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Home newsitems Bogus "Study" Risks to give Pretext to Block HCQ/AZ/Zinc Cure (f.ex. in France+) !
Bogus "Study" Risks to give Pretext to Block HCQ/AZ/Zinc Cure (f.ex. in France+) !
Written by ACM
*Strasbourg/Angelo Marcopolo/- Just After US President Tump revealed that he Personaly takes HCQ+ Treatment, Carefuly, as a Prophylaxis against the Virus, (See Infra), while Various Countries Decided to Stockpile HCQ Provisions, (See Ibid), Suddenly, a Bogus Fake-"Study" Published at the LANCET by some Shady, and, in fact, UnRelated Boston Technocrats, Claimed that HCQ would be Both ...Totaly InEfficient, and Greatly Dangerous, against Human Life (sic !), to the Point that, inter alia, it's also new French Minister of Health, Olivier Veran, who, Urgently seized a Top Experts' body, Asking to Immediately Check that Report, and, Take Measures (which Might, perhaps, include a Total Ban against HCQ, already Heavily Restricted in France, and elsewhere), in only "2 Days"' Time !...
(On the Pre-existing, General Debate about HCQ, See also : http://www.eurofora.net/newsflashes/news/mpsaskhcqagainstvirus.html, etc)
However, at least as long as Europe (and soon USA+) is at the EpiCenter of such a Deadly Pandemic Virus, which Still Kills too Many Thousands of innocent People Each Day World-wide, Nobody should be Distracted by such Bogus Fake "Studies", plenty of various Flaws and/or MisLeading or UnSubstantiated Claims, as "Eurofora" Found, after a Thorough Analysis of that Controversial Text (See Infra).
=> Here are the (Main) FACTS, revealing 11 big FLAWS in that Controversial Text :
- (1)- First of all, contrary to some False Impressions, this is Not a clinical "Trial" or scientific "Test" at all, Nor a real medical "Study", But Only a clumsy (See Infra) Compilation of automaticaly distributed and stocked "Data" by Computers Networks : Indeed, it's a Mere ..."Registry analysis" (as the Authors admit themselves), of "Data Obtained by Automatic Data Extraction from ... Electronic Health Records, Supply Chain DataBases, and (even) Financial Records" (sic !), which "use a Cloud-based health-care Data analytics Platform, that includes specific Modules for Data Acquisition, Data Warehousing, Data Analytics, and Data Reporting", exploited by "the Surgical Outcomes Collaborative (<<Surgisphere Corporation>>, Chicago, IL, USA)", (a Private Business "Founded" by one of the Authors)...
=> In Consequence, such a Text has Obvious "Limitations" : F.ex., "Due to (its) Observational ...Design (Comp. Supra), we canNot Exclude the possibility of UnMeasured confounding Factors", and/or "a Cause-and-Effect Relationship between Drug therapy and Survival should Not be inferred", as Even the Authors Warn, in fine... So that real "Clinical Trials will be Required Before Any Conclusion can be reached", particularly "regarding Benefit or Harm of these" HCQ a.o. "agents in COVID-19 patients", they Admit.
+ (2)- In Addition, even if they Blame most Pro-HCQ Publications to be "UnControlled Studies", as they repeatedly Accuse them,
However, they Base all their own Claims just on some Automatic Extractions of Data in Registries of ..."671 Hospitals in 6 Continents" of the "World", Totalling More than 96.000 Patients (sic !).
=> How might all those be really "Controlled", (f.ex. for their Veracity and Accuracy, or an elementary Equality of Conditions for so Many Patients and Tests in each Hospital and Country, etc) ?
- (3)- In Reality, from the point of view of Facts, ...there is NOTHING NEW in that Paper !
>>> Indeed, as its Authors admit, it Only takes into account, Already Known Treatments, which took place Until the ...Middle of April 2020.
=> If there was anything really Scandalous until then, it would have been Known a Long Time Ago...
- (4)- The Leading Author, Dr. Mandip Mehra, is Not a Virologist, Neither a Specialist in Infectious Diseases, (Contrary, f.ex., to the pro-HCQ Professor Didier Raoult, etc), but just a ...Cardiologist. And this Controvesial Text is "Funded" by his own "Hospital of Brigham and Women's", ..."Heart and Vascular Center" !
Moreover, that "Brigham and Women's Hospital", does Not have Any Virology Nor Infection "Center", or "Department", at all...
+Even the 2nd Co-Author of that Controversial Text, Dr. Frank Ruschitzka from Zurich, is Also a "Heart Center"'s Director, i.e. a Cardiologist too !
=> In Consequence, at least Both the 2 Main Authors are blatantly InCompetet in Infectious Diseases and Virology issues...
- (5)- Surprizingly, the main Treatments, to which refer Both US President Trump and Famous French Professor Didier Raoult, (i.e. composed of HCQ, AZ, and Zinc), stay always ...Invisible, withOut Knowing their Specific Results,
Because that Text widely Refers to 4 Groups of Patients using, in one way or another, Chloroquine, among which ...Only 1 Might have Included Also HCQ and AZ with Zinc, WITHOUT Ever Revealing the Numbers for those which, Eventualy, used AZ, since the Author Speaks just, Vaguely, of "Macrolides", which is a much Larger Term, that May Include AZ, But Not Only, given the Fact that there are Also Other Drugs routinely Named like this, (as that Text itself Notes, speaking, f.ex., of "Macrolides, such as Azithromycin and Clarithromycin", etc) !
Obviously, this is a Strange, and Big Failure...
+(6)- ZINC is Essential in the most World Famous "Z-Package" of Treatment, to which Refer Both US President Trump and French Professor Didier Raoult, as well as Various People at the Internet (Explaining it mainly as a Boost for the Human Immunity protection system), against that Virus, but, Astonishingly, it's Totaly Absent from Mehra's data compilation !
-(7)- In Addition, that Controversial Text is reportedly Based Only on Data concerning HCQ Treatments which have Started in just ...2 Days After a Virus' Infection was Confirmed : "Patients who received Treatment with these regimens (Chloroquine, etc) Starting More than 48 h. After Diagnosis, were Excluded (sic !)", it says. Mainly in order "to Avoid" reaching "a Critical Phase of Illness, which could Skew the Interpretation of the results, they Claim.
>>> But, if it's notoriously True that HCQ main Supporters, as, f.ex., Professor Raoult, former Health Minister Doust-Blazy, etc, indeed, strongly Advise to act Before reaching f.ex. a Mechanical Respirator and/or an Intensive Care Phase, etc., by Starting to give that Treatment Before serious Lesions may be provoked to the Patients,
Nevertheless, in general, they present that mostly in a kind of about 10 Days or two Weeks' Period of Time, with a Lighter and an "Advanced" or "Critical" 2nd Phase, Advising to Better Act "at the Beginning", withOut having Ever gone As Far as to LImit everything at a so Extremely Tight and Short Laps of Time as Only 2 Days ! (With the Unique, probably, Exception of a Polish Doctor, according to some reports).
=> In Consequence, such an Excessively Strict "Exclusion" of a So Big Period of Time for Treatment, (i.e. Everything that may be done "After 2 Days" since Diagnosis), does Not seem Faithul at all to the Real Stance of most HCQ Supporters, (but rather a kind of Caricature of their position)... This inevitably Results, for this Controversial Text, into ...Ignoring a Great Part of HCQ utilisations in Hospitals, which might be very Interesting !
- (8)- Those Authors Claim that "the FUNDER" of that Text "had No Role (sic !) in study design, data collection, data analysis, data interpretation, or writing of the report", had no role (sic !) in study design, data collection, data analysis, data interpretation, or writing of the report",
While, in Fact, that "Funder" was Mehra's own Hospital of "Brigham and Women's", and Even his Personal Specialisation's Department of "Cardio-Vascular Medicine" !
- (9)- Despite pompously Claiming to cover Hospitals from "6 Continents" (i.e. accross All the Planet, being "Large, MultiNational" and "Real-World analysis", as they Boast),
However, it's just a ...Small Minority of Only about 17% Europeans and 7% Asians patients who were Included, Nonobstant the Notorious Fact that, Initially, China/South Korea and, Afterwards, Europe were the "EpiCenters" of that Virus' "Pandemic", During the Examined Period of "20 December 2019" and "14 April 2020"...
_-------------------------------------
-(10)- The main "Result" Claimed by that controversial text would be that, while "Mortality" in the "Control Group", receiving Ordinary Drugs, appeared to stand at just 9,3%, (throughout All Continents of the World : Comp. Supra), on the Contrary, that Other Group, which got HCQ and a Macrolide (Comp. Supra), looks as having a Very Much Higher Mortality, Up to : ...23,8% (sic !)
+ In Addition, while the "Control Group" would have Faced Only a "O,3%" "Risk of de-novo ventricular Arrythmia" as Heart Problem, on the Contrary, the HCQ + Macrolide Group would Jumb as High as Up to ..."8,1%" !
=> I.e., Obviously, Both two Excessively Exagerated Claims, Far Away from what Anyone Else has ever Argued in this "Hot" Controversy about HCQ Treatment against the Virus....
-(11)- The Latest relevant Scientific Publication by Professor Raoult about a Previous HCQ+ Trial on 1.061 Patients at his Hospital, made it Clear that his Team "Carefully" controlled all Candidates for such a Test, Excluding Many Cases considered more or less Dangerous for Eventual Side-Effects in Various cases, (f.ex., Heart, Taking Other Drugs with Counter-Indications, Certain Pre-Existing Conditions, Allergies, etc).
=> Did that Bogus, Remote "Study" (rather : hasty Compilation) of many Thousands of Registries' Automatically Collected "Data" in "671 Hospitals" accross "6 Continents" (Comp. Supra) VERIFY Whether such a "Careful" Previous "Control" and selection among All Candidates to a HCQ+AZ+Z Treatment was Really and Fully Made, or Not ?
