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US election 2020 polls: Who is ahead – Trump or Biden?
Biden focuses on expanding his electoral map, Trump defends administration’s response to COVID-19 With Election Day less than a week away and close to 65 million Americans having already cast their ballots, the presidential candidates and their star campaigners are criss-crossing the country taking chances on how best to spend their final days in order to win the elections
Last week, U.S. President Donald Trump, focused on defending his gains in 2016, campaigned in the Upper Midwestern States of Michigan and Wisconsin as well as Nebraska after spending intensely focused on Pennsylvania, where he made multiple stops. Mr. Trump won all four of these States in 2016 with wafer thin majorities (except for Nebraska).
First Lady Melania Trump held her first (and possibly, only) campaign rally in Chester County, Pennsylvania, which her husband narrowly won in 2016.
Democratic candidate and former Vice-President Joe Biden is leading in the polls in Pennsylvania (+3.8 points), Michigan (+8.7 points) and Wisconsin (+7.6 points), according to an average of recent polls from polling aggregator Real Clear Politics.
Mr. Trump’s path to victory — 270 seats in the Electoral College — is narrow but still within reach.
Mr. Biden’s strategy this week appears to be different: what’s been described by analysts as an effort to ‘expand his electoral map’ — forcing Mr. Trump to defend States such as Florida and Georgia, which he won in 2016. Mr. Biden will travel to Iowa a State Mr. Trump won comfortably in 2016.
‘Heal the nation’
However, it’s not just about the presidential race. In Georgia, Mr. Biden also campaigned with Democrats Jon Ossoff and Raphael Warnock, fighting competitive Senate races. In Iowa too, Republican incumbent Jonie Ernst and her Democratic challenger Theresa Greenfield are battling it out in the country’s second most expensive Senate race as per the Des Moines Register.
Speaking in Warm Springs, Georgia, at a retreat of former U.S. President F.D. Roosevelt (“FDR”), Mr. Biden brought up the theme of “healing” the nation. “A few weeks ago, I spoke at Gettysburg about the need to unite our nation, and today I’m here at Warm Springs because I want to talk about how we’re going to heal our nation,” he said.
His speech included references to Civil Rights icon Martin Luther King, Pope Francis and the Bible.
“I’m running as a proud Democrat, but I will govern as an American President. I’ll work with Democrats and Republicans,” Mr. Biden said, repeating one of his core campaign messages. The former Vice-President has also dwelt at length on the need to control the pandemic before rebuilding the economy.
Mr. Biden’s star campaigner — former President Barack Obama — held a drive-in rally in Orlando having already made stops in Pennsylvania last week and in Miami over the weekend. Mr. Biden lost Florida in 2016 and is currently running neck and neck with Mr. Trump, falling behind the President by an average of 0.4 percentage points in recent polls, according to Real Clear Politics. “You’ve got the chance to set two things right. You can bring a World Series championship [a baseball tournament] to the Sunshine State and you can send Joe Biden and Kamala Harris to the White House,” Mr. Obama told the audience.
While on the campaign trail, Mr. Obama has focused on contrasting Mr. Trump’s character and Mr. Biden’s, saying the former treats the presidency as a reality show. He has also taken to mocking Mr. Trump. “He’s jealous of COVID’s media coverage,” Mr. Obama said. “If he had been focused on COVID from the beginning, cases wouldn’t be reaching new record highs across the country this week.”
Mr. Obama also talked about his and Mr. Biden’s record on African American unemployment — which had taken a hit in the 2008 financial crisis. He said the only people better off under a Trump administration were those who got tax cuts — cuts, that Mr. Biden would roll back to finance clean energy jobs, Mr. Obama said.
Mr. Obama also said that the Trump administration has sought to dismantle the Affordable Care Act, or Obamacare, but has not come up with an alternative for it: a theme Vice-Presidential candidate Kamala Harris also focused on while campaigning in Reno, Nevada, on Tuesday.
