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Letters to the Editor: Zeldin 02.23.17

Our readers comments

Despicable Votes

February 17, 2017

To the Editor:

Lee Zeldin has voted to let coal companies dump in streams, loosen air emissions rules for mining companies, remove restrictions on the hunting of predators in wildlife refuges (wolves and hibernating bears now okay to shoot, any way you can), and to allow state governments to defund abortion providers (no federal funds pay for abortions, remember). These are just a few of the despicable votes of the House over the past few weeks.

This is honorable behavior for a veteran? You must be voted out of office.

It is time for Zeldin to remember his job is to keep our country beautiful, safe, and healthy for its citizens, and protect its resources for future generations. And maybe get some backbone and meet the people you say you represent in a town hall. Why are you hiding?

Republicans, wise up. You are losing generations for the sake of your donors. You are now the party of destruction.

Core American Values

February 13, 2017

East Hampton

Dear Editor:

Let me begin by saying I am an unabashed supporter of Congressman Lee Zeldin. Let me also add that I attended the East Hampton Republican Party’s inauguration gala for Mr. Zeldin. I am proud of both of the above. I imagine my 411/2-year professional career serving this country does not make me immune from being one in Hillary Clinton’s “basket of deplorables.” So your recent editorial positions both on Feb. 2, as well as your previous tirade about the inauguration gala, not to mention the recent pontifications of other writers such as Melissa Berman, Betty Mazur, Larry Smith, and Tina Plesset, have led me to decide once again to write.

With regard to the “immigration ban,” I would like to relate a recent personal experience. Last week while in El Calafate, Argentina, I sat next to a married couple, both German passport-carrying citizens. One was a doctor and one was a pharmacist. The doctor was born in Germany, and the pharmacist was born in Turkey, in a town not far from the Syrian border. On their entry to New York the pharmacist was detained and questioned for what he said was about two hours. He was treated with respect and courtesy throughout, and those are his words. He was not happy that he was detained for two hours, but to paraphrase his own words, when one is treated with respect and understanding for the greater good, the circumstance was understandable.

He then compared the relative safety he felt in the United States versus Europe. The bottom line is, it is perfectly consistent to have the basic belief that nobody should be denied entry to the U.S. based on religious preference, while still believing that a very careful and competent screening of those entering will reduce the threat of terrorism.

Can you imagine if that had occurred at the end of the Clinton Administration? Perhaps Sept. 11 would not have happened shortly thereafter. And for the notion that this terrorism thing is a homegrown problem, I would remind Ms. Berman she has neither any idea how many terrorists have been stopped by our immigration professionals, nor a memory that would remind her of those who were our own, went abroad, and became dangerously radicalized. So I am for allowing people with different religious beliefs into this country, but after we make our best efforts to see that they mean us no harm.

The president has the constitutional right to suspend immigration to those who can be reasonably expected to do harm to the U.S. A U.S. acting attorney general chose not to respect this constitutional provision, and was fired. A federal judge ruled against the president’s executive order, and the matter will most likely be ultimately decided by the U.S. Supreme Court. That is the way the system works.

As far as the congressman’s apparent lack of sensitivity to Iraqi translators, let me remind the Star editorial board that Klaus Fuchs translated documents for the U.S. government while at Los Alamos while working on the Manhattan Project. Certainly he meant no harm to the U.S. — right?

And for Mr. Smith’s comment that Representative Zeldin is unwilling to meet with his constituents, let me say, wrong! He has met with me and he has offered to meet with at least two others on water quality issues, as told to me by them at the aforementioned inauguration gala. And for those who have differences on issues with the congressman, I would remind them that he had a meeting with several scores of such at his Riverhead office, as covered in The Star. Statements such as this about the congressman almost seem libelous.

I cannot close without commenting on The Star’s editorial comment, “but bowing to the political winds does not excuse [Congressman Zeldin] from standing by as many core American values are assailed by the White House.” Are life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness core values of this country, or are the current political winds of the progressive elite blowing them away? Life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness hinge on having a country that is safe from terrorism. Do you understand that what happened on Sept. 11, 2001, is what results when we don’t have competence in keeping the bad guys out?

We can all welcome all religious believers, just so long as their reason to be here is not to take away our life, our liberty, and our pursuit of happiness. What don’t you or your recent letter writers get about that? I mean even a deplorable can sometimes tell the difference between a core value and a wisp of political breeze. It appears to me, and 60 percent of the First Congressional District, that we have a congressman who stands up for core American values and isn’t swayed by a political breeze, and his name is Lee Zeldin.

Wolves and Bears

February 18, 2017

Dear David,

I would like to know why our ostensibly “pro-life” congressman, Lee Zeldin, voted in favor of killing wolf pups and hibernating bears in Alaska’s wildlife refuges this week.

Zeldin, voted in favor of H.J. Resolution 69, a measure that overturns a federal rule that was years in the making, written by professional wildlife managers at the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service to stop what the Humane Society calls “some of the most appalling practices ever imagined in the contemporary era of wildlife management.” These include, in addition to killing wolf pups and hibernating bears, spotting bears from planes and then shooting them, and trapping bears with steel-jawed leghold traps and snares.

The resolution passed with a very thin majority, so our congressman’s vote counted. Ten of his fellow Republicans had the sense to vote against it. So why in the world did Representative Zeldin cast this cruel vote? Does he think wolves and bears in the Alaskan wilderness pose a danger to his constituents on Long Island?

Unlikely. More likely is that he fell in line behind the N.R.A. and the Safari Club — the latter organization is the one behind the killing of Cecil the lion in Zimbabwe — who were pushing for passage of the resolution.

Last week I asked Congressman Zeldin’s representative why Lee Zeldin voted to defund Planned Parenthood, a move that will deprive millions of poor and working-class women access to health care. He told me that Zeldin voted to defund P.P. because he is “pro-life” (even though 97 percent of the health services P.P. provides have nothing to do with abortion).

Wolves and bears are beautiful creatures that share the planet with us. Voting to kill them is a sign of just how little Mr. Zeldin actually values life. Anyone who is truly pro-life should not vote for Lee Zeldin.


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Monday, 25 July 2011

Review: The Northern Quarter Restaurant

The Northern Quarter Restaurant, Manchester

If you are going to Manchester, don't forget to pay a visit to the Northern Quarter Restaurant, Do not be fooled by its discreet and inocuous outlook. They focus their effort on good service and excellent food. Their prices are very reasonnable too. It took me a bit of time to get there. Simply because the menu seemed too European. But that was a big mistake. It is one of my very favorites restaurants around here.

The food is simple yet very fine. The flavours, presentation and taste get top mark. The surroundings for that level of cuising are surprisingly unpretentious. The restaurant feels very welcoming, intimate and confortable. The staff is well trained, discreet and knowledgeable (now that has to be praised, not that common in Manchester!).
I only have good things to say about them as you can see...
Here are a few dishes I had there:
Egg benedict
Egg benedict, a good test for a restaurant, this one was perfect, and the crispy bacon on top was a serious plus.
Black pudding and egg benedict
Back pudding: I hesitated to takle that dish, and I never regretted my choice, the blackpudding was light and moist, flavoursome
Steak and Guiness pie with peas and chips
One lunch I had guiness pie, peas and chips: the peas were ultra fresh and light with a hint of mint, The pie was like none I had before, the meat was tender and melting in the mouth, and the Guiness was not overpowering.
I had some fantastic fish and meat dishes cooked to perfection, well balanced and full of flavours, but I did not have my camera then, so you are very much missing out on their sight (hint: go check them out yourself).

The chef manages somehow to make his dishes very light (and the dishes above usually aren't), and one leaves the table feeling really good and satisfied.

The Northern Quarter Restaurant, Manchester

So give it ago -preferably during the week-, and please book or you might be disappointed. The experience is as good lunches and evening. They tend to have great offers mid week, check their website before you go for that: The Northern Quarter Restaurant.

