At an all-day seminar last week, I listened to university researchers discuss this startling question: Are we poisoning our children?
Quite a provocative topic — some might even say alarmist. Yet scientist after scientist got up to the podium and presented hard data linking pesticides and other chemicals to learning disabilities, asthma, early puberty, childhood cancer and more.
No one answered the day's question directly, but the evidence pointed unmistakably to a resounding, very sobering "yes."
How much evidence is enough?
At the end of the day, I walked away with three strong emotions. First, deep appreciation for the researchers who do this important work. Studies tracking chemical exposures and health outcomes from conception through puberty are complex, expensive — and oh, so important. Their careful science is bringing to light linkages that have not been understood before.
Second, I felt just as deeply impatient, with a touch of anger mixed in. How can it be that our policies still allow pregnant women and children to eat, drink and breathe chemicals we know are especially harmful to young minds and bodies? Much of the science presented last week was completed years ago, and new studies confirm what we already know. Just how much evidence do we need before we, as a society, make the changes that will protect our children?
And third, I felt a renewed and nearly bottomless gratitude for our family's health.
How can our policies allow children to eat, drink & breathe chemicals we know harm young minds and bodies?
I have two children making their way through junior high and high school now, so the research on hormones and cognitive function hits very close to home. I can only imagine the challenges that children — and their families — face as they navigate cancer treatments, learning disabilities, early puberty or the hurdles posed by autism.
This puts our struggles with pre-teen attitude in proper perspective, and left me wanting to hug both our kids very close.
Strong science, clear findings
The provocative seminar was co-sponsored by three UC Berkeley programs: the School of Public Health, the Maternal & Child Health Program, and the Center for Environmental Research & Children's Health. Some highlights from the day's presentations:
Children whose mothers were exposed to organophosphate pesticides during pregnancy were more likely to be born early, have abnormal reflexes as infants, and have lower IQ scores at 3 and 7 years of age.
These findings were from the long term CHAMACOS study, which is following 600 mothers in Salinas, CA from pregnancy through their children's puberty. They track exposure to pesticides and other chemicals by taking blood and urine samples several times each year, then monitor the children's health and development in various ways as they grow.
They've been tracking the families for 12 years now. Next up, they'll be reporting their findings on early puberty, particularly important for girls as it seems to increase the chances that they'll be facing breast cancer later in life.
A few more findings of interest:
When either mothers and fathers are exposed to certain chemicals before conception, it may increase the risk of childhood cancer.
When more pesticides are used in the home during pregnancy the risk of childhood leukemia is higher.
The wildly complex study of epigenetics has found that people's bodies vary tremendously in how they respond to toxins — up to 65-fold variability — based on their genes.
This last finding was a particular eye-opener. Basically it means, among other things, that current pesticide rules are wholely inadequate to protect those of us born with genes that put us on the more sensitive end of the spectrum. Policymakers in DC and state capitols across the country definitely need to wrap their minds around this bit of science.
Thankful – and motivated
Thanksgiving is by far my favorite holiday of the year. This is partly because it involves good food, and the time to both create and enjoy it that is all too often lacking in our busy lives. But it's also because it offers a moment to step back from that busyness, take a deep breath, and truly appreciate all we have.
As a mom, our family's health is at the very top of that list, and the news from last week's seminar helps ensure that I won't take it for granted. It also renews and grounds my motivation to fight for change. Because no child deserves to have their healthy, joyful childhood stolen by harmful chemicals.
San Francisco, CA 94108
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Sunday, January 8, 2012
The Constitution Is Not a Turkey Review
I think the world of Jon Gruber, the MIT economist who helped design both the Massachusetts Health Plan and the Health Insurance Exchange provisions of President Obama’s Affordable Care Act. So I was more than a bit dismayed to read this quote from Jon: “I’m frustrated that the future of the American health care system rests in the hands of one or two of these unelected people who might make the decision based on political grounds.” The “unelected people” that Jon is referring to are justices of the Supreme Court. Jon almost seems surprised that the Supreme Court has a say in the matter.
The Health Insurance Exchange is an idea that economists have floated for more than three decades and thanks to his hard work, that idea has become a reality in Massachusetts and perhaps the rest of the nation, provided that the Supreme Court doesn’t block this fine bit of economics. Unfortunately for supporters of the exchange (including myself) the health insurance purchase mandate – an essential element of any economically viable exchange – might be unconstitutional. God forbid that the U.S. Constitution might interfere with beautiful economic theories.
