Asheville, North Carolina, epitomizes the dysfunction of the market for housing in America, accelerated and exacerbated by mass early retirement and shifts to telecommuting that emerged from the COVID pandemic.
Through the two years of America’s response to the pandemic, knowledge workers in more expensive locales - New York, Chicago, San Francisco, etc. - took advantage of the newfound ability to work remotely, leaning on their cost-of-living-adjusted wages and accrued home equity, to move to smaller, lower cost-of-living, higher quality-of-life cities. They were joined by 3.5 million baby boomers who retired during the two years of COVID, compared to the only 1 million who retired over the ten years prior.
Cities like Asheville faced a torrent of demand from buyers bringing cash and inflated salaries into the housing market, competing for an increasingly scarce supply. It was not unheard of for buyers from out-of-state to make offers of a million dollars or more on houses, sight-unseen - a fortune for those making life work in Western North Carolina, but a bargain compared to cost of housing in New York, Chicago, or San Francisco. Houses within city limits would be listed at 9am and have a stack of no-contingency, cash offers to choose from by 5pm the same day.
At the same time, existing homeowners underwent a splurge of home-improvement activity; with their disposable income no longer funding nights-out, vacations, or other activities, they spent that cash on renovations and additions. Combined with worldwide supply-chain disruption, especially around building supplies, the price of building materials skyrocketed, rendering new housing starts a riskier and more expensive proposition. Despite the added demand for housing, Asheville could not possibly construct its way out of the shortage.
The housing rental market was not immune either. With the state-mandated COVID lockdowns, wide swaths of the workforce were furloughed, laid off, or put into impossible life situations. With daycares and schools closed, workers dependent on childcare struggled to earn while caring for their families. A nationwide eviction moratorium offered some security to those whose income was impacted or obliterated by the lockdowns, but it also massively disincentivized landlords from renting properties to those whose income was suddenly far less predictable and whose eviction would become impossible, especially compared to the greater security and higher returns of short/medium-term rentals to visiting knowledge workers able to telecommute. As much as the cost of buying a house took off in Asheville, the cost of long-term renting exploded even more dramatically.
During 2022, the interest rate on a 30-yr fixed mortgage more than doubled. A buyer in September 2021 who had $100,000 to put down and $2,500 per month to spend on a housing payment would have been able to buy a $515,000 house. Today, that same buyer would be able to afford only a $385,000 house. The $515,000 house would cost $1,200 more per month to cover the added interest.
Unless you were already a homeowner at the start of last year, you face a increasingly expensive and competitive rental market, an unapproachable home buying market, and decreasing purchasing power in the face of price inflation this year without proportional wage increases. It’s a harrowing place to be: locked out of the security of homeownership while enduring increasingly shaky housing security as a renter. By any measure, this is dysfunctional and unsustainable.
As uncontroversial as it is to say that something is deeply wrong with housing in America, it’s far more controversial to name an underlying cause. I believe it boils down to a fundamental contradiction we hold culturally around viewing housing as an asset, not a necessity.
America’s cognitive dissonance over housing 🔗
Since the end of World War II, American culture has leaned on homeownership as the vehicle to creating personal and generational wealth, fueled by increasing involvement of the federal government in the mortgage market. The New Deal era brought institutions such as the Federal Housing Administration, the Homeowner’s Loan Corporation, and the Federal National Mortgage Association (better known as Fannie Mae) - which brought security to the Great Depression collapse of the housing market, where around 10% of houses were in foreclosure, as the government issued bonds to reinstate mortgages in default. After World War II, the GI Bill promised returning veterans mortgage insurance from the Department of Veterans’ Affairs, which fueled the post-war boom in homeownership and the explosion of the American suburbs. The early 1970’s saw the creation of the Federal Home Loan Mortgage Corporation (better known as Freddie Mac), cementing the federal government’s commitment to expanding homeownership in the country.
The average rate of return on homeownership in the United States over this period has been around 8%… which sounds great, but a similar investment in the S&P 500 would have yielded over 11% ARR since 1950. So are Americans investing in housing instead of stocks? Simple: for the majority of homeowners, it’s the only opportunity they have to have a leveraged investment.
A leveraged investment is one where one borrows capital at a lower interest rate and invests it in a vehicle with a higher interest rate yield. If I offered to lend you $500,000 at 3% interest rate with a 15 year repayment schedule, and you used it to buy a bond that had a 8% yield and a 15 year maturity, the difference in between those two interest rates over 15 years is earned wealth: almost a quarter of a million dollars that you earned by investing somebody else’s money. The world of high finance is largely based on leveraged investing. But nobody’s going to simply lend you $500,000 at such a low interest rate without substantial collateral to secure the loan - and that’s why mortgages are secured with a lien on the home they underwrite. By borrowing money at a low interest rate to invest in an appreciating asset that you also derive utility from, you end up accruing more wealth than you might have through investing extra cash on top of paying rent.
Imagine a similar scenario with cars. You can lease a car to satisfy your immediate need for transportation and save a little extra money on top of your lease payments for the lifetime of the lease, investing that money in the S&P 500; or you can put some cash down and borrow money to pay for the car, paying back the loan a little at a time. After you’ve paid back the loan with interest, you own the car free and clear, whereas with the lease, you return the car and all you’re left with is the extra money you’ve saved on top of it. Cars, however, depreciate; they lose value the minute you drive them off the lot and continue to lose value over their lifetime. Let’s imagine that they instead appreciated the same way housing has over the last 75 years - you’d be far better off in the borrow-and-buy scenario, with an asset worth far more than you paid for it, versus the lease scenario in which you simply have a relatively smaller pile of cash. That’s the power of leverage.
So it might seem at first blush that the government securing mortgages and promoting ever higher levels of homeownership is unquestionably a good thing - we want everybody to have financial security and the opportunity to generate wealth for themselves and their families. But there’s a problem: if we want homeowners to grow wealth through homeownership, the value of your house has to continue to go up; but the value of housing goes up when demand outstrips supply, when there isn’t enough housing in an area for everybody who wants to live there, so making housing affordable and accessible to everybody means that prices have to come down and stay down, which won’t generate wealth for homeowners.
Housing can either be an ever-appreciating asset and vehicle for wealth generation for some, or it can be affordable and accessible to all, but not both.
I hear this dissonance all the time in my friends: those who aren’t presently homeowners lament the high prices of housing that precludes them from buying a home and accruing wealth; those who are presently homeowners believe in the creation of affordable housing but nowhere near them so as not to negatively impact their property valuation. They’re simply incompatible goals.
Inherently inequitable 🔗
Given the American governmental and cultural treatment of housing to work for some but not for all, it immediately becomes a political calculation who housing policy will benefit and who it will harm. The inequity of how that line has been drawn is both unjust and unwise. The injustice comes from the historical racial and cultural prejudice that has been interwoven with 20th century America’s housing policies, and just as generational wealth compounds with interest, so does generational inequity. The injudiciousness comes from a wealth transfer from younger, poorer Americans to older, richer Americans, as the appreciating property values are only realized during a sale.
An abridged history of race and property in 20th century America 🔗
I mentioned the New Deal era creation of the Federal Housing Administration, and our history begins there, in 1934. Part of the FHA’s charter was to facilitate and guarantee the underwriting of loans for housing to counter the tsunami of foreclosures during the Great Depression. But who got those guarantees? The FHA released a work entitled The Underwriting Manual which included “residential security maps” - detailed delineations in metropolitan areas across America, color coded based on how “safe” they deemed it to secure mortgages in different areas. The top of their scale was “green” - which meant up-and-coming, high demand areas populated by “American Business and Professional Men”; below that was “blue” - which meant desirable but stable areas; below that was “yellow”, signifying areas that were in economic decline; and finally, bottom of the stack, were “red” areas that were undesirable to lend in.
If you lived within a “red” zone, you were ineligible for FHA-guaranteed lending; and unsurprisingly, the delineation of the zones were overtly based on racial and ethnic composition. If you lived in a neighborhood of color or even adjacent to such a neighborhood, you simply could not get cheap capital to buy a house. This practice is known as “redlining” and continued for 34 years until 1968.
To ensure their neighborhoods were green-lined and thus secure ease of financing, developers of planned communities and suburbs included in the deeds of sale a “covenant” that prevented sale or rental of such properties to people of color. For example, the community widely considered the progenitor of modern suburbia - Levittown, New York - included in its deeds that house could not “be used or occupied by any person other than members of the Caucasian race,” written in all-caps, bold text. However, such covenanted communities faced legal challenges, culminating in the 1948 Supreme Court decision Shelley v. Kraemer that determined such racial covenants could not legally be enforced - though it was not until Congress passed the Civil Rights Act of 1968 that such covenants were voided and made illegal. Not to be deterred, proponents of protecting the property values and homogenous constituency of neighborhoods turned their sights to the Transportation Act of 1956, wherein what had been merely symbolic red lines on a map became actual physical barriers as planners drew the routes for highways through neighborhoods of color and along dividing lines to separate neighborhoods of color from prosperous white neighborhoods.
This segregation of whites from non-whites and this disparity in affluence due to leveraged investments in property created a feedback loop that continued to depress the opportunities of people of color to accrue wealth through property financed by government-backed loans. As the War on Drugs and the War on Crime ramped up, poorer neighborhoods predominantly occupied by people of color received disparate treatment from police: over-policed for surveillance, nuisance crimes, and investigatory stops. Such racial bias in policing has become deeply intertwined with police culture. As a result of this over-policing, the relative reported crime rate for such areas is markedly higher, which has a deleterious effect on property values and, again, the ability to secure leveraged capital to purchase, develop, or improve these neighborhoods.
The feedback loop will be further propagated through the relationship between property values and public schooling. America’s public schools are overwhelmingly funded from residential property tax, and the higher the net property values in a district, the greater the funding available for education of their children. Wealthier areas are creating microdistricts to ensure their tax dollars don’t go to educate poorer families, resulting in richer, whiter school districts. In fact, public schooling is more segregated now than it was in the 1960s.
As said before, housing as wealth generation can benefit some but can never benefit all, and in the 20th century, America quite systematically decided that it would work far better for white people than for people of color.
Intergenerational Ponzi scheme 🔗
Housing as a vehicle of wealth generation is also inequitable in the way it serves as an intergenerational Ponzi scheme: Americans reap the benefit of the appreciation of their home value when it’s purchased by somebody else, and most often, that’s a younger buyer and an older seller. For those younger homeowners entering the market in the last ten years, they only will realize their gains when they eventually sell their house at a higher price to the next younger generation. This endless appreciation is, on its face, unsustainable, and it will devastate whatever generation is holding the deed when there is nobody left to fleece.
In the below figure, the blue, left-most bars represent mean homeowner equity by age in 1989 (inflation adjusted); the red, right-most bars represent the same in 2016. Older generations have accrued vastly higher equity in their homes compared to the generation before them, whereas younger generations lag behind the prior generation’s corresponding accrued equity.
Wealth transfers from young to old are not, writ large, immoral; I would not argue that Social Security benefits are an immoral wealth transfer. But the Social Security safety net relies on demographics to ensure that there are far more younger workers than older retirees, however whereas in 1940 there were 30 workers for every retiree, by 2000 there were only 3 workers per retiree and by 2050 there will only be 2. Similarly, continuously appreciating home prices depend on there being enough buyers able to buy for sellers to realize their gains. There very well may not be.
Secondary effects of homeownership as wealth generation 🔗
As framing homeownership as an appreciating asset necessarily means a lack of plentiful, affordable housing, consequently we experience a range of undesirable secondary effects as a direct consequence of that lack.
Most notably, here in Asheville, is homelessness. It seems quite obvious, yet is remarkably controversial, that the more housing becomes unaffordable, the more people fall into homelessness - more commonly accused are drug use, mental health issues, or other personal struggles drive homelessness, but the research does not support such a causal link. Well covered in books such as Homelessness is a Housing Problem and in journalism such as The Atlantic, there are cities and states with comparably higher mental health crises and substance use disorder without commensurate homelessness. What tracks homelessness rates most accurately is housing costs. Our city is filled with people teetering on the edge of solvency, paycheck to paycheck, just one catastrophe away from losing everything and without stable support networks to insure them against hardship. It should come as no surprise that with the heightened cost of putting a roof over one’s head comes a higher number of people unable to do so.
People experiencing homelessness require support services, but when protecting your property value appreciation is your wealth generation strategy, providing any of those services in your neighborhood becomes problematic. Instead of seeing homeless people as struggling neighbors in need, homeowners react to their presence as a nuisance and a bother. Reactions ranging from indifference to spite further isolate people without housing and undermine their chances for regaining self-sufficiency.
Another secondary effect lies in transportation. The central business district of any city provides an overwhelmingly disproportionate density of economic opportunity, and therefore proximity to the city center is a luxury. Asheville’s own Urban3 consultancy works with small cities across America beating that drum, providing visualizations of how much taxable value is created per acre, where the downtown central business district becomes immediately obvious no matter which city they plot. Here’s Asheville:
But when housing is treated as an appreciating asset and homeownership the vehicle to wealth generation, the only “affordable” housing for most is far from the city center. Asheville’s neighborhoods are overwhelmingly zoned for single-family homes, dense multi-family development proposals receive outcries from neighbors concerned about protecting their property values, and short-term rentals starve the market for rentals for residents. There is simply not enough housing close to the city center to accommodate everybody who wants to live near it. The Sightline Institute draws the analogy to a cruel game of musical chairs - when the music stops, it’s the poorest among us who are displaced. As a result, Asheville (or more precisely, Buncombe County) experiences continued sprawl, as the displaced and the newest entrants into homeownership must be content to live where land is cheapest.
The increasing sprawl means more cars, more roads, more traffic, and more parking required. According to the MountainX: “From 2002-19, the number of people who both lived and worked in Asheville increased slightly, from about 21,000 to approximately 23,000. But the number of people commuting from outside Asheville to work in the city soared, from roughly 46,000 to about 71,000.” Suddenly entry-level homeownership and affordable renting means owning a car, keeping it registered and in working order, paying for gas, tolls, and parking, and spending larger portions of one’s day commuting to and from work - at the expense of quality of life and at the risk of losing one’s security for lack of stable personal transportation.
Is homeownership really a good investment? 🔗
Homeownership is touted as the vehicle to achieve financial security, but that assertion often goes unchallenged and unconsidered. It may very well not be the way to do so.
Diversification of one’s investments is generally accepted as a wise strategy to spread out one’s risk; putting all of your eggs in one basket results in catastrophe if that one investment collapses. While it’s true that over the last 75 years the housing market in general has continued to appreciate, that might make investing in a REIT or a similar instrument a wise investment - but it does not mean that each house is a wise investment that will necessarily appreciate in value. Economist Joe Cortright writes: “Housing can be a good investment if you buy at the right time, buy in the right place, get a fair deal on financing, and aren’t excessively vulnerable to market swings. Unfortunately the market for home-ownership is structured in such a way as to assure that low-income and minority buyers meet none of these conditions.”
The “right time” depends on large macroeconomic trends that might not align perfectly to one’s need for housing; buying two years before the housing collapse in 2008 versus two years after were hyperbolically different investments. The “right place” is also incredibly variable and unpredictable; local economies could collapse or climate change could devastate an area - people who bought houses in Cleveland, Detroit, or New Orleans may have had their investment wiped out. The “fair deal on financing” depends on having a strong credit history (a challenge for minorities and the young) and prevailing prime interest rates; as discussed above, buying in late 2021 at 3% interest versus buying presently at 7.5% interest are two starkly different propositions.
Were housing not constantly increasing in cost due to a public policy of artificial scarcity, it would arguably be prudent to pay rent and to save money through a more diversified investment strategy.
Complicating the matter of predicting the wisdom of any particular home as an investment is the major institutions distorting the market with market capture ventures, seeking to capitalize on the broad appreciation of value in real estate, while frustrating entry into the market for others. In the last few years, investors and equity funds have plowed into the residential real estate market, scooping up houses as fast as they can in rapidly growing metropolitan areas, including nearby Charlotte, North Carolina. In snatching up every home for sale that they can, aggressively leasing them out to tenants with little choice but to pony up rent, and hoping to eventually sell them at a profit, they’re able to deliver to their investors dividends from rent payments while capturing the appreciated value from further limiting the supply.
Profit-seeking innovation from corporations will continue to innovate new ways of gaming the system. For example, Zillow used knowledge gleaned from searches on its site to identify desirable neighborhoods and buyer budgets, snatching up houses in such neighborhoods that are underpriced, and exploiting a vulnerability in home appraisal methods to quickly inflate the perceived value of a neighborhood and profit from it.
But such corporate distortions of the housing market are only of interest to them due to its historically consistently appreciating values. Were housing not treated as an investment instead of a life necessity, such profit seekers would take their interest someplace less predatory.
What would affordable housing policy look like? 🔗
Our policies right now overwhelmingly favor treating homeownership as an asset - from artificially cheap mortgage rates, to mortgage interest tax deduction, to local government zoning maps, and more. Those policies incentivize buying a home, preserving its property value, and urban planning that optimizes for single-family housing.
Optimizing for housing affordability would mean policies that incentivize building more long-term housing, of all kinds and sizes, in greater density, as close to the city center as possible. If 1,000 households move to Asheville in 2023, but Asheville does not build 1,000 new dwellings, the consequence is simple: housing prices go up, and those who can no longer afford housing will be displaced - either out into the county or away from the metropolitan area. To keep housing affordable, we have to build more. Some potential examples of policy consequences:
- Airbnb and VRBO deplete the housing stock of homes for potential residents, thus policies must disincentivize the conversion of viable long-term rentals into short or medium term rentals.
- Single family home zoning creates hard limits on density of housing in the city, thus upzoning - the permission to create additions of apartments, cottages, and other ADUs - must be allowed and incentivized.
- Higher density developments near the city center - such as apartment buildings, condominiums, and multi-family townhouses - increase population density, thus must have streamlined consideration and approval from city officials.
- When a homeowner dies without a JTWROS, it may be wise to heavily tax inheritance of real estate to limit reliance on housing serving as a vehicle for intergenerational wealth.
- Automobile centric development depletes density, making room for cars instead of people, thus as density increases near the city center, relax minimum parking requirements and augment public transit options.
Unfortunately, for Asheville, there are just as many reasons why the above are effectively impossible. Much of our economic engine thrives on tourism, and in North Carolina, each county’s Tourism Development Authority collects all of the tax revenue from hotels and Airbnbs/VRBOs to spend on… promoting more tourism - we are by state law not permitted to spend tourism revenue on making Asheville more affordable. Furthermore, North Carolina is not a home rule state, meaning the City of Asheville may only operate using powers delegated to them by the state government. We have no ability to determine our own taxation (for example, to use taxation to disincentivize vacation homes or short-term rentals). The City is highly incentivized to grow the overall property tax base within city limits, which means promoting increasing property values. And the hyper-conservative North Carolina General Assembly is not disposed to allow a progressive city to innovate more egalitarian housing policies - in fact, wealthy property owners in Asheville would likely lobby state legislators to override any such attempts by the city.
Even if Asheville did not have these state-level handcuffs, in general our governments don’t have the track record that would fill me with confidence. When there’s a set of policies that would increase general welfare for all and raise the overall economic prospects for a whole community, versus a set of policies that disproportionately benefit many while creating incremental hardship for many others, the greater the relative size of that disproportionate benefit directly correlates with the greater likelihood the inequitable policy will prevail. Government power has a way of being captured and steered by those who enjoy profit from doing so. Anyone reading the above proposed policy improvements with skepticism that any such government could successfully pursue an egalitarian end, even if that egalitarian end results in greater overall welfare for the community, has good reason to feel skeptical.
Regardless, it’s clear to me that our present orientation to housing as a wealth-generating investment is poor investment advice, unsustainable over time, and deeply reinforcing of historical racial discrimination & increasing wealth inequality in America. The cities that successfully make the pivot to culturally understanding housing as a necessity instead of an investment and enact policies to maximize the availability and affordability of housing will be the ones that sustainably thrive through the 21st century. Those that do not will suffer an enduring legacy of wealth disparity, homelessness, traffic, sprawl, and stagnation. I say this as a homeowner: I want better for us all.


