Aprs notre alerte rouge nous sommes embarqus dans lrsquoavion vers 15h20 avec une quarantaine de minutes de retard. Vers 15h50 Flavie demande pour la premire fois Estce qursquoon arrive bientt Heureusement elle a attendu plusieurs heures avant de reposer la question. Arrivs Toronto MarieClaude une amie drsquoIsa nous attendait avec une facture qursquoelle brandissait bie
Sawasdee from Phuket.
Hello EveryoneWell after a break of a couple of years we are back on the road again this trip around SE Asia and China again yes itrsquos cheap especially the AirAsia flights and Tune Hotels accommodation.We had a comfortable flight to Kuala Lumpur with Air Asia X in their new A330 Airbus. We had heard some mixed reports about them but we had no complaints. Plenty of leg room we left on ti
Fansipan
Our trek to Fansipan began at the decent hour of 9am on Wednesday morning. On my arrival at the travel agent I found out that another 2 people had joined our group and had therefore lowered the cost for everyone. Feeling very pleased with the bonus cash in my pocket we headed off to the national park entrance. The first few hours were leisurely. We chatted and made sure we stopped often to enjoy t
bright backpack
less than a month to go until mexico. i bought a yellow backpack today. i think yellow will make me look like a seasoned traveler. it was either yellow or orange so that i can meet people and say yeah i've been there done that. like the one time it was just me against the bear and i was the one who walked away unscratched. but hey you have a neoncolored backpack like me so you know
For the LOVE OF AFRICA
to be continued ........
Fun in the Valley
So this past weekend a bunch of us went out in Fortitude valley where a lot of the dance clubs are and we had a great time the night before on Friday we had beach olympics consisting of dodgeball and volleyball. my floor didn't do well but we had a great time anyway I thought I would share some of the pictures of y'all
Medical School plans well under way – Hofstra University Hofstra Chronicle
Medical School plans well under way Hofstra University Hofstra Chronicle The building of the new medical school will be the same externally but completely different inside. Construction on the Hofstra University School of ... |
Event focused on the different paths to med school – North by Northwestern
Event focused on the different paths to med school North by Northwestern One Step Before, Northwestern's minority pre-medical association, hosted the 5th annual Medical School Day at Norris Saturday. ... |
Medical School Can Wait – CBS42
Medical School Can Wait CBS42 (Birmingham, AL) WIAT- They've cleared the final hurdle, but instead of medical school or the job market some UAB graduates will focus on helping others. ... |
Ingredient in Dark Chocolate Could Guard Against Stroke – BusinessWeek
 Indian Express | Ingredient in Dark Chocolate Could Guard Against Stroke BusinessWeek Studies by a number of scientists, including Dr. Norman K. Hollenberg of Harvard Medical School, identified epicatechin as the protective ingredient in dark ... Dark Chocolate – Cocoa May Guard Against StrokeSocial Media SEO How dark chocolate could guard against strokeHelium Dark chocolate may guard against strokeUPI.com CalorieLab Calorie Counter News -Telegraph.co.uk -Times of India all 88 news articles » |
HARVARD MEDICAL SCHOOL ADVISER Risks and symptoms of gout – Detroit Free Press
HARVARD MEDICAL SCHOOL ADVISER Risks and symptoms of gout Detroit Free Press QUESTION: A friend of mine was recently diagnosed with gout. He told me that I'm also at risk because I am overweight and 62 years old. ... |
Book Excerpt: Jesus Today
Albert Nolan on the importance of joining the spiritual and the political, prayer and work for justice, mysticism and prophetic action.
Naming the Days Feature: Mother’s Day: Honoring Our Many Mothers
10 Spiritual Practices to Honor All Our Mothers: for sons and daughters, for mothers, Mother Earth, Mother God.
Late Nigerian President Remembered for Niger Delta Amnesty – Voice of America
Late Nigerian President Remembered for Niger Delta Amnesty Voice of America Photo: AP "He was able to bring out the hardliners and the freedom fighters from the creeks to submit their arms. That is no small measure," said Joseph ... |
Freedom at midnight – mydigitalfc.com
 Boston Globe | Freedom at midnight mydigitalfc.com The recommendation that they be administered only by professionals certified to perform medical termination of pregnancy has not been followed, resulting in ... Essay of the week: 50 years on...how has the Pill changed our lives?The Herald |
One Republican on record for Prostitution Legalization
From Eric Dondero:
No doubt there are a few Republican legislators in Nevada who favor legalized prostitution, and perhaps a few more in the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico, where it is entirely legal. However, it's a bit unusual for a New Mexico-based Republican to come out for such a policy, particularly one who is running for President.
