text:
'Voluntary Vehicle Fleet Modernisation Plan' may reduce new car prices by 8-12%
Gadkari had earlier said the policy will boost automobile industry turnover over four-times to Rs 20 lakh crore in the next five years
Updated: July 06, 2016, 20:52 IST
The benefits under the proposed voluntary vehicle modernisation policy will come in three forms -- scrap value from the old vehicle, a special discount by the automobile manufacturer and a partial excise duty exemption
NEW DELHI: Looking to get nearly 28 million over-11-year-old polluting vehicles off country's roads, the Ministry of Road Transport and Highways has submitted the vehicle policy to the Finance Ministry to seek approval.
The proposed 'Voluntary Vehicle Fleet Modernisation Plan (V-VMP)' provides incentives worth 8-12 per cent of the cost of a new vehicle in lieu of surrendering the old ones.
"I have submitted the vehicle scrapping policy to the Finance Minister. It is a good policy and we will take it to the Cabinet once it is approved," Road Transport and Highways Minister Gadkari said at a CNBC TV18 event today.
The policy is good for environment and is in the interest of the government, he said.
The benefits under the proposed voluntary vehicle modernisation policy will come in three forms -- scrap value from the old vehicle, a special discount by the automobile manufacturer and a partial excise duty exemption.
Inviting comments from general public and all stakeholders on the draft policy, the Ministry of Road Transport and Highways has said the 'Voluntary Vehicle Fleet Modernization Plan (V-VMP)' will be applicable to the vehicles bought on or before March 31, 2005.
"The total potential vehicles to be replaced with this definition are nearly 28 million," as per the draft policy.
Under the scheme, people surrendering their old vehicles and buying new one are likely to receive three benefits amounting to 8-12 per cent of total cost of the new vehicle, the Ministry has said.
To ensure that the resultant impact is beneficial to the environment, the replacement vehicle needs to be BS-IV compliant, which is going to be rolled out nation-wide by April 2017.
The draft policy said that it is expected to boost sales of automobile manufacturers leading to higher production capacity utilisation and the automobile manufacturers would support the government in this initiative "financially by giving special discounts to customers buying vehicles under this scheme".
Gadkari had earlier said the policy will boost automobile industry turnover over four-times to Rs 20 lakh crore in the next five years.
Subject to approval from the Ministry of Finance, it has been proposed that vehicles bought under this scheme may get up to 50 per cent excise duty relief based on old vehicle and replacement vehicle category.
In addition, SRTU (state road transport undertaking) buses may be given complete excise exemption to ensure higher participation and modernize State's bus fleet.
Updated: 15 most fuel efficient SUVs in India - We have a new winner
The names might just surprise you!
With fuel prices rising higher than ever, car manufacturers are now continuously trying to improve the fuel efficiency of their cars. SUVs were once perceived to be the least fuel efficient of all that modes of travel on road. However, these sports utility vehicles will make you think otherwise. Here are 15 of the most fuel efficient SUV currently available in the our market. Does your car make it to the list?
Launched last month, Vitara Brezza has run away with the crown for being the most fuel efficient SUV in the country. Maruti Suzuki claims that the UV can deliver 24.3 km to a litre. This makes it a winner by a decent margin.
This is one of the highest selling SUVs in India. With an option of a 1 litre Eco Boost engine, EcoSport delivers 22.67 kmpl. The most efficient SUV in the country not too long back, it will now have to be content with second spot
Hyundai Creta has is among thehighest selling SUVs in India ever since its launch in July. Launched with two diesel variants, 1.4l and 1.6l, and also a 1.6l petrol variant. The 1.4l diesel variant has helped the car become the third most fuel efficient SUV with a claimed efficiency of 21.3 kmpl.
Despite being powered by a larger 1.6 litre engine, producing 110ps and 248Nm torque, the Nissan Terrano is right up there in fuel efficiency. The Japanese car maker claims Terrano can deliver 20.45 km to a litre.
Renault Duster started it all in India in the compact SUV segment. Renault Duster is another top candidate in our list coming with a 1.5 litre engine which produces 85 PS and goes 19.87 kmpl.
Mahindra TUV300
Mahindra TUV300, which has a 1.5 litre diesel heart, has a fuel efficieny of 18.4 kmpl.
This is where the surprises start springing for many. The BMW X3 boasts of a 2L engine which gives a claimed mileage of 18.3 KM/L while producing 192 PS. With these figures, BMW X3 seems to manage a balance between performance and economy
(Info Source: Zigwheels)
Mercedes Benz GLA Classs
The smallest SUV from Mercedes-Benz and a close rival to Audi Q3, BMW X1, GLA class 200 cdi comes with a 2.1 litre engine which produces a healthy 135.96 PS and 300Nm torque. With a fuel efficiency of 17.9 kmpl, it sure makes a strong case for itself.
Skoda Yeti, which costs upwards of Rs 20 lakh has been around in India since 2010. The Czech SUV sports a 2 litre engine manages 17.7 kmpl, 0.6 lesser than BMW X3,which has a similar sized engine.(Info Source: Zigwheels)
Based on the BMW 3 Series platform, the X1 offers its buyers an entry into the luxury soft roader segment. The cheapest BMW when it was launched, it adds to its value-for-money credentials with a 17.5 kmpl economy.
Mahindra NuvoSport
The facelifted version of Quanto was launched recently and promises to deliver fuel efficiency of 17.45 kmpl (ARAI certified)
Though it is beaten by its two chief competitors, it isn't too far behind. The Audi Q3, with a 2 litre engine that produces 140.04 PS and 320 Nm torque, is good to run 17.3 km per litre.
It might not be setting sales charts on fire, it surely does not burn too much fuel either. The Renault Koleos recently received a facelift and with the update, the Koleos gets more power and a choice of three variants. The 2L manual diesel variant averages around 17.2 kmpl.
(Image Source: Zigwheels)
Force Gurkha
Built for those who wish to take off-the-beaten path, the Force Motors Gurkha 4x4 comes with a tubular reinforced chassis and 2.5 L engine which averages 17 kmpl
The Scorpio has always been popular for its ruggedness and affordability. The SUV is equipped with a 2.5 litre micro-hybrid engine which automatically detects when the vehicle is idle and stops the engine. This neat technology helps the Scorpio stake claim to 15th position in our list with a claimed mileage of 16.01 kmpl
Most Read in Passenger Vehicle
Elon Musk confirms Tesla's India launch on Twitter
Honda Cars discontinues Civic & CR-V from the Indian market; confirms Noida plant closure


