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by Jo Overty

Two St John Ambulance Cadets from the Island have been invited to go to Buckingham Palace on Wednesday 28th March to celebrate their achievements in completing the Grand Prior Award.

Louise Coase and Philip Morrison, both 16 and from Douglas, will be recognised by HRH The Princess Royal for completing the award, which is the highest a St John Ambulance Cadet can achieve. To gain the award, Cadets must show at least three years sustained effort studying 24 different subjects including first aid, communication and working in the community.

Louise and Philip, both members of Onchan Cadets, are pleased to have been chosen to meet Her Royal Highness. Louise, who is working towards GCSEs at King Williams College and has been a member of St John Ambulance for a decade, having started with the Badgers, the very youngest members, said she would enjoy meeting Cadets from other counties and both she and Philip, an A-level student at Ballakermeen High School, are looking forward to getting a glimpse inside the Palace.

Both Cadets use their first aid skills while out on duty and Philip recently found he knew just what to do when a family friend suffered a bad cut that led to hospitalisation.

Philip said: As a Cadet, you learn vital life-saving skills that can come in handy and Id also recommend it to people as you can meet lots of new people. Louise added: The best part of belonging to St John Ambulance is being able to take part in competitions, leaning valuable life skills as well as first aid skills, and meeting new people every week.

Wendy Human, Head of Youth with St John Ambulance nationally, said: We believe that all young people should have the chance to learn first aid. Louise and Philip have worked hard and shown their dedication to St John Ambulance. The Palace reception is a perfect way to recognise their achievements.

Approximately 84 young people have been invited to the Palace to represent St John Ambulance from across the country. Each county selected just two Grand Prior Award winners for their outstanding contributions and commitment.

Nearly 100 young people in the Island are involved in St John Ambulance Badgers and Cadets and many go on to become fully-fledged adult members, allowing the charity to maintain its vital presence at events large and small.

For details on becoming a St John Ambulance Badger (aged five to 10) or Cadet (aged 10 to 18), call 01624 674387.

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Isle of Man Cadets Recognised at Buckingham Palace

by Dave Berry

This week saw archers tackle the black and white of what is the Worcester round as part of the scratch league and it threw up seven personal bests. The best of them coming from Ed Bennettby a massive hundred points (other personal bestsfromDave Moore, Karen Lott, Colin Moore, Adam Wright, Rhys Moore and Charlotte Harris).Sarah Rigby retired due to a shoulder injury and with the team doctor (Frank Vaughan) unavailable, due to him having a lazy time in Vistana Resort Fountain in Orlando, Rigby had to withdraw from the competition.

In the gents recurve Dave Moore showed his supremacy to top the podium from the hard battling Ed Bennett and Marcus Boyd who fought hard all morning just to be edged in the last six arrows while in the ladies recurve Karen Lott started well and edged out a three point lead this was a lead she wouldnt lose from Barbara Harris.

Gents compound was a close fought battle for the top spot between Peter Mumford and the ever improving Colin Moore this battle saw the lead change six times with Mumford finally getting the top step of the podium by two points after Moore had a miss in the end to gift the win with Billy Lightfoot picking up the last spot on the podium. In the ladies Joy Gough topped the podium after Sarah Rigby had to retire.

As for the Juniors, Rhys Moore once again put in a great start and edged out a lead he wouldnt lose with the main battle being for the second spot between Adam Wright and Bradley Layton this battle saw the two swap the lead eight times with Wright pushing a three points lead to get second and Layton picks up the third run on the podium.

Gents Recurve

Dave Moore 60 31 268 PB +9 Ed Bennett 5917 231 PB +115 Marcus Boyd 60 14 225 Rob Lott 59 8205 Adrian Breed 57 8192

Ladies Recurve

Karen Lott60 29 258 PB +21 Barbara Harris 60 26 253

Gents Compound

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Isle of Man Archery Club Report

By ABDON M. PALLASCH AND LYNN SWEET Staff Reporters March 19, 2012 1:14PM

GOP Presidential Candidate Mitt Romney at University of Chicago as Mitt Romney delivers speech on Economic Freedom Monday, March 19, 2012 . | John H. White~Sun-Times.

storyidforme: 27612659 tmspicid: 9974645 fileheaderid: 4595645

GOP presidential front-runner Mitt Romney came to the University of Chicago the home of the late legendary conservative economist Milton Friedman to say that Friedman was right: the free market must not be chained.

Milton Friedman knew what President Obama still has not learned, even after three years and hundreds of billions of dollars in spending: The government does not create prosperity; free markets and free people do, Romney told a room full of students and fans.

Exactly two months ago in this same room, President Obamas senior Advisor David Axelrod launched his Institute of Politics that he will chair after he re-elects Obama, he has said. Obama taught law at the University of Chicago.

Romneys main pledges were the Republican staples of lower taxes and less regulation.

Instead of expanding the government, I will shrink it, he said. Instead of raising taxes, Im going to cut them. Instead of adding more regulations, I will reduce them.

