It happens to everyone. You wake up feeling like a Disney princess, greeting your cat (Top of the morning, Mr. Whiskers!) as you put on the coffee. Then you float over to the bathroom in your pretty nightgown and OMG, WHAT THE HELL IS ON MY FACE?! A pimple? A flare-up? Whatever the case, the Disney montage comes to a screeching halt and the whole day takes on a sucky tinge.

In the January spirit of self-improvement, we thought wed do something about it. We turned to pros for tips on preventing the bad surprises and upping our overall glow through lifestyle habits and derm-approved prods. Now thats what we call a fairy-tale ending.

Look inward first: Naturopathic doctor Dr. Erica Arcuri believes in taking an inside-out approach to skin. When patients come into her wellBYND clinic with complexion qualms, she begins by looking at their overall health. First and foremost, we need to consider things like food sensitivities and gut health, she explains. If your body constantly feels like its under attack, whether its from a food sensitivity or microbial overgrowth, then youre in a perpetual state of inflammation and its bound to show up on your skin. Arcuri also recommends checking for hormone imbalances, like period irregularities or thyroid issues, as these can cause breakouts and aggravate inflammatory conditions like eczema and rosacea.

Eat smart: In population-wide studies looking into foods that trigger acne, the only thing thats really come out is skim milk, says Toronto dermatologist Dr. Kristy Bailey, citing its higher hormone content. That being said, I always tell my patients on an individual level, If you eat a chocolate bar and you get a pimple the next day or your rosacea flares up, avoid that. Other triggers for rosacea include alcohol, spicy foods and caffeine, she says. On the flip side, some foods can improve skin health, says Arcuri. She recommends leafy greens and foods high in fibre, like flax seeds, to regularize bowel movements. Eliminating properly is key, she says. Foods packed with omega 3, like salmon, walnuts and chia seeds, can also help keep skin clear and supple. And then of course, theres all-important water. Stay hydrated, people!

Get your beauty sleep: Sleep is when our body restores every process, says Arcuri. That means failing to catch enough Zs or reach a deep stage of sleep can actually lead to premature aging. To make it easier to drift off to dreamland, Arcuri recommends putting away phones and computers at least 30 minutes before bed. Blue light can really mess with our circadian rhythm, she explains. Taking magnesium, a muscle relaxant, can also help put you in a relaxed state, as can sprinkling Epsom salt (also magnesium) in your bath. Consider the way you sleep, too, says Bailey. Ideally, you dont sleep on your face, because over time the side you sleep on will deflate and youll look more aged on that side, she says. Silk pillowcases can help a little bit because youre not getting the creases from the pillowcase and theyre softer on the skin. She recommends washing your pillowcase at least once a week to get rid of any makeup, dirt or dust mites.

Chill out: The body is not a fan of stress, and it often comes out in the skin and hair, says Bailey. I see it all the time in patients who are experiencing stressful events, whether theyre going through a divorce or are stressed at work. Thats because cortisol, the stress hormone, puts us in a state of fight or flight, and when were in that state too often, inflammation creeps up. You might not notice it right away, but down the line, you can start having a bunch of issues, from headaches and chronic pain to eczema and premature aging, says Arcuri. To tune out the mental chatter, she suggests trying meditation or journaling. Some forms of exercise can also help, but cardio and strength-based training can actually make cortisol levels spike. So if youre using exercise as a way to unwind, choose something more restorative, like yoga, says Arcuri.

Rev up your regimen: Now that weve tackled the lifestyle portion, its time to talk topical. For Bailey, its all about banking on the right products. There are only three that have really good research behind them in terms of anti-aging, she says. The first is broad-spectrum sunscreen, which studies show can make you look 25 per cent younger. As youre meant to reapply it every two hours, Bailey likes touching up with a powder formula throughout the day. The second thing we should all be using is vitamin C, she says. Its been found to brighten skin and protect against free radicals. Last but not least is retinol, which can fade pigmentation, clear breakouts, boost collagen production and reduce the look of fine lines and wrinkles. As retinol can be irritating, both pros recommend incorporating it gradually into your routine to see if you can tolerate it. Then, its just about washing your face every night with a good cleanser (the more bland, the better, says Bailey) and keeping your skin happy and hydrated.

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How to have the best skin of your life - Toronto Star

The competing solutions are as unclear and undeveloped as they are conflicting. There is a good historical reason for this and it is not exclusive to the US and its hapless Democratic party. There is a crisis on the centre Left in almost all Western countries and it is to do with the decline of those industries whose workforces these parties once spoke for.

