Category Archives: New Utopia

Paradox's space-faring 4X-meets-grand strategy affair Stellaris is set to welcome its first major expansion, named Utopia, on April 6. It's today launched an in-depth overview developer diary of what we should expect.

Inside four minutes, game director Martin Anward explores Utopia's megastructures, Dyson Spheres, ring worlds, Habitat Stations and more. Over to him:

From that, Anward's explanation of the expansion's indoctrination feature sounds interesting. "Indoctrination [is] a feature in Utopia where you can use your observation stations to influence the ethics of primitive species," he says above. "By using the indoctrination mission, you'll be able to shift their ethics towards your own over time, making them think and act like you, preparing them for enlightenment or annexation."

From there Anward goes onto discuss how the add-on's new Hivemind empire operates, which equally sounds intriguing. Tune in around the 2.10 mark to catch that.

For a complete and comprehensive analysis of everything else Stellaris: Utopia promises, check out grand strategy expert T.J. Hafer's thorough examination this-a-way. Utopia is due this week, April 6, and will cost $19.99/19.99.

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Stellaris: Utopia developer diary breaks down the incoming ... - PC Gamer

If leaders such as Theresa May so obviously lack inspiration themselves, how can they inspire others? Photograph: Rebecca Naden/Reuters

Torture, secret prisons, the death penalty and assassinations. These nightmares dominate my day-to-day work at Reprieve, so utopian discourse may not seem my natural bedfellow. Yet focusing on an ideal is critical if one is to engage in a meaningful way with the notion of terrorism, and the horrors born of the war waged against it. It is the lack of a utopian discourse that has led us to the mess in which we find ourselves today.

One tragedy of contemporary political life is that, if challenged, most of the current crop of politicians could not identify a dream, other than getting into power.

Theresa May is an important example she appears to blow with each political wind, with political expediency as her main signpost. One day she backs Barack Obamas push for military action against Bashar al-Assad for using chemical weapons on his own people, and then on the eve of her visit to see Donald Trump she and Boris Johnson suggest that Assad might run for re-election; one day she opposes the Equality Act, the next she proposes it. The Financial Times describes her as a non-ideological politician with a ruthless streak. Yet not only does she espouse no ideology; she appears to have no dream for her country or the world.

If leaders such as May so obviously lack inspiration themselves, how can they inspire others? As a result, those who have perverse dreams have an open playing field, whether it be Trump and his xenophobic plan to make America great again, or Osama bin Laden and his bizarre promise that Sunni Muslims will achieve eternal life by killing apostates and non-believers.

Without a dream, it is impossible to tackle the challenges faced by a troubled society. In 2011, when she was home secretary, May offered a programme called Prevent (Educate Against Hate) that was meant to stop disillusioned youths from signing up to Islamic extremism. The current official government training catalogue runs to 40 extraordinarily negative pages that offer no positive vision of a society that someone might like to choose.

Just as a censor never triumphed in a debate, so too Prevent inevitably fails to win the battle of ideas because it offers no alternative dream. So when the same disillusioned youths turn to a radical version of Islam, the politicians turn to arms, launching Predator Drones and Hellfire missiles to defeat Islamic extremism. Yet a bomb never won an argument either.

So let us consider an earlier ideal that managed to win the hearts of the people: socialism. It is a vision that inspires hope in the hopeless, and encourages selflessness in the selfish. Democratic socialism the evolution of society towards that ideal provided a counternarrative to fascism from Franco to Hitler.

It is instructive to consider its application in the Arab world, which many would see as the seat of so much of the violent unrest in the world today. In the mid-20th century, fundamentalist extremism (as it is described today) held little appeal. Rather Baathism, an ethnocentric form of socialism, gained popular support, offering a vision of a new secular society, free from the shackles of colonial rule.

The vision was later tainted: just as communism in the Soviet Union would end up being unrecognisable to Karl Marx, so too Baathism was perverted by Assadism, Saddamism and Colonel Gaddafi. However, the ideal had stirred nations towards freedom and a dream of equality.

Socialism is just one way to describe an idealist vision; it is not so very different in its content to the New Testament of the Christian Bible. Most of us would agree on the key elements of an ideal world, for they are simple and effectively universal. There is no space here to do more than touch on how it would be a decent place, where we eliminate inequality, and focus on helping those around us rather than ourselves.

