE) and lived in Dundee, Scotland.
Hometown:Invergowrie by Dundee, Scotland
Date of Birth:September 22, 1924
Place of Birth:Lelant, Cornwall, England
Education:St. Clare's Polwithen, Howell's School Llandaff, then Miss Kerr-Sanders' Secretarial College
Read an Excerpt
The Blue Bedroom and Other Stories
By Rosamunde Pilcher
St. Martin's PressCopyright © 1985 Rosamunde Pilcher
All rights reserved.
On a cold spring day, just before Easter, Jemmy Todd, the postman, walked into the Hardings' kitchen, laid the morning's mail on their breakfast table, and told them that Mr. Sawcombe, their neighbour, had died, early that morning, of a heart attack.
There were four Hardings sitting at the table. Toby, eight years old, was in the process of eating cornflakes. Now, hearing about Mr. Sawcombe, he could feel the cornflakes in his mouth, soggy and crunchy all at once, but there was no way to get rid of the mouthful, because it seemed that he had forgotten how to chew, and as well a lump began to grow in his throat, making it impossible to swallow.
The only good thing was that the rest of his family seemed to be equally shocked and dumbfounded. His father, dressed for the office and just on the point of getting up from the table and leaving for work, laid down his coffee cup and sat back in his chair and stared at Jemmy.
"Bill Sawcombe? Dead? When did you hear?"
"Vicar told me first thing, just as I was starting my round. Met him coming out of the church."
Toby looked at his mother and saw that her eyes were bright with tears. "Oh, dear." He could not bear her to cry. He had seen her cry once before, when her old dog had had to be put down, and the sensation that his world was falling to pieces had stayed with him for days. "Poor Mrs. Sawcombe. What a dreadful shock for her."
"He had a heart attack a couple of years ago, remember," said Jemmy.
"But he got over it. And he'd been keeping so well, enjoying his garden, and having a bit of time to himself after all those years of running his farm."
Vicky, who was nineteen, suddenly found her voice. "I can't bear it. I simply don't think I can bear it."
Vicky was home for Easter from London, where she had a job and a flat that she shared with two other girls. When she was on holiday Vicky never dressed for breakfast, but came downstairs in her bathrobe, which was made of white towelling and had blue stripes. The blue stripes were the same blue as Vicky's eyes and she had long pale hair and sometimes looked very pretty and sometimes very plain. She looked plain now. Distress made her plain, pulling down the corners of her mouth as though she was about to burst into tears, accentuating the peaky contours of her bony little face. Their father was always telling Vicky that she was much too thin, but as she ate like a ploughman, nobody could accuse her of anything except, possibly, greed.
"He was such a nice man. We shall miss him." His mother's eyes turned to Toby, still sitting there with his cheeks full of unchewed cornflakes. She knew—they all knew—that Mr. Sawcombe had been Toby's best friend. She leaned across the table and laid a hand over his own. "We'll all miss him, Toby."
Toby did not reply. But with his mother's hand over his own he found that it was possible to swallow the last of the cornflakes. His mother, understanding, gently removed the half-empty bowl that stood on the table in front of him.
"One thing," said Jemmy, "there's Tom there to take on the farm. It's not as though Mrs. Sawcombe's on her own."
Tom was Mr. Sawcombe's grandson. Tom was twenty-three. Toby and Vicky had known him all their lives. In the old days when they were much younger, Vicky and Tom used to go to parties together, to Pony Club dances, and to gymkhana camps in the summer. But then Tom went away, to Agricultural College, and Vicky grew up too and learned how to be a secretary, and she went to London, and somehow, now, they didn't seem to have very much in common.
Toby thought this was a shame. Vicky made lots of new friends, and sometimes brought them home. But Toby didn't think any of them was as nice as Tom Sawcombe. There had been one, called Philip, who had come to spend New Year with the Hardings. He was very tall and fair, and drove around in a car that looked like a shiny black torpedo, but somehow he didn't fit properly into the fabric of ordinary family life, and, what was more disturbing, when he was there Vicky didn't fit in either. She talked in a different way; she laughed in a different way.
On New Year's Eve, they had a small party, and Tom was invited, but Vicky behaved in an offhand and casual way towards him, and Tom was obviously very hurt. Toby thought her behaviour sickening. He was very fond of Tom and could not bear to see him so cast down, and when the uncomfortable evening was over, he told his mother so.
"I know just how you feel," his mother said, "but we must let Vicky lead her own life and make her own decisions. She's grown up now, she can choose her own friends, make her own mistakes, go her own way. That's what being a family is all about."
"I don't want to be a family with Vicky if she's going to be so horrid."
"Perhaps that's how you feel just now, but she is your sister."
"I don't like that Philip."
* * *
The dreaded Philip, however, mercifully faded out of Vicky's life. She did not invite him home again, and gradually his name in her conversation was replaced by other names. Vicky's family breathed a sigh of relief and things returned to normal, but not so with Tom. Since that evening, communications between himself and Vicky appeared to have broken down, and now, if she was home, Tom never came near the house.
"No, Mrs. Sawcombe's certainly not on her own," said Mr. Harding. "She's got a good boy there." He looked at his watch and got up from the table. "I must be off. Thank you for telling us, Jemmy."
"Sorry to be the bearer of sad news," Jemmy replied, and went away in his little red post van to spread the tidings around the rest of the parish. Toby's father departed in the big car for the office. Vicky went upstairs to get dressed. Toby and his mother were left alone, sitting at the table.
He looked at her and she smiled, and he said, "I've never had a friend who died before."
"It happens to everybody, sooner or later."
"He was only sixty-two. He told me so, the day before yesterday. That's not old." "Heart attacks are funny things. And at least he wasn't very ill or infirm. He would have hated to be bedridden, or dependent on his family—a nuisance to anybody. When people die, Toby, you have to think of good things, remember good times. And be glad for them."
