Golden Rule (fiscal policy) – Wikipedia

The Golden Rule is a guideline for the operation of fiscal policy. The Golden Rule states that over the economic cycle, the Government will borrow only to invest and not to fund current spending. In layman's terms this means that on average over the ups and downs of an economic cycle the government should only borrow to pay for investment that benefits future generations. Day-to-day spending that benefits today's taxpayers should be paid for with today's taxes, not with leveraged investment. Therefore, over the cycle the current budget (i.e., net of investment) must balance or be brought into surplus.

The core of the 'golden rule' framework is that, as a general rule, policy should be designed to maintain a stable allocation of public sector resources over the course of the business cycle. Stability is defined in terms of the following ratios:

If national income is growing, and net worth is positive this rule implies that, on average, there should be net surplus of income over expenditure.

The justification for the Golden Rule derives from macroeconomic theory. Other things being equal, an increase in government borrowing raises the real interest rate consequently crowding out (reducing) investment because a higher rate of return is required for investment to be profitable. Unless the government uses the borrowed funds to invest in projects with a similar rate of return to private investment, capital accumulation falls, with negative consequences upon economic growth.

The Golden Rule was one of several fiscal policy principles set out by the incoming Labour government in 1997. These were first set out by then Chancellor of the Exchequer Gordon Brown in his 1997 budget speech. Subsequently they were formalised in the Finance Act 1998 and in the Code for Fiscal Stability, approved by the House of Commons in December 1998.

In 2005 there was speculation that the Chancellor had manipulated these rules as the treasury had moved the reference frame for the start of the economic cycle to two years earlier (from 1999 to 1997). The implications of this are to allow for 18billion - 22billion more of borrowing.[1]

The Government's other fiscal rule is the Sustainable investment rule, which requires it to keep debt at a "prudent level". This is currently set at below 40% of GDP in each year of the current cycle.

Between 2009 and 2021, the Golden Rule was abandoned but after the October 2021 budget speech by Rishi Sunak the Golden Rule was restored.

In France, the lower house of parliament voted in favour of reforming articles 32, 39 and 42 of the French constitution on 12 July 2011.[2] In order to come into force the amendments need to be passed by a 3/5 majority of the combined upper and lower houses (Congress).

In 2009 articles 109, 115 and 143 of Germany's constitution were amended to introduce the Schuldenbremse ("debt brake"), a balanced budget provision.[3] The reform will come into effect in 2016 for the state and 2020 for the regions.

On 7 September 2011, the Spanish Senate approved an amendment to article 135 of the Spanish constitution introducing a cap on the structural deficit of the state (national, regional and municipal).[4] The amendment will come into force from 2020.

On 7 September 2011, the Italian Lower House approved a constitutional reform introducing a balanced budget obligation[5] to Article 81 of the Italian constitution. The rule will come into effect in 2014. That reform is rooted in the European Stability and Growth Pact and in the s.c. fiscal compact. It has led to the abandonment of the ideological neutrality that characterized the Italian fiscal constitution in favor of a cleary neoclassical inspiration.[6]

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Golden Rule (fiscal policy) - Wikipedia

Rockwell’s "Golden Rule" – Norman Rockwell Museum – The …

Norman Rockwell (1894-1978), Golden Rule, 1961. Oil on canvas, 44 1/2 x 39 1/2. Story illustration for The Saturday Evening Post, April 1, 1961. Norman Rockwell Museum Collections. SEPS: Curtis Licensing, Indianapolis, IN.

This week the United Nations rededicated a large mosaic of Norman Rockwells iconic 1961 illustration, Golden Rule, which hangs in their New York City Headquarters.The workoriginally presented to the UN in 1985 as a gift on behalf of the United States by then First Lady Nancy Reaganwas restored by Williamstown Art Conservation Center, which over the years has repaired numerous objects from Norman Rockwell Museums collection as well (including Rockwells 1953 United Nationsdrawing, which was the artists earliest conceptions for Golden Rule). Here is a little more background on both artworks, currently on view and part of the collection of Norman Rockwell Museum.

United Nations

Conceived in 1952 and executed in 1953, this drawing was inspired by the United Nations humanitarian mission. Though it was carefully researched and developed, Rockwells idea never made it to canvas. He said he didnt quite know why he grew tired of the pieceperhaps it was too ambitious. At the height of the Cold War and two years into the Korean War, his concept was to picture the United Nations as the worlds hope for the futurehe included sixty-five people representing the worlds nations, waiting for the delegates to straighten out the world, so that they might live in peace and without fear. In the end Rockwell abandoned the illustration, saying that it seemed empty and pretentious, although he would reference it again many years later.

Golden Rule

In the 1960s, the mood of the country was changing, and Norman Rockwells opportunity to be rid of the art intelligentsias claim that he was old-fashioned was on the horizon. His 1961 Golden Rule was a precursor to the type of subject he would soon illustrate. A group of people of different religions, races and ethnicity served as the backdrop for the inscription Do Unto Other as You Would Have Them Do Unto You. Rockwell was a compassionate and liberal man, and this simple phrase reflected his philosophy. Having traveled all his life and been welcomed wherever he went, Rockwell felt like a citizen of the world, and his politics reflected that value system.

Id been reading up on comparative religion. The thing is that all major religions have the Golden Rule in Common. Do unto others as you would have them do unto you. Not always the same words but the same meaning.Norman Rockwell, The Norman Rockwell Album.

From photographs hed taken on his 1955 round-the-world Pam Am trip, Rockwell referenced native costumes and accessories and how they were worn. He picked up a few costumes and devised some from ordinary objects in his studio, such as using a lampshade as a fez. Many of Rockwells models were local exchange students and visitors. In a 1961 interview, indicating the man wearing a wide brimmed hat in the upper right corner, Rockwell said, Hes part Brazilian, part Hungarian, I think. Then there is Choi, a Korean. Hes a student at Ohio State University. Here is a Japanese student at Bennington College and here is a Jewish student. He was taking summer school courses at the Indian Hill Museum School. Pointing to the rabbi, he continued, Hes the retired postmaster of Stockbridge. He made a pretty good rabbi, in real life, a devout Catholic. I got all my Middle East faces from Abdalla who runs the Elm Street market, just one block from my house. Some of the models used were also from Rockwells earlier illustration,United Nations.

See the originals: Golden Rule and United Nations are currently on view at Norman Rockwell Museum.

View the restoration of RockwellsUnited Nations painting below:

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Golden Rule, iconic Norman Rockwell mosaic, rededicated at UN Headquarters, UN News Centre, February 5, 2014

The Golden Rule: Restoring the Norman Rockwell Mosaic at the United Nations, Art Conservator, Summer 2013

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Rockwell's "Golden Rule" - Norman Rockwell Museum - The ...

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When it comes to your health you can never be too careful, and with the rising cost of medical care, Health Insurance has become a top priority. In order to have your health expenses covered at a reasonable price, having the right insurance is a necessity. Although plans vary according to your needs, they can cover anything from medical and hospital expenses to prescription drugs.

While finding the right Health Insurance is not always an easy choice, Golden Rule Insurance Agency's representatives are committed to providing the knowledge and support you need to help you make the right decision for you, your family, or your business.

Golden Rule Insurance Agency provides quality Life Insurance solutions for clients near Osage Beach,Lake Ozark,Eldon,Camdenton,Sunrise Beach,Lebanon, MO.

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Golden Rule Builders: New Home Construction, Kitchen …

Top-Grade Materials

We have developed relationships over the years with manufacturers of quality materials and products across the building spectrum. Visit our Design Center Showroom to take a look up-close.

From labor to leads, our team is comprised of folks who are not only excellent at their jobs, but who are also excellent at life. All have passed background checks, take pride in their work, and know that they dont just work here; they are part of the Golden Rule Builders family.

Wouldnt it be terrific if you could stay informed about the status of your project at any time, and communicate directly with the right team members for any stage of your project? We use a tool called JobPilot that does just that. When you become a client of Golden Rule Builders, youll have access to real-time information, and youll be able to communicate with your team throughout the building process.

Located in Catlett, Virginia, we are conveniently positioned to serve the entire northern Virginia area. This includes the counties of Fauquier, Loudoun, Prince William, Fairfax, Culpeper, Rappahannock, Stafford, Fredericksburg, Warren, and Clarke. Whether youre in Middleburg or Upperville, Warrenton or Paris, we are happy to build or remodel for you throughout the general Piedmont region. Golden Rule Builders is prepared to handle every aspect of the building or remodeling process for you. We look forward to working with you to make your dream home a reality!

If you are ready to learn more and take the next step toward your new home or home improvement goals, contact Golden Rule Builders today!

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Whatever happened to the golden rule? – CSMonitor.com – The Christian Science Monitor

A news segment the other day reported an altercation between two passengers on a commercial aircraft an example of the entitlement and self-centeredness that seem all too frequent these days, at the expense of thoughtfulness, kindness, and respect. Many wonder, What can be done about it?

We can look to the Bible for guidance on this. The very essence of Christ Jesus ministry was teaching and exemplifying love for God and one another. For instance, he taught: Ye have heard that it hath been said, Thou shalt love thy neighbour, and hate thine enemy. But I say unto you, Love your enemies, bless them that curse you, do good to them that hate you, and pray for them which despitefully use you, and persecute you (Matthew 5:43, 44).

A number of years ago two women came up the driveway while I was doing some work outside. They were members of a different church who wanted to proselytize. They had come well prepared with literature supporting their views.

I thought to myself, These people have no idea who theyre talking to. With my superior knowledge of the Bible, I can show them how wrong their approach is and put them down.

The three of us talked for a few minutes, and sure enough, the women went away in tears, feeling completely humiliated.

I felt really good for several minutes. But then I realized how truly awfully I had behaved. I had been utterly unchristian unkind, arrogant, and completely disrespectful. The golden rule was nowhere to be seen in my behavior. I felt so ashamed of myself.

It was too late to go find the women and apologize. All I could do at that point was vow to myself to make amends if and when I had another encounter like that. I had to live up to the ideals of the Christianity I professed Christian Science, based on Jesus teachings, which explains that we are all Gods children. We are spiritual brothers and sisters, held in the universal bond of divine Love. There is simply no room for animosity in infinite Love, which created each of us as its very reflection.

As the Christian Science textbook, Science and Health with Key to the Scriptures by Mary Baker Eddy, says: With one Father, even God, the whole family of man would be brethren; and with one Mind and that God, or good, the brotherhood of man would consist of Love and Truth, and have unity of Principle and spiritual power which constitute divine Science (pp. 469-470).

We all have the same spiritual Father. We are created for the same purpose to express Gods love and goodness and therefore cannot be in conflict with each other. Recognizing this spiritual reality enables us to demonstrate it in everyday life. Arrogance had gotten the better of me in the exchange with the two women, but through prayer I was able to express love and kindness more consistently moving forward.

Some time passed before a similar opportunity arose. I was making breakfast for my family when someone knocked at the door, wanting to proselytize. My initial thought was, How dare they interrupt our Saturday morning ritual of having breakfast together? But no sooner had that thought appeared, than the vow I had made was recalled. So I paused to let divine Love, not frustration or anger, guide my next steps.

I welcomed the man in and let him know how much I valued his desire to help people learn about God. With sincere respect for him, I let the man know that our family had a deep love for God and that we were practicing Christians.

