Monthly Archives: March 2014

Liberty Branch grand-opening drawing winners announced

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The Woodlands Development Company, a wholly owned subsidiary of The Howard Hughes Corporation (NYSE: HHC) announced the winners of the drawing held in conjunction with the recent grand opening of Liberty Branch in The Woodlands Village of Creekside Park. The 120-acre neo-traditional neighborhood will feature 400 new homes by homebuilders Coventry Homes, David Weekley Homes, J. Kyle Homes and Palmetto Homes. Model homes are open for touring.

The grand opening event was Feb. 8 and 9 and featured tours of the homes, plus old-fashioned refreshments and entertainment including a barbershop quartet, street entertainers in vintage dress and a display of classic cars. Nearly 2,400 people visited during the grand-opening weekend. A total of 52 homes already have been sold in Liberty Branch, where new home prices range from the $280,000s to $1 million.

When guests toured all nine homes, they were eligible to register for a drawing to win one of three $500 American Express gift cards. The winners of the drawing were Lynna Lehmann, of Oak Ridge, Yung Phang, originally from Canada and now a resident of The Woodlands, and Rita DiGerlando, of The Woodlands. All three winners were very complimentary about the neighborhood and the homes they saw on the tour.

Liberty Branch offers a range of home styles that have the charming curb appeal of early Americana while offering all the 21st century features todays buyers need and want, said Tim Welbes, co-president of TWDC. The neo-traditional design of the neighborhood makes it feel like a classic American small town within the forests of the Village of Creekside Park. Residents will have direct pedestrian access to the new Creekside Village Green and Creekside Park Village Center, set to open later this year with an H-E-B grocery store and many other shops, restaurants and services.

Two parks Liberty Square Park and Rockwell Square Park add to the nostalgic, close-knit feeling of the neighborhood. Liberty Square Park is a 1.6-acre greenspace that features a beautifully detailed gazebo, picnicking and seating areas. The design of 1.5-acre Rockwell Square Park harkens back to the turn of the century, with a pavilion resembling a one-room schoolhouse as its centerpiece and a playground and open field where neighborhood children can gather to play.

In addition to the parks within Liberty Branch, the neighborhood is also close to major recreation in the Village of Creekside Park, including the 1,700-acre George Mitchell Nature Preserve, 33-acre Rob Fleming Park and Aquatic Center, and the Creekside YMCA. Timber Creek K-6 Elementary School, part of the Recognized Tomball ISD, is also nearby.

For more information about Liberty Branch and other new homes in The Woodlands, visit The Woodlands Information Center at 2000 Woodlands Parkway and http://www.thewoodlands.com.

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Liberty Branch grand-opening drawing winners announced

Will Edward Snowden affect presidential race? Rand Paul hopes so. (+video)

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Snowden's leaks about NSA surveillance have launched a broad discussion about civil liberties, and Rand Paulis using civil liberties and NSA overreach as themes with which to frame his brand of libertarianism.

Will Edward Snowden affect the 2016 presidential race? Yes, its early yet, so in some ways the question appears very premature. But Snowdens leaks about the extent of National Security Agency surveillance have launched a wide-ranging discussion about civil liberties in the US. And its already clear that the issue could play a part in the contest for the Republican presidential nomination in particular.

Washington Editor

Peter Grier is The Christian Science Monitor's Washington editor. In this capacity, he helps direct coverage for the paper on most news events in the nation's capital.

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Thats because Sen. Rand Paul (R) of Kentucky is using civil liberties and NSA overreach as themes with which to frame his brand of libertarianism. This was on full display at the just-completed Conservative Political Action Conference in suburban Washington, D.C. Senator Pauls speech was almost entirely about the NSA and what he sees as its infringement on the rights of Americans.

Paul said the American Revolutions sons of liberty would make a bonfire of the secret orders that authorize NSA actions. In a reference to NSA monitoring of cell phone metadata, he said that I believe what you do on your cell phone is none of their [expletive] business.

Paul brought up the lawsuit hes filed against the NSA for its activities, and said he was talking about electing lovers of liberty, not just Republicans.

Dont forget, there is a great battle going on for the heart and soul of America, Paul said.

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Will Edward Snowden affect presidential race? Rand Paul hopes so. (+video)

Will Edward Snowden affect presidential race? Rand Paul hopes so.

