Double the Trouble

One baby is hard to handle, and when two babies come at the same time, chaos is sure to ensue. Though there will surely be tough times, twins equals double the blessing. In Bahrain, Shaik Nasser bin Hamad Al-Khalifa, son of His Majesty King Hamad bin Isa Al-Khalifa, was blessed with twin boys.

HM King Hamad received a letter from King Mohammed VI of Morocco to congratulate him and his family and to bless the newborns. The Moroccan king expressed his joy and wishes health and prosperity upon the Bahraini people. He prays that happiness is to ensue the delivery of the twins.

Congratulations HM King Hamad!

To read entire article, please visit Bahrain News Agency.

A Sad Day for Romantic Comedies

Hopeless romantics everywhere are shedding tears for the prolific writer and filmmaker of some of the most classic romantic comedies yet. Films like “When Harry Met Sally” and “Sleepless in Seattle” are some of Ephron’s best work that earned her Oscar nominations. She also received an Oscar nomination for "Silkwood", as well as wrote and directed "Julie and Julia" which earned Meryl Streep a best actress Oscar nomination.

Nora Ephron leaves this world at the age of 71 after having touched the lives of many through her screenwrites, novels, and essays. Ephron died on Tuesday in a hospital in New York surrounded by her relatives. She was reportedly undergoing treatment for acute myeloid leukemia.

She changed romantic comedy for everyone after her time. Her talent will be missed, but her accomplishments will reign forever.

To read entire article, please visit CNN.

Donations for a Brighter Tomorrow

Scholarships are a prestigious thing to receive and would not be possible without the help of certain individuals. In Bahrain, the Crown Prince already has an International Scholarship Program aimed at helping students attain higher education so as to become effective members of their local community.

Dr. Abdullah Al-Hawaj, Ahlia University chancellor, presented a check in the amount of BD 50,000 to the program to continue to help striving students reach their goals. He hopes that this will help to develop young talents and encourage students to study in renowned international studies, a goal of the Crown Prince International Scholarship Program.

Bahrain is continuously trying to enlighten the youth and encourage them to amount to their fullest potential. Congratulations to Ahlia University for realizing the need for a brighter tomorrow and for their donation to an outstanding program.

To read the entire article, please visit Bahrain News Agency.

Quench Your Thirst

What’s the best type of drink on a hot summer day? Some may say water while others may choose their favorite drink, but there are numerous who would vouch for iced tea! Have it sweetened, unsweetened or any mixture in between. Pour some lemonade in it and you can have what we call an “Arnold Palmer”, named after the famous golfer.

June is National Iced Tea Month, and it’s important to get the message out before the month runs out! Now is the perfect time to try different types of iced teas from green tea to raspberry tea. The best part is that you can make the tea all your own or even decide to mix the teas together.

Iced tea is made like regular tea, by brewing it, but the difference is you allow the tea to naturally cool or pour ice in it to cool it down making it the perfect cool drink.

This summer grab yourself a nice cold glass of iced tea, in any flavor that you like. It’s the perfect quench for that summer thirst.

To read the entire article, please visit CNN.

Presidential Elect Call for Congrats

Everyone wants to succeed. There are many times when we don't, but when we work hard enough to earn something, it is always nice to hear others recognize your hard work.

His Royal Highness Prime Minister Prince Khalifa bin Salman Al-Khalifa congratulates the newly elected Egyptian President Dr. Mohammed Morsi. The democratic elections will hopefully bring about further progress and prosperity to Egypt. The friendly Egyptians need someone to help bring about their ambitions and aspirations for the country they deserve.

HRH expressed hope for a brighter future for Egypt and that it play an important role in not only Arab relations, but regional and international relations as well.

Congratulations Egyptian President Dr. Mohammed Morsi!

To read the entire article, please visit Bahrain News Agency.

Olympic Star in the Making

Swimming is a leisurely activity for many who love the water. It is not a skill easily acquired though, going from splishing and splashing to performing full on backstrokes is not the easiest thing to do. Noone knows this better than Missy Franklin. 

The 17-year old swimmer from Colorado learned to swim at the age of 7, and with her continuous dedication and hard work has headlines streaming her name. Franklin is being dubbed sport’s “next big thing”. 14-time Olympic gold medalist Michael Phelps has even called her a “stud”.