Such notions would ring true to any scholar of Marx, but no less to scholars of various religious traditions. Indeed Marx had his own spiritual certainty, the inevitability of history, a messianic vision without a messiah. Likewise, most religious idealists strive to improve the world as we know it. Take Thomas More, now a Catholic saint, who coined the word utopia in 1516. More proposed an ideal society in the New World where, for example, priests reflected their pious ideals, rather than their contemporary reputation as the fathers of most of the bastard children.

The Armageddon ideal is perhaps an exception to the general rule: some Christians and Muslims (perhaps viewed as slightly out there by the vast majority) look forward to the Last Days in which the world must be destroyed in order to achieve their paradise. This is as true of some fundamentalist American Christians as it is of a stereotyped Islamic extremist.

Without any kind of ideal, without any vision of how the world can be better, we are surely lost. Sceptics might say this is unrealistic, but their critique is founded on a straw man: the notion that an ideal is somehow certified as tomorrows reality. It is not. By definition, utopia will never be achieved: Mores original word means no place in Greek. Those who think it might be brought about by revolution are doubly foolish. However, we can most definitely take steps in the right direction, and if we do not have a goal, an ideal, we cannot know where we are trying to go.

Most current leaders offer nothing, so they lead nowhere. Unsurprisingly, they seem to find their political decisions difficult, primarily because they have no beacon before them. If they made choices according to clearly expressed ideals, they could show actual leadership in seeking to persuade the electorate to move gradually towards a better world. Indeed, they would find decision-making much easier: does the vote take us closer to the ideal, or further away? With very few exceptions (that take a lot of justification), the rule becomes simple: if the former, we vote yes; if the latter, we vote no.

Thus, in their misguided global war on terror no matter what euphemism they use to describe it politicians of all parties are failing in their most obvious duty: to offer an inspiring alternative. Idealism is also integral to neutering the dystopian visions of Donald Trump, Marine Le Pen and even Osama bin Laden.

We need much less Prevent and much more Inspire.

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To build a utopian world, idealism should be what drives politicians - The Guardian

by Kimberly Rubio, staff writer

The collision that left 13 people dead and two others injured on Wednesday afternoon was one of the most horrific motor vehicle crashes to occur in the area. Witnesses following the 20-year-old driver who is believed to have caused the accident captured the moments leading up to the tragedy on video.

According to the Texas Department of Public Safety, the fatal crash occurred at approximately 12:23 p.m. on U.S. Highway 83 North, just south of Ranch Road 1050 in Uvalde County.

Leakey residents Jody Kuchler and his girlfriend Thania Sanchez called 911 to report a reckless driver at 12:04 p.m., and Uvalde County Sheriff's Office deputies were notified by phone at 12:05 p.m.

The wreck site is located 29.5 miles from the city Uvalde. Three UCSO deputies were on duty, and two of those were paired up for training. The paired deputies were en route from Uvalde to find the reckless driver when the accident happened. They arrived at the scene at approximately 12:30 p.m.

According to DPS, 14 senior members of New Braunfels First Baptist Church were traveling southbound in a white 2004 Turtle Top bus when 20-year-old Jack Dillon Young of Leakey, was headed north in a 2007 Dodge Dually pickup truck.

The church members were headed home from a three-day retreat at Alto Frio Baptist Encampment in Leakey.

Twelve bus passengers were pronounced dead at the scene, while two survivors were airlifted to San Antonio hospitals.

Rose Mary Harris, 64 of New Braunfels was airlifted to San Antonio Military Medical Center, where as of Thursday she remained in critical condition.

Addie Maurine Schmeltekopf, 84, of New Braunfels was airlifted to University Hospital in San Antonio, where she later died.

Pickup truck driver Young was also airlifted to University Hospital at San Antonio and is in stable condition.

Pronounced dead at the scene were Murray William Barrett, 67, of New Braunfels; Howard Bryan Allen, 81, New Braunfels; Rhonda Barlow, 61, New Braunfels; Harold Boyd Barber, 87, New Braunfels; Margaret Robinson Barber, 82, New Braunfels; Cristie Clare Moore, 68, Cibolo; Donna Elizabeth Hawkins, 69, Schertz; Avis Scholl Banks, 83, Austin; Mildred Goodlett Rosamond, 87, New Braunfels; Sue Wynn Tysdal, 76, New Braunfels; Martha Holcomb Walker, 84, New Braunfels; and Dorothy Fern Vulliet, 84, New Braunfels.