Unlike the forces of the democratic Right which have always based their appeal on individual rights and meritocratic aspiration, the parties of the Left have spoken for collective solidarity - for trade unions and class loyalties. They relied on a soft kind of Marxist logic: that only through unity could working class (what Americans call blue collar) people make their voices heard.

But the great industries have left. The steel and car manufacturers have abandoned the American Rust Belt and their once proud workers have been unemployed for two generations. For millions of people, the Calvinist work ethic and the American dream of self-improvement have crashed.

What does the Democratic party have to say to them? Last time round, it had a leader in Hillary Clinton who did not even bother to campaign in their states and talked of little else but the need for women to break glass ceilings.

Which women did she mean? The ones in the Rust Belt who were worried about putting food on the table? Or that tiny proportion of women (maybe 5 or 6 percent of the female population) who are among the most privileged, highly qualified people in the world and who are furious because they are not getting the top jobs?

In fact, the move to identity politics is inherently divisive - thats the whole point of it - and does not speak with a clear political message which voters can choose to support even if it does not represent their own personal interests.

It is much more visceral than that. It is about what you are - your race or ethnicity or gender - rather than what you believe. And as a consequence, it is not a matter for debate or rational argument.

So more is at risk here than the lost soul of the Democratic party, or Labour, or any of the soft Left parties of Europe.

What is at stake is the very notion of politics being about ideas and principles.

So maybe what they are saying is true. Who won the Iowa caucus actually doesnt matter at all.

Read Janet Daleys latest column ontelegraph.co.ukevery Saturday from 1pm

Read the original:
The chaos in Iowa is a fitting reflection of the sorry state of the Democratic party - Telegraph.co.uk

Spain's Rafael Nadal says that he believes the new Rafa Nadal Academy in Kuwait has the ability to help young players not only from Kuwait but also from the other countries in the Middle East and his group is open to having more academies in other countries if they find the right fit.

In an interview to Marca, Nadal says, "This is the first academy that we open outside of what is Manacor, in Mallorca. Yes it is true that we have other 'Rafa Nadal Tennis Center' in Mexico and Greece, but this time we had the opportunity to join a very strong group from here, from Kuwait, who are serious and hardworking people, and that they offer us the confidence to be able to develop the product in a way that excites and motivates us.

This is a region of the world that has the potential to help increase the culture of tennis; We believe that from the academy, we can help not only the young talents here in Kuwait, but throughout the Middle East. We already have several coaches from the Manacor academy who have been here for three months, helping local coaches to understand the model and the way we work.

And obviously, all the children of the Kuwait Federation are already centralized here, in the academy." Speaking about opening the academy in other countries, Nadal says he would be open to doing so only if they found the right people to work with.

"Well, the world is big. Why not? We are not closed to any possibility. And there are different options. But, like everything else in this world, every option that appears will be valued and we will try to do things convenient, associated with people who offer us confidence."

The Spaniard, who will play an exhibition event in Kuwait on Wednesday against David Ferrer to inaugurate the academy, says that he hopes the academy will spur local talent in the Kuwaiti region. "Everything is feasible.

In the end, the more people start playing tennis in this region, the more options there will be for an important talent to emerge from the professional field worldwide. We will try to do everything in the best possible way, working with passion and enthusiasm; and with the necessary resources so that children have the possibilities of growing at the tennis level, but also at the human level.

We always try to work from a basic principle, which is respect, the spirit of self-improvement and try to convey to boys and girls, to young people, that the ultimate goal, of course, is success; but that not everything is valid to achieve it.

It is important that they grow with strong values that can serve them in the sports field, but that, for those who do not get to live from sports, that they have adequate training that can be powerful enough to serve them for the future, in any professional or personal life situations they have."

The rest is here:
Rafael Nadal On His Hopes for New Academy in the Middle East - Tennis World USA

Jon Jones may not be ready to go to heavyweight after all.

In the days leading up to UFC 247 on Saturday, Jones has been teasing the move more than ever, especially after saying he felt he would beat heavyweight champion Stipe Miocic if they ever met in a fight.

Then again, Jones has been talking about going to heavyweight for several years including a fun faceoff with Cain Velasquez when he was still champion but the move up in weight has never materialized.

Judging by Jones comments on Wednesday during the UFC 247 athlete panel, he may not be seriously considering that move now either.

At the end of the day, I feel like if its not broke dont fix it, Jones stated. So much has been going right in the light heavyweight division. I feel like theres always going to be great competition as long as guys are dreaming and aspiring to achieve great things. Its going to be my job to stay where Im at and to be a dream killer in a way.

