Exclusive: Labour, Liberal Democrats and SNP MPs plot to bring down the Government over Queen’s Speech – Telegraph.co.uk

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Labour, Liberal Democrat and SNP MPs are joining forces to try to bring down Theresa May's Government by passing amendments in Wednesday'sQueens Speech.

The Opposition parties only need seven MPs to change sides to overturn the Government's 13-strong working majority which could trigger a no confidence motion in Parliament.

The parties are looking at defeating the Government on amendments covering legal rights for tenants to demand protection from the risk of fire, easier access to the single market, a Brexit commission, hundreds of millions of pounds more for the NHS and an open Irish border after Brexit.

The amendments will be published in the next 24 hours and come as leftwing activists prepare to march on Parliament in a Day of Rage protest against austerity tomorrow.

If any of the amendments are voted through it could signal the end of the Government. Historically if the Queens...

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Exclusive: Labour, Liberal Democrats and SNP MPs plot to bring down the Government over Queen's Speech - Telegraph.co.uk

Liberal groups focus on Ivanka Trump – ABC News

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Getting nowhere with her father, liberal advocacy groups have been looking for an ally in Ivanka Trump. They haven't had much luck.

In recent weeks, activists have been appealing to the younger Trump for help on climate change, international labor conditions and immigration. But the first daughter, an influential adviser to President Donald Trump in her own right, largely has sought to stay out of the fray. Still the efforts underscore the politically charged position she occupies as she seeks to advance a positive agenda while avoiding weighing in publicly on her father's more controversial policies.

The most high-profile campaign directed at the president's daughter has come from New York-based China Labor Watch, which has been investigating working conditions at factories in China that have made Ivanka Trump products. The group on Thursday renewed a call for her to speak out about the detention of activists involved in the investigation and on their findings about labor conditions. They said they have sent a second letter to her at the White House to raise concerns.

Ivanka Trump's brand has sought to distance itself from the manufacturer under scrutiny, saying the company last made its products three months ago.

Trump, who spent the past week promoting the administration's efforts on job training, did not respond to requests for comment.

With her focus on issues that typically draw liberal or bipartisan support, Ivanka Trump has left many with an impression that she does not share some of her father's policies. But she avoided weighing in publicly on her father's travel ban, border wall, proposed budget cuts or the Paris agreement, leading liberal critics to question her influence.

Now some groups are trying to spur her to act.

Before the president announced he would exit the Paris climate accord, the Natural Resources Defense Council started an online petition asking people to email and call Ivanka Trump to push her father to stay in the deal. The call for action implored people to "raise a massive outcry" and ask her to "do everything in her power to persuade the president to keep our promise."

"As we began hearing he was leaning in the direction of pulling out, we threw a Hail Mary," said Ben Smith, the group's digital advocacy director, adding that they sought to "appeal to what seems to be a well-reported story that she's sympathetic."

Smith said 50,000 people signed the petition, "which is on the higher end of the performance scale for us."

Last week, Amnesty International launched a campaign that seeks to educate Ivanka Trump on their efforts to shut down a residential center in Pennsylvania that houses detained immigrant parents and children. The advocates say the facility, which has a contract with the Department of Immigration and Customs Enforcement, is a detention center.

"She says she cares about women and kids and child care. She says she wants to use this power she now has. We're following up on that," said Naureen Shah, senior director of campaigns for the U.S. section of Amnesty International.

Shah added: "It's not a shaming campaign. She says she wants to do it."

"Democrats do not have many lines into the White House, they don't have a lot of different ways to influence the president," said Democratic strategist Lis Smith. "His daughter remains one of the few ways they are able to get to him."

In interviews, Ivanka Trump has stressed that this is her father's administration and has said she airs her views with her father privately. During a recent interview on "Fox and Friends," she expressed surprise about the "level of viciousness" that the administration had encountered in Washington, a statement that some found curious given her father's aggressive rhetoric.

Saying her father's administration wants to do "big things," she added: "I was not expecting the intensity of this experience, but this isn't supposed to be easy."

She moved her family to Washington before her father's inauguration. She serves as an unpaid aide to the president and stepped away from executive roles running her brand and at the Trump Organization, though she retains ownership of the brand. She has been more visible lately, working on a plan for paid family leave that is included in the president's budget, taking part in the president's first foreign trip and appearing with her father to talk about job training.

Republican consultant Alex Conant, who worked on Sen. Marco Rubio's presidential bid, said the advocacy campaigns were unlikely to make a great impact on the first daughter. "As long as she has a thick skin, those campaigns will be unsuccessful and she'll remain effective," he said.

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Liberal groups focus on Ivanka Trump - ABC News

White Liberal Tears and Racism From Parents In Response to Seattle Teachers Wearing ‘Black Lives Matter’ T-Shirts – The Root

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A Black Lives Matter protest in Charlotte, N.C., following the shooting of Keith Lamont Scott (Sean Rayford/Getty Images)

Last October, teachers in the Seattle Public Schools district planned a Black Lives Matter in the Seattle Public Schools event that consisted of wearing t-shirts with the slogan printed on them, despite the fact that a similar effort at Seattles John Muir Elementary in September was met with criticism, hate mail and threats of violence.

They expected backlash, and they got it, in the form of white parents from the citys wealthier neighborhoods writing to their school principals and saying that they were displeased that such an event would take place, because a Black Lives Matter day was too militant, too political and too confusing for their young children, according to KUOW.

Because the parents would not speak directly with them about their displeasure, KUOW made a public records request and published their emails with all identifying information redacted.

The letters range from Not All White People to What about Martin Luther Kings dream in tone, but in the examples cited, KUOW notes that the parents complaining are from one of the whitest, most affluent and staunchly liberal neighborhoods dotted with rainbow yard signs that say All Are Welcome

From KUOW:

Wrote a parent at Laurelhurst Elementary: Can you please address why skin color is so important? I remember a guy that had a dream. Do you remember that too? I doubt it. Please show me the content of your character if you do.

From Eckstein Middle School in Wedgwood: What about red and black or yellow and white and black? How does supporting Black Lives Matter help that gap?

And from Bryant Elementary in Ravenna: Im writing to share what my 9-year-old daughter told me about what she learned in class regarding the Black Lives Matter discussion. She said she felt bad about being white. And that police lie and do bad things.

Stephan Blanford, a Seattle school board member who is black, and whose doctoral research focused on race and public education, told KUOW, This is what Ive come to call Seattles passive-progressiveness. We vote the right way on issues. We believe the right way. But the second you challenge their privilege, you see the response.

This is a common refrain whenever the topic of Black Lives Matter comes up. Its as if no matter how many times we explain Black Lives Matter doesnt mean other lives dont, people still overlook that and what to argue about why Black lives should matter more than any others. It is the Not All Whites reaction that leads into All Lives Matter and ends with black people being called racist simply for pointing out that black lives should in fact matter.

The white parents in Seattle are a microcosm of supposedly liberal white people all over America who want to be good allies, but cant seem to move past semantics in that allyship. They get hung up on words, and not the greater actions that the words are speaking against.

Before you go over to KUOW to read the rest of the emails, pay attention to what happens in the comments of this post. Even as I type this right here and forewarn you, people will immediately jump and call me racist just for posting this.

Read more at KUOW.

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White Liberal Tears and Racism From Parents In Response to Seattle Teachers Wearing 'Black Lives Matter' T-Shirts - The Root

Liberal ministers snub Boeing, meet Lockheed Martin at Paris Air Show – BNN

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OTTAWA -- Aerospace giant Boeing appears to have gotten the cold shoulder from the Trudeau government in Paris.

Three cabinet ministers are in the French capital this week to promote Canada's aerospace sector and meet with various companies at the prestigious Paris Air Show.

Those meetings include discussions with fighter jet makers such as Lockheed Martin, which is hoping its F-35 stealth fighter will replace Canada's aging CF-18s.

But Transport Minister Marc Garneau and Industry Minister Navdeep Bains say there are no plans to meet with Boeing, despite previous talks to buy 18 interim Super Hornet fighter jets from the company.

