The Amateur Traveler talks to Matthew Stone about his home in Northern Virginia. Matthew describes things to do in Northern Virginia either as a side trip from Washington D.C. or a trip in its own right. We start at the famous monuments and Arlington National Cemetary just south of the District of Columbia and proceed to George Washington’s home of Mount Vernon. Matthew then describes some parks and places to escape the city a short drive away. Sure you know that the National Cemetery is in Virginia but did you know you can find a Black History museum, an Apothecary museum and a Tony award winning regional theater all within walking distance of the Metro? Add in some National Parks, Civil War Battlefields, and the SR 71 Blackbird and you may just have to rearrange your plans for your next vacation to the nation’s capital.

The Amateur Traveler talks again to Jason and Janie about their hometown of Charlottesville, Virginia. Charlottesville was has deep historic roots and the homes of Presidents Jefferson and Madison with the home of Monroe close by as well. Charlottesville is also the home of the University of Virginia and Thomas Jefferson was more proud of founding the institution than of being president. The area is now the home to numerous wineries and numerous restaurants and hosts a thriving food culture. Charlottesville is also a gateway to the Shenandoah Valley as well as other areas for hiking and outdoor activities.

The Amateur Traveler talks to Keith Kellet about the area around his home in Wiltshire England. Wiltshire has been inhabited since the end of the last ice age and has a rich depth of history including the icon site of Stonehenge. Averbury which is an even older stone circle can also be found there as well as the Salisbury Cathedral and the ancient town of Sarum. Keith describes this verdant region with its chalky hills, its rich lowlands, its ancient barrows, and its industrial age canals. Wiltshire is only about an hour out of London on high speed train so it can even be visited as a day trip from your stay there. We have forgotten more about its history than we have remembered so its ancient sites are covered in mystery and speculation.

The Amateur Traveler talks to Anil Polat who blogs under the name foxnomad about a recent trip to Northern Iraq. Anil is out to visit every country in the world which might lead him to visit a country before some others would deem it safe. Anil did not travel to the green zone but traveled in the Northern or Kurdish region of Iraq. Anil’s trip was made all the more interesting as he is ethnically Turkish. Says Anil:

Honestly that was one of my concerns before going. I did not know how people would respond to me, if people would not like me being there. The whole idea of a Kurdistan in Northern Iraq is a very controversial topic in Turkey to say the least.And also I had some security and safety concerns just because of the location. However, people were very friendly to me and it was a much more normal experience than I was expecting.

The Amateur Traveler talks to Jessie Voigts from Wandering Educators about County Kerry and the Ring of Kerry in Ireland. County Kerry is a popular tourist region in Ireland.

The Amateur Traveler talks to Colm Hanratty from HostelWorld.com about Dublin, Ireland. Colm has been living working and studying in Dublin for the last 17 years.

    “Dublin is the gateway to Ireland. It is a very welcoming city. It is a very compact city. You can see the main sites and the more off the beaten track sites in about 3 days."

The Amateur Traveler talks to Elspeth about her native Yorkshire in northern England. 

Hear about travel to Buenos Aires, Argentina as the Amateur Traveler talks to Leandro Gonzalez about his hometown. Buenos Aires is a large cosmopolitan city of 13 million people. Leandro tries to help us find options for travelers from the backpacker to the upscale traveler.

Hear about travel to Ireland as Chris, the Amateur Traveler himself, talks about a recent trip to the Emerald Isle. Chris did a driving tour with 7 family members and friends from Dublin to the west point of Ireland and of Europe.

Hear about travel to Rio de Janeiro, Brazil as the Amateur Traveler  talks to Kay from TheKayDays.com who is a University student in Rio.

"Rio has a culture and a aura that is completely different from anywhere I have seen before."

Hear about travel to Belfast, Northern Ireland as the Amateur Traveler talks to Mary Jo Manzanares about her recent trip there. Mary Jo was really interested in learning more about the history of "the troubles" and her husband about the Titanic.

Hear about travel to Iran as the Amateur Traveler talks to Shara Johnson from sjktravel.net about her recent trip to that country. George W. Bush called it part of the Axis of Evil but Shara found a warm and inviting country.

Hear about travel to the island of Madeira as the Amateur Traveler talks to Jörgen Abrahamsson who is a tour guide from Tue Nordic in this small Portuguese possession.

Hear about volunteer travel with the Peace Corps as the Amateur Traveler talks to Peace Corps Director Carrie Hessler-Radelet. Director Hessler-Radelet not only served in the Peace Corps herself in Western Samoa but 4 generations of her family have done so. 