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Texas, Mississippi End Mask Mandates and Allow Businesses to Reopen; Biden Vows Enough Vaccines for All Adults by End of May; FBI Director Shoots Down Insurrection Conspiracies & Big Lie About Election. Aired 6-6:30a ET
Aired March 03, 2021 - 06:00 ET
JOE BIDEN, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: This country will have enough vaccine supply for every adult in America by the end of May.
GOV. GREG ABBOTT (R-TX): It is now time to open Texas 100 percent.
DR. ROCHELLE WALENSKY, CDC DIRECTOR: Now is not the time to relax the critical safeguards that we know can stop the spread of COVID-19.
CHRISTOPHER WRAY, FBI DIRECTOR: That siege was criminal behavior, plain and simple, that we, the FBI, view as domestic terrorism.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: The violence that the FBI is worried about is about racism.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Director Wray saying very clearly that there's no evidence to indicate the participation of any left-leaning or Antifa protesters.
ANNOUNCER: This is NEW DAY, with Alisyn Camerota and John Berman.
JOHN BERMAN, CNN ANCHOR: Welcome to our viewers in the United States and all around the world. This is NEW DAY. It's Wednesday, March 3, 6 a.m. here in New York.
And just step back for a moment and think about what it would be like if every American were vaccinated. Everyone with protection against coronavirus. After all we've been through the last year, it really would be a miracle. And now, it may be, and a lot sooner than thought.
President Biden announced there will be enough vaccine for every adult American by the end of May, months sooner than projected. He announced a really unusual deal between pharmaceutical competitors to speed the process. If it all happens as planned, it really will be a remarkable achievement.
Now, we have to get there. And that means being careful and prudent, which is why the decisions from the governors of Texas and Mississippi are so notable and stunning, lifting their mask mandates. Joining a list of states that have done the same.
We speak to a doctor in Texas this morning who tells us, it's going to be hell. And he warned his staff overnight to prepare for a new surge.
ALISYN CAMEROTA, CNN ANCHOR: Meanwhile, FBI Director Christopher Wray shooting down Republicans, who are trying to rewrite history about the Capitol insurrection.
The Trump-appointed FBI director unequivocally says there is no evidence that so-called fake Trump supporters or Antifa participated in this attack on the Capitol. Two hundred and seventy people have been arrested. None are masquerading as Trump supporters. All those Trump flags you see here and this fervor, that was real.
There's also no evidence that space aliens were behind this attack. But Chris Wray did not say that part.
He did say there is still no evidence of widespread voter fraud in the 2020 election. That's, of course, the lie that led to this deadly attack.
Wray warning lawmakers that domestic terrorism is metastasizing across the United States. So this morning, we'll hear from the commander of the D.C. National Guard for the first time, why did it take hours for them to show up.
We begin our coverage with CNN's Laura Jarrett on states defying public health officials this morning -- Laura.
LAURA JARRETT, CNN ANCHOR, "EARLY START": Alisyn, defying public health officials, going in the wrong direction. More states now rolling back restrictions, just as the White House looks to speed up vaccine production.
But even with some states ignoring CDC guidance, experts are pleading with Americans to stay vigilant.
JARRETT (voice-over): Shipments of the third coronavirus vaccine arriving in Texas as the governor says he's loosening restrictions in just one week.
ABBOTT: Effective next Wednesday, all businesses of any type are allowed to open 100 percent. Also, I am ending the statewide mask mandate.
JARRETT: The announcement frustrating some local leaders.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: To put it in very stark terms, it makes no sense.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: It's mind-boggling, given where we are.
JARRETT: And in Mississippi, the governor also lifting mask mandates. GOV. TATE REEVES (R-MS): This new order removes all of our county mask
mandates and allows businesses to operate at full capacity without state-imposed rules or restrictions.
JARRETT: And as more states roll back restrictions, health experts warn --
DR. LEANA WEN, CNN MEDICAL ANALYST: It's just irresponsible and goes against science, to try to open up.
JARRETT: The White House is asking Texas and others to keep safety measures in place.
ANDY SLAVITT, SENIOR WHITE HOUSE ADVISER FOR COVID-19 RESPONSE: We think it's a mistake to lift these mandates too early. Masks are saving a lot of lives.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Two, one -- vaccinate!
JARRETT: Meanwhile in Ohio, a single shot of history, with the first Johnson & Johnson vaccines administered.
DR. CARLOS DEL RIO, EXECUTIVE ASSOCIATE DIRECTOR, EMORY UNIVERSITY SCHOOL OF MEDICINE AT GRADY: It's definitely a game-changer. The problem we have right now is, as you know, there are only about 4 million doses available, so they really need to ramp up the production.
JARRETT: President Joe Biden using the Defense Production Act to speed the manufacturing process, making a deal with Merck to help pharmaceutical competitor Johnson & Johnson produce its single-dose vaccine.
BIDEN: We're now on track to have enough vaccine supply for every adult in America by the end of May.
JARRETT: The president is also asking states to prioritize teachers and school staff on their vaccine list, an effort to allow more classrooms to reopen safely.
BIDEN: We want every educator, school staff member, childcare worker to receive at least one shot by the end of the month of March.
JARRETT: Biden urging the public to keep wearing masks and following safety protocols.
BIDEN: There is light at the end of the tunnel. But we cannot let our guard down now. We must remain vigilant.
JARRETT: Health experts agree, as new highly infectious variants spread across the nation.
DR. ALA STANFORD, FOUNDER, BLACK DOCTORS COVID-19 CONSORTIUM: There's a race between these variants and getting vaccinated, and we've just got to push and push with that and not remove these public health measures that have been helping us to reduce the transmissibility.
JARRETT: Now, it is true that the country is doing better than it was back in December in terms of deaths and number of cases, but it's worth noting that current levels across the country, well, they're still around the same levels that we saw over the summer. So that makes the rollbacks that we are seeing in places like Texas and Mississippi, John, all the more dumbfounding.
BERMAN: All right, Laura Jarrett. Thanks so much for that.
Joining us now, Dr. Paul Offit. He's the director of vaccine -- of the Vaccine Education Center at The Children's Hospital of Philadelphia and a member of the FDA's Vaccine Advisory Committee.
Dr. Offit, always a pleasure to have you with us. You're right in the middle of the vaccine situation. So I want to start with the announcement made by President Biden.
Three hundred million doses by the end of May, two months earlier than originally projected. This deal, this really unusual deal between Merck and Johnson & Johnson. What's the significance of all of this?
DR. PAUL OFFIT, DIRECTOR, VACCINE EDUCATION CENTER, CHILDREN'S HOSPITAL OF PHILADELPHIA: It's great news. We're almost there.
I mean, if you look at last Friday FDA's meeting, the CDC stated that roughly 83 million Americans have already been infected. So -- so when we say it's roughly 29 or 30 million, that's -- that's a low number. It's really 83 million. That's 25 percent of the population.
Plus, another 15 percent have either been fully vaccinated or partially vaccinated. You're up to 40 percent of the population. Get to 80 percent, and we can significantly stop the spread of this virus.
To do that, we need to vaccinate about 120 million more people. And we can do that. If we're still going two million doses a day, we can do that by June.
And it's very frustrating, actually, when you have the people, say, from Texas or Mississippi saying, OK, let's open things up.
Because we're still in the midst of this pandemic. There's 60,000 cases a day and 2,000 deaths a day. It's obviously still the pandemic. And if we can just hang on for a few months and just -- and mask and social distance until we get everybody vaccinated that needs to be vaccinated, we'll -- we can stop this pandemic.
It's just really hard to watch us not being able to wait those few months that I think we need to wait before we can -- can get on top of this.
CAMEROTA: Well, I totally understand. I mean, when you see the finish line, somehow it feels longer away. I mean, I -- I understand the sudden, you know, impatience. But there's two different things that you raised. And one is
reopening, OK? And then there's the mask mandates going away. And those two things are at odds.
It's the wearing of masks that allow the businesses, like the retail stores, the nail salons, the hair salons to reopen successfully. The reason that those haven't been super spreaders, we now know, during these past months, is because everybody wears masks going into the hair salon right now.
So they're -- they're at odds. I mean, you should reopen businesses, my feeling -- you tell me if you agree -- but keep the mask mandate.
OFFIT: I agree. I think we don't realize the power of masking. It is spread by small droplets. If you mask appropriately and do the best that you can to sort of physically distance, you can -- that's a powerful way -- it's as powerful as vaccine, frankly. And so while we're waiting for the vaccine, that's what you do. This is sort of the pre-vaccine thing to do.
But you're right. I just don't think people understand exactly how powerful the masking can be.
BERMAN: Dr. Offit, we're going to talk to Dr. Joseph Varon, who is an emergency room physician in Texas who hasn't had a day off in a year, and he told his staff overnight, based on this new measure from the governor of Texas, prepare for a new surge. He thinks it's going to be hell.
He thinks if people stop wearing masks in Texas, which isn't a guarantee. I mean, just because you lift the mandate doesn't mean people will stop wearing them, but it certainly gives them permission to stop wearing them. He's worried it will lead to more cases and soon.
OFFIT: Right. So we're doing the natural experiment, right? We're doing the natural experiment in Texas and the natural experiment in Mississippi to see if, in the middle of a pandemic, which we still are essentially in the middle of a pandemic, if you eliminate mask mandates, what will happen?
I mean, I think we already know the answer to that question. It's just hard to believe that we -- we still want to do that kind of experiment.
CAMEROTA: Here's another fringe benefit, although I guess it's not even fringe, it's a huge benefit of wearing masks. The flu this year, doctors can find very little evidence of the flu. Exactly a year ago, on the right side of your screen, that's last year. That's the flu, the purple, the red, the dark crimson there. Those are very high levels of flu.
On the left side is where we are right now. All the green means basically minimal or undetectable. That's where the flu is right now.
I mean, the fact that last year, at exactly this time, the positivity rate of flu was 30 percent. This year, 0.1 percent. I mean, that's -- that's got to be masks, right? And the fact that people are socially distancing.
OFFIT: That's exactly right. I mean, typically, every year between 150 and 200 children die of influenza. This year, so far, one child has died of influenza.
On Friday, March 5, our FDA Vaccine Advisory Committee is going to meet to discuss what flu strains we are going to pick to be in next year's flu vaccine. The way we do that is we figure out what flu strains have been circulating in places like Australia or South America, which sort of predicts what -- what strains are likely to come into our country.
There's been so little flu in those two areas, I think it's going to be hard for us to try and figure out what flu strains to pick.
But you're right, if we mask and social distance every winter, we will see a dramatic reduction in flu, which usually causes hundreds of thousands of hospitalizations and tens of thousands of deaths. I wonder whether that would be -- will be the lesson from this.
BERMAN: Dr. Offit, I want to go back to the vaccines for a minute and the deal that President Biden announced yesterday between Johnson & Johnson and Merck. How important do you think something like that is? How unusual is it that Merck is going to manufacture Johnson & Johnson's vaccine and how important is it?
OFFIT: So it's incredibly important. I mean, only vaccine makers have resources and expertise make vaccines. I mean, so -- so Merck has graciously stepped forward and said, OK, we have experience making things like replication effective or replication incompetent viral vaccines like the Johnson & Johnson vaccine, which is a replication incompetent adenovirus 26 vaccine. We can do that, so -- so we'll help out.
I think it's absolutely -- It's not like you can get a shirt manufacturer to sort of, you know, do it. Only a pharmaceutical company would have the resources and expertise to do that, and it's definitely going to definitely help out. Great news.
CAMEROTA: Dr. Paul Offit, thank you very much for all the expertise. Great to talk to you.
OFFIT: Thank you.
CAMEROTA: OK. Developing overnight, at least ten rockets targeting a military base in western Iraq that houses U.S.-led coalition troops. At this hour, there are no reports of casualties.
This is the first attack since the U.S. struck Iran-backed militia targets along the Iraqi-Syrian border last week. The Al-Asad Air Base was attacked by Iranian missiles last year in response to a U.S. air strike that killed Iran's top general. Well, the head of the FBI stating unequivocally that there is no
evidence at all that so-called fake Trump supporters or Antifa or BLM participated in the Capitol insurrection. Will this put an end to the conspiracy theories that some Republican lawmakers are pushing?
SEN. DICK DURBIN (D-IL): Based on your investigation so far, do you have any evidence that the Capitol attack was organized by, quote, "fake Trump protesters"?
WRAY: We have not seen evidence of that.
SEN. CHRIS COONS (D-DE): Is there any evidence at all that it was organized or planned or carried out by groups like Antifa or Black Lives Matter?
WRAY: We have not seen any evidence to that effect thus far in the investigation.
COONS: And is there any --
CAMEROTA: No evidence of space aliens behind it either. I mean, he didn't say that, but that's what I'm assuming.
FDA Director Christopher Wray completely debunking claims by some Republicans, like Senator Ron Johnson, that maybe it was fake Trump supporters behind this Capitol attack. All these people that you see here wearing the MAGA paraphernalia, carrying the Trump flags, yes, those were real, we found out.
This morning, the commanding general of the National Guard will testify for the first time.
Joining us now, CNN political analyst Rachael Bade. She's a reporter and co-author of "The Politico Playbook."
So, I mean, will that put it to rest, Rachael? Is that -- now will Ron Johnson believe this authority figure, who has all of the evidence about who has been arrested and their backgrounds? Or will he still go to right-wing blogs for his information?
RACHAEL BADE, CNN POLITICAL ANALYST: From having covered him, you know, for a while, I think we're probably going to continue to hear him talk like this, just you know, knowing Ron Johnson.
But I think, obviously, what you're seeing right now is some Republican voters around the country and at least one in Congress, you know, trying to rewrite history here. And that's very dangerous. And so, to the extent that lawmakers can continue to have these
hearings sort of shining a spotlight on exactly what happened and getting to exactly what Trump's actions were on January 6, I think is very important.
And not only just Trump's exact actions but these clear, blatant falsehoods about, you know, fake Trump protesters driving what happened on January 6.
I mean, people were there, Republicans were there. They know what happened. And you know, Dick Durbin called this the second big lie, the next big lie coming down the pipeline after Trump, you know, said he won the election and Biden did not. And this is just as dangerous as the first one.
And so to the extent that lawmakers can get these authority figures up on the Hill, put them on the stand to sort of push back on these falsehoods is really important. And I think that that's why we're going to continue to see these investigations. Obviously, Trump has already been impeached again over what happened.
But there's a lot of detail. And the more detail that can be put out there, and the more authority figures that can sort of confront these conspiracy theories, the more important. Because there are people, not just Ron Johnson, but people across the country, some Republican voters, Trump supporters, who are saying this, as well. And it's very dangerous.
BERMAN: Look, you know, Christopher Wray was soft spoken, but this was a crystal-clear, systemic debunking of the major claims. Not incidental, the major claims being made by Republican elected officials, Republican activists, Republican talk show hosts, and the former Republican president.
Line by line, Christopher Wray just, you know, blew them all up there. It wasn't Antifa. There were white supremacists -- Sorry, Tucker Carlson -- who were part of the crowd there. You know, and he even had to say at this hearing, no, there wasn't the widespread election fraud. This wasn't a fake election, which the former president just told 7 million viewers on Sunday. Listen to this.
SEN. CORY BOOKER (D-NJ): To be crystal-clear on this, as FBI director who is -- these would-be federal crimes, you're aware of no evidence of widespread voter fraud in the 2020 presidential election, correct?
WRAY: We are not aware of any widespread evidence of voter fraud, much less that would have affected the outcome in the former election.
BERMAN: The former president told his 7 million viewers on Sunday that he won the election, repeatedly. And the FBI director, under sworn -- you know, under oath right there, sworn testimony, has to say, No, this is just not true. It's a lie.
Yet those members, Republican members of Congress, continue to enable this kind of speech.
BADE: Yes, I mean, by clearly not pushing back more forcefully, it continues. And you know, Trump didn't just say this once over the weekend. He said it over and over and over again, seemed to be mocking this whole notion that he won -- won the election. It wasn't Joe Biden.
And I mean, this is a problem for the entire country. Right? I wonder if, you know, the self-interests of Republicans will at some point prevail. You talk to some of them privately, and they acknowledge that this is bad not just for the country, but it could decrease conservative confidence in the voting system. And that's one of the reasons they believe they actually lost the Georgia election.
OK, well, if that's -- perhaps maybe you should say that more broadly. What is it going to take to make people sort of condemn that conspiracy theory and say point-blank, Our elections are secure and Joe Biden won the election?
Again, conspiracy theories, very dangerous. And Republican leaders have to be the ones to push back on this. Otherwise, these Republican voters who do believe it are not going to change their minds.
CAMEROTA: So it seems like Director Wray was having to do double duty. Which is debunk these conspiracy theories and these lies and explain what went wrong, what happened? Did the FBI sound the alarm loudly enough? And how are they going to prepare for whatever is coming down the pike?
Because, you know, there's all sorts of this chatter, as you may know, in QAnon, et cetera, that tomorrow is another big day where they think that, you know, President Trump will somehow be reinstated -- I don't even know what the word is -- and made president again tomorrow.
And when that doesn't happen, there'll be widespread anger and confusion and disappointment. And so here he is explaining that he thinks that the FBI did try to sound the alarm three different ways.
WRAY: That raw, unverified information was passed within, I think, 40 minutes to an hour to our partners, including the Capitol Police, including Metro P.D., in not one, not two, but three different ways. One email, one verbal, and one through the law enforcement portal.
CAMEROTA: One verbal? Who did they tell it to? I mean, I'm not sure we actually got the answer yesterday of where the ball was dropped.
BADE: And yes, this is -- I mean, this is the ongoing problem right now. I mean, last week, we heard from top police chiefs who said, yes, there was some sort of message conveyed the night before January 6. But remember, these Capitol Police officers were also getting ready
for January 6. That fell through the cracks. If something was e- mailed, if somebody talked to some -- the communication broke down. That message was not conveyed.
And so that's one of the things lawmakers are trying to get to the bottom of.
Another thing they're trying to get to the bottom of is why exactly Pentagon officials, you know, delayed so long in sending National Guard. And that's something we're going to hear more about today, specifically, you know, Army officials, who were on the phone with Capitol Police chief and the chief of the Metropolitan Police Department, saying they were worried about optics. The optics of sending in the National Guard as these Trump supporters were storming the Capitol, searching to kill lawmakers. And they're worried about optics.
And so I think, you know, today, we're going to hear more about, what -- what were these Pentagon officials thinking? I'm also curious, you know, were they hearing from somebody at the White House? Clearly, they had to be in touch with the White House. What were the -- what were the instructions? What was the sentiment coming from the White House?
And this is, again, going to be part of this sort of ongoing investigation to find out, was there some sort of stand-down order or was -- were they not able to get approval for something? And that -- that's going to be critical in terms of accountability to make sure this doesn't happen again.
BERMAN: We're going to hear from Major General William Walker. He will be testifying today, so that will be fascinating.
Rachael Bade, thanks so much for being with us.
BADE: OK.
BERMAN: Meanwhile, it's all about TV commercials. That's what Senator John Cornyn told CNN about the fight Republicans are gearing up for as they try to tank the coronavirus relief bill. CNN has brand-new reporting, next.
BERMAN: The Senate is expected to begin debate on the coronavirus relief bill as soon as today. Overnight, Speaker Pelosi announced that two infrastructure projects that were part of the bill will not be part of the final legislation.
CNN's Lauren Fox, live on Capitol Hill. A lot of developments here, Lauren.
LAUREN FOX, CNN CONGRESSIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Well, that's exactly right, John. We are down to the wire when we are looking at this coronavirus relief package.
The expectation and hope for Senate Democrats is still to put something on the floor and begin that debate today. Once they start, it will be 20 hours of debate, followed by what is known as a vote-a- rama on Capitol Hill.
And this is an opportunity that Republicans plan to take advantage of. Essentially, it is an opportunity to force Democrats into a series of very difficult votes. Not for a couple of minutes, not for a couple of hours, but potentially through the night Thursday into Friday.
And the goal I'm hearing from Republican lawmakers and aides is that they want to exert maximum political pressure and pain on Democrats. Meanwhile, Democrats are trying to stay together as they try to negotiate the final pieces of this bill.
But a couple of areas that Republicans are eyeing to basically try to peel off some moderate Democrats are amendment.