Ive got a lot more years at the light heavyweight division, but Im also excited to challenge myself.

According to Jones, the decision may lie in the hands of his fans, whom he says will ultimately drive the fights he pursues in the future.

I know at the end of the day, its about the fans. Its about giving the fans what they want, Jones said. Unlike boxing, sometimes they hold off on great fights. Like (Floyd) Mayweather (and) (Manny) Pacquaio, that fight waited too long.

I want to be a part of giving the fans what they want when they want it. If you guys are desiring me to go to the heavyweight division, then I think the UFCs going to feel that demand and were going to make it happen.

TRENDING > Donald Trump called Dana White from Air Force One to talk Conor McGregor vs. Cowboy!!!

One thing that Jones made crystal clear is that hes not going to define his legacy solely by wins and losses or how many championships he collects during his career.

Jones believes that his journey as a mixed martial artist matters more than any gold belt he could wrap around his waist.

I think its growing. Its growing at the end of the day, Jones responded when asked whats most important to him. Dominick [Reyes] said something on Instagram and you can take it two ways. He said being a champion isnt about winning the belt, its about the person you become in life and its about having love and things like that, and I totally agree with that. The other half of me feels like thats his way of preparing himself for a defeat.

But at the end of the day, being a martial artist, what it means to me is being aware theres so many things we can work on. Whether thats in your relationship, as a father, as an athlete. I say a black belt is a black belt because they know how much they dont know yet. I truly stand here as a guy who has so much more to learn about life. Theres people who have lost several times and theyll be champions until the day they die. So its really not about winning or losing. Its about the journey. Its about self-improvement.

Jones will attempt to vanquish Reyes this weekend and then the questions will surely begin again about what comes next for one of the UFCs most dominant champions.

See the original post here:
Jon Jones: Ive got a lot more years at the light heavyweight division - Yahoo Sports

How do you end your day? We pay so much attention to our morning habits, but finishing the day on a positive note is just as important when it comes to our well-being and success. And if youre going to implement one change to your nighttime routine, try journaling before bed to experience greater happiness and success.

Journaling at the end of the day gives you an opportunity to reflect on the day, says certified life coach Miruna Nica. It gives you the benefit of relaxing in a moment of introspection and seeing the highlights of your day with more clarity.

Studies have shown the practice can even help you sleep better. Journaling before bed also sets you up for success the next day, allowing you to clear your mind, celebrate wins, note areas of improvement and check in with your goals. Tools like the Five-Minute Journal make it easy to adopt a journaling habit, but you can also create your own routine and go more in-depth. Heres everything you need to know to get started.

According to Nica, journaling before bed will help you develop more self-awareness, learn from your experiences and find peace of mind. The more you review your decisions and actions on a daily basis, the more youll be able to connect dots and notice how certain thought patterns affect your reality. You can also evaluate what went well, what didnt go so well, and what kind of insights you can take away from your experiences so you can improve in the future. Finally, you can release stress and get a sense of closure by expressing your thoughts without censorship.

As with any new habit you want to implement, Nica recommends starting with your why. Why would this be important to you? What is your intention with this practice? Perhaps its monitoring growth, encouraging self-expression or keeping track of your daily routines. Or maybe you want to write down your brilliant ideas or expand your self-discovery, she says.

Now that you have a better idea of your intentions, figure out what kind of approach would work for you. Once your why is clear, jot down your what: Would your journal be more like an open book with blank pages to be filled with whatever is present for you at the moment or would it be more structured? Would you want to have categories in it? Then, implement and see happiness and success come in.

Be realistic about the amount of time you want to dedicate to your evening journaling routine, and choose a place and time where youll be most likely to take the time to write in your journal.

Nica embraces a semi-structured approach in her own evening journaling routine. I answer the same questions every night and add my own twists for that day, she says. She recommends the following prompts:

She also suggests following your journaling practice with a moment of deep breathing and relaxation. Set the intention to slow down, let go, and have a peaceful and restful night of sleep. You can, over time, see the success and happiness happen.

Continued here:
Do this 1 thing before bed for greater happiness and success - Ladders

If you like the idea of a weekend in the Hamptons but can't see yourself making it to Long Island any time soon, you could do much worse than a trip to Matakana.

Like the legendary New York holiday hangout, the region and its surrounds are a magnet for urbanites looking to get back to nature for a bit, safe in the knowledge they'll be able to get a good a good cup of coffee (or glass of wine) and something decent for lunch.

