Month: May 2021

Group Vows Lawsuit Against Oregon Governor Over ‘Vaccine Passport’ Orders

A good-government group is threatening to sue Oregon Gov. Kate Brown if she moves forward with her planned implementation of a vaccine verification system—commonly called a vaccine passport system—for residents of the state to enter a business without wearing a face mask. A vaccine passport is proof that an individual has tested negative for or been inoculated…


Sipping Vino and Savoring Vistas in Tuscany

Wandering the hilly, narrow cobblestone streets in our home base of Montalcino, Italy, a medieval city of interlocking passageways, steps, and alleyways curving around and through and behind and beyond the main square, I reminded myself I was walking through history that spanned 800 years. When my husband and I stopped for lunch and I…


This Memorial Day, a New Birth of Freedom

On Memorial Day, we honor those soldiers who gave their lives for our country. In the Gettysburg Address, perhaps the greatest reflection in our history on such sacrifice, Abraham Lincoln refers to the fallen soldiers as having given “the last full measure of devotion.” In our nation’s present crisis, we can learn from the devotion…


6 Tips to Save Money in the Yard and Garden

Budget landscaping and yard care doesn’t mean cutting corners; it means making the most of your tools and existing plants. Follow these six easy-to-implement tips to save money on your great outdoors. Remember: Seeds are Cheaper Than Plants Many vegetables are easy to grow from seed, and a $2 seed packet is a lot cheaper…


Gemstone Dreams

Dorian Filip was a massage therapist in 2009, working aboard the Seabourn Odyssey on its maiden voyage around the Mediterranean. After some years in the industry, he had developed aches in his neck, shoulder, and hands that were increasingly painful, and thoughts of quitting were on his mind. “I said, ‘If nothing works, I’ll go…


Dante Alighieri: All About Love

When the Beatles crooned “Love is all you need” in 1967, they coined an anthem for the flower power age, but when Dante Alighieri composed “The Love that moves the sun and the other stars,” he created the theme song of the Renaissance and beyond. Worldwide celebrations are underway for the 700th anniversary of Dante…


Orange County Records 56 New Cases of COVID-19

SANTA ANA—Orange County has reported 56 new COVID-19 infections, as hospitalization rates maintain some of the lowest numbers since the first couple of months of the pandemic. There were 21 new cases reported May 30, when hospitalizations stood at 63. Meanwhile there were 15 intensive care unit patients. Orange County chief executive Frank Kim told…


Thousands March in London Against CCP Virus Lockdowns, Vaccine Passport

Thousands of demonstrators marched through London’s streets on Saturday in protest of CCP (Chinese Communist Party) virus restrictions and “vaccine passports.” Demonstrators gathered at Parliament Square before moving through areas in central London including Oxford Street, Downing Street, Trafalgar Square, and Hyde Park. The protest was largely peaceful but police said that “a small minority” of protestors…


Virus Rules and China to Dominate Australia-New Zealand Leaders Talks

New Zealand (NZ) Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern says she wants to “keep writing the COVID-19 rulebook” with Australia during talks with fellow leader Scott Morrison. The Australian and New Zealand leaders say they’ll write new pages in the COVID-19 rulebook when they meet for formal talks on Monday. Morrison and Ardern are in Queenstown for…


How Temecula Businesses Outwitted the Pandemic

It’s an early Sunday morning in Temecula, California. The sun is high enough now to burn away the low-hanging mist that slides in from the ocean to reveal a Tuscan-like landscape of softly rolling hills, castlelike wineries and expansive ranches famous for breeding and training championship quarter- and cutting horses. Mark Matson (who looks like…