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At that point, the man smiled and told us how refreshing it was to not have another door slammed in his face. He seemed truly grateful for our response and thanked us for the kindness we had shown.

Each of us has what it takes to live up to the vow that is one of the tenets of Christian Science: And we solemnly promise to watch, and pray for that Mind to be in us which was also in Christ Jesus; to do unto others as we would have them do unto us; and to be merciful, just, and pure (Science and Health, p. 497).

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Whatever happened to the golden rule? - CSMonitor.com - The Christian Science Monitor

Whatever happened to teaching the Golden Rule? – The Recorder

Published: 1/9/2022 8:07:55 PM

Modified: 1/9/2022 8:07:06 PM

Treat everyone the way you want to be treated, with respect, kindness and empathy. Judge a person on their actions not how they look.

Nowadays, people are getting hired and fired based on their gender, sexual preference, religious believes, color of their skin and their politics. This is the antithesis of the Civil Rights act of 1964 and its derivative the EEOC.

Our country is heading in the wrong direction, it seems to me.

Now, covertly, how not to be a racists books and training documents are circulating in public schools. People have BLM signs on their lawn or window, virtue signaling in my opinion, propagating tribalism and division.

In print and video news reports, people are being described by their skin color or who they voted for, even though it has no relevance to the story.

Why are people described as or referred to; as African Americans? According to paleontologists homo sapiens originated in Africa and disseminated all over the world. We are all out of Africa. I consider myself to be an American first and foremost my heritage to be second.

Who is a person of color? Am I not included? Again, another term that divides us.

Identity teaching is seeping into public education, eroding testing standards, lowering grading guidelines in math and sciences to achieve equity, a public school buzzword. Instead of teaching up a student to achieve certain goals, lowering the bar is the answer, a very troubling trend.

National media rush in to defend and conjole Jussie Smolette after the alleged attack. Now, after Mr. Smolette was convicted, it was all lies and a hoax, the media are caricatures of the Three Wise Monkeys.

We are billion-year-old carbon,

And we got to get ourselves back to the garden. CSNY 1970.

Jim Bates

Gill

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Whatever happened to teaching the Golden Rule? - The Recorder

LETTER: A neighborhood that lives the Golden Rule – Crow River Media

Many folks, who grew up in the 30's and 40's, have experienced the spirit of "neighborliness" in our lifetime.

This is especially true in my little neighborhood, Evergreen Park, where I grew up and later returned to spend the rest of my "senior" years. Our ages range from the late 70s to the late 80s, and we are all active with our families, churches, communities, and "neighbors.

Some recent events give readers a glimpse into the regular life and times here. Christmas goodies were delivered: plates of homemade candies, cookies, rolls, festively wrapped, from Elaine, Fran, and Faye.

Larry D. delivered his hot, tasty Christmas eve meal (with grandson, Nick). Many times, I have been the recipient of Bonnie and Larry's cooking and fishing expertise. (And Larry N.'s fishing trips).

Not to forget the home grown produce from our/their gardens and Willards' farm.

Good neighbor, Larry Nelson, is vigilant about clearing the snow from our driveways and sidewalks, so we can all get out for appointments and shopping. Sometimes he even beats the snowplows, then has to clean out the ends of the driveways.

This is only a tiny glimpse into one neighborhood, where folks are living the Golden Rule: Love your neighbor as yourself; a message we need to remember in these continuously stressful times. Thanks and blessings for all the good neighbors everywhere, and God bless us everyone.

Senior resident of Evergreen Park, Litchfield

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LETTER: A neighborhood that lives the Golden Rule - Crow River Media

Letter: Message of the letter was the teaching of Golden Rule – Daily Record-News

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Letter: Message of the letter was the teaching of Golden Rule - Daily Record-News

Faith and Values: The important distinction between justice and equity – The Spokesman-Review

What, exactly, is fair? What is justice? Definitions abound but few satisfy. One example, the principle of moral rightness, begs more questions. What is moral? What is rightness?

A recent Faith and Values column called for a higher standard that reflects Christs teachings so that they become visible in our own life by the way we show unity and love in a world of division and violence. Such morality is captured by the golden rule, an ideal found in most religions but rarely realized. Bahaullah wrote, if thine eyes be turned towards justice, choose thou for thy neighbor that which thou choosest for thyself.

Elsewhere he wrote, The best beloved of all things in My sight is Justice. Justice provides inherent wisdom. It allows us to see with our own eyes and not through the eyes of others and know with our own knowledge and not through the knowledge of our neighbors. Verily justice is My gift to thee, writes Bahaullah, and the sign of My loving-kindness. Set it then before thine eyes.

Equity confers a higher justice. Often confused with justice, equity implies a justice that transcends the strict letter of the law. It is in keeping with what is reasonable rather than what is merely legal. Essentially, justice is the letter of the law, equity the spirit of the law.

Justice isnt always equitable; applying a law equitably seems sometimes impossible, partly because of legal precedents. Is it justice to prosecute a trespasser who cant read the No Trespassing sign? What would be an equitable application of this law?

Justice and equity are twin Guardians that watch over men the cause of the well-being of the world and the protection of the nations, Bahullh wrote.

Abdul-Baha observes that humans are created and adorned differently from, and above, other animals. This requires man to have love and affinity for his own kind, nay rather, to act towards all living creatures with justice and equity.

Such guidance suggests that human behavior toward all living things, as well as the nonliving elements that support them, should reflect this ethic. Ecosystems provide sustenance, life itself. Is it equitable for some of us to damage and degrade systems that support all of us? We create pollution and greenhouse gases that affect our entire planet. These are not easy questions to resolve, but resolve them we must if we are to avoid further consequences of our reckless behavior.

A standard of behavior based on justice and equity was described by Shoghi Effendi, grandson of Abdul-Baha. He calls for a rectitude of conduct, with its implications of justice, equity, truthfulness, honesty, fair-mindedness, reliability, and trustworthiness.

High standards indeed! Yet essential if we are to overcome division and violence. Solving these problems must employ, yet transcend, technological solutions. It will require morality justice and equity for all sisters and brothers sharing our planet.

Its unlikely any of us can meet all these standards, yet we can try even knowing we wont attain them. Staying aware of such standards is a good beginning. We can bring ourselves to daily account and ask, Howd I do? And we can respond truthfully. Maybe resolve to do better.

By doing this, we purify our characters and improve our conduct. The purpose of Gods revelation is to educate the souls of men, and refine the character of every living man.

This education begins with parents prayers before the birth of each child. It continues as children learn to speak and pray, and to love the Creator. Such love generates a spiritual sense of equity and justice in us all.

Armed with a bachelors degree in English literature, Pete Haug plunged into journalism fresh out of college. That career lasted five years while he reported for a metropolitan daily, edited a rural weekly and worked in industrial and academic public relations. Petes columns on the Bahai faith represent his own understanding and not any official position.

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Faith and Values: The important distinction between justice and equity - The Spokesman-Review

How to best support children with these common neurodiversity challenges – News24

"We must encourage children with these disorders to be the best they can be even if this is not exactly who we first imagined they might have been." Photo: Supplied/Nancy Doyle

Neurodiversity refers to the range of differences in individual brain function and behavioural traits, regarded as part of normal variation in the human population, says Dr Greg Pienaar.

Dr Pienaar is a registered educational psychologist who spent his lifetime in educational matters. He is now a Principal at The Bridge School for Assisted Learning, which caters for all children from pre-school level to High School.

Below, he unpacks several common types of neurodiversity found in children and provides some guidance on approaches to help these children.

ADD or ADHD

Dr Pienaar says that ADD is a prevailing situation related to concentration and focus issues. He says that parents need to help their children choose the right school. In other words, a school with children with similar difficulties in class and trained teachers to assist and support a child with this barrier.

He also advises parents is to seek pharmacological intervention since it might be necessary to seek the advice of a respected paediatric neurologist, paediatric psychiatrist, or paediatrician.

Dyslexia or Dyscalculia

Dyslexia happens when the child faces learning struggles related to words, while dyscalculia is a learning struggle when it comes to numbers.

Again, Dr Pienaar says that the first step is to find the right school and support for children facing these challenges.

Since Dyslexia is likely to exist for a lifetime, Dr Pienaar says that parents need to implement all strategies such as explicit direct instruction in phonological and phonemic skills; consistent font style where necessary; building resilience and self-esteem.

Other strategies he mentions include having very little clutter in terms of work and workspace. Above all, accepting that although Dyslexia is a learning barrier, it is not a solid blockage with all the related negativities.

Dyspraxia

This disorder is also known as developmental coordination disorder, which relates to children who seem to be particularly clumsy or face delays in sitting, walking, jumping or any physical activity that requires coordination.

Dr Pienaar says that parents need not force a child to practice and become proficient in this case. He says that this is because it is unlikely that a child with this barrier will completely master a world of physical ability. He says that a child can improve with the proper support and intervention.

Anxiety

Anxiety becomes an issue mainly when it influences performance. Dr Pienaar says that the golden rule for parents regarding anxious children is offering full support and always providing loving guidance to the child. Dr Pienaar says that anxious children have feelings of not knowing what to expect and fearing the worst, which impacts their self-actualisation.

As parents, he says that we need to have and grow confidence in our children letting them tackle progressively more challenging tasks until they can achieve mastery or competency.

He added, "As parents, we always hope that our children will get dealt a good hand of cards at the start of their lives from which to develop their abilities. There is, however, a wide range of neurodiversity challenges which impact a great number of children worldwide, which may initially prove to be a stumbling block in the eyes of parents."

He says that parents need to accept their children's unique nature and nurture and develop their unique gifts. This is because no matter who you are, there will be many things you can't do in this life, and that doesn't make you inferior it just makes you different. He says that parents need to recognise this and value their children to value themselves.

Dr Pienaar says that we must encourage children with these disorders to be the best they can be even if this is not precisely who we first imagined they might have been.

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Governor Ducey delivered his final State of the State address – KGUN

PHOENIX (KGUN/AP) Arizona Gov. Doug Ducey delivered his eighth and final State of the State address, focusing on education, border security and water.

Monday's speech from the Republican kicked off the Legislature's yearly session and laid out the governor's priorities for new legislation. Ducey said in an interview last week that hes not slowing down as his term comes to an end. He's facing a much better financial picture than he did in 2015 when he faced a $1 billion deficit.

Ducey says he plans to swing for the fences laying out a big policy agenda.

Full text of the Governor's speech follows...

State of the State Address 2022Governor Doug Ducey

Speaker Bowers, President Fann, Leaders Rios and Bolding, Chief Justice Brutinel, Members of the Legislature and Judiciary, everyone assembled here the families, the friends, the special guests and dignitaries all my fellow Arizonans: There is nowhere else Id rather be right now than here, in this chamber, on this floor, together, in person, smiling, shaking hands, and celebrating the strength and the future of the State of Arizona.

Typically in an even numbered year, weve logged a lot of hours working together. But today we have an unusually large number of fresh faces. And that makes it all the more exciting. Would all the new members of the House and Senate those sworn in since our last sine die please rise? Welcome.

Without citizens like yourselves and your colleagues willing to participate and make the sacrifices that inevitably come along the way the cornerstone of our great democracy, We the People is merely words. You make it a reality. Thank you ALL for your service and civic participation.

Weve also got some not so fresh faces among us. Near the top of the list me.

