Daily Archives: March 5, 2017

All families deserve school choice, not just the wealthy – The Commercial Appeal

Posted: March 5, 2017 at 4:43 pm

Raul Lopez, Special to The Commercial Appeal 12:04 a.m. CT March 5, 2017

Lt. Gov. Tate Reeves tells supporters Mississippi's work with school choice is not yet done at a rally at the Capitol Tuesday.

Raul Lopez(Photo: archives)

Now that President Trump has been in office for a little over a month, here is one idea on how to dramatically shake things up and enact bold change.

Take on our educational system. For far too long, we have been hoping that by increasing spending and empowering the government, the educational system will improve. But after nearly half a century, instead of improving, things are actually getting worse.

President Donald Trump is already delivering on this by nominating Betsy DeVos, a well-known education reformer, as his education secretary. She was eventually confirmed, but not before much opposition by supporters of the status quo.

Heres the thing. For some, the educational system works great. For the affluent and the upper middle class, picking a great school for their children is no big deal. They either send their children to their local public school, or pay the tuition to send them to a private school.

If its absolutely necessary, some families may even choose to move to a different neighborhood that has a better public school than to the one they had been previously assigned.

But for a huge portion of the population, things are much different. For many low-income families, the only option is sending their child to their local public school. In some cases, this works out well. In other cases, that particular school may be dangerous or lack the academic rigor to provide the child with a quality education.

This is the case all across the country and, sadly, in many places in Tennessee, including Memphis, Nashville and Chattanooga.

Thankfully, many parents are speaking up and demanding change. Rather than continue waiting for the educational system to improve, many parents are demanding the same type of freedom and choice afforded to parents of means.

This is what is known as school choice and is an issue that is picking up more support as parents of all backgrounds learn about this concept.

Just recently, thousands of Americans across the country celebrated National School Choice Week, an annual celebration created to raise a spotlight on the need to have more school choice. This included around 500 families and students in Memphis.

As the executive director of Latinos for Tennessee, an organization committed to advancing and promoting faith, family and freedom, we are committed to supporting greater educational freedom for all Latino families.

This issue matters greatly to us because many Latino students enrolled in our states educational system are not being well served.

According to the American Federation for Children, an organization committed to increasing educational freedom, more than 100,000 Latino students are expected to enter a Tennessee school in the next year. Unfortunately, half of the states current Latino students did not meet the low benchmark of proficiency in reading or math according to the Tennessee Department of Educations Report Card back in 2015.

Thankfully, a new day has dawned and Latino families especially those with children have much to look forward under a new administration. Thats because President Trump has promised to be the biggest cheerleader for school choice.

Our local elected public officials and members of the General Assembly should welcome this change of direction. Instead of encouraging greater choice, many in the state are actively fighting to maintain the status quo and prevent any effort for more choice and transparency.

The only winners if the status quo remains are the special interest groups that are more concerned about ensuring job security for their members than making sure that all children are getting the best possible education.

Political parties that claim to represent the minority community are wrong to oppose greater educational freedom. Polls consistently show that minority communities are supportive of school choice.

Its time Tennesseans turn the page from a status quo that is leaving far too many of our children behind by welcoming increased choice and customization when it comes to education.

Our children are waiting for us to act boldly and decisively.

Raul Lopez is the executive director for Latinos for Tennessee, an organization committed to protecting and promoting faith, family, freedom and fiscal responsibility.

Read or Share this story: http://memne.ws/2ls77F8

Read the original here:

All families deserve school choice, not just the wealthy - The Commercial Appeal

Posted in Fiscal Freedom | Comments Off

Without freedom, East African economies will slow down – Daily Nation (blog)

Posted: at 4:43 pm

Sunday March 5 2017 In Summary

In my last blog post, I stated that there was no reason for a Kenyan to worry about the fast growth Ethiopia was seeing.

By virtue of its larger population, and therefore larger labour force, it is inevitable that Ethiopias Gross Domestic Product (GDP) will surpass Kenyas.

The idea was not to commence a polemic about whether higher GDP is consistent with development or not, because that is not a useful argument.

One could ask what the longer term prospects of both countries are, given that they both register growth rates above the world average.

Here the story is that the present growth rates may be real but certainly unsustainable, because both countries are likely to run into a growth wall sooner rather than later, for the simple reason that they do not value economic freedom.

