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Borneo vacations
Seeing orangutan in Borneo: Malaysia or Indonesia?
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By Borneo specialist Sophie
The first time you see an orangutan in the wild, it's almost certainly because you're in Borneo. The smells and sounds of the rainforest are around you — gibbons calling and cicadas singing. It's quite the setting for seeing these animals play, swing and live among the treetops.
What's maybe not quite so clear is where in Borneo? The island is part Malaysian, part Indonesian (with little Brunei wedged in the northern corner). And, combining the two into one orangutan-watching bonanza isn't easy. Unless you have plenty of time, I suggest sticking to one country. Each side of the island has its own merits, and I don't want to lean you one way or the other. Instead, I'm passing on my highlights for orangutan spotting on both sides of the border.
Feeding time at Camp Leakey Orangutan Rehabilitation Centre in Tanjung Puting National Park
Borneo for orangutan spotting, in brief
Borneo has the Malaysian states of Sarawak and Sabah in the north, but the majority of the island is Kalimantan, part of Indonesia.
Sabah gives you the opportunity to visit a number of wildlife hotspots relatively close together. These include the Danum Valley, Kinabatangan River, Tabin Wildlife Reserve, Deramakot and the Sepilok Orangutan Rehabilitation Centre.
At Semenggoh in Sarawak you can see orangutans in a sanctuary, but rarely in the wild. It does offer a more rounded trip, though — you could visit an Iban tribe, for instance. With a network of domestic flights across Malaysian Borneo, it's possible to combine both states in one trip focused on the orangutans of Borneo.
Finally, Tanjung Puting in Kalimantan is more adventurous feeling. The reserve fits into an island-hopping journey across Indonesia, particularly a trip combining Java and Kalimantan.
The only other island where you can see orangutans in the wild is Indonesian Sumatra, which lies to Borneo's southwest. You could split your time here with Kalimantan on a grand tour of Indonesia.
Orangutans at the Sepilok Orangutan Sanctuary in Sabah
Malaysian Borneo's orangutan highlights
Sepilok Orangutan Rehabilitation Centre, Sabah
Sepilok is based just outside Sandakan, your most likely entry point into Sabah by air. It provides a good introduction to the orangutans before you head to the jungle. Here you're almost guaranteed to see rescued youngsters and adults at close quarters.
Your visit starts with a short video that explains the orangutans' lifestyle and the survival challenges they face. There's an exhibition worth lingering over, too, but the highlight comes from watching the orangutans swing in through the trees for their daily banana rations. You can stay at the nearby resort to catch the morning feeding.
Sepilok Orangutan Sanctuary
Kinabatangan River, Sabah
An hour's boat ride from Sandakan brings you to the Kinabatangan River and the heart of wild orangutan territory. Cruising on a small boat along the river and its tributaries lets you cover more ground and get closer to the animals (possibly including pygmy elephants) without imposing on their habitat, as you would do crunching through the jungle on foot. This is also one of the most leisurely ways to spot orangutans.
The best times for seeing wildlife are early morning and before sunset. From your boat in the mornings, you'll catch sight of proboscis monkeys, macaques and orangutans waking up and starting their day's foraging. And, arguably the best birdlife in Southeast Asia flits and darts along the river.
Before sunset, orangutans make their nest for the night high in the treetops. It's not unusual to see mothers with babies clasped to their bellies.
Night-time boat trips expose you to nocturnal wildlife, aided by a skilled guide and a powerful torch. It's common to spot crocodiles' eyes glinting from the water, as well as kingfishers perched along the banks and (no exaggeration) thousands of fireflies. I've also seen flying squirrels and owls.
I suggest staying at one of the lodges on the Menanggul Tributary in a simple wooden chalet.
Kinabatangan River
Danum Valley, Sabah
One of the last patches of primary rainforest in Borneo, the Danum Valley shelters a sizeable population of orangutans within close reach of the luxurious Borneo Rainforest Lodge.
From the Kinabatangan River, it's a five-hour drive to the lodge, which sits on a bend of the Danum River, giving you a ringside seat to watch any orangutans that venture down from the canopy for a drink.
The rooms here are as luxurious as you'd hope to find in the heart of any rainforest. I was also impressed by the knowledge of the resident guides. Your private guide will take you along trails in search of the orangutans, which number a healthy 500, helping you locate them in among the dense foliage. They'll also point out the forest plants, whose uses extend from medicines to basket weaving.
Danum's canopy walkway elevates you to life in the treetops, where you might spot bird species like Wallace's hawk-eagle and the Bornean bristlehead. You can also join a safari vehicle to take you farther into the forest for possible sightings of pygmy elephants, several deer species, bearded pigs, and even clouded leopards and Malayan sun bears.
Canopy walk in the Danum Valley
Tabin Wildlife Reserve
Tabin serves as an alternative to the Danum Valley where you have a great chance to see orangutans released from Sepilok. The lodge here is less impressive and sits on the edge of the reserve, but you're in the best place for seeing leopard cats. There's also a higher chance of seeing pygmy elephants, confined to a smaller territory than elsewhere.
Here, like Danum, the guides keep in touch by walkie-talkie, passing along any interesting wildlife sightings they encounter. I found it particularly exhilarating to track wildlife this way, anticipating an orangutan or elephant around the next corner.
Tabin also has several mineral-rich mud volcanoes and salt-water springs that attract a variety of nutrient-seeking hornbills, civets, orangutans and leopard cats. And, it's worth noting that, unlike Danum, this is secondary rainforest and close to logging areas and palm oil plantations (although the ecology is more diverse as a consequence).
River lodges at the Tabin Wildlife Resort
Deramakot Forest Reserve, Sabah
If you're itching to escape the usual orangutan-seeker's trail, look to Deramakot Forest Reserve. One of the first FSC-certified forestry reserves, this mixed dipterocarp rainforest has become a blueprint for how to run a sustainable commercial project to halt deforestation across Borneo.
Careful stewardship of the forest has encouraged a long list of wildlife, and it's the only place you can potentially spot all five of Borneo's cat species. There's a healthy population of orangutans, as well as gibbons, sambars, macaques and pygmy elephants. Wildlife sightings can come thick and fast (though we can never guarantee them), unlike sightings of fellow visitors during your stay in this remote enclave.
It's a four-hour drive from Sandakan, the nearest settlement, to the park headquarters. There's no hotel, instead you stay in a simple (though air-conditioned and en suite) chalet that's maintained by the forestry team. To explore, you and your wildlife guide drive deep into the forest in a 4x4, armed with a spotlight if you're heading out after dark.
Proboscis monkey in the Sarawak region of Malaysian Borneo
Semenggoh Wildlife Rehabilitation Centre, Sarawak
Laid-back Semenggoh offers an intimate wildlife-viewing experience — it's also less well-known and quieter than Sepilok. That said, spotting any orangutans isn't guaranteed, particularly when the trees are in fruit, preoccupying the orangutans with nature's bounty.
The sanctuary's location outside Sarawak's capital, Kuching, makes it easy to combine visiting the two. You can also stop off on the way to staying with an Iban tribe, and cruises along the Santubong River could result in seeing Irrawaddy dolphins, proboscis monkeys and saltwater crocodiles.
Orangutan in the Semenggoh Wildlife Rehabilitation Centre
Indonesian Borneo's orangutan highlights
Tanjung Puting National Park, Kalimantan
There's no other way to say it — getting to see orangutans in Indonesia is a challenge. Flights, boats and 4x4s are par for the course but, despite the challenges in reaching your end destination, the rewards far outweigh the effort. Orangutan sightings are all but guaranteed, and the park's excellent rehabilitation reserve is much less frequented than those in Borneo.
In Tanjung Puting National Park, the (approximately) 5,000 orangutans are completely free to roam, supplementing their diet at feeding stations where you can watch.
Camp Leakey Orangutan Rehabilitation Centre gives you the opportunity to see at close hand the orphaned and rescued orangutans in its care.
Journeying along the Sekonyer River is your way of getting close to orangutans and other wildlife drawn to the riverbanks. The feeding stations are in clearings nearby the water, and your klotok (private boat) will stop at a pontoon so you can make the short walk to wait for the show to start. A ranger calls out to announce feeding time and the trees soon shake as wild orangutans swing past you.
Orangutan in Tanjung Puting National Park
I was surprised by how little attention they paid to humans. I watched for about an hour, during which Tom, a large male, took the lion's share of the bananas, clearly intimidating the other orangutans. One cheeky gibbon did sneak onto the platform to pinch a few bananas but scarpered before Tom could react.
I suggest spending two or three days on your boat to boost the number of orangutan encounters you have. It can be basic on board, but you can choose an air-conditioned cabin above sleeping on deck under mosquito nets. Although, I loved the experience of sleeping out under the stars, listening to cicadas and waking to the splash of crocodiles in the water below. On one trip, a pod of Irrawaddy dolphins swam alongside our klotok.
You reach Tanjung Puting from the town of Kumai in southwest Kalimantan, where your flight will land and your guide and driver will meet you and take you to the jetty to board your klotok.