Posted on by

Snowden's leaks about NSA surveillance have launched a broad discussion about civil liberties, and Rand Paulis using civil liberties and NSA overreach as themes with which to frame his brand of libertarianism.

Will Edward Snowden affect the 2016 presidential race? Yes, its early yet, so in some ways the question appears very premature. But Snowdens leaks about the extent of National Security Agency surveillance have launched a wide-ranging discussion about civil liberties in the US. And its already clear that the issue could play a part in the contest for the Republican presidential nomination in particular.

Washington Editor

Peter Grier is The Christian Science Monitor's Washington editor. In this capacity, he helps direct coverage for the paper on most news events in the nation's capital.

Subscribe Today to the Monitor

Click Here for your FREE 30 DAYS of The Christian Science Monitor Weekly Digital Edition

Thats because Sen. Rand Paul (R) of Kentucky is using civil liberties and NSA overreach as themes with which to frame his brand of libertarianism. This was on full display at the just-completed Conservative Political Action Conference in suburban Washington, D.C. Senator Pauls speech was almost entirely about the NSA and what he sees as its infringement on the rights of Americans.

Paul said the American Revolutions sons of liberty would make a bonfire of the secret orders that authorize NSA actions. In a reference to NSA monitoring of cell phone metadata, he said that I believe what you do on your cell phone is none of their [expletive] business.

Paul brought up the lawsuit hes filed against the NSA for its activities, and said he was talking about electing lovers of liberty, not just Republicans.

Dont forget, there is a great battle going on for the heart and soul of America, Paul said.

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Will Edward Snowden affect presidential race? Rand Paul hopes so.

The Libertarian, SchiffBot, Free Marketers, Get Raped, Pillaged And Plundered By Unregulated BitCoin – Video

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The Libertarian, SchiffBot, Free Marketers, Get Raped, Pillaged And Plundered By Unregulated BitCoin
"We are the World" is the devil song to libertarians. What #39;s 50k to a half a Billion dollar loss? ROFL!

By: Minethis1

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The Libertarian, SchiffBot, Free Marketers, Get Raped, Pillaged And Plundered By Unregulated BitCoin - Video

Libertarian wave wins big at CPAC

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Sen. Rand Paul, R-Ky., speaks at the Conservative Political Action Committee annual conference in National Harbor, Md., in this Friday, March 7, 2014 file photo.

Susan Walsh, Associated Press

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The tea party and especially Sen. Rand Paul won big over the weekend during the annual Conservative Political Action Conference (CPAC), but that is not stopping establishment GOP politicians like Sen. Mitch McConnell from targeting them, according to the New York Times Carl Hulse.

Top congressional Republicans are targeting conservative activist groups with a goal of undermining their credibility, according to Hulse. The goal is to deny them any Senate primary victories, cut into their fund-raising and diminish them as a future force in Republican politics.

I think we are going to crush them everywhere, Hulse quoted McConnell as saying.

The straw poll at last week's CPAC illustrated that tea party favorites are winning, according to the National Review's Tim Cavanaugh.

Sen. Rand Paul won with 31 percent of the vote, Sen. Ted Cruz came in second with 11 percent and retired neurosurgeon Ben Carson came in third with 9 percent.

Cavanaugh writes that the straw poll illustrates a change in the direction of the party, citing poor performances by former power hitters like Gov. Chris Christie and Rep. Paul Ryan.

The libertarian wave continued throughout the conference, which, according to Cavanaugh, followed a pattern that has characterized GOP events since at least 2008: When the small-government zealots are not around, you can hear a pin drop. When a member of the Paul family shows up, theres so much energy in the place it almost seems like Republicans can win an election.

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Libertarian wave wins big at CPAC

Beyond Fiji: the other Pacific paradises you must visit

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March 11, 2014, 4 p.m.

From New Caledonia to French Polynesia, and the Cook Islands to Samoa, there are more holiday destinations to discover in the south Pacific beyond Aussies' beloved Fiji, writes Craig Tansley.

From New Caledonia to French Polynesia, and the Cook Islands to Samoa, there are more holiday destinations to discover in the south Pacific beyond Aussies' beloved Fiji, writes Craig Tansley.