But sometimes, we find out awfully quickly that working out in real life is a tad different than what we envision when we plan our get fit routine.
Sometimes, anticipating the unknown can create an overwhelming amount of anxiety that stops us from reaching our goals before we’ve even started trying. So let’s take the unknown out of the equation by looking at some of the most common misconceptions about fitness.
Here are our top four:
The simple truth is that you get out of exercise what you put into it, both in terms of intensity and frequency, so be honest with yourself and your level of commitment and adjust your expectations accordingly. If you can only squeeze in 2 light 30-minute workouts a week, that’s fine. Just don’t expect the results of a hardcore 5-day a week workout program.
Unless you’re training for the Olympics, chances are you can spend less than an hour just a few times a week in the gym and see real results. Not only do you NOT really have to “go hard or go home” but you can actually undo your best efforts by overtraining. The best way to make sure you’re not falling into this trap is to think of exercise as something you can ease into. If you’re starting out as a non-exerciser, anything you do is better than where you started!
Fear of Judgment
There will be a couple of really buff and really in-shape folks in the gym, but the majority of members will be like you – average people exercising because they want to experience the benefits of exercise and weight loss. And as for the idea that people are busy judging you? Everyone is having the exact same thought! Everyone is so worried about themselves, that they rarely notice how much weight you’re lifting or whether you’re doing the same exercises you did yesterday or if your sneakers are this season or last.
Diet is more than half the battle when it comes to getting in shape and staying healthy. If you exercise for an hour and use that to justify eating junk, while you’re not directly cancelling out the health benefit of the workout, you are making it extremely difficult to obtain visible results. While many people can commit to exercise, most aren’t willing or able to make the necessary changes to their diets which make all the difference.
Please SHARE this article and LIKE our page to support our community!


