An Olympic torch was the highlight of Sligo?s Mini Olympics last week (4th ?Dec) when 100 primary school pupils took part in non-competitive games organized by Sligo Sports and Recreation Partnership. The Sligo Mini Olympics are designed to increase awareness and understanding of cultural diversity and encourage inclusive celebration among young people.
The Sligo Mini Olympics are funded by the PEACE III Programme through the European Union?s European Regional Development Fund managed for the Special EU Programmes Body by Sligo County Council on behalf of Sligo Peace and Reconciliation Partnership Committee. They were organized by Sligo Sport and Recreation Partnership, which is part of the Urban Peace Collective, a project of the PEACE III programme.
The Olympic torch was brought to Sligo by the Irish Sports Council Sports Partnership Officer Michelle Harte, who was a special guest at the event.
Five primary schools, Our Lady of Mercy P.S, St Edward?s N.S, St Brendan?s N.S, St John?s School and Sligo School Project took part in the Mini Olympics. Children at each school received coaching sessions in preparation for the event. Each school represented a country at the Mini Olympics and developed its own flags and banners for the event.
The young athletes took part in hurdles, speed bounce, javelin, hammer, long jump and rebounder relays in mixed teams with pupils from other schools, without the focus of competition.
?Sligo Sport and Recreation Partnership were delighted to have Michelle Harte from the Irish Sports Council as our special guest. The Olympic Games are the world?s greatest multi-cultural sporting spectacle and are a means to inspire, stimulate and promote positive messages and good practice through sport,? said Diane Middleton of Sligo Sports and Recreation Partnership.For further information on this initiative please contact Diane Middleton, Sligo Sport and Recreation Partnership on 071-9161511 or email diane@sligosportandrecreation.ie.
Source: http://www.sligosportandrecreation.ie/2013/01/olympic-torch-lights-up-sligos-peace-mini-olympics/
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?The only way to finance a big European-style state is to have it paid for by massive taxation of everyone, mostly the middle class. Right now, we are avoiding honest debate on this fact?The first truth is that the current tax rates cannot support the promises made to middle-class Americans. The most unaffordable items in fiscal projections are Social Security for everyone and government-sponsored health care for the middle class. You cannot preserve these even with Draconian slashing of military, infrastructure, welfare, education, and other expenditures. The second truth is that you cannot pay for the Life of Julia, or any vision of a cradle-to-grave welfare state, without massive and increasingly regressive middle-class taxes. The poor don?t have the money to pay for a European-style welfare state, and the rich, rich as they are, don?t have anywhere near enough. Not only that, it?s easy to tax middle-class assets and transactions ? things like payrolls, sales, and real estate ? but soaking the rich means taxing investments. Investments are complicated and can be restructured to minimize taxes. Also, investments are the lifeblood of economic growth. Raising significantly more taxes from the rich also requires higher marginal tax rates ? and their rates are already quite high. High marginal rates distort the economy and yield less revenue than anticipated because they increase the rewards for legal and illegal tax avoidance?to achieve anything like the European-style entitlement state they advocate, we need to tax everyone a lot more, not just the 1 percent. Despite all the drum circles protesting the inequitable distribution of resources, the wealthy just don?t have enough. The middle class and even the poor must step up to carry more of the burden if this is our desired endgame.? [The American via Heidi Moore, related]