Attaining high growth rates has never been difficult for most nations. The more difficult task is maintaining high growth rates for at least a generation, so as to ensure social and economic transformation.

Kenya and Ethiopia seem to have acquired the first, but the models of development and the status of economic management suggest that they cannot maintain these growth rates for even half a generation.

The Heritage Foundation, a conservative think tank based in the United States, publishes an annual Index of Economic Freedom report. It ranks sovereign territories against twelve forms of economic freedom, grouped into four pillars: the rule of law, government size, regulatory efficiency and open markets.

With a record of two decades of publication, the IEF has consistently demonstrated that economic freedom is important because it is highly correlated with, if not altogether a determinant of, a countrys prosperity.

Because of the breadth of countries ranked in 2017, it is a sensible tool for understanding why material and social prosperity is distributed differently among countries.

Countries like Hong Kong, Singapore, Canada and Australia are always among the leaders. At the bottom of the scales of the 180 countries are the states with incomplete government consolidation such as the Democratic Republic of Congo and North Korea.

East Africas shining stars, Kenya and Ethiopia, are ranked among the Mostly Unfree, at 135th and 142nd respectively, and thats why the citizens of East Africa should be concerned.

Not only is the ranking quite sobering, but it shows how much work is required to achieve the economic promise these countries hold.

The average score for all 180 countries is about 60.9 points, which would suffice to place any nation in the "Moderately Free" category.

Needless to state, these two eastern Africa giants are below average, with a nearly identical score of 53.7 and 52.7 for Kenya and Ethiopia, respectively.

Of consequence however is that the performance of both nations is nearly converging but going in different directions because Kenyas average score against each of the 12 freedoms has dropped by four points, while Ethiopia has made progress by 1.2 points compared to the previous year.

Using the year-by-year score as a proxy of reform towards economic freedom, Kenya has had a 10-year drop while Ethiopia has had modest but steady upward improvement.

GRAPHIC | KWAME OWINO

The trend lines in these graphs may explain why the growth rates for Ethiopia are nearly 50 per cent above Kenyas, despite Kenyas higher overall score.

Ethiopia has, commendably, moved from being classified as repressed in two decades while Kenya climbed down from a score of above average.

The lesson for Kenya policymakers is that the one step forward with reforms and another two backwards means that Kenya has not broken out with bold, consistent reforms towards economic freedom.

The single largest challenge for Kenya is in government integrity, government size and fiscal health, all under the pillar of government size. This is directly a public spending issue, confirming that Kenya is spending as if it were richer than it really is.

On the other hand, Ethiopias risk profile lies in the same pillar of government size, but added with challenges in the pillar of regulatory efficiency.

In conclusion, the so-called giants of eastern Africa may be growing at a clip but are hardly paragons of economic freedom.

Citizens should be worried. It is in their common interest for governments here to expand our economic freedoms.

Kwame Owino is the chief executive officer of the Institute of Economic Affairs (IEA-Kenya), a public policy think tank based in Nairobi. Twitter: @IEAKwame

Campaigning politicians should know that shallow directives can be challenged and dismissed

Governor insists region is an Orange Party zone and tells off opponents.

Knec to study report by principals before stating the number of affected learners.

Here is the original post:

Without freedom, East African economies will slow down - Daily Nation (blog)

Posted in Fiscal Freedom | Comments Off

Oran Hall | Young cop seeks financial independence | Business … – Jamaica Gleaner

Posted: at 4:42 pm

QUESTION: I'm a 23 year-old who is seeking some financial advice. I've read some of your articles and have found them to be very motivating, to say the very least. You see, I've often been told that I want to achieve too much too soon and, perhaps, that may be true.

But I'd like to own my house by a respectable age and give back to my community and the nation at large. I'm a young member of the Jamaica Constabulary Force, and quite frankly, the salary can hardly sustain me. But I'm willing to maintain my integrity and not become a 'dirty cop', and that is why I'm writing to you.

I currently own a motor car, which I bought with the help of a loan, and I was also thinking of purchasing either another motor car or a bus to operate as a public-passenger vehicle. I've also considered medium to long-term goals such as investing in stocks and bonds, or even real estate.