Village in Sarawak region of Borneo
Supporting orangutan conservation
The threat to orangutans comes from many angles: illegal hunting and trading, habitat destruction for farmland and palm oil plantations, and encroaching humans.
Sepilok Orangutan Rehabilitation Centre is supported by Orangutan Appeal UK. This British-based charity also champions projects and initiatives across the country, and internationally. You can choose to 'adopt' an orangutan before you visit the center, with a chance to see it when you arrive. The price of your adoption is plowed back into Sepilok's upkeep.
Start planning your wildlife spotting trip to Malaysian or Indonesian Borneo
Orangutans & islands of Borneo
Wild Borneo tour
Grand tour of Borneo
View All Tours in Borneo
What to see in Borneo: our highlights guide
Honeymoons in Borneo


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by Merab Pachulia, GORBI
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Even the Opposition likes Tbilisi Mayor
Any public opinion survey can easily show the top ten things that need to be changed in Tbilisi to improve the quality of life. These will most likely consist of basic things, and no one should think that those in charge have not had enough time to address them.
According to legend, King Gorgasali discovered what would become Tbilisi in the year of 479. While hunting, his prey, a falcon fell into a pool of warm water. "Tbili" in Georgian means warm and this served as the foundation of the future settlement's name. Soon after, Tbilisi became the capital of Georgia because of its strategic location. However, archeologists have found evidence that the area was already inhabited by the 4th millennium BC.
Regardless of its long history, the city only started direct mayoral elections a decade ago. The last were held in 2017 and were won by Kakha Kaladze from the ruling Georgian Dream (GD) party. He became the boss of a city that hosts 30% of the country's entire population. In terms of GDP, the share is even bigger. Kakhi, as most of us call the famous, former FC Millan soccer player, joined GD when Georgian democracy was lagging Western standards, and he contributed greatly to peaceful regime change in 2012. With that we saw the rapid transformation of our country's most successful sportsman to a politician, who is now ranked among the top three most trusted Georgian politicians.
Kakhi is super active on social media and has established the new trend with his "selfy" interviews that can start at 5 am in the morning from anywhere in Tbilisi. Recently he has introduced the "Night Economy" project, which is a new concept that is only now emerging even in advanced democracies. He appointed prominent Georgian artists and producer Sergi Gvarjaladze to head up the project.
Despite presenting this project among a large group of stakeholders and the public, it was met with cynicism and hateful language by some opposition leaders and self-recognized experts. Kakhi has launched several other innovative projects, such as replacing aging public buses, drastically reducing the number of yellow "Marshrutkas," installing public toilets (yes, public toilets!), improving the ecological situation, reducing traffic, civilizing construction, and others. All this sounds great, but some seem to be impossible, especially considering he only has three years left in office. I don't think this is enough time to achieve a city free of "Stayanshiki," parking guardians; beggars on principal streets, paid elevators and tens of thousands of street dogs and cats.
Kakhi, missed to have a standard political approach that is reporting to people about his achievement after 100 days in office and very little about how people perceive him as mayor has been published in media. To bridge this gap, in this column I will briefly present the findings from GORBI's May 2018 nationwide survey where we asked respondents how they thought Mr. Kaladze was doing as the mayor of Tbilisi.
The survey revealed that three out of five (61%) Georgians approve the job Kakhi is doing, while 28% is not happy with his performance. His job approval rating is 5 percentage points higher in Tbilisi – 66%.
He enjoys very strong support among loyal GD supporters – 86% is satisfied with the mayor's job. But he has even stronger support among those loyal to Mr. Kobakhidze, the head of parliament and Ms. Tea Tsulukiani, Minister of Justice, 90% and 88% respectively. In addition, a large majority of President Margvelashvili's supporters (78%) approve of Kakhi's performance. This may seem contradictory since Mr. Magvelashvili will most likely run for president in the fall elections and he is no longer part of GD., the party thanks to which he had the only chance to became ever president of Georgia.
There were also some interesting findings, though most are not surprising. Social media users compared to other segments of society have higher trust towards Kakhi, especially those who are using Instagram at least once a week. Young, rich, Tbilisi dwellers, non-Georgians and non-Orthodox also strongly support him.
Overall and in all groups, the Tbilisi mayor has a job approval rating of way over 50%. The only exception is the United National Movement. However, even among UNM's loyal supporters, attitudes towards Kakhi are almost identically split – 47% disapproves and 46% approves of his job performance.
Bottom line is this high level of support, if its continues, will certainly not hurt the Mayor's efforts to carry out reforms and deliver on his pre-election promises. However, the city needs massive changes and I don't think three years are enough to make Tbilisi "full of life." Still, it should not require another 1,500 years to make the city green again and a pleasant place for us and our guests.
Note: I would like to extend special appreciation to Ani Lortkipanidze who assisted with the analysis and charts featured in this article
GORBI is an exclusive member of the Gallup International research network and has more than two decades of experience in survey research (gorbi.com)
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Shape: The Hidden Geometry of Information, Biology, Strategy, Democracy, and Everything Else
Jordan Ellenberg (Author)
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Paperback$18.00$16.56(English)

Pre-Order Ships May 24, 2022
An instant New York Times Bestseller!
"Unreasonably entertaining . . . reveals how geometric thinking can allow for everything from fairer American elections to better pandemic planning." --The New York Times
From the New York Times-bestselling author of How Not to Be Wrong--himself a world-class geometer--a far-ranging exploration of the power of geometry, which turns out to help us think better about practically everything.
How should a democracy choose its representatives? How can you stop a pandemic from sweeping the world? How do computers learn to play Go, and why is learning Go so much easier for them than learning to read a sentence? Can ancient Greek proportions predict the stock market? (Sorry, no.) What should your kids learn in school if they really want to learn to think? All these are questions about geometry. For real.
If you're like most people, geometry is a sterile and dimly remembered exercise you gladly left behind in the dust of ninth grade, along with your braces and active romantic interest in pop singers. If you recall any of it, it's plodding through a series of miniscule steps only to prove some fact about triangles that was obvious to you in the first place. That's not geometry. Okay, it is geometry, but only a tiny part, which has as much to do with geometry in all its flush modern richness as conjugating a verb has to do with a great novel.
Shape reveals the geometry underneath some of the most important scientific, political, and philosophical problems we face. Geometry asks: Where are things? Which things are near each other? How can you get from one thing to another thing? Those are important questions. The word geometrycomes from the Greek for measuring the world. If anything, that's an undersell. Geometry doesn't just measure the world--it explains it. Shape shows us how.
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Home » Local » Gov't launches 'Jordan 2025' development blueprint
Gov't launches 'Jordan 2025' development blueprint
By Omar Obeidat - May 11,2015 - Last updated at May 11,2015
AMMAN – His Majesty King Abdullah on Monday attended the launch of "Jordan 2025", the 10-year blueprint for economic and social development.
The plan, also dubbed "2025 vision", is based on two scenarios, a conservative one that assumes that the economy would grow by 4.8 per cent in 10 years, and an ambitious scenario that suggests the economy would expand by 7.5 per cent in 2025, Prime Minister Abdullah Ensour said in his remarks at the ceremony.
The premier said the ambitious scenario is still realistic.
The launch of the document was also attended by Her Majesty Queen Rania, senior officials, lawmakers, and private sector and media representatives.
The prime minister said the document features a long-term vision for Jordan's economy that includes over 400 policies and measures to be implemented by the government, private sector and civil society to support economic development in the coming decade.
He added that these policies and procedures seek to boost the rule of law and equal opportunity, and achieve financial sustainability and self-sufficiency.
Ensour described drawing up a realistic vision for Middle East countries as a gamble due to wars and unexpected turns of events in the region.
Taking into account unforeseen and accelerating regional uncertainties, he said the vision is flexible as it could be reviewed and adjusted periodically to respond to regional and local developments.
Minister of Planning and International Cooperation Imad Fakhoury said the main objectives of the blueprint are to address the challenges of rising living costs, poverty and unemployment and to lead the community to a more prosperous level in the coming 10 years.
Fakhoury said the vision is based on 20 developmental priorities derived from four pillars representing the key players in the plan: citizens who are highly motivated to participate in the development process, a secure and stable society, a dynamic private sector that is able to compete internationally, and a competent and effective government sector.
On how to improve the economic situation, the blueprint envisions Jordan as a regional economic gateway to regional markets that is also taking advantage of free trade agreements the Kingdom has signed with several countries in order to achieve an export-oriented economy, the minister said.
The formula used in the blueprint, Fakhoury explained, is based on the concept of economic clusters based on the cooperative advantages of the Kingdom, adding that the vision aims at achieving relatively high economic growth rates and a tangible drop in unemployment and public debt, which planners expect to decline to 47 per cent of the gross domestic product (GDP) in 2025.
Currently, the debt ratio to the GDP is nearly 81 per cent.