It's the latest Liberal government snub of Boeing following the U.S. firm's recent trade complaint against Canadian rival Bombardier.

Ministers say the plan to buy Super Hornets from Boeing has been put on hold, as the government considers all options for buying interim jets.

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Liberal ministers snub Boeing, meet Lockheed Martin at Paris Air Show - BNN

BUDGET: Zinke, Perry on Hill this week as spending talks advance … – E&E News

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George Cahlink and Kellie Lunney, E&E News reporters

Energy Secretary Rick Perry (left) and Interior Secretary Ryan Zinke are among the administration officials on Capitol Hill this week defending the president's budget. C-SPAN

Energy Secretary Rick Perry and Interior Secretary Ryan Zinke are due on Capitol Hill this week to defend their fiscal 2018 budget request as House Republicans scramble to set in motion a plan to pass a spending package before summer recess.

GOP leaders have been eyeing packaging all 12 annual spending bills in a single omnibus before the five-week break. That would allow the House to focus on tax reform in the fall and strengthen its hand in final spending talks with the Senate.

But lawmakers first will need to adopt a budget or a substitute deal to set domestic and defense discretionary spending levels. Without an accord, it would be much harder to move the omnibus.

"You can't have the cart get before the horse, you have to have the [budget] number," Rep. Jim Jordan (R-Ohio) said.

Negotiations have gone on for weeks in the House, but the Budget Committee has yet to schedule a markup something usually done in April or May. The administration's delay in delivering its spending plan affected the panel's planning.

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Rep. Ken Calvert (R-Calif.), chairman of the House Interior and Environment Appropriations Subcommittee, said last week the GOP is grappling with how to deal with strict budget caps set by the 2015 budget deal.

Calvert suggested there is broad support within the party for increasing defense spending, but he says doing so by cutting domestic accounts as some conservatives want would be "untenable."

If Congress does not raise the budget caps, overall discretionary spending would be cut by about $5 billion next year, according to the 2015 deal.

The House Appropriations Committee already signaled its interest in going beyond those caps by approving a fiscal 2018 military construction and veterans affairs spending bill that includes $6 billion more than last year's figure. That bipartisan bill is the first and so far only spending measure to surface this year.

House conservatives, particularly members of the hard-right Freedom Caucus, are among those pressing for deep cuts in mandatory spending programs, like welfare, in exchange for any domestic boost in 2018.

Those conservatives likely have the votes to block any fiscal 2018 spending bills if they do not win funding reductions.

Rep. Tom Cole (R-Okla.), a member of the Interior and Environment Appropriations Subcommittee, said the House would need a budget or spending framework this month to make its plans work.

But Democrats in both the House and Senate are already worried about the impact of delays in adopting a budget.

"Until you have a budget resolution, until you know what the allocation of the overall discretionary dollars are, you have no idea frankly what the ramifications of $6 billion extra" for military construction and veterans affairs are, said House Minority Whip Steny Hoyer (D-Md.) last week.

Hoyer warned that appropriators could slash programs in upcoming spending bills to make up the difference. "You give more to one, you've got to take more from another," he noted.

Democrats in the Senate have the same concerns.

"You bet I'm worried," Sen. Patty Murray told E&E News last week. The Washington Democrat sits on both the Budget and Appropriations committees.

"We are way late in this process, we are running fast into a September deadline, [and] putting ourselves in jeopardy with Trump already saying he wants to shut down government."

In early May, just after the government averted a shutdown, President Trump tweeted that the country could use a "good shutdown" in September, when the current fiscal year ends.

While there's talk of the House putting an omnibus spending bill on the floor before the August recess, Sen. Tom Udall (D-N.M.), ranking member of the Interior and Environment Appropriations Subcommittee, said he hasn't yet heard of a similar plan for the Senate.

"I think our plan right now is to either have individual appropriations bills or small minibuses at this point," he said.

Zinke, who will be defending his agency's $11.7 billion fiscal 2018 budget request, will likely receive a friendly reception from lawmakers, despite expected pushback from Democrats and Republicans on proposed cuts to popular programs, including the Land and Water Conservation Fund and payments in lieu of taxes (E&E Daily, May 26).

Questions about the administration's preference for more energy development over new federal land acquisition are a safe bet.

Democrats, including Cantwell and Rep. Ral Grijalva of Arizona ranking members of the Natural Resources panels in the Senate and House will likely seize on Zinke's recent secretarial order directing a review of sage grouse policies, as well as his review of 27 national monuments.

Zinke, a former Montana congressman, released his interim report on Bears Ears last week, recommending a to-be-determined reduction of the Utah monument's 1.35-million-acre footprint (E&E News PM, June 12).

Another flashpoint: the Bureau of Land Management's announcement last week that oil and gas companies don't have to comply with the Obama-era rule on methane venting, flaring and leaking on public and tribal lands, pending judicial review (Greenwire, June 14).

Senate Energy and Natural Resources Chairwoman Lisa Murkowski (R-Alaska) will no doubt ask Zinke about the department's proposal to open up a portion of the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge in Alaska to drilling, a route she has long championed.

On the other side of the Capitol, House Natural Resources Chairman Rob Bishop (R-Utah) will likely seek answers on how Congress can work with the executive branch to reform the 1906 Antiquities Act and shrink Bears Ears.

The Alaska Wilderness League will hold a media conference today, ahead of the budget hearings, to oppose drilling in ANWR (E&E Daily, May 24).

Energy Secretary Perry, who will be defending his agency's $28 billion budget request, is facing questions over proposed cuts, like scrapping the Advanced Research Projects Agency-Energy and slashing the Office of Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy by 70 percent, from $2.1 billion to $636 million.

Supporters of the president's plan say the Department of Energy has shifted too far away from its core mission and needs rebalance. In budget documents, the administration said, "The private sector is better positioned to finance disruptive energy research."

But critics say independent analyses, such as one this month from the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering and Medicine on ARPA-E, show DOE funding plays a unique and needed role.

Lawmakers also are likely to press Perry on how the administration's stated goals such as support for the national laboratories and coal technology mesh with the budget proposal.

Under the request, research and development at the Office of Fossil Energy which oversees carbon capture and storage research would see its budget cut by more than half, from $668 million to $280 million. Funding at the Office of Science, which oversees the majority of the labs, would fall by about 17 percent, to $4.5 billion.

Also likely to come up is the administration's plan to eliminate the mixed oxide fuel fabrication facility in South Carolina, a program with GOP backing (E&E Daily, May 24).

One of the project's most vocal supporters, Sen. Lindsey Graham (R-S.C.), sits on the Senate Energy and Water Development Appropriations Subcommittee, which is hosting Perry this week.

The Energy chief might also face questions about nuclear waste, mainly the agency's proposed $120 million to work on resuming the licensing process for the controversial Yucca Mountain repository in Nevada.

Reporters Manuel Quiones, Christa Marshall and Sam Mintz contributed.

Schedule: The House Energy and Water Development Appropriations Subcommittee hearing on the Energy budget is Tuesday, June 20, at 1 p.m. in 2359 Rayburn.

Witness: Energy Secretary Rick Perry.

Schedule: The Senate Energy and Natural Resources Committee hearing on the Interior budget is Tuesday, June 20, at 10 a.m. in 366 Dirksen.

Witness: Interior Secretary Ryan Zinke.

Schedule: The House Financial Services and General Government Appropriations Subcommittee hearing on Office of Management and Budget spending is Wednesday, June 21, at 2 p.m. in 2359 Rayburn.

Witness: Office of Management and Budget Director Mick Mulvaney.

Schedule: The Senate Interior and Environment Appropriations Subcommittee hearing on the Interior budget is Wednesday, June 21, at 9:30 a.m. in 124 Dirksen.

Witnesses: Zinke; Olivia Barton Ferriter, deputy assistant Interior secretary for budget, finance, performance and acquisition; Denise Flanagan, director of Interior's Office of Budget.

Schedule: The Senate Defense Appropriations Subcommittee hearing on the Air Force budget is Wednesday, June 21, at 10:30 a.m. in 192 Dirksen.

