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Archive for the category "Climate"
Opinion: UK's Environmental Audit Committee wants to introduce "Latte Levy" on the consumer, however, what if the government added policies and taxes that hit the companies instead?
"Mary Creagh MP said:
"A reusable cup is one of the easiest ways to reduce cup waste but the discounts offered by coffee companies are ineffective. The plastic bag charge is proof that charges are highly effective at reducing packaging waste. We urge the Government to introduce a 25p charge on disposable cups." (Parliament.uk, 2018)
Since last year the Environmental Audit Committee (EAC) have worked on finding ways to make the Coffee industry in the United Kingdom more environmental and more sustainable. Since the one-time use of Coffee-Cups from the big international chains is a disaster to recycle and creates new levels of garbage. It is natural that this is looked into as much as other beverage and use of plastic to contain the liquid in ordinary trade. The EAC should look into the beer and soda industry as well, since they use one-time bottles of plastic that also hurts the environment.
What was striking was the recommendation from the EAC:
"The Committee has called on the Government to: Introduce a 25p "latte levy" on disposable coffee cups, and use the money raised to improve the UK's recycling 'binfrastructure' and reprocessing facilities. Set a target that all disposable coffee cups should be recycled by 2023. If this target is not achieved, the Government should ban disposable coffee cups. Make producers pay more for packaging which is difficult to recycle. Improve labelling to educate consumers about how best to dispose of their cup" (Parliament.uk, 2018).
That the "Latte Levy" is coming up is a good idea, but also already could be enforced directly, as the chains to make it more costly for each cup of one-time usable cups. Since, that would make more people aware and also bring cups for the chains. Even sell more cheaply the reusable cups and make offers that are reasonable for the consumer of coffee. Instead of adding more tax on the ones buying coffee on the run to and from works at the coffee shops.
If the government wants the consumer to use reusable cups, they should put in conditions not only to hurt their pockets with a latte levy, but also make it profitable for Coffee shops and Coffee chains to earn more bucks on their sales of this. They are only in the market for the profits, not for saving planet earth. Than the government has to put forward demands and laws that put restraint on the sellers to provide with cups, which actually are recycled or reusable with a fair price.
That the government would put extra pay to extend and make sure the cups are recycled is a good enough idea. To recoup and make sure they can facilitate garbage disposal that fits the one-cup use of the modern day at the coffee shops. That the industry should reshape and change is natural. But they will only do so, if they earn money on it or have to comply with new regulations. That is if the Conservative Government wants to direct and change the policies affecting the industry and their behavior. The consumer will look at price and convenience, so they will use the best options concerning their needs and daily life.
What the "Latte Levy" does is only to make the coffee a bit more expensive, but doesn't do enough to change behavior or either consumer nor companies. That is what the target should be. The Companies should be affected for their use of one-time use cups and the trash it creates. Peace.
Parliament.uk – 'MPs call for "latte levy" on coffee cups' (05.01.2018) link: http://www.parliament.uk/business/committees/committees-a-z/commons-select/environmental-audit-committee/news-parliament-2017/coffee-cups-report-publication-17-19/
Posted in Business, Civil Service, Climate, Development, Economic Measures, Economy, Ethics, Europe, Governance, Government, Law, Leadership, Politics, Tax, Trade, Transparency and tagged Beverage Industry, Binafrastructre, bins, Business, Coffee, Coffee Chains, Coffee cups, Coffee industry, Conservative Party, Cups, disposable, EAC, Environmental Audit Committee, EU, European Union, Garbage, Latte, Latte Levy, Mary Creagh, packaging waste, plastic bag charge, Recycle, resusable cups, Taxes, Tories, Tories Government, trash, UK, UK Parliament, United Kingdom, White Hall | Leave a comment
USA: Trump's Draft Plan to Shrink Bears Ears and Grand Staircase-Escalante National Monuments (30.11.2017)
Posted in America, Civil Service, Climate, Development, Ethics, Governance, Government, Law, Leadership, Politics, Transparency and tagged Antiques Act, Bears Ears, Bears Ears National Monument, Capitol Hill, Congress, Dark Canyon Wilderness, Department of Agriculture, Donald J. Trump, Donald Trump, Escalante, Escalante Canyons National Monument, Executive Order 13792, Federal Government, Federal Land, Federal Land Policy and Management Act, Federal Register, Grand Staircase, Grand Staircase National Monument, Kaiparowits, Kaiparowits National Monument, Landscape, Members of Congress, National Monument, National Park Service, Native Americans Tribes, Natural Bridges, NPS, President Donald Trump, President Roosevelt, President Trump, Republican National Committee, Republican Party, Reserve Large Areas, Secretary of Interior, Teddy Roosevelt, Theodore Roosevelt, Trump Administration, United States, United States of America, US Administration, US Congress, US Government, USA, USFS Lands, Wilderness Study Areas, WSA, Wyoming | Leave a comment
Ban Ki-moon: "Devastating Impact" of withdrawal from Paris Agreement (Youtube-Clip)
Posted in America, Civil Service, Climate, Development, Economic Measures, Economy, Ethics, Governance, Government, Law, Leadership, Politics, Tax, Trade, Transparency and tagged AG Preet Bharara, AG Yates, American Government, American-Russian Relationship, Anti-Phishing, APT28, APT29, Azar Aglarov, Azeri Business, Ban Ki-Moon, Barack Obama, Barrack Obama, Blackmail, Bribe, Carter Page, Clinton, Clinton Foundation, Corey Lewandowski, Cyber, Cyber Activity, Cyber Adversaries, Cyber Attacks, Cyber Security, Cyper Operation, David Nunes, Democratic National Commitee, Democratic Party, Department of Homeland Security, DNC, DNC Leaks, DNS, Domain Name Systems, Donald J. Trump, Donald Trump, Donald Trump Junior, Doppleganger, Eric Trump, ExxonMobile, FancyBear, FBI, Federal Bureau of Investigation, Felix Sater, Flash Code, G-7, Gen. Michael Flynn, General Staff Main Intelligence Directorate, GOP, GoUSA, Government of United States of America, Grand Old Party, Grizzly Steppe, Guccifer, Hacking, Hillary Clinton, Hillary Rodham Clinton, HRC, Huma Abedin, Ivanka Trump, Ivanov, Jar-16-20296, Jared Kushner, Jeff Sessions, John McCain, John Podesta, Kremlin, Lavrov, Macros, Malicious code, Malicious Flash Code, Marc Kasowitz, Marco Rubio, McCarthy, McHenry, McMaster, Michael Caputo, Michael D. Cohen, Michael Flynn, Mike Flynn, Mike Pence, Mitch McConnell, Moscow, National Cybersecurity & Communications Integration Center, NCCIC, OnionDuke, PAGE, Paris Agreement, Paul Manafort, Paul Ryan, Phishing, Phising, Podestaleaks, Preet Bharara, President Obama, President Putin, President-Elect Trump, Presidential Election 2016, Prostitutes, Reconnaissance, Rep. Mitch McConnell, Rep. Paul Ryan, Representative Mitch McConnell, Republican National Committee, Republican Party, Resort International, Rex Tillerson, RNC, Robert Mueller, Roger Stone, Rosneft, Russia, Russia-American Cooperation, Russian Civilian and Military Intelligence Services, Russian Embassy, Russian Federation, Russian Interference, Russian Oligarchs, Sally Quillian Yates, Sally Yates, Scalise, Scott Walker, Sechin, Security Organizations, Sender Policy Framework, Sergey Ivanovich Kislyak, Sergey Kislyak, Sergey Lavrov, Social Engineering, Soviet, Soviet Predecessor, Soviet Union, Spearfishing, SPF, St. Petersburg, State Actors, State Security, Steve Bannon, Technicians, Ted Cruz, Trump, Type-Squatting, UN, United Nations, United States, United States of America, URL, US Election, US Election 2016, US Government, US Presidential Election, US Presidential Election 2016, USA, USA Presidential Election, USA Presidential Election 2016, Vladimir Putin, VP Mike Pence, WADA, Weaponization, Web Browers, WikiLeaks, Wilbur Ross | Leave a comment
USA: EPA Acting Deputy Adminstrator E-Mail – "Agency's Workforce Shaping through Voluntary Early Retirement and Separation Incentive Payment Authorities (VERA/VSIP) – (01.06.2017)
Posted in America, Civil Service, Climate, Development, Economic Measures, Economy, Ethics, Governance, Government, Law, Leadership, Politics, Transparency and tagged Al Gore, Asthma Exacerbation, ATT, Barry Loudermilk, Boeing Co, Buy-outs, Capitol Hill, Chemical Industry, Clean Care Act of 1990, Climate Change, Coal, Coal Industry, Dakota Access Pipeline, DAPL, Detroit, Donald J. Trump, Donald Trump, Enviroment, Enviromental Protection Agency, Flint, Florida, Fracking, Gas, Georgia, Good Ol Party, GOP, Green, Greenhouse Gases, Honest ACT, Honest and Open New EPA Science Treatment Act, Industry, Kentucky, Keystone XL, Koch Industries, Lamar Smith, Lobbyist, Marathon Petroleum, Matt Gaetz, Michigan, Mike Flynn, Mississippi, Mortality Ozone, OBM, Oil, OPM, Petroleum, Pollution, Pro-Fracking, Rep. Lamar Smith, Republican, Republicans, Scott Pruitt, Steven M. Palazo, Swamp, Texas, Thomas Massie, Toxins, Trump, Trump Adminstration, U.S. Congress, U.S. House of Representative, U.S. House of Representatives, United States, United States of America, US Congress, VERA/VISP, Waste-Water, Water, Wells Fargo | Leave a comment
New Study Finds Worrying Climate Trend in Karamoja Over Last 35 Years (20.03.2017)
Released in Kampala today, the 'Impacts of Climate Change on Food Security and Livelihoods in Karamoja' found that temperatures have been rising in Karamoja over the last 35 years.
KAMPALA, Uganda, March 20, 2017 – A new study carried out by the Government of Uganda and its partners has found a new weather pattern that threatens to worsen food insecurity in the Karamoja region if no action is taken.
The study found that the average monthly rainfall in the region increased over the last 35 years and that the rainy season is now longer by two months. However, the rains – which now fall from around March to the end of the year – increasingly varied in volumes. This unpredictability was found to undermine agricultural production, thereby threatening to aggravate food insecurity in Karamoja.
The rising temperatures threaten to increase the frequency, intensity and duration of heat waves in the region, therefore reducing availability of water for crops and animals. This too undermines food security.
A large majority of people in Karamoja, particularly women, were not aware that changes to the climate had been taking place over decades, the study states. However, most of the people that had perceived changes to the climate had not taken any action to adapt, typically because they did not know how to do so. Where trees were planted as an adaptation measure, the sale of charcoal and firewood were also a common measure that people took in response to climate-related crop failure.