On the implementation of the scheme, the minister said it would be carried out through three executive programmes, adding the government has recently started preparations for the 2016-18 executive development programme, which is the first phase of the vision's implementation.
Ensour said that a special unit was established at the Prime Ministry to follow up on progress made in implementing the executive programmes and to report progress to the public.
In March this year, the King sent a letter to Ensour directing the government to prepare a plan that would result in a stronger economy, in both macroeconomic and monetary aspects, and ensure consistency, increased competitiveness, productivity and self-reliance.
The ultimate goal, His Majesty said, is to achieve comprehensive development and ensure Jordanians are secured a "decent living and hope for a better future".
This economic blueprint should have a comprehensive framework that seeks to realise the following: enhancing financial and monetary policies and assuring their consistency; improving economic competitiveness; and enhancing values of high productivity and self-reliance to realise sustainable and comprehensive development, the Monarch said in the letter.
Key targets included in the Jordan 2025 vision
The Jordan 2025 economic vision seeks to increase GDP growth rate from 3.1 per cent to7.5 per cent in 2025.
The vision also seeks to reduce poverty rate from a current 14 per cent to 8 per cent and decrease unemployment rate from 12.2 per cent to 8-9.2 per cent.
In addition, the vision aims to raise women's participation in the labour market from 15 per cent to 24 per cent.
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Jordan hosts nearly 15% of the world's refugees — Fakhoury
AMMAN — Jordan hosts 3.5 million refugees, constituting 15.6 per cent of the world's refugee population, Planning and International Cooperat
Activists see addition of 15% women's quota in governorate councils as 'new victory'
AMMAN — Women's rights activists on Thursday hailed the Lower House's decision to designate a 15 per cent quota for women in governorate cou
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Arab Bank Group generated $577.2 million net profit after tax and provisions in 2014, according to a bank press statement received Saturday.


Winter was extremely mild and favoured early budburst and very rapid growth in the vine, followed by good and even bunch set. Frost at the end of April spared the estate's white grape varieties, which continued to develop well approximately 3 weeks ahead of schedule. Flowering was quick and even in the dry, sunny May weather.
Summer, particularly August, will be remembered for hot days (but not too hot) and cool, damp nights, with the contrast promoting freshness and balance in the bunches during very early ripening. Determining optimum harvesting dates for the Sauvignon blanc and Semillon is crucial in retaining this quality. Harvesting took place 30 August to 8 September, which is the earliest on record for the estate's dry, white grapes.
Attractive bright appearance. The nose expresses intense freshness and white fruit aromas (pear). On the palate, fresh Sauvignon aromas of pink grapefruit offer a lovely balance with Semillon richness, the dominant varietal in the blend. The wine culminates in a fresh, aromatic finish.
The first half of 2016 will be remembered for being particularly rainy and mild. This was extremely useful in building essential water reserves in the soils, which proved a godsend to the vines in the ensuing period. The sun set in for the long haul mid-June with very dry weather lasting right through to harvest time. The water supplies in the soils, combined with hot, but not excessive temperatures during the day and very cool nights, ensured good fruit development and lovely aromatics during ripening. Located on cool clay-limestone soils, the Semillon and Sauvignon blanc at Chateau Pey La Tour coped well with the dry weather throughout the summer months. The harvest took place from 13-27 September in near perfect conditions.
Attractive bright, yellow-tinged appearance. White fruit aromas of pear, peach and quince dominate on the bouquet, accompanied by yellow fruits including nectarine notes. The wine offers lovely balance on the palate, where fresh Sauvignon aromas of pink grapefruit combine with Semillon richness, the dominant varietal in the blend. The wine culminates in a fresh, harmonious finish.
A fabulous sunny summer, bringing with it cool nights and just the right amount of rain in August, promoted lovely concentrated aromas in the Semillon and Sauvignon blanc grapes grown on Chateau Ricaud's fine clay soils. Ideal harvesting conditions at the start of September avoided excess temperatures and retained the fresh, complex character that we see today as a result of careful vinification.
Citrus fruit aromas dominate on the bouquet and are mirrored on the palate with grapefruit and orange peel notes. Well-balanced and harmonious on the palate, the wine combines the freshness of classic Sauvignon character with the richness of the predominant Semillon. The wine is long and fresh on the finish.


Service Charge £5,500 per annum approx plus VAT.
The premises are situated on Wisley Lane adjacent to Wisley Golf Club and RHS Gardens.
The development is adjacent to the intersection of the A3 and M25, 10 miles north of Guildford, providing easy access to the national motorway network.
Shopping facilities are available in nearby Ripley, Pyrford and West Byfleet.
The Courtyard is a small rural development providing character office space with on site car parking. Units 1-5 are arranged around a private gated courtyard area with outside seating and an attractive water feature.
Unit 2B is arranged over ground floor, with attic storage space.
The office is largely open plan, with a single meeting room, and will be redecorated and recarpeted once the current tenant has vacated.
Please visit www.thecourtyardwisley.co.uk for an overview of the buildings and location.
Available by way of a new full repairing and insuring lease direct from the Landlord, for a term by arrangement.


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Baudouin powering an Atlantic crossing: All Oar Nothing
Jamie Beal
In 1936, the 13-meter Arielle motorboat crossed the Atlantic with one crew member and one Baudouin DB4 60HP engine. It took sailor Marin Marie 18 days to cross the ocean, and he earned the Blue Water Medal from the Cruising Club of America for this 'remarkable sailing feat'.
Tomorrow, Baudouin will power another Atlantic crossing.
Baudouin, together with our Partner Xanthis, are sponsoring the All OAR Nothing Team in the Talisker Whisky Atlantic Challenge. Called the World's Toughest Row, the Atlantic Challenge will see teams from around the world compete in rowing over 4,800 km from La Gomera island in Spain, to Antigua in the Caribbean.
Despite the prospect of the harsh environment, sleep deprivation, physical and mental challenges, Lewis Matthews, Charlie Medwin and Chris Slack didn't hesitate to sign up for this life-changing challenge. Childhood friends, this strong team from the UK are no strangers to pushing yourself to your limits. The team are accomplished athletes who have competed in many Ironman races, ultramarathons and endurance rows and cycling races.
But, All OAR Nothing is not just about personal adventure or achievement. This inspirational team is supporting four worthy charities: EHE Rare Cancer Charity, Right to Play, OneSight and Kidney Cancer UK.
EHE Rare Cancer Charity supports patients around the world while promoting and funding research into EHE and acting as advocates for greater awareness of the rare cancer.
Right to Play uses the power of play to educate and empower children to overcome the effects of poverty, conflict and disease in disadvantaged communities around the world.
2.5 Billion people in the world need vision correction but 1.1 billion of these don't have access to it. OneSight aims to help those people with quality vision care.
Kidney Cancer UK seeks to increase awareness and knowledge about kidney cancer by providing patient information and supporting research into the causes, prevention and treatment of the disease.
More people have been into space or climbed Everest than have rowed the Atlantic. Baudouin is extremely proud to be a Silver Sponsor of the All OAR Nothing Team, backing them through this amazing human challenge in support of life-changing charities. If you want to support All OAR Nothing, please join us. Every little helps.
Follow the Team through the All OAR Nothing Facebook and Instagram pages.
Fair winds and following seas to Lewis, Charlie and Chris. Bonne chance et bon courage.
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Fort lauderdale Hotel is a "top" hotel destination for people wanting to "go back in time"
It's a big, beautiful, and comfortable, but it's also a big place to spend a lot of money.
The Fort laudersdale Hotel is just one of many in Canada that's become destinations for people seeking to "back in time," or recreate a time period they think is important to their lives.
And with so many places to visit, there's always room to expand.
"It's a place where I feel like my memories are being preserved, and that's a really exciting thing," said Stephanie, a Fort laudera woman who spent a year in Vancouver in January to take a week off from work and travel to Fort lauderrdale to be with her son and daughter.
"I wanted to take my family to see the city and explore, and now I'm back in my own time."
Stephanie said she and her husband have spent a week in the Fort laudrdale, and have seen a few sights and visited a few places.
"It was really relaxing, and really cool," she said.
"My husband said he'd go back for a weekend, but we're not in a hurry.
I'm happy we're back in the same place, and I'm excited to go back there."
The Fort laudercounty is located on the northern edge of Vancouver.
The hotel is located at the corner of the Burrard Inlet and the North Shore, and is in the city's historic Fort lauderville district.
It's been a popular spot for the Fort, and its popularity has helped attract more people.
"Fort lauder, I think, is the epitome of Fort laudeer," said Louise, a visitor from the United States who spent three months in Fort lauderdale.
"We've seen so many amazing things in Fort lancedale, like this historic site."
"I just felt really good," said Katie, another visitor from America who stayed in Fort applauderdales hotels.
"This is my favourite hotel, and we'll see the sights, the sights of Fort lancesdale and then we'll be back."
Visitors also are encouraged to spend their time in the hotels suites.
If you have to, it's best to book ahead, but if you can, come and visit Fort laudergdale at least twice a week.