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaCommonCrawl


first things first. we've been around for a while.. over ten years, but who's counting?
we started out looking to bring the Canadian experience to our guests..
never thought we would discover what it is to be Canadian.. Canadian at it's best.
it's been the roadtrip of a lifetime! here is a little ode from us to you.. a snapshot of us.. a snapshot of being Canadian..
you're one of us, now.
snowball fights and racing on skates. woke up too early. stayed up too late.
called in sick. called in arrested. took days off. boss never connected.
caught fire twice. people need to learn. cardboard in the fireplace? not a good burn.
we broke our feet. we broke some glass. all the while, staying first class.
scoop and hammer. staff in the pond. hosted the Leafs, above and beyond!
riding boards. facebook likes. splitting lanes on motorbikes.
drinks after work, we aim to stay gracious. blink of the eyes and we wake up in vegas.
a bacon straightener. a bag of steam. we sent them for ice mix, and became a great team.
two people meet. become a duet. next thing you know, vows, babies and pets.
patio lanterns. burgers and beer. tell all your friends. wish you were here.
for all of these things, define who we are. top ten in Canada, we set a new bar!
so take a load off. grab a chair. you're about to experience some Canadian flair.
and to that reviewer, hiding behind a computer. friendly people we are, nothing could be truer.
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if we mess up, we'll fix it, just ask. you'll have a great time and yes, you'll be back.
This is like no restaurant before it.


text:
THE LINDA LINDAS' GROWING UP
After The Success Of Their First Single "Racist, Sexist Boy," The Linda Lindas Have Finally Released Their Debut Album
By Aileen Tran
A reincarnation of the riot grrrl subcultural movement, the Linda Lindas are anything but underground. They've played alongside feminist punk pioneers, like Bikini Kill, and captured the attention of the likes of Amy Poehler and Lisa Ling—both of whom recruited the band's talents for the Netflix movie Moxie, and for the theme song for the documentary series Take Out With Lisa Ling. Although the Linda Lindas are in the midst of their teenhood-the members range from 11 to 17 years old-they've established themselves as a force to be reckoned with.
The Linda Lindas released their debut studio album, Growing Up, on April 8th. The all-girl group consists of four members: Bela Salazar (17), Eloise Wong (14), Lucia de la Garza (15), and Mila de la Garza (11). The punk-rockers, who identify as Asian-American and Latino, garnered world-wide attention when a performance of their song "Racist, Sexist Boy"-written in response to the drummer Mila's experience with Sinophobia-blew up on the internet, landing them a record deal with Epitaph Records. Regardless of being the youngest member, Mila has proven the group is not shy about voicing their frustrations—and they won't take shit from anyone.
The first track ,"Oh!", is a ferocious rock anthem, with chants reminiscent of the Ramones. The first single they've released since they went viral, "Oh!" was written about the hopefulness that comes with trying to help someone, but with no avail.
The next track, "Growing Up," starts with a slow riff before a sudden burst of electric energy. Lyrically, the Linda Lindas explore the unknowns of navigating the world as teenagers. They highlight the importance of strength in numbers with, "We'll take the good with the bad/All of the times that we'll have/Make every moment last/We'll have each other's backs." Although the lyrics cater more towards adolescent experiences, their emphasis on the value of solid friendships rings true for all audiences.
In "Talking to Myself," the band explores feelings of anxiety and loneliness. In a similar vein as the previous track, they stress the value of friendship, and having someone to talk to when you're spiraling into the trap of overthinking. With the relatable lyrics, "I'm just stuck in this one moment/It keeps replaying in my mind/I can't keep on runnin' from it/And now it's wasting all my time," the Linda Lindas prove, yet again, that these human afflictions have no age restrictions.
Next, the tracks "Fine" and "Why" radiate the same powerful production as the rest of the album—which, at times, can be repetitive. With gritty vocals akin to Joan Jett, the Linda Lindas growl about their frustration with social injustice issues and being ignored. "You hear us shouting but you don't hear a word/You know we're dying but you say that we're jerks/You keep on going but you think it's fine."
Some of their songs are a bit more juvenile (which is totally appropriate, all things considered). In "Nino," the head-banging production is accompanied by the line, "I have a cat/His name's Nino/He's a savage cat/Killer of mice and rats." Although the lyrics and musical style don't necessarily match up, it's the perfect song for a cool little kid.
They pay homage to their members' cultural backgrounds with the track "Cuántas Veces." The lyrics are sung solely in Spanish, and explore coming of age themes, such as insecurity, feeling misunderstood, and feeling different from everyone else.
The girls touch on struggles with self-acceptance and coming to terms with reality in the last few tracks, before ending on "Racist, Sexist Boy," the very song that shot them into fame. With guttural vocals evocative of Courtney Love's Hole era, the Linda Lindas are paving the way for the resurgence of the grunge scene—all while condemning racism and bigotry.