>>> It does Not seem so... This is a Grave Ommission, a Serious Blunder, since, it would be Obviously Inevitable to Find, afterwards, a Lot of various Negative Side Effects, which shouldn't be a surprise, since they would have been Provoked simply by a Lack of the due "Care" in the Selection of Patients....
>>> In Conclusion, given all these Numerous and Big "Weaknesses" or even Blunders in such a Controversial Text, then, after all, ...WHY THIS RUSH ?
=> I.e., in Other Words, Why did, its Authors, Suddenly Feel, Now, ..."a PRESSING NEED to Provide ...GUIDANCE", (as they Note themselves), on this "Hot" but Long Controversy about the HCQ Treatment against the Virus ?
+ And Why did the Controversial French New Minister of Health, Olivier Veran, Suddenly ask Top Medical Experts to propose Action against HCQ's alleged "InEfficiency and Risks", (according to the Above-Mentioned Report), so Fast as ..."in 48 Hours" ?...
A Series of Various, but Converging, Facts, clealy indicate that what is Realy at Stake is Not Only a Purely Medical Issue...
- Indeed, among others, US President Trump's Recent Statements revealing that he has Personaly Started to use HCQ (with AZ and Zinc), after initialy provoking an Hysteric Fury from Establishment's Medias, Finaly Calmed Down when his Medical Doctor attested, in a Letter, that this was a Carefully planed move :
- Dr Sean Conley, FACEP, Commander US Navy, and Physician to the President, at the White House, in a "Memorandum" written for Kayleigh Mcenany, Assistant to the Presient, White House Press Secretary, Published by AONN Media, clearly Reminded the Fact that it had all Started "2 Weeks Ago", when, Suddenly, "one of the President's support Staff Tested Positive for COVID-19", (including the Press Attaché of Vice-President Pence).
=> This made "Conclude", "After Numerous Discussions", between Trump and his Doctor, "regarding the Evidence For and Against the use of HydroxyChloroQuine" (HCQ), that "the Potential Benefit from Treatment OutWeighed the Relative Risks", as Dr Conley wrote in a Balanced way.
+ In Addition, Meanwhile, "I continue to Monitor the myriad Studies Investigating (also Various Other) potential COVID-19 Therapies", "in Consultatio with our Inter-Agency Partners and subject matter Experts, around the Country", he added, Vowing to "employ... the same Shared Medical Decision-Making, Based on Evidence at hand", also "in the Future".
Meanwhile, Earlier this Week, pro-Trump Brazilian President Bolsonaro has just Legalized HCQ Medicine in his huge Country, while, also, British Prime Minister Boris Johnson, reportedly put out to Tender a £ 35 Million Contract seeking 19 Million HCQ Tablets. Recently, it's even the French Army which made Massive HCQ Acquisitions, added to Russia's examination of that issue, in real Practice, (apparently Helping to keep the Country, Despite Galoping Infections, originated initially from the EU, comparatively, with an even More Limited Death Rate than ...Germany itself, widely considered to be an Exceptional "Miracle" in Human Lives' Saving, inside the EU). Previously, Morocco (which is also Particular into reportedly Producing itself abudant Filter Masks for all its People), was the 1st Country in the World to openly Adopt a HCQ Medical Protocol, and, since then, it apparently holds a particularly Low Rate of Deaths in proportion to its Population, Compared to Other similar Countries. And Currently, French Professor Didier Raoult, Head of a Mediterranean Anti-Infections Institute, is reportedly Preparing also anOther, Bigger than before, 2.000 Patients-Strong, Clinical Trial with HCQ, whose Results are due to be announced asap; (etc)...
>>> Why should such Moves make some HCQ Critics so Upset ?
=> Let's have a Closer Look at the Leading Author of that Controversial Text, (whose Hospital's Center Funded it, Comp. Supra) : Dr Mandip Mehra, from "Brigham and Women's" Hospital :
- Mandip, (or, alias, Mandeep), who is, reportedly, Indian and holds a Bachelor's Degree from Gandi Institute at Maharashtra, (Not even Mentioned in his Harvard Medical School "Bio" page, which, on the Contrary, cites 2 UK Diplomas purely "Honorary"...), nevertheless, looks Better Treated by ...Pakistani Medias, Instead of Indian ones ! F.ex., among others, while Indian Medias, Among 3 Articles published on one and same Cardiology Issue at the "NEMJ" Review, mention that of Mehra Only at the ...End, too Briefly, and by mentioning the fact that his paper had been Strongly Criticized, on the Contrary, most Pakistani Medias, dealing with his Opposal to Trump's and Raoult's HCQ+ Medicine, give the Most Important place to Mehra ! Something probably natural, since his Name appears very Familiar and used Also by Many Other People, Both in the Penjab Province, (the Biggest Part of which Belongs to Pakistan, India having Only a Small one), and even at the Adjacent...Kashmir Province, (Notoriously Disputed to India by Pakistani Nationalists, even Terrorists, who Claim that it would be an "Occupied" area), where, f.ex., Even a Popular "Kashmiri" Singer is called "Kailash MEHRA"... Notoriously, indeed, many Pakistani are currently Against Trump, mainly because of Restrictions that he had Imposed on them Earlier, during the Struggle Against Islamist Terrorism, (which had made several innocent Victims inside the USA), while, on the Contrary, several Indians are in Favor of Trump Nowadays, (who had even Appointed, initialy, an Indian-Origin US Ambassador to the UNO).
- In Addition to Not being Related at all with Infectious Diseases and/or Virus, (working in a Hospital which, moreover, has Not Any Center or Department for Infections, Neither for Virus : Comp. Supra), Mandip Mehra, is in Charge of "Brigham and Women's" Hospital's Center for Heart Disease, but has apparently Specialized mainly in Transplantations.
=> Transplantations have incited him to Deal also with "ImmunoSuppressive" Issues, (as well as "Artificial Hearts" and "Genomic Bio-Markers", etc), Obviously Dear even to those who seek to Use Viruses as "Vehicles" able to Penetrate Cells for Genetic Manipulations, (See Infra).
On the Contrary, Trump's and Raoult's "Z-Pack" Medicine (with HCQ, AZ, and Zinc) aims to Strengthen the Natural Human Immunity System, Against Viruses...
Indeed, his entire Hospital Focuses on Transplantations of Human Parts : Nowadays, its Website's Frontpage boastes, f.ex., for what it calls the "Nations' 1sr Face Transplant for Black patient", picturing a 68 Years Old Bald Man who has taken the Face of a freshly Killed Young Man, with Brown Hair, (so that his Head now remains Half Bald, Half with Brown Hair...), after a "16 Hour Surgery involving ... over 45 physicians, nurses, anesthesiologists, residents and research fellows". But Mehra's Hospital has Already done ... the Majority, i.e. 9 out of 15 other "Face Transplants" in the USA, and "has Long been Recognized as one of the World's Leaders in Transplanation", as it boasts, citting Also "Other Transplant Milestones", including of Kidneys (Since 1954), Hearts (since 1984), Lungs (since 1992), Hands (2014), etc, (Aways Taken from Freshly Killed People, of course).
+ AnOther Particularity of Mehra's Hospital is that its "International Collaborations" consist (Except from an ...1 Store, Tiny House at Bermuda, ...), Exclusively Four (4) Projects, ... All in China (sic !!!!), with Big Partner Companies, in Huge Sky-Rocketing Buildings at Boao, Jangsu, Chengdu, and Hangzhou.
++ In Parallel, Dr. Mandip Mehra is also Professor at ...Harvard Medical School, whose Current Dean, George Daley, was a Key co-Organizer of that Exceptional "International Summit on Gene Editing" at Hong-Kong on November 2018, which made Big Publicity for a Maverick Young Chinese "Dr. Frankenstein", (Educated, Funded, Directed, and Backed by some USA's Big Technocratic Lobbies related to Former POTUS Barack Hussein Obama's "Liberal" Controversial Policies on Genetic Manipulations of Human Embryos, etc), Notoriously Revealed that he had Secretly made Genetic Manipulations to 3 Human Embryos, Transmissible to All Future Generations, and had pushed them until the Artificial Births in China of 3 Babies, all bearing in them Heritable Gene Editing (See : http://www.eurofora.net/newsflashes/news/heritablegenemaniptrumpxihumanity.html, etc). Any such Alteration of Human Germ-Line affecting Generations, Risky for Human Health and Obviously extrmely Dangerous for Humanity's Future, is currently Prohibited, in one way or another, in Many Countries accross the World, (including USA, China, Russia, France, Italy, Spain, etc), But, that Obama era's Harvard Medical School Dean, had Pushed, (at an Interview Published then), for its ..."Acceptance" (sic !), in the foresable Future !
+ Dean Daley had Already being Pushing, (even Against former Republican US President GWBush's policies), Back on 2001-2008, for Controversial Federal Funding of Genetic Manipulations on Human Embryos, until former "Liberal" POTUS Barack Hussein Obama Legalizes that, since March 2009, (Immediately Followed, then, by anOther Deadly, Mysterious "Virus"' Pandemic, of H1N1, which Started somewhere around South California's Labs near the Mexican Borders).
The Chinese Government had Clearly Denounced, already since November 2018, the Above-Mentioned, Maverick "Dr. Frankenstein-Junior" for such Dangerous, "UnEthical" and "Criminal" Acts, already since 2018. But it's only on 30 December 2019 that Beijing Officially Announced the Condamnation of that Culprit to the Punishment of 5,5 Years in Jail for his Crime, etc., (while Experienced Members of the Chinese Academy of Sciences strongly Criticized, in Parallel, the serious Dangers with which such Maverick Heritable Gene Editing, Affecting all Future Generations, Threatened Humanity's Future, See : http://www.eurofora.net/newsflashes/news/chinacondemnsheritablegeneediting.html).
+=> But, as it is well Known, Surprizingly, just 1 Day Later, on 31 December 2019, it was Also Announced that this Strange, Deadly New Virus, suddenly Attacked China, (starting by Wuhan) !