(ARLINGTON HEIGHTS, Ill.) — In a suburb just outside Chicago, Rick Santorum urged a crowd of over a thousand voters to take Tuesday’s Illinois primary seriously, arguing that he is the only candidate who is capable of beating Barack Obama and that Illinois holds the potential to greatly influence the outcome of the race.
“Everyone says Illinois, Barack Obama’s home state, won’t have any impact on this election. You have a chance on Tuesday. You want to defeat Barack Obama. There’s only one guy in this race who can do it, and you need to make sure he wins Illinois on Tuesday,” said Santorum at a rally in the gymnasium of the Christian Liberty Academy.
“I’m asking you, I’m pleading, that you understand that your honor is on the line. You uphold the honor of the people of Chicago and Illinois, and the great statesmen that have come from here,” said Santorum adding that these statesman were “in the past,” a direct jab at President Obama. “You have a unique duty here in Illinois to correct a wrong.”
Santorum criticized the president for not only underestimating the amount that his health care plan would cost the American taxpayers, but also accused him of masquerading the truth behind eloquent speeches. “I know all of you are shocked at this revelation. I know you all thought that it would come in less and that the president’s persuasive speeches about how he was going to save money and premiums would go down and costs would go down,” said Santorum. “The seas would recede. The sun would always shine. All of these great predictions of the president have remarkably not come to pass. I know that shocks you because you here in Illinois have such experience with his truthfulness.”
Santorum took the opportunity to tie Obama’s alleged untruthfulness to Mitt Romney, saying that his Massachusetts healthcare plan demonstrates that he is akin to Obama.
“We already have someone in Washington who doesn’t tell us the truth. We don’t need anybody else there to do the same,” said Santorum.
Aside from hitting Obama and Romney, Santorum’s event focused primarily on social issues, while also delving into foreign relations, specifically Iran.
Two male Occupy protesters interrupted Santorum’s speech with a mic check and kissed each other in the bleachers before they were escorted out as the crowd chanted “USA! USA! USA!”
Santorum campaigned in the St. Louis, Missouri area Saturday morning ahead of the state’s primary and will be traveling throughout southern Illinois for the remainder of the day.
Copyright 2012 ABC News Radio


In the vibrant world of culinary arts, a unique opportunity unfolds for veterans to find healing, camaraderie, and a renewed sense of purpose. While the Warriors Fund is dedicated to empowering veterans through various avenues, we recognize the immense potential that culinary programs hold in fostering community and aiding in the healing process. In this blog post, we invite you to explore the world of culinary arts, a realm where veterans can forge new connections, learn valuable skills, and embark on a journey of self-discovery and healing through the universal language of food.
Section 1: The Culinary Journey
Embarking on a culinary journey offers more than just the delight of cooking; it opens doors to a nurturing community where veterans can rediscover passion and find solace. Across the nation, several programs are channeling the therapeutic power of culinary arts to create spaces where veterans can share stories, learn, and grow together.
Take, for instance, the story of Michael, a veteran who found a new lease on life through a culinary program. "After leaving the service, I felt a bit lost," he shares. "But stepping into the kitchen, learning to create dishes, and connecting with others who share similar experiences has been incredibly healing. It's not just about the food; it's about the bonds we forge and the laughter that fills the room as we cook together."
Through culinary programs, veterans not only develop new skills but also find a pathway to potential career opportunities in the culinary world. From gourmet cuisine to pastry arts, these programs offer a space where veterans can explore their creativity, find joy in the process, and experience the satisfaction of creating something beautiful and delicious from scratch.
Section 2: Community Building Through Culinary Arts
In the heart of culinary programs, community building takes a central stage, fostering environments where veterans can connect, share, and grow together. These programs often transcend the boundaries of a traditional kitchen, evolving into vibrant communities where individuals come together to share not only meals but also stories, experiences, and support.
Imagine a space where veterans from various backgrounds gather, united by their love for cooking and a shared sense of camaraderie. These culinary hubs become melting pots of diverse cultures and flavors, offering veterans a platform to forge new friendships and rediscover the joy of community. From community potlucks to culinary workshops, these spaces offer a nurturing environment where veterans can heal, learn, and find a sense of belonging.
Furthermore, culinary programs often collaborate with renowned chefs and culinary experts to host workshops and events, offering veterans an opportunity to learn from the best in the industry. These events not only enhance their culinary skills but also foster a sense of community and mutual support, paving the way for lasting friendships and networks.
Section 3: Partnerships and Collaborations
While the Warriors Fund continually seeks avenues to foster community and support among veterans, we recognize the incredible work being done by other organizations in the culinary field. Across the nation, various programs are harnessing the power of culinary arts to aid veterans in their healing journey.
For instance, the Dog Tag Bakery in Georgetown, Washington D.C., operates a fellowship program that empowers veterans to transition into the civilian workforce, offering education in both business administration and baking. Similarly, Veterans Healing Farm in North Carolina promotes community building through gardening and farming workshops, where veterans can learn the art of growing food sustainably.
Moreover, collaborations with culinary schools and organizations are offering veterans a chance to explore the culinary world in depth. Programs such as the Culinary Institute of America’s (CIA) Military Foodservice Awards not only recognize the contributions of military chefs but also foster a community where veterans can pursue culinary arts as a viable career option.
Section 4: How to Get Involved
If the world of culinary arts intrigues you, there are numerous ways to immerse yourself in this nurturing and creative space. As a veteran, you can volunteer at community kitchens, participate in workshops, or even explore culinary courses tailored for individuals with a military background.
Furthermore, consider supporting these initiatives through donations or sponsorships. Your contributions can help sustain and expand these programs, ensuring that more veterans can benefit from the healing and community-building power of culinary arts.
As we explore the diverse avenues through which veterans can find support and community, the culinary world stands out as a space brimming with potential. It offers not just the joy of cooking but the promise of new beginnings, friendships, and healing. At the Warriors Fund, we encourage veterans to explore these opportunities, to forge new paths, and to build a brighter, more connected future.