Yesterday late morning, Brother-in-Law came to our house and he brought his almost 1.5 y/o son along.
The baby battle over a pacifier begins.
Baby Naomi was a tad sleepy when my husband sat the boy and Naomi together in the sofa.
Baby Naomi: "I'm sleepy. How come you have a pacifier and I don't? I sleep with a pacifier in my mouth, you know?"
En-En: "How would I know?"
Baby Naomi: "I think I want a pacifier too..."
En-En: "I don't know. Ask your Mom."
When this happened, MIL shouted at me, who was busy cleaning the dishes in my kitchen, and told me to quickly get Naomi's pacifier upstairs as she started grabbing her cousin's pacifier he was sucking.
Who says 8 m/o baby can't fight for the stuff she wants from older kid and she actually wins?
For the past couple of weeks, I have been a bit concerned with Naomi's fringe that has grown pretty long and almost touched her eyes.
My hairdresser Mom who usually handles Naomi's hair had once taught me how to cut Naomi's fringe. While she demonstrated the simple fringe cutting methods to me, I think I did pay attention to her but at the same time went like "Ya, ya, ya! Got it. I can do this. Don't worry. Easy." I mean - hello, I saw my Mom cut thousands of people's hair in her hair salon for how many years already?
So yes, I was too clever by half and very adamant with the thought that cutting my baby's fringe should be as easy as remembering A B C and no trip to a beauty salon is required. Period.
Long story short, on last Saturday evening, I took a very brave step in cutting my baby's fringe all by myself, using the scissors that my Mom left in my house.
What have I done to you, Baby N?
Uneven and way too short fringe that makes Baby Naomi looks a little bit like Spock of Star Trek.
The moment I finished cutting her fringe, I thought I did a brilliant job and Naomi's new fringe looked so ah-mazing and cute. Then, I took a photo of her in my iPhone.
After I washed my hands, I opened the photo that I took in my phone and only then I realized how bad her new fringe looks now. I almost burst into tears.
I was so sorry and still am beyond remorseful now.
One friend advised me to trim Naomi's fringe again when she's sleeping, which is a good idea. Another friend told me to put a plastic bowl on Naomi's head and cut her fringe following the bowl's shape when she's asleep. I politely replied them, "No more DIY haircut as I worried my baby would be fringe-less after the second attempt.".
A haircut gone wrong is indeed a living nightmare. Even for babies.
Baby Naomi is a perennially sunny baby since her infancy. I mean she is not happy and cheerful all the time and she gets upset like twenty times in a day for many reasons. However, in general, I think she's not one grumpy baby and obviously, not stingy with smiles.
To date, she normally greets every day with a smile and does smile a lot to almost every one who tries to talk to her (provided that she's not tired nor in a totally new environment). Owing to this, our relatives and older family members often give her 开心果 nickname which literally means Fruit of Happiness and ask me whether I smiled a lot when I was pregnant with her (re: the answer is no, I didn't smile a lot back then. In fact, I cried a lot because of my pregnancy hormones).
To me, baby's temperaments are partially genetic but can be switched on and off depending on the environment.
Baby Naomi and her many expressions.
By now, Baby Naomi is a master in showing us, adults, the things that makes her upset or content. By reading her facial expressions and listening to her cries, both husband and I normally can predict whether Baby Naomi is hungry, tired, bored, feels hot, needs a diaper change, wants to be carried or a space in her toy-land, craves some baby songs to hear or misses her pacifier. Once we pretty much understand what she wants at a specific time, we'd attend to her need. Although the rule in the house pretty much sounds like both husband and I are under Baby Naomi's commands but we don't jump up and check on her every time she makes a peep or slight noise.
Practising a good hygiene is essential in keeping a baby jolly and healthy all the time - plus clean baby does look and smell nice too. Honestly, I can't really stand looking at dirty kiddo so I try my best to keep my child clean every day. I bathe Baby Naomi twice a day and wash her hair once a day. I keep her nails trimmed so I always check on her nails every few days or so as they grow very fast. I change her diaper when it gets heavy, not only when she soils on it. I immediately clean her bottoms and change her diaper whenever it's soiled. Until this very day, I still sterilize her milk bottles and pacifier. As she drools a lot and makes mess when she eats her solids, I place a bib on her neck during the day so her shirt would remain dry and clean. If Baby Naomi's clothes happen to be a tad of wet, I don't mind changing her clothes. At home, I wipe her face and hands with damp cloth after she takes her meal or eats a baby biscuit. A pack of wet tissues is a permanent resident in my diaper bag as wet tissues are great help in cleaning baby's dirty hands or other parts of her body when I go out with my little one.
Undoubtedly, a healthy baby is happy baby. I try my best to keep my baby away from any sick adult or kid around us. When I fall ill, I try to stay away from my baby temporarily and let my husband handle her for a couple of days; and vice versa. Sick babies are never fun to deal with. When it happens, baby suffers and so do we. These days, I have been considering whether I should get Baby Naomi a flu shot sometime soon because the last bout of flu that attacked her last month was pretty terrible for the three of us.
Who doesn't get cranky when not getting enough sleep? I am not a true believer (yet) in waking up a baby when he or she is napping or sleeping. Baby Naomi takes two to three naps during the day and she turns to her bed again around midnight. Somehow, I find Baby Naomi's at her best mood after she wakes up from her nap or sleep.
From my understanding, a happy kid or baby gets to spend quality time from both of his or her parents. Despite the old saying that goes "quality time over quantity", I would think that in baby's mind - quantity means quality. No matter how busy and flat tired we are, both husband and I always spend quality time playing, cuddling, singing or just hanging out with Baby Naomi every single day. I'd say that I get the luxury of spending more time with Baby Naomi and giving her more attention throughout the day as I'm always at home with her - one of the benefits of being a SAHM, you say?
Finally, don't you agree that a happy baby is the product of a happy home, regardless of genetic make-up? I do.
Since her first stand-up act début about three weeks ago, Baby Naomi's development milestones have grown faster than a speeding bullet train and now she's proficient at standing up hands free for 5-10 seconds and making a one small jump before she topples and falls down.
Cruising - A journey toward walking independently?
On top of that, Baby Naomi has started cruising or walking while holding on to furniture. I don't know why Baby Naomi is always so amused when she stands up or cruises. She never fails to throw us her happy smiles, showcase her five baby teeth whilst saying "hihihihihi" or giggle whenever she does this.
Anyway, all these are indeed quite exciting development milestones to watch for us parents as Baby Naomi constantly wows us with her new skills; however, now both husband and I have to closely monitor Baby Naomi whenever she's awake as we can't really leave her unattended for a long time.
Last week, both husband and I decided to retire Baby Naomi's baby cot which has loyally served her in the past seven months or so. Both of us wanted to minimize the risks of having Baby Naomi's fall down from our bed or hit her head on the baby cot's wooden slats (despite the cot's bumper); thus we have put a mattress on the floor next to our bed for Baby Naomi's toy-land and bed at night.
What's next, Baby N? Walking solo soon?
P/S: Happy 8 months old baby!
Last Sunday evening, the baking bug bit me again. This time around, I wanted to bake a sweet simple cake - not chocolaty but more complicated than plain vanilla butter cake. Considering that I still have some palm sugar leftover in my kitchen, I thought of utilizing it as one of the cake's ingredients.
After browsing some palm sugar cake recipes in the internet, I decided to just go ahead with making this palm sugar cake to satisfy my craving.
Simple and easy Palm Sugar Sponge Cake.
Mix together and sift cake flour, corn starch and milk powder. Set aside.
Cream eggs, palm sugar, vanilla essence and emulsifier using high-speed electric mixer until fluffy.
Add the flour mixture into the cake batter and fold them using a rubber spatula.
Slowly pour the melted margarine or butter into the cake batter. Mix well.
Pour the cake batter in a cake pan which is already greased and lined with baking paper.
Bake the cake in a preheated oven (180 degree Celsius) for about 25-30 minutes.
This cake is soft and not so sickly sweet. By the way, if you want slightly thin cake result, use a square cake pan (22x22x4cm). If you prefer to have thicker cake result, you might want to consider baking this cake in a loaf pan.
My long-term visa in Malaysia for this year is expiring real soon and since I plan to extend it with validity of more than 1 year to save annual troubles, I have to have enough empty pages in my passport book (which I didn't have). Thus, albeit my existing passport expiry date's next year, somehow I had to get a new passport book from the Indonesian Embassy in Kuala Lumpur.
After much delay in renewing passport book in the Indonesian Embassy Kuala Lumpur, my husband finally drove me to Kuala Lumpur yesterday and accompanied me applying my new passport book.
Glad I don't have to do this in the next 5 years.
The supporting documents requirements for extending an Indonesian passport book in Malaysia can be read from the Indonesian Embassy's official website here.
Collect our new passport book in an area outside that big room (counters no. 27-30), near the exit passage.
Yesterday, nobody told me the exact orders in submitting the documents to renew my passport book. The website doesn't state such information either. Thus, although the processes in renewing passport were supposedly pretty simple and textbook as I had done the same thing in Indonesian Embassy in Singapore years ago - the whole ordeals turned out really frustrating yesterday. Most of the staff in the Embassy in Kuala Lumpur were, sadly, somewhat unfriendly and not that 'helpful' in assisting me and there was no available information about the correct sequence in submitting the paperwork in the embassy compound; for instance, should I line up for the queue number first or get the form from the information counter first, should I submit the documents first or take photo first, where to collect the new passport book, etc.
By the way, don't be surprised if it takes about 3-4 hours to wait for our new passport book to be ready after application. We'd have to wait for your new passport book in the waiting/collection area with some 300 other people or so (one and each of them waits for the same thing that we want, the new passport book). Don't rely on the information shown in the screen in the collection area because it won't make our queue number appear again to let us know that our new passport book is ready. Instead, an officer will call our name using a loud microphone to let us know that your new passport book is now good for collection. Once we miss his call, we'd have to wait again until he calls our name again.
Required working day(s): Immediate. Collection of new passport book is on the same day of application.
** Please note that this information is based on my personal experience and subject to change in accordance with any amendments to the rules and regulations from the Indonesian Embassy in Malaysia.
Yesterday, my husband and I went over to my Mother-in-Law's place for lunch. My niece happened to be there too. When my husband and I were about to go home as I had a plan to bake a cake that afternoon, my niece sighed a bit. Then, I offered her to come over to our place and see me bake. She quickly said yes and my Mother-in-Law gave us the green light to bring the kid to my house.
In the car, she kept on mentioning that she wanted to bake cookies. Not cake.
Long story short, I took her instruction very well and changed my mind. It was like, "OK, kiddo! You win this time. Let's bake some cookies today!"
To make the whole experience fun, I thought of making some cookies that are easy to prepare so I could involve my niece instead of doing the whole thing myself.
Then, I decided to make dog cookies that I once baked because their shapes are so interesting for kids.
Before our baking frenzy began, I sent my husband and niece to go to a nearby supermarket to get some koko krunch as I had no idea how to substitute the dogs' ears without using koko krunch. Whilst both of them were away for koko krunch, I started measuring the cookies' ingredients and tending to Baby Naomi at home.
About half an hour later, they're back from supermarket. I handed Baby Naomi over to my husband so I could whip the cookies' dough. It took me about 5 minutes to make the cookies dough. Once I was done with it, I quickly called my niece to start decorating the cookies with me.
In the beginning, she's in charge for decorating the dog's face in the cookies - the eyes, nose and ears. Not long, I realized that putting really tiny chocolate rice to a mini cookie dough ball for a kindergarten kid is like asking her to find the measurement of third side of a triangle using a Phytagorean theorem. Too difficult. She made the dog faces in the cookies look like they just got some serious industrial accident in the eyes - one eye was big, the other was small; both eyes were too far away from each other or way too centred.
Soon, she gave up doing the dogs' eyes and I asked her to place the dogs' nose and ears only.
Anyway, I can tell that she had so much fun decorating all the cookies because she could not stop smiling from ear to ear when we're making the cookies yesterday.
We're ready to bake these cookies now!
After the cookies were baked, despite my warning that the cookies were still hot as I just took them out from the oven, my niece already munched like 3 of them.
My niece attacking the first batch of the dog cookies.
Once the cookies were not too hot any more, I packed some cookies for my niece to bring home and share with her sisters. I asked her to choose the cookies that she wanted to bring home. I think she mostly chose the cookies with dogs' faces that had more characters like sleepy, sad, angry and such instead of those which had almost perfect faces.
About an hour later, my brother-in-law came to pick my niece up and she happily hopped onto her Dad's car carrying her cookies inside the plastic containers.
So proud with her cookies.
Hmmm... When will Baby Naomi be able to accompany me baking?
How time flashes before my eyes. In less than 5 months from today, I will help my little baby blow the candles on her first birthday cake!
At 7.5 months old, Baby Naomi sports four very sharp teeth. All of her teeth have grown in correct order - two middle teeth, each pair grows on her upper and bottom gums. She has gap between her two pearly whites on the upper gum but I heard this gap is normal and nothing to sweat about.
Can you see my four teeth?
At this age, Baby Naomi has shown a separation anxiety towards Mommy and Daddy. Most of the times, she begins to cry as soon as one of us is out of her sight. These days, whenever I need to do something in the kitchen, I would have to bring her baby chair to the kitchen, let her sit there and see me get busy in the kitchen. Else, you can guess what happens next. A howling talent show indeed. What a clingy baby.
Baby Naomi is always in the mood of pulling everything, including my hair and specs. Doesn't she know that Mommy's lost a lot of hair already due to post-partum hair loss?
Baby Naomi likes to examine, pull and chew my necklace. I think it's because every baby usually is very interested with something shiny in general?
Mom, can I have some bling-bling too please?
Last March, I mentioned that Baby Naomi loves being held in standing position whilst bouncing up and down. Over the space of a month or so, Baby Naomi's development has progressed at lightning speed. In the beginning, she crawled like a big fat desert lizard commonly documented in Animal Planet. Then, she crawled faster using her abdomen. I call this the crocodile style. Now she bolts on all her fours to pick whatever things she can find. The perfect crawl.
Recently, Baby Naomi can stand up all by herself. Both husband and I were horrified when we first found out that she's now strong enough to hold onto something and stand up independently. On some odd times, Baby Naomi'd try to stand up hands-free for few seconds on our bed and of course, we'd catch her before she falls. This is why; both husband and I had lowered the base of her baby cot and playpen so she won't climb out.
I am going to walk sooner than you thought, y'all!
Baby Naomi's vocabulary has increased from just Pa Pa Pa Pa to other words like Eh Eh Eh, Ah Ah Ah and Ce Ce Ce Ce but no Ma Ma Ma Ma just yet. I guess I still have to patiently wait for that one fine day when I hear those miraculous words coming from my chirpy baby's mouth.
On the singing department, Baby Naomi is still crazily in love with Mommy's singing so I am involuntarily tasked to learn and memorize lyrics of more kiddie songs to avoid boredom.
I guess that's all about Baby Naomi's milestones that I can remember now.
Since I had my baby, my travel life, particularly one that would require me to hop onto an air plane, came to a grinding halt.
Every time I had the urge to fly home (as I had not gone home for almost 1 year!) or felt like realizing my wildest dream to have a short vacation overseas with my husband and baby, I always killed the idea. Both my husband and I planned to apply a passport book for Baby Naomi long time ago but we never actualized it.
"Maybe next time", "Later" and "Wait until she is a bit bigger" were the common reasons of delaying our plan to travel overseas. Why? Because we foresaw the humongous amounts of stuff that we'd need to pack and carry should we go for an overseas trip with a baby. Then, we got lazy. In addition, we dreaded the possibility that Baby Naomi would be very fussy or get really hyper for hours inside the air plane. Troublesome, don't you think?
Two months ago, after some family members in Indonesia persuaded me to go home so they can meet their newest family member addition, along with lots of encouraging words from friends who've successfully travelled by air with their baby; I finally clicked the 'confirm payment' button on AirAsia website.
Days after we booked the tickets, we applied for Baby Naomi's passport book.
A week before the flying day, both husband and I started packing our stuff for this trip and as expected, it's not possible to travel light with a baby on hand.
In mid of April, the three of us flew for the first time. We flew with AirAsia and the destination was Surabaya, Indonesia. Baby Naomi was 6 months and 3 weeks old when she flew for the first time.
Baby Naomi's diaper bag was extra heavy when we packed that for our international trip. In her diaper bag, on top of carrying extra disposable diapers, clothes, medications, toys, milk bottles, wet tissues, blanket, etc.; I brought a Thermos containing hot water and two sets of baby milk powder dispensers containing her measured formula milk powder. When adults are usually not allowed to bring any liquid including mineral water that amounts more than 100 ml to the plane, seemingly it's fine to bring a Thermos full of hot water on-board when travelling with a baby.
It almost felt like we're moving house again when we carried Baby Naomi's daily necessities to the plane. It's a lot but luckily was not more than the allowed 7 kg hand-carry limit.
After checking in LCCT Airport.
Also, after much contemplation whether we should bring Baby Naomi's stroller overseas, we decided to do so due to convenience reason. Apparently, after checking-in the airport, we can put our baby in the stroller until we're about to board. Until then, the air stewardess would keep the stroller for us and we can collect it in the airport's baggage claim area after landing.
I believe this picture was taken before the nightmare began.
So, did Baby Naomi behave during her flying time? Errr… not really. There were times when she was quiet and manageable but most of the times, she was pretty hard to handle unfortunately. Both husband and I spent most of our times inside the plane soothing and entertaining this little passenger. She only slept for less than half an hour inside the plane, thus my plans to catch up with my sleep and rest my dizzy head evaporated in the air.
Well, despite all the minor glitches that Baby Naomi caused inside the plane, the three of us managed to land safely in our destination and were very happy to meet my family in Indonesia again.
During take-off and landing, to help baby's ears adjust to changes in cabin pressure, offer him or her a bottle of water/milk or a pacifier. This step is so important; else, once your baby's ears get really painful due to air pressure, your next few hours of flying time would be nothing but a misery and even more dramatic than the saddest Korean drama ever aired on TV. By the way, some people recommend stuffing baby ears' with a bit of cotton balls during take-off and landing to avoid painful ears but I have not tried this method.
Bring jacket and dress your baby in warm and cosy outfit. Don't you think it's always freezing inside a plane, let alone for a baby?
Always keep your baby dehydrated with water as flying in an air plane may cause dehydration.
Bring lots of favourite toys to entertain your baby if he or she is awake inside the plane. I don't know how my husband and I would survive in that 2,5 hours trip without baby toys!
Pack some baby biscuits (suitable for babies aged 6 months old ++) that your baby can nibble inside the air plane. Baby biscuits spare parents at least 15-20 minutes of peace as with a biscuit on hand, baby would now sit still and focus in munching the biscuit instead of screaming or pulling or eating AirAsia's new in-flight menu book that features Farah Quinn on the cover random things surround him or her. Don't forget to put a bib on the baby's neck, cover his or her lap with a napkin and carry wet tissue to make sure that we can manage and clean his/her snacking mess later on.
Consider booking hot seats (if you are flying with budget airline) inside the plane as it's more spacious. I don't think AirAsia has changing tables on-board so changing Baby Naomi's soiled diaper on our laps whilst sitting in the tight spaced economic seats was super challenging; especially when she refused to stay still whilst we're cleaning her dirty bottom. Been there, done that!
If your baby begins orchestrating drama inside the plane, stay calm and tend to him or her. Other passengers would typically be unhappy about the disruptions and constant loud noises from a fussy baby (in their heart, they might curse you for indirectly causing public nuisance in the air too); but seriously, the baby's parents are normally in equal distress in handling their fussy baby. I usually don't sing in public, but I shamelessly sang various kiddie songs in three languages over and over again inside a plane with full passengers in an attempt to keep Baby Naomi quiet.
Last but not least, I wish you happy trails in travelling by plane with your baby!