Both are home to small coastal communities with extra-large houses, long white-sand beaches, wineries with cheap (in Hamptonite terms) tastings, farmers' markets, art galleries and boutiques stocked with the kind of casual but costly clothing and homewares often on offer in affluent coastal towns. Visitors can sample a slice of rural life, essentially, safe in the knowledge they're unlikely to get dung on their designer city-slicker shoes.

SUPPLIED

Matakana: Sophisticated but not snobby.

In some respects Matakana has the Hamptons beat. While the traffic from Auckland can be maddening, particularly on sunny summer weekends, it's usually not as bad as the hours-long commutes New Yorkers en route to the Hamptons endure. And you don't have to bookaccommodation and tables at popular restaurants a year in advance.

READ MORE: * Sculptureum: New Zealand's sculpture park with a difference * Five of the best Auckland wineries for a weekend drive * 20 reasons to visit Matakana this weekend

Unless you're an old-money Manhattanite, cashed-up corporate or real housewife of New Jersey or NYC, you're also likely to feel more at home in Matakana. Sophisticated but not snobby, it's as attractive to beach bums and surfers as those looking to indulge in fine wine or craft beer over a fancy long lunch.

Like a lot of Aucklanders, I've spent many a Saturday or Sunday in Matakana but the increasingly horrendous traffic jams have put me off going - on my last trip back, it took an hour just to get down Matakana Road. A solution is to take a leaf out of Hamptonites' book and spend a night or few - something I had the pleasure of doing for the first time fairly recently and have been hoping to repeat ever since.

Heading out of Auckland on a drizzly spring morning, the traffic was as close as it can come in the city to a dream (ie it wasn't a complete nightmare) and I made it to Matakana within an hour.

SUPPLIED

Matakana has one of the most diverse grape varieties grown in NZ.

The town's high population of talented artisans make its market worth travelling for and, thinking back to the apple, feijoa and Manuka honey liqueur I'd picked up on my last visit and couldn't stop pouring over ice cream, I was keen to stock up and see what new treats lay in store.

Even after a big breakfast, I found myself salivating at every other stall. Mahurangi oysters, mince and mozzarella pies, mallowpuff-sized balls of Swiss chocolate and salted caramel and buckwheat galettes oozing melted cheese had me reassuring myself there's nothing wrong with treating yourself to breakfast, brunch and lunch in one day from time to time. Especially when you know that exercising restraint is going to result in a serious case of FOMO.

Even at 10am, the booze also looked tempting. Along with the fruity wines and liqueurs produced by family-run Lothlorien in the nearby Ahuroa Valley - which, to the best of its knowledge, is the only certified organic feijoa winery in the world - were locally distilled Market Gin and Batch10 honey bourbon. The makers of the latter had teamed up with local ice cream institution Charlies to create a boozy frozen dessert so blissful - and potent - that has since had my entire family - adults and kids alike - bouncing off the walls.

LORNA THORNBER

The beaches and bush walks of Twharanui are a short drive away.

Feeling as fat at the smoked beef brisket burrito I'd stashed in my bag for lunch, I picked up a loose-fitting t-shirt made from colourful mismatched fabrics (it looks nicer than it sounds) at the neighbouring craft market and headed to Sculptureum, which co-founder Anthony Grant has dubbed "Disneyland for art".

Developed over more than a decade by Anthony and his wife Sandra, both of whom work as barristers in Auckland, the 10-hectare property is a gallery/amusement park of sorts with its three sculpture gardens, six indoor galleries, a vineyard, and restaurant and bar Rothko, which has quickly established itself as one of the best (posh) places to eat in town.

The some 400 works on display include "serious" pieces by such artistic superstars as Picasso, Cezanne, Matisse and Chagall along with offbeat, often in-your-face, sculptures likely to both amuse and bemuse. Think a family of hot pink giant snails, a sheepdog made from a mop enjoying the feeling of wind in its fur from an open car window, and curious hybrid albino creatures: one with the head of a cat and (naked) body of a woman and another with the head of a dog and body of an (also naked) man.

SUPPLIED

Roktho is one of many the many posh places to eat in the area.

The aim, Grant has said, is to sway those "who've been turned off art by boring displays and arrogant curators. I want to show them that art can be fun and it can enrich your life."