I'm a business-minded young man, so I'm always seeking out investment opportunities. I would appreciate if you could shed some light on my blurry path as I seek to move towards financial independence.

- Cole

FINANCIAL ADVISER: The time of your youth is the best time to make your plans, and I believe you are on the right path. You have a goal and a plan to achieve it, although there are some gaps to be filled.

One very positive step that you have taken is soliciting advice to determine if you are on the right path. You have not stated when you want to achieve your ultimate goals and the others between now and then, so I am not qualified to say you want too much too soon.

Although you are at or close to the base of the ladder now, if you work hard and seize opportunities to further qualify yourself, you can go far in the police force - and in a reasonable time. This would mean better remuneration as you progress up the ladder.

You recognise the value of using other people's money to acquire assets, which comes with a cost. A motor car for personal use is essentially a wasting asset as it loses value over time, even while you are still paying for it. But you clearly want to move beyond that.

Your plan includes purchasing another motor vehicle, not for personal use, but to earn additional income. The success of this venture would improve your financial position and help you to move to the point of financial independence as it could provide the means to acquire other income-earning assets.

You have also mentioned stocks, bonds and real estate. You clearly appreciate that the best investment portfolio is one that is diversified. You reduce your risk when you invest in different types of assets, although it is also possible that this may also lower your chances of reaping higher returns.

You do not need to have much money to invest in stocks nor wait too long to make that type of investment as long as you understand how such investments work and you do not encroach on money that you need to take care of your living expenses and other commitments.

Bonds will not give you the kind of return that stocks and real estate are capable of giving, but they give some stability to an investment portfolio. Real estate is likely to pose the greatest challenge because the deposit and initial costs are high, and a small income will put a limit on how much you can borrow.

You know what you want to do, so determine the sequence in which you would like to achieve each goal as well as the time for doing so. The cost of each will bear strongly on whether you succeed, but be prepared to be flexible.

Be realistic as you make your plan and implement it, and bear in mind that every investment has some risk. You have one big advantage over many persons: You are business-minded.

I sincerely hope that you reach your destination of financial independence rather than just moving towards it. Be patient, and accept you may have to sacrifice short-term gratification to achieve long-term success. And continue to maintain your integrity.

- Oran A. Hall, principal author of 'The Handbook of Personal Financial Planning', offers personal financial planning advice and counsel. finviser.jm@gmail.com

Read the original:

Oran Hall | Young cop seeks financial independence | Business ... - Jamaica Gleaner

Posted in Financial Independence | Comments Off

Father John Misty references Taylor Swift in new song, ‘Total Entertainment Forever’ – EW.com

Posted: at 4:40 pm

Father John Misty debuted his latest track off the upcomingPure ComedyonSaturday Night Live,where he performed Total Entertainment Forever, a song that opens with the line, Bedding Taylor Swift every night inside the Oculus Rift.

He follows in the footsteps of another musician who has referenced the pop star in that way: Kanye West, who rapped, I feel like me and Taylor might still have sex / Why? I made that bitch famous onThe Life of Pablos Famous. That lyric made headlines as soon as West premiered the track at a Madison Square Garden event in February 2016, something Misty n Josh Tillman is likely alluding to here.

Tillman spoke withExclaim!about the track Sunday, and though he didnt mention Famous, he did elaborate on the meaning behind his own Swift-centric lyric: Human civilizations have been entertaining themselves in disgusting ways all through human history I mean, whether its lighting Christians on fire, or whatever, he said. We have to consider that maybe there are ways in which we entertain ourselves now that are equally as disturbing.

The fact of the matter is, I dont want that to happen to Taylor Swift, he continued. That is the worst thing I can think of; that is so horrible. But again, this plays into progress, where like, the internet was supposed to be this new democracy, a utopia of information where everyone had a voice and we were all interconnected, and we would experience true democracy and it turned into pornography, followed only by outrage. The tools represent some kind of technological advancement, but if we cant act like more than angry ecstasy freaks with the most advanced technology in the world, then how much have we really progressed?

Hear Total Entertainment Forever above.Pure Comedyarrives April 7.