We are so sorry if you are not satisfied with your product, or if it was damaged in transit.
We're sure that we can always find a good solution for both parties. Return shipments are only needed on very rare occasions, so you should always contact us first.
Shipping charges are not refundable. You are responsible for return shipping costs.
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Somerset Patriots right-handed pitcher Connor Little has signed with the Atlanta Braves organization.
He marks the sixth player that spent time with the Patriots this season to be signed by a major league organization, joining Edwin Quirarte (San Francisco Giants), Mickey Storey (Los Angeles Dodgers), Chris Marrero (Chicago White Sox), Sean Bierman (Baltimore Orioles) and Lucas Irvine (Arizona Diamondbacks).
The 25-year old appeared in four games with the Patriots after being signed from the Evansville Otters (Frontier League) on September 9. He struck out four batters over six innings pitched.
The 6'6" hurler went 7-5 with a 1.19 ERA in 47 relief appearances earlier in 2015 with the Otters. Little also struck out 90 batters while issuing just 14 walks over 68.0 innings pitched.
Little owns a 9-8 career record in 63 appearances (four starts) with a 2.78 ERA, 132 strikeouts and two saves.
The Somerset Patriots won their Atlantic League leading sixth championship during the 2015 season. The schedule for 2016 has been released and can be viewed athttp://www.somersetpatriots.com. For more information about the 2016 season, stop by TD Bank Ballpark, call (908) 252-0700, or visithttp://www.somersetpatriots.com.