Source: Photography by me.

Sunday, 10 July 2011

Supper at the North Star Delicatessen

Last Friday, I attended a supper event in Chorlton, at the North Star Delicatessen.
Normally, reaching Chorlton has always been a bit of a chore, with overcrowded buses that take 25 minutes to get there. BUT, this time around, I have been able to get there in 15 minutes using the brand new Metrolink tram line. And what more, the North Star Deli is right outside the Chorlton stop. So, the evening started well I thought.
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First impressions: the Deli has a refreshing interior, white, clean, crisp and at the same time familiar and welcoming.
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On entering the deli, I met the friendly team, and had a browse to see the products sold there - only the ones shelved as the fresh produces were tidied away: it was after the shop opening hours -.

I was glad to spot a good selection of glass teapots (great to show off one's flower teas) as well as home roasted coffee, and teapig tea (I have a soft spot for their popcorn tea...).
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The shop is rather spacious, and the products well presented. A great incentive to browse. Also a good range of quality products (look, I'm not going to show it all to you, you'll have to come and see for yourself!)

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Anyway, back to the supper, with the menu below:

The meal started with a Mediterranean fish soup, not quite like my mum's, however very fresh with tasty pieces of white fish and a garnish of delicious shellfish. The rouille was not too garlicky - one of the chefs Deanna did warn us it might be quite strong - and I was rather grateful for that. Back home, my dad is the one in charge of the rouille (quite a delicate operation: it is not simply a mayonnaise with rouille spices...) and he overloads it with garlic, like anything he makes with it. Which means that you end up having garlic nightmares the whole night, and waking up realising it was not a nightmare, but a reality that lingers with the breakfast too.

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The dishes were presented and commented on by Deanna, and for the main course, Lee Frost the local butcher who provided the lamb, gave us a few passionnate words about his craft. That was very much apreciated by the foodies in the room.
An the lamb was..... amazing, cooked to perfection and tender o so tender it melted in the mouth. I am definitely set on paying some visits to the butcher now Chorlton is so easy to reach..
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And the dessert was the well chosen Manchester tart, the best one I've ever had, light, fresh, and I am not biased because they added my favorite fruit: raspberries, fresh and flavoursome.

I loved the very northern touch with the Vimto sauce...

Like after any good meal (I usually don't bother after a bad meal: it's a satisfaction thing...), I had a coffee, which happened to come with the wonderful Jenny's Salted Caramel French macaroons (yes Jenny, they are comparable to the french ones, you qualify to be honorary french for producing such goodness).
The meal was light on the stomach, the quantities were perfect, not too muc that woul;d make you regret having eaten too much nor not enough that would make you want to beg for more.
So if you add to the great meal the fab company I had, then it was a great evening all around, and a lot of very empty plates!
My last word will be to thank the chef and Deanna who worked so hard behind the scenes...
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Source: Pictures taken by myself


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Sunday, September 23, 2012

change of plan

I decided to change my Spoonflower zombie plushie cut and sew design so that the dolls would have arms sticking out.  This involved a lot of faffing around on my behalf, and I spent 3 hours on photo-shop one evening, only to mess up my evening s work with my own incompetence.  Anyway, I then realised that the only way I was capable of doing the change was manually with scissors and glue, and then onto photo-shop and begin at the beginning again.

 You can see they still have their arms behind them, and I cut off the tops of their heads.

I drew new arms and cut them out and stuck them on and then scanned them, and then spent some time fiddling around with them until I was happy with the result.

This was my first design.  I decided to remove the black outlines so that it would look better when sewn up (more room for error). it's hard to imagine it would take so long to make so few changes.
the original design is still on spoonflower, but i entered the new one in the Zombie Plushie competition.

Sunday, September 16, 2012

dawdling and doodling

I have been rather slack on the blogging lately, and hopefully will soon have more stuff to put on.  I have been relying on other people and their lovely creations, as I haven't got any of my own.  But some creativity is bubbling away hopefully ready to surface at some point soon.  A few random ideas in my sketch book.

 above some card ideas, christmas decorations?! whatever.

 above  Lace ideas taken from some old lace, some old medals, and some books from the library on textiles/old fashion.
this rose was on a chinese top I recently aquired.  I thought it was very pretty so I drew it.  I have a mission this year to get the rose drawings sorted, as I do love roses so and I want to be able to draw a fine lot of them.  Not happy with my efforts so far sohopefully will be some more posts on these later in the year, once the roses come out, and a good excuse for rose stalking around the neighbourhood.

Saturday, September 8, 2012

Zombies on photoshop

I have managed to make a small inroad into my previous photo-shop ignorance, and battled with seemingly un-logical technology to make-up a pattern for another Spoonflower fabric contest.  It isn't until October and I do not expect to win as my taste and technical know-how seems to vary wildly with the usual winners, but still I do it because I want to, and I like doing it.  So this is my latest offering.  Ahem!

zombie party girls is  a cut and sew pattern for stuffed zombies, with an extra bit of zombie inspired ( eyeballs, hearts, dripping blood etc) fabric on the side, for anything that takes your fancy.  I had fun designing their dresses, so I hope they look glam enough if not a little dishevelled.

I have just had to change the colours on my entry as informed by my 13 year old that the green was not so good.  I think she is right too, so now it is purple.  also the name is lame, apparently, but I will just have to leave it for now.  Note to self "consult 13 year old before doing anything first."  I already use my 9 year old as my stylist, when I get dressed to go out of an evening.

Monday, September 3, 2012

zombie dolls

Been doodling some zombie party dolls, nice frocks in a little state of disrepair.  I went through my selection of saved fab frock photos from the web, to find the sort of dress any self respecting zombie party girl would be happy to wear.  I feel a little limited on my repertoire of zombie style facial scars etc.


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Tuesday, 24 November 2015

God Rest Ye Merry, Gentlepig by Tad Williams

Bobby Dollar, aka The Angel Doloriel is not your idea of a typical angel. Think less flowing robes and shiny halo, more a tooled up wiseguy in a noir-ish setting you’d be more on the right track. Don’t be mistaken though, Dollar is certainly one of the good guys.
This novella, a Christmas story, was released last year and certainly feels very seasonal. If you haven’t read Williams’ Bobby Dollar series (The Dirty Streets of Heaven, Happy Hour in Hell, Sleeping Late on Judgement Day) there aren’t any real spoilers here ( but then, if you haven’t read the BD books you’re missing a treat)
So, to the story……..
It is Christmas Eve and Bobby Dollar is called to be advocate for the soul of Petar Vesic who has just died in hospital at the ripe old age of 98. That is what BD does – when a person passes over an advocate for Heaven and one for Hell vie for the soul of the deceased in a mini-court type scenario. Thing is Petar Vesic has not been a good person, he is acceptant of the fact he is going to Hell but he has a favour to ask……”save my Grandson”.
In short Bobby is given until sunrise on Christmas Day so it is a race against time for him and George the Werepig and, as you would expect, there are scrapes and surprises along the way
I’ll be the first to admit I’m a big fan of Tad Williams work, have been since discovering The Dragonbone Chair back in the late 1980’s. Usually his books are big sprawling epics but he does the smaller stuff well also (check out his books of short stories if you get chance). As a novella ‘Gentlepig’ certainly ranks as short but there is a heck of a lot of story in there. Normally this would be enough to guarantee a 4.5 or 5 star review but……………
Where this novella falls down slightly for me is that it really could have done with an extra proof read before publication. It’s nothing major, just little niggles that most people would overlook or ignore but being an editor and proof reader I cannot let these pass without mention.
So, in short, a thoroughly enjoyable Christmas short that could have done with an extra proof check

4/5 stars


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Monday, 27 February 2017

The Spectacular Sisterhood of Superwomen by Hope Nicholas - A Review

So, this is what I have been dipping into for the last few weeks. The Spectacular Sisterhood of Superwomen (subtitled 'Awesome Female Characters From Comic Book History') is one of those books that is exactly what the title says it is. What we have here is a decade by decade look at female comic book characters from the 1930's (with the likes of 'Sally the Sleuth' and 'Torchy Brown') right up to the present ('Deathface Ginny', 'Maika Halfwolf') with each decade getting a 'Hero Of The Decade', which gets, understandably, slightly more coverage.