Read the original:

Father John Misty references Taylor Swift in new song, 'Total Entertainment Forever' - EW.com

Posted in New Utopia | Comments Off

A taste of ‘Utopia’ – Otago Daily Times

Posted: at 4:40 pm

"I recorded it in Auckland with Jonathan Pearce at the end of December 2014, so Ive been sitting on it quite a while," former Dunedin student Christopher Bull says of his EP on a whirlwind visit from the United Kingdom.

"I basically recorded it, then moved out of the country. I planned to release it in London, but I didnt quite plan on how hard London was."

Called The Utopia EP, the songs cover the slightly arrogant struggles of a middle-class 20-something in a big city. Theyre actually having loads of fun, but they kind of see it as a facade.

"The thing that Im almost more shocked by is how things havent really changed, not that I necessarily thought they would get better," Bull says, looking back at the material.

"My version of dissociation was just watching Auckland house prices go insane, and the whole city just fall into this rapture led on by the New Zealand Herald and its calling of the house prices like a horse race, which was just surreal.

"Its 2017 and its still happening and now its taking Wellington too. I wasnt prophetic, but whatever I was writing about hasnt changed at all and if anything, has gotten worse."

The opener is my personal favourite. Called Pile it all on (a toast to the optimists), it is built on a gorgeously soaring and deeply resonant electric guitar that you can feel in your bones and that makes me think of devastating Blur heartbreaker No Distance Left to Run.

As Bull sings of having no money, aspirations to burn, and wondering if he can make it through student loans, it comes across like a plaintive funeral march that just happens to be really, really beautiful.

Later, things turn more abstract and experimental. Utopia, written in a fit of anger after watching John Pilgers film of the same name (and where the EP also gets its title from), is rousing and sad with its psychedelic vocals and swirling distortion.

"Living in London right now is both fascinating and terrifying," Bull says preparing for his return.

"In the two years that weve been there, a lot of what we thought we knew to be true about the world has been upended in the Brexit vote and Trumps election.

"Its especially telling as the divide between winning cities and the rest of the world now feels so stark. London may as well be a different country in the UK. Its providing a rich vein of both anxiety and material, watching in real time as men like Nigel Farage, Donald Trump and Steve Bannon actively try and take apart a lot of things that we took for granted in the world.

"Its also an inspiration for action though; we went to a demonstration against the travel ban on a Monday after work which attracted 30,000 people."

New York pop songwriting sensation Greta Kline, aka Frankie Cosmos, is visiting Dunedin next week, in what is sure to be one of the years most anticipated indie rock shows.

Utilising the spartan, wooden beauty of a band like Beat Happening, and the deceptively simply melodies of the likes of Kimya Dawson, Kline and her band deftly explores life, love, and death in earnest and poetic personal detail.

With dozens of Bandcamp demo releases, and two critically acclaimed albums to her name, she is one of the leading lights of the US indie scene, and it is fantastic to see her visiting Dunedin, especially in the post Chicks Hotel era!

- Sam Valentine

Christopher Bulls The Utopia EP is available now for pay as you like from Bandcamp. christopherbull.bandcamp.com/album/the-utopia-ep

Frankie Cosmos, Wednesday, March 8, at Maori Hill Coronation Hall, 8pm. Tickets $30 plus booking fee, presales available from undertheradar.co.nz

A taste of 'Utopia' - Otago Daily Times

Posted in New Utopia | Comments Off

Utopia for Realists and How We Can Get There by Rutger Bregman digested read – The Guardian

Posted: at 4:40 pm

Everyone is bored of being made to be happy all the time Rutger Bregmans book Utopia for Realists. Illustration: Matt Blease for the Guardian

Lets start with a history lesson. In the past, everything was worse. Look, I know you may not be happy that there is famine in large parts of Africa, that Islamic State is in control of a large part of the Middle East, that North Korea could nuke someone for a laugh and that Donald Trump and Vladimir Putin are bound to make things even more unstable. But count yourself lucky that you are still alive. If you had been born 600 years ago, theres a fair chance youd be dead by now.

What weve all got today would have been seen as a utopia in the middle ages. Thanks to medical advances, only a few of us are really deformed, most people have fresh water, somewhere warm to sleep, enough money to get by and internet access. Some scientists think it wont be long until someone lives to be 1,000.

All this comfort has made us lazy. People used to dream of utopias because their lives were so miserable. But now utopias have become dystopias, with everyone bored of being made to be happy all the time. Weve lost the will to change society for the better. So lets play utopia!