Witnesses: Air Force Secretary Heather Wilson, Air Force Chief of Staff Gen. David Goldfein.

Schedule: The Senate Energy and Water Development Appropriations Subcommittee hearing on the Energy budget is Wednesday, June 21, at 2:30 p.m. in 138 Dirksen.

Witness: Perry.

Schedule: The House Natural Resources Committee hearing on the Interior budget is Thursday, June 22, at 9:30 a.m. in 1324 Longworth.

Witnesses: Zinke, Ferriter and Flanagan.

Schedule: The Senate Energy and Natural Resources Committee hearing on the Energy budget is Thursday, June 22, at 10 a.m. in 366 Dirksen.

Witness: Perry.

Get access to our comprehensive, daily coverage of energy and environmental politics and policy.

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BUDGET: Zinke, Perry on Hill this week as spending talks advance ... - E&E News

Fiscal Freedom | Prometheism.net – Part 28

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Peer-Reviewed Papers (published in academic journals):

1994|1996|1997|1998|1999|2000|2001|2002

2003|2004|2005|2006|2007 |2008 |2009 |2010 |2011

Other Papers Related to Economic Freedom: 1998-2007

If you know of any other papers current or forthcoming that should be included on this page, or have further information about any of these papers or authors, please write to freetheworld*at*fraserinstitute.org.

de Vanssay, X. and Z. A. Spindler (1994). Freedom and Growth: Do Constitutions Matter. Public Choice. 78, 3-4: 359-372.

This paper empirically investigates whether certain constitutional enumerations matter for economic growth. We find that negative (positive) rights tend to have a positive (negative) effect on economic growth, and that structural constraints have a more significant and larger effect than procedural constraints.

Uses the Scully and Slottje Index as an independent variable. (See: Scully, GW and Slottje, D, (1991) Ranking Economic Liberty Across Countries Public Choice 69, pp. 151-2). The model estimates the steady-state solution of an (institutionally) augmented Solow growth model. The dependent variable is the logarithm of per-capita income. This is a cross-section analysis covering 100 countries.

de Vanssay, X. and Z. A. Spindler (1996). Constitutions, Institutions and Economic Convergence: An International Comparison. Journal for Studies in Economics and Econometrics. 20, 3 (November): 1-19.

Abstract: This paper explores empirically whether constitutional enumerations and economic freedom indexes affect economic convergence. Some constitutional features and economic freedom do affect convergence, though economic freedom is by far the more influential.

Uses the Scully and Slottje Index as an independent variable. (See: Scully, GW and Slottje, D, (1991) Ranking Economic Liberty Across Countries Public Choice 69, pp. 151-2). The dependent variable is the average annual per capita growth rate. This is a cross-section analysis covering 109 countries.

Islam, Sadequil (1996). Economic Freedom, per Capita Income and Economic Growth. Applied Economics Letters 3: 595-97.

Examines the effect of economic freedom on income and growth in high-, middle-, and low-income country sets and finds that economic freedom is significant for a sample of all countries but only in some subsets.

Uses the precursor to Economic Freedom of the World, Measuring Economic Freedom, by James Gwartney, Walter Block and Robert Lawson, a chapter in Stephen Easton and Michael Walker (eds.), Rating Global Economic Freedom (Vancouver: The Fraser Institute, 1992). Measuring Economic Freedom is the main data source for institutional variables.

Paul, C.W.; Souder, W.E.; Schoening, N.C. (November 1996). The influence of government policies on innovation and technological advance. Journal of Scientific and Industrial Research of India. 55 (11): 851-859.

Petersmann, E.U. (June 1996). International competition rules for governments and for private business The case for linking future WTO negotiations on investment, competition and environmental rules to reforms of anti-dumping laws. Journal of World Trade. 30 (3): 5-35.

Ali, Abdiweli M. (1997). Economic Freedom, Democracy and Growth. Journal of Private Enterprise 13 (Fall): 1-20.

This paper takes advantage of newly constructed measures of economic freedom to show the importance of economic freedom on growth. I find that economic freedom is a more robust determinant of growth than political freedom and civil liberty.

Uses summary ratings from Economic Freedom of the World: 1975-1995 as one variable in a comparison of a number of institutional variables.

Anwar, S.T. (1997). Economic freedom of the world: 1975-1995. Journal of International Business Studies. 28 (4): 872-878.

Dornbusch, R. (1997). Brazils incomplete stabilization and reform. Brookings Papers on Economic Accountability. (1): 367-404.

Easton, Steven T., and Michael A. Walker (1997). Income, Growth, and Economic Freedom. American Economic Review 87 (2) (May): 328-32.

Finds that economic freedom is an important explanatory variable for steady-state levels of income. The addition of a variable for economic freedom is also shown to increase the explanatory power of a neo-classical growth model.

Economic Freedom of the World: 1975-1995 is the main data source for institutional variables.

Goldsmith, Arthur A. (1997). Economic Rights and Government in Developing Countries: Cross-National Evidence on Growth and Development. Studies in Comparative International Development 32 (2) (summer): 29-44.

The paper finds that developing countries that score better in protecting economic rights also tend to grow faster and to score higher in human development. In addition [the paper finds that] economic rights are associated with democratic government and with higher levels of average national income.

Uses summary ratings from Economic Freedom of the World: 1975-1995 as one of a number of institutional variables.

Hakura, F.S. (April 1997). The Euro-Mediterranean policy: The implications of the Barcelona Declaration. Common Market Law Review. 34 (2): 337-366.

Hanke, Steve H., and Stephen J.K. Walters (1997). Economic Freedom, Prosperity, and Equality: A Survey. Cato Journal 17 (2) (Fall): 117-46.

The article compares several institutional indexes for content and explanatory power: Gerald Scullys studies, The Fraser Institutes Economic Freedom of the World, Freedom Houses Economic Freedom Indicators, The Heritage Foundations Indices of Economic Freedom, The International Institute for Management Developments World Competitiveness Yearbook 1996, The World Forums Global Competitiveness Report 1996. Compares liberty and prosperity, equality and foreign policy implications. They find that economic freedom is positively correlated with per-capita GNP.

Economic Freedom of the World: 1975-1995 is used as one variable in a comparison of a number of institutional variables.

Jordan, Jerry L. (1997). Jobs Creation and Government Policy. Cato Journal 16 (3) (Winter): 287-94.

Argues that employment-creating initiatives or job-creation policies hinder the creation of new technology and the process of creative destruction. Also argues that the role of government monetary intervention in the economy should be limited to creating stable monetary policy.

Makes reference to the general conclusions of Economic Freedom of the World: 1975-1995 regarding economic freedom and income and growth.

Download the paper. (PDF)

Mbaku, J.M. (December 1997). Africa in the post-Cold War era: Three strategies for survival. Journal of Asian and African Studies. 32 (3-4): 223-244.

Park, Walter G., and Juan Carlos Ginarte (1997). Intellectual Property Rights and Economic Growth. Contemporary Economic Policy 15 (July): 51-61.

The authors have compiled an index of intellectual property rights, and examine its effects on growth and the factors of production (investment, schooling, and R&D). The paper finds that IPRs affect economic growth indirectly by stimulating the accumulation of factor inputs like R&D and physical capital.

Uses summary ratings of Economic Freedom of the World: 1975-1995 as a control variable for market institutions in the analysis.

Trebilcock, Michael J. (1997). What Makes Poor Countries Poor?: The Role of Institutional Capital in Economic Development. Chapter in The Law and Economics of Development, edited by Edgardo Buscaglia, William Ratliff and Robert Cooter. Greenwich: JAI Press.

Discusses the general conclusions regarding economic freedom and growth found in Economic Freedom of the World: 1975-1995.

Ayal, Eliezer B., and Karras Georgios (1998). Components of Economic Freedom and Growth: An Empirical Study. Journal of Developing Areas 32 (Spring): 327-38.

The paper uses regression analysis to examine the effect of the components of economic freedom on growth, output and investment and finds that economic freedom enhances growth both via increasing total factor productivity and via enhancing capital accumulation. It also identifies components that have the highest statistical effects on these variables, with the aim of informing policy makers.