++ And 6 Months Later, on May 2020, Earlier this Week, Distinguished Members from the Chinese Academy of Science, observed the Fact that, Still, the Open Question of "a Natural Origin of the Virus", Despite Many Scientifics persisting to Search Worldwide, nevertheless, still remains "a Mystery" !...
+++ Meanwhile, Notoriously, Various Hypothesis and/or Questions about an Eventual Artificial Fabrication of that New Virus "by a Lab", (for whatever Purpose : f.ex. "Vaccine" and/or "Bio-Weapon" Researches, etc), have Surfaced, Together with Some (InSufficient yet) Facts, by several Sources, including a NOBEL Prize Winner Scientist, a Former, Twice-Elected Head of State, etc, (Comp., f.ex., among others, also : http://www.eurofora.net/newsflashes/news/nobelprofonlabmadevirus.html, and : http://www.eurofora.net/newsflashes/news/ahmadinejadonlabomadevirus1.html + http://www.eurofora.net/newsflashes/news/ahmadinejadonlabomadevirus2.html, etc).
++++ And it's also Nowadays that People start to Realize the Potential Importance of the Questions Raised, Meanwhile, by the UnPrecedented Arrest of anOther ..."Dean of Harvard" (Comp. Supra), this time in Bio-Chemistry, Shortly Before the Virus becomes really apparent, Towards the End of 2019, by the North American Authorities, 2 or 3 Months Before the Pandemic hits also the USA themselves, on 2020, quite Hard.
This "Harvard's Dean" was notoriously Accused for receiving a Lot of UnDeclared Money from Abroad, particularly China, where he reportedly Helped check and choose Scientists for the Top Security Bio-Labo (level 4) at Wuhan, as well as its own and other relevant Bio-Tech Big Projects.
++++ Both Harvard's Medical School and Bio-Chemistry, as well as "Brigham and Women's Hospital" (Comp. Supra), are Located in Boston, Massachusetts, which Notoriously is a "Liberal" Hotspot for Opposition's Dem's Party of former POTUS Barack Hussein Obama and current Candidate to the November 2020 US Presidential Elections Joe Biden, i.e., of Political Adversaries to the Republican US President Don Trump...
=> Thus, Both current Presidents of China and USA, Xi and Trump,
who, Despite some Recurrent Trade and/or Other Issues, (often Provoked by sly interferences), had, in the Past and even Recently, Managed to Seek and Find some Friendly Compromises and Common Points, (f.ex. just after the Latest Phone Conversation between them, on the ways to Tackle the Virus, etc),
>>> Nowadays, Could and Should Realize that they have some Common Ennemies, (Hidden Both inside China and the US) : A Fact which Incites them to Decisively Become Friends, cooperating on such Core issues, for the Benefit of Humankind !...
And the Real Europeans (in Fact, the Most Hardly Hit by the Deadly Virus) should Play an Active and Important part on that,
withOut Falling in Any Sly Trap to eventually distract their Attention from the much Needed Focus on Urgently Saving so Many Threatened Human Lives !
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People in Europe and the World expect from CoE to make a succes of its "Monitoring" for Human Rights and Democracy, despite difficulties, said Finland's President Tarja Halonen to "EuroFora" at a crucial moment for the mecanism built 15 years ago by the paneuropean organization which celebrates its 60th Anniversary in 2009.
Halonen, known as "Mother" of CoE's "Monitoring" mecanism, a long-time MEP and former Foreign Minister before becoming Finland's President, holds a long experience in the mattter, after also serving twice as CoE and EU Chairwoman in the past. That's why she is well placed to judge how CoE's "monitoring" should deal today with some crucial issues of importance both to CoE and to the EU.
The move came just a Month before a crucial, last visit to Turkey, scheduled for June, by the President of CoE''s "Monitoring" Committee, Ukranian MEP Serge Holovaty, to finalize his Report on Ankara, the CoE Member State with the longest Monitoring procedure. From its results depends its overall credibility.
This is a Test-case, because, in fact, it's in order to avoid Sanctions threatened against Turkey by a CoE's Assembly's April 1995 Resolution for grave Human Rights violations, Democracy gaps, the continuing Military Occupation in Cyprus, the unresolved Kurdish problem, Aegean differend with Greece, etc., that MEPs decided to create, for the 1st time on April 1996, a "Monitoring" proces, allegedly destinated to check, without excluding Countries who did not fulfill all CoE's standards.
In the Past, the obliged withdrawal of Greece's Military regime and of its "Civil" cover-up out of the CoE had helped bring back Democracy in 1974. But, on the contrary, since April 1996, the idea was to "monitor" Human Rights' respect while keeping most concerned Countries inside the CoE. After Turkey's oldest example, this was extended also to several former "Eastern" European Countries, even if CoE's Assembly has imposed to some of them (fex. Ukraine, Russia, etc., after Belarus, Serbia, etc) various "Sanctions", that Ankara always avoided. Curiously more succesful even than .. USA itself, (a CoE "Observer" since 1995), which has been at least threatened with sanctions some years ago..
EU-effects of CoE's Monitoring process became obvious between 2001-2008, since the "closure" of this procedure, when CoE felt that a Country had met most of its Human Rights, Democracy and Rule of Law obligations, (i.e. the "Copenhagen Criteria" for the EU), helped trigger Negotiations with the EU for "Accession" or other closer relations : This occured already before the 2004 and 2007 EU Enlargements to former "Eastern" European Countries, as well as for the commencement of "accession" negotiations with Croatia, and of "open-ended" negotiations with Turkey in 2005.
But a stricking new development are Holovaty's recent findings that on core Human Rights issues as Torture and Freedom of Expression, Turkey, even "5 Years after" CoE closed its "Monitoring", back in 2004, inciting EU to start accession Negotiations in 2005, still presents grave problems.
His findings are of crucial importance after a 2008 CoE Resolution called, "if need be", to "seriously consider the possibility of Re-Opening the Monitoring procedure for Turkey" : A move which might affect Ankara's controversial EU bid, since EU Accession Negotiations are based on the Hypothesis that the Candidate fullfils the "Copenhagen Criteria" (See above)..
Holovaty expressed his will to check "Matters still Outstanding" and those that he "didn't have an opportunity to discuss" at an earlier visit this year, "in order to discuss the more complex issues in greater depth", at his forthcoming New Visit to Ankara, before the December 2009 EU Summit. This is all based on the 2004 CoE Resolution which stresses that, CoE "will continue.. post-monitoring Dialogue with the Turkish authorities,...in addition to a 12-points list,..and on any Other Matter that might arise in connection with Turkey's Obligations as a CoE member state".
CoE's Resolution also asks from Turkey "to secure the proper Implementation of Judgements, particularly in the Cyprus v. Turkey InterState case", of 2001, which concerns also the plight of many Hundreds of MISSING People. It adds Turkey's obligations to "execute" ECHR's Judgements in the Loizidou case,..and in particular adopt General Measures to avoid repetition or continuation of Violations found by the Court" to the detriment of Refugees.
Nevertheless, Holovaty said to "EuroFora" that "MISSING" persons,"might be included" and cannot be excluded, but he has yet to examine the situation "to find out which issues will be raised" to the Turkish Government.
Therefore, "EuroFora" asked Halonen, as the Historic "Mother" of CoE's Monitoring mecanism, if she thought that, "whenever there are grave Human Rights Violations, as fex. "MISSING" persons, attested even by ECHR's judgements, they should be always checked by a Monitoring process. Or could they be forgotten ?"
- "We (CoE) must be, at the same time, Fair, Realistic, but not in the mind that "now we have Forgotten", etc., replied to "EuroFora"'s question Halonen, speaking as a matter of general principle.
- "When we think of those People that are suffering from the lack of Democracy, of Human Rights, and of the Rule of Law", "we should find a base on how to deal with the (Monitoring) system more rapidly"', she stressed.
- "Sometimes it's very difficult to combine Transparency and Effectivenes together, particularly in this specific case", she went on to say. But, "I have not found a (CoE Member) Country who could be insensitive in this sens", Halonen answered concerning grave Human Rights violations attested by the ECHR.
- "I have no ready-made answer. I have the expectations that you, in the CoE, will, step by step, find the different types of the monitoring systems."
Also "because this is a part of the UN's Post-Conflict system, (fex. when it comes to Cyprus' MISSING persons), and it's a more Global system". So that, "If we make a succes in Europe, the others will follow", throughout the World. "But they expect that we (Europe) are this opportunity, this Opportunity to make a Succes", Halonen concluded.
In addition, she advised to extend CoE's Monitoring to all its 47 Member States, "because, as long as we hear that, all these monitoring systems are "OK for the neighbor, but not for me", "it's very difficult" to understand. Something which could make easier to Compare...
Finnish MEP Jaako Laakso, former CoE Rapporteur on the Occupied Territories of Cyprus and one of the 5 Signatories of the Historic CoE's call to create the "MONITORING" mecanism since 1996, was more specific : - "We (CoE Assembly) have to find a way for the issue of Cyprus' MISSING People to be better followed", he stressed, anouncing his intention to "speak to Mr. Holovaty" about that. "There might be also other ways", added Laakso.
- The 2008 "Year had been a very Bad one for Turkey with regard to Human Rights in general, and Freedom of Expression in particular", denounced, meanwhile, Holovaty's preliminary Post-Monitoringh Draft Report by Holovaty, published by the CoE on April 2009.
"Amnesty International believes that freedom of expression is not guaranteed given the various articles of the Criminal Code that restrict it. .. "For example, 1,300 Websites are said to have been closed down by the (Turkish) authorities in 2008" ! While "the new Turkish Criminal Code was used to bring a total of 1,072 proceedings between June 2005 and April 2008, and led to the conviction of 192 people", for expressing views. "Representatives of the Özgür Gündem newspaper, which specialises in Kurdish affairs, ..complained about Numerous Attacks on their Freedom of Expression ...as was everyone who advocated a settlement to the question by means other than the intervention of the army" "According to their figures, 19 Newspapers had been suspended 43 times between 4 August 2006 and 4 November 2008" !...