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This is the first part (Calculus I) of a text on elementary calculus, designed for students who have completed courses in high-school algebra, geometry, and trigonometry.
Provides training for a compulsory examination, designed to address the lack of fluency in elementary arithmetic and algebra.
An introduction to the field of Game Thoery. Covers applications from a variety of disciplines and delve into some of the mathematics that underlies game theory.
This book provides an introduction to calculus in its many forms and presents numerous examples to show how calculus can be extended to other mathematical areas.
This open source textbook contains material on calculus, functions of a complex variable, ordinary differential equations, partial differential equations and the calculus of variations. Includes exercises and solutions.
This text is designed for a one-semester course in set theory at the advanced undergraduate or beginning graduate level.
A suitable text for a first course on partial differential equations, Fourier series and special functions, and integral equations.
Covers all of the basic material in the propositional and predicate calculus. Applications include non-standard models obtained by the means of compactness theorem and the generation of weak ultrawords and ultralogic operator.
Lecture notes designed for those who haven't had college mathematics but would like to understand some of the mathematical concepts behind important modern applications.
Covers the basic topics of undergraduate real analysis.
This final text in the Zakon Series on Mathematics Analysis completes the material on Real Analysis that is the foundation for later courses in functional analysis, harmonic analysis, probability theory, etc.
This book provides a one-semester bridge between some of the introductory math courses and the physics courses in which students expect to use the mathematics. The book emphasizes using math as tool, over proofs.


text:
Press Releases Sandvik Breaks Ground on New Workshop in Perth, Australia
Sandvik Mining and Rock Technology
Sandvik Breaks Ground on New Workshop in Perth, Australia
Sandvik Mining and Rock Technology has signalled its ongoing commitment to the Australian mining and construction equipment market, signing a long-term lease for a new purpose-built workshop in Perth. Construction is underway with the workshop scheduled for completion in 2021.
Located at Roe Highway Logistics Park (Kenwick, Perth), the 16,000 square metre site will include a state-of-the-art workshop, modern office, meeting facilities, as well as testing and training equipment.
An even stronger offering
According to Nathan Cunningham, Sandvik Business Line Manager – Service in APAC, Roe Highway represents a strategically important location to be able to better support Sandvik's Australian customers.
Cunningham said: "The strategic location of our new workshop, with its central position, freight rail and RAV7 truck access will enable us to further support our Western Australian customers and the purpose-built design will improve equipment repairs, inspections and our rebuild capability for our equipment offering.
"The improved layout, increased size, additional bays and design will enable our fully-trained service technicians, aftermarket support and technology specialists the ability to work more efficiently".
"To continue to support our customers, we need to continue to invest in facilities that will not only support our existing markets but will also have the capacity and capability to support the growing demand for future products, such as our electric load and haul offering.
The new workshop will be fully accredited and work to OEM standards.
"The high quality of our rebuilds allows us to provide full warranties on the machines we strip down and rebuild," said Mr Cunningham.
In line with Sandvik sustainability goals
Kate Bills, Sustainability, Marketing & Communications Manager at Sandvik in APAC, says the purpose-built facility has been designed to align with Sandvik's 2030 Sustainable Business goals, which address a circular society, climate change, safety and fair play.
"At Sandvik, we want to ensure that sustainability is integrated into everything we do. This includes reducing our CO2 footprint, minimizing waste in our production process and providing the highest safety standards for our employees."
"As part of Sandvik's sustainability goals, we're aiming to halve our CO2footprint by 2030, so the new workshop incorporates state-of-the-art design elements to help us achieve this such as solar panels, green concrete and the use of low carbon building materials."
The site will also include best-practice water management, energy-efficient lighting, natural ventilation and rainwater harvesting.
"For Sandvik, being a leader in both innovation and sustainability is key in recruiting the right talent, continuing to be our customers' preferred choice and remaining a company that is attractive to investors," Miss Bills says.
Judd Dyer, Director at Hesperia, added that as part of Roe Highway Logistics Park's commitment to sustainability, a range of initiatives have been implemented across the design and functionality of the site.
"We are on the path to achieving carbon neutrality at Roe Highway Logistics Park and have a heavy focus on energy, recycling, environmental sustainability and water efficiencies. Providing brand new, purpose-built facilities for our tenants, such as Sandvik, allows us to incorporate these features and help futureproof their operations," said Mr Dyer.
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Transitional watercolor floral fabric print from Madcap Cottage collection. Great for chair fabric, upholstery fabric or drapery curtain fabric.
Click the button below to add the Madcap Cottage Rousham Romp Green to your wish list.


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Whole Foods Says 'Adios' to English-Only Policy
By Brett Snider, Esq. on June 18, 2013 11:21 AM
Whole Foods has changed its controversial "English-only" policy for workers after drawing ire from customers, thousands of whom had vowed to boycott the upscale retailer.
The original language policy, which allegedly caused two New Mexico employees to be suspended, had limited employees to speaking only English when "on the clock and discussing work-related tasks or subjects," reports NBC News.
While Whole Foods' English-only policy is no more, was it even legal in the first place?
Despite claims of racism or lack of diversity at Whole Foods, CEO Walter Robb stated Friday that the intention of the policy "was to foster inclusion, not exclusion," reports USA Today.
The problem with any exclusive language policy, like the Whole Foods policy enforcing English-only during work hours, is that it tends to adversely affect one group of people more than others, which can border on illegal discrimination.
Whether or not it is illegal, such a policy forces workers who may be more efficient conversing in their native tongue to be a less effective communicator.
Revisions Are a Good Start
The organic food purveyor has proposed revisions to the language portions of its employee handbook, revising the policy to remind employees to be sensitive to others who "may want to join [the] conversation" and speak in a common language, reports NBC News.
However, employees are still required to speak to customers in English, unless the customer requests another language. This sort of "business necessity" to communicate with customers has successfully been used to justify some language policies.
The new policy will be implemented and discussed at Whole Foods locations in the next two months, but it might be too late to save some customer goodwill.
Is 'English Only' Right for Your Business?
Like Whole Foods, if you operate any sort of service-based business in America, odds are that many (if not most) of your customers will speak English, so it is important that your employees can communicate with them.
On the other hand, your customers' preference to hear only English when in your store generally, and not when being helped by an employee, is likely not a good rationale to sanitize the workplace of all other languages.
A non-exclusive policy that focuses on good customer service and communication between employees, regardless of language, should serve the same functions while still creating an open environment where employees feel free to be themselves. For specific advice about your workplace language policy, it may be wise to consult an experienced employment lawyer near you.
Follow FindLaw for Consumers on Google+.
English-only at Whole Foods? (CNN)
Are English-Only Policies at Work Legal? (FindLaw's Free Enterprise)
What Defines 'Business Necessity' in the Discrimination Context? (FindLaw's Writ)
'English Only' policies in the workplace (FindLaw's KnowledgeBase)