Uses component ratings from Economic Freedom of the World: 1975-1995 as the main data source for institutional variables.

Download the paper. (PDF)

Chafuen, Alejandro (1998). Estado y Corrupcion. In Alejandro Chafuen and Eugenio Guzmn, Corrupcin y Gobierno (Santiago, Chile: Fundacin Libertad y Desarrollo): 45-98.

Finds that corruption is negatively related to economic freedom.

Economic Freedom of the World: 1975-1995 and Transparency International are the main data-source for institutional variables.

Dawson, John W. (1998). Institutions, Investment, and Growth: New Cross-Country and Panel Data Evidence. Economic Inquiry 36 (October): 603-19.

This paper outlines the alternative channels through which institutions affect growth, and studies the empirical relationship between institutions, investment, and growth. The empirical results indicate that (i) free-market institutions have a positive effect on growth; (ii) economic freedom affects growth through both a direct effect on total factor productivity and an indirect effect on investment; (iii) political and civil liberties may stimulate investment; (iv) an important interaction exists between freedom and human capital investment; (v) Milton Friedmans conjectures on the relation between political and economic freedom are correct; (vi) promoting economic freedom is an effective policy toward facilitating growth and other types of freedom.

Uses Economic Freedom of the World: 1975-1995 as the main data source for institutional variables.

De Haan, Jakob, and Clemens L.J. Sierman (1998). Further Evidence on the Relationship between Economic Freedom and Economic Growth. Public Choice 95: 363-80.

Primarily investigates the robustness of the index of economic freedom devised by Gerald Scully and D.J. Slottje and determines that the robustness of results depends heavily on how freedom is measured. Finds that some specifications are robust predictors of the growth rate of real per-capita GDP (1980-1992) but few are robust for investment share of GDP.

Empirical analysis on Economic Freedom of the World: 1975-1995 is limited to correlation with the Scully and Slotjies index. Suggests further empirical work be done on Economic Freedom of the World.

Elbadawi, I. and Schmidt-Hebbel, K. (December 1998). Macroeconomic policies, instability and growth in the world. Journal of African Economy. 7: 116-168 Suppl. 2.

Farr, W. Ken, Richard A. Lord, and J. Larry Wolfenbarger (1998). Economic Freedom, Political Freedom and Economic Well-Being: A Causality Analysis. Cato Journal 18 (2) (Fall): 247-62.

The paper uses Granger causality analysis to demonstrate that economic freedom causes economic well-being and economic well-being causes economic freedom. Additionally, the authors argue that economic well-being causes political freedom but that there is no causation flowing from political freedom to economic well-being. The paper also finds no evidence of a casual relationship in either direction between economic freedom and political freedom. Indirectly economic freedom causes political freedom through its effect on economic well-being.

Economic Freedom of the World: 1975-1995 and the Freedom House index of political rights and civil liberties are the main data sources for institutional variables.

Download the paper. (PDF)

Ford, John B., Kiran W. Karande, and Bruce M. Seifert (1998). The Role of Economic Freedom in Explaining the Penetration of Consumer Durables. Journal of World Business 33 (1): 69-86.

The study examines the link between economic freedom (a measure of government intervention) and the penetration of three durable goods (televisions, radios and automobiles) across countries.

Cites conclusions of Economic Freedom of the World: 1975-1995; uses other indexes of economic freedom for empirical work.

Grubel, Herbert G. (1998). Economic Freedom and Human Welfare: Some Empirical Findings. Cato Journal 18 (2) (Fall): 287-304.

The paper compares economic freedom to income, growth, unemployment in the OECD, the UN Human Development Index, life expectancy, literacy, poverty, and income distribution. It finds that economic freedom does not have a cost in terms of income levels, income growth, unemployment rates, and human development.

Economic Freedom of the World: 1997 Annual Report is the main data source for institutional variables.

Download the paper. (PDF)

Gwartney, James, Randall Holcombe, and Robert Lawson (1998). The Scope of Government and the Wealth of Nations. Cato Journal 18 (2) (Fall): 163-90.

The paper examines the effect of the size of government in OECD countries upon economic growth. This paper draws on the authors Joint Economic Committee Study, The Size and Functions of Government and Economic Growth.

Makes reference to the general conclusions regarding economic freedom and income and growth as published in Economic Freedom of the World: 1975-1995 and Economic Freedom of the World: 1997 Annual Report.

Download the paper. (PDF)

Henderson, David (1998). The Changing Fortunes of Economic Liberalism. London: Institute of Economic Affairs.

A comprehensive review of the trends in economic liberalism in the last century. The book covers economic liberalism in thought and practice as well as discussing how the climate of political and popular opinion has both helped and constrained the development of liberal policy. One section uses the Economic Freedom of the World to discuss the progress made by countries engaging in economic reform and the appendix discusses the derivation, benefits, and limitations of the Economic Freedom of the World.

Economic Freedom of the World: 1975-1995 is the only quantitative source for institutional variables.

Johnson, James P., and Tomasz Lenartowicz (1998). Culture, Freedom and Economic Growth: Do Cultural Values Explain Economic Growth? Journal of World Business 33 (4): 332-56.

The paper discusses which cultural values are associated with economic freedom, drawing on two international quantitative cultural indexes.

Uses the summary ratings from Economic Freedom of the World: 1975-1995 as one of a number of institutional variables.

Johnson, Simon, Daniel Kaufmann, and Pablo Zoido-Lobaton (1998). Government in Transition: Regulatory Discretion and the Unofficial Economy. American Economic Review, Papers and Proceedings (May): 159-239.

Empirically studies the effect of institutional quality on the share of the unofficial economy in GDP.

Uses the component, Equality of Citizens under the Law and Access of Citizens to a Non-Discriminatory Judiciary, of Economic Freedom of the World: 1997 Annual Report as one of a number of institutional variables.

Kealey, T. (April 1998). Why science is endogenous: a debate with Paul David (and Ben Martin, Paul Romer, Chris Freeman, Luc Soete and Keith Pavitt). Research Policy. 26 (7-8): 897-923.

Lim, Linda Y.C. (1998). Whose Model Failed? Implications of the Asian Economic Crisis. Washington Quarterly 21 (3): 25-36.

The paper examines the conflicting interpretations of the role of governments and economic freedom in the success and subsequent crises in Asia.

Cites conclusions of Economic Freedom of the World: 1975-1995.

Mbaku, John Mukum, (1998). Constitutional Engineering and the Transition to Democracy in Post-Cold War Africa. The Independent Review 2 (4) (Spring): 501-17.

Discusses the constitutional guarantees necessary to secure economic freedom and why such guarantees are important. Focuses specifically on Africa.

Makes reference to the general conclusions of Economic Freedom of the World: 1975-1995 regarding economic freedom and income and growth.

Milhaupt, Curtis (1998). Property Rights in Firms. Virginia Law Review 84: 1145-94.

Discusses how differences in property rights and corporate governance systems arise within differing institutional frameworks.

Uses the Property Rights component of Economic Freedom of the World: 1975-1995 as one of a number of institutional variables in case-study analysis.

Nelson, Michael A., and Ram D. Singh, (1998). Democracy, Economic Freedom, Fiscal Policy and Growth in LDCs: A Fresh Look. Economic Development and Cultural Change 46 (4) (July): 677-96.

The study examines the effect of democracy on economic growth after controlling for a number of variables for the size of government and institutions. The study finds that it is not the redistributive policies of democratic governments that hinder development in developing countries but the lack of economic freedom.

Uses the precursor to Economic Freedom of the World, Measuring Economic Freedom, by James Gwartney, Walter Block and Robert Lawson, a chapter in Stephen Easton and Michael Walker (eds.), Rating Global Economic Freedom (Vancouver: The Fraser Institute, 1992). The summary ratings of Measuring Economic Freedom are used as one variable in a comparison of a number of variables for institutions and the size of government.

Norton, Seth W. (1998). Poverty, Property Rights, and Human Well-being: A Cross-national Study. Cato Journal 18 (2) (Fall): 233-45.