The Senior Senator from Massachusetts is part of a group of Senators who are planning an all-night marathon discussion of climate change, starting tomorrow.
She asks us:
Monday night, several other senators and I are pulling an all-nighter on the floor of the Senate to talk about the importance of pollution and climate change. We are going to do our best to bring attention to a topic that a lot of people in Washington don’t want to talk about.
I’ve been assigned a block of time to talk, and I want to spend a chunk of it talking about as many stories as I can from people like you.
So take the question wherever you want: What do you think the planet is going to look like 25 years from now if we don’t tackle climate change head-on? What small thing will be different? What big thing will change everything?
Here’s what I wrote:
I am a musician and a music teacher who is deeply concerned about the impact of climate change — not just on our agriculture and our infrastructure, but on our music and our cultural traditions. The beauty and richness of humanity’s music — whether it’s the swinging rhythms of jazz, the majesty of a symphony orchestra, the downhome delight of a bluegrass band, or the mesmerizing strains of an Indian raga — all depend on a complex civilization to survive.
When that civilization is threatened, that means our species’ precious musical heritage is endangered. The world will be a very different place in 25 years if climate change continues accelerating. For one thing, there will probably be a lot fewer people, if the consequences of a runaway greenhouse effect impact agriculture and food systems as predicted. That’s a polite way of saying that millions, perhaps billions, of people are going to starve to death.
Now, that’s not the end of music; wherever human beings go, they bring music with them. But a lot of the music that we take for granted is going to disappear.
No matter where we live, we’ll be singing more funeral songs, and more songs to comfort the dying.
We’ll be singing songs to help us calm our children, even as their future becomes even more frightening.
But will we have time and resources to spare for symphonies? For jazz and folk festivals? When food is short for all but the very rich, what will the rest of us sing? What of the local cultures whose cherished traditions vanish underneath rising seas, or dry up in the aftermath of endless droughts? Will we do to the richness and variety of the world’s music what we are already doing to Earthly biodiversity?
There are two song lyrics which help give more perspective on these questions.
Peggy Seeger’s ballad “The Springhill Mine Disaster,” recalls the plight of the trapped miners in the wake of a catastrophic explosion, and includes this quatrain:
“Three days past and the lamps gave out /
Our foreman rose on his elbow and said /
We’re out of light and water and bread /
So we’ll live on songs and hope instead.”
When humanity runs out of water and bread, all we’ll have left are songs and hope. We’ll still be singing, but in a sorrowful scale.
Peggy Seeger’s older brother Pete just died a few weeks ago, and his song, “My Father’s Mansion’s Many Rooms” includes this verse:
“The choice is ours, to share this Earth /
With all its many joys abound /
Or to continue as we have /
And burn God’s mansion down.”
Let us not continue as we have. Let us preserve our beautiful and sacred Earth with all its many joys abound, so that our children’s children to the ten-thousandth generation can sing together in happiness as well as sorrow.
Thank you for standing up for our beautiful Earth against those who would silence its voices forever.


In the heart of the digital era, non-profit organizations are continually seeking innovative solutions to enhance their operations, engage their communities more effectively, and maximize their impact. Enter ChatGPT – a cutting-edge conversational AI developed by OpenAI, poised to revolutionize how non-profits communicate, learn, and innovate.
Revolutionizing Non-Profit Communications
For non-profits, clear and effective communication is key to success, whether it's engaging with the community, rallying support, or sharing the impact of their work. ChatGPT offers a dynamic way to automate and personalize communication. Imagine AI-powered newsletters that address each supporter individually or automated social media responses that keep your audience engaged and informed. With ChatGPT, the potential to streamline communication efforts while maintaining a personal touch is immense.
Enhancing Educational Outreach
Education is a cornerstone for many non-profit organizations, whether it's spreading awareness about their cause or training volunteers. ChatGPT can serve as an on-demand tutor, creating personalized learning experiences for volunteers or community members. It can also generate educational content, from FAQs to detailed articles on specific topics related to your mission, making knowledge dissemination more effective and far-reaching.
Fueling Creative Campaigns
Creativity is at the heart of impactful non-profit campaigns. ChatGPT can be your brainstorming partner, generating ideas for campaigns, writing compelling content, or even drafting grant proposals. Its ability to produce creative, engaging narratives can help non-profits tell their stories in a way that resonates, fostering deeper connections with their audience and potential donors.
Streamlining Operations with AI
Behind the scenes, non-profits face the challenge of managing operations efficiently with limited resources. ChatGPT can automate routine inquiries, assist in managing donor databases, and provide quick access to organizational knowledge, freeing up valuable time for your team to focus on mission-critical tasks.
Navigating the Ethical Use of AI
As non-profits embrace ChatGPT and other AI technologies, ethical considerations come to the forefront. It's vital to use these tools responsibly, ensuring that AI enhances your mission without compromising values or privacy. A transparent approach, combined with ongoing monitoring for bias and misuse, can help non-profits navigate these waters successfully.
Looking Forward: A Partnership between AI and Non-Profits
The journey of integrating ChatGPT into non-profit operations is just beginning. As AI technology evolves, its potential to support non-profits in achieving their missions grows exponentially. By adopting AI solutions like ChatGPT, non-profits can enhance efficiency, creativity, and engagement, paving the way for a future where technology and human compassion work hand in hand for the greater good.
Incorporating ChatGPT into your non-profit's strategy is not just about keeping up with technology trends; it's about embracing a tool that can significantly amplify your impact. As we look ahead, the possibilities are limitless, and the future of non-profits empowered by AI like ChatGPT is bright.


These searing images and moving essays teach us much about the lessons of history, the costs of war, and the overlooked challenges of achieving lasting peace. The honesty and introspection of the contributors also reminds us that the gaps that exist between peoples can be bridged; wounds can be healed; hatreds can be dissolved; and the once unthinkable can become reality — if there is a willingness to pursue dialogue and embrace our common humanity. Imagine: Reflections on Peace is a timely and important call to action.
Madeleine K. Albright
Former US Secretary of State
Powerful, persuasive and forensic, this book will open your eyes, challenge your assumptions, and deepen your understanding of war and the people who survive it. It shows that war doesn’t end with the signing of a peace treaty, or when a situation has faded from the news headlines. At a time when more people are displaced by war and oppression today than at any period since the Second World War, this calls for a new generation of negotiators to step forward. Above all, it is a tribute to the victims of war, and to all those who never give up the struggle to achieve stability, justice and good governance in their countries.
UNHCR Special Envoy
This magnificent collection of photography and narrative gives us a moving, searing portrayal of war-torn places in the aftermath of violence. Renowned photojournalists and writers return to the scene of brutal conflicts to document people’s inspiring attempts to rebuild their lives and to imagine what peace really means. The result is a stirring meditation on peace as an unfinished project, precariously poised between memory and forgiveness.
Michael J. Sandel
political philosopher, Harvard University, Author of Justice: What’s the Right Thing to Do?
I found this book powerful in its evocation of the great suffering of the last half-century’s wars, wise in recognizing that their painful legacy long endures, and inspiring in showing reconciliation in action. Most moving to me: seeing those who negotiated South Africa’s transition to democracy help bring Northern Ireland’s warring factions to the bargaining table. Peace, like war, can be contagious.
Author of King Leopold’s Ghost and To End All Wars
The story of war’s aftermath is ancient: the bleeding stops, the spotlight points elsewhere, the ruins are left in darkness. It is the genius of the editors of Imagine: Reflections on Peace to recognize that only after the guns grow silent does the true story begin: of how human beings reconstruct their lives, of how murderers become neighbors, of how justice returns — or doesn’t. For anyone who has consumed narratives of war and violence, who has gazed into the whirlpools of history and violence, who craves beautiful writing and life-changing images, Imagine is an essential book.
Author of Spiral: Trapped in the Forever War


Simran Sarai was often the leader of her twin brother, Sajjan, and younger brother, Daya. So when the usually energetic six-year-old started to spend her free time curled up on the couch complaining of leg pain, her parents, Sarj and Jin, became concerned. Simran’s leg pain worsened and a blood test was performed to determine why Simran’s health deteriorated so suddenly. When the results came back, Sarj was asked to bring Simran to BC Children’s Hospital’s Emergency Department immediately.
After five hours of tests, doctors took Sarj and Jin into a private room and delivered the devastating news – Simran had leukemia. “At first I refused to believe what I was being told,” said Sarj. “But when I heard the cure rate for Simran’s type of cancer was upward of 90 per cent, my despair turned to relief.”
Simran spent the next nine days in an isolation room to undergo intense treatment. Despite her physical challenges, Simran remained positive and high-spirited – something that Sarj says helped the family get through the tough times. Over the next several months, Simran was in and out of Children’s Hospital to receive treatment. But by the summer of 2007, her health finally began to improve.
Now sixteen years old, Simran is back in school full time, plays soccer and enjoys cross-country running. Thanks to the love of her family and the support of her caregivers at BC Children’s Hospital, the future looks bright for Simran.