"I'm not glad Mr. Sawcombe's dead."
"Death is part of life."
"He was only sixty-two."
"Why don't you have some bacon and eggs?"
"I don't want bacon and eggs."
"Then what do you want to do?"
"I don't know."
"Why don't you go down to the village and see if David would like to play with you?" David Harker was Toby's holiday friend. His father ran the village pub, and sometimes David was good for a free fizzy drink or a packet of crisps.
Toby considered this. It was, perhaps, better than nothing. "All right." He pushed back his chair and stood up. There was a horrible clamped sort of feeling in his chest as though somebody had hurt his heart.
"... and don't be too sad about Mr. Sawcombe. He wouldn't want you to be too sad."
* * *
He went out of the house and down the lane. Between the lane and the cow pasture that was part of Mr. Sawcombe's farm was a small paddock where Vicky used to keep her pony. But the pony had long since departed, and Toby's father had let the grazing to Mr. Sawcombe for Mrs. Sawcombe's four Jacob ewes. They were her pets, horned and spotted, and had old-fashioned names like Daisy and Emily. One cold morning at the end of October, Toby had come down to see the sheep and had found a mighty horned ram in with the girls. The ram had stayed for a bit, and then had been manhandled home by his owner, bundled ignominiously into the back of a ramshackle van.
But he had done his stuff. Already three pairs of twin lambs had arrived, and now only Daisy was awaiting her time. Toby leaned over the fence and called to her, and she came slowly and with dignity, to fondle his hand with her noble nose, to let him scratch the wooly poll between her proud, curved horns.
Toby eyed her professionally, as Tom eyed her. She was enormous, her bulk made more huge by her fleece of long, soft wool.
"Are you going to have your twins today?" he asked her.
Daisy has twins too, Mr. Sawcombe had said, only a day or so ago, and we'll have a two hundred percent lambing, Toby. Two hundred percent. That's the best any sheep farmer can ask for. I'd like that to happen. For Mrs. Sawcombe's sake, I'd like that to happen.
Impossible to accept that he would never speak to Mr. Sawcombe again. Impossible to accept that he had gone; that he simply wasn't there. Other people had died, but never a person so close to Toby as Mr. Sawcombe. Toby's grandfather had died, but so long ago that Toby didn't even remember him. There was only a photograph beside Granny's bed, and stories that Granny told him. After his grandfather had died, Granny had stayed on in the old, empty house until it became too much for her to cope with, and then Toby's father had turned the back wing of the Hardings' house into a Granny flat. So now Granny lived with them. And yet not with them, for the flat was quite separate, and she had her own kitchen and bathroom and cooked her own meals and you had to knock on the dividing door before you could go and see her. Toby's grandmother said it was important always to knock, because bursting in on Granny, unheralded, would be an invasion of her privacy.
* * *
He left Daisy and went on towards the village, still deep in thought. He knew other people who had died. Mrs. Fletcher who kept the village shop and post office had died, and Toby's mother had put on a black hat and gone to Mrs. Fletcher's funeral. But Mrs. Fletcher had not been a friend. In fact, Toby had always been rather afraid of her, so old was she, so ugly, sitting, selling stamps like a great black spider. By the time Mrs. Fletcher had passed on, her daughter Olive had taken over the running of the shop, but right up to the end Mrs. Fletcher was there, a brooding presence, munching on her dentures, knitting socks, and keeping a beady eye on everything that took place. No, he had not loved Mrs. Fletcher. He had not missed Mrs. Fletcher. But already he was missing Mr. Sawcombe.
He thought of David. Go and play with David, his mother had suggested, but all at once Toby knew that he was not in the mood for being an astronaut, or going to look for fish in the muddy stream that ran along the bottom of the garden at the back of the pub. He would go and call on another of his friends, Willie Harrell, the village carpenter. Willie was a gentle, slow-speaking man who wore old-fashioned bib-and- brace overalls and a baggy tweed cap. Toby had first made friends with him when Willie came to the house to fit new cupboards in the kitchen, and after that one of his favourite ploys on empty holiday mornings was to walk down to the village and have a few words with Willie in his workshop.
The workshop itself was a magic place, sweet smelling and littered with ringlets of shaven wood. Here Willie constructed farm gates and barn doors as well as window frames and joists and beams. And here, too, from time to time, Willie made coffins, for he was the undertaker as well as the joiner. In this role, he became a totally different person, bowler-hatted and dark-suited, and assuming, with his sombre attire, a hushed and respectful voice and expression of pious gloom.
His workshop door, this morning, stood open. His little van was parked in the littered yard. Toby went to the door and looked inside. Willie was leaning against his workbench drinking a mug of tea from a thermos.
He looked up. "Hello there, young Toby." He smiled. "What are you up to, then?"
"I thought I'd just come and talk." He wondered if Willie knew about Mr. Sawcombe. He went over to Willie's side and leaned against the workbench and picked up a screwdriver and began to fiddle with it.
"Got nothing to do?"
"Nothing much."
"Saw young David a moment ago, out on his bicycle, wearing a cowboy hat. Not much fun playing cowboys on your own."
"I don't feel like playing cowboys."
"Well, I can't stop and talk to you today. I've got a job to do. Got to get up Sawcombe's back of eleven o'clock."
Toby did not say anything to this. But he knew what it was all about. Willie and Mr. Sawcombe had been friends all their lives, partners in the bowling team, church wardens together on Sundays. Now Willie was going to have to ... Toby's mind shied from what Willie was going to do.
"What is it?"
"Mr. Sawcombe's dead."
"I thought you knew," said Willie sympathetically. "Could tell by your face, the moment you walked in." He set down his tea mug and laid a hand on Toby's shoulder. "You mustn't grieve. You'll miss him, I know, but you mustn't grieve. We'll all miss him, come to that," he added, sounding suddenly forlorn.
"He was my best friend."