The paper compares property rights to indicators of development and determines that the well-being of the worlds poorest inhabitants [is] sensitive to the cross-national specification of property rights. The paper shows that well-specified property rights enhance the well-being of the worlds most impoverished.

Economic Freedom of the World: 1997 Annual Report and the Heritage Foundations Indices of Economic Freedom are the main data source for institutional variables.

Download the paper. (PDF)

Norton, Seth W. (1998). Property Rights, the Environment, and Economic Well-Being. In Peter J. Hill and Roger E. Meiners (eds.), Who Owns the Environment (Rowman & Littlefield): 37-54.

Investigates whether countries with better property rights have better performance on environmental measures.

Uses the summary ratings of Economic Freedom of the World: 1975-1995 as one of four measures used as proxies for property rights.

Porket, J.L. (1998). Is the state in retreat? Politicka Ekonomie. 46 (6): 805-815.

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Fiscal Freedom | Prometheism.net - Part 28

Letter: Stop non-believers from eroding religious freedom – Quad-Cities Online

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Our religious liberties are slowly being eaten away by liberal non-believers. Its time to stand up to defend those sacred rights.

Aaron and Melissa Klein were penalized $135,000 for declining to create a custom cake to celebrate a same-sex wedding. They were defended in court by the Liberty Institute.

Today, we can help the Liberty Institute multiply a $100,000 Challenge Grant to reach their Fiscal Year-End $1.4 million goal.

High school football coach Joe Kennedy was fired for silent prayer. They are defending him in federal court this month!

Your gift will help win legal battles such as these.

Educator Toni Richardson was ordered to never tell coworkers Ill pray for you -- even if they attend her church!

Your gift will help their attorneys defeat dangerous attacks on religious liberty that could transform America into a nation stripped of our religious freedom.

Former nurse Mary Anne Sause was ordered to stop praying in her own home. And Chabad, of Irvine, was sued to stop traditional Orthodox Jewish religious ceremonies.

A Christian high school football team was banned from praying over a public address system even though their opponent was another Christian school who also wanted to pray.

Insight for Living Ministries (Pastor Chuck Swindoll) was ordered by the government to participate in health insurance that facilitates abortion -- or pay fines that would cripple their outreach.

Similar cases across America will determine the future of religious freedom for a generation. Read more at: libertyinstitute.org/2017_FYE_E?erid=76528411&trid=57a90555-53af-44af-8de1-6817c314b454

Mike Steffen,

Moline

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Expert: ‘Defense rebuild’ not going to happen – The Union Leader

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I am throwing water on this concept that the President of the United States, well intended as he may be, will not realize something called the defense rebuild, said Roger Zakheim, former deputy assistant secretary at the U.S. Department of Defense.

If you are nostalgic about what President (Ronald) Reagan was able to accomplish back when he was rebuilding the military after the Carter years, dont hold your breath, Zakheim said. And we can get into the why and who is to blame, but it is not going to happen.

Speaking to members of the New Hampshire Aerospace and Defense Export Consortium on Thursday at the Manchester Country Club, Zakheim addressed President Donald Trumps military rebuild and its impact on the defense industrial complex.

Former President Barack Obamas defense budget was $585 billion, and Trumps proposal for defense spending is $603 billion, according to Zakheim, explaining former Secretary of Defense Robert Gates budget in 2012 was significantly higher at $661 billion, and the proposed $640 billion defense spending recommended now by Senate Armed Services Chairman John McCain (R-Ariz.) and House Armed Services Committee Chairman Mac Thornberry (R-Texas) is also significantly more.

With the Budget Control Act providing a $549 billion defense budget, Zakheim said Trumps proposal is basically keeping in pace with inflation. The debate right now in Congress is will we come at the Trump level, will we go up to the McCain/Thornberry level or will we have to just fund government at the Budget Control Act level, he said, adding it is quite possible that the freedom caucus and the fiscal hawks will demand spending at the BCA level or south of Trumps budget request.

Zakheim acknowledged that he was not a big fan of Trump as a candidate, but did favor his defense platform. During his candidacy, Trump said he would rebuild, modernize and increase the military, Zakheim said.

You will see in a few months now discussion of a shutdown or a continuing resolution because they cant come to agreement on spending levels, predicted Zakheim, a visiting fellow of the American Enterprise Institute and former deputy staff director of the U.S. House Armed Services Committee.

While defense spending has bottomed out, Zakheim said the debate now is how much it will grow. According to him, the military has been neglected for the past two decades so much that it cant fight todays challenges.

Zakheim said it does not have brigade combat teams ready to fight in a Russia scenario in Eastern Europe, nor does it have adequate munitions.

Where I look at these issues is from a national security standpoint, and the answer is, we are not OK, he told the group featuring trade representatives from Canada, the United Kingdom, Saudi Arabia, India, Poland and Mexico.

This is the first time since World War II, according to Zakheim, that the nation is facing three distinct threats to its national security and national defense China challenging the United States in Asia for trade, low-end terrorism threats in the Middle East and hybrid warfare posed by adversaries like Russia.

In this environment, no one knows what safe is, he said, adding the only certainty in politics is that everything is uncertain. Zakheim described the political environment in Washington as toxic, adding no one really understands the Trump factor.

The United States is the beneficiary of its own investment, he said, saying what the country spends on defense allows the nation to be a global security leader and the most prosperous in the world with the largest economy.

Zenagui Brahim, chairman of the New Hampshire Aerospace and Defense Export Consortium, said there are more than 350 manufacturing and defense companies in New Hampshire, all of which need to fully understand the state of the defense funding that could impact their businesses.

We keep hearing there will be more money for defense, but you never know, Brahim said. This is critical.

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I’ll pursue financial independence for judiciary – Akuffo – GhanaWeb

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General News of Monday, 19 June 2017

Source: classfmonline.com

Chief Justice, Sophia Akuffo

Chief Justice Sophia Akuffo has said that one of the legacies she would like to leave after retiring from office is establishing a financially independent judiciary.

In a speech at her induction into office on Monday June 19, Justice Akuffo said she was passionate about integrity, the delivery of quality justice, and the development and stability of our nation and will strive to demonstrate such actions throughout my tenure

She emphasised: The judiciary has diligently worked for and obtained a large measure of independence. This is however made incomplete by the lack of financial independence and that is an objective I would like to achieve during my tenure as Chief Justice.

Meanwhile, President Nana Akufo-Addo has charged her to prove herself in her new role as the Chief Justice of Ghana.

Mr Akufo-Addo said Justice Akuffo has proved herself and did not disappoint after she was elevated to be a Supreme Court judge by former President Jerry John Rawlings some 22 years ago.

He emphasised that it was now time to prove herself as an effective Chief Justice who will advance the frontiers of justice delivery in Ghana.

She has justified the confidence reposed in her by President Rawlings. She has now to justify the confidence I am reposing in her as Chief Justice, he said

Mr Akufo-Addo described her as a shining light of Ghanas court who is capable of advancing the judiciary in Ghana.

She becomes the fifth Chief Justice under the Fourth Republic.

Justice Akuffo holds a Masters in Law (LLM) degree from Harvard University in the United States.

She has been a member of the Governing Committee of the Commonwealth Judicial Education Institute and the Chairperson of the Alternative Dispute Resolution Task Force.

In January 2006, she was elected one of the first judges of the African Court on Human and Peoples Rights. Initially elected for two years, she was subsequently re-elected until 2014 and is at present serving as Vice-President of the Court.

She has written The Application of Information & Communication Technology in the Judicial Process the Ghanaian Experience, a presentation to the African Judicial Network Ghana (2002).

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Brace for fun in Source Festival’s new plays – Washington Post

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By Celia Wren By Celia Wren June 19 at 1:05 PM

Roller coasters are my favorite! a character exclaims as he sits onboard a climbing, plunging amusement-park ride in This Is the Big One, a 10-minute drama featured in this years Source Festival. The remark may strike a chord with hearers: After all, a festival that focuses on new works can be like a roller coaster, with abrupt, vertiginous ups and downs. People who attend such events may have a tolerance for variability.