CNN reported that Mr. Obama is expected to join Mr. Biden in a battleground State — possibly Michigan, where Mr Biden is expected Mr. Trump beat Hillary Clinton by 0.3 percentage points in 2016.
Mr. Trump’s messaging has been that the country is “rounding the turn” [turning the corner] on the pandemic — a hypothesis that runs counter to scientists’ expectations based on rising infection numbers and dropping temperatures. He has also linked the pandemic to an economic message — that the election is a choice between a “Trump super recovery” and a “Biden depression”.
Mr. Trump has also included a new segment to his campaign repertoire: playing clips featuring Mr. Biden and other top Democrats.
While at a rally in Erie, Pennsylvania, last week, Mr. Trump played a clip with Mr. Biden and Ms. Harris’s comments on regulating fracking and fossil fuels. Mr. Trump’s messaging also consists of questioning Mr. Biden’s cognitive state and suggesting that he is a hostage to the “radical left” which will lead the country to anarchy if Mr. Biden is elected. The President has also promoted his record of being tough on China and renegotiating trade agreements such as NAFTA, which was replaced by the U.S. Mexico Canada Agreement.
Mr. Trump’s also spoke in Arizona (where Democrats have not won in a presidential election since 1993) and then Florida.
Institute of Hospitality Sri Lanka
The 32nd Annual General Meeting (AGM) of the UK-based Institute of Hospitality’s Sri Lanka Chapter was held recently at the Ramada Hotel Colombo,.The event provided an evening of camaraderie , reflection of the past and present achievements,setting new benchmarks for the future
The AGM had the presence of two distinguished guests, the Chief Guest Opposition Leader Sajith Premadasa, and the Guest of Honour British High Commissioner to Sri Lanka, Andrew Patrick. Their inspiring speeches were lauded by all hoteliers who were present at the occasion
A special thanks was extended to Robert Richardson, CEO of the Institute of Hospitality UK, along with his team, sponsors, committee members, and all attendees for making the event memorable.
Dr. Harsha Jayasingh, Past President of the Institute of Hospitality (UK) Sri Lanka Chapter, emphasised the Institute’s longstanding history and the strength of its Sri Lankan branch. “The Institute of Hospitality (IH) UK has a history of 86 years, and we are proud to be the Sri Lanka Branch. IH Sri Lanka is much stronger now with many members from all areas of the hospitality industry,” he stated.
Dr. Jayasingh highlighted the significant role of tourism in Sri Lanka’s economy,. He said tourism it is the third-largest source of revenue for the country. “Tourism accounts for about 13.3% of total foreign exchange earnings and employs 450,000 people directly and indirectly. The hospitality industry in this island of pearl holds tremendous potential for economic growth, job creations, and cultural exchange,” he added.
He also pointed out more women should be attracted to the industry and advocated for the use of technology in hospitality sector to attract the younger generation.
The newly appointed Chairman Ramesh Dassanayake spoke about the challenges faced by the industry, including the reluctance of youth to join the sector. . Dassanayake expressed concerns over the migration of staff between hotels and the overall ‘brain drain’ in the sector. ” We must maintain high standards in the hotel We must try to attract tourists to Sri Lanka, we must have with many facilities Hence, hotel schools and other professional institutions involved in skills development mustincrease their intakes,” he pointed out.
Chief Guest Sajith Premadasa emphasised the importance of eco tourism and said “We need to have an environmental policy related to tourism in place,” . .
The 32nd AGM of the Institute of Hospitality UK, Sri Lanka Chapter, was a testament to the strength and potential of Sri Lanka’s hospitality industry. The insights and commitments shared during the event set a new benchmark for the future.(ZC)
Pix by Thushara Attapathu
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He recognizes human identity beyond boundaries of gender, race, nationality and religion.