Area: 8,511,965 sq. km. (3,290,000 sq. mi.) Slightly smaller than the U.S.
Capital: Brasilia (pop. 1.8 million).
Alegre (1.4 million), Curitiba (1.4 million).
Terrain: Dense forests in northern regions including Amazon Basin; semiarid along northeast coast; mountains, hills, and rolling plains in the southwest including Mato Grosso; and coastal lowland.
Climate: Mostly tropical or semitropical with temperate zone in the south.
Ethnic groups: Portuguese, Italian, German, Japanese, African, indigenous people.
Education: Literacy--81% of adult population.
Health: Infant mortality rate--44/1,000. Life expectancy--67 years.
Work force (65 million): Services--40%; agriculture--35%; industry--25%.
Branches: Executive--president (chief of state and head of government popularly elected to no more than two 4-year terms).
Legislative--Senate (81 members popularly elected to 8-year terms), Chamber of Deputies (513 members popularly elected to 4-year terms). Judicial--Supreme Federal Tribunal.
Political parties: Brazilian Democratic Movement Party (PMDB), Brazilian Social Democratic Party (PSDB), Liberal Front Party (PFL), Social Democratic Party (PSD), Democratic Workers Party (PDT), Workers Party (PT), Brazilian Labor Party (PTB), Liberal Party (PL), Brazilian Socialist Party (PSB), Communist Party of Brazil (PC do B), Brazilian Progressive Party (PPB), Popular Socialist Party (PPS), Green Party (PV), The Social Liberal Party (PSL), The National Mobilization Party (PMN).
Annual real growth rate: 3.9%.
Per capita GDP: U.S. $4,200.
Natural resources: Iron ore, manganese, bauxite, nickel, uranium, gemstones, oil.
Agriculture (13% of GDP): Products--coffee, soybeans, sugarcane, cocoa, rice, beef, corn, oranges, cotton, wheat.
Industry: Types--steel, chemicals, petrochemicals, machinery, motor vehicles, consumer durables, cement, lumber.
Trade: Exports--$47 billion. Major markets--United States 19%, Argentina 10%, Netherlands 8%, Japan 6%, Germany 4%, Italy 3%, France 2%. Imports--$50 billion. Major suppliers--United States 25%, Argentina 12%, Germany 9%, Italy 5%, Japan 4%.
Official exchange rate: 1.05 Reais = U.S. $1.
The United States was the first country to recognize Brazil's independence in 1822. The two countries have traditionally enjoyed friendly, active relations encompassing a broad political and economic agenda.
With the inauguration of Brazil's internationally oriented, reformist President Fernando Henrique Cardoso on January 1, 1995, U.S.-Brazil engagement and cooperation have intensified. This is reflected in the unprecedented number of high-level contacts between the two governments, including President Cardoso's state visit to Washington in April 1995, visits to Brazil by First Lady Hillary Clinton, Secretary of State Warren Christopher, the late Secretary of Commerce Ronald Brown and many other exchanges between U.S. and Brazilian cabinet and sub-cabinet officials. Important topics of discussion and cooperation have included trade and finance, hemispheric economic integration, United Nations reform and peacekeeping efforts, nonproliferation and arms control, follow-up to the 1994 Miami Summit of the Americas, common efforts to help resolve the Peru-Ecuador border conflict, support for Paraguay's democratic development, human rights, counternarcotics, and environmental issues.
A new agreement for cooperation in counternarcotics was signed in March 1995, and a national drug control plan has been drafted. During a visit of Under Secretary of State Timothy Wirth to Brazil in October 1995, the two countries signed a Common Agenda on the Environment, laying the foundation for cooperative efforts in environmental protection. The two governments are negotiating a Mutual Legal Assistance Treaty, which will assist in combating international crime.
Former U.S. Trade Representative Mickey Kantor and Brazilian Foreign Minister Lampreia submitted a joint report to Presidents Clinton and Cardoso on the U.S.-Brazil Bilateral Trade Review, completed October 25, 1995. The Bilateral Trade Review lays the groundwork for closer cooperation in resolving bilateral trade issues as well as in joint efforts to advance progress toward a Free Trade Area of the Americas (FTAA) and to develop closer ties between NAFTA and Mercosul, the Common Market of the South. Brazil is a key player in hemispheric efforts to negotiate an FTAA by 2005, and hosted the May 1997 FTAA Trade Ministerial in Belo Horizonte.
Relations are advancing well in various aspects of scientific and technical work as well. During his 1996 visit, former Secretary of State Christopher signed a Space Cooperation agreement and initialed an agreement on Peaceful Uses of Nuclear Energy.
With an estimated 156 million inhabitants, Brazil has the largest population in Latin America and ranks sixth in the world. The majority live in the south-central area, which includes the industrial cities of Sao Paulo, Rio de Janeiro, and Belo Horizonte. Urban growth has been rapid: by 1991, 75% of the total population were living in urban areas. Rapid growth has aided economic development but has also created serious social, environmental, and political problems for major cities.
Four major groups make up the Brazilian population: the Portuguese, who colonized in the 16th century; Africans brought to Brazil as slaves; various other European, Middle Eastern, and Asian immigrant groups who have settled in Brazil since the mid-19th century; and indigenous people of Tupi and Guarani language stock. Intermarriage between the Portuguese and indigenous people or slaves was common. Although the major European ethnic stock of Brazil was once Portuguese, subsequent waves of immigration have contributed to a diverse ethnic and cultural heritage.
From 1875 until 1960, about 5 million Europeans emigrated to Brazil, settling mainly in the four southern states of Sao Paulo, Parana, Santa Catarina, and Rio Grande do Sul. Immigrants have come mainly from Italy, Germany, Spain, Japan, Poland, and the Middle East. The largest Japanese community outside Japan is in Sao Paulo. Despite class distinctions, national identity is strong, and racial friction is a relatively new phenomenon.
Indigenous full-blooded Indians, located mainly in the northern and western border regions and in the upper Amazon Basin, constitute less than one percent of the population. Their numbers are declining as contact with the outside world and commercial expansion into the interior increase. Brazilian Government programs to establish reservations and to provide other forms of assistance have existed for years but are controversial and often ineffective.
Brazil is the only Portuguese-speaking nation in the Americas. Approximately 80% of all Brazilians belong to the Roman Catholic Church; most others are Protestant or follow practices derived from African religions.
Brazil was claimed for Portugal in 1500 by Pedro Alvares Cabral. It was ruled from Lisbon as a colony until 1808, when the royal family, having fled from Napoleon's army, established the seat of Portuguese government in Rio de Janeiro. Brazil became a kingdom under Dom Joao VI, who returned to Portugal in 1821. His son declared Brazil's independence on September 7, 1822, and became emperor with the title of Dom Pedro I. His son, Dom Pedro II, ruled from 1831 to 1889, when a federal republic was established in a coup by Deodoro da Fonseca, marshal of the army. Slavery had been abolished a year earlier by the Regent Princess Isabel while Dom Pedro II was in Europe.
From 1889 to 1930, the government was a constitutional democracy, with the presidency alternating between the dominant states of Sao Paulo and Minas Gerais. This period ended with a military coup that placed Getulio Vargas, a civilian, in the presidency; Vargas remained as dictator until 1945. From 1945 to 1961, Eurico Dutra, Vargas, Juscelino Kubitschek, and Janio Quadros were elected presidents. When Quadros resigned in 1961, he was succeeded by Vice President Joao Goulart.
Goulart's years in office were marked by high inflation, economic stagnation, and the increasing influence of radical political elements. The armed forces, alarmed by these developments, staged a coup on March 31, 1964. The coup leaders chose as president Humberto Castello Branco, followed by Arthur da Costa e Silva (1967-69), Emilio Garrastazu Medici (1968-74), and Ernesto Geisel (1974-79) all of whom were senior army officers. Geisel began a liberalization which was carried further by his successor, Gen. Jo�o Baptista de Oliveira Figueiredo (1979-85). Figueiredo not only permitted the return of politicians exiled or banned from political activity during the 1960s and 1970s but also allowed them to run for state and federal offices in 1982.
At the same time, an electoral college consisting of all members of congress and six delegates chosen from each state, continued to choose the president. In January 1985, the electoral college voted Tancredo Neves from the opposition Brazilian Democratic Movement Party (PMDB) into office as President. However, Tancredo Neves became ill in March and died a month later. His Vice President, former Senator Jose Sarney, became President upon Neves' death.
Brazil completed its transition to a popularly elected government in 1989, when Fernando Collor de Mello won 53% of the vote in the first direct presidential election in 29 years. In 1992 a major corruption scandal led to the impeachment and ultimate resignation of President Collor. Vice President Itamar Franco took his place and governed for the remainder of Collor's term culminating in the October 3, 1994 presidential elections, when Fernando Henrique Cardoso was elected President with 54% of the vote. He took office January 1, 1995.
President Cardoso has sought to establish the basis for long-term stability and growth and to reduce Brazil's extreme socioeconomic imbalances. His proposals to Congress include constitutional amendments to open the Brazilian economy to greater foreign participation and to implement sweeping reforms--including social security, government administration, and taxation--to reduce excessive public sector spending and improve government efficiency.


On May 6, get ready to experience Shelburne's version of the Long Island Medium as Jennifer Abra does a group reading at the Shelburne Curling Club.
You will find her group reading similar to a medium reading. Jennifer brings messages from family and friends who have passed over as spirit comes through with very personal, detailed messages and "evidential" information.
"I usually feel a 'pull' towards someone, and that's where we start, and then I move from person to person, based on how spirit shows up," she tells us.
What if someone is skeptical – should they come?
Make sure you get your tickets for this event being held Saturday, May 6, from 1 pm until 3 pm at the Shelburne Curling Club, which is located at 110 O'Flynn Street, as there is limited seating. Tickets are $50 and available on Eventbrite.


KUTV.com—Heidi Hatch, Law Professor Says Utah LGBT Law Could Mold National Standards.
Newer PostDeseret News—Dennis Romboy, LDS Church, LGBT Advocates Back Anti-Discrimination, Religious Rights Bill.
Older PostAtlanta Journal Constitution Political Insider—Jim Galloway, Greg Bluestein, and Daniel Malloy– A High-Toned Effort To Debunk The Debunkers Of A 'Religious Liberty' Bill.