Hear about Trekking the Annapurna Circuit in Nepal as the Amateur Traveler talks to the Su Family from sufamilyadventures.com about tackling this well known route.

Hear about travel to United Arab Emirates as the Amateur Traveler talks to travel writer Zora O'Neill about her recent trip to these small states on the Persian / Arabian Gulf.

Hear about travel to Richmond, Virginia as the Amateur Traveler talks to Becky Pekora from TheGirlAndGlobe.com about her adopted hometown.

Hear about travel to the countries of Kiribati, Tuvalu and Nauru in Micronesia as the Amateur Traveler talks to Stefan from Rapid Travel Chai about these small difficult to reach island nations. 

Hear about travel to the U.S. and British Virgin Islands as the Amateur Traveler talks to Captain Shane McClellan about a sailing trip to the area.

Hear about travel to the United Arab Emirates (UAE) as the Amateur Traveler talks to Keri Hedrick from ourglobetrotters.com and familytravel-middleeast.com about her adopted country.

Hear about travel to Virunga National Park as the Amateur Traveler talks to Niall from Ireland about his visit to this stunning national park in the Democratic Republic of the Congo.

Hear about travel to southern West Virginia as the Amateur Traveler talks to Ethan Starcher from WaywardWings.net about his home state.

The World Health Organization is once again facing increased scrutiny and outrage. The renewed public outcry is not, however, directed at the shoddy initial response to the ongoing global coronavirus pandemic, instead coming as a result of unsettling details recently discovered in the organization’s child and adolescent sexual education guidelines. Set forth by global health…

The post WHO Comes Under Fire for Saying Kids Under 4 Should Be Taught About ‘Early Childhood Masturbation’ appeared first on The Western Journal.

Newly appointed White House press secretary Kayleigh McEnany continues to impress in her new position working for the White House. Two days after absolutely leveling members of the White House media corps, the 32-year-old former Trump campaign spokeswoman made waves Friday by warning Americans that they, like former National Security Advisor Michael Flynn, could also…

The post New White House Press Sec Issues Dire Warning to Americans About the FBI appeared first on The Western Journal.

Imam Shaker Elsayed offered an explanation for the coronavirus pandemic that is not surprising considering the source: He blamed the Jews. The controversial imam didn’t stop there during his sermon at the Dar Al-Hijrah Islamic Center last month. The Falls Church, Virginia, mosque has a history of ties to terrorism, according to the New York…

The post Virginia Imam: Allah Used COVID-19 To Punish Jews appeared first on The Western Journal.

Conservatives had this Common Core thing all wrong, it was said. We’d be proven wrong by history. Common Core, pushed by President Barack Obama, was going to work. It wasn’t like all the other liberal education plans. A new study by the Pioneer Institute reveals that, no, we were right all along. The study, released…

The post New Study Confirms We Were Right: Reading, Math Scores Have Collapsed Thanks to Obama, Common Core appeared first on The Western Journal.

Everybody wanted to get to the shore last weekend when the state of Florida reopened its beaches. But one of the beachgoers who came in for some extra attention was a six-foot-long bull shark caught near Navarre Beach, according to WKRG-TV. Video shot by Shelley Goudy of Fort Walton showed several men gathered around the…

The post Florida Fishermen Nab 6-Foot Bull Shark During First Weekend of Reopened Beaches appeared first on The Western Journal.

What one expert called “something out a monster cartoon” has now arrived in the United States. The Asian giant hornet, which can decimate bee colonies and is responsible for 50 deaths a year in Japan, is now in Washington state, according to The New York Times. A new threat reaches the United States: A massive…

The post Giant Asian ‘Murder Hornets’ Spotted in US for First Time appeared first on The Western Journal.

Eleven members of the Secret Service have tested positive for COVID-19, according a new report. Yahoo News reported Friday it has seen Department of Homeland Security documents which show that 11 individuals currently have the virus and that 23 members of the Secret Service have recovered from the disease. Another 60 employees of the agency…

The post Report: Secret Service Discovers Nearly a Dozen Coronavirus Cases in Its Own Ranks appeared first on The Western Journal.

Who’s Really Behind That “Death of the Techlash” Narrative?   One of my least favorite kinds of journalism is the easy win. It’s the kind of story that just lands in your lap. It feels contrarian, yet of the moment, it’s often predicated by the appearance of a primary source dangling easy data, and unlike most … Continue reading "Will The Coronavirus Save Big Tech?"

Ahmad Chalabi helped lead the U.S. into war in Iraq, but if he ever had regrets about his role in the invasion, and the years of violence it unleashed, "he never voiced them to me," writes FRONTLINE correspondent Martin Smith.