To look at some of these 'comic heroines' you can't help but cringe at how bad some of them seem (Angel O'Day - A martial-arts trained detective who solves crime with her gorilla partner, being a prime example) but there are a lot that would be worth looking up at the next comic fair. There is, especially in the earlier decades a fair number of 'feisty female detectives' and 'heroine nurses' but these soon give way to more superhero types as time moves on.

Each Superwoman entry is accompanied by an illustration or comic panel (although, this being a preview copy, not all are available in my edition) which gives you an idea of the quality of artwork through the decades (and yes, a lot of them seem to be "how many curves can we give our heroine" and aimed as much at the titillation of male readers as anything).

I will admit that I didn't know of a lot of these Superwomen but I guess I can put that down to marketing and me not being 'target audience' I guess. I do. however, feel that this book has given me a better idea of the role of these heroes in the history of comics.

In short then, an interesting and informative look at the role of Superwomen in comic books, a very nicely put together volume and a must for those with an interest in the genre. More a book for dipping into than a cover to cover read but certainly one I am proud to have on my shelf.

Publication date May 2nd, 2017

Friday, 24 February 2017

Review Copies In The Post Today

 First up was this set of collectable cards that accompany the book (which is quite wonderful and be reviewed on here soon) from Quirk Books.
 Next through the letterbox was 'Hunger Makes The Wolf' from Angry Robot Books (which looks a whole lot of fun 😁)
And then came this pair from Gollancz - Sharp Ends is a collection of shorts from The World of the First Law and The Hatching is horror with spiders - what's not to love 😁

All will be reviewed on here in good time.

Thursday, 23 February 2017

The Ninth Rain by Jen Williams - A Review

In the beginning was The Copper Cat, and it was good...very, very good. So good I wondered how Jen Williams could possibly improve on it.

And then The Ninth Rain landed on my doormat and my question was answered.

A new story, with new characters, in a new world and it is all good. There is history in this tale and it feels real.

There is a race of people, the Eborans, a kind of elf/vampire people who were the world's defenders until a disease depleted their numbers. The 'old enemy' is coming back though and who will save the day now?

One of the Eborans has left his city before the illness gets to him and he has teamed up with eccentric explorer and female Indiana Jones type Lady Vincenza ('Vintage' to her friends) to investigate Behemoths, mysterious artefacts left behind from previous invasions. The 'magic' side of the equation comes from Noon, a Fell-Witch, who can produce a magical fire. Unfortunately, Fell-Witches are despised so much they are hunted down and imprisoned in The Winnowry, from where non ever escape (except Noon, obviously, who flees on the back of a giant bat - I know, right, A Giant Bat!! How cool is that?!!).

Between the three of them they may be the only answer to the coming invasion.

As a novel The Ninth Rain is quite huge in scope. Both the world and the characters seem bigger than in The Copper Cat series and this only goes to show just how much Jen is growing as an author with every book she writes. Where she really stands out though, for me, is that she seems to put thought behind why things happen, it's never 'just because', so here are two examples.

In the Copper Cat series one of the main characters, Sebastian, was kicked out of the knighthood after being found to be having a relationship with a fellow knight. It is clear from the outset Sebastian is gay but when you consider that he joined the knights as a young boy and basically grew up in a male only environment it's not really that surprising. He doesn't come across as a 'token' figure.

The same thing happens in The Ninth Rain. Tormalin, the Eboran, as I've mentioned before is a kind of elf/vampire hybrid. His people live a long, long time (well, until the illness strikes). Now, Tor is by all accounts, a fine looking, hunky chap and one hell of a lover. You might think 'yeah, yeah, sexy vampire blah, blah, blah' but you'd be wrong, and it all comes down to the author putting in 'the reason'. And the reason is this - The Eborans are so long lived they dedicate a certain amount of their time (in Tor's case many years) studying the art of love making at The House of the Long Night. With this their transaction of awesome sex in exchange for blood makes a lot of sense.

It would be an understatement for me to say The Ninth Rain is a good book. It is better than anything Jen Williams has written before (and The Copper Cat books are among my favourites of all time). I cannot recommend this highly enough so go get yourself a copy and join Vintage, Tor and Noon in this exceptionally good adventure.

7/5 stars (my blog, my rules 😉)

Tuesday, 14 February 2017

Hekla's Children by James Brogden - A Review

Ten or so years ago four children disappeared while on a school outing. Only one returned. The teacher responsible for their safety, Nathan Brookes, although a suspect, was never charged with anything. Nobody knows what happened to the three other children.

Fast forward to the present day and Brookes is now working at an adventure centre in Wales and is convinced he has seen the three missing children. At the same time a body is discovered at the same spot where they vanished. It is dated at been 'Bronze Age' but...there are anomalies. To top things off the one child who returned shows up again with a simple message, "PUT HIM BACK"

I expected I would enjoy this novel as soon as I heard about it. One of the comparisons for it was Robert Holdstock's Mythago Wood, which has long been a favourite of mine and I can happily agree with that. The feel of the 'ancient menace' coupled with the drifting between present and past makes for an atmospheric and unsettling read but a good one at that. As Horror Fiction goes this is a step up from James Herbert and Shaun Hutson and the Holdstock angle makes this book a bit special.

If there was one thing that didn't sit right for me it was later in the book when a main character who has crossed over to the other realm of 'Un' suddenly makes a 'lifestyle choice' with little more thought than 'oh well, let's give it a go'. For me that didn't sit right but that is only a small niggle and doesn't spoil an excellent read.

The realm of Un itself I found to be really interesting, a place where time between different areas of the land passes at different speeds, where you can find that returning to a place after a few days you can find that years have passed.

I have done my best not to drop spoilers here so a good bit of what I could have said I have left out for now - maybe another post when other folks have read it too.

For now though, enough to say an excellent read and an author I will be looking out for in the future

Thursday, 9 February 2017

More new books in the mail today

 First up in the mail today was this pair of Space Opera door stoppers. The author got in touch to ask if I would review them and, looking at them I'm rather glad I said yes.
And then there was this from Titan Books, 'combining the surrealist horror of Joe Hill's Horns with the mythical fantasy of Robert Holdstock's Mythago Wood' - I mean, seriously, how can you go wrong with that.

Both books have excellent cover rec's from authors I trust so it goes without saying I am looking forward to all three.

Monday, 6 February 2017

New books in the post today

Two books in the mail today from two of my favourite authors of recent years. Both are starting new series in fresh new worlds and both will be reviewed on here in the near future.
All I will say for now is that if you haven't read either of these authors before then I highly recommend you do now.

Thursday, 2 February 2017

Graham Masterton and Me - A Reflection (of sorts)

Many moons ago (I was still at school so I'm guessing it would have been around 1982/3) a friend of mine offered to lend me some of his brothers books. I'd read a bit of horror before, mainly James Herbert and Shaun Hutson but he gave me a book by an author I'd never heard of before. That author was Graham Masterton and the book was The Manitou. I can safely say that The Manitou was the first book that I found really scary and it got me hooked on the works of Graham Masterton .