Microsoft, Disney, and other companies are hiring people for virtual reality (video)
The Mavis Hotel Transylvany: What It's Like Inside


The set includes: a cloth with a printed pattern, an instruction. Additional Information: Внимание! Beaded is NOT completed !!!. Scheme: applied to the substrate. Technique: partial embroidery with beads. Canvas: patterned fabric. Size: 13.5x17 cm. Type of embroidery: embroidery with beads. Width, cm: 11-20. Manufacturer: Blagovest. Height, cm: 11-20.


Pregnancy is one of the most special phases in the life of a woman. This is that stage when a young woman transforms into a mother having the responsibility of nurturing a new and vulnerable life. This is a phenomenon that can bring a large number of changes in the life, body, and psyche of a woman. The process is full of new experiences, challenges, and choices. However as many specialists will comply with the fact, the process tends to get difficult with the growing years of a woman.
It is a common fact that many women who start trying for their first child at the age of 40 have o face some fertility issues. This is a very common state of things although not a universal law. There are many women who can get pregnant and can give birth to healthy children without the aid of any treatment, medicines or process like IVF. These treatments and process are quite pricey like the skyrocketing IVF costs in Bangalore.
However getting pregnant at the age of 40 can be a challenge from many different aspects. Let us take a look at some of the probable pitfalls and how can one pass them all with flying colors.
At the age of, 40 you must remember that your health is no longer what it was at the age of thirty or even less than that. Now it is likely that you must have developed other medical common problems such as blood sugar and pressure. Hence pregnancy at this age can become a bit more complicated than at the younger ages. Hence if you are planning to get pregnant at 40 or have actually conceived already then it is time that you have visited your doctor and have brought the medical problem with a check. Contact your doctor and see that whether all the medicines that you are taking are conducive for the health of the fetus, if not then the medicines need to be changed.
Very important many women tend to put on weight at the age of 40. Hence try to get into a good habit such as light but vigilant exercise. You can consult a dietician and see every item that you eat. However please do not deprive yourself of anything at this stage.
Remember that yours and your partner's health factors contribute to the strength of the fetus which is why pregnancies in 40 always are at larger chances of miscarriages.
Pregnancy means that you will experience a large number of hormonal changes due to which you can have major mood swings. This is something that is unlikely to change even at 40, although you are likely to get more patient and understanding at this age.
Please plan in terms of your career as well, at this stage. Please do not exert yourself too much which could be harmful to you and the baby.
Pregnancy is a wonderful experience. Investigations have revealed that a larger number of women at their 40s are getting pregnant and are giving birth to healthy babies. Hence good luck to all your ladies in their 40s out there!
The views expressed in the blog content are independent and unbiased views of solely the blogger. One should consult their healthcare provider for any health-related information.
Great post. It is important to get checked regularly and know the status of health.
Good post, Dipika. At 40s, conceiving and delivering can be difficult, stressful and complicated, but a lot of it actually depends on your mental and physical strength. If one is physically fit and mentally ready for a baby, she will have lesser issues than someone who conceives by accident.


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Tag: boris-johnson
French President Macron Threatens Trade War With the UK Over Fishing Dispute
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We Believe in 'Law of the Sea': Boris Johnson Ahead of Show of South China Sea Naval Force
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There are significant changes that are coming to our neighborhood. Learn about what's going on, and help us shape our response to some proposals that would have a concerning impact to our community, both for current residents as well as for our children and grandchildren.
Come hear updates about big developments and planning in the Fresh Pond/Alewife Area, discuss important issues with the rest of our community that affect us all such as climate change and ensuing risks, emergency preparedness/community mobility, transportation, etc., and connect with neighbors to create change.
We look forward to seeing you next Wednesday, 26 October from 6:30-8:30 PM at the Tobin School Auditorium (197 Vassal Lane). Please help get the word out about this important community meeting.
All are welcome! Bring your friends and neighbors!
The developer of 605 Concord Avenue (the former Bank of America building) has asked for a meeting with the community and members of the FPRA in order to gather feedback on their latest plans for the project. Phil Terzis of Acorn (the developer) has reserved the auditorium at the Tobin School on Tuesday, June 7th at 6:30 pm. The main agenda item is a review of Acorn's latest design, with a question & answer session to follow the presentation.
At the same meeting, Mike Stanley will also give a short presentation on his Transit X project. This is an innovative attempt to solve a number of major transportation problems currently faced by the Fresh Pond-Alewife region and other, similarly dense urban areas. The effort proposes the development and construction of an automated transit network with high-capacity and low visual impact using personal pods running on an elevated track. More information on the concept is available at https://www.indiegogo.com/projects/transitx-carbon-free-mass-transit#/ and at http://www.transitx.com/.
The Mt Auburn Street-Fresh Pond Parkway Corridor Study (recently begun by DCR; info at http://www.mass.gov/eea/agencies/dcr/pr-2016/mount-auburn-street-corridor-study.html).
The Alewife Working Group of Envision Cambridge (recently begun by the City of Cambridge; info at http://www.cambridgema.gov/CDD/Projects/Planning/citywideplanning).
The Watertown-Cambridge Greenway 75% design review presentation (a DCR project, but info available through the City of Cambridge website at http://www.cambridgema.gov/CDD/Projects/Transportation/watertowncambridgegreenway.aspx).
95 Fawcett Street condo project (appearing before the Planning Board on the same night. Updated project materials are available online at http://www.cambridgema.gov/~/media/Files/CDD/ZoningDevel/SpecialPermits/sp309/sp309_applicationrev.pdf?la=en).
Note that this will be our final meeting prior to the Summer break. We look forward to a lively and constructive discussion. Thank you for your continuing support of our efforts.
Message to the FPRA from Doug Brown, VP.
The Fresh Pond Residents Alliance will hold a public meeting on Wednesday, December 16, 2015, at 7 pm in the auditorium of the Tobin School at 197 Vassal Lane, Cambridge.
A development team will present preliminary plans for a 50-unit condo project at 95 Fawcett St. The site is currently a warehouse building located across the street from Phase II of the Atmark apartments, where the street curves. The developer is seeking resident feedback before applying for special permits.
Also on the agenda are an update on the Cambridge segment of the Watertown Greenway multi-use path, connecting Concord Ave./Fresh Pond to the Arsenal Mall Area (see draft plans) and a brief discussion of endorsing Green Cambridge's 2030 Goals for Environmental Sustainability.
Our next public meeting will be on Thursday, October 1st at 7 pm at the Tobin School (197 Vassal Lane).
2. Discussion of a petition on accessory use housing (details to come when petition is filed on 9/21).
We expect to hear soon when the Alewife master plan study will officially begin and how community input will be solicited.


As I mentioned in a previous post, a lot of my free time lately has been spent on cakes. Decorating them, baking them and tasting them!
Here are three cakes that we made a month ago or more.
The mini cake above was a practice cake.
I really like the 4″ round cake size stacked 2 or 3 layers high – something about such a small cake makes me giddy.
Mrs. Sayuri kept commenting on how "beautiful" that cake was. She was super excited that she was actually allowed to taste some of it!
Above was my birthday cake. It was a 3 layered poppy seed cake filled with homemade lemon curd filling and decorator's buttercream frosting from Toba Garrett's book The Well Decorated Cake.
Sadly, I didn't get many photos of our first completed birthday cake order (above). By the time I had a free moment to photograph the cake it had already been placed inside it's box for transport. There was not enough time for me to capture the sides which were my favorite part. At the very least, you can kind of see them.
The site Icing Dreams and henna art in general inspired this design. I chose a hummingbird and flower motif for the top of the cake in hot pink, turquoise and gold (the colors specified by the client). We also included red velvet cake balls and a dozen mini chocolate cupcakes with peanut butter buttercream frosting.
Wow Nicole those are amazing cakes! It seems like everything you set your mind to turns out beautiful.
What beautiful cakes! The hummingbird cake is quite unique-the henna inspiration gave an interesting and delicate look.


We are currently looking for Registered Nurse - Endoscopy to provide the highest standard of specialist patient care for the endoscopy patient. The post holder will assess, plan, implement and evaluate care and follow standards/ protocols to provide a quality service to patients. The post holder will provide and assist with the development of safe and high-quality specialist patient care.
Assessing the patient when they are first brought in and get them ready for the endoscopic procedure.
Helping the patients after the procedure has been completed and offer assistance with the necessary post-procedure assessments.
Ensure that the environment and equipment are well maintained, safety checked and in a state of readiness for use for the treatment of endoscopy patients by self, endoscopists and other staff members of the endoscopy department.
Responsible for the setting, maintenance, and managing of stock and stock levels including drugs, sundries, equipment, and medical supplies.
Required to use and oversee the safe use, troubleshooting, and repairs of highly complex expensive specialized medical equipment to ensure a safe working environment for patients and staff by the Health and Safety at Work.
Responsible for the safe storage and security of medicines and controlled drugs in line with the Misuse of Drugs Act, Hospital Policy and Professional Codes of Conduct.