"I know." Willie shook his head. "Funny thing, friendship. You a little chap, how old are you? Eight years old. And yet you and Bill Sawcombe got on like a house on fire. We always thought it was because you was so much on your own, being so much littler than Vicky. Like an afterthought. Little afterthought, Bill and I used to call you. Harding's little afterthought."
"Willie ... are you going to make a coffin for Mr. Sawcombe?"
"I expect so."
Toby thought of Willie making the coffin, choosing the wood, planing the surface, tucking his old friend up in its warm, scented interior, as though he were tucking him up in bed. It was an oddly comforting image.
"What is it now?"
"I know that when a person dies, you put them in a coffin and carry them to the graveyard. And I know that when people are dead they go to Heaven to be with God. But what happens in between?"
"Ah," said Willie. He took another draught of tea, emptying his mug. Then he laid his hand on Toby's head and gave it a little shake. "Perhaps that's a secret between God and me."
He still did not want to play with David. When Willie had departed for Sawcombe's in his little van, Toby set off for home because he couldn't think of anything else to do. He took a shortcut through the sheep paddock. The three ewes who had already lambed were out in the middle of the field, with their children about them. But Daisy had taken herself off into a corner, to the shade and privacy of a tall Scotch pine, where she was sheltered from the wind and the blinking spring sunshine. And beside her, teetering on wobbly legs, tiny as a puppy, stood a single lamb.
Toby knew better than to go near her. He watched her for a little, saw the baby nuzzling the huge woolly body for milk, heard Daisy's gentle voice as she spoke to her baby. He found that he was torn between pleasure and disappointment. Pleasure because the lamb had arrived safely, and disappointment because it was not twins and now Mrs. Sawcombe would not have her two hundred percent lambing. Daisy, after a little, lay cumbrously down. The lamb collapsed beside her. Toby went on up the field, climbed the fence, and went into the house to tell his mother. "Daisy's had her lamb. That's the last one."
His mother was mashing potatoes for lunch. She turned from the stove to look at Toby. "Not twins?"
"No, just one. It's sucking and it looks all right. Perhaps we'd better tell Tom."
"Why don't you go and phone him?"
But Toby didn't want to ring Sawcombe's in case Mrs. Sawcombe answered the telephone and he wouldn't know what to say.
"Can't you do it?"
"Oh, darling, I can't just now. Lunch is ready and after that I'm going down to see Mrs. Sawcombe and take her some flowers. I'll leave a message for Tom."
"I think he should know now. Mr. Sawcombe always liked to know right away about the lambs arriving. Just in case, he said."
"Well, if you feel so strongly about it, get Vicky to phone Tom."
"It can't hurt to ask her. She's upstairs, ironing. And tell her lunch is ready."
He went to find his sister. "Vicky, lunch is ready, and Daisy's had her lamb, and we wondered if you'd ring Sawcombe's and tell Tom. He'll want to know."
Vicky put down the iron with a thump. "I'm not going to ring Tom Sawcombe."
"Why not?"
"Because I don't want to, that's why. You ring him."
Toby knew why she didn't want to ring Tom. Because she had been so horrid to him at New Year, and because since that he hadn't spoken to her. "You ring him," she said again.
Toby wrinkled his nose. "What will I say if Mrs. Sawcombe answers the phone?"
"Well, get Mother to ring him."
"She's too busy and in a hurry because she's going to see Mrs. Sawcombe after lunch."
"Why doesn't she leave a message for Tom?"
"That's what she said she'd do."
"Oh, Toby," said Vicky, in exasperation, "then what's all the fuss about?"
He said, stubbornly, "Mr. Sawcombe always liked to know right away."
Vicky frowned. "There's nothing wrong with Daisy, is there?" She was as fond of Daisy as Toby was, and now she stopped sounding cross and snappy and spoke in her ordinary nice voice.
"I don't think so."
"Then she'll be all right." She turned off the switch of the iron and stood it up on its end on the board to cool. "Let's go down and have lunch. I'm starving."
Excerpted from The Blue Bedroom and Other Stories by Rosamunde Pilcher. Copyright © 1985 Rosamunde Pilcher. Excerpted by permission of St. Martin's Press.
All rights reserved. No part of this excerpt may be reproduced or reprinted without permission in writing from the publisher.
Excerpts are provided by Dial-A-Book Inc. solely for the personal use of visitors to this web site.
Table of Contents
ContentsTitle Page,
Copyright Notice,
Preface by Lee Quarfoot,
Home for the Day,
Spanish Ladies,
Miss Cameron at Christmas,
Tea With the Professor,
The Blue Bedroom,
The Before-Christmas Present,
The White Birds,
The Tree,
The House on the Hill,
An Evening to Remember,
Also by Rosamunde Pilcher,
An Outpouring of Praise for the Fiction that has Touched the World,


text:
In The Supreme Court
William R. Talley, Respondent,
State of South Carolina, Petitioner.
Appeal From Greenville County
Edward W. Miller, Circuit Court Judge
Opinion No. 26250
Submitted September 20, 2006 - Filed January 22, 2007
Attorney General Henry Dargan McMaster; Chief Deputy Attorney General John W. McIntosh; Assistant Deputy Attorney General Salley W. Elliott; Assistant Attorney General Christopher L. Newton, all of Columbia, for Petitioner.
Walter H. Hinton, II, of Nelson Mullins Riley & Scarborough, LLP, of Greenville; and Aisha S. Lusk, of Nelson Mullins Riley & Scarborough, LLP, of Columbia, for Respondent.
JUSTICE BURNETT: This is a post-conviction relief (PCR) case. The PCR judge granted relief to William R. Talley (Respondent). We granted the State's petition for writ of certiorari and reverse.
In 1995, Respondent pled guilty to possession of drug paraphernalia in magistrate's court and paid a $200 fine. In 1996, he pled guilty to criminal domestic violence also in magistrate's court. Respondent received a $940 fine and was sentenced to thirty days' imprisonment, immediately suspended on the condition of six months' good behavior. In 2003, Respondent filed this PCR application to set aside the two misdemeanor convictions alleging his federal constitutional right to counsel had been violated because he was not represented by counsel in either conviction.
