Latest news with #Straight
Business Insider
4 days ago
- Lifestyle
- Business Insider
Their lives used to revolve around city traffic. They gave it up to build an island home in the Philippines for $85,000.
When Matthew Straight and April Pasilang lived in Cebu City, the oldest city in the Philippines, the constant hum of traffic made it hard to slow down. "We didn't really ever get to open a window. It was always closed," Straight, 46, told Business Insider. Straight, who grew up in New Zealand, met Pasilang, now 44, in the Philippines in 2016 while working in the fitness industry. In July 2024, he moved from his base in Australia to Cebu City to be closer to her. The bustle of city life got old fast. Straight had always thought about living off-grid in the countryside, but he didn't think Pasilang would be interested. "When he mentioned it, it was like, oh my God, I wanted that too," Pasilang, a yoga instructor, told BI. She grew up on the outskirts of Cebu City, where space was plentiful and her family grew their own crops, and she longed for that kind of simplicity again. They didn't plan to leave Cebu City, but a two-night trip to Bohol, an island about two hours by ferry, changed everything. They stumbled upon a piece of land they liked in a small town called Corella. Although it was only about a 15-minute drive from a large market and mall, the area was quiet, with few neighbors, and just a short drive to the beach. They bought it on a whim. "I thought it would happen maybe in five years or something. It never crossed my mind that it would happen so quickly," Pasilang said. Building an off-grid home The couple paid 1.3 million Philippine pesos, or about $23,000, for the plot of land, which measures about 15,500 square feet. In October, they broke ground on the construction of their off-grid home. Straight drew a simple floor plan, and the couple worked with local architects and builders to design their new place. The two-bedroom, two-bathroom main residence was designed with an open plan layout to maximize natural light and airflow. Steps away, a separate one-bedroom guest house offers a comfortable stay for visiting family and friends. Outside, there's a pool, a vegetable garden, and a pond — plenty of space for the couple to grow their own food and unwind. Hoping to be as self-sustainable as possible, the couple outfitted the house with rainwater storage tanks and a solar panel system. "We don't want to be at the whim of global supply chain issues," Straight said. They spent 4.84 million Philippine pesos on building the property, which included the costs of their appliances, furniture, fencing, drainage, and their solar energy system. They moved in in April. "Now we're getting the veggie gardens going," Straight said. "We just picked some eggplants, okra, and chilies in the morning." The couple also has plans to buy some chickens and raise tilapia fish in their pond for their own consumption. They've grown close to several neighbors, often stopping by with extra produce from their garden or homemade treats, like Pasilang's banana bread. Among the familiar faces is a 75-year-old woman who runs a small convenience store where kids from the nearby elementary school stop by to buy snacks. "Then there's another neighbor who's 83 and fit as a fiddle. He walks around carrying big bottles of water, and he's ripped," Straight said. The sense of community is unlike what they experienced in Cebu City, or even in Australia, where Straight lived for more than 10 years. "Everyone looks out for each other here. They're just so kind and thoughtful and generous, even if they don't have much," he said. "And you reciprocate that." Their friends from Cebu drop by regularly, and the couple says they've also connected with new people through their homestead-focused YouTube channel — a hobby they picked up when they started building their home. Living with intention Moving away from the city has allowed the couple to live at their own pace. "We wake up, open the sliding doors, put a pot of coffee on, and take a look at the garden. We just decide what to do based on what needs to be done in the garden, like filling up the garden beds," Pasilang said. In the afternoons, Straight does online nutrition consulting work, and once he's finished, the couple brainstorms ideas for their YouTube channel. They're no longer rushing from place to place, worrying about their to-do lists. "Everything was always go, go, go and structured, because you really have to time it due to the traffic," Straight said. It's all in line with their goal to slow down and lead a more purposeful life, especially for Straight. Back in Australia, Straight juggled multiple jobs: managing a gym, running a taco business, and overseeing a café. He also owned several rental properties. Losing his mother to pancreatic cancer in 2017 shifted his outlook. Straight traveled back and forth between Australia and New Zealand to spend time with her while she was sick. "I thought, gosh, I'm having to leave her to go back to a job — where I'm just exchanging time for money, which will come and go — instead of spending time with my mom," he said. The experience made him realize that he wanted control over his time. After reassessing his priorities, Straight saw that he could live with less and be happier for it. When he moved to the Philippines, he only had three boxes and two suitcases. "It was actually quite therapeutic, getting rid of all my stuff and then coming to the Philippines and buying things intentionally — quality stuff that's not going to just be thrown away in a year's time," Straight said. They haven't found any downsides to their new life yet. "We have everything we had in Cebu but with a much easier, slower-paced life," he added. Apart from being less attached to material things, the couple says their lifestyle change has improved their mental health. "When you get a text message or you're checking social media, you get that dopamine reaction in your brain," Straight said. "But now, we get the same thing by going out to the garden and seeing that the okra has grown an inch in a day."