Safe handling and storage of patient's valuables while in the department.
Daily responsibility for managing information compiled by self and others by receiving, inputting and storing onto computerized records where applicable as well as into patient written records. E.g., blood results and patient details.
UAE License or Eligibility is preferable.
Minimum 4 years of experience in which 2 years as Endoscopy nurse.
Have knowledge of chronic disease management that encompasses respiratory, cardiac conditions and diabetes. Implement and evaluate individual chronic disease care plans.


Whether your concerns are in the present, in the past or even in the future, we will work with - and support you, to make sense of your circumstances. Active listening can be lifted by the active listening observation scale. Having heard, the listener may then the speaker's words. Despite the popular notion that listening is a passive approach, clinical and research evidence clearly shows that sensitive listening is a most effective agent for individual personality change and group development. Other barriers include distractions, , vocabulary, and limited attention span. In conclusion With the lingering thought that we may not be such great listeners after all, we can see why claims that we are losing our hearing.
Only relevant information was provided. Want to know more about active listening? The Art of Active Listening There is still limited empirical evidence on the topic of active, emphatic or mindful listening and definitions vary based on the context. The how of Happiness: A Scientific Approach to Getting the Life You Want: Penguin Press. Journal of Management Development, 25 10 , 1024-1028. Life can throw a curve ball from time to time and your ability to deal with these situations can sometimes be challenging. International Journal of Listening, 24 1 , 34-49.
Examples of clarifying questions include: I am not sure I quite understand; or do you mean that…? Effective listening involves opening your mind to the views of others and attempting to feel empathetic. You can learn more about. Belle Wheaton, St Matthews Catholic School I liked the reality of the examples. Active listening is an effective tool to reduce the emotion of a situation. Outside of the therapeutic setting, the same things are important.
Effective pause Deliberately pause at key points for emphasis. The less a counsellor speaks the more a client should. Ineffective Listening is Very Common: You can probably think of examples when you have listened ineffectively or not been listened to over the last 24 hours. Counselling skills and attitudes Being a good listener, so the client knows there being herd Having patience with your self by not getting irritated. Kerrie Chopping, Orange High School I strongly recommend Rocky to present this Accidental Counsellor Training to the staff — I found it fantastic.
Combined with nods of the head, smiles can be powerful in affirming that messages are being listened to and understood. Individuals in conflict often each other. Positive Emotions Trigger Upward Spirals Toward Emotional Well-Being. How does a speaker know if we listened or understood them? However, this means that we are not really listening to all that is being said. This is the first step in the listening process. © 2011 - 2019 SkillsYouNeed. Active listening involves listening with all senses.
And without active listening, it is difficult to have a positive and engaging conversation with thorough understanding. It can be the antidote to feeling really worked up. A skillful active listener is able to simply receive the message without the need to judge or respond with their own bias. Attempting to consciously mimic facial expressions i. Listeners should not be tempted to jump in with questions or comments every time there are a few seconds of silence.
Archived from on March 7, 2010. In other words we are not actively listening to the speaker. Is that a fair characterization? Active listening and responding appropriately are two of the key skills a counsellor or therapist must apply during one-to-one counselling sessions with a client. Understanding the importance of these skills, and being able to apply them accordingly, is a valuable asset for a career in counselling. Kali Ratu, Walgett High School I was highly engaged in the Accidental Counsellor Training the whole time. They tend to make people defensive.
Every time the counsellor correctly labels an emotion, the intensity of it dissipates like bursting a bubble. Giving feedback Let the person know what your initial thoughts are on the situation. It is confirmation that a counsellor validates the client, by acknowledging what is being said, and by providing further opportunity to talk. Paraphrasing is to restate what has been said, with the goal of conveying that one has heard and understood. The speaker feels heard and understood.
I had to conduct the interviews at separate times because of schedule conflicts. It looks like that made you really angry. This can also help the listener gain the full picture as paraphrasing often encourages the speaker to extend on what has already been said DeVito 2011: 66. It is the response a competent communicator is most likely to use. The Importance of ListeningListening makes the person who is talking feel worthy, appreciated and respected.


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Phyllis Schlafly's dying request
In early 2016, Phyllis Schlafly told this to family and friends:
I have participated in Republican national conventions for 60 years, usually as a delegate and often active with the platorm writing committee. It is the common thread to my political life, and some say that influencing the platform was my most important accomplishment.
There have been three Choice-Not-An-Echo candidates in my lifetime, and Donald Trump is the third.
I was diagnosed with terminal lung cancer 2.5 years ago, and given 6 months to live. I am living on borrowed time. All I want to do before I die to attend the Cleveland convention, support Donald Trump, and maintain the conservative planks in the platform. If I can do that, I can die in peace.
Not all of this was said explicitly, but it was all understood by everyone who knew her well. Only close family and friends knew that she was dying.
A gang of six ("G6") Eagle Forum c4 ("EFc4") dissidents had other ideas. They consisted of her daughter Anne Schlafly Cori, and longtime friends Eunie Smith, Cathie Adams, Carolyn McLarty, Rosina Kovar, and Shirley Curry. They repeatedly did everything they could to pressure Phyllis to stop making positive comments about Trump, and tried to get her to promise not to endorse Trump. She refused, of course, and endorsed Trump on the eve of the Missouri primary in March 2016.
The G6 then sought legal action to muzzle Phyllis. They had a law office teleconference that supposedly seized control of EFc4, the political organization that Phyllis founded 40 years earlier. When that did not silence her, they filed a lawsuit to confirm her ouster, remove her from the bank accounts, and fire her right-hand man, Ed Martin. It was subsequently amended with nastier claims, such as alleging Phyllis lacked the capacity to understand her actions, and that she owed the G6 millions in damages because she violated her duty to carry out their anti-Trump agenda.
Phyllis offered to comply with all of their demands on one condition -- that they allow her to keep Ed Martin thru the Cleveland convention, and then effect their takeover after that. They refused. Furthermore, they treated her as if she were yesterday's garbage.
Phyllis recognized the action as a political hit and a personal betrayal. She hired a lawyer to defend the lawsuit. She persuaded Ed Martin to help her become a Trump delegate to the Cleveland convention.
When Anne got control of Eagle Forum bank accounts, Phyllis started another organization, PSAE, that could act as a sponsor to Cleveland political activities, and that could support Trump. The G6 then tried to block that by suing PSAE.
Despite all the difficulties, Phyllis attended the Cleveland convention, helped Trump get the Republican nomination, used the assistance of Ed Martin and others, used PSAE to sponsor political events, and helped maintain the conservative planks in the platform. She died at home about a month later.
Several lawsuits remain. The court has ruled that the telephone takeover of EFc4 was invalid, and that all the claims from the G6 must be dismissed. The court has also ruled against their trick of naming EFc4 as a "nominal defendant", so that they could control the lawyers on both sides of the lawsuit. Some issues remain for a Nov. 2019 trial.
Thus the G6 lawsuits have been shown to be almost entirely bogus. Their only gripes against Phyllis personally were that she supported Trump, and that she resisted their hostile takeover.
Separately Anne has a lawsuit challenging Phyllis's decision to designate Anne's inheritance to help defray to costs of her bogus lawsuits. Trial is scheduled for Jan. 2020. Anne's chief witness is a psychiatrist whom she is paying $200k to review some hearsay opinions that Phyllis should not have been endorsing Trump. The psychiatrist had never met Phyllis, and refused to even watch video recordings of her. One of those opinions came from Eunie Smith, but she now testifies that Phyllis was right about Trump.
In the course of that lawsuit, it was revealed that Anne used her own lawyer to try to trick Phyllis into disinherit me in 2014. This will all become public, if Anne insists on taking the case to trial. The whole situation is going to get uglier before it gets resolved.
Posted by Roger at 6:00 AM No comments:
Labels: Phyllis, Trump
Trump Debunks Globalism at UN
President Trump's third speech to the United Nations in as many years was a stirring rebuke of globalism. He made the compelling case for an end to the push for a borderless world.
At the 74th United Nations General Assembly in New York on Tuesday, Trump explained how nationalism is good for everyone. By focusing on the people within their own countries, leaders around the globe can bring prosperity worldwide while preserving what is cherished about each nation.
"The future does not belong to globalists – the future belongs to patriots," Trump explained. "The future belongs to sovereign and independent nations who protect their citizens, respect their neighbors, and honor the differences that make each country special and unique."
He is the first American President to call out the pernicious influence of globalism: "Globalism exerted a religious pull over past leaders, causing them to ignore their own national interests." That harmful pull by the "religion" of globalism has misguided past Democratic and Republican presidents alike, he could have added.
One of the harms of globalism, Trump explained, has been the support for perpetual or endless wars. Instead, he observed, "The United States has never believed in permanent enemies."
"Many of America's closest friends today were once our gravest foes." Included in the list of the "gravest foes" would be England, Germany and Japan, all of which are now among our closest friends.