There is a solution. I am almost too modest to say it but I proposed this idea in my book Code Red long before Barack Obama put his hand on the bible to be sworn in as Regulator-in-Chief. The beauty of the solution is that it respects, nay, was inspired by Jon’s work in Massachusetts, and is constitutional to boot! The solution is in its own way conservative, because it does not mandate a single approach to health reform. Congress should have given each state a block grant conditional on expanding health insurance coverage. The states could have chosen how to proceed. The U.S. Constitution might prohibit a federal mandate to purchase insurance, but it says nothing about what the states may do.
Some states might have chosen to adopt their own versions of the Massachusetts Health Plan. A few states may have centralized insurance, creating their own versions of single payer systems. Others may have given individuals vouchers and encouraged the growth of private insurance exchanges. This would be the closest to a free market solution, keeping the government out of it, except as a vehicle for transferring wealth. Perhaps all of these ideas would have been better than the status quo. Perhaps states could have learned from each other. Even Jon Gruber might have learned something new! Through this experimentation, we could have rapidly expanded health insurance coverage and also put lots of theories to the test. I still think this is a terrific idea. But in 2009 when politicians and economists huddled together to write the Affordable Care Act, no one invited me to the party. Alas.
When it comes to research, the best economists are rather conservative. We put our own findings under the microscope, trying every which way to prove ourselves wrong. We cannot publish unless several peers have given our work the same scrutiny. But when we are given the opportunity to make policy, we often abandon this conservatism. Perhaps this is because we are so rarely given the chance to make policy. Economists like Jon Gruber were privileged to have substantial input into the future of the health care system, and may have thought that their work was done when Congress embraced their models. But that was never the end of their work. The Constitutional challenge to the insurance purchase mandate is part of a process that should have been anticipated from day one. There are no surprises here.
P.S. Jon Gruber has stated that he cannot understand why Mitt Romney is disowning the Affordable Care Act when it is modeled on the Massachusetts Health Plan. Perhaps Romney believes that the Massachusetts Health Plan is good for Massachusetts, but might not be so good for other states. I know I believe it.
3358 23rd St
(between Bartlett St & Valencia St)
San Francisco, CA 94110
Neighborhood: Mission
(415) 695-2860
The Health Insurance Exchange is an idea that economists have floated for more than three decades and thanks to his hard work, that idea has become a reality in Massachusetts and perhaps the rest of the nation, provided that the Supreme Court doesn’t block this fine bit of economics. Unfortunately for supporters of the exchange (including myself) the health insurance purchase mandate – an essential element of any economically viable exchange – might be unconstitutional. God forbid that the U.S. Constitution might interfere with beautiful economic theories.
There is a solution. I am almost too modest to say it but I proposed this idea in my book Code Red long before Barack Obama put his hand on the bible to be sworn in as Regulator-in-Chief. The beauty of the solution is that it respects, nay, was inspired by Jon’s work in Massachusetts, and is constitutional to boot! The solution is in its own way conservative, because it does not mandate a single approach to health reform. Congress should have given each state a block grant conditional on expanding health insurance coverage. The states could have chosen how to proceed. The U.S. Constitution might prohibit a federal mandate to purchase insurance, but it says nothing about what the states may do.
Some states might have chosen to adopt their own versions of the Massachusetts Health Plan. A few states may have centralized insurance, creating their own versions of single payer systems. Others may have given individuals vouchers and encouraged the growth of private insurance exchanges. This would be the closest to a free market solution, keeping the government out of it, except as a vehicle for transferring wealth. Perhaps all of these ideas would have been better than the status quo. Perhaps states could have learned from each other. Even Jon Gruber might have learned something new! Through this experimentation, we could have rapidly expanded health insurance coverage and also put lots of theories to the test. I still think this is a terrific idea. But in 2009 when politicians and economists huddled together to write the Affordable Care Act, no one invited me to the party. Alas.
When it comes to research, the best economists are rather conservative. We put our own findings under the microscope, trying every which way to prove ourselves wrong. We cannot publish unless several peers have given our work the same scrutiny. But when we are given the opportunity to make policy, we often abandon this conservatism. Perhaps this is because we are so rarely given the chance to make policy. Economists like Jon Gruber were privileged to have substantial input into the future of the health care system, and may have thought that their work was done when Congress embraced their models. But that was never the end of their work. The Constitutional challenge to the insurance purchase mandate is part of a process that should have been anticipated from day one. There are no surprises here.