The deceased were taken to Rushing-Estes-Knowles Mortuary.

Reckless driving

Kuchler and Sanchez were traveling behind Young as the couple headed home from Uvalde. Kuchler said the pair witnessed Young traveling at speeds of up to 80 mph. He also said he observed him swerve into oncoming lanes of traffic and nearly strike two other vehicles.

Fearing the worst, Sanchez took out her cell phone and began recording the vehicle they were behind. She captured nearly 15 minutes before her phone stopped recording. Kuchler said Sanchez did not record the impact.

According to Kuchler, Young veered into the oncoming lane and collided with the bus.

He didn't even hit the brakes, Kuchler said. He hit them head-on.

Calling for help

I told them they needed to get someone out here to get this guy off the road, Kuchler said of his call to emergency services. The dispatcher said they would send someone.

Kuchler said he also placed a call to the Real County Sheriff's Office but was told the alleged reckless driver was not in their jurisdiction.

I called them before we got to Concan. He drove 65 mph through Concan. He barely missed some other vehicles, Kuchler said. Whenever that bus came around that curve he went into that lane and hit them head on.

After the collision, Kuchler said he pulled over and ran to the vehicles.

I came up to the bus driver. He tried to lift his head to look at me and then he put his head down, Kuchler said of Murray Barrett. He was dead.

I could see two ladies moving toward the back of the bus, but I couldn't get to them. The driver of the truck was a young kid. He was alive and asking me to help him but there was no way I could get him out, Kuchler said. I did break the glass in the back and his dog jumped out of the truck.

At that time, Kuchler said several others, including a Leakey ambulance, drove up to the wreckage. The Leakey ambulance was transporting another patient, but phoned 911.

Utopia EMS and Uvalde County Sheriff's Office arrived soon after.

Other agencies dispatched to the scene included the Texas Department of Public Safety, Uvalde EMS; and volunteer fire departments from Utopia, Leakey, Reagan Wells, and Concan.

Concan Volunteer Fire Department employed the Jaws of Life.

It was the most horrific thing I have ever seen, said Rodney Jeffreys, Concan fire chief.

Please see Sundays edition of the Uvalde Leader-News for additional comments and information.

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Witness of multi-fatality wreck speaks out - Uvalde Leader-News

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Warning: Full spoilers for the episode below.

The Flashs third season has been aggravating for a number of reasons, but high on the list is the fact that the Flashpoint reality turned out to be such a dud. Rather than present a drastically different alternate universe where all the rules have changed, Flashpoint was content to merely ruffle a few feathers before returning the show to a more familiar status quo. Once again, it falls on Legends of Tomorrow to do what other Arrow-verse shows seem unwilling or unable. Doomworld offered the fun yet dramatic alternate universe story we didnt get all those months ago.

Doomworld offered viewers a taste of what happens when the bad guys win and gain the power to bend reality to their whim. And what better way to kick things off than a scene where a costumed Felicity Smoak is being hunted down by Sara Lance and Amaya Jiwe? It really seemed like the writers were trying to cater to both the pro- and anti-Felicity camps there. The former got to see her masquerading as a costumed vigilante for a minute or two, and the latter got to watch as Damien Darhk snapped her neck. Its a shame we didnt see more familiar faces from The Flash and Arrow (especially with the mention of Tommy Merlyn being alive), but clearly the Legion of Doom have been keeping busy since altering reality.

And to be fair, it was enough simply seeing how the Legends have changed to fit this new reality. Each team member was given a demeaning, thankless role in Thawnes new world order. Sara and Amaya were reduced to giggling, ditzy henchwomen. Professor Stein became Jaxs workplace punching bag. Rip and the Waverider were shrunk down into a glorified office decoration. Most amusingly of all, Nate went from accomplished historian and superhero to long-haired loser living in his mothers basement.

All of this served as yet another reminder that Legends really knows how to have fun with its characters even in its darker moments. There were plenty of fun little touches throughout the episode. The old Legion of Doom headquarters from Super Friends put in an appearance. Darhk made a great crack about Sara never staying dead. There was the hilarious recurring gag where each characters first action after having their memories restored was to punch Mick in the face. Just in terms of pure entertainment value, this episode never let up.

That was especially true in the final showdown between the Legends and the Legion. Even with the former group lacking their super-powers, that battle managed to be pretty darned epic. Its not every week you get to see Reverse-Flash smacked across a room like a teeball.