Fr. Kevin Keegan is from Derry, Northern Ireland. Today he is based in the Church of the Sacred Heart in Galway City, but he has his heart split between Brazil and Ireland. The first time he went to Brazil was in 1987, for a mission that lasted two years, however, he could be living there until now if his destiny hadn’t taken him to another path. Even though he now lives in his home country, he still remains immersed in Brazilian culture by working as an honorary consul for the Brazilian Embassy and helping the community to pursue their “Irish dream life.”
He believes that the fusion of these two nationalities is going to have a significant impact on the future of Ireland. The young people who are graduating from college here and searching for a better quality of life are doing something good for themselves and also for the Irish society as a whole.
I confess, I was training my English skills before going to Galway and chatting with him but when I met Fr. Kevin, I found out that he speaks better Portuguese than I speak English, and he knows more about Brazil than I know about my own country, including stories of the “Dolphin’s Tale” in the city of Pará and the fact that some indigenous people speak more than 3 languages; these are some of Brazil’s wonders and vastness.
How and when did your connexion with Brazil start?
I first went to Brazil in 1987, for a two years mission. I lived in Pará, Belém from 1995 and came back to Ireland in 2000, that was when I first met the first Brazilians living in Roscommon. I was in a shop when I heard two guys speaking Portuguese and thought maybe I was going crazy, as I was already in Ireland but was still hearing Portuguese. Those two Brazilians had just arrived in Ireland to work, and they invited me for a coffee at their house, where they lived with other Brazilians.
There I found out about the problems they were facing; they were invited to come to Ireland to work with promises that they would have house, benefits, salary and that the flight tickets would be paid for but things weren’t going exactly as they were told. They had to pay for everything themselves.
Their contract showed only the salary they would earn and the time they should work at, but it did not mention that money would be deducted from their payment to pay for those things.
They started to enquire about their rights and from there the legal procedure against the slaughter houses that employed them began. By helping them to mediate their rights I learned a lot about the labor rights in Ireland.
As the Brazilian people here didn’t speak English, I was writing down notes about the Brazilian worker’s rights so they could bring that to their employers.
So, you’ve learned Portuguese to help them?
I’ve learned Portuguese because I lived in Brazil and actually my wish was to live there forever. When I came back to Ireland in 2000 it was only for a holiday and other personal reasons, but when I saw the situation of those Brazilians in Roscommon I felt compelled to stay and help them out. Soon, it came to my knowledge that problems like the ones in Roscommon were happening also in other parts of Ireland (Donegal, Cork, Dublin, Kilbeggan).
“If I wasn’t here to see it, I wouldn’t believe it was happening in this country.”
What kind of problems?
People living in bad conditions, such as houses with more than 20 men sharing three bedrooms, one shower, and one fridge. A precarious situation.
One of the slaughterhouses closed, a chicken slaughterhouse in Roscommon, as they had many complaints and problems with health inspections. A reporter from RTÉ won a prize for social justice when he wrote the article about this situation.
It’s important that you can bring light to these situations since we are a big community here in Ireland we might not be able to be united.
No, it is not so united. I used to say that unfortunately, the biggest enemy of the Brazilians here in Ireland is the Brazilians themselves. There are many Brazilians who come here with a negative outlook and feel jealous of others’ growth.
It is hard for all of us, isn’t it?
Yes, it is hard for everyone. Everyone arrives in the same situation, some of them maybe with a bit more experience than others, but if the community comes together and organises itself, they can have power in this country since the number is huge. They could even become candidates for the Government, with an Irish passport, and improve the situation for the Brazilian community.
Before there was the Polish which was the second biggest community here in Ireland, but the last census we had [showed that] the Brazilian community increased, as many Polish went back to Poland because the financial situation there got better.
Now, it’s been 20 years that I’ve been here working with the Brazilian community and there are many children who came over and are growing up here and those who are being born here, this number is increasing, it is another generation. The ones who came when they were still toddlers don’t even know Brazil, and some of them are playing rugby very well and also Gaelic football.
You see that those children and teenagers are now in a better position than their parents were as they have better English and better relationships with people from everywhere and [as a consequence] are more integrated into the society here.
Working as an honorary consul for the Brazilian Embassy, you also help the Brazilian community a lot, how exactly do you help them and what are your recommendations for them?
Recently, part of my work is to support the ones who have no documents, some of them came to the country as tourists or students and ended up staying here. It’s a long and hard process, but it is not impossible. Of course, that depends on each case.
Ideally, they should not do anything that could catch the attention of the Garda or Immigration, nothing that could harm their reputation. They should be in the system with their PPS numbers and paying taxes.
I always advise them to keep a record of what they do, like keeping receipts and also to use a diary to record the dates and times of their jobs and how much they made. All of this will help a lot.
When you were living in Brazil, what places did you go to?
I traveled from the North to the South. I’ve been to Manaus, Belém, Pará, Cuiabá, Rio de Janeiro, São Paulo, Distrito Federal, Fortaleza, Recife, Olinda, Belo Horizonte and Florianópolis.
I spent three years living and working on a boat in Pará.
Brazil has an interesting mixture.
The origin of a large part of the North and Northeast is indigenous. São Paulo has a mix of everything, it even has the biggest Japanese community outside of Japan.
What was your favorite place?
Alto do Chão, in Pará, is the most beautiful place I’ve been to.
How was your adaptation there?
It was easy because the Brazilians welcomed me well and this helped me to adapt. Some of them told me that it was because I was a good foreign, which for me was a way of welcoming me. Some places I stayed weren’t easy. I had to adapt to their habits, [for instance] when I was living on a boat in a very poor area, a community which was not traditionally into agriculture and livestock, we would be going up and down on the river Arapiuns, with a lot of fish, ray, and piranha.
What were the difficulties, if you had any?
Once I was invited to a party in Pará when I was living on the boat. Arriving there, all the women ran away from me and the next day I asked them why they did that since they had invited me to dance in the first place, and they said they didn’t really know if I was a man or a “Boto” (pink river dolphin).
The tale of the “Boto” is very strong there and it is taken seriously. It is a story that the pink dolphin leaves the river and becomes a handsome white man at the first hour of a party to seduce the women and then becomes a dolphin again.
Another aspect of the tale is that some people there only say the name of a child being baptized when the “Boto” has passed by them. One of the seminarists at that time said this was silly and he had to apologise to everyone in the community or he wouldn’t leave the village alive.
It is part of their culture and everything that makes part of a certain culture is right, it comes from stories and this background has meaning to a community.
Did you face any other curious situation over there?
Few people have told me that indigenous people are not smart, but they are very intelligent and they know a lot of things.
I was once in Oriximiná chatting in English with other Seminarists about politics and one of the indigenous, of the Guaguai tribe, joined the conversation speaking perfect English. They speak Tupi Guarani, Portuguese, English, and French. As they walk all around French Guiana and Suriname they learn it.
What is to be Brazilian, in your opinion?
Someone once told me that a Brazilian is a person who was born dancing ‘samba’ and playing football. Brazilian is the one who lives for today; to be happy and to have food on the table. They don’t think much about the future, they don’t make long-term plans. Brazilians enjoy life, are cheerful and friendly. Brazilians can be mixed with any other “race”. The word of a Brazilian person has value, as they say, if they say they will do [something] you can trust they will do it. They are hard-workers and not lazy. This is also my experience with Brazilians here in Ireland and many Irish people say the same thing.


The new 3,954-passenger Carnival Horizon will be home to a new concept called Guy’s Pig & Anchor Bar-B-Que Smokehouse|Brewhouse that will offer smoked-on-board barbecue and house-made craft beer.
Several Carnival ships already boast Fieri-themed barbecue outlets…but they don’t have attached breweries. Fieri-themed burger outlets can be found on 19 of Carnival’s 25 ships.
Horizon is scheduled to debut in April. It’ll sail to the Caribbean out of New York over the summer of 2018 after an inaugural series of voyages in Europe. It’ll move to Miami in the fall of 2018 for year-round sailings to the Caribbean.
Like her sister ship the Carnival Vista, Horizon will feature an 800-foot-long peddle ride around its top deck and an IMAX Theater. Both were firsts for the industry when they debuted on Vista. Horizon also will have a massive WaterWorks aqua park with a giant water tube slide — a major feature of Vista.


The Premier League Archive
The Premier League Archive is an incredible collection featuring full length coverage from over 7,500 matches, together with weekly and seasonal highlights stretching back more than a decade, as well as programming, ISO’s, interviews and HD material.
- Facts & Figures
|Rights Available*||All Media||All Media|
|Restrictions||See 'Further Information'||N/A|
|Period||In perpetuity||In perpetuity|
*International Sound cleared for all footage/programming.
*All footage/programming is licensed on a non-exclusive basis and subject to final approval.
*No current season (2012/13) footage is available to licence until 1st June 2013.
The Barclays Premier League is all about the football.
The principal objective of the Premier League is to stage the most competitive and compelling league with world class players and, through the equitable distribution of broadcast and commercial revenues, to enable clubs to develop so that European competition is a realistic aim and, once there, they are playing at a level where they can compete effectively.
Many of the most famous clubs in world football play in the Premier League and, thanks to our distribution model - which is the most equitable in top-flight European football - the League is incredibly competitive, unpredictable and exciting. In recent seasons, the battles for the Title, Champions League places and to avoid relegation have been the tightest and hardest fought on record.
Some of the biggest names in world football have played in the Premier League: from Wayne Rooney to David Silva, Santi Cazorla to Gareth Bale, Luis Suarez to Marouane Fellaini. The world’s best players have come to England to play in a compelling league competition, in front of passionate full-houses and matches that are seen all over the world.
The global stars attracted to the Premier League helps raise playing standards of young English talent like Daniel Sturridge, Jack Wilshere and Phil Jones. Our clubs are producing some excellent players, who take their place alongside the international superstars on merit.
-The Premier League is the most watched football league in the World. With an audience of over 4 billion in the 2011/12 season, across over 200 countries.
-Alan Shearer is the all time leading Premier League goal scorer with 260 goals.
-Over 21,000 goals have been scored in the Premier League since 1992/93.
- Aston Villa midfielder Marc Albrighton scored the 20,000th Premier League goal against Arsenal in December 2011.
-Ryan Giggs of Manchester United has played and scored in every season of the Premier League.
-David James has recorded the most Premier League clean sheets at, 173 in total.
-Arsenal's "Invincibles" side went unbeaten for 49 matches, including the entire 2003/04 season.
-Sir Alex Ferguson is the Premier Leagues most successful manager with his Manchester United side having never finished outside the top 3 and claiming the title a record 13 times.
- The most goals scored by an individual in a season is 31, a joint record shared by Alan Shearer (Blackburn Rovers, 1995/96) and Cristiano Ronaldo (Manchester United, 2007/08).
-Manchester United hold the biggest margin of victory in a game by beating Ipswich Town 9-0 in 1995.