Irish Independent
16-07-2025
- Entertainment
- Irish Independent
Saxophonist and composer Melissa Aldana: ‘As someone who left Chile at 17, I'm always drawn to stories that explore the tension between origin and evolution'
Home > Entertainment > Music My Cultural Life Melissa Aldana. Photo: Ebru Yildiz BOOK: The Artist's Way The Artist's Way by Julia Cameron is something I come back to when I need to reconnect with why I create. The daily writing exercises help me clear my head and tap into a deeper emotional space, something that feeds directly into my improvisation and composition. I'm also reading essays on identity, culture and creative practice, especially from Latin American and immigrant perspectives. As someone who left Chile at 17 to pursue music, I'm always drawn to stories that explore the tension between origin and evolution. FILM: Straight, no chaser I recently rewatched the 1988 documentary Thelonious Monk: Straight, No Chaser – his intensity and individuality always hit me hard. He reminds me that freedom in music comes from knowing yourself and not compromising that. I've also been watching Pedro Almodovar's films again. The way he uses colour and emotional nuance feels musical to me, like phrasing in a ballad. And sometimes I just need something quiet, like nature documentaries or short films that allow space to reflect. That silence can be just as inspiring as the music itself. ALBUM: Emanon Wayne Shorter's Emanon has been on repeat, it's like entering a universe where anything is possible. His compositions are so expansive, and I admire the way he weaves story and sound. I've also been revisiting South American folk artists like Violeta Parra and Victor Jara. Their emotional honesty really moves me, and I find parallels between that rawness and the way I try to express myself on the saxophone. I also listen to podcasts that explore creativity and vulnerability – The Third Story is a favourite. EVENT: Montreaux Jazz Festival Montreux Jazz Festival is one of the most inspiring places I've been to as a listener. You feel surrounded by history, but it's also full of surprises – people taking chances, new voices coming through. It respects tradition while embracing change, which I relat e to as an artist. Have you tried Focail and Conundrum? Daily word puzzles designed to test your vocabulary and lateral thinking skills. People & Culture Magazine
Yahoo
04-05-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Speakers urge class solidarity at May Day protest
GOSHEN — Speakers called for persistence and solidarity at the third antigovernment protest since the start of spring in Elkhart County. Close to 200 people joined the May Day Strong protest Thursday outside the Elkhart County Courthouse. They bore signs speaking out against cuts to Social Security and other government services, in support of worker solidarity and in defense of due process as people are taken off the streets in America and flown to foreign prisons. 'We're here today for what we're for, for as much as we're against. The things that we're for are the equal treatment of immigrants – our Hispanic, our Black, our indigenous neighbors. We're here for them,' said David Knight, one of the organizers. 'We're also here to protect our way of life. We're here for fair wages. We're here for universal healthcare. ... We're here to maintain a government by the people, of the people and for the people. We're here to stand against the attacks on the Constitution and our way of life.' Corinne Straight, an Elkhart activist, said there's growing anger at the feeling that working harder to obtain the so-called American dream only makes other people richer. She said most people dream of meeting basic needs, while anything more than that falls further out of reach every year. 'We do not dream of becoming tech billionaires. We do not dream of handing over multimillion-dollar companies to our children. We dream of going to the doctor. We dream of putting food on the table. We dream of our kids getting to have a career and an education without starting out their lives tens of thousands of dollars in debt. We dream of retiring,' she said. 'Our dreams are so basic. ... Like David said, we are the wealthiest nation in the world, and we do not provide basic necessities. We allow people to go into debt to eat, to get a cavity filled, to send their kids to child care.' Straight said upward mobility from one generation to the next has been falling since the baby boomer generation, nine out of 10 of whom could say they made more money than their parents. She said that number has dropped to 50 percent for millennials. She encouraged protesters to show the same class solidarity as the top 5 percent, who act with the common goal of enriching themselves off the labor of the other 95 percent while keeping them distracted with divisive social issues. 