Respondent is currently serving a 97-month federal sentence for conspiracy to possess with intent to distribute and distribution of cocaine and cocaine base. He was assessed two criminal history points for the two state convictions under the United States Sentencing Guidelines. Respondent contends his federal sentence was enhanced by approximately ten months because of these criminal history points.
The State moved to summarily dismiss Respondent's PCR application for failure to file within the statute of limitations pursuant to S.C. Code Ann. § 17-27-45(A) (2003).[1] Respondent argued his PCR application was timely filed under S.C. Code Ann. § 17-27-45(B)[2] because it was filed within one year of Alabama v. Shelton, 535 U.S. 654, 122 S.Ct. 1764, 152 L.Ed.2d 888 (2002).
The PCR judge denied the motion to dismiss and held Respondent had timely filed his PCR application under § 17-27-45(B) because Shelton created a new rule that must be applied retroactively on collateral review. The PCR judge determined, under Shelton, the constitutional right to counsel applied to Respondent's convictions and Respondent had not waived the right. The PCR judge concluded Respondent's right to counsel had been violated in both convictions and vacated Respondent's convictions.
Did the PCR judge err in applying Alabama v. Shelton, 535 U.S. 654, 122 S.Ct. 1764, 152 L.Ed.2d 888 (2002), retroactively on collateral review to Respondent's convictions?
A PCR applicant bears the burden of establishing that he is entitled to relief. Caprood v. State, 338 S.C. 103, 109, 525 S.E.2d 514, 517 (2000). The Court will uphold the findings of the PCR judge when there is any evidence of probative value to support them. Id. at 109-10, 525 S.E.2d at 517. The Court will reverse the PCR judge's decision when it is controlled by an error of law. Pierce v. State, 338 S.C. 139, 145, 526 S.E.2d 222, 225 (2000).
The State argues the PCR judge erred in applying Shelton retroactively on collateral review to Respondent's convictions. We conclude the PCR judge correctly determined Shelton must be applied retroactively on collateral review, but erroneously applied Shelton to Respondent's convictions.
The State urges us to apply both Teague v. Lane, 489 U.S. 288, 109 S.Ct. 1060, 103 L.Ed.2d 334 (1989), and State v. Jones, 312 S.C. 100, 439 S.E.2d 282 (1994), to determine whether Shelton should be applied retroactively on collateral review. We disagree. In determining whether Respondent was deprived of his federal constitutional right to counsel, we are required to follow the United States Supreme Court's decisions on retroactivity. Am. Trucking Ass'ns, Inc. v. Smith, 496 U.S. 167, 178, 110 S.Ct. 2323, 2330, 110 L.Ed.2d 148, 159 (1990) ("In order to ensure the uniform application of decisions construing constitutional requirements and to prevent States from denying or curtailing federally protected rights, we have consistently required that state courts adhere to our retroactivity decisions."); see also, e.g., State v. Means, 367 S.C. 374, 626 S.E.2d 348 (2006) (applying Jones in determining State v. Gentry, 363 S.C. 93, 610 S.E.2d 494 (2005), should be applied retroactively); State v. Hill, 361 S.C. 297, 604 S.E.2d 696 (2004) (applying Jones in determining State v. Sutton, 340 S.C. 393, 532 S.E.2d 283 (2000), should be applied retroactively); Gibson v. State, 355 S.C. 429, 586 S.E.2d 119 (2003) (applying Teague to determine whether Sandstrom v. Montana, 442 U.S. 510, 99 S.Ct. 2450, 61 L.Ed.2d 39 (1979), should be applied retroactively on collateral review).
In general, the question of whether a decision announcing a new rule should be given prospective or retroactive effect should be addressed at the time of the decision. Teague, 489 U.S. at 300, 109 S.Ct. at 1070, 103 L.Ed.2d at 349. "[A] case announces a new rule when it breaks new ground or imposes a new obligation on the States or the Federal Government. To put it differently, a case announces a new rule if the result was not dictated by precedent existing at the time the defendant's conviction became final." Id. at 301, 109 S.Ct. at 1070, 103 L.Ed.2d at 349 (internal citations omitted) (emphasis in original).
In Shelton, the Supreme Court held the constitutional right to counsel extends to a defendant who receives a "suspended sentence that may 'end up in the actual deprivation of a person's liberty.'" 535 U.S. at 658, 122 S.Ct. at 1767, 152 L.Ed.2d at 895 (citing Argersinger v. Hamlin, 407 U.S. 25, 40, 92 S.Ct. 2006, 2014, 32 L.Ed.2d 530, 540 (1972)).[3] The Supreme Court explained:
A suspended sentence is a prison term imposed for the offense of conviction. Once the prison term is triggered, the defendant is incarcerated not for the probation violation, but for the underlying offense. The uncounseled conviction at that point "result[s] in imprisonment. . .;" it "ends up in the actual deprivation of a person's liberty."
Shelton, 535 U.S. at 662, 122 S.Ct. at 1770, 152 L.Ed.2d at 898 (citing Nichols v. United States, 511 U.S. 738, 746, 114 S.Ct. 1921, 1927, 128 L.Ed.2d 745, 754 (1994) and Argersinger, 407 U.S. at 40, 92 S.Ct. at 2014, 32 L.Ed.2d at 540).