P.S. Jon Gruber has stated that he cannot understand why Mitt Romney is disowning the Affordable Care Act when it is modeled on the Massachusetts Health Plan. Perhaps Romney believes that the Massachusetts Health Plan is good for Massachusetts, but might not be so good for other states. I know I believe it.
3358 23rd St
(between Bartlett St & Valencia St)
San Francisco, CA 94110
Neighborhood: Mission
(415) 695-2860
Monday, January 2, 2012
What’s the best tour in Turkey Review
It’s hard to say for sure what the best tour in Turkey is, but during the time I was living and traveling in Turkey, a few favorite Turkey adventures kept coming up. These were not just with me, but with the many guests and travelers I met from all corners of the world.
The legacies of the Hittites, Greeks, Romans, Christian apostles, Byzantines, Ottoman Turks & the other civilizations that have called this land home have made Turkey into a vast outdoor museum full of beautiful, intriguing sites. Highlights of Turkey’s many treasures include Ephesus, Turkeythe spectacular Byzantine churches & beautiful mosques of Istanbul; the ruins of the fabled city of Pergamum on its windswept hilltop; the holy city of Konya where Dervishes still whirl; the extraordinary landscape & cave dwellings of Cappadocia; the great theatre of ancient Ephesus; the magnificent beaches of the Aegean & Mediterranean with signs of ancient civilizations at every turn & so much more…
Turkey offers more for the traveler than just about any other country on the planet. With more historical Greek and Roman ruins than Greece and Italy combined, this is a magnificent country for exploring classical cultures of the Med. Manisa farmers marketWhether you are into historical travel, literary travel, or just want to see some of the places from your favorite gladiator movie or to see the magnificent sites from that computer game you just spent hundreds of hours completing.
For those who are interested in beaches and seas, there is more than a little to choose from. The Turkish Riviera has yet to be spoiled like those of other Meditreranean Countries and the breathtaking beauty of the Aegean, the Marmara, and the Black Seas all fall within the bounds Perfect tour of Turkeyof magnificent Turkey. Sea tours of Turkey as well as gulet cruises, sailing expeditions, and of course cruises of the Bosphorus are all wonderful experiences. Lest we forget, the Turquoise Coast of Turkey seems like an artist’s vision of the perfect seaside.
Let’s not forget the unique traditions of hospitality which make any trip to Turkey a life changing experience, if you are allowed to get off the tour bus and interact with the locals anyplace other than a carpet shop that is! The best tours of Turkey include an element of introducing you to the people and their culture. Otherwise, you could be anywhere. This is one reason why I always recommend specific tours of Turkey and home stay experiences for those who want more than a sterile scripted tour of the Turkish Republic.
Tours in and around IstanbulNo trip to Turkey is complete without spending at least a few days in Istanbul. The city of two continents, once called Constantinople- now called home to more than 17 million people.To me, this is the queen of all cities and I’ve been to more than a few. Take the time to explore Istanbul and you will never regret it.
Veteran travel writer Tom Brosnian has renamed this city of wonders Irresistanbul and I find that to be completly true. This is the cultural seat of fascinating Turkey and the center of all things Turkish Delight. Whether you choose to take a Biblical Tour of Eastern Turkey or a broader look at the many wonders ot Turkey, you will find that Istanbul is, as Tom suggests Irresistanbul as a starting and stopping point.
Troye Trojan HorseOnce you leave Istanbul, you can head in just about any direction and find wonders whether you want to explore Mesopotamia, see the lands of the Odyssey, eat drink and be merry in Kusadasi and Izmir, or hang out in tree houses in Olympos. Off the beaten track in Eastern Turkey you can look for seamonsters in Lake Van, see the ancient Armenian capitals, and walk some of the most ancient paths of humanity.
Contact me using the form below so I can help make your trip to Turkey the best it can possibly be. My travel advice, as always, is free for the asking.
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You Might Also Enjoy:
What’s the perfect tour of Istanbul include? What’s the perfect tour of Istanbul include?
Perfect Turkish Holiday – 5 Awesome Days Perfect Turkish Holiday – 5 Awesome Days
Three Continents and Four Countries and Six Cities in 24 Hours! Three Continents and Four Countries and Six Cities in 24 Hours!