None of this is to say the writers shied away from the darkness of this new reality. In between all the alternate universe tomfoolery, he show did get veer about as dark as weve seen all season. It was especially nice to see Mick placed at the center of the conflict. Last week, he was forced to choose between his loyalty to the Legends and to his old partner-in-crime. This week, Mick came to realize that he chose poorly and did his best to atone for that mistake. Once again, we got to see Dominic Purcell explore a subtle, more tumultuous side of his character, and once again he rose to the challenge admirably.

You really have to feel for Mick. He betrayed his new friends for the sake of his old partner, and that partner repaid him by murdering one of the few people Mick truly cares for. As much as Mick claims to value solitude, he doesnt seem too thrilled by the fact that hes more alone now than he ever has been. Im looking forward to seeing how his season-long character arc wraps up next week.

If theres a complaint to be lodged against this episode, its that the uncertain nature of this new reality undercut some of the drama during the climax. Its hard to know how to react to the death of Amaya when theres a very real possibility that shell be back in action soon enough. There needs to be lasting consequences to this confrontation between the Legion and Legends, whether that involves permanent character deaths or simply character relationships that are irrevocably altered. As is always the case with these Arrow-verse shows, a lot is riding on the finale and its ability to wrap up the season on a proper note.

The Verdict

With "Doomworld," Legends of Tomorrow managed to deliver the fun yet dramatic alternate universe episode that The Flash didn't last fall. This episode was never short on entertainment value as it explored how the team's lives have changed in Eobard Thawne's new utopia. At the same time, this episode wasn't afraid to go dark and explore the inner turmoil plaguing Mick Rory. The only thing holding this episode back is the uncertainty over how many of the dramatic plot twists will actually remain in effect.

Editors' Choice

Great

This week's Legends of Tomorrow offered an entertaining look at a world where the Legion of Doom reign supreme.

28 Mar 2017

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DC's Legends of Tomorrow: "Doomworld" Review - IGN

SPRING conference season came to an end this weekend, with the Welsh Labour Party holding their event in sunny Llandudno.

With the party in control in the Senedd it was a fairly self-congratulatory affair, with representatives lining up to shout to the rooftops about how Wales under Labour rule has become a new utopia.

Even Jeremy Corbyn himself appeared to applaud Carwyn Jones and his Assembly colleagues, albeit turning up late after his train was delayed. No reports on whether he had to sit on the floor.

But it was at least something of a surprise to see only one of the partys 25 Welsh MPs, newly-appointed shadow secretary for Wales Christina Rees, get up on stage at the Welsh conference, with all the other speeches given either by AMs, serving councillors or council candidates.

Perhaps this was inevitable as Labour is in opposition in Westminster and therefore can claim very little in terms of actual influence, but to give the partys Parliamentary fraternity such a limited representation seemed a little skewed, to say the least.

And its not that they werent there I spotted Newports own Paul Flynn on Saturday afternoon and I know Torfaens Nick Thomas-Symonds was there, to name just two.

This wasnt the only odd element of the weekend while Mr Corbyns speech went down well with attendees, his arrival at Venue Cymru on Llandudno seafront was rather muted, with the Labour leader casually wandering in through the front door with absolutely no fanfare or applause.

Imagine if that had been Theresa May turning up at a Conservative conference the roof would have practically blown off.

A speech by Christina Rees, who was appointed shadow Welsh secretary just last month, also felt more like an attempt to prove she is up to the job, with the Neath MP reeling off her CV and thanking seemingly everyone in the Labour party by name.

That, coupled with some truly farcical confusion over voting on party rules which could have been a tribute to that Peoples Front of Judea bit from Monty Pythons Life of Brian made it a bit of a weird weekend.

That said, no doubt party members and supporters were delighted with how the conference went, especially if the sheer number of stranding ovations are anything to go by. And, while I didnt do a head count, the number of attendees at least matched and probably surpassed the Conservatives event in Cardiff the previous weekend.

Looking back over the past month of back-to-back spring conferences, Plaid Cymru get the convenience award, holding their event less than two miles from Argus Towers, while the Welsh Lib Dems win the trophy for letting seemingly every single person at their conference get up on stage and speak, even if that wasnt very many people at all.

Meanwhile the Tories win points for the free tea and coffee in the Press room, flashiest presentation and taking up only one day of my week, while Labour get the prize for the most difficult conference to get to, by forcing me into a nine-hour round trip to Llandudno.