Its May 2009 and an experiment is under way in London. Its subjects: 13 homeless men. These men rack up 400,000 a year in court costs and social services. So what did a charity do? It gave each one 3,000 to spend as they liked. Within a year, theyd all turned their lives around and were productive members of society, apart from some of them.

Giving people free money works. They live longer, they contribute more and are less of a burden on the state. They tried it in Canada and it worked. President Nixon almost pioneered a universal basic income of $1,600 in 1969, before he was persuaded it wasnt such a good idea after all.

We can end poverty for good by just giving people money. Try it. Next time you see a poor person, give them a decent wedge of cash and see how it transforms their lives. But dont just give them a spare fiver, because that will change nothing: nudge economics only increases dependency and keeps people in poverty.

Imagine a world where everyone was a millionaire because the state had given them lots of dosh. Then we wouldnt need to spend money on the NHS, because everyone would be eating and looking after themselves so well that no one would ever get ill. And the few people who did get ill could afford private healthcare. Sorted. Its just a shame there will be no nursing staff as everyone will be too rich to bother with a job that doesnt pay very much and involves long hours.

Have I mentioned that Nixon almost introduced a universal basic income in 1969? Oh, I have. But it was the main point of this book, so I had better repeat it. By the way, the only reason it didnt go ahead was because someone told Nixon lies about what would happen if he were to do it. Only saying.

Heres some other things Id like to happen. We all work far too many hours, except for people who dont work at all. The ideal should be for everyone to work 15 hours a week and spend the rest of the time watching TV. And that is perfectly possible, though I agree it might be rather annoying to find that everywhere you wanted to go with your new time off was closed because staff are on a 15-hour week. Our kids might also be a little thicker because the schools would only be open for three hours a day, but at least theyd happier and I have a case study of a primary school in Amsterdam to prove it.

GDP is another downer. Countries swear by it, forgetting it never existed before the 1930s. So lets get rid of it and measure things differently. Lets do away with robots and bankers, too, as they have all proved more trouble than theyre worth. Cast your mind back to a time when your boss couldnt email you with a pointless query at 10.30 at night. Wasnt it so much nicer to get a good nights sleep? Ignorance is utopian bliss. And as for immigration, if there was free movement of labour, all the worlds problems would be sorted. Everyone who is starving in South Sudan could come over here to do the jobs the rest of us dont have time to do as were only working 15 hours a week. Win-win!

Digested read digested: Living the dream.

Go here to read the rest:

Utopia for Realists and How We Can Get There by Rutger Bregman digested read - The Guardian

Posted in New Utopia | Comments Off

Inside Julianne Hough’s Fun-Filled Bachelorette Caribbean Cruise – E! Online

Posted: at 4:38 pm

Now this is a bachelorette party!

Julianne Hough, who is engaged to Brooks Laich,recentlyset sail withand her besties, including BFF Nina Dobrev, aboard a Celebrity Cruises luxury cruise-linerfor abachelorette beachelorette trip to the Caribbean.

TheDancing With the Starspro-turned-judge and her pals enjoyed plenty of beach time and also snorkeled through the reefs in Cozumel, Mexico, embarked on ahelicopter tour above the Grand Cayman Islands and zip-lined through Falmouth, Jamaica, E! News has learned exclusively.

Hough postedon Instagram Friday a pic Dobrev took ofthe group. She wore a pink bachelorette sash over a white bikini.

"#JulesBEACHelorette #BitchinB4TheHitchin #HastaLaVistaHough #TheFinalHoughrrah #TheLastFlingB4TheRing #BEACHeloretteWithMyBEACHES #BeachCrew," Hough wrote. "Thank you @celebritycruises for the gift of this amazing Bachelorette party!"

Dobrev also shared group photos on her page.

On the ship, they stayed in apenthouse suite, which featured interactive entertainment systems, a baby grand piano, marble floors, sweeping balconies, a living room, dining room, music center, a private veranda with a whirlpool and a European-style butler service. While onboard, Hough and her friends spent time soaking up the sunandsipping on cocktails.

Hough and Laich, a hockey player, got engaged a year and a half ago. They have not announced their wedding date. Bachelorette and bachelor parties are typically held no more than a month before a wedding.