I have the unique privilege of doing something today no Arizona governor has done in more than three decades, reporting on the State of our State for my 8th time. And so I begin by expressing my sincere and eternal gratitude to the people of Arizona for entrusting me with two terms in this incredible job and to all of you for your partnership along the way. Thank you.

And to my family for supporting me, and for all that you didnt sign up for most of all, tolerating State of the State rehearsals around the kitchen table year after year and especially to Angela for her continued advocacy for the most vulnerable children and citizens of our state: I love you, and thank you.

But for those who think its going to be a quiet year on the 9th Floor, you havent been paying attention. As I enter the fourth and final quarter, Im reminded of something my high school coach told me Get in and get the job done. And as I stand here today, the job isnt done. The goodbyes will come later much later. I intend to make the most of every moment and work hard all along the way for my employers the citizens of this state.

Ladies and gentleman, at the risk of sounding repetitive, the State of our State is strong. And we are poised to do what everyone in public service strives for: to leave it stronger than we found it.

Last session was one for the record books. Together, we made it the most successful since Ive been down here and Im not just talking about cocktails to-go.

Liability reform for our small businesses. Bipartisan wildfire solutions and funding to match. New revenue streams through a modernization of our tribal gaming compacts. New school choice options for kids and families. A record investment in roads, infrastructure, broadband and affordable housing. Nearly 100 percent of citizens 65 and older with at least one shot of the vaccine thanks to a national model for distribution brought to you by Dr. Cara Christ, Michael Bidwill and the Arizona Cardinals. We led the way with universal licensing reform. And with the leadership of Dr. Regina Cobb, we passed another first in the nation Arizona policy that everyone is rushing to copy: telemedicine. And a list we are very proud to be at the top of: the largest tax cut in Arizona history, with the passage of the lowest flat tax in the nation.

And yet anyone who has ever worked with me will attest: I have a hard time stopping to celebrate victory. It was true at Cold Stone, and its been true in the public square. So naturally, after we signed the budget, I told my staff: In 2022, were going to top all of this. And so weve been hard at work to make this a banner year.

One thing that was clear when we went back to review the tape on the last seven years: As co-equal branches of government, working in good faith with the Legislature, we have set the bar very high.

Arizona is better positioned than at any time in our 110 year history. And that makes our work and our priorities much different than when I stood before you the first time.

You know the facts: Back then, the state budget was broken in the red by $1 billion.

I remember meeting just days after the 2014 election, and reviewing options. In the easy column, budget gimmicks and tax increases. On the other side, budget cuts and tough decisions.

In that election, I ran on having built a business, and I committed to shrink a government and grow an economy. And together, we have done just that.

Today, a lot is different in Arizona. We have lived within our means: We have more citizens, our budget is balanced, our economy is roaring and our government is smaller and more efficient than it's ever been. In fact, we believe so strongly in shrinking government that for the first time ever we are demolishing unneeded state buildings, on track to reduce our footprint by nearly 750,000 square feet since we got here.

We are sitting atop a surplus of several billion dollars, fueled not by tax increases but by the opposite: historic economic growth. It turns out free-market capitalism works. Supply-side economics might not be the sexiest thing for candidates to run on these days, but it sure looks good on a spreadsheet.

Today, our state revenue is growing at an even faster rate than the so-called experts predicted. So this year, just like in the past, we are going to double-down on what works. Rather than endless, needless programs that waste the peoples money, we are going to be targeted and responsible.

We will resist the cries from the spending lobby, and once again, we will allow the people to keep their hard-earned money. We will cut taxes.

Its really not that complicated; its just basic common sense. Government takes in more than it needs to pay the bills, and the taxpayer should get to keep his or her hard-earned dollars.

Today, jobs are plentiful. Back in 2014, I remember getting grilled on the campaign trail about how all the jobs Arizona was getting were call centers and construction. My response? Theres dignity in all work, and it was true. But for far too many employers and businesses, Arizona was, in fact, a flyover state on their way to Texas. We knew we could do better if we could get those decision-makers to stop here, so we could make the pitch to show what a beautiful state we live in. Now, because of our combined work, we have an all-of-the-above approach on jobs. Not just call centers but also car manufacturers, autonomous vehicles, tech start-ups and world-class semiconductors. We said we wanted to be a jobs juggernaut, and in the process, we became a paycheck paradise. Plus, unlike California, Illinois and New York, here you actually get to keep your paycheck.

But still, theres no denying whats happening on a national level is straining families and seniors checkbooks. Washingtons spending spree, combined with mismanagement of COVID, has broken our supply chain and inflated the cost of everything. A staggering surge of 6.8 percent food, clothing, gas, prescription drugs. The largest increase in the cost of daily life in nearly four decades. A White House in denial its even occurring. And a President hell bent on printing and borrowing money while raising taxes. This is not a strategy that will help working people.

It all makes our commitment of returning money to the people more important than ever. Washington D.C. might have their eye on your paycheck but at this Capitol, the only special interest on our mind is the taxpayer.

We have made Arizona a top destination for jobs and companies. Low taxes. A strong, reliable energy grid, with the largest nuclear power plant in the United States. And a great quality of life they all go a long way.

But as any business person knows: The hidden taxes of the regulatory state can be the real killer. And for small businesses, start-ups and independent contractors, these regulations are a death sentence.

Weve taken a baseball bat to that bureaucracy, with a moratorium on new regulations ever since 2015. I dont know about you, but I havent heard any complaints. Maybe because weve already saved taxpayers $169 million. Lets make these reforms permanent, in law, and ensure Arizona is always the land of economic freedom and opportunity for all.

Arizona workers are the ones truly fueling our healthy and transformed economy. Our manufacturing sector is on fire its even outpaced construction, which is a tough hill to climb. If we werent turning out so many electric cars, Id say: Lets pour on the gas. Instead Ill put it this way: Lets invest in the worker, arming them with the skills they need for our growing semiconductor and advanced manufacturing industries. Whether your top issue is workforce or rural jobs, this is the way to do it: Our budget makes historic investments into community colleges to empower our people with a quality education and the skills of the future.

Nevertheless, leave it to Washington D.C. politicians there are doing everything they can to stand in the way of freedom. Big government socialism is a failed and dangerous experiment. But it doesnt stop some from trying it time and time again paying people not to work and disincentivizing initiative and self-determination.

Thats not the Arizona way. So we called D.C.s bluff and instead said: Thanks, but no thanks to unnecessary unemployment benefits. Theres no such thing as a free lunch or free money. Instead we will focus on rewarding hard work.

This approach has meant that people keep moving here. Less taxes means more taxpayers. During the pandemic, as other states grandstanded, Arizona protected lives, livelihoods and individual liberty. People flocked here, and theyve stayed. And who wouldnt love it?

President Ronald Reagan once said that if the pilgrims had landed on the west coast, they wouldnt have bothered to discover the rest of the country. But today, there is an exodus from California. And the same is true of other states with similar flawed policies. The lack of opportunity, fueled by bad governing philosophies, are hurting real Americans and pushing them out to states like Arizona, where opportunity is abundant.

Sure, some have groaned, but growth is a good problem to have. The alternative is to be a state in decline, misery and decay. No states path to success has ever been paved with Closed for Business signs. Our only request to our new citizens is: Dont forget why you came here in the first place. Freedom, opportunity and good government matter.

Make no mistake: We will keep Arizona Arizona.

Our way is tried and true. In the past, when Arizona has veered off course, it hasnt turned out well. And that brings us to another thing we found seven years ago when we got here. The state had amassed billions of dollars in debt through the recession, fueled by out-of-control spending in the early 2000s and budget shellgames. They even had to sell off this building. A couple of years ago, thanks to the leadership here, we got the deed back. And last year, we paid off billions more in debt ratcheting it down to historically low levels. We took our Rainy Day fund to a record-breaking $1 billion. As a result, we have higher credit ratings than when we got here and that means even more savings to the taxpayer. So why stop now?

Ill present a budget on Friday that keeps this stewardship going paying off more debt, and topping off our Rainy Day Fund, so that we dont just own this house, but we leave the peoples house truly in order.

We are blessed to be a magnet for Americas veterans. They represent the best of our country, and as any hiring manager will tell you: Veterans are among their most prized and productive employees.

We celebrate our veterans and want more of them in the State of Arizona. Would all the veterans here today please rise so we can recognize your service to our nation?

We continue to find ways to honor our veterans. In the State of Arizona today, thanks to the efforts of Representative Gail Griffin and Senator David Gowan, veterans pay no taxes on their military pension.

Under the G.I. Bill, they also get to attend our in-state universities and community colleges free of charge. After all, theyve already given so much. But how about their spouses? These dedicated husbands and wives have served and sacrificed as well. So this session, lets launch a program to waive their tuition too.

K-12 education is one of the reasons so many of us ran for office in the first place. But as an outsider, it was striking to me when I got to this Capitol that our school discussions werent about what kids actually learned. Bureaucrats were competing for who could spend more money. Fewer dollars were going to the classroom, and instead lining the pockets of trial attorneys.

But we pressed forward: positioning Arizona as the number one school choice state in the nation.

When COVID hit, that designation was a lifeline for families. Some school leaders did everything possible to keep kids in the classroom. But too often, politics and virtue signaling took center stage. In the process, more parents got involved. And thank God they did. Some voted with their feet moving schools or school districts or to totally different learning models whether thats homeschooling or microschools.

But other families have seen their kids fall behind. Theres been too much attention put on masks and not nearly enough placed on math; a focus on restrictions rather than reading and writing. And its students of color and those in poverty who have been most impacted by the COVID-era posturing and politics of some school board bureaucrats.

So come June, were launching a summer camp with an emphasis on catching kids up in key areas: math, reading and American civics. We will lead the way to eliminate learning loss. And in case you havent checked Twitter lately: Arizona schools are open and they will remain open.

In Arizona schools, we will not divide people by race. Arizona schools should be instructing our kids in the Golden Rule to treat one another with respect, and judge people as Martin Luther King Junior taught, on the content of their character and not the color of their skin. This session well make it clear. Students should be taught to think critically not taught critical race theory.

But lets not stop there. Parents deserve respect and the occasional parent-teacher conference isnt enough. Its 2022. Weve got the technology. Lets require all that a child is taught, all curriculum and academic materials be put online and available to search and review by every parent, grandparent and interested citizen.

Arizona has set the standard for school choice and innovative education solutions and its because of the vision of Arizona leaders that paved the way. Leaders like Governor Fife Symington, Superintendent of Public Instruction Lisa Graham Keegan and Democratic Representative Armando Ruiz, who worked in a bipartisan way to create new opportunities for students open enrollment, charter schools. They knew that parents were best equipped to make decisions around their child's education.

And new people are stepping up every day. Leaders like Janelle Wood, a mom and founder of the Black Mothers Forum. Janelle has led the way in creating new learning models where students receive personalized support. Many of Janelle's students were several grades behind, but with her unique focus on ensuring students feel safe, secure and ready to learn and grow, they quickly made gains towards academic excellence.

Janelle is here today. Janelle thank you for your service and work to benefit Arizona kids.

Fifty-plus years ago politicians stood in the schoolhouse door and wouldnt let minorities in, today union-backed politicians stand in the schoolhouse door and wont let minorities out. Many of our poor kids and children of color are trapped in a failing school. Its time to set these families free.