Now if youll excuse me, Im going to go and sleep for a week.

l Staying the with Labour conference for a moment, Newport City Council leader Cllr Debbie Wilcox acquitted herself very well, with an impassioned speech about the authoritys work to improve the city and a second about increasing the representation of women in politics, along with a truly bizarre moment when she referred to me directly.

But her reference to Newports new Independent Party may have been something of a misstep, with members of the newly-formed group seizing on her comments on Twitter to claim this proved the councils controlling Labour group is running scared ahead of Mays election.

While they may have got more than a bit carried away the Independents definitely werent the centrepoint of her speech, as some of them claimed the fact that they were specifically name checked does lend them a legitimacy they may have been lacking.

Its all to play for in May.

l Back to the grindstone, in the fortnightly Welsh Conservative Party Press conference yesterday, pro-Brexit Tory leader Andrew RT Davies claimed, tongue lodged firmly in cheek, that God is on our side with Article 50 negotiations set to begin this week.

Id ask God if hes able to verify that but hes notoriously difficult to pin down for an interview.

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Labour conference proves an odd affair - South Wales Argus

Pet Lodge in Alpharetta will celebrate a new addition to its 13 acres that will provide canines outdoors and active, without the worry of summer heat.

A Splash Pad park was installed adjacent to the bone shaped swimming pool.

Slightly over 3,000 square feet and contains six different water features: three pooling fountains, a fire hydrant spritzer, a row of misting tunnels, and a raining palm tree.

According to Pet Lodge Owner Iris Morrison, the splash pad park was built for the animals that dont like to swim in the pool.

A grand opening for the park will occur during the week of March 27 and is open to all pet owners.

The lodging and daycare facility has been in business since 1979. It was the dream of Ken Morrison, Iriss husband. Iris took sole ownership when Ken passed away.

With four dogs of her own it is easy to see why she has continued what he started, said Pet Lodge Manager Megan Kirven.

Pet Lodge is constantly exploring methods to expand its reach in animal care.

According to Kirven, the resort was one of the first facilities to have a swimming pool for dogs and now it has a splash park.

A splash park was described as the next step, in efforts to remain on the cutting edge of pet care.

Kirven attributes the continuing success of the business to providing a feeling beyond a temporary stay, but more a feeling of home.

We are not just a pet resort we are a home away from home and these pets are like family. We have met a lot of our guests as puppies and watched them grow up, said Kirven.

We also have a large 13-acre property that has allowed us to develop the fun resort with all of the amenities that people will travel from all over for their pets to stay, she said.

As far as activities along with the pool time we now have the splash pad, nature walks, private play time, and group playtime. Additional canine activities include nature walks, private and group playtime.

The Canine Challenge Course in one of our yards has four tunnels, two tug of war walls, a multiple entry point dog walk, and is landscaped to encouraged the dogs to play and move, said Kirven.

Pet Lodge is constantly exploring options for expand its reach, the current focus is a potential veterinary service on site.

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According to Kirven, the lodge is currently speaking with Mark Claser of Southeast Design to see what we can do to expand.

The quality of pet care and staff to dog ratio set us apart from other facilities, she said.

Pet Lodge staff members are continuously training, with participation in refreshers on dog behavior and posturing and annual CPR and first aid classes.

We also work very closely with veterinarians in our area. They are always helpful and informative when we have questions, Kirven said.

Pet Lodge offers different levels of boarding with nightly rates ranging from $41 to $71 per night.

An average stay for a dog is four to five days, but animals can spend single days there.

Parents drop them off on the way to work, let them play with us all day and then pick them up on the way home, said Kirven.

More information is available at http://www.petlodge.us.

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Pet Lodge Pet Resort in Alpharetta opens new splash pad park creating a water utopia for canine companions - MDJOnline.com

Every year or so, a new group gets to reign supreme as the best parents in the world. For a while, the spotlight focused on the French and their ability to get kids to sit still at restaurants (Bringing Up Bb, 2012) and make them eat asparagus and butternut squash (French Kids Eat Everything, 2012). Prior to that, it was the !Kung San tribe of South Africa, where mothers nurse 50 to 100 times a day (!) and are known for being able to calm even the most colicky baby in under a minute (The Happiest Baby on the Block, 2005). Lately, the Danes have been getting some buzz, with their concept of domestic coziness (hygge pronounced hoo-ga), family time and empathy-building (The Danish Way of Parenting, 2016).