Last September, Hough indicated toE! Newsthat she and her fianc were in the early stages of planning their nuptials.

See the original post here:

Inside Julianne Hough's Fun-Filled Bachelorette Caribbean Cruise - E! Online

Posted in Caribbean | Comments Off

Extra T20s added to Pakistan’s Caribbean tour – Sportstarlive – Sportstarlive

Posted: at 4:38 pm

Two additional Twenty20 internationals have been added to the itinerary for Pakistan's upcoming tour of the West Indies.

The two teams were set to meet in two T20s in the Caribbean, prior to three one-day internationals and three Tests.

However, the West Indies Cricket Board (WICB) confirmed on Saturday that four T20s will now be contested, with extra matches taking place in Barbados and Trinidad.

The series will begin in Barbados on March 26.

"Twenty20 is an exciting format and this is another opportunity for our fans to indulge in the thrilling atmosphere that surrounds these matches," said Roland Holder, the WICB's manager of cricket operations.

"We look forward to fans in Barbados and Trinidad coming out and cheering our team on to victory."

The Windies are currently hosting England in a three-match ODI series. The second match takes place in Antigua on Sunday, with England 1-0 up following a 45-run win at the same venue.

Originally posted here:

Extra T20s added to Pakistan's Caribbean tour - Sportstarlive - Sportstarlive

Posted in Caribbean | Comments Off

Mysterious wave of death strikes the Bahamas famous swimming pigs – SFGate

Posted: at 4:38 pm

Ben Guarino, The Washington Post

A mysterious wave of deaths recently struck Big Major Cay, the uninhabited Bahamas island famous for its tourist-friendly swimming pigs.

Up to half of the pig colony died and the bodies were tossed into the sea, according to reports from over the weekend. Early investigations could not identify an explicit cause of death.

Wayde Nixon, a Bahamas man who brought the pigs to the island decades ago, suggested that tourists killed the animals with a lethal diet. With unrestricted access to the pigs, visitors had been seen giving the animals junk food as well as booze.

"We had the government vet in there [and] examined them all thoroughly," Nixon told the Nassau Guardian. Seven or eight pigs died, he said, leaving about 15 alive. The ones that survived appeared to be healthy.

Kim Aranha, president of Bahamas Humane Society, indicated to the Nassau-based newspaper Tribune 242 that there were fewer pigs remaining on the island than initially reported.

Photo: Barcroft/Barcroft Media Via Getty Images

A pig swimming in the Bahamas. Swimming in the crystal clear waters off the island of Big Major Spot in the Bahamas, these playful swimming pigs wow locals and holiday makers alike. Known locally as "Pig Beach", the brown and pink feral adult pigs and piglets are fed by locals as they trotter along the tropical beaches. After lounging in the sun the piglets run into the water and even sometimes swim out to incoming boats. (Photo by Eric Cheng / Barcroft Media / Getty Images)

View of pig at Island Routes Caribbean Adventure Tour during Sandals Emerald Bay Celebrity Getaway And Golf Weekend on June 3, 2016 in Great Exuma, Bahamas. (Photo by Dimitrios Kambouris/Getty Images for Sandals)

Two swimming pigs off the island of Big Major Cay, in the central Bahamas.

The famous swimming pink pigs at Staniel Cay on June 15, 2012 in the Islands of the Exumas, The Bahamas. (Photo by EyesWideOpen/Getty Images)

A swimming pig off the island of Big Major Cay, in the central Bahamas. These amazing pigs swim every day in the crystal clear waters of the Bahamas. They show off their piggy-paddle to visitors who flock to their beach to see the extraordinary site of wild pigs making a splash in the beautiful turquoise sea. One bright pig called Plato has become so famous he now stars in his own book, The Secret of Pig Island, where his exploits have been captured by photographer and ocean guide, Jim Abernethy, 52, from Florida. As this collection of photographs from the book shows, the pigs are remarkably well adapted to their beach bum lifestyle of frolicking the water and lazing on the sand. (Photo by Jim Abernethy / Barcroft Media / Getty Images)