I don't remember the exact scene that gave me the chills but I remember the night itself well. My mum and dad had gone out for the evening, my sister was out at a friend's and it was just me and our dog, Clover, in the house. I sat in the corner in the rocking chair with just the standard lamp to illuminate the pages and read...and read...and read. I was totally wrapped up in the story until some little noise made me jump, made the dog jump and I looked up! The rest of the room was pitch dark and...was that something over there in the corner, just on the edge of sight? (It wasn't, obviously, but for that few, brief moments it could well have been). No horror author had bothered me like that before - and I enjoyed the scare.

From then on I tried to get hold of any Masterton novels I could. They were creepy, gory, scary tales in the main but also clever at times. I loved the Night Warriors series, featuring a bunch of heroes that fought demons and evil in the world of dreams. I eagerly awaited the next in the Manitou series - and they never disappointed. The one off stories (of which there were many) often delved into the demons and spirits of history, not the 'same old, same old' that a lot of horror writers of the time seemed to be churning out.

Skip ahead a few years and 'younger' Andy was in hospital for day surgery to fix a broken nose. Obviously I had to take a book with me to pass the time until the op and it just happened that there was a new paperback available guessed it Graham Masterton. That book was 'The Devils of D-Day'. I finished it in that one day and I don't know if the pre surgery meds had anything to do with it (they probably did) but that remains to this day the most visual of his novels for me, the one that feels more like I lived the story than read it.

With Masterton I felt like it was an above average chance that the next novel would be more late nights and a certain pause before turning the lights off. Not all were brilliant but for the most part they were just what this horror fan needed.

A lot of the earlier books are now harder to get hold of but thankfully his publisher, Head of Zeus, are making a whole bunch of GM's earlier novels available including 'The Heirloom' (featuring what can only be described as a haunted/possessed chair), 'Ritual', 'Black Angel', 'Prey' and The Sphinx (which I've been wanting to re-read for as long as I can remember). These will be available from 1st June 2017 and I, for one, am certainly looking forward to revisiting them.

So, I guess I've been reading Masterton for 34 years or more now and I like to think that his brand of horror, demons from history and folklore, has influenced the path my reading has followed as far as the horror branch has gone.

Thank you Mr. Masterton, and long may your story telling continue


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text:
This Market Band Wagon Is About To Hit A Big Bump

June 27th, 2012
in Gary's blogging

Closing Market Commentary For 06-27-2012

Markets closed up but on very low volume. There was some profit taking towards the session end and only enough to take it slightly off of the day's highs. For the past several sessions I have referred to a market sideways movement when actually it is a modified sideways movement in that the volume is quite low but the markets rise. This rise can be attributed solely to the HFT and other market manipulators in the game of self-serving interests. I would urge caution in jumping on this band wagon as the piano isn't tied down. One bump and everything will be on the road beside you. If you are lucky you won't have the piano fall on sensitive body parts. I am telling you this because I can see the big bump just ahead; don't say I never told you.

Follow up:

This market should be melting down not up, but be careful as the turns can be painfully quick. The RRR** has been very narrow for any chance of a profitable day trade and the swing traders are quickly coming into fertile ground for shorting again. Importantly it needs to be noted that we are in a no-mans land where the markets can easily go up a bit more or down some. I am beginning to think we are not going to see any action until the EU meets in July. Volumes continue to decline each session as no one seems interested on betting on big moves ahead of summit. Not too far away, but for some reason a lot of investors I think really believe we are going to see monkeys fly out of their butts or some other hocus-pokus that will be the saving grace of the EURO. Forget it folks, it isn't going to happen and you had better dump your dogs if you haven't already.

The SP500 at the close.

The $RUT at the close.

The DOW at the close.

WTI oil is at 80.46 unchanged trading between 78.68 and 80.75 and the bias is neutral.

Brent crude is at 93.59 unchanged trading between 91.75 and 93.84 and the bias is neutral.

Gold is down today at 1574 unchanged trading between 1581 and 1555 with a neutral bias.

Dr. Copper is at 3.34 up from 3.31 earlier.

For tomorrow:

US GDP will be released at 8:30 a.m. EDT tomorrow. The consensus first quarter GDP is 1.9%. In addition, Great Britain will be releasing GDP at 4:30 a.m. EDT tomorrow. Great Britain is expected to report year over year GDP of -0.1% and quarter to quarter GDP of -0.3%.

Italian CPI will be released at 5:00 a.m. EDT tomorrow morning. The consensus increase is 3.2%, which is in line with last month's number.

The US jobless claims report will be released at 8:30 a.m. EDT tomorrow morning. Initial jobless claims are expected to be 385,000.

The US Supreme Court is expected to released their ruling on "Obamacare" at 10:00 a.m. EDT tomorrow.”

** RRR = Risk Reward Ratio

To contact me with suggestions or deserved praise:

Written by Gary

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text:
Journal of Scientific Papers

© CSR, 2008-2015
ISSN 2071-789X

Directory of Open Access Journals (DOAJ)

Strike Plagiarism

  • General Founder and Publisher:

    Centre of Sociological Research

  • Publishing Partners:

    University of Szczecin (Poland)

    Mykolas Romeris University (Lithuania)

    Alexander Dubcek University of Trencín, Faculty of Social and Economic Relations (Slovak Republic)

    University of Entrepreneurship and Law, (Czech Republic)

  • Membership:

    American Sociological Association

    European Sociological Association

    World Economics Association (WEA)

Family Decisions on the Tourist Market

Vol. 8, No 3, 2015

Agata Niemczyk

Department of Tourism, Faculty of Management,

Cracow University of Economics, Cracow, Poland,

Abstract.  The purpose of this article is to present the specificity of family decisions on the tourist market. The first part of the article describes the four models of family decision-making and identifies the determinants of making joint and individual decisions. The second part discusses the profiling of a tourist whose tourist-trip-related family decisions are made jointly and of a tourist whose decisions in this respect are dominated by the family member whose income is the highest. Moreover, the areas of tourist decisions were recognised showing that decisions made by families with dependent children were on the one hand similar whilst on the other different from those made by childless families. Similar analysis was conducted among the families with dependent children who play the role of initiator, advisor and decision-maker in terms of organizing a tourist trip and among those families where children do not play such roles. Empirical data obtained in the course of primary research conducted in Krakow in 2014 were used as the basis of this study.

Received: May, 2015

1st Revision: June, 2015

Accepted: September, 2015

DOI: 10.14254/2071-789X.2015/8-3/19

JEL Classification: D11, D12, L83

Keywords: family decisions, tourist market, Krakow, survey.


text:
I won’t return to APGA, Ojukwu’s son tells Obiano

Son of Late Eze Igbo gburugburu and Ikemba Nnewi, Emeka Ojukwu Jr

Emeka Ojukwu,Jnr, the son of the late Igbo leader, Dim Chukwuemeka Odumegwu, on Monday said he would not return to the All Progressive Grand Alliance.

Ojukwu dumped APGA for the All Progressives Congress on 15th November, 2017 during President Muhammadu Buhari’s visit to Anambra State for the grand finale campaign of the APC candidate for the November 18 Anambra governorship election, Dr. Tony Nwoye.

Speaking with journalists in Awka, Anambra State on Monday, Ojukwu asked Governor Willie Obiano to stop disturbing his peace on the matter, describing the governor’s knocks on him on the issue as “infantile and ignorance of the working of the Nigerian politics.”

He said he was toeing his father’s steps in ensuring that the Igbo were launched back into the mainstream of the country.

Recalling how his father joined the defunct National Party of Nigeria shortly after he returned from exile in 1982 instead of the Nigeria Peoples Party, Ojukwu said the Igbo would not benefit anything by wallowing in sentiment.

He said, “I can afford to stay back in APGA and wallow in sentimental politics that the party belongs to the Igbo, but on the long run, what becomes of our tomorrow and place in the great Nigeria project, for which our forefathers laboured, invested their time, talent and even their blood?