 Many believe she will be the United State’s new swimming star after Phelps’ retirement following the London Olympics. Franklin is entered in the U.S. Olympic trials in Omaha, Neb. competing in five events – the 100 and 200 backstroke, the 100 and 200 freestyle and the 50 free.  

Good luck to Missy and to Team USA!

To read the entire article, please visit Fox News.

Tennis Star, Federal Judge Passes

Senior US District Judge Robert J Kelleher was the oldest remaining judge appointed by President Richard Nixon.  He was the captain of the 1963 US Davis Cup tennis team.  Today, the fraternity of judgeship and the fans of tennis have lost a legend.

Judge Kelleher passed away in his home in Los Angeles, at the age of 99.

Robert Kelleher was appointed to the bench by Nixon in 1970, and received cases well into his 90's.  As a judge, Kelleher presided over an espionage case that would be the basis of a book and a movie.  

As a tennis player, he and his late wife, won the mixed double championship in 1947.  He was inducted into the International Tennis Hall of Fame in 2000.

The impact that Kelleher has had on the country as a judge, and on the world as an athlete, is positive and remarkable.  Good bye Judge Kelleher.

To read entire article, please visit FoxNews.

Best Port in the Gulf

It's always nice to be recognized for your hard work.  It's extra nice to be considered the best at what you do.  In the Gulf, Bahrain can add another #1 to the list of things they do best.

APM Terminals, a shipping management company, just named Khalifa bin Salman Port as one of the most productive ports in the Gulf.  The service and the turnaround time that is rendered in this port "makes life easier for everyone who comes to the facility."


Barges and other customers carrying cargo appreciate this because that means they can get back out to sea quicker and make more trips, thus make more money.

Congratulations to Khalifa bin Salman Port!

To read the entire article, please visit The Sacramento Bee.

You Are Never Too Smart

Especially when your intelligence is counted on to develop good, sound, and lawful judgments!  Judges study and practice, and study more to know the law better than anyone else.  After all, someone's freedom or conviction lies on their shoulders!  That is why plans are being drawn up to help educate judges in Bahrain in regards to women social and humanitarian rights.

For a long time in Arab countries, the laws were written, whether literally or figuratively, for women.  They were accepted and tolerated.  But nowadays, with a global movement of women's right, those laws are being addressed and studied for greater understanding and implementation.  The reason this is so important is because law is the doorway to democracy.  Without law, there is no real freedom.  The education these judges will receive will improve the freedom that women enjoy.

To read entire article, please visit Gulf Daily News.

McDonalds

Remember as a kid, driving by McDonalds?  Right underneath the golden carches was the phrase, "With over 1,000,000 served."  The number always seemed to get bigger and bigger.
Today, the number can read, "19 Served."  Local McDonalds in a South Carolina town have come together to help a few of their employees go to college.  This year, the 19 winners received portions of a $59,000 donation pot.  The money goes to any expense for a university student.

To read entire article, please visit The Coastal Source.

Microsoft Surfaces

Tablets have become a part of our daily lives. We either own one or know someone who does. The tablet market is dominated by the Apple iPad. There is virtually no competition with the iPad knocking all competitors out of the water. In prior years, Microsoft has attempted to outdo Apple with its failed Zune. This time, instead of rush a product out, Microsoft waited and debuted its tablet by the name of the “Surface”. It seems that Microsoft might have a chance in this tablet market.

 The said to be gorgeous device comes with a 3-millimeter thick keyboard and works on the Windows RT operating system. It has a magnetic touch keyboard that snaps on and a kickstand to prop it upright. Another version will run on windows 8 Pro operating system, but it is slightly thicker. No news yet on what the battery power is like, but it has been said to be a “tablet that’s a great PC—a PC that’s a great tablet.”

Look out for the Surface in the fall of this year!

To read the entire article, please visit FoxNews

The Future of Tomorrow

The kids of today are tomorrow’s future. A saying we all have heard at one point or another. It can be a scary thought, that what the students of today learn can change their lives forever. Whether they have an amazing teacher who engages them in learning or an inadequate one that steers them away from education can be the difference between a bright future and a dim one.

In a society what’s needed are well-qualified instructors to help those kids. This means that they need to understand how to teach if they are to encourage students to learn. In Bahrain, it is understood that brighter kids make for a brighter future. Teachers make up a huge portion of the information that today’s kids learn, so in any functioning society there needs to be amazing teachers!