Sponsored by the Swedish Government, the study was carried out in 2016 by the Ministry of Water and Environment with support from the United Nations World Food Programme (WFP) and the CGIAR Consortium's Research Programme on Climate Change, Agriculture and Food Security.
The Uganda Minister for Water and Environment, Sam Cheptoris, said today, "These are significant findings that threaten any hope for Uganda achieving its Vision 2040 and the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), if no immediate action is taken."
Cheptoris said that his Ministry was already calling for a national and regional response, advocating for climate change sensitive approaches across all Government sectors, educating the population about climate change, and undertaking emissions profiles.
"Karamoja's population is heavily dependent on rain-fed agriculture, which is highly vulnerable to climate change," said El Khidir Daloum, WFP Country Director for Uganda. "However, little has been known previously about the impacts of climate change on food security, and in particular, the ability of households in the region to adapt."
WFP hopes that the findings and recommendations of the study will contribute to efforts toward appropriate adaptation measures while helping to identify policies that will safeguard the most vulnerable communities in Karamoja.
The study recommended that the Government and its partners increase investments in water harvesting and agroforestry schemes, education of the people, improved access to climate change information and the cultivation of drought-resistant crop varieties.
Within the Ministry of Water and Environment, the study was carried out by the Climate Change Department and the Uganda National Meteorological Authority.
Posted in Africa, Agriculture, Civil Service, Climate, Development, Economic Measures, Economy, Ethics, Governance, Government, Law, Leadership, Politics and tagged Abim, Acholi, Adjumani, Agago, Agriculture, Aida Girma, Alhaji Jallow, Ambulances, Amolatar, Amudat, Amuria, Amuru, Animal Industry, Arua, Bananas, Beans, Below Average Production, Bugiri, build resilience, Bukedi, Bukomansimbi, Burundi, Busoga, Buteleja, Bwekataligilya elibiika amasumba, Cassava, Cattle Corridor, Conflict, Delivering Food Assistance, Democratic Republic of Congo, Developing Rural Areas, Dr. Ruhakana Rugunda, DRC, East Africa, Education, Emergencies, Famine Early Warning System Network, FAO, FEWS NET, FEWSN, Fisheries, Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations, Food Insecurity, Food Security, Gen Salim Saleh, Gen. Salim Selah, GoU, Government of Uganda, Greater Masaka, Groundnuts, Gulu, H. E. Yoweri Kaguta Museveni, H.E. Yoweri Museveni, Health Services, Hon. Dr. Ruhakana Rugunda, Hon. Ruhakana Rugunda, Hon. Vincent Bamulangaki Ssempijja, Hungry People, Insecurity, IPC Phase 2, IPC Phase 3, irish potatoes, Isingirio, Isingiro, Isingiro District, Janet Museveni, Joint Resilience Strategy, Kaabong, Kabale, Kaboko, Kaliro, Kalungu, Kalungu District, Karamoja, Karamoja District, Karomoja, Kenya, Kiruhura, Kiryandongo, Kitgum, Koboko, Koica, Kotido, Lake Albert, Lamwo, Lango, Livestock, Livestock losses, lsingiro, Lt. Gen. Yoweri Kaguta Museveni., Lwengo, MAAIF, Maize, Maracha, Market Price, Masindi, Maternal Mortality, Maternal Mortality Ratio, Matooke, Michael Dunford, Ministry of Agriculture Animal Industry and Fisheries, Ministry of Disaster Prepardness, Ministry of Health:, Moroto, Moyo, NAADS, Nakapiripirit, Nakapiripirit district, Nakasongola, Napak, National Food Security, National Food Security Awareness Campaign, National Health Sector Development Plan, National Resistance Movement, New-Born, Ngora, Northern Uganda, NRM, NRM Regime, Nutrition, Nwoya, Operation Wealth Creation, OWS, Pader, Pallisa, Parts of Busoga, pastoralists, Peas, PM Ruhakana Rugunda, Poverty, President Museveni, Rakai, Refugees, Reproductive Maternal New-Born Child and Adolescent Health, Resilience Analysis Unit, RMNCAH, Ruhakana Rugunda, Rural Areas, Rwanda, Sam Cheptoris, Security, Serere, Service Delivery, Service Delivery Systems, Sorghum, Soroti, South Sudan, South Sudanese Refugees, Sweet Potatoes, Tanzania, Teso, Turkana, Uganda, UN WFP, UNHCR, Unicef, United Nation, United Nations Children's Fund, United Nations High Commission for Refugees, United Nations World Food Programe, Vincent Bamulangaki Ssempijja, Vulnerable, West Nile, WFP, Woman's Children's and Adolescent Health, World Food Programe, World Food Programme, Yields, Yoweri Kaguta Museveni, Yoweri Museveni, Yumbe, Yumbe District, Zombo.Nebbi | Leave a comment
Trout Unlimited President and CEO Chris Wood responds to President Trump's Executive Order Rescinding the Clean Water Rule (28.02.2017)
Posted in America, Civil Service, Climate, Development, Economic Measures, Economy, Ethics, Governance, Government, Law, Leadership, Politics, Transparency and tagged Al Gore, Asthma Exacerbation, Barry Loudermilk, Chris Wood, Clean Care Act of 1990, Clean Water Act, Clean Water Rule, Climate Change, Coal, Dakota Access Pipeline, DAPL, Detroit, Donald J. Trump, Donald Trump, Enviroment, Enviromental Protection Agency, Fish, Fishing, Flint, Florida, Fracking, Gas, Georgia, Good Ol Party, GOP, Green, Greenhouse Gases, Industry, Justice Scalia, Kentucky, Keystone XL, Lobbyist, Matt Gaetz, Michigan, Mississippi, Mortality Ozone, Oil, Petroleum, Pollution, Pro-Fracking, Pruitt, Republican, Republicans, Steven M. Palazo, Swamp, Thomas Massie, Toxins, Trout Unlimited, Trump, Trump Adminstration, U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, U.S. Congress, U.S. House of Representative, United States, United States of America, Waste-Water, Water, Wells Fargo | Leave a comment
New drought risks in Ethiopia put recovery at risk (17.01.2017)
FAO targets pastoralists in southern regions facing failed rains on heels of a calamitous El Niño.
ROME, Italy, January 17, 2017 -New drought across swathes of southern Ethiopia may jeopardize the East African nation's restoration of food security after the worst agricultural seasons in decades unless urgent efforts are made to shore up vulnerable households in rural areas, FAO warned today.
While an impressive government-led humanitarian effort has sharply reduced the number of hungry during the worst drought in 50 years, the legacy of last year's El Niño along with low rainfall during a critical season pose renewed risks now, especially for pastoral communities facing forage shortfalls and water scarcity in southern regions.
Safeguarding recent gains requires responding to the livelihood-sustaining needs of fragile households that lost or sold livestock and other assets, often adding to family debt burdens to cope with the worst El Niño in modern history.
Effective and timely action has reduced the number of people who will need food aid in 2017 to 5.6 million, down from almost twice as much last August, according to the newly released Humanitarian Requirements Document (HRD). However, food security in 120 woredas (districts) has worsened since July, while 86 woredas are entering their third year (since December 2015) of top-priority emergency status.
The just-approved HRD, jointly developed by the Government of Ethiopia along with UN agencies, non-governmental organizations and other development partners, covers a range of subjects including education, access to water and nutrition. It advises that the bulk of the agriculture sector needs are related to assistance to pastoralists and agropastoralists livestock assistance – a total of $42 million is required by the sector to reach 1.9 million households, mainly in drought-affected southern and southeastern pastoral regions, this year.
Drought strikes again
While northern and western Ethiopia bore the brunt of El Niño, a new drought is emerging in southern and southeastern pastoral areas including Oromia, Somali and Southern Nations, Nationalities and Peoples' Region (SNNP) after poor, delayed and erratic rains curbed pasture and water availability. Some 80 percent of Ethiopians depend on agriculture and livestock for their livelihoods and an even higher share of the country's arable land relies on seasonal rainfall.
Below-average precipitation has also affected neighboring Somalia and Kenya. The impact is expected to be most dire in early 2017 among livestock, with unusually early migrations, excess mortality rates and extreme emaciation.
FAO calls for an immediate response to support the food security and nutrition of households reliant on animals. Along with the provision of supplementary animal feed, especially along migratory routes, targeted destocking interventions will be implemented to make protein-rich meat available for vulnerable pastoral communities and support livestock prices in local markets.
Poorly-fed animals reproduce less frequently, lengthening the prospective time required to rebuild herds. For Ethiopian households, restocking after the loss of half of one's cattle typically takes four years without adverse conditions.
Addressing fragility
Even though FAO's support will focus on communities depending on livestock, some areas along the Rift Valley, however, especially in the northern and eastern highlands, are facing below-average crop production and therefore receive prioritized agricultural support as recovery will take longer than anticipated.
South Sudan refugees and their hosting communities in Gambella Region, are facing significant food availability and access challenges, and enabling households to produce more of their own food is essential.
After having reached 1.3 million farmers and herders affected by the El Niño-induced drought in 2016, FAO is appealing for $20 million to reach one million farming, agropastoral and pastoral households in 2017, with the aim of protecting gains made last year and preventing vulnerable households from slipping further into food insecurity.
FAO's programme seeks in particular to support crop production, implement emergency response and resilience activities in the livestock sector, support livelihoods in refugee-hosting areas and strengthen coordination, information and analysis.
Posted in Africa, Aid, Army, Civil Service, Climate, Development, Economic Measures, Economy, Governance, Government, Law, Leadership, Politics and tagged #AddisProtest, #AmaharaProtest, #OmoroProtest, Abdela Kadir, Abune Dioskoros, Addis Ababa, Addisu Serebe, Afar, Afar Region, African Union, Alene Shama, Amba Giorgis, Amhara, Amnesty International, Anti-Terrorism Proclamation, Article 19, Asasa, Atalay Zafe, Ato Gedu Andargachew, AU, Awaday, Bahr Dar, Bale, Bekele Gerba, Borena Zone, CDO Debretsion, Colonel Demeke Zewdu, Crop Sector, Dejene Turfa, Demonstration, Djibouti, Dominique Burgeon, Dr. Riek Machar-Teny, Drought, EBC, El Nino, Elidar, ENDF, EPRDF, Erecha, Eritrea, ESAT, Ethiopia, Ethiopia Universial Periodic Review, Ethiopian Athlete, Ethiopian Government, Ethiopian National Defence Force, Ethiopian Orthodox Church, Ethiopian People's Revolutionary Democratic Front, EU, European Union, European Union External Action, FAO, Federal Democratic Republic of Ethiopia, Federica Mogherini, FIDH, Fikadu Mirkana, FireChat, Getachew Ademe, Getachew Reda, Getachew Shiferaw, Girum Chala, Government of Ethiopia, H.E. Hailemariam Desalegn, Haile Asfha, Haile Mariam Desalegn, Hon. Ato Gedu Andargachew, HRCO, HRD, Human Rights Couuncil of Ethiopia, Humanitarian Requirements Document, Humanitarian Requirments Document, Humera, IGAD, Intergovernmental Authority on Development, International Service for Human Rights, Livestock, Maykadra, Mebratu Getahun, Mendi, Mercenaries, Mercenary Force, Metema, Nationalities and Peoples' Region, Negash Kebre Botoa, Nekemte, Oromia Region, Peter Prove, President Hailemiriam, Robe, Samora Yunis, Shalla Districts, Shashamene, Somali and Southern Nations, South Omo Zone, SSNP, Tigrayan People's Liberation Front, Tourism, TPLF, Travel, United Nation, United Nations, United Nations Investigation, West Arsi, Woreda, Woredas, World Council of Churches, Yechibo, Yonathan Teressa, Zeid Ra'ad Al Hussain | Leave a comment