In the outdoor galleries, pathways wind their way past classical and country-style gardens; flame-coloured flax bushes; aviaries filled with finches, parrots, parakeets, golden pheasants and other colourful birds of a feather (flocking, of course, together); free-range giant flemish rabbits; written musings on art and gardening by centuries of intelligent sorts; and advice on self-improvement from the late Steve Jobs.

I spent so much time studying the latter in an attempt to decode the secrets to his multi-billion dollar success that the restaurant was closed by the time I'd finished. A good thing really considering I hadn't managed to resist that burrito in my bag.

SUPPLIED

Sculptureum has been dubbed 'Disneyland for art'.

From Sculptureum, it's just a short drive to Twharanui where, in summer, I like to work up enough of a sweat on the tracks that traverse rolling farmland and regenerating forest to feel okay about spending the rest of the day snoozing on the white-sand surf beach. With regular refreshment breaks in the marine reserve - also a popular spot with the likes of starfish, lobsters and bottlenose dolphins.

On that overcast but brightening spring evening though, I was the only person in Anchor Bay not wearing a wetsuit. Walking the Westend Track without another soul - saving the seal-like surfers bobbing far out to sea - in sight, the city and the stresses it brings seemed a million miles - although technically I was still within the supercity's limits.

Discovering I was in town during Feast Matakana, when local restaurants showcase their best locally grown and caught produce, I decided it would be remiss of me not to add a fourth meal to the day and headed to Matakana Market Kitchen where I had quite the feast indeed. Of Mahurangi oysters, baked flounder, prawns and salad, and a belly-bloating (but irresistible) medley of aubergine, red capsicums, other roast veggies and beans.

LORNA THORNBER

Twharanui: Just as pretty when you have it to yourself off peak.

Stuffed to the point of sedated, I waddled the few hundred metres or so to long-running B&B the Black and White Barn, which lives up to its name in terms of its colour scheme but bears no trace of having ever been used to house hay or animals. Founded by ex-Auckland Amy and Simon Hope, who absconded for a simpler life, its two suites and larger White Cottage offer everything those who dream of following in their footsteps (even just for a weekend) could hope for with their stylish monochromatic furnishings, cool contemporary artworks, natural Matakana-made toiletries and (most importantly) big comfy beds.

After a breakfast of the Puhoi yoghurt and fresh fruit left overnight in the fridge, I head to Pakiri, another of my all-time favourite Auckland beaches, where, feeling guilty about my gluttony, I ran across the fluffy white clouds reflected in the fine white sand until my legs and lungs commanded me to stop. And the end of the beach was still a distant speck on the horizon.

It was late afternoon by the time I made it to the Sawmill Brewery and Smoko Room which tragically went up in flames last October. Its owners for the past near-decade, Kirsty McKay and Mike Sutherland, hope the place will be back up-and-running by mid-year, and after the beverages and tapas-style dishes I enjoyed there I sure hope they're right.

SUPPLIED

B&B The Black and White Barn is rustic but, this being Matakana, upmarket.

Taking a seat on the sun-drenched deck of the former timber mill, I sipped on a light grapefruit- and pine-scented pale ale - one of 15 beers brewed on site - as I tucked into tamarind pork hock with kohlrabi, pea tendrils and peanuts and an heirloom tomato, baby beetroot and witloof salad.

The deck was full when I arrived with punters working their way through tasting trays and sharing plates and - by the time the sun had begun to slope toward bed - families; the parents working their way through jugs of beer as they chatted while the kids made a mess of themselves in the mud. As far as snapshots of New Zealand life go, this one was pretty idyllic.

While I can't say I would turn down a trip to the Hamptons, Matakana is certainly no poor man's substitute.

MORE INFORMATION

matakanavillage.co.nz and matakanacoast.co.nz

GETTING THERE

Matakana is about an hour's drive north of Auckland CBD.

STAYING THERE

The Black and White Barn down quiet Courtney Lane isa couple of minuteswalk from the markets, shops, restaurants and cafes on the main street. whitecottage.co.nz

The writer was a guest of Black and White Barn andVolkswagon.

LORNA THORNBER

Fourteen kilometre Pakiri is arguably one of Auckland's best beaches.

SUPPLIED

The Sawmill Brewery is expected to reopen this year after being devastated by fire.

Stuff

More here:
Is Matakana New Zealand's answer to the Hamptons? - Stuff.co.nz

Stars of British TV show 'The Only Way is Essex', a county which has a negatively perceived regional ... [+] accent

George Bernard Shaw noted it a century ago. It is impossible for anEnglishmantoopen his mouth withoutmaking someother Englishmanhate or despisehim, the Irish playwright observed in his preface to Pygmalion.