Because of Bahrain’s dedication to having a bright future it created the University of Bahrain’s Teachers’ College in 2008. Tomorrow the first graduates will walk across the stage. They can then go on to shape the futures of tomorrow just as throughout the course of their lives instructors helped them to be able to take each step to receive their diplomas.

To read entire article please visit Bahrain News Agency.

DREAM Act

Before I begin, I want to make a disclaimer that this does NOT in any way reveal the political stance of the BAC.  We are not affiliated with any specific political party.  But the reason that I wish to address this is because it's something very real in the United States.

Imagine a boat sailing across the ocean.  The passengers are searching for a new land, a new opportunity.  They port at the dock of Ellis Island, touch hard ground for the first time in months, and suddenly, the whole world has opened up to them!  That is how this country was founded!  On the courage of immigrants.

For a very long time, illegal immigration has been a problem.  People from all over the world want to come to the "Land of Opportunity" to have a better life.  And to all we have said, "Welcome.  Here is how it works..."  But some have chosen to do it their own way, and this has been the root of a great debate in the country.

President Barack Obama has executed a law that allows young illegal immigrants to live without fear of deportation as long as they meet certain requirements.  The reason this is so scary is that the president has ignored all policy and precedence, as he bypassed Congress to put this law into place.  

Some argue that this move is unconstitutional and purely political.  Others cheer the boldness.  Some fear even more for the economical disaster and unemployment rate.  Others believe this will help create jobs and circulate money.

Whatever your stance on this Dream Act, there is true division in the country.  And if history has proven one thing over and over again, it is that a house divided in itself will not last.  If the US is to overcome, it must come together.  For or against.  Right or left.

Graduates to Enter the Medical Profession

Sincere respect is commanded by people called doctors.  Years of study and training.  They push themselves to the limit so that when the knife is in their hands, they do no harm, but have the capacity to save lives.  Indeed, doctors are important people to any society.

But often forgotten are the people that work beside them.  Nurses, often the recipients of horrible behavior, are so under appreciated, it's a wonder why anyone would want to enter that profession.  But to those who have benefited from their expertise and unique kindness, they become like family.

Bahrain has a new group of nurses ready to enter the professional world as they have graduated from Tamkeen, The Royal College of Surgeons in Ireland - Medical University of Bahrain.  Nineteen graduates received BS degrees in General Nursing.

These new nurses are beginning a journey of service.  Through their training, they will be able to help Bahraini citizens improve the quality of their lives through health and medicine.  They will also be able to help the health care system, that in turn will help the economy.  The reach of a nurse stretches far beyond the side of the bed.

Congratulations, and thank you, to the graduates!

To read entire article, please visit Bahrain News Agency.

Weather Will Effect Price

In this day and age of economic turmoil, we see how money is connected to every aspect of life.  Areas that before some would have believed that no connection could be made between it and money are now not only evident, but at the forefront of people's mind.  Right now, a special group of people are preparing for more hardships because of money.

There is a drought in Middle America that is, and will, effect the farmlands of the country.  Most everyone that has taken a science class understands that rain is necessary for crops to grow.  Without it, they wither and die.  With no rain, and the days getting hotter, it is not looking good for our farmers.

And if it doesn't look good for them, it doesn't look good for us as consumers.  Corn and soybean, two ingredients that are in just about everything, are taking a hard hit.  If their growth is down, then the production of the foods that they are in will be down.  In comes the economic principle of supply and demand.  When supply is high, price is low.  When supply is low, price rises.  The demand for these goods will not go away, and so that leaves just one option.  Consumers are going to have to get used to paying more for bread.

To read entire article, please visit Fox2Now.  

Bahrain Development Road Map

There are some that like the GCC Union, and some that don't.  Like it or not, Bahrain and Saudi Arabia are working together towards an improved Bahrain.  His Highness, the Prime Minister, Prince Khalifa bin Salman al Khalifa chaired a business meeting yesterday that detailed a two year road map that would aim at improving Bahrain in its housing, education, infrastructure, and social development projects.

These projects will undoubtedly help Bahrain in all areas of life.  Jobs will be created, money will continue to flow in and circulate in their economy, and the training necessary to progress will improve.  Indeed, it's a great situation for Bahrain.

The project will be funded by a GCC financial aid package that consists of $10 billion, supported by Saudi Arabia.  It is budgeted to last for two years.

The Prime Minister has said that a delay in this initiative is not acceptable, thus reiterating Bahrain's desire to help its people and improve their country.

To read entire article, please visit Gulf Daily News.