This session, lets expand school choice any way we can greater open enrollment, new transportation models, more charter schools and more educational freedom for families, especially those in failing schools or who cant afford to pick up and move to a new neighborhood. Lets think big and find more ways to get kids into the school of their parents choice. Send me the bills, and Ill sign them.

For Angela and I, the children in the care of the state - our foster kids - have had a special place in our hearts. I know you all feel the same. Weve made notable strides in this area, thanks to our dedicated Child Safety caseworkers. With investments, weve seen lower caseloads and rapid placement of kids into safe, loving homes. And when other states switched to virtual home-inspections, in Arizona, these dedicated women and men showed up in person every day to keep these kids safe.

But unfortunately, we will never work ourselves out of a job in this area and the pandemic hasnt been good for these vulnerable children.

Often, its grandma or grandpa, an aunt or uncle, who steps up to care for these kids. It can be better for the child, and often cheaper for the state because historically, they havent been treated as foster families. More than 6,000 children in Arizona live in these homes all the evidence you need that you cant put a price tag on love. So moving forward, these loving extended family members should have the same resources as any other foster family. Well make sure of that this year.

Weve had success getting good ideas done together. But theres also something to be said for just saying no to really bad ideas. When the Left demanded defund the police, Arizona said, no chance. Instead we invested more in our men and women in blue. And we plan to do it again.

Arizona, Texas, Florida, Tennessee: All are among the fastest growing states in the nation. And the policies that made us so attractive can be applied to cities as well.

If you are an elected official charged with overseeing a police department and you dont believe theres a correlation between the attacks on law enforcement and rising crime rates nationally, you need a reality check because youre putting public safety and human life at risk. We intend to keep Arizona a place where we honor and value our cops and all of law enforcement, including correctional officers and first responders. A place where public safety matters. No riots. No smash and grab. And a news flash for the DOJ and Merrick Garland: Mr. Attorney General, instead of attacking Police Chief Jeri Williams and her officers for risking their lives and keeping Arizona streets safe during civil unrest, your time would be better spent protecting the federal courthouses in Portland, Seattle and San Francisco. Do your job.

When we need them, Arizona law enforcement is there. No matter the circumstance. No complaints. No virtual work. Some of our State Troopers are here with us today. Join me in showing our appreciation for their selfless service.

When it comes to building a budget, public safety will always be at the top of our list. And this year, we have a record surplus. So our budget proposes making our State Troopers in Arizona the highest paid law enforcement professionals in the state. I know you agree theyve earned it.

And were going to be leaning on their dedication more than ever. Our southern border has never been more deadly or more dangerous. Meanwhile, the White House and Congress have decided to turn a blind eye. This is a national crisis and it calls for leadership.

A few years ago, we came together every Republican and Democrat in this entire chamber and passed the Arizona Opioid Epidemic Act. It was historic. But now President Biden and his cabinet members are working against us. Fentanyl is streaming across the border. Its causing death and devastation, and theres no plan and zero action from the administration. Secretary Mayorkas is AWOL. The White House has canceled the word crisis. And for self-proclaimed border czar, Kamala Harris, this is just another laughing matter. This is a dereliction of duty by the highest officeholders in our nation. And in Arizona, we will do what they refuse to do.

Weve got a strong track record:

In 2015, we created the Arizona Border Strike Force to take on the cartels and protect our state against the flow of criminals, narcotics, weapons and ammunition. President Biden refuses to deploy the National Guard despite the fact it's been done by every other President in recent history, including Barack Obama. So in April, we deployed them ourselves, providing much needed assistance to local law enforcement. And with the leadership here, we invested $55 million in last years budget to amplify all these efforts.

But more action and manpower are needed. Heres the plan:

Number one: Resources.

Our budget will make significant new investments to strengthen the border strike force, provide advanced equipment to aid in the pursuit of dangerous criminals, and deploy the latest drone technology to bolster surveillance and stop the cartels in their tracks.

Next: The rule of law.

This is not just a public safety crisis; its a humanitarian crisis. And the human traffickers that prey on the desperation of people looking for a better life need to pay the consequences. Its time for us to increase the criminal penalties against human smuggling and provide more funding to border counties to ensure prosecution and incarceration.

Third: Boots on the ground and multistate intelligence sharing.

Border security is national security, and the lack of action from D.C. puts every American at risk. In November, I dispatched Arizonas top-ranking enforcement officers to partner with their peers in Texas: Major General Kerry Muehlenbeck, Department of Public Safety Colonel Heston Silbert, and Department of Homeland Security Director Tim Roemer. In December, we finalized the plan. Texas Governor Greg Abbott and I are teaming up to form the American Governors Border Strike Force a commitment between states to do what the Biden administration is unwilling to do: Patrol and secure our border.

Fourth: The Wall and physical barriers. They work.

Representatives Joanne Osborne and Tim Dunn and Senator Sine Kerr were with me in Yuma a few weeks ago and we saw it first hand people walking across a wide-open and unprotected border. Our border is a patchwork of federal, state, tribal and private lands. Where Arizona can add physical barriers to the border, we will.

But if the entire southern border isnt secure, neither is our nation. So fifth: Im calling on our United States senators to join this fight to secure our border. No member of the Arizona congressional delegation that actually cares about the safety of our communities should vote yes on any legislation until the President agrees to language that does the following: Secures our border with a wall, a physical barrier and virtual surveillance; increases resources to the local communities that have been devastated by these dangerous open border policies; and makes it clear that our border is not open to illegal immigration.

Senator Kelly, Senator Sinema - check my website. Weve even drafted the language for you.

The takeaway: In Arizona, we will secure our border. We will protect public safety. We will not back down. We will fight this fight until Washington D.C. finally acts.

Rule of law and equal justice under the law have been bedrocks of our Republic and guiding principles of our work together. A few years ago, when we learned of the massive backlog of untested rape kits, we worked in a bipartisan manner to clear that backlog and to make sure victims were prioritized. But as weve learned, government bureaucrats often find a way around the law. In this case, some counties are charging these women these victims up to $800 in processing charges, and sending the bill to collections. Its shameful, so we will be cracking down on this government abuse and with your help, tightening the law.

One area where our work clearly isnt done is on water. We passed a monumental policy that we were told would never happen the Drought Contingency Plan. After that one, I determined in Arizona, if we can do this, we can do just about anything. Then last year, with Speaker Bowers leadership, we put our money where our mouth is: $200 million to invest in the water technology of the future. Now, with resources available in our budget, a relationship with Mexico that weve built and strengthened over the last seven years, and the need clear what better place to invest more? Instead of just talking about desalination the technology that made Israel the worlds water superpower how about we pave the way to make it actually happen? So Speaker Bowers, President Fann and I have been working, and we propose that we make a historic investment: $1 billion.

Our goal: Secure Arizonas water future for the next 100 years.

Our state has grown and thrived because of the foresight of past leaders on this issue Carl Hayden, Barry Goldwater, Bruce Babbitt and Jon Kyl. The result: the Central Arizona Project, the Salt River Project, the Hoover Dam, the Roosevelt Dam. Now its our turn, our moment, to leave this state better than we found it. Lets rise to the occasion.

More people means more infrastructure needs. Not just on water, but roads and bridges. Weve made record investments in road repairs and improvements. A few years ago, we got together and prioritized expansion of the I-17. Then, thanks to the leadership of Senator T.J. Shope and Governor Lewis of the Gila River Indian Community, we paved the way for a wider I-10 to improve movement and commerce between Tucson and Phoenix. But that project is still scheduled several years out from now, and 94 visits as Governor to southern Arizona will remind you how important this issue is. So, lets finish the job. Our budget will invest more dollars to get the I-10 completion leap-frogged to the front of the priority list, ahead of schedule, connecting our entire state, North to South.

As you see, as much progress as weve made theres plenty left to do on so many fronts. And well have all year to grind it out together: a continued focus on the health of our citizens, and support for our hospitals, and dedicated healthcare workers; investments in cyber security to protect the identity and data of our citizens; improvements to our elections, to bring confidence and security; better broadband connectivity all across rural Arizona; more efforts to prevent wildfires; maintaining Arizonas position as the number one pro-second amendment state in the nation; protecting life in every way possible; and all along the way, preparing for another Super Bowl, where our beautiful state will be center stage just a year from now.

An ambitious agenda, to be sure. One that can cement our successes and the good reforms weve made, and further expand opportunity and optimism here in our state.

No doubt, there will be challenges. In fact, some have said we cant get much done this year. Divided chambers. An election. Why bother? I disagree. Lets aim high and think big.

Were smarter today, and as I look around this chamber I see the wisdom of our veteran lawmakers, side by side with the energy and fresh perspective of the newcomers and thats a combo that is sure to produce results.

So whether youre like me, in the camp with my friends Rusty and Karen weve only got a year left in these jobs or youre just getting started, lets recommit today to giving our all to getting the job done for the people who have hired us.

Thank you, and God bless the great State of Arizona.

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Governor Ducey delivered his final State of the State address - KGUN

COVID is caused by a virus so why are researchers treating it with antibiotics? – The Conversation UK

If you have a cold, dont ask your doctor for antibiotics thats the golden rule. Theyre for bacterial infections, not viral ones. Were told not only that they wont work, but that by using antibiotics when they arent needed, were helping bacteria become resistant to them.

Yet in a recent study conducted in an Egyptian hospital, we showed that treating moderate-to-severe COVID patients with either one of two antibiotics (ceftazidime or cefepime, in combination with a steroid) resulted in similar recovery times compared to patients given standard treatment.

This standard treatment, authorised by the Egyptian government and approved by the World Health Organization, was made up of at least seven different medications, suggesting that treating COVID with antibiotics could be a much simpler way of making people better.

Yet by doing this, we went against the established medical convention that antibiotics arent for viruses. So why did we break this rule?

Traditionally, creating new drugs to treat diseases takes a long time. Trying to develop a new treatment can take years, costs a lot of money, and has a very low success rate. Nevertheless, this process is generally acceptable when targeting common diseases.

However, this time-consuming process is not viable when there is a high threat posed by an emerging infectious disease, such as Zika, Ebola, Mers and now COVID. Without quick action or effective treatments that are ready to go, emerging diseases can evolve into pandemics that take a lot of lives. There have been hundreds of millions of confirmed cases of COVID, for example, and over 5.4 million deaths globally.

Because of this, when faced with a new threat, drug developers and major pharmaceutical companies look for quicker alternatives to the typical drug-development process. One practical strategy is drug repurposing. This is where drugs already created and approved for one use are tested to see if they can also help treat the new disease.

As the drugs have already been shown to be safe, and plenty is known about how they work, this is potentially a much less risky and time-consuming way of coming up with a treatment for the new disease. Its a strategy thats been used often in the past and one my colleagues and I wanted to try to use it during COVID because of the pressing need.

Drug repurposing begins by using computer-based techniques to model how existing drugs and the new disease-causing agent in this case the coronavirus might interact. Drugs that show promise are then tested in real-life lab studies to validate the computers findings and confirm that they could be of clinical use.

With a viral disease like COVID, a drug considered for repurposing should show one of these three qualities: it should either be able to inhibit one or more stages of the coronaviruss replication cycle; relieve the bad effects of the virus; or manipulate the immune system so that the body can deal with the virus.