The seminal play which was later remade into the musical My Fair Lady and for Hollywood audiences as the film Pretty Woman was Bernard Shaws sharp commentary on the English class system. At its heart was an acknowledgement that the tone of what the English say is a greater predictor of their success and status than the content.

Shaw penned Pygmalion in 1916, and little has changed. At least not according to the evidence of Fiona Hill. In her remarks to the Trump impeachment hearings, Hill, a foreign-affairs expert born and raised in Englands North East region, revealed that shed thrived in the US, in part by escaping the profound accent-prejudice of her home country.

I can say with confidence that this country has offered me opportunities that I would never have had in England, the Harvard-educated PhD said. I grew up poor with a very distinctive working-class accent. In England in the 1980s and 1990s this would have impeded my professional advancement. This background has never set me back in America. Years before attending Harvard, Hill had applied to Oxford. At the entrance interview, people were openly mocking her accent, and the way she was dressed. A professor of business who had a most distinguished career in the UK once told me that his native South African accent helped him people struggled to place him by his accent so pursued other avenues.

The island of Great Britain manages to squeeze a huge breadth of accents into a relatively small geographical area. Some accents are beneficial, others detrimental. Research by the sociolinguist Professor Devyani Sharma, from the University of London, reveals that Received Pronunciation (cut-glass Queens English) continues to be a predictor of success. So too does French-accented English and a gentle Scots lilt from Edinburgh and environs. By contrast, ethnic-minority accents like Indian English are a hinderance, as are strong regional accents like Brummie (from Birmingham), Scouse (from Liverpool), Cockney (from east London) and the Estuary English of Essex and Kent.

Sharmas research reveals anecdotal evidence that while accent-bias is less marked in the professional world than at a broader social level, it remains an important factor. This ingrained prejudice in favour of refined accents poses a problem for recruitment. If employers use vocal tone as a cipher for likely performance, they risk exacerbating the already entrenched class divide in the UK and further reduce social mobility.

So what to do? Name and, probably, address free CVs might go some way to stopping accent-bias militating at an early stage against the regionally voiced. But perhaps we need to do more. Ive been sceptical in the past about the use of artificial intelligence in the recruitment process. My concerns chiefly surround the way we train such systems isnt there a danger that we simply teach robots to be as enamoured by posh voices as we are?

The debate on AI should be held. But, in lieu of its conclusions, a critical first step UK employers can take is one of recognition. They must accept that class-bias channelled through the interpretation of accents is deep-seated in British culture; and that bias against the Fiona Hills of this world leads us to lose talent like hers to our international peers.

Americans might find our preoccupation with accents quaint. But it is much more than an English eccentricity: it is actively damaging. Accent-bias is arguably seen as the last forgivable prejudice. Yet in truth it is unforgivable: leaders have a responsibility to convey to our teams how ridiculous such biases are.

Excerpt from:
The English Obsession With Accents Is Bad For Business - Forbes

MANCHESTER Irish playwright and political activist George Bernard Shaw is credited with saying, Those who cant change their minds cant change anything.

City school board members are hoping the Board of Mayor and Aldermen takes that quote to heart tonight when it hears a request to reconsider a vote taken late last year on bonding to help fund redistricting efforts in Manchester schools.

Tuesdays meeting of the Board of Mayor and Aldermen gets underway at 7:30 p.m. at City Hall.

In December, city aldermen rejected a request to redirect $2.1 million in bonding approved for preschools and instead use the money for renovations associated with middle school redistricting efforts.

The vote was 6-6, with Aldermen Tim Baines, Elizabeth Moreau, Bill Shea, John Cataldo, Barbara Shaw and Keith Hirschmann voting in favor of the request. Opposed were Kevin Cavanaugh, Tony Sapienza, Bill Barry, Normand Gamache, Joe Kelly Levasseur and Dan ONeil. Absent were Will Stewart and Chris Herbert.

Ten votes were needed to approve the request.

Baines, Shea, and Cataldo are no longer on the board.

Earlier this fall, school officials determined available space at both Manchester Memorial High School and Manchester School of Technology was less than needed for a preschool program, so Superintendent of Schools John Goldhardt went before the Board of Mayor and Aldermen to ask that bond funding be reallocated for renovation work at the citys middle schools to prepare for redistricting in 2021.

School board members supported Goldhardts request on a 14-1 vote in November.

The new request from the school board seeks $1.8 million in bonding, after committee members voted to ask aldermen to fund fifth-grade redistricting efforts using bonds instead of reallocating funds from other line items in the budget.