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David Becker/Getty Images
Jason Aldean: "I Got a Big Torch to Carry"
Backstage Moment With the ACM Entertainer of the Year
by Alison Bonaguro 4/4/2016
LAS VEGAS — Now Jason Aldean is happy.
After claiming the top prize Sunday night (April 3) at the Academy of Country Music Awards, he came backstage to talk with reporters about how this win was all he's ever wanted.
"I always said I just want it once. If I get it once, I'm happy. You don't even have to nominate me again. I'm good. That ain't to say now that I don't want it again," he laughed.
Eleven years into his career, Aldean made it sound like he thought this entertainer of the year trophy might never be his.
"At some point, if it was my time, it would happen, and I was starting to think this one just wasn't in the cards," Aldean said. "We all have our window for these things, and you hope to get it, but sometimes it's just the way it is. And this award is the one everybody wants."
He also said he doesn't know why this year was the year, but that he doesn't really care about the why. To him, this award is all about touring — and touring is what he's built his career on.
"I take a lot of pride in going out and performing for people and making my live show what it's been. This was really important to me. I never tried to downplay it. There's nothing else I'd rather be doing," Aldean said, adding that now, "I got a big torch to carry."
Admitting nothing ever happened quickly for him and his band and that it took them a while to get rolling, Aldean thinks that might make this win a little more special.
"To get this in my career now," he said, "I can tell you there's never been anybody that's won this award that is more thankful of it than I am tonight."
Tags: ACM AwardsJason Aldean


Kiss Me That Way is the newest release from Laura Trentham, an author I have come to find quite delightful. She writes both contemporary romances set in the American South and English Regencies, which are two of my personal favorite brands of romance-nip. This particular book is the story of Cade and Monroe, who built a connection in their childhoods that shaped both their lives.
While Monroe stayed in their small hamlet, located at the border of Mississippi and Louisiana, Cade took off as soon as he turned 18 with plans to never return. Of course, those plans are foiled recently before the start of the story and he finds himself back in Cottonbloom.
This is one of those books that builds the world slowly and richly before it lets the characters out for a spin. Cottonbloom feels like a living, breathing place with its own foibles, history, and character. The people in this town have known each other for ages and yet still manage to have secrets and mystery about them. Monroe knows that better than most, especially considering that her life is more complicated than most people seem to give it credit for.
If I seem like I'm being oblique, I apologize; it's certainly unintentional. While there are not massive events in here which could spoil anything, Trentham's is the kind of writing that deserves to be encountered on its own. Let her spin this town and its baggage out before you as you wade into their lives. Don't just take my word for it.
I will say that I particularly appreciate Trentham's treatment of a storyline involving violence against women, domestic and otherwise, and the complications that come with working in that arena. Monroe's passion is training young women to survive domestic violence and even escape their own circumstances. She makes some decisions that are easy to judge as mistakes by outsiders, but clearly feel appropriate and authentic to her. The way she wrestles with both reality and hope is so realistic and I'm thankful for that small way the book made its world seem more real.
Overall, I would recommend this one for anyone who is a fan of second-chance romances, as well as slow burn books infused with Southern culture and hospitality. Enjoy with a tall glass of sweet tea, and throw some bourbon in it if feeling so inclined.
National Coalition Against Domestic Violence: If you're in the U.S. and are interested in becoming involved in advocacy on any level, I'd encourage you to check out the NCADV.
I received a copy of this book both from NetGalley and from Tasty Tours Promotions in exchange for an honest review. I am thankful to both for a chance to read this delightful story.
Bourbon, Contemporary, Domestic Violence, Second Chance Romance, Steaming Up Windows, Sweet Tea, U.S.


For just $10 a month, you can help fund the following important programs and services offered by Hillcrest Children and Family Center.
As a Sustainer, your financial gift will provide an on-going source of income for these important programs. Choose the amount you would like to contribute, then select the option for (Recurring Monthly) contribution that will be automatically debited from your account each month.
For assistance with this or any other questions, call the 202-232-6100 ext. 2402 during business hours from 9 am to 5 pm.
Become a Hillcrest Sustainer today!


I created each of these logos to represent different types of classes available at a local eco-destination farm. These logos and images were used from social media posts to EventBrite to our own website. The background image changed to represent each class offered in each category.
I simplified the image creation process so that one version of the image worked across all applications, keeping file management easier.


Brotherhood Winery is a vintage wedding venue located in Westchester, New York. Whether your dream is an intimate, cozy gathering or a grand celebration, the venue has many spaces and flexibility to bring your vision for your wedding day to life. Their professional staff will work alongside you every step of the way to ensure your wedding is just as you envisioned it to be and that you have a memorable, stress-free experience. With its beautiful vineyards and historic charm, Brotherhood Winery is an stunning backdrop for your big day.
Brotherhood Winery offers many indoor and outdoor spaces to host your ceremony and reception. Choose from their small, historical chapel or outdoor gazebo set in their varietal vineyard for your ceremony, then host cocktails on their magnificent outdoor patio. For your reception, The Grand Monarque Hall, or Grand Salon, is a 19th-century stone building with towering ceilings, handcrafted wooden floors, exposed wooden beams and ten-foot round antique wrought iron chandeliers that all come together in a historical setting with old-world charm and elegance. You can also host your event in the Cellars, which is a unique space that is the largest underground wine cellar in the country. These two indoor spaces can accommodate up to 224 guests. For smaller celebrations, you can choose from their renovated Tasting Room, featuring stone walls, slate floors, chandeliers and modern tables, or their Historic Mansion, providing a grand estate experience. Both intimate indoor spaces can host up to 75 guests.
Brotherhood Winery is America's oldest winery, dating back to 1910 when a French Huguenot emigre named Jean Jaques purchased the land and began planting grapes. By 1939, his first underground cellars were dug and Jaques fermented his first vintage wine. Those cellars are still in use today.
I hate the idea of favors so I wanted something edible or drinkable. I decided on wine favors and the Brotherhood Winery created a beautiful and elegant label for my bottles and I think it was at a reasonable price. The wine is yummy too!! Thank you Brotherhood Winery!!
Brotherhood Winery is a beautiful venue, with its stone, iron, and wood embellishments leading to regal and cozy atmosphere.
The tables vary in size making it easy to arrange guest seating. It featured a great dance floor with it's size and smooth feel, allowing us to party all night. Restrooms were accessible and could handle a large crowd.
Donny was very facilitating, making sure everything was orderly while still being flexible. He was very responsive from the time we first reached out, all the way to the end of our evening.
From the first time I saw photos of Brotherhood Winery I said to myself "this is where I will get married"...and yes, that was before I even had the ring!
My husband and I got engaged while on a trip in London in April of 2017 and had Brotherhood booked as our venue by the beginning of May. We went to see it in person once and we were sold. I was not interested in seeing any other venue.
Every single area on the grounds is amazing. From the archway on the grass where the ceremony took place, to the cobble stone patio where the cocktail hour took place, to the Grand Monarque Hall where the reception took place, one was more beautifully detailed than the last. Breathtaking would be an understatement.
Donny, the wedding coordinator, was amazing to work with! He was quick to respond to my phone calls and emails and always had a thorough answer every time we spoke. He helped ease any concerns we had and he made us feel completely comfortable putting our wedding day in his hands.
The night of our wedding he made sure every single thing was running smoothly, and it certainly did. I can confidently say there was not one hiccup during our wedding day, at least none that I was made aware of... which goes to show how great Donny and his staff are!
If you're looking for a rustic, yet glamorous wedding venue, with an amazing coordinator, Brotherhood Winery is definitely your spot!


One place you should definitely not park your car is on train tracks. Of course, if one driver had not been intoxicated when she parked her vehicle, she might have realized that and avoided causing a serious accident.
The DUI accident occurred last week when a 29-year-old driver drove off a country road and onto train tracks. Once stuck on the tracks, a passenger train slammed into her car, causing it to catch on fire. Although twenty people were on board the train at the time, nobody was hurt, including the train conductor and staff.
When an officer from the California Highway Patrol arrived on the scene, he quickly determined that the female driver was intoxicated. She was arrested for DUI and causing a DUI accident. Additional charges could follow pending an investigation.
If you have recently been arrested for causing a DUI accident, it is important that you contact the Law Offices of Virginia L. Landry now so you can receive advice and representation from an Orange County DUI lawyer.


SKYBOX Sports Bar (former "Champions") offers live sporting events and news (on multiple LED screens and TVs), drinks and snacks. Sports Bar's menu has draft beers (16 oz, also Carnival's ThirstyFrog Red 19 oz pint 560 ml, 60 oz pitcher 1,8 L, 101 oz tube 3 L, Souvenir Glass), domestic beers (16 oz / 470 ml), craft beers (12-16 oz / 350-470 ml), imported and non-alcoholic, beer bucket, cider, cocktails (martini, margarita, mojito), double shots (whiskey, rum, vodka, tequila, mixers), snacks (pretzel, peanuts).
Napoleon Room (starboard, 60 seats) is a Main Dining Room annex that can be booked for private group events (dining, special occasions, celebrations, parties).
Empire Restaurant (aft location Main Dining Room /MDR, 1250 seats, on 2 levels) is a complimentary, waiter-served restaurant for Breakfast (portdays only), Brunch (seadays only) and Dinner. On portdays, Breakfast is served between 7:30 – 9:30 am (closed for lunch). Dining Room hours are subject to change due to itinerary/port of call arrival times or scheduled onboard activities. On seadays, the MDR serves "Punchliner Comedy Brunch" (breakfast and lunch /between 8:30 am – 1 pm). Afternoon Tea service (between 3 – 4 pm /seadays only, complimentary) includes a selection of teas, mini sandwiches, sweets. Dinner (seadays/portdays) is with 2 fixed/pre-assigned seatings – Early (at 6 pm) and Late (at 8:15 pm), plus Anytime ("Your Time Dining" between 5:45 – 9:30 pm). Dr Seuss themed "Green Eggs and Ham Breakfast" (cover charge $5 pp, reservations recommended) is once per cruise (on a seaday /itinerary based) at 8:30 am and 9:30 am. The dining experience features Dr Seuss character visits, waiters in special uniforms, themed decoration, unique menu.