He will cut government spending on good and bad programs alike, including Planned Parenthood, he said.

..Subsidies to Planned Parenthood: I an going to eliminate those subsidies and those programs are going to have to stand on their own, Romney said.

Originally posted here:
Mitt Romney in Chicago: ‘Regulations erode our freedom’

(Spencer Green/AP)Seeking to elevate his candidacy back to a general election fight against President Barack Obama, Mitt Romney accused the president of hampering the nation's "economic freedom" and slowing the nation's recovery by proposing tax increases and expanding government bureaucracy.

In a speech at the University of Chicago, where Obama once taught law, Romney insisted the nation's "status" and "standing" are at peril because of the Obama administration's policies.

"The Obama administration's assault on our economic freedom is the principal reason why the recovery has been so tepidwhy it couldn't meet their projections, let alone our expectations," Romney said. "If we don't change course now, this assault on freedom could damage our economy and the well-being of American families for decades to come."

[Related: Romney pulls ahead in Illinois, Santorum to spend primary night in Pennsylvania]

The speech, delivered just one day before Illinois' Republican presidential primary, made no direct mention of Rick Santorum, Romney's chief rival for the GOP nomination. But Romney used the moment to double down on his argument that he's the best-equipped candidate in the race to defeat Obama and lead the nation's economic recovery.

The former Massachusetts governor accused the Obama administration of standing in the way of Americans who are trying to build their businesses. He suggested that "pioneers" like Thomas Edison, the Wright Brothers, Bill Gates and Steve Jobs would have found it "much more difficult, if not impossible" to carry out their dreams under regulations enacted by the Obama administration and Congress.

'Some of America's greatest success stories are of people who started out with nothing but a good idea and a corner in their garage," said Romney. "Too often today, Americans look at what it takes to start a business and they don't see promise and opportunity. They see government standing in their way. The real cost isn't just the taxes paid and money spent complying with the rules. It's the businesses that are never started, the ideas that are never pursued, the dreams that are deferred."

In a question and answer session after his speech, Romney repeated a statement that he's made several times recentlyinsisting that he doesn't understand how young people could vote for a Democrat for president. Among other things, he attacked Obama and Congress for not proposing any concrete measures to make Social Security solvent for future generations.

"You may not like my ideas, but at least I put ideas out there," Romney said.

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Mitt Romney accuses President Obama of blocking ‘economic freedom’

Latin America is increasingly being considered an up-and-coming retirement hotspot for expats, with Mexico, Panama and Ecuador in particular all rated highly in recent polls

Favourable weather, low property prices and pensioner perks are a draw for Brits with a sense of adventure. While the cost of living has risen in recent years, the economies of the larger Latin countries are increasingly stable, making it more viable to put down long-term roots in a warmer climate.

In International Livings 2012 Global Retirement Index, Ecuador, Panama and Mexico occupied the top three slots in a report that rated 19 international expat hotspots. Ecuador was top choice in the cost of living category and was dubbed the "world's best retirement haven". The magazine team estimated that a couple watching their spending can live well on $800-$1,500 (about 510-956) a month, while property prices remain low.

Eight categories were assessed to come up with the retirement report: property prices, special retirement benefits, cost of living, ease of integration, entertainment and amenities, health care, retirement infrastructure and climate.

The Ecuadorian government guarantees senior citizens access to free health care and medication and exemption from notary and registration fees. For expats considering a move, embracing the laid-back culture is a must, says Gary Phillips, 65, who moved to Cotacachi in Ecuador in 2006 and runs the expat site Pro-Ecuador.com. "Ecuadorians say maana but maana doesn't mean 'tomorrow', it just means 'not today'," Mr Phillips told Reuters.

The International Living team also point out that many South American (Frankfurt: A0MLL6 - news) locations have discounts you can access as a retiree, in particular in Brazil, Chile (Berlin: G4R.BE - news) and Panama. Panama has an organised programme of discounts and perks called the pensionado , open to all foreigners. Expats simply apply for a visa that gives them discounts on everything from theatre tickets to public transport to eating out and medical services.

Mexico ranked third in this year's index but occupied the top spot in 2008. The country ranks highly in terms of property prices and entertainment and arts, with many retirement communities ideal for expats.

A Expat Forum poll earlier this year, sponsored by Barclays (LSE: BARC.L - news) Wealth International , asked Brits about their motivation for moving to Mexico. More than a quarter, 27 per cent, of respondents said that they moved there to retire. The cost of living was the main draw for 24 per cent of expats polled, while a further nine per cent quoted quality of living as their reason for moving to Mexico.

But expats who have already made the move say the cost of living is on the rise and the region may not represent good value for money for long.

Bob Sheth from the Expat Forum said: "Expat living costs in Mexico seemed to have increased by at least 10 per cent over the last quarter, according to members who are discussing the topic at Expatforum.com. The reason for the sharp hike seems to be the peso losing value against the US dollar. Expats in Mexico are reliant on US imports, resulting in some alarming increases in the cost of living."

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Growing financial incentives to retire in Latin America