'This is not about hard work. This has never been about hard work. There is no one in this country that works harder than poor people. There is no one in this country that works harder than a single parent. There is no one in this country that works harder than an immigrant,' Straight said. 'This has never been about work ethic. This has always been about privilege and opportunity, and the billionaires understanding that our hard work is going to make them richer. ... They need us to keep working harder.' Elkhart City Councilman Dwight Fish also encouraged protesters to show solidarity with immigrants, who are seeking the same basic dream. 'What about those folks who come across here with the hope and dream of living in a town like Goshen and expressing their rights? They're not doing anything wrong. They want to come here and work,' he said. 'Why are we not making a pathway to citizenship? Why are we not doing that? Because the power-brokers love to manipulate and distract and take everything they can, and not give you a thing back.' Straight said the last legislative session in Indianapolis showed what state lawmakers really value. She said it isn't children, parents, public education or health care. 'They value tax cuts for businesses and vouchers so the top 3 percent of wealthiest Hoosiers can send their kids to school on our dime. In a tight budget year, they had an opportunity to actually do the right thing, and once again, they did not,' she said. 'And every single person here recognizes the power that they have in Indianapolis, and we are not going to let these people run unopposed in 2026, are we?' She said 40 uncontested seats in the state legislature went to Republicans in 2024, representing close to 3 million people. She urged the crowd to spread an alternative to the pro-Trump message those people have been hearing. 'This presence here today shows that we can be united, we can be inspired and we can be focused and hopeful. Because we are committed to doing the work that is going to reverse decades of economic decline for the bottom 95 percent of us,' Straight said. 'And we are committed to not burying our heads in the sand when it gets hard. We can't look away when it hurts. It's going to get worse before it gets better – we have to stay the course.'
Yahoo
02-05-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Goshen joins another national day of protest against Trump, DOGE
GOSHEN — Those who believe in freedom, kindness and justice cannot rest until it comes. The message, marked in a song led by Sam Yoder of the Poor People's Campaign to a group of around 200 protesters outside the Elkhart County Courthouse on Thursday evening, was part of the overarching message of the May Day Strong protest. Goshen's protest was among thousands of the same across U.S. cities against the President Donald Trump administration and the Department of Government Efficiency, a continuation of the nationwide protests that began with the Hands Off! Protests in April. Yoder spoke about what he called the interlocking injustices of systemic racism — poverty, ecological devastation, economy and religious nationalism to make right things that have gone wrong. 'It's going to cost us something, but let's not rest until it comes,' Yoder said. At Goshen's protest, state Republican lawmakers also felt the pressure, as speakers urged the community to vote for change. 'We've got to get somebody that's fired up, well-funded and motivated to bring back democracy to Elkhart County, Indiana,' said Elkhart Common Councilman Dwight Fish, District 4. 'Democracy will not wait. It's not convenient. Democracy demands our attention. Democracy demands that we fight for everything the Constitution represents.' Fish spoke predominantly on immigrant rights. 'Our job, folks, is to fight back with every fiber in our being and make sure that we show them how to do democracy right,' he said. 'What about those folks who come here with the hope and dream of living in a town like Goshen and expressing their right? They're not doing anything wrong. They want to work. Why are we not making a pathway to citizenship? Why are we not doing that? Because the powerbrokers love to manipulate and distract and take everything that they can and not give you a thing back.' Elkhart activist Corinne Straight told the crowd that in the last election in Indiana, 40 state district seats went uncontested. 