“Which is preferable: to be a big fish in a small pond or a big fish in the ocean? Real champions are never afraid of the big league. That could be why late Dr. Chuba Okadigbo asserted that if you could not reason beyond ethnic sentiments, you are a liability to mankind. Ndigbo are not better off with emotional politics.”

Obiano was recently reported to have said that Emeka Ojukwu’s defection to the APC was of no consequence, as according to him, Ojukwu’s son had no political relevance in the state.

But for Ojukwu, “the governor is playing kindergarten politics.”

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text:
Tuesday, May 30, 2006

with Trent

Friday, May 26, 2006

from across the room she looked beautiful

This is becoming a miniseries: "The World's First Unmanned Flying Desk Set's Attempt to Find a Man." At least this installment will be short.

I visited my sister at her office today--she's a secretary on campus. We were chatting, but I was multitasking, seeing as how there was a cute boy with an empty ring finger sitting behind the front desk using the phone. I looked at him and he looked at me, which was an unusualy experience, and I thought, "Huh."

I had no sooner had this profound moment that the boy asked me if I was a friend of LaLa's. We both grinned and revealed our secret--we're sisters. And for a brief moment life as far as flirting goes looked very good. And then. . . (here ends the chapter to keep you reading). . .

And then my sister did something both wonderful and terrible. She told him about me. I teach 115 and 218. I'm a grad student. I'm brilliant. She was talking to Mom and they decided I'm a creative genius.

It was nice to hear my sister say these things.

At least for me. But with each new accomplishment/compliment, the boy withdrew from the conversation. I stuck around to attempt another round of flirting, but the chips had fallen and not in my favor.

Wednesday, May 24, 2006

"Against My Will" feat. Lady Jane

So after the momentary lapse in focus, we're back. Hormones, people. And there's not enough chocolate in the world this month. Trust me. I've looked.

What does this mean? It means we're talking about men. Because Lady Jane is a more mature and thoughtful person that myself, we're going to talk. . . not physical characteristics. His hair shall be (as Melyngoch reminded me) what color it please God, but there are certain other characteristics we can't pass on (as my anonymous readers will remind me).

Rich. Jane and I can't really comment on this. We're English MAs, which means we've resigned ourselves to lives of poverty. To be quite honest, I don't care what he does as long as he loves it. I don't want to wind up listening to complaints about accounting or business.

Jane: "If he wants dough in this relationship, it's BYOM: bring your own money."

Wise. Hi. Professors. Academics. Intellectuals. And for me, I'm going to add artist (I personally think lit crit is an art, but I'll let Jane speak for herself.) It has become a problem that the gents in Provo who are around my age are My Students. Good grief, hell, and good night. Yet another reason why I must leave this town.

Jane: "This is what I think. I think that the most important thing in a marriage is that you feel the same philosophically. Does that make sense? So that way you can raise children together. There's a quote that says every child needs an exemplary father and a wise mother. So that means I need to be the wise one. And that's a problem."

Virtuous. Um, I'll let you fill in this blank.

Jane: "We were talking about this in Shakespeare actually. Chastity does not mean celibacy. So as long as we keep inside the marriage, I'm okay."

Fair. Oh wait--we already talked about this. But let me repeat: scruffy.

Jane: "I actually like my guys darker, but I'm not picky. Actually, the guy I have a crush on is like albino, so. . . " (insert brief cat fight between Jane and Virgina)

Mild. Hell no. Easy, fine. Pleasant, of course. But give me a guy with a quick wit who doesn't treat me and my intellect with kid gloves. I'm not fragile. And he shouldn't be either. (I'm realizing now that Benedick is talking about a woman and I'm talking about a man and gender stereotypes do apply.)

Jane: "Or come not near me."

Good discourse. I'm going to be honest here. I like a fight. A fight and a debate and intense times twelve. It makes me feel alive. And I like good banter. There is a certain young man starting the MA this fall who fills this role nicely. Please let him be single and up for a year of playing the peanut gallery.

Jane: "I think you have to. . . " (here Jane trails off in thought)

Jane redeems herself: "I think you have to be with someone who you want to talk to 24 hours a day."

Excellent musician. See Johnny Depp/Roux in "What Makes Him Attractive"

Jane: "Guitars are sexy."

Maybe we digressed a bit, but hey--if it makes me happy.

a priori

I'm having a grinding-shoulder, exploding-Jamba, badly-drawn-hair day.

That being said, I need to address an important issue before tonight. Because after tonight, this post will become obselete.

American Idol.

I joined Lady Jane and co. last night to watch the showdown between Taylor Hicks and Katharine McPhee, with the understanding that I would behave myself. And I did. There are holes in my tongue to prove it. And as tonight is the finale, I need to say a few things.

I want to like Taylor. Probably because he's male and breathing, but also because he's fun, entertaining, etc. Katharine is gorgeous, but not much fun to watch. Taylor wins, hands down.

But then the situation was complicated. The TV was turned off and the brother of Lady Jane turned on sound clips. And while I commented on how if this PhD thing doesn't work out I can always go write lyrics for American Idol (has anyone else realized that AI can also stand for artificial intelligence?), I also noticed that I'd much rather listen/sing along to Katharine. Granted, I probably won't buy either CD. But if the airwaves are going to be assaulted, I'd keep the radio on for Miss McPhee.

That said, my money is still on Taylor. Damn that Simon.

What Makes Him Attractive (in eg's opinion)

There has been some debate/discussion over my choice to tout Channing Tatum (seen here, bottom picture) as an attractive man.

In his defense, it's not his best picture, although it was the best one I could find that was, um, appropriate for my blog (meaning clothed). However, I would like to call your attention to his eyes, his lips, and his suit--I like strong/prominent facial features (i.e., great eyes, defined jaw, etc.). But this has led to at least five minutes of serious contemplation of what I find attractive in a man, which has led to the following (incomplete) list:

Jake Gyllenhaal. Scruffy. A bit on the nerdy side. Brilliant actor. I particularly love him as Hal in Proof.

Adrian Grenier. One of my first celeb crushes. The hair. The eyes. And, of course, the scruff. (Minor obsession here, people.) And in regards to the hair: I'm ornery about hair. He's got to have either a good head of hair or look good bald. The thin inbetween is scary enough that he'd better have one amazing personality to offset this problem. (And if he likes to play with my hair, all the better.)

Johnny Depp as Roux in Chocolat. Love Depp as an actor, but let's be honest: I'm not going to swoon over his Willy Wonka. Roux on the other hand. . . I can just say ditto to the qualities of the guys before (hair, scruff, eyes), and then zero in on the guitar, which is why I chose this pic. I'm a sucker for an artist. Ask my first boyfriend. And it doesn't have to be a musician--it doesn't even have to be fine arts. A guy who is passionate about science or math or Latin is just as sexy to me.

Benedick. I've said this before, but he's my perfect man. Witty. Not a pushover. And, while I do prefer dark features, I needed a blond/redhead/whatever he is. . . I guess we could chat about our unknown hair color.

Tuesday, May 23, 2006

All the good men

I think sometimes I whine about men/guys/boys so much on this blog that I forget to mention all the many brilliant, wonderful, good men in my life. And while it is easy to acknowledge my dad and brothers here (I'm such a Daddy's girl), it's a little more difficult for me to honestly straight up say that I have amazing guy friends.

So where have they gone? Nowhere, at least not yet. Perhaps it is the great irony of this single girl's life that the men I connect with are the married and the unavailable (for various reasons that I'll let you boys discuss if and when necessary). April and Fob both offered up some great guys for me to bond with, and then the grad program gave me this brilliant circle. How many groups of guys would call a girl like me over to their table to talk shop? (And by shop, I do mean creative writing.)

And I have to pause. Because some of them are gone, some are going. The difficult thing about guy friends is that they don't seem to stick around for a long time.