Vagobond Tours Vagobond Tours
Classic Turkish Tour – 12 Days of Magnificence Classic Turkish Tour – 12 Days of Magnificence
501 W Roscoe St
(between Sheridan Rd & Broadway St)
Chicago, IL 60657
Neighborhood: Lakeview
The legacies of the Hittites, Greeks, Romans, Christian apostles, Byzantines, Ottoman Turks & the other civilizations that have called this land home have made Turkey into a vast outdoor museum full of beautiful, intriguing sites. Highlights of Turkey’s many treasures include Ephesus, Turkeythe spectacular Byzantine churches & beautiful mosques of Istanbul; the ruins of the fabled city of Pergamum on its windswept hilltop; the holy city of Konya where Dervishes still whirl; the extraordinary landscape & cave dwellings of Cappadocia; the great theatre of ancient Ephesus; the magnificent beaches of the Aegean & Mediterranean with signs of ancient civilizations at every turn & so much more…
Turkey offers more for the traveler than just about any other country on the planet. With more historical Greek and Roman ruins than Greece and Italy combined, this is a magnificent country for exploring classical cultures of the Med. Manisa farmers marketWhether you are into historical travel, literary travel, or just want to see some of the places from your favorite gladiator movie or to see the magnificent sites from that computer game you just spent hundreds of hours completing.
For those who are interested in beaches and seas, there is more than a little to choose from. The Turkish Riviera has yet to be spoiled like those of other Meditreranean Countries and the breathtaking beauty of the Aegean, the Marmara, and the Black Seas all fall within the bounds Perfect tour of Turkeyof magnificent Turkey. Sea tours of Turkey as well as gulet cruises, sailing expeditions, and of course cruises of the Bosphorus are all wonderful experiences. Lest we forget, the Turquoise Coast of Turkey seems like an artist’s vision of the perfect seaside.
Let’s not forget the unique traditions of hospitality which make any trip to Turkey a life changing experience, if you are allowed to get off the tour bus and interact with the locals anyplace other than a carpet shop that is! The best tours of Turkey include an element of introducing you to the people and their culture. Otherwise, you could be anywhere. This is one reason why I always recommend specific tours of Turkey and home stay experiences for those who want more than a sterile scripted tour of the Turkish Republic.
Tours in and around IstanbulNo trip to Turkey is complete without spending at least a few days in Istanbul. The city of two continents, once called Constantinople- now called home to more than 17 million people.To me, this is the queen of all cities and I’ve been to more than a few. Take the time to explore Istanbul and you will never regret it.
Veteran travel writer Tom Brosnian has renamed this city of wonders Irresistanbul and I find that to be completly true. This is the cultural seat of fascinating Turkey and the center of all things Turkish Delight. Whether you choose to take a Biblical Tour of Eastern Turkey or a broader look at the many wonders ot Turkey, you will find that Istanbul is, as Tom suggests Irresistanbul as a starting and stopping point.
Troye Trojan HorseOnce you leave Istanbul, you can head in just about any direction and find wonders whether you want to explore Mesopotamia, see the lands of the Odyssey, eat drink and be merry in Kusadasi and Izmir, or hang out in tree houses in Olympos. Off the beaten track in Eastern Turkey you can look for seamonsters in Lake Van, see the ancient Armenian capitals, and walk some of the most ancient paths of humanity.
Contact me using the form below so I can help make your trip to Turkey the best it can possibly be. My travel advice, as always, is free for the asking.
Required fields are marked *.
Your information
Name *
Email *
Website
Your message
Subject *
Message *
Confirmation
What is the sum of 361 and 2? *
Email yourself a copy?
You Might Also Enjoy:
What’s the perfect tour of Istanbul include? What’s the perfect tour of Istanbul include?
Perfect Turkish Holiday – 5 Awesome Days Perfect Turkish Holiday – 5 Awesome Days
Three Continents and Four Countries and Six Cities in 24 Hours! Three Continents and Four Countries and Six Cities in 24 Hours!
Vagobond Tours Vagobond Tours
Classic Turkish Tour – 12 Days of Magnificence Classic Turkish Tour – 12 Days of Magnificence
501 W Roscoe St
(between Sheridan Rd & Broadway St)
Chicago, IL 60657
Neighborhood: Lakeview
Travelling Turkey - Our Favourite Posts of 2011 Review
December is whizzing by and we're careering headlong towards 2012, so we thought we'd do what everyone else does at this time of year and take a look back at 12 of our favourite posts of 2011; one for each month.