WRITTEN BY TERESA GRECO
Italy’s most enticing tourism revival plan includes 50 million euros, financed by the region’s tourism department, to bring tourists back to Sicily. Known to provide an unforgettable holiday through wine tasting tours, world’s unique artistic masterpieces, three active volcanoes, snow-capped mountains and an amazing sea, Sicily is considered the European holiday paradise. Eager to welcome visitors post-pandemic, Italy’s plans include offering a 50% discount on all flight costs, 25% off hotel expenses, and free tickets to many museums and archaeological sites in regions like Sicily. Europe normally continues to draw many North American tourists who enjoy travelling overseas during the winter months, particularly for the numerous Christmas markets; however, with the governments’ re-imposed curfews and travel restrictions, hotels, bars, and restaurants sit empty in most affected areas.
According to the World Travel and Tourism Council, Europe’s tourism sector employs 22.6 million people, which is equivalent to 11.2% of total European Union employment. The European Commission has estimated the loss of up to 50 million jobs worldwide within the global hospitality and tourism industry, seven million of which is expected to be from Europe alone. The estimated loss of tourism revenue worldwide is between 275-400 billion euros, said Sonia Gospodinova, an EU Commission spokesperson. “For Europe restaurants and hotels would lose 50% of their revenues. The most impacted are the airlines and cruise operators (90%) and 70% of loss for tour operations and other travel agencies,” says Gospodinova. In Italy’s southern region, Sicily has taken an almost irrecoverable hit, losing over $1.09 billion USD in revenue since the country imposed a nationwide lockdown on March 10th due to the Covid-19 pandemic.
Tourist traffic is down 20-30% in 2020, according to the World Tourism Organization. To incentivize tourists to pick Sicily as a vacation destination, Manlio Messina, Sicily’s tourism director, announced that “there will be 400,000 vouchers for discounts and giveaways to encourage holiday-makers who despite coronavirus fears, decide to go to the island.” The vouchers, reports InformaSicilia, will be “paid in advance for tourist packages that include rooms booked in the hotel, guided tours and tickets for theaters or shows in Sicily.”
IT IS CRUCIAL NOW TO AID AND ASSIST TOURISM ENTERPRISES THROUGHOUT THE ENTIRE TRAVEL ECOSYSTEM TO SAVE MILLIONS OF LIVELIHOODS THAT DEPEND ON THE SECTOR,
— states Luis Araujo, President of the European Travel Commission.
Araujo says the resumption of tourism will trigger economic growth and revival in the 33 European countries he now oversees in his new position. “We need to ensure that tourism has a stronger voice in Europe, through better coordination among countries, in view of a… responsible, sustainable, digital and resilient tourism of tomorrow.” Araujo remains optimistic, saying, “We have a real opportunity now to reinvent the tourism sector of tomorrow.”


After a 2020 season that left footy fans deflated without an end to the story they’d been following so passionately, the final page of the 2021 chapter has been turned, with a most exhilarating finish. Twice heartbroken on the biggest stage by an agonising six points, Brisbane Lions are the 2021 AFLW Premiers.
We talk about fairytales a lot in footy – about Cinderella stories and underdog stories, but also the horror stories and the nightmares. They all play an in important role. The story is what brings us in, what connects us, what keeps us wanting to turn the page.
Having that taken away last year was devastating. Having the book handed back to us in 2021, and to fill the pages with the season we’ve had, with the league and teams battling a pandemic to get the season on the park and a grand final that delivered the drama, devastation and delight it did, is a story worth cherishing.
Brisbane’s AFLW story is one fans have followed and empathised with since they lost their first grand final in 2017. One of the foundation teams in the AFLW competition, the Lions, after losing two grand finals, then felt the full effects of expansion in 2019 with the introduction of North Melbourne and Geelong. The club lost Kaitlyn Ashmore, Tahlia Randall, Jamie Stanton and Brittany Gibson, finishing second-last in Conference B.
2020 saw more departures. Sabrina Frederick went to Richmond, Kate McCarthy went to St Kilda, and they lost eight players to the Gold Coast Suns. Only seven women from that 2017 grand final team took the field in the 2021 edition. But under the leadership of seasoned coach, and this year’s AFL Coaches Association AFLW Senior Coach of the Year, Craig Starcevich, Brisbane rebuilt.
The Lions looked to be bouncing back last year, making the fast-tracked finals in 2020 before losing to Carlton by 29 points prior to COVID-19 stopping the finals series in its tracks with no overall winner.
Brisbane’s AFLW story has felt lacking for the last few years, not lacklustre, as for everything they’ve given the competition, for how much Queensland in particular has given to women’s football, that elusive premiership to reward to the work has been a missing piece. And now that premiership is a defining moment in the Lions’ history courtesy of a game that had everything.
Courtney Hodder’s first goal of the game for Brisbane was spine-tingling, then to follow it up with another highly skilled soccer off the ground was electric. Hodder had just one touch in last week’s preliminary final.
Stevie-Lee Thompson tying the scores with just over a minute left in the opening term added to the drama after we were treated to a high-intensity battle throughout the opening half.
Then the devastation. Both captains, Brisbane’s Emma Zielke and stand-in captain for Adelaide, Angela Foley, went down in the third quarter within five minutes of each other. The nightmare twists we don’t’ see coming, leaving us reeling.
Then joy. Retiring Lion and AFLW stalwart Lauren Arnell kicking a goal in a winning grand final, her final game, was the stuff of legend.
There are also the stories that echo throughout the footy world as a direct impact of the AFLW competition.
It was admirable to see the AFL alter the men’s fixture to allow the AFLW grand final to have its moment. But as a sport-hungry nation in post-COVID recovery, there’s so much sport on offer now to make-up for a year lost. As Kirby Fenwick wrote, this weekend there were many community clubs returning to the grounds they were kept out of for so long, “pulling on the boots, standing on the sidelines or in the canteen, perhaps surreptitiously watching the [AFLW Grand Final] between serving orders of hot chips, instead of heading to the game or watching at home.”
For those at the iconic Brunswick Street Oval today, the quick looks at phones and shouting of scores was part of the community footy buzz. Fitzroy Football Club, now competing in the Victorian Amateur Football Association, still maintain a strong connection with the Brisbane Lions post the merger with the Bears in 1996. As the Fitzroy senior women’s team battled it out, club directors and volunteers shared their screens to keep track of the Lions, proud of what they have achieved and of the example they’re setting for women playing footy all around the country.
And every story has a hero. It’s hard to choose just one when we are spoilt for them in AFLW but perhaps the most enduring act of heroism in this story came from someone who couldn’t take the field. Chelsea Randall’s advocacy for concussion protocols while she was forced to watch from the sidelines was nothing short of heroic.
These are the stories that make the AFLW so special. They are the stories of the athletes, the fans, the community who all are part of the narrative of this competition.
There will of course be devastated Adelaide fans. There will be devastated Melbourne and Fremantle and Collingwood and North Melbourne fans. But AFLW is different to what we see in AFLM. Fans have teams, but they have their stories. The stories of how they came to be fans of AFLW. If they have a team, or chose a new one, or followed their favourite players or have multiple favourite players across multiple teams. If they came to AFLW because they didn’t feel welcome at AFLM. If the AFLW makes them feel like they belong. It’s all part of their story and for most AFLW fans, we’re cheering for the story.
And the story of 2021 is the stuff of legend. Brisbane’s story.


