Life style
Who are America’s new first family?
The president-elect’s small inner circle includes family members and longtime trusted advisers
Joe Biden’s victory in the US presidential election means a new “first family” will be stepping into the White House, and will include a mix of figures who are already household names or upcoming social media stars, as well as relatives who like to keep a lower profile.
Besides Biden himself, the person most involved in the president-elect’s political career is his wife, Jill Biden, an educator and “military mom”. The pair have been married since 1977.
Jill is expected to break with tradition and keep her day job as a professor, while also immersing herself in education policy. That’s an unusual move, even for a first lady with four degrees.
“For American educators, this is a great day for y’all,” Biden said in his victory speech on Saturday. “You’re gonna have one of your own in the White House. And Jill’s gonna make a great first lady. I’m so proud of her.”
As public figures go, Jill, 69, has kept a relatively low profile considering her spouse was a US senator for almost four decades and spent two terms as vice-president to Barack Obama. The pair lived three miles down the road from the White House at the Naval Observatory in Washington DC, the same mansion that vice-president-elect Kamala Harris and her husband are expected to move to.
During the Obama administration, Jill, then the second lady, bonded with Michelle Obama, traveling together and working on their Joining Forces military families project. Jill continued to teach at Northern Virginia Community College during the Obama years, and has spoken about how she asked that her Secret Service detail dress like students and carry laptops to blend in.
During the 2020 election campaign, Jill Biden has played an integral role in some of her husband’s biggest decisions, including narrowing down the search for his running mate.
Jill also delivered a speech in support of her husband during this year’s Democratic national convention, acted as a surrogate on the campaign trail, served on the education taskforce for the Biden campaign and helped to develop policy proposals.
Together, the Bidens have one daughter, Ashley Biden, 39, a philanthropist and social worker who also prefers to keep out of the spotlight. Ashley Biden’s husband, Howard Krein, has come under national scrutiny over his venture capital business and advising the campaign on coronavirus policy.
The Biden family are no strangers to tragedy. Through his first marriage to Neilia Hunter, Biden had three children: Hunter, Beau and Naomi. Naomi and Neilia died in a car crash in 1972, days after he was first elected to the US Senate. Beau Biden, the former attorney general of Delaware and a rising star within the Democratic party, died of a brain tumor in 2015.
Biden’s younger son, Hunter, has been the preferred target of Donald Trump and his Republican allies in trying to frame Biden and Democrats as “corrupt” and in secretive alliances with China for personal gain.
In the first presidential debate in September, Trump mocked Hunter Biden for his struggles with drug addiction, which was widely seen as ill-judged.
Trump and his campaign have also repeatedly argued, without concrete evidence, that Hunter Biden, 50, leveraged his father’s position as vice-president for monetary gain.
In October, laptops and text messages purportedly from Hunter Biden surfaced under strange circumstances. Republicans used that material to argue that their accusations about corrupt dealings among the Bidens were true. But investigations by serious news outlets dismissed those claims.
Hunter has had very little public involvement with his father’s campaign, aside from recording a video voicing his support that was played at the Democratic national convention (DNC).
Several of Biden’s grandchildren, who call him “Pop,” also appeared in a recorded clip played at the DNC, describing him as doting, and joking about how he phones them every day to check-in.
Biden’s granddaughter, Naomi Biden, a 26-year-old graduate of Columbia Law School, has a substantial online following and has posted several pictures of the president-elect in recent days. In one tweet from August, she joked that anyone “who wants to get to @JoeBiden, will have to get past us first,” with a picture of his grandchildren.
The couple also have two German shepherds, Champ and Major, who will presumably move to the White House with them.
In almost five decades in politics, Biden has maintained an inner circle of about eight key advisers and family members. That is unlikely to change as president.
“Joe’s always had a relatively small circle,” Bill Daley, a former chief of staff to Barack Obama, told the Guardian. As examples, Daley ticked off longtime advisers: Valerie Biden Owens (Biden’s younger sister), Tom Donilon (who worked on Biden’s 1988 run for president and was national security adviser during the Obama-Biden administration), Steve Ricchetti (Biden’s former chief of staff), Bruce Reed (another former chief of staff), Ted Kaufman (former Delaware senator and longtime Biden adviser), and Ron Klain (another former chief of staff).
“I think part of it is you come from a smaller state. There’s a smaller group of people that you’re with,” Daley said.
Valerie Biden Owens has been a mainstay of her brother’s political life for most of his years in office. She was a top aide for most of Biden’s campaigns, serving as campaign manager for his two previous presidential campaigns. This year, she has largely maintained a behind-the-scenes role but an influential one nonetheless.
In a rare interview with the Associated Press in August, she contrasted Biden’s life story with that of Trump.
“Everything that Donald Trump is, my brother is the polar opposite. I don’t have to make him bigger than he is,” Valerie Biden Owens said when asked if her brother grasped the gravity of this moment in time.
“He’s good enough as he is, and he is prepared and I believe he’s uniquely qualified right now to lead … All of this has come together. My brother appreciates it. He can feel it.”
– The Guardian
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
Life style
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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