Sitting with notebook and pen and scrolling through the archives this morning, we soon realised there were too many posts to choose from. How do you choose a Turkish recipe over a fun day trip from Fethiye, a short break or a fantastic meal in Turkey? Well, we couldn't! The solution we came up with is a 3-part mini-series; a celebration of 2011 before it disappears forever. Without any further ado, here is Part 1:
Travelling Turkey: Our 12 Favourites of 2011
There are a couple of cheats in this section as we couldn't decide between posts for some of the months.
Turkey Scenes
January 2011 - Gökova: Due to annoying flight changes, last December and the one before involved long drives to Bodrum to pick up stranded friends who were coming to Fethiye for New Year. The highlight of such a long drive is the amazing view over the Gulf of Gökova as you climb towards Muğla. Click this link to see our post on the Gulf of Gökova.
February 2011 - Af Kule: Not so much travelling Turkey as trekking Turkey. Our post on the trek to Af Kule monastery from Kayaköy attracted a lot of attention and is still the 'most commented' post on the blog. The views are as dramatic as the sheer drops beneath you so Barry had to be let loose with the camera whilst I remained rooted to the spot.
March 2011 - Antalya: March was the month where we headed 3 hours east of Fethiye to the city of Antalya. One of the highlights of Antalya for us was exploring Kaleiçi, the old, walled city.
April 2011 - Antalya: Still in Antalya, we posted a photo of Hadrian's Gate and told the story of our communication problems with a local traffic policeman. How were we supposed to know that the Üç Kapı he kept repeating to us was the Turkish word for Hadrian's Gate?
Photos Of Turkey & Greece
May 2011 - Rhodes, Greece: Wow. We couldn't get over how crowded this Greek island was. This post was all about trying to get our heads round how many people could possibly squash into the walled enclave that is Rhodes Old Town.
June 2011 - Sarsala Koyu, Dalaman:This beach was voted for by readers in a favourite-beach-poll we did on our Facebook page. We'd never heard of it and asked for more details. A few days later, in between a drop-off and pick-up at Dalaman Airport, we drove to beautiful Sarsala Koyu. Thanks to the people who told us about Sarsala. This is possibly our find of 2011. We were torn between this post and our day trip to Kalkan for June. Which one would you have chosen?
July 2011 - Istanbul:I had a set of photos sitting on my laptop that I had changed to black and white. Most of them were of older areas of Istanbul - a city we just can't stop ourselves from visiting - so we did a photo post called Istanbul In Black And White. Click on the link to view the photos.
August 2011 - Meis / Kastellorizo, Greece:We're not sure when we'll see this beautiful Greek island again, so this post had to make it into our travel highlights of 2011. August was the month we were supposed to apply for our Turkish residency but it wasn't to be. We made the most of it by taking the opportunity to enjoy a day trip from Kaş to Meis.
Photos From Around Turkey
September 2011 - Dalyan:A strange one to use as a travel highlight as we were sad to be taking friends back to the airport. But this post was about using the pretty Dalyan area as a fun way of putting off the post-holiday-blues before you even get on the plane. Click to read about a perfect last day in Dalyan.
October 2011 - Saklıkent Gorge: It was a tough decision not including Kariye Museum in Istanbul for October but we couldn't ignore Saklıkent either. How on earth did we manage to write a blog about the Fethiye area for so long without getting to Saklıkent? We finally visited this colossal gorge again in October of this year when we spent a very relaxing day there with friends. Click the links to read more about Saklıkent Gorge or our very filling Saklıkent lunch.
November 2011 - Süleymaniye Mosque, Istanbul:Süleymaniye Camii is our favourite mosque and, after a long wait while it was closed for restoration, we got to visit it again this year while we were in Istanbul. This post has photos of the interior and of the peaceful garden area. Click the link to read more about the Magnificent Süleymaniye Mosque.
December 2011 - Datça Peninsula:We didn't expect any more travels for 2011 so we jumped at the chance when we were invited to Datça with friends. We have more posts to come on our time spent soaking up the tranquillity of this peninsula, but this post is about the olive growing area Yazıköy, our friend's lovely home village.
Have we missed anything out? What are your travel highlights of 2011? Let us know in the comments below.