And surprisingly, antibiotics are often the substances that show potential. Although viruses are different to bacteria, they are sometimes also susceptible to antibiotics. The statement that antibiotics dont work against viruses doesnt apply 100% of the time.

For example, in response to the Zika crisis five or so years ago, an American study evaluated more than 2,000 drugs already approved by the US Food and Drug Administration to see if they could potentially be safely used in pregnancy against the virus. The study found that the antibiotic azithromycin could reduce the proliferation of the virus in the brains of unborn children, thus potentially protecting against microcephaly, a condition caused by the virus in newborns.

Separately, testing also showed that the antibiotic novobiocin had a strong antiviral effect against the Zika virus. And a 2016 drug-repurposing study conducted in Thailand identified minocycline as a promising antiviral drug against dengue virus, with this antibiotic inhibiting the viruss growth at various stages of its life cycle.

All of these studies gave us confidence that repurposing antibiotics as COVID treatments was a plausible idea.

Research had already shown that a number of antibiotics were good at stopping the coronavirus reproducing in lab tests including ceftazidime and others of the same class, which is known as beta-lactams. We therefore knew this drug class had potential.

And when we ran computer simulations of how ceftazidime and cefepime (another beta-lactam) would interact with the virus, they were both effective at disrupting its protease, a key enzyme the virus uses to reproduce.

Ceftazidime and cefepime are also broad-spectrum antibiotics that are widely used to treat critically ill patients who pick up infections in hospital. As COVID patients often end up with other infections at the same time, we also thought these drugs might help badly ill patients by clearing other infections they might have, helping prevent conditions such as pneumonia.

However, it isnt clear how much of the antibiotics effect in our Egyptian hospital study was down to clearing coinfections versus how much was due to them attacking the coronavirus directly. Indeed, the notion that beta-lactams have antiviral properties is based on computer simulations and lab experiments it hasnt been definitively proven.

Nevertheless, our work has made a good case that these drugs can fight the coronavirus. While we still need to use antibiotics carefully, they might therefore have a role to play against COVID in the future.

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COVID is caused by a virus so why are researchers treating it with antibiotics? - The Conversation UK

Why Im going to embrace golf swing tinkering in 2022 – Golf.com

By: Luke Kerr-Dineen January 7, 2022

Tinker as much as you want, but if the ball stops flying straight, start tinkering with something else.

Foresight

Welcome to Play Smart, a game-improvement column that drops every Monday, Wednesday and Friday fromGame Improvement Editor Luke Kerr-Dineento help raise your golf IQ and play smarter, better golf.

When it comes to golf, Im a classic tinkerer. When something gets off in my game, my first instinct is to change it. When things are working well, its hard for me to leave it alone. I want to know why its working, and I want to make it ever better. Its hard for me to chalk off disappointing days as well, thats golf. Bad rounds demand enquiry.

Periodically throughout my life Ive been told I need to get out of my own way, but that advice never resonates or, frankly, seems to work whenever Ive tried it. When Im on the golf course, it feels like Im flying airplane. It requires constant steering, monitoring, adjusting. Theres no such thing as a pilot getting out of the way when the airplane is in mid-air, unless, of course, you want the airplane to crash.

Recently, at the GOLF Top 100 Teachers Summit, Collin Morikawas coach Rick Sessinghaus said something that did resonate: That every golfer, no matter how good or bad, has a different trigger, he said, something abstract that helps you focus at your best, in golf or life. Scrolling down the list of common triggers, there were a few that I thought could fit, and one that I was certain did: Immediate feedback.

Every golfer is different, which one is your trigger?

GOLF.com

Everybodys different, but for me, realizing how important feedback was for me started making everything make sense. Its why my best practice sessions involve some kind of ball-tracking device, and why I tend towards video cameras, or using the line on my golf ball to see if my ball is rolling end over end. Getting good feedback, leads to me perfecting; having no feedback leaves me feeling lost and aimlessly searching.

Which is why in 2022, Im not going to try to suppress my urge to tinker with my game. Instead, Im going to embrace it, and channel it in a more productive way. Heres how.

Left untouched, golfers fundamentals tend to move around. When I overlook my own setup, my ball position tends to creep forward, my feet start pointing out to the right, my posture gets sloppy, and my shoulders start pointing left to counteract.

The only way to prevent this from happening is by constantly making small adjustments to my setup to make sure it stays in a good spot.

To help with this, Ive resolved to use a mirror more when I practice, and two alignment sticks the way you see Ian Poulter using below: One pointing at the ball, and the other down his footline. Those will give me all the feedback I need to, and wont leave me guessing.

When I get to the range, and especially whenever Im using a launch monitor, Im going to take extra care to aim at a specific target. I know it sounds like a small thing, but slamming golf balls out into the distance is a really bad habit. If you dont know exactlywhere youre aiming, you have no reference point for what the golf ball is doing. If you know that youre aiming at a specific spot, and the ball is ending to the right of it, as least you know whats happening, and you can start tinkering your way back to straight.

Positions and moves in the golf swing are important, but the one golden rule in golf remains: The ball flight never lies. If Im tinkering and the ball isnt flying straight, thats a cue to start tinkering with something else. Tinkering for tinkerings sake isnt the goal. Ill tinker as much as I want as long as the ball goes straight.

Along those, well, lines, I invested in a few of these white-black golf balls, and those are what Im practicing my putting with. Similar to the full swing, my goal is to simply make sure the ball is rolling end-over-end. If I notice myself pulling putts (my common miss) my goal becomes tinkering with ways of how to keep the face more open.

It all goes back to feedback. If I give myself good feedback, I can channel my instinct to tinker in a productive way. At least in theory.

Luke Kerr-Dineen is the Director of Service Journalism at GOLF Magazine and GOLF.com. In his role he oversees the brands game improvement content spanning instruction, equipment, health and fitness, across all of GOLFs multimedia platforms.

An alumni of the International Junior Golf Academy and the University of South CarolinaBeaufort golf team, where he helped them to No. 1 in the national NAIA rankings, Luke moved to New York in 2012 to pursue his Masters degree in Journalism from Columbia University and in 2017 was named News Media Alliances Rising Star. His work has also appeared in USA Today, Golf Digest, Newsweek and The Daily Beast.

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Why Im going to embrace golf swing tinkering in 2022 - Golf.com

Breathing in new life into the European fiscal monster – IPS Journal

Europes pre-Covid fiscal rules were the product of a cultural climate prevailing in the 1980s and 90s. Back then, the belief in the effectiveness of fiscal policies on Gross Domestic Product (GDP) and employment was limited, and monetary policy was seen as a universal solution. We have known that this is not the case for some time now. The existing rules also had well-known technical bugs that made them procyclical, whatever the intended contrary effects.

After the disastrous consequences of the Covid-19 pandemic, the lesson is that not only do the fiscal rules need to be amended, but the new rules must also be complemented by a system of safeguards designed to protect the integrity of the European Monetary Union (EMU) in the event of systemic shocks. As argued in our recent paper, any reform must take account of four changed circumstances.

First, interest rates are much lower than they were in the 1990s when the existing rules were drawn up. The Eurozone expenditure on interest payments is now a much smaller percentage of its GDP despite debt being significantly higher. Given the persistence of excess savings worldwide, which exerts downward pressure on real interest rates, this means that higher debt to GDP ratios would remain sustainable for some time.

Secondly, post-pandemic debts of all EMU members have grown considerably relative to GDP, making the 60 per cent threshold enshrined in the Stability and Growth Pact (SGP) entirely out of the reach for many of them (in Southern Europe but also in France, Belgium, and Austria), except at the cost of a demand squeeze capable of throwing the continent back into recession.

Interest rates have stuck close to zero for almost a decade: a clear sign of the weaknesses of monetary policy in tackling widespread negative shocks.

Third, in a cyclical downturn of GDP, the debt/GDP ratio increases even if debt does not. Expecting the ratio to go down always and for a long period of time is thus entirely illogical. While it is true that the SGP allows the rules to be suspended in the event of exceptional circumstances (such as the 2008 financial crisis or the pandemic), its macroeconomic impact over time can be quite asymmetrical (like in the 2011-14 period) and this makes the application of a uniform rule vulnerable and practically unworkable.

Fourth, interest rates have stuck close to zero for almost a decade: a clear sign of the weaknesses of monetary policy in tackling widespread negative shocks, including those of a symmetrical nature. Increased use of fiscal policy for the purpose of stabilisation and related macroeconomic externalities must be carefully considered. In the wake of the pandemic, it has become clear that the future economic sustainability of EMU members is bound up with an extraordinary (but anything but temporary) budgetary effort.

It should by now be clear that maintaining fiscal policy entirely at the level of individual member countries, constrained by a set of rules which ignore macroeconomic externalities, is no longer possible. The era of do your homework alone is over. As Buti and Messori, among others, have stressed, individual state budgetary policies must not only be controlled but also be co-ordinated and harmonised to maintain a balanced Eurozone fiscal stance. This can serve to minimise negative spill-overs from individual budgetary policies onto other member states via macroeconomic externalities.

Moreover, as existing federal unions such as the US show, a sufficiently large and flexible central budget is a necessary precondition to keep members budgets small and disciplined. If NGEU and, in particular, SURE (the shared funding tool for cyclical unemployment benefits) were to become permanent European Union tools, national budgetary constraints might immediately gain political acceptability and be easier to control. Thats because a significant part of the macroeconomic stabilisation task would be entrusted to the common budget, which would be mainly funded by nations own resources.

Whenever technical evaluation must be translated into political decisions competence should be assigned to politically responsible institutions.

We should resist perpetuating the harmful illusion that in a democratic Europe, an automatic algorithm may, or should, replace the so-called political discretion. Rules are useful to create a framework for technical evaluation of the state of public finances in the various member states and of the EMU as a whole. Whenever technical evaluation must be translated into political decisions, however, competence should be assigned to politically responsible institutions.

In the EMU, political responsibility stays with member state governments. However, national governments must agree to share sovereignty with an institution capable of guaranteeing the EUs collective interests. In our view, this can only be the European Commission. Of course, the Commission must make use of independent technical structures such as the European Fiscal Board (EFB) and the national parliamentary budget offices for technical analysis and the formulation of guidelines for the implementation of standards.

We entirely agree with the suggestion by Blanchard et al. (2021) that the focus should be public debt sustainability. This would eliminate all reference to fixed targets valid for all member states without distinction and, even more importantly, it would break free the sustainability analysis from the weight of non-observable variables, such as potential GDP and the output gap, requiring ongoing (and retrospective) review.

Sustainability analysis should be performed on individual member states periodically and be designed to assess the probability that debt is sustainable, taking account of the specific features of each nation with reference to growth, population dynamics, interest rate trends (and thus overall debt servicing spending) but also current budgetary policies and those planned for the future.

This type of analysis is by no means straightforward and should thus be entrusted to a strengthened European Fiscal Board (EFB) in conjunction with national institutions. If debt sustainability analysis should reveal a high likelihood that debt may become unsustainable, the Commission based on a proposal by the EFB would have to negotiate a deficit reduction trajectory over several years with the country concerned. That would require the debt sustainability risks to be balanced against the costs of adjustment in terms of production, with the explicit goal of averting a debt crisis for the individual country concerned and the EMU as a whole.