Anyway, the whole point of this post was to throw this up, as an emotional shout out to all the girls who find themselves in a similar situation. In desparation I asked one of the marrieds where single men in Provo are. I hope he doesn't mind my sharing this. I'll keep his identity a secret, unless he wants credit. And then all the world will know why he is my hero. (I'm so sneaky.)

Warning: This may come off as elitist. I’m sorry I don’t know where single guys hang out, although, in all honestly, I don’t think you need to know. We graduate student-types tend to gravitate toward people we meet in activities that interest us, not meeting people during hang-outs. Of course, you know this, I realize that, but I felt the need to say it. In other words, peoples like us are brainy, so you’ll probably meet your future husband while he’s teaching immigrants English or curing infectious diseases or reading voluminous tomes of “lit” that would render most humans’ brains into slurry from overexertion. Yes, trying to maintain patience bites the proverbial big one. I’ve been there.

Monday, May 22, 2006

Oh, Draconian devil!

Confession one: I read The DaVinci Code two Christmas breaks ago.

Confession two: I saw The DaVinci Code on Friday.

I’m not sure why I feel slightly guilty about reading the book or seeing the movie. Probably because both are considered overrated by people I consider “intelligent.” But if you take them for they’re supposed to be (yes, I do have that song stuck in my head now)—which is a mystery novel/movie—they’re not bad. In fact, they present an interesting blending of genres, introducing academic/theological questions to the general public via the mystery novel. (And yes, I consider the general public all those people I growl at when I’m at the bookstore or the library or driving. . . and if you know me, you know what I would say.)

So let’s talk about the movie. Because I do think you should see it. And, let’s be honest. you probably are going to see it, if you haven’t already. I’ll try not to spoil it for anyone, but if you’re a wimp when it comes to critical reviews, back away from the blog now.

I read about halfway through the book again before I saw the movie. The biggest problem I anticipated was translating the long passages of explanation to film. Most of it was internal monologuing or explaining the Priory of Sion and Opus Dei and the history of the Holy Grail. And they did follow the kind of traditional flashbacking: showing the Knights Templar, etc., as they told the story. But the most effective moments of this (for me) was when they would layer time periods—not so much a flashback as walking through history.

The movie has the same problems the book has: it slows down in the middle. You can only watch people solve mind clues for so long before you want to tell them to throw it out with the Friday crossword. Also, for a book centered around preserving the idea of the sacred feminine, there’s only one female character. Where have all the women gone? We don’t freaking know. (If you think about it, the story is terribly male chauvinist: men protecting/preserving women. And I’ll continue with anyone who wants to discuss this with me, but I don’t want to spoil the plot. It’s not worth it.)

The movie is well cast. Tom Hanks isn’t annoying for once. Audrey Tautou wasn’t Amelie, but she wasn’t supposed to be. (I was annoyed that they gave Hanks a lot of her lines from the book.) Ian McKellen, always good, and particularly so here. Alfred Molina wasn’t used enough. And after that laundry list, I want to end on my favorite: Paul Bettany. His Silas is brilliant and awesome and terrible and sad—without becoming tragic or melodramatic. (Although, as Lady Jane observed, how many movies has that guy gone completely naked in? Can we count that high?)

Wednesday, May 17, 2006

deconstruct your world until you account for it

The eg breakdown. Or break down. Whatever you prefer.

I was watching Hitch Monday night with Virgina and Lady Jane. This was after dinner at the India Garden, picking up Tolkien Boy, rice pudding at Pudding on the Rice, She's the Man at the dollar. It was late and admittedly in that frame of a few hours where you go beyond social constraints to complete unabashed honesty.

So I told Tolkien Boy that I'm in love with him.

Um, kidding.

Actually, I dropped TB at his place and headed to Virgina's to meet up with the girls, at which point in time we mostly discussed about how gorgeous this gentelman is. Channing Tatum, model turned Amanda Bynes' co-star in She's the Man. Really cute. And not my usual type.

So what was on my mind? Men, of course. I probably do have areas of my brain devoted to other topics, but they aren't getting much play time lately. Must find new topic of conversation/thought. . . . Really cute.

Monday, May 15, 2006

authentic my. . .

So I'm home. Which means Virginia and Lady Jane are also home and we're sad not to be together in the car or the house or in front of the Bellagio watching the water show. And yes, I should be sleeping. Or if I'm not going to sleep, I should at least be reading Momaday's House Made of Dawn for class tomorrow. Shame on me. (I love guilt ridden blog posts, don't you?) Since I arrived in Provo around 11:30, I have managed to avoid responsibility by (ooh, it's another eg list!)

1. Showing Sister (formerly known as LaLa) purchases made at the Primm factory outlet stores (there was going to be a blog entry titled "Primm and proper" about Lady Jane's and my outing, but, alas, no wireless connection to be found chez Virgina's parents)

2. inspecting my new phone (same number people, but as my phone broke, I no longer have your phone numbers. Please donate to the cause.)

3. considering ringtones with the help of Saule via IM (current contenders are Cake's "No Phone," Goo Goo Dolls "Broadway," Lauryn Hill's "Doo Wop," and Guster's "Fa Fa"). If you have a suggestion, please let me know. I hate decisions and I hate. . . other things.

4. Bath.

5. Attempted sleep. Not working. Going to look for more ringtones. Maybe sleep.

P.S. Edgy: Come to Fob. We still need to celebrate.

Wednesday, May 10, 2006

buzz goes the phone

What should I blog about? How about Lady Jane and our not-so-newly found Third Musketeer, which LJ and I have just now (I'm serious, just just now) nym'd. . . nevermind. Jane is too busy finding out who was booted off American Idol tonight. And I wish I could tell you, but she's too busy freaking. . . Chris. Chris got booted off. This is because last night Chris was the incredible singing mannequin. Yes, I watched. Yes, I am ashamed of myself.

So, the Three Musketeers. Why do I need to name every group I take part in? How about because it makes life easier for all of us? Or just because I'm cool like that. Or because I like names and words and everyone knows Three Musketeers are low in fat.

You've been introduced to Lady Jane before, but I'm not sure if you've really met her. She's a babe. Well, we all are. Maybe I should get out what else we all have in common: all female, all English grad students, all. . . there was something else, but I forgot.

Lady Jane is from Washington, some place with a really long funny name. Served a mission in New York. She is studying the Gothic novel or something like that. I really need to get to know my best friends better.

As for the third. . . we'll call her Virginia, due to her thesis topic, the late great Virginia Woolf. And no, number three/Virginia is not suicidal. I don't think. I really should check this stuff out before I make friends. A survey or questionnaire or something. She's petite in stature, not so much in personality. (TB, this is your opportunity to triangle us. And then I'll growl at you and you'll tell me not to look at you that way and I'll slug you and this isn't about you anyway.)

Virginia is from Vegas, which happens to be where our dear friend (yes, D'Artagnan) is getting married on Saturday. And we're going to road trip. Road Trip! We leave Friday, and while it won't be as acclaimed the December Fobtrip, this will be an interesting tangent. . . and now we're going to watch {proof}, because that's what we do.

Tuesday, May 09, 2006

snooze button on my biological clock

Confession: My life is boring during the summer and I have nothing to report.

Except that I bought Scrubs: Season 3 today. Oh yeah.

Thursday, May 04, 2006

about an editorgirl

"Do you want to hear my life story? Cmon. It involves fire eating and a midget." Quinn, Everything You Want

So, am I alive? Yes. What am I alive from? Not a clue.

I just turned into. . . I mean, turned in my grades. It's always. . . and by always I mean the past two semesters. . . a time of guilt and reflection, reflection and guilt. Does he really deserve that grade? In either direction? Was she just kissing up or did she really mean what she wrote in her letter/memo? How am I going to change next semester?