Moreover, on 2008, CoE's "Ministers adopted its 4rth Resolution on the execution of the judgments of the ECHR, ...and outstanding issues regarding 175 Judgements and decisions relating to Turkey delivered between 1996 and 2008... concerning Deaths resulting from the excessive use of force by members of the Security forces, the failure to protect the right to life, the DIisappearance and/or death of individuals, Ill-Treatment and the Destruction of property". CoE's " Ministers urged the Turkish authorities ...to ensure that members of Security forces of all ranks can be prosecuted without administrative
authorisation" for "serious crimes". Holovaty reminded.
"Nonetheless", Holovaty heard anew of "Several cases of Violence committed last year (2008) by the (Turkish) security forces". Amnesty International speaks of Many Cases of ill-treatment and Torture in the prisons and by the police". "Including, fex."'the death of Engin Ceber, a young man of 29 who died on October 2008 as a result of the TORTURE allegedly inflicted on him by police officers, prison staff and members of the gendarmerie. He was part of a group of people arrested on September 2008 during a demonstration and Press Conference in Istanbul'. Proceedings against suspects are "on-going" in this case.
- " I therefore noted an Obvious Contradiction between the Government's stated "zero tolerance" policy.... of Torture and other forms of ill-treatment, and the different testimonies given", denounced CoE's Rapporteur. Turkish "authorities must make considerable efforts to guarantee that proper investigations are carried out into allegations of abuses by members of the security forces and that perpetrators are effectively punished" "In this respect, I have requested detailed Statistics on the number of Investigations, acquittals and convictions in cases involving allegations of abuse in order to show the positive impact of the measures taken to date", Holovaty said, repeating a permanently unsatisfied CoE's demand to Turkey since a Decade...
- "The Political Crisis that shook the country in the spring of 2008 highlighted the Weaknesses of the (Turkish) Constitution", which comes from the Military regime of 1982, "and the Urgent Need of Reforms", stressed from the outset CoE's Rapporteur in 2009. In particular, "the ...Democratic functioning of state institutions, including the independence of the judicial system, are crucial", he observes.
But, "the Electoral system and the ways in which it is circumvented do not appear to give those elected complete Legitimacy, and tend to pervert the course of direct universal suffrage", denounces Holovaty, observing that, even 5 Years later, Turkey did not yet change the 10% nationwide Threshold for a party to take any seat, which is "far higher" than the "3%" maximum in Europe and already condemned as contrary to European Standards by the CoE.
+ Moreover, EU Parliament's 2009 Report on Turkey, drafted by Dutch MEP Ria Oomen-Ruijten and adopted in Strasbourg on March, expresses "Concern over the Failure of the (Turkish) Judiciary to prosecute cases of Torture and Ill-treatment, the Number of which is Growing". EU also "is concerned about continuing Hostility and Violence against Minorities" in Turkey. It also "calls on the Turkish Government to launch, as a matter of Priority, a Political Initiatve favouring a lasting Settlement of the Kurdish issue, (while "condemning violence.. and terrorist groups"). EU "regrets that No progress has been made on establishing full, systematic Civilian suprevisory functions over the (Turkish) Military".
The final results of Holovaty's 2nd and last visit to Turkley will be known later this year, and, at any case, before EU's December 2009 Summit.
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HomeArchivesVolume 82Summer 2015Denying The Dyad: How Criminalizing Pregnant Drug Use Harms The Baby, Taxpayers and Vulnerable Women
Denying The Dyad: How Criminalizing Pregnant Drug Use Harms The Baby, Taxpayers and Vulnerable Women
by Melissa Ballengee Alexander
"These ladies are the worst of the worst. . . . " Or, at least so said the sponsor of the nation's first criminal law expressly authorizing prosecution of women for assault based on illegal drug use during pregnancy. Admittedly, there is intuitive appeal to throwing a pregnant woman who uses drugs in jail. The images of a baby detoxing can be heart-wrenching, and the idea of a mother who would harm her baby for a "high" is abhorrent. On the surface, these cases typify good versus evil.
However, medical experts who have studied pregnant drug use uniformly oppose criminalization. They describe drug addiction as a disease that requires treatment. Where others see blame, medical experts point to a complicated confluence of genetic, environmental, and structural factors that make certain individuals uniquely vulnerable to drug use. With regard to pregnant women, physicians emphasize the interconnectedness of mother and baby and warn that criminalizing pregnant drug use is far more likely to deter prenatal care than to deter drug use. The narrative of good versus evil must be rewritten to reflect empirical evidence that disease and structural violence play a significant, often understated, role in pregnant drug use.
Nonetheless, it is indisputable that there is a growing epidemic of narcotic drug use among pregnant women. Nationwide, the incidence of Neonatal Abstinence Syndrome (NAS)—a clinical diagnosis of drug withdrawal syndrome in a baby commonly caused by exposure to narcotic drugs in utero—nearly tripled from 2000 to 2009. The incidence of NAS then doubled again from 2009 to 2012. As a result, prosecutors are increasingly demanding further criminalization of pregnant drug use.
Yet, experts report that the NAS epidemic appears to be primarily driven by a nationwide increase in prescription drug use. To be successful and reverse the tide of NAS births, legal reform must focus on preventing prescription drug abuse among all population groups, as well as increasing access to education, birth control, and drug treatment. Although popular, criminalization will not stem the rise in NAS births.
In 2014, Tennessee passed the nation's first criminal law expressly authorizing prosecutors to charge women with assault based on illegal drug use during pregnancy. Since then, five other states have proposed virtually identical legislation. Even without such a law, states around the country criminally prosecute women for drug use during pregnancy pursuant to child endangerment, feticide, and other statutes that do not expressly apply to in utero exposure to drugs. However, few indictments under other states' generic statutes have resulted in convictions that withstood appeal; therefore, the implications of Tennessee's express law could be profound. The goal of this article is to convince other states to avoid mimicking the express criminalization of pregnant drug use that Tennessee adopted and to encourage lawmakers in Tennessee to allow their law to lapse automatically. Absent further legislative action, Tennessee's law will cease to be effective on July 1, 2016.
This article analyzes how Tennessee's unprecedented law is flawed and describes why even a more carefully crafted law criminalizing pregnant drug use would be bad public policy because such laws ignore the interconnectedness between mother and baby as well as addiction's unique challenges as a medical disease. Section I provides background information on NAS and traces the intertwined histories of fetal rights, personhood, and assault liability. Section II illustrates how Tennessee's law is poorly targeted, ignoring the overwhelming majority of NAS births—two-thirds of which are associated with prescription drugs. This section then outlines the illusory nature of the affirmative defense for drug treatment and the injustice of the law as applied to women who have repeatedly sought treatment, only to be turned away because treatment was unavailable or unaffordable. It explains how the law, influenced by the fetal protection and personhood movements, rests on the legal fiction that a pregnant woman and her fetus are separate and independent persons. In reality, a mother and her fetus is a dyad, thoroughly intertwined. By failing to appreciate the interconnected nature of this relationship, the law undervalues shared interests, especially the degree to which threatening and punishing a mother intrinsically threatens and punishes her baby. The thirty-seven other states that have fetal protection laws may also be at risk of undervaluing the shared interests of this relationship. Section II closes by focusing on potential harm lurking in the sweeping, under-reported provision of the new law that criminalizes any unlawful act by a pregnant woman that injures her fetus.
In Section III, the article shifts to a more general critique of any law criminalizing pregnant drug use. Using Tennessee as a case study, this section illustrates how criminalizing pregnant women's drug use fails to effectively accomplish five objectives of criminal law—to restore, incapacitate, rehabilitate, deter, or punish. Such laws ignore the impact of prescription drugs, the intertwined relationship between mother and baby, and drug addiction's unique challenges as a medical disease. In doing so, criminalization incentivizes abortion, deters prenatal care, wastes taxpayer money, and undermines the health and well-being of the baby.

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaCommonCrawl


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The Leeds businesses that did not pay workers minimum wage named and shamed
The city's worst offender was a hairdresser
Victoria Scheer
Whitehall Hairdressing, Leeds (Image: Google Maps)
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Three Leeds businesses have failed to pay employees thousands of pounds in minimum wages.
The city's worst offender was Whitehall Hairdressing after failing to pay £12,882.14 to two workers.
Across Yorkshire, nine businesses breached employment laws, a list published by the government today revealed. Read the full list here.
Investigated between 2016 and 2018, they failed to pay more than £34,000 to 72 workers.
It is the first time the government has named and shamed companies for failing to pay National Minimum Wage since 2018.
Business Minister Paul Scully said: "Paying the minimum wage is not optional, it is the law. It is never acceptable for any employer to short-change their workers, but it is especially disappointing to see huge household names who absolutely should know better on this list.
"This should serve as a wake-up call to named employers and a reminder to everyone of the importance of paying workers what they are legally entitled to."
Across the country, one of the main causes of minimum wage breaches was low-paid employees being made to cover work costs, which would eat into their pay packet, such as paying for uniform, training or parking fees.
Also, some employers failed to raise employees' pay after they had a birthday which should have moved them into a different National Minimum Wage bracket.
Employers who pay workers less than the minimum wage have to pay back arrears of wages to the worker at current minimum wage rates.
They also face hefty financial penalties of up to 200 per cent of arrears - capped at £10,000 per worker - which are paid to the government.
Each of the companies named today have paid back their workers, and were forced to pay financial penalties.
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The companies the government is naming today were served a notice of underpayment between September 2016 and July 2018, following investigations by HMRC.
Last month, the government announced a measured increase in National Living Wage and National Minimum Wage rates, which will come into effect from April 2021.
Every worker is entitled to the National Minimum Wage, no matter their age or profession.