She's "Gone With the Wind"

It was 1939.  Perhaps the makers knew it would be an eventual classic, perhaps not.  But the motion picture, "Gone With the Wind" has been seen by, well, just about every hopeless romantic and their boyfriends (who were more than likely forced to watch it, only to find themselves enjoying it, but could never admit it).  The girls related to Scarlett O'Hara.  The guys envy Captain Rhett Butler.  But after those two characters, many are a blurred memory.  Except for today.

Ann Rutherford, 94, who played Scarlett's little sister, Carreen, passed away.  Rutherford collapsed three months ago and remained in the hospital to treat subsequent heart problems and general health deterioration.  She died in her home in Beverly Hills California.

Rutherford began performing at a very young age, following the footsteps of her father and mother, a Metropolitan Opera singer and an actress, respectively.  She played several main roles throughout her career, but none that will be remembered as well as Carreen in "Gone With The Wind."  That particular movie, made her a star, and she never forgot that.  Up till the end of her life, she used that attention, and the movie, for good.  She donated many of the artifacts from the movie.

Ann Rutherford may be "gone with the wind," but she will ever be remembered not just as "Carreen," but as a caring, sincere, and extraordinary person.

To read more, please visit CNN.

True Love Never Dies

It's a famous cliche.  But it's a dying affection.  People nowadays seem to think that growing old with someone is a horrible way to live, and die.  The fairy tale endings for a couple are not so fairy tale-esque anymore.

But there are still stories that encourage this unique relationship, and bring hope to those that search for it. In the story, "Where the Red Fern Grows," two hunting hounds became the best of friends.  They hunt together, they fight together, and they did everything in between together.  One of the dogs dies, the other has a part of him die as well.  He laid by the burial place of his lost companion until he joined her.  The dogs were buried side by side, and in the middle, a red fern grew.  It marked not only their burial place, but stood as a memorial to their love and devotion.

Bahrain witnessed its own red fern moment.  Mike Gaunt and his wife, Julie West-Jordan, reunited Mike's mother, June, with her husband, John.  John passed away in 1966, and had his ashes scattered at the Awali Golf Club in Bahrain.  After his death, June and the family moved to the United Kingdom, but a part of her was still in Bahrain.

June passed away this past July.  Her wish was to return to Bahrain to be with John.  It was honored by Mike and Julie as they scattered her ashes over the same place as John.

For you hopeless romantics who dream for that fairy tale, red fern type of relationship, it's possible!

To read entire article, please visit Gulf Daily News.

Paying the Price

Education is not cheap.  Books, papers, pencils, and other supplies come at a cost.  Teacher salaries, bills for the operation of the school, and other things make education expensive (that doesn't even mention the technology that cause a huge increase is expense in the future).  But it's needed.

Bahrain understands the dilemma and is acting on it.  Five hundred students are going to be the recipients of financial assistance provided by the government through out their education and into their transition in the working world.  The Royal Charity Organization Board of Trustees, headed by Shaik Nasser bin Hamad Al Khalifa, will target those students that come from under privileged backgrounds, and help them change their future, and the future of their family.

The government recognizes that each person in the world, no matter how old or where they are, suffers from something.  This initiative provides relief to someone suffering, and gives them an opportunity to become successful and a contributing member of society.

To read entire article, please visit Gulf Daily news.

Harvard Bound

Not everyone can get into one of the most prestigious universities in the world.  It's a perennial Top Five school in almost every academic category.  It's a dream school for almost each student that is brave enough to make an attempt.  The history and beauty behind it is just as intimidating.  Yes, Harvard doesn't say "yes" to just anyone.

Now, what if you are homeless, working as a janitor, and seem to have the world against you?  Why would you do something so brash as apply to a university where not only grades matter, but money is just as important?

Dawn Loggins, an 18 year old senior from North Carolina hasn't let any of that get in her way.  Loggins has had her share of let down.  Upon returning home from summer school on day, her parents had moved away.  No notice, no warning.  She jumped around from home to home.  But school kept her sane.  It was her medication.  It gave her so much alleviation that she also worked there as the janitor before classes.

Now, the cleaning, homeless, 18 year old is proving the odds wrong.  Her heart is set on Harvard, and she is going there in the fall.

She is the epitome of the American dream.  Everyone has the right to a fair shot.  Everyone has the right to be what they want, as long as they work hard and have a dream!

To read entire article, please visit FoxNews.