Gary Johnson, former New Mexico Governor in an interview on Hannity, Fox News, Friday night (via GOP12):
"It's never been a consideration that I would enlist the services of a prostitute, myself personally.
But if I were to do that, where would I want to enlist that service? Well, it would probably be in Nevada, where it's legal, because it would be safe."
Johnson is also a passionate defender of Marijuana legalization.
UK ELECTIONS: What about a Conservative-Liberal Democrat Deal?
Tories just days away from leading Parliament
by Clifford F. Thies
The United Kingdom, like the United States, has a first-past-the-gate system, reflecting that it is one of the older democracies in the world. Most of the newer democracies have some form of proportional representation voting or, in the case of France, have run-off elections. In seeking to make a deal with the Liberal Democrats, it is possible the Conservatives will agree to a national plebiscite on replacing the U.K.’s first-past-the-gate system with some alternative.
No voting system is without flaws, but proportional representation can be shown to be relatively robust. In its pure form, as in Israel, where voters only choose among parties (not individual candidates), and where the threshold for representation is merely one seat, we seem to wind up with excessive fractionalization. Various hybrids of proportional representation seek to gain the advantage of robustness while avoiding excessive fractionalization.
In a one hybrid form of proportional representation, Germany’s, voters choose among individual candidates on a district basis and additional seats are awarded from party lists to approximate proportional representation subject to a significant threshold. In such a system, we seem to get a good mix of results in terms of the number of parties, with a small, first tier of major parties and a small, second tier of minor parties that gain representation.
A contrasting hybrid form of first-past-the-gate voting involves run-off elections where no candidates received a majority or perhaps something close to a majority in the first round. In the French system, which involves run-off elections, it is typical that the conservatives and liberals (i.e., the non-socialists) coalesce about whomever from the center-right finishes in the top two, and the various Trotskyites, progressives, socialists, communists, radicals, Greens, secular humanists, pagans, utopians, and others of the left coalesce about the Socialist candidate.
In the U.K., a German-style system of proportional representation would result in several large nationwide parties (the Conservatives, Labour and Liberal Democrats), and several smaller national parties (UK Independence and Greens) and regional parties (Scottish and Welsh nationals, Irish Republicans and Unionists). That is, I suspect the UK Independence and Green parties would gain supporters from those who, from a tactical basis, currently vote for their second choice candidate. I also suspect the radical-left and market-liberal wings of the Liberal Democrats would eventually fracture. Aside from the regional parties, the resulting configuration of parties might look very much like the configuration of parties in Germany; i.e., large parties of the center-right and center-left, and smaller market-liberal, left-socialist and Green parties. This reform would align the country's national system of voting with the EU system for representation in the European Parliament already practiced, as a parallel voting system, in the UK.
Contrariwise, a French-like system of run-off elections would work to the advantage of the large parties (who will be the ones fashioning the deal) at the expense of the minor parties such as the UK Independence and Green parties, and might keep the disparate wings of the Liberal Democrat Party from fracturing. Furthermore, it would be a relatively simple reform to implement. The only real consequence is that, when elections are held, the current government would remain in place for another two weeks or so, during the conduct of the run-off election. The only problem with this reform is that it’s French.
Dr. Phil and California Democrats on a mission to outlaw being a Teenager
NANNY-STATE WATCH
"We have to protect the Teens from themselves"
From Eric Dondero:
The Ninnies are at it again. And predictably, it's a coalition of touchy-feely TV Hosts and do-gooder Democrat lawmakers. Of course, only Republicans stand in their way.
From the LA Times "Protecting the Teens, or expanding the Nanny State?" May 7:
Barring high school students from buying Gatorade on campus, banning metal bats from their baseball games, making it illegal for adolescents to have themselves "branded" with a hot iron: Regulating teenage behavior has become an attractive topic for California's legislators.
Some lawmakers also want to outlaw nipple piercings for teenagers, and prohibit them from snowboarding and skiing without a helmet or reentering a football game too quickly after taking a hard hit to the head.