Trump lambasted mass migration, by which illegal immigrants flood a peaceful nation and overrun it with crime, demands for entitlements, and hardships. "Mass illegal migration is unfair, unsafe, and unsustainable for everyone involved," Trump pointed out.
"The sending countries and the depleted countries – and they've become depleted very fast – their youth is not taken care of and human capital goes to waste," he added. In the United States, "we have taken very unprecedented action to stop the flow of illegal immigration."
Trump sent a strong message against migration as prior presidents of both parties should have stood for, but none did. "To anyone considering crossing our border illegally, please hear these words: Do not pay the smugglers."
Trump's political foes already mischaracterize his speech as somehow being "aggressive" or "red meat" for Trump's base, as Politico.com put it. But there was nothing aggressive or politicized about Trump's remarks, which reflect his long-held views and what he was elected to do.
The Prime Minister of India, Narendra Modi, profusely praised Trump at a massive rally of 50,000 people in a football stadium in Houston on Sunday. Modi is one of many world leaders who support Trump.
Trump's rejection of globalism included a warning to China about how it handles unrest in Hong Kong. "How China chooses to handle the situation will say a great deal about its role in the world in the future."
Likewise, Trump mentioned the despair in Venezuela as an illustration "that socialism and communism are not about justice, they are not about equality, they are not about lifting up the poor, and they are certainly not about the good of the nation. Socialism and Communism are about one thing only: power for the ruling class."
The largest neighbor of Venezuela is Brazil, which is led by another outspoken supporter of Trump. Jair Bolsonaro, who addressed the UN before Trump, has previously praised Trump's opposition to illegal immigration and wants "to have a great Brazil just like Trump wants to have a great America."
Trump found time during his speech to call out the media and liberal universities. "Media and academic institutions push flat-out assaults on our histories, traditions and values," Trump rightly observed.
The Deep State, too, received recognition by Trump, and not in a complimentary way. "A faceless bureaucracy operates in secret and weakens democratic rule," he declared.
Trump again exceeded expectations by being the finest advocate for the unborn to ever reside in the White House. He told the UN that "Americans will also never tire of defending innocent life," and criticized how "many United Nations projects have attempted to assert a global right to taxpayer-funded abortion on demand – right up until the moment of delivery."
While Trump says and does what he promised as a candidate, House Speaker Nancy Pelosi has meanwhile caved into the far left of the Democratic Party. The same day Trump was speaking to world leaders at the UN, Pelosi opened an impeachment investigation to improperly try to weaken his authority.
The timing of Pelosi's unpatriotic act could not have been more inappropriate. She chose the same day as Trump's speech to the UN to try to undermine him with the politically motivated impeachment inquiry.
Globalism is a stepchild of communism, and neither should be the future. All nations should take Trump's words to heart about making their own countries great again, and some already are.
Posted by Roger at 7:00 PM No comments:
Labels: sovereignty, Trump
Statehood for the Swamp?
Constitution Day, September 17, marks the day in 1787 when representatives of the newly independent states along the Atlantic seacoast agreed to form a new Constitution on behalf of "We the People of the United States." George Washington, who had presided over the contentious convention in Independence Hall in Philadelphia, transmitted the finished document to the states for ratification.
A 2005 federal law sponsored by the most senior Democrat in the Senate, Robert C. Byrd, requires all federal agencies and schools that receive federal funds to teach about the Constitution on this day. Yet many agencies and schools have defied that law by criticizing, attacking and undermining the fundamental document that was dedicated "to form a more perfect union."
One such lawless federal agency is the District of Columbia itself, the wholly owned enclave on the Potomac River which comprises the seat of our national government. The mayor, delegate, and other officials, whose high salaries are indirectly paid by taxpayers throughout the nation, are celebrating Constitution Day by trying to overturn the very provision that created Washington, D.C.
H.R. 51, a bill to make the District of Columbia the 51st state, was introduced on the first day of the new Democrat-controlled Congress by Eleanor Holmes Norton, who has been D.C.'s non-voting Delegate for the past 29 years. The House Oversight and Reform Committee, chaired by Elijah Cummings of Baltimore, plans to hear testimony this week from Mayor Muriel Bowser and other D.C. officials.
The partisan purpose of such a move is to give Democrats in Congress two new liberal senators and one new seat in the House. The territory cast 93 percent of its votes for Hillary Clinton and only 4 percent for Donald Trump, and the Democratic Party would ensure that only very liberal politicians would represent it in Congress.
The decision to put our national government in its own separate territory, outside the boundaries of any state, was one of the pivotal compromises essential to reaching agreement at the Philadelphia convention in 1787. Perhaps James Madison foresaw the dangers of giving the "swamp" power when he wrote in Federalist No. 43 that it was an "indispensable necessity" to prevent U.S. government officials from becoming dependent on local residents who would wield too much influence.
Statehood for D.C. is not a new idea. One prior effort sought to rename D.C. as the State of New Columbia, but political correctness today prevents naming anything after Christopher Columbus anymore!
As the longstanding "delegate" from D.C. to Congress, Eleanor Holmes Norton can already serve on committees and speak on the House floor. She has federally funded offices and an official website at house.gov just like the real congressmen who represent the 50 states.
She already calls herself a "Congresswoman" and she takes positions on pending legislation, such as working against a pro-life bill introduced by Congressman Chris Smith to limit the funding of abortion in D.C. Her background includes signing the "Black Woman's Manifesto," which in 1970 expressed views of radical feminism and blamed capitalism for oppressing women and minorities.
She has been a supporter of legislation expanding abortion and even prohibiting states from limiting it. She has received the endorsement of EMILY's List, a PAC that supports the election of politicians who want unrestricted, taxpayer-funded access to abortion.
Eleanor Holmes Norton is not a full voting member of Congress, at least not yet. But she would probably become one, perhaps even in the U.S. Senate, if H.R. 51 ever became law.
More than 200 congressmen, all Democrats, co-sponsor her bill to create a new state called the State of Washington, Douglass Commonwealth. The proposed name does not even sound like a real state, but political correctness run amok.
Many of the arguments for making D.C. a new state could apply to Puerto Rico and other commonwealths and territories of the United States. But the case for D.C. statehood is much weaker, because the Constitution specifically envisioned a neutral location for the federal government.
Washington's 68 square miles were voluntarily conceded by Maryland to the United States for use as our nation's capital, not to create a new state having equal power as itself. If the real desire is to provide representation in Congress for those who live within D.C., then the Maryland delegation could represent the people of D.C., too.
But such representation is not what the drive for D.C. statehood is really about. Instead, Democrats want two more senators to shift the balance of power to their side in the U.S. Senate.
Following the admission of Hawaii and Alaska as states, the Democratic senators from Hawaii are offset by Republican senators from Alaska. Empowering the Swamp with two partisan Democratic senators by making D.C. a state is both unconstitutional and contrary to the interests of all 50 states.
Labels: sovereignty
Break Up the Tech Behemoths
Monopoly is the popular board game where players win by monopolizing property and overcharging rivals who land there. A monopoly in business has a similar effect by stamping out competition which would benefit consumers.
Google has more than 92% of the worldwide market for internet searches, far above what constitutes a monopoly. Most people on the internet see only what Google puts before them.
Google's monopoly power is greater than that of John D. Rockefeller's oil trust of a century ago, and in some ways worse because of its control of information. The landmark Sherman Act, passed by a Republican Congress in 1890, is the tool that authorized busting up the Rockefeller trust and modern ones like it.
If you're wondering what happened to your daily newspaper or your access to online conservative videos and websites, the reason is Google and its Silicon Valley neighbor, Facebook. Those two companies, which also own YouTube and Instagram, soak up advertiser dollars that once supported thousands of independent newspapers and magazines.
The 1911 breakup of John D. Rockefeller's monopoly over the oil business boosted our economy, creating competition among over a dozen newly formed rivals. Record-breaking prosperity then followed for our country in the Roaring Twenties.
The conservative approach is not to regulate corporations, but to break up monopolies and then get out of their way. Let competition thrive and perform its magic, as it has in driving down airline ticket prices.
Fifty Attorneys General representing 48 states, the District of Columbia, and Puerto Rico have just launched an overdue, bipartisan probe into Google's monopoly practices. Google responded, "We have always worked constructively with regulators and we will continue to do so."
But Google misses the point. Attorneys General do not and should not be looking to regulate Google, but simply to end its monopoly.
When AT&T controlled 80 percent of local telephone service and nearly 100 percent of intercity communications, it was broken into 7 "Baby Bells," each serving a different region of the country. The spin-offs added up to much more than the whole, and experts were astounded when the regional Baby Bells soon outperformed the original, national telephone company.
Verizon, for example, was one of the Baby Bells which excelled in the growing wireless market, doing better than its parent. Hard work and innovation created rewards for managers and staff alike, which would never have happened if the old "Ma Bell" had not been dissolved.
Similarly, Google and Facebook could be broken into pieces by region or functionality. A southern Google would add healthy competition to the California Google by not discriminating against conservative videos and websites.