On Trump: How did we get here?
I got to ask! How did we get here? What happen for the worldwide of events to lead to the man of that stature to be elected as the President of the United States, the Commander in Chief, the leader of the so-called free-world! That the man most enlightened and most visionary happen to be the Donald, Donald J. Trump of New York and Manhattan.
We got to ask, now that it's a month since he won the Electoral College and days apart from when they are throwing their inherent ballot to suffocate the world for 4 years. The Electoral College that has been basis for speculations for months for all broadcaster's from inner Montana to Hot 97 in New York. Seriously, the Democracy of world is based on few noble men and woman from the states electing a president on confidence of the rules in each state. Because the people cannot be trusted to already elect a person on the ballot. Not that the United States population is caring enough about civic education to consider a fellow caring human being, still they should reconsider their political system when a fellow like Trump can eat cake and vomit daily from the White House. Just as written here: "The Constitution does not specifically require electors to cast their votes according to the popular vote in their states, but the laws of 29 states and the District of Columbia bind electors to do so. Some require pledges or threaten fines or criminal action, according to a summary of state laws by the National Assn. of Secretaries of State. No elector has ever been prosecuted for not voting as pledged. Since 1900, there have been only nine faithless electors who defected for individual reasons, including one who abstained from voting altogether" (Los Angeles Times – 'All the times in U.S. history that members of the electoral college voted their own way' (08.12.2016) link: http://www.latimes.com/nation/la-na-faithless-electors-2016-story.html).
But, still with that in mind, how did we get there? It can be so many reasons, the lacking knowledge of how government works or the need for understanding of intricate policy building to succeed in Washington D.C. or that some daft small-town ignorant citizens would drop a metaphorical bomb on the lobbyists and elite in the capital. That is what they thought they did with electing a "billionaire" Trump who after becoming President-Elect started plotting together the riches, the most connected to big-business cabinet that has been in the White House. As well as taking in men who despise the ideas of certain departments and chambers they will run; so that the American government can become smaller and take in less tax of the wealthy that they all in power represent. They are walking away from the all the needed men and woman in the grass-root that ushered in the Trump Administration. So now they can do what they want without question, because the votes secured this chair's and possibilities that is now in for the taking.
We got there with fear, with a dishonest media, a dishonest internet, little spread of information and quick browsing through the contested campaigns as we still doesn't know what "Making America Great Again!" means or to what extent making it better. If that is making KKK and Alt-Right accepted as a means of less-subtle racism in politics and the American communities, that has surely happen. That the Trump Campaign has surged on the fear of immigration and job-loss is clear factors, while they haven't had a coherent plan to fix it. This has been seen as a factor while the Obama Administration took the nation from 7.9% unemployed into 4.9 % in 8 years that has happen while the Republican Party and Trump has claimed the destruction of nation as they know it. Which cannot be seen in statistics, tax-base or in sort of inflation level since the start of Recession of 2008; but that doesn't matter because the myth of problems is what Trump needs! Just said like this: "The term Alt-Right, reputedly coined in 2008 by Richard Spencer of the National Policy Institute, a bogus think-tank, encompasses views from libertarianism to paleoconservatism and onwards to the edges of pseudo-intellectual claptrap and the English language. Many Alt-Righters demonise Jews, but a few do not. Some, such as Brad Griffin of Occidental Dissent, another website, think "democracy can become a tool of oppression", and that monarchy or dictatorship might be better; others, such as Mr Taylor, disagree. Some are techno-futurists; others espouse a kind of agrarian nostalgia. Many mourn the Confederacy. Mr Griffin thinks that, even today, North and South should separate" (…) "Yet from the quack ideologues to the out-and-proud neo-Nazis, some Alt-Right tenets are clear and constant. It repudiates feminism with misogynistic gusto. It embraces isolationism and protectionism. Above all, it champions white nationalism, or a neo-segregationist "race realism", giving apocalyptic warning of an impending "white genocide". Which, of course, is really just old-fashioned white supremacism in skimpy camouflage" (…) "The association precedes Mr Trump's hiring as his campaign manager of Stephen Bannon, former boss of Breitbart News, a reactionary news website that Mr Bannon reportedly described as "the platform for the Alt-Right", and which has covered the movement favourably" (Economist – 'Trump and the Alt-Right Pepe and the stormtroopers' 17.09.2016 link: http://www.economist.com/news/united-states/21707201-how-donald-trump-ushered-hateful-fringe-movement-mainstream-pepe-and).
Why I ask myself this now is because of we're soon in 2017, there will be important questions ahead. Many that we cannot foresee as much as the environment and climate change might mean for us, as kid of the 90s I remember the sun-damage danger and the Ozone, now it's the CO2 emissions and heated polluted air, that Donald Trump doesn't believe him because he is not a penguin who's struggling to in dwindling ice on Greenland. As he assemble people who cares for business over environment, that cares more about production than the reasons for the earthquakes in Oklahoma state: "The state has seen a sever spike in earthquakes of 3.0 magnitude or higher since 2008, when energy companies ramped up their hydraulic fracturing, or fracking, for oil and gas in the state, Choy said. The number of 3.0 magnitude quakes rose from 2 in 2008 to 889 last year, according to USGS statistics. So far this year, there have been 572" (USA Today,' Oklahoma earthquake reignites concerns that fracking wells may be the cause' 07.11.2016 link: http://www.usatoday.com/story/news/2016/11/07/oklahoma-earthquake-fracking-well/93447830/).
We can wonder how this might be, as the Alt-Right, Republican Cabinet is assembled by men and woman who will honour Trump, be his advisors and take orders as he doesn't have trouble with connections with his own businesses that his kids will control while he is in command. This is still an issue a month after as he will be Executive Producer for 'Celebrity Apprentice' on NBC while being in the White House, which is a hobby for the old-man who just used two years becoming President. So the Trump Organization will surely be controlled from the White House as he cannot shelf his control from anything he touches, even if that breaches with the constitution. That foreign dignitaries are now renting rooms in the Trump Hotels close to the White House, as it just happen to done during the Presidential Campaign was just coincidence: "Wednesday's grand opening and ribbon-cutting ceremony marked the culmination of a $200 million project. The Trump Organization renovated the 1899 Romanesque Revival-style Old Post Office building, on Pennsylvania Avenue near the White House. With 263 guest rooms and suites, and a ballroom that Trump has said is the biggest in the nation's capital, the hotel is among the priciest in town. Donald Trump, speaking at the event, said the hotel came in "under budget and ahead of schedule." He cut the ribbon in the lobby alongside wife Melania and children Ivanka, Donald Jr., Eric and Tiffany" (Bloomberg – 'Trump Executives Tout Brand Resilience at D.C. Hotel Opening' 26.10.2016 link: https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2016-10-26/trump-executives-use-d-c-hotel-opening-to-tout-brand-resilience).
So as he was a Presidential-Candidate he could consider his time to his own business, how could we get there and how could the citizens who voted for him think he will act differently a month after? Certainly the proof now is clear that he thinks of his business and opportunities as much as he can consider America first. The public might grab glimpses of his thoughts on Twitter, but not a reality of how that will be configured in actions as President.
What the world can expect and how he will acts is unsure, more unsure than the policies of the Tories coming to the "leaving Europe and European Union in the Red-White-Blue Brexit" of Theresa May. Donald Trump might bomb somewhere for oil, he might kill kids and families to stop the civil war in Syria. What we can foresee of his actions is unknown and the US Society accepted that sort opinions and as a Commander-in-Chief is exceptional.
The bravery and the reality, the stuttering silence of hope and only despair. Industrialization together with Multi-National Companies who gotten all freedom and liberty, while the citizens has to apply and be lucky to get jobs. The reality of Multi-National Companies steering lobbying in Washington D.C. and together with giant supported Super-PACs has picked out the "good" candidates for the Trump Administration as the roots of too big to fail is evident in the matter of businesses of the day. That is where the US dream is happening and dying. It is dying because of the Multi-National gets full control of the Senate and Congress, the President and if the Supreme Court Justices dies, than they can get their selected people to run for them there too. Not for the public good or will, but for the companies' profits. That will be on overdrive with the men that has been picked as Secretary of Treasury and Secretary of Commerce.
How did we get to a place where the Presidential Candidate who was supposed to be there for the workers, the American workers was in shambles, that he nominees a man who has done this: "Puzder observes, "They're not talking about $15 or $12 an hour, the kind of dramatic increases that are being bandied about in the political process right now." CKE's average wage, he says, is a bit over $10 an hour, "so we're not talking about everybody in the restaurant working for $7.25." (In California, the minimum wage is now $10.) "But we're talking about entry-level jobs. Are people going to want to hire entry-level employees for these very high minimums, which come with Obamacare, which come with mandatory sick leave, or other benefits which the government imposes on business for these individuals? Are you going to be able to keep minimum wage entry-level job positions open for individuals?" (L.A. Times – ' Does Andy Puzder really want to replace his Carl's Jr. workers with robots? No, but…' 30.03.2016 link: http://www.latimes.com/business/hiltzik/la-fi-hiltzik-puzder-20160322-snap-htmlstory.html).