A pig on the beach on the island of Big Major Cay, in the central Bahamas. These amazing pigs swim every day in the crystal clear waters of the Bahamas. They show off their piggy-paddle to visitors who flock to their beach to see the extraordinary site of wild pigs making a splash in the beautiful turquoise sea. One bright pig called Plato has become so famous he now stars in his own book, The Secret of Pig Island, where his exploits have been captured by photographer and ocean guide, Jim Abernethy, 52, from Florida. As this collection of photographs from the book shows, the pigs are remarkably well adapted to their beach bum lifestyle of frolicking the water and lazing on the sand. (Photo by Jim Abernethy / Barcroft Media / Getty Images)

A pig (Sus scrofa domestica) swimming in the Bahamas. Swimming in the crystal clear waters off the island of Big Major Spot in the Bahamas, these playful swimming pigs wow locals and holiday makers alike. Known locally as "Pig Beach", the brown and pink feral adult pigs and piglets are fed by locals as they trotter along the tropical beaches. After lounging in the sun the piglets run into the water and even sometimes swim out to incoming boats. (Photo by Eric Cheng / Barcroft Media / Getty Images)

Mother and baby pig on a beach in the Bahamas. Swimming in the crystal clear waters off the island of Big Major Spot in the Bahamas, these playful swimming pigs wow locals and holiday makers alike. Known locally as "Pig Beach", the brown and pink feral adult pigs and piglets are fed by locals as they trotter along the tropical beaches. After lounging in the sun the piglets run into the water and even sometimes swim out to incoming boats. (Photo by Eric Cheng / Barcroft Media / Getty Images)

Mysterious wave of death strikes the Bahamas famous swimming pigs

"I understand there are seven or eight pigs still alive," Aranha said, though she said this was about equal to the number of deaths. Veterinarians collected samples of the dead pigs, but it was unclear how long a laboratory analysis would take.

"It's really a mystery as to what killed these beautiful animals. I believe most of the carcasses were in the ocean," Aranha told the Tribune. "It could just be a horrible accident where they ate something poisonous. It could be malicious but I don't really see why someone would go out of their way to hurt those lovely animals."

She added that there were "silly sailors" who were known to try to get the pigs drunk. But tour operators out of Nassau treated the animals with respect, she said.

Part of the Exuma island chain, Big Major Cay, also known as Pig Beatch, sits in the Caribbean Sea to the southeast of Nassau. Until the deaths, the cay had been billed as a sort of porcine paradise. The pigs dog-paddled through the crystal sea, drank from the island's spring of fresh water and got fat on a steady supply of food brought by tourists, who visited the island by the boatload.

But selfie-happy tourists were not the only indignities that the four-legged residents survived in recent years. The pig colony endured an invasion of bikini-clad reality show contestants during an episode of "The Bachelor." The pigs had a brief cameo in the 2013 music video for "Timber," the Pitbull dance-pop number featuring Ke$ha. Fueled by celebrity visits, a feature on NBC's "Today Show" and a beach made for Instagram, the pigs' popularity expanded.

So, too, did their origin stories. Ancient mariners had left the pigs behind on the island, some said. The cache of would-be pork was forgotten, then rediscovered. Or perhaps the beasts were the only living remainder of a crashed pirate ship. That foreigners had accidentally released pigs into the Bahamian wilds was not an alien narrative. Feral boars on the Great Inagua Island, to the south of Pig Beach, were descendants of pigs housed in a mid-1700s French garrison.

The truth, according to the "Today Show," was that the swimming pigs were the result of a more recent fable. When fears about the cataclysmic Millennium bug reached a fever pitch in the late 1990s, two farmers, fearing that food supplies would crash along with computers, bought the pigs and raised them on the island.

After the pigs were discovered dead over the weekend, Nixon, one half of the Y2K farmer pair, lamented that the Pig Beach phenomenon had spiraled out of control.

"Right now it's blowing out of proportion with people, anybody bringing food there, anybody doing what they [want to] do," Nixon told the Nassau Guardian. "We have people coming there giving the pigs beer, rum, riding on top of them, all kind of stuff."

The Bahamas government has now barred tourists from feeding the pigs. Nixon sought support from the Bahamas Ministry of Tourism to restrict visitors from getting too close to the pigs. Establishing a safe viewing distance would still allow tourists to photograph the famous swimming pigs, he said, while protecting the animals that remain.