James Damore, the talented engineer fired by Google for expressing his conservative views in a manifesto criticizing "Google's Ideological Echo Chamber," could then take his innovative ideas to a southern Google and look forward to competing against his former employer.
Or Google could be split based on functionality, allowing rivals to compete with it for mapping, consumer reviews, and other services. Advertising dollars could then be spread around, rather than all flowing into a black hole in California.
Dismantling Google and other Big Tech behemoths would enable tech wages to start rising again, after decades of stagnation. Silicon Valley companies had an improper secret agreement not to compete for high-tech talent, which has kept salaries lower than they would be in a competitive market.
Facebook should be dismantled too, after demonstrating that it will censor viewpoints to appease its liberal California base. Last week eight states plus D.C. declared that they have launched an investigation into possible antitrust violations by Facebook.
Libertarian ideologues cringe at such investigations, arguing that antitrust law is an improper intrusion by government into the free market. But competition is the oxygen for free enterprise, and prohibiting anti-competitive business practices which rob consumers of choices is as important as stopping burglary.
Notably absent from the nearly unanimous coalition of states and territories investigating Google is the attorney general of California, Xavier Becerra, who has brought over two dozen lawsuits against President Trump. He should take note of how the tech industry has created a two-tier society of haves and have-nots in his state.
Monopolies like Google cause a vast disparity between the rich and the middle class, a gap which liberals like to criticize everywhere except in their own backyard. Without the suffocating Big Tech monopolies, Texas and other red states have a growing middle class with affordable housing and schools.
Google and Facebook executives openly regretted how their platforms helped to elect Donald Trump in 2016, and they are determined to prevent that from happening again in 2020. We wouldn't let AT&T control who can use the telephone, and we can't allow Google and Facebook to shut Trump supporters out of their networks.
Labels: money
Judge rules Eagle Forum was unlawfully taken
The gang of six dissidents who organized a hostile takeover of the Eagle Forum 501(c)(4) just issued this press release:
On September 3, 2019, the Circuit Court of Madison County unsealed an Order, dated July 11, 2019, which ruled that on April 11, 2016 the Eagle Forum Board of Directors was not able to conduct a meeting via telephone under the Bylaws of Eagle Forum, as they existed at that time. The Court determined that unless the Bylaws specifically stated otherwise, the Board of Directors had to meet face-to-face. The Court entered this ruling notwithstanding evidence that Phyllis Schlafly had conducted telephone board meetings in the past and that Phyllis Schlafly had consented and agreed to proceed with the meeting on April 11, 2016. Importantly, the Court declined to make the July 11 Order final. This means that under Illinois law, the July 11 Order is both unenforceable and subject to revision at any time.
This is a confusing explanation, but the truth is simple.
The six dissidents claimed that their April 11, 2016 teleconference allowed them to take control of Eagle Forum away from its founder and leader, Phyllis Schlafly. They were upset that she had just endorsed Donald Trump for President, and they sought to silence her. When she denied the legality of their maneuver, they filed a lawsuit against Eagle Forum and her in order to enforce their takeover.
Now the judge has now ruled that the telephone takeover was invalid.
The litigation does continue, and the case is schedule for trial this fall on the remaining issues, if there are any.
The press release concludes:
The July 11 Order will no doubt be mischaracterized by those whose refusal to support the mission of Eagle Forum began before the April 11, 2016 meeting with outlandish public attacks on many Eagle Forum directors, whose volunteer work alongside Phyllis Schlafly spans more than two-hundred-and-twenty (220) years collectively.
Those dissident directors did support the mission before 2016, but in April 2016 they decided to do everything in their power to block Phyllis Schlafly and her political activities, including a bogus board meeting and a bogus lawsuit.
Indoctrination Runs Aground in California
As millions go back to school, students across the nation (and their parents) hope to acquire the knowledge and skills they need for a successful life. Many teachers enter the profession with a mission to inspire young people toward excellence and personal growth.
But for thousands of school administrators and other non-teaching personnel who draw big salaries in our public schools, the new academic year has a different meaning. In the education establishment, known as the Blob, the new school year is a time to indoctrinate young people with notions of diversity, oppression, social justice, and the canons of political correctness.
Nowhere was this better illustrated that a firestorm that blazed in California just before school started last week. A new statewide curriculum for Ethnic Studies was posted for public comment, and the deafening uproar from parents and even politicians was enough to cause a postponement of its implementation.
California has continued to lurch leftward politically while most of the country has been growing increasingly conservative. Trump won the presidency by a majority of the popular vote in the 49 states other than California, while Hillary won by millions of votes there.
In 2016, California passed a law requiring the development of an ethnic studies curriculum, as though that were a legitimate academic subject. The curriculum is required to "include information on the ethnic studies movement, specifically the Third World Liberation Front (TWLF), and its significance in the establishment of ethnic studies as a discipline and work in promoting diversity and inclusion within higher education."
The curriculum is supposed to "promote critical thinking and rigorous analysis of history, systems of oppression, and the status quo in an effort to generate discussions on futurity, and imagine new possibilities." But the "futurity" to discuss is not one of capitalism, freedom, and prosperity.
The proposed new curriculum is loaded with liberal jargon and describes capitalism as a "form of power and oppression." Capitalism has brought higher standards of living to people of all ethnicities, but students in California would be taught the opposite.
Governor Jerry Brown, who is no conservative, actually vetoed a prior version of the bill mandating new ethnic studies standards. His objection was that the bill would have made the curriculum a requirement for graduating from high school in California.
Governor Brown then signed a modified version of the bill, and his successor, Gavin Newsom, is more liberal than even Brown was. The objections now are not being led by the governor, but primarily by the public.
A torrent of opposition to this new curriculum has caused its supporters to delay it. Some look to private schools, homeschooling, and charter schools as a way to escape this new indoctrination.
Jewish critics complain that the curriculum condemns some forms of ethnic animosity, but not anti-Semitism. A lead supporter of this new curriculum, Democratic Assemblyman Jose Medina, then delayed by a year a bill making this mandatory.
The bizarre jargon used in the draft curriculum opens a window into how far out of the mainstream advocates of this approach have gone. Terms unfamiliar to most people have been developed for this, and scrutiny of these terms which you will probably not find in your dictionary is enlightening.
"Misogynoir" is a term invented to mean hatred against black women in particular, as though that exists. It is not the often-imagined hatred of women, or even hatred of blacks, but hatred of black women that is the problem described by this term.
A glossary released with the draft curriculum explains its many bizarre terms. "Hxrstory" is another term it uses, and it is not a typo as most people would infer.
Instead, it is a deliberate misspelling of "history" in order to "x" out the "his" in "history". "Throughout this model curriculum, language is used that deliberately offers an alternative to traditional wording that could have a particular context within the dominant culture."
So the curriculum deliberately misspells certain words in order to advance its ideology of contorted logic. "As such, it can grow its original language to serve these needs with purposeful respelling of terms," the draft brazenly declares.
The curriculum is not kinder to parents than it is to history. Rather than try to engage parents in education, parents are disparaged by California curriculum as part of the problem.
"Here are some dynamics an Ethnic Studies educator might consider," the curriculum counsels. "Is the course being taught in a district where parents or community members are hostile to the field?"
A generation ago, what started in California then spread to the rest of the country, such as no-fault divorce, hippies, the drug culture, and Hollywood values. But perhaps a humorous slogan from nearby Las Vegas should apply to the Left Coast: what happens in California should stay in California.


I love homemade macaroni and cheese. I've made it countless ways as I try to find my favorite. I hate yet to find the right recipe that my kids and I go WOW over. There are a lot of good ones but none have blown our socks off. I will admit that the kids and I are mac-n-cheese snobs so it's going to take a lot to impress us. If you notice I have not mentioned my husband, he likes mac-n-cheese, but it's not one of his favorite dishes. The kids and I always stare at him funny when he says that.
I have always made baked mac-n-cheese so when I saw this recipe in the ATK Healthy Family Cookbook, I knew it was something I had to try. It was a lightened up version of macaroni and cheese but yet sounded like it was something we could like. Instead of making a Béchamel sauce consisting of flour, milk and butter; this is made with evaporated milk, lowfat milk and cornstarch to help thicken. They recommend using Cabot 50% light Vermont Cheddar Cheese but I was unable to find it. So I used regular Cabot Cheddar Cheese and it worked out fine, it just added a little more to the calories. My favorite part of this whole dish is that it didn't need to be baked and it was fast and easy! The kids and I really liked it and so did my husband. I was hesitant on how the leftovers would taste, and was amazed they tasted just as good as it did the day before, maybe even better!
Bring 2 1/2 quarts water to a boil in a large saucepan. Add the pasta and 2 tsp of salt and cook, stirring often, until completely tender. Reserve 1/2 cup of the cooking water, then drain the pasta and leave it in the colander.