Back in 2019 the EFB suggested that, in the event that debt reduction should require it, a primary spending ceiling could be resorted to, also preserving a predetermined investment spending quota (the golden rule). However, the energy transition, for example, requires huge and long-term investment that cannot realistically be done while simultaneously maintaining significant primary surpluses in all European nations. It has been noted that post-pandemic resilience and recovery are based on capital build-up and growth (especially human and social capital), which require increases in spending. Accounting conventions would classify this spending as current expenditures, but it could also be seen as investment expenditure. Think of health and education spending. Reforms of the European fiscal rules and the introduction of the golden rule could, not unreasonably, be accompanied by a (at least experimental) modification of certain key spending classifications.

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Breathing in new life into the European fiscal monster - IPS Journal

The 72-29 pounding Scottish rugby just handed Wales ahead of 6 Nations – Wales Online

Perhaps the golden rule is not to read too much into whats happening on the regional scene when assessing the prospects of the Wales national team.

After all, Welsh rugby has been here before.

In 2019, not one region made the Heineken Champions Cup knockout stage or the PRO14 play- offs, but Wales won a Six Nations Grand Slam under Warren Gatland.

Last year was a predictably barren season in Europe, with the Welsh professional teams failing to reach the knockout games, while they werent involved in the Guinness PRO14 final, either, or the Rainbow Cup showpiece game.

But Wales won the Six Nations under Wayne Pivac.

Its going to be a bigger achievement if Pivacs team can repeat the trick in the months ahead, though, and successfully defend their title.

Saturdays evidence in Scotland didnt bode well for the side in red exactly four weeks out from the start of the Six Nations.

Cardiff were spanked 34-10 by Edinburgh, while the Ospreys crashed 38-19 against Glasgow Warriors, their defence undermined by glaring individual errors and their attack as non-existent as Novak Djokovics membership of the Boosters for All Society.

Lets get certain things out of the way.

The Welsh regions all have holes in their squads because of the financial situation in Wales relative to their rivals.

It is debatable, too, how much the four teams are helped by loading their line-ups with Wales internationals.

Those involved play fewer games for their regional sides and it can be challenging to re-integrate Test players, a point made by Scarlets chairman Simon Muderack last term when he claimed some of the regions internationals were making Wales team calls rather than Scarlets calls after returning from the Six Nations and playing a Heineken Champions Cup match against Sale.

Evidently, the west Walians are learning their lesson with the signing of All Black Vaea Fifita from Wasps. He will add to a stable of quality imports in Llanelli who could be there for much of each season, with the list including Sione Kalamafoni, Sam Lousi, Tomas Lezana and, depending on whether Scotland pick him or not, Blade Thomson.

Having that lot around week-in, week-out offers a level of stability which should benefit the Scarlets no end.

Consider the value for money Kalamafoni has already given them already, with the Tongan displaying the kind of consistency and impact Filo Tiatia once contributed to the Ospreys and Xavier Rush supplied to Cardiff.

There will be those wholl doubt whether such players help the Wales team, but Tiatia had a hugely positive effect on local talent coming through, with those involved having a close-quarters opportunity to see what excellence looked like day-in, day-out.

Also, rugby in this corner of the world shouldnt just be about Team Wales. It's my belief the balance has been lost over the past decade and I feel thats been to the detriment of the sport this side of the River Severn.

That said, of course, quality imports cost, and money continues to be a problem throughout Welsh professional rugby.

How to solve that problem remains an issue few will agree on.

But the regions having to carry the burden of the 20million loan the Welsh Rugby Union took on to keep the game here afloat will not help Cardiff, Dragons, Ospreys and Scarlets.

Radically, after the losing efforts in Scotland over the weekend, former Wales international Lee Jarvis proposed rejigging the regional system so that just two Welsh sides compete in Europe.

Without sounding disrespectful to anyone but there are quite a few regional players that are (Welsh) Premiership players at best and thats not their fault its the system's fault IMO, wrote Jarvis on Twitter.

Strength in depth in Wales at the moment is NOT good.

Games today a hard watch. For us to compete at the TOP of European rugby again and reach semi finals + finals then they have to look at two regions.

East + West Best of the best in 2 Regions."

The suspicion is the view will find sympathy with plenty, but there will be many who will be opposed, doubtless arguing in favour of their teams right to vie for a place at the top table.

There is an argument that shedding one team would go some way to improving finances of the other three, though income from TV might be affected with fewer teams and matches and young players might head over the border in search of rugby, tightening the Welsh talent pool further.

Whatever, Pivac will have watched the matches on Saturday with concern.

Cardiff have had a nightmare time with their United Rugby Championship misadventure in South Africa leaving some players quarantined for 20 days. However you look at it, thats not perfect for professional athletes.

A number of their players looked off the pace physically in the first half, in particular, excellent though Edinburgh were with their accuracy, power and ability to play the game at pace.

Matters did improve after Tomos Williams came on for the second period, with the Wales international coming up with a performance that would have heartened Dai Young and Pivac. James Botham also showed up well before being the victim of what Young described as a head-on-head knock.

But Cardiff were poor, missing a gruesome 41 tackles as the Scots poured forward.

The Ospreys weren't much better over in Glasgow.

There were shocking individual errors in defence that led to tries and undermined the team performance, but the Ospreys were also blunt in attack and missed the leadership from scrum-half of Rhys Webb.

They look in desperate need of their injured players returning, though the likes of Jac Morgan and Will Griffiths fronted up, along with Morgan Morgan, their best player on the night, Luke Morgan and replacement Dewi Lake a force of nature in the loose, but his lineout throwing continues to be a concern.

Pivac needs to see evidence of more players showing form.

The Scarlets have played just one game since October 22 while the Dragons are stuck in a losing spiral.

Pivac, meantime, has to fashion a Six Nations challenge out of all this and multiple injuries.

Wales have shown many times over the past 14 years they can cope with adversity.

Track back to how they beat Scotland at Murrayfield in 2019, just days after the chaos of the Scarlets-Ospreys proposed merger plans became public. Warren Gatlands players not only handled the fall-out but went on to win a Grand Slam.

But to say that the omens are not great this time is to submit an early entry for the 2022 understatement of the year.

Pivac will know he has a huge challenge on his hands.

Success over the coming few months would be an achievement as good as any from Wales in recent times.

Want the latest Welsh rugby news sent straight to you? Look no further.

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The 72-29 pounding Scottish rugby just handed Wales ahead of 6 Nations - Wales Online

The Book Of Boba Fett Cameraman On The Challenges Of Making The Show – We Got This Covered

Ever since the last movie in the sequel trilogy concluded the Skywalker Saga, Star Wars fans have been patiently waiting to see where the Mouse House will take the movie franchise next. What the company settled on instead is something that no one could have predicted back in 2015 when The Force Awakens originally came out.

Disney has realized the golden rule when it comes to the galaxy far, far away, something hidden in plain sight but quite effective once you figure it out. Its that the legacy of George Lucass film saga and its impact on cinema is simply too big to live up to, but that doesnt mean that other creators cant chime in with their own unique tapestries across different storytelling mediums.

Thats probably the reason why most Star Wars games, TV shows, and even books have enjoyed relative success over the past four decades, whereas the films always end up polarizing the audience and generating controversy. That has also been the case with The Mandalorian and the latest Book of Boba Fett by Jon Favreau and Dave Filoni.

The return of Boba Fett to live-action, and in his own series, no less, has hyped up a lot of fans again, though the process of producing stuff like that never gets any easier for Lucasfilm. Last night, the shows cinematographer Dave Klein appeared on Kevin Smiths YouTube channel and talked about the challenges of working on a Star Wars project.

The biggest challenge is getting jaded towards Star Wars, He revealed. It hasnt happened yet. Ive been here for two years Well, I got to tell you, the first time I was ever in a Star Destroyer hallway, shooting Stormtroopers, I was 12 years old again. I told this story on the set. Because I actually had that Boba Fett special edition. The one that is probably worth $20,000 now. I had that one, where I sent the General Mills boxtops in with a check for $3.35 or whatever it was. They promised it was going to have the rocket that shoots out of the back. It shows up, and that rocket is glued in. I blew it all to hell when I was making a 16 mm stop-animation film.

I guess when you really are a Star Wars fanboy and get to be hands-on with everything behind the scenes, the magic can lose its touch. Though fortunately for us, that hasnt been the case for Klein so far lets hope it stays that way!

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The Book Of Boba Fett Cameraman On The Challenges Of Making The Show - We Got This Covered

Man loses 70lb without stepping foot in gym and while enjoying regular meals – The Mirror

A man who lost 70lb without setting foot in a gym has shared his weight loss secrets.

Gavin Quinn, a sports reporter, lost five stone in seven months with regular meals and exercise.

The feat is even more astonishing because he did not once go to the gym during his weight loss journey.

He puts his remarkable loss down to a combination of diet and exercise.

Gavin, who writes for the Irish Mirror, shed the weight in seven months, but rewarded himself with some snacks along the way.

BelfastLive reports that he had started to gain weight when he was a teenager.

He said: "I lost 70 pounds (32 kg or five stone) in seven months after deciding to make a change in October 2020.

"Tipping the scales at around 17 stone, I wasn't massively overweight but I'd noticed a gradual increase since I was a teenager that was accelerated by the initial Covid-19 lockdown.

"I looked into what I was eating and slowly turned around my diet and found cycling as a great way to get active to complement the changes I'd made.

"By Christmas I had lost over two stone and I kept it up in the New Year before hitting the five stone mark in May 2021."

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Gavin's weight continued to fall to 12 stone (just over 76 kg) and he eased off and worked on fitness goals rather than weight.

He said for some people this was an "epiphany moment" similar to a favourite shirt no longer fitting them.

Gavin added: "But for me it was just a culmination of all the right things, I don't have any overriding reason for making a change."

At the time Ireland was staring at another Covid-19 lockdown which lasted seven months.

"I'd tried almost all of the 'fad diets' to no avail in the months and years before, and I could just feel my confidence was at an all-time-low," Gavin added.

"And on October 4, a Sunday morning, I said to myself that I need to make a change and that day would be day one."

He tackled his eating and sleeping habits first and establishing a structure to his diet.

Gavin gave himself a simple plan to start off with; get eight hours sleep and have three meals a day at roughly the same time of day.

"I set myself a rough target of 2,000 daily calories and used apps such as MyFitnessPal to help track what I was eating," Gavin added.

"Initially I didn't pay too much attention to my macro-nutrients, but made an effort to ensure I was drinking plenty of water, eating foods with high fibre, vitamins and lower fat counts - particularly saturated fats.

"This meant I still had treats and snacks to enjoy, but the small changes slowly begin to add up and the 2,000 calories I consumed each day began to feel like more and more as the days and weeks went by.

"Some days it was 1,700 calories and other days it was 2,200 calories - don't beat yourself up over going over your allowance every once in a while.

"It's not about cutting yourself off from food, but rather improving your relationship with food."

The amazing thing about Gavin's weight loss was he did not join a gym.

He never had great interest in the gym and hadn't done when he was younger.

"Personally, I never took to the gym when I was younger and always liked to exercise as a means of engaging in a sport or activity," Gavin said.

"Gyms can be intimidating if you've never become a member, but I'd suggest anybody looking to get active consider it.

"For me, I found a means to exercise in cycling - which has grown into somewhat of a passion for me over the past 15 months."

Here are more of Gavin's 's top tips on how he did it, from his diet to level of exercise:

It can be difficult to follow a calorie deficit, when you're consuming less calories than you're burning your body is being forced to eat into fat reserves to fill that void.