We have nothing to lose by trying, said Ward 4 member and board vice chair Leslie Want told members.

A motion to send the new request to the aldermen passed 14-1, with only at-large member Jim OConnell opposed.

Read this article:
City school board hopes second time's the charm for redistricting bond request - The Union Leader

The Irish writer George Bernard Shaw posing with Chinese students in 1933. He was travelling in China to observe the political regime. Photograph: Keystone-France/ Gamma-Keystone via Getty Images

Absurd when you think about it: Ireland a State of about four million people that would fit into a medium-sized Chinese city having an impact on a China of 1.4 billion. How could this happen? If Ireland is that small, how can it be so big?

One answer: Ireland is a member of a world church. As such, the first Irishman, a Franciscan monk named James, arrived in Beijing about 1323 the expedition captured by his companion friar in The Tales of Odoric (1513). Centuries later, after the end of the First Opium War in 1842, Irish missionaries both Catholic and Protestant came to China. Of these, perhaps the best known are the Columban Fathers who initiated the Maynooth Mission in 1918. Founding not only churches but schools and (after being joined by the Missionary Sisters of St Columban) clinics and orphanages, they came to China to save souls but wound up saving lives.

Another answer is that Ireland was, historically, part of the British Empire sending over men such as George Macartney, delegated to head the first embassy to China in 1792. After the First Opium War, Macartney was followed by large numbers of bureaucrats to administer the Empires newly colonised ports: eight governors of Hong Kong, for instance, may be counted as Irish.

It was a posting to China as a customs officer, for instance, that allowed Augustine Henry to become one of the centurys greatest botanists. Henrys importing of hitherto unknown, rare plants from the Chinese hinterland transformed the Irish landscape forever.

Finally, there are our Irish writers. After the Empire of the Great Qing was ousted in 1911, China looked for its future direction to models from the West. Scholars will tell you that Chinas was a translated revolution; that is, modernity arrived in China literally via translations the work of Irish writers prominent among them. More than a decade before the 1911 revolution, Oscar Wilde and Lady Gregory were popular sometimes with curious results. Wildes Salome, for instance, rejected as degraded literature in the West, in China was greeted as a paean to the newly liberated woman. Similarly, Wildes essay, The Soul of Man under Socialism, seems to have been almost as popular in China as it was in Russia after the revolution of 1917.

In particular, the events of Easter 1916 were seized upon by Chinese intellectuals as an instance of how literature can inspire a revolution. From the 1920s onwards, modernizers such as Lu Xun, Guo Moruo, Mao Dun and others praised Irish writing, often translating it themselves. One marker of Irelands global influence at this time would be the poem Victorious in Death, written by Guo Moruo in response to the agonising last days of Terence MacSwiney a world away in London.

Impartial God of Death! I am grateful to you, You have saved MacSwiney for whom my love and reverence know no bounds, MacSwiney, fighter for freedom, you have shown how great be the powers of the human will. I am grateful to you, I extol you: freedom can henceforth never die.

For such intellectuals, literature was welcomed as a springboard in creating this new China. So it is not surprising that they seized on the work of such Nobel Prize winners as WB Yeats and Shaw, as they too had come to believe that a revolution must entail not simple regime change but a transformation of the hearts and minds of an entire people. In other words, they believed a literary revolution could fuel a literal one.

Thus, as China moved into the turmoil of nation-building, Irish literature was once again adapted by Chinese intellectuals for their own purposes. In the 1930s as the writings of Karl Marx evolved into an official ideology, socialist Irish writers such as John Millington Synge, Sean OCasey and (of course) Shaw were held up as producers of a peoples literature. In fact, Shaw actually visited China in 1933 the only Irish writer of this period to do so. His influence there has been so pronounced that an entire book, Bernard Shaw and China (2007), is devoted to it.

Why this disproportionate influence of Irish writers? One reason might be that in China, as in Ireland, the written word has been regarded as a potent agent for social change. Another might be that Ireland and China share a kind of parallel history: whether of colonisation or famine, tensions between landlords and peasants or revolt against empire, civil war or the challenges of building a new nation. As well as a rapid transition over a few generations from a traditional agricultural society to a modern or even post-modern one.

The uncanny correspondence between the careers of the early James Joyce and the great Chinese intellectual Lu Xun illustrate just how closely Ireland and China are bound by common issues during this period. And perhaps because of these commonalities, Irish literature maintains its high status: as Dai Congrong discovered recently when her translation of Finnegans Wake became a runaway best seller.