7200 N Clark St
(between Chase Ave & Touhy Ave)
Chicago, IL 60626
Neighborhood: Rogers Park
(773) 761-4141
Sitting with notebook and pen and scrolling through the archives this morning, we soon realised there were too many posts to choose from. How do you choose a Turkish recipe over a fun day trip from Fethiye, a short break or a fantastic meal in Turkey? Well, we couldn't! The solution we came up with is a 3-part mini-series; a celebration of 2011 before it disappears forever. Without any further ado, here is Part 1:
Travelling Turkey: Our 12 Favourites of 2011
There are a couple of cheats in this section as we couldn't decide between posts for some of the months.
Turkey Scenes
January 2011 - Gökova: Due to annoying flight changes, last December and the one before involved long drives to Bodrum to pick up stranded friends who were coming to Fethiye for New Year. The highlight of such a long drive is the amazing view over the Gulf of Gökova as you climb towards Muğla. Click this link to see our post on the Gulf of Gökova.
February 2011 - Af Kule: Not so much travelling Turkey as trekking Turkey. Our post on the trek to Af Kule monastery from Kayaköy attracted a lot of attention and is still the 'most commented' post on the blog. The views are as dramatic as the sheer drops beneath you so Barry had to be let loose with the camera whilst I remained rooted to the spot.
March 2011 - Antalya: March was the month where we headed 3 hours east of Fethiye to the city of Antalya. One of the highlights of Antalya for us was exploring Kaleiçi, the old, walled city.
April 2011 - Antalya: Still in Antalya, we posted a photo of Hadrian's Gate and told the story of our communication problems with a local traffic policeman. How were we supposed to know that the Üç Kapı he kept repeating to us was the Turkish word for Hadrian's Gate?
Photos Of Turkey & Greece
May 2011 - Rhodes, Greece: Wow. We couldn't get over how crowded this Greek island was. This post was all about trying to get our heads round how many people could possibly squash into the walled enclave that is Rhodes Old Town.
June 2011 - Sarsala Koyu, Dalaman:This beach was voted for by readers in a favourite-beach-poll we did on our Facebook page. We'd never heard of it and asked for more details. A few days later, in between a drop-off and pick-up at Dalaman Airport, we drove to beautiful Sarsala Koyu. Thanks to the people who told us about Sarsala. This is possibly our find of 2011. We were torn between this post and our day trip to Kalkan for June. Which one would you have chosen?
July 2011 - Istanbul:I had a set of photos sitting on my laptop that I had changed to black and white. Most of them were of older areas of Istanbul - a city we just can't stop ourselves from visiting - so we did a photo post called Istanbul In Black And White. Click on the link to view the photos.
August 2011 - Meis / Kastellorizo, Greece:We're not sure when we'll see this beautiful Greek island again, so this post had to make it into our travel highlights of 2011. August was the month we were supposed to apply for our Turkish residency but it wasn't to be. We made the most of it by taking the opportunity to enjoy a day trip from Kaş to Meis.
Photos From Around Turkey
September 2011 - Dalyan:A strange one to use as a travel highlight as we were sad to be taking friends back to the airport. But this post was about using the pretty Dalyan area as a fun way of putting off the post-holiday-blues before you even get on the plane. Click to read about a perfect last day in Dalyan.
October 2011 - Saklıkent Gorge: It was a tough decision not including Kariye Museum in Istanbul for October but we couldn't ignore Saklıkent either. How on earth did we manage to write a blog about the Fethiye area for so long without getting to Saklıkent? We finally visited this colossal gorge again in October of this year when we spent a very relaxing day there with friends. Click the links to read more about Saklıkent Gorge or our very filling Saklıkent lunch.
November 2011 - Süleymaniye Mosque, Istanbul:Süleymaniye Camii is our favourite mosque and, after a long wait while it was closed for restoration, we got to visit it again this year while we were in Istanbul. This post has photos of the interior and of the peaceful garden area. Click the link to read more about the Magnificent Süleymaniye Mosque.
December 2011 - Datça Peninsula:We didn't expect any more travels for 2011 so we jumped at the chance when we were invited to Datça with friends. We have more posts to come on our time spent soaking up the tranquillity of this peninsula, but this post is about the olive growing area Yazıköy, our friend's lovely home village.
Have we missed anything out? What are your travel highlights of 2011? Let us know in the comments below.