Here is the list of Yorkshire companies who failed to pay their workers minimum wages:
Mrs Emma Hartley, trading as Whitehall Hairdressing, Leeds, failed to pay £12,882.14 to 2 workers
The Walshford Inn Limited, trading as The Bridge Hotel & Spa, Harrogate W1W, failed to pay £11,947.23 to 26 workers
The Calderdale Community Childcare Company Ltd, Calderdale HX2, failed to pay £2,321.81 to 2 workers
Four Pillars Hotels Limited, Harrogate HG2, failed to pay £2,092.55 to 29 workers
Mrs Therese Ann Binns, trading as Winston Churchill, Bradford, failed to pay £1,774.35 to 3 workers
The Wensleydale Heifer Limited, Richmondshire DL8, failed to pay £1,625.89 to 3 workers
Shaoke Hospitality Ltd- Dissolved 30/04/2020, trading as Mooboo, Leeds L15, failed to pay £664.94 to 5 workers
Molescroft Nursing Home (Holdings) Limited, trading as Beverley Grange Nursing Home, East Riding of Yorkshire HU13, failed to pay £510.24 to 1 worker
Nova Display Limited, Leeds LS25, failed to pay £722.78 to 1 worker
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Richmondshire company The Wensleydale Heifer explained the "administrative error" occurred when a member of staff turned 21.
Owner of the five-star luxury hotel David Moss said: "The Wensleydale Heifer is a small, family-run business and the welfare of our staff team is an absolute priority. This matter dates back to 2016 and relates to members of the team turning 21 while working with us.
"An administrative error led to them, for a short period of time, not being paid the correct hourly rate. This was, of course, rectified immediately when we became aware and they were fully reimbursed.
"We're proud to contribute almost £500,000 in wages paid to our staff, and into the wider local Yorkshire economy, each year. We apologised to the team members affected and have, since 2016, made changes to our systems to minimise the risk of an error of this nature happening again."
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He added: "Our colleagues at the Heifer are really important, and we're proud that most of them have been part of the team for many, many years, including one of the people this matter relates to."
Similarly, The Calderdale Community Childcare Company Ltd explained two "administrative errors" such as "pro rata" missing on a contract and paperwork not being submitted cost them thousands of pounds.
Company director Lisa Okonkwo said: "It wasn't done intentionally, it wasn't done maliciously. It was just so unfortunate, it nearly cost us the pre-school.
"It was the most harrowing process. It nearly sank us. We didn't have wiggle room money wise, I nearly had to get a loan off my dad."
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She added: "People look at it and think 'they are really bad', it isn't that, it's genuinely an administrative error."
The company had to pay back the members of staff and was also required to pay £5,000 to HMRC.
Where possible, the businesses listed above have been approached for comment.
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Neuropsych — July 23, 2021
Why do holidays feel like they're over before they even start?
People tend to reflexively assume that fun events – like vacations – will go by really quickly.
Photo by Vidar Nordli-Mathisen on Unsplash
Selin Malkoc
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For many people, summer vacation can't come soon enough – especially for the half of Americans who canceled their summer plans last year due to the pandemic.
But when a vacation approaches, do you ever get the feeling that it's almost over before it starts?
If so, you're not alone.
In some recent studiesGabriela Tonietto, Sam Maglio, Eric VanEpps and I conducted, we found that about half of the people we surveyed indicated that their upcoming weekend trip felt like it would end as soon as it started.
This feeling can have a ripple effect. It can change the way trips are planned – you might, for example, be less likely to schedule extra activities. At the same time, you might be more likely to splurge on an expensive dinner because you want to make the best of the little time you think you have.
Where does this tendency come from? And can it be avoided?
Not all events are created equal
When people look forward to something, they usually want it to happen as soon as possible and last as long as possible.
We first explored the effect of this attitude in the context of Thanksgiving.
We chose Thanksgiving because almost everyone in the U.S. celebrates it, but not everyone looks forward to it. Some people love the annual family get-together. Others – whether it's the stress of cooking, the tedium of cleaning or the anxiety of dealing with family drama – dread it.
So on the Monday before Thanksgiving in 2019, we surveyed 510 people online and asked them to tell us whether they were looking forward to the holiday. Then we asked them how far away it seemed, and how long they felt it would last. We had them move a 100-point slider – 0 meaning very short and 100 meaning very long – to a location that reflected their feelings.
As we suspected, the more participants looked forward to their Thanksgiving festivities, the farther away it seemed and shorter it felt. Ironically, longing for something seems to shrink its duration in the mind's eye.
Winding the mind's clock
Most people believe the idiom "time flies when you're having fun," and research has, indeed, shown that when time seems to pass by quickly, people assume the task must have been engaging and enjoyable.
We reasoned that people might be over-applying their assumption about the relationship between time and fun when judging the duration of events yet to happen.
As a result, people tend to reflexively assume that fun events – like vacations – will go by really quickly. Meanwhile, pining for something can make the time leading up to the event seem to drag. The combination of its beginning pushed farther away in their minds – with its end pulled closer – resulted in our participants' anticipating that something they looked forward would feel as if it had almost no duration at all.
In another study, we asked participants to imagine going on a weekend trip that they either expected to be fun or terrible. We then asked them how far away the start and end of this trip felt like using a similar 0 to 100 scale. 46% of participants evaluated the positive weekend as feeling like it had no duration at all: They marked the beginning and the end of the vacation virtually at the same location when using the slider scale.
Thinking in hours and days
Our goal was to show how these two judgments of an event – the fact that it simultaneously seems farther away and is assumed to last for less time – can nearly eliminate the event's duration in the mind's eye.
We reasoned that if we didn't explicitly highlight these two separate pieces – and instead directly asked them about the duration of the event – a smaller portion of people would indicate virtually no duration for something they looked forward to.
We tested this theory in another study, in which we told participants that they would watch two five-minute-long videos back-to-back. We described the second video as either humorous or boring, and then asked them how long they thought each video would feel like it lasted.
We found that the participants predicted that the funny video would still feel shorter and was farther away than the boring one. But we also found that participants believed it would last a bit longer than the responses we received in the earlier studies.
This finding gives us a way to overcome this biased perception: focus on the actual duration. Because in this study, participants directly reported how long the funny video would last – and not the perceived distance of its beginning and its end – they were far less likely to assume it would be over just as it started.
While it sounds trivial and obvious, we often rely on our subjective feelings – not objective measures of time – when deciding how long a period of time will feel and how to best use it.
So when looking forward to much-anticipated events like vacations, it's important to remind yourself just how many days it will last.
You'll get more out of the experience – and, hopefully, put yourself in a better position to take advantage of the time you do have.
Selin Malkoc, Associate Professor of Marketing, The Ohio State University
emotionsmindmotivationpsychologytimetravel
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Writers on DVD
10 February 2019 by Daniel Dercksen·Comments Off on Writers on DVD
Upcoming Films
Buy DVD's Here
The world of legendary writer J. D. Salinger is brought vividly to life in Rebel In The Rye, a revealing look at the experiences that shaped one of the most renowned, controversial, and enigmatic authors of our time. Set amidst the colorful backdrop of mid-20th century New York City, Rebel in the Rye follows a young Salinger (Nicholas Hoult) as he struggles to find his voice, pursues a love affair with famed socialite Oona O'Neill (Zoey Deutch), and fights on the frontlines of World War II. It's these experiences that will inform the creation of his masterpiece, The Catcher in the Rye, bringing him overnight fame (and notoriety) and leading him to withdraw from the public eye for the rest of his life. This is definately for those interested in films that take us into the mindscape of writers who shaped the thoughts of many with their writing – also make sure to watch Genius, amasterful journey into the mindscape of an impassioned writer and how the creative process impacts on the reality of the world and people surrounding the writer. This stirring drama deals with the complex friendship and transformative professional relationship between the world-renowned book editor Maxwell Perkins (who discovered F. Scott Fitzgerald and Ernest Hemingway) and the larger-than-life literary giant Thomas Wolfe. Jude Law is superb as the crazed Wolfe. Read more about Rebel In The Rye / Watch the trailer
With The Disaster Artist, director James Franco (As I Lay Dying, Child of God) transforms the tragicomic true-story of aspiring filmmaker and infamous Hollywood outsider Tommy Wiseau—an artist whose passion was as sincere as his methods were questionable—into a celebration of friendship, artistic expression, and dreams pursued against insurmountable odds. Trailer
If you want to write a screenplay for Film or a TV Series about Famous Writers, sign up for The Write Journey correspondence course
The Man Who Invented Christmas tells of the magical journey that led to the creation of Ebenezer Scrooge, Tiny Tim and other classic characters from A Christmas Carol, showing how Charles Dickens mixed real life inspirations with his vivid imagination to conjure up unforgettable characters and a timeless tale, forever changing the holiday season into the celebration we know today. Based on Les Standiford's 2008 book, The Man Who Invented Christmas: How Charles Dickens's A Christmas Carol Rescued His Career and Revived Our Holiday Spirits, the movie brings the imagination of one of the world's best-loved authors to vivid reality as he creates the masterpiece that has shaped modern-day Christmas celebrations for more than 150 years, directed by Bharat Nalluri (Miss Pettigrew Lives for a Day) from a screenplay by Susan Coyne (Mozart in the Jungle, Slings and Arrows). Read more about the film / Watch the trailer
Goodbye Christopher Robin gives a rare glimpse into the relationship between beloved children's author A. A. Milne (Domhnall Gleeson) and his son Christopher Robin (Will TIlston), whose toys inspired the magical world of Winnie-the-Pooh. If there's one reason to add this DVD to your collection, it's for the first rate bonus features that include a journey into the making of the film, the cast talking about their characters, the story, and an insightful audio commentary by director Richard Curtis and screenwriter Frank Cottrell-Boyce. Trailer
Spielberg's The Post is a masterful high-wire drama based on the true events that unfolded when The Washington Post and The New York Times formed a pragmatic alliance in the wake of The Times' incendiary exposure of the Top Secret study that would become known to the world as the Pentagon Papers. At the center of the superb ensemble piece are the top notch performances of Meryl Streep and Tom Hanks as Graham and Bradlee—one a untested leader learning to stake her ground as a woman in a shifting world; the other a hard-nosed newsman evolving from chasing down stories to fighting for the very principles of truth—who discover they can push one another to their best. A must of any collector. Read more about the film / Watch the trailer
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Oct. 18, 2019 / 1:11 PM
Leslie Odom Jr. releases new single 'Go Crazy'
Oct. 18 (UPI) -- Leslie Odom, Jr., is back with new music.
