Marilyn's Photos - Oct 22 2025 - Billionaires lead Millionaire Migration

 

The top 3 billionaire migrants in the world live in the U.S. now - Elon Musk, Sergey Brin and Jensen Huang.  They may be the only 3 as no more names seem to be given.  But then they are among the richest people on the planet.  There are now 125 foreign-born billionaires who are U.S. citizens in 2025. They dominate the $1.3trillion “slice” of US wealth.   The next group is million migrants and they go to UAE, then the US, then Singapore, and Canada is in 4th place.  The factors that lead to migration to Canada include political stability, strong economy and high quality of life. The number that was projected for 2024 was 3,200 millionaires coming to Canada. But really, the news is that 7,500 foreign millionaires will migrate to the US in 2025 bringing with them $43.7 billion. And it may grow this year given the lower taxes and reduced regulations in the U.S.  The countries losing millionaires are China, UK, India, South Korea and Russia.  UK is losing so many because of its tax burden and stagnant economy.  And what about India?  It says taxes are a significant driver and then lifestyle with concerns about pollution, traffic congestion and quality of public services. China’s tech crackdown, their campaign to reduce income inequality by getting the wealthy to donate to philanthropy, and the increased scrutiny over private businesses. And  there’s the economic slowdown.  Russia is seen as having political and economic issues with the Kremlin tightening control while at the same time there is a lack of rule of law so that personal wealth is at risk. And then there’s that war which means Russia has a militarized economy.  And South Korea has high taxes all-round.  I conclude that if you are a billionaire or a millionaire, it is all about money.and keeping it to yourself.  Let’s see how it plays out in 2025 and where it all stacks up. Here’s the cute potting bench at the Royal Botanical Gardens rendered as a watercolour.

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Marilyn's Photos - Oct 21 2025 - Where will the calligraphers go?

 

The East Wing of the White House was partialy destroyed yesterday, making it the U.S. news story of the day.  Probably because the Blue Jays won the game and now are in the World Series, so the White House news flooded the headlines around the world. Every country covered the demolition.  Not much opinion written about the historical significance, maybe that will follow. So where will the White House calligrapher go?  That’s right, the White House has a chief calligrapher, responsible for designing and fulfilling social and official documents at the White House.  The East Wing used to be the place where the chief calligrapher and two deputy calligraphers worked.  I doubt the First Lady writes things, so no worries about her losing her office. The calligraphers create hand-lettered documents for official events, including invitations, place cards, menus, and proclamations. This team handles both traditional hand-lettering and computer-generated work to meet the demands of events like state dinners, holiday receptions, and other official functions.  Of course the British Royal Family has calligraphers.  Can you imagine the official Coronation Roll for King Charles and Queen Camilla being created in Comic Sans font and chugging out of a computer printer? Who else has such a tradition? Taiwan, Tunisia, and China are identified as the countries with official calligraphers.   No news on where the U.S. calligraphers have been rehoused.  Just like there’s no date for when the grand State Ballroom will be ready. Here’s a Fall flower interpretation of Asters and Goldenrod.

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Mairlyn's Photos - Cot 20 2025 - A Thousand Pumpkins

 

The Pumpkin Festival is on at the Royal Botanical Gardens (RBG).  I was there yesterday with the Lily Society’s bulb sale.  The entrance to the RBG had a display of over a thousand pumpkins, set on the ground in mosaic display patterns.  And there are so many colours and kinds of pumpkins now.  Is pumpkin hybridization recent or are we getting access to ancient varieties that haven’t travelled the world?  o be sure, tThe light gray and cream colours are very stylish now. The gray ones are the Jarrahdale pumpkin - an ancient eating variety. And what about the Peanut pumpkins with the warts on their skins - caused by sugar crystalizing within the pumpkin’s flesh.  They are considered exceptional flavourful and are a French heirloom variety.  Farytale and Cinderella pumpkins are the deeply lobelled and squat shapes - again a French heirloom variety.  I wonder if the French are the pumpkin hybridizing masters. Pumpkin varieties have wonderful names: Porcelain Doll, Casper (like the ghost), Goosebumps, Mint Prince, Batwing, Cotton Candy, and that wonderful Turk’s Turban.  Here’s a partial stroll through the Pumpkin Trail Festival yesterday. starting at the entrance, then into the Mediterranean Greenhouse, through to the Pumpkin Trail in the Rose Garden, with the giant pumpkin and the wonderful pumpkin house.

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Marilyn's Photos - Oct 19 2025 - Ice Cube on the Burger

Do we know the ice cube on the burger technique?  It creates steam which adds moisture to the meat   I was wondering about this as we had a really great, moist burger at The Good Earth Restaurant on Friday and wondered if it was the chef’s touch or a different technique used this time. These headlines reveal it is considered “a hack”. Does the Ice Cube Burger Trick Really Work? The Ice Cube Hack for Ridiculously uJicy Burgers Every Time YouTube · Groark Boys’ BBQ -  I put an ICE CUBE in my BURGER and this is what happened ... In comparison, the ice cube technique is also used for the following Childbirth preparations - getting comfortable with discomfort and practice coping skills during childbirth Psychological grounding - manage dissociative episodes or intense anxiety, by holding an ice cube in the hand or mount and focusing on the intense, phsyical sensation of cold Laundry - remove wrinkles by throwing ice cubs in the dryer creating steam Skincare - to reduce swelling, redness by rubbing ice cubes on the skin to soothe irritation and make the skin feel fresh and glowing In Baking?  Put an ice cube into the hot Dutch oven when baking bread to generate steam and enhance the crust texture and put the frozen dark chocolate into the batter to make a Lava Cake. I recently found this picture of reflected colours on water in an aquarium in Florida.

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Marilyn's Photos - Oct 18 2025 - David Attenborough at 99

 

David Attenborough is 99 years old and made history yesterday by winning a 2024 Emmy Award for his show Netflix’s Secret Lives of Orangutans. The article says:  “That makes Attenborough, 99, a hair older than Van Dyke, who was 98 when he won the Guest Performer in a Daytime Drama Series Emmy last year for his appearance on Peacock’s Days of Our Lives.” He’s 25 years older than me and still working.  How is that possible?  There’s always an answer these days. Google says: “his longevity is attributed to a lifestyle that includes a passionate sense of purpose, staying physically active, a plant-focused diet with less red meat, and maintaining a deep connection to nature.” There are many articles on this subject when he turned 99 in March 2025.  Probably we can go back five years and there will be a string of these articles.   He is a popular topic in the press. Other articles outline some medical issues - cardiovascular and mobility issues, including knee replacement surgery and a pacemaker.  We love to keep track of old, older and oldest, and the oldest person is a woman at 116 years old - Ethel Caterham.  It is a little to very late, but let’s all wish him Happy Birthday!

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