7200 N Clark St
(between Chase Ave & Touhy Ave)
Chicago, IL 60626
Neighborhood: Rogers Park
(773) 761-4141
Wednesday, December 28, 2011
Walt Andrus Big Band Singer Review
I want to tell you about a wonderful vocalist I have recently
discovered at the Van Dyke Cafe in South Beach, FL.
During our brief conversation after his performance, he had mentioned he resides in Trumbull Connecticut , but that has traveled all over the US & Europe, also performing as a vocalist with the "Buddy Morrow and The Tommy Dorsey Orchestra" for over a decade
and has been performing as a big band singer since he was in his teens. He has been featured on the PBS and local television shows, and has a very impressive singing history.
I think you will find his soothing voice and swing/jazz style very
pleasurable. Pls visit the links below where you may view his past and present Itinerary & listen to fragments of his wonderful CD's.
I am very confident he would be a great addition to your entertainment
as a guest vocalist, to make your wedding reception more sentimental and romantic, your yacht party more entertaining and fun... or maybe even you can use your contacts and help
him book a show in your area???
I can assure you, It will be a mutually beneficial business
relationship.
Thank you for taking the time.
Sincerely Dr. Grace G.
Walt resides in CT and will travel anywhere.
55 E. Chestnut Street
(between Ernst Ct & Rush St)
Chicago, IL 60611
Neighborhood: Near North Side
discovered at the Van Dyke Cafe in South Beach, FL.
During our brief conversation after his performance, he had mentioned he resides in Trumbull Connecticut , but that has traveled all over the US & Europe, also performing as a vocalist with the "Buddy Morrow and The Tommy Dorsey Orchestra" for over a decade
and has been performing as a big band singer since he was in his teens. He has been featured on the PBS and local television shows, and has a very impressive singing history.
I think you will find his soothing voice and swing/jazz style very
pleasurable. Pls visit the links below where you may view his past and present Itinerary & listen to fragments of his wonderful CD's.
I am very confident he would be a great addition to your entertainment
as a guest vocalist, to make your wedding reception more sentimental and romantic, your yacht party more entertaining and fun... or maybe even you can use your contacts and help
him book a show in your area???
I can assure you, It will be a mutually beneficial business
relationship.
Thank you for taking the time.
Sincerely Dr. Grace G.
Walt resides in CT and will travel anywhere.
55 E. Chestnut Street
(between Ernst Ct & Rush St)
Chicago, IL 60611
Neighborhood: Near North Side
Sunday, November 27, 2011
Brand Finance Plc Review
Brand Finance Plc is the world’s leading brand valuation consultancy. We advise strongly branded organisations on how to maximise their value through the effective management of their brands and intangible assets. Founded in 1996, Brand Finance has performed thousands of branded business, brand and intangible asset valuations worth trillions of dollars.
Brand Finance's services support a variety of business needs:
* Technical valuations for accounting, tax and legal purposes
* Valuations in support of commercial transactions (acquisitions, divestments, licensing and joint ventures) involving different forms of intellectual property
* Valuations as part of a wider mandate to deliver value-based marketing strategy and tracking, thereby bridging the gap between marketing and finance.
Brand Finance's services support a variety of business needs:
* Technical valuations for accounting, tax and legal purposes
* Valuations in support of commercial transactions (acquisitions, divestments, licensing and joint ventures) involving different forms of intellectual property
* Valuations as part of a wider mandate to deliver value-based marketing strategy and tracking, thereby bridging the gap between marketing and finance.
Education System In Turkey Review
According to the Constitution of the Republic of Turkey, every citizen has the right to education which is free of charge for the compulsory primary education. Except in specially licensed and foreign institutions, Turkish must be taught as the mother tongue.
The Ministry of National Education (MEB) runs educational administration of the country and is responsible for drawing up curricula, coordinating the work of official, private and voluntary organizations, designing and building schools, developing educational materials and so on. The Supreme Council of National Education discusses and decides on curricula and regulations prepared by the Ministry. In the provinces, educational affairs are organized by the Directorates of National Education appointed by the Minister, but working under the direction of the provincial governor.
The Ministry of National Education (MEB) runs educational administration of the country and is responsible for drawing up curricula, coordinating the work of official, private and voluntary organizations, designing and building schools, developing educational materials and so on. The Supreme Council of National Education discusses and decides on curricula and regulations prepared by the Ministry. In the provinces, educational affairs are organized by the Directorates of National Education appointed by the Minister, but working under the direction of the provincial governor.
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