So with this all in mind, we should ask how we got here? Michael Moore said it so nicely back in the day: "Midwest Math, or Welcome to Our Rust Belt Brexit. I believe Trump is going to focus much of his attention on the four blue states in the rustbelt of the upper Great Lakes – Michigan, Ohio, Pennsylvania and Wisconsin. Four traditionally Democratic states – but each of them have elected a Republican governor since 2010 (only Pennsylvania has now finally elected a Democrat). In the Michigan primary in March, more Michiganders came out to vote for the Republicans (1.32 million) that the Democrats (1.19 million). Trump is ahead of Hillary in the latest polls in Pennsylvania and tied with her in Ohio. Tied? How can the race be this close after everything Trump has said and done? Well maybe it's because he's said (correctly) that the Clintons' support of NAFTA helped to destroy the industrial states of the Upper Midwest. Trump is going to hammer Clinton on this and her support of TPP and other trade policies that have royally screwed the people of these four states" (…) "That's a small peek into the mind of the Endangered White Male. There is a sense that the power has slipped out of their hands, that their way of doing things is no longer how things are done. This monster, the "Feminazi,"the thing that as Trump says, "bleeds through her eyes or wherever she bleeds," has conquered us — and now, after having had to endure eight years of a black man telling us what to do, we're supposed to just sit back and take eight years of a woman bossing us around?" (…) "The Depressed Sanders Vote. Stop fretting about Bernie's supporters not voting for Clinton – we're voting for Clinton! The polls already show that more Sanders voters will vote for Hillary this year than the number of Hillary primary voters in '08 who then voted for Obama. This is not the problem. The fire alarm that should be going off is that while the average Bernie backer will drag him/herself to the polls that day to somewhat reluctantly vote for Hillary, it will be what's called a "depressed vote" – meaning the voter doesn't bring five people to vote with her. He doesn't volunteer 10 hours in the month leading up to the election" (Michael More – '5 Reasons Why Trump Will Win' link: http://michaelmoore.com/trumpwillwin/).
That Michael Moore saw it coming and asked for society to think about the reasons for protest Trump vote out there and the plans for shaking certain swing-states to the Republican Party. Something that happen… and it wasn't beautiful the ones who had hope for another experience. We can just wonder how they got duped to follow this man and made the system ready for his as commander in chief!
I just wonder how the American Experience became Donald J. Trump, how we went from hope and change, into fear and depression, where the army and military will get more power, where the multi-national companies will be more connected with the Trump Administration and the fracking, big-oil, giant banks and finance industry get more power in the White House. The Republican Party and their loyal cronies will have both houses and the Presidency under Trump. So the possibilities are endless. We can wonder how we got here.
How did we get here? And we should ask ourselves that? The answers are many and reasons for the US election turning to Trump should be asked more times as the answers will be different with times, as the layers will peeled off and we will find the core reasons for why a Reality Star, a Real Estate Investor and a Limited Label salesman, sometimes a snake-oil of that, became the next President of the United States. Peace.
Posted in America, Business, Civil Service, Climate, Development, Economic Measures, Economy, Election, Ethics, Governance, Government, Law, Leadership, Politics, Tax, Trade, Transparency and tagged 5th Avenue, Ads, Advice, African Americans, Alt-Right, Alternative Right, Amalgram, America, American Conservatives, American Election, American Election 2016, American General Election 2016, American Government, American Industry, Angry White Men, Anti-Feminism, Anti-Muslim, Artium, Atlantic City, Bankrupt, Barrack Obama, Bayrock, Bayrock Spring Street LLC, Ben Carson, Billionaire, Billons, Breitbart, Breitbart Media, Bush Administration, Business, Campaign Pledges, Cartels, Certification, Charities Bureau, Charities Registry, CharitiesNYS, China, Chip Seelig, Chistopher Flowers, CIA, CIT, City General Corporation Tax, City Tax Assessment, Civillians, Colorado, Commerical Housing, Condominium, Condominium Ownership, Condominium Units, Conservative, Conservative Republicans, Consumers, CPAC, Crandall, Credit Card, Credit Card Limits, D.C. Establishment, Daniel Neidich, Danny Leung, Democratic National Commitee, Democratic Party, Department of Commerce, Development Fee, District of Columbia, DJT University Managing Member LLC, DJT University Members LLC, DNC, Donald J. Trump, Donald J. Trump Foundation, Donald Trump, Donald Trump University LLC, Donald Trumps Empire, Draining the Swamp, Dreams, Dune Capital, Economic Bubble, Eddie Lampert, Education, Educational Law, Educational License, Equipty Funds, Equitable Life Assurance Society of the United States, Establishment, Estimated Value, European Banks, Executive Law, Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation, Federal Personal Income Tax Return, Film Company, Financial System, FL Group, Florida AG, Forbes, Fraud, Fundraising Activities, Gawker, Genovese Crime Family, George Soros, Goals, Goldman Sachs, Good Old Party, GOP, Government of United States of America, Governor of Texas, Grand Old Party, Greg Abbott, Gregory Abbott, Gudiel, Herogenous, Hilary Clinton, Hilary Rodham Clinton, Hillary Clinton, immigration, IMSMFL, IMSMFL Incorporated, Instructors, Internal Revenue Service, Invesco, Invesco Private Capital, Investing techniques, IPO, IRS, IRS Tax Returns, IRS Tax Revenue, Jack Mitnick, James G. Sheehan, James Whitfield Larrabee, Jason Leopold, Jeb Bush, John Paulson, Jonathan Spitalny, Judge Simons, King, Kings, KKK, Ku Klux Klan, Liberty, License, Lie, Liquid assets, Lobbying Cartel, Manhatten, Media, Mentor, Mentorship, Michael Moore, Michael Sexton, Mike Pence, Millionaire, Mini Tax Assessment, Minimum Wage, Misled, Mitnick, Muslim, NBNK, Neo-Nazi, Neo-reactionaries, New Jersey, New York, New York City, New York Law, New York State, New York State Education Department, New York Supreme Court, New York Tax Appeal Court, New York Times, Notice of Violation, NYC, NYS, NYSED, Oil, OneWest Bank, Out-of-Pocket, Ownership, Pasadena, Politics, Poor Students, Populist, President-Elect Trump, Presidential Election, Pro Rata, Property Law, Property Tax, Property Tax Bill Quarterly Statement, Pscychology, Public Financial Disclosure Report, Public Perception, Quality Educational Services, Racial Motives, Racist, Racist Ideas, Radical Right, Real Estate, Real Estate Entrepreneurs, Real Estate Strategies, Reince Priebus, Relativity, Republican, Republican National Committee, Republican National Party, Republican Party, Residential Tax Abatement, Residential Unit, Rich, Richard Berlin, Richness, Rigalis, RNC, Robert Mercer, Ron Paul, RPTL, Ryal Paul, S&A Concrete, Sales Agents, Salon, Samsung Electronics America, Sapir Organization LLC, Sard Verbinnen & Co, Saviour, Sears, Secretary of Commerce, Secretary of Treasury, Service Exchange Commission, SFM Capital Management, Shallow, Soho Hotel, South Carolina, Special Advisor, Special Interest Dealing, Stephen Bannon, Stephen K. Bannon, Steve Mnuchin, Studio Libery, Super Pac, Supreme Court, Tax Assessment, Tax Audit, Tax Benefit, Tax Exemption, Tax Penalty, Tax Returns, Tax Year, Tax-Codes, Tea-Party, Ted Cruz, Terror, Terrorism, Texas, Texas AG, Texas Consumer Protection Division, The Art of a Comeback, Think Like a Billionaire, Tiffany's, Time Coleman, Tom Tancredo, Transaction Fee, Trump, Trump Administration, Trump Campaign, Trump Corporation, Trump for President 2016, Trump Foundation, Trump Organization, Trump Plaza, Trump Tower, Trump Towers, Trump University, Trump University Playbook, Trust, TU, U.S., U.S.A, UBT, United States, United States of America, University, US, US Government, US Presidential Election, US Presidential Election 2016, US Treasury, USA, Vanity, Venture's UBT, Vice News, VP Mike Pence, Wall Street, Wall Street Journal, Warrent, Washington D.C., Weapons of Mass Destruction, White House, White Supremacist, White-Angry Men, Wilbur Ross, WL Ross, WLR Funds, World Trade Center | Leave a comment
Standing Rock Sioux Tribal Chair: DOJ Must Investigate Use of Force Against #DAPL Resistance (Youtube-Clip)
" "I knew North Dakota state was planning something," says Standing Rock Sioux Tribal Chair Dave Archambault II of the raid on a resistance camp Thursday by militarized police. "They set up a pre-hospital tent near the camp. … That was sending me signals this was going to get out of hand." Archambault says he asked the Department of Justice to step in and ask the state not to proceed with the raid, and now calls on the Justice Department to launch an investigation into the use of force against those resisting the Dakota Access pipeline" (Democracy Now, 2016)
Posted in America, Business, Civil Service, Climate, Development, Economic Measures, Economy, Ethics, Governance, Government, Industry, Law, Leadership, Politics and tagged 1st Amendment, ALCU, American Civil Liberties Union, American Congress, American Government, Amy Goodman, Army Corps, Bobbi Jean Three Legs, Canon Ball, Civil Liberties, Cody Hall, Dakota Access Pipeline, Dave Archambault II, Democratic Party, Demonstrations, DNC, First Amendment, Freedom of Speech, Ilinois, Illnois, Indian, Indigenous people, Infrastructure Legislator, Infrastructure Project, Iowa, Justice Department, Labor Day Weekend, Lake Oahe, Lake Sakawea, Missouri River, National Environment Management Authority, National Environment Policy Act, Native Americans, Native Indians, NEMA, NEPA, North Dakota, North Dakota V. Amy Goodman, Oil, Oil Drilling, Peaceful Protest, Pipeline, Pipeline Company, Republican Party, RNC, Shailene Woodley, Sioux, South Dakota, Standing Rock, Standing Rock Reservation, Standing Rock Sioux, Standing Rock Tribal Chair, Susan Sarandon, Tribal Lands, U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, United States, United States of America, US Army, US Congress, US Justice Department, US Marines, USA, Video Report
Marinique: Communique d'Activite Cyclonique (28.09.2016)
Posted in Caribbean, Civil Service, Climate, Governance, Government, Leadership, Weather and tagged Antilles Francaises, Antilles-Guyane, Atlantiques, Caraibes, Caribbean, Cyclone, Cyclone de Matthew, Cyclonique, Depression Tropicale, Guadeloupe, Martinique, Matthew, Ouragan, Saint Vincent, St. Vincent, Storm, Tempete Tropicale, Tropicale | Leave a comment