I made sure not to overdo it - deliberately eating just 1,000 calories per day can be too much and you could risk reverting back to old ways.

Having my breakfast and lunches at very similar times (9-10 am for breakfast and 1-2 pm for lunch) helped build early eating habits that would set me up for the day.

Again to ensure I wasn't completely flipping my diet completely I used a degree of leniency when it came to dinner time, small changes like portion control and avoiding fatty foods when you have the option can make all the difference.

Initially I found myself eating a lot of the same foods I already had, particularly snacks, but doing so meant I'd simply be eating less of what I used to rather than eating right.

After the first week I began replacing some snack foods with lower calorie snacks, which in turn meant I had more calories to play with for my substantial meals.

If I was eating a pack of 200 calorie crisps, I'd replace them with 100 calorie crisps, swap the Cadbury chocolate bars for lower calorie rice cake bars, treating myself to a zero calorie fizzy drink rather than a full sugar alternative.

This meant I still had treats and snacks to enjoy, but the small changes slowly begin to add up and the 2,000 calories I consumed each day began to feel like more and more as the days and weeks went by.

Some days it was 1,700 calories and other days it was 2,200 calories - don't beat yourself up over going over your allowance every once in a while.

It's not about cutting yourself off from food, but rather improving your relationship with food.

I've found so many great foods the past 15 months that I never enjoyed before, and I'd be confident in saying my relationship with food has really grown as I became more aware of what I was putting into my body.

Here's some of my favoured foods these days:

Cous Cous: I sometimes use it as a lighter alternative to rice, it's easy to make and is high in carbohydrates and fibre.

Rice crispy bars: Excellent for a quick snack, they're a lot better than a bar of chocolate.

Lentil curls: A low calorie alternative to many brands of crisps, I've grown to love them.

Nuts and seeds: A great snack, good source of protein and fats.

Turkey burgers: Lean, high in protein and delicious - no explanation needed.

Vegetables: Whatever they are eat plenty of them, they're good for you and should be an essential pillar of your diet.

Not really.

We've always had a 'Takeaway Friday' at home so I made sure to allow myself the Friday treat. Although instead of chips in the chinese takeaway some weeks I'd get rice or even eat a smaller portion.

I initially gave up alcohol until Christmas, but when I did drink I opted for lower calorie light beers or spirits more often than not instead of calorie-dense lagers or stout.

Everybody needs support when undertaking such a big change.

Whether that be a personal trainer, or just a family member or close friend, I'd recommend you get someone on board to be there for support.

In my case, I asked a close friend to act almost like my 'coach' to keep me honest. He would get in touch every now and then to see how I was getting on, was there to listen if I had problems and cheer me on to my goals.

Needless to say that educated professionals are much more qualified to play such a role, but having someone to bounce off and hold you accountable on the journey is essential.

Yeah, I came pretty close on November 1.

I was making good progress in the weeks before but that morning I weighed in after a particularly tough week and had lost just one pound.

In hindsight losing a pound in a week is a good achievement, but that week had been so difficult and the loss was a lot lower than I was expecting.

I was agitated and questioning what I was doing for hours before I was convinced to take an hour to go on a short cycle to clear my mind.

If I hadn't walked out to get some headspace I would've broken and dialled back weeks of progress, especially since I'd already been fully committed to nearly a month.

If you're about to give in - take a step back and remember why you're doing it.

Some days you just wake up and the same motivation you initially had just isn't there - it'll happen to everybody.

Of course motivation is great, but it comes and goes. Behind the motivation you do need to have a certain amount of discipline.

It can be very tough but you need discipline for when the inspiration and motivation just isn't there.

Weekly goals can help keep you focused.

The real goal wasn't to get down to a certain weight or number, it was to feel good and take back some confidence that I'd probably lost.

I started to notice a difference in how I looked around Christmas time (two months in), but had already felt better after about 10 days or so.

I tipped the scales initially every week but increased that to twice weekly to avoid any discouraging fluctuations.

Weighing yourself can be a good way of mapping out progress, but it's not the most important.

If you're not getting the expected results one week, don't get discouraged, it's important to make sure to keep doing the right things - the results will come.

Quite important.

I found a passion in cycling during my weight loss journey, but any form of exercise can give you similar results. Some people like running, walking, playing certain sports or of course the gym.

It really doesn't matter what your form of exercise is, if you have a healthy and balanced diet then exercise is your best friend.

Think of it as a complimentary relationship, the old saying of you cant out-exercise a bad diet can also be true for having a healthy diet but sitting on the couch all day.

As little as a walk in the park, a short hike, leisurely bike ride or a dip in the sea can compliment whatever calories deficits you're creating and help you reach your goals faster.

But if you are taking on more rigorous exercise, it's important to ensure you aren't creating too large of a deficit and are re-fuelling adequately.

Everyone has their golden rules for weight loss, and although these particularly rules won't work for everyone, here's a couple of mine:

- Calorie deficit: If you create a daily calorie deficit, you will lose weight. It's simple when you break it down like that.

- Always treat yourself: It's not about burning your bridges with certain foods, it's about improving your relationship with food.

- Take your time: There's no rush, everyone's bodies are different and once you're moving in the right direction that's all that matters.

- Find your support network: Find someone to keep you on the right path and hold you accountable in the long run.

- Exercise: Doesn't matter what it is, get out there and get active.

- Listen to your body: If you're hungry, eat something. If you're over-exercising, rest.

If you were to take one thing from reading this, it would be my real golden rule.

Sustainability.

Whatever habits, calorie deficits or exercise regimes you're trying to put in place - you have to ask yourself if it's sustainable.

When I set out to lose some weight, the one huge difference between all my failed attempts in the past was I asked myself is it sustainable?

You should be trying to implementing a lifestyle, not a 'lose weight quick' hack.

When you start on day one, ask yourself could you see yourself doing the same on day 100 or day 1000?

Because to lose weight and live a healthy and well balanced lifestyle, whatever way you go about it needs be sustainable in the long term.

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Man loses 70lb without stepping foot in gym and while enjoying regular meals - The Mirror

Gemma Chan on the truth about her fathers life at sea: He knew what it was like to have nothing – The Guardian

Take the rest of the noodles and the pak choi and you can have it for your lunch tomorrow. My dad pushed the takeaway containers and their remaining contents across the table towards me.

Ive got loads of food at mine, why dont you and Mum keep it? I protested. I knew hed insist I take the leftovers with me. This routine would always play out at the end of family dinners once Id left home and, this time around, it felt both familiar and oddly comforting because it had been a while since our last dinner.

Well, more than a while. It was spring, last year, and the pandemic had meant that, for months, like most families, wed only seen one another through our screens. This was the first time in a long while that wed been able to get together for a meal. We were even legally allowed to hug (if we exercised care and common sense!). I had brought champagne to celebrate, and we ordered from the local Chinese takeaway. Id like to say it was a bid to support an Asian business that had been struggling, like many others, during the pandemic, but in truth it was sheer laziness. Wed talked and gorged ourselves on crispy aromatic duck with pancakes, stir-fried king prawns with peppers in black bean sauce, and chow mein with beansprouts. My childhood favourites.

OK, Ill take them, I said, but my bags too small to carry the boxes. My dad got up from the table and went to the hallway to retrieve his rucksack. He rummaged around inside for a moment and then pulled out a neatly folded plastic bag. Opening it out, he offered it to me. I reached for it and then my hand paused in mid-air as I gawped in disbelief.

How long have you had this? I asked in amazement. He shrugged. This was no ordinary plastic bag. Indeed, the bag was not of this millennium.

It was vintage Marks & Spencer, made from thick white polythene emblazoned with St Michael QUALITY FOODS in blue lettering, the St Michael logo in a distinctive handwritten style. If you shopped in M&S in the 90s, you may remember it. Its a classic. Ive since found out that the St Michael brand was phased out in the year 2000, making this bag at least 20 years old.

My dad isnt a man of many words, but that night hed had a few glasses of wine. He told us that he used the bag regularly, despite its pristine appearance, and that the last time hed used it in the local M&S the cashier had shrieked, Oh my lord, I havent seen one of these in years, and made the other members of staff gather round to take a look. This moment perfectly encapsulated what I would describe as Dads Golden Rule No 1: nothing goes to waste, which applies equally to food, clothes, household items, cars everything really. Things will be used until they break, if they can be mended they will be mended, but rarely will anything be thrown away. This was established in his childhood out of necessity, but even now, in relative comfort, he still treats everything with such care and hates wastefulness.

A couple of weeks later, I came across an article written by the journalist Dan Hancox in the Guardian. I had thought I was pretty familiar with the long history of anti-Asian racism and discrimination in the UK and elsewhere; the shifting stereotypes, the scapegoating, Yellow Peril and the like, and the erasure of the contributions of the 140,000 men of the Chinese Labour Corps who risked their lives carrying out essential work for the allies in the first world war. But this was a story I had never heard before.

In the aftermath of the second world war, Britain forcibly deported hundreds of Chinese seamen who had served in the merchant navy, deeming them an undesirable element of British society. These men had helped keep the UK fed and fuelled on highly dangerous crossings of the Atlantic (approximately 3,500 vessels of the merchant navy were sunk by German U-boats, with the loss of 72,000 lives).

Many of the surviving men had married and started families with British women in Liverpool. However, they were secretly rounded up without notice and shipped back to east Asia. Many of their wives never knew what happened to them, and their children grew up believing they had been abandoned.

The fact that this story is only now coming to light, with no official acknowledgment or apology, may not be surprising, but it is still heartbreaking and enraging. By the time I finished reading the article, I was in tears. I realised that this had struck a deep chord because my own father had served for years in the merchant navy before he settled in the UK.

My dad grew up as one of six kids in a poor, single-parent household in Hong Kong. He was the third child and the oldest son. My ah-ma (his mother: barely 5ft tall, very fierce, could out-haggle anyone) worked three jobs to support her children. One was as a seamstress, with long hours bent over a sewing machine in a sweatshop, earning the equivalent of less than 1 a day. Initially my dads family lived in a shack on a hillside, with no running water. Then they moved into a block where they had one room, sharing a bathroom with 30 other families on the same floor. At one point they were made homeless when the block of flats burned down.

After leaving school, my dad worked for years on ships mostly oil tankers at sea for months at a time, and sent money home to pay for his siblings school fees. Only after they had all finished school could he save enough to pay for his own degree, coming to the UK to study engineering at the University of Strathclyde, where he would meet my mum (her own familys tumultuous journey to the UK is a story for another time).

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During my childhood, my dad was the most selfless and diligent father. His love for my sister and me was expressed not through words but through small acts of devotion: always cutting fresh fruit for us; making sure we drank two full glasses of milk each day so our bones would grow strong (milk being a luxury they rarely had in Hong Kong); patiently teaching us how to swim (Golden Rule No 2: learn how to swim). However, when I was younger, there were some things about him that I found hard to understand: his obsession with education, his aversion to waste of any kind, his insistence that we finish every bit of food on our plates; and his constant reminders not to take anything for granted. It was because he knew what it was like to have nothing.