Continue reading here:

Mysterious wave of death strikes the Bahamas famous swimming pigs - SFGate

Posted in Bahamas | Comments Off

Franck Cammas Sails From Offshore To Inshore – Bernews

Posted: at 4:37 pm

His longest non-stop race took more than 48 days, but now Franck Cammas will cross the line in about 22 minutes.

The 44-year-old French skippers route to the Americas Cup is unconventional, but having lapped the planet several times, including once in a giant trimaran, his experience is second to none.

Cammas is from the French school of offshore adventurers, and with a string of big wins and record-breaking ocean passages, he has become one of its most accomplished pupils.

One of his biggest feats was to set a record for sailing around the world, winning the Jules Verne Trophy on the 103ft trimaran Groupama 3 in 48 days 7 hours 44 minutes in 2010, shaving more than two days off the previous mark.

His other globe-spanning victory was as winning skipper of the 2011-12 Volvo Ocean Race in the monohull Volvo Open 70 Groupama.

Cammas, from Aix-en-Provence in the south of France, scored his first major victory in the Solitaire du Figaro single-handed race around the French coast in 1997 at the age of 24.

The following year he came third in the prestigious Route du Rhum solo transatlantic race from Brittany to Guadeloupe in a new 60ft trimaran called Groupama.

In 2001, Cammas clinched another transatlantic classic, the two-handed Transat Jacques Vabres, from Le Havre in France to Salvador de Bahia in Brazil. He added further wins in 2003, and then in 2007 on Groupama 2.

Now he wanted the big one. The Jules Verne Trophy. But records dont come easy.

Cammas first bid in 2008 ended in disaster when Groupama 3 capsized off New Zealand. A second attempt was scuppered by damage off South Africa the following year. Undeterred, it was third time lucky, though the record now stands at just over 40 days.

Turning to unfinished business, Cammas had Groupama 3 reconfigured for solo sailing and won the Route du Rhum later in 2010 in nine days, 14 hours.

Following his Volvo triumph, Cammas focused more on domestic events. He won the Tour de France a la Voile, and twice won the International C Class catamaran championship.

The Americas Cups evolution towards multihulls had also grabbed his attention.

Cammas had been involved before, as a coach for BMW Oracle Racing when they raced in a 90ft trimaran in 2010. And he coached Italys Luna Rossa for the 2013 Cup in San Francisco.

So in 2013, Cammas helped launch Groupama Team France to target the 35th Americas Cup.

However, his dream at least as a sailor was almost ended in 2015 when his foot was nearly sliced off by the rudder after he fell from his foiling GC32 catamaran off Brittany.

It kept him out of the water for five months, and cost him a shot at the French Olympic team in the Nacra 17 catamaran for Rio 2016.

But Cammas, a maths scholar, spent the time with Groupama Team Frances designers and engineers to arm himself with yet more technical knowledge of foiling cats.

The classically trained pianist is well placed to get a perfect tune out of his ACC boat in Bermuda.

- Photos above courtesy of Ricardo Pinto

#AmericasCup

Category: All, Sports

See the rest here:

Franck Cammas Sails From Offshore To Inshore - Bernews

Posted in Offshore | Comments Off

Daily Archives: March 5, 2017

All families deserve school choice, not just the wealthy – The Commercial Appeal

Without freedom, East African economies will slow down – Daily Nation (blog)

Oran Hall | Young cop seeks financial independence | Business … – Jamaica Gleaner

Father John Misty references Taylor Swift in new song, ‘Total Entertainment Forever’ – EW.com

A taste of ‘Utopia’ – Otago Daily Times

Utopia for Realists and How We Can Get There by Rutger Bregman digested read – The Guardian

Inside Julianne Hough’s Fun-Filled Bachelorette Caribbean Cruise – E! Online

Extra T20s added to Pakistan’s Caribbean tour – Sportstarlive – Sportstarlive

Mysterious wave of death strikes the Bahamas famous swimming pigs – SFGate

Franck Cammas Sails From Offshore To Inshore – Bernews

The Prometheus League

Breaking News and Updates

Prometheism

Forbidden Fruit

The Evolutionary Perspective

Transtopia Menu

Library Updates

Library Books

Future Euvolution

Lucid Dreams from Childhood

Genetic Revolution

Speciation + Self-Directed Evolution