And now that my pondering on grades is over and done with (almost), I'm watching a few minutes of Everything You Want while I type this. Multitasking. It's a gift. EYW, on the other hand, is more a 90-minute DVD of insanity that's giving me weird ideas. . . ideas along the lines of either inventing or hiring a long-distance boyfriend to avoid the joy of this semester's singleness in front of my students. (Once I get out of Provo, this won't matter, right? Right? Anyone? Anyone? Please? I'm begging here.) I figure as long as he looks like Nick Zano or sounds like Orlando Seale, I'm good to go.

This is depressing. What I should be writing about: sending poems out, writing poems, workshopping poems, trips to Macey's and Borders and Barnes & Noble and Target, tomorrow's Fob, putting together a supplemental writing group with KJ, etc., etc., etc.

"Your face is good." Calvin, EYW

And when I reach this point, I should go to sleep.

P.S. And for those who were interested, I have {proof} again. We should watch it.

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text:
New legislation announced Thursday will offer new home buyers in Alberta more protection and the province says it's designed to be the strongest warranty of its kind in Canada.

Bill 5, the New Home Buyer Protection Act, requires builders to provide home warranty coverage for all new homes built in the province starting fall 2013.

“If things go wrong, this legislation gives stronger protection to get those homes repaired,” said Municipal Affairs Minister Doug Griffiths.

“The fact that most of us, the largest purchase we ever make is on a home, most of us could not afford to purchase a home and walk away from it so it’s critically important that we have those protections in place.”

Griffiths admits homebuyers needed increased protection because of shoddy construction and pointed to the problems facing owners of the Penhorhood Condos in Fort McMurray, who found themselves homeless after engineers found evidence of serious deterioration in the complexes.

Current warranty offers one year on materials and labour and five years on major structural components.

Under the proposed legislation, all new homes (detached homes and condominiums) would at minimum, include a warranty for:

  • One year labour and materials
  • Two years for defects in labour and materials related to delivery and distribution systems
  • Five years building envelope protection, with a requirement for the warranty provider to offer the consumer the option to purchase additional years of coverage
  • 10 years coverage for major structural components

“This is the strongest warranty protection in all of Canada,” Griffiths said.

It’s expected the new home warranty would cost about $1,700 to $2,000 for an average home, or less than one per cent of the cost of the average house.

Owner-builders will be exempt from the requirements to carry a new home warranty unless the property is sold within the warranty period. If the home is sold within the warranty period, the owner-builder must provide the buyer with warranty coverage for the remaining portion of the warranty period.

But the minister says it’s not just about warranties.

He says the goal is to raise the quality of construction of homes as well.

“This is to deal with the few people who won’t or don’t (do a good job),” he said.

Yvonne Byer moved into her new home four years ago and says she had a bad builder.

“One thing this legislation will do is hopefully get rid of the bad builders,” Byer said.

“We fought to get installation into our homes and we had to have three rounds blown in.”

Byer and others in her community banded together to urge the province to improve protection for new home owners.

“This should have been done years ago,” she said.

With files from Susan Amerongen


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Monday, November 18, 2013

Labour to offer at primary schools from 8am to 6pm

Labour is to offer a legal guarantee of childcare between 8am and 6pm from breakfast to after-school clubs at primary schools, Ed Miliband has announced. As figures show an increase in the costs of childcare as a proportion of average earnings in the past year, the Labour leader has pledge to provide help with the daily obstacle course faced by parents.

Labour released figures to the sovereign that show that the weekly cost of 25 hours of nursery care in England on an average basis raised from £82 in 2010 to £107 this year. In the same period average earnings have risen from £449 to £477, prompting Labour to tell the Independent that the costs of nursery care have risen from 18% to 22% as a quantity of average earnings.

The Labour party announced at its conference this year that it would use a levy on banks to provide 24 hours of free childcare a week for working parents with 3- and 4-year-olds, worth £1,500. This is an increase from the current 15 hours.

Miliband told ITV Daybreak: We are seeing fewer childcare places and we are seeing the costs rising. It is not just for the under-fives. It is also when it comes to school.

Frankly, the hours of 8.30am or 9am to 3pm don't cover the full working day. So we are also saying let's make sure all primary school offers breakfast clubs and after-school care that is there for parents, so that right across the working day, if parents need it, the care is there. Otherwise parents are in that daily obstacle course of 'how am I going to make sure I can get to my work and make sure my kids are looked after? Frankly the country is letting parents down if we are not taking that seriously.

Miliband added: Childcare costs are just going up and up and up year on year and parents are really struggling to cope. I don't just want to. I want to really help when it comes to those childcare costs. It is not just good for parents who want to work. It is good for the country as well. We can make a real difference when it comes to childcare and nursery costs.

The Labour leader defended his claim that there are now 350,000 fewer childcare places after the closure of 576 Sure Start centers since the general election. Asked whether he was scaremongering because the government said that only 45 centres had closed, Miliband said: No not at all. We have seen 100 of Sure Start centres no longer there.

Wednesday, October 9, 2013

University language department closures 10 things

1. The number of universities offering modern foreign languages has declined by 40% over the past 15 years. In 1998, 93 universities offered specialist language degrees, whereas now only 56 do.

2.German is the worst affected subject. The number of universities offering degrees courses in the subject has halved over the past 15 years.

3. The situation is getting worse, not improved. Since the Guardian's last analysis of language decline in 2007, the rate at which language departments are closing has accelerate.

4. Since 2007, 11 universities have closed their language departments totally. Anglia Ruskin, Brighton, Liverpool John Moors and Wolverhampton are among the universities that no longer offer language degrees at all.

5. The move to make languages optional at GCSE slashed the number of language learner. After Labor dropped languages as compulsory key stage 4 subjects in 2004, the proportion of pupils taking a language GCSE fell. Although this year's cohort shows a slight uptake, the demand for languages beyond GCSE continues to fall.

6. Academics are asked government to do something. In a letter published in the Guardian, 75 academics from institutions across the UK urged Equal to address the unfair grading of exams.

7. UK trade is losing out because of graduates' lack of language skills. The union of British Industry described the country's linguistic deficit as a tax on UK trade because it will hold back its skill to do business overseas.

8. Languages are more and more becoming a pursuit of the elite. Out of the remaining single-honours courses, Russell Group universities dominate language teaching. Three-quarters of Italian degrees, two-thirds of German and half of French and Spanish studies degrees are taught are these institutions.

9. The language teaching gulf is widening. At independent schools and state schools in rich areas, language teaching fares best. The percentage of pupils on free school meals taking a least one modern foreign language has dropped from 26% in 2007 to 14% in 2013.

10. Once student numbers fell, market forces took hold and deepened the crisis. Michael Kelly, head of modern languages at the Southampton University. Warns that because the student pool has shrunk, it has become uneconomic to teach the variety of courses required, and university managers are increasingly reluctant to continue supporting loss-making departments.

Wednesday, September 25, 2013

Indian students 39% takes loans and 22% win scholarship.

Nearly 4 in 10 Indian students took loans in 2011-12 to fund his or her MBA dreams, data collated by the Graduate Management Admission board shows. Many B-schools came to the rescue of students in this unsure economy.

22% cent of Indian aspirants received financial assistance in the form of scholarship. Of the rest, 17% took parents' help, 10% dug into personal savings and 13% looked for other options of funding.

The top reservations that prospective students cite about pursuing a graduate business degree always relate to the high cost of tuition/fees and how to pay for their education. To lessen these concerns, admissions professionals at a majority of business programmed international report offering a variety of tuition assistance options ranging from 52% of online MBA programmed up to nearly all 96% full-time 2-year MBA programmes, the latest GMAC survey report noted.

More master’s programmes (87%) offered scholarships than other specialized master's or MBA programmes, although full-time 2-year MBA programmes had the highest average percentage of student scholarship recipients (43%) across all programme types. Professional MBA programmes, such as managerial and part-time MBAs, were the least likely to offer scholarships to incoming students.