After I sent him the article about the Chinese seamen, we had a long conversation on the phone. He doesnt often speak about his past, but we talked about his time in the merchant navy. Some things I remembered him telling me long ago: how hard and lonely those years at sea were, how much he missed his family, and how dangerous it could be. On his third voyage, his ship, a chemical tanker, was sailing between Taipei and Kobe when they were caught in the tail end of a typhoon. The chief officer went out on deck to help secure the cover of the anchor chain locker, which was filling up with water, and was killed when a large wave dashed him against the ship. He was buried at sea.

But other details were new. I found out that, after seven continuous months at sea on his first voyage, my dad had noticed that the white British officers and crew spent six months at sea at most, with some serving four-month contracts before getting tickets to fly home to be with their families. This was in contrast to the Chinese crew, who usually had to serve long periods of nine months.

While some of his fellow junior engineers were apprehensive about being seen to be causing trouble, he represented other Chinese crew members on board and took it up with the shipping companys superintendent. He found out that the British crew were employed under Article A (better pay, shorter sea time, paid study leave, etc), whereas the Chinese crew were employed under Article B (less pay, longer sea time, fewer benefits). The company told my dad he was the first person to complain. Dad told them he just wanted equal treatment. As a result, he and the others who protested were allowed to fly back home with holiday pay. They had docked in Trinidad, so he flew from there to Toronto, on to Vancouver, then Honolulu, then Tokyo. Finally, after three days of flying, he was reunited with his family in Hong Kong.

When I heard this story, it was impossible not to think again of the deported Chinese seamen. One of the reasons they were considered undesirable was because they had gone on strike to fight for an increase in their basic pay (originally less than half that of their British crew mates) and for the payment of the standard 10-a-month war risk bonus.

Its a precarious business simply to stand up for your rights, especially if you are poor or a person of colour; and it unfortunately remains the case that those in power usually dont appreciate being held to account. I hope that one day there will be an official acknowledgment of this terrible act of state-sanctioned racism and of the wrong done to those men and their families. I hope that the surviving children get the answers and justice they deserve, and that they can find peace.

My relationship with my dad hasnt always been easy as is often the case, its possible to derive both pain and gratitude from the same place but I know how lucky we are to have him. And I will be forever thankful for the sacrifices he made for our family and for the things he taught me: the value of hard work, never to look down on those who have less, to stand up for others, and that a Bag for Life truly means life.

This essay appears in East Side Voices, edited by Helena Lee, published by Hodder & Stoughton on 20 January at 14.99. To support The Guardian and Observer, order your copy at guardianbookshop.com. Delivery charges may apply.

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Gemma Chan on the truth about her fathers life at sea: He knew what it was like to have nothing - The Guardian

Winter weather means its time to ‘bone up’ on osteoporosis prevention – DOWNBEACH – Downbeach.com

Pixabay/A bone cancan show if you have osteoporosis.

After the regions first and another predicted for Friday morning, snow, sleet and ice will define the landscape and create a perfect storm for increased falls and subsequent broken bones. While people of all ages can experience fractures and need to be especially wary this time of year, individuals with osteoporosis present a particular concern for healthcare professional of the Osteoporosis Prevention and Treatment Program team at AtlantiCare.

Certainly, slippery sidewalks and wind gusts make winter even more dangerous for people already at risk for fractures, and these individuals, as well as their loved ones and caretakers, need to be at heightened awareness during the winter, said AtlantiCare rheumatologist Susan Ward, MD. However, the reality for people with osteoporosis is that even in the most ideal of circumstances they can experience a fracture from something as simple as stepping awkwardly off a curb. Being aware of your bone health and managing osteoporosis is key to preventing fractures as well as some significant health issues and even death that can stem from them.

Osteoporosis, which occurs in approximately 10.2 million people in the U.S., is a skeletal disorder that causes the bones weaken, leading to increased fracture risk. Unfortunately, a common myth is that osteoporosis and fractures are only something my grandmother has to worry about. While osteoporosis is most common among women over 50, one in six men will get the disorder. It can also strike younger people with certain medical problems such as eating disorders, cancer, kidney disease, celiac disease and others.

When you look at fractures as a whole, the numbers in the U.S. are staggering. According toOhio State University studies, about 6.8 million fracture cases occur annually, resulting in 3.5 million visits to emergency departments and nearly 900,000 hospitalizations. In addition, until age 45 men are more likely to experience a fracture, and the average person will have two bone fractures during their lifetime.

Through their mid-20s most people regenerate bone faster than their bone deteriorates, so they build bone mass, said AtlanitCare rheumatologist Zain U. Abideen, MD. This means most people have peak bone mass by age 30 and from there bone mass can start declining, causing fracture risk to increase. The golden rule is to take care of your bone health throughout your lifetime. Dont smoke, exercise regularly, maintain a diet that gives you significant calcium and vitamin D, and limit alcohol consumption. If you take certain medications that can contribute to osteoporosis, such as steroids and those used to treat cancer and gastric reflux, you should also take greater care to practice regular bone density screening.

After experiencing a wrist fracture, adults over age 60 are more than 5.5 times more likely to fracture a hip within a year, and 17 times more likely within the first month. Perhaps even more shocking is this statistic from theJournal of the American Medicine Association: approximately 30% of people with hip fractures will die within the following year.

AtlantiCares Fracture Liaison program is working to change these realities. The program, which recently saw its 100thpatient, works to intervene with fracture patients and their caregivers to put practices into place to prevent additional fractures and fracture complications that can lead to lessened mobility, lower quality of life, or death. Through the program, the Fracture Liaison visits patients while they are in the hospital recovering from a fracture to assess their bone health, pinpoint the cause of the fracture, and establish protocols ranging from bone scans (DEXA scans) and taking medication, to ensuring they visit a primary care provider or rheumatologist regularly, to diet, physical therapy and exercise programs. The liaison program also assesses the home environment to mitigate fall risks and does follow-up checks to make sure the necessary steps continue after discharge. The AtlantiCare fracture liaison also reaches out to non-admission fracture cases to encourage those patients to participate in the program.

Many people think of fractures, especially wrist fractures, as an accident, not an indication of something more significant, said Fracture Liaison Heather Schultz, RN. A fracture is a red flag that someone might have an underlying condition osteopenia, which is often a precursor for osteoporosis. My role is to intervene to help the individual manage the condition and prevent injury. Most patients and their caregivers are surprised to learn how much can be done with little disruption to their lives to keep osteoporosis in check and significantly decrease their risk of getting another fracture.

One of only three NJ Hospitals certified by Own the Bone for high performance in Osteoporosis care, AtlantiCare encourages individuals to contact their healthcare provider if they experience symptoms of osteoporosisincluding loss of height over time, stooped posture, and compression fractures or full fractures that occur with little or no trauma. For people with average risk, the National Osteoporosis Foundation recommends bone density screening to begin in women at age 65 and men at age 70. People who have had one or more fractures, or who have osteoporosis risk factors, should talk to their provider about what is right for them.

To learn more aboutosteoporosis risk and treatment, maintaining bone health, and AtlantiCares Fracture Liaison program, visitatlanticare.orgor call 1-888-569-1000.

TIPS TO AVOID THE SLIPS

If you must venture out in snow, ice or temperatures where ice can form on walkways, practice these safety tips:

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Winter weather means its time to 'bone up' on osteoporosis prevention - DOWNBEACH - Downbeach.com

Millions face starvation in Afghanistan. Two Philadelphians are trying to stop it. – The Philadelphia Inquirer

Millions of people could starve to death in Afghanistan this winter.

Two Philadelphians are trying to prevent that from happening.

This is a campaign for humanity, said Naser Shahalemi, 42, a Kabul-born, University City businessman who helps lead a new and burgeoning awareness campaign, End Afghan Starvation. Twenty years we were helping them, and now were not helping them?

He and Gulmakai Popal Saleh, 44, a childrens book author in Northeast Philadelphia, started and lead a movement thats gained supporters across the globe, spread across the internet, and generated demonstrations in three cities. Nearly 10,000 people have signed online petitions pleading for U.S. action to avoid a humanitarian disaster.

Why Philadelphia as a starting point?

Things spark up in Philly, Shahalemi said. He and Saleh, both Afghan Americans who immigrated here as children, decided they had to act as they saw a crisis developing.

Afghanistan has long been beset by malnutrition. But now its being racked by a convergence of drought, war, poverty, unemployment, and pandemic thats wiped out crops and cut off international aid.

More than half the population, 22.8 million people, face severe hunger, according to U.N. analyses, and more than 8.7 million of those are nearing famine.

The billions of dollars in aid that flowed to the U.S.-backed Afghan government vanished when the country fell to the Taliban in August. Subsequent American economic sanctions have limited Afghanistans access to global financial markets and left humanitarian organizations unable to pay workers, buy supplies, and distribute food.

The Biden administration moved to exempt aid groups from the sanctions shortly before Christmas, but its unclear whether that will be sufficient to forestall famine.

Part of the challenge is political the Biden administration risks being seen as supporting the Taliban if it provides assistance.

End Afghan Starvation calls on the administration to ignore political concerns and get food to hungry people, mounting Twitter storms under the hashtag #endafghanstarvation.

The group seeks no monetary donations, noting that funding for food programs already is being sought and collected by groups that include the World Food Programme, International Rescue Committee, UNICEF, and Action Against Hunger.

More than 4,100 people have signed a petition that urges immediate action, to be submitted to the Biden administration, the United Nations, the European Union, and the United Kingdom governments.

For Gods sake, please help Afghans meet their basic needs! wrote one signer, Shahla Sadiq of McKinney, Texas, near Dallas. Each one of us knows what its like to be hungry for a couple of hours and not be able to eat, never mind not having the food!

A similar petition by Just Foreign Policy, a Washington-based reform group, has drawn 5,300 signatures.

Particularly vulnerable this winter are three million Afghans who have been internally displaced, that is, forced by war and violence to flee their homes but not to leave their homeland.

An estimated 50,000 fled to the capital of Kabul a city higher than Denver in elevation where winter temperatures often fall below zero at night. Many will spend the winter in makeshift shelters or unheated rooms, according to the U.N. High Commission on Refugees.

Roughly 3.2 million Afghan children under age 5 are acutely malnourished,according to UNICEF, and an estimated 1.1 million could die. Many mothers struggle to breastfeed because they themselves are undernourished.

This week End Afghan Starvation intends to reach out to the 40-some House Democrats who called on Biden and Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen to unfreeze Afghanistans bank reserves. The lawmakers say that continuing to enforce international restrictions on Afghanistans banking system risks economic pain and humanitarian collapse.

Were American citizens, Saleh said. At the same time we care about our people, the place we were born.

The author of four childrens books is the founder and director of the Golden Tree of Goodness, which seeks to promote kindness through reading and encourages children to follow the golden rule.

She came to the United States at age 4 in 1981, two years after the Soviet invasion. Last month she helped gather speakers for a rally outside the White House, as similar demonstrations against hunger took place in London and Vienna.

Were getting phone calls from around the world, she said. The support is growing. Were uniting, regardless of what ethnic group or religion you belong to.

Shahalemi, a business consultant who arrived in this country at age 1 in 1980, said action is needed now, as winter snows threaten to cut off remote areas of Afghanistan.

Were speaking up for the defenseless children of Afghanistan. Every day, another child could die.

For more information, or to contact the organizers, visit endafghanstarvation.org.

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Millions face starvation in Afghanistan. Two Philadelphians are trying to stop it. - The Philadelphia Inquirer