But in actual fact, the Netherlands has them all beat.

Holland might be small (about the size of two New Jerseys and with a population of 16.8 million), but it has some pretty big boasting rights: A 2013 UNICEF report rated Dutch children the happiest in the world. Dutch kids came out on top when compared with those in 29 of the worlds richest industrialized countries (the United States, by comparison, ranked a miserable 26th, just above Lithuania, Latvia and Romania.)

These findings are echoed in the new book, The Happiest Kids in the World: How Dutch Parents Help Their Kids (and Themselves) by Doing Less (The Experiment publishing), out April 4.

Dutch babies were found to be more contented laughing, smiling and cuddling more than American babies, write the books authors, Rina Mae Acosta and Michele Hutchison.

One of the Dutch national sayings translates roughly to Just act normal, thats crazy enough, as a way of reminding everyone to just relax and that includes parents. Its about accepting yourself for who you are, write the authors. Life isnt Pinterest-perfect, and no one expects you to be perfect. Its about recognizing that you dont have to try so hard.

Acosta is an American who fell in love with a Dutch man and moved to the Netherlands in 2006. She lives in the town of Driebergen with her husband and their two young sons, aged 18 months and 4 years old. Hutchison is originally from the UK and has been living in Amsterdam since 2004 with her Dutch husband and son and daughter, 10 and 12. They based their book on personal experience both women gave birth in Holland and research.

The book reveals a stark difference between the parenting styles in America and Holland and its effects on children. One study published in the European Journal of Developmental Psychology, which is cited in the book, found that Dutch babies [are] easier to soothe, while American babies [display] more fear, sadness and frustration. Their babies sleep more, too: At six months, Dutch infants slumbered an average of two hours longer than a comparison sample of American tots, a feat accomplished by putting the child to bed in his/her own crib when they are tired but still awake. The Dutch are big proponents of a regular daily routine, not too much stimulation (i.e., not more than one activity per day), few distractions and a quiet place to sleep. These tips appear in a booklet distributed to all new parents by the Dutch consultatiebureau, a government office devoted to family support and the care and well-being of babies and children under the age of 4.

Life isnt Pinterest-perfect, and no one expects you to be perfect. Its about recognizing that you dont have to try so hard.

It can be supremely annoying to read about yet another group of parents apparently crushing it while the US lags. But the good news here is that Dutch parents arent doing anything crazy, over-the-top or challenging. According to the book, the national diet is fairly bland (i.e., their 5-years-olds arent merrily eating beets and salmon mousse, like French kids). Their children arent renowned for behaving particularly well when out dining with Mom and Dad; in fact, in the rest of Europe, they have a bit of a rep for running around restaurants yelling.

Instead, the secret to their happiness success seems to lie in a combination of factors, say the authors: routine, regular family meals together and allowing for plenty of independence (Dutch kids bikes everywhere.)

Not for them the mania of one-upmanship that can be so difficult for many American and British parents to cast off. Acosta has been living in Holland for 11 years, but her inner Californian overachieving mommy mode still kicks in sometimes. She writes about throwing a third-birthday party for her son last year, complete with decor and a lavish spread (all prepared by her). My mother in law doesnt understand why Im doing so much, she writes. But I find it impossible to shake the idea that the more time, effort and thought I put into my childs birthday party, the more I prove my love for him.

In contrast, most Dutch childrens birthday parties are laid-back affairs for immediate family and a few neighbors, with cake and a few snacks. The point isnt the food, the decorations, elaborate bouncy castles or entertainers. Its celebrating togetherness (to that end, its customary to congratulate the parents and grandparents, not just the birthday boy or girl.)

The Dutch parenting style hits that elusive balance between parental involvement and benign neglect, write the authors.

The norm in the Netherlands is simplicity: Families tend to choose simple, low-cost activities and take a down-to-earth approach.

It seems the Dutch are being good parents by chilling out. They eschew the constant micromanaging or stage-directing of a simple playdate or sports practice so prevalent in the US.

And the reason for that is there is not the same national obsession with ones child being The Best, winning all the medals or being the earliest to read. In fact, the parents Acosta and Hutchison spoke to preferred a de-emphasis on early reading in favor of more time spent playing and exploring in preschool and kindergarten.

The Dutch definitely do not care if little Sophie or Sem is a piano prodigy, a chess champion or an Instagram model famous by the age of 2, they write. There are no Baby Einstein DVDs being played, no black-and-white flash cards being used ... the Dutch arent concerned about their babies being the smartest. They seem to just want them to be the easiest.