Yeasts are a group of single-celled fungi and about 160 different species are known in yeast varieties. It is one species in particular, Saccharomyces cerevisiae or "brewer's sugar fungus," that is good for brewing and baking.
Yeast gives off a characteristic flavor and smell. It leavens bread and converts the grain carbohydrates into alcohol and carbon dioxide. When we buy yeast, it is live but inactive. With a little warmth and the addition of some water, it is activated and it releases the gas, carbon dioxide, that will raise the dough. The activity ceases only when the dough is placed in the oven and the yeast is killed by extreme heat.
Fresh yeast (cake/compressed yeast). This should be putty like in color and texture. It should look firm and moist and feel cool to the touch. If it is dry, dark and crumbly, it may be stale or not live. Fresh yeast can be bought for a pittance from many supermarkets that have a bakery on site or from your local bakery. Keep fresh yeast in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 3 days. Alternatively, divide the yeast into 1/2-ounce or 1-ounce portions and freeze for up to 3 months. Always defrost it thoroughly at room temperature or in the fridge before use.
To use: Using a spoon, crumble the fresh yeast into a small glass bowl and add about a quarter of the required amount of water as specified in the recipe you're using. Use the back of the spoon to cream the yeast until it dissolves in the water and forms a smooth blended paste. Stir in the remaining water. The yeast mixture is now ready to be added to the flour.
Active dry yeast. Usually bought in jars of packets from the supermarket. Active dry yeast can be reconstituted with a little lukewarm water and will give exactly the same result as fresh yeast. It must be stored in an airtight container and always keep an eye on the expiration date. If it doesn't produce a frothy head when reconstituted with water, it is not fresh.
To use, sprinkle active dry yeast into a small glass bowl containing the quantity of lukewarm water as specified in the recipe. Leave to dissolve for five to ten minutes. Once the yeast has dissolved, stir the mixture with a wooden spoon. The yeast mixture is now ready to be added to the flour. Continue as instructed in the recipe.
Rapid Rise Yeast. The easiest of yeasts to use as it is just added to the flour, with the water added separately. Again, the end product will be just as superior as using fresh or granular yeast. Always check the date stamp to ensure freshness.
To use, sprinkle rapid-rise yeast directly onto the flour. The yeast will activate once they liquid has been added. Continue as instructed in the recipe. Rapid-rise yeast cannot be used for the "sponge" method.
Note: 1/-ounce (15g) fresh yeast equals 2 teaspoons active dry yeast equals 2 teaspoons dried rapid-rise yeast.