But dependable attractions are much in evidence at this years Source Festival, running through July 2. To start with, in honor of the festivals 10th year, the lineup includes a new production of Topher Paynes Perfect Arrangement. After debuting at the Source Festival in 2013, the play went on to national success, including a major award and an off-Broadway run.

Set in a Georgetown duplex in 1950, Perfect Arrangement tells of two gay couples who have worked out marriages of convenience with each other so as to pass as straight. Bob and Millie Martindale (Jon Reynolds and Danielle Scott) appear to be the next-door neighbors of Jim and Norma Baxter (Jack Novak and Mary Myers). In fact, Bob and Jim are partners, as are Millie and Norma. The masquerade allows the four to maintain a comfortable private domesticity until the State Department, where Bob and Norma work, embarks on a purge of suspected homosexuals. (The play is based on the real events of the Lavender Scare.)

On opening night this month, director Nick Martins production displayed a few moments of hesitation and stiffness, suggesting that the actors were still acclimatizing to their roles. Still, the action clipped along at a pleasantly brisk pace, honoring both the plays bubbly comedy and its serious themes. In a fun touch, every now and then a stretch of dialogue, or a stage picture, would archly echo 1950s sitcoms and advertisements.

Scott and Myers are particularly persuasive as the ebullient but canny Millie and the wearier, more cynical Norma. In a smaller role, Toni Rae Salmi displays ace comic timing as Barbara Grant, a State Department translator who knows her own mind. Jessica Cancino designed the set, a bright, decorous 1950s living room an ideal spot for serving cocktails and canaps.

Perfect Arrangement isnt the only festival offering to reprise the tried-and-true. Of the two 10-minute play showcases, one revives some of the best short scripts from the past decade. I caught the other showcase: an enjoyable group of six playlets with the umbrella title Covert Catalyst. Highlights include This Is the Big One, Chelsea Marcantels artful portrait of six people who experience a roller coaster in drastically different ways. (Kevin Boudreau plays the aforementioned fan.)

Also delightful is local playwright John Bavosos Threat Level: Cream, a droll and twisty tale of two Washingtonians (Chloe Mikala and Jonathan M. Rizzardi) who encounter a suspicious gallon of milk on the Metro.

A couple of the Covert Catalyst pieces are slyly political. For instance, in Lori Fischers bold, surreal Gotta Gethere Whatever Itakes Versus Mr. Chaos, two people (Zoe Walpole and Carol Spring) are so shocked by an election that they embark on a nonstop jumping routine, essentially aiming to bounce their way to utopia.

The festival also includes two artistic blind dates, collaborations between artists of different disciplines. This reviewer cannot attest to the quality of the readings or blind dates. But bracing for the ride can be part of the fun.

Source Festival Through July 2 at Source, 1835 14th St. NW. Tickets: $15-$32. Call 866-811-4111 or visit sourcefestival.org.

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Brace for fun in Source Festival's new plays - Washington Post

BSA Space – E-Flux

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The New Inflatable Moment May 3September 3, 2017

BSA Space 290 Congress St #200 Boston, MA 02210 USA

http://www.architects.org Twitter / Facebook / Instagram / #BSASpace / #BSAFoundation

The New Inflatable Moment (through September 3, 2017) explores inflatable structures used in architecture, art, and engineering since the emergence of the hot air balloon. While celebrating their practical applications, the exhibition focuses on the role some of these revolutionary works of imagination have had in envisioning utopia.

Inspired by the 1998 exhibition and book, The Inflatable Moment: Pnuematics and Protest in '68 by Marc Dessauce and The Architectural League of New York, BSA Space examines key historical moments during which inflatables kindle visionary aspirations. Through a series of installations, photographs, videos, and models, The New Inflatable Moment contextualizes the renewed interest in inflatable structures for architectural and artistic experimentation as expressed among established, emerging, and student architects and artists. Featuring Diller Scofidio + Renfro, Grimshaw, Anish Kapoor/Arata Isozaki, Otto Piene, Graham Stevens, Chico MacMurtrie, and raumlaborberlin, among others. It will also showcase the earlier, pioneering visions of Buckminster Fuller and Frei Otto; the utopian collectives of the late 1960s such as Haus-Rucker-Co, Utopie, and Ant Farm; and the use of inflatable technology for space exploration by Foster and Partners and ILC Dover.

Curated by Mary E. Hale AIA and Katarzyna Balug, The New Inflatable Moment anchors the present moment with an interactive timeline informing the parallel evolution of the medium with key moments of sociopolitical change. With this exhibition, we revisit the moment of the 1960s explored by Dessauce to suggest that utopian thought is re-emerging today in architecture and art as evidenced in projects involving inflatables, say Hale and Balug.

Laura Wernick FAIA, chair of the BSA Foundation adds: The exhibition reveals some of the most visionary architectural minds working with new methods of display and communication. Its premiere at BSA space will empower designers to similarly think and work in new ways to create a better future and motivate the general public to believe in it.

The New Inflatable Momentison display at BSA Space, (290 Congress Street, Boston, MA 02210), through September 3, 2017. Admission is free. Opening hours: 10am6pm on weekdays, and 10am5pm on weekends and holidays.

About BSA Space BSA Space, Bostons leading cultural institution for architecture and design, is home to the Boston Society of Architects/AIA (BSA) and the BSA Foundation. The BSA is one of the oldest chapters of the American Institute of Architects. The BSA Foundation, a charitable organization, supports activities that illuminate the ways that design improves the quality of our lives. All exhibitions at BSA Space are supported by the BSA Foundation. BSA Space is open Monday through Friday from 10am6pm, and on weekends and holidays from 10am5pm. Admission is free and open to the public. For more information visit architects.org/bsaspace.

Curators bios Mary Hale AIAs passion for inflatable structures began as a student at MIT, where she developed her first inflatable structure: The Monumental Helium Inflatable Wearable Floating Body Mass. Since then, she has continued to explore wearable inflatable structures, at multiple scales from clothing to shelters.One notable project, Itinerant Home, is an installation commissioned by the New Orleans Chapter of the American Institute of Architects for their annual Descours Festival. In addition to artistic practice, Mary has been deeply involved in organizing design-oriented community events, exhibitions, and teaching architectural design studios at the Boston Architectural College and at Northeastern. Mary founded ROYHALE Design in 2014 as a channel for these projects. Marys work has been recognized in international art, design, and technology publications ranging from the MIT Technology Review to Arcade to Clam, a Parisian fashion and culture magazine.Mary holds a Bachelors Degree in Urban Studies from Brown University, and a Masters of Architecture from MIT.

Katarzyna Balug explores the place of imagination in the city, and the possibility of utopia in the late 20th and early 21st centuries. Inspired by science-fictional worlds and informed by studies in urban history and theory, her work involves research, curation, performance and collaborative installations in public space. Those installations are often inflatable. Past projects have been shown at the Muzeum Sztuki in Lodz, Poland, at the Boston Arts Festival, and at FARO Tlhuac in Mexico City, among others. She is co-founder of Department of Play, a lost city department that facilitates collaboration between residents and urban systems through momentary fictions in public space. Kate is a PhD student in urban and architectural history and theory at Harvard Graduate School of Design.

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Visa exports fintech startup contest to LatAm and Caribbean | ZDNet – ZDNet

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Visa is rolling out its Everywhere Initiative to foster the development of the next big thing in payments in the Latin America and Caribbean regions.

With the motto of "leveraging digital technologies to transform financial services and payments" in the regions, the company wants to find fintech ventures developing innovative products and services for final consumers and businesses using Visa APIs.

Under the initiative, startups will get a chance to access Visa's executive mentors and technologists, with 10 finalists participating in a 4-day immersion program with the company in Miami prior to the finals. The winner will get a $50,000 prize.

"Around the globe, technology-driven startups are transforming the financial services industry. Latin America is not immune to this trend, where fintech startups from across the region are improving access to and delivery of a wide array of financial services to both banked and unbanked segments of the population," Visa said in the initiative's brief.

"With access to Visa APIs and by harnessing Visa capabilities, startups from the region have the unique opportunity to create innovative products and services that benefit consumers and businesses in the region," the company added.