All this Dutch parenting magic starts, as so many of the best situations in life do, with cookies: About 25 percent of Dutch births take place at home, and are then celebrated with Beschuit met muisjes (round breakfast rusks, buttered and sprinkled with aniseeds coated in sugar) to celebrate the homecoming of a newborn. In addition to being delicious, the aniseed is thought to stimulate breast-milk production.

Once they start eating solids, Dutch children often enjoy hagelslag for breakfast a piece of bread with unsalted butter, loaded with chocolate sprinkles. Despite having the lowest obesity rates in the aforementioned UNICEF report only 8.36 percent of children aged 11, 13 and 15 were characterized as obese the chocolate sprinkles are a cherished part of Dutch childhood. What a joy to discover that the eternal secret to happy kids just might stem from routine, family time, independence, reasonable expectations and chocolate sprinkles.

From Expatica.com

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Inside the European utopia where babies are 'the happiest in the ... - New York Post

the Irish News

South Island New Zealand - a fisherman's utopia the Irish News MY erstwhile globe-trotting friend, the Professor (aka Chris Paris), has been at his dastardly work again in trying to make me envious of another of his little fishing forays. This time he has just reported on a three-week visit with four friends to ...

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South Island New Zealand - a fisherman's utopia - the Irish News

April 2017By Daniel Vaughn

In 1891 a transatlantic steamship departed Italy, headed for New York City. It never arrived. The S.S. Utopia, carrying 880 passengers, many of them Italian immigrants who had boarded in Naples and Palermo, was sailing through the port of Gibraltar when it struck another vessel. The hole created by the collision sank the Utopia in just twenty minutes, and 562 people died.

Fortunately for our story, the DiMaria family, citrus farmers from the inland town of Poggioreale, in Sicily, were not on this voyage. They had boarded the Utopia, bound for New Orleans, three years earlier, part of a wave of Italian immigrants fleeing poverty and political unrest (the exodus from Poggioreale alone was so large that the towns church ceased holding a weekly mass). According to the ships passenger list, the DiMariasAntonino, Vita, and their two children, fourteen-year-old Antonino and eleven-year-old Gasparearrived in New Orleans on October 17, 1888, after a monthlong journey in the steerage compartment. They were traveling in a group of nine, carrying a total of six pieces of luggage and possibly boxes of Sicilian lemons to sell when they landed. Along with 796 passengers, the ship also carried oranges, onions, olives, and almonds.

Many of the immigrants stayed in New Orleans; some moved out of town into the swampy land of Plaquemines Parish to find work on sugarcane farms. Thats where the younger Antonino would marry his own Vita (Casciola, in this case) eight years later, shortly after she arrived in New Orleans. They had four sonsTony, Joe Jr., Gaspare, and Peterwhile in Louisiana; eventually they followed Antoninos parents to Waco, where they had moved in 1902. There they had three more children. Antoninos brother, Gaspare, took a little longer to make the trek to Texas, but at some point he and his wife, Mary, headed west, making a stop in Angelina County, where Gaspare worked in a lumber mill. (Many of the immigrants from Poggioreale settled in Bryan; in fact, the largest Italian agricultural community in the South at the time was in Brazos County.) By 1916 the couple was in Waco, according to the city directory, which listed Gaspares occupation as bartender.

The two brothers were finally back together, but now with the Americanized names Joe (Antonino) and Jasper (Gaspare). Their homes sat side by side, and the brothers were almost certainly a comfort to each other. Joes wife had passed away in 1910. Three years later their eight-year-old daughter, Vitas namesake, was killed in a coal oil explosion. Mary was stricken with tuberculosis and forced to live out her final days in a San Antonio hospital.

In Marys absence, Jasper put his energy into entrepreneurship. In 1919 he opened a meat market and grocery at 1219 Elm. At some point he began to smoke meat, a humble start for what would become the longest-running barbecue joint in Waco. In 1926 he moved the operation to 105 Clifton; Joes son Tony left his job on a truck farm and took over his uncles old location with his wife, Josie. They were now in the business too, just a few blocks from Jaspers. This was considered the outskirts of town back then, and most of their neighbors were also of Italian descent. (Jaspers Bar-B-Que is still cooking meat at 105 Clifton today, though its no longer in the family; Jaspers son Tonyyes, he had a Tony tootook over when his father died, in 1953, and sold the business in 1990.) In the 1934 Waco directory, Gasper (the G shows up only in these directories) and his second wife, Lena, are listed as working in barbecue meats, the first specific mention of barbecue associated with the DiMaria family name. That same year, Tony and Josie moved their business to 1223 Elm. Tonys Market and Grocery served Hot Bar-B-Q with a side of Phillips Pork & Beans, all likely cooked in a brick pit in the alley next to the store.