text:
Charles E McGarry
Credits & links
Black Earl
Vibe images
Launch photos
Helen Addison
Road to Lisbon
'A great talent is announced. A fascinating, original and beguiling detective is born.'
Hugh MacDonald, The Herald
Reviews for The Ghost of Helen Addison
Fine And Dandy: A Review Of Charles E. McGarry's The Ghost Of Helen Addison…
https://scotswhayhae.com/
Against all expectations, the Christmas/ New Year period allowed for the reading of some of the books which have been sitting on SWH!'s ever present 'must-read' pile, and the next few posts will review at least a couple of those. First up is Charles E. McGarry's The Ghost Of Helen Addison, which introduces us to Leo Moran, a Glaswegian private eye who is unlike any you'll have met before, which is in itself a reason for cheer.
In the world of crime-fiction, and Scottish crime-fiction in particular, the belief persists that the genre is one which relies on familiar tropes, stereotypes and cliches. However, I would hope that the work of many of the writers of crime who have featured on these pages, including Louise Welsh, Graeme Macrae Burnet, Douglas Skelton, Michael J. Malone, Alice Thomson and Russel D. McLean, would have changed readers' preconceptions if they persisted. All of those mentioned, and many others, have very distinct styles and are wildly and wonderfully different to one another. If you've yet to embrace Scottish crime fiction, you're missing out.
Which bring us back to Leo Moran, the decidedly dapper Glaswegian detective who takes on the case of the suspicious death of a young woman in Argyll. McGarry depicts Moran in wonderful detail, and there is a lot of detail to detail. For instance, this is a typical evening meal, "He started with some exquisite Oban scallops with braised pig's cheek, followed by mock turtle soup, braised halibut, and then saddle of venison in a beetroot and sloe gin jelly, all washed down with a bottle of Chambertin." This is not your typical Clydeside gumshoe, but someone who presents to the world a desire for the finer things in life, and a sensibility bordering on foppish. How you react to that last sentence will probably dictate if you instinctively warm to Leo Moran or not, but either way he is worthy of your attention.
As someone who likes to delude themselves that they know their collars and cuffs, and the difference between an Oxford and Derby brogue, Leo Moran's sartorial style and eye-for-detail appeal greatly. He likes to think himself a man of elan and taste, but this, as it almost always is, is part of his armour against the world, a costume which he chooses with great care. More Sherlock Holmes than Laidlaw, Parlabane, or Queste, you initially feel he just wasn't made for these times.
However, a great detective is defined by their deeds rather than their duds, and Moran's first case is a complex one, with lots of possibilities as to whodunnit. Having been introduced to Leo it is all to easy to imagine how he could wind up local police and other residents of Argyll, not only bringing his individual style to their locale, but an attitude to match. Have no doubt, this is a flawed character, and just as he has to uncover the secrets and lies of those he meets to try to discover the killer, so the reader must look past the surface layers to understand what motivates and drives Leo Moran.
Add to this his abilities as a 'seer', able to communicate with the dead – (a supernatural twist which will surely be developed in future) – and you begin to understand that this is no ordinary detective novel. The titular ghost of Helen Addison becomes an accomplice in solving the case, although not enough is made of her infrequent appearances until the very end.
The Ghost Of Helen Addison is named as being "The First Leo Moran Murder Mystery", which is welcome as this is a detective and a writer who I want to spend more time with. That would allow McGarry not only to explore other aspects of Moran's personality, but, more importantly moving forward, that of other characters. The problem in having such a memorable protagonist is that every one else struggles to make an impression.
Not only could more have been made of Helen, but also DI Laing, the Fettes' educated and fabulously monickered Fordyce Greatorix, and significant others. This is particularly applicable to Moran's "friend" and confidante, Stephanie, who brings welcome insight and cynicism to proceedings when she appears, and who has the potential to be the Watson to his Holmes, puncturing his pomposity and calling him out on his prejudices when need be.
With The Ghost Of Helen Addison Charles E. McGarry has presented a new voice to Scottish crime fiction, and a memorable character to match. I'm looking forward to seeing how these novels develop as they not only have the potential to become a series which bring something fresh to the genre, but could also transfer to screen. I for one would like to see Leo Moran made flesh, if only for the wardrobe hints and restaurant recommendations.
The Bottle Imp 'Best Scottish Books of 2017'
The Ghost of Helen Addison chosen by Prof Donna Heddle, Director of the UHI Institute for Northern Studies
My pick of the year for sheer entertainment value and spectacular leftfieldness is Charles E. McGarry's The Ghost of Helen Addison, as it combines three of my ruling passions – Scotland, the supernatural, and Golden Age crime fiction. His central character, Leo Moran, is a deerstalker-wearing private detective and gourmandising flâneur with a heart and a conscience who also happens to be prone to psychic visions about violent crimes. He receives regular, and suspiciously well-timed, visitations from the unfortunate Helen, who was murdered in a forest one night. Moran is refreshingly different from the usual crop of hardboiled, hardbitten detectives operating in an urban Scottish environment. The writing style of the text is also very distinct, combining an elegiac harking back to the past, both personal and historical, with a strain of otherworldliness which is very Scots, strangely familiar and comforting. McGarry takes the road less travelled both literally and figuratively in this debut novel enticingly subtitled 'The First Leo Moran Mystery'. I'll be there for the next.
Lovereading
Lovereading view
A fascinating, charmingly descriptive murder mystery, where disturbing elements of satanism, visions, and ghosts creep through the story. Leo Moran, fastidious, exacting, and a private investigator, assists the police in a murder case. I will admit that it took me a little while to settle in, yet as I read, and as I got to know Leo, and explored his visions, I found myself rather enamoured with this unlikely leading man. Leo is occasionally cantankerous, often flounders, can be a decided glutton, and yet his moral integrity and soft heart shine through. At times this tale feels as though it is set in a bygone era, then Charles E. McGarry sends a blast of the here and now to bring you flying back to the present. 'The Ghost of Helen Addison' is the first in the 'Leo Moran murder mystery' series and sets the scene perfectly, there is real depth to this story, and I look forward to the next.
Liz Robinson
A slightly unusual murder story involving ghosts and psychics. A compelling lead character - Leo Moran - lifts the story to an engaging, exciting level which keeps the reader enthralled to the end.
I love ghosts and psychics so this book was just right for me. The main character - Leo Moran - is no ordinary investigator - he has visions and dreams and is called in by the police to help solve the brutal murder of a young woman. There is the inevitable conflict between him and the police - who are cynical about his skills - and also quite a few red herrings but that is what you expect from a detective story.
Leo is complex and a heavy drinker - again quite usual - but I liked his tenacity and compassion and his ability to read people's characters. He really knows who the good guys and bad guys are - he senses it!
He has conversations with the dead woman which are quite disconcerting and she unlike a lot of ghosts seems very real and angry about the loss of her life. These ghostly encounters lifts the story above a run-of-the mill murder story. I will certainly read more books by this author and especially any that feature the quirky psychic Leo Moran.
Sarah Musk
McGarry manages a perfect balancing act, succeeding in sticking to the rules of the murder mystery whodunit without slighting the supernatural abilities of his sleuth.
'The Ghost of Helen Addison' is Charles E. McGarry's second novel and Leo Moran's first case. Moran, McGarry's serial detective, is a champagne socialist who doesn't allow his Waterford crystal tumblers, Montblanc fountain pen, or personal masseur to interfere with his occasional activism and lives in a luxury apartment in Glasgow. He is also a clairvoyant and his second sight, which usually comes to him in dreams, results in his semi-official participation in the investigation of a particularly brutal murder at Loch Dhonn, in the West Highlands. Moran is quickly established as an occult detective in the mould of Sax Rohmer's Moris Klaw and M.P. Shiel's Prince Zaleski, beginning his inquiries by interviewing the victim's ghost. This is precisely the point at which many crime fiction fans will baulk, but McGarry manages a perfect balancing act, succeeding in sticking to the rules of the murder mystery whodunit without slighting the supernatural abilities of his sleuth. Helen did not see her assailant's face and Moran must resort to more mundane means to solve the crime when his psychic researches are opposed by a malignant force, which may or may not be related to the Green Lord, a cruel clan chieftain who was once local laird. The mystery is complex, the solution satisfying, the atmosphere eerie, and the suspense gripping…McGarry is an author to watch and Moran a detective to remember.
Rafe McGregor
It is refreshing to have such a complex central character, and it will be interesting to see how this series develops. Leo Moran is an unusual character. Well-educated, a connoisseur of fine foods and classical music, he easily holds an intelligent conversation and puzzles over complex chess moves. On the other hand, he is not above 'mooning' an annoying landowner, drinks entirely too much, is prone to occasional bouts of swearing, and decidedly ungifted when it comes to crosswords, codes and ciphers. His gentlemanly behaviour is endearingly traditional, and seems oddly paired with his extra-sensory perceptions, which lead him to become involved in a murder case in rural Argyll. The local characters he encounters are, if sometimes a bit cliché, nevertheless well drawn, and Leo's attempts to collaborate with the police, even if it may mean danger to his own life, are rather heroic.
It took me a long time to warm to his book, and I am not sure I ever entirely warmed to Leo, whose personality traits sometimes seemed to be at odds with themselves. Mental health issues are hinted at in various places, and it is refreshing to have such a complex central character. It will be interesting to see how this series develops.
Sabine Little
This is a detective mystery with a difference! Set in Scotland, the main character, Leo Moran, who is a private detective, has a character which is uniquely his own. He is a connoisseur who certainly enjoys the good (if often, solitary) life when it comes to food and drink, albeit to such an extent that he suffers for it the following day.
More importantly, he possesses supernatural powers which allow him to be in contact with the dead, in this case, the murder victim, Helen Addison. Whilst the police are attempting to solve the murder in the conventional fashion, Leo is able to bring his gifts into play to solve the crime, with many scrapes along the way and his own life under threat. A sense of evil abounds as the story progresses and the reader is often surprised by the unusual direction the story takes.
A large part of the action is set in the Loch Dhonn Hotel, where the reader is introduced to many local characters who all help to form the background of the story, both good and evil.
All in all, a gripping story!
Pam Woodburn
A murder mystery with a difference, and what a difference.
Leo Moran is a private detective, loves wine and good food, and is a just a wee bit smarter than the usual detectives because Leo has a gift, he gets visions and can see and speak to ghosts!!
One morning Leo reads about the murder of a young woman, in Argyll, so packs a bag and off he goes.
Arriving in the brooding landscape, he realises this s no ordinary murder, and no ordinary killer, Leo knows he is up against the forces of evil. Summoned by the killer, but for what reason, Leo is yet to piece together, and with the help of Helen's ghost, that makes her presence known to him, he sets about to do just this, and it is no easy case to solve.
Loved this book, unique, brilliant and one to re-read, again and again.
A riveting murder mystery, but with a difference! I couldn't put it down!
Set in Scotland, the locations contrast strongly between the wild and majestic landscape of Loch Dhonn in the Scottish Highlands, and the urban setting of Glasgow's West End.
The book is the first in a series of murder mysteries about a private detective called Leo Moran, who is a real gastronome and also enjoys his wine and whisky! These details are interesting enough, and help to paint a picture of this new character, but what really makes Leo special and enriches his uniqueness is his extraordinary gift of supernatural powers; he has the ability to see people and events in visions and dreams, even those who are no longer alive!
A young girl from the village of Loch Dhonn is found brutally stabbed and the police are investigating, but not getting very far with finding the killer. Leo decides to travel to the area to help solve the murder, hoping that his proximity to the crime scene will inspire his visions and able him to identify the murderer.
Leo is a very likeable character, and it is easy to become absolutely absorbed by this book and fascinated by its unusual spectral twist.
Charles McGarry has successfully managed to come up with something original in this murder mystery genre, and I am already looking forward to the next Leo Moran Murder Mystery!
This is the first book in this new murder mystery series featuring Psychic private detective Leo Moran. Leo is an old fashioned type of gentleman, slightly suffering from hypochondria and more than a little partial to a nip of whiskey. I really enjoyed this story set in Scotland during winter centred around the brutal murder of a newly qualified nurse.
The story is charming, Leo is very likeable even though he can have quite a sharp tongue, but he is just the man you would want on the case when there is a murder especially as he has such unique gifts. The plot kept me intrigued
the entire duration of reading it which meant I read it all in one sitting because it was awesome. The settings of the story, the hotel, train, quaint town etc all added to this stories charm. I would recommend this to any mystery fan, especially cosy mystery fans!
Edel Waugh
The Book Bag
Leo Moran is a gourmand, sleuth and seer of visions. Beset by ghoulish dreams and apparitions of a terrible crime he leaves the safety of his extravagantly furnished Glasgow apartment and sets out to Lock Dhonn to aid the police in their investigation of the murder of the eponymous Helen Addison. Along the way he is visited by the phantom form of Helen and is besieged by evil forces before tumbling into a rabbit hole of deceit, mystery and the dark forces of the occult. In a race to solve the case and stop the wrong man being accused of such a ghastly crime, Leo must draw on all his skills and convince the police that the killer is still at large and waiting to strike again.
The Ghost of Helen Addison is the first Leo Moran mystery and it is clear to see why McGarry would want to serialise the exploits of this eccentric, pompous private eye. Leo is a well written, complex character, on the one hand spiritual and devout, on the other gluttonous and driven by his appetites. A man truly haunted by events from his past, only ever teasingly referred to here, he possesses an often self-destructive need to insert himself into the investigation despite the protestations of the local police and manages to do so despite being apparently inebriated for much of the time. Frustrated by the lack of progress, Leo recklessly risks life, limb and reputation to solve the mystery surrounding Helen's death, picking up friends and enemies along the way.
It is easy to become absorbed in Leo's journey and to share his growing vexation with the investigation, due to McGarry's skills as an evocative, eloquent writer and his descriptions which are lusciously vivid and colourful, from Leo's gastronomic pleasures to the rural, wild beauty of Loch Dhonn. This level of detail leads to an immersive, engrossing tale which draws the reader in and captures the imagination. The story moves at a decent pace and the increasingly bizarre events surrounding Leo, as well as the growing threat from the killer means you will be racing to finish and find out who perpetrated such ghastly deeds. The conclusion doesn't disappoint and, without giving anything away, the ending ties up all loose ends in a satisfying bow.
Whilst the story has an otherworldly, ethereal edge, McGarry balances the tightrope between the spiritual and the tangible expertly. It is for the reader to decide whether Leo has the gift of second sight, whether the killer is indeed in league with forces of darkness or whether there are more concrete, corporeal answers to the mysteries surrounding Helen's murder. The characters here are also sketched in vivid relief and whilst I could have done without as much focus on the size of the breasts of one of the female characters, an irrelevant detail which adds nothing to the story, overall the depth shown ensures the characters are interesting and allow the reader to visualise the lives of the key players involved in the case. McGarry has a clear gift for description and he has used it to full effect here, making The Ghost of Helen Addison a compulsively readable mystery. I'm sure Leo Moran will continue to grow in stature and pomposity throughout the series and I look forward to the next instalment.
Megan Kenny [five-star review]
Nudge-book
This is an unusual gem of a novel – a literary crime novel. Leo Moran is an eccentric man; a connoisseur of fine wines and gourmet food, who overindulges at just about every occasion. A staunch Catholic and socialist, he seems at odds with his surroundings. Leo has a special gift – that of being the receiver of visions. Suffering from a bout of influenza, Leo Moran sees a vision, a blade being thrust into a woman's body, and he knows that it is his responsibility to respond and catch the woman's killer.
Leo uses his connections to join the police at Loch Dhonn and acts as unofficial adviser to them, although the detective in charge is sceptical. The investigation into the murder of Helen Addison brings Leo into confrontation with the forces of evil and places him in mortal danger.
This is a well crafted and beautifully written novel that keeps you guessing as to the identity of the murderer, sending suspicion into bluffs until the very last. Leo Moran is reminiscent of a Scottish Hercule Poirot in terms of his fastidious fashion sense and gourmet tastes, but he is a very likeable, if flawed, character.
Rachel Hirstwood
Edel's Book, Beauty, Life Blog
This is the first book in this new murder mystery series featuring Psychic private detective Leo Moran. Leo is an old fashioned type of gentleman , slightly suffering from hypochondria and more then a little partial to a nip of whiskey . I really enjoyed this story set in Scotland during winter centred around the brutal murder or a newly qualified nurse .
The story is charming , Leo is very likeable even though he can have quite a sharp tongue , but he is just the man you would want on the case when there is a murder especially as he has such unique gifts. The plot kept me intrigued the entire duration of reading it which meant I read it all in one sitting because it was awesome. The settings of the story , the hotel , train , quaint town etc all added to this stories charm . I would recommend this to any mystery fan , especially cosy mystery fans !
I received this awesome book for review from the lovely people over at Lovereading.co.uk
This book is being published July 2017 and will be available from Lovereading and all other good bookstores then.