The 38-year-old singer and actor released three new singles, "Go Crazy," "u r my everything" and "Standards," on Friday.
The trio of singles appears on Odom's forthcoming album Mr, set for release Nov. 8. The album features 10 other songs, including the single "Under Pressure."
"new songs are out," Odom tweeted early Friday.
New songs are out https://t.co/MvM0lwsuk5 pic.twitter.com/mAqphmqADy— Leslie Odom, Jr. (@leslieodomjr) October 18, 2019
Odom said in a press release that he will perform "Go Crazy" Oct. 24 on The Late Late Show with James Corden and Nov. 5 on Today.
Odom wrote and recorded Mr over the past two years. The album is his first album of all-original material and features elements of soul, R&B, jazz and pop. Odom previously released the albums Leslie Odom Jr. (2014) and Simply Christmas (2016).
Odom is known for originating the role of Aaron Burr in the Broadway musical Hamilton. He starred as Sam Strickland on the NBC series Smash and played Rev. Curtis Scott on Law & Order: SVU.
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Music // 1 day ago
Wiggles singer Greg Page suffers cardiac arrest at concert
Jan. 17 (UPI) -- Greg Page was rushed to the hospital after collapsing at a benefit concert for Australian bushfire relief.
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Jan. 17 (UPI) -- "Xanax" singer Lindsay Lohan said she will release her third studio album at the end of February.
Eminem releases surprise new album 'Music To Be Murdered By'
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Moments from the National Board Of Review Gala in NYC


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If at any time you wish to stop, start, increase or decrease your donation please contact us.
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Economic Developmentfourcegroup2021-01-06T18:35:40+00:00
Fairview Heights, Illinois is located in the Metro-East portion of the St. Louis MSA, and is 15 minutes from downtown St. Louis. With over 3 million square feet of retail, Fairview Heights is dubbed the Retail Hub of Southern Illinois. It is home to a Super Regional Mall and 7 shopping centers. 75 restaurants operate in the City, as do 8 hotels and motels. Interstate 64 straddles the City with traffic counts at Exit 12 exceeding 75,000 cars a day.
The Fairview Heights, Illinois Economic Development Department has 3 primary goals:
1 Retain existing businesses within the City and advocate or assist in the expansion of those existing businesses.
2 Recruit new business start-ups and solicit companies to locate in the City.
3 Spearhead certain projects that will complement the City's Economic Development efforts (such as "Arrowhead Business Industrial Park", "Lincoln Trail TIF Streetscape Project", and the "Phase I South Corridor Bike Trail").
To accomplish these 3 goals, the Department utilizes a number of tools, which are available on our website:
Business Assistance Program (PDF) document has been prepared to inform individuals and companies of financial incentives available to assist in locating, relocating or expanding in the City.
Community Profile (PDF) outlining the demographic and business characteristics of the City is maintained and updated on a regular basis.
iInventory of Vacant Buildings and Sites available for occupancy or development in the City is maintained and updated continually.
Marketing Brochure (PDF) slanted toward Economic Development opportunities in the City has been produced to entice builders, developers and companies to locate here.
Urban Land Institute Technical Assistance Panel (TAP) Program Report (PDF) Technical Panel analysis of Development opportunities in Fairview Heights
Economic Development Strategy Request for Proposals (RFP) Will identify goals for building and strengthening the City's economy with strategies, tactics, guidelines and timelines for achieving such goals.
Metro East Chamber of Commerce
Learn more about …
Why should my business locate to Fairview Heights?
The City of Fairview Heights is THE retail hub of Southern Illinois and has approximately 3.5 million square feet of commercial space, making it the perfect place for businesses to prosper and grow. Located conveniently on Interstate 64 with 78,000 VPD at the Exit 12 interchange, just 12 miles east of St. Louis, Fairview Heights is the ideal location for your business.
I'm thinking about locating my business to Fairview Heights. Where can I view information on available buildings and development sites?
Please feel free to contact Mike Malloy, Director of Economic Development, to help assist you in selecting the perfect location for your business in Fairview Heights. Our department can be reached at (618) 489-2033 or at malloy@cofh.org. You can also browse available buildings and development sites here:
Available Buildings & Sites
What type of financial assistance is available for my business?
The City has established several programs to provide various financial incentives in an effort to attract new business development and growth.
Is Fairview Heights a member of a Chamber of Commerce?
Fairview Heights is a member and platinum investor of the Metro-East Regional Chamber of Commerce. Frequent ribbon cuttings are held for new business openings and anniversaries.
Where can I view information on businesses in Fairview Heights that have recently opened?
You can see photo listings of all businesses who have opened recently in Fairview Heights here: Business in Fairview Heights Photo Gallery
© Copyright 2020 City of Fairview Heights. All Rights Reserved.


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Liberty Air
KING AIR C90
CREW TRAINING
LIBERTY AIR FORMS
Click the image below to view our Air Carrier Certificate and scroll down to review our terms of service.
LIBERTY AIR MANAGEMENT, INC. TERMS OF SERVICE
All flights operated by Liberty Air Management, Inc., a Maryland corporation and holder of United States Air Carrier Certificate P6VA209H, hereinafter referred to as Liberty Air, shall be operated in accordance with the following terms of service:
Acceptance and Confirmation
A flight will be confirmed by Liberty Air only upon the client's acceptance of a fixed quote or rate. Said acceptance requires that the signed quote sheet be returned to Liberty Air by fax, at (301)694-9922, email to charter@libertyair.com, or mail to 330 Aviation Way, Suite G, Frederick, MD 21701. Client acknowledges that, by accepting a fixed quote or rate, it has read, and accepts in whole, these terms of service.
Availability of the aircraft and crew will be confirmed upon the final booking of the client's trip and is subject to change until such time. Changes in itinerary may affect the availability of the aircraft and/or crew, and are subject to review by Liberty Air before availability can be confirmed.
Fixed Quote – The price quoted is a fixed amount for the customer requested itinerary, in the aircraft type requested, and utilizing Liberty Air's selected Fixed Base Operator (FBO). This price is exclusive of charges for client requested catering, deicing or hanger rental due to inclement weather, customs and immigration fees, international flight charges, flight phone usage, ground transportation, diversions due to inclement weather, any costs incurred due to circumstances beyond Liberty Air's control or other special requests made by the client. Changes in itinerary, and/or aircraft type requested, will affect the quoted price. Requests by client to use alternate FBO's and Airport Service providers may incur an additional charge.
Quotes which are prepared more than fifteen (15) days prior to the actual operation of the flight may be adjusted to account for fluctuation in fuel costs. The client shall have the opportunity to accept or reject the adjusted quote prior to the flight.
Rate Quote – The rate quoted is for an hourly flight rate, measured from aircraft take-off to touchdown, in the aircraft type requested. This rate is exclusive of charges for wait time, landing/ramp fees, crew expenses, remain-overnight (RON) fees, fuel surcharges, client requested catering, deicing or hanger rental due to inclement weather, customs and immigration fees, international flight charges, flight phone usage, ground transportation, diversions due to inclement weather, any costs incurred due to circumstances beyond Liberty Air's control or other special requests made by the client.
All fixed quotes and rates include a 4.0% discount for payment by cash, personal or company check (with credit card back-up), certified check, cashier's check or wire transfer. Clients electing to pay by credit card hereby acknowledge the removal of the discount, which shall then be added to the grand total.
Unless otherwise stated, clients representing themselves as charter brokers or other air carriers, and receiving a "NET" quote are responsible for the collection, and remittance, of applicable Federal Passenger Transportation Excise Tax (FET) and passenger segment fees. Liberty Air shall retain the rights to all fuel tax credits.
Unless prior arrangements have been made, and approved in writing by Liberty Air, payment in full is required at least twenty four (24) hours prior to the scheduled date and time of departure.
Client further agrees to personally guarantee payment in the event of returned checks or denial by the credit card issuing bank.
The return of a company or personal check shall result in the client's credit card back-up being charged, without further client notification, for the grand total plus the cash discount and a $35.00 returned check charge. Finance charges shall accrue on any unpaid balance at a rate of 1.5% per month (18% APR).
Clients with returned checks will no longer be eligible for cash discounts.
Itineraries Of Less Than 48 Hours Duration
Accepted and confirmed itineraries, of less than forty eight (48) hours duration, must be cancelled more than twenty four (24) hours in advance of the scheduled date and time of departure to avoid cancellation penalties. Cancellation must be personally acknowledged by a representative of Liberty Air for the cancellation to be valid.
Accepted and confirmed itineraries, of less than forty eight (48) hours duration, cancelled less than twenty four (24) hours prior to the scheduled date and time of departure from the aircraft's home base are subject to a charge equal to one (1.0) hours of the flight time at Liberty Air's retail flight rate.
Additionally, the client agrees to pay for any costs incurred by Liberty Air in conjunction with the cancellation of an accepted and confirmed flight including, but not limited to, cancellation fees for hotel accommodations, ground transportation, catering and international fees.
Itineraries Of More Than 48 Hours Duration
Accepted and confirmed itineraries, of more than forty eight (48) hours duration, must be cancelled more than forty eight (48) hours in advance of the scheduled date and time of departure to avoid cancellation penalties. Cancellation must be personally acknowledged by a representative of Liberty Air for the cancellation to be valid.
Accepted and confirmed itineraries of more than forty eight (48) hours duration, cancelled less than forty eight (48) hours, but more than twenty four (24) hours, prior to the scheduled date and time of departure from the aircraft's home base are subject to a charge equal to one (1.0) hours of the flight time at Liberty Air's retail flight rate .