Visit of Sri Gurudev to Sri Lanka
Humanitarian, spiritual leader and Global Ambassador of Peace Gurudev Sri Sri Ravi Shankar (Sri Gurudev) was in Sri Lanka on a three day tour on the invitation of the Prime Minister of Sri Lanka Dinesh Gunewardene. Gurudev who inspired a wave of volunteerism and service to moot one of the largest volunteer-based organisations in the world – The Art of Living – visited the various projects under the aegis of the foundation and launched twelve vocational and technical centers around the island. He was accompanied by thousands of followers from Sri Lanka and around the world.
Gurudev who visited Sri Lanka for the sixth time also had a first day cover launched in honour of his visit. He is a strong proponent of spreading happiness, using the unique Sudarshan Kriya, yoga, meditation and practical wisdom to unite people, empower individuals and transform communities. His programmes provide techniques and tools to live a deeper, more joyous life, while his non-profit organisations recognize the human identity beyond the boundaries of gender, race, nationality and religion.
The Art of Living which has more than 30,000 teachers and over one million volunteers across 180 countries has touched in excess of five hundred million people around the world. CNN called it “Life Changing” and The Washington Post headlined it, “Fresh air to millions”.
In Trincomalee, Gurudev met with war victims and had a heartwarming engagement with the children from the children’s homes run by the Foundation. He also visited the Koneswara Temple in Trincomalee and graced the Kumbhabhishekam at Seetha ecogPnize the human identity beyond the boundaries of gender, race, nationality and religion. Amman temple at Nuwara Eliya. He held discussions with the trustees on the progress of the foundation’s social service projects, while also holding a special event – Ekamuthuwa – attended by a large number of dignitaries and his devotees from around the world.
His time with the Prime Minister was spent discussing the prospects of unity in diversity and uniting Sri Lanka by adding happiness into the formula of living. In addition he had discussions with the Speaker of the Parliament of Sri Lanka Mahinda Yapa Abeywardena, prominent business stewards and civil society leaders.
by Zanita Careem
Envison your dream wedding day come to life at the Epitome Hotel, a prestigious city hotel in Kurunegala offering an unrivalled luxury rendors experience for weddings.
The venue is designed to embody opulence and luxury from all quarters for a spectacular wedding in kurunegala,Thier ballroom is the largest banquet facility in Sri Lanka It can be divided into six luxurious pillarless wedding halls on the ground floor and 25pax smaller banquet halls.
It can be easily named as a five star heaven in the heart of the city contributing to a myriad of immense experiences tailored to inspire and delight wedding experiences.
From opulent décor set up to exquisite table decor, lavish food, every detail is meticulously curated to spark your imagination and ignite creativity for a perfect wedding. The previous prestigious wedding shows season one and season two attracted large crowds
were unique events which gave the wedding vendors and potential clients had an opportunity to connect and interact with each other. Beyond being a showcase it was a chance for the wedding vendors to unite and contribute to the vibrancy of the wedding industry. The wedding show covered all area of the bridal industry providing a comprehensive variety of bridal supplies from Sri lanka and became the most popular bridal exhibitions in Kurunegala.This bridal exhibitions allowed brides and grooms to experience first hand the products and services available from suppliers in Sri Lanka
These wedding shows held at The Epitome created a benchmark and gave an opportunity for vendors to create connections to the utmost satisfaction said Harshan Lakshita Executive Director. of the magnificent Hotel
Our wedding shows featured experts and professionals in every field‘ It covered all areas of the bridal industry provided a comprehensive variety of bridal supplies from Sri lanka and became most popular bridal exhibition in this region.We are always open to everyone to join us at our wedding shows in the future. It is an opportunity to discover the incredible talent within our local wedding and bridal vendors to make meaningful relationships and plan thier special day at our breathtaking hotel The Epitome said General Manager Kavinda Caldera
The Epitome Hotel’s bridal show which will be held end of June will buzz with great ideas,advice and inspiration for all those who plan thier dream wedding
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The Hotel Epitome’s Wedding Season 3 will marked excellence, celebration and inspiration for those in the wedding industry. The exhibition halls will resonate with ideas on exquisite bridal wear to decor, florists , photography etc and showshowcase the rich tapestry of talent within the local wedding industry. .
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