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaCommonCrawl


Weddings are one of the most opulent of special occasions. Engraving adds value to gifts you give because it gives them personal meaning that lasts a lifetime without being intrusive. We have catalogues of gift items designed with engraving in mind or may be able to engrave items purchased elsewhere.


The P/E ratio is 6254.29 and market cap is 8.98B. "Our concerts business is our flywheel, attracting nearly 30 million fans to shows globally in the quarter, which then drove record results in our onsite, ticketing and advertising businesses".
Duncan Regional Hospital (DRH) has received an "A" rating in a national safety grade assessment. They looked at 27 different categories from safety problems to hospital staff and Regional Health had 15 those sections rank as below average.


text:
Q: CodeMirror - Check if cursor is at end of line I set readonly lines in my editor this way:
editor.on('beforeChange', function(cm, change) {
    if (~readOnlyLines.indexOf(change.from.line)) {
        change.cancel();
    }
}

Where readOnlyLines is an array containing numbers of the lines to be readonly.
The problem is that when I am on an editable row with a readonly one below, if I press "Del" the readonly row comes upside and I can edit it.
The same doesn't work if I have a readonly row above and I press "BackSpace".
I think I should add an if that checks if at the same time:

*

*Del is pressed (I used a catch event)

*The line below is readonly (I did it the same way I did with the if in the code above)

*The cursor is at the end of line (Does a specific function exist?)

A:
The cursor is at the end of line (Does a specific function exist?)
if (cm.doc.getLine(change.from.line).length == change.from.ch) {

If the readOnlyLines array is a range of contigous lines you may do something like:

$(function () {
  var editor = CodeMirror.fromTextArea(document.getElementById('txtArea'), {
    lineNumbers: true
  });

  var readOnlyLines = [1,2,3];

  editor.on('beforeChange', function(cm, change) {
    if (~readOnlyLines.indexOf(change.from.line)) {
      change.cancel();
    } else {
      // if you are deleting on the row before the next readonly one
      if ((change.origin == '+delete') && ~readOnlyLines.indexOf(1+change.from.line)) {
        // when you press DEL at the end of current line
        if (cm.doc.getLine(change.from.line).length == change.from.ch) {
          change.cancel();
        }
        // if you are deleting the whole line
        if (cm.doc.getSelection() == cm.doc.getLine(change.from.line)) {
          change.cancel();
        }
        // if the line is empty
        if (cm.doc.getLine(change.from.line).trim().length == 0) {
          change.cancel();
        }
      }
    }
  });
});
<script src="https://code.jquery.com/jquery-1.12.4.min.js"></script>
<link href="https://cdnjs.cloudflare.com/ajax/libs/codemirror/5.16.0/codemirror.css" rel="stylesheet">
<script src="https://cdnjs.cloudflare.com/ajax/libs/codemirror/5.16.0/codemirror.js"></script>

<textarea id="txtArea">
1111
2222 READ ONLY
3333 READ ONLY
4444 READ ONLY
5555
6666
7777
</textarea>

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaStackExchange


text:
'My body is wearing down': Sania Mirza to retire after 2022 season
AucklandDubaiLondon
By Sports Halchal Last updated Jan 19, 2022
Melbourne : Ace Indian tennis player Sania Mirza on Wednesday announced that 2022 will be her final season on the WTA tour after her first-round loss in women's doubles at the Australian Open.The 35-year-old Mirza and her Ukrainian partner Nadiia Kichenok, seeded 12th, lost 4-6, 6-7 to the unseeded Slovenian pair of Kaja Juvan and Tamara Zidansek in one hour and 36 minutes."There's a few reasons for it. It's not as simple as 'okay I'm not going to play'. I do feel my recovery is taking longer, I'm putting my three-year-old son at risk by travelling so much with him, that's something I have to take into account. I think my body is wearing down. My knee was really hurting today and I'm not saying that's the reason we lost but I do think that it is taking time to recover as I'm getting older," Sania told broadcasters after the match at Melbourne Park.
"Also for me to find that motivation everyday to come out. The energy is not the same anymore. There are more days than there used to be where I don't feel like doing that. I've always said that I will play until I enjoy that grind, the process which I'm not sure I'm enjoying as much anymore," she added.Sania is a former world No. 1 in doubles and had a career-best ranking of 27 in singles. She is currently ranked 68th in the world.Mirza, the first Indian woman to win a Grand Slam, has won Majors in doubles along with medals at Asian Games and Commonwealth Games. Her last Slam came at the 2016 Australian Open with Martina Hingis."I have a bit of a meniscus issue going on my right knee, I woke up with wrist pain a couple of days ago.
At 35, I am waking up with a couple of things that I don't know where they're coming from! I want to finish the season, to at least play until the US Open, that is my goal. But I still have to take it week-to-week," Sania said.Mirza is now set to play mixed doubles with fellow Grand Slam champion Rajeev Ram of the USA."If this is my last Grand Slam, it is a great way to go out to play with someone who I've known since I was 12 years old and we'll just try to have fun on the court," she said.The Indian has not played on the WTA tour as regularly in the last few years, first due to her maternity break in 2018 and then due to the pandemic right after her comeback in 2020. Her last title came in September 2021, when she won her 43rd doubles trophy at the Ostrava Open with Shuai Zhang.
Sania MirzaSports NewsTennisTennis PlayerWTA tour
Virat Kohli moves up two places, Head seven in latest ICC Test batters' rankings
Opener Smriti Mandhana named in ICC Women's T20I Team of the Year


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New Music Alert From Wizkid... Who's Ready?
March 5, 2019 | 12:28 am
Chairman of Starboy crew and the stew brewer, Wizkid, has posted what seems like an announcement of new music to fans who have been expecting a new hit from him for a while now.
Wizkid dropped a one-liner caption on his Instagram that is getting thousands of reactions from his fans on his comment section as expectant fans express excitement over the possibility of a new song from the artiste.
All eyes and ears have been unconsciously on Wizkid since after the release of his last hit single, Fever and while many are waiting, Wizkid, from every indication has been busy in the studio cooking something and making deals behind the scenes, showing us more results less talk with deals such as his deal with UBA, and the various shows he'll be performing at sometimes in 2019. According to what the Baba Nla singer posted, "Same President! New Music ?" and although fans are aware of his collaborations after FEVER, from GucciSnake to DJ Tunez's Turn Up with Reekado Banks, they're looking for a solely Wizkid song they can also call their own.
https://www.instagram.com/p/BumKAUwBsiT/
While most people this is the announcement of another hit from Wizkid, the emoji attached to the post seems to show that the singer is still thinking about it... but are you ready to receive something new from Wizkid or you still want to wait some more?
Watch Wizkid Talk About Family On 'The Zane Lowe Show'
This Video of Wizkid's Sons Bonding Is So Heart Warming | Watch


Sega has announced its Tokyo Game Show 2018 lineup and schedule, revealing games that will be present at the upcoming Japanese event this year. The company unveiled its lineup earlier this week, but the full list and times are now up for your viewing pleasure.
Tokyo Game Show 2018 will go live from September 20th to September 23rd. The upcoming event will be held at the Makuhari Messe in Chiba, which is located near Tokyo. Finally, you can visit tgs.sega.jp/stage to learn more about Sega TGS 2018 lineup.