Combine the evaporated milk, 1/2 cup of the lowfat milk, mustard, 1/4 tsp salt, cayenne and garlic powder in the saucepan. Bring the mixture to a boil, then reduce to a simmer. Whisk the cornstarch and remaining 1/4 milk together, then whisk it into the simmering sauce. Continue to simmer, whisking constantly, until the sauce has thickened slightly and is smooth, about 2 minutes.
This week is going to be a slow post week. With the holiday behind me I am starting to gather myself back up and focus on getting back in the kitchen. But I do have a wonderful dish to share with you.
I got this recipe from a dear friend of mine, Cory. Awhile back his wife had posted on facebook about this awesome tortellini pasta salad he makes. Of course I had to get the recipe and see what the fuss was all about. The first thing that caught my attention was the use of tortellini instead of plain pasta. What's great about this recipe is that it's best made a day ahead of when you want to serve it. You can also change up the vegetables used, I didn't use green onions but I think they would be wonderful in it. I used balsamic vinegar since it was the only one I had on hand. But Cory says he uses either red wine vinegar or balsamic. Next time I plan on trying it with the red wine vinegar to see the difference of the two. When Cory told me that the dressing is very important and to make a lot of it, he wasn't kidding. Since you make it a day in advanced, the pasta really soaks up the dressing and takes on a lot of flavor. Don't skip on the dressing and it wouldn't hurt to maybe even double it and add more the next day if you wanted. The only thing I omitted from Cory's recipe is the olives. I am keeping it in the recipe because I feel they would add a wonderful flavor, but most of the people I was serving it to do not like olives. Sad, I know.
Tortellini Pasta Salad would be perfect for your New Years Eve bash or NCAA Bowl Game watching parties. I'll be working on a few dips this coming weekend to enjoy while we cheer on Penn State in the Outback Bowl. I'll get those posted as soon as I can. Enjoy!
2 large packages multi color tortellini.
Boil tortellini in salted water for 3-5 minutes. Do not overcook! Drain, and put into a large bowl.
Whisk together the Good Seasoning, vinegar, water and lemon juice. Continue to whisk and slowly pour the oil, till combined.
Add the rest of the ingredients to the bowl with the tortellini and drizzle over the salad dressing. Stir till everything is combined. Refrigerate at least 1 day before serving.
Source: Thank you Cory for a great recipe!
I love a good bolognese and in order to achieve that it takes all day to make. The past couple weeks have been down right chilly and snowy. When the weather is like that, I want hot comfort food to warm me up. I wanted something like bolognese but didn't have time to spend all day in the kitchen. My daughter is keeping me super busy with her cheerleading schedule and finding time in the kitchen has been hard. So, I turned to Ina's new cookbook to help me out. She has a weeknight bolognese that doesn't take long to make. This turned out fantastic. If you are like me this time of year, and have to run around like a crazy person. You can take comfort in knowing that you can still put a delicious meal on the table, even in the middle of your busy holiday schedule.
Heat 2 tbs of olive oil in a large (12 inch) skillet over medium-high heat. Add the ground sirloin and cook, crumbling the meat with a wooden spoon, for 5-7 minutes, until the meat has lost its pink color and has started to brown. Stir in the garlic, oregano, and red pepper flakes and cook for 1 more mintue. Pour 1 cup of the wine into the skillet and stir to scrape up any browned bits. Add the tomatoes, tomato paste, 1 tbs salt, and 1 ½ tsp pepper, stirring until combined. Bring to a boil, lower heat, and simmer for 10 minutes.
While the pasta cooks, finish the sauce. Add the nutmeg, basil, cream, and the remaining 1/4 cup wine to the sauce and simmer for 8-10 minutes, stirring occasionally until thickened. When the pasta is cooked, drain and pour into a large serving bowl. Add the sauce and ½ cup Parmesan and toss well. Serve hot with Parmesan on the side.
I got a new cookbook awhile back called The Best Skillet Recipes from the editors of Cook's Illustrated. I love this cookbook! It's filled with easy recipes you can do in a 12 inch skillet, which makes it perfect for weeknight meals. I have a long list of recipes I want to try and decided to start with Penne with Chicken and Broccoli. Turns out it was a great recipe to begin with. Simple pasta dishes always makes me happy. The whole dish comes together nicely and packs more flavor than I had anticipated. My kids loved this dinner and we didn't have any leftovers!
Heat 1 tbs of the oil in a 12-inch nonstick skillet over high heat until just smoking. Add the chicken, break up any clumps, and cook, without stirring, until beginning to brown, about 1 minute. Stir the chicken and continue to cook until cooked through, 2 to 3 minutes longer. Transfer the chicken to a bowl, cover to keep warm, and set aside.
Add 1tbs more oil to the skillet and heat over medium heat until shimmering. Add the onion and 1/2 tsp of salt and cook, stirring often, until softened, 5 to 7 minutes. Stir in the garlic, red pepper flakes, and oregano and cook until fragrant, about 30 seconds. Stir in the wine and simmer until nearly evaporated, 1 to 2 minutes.
Stir in the water and broth, then add the pasta. Increase the heat to high and cook at a vigorous simmer, stirring often, for 12 minutes.
Stir in the broccoli and continue to simmer, stirring often, until the pasta and broccoli are tender and the liquid has thickened, 3 to 5 minutes.
Return the chicken, along with any accumulated juices, to the skillet and cook until warmed through, about 1 minute. Off the heat, stir in the remaining 2 tbs olive oil, Parmesan, and season with salt and pepper to taste. Serve, passing extra Parmesan separately.
If you have kids and they are like mine, pasta could be eaten every single day without complaint. That is why I like to find new recipes for pasta. It gets boring eating the same things all the time. I found this recipe and wanted to see if we could add this to our arsenal of pasta recipes. The family loved it and now we have a new pasta recipe to go to.
I doubled the recipe and poured the sauce over the uncooked tortellini and baked it. Next time I make this, I will make more of the sauce then the recipe calls for. The pasta soaked up what sauce there was and it wasn't as creamy as I would have liked. I've adjusted the recipe to show the changes.
Heat the oil in a large non-stick skillet over medium heat. Salt and Pepper the chicken and brown for 1-2 minutes. Add the green onions, cooking until chicken is done.
Sprinkle flour over mixture and stir to combine. Cook for 1-2 minutes. Add chicken broth and stir until thickened. Mix in sour cream until mixture is creamy and slightly thickened.
Spray a large baking dish with cooking spray and add the tortellini. Sprinkle half the cheese over tortellini. Put cooked chicken/sauce mixture on top and sprinkle remaining cheese over the top.
Bake covered with tin foil at 350 for 30 minutes, uncover and bake for additional 15 minutes until bubbly and golden brown around the edges.
As much as I love cooking there are some nights I just don't want to think about dinner. I start thinking where do I want to get dinner from? What am I in the mood for? The other night I had that happen and thought about ravioli. I REALLY wanted baked ravioli and decided not to order anything and just go get the stuff and do it myself. Baked ravioli is fairly easy to put together and has the taste of lasagna without all the work. I have made a creamy marinara sauce and thought that would be nice to use for this dish. Boy was I right, it turned out fantastic. Served with a nice salad and some garlic bread and you have a great dinner.
Preheat oven to 350. Bring a large pot of water to a boil. Cook the ravioli till they are almost done, about 6 minutes, and drain, saving 1/2 cup of pasta water.
While the ravioli is cooking, heat up the marinara sauce in a large skillet. When the sauce is heated through, add the ricotta cheese and stir till it's all combined. Add the reserved pasta water. Take off heat and add the basil.
In a 13 x 9 baking dish or a lasagna pan, place several spoonfuls of the marinara sauce on the bottom. Start layering the ravioli and once you have one layer spoon enough sauce to just cover the pasta. Sprinkle a little bit of the Parmesan cheese and about 1/4-1/2 cup of the Mozzarella. Continue with the next layer of ravioli, sauce and cheese. Keep doing that process till you end with the sauce. Top it with as much cheese as you want on top and bake for 30-40 minutes.
Hamburger Helper is a very popular dinner and kids love it. But the reason I don't like it and don't make it is because it has tons of preservatives and other things I can't pronounce. I love the rule that if you can't pronounce the ingredients, you should not be eating it. I love the ease that Hamburger Helper gives you, but you can make a version of that at home, from scratch! The benefits are you know exactly what is going in and the taste is so much better. My family loves this and I'm sure you will too.
Add ground beef and onion to a large skillet or pot, along with Emeril's Essence*, a pinch of salt, and a few grinds of fresh pepper. Cook until meat is no longer pink. Drain meat mixture, if necessary, to get rid of any extra grease. Then put the meat back in the skillet and set aside.
In the meantime, bring a pot of salted water to a boil and cook macaroni according to package directions.
When pasta is done, drain; then add it and the crushed tomatoes to the beef mixture. Turn temperature to medium-low and cook until sauce is heated. Add cheddar cheese and stir until melted and combined.
*I tried making this without the Emeril's and used my own spices. When I made it again with the Emeril's it made a HUGE difference! I would recommend using it.