Accepted and confirmed itineraries, of more than 48 hours duration, cancelled twenty four (24) hours, or less, prior to the scheduled date and time of departure from the aircraft's home base are subject to a charge equal to two (2.0) hours of the flight time at Liberty Air's retail flight rate.
Flights Booked From An Aircraft Hold
Cancellation of accepted and confirmed flights which were booked after the client has previously placed that aircraft on hold, and was then informed of another request for the aircraft, or, were booked after another client released a hold on the aircraft, are subject to a charge, as set forth above, regardless of the time of cancellation.
Liberty Air shall not be liable for any delay or cancellation caused by weather, mechanical failure, air traffic control, acts of God, or any event or occurrence beyond the reasonable control of Liberty Air. If replacement transportation becomes necessary, Liberty Air shall make every reasonable attempt to arrange, however cannot guarantee, comparable transportation. In the event that Liberty Air is unable to complete any portion of a confirmed trip, the client's financial responsibility shall be limited to that portion of the trip completed.
Brokered Flights
Upon client request, Liberty Air may arrange for flights operated by other certificate holders under their respective air carrier certificate. Under such circumstances, the client shall indemnify and hold harmless Liberty Air against any and all losses.
Liberty Air is prohibited from carrying any hazardous materials such as, but not limited to, fuels, paints, flammable liquids, batteries and explosives.
Carriage Of Pets/Animals
Passengers wishing to carry pets onboard the aircraft must obtain prior approval from Liberty Air.
Passenger Manifest
A complete passenger list is required at least twenty four (24) hours prior to the scheduled day and time of departure. Said list shall include passenger names, weights and dates of birth. Failure to provide a complete passenger list may result in departure delays or denial of boarding.
The client and the passengers shall be solely responsible for having in their possession all required travel documents, including passports and visas. The client and the passengers shall act in a reasonable and responsible manner at all times, and comply with the directives and instructions of the flight crew. The client shall be liable for any damage caused by any of the passengers to the aircraft, or otherwise.
Charter Broker Relationship
Liberty Air does not permit the brokering of any trips or flights and has not authorized any party to act as an "Agent for Liberty Air". Those parties representing themselves as a Charter Broker hereby certify that they are the "Agent" for the charter customer and have been retained by the charter customer to obtain, on behalf of the charter customer, the air transportation provided for on the quote and shall identify the customer on whose behalf the Charter Broker is acting. The Charter Broker shall not represent itself to charter customers as an "Agent for Liberty Air" at any time and shall notify the charter customer(s) in writing that all flights are operated by Liberty Air under its FAA air carrier certificate and operations specifications (or by another authorized air carrier arranged by Liberty Air) and that Liberty Air (or such other air carrier, as applicable) shall remain in operational control of the flight at all times. Such charter customer's arrival for the flight shall provide conclusive evidence of the Charter Broker's agreement to and compliance with these provisions.
Quoted Flight Times
Flight times provided in all quotes are based on estimated times accounting for seasonal winds aloft. They are not a guarantee of the actual time in flight. Additionally, these times are flight times and do not take into account ground taxi times which vary greatly from airport to airport.
Revised 11/12/2013
© 2016 Liberty Air Management, Inc. All Rights Reserved


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Peruvian, Meso-American ceramics exhibit set to open at Wriston
Sarah Buckley
A collection of Peruvian and Meso-American ceramics that resemble this work will be on display at the Wriston galleries.
Have you ever wanted to travel back in time? "Yes," I'm sure some of you are thinking. "I wish that I could retake my calculus midterm." Or, "I wish that Steve Bartman had not caught that fly ball at the Cubs game." Ok, ok, those are both legitimate wishes, but how would you like to travel back to the Pre-Columbian era and study the artistic expressions of aboriginal tribes and cultures?
The Cubs lost, and there is no way to change that, but fortunately you can still travel back in time to see the interesting Pre-Columbian Ceramics exhibit at the Wriston Art Gallery.
The collection of artifacts was compiled by Ester Fajzi-Degroot, who is the collection's manager at Wriston, and by Carrie Ryan, who is a senior at Lawrence double-majoring in history and anthropology.
The artifacts displayed in this exhibit originate from both ancient Peru and Meso-America, and were donated throughout the years or gathered from field work done in Mexico in the 1960s.
The two Peruvian cultures represented are the Moche, who existed from 200 B.C. to 600 A.D. and the Chimu, who existed from 1000 to 1476. Fajzi-Degroot and Ryan chose to focus their exhibit on these two cultures because the representations of the Moche and the Chimu contrasted with the norm of Peruvian art for that day.
For example, while the socially accepted artistic expression in Peru was abstract and anonymous, the Moche approached art as a more personal form, displaying such images as animals, religious symbols, and people completing day-to-day activities.
The Meso-American pieces represented derive from what is known as the Teotihuacan culture, which was prevalent from the years 1 to 750 A.D. Because there is no record of these people ever having a specific name, and because there has never been any evidence of writing found from them, there is a hint of mystery that shrouds this culture.
Archeologists today refer to these people as Teotihuacan, although it is not widely known where this name is derived from. Archaeologists do know, however, that after the area was abandoned the Aztecs adopted it as a sacred and holy land.
Like the Moches, the Teotihuacans defied the Meso-American artistic norms of their day. While the Meso-Americans typically created art forms that were naturalistic and personal, the Teotihuacans created more geometric and abstract forms. Although the Gallery is displaying several face molds from this culture, they all appear to be more stylized than personal.
Some other examples of artifacts at this exhibit are various whistles and containers, used for the functional purposes of these cultures, as well as ceremonial symbols. One is a mold of a jaguar's head. Fajzi-Degroot explained that the jaguar is one of the most respected figures throughout Central and South America and that it is associated with magic and life.
This exhibit will be showing at the Wriston Art Center from Nov. 14 to Dec. 14. Fajzi-Degroot strongly encourages students to come to the exhibit and said that it was especially fun for her to dig through Lawrence's collection and create interesting exhibits out of a variety of artifacts.
If this exhibit piques your curiosity, you might also want to check out professor Kuo-ming Sung's exhibit called "Images of Tibet." This exhibit of vivid and colorful photographs also runs from Nov. 14 to Dec. 14 at the gallery. At 6 p.m. Nov. 14 there will be a lecture followed by the opening reception.
Also running this month will be an exhibit featuring different Greek coins from the Ottilia Buerger Collection of Ancient and Byzantine Coins here at Lawrence.
The Lawrentian Staff - November 14, 2003
Sarah Buckley A collection of Peruvian and Meso-American ceramics that resemble this work will be on display at the Wriston galleries. Have you ever wanted to travel back in time? "Yes," I'm sure some of you are thinking. "I wish that I could retake my calculus midterm." Or, "I wish that Steve Bartman had not…


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Life-changing: Family time in Sydney
For the past decade, Justine Tyerman has been a globetrotting travel writer . . . now all she wants to do is travel to Sydney and explore child-friendly destinations.
Life changes dramatically and wondrously when you become a grandparent, in ways you can't possibly imagine while in a grandchildless state. Before our recent visit to Sydney to reunite with our two daughters, sons-in-law and grandchildren after a year-long Covid-imposed separation, we had all sorts of naive ideas about exploring Australia in our 'free time'. Chris and I thought we'd be superfluous to requirements if we hung around for the whole six weeks so we planned to head off on a few road trips to 'fill in time'.
However, helping out with a newborn and a toddler turned out to be full-on — not that we minded in the least. After so long apart, we were deliriously happy to be together again. Even mundane tasks like house-cleaning, washing, ironing, supermarket shopping and cooking were fun because we knew they made a huge difference to the lives of the young parents. Rocking tiny Isabel to sleep and playing raucous games of hide and seek with boisterous Francesca rank right up there among the highlights of my life. I've never experienced such fulfilment and happiness. And early morning strolls with Isabel in her pram and late afternoon ambles with Francesca in and out of her pushchair are memories I'll treasure forever.
Every now and then however, our daughters insisted we should take a break and have a change of scenery. We found we couldn't bear to be away from the little ones for too long so day trips were all we could manage. And wherever we went, I found myself viewing everything through the eyes of a granny. Almost overnight, my whole perspective had changed.
We had our own vehicle, a JUCY Rentals hatchback and independent accommodation through Love Home Swap, so when we were not needed, we were free to tootle off and explore some stunning spots north, south and west of Sydney.
Palm Beach, made famous as 'Summer Bay' on the Australian TV series 'Home and Away', is about an hour's drive north of Sydney. The tiny picturesque settlement is noted for hosting such celebrities as Elle McPherson and Nicole Kidman in opulent mansions built into the hills above the township. Right on the beach shaded by mature palm trees, there are well-established mansions owned by Kerry Packer and others.
We took a leisurely stroll down the golden sand beach, past the set of Home and Away (sadly, no filming that day) to the Barrenjoey Lighthouse track. It's quite a climb but the panorama from the lighthouse is stunning, offering an elevated perspective of the narrow peninsula with its surf beach on one side and the sheltered Pittwater estuary on the other.
On the Pittwater side, we discovered a perfect child-friendly beach, the horseshoe-shaped Careel Bay. The tide was out and a pair of doting grandparents were supervising three little ones who splashed and played in the shallow water. Soon after, a father and son appeared equipped with some strange apparatus. The dad plunged a long pipe into small craters in the sand and discharged the contents into a bucket while the little boy hopped around, shouting about 'yabbies' — a type of saltwater crustacean, our Aussie son-in-law later explained.
After a leisurely lunch at the Boathouse Restaurant overlooking the Pittwater estuary, we tackled the Bangalley Headland track between Whale Beach and Avalon where we were treated to a thrilling display of breaching and tail-splashing by a couple of whales. We were back home just in time to bath Isabel and read bedtime stories to Francesca.
