QuoteI feel it nessesary to point out that while I'm separated and divorcing, I'm living with my male besty and getting intensely turned on by his cooking skills, writing skills, amazing sense of humor and his enduring care for my well being and devotion to it.



If I marry this guy the weekend after my divorce is final absolutely no one should be surprised lol. The 4th pancake is usually the winner for me.

QuoteMore details are emerging about Edmonton's plan to become a 15-minute city.



One of those details is the city wants people to cut their vehicle usage by 50% to use other modes of transportation.



It appears the Edmonton wants to be a 15-minute city for residents and that cars will have limited places to drive and park once the plan is finished.



Whyte Avenue may look very different in the coming years as the city plans to convert one lane each way to a dedicated bus lane and remove some parking to widen sidewalks.

https://www.westernstandard.news/alberta/edmonton-15-minute-city-plan-wants-50-of-all-trips-being-made-on-transit-or/article_0dfb119e-ae45-11ed-8b4c-e75d7366ca6e.html">https://www.westernstandard.news/albert ... 6ca6e.html">https://www.westernstandard.news/alberta/edmonton-15-minute-city-plan-wants-50-of-all-trips-being-made-on-transit-or/article_0dfb119e-ae45-11ed-8b4c-e75d7366ca6e.html

Quote
Part of the reason for Singapore's remarkable climb up the international income ladder is bread and butter capitalism. The Fraser nstitute's Freedom of the World report lists Singapore as the second freest economy in the world -- right behind Hong Kong. As Frasier scholars have demonstrated year after year, economic growth and free markets go hand and hand.



But Singapore has done something even more remarkable than its economic accomplishments. It has built an alternative to the European style welfare state. Think of all the reasons why people turn to government in other developed countries: retirement income, housing, education, medical care etc. In Singapore people are required to save to take care of these needs themselves.



At times the forced saving rate has been as high as 50% of income. Today, employees under 50 years of age must set aside 20% of their wages and employers must contribute another 16%. These funds go into accounts where they grow through time until specific needs arise. For example, one of the uses for these savings is housing. About 90% of Singapore households are home owners – the highest rate of home ownership in the world.



For many years, the only two scholars in the Western world who paid much attention to Singapore were Washington University economist Michael Sherraden and me. Michael approached the Singapore experience from a left-of-center perspective and I came from the opposite direction. We both ended in the same place: this is an alternative to the welfare state that works.



Lately, quite a number of other scholars have discovered Singapore, especially its health care system – again, with both right and left finding a lot to admire. It's taken almost three decades, but Singapore is now the subject of a book by Brookings Institution, a whole slew of posts by Austin Frakt and Aaron Carroll, and a good overview by Tyler Cowen, with links to other studies and comments.



Sherraden recently summarized some of Singapore's major social policy innovations as follows:



Step by step, the Singapore state created a new social policy system that had asset building as its central structure.... In the world of social policy, it would be hard to overstate the exceptionality and the extent of this innovation.... During the past 25 years, Singapore policy has taken important steps toward lifelong asset building, beginning very early in life.  These innovations include EduSave, the Baby Bonus, Child Development Accounts, and related asset-building incentives.



For John Fund, Singapore's most significant accomplishment is the avoidance of the mistakes of other countries:



I believe that the least appreciated part of Lee Kwan Yew's legacy is his method of ensuring that one generation won't bankrupt future generations by selfishly living beyond its means. It's a welfare state that works, and one he always said was available to any political leader with the courage to tell his people the truth about the limits of government's power to pass out goodies.



For my part, I would summarize the philosophy of Singapore as follows:



Each generation should pay its own way.

Each family should pay its own way.

Each individual should pay his own way.

Only after passing through these three filters should anyone turn to the government for help.

If the United States had adopted a similar approach to public policy, there would be no deficit problem in this country.

https://www.forbes.com/sites/johngoodman/2015/03/31/singapore-a-fascinating-alternative-to-the-welfare-state/?sh=242c362b76c0">https://www.forbes.com/sites/johngoodma ... 2c362b76c0">https://www.forbes.com/sites/johngoodman/2015/03/31/singapore-a-fascinating-alternative-to-the-welfare-state/?sh=242c362b76c0

QuoteThere's no doubt that Ozzy Osbourne is one of the most iconic and successful metal singers of all time. His work with Black Sabbath and later solo career went a long way in defining the conventions of the genre, and his later reality TV antics endeared him to a whole new demographic of fans. However, all that said, Ozzy definitely doesn't have the vocal range of some of his hard rock peers.

https://definition.org/overrated-singers/2/">https://definition.org/overrated-singers/2/

QuoteThe 9 Most Overrated Rock Stars Of All Time

Ozzy Osbourne

We're into the top three. Rock royalty. And still overrated. When drugs and alcohol account for much of an individual's success, it robs talent from the equation. It would be stupid to suggest Ozzy Osbourne isn't one of the coolest rock stars out there. The fact that he's still functional after he melted his brain like a box of crayons on a hot stove is seriously impressive. And the guy is genuine and influential. But one of the greatest of all time? Not really. He has enjoyed more fame across the board through reality TV than he did on stage. Yes, Ozzy knocked a few jams out of the park, and his on stage antics...? Well, they were just that, weren't they? Antics. The real rock star in the Ozzy equation? Sharon Osbourne.

https://www.goliath.com/music/the-9-most-overrated-rock-stars-of-all-time/">https://www.goliath.com/music/the-9-mos ... -all-time/">https://www.goliath.com/music/the-9-most-overrated-rock-stars-of-all-time/