In order to take part, participating must be based in a Latin America or Caribbean country and must be incorporated, but for no longer than five years.

In addition, Visa wants ventures to have launched a commercial offering and have an existing customer base. Ventures who have raised more than $6 million in external capital will not be considered.

Interested parties must sign up online until July 17.

Everywhere Initiatives are already online in North America, Europe and Asia.

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Visa exports fintech startup contest to LatAm and Caribbean | ZDNet - ZDNet

Top things to do in St. Maarten on your Royal Caribbean cruise – Royal Caribbean Blog (blog)

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Royal Caribbean Blog (blog)
Top things to do in St. Maarten on your Royal Caribbean cruise
Royal Caribbean Blog (blog)
Many Royal Caribbean cruises that visit the Eastern Caribbean will make a stop in St. Maarten, an island split between The Netherlands and France. St. Maarten is known for its beautiful beaches, and exquisite examples of Dutch and French culture.

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After being caught off-guard twice last year, Royal Caribbean hires a former Orlando meteorologist – Orlando Weekly (blog)

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After spending ten years at Fox 35, Jim Van Fleet moved to Tampa in late 2011 to become the Chief Meteorologist at WTSP CBS 10. Contract issues with Fox 35 blocked him from being on-air, to begin with, but the station allowed him to wait out the contract before putting him back on television.

At that time, Van Fleet did an interview where he stated That was Triple A, and now Im ready for the majors causing some to believe he was calling Orlando Triple-A but he later clarified that he was only referring to his job at Fox 35, where he was the morning meteorologist, and now he was in the majors because he was the chief meteorologist.

His time in the majors didnt last long though with the station breaking his five-year contract mere weeks early after managers there began spreading lies about him being on drugs, according to a lawsuit he filed against the station in October of last year.

The lawsuit claimed one manager at the station was forced to resign.

Now it looks like Jim Van Fleet, who still has a strong fan base here in the Orlando market, has moved on from petty local news station fights. Late last month Royal Caribbean announced that hes joining the cruise company as the industrys first Chief Meteorologist.

Van Fleet will oversee weather affecting all ships for both Royal Caribbean and Celebrity Cruise Lines. According to his Twitter account, hes splitting his time between the Royal Caribbean headquarters in Miami and his former home in Tampa.

In a blog post announcing the new position Royal Caribbean CEO Michael Bayley explains why they created the new position. We have ships sailing all over the world, and they face different weather conditions every day, You have to keep an eye on the weather systems at all times.

In a video posted on Royal Caribbeans YouTube channel Jim Van Fleet explains Even when you have beautiful weather in Miami or the Bahamas and there are plenty of our ships who have fantastic weather for our guests theres something going on somewhere, whether its Australia, the Tasman Sea, whether its South America, the Mediterranean theres something somewhere.

In February 2016, Royal Caribbean's Anthem of the Seas hit a massive storm injuring four guests and causing the cruise line to issue a public apology. Many guests said they feared for their lives as the ship battled the storm for 12 straight hours, four of which included the ship sitting at a 45-degree angle.

Bill Baumgartner, the senior vice president of global marine operations at Royal Caribbean told CNN "If we knew that we were going to have those kinds of winds, the winds that we actually experienced with the ship, we would not have sailed into that. No. Absolutely we wouldn't have (left port)."

The controversy around that storm surfaced again earlier this year when a passenger uploaded terrifying footage from aboard the ship. That video shows waves crashing against the windows and a passenger struggling to walk down a hallway.

In September, another Royal Caribbean ship hit unexpected weather off the Greek coast. Luckily, that incident included no guest injuries though windows as far up as Deck 11 were broken in the intense storm.

The new Chief Meteorologist position should help Royal Caribbean avoid such issues in the future. No other cruise lines have announced plans to add similar positions.

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UN urges Caribbean nations to see benefits from surge in refugees – Humanosphere

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The United Nations is urging countries around the Caribbean to view the recent surge in refugees, from near and far, as a long-term benefit and not just a short-term challenge.

Ruben Barbado, with theUnited Nations High Commission for Refugee (UNHCR) agency, told journalists at theCaribbean Media Corporation (CMC) that many refugees, though fleeing under duress, can quickly by shifted into productive roles in host countries if the countries receive them

You have doctors, you have entrepreneurs, you have teachers, you have farmers and in that regard they can help the economy if they are allowed (to become) successful members of the society, Barbado said.

More than 5,000 people came to various Caribbean nations last year seeking asylum, he said, representing a 257 percent increase in the number of asylum seekers between mid-2015 and mid-2016 for the region.

The UN official made his plea for a new mindset at a workshop for media professionals on Refugee Protection in Trinidad and Tobago last week. After Belize and the Dominican republic, he said, Trinidad and Tobago isthe third most popular country for refugees in the region, with 400 new applications in the first six months of this year a 40 per cent increase from2016.

RELATED U.N. says goodbye to its failed, fake ambassador: Wonder Woman

Government statistics indicate that the refugees are comingfrom neighboring nations in the region, such as Cuba and Haiti, as well as from other more far-flung countries including Colombia,Sri Lanka, Syria and Nigeria.

Other speakers at the eventstressed the need fordomestic legislation in Trinidad and Tobago to address the surge in refugees, according to the CMC. They said asylum seekers in the dual-island country face numerous barriers to successful resettlement,such asdetention, being irregular/undocumented, uncertainty over being resettled, lack of access to healthcare, lack of ability to work and access education.

Education at the primary and secondary levels are free to the public in Trinidad and Tobago, but officials have admitted there were barriers for many refugee children such as the ability to speak and understand English, CMCreported.

RELATED Senate bill would halt U.N. funding; House bill would force U.S. to quit U.N.

The increase of refugees into the Caribbean may be significant for low-resource host countries, but it is marginal compared to the refugee crisis on a global scale. In recent years, aseries of conflicts around the world has left governmentsgrappling with some 66 million displaced persons the highest number seensince World War II.

The crisis is straininggovernments around the world with massive populationsof refugees they are either unwilling or unable to take in. Jordan, with a population of just over 6 million people, is now home to more than 600,000 Syrian refugees. Turkey, with a population of 76 million, has taken in 2.5 million.

The internal strife in South Sudan has become the source of the fastest-growing displacement crisis in the world, turning the country intothe third-biggest source of refugees abroad last year, behind Syria (5.5 million) and Afghanistan (2.5 million).

Nearly all of the biggest refugee hosts are developing countries, according to data from the UNHCR.

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Universal Orlando ramps up Caribbean Carnaval dinner show … – Orlando Business Journal

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Orlando Business Journal
Universal Orlando ramps up Caribbean Carnaval dinner show ...
Orlando Business Journal
A year-old Universal Orlando Resort hotel is ramping up on a weekly dinner show that brings the tastes and sounds of the Caribbean to the theme park area.
Universal Orlando's new Caribbean Carnaval brings flavorful food ...Inside the Magic

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Universal Orlando ramps up Caribbean Carnaval dinner show ... - Orlando Business Journal

Disturbance in the Caribbean being monitored over the weekend – FOX 29

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We're monitoring a disturbance in the Caribbean that has the potential to become the second named storm of this hurricane season.

We're monitoring a disturbance in the Caribbean that has the potential to become the second named storm of this hurricane season. This one would be called Tropical Storm Bret.

There was Tropical Storm Arlene, which formed April 19.

The National Hurricane Center as of Friday afternoon says there is a 60 percent chance of cyclone formation in five days. A large area of disturbed weather has formed over the western Caribbean Sea and the adjacent portions of Central America. Conditions appear to be favorable for gradual development of this system while it moves northwestward across the Yucatan Peninsula this weekend and into the southern and central Gulf of Mexico early next week.

Regardless of the weather, heavy rains are likely to spread over portions of Central America and the Yucatan Peninsula during the next several days.