Wednesday, September 4, 2013

IPTV for Education to use 10 Ways

Internet Protocol Television (IPTV) and its numerous uses are little by little becoming accepted by every person as a force to be reckoned with. Its various revolutionary uses span many markets including: hotels, healthcare, digital signage, hospitality and general management and business use.

Education is just not a business that you would consider is at the cutting edge of technology, but more and more means of employing IPTV for education are showing up constantly.

With many pupils spread out over important areas, all with the requisite to access vast amounts of study material, and also with teachers time and again on the lookout for less complicated, better and faster options for teaching these students, it is easy to see where IPTV has a role to play.

So how closely is this extremely Current Technology being utilized inside our educational system? Below are 10 ways that illustrate exactly this:

1. A very good way to deliver information, news, foreign language TV, entertainments.

2. With the availability of this technology it is very simple to stream live classroom sessions to any Computer or TV attached to the school’s network.

3. College students can be provided with radio channel and TV access profile for their pursuit, particular home country and personality education demands.

4. Teachers may easily prepare lessons utilizing the flexible stream technology, conserve precious time that may then be used in various ways.

5. School TV channels could be created playing output from any Video Recorder, DVD or Camera directly into the college network.

7. Video is of a continual HQ regardless of the number of scholars across the school implement devices to view channels.

8. Teachers can simply record onto their own individual laptop computers and PCs for likely future use or onto a shared Video on Demand server which will store recorded material.

9. Offers foreign language and local TV stations to compliment teaching.

10. School events or messages may be relayed throughout the school, as an example an assembly or message from the head teacher.

Not only are there the above mention examples of superb uses of this technology in schools, universities and colleges, but the full system can be reasonably straight forward to set up and run. It's possible to make use of the same communications no matter how many viewing devices or stations are attached to the network.

Friday, August 30, 2013

22 lakh children without basic education: Said Shashi Tharoor

Nearly 22 lakh children in the nation are yet to receive Elementary Education and it is the duty of state governments to bring them to schools, minister of state for HRD Shashi Tharoor said on Thursday.

We are certainly anxious to catch the remaining 22 lakh children in our country who still are not in school. These are largely tribal children, children of migrant workers and the begging children. These are students we need to catch and take them to the school, Tharoor said.

He was speaking at the launch of the Right to Education anthem video. HRD minister M Pallam Raju and Rajya Sabha MP Javed Akthar were also present on the occasion. It is the job of the state governments to look out for them. Even if a refugee worker child is in a place where the language is not of his family or the state, the child should acquire basic literacy. It is the blame of the state to get him into the school and not of the family, Tharoor said.

The lyrics of the RTE anthem has been written by lyricist Javed Akhtar while the song has been sung by noted singers Sonu Nigam and Sunidhi Chauhan. The video also features Bollywood actors Ranbir Kapoor, Imran Khan, Katrina Kaif and Anushka Sharma. The video will be dubbed in English and 15 regional languages to make alertness among the stakeholders for implementation of the RTE.

the RTE came into existence in 2010 and since then it has showed remarkable success, said Raju. "The anthem and the video will help increase the message of RTE." Under the RTE, it is compulsory on government and local authorities to provide basic education to all children in the 6-14 age groups.

Thursday, August 8, 2013

NGO Filed Petition on NEET judgment

NGO has filed a petition to review the decision made by the apex court for disposal the NEET. NEET is the single window exam for getting admission to MBBS and BDS seats of government and private colleges both.

In the decision issued on 18 July 2013, NEET has been canceled stating that the Medical Council of India that had the authority to specify the standards of medical education discard the single-window admission test that defiled the rights of private college to continue business and the right of alternative institutions to set up and manage educational institutions.

The petition filed by an NGO stated that the NEET is mainly conducted to keep check on the extensive corruption and the back door entry of the undeserving candidates to this highly appreciated and skilled profession. According to the recent string operation conducted by a TVchanel, no complaints formal-administration in the private colleges has been filed.

It said that from many years, seats of these private colleges were sold in cores, to reduce this depressed of money, MCI decided to this common test.

Wednesday, February 6, 2013

Government to review University Education System on Tuesday

Four years after the government restore its central university system by bringing in numerous such new centers of higher education to provide access with excellence, there is little to show in outcomes and a worried government is set to appraisal its growth strategy.

President Pranab Mukherjee and Prime Minister Manmohan Singh will evaluation the bottlenecks in infrastructure, research, and curriculum and teachers crisis on Tuesday, according to officials in the human resource growth ministry and central universities.

“Both the high offices of Indian government may put in place a apparatus to advance their interface with the central universities,” said an official of the HRD ministry, who refuse to be named. “The quality of our recent education system leaves much to be preferred. During the 12th Plan (2012-17), the focus is on excellence, the review gathering will dwell on it in detail.”

There are 42 central universities in India, as well as 16 set up in 2009-10. All the new universities have poor infrastructure and don’t have enduring campuses, the program is not contemporary and attracting the faculty is a challenge. As a result, they are not attracting adequate number of students. Most of the new universities don’t even have 1,000 students each and the faculty deficiency is as high as 30-50%, executive data show.

“None of the universities in India right now are in top 200 catalogs of best universities in the world and this is a disturbing point. The universities need to change their approach and develop into contemporary, from just knowledge to investigate and be industry-ready,” said Abdul Wahid, vice-chancellor of the Central University of Kashmir.


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art of the brewhaha logo

We're back and planning an exciting event for 2017!

Saturday, November 11, 2017
Old Quebec Street Shoppes
7:30pm - 12:00am

Featuring samples of many beers from the best craft brewers in Ontario, plus food, entertainment, and surprises.

Tickets are $22 in advance and $35 at the door.

Advance tickets are available here

Advance tickets will be on sale until 12pm (noon) on Saturday November 11. At this point the event will be marked as SOLD OUT of advance tickets, but there are a number of tickets reserved for sale at the door.

The Art of the Brewhaha is a fun night for sophisticated beer lovers and newbies alike, featuring craft beers from across our region with media art projections and installations.

If you are a brewery interested in participating here is the information and we will work on a first come first served booking procedure.

This is a pay-as-you-go sampling event, with 4 samples included in the admission price. Guests purchase sample vouchers for $1.50 and redeem them with any brewery for a sample of their product.

The event takes place at Old Quebec Street Shoppes, which is located at 55 Wyndham St N, Guelph, ON, N1H 7T8. Parking is available in the attached parking garage and is free after 6 pm on Saturdays. Old Quebec Street Shoppes is accessible by transit and we have arranged for taxis to ensure that our patrons get home safely.

Art of the Brewhaha is a fundraiser for Ed Video Media Arts Centre. Since 1976, Ed Video has helped members create  and exhibit video-based projects that represent the diversity, spirit and viewpoints of the people in our region. We achieve this by offering skill-enriching workshops at a variety of experience levels, renting video production equipment affordable rates, and presenting the work of media artists locally, nationally, and internationally.

BeausblackoakBrothersFour FathersElora BrewingheartwoodRoyal City BrewingShawn & Ed BrewingtastedetoursfullTasteofCraftWellingtonwindswept

For inquiries please contact: artofthebrewhaha@edvideo.org

Ed Video gratefully acknowledges the support of Old Quebec Street Shoppes


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Monday, 21 February 2011

Egypt back in the tourist business: all ancient sites reopening

Egypt's economy was hit pretty hard by the recent political upheaval. More than a million tourists fled the country and much of the nation's industry ground to a halt.

Now things are getting back to some semblance of normalcy and Zahi Hawass, who's still Egyptology's top man despite the change in government, has announced all archaeological sites will reopen tomorrow (Sunday)

Read more: Gadling

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