'I feel like we have all been sold an American Dream by people who have been strategically and deliberately stealing it for themselves,' Straight said. 'We keep working harder, and they keep getting richer.' Straight pointed to a statement by Indiana Gov. Mike Braun during his campaign, wherein Braun said he was able to hand over his family business that his father gave to him to his children, calling it the American Dream. 'At first I thought maybe he misspoke, but he said it several times in several different appearances,' Straight said. 'We do not dream of becoming tech billionaires, we do not dream of handing over multimillion dollar companies to our children, we dream of going to the doctor, we dream of putting food on the table, we dream of our children getting to have a career and an education without starting out their lives tens of thousands of dollars in debt, we dream of retiring. Our dreams are so basic.' Straight argued that Braun and Lt. Gov. Mike Beckwith's comments on hard work allowing them to achieve their goals were comments of 'nefarious intent.' 'This is not about hard work. This has never been about hard work. There is no one in this country that works harder than poor people,' Straight said. 'This has never been about work ethic. This has always been about privilege and opportunity and the billionaires understanding that our hard work is going to make them richer.' A few scheduled speakers did not attend the protest. Kate Marsh, with Elkhart County Indivisible, spoke on behalf of Short Term Partnership With Immigrant Neighbors, announcing their program to those in attendance and asking the community to support immigrants by driving them places to keep them from driving illegally. Kevin Peters of the Elkhart County Democrats, who ran for county council last year, announced the candidate recruitment committee and urged residents to get involved and begin training and meeting together.
Yahoo
20-02-2025
- Automotive
- Yahoo
Virginia International Raceway Grand Course Map
On paper, the Grand Course is 24 turns over 4.1 miles, but there are more like 30 saws at the wheel for every lap. The methodology we employ over three days to tackle this test largely mirrors the advice in Dr. Leo Marvin's book, Baby Steps. DAY ONE is devoted to getting up to speed and learning the idiosyncrasies of each car. Entering the Climbing Esses—corners that would be accompanied by a 35-mph speed-limit sign on the street—at over 100 mph isn't something you wake up angry and just do, so it takes a few laps and endorphin bursts to build confidence there and in VIR's other hairy points [see map annotations below]. The key to day one is learning how the car and the track interact. DAY TWO starts with an earnest attempt at a lap in the morning when the track is quickest. Nail braking points and clean up lines in the slow, patience-trying corners, such as Left Hook, Oak Tree, and Bitch. DAY THREE starts on fresh tires. After a night spent visualizing the perfect lap, go out and get that fast lap before air temperatures rise. You get, at most, three laps in each car. And it can always rain. One step at a left looks easy but tests a driver's mettle and a car's stability, as it demands you to brake deep into the turn-in point. The Porsche 718 Cayman GT4 RS Manthey clips this apex at 69.4 mph while pulling 1.25 g's. Following the NASCAR Bend's stress is a throwaway corner that you sacrifice to maximize exit speed for the straight leading to the Climbing Esses. Get too aggressive with the throttle in Left Hook, and you have to lift before clobbering the exit curbing. Uphill, winding, and unforgiving. Get it wrong, and the runoff area is essentially nonexistent. The Lucid Air averages 131.2 mph here. It's off-camber, meaning water would flow away from the apex, with a blind entry and a downhill exit. If it were flat, the corner might just be a kink. The GT4 RS Manthey kisses 94.1 mph while gripping at 1.19 g's. As with the Climbing Esses, the grass off the track is littered with ruts dug by the unfortunate. The corner at the end of the Back Straight is slow, which usually means you go in too fast. It also goes off-camber as you leave the corner, so be patient with the throttle on corner exit. This fast right-hander runs down a hill and empties onto the Front Straight. Strike the curbing on the left under braking and then turn in toward the curbing on the right. Get back on the throttle early to get the most out of the long straight that follows. Running wide here could mean mowing a lot of to lightning lap 2025 You Might Also Like Car and Driver's 10 Best Cars through the Decades How to Buy or Lease a New Car Lightning Lap Legends: Chevrolet Camaro vs. Ford Mustang!