For many low income college students, school closures due to COVID-19 has affected the way they feed themselves. Read more...

Americans have been receiving contradictory information about the coronavirus pandemic, so much so that it's become a joke. One example is face masks: In March, the World Health Organization advised people to not wear masks if they aren't sick or caretakers of the sick. 

But given that some coronavirus patients are asymptomatic, opinions of masks from top officials have shifted. The CDC and the media now advise you to wear a damn mask. And a new study may provide more evidence that masks can help beat the outbreak.

According to this study, if 80 percent of Americans wore masks, coronavirus infections would plummet, Vanity Fair reports. The title of the study makes the researchers' view clear: Universal Masking is Urgent in the COVID-19 Pandemic. Read more...

Rita J. King, co-director and EVP for business development at Science House, recently conducted a series of interviews with business leaders, exploring the challenges and hurdles companies face in evolving business landscapes. In this interview, King chats with James Jorasch, founding CEO of Science House, about the importance of innovation and how to inspire and […]

The Leopards Ate My Face subreddit is dedicated to mocking people who thought the Republican party would hurt their enemies only to be surprised to find that it hurts them, too. Inspired by a tweet by Adrian Bott—'I never thought leopards would eat MY face,' sobs woman who voted for the Leopards Eating People's Faces Party—it has now banned posts about people who claimed Covid-19 was bullshit only to die of Covid-19. There are simply too many, and it's getting depressing.

"We've seen a billion of them in the past two weeks and the vast majority of them don't fit the subreddit," writes moderator u/ROBOT_OF_WORLD. "People dying from their decisions isn't justice, karmic, or funny." Read the rest

This Sunday, Weezer will cameo on The Simpsons and as a teaser, the band released their cover of "The Simpsons Theme" by Danny Elfman. From Rolling Stone:

In the new episode of The Simpsons, Weezer will play a cover band called Sailor’s Delight, which serves as the house act on a romantic cruise Homer and Marge are taking. Sailor’s Delight will “perform” a handful of tracks from Weezer’s 2019 self-titled record (also known as The Black Album) and their 2017 effort Pacific Daydream, while the episode will also boast the premiere of the band’s new song, “Blue Dream,” from their upcoming LP, Van Weezer.

CNBC reports that an aide to Pence has tested positive for COVID-19. This follows yesterday's report that Trump's personal valet tested positive for the virus.

A spokeswoman for Pence did not immediately respond to CNBC’s request for comment.

Pence was scheduled to travel to Des Moines, Iowa, in the morning, but his departure from Andrews Air Force Base was delayed by nearly an hour as staff dealt with news of the diagnosis. Reporters traveling with Pence said several staffers disembarked from Air Force Two just before takeoff.

Photo of Pence: Know Your Meme Read the rest

Roy Horn of Siegfried & Roy, the duo whose extraordinary magic tricks astonished millions until Horn was critically injured in 2003 by one of the act's famed white tigers, has died. He was 75.

Quebec public health officials announced Saturday that a total of 2,786 people have died from COVID-19 and there are now 36,986 confirmed cases.

Canada Post's main plant in Calgary has six confirmed cases of COVID-19. That news was confirmed Friday by Dr. Deena Hinshaw at her daily update.

Cochrane RCMP say charges have been laid against two individuals in connection with an investigation that began with a firearms complaint.

Andy Robertson admits he would "love" the chance to play for Scottish giants Celtic one day.

Police in Haiti are investigating allegations that the president of the national football federation raped teenage girls.

AC Milan have revealed that none of their first-team footballers or staff were positive for coronavirus.

eMarketer cuts forecast for total media ad spending by 6.2%   March 17, 2020 (New York, NY) – Just months after the first case was reported, it is already clear […]

Despite strong growth, D2C companies are facing more headwinds   April 2, 2020 (New York, NY) — For the first time, we are breaking out direct-to-consumer (D2C) ecommerce sales. We define […]

Pandemic gives TV viewership boost, but will be short-lived   April 28, 2020 (New York, NY) – As stay-at-home orders remain in effect due to COVID-19, TV viewership and time […]

A clever, versatile, well-made alternative to traditional airplane tray tables.

The post Airhook Looks to Reinvent the Traditional Airplane Tray Table appeared first on Vagabondish.

There’s no perfect process for hiring great programmers, but there are plenty of terrible ways to screw it up. We’ve rejected the industry stables of grilling candidates in front of a whiteboard or needling them with brain teasers since the start at Basecamp. But you’re not getting around showing real code when applying for a… keep reading