I was chit chatting with a close friend/brother last night about how we are in the midst of a global change. We are witnessing life changing moments similar to the time of Jamal Abdel Nasser, Martin Luther King Jr. and Mahatma Ghandi. We are watching a LIVE story unfold in front of our own very eyes, from the Arab Spring which started in December 2010 to Occupy Wall Street which started exactly a month ago. Absolutely amazing and jaw dropping!
I have been alive during many world events that forced me to be glued to the TV screen wanting to digest everything. Some of these events were entertaining and inspiring while others were heart wrenching and depressing. The Moscow Olympics of 1980, the Intifada of 1987, the demolition of the Berlin Wall in 1989, the creation of the World Wide Web in 1990, the Gulf War and the Dissolution of the Soviet Union in 1991 to name a few. Now we seem to be glued to so many media sources and still cannot keep up with EVERYTHING that is currently going on in the world. I believe what is going on right now is because people, in general and all around the globe, have had enough. Change is reaching all ends of the Earth and knocking on everyone's doors. Change is imminent and I am crossing my fingers that it will be a good one for everyone.
I find myself wondering about what led such revolutions and clashes to erupt and whether or not they could have been avoided. It seems to me like GREED and GLUTTONY are two 'sins' from Dante's Divine Comedy, that connect most of them together. The lust for more money and power. The greed and gluttony of leaders and the rich 1% of each country. The gluttony that infests the body and mind cementing the stonyhearted wall around them. The greed that blinds the people to other people's needs making them oblivious, believing that they are the only ones needed to run this world when in reality everyone is needed to run it well. Oh, the inequality of it all! Have we not learned from our past history? Hasn't man ever learned that war, killing, greed and all the other 6 sins have not helped wo/man-kind?
I know that if we looked back in history we would find so many incidents where everything was build on the backs of cheap labour, on the backs of the less fortunate... and I know that it is usually the rich getting richer while the poor are getting poorer... I understand all that... I have studied how corporations are built and prosper from manufacturing their products in sweat-shops... I have read the news about the recent credit crunch which was one of the worst financial crisis since the Great Depression and how it has affected the lives of millions around us.
But what strikes me the most is this....Isn't it enough? I mean...Isn't it time to find a balance between extreme wealth and comfortable wealth? Isn't it time to feel good about what we have by sharing that wealth and be generous with the less fortunate? Isn't it time to be more compassionate by giving a part of ourselves and what we have to improve everyone's quality of life?... Isn't it time to give back to humanity?
I see so many people obsessed with owning the latest fashions and brand named clothes when people are in rags in many parts of the world. I see a thousand dollar ice-cream on the menus of famous restaurants when people in Less Economically Developed countries are starving for a few grains to nibble on. I see people with over 10 expensive collector's item cars that can be smashed or lost in one bad decision or a natural hazard when millions have to walk for many kilometers on foot just to get some water or go to school/work.
When is it a good time to say, "I am satisfied with what I have"? When is it a good time to say, "I will save some money for a bad day, my children or a much deserved vacation and then I can give to the less fortunate and help improve their life." When is it a good time to give a part of ourselves to the good of man-kind? When is it a good time to stop looking at what we have and would like to have and start looking at what others need to have to survive?
NOW... Now, I believe is the time!


When something goes bump in the night, do you run screaming or bump back? At the Haunted Magnolia Hotel in Seguin, Texas, you are about to get the opportunity to show exactly how brave you are by staying overnight in a haunted hotel.
Whether you believe in ghosts or think there is always an explanation for the spooky stuff, this hotel’s history is enough to have you questioning whether or not ghosts are real.
It has been featured on several different ghost-hunting type shows, with several visitors claiming to have captured documentation of the ghosts at the hotel. For several years, the current owners have been running regular ghost-hunting tours of the hotel, giving people the opportunity to visit with groups and see if they can see some of the hotel’s legendary spirits.
For some, these big group visits are not enough. People have been clamoring for the opportunity to stay the night in the hotel, which gives them a longer chance to investigate and a quieter experience that they believe might increase their chances of a witnessing some paranormal activity. The owners have complied and will be opening up the hotel for overnight stays in the coming months. Are you brave enough to join them?


In the increasingly wide open musical landscape of recent years, the challenge has been increasing when it comes to creating an album that transcends beyond time both musically and lyrically. Metal has not been the exception, since with each year that passes, it is more difficult for the general public to avoid sometimes thinking “Everything has already been done.”
Whitechapel in their most recent years of their career have not been alien to this belief in particular, specially because with their first 3 albums they became pillars of Deathcore, a subgenre in which instrumental and lyrical heaviness are pretty much the key factors to create and perform. However, they have shown that they can reach that supreme level of heaviness that the Deathcore fan always demands.
By releasing The Valley in 2019, Whitechapel, with their name already established in the Deathcore scene, decides to change the approach to their music in a move that was initially questioned but ultimately praised by the vast majority. The band at this point didn’t needed to prove their status in the scene, the main focus was maximizing expression and boy did they totally succeeded.
Often considered “An album with a life of its own,” The Valley is more than a musical work and a portrait of the darkest years of Phil Bozeman’s childhood, it is a window into our deepest emotions. This is where the true power of this album lies, the power to mold itself to our experiences and even our mood with songs that express various emotions that converge with each other. This was further enhanced 2 years later with the release of what would be their successor album, Kin. An album that was born mainly from the story told in The Valley.
Since the release of The Valley it has been inevitable to imagine what it would be like to experience these songs live. It didn’t take very long to hear already emblematic singles like “When A Demon Defiles A Witch”, “Brimstone” or “Black Bear”. Songs that are already established numbers in the band’s set lists. Still, we had to wait a bit longer to hear deeper cuts like “We Are One” or “The Other Side” live, songs that as the years went by we still hoped to be able to experience at a live show someday.
The idea of listening to The Valley in its entirety live was something that still seemed very far away, even though it was a recurring scenario for Whitechapel to play emblematic albums like This Is Exile in its entirety. Since at that time it was the 10th anniversary of the album that pretty much made them break through, so if we wanted that kind of treatment with The Valley we would have to sit and wait.
Fortunately, we didn’t had to wait a decade for it…
At the beginning of 2023 we were all waiting for the announcement of an eventual Whitechapel headlining tour, but when it was revealed that tour The Valley would be performed in its entirety, the magnitude was even greater. We could finally hear songs that waited years to be released live and we could see Phil Bozeman directly express the stories captured in his lyrics. Once again this great album found a way to generate expectation, reaching the definitive magnitude: Experiencing it live.
The chosen city for our date in The Valley would be New York, at the iconic sold out Gramercy Theatre on April 21 of 2023, a date that is already part of the memory of many of us. The anticipation of this tour and this show in particular could be felt with fans arriving early at the venue, even that guy who drove by in his car excitedly shouting “Whitefuckingchapel!” as he passed by the venue. Something premonitory of the mood that would be experienced from the start of the show.
Upon entering the venue we did not have to wait for the emotions to be ignited by the elite opening bands that we would have. Quickly the versatile Entheos led by Chaney Crabb and Navene Koperweis began a great Metal evening with their incredible instrumental display and their “Jazzpits”, then following up with Signs Of The Swarm and their brutal performance in which their fierce leader David Simonich displaying his demonic voices. And finally the fast and fun Archspire who kept the revolutions at full speed.
After finishing the performances of these 3 great bands, the excitement increased every second as the production team prepared the stage. Even after having seen Whitechapel live on previous occasions, it was impossible to escape from that level of expectation minutes before their show. However, this time it was perceived differently, like a kind of premonition that we would experience something like never before.
A key moment was when the lights on the rest of the stage shined on, revealing the curtain with the already iconic cover of The Valley, as if the great eye had been watching us all this time while the other bands were playing, representing the opening the path to the valley and the entrance of the band we all came to see: Whitechapel.
Finally with the first notes of “When A Demon Defiles A Witch” they appear, Whitechapel announces their arrival on stage. Once the guitars, the drums and the voice of Phil Bozeman everyone in attendance went into a frenzy with the rhythm of the frenetic verses of this explosive song.
In the middle of this song, Phil himself welcomes us to The Valley, proceeding to perform a section with clean vocals in a very versatile way, giving way to Ben Savage’s great solo and coming back again to the emotional chorus that is chanted with fervor by everyone at the Gramercy Theatre.
Diving into the history of The Valley, we continue with the fierce “Forgiveness Is Weakness” where Phil Bozeman from the first “He is finally dead!” begins to distill the most visceral hatred imaginable, in verses so sharp that they cut like knives hidden in the deepest corner of his memory and come out to attack the demon of his past.
The dagger digs even deeper on “Brimstone,” where Phil continues to radiate the hatred seen in the previous song. This time spitting fire and sulfur with powerful guttural vocals, supported by the crushing riffs of the guitar trio composed of Ben Savage, Alex Wade and Zach Householder. Also highlighting the solid column of sound created by Gabe Crisp on bass, making this song feel like the beating of a heart possessed by fury.
In all the occasions we have been able to see Whitechapel live, there has been no sensation that can compare to experiencing “Hickory Creek” live. When the first chord of the song began, it was like feeling a block of ice sliding through your spine, changing completely the atmosphere in the room that was euphoric just minutes earlier.
“Hickory Creek” is a song that can be described as “The heart of The Valley”, it is here where Phil Bozeman gets rid of his Metal armor and exposes his most emotional side, captured in a beautiful performance with clean vocals that hit everyone in attendance right on their feelings, some even not being able to hold back their tears.
Noticing the emotional atmosphere after “Hickory Creek”, once again Phil Bozeman decides to change the atmosphere of the place by saying “There is no time to be sad!”, giving way to “Black Bear”, one of the staple songs of this album. Where once again the crowd got ignited to restart the action jumping around or getting into the pit.
The revolutions were about to increase even more with one of the most anticipated songs of the night: the fast paced “We Are One”, a thrashing song that unleashed hell in the place with fast mosh pits that were commanded by the powerful blast-beats from Brandon Zackey on drums.
Without a doubt “We Are One” is the song that truly shows how Brandon Zackey has earned his wings as the chosen for Whitechapel’s drummer position, in a performance where he becomes a one-man army and displays his great technical versatility. Something that has already been recognized from his work with Enterprise Earth, but now with Whitechapel it establishes him even more as one of the most outstanding drummers in Metal today.
We continue with “The Other Side”, another special song that made its debut on this The Valley tour. This song stands out above all the others for being a cry of hope in the midst of hatred and pain, having key moments such as the beautiful guitar solo performed by Ben Savage, without a doubt one of the most emblematic solos of his career.
We then continue with the chilling performance of “Third Depth”, where Phil Bozeman successfully presents a facet that conveys vulnerability and desperation in his clean vocal verses and then gains strength in the dark chorus once again.
“Lovelace” is another song that made its live debut with this current tour and although it hasn’t had as much impact as other songs on The Valley, it works too well when you listen to the album in its entirety. This concert was no exception, since live it is further enhanced by the great way in which Phil Bozeman conveys the desperation that this song expresses.
Our journey through the valley comes to an end with “Doom Woods.” An emotionally powerful song loaded with a dark and depressive atmosphere. Phil Bozeman’s performance on this song was simply majestic, highlighting a moment when before the first chorus he said “The devil is real, I’ve seen him. Now let’s take a walk with him”, and then continuing with an impressive performance where his demonic staging was unique and fitting with the gloomy atmosphere of this song, closing with “The devil is alive” in the final verse.
With this song the album ends, but much more still awaited us, because with “I Will Find You” Whitechapel reminds us that there is life beyond The Valley. With this being Kin’s opening song, it was very appropriate to include it, because it made a very beautiful contrast with the opening verse “The devil is dead!” and the final verse of “Doom Woods” that closed The Valley prior to this song..
Then, amidst chants of “Whitechapel! Whitechapel!” from everyone in attendance, it was time to enter the final stretch of this unforgettable concert, with Phil calling out all Whitechapel old school fans for the next three songs. Suddenly introducing us to the first one of them: “Prostatic Fluid Asphyxiation”.
From this point on, we would see something that could easily be comparable to a demon being unchained from the very depths of hell. Phil Bozeman cranks the brutality up to 11 and delivers guttural vocals as crushing as his younger days around The Somatic Defilement era, even taking the time in between the song to gesture “Lower? Ok, you got it” , to close with the final breakdown of the song, which was like being in front of a volcano exploding and emanating magma everywhere, continuing with a masterful transition towards “Possession”, another great classic Whitechapel song. Giving a preview of what will be the band’s next album, as it has been described as “The heaviest thing they have ever recorded” and a true return to the brutal sound that made them Deathcore legends.
Before the concert we were able to chat with Phil Bozeman and the level of contrast that exists around his persona never ceases to amaze. Off stage he is someone extremely chill and relaxed, but when he steps on stage you are not looking at a man anymore, you’re looking at a true force of nature. Certainly there are fewer and fewer adjectives among all those that have been used to describe his vocal ability; He has been called a monster, a beast, a legend, a demon and even a god. But without a doubt after this concert, we can affirm that we are facing the best frontman in modern Metal today.
To finish this encore and this unforgettable concert, Whitechapel brings us one of their greatest classics: “This Is Exile”. Where for the last time, the furious New York crowd gave their all in the mosh pits and crowd surfing with immense energy and passion. After all, this was the scene that saw the birth of Slam.
With a final and loud “This world is ours!” shouted by everyone present, this great concert ends that will remain in the memory of all of us who were fortunate enough to attend and will relive this performance every time we press play to listen to The Valley.
Fortunately we will also have the opportunity to remember this great show in a great way with Live in The Valley, Whitechapel’s next live album recorded in their native Knoxville, where the band performed great songs from The Valley, Kin and other classics, from That way we can also remember our own experience and live it again and again in our minds.
Very few bands today are able to redefine the term “Heaviness” in Metal, but Whitechapel with The Valley achieved this with flying colors by proving that it is possible to add deep and authentic human emotions in Metal music, more specifically in Deathcore. Another great achievement in Whitechapel history that continues to be written today and in the years to come.
Contador de historias por pasión y periodista de profesión. Guitarrista ocasional y metalhead de tiempo completo. “Viviendo un concierto a la vez”.