State Sen. Alex Padilla (D-Pacoima) is the author of SB 1255, which would ban the on-campus sale of Gatorade and other sugary sports drinks during school hours but allow them at practices and games. He cited studies indicating that many teenagers are switching from sugary sodas, which have already been banned from campuses, to electrolyte-replacement drinks, which can be high in sugar and sodium and can make kids fat.
The always sappy and thoroughly unwatchable Dr. Phil of course chimes in. Continuing:
Supporters of the bills have some influential voices on their side. Among them is TV talk show host Dr. Phil McGraw, who recently told his national audience that he supports the California proposal to require helmets for snowboarding kids.
The reasoning ability of teenagers is not fully developed, McGraw said, and they don't always make good decisions: "We have to protect these kids from themselves."
Republicans firmly on the side of Freedom of Choice
Libertarian-Conservative State Senator Tony Strickland (photo) responds:
"This is a nanny state that tells you what you can eat, what you can drink, what you have to wear during your outdoor recreation," said state Sen. Tony Strickland (R-Thousand Oaks). "I believe it's the parents' responsibility to decide what is best for their children. It is arrogance having government officials telling you, 'You're not smart enough, so we're going to tell you what is right and wrong for you.' "
And then there's the metal bat controversy. Once again, it's a Democrat proposing the Nanny-State legislation, and a Republican opposed. Continuing:
A Senate committee on Wednesday recommended a three-year moratorium on the use of metal bats in high school baseball. Assemblyman Jared Huffman (D-San Rafael) introduced the measure, AB 7 after a 16-year-old student at Marin Catholic High School was badly injured when a line drive from a metal bat struck him in the head.
"It's time to seriously consider the safety of allowing kids to use performance-enhancing metal bats with the pitcher standing just 60 feet away with virtually no protection," Huffman said before the Senate Education Committee passed the measure on a 3-1 vote.
Two Republicans strongly opposed such a ban:
Sen. Bob Huff (R-Diamond Bar) opposed the bill, saying it is nwarranted meddling by lawmakers in a sport already regulated by a regional federation.
"You have more injuries from fielding, running the bases, than you do from this, and so that begs the question: At what point are we as the Legislature going to step in to [regulate] team sports? Where do we stop?" Huff asked.
Two veteran high school coaches testified against the bill, saying they have never seen a player hurt because of a metal bat. Sen. Mark Wyland (R-Escondido) sarcastically said that if there is a safety justification for such a ban, the state should ban Pop Warner football...
Emmer-Mania! Libertarian-Conservative ticket pulls ahead in Minnesota Gov’s Race
From Eric Dondero:
We were one of the very first national political blogs to talk up the candidacy of libertarian-leaning conservative Tom Emmer for Governor. Emmer caught our eye early on as a uniquely hardline constitutionalist conservative, with some definite libertarian instincts. This won him the endorsement of fellow constitutionalist and libertarian-leaner Sarah Palin two weeks ago.
A week later he picked a movement free marketeer who has attended explicitly libertarian conferences such as the Sam Adams Alliance and Americans for Limited Government, as his running mate Annette Meeks.
Now, he appears to be in increasingly good shape to win the Minnesota Governorship.
From Survey USA (via Hedgehog):
Tom Emmer (R) 41%
Margaret Kelliher (D) 33%
Tom Horner (I) 9%Tom Emmer (R) 42%
Mark Dayton (D) 34%
Tom Horner (I) 9%Tom Emmer (R) 42%
Matt Entenza (D) 31%
Tom Horner (I) 10%
The Left absolutely despises Emmer, and they hate Meeks even more. They (MN Publius) have called Emmer the "extreme right candidate,"from the "Tea Party wing," and Meeks even "further right." How fitting that the same State that gave us ultra-Leftist looney tune Al Franken, may soon be governed from the Hard Libertarian Right.
Sarah’s endorsement of Carly over Chuck gains "liberal" charge for Tom from DeVore
From Eric Dondero:
Sarah Palin officially endorsed Carly Fiorina in the California GOP Senate Primary, over former Congressman Tom Campbell, and State Senator Chuck DeVore. In doing so, DeVore gave what blogger Stacy McCain described as a "classy response." Though, DeVore managed to take a potshot at rival Campbell at the same time using the dreaded "liberal" term.
From TheOtherMcCain:
Don’t get me wrong, if a liberal Republican like Tom Campbell or a moderate Republican like Carly Fiorina win the primary instead of me, I will support them against Barbara Boxer.
The latest polls have all three Republican challengers within 3 to 4 points of Boxer.