For its part, China too has changed Ireland though research on this topic is still negligible. Could it be that Wildes essay on The Soul of Man under Socialism was welcomed in China because it pirated so much of the first translation of that great Daoist sage, Zhuangzi? Or that Yeatss formidable poem, Lapis Lazuli owes its singular power to the Qianlong stone mountain (now in the exhibit in the National Library of Ireland) on which it is based? Or even that Samuel Becketts Waiting for Godot might be in debt to a play by Lu Xun or to his interest in Chinese music?

Today China is learning about Ireland through Riverdance and U2, through the visits of contemporary musicians, playwrights and poets. Our Bord Bia is busy introducing China to the superior qualities of Irish butter, beef and infant formula. In the Irish Studies Centre of Beijing Foreign Studies University, Chinese students are actually learning Irish, just as Irish students are now studying Mandarin for the 2022 Leaving Cert. So perhaps in celebrating the Chinese New Year, we should keep in mind just how Ireland and China are transforming each other in ways we could never have imagined. Only the beginning of this surprising relationship. Prof Jerusha McCormack is an Irish academic with a long career in the area of comparative cultures and a particular interest in China, teaching for many years at Beijing Foreign Studies University and more recently at Fudan University in Shanghai. She currently lectures for the Chinese Studies MPhil at Trinity College Dublin. She is the author and editor of several publications including The Irish and China: Encounters and Exchanges (New Island Books, 29.99); China and the Irish: Thomas Davis Lecture Series (New Island Books, 2009)and, with John Blair, Thinking through China (2015) and Comparing Civilizations: China and the West (4th edition, 2018).

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Ireland and China: unlikely influences on each other - The Irish Times

Here are five snapshots of the Republic of Ireland that explain the countrys profile as it goes to the polls in a general election on Saturday.

Ireland is a traditionally Catholic country.

Its 1937 constitution referred to the special position of the Holy Catholic Apostolic and Roman Church as the guardian of the Faith professed by the great majority of the citizens.

But the grip of the once-restrictive church has begun to wane in recent years.

In 2015, same-sex marriage was legalised by referendum. In May 2018, a further landslide referendum repealed the republics laws forbidding abortion, some of the strictest in the West.

Ireland houses a number of the worlds most profitable tech companies.

Apples European headquarters are based in the southern city of Cork, whilst Googles are in Dublin. Facebooks international HQ is also in the capital.

Ireland has a 12.5 percent corporate tax rate, fuelling accusations it acts as a tax haven for such firms, a charge the government rejects.

Read more: Brexit, homelessness dominate election in Ireland

Dublin took 11.4 billion euros ($12.5 billion) in gross corporation tax receipts in 2018. The top 10 companies accounted for 41 percent of that.

Ireland has a strong history of emigration, often prompted by poverty and famine.

Approximately 10 million people have emigrated from the island of Ireland since 1800, according to University College Cork.

Around 31 million Americans -about 10 percent of the total population- identify as being of Irish ancestry, according to 2018 census estimates.

Every March 17, US cities with large Irish-American populations participate in St Patricks Day celebrations.

Traditionally the Chicago River is dyed green to celebrate the patron saint of the Emerald Isle.

Ireland was under British rule until the early 20th century. The 1916 Easter Rising marked the beginning of a violent struggle to establish independence, leading to a 1919-1921 war.

A 1921 treaty created the Irish Free State -internally self-governing and outside of the United Kingdom but remaining a Commonwealth dominion.

In 1937, the Free State ended and Ireland was declared a fully-independent sovereign state.

Read more: UK-EU trade talk arise from the ashes of Brexit

The province of Northern Ireland, 17 percent of the islands landmass, remains a British territory.

Thirty years of conflict over the region between republicans and unionists ended with a 1998 peace deal which accommodates citizens who consider themselves British or Irish or both.

Ireland wields outsized influence in the world of literature.

James Joyce, William Butler Yeats, Samuel Beckett, Oscar Wilde, George Bernard Shaw, Jonathan Swift and Bram Stoker are among the islands best-known cultural exports.

But not all of Irelands authors have enjoyed a good relationship with their homeland.

Joyce was critical of the Catholic Churchs conservative influence over the republic in his lifetime.

Beckett lived much of his life in France. He is reported to have said of his decision to remain in the country when Germany invaded in 1940: I preferred France in war to Ireland at peace.

AFP with additional input by GVS newsdesk.

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The Republic of Ireland explained in five snapshots - Global Village space