Bernadette Samau, Tapu Iemaima Gabriel and Hobart Sasa, National University of Sāmoa.
Television Advertising as a medium of Communication is largely used by companies in Sāmoa to inform, persuade and remind consumers of their products and services. The study investigated the relationship between Attitude toward Television Advertisement (Aad), Attitude toward Brand (Ab) and Purchase Intention (PI) with a particular focus on consumers in Sāmoa. A real product advertisement by Sāmoa Beverage Company (SBC) was chosen for the study. Through convenience sampling, the primary data was collected from 60 students of the National University of Sāmoa. The conceptual Framework was adopted from Wahid & Ahmed 2011 studies. The nine‐item scale used to measure Consumer’s attitude toward advertising (Aad) over intention to purchase the advertised product (PI) and Consumer’s attitude toward brand (Ad) over intention to purchase the advertised product (PI) was largely adapted from Putrevu and Lord (1994), Taylor and Hunter (2002) and Wu and Chen (2008) studies. It was found that (1) consumers’ attitude towards advertising has significant and positive influence towards brand and intention to purchase the advertised products; and (2) consumers’ attitude towards brand has significant and positive influence over intention to purchase the products that are advertised. Findings from the study support the importance of television advertising as a marketing tool to help build positive consumer behaviour towards advertised products and services. This study provides a first insight on Sāmoan consumer’s behaviour toward a locally designed TV advertisement.
Keywords: Advertising, Consumer Attitude, Attitude towards Advertisement, Attitude towards Brands, Purchase Intention, Consumers, Sāmoa.


Minke whale entanglement – an update from the field
This blog is written by Stephen Marsh who is the Operations Manager with BDMLR, one of the six SEA partners.
On Tuesday 10th July, crew on the wildlife trip boat run by Hebridean Whale Cruises out of Gairloch saw an entangled mike whale in the North Minch. The whale approached the boat on three occasions in the same area and one of the crew who is also a volunteer for British Divers Marine Life Rescue alerted the charity.
BDMLR, one of the SEA partners, rescues marine mammals around the UK and has a specially trained team that disentangles whales at sea, one of the most physical and dangerous types of rescue. The training is rigorous and follows the protocols of the IWC’s Global Whale Entanglement Response Network, using highly specialised equipment.
As it was reported that the minke whale had line going through its mouth and probably baleen, the charity’s Large Whale Disentanglement Team (LWDT) was scrambled and the equipment trailer was brought over from its base in Findhorn for a 7pm rendezvous at Gairloch.
In the meantime, BDMLR’s head office had been in touch with Marine Scotland and put in a request for MV Minna, a fisheries protection vessel that was already in the area, to provide assistance and to scout the area for the whale. MV Minna carries rigid inflatable boats that would have acted as support boats for the rescue.
On arrival at Gairloch Pier, the team checked the gear and Hebridean Whale Cruises, having finished their public trips for the day around 7.30pm, kindly handed their boat over to BDMLR’s experienced skipper to go out to check for the whale.
Sadly, although the whale had approached the boat during the day, the search of the area did not result in sightings. As the darkness fell, the team returned to shore around 11pm for a debrief, food and a couple of hours’ rest before returning to sea at 4am on the Wednesday.
The early morning four-hour sortie did not find the whale either and the boat was returned to Hebridean Wildlife Cruises for its day trips. Due to worsening sea conditions, their first trip was cancelled and the trip that went out later, again failed to see the whale.
BDMLR head office had previously arranged for spotter planes to fly over the area during the day, courtesy of Skywatch Civil Air Patrol. The plan had been for a light plane to fly from the east coast with BDMLR spotters on board who would be in contact with the team on the water, but the weather front moving in from the west meant that this was no longer possible.
With the free-swimming whale not having been seen for over 24 hours, coupled with the fact that due to the sea state it would extremely difficult to spot and would be too risky to attempt a rescue the decision was made to stand down, repacked the rescue trailer and return home ready to come back out if the whale was spotted again.
Thanks are due to all involved from BDMLR in the rescue attempt with a special mention to Veerle Van Den Bossche for the use of her boat and to Steve Truluck who worked all day for the wildlife boat company but still went out to guide the team through the night. Also to Marine Scotland for tasking MV Minna and her crew to assist and to Skywatch for their offer of help.
The minke whale has not been spotted since and could be anywhere, but BDMLR is aware and still on stand-by. Photographs show that lines had probably already been cut, possibly by a concerned fisherman, but this meant that without the weight of lines and gear to hamper the whale’s progress, the job of finding it and clearing the remaining entanglement is made more difficult. If the whale is spotted again then people are encouraged to call BDMLR or SEA to alert the team.
BDMLR Operations Manager


Rootvältas nya video till singeln DANSA!
Swedish reggae giants Rootvälta are back with a new single and official video. The title is “Dansa” and it comes with the traditional one-drop rhythm. It has all the well-known trademarks for Rootvälta – strong melody, nice harmonies and tight-fit groove.
You can download the new single for free here: www.rootvalta.com/ladda-ner-dansa
Rootvälta was formed 25 years ago and is thereby a veteran on the Swedish reggae scene. Over the years, the band has been recording and touring continuously and has gained a huge popularity with their positive vibes and tight-fit grooves. The new release single and video “Dansa” makes Rootvälta keep their strong position among all reggae lovers.
Official webpage: www.rootvalta.com
Please like us on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/pages/Rootvälta/53491663929?focus_composer=true&ref_type=bookmark