Ideally located for those who like to play golf, this family friendly property is situated on the outskirts of the much loved marina and golf resort of Vilamoura.
The Tivoli Victoria was re-launched as The Anantara Vilamoura Algarve Resort in April 2017. Anantara is an established luxury hotel group in the Far East and Indian Ocean, synonymous with exceptional service and high standards of accommodation, this is their first venture into Europe.
Just a short distance from the vibrant marina and sandy beaches of Vilamoura, this elegant luxury resort overlooks the Oceanico Arnold Palmer Golf Course to Victoria Golf Course, with many rooms and suites enjoying panoramic views of the 18 hole championship course. A complimentary shuttle service is provided to the Tivoli Marina Hotel in the heart of Vilamoura where access to the beach facilities are available. For those keen to experience a taste of Asia then a complimentary ride in one of the hotels Tuk-Tuks is an absolute must!
From the moment you arrive, the welcome and high level of service is nothing short of impressive. All guests receive a private check-in and luggage is swiftly whisked off to your room whilst you enjoy a complimentary welcome drink. The hotel's interiors are a fusion of art deco and chic luxury boasting local artistry where the hotel's sculptures, artwork and paintings create a contemporary Portuguese gallery. The 280 rooms and suites feature calming neutral tones and luxury furnishings as well as contemporary media accessories and sumptuous Elemis amenities to Anantara Spa amenities. Facilities throughout the hotel are of a very high standard popular with families, couples and golfers. There are a plentiful supply of indoor and outdoor swimming pools, stunning restaurants specialising in fine dining, a complimentary kid's club and a spectacular Anantara Spa.
Leisurely evenings can of course be enjoyed sampling the sophisticated and inventive cuisine created by Executive Chef Bruno Viegas served at Emo Restaurant. There is a good choice of bars within the hotel or guests can enjoy the bars and restaurants of vibrant Vilamoura Marina just a short drive away.
The challenging 18 hole Victoria golf course designed by professional American golfer Arnold Palmer, is host to a number of impressive European tournaments and is one of 11 courses within a 6 mile radius of the hotel.
This hotel genuinely ticks all the boxes for both couples and families. It's close enough to the centre of Vilamoura but perfectly tucked away and offers a peaceful, calming, luxury retreat to escape to.
For more information; please contact our Europe & North Africa specialists who will be delighted to help you plan your next holiday.
There are 280 rooms and suites which have the following in room facilities: 24-hour in-room dining - Twin beds - In mirror TV in the bathroom - Hairdryer - Individual air conditioning - Private veranda with loungers and comfortable cushions - Safe with space for a laptop - Wireless Internet connection - LCD TV with video channels and Video on Demand - CD/DVD player - iHome featuring iPod hub and radio - Nespresso Coffee Machine - Gourmet renewal station (the mini bar taken to another level) - Butler Service for the suites. Anantara Spa amenities are included in all rooms.
Deluxe Rooms are elegantly furnished with calming earthy tones, chic interiors and furnished balconies and terraces with views of either the Gardens, Pool or Golf Course and offer very comfortable contemporary accommodation with a balcony furnished with a large day bed. Twin or double beds. These are spacious rooms with vast wardrobe space. Maximum occupancy of 3 adults or 2 adults and 1 child. Maximum Occupancy 3 adults.
Junior Suites are generous in size and offer an open plan bedroom and living area with sofa bed, as well as a private balcony with daybed. These 80 square metre rooms include butler service and complimentary spa access to the vitality pool, sauna and steam room. Maximum occupancy of 3 adults and 1 child.
The fairways provide a sweeping vista from the daybed of the balcony, which also features a fireplace for year-round al fresco warmth. Inside, expansive luxury feels warm and sophisticated with a bedroom with his and hers closets, and the privacy of two separate bathrooms. These spacious suites include a separate living area and a private bar and dining room, with surround sound music. Butler service is included. Maximum occupancy of 3 adults and 1 infant.
4 outdoor swimming pools (one dedicated Children's pool and one for adults only during summer). The Adults Only pool relocates to the indoor pool at the Spa during the winter months.
Anantara Spa with seven treatment rooms.
Savor creative Algarve gastronomy and an impeccable cellar range with superb fairway views. Local cuisine is richly celebrated and ingeniously updated with the latest culinary trends. A history of spice trading discoveries is woven into innovative creations and savour atmospheric evenings on the terrace with a superb golf course and sunset panorama.
Casual, gourmet buffets bring flair to local and global flavours with chef show stations – joined by an appealing à la carte range. Mornings bustle with artisanal Algarve touches at the Anantara Breakfast – from international classics, freshly squeezed juices and energising healthy tastes, to fresh bakery goodies and premium coffees.
Each night's themed buffet offers a rich array of signature chef creations – teasing the palate with intriguing variety.
A fresh concept for relaxed seafood dining pays tribute to Ria Formosa National Park. Each morning our culinary brigade presents the best catches of the day at the pool, with an invitation to pre-order your fish and seafood.
A welcoming retreat, in the heart of the hotel. Relax in contemporary lobby lounge style with a beautiful fairway view. Delight in afternoon tea. Sink into plush sofas to enjoy tapas and "petiscos" Portuguese tapas. Relax before dinner, whetting your appetite with signature cocktails and a wide range of wines by the glass. Let the conversation flow till late over nightcaps.
Bask on elegant poolside loungers, cooled by energising mocktails and refreshing drinks, served by the Sunshine Butlers, with gourmet snacks also being served throughout the day. Or relax at a shady table to enjoy the light lunch menu.
Experience shoreline chic at Purobeach Vilamoura located within the grounds the hotels sister property the Tivoli Marina Vilamoura. Perfect to soak up the sun on a lounger all day long, sip cocktails and groove to the beat. Guests can enjoy complimentary access and sun loungers at Purobeach Poolside or Beachfront, as well as complimentary daily shuttle service to Vilamoura Marina and Beach.
A tranquil seclusion at the adults only pool and reserved exclusively for adults, cascade is a haven of quiet refreshment. The sunshine butlers are on hand to quench your thirst or revive your appetite while soaking up the rays on a sunbed.
Anantara Vilamoura welcomes families with children of all ages and offers a range of facilities and services to ensure they have an enjoyable stay. Childcare services are available for children aged 4 months to 18 years, divided into age-appropriate clubs.
This is a stunning location for a wedding or honeymoon. Please call us for further details.
Stays between 16 July - 25 August 2019 receive a 30% saving on the accommodation rate. Booking must be confirmed on or before 30 April 2019. Applies to all room types.
Children staying between *01 November 2018 - *31 October 2019 eat complimentary on the same meal plan as parents. This offer can be used in conjunction with other offers of the same time period. *Offer not valid July - August 2019 or on festive dates (Christmas and New Year). Offer does not apply to all room types.
Stays between 01 - 15 July and 26 - 31 August 2019 receive a 35% saving on the accommodation rate. Booking must be confirmed on or before 30 April 2019. Applies to all room types.


Economic growth in the United States has generally been modest to moderate since the recovery began in the 3rd quarter of 2009. After increasing at a 4.2% annual rate in the 2nd quarter of 2018, real GDP rose at a 3.4% annual rate in the 3rd quarter as growth in consumer spending remained strong and a healthy contribution to growth from change in private inventories offset a subtraction from trade. Due to the 9.2% drop in the S&P 500 in December and the narrowing yield spread, the probability of recession jumped to 35% through June 2019.
Industry mobility indicates the potential ease of switching industries based on an occupation's employment share across industries. A mobile occupation is one in which workers can move from one industry to another with relative ease. This is important in designing training programs with skills needed across multiple industries as well as in the event of industry decline or a dislocation event. For example, almost 80% of electricians are employed in the construction sector. A downturn in construction is therefore likely to be a challenge for electricians because they may not be able to find a new job in another industry since such a large majority of employment opportunities for electricians are concentrated in the construction sector.
Labor Day is approaching, signaling the end of summer is near. In the United States, Labor Day—a federal holiday which celebrates and honors the accomplishments of American workers past and present—is the first Monday in September. For most Americans, Labor Day means a day off from work and a three-day weekend. Just what do Americans do for fun when they aren't working?


The northeast received an impressive snowstorm over the past weekend, leaving us delightfully snowbound (see picture from my bedroom skylight).
I decided to start a long-awaited project (my sisters are helping me): a huge 109" x 109" quilt. I have cut over 200 squares in the last 48 hours and my bedroom is showing the effects of having been converted into an impromptu sewing room. I have a new-found appreciation for the Amish who do this without electricity.