Blue lagoons, empty white sand beaches, rugged green mountainous interiors - what's not to love about the islands of the south Pacific? There's nowhere on earth as untouched and safe. Few Australians travel beyond Fiji, but New Caledonia and Vanuatu in Melanesia, and the Cook Islands, French Polynesia and Samoa in Polynesia are the ideal south seas getaways. Aside from their comparative affordability during the time of a fluctuating Australian dollar, there's virtually no crime, locals are famously friendly, adore visiting children, and don't tout or bargain on prices. As well, the landscapes are among the most pristine on the planet. So, while there's no reason to forego Fjji, there's a whole lot to love about the islands beyond it.

THE COOK ISLANDS

The Cook Islands are made up of 15 tropical islands spread across an area of ocean the size of Western Europe ... but with barely 15,000 inhabitants. Even on its most populated island, Rarotonga (your arrival point), there are just 10,000 locals. No building is higher than the tallest coconut tree and there's not one traffic light.

Perhaps its greatest asset is that its islands are tiny, meaning visitors can access every part of each island within minutes. There's just one main road on Rarotonga which circumnavigates the island in 25 minutes (most visitors hire scooters to get around).

There are far fewer Australian visitors coming to the Cook Islands than Fiji, with many of these visitors coming to get married.

Meanwhile, just 40 minutes away by plane, Aitutaki has become one of the south Pacific's most fabled honeymoon locations. Home to probably the best lagoon in the Pacific behind Bora Bora, Aitutaki has a handful of high-end resorts. It now attracts the rich and famous, but it's still the same sleepy south-seas hideaway it always was, home to 1400 locals surviving by farming and fishing.

But that's always been the Cook Islands' strength: it takes less than 45 minutes by plane from Rarotonga to discover islands where as few as 40 tourists visit a year. The Cook Islands are a beacon for honeymooners, but they also offer an ideal escape for families.

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Beyond Fiji: the other Pacific paradises you must visit

Inspiring womens leadership in the Pacific Islands

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What will it take to inspire womens leadership in the Pacific Islands?

On gender equality it is no secret that the Pacific Islands is lagging.

The region is home to some of the worlds highest domestic violence rates. Economic empowerment of women in many countries, particularly in Melanesia, is desperately low. Women lack access to finance, land, jobs and income. In my country, Solomon Islands, there is only one woman in parliament, and there are none in Vanuatu and Federated States of Micronesia a country which has never yet seen a woman elected.

Of course the reality is always more complicated than a data sheet. I have grown up among inspiring women and have been motivated by very strong Pacific Islanders like Shamima Ali in Fiji and Ethel Sigimanu in Solomon Islands, who have battled so hard to put gender equality on the agenda.

I know in turn that there are many men who, just like me, care immensely about the issue of womens rights and gender equality: men who recognize the social and economic benefits of educating their sisters and daughters, and encouraging their wives to be active in the workforce or to start businesses themselves.

I also believe that things are changing. In many churches in the Pacific, women are increasingly given leading roles in their congregations and conducting their own services. While still very few, more Pacific women have been elected to positions in parliament in places where this has been notoriously challenging: at the last elections, we counted three in Papua New Guinea and three to the Senate in Palau.

And from my own experience at the World Bank Group, I have been proud to see women taking the lead in some of our projects. In Buni village in Solomon Islands, women told me how they came together under a crowded mango tree to outvote men on an initiative that would boost their earnings, while an overwhelming majority of community leaders reported that this same project, the Rural Development Program, had made women more vocal and active in their communities.

Of course examples like these are not enough. I want to see more women leaders more women running businesses, university departments, media outlets and political parties and speaking out in the community. I know that Pacific women are just as smart and just as dedicated as their male counterparts; they make critical decisions every day and have a huge wealth of knowledge at their fingertips.

And womens leadership matters. It matters if we want to get the best people in the top positions in our societies, rather than excluding half of all possible candidates and all that they can offer. Currently almost half of womens productive potential globally is unutilized. A Goldman Sachs study found that narrowing the gender gap in employment could, by 2020, increase per capita income in emerging markets like Solomon Islands by as much as 14 percent.

For change to happen, societies need to recognize that womens leadership is pivotal. Its an issue for governments but also for schools, universities, parents and communities, to encourage girls as well as boys to take on leadership roles. Its an issue for workplaces and businesses, to offer opportunities for women including on boards and committees. We need data on womens participation in the economy, and concrete action plans to address the barriers.

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Inspiring womens leadership in the Pacific Islands