Killcare is a small settlement 90 minutes' drive north of Sydney on the New South Wales' Central Coast. The region is part of the Bouddi National Park and is rich in wildlife and history. Around 100 Aboriginal sites have been discovered on the Bouddi Peninsula, including middens, rock engravings and rock shelters of the Guringai people, the traditional custodians of the region. We hiked along a spectacular coastal track which took us to a string of remote beaches where the sand was golden and squeaked underfoot like fresh powder snow.
The beaches were separated by rocky headlands with bizarre rock formations called tessellated pavement, a fascinating geological phenomenon where sandstone rock has been fractured over millions of years of weathering and erosion into shapes resembling a pavement or mosaic floor. I wanted to take them home for my garden.
My only exposure to Australian beaches in the past had been Sydney's Bondi, Tamarama, Bronte and Coogee, tourist hot-spots teeming with people year-round. But Killcare and neighbouring Putty, Maitland and Tallow beaches were tranquil and peaceful. We lunched outside at the Killcare Beach Kiosk Menu, devouring a delicious Fisherman's Basket. Nearby, children played in a shallow pool sheltered from the breakers by giant rocks. A perfect spot to take our grandchildren next time we visit.
Katoomba and Leura, the gateway towns to the Blue Mountains, are an easy 90-minute drive inland from Sydney. The most direct approach is to head west from the city along Parramatta Road to the Great Western Highway (M4). We arrived early on a clear, late summer day when the blueness of the Blue Mountains was at its most vivid. The view from the edge of the Katoomba escarpment, overlooking the Jamison Valley with the mountains beyond was staggering.
Hearing that Scenic World at Katoomba was a busy spot, we did all the heart-thumping, thrill-seeking attractions first before the crowds arrived . . . and before my courage deserted me. Holding my breath all the way, we plummeted 310 metres down the world's steepest scenic railway through a natural rock tunnel to an old coal mining site where we hiked through a Jurassic forest on the valley floor exploring relics of the 1880s mining era.
Then we boarded a huge 84-person cable car and glided smoothly back up the sheer cliff face to the top of the plateau – it's the steepest and largest aerial cable car in the Southern Hemisphere. With our pulses still racing, we embarked on the grand finale — a 720-metre ride between two clifftops in the glass-bottomed 'Skyway' 270 dizzying metres above the magnificent Jamison Valley and the Katoomba Falls. You also get a spectacular aerial view of the famous Three Sisters rock formation where we were headed next.
Scenic World was very impressive, a full-on adrenalin rush which our grandchildren will love when they are about eight or nine years old, but after all the excitement, we were keen to do some tranquil hiking in the wilderness. So we moved on to Echo Point to explore the Three Sisters, scaling the perpendicular stone and steel steps of the Giant Stairway to a platform cut into the 'tummy' of the first sister. Geology tells us the sisters were formed by erosion of the soft sandstone over many millennia by the wind, rain and rivers which are gradually breaking down the cliffs surrounding the Jamison Valley.
However, I prefer the Aboriginal legend, albeit disputed, which tells of three beautiful sisters — Meehni, Wimlah and Gunnedoo — who lived in the valley as members of the Katoomba tribe. They fell in love with three men from a neighbouring tribe (the Nepean tribe), but marriage was forbidden by tribal law. The brothers were unhappy about this and decided to use force to capture the sisters. A major tribal battle ensued, and the sisters were turned to stone by an elder in order to protect them, but he was killed in the fighting and no one else could turn them back.
Whatever the truth of the matter, the Three Sisters, 922m, 918m and 906m tall, are a truly awesome sight especially on such a clear day. Had we had more time and energy, we would have continued down the 800 steps to the base of the Katoomba Falls . . . and back up again. Further down the valley is the breath-taking Wentworth Falls which cascades 187 metres in three wispy tiers. Rainbow fragments hovered in the fine spray of the waterfall, caught by the afternoon sun.
The vast panorama of rugged escarpments, dark forests, tall waterfalls and deep gorges that stretch for hundreds of kilometres is utterly astonishing . . . so too is the construction of the walkway. It was hewn from sandstone cliffs by a fellow called Peter Mulheran and a group of men known as The Irish Brigade, between 1906 and 1908 at a cost of £430. The story goes that, back then, the villages in the Blue Mountains were competing with each other to build the most spectacular walkway and workers were even lowered over cliffs in hanging baskets to complete death-defying construction work on seemingly inaccessible parts of the terrain.
As we edged our way along a narrow ledge cantilevered hundreds of metres above the valley floor, and then along a track wedged between overhanging and undercut rocks, we marvelled at the ingenuity and courage of those workers who toiled there in the intense heat of the summer and the icy chill of the winter. Further on, the descent was so steep, an enclosed ladder had been constructed down a sheer rock face. I wouldn't dare take children on this walk without an old-fashioned leash!
* UNESCO World Heritage site. The Blue Mountains UNESCO World Heritage area is part of the Blue Mountains National Park which covers an area of 267,954-hectares, an uplifted sedimentary plateau, 1,215 metres above sea level at its highest point. The park is a paradise for hikers, with one of the most complex track systems of any national park in Australia. Dating from as early as 1825, around 60 percent of the tracks have national, state or regional significance.
Wattamolla Falls in the Royal National Park is just 48km south of Sydney so it's easily manageable as a day trip. The name means 'place near running water' in the local Aboriginal dialect. It's a breath-taking spot where a curtain-like waterfall tumbles over a 5-6 metre-high sandstone cliff into a gorgeous sapphire-blue lagoon, protected from the open sea by a long sandbar.
The lagoon is an idyllic place for families with children to paddle and picnic, but bear in mind it's a bit of a hike down to the beach and the carpark can get crowded during high season or weekends. We spent a lazy afternoon swimming in the warm lagoon on a mid-week day outside of holiday time so there were only a handful of people there. It's wise to take a sun shelter with you because, depending on the time of day, there's not much shade apart from the shadows cast by trees and rocks.
If you have time, the 15,000-hectare Royal National Park is well worth exploring. Established in 1879, it's Australia's oldest and the world's second oldest national park. It's vast and varied with remote beaches, sandstone cliffs, wetlands, grassy woodlands, rainforests, coastal heathland, eucalyptus forests and fascinating geological sites. Dozens of walkways of all lengths criss-cross the park including one of the most famous walking tracks in New South Wales, the 26km-long Coast Track between Bundeena in the north and Otford in the south. It's on our must-do list, a fantastic place to take our grandchildren when they are old enough to go hiking. https://sydneyuncovered.com/royal-national-park-walks/#walk9
The Bondi to Coogee Coastal Walkway was literally at our back door. Our Love Home Swap property was just up the hill from the track so it was the perfect spot for morning and evening strolls. So close to the ocean you often feel and taste the sea spray, the walkway never fails to delight and astound me, both for the beauty and variety of the beaches enclosed by rugged rocky headlands, and for the people-watching opportunities. It's where alpha males and females go to show off their godlike physiques, fitness and attire, and many other eccentric sights can be seen like canine companions dressed in exercise outfits to match their owners.
The six-kilometre track winds its way up and down from sea level to clifftops connecting Bondi, Mackenzies, Tamarama, Bronte, Clovelly, Gordons and Coogee beaches. On a clear day, the sight of the vast sparkling ocean stretching to the horizon is glorious but it's even more breathtaking in stormy conditions when huge breakers surge in and smash against the rocks sending walls of water metres in the air.
I'm an obsessive reader of information boards and on this trip I discovered that a vast amusement park and aquarium occupied Tamarama Beach and headland in the late 1880s. The tour de force was a huge rollercoaster that plunged and soared and twisted above the beach. People flocked to watch vaudeville acts, take rides on an elephant called Alice and gaze at an airship floating above the bay.
The history of Sydney's surf lifesaving clubs and seawater pools like the famous Bondi Icebergs and Bronte Splashes are also told along the walkway. Built below rocky headlands, they are continuously refreshed by seawater from waves that wash into them. In accordance with the notions of respectability in the early 19th century, the pools were gender-segregated. How times have changed! Many rocks on the walkway are decorated with figures depicting creatures of the deep. I learned that male weedy sea dragons carry their babies in the skin of their tails until they hatch.
Between Bronte and Clovelly, I often took a side-track to walk through Waverley Cemetery, a heritage-listed graveyard with magnificent Victorian and Edwardian monuments and huge marble mausoleums. Poised on a cliff above the sea, it's justifiably rated one of the world's most scenic cemeteries. If you don't take side-tracks and stop to read all the information boards, the walk takes about two hours. This is not a wilderness hike so if you get peckish, you can stop at one of many cafes, hotels, restaurants or takeaways along the way or use the free electric barbecues at Tamarama and Bronte.
There are some steep climbs, steps and fitness stations along the walkway so it provided an excellent work-out for my hyperactive husband . . . while I was contented to push Isabel in her pram along the Bondi Beach promenade or play with Francesca on the swings and slides at the beachfront playground.
Factbox:
In preparation for the time when we can again travel freely, check out thousands of Love Home Swap properties all around the world: https://www.lovehomeswap.com/homes.
There is a two-week free trial and then you choose from one of three membership tiers starting at around $NZ20 a month.
Have a look at what's available in
New Zealand: https://www.lovehomeswap.com/homes/newzealand
Australia: https://www.lovehomeswap.com/homes/Australia
Cook Islands: https://www.lovehomeswap.com/homes/cook-islands
Rent a car or campervan from JUCY Rentals who have been providing reliable and budget-friendly rentals in Australia for over 11 years. https://www.jucy.com/au/en
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Broome with a view


Learn how to draw this stunning Still Life Project from Colin Bradley. Learn new techniques and create realistic effects using the Pastel Pencil.
Members can login and begin watch right away, to learn more about becoming a member click here.
Watch our preview clip below of Colin demonstrating techniques to create the background and listen to Podcast #90 to hear more about the picture.
Do you like drawing Still Life pictures? Let us know in the comments below.