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Disturbance in the Caribbean being monitored over the weekend - FOX 29

Royal Caribbean brings underwater adventures to Snapchat users … – Royal Caribbean Blog (blog)

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Royal Caribbean Blog (blog)
Royal Caribbean brings underwater adventures to Snapchat users ...
Royal Caribbean Blog (blog)
Royal Caribbean is offering everyone experience an undersea adventure with a first-of-its-kind social media innovation. From June 21-25, Through the lens of ...
Royal Caribbean's Adventure of the Seas Rescues Two Caribbean SailorsTravel Agent
Royal Caribbean Creates Underwater Snapchat ExperienceTravelPulse
Royal Caribbean Debuts Snapchat ChannelCruise Radio (blog)
Seatrade Cruise News
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Bahamas wins new business aviation award – GlobeNewswire – GlobeNewswire (press release)

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June 19, 2017 15:20 ET | Source: Bahamas Ministry of Tourism

photo-release

NASSAU, Bahamas, June 19, 2017 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- The Bahamas was presented the 2016 Caribbean Sapphire Pegasus Business Aviation Award for Outstanding Country Promotion, the first award of its kind for the region. The Sapphire Pegasus Award is a symbol of gratitude for the superb performance in an industry segment where mediocrity is unacceptable.

The award was introduced to the region during the Caribbean Aviation Meetup in St. Maarten, June 13-15. Based on expert advice and the long record of outstanding performance, we decided that The Bahamas should be awarded for the excellent promotion of the Caribbean over a longer period of time in the business aviation industry, said Antonia Lukacinova, founder of the Sapphire Pegasus Awards.

It is not just about the presence and presentations at international conferences and exhibitions, but also about the available online information and hardcopy documentation. The explanations are so well done and comprehensive that they hardly leave an opening for questions. We believe that this needs to find international recognition and honoring.

Director General in The Bahamas Ministry of Tourism and Aviation, Joy Jibrilu, was presented with the award on Tuesday, June 13 during the Caribbean Aviation Meetup in St. Maarten. She also delivered the keynote address at the aviation conference.

I am excited and thrilled by the announcement that The Bahamas has won the award for our outstanding promotion in business aviation. We at The Bahamas Ministry of Tourism and Aviation work tirelessly to create new strategic partners in key markets across the world to increase airlift and new routes to the country. That is our goal. We also go above and beyond to promote our destination and position ourselves as the best in the region. As a team, we have accomplished many mammoth tasks and this award is vindication of that hard work. Thank you, Mrs. Jibrilu said.

The Sapphire Pegasus Awards are a unique series of international business aviation awards and are given for the outstanding performance by companies or individuals in the business aviation sector. The finalists are nominated by companies and individuals in the business aviation sector.

The Sapphire Pegasus Awards started out by recognizing the outstanding performance of companies, teams and business individuals from the EMEA region and Russia. This is the first year that four awards are being given out for excellence in the Caribbean.

About The Bahamas

The Islands Of The Bahamas have a place in the sun for everyone. Each island has its own personality and attractions for a variety of vacation styles with some of the worlds best golfing, scuba diving, fishing, sailing, boating, as well as, shopping and dining. The destination offers an easily accessible tropical getaway and provides convenience for travelers with preclearance through U.S. customs and immigration, and the Bahamian dollar is on par with the U.S. dollar. Do everything or do nothing, just remember Its Better in The Bahamas. For travel packages, activities and accommodations information, call 1-800-Bahamas or visit http://www.Bahamas.com. Look for The Bahamas on the web on Facebook Twitter and YouTube

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A photo accompanying this announcement is available at http://www.globenewswire.com/NewsRoom/AttachmentNg/bbe2ebed-c63f-4b7a-b543-11069fbfc65b

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A photo accompanying this announcement is available at http://www.globenewswire.com/NewsRoom/AttachmentNg/b5f25008-6531-43bd-b84a-4aaa0e631eec

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Team Bahamas Shines At Nacac Age Group Championships – Bahamas Tribune

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THE BAHAMAS team to the first NACAC Age Group Championships in Trinidad & Tobago with coaching staff members.

By BRENT STUBBS

Senior Sports Reporter

bstubbs@tribunemedia.net

THE Bahamas team to the first NACAC Age Group Championships in Trinidad & Tobago will return home from some good performances at the Hasely Crawford Stadium over the weekend.

The team, managed by Doris Ramsey with Cedricka Rolle as the head coach, competed in the pentathlon or five events for the boys and girls 11-12 and the heptathlon or seven events for the boys and girls 13-14 divisions.

Girls 13-14 Heptathlon

The Bahamas best showing came from Anthaya Charlton in their seven events after she finished second out of a field of 32 competitors with a total of 3,876 points. Her team-mate Shaunece Miller was 13th with 3,520 points.

Shaniqua Bascombe of Trinidad & Tobago was the overall winner with 4,057.

Charlton did the 60m in 10.01 for 798 points, the long jump with 5.61m for 738 pts, the shot put with a heave of 7.88m for 415 pts, the 60m hurdles in 9.15 for 740 pts, the high jump with 1.35m for 499, the javelin throw with 24.32m for 271 pts and she ran the 1,000m in 3:40.84 for 415 pts.

Miller did the 60m in 10.87 for 640, the long jump with 4.89m for 599, the shot put with 6.83m for 356 pts, the 60m hurdles in 10.09 for 596 pts, the high jump with 1.45m for 582 pts, the javelin throw with 27.19m for 309 pts and the 1,000m in 3:36.87 for 438 pts.

Boys 13-14 Heptathlon

With a total of 31 competitors who started - only one failed to complete the seven-event package - Mateo Smith was seventh with 4,651 pts and a grieving Otto Laing was 10th with 4,541. Laings mother passed away just as he was preparing to travel and he said he wanted to go and compete for her.

Matthew Sophia of Curacao won the divisional title with 5,083 pts. Smith did the 80m in 9.58 for 887 pts, the long jump with a leap of 5.81m for 775 pts, the shot put with a toss of 9.87 for 516 pts, the 80m hurdles in 12.22 for 676 pts, the high jump with a leap of 1.70m for 779 pts, the javelin throw with 66.95m for 681 pts and he ran the 1,200m in 4:25.35 for 337 pts.

Laing ran the 80m in 9.83 for 834 pts, the long jump with a distance of 5.09m for 772 pts, the shot put with a toss of 10.83 for 562 pts, the 60m hurdles in 11.59 for 757 pts, the high jump with a height of 1.60m for 702 pts, the javelin throw with 53.26m for 571 pts and the 1,200m in 3:32.59.

Girls 11-12 Pentathlon

GShan Brown picked up a fifth place finish in their five events with 2,575 pts, while Lanique Thompson was 13th with 2,352 pts. A total of 28 competitors competed with Samiya Dell of Barbados winning with 2,894 pts. Brown did the 60m in 8.50 for 749 pts, the high jump with a leap of 1.25m for 426 pts, the javelin throw with 38.10m for 431 pts, the long jump with a distance of 4.21m for 460 pts and the 800m in 2:35.22 for 509 pts. Thompson, in her events, did the 60m in 8.60 for 688 pts, the high jump with 1.25m for 426 pts, the javelin throw with 30.78m for 350 pts, the long jump with 4.36m for 490 pts and the 800m in 2:54.25 for 358 pts.

Boys 11-12 Pentathlon

Only 14 competitors contested this division with Carlos Brown ending up fifth with 2,895 pts, followed by Daniel Ermilus 12th with 2,738 pts.

Lebron James of Trinidad & Tobago was the winner with 3,143 pts.

Brown led the Bahamas attack as he clocked 8.08 in the 60m for 843 pts, the high jump with a leap of 1.30m for 462 pts, the javelin throw with 44.67m for 495 pts, the long jump with a distance of 4.88m for 597 pts and the 1,000m in 3:13.91 for 588 pts.

And Ermilus ran 8.02 in the 60m for 857 pts, cleared 1.35m in the high jump for 499 pts, threw the javelin 20.51m for 224 pts, soared 4.73m in the long jump for 566 pts and ran 3:13.42 in the 1,000m for 524 pts.

Read more from the original source:

Team Bahamas Shines At Nacac Age Group Championships - Bahamas Tribune