Photograph courtesy of Tony DeMaria's Bar-B-Que

Both Tony and his son, Tony Jr. (I know), went off to World War II. When they returned to Waco, in 1946, Tony Jr. opened his own place with his wife, Lillie, at 1317 Elm. It was called Tony DeMaria Jr.s Food Market, the first official sign that the spelling of the Sicilian last name had morphed at some point in Texas. Jaspers side of the family kept the DiMaria spelling, but Tony Sr.s side used DeMaria. According to Tony Jr.s son Geoff, the current proprietor, Tony DeMaria Jr.s served barbecue from the start (when he was old enough, Geoff would break down the forequarters for the pit), along with groceries and fresh meat, and the barbecue they were cookingand that their descendants are still cookingwas unlike any youd find in Elgin or Lockhart. In what I like to call Wacos Little Italy, the beef forequarter was butchered and simmered in a vat of beef broth. Once it was tender, it was retrieved from the broth and finished in the smoker, a sort of Texas twist on bollito di manzo. Geoff assumes his dad learned this method of cooking barbecue from his own father; even before Tony Sr. had a storefront, Geoff says, he used to cook barbecue at the house and serve it out at the auction barn. Geoff switched to briskets when he took ownership, in 1985, but almost everything else is the same: the brick pit in the smokehouse bears a strong resemblance to the original, if a bit bigger; the sauce is the thin, spicy red-vinegar version the family has always made; and the meat is served with slices of white bread and gravy (more like jus). Thats the way weve always done it, Geoff says. What has changed is where its eaten: the barbecue was served to go until construction on Interstate 35 started to bring in large crews of hungry workers. The shelves moved out and the tables moved in, he recalls. In 1995 he moved the business to 1000 Elm, the current location of Tony DeMarias, got rid of what was left of the groceries, added more tables, and now runs the place with his son Blake by his side.

Its important to note that theres a proper way to eat this kind of barbecue. Unlike the brisket you get in Central Texas, which gets its flavor from a heavy rub of salt and pepper, this brisket is adorned by the eater. Take a slice of your white bread, pile some meat on top, add pickles, onions, and that vinegary barbecue sauce, and then dunk the whole thing in the jus, just like a French dip sandwich. With the Waco dip, the whole is greater than the sum of its parts. (Incidentally, Id suggest asking for some of the crustier outside cuts from the brisket.)

This Italian variant of Texas barbecue is a strange one. Boiled and smoked meat isnt as pretty as its Central Texas counterpart, but its also part of our history. The DeMarias/DiMarias barbecue comes from a culinary heritage that has more in common with New Orleanss legendary Mandinas than Lockharts Kreuz Market. Who knows what the dominant style of Texas barbecue would be today if Italians had arrived in Texas at the same rate as the Germans (there were already 40,000 Germans in Texas by the time the DiMarias arrived). For now, though, we can enjoy their unique contribution in its unadulterated, unaltered form, a barbecue artifact found only in Waco.

Tags: Food, DiMaria

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Barbecue Italian Style - Texas Monthly

Much of the worlds population has seen dramatic positive change over the past few centuries; our diseases get treated and many of us have enough to live comfortable lives.

We are living in the Land of Plenty; a place people before us could only imagine in their utopian dreams. But where do we go from here?

Rutger Bregman, the 28-year-old Dutch historian, wants universal basic income, a 15-hour working week, and open borders. These are the goal-posts for his new utopia, set forth in this book.

Bregman has many tightly-spun arguments, case studies, and statistics to support giving people free money. In 2009, 13 homeless men in London were each given 3,000 as part of an experiment. After a year and a half, all of them had used the money in positive ways, ultimately saving social services money.

The arguments for shorter work weeks and open borders are less developed, but Bregmans account of global economic history is impressive.

He treats his topic with an accessible style and touch of humour, so while Utopia For Realists often convinces, it always engages.

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Book Review: Utopia For Realists: And How We Can Get There by Rutger Bregman - Press and Journal