The Supreme Court asserted that two prior decisions, Argersinger and Scott v. Illinois, 440 U.S. 367, 99 S.Ct. 1158, 59 L.Ed.2d 383 (1979), controlled its decision in Shelton. 535 U.S. at 657, 122 S.Ct. at 1767, 152 L.Ed.2d at 895. In Argersinger the Supreme Court held "that absent a knowing and intelligent waiver, no person may be imprisoned for any offense, whether classified as petty, misdemeanor, or felony, unless he was represented by counsel at trial." 407 U.S. at 37, 92 S.Ct. at 2012, 32 L.Ed.2d at 538 (clarifying the scope of Gideon v. Wainwright, 372 U.S. 335, 83 S.Ct. 792, 9 L.Ed.2d 799 (1963), in which the Supreme Court held that the Sixth Amendment's guarantee of the right of an indigent defendant to appointed counsel applies to state criminal prosecutions through the Fourteenth Amendment). Then in Scott, the Supreme Court noted "the central premise of Argersinger - that actual imprisonment is a penalty different in kind from fines or the mere threat of imprisonment - is eminently sound and warrants adoption of actual imprisonment as the line defining the constitutional right to appointment of counsel." 440 U.S. at 373, 99 S.Ct. at 1162, 59 L.Ed.2d at 389. The Supreme Court found the constitutional right to counsel does not apply when a prison term is an authorized punishment but not actually imposed. Id. at 369, 99 S.Ct. at 1160, 59 L.Ed.2d at 386.
Although the Supreme Court in Shelton found the Argersinger-Scott "actual imprisonment" rule controlling, "the fact that a court says that its decision is within the 'logical compass' of an earlier decision, or indeed that it is 'controlled' by a prior decision, is not conclusive for purposes of deciding whether the current decision is a 'new rule' under Teague." Butler v. McKellar, 494 U.S. 407, 415, 110 S.Ct. 1212, 1217, 108 L.Ed.2d 347, 356 (1990). Precedent prior to Shelton established that a defendant was entitled to the constitutional right to counsel when the defendant received a sentence "that end[s] up in the actual deprivation of a person's liberty." Argersinger, 407 U.S. at 40, 92 S.Ct. at 2014, 32 L.Ed.2d at 540. However, the Shelton decision required counsel to be appointed when an indigent defendant received a sentence that "may end up in the actual deprivation of a person's liberty." Shelton, 535 U.S. at 658, 122 S.Ct. at 1767, 152 L.Ed.2d 895 (internal quotation omitted) (emphasis added). Shelton's extension of the right to counsel was a new rule under Teague because it was not dictated by precedent existing at the time of Respondent's convictions. See also Howard v. United States, 374 F.3d 1068, 1074-77 (11th Cir. 2004) (finding Shelton announced a new rule under Teague).
Generally, new procedural rules should be not applied retroactively to cases on collateral review, unless the new rule falls within one of two exceptions to the general rule. Teague, 489 U.S. at 305, 310, 109 S.Ct. at 1072, 103 L.Ed.2d at 352, 356. The first exception is when the rule "places certain kinds of primary, private individual conduct beyond the power of the criminal law-making authority to proscribe." Id. at 311, 109 S.Ct. at 1075, 103 L.Ed.2d at 356 (internal quotation omitted). The second exception is when the rule "requires the observance of those procedures that…are implicit in the concept of ordered liberty." Id. at 311, 109 S.Ct. at 1076, 103 L.Ed.2d at 356 (internal quotations omitted). The second exception is "reserved for watershed rules of criminal procedure" which implicate the fundamental fairness and accuracy of the proceeding. Id.
The first exception is not applicable to the present situation. The Supreme Court has repeatedly cited Gideon as illustrative of the type of new rule which falls within the second exception in Teague. See, e.g., Beard v. Banks, 542 U.S. 406, 124 S.Ct. 2504, 159 L.Ed.2d 494 (2004) (recognizing the right to counsel announced in Gideon as an example of the second Teague exception); Saffle v. Parks, 494 U.S. 484, 110 S.Ct. 1257, 108 L.Ed.2d 415 (1990) (same); Teague, 489 U.S. at 311-312, 109 S.Ct. at 1075-76, 103 L.Ed.2d at 357 (same). The Supreme Court also has applied each extension of the constitutional right to counsel retroactively to collateral proceedings. We conclude the new rule announced by Shelton is a watershed rule of criminal proceeding because the right to counsel undeniably implicates the fundamental fairness and accuracy of the proceeding. See Howard, 374 F.3d at 1077-80 (collecting authority which supports retroactive application of every extension of right to counsel on collateral review but noting these decisions were decided prior to Teague and concluding Shelton fell within the second Teague exception because of "the sheer importance of the right to counsel").
Because Shelton applies retroactively on collateral review, the PCR judge correctly determined S.C. Code Ann. § 17-27-45(B) is the applicable statute of limitations. Shelton was decided on May 20, 2002, and Respondent filed his PCR application on March 6, 2003. Respondent's PCR application was timely filed under § 17-27-45(B).
Although Respondent timely filed his PCR application and Shelton applies retroactively on collateral review, we conclude the rule announced in Shelton does not apply to Respondent's convictions. Respondent only paid a fine for his conviction in 1995. A fine for an uncounseled misdemeanor conviction is valid, and Respondent did not have a constitutional right to counsel for this conviction. See Scott, 440 U.S. at 373-74, 99 S.Ct. at 1162, 59 L.Ed.2d at 389. Accordingly, the PCR judge erred in vacating the 1995 conviction.
Respondent received thirty days' imprisonment, which was immediately suspended and conditioned on six months' good behavior, and was fined $940 for his 1996 conviction. In South Carolina, a magistrate cannot lawfully place a person on probation. A magistrate can, however, lawfully suspend a sentence and impose conditions. See S.C. Code Ann. § 22-3-800 (Supp. 2005) ("Notwithstanding the limitations of Sections 17-25-100 and 24-21-410, after a conviction or plea for an offense within a magistrate's jurisdiction the magistrate at the time of sentence may suspend the imposition or execution of a sentence upon terms and conditions the magistrate considers appropriate. . . .Nothing in this section may be construed to give a magistrate the right to place a person on probation."). Although a magistrate has the statutory authorization to suspend sentences and impose conditional sentences, we note the enforcement of substantive conditions as part of a suspended sentence may implicate a defendant's right to counsel as required by Argersinger, Scott, and Shelton. In this case, the magistrate's condition of six months' good behavior was effectively probation, and accordingly, the probation was an illegal sentence. We vacate that portion of Respondent's sentence for his 1996 conviction.[4]
Therefore, Respondent lawfully received a prison sentence that was immediately suspended and a fine for his 1996 conviction. If a defendant receives only an immediately suspended sentence without probation, there is absolutely no possibility the defendant will ever be incarcerated for the underlying conviction. As such, the prison term for the underlying conviction will never be triggered, and the defendant has not received a sentence that "may 'end up in the actual deprivation of a person's liberty.'" Shelton, 535 U.S. at 658, 122 S.Ct. at 1767, 152 L.Ed.2d at 895 (citing Argersinger, 407 U.S. at 40, 92 S.Ct. at 2014, 32 L.Ed.2d at 540). Because Respondent received an immediately suspended sentence and a fine, we conclude the federal constitutional right to counsel did not apply to Respondent's conviction in 1996 and the PCR judge erroneously ruled Respondent's conviction was invalid under Shelton.
We reverse the PCR judge's decision to vacate Respondent's convictions and uphold those convictions. We need not reach the remaining issue on appeal. See Hagood v. Sommerville, 362 S.C. 191, 199, 607 S.E.2d 707, 711 (2005) (appellate court need not address remaining issues when resolution of prior issue is dispositive).
TOAL, C.J., MOORE and WALLER, JJ., concur. PLEICONES, J., dissenting in a separate opinion.
JUSTICE PLEICONES: I agree with the majority that Alabama v. Shelton, 535 U.S. 654 (2002) should be applied retroactively, and I agree that decision affords Respondent no relief on his 1995 conviction. I disagree, however, with the majority's conclusion that the 1996 sentence was, at least in part, illegal and would affirm the grant of post-conviction relief (PCR) to Respondent on that conviction.
The majority holds, and I agree, that a magistrate cannot lawfully place a criminal defendant on probation. See S.C. Code Ann. § 22-3-800 (1989) ("Nothing in this section may be construed to give a magistrate the right to place a person on probation"). Here, the magistrate did not place Respondent on probation but instead suspended his sentence, conditioned on six months good behavior. Such a suspension is explicitly authorized by § 22-3-800: "[T]he magistrate at the time of sentence may suspend the imposition or execution of a sentence upon terms and conditions the magistrate considers appropriate…." A suspended sentence conditioned upon good behavior "is independent of the Probation and Parole Statutes and suspension of sentences therein provided…." Richards v. Crump, 260 S.C. 133, 194 S.E.2d 575 (1973).[5] I find nothing illegal about the 1996 sentence[6] and conclude that it was obtained in violation of the rule in Alabama v. Shelton.
I therefore concur in part and dissent in part.
[1] Section 17-27-45(A) provides:
An application for relief filed pursuant to this chapter must be filed within one year after the entry of a judgment of conviction or within one year after the sending of the remittitur to the lower court from an appeal or the filing of the final decision upon an appeal, whichever is later.
In Peloquin v. State, 321 S.C. 468, 469 S.E.2d 606 (1996), the Court held that all defendants convicted prior to July 1, 1995, the effective date of § 17-27-45, must be allowed until July 1, 1996, to file a PCR application.
[2] Section 17-27-45(B) provides:
When a court whose decisions are binding upon the Supreme Court of this State or the Supreme Court of this State holds that the Constitution of the United States or the Constitution of South Carolina, or both, impose upon state criminal proceedings a substantive standard not previously recognized or a right not in existence at the time of the state court trial, and if the standard or right is intended to be applied retroactively, an application under this chapter may be filed not later than one year after the date on which the standard or right was determined to exist.
[3] The defendant in Shelton was convicted of a misdemeanor; was sentenced to thirty days' imprisonment, which was immediately suspended; and was placed on unsupervised probation for two years.
[4] The dissent relies on dicta in Richards v. Crump, 260 S.C. 133, 194 S.E.2d 575 (1973), to allege that a suspended sentence conditioned on good behavior is independent of probation. The issue in Richards was whether a magistrate could lawfully impose consecutive sentences, and in that context, the Richards Court differentiated between consecutive and suspended sentences.
[5] I note that in Richards the parties conceded that a magistrate could not suspend sentences and thus it does not support the majority's holding that a magistrate lacks this authority. I note as well that the opinion makes no mention of § 43-67.1, the predecessor to § 22-3-800 then in effect.
[6] I n my view, if in fact the original sentence were unlawful, then the suspension would be a nullity and Respondent would be required to serve the original thirty day sentence. As such, the 1996 conviction was obtained in violation of Argesinger v. Hamlin, 407 U.S. 25 (1972), and PCR was properly granted.


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To enquire about a trip to the nation's capitol please complete the request form on this page.
Click on the first photo below to open up the photo gallery. Once the photo gallery is open simply click on the open photo to advance to the next photo in the gallery. Pictured are only some of the many places you can option to visit in Los Angeles/Hollywood.
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- Mike Prongue
Sometimes my craziest comments for this blog congeal from routine day-to-day challenges and observations. Regardless, when the subject turns to "better product" and "better service" and the drum is banged to the same old beat, it's easy for the message to becomes a "Wahh Wahh Wahh" of adult-speak from the old Charlie Brown cartoon.
That's because everyone already knows that "better is better". It doesn't take a NASA rocket scientist to see that a better warranty is clearly… "better". But with "better" comes a bigger price and that is the 600 pound gorilla sitting in your customers showroom. Upon reflection, they are trying to beat the old adage of "pay me now, or pay me later" by going cheap.
Many want to dismiss this old saying and believe that they can somehow "beat the system" and pay less and magically "get more" (magical thinking).
Let me give you the real-world mistake I made last week by "going cheap".
"Honey," my wife cried out," The hot water seems kinda cool! Is it on?"
To me, this is one of the most dreaded phrases I can hear other than what my neighbor recently heard from his wife, "what does the oil light mean on the dash. Do you have to change the oil now?"
"Okay Dear," I cried (literally) back to my wife, "It's probably a heating element. I'll go to Lowes tomorrow and get one. And since I'm taking it apart, I'll replace both the lower and the upper heating elements!"
I could feel her sense of relief as I complied. Thus began the odyssey of the hot water heater repair. It was an epic tale that included elves, and middle-earth dwellers and even a dwarf or two as I loaded up the mule cart and rolled off to the local home improvement store.
My trip to Lowes netted two heating elements and a large metal "hex tool" to remove the old heater elements. The hex tool was hanging next to the heating elements in the plumbing department and I was happy to see it. It had a large 1.5" diameter and had a very deep socket to fit over the head of the heating element to unscrew it. I was unhappy that a simple stamped tool that cost 29 cents to make somewhere in Shenzhen, sold for $7.99. But it was an unusual tool and I felt it would suffice for my dirty job.
I don't know about you, but nothing is easy for me.
The lower element was rusted tight and the Chinese-made hex socket was so imprecisely manufactured it nearly stripped the edges off the matching hex head of the heater element. I had managed to force the top heating element out with only a dislocated shoulder but the bottom element would not budge! Here is everything I tried over the next 2 hours:
- Drilled-out the hole on the hex socket where a screwdriver was inserted for leverage- then tried many larger screwdrivers and a couple steel rods that I had.
- Tried a plumber wrench on the hex socket.
- Cussed then prayed.
- Bloodied my knuckles.
- Got admonished for some expletive I uttered. Then I repeated 1-4 several more times.
The over-priced "piece of junk" hex socket wasted two hours, three band aids, a repeat trip to Lowes and a lot of knuckle skin and about a gallon or so of blood. Also the original $7.99 was wasted because the tool was worthless at any price.
I went back to Lowes, bought a ½" drive Kobalt breaker bar and a Kobalt deep 1.5" socket with a ½ inch drive- $35 and worth every darn nickel of it! So despite paying five times what I paid for the original hex socket, it was the best spent money of the week. I had thought I could get a "free lunch" earlier with the cheap tool.
Isn't this like the business that buys a cheap LED sign, only to require at least one service call per month? Then after the indignity of someone paying thousands of dollars for service calls (either the customer or the sign company "eating" the charge) over the course of a year, the white coloration becomes pink and soon the brightness dims to "night only" viewing?
Those darn hex socket-like cheap LED signs are out there. They are heavily promoted by companies that I will not name. They are not worth the knuckle-busting and the return trip at any price.
"Better" is definitely "better". You must educate your customer why there is a difference and help many of them overcome their magical thinking that they'll be the lucky one percenter that buys a cheap LED display that actually works long-term. This is an industry-credibility issue in my opinion!
The hot water heater is fixed. My wife is happy. My knuckles are healing. I paid my Visa charge. I have more quality tools in my tool box and I took the hex socket back to Lowes to get my $7.99 back.


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"Dharma Bhoomi" is a symbolic journey into the past providing glimpses of India's rich cultural heritage and collective wisdom. The play is a fictionalised account of the journey undertaken by the great Greek King Alexander. The mighty Alexander is ready to embark on his mission to conquer the world and bring back the invaluable riches of the East. But the renowned Greek philosopher and Alexander's mentor, Aristotle exhorts him to realise the greatness of India and advises him to be humble. He seeks six gifts from India. The ballet presents a glimpse of the six gifts through short sequences of dance-drama.
After ruthlessly conquering half the world, the mighty Alexander manages to defeat the great army of King Porus. Despite inflicting a humiliating loss, Alexander is unable to suppress the pride of the great Indian King. His courage under fire leaves an indelible impression on the mind of the Greek conqueror. The great Alexander salutes the wisdom and greatness of India.
Duration : 75 minutes
Language versions : Kannada, English, Telugu and Hindi.
Music : Mysore Ananthaswamy
Dance Choreography: Udupi Lakshminarayan & Hema Prabhat
Technical Direction: Harish Prabhat
Direction : T V Gopinathdas


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There is no doubt that Great Britain is one of the best places in the world to live, study, and work as well. Plenty of amazing opportunities are available in all domains. However, if we have to choose a certain place in this beautiful country we would certainly choose the West Midlands region. Why we would make such a choice? Well, we will talk a bit about this subject in the following so that you can understand better why this area of the UK is excellent to live, especially if you have children.
Why in our opinion would be an excellent choice to move to any area of the West Midlands if you have children? The truth is that this part of the United Kingdom is very quiet and it has some amazing landscapes. People who live here are quite different from the ones who live in a big metropolis. They are calmer, more friendly, and a lot more relaxed. First of all, busy areas are not recommended for people with children unless it is absolutely necessary. Just imagine how your day would be in a crowded city like London, for example. Would you like to wake up very early in the morning and run to take your kid to school and then spend hours in traffic on the way to work and on the way back home? Would you like to spend very little time with your kids and live a very agitated life? Do you want your children to grow with a babysitter? We are pretty sure that this is not what you want and that's why we strongly recommend you to choose any of the cities from West Midlands, which are less busy and noisy but still very beautiful and with plenty of opportunities.
Solihull, Coventry, Walsall, or Sutton Coldfield are wonderful options and if you do some research about these locations you will see how amazing they are. You will probably be surprised to find out that there are plenty of things to do and to see, excellent jobs, and also some of the best primary and secondary schools. West Bromwich, Oldbury, and Darlaston are other lovely places in the West Midlands where you should move in case you have children and you want to spend more time with them. Furthermore, take into account the fact that West Midlands has plenty of natural attractions where you can spend an incredible time with the little ones. We all know how important is for a child to spend time outdoors surrounded by nature and unfortunately he cannot do this if he lives in a big metropolitan city. All these aspects should seriously be taken into consideration by all parents who plan to move and do not know exactly where. It is important to think on a long-term and analyze very well all the advantages and disadvantages before actually making a choice. However, if you truly want to have more time for your family, live very close to nature, and also have a good job, then West Midlands is that part of the United Kingdom that can meet all your needs.


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For over 32 years Hetronic Inc. has been providing customers
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LiveLiving International Foundation Inc. is a faith-based (Judeo-Christian) holistic health and wellness non-profit organization. Our goal is to educate and empower believers to live a productive and wholesome life in their community and world.
The LiveLiving Conference is more than a conference. It is a unique opportunity to come home to your self.
Join us on The Journey to Wholeness. Learn how to let go of what actually weighs you down. Find out what you are really hungry for. Unblock your path to ultimate health and wellness. Find love, joy and gratitude in life. But most of all find your true self in Christ!
There are different paths to healing just as God has wired each of us differently. To those who prefer a more instructional approach to health and healing, this is the path for you. The purpose of this conference is to present an holistic and an evidence-based approach to health and wellness and to show how our health is linked to the core of our being. Our physical, emotional and mental health is deeply connected to who we are as spiritual beings. Therefore, we cannot approach health without an understanding of ourselves in relation to God as the source of our love and the ground of our being.
- The Journey to Wholeness will begin with a spiritual hike, symbolizing the embarkation of a new life. Attendees will
- learn how to overcome obstacles, such as anger and depression, that can block their path to health and healing
- learn how to live a healthy and whole life according to God's original design
- understand gut health and its effect on emotions
- learn how to live authentically from the essence of their being
- Attendees will
- Demonstrate how to integrate body, mind and spirit to obtain whole health
- Identify the principles established by God for complete health
- Demonstrate an understanding of who God created them to be
- Work through one's life story to remove shame and fear
- Develop the compassion and the tools to assist others on their journey


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Implementing and Improving Lifelong Learning in European UniversitiesAna Dias | eLearning Manager at TecMinho, University of Minho
When it comes to creating a new training and development program, the best way to get it off the ground is often through the sharing of best practices and experiences from those who have developed similar programs. However, this sharing and collaboration can often be difficult to come by.
In response, the European Union supported the IMPLEMENT project, "Implementing Lifelong Learning Universities (ULL) through staff training and development," which was contracted, promoted and coordinated by the European Association for Lifelong Learning (EUCEN). The project lasted for two years, during which 12 partners, mostly European universities, created five open e-learning courses. The main task of the partnership was to adapt printed training materials produced in a previous project, and develop, enhance and test them as online courses targeted at staff working in ULL, either as newcomers or as experienced practitioners and managers seeking to reflect on their experience and improve ULL in their institutions.
The technical team at TecMinho (University of Minho, Portugal) along with IL3 (University of Barcelona, Spain) were responsible for the learning design of the e-courses. They developed an e-learning guide for the content experts and provided online tutoring to help the topic experts develop the courses over an e-learning platform (Moodle). Bibby Rumbelow Ltd (UK) provided support and advice in the adaptation process; EUCEN provided academic supervision and overall coordination.
As a result, lifelong learning practitioners can today openly access five e-learning courses, each containing learning activities, videos, case studies, discussion forums and Web 2.0 tools on:
- Exploring Diversity in ULL (University of Graz, AT and University of Clermont-Ferrand, FR)
- Curriculum in Partnership (University College of London, UK)
- Implementing Institutional Change in ULL (University of Mainz, DE)
- Recognition of Prior Learning (National Knowledge Centre for Validation of Prior Learning, DK)
- Regional Collaboration and Partnership in ULL (EE)
The open online courses (http://moodle.eucen.eu/) were tested by professionals working in the ULL field all over Europe and were continuously refined until they were launched in November 2012 at the University of Malta.
In order to assist trainers and those engaged in ULL staff development activities on the use of the open online courses, the project team developed a "Trainers Guide" to use the IMPLEMENT online materials to their best effect. This guide is online and contains sections including information on the target groups, advice on adapting the materials for use in different contexts and in different delivery modes, advice on using Moodle, case studies and a summary of the case studies used in the online courses.
In addition, the project members created two social media groups to amplify the use of the open online courses and promote debate on professional issues addressed in the courses:
A LinkedIn group, "Implementing Lifelong Learning through Training and Development", was created in 2011 with the aim to disseminate information on and extend project members' activities on social networks. The group is closed and related to the IMPLEMENT project. It has 66 members that share IMPLEMENT project results, events and activities.
The Facebook group "University Lifelong Learning" has wider reach and was created to share and explore different projects and activities related to ULL and online learning. It is aimed at a worldwide audience interested in sharing news and events around online Lifelong Learning. At the moment, this group has 59 members, and we welcome all interested EvoLLLution readers to come and join this group, sharing your projects and experiences with Lifelong Learning and online learning.
Author Perspective: Administrator
Readers Comments
This article demonstrates the importance of having a coordinating body, such as EUCEN, to pull experts together. Information sharing is incredibly useful but also difficult to engage in for some smaller institutions, which may not have the resources (and, here, I mean finances as well as time and manpower) to do so. By having a separate body like EUCEN be in charge of promoting and coordinating the project, smaller institutions are able to participate and benefit.
It's a neat idea to engage ULL staff on social media. This gives participating members the opportunity to develop professional relationships for projects beyond IMPLEMENT. We have to see these social media groups as more than just an add-on for the open online courses; I believe they can stand on their own as professional networks/communities. For example, I notice that the LinkedIn group was created in 2011, well before the November 2012 launch of the open online courses. That, to me, suggests there is an appetite among ULL staff for